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GEM 


HISTORY  OF 

Yolo  County 

CALIFORNIA 


Biographical  Sketches 


The  Leading   Men    and   Wome>i    of   the   County    Who   Have   Been 

Identified  With  Its  Growth  and  Development  From 

the    Early   Days    to    the   Present 


HISTORY    BY 

TOM    GREGORY 

AND    OTHER    WELL 
KNOWN    WRITERS 


ILLUSTRATED 
COMPLETE   IN   ONE    VOLUME 


HISTORIC  RECORD  COMPANY 

LOS   ANGELES,    CALIFORNIA 
[1913] 


CONTENTS 


CHAPTER    I. 

Between  the  River  and  the  Range 5 

First  View  of  Yolo — Early  Dweller  in  Tule  Town— Red  Headed  Grand 
Island  Bucks — The  Spanish  Come  Up  the  Rio — Names  Appear. 

CHAPTER    II. 

Through  a  Slumber  Period 9 

Before  the  Gringos  Came — A  History-Making  Smith — Alexander  McLeod, 
Not  McCloud — Cached  Their  Pelts  by  the  Creek — Chief  Solano. 

CHAPTER  III. 
A  Mild  Land — A  Mild  Indian 11 

When  Lo  Was  the  Adobe  Architect  and  Builder — Tribes  of  the  Sonoma 
District  Before  the  Plague— California  Red  People  That  Passed  and  Left 
No  Memory. 

CHAPTER    IV. 

The  Fair  Amazon  Califa 14 

Spain  in  Her  Mad  Dance  of  Death — A  Golden  Story — They  Tell  the 
Rosary  of  the  Missions — Carlos  and  His  Mighty  Dominions — Playing  at 
State  in  Manana  Land. 

CHAPTER   V. 

Spain  Mothered  Her  Simple  People 18 

The  Don  and  His  Childish  Pensioners — No  Horde  of  Officials — No  Pon- 
derous Judiciary — Mild  Priestly  Regulations — All  the  World  Loves  the 
Spanish  Girl. 

CHAPTER    VI. 

Alta  California  Drifts  to  Uncle  Samuel 22* 

Boys  Early  Taught  to  Ride — Dandy  Centaurs  of  the  Rancho  Ranges — 
Mother  Mexico  and  Her  Disobedient  and  Disrespectful  Daughter — The 
Yankees  Wrangle  Over  the  "Admission." 

CHAPTER    VII. 
Prom  San  Diego  to  the  Yolo  Plain 25 

The  Great  Valley  in  the  Roaring  Forties— Uncle  Billy  Gordon  Reaches 
Cache  Creek— They  All  Live  in  Clover— The  Landing  of  William  Knight- 
Hair  Trigger  Touchiness— In  the  Tulares — Tinker's  Great  Fight. 

CHAPTER  VIII. 

Staking  Hit  the  Tule  Cities ;i'» 

The  Lost  Knight  Rancho — The  Berryesses'  Fleeting  Acres— Kelsey  Hodoo 
That  Followed  That  Wandering  Family — Pioneer  Wheat  Patch— Wash- 
ington. 

CHAPTER     IX. 

Recruiting  the  Bear  Flag  Party 33 

The    Rearing    of    the    California    Republic— Fremont,    the    Pathfinder— 


v i  CONTEXTS 

Vallejo — El  Oso  Waves  Over  Sonoma — Then  the  Stars  and  Stripes  Went 
Aloft   for  All   Time. 

CHAPTER    X. 

Jonas  Spect  and  His  River  Metropolis — - 36 

All  Roads  Went  to  Fremont  City  at  the  "Forks"— Everybody  Had  Plenty 
of  "Sand" — On  the  Highway  to  the  Mines  and  Wealth — Constitutional 
Government. 

CHAPTER    XI. 
Mapping  Out  the  Tule  County 39 

The  Humor  of  the  Colusa  "Scratchers"— The  County  Seat  Was  Fremont 
at  the  Forks— Early  Election  Campaigns— The  County  Grows  Apace— On 
the   Pioneer   Tax   Rolls. 

CHAPTER    XII. 

Settling  Along  the  Big  Sacramento 43 

Murphy  in  the  Toils  of  a  Fierce  Law— Rounding  Up  the  Cattle  Thieves— 
In  the  Livestock  Days — The  Padres  Farmed  a  Little — Wool  Shirts  Made 
the  Red  Convert  More  Lousy  and  Mucho  Itchy. 

CHAPTER  XIII. 
When  the  Mustang  Galloped  Out  up  the  Twilight..... -±7 


Here's  to  You,  Tough  Bronco! — The  Dairy  Queen  From  Over  the  Seas — 
Useful  Though  Homely  Hybrid  Mule— The  Yolo  Horse  Industry— Beef 
and   Butter  Business — Floods  Wash  Out  the  River  Ranches. 

CHAPTER    XIV. 

Passing  of  the  City  op  the  Two  Rivers - 50 

Leaves  from  Early  County  Records — A  County  Seat  That  Flew  by  Night 
—Woodland  Is  Born  Under  Her  Grand  Trees— They  First  Called  the 
Town  "Yolo  City" — She  Gets  the  Fleeting  County  Seat  and  the  News- 
papers Came  Also. 

CHAPTER    XV. 

Planting  the  Yolo  Valley  Settlements - 54 

In  the  Rich  Vale  of  the  Capay — What  the  Railroads  Did — Theodore  Win- 
ters Builded  Well — The  Town  "Dry"  and  Prosperous — Dunnigan  and  His 
Town— Black's  Station — Along  the  River  Front— When  Knights  Landing 
Was    Baltimore. 

CHAPTER    XVI. 

Jerome  Davis  and  Davisville iin 

Farmers  Made  Scientifically — The  Rich  Alluvium  from  the  Hills — Reser- 
vations of  Fertility  in  the  Sinks  of  Cache  and  Putah  Creeks — The  Warm 
Grape  Loam — Alfalfa  the  Busiest  Plant  on  Earth — The  Sugary  Beets  and 
Grapes  of  Yolo — A  Few  Fruit  Figures. 

CHAPTER    XVII. 

Yolo  County's   Splendid   Promise.. 64 

Some  Large  Ranches — The  Valley  of  the  Sacramento  a  Water  Basin — 
How  the  Flood  Came  Down  in  "Fifty" — A  Furious  Tidal  Wave — Winter 
of  Fifty-Two  and  Three— Sacramento  City  and  the  Deluge  of  Sixty-Two— 
Over  the  Yolo  Plains — The  Tribute  of  the  River — Reclamation  and  Irriga- 
tion— Dream   of  the   Yolo  Rancher. 

CHARTER    XVIII. 

Commercial  History  of  Yolo  County 7:i 

Began    With    1S69 — Incorporation    of    Bank    of   Woodland — Beginning   of 


17^9173 


CONTEXTS 

First  Railroad— Wheat-Raising  and  Stock-Raising— Pioneers  of  Yolo 
County — Need  of  a  Local  Bank— Bank  of  Woodland  Organized — Business 
Progresses — Present-Day  Conditions. 

CHAPTER    XIX. 

Fremont  

Earliest  Settlement  in  the  County — Jonas  Spect  and  His  Speculation — 
Population  of  Town  Increases— First  School— Fremont  Made  the  County 
Seat— Its    Short    Life. 

CHAPTEE    XX. 
Washington  - ~ 

Washington  Profits  by  the  Dissolution  of  Fremont — The  First  Settler  and 
Those  Who  Followed — Population  Continues  to  Grow— Progress  Along 
All  Lines— Floods  Bring  Disaster — Political  Events— County  Seat  Re- 
moved to  Woodland— Reclamation  Undertakings. 

CHAPTER    XXI. 

Woodland     — 

Its  Splendid  Location— Henry  Wyckoff.  Its  Founder— Settlers  Who  Fol- 
lowed and  What  They  Accomplished— Naming  the  Town— The  Only  Sur- 
vivor of  the   Early   Pioneeis. 

CHAPTER    XXII. 

Woodland  Becomes  the  County  Seat 

Has  Been  the  Seat  of  Government  Since  1862 — An  Era  of  Prosperity — 
First  Plat  of  Town  Recorded — Cornerstone  of  Courthouse  Laid — First 
Newspaper. 

CHAPTER    XXIII. 

Other  Early  Enterprises : 

Newspaper  of  Early  Days — Fire  Department — Fraternal  Bodies — National 
Guard. 

CHAPTER    XXIV. 
A  Period  of  Depression 


Woodland  Feels  the  Stress  of  Hard  Times— Woodland's  First  Street  Car 
— Coming  of  the  Telephone  and  Electricity — The  Woodland  Creamery — 
Municipal   Building  Erected. 


CHAPTER    XXV. 
A  Period  op  Disaster 


Woodland  Chamber  of  Commerce — Severe  Snowstorm  of  1S90 — The  First 
Fair— Bonding  of  Town— Site  Selected  for  City  Hall— Disastrous  Fire  of 
1891 — Woodland  Fair  Association — Earthquake  and  Fire  of  1892 — Depres- 
sion of  the  Three  Years  Following — Famous  Worden  Case — Wine  Indus- 
try— Woodland  Athletic  Club — Yolo  Consolidated  Water  Company. 


CHAPTER    XXVI. 
Period  of  Marked   Activity 


The  Year  1902  Sees  Further  Progress  in  Irrigation  Facilities — Improve- 
ment in  Postal  Service — Carnegie  Library  Erected — Other  Notable  Im- 
provements— Disastrous  Fire  of  1905 — Notable  Improvements  of  Later 
Years. 


CHAPTER    XXVII. 

Officers  of  City  of  Woodland,  and  of  County  and  State 

Board  of  Trustees— State  and  County  Officers  for  Years   1849-1911. 


v  i  i  i  CONTENTS 

CHAPTER    XXVIII. 

Schools  of  Yolo  County 132 

The  Pioneer  Teacher  of  the  County — First  School  of  the  County — Interest- 
ing Account  of  Early  School  Days— List  of  Districts  and  Teachers— High 
Schools — Hesperian  College — Yolo  County  High  School  Districts — Uni- 
versity Farm. 

CHAPTER    XXIX. 

The  Catholic  Church  in  Yolo  County 146 

Pioneer  Catholic  Family  of  the  County — First  Resident  Priest  and  Those 
Who  Followed — First  Services  in  Davisville,  Winters,  Madison,  Blacks, 
Guinda,   Broderick — Holy   Rosary   Academy. 

CHAPTER    XXX. 
Temperance  Movement  in  Yolo  County ...155 

Institution  of  Sons  of  Temperance — Independent  Order  of  Good  Templars 
— Vote  Upon  Question  of  License  or  No-License — Organization  of  W.  C. 
T.  U. — Midnight  Closing  Ordinance — Closing  of  Saloons  in  Woodland. 

CHAPTER    XXXI. 

Woodland  Library  and  Women's  Clubs , 161 

Library  Opened  in  1874— Those  Who  Have  Labored  to  Make  the  Under- 
taking a  Success — Carnegie  Donation  Received  in  1904 — Yolo  County 
Library  Improvement  Club— Five  Club— Woodland  Study  Club— Wood- 
land  Current  Topics  Club— Mutual  Club— Fortnightly   Club. 


INDEX 


A 

Abele.   Aloi  3  H 523 

Alge,  Richard 251 

Altpeter,  John   C 439 

Anderson,   Ear!   T 4S2 

Anderson,  John  B 643 

Anderson,   John   W 60S 

Anderson,  William  A 247 

Archer,   John   T 534 

B 

Bailey,  A.  G 689 

Baird,  James   D 620 

Baird,  Thomas    727 

Baker,  Hon.  Francis  E SOS 

Ball,  Thomas  D S77 

Barnes,  George    L 347 

Barnes,  H.    T.    &    Son 238 

Baumann,    Otto    J 829 

Beamer,  Richard    H 240 

•Beamer,  Richard     L 653 

Beardslee,  William   E.   M SS5 

Beck,  Aaron    546 

Beeman,  Dean   C 816 

Belshe,  Thomas  J 200 

Bemmerly,  Ernest   637 

Bemmerly ,  John     826 

Bentz,  M.  S 736 

Bidwell,  Charles  T 857 

Blanchard,  Prank    W 530 

Blanchard,  Melvin    W S6S 

Blickle,  Chris    F S17 

Boots,    William    A 700 

Bourland,  Francis     L 559 

Bower,  John    G 693 

Bray,  William   206 

Breen,  Miss  Agnes 460 

Brinck,  August    342 

Brinck,  William 404 

Brown,  Demarcus  X 809 

Browning,  Robert   W  .  .  ■ 211 

Browning.  William    M 739 

Buckingham,  Robert  H   193 

Byrns,  Charles    E 796 

c 

Cannedy,  William  J 339 


Cecil,   Burlin 467 

Cecil,    James    G 277 

Chapman.  James  W 450 

Chiles,  Isaac 645 

Chiles,  William  D 652 

Clancy,  Mathew 456 

Clanton,  Drewry  R 422 

Clanton,   Ethelbert    J 793 

Clark,  Hon.  Ephraim 695 

Clarke,  Foster  N 538 

Coil,  Charles   191 

Cole,   Roy   E 348 

Comontofski,    John 433 

Cook,  Elijah  A 265 

Cook,  Ephraim 56S 

Cook.    Thomas 720 

Cooper,  Charles    C 602 

Cooper.  Hickason  B 505 

Cooper.   Joseph   T 340 

Costa,    Fedele 39S 

Craig,   Joseph 372 

Craig,  Thornton,  M.  D 377 

Cramer,   Lewis 553 

Crane,    James    A 725 

Cranston,  Reuben  B 614 

Crites,   Ephraim   Q S27 

Culton,   Henry   C 187 

Culver.  Edward  W 464 

Cummins,  Thomas  D 648 

Curtiss,  Wilbur  C 743 

D 

Dahler,   William 272 

Davisson,  Benjamin  F.,  Sv 510 

Dill,  William  .1 471 

Dingle.  Charles  E 672 

Drummond,   John    C 41S 

Drummond,   Lewis   C 176 

Drummond,    M.    H 477 

Duncan.   Wyatt   G 365 

Durst,    Fredoline 846 

E 

Eddy,  Hiram  S 773 

Edson,  Frank  B 697 

Edwards,  James   R 698 

Eliot    Patrick    H 752 


Ely,  Isaac  J 400 

Evans,  Edward  J 662 

Ewert,   Fred   C 650 

F 

Parish,  Anthony  L 686 

Farnham.    Erastus    S 216 

Fenton,  Del 734 

Fingland,   John,   Jr 511 

Fish,  George    H 674 

Fishback,   Charles   M 563 

Fisher,    Isaac 775 

Fisher,   James   R 661 

Fisk.  Walter  W 864 

Fitz,    Reuben 474 

Fletcher,   Frank 81S 

Flint,  Daniel    659 

Flint.    Russell    R 804 

Flowers,  Otis  0 327 

Fredson,  Alonzo  H 748 

Freeman,  Hon.  Frank  S 173 

Freeman,  Mrs.  Gertrude 179 

Freeman,  John  W 1S5 

French,   Charles   E S42 

G 

Gable,  Amos  W 730 

Gable,  Harvey  C 733 

Gaddis.    Edward    E 597 

Gaddis,    Henry    6S3 

Gallup,  J.  Wesley 394 

Germeshausen,    Joseph 249 

Gibson,    Robert    J S59 

Gibson.   Thomas   B 299 

Gibson.   William   B 2S3 

Gilliam,   J.   W S43 

Gordon.  William  Y 874 

Grauel.  Emil  F 492 

Greene,  Charles  E 271 

Greene,  Charles  E.,  Sr 244 

Greive,   Mrs.   Jakie 88S 

Gumbinger,  Christian   545 

H 

Hadsall,  Charles  F 314 

Hall.    Thomas 485 

Hamel,   George   F 463 

Hamel,    Henry 6S7 

Hamilton.    David 257 

Hannum,  Albert  J 318 

Hansen.   H.   J 642 

Harley.  Emerson  B 677 

Harrison.    Herbert   E 823 

Hatch.    Chester    L 71 S 


Hatcher,  George  P 713 

Hawkins,  Hon.  Nicholas  A 820 

Hayes,    George 393 

Hays,   Eli 529 

Hecke,  G.  H 411 

Heinz,  Lorenz 779 

Henigan,    Hiram 318 

Henshall,  Mrs.  Mary  Dexter 222 

Hermle,    Cyriak 737 

Hershey,  David  N 333 

Hinckley,   Horace   C 640 

Hoag,    George    B 501 

Holy   Rosary   Academy 150 

Hoppin,   Charles  R 292 

Houx,  Daniel   F 844 

Howard,    Richard 472 

Hucke,   August   V 359 

Hughes,  Thomas  G 435 

Hughson,    George    W 810 

Hunt,    Alvis    G 286 

Hunt,   John    635 

Huston,  Arthur   C 234 

Huston,   Mrs.   Sarah 290 

J 

Jackson,    William    M 313 

Jacobs,   George  N 499 

Jacobs.   Isaac   W 357 

Jacobs,  James  R 837 

Jacobs.  Oscar    E 232 

Johnson.  Charles   705 

Johnson,  Henry  B S70 

Johnson.    John 728 

loyce,   Mrs.   Halcyon 699 

K 

Keehn    Brothers S63 

Keithly,   John 391 

Kettenburg,   Henry 572 

Kier,  Henry  M 667 

Kincheloe,  Z.   B 613 

King,  William   259 

Knudsen,    Peter 564 

Krellenberg,   Emil 490 

L 

LaBrie,   Napoleon   B 495 

LaRue.    Hugh    M 664 

Laugenour,   Mrs.   Emma  C 215 

Laugenour,  John  D 221 

Laugenour,  Thomas  F 710 

Lawson    Brothers 3S3 

Lawson,   John    D 630 

Lawson.  Perry  P 6su 


Lawson,    Robert    G 630 

Leake,  Ed  E 849 

Leeman,  William   H 519 

Leinberger,    Henry 537 

Lillard,  William  A (ill 

Linderman.    George    W 741 

Lipe,   Charles   W 751 

Logwood,  William  M 646 

Long,  David  H 321 

Long,  .Tames  T 633 

Luft,  John  C 346 

M 

McCoubrey,    John 763 

McCullough,  Fred  F 883 

McGarr,  P.   H 296 

McHenry,   James   M 304 

McKinney,    Robert   J 761 

McNeill,    Henry 782 

Maier,    Frank 878 

Mangold,  Rev.  John  G 682 

Marden,   William   H 691 

Marders,    H.   L 791 

Marders,  William  N 670 

Martin,    John 594 

Martin,  John  D 679 

Marty,  Antone    579 

Maxwell,   James    0 860 

Meier,   Robert   A 886 

Mezger,   Theodore 676 

Miller,   Antone    835 

Miller,    Hezekiah    M 794 

Millsap,    Walter SSO 

Monroe,    James    W 227 

Montgomery,    Alex 832 

Montgomery,  J.   C S07 

Montgomery,   William   W 805 

Morrin,  J.  M ;,i!ii 

Morris,  Asa  W S02 

Mosbacher,    Jacob 326 

Murphy,  John  J 701 

N 

Newman,   W.   V 814 

Nichols.   Carl   B 576 

Nissen,  Reuben  B 311 

Norton,  John   815 

Nutting,   Daniel   W 712 

Nutting,  Judge  Samuel  L 502 

0 

Oeste,  John   H 871 

Ogden,    George    A 421 

Ogden,  Robert  L 7S9 


Osborn.  William   E ".  .    753 

Overhouse,    William 876 

Overhouse,  William  D 639 

P 

Palm,  Edward  A 590 

Parker.  John  R 768 

Parrish,  Bernard  W 560 

Paul,  Mrs.  Jane  E 587 

Peterson,    Peter 636 

Pierce,  George  W 229 

Plant,  Albert  J 788 

Porter,   Adelbert   D 853 

Porter,  William  A 784 

Powers,  Arthur  A 801 

Pratt,  E.  D 276 

R 

Rasor,   Claire,   M.   D 756 

Read,  Walter  G 331 

Reardon,   Maurice    506 

Reasbeck.    Edward 367 

Reed,    Hayward 866 

Rehm,    Henry 834 

Reiff,  Jacob S38 

Reynolds,   William   J 605 

Rhodes,  John  M 622 

Richie,    John    D 824 

Richter  Brothers 755 

Ridley,  Edward  758 

Roach,  William  E 486 

Roberts.   Hampton   E 77S 

Robinson,    Calvin   N 542 

Rodgers,  John   T 787 

Rogers,  T.  G 261 

Rowe,  Jesse  G.,  Sr 632 

Ruberts,   Watson   M 360 

Russell,  Francis    E 447 

Russell,  William    440 

Russell,  William  O 262 

Ryder,  Thomas  H 550 

S 

Sackett,  Buel  R 415 

Sackett,  Harry   E 303 

Sanders,   George   W 512 

Sandrock,    William S40 

Saunders,  Harry  R 285 

Schaeft'er,    Franklyn    G 430 

Schlieman    Brothers 515 

Schlosser,    Gustave    E 181 

Schlotz,    Chris 266 

Schluer.    Otto    79S 

Schooling.   Oliver   B 434 


INDEX 


Schuerle,   John   K 325 

Scott,  George   W 426 

Scott.  J.    Smith 723 

Sharp.   Bernal    H 520 

Sieber,    Chris 657 

Smith,  John    H 598 

Smith,  John    J 770 

Snider,    Eli 830 

Stening.    Fred    V 593 

Stephens.   George   D 197 

Stephens.   John   D 351 

Stephens,    Joseph    J 702 

Stephens,   Lawrence   D 203 

Stites.   William  A 706 

Stoddard,    John 882 

Strippel,  H.  S 879 

Suggett,   J.    E - 872 

Swete.    Carrington   A 379 

Swingle,  George  H 799 

T 

Tadlock,  Elbert    716 

Tadlock,  Rilford   G 759 

Taylor,  James     627 

Taylor.  John    Z 715 

Thomas.  Charles  S 397 

Tufts.    J.    B 588 

V 

Van   Zee.    Dirk 746 


w 


Wallace,    Richard   P 27."". 

Waller,    Uriah    J 738 

Wallrath,   Rev.   M 617 

Weber,    Mrs.    Bertha 407 

Stitt.   Matt   H 269 

White.   William   S 606 

Wilber.  Otis  B 557 

Wilcox,    Lester    C 549 

Wilcoxon,  Caleb   R 654 

Wilger,  Frederick    856 

Wilkendoif,    August    7S6 

Wilkerson.  Mattie  L.,  D.  C 812 

Willman,   Joseph    583 

Winne.    William    H 722 

Wirth,  C.  F 708 

Witham,   Gilbert   T 478 

Wohlfrom,    John    209 

Wolgamott.  David      386 

Wolgamott,  Joseph      764 

Wood,   Mrs.j    Henry   B 408 

Wood,  Joel     638 

Wood,  John    D 449 

Wooster,    Daniel    M 489 

Wright.  William   S 527 

Wurth.   Mrs.   Gertrude 368 

Wyatt,  James   N.    B 766 

Wyatt.    Roy    F 442 

Zimmerman.   Mrs.   Marcia   E 629 


HISTORICAL 

CHAPTER    I 

HISTORY  OF  YOLO  COUNTY 

By  Tom  Gregory 

Between  the  river  and  the  range — is  Yolo.  This  is  not  only  a 
poetical,  but  is  a  geographical  fact,  as  the  county's  entire  eastern 
boundary  line  is  the  Rio  Sacramento  and  its  western  wall  is  a 
chain  of  the  coast  mountains;  between  is  a  great  plain  of  wonder- 
ful fertility,  and  that  is  the  topic  and  scene  of  this  work.  South 
of  Yolo  lies  Solano  and  north  is  Colusa — all  spread  west  of  the 
Sacramento  and  all  an  important  part  of  the  great  central  llano 
of  the  state.  From  the  river  to  the  crest  of  the  hill-chain  that 
cuts  Xapa  from  the  Sacramento  valley  the  average  breadth  is 
about  twenty-seven  miles,  and  the  Solano-to-Colusa  line  measures 
about  the  same  mileage.  This  does  not  mean  that  Yolo  approxi- 
mates a  27-mile-square,  because  a  large  piece  of  tule  territory 
bordering  the  river  on  the  extreme  southeast  gives  the  county 
an  irregular  shape.  The  area  is  650,880  acres,  and  with  the  west- 
ern edge  of  this  great  field  where  the  surface  lifts  up  the  moun- 
tain wall  the  country  practically  is  level,  with  a  gentle  slope  to- 
ward the  river.  Mark  how  nature  has  arranged  the  plain  and 
upland  in  relation  to  each  other.  Down  the  eastern  shed  of  this 
spur  of  coast  range  come  the  floods  of  the  rain-seasons  as  they 
have  come  for  ages,  to  spread  their  alluvial  burdens  on  the  valley 
surface  below.  High  up  in  these  mountains  is  Clear  Lake,  a 
natural  reservoir  of  water  forty  miles  in  length  with  Cache  creek 
a  natural  outlet  conducting  this  flood,  winter  and  summer,  over 
the  Yolo  levels.  A  system  of  artificial  canals  has  taken  up  the 
work  inaugurated  by  nature  and  already  eighty  or  one  hundred 
thousand  acres  are  under  irrigation. 

Irrigation  in  Yolo  county  is  not  always  necessary.  With  a 
never-failing  winter  rainfall  on  a  soil  built  up  of  centuries  of 
rich  sediment,  fair  harvests  will  yearly  appear  without  such  arti- 
ficial methods;  but  all  surrounding  conditions  being  favorable  for 
such  application  of  water  to  his  fields  the  Yolo  agriculturist  irrigates 
and  adds  to  the  output  of  his  acres  whether  they  are  producing 
grain,  alfalfa,  beets  or  fruits.  And  by  using  all  these  available 
facilities  crop  failure  is  absolutely  impossible  in  California  where 
the    droughts,    hailstorms,    uncertain    summertime    floods,    cyclones 


6  HISTORY  OF  YOLO  COUNTY 

and  such  climatic  catastrophies  of  other  states  are  unknown.  When 
the  rancher  of  the  Capay  or  the  winter's  fruit  belt  waters  his  acres, 
whether  the  fluid  comes  by  pump  from  his  well  or  by  gravity  from 
Lake  county  in  the  hills  just  above  him,  he  utterly  eliminates  the 
uncertainties  of  the  season.  This  is  Yolo  county — between  the 
range  and  the  river — with  its  high  grazing  lands,  grain  lands,  al- 
falfa lands,  vine  lands,  orchard  lands  and  lands  for  every  vegetable- 
growth  under  sun  and  shower.  Yolo  county,  with  irrigation  on  the 
west  and  reclamation  on  the  east,  is  just  coming  into  its  own — the 
richest  spot  in  all  the  great  Sacramento  basin ;  Yolo  county  favored 
by  rainstorm  and  sunshine — where  every  creek,  winter-rivulet  or 
summer  rill  dripping  from  the  bordering  hills  is  a  Nile  sowing- 
seasons  of  fertility  over  the  plain. 

"FIRST    VIEW"    OF    YOLO 

The  "First  View"  of  Yolo  passed  away  leaving  not  an  imprint, 
not  a  record.  The  earliest  intelligent  wanderers  within  these  noble 
domains  of  the  Far  West  neglected  frequently  to  file  for  the  future 
the  stories  of  their  explorations.  Mere  hunters,  they  followed  the 
retreating  wild  game  as  it  fled  before  them  over  these  slopes  and 
streams,  and  they  though  not  of  the  grand  empire  that  was  to  be. 
With  the  quarry  they  passed,  and  their  coming  and  going  was  lost 
or  lived  only  in  legend.  The  most  primitive  Yoloan  of  white  as- 
sociation to  step  out  into  view  where  the  historian  may  get  a  line 
on  him,  is  a  Scotch  sailor,  nameless  here  forevermore,  who  jumped 
his  ship  in  Yerba  Buena,  drifted  up  the  Rio  Jesu  y  Maria  to  Grand 
Island,  took  apartments  in  a  rancheria,  wedded  a  squaw — and  there 
is  a  gap  in  the  story  twenty-five  years  wide.  In  1841,  or  there- 
abouts, William  Gordon,  with  his  party  from  New  Mexico,  became 
the  first  authentic  white  settler  of  what  is  now  Yolo  county.  How- 
ever, Uncle  Billy — as  he  was  long  afterward  known  among  his 
neighbors  of  Napa,  Solano,  Lake,  Yolo  and  Colusa  counties — may 
be  holding  a  clouded  title,  as  he  found  among  the  Indians  along 
the  river  several  red-headed  half-breeds.  They  were  lusty  bucks 
of  an  adult  age  and  their  story  as  well  as  their  skins  and  tresses 
proved  them  to  be  the  grown-up  pappooses  of  Sailor  Scotty  and 
his  Grand  Island  squaw.  With  this  instant  and  faint  appearance 
the  near-pioneer  Caledonian  fades  and  even  the  white  blood  in  his 
hybrids,  growing  more  ruddy  as  the  generations  pass,  is  finally  lost 
in  the  red  pool  of  the  Indian. 

EARLY    DWELLER    IN    TULE    TOWN 

It  must  have  been  in  1818-20  when  this  early  sailor  became  a 
dweller  of  the  Tules,  the  first  white  citizen  of  "Yoloy"  or  "Toloy- 
toy,"  as  the  Indians  finally  called  it;  "Pueblo  del  Tule,"  according 
to  the  Spanish,  or  "Rushtown,"  as  the  Gringo  named  it.  What- 
ever the  most  fitting  title,  the  place  represented  leagues  of  rich  soil 


HISTORY   OF   YOLO   COUNTY  7 

along  the  west  bank  of  the  Sacramento  bordered  by  the  great  fields 
of  tules  that  gave  Yolo  county  a  name.  In  1818  Burchard,  a  French- 
man in  the  service  of  Buenos  Ayres,  appeared  on  the  coast  with  his 
two  ships.  He  robbed  the  ports,  drank  the  padres'  wine  from  Mon- 
terey to  San  Diego  and  occasionally  burned  the  towns  when  the 
inhabitants  objected  to  his  manners.  In  most  every  place  of  call 
he  left  deserters,  one  of  whom  was  Joseph  Chapman  of  Boston, 
the  first  American  resident  in  California,  and  the  Grand  Island 
white  man  may  have  been  one  of  Burchard 's  jolly  pirates  who 
exchanged  the  storms  of  the  sea  for  the  calms  of  a  Sacramento 
tule  shack.    Quien  sabe? 

THE    SPANISH    UP   THE   RIVER 

During  this  period — 1820 — Sola  was  the  Spanish  governor  of 
California,  but  a  revolution  in  Mexico  was  jarring  Spain  off  the 
North  American  continent  forever.  This  revolution  had  been 
going  on — off  and  on — for  ten  years,  but  the  Californians,  though 
maintaining  a  loyalty  to  the  Spanish  took  little  interest  in  the 
progress  of  the  conflict.  Finally  the  fight  was  won  by  the  Mexi- 
can patriots.  Gen.  Agustin  Iturbide,  who  was  sent  with  a  royalist 
army  to  suppress  Guerrero,  the  last  rebel  chieftain,  instead  joined 
the  insurgents.  The  combined  forces  entered  the  capital  city 
and  Iturbide  was  proclaimed  emperor  of  Mexico.  In  a  few  months 
the  emperor  was  dethroned  and  finally  shot,  and  Mexico  became  a 
republic.  Governor  Sola  of  California  had  officially  started  out 
as  the  subject  of  a  kingdom,  and  when  the  empire  came  along  it 
was  a  bitter  pill,  but  he  swallowed  it  and  hoisted  over  Monterey  the 
imperial  flag  of  Mexico.  But  the  coming  of  a  republic  was  too 
much — and  all  three  of  these  changes  within  a  year — and  he  re- 
signed, being  succeeded  by  Luis  Antonio  Arguello,  the  first  repub- 
lican (Mexican)  governor  of  California.  But  one  of  Sola's  last 
official  acts  (1821)  was  to  send  an  expedition  to  explore  the -north- 
ern portion  of  the  territory.  This  party,  under  the  command  of 
Arguello — then  only  president  of  the  provincial  council — threaded 
the  bays  above  Yerba  Buena  and  passed  up  the  large  river  which 
they  called  El  Rio  Jesu  y  Maria.  The  explorers  continued  up  the 
splendid  stream  they  had  found.  The  water  was  clear  and  deep 
with  high  wooded  shores,  the  white  miner  not  having  come  to  fill 
the  noble  natural  canal  with  the  mud-debris  of  the  mineral  hills, 
and  the  great  fertile  llano  stretching  away  on  both  sides.  Coman- 
dante  Arguello  was  a  native  son  of  California,  having  been  born 
in  Yerba  Buena  in  1784  while  his  father  was  an  officer  in  the 
presidio  of  that  port.  In  fact,  he  was  the  military  commander  of 
San  Francisco  while  exploring  the  Sacramentoan  valley  and  after- 
wards was  the  first  native-born  governor  of  the  state,  under  Mex- 
ican rule.     He  was  self-made,  an  industrious   student  when  books 


8  HISTORY  OF  YOLO  COUNTY 

and  schools  were  scarce  and  a  man  of  excellent  character  and  is 
probably  the  first  pioneer  of  this  far  west.  He  continued  his  ex- 
plorations as  far  north  as  the  Oregon  line,  turned  west  to  the  coast, 
and  returned  to  Yerba  Buena  through  the  Russian  river  valley. 
Comandante  Argnello  had  closely  observed  the  grand  agricultural 
possibilities  of  the  Sacramento  river  basin,  the  well-watered  plain 
possessing  everything  needed  by  the  colonist.  It  was  largely 
through  the  interest  awakened  by  this  exploration  that  moved  the 
slow-going  Mexican  Congress  in  1824  to  pass  a  general  coloniza- 
tion act — suddenly  breaking  away  from  the  ancient  Spanish  exclu- 
siveness  regarding  alien  immigration.  Governors  of  territories 
were  authorized  to  grant  vacant  lands  in  limited  amounts  to  citizens, 
whether  Mexican  or  foreign  born,  who  properly  petitioned  for 
them  and  engaged  to  cultivate  and  inhabit  them.  Other  travelers 
within  this  region  began  to  make  the  heretofore  terra  incognita 
a  somewhat  known  territory. 

NAMES    BEGAN    TO    APPEAR 

The  rude  maps  began  to  show  names  now  household  titles  in 
the  state  geographies.  Sacramento — from  their  holy  sacrament — 
was  a  name  easier  to  handle  than  was  the  original  title ;  the  present 
Feather  river  was  first  called  by  the  Spanish — Plumas,  which  was 
prettier  than  its  Y'ankee  translation.  The  surveyors  found  a  pretty 
stream,  its  banks  a  mass  of  wild  grapes,  and  they  fitting  called  it 
"El  Uva."  The  Americans  made  "rough-house"  of  this  by  calling 
it  "Yuba."  Then  the  miners  built  a  dam  across  the  little  river  and 
as  "Yuba  dam"  the  name  has  gone  into  the  geographies  if  not  into 
profanity.  The  American  river  early  received  its  name  from  the 
fact  that  this  stream  was  once  a  famous  game  resort,  attracting 
bands  of  American  hunters  and  trappers  across  the  continent  to 
that  locality  long  before  immigration  started  towards  the  Pacific. 
The  same  Americans  caching  their  furs  and  other  prizes  of  the 
chase  along  the  streams  where  they  hunted  and  trapped  gave  name 
td  one — Cache  creek — a  creek  with  the  importance  of  a  river, 
as  is  manifest  when  the  mountain  reservoirs  at  its  source  are 
feeding  their  waters  through  it  to  the  plain  lands.  Putah  creek, 
another  small  stream  running  from  the  coast  range  to  the  big 
rio  on  the  east,  and  the  division  line  between  Yolo  and  Solano 
counties  on  the  south,  is  another  sample  of  name-evolution.  It  was 
originally  known  as  the  Rio  de  los  Putos — the  Puto  tribe  of  In- 
dians living  on  its  shores.  Even  John  H.  Wolfskill's  Mexican 
grant  of  land  extending  along  its  banks  has  ever  been  known 
as  the  Rancho  Rio  de  los  Putos.  But  in  the  change  of  titles— and 
the  Spanish  speakers  made  the  change — the  "river"  became  Putah 
creek,  and  not  a  nice  name  for  such  a  modest,  respectable,  little 
mountain  stream.    However,  there  be  nothing  in  a  name. 


HISTORY   OF   YOLO   COUNTY 


CHAPTER  II 
THROUGH  A  SLUMBER  PERIOD 

The  last  mission — Francisco  cle  Solano  at  Sonoma — was  estab- 
lished at  Sonoma  July  4,  1823,  and  that  was  about  the  "fartherest 
north"  of  the  Spanish-Americans,  or  Calif ornians ;  the  upper 
portion  of  the  territory  being  left  to  the  North  Americans  who  for 
the  next  fifteen  or  eighteen  years  came  over  the  eastern  mountains 
and  into  the  great  valley  as  hunters.  It  was  a  slumber  time  in 
the  land  just  before  the  rude  awakening  in  the  "Roaring  Forties." 
The  Californians  did  not  welcome  the  strangers — in  fact,  the  people 
from  the  states  were  always  considered  as  worthy  of  suspicion. 
"These  Anglo-Americans  will  become  troublesome,"  said  a  long- 
headed governor  of  California,  as  early  as  1805.  All  English 
speakers  to  them  were  "gringos,"  and  generally  dangerous  char- 
acters. The  name  has  an  amusing  origin.  During  that  period  the 
old  song  "Green  Grow  the  Rushes  O,"  was  very  popular  and 
every  North  American  seemed  to  be  singing  it.  The  Spanish- 
Americans  caught  the  often-repeated  words  "Green  grow,"  and 
turned  them  into  "gringo,"  a  term  of  derision  for  the  Yankees. 
But  the  "Green  Grows"  kept  a-coming. 

THE    HISTORY-MAKING   SMITHS 

The  pioneer  of  those  hardy,  fearless  huntsmen — in  fact,  the  first 
transcontinental  tourist  of  the  countless  army  that  has  made  its 
way  westward  "across  the  plains" — is  Jedediah  S.  Smith.  Wher- 
ever there  is  history  to  be  made  there  is  remarkably  often  a  Smith 
around  "to  help."  Capt.  J.  S.  Smith  was  a  partner  of  William 
H.  Ashley,  the  well-known  hunter  and  trapper  who  in  1824  dis- 
covered the  Great  Salt  Lake  in  Utah.  In  1826  he  made  his  memor- 
able traverse  of  the  Continent,  coming  through  Walker's  Pass  of  the 
Sierras  into  California  with  his  company  of  hunters.  They  were 
immediately  arrested  by  the  Mexican  officials,  but  were  finally 
released.  Afterwards,  the  authorities  sought  again  to  capture 
Smith,  but  with  his  band  that  traveler  was  hunting  along  the 
Sacramento  and  American  rivers — out  of  reach  of  the  Cali- 
fornians. Several  years  after  this  he  was  killed  in  New  Mexico  by 
the  Indians.  Another  great  hunter  who  made  the  west  his  game 
ground  was  Alexander  Roderick  McLeod  of  the  Hudson  Bay  Com- 
pany. In  the  winter  of  1827-8  he  was  caught  in  the  snow  on  the 
bank  of  the  river  he  had  discovered  and  the  whole  band  almost 
starved  to  death.  Even  this  near-tragedy  did  not  assist  in  his  honor 
as  the  river  got  on  the  maps  as  the  "McCloud." 


ID  HISTORY  OF  YOLO  COUNTY 

CACHED  THEIR  PELTS  BY  THE  CREEK 

In  1829  Ewing  Young,  with  a  company  of  hunters,  worked 
along  the  San  Joaquin,  Sacramento  and  other  streams  of  the  great 
valley.  They  remained  a  considerable  time  on  Cache  creek.  So 
numerous  was  the  fur-bearing  game  by  the  waters  of  the  central 
and  northern  part  of  the  state  that  the  many  bands  of  hunters 
roving  over  the  country  reaped  there  a  rich  harvest.  Naturally, 
a  land  teeming  with  conditions  so  favorable  for  occupancy  would 
be  the  ideal  home  for  the  Indians.  With  the  streams  full  of  fish, 
woods  full  of  game,  the  food  question  was  solved  for  them.  This 
in  a  measure  accounts  for  their  indolence,  spiritlessness.  They 
grew  fat  and  lazy.  With  bow  and  arrows  and  other  weapons 
which  they  skillfully  made  and  used  they  could  kill  any  animal 
they  met,  or  could  successfully  trap  birds  and  fish,  but  they  in 
general  preferred  a  milder  diet,  such  as  acorns,  berries,  roots, 
grass  seeds  and  the  grass  itself.  The  mild  climate  made  covering 
of  secondary  or  of  no  importance,  consequently  the  Indian  put  in 
much  less  time  building  houses  than  did  the  beaver.  A  few  tules 
or  willow-boughs  bound  together  sheltered  him,  and  almost  noth- 
ing— frequently  nothing — clothed  him.  Some  of  the  chiefs  were 
notable  exceptions  to  the  rule,  but  that  is  what  made  them  chiefs. 

CHIEF   FRANCISCO    SOLANO 

One  of  these  was  Francisco  Solano,  the  head  of  all  the  tribes 
from  Bodega  bay  to  the  Sacramento  river.  His  original  name 
was  Sem  Yeto,  but  the  mission  fathers  at  Sonoma  caught  him, 
baptized  him  and  gave  him  the  name  of  their  mission.  General 
Yallejo,  the  comandante  of  this  military  division  of  the  territory, 
treated  the  chief  kindly — something  remarkable  for  a  Spaniard, 
but  M.  G.  Yallejo  was  a  remarkable  Spaniard — though  he  would 
resent  being  called  a  Spaniard.  He  was  just  to  all  men — even  to 
Indians — and  through  Solano,  whom  he  made  his  ally  and  friend, 
governed  the  thousands  of  irresponsible  savages  in  the  district. 
Solano — originally  meaning  an  east  wind  blowing  across  Old 
Spain;  then  the  name  of  a  young  priest  toiling  among  the  western 
Indians;  then  the  mission  at  Sonoma;  also  the  baptismal  title 
of  a  native  accepting  wonderingly  and  only  half  understandiugly 
the  white  man's  faith;  and  finally  a  rich  county  of  this  noble 
domain.  Of  course,  as  Sem  Yeto  went  deeper  into  civilization  he 
naturally  lost  much  of  his  kindly  savage  disposition  and  adopted 
the  white  man's  polished  faults;  and  as  he  tasted  of  the  pleasures 
engendered  by  the  mission  grape,  he  frequently  put  away  the 
saintliness  of  his  mission  training.  Yallejo  occasionally  had  to 
correct  the  manners  of  his  red  ally,  but  a  night  in  the  guard- 
house would  bring  the  usual  aching  head  and  the  consequent 
repentance  of  the  morrow. 


HISTORY   OF    YOLO   COUNTY  11 


CHAPTER  III 

A  MILD   LAND -A   MILD   INDIAN 

The  proverbial  temperamental  mildness  of  the  California 
Digger  Indian  is  characteristic  of  the  climatic  condition  of  the 
country — warm  winters,  cool  summers,  full  harvests,  wild  or  do- 
mestic, in  every  season,  with  every  prospect  pleasing  and  only 
man  being  vile.  The  mission  of  the  missions  as  originally  intended 
by  Spain  was  to  fit  the  natives  of  her  Pacific  coast  possessions  for 
citizenship.  She  could  not  hope  to  make  them  good  Spaniards 
but  she  thought  to  make  them  good  Catholics,  and  with  some 
education  they  would  do  till  amalgamated  and  lost  in  the  white 
race.  But  the  Mission  Fathers  early  saw  that  the  natives  of  Las 
Californias  were  not  satisfactory  raw  material  for  civilization; 
that  the  new  convert  would  jump  the  mission  compound  and  revert 
to  his  original  wilds  on  the  slightest  provocation.  The  plan  of 
soul  salvation  did  not  interest  the  "neophyte"  digger  as  much 
as  did  the  chile  con  came  meals  which  the  priests  served  up  to 
their  charges — and  the  Franciscan  missionaries  have  ever  been 
good  cooks;  and  the  wise  old  padres  seeing  they  had  to  feed  their 
converts  to  keep  them  faithful,  made  them  work  on  the  mission 
ranchos.  So,  Lo  was  the  farmer,  the  herder  and  the  man  of  what- 
ever work  he  could  be  persuaded  to  do. 

HE    WAS    THE    ADOBE    BTULDER 

In  the  rough  adobe  architecture  he  was  the  builder  under  the 
direction  of  the  priestly  architect.  He  soon  learned  to  mold  the 
big  mud-bricks,  sun-drying  them  first  on  one  side  then  on  the 
other,  and  then  plastering  the  hard  earth-cakes  into  walls.  He 
was  a  fairly  good  worker — fairly  good  for  that  early  California 
day — and  not  difficult  to  herd  to  his  job.  Plenty  of  came  for 
him,  when  the  vaqueros  rode  in  with  a  fat  steer,  and  beans  on  the 
side  and  the  chief  life-problem  was  solved.  He  never  struck  for 
higher  laborers'  wages,  because  he  never  received  any  kind  of 
wages.  Where  he  stayed  on  the  ranchos  and  was  as  useful  as  his 
limited  intelligence  permitted,  he  was  as  well  off  as  he  would 
have  been  astray  amid  the  wilds;  doubtless  around  the  hacienda 
kitchen  he  found  existence  as  safe  as  he  would  have  found  it  while 
running  free  and  rounding  up  the  sprightly  grasshopper  on  the 
"•olden  summer  hills.  The  Digger  has  become  a  "rare  bird." 
Civilization  and  to  him  kindred  epidemics  have  swept  him  away. 
In  the  great  conflict  of  the  human  races  only  the  fittest  can  sur- 
vive. Here  and  there  over  the  country  where  once  the  red  thou- 
sands   roved   are   remnants — a    few   who    have    exchanged   the   un- 


12  HISTORY  OF  YOLO  COUNTY 

clean  rancheria,  the  unwholesome  life,  for  a  more  sanitary  exi st- 
ance— near  some  fruit  or  hop  ranch  where  they  readily  find  em- 
ployment, and  opportunities  to  imitate  in  dress  and  manner  of 
living  the  white  people.  The  sites  of  forgotten  Indian  habitations 
are  marked  by  the  only  things  time  cannot  quickly  obliterate — 
old  stone  mortars  where  the  mahalas  mashed  the  acorn  kernels  for 
the  native  bread.  Even  the  grand  oaks  of  California  shed  manna 
for  her  forest  children.  In  their  season  these  acorns  were  gath- 
ered and  cached,  till  needed,  up  among  the  branches  of  the  mother- 
tree.  It  was  an  exceedingly  course  flour  or  meal  that  came  from 
these  rude  mortars,  but  this  made  it  more  healthful,  possibly,  and 
with  water  heated  by  hot  stones  in  their  tightly-woven  fiber  bas- 
kets the  ground  acorns  were  cooked  in  batter  or  resembling  loaves. 
This  "daily  bread"  of  the  wilderness,  seasoned  with  ashes  and 
different  kinds  of  "dirts,"  was  not  rich  in  nutriment  nor  exquisite 
in  flavor  but  served  with  a  plain  salad  of  green  clover  and  a  relish 
of  grass  seeds  or  pine  nuts,  made  the  "quiet  family  meal,"  or 
"howling  tribal  feast,"  what  the  country  newspaper  writer  calls 
"a  sumptuous  repast." 

TRIBES    OF    THE    SONOMA    DISTRICT 

It  is  not  known  how  many  tribes  dwelt  within  the  Sonoma 
district  before  the  deadly  whites  and  other  ills  got  among  them. 
By  "Sonoma  district"  is  meant  what  is  now  known  as  Yrolo, 
Solano,  Napa,  Sonoma  and  probably  part  of  Mendocino  and 
Lake  counties.  These  "tribes"  were  mere  bands  having  Indian 
family  names,  and  occupying  some  special  locality.  They  had 
their  ceremonious  "dances"  for  pleasure  and  their  "sweat-houses" 
for  health,  and  they  fought  among  themselves  at  "the  drop  of  a 
hat" — often  the  most  trivial  matter  would  set  one  rancheria  against 
a  neighbor,  and  a  bloody  feud  would  be  on.  But  deadly  epidemics 
would  suddenly  break  out  among'  Indians,  often  destroying  whole 
bands.  In  the  early  portion  of  the  '40s  smallpox  appeared  among 
the  rancherias  and  the  scourge  swept  through  the  entire  district. 
The  stricken  people  having  no  sanitary  habits  or  treatment  of 
sickness  other  than  a  parboiling  in  the  unclean  and  disease-breeding 
sweat-house,  followed  by  a  plunge  in  cold  water,  were  easy  victims. 
The  death-dealing  microbe  of  whatever  form  of  pestilence  was 
then  in  action,  struck  right  and  left,  and  it  is  estimated  that  seventy- 
five  or  eighty  thousand  Indians  perished  within  the  district  before 
the  plague  wore  itself  out. 

PASSED  AND  LEFT  NO  MEMORY 

The  red  people  of  California,  less  able  to  exist  than  any  of 
the  American  aborigines,  have  virtually  passed  away,  leaving  not  a 
relic  of  their  presence,  leaving  not  a  picturesque  memory  in  the 
grand   domain  they  inhabited.     It  is  a   reasonable   thought   that   a 


HISTORY   OF   YOLO   COUNTY  13 

race  of  human  beings  living  remote  from  the  disturbing  influence 
of  aliens,  possessing  this  goodly  land  in  fee-simple  for  ages, 
would  draw  something  akin  to  inspiration  from  the  noble  moan- 
tains  and  valleys  around  them  and  in  course  of  generations  would 
have  arisen  from  their  primitive  sordidness  but  little  above  their 
brother,  the  coyote,  to  at  least  the  first  steps  in  the  scale  of  human 
superiority.  In  the  southwest,  the  Indians — remnant  branches  of 
the  lordly  Aztecs — have  left  on  the  Arizonan  and  Mexican  mesas 
imperishable  and  frequently  rare  objects  of  their  intelligence  and 
morality.  In  the  northwest  the  native  and  original  occupants, 
while  not  possessing  the  near-civilization  of  the  more  southern 
tribes,  had  the  inborn  quality  of  sturdy  manhood,  the  spirit  of 
independence  that  moved  them  to  fight  for  their  streams  and 
forests.  In  California  the  Indian  was  destined  to  disappear  mi 
honored  and  unsung  and  no  system  of  conservation  could  have 
checked  his  going. 


14  HISTORY  OF  YOLO  COUNTY 


CHAPTER   IV 
THE    FAIR    AMAZON    CALIFORNIA 

The  name  "California"  lias  come  through  broken  accounts 
from  an  origin  vague,  distant,  impalpable.  The  treasure-mad  ad- 
venturers of  Spain  always  seeking  undiscovered  golden  troves,  be- 
lieved in  the  fierceness  of  their  desire,  there  were  other  places  on 
the  new  continent  rivaling  the  stored  wealth  of  the  Peruvian  Inca 
from  whom  Pizarro  looted  richly  and  murderously  or  of  Monte- 
zuma, the  pitiable  victim  of  the  insatiable  Cortes.  Fictionists  of 
the  times  wrote  stories  of  mighty  cities  in  the  mystic  west  peopled 
by  semi-supernatural  beings  who  jealously  watched  their  vast  treas- 
uries. One  of  these  writers  was  Ordonez  de  Montalvo,  and  his 
book,  "Sergas  de  Esplandian,"  published  in  1510,  told  of  the  fairy 
"Island  of  California,"  where  beautiful  amazons  and  grim  griffins 
ruled  not  only  the  feminine  wealth  but  the  mineral  treasure  as 
well.  The  young  and  valiant  grandee  and  knight  of  belt  and  spur, 
Esplandian,  in  his  wanderings  over  mystic  seas  meets  the  wild 
queen  "Califa,"  in  her  capital  city,  where  after  numberless  fierce 
fights  between  his  followers  and  her  dragon-like  people,  he  suc- 
ceeds— if  not  in  wholly  conquering  the  place — in  making  her  fall 
in  love  with  him.  Califa  was  devoted  to  her  Spanish  cavalier — 
something  of  the  devotion  of  a  tigress — and  it  took  all  the  valor 
and  vigilance  of  her  lover  to  keep  his  life  secure  when  she  had 
an  unusual  "tender"  spell.  Her  savage  griffins  also  had  an  un- 
pleasant habit  of  flying  around  on  their  bat-wings  and  picking  up 
white  soldiers  which  they  would  joyfully  lift  to  a  great  height  and 
then  drop.  Of  course,  the  trooper  thus  treated  was  of  no  use 
afterwards.  Because  of  their  bird-like  manners,  Montalvo,  in  his 
book,  dipped  into  the  Greek  and  calls  them  "ornis,"  and  Califa  is 
from  "Kalli"  (beautiful)  in  the  same  classic  tongue.  "The  f 
was  inserted  for  the  sake  of  euphony,"  said  the  late  Prof.  George 
Davidson,  the  navigator  and  translator — hence  we  have  "Califor- 
nia"— beautiful  bird. 

A  GOLDEN   TALE 

This  golden  AH  Baba  tale  was  popular  with  the  Spanish 
knights  of  fortune,  and  doubtless  Juan  Rodrigues  Cabrillo,  when 
he  saw  the  group  of  islands  off  the  southern  coast  of  this  state 
named  them  after  the  amazon  queens  of  the  novel,  as  they  were 
first  known  as  "Las  Calif ornias. "  Should  he  have  gone  further 
into  the  province  he  found  and  named  so  fittingly  for  the  golden 
queen,  Califa.  he  might  have  won  the  golden  lure  that  had  drawn 


HISTORY   OF   YOLO   COUNTY  15 

him  thither.     But  his  death  and  burial  on  one  of  his  newly-discov- 
ered coast-islands  ended  him  and  his  career. 

SPAIN   IN  HER  MAD  DANCE  OF  DEATH 

During  a  slumber  interval  of  almost  two  centuries  Spain  had 
moved  downward.  On  land  and  sea  her  once  colossal  power  had 
diminished.  She  yet  held  her  many  colonies  but  her  grasp  was 
weak.  On  the  oceans  her  commerce  was  the  prey  of  any  nation 
or  nations  who  chose  to  plunder  it.  English  and  Dutch  privateers 
and  freebooters  from  all  parts  of  the  globe  issued  from  their  pirat- 
ical lairs  to  rob  her  ships  and  ravish  her  ports  at  home  and  abroad. 
The  energy,  enterprise,  courage  and  knighthood  that  had  won  her 
the  highest  place  among  the  nations  were  passing,  and  she  was 
dying  in  the  demoralization  of  her  own  wealth  and  greatness.  Her 
kings  and  nobles  were  whirling  in  a  mad  dance  in  the  midst  of  a  na- 
tional luxury  never  before  known,  while  her  peasants  were  lying  in 
degradation  and  starvation.  Official  stupidity,  corruption,  disloy- 
alty and  others  forms  of  national  decay  were  breaking  down  the 
once  strong  kingdom,  and  placing  her  at  the  mercy  of  her  old  ene- 
mies. Spain  had  never  been  a  gentle  foe  and  those  who  had  felt 
her  heavy  hand  were  now  ready  to  strip  her.  Then  she  had  a  par- 
tial awakening.  Her  foreign  lands  must  be  colonized  with  loyal 
Spanish  subjects  and  these  welded  to  the  home  country,  forming  the 
whole  into  the  once-invincible  kingdom.  Where  white  colonists  were 
not  available,  the  natives  must  be  Christianized,  civilized  and  citi- 
zenized.  It  became  an  era  of  politico-religio-zeal — in  fact  as  cour- 
age went  down  in  the  Spanish  soldier  it  arose  in  the  Spanish  priest, 
and  Spain  planned  to  use  it  to  bulwark  her  threatened  possessions. 
The  Jesuits  were  encouraged  to  begin  in  Lower  California,  and 
among  these  savages — about  as  savage  as  any  on  the  American 
continent — the  laborious  padres  presently  had  sixteen  missions  in 
commission.  These  priests  continued  there  until  the  royal  edict 
drove  them  from  Spanish  dominions.  The  Franciscans  were  given 
charge  of  the  Jesuit  missions  of  Baja  California  in  1768,  and  from 
a  material  point  of  view  it  was  a  poor  gift,  as  the  sterile  soil  around 
the  settlements  could  hardly  support  a  flock  of  goats.  Conse- 
quently Junipero  Serra,  the  president  of  the  order,  extended  his 
territory  northward,  and  the  chain  of  twenty-one  missions  from 
San  Diego  to  Sonoma  was  the  result  of  that  zealous  father's  labors. 
This  work  of  occupation  and  colonization  of  Alta  California  was  the 
joint  work  of  the  state  and  church,  hence  when  the  missions  were 
secularized  in  1834 — sixty-five  years  after — the  government  justi- 
fied its  act  on  the  ground  that  the  state  was  supreme  in  control 
and  disposal  of  the  property. 


16  HISTORY  OF  YOLO  COUNTY 


THEY   TELL   THE   ROSARY   OF   THE    MISSIONS 

While  the  Franciscans  here  sowed  the  seeds  of  Christian  civili- 
zation it  cannot  he  said  that  the  seed  dropped  on  other  than  sterile 
ground — and  sterile  ground,  too,  is  a  term  foreign  to  California. 
Their  voices  went  crying  into  the  wilderness  to  fall  in  stony  places, 
stony  hearts,  and  the  colonization  scheme  that  was  to  shape  the  In- 
dian into  a  militant  part  of  the  Spanish  kingdom  only  resulted  in 
a  string  of  ehurchly  landmarks  stretching  along  the  coast  more  or 
less  in  ruins.  Yet  they  tell  a  quaintly  fascinating  story  these  adobe 
piles  that  stand  on  the  Camino  Real — "royal  road"  that  runs  along 
the  twenty-one  missions — and  they  were  the  stopping  places  along 
that  seven  hundred  miles  of  the  highway  of  the  cross.  And  these 
quaint  sites  tell  the  rosary  of  the  California  missions,  stripped  of 
all  but  the  saintly  association  of  a  past  day. 

CARLOS    ASD    HIS    MIGHTY    DOMINION 

California  was  the  last  accumulation,  the  last  domain  added  to 
the  vast  empire-kingdom  of  that  monarch  who  was  at  once  an  emperor 
(Charles  Y  of  Germany)  and  a  king  (Carlos  I  of  Spain).  He  first 
came  to  the  German  throne  through  his  deceased  maternal  grand- 
father, Maximilian,  and  while  fighting  at  the  head  of  his  army  in 
the  Netherlands  he  was  lifted  to  the  Spanish  crown  by  the  death  of 
his  paternal  grandfather,  Ferdinand  Charles — or  Carlos,  whatever 
name  the  reader  may  select.  He  was  a  good  fighter,  a  zealous 
churchman,  and  made  things  exceedingly  interesting  for  his  political 
and  ecclesiastical  opponents.  As  Henry  YIII  of  England  and 
Francis  I  of  France  were  defeated  though  not  discouraged  candi- 
dates for  the  imperial  part  of  his  double  royal  job,  and  as  Martin 
Luther  at  that  auspicious  period  was  shaking  Europe  with  the 
Reformation,  the  emperor-king  had  full  opportunity  to  exercise  his 
militant  characteristic.  But  they  wore  him  out  in  thirty  years  of 
battle,  and  resigning  his  crowns  he  died  in  the  peace  and  the  silence 
of  a  monastery.  "The  path  of  glory  leads  but  to  the  grave."  The 
rebellious  dispositions  of  most  of  the  subjects  in  his  empire  kept 
him  so  busy  that  he  did  not  see  his  kingdom — then  the  greatest  on 
earth — for  years,  and  the  maladministrations  of  his  six  immediate 
successors  further  sent  Spain  on  the  downward  road  that  ended 
when  her  flag  fell  in  Cuba  and  the  Philippines,  and  the  last  of  her 
foreign  possessions  passed  away. 

PLAYING   AT    GOVERNMENT   IN    MANANA   LAND 

In  constant  turmoil  at  home  Spain  left  her  western  possessions. 
Mexico  and  California,  to  get  along  with  only  intermittent  atten- 
tion. Between  1767  and  1822  ten  Spanish  governors  had  more  or 
less  ruled  Alta  California,  but  these  easy-going  soldiers  of  fortune 
had  stayed  pretty  close  to  the  seashore.  They  found  the  pueblos 
around    the   missions    better   stocked   with   food — produced   by   the 


HISTORY   OF    YOLO   COUNTY  17 

padres  and  their  Indian  converts — than  any  wilder  inland  station 
conld  be.  Of  course,  the  different  governors  and  comandantes  fre- 
quently aroused  themselves  for  a  "family  row,"  but  there  was  in 
these  contentions  more  fluent  talking  than  real  fighting;  and  the 
placid  siesta  was  soon  on  again.  They  occasionally  defied  the 
mother  country — whether  Spain  or  afterwards  Mexico — but  a  few 
lurid  proclamations,  "pronunciamentos,"  would  clear  away  the 
war-clouds.  It  was  on  again,  off  again,  without  any  powder  burned 
over  the  political  changes  in  this  "manana"  land.  Yet  there  was  one 
issue  that  drew  these  sons  of  Old  Spain  into  something  like  unity, 
and  that  was  the  North  American,  the  Gringo.  For  generations 
Castile-and-Aragon  had  seen  her  standards  tossed  and  torn  on 
English  bayonets  and  her  armadas  go  gurgling  down  in  the  deep 
under  the  guns  of  the  invincible  Albion  and  the  Y^ankee  was  of  that 
perfidious  blood — and  to  be  feared  and  shunned.  The  Spanish  in 
California,  with  the  purblindness  which  has  been  a  distinct  national 
characteristic  of  the  race  always,  often  carried  to  extreme  lengths 
their  senseless  antagonism  to  their  sole  and  powerful  neighbor, — 
even  to  annexing  themselves  to  some  European  monarchy.  And 
there  is  no  doubt  that  Great  Britain  would  have  been  that  mon- 
archy had  not  the  American  fleet  been  in  Monterey  bay  at  the 
psychological  hour. 


18  HISTORY  OF  YOLO  COUNTY 


CHAPTER  V 
SPAIN   MOTHERED    HER    SIMPLE    PEOPLE 

Spain  was  an  infliction  on  the  North  American  continent  not- 
withstanding Columbus,  Isabella  and  the  heroic  pawning  of  the 
royal  gems.  And  yet,  Spain  being  here,  did  fairly  well.  The  world 
looking  over  her  blunders,  her  ruins,  may  see  amid  the  debris  of 
what  was  once  a  portion  of  her  national  greatness  gleams  of  some- 
thing that  can  be  marked  "bueno" — good.  A  portion  of  the  "well" 
she  did  was  turning  her  priests  at  the  savages  she  found  here,  and 
the  work  of  St.  Solano,  Junipero  Serra  and  others  in  evidence  that 
the  cowled  warrior  of  Castile  and  Aragon  in  the  foreign  missions 
was  the  knightly  Spaniard  when  the  military  manhood  of  Spain 
was  dying.  And  the  mother-country  seemed  to  understand  her 
colonists — her  simple  people,  and  she  selected  for  them  about  what 
was  good  for  them.  A  ponderous  political  institution  such  as  we 
gringos  stagger  under  would  have  crushed  them ;  so  she  gave  them  a 
government  tempered  with  maternalism;  gave  them  burdens  easy  to 
be  borne;  put  them  under  laws  simple  in  reading  and  easy  to  be 
kept,  and  she  often  failed  to  note  and  correct  their  faults.  Possibly 
the  ultra-mild  supervisions  made  the  revolutions  so  frequent  and 
popular  in  Spanish-America.  The  adobe  in  which  they  housed 
themselves  was  not  a  thing  of  beauty,  but  it  was  warm  in  winter, 
cool  in  summer — a  joy  to  live  in  and  easy  to  build.  There  was  no 
ornamentation  without  or  within  and  little  variety  of  form  any- 
where, and  while  every  man  was  his  own  architect  and  builder  he 
architected  and  built  like  his  neighbor.  From  "dirt"  floors  to  tile 
roofs  in  the  big  houses  there  was  so  little  wood  or  any  combustible 
that  the  fire  insurance  business  was  the  last  institution  that  got 
over  the  Sierras  into  California.  The  front  or  upper  story  of  the 
house  contained  the  quarters  of  the  don  and  his  family,  which  was 
generally  a  large  one,  and  here  he  entertained  his  social  equals — 
the  quality  folk  of  the  pueblo.  The  other  portions  of  the  hacienda 
were  for  the  herders,  house-servants,  also  the  retainers  and  rancho 
loafers.  These  latter  were  Indians,  full  or  half-breeds,  and  world- 
floats  of  an  unknown  moral  quality. 

THE   DON   AND   HIS    CHILDISH   PENSIONERS 

But  the  Spanish-Californian  was  kind  to  his  pensioners.  Doubt- 
less often  in  their  quantity  and  general  uselessness  he  found  them 
an  almost  insufferable  nuisance,  but  while  he  had  a  league  of  rancho 
left  or  a  head  of  cattle  straying  over  it  he  fed  them.  The  grain 
lands  did  not  produce  great  harvests  "before  the  gringo  came,"  but 
there   were   plenty  of  tortillas    (thin  cakes   baked   by   anv  kind   of 


HISTORY   OF    YOLO   COUNTY  1!) 

fire)  and  carne.  Out  in  a  near  tree  in  the  clean,  dry  air  where  it 
would  keep  fresh  till  eaten  was  there  not  a  fresh  beef,  and  was 
there  not  more  out  on  the  range  ?  And  were  there  not  beans  and  hot 
peppers  for  the  ola  prodrida  pot?  Madre  de  Dios!  did  one  go  hun- 
gry then! 

A  civic  government  in  a  Spanish  colony  was  simply  and  wisely 
handled.  Its  junta,  or  council,  were  two  alcaldes  (mayors  or 
judges),  two  or  four  councilmen  and  a  treasurer.  The  alcaldes 
were  the  presiding  officers,  and  the  councilmen  helped,  but  it  was 
the  treasurer  who  did  the  heavyweight  work,  for  he  was  tax  col- 
lector, city  attorney,  clerk,  recorder  and  other  useful  things — and 
he  got  no  regular  salary.  The  treasury  part  of  his  official  duty  was 
the  lightest,  as  taxation  and  public  expenditure  were  ever  at  low 
ebb.    It  did  not  cost  much  to  run  a  city  then. 

The  hordes  of  high-salaried  officials  and  political  heelers  quar- 
tered on  the  municipality  were  not  a  civic  necessity  then.  Poli- 
ticians may  have  been  no  more  honest  then  than  now,  but  where 
there  was  nothing  to  steal  there  was  no  stealing.  The  city-dads  pre- 
vented the  plundering  of  the  taxpayers  by  the  simple  expedient 
of  having  no  taxpayers.  Most  all  cooking  was  done  in  outdoor 
ovens  and  kitchens  and  in  these  adobe  houses  there  was  not  fuel  to 
keep  a  fire  department  in  existence.  The  water  utility  was  a  public 
well  in  the  plaza  where  the  housekeeping  senoras  with  their  water 
jars  met  to  mix  the  gossip  of  their  different  localities,  and  the 
street-lighting  consisted  of  a  lantern  hung  over  or  before  the  door 
from  twilight  until  the  candle  burned  out.  The  policing  of  the  town 
was  generally  done  by  some  ex-soldier — whose  army  training  and 
militant  fierceness  were  supposed  to  overawe  would-be  disturbers 
of  the  pueblo  peace.  Street  work  seldom  extended  beyond  an  occas- 
ional digging  and  shoveling  before  one's  own  premises. 

NO    PONDEROUS    JUDICIARY    NEEDED 

The  judiciary  was  as  simple  as  the  legislative.  Among  the 
Spanish  pioneers  of  California  there  were  few  breeches  of  law  and 
order  and  hardly  any  crime.  For  the  first  mentioned  a  fine  or 
flogging  was  the  result  and  for  the  greater  offenses  the  penalty 
came  sure  and  soon,  with  the  priest  to  chant  the  prayers  for  the 
dying.  Those  were  days  rough  and  wild  with  an  open  country  in 
which  a  bad  man  might  escape,  consequently  the  courts  made  deter- 
rent examples  when  they  corralled  the  bad  man.  These  tribunals 
weighed  the  old,  old  questions  of  right  and  wrong,  and  not  the 
verbal  formation  of  a  law  term,  and  Spanish  justice  did  not  become 
lost  under  American  technicalities.  Minor  offenses  and  actions  in- 
volving $100  and  less  were  settled  before  the  alcalde,  while  cases 
of  more  weight  or  importance  were  passed  up  to  the  district  or 
the  supreme  courts.    Either  party  could  demand  a  jury,  and  as  this 


20  HISTORY  OF  YOLO  COUNTY 

body  of  three  or  five  persons  was  chosen  from  only  the  best  and 
most  intelligent  citizens  of  the  place,  and  as  the  courts  did  not  tol- 
erate "sparring  for  time,"  the  trial  went  through  unhampered  by 
wrangling  lawyers  and  archaic  rules  of  procedure.  The  members 
of  a  junta  or  ayuntamiento,  though  serving  without  pay,  were  liable 
to  fine  for  non-attendance,  and  resignations  were  difficult.  Even 
under  the  government  of  a  Spanish  king  three-quarters  of  a  century 
ago,  California  had  the  referendum.  When  a  question  of  import- 
ance was  before  the  ayuntamiento  and  there  was  a  division  of 
opinion,  the  alarma  publico  bell  was  rung  and  every  citizen  gath- 
ered immediately  at  the  assembly  hall,  or  was  fined  for  failure  to 
respond.  Then  and  there  the  people  by  the  simple  raising  of  hands 
voted  upon  and  decided  the  question.  Some  of  these  old  alcaldes 
were  unique  in  their  reasonings  and  all  were  wise  in  their  genera- 
tion. A  woman  complained  to  the  town  court  that  her  husband  per- 
sisted in  serenading  another  woman,  much  to  his  wife's  discomfort. 
It  is  possible  that  the  other  woman  was  the  prettier,  but  the  alcalde 
knew  that  justice  was  no  respecter  of  beauty.  Yet  there  was  noth- 
ing in  the  code  nor  city  ordinance  touching  the  playing  of  musical 
instruments  or  singing  to  unattached  females.  However,  the  judge 
looked  beyond  the  written  law  and  saw  the  fellow  and  his  guitar  at 
the  pleasure  of  the  wrong  woman  and  he  trusted  that  inspiration 
would  direct  him  to  an  equitable  adjustment  of  the  matter.  And  it 
ditl.  The  man  haled  into  court  was  sternly  ordered  to  play  the 
same  tune  he  had  played  for  the  too-fascinating  senora,  and  after 
he  had  nervously  done  so,  the  alcalde  sat  as  an  expert  in  melody  and 
fined  the  prisoner  $2,  holding  music  so  atrocious  could  be  only  a 
disturbance  of  the  peace. 

MILD    PKIESTLY    REGULATIONS 

Occasionally  the  padres  worked  into  the  ordinances  measures 
tinctured  like  unto  the  Connecticut  Blue  Laws,  as  in  the  old  records 
of  Monterey  (1816)  there  is  an  order  that  "all  persons  must  attend 
mass  and  respond  in  a  loud  voice,  and  if  any  person  should  fail  to 
do  so  without  good  cause  he  shall  be  put  in  the  stocks  for  three 
hours."  It  may  be  presumed  that  the  good  father  took  this  means 
to  secure  a  better  attendance  at  church  aud  warm  up  the  back- 
sliders. Although  the  priests  were  in  constant  clash  with  the  mili- 
tary, who  were  always  "agin"  and  jealous  of  churcbly  authority. 
they  maintained  a  very  mild  and  often  a  vague  spiritual  dominion 
over  the  ( 'alit'ornians.  Maria  was  a  good  church-woman,  as  is  her 
sex  ever,  but  Jose  was  lukewarm,  as  is  his  sex  usually.  He  had 
more  fear,  if  not  respect,  for  the  alcalde  and  the  police  power  of  the 
pueblo  than  for  the  parish  priest;  moreover,  the  stern  father  denied 
to  him  his  highest-prized  sins,  while  the  civil  authorities  frequently 
condoned  his  offenses.  These  padres  in  their  strong  opposition  to  a 
non-Roman    Catholic   population   laid    the   ban    of   the   church    upon 


HISTORY   OF   YOLO   COUNTY  21 

marriage  between  foreigners  and  native  women.  But  dogma  was 
no  barrier  to  the  American  pioneer  or  wanderer  from  the  states, 
when  he  found  one  of  the  many  comely  senoritas  willing  to  annex 
him  to  the  Republic  of  Mexico  and  to  her  fair  self.  Generally  the 
local  priest  would  consent  to  baptize  the  new  "convert"  and  then 
marry  him  to  his  new  wife,  and  the  question  was  well  settled — the 
church  would  get  a  new  member,  the  Republic  of  Mexico  another 
subject,  and  the  girl  a  more  practical  and  useful  husband  than  her 
own  country  could  supply. 

ALL  THE   WORLD  LOVES  THE   SPANISH   GIRL 

All  the  world  over  there  is  no  more  charming  woman  than  the 
daughter  of  Spain.  Her  upholstery  may  not  represent  the  golden 
store  of  a  wealthy  man;  it  may  be  only  a  simple  chemisette  and 
skirt  with  silk  shawl  or  mantilla  thrown  over  head  and  shoulders  to 
fall  easily  toward  the  small,  slippered  feet,  but  it  is  a  dainty  combi- 
nation of  brilliant  color  and  natural  grace,  and  all  mankind  loves 
the  wearer.  The  women  of  the  Latin  race,  whether  they  hail  from 
Genoa  or  Seville,  alone  of  the  world's  sisterhood,  have  learned  how 
to  wear  their  hair — and  that  is  without  any  covering.  Hence  the  Cali- 
fornienne  of  the  last  century  wore  her  black  braids  of  tress  free  of 
the  fearfully  and  wonderfully  made  hat  or  bonnet  of  today,  and 
her  comeliness  has  not  been  improved  upon.  These  Spanish-Ameri- 
can girls  along  the  Pacific  littoral  made  good  wives,  good  house- 
keepers in  their  pioneer  homes,  and  good  mothers  to  their  large 
families.  Whether  the  foreign  wooer  came  from  over  the  Sierras  or 
over  the  Atlantic,  if  he  showed  a  disposition  to  settle  down  to  home- 
building  he  could  find  a  young  woman  favorable  to  the  project  and 
often  a  big  slice  of  rancho  for  experimental  ground.  And  as  the 
Mexican  don  for  years  had  been  tending  away  from  the  intolerant 
aristocracy  and  political  bigotry  of  case-hardened  Spain  to  the 
broad  democracy  of  North  America,  he  generally  approved  of  his 
young  daughter's  choice. 

Socially  the  Californian  in  general  had  no  objection  to  the 
North  American.  It  was  officialdom  wrangling  within  its  ranks  for 
the  small  distinction  and  the  small  gain  an  office  in  this  territory 
gave.  The  padres,  who  intensely  disliked  the  interfering,  not  ton 
conscientious  governors,  comandantes  and  small-fry  officers,  strongly 
opposed  republican  ideas.  Most  of  them  were  natives  of  Spain  and 
were  loyal  to  the  mother-country  that  had  established  their  mis- 
sions and  had  made  them  powerful  and  wealthy.  They  were  not 
only  disloyal  to  the  Republic  of  Mexico,  hut  were  a  barrier  to  immi 
gration  and  a  check  to  the  progress  of  Alta  California.  The  mis- 
sion ranchos,  church  lands,  absorbed  the  known  best  tracts  of  the 
state  and  the  secularization  of  the  vast  property  was  the  logical 
outcome.  There  are  yet  great  undivided  tracts  of  land  in  California 
— in  Yolo — for  which  the  landless  are  calling. 


HISTORY  OF  YOLO  COUNTY 


CHAPTER  VI 

ALTA   CALIFORNIA   DRIFTS   TO    THE    GRINGO 

From  1775  to  1835  the  Pacific  rim  of  this  hemisphere  slipped 
through  its  sixty  years — two  generations — of  peace.  Europe  passed 
from  war  to  war,  and  the  Atlantic  seaboard  trembled  in  the  rever- 
berations of  hostile  guns.  California  was  too  young  and  too  far 
away  and  too  little  known  to  the  world,  and  her  people  between  the 
mountain  and  the  sea  left  alone  eddied  out  of  the  world's  current. 
They  were  children,  forgetful  of  yesterday,  living  in  today  that 
never  passed,  and  relegating  the  possible  adversities  to  the  tomor- 
row— the  manana — that  never  came.  They  were  careless  and  free, 
fond  of  the  fandango,  the  bull  fight  and  the  horse-race,  and  they 
mingled  these  earthly  diversions  with  the  ceremonies  of  the  church 
holiday.  Many  of  the  people  were  ex-soldiers,  dead  to  the  spirit  of 
war  and  alive  to  the  excitement  of  the  rancho,  and  as  militant  as 
the  old,  rusty  cannon  on  the  presidio  walls.  The  ex-mission  In- 
dians hanging  around  the  haciendas  could  be  hired  or  cajoled  into 
doing  the  little  hard  labor  of  the  establishments  and  this  added  to 
the  gay  caballero's  hours  of  idleness.  The  only  dissipation  they 
had,  however,  was  gambling,  and  anything  having  the  element  of 
chance  would  be  bet  on,  though  monte  was  the  favorite  card  game. 
They  accepted  good  fortune  without  lively  demonstrations  of  joy 
and  ill-luck  with  little  regret,  evidently  caring  more  for  the  gaming 
than  for  the  winning.  Sunday  afternoons,  religious  devotions  being 
finished,  some  festivity  was  in  order.  With  the  broad  unfenced 
plains  crowded  with  cattle  more  or  less  wild,  fleet  horses  were  neces- 
sary, consequently  there  were  few  such  riders  in  the  world.  How- 
ever, that  was  before  the  day  of  that  human  centaur,  the  American 
cowboy. 

EARLY    TAUGHT    TO    RIDE 

The  boy  at  an  early  age  was  taught  to  ride  at  a  breakneck 
speed  and  to  throw  the  riata  with  unerring  aim.  The  Spanish 
saddle  was  an  elaborate  piece  of  equine  furniture,  the  wooden 
frame,  or  "tree"  as  it  was  called,  being  fastened  to  the  animal's 
body  with  a  girth,  or  "cinch,"  made  of  the  closely  woven  hair  of 
his  own  tail.  This  was  taking  an  unfair  advantage  of  poor  cabdUo, 
but  the  hair  cinch  was  very  strong  and  was  the  only  fabric  that 
would  not  slip  on  his  smooth  coat.  Over  the  tree  was  fitted  a  wide 
leather  cover  called  "mecheres,"  and  on  the  stirrups,  to  protect  the 
rider's  feet  from  the  wild  undergrowth  of  the  range,  were  leather 
shields  or  "tapaderos,"  and  the  leather  leggings  on  his  lower  limbs 
were  for  the  same  purpose.     The  bridle  was  a  costly,  besilvered 


HISTORY   OF   YOLO   COUNTY  23 

affair.of  finely  braided  rawhide  and  the  bit  was  an  exquisite  instru- 
ment of  torture.  To  the  half  or  quarter  "broke"  mustang  this  bit, 
its  steel  tongue  extending  far  up  within  the  mouth,  compelled 
obedience  on  the  slightest  pull  of  the  reins — in  fact,  the  horse  per- 
force soon  learned,  in  pain,  to  take  his  cue  from  the  mere  swing  of 
the  reins  on  his  neck.  And  always  a  necessary  part  of  this  pic- 
turesque rider's  makeup  was  a  pair  of  big  silver  spurs,  the  size  and 
ornamentation  designating  the  owner's  social  or  equestrian  stand- 
ing. Mount  one  of  these  fellows  on  a  spirited  mustang,  trappings 
agleam  in  polished  metal,  riata  hanging  in  graceful  festoons  from 
the  saddle  horn,  heavily-silvered  sombrero  on  his  head,  richly 
braided  short  jacket,  fine  cloth  pantaloons  with  outside  seam  slashed 
down  each  leg  and  laced  with  silk  cord,  around  the  waist  a  beautiful 
silken  sash,  over  the  shoulders  the  gracefully  flowing  serapa,  or 
cloak — then  set  the  little  silver  bell-tongues  on  his  spurs  tinkling 
musically  to  the  pace  of  his  prancing  steed,  and  time  never  pro- 
duced a  more  artistic  and  elaborate  centaur. 

DANDY   CENTAURS   OF   THE   RANCHO 

It  was  at  the  fiesta  or  "fandango,"  the  race-track,  the  cock-pit, 
the  bull-ring,  troops  of  these  fantastic  dandies  would  appear  and 
show-off  in  boyish  vanity  themselves  and  mounts  principally  for 
the  entertainment  and  admiration  of  the  sprightly  senorita  in  her 
laces  and  colors  out  for  a  California  holiday.  The  rodeo,  or  annual 
stock  round-up,  was  the  gala  time  for  the  vaquero,  when  the  cor- 
ralling and  the  roping  and  the  branding  of  the  herds  made  the 
rancho  throb  with  excitement;  when  in  the  adobe  hall  the  guitars 
tinkled  in  the  fantastic  dances  of  Old  Spain  and  the  satined  dandy 
descendant  of  Aragon  bowed,  vowed  and  "looked  love"  to  this  far 
western  heiress  of  Castile. 

MOTHER    MEXICO    AND    HER    CHILD 

During  all  these  slow,  sleepy  years  California  was  drifting  to 
the  in  aid it o  gringo  and  the  moving-picture  of  events  show  seriatim 
the  incidents  that  marked  that  drift.  The  newest  Californian,  the 
Native  Son — with  all  his  Bear  Flag  enthusiasm — knows  little  of  the 
stirring  story  of  his  state.  Real  estate  boomers  and  passenger 
agents  are  photoing  and  printing  the  scenic  grandeurs  of  this  won- 
derful coast,  but  its  past  history — undecorated  for  commercial  pur- 
poses—  is  not  among  its  younger  generation  a  very  popular  theme. 
Spain's  claim,  the  first,  had  gone  glimmering;  Francis  Drake  dur- 
ing his  flying  visit  to  this  coast  annexed  whatever  he  saw  to  Fug- 
land,  but  her  claim  had  long  since  lapsed,  beyond  the  hope  of  the 
most  ardent  litigant;  Russia  cut  herself  from  even  the  pleasures  of 
a  controversy  when  she  sold  Fort  Ross  and  its  lands  on  the  Sonoma 
coast  to  Capt.  John  A.  Sutter;  the  Mexican  empire  didn't  live 
long  enough  to  know  that   it   could   claim   anything   in   California, 


24  HISTORY  OF  YOLO  COUNTY 

;m<l  the  Mexican  republic  was  too  busy  handling  its  own  revolutions 
— as  it  is  at  the  present  time;  moreover,  Madre  Mexicana  was 
mowing-  weary  of  the  antics  of  her  disobedient  nina,  Alta  Califor- 
nia, and  was  almost  willing  to  let  the  nnfilial  daughter  go,  providing 
she  did  not  go  to  the  gringo.  And  that  was  the  young  woman's  true 
destination. 

FIGHTING  OVER    THE   "ADMISSION" 

We  "encouraged"  Mexico  to  light  us,  and  our  policy  in  that 
has  provided  a  living  theme  for  our  moralistic  critics  who  are  only 
political  partisans  in  thin  disguise.  All  ages,  all  governments  have 
protesting  statesmen,  and  this  age — so  full  of  vituperative  free 
speech — has  a  protester  "roosting  on  every  stump."  But  our  fight 
with  Mexico  was  a  good  scrap  for  both  republics.  It  gave  her  all 
the  territory  she  can  handle,  and  it  rounded  us  out  from  ocean  to 
ocean,  making  our  country  proportionally  the  central,  the  predoini- 
nating  and  the  most  favorable  piece  of  soil  in  the  western  hemi- 
sphere; and  moreover,  it  kept  Europe  and  her  automaton  monarchs 
out  of  most  of  America.  Y"et  California  was  with  difficulty  forced 
through  the  gamut  of  protesters  and  into  the  Union.  In  fact,  she 
"admitted"  herself  almost  a  year  before  her  official  admission  got 
through  the  "slave  state"  question.  Note  the  beauty  and  incon- 
sistency of  this  class  of  American  statemanship :  Texas,  about  that 
time,  barely  justified  in  her  action,  gained  complete  independence  of 
Mexico  and  then  immediately  offered  herself  to  the  Union.  There 
was  no  special  hurry,  except  to  lie  on  hand  when  the  next  election 
day  came  around,  but  she  was  admitted,  a  slave  state,  and  by  a 
Whig  administration  whose  central  creed  was  anti-slavery.  And 
California,  a  ripe  plum  in  danger  of  falling  to  a  British  war  fleet, 
her  long-length  of  coast  to  be  a  constant  menace  to  the  United 
States,  was  a  bone  of  contention  between  the  Whigs  and  pro-slavery 
Democrats,  with  the  latter  favoring  the  admission,  and  against  the 
protest  of  these  same  Whigs.  The  protesting  statesmen  about  that 
time  proposed  that  California  be  sold  back  to  Mexico  for  $12,- 
000,000,  and  if  agreeable  to  the  southern  republic  San  Francisco  be 
retained,  allowing  Mexico  $3,000,000  on  account.  As  this  govern- 
ment has  assumed  a  Mexican  debt  of  $15,000,000  due  American 
citizens,  these  gleaming  diplomats  considered  they  were  proposing  a 
highly  profitable  national  real  estate  deal.  But  the  next  day— prac- 
tically—J.  W.  Marshall  digging  a  ditch  in  Coloma  creek  shoveled 
California  up  to  a  golden  figure  near  fifteen  hundred  millions  and  to 
a  moral  value  that  has  never  been  estimated. 


HISTORY   OF   YOLO   COUNTY 


CHAPTER  VII 
FROM  SAX  DIEGO  TO  YOLO 

In  1542,  Cabrillo,  the  first  Spaniard  in  Alta  California,  reached 
San  Diego,  and  just  three  hundred  years  after  that  date  William 
Gordon  arrived  in  that  pueblo,  on  his  way  to  his  future  home  in  this 
county.  Thus  the  reader  sees  three  centuries  stretch  between  the 
first  settlement  of  California  and  the  first  settlement  of  Yolo.  They 
were  not  strenuous  Saxon  years  full  of  sound  and  fury,  that  came 
northward  along  the  Pacific  littoral;  they  were  slumberous  Spanish 
years,  made  up  of  mananas — tomorrows — that  walked-in-sleep  along 
the  leagues  of  golden  poppy-plains  and  across  the  emerald  oaten 
hills  to  wake  into,  to  break  into  the  burning  day  of  the  gringo.  With 
the  Spanish  soldier  came  the  Spanish  priest  and  over  field  and 
flock  the  missions  lifted — strong  in  rights  temporal  and  spiritual — 
to  flourish  awhile  amid  their  acres  and  acolytes,  and  then  go  down 
to  poor  parishes  and  dull  piles  of  adobe  ruins.  If  the  Spanish  sol- 
dier and  priest  left  little  or  nothing  to  mark  their  presence  here, 
they  left  no  black  record  of  brutality  or  injustice  in  their  treatment 
of  the  simple-minded  natives  of  the  land.  The  mild  demands  of 
the  missions  and  of  the  government  did  not  materially  interfere 
with  the  Indian's  creature  comforts;  and  if  his  spirituality  was 
shallow  or  doubtful,  his  residence  within  sight  of  the  chapel  ad- 
mitted him  to  the  mission  "soup-house"  where  the  meals  were 
regular.  Amid  the  memories  of  that  pastoral  period  the  reader 
may  hear  in  the  din  of  the  money-mad  present  the  faint,  sweet 
echoes  of  the  Angelus  bells  coming  from  the  missions  that  are  dead 
and  gone. 

IN   THE   ROARING   FORTIES 

But  time  went  faster  through  California  when  the  years  got. 
well  into  the  Forties — the  "Roaring  Forties."  The  centuries  of 
siesta  were  over  and  "hasta  manana," — till  tomorrow — became  less 
a  rule  of  daily  conduct.  The  capital  of  the  territory  swung  up  and 
down  the  coast  from  Monterey  to  Los  Angeles — occasionally  reach- 
ing as  far  as  San  Diego — just  as  the  new  governor  or  near-gov- 
ernor elected.  The  two  North  American  republics  were  threatening- 
each  other  across  the  Rio  Grande;  Dixie  was  clamoring  for  another 
slave  state,  and  the  "free  folks"  in  the  North  were  watching  to 
prevent  that  accomplishment.  Alvarado  was  the  governor  when 
(Oct.  19,  1842)  Commodore  Jones,  U.  S.  N.,  flew  his  flag  over  Mon- 
terey, and  corralled  California  for  Uncle  Sam.  Next  day  he  learned 
that  the  expected  war  had  not  commenced  and  he  hauled  the  fla."- 
down  with  apologies  fit  and  full. 


28  HISTORY  OF  YOLO  COUNTY 


HAIR-TRIGGER    PIONEERS 


William  Knight  was  a  just  man,  but  sensitive  and  quick  to 
resent  what  he  considered  to  be  an  offense.  On  one  occasion  he  lie- 
came  offended  at  General  Sutter.  It  was  during  a  visit  to  the  fort, 
and  Knight,  when  the  argument  was  warmest,  produced  a  pair  of 
loaded  pistols  and  invited  Sutter  to  choose  one  and  step  outside 
where  they  could  settle  in  accordance  to  the  code.  The  settlement 
was  made  without  the  duello.  At  another  time  he  took  offense  at 
no  less  an  urbane  personage  than  General  Vallejo  and  invited  the 
distinguished  Sonoman  to  select  his  weapon  and  "step  outside." 
They  had  been  admiring  a  new  piano  just  purchased  by  the  Gen- 
eral for  his  family  and  thinking  to  be  jovial  he  asked  his  guest  to 
"play  for  the  ladies."  Unfortunately,  Knight  considered  it  a  re- 
flection on  his  lack  of  musical  culture  and  the  matter  ended  with  the 
challenge,  which,  of  course,  was  recalled  after  the  host  made  an 
explanation  and  apology. 

The  close  of  Knight's  career  should  have  been  more  auspicious. 
In  1849  he  was  operating  a  ferry  boat  on  the  Stanislaus  river,  in 
Stanislaus  county,  near  the  Calaveras  line.  Ever  since  that  time 
the  place  and  town  have  been  known  as  Knight's  Ferry.  He  died 
there  November  9  of  that  year,  and  is  or  was  supposed  to  have 
been  a  wealthy  man,  possessing  money  and  property  at  the  ferry. 
as  well  as  the  rancho  in  Yolo.  The  Knight  children  were  attending 
school  in  Benicia  and  Major  Stephen  Cooper  of  that  city,  who  was 
public  administrator,  was  solicited  to  come  to  the  ferry  and  take 
charge  of  the  mixed-up  affairs  of  the  deceased.  He  did  not  do  so 
and  all  the  Knight  estate,  money  and  lands,  melted  in  thin  air.  The 
heirs  got  nothing,  even  the  grant  deeds  were  mysteriously  lost. 

Another  of  the  settlers  of  '43  was  Thomas  M.  Hardy,  a  native 
of  England,  who  obtained  a  grant  of  six  square  leagues,  or  26,637 
acres,  located  along  Cache  creek  east  of  the  Gordon  grant,  extend- 
ing to  the  Sacramento.  His  rancho  was  called  the  "Rio  de  Jesus 
Maria,"  which  was  one  of  the  early  names  of  the  big  river.  Hardy 
was  a  rude,  unfriendly  man,  possessing  a  warm  dislike  for  the 
Americans  as  well  as  strong  sympathy  for  Mexico  and  the  Califor- 
nians.  He  constructed  a  tide  shack  on  the  west  bank  of  the  river 
near  the  mouth  of  the  Feather,  but  much  of  his  time  he  was  away 
from  his  home,  being  in  the  military  service  of  the  Mexican  govern- 
ment. In  1849  he  was  conveying  a  boat-load  of  passengers  to  San 
Francisco  and  at  Benicia  the  passengers  landed  with  Hardy's  dead 
body.  They  reported  that  on  the  trip  down  the  river  he  had  acci- 
dentally fallen  overboard  and  had  drowned.  No  other  account  being 
obtained  the  remains  were  buried  and  the  estate  of  the  deceased  was 
administered  upon. 


HISTORY   OF    YOLO   COUNTY  29 


"tinker,  the  dog  pioneer 
Nathan  Coombs,  head  of  the  Napa  pioneers  of  that  name, 
dropped  into  Yolo  that  year  and  "put  up"  with  Billy  Gordon.  Next 
year  his  connection  with  the  Gordon  family  became  more  perma- 
nent and  more  pronounced.  An  active  member  of  the  household 
was  "Tinker,"  a  warlike  and  intrepid  dog,  and  one  day  Tinker  ap- 
peared in  a  neck  of  the  woods  and  made  some  history.  It  was  a 
psychological  moment  in  the  life  of  Coombs  as  a  very  much  grown 
grizzly  very  much  intent  on  chewing  up  the  man  had  him  prostrate 
on  the  ground.  It  is  said  that  Tinker's  plunge  into  the  bloody  con 
flirt  was  magnificent.  A  hrindle-tinted  thunderbolt  flew  out  of  the 
adjoining  thicket  and  landed  on  the  bear's  back  just  as  that  animal 
was  stripping  large  mouthfuls  of  flesh  from  Coombs'  arm.  The 
surprised  grizzly  turned  to  attend  to  the  waspish  attack  on  his  hack. 
and  the  fallen  man  was  enabled  to  drag  himself  away.  Tinker 
slipped  down  to  the  rear  of  his  huge  foe  and  got  a  good  nip  on  that 
portion  of  its  body.  Then  the  bear  began  the  whirl — literally  chas- 
ing his  own  tail,  while  Tinker,  maintaining  his  grip,  was  swung 
around,  now  in  the  air,  now  on  the  ground,  inflicting  all  the  pain  he 
could,  chewing  up  bear,  howling  in  frenzy,  but  careful  to  keep  clear 
of  those  awful  jaws  and  claws.  The  heroic  Tinker  might  have  fared 
badly  in  the  end,  but  the  rifles  of  his  friends  relieved  him  from  a 
dilemma. 


30  HISTORY  OF  YOLO  COUNTY 


CHAPTER  VIII 
EARLY  TIMES  IN  TULB  TOWN 

The  marriage  of  Nathan  Coombs  with  Elizabeth  Gordon,  or 
Belle  Gordon,  a  daughter  of  the  pioneer,  was  the  first  matrimonial 
alliance  between  whites  in  this  portion  of  the  Great  Valley.  As  only 
Sutter  in  that  part  of  the  territory  could  lawfully  join  them  to- 
gether, they  mounted  their  horses  and  rode  twenty-seven  miles 
through  the  wild  country.  After  the  Captain,  in  accordance  with 
the  laws  of  Mexico,  had  tied  the  two  into  one,  hard  and  fast,  they 
remounted  their  horses,  recrossed  the  Sacramento  river,  and  then 
this  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Lochinvar  Coombs  rode  back  into  "the  west,"  to 
their  home  on  Cache  creek,  making  fifty-four  miles  that  day.  It 
was  late,  the  Gordon  household  were  asleep,  but  the  young  "Nath 
Coombs"  couple  ate  their  wedding  supper  out  of  the  cupboard  and 
were  satisfied  though  tired.  In  after  years  portions  of  the  Gordon 
family  moved  farther  west  and  into  Napa  county  and  we  see  Gor- 
don Valley  named  from  this  people.  July  30,  1912,  Joseph,  one  of 
the  sons  of  William  Gordon,  died  at  his  home  in  the  Valley,  where 
he  was  well  and  favorably  known.  The  Coombs  of  Napa,  prominent 
citizens  of  that  county,  are  of  that  memorable  union  in  Sutter's 
Fort  in  the  fall  of  '44,  William  Gordon  Coombs  being  the  first  birth. 
A  notable  contemporary  of  these  early  Yoloites  was  Joe  R.  Wolfs- 
kin, who  lived  on  Puto  or  Putah  creek,  but  his  cabin  was  on  the 
southern  or  Solano  shore  of  the  stream. 

THE  LOST  KNIGHT  EANCHO 

About  that  time  the  Berryessa  Brothers,  Californians,  obtained 
grants  to  what  is  now  known  as  Berryessa  valley,  also  that  nine 
square  Leagues  of  land  along  the  "Jesus  Maria"  river,  now  known 
as  Cache  creek.  This  is  the  grant  of  the  Canada  de  Capay.  On  this 
date  Knight  received  his  grant  of  ten  league,  and  of  which  raucho 
the  papers  could  not  be  found  for  confirmation  by  the  United  States 
Land  Commission  after  his  death.  Like  all  lands  originally  owned 
by  native  Californians,  or  Mexicans,  the  great  Berryessa  holdings 
were  soon  held  by  strangers.  The  names  of  the  Berryessas  were 
Santiago,  Xenieeia  and  Francisco.  George  Schwartz  about  this 
time  turned  up  with  a  grant  for  three  square  leagues  along  the  west 
shore  of  the  Sacramento  where  Broderick  (or  Washington),  now 
stands.  Schwartz,  an  odd  and  somewhat  mysterious  person,  lived 
in  his  tule  cabin  among  the  Indians  there  for  several  years,  but  his 
claim  was  rejected  by  the  United  States  courts. 


HISTORY   OF   YOLO   COUNTY  31 


THE    KELSEY    HOODOO 

D.  T.  Bird  and  a  company  of  immigrants  from  Oregon  landed 
that  year  in  this  state,  and  in  this  party  was  the  Kelsey  family. 
Of  the  males  there  were  two  brothers,  David  and  Andrew;  and 
David's  sons,  Benjamin  and  Samuel;  and  misfortune  appeared  to 
mark  them  for  its  own.  David  died  with  smallpox  in  his  cabin  on 
the  site  of  Stockton  City  and  his  wife  was  blinded  by  the  same 
horrible  pestilence.  A  couple  of  hunters  found  the  dead  man  in 
his  bed,  and  the  others  of  the  family  except  one  little  girl — a 
heroine  trying  to  nurse  the  patients — helpless  with  the  disease. 
Joseph  Buzzle,  one  of  the  hunters  who  rescued  this  unlucky  house- 
hold, afterwards  married  a  Kelsey,  and  a  few  years  subsequently 
was  accidentally  drowned  in  Half  Moon  Bay,  San  Mateo  county. 
Andrew  Kelsey  was  murdered  in  his  cabin  in  Lake  county.  Kelsey- 
ville,  named  for  its  pioneer  settler,  is  on  the  site  of  this  tragedy. 
Benjamin  Kelsey  was  never  at  rest  and  never  could  escape  the 
family  had  luck.  He  began  his  Wandering  Jew  life  in  1841,  when 
with  liis  family  he  crossed  the  plains  to  California,  soon  afterwards 
moving  away  to  Oregon.  In  1844  they  again  appeared  in  Califor- 
nia, but  the  old  spirit  of  unrest  was  rampant  and  the  voice  "move 
on"  sounded  in  their  ears  and  they  started  for  their  original  eastern 
home.  Going  through  Texas  they  were  attacked  by  Indians  and 
their  daughter  Annie  killed  and  scalped.  The  family  remained  a 
short  time  in  the  east  and  then  struck  out  again  for  the  far  west, 
eventually  reaching  California  for  the  third  time.  Their  further 
wanderings  are  unknown. 

THE    PIONEER    WHEAT    PATCH 

In  the  Kelsey  party  that  reached  California  via  Oregon  in  1844 
were  D.  T.  Bird  and  Granville  Swift,  Henry  and  William  Fowler. 
W.  II.  Winter  and  William  Hargrave.  All  of  these  except  Bird 
finally  settled  in  Napa  county.  Swift  became  a  resident  of  Sonoma 
county  and  was  one  of  the  Bear  Flag  party  of  1846.  He  was  killed 
by  a  fall  from  his  mule  in  Napa  county,  where  he  was  living  at  the 
time,  in  1876.  The  era  of  cereals  on  the  western  side  of  Sacramento 
river  may  lie  said  to  have  opened  in  1845,  when  William  Gordon 
raised  about  seven  acres  of  wheat  and  five  acres  of  corn.  The  great 
grain  fields  sweeping  over  Solano,  Yolo  and  Colusa  are  evidences 
of  the  growth  of  this  golden  product.  Among  other  immigrants 
who  came  to  Gordon's  in  Capay  valley  in  1845  were  John  Grigsby, 
John  and  William  Scott  and  William  Lincoln  Todd.  John  Scott 
was  the  messenger  who  notified  Captain  Fremont  at  Sutter's  Fort 
that  Commodore  Sloat  had  hoisted  the  United  States  flag  at  Mon- 
terey. Todd  was  a  nephew  of  Mrs.  Abraham  Lincoln — whose  fam- 
ily name  is  Todd.  He  was  one  of  the  Bear  Flag  immortals,  and 
was  the  famous  artist  of  that  equally  famous  ensign,  even  if  its  bear 


32  HISTORY  OF  YOLO  COUNTY 

did  resemble  a  pig,  and  its  lone  star  was  not  very  brilliant  or  very 
artistic.  For  many  years  Todd  was  a  resident  of  Yolo  county. 
William  R.  Roulette  and  wife,  Joseph  Davis  and  John  Sears  and 
J.  M.  Rhodes  also  settled  in  Capay.  A  grant  of  eleven  square 
leagues  of  land  lying  between  "Willows  slough  and  Puto  creek  bad 
been  issued  to  Victor  Pudon  and  Marcus  Vaca.  It  was  first  known 
as  the  Rancho  Laguna  de  Santos  Calle.  During  that  year,  1845,  the 
Colonel  Blyman  party  of  thirty-nine  persons,  among  whom  was  S. 
U.  Chase,  landed  at  the  ' '  Gordon  ranch. ' '  Mr.  Chase  soon  returned 
to  Oregon,  but  was  again  in  California  in  1848.  In  the  spring  of 
1846  James  McDowell,  a  gunsmith  living  at  Sutter's  Fort,  crossed 
the  river  and  built  a  cabin  on  what  is  now  the  site  of  Broderick,  or 
originally  Washington,  and  this  was  the  beginning  of  that  town. 
He  moved  his  family  across  to  their  new  home  and  several  of  its 
members  lived  in  the  place  for  years  after.  McDonald  was  an 
officer  in  the  California  Battalion  of  Volunteers.  He  was  assassi- 
uated  in  Sacramento  May  24,  1849,  and  died  two  davs  after. 


HISTORY    OF    YOLO    COUNTY  33 


. CHAPTER  IX 
RECRUITING  THE  BEAR  FLAG  PARTY 

While  the  pioneers  from  over  the  eastern  and  northern  moun- 
tians  were  settling-  on  the  rich  Yolo  plains  a  crisis  was  due  further 
south.  About  June  1  Antonio  Armijo  from  Suisun  valley  came  up 
through  the  Capay  in  search  of  Indian  laborers  for  grain  fields.  It 
had  grown  the  custom  to  employ  these  natives  to  harvest  the  crops. 
The  employment,  however,  was  generally  forced  upon  them,  as  the 
California  Indian  of  that  early  period  was  not  known  to  yearn  for 
a  job.  The  Indians  were  rounded  up  and  herded  into  the  field  and 
some  work  gotten  out  of  them.  Armijo  and  several  of  the  Yolo 
farmers  were  seeking  among  the  rancherias  for  their  harvesters 
when  Capt.  Ezekiel  Merritt  and  several  companies  came  through  the 
valleys  on  a  secret  mission.  Most  of  the  ranchers  in  Armijo 's  band 
of  "harvesters"  joined  Merritt  and  they  took  up  their  march 
through  Napa  county,  where  they  received  additions  to  their  party, 
on  their  way  to  the  pueblo  of  Sonoma.  This  company,  which  now 
numbered  thirty-three  persons,  mounted  and  well  armed,  was  com- 
posed of  the  following: 

From  Sacramento  valley — Ezekiel  Merritt,  Dr.  Robert  Semple, 
Henry  L.  Ford,  Samuel  Gibson,  Granville  P.  Swift,  William  Dickey. 
Henry  Booker,  John  Potter,  W.  B.  Ide,  William  Fallon,  W.  M. 
Scott,  Henry  Beason,  William  Anderson,  J.  A.  Jones,  W.  Barti  and 
Samuel  Neal. 

From  Napa  valley — John  Grigsby,  Frank  Grigsby,  Benjamin 
Dewell,  Harvey  Porterfield,  W.  B.  Elliott,  Ah  Elliott,  William 
Knight,  David  Hudson  , Franklin  Bedwell,  Joseph  Wood,  William 
Hargrave,  Andrew  Kelsey,  J.  If.  Kelly,  John  Gibbs,  Pat  McChris- 
tian,  John  Gibbs,  Thomas  Cowie  and  George  Fowler. 

THE  CALIFORNIA  REPUBLIC 

Early  on  the  morning  of  June  14,  1846,  they  rode  quietly  into 
the  Sonoma  plaza  and  awoke  Gen.  M.  G.  Vallejo,  the  comandante, 
This  officer,  also  his  brother,  Capt.  Salvador  Yallejo;  Col.  Yictor 
Pudon,  both  of  the  Mexican  army;  Julio  Carrillo  and  Jacob  Leese, 
two  brothers-indaw  of  Yallejo,  were  made  prisoners  of  war  ami  con- 
veyed to  Sutter's  Fort.  No  other  Mexican  or  Californian  soldiers 
were  found  and  immediately  the  captors  organized  the  "California 
Republic,"  with  the  celebrated  Bear  Flag  as  their  national  ensign. 

This  movement  had  its  beginning  when  Lieutenant  Gillespie,  a 
United  States  marine  officer  sent  from  Washington,  met  Capt.  John 
C.  Fremont  ("Pathfinder"),  the  well-known  United  States  sur- 
veyor, near  the  northern  end  of  the  state.     The  messenger,  whose 


34  HISTORY  OF  YOLO  COUNTY 

mission  and  journey  had  been  accomplished  in  the  greatest  secrecy, 
had  made  his  way  in  disguise  across  Mexico  from  Vera  Cruz  to 
Mazatlan,  then  up  the  coast  to  Monterey  in  a  war  vessel,  the  com- 
mander of  which  did  not  know  the  object  of  Gillespie's  visit  to  the 
Pacific.  The  text  of  the  secret  dispatches  to  Fremont  has  never 
been  made  public,  but  from  his  subsequent  action  it  is  supposed  that 
he  was  instructed,  at  his  own  discretion,  to  forestall  any  act  in  Cali- 
fornia or  Mexico  or  the  European  governments  that  would  be 
inimical  to  the  interests  of  the  United  States 

FREMONT,    THE    PATHFINDER 

That  Fremont,  a  mere  engineer  officer,  should  be  selected  for  a 
secret  work  of  this  import,  a  work  that  not  only  might  ruin  him 
officially,  but  might  involve  his  country  in  a  conflict  with  foreign 
powers,  may  be  explained:  He  not  only  had  proven  himself,  in  sit- 
uations that  try  the  metal  of  a  man,  to  be  courageous,  patriotic  and 
judicious,  but  lie  was  the  son-in-law  of  United  States  Senator  Ben- 
ton, one  of  the  strong  men  of  the  administration,  and  while  this 
family  influence  doubtless  played  some  part  in  the  selection,  such 
selection  was  proven  a  good  one,  and  the  work  was  carried  out  as 
required,  Fremont,  in  obedience  to  these  instructions,  immediately 
turned  back  from  his  line  of  survey  and  aroused  the  settlers  in  the 
Sacramento  valley  to  capture  Sonoma  and  hold  it,  all  on  their  own 
initiative.  This  government  was  playing  a  "waiting  game" — wait- 
ing for  the  expected  war  with  Mexico  to  begin,  at  which  time  the 
United  States  would  possess  Alta  California.  There  was  need  of 
care  and  hurry,  as  the  foreign  fleets  were  hovering  in  the  Pacific 
guarding  the  fancied  or  alleged  interests  of  their  respective  govern- 
ments, and  even  negotiations  were  under  way  looking  to  an  English 
or  French  protectorate  on  this  coast.  A  direct  intervention  here  by 
the  United  States  prior  to  a  declaration  of  war  between  Mexico  and 
this  government  would  be  a  signal  for  intervention  by  Great  Brit- 
ain, whose  warships  were  watching  every  move  of  our  own.  An  in- 
surrection by  settlers  within  the  territory  could  not  be  attributed  to 
the  United  States,  yet  might  act  as  a  deterrent  to  other  powers. 

"EL  OSO"  OVER  SONOMA 

Captain  Merritt's  party  would  have  preferred  the  American 
flag  as  the  ensign  of  their  new  republic,  but  had  been  advised  by 
Fremont  of  the  indiscretion  of  such  action,  they  being  without  gov- 
ernmental authority.  Hence  the  Bear  Flag.  This  historical  ensign 
was  a  square  of  white  sheeting  furnished  by  Mrs.  John  Sears  and  a 
strip  of  red  flannel  sewed  to  its  lower  edge,  and  William  Lincoln  Todd 
did  the  rest.  He  found  a  can  of  red  paint,  a  package  of  lampblack 
and  was  ready.  Near  the  center  of  the  cloth  he  laboriously  drew 
the  outlines  of  what  he  believed  to  be  a  bear,  and  filled  it  in  with 


HISTORY   OF    YOLO   COUNTY  35 

paint  and  lampblack.  The  bear — El  Oso — was  leisurely  walking 
across  the  flag  and  had  a  very  mild  expression  on  its  face,  as  if  it 
were  looking  for  a  berry  patch.  In  an  upper  corner  of  the  cloth 
Todd  painted  a  "lone"  five-point  star,  and  below  the  bear  he  placed 
the  words  ' '  California  Republic. ' ' 

William  B.  Ide,  of  the  Sacramento  valley  portion  of  the  com- 
pany, was  selected  as  commander  at  Sonoma  and  the  American  set- 
tlers in  that  portion  of  the  territory  joined  Fremont  and  began  a 
campaign  against  General  Castro,  the  Californian  commander. 
Commodore  Sloat  with  his  fleet  of  several  United  States  war- 
ships at  Monterey  was  waiting  anxiously  for  news  from  Washington 
or  Mexico  which  would  advise  him  of  the  situation.  As  a  matter  of 
fact,  the  two  republics  were  then  at  war,  but  Sloat  did  not  know  it. 
So  he  continued  to  wait  and  watch  and  the  British  fleet  was  waiting 
and  watching  the  situation  and  him.  When  he  heard  of  the  capture 
of  Sonoma,  and  Fremont's  connection  with  that  military  movement, 
he  concluded  that  the  government  surveyor  must  have  later  news 
than  had  reached  Monterey,  and  that  the  expected  war  was  on.  This 
moved  the  over-cautious  naval  officer  to  action  and  July  7,  1846, 
he  raised  his  flag  over  the  town  and  California  passed  to  the  United 

states-  1729173 

THEN    THE    STARS    AND    STRIPES 

Sloat  then  ordered  Commander  John  B.  Montgomery,  of  the 
United  States  sloop-of-war  "Portsmouth,"  at  San  Francisco  (then 
Yerba  Buena),  to  do  the  same.  Montgomery  took  possession  of  the 
town  and  harbor  and  sent  Lieut.  Joseph  W.  Revere  of  his  vessel  to 
Sonoma,  where,  July  9,  he  lowered  the  Bear  Flag  and  hoisted  the 
United  States  ensign.  He  also  enlisted  the  Sonoma  company  into 
the  California  Battalion,  U.  S.  A.  Captain  Sutter  at  New  Helvetia, 
as  he  called  his  fort  and  settlement  on  the  Sacramento,  hoisted  the 
American  flag  July  11.  The  other  garrisoned  places  in  the  territory 
changed  flags  during  August,  and  the  final  surrender  of  the  Mexican 
forces  to  General  Fremont  took  place  near  Los  Angeles,  Januarv 
12,  1847. 


HISTORY  OF  YOLO  COUNTY 


CHAPTER  X 
JONAS   SPECT  AND   HIS   RIVER   .METROPOLIS 

At  the  opening  of  the  year  1848  Yolo,  or  the  locality  now  Yolo 
county,  had  about  thirty  settlers  who  were  steadily  establishing  their 
permanent  homes,  increasing  their  farm  stock  and  acreage  of  grain 
lands.  But  the  discovery  of  gold  checked  for  the  time  this  agricul- 
tural growth.  James  W".  Marshall  digging  a  water  ditch  for  Sut- 
ter's new  sawmill  at  Coloma  on  the  south  fork  of  the  American 
river,  uncovered  the  yellow  metal.  Marshall  and  Sutter  at  first 
tried  to  keep  the  find  a  secret,  but  that  task  was  too  large,  and  soon 
the  world  knew  of  it  and  the  would-be  miners  from  all  points  of  the 
compass  were  hurrying  to  the  new  Eldorado.  Among  the  settlers 
in  the  state  who  dropped  all  other  work  and  joined  the  rush 
towards  Coloma  were  the  Yoloites  and  for  a  time  the  ranches  of 
that  locality  may  be  said  to  he  depopulated.  Rich  placer  mines 
were  soon  developed  along  the  rivers,  principally  because  these 
streams  afforded  better  means  of  transportation.  Hence  towns  and 
trading  posts  on  these  lines  of  travel  seemed  to  be  the  practical 
thing.  In  March,  1849,  Jonas  Spect  freighted  a  schooner  in  San 
Francisco  and  ascended  the  Sacramento  seeking  a  site  for  his  pro- 
posed city.  It  was  to  be  "Fremont,"  in  honor  of  the  Pathfinder 
and  great  surveyor-soldier  of  the  Pacific  slope.  As  he  was  twenty 
days  reaching  Sacramento  one  may  realize  the  difficulties  of  the 
early  navigation  of  this  river.  He  was  several  days  more  getting 
t<>  ln<  destination,  which  was  on  the  Yolo  shore  opposite  the  mouth 
of  the  Feather  river,  and  this  was  Fremont. 

I'RKMONT    AT    THE    FORKS    OF    THE    KIVER 

The  store  and  hotel  which  Spect  quickly  erected  was  built  of 
willows,  tules  and  cam-as,  hut  it  was  the  beginning  of  business.  For 
a  time  the  young  riparian  metropolis  was  promising.  It  seemed 
that  it  would  premanently  he  the  head  of  navigation  on  the  Sacra- 
mento. Parties  bound  for  the  placer  mines  passed  through  the  city, 
and  with  the  help  of  the  Indians  a  ferry  was  established.  Feather 
river,  having  a  sandbar  at  its  mouth,  was  fordable  here,  conse- 
quently teamsters  and  packers  could  go  in  any  direction.  The  pop- 
ularity of  Fremont  grew  by  leaps  and  bounds.  Such  prominent  men 
as  Sain  P>rannan,  William  McD.  Howard  and  Lieutenant  Maynard. 
and  others  well  known  in  the  early  history  of  this  state,  were 
visitors  there.  Howard,  representing  a  large  commercial  firm  in 
San  Francisco,  offered  Spect  and  his  partner,  T.  B.  Winston, 
$150,000  for  their  townsite  and  its  privileges.  Among  the  arrivals 
from  Oregon  was  a  Presbyterian  parson.  Rev.  John  E.  P.raly,  ami 


HISTORY   OF   YOLO   COUNTY  37 

his  divine  services  during  his  stay  in  Fremont  did  much  to  temper 
the  frontier  rudeness  of  the  town.  Other  pioneer  citizens  were  Hon. 
C.  F.  Reed,  Judge  H.  H.  Hartley,  Judge  C.  P.  Hester,  I.  N.  Hoag, 
C.  H.  Gray,  afterwards  sheriff  of  the  county,  and  H.  B.  Wood,  sub- 
sequently partners  in  a  Woodland  firm,  were  merchants  in  Fremont. 
Miss  Matilda  McCord,  of  Bloomington,  111.,  probably  the  pioneer 
"school-marm"  of  the  state,  opened  a  school  that  year  ('49)  with 
all  the  infantile  Fremonters  in  attendance.  Naturally  the  drinking 
places  and  gambling  resorts  sprang  up,  as  it  were,  in  the  night,  as 
the  wagon  and  pack  trains,  overland,  came  in,  and  as  the  vessels 
made  their  way,  from  San  Francisco,  up  the  river.  A  soldier  be- 
longing to  a  company  of  United  States  Infantry,  camped  near  town, 
became  involved  in  a  quarrel  with  a  gambler  and  was  shot  dead. 
The  shooter  said  to  the  crowd:  "This  is  a  very  solemn  occasion, 
boys ;  let 's  take  a  drink. ' '  That  ended  the  matter.  In  fact,  taking  a 
drink  seemed  to  be  the  cheerful  manner  of  ending  disagreeable  mat- 
ters in  those  philosophical  days  of  '49. 

ALL  HAD   PLENTY   OF  SAND 

Having  "plenty  of  sand"  is  another  distinctly  California  ex- 
pression which  may  be  said  to  have  come  in  vogue  from  a  Fremont 
incident:  A  professional  gambler  had  pretty  well  cleaned  out  all 
who  had  tackled  him  with  the  cards,  and  D.  W  .Edson,  later  of 
Knight's  Landing,  tackled  him  with  a  new  and  novel  game.  The 
two  started  in  with  Edson  betting  in  gold  dust,  which  was  a  common 
medium  of  exchange  in  the  vicinity  of  the  mines  when  the  coin  sup- 
ply ran  low.  As  Edson  appeared  to  be  a  miner  with  much  dust, 
passing  the  winter  "in  town,"  he  was  permitted  to  win  a  good 
amount  in  the  preliminary  bets,  and  to  exhibit  some  of  his  real  gold, 
and  then  the  gambler  got  down  to  business.  Edson  soon  seemed  to 
grow  excited  over  the  first  loss,  and  hauling  from  his  pocket  a  fat 
buckskin  bag  of  dust,  swore  he  would  lose  its  contents  or  "break" 
his  opponent.  Betting  with  dust  was  done  by  the  ounce,  value  $16, 
the  weighing  out  generally  done  at  the  close  of  the  game.  The  other 
man  bet  coin,  which,  when  he  lost  Edson  pocketed,  but  as  the  un- 
opened bag  remained  in  view  on  the  table  all  appeared  safe.  After 
Edson  had  lost  about  every  ounce  the  bag  contained  he  declined  to 
continue  the  play  and  asked  the  alcalde  of  the  town  who  was  pres- 
ent to  measure  out  the  loss  to  the  winner  and  if  there  was  any  dust 
left  "just  treat  the  crowd  to  the  drinks."  Then  he  cleared  out,  while 
the  bag  was  being  opened, — and  this  was  well,  for  it  was  full  of 
sand.  Edson  had  been  betting  and  losing  sand,  ounce  by  ounce, 
occasionally  winning,  and  keeping,  good  money.  When  the  sport 
was  hunting  and  threatening  the  invisible  Edson  a  bystander  advised 
him  that  the  absentee  had  more  "sand,"  but  of  a  dangerous  kind 
and  he  had  better  let  the  matter  drop. 


HISTOEY  OF  YOLO  COUNTY 


CONSTITUTIONAL    GOVERNMENT 


The  people  were  flocking  into  the  country  and  it  was  soon  seen 
that  the  territory  could  not  kick  along  under  the  laws  of  sleepy 
Mexico,  so  a  constitutional  convention  was  called  by  General  Bennet 
Riley,  U.  S.  A.,  the  military  governor.  The  territory  was  divided 
into  ten  districts,  Sonoma  district,  to  which  Yolo  was  attached,  em- 
bracing all  the  country  north  of  the  bays,  east  of  the  ocean,  west  of 
the  Sacramento  river  and  south  of  Oregon.  By  an  election  August 
1,  General  Yallejo,  Dr.  Semple  and  J.  P.  Walker,  all  residents  of 
Pueblo  Sonoma,  were  elected  delegates  to  the  convention  which  was 
held  in  Monterey.  At  the  adjournment  of  this  body  Governor  Riley 
called  an  election  for  the  adoption  of  this  constitution,  and  for  the 
election  of  a  legislature  in  accordance  with  its  provisions.  The  gov- 
ernor's proclamation  for  the  election  November  15  designated  as 
polling  places  only  those  that  had  been  used  in  the  constitutional 
convention  election.  The  ambitious  city  of  Fremont  now  made  her 
debut  in  politics  and  selected  her  first  citizen,  Jonas  Spect,  for  the 
State  Senate.  He  received  one  hundred  and  one  votes  in  that  place, 
while  his  opponent  received  one  vote.  Other  places  in  what  is  now 
Yolo  and  Colusa  gave  Spect  a  large  majority  which  his  opponent, 
M.  G.  Yallejo,  appears  to  have  overcome  in  other  parts  of  the  dis- 
trict, namely,  Sonoma,  Benicia  and  Napa.  Mr.  Spect  took  his  seat 
in  the  Senate  and  G.  W.  Crane  in  the  Assembly,  but  as  the  result 
of  the  contest  they  were  unseated,  it  appearing  that  the  correct  re- 
turns gave  Vallejo  and  Bradford  majorities.  It  was  also  contended 
that  the  Fremont  vote  was  not  legal,  not  being  named  as  a  polling 
place  in  the  election  call.  J.  E.  Brackett  was  the  other  Assembly- 
man from  the  district.  Next  year  G.  W.  Crane  was  again  a  candi- 
date for  the  Assembly  and  was  given  a  certificate  of  election  by  the 
county  clerk,  but  was  unseated  again  by  a  vote  of  the  Assembly  and 
H.  P.  Osgood  was  the  successful  aspirant.  The  first  time  Crane 
served  one  day,  and  the  next  year  he  served  one  month  and  two  days 
in  the  Assembljr. 


HISTORY   OF   YOLO   COUNTY  39 


CHAPTER  XI 

MAPPING  THE   TULE  COUNTY 

The  first  legislature  of  California  met  December  15,  1849,  at 
San  Jose,  with  Governor  Peter  H.  Burnett,  Independent  Democrat 
in  politics,  presiding ;  John  McDougall,  lieutenant-governor ;  George 
W.  Wright  and  Edward  Gilbert,  representatives  in  Congress.  A 
part  of  the  business  of  the  session  was  staking  off  the  first  batch  of 
counties,  and  then  Yolo — or  Yola,  the  first  legislators  called  her — 
got  an  official  title.  About  all  they  knew  of  that  locality  was  of  its 
vast  spread  of  tules  growing  along  the  western  shore  of  the  big  cen- 
tral river,  and  "tule"  was  the  English  version  of  the  Spanish  word 
"tulare,"  or  "tular, "  and  the  Indians,  trying  to  imitate  the  white 
people,  sounded  it  like  "Yolar."  Of  course,  it  can  be  seen  that  Yolo 
and  Tulare  counties  gather  their  titles  from  the  same  bunch  of 
water-plants. 

THE  SQUAW  SCEATCHEES 

Colusa,  another  county  mapped  out  by  this  busy  body  of  legis- 
lators, owes  its  name,  according  to  the  late  Will  S.  Green,  to  a  pe- 
culiar and  interesting  custom.  In  accordance  with  a  tribal  custom  a 
bride  had  the  sacred  privilege  of  scratching  her  new  husband's  face, 
and  it  seems  that  the  young  squaws  availed  themselves  so  enthu- 
siastically of  the  pleasure  that  the  buck-hubbies  were  easily  identi- 
fied by  the  deep  scratches,  and  afterward  by  the  scars  on  their 
faces.  The  tribe  among  the  Indians  became  known  as  the  ' '  scratch- 
ers,"  or  in  their  tongue,"  the  "Colusas,"  proving  that  even  among 
the  stolid  California  Diggers  there  could  be  found  a  living  sense  of 
fitness  if  not  humor. 

FBEMONT  THE  COUNTY  SEAT 

Fremont,  the  only  town  or  any  place  in  the  county,  was  made 
the  county  seat.  Yolo  was  in  the  eighth  judicial  district,  which  was 
composed  of  this  county,  Sutter  and  Yuba,  and  September  2,  1850, 
Judge  W.  R.  Turner  held  court  at  Fremont.  An  act  passed  by  the 
legislature  in  1850  divided  the  state  into  senatorial  districts,  and 
making  Yolo,  Marin,  Sonoma,  Napa,  Solano,  Mendocino,  Colusa  and 
Trinity,  the  eleventh  district.  Another  act  (March  2,  1850)  pro- 
vided for  the  election  of  county  officers,  and  P.  A.  Marguam  was 
chosen  county  judge,  and  B.  Frank  Brown,  county  clerk.  The  ad 
also  provided  for  a  court  of  sessions  composed  of  the  county  judge 
and  two  justices  of  the  peace,  the  latter  officers  in  Yolo  being  Ferdi- 
nand Woodward  and  L.  B.  Austin.  At  the  August  term  of  this 
court  of  sessions  held  in  Fremont  the  salary  of  the  county  judge 
was  lixed  at  $4000  per  annum. 


40  HISTORY  OF  YOLO  COUNTY 

The  famous  pioneer  period  of  '49  and  '50  brought  to  Yolo  her 
share  of  the  immigration,  notwithstanding  the  visiting  correspond- 
ent of  a  New  York  journal  had  ranked  this  county  "among  the  bar- 
ren, worthless  sections  of  the  state;"  it  was  then  believed  that  no 
considerable  portion  of  California  could  be  made  available  for  agri- 
cultural purposes.  Among  these  early  citizens  were  W.  J.  Frierson 
and  A.  Griffith,  who  landed  on  Cache  creek;  "Uncle"  John  Morris,  a 
Kentuckian,  though  "from  Missouri,"  housed  his  family  in  a  log- 
cabin  on  the  since  historic  stream  above  the  log  home  of  Thomas 
Cochran ;  next  year  Morris  relocated  himself  on  the  site  of  the  pres- 
ent county  seat.  Thomas  Adams  established  himself  and  family 
below  Cacheville,  and  the  wedding  of  his  daughter  Jane  to  J.  M. 
Harbin  during  the  early  part  of  1850  was  the  first  marriage  in  the 
county.  Harbin  and  Archibald  Jesse  lived  about  one  mile  southeast 
of  the  Woodland  site.  Knight's  Landing,  which  was  then  trying  to 
be  something  under  the  burdensome  name  of  "Baltimore,"  was  ac- 
cumulating a  small  population,  while  Washington,  afterwards  re- 
named Broderick,  was  coming  into  being.  J.  C.  Davis  and  J.  B.  and 
Kit  Chiles  had  established  a  rope  ferry  between  the  place  and  Sac- 
ramento aud  this  gave  people  an  opportunity  to  cross  and  re-cross, 
and  the  tariff  was  $6  per  man  and  team.  Peter  McGregor,  Fred- 
erick Babel,  Col.  J.  H.  Lewis,  Presley  Welch,  J.  N.  Peck,  J.  M. 
Kelley  and  Archie  McDowell  were  a  part  of  the  citizenry  of  Washing- 
ton. The  one  hundred  and  sixty-acre  tracts  along  the  river  were 
being  rapidly  taken  up  and  the  claimants  were  chopping  wood  and 
selling  it  to  the  steamers  at  $10  a  cord. 

EARLY  ELECTION  CAMPAIGNS 

Mention  has  been  made  in  these  pages  of  the  appointment  of 
officers  after  the  counties  were  formed.  ,  The  records  of  those  early 
selections  are  incomplete  or  vague,  but  there  is  no  doubt  that  the 
elections  were  orderly,  lawful  and  "straight."  It  appears  that 
George  W.  Tyler,  afterwards  member  of  the  legislature  from  Ala- 
meda, and  a  prominent  attorney  in  that  portion  of  the  state,  was 
the  first  sheriff  of  Yolo  county.  Tyler's  election  and  subsecpient 
resignation  are  characteristic  incidents  of  the  time.  He  started  in 
the  campaign  as  a  candidate  for  county  clerk,  and  James  H.  Allen, 
afterwards  adjutant  general  under  Governor  Haight,  was  running 
for  sheriff.  The  two  candidates  were  making  the  campaign  to- 
gether, swapping  confidences,  until  Tyler  learned  that  Allen  was 
secretly  supporting  another  man  for  the  clerkship,  and  this  report 
made  him  so  furious  that  he  jumped  the  clerkship  race  and  an- 
nounced himself  a  candidate  for  sheriff.  He  made  such  an  active 
campaign  that  he  beat  Allen  at  the  polls.  Sheriff  Tyler  had  the  sat- 
isfaction of  defeating  his  faithless  friend,  but  the  office  brought  him 
little  profit.     He  served  a  few  months  and  quit,  heading  for  the 


HISTOEY   OF   YOLO   COUNTY  41 

mines.  The  trouble,  according  to  his  own  statement,  tersely  made, 
was  "there  were  more  cattle-thieves  than  there  was  gold  dust  to  pay 
for  hunting  them."  The  county  was  moneyless  and  his  salary  was 
so  far  in  arrears  that  it  was  long  out  of  sight.  In  1861  Tyler  was 
county  judge  of  San  Joaquin  county. 

THE    COUNTY    GEOWS   APACE 

That  the  county  was  growing,  the  assessment  rolls  of  1850  on 
country  property  alone,  show  as  follows : 

Gordon's  Grant,  two  leagues $11,000 

Hardy  Grant,  six  leagues 33,330 

Capay  Grant,  nine  leagues 49,994 

Heirs  of  William  Knight,  three  leagues 16,660 

Matthews  and  Bashman,  five  leagues 26,975 

Chiles   and  Baldridge 1,600 

$139,659 

Improvements  of  same 3,510 

Personal  property  159,862 


Total  property  assessed $303,031 

The  state  tax  was $1348.51 

State  poll  tax,  at  $5  per  head 375.00 

Total  state  tax $1723.51 

County  tax  assessed $674.26 

County  poll  tax,  at  $2.50  per  head 187.50 


Total   county   tax $861.76 

An  old  record  of  county  treasurer's  receipts  of  that  time  gives 
the  following: 

For  retail  licenses,  $327.09;  merchants'  licenses,  $35;  ferry 
licenses,  $500;  fines,  $500;  taxes,  $432.23;  total,  $1,794.42.  By  this 
it  may  be  seen  that  ferry-boats  and  law-breakers  contributed  con- 
siderable "dust"  to  the  earnings  of  the  county. 

ON   THE   EARLY   TAX   ROLLS 

One  hundred  names  from  the  ancient  tax  rolls  will  tend  to  show 
who-was-who,  or  at  least  who-was-there  in  Yolo  during  that  "spring 
of  1850,"  though  the  assessments  run  from  $1.00  to  $1.50.  Jasper 
O'Farrell,  the  pioneer  surveyor  of  the  territory,  is  the  heaviest  tax- 
payer, being  down  for  $312,461/.,  and  Woodward  &  Brooks,  seventy- 
five  cents.    The  list  is  as  follows : 

Levi  B.  Austin,  Austin  &  Co.,  J.  L.  Armstrong,  Albert  Angus- 


42  HISTORY  OF  YOLO  COUNTY 

tine,  E.  S.  Anderson,  James  Allen,  "William  Baldridge,  William 
Brown,  S.  W.  Brown,  Gabriel  Brown,  B.  F.  Brown,  J.  E.  Braly,  D. 
T.  Bird,  W.  Bryant,  William  Brooks,  M.  T.  Coon,  Campbell  & 
Wood,  Mattbew  Wood,  J.  Callahan,  Francis  Clark,  Captain  Church- 
ill, J.  G.  Crow  &  Co.,  C.  F.  Collins,  G.  W.  Crane,  John  Carter,  Chiles 
&  Baldridge,  Thomas  Cochran,  George  Chappel,  Lewis  Duval, 
George  Durrant,  Benjamin  Devoe,  J.  C.  Davis,  D.  W.  Edson,  Abel 
Endy,  W.  J.  Frierson,  Fall,  Anderson  &  Co.,  W.  Gordon,  William 
Hammond,  Elias  Hibbs,  Edward  Hopkins,  O.  W.  Homes,  C.  P.  Hes- 
ter, John  Howard,  James  Heath,  I.  D.  Hoppe,  H.  H.  Hartley,  J.  M. 
Harbin,  H.  &  R.  Haines,  Willis  Jenkins,  Johnson  &  Shannon,  S.  M. 
Johnson,  William  Knight  Estate,  Nathan  Lord,  T.  W.  Latham,  I.  H. 
Lewis,  I.  H.  Lippard  &  Co.,  A.  R,  Lovel,  Patrick  McGill,  A.  Mclnnis, 
Orin  Miles,  William  Malloway,  James  Moore,  W.  Matkeney,  Robert 
Mcllwain,  Matthews  &  Bashman,  P.  A.  Marquam,  John  Morris,  Sam- 
uel Newhall,  Jasper  O'Farrell,  Seabury  Pierce,  J.  N.  Peck,  C.  F. 
Reed,  J.  Richardson,  Jonas  Spect,  William  Scott,  U.  H.  Stewart, 
Abel  Stewart,  Charles  Stewart,  Charles  Smith,  William  Spurk,  G. 
D.  Stevens,  Samuel  Tristin,  J.  L.  Woods,  S.  C.  Woods,  J.  J.  Walton, 
H.  A.  Weeks,  Woodward  &  Brooks,  Ferdinand  Woodward,  M.  M. 
Wombongh  and  Dimbar  Wheatley. 

The  total  taxes  of  these  property  people  was  $2,585.  There 
were  at  that  time  many  persons  in  the  county  whose  names  do  not 
appear  on  this  list,  and  it  is  given  here  only  as  a  record  of  some  of 
the  early  residenters. 


HISTORY   OF   YOLO   COUNTY  43 


CHAPTER  XII 

SETTLING  ALONG  THE  BIG  RIVER 

The  merchants  at  Fremont  and  other  places  in  the  vicinity  re- 
ceived their  merchandise  from  San  Francisco  by  river  steamer, 
and  the  old  freight  bills  on  the  goods  are  curiosities.  Among  the 
items  are  forty  pounds  potatoes,  $6 ;  one  sack  flour,  $10 ;  two  pounds 
lead,  thirty  cents;  pair  shears,  $1;  ten  pounds  coffee,  $6;  twenty- 
seven  pounds  dried  apples,  $10.80 ;  one  wooden  faucet,  $8 ;  one  pair 
spurs,  $16 ;  four  pounds  butter,  $3 ;  one  set  knives  and  forks,  $2.50. 
Naturally,  the  cost  of  living  was  somewhat  high,  but  the  "dust" 
was  coming  down  from  the  mines  and  prices  did  not  appear  "lofty." 
The  "feast"  at  a  Fourth  of  July  celebration  that  year  at  the  home 
of  William  Wadsworth  on  Cache  creek  was  pickled  pork,  codfish,  a 
bottle  of  pickles,  pancakes  and  molasses.  The  neighbors  had  as- 
sembled to  help  Wadsworth  build  his  log-house  and  after  they  had 
finished  they  concluded  to  be  patriotic.  Their  flag  was  a  combina- 
tion of  a  blue  blanket,  a  red  shirt  and  some  white  cloth,  but  it  was 
"the  day  we  celebrate"  and  they  truly  observed  the  time  in  the  old 
spirit  of  76.  It  must  not  lie  understood  that  these  primitive 
Yoloans  were  rude  and  rough  even  if  the  first  sheriff  did  jump  his 
job  because  it  cost  too  much  to  run  down  horse-thieves.  There  was 
a  law  making  the  theft  of  property  valued  at  $50  or  more  grand 
larceny  and  punishable  by  imprisonment  of  from  one  to  ten  years, 
or  by  death,  as  the  jury  might  decide.  The  early  records  show 
that  the  juries  of  those  times  were  given  to  pronouncing  the  ex- 
treme penalty,  and  a  man  caught  with  a  stray  horse  or  steer  in  his 
possession  had  to  get  busy  if  he  would  save  his  neck.  It  is  one  of 
the  old  stories  of  the  time  and  place  that  no  less  prominent  a  per- 
son than  Judge  J.  C.  Murphy  of  Mono  county  came  near  beinn'  a 
victim  of  a  Yolo  court,  he  being  at  that  time  a  resident  of  this 
county. 

MURPHY    WITH  IX    THE    TOILS 

One  day  while  teaming  through  the  country  his  loaded  wagon 
became  "stuck"  in  the  mud,  and  seeing  a  number  of  horses  in  a 
corral  in  the  vicinity,  harnessed  a  span  of  the  animals,  added  them 
to  his  team  and  hauled  his  outfit  from  the  mud-hole.  But  for  his 
cleverness  he  got  himself  into  a  more  serious  difficulty,  for  before 
he  conld  get  the  borrowed  team  back  into  the  corral  the  owner 
caught  him  "with  the  goods."  Murphy  tried  to  clear  himself  of  the 
felonious  accusation,  but  no  explanation  would  fit  the  case  and  a 
fierce  constable  soon  had  him  before  the  local  justice  of  the  peace, 
who  happened  to  be  William  Gordon,  the  owner  of  the  horses.     The 


44  HISTORY  OF  YOLO  COUNTY 

prisoner  demanded  a  jury  trial,  but  the  court  decided  that  in  this 
case  there  was  no  need  of  the  delay  of  getting  a  jury,  as  the  prov- 
ince of  that  body  was  only  to  determine  the  guilt  or  innocence  of  an 
accused  person  and  here  the  court  knew  of  its  own  knowledge  that 
the  prisoner  was  guilty,  hence  the  jury  was  unnecessary.  The  con- 
stable was  then  ordered  to  take  the  prisoner  immediately  to  some 
convenient  place  and  hang  him.  Murphy's  demand  for  a  change  of 
venue  on  the  ground  of  the  court's  disqualification  was  disallowed 
and  preparations  were  being  made  for  the  prisoner's  decease  when 
Archibald  McDonald,  a  prominent  resident  of  the  county,  appeared, 
and  threw  himself  into  the  case.  His  work  was  so  full  of  energy 
that  Murphy  got  his  change  of  venue  to  another  court,  where  he  was 
discharged  from  arrest. 

GOOD  LAW  FOR  CATTLE  THIEVES 

"While  this  class  of  unswerving,  unbending  justice  occasionally 
overshot  the  mark,  it  did  much  in  those  "lawless"  times  to  win  from 
the  mixed  population  a  wholesome  respect  for  the  law.  On  the  fer- 
tile plains  and  hills  of  the  Sacramento  valley  livestock  bred  so 
rapidly  that  the  bands  roamed  almost  at  will  over  the  country, 
making  cattle-stealing  an  easy  occupation — except  when  caught  in 
the  act.  The  high  prices  paid  for  beef  encouraged  this  business,  but 
the  stock-men  would  quickly  form  themselves  into  posses  under  the 
direction  of  the  sheriff,  and  make  the  industry  unpopular.  For  the 
petty  thieving  the  common  penalty  was  flogging,  the  trials  brief  and 
the  lashes  well  laid  on.  The  stealing  of  a  calf — value  being  less 
than  $50 — generally  won  the  convicted  offender  fifty  lashes  on  the 
bare  back,  and  after  receiving  this  donation  he  usually  quit  the  busi- 
ness of  selling  veal  in  Sacramento  for  elk  meat.  Occasionally  the 
sheriff  and  his  volunteer  posse  would  "raise"  a  camp  of  cattle 
thieves  and  there  would  be  a  battle  and  when  the  rifle  smoke  had 
blown  away  generally  there  would  be  a  number  of  the  thieves  out 
of  the  business  forever.  This  method  of  disposing  of  the  cases  was 
not  unpopular,  it  being  more  deterrent  in  its  effect  on  others  and 
sooner  over  with. 

IX    THE   LIVESTOCK    DAYS 

Between  '48  and  '53  the  golden  lure  swept  floods  of  people 
into  California,  the  mining-counties  at  first  getting  not  only  the  new 
metal-mad  immigration,  but  many  of  the  settlers  in  other  parts  of 
the  state.  Yet  there  were  people  here  who  were  not  dazed  by  the 
yellow  glare  of  "the  diggings,"  and  the  ranchos  continued  to  re- 
ceive new-comers.  Some  people  were  mining  gold  on  their  agricul- 
tural claims.  A  German  settler,  it  is  related,  named  Schwartz,  sat 
on  his  doorstep  near  Sacramento,  and  saw  the  droves  of  men 
plunging  northward.     They  cheerily  called  him  to  join  the  "stam- 


HISTORY   OF   YOLO   COUNTY  45 

pede,"  but  he  calmly  smoked  his  pipe  and  let  them  pass.  From  his 
farm  he  raised  and  sold  in  Sacramento  that  year  $30,000  worth  of 
watermelons  and  other  garden-truck.  From  the  rich,  virgin-soil  of 
this  incomparable  valley  he  grew  the  "dust."  While  in  the  aggre- 
gate California  volcanoed  out  the  golden  millions  from  her  subter- 
ranean treasury,  flashing  a  yellow  gleam  across  the  world,  the  aver- 
age individual  winnings  from  her  great  lottery  were  insignificant. 
The  production  of  her  mines  for  1853,  when  the  industry  reached 
its  highest  point,  was  about  $65,000,000,  being  to  the  100,0*00  miners 
at  work  that  year  $650  per  capita;  $54.16  monthly;  $1.80  daily — 
enough  to  buy  his  daily  bacon,  providing  he  was  a  small  eater.  The 
Schwartzs  did  better. 

So  the  harvest  of  the  mine  was  not  the  only  harvest  to  be  gath- 
ered from  this  wealth-producing  ground.  The  Spaniard  or  Mexican 
could  get  over  countless  leagues  of  land,  but  he  seldom,  if  ever,  got 
down  in  it.  If  he  farmed  he  plowed  with  an  iron-pointed  tree- 
branch  that  scratched  the  soil-surface,  and  then  harrowed-in  the 
seed  with  the  top  of  the  tree  that  supplied  the  plow.  After  this  he 
rolled  a  corn-husk  cigarette  and  left  the  crop  to  fight  it  out  with  the 
weeds  or  drought  as  the  weather  might  be.  As  this  manner  of 
plowing  and  sowing  encouraged  the  growth  of  the  most  backward 
weed,  only  the  most  propitious  season  produced  anything  in  the  way 
of  a  crop.  So  the  Mexican  colonist  left  it  all  "a  nianana,"  to  the 
morrow,  and  if  he  raised  enough  corn  for  his  tamales,  enough  wheat 
for  his  tortillas  and  enough  peppers  for  his  chile  con  carne  against 
the  coming  of  the  meal  hour,  that  was  as  far  as  he  ventured  into 
the  vast  plant  possibilities  under  and  around  him. 

THE   PADRES   FAEMED  A  LITTLE 

The  mission  padres  striving  to  vary  and  improve  the  fare  of 
their  retainers  and  converts  planted  slips  of  grape  vines  and  fruit 
trees  around  the  big  adobe  buildings.  But  the  infant  industry  lan- 
guished. The  Californian  could  take  the  wine  in  light  or  heavy 
doses,  but  peaches,  apples  or  even  oranges  did  not  appeal  to  his 
peculiar  taste  for  food — or  labor,  and  the  few  trees  of  that  noble 
citrus  planted  at  the  Mission  San  Gabriel  in  1851  did  not  grow  in 
increase — or  favor.  While  the  mulberry  and  the  silk  industry  did 
not  get  to  the  early  agriculturist  of  California,  the  tree  grows  rap- 
idly and  strong  here.  Several  years  ago  the  legislature,  to  en- 
courage sericulture,  placed  a  bounty  of  $250  on  every  5,000  mul- 
berry trees  two  years  old.  It  thus  encouraged  it  with  a  vengeance, 
and  only  the  repeal  of  the  act  saved  the  state  from  bankruptcy. 
Then  the  ten  millions  of  trees  in  Southern  California  fell  into  in- 
nocuous desuetude  and  the  silk  worms  in  the  trees  fell  into  the 
English  sparrows,  one  of  California's  unlucky  importations  which 


46  HISTORY  OF  YOLO  COUNTY 

must  be  endured  until  somebody  imports  something-  to  eat  the  spar- 
rows. 

INDIANS   AND    OTHER   STOCK 

With  the  first  missionary  expeditions  to  the  Pacific  coast  came  the 
Spanish  horses,  cattle  and  sheep.  These  animals  were  turned  out  on 
the  wide  plains  and  mesas  to  luxuriate  in  the  mild  climate  and  rich 
vegetation  and  become  the  countless  herds  of  the  great  ranchos. 
No  attempt  was  made  to  improve  the  breed,  as  a  steer  was  worth 
only  the  little  the  hide  on  his  carcass  and  the  tallow  within  it  would 
bring  after  shipping  them  around  the  Horn  to  an  Atlantic  port; 
and  a  blue-ribbon  bovine  would  bring  no  more.  Milk  and  butter 
were  unknown  in  a  ranchero's  home,  as  a  Spanish  cow  with  a  young- 
calf  around  to  excite  her  maternal  solicitude  was  about  as  safe  for 
dairy  purposes  as  a  female  panther.  The  vaquero  aboard  his  mus- 
tang— and  that  animal  almost  as  wild  as  the  cow — was  afraid  of 
nothing  that  wore  hoofs,  but  dismount  him  to  do  the  milking,  even 
with  the  fighting-mad  raca  roped  and  tied,  would  place  him  at  a  dis- 
advantage. So  she  was  left  in  peace  to  nourish  her  youngster  and 
bring  him  up  to  the  age  when  his  hide  and  tallow  were  fit  for  the 
shoes  and  candles  of  commerce,  and  the  rest  of  him  for  the  coyotes. 
Should  a  milk-demand  be  strong  enough  for  action,  they  milked  the 
goat.    Robbing  Nanny's  kid  was  safer. 

SHEEPSKINS   AND    SALVATION 

The  mission  fathers  used  the  sheep  in  their  scheme  of  salvation 
for  the  Indians.  The  wool  was  woven  into  a  coarse  cloth,  and  when 
the  good  padre  caught  a  "native  son"  gentle  enough  to  safely 
handle,  the  missionary  put  a  shirt  on  him  in  the  belief  that  de- 
cency is  near-godliness.  The  original  Californian  did  not  indulge  in 
clothing  except  in  the  union-suit  he  wore  after  a  rich,  sticky  mud- 
bath,  and  he  was  not  particular  about  the  fit  of  that  if  it  was  heat- 
ing in  winter  and  somewhat  cold-storage  in  summer.  In  general  he 
objected  at  any  season  to  be  made  a  fashion-plate,  and  if  the  father 
was  too  insistent,  Lo  shed  his  shirt  and  hiked  for  the  distant  ranch- 
eria.  However,  if  the  mission  bells'  call  to  prayer  and  beef  was 
louder  than  the  call  of  the  wilds,  he  tolerated — under  protest — his 
shirt,  which  made  him  more  lousy  and  itchy, — and  stood  without 
hitching,  a  fairly  good  Injun. 


HISTORY   OF   YOLO   COUNTY  47 

CHAPTER  XIII 
WHEN  THE  MUSTANG  GALLOPED  OUT  OF  THE  TWILIGHT 

It  is  not  known  just  when  the  horse  galloped  out  of  the  pre- 
historic twilights  of  animal  creation,  or  what  was  his  disposition  at 
that  early  period,  but  judging  from  the  Mexican  mustangs  we  have 
met,  he  was  "a  bad  one."  On  second  thought,  Bronco  might  have 
come  from  his  natal  wild  with  ferocity  undeveloped,  and  his  present 
savagery  was  thrust  upon  him  or  hammered  into  him  by  humanity. 
Certainly  nothing  but  a  Mexican  horse  can  live  under  a  Mexican 
rider.  And  mount  that  vaquero,  folded  in  his  gaudy  trappings,  on  a 
vicious,  always-ready-to-buck  equine  devil  of  the  rancho,  and  a  more 
complete  and  fantastic  centaur  never  plunged  out  of  mythology. 
Consideration  for  the  horses  seems  to  have  been  unknown  among 
these  horsemen,  and  the  animal  seems  to  have  known  that  fact,  and 
lived  with  the  single  object  of  "doing  up"  his  rider.  For  this  he 
endured  abuse  and — often — semi-starvation,  climbed  almost  inac- 
cessible steeps  with  the  sure-footedness  of  a  goat,  and  kicked  the 
miles  behind  him  with  the  perseverance  of  an  express  train ;  and  all 
the  time  he  was  thinking  of  the  obligation  he  owed  man — the  obli- 
gation to  buck  him  off  and  kick  him  to  death  at  the  first  oppor- 
tunity; and  this  debt  he  always  tried  to  pay.  With  the  coming  of 
the  Americano  came  the  draught  horse — colossal  and  splendid,  and 
the  antithesis  of  the  seemingly  frail  little  cayuse  that  followed  the 
wild  cattle  trails.  Also  came  the  thoroughbred,  every  ripple  of  his 
blueblood  showing  under  his  silken  coat,  with  the  pride  of  his  Arab- 
ian lineage  in  the  swing  of  his  dainty  heels — a  far  remove  from  the 
shaggy-haired,  hoof-worn,  half-starved  wild  thing  of  the  western 
range. 

here's  to  you,  tough  broxco! 

But  with  all  this  class  distinction,  here's  to  you,  Mexican  mus- 
tang. You  look  tough,  you  act  tough,  you  are  tough,  but  you  came 
into  Old  Spain  with  Moorish  knighthood  and  you  shared  the  glory 
of  your  warrior-rider.  You  are  now  a  poor,  humble,  despised  bronc, 
but  your  patent  to  nobility  goes  back  to  the  golden  days  of  Good 
Haroun  Al  Raschid! 

THE   DAIRY    QUEEN    FROM    OVER-SEAS 

And  the  day  of  the  tigerish  cow  of  Spain  was  ended  when  the 
mild  queen  of  the  dairy  from  over  the  seas — from  Holstein,  Durham 
and  Jersev — came  to  create  and  run  a  local  milk  route.    The  short- 


48  HISTORY  OF  YOLO  COUNTY 

horns  and  the  no-horns  cropped  the  clover-blooms  and  oaten-heads 
on  the  ranges  for  the  newer  Californian. 

The  first  American  cattle  found  their  way  into  the  new  terri- 
tory as  the  motive  power  of  the  "prairie  schooners,"  and  when 
they  were  unyoked  from  these  immigrant  wagons  they  had  their 
price  either  for  beef  or  hauling  freight  into  the  mines.  Driving 
bands  of  American  cows  and  horses  across  the  plains  to  thrive  and 
increase  in  the  rich  pasturage  of  these  fenceless  valleys  became  an 
industry  that  has  grown  with  the  years. 

THE   USEFUL   HYBKID    MULE 

Another  pioneer  beast  of  burden,  the  mule,  has  played  an  im- 
portant part  in  the  livestock  wealth  of  the  Pacific  slope.  This 
sturdy  and  exceedingly  useful  animal  came  to  this  coast  with  the 
black  Spanish  cattle  and  Spanish  mustang,  and  was  well  rated  as 
the  following  price-list  of  that  time  shows :  One  sheep,  $2 ;  one  ox, 
$5 ;  one  cow,  $5 ;  one  mare,  $5 ;  one  saddle  horse,  $10 ;  one  mule,  $10. 
As  a  saddle  horse  was  a  physical  and  moral  part  of  a  Spanish- 
Calif  ornian,  we  can  easily  see  that  the  long-eared,  homely  mule  had 
a  value  all  his  own.  As  a  team  animal  over  the  plains  and  moun- 
tains of  the  west  this  hybrid  with  his  strength  and  inexpensive  up- 
keep, has  no  equal. 

The  sheep  were  here  and  only  needed  an  American  and  a  mar- 
ket to  make  them  profitable.  Hogs  were  soon  introducd  and  the  fat 
porkers  did  not  beg  for  buyers.  In  fact,  it  is  said  that  in  1850  it 
took  many  ounces  of  gold  to  reach  the  value  of  a  full-grown  hog. 
William  Gordon  was  one  of  the  pioneer  swine-herders  and  early 
stocked  his  ranch  with  best  breeds  and  he  was  soon  able  to  supply 
other  breeders  with  a  valuable  stock.  One  hundred  to  one  hundred 
and  fifty  dollars  apiece  he  frequently  received  for  his  acorn-fed 
thoroughbreds  raised  under  the  Cache  valley  oaks.  Some  of  these 
old  stock  sales  records  are  interesting  as  reminiscent  of  those 
earlier  times.  From  one  of  them  we  learn  that  in  1855  S.  Cooper 
sold  an  ox  to  Spurk  &  Frierson  for  $100;  while  four  years  previous 
A.  Kendall  sold  to  that  firm  a  milch  cow  for  the  same  sum ;  in  1851 
Charles  Coil  bought  of  J.  M.  Harbin  1,500  Spanish  cattle  at  $18  a 
head,  and  200  saddle  horses  at  $40  a  piece ;  these  animals  must  have 
been  out  of  market-condition,  as  beef  cattle  were  selling  at  $35  per 
head,  and  a  well  broken  vaquero  horse  would  bring  $150.  J.  "\Y. 
Chiles  paid  $30  apiece  for  several  milch  cows  just  from  "across  the 
plains,"  and  sold  them,  fat  and  fresh,  in  San  Francisco  for  $175 
each,  one  of  them  being  rated  at  $250.  Charles  Coil  in  1851  went 
east  and  returned  the  following  year  with  350  choice  American 
cows.  The  next  spring  he  sold  them  with  their  young  calves  at 
from  $75  to  $250  each. ' 


HISTORY   OF   YOLO   COUNTY  49 

THE   YOLO    HORSE   INDUSTRY 

Probably  the  pioneer  horseman  of  Y'olo  was  Dr.  H.  P.  Merritt, 
who  lived  a  few  miles  south  from  Woodland.  On  New  Year's  day, 
1851,  he  passed  through  Yrolo  county  afoot  and  exceedingly  poor  in 
cash,  driving  four  little  pack  mules  loaded  with  merchandise,  bound 
for  the  Shasta  mines.  The  next  year  Dr.  Merritt  was  buying  Amer- 
ican horses  at  all  prices  and  selling  at  an  advance.  During  1852  he 
went  east  and  brought  one  hundred  head  of  horses  back  to  Cali- 
fornia, settling  on  a  ranch  in  Yolo  county.  While  his  stock  was 
fattening  for  market  the  doctor  put  in  a  crop  of  wheat,  paying  nine 
cents  a  pound  for  the  seed.  He  raised  a  fine  harvest  of  smut  which 
cost  him  about  $4,000.  His  horses  saved  him  from  bankruptcy,  as 
he  immediately  sold  fourteen  span  to  the  California  Stage  Co.  at 
$700  a  span.  Merritt  frequently  got  $500  and  $800  apiece  for  his 
horses,  as  most  of  them  were  splendid  animals,  large  and  strong. 
In  1852-3-4  Yolo  county  was  the  prize  horse  county  of  the  state. 
During  these  years  a  number  of  thoroughbred  mares  got  into  the 
country, — such  as  "Tom  Moore,"  brought  in  '52  from  Missouri  by 
Humphrey  Cooper;  the  same  year  James  Moore  imported  two  fine 
horses,  which  he  called  "Bulwer"  and  "Lola  Montez."  Henry 
Williams  in  1854  brought  in  "Owen  Dale,"  by  Belmont,  and  dur- 
ing that  year  Carey  Barney  laid  out  a  mile  track  near  Knight's 
Landing,   where   for   years   the   fastest    horses    were    trained    and 

*  BEEF    AND    BUTTER    BUSINESS 

The  initial  dairy  in  Yrolo  county  was  located  near  Washington 
and  was  owned  by  J.  C.  Davis,  and  following  this  was  the  dairy 
established  during  the  year  1850  on  what  was  afterwards  the  Mike 
Bryte  place,  by  C.  H.  Cooley  and  Wallace  Cunningham.  The  milk 
business  paid  in  those  days,  $1  a  quart  or  $2  a  gallon  when  sold  in 
large  quantity.  As  the  dairies  were  established  the  prices  natur- 
ally went  down.  Many  of  the  dealers  along  the  river  suffered  from 
the  periodical  floods,  when  the  old  Sacramento  swept  over  her  banks 
and  washed  the  ranches,  cows  and  all  away  to  the  sea. 

The  extensive  plains  and  hill  ranges  of  Y"olo  were  stocked  with 
cattle  when  the  dry  spell  of  1857  cut  down  the  feed,  the  herds  and 
prices.  This  was  followed  by  the  cold  and  wet  winters  of  1861-2, 
which  about  completed  the  disaster.  Hundreds  of  thousands  of 
cattle  driven  from  the  lowlands  by  the  excessive  floods  wandered 
over  the  grassless  upper  lands  starving  to  death.  Stock  raisers 
went  bankrupt  and  in  many  localities  it  is  said  the  only  persons 
who  realized  a  dollar  from  the  industry  were  those  who  went 
through  the  country  skinning  the  dead  animals.  These  repeated 
disasters,  first  wet  and  then  dry,  gradually  turned  the  settlers  to 
agriculture,  to  the  possibilities  under  the  hoofs  instead  of  to  ap- 
parent probabilities  over  the  hoofs. 


50  HISTORY  OF  YOLO  COUNTY 

CHAPTER  XIV 

THE  PASSING  OF  FREMONT 

When  Jonas  Spect  pitched  bis  tent  on  the  Sacramento  just  op- 
posite the  mouth  of  the  Feather  he  believed  the  site  was  a  favorable 
one.  A  sand-bar  at  the  meeting  of  the  two  steams  not  only  made  a 
good  ford  over  the  Feather  at  that  place,  but  prevented  that  little 
river  from  being  navigable.  These  situations  contributed  largely  to 
Fremont's  sudden  rise  and  to  her  short-lived  prosperity,  as  they 
were  subject  to  change.  The  unprecedented  floods  of  the  rainy  win- 
ters of  1851-2  cleaned  out  and  opened  up  the  rivers  in  the  Sacra- 
mento valley.  The  sand-bar  was  washed  away  from  the  mouth  of 
the  Feather  river  and  the  stream  became  navigable  far  up  into  the 
mining  section  of  the  state.  There  was  no  ford  at  Fremont  and  the 
light  draft  vessels  loaded  with  supplies  for  the  interior  could  go  by 
the  Yolo  metropolis  without  a  call  or  trans-shipment.  So  Fremont 
stood  on  her  side  of  the  river  and  saw  commerce  passing  up  both 
streams,  the  Feather  river  open  as  far  as  what  is  now  Marysville. 
Notwithstanding  an  Act  of  the  legislature  declared  Fremont  the 
county  seat,  and  the  Court  of  Sessions  declared  that  the  Yolo 
county  seat  of  justice  shall  be  at  the  same  place,  no  term  of  court 
was  held  there  after  July,  1851.  A  vote  of  the  qualified  electors  of 
the  county  at  an  election  in  March,  1851,  had  shown  a  majority 
favoring  the  town  of  "Washington,  and  the  other  place  dropping  in 
commercial  importance,  the  seat  of  the  county  government  came 
down  the  river  and  settled  just  opposite  the  present  capital  of  the 
state.  Finally  the  town  itself  passed  away,  disappeared.  Some  of 
the  buildings  were  moved  to  Knight's  Landing,  some  to  Marysville 
and  others  out  in  the  country  to  become  portions  of  the  improve- 
ments of  farms.  Presently  nothing  but  empty  lots  and  town  mem- 
ories remained  of  Fremont,  the  embryonic  river  metropolis  of  the 
Sacramento  valley. 

FROM  EARLY   COUNTY  RECORDS 

When  the  state  legislature  convened  in  January,  1852.  the  conn 
ties  of  Yolo  and  Colusa  constituted  one  senatorial  district  and  was 
represented  by  Martin  E.  Cooke.  John  G-.  Parish  represented  Yolo 
county  in  the  assembly.  In  that  year  H.  H.  Hartley  was  elected 
county  judge;  IT.  Griffith,  county  clerk;  E.  A.  Harris,  sheriff;  Alex- 
ander Chisholm,  treasurer.  John  M.  Howell  was  elected  district 
judge  of  the  eleventh  judicial  district,  which  was  composed  of  Yolo, 
Placer  and  Eldorado  counties.  The  census  of  the  state  taken  in 
1852  gave  the  population  of  Yolo  county  as  follows:  Whites,  males. 
1,085;  females,  L89;  negroes,  males,  11;  females,  3;  Indians,  males. 


HISTORY   OF   YOLO   COUNTY  51 

109;  females,  43;  total,  1,440.  In  the  matter  of  the  Indians  the 
census  probably  took  in  those  only  of  permanent  residence  in  the 
county,  as  there  must  have  been  more  than  152  left  in  all  Yolo  at 
that  early  time. 

The  towns  of  the  county  were  given  as  follows:  Washington, 
with  four  hotels,  two  stores,  three  laundries  and  a  postoffice;  Fre- 
mont, afrhotel,  a  store  and  postoffice;  Cache  Creek,  three  hotels. 
Other  towns,  Putah,  Cottonwood  and  Merritt.  In  that  same  enum- 
eration the  wealth  of  the  county  is  shown  in  the  following  list: 
Horses,  1,808;  mules,  314;  cows,  287;  beef  cattle,  9,116;  oxen,  223; 
hogs,  2,607;  sheep,  1,855;  hens,  2,244;  fish  (pickled),  2,900;  bushels 
of  barley,  126,076;  bushels  of  oats,  5,075;  bushels  of  corn,  1,310; 
bushels  of  wheat,  1,497;  bushels  of  potatoes,  11,950;  turnips,  4,010; 
cabbages,  28,400;  acres  of  land  under  cultivation,  3,846;  capital  em- 
ployed in  gardening,  $8,524;  capital  employed  in  boating,  $38,800; 
capital  employed  in  quartz  mining,  $5,800;  capital  employed  in 
other  plans,  $2,600 ;  wood  value,  $19,370 ;  tons  of  hay,  6,238. 

A   FLITTING  COUNTY   SEAT 

During  the  year  1853  Yolo  was  represented  in  the  assembly  by 
A.  B.  Caldwell,  and  the  senatorial  district  to  which  the  county  be- 
longed, by  M.  M.  Wambough.  In  the  election  of  September  that 
year  Harrison  Gwinn  of  Knight's  Landing  was  elected  county 
judge;  E.  H.  Baskett,  clerk;  J.  W.  Gish,  sheriff,  and  H.  Meredith, 
district  attorney,  these  officials  beginning  their  terms  the  following 
March.  The  county  seat  remained  at  Washington  until  1857,  when 
the  legislature  with  an  Act  dated  March  25,  which  provided  that  a 
place  on  Cache  creek  then  known  as  "Hutton's, "  but  should  be 
thereafter  known  as  Cacheville,  should  be  the  county  seat  of  Yolo 
county.  Some  years  before  this  James  A.  Hutton  had  settled  on 
this  spot  and  having  built  a  large  and  commodious  home,  the  estab- 
lishment became  known  as  Hutton's  ranch.  Then  the  hospitality  of 
Mr.  Hutton  and  his  family  made  them  so  popular  that  his  place 
won  the  more  expressive  title  of  "Traveler's  Home."  Presently  a 
postoffice  was  established  there  which  bore  the  name  of  "Yolo  Post- 
office."  Being  the  county  seat,  also  beautifully  located  in  the  midst 
of  rich  farm  lands,  Cacheville  quickly  grew  into  a  lively  town.  Tlie 
county  officials  with  their  books  and  papers,  modern  reports  as  well 
as  the  ancient  records,  were  housed  somewhere.  A  weekly  news- 
paper was  born  in  the  new  county  seat — the  Yolo  Drum,  rut — pub- 
lished by  Messrs.  Jernagan  and  Evarts,  printers,  with  Samuel  Ru- 
land,  editorial  writer.  It  died  after  about  a  year  of  living,  but  was 
soon  resurrected  as  The  Cacheville  Spectator,  with  M.  P.  Ferguson 
in  charge.     Shortly  afterward  it  was  again  dead. 

In  1859  gold  was  found  in  the  gulches  bordering  on  Putah 
creek  and  during  the  rainy  season  miners  with  the  old-fashioned 


o-2  HISTORY  OF  YOLO  COUNTY 

rocker  made  good  wages  extracting  the  "dust."  But  iu  the  dry, 
waterless  months  nothing  could  be  done,  and  the  placers  were 
abandoned.  During  1861  Yolo  was  represented  in  the  assembly  by 
W.  S.  Wood  and  in  the  senate  by  Henry  Edgerton,  afterwards 
prominent  in  the  politics  of  this  state.  At  this  session  of  the  legis- 
lature an  Act  was  passed  returning  the  county  seat  to  Washington 
and  in  July  the  public  records  and  papers  were  taken  baA:  to  the 
river  town.  The  plant  of  the  defunct  Democrat  was  carried  to 
Knight's  Landing,  where  it  was  issued  under  the  name  of  the  News. 

WOODLAND   BORN   TJjjDER   HER  TREES 

In  1855  James  McClure  and  James  McClure,  Jr.,  established  a 
blacksmith  shop  several  miles  southeast  of  Cacheville — or  what  was 
afterwards  Hunter's,  and  later  Cacheville.  It  was  a  very  small 
shop  and  at  first  did  a  small  business,  and  its  only  claim  to  notice  is 
beeanse  it  was  the  beginning  of  the  now  beautiful  city  of  Wood- 
land. During  that  year  Henry  Wyckoff  started  a  little  merchandise 
store  near  the  McClure  shop  and  next  year  E.  R.  Moses  began  to  do 
woodwork  in  the  blacksmithing  building.  The  following  year  E.  R. 
and  A.  0.  Moses,  brothers,  bought  out  the  shop  and  built  a  number 
of  threshing  machines  which  were  sold  and  used  in  the  community. 
Joseph  Wolgamot  had  previously  become  a  partner  with  the  Mc- 
Clures.  During  the  summer  of  1857  a  saloon  and  gambling  annex 
was  established  by  a  man  whose  real  name  is  lost  to  history,  but 
whose  fictitious  title  is  remembered  to  have  been  "By-Hell," 
caused  by  his  frequent  use  of  that  class  of  strong  language.  By- 
Hell  was  too  fierce  even  for  those  early  days  and  a  grand  jury  soon 
began  to  look  up  his  record,  and  he  suddenly  disappeared,  leaving 
the  embryonic  "Woodland  saloonless  and  "dry,"  as  she  is  now. 
This  pioneer  liquor-dealer  with  the  infernal  title  seemed  to  have 
left  a  bad  impression  behind  him,  for  a  Sons  of  Temperance  lodge 
was  soon  organized  in  the  community.  A  school  house  as  well  as  a 
Masonic  hall  was  built  in  the  growing  village.  In  the  fall  of  that 
year  F.  S.  Freeman  appeared  and  bought  out  Wyckoff's  store  and 
got  a  postoffice  in  operation,  with  himself  its  first  postmaster. 

Of  course,  the  settlement  had  to  have  a  name  and  somebody 
suggested  "Yolo  City."  In  1860  Rev.  J.  N.  Pendegast  and  Rev.  J. 
Lawson.  members  of  the  Christian,  or  "  Campbellite, "  Church,  and 
living  near  Yolo  City,  began  the  establishment  of  an  educational  in- 
stitution. They  were  men  of  splendid  character,  and  by  their  en- 
ergy  and  strong  influence  with  the  people  of  the  vicinity  soon  added 
Hesperian  College  to  the  growing  town. 

WOODLAND    THE    COUNTY    SEAT 

The  time — 1862 — had  come  to  find  another  place  for  a  county 
seat.  Washington,  on  the  Sacramento  river,  despite  its  great  name 
and  favorable  situation  on  the  grand  channel  of  interior  commerce. 


FIRST   STORE   IN   WOODLAND 


FIRST    SCHOOLHOUSE    AND    MASONIC    HALL    IN    WOODLAND 


HISTORY   OF    YOLO    COUNTY  53 

was  destined  to  lose  the  county  government.  The  Yolo  town  was 
too  near  the  capital  city  of  the  State,  and  the  wooden  toll  bridge 
between  the  big  and  little  places  did  not  increase  the  little  one's 
prosperity.  Moreover,  the  county  was  filling  up  and  the  splendid 
agricultural  possibilities  of  the  middle  and  western  portions  of  the 
section  were  becoming  more  manifest.  Added  to  this  the  county 
seat  located  on  the  extreme  eastern  edge  of  the  county  was  not  con- 
venient. Yolo  City  in  her  natural  park  of  oak  trees,  a  perfect  gar- 
den spot  of  fertility,  situated  near  the  geographical  center  of  the 
county,  was  the  coming — or  standing — choice.  This  idea  finally  got 
into  visual  shape  by  the  passing  of  a  legislative  act  calling  for  an 
election  by  the  voters  of  the  county  of  Yolo  as  to  whether  the  dis- 
tinction should  remain  at  Washington  or  go  to  Woodland — Wood- 
land being  the  new  name  for  Yolo  City.  The  vote  resulted  as  fol- 
lows: Woodland  968,  Washington  778,  and,  in  accordance  with  this, 
May  10,  1862,  the  county  government  came  into  its  permanent  home 
in  the  F.  S.  Freeman  building,  under  the  trees  of  Woodland.  It  began 
at  Fremont  in  1850  and  for  about  a  dozen  years  it  had  wandered 
around  the  county — to  Washington,  Cacheville,  back  to  Washington, 
then  Yolo  City  or  Woodland.  The  first  court  house  in  Woodland 
was  located  on  First  street,  north  of  Main  street,  in  the  building 
afterwards  known  as  the  Woodland  bakery.  Of  course  the  printer 
came,  in  the  shape  and  form  of  The  Woodland  News.  It  had  been 
the  Yolo  Democrat  when  it  appeared  in  Cacheville,  and  had  been  the 
Knight's  Landing  News  when  it  was  published  at  Knight's  Landing. 
Now  it  appeared  in  the  new  county  seat  and  was  published  till  No- 
vember, 1867,  when  it  skipped  a  week  and  reappeared  as  the  Yolo 
Democrat,  literally  going  back  to  its  old  and  original  Cacheville 
name.  W.  A.  Henry,  afterward  an  attorney  and  police  judge  in 
Sacramento,  was  the  editor  during  1869.  When  the  Woodland  News 
changed  its  name  to  Woodland  Democrat  it  changed  its  politics,  and 
accordingly  0.  Y.  Hammond  was  induced  to  start  a  Republican 
paper  in  -the  town,  which  he  did  in  October,  1868,  calling  it  the  Yolo 
Weekly  Mail,  Next  year  A.  E.  Wagstaff  assumed  control  and  in 
1879  W.  W.  Theobalds  became  the  proprietor  of  the  Mail. 


54  HISTORY  OF  YOLO  COUNTY 


CHAPTER  XV 
PLANTING  THE  YOLO  VALLEY  SETTLEMENTS 

As  Woodland,  the  final  county  seat  site,  gathered  and  grew 
around  her  original  building,  becoming  quickly  a  civic  adult,  so 
other  mere  settlements  became  large,  lively  towns.  The  rich,  Eden- 
like Capay  valley  drew  the  population.  It  is  a  lovely  vale,  about 
twenty  miles  long  and  one  or  one  and  a  half  miles  wide — just  as 
Cache  creek,  which  runs  through  its  entire  length,  takes  a  notion 
to  zigzag,  such  movement  of  course  being  influenced  by  the  moun- 
tain chains  on  both  sides.  Capay,  or  as  the  Indians  spoke  it — Capi 
— means  creek,  and  the  title  proves  how  important  in  so  early 
a  day  was  the  small  mountain  stream  plunging  from  gorge  to  gorge, 
from  its  Lake  county  source,  to  spread  over  the  Yolo  levels.  A 
white  population  came  to  this  fertile  sprit  and  the  settlements 
finally  acquired  names.  In  1857  a  man  named  Munch  built  a  large 
house  on  the  bank  of  Cache  creek  and  somebody  starting  a  black- 
smith shop  near  by  the  place  was  called  Munchville.  The  place 
thrived  for  about  a  year,  when  some  rancher  bought  the  entire 
town  and  moved  it  out  to  his  place.  The  abandoned  site  was 
vacant  till  1862,  when  E.  E.  Perkins  erected  a  dwelling  house  there. 
Several  years  afterwards  John  Arnold  Lang  got  into  the  settlement 
and  got  busy  putting  up  more  houses,  and  the  place  became  Lang- 
ville  January  1,  1875.  It  was  subsequently  renamed  Capay,  after 
the  grand  valley. 

IX  THE  BARE  VALE  OF  THE  CAPAY 

Other  places  such  as  Guinda,  Esparto  and  Cacheville  have 
flourished  because  of  their  locations  within  this  favored  vale.  Even 
the  names  of  the  villages  are  suggestive — Amaranth,  a  fadeless 
white  bloom ;  Sauterne,  a  rare  wine ;  and  Cashmere,  a  noble  Arabian 
valley.  Not  only  does  Capay  valley  yield  a  rich  harvest  of  all  the 
California  fruits  that  grow  on  tree  and  vine,  but  the  things  of  the 
tropics  ripen  there  as  well;  in  fact,  it  is  called  the  home  of  the 
almond,  orange  and  fig.  So  with  her  wonderful  diversity  of  soils, 
thennal  conditions  and  fertilizing  possibilities  Yolo  county  produces 
in  almost  limitless  variety.  As  a  sample  of  this  varied  production 
a  State  University  publication  recently  gave  the  following: 

"On  a  lot  in  the  town  of  Woodland,  80  feet  front  by  a  depth 
of  145  feet,  one-seventh  of  an  acre,  the  following  trees,  plants,  vines 
and  flowers  were  found  in  full  bearing — twelve  navel  orange,  one 
lemon,  one  cherry,  three  apple,  two  fig,  two  olive,  two  apricot,  four 
almond,  and  two  plum  trees,  fifty-eight  grapevines  (nine  varieties), 


HISTORY   OF   YOLO   COUNTY  55 

plots  of  dewberries,  raspberries  and  loganberries,  fifty  varieties 
of  rosebusbes,  a  small  vegetable  garden  of  onions,  tomatoes,  lettuce, 
mint,  sage,  parsley  and  beds  of  bulbous  and  otber  flowering  plants." 
Buckeye  was  an  early  planted  town  and  grew  among  tbe  bushes 
of  that  name  on  the  bank  of  a  summer  dry  wash  that  was  a  roaring- 
creek  in  winter.  The  village  began  in  1856,  when  J.  P.  Charles  was 
made  postmaster  there.  J.  0.  Maxwell  was  the  second  arrival  and 
succeeded  Charles.  Then  came  Benjamin  E^,  followed  by  R.  A. 
Daniels.  In  1875  the  Vaca  Valley  and  Clear  Lake  Railroad  passing- 
two  miles  to  the  west  ended  Buckeye's  greatness  and  its  future 
distinction  moved  to  Winters  and  Madison. 

WHAT    THE    EAILROADS    DID 

The  extension  of  the  road  up  the  valley  built  Madison  and 
weakened  Cottonwood,  a  town  established  in  that  vicinity  by  Charles 
Henrich  in  1852.  The  line  only  hesitated  at  Cottonwood  and  went 
on  to  its  new  terminus,  Madison.  During  the  two  or  three  years 
much  of  Cottonwood  followed — houses  and  all  on  wheels.  The  dis- 
tance was  not  long,  the  way  level  and  the  change  not  difficult. 
L.  W.  Hilliker  was  six  days  getting  his  hotel  to  its  new  site,  but 
he  took  care  of  bis  thirty  regular  boarders  while  the  hotel  was 
trundling  over  the  Yolo  plains.  The  ancient  structure  long  did 
business  in  its  new  location. 

Madison,  a  child  of  the  railroad,  was  built  in  1877  by  the  con- 
struction of  a  number  of  large  warehouses  along  the  track;  also  a 
flouring  mill  at  a  cost  of  $16,000.  Almost  immediately  there  fol- 
lowed business  blocks  and  dwellings.  A  list  of  the  buildings  of 
the  town  at  that  early  period  gives  two  large  stores  and  one  each 
of  everything  else  in  the  way  of  business  features  except  saloons, 
and  of  these  there  were  four. 

The  iron  rails  threading  this  incomparable  valley  passes  Es- 
parto, Capay,  Guinda  and  terminates  at  Rumsey,  a  village  well 
up  in  the  coast  range,  400  feet  above  the  sea,  located  by  Capt. 
D.  C.  Rumsey,  a  charter  member  of  Yolo's  pioneers. 

TOWN    OF    THEODORE    WINTERS 

The  same  railroad  as  soon  as  it  crossed  Putah  creek  and  was 
fairly  in  Yolo  county  saw  started  the  town  of  Winters,  the  day  of 
its  birth  being  May  22,  1875.  The  site  of  forty  acres  was  donated 
to  the  railroad  company,  and  D.  P.  Edwards  added  an  equal  amount 
of  land  to  the  town,  and  this  is  known  as  the  Edwards  Addition. 
Later  the  Westley  Hill  tract  became  an  addition  of  Winters.  The 
town  pioneers  were  John  Abby,  W.  P.  Womack,  Charles  Wolf, 
A.  McDonald,  E.  Ireland,  E.  A.  Humphrey,  D.  P.  Edwards,  Dr. 
Bell,  Henry  Craner,  O.  P.  Fassett,  S.  Harriman,  James  Wilson, 
J.  Jeans,  V.  Morris,  A.  J.  Pipken,  Ed.  Dafoe.     The  first  buildings 


56  HISTORY  OF  YOLO  COUNTY 

were  John  Abby's  residence,  also  his  blacksmith  shop;  W.  P.  Wo- 
mack's  store;  Terrell  and  Ray's  tinshop,  and  Dave  Scroggins' 
boarding  house.  The  first  large  merchandise  establishment  was 
owned  by  Mansfield  and  Theodore,  and  two  livery  stables  by  Tucker 
and  Bandy  and  Robert  Brown.  The  first  harness  shop  was  owned 
by  E.  A.  Humphrey,  and  this  business  is  still  carried  on  by  his  sons, 
Walter  and  R.  L.  Humphrey.  Mrs.  Parker  ran  the  Parker  house. 
The  first  church  edifice  was  the  Methodist,  erected  in  1875,  which 
is  yet  standing  on  Russell  street.  B.  W.  Russell  was  the  first 
pastor  and  Elders  Norton  and  Canterbury  the  officers.  The  Cum- 
berland Presbyterian  was  organized  in  1876  with  T.  M.  Johnson 
pastor.  Dr.  H.  C.  Culton  succeeded  him  the  next  year  and  is  the 
pastor  at  the  present  time.  The  Baptist  Church,  organized  at 
Buckeye,  was  reorganized  in  1880  at  Winters  by  Rev.  Mr.  Barnes; 
the  Christian  Church  in  1877  with  S.  B.  Dunton  pastor ;  the  Catho- 
lic Church  was  organized  by  Father  Walrath,  pastor. 

During  the  first  year  of  the  town  the  Masonic,  Odd  Fellows, 
Knights  of  Pythias  and  Good  Templars  lodges  were  organized  in 
Winters  and  later  the  Order  of  Eastern  Star,  Foresters  of  America, 
Woodmen  of  the  World,  Women  of  Woodcraft,  Native  Sons  Parlor, 
Pythian  Sisterhood  and  Redmen  were  established  there.  Being 
centrally  located  for  a  shipping  point  for  the  surrounding  agri- 
cultural country,  Winters  was  soon  a  big  place  and  the  second  city 
of  importance  in  the  county.  It  was  incorporated  in  1897  with  Dr. 
Z.  T.  Magilll'  L.  A.  Banner,  A.  Prescott,  E.  Ireland  and  R.  L.  Day 
the  board  of  city  dads.  Winters  was  early  in  the  march  of  progress, 
and  in  1901  there  were  issued  water  works  bonds  in  the  sum  of 
$17,000,  while  in  1911  bonds  for  a  complete  sewer  system  in  the 
sum  of  $28,000  were  issued.  The  grammar  school  was  moved  from 
Pine  Grove  in  1875  and  its  first  teacher  was  H.  B.  Pendergast. 
This  school  now  occupies  a  large,  modern,  two-story  building  and 
employs  five  teachers.  In  1892  the  Winters  high  school  was  estab- 
lished, with  L.  B.  Scranton  principal.  At  present  there  are  five 
teachers  and  104  students  on  the  register. 

As  an  indication  of  the  financial  and  business  standing  of  the 
town,  there  are  two  banks,  the  First  National,  also  the  Citizens' 
Bank  of  Winters.  The  Bank  of  Winters  was  incorporated  in  1885, 
and  in  1911  was  made  the  First  National  of  Winters,  with  a  capital 
and  surplus  of  $96,500.  The  Citizens'  Bank  was  incorporated  in 
1907,  capital  and  surplus  $89,672.  Both  institutions  have  savings 
banks.  The  principal  business  firms  and  incorporations  at  present 
are  the  Winters  Canning  Co.;  Notion  Store  (Dunnigan) ;  Jacobs  & 
Wilcox,  butcher  shop;  Archer  &  Son,  butcher  shop;  F.  B.  Chandler 
Lumber  Co.;  J.  M.  Sowle,  grocery  store;  Winters  Fruit  Exchange; 
Humphrey  Harness  Store ;  Wyatt  &  Wilson,  real  estate ;  R.  L.  Day, 
drug  store;  The  Baker  Co.,  merchandise  store;  C.  E.  Wyatt,  jew- 


HISTORY  OF   YOLO   COUNTY  57 

elry;  Winters  Dried  Fruit  Co.;  "Winters  Grocery  &  Hardware  Co.; 
Winters  Garage  Co.;  Winters  Orchard  Co.;  Producers'  Fruit  Co.; 
W.  P.  Womack,  real  estate;  J.  H.  Wolfskill,  livery  stable;  D.  0. 
Judy,  livery  stable;  Fenley  Mercantile  Co.;  Grangers'  Warehouse; 
Parker  &  Wertner,  groceries;  J.  A.  Henderson,  Commission;  J. 
Rummelsburg,  Merchandise;  Earl  Fruit  Co.;  William  Betz,  res- 
taurant; E.  B.  Kemper  &  Co.,  drugs;  Campbell  &  Son,  groceries;  A. 
J.  Bertholet,  bakery;  Brattin  &  Hamilton,  Temperance  saloon;  J. 
Vasey,  merchandise ;  Adams  Lumber  Co. ;  B.  Conners,  electrical 
supplies;  Pacific  Fruit  Exchange;  Kirkbride  Bakery,  and.R.  Baker, 
garage. 

The  Winters  Express— formerly  the  Winters  Advocate — has 
been  for  many  years  ably  conducted  by  E.  C.  Rust. 

WINTERS    "DRY"    AND    PROGRESSIVE 

April  1,  1907,  the  large  concrete  county  bridge  which  spans 
Putah  creek  at  Winters  was  dedicated  with  a  celebration  and  ap- 
propriate ceremonies.  This  fine  structure  was  jointly  erected  by 
Yolo  and  Solano  counties  at  a  cost  of  $40,000.  This  and  the  con- 
crete bridge  erected  by  the  Southern  Pacific  Railroad  Company  at 
that  place  cost  about  $110,000. 

The  liquor  saloons  of  Winters,  with  like  institutions  through 
Yolo,  were  voted  out  of  business  and  existence  several  years  ago, 
and  their  loss  is  a  gain.  Winters  in  her  rich  fruit  belt  of  about 
50,000  acres  is  prosperous  and  progressive,  though  the  town  has 
received  its  share  of  disaster.  August  12,  1888,  all  the  business 
portion  of  the  south  side  of  Main  street  was  burned  and  April  19, 
1892,  an  earthquake  damaged  or  destroyed  every  brick  and  stone 
building  in. the  town,  causing  a  heavy  loss.  In  1891  the  Occidental 
Hotel  was  burned  and  in  1898  the  Masonic  Hall  was  consumed  by 
fire.  In  1902  the  Winters  Dried  Fruit  sheds,  F.  B.  Chandler's  lum- 
ber yards  and  the  Grangers'  Warehouse  were  totally  destroyed 
with  a  loss  of  over  $100,000.  Out  of  these  destructive  flames  Win- 
ters has  come  with  better,  finer  and  stronger  buildings  of  brick  and 
stone,  so  even  from  the  ashes  of  disaster  has  issued  good. 

DUNNIGAN    AND    HIS    TOWN 

The  town  of  Dunnigan — or  what  was  afterwards  the  town — 
was  started  into  being  by  two  early  settlers,  J.  S.  Copp  and  John 
Wilson.  During  the  year  1852  they  were  living  down  nearer  the 
Sacramento  river,  but  the  winter  flood  washed  them  on  to  higher 
ground  and  they  settled  on  new  claims  here.  Next  year  A.  W. 
Dunnigan  came  and  gave  name  to  the  place.  With  him  were  Henry 
Yarick  and  Abial  Barker,  the  former  going  into  the  hotel  business 
with  Dunnigan,  the  inn  being  known  as  "Dunnigan's."  Other  neigh- 
bors were  Irving  W.  and  William  Brownell,  Isaac  Rice,  D.  T.  Bird, 
Harry  Porterfield  and  M.  A.  Rahm.     The  first  store  was  opened  in 


58  HISTORY  OF  YOLO  COUNTY 

1866  by  G.  B.  Lewis,  who  sold  out  to  William  Earll.  Z.  J.  Brown 
was  the  proprietor  of  a  drug  and  notion  store  for  several  years, 
after  which  he  was  succeeded  by  G-.  W.  Gray.  In  1876  the  railroad 
came  along,  and  the  town  plat  of  Dunnigan  was  filed  for  record 
at  the  county  seat  November  1  of  that  year. 


The  place  on  the  railroad  known  as  Black's  was  the  pioneer 
home  of  J.  J.  Black,  who  located  there"  in  1865.  When  the  road,  ex- 
tending northward  towards  the  Oregon  line,  reached  his  farm  he 
donated  ten  acres  for  depot  and  grounds  and  the  station  was  the 
result.  C.  H.  Smart  was  the  first  resident  thereof,  constructing 
for  his  use  a  dwelling  house  and  a  blacksmith  shop.  He  was  fol- 
lowed by  William  Dorgan  and  Robert  Huston,  who  with  his  brother 
Edward  established  the  first  store  in  1876.  A.  C.  Turner  started 
the  first  hotel,  and  Thomas  and  Hunt  erected  the  first  grain  ware- 
house. Among  other  builders  were  D.  N.  Hershey,  Ed  Huston, 
George  Glascock  and  John  Wolff.  Black's  Station  from  the  first 
was  an  important  shipping  station,  the  great  farms  in  the  vicinity 
sending  in  their  harvests  to  this  point  for  transportation  to  market. 
The  coming  of  the  Yolo  County  Consolidated  Water  Company's 
system  in  1903  to  Black's  added  much  to  the  importance  of  the 
place  and  stimulated  business.  The  new  packing  plant  was  finished 
that  year,  making  the  station  a  fruit  center. 

ALONG    THE    RIVEE    FRONT 

Along  the  Sacramento  river  from  Knight's  Landing  on  the 
north  to  Clarksburg  on  the  south  are  many  shipping  points,  from 
which  are  shipped  the  product  of  Yolo's  never-failing  fields.  Dur- 
ing the  last  fifty  years  millions  of  tons  of  freight  have  passed  down 
that  splendid  stream.  Knight's  Landing  since  the  day  in  1843  when 
William  Knight  built  on  the  Indian  mound  that  marked  the  ancient 
meeting  place  of  Cache  creek  and  the  Sacramento  river  has  been 
favored  of  fortune,  as  early  was  demonstrated  its  importance  as  a 
steamboat  landing  and  point  of  communication  between  the  people 
east  and  west  of  the  big  central  river.  When  the  town  was  laid 
out  in  1849  they  called  it  Baltimore,  but  an  agreement  over  the 
sale  of  the  new  town  lots  could  not  be  amicably  arranged  and 
the  title  Baltimore  was  lost.  Knight  established  a  ferry  there, 
which  afterwards  passed  to  the  ownership  of  J.  W.  Snowball,  in 
those  days  the  ferry  tolls  were  for  a  man  and  horse,  $1 ;  for  a  team 
and  wagon,  $5.  In  1850  S.  R.  Smith  kept  a  hotel  in  the  settlement 
and  in  1853  Charles  F.  Reed  surveyed  and  laid  off  a  townsite  and 
it  was  given  officially  the  name  of  Knight's  Landing.     That  year 


HISTORY   OF   YOLO   COUNTY  59 

J.  W.  Snowball  and  J.  J.  Perkins  opened  a  large  general  merchan- 
dise store  on  the  Indian  mound.  On  the  1st  of  January  Capt.  J.  H. 
Updegraff  opened  his  hotel  under  festive  auspices,  with  a  grand 
New  Year's  party,  with  tickets  $10,  a  steamer  being  run  from  Sac- 
ramento for  the  accommodation  of  guests.  The  establishment  was 
called  the  "Yolo  House."  In  1860  D.  N.  Hershey  and  George 
Glascock  erected  a  brick  hotel,  which  took  the  place  of  the  Yolo 
House,  that  inn  being  retired  to  the  status  of  a  private  residence. 
March  25,  1890,  the  Knight's  Landing  branch  of  the  Southern  Pa- 
cific Railroad  was  completed  and  ready  for  business,  and  later 
the  completion  of  the  bridge  across  the  river  added  immensely 
to  the  prosperity  of  the  town.  J.  W.  Snowball  died  February  6, 
1906,  aged  seventy-nine.  He  was  one  of  the  pioneers  of  '52  and 
was  a  son-in-law  of  the  late  William  Knight. 


60  HISTORY  OF  YOLO  COUNTY 


CHAPTER  XVI 
JEROME  DAVIS  AND  DAVI8VILLE 

When  Jerome  C.  Davis  came  to  Davisville  there  was  little 
doing.  This  was  early  in  the  '50s,  but  the  state  agricultural  report 
of  1S56  says  that  he  had  eight  thousand  acres  of  land,  one  thou- 
sand of  which  were  enclosed.  It  also  stated  that  he  was  irrigating 
some  of  his  land  by  pumping  water  from  Puto  creek  with  a  steam 
engine;  that  he  had  a  large  peach  orchard,  several  thousand  bear- 
ing grapevines,  one  hundred  and  fifty  horses,  three  thousand  head 
of  cattle  and  about  the  same  number  of  sheep,  and  that  four  hun- 
dred acres  of  wheat  and  barley  had  produced  for  him  ove>'  thirty 
bushels  to  the  acre  that  year.  In  1858  he  had  twenty-one  miles 
of  fencing  and  in  1864  he  had  thirteen  thousand  acres,  and  had 
eighty-eight  hundred  and  eleven  acres  of  land,  upon  which  was  thirty- 
three  miles  of  fencing.  In  1867  William  Dresbach  leased 
the  old  Davis  homestead  and  changed  it  to  a  hotel,  calling  the 
place  the  "Yolo  House."  Other  buildings  were  added  to  the  town 
and  Dresbach  named  it  Davisville.  When  the  rails  reached  the 
place  it  boomed  into  a  small  city.  Ii  was  the  only  railroad  station 
in  the  county  and  was  quickly  a  great  grain  shipping  point.  Build- 
ing lots  sold  for  a  high  prica  and  Davisville— it  was  Davisville  then 
and  long  afterwards — grew  by  leaps  and  bounds.  William  Dres- 
bach was  the  first  merchant,  first  Wells,  Fargo  agent,  and  that  ex- 
press company  did  a  huge  monthly  business.  The  extension  of  the 
Marysville  branch  of  the  Central  Pacific  Railroad  northward  in 
1868  and  the  building  of  the  Yaca  Valley  road  to  Madison  in  1875 
naturally  withdrew  much  of  the  shipping  business  from  Davisville, 
but  the  development  of  the  surrounding  productive  agricultural 
country  largely  made  up  for  such  loss. 

FARMERS    BY    SCIENCE 

The  location  of  the  State  University  Farm,  College  of  Agricul- 
ture, at  this  point  is  a  grand  testimonial  to  the  soil  value  of  Yolo. 
The  entire  seven  hundred  and  eighty  acres  of  this  classic  ranch 
is  of  the  rich  winter  wash  from  the  upper  lands.  For  countless 
ages  Putah  creek  has  been  spreading  its  sediment  over  the  Davis 
plain  and  the  alluvial  crust  of  from  fourteen  to  twenty  feet  resting 
over  a  water  level  is  of  wondrous  fertility.  This  soil  character- 
istic is  found  in  the  Cache  creek  delta  and  other  hill  streams  that 
sink  their  floods  in  the  rich  plains  between  the  range  and  the  river. 
When  the  state  legislature  in  1905  appropriated  the  preliminary 
$150,000  and  started  a  commission  to  select  a  farm  for  the  agri- 
cultural   department    of   the   University   of   California    almost    one 


HISTORY   OF    YOLO    COUNTY  61 

hundred  tracts  of  land  in  different  portions  of  the  state  were  exam- 
ined, and  this  site  was  chosen  as  best  adapted  for  the  various  pur- 
poses for  which  such  a  farm  must  he  used.  The  land  cost  about 
$103,000,  and  the  legislature  of  1907  made  a  further  appropriation 
of  $132,000  for  the  necessary  buildings  and  equipment  of  the  insti- 
tution. The  farm  was  opened  for  instruction  in  October,  1908,  with 
five  separate  short  courses  for  farmers,  and  the  School  of  Agri- 
culture, consisting  of  a  three  years'  course  for  boys  who  have  fin- 
ished the  common  schools,  was  opened  in  January,  1909. 

THE  EICH  ALLUVIUM  FEOM  THE  HILLS 

As  time  goes  on  the  remarkable  and  unlimited  productive  pos- 
sibilities of  California's  soil  become  better  known.  Ages  before  the 
agriculturist  with  the  white  skin  walked  over  these  plains  the  ele- 
ments in  the  earth  and  air  were  storing  chemicals  among  the  grass 
roots  for  the  coming  centuries.  In  no  portion  of  the  state  is  this 
more  apparent  than  in  the  great  central  valley  of  this  territory. 
The  day  cannot  be  set  when  the  Sacramento  river  broke  its  way 
through  the  middle  plains,  rolling  down  to  its  meeting  with  the  sea, 
but  year  after  year  it  has  gathered  fertility  from  the  higher  lands 
to  sow  it  in  moisture  and  sediment  on  the  lower.  There  were  wide 
floodings  in  those  prehistoric  winters  when  the  spreading  tides  fol- 
lowed the  Indians  and  animals  to  the  safety  of  the  hills,  but  the 
deposit-covered  land  surface  grew  richer  from  the  inundation  and 
every  little  tributary  stream  swollen  from  the  mountain  showers 
adds  its  part  to  the  deluge  below,  also  adds  its  contribution  to  the 
accumulations  of  richness  annually  stored  in  the  soil.  Yolo  as  well 
as  its  upper  and  lower  neighbor — Colusa  and  Solano — appears  to 
have  been  favored  by  the  builders  of  the  hemisphere,  and  tins  strip 
of  country  between  the  Coast  range  and  the  Sacramento  river  seems 
to  have  been  receiving  seasonal  benefits  from  such  arrangements 
ever  since  the  cornerstone  of  the  continent  was  laid.  These  great 
Yolo  reservations  of  fertility  are  to  be  found  in  the  "made  lands" 
at  the  sinks  of  Cache  and  Putah  creeks  as  well  as  in  Cottonwood, 
Dry  and  Buckeye  creeks  or  sloughs.  Willow  slough  in  summer 
appears  from  a  large  cold  spring,  and  its  course  toward  the  marshes 
is  marked  by  a  succession  of  ponds  or  springs.  In  winter  Cache 
creek  drives  a  large  volume  of  water  into  Cottonwood  creek  and 
into  the  plain  which  finds  outlet  into  the  tules  through  "Willow 
slough.  So  navigable  has  been  this  winter  system  of  valley  streams 
that  frequently  in  the  past  boatmen  have  easily  floated  from  Sut- 
ter's Fort  in  Sacramento  to  Gordon  ranch  on  Cache  creek  in  Yolo 
county. 

THE    WARM    GEAPE    LOAM 

In  the  region  bordering  the  western  mountains  and  among 
these  "hains  are  the  grain,  grape  and  apple  lands,  the  warm  sandy 


62  HISTORY  OF  YOLO  COUNTY 

or  clayey  loam  being  especially  fitted  for  this  thermal-loving  vege- 
tation. And  here  the  irrigating  ditches  have  their  uses,  and  here  is 
seen  the  need  of  the  great  natural  reservoir  hanging  amid  the  Lake 
mountains  above  the  Yolo  plains  which  will  one  day  be  tapped  for 
the  thirsty  farms  and  gardens  below.  Though  the  late  years  have 
seen  the  immense  wheat  fields  of  this  section  shrink  in  acreage  as 
the  fruit  market  of  the  world  increased  in  volume,  the  great  trac- 
tion plows  yet  furrow  the  warm  loam,  and  the  same  steamers  reap 
and  thresh  the  full  harvests.  More  to  the  east  and  bordering  the 
tule  belt  are  the  ideal  fruit  lands  of  the  Sacramento  valley,  and 
no  soil  in  the  crust  of  the  planet  is  more  productive  for  the  uses 
of  mankind.  It  is  twenty  or  thirty  feet  of  sedimentary  deposit, 
entirely  without  hardpan,  the  long-ago  dead  vegetation  and  the  hill- 
erosion  of  ages  washed  from  the  western  ranges  and  pressed  into 
a  stratum  as  fertile  as  the  mudbeds  of  the  Nile. 

THE    BUSIEST    PLANT    OST    EAKTH 

Here  amid  the  tree  and  vine  tracts  grows  the  alfalfa,  king  of 
the  forage  plants,  the  busiest  vegetable  in  the  green  kingdom.  It  is 
always  growing.  Mow  it  and  before  the  hay  is  cured  for  baling 
another  crop  is  under  way  to  maturity.  It  is  the  evergreen,  the 
semperviren  of  the  lower  plant-life.  Its  rootlets  will  find  moisture 
in  the  driest  soil,  but  in  the  rich  alluvium  of  the  Woodland  plains 
and  especially  where  the  irrigating  waters  flow  the  three  or  four 
crops  a  year  are  enormous.  Twelve  or  fourteen  thousand  acres 
is  probably  the  area  devoted  to  this  exceedingly  prolific  clover — 
the  luscious  lucerne  of  the  Swiss  meadows  transplanted  in  the  rich 
soil  of  the  far  west.  Five-sixths  of  the  hay  crop  (value  about 
$600,000)  of  this  county  is  alfalfa. 

The  chief  cereal  of  the  Yolo  plains  is  barley  and  its  annual 
crop  now  reaches  a  value  of  $1,500,000.  Being  of  the  export 
variety,  it  finds  a  ready  European  market.  In  the  latest  reports 
of  the  State  Agricultural  Societv  the  acreage  of  barley  is  about 
100,000;  wheat,  16,000;  alfalfa,  15,000. 

THE    SUGAR    BEETS    AND    GRAPES 

Another  plant  that  is  showing  up  Yolo  as  a  garden  Spot  is  the 
sugar  beet.  This  industry  is  a  new  one  in  the  county,  but  the  val- 
uable vegetable  has  found  in  this  warm,  rich  loam  just  the  fertility 
it  requires,  and  the  eight  or  ten  thousand  acres  yearly  produce 
for  the  mills  probably  60,000  tons  of  beets.  Along  the  river  bot- 
toms grow  the  hop  crops  which  add  yearly  to  the  income  of  the 
county.  One  of  the  great  divisions  of  horticulture  in  Yolo  is  the 
culture  of  raisin  grapes  and  the  varieties  most  grown  are  the  Alex- 
andria muscat,   the   seedless   Sultana   and   the   Thompson    seedless. 


HISTORY   OF   YOLO   COUNTY  63 

The  Sultana  is  the  choice,  bearing  in  some  years  as  high  as  fifteen 
tons  to  the  acre.  It  is  a  small  berry,  seedless,  and  of  a  yellowish 
tint  when  ripe,  and  five  pounds  of  fresh  grapes  will  make  one 
pound  of  raisins.  The  present  yearly  output  is  about  4,000,000 
pounds.  About  165,000  gallons  of  sweet  wine  are  annually  made 
in  this  county.  Probably  $550,000  worth  of  butter  each  year  is 
the  showing  of  the  dairies.  Yolo  has  ninety  miles  of  Sacramento 
river-front  and  something  like  4,500,000  pounds  of  marketable  fish, 
representing  a  value  of  about  $250,000,  are  caught  in  the  waters 
that  belong  to  this  county.  A  total  present  annual  fruit  output 
of  Yolo  county  may  be  estimated  as:  Green  fruit  and  vegetables 
(6),  40,000,000  pounds,  value  $650,000;  dried  fruit,  25^000.000 
pounds,  value,  $1,400,000;  canned  apples,  16,000  cases;  cherries, 
700  cases;  peaches,  33,000  cases;  plums,  900  eases.  Total  value, 
$124,000. 


64  HISTORY  OF  YOLO  COUNTY 

CHAPTER  XVII 
YOLO  COUNTY'S  SPLENDID  PROMISE 

Yolo  county  has  an  area  of  1,017  square  miles,  or  650,880  acres, 
and  the  number  of  acres  now  assessed  is  probably  630,000,  leaving 
little  government  or  valueless  land  on  the  map.  Assessed  value  of 
country  real  estate,  $14,000,000 ;  total  assessed  value  of  all  property, 
estimated,  $22,000,000.  Yolo  county  is  practically  without  public 
buildings — about  $50,000  will  cover  all,  which  probably  represents 
the  newer  Hall  of  Records.  The  court  house  is  old,  superannuated, 
and  a  large  portion  of  the  structure  is  unfit  for  use,  but  notwith- 
standing this  unique  fact  in  the  history  of  California  counties  two 
bond  propositions  for  the  construction  of  a  new  building  have  been 
voted  down  by  the  people.  However,  the  people  voted  with  no  un- 
certain intent  when  they  voted  the  county  "dry."  One  sturdy 
citizen  remarked:  "If  we  have  no  court  house  and  county  jail,  we 
have  no  whiskey  saloons  to  fill  one  with  litigants  and  the  other 
with  lawbreakers."  Another  of  the  same  moral  caliber  and  along 
the  same  line  said:  "Yolo  county,  working  deeply  in  the  problems  of 
soil  reclamation,  of  irrigation,  may  fittingly  adopt  the  'water- 
wagon'  faith  as  her  official  belief."  And,  in  all,  Yolo  is  on  the 
right  track.  To  bring  her  six  hundred  thousand  arable  acres  up 
to  a  high  standard  of  culture  she  will  tap  the  natural  reservoirs 
in  the  western  hills  and  water  the  plains;  will  drain  off  the  tule 
belt  paralleling  the  Sacramento  on  the  east;  and  in  some  day  the 
fruit  and  garden  tracts  will  lie  unbrokenly  between  the  foothills  and 
the  river.  Steam  roads  are  crossing  Yolo  longitudinally  and  the 
newer  electric  lines  are  cutting  the  county  east  and  west.  Big 
land  tracts  cannot  maintain  themselves  indivisible  when  the  flood- 
ditches  and  the  road-grades  cut  their  areas.  Fourteen  thousand 
five  hundred  may  fairly  estimate  the  present  population  of  Yolo 
(Solano  28,550,  Colusa  7,732),  but  in  the  coming  era  of  smaller 
farms  and  better  methods  of  farming  the  fourteen  thousand  must 
double  to  Solano's  figure.  This  training  of  the  Yolo  agriculturist 
is  the  work  of  the  Farm  College  at  Davis. 

SOME   YOLO   RANCHES 

That  this  country  has  several  sizable  farms  for  future  division 
the  following  figures,  taken  from  the  latest  tax  rolls  showing  acre- 
age and  assessment  of  country  lands,  may  be  offered  as  evidence: 

P.  N.  Ashley,  855  acres,  $30,000.  It  is  safe  to  double  the  as- 
sessment when  seeking  the  market  value.  Baird  Bros.,  1,118  acres. 
Woodland  valley,  $68,000.  Olive  J.  Bandy,  5,894  acres,  $54,620. 
Bullard  Co.,  1,661  acres,  Woodland  valley,  $96,050.     Capay  Valley 


HISTORY   OF   YOLO   COUNTY  65 

Land  Co.,  2,680  acres,  $98,380.  Ellen  W.  Coil,  2,030  acres,  Wood- 
land valley,  $81,550.  C.  J.  Day  Estate,  1,893  acres,  $20,824.  H.  P. 
Eakle,  1,025  acres,  Wood  Prairie,  $46,040.  Forbes  Estate,  8,079 
acres,  Fairview,  $16,700.  H.  H.  Gable  et  al.,  7,800  acres,  $69,700. 
Eliza  Gallup  et  al.,  at  Willow  Slough,  Grafton,  Fairview,  4,662 
acres,  $44,940.  D.  N.  Hershey  Estate,  15,477  acres,  $290,607.  G.  W. 
Hollingsworth,  16,470  acres,  $21,655.  Mrs.  J.  E.  Merritt,  3,605 
acres,  $152,150.  T.  A.  Sparks,  2,341  acres,  $21,045.  A.  W.  Morris, 
1,814  acres,  $91,155.  Sacramento  River  Farms  Co.,  10,283  acres, 
$140,000.  Alice  Tubbs,  5,715  acres,  North  Grafton,  $43,755.  Yolo 
Ranch  Co,  2,055  acres,  Grafton,  $23,055.  Agnes  Bemerly  et  al., 
13,166  acres,  Grafton,  $205,240.  Thomas  Laugenour,  8,448  acres, 
$118,224.  Elizabeth  Richie,  2,349  acres,  $32,490.  Nettle  E.  Vickery, 
4,492  acres.  W.  G.  Duncan,  7,277  acres.  G.  W.  Scott,  12,850  acres, 
Cottonwood,  Gordon,  Fairview,  $111,742.  Matilda  Scott,  795  acres, 
Cottonwood,  $12,385.  Stephens  Agricultural  &  Livestock  Co.,  7,828 
acres,  Guinda  Canyon,  Capay  Valley,  $208,848.  G.  W.  Chapman, 
23,144  acres,  $109,948.  T.  H."  Williams,  6,300  acres,  Merritt.  Glide 
estate,  41,347  acres,  $190,167.  Cowell  estate.  16,950  acres,  $152,850. 
Yolo  Orchard  Co.,  399  acres,  Cacheville,  $48,000. 

A   GBEAT   EARTHEN    WATER    BASIN 

The  valley  of  the  Sacramento  is  an  elongated  vessel,  a  huge 
earthen  basin,  lying  between  eastern  and  western  mountain  sys- 
tems, and  its  greater  diameter  being  north  and  south.  Into  this 
for  ages  countless  and  unrecorded  the  never-failing  winter  rains 
have  fallen,  and  through  its  length,  like  a  great  vent-pipe,  flows  the 
river,  carrying  the  flood  waters  away  to  the  sea.  That  this  grand 
central  llano,  lying  within  its  rims  of  Coast  range  and  Sierra 
Nevada,  is  under  the  warm  southeastern  rain-current  where  it  meets 
the  colder  northwest  winds  is  a  meteorological  fact.  Whether  in 
southern  or  northern  rains,  the  storms  that  drench  the  Pacific  slope 
from  British  Columbia  to  the  latitude  of  Sau  Francisco  come  from 
the  contact  of  polar  and  equatorial  moisture-laden  airs  above 
and  the  peculiar  formation  of  the  mountain  systems  below.  The 
waters  falling  on  the  eastern  slope  of  the  Coast  range  and  the 
western  slope  of  the  Sierras  flow  into  the  Sacramento  and  its  tribu- 
taries. Their  volume  is  too  great  for  the  draining  capacity  of 
these  streams,  hence  the  winter  flooding  of  their  adjacent  territory. 
The  first  white  settlers  along  these  great  runways  saw  them  wasting 
across  their  banks  and  levees  were  built  thereon  and  the  war  with 
the  river  began.  For  years  the  river  won.  Notwithstanding  the 
embankments  raised,  the  floods  broke  through  them  and  an  inland 
sea  covered  the  riparian  lands.  The  immediate  shores  of  the  rivers 
are  naturally  higher  than  the  back  country,  such  being  caused  by 
the  deposit  of  ages,  and  when  the  storm  water  got  on   to   these 


66  HISTORY  OF  YOLO  COUNTY 

lowlands  it  had  a  free  right  of  way  far  and  near.  In  the  earlier 
winters  antedating  the  white  people  the  animal  instinct  of  the 
Indians  led  them  to  camp  above  flood-mark  before  "heap  water 
cover  country  all  up;"  consequently  no  harm  was  done — rather 
the  inundation  leaving  its  sedimentary  deposit  on  the  submerged 
surface  was  a  benefit.  But  to  the  later  settler  who  saw  the  deluge 
roaring  around  and  over  his  house,  destroying  his  livestock  and 
frequently  destroying  human  lives,  the  winters  in  the  Sacramento 
valley  were  horrors.  The  river  became  a  monster  whose  force  and 
fatality  human  ingenuity  could  not  cheek.  If  the  small  levee  sys- 
tem of  that  period  kept  a  winter  floor  in  its  river  it  was  because 
that  winter  was  a  "dry"  one,  but  the  "wet"  seasons  swept  their 
surplus  waters  unobstructed  over  the  country. 

HOW   THE   FLOOD  CAME  DOWN   IN    "  FIFTY " 

The  winter  of  1850  did  not  find  in  Yolo  county  much  to  destroy, 
but  on  the  eastern  shore  of  the  river  it  worked  havoc.  Sacramento 
City  was  large  enough  and  helpless  enough  for  a  flood.  As  is  usual, 
the  citizens  paid  little  attention  to  warnings,  but  rested  in  a  false 
security  until  the  disaster  was  at  their  doors.  The  rains  during 
December  and  January  were  so  heavy  that  there  was  a  slight  ap- 
prehension of  coming  trouble.  The  Sacramento  and  American 
were  rising  rapidly  and  the  back  country  was  becoming  flooded, 
cutting  off  communication  with  the  highlands.  Dr.  John  F.  Morse, 
the  well-known  California  pioneer,  was  practicing  his  profession, 
and  his  accounts  of  the  great  '50  flood  that  swept  the  Sacramento 
valley  and  the  capital  city  are  interesting  as  well  as  authentic. 
The  wave  of  the  deluge  seemed  to  rise  suddenly,  apparently  without 
warning,  so  sure  were  the  people  that  the  town  plat  was  above 
flood  level.  "This  false  assurance,"  says  Dr.  Morse,  "could 
scarcely  be  extinguished  when  the  city  was  absolutely  under  water, 
consequently  when  the  waters  began  to  rush  in  and  overwhelm 
the  place  there  was  no  adequate  means  of  escape  for  life  and 
property.  Many  people  were  drowned,  some  in  their  beds,  some 
in  their  feeble  efforts  to  escape,  and  many  died  from  the  terrible 
exposture  to  which  they  were  subjected.  The  few  boats  belonging 
to  the  shipping  moored  at  the  levees  were  brought  into  immediate 
requisition  in  gathering  up  the  women,  children  and  invalids  that 
were  scattered  over  the  city,  having  sought  safety  on  higher  ground. 
Some  of  these  were  found  in  tents  and  canvas  shacks,  and  others 
in  remote  low  places  were  frequently  found  standing  on  their  beds 
and  other  articles  of  household  furniture  with  the  water  several 
feet  deep  on  the  floor  and  the  flood  still  rising.  The  city  hospital 
was  a  frame  and  canvas  structure  situated  on  very  low  ground, 
and  was  abandoned  by  the  attendants  when  the  water  began  to 
sweep  around  and  through  it.     The  dreadful  cries  of  the  endan- 


HISTORY   OF   YOLO   COUNTY  67 

gered  patients  were  finally  heard  and  rescuing  boats  removed  them 
to  safety." 

A  FURIOUS  TIDAL  WAVE 

The  deluge  did  not  come  in  a  gradual  rising  and  swelling  of 
the  river  waters  over  the  land,  but  in  a  rush  as  of  a  tidal  wave. 
The  back  sloughs,  filled  to  the  brim,  seemed  to  empty  themselves, 
and  the  great  floods,  literally  falling  into  the  city,  violently  tore  up 
the  sidewalks,  demolished  small  buildings,  wrenching  loose  articles 
and  even  heavy  merchandise  away  to  be  carried  out  into  the  roaring 
main  stream  and  south  toward  the  sea.  The  principal  streets  were 
deep,  swiftly  flowing  rivers,  down  which  their  waters  plunged 
loaded  with  drift  consisting  of  houses  and  contents,  store  goods, 
fencing  and,  in  fact,  everything  that  would  float  on  the  surface  of 
the  wild  flood.  Lucky  was  the  householder  whose  home  was  a 
two-story  structure  and  the  building  itself  heavy  enough  to  stand 
the  fierce  wash  of  the  deluge.  Apparently  the  whole  city  for  a  time 
lived  on  their  second  floors  and  let  the  river  occupy  the  lower 
portion  of  the  building. 

WINTER    OF    1852-53 

The  winter  of  1852-53  broke  the  flood  record  of  1849-50,  and  not 
only  Sacramento  City  but  much  of  the  Sacramento  valley  was  inun- 
dated. During  November  the  rains  came  down  and  on  Decem- 
ber 10  the  river  was  over  its  banks  and  filling  the  tule  lands.  The 
riparian  towns  had  thrown  up  levees  to  protect  themselves — all 
gauged  to  the  '50  flood.  By  January  1  at  Sacramento  the  rise  was 
twenty-two  feet  above  low-water  level — about  seventeen  inches 
higher  than  '50  and  a  greater  deluge  was  in  the  streets.  From 
the  Colusa  hills  to  the  Montezuma  hills  in  Solano  the  west  shore 
of  the  Sacramento  river  was  under  water — excepting  the  Indian 
mounds.  These  peculiar  elevations,  lifting  from  the  surrounding 
plain,  were  never  submerged,  and  were  the  refuge  resorts  of  stock 
and  frequently  people  in  the  vicinity  during  the  floods.  At  Knight's 
Landing  the  mound  was  the  winter  town  of  the  place.  A  steamer — 
when  one  could  buck  the  stiff  river  current  from  Sacramento — 
would  land  at  the  base  of  the  mound,  and  by  wading  or  flatboating 
a  short  distance  inland  communication  could  be  had  with  the  in- 
terior of  Yolo  county.  Transportation  and  traffic  in  Sacramento 
City  was  by  water  and  on  New  Year's  Day  of  that  year  the  fes- 
tivities of  the  occasion  brought  into  those  Venetian-like  streets 
every  boat,  raft  or  anything  that  would  float  and  carry  a  passenger. 
All  through  much  of  January  the  water  washed  over  the  lands 
adjacent  to  the  rivers,  but  by  the  last  of  that  month  business  could 
be  renewed  and  by  March  the  lands  were  clear. 

The  next  great  flood  was  1861-2.     The  rains  began  in  Novem- 


68  HISTORY  OF  YOLO  COUNTY 

ber,  and,  according  to  the  Knight's  Landing  News  of  December  7, 
the  river  at  that  time  was  nearly  bank-full.  "Last  week,"  that 
journal  continues,  "while  we  had  cloudy  but  pleasant  weather,  it 
must  have  been  raining  incessantly  in  the  mountains.  The  river 
is  the  only  indication,  however,  we  have  tlras  far  of  much  wet,  as 
our  farmers  are  complaining  of  a  want  of  rain  necessary  for  their 
plowing."  The  days  are  recorded  as  having  been  unusually  warm 
for  two  weeks  previous  to  this  date,  and  it  is  noted  that  the  green 
grass  was  two  inches  high. 

SACRAMENTO  UNDER  THE  DELUGE 

December  10  Sacramento  was  flooded,  and  the  R  street  levee, 
which  was  one  of  the  few  objects  not  submerged,  was  cut  to  empty 
the  city.  So  great  was  the  rush  of  water  through  the  breach  that 
many  buildings  in  the  vicinity  were  torn  from  their  foundations 
and  washed  away.  By  the  14th  a  great  inland  sea  spread  over 
the  plains  on  both  sides  of  the  river.  Large  droves  of  stock  were 
caught  in  the  lowlands  and  lost.  In  numberless  instances  the  ani- 
mals would  take  refuge  on  a  slight  elevation,  where  they  would 
stand  crowded  and  starve  to  death.  Horses  that  had  stood  for 
weeks  in  the  water  were  disabled  and  had  to  be  killed.  On  the 
4th  of  January  the  unkindly  elements,  not  satisfied  with  spreading 
death  and  destruction  wide  over  the  country,  sent  a  cold  spell  and  a 
snowstorm  whitened  the  land,  adding  to  the  wretchedness  of  the 
general  condition.  January  14  the  river  at  Sacramento  was  twenty- 
four  feet  above  low-water  mark,  eighteen  inches  higher  than  ever 
before  known.  The  Knight's  Landing  News  says  of  this  flood: 
"Our  town  is  dry,  being  protected  by  a  temporary  levee  thrown  up 
by  our  citizens,  but  desolation  utterly  reigns  around  us.  The  loss 
to  ranchers  on  the  river  is  immense.  On  the  finely  fenced  lands 
between  here  and  Fremont  all  the  'fencing  is  swept  away,  Messrs. 
McCormick,  Kneeland,  Dawson,  Wilcoxson  and  Sheriff  Gray  being 
the  greatest  sufferers.  They  had  thousands  of  acres  within  fine 
board  fencing  set  up  with  redwood  posts.  Now  all  is  deluged — 
stock  mired  and  starving  in  the  ruined  plains  and  the  lands  made 
a  waste.  Our  town  is  filled  to  overflowing  with  outside  families 
driven  from  their  homes  above  and  below  here  on  the  river,  until 
not  a  spare  room  can  be  had  in  the  place,  and  the  end  is  not 
yet.  Still  it  rains,  pours  rain,  unceasingly,  no  matter  how  the  winds 
blow — north,  south,  east  or  west.  Heretofore  all  our  rain  came 
from  the  ocean  by  a  south  wind,  but  this  year  two  of  our  heaviest 
and  longest  storms  came  chillingly  from  the  north,  proving  true 
the  old  adage,  'All  signs  fail  in  a  wet  time.'  Toward  Cacheville 
and  in  the  Cache  creek  district  the  floods  have  been  also  severe. 
W.  G.  Hunt  had  a  thousand  head  of  fine  sheep  swept  away  and 
drowned  and  the  losses  in  that  valley  are  so  numerous  they  cannot 
be  specified." 


HISTORY   OF   YOLO   COUNTY  69 

The  Sacramento  Union  of  that  period  says:  "We  have  been 
informed  by  George  H.  Swingle,  who  is  here  from  the  sink  of  Putah 
creek,  that  the  flood  has  been  very  severe  between  that  point  and 
Sacramento,  covering  a  distance  of  nine  miles.  A  great  number  of 
buildings  have  been  washed  away,  among  which  are  the  well-known 
Tule  House  and  Miner  House,  and  over  their  sites  are  flowing 
about  ten  feet  of  water.  There  is  nothing  to  indicate  the  location 
of  the  ranches  around  the  sink  of  the  Putah  but  one  solitary  wind- 
mill. Mr.  Swingle  says  that  for  three  days  he  saw  houses,  many 
of  tbem  fine  one  and  one-half  story  edifices,  passing  down  on  the 
flood  from  the  north.  No  estimate  can  be  placed  on  the  livestock 
lost.  To  show  the  depth  of  water  on  these  plains  it  is  only  neces- 
sary to  state  that  a  sloop  sailed  from  Washington  to  Yolo  City 
last  Wednesday.  Mike  Bryte  lost  on  Saturday  last  by  the  freshet 
150  head  of  cattle,  of  which  85  were  milch  cows.  He  lost  about 
100  head  a  month  ago. 

"The  steamers  and  other  vessels  on  the  river  are  constantly 
answering  calls  for  help  from  endangered  people  on  the  shores 
and  large  numbers  have  been  rescued.  Frequently  the  small  boats 
would  go  some  distance  over  the  submerged  lands  before  the  res- 
cuers would  find  and  save  the  castaways  from  their  tottering 
buildings  or  where  they  had  taken  a  temporary  refuge." 

THE    HIGH    WATER    CAME    EAELY 

During  1867  and  1868  the  valley  got  a  re-drenching.  As  early 
as  May,  1867,  the  piled-up  snow  in  the  mountains  melted  under  the 
warm  showers  and  the  plain-streams  were  soon  running'  bank-full. 
Considerable  levee  work  had  been  done,  especially  in  District  No. 
18,  and  most  of  this  went  out  with  the  flood.  The  American  river 
plunged  across  the  Sacramento,  broke  the  levee  on  the  west  bank 
north  of  Washington  and  filled  up  the  Yolo  tule  basin.  As  usual, 
large  droves  of  stock  were  caught  in  the  lowlands  and  perished, 
frequently  while  swimming  becoming  entangled  in  barbed  wire 
fencing.  The  summer  finally  ended  this  flood,  but  in  December 
another  was  due  and  came,  bringing  the  same  brand  of  destruc- 
tion. The  rains  were  accompanied  by  heavy  windstorms  which 
backed  the  high  waters  into  places  which  under  other  conditions 
might  have  escaped  the  deluge.  These  gales  also  prevented  rescues 
and  made  boating  on  the  flood  as  difficult  as  navigation  on  the  surf 
of  an  ocean  beach.  The  Tule  House,  which  had  been  rebuilt  and 
securely  fastened  to  its  foundations  behind  strong  levees,  stood 
firmly,  but  through  the  broken  levees  the  water  stood  eight  feet  on 
the  lower  floor  of  the  building.  By  the  middle  of  January,  1868, 
a  passenger  could  quite  comfortably  make  daily  boat  trips  from 
Sacramento  to  within  three  miles  of  Woodland. 


70  HISTORY  OF  YOLO  COUNTY 

BOATING  OVER  THE  YOLO  PLAINS 

The  great  storm  of  January  15,  1878,  came  down  like  a  wolf 
in  the  fold.  Until  that  date  the  rains  had  been  holding  off  and 
the  farmers  were  sadly  anticipating  the  disaster  of  another  dry 
year.  But  a  continuous  three-day  storm  changed  the  aspect  of 
current  things.  All  the  streams  went  over  their  banks,  washing 
bridges  away  and  destroying  everything  on  their  shores.  The  west 
side  of  Sacramento  seemed  to  get  most  of  this  storm,  and  Yolo 
county  got  a  wetting  down  that  washed  away  all  fear  of  a  dry  year. 
The  fiood~waters  in  Colusa  county  came  down  into  Reclamation 
District  108,  filling  that  basin  and  threatening  Knight's  Landing. 
The  river  levees  were  cut  to  turn  the  surplus  water  back  into  the 
stream,  but  a  portion  of  the  town  was  flooded.  The  levee  breaks 
on  the  Yolo  side  of  the  river  relieved  that  overburdened  stream 
of  its  winter  water  and  saved  the  capital  city,  but  it  was  hard  on 
the  "Tuleites." 

WORK    OF    RECLAMATION    AND    IRRIGATION 

The  foregoing  pages  devoted  to  the  winter  floods  of  the  great 
valley  really  tell  little  of  the  havoc  spread  by  the  deluge  over  the 
land  on  both  shores  of  the  Sacramento,  from  Colusa  to  Suisun  bay, 
before  the  levees  and  canals  began  to  protect  the  flood-menaced 
plains.  From  season  to  season  it  was  a  recurring  tragedy.  Con- 
gress in  1850  conveyed  to  the  state  of  California  all  the  swamp  or 
overflowed  land,  unfit  for  cultivation,  that  was  within  her  limits, 
but  nothing  was  done  with  these  great  tracts  until  1861.  Then 
a  Board  of  Reclamation  Commissioners  was  created  by  a  legislative 
act,  consisting  of  A.  M.  Winn  of  Sutter,  president ;  J.  C.  Pemberton 
of  Tulare;  W.  J.  Hooten  of  Solano;  B.  B.  Redding  of  Sacramento, 
and  T.  T.  Boulden  of  San  Joaquin.  The  board,  with  a  large  force 
of  civil  engineers,  worked  steadily  for  two  years  and  laid  out  about 
thirty  reclamation  districts.  Among  them  was  No.  18,  extending 
from  Knight's  Landing  to  Cache  slough,  containing  about  160,000 
acres  of  land.  In  1863  levee  building  along  the  Yolo  bank  of  the 
river  began  in  earnest,  and  the  work  went  on  till  1867,  the  farmers 
over  whose  land  the  embankment  passed  performing  the  labor  by 
contract.  But  the  flood  of  1867-68  struck  the  new,  soft  structure 
and  most  of  it  went  out  in  a  deposit  over  the  submerged  lands. 
In  1864  a  drain  canal  through  the  center  of  tule  marshes  had  been 
dug,  James  Moore  excavating  twelve  miles  of  the  ditch,  and  for 
which  he  received  $18,000.  This  system  of  canal  and  levee  was 
abandoned  and  the  board  abolished  in  1866.  It  cost  Yolo  county 
$213,797  and  was  found  to  be  impracticable. 

In  1869  Charles  F.  Reed  of  Knight's  Landing  organized  the 
Sacramento  Valley  Reclamation  Company  for  the  purpose  of  apply- 
ing a  system  of  reclamation  to  the  tule  countrv  west  of  the  Sacra- 


HISTORY   OF   YOLO   COUNTY  71 

mento,  north  of  Knight's  Landing  and  extending  up  into  Colusa 
count}',  embracing  an  area  of  almost  75,000  acres.  Among  its 
promoters  were  such  well-known  capitalists  as  W.  C.  Ralston,  L.  A. 
Garnett,  A.  H.  Rose  and  William  Blanding.  Then  was  organized 
Reclamation  District  108,  with  Messrs.  Reed,  Rose  and  Garnett, 
trustees,  about  41,000  acres  in  Yolo  and  34,000  acres  in  Colusa. 
Levees  were  built  from  Knight's  Landing  to  Colusa  City,  the  first 
year  the  construction  being  completed  to  Upper  Sycamore  slough, 
a  distance  of  thirty-eight  and  one-half  miles,  costing  $450,000.  At 
this  terminus  a  channel  was  cut  from  the  river  to  the  tule  basin 
by  which  the  water  when  high  could  flow  thereinto,  and  at  the 
south  end  of  the  district,  near  Knight's  Landing,  another  channel 
let  this  water  back  into  the  river  when  that  stream  was  low  or 
over  the  tide  lands  during  high  water.  The  levee  system  of  course 
controlled  this  inlet  and  outlet  and  the  necessary  bulkheads  cost 
$12,000  and  $15,000,  respectively.  In  1879  the  late  Dr.  Hugh  J. 
Glenn  completed  the  levee  across  his  great  ranch,  making  eighty 
continuous  miles  of  embankment  from  Knight's  Landing  to  a  point 
seven  miles  above  Princeton,  completing  the  reclamation  of  Dis- 
trict No.  108. 

LEVEEING  THE  RIVER  BANKS 

The  board  of  supervisors  in  1870  formed  Swamp  Land  District 
No.  150,  enclosing  Merritt's  Island  and  tule  lands  in  that  vicinity. 
In  1877  District  307  was  organized.  This  territory  lies  between 
Merritt  Island  and  Babel  slough  and  contains  about  6,000  acres  of 
swamp  land.  For  years  the  work  of  solving  the  flood  problem 
of  the  Yolo  basin  has  gone  on,  scientifically  and  successfully. 
Levees  to  hold  the  river  waters  within  their  lawful  channels  and 
canals  to  drain  the  seepage  from  the  lowlands  of  the  basin  have 
been  the  dream  of  the  land  owners  of  the  great  valley  since  the 
first  winter  flood  swept  over  their  homes.  As  the  big  river,  dredged 
and  cleared,  washes  its  own  free  channel  to  the  sea,  the  levees  on 
its  banks  will  control  that  surplus,  but  the  back  tule-marsh  lands, 
slightly  lower  than  the  river-bank  lands,  will  always  be  the  catch-all 
from  the  Coast  range  on  the  west.  Hence  they  dream  of  the  time 
when  drainage  ditches  will  relieve  the  basin  of  its  winter  waters. 

DREAM    OF    THE    YOLO    RANCHER 

Another  dream  of  the  Yolo  agriculturist  is  the  compounding, 
the  conserving  of  this  drainage  from  Coast  range  on  their  west. 
Up  in  these  mountains  is  Clear  Lake,  its  mean  level  1,325  feet  above 
the  surface  of  the  sea,  twenty  miles  long,  seven  miles  wide,  from 
thirty-five  to  fifty  feet  deep,  and  it  drains  an  area  of  about  417 
square  miles.  The  only  known  outlet  to  this  splendid  natural  res- 
ervoir is  Cache  creek,  and  year  after  year  a  continuous  flow  of 


1-1  HISTORY  OF  YOLO  COUNTY 

fresh  water  comes  down  that  natural  canal  to  be  used  for  irrigation 
or  to  be  wasted  in  the  Cache  sinks  at  the  edge  of  the  tule  belt. 
For  years  this  useful  stream  has  supplied  limited  water  for  irri- 
gation, but  a  plan  is  being  perfected,  inaugurated,  by  which  Clear 
Lake  will  be  made  to  distribute  its  water  where  it  will  do  the  most 
good.  A  dam  at  the  lake  outlet  to  control  the  water  without  need- 
less waste  or  without  lowering  the  lake  level  to  the  inconvenience 
or  injury  of  people  living  on  its  shore  will  be  constriieted,  and  a 
system  of  canals  tapping  the  creek  as  it  approaches  the  plain  com- 
pletes the  work.  At  this  writing  the  dams  and  other  work  on  the 
creek  are  being  finished  and  the  work  on  the  lake  will  be  inaugu- 
rated as  soon  as  the  rights  of  way  have  been  obtained.  The  Yolo 
Water  and  Power  Company,  as  the  corporation  is  called,  com- 
prises a  syndicate  of  New  York  and  London  capitalists.  It  pro- 
poses to  be  able  from  its  stored  water  to  effectively  irrigate  at  all 
seasons  of  the  year  200,000  acres  of  land.  And  as  for  power — 
Cache  creek  soon  after  leaving  Clear  lake  strikes  a  lively  gait,  and 
for  twenty-five  miles  it  falls  down  its  canyon  thirty  feet  to  the 
mile.  When  it  leaves  the  canyon  it  enters  Capay  valley,  where 
its  irrigating  labors  will  begin.  Some  idea  of  the  value  and  im- 
portance of  this  enterprise  may  be  formed  when  it  is  remembered 
that  government  engineers  have  reported  that  the  topographical, 
physical  and  hydrographical  conditions  are  such  that  a  more  eco- 
nomic, comprehensive  and  profitable  system  of  irrigation  can  be 
developed  for  Yolo  county  than  for  any  other  locality  on  the  Pacific 
coast. 


HISTORY   OF   YOLO   COUNTY  73 

CHAPTER  XVIII 
COMMERCIAL  HISTORY   OF  YOLO   COUNTY 
By  C.  W.  Bush 

The  commercial  history  of  Yolo  county  practically  began  in 
the  year  1869.  There  were  two  events  in  the  preceding  autumn 
which  gave  impetus  to  commercial  activities :  the  incorporation  of 
the  Bank  of  Woodland  (the  first  bank  organized  in  the  county) 
and  the  beginning  of  the  first  railroad.  The  track  was  laid  from 
Vallejo  to  Sacramento  at  this  time,  and  during  the  early  months 
of  1869  a  branch  was  built  from  Davis  to  Woodland.  The  writer 
well  remembers  his  trip  up  from  Vallejo  in  the  spring  of  1869, 
which  consumed  a  good  part  of  the  day  over  unballasted  rails,  his 
overnight  at  Davis  and  ride  in  a  mud  wagon  to  Woodland  the  fol- 
lowing morning. 

Yolo  county  was  really  isolated  from  communication  with  the 
outside  world.  But  with  the  completion  of  these  roads  conditions 
rapidly  changed.  Soon  afterward  a  connecting  road  was  projected, 
through  the  instrumentality  largely  of  N.  D.  Rideout,  a  pioneer 
capitalist  of  the  Sacramento  valley,  connecting  Woodland  with  the 
city  of  Marysville.  The  construction  of  this  road  required  the  ex- 
penditure of  a  large  sum  of  money,  as  it  was  necessary  to  cross 
many  miles  of  the  overflow  lands,  and  trestles  had  to  be  built 
covering  this  portion  of  the  construction.  The  scheme  was  financed 
with  great  difficulty.  The  construction  was  necessarily  cheapened, 
and  during  many  of  the  winter  months  the  road  was  not  in  use, 
owing  to  the  insecurity  of  the  trestles.  Subsequently  it  was  taken 
over  by  the  Southern  Pacific  Company  at  considerable  profit  to  the 
original  builders. 

A  few  years  later  another  road  was  constructed,  tapping  the 
main  line  at  the  town  of  Elmira  in  Solano  county  and  extending 
up  through  the  Vaca  and  Pleasant  valleys  in  said  county  to  the 
town  of  Winters  in  Yolo  county,  thence  along  the  foothills  and  up 
to  the  head  of  the  Capay.  valley  in  western  Yolo.  Many  tribulations 
followed  the  erection  of  this  road,  as  the  projectors  were  without 
means  and  depended  upon  the  land  owners  for  financial  assistance. 
George  W.  Scott  furnished  teams,  graders  and  men  to  grade  the 
road  from  Winters  to  Madison  and  subsequently  paid  a  debt  of 
many  thousands  of  dollars,  for  which  he  became  liable  as  endorser. 
Mr.  Scott  died  recently,  honored  by  all  who  knew  him,  the  possessor 
of  a  large  estate.  To  the  writer's  knowledge,  this  was  his  last  ex- 
perience as  an  endorser.    He  was  liberal  to  a  fault,  and  many  times 


74  HISTORY  OF  YOLO  COUNTY 

subsequently  loaned  money  directly  to  people  desiring  assistance, 
rather  than  endorse  their  notes. 

If  the  building  of  the  road  was  a  calamity  for  several  indi- 
viduals, there  is  no  doubt  of  the  benefit  it  proved  to  be  to  the  county 
at  large,  as  it  opened  a  market  for  all  of  the  western  portion  of  the 
county  south  of  Cache  creek.  Prior  to  the  construction  of  these 
roads  the  Sacramento  river  supplied  the  only  means  by  wbich  out- 
side markets  could  be  reached.  Knight's  Landing  was  the  most 
accessible  shipping  point,  yet  there  was  a  good  deal  of  team  freight- 
ing during  the  dry  season  across  the  lowlands  lying  between  Wood- 
land and  the  city  of  Sacramento.  It  was  quite  customary  to  take 
to  Sacramento  a  wagonload  of  produce  and  return  with  merchandise 
for  household  use.  A  very  large  proportion  of  all  the  merchandise 
was  purchased  in  Sacramento,  to  the  injury  of  local  merchants. 

Knight's  Landing  became  an  important  shipping  point  for  all 
kinds  of  produce,  yet,  considering  the  possibilities  of  production, 
the  totals  were  small.  Farming  was  in  its  infancy.  For  many 
years  the  country  was  given  over  to  grazing.  The  first  trekers 
with  their  prairie  schooners  and  small  bands  of  stock  were  attracted 
by  the  extensive  growth  of  wild  oats  all  through  the  valley,  suffi- 
cient to  furnish  inexhaustible  feed.  They  pitched  their  tents  and 
herded  their  stock  and  drove  their  beef  cattle  to  Sacramento  for 
marketing.  Titles  were  gradually  acquired  by  pre-emption,  use  of 
script  and  through  Spanish  grants.  Many  thousands  of  acres 
of  the  best  lands  along  the  water  courses  had  been  granted  by 
Spain  and  Mexico.  On  Cache  creek  were  the  Harbin,  Gordon  and 
Hardy  grants ;  on  Putah  creek  was  the  grant  Jesus  Maria.  William 
Gordon,  the  grantee,  was  probably  the  earliest  settler  in  Yolo  county, 
although  the  Wolfskills,  who  held  under  the  Jesus  Maria  grant, 
might  dispute  this  statement.  The  Hardy  grant  was  long  in  liti- 
gation. The  holders  were  contesting  alleged  claims  of  non-resident 
heirs,  but  eventually  won  out  in  the  courts.  The  population  was 
necessarily  sparse  and  scattered. 

In  1868  the  lands  under  cultivation  were  quite  generally 
planted  to  wheat.  The  virgin  soil  yielded  abundantly,  and  the 
prices  paid  were  good.  With  stock  fattened  on  free  range  and 
crops  realized,  the  early  settlers'  prosperity  was  exceptional,  as 
is  proven  that  they  lived  and  gradually  increased  their  holdings 
while  they  were  paying  for  the  use  of  money,  interest  ranging  in 
rate  from  fifteen  per  cent  to  twenty-four  per  cent  per  annum. 

During  the  Spanish  possession  about  the  adobe  homes  small 
vineyards  had  been  planted  of  what  were  known  as  Mission  grapes. 
These  grapes  had  no  marketable  value,  but  were  for  home  consump- 
tion and  the  manufacture  of  a  heavy,  sweet  wine.  These  vineyards 
during  the  dry  season  offered  the  only  relief  to  the  broad  plains 
of  yellowing  grain  and  grasses.     Farming  was  extravagantly  con- 


HISTORY   OF   YOLO   COUNTY  75 

ducted.  Ground  was  carelessly  broken  and  crops  carelessly  gath- 
ered. Machinery  stood  in  the  field  neglected  and  exposed  from  one 
season  to  another.  A  quite  uniform  custom  was  to  gather  two 
crops  from  one  plowing.  The  second  was  known  as  a  volunteer 
crop  and  often  yielded  abundantly  from  the  grain  wasted  at  the 
previous  harvesting.  Principally  to  meet  local  requirements,  in 
due  time  an  occasional  flour  mill  was  erected;  the  earliest,  I  believe, 
were  at  Woodland,  Yolo  (the  former  county  seat),  and  at  Madison. 
These  mills  were  never  profitable  as  investments.  The  Woodland 
and  Madison  mills  were  in  time  destroyed  by  fire.  The  Yolo  mill 
is  yet  standing,  but  for  many  years  has  been  out  of  commission. 
Steam  was  the  only  possible  available  power  for  grinding,  and  the 
heavy  cost  for  transportation  made  it  impossible  to  compete  with 
mills  at  Sacramento  and  other  river  points.  These  conditions  have 
continued  to  hamper  the  growth  of  Yolo  county  until  within  very 
recent  times.  Now,  with  sufficient  electric  power  and  reduced  trans- 
portation rates,  through  competition,  Woodland  is  making;  good  in 
manufacturing,  as  is  proven  by  the  success  of  its  large  flouring 
mills,  which  are  conducting  a  profitable  business  aggregating  in 
volume  $50,000  per  month  from  their  output. 

With  the  opening  of  the  first  railroad  mentioned  quite  an 
impetus  was  given  to  business  and  to  grain  raising.  A  strong 
market  for  grain  was  immediately  developed.  At  the  time  a  very 
large  proportion  of  wheat  was  taken  from  San  Francisco  to  Liver- 
pool in  sailing  vessels.  During  the  harvest  time  San  Francisco  bay 
was  filled  with  vessels  awaiting  cargo -charters,  and  at  times  the 
competition  between  vessel  owners  was  very  sharp.  Charters  were 
bartered  on  the  exchange,  and  often  big  profits  were  realized  by 
speculators.  The  ])rices  to  be  paid  for  ,a;rain  were  largely  deter- 
mined by  the  price  paid  for  the  charter.  When  the  ship  was  loaded 
it  was  quite  the  custom  to  sell  the  cargo  before  it  was  cleared; 
very  often  it  was  sold  when  afloat,  prior  to  its  arrival  at  destina- 
tion. Generally  payment  was  made  by  a  ninety-day  bill  drawn 
against  the  consignee.  The  banks  realized  a  profitable  business 
discounting  these  bills  for  the  cargo  sellers,  thereby  furnishing 
them  capital  for  new  ventures.  There  was  an  undoubted  element 
of  chance  in  the  purchase  of  cargoes,  as  the  market  was  bound  to 
fluctuate  between  the  time  of  selling  and  marketing.  I  have  in 
mind  one  local  speculator  who  practically  bankrupted  himself  by 
floating  cargoes  and  speculating  on  the  price  to  be  realized  at  time 
of  arrival  at  destination. 

There  were  many  grain  brokers  in  San  Francisco,  and  they 
established  purchasing  agencies  at  all  points  in  the  interior  where 
grain  was  marketed.  When  tonnage  was  plenty  and  charters  were 
low  the  rivalry  between  these  men  was  very  keen,  often  the  price 
of  wheat  was  forced  up  $4  or  $5  per  ton  within  a  few  days.     The 


76  HISTORY  OF  YOLO  COUNTY 


ere  chartered  and  unless  immediately  loaded  there  was  a 
heavy  demurrage  charge  imposed  at  the  docks. 

With  an  active  demand,  the  temptation  of  the  producer  was  to 
hold  his  grain.  To  speculate  is  a  characteristic  of  the  Californian. 
The  habit  was  undoubtedly  formed  during  the  time  of  intense  ex- 
citement when  such  great  fortunes  were  won  and  lost  in  mines. 
Mr.  Friedlander  was  the  king  of  all  grain  operators  in  this  day, 
and  many  farmers  were  indebted  to  him  for  prices  paid  in  advance 
of  the  market.  He  had  a  perfectly  organized  connection  with  all 
parts  of  the  state  and  handled  a  large  proportion  of  the  grain 
raised. 

Among  the  pioneer  agents  in  Yolo  county  were  Frank  S.  Free- 
man of  Woodland,  Laugenour  and  Brownell  of  Knight's  Landing 
and  William  Dresbach  of  Davisville.  The  latter  achieved  fame 
and  reaped  disaster  from  his  attempt,  assisted  by  San  Francisco 
capital,  to  corner  the  wheat  market  in  California.  The  losses  were 
enormous,  but  the  money  lost  was  distributed  among  the  farmers,  to 
whom  he  paid  prices  for  grain  away  beyond  what  the  market 
would  justify.  Laugenour  and  Brownell  were  advantageously 
situated  at  Knight's  Landing,  on  the  banks  of  the  Sacramento  river, 
from  which  point  grain  was  shipped  to  tidewater  on  immense 
barges  in  tow  of  steamboats,  at  a  much  reduced  freight  rate.  All 
of  these  men  had  warehouses  for  the  storage  of  grain,  from  which 
they  realized  handsome  profits.  While  a  good  proportion  of 
grain  was  stored  in  these  local  warehouses,  a  large  quantity  was 
shipped  for  storage  to  tidewater.  There  were  certain  advantages. 
These  houses  were  generally  recognized  by  the  grain  exchange. 
When  stored  the  grain  was  graded,  and  the  storage  receipts  of  the 
better  quality  passed  in  the  stock  exchange.  ■  Then  the  grain  was 
on  hand  for  immediate  shipment,  and  it  was  well  known  that  the 
moist  coast  atmosphere  increased  the  weight. 

In  active  times  great  difficulty  was  realized  in  obtaining  cars 
for  shipment  from  the  interior.  At  such  times  there  was  no 
market  for  grain  stored  in  the  interior.  Since  the  robbing  of  the 
warehouses  several  years  ago  of  grain  stored  from  the  interior 
by  the  Eppingers  at  Port  Costa  but  little  grain  has  been  sent  to 
the  coast  for  storage. 

Yolo  county  was  at  the  time  a  distinctively  grain-raising  sec- 
tion and  profited  greatly.  Money  began  to  accumulate,  and  most  of 
it  was  sent  to  Sacramento  banks.  Some  of  it  was  deposited  with 
merchants.  Laugenour  and  Brownell  of  Knight's  Landing  and  F. 
S.  Freeman  especially  can  be  called  to  mind  as  custodians  of  quite 
large  amounts  from  time  to  time.  The  necessity  arose  for  a  local 
bank.  The  first  steps  were  taken  by  John  D.  Stephens,  a  pioneer 
settler  on  the  Gordon  grant,  who  with  his  brother  owned  large 
tracts  of  land.     Stock  to  the  amount  of  $100,000  was  easily  sub- 


HISTORY   OF   YOLO   COUNTY  77 

scribed,  and  immediately  following,  in  November,  1868,  the  Bank 
of  Woodland  was  chartered.  In  the  February  following  its  doors 
were  opened  for  business.  This  bank  is  yet  in  existence;  from 
time  to  time  to  meet  increased  business  requirements  its  capital  has 
been  increased.  At  this  date  it  has  a  paid-up  capital  of  $1,000,000 
and  an  accumulated  ■  reserve  of  $250,000.  Mr.  Stephens  was 
elected  its  president  and  F.  S.  Freeman  its  vice-president.  The 
latter  immediately  transferred  his  business  to  the  bank  and  re- 
mained a  valuable  customer  to  the  time  of  his  death.  His  memory 
is  treasured  by  many  of  the  old  settlers.  He  carried  in  his  store 
everything  required  by  the  farmers,  from  grain  bags  to  machinery, 
and  it  was  not  uncommon  for  him  to  carry  debit  balances  from 
year  to  year  to  protect  his  customers  from  failure,  often  to  his  own 
disadvantage,  as  his  personal  fortune  was  moderate.  For  fourteen 
years  the  Bank  of  Woodland  was  without  opposition  and  prospered 
greatly.  With  increased  demand  for  grain,  local  brokerages  multi- 
plied; Messrs.  Laugenour  and  Brownell  removed  to  Woodland.  Mr. 
Brownell  became  associated  with  A.  J.  Hall  and  C.  T.  Bidwell  in  the 
grain  business.  Mr.  Laugenour  opened  a  loan  office  for  the  employ- 
ment of  his  own  fortune.  C.  S.  Thomas,  formerly  of  Knight's  Land- 
ing, associated  himself  with  W.  G.  Hunt  of  Woodland. 

Notwithstanding  the  fertility  of  its  soil,  the  development  of 
the  county  was  very  slow  and  from  one  decade  to  another  there 
was  no  appreciable  increase  in  population.  Lands  were  farmed  in 
large  tracts,  and  the  policy  of  the  owner  was  to  buy  out  the  hold- 
ings of  his  neighbor  rather  than  to  sell.  In  time  the  old  vineyards 
of  Mission  grapes  began  to  disappear.  They  were  supplanted  by 
many  imported  varieties,  which  had  value  for  shipment  and  drying, 
and  many  vineyards-  were  planted  to  grapes  suitable  for  wine.  It 
may  truthfully  be  said  that  in  this  industry  R.  B.  Blowers  was  the 
pioneer,  and  by  his  knowledge  and  advice,  freely  given,  added 
greatly  to  its  development.  Mr.  Blowers  is  said  to  be  the  pioneer 
raisin  maker  in  California.  His  muscat  raisins  brought  a  gold 
medal  at  the  Centennial  exposition  in  Philadelphia  in  1876.  On 
his  place  he  dug  large  wells,  which  demonstrated  the  fact  that  there 
is  underlying  the  surface  of  this  section  an  inexhaustible  supply  of 
pure  water. 

The  county  also  became  known  as  a  section  peculiarly  adapted 
to  the  raising  of  livestock.  In  different  lines  of  this  industry  Yolo 
county  men  have  achieved  national  reputations.  This  became  and 
continues  to  be  an  extensive  and  profitable  pursuit.  Frank  Bullars 
was  the  pioneer  in  fine  sheep  raising.  Long  since  deceased,  his 
sons  are  now  conducting  the  business.  William  B.  Gibson  was  the 
shorthorn  cattle  man;  he,  too,  has  departed  this  life,  but  his  son, 
T.  B.  Gibson,  accumulates  each  year  a  string  of  prizes  captured 
at  various  stock  exhibits.    George  W.  Woodard  was  the  horse  man 


78  HISTORY  OF  YOLO  COUNTY 

Horses  bred  by  him  have  made  reputations  in  all  parts  of  the  coun- 
try. Dr.  H.  P.  Merritt  dealt  in  and  reared  mules  and  jackasses 
and  accumulated  a  large  estate. 

Among  the  most  notable  of  local  business  men  was  A.  D.  Por- 
ter— undoubtedly  the  most  public  spirited  resident  of  Woodland. 
For  many  years  he  conducted  a  profitable  grocery  business,  and  as 
his  fortune  accumulated  he  invested  large  portions  of  it  in  Wood- 
land property;  he  is  recognized  as  the  largest  property  owner 
in  the  city.  In  the  year  1883  he  conceived  the  idea  that  another 
bank  was  needed.  His  idea  was  that  it  should  become  a  popular 
institution,  and  he  started  out  with  the  determination  that  stock 
should  be  subscribed  in  every  section  of  the  county  and  that  no 
single  subscriber  should  be  allowed  more  than  $10,000  of  stock. 
Three  hundred  thousand  dollars  was  subscribed  within  a  short 
time.  The  bank  was  immediately  incorporated  under  the  name 
of  the  Bank  of  Yolo  and  opened  for  business  May  31,  1883. 
Dr.  H.  P.  Merritt  was  elected  president  and  W.  W.  Brownell  vice- 
president.  In  due  time,  with  his  indomitable  energy,  Mr.  Porter 
organized  the  first  savings  bank  in  the  county,  known  as  the  Yolo 
County  Savings  Bank,  in  which  institution  he  accepted  the  position 
of  president.  The  bank  now  has  upwards  of  $1,000,000  of  deposits. 
In  1893  the  Farmers'  and  Merchants'  Bank  was  organized,  princi- 
pally through  the  eiiergy  of  Hon.  M.  Diggs,  Hon.  R.  H.  Beamer  and 
Dr.  George  H.  Jackson.  This  institution  was  afterward  reincorpo- 
rated under  the  national  system  as  the  First  National  Bank  of 
Woodland,  and  it  maintains  under  the  same  management  the  Home 
Savings  Bank. 

Like  all  new  countries,  all  new  enterprises  developed  slowly 
in  Yolo  county.  It  required  years  of  infinite  patience  to  make  the 
raisin  industry  profitable ;  markets  had  to  be  sought  and  estab- 
lished. For  a  time  raisins  hardly  paid  for  the  packing.  There 
were  instances  where  producers  went  east  with  their  stock  and 
peddled  them  out.  Alfalfa  hay,  too,  at  times  hardly  paid  for  the 
cutting.  But  as  the  quantity  of  stock  increased  and  creameries 
were  established  and  alfalfa  meal  mills  were  erected,  the  demand 
became,  and  is  now,  great.  For  several  years  it  has  been  one  of 
the  most  profitable  crops. 

As  fruit  and  alfalfa  raising  began  to  be  profitable  there  sprang 
up  a  demand  for  small  tracts  of  land  at  increased  prices — prices 
wl i ieh  tempted  the  owners  to  sell.  In  all  parts  of  the  county  one 
can  now  find  comfortable  homes  on  small  tracts  of  intensely  culti- 
vated lands.  The  owners  are  thriving  because  the  cultivation  has 
become  diversified.  During  the  wheat  era  the  land  owner  had 
money  only  once  a  year,  when  his  grain  was  sold.  Now  there  is  a 
continual  stream  of  money  coming  to  him.  Twice  a  month  he  draws 
his    creamery    check.      The    Woodland    creamerv  alone  distributes 


HISTORY   OF   YOLO   COUNTY  79 

$125,000  each  year  to  the  dairymen,  and  there  are  several  com- 
peting creameries.  The  land  owner  also  has  proceeds  from  eggs 
and  chickens  and  hogs  sold,  besides  the  five  crops  of  alfalfa  cut 
each  year  from  his  hay  field  under  irrigation. 

Referring  to  irrigation,  James  Moore  was  the  pioneer  irrigator 
in  the  county.  He  was  a  man  of  great  determination  and  tenacity 
of  purpose.  He  secured  water  rights  on  Cache  creek  and  erected 
and  maintained  ditches  for  irrigation  to  the  limit  of  his  means. 
For  years  he  was  litigating  with  claimants  above  him  on  Cache 
creek,  but  finally  obtained  his  undisputed  titles.  After  his  death 
his  interests  were  sold  to  a  corporation  known  as  the  Yolo  County 
Consolidated  Water  Company,  which  company  has  in  turn  sold  to 
others  of  sufficient  capital  to  make  this  one  of  the  finest  irrigating 
systems  in  the  country.  I  say  this  advisedly,  because  the  Cache 
creek  possibilities  for  irrigation  have  been  pronounced  by  govern- 
ment experts  to  be  the  most  satisfactory  of  any  in  the  west.  This 
creek  has  its  source  in  the  large  body  of  water  in  Lake  county 
known  as  Clear  Lake.  The  creek  divides  the  county  into  two  nearly 
equal  parts  and  the  lands  slope  from  the  creek  to  the  north  and 
south,  making  it  possible  to  irrigate  nearly  every  portion  of  the 
county  east  of  the  foothills,  and  much  of  it  lying  in  the  valley  of 
the  mountains.  The  creek  furnishes  water  for  irrigating  each 
year  until  July  1,  independently  of  dams;  at  this  time  the  new 
company  is  erecting  a  large  concrete  restraining  dam  which  will 
furnish  water  at  any  season  of  the  year.  In  addition  it  is  generally 
understood  to  be  the  intention  to  furnish  water  for  power. 

There  are  now  in  Woodland  six  banks  including  a  savings 
bank  recently  inaugurated  by  the  Bank  of  Yolo. 

The  following  is  a  condensed  summary  taken  from  the  sworn 
reports  under  date  of  August  14,  1912 :  Capital  stock  fully  paid, 
$2,602,100;  reserve  fund,  $573,025;  deposits,  $3,682,741;  total  of 
capital  and  reserve  and  deposits,  $6,857,766. 

The  population  of  the  city  is  probably  a  scant  four  thousand. 
The  banks  will  therefore  be  holding  in  money  an  amount  equal  to 
$1700  for  each  inhabitant.  In  the  town  of  Winters,  in  the  south- 
western portion  of  the  county,  there  are  two  banks,  and  in  the 
town  of  Davis  is  a  branch  of  the  Bank  of  Yolo. 

Davis  has  recently  come  into  public  notice  as  the  site  for  the 
State  Agricultural  School.  A  commission  after  inspecting  lands  in 
different  sections  decided  upon  the  location  at  Davis.  It  is  an  ex- 
ceptionally fine  body  of  land.  Fertility  of  the  land  considered, 
and  climatic  conditions,  the  judgment  of  experts  is  that  this  will 
become  one  of  the  best  schools  in  the  country.  At  this  session 
there  are  enrolled  one  hundred  and  fifty  pupils. 

For  manv  vears  it  has  been  the  dream  of  citizens  of  Woodland 


80  HISTOBY  OF  YOLO  COUNTY 

that  the  city  would  be  connected  by  rail  with  Sacramento,  lying 
eighteen  miles  to  the  east.  Many  years  ago  John  D.  Stephens 
started  a  subscription  list  to  build  from  the  head  of  Cache  creek 
canon  through  Woodland  to  Sacramento.  A  large  amount  of 
money  was  subscribed,  but  not  enough  to  carry  the  plan  through 
and  it  was  abandoned.  At  the  time  the  physical  difficulties  were 
almost  unsurmountable,  because  of  the  flood  waters  and  primitive 
methods  employed  in  construction.  Nothing  could  be  considered  but 
steam  roads.    Electric  roads  were  not  dreamed  of. 

A  little  more  than  a  year  ago  the  local  banks  were  approached 
to  furnish  money  by  purchasing  bonds  which  were  to  be  laid  upon 
a  proposed  electric  road  extending  from  Woodland  to  Sacramento. 
In  the  judgment  of  the  financiers  of  Woodland  there  could  nothing 
else  occur  which  would  so  greatly  stimulate  the  growth  of  Yolo 
county  or  contribute  to  the  advance  in  land  values.  The  proposi- 
tion was  a  serious  one  because  the  Yolo  flood  basin  would  have 
to  be  trestled  for  a  distance  of  two  miles,  and  extensive  levees  would 
have  to  be  erected  and  fortified  to  resist  the  current  of  the  great 
body  of  water  which  fills  the  basin  each  year. 

It  was  estimated  that  more  than  $750,000  would  be  needed  to 
complete  the  work,  but  a  company  of  San  Francisco  capitalists 
agreed  to  complete  the  road  and  equip  it  if  subscriptions  could  be 
obtained  for  this  amount  in  bonds.  The  Bank  of  Yolo,  the  Bank 
of  Woodland  and  the  Yolo  County  Savings  Bank  were  the  initial 
subscribers  for  large  blocks  of  the  bonds.  They  were  firm  in  the 
conviction  that  the  investment  would  prove  profitable.  In  a  short 
time  the  balance  of  the  bonds  were  sold  and  construction  begun. 
On  July  4,  1912,  the  road  was  so  nearly  completed  that  it  brought 
several  tbousand  people  from  Sacramento  to  celebrate  the  day  in 
Woodland.  Since  then  it  has  a  good  deal  more  than  paid  expenses 
— interest  charges,  and  sinking  fund  requirements — and  has  given 
the  residents  of  the  two  cities  an  hourly  daily  service,  the  trip  con- 
suming about  thirty  minutes. 

As  was  anticipated,  business  has  been  stimulated  by  this  enter- 
prise, and  the  prospects  of  Woodland  and  the  county  generally  are 
brighter  than  at  any  previous  time.  Extensive  improvements  are 
being  made  in  Woodland  in  public  and  private  buildings,  streets 
are  being  macadamized,  and  the  sentiment  is  decidedly  optimistic 
Within  three  years  the  best  lands  have  doubled  in  value,  yet 
the  demand  for  the  same  is  increasing.  Beet  culture  has  done 
much  to  stimulate  values.  There  are  possibly  six  thousand  acres 
under  cultivation,  the  yield  has  been  good  and  of  exceptional 
quality.  Through  the  example  set  by  beet  men,  many  fine  wells 
have  been  developed  for  purposes  of  irrigation  by  electric  power 
in  different  sections  of  the  county.  The  near  future  promises 
cheap   power,   as   several   power   companies   are   headed   for   Yolo 


HISTORY   OF   YOLO   COUNTY  81 

county  and  are  seeking  franchises.  With  but  one  disastrous  excep- 
tion we  have  escaped  booms,  but  are  confident  of  a  bright  future 
and  are  firm  in  the  convictions  that  lands  are  reasonable  at  their 
present  values. 


CHAPTER  XIX 
FKEMONT 

A  history  of  the  cities  and  towns  of  Yolo  county  should  prop- 
erly begin  with  Fremont,  which,  though  it  does  not  exist  today,  was 
the  first  town  in  Yolo  county,  its  first  seat  of  government  and  once 
by  far  its  most  important  place  of  business. 

The  locating  and  founding  of  towns  in  Yolo  county,  like  most 
commonwealths,  was  inspired  at  the  beginning  of  development  by 
conditions  which  existed  particularly  relative  to  business  con- 
venience. The  pioneers  were  not  strong  on  beauty  of  surroundings, 
sanitation  and  such  things  which  in  later  years  constituted  im- 
portant factors  in  the  matter  of  selecting  sites  for  the  permanent 
habitation  of  men. 

Fremont  was  located  on  the  west  bank  of  the  Sacramento  river 
opposite  the  mouth  of  the  Feather  river,  which  at  this  point  emp- 
ties into  it,  by  Jonas  Spect,  a  speculator,  on  the  21st  of  March,  1849. 
If  the  conditions  Mr.  Spect  relied  upon  in  determining  the  location 
of  Fremont  had  prevailed,  that  historic  town  must  necessarily  have 
become  one  of  the  important  cities  of  the  Sacramento  valley. 

Its  founder  believed  when  he  stopped  there  that  he  had  reached 
the  head  of  navigation  of  both  streams,  the  Sacramento  and  the 
Feather  rivers.  His  purpose  was  to  ascend  the  Sacramento  river 
as  far  as  he  could  in  order  to  establish  a  trading  post  as  near  as 
possible  to  the  thriving  mining  camps  which  then  flourished  in  the 
mountains  from  which  flowed  these  streams.  He  brought  a  small 
schooner,  laden  with  suitable  merchandise,  from  San  Francisco, 
having  left  that  port,  via  San  Francisco  bay  and  the  Sacramento 
river,  March  1,  1849,  and  was  twenty-two  days  en  route.  Mr.  Spect 
left  the  vessel  at  Sacramento  on  the  twentieth  day  from  San  Fran- 
cisco and  proceeded  overland  across  the  country.  He  arrived  at 
the  junction  of  the  two  rivers  on  March  21  and  there  awaited  the 
arrival  of  the  schooner,  which  came  the  following  day. 

Mr.  Spect's  decision  as  to  the  site  for  his  trading  post  was 
influenced  wholly  by  an  obstacle  which  rendered  further  navigation 
impossible  and  which  also  forced  the  conclusion  that  he  had  reached 
the  head  of  navigation.  He  encountered  a  sandbar  across  both 
streams    over   which   the    schooner   could    not    pass.     There    being 


82  HISTORY  OF  YOLO  COUNTY 

nothing  else  to  do,  be  ordered  the  cargo  removed  from  the  vessel, 
pending  which  he  erected  a  crude  structure  of  willows  and  canvas, 
brought  for  that  purpose,  and  there  and  then  opened  his  place  of 
business. 

Regarding  the  naming  of  the  town  there  is  nothing  authentic 
in  such  data  as  is  available.  That  it  was  named  in  honor  of  Gen- 
eral Fremont,  a  conspicuous  figure  in  the  early  history  of  Cali- 
fornia, there  can  be  no  doubt,  but  just  when  the  name  was  bestowed 
and  by  whom  remains  unknown. 

At  the  time  Mr.  Spect  landed  at  Fremont  he  was  probably  the 
only  white  inhabitant  of  what  is  now  Yolo  county.  The  thirty  or 
forty  white  people  who  had  previously  settled  upon  the  plains  lying 
between  the  river  and  the  Coast  Range  mountains,  some  thirty 
miles  to  the  west,  had,  upon  the  news  of  the  discovery  of  gold, 
left  their  homes  and  fields  the  previous  year  and  joined  the  mad 
rush  for  the  "gold  diggings"  in  the  mountains  to  the  east. 

Mr.  Spect  must  have  possessed  considerable  courage  to  invade 
an  unbroken  country,  uninhabited  save  by  a  small  band  of  Indians 
which  he  found  settled  upon  the  spot,  to  carry  a  commercial  cam- 
paign into  the  heart  of  the  interior  of  what  was  then  an  unknown 
country  and  to  set  up  his  place  of  business  where  there  were  no 
signs  of  life  other  than  the  Indians  and  the  wild  animals  which  in- 
habited those  parts.  He  must  have  rested  secure  in  his  firm  belief 
that  he  had  reached  the  highest  point  of  navigation  and  was  per- 
haps shrewd  enough  to  know  the  importance,  commercially,  of  a 
direct  water-way  communication  with  the  metropolis  of  the  state. 
Believing  these  things,  he  felt  that  the  j:>ost  he  had  established  was 
destined  to  become  an  important  place  of  trade. 

For  several  months  his  dreams  of  a  future  for  Fremont  seemed 
sure  of  materialization.  The  trading  post  rapidly  grew  into  a 
settlement  and  as  miraculously  developed  into  a  town.  At  one  time 
there  was  an  estimated  population  of  3,000  people  in  Fremont  and 
business  houses  of  considerable  magnitude  had  been  established. 
Fremont  was  in  fact  a  trade  center  for  much  of  the  business  that 
found  its  way  into  the  mining  regions  and  the  civilizing  influences 
of  school  and  church  were  felt.  An  idea  of  the  importance  of  the 
town  may  be  estimated  by  the  valuation  placed  upon  the  site  in  a 
genuine  offer  to  purchase  the  same,  although  the  title  was  seriously 
affected.  Fremont  stood  within  the  boundaries  of  the  Harbin  grant 
and  there  is  nothing  on  record  to  show  that  title  ever  passed  from 
the  grantee.  Notwithstanding  this  disparagement  William  McD 
Howard,  acting  for  the  firm  of  Melius,  Howard  &  Co.,  offered  Mr. 
Spect  and  T.  B.  Winston,  who  was  then  associated  with  Mr.  Spect 
as  a  partner,  the  sum  of  $150,000  for  their  town-site  privileges.  But 
let  us  take  up  these  matters  in  their  order. 

In  conjunction  with  his  store  Mr.  Spect  opened  a  hotel,  and 


HISTORY   OF   YOLO   COUNTY  83 

these  soon  attracted  the  attention  of  not  only  the  mining  camps 
he  intended  to  reach,  but  also  capitalists  and  spectators.  The 
paths  of  travel  to  and  from  the  mines  were  diverted  that  way  and 
not  long  after  his  arrival  there  many  people  had  visited  Fremont. 
There  was  perhaps  another  factor  which  influenced  the  stream  of 
traffic  toward  Fremont.  The  Feather  river  at  that  point  was  ford- 
able  at  its  mouth,  perhaps  on  account  of  the  sandbar  previously 
mentioned,  and  the  Indians  contrived  to  ferry  even  loaded  wagons 
across  the  Sacramento  river  by  using  their  canoes  and  a  skiff. 
Wagons  were  loaded  upon  four  canoes,  one  wheel  in  each,  and  thus 
paddled  across  the  river.  This  ferry,  primitive  though  it  was, 
afforded  transportation  over  the  waterway  which  constituted  an 
obstacle  which  must  have  caused  those  early  pioneers  much  incon- 
venience in  their  migrations  to  and  from  the  mines. 

During  the  remainder  of  the  year  1849  the  population  of 
Fremont  was  materially  increased  by  the  arrival  of  several  parties, 
attracted,  no  doubt,  by  the  spirit  of  adventure  and  laudable  am- 
bition to  acquire  wealth.  About  the  first  of  these  was  as  expedition 
from  Oregon,  headed  by  John  E.  Bradley,  a  Cumberland  Presby- 
terian minister,  who  preached  to  the  people  of  the  new  settlement 
for  several  weeks.  Mr.  Bradley  afterward  settled  in  Santa  Clara, 
where  he  resided  as  late  as  1870.  Families  arrived  from  across  the 
plains  and  from  the  eastern  states  and  in  July,  1849,  a  corps  of 
civil  engineers  arrived  from  Louisiana.  Among  them  was  William 
J.  Frieson,  who  afterward  became  a  resident  of  Knights  Landing. 
With  the  increase  of  population  the  business  houses  also  multi- 
plied and  before  the  close  of  the  year  mercantile  establishments 
were  plentiful,  as  were  also  saloons  and  gambling  houses.  The 
first  lawyer  in  Yolo  county  was  C.  P.  Hester,  who  located  at  Fre- 
mont. There  was  no  state  or  county  organization  at  that  time 
and  law  business,  in  a  country  where  every  man  made  and  executed 
his  own  laws,  must  necessarily  have  been  very  slack,  but  not- 
withstanding this  Mr.  Hester  had  the  temerity  to  hang  out  his 
shingle.  He  was  awarded  in  after  years  by  being  elected  judge  of 
the  third  judicial  district. 

Other  professional  men  and  women  made  their  appearance  at 
Fremont  contemporaneously  with  Mr.  Hester.  Dr.  R.  W.  Murphy, 
afterward  a  practitioner  in  Saci'amento,  established  an  office  in 
Fremont  and  although  the  early  records  are  silent  on  the  subject, 
it  is  only  a  reasonable  conclusion  that  the  doctor  enjoyed  a  more 
lucrative  practice  as  a  result  of  the  self-made  and  self-executed 
laws  than  did  Mr.  Hester,  though  the  latter  was  a  lawyer.  Miss 
Matilda  McCord,  of  Bloomington,  Ind.,  opened  the  first  school  at 
Fremont  in  the  spring  of  1849  and  the  first  regular  church  was 
established  by  Rev.  Isaac  Owen,  a  missionary  preacher  from  In- 
diana.   About  the  same  time  C.  H.  Gray  and  H.  B.  Wood,  with  a 


84  HISTORY  OF  YOLO  COUNTY 

company  of  employes,  arrived  at  Fremont  with  the  frame-work  of 
a  building,  in  sections,  which  had  been  shipped  from  Bedford, 
Mass.,  via  Cape  Horn,  on  the  whaling  vessel  William  Henry.  They 
were  also  supplied  with  a  stock  of  goods  and  after  setting  up  their 
building,  opened  therein  a  general  merchandise  store.  Mr.  Gray 
afterward  served  several  terms  as  sheriff  of  Yolo  county  and  his 
partner,  Mr.  Wood,  became  the  proprietor  of  a  hardware  business 
in  Woodland,  wbere  he  died  about  twenty  years  ago.  The  business 
section  of  Fremont  received  further  augmentation,  soon  afterward, 
by  the  arrival  of  a  large  cargo  of  goods  under  the  care  of  Henry 
Hare  Hartley,  who  represented  a  large  company  of  capitalists. 
These  goods  were  shipped  from  Bangor,  Me.,  around  the  Horn 
and  were  unloaded  from  the  vessel  at  Fremont.  Mr.  Hartley, 
like  many  of  the  pioneer  merchants,  eventually  found  his  way  into 
politics  and  afterward  served  as  county  judge. 

The  first  ■  homicide  in  Yolo  county  occurred  at  Fremont  in 
October,  1849,  when  a  soldier  who  arrived  with  a  troop  guarding 
a  supply  train  on  its  way  to  Benicia,  became  intoxicated  and 
abusive  and  in  an  altercation  with  a  gambler  was  killed.  The 
slayer  was  not  arrested  and  the  incident  caused  only  a  temporary 
ripple  of  excitement. 

The  first  record  of  anything  political  in  Yolo  county  was  an 
election  in  November,  1849,  under  a  proclamation  issued  by  Pro- 
visional Governor  Riley  for  the  purpose  of  electing  delegates  to  a 
constitutional  convention.  It  appears  that  the  importance  of  Fre- 
mont as  a  center  of  population  was  overlooked  by  his  Excellency 
in  the  proclamation,  but  notwithstanding  the  people  of  Fremont 
held  an  election,  and  although  more  votes  were  cast  there  than  in 
all  the  remaining  territory  of  the  Sonoma  district,  into  which  Yolo 
county  had  been  apportioned,  the  ballots  were  not  finally  consid- 
ered in  determining  the  result  of  the  election. 

According  to  C.  P.  Sprague,  in  his  history  of  Yolo  county,  pub- 
lished in  1870,  tardy  recognition  of  the  importance  of  Fremont  was 
made  by  the  selection  of  Jonas  Spect,  its  founder,  as  a  member  of 
the  senate  from  Sonoma  district  in  the  first  legislature  of  the 
state,  which  followed  closely  upon  the  adoption  of  the  Constitution. 
Mr.  Sprague  was  not  sure  upon  this  subject,  he  having  been  unable 
to  verify  the  report  with  any  documentary  record,  but  it  is  more 
than  likely  true. 

P^remont  was  made  the  county  seat  of  Yolo  countv  bv  the  act 
of  legislature,  February  18,  1850  (Statutes  of  1850,  Page  61), 
which  also  established  the  legal  origin  of  the  county.  By  an  act  of 
March  16,  the  same  year,  the  state  was  divided  into  judicial  dis- 
tricts, the  counties  of  Yolo,  Sutter  and  Yuba  constituting  the  eighth 
district,  and  so  it  came  to  pass  that  the  first  session  of  any  regularly 
constituted  court  of  justice  in  Yolo  county  was  held  at  Fremont  in 


HISTORY   OF   YOLO   COUNTY  85 

September,  1850,  by  W.  R.  Turner,  district  judge,  who  served  as 
such  only  a  short  time,  the  state  being  soon  afterward  redistricted. 

At  this  session  of  the  court  there  were  two  cases  upon  the 
calendar,  one  criminal  in  character  and  the  other  civil.  The 
records  show  an  indictment  returned  against  Emma  Place,  which 
upon  motion  of  the  district  attorney  was  dismissed  because  the 
necessary  witnesses  could  not  be  found.  The  civil  suit  was  entitled 
Austin  &  Johnson  vs.  Conwillard  et  al.  The  last  term  of  the  court 
was  held  at  Fremont,  October  2,  1850. 

The  beginning  of  the  end  of  Fremont  came  in  the  winter  of 
1849,  when  the  town  was  only  several  months  old.  The  excessive 
precipitation  of  rain  and  snow  resulted  in  "high  water"  in  both 
rivers  and  a  corresponding  increased  velocity  of  the  currents  with 
the  result  that  the  sand-bars  were  washed  away.  This  action  opened 
navigation  in  both  streams  for  many  miles  inland  and  with  it  com- 
menced the  onward  march  of  commercial  development  and  civiliza- 
tion. Towns  sprung  into  existence  much  nearer  the  scenes  of  mining 
activities,  which  then  constituted  the  principal  sources  of  trade,  and 
business  in  Fremont  simultaneously  commenced  to  decline.  One 
year  later  there  was  practically  nothing  left  of  this  thriving  town 
other  than  a  name  and  memories,  fond,  sad  and  otherwise.  Many  of 
the  frame  buildings  were  moved  to  Knights  Landing,  a  town  which 
had  sprung  into  existence  a  few  miles  farther  up  the  river,  and  to 
Marysville,  in  Butte  county,  and  to  Sacramento. 

All  this,  however,  did  not  come  to  pass  without  efforts  "upon  the 
part  of  its  people  to  preserve  the  importance  of  Fremont.  Realizing 
that  its  chances  as  a  great  commercial  center  had  passed  with  the 
disappearance  of  the  sand-bars  in  the  rivers,  the  residents  con- 
trived to  make  it  at  least  a  center  for  local  retail  trade,  but  in  the 
meantime  the  settlements  of  Knights  Landing  and  Washington, 
the  latter  situated  on  the  Yolo  side  of  the  river  opposite  Sacra- 
mento, began  to  attract  attention,  and  perhaps  because  of  their 
closer  proximity  to  the  then  populated  district  of  the  county  (the 
people  having  resumed  the  pursuit  of  stock-raising  in  the  interior) 
soon  captured  most  of  the  trade  which  had  been  left  to  Fremont. 
And  thus  it  came  to  pass  that  "the  city  builded  upon  the  sands" 
of  the  rivers,  fell  and  history  had  repeated  itself. 

The  people  of  Fremont,  in  their  desperate  effort  to  keep  their 
town  upon  the  map,  resorted  to  the  proverbial  power  of  the  legis- 
lature and  in  this  we  have  the  first  record  of  "lobbying"  in  Yolo 
county.  Although  the  voters  of  Yolo  county  on  March  25,  1851, 
elected  to  remove  the  county-seat  from  Fremont  to  Washington, 
the  records  of  the  legislature  show  that  four  weeks  later  that  dis- 
tinguished body  declared  Fremont  to  still  be  the  seat  of  govern- 
ment for  Yolo  county  and  in  pursuance  with  that  act  the  court  of 
sessions,  on  Mav  22.  1851,  made  the  following  order: 


86  HISTORY  OF  YOLO  COUNTY 

"It  is  ordered  by  the  court  that  the  seat  of  justice  of  this 
county  shall  be  at  Fremont — the  legislature  of  the  state  of  Cali- 
fornia having  on  the  twenty-fifth  day  of  April,  1851,  passed  a  law 
to  that  effect,  which  law,  having  been  passed  subsequent  to  the 
election  held  on  the  twenty-fifth  day  of  March,  1851,  for  the  re- 
moval of  the  county-seat  of  said  county,  annuls  said  election." 

Notwithstanding  this  order  there  were  no  sessions  of  the  court 
held  at  Fremont  after  July  of  the  same  year,  and  in  humble  sub- 
mission to  the  will  of  the  people,  the  court  comfortably  established 
itself  at  Washington,  where  it  held  its  first  session  one  month  later. 

And  thus  endeth  the  history  of  Fremont.  At  this  late  day  many 
people  of  Knights  Landing  and  Woodland  are  wont  in  pleasant 
weather  to  visit  the  site  of  the  first  town  of  Yolo  county  for  the 
purpose  of  outing  and  fishing.  There  is  nothing  there  now  other 
than  those  things  furnished  by  nature  for  the  adornment  of  mother 
earth.  Where  was  once  a  lively  town,  there  is  now  only  the  placid 
bosom  of  the  mighty  river  wending  its  way  leisurely  between  banks 
studded  with  tree  and  vine  to  the  ocean.  Where  once  prevailed 
the  noises  of  thriving  traffic,  there  is  now  only  the  musical  hum  of 
insects  and  the  songs  of  nature,  except  at  such  times  as  pleasure 
seekers  invade  the  spot  and  contribute  sounds,  harmonious  and 
otherwise,  of  the  human  voice. 


HISTORY   OF   YOLO   COUNTY  87 

CHAPTER  XX 

WASHINGTON 

With  the  dissolution  of  Fremont,  Washington,  a  settlement  upon 
the  Sacramento  river  opposite  the  city  of  Sacramento,  became  the 
principal  scene  of  judicial,  political  and  commercial  activity  in 
Yolo  county.  Its  proximity  to  Sacramento  and  the  conveniences  of 
transportation  afforded  by  the  river,  constituted  the  natural  advan- 
tages which  influenced  the  trend  of  progress  in  that  direction.  The 
removal  of  the  county-seat,  as  has  already  been  mentioned,  con- 
tributed of  course  in  necessarily  compelling  the  transaction  of  all 
county  business  there. 

James  McDowell  was  the  first  settler  in  that  territory  which 
afterward  became  the  town  of  Washington,  although  it  was  his 
widow,  so  far  as  accomplishment  was  concerned,  who  was  really  the 
founder  of  the  town.  It  was  she  who  bestowed  its  name  and  filed 
the  first  and  subsequent  plats  of  the  town.  The  first  of  these  was 
filed  for  record  in  February,  1850. 

Mr.  McDowell  purchased  six  hundred  acres  of  land  on  the  Yolo 
side  of  the  Sacramento  river,  from  John  Schwartz.  The  latter 
claimed  to  have  a  grant  to  the  land,  but  subsequent  events  indicated 
that  the  title  was  not  all  that  it  should  have  been,  and  years  later, 
after  Mr.  McDowell  had  passed  away,  his  widow  caused  a  pre-emp- 
tion to  be  entered  upon  one  hundred  and  sixty  acres  of  land,  which 
holding  included  the  site  of  the  town  of  Washington. 

Of  the  tract  purchased  from  Schwartz,  for  which,  by  the  way, 
Mr.  McDowell  paid  only  twelve  and  one-half  cents  per  acre,  he 
fenced  one  acre  in  the  northwest  corner  and  in  the  inclosure 
erected  a  log  cabin.  He  crossed  the  river  from  Sutter's  Fort  in 
August,  1847,  and  with  his  family  took  up  his  residence  in  the  cabin. 

In  1848  Kit  and  J.  B.  Chiles  with  J.  C.  Davis  settled  upon  some 
land  just  north  of  McDowell's  possession  and  there  immediately  en- 
sued much  controversy  between  them  as  to  the  exact  location  of  the 
dividing  line.  Mr.  McDowell  died  from  wounds  in  1849.  There  is 
no  mention  in  the  early  records  of  how  he  received  those  wounds, 
but  in  view  of  the  bitter  strife  which  continued  between  his  widow 
and  said  adverse  claimants  of  possession  to  the  land  in  controversy, 
the  inference  is  obvious. 

The  first  deed  to  be  recorded  in  Yolo  county  was  one  in  which 
Mrs.  McDowell  conveyed  lot  4  of  block  4,  Washington,  to  William 
Dearbour  and  Jeremiah  Callahan  for  a  consideration  of  $500.  The 
deed  was  filed  April  4,  1850. 

The  plat  recorded  by  Mrs.  McDowell  in  some  mysterious  way 


88  HISTORY  OF  YOLO  COUNTY 

became  lost,  but  fortunately  sbe  possessed  a  copy.  In  September, 
1862,  another  plat  was  made  of  the  town  and  again,  in  February, 
1869,  an  amended  plat  of  the  town  was  recorded.  In  each  of  these 
plats  the  location  and  names  of  the  streets  were  changed,  but  the 
last  filed  has  ever  since  been  recognized  as  the  official  plat  and  the 
streets  named  therein  have  become  permanently  fixed.  The  records 
show  the  first  unquestioned  title  to  any  land  in  the  townsite  of 
Washington  to  have  been  a  patent  issued  by  the  state  of  California 
to  Dr.  C.  E.  Taylor  under  date  of  February  3,  1869.  Dr.  Taylor 
had  in  the  meantime  married  the  widow  of  James  McDowell. 

In  August,  1849,  the  population  of  Washington  was  augmented 
by  the  arrival  of  Dr.  Presley  Welch  and  Col.  J.  H.  Lewis,  who 
cleared  and  settled  upon  one  hundred  and  sixty  acres  of  land  ad- 
joining the  south  line  of  the  McDowell  property.  In  December  of 
the  same  year  Job  N.  Peck  purchased  a  third  interest  in  this  prop- 
erty and  the  joint  owners  erected  a  "shake"  house  and  engaged 
in  the  dairy  business.  Their  house  was  the  second  structure  erected 
in  Washington,  the  first  being  a  log  house  built  by  Mr.  McDowell 
and  which  was  then  occupied  by  his  widow.  Kit  Chiles  and  his  fam- 
ily resided  in  a  tent  on  the  bank  of  the  river.  Mrs.  McDowell  soon 
afterward  erected  a  frame  house  on  the  north  side  of  what  is  now 
Harriet  street,  into  which  she  moved  her  family,  deserting  the 
log  cabin. 

The  fourth  house  built  in  Washington  was  made  of  zinc  and 
was  erected  at  the  corner  of  Second  and  Ann  streets  and  the  fifth 
was  the  Olive  Branch  hotel,  built  and  conducted  by  a  man  named 
Bryant,  opposite  the  new  residence  of  Mrs.  McDowell.  The  old 
records  inform  us  that  the  dimensions  of  this  pioneer  hostelry  were 
22x'A2  feet.  This  hotel  was  afterward  purchased  at  a  cost  of 
$6,000  by  Amos  Waring,  who  took  possession  of  it  on  July  4,  1850. 
In  the  meantime  Doctors  Heath  and  Brown  had  built  homes  for 
themselves,  the  former  close  to  the  ship-yard  and  the  latter 
opposite  the  old  cemetery. 

The  steady  increase  in  the  population  of  the  river  town  received 
something  of  a  check  in  the  summer  of  1850,  when  an  epidemic 
of  cholera  appeared  among  the  inhabitants.  The  dreaded  disease 
carried  off  seven  victims  and  for  a  time  threatened  the  whole  set- 
tlement with  annihilation,  but  by  resorting  to  heroic  measures  the 
sturdy  people  finally  checked  the  disease  for  the  time.  Two  years 
later  it  reappeared,  but  was  less  malignant  and  therefore  not  so 
disastrous.  Dr.  Heath  fell  a  victim  to  the  epidemic  which  he 
fought  so  valiantly  and  he  was  buried  with  the  honor  which  be- 
longed to  him  by  reason  of  his  untiring  and  unselfish  conduct  in 
the  face  of  danger. 

Up  to  1850  J.  B.  Chiles  and  others  operated  a  rope  ferry  across 
the  river  between  Washington  and   Sacramento,  but   at  the   July 


HISTORY   OF   YOLO   COUNTY  89 

meeting  of  the  court  of  sessions  of  that  year  the  franchise  for  the 
said  ferry  was  given  to  I.  N.  Hoag  for  one  year  at  a  cost  of  $800 
per  annum  as  license.  The  former  owners  of  the  ferry  were  appli- 
cants for  the  license,  but  through  some  technicality  were  unsuccess- 
ful. The  court  of  sessions  officially  fixed  the  rate  of  tolls  for  the 
bridge  as  follows:  Loaded  wagon,  $2;  light  wagon,  $1.50;  loose 
stock,  per  head,  fifty  cents;  pack  animals,  seventy-five  cents;  horse 
and  rider,  $1;  sheep,  per  head,  twelve  and  one-half  cents;  freight 
per  cwt.,  twelve  cents;  lumber  per  1,000  feet,  $5;  foot  passengers, 
twenty-five  cents. 

Mr.  Hoag  after  considerable  trouble  and  expense  converted 
the  motive  power  of  the  ferry  into  steam.  His  venture  in  a  business 
way  was  a  big  success,  the  receipts  for  three  months  in  the  fall  of 
that  year  aggregating  $27,000.  He  opened  negotiations  for  the  sale 
of  the  ferry,  together  with  some  other  real  property  on  the  river 
soon  afterward  and  although  the  bargain  progressed  as  far  as  the 
agreement  upon  the  price,  which  was  $40,000,  it  fell  through  on 
account  of  some  trouble  regarding  the  land  and  the  amount  of  fuel 
that  was  included  in  the  bargain.  About  this  time  competing  ferries 
were  established  and  the  business  declined  for  everybody. 

Toward  the  close  of  the  year  1850  the  people  of  Washington, 
whose  numbers  had  rapidly  increased,  believed  that  their  town  was 
destined  to  become  a  city.  This  prophesy  was  not  without  founda- 
tion. The  topographical  situation  on  the  Yolo  side  of  the  river  gave 
promise  of  rapid  growth  and  conditions  which  then  existed  indi- 
cated that  Washington  was  the  favored  site  for  the  habitation  of 
men.  In  the  winter  of  that  year  the  city  of  Sacramento  was  flooded, 
while  Washington  remained  high  and  dry.  Again  in  1852  the  river 
people  had  severe  floods  to  contend  with.  From  an  old  print  we 
learn  that  "with  the  exception  of  the  Indian  mounds  and  high 
places  there  was  no  land  along  the  river  between  Knights  Landing 
and  Benicia  that  was  not  inundated." 

It  was  not,  however,  until  later  years  that  the  people  of 
Washington  suffered  much  from  high  water.  With  the  construction 
of  levees  on  the  Sacramento  side  of  the  river  and  the  gradual 
filling  in  of  the  river  bed  with  debris  from  the  placer  mines  in 
the  mountains  there  came  a  time  when  they  were  compelled,  for 
their  protection,  to  construct  levees  around  the  town.  These  em- 
bankments have  been  maintained  ever  since  at  much  cost  to  Wash- 
ington, but  although  there  has  been  very  high  water  in  the  tules 
adjacent  to  the  town,  the  water  has  been  effectively  kept  out  of  it. 

In  the  meantime  most  of  the  traffic  from  the  north  and  west 
of  Yolo  county  passed  through  the  town  of  Washington  and  it 
became  quite  an  important  commercial  center.  A  census  taken  in 
1852  gave  the  following  statistics  for  the  town:  Four  hotels,  two 
general  stores,  three  laundries,  a  postoffiee  and  blacksmith  shops. 


90  HISTORY  OF  YOLO  COUNTY 

According  to  a  private  record  compiled  by  Jonas  Spect,  the  foun- 
der of  Fremont  and  a  candidate  for  state  senator,  there  were  sixty 
votes  cast  in  Washington  in  1851,  reckoning  on  established  tables 
that  would  have  given  the  population  of  the  town  about  three 
hundred. 

Isaac  Owen  held  the  first  divine  service  in  Washington  in  1850. 
He  was  succeeded  by  Rev.  M.  C.  Briggs,  who  afterward  became  bag- 
gage master  for  the  California  Pacific  Railroad  Company.  Rev.  O. 
C.  Wheeler  and  Rev.  H.  B.  Shelden  were  also  among  the  early 
preachers  in  Washington.  The  latter  was  succeeded  in  1853  by  a 
young  man  named  Benham  of  the  Methodist  Episcopal  church,  who 
came  from  Brooklyn,  N.  Y.  He  was  afterward  drowned  in  Cache 
creek  while  attempting  to  ford  it  during  a  freshet.  The  Monumental 
Class  of  the  United  Brethren  church  was  organized  in  1859. 

A  private  school,  probably  the  third  institution  of  learning 
in  Yolo  county,  was  established  in  Washington  in  1850,  with  Mr. 
Wheaton  as  teacher.  Mr.  Wheaton  was  a  lawyer  by  calling  and 
he  afterward  engaged  in  the  practice  of  his  profession  in  San 
Francisco.  The  school  was  maintained  intermittently,  terms  being 
held  from  time  to  time,  and  in  1855  the  following  statistical  figures 
were  s'iven  in  a  record  furnished  the  county;  number  of  children 
between  the  ages  of  four  and  eighteen  years,  sixty-four;  number  of 
orphans,  eleven;  teachers,  M.  A.  Wheaton  and  Emma  Alexander; 
salary,  $80  per  month;  trustees,  H.  C.  Griffith,  I.  N.  Hoag,  E.  C. 
Taylor. 

The  political  history  of  Washington  was  confined  principally  to 
the  efforts  of  the  people  to  retain  the  seat  of  government  there. 
In  1851  an  election  was  held  in  the  county  to  determine  the  location 
of  the  county-seat  and  a  strenuous  campaign  ensued  with  the  people 
of  Fremont  opposed  to  those  of  Washington.  A  majority  vote  was 
cast  in  favor  of  the  latter  town  and  the  first  meeting  of  the  court 
of  sessions  was  held  in  the  new  county  seat  in  July  of  that  year. 

Again  in  May,  1855,  an  effort  was  made  to  wrest  from  the 
river  town  the  seat  of  government,  but  the  people  were  not  ripe  for 
a  change  and  returned  a  verdict  through  the  ballot  box  in  favor  of 
Washington  against  its  ambitious  rival  river  town,  Knights 
Landing. 

By  an  act  of  the  legislature  of  March  25,  1857,  Washington 
lost  the  county  seat  for  a  period  of  four  years,  it  being  transferred 
to  a  village  on  the  banks  of  Cache  creek  called  Cacheville.  In  this 
the  legislature  was  probably  actuated  through  arguments  regarding 
the  geographical  situation,  Cacheville  being  situated  in  about  the 
center  of  the  county,  but  the  gentlemen  who  constituted  that  august 
body  four  years  later  thought  better  of  the  action  of  their  prede- 
cessors and  by  an  act  regularly  passed,  re-transferred  the  county 
seat  to  AVashington. 


HISTORY   OF   YOLO   COUNTY  91 

By  this  time,  however,  the  people  of  the  county  took  a  hand 
in  the  game  and  after  the  records  of  the  county  had  reposed  snugly 
in  the  old  archives  at  Washington  for  one  year  from  the  time  of 
the  last  act  of  the  legislature,  they  removed  the  county-seat  to 
Woodland,  a  town  more  favorably  situated,  which  had  been  growing 
rapidly,  while  the  older  towns  were  fighting  for  the  county  seat,  and 
it  has  remained  there  ever  since. 

The  permanent  removal  of  the  county-seat  to  Woodland  very 
naturally  had  a  depressing  effect  upon  the  people  of  Washington 
and  a  corresponding  effect  upon  the  business  of  the  town.  That 
together  with  the  railroad  had  much  to  do  with  the  defeat  of  the 
hopes  of  the  Washington  people,  for  until  late  years,  the  growth 
of  that  picturesque  river  town  was  not  what  early  conditions  gave 
promise  of.  Contrary  to  expectations,  the  establishment  of  more 
convenient  and  cheaper  transportation  across  the  river  resulted 
in  benefits  to  Sacramento  alone,  which  began  to  grow  when  the 
railroad  company  established  its  shops  and  yards  in  that  city. 
Overshadowed  by  a  city  from  which  it  is  separated  only  by  the 
river,  Washington  is  commercially  at  the  mercy  of  Sacramento. 
Its  people  do  most  of  their  trading  in  Sacramento,  attend  its 
churches  and  even  belong  to  the  fraternal  societies  of  the  larger 
city.  In  fact  many  of  the  residents  of  Washington  earn  their  living 
in  Sacramento,  working  in  the  railroad  shops  and  other  places  of 
business. 

Since  the  railroad  and  transportation  facilities  across  the  river 
constitute  such  important  factors  in  the  history  of  Washington  a 
paragraph  or  two  regarding  the  evolution  from  the  ferry  to  bridge 
seems  pertinent  in  this  work.  For  the  following  facts  the  author  is 
indebted  to  T.  E.  Harrison,  a  pioneer  resident  of  Washington. 

The  first  bridge  across  the  Sacramento  river  between  Washing- 
ton and  Sacramento  was  built  by  Major  Gillis,  John  Q.  Brown  and 
Johnson  Price,  under  a  franchise  issued  jointly  by  Yolo  and  Sacra- 
mento counties.  They  began  the  work  in  1856  and  finished  the  struc- 
ture the  following  year  at  a  cost  of  $65,000.  Under  this  franchise 
they  were  privileged  to  exact  toll  for  traffic,  and  foot  passengers 
were  charged  ten  cents  each  for  crossing. 

Just  before  the  expiration  of  their  twenty  year  franchise  they 
sold  their  interest  in  the  bridge  to  the  California  Pacific  Railroad 
Company,  which  converted  it  into  a  railroad  bridge.  This  was  done 
in  the  year  1875.  It  soon  afterward  became  the  property  of  the 
Southern  Pacific  Railroad  Company,  into  which  the  former  cor- 
poration was  finally  merged. 

About  the  year  1878  there  appears  upon  the  records  of  the 
court  of  sessions  an  order  authorizing  certain  members  of  that  body 
to  treat  with  the  officials  of  the  railroad  company  to  the  end  that 
free  use  .of  the  bridge  might  be  had  for  the  people  of  the  river 


92  HISTORY  OF  YOLO  COUNTY 

section  and  the  negotiations  finally  terminated,  several  years  after- 
ward, in  the  construction  of  a  joint  bridge  in  which  the  railroad 
company  and  the  counties  of  Yolo  and  Sacramento  shared  the  ex- 
pense. In  this  manner  the  people  were  assured  free  transportation 
across  the  river.  The  railroad  company  has  changed  the  location 
of  the  bridge  four  different  times  since  acquiring  the  property 
and  is  now  engaged  in  the  construction  of  a  new  magnificent  bridge, 
with  the  co-operation  of  both  counties.  This  bridge  will  cost  when 
completed  in  the  neighborhood  of  $800,000,  and  the  cost  to  Yolo 
county  will  be  about  $45,000.  It  has  the  heaviest  drawn  span  of  any 
bridge  in  the  world.  It  is  constructed  almost  entirely  of  concrete 
and  steel  and  gives  promise  of  serving  all  for  a  great  many  years 
to  come. 

During  the  last  few  years  there  has  been  a  marked  improve- 
ment in  the  conditions  of  Washington.  The  population  has  in- 
creased materially,  and  naturally  property  values  have  increased. 
This  was  brought  about,  no  doubt,  through  a  corresponding  im- 
provement in  Sacramento,  which  during  the  last  decade  has  made 
wonderful  progress  along  all  lines  of  public  improvement.  The 
cheaper  rents  and  property  in  Washington,  together  with  the  bet- 
ter water,  the  free  transportation  across  the  river  and  its  close 
proximity  to  the  shops  and  yards  of  the  Southern  Pacific  Railroad 
Company,  which  are  situated  principally  on  or  close  to  the  opposite 
bank  of  the  Sacramento  river,  has  induced  many  people  employed 
on  the  Sacramento  side  in  the  down-town  districts,  to  take  up 
their  residence  in  the  Yolo  town. 

At  the  present  time  the  prospects  of  Washington  give  better 
promise  of  the  materialization  of  the  hopes  of  its  pioneer  residents 
than  at  any  period  since  the  railroad  company  dashed  those  hopes 
by  establishing  its  works  in  Sacramento.  The  advent  of  the  North- 
ern Electric  Railroad  Company  in  Yolo  county  is  bound  to  do  much 
for  Washington.  In  addition  to  the  immense  bridge  just  completed 
by  the  Southern  Pacific  Company,  there  is  also  a  bridge  of  almost 
equal  proportion  and  cost  about  completed  by  the  electric  road  a 
short  distance  down  the  river.  This  bridge  will  have  an  entrance 
into  Sacramento  at  the  foot  of  M  street.  In  this  structure  the 
counties  of  Yolo  and  Sacramento  will  have  an  interest  and  an 
overhead  roadway  for  all  traffic.  It  was  built  jointly  by  the  two 
counties  and  the  railroad  company  under  a  similar  agreement  as 
obtained  with  the  other  bridge. 

The  Electric  Railroad  Company  has  acquired  considerable 
property  lying  just  below  the  town  of  Washington  and  has  prom- 
ised Yolo  county  to  establish  thereon  its  railroad  shops  and  yards 
in  consideration  for  the  county's  affiliation  in  the  matter  of  build- 
ing the  bridge.  This  acquisition  of  property  for  which  the  railroad 
company  paid  $1000  per  acre  has  had  the  effect  of  enhancing  prop- 


HISTORY   OF   YOLO   COUNTY  93 

erty  values  all  along  the  river  and  especially  in  the  town  of  Wash- 
ington, where  land  on  the  river  is  worth  now  between  $200  and 
$250  per  front  foot. 

A  new  enterprise  launched  within  the  past  few  months  has  also 
added  impetus  to  the  boom  in  Washington.  The  West  Sacramento 
Electric  and  Reclamation  Company,  with  the  backing  of  unlimited 
capital,  is  even  now  engaged  in  what  is  considered  the  most  gigan- 
tic and  most  effective  work  of  reclamation  ever  attempted  in  Yolo 
county.  The  company  owns  and  controls  a  huge  body  of  land  ex- 
tending from  river  points  above  Washington  many  miles  below 
that  town  and  they  are  constructing  levees  with  concrete  bases, 
believing  that  it  will  prevent  seepage  and  thus  do  away  with  the 
necessity  of  pumping  that  water  out  of  the  district.  This  company 
has  also  acquired  rights  of  way  for  an  electric  line  to  traverse  Yolo 
county  from  Washington  to  its  western  boundary,  where  connections 
will  be  made  with  tide  water  transportation  lines. 


94  HISTORY  OF  YOLO  COUNTY 


CHAPTER  XXI. 
WOODLAND 

The  pioneers  who,  by  accident  or  choice,  founded  the  town  of 
Woodland,  which  is  now  the  county-seat  of  Yolo  county,  either  exer- 
cised splendid  judgment  or  were  unusually  favored  by  chance.  Wood- 
land is  splendidly  situated,  both  as  regards  its  geographical  relation 
with  the  surrounding  country  and  its  sanitary  condition,  as  well  as 
its  picturesque  environment. 

The  city  has  been  built  in  about  the  center  of  the  county  on  the 
crest  of  a  gentle  knoll.  Just  a  short  time  ago  the  wisdom  of  its 
founders,  or  their  lucky  choice,  was  demonstrated  when,  after  some 
excessively  heavy  precipitations  of  rain,  the  city  was  entirely  sur- 
rounded by  water,  leaving  it  for  the  better  part  of  one  day,  an 
island.  The  waters  of  Cache  creek,  having  overflowed  its  banks, 
covered  the  territory  to  the  north  and  west  of  the  city.  Willow 
slough  contributed  enough  overflow  water  to  inundate  the  country 
lying  to  the  south  and  west  and  the  overflow  in  the  tule  filled  the 
basin  to  the  east  of  the  city. 

Its  topographical  situation  affords  splendid  drainage  and  is  in 
a  great  measure  responsible  for  the  splendid  sanitary  condition 
which  lias  always  prevailed  here.  There  have  been  very  few  epi- 
demics of  any  kind  in  the  city  during  its  existence  and  it  is  regarded 
as  a  very  healthful  place  of  abode. 

About  the  time  Jonas  Spect  founded  the  settlement  of  Fre- 
mont the  site  now  occupied  by  the  city  of  Woodland  was  a  beautiful 
grove  of  wide-spreading,  majestic  oaks,  rather  thickly  interspersed 
with  underbrush  peculiar  to  the  climatic  and  soil  conditions.  Elk, 
deer,  antelope,  coyotes,  panthers  and  other  beasts  of  the  fields 
and  woods  were  plentiful,  as  were  also  rabbits,  quail,  doves  and 
other  smaller  members  of  the  animal  kingdom. 

The  old  records  tell  us  that  the  late  Henry  Wyckoff  was  the 
founder  of  Woodland.  At  least  it  appears  that  he  was  the  first  man 
to  invade  the  fastness  for  the  purpose  of  establishing  a  place  of 
abode.  In  the  winter  of  1853  Mr.  Wyckoff  erected  a  small  box 
frame  building  where  now  is  Court  street  in  the  city  of  Wood- 
land and  opened  therein  a  store  and  thus  was  born  Yolo  City,  a 
name  which  was  soon  afterward  changed  for  the  more  euphonious 
title  of  Woodland. 

A.  Weaver  was  probably  the  second  man  to  establish  a  busi- 
ness in  Woodland.  Soon  after  Mr.  Wyckoff  opened  his  store  he 
started  a  blacksmith  shop  in  the  immediate  vicinity,  but  about  three 
months  afterward  either  sold  or  gave  it  to  James  McClure.     The 


HISTORY   OF   YOLO   COUNTY  95 

latter  afterward  disposed  of  it  to  E.  R.  Moses,  who  conducted  the 
business  for  several  years. 

What  prompted  these  men  to  invade  the  wilderness  and  estab- 
lish places  of  business  has  not  been  clearly  set  forth  by  the  earlier 
historians,  but  from  other  things  they  wrote  it  appears  that  in  the 
meantime  the  interior  of  the  county  had  been  settled  and  inhabited 
by  men  engaged  in  the  cattle  business  and  no  doubt  in  their  migra- 
tions to  and  from  the  town  of  Washington  (the  then  county-seat, 
where  necessity  compelled  them  to  transact  most,  if  not  all,  of  their 
business)  they  had  beaten  a  trail  through  the  grove  which  after- 
ward became  Woodland.  Exercising  the  same  sagacious  foresight 
which  actuated  them  in  choosing  a  most  favored  site  for  other 
purposes,  they  perhaps  saw  the  possibilities  of  the  new  town  as  a 
business  center  and  future  developments  proved  their  wisdom,  for 
the  growth  of  Woodland  was  rapid. 

In  1856  Clark  Elliott  established  a  carriage  factory  in  Wood- 
land and  ten  years  later  improved  the  business  by  the  erection  of  a 
substantial  brick  structure.  The  factory  was  located  about  four 
hundred  feet  north  of  what  is  now  Main  street,  near  the  old  rail- 
road, which,  as  will  be  remembered  by  many  of  the  older  inhabi- 
tants, intersected  the  town  in  about  its  center,  crossing  Main 
street  at  or  near  the  corner  where  now  stands  the  Byrns  hotel. 

In  the  meantime,  or  to  be  more  exact,  in  1856,  Mr.  Wyckoff 
erected  a  larger  building  about  one  hundred  feet  east  of  where 
now  stands  the  Main  street  school  house  and  into  the  more  preten- 
tious building  moved  his  stock  of  merchandise.  He  sold  his  business 
to  P.  S.  Freeman  in  April,  1857,  and  moved  out  into  the  country 
a  few  miles  east,  where  he  engaged  in  farming  and  established  an 
elegant  home.  Mr.  Freeman  replaced  the  old  buildings  with  a 
larger  structure  which  he  occupied  as  his  residence  for  a  number  of 
years  and  which  was  afterward  occupied  many  years  for  the  same 
purpose  by  Mr.  Chandler. 

Mr.  Freeman  erected  a  third  building  in. 1861  on  the  northwest 
corner  of  what  is  now  Main  and  First  streets.  This  edifice  was  a 
substantial  structure  of  brick  and  a  very  commodious  building.  It 
was  occupied  by  Mr.  Freeman  as  a  general  merchandise  store  until 
sold  by  him  to  A.  Nickleshurg  &  Brother,  who  also  occupied  it  many 
years.  It  has  been  occupied  ever  since  for  business  purposes  by 
various  men  and  firms  and  is  today  still  the  scene  of  business  activ- 
ity, its  present  occupant  being  R.  B.  Cranston,  one  of  the  prominent 
hardware  merchants  of  the  city. 

Hyman  &  Brother  erected  a  store  on  Main  street  tlie  same 
year  and  Benjamin  Hotchkiss  opened  a  saloon,  the  first  in  the  city, 
on  the  same  thoroughfare.  Whether  by  accident  or  design  it  does 
not  appear,  but  in  after  years  the  Good  Templars  hall  was  erected 
on  Main  street  directly  opposite  the  first  saloon.    It  may  also  lie 


96  HISTORY  OF  YOLO  COUNTY 

pertinent  to  state  in  passing  that  the  first  homicide  in  the  city 
took  place  in  this  saloon,  when  W.  C.  Harbin  killed  Francis  Wright 
on  May  25,  1861. 

Among  the  other  pioneer  business  men  of  the  city  were  Samuel 
McDonald,  who  opened  a  shoe  and  harness  repair  shop  on  Main 
street;  James  W.  Stotenberg  and  E.  Dollarhide,  who  established 
boarding  houses,  and  James  Asberry,  who  opened  a  meat  market 
opposite  the  site  of  the  future  Exchange  Hotel. 

The  refining  influences  of  education  and  religion  had  also  made 
their  appearance  in  Woodland.  The  afterward  widely  known 
Hesperian  College  was  finished  in  1860.  It  was  located  on  what 
is  now  Bush  street  and  for  many  years  was  the  principal  seat  of 
learning  not  only  in  Yolo  county  but  throughout  the  northern  part 
of  the  state.  After  the  establishment  of  the  high  school  in  Wood- 
land it  was  abandoned  and  eventually  the  building  was  torn  down  to 
make  room  for  the  splendid  new  armory  of  Company  F,  National 
Guard  of  California.  A  church  had  also  been  erected  on  the  same 
premises  and  a  district  school  house  was  built  near  the  spot  where 
afterward  was  erected  the  railroad  depot. 

NAMING  THE   TOWN 

The  naming  of  the  town  came  authoritatively  with  the  establish- 
ment of  its  postoffice  in  1859.  The  settlement  having  become  a 
place  of  recognized  importance,  Mr.  Freeman  circulated  a  petition 
among  its  inhabitants  asking  the  federal  government  to  establish  a 
postoffice  at  "Woodland,"  Cal.  This  is  the  first  time  in  the  records 
that  the  present  name  of  the  city  appears.  The  name  was  suggested 
by  Mr.  Freeman's  wife  and  a  more  appropriate  one  could  not  have 
been  chosen.  The  postoffice  department  in  due  time  granted  the 
petition  and  Mr.  Freeman  was  named  as  the  first  postmaster. 

There  appears  in  this  connection  the  first  evidence  of  sectional 
dissention  in  Woodland.  Willard  Johnson,  perhaps  because  he 
coveted  the  emoluments  and  prestige  which  are  bestowed  with  the 
title  of  "nasby,"  also  circulated  a  petition  for  a  postoffice  in  the 
town  to  be  called  "Yolo  Center,"  with  himself  as  postmaster,  and 
the  department,  through  ignorance  of  the  situation  no  doubt, 
acceded  to  his  desires,  with  the  result  that  there  were  two  post- 
offices,  with  as  many  names  in  the  new  settlement.  This  very 
naturally  led  to  complications  and  corresponding  confusion  and 
eventually  to  disaster  so  far  as  Mr.  Johnson's  ambitions  were  con- 
cerned, for  soon  afterward  the  department  revoked  the  order  and 
"Yolo  Center"  died  an  official  death  along  with  the  "nasby"  in- 
clinations of  Mr.  Johnson.  Since  that  time  the  name  of  "Wood- 
land" has  remained  the  recognized  title  of  this  fair  city. 


HISTORY  OF   YOLO   COUNTY  97 


THE   FIRST   INHABITANTS 

Having  briefly  outlined  the  business  growth  of  the  town  it 
may  be  interesting  also  to  give  a  list  of  the  first  inhabitants  of  the 
city  and  its  environs.  These  names,  while  not  having  appeared  in 
the  foregoing  business  recapitulation,  are  nevertheless  prominently 
identified  with  the  history  of  Woodland  and  Yolo  county,  for  it 
was  their  steadfastness  of  purpose,  their  integrity  and  sound  judg- 
ment, which  contributed  in  a  large  measure  to  the  growth  and  de- 
velopment of  the  community. 

Among  those  who  resided  in  the  town  just  before  the  advent 
of  the  railroad  and  the  acquisition  of  the  county  seat  were  F.  S. 
Freeman,  Rev.  J.  N.  Pendegast,  Rev.  Joshua  Lawson,  R.  G.  Lawson, 
J.  D.  Lawson,  Prof.  A.  L.  Mathews,  C.  S.  Frost,  J.  W.  Stotenberg, 
Benjamin  Hotchkiss,  Henry  Bates,  E.  G.  Hall,  J.  W.  Tilley,  William 
Skinner,  W.  S.  Emery,  E.  Dollarhide,  and  McElhaney. 

Those  who  lived  outside  of  the  village  but  in  close  proximity 
were  Thomas  Marston,  Jason  Watkins,  C.  Nelson,  Charles  Coil, 
Daniel  High,  F.  C.  Ruggles,  R.  L.  Beamer,  James  Morris,  Dr.  H. 
M.  Fiske,  David  Cole,  William  Gibson,  William  Fowler,  J.  M. 
Clanton,  Walter  Hulin,  Russell  Day,  Col.  Charles  W.  Lewis, 
Nicholas  Wyckoff,  Daniel  Fisher,  Judge  J.  J.  Deming,  T.  J.  Dexter, 
Joseph  Woigamott,  S.  P.  Pond,  J.  S.  Cook,  Thomas  Baird,  G.  D. 
Fiske,  J.  Hollingsworth,  J.  I.  S.  Wyckoff,  Samuel  Shyrock  and  B. 
F.  Hawley. 

THE    SOLE    SURVIVOR 

Of  all  these  names  there  appears  only  one  on  the  present  roll 
of  membership  of  the  city  of  Woodland.  It  is  that  of  J.  D.  Lawson, 
who,  though  well  along  in  years,  is  still  actively  engaged  in  busi- 
ness, being  associated  with  his  son,  R.  G.  Lawson,  in  one  of  the 
leading  real  estate  and  insurance  offices  in  this  city.  He  has  had  an 
active  business  and  political  career  in  Woodland  and  Yolo  county 
and  his  name  has  been  prominently  associated  with  the  history  of 
both  commonwealths. 


98  HISTORY  OF  YOLO  COUNTY 

CHAPTER  XXII 

WOODLAND   BECOMES  THE   COUNTY   SEAT 

During  the  few  years  of  the  existence  of  Woodland  great 
changes  had  been  'wrought  in  the  interior  of  the  county.  Immi- 
grants had  found  that  there  were  fortunes  to  be  made  in  pursuits 
other  than  mining  and  cattle  raising.  The  wonderful  fertility  of 
the  soil  of  Yolo  county,  together  with  the  advantages  of  its  mild 
climate  and  its  long  summers,  had  opened  tbe  eyes  of  the  inhabi- 
tants, many  of  whom  had  followed  farming  as  a  livelihood  before 
leaving  their  eastern  homes.  As  a  result  these  hardy  pioneers 
began  breaking  the  virgin  soil  and  planting  crops.  Their  suc- 
cess attracted  others  and  about  the  time  of  the  closing  of  the 
preceding  chapter  the  country  in  the  vicinity  of  Woodland  had 
developed  into  quite  an  important  agricultural  center  and  was 
perhaps  the  most  thickly  populated  portion  of  the  county. 

Woodland  at  that  time  also  enjoyed  the  trade  of  all  that  por- 
tion of  the  county  lying  to  the  north  and  west,  because  of  its  closer 
proximity.  People  therefore  very  naturally  began  questioning 
the  wisdom  of  having  the  seat  of  government  at  Washington, 
situated,  as  it  was,  in  an  isolated  position  in  the  extreme  south- 
eastern corner  of  the  county,  and  added  to  that  the  flood  of  1861-2 
demonstrated  more  thoroughly  the  necessity  of  a  more  accessible 
point  for  the  seat  of  justice  and  the  transaction  of  the  county's 
business. 

The  question  of  moving  the  county  seat  to  Woodland  was 
therefore  agitated  upon  logical  and  economical  grounds  for  argu- 
ment and  resulted,  quite  naturally,  in  the  passage  of  a  bill  by  the 
legislature,  authorizing  a  vote  in  Yolo  county  as  to  whether  the 
county  seat  should  remain  at  Washington  or  be  moved  to  Wood- 
land. The  people  decided  in  favor  of  the  latter  town,  although 
the  vote  on  the  proposition  was  not  by  any  means  overwhelming. 
The  old  records  show  the  vote  to  have  been  as  follows:  Wood- 
land 968,  Washington  778. 

The  records  also  show  that  the  people  of  Washington  were 
loath  to  relinquish  the  prestige  and  advantages  derived  from 
having  the  seat  of  government  in  their  town.  They  contested  the 
election  before  the  board  of  supervisors,  but  there  appearing  no 
good  grounds  for  the  contest  the  county  legislators  refused  to  set 
aside  the  will  of  the  majority  of  the  people  of  the  county,  as 
expressed  at  the  polls,  and  decided  in  favor  of  the  contestees  and  so 
it  came  to  pass  that  the  records  of  the  county  were  removed  to 
Woodland  on  May  10,  1862,  and  Woodland  became  in  fact  the 
county  seat  of  Yolo  county  and  has  ever  since  retained  that  proud 


HISTORY   OF   YOLO   COUNTY  99 

distinction.  The  first  courthouse  in  Woodland  was  the  small  frame 
building  on  First  street,  afterward  occupied  by  Otto  Schluer  as 
the  Woodland  bakery  and  which  is  still  standing. 

AN    ERA    OF    PROSPERITY 

With  the  acquisition  of  the  county  seat  and  substantial  evi- 
dence of  the  advent  of  the  railroad  (the  grading  of  the  old  Yallejo 
Railroad  having  been  completed  as  far  as  Woodland)  the  town 
entered  upon  an  era  of  business  and  social  activity.  Buildings 
were  erected  rapidly,  business  developed  and  new  people  sought 
a  home  in  the  thriving  new  town.  Among  the  first  to  engage  in 
business  after  the  acquisition  of  the  county  seat  was  J.  D.  Lawson, 
who  opened  the  first  livery  stable  on  the  southeast  corner  of 
Main  and  Second  streets  in  1862.  L.  Dietz  started  a  harness  shop 
in  the  fall  of  the  same  year.  Dr.  J.  L.  Downing  established  the  first 
drug  store  in  Woodland.  E.  H.  Baker  built  and  managed  its  first 
hotel,  the  building  being  located  near  the  northeast  corner  of 
Main  and  Second  streets.  This  building  was  subsequently  de- 
stroyed by  fire  and  the  same  fate  befell  the  building  which  was 
erected  upon  the  site  of  the  older  one.  In  November  of  the  same 
year  a  steam  flour  mill  was  erected  in  Woodland  and  about  the 
same  time  the  bridge  across  Cache  creek,  some  five  miles  to  the 
north,  was  completed. 

F.  S.  Freeman,  who  seems  to  have  taken  a  prominent  part  in 
all  movements  of  advancement  in  Woodland,  recorded  the  first  plat 
of  the  town  on  June  25,  1863.  Up  to  this  time  there  had  been  but 
one  street  in  the  village,  that  ujjon  which  nearly  all  the  business 
of  the  town  was  transacted  and  which  constituted  the  dividing  line 
between  the  property  patented  by  F.  S.  Freeman  in  1862  and  that 
patented  by  T.  M.  Harris  in  June,  1863.  Mr.  Freeman's  plat  di- 
vided the  northern  portion  of  what  is  now  Woodland  into  blocks, 
lots  and  streets,  and  following  that  there  was  some  system  as  to 
the  location  of  buildings.  In  after  years  additional  plats  were 
recorded  as  the  town  grew  in  population  and  its  limits  were  ex- 
tended. These  plats  were  recorded  by  men  who  happened  to  own 
adjacent  property  and  resulted  in  somewhat  irregular  streets 
with  jogs  and  turns.  The  city  has  been  to  considerable  expense 
in  late  years  condemning  private  property  for  the  purpose  of 
straightening  these  streets  and  opening  new  ones  so  that  there 
might  be  a  continuity  of  its  principal  thoroughfares,  and  even 
yet  there  are  a  few  such  streets  which  need  remodeling. 

On  September  19,  1863,  the  cornerstone  of  the  present  court- 
house was  laid  under  the  auspices  of  the  Grand  Lodge  of  Masons, 
Hon.  I.  Davis  presiding  during  the  impressive  ceremonies.  Only 
about  six  years  elapsed  before  it  was  found  inadequate  for  the 
purposes  for  which  it  was  designed  and  the  board  of  supervisors 


100  HISTORY  OF  YOLO  COUNTY 

let  a  contract  to  Turton  &  Knox,  of  Sacramento,  to  raise  the 
building  eight  and  one-half  feet  and  put  under  it  a  new  and  more 
substantial  foundation.     This  work  was  completed  in  1870. 

The  year  1863  witnessed,  among  other  things,  the  organization 
of  Woodland's  first  brass  band,  John  E.  Taylor  being  the  first  who 
sought  to  appease  the  savage  breast  with  the  charm  of  Orpheus. 
This  pioneer  musical  organization  was,  however,  short  lived,  for  it 
happened  that  the  following  year  proved  to  be  one  of  disaster. 
It  is  remembered  and  talked  about  to  this  day  as  the  "dry  year 
of  1864."  As  most  of  the  business  of  the  community  was  de- 
pendent directly  and  indirectly  upon  the  success  of  the  farmers, 
the  scarcity  of  rainfall  that  year  resulted  in  short  crops  and  a 
corresponding  depression  in  all  branches  of  life.  Under  the  cir- 
cumstances the  people  thought  it  expedient  to  dispense  with  the 
luxury  of  music  and  the  members  of  the  band,  becoming  dis- 
couraged, scattered  and  the  band  was  no  more. 

It  was  not  until  1872  that  another  effort  was  made  in  Wood- 
land to  start  a  band.  In  that  year  A.  Dinzler  organized  one  with 
eight  members,  this  lasting  nearly  a  year.  In  1873  L.  Ellis  came, 
by  invitation  from  Auburn,  to  organize  and  instruct  a  band  and 
successfully  maintained  the  organization  under  the  name  of  "The 
Ellis  Brass  Band"  for  a  number  of  years. 

THE    FIRST    NEWSPAPER 

The  first  newspaper  published  in  Woodland  made  its  initial 
appearance  on  June  11,  1864,  under  the  name  of  the  Woodland 
News.  This  paper  had  previously  been  published  in  Knights 
Landing  under  the  name  of  the  Knights  Landing  News,  and  in 
Cacheville  under  the  title  of  the  Yolo  Democrat,  the  first  issue  of 
which  came  off  the  press  in  the  spring  of  1857.  At  that  time 
William  L.  Jernagan  and  Everts  were  the  proprietors  and  pub- 
lishers and  for  a  while  Samuel  Ruland,  of  Woodland,  was  the 
editor.  This  paper  was  published  about  one  year.  It  eventually 
became  the  property  of  M.  P.  Ferguson,  who  revived  the  publica- 
tion in  1858  under  the  name  of  the  Cacheville  Spectator,  but  after 
a  few  months  of  such  trials  and  tribulations  as  must  have  attended 
his  efforts  to  maintain  a  small  paper  in  a  sparsely  populated  com- 
munity, he  relinquished  the  title  and  management  of  the  sheet  to 
T.  J.  Howard,  who  formed  a  company,  moved  the  plant  to  Knights 
Landing  and  published  just  one  issue  of  the  Knights  Landing 
News.  About  two  months  later  S.  W.  Ravely  acquired  the  property 
and  revived  the  enterprise  at  the  scene  of  its  untimely  demise, 
under  its  old  name.  The  first  issue  of  the  revived  publication 
appeared  under  date  of  November  5,  1859.  He  continued  the  pub- 
lication of  the  paper  at  Knights  Landing  until  June,   1864,  when 


HISTORY   OF   YOLO   COUNTY  101 

the  plant  was  removed  to  "Woodland,  where  the  name  was  changed 
to  the  Woodland  News,  as  has  heen  previously  mentioned. 

In  August,  1865,  H.  C.  Grover  and  Charles  E.  St.  Louis  pur- 
chased the  paper  and  changed  its  political  complexion.  Up  to  that 
time  the  paper  had  always  been  Democratic  in  its  party  affiliation, 
but  under  the  new  proprietorship  it  became  an  advocate  of  the 
principles  of  Republicanism.  A.  A.  DeLong  was  employed  as 
editor  and  retained  that  post  until  November  16,  1867,  when  the 
property  was  purchased  by  the  Democrat  Publishing  Company  and 
the  name  Woodland  News  was  abandoned.  On  the  23d  of  the  same 
month  the  old  name  of  the  Yolo  Democrat  was  again  assumed 
with  W.  A.  Henry,  afterward  police  judge  of  Sacramento,  as  editor. 
It  continued  under  his  management  and  direction  until  May  1, 
1869,  when  S.  P.  Hall  assumed  the  editorial  duties  and  responsi- 
bilities. His  reign  lasted  until  he  got  the  sheet  involved  in  a  libel 
suit  with  the  Yolo  Mail,  a  paper  which  had  been  started  in  the 
meantime,  when  he  lost  his  job. 

William  Saunders  and  H.  C.  Grover  purchased  the  interests 
of  the  company  which  consisted  of  Judge  M.  C.  Woods,  John  M. 
Kelly  and  H.  C.  Grover  and  the  last  issue  of  the  old  paper  under 
the  old  management  was  dated  October  2,  1869.  William  Saunders 
soon  afterward  acquired  the  interests  of  his  partner  and  became 
the  sole  proprietor  of  the  paper.  Under  his  management  the  paper 
was  enlarged  and  on  June  1,  1877,  he  commenced  the  publication 
of  a  daily  under  the  name  of  the  Woodland  Daily  Democrat,  at  the 
same  time  enlarging  the  weekly  from  twenty-eight  to  fifty-six 
columns. 

The  successive  owners  of  the  Democrat  have  been  Ruffner 
&  Lee,  Wick  B.  Parsons,  Lee  &  Maxwell,  and  the  present  owner 
Ed  E.  Leake,  a  newspaper  man  of  wide  .experience  and  extraor- 
dinary ability.  Mr.  Leake  has  recently  enlarged  the  paper  to 
eight  pages  of  five  columns  each  and  has  added  new  departments. 
He  is  ably  assisted  by  his  two  sons,  Ed  I.  Leake  and  Paul  Leake. 
Politically  the  paper  is,  as  it  has  nearly  always  been,  Democratic. 
The  able  editor  has  always  been  able  to  see  enough  virtue  in  the 
platforms  of  that  party,  as  enunciated  at  the  National  conventions, 
to  remain  conscientiously  a  strong  advocate  of  its  principles  and 
he  has  a  strong  following  not  only  in  the  city  of  Woodland,  but 
throughout  the  county,  where  his  paper  has  a  large  subscription. 


102  HISTORY  OF  YOLO  COUNTY 


CHAPTER  XXIII 
OTHER  EARLY   ENTERPRISES 

[To  get  back  to  contemporaneous  matters.  Right  here  the 
author  wishes  to  explain  that  so  far  as  business  enterprises  are 
concerned  only  very  brief  mention  is  to  be  made  in  this  particular 
department,  because  C.  W.  Bush,  president  and  manager  of  the 
Bank  of  Yolo,  and  a  man  long  and  prominently  associated  with 
the  commercial  interests  of  the  city,  has  contributed  to  the  work  a 
very  interesting  chapter  on  the  subject.] 

The  Bank  of  Woodland,  the  first  enterprise  of  its  kind  to  be 
established  in  Woodland,  was  incorporated  in  1868  and  exists  to 
this  day,  a  financial  power  in  the  county.  On  October  19th  of  the 
same  year  Woodland  was  connected  with  the  outside  world  by 
telegraph  wires  and  the  early  historian  tells  us  *that  ' '  twenty-one 
messages  were  flashed  over  the  wires  the  first  day."  In  1869 
the  firm  of  Sibley  &  Winne  started  the  first  planing  mill  in  Wood- 
land and  the  same  year  the  California  Pacific  Railroad  Company 
finished  its  railroad  through  Woodland  and  as  far  north  as  Knights 
Landing. 

TOWN    INCORPORATED 

The  town  began  to  take  on  city  airs  and  its  inhabitants  thought 
it  about  time  that  some  system  of  government,  other  than  that 
exercised  by  the  board  of  supervisors,  be  established.  Accordingly, 
on  August  4,  1869,  a  petition,  numerously  signed,  was  presented 
to  the  board  of  supervisors  asking  that  the  town  of  Woodland 
be  incorporated  as  provided  by  law,  but  Giles  E.  Sill  appeared 
with  objections  and  the  matter  was  passed  by  the  board  until 
September.  On  the  first  day  of  that  month  the  matter  of  incor- 
poration was  pressed  again,  but  action  was  indefinitely  postponed, 
it  having  been  discovered  that  thirty-four  names  on  the  petition 
were  not  those  of  bona  fide  citizens  of  the  town,  which  left  the 
remaining  signatures  less  than  a  required  majority  of  the  residents. 
It  was  not  until  February  22,  1871,  that  the  matter  was  brought 
up  again  before  the  supervisors  by  petition  headed  by  A.  C.  Rug- 
gles,  R.  L.  Beamer,  J.  W.  Kelly  and  C.  P.  Sprague,  containing  in 
the  aggregate  about  two  hundred  signatures  of  the  residents  of 
the  town  and  vicinity. 

But  again  there  appeared  opposition.  John  Hollingsworth 
and  Joseph  Wolgamott  objected  so  strenuously  to  the  petition  that 
a  compromise  was  finally  effected  by  changing  the  boundaries 
of  the  city  so  that  their  respective  properties  were  not  included 
in  the  city  limits.    At  the  same  time  the  petition  was  amended  to 


HISTORY   OF   YOLO   COUNTY  103 

include  the  holdings  of  R.  H.  Beamer  and  F.  M.  Brown,  those  gen- 
tlemen expressing  a  desire  to  be  included  in  the  city.  With  these 
changes  the  board  of  supervisors  passed  the  necessary  resolution 
of  incorporation,  ordering  the  election  for  Tuesday,  March  14, 
1871,  the  polling  place  to  be  at  the  office  of  Elias  Petterson,  a 
justice  of  the  peace,  and  naming  the  officers  of  election  as  follows : 
Elias  Petterson,  inspector;  E.  Bynum  and  George  D.  Fiske,  judges. 
At  this  election  there  were  five  trustees,  a  treasurer,  assessor  and 
marshal  elected  as  follows :  D.  C.  Hubbard,  president ;  E.  Giddings, 
clerk ;  E.  R.  Lowe,  G.  Kauffman  and  John  Schuerly,  trustees ;  J.  D. 
Lawson,  marshal;  G.  W.  Greene,  treasurer;  and  P.  C.  Robertson, 
assessor. 

OTHER    EAELY    NEWSPAPERS 

It  appears  that  the  early  political  complexion  of  Yolo  county 
was  decidedly  Democratic;  in  fact,  it  remained  so  until  late  years. 
This  was  perhaps  because  most  of  the  pioneer  settlers  of  Yolo 
county  came  from  Missouri,  which  state  at  that  time  was  swarming 
with  Democrats.  At  any  rate,  up  to  the  time  of  the  brief  owner- 
ship of  the  Woodland  News  by  Messrs.  Grover  and  St.  Louis, 
very  little  of  the  principles  of  Republicanism  had  been  advocated 
in  Yolo  county  and  men  of  that  political  faith  were  scarce.  With 
the  increased  population  of  the  city,  however,  there  appears  to 
have  been  a  considerable  reinforcement  of  the  rank  and  file  of  the 
Republican  party  and  about  the  time  Mr.  Henry  took  over  the 
Woodland  News  the  Republicans  of  the  town  began  to  feel  the 
necessity  of  a  party  organ.  Some  of  the  leading  Republicans  of 
the  town  interested  themselves  in  the  matter  and  finally  induced 
C.  Y.  Hammond,  a  man  with  previous  editorial  experience,  to  start 
a  Republican  paper  in  the  town.  The  first  issue  of  the  newspaper, 
under  the  name  of  the  Yolo  Weekly  Mail,  made  its  appearance 
on  the  first  Thursday  of  October,  1868. 

0.  E.  Wagstaff  and  S.  A.  Jones,  succeeded  Mr.  Hammond  as 
proprietor  of  the  Mail,  taking  over  the  property  on  December 
25,  1869.  The  former  of  these  gentlemen  became  the  sole  pro- 
prietor of  the  paper  on  May  23,  1870,  and  retained  possession  until 
June  22,  1872,  when  R.  D.  Hopkins  became  a  part  owner.  The 
latter  sold  his  interests  to  Henry  Sharp  on  October  30,  1873. 
Messrs.  Wagstaff  and  Sharp  remained  proprietors  until  February 
20,  1879,  when  they  sold  to  W.  W.  Theobalds. 

During  the  campaign  of  1879  a  strictly  party  campaign  paper 
was  issued  from  the  Mail  office  under  the  title  The  Daily  Repub- 
lican. It  was  edited  by  A.  A.  DeLong,  an  ardent  and  enthusiastic 
Republican,  and  with  the  close  of  the  campaign,  ceased  to  exist. 

Allan  T.  Bird  succeeded  Mr.  Theobalds  as  editor  and  pub- 
lisher of  the  Mail,  he  taking  over  the  paper  in   the   early    '80s. 


104  HISTORY  OF  YOLO  COUNTY 

His  successor  was  Ralph  Ellis,  who  was  in  turn  succeeded  by 
his  son,  W.  F.  Ellis,  who  is  now  secretary  of  the  State  Highway 
Commission.  J.  H.  Dungan  purchased  the  paper  from  the  latter 
and  after  several  years  of  ownership  sold  a  half  interest  to  his 
brother-in-law,  W.  T.  Mixon  of  St.  Helena,  who  is  now  the  sole 
proprietor.  During  the  management  of  the  latter  the  paper  has 
been  enlarged  to  a  four-page,  seven-column  sheet  and  a  semi-weekly 
paper  is  also  issued  from  the  office. 

The  paper  lias  remained  true  to  the  principles  of  the  Repub- 
lican party  on  national  issues,  although  the  present  efficient  and 
able  editor  has  shown  an  independent  spirit  on  matters  of  local 
interest.  Mr.  Mixon  has  stood  for  local  reforms  and  has  wielded 
a  big  influence  in  shaping  the  destinies  of  the  community. 

A  newspaper  called  the  Woodland  Standard  was  published 
in  Woodland  for  a  period  of  seven  months  under  the  editorship  of 
D.  H.  Hackett,  its  first  issue  appearing  in  March,  1879,  and  its 
final  issue  January  10,  1880.  This  paper  was  bought  at  a  sheriff's 
sale  in  December,  1878,  in  Winters,  where  it  had  been  published 
under  the  name  of  the  Winters  Advocate,  by  L.  Walker,  who 
was  then  postmaster  of  Woodland.  Mr.  Hackett  obtained  posses- 
sion of  the  paper  through  a  lease  from  Mr.  Walker. 

WOODLAND    FIRE    DEPARTMENT 

On  the  30th  of  August,  1870,  the  Woodland  Hook  and  Ladder 
Company,  No.  1,  was  organized.  Monroe  Snyder  was  elected  fore- 
man and  William  Thompson,  secretary.  The  trucks  and  other 
paraphernalia  were  made  by  Henry  Perry,  who  then  had  a  wagon 
and  carriage  factory  in  Woodland.  The  entire  expense  of  appa- 
ratus was  borne  by  the  members  of  the  company. 

The  first  record  of  municipal  ownership  or  direction  of  the 
fire  department  appears  about  March  5,  1875,  when,  under  au- 
thority of  the  trustees  of  Woodland,  Woodland  Engine  Company 
No.  1  was  organized  with  W.  F.  Moses,  president;  J.  D.  Lawson, 
vice-president;  Martin  Steinmitz,  foreman;  Otto  Schluer,  first 
assistant;  C.  Barr,  second  assistant;  R.  H.  Beamer,  secretary; 
and  D.  M.  Burns,  treasurer.  This  company  was  equipped  with 
a  second-grade  Clapp  &  Jones  fire  engine,  which  the  city  pur- 
chased on  May  4,  1876,  at  a  cost  of  $5,000,  two  hose  carts,  about 
1,000  feet  of  hose  and  the  old  single  truck  of  the  original  company. 
The  company  exists  today  and  is  splendidly  equipped  with  up- 
to-date  apparatus. 

PIONEER    FRATERNAL    BODIES 

The  first  fraternal  lodge  organized  in  Woodland  was  Wood- 
land Lodge  No.  156,  P.  &  A.  M.,  which  organization  was  effected 
August  16,  1862.  For  a  number  of  years  the  members  of  this 
lodge    met    in    the    second    storv    of    a    building    situated    in    the 


HISTOEY   OF   YOLO   COUNTY  105 

northern  part  of  town,  the  lower  story  of  which  was  used  as  a 
school  room  in  the  day  time.  About  1894  the  Masonic  lodge 
joined  with  the  Farmers  &  Merchants  Bank  in  the  erection  of  the 
very  handsome  stone  and  brick  building  at  the  corner  of  Main 
and  First  streets,  which  is  now  the  home  of  the  lodge,  it  owning 
the  entire  third  floor  which  is  used  exclusively  by  the  various 
branches  of  the  Masonic  fraternity. 

The  nest  oldest  lodge  in  Woodland  is  Woodland  Lodge  No. 
Ill,  I.  O.  0.  F.,  which  was  instituted  January  17,  1863,  with  five 
charter  members.  This  lodge  owned  the  third  floor  of  the  building- 
occupied  by  the  Bank  of  Woodland  for  many  years  and  held  its 
meetings  there  until  a  few  years  ago.  The  members  sold  their 
property  to  the  bank  and  erected  a  handsome  three-story  brick 
building  of  the  old  mission  style  of  architecture  at  the  corner 
of  Third  and  Main  streets,  which  is  now  the  home  of  the  lodge,  the 
members  numbering  in  the  neighborhood  of  230. 

Pythia  Lodge  No.  43,  K.  of  P.,  was  organized  May  3,  1877, 
with  twenty-six  charter  members.  The  lodge  is  still  actively 
engaged  in  the  work  of  fraternity. 

In  the  fall  of  1854  there  was  instituted  in  Woodland  a  divi- 
sion of  the  order  known  as  the  Sons  of  Temperance  in  a  school 
house  close  to  and  just  north  of  where  Woodland  now  stands. 
It  was  a  contemporaneous  movement  with  that  of  the  organization 
of  the  Christian  church  and  considerable  feeling  was  aroused 
among  the  people  because  of  the  stand  taken  by  the  denomination 
against  the  temperance  order,  because  of  its  being  a  secret  order. 
However,  it  appears  that  the  order  withstood  the  antagonism  and 
it  spread  rapidly  throughout  the  county.  The  division  erected 
an  addition  to  the  school  house  near  Woodland,  to  enable  them 
to  hold  their  meetings,  and  two  years  afterward  they  were  joined 
by  the  Masons  and  put  a  second  story  on  the  new  school  house 
erected  that  year.  In  this  they  held  their  meetings  until  the 
division  was  disbanded,  it  eventually  being  absorbed  by  the 
newer  order  of  the  same  faith,  the  Good  Templars. 

Sixteen  men  of  Woodland  constituted  the  charter  member- 
ship of  Yolo  Lodge  No.  22,  Ancient  Order  of  Chosen  Friends, 
which  for  a  number  of  years  was  one  of  the  prominent  fraternal 
societies  of  the  city.  The  members  held  their  meetings  in  the 
Odd  Fellows'  hall  and  2>rospered  until  the  grand  lodge  became 
involved  in  financial  troubles,  which  eventually  culminated  with 
the  dissolution  of  the  local  branch. 

Woodland  Lodge  No.  237,  Independent  Order  of  Good  Tem- 
plars, was  organized  under  the  most  favorable  auspices,  there 
being  ninety-three  charter  member  when  the  lodge  was  instituted 
on  October  13,  1866.  This  number  was  soon  swelled  to  119 
and  the  lodge  erected  a  building,  afterward  called  Good  Templars' 


106  HISTORY  OF  YOLO  COUNTY 

hall,  at  a  cost  of  $4,000,  but  to  accomplish  that  end  contracted 
debts  which  proved  too  much  for  the  organization,  with  the  result 
that  they  finally  lost  their  property  and  the  lodge  passed  into 
oblivion.  The  building  they  constructed,  however,  was  used  for 
years  afterward  as  a  place  of  amusement  for  the  people  of  the 
town  and  it  became  a  landmark. 

The  order,  however,  of  which  Woodland  lodge  was  a  branch, 
did  not  expire  in  Yolo  county  with  the  demise  of  its  offspring  and 
in  1878,  on  the  20th  of  March,  another  lodge  of  the  same  order, 
called  Chrysopolis  Lodge  No.  210,  was  organized.  This  lodge  con- 
tinued in  existence,  meeting  in  the  Odd  Fellows'  hall,  until  the 
later  and  more  effective  temperance  organization  known  as  the 
Woman's  Christian  Temperance  Union  took  up  the  work  they 
had  prosecuted,  and  the  older  organization  gave  way  to  the  new. 

The  German  population  in  Woodland  vicinity,  following  the 
example  set  by  their  countrymen  all  over  the  United  States,  on 
February  8,  1871,  organized  a  Turn  Verein  Society  and  erected 
a  hall  building  south  of  and  facing  the  courthouse.  This  building 
afterward  became  the  armory  of  Company  F,  N.  G.  C. 

COMPANY  F,  NATIONAL  GUARD  OF   CALIFORNIA 

One  of  the  important  organizations  of  the  city  is  Company  F 
of  the  Second  Regiment  of  Infantry,  N.  G.  C.  Not  so  much  because 
of  its  protection  to  the  people  of  the  city  is  this  organization 
recognized  as  one  of  the  substantial  bodies  of  Woodland,  but  be- 
cause it  brings  revenue  into  the  city,  being  supported  wholly  by 
the  state,  and  because  during  all  the  years  of  its  existence  it  has 
helped  in  various  entertainments  and  lent  pomp  and  splendor 
to  such  parades  as  have  been  held  from  time  to  time. 

Company  F  was  organized  in  March,  1881,  by  some  of  the 
leading  business  men  of  the  city.  Its  ranks  were  recruited  with 
the  substantial  men  of  the  community,  including  merchants,  law- 
yers, doctors  and  men  of  other  professions  and  vocations.  The 
first  meetings  were  held  in  old  Washington  hall,  which  was  after- 
ward destroyed  by  fire,  and  C.  M.  Cassler  was  elected  the  first 
captain,  with  G.  W.  Myrick  and  Dave  Tobias  as  his  first  and 
second  officers,  respectively.  The  company  was  then  a  part  of  the 
First  Artillery  Regiment  of  the  state  militia. 

After  the  destruction  of  Washington  hall  by  fire  the  company 
moved  its  effects  into  the  old  Turner  hall  opposite  the  present  hall 
of  records,  which  also  suffered  destruction  by  fire,  but  not  until 
the  company  had  again  moved  into  the  building  now  known  as 
the  Old  Armory,  which  was  built  for  the  now  defunct  Olympic 
Club.  In  the  meantime  the  company  had  been  changed  from  an 
artillery  organization  into  a  company  of  infantry  and  new  uniforms 
and  equipment  were  issued. 


HISTORY   OF   YOLO   COUNTY  107 

W.  T.  Spencer  was  elected  captain  in  1883  and  served  two 
years.  He  was  succeeded  by  Captain  Cassler,  who  was  again 
elected  commander  in  1885.  After  one  year  of  service  Major  W.  H. 
Curson  was  elected  to  the  captaincy  and  served  for  nine  years 
continuously.  It  was  under  his  command  that  the  company  found 
such  comfortable  and  commodious  quarters  in  the  old  Armory 
building.     That  occurred  in  the  year  1888. 

Robert  Warren,  a  lieutenant  under  Curson,  was  elected  captain 
and  after  one  year  was  succeeded  by  his  first  lieutenant,  H.  U. 
Prindle.  Under  the  reign  of  the  latter  the  company  was  called 
to  Dunsmuir  during  the  memorable  railroad  strike  of  1894.  Cap- 
tain Prindle  was  also  instrumental  in  securing  the  construction  of 
the  elegant  new  armory  hall  built  expressly  for  the  company 
by  local  capitalists  in  the  early  '90s. 

J.  J.  Ward  was  elected  to  succeed  Prindle  and  was  commanding 
the  company  when  the  call  came  for  volunteers  in  the  Spanish- 
American  war.  Company  F  was  recruited  up  to  full  fighting 
strength  and  the  volunteers  in  due  time  went  to  Oakland,  where 
because  of  trouble  over  the  commander  of  the  company,  the  au- 
thorities seeking  to  displace  Ward  and  put  Barnes  in  command 
of  the  organization,  a  big  majority  of  the  members  refused  to  be 
mustered  in  and  the  company  was  disbanded  by  the  state  authori- 
ties. 

Woodland  was  without  a  military  organization  until  1898, 
when  some  prominent  men  of  business  interested  themselves  in 
the  matter  and  under  Governor  Gage  obtained  permission  for 
the  organization  of  another  company  in  Woodland,  to  be  known 
under  the  old  title.  W.  H.  Curson,  who  after  his  retirement  as 
commander  of  the  company  had  been  elected  major  of  the  Second 
Battalion  of  the  Second  Infantry  regiment,  was  again  prevailed 
upon  to  accept  the  captaincy  of  the  local  organization  and  it  was 
due  principally  to  his  untiring  efforts  that  the  present  company 
was  recruited. 

The  commanders  since  Major  Curson 's  second  term  have  been 
Majors  J.  C.  Lee  and  C.  W.  Thomas  and  Captain  C.  B.  Nichols. 
The  company  is  now  in  a  flourishing  condition  and  is  recognized 
throughout  the  state  as  one  of  the  most  efficient  military  organi- 
zations connected  with  the  National  Guard. 


108  HISTORY  OF  YOLO  COUNTY 


CHAPTER  XXIV 
A  PERIOD  OF  DEPRESSION 

Like  many  other  cities,  Woodland  has  passed  safely  through 
the  ordeal  of  business  stagnation  and  the  consequent  depression  of 
its  inhabitants.  Following  the  close  of  the  preceding  chapter  there 
occurred  an  epoch  in  the  history  of  this  fair  city  which  greatly 
discouraged  those  whose  optimistic  predictions  had  painted  the 
glory  of  the  county  seat  in  glowing  colors.  The  hard  times  were 
due  as  much  to  local  conditions  as  they  were  to  circumstances 
which  prevailed  throughout  the  commonwealth  and  which  were 
felt  here.  With  the  exception  of  a  few  venturesome  enterprises 
by  local  men  the  history  of  Woodland  from  1880  to  1890  could  well 
be  put  into  a  small  chapter  of  lamentations.  These  few  enterprises 
were  inaugurated  mostly  by  Woodland  men  who  had  much  money 
invested  here  and  who  apparently  sought  to  stimulate  the  confi- 
dence of  the  people  by  putting  more  of  their  wealth  into  local 
enterprises.  They  perhaps  also  knew  that  the  inactivity  was  only 
temporary  and  that  in  the  end  things  would  assume  their  normal 
condition.  That  after  all  they  acted  wisely  is  clearly  demonstrated 
by  subsequent  events. 

The  author  is  not  going  to  attempt  to  describe  the  conditions 
which  prevailed  during  this  period  of  depression  more  than  to 
give  a  few  circumstances  illustrative  of  the  times.  For  instance, 
an  owner  of  local  property  offered  to  give  away  some  city  lots 
he  possessed  to  rid  himself  of  the  burden  of  taxes  he  was  com- 
pelled to  pay  upon  them.  Fortunately  for  him  he  could  find  no 
takers.  Clerks  in  some  of  the  local  stores  were  put  upon  a 
percentage  basis  of  sales  for  compensation.  The  author,  then 
a  scribe  on  a  local  paper,  well  remembers  the  temerity  of  a  local 
woman  who,  with  a  few  thousand  dollars,  decided  to  build  a  new 
home  in  Woodland.  The  news  was  then  considered  of  so  much 
importance  that  the  reporter  devoted  nearly  a  column  in  the 
paper  to  a  description  of  the  new  house.  If  reporters  at  the  pres- 
ent time  attempted  to  do  the  same  thing  their  employers  would 
necessarily  have  to  issue  supplements  of  many  pages  every  day. 

woodland's   first   and   only   street   car 

Among  the  few  enterprises  which  served  to  relieve  the  mon- 
otony of  this  period  of  depression  was  the  financing  of  the  build- 
ing of  Woodland's  first  and  only  street  railway  by  some  local 
men  of  means.  The  car  line  extended  from  the  western  limits 
of  the  city  to  the  Southern  Pacific  depot  near  the  eastern  corpora- 
tion  line,   a   distance   of  about   a    mile.      The   motive   power   was 


HISTORY   OF   YOLO   COUNTY  109 

horse  flesh   and   two   cars   were   purchased    and   operated.      It    is 
hardly  necessary  to  add  that  the  enterprise  met  an  untimely  demise. 

COMING  OF   THE   TELEPHONE  AND  ELECTRICITY 

Enterprises  which  met  a  better  fate  were  the  installation  of 
a  local  telephone  system  and  the  construction  of  an  electric 
lighting  plant  by  the  same  company  which  had  previously  built 
and  operated  the  gas  plant.  The  local  telephone  company  main- 
tained an  office  on  Main  street  and  had  an  exchange  of  a  few  tele- 
phones in  the  city.  This  business,  of  course,  gradually  developed, 
as  the  need  of  quicker  communication  made  itself  felt,  and  after 
a  few  years  of  successful  operation  the  local  company  disposed 
of  their  interests  to  a  state  corporation,  which  was  in  turn  absorbed 
by  the  Pacific  Telephone  and  Telegraph  Company,  which  now  has 
a  very  large  system  in  Woodland  and  even  in  some  parts  of  the 
surrounding  country.  There  is  also  a  local  company  operating 
a  rural  system  under  the  name  of  the  Farmers'  Telephone  Com- 
pany and  the  whole  county  is  now  connected  by  the  telephone 
wires. 

The  present  very  comprehensive  and  effective  electric  light 
and  power  system,  now  operated  by  the  Pacific  Gas  and  Electric 
Company,  was  originally  inaugurated  by  local  capitalists  during 
this  period  of  hard  times.  A  plant  was  installed  on  Fifth  street 
in  Woodland  and  the  town  was  wired  for  electricity  as  the  con- 
sumers entered  into  contracts  with  the  company.  The  power  was 
generated  in  the  plant  with  machinery  operated  by  steam.  In  due 
course  of  events  the  Bay  Counties  Light  and  Power  Company, 
which  had  entered  the  field  of  northern  California,  negotiated  the 
purchase  of  the  local  plant  and  with  the  water  power  furnished 
by  their  big  plant  at  Colgate,  proceeded  immediately  to  furnish  the 
local  consumers  with  light  and  power  at  a  much  cheaper  rate  than 
they  had  been  paying.  Local  enterprises  which  used  power  of  any 
description  began  equipping  their  plants  with  electric  motors  and 
today  the  lines  of  the  big  corporation  are  extended  even  into  the 
country  where  farmers  are  pumping  water  and  operating  farm 
machinery  with  electric  power.  The  Bay  Counties  Power  Company 
was  within  the  past  few  years  absorbed  by  the  more  powerful 
and  extensive  Pacific  Gas  and  Electric  Power  Company. 

THE    WOODLAND    CREAMERY 

An  enterprise  which  did  more,  perhaps,  than  any  other  to 
stem  Woodland  through  the  hard  times  was  the  Woodland  Cream- 
ery, also  built  by  local  men  who  felt  the  necessity  of  a  local  market 
for  their  dairy  products,  the  people  in  the  vicinity  having  in  the 
meantime  engaged  extensively  in  the  business  of  dairying.  The 
local  creamery  at  once  became  a  paying  investment,  because  of  the 
superiority   of   the   butter   manufactured,    which    to    this    day    has 


110  HISTORY  OF  YOLO  COUNTY 

maintained  its  reputation  throughout  the  state.  Woodland  cream- 
ery butter  is  quoted  nearly  everywhere  about  five  cents  above  the 
prevailing  market  prices  for  other  butter  and  the  demand  through 
all  these  years  has  steadily  increased.  This  enterprise,  successful 
from  the  start,  has  been  a  steady  and  consistent  means  of  bringing 
revenue  into  the  city  and  it  proved  a  boon  to  investors  and  patrons 
alike  when  all  business  enterprises  were  hardly  paying  interest 
on  the  investment.  The  local  plant  has  been  enlarged  and  improved 
from  time  to  time  and  is  now  one  of  the  best  equipped  institu- 
tions of  its  kind  in  this  part  of  the  state. 

During  these  years  the  city  trustees  were  experiencing  great 
difficulty  in  straightening  the  streets  of  the  city.  A  perusal  of 
their  minutes  shows  contract  after  contract  for  grading  streets 
and  many  transactions  in  which  the  city  acquired  title  to  property 
for  the  purpose  of  widening  and  straightening  its  thoroughfares. 

The  first  lighting  of  the  city  followed  a  minute  of  the  board  of 
Trustees  of  April,  1877,  in  which  it  was  provided  that  five  gas 
jets  be  installed  for  street  lighting,  one  each  at  the  corner  of 
Main  and  First,  Main  and  Second,  Main  and  Third,  Main  and 
Fifth,  and  Main  and  Railroad.  At  the  same  meeting  the  trustees 
ordered  the  installation  of  three  fire  plugs. 

The  first  official  grade  for  streets  and  sidewalks  was  fixed  by 
the  city  trustees  in  April,  1878,  and  provided  that  "the  official  base 
for  elevations  for  all  streets  shall  be  plane  100  feet  below  the 
top  of  the  iron  bench  mark  near  the  northeast  corner  of  Byrns 
and  Dietz  block  at  the  southwest  corner  of  Main  and  Second 
streets." 

In  1881  the  trustees  passed  the  first  ordinance  fixing  the  fire 
limits  of  Woodland  and  providing  for  the  class  of  building  that 
might  be  constructed  within  those  limits. 

The  board  entered  into  a  contract  with  R.  II.  Beamer  in  1883 
in  which  the  latter  agreed  to  build  a  building  for  municipal  pur- 
poses over  the  blacksmith  shop  formerly  occupied  by  B.  Ready, 
the  second  floor  of  which  should  be  devoted  exclusively  to  the 
use  of  the  city,  the  ground  floor  for  the  fire  department  and  a 
jail  should  be  provided  in  the  rear.  This  building  was  the  official 
home  of  the  city  for  a  great  many  years.  It  is  now  occupied  by 
professional  men  as  offices. 


HISTORY   OF   YOLO   COUNTY  111 

CHAPTER  XXV 

A  PERIOD   OF  DISASTER 

An  organization  known  as  the  Woodland  Business  Men's 
Association  was  effected  in  May,  1889,  for  the  purpose  of  pro- 
tecting the  local  merchants  and  fostering  home  industries.  This 
organization  gave  way  in  after  years  to  the  Woodland  Chamber 
of  Commerce.  The  latter  body,  however,  did  not  fully  take  the 
place  of  the  original  organization  and  in  May,  1909,  the  mer- 
chants feeling  again  the  need  of  such  an  organization,  formed 
the  Merchants'  Association  of  Woodland. 

In  January,  1890,  there  occurred  the  most  severe  storm  the 
people  had  experienced  for  many  years.  Rain  fell  in  torrents  and 
was  accompanied  by  high  winds.  That  section  of  the  county 
bordering  on  the  Sacramento  river  was  flooded,  with  much  conse- 
quent damage  to  growing  crops  and  improvements,  and  the  same 
conditions  existed  along  the  banks  of  Cache  creek,  where  im- 
provements of  thirty  years  standing  and  accumulation  were  swept 
away.  It  was  impossible  to  get  any  sort  of  an  estimate  of  the 
damage  wrought,  as  measured  in  dollars  and  cents. 

THE    FIRST    FAIR 

Another  industrial  organization  which  gained  considerable 
reputation  throughout  the  northern  part  of  the  state,  the  Yolo 
Agricultural  Fair  Association,  was  organized  in  1891  with  the 
following  directors :  Hon.  L.  B.  Adams,  president ;  M.  Diggs, 
Charles  R.  Hoppin,  W.  B.  Gibson,  G.  W.  Woodard,  S.  T.  Mowder, 
Dr.  Thomas  Ross,  C.  F.  Thomas  and  J.  H.  Doolittle.  The  first 
fair  held  under  their  direction  was  in  September,  1891,  beginning 
on  the  first  day  thereof,  and  it  was  a  big  success. 

Beginning  August  29,  1893,  another  county  fair  was  held  in 
Woodland.  The  state  had  in  the  meantime  been  districted  by  the 
state  legislature,  which  body  evinced  a  keen  interest  in  these 
affairs  and  lent  them  both  moral  and  financial  support.  Yolo 
county  was  designated  as  the  Fortieth  District.  District  fairs  and 
race  meetings  have  been  held  from  time  to  time  in  Yolo  county 
ever  since.  In  late  years  the  Pacific  Horse  Breeders'  Association 
has  aided  materially  in  giving  these  fairs. 

TOWN   IS   BONDED 

In   September,    1891,    a   bond    election   was    held  and    carried 

for  a  municipal  building,  purchase  of  the  water  works  (then  owned 

by   a   private    corporation)    and    for    the    installation  of    a    sewer 

system   in  Woodland.     The  vote   was   quite   decided  in   favor   of 


112  HISTORY  OF  YOLO  COUNTY 

bonding,  the  various  majorities  being  respectively,  340  for  the 
building,  370  for  the  sewer  and  374  for  the  purchase  of  the  water 
works. 

The  site  for  the  city  hall  or  municipal  building,  corner  of 
First  and  Court  streets,  was  selected  in  October,  1891,  and  con- 
struction was  commenced  soon  after.  The  building  has  been  the 
source  of  considerable  trouble  and  expense  since.  According  to 
the  testimony  of  experts  it  appears  that  those  who  planned  the 
building  made  the  mistake  of  putting  on  a  roof  too  heavy  for  the 
supporting  walls.  The  building  was  pretty  badly  wrecked  in  the 
earthquakes  of  1892  and  was  afterward  condemned  as  being  unsafe 
for  occupancy.  The  city  offices  moved  out  and  found  office  quar- 
ters in  buildings  uptown.  However,  some  repairs  have  been  made 
on  the  building  since  and  it  is  still  occupied  by  the  fire  department 
on  the  ground  floor  and  by  the  city  recorder. 

The  city  also  experienced  much  trouble  on  account  of  the 
sewer,  which  was  put  in  soon  after  the  election.  The  city  trustees 
leased  a  quarter-section  of  land  about  one  and  one-half  miles  east 
of  the  city  limits  for  a  dumping  place  for  the  sewer  and  in  due 
time  the  land  owners  in  the  vicinity  brought  suit  against  the  city 
to  abandon  the  place  on  the  ground  that  it  was  a  public  nuisance. 
The  suit  was  successful  and  the  city  was  compelled  to  '  lease 
ground  some  two  miles  farther  east  and  extend  the  sewer  to 
the  new  point.  The  sewage  is  now  covered  in  the  rainy  season 
by  overflow  water  and  washed  away. 

The  year  1891  saw  also  the  establishment  just  north  of  Wood- 
land of  its  first  and  only  woolen  mill.  The  mill  was  destroyed 
by  fire  on  January  29,  1896,  and  its  proprietors,  Messrs.  Shapherd 
and  Collum,  were  arrested  and  tried  for  arson,  it  being  charged 
that  they  purposely  fired  the  mill  to  obtain  the  iusurance  they  car- 
ried on  it.  Mr.  Collum  was  convicted.  Perhaps  the  fate  of  the 
first  venture  has  deterred  any  from  attempting  to  start  another 
such  mill  in  the  community. 

Despite  the  severe  earthquake  shocks  in  the  spring  of  1892 
and  the  very  disastrous  conflagration  in  July  of  the  same  year, 
there  was  unusual  activity  in  business  circles  in  that  year.  Among 
other  things  there  was  an  unusual  shipment  of  products  from 
Woodland  to  the  outside  markets.  An  organization  called  the 
Woodland  Fair  Association  was  organized  for  the  purpose  of 
preparing  and  maintaining  an  exhibit  of  the  products  of  Yolo 
county  at  the  Chicago  Columbian  Fxposition.  The  cornerstone  of 
the  city  hall  was  laid  on  August  6th,  and  the  building  cost  the 
city  $24,000.  A  contract  was  let  for  the  construction  of  the  Farm- 
ers &  Merchants  Bank  at  a  cost  of  $29,908.  Extensive  improve- 
ments were  made  in  the  Bank  of  Yolo.  The  construction  of  the 
sewer  system  was  completed   on   October   1st.     The  new   German 


HISTORY   OF   YOLO   COUNTY  113 

Lutheran  Church  on  Cleveland  street  was  dedicated  November 
13th.  Articles  of  incorporation  of  the  Yolo  County  W.  C.  T.  U. 
were  filed  with  the  county  clerk.  On  July  12th  the  deal  for  the 
purchase  of  the  water  works  by  the  city  was  consummated,  the 
consideration  being  $25,000.  That  was  one  of  the  wisest  things 
the  people  of  the  city  ever  did,  for  this  has  been  a  source  of  income 
ever  since.  The  works  have  been  operated  at  a  profit  and  the 
residents  of  the  city  have  benefited  materially  in  a  reduction  of 
tax  rates.  On  December  13th  the  Woodland  high  school  was 
located  in  Woodland. 

EARTHQUAKE     AND     FIEE 

The  year  1892  was  also  one  of  disaster.  Yolo  and  Solano 
counties  seem  to  have  been  directly  in  the  path  of  the  severe  earth- 
quake which  occurred  on  the  morning  of  April  19,  1892,  and  both 
were  shaken  from  center  to  circumference,  although  so  far  as 
damage  was  concerned  Solano  county  suffered  the  most.  In 
Woodland,  people  who  occupied  large  residences  were  badly  fright- 
ened, in  one  or  two  instances  the  fright  amounting  almost  to 
panic.  The  shock  was  felt  here  about  3  o'clock  in  the  morning. 
Nearly  every  building  in  town  showed  some  evidence  of  a  severe 
wrenching,  although  the  damage  was,  comparatively  speaking, 
slight.  Three  days  later  another  shake  was  felt  in  Woodland,  this 
also  being  quite  severe,  but  fortunately  the  damage  done  amounted 
to  little. 

The  most  disastrous  conflagration  in  its  history  occurred  in 
Woodland  on  July  1,  1892,  when  two  business  blocks  and  one  block 
of  residences  were  destroyed  by  fire.  The  fire  originated  in  the 
alley  back  of  Main  street,  between  First  and  Second  streets.  There 
was  quite  a  heavy  wind  from  the  north  and  the  flames  were  car- 
ried to,  and  soon  communicated  with,  the  business  block  on  the 
north  side  of  Main  street.  Among  other  buildings  destroyed  in 
this  fire  were  the  opera  house  and  the  Flxchange  hotel.  Sparks 
were  carried  over  intervening  blocks,  setting  fire  to  and  destroying 
a  block  of  residences  on  South  Third  street  between  Lincoln 
avenue  and  Oak  street.  Business  was  suspended  during  the  fire, 
which  lasted  the  better  part  of  the  day,  and  every  one  able  to  do 
so  responded  to  the  call  for  help.  Telegrams  were  sent  to  Sacra- 
mento and  that  city  sent  an  engine  and  part  of  its  department 
to  the  relief  of  her  sister  city.  The  trip  over  was  made  on  a  flatcar 
furnished  by  the  Southern  Pacific  Companv  in  about  twenty  min- 
utes, which  was  some  thirty  minutes  under  the  regular  schedule  of 
the  company.  The  loss  to  property  was  estimated  at  $200,000,  and 
the  loss  of  life  was  confined  to  one  brave  member  of  the  local  fire 
department,  W.  W.  Porter,  who  was  killed  at  his  post  of  duty 


114  HISTOEY  OF  YOLO  COUNTY 

in  the  alley  back  of  the  opera  house,  by  the  falling  of  the  rear 
wall  of  the  building. 

During  the  years  1894,  1895  and  1896  there  was  a  marked 
depression  in  business  and  social  life  felt  throughout  the  country 
and  of  course  Woodland  was  affected  with  the  other  cities  of  the 
state.  Very  little  in  the  way  of  public  improvement  was  done, 
the  people  settling  down  to  a  struggle  to  provide  the  common 
necessities  of  life.  Added  to  this  the  murder  of  Constable  L. 
Todhunter  by  outlaws  in  March,  1893,  cast  an  additional  gloom 
upon  the  people  and  in  January,  1895,  the  country  was  visited  by 
another  of  those  rarely  severe  storms.  As  a  result  there  were 
very  few  new  business  enterprises  inaugurated  in  Woodland  and 
about  the  only  thing  along  these  lines  was  the  consummation  of 
plans  previously  arranged.  The  Woodland  Building  and  Loan 
Association  was  organized  in  1893  and  the  Farmers  &  Merchants 
Bank,  now  the  First  National  Bank,  opened  for  business  January 
2,  1894.  B.  B.  Blowers,  a  pioneer  of  1854  and  one  of  the  fore- 
most fruit  growers  of  the  community,  died  on  May  11,  1894,  and  in 
the  same  year  the  great  railroad  strike  which  culminated  in  death 
and  disaster  to  Yolo  county  began. 

FAMOUS    WOEDEN    CASE 

No  doubt  the  famous  Worden  murder  trial  is  still  fresh  in 
the  memories  of  Woodland  people.  Worden  headed  a  gang  of 
railroad  strikers  who  wrecked  a  special  train  at  a  small  trestle 
about  two  miles  north  of  Sacramento,  killing  the  engineer,  Sam 
Clark,  and  several  militiamen.  Worden  with  some  of  the  other 
members  of  the  party,  Melvin  Hatch,  Harry  Knox,  and  Tex 
Appleman,  were  arrested  on  the  charge  of  murder  and  tried  in 
Woodland.  Eminent  attorneys  were  employed  and  the  trial  was 
one  of  the  sensational  affairs  of  the  day.  All  the  men  except 
Worden  escaped  punishment,  they  being  acquitted.  Worden  was 
convicted  and  sentenced  to  be  hanged,  but  President  Cleveland 
commuted  his  sentence  to  life  imprisonment  and  only  a  few  years 
ago  Worden  was  pardoned  by  the  Board  of  Prison  Commissioners 
and  is  now  sojourning  with  a  brother  in  Japan. 

WINE     INDUSTEY 

About  the  only  business  which  did  not  suffer  materially 
during  these  few  years  of  depression  was  that  of  wine  making. 
During  the  early  years  of  the  wine  industry  people  who  cultivated 
grapes  prospered.  In  Woodland  this  industry  prospered  in  1895, 
the  output  of  the  local  winery  being  for  the  year  about  150,000 
gallons.  About  this  time  there  first  appeared  the  agitation  about 
the  sugar  beet  industry  and  the  people  of  Yolo  county  were  made 
various  propositions  in  which  it  was  promised  that  in  the  event 


HISTORY   OF   YOLO   COUNTY  115 

of  setting  aside  a  certain  number  of  acres  to  the  growing  of  sugar 
beets  a  factory  would  be  built  here.  The  enterprise,  however,  was 
new  and  although  the  matter  was  urged  again  in  after  years,  the 
solicitors  were  unable  to  secure  enough  acreage  to  justify  the 
necessary  expenditure  for  a  factory  and  the  matter  was  finally 
dropped,  the  factory  being  located  elsewhere.  There  is  now  a  large 
acreage  of  beets  planted  in  Yolo  county  in  the  vicinity  of  Woodland 
and  the  growers  are  compelled  to  ship  their  product  to  the  factory. 

On  March  1,  2  and  3  of  1896  the  people  of  Yolo  county  were 
treated  to  the  unusual  spectacle  of  seeing  the  foothills  of  the 
county  covered  with  snow.  On  January  15  of  this  year  the  new 
opera  house  was  opened.  It  was  built  upon  the  site  of  the  old 
one  and  was  financed  with  local  capital.  The  W.  C.  T.  U.  began 
the  agitation  of  prohibition  and  a  vote  was  taken  in  Woodland 
on  the  saloon  question,  but  for  all  data  regarding  the  movement 
of  prohibition  in  Woodland,  the  author  respectfully  refers  the 
reader  to  an  article  in  this  work  written  by  Mrs.  S.  A.  Huston, 
which  will  be  found  comprehensive  and  accurate. 

The  Woodland  Athletic  Club  was  organized  April  22,  1897, 
with  the  following  directors :  A.  M.  Britt,  J.  C.  Crutcher,  F.  Wood- 
man, Dr.  Stevenson,  W.  L.  Wood,  W.  J.  Parker,  T.  G.  Hughes, 
D.  C.  Halsey,  J.  J.  Ward,  E.  E.  Gaddis  and  J.  H.  Dungan. 
Quarters  were  leased  in  the  old  Y.  M.  C.  A.  building  on  Second 
street  and  a  splendid  equipment  of  paraphernalia  was  purchased. 
The  club  thrived  for  a  while,  but  its  members  soon  tired  of  the 
amusement  and  the  paraphernalia  was  afterward  sold  to  Com- 
pany F  of  the  N.  G.  C. 

The  business  of  grape  growing  had  grown  to  such  propor- 
tions in  the  vicinity  of  Woodland  that  men  engaged  in  the  industry 
began  looking  about  for  better  facilities  for  marketing  their  crops. 
As  a  result  of  this  agitation  a  company  was  formed  for  the  pur- 
pose of  establishing  a  raisin  seeding  plant  in  Woodland,  which 
was  completed  in  September,  1899.  A  few  years  after  Guggenheim 
&  Co.,  of  San  Francisco,  took  over  this  plant  and  enlarged  the 
fruit-packing  establishment  until  it  is  one  of  the  largest  and  best 
equipped  in  this  part  of  the  state. 

In  January,  1901,  a  bill  was  introduced  in  the  state  legislature 
providing  for  the  amendment  of  the  charter  of  the  city.  The  bill 
became  a  law  in  March  of  the  same  year  and  brought  about  con- 
solidation of  certain  city  offices.  The  offices  of  city  attorney 
and  city  clerk  were  consolidated.  The  city  treasurer  was  made  the 
tax  collector.  The  city  marshal  was  made  license  collector  and 
superintendent  of  streets,  and  other  changes  of  minor  importance 
were  made. 

The  Woodland  Chamber  of  Commerce,  mention  of  which  lias 
been  previously  made,  was  organized  February  1,   1900,   and  ten 


116  HISTORY  OF  YOLO  COUNTY 

days  afterward  the  first  farmers'  institute  was  held  iu  Woodland. 
These  institutes  were  held  at  Woodland  each  year  until  the  state 
farm  was  established  near  Davisville.  As  the  latter  answered 
the  same  purpose  for  which  the  institutes  were  held,  it  resulted  in 
the  abandonment  of  the  annual  meetings  of  instruction. 

In  1902  W.  W.  Percival  and  W.  P.  Craig  built  and  conducted 
the  Woodland  flour  mill.  The  building  was  erected  on  the  Gibson 
tract  one  mile  south  of  town.  A  little  more  than  one  year  after 
its  construction  the  mill  was  destroyed  by  fire.  Messrs.  Percival 
and  Craig  joined  a  company  of  San  Francisco  capitalists  in  the 
construction  of  a  new  and  modern  mill  in  the  city  of  Woodland,  but 
disposed  of  their  interests  to  their  partners,  who  were  in  turn 
absorbed  by  the  Globe  Milling  Company  of  California,  of  which 
company  the  local  mill  is  at  the  present  time  one  of  the  best  paying 
properties. 

One  of  the  most  important  business  transactions  of  the  county 
occurred  January  27,  1903,  when  Joe  Craig,  acting  for  the  Yolo 
County  Consolidated  Water  Company,  bought  the  interests  of  the 
heirs  of  the  Moore  estate  in  and  to  the  Moore  irrigating  system. 
This  transaction  also  ended  long  pending  litigation  between  the 
Moore  people  and  other  claimants  of  water  rights  from  Cache 
creek.  The  new  company  at  once  set  about  improving  and  enlarg- 
ing the  system  and  the  users  of  water  got  better  service  than  they 
had  received  for  some  time.  Since  the  acquisition  of  this  prop- 
erty, however,  by  the  Consolidated  Water  Company  the  area 
planted  to  alfalfa  has  so  multiplied  that  even  their  more  com- 
prehensive system  has  proved  inadequate  to  the  demand  upon  it 
for  water  and  there  has  been  considerable  complaint  and  a  few 
law  suits  arising  from  the  company's  refusal  or  neglect  to  fur- 
nish water  to  consumers. 

At  the  present  time  the  people  of  the  community  have  brighter 
prospects  ahead  of  them  for  irrigation  than  they  have  ever  had. 
In  June,  1912,  the  Yolo  Consolidated  Water  Company  sold  their 
interests  to  the  Yolo  Water  and  Power  Company,  a  syndicate  of 
New  York  capitalists,  which  promises  great  things  for  Yolo  county 
in  the  way  of  water  supply  and  the  development  of  electrical  power. 

The  new  owners  of  the  system  submitted  a  proposition  to  the 
people  which  in  substance  was  that  if  they  agreed  and  pledged 
themselves  to  purchase  water  rights  to  attach  to  their  holdings  at 
$20  per  acre,  the  company  would  furnish  water  thereafter  at  the 
rate  of  $1.50  per  acre  per  year,  providing  acreage  to  the  amount 
of  50,000  acres  was  pledged.  The  proposition  has  been  accepted 
and  the  required  acreage  has  been  signed  up.  The  company  is 
now  engaged  in  the  construction  of  a  concrete  dam  near  Capay, 
which  will  cost  when  completed  between  $40,000  and  $50,000. 
They  intend  also  to  build  restraining  dams  above  Rumsev  at  the 


HISTORY   OF   YOLO   COUNTY  117 

head  of  Capay  valley  and  at  the  head  of  Cache  creek  on  Clear 
lake,  also  to  levee  Clear  lake  for  the  purpose  of  retaining  the 
winter  flood  water,  after  which  will  come  the  construction  of  a 
great  system  of  irrigation  which  will  cover  the  entire  county,  also 
the  construction  of  the  necessary  works  for  the  generation  of 
electric  power. 


CHAPTER  XXYI 

A    PERIOD    OP    MARKED    ACTIVITY 

Other  contemporaneous  business  activities  were  the  organiza- 
tion of  the  Yolo-Solano  Irrigation  Company,  the  former  for  the 
purpose  of  diverting  water  from  the  Sacramento  river  and  Central 
canal  in  March,  1902;  the  establishment  of  two  free  rural  mail 
delivery  routes  in  the  county  adjacent  to  Woodland ;  the  capture 
at  the  state  fair  of  the  first  premium  offered  for  the  best  display 
of  products  by  any  county  in  the  state  in  September,  1903;  the 
laying  of  the  cornerstone  of  the  new  Carnegie  library  at  the  corner 
of  First  and  Court  streets  on  June  7,  1904;  dedication  of  the  new 
Native  Sons'  hall  on  Main  street,  a  very  handsome  building 
erected  by  A.  D.  Porter;  laying  of  the  cornerstone  of  the  new  Odd 
Fellows'  building  at  the  corner  of  Third  and  Main  streets,  which 
occurred  April  28,  1905;  purchase  of  a  city  park,  the  property 
lying  between  Oak  and  Cross  streets  and  Cleveland  and  Walnut, 
at  a  cost  of  $2,265.  This  last  deal  was  consummated  in  May,  1905, 
at  a  time  when  property  in  Woodland  was  comparatively  cheap. 
That  block  of  ground  is  today  worth  many  times  the  price  paid 
for  it.  The  Ladies'  Improvement  Club  of  Woodland  was  largely 
responsible  for  the  acquisition  of  this  valuable  property.  The 
club  furnished  some  of  the  money  used  for  the  purchase  and  its 
members  started  and  maintained  the  agitation  which  eventually 
led  to  action  upon  the  part  of  the  city  officials.  The  park  has 
been  improved  by  the  planting  of  grass  and  trees  and  the  instal- 
lation of  swings  and  other  apparatus  suitable  for  a  place  of  that 
kind.  It  is  today  one  of  the  principal  places  of  amusement  in 
the  city. 

An  old  land-mark  of  the  city  was  wiped  out  when  the  old 
building  at  the  corner  of  Main  and  Sixth  streets  was  destroyed 
by  fire  in  the  summer  of  1905.  The  building  belonged  to  the 
Greiner  estate  and  was  the  second  school  house  built  in  Wood- 
land and  was  also  occupied  for  a  time  as  a  meeting  place  for  the 
Masons. 


118  HISTORY  OF  YOLO  COUNTY 

The  death  of  W.  B.  Gibson,  one  of  the  pioneer  settlers  of 
Yolo  county,  in  February,  1905,  was  generally  mourned  and  his 
funeral  was  one  of  the  largest  ever  held  in  the  city. 

After  much  controversy  and  a  great  effort  upon  the  part  of 
some  of  the  most  prominent  people  of  the  city  and  surrounding 
country  Yolo  county  was  successful  in  its  efforts  to  locate  within 
its  boundaries  the  state  farm  situated  near  Davisville,  the  site 
for  which  was  selected  by  a  committee  representing  the  legis- 
lature April  6,  1906.  A  more  comprehensive  account  of  this  insti- 
tution may  be  found  in  that  department  of  this  work  devoted  to  the 
schools  of  Yolo  county. 

In  December  of  this  year  free  mail  delivery  was  established 
in  Woodland.  In  order  to  get  this  recognition  from  the  postoffice 
department  at  Washington  the  houses  of  Woodland  were  numbered 
systematically,  by  city  ordinance,  and  the  trustees  caused  about 
seventeen  miles  of  concrete  sidewalks  to  be  built  at  the  expense 
of  the  property  owners.  Mayor  R.  H.  Beamer-  took  an  active 
part  in  this  work  of  improvement  and  although  at  the  time  he 
was  censured  by  many  for  what  they  termed  unjust  burdens 
cast  upon  them,  his  name  is  today  connected  with  this  movement 
and  one  hears  only  words  of  praise  for  his  forethought  and  energy. 
It  is  said  that  Woodland  has  more  miles  of  cement  sidewalks  than 
any  other  city  of  like  population  in  the  state. 

The  very  handsome  new  home  of  the  Bank  of  Yolo  at  the 
corner  of  Main  and  College  streets  was  completed  in  July,  1907. 
This  is  said  to  be  one  of  the  finest  buildings  of  its  kind  in  the 
northern  part  of  the  state.  It  is  equipped  with  all  the  modern 
conveniences  and  appliances  for  comfort  and  is  handsomely  finished 
in  imported  Italian  marble. 

And  now  we  enter  upon  the  closing  chapter  of  the  history  of 
Woodland.  Although  it  covers  only  a  short  period  of  time  as 
measured  in  months  and  years,  so  much  has  been  crowded  into 
those  few  months  that  it  would  take  too  much  time  and  space  to 
attempt  any  sort  of  a  detailed  account.  In  the  last  few  years 
of  its  existence  Woodland  has  witnessed  and  enjoyed  a  prosperity 
which  exceeded  the  most  sanguine  expectations  of  those  who  had 
the  most  faith  in  its  future. 

Regarding  the  cause  of  this  unusual  activity  people  differ, 
but  the  author  is  inclined  to  the  belief  that  several  things  con- 
tributed to  the  cause.  Benefiting  by  the  advertising  of  the  enter- 
prising people  of  Southern  California,  Woodland  began  in  1910 
to  attract  eastern  homeseekers.  'Tis  true,  the  Woodland  chamber 
of  commerce  and  other  individuals  did  something  in  the  way  of 
advertising  to  attract  these  newcomers,  but  their  efforts  were  puny 
as  compared  to  the  energy  thrown  into  this  work  by  our  southern 
neighbors,  whose  efforts  brought  thousands  of  people  from  the  east 


HISTORY   OF   YOLO   COUNTY  119 

to  find  homes  in  California.  Gradually  these  people  learned  that 
Los  Angeles  and  the  surrounding  country  was  not  all  of  this 
great  state.  They  began  to  hear  of  the  fertile  San  Joaquin  and 
Sacramento  valleys  and  simultaneously  they  began  to  investigate. 

At  first  it  was  an  occasional  visitor  who  dropped  in  on  us 
to  explore.  What  they  found  evidently  suited  them  for  the  tide 
of  immigration  into  Yolo  county  has  increased  steadily  ever  since, 
until  now  the  town  is  filled  with  new  people.  A  politician  who 
has  held  office  for  the  past  six  years  and  who  has  lived  in  Wood- 
land for  the  past  twenty-five  years,  remarked  recently  after  he 
had  been  introduced  to  several  persons  in  as  many  minutes: 
''Well,  I  thought  I  knew  every  man,  woman  and  child  in  this 
city,  but  I  see  very  clearly  that  if  I  want  to  run  for  office  any 
more  it  is  up  to  yours  truly  to  go  out  and  get  acquainted." 

Contemporaneously  with  this  movement  of  immigration  came 
first  rumors  of  an  electric  railroad  for  Woodland  and  afterward 
the  more  definite  news  of  the  application  by  the  Vallejo  Northern 
for  a  franchise  to  enter  the  city.  These  were  followed  by  even 
more  substantial  evidences  of  the  advent  of  the  electric  railroad  and 
this  no  doubt  added  impetus  to  the  business  activities  already  in 
evidence.  About  this  time  also  the  prohibition  movement  had 
gained  material  headway.  The  ranks  of  the  local  prohibitionists 
having  been  recruited  by  the  arrival  of  many  eastern  people  who 
believed  as  they  did,  that  party  presented  a  formidable  front  and 
a  real  fighting  strength,  as  was  proved  in  1911,  when  at  an  election 
held  for  the  purpose  of  deciding  whether  the  saloons  should 
remain  in  Woodland  or  be  closed,  the  "drys"  won  by  a  sub- 
stantial majority  and  Woodland  entered  the  ranks  of  the  prohibi- 
tion cities  in  California. 

There  are  those  in  Woodland  who  believe  that  the  closing  of 
saloons  contributed  more  than  anything  else  to  the  subsequent 
prosperity  which  came  to  the  city.  The  fact  remains,  no  mat 
ter  what  the  cause,  that  building  activities  in  Woodland  ex- 
ceeded anything  in  her  history.  It  is  estimated  that  about  200 
homes  have  been  built  in  Woodland  within  the  past  two  years, 
all  of  them  tasteful  and  of  a  substantial  character.  The  city  has 
been  compelled  to  sink  auxiliary  wells  to  supply  the  water  needs 
and  there  is  grave  danger  that  the  sewer  system  will  have  to  be 
enlarged, 

With  building  activities  in  the  residence  districts  of  the  city 
came  also  a  corresponding  movement  in  the  business  districts. 
The  handsome  Roth  building  on  Main  street  was  completed  and 
tenanted.  The  Physicians'  building  at  the  corner  of  First  and 
Main  streets  was  remodeled  and  beautified.  Extensive  improve- 
ments were  made  on  the  First  National  Bank  building.  The  new 
St.  Luke's  Episcopal  church  was   completed  in  1912   and   a   very 


120  HISTORY  OF  YOLO  COUNTY 

handsome  stone  church  for  the  Roman  Catholics  is  under  con- 
struction. The  Southern  Pacific  Railroad  Company  has  given  to 
Woodland  the  long  promised  new  depot,  and  the  electric  railroad 
company  finished  its  very  handsome  depot  at  the  corner  of  Main 
and  Second  streets,  this  building  costing  about  $45,000.  The  new 
Woodland  Sanitarium,  a  splendid  and  very  handsome  building 
situated  on  the  corner  of  Third  and  Cross  streets,  was  completed  in 
December,  1911,  and  the  local  postoffice  was  made  a  savings  de- 
pository July  20,  1911.  The  Sacramento  to  Woodland  Electric 
railway  was  financed  (the  local  banks  taking  considerable  of  the 
bond  issue),  but  the  crowning  feature  of  all  these  activities  was 
the  opening  of  the  railroad  between  this  city  and  Sacramento  on 
July  4,  1912. 

The  people  celebrated  that  event  with  the  anniversary  of  the 
birth  of  independence.  A  large  assemblage  of  prominent  business 
men  of  Sacramento  came  to  Woodland  on  the  first  electric  train 
of  eight  cars,  which  brought  also  a  great  crowd  of  other  Sacra- 
mentans  and  the  day  was  spent  with  patriotic  ceremonies  and  the 
other  customary  features  of  a  Fourth  of  July  celebration.  All 
day  the  Sacramento  Woodland  Railway  ran  trains  to  and  from 
Woodland,  each  train  carrying  hundreds  of  people.  The  receipts 
of  the  railroad  company  far  exceeded  their  most  hopeful  expec- 
tations and  ever  since  the  business  of  the  new  road  has  been  most 
satisfactory. 

On  December  18,  1911,  a  vote  was  held  in  Woodland  school 
district  for  the  purpose  of  bonding  it  for  $90,000  to  build  a  new 
high  school  building.  The  people  voted  in  favor  of  the  bonding, 
the  vote  being  816  for  and  157  against  the  proposition.  The  new 
building  is  now  under  construction.  According  to  the  plans  and 
specifications  it  will  be  a  credit  to  the  community. 

Two  attempts  have  been  made  to  bond  the  county  for  the  pur- 
pose of  building  a  new  court  house,  but  both  failed.  The  first 
election  held  in  the  summer  of  1911  was  lost  by  a  very  small 
majority,  but  so  much  pressure  was  brought  to  bear  upon  the 
board  of  supervisors  that  they  agreed  to  submit  the  matter  again. 
There  sprang  up,  however,  an  organized  opposition  to  the  propo- 
sition and  instead  of  carrying  the  bonds  in  the  second  election 
held  in  December,  1911,  as  was  expected,  the  vote  was  decisively 
against  bonding,  the  majority  against  being  249. 

The  reason  for  such  a  strong  opposition  appears  to  have  been 
the  amount  asked  by  the  board  of  supervisors  for  the  purpose. 
A  great  many  people  entertained  the  idea  that  the  sum  was  ex- 
cessive  and  the  buildings  could  be  built  for  less.  All,  it  seems, 
are  satisfied  that  the  county  needs  a  new  court  house,  but  they 
have  been  unable  to  agree  as  to  the  details.  Perhaps  in  the  near 
future  the  proposition  will  come  up  again,  and  the  people  of  Wood- 


HISTORY   OF   YOLO   COUNTY  121 

land,  especially,  hope  that  next  time  the  proposition  will  he  car- 
ried. 

Perhaps  it  is  had  taste  to  close  this  work  with  the  foregoing 
story  of  defeat,  but  the  people  have  settled  down  to  the  routine  of 
life,  happy  and  prosperous,  and  confident  that  a  great  future  is 
in  store  for  their  beautiful  and  thriving  little  city. 

This  hope  is  not  without  foundation,  for  Woodland  offers  to 
the  homeseeker  many  advantages  which  are  not  found  in  all 
cities.  It  is  essentially  a  city  of  homes,  fitted  by  nature  as  an  unusu- 
ally attractive  place  for  the  habitation  of  mankind.  While  there 
are  but  few  who  ever  expect  to  see  Woodland  become  a  great  city 
with  factories,  foundries  and  kindred  industries,  there  are  many 
who  confidently  look  forward  to  the  time  when  as  a  city  of  resi- 
dences it  will  have  few  competitors  in  this  glorious  state  of  ours. 
As  has  been  mentioned  in  the  first  part  of  this  article  nature  pro- 
vided a  site,  where  Woodland  stands,  unusually  favored  for  the 
purposes  to  which  our  forefathers  put  it.  Splendid  drainage, 
beautiful  environment,  fertile  soil,  an  unsurpassed  climate,  pure 
water  and  such  things  donated  by  nature,  added  to  which  there 
are  good  streets,  many  miles  of  concrete  sidewalks,  adequate 
systems  of  water  and  sewage,  a  good  fire  alarm  system,  splendid 
schools,  including  kindergarten,  primary,  grammar  and  high 
schools,  churches  of  nearly  every  denomination,  local  branches  of 
nearly  every  fraternal  order  under  the  sun,  a  splendid  free  library, 
free  mail  delivery,  literary  clubs,  musical  organizations,  four  thriv- 
ing banks,  business  houses  of  every  kind,  and  since  the  advent  of 
the  electric  road,  quick  and  cheap  transportation  to  the  larger 
centers  of  population  and  a  ready  and  cheap  means  of  transporta- 
tion of  local  products.  Woodland  has  also  a  good  theater  and 
the  usual  number  of  moving  picture  theaters,  besides  the  Oak- 
Club,  where  men  of  business  are  wont  to  congregate  to  amuse  them- 
selves and  talk  over  the  incidents  of  the  day  and  hour.  Do  you 
wonder,  good  reader,  that  the  local  residents  fondly  expect  to  see 
the  population  of  this  fair  city  more  than  doubled  within  the 
next  few  vears? 


122  HISTORY  OF  YOLO  COUNTY 


CHAPTER  XXVII 

OFFICERS  OF  THE  CITY  OF  WOODLAND  AND  OF  THE  COUNTY 
AND  STATE 

Following  is  a  list  showing  the  results  of  all  the  elections 
held  in  Woodland  since  its  original  incorporation : 

March  14,  1871 — Board  of  Trustee:  D.  C.  Hubbard  (presi- 
dent), E.  Giddings  (Clerk),  E.  R.  Lowe,  G.  Kauffman,  John  Scku- 
erley.  J.  D.  Lawson,  city  marshal ;  G.  W.  Greene,  treasurer ;  P.  C. 
Robertson,  assessor. 

May  1,  1871 — Board  of  Trustees:     F.  S.  Freeman  (president), 

C.  L.  Simpson  (clerk),  J.  D.  Lawson,  C.  H.  Gray,  Donald  Frazer. 
R,  T.  Buckley,  marshal;  G.  W.  Greene,  treasurer;  0.  B.  Westcott, 
assessor. 

May  6.  1872 — Board  of  Trustees:  J.  D.  Lawson  (president), 
J.  K.  Smith  (clerk),  R.  H.  Newton,  C.  H.  Gray,  J.  H.  Arnold. 
M.  Snyder,  marshal;  G.  W.  Greene,  treasurer;  O.  B.  Westcott, 
assessor. 

May  5,  1873 — Board  of  Trustees:  A.  C.  Ruggles  (president), 
R.  H.  Newton  (clerk),  T.  0.  Pockman,  W.  W.  Brownell,  E.  Bynum. 
J.  B.  Strong,  marshal;  A.  G.  Read,  treasurer;  F.  M.  Brown, 
assessor;  James  Johnson,  attorney  (appointed). 

May   4,    1874 — Board    of    Trustees:      E.    Bynum    (president), 

D.  M.  Burns  (clerk),  W.  W.  Brownell,  R.  H.  Newton,  George 
Lewald.  John  Webber,  marshal ;  W.  W.  Brownell,  treasurer  ( ap- 
pointed). 

1876— Board  of  Trustees:  G.  W.  Hiatt  (president),  George  H. 
Jackson  (clerk),  James  Viers,  J.  R.  Edwards,  P.  Krellenberg. 
M.  W.  Thomas,  marshal;  P.  Krellenberg,  treasurer  (appointed). 

1878 — Board  of  Trustees:  James  Yiers  (president),  A.  Nick- 
elsberg  (clerk),  J.  M.  Rhodes,  Otto  Schluer,  Chris  Sieber.  George 
Alford,  marshal;  Chris  Sieber,  treasurer  (appointed). 

May  3,  1880 — Board  of  Trustees:  Donald  Frazer  (president), 
J.  M.  Rhodes  (clerk),  G.  H.  Jackson,  A.  J.  Hall,  G.  W.  Andrews. 
A.  S.  Armstrong,  marshal;  G.  W.  Andrews,  treasurer  (appointed). 

Mav  1,  1882 — Board  of  Trustees:  A.  Mossmaver  (president), 
W.  S.  Huston  (clerk),  F.  A.  Pedler,  L.  Charmak,  G.  H.  Jackson. 
L.  Charmak,  treasurer  (appointed) ;  H.  M.  Hoyt,  marshal. 

May  5,  1884 — Board  of  Trustees:  A.  Mossmaver  (president), 
W.  S.  Huston  (clerk),  L.  Charmak,  George  H.  Jackson,  A.  L.  Boggs. 
H.  M.  Hoyt,  marshal;  L.  Charmak,  treasurer. 

May  1,  1886— Board  of  Trustees:  G.  W.  Brown  (president), 
Charles  Gummow  (clerk),  L.  Charmak,  W.  F.  Mock.  H.  M.  Hoyt, 
marshal ;  C.  M.  Hiddleson,  treasurer. 


HISTORY   OF   YOLO   COUNTY  123 

May,  1888— Board  of  Trustees:  J.  0.  Maxwell  (mayor),  J.  K. 
Smith  (clerk),  R.  F.  Hester,  J.  H.  Wright.  L.  Charmak,  treasurer; 
Carey  Barney,  marshal. 

At  this  election  a  vote  for  reincorporation  was  lost  by  a  vote 
of  230  for  anbl  394  against. 

1890— Board  of  Trustees:  M.  Diggs  (president),  J.  G.  Crutcher, 
J.  F.  Duncan,  L.  Charmak,  J.  O.  Maxwell.     C.  M.  Barney,  marshal. 

At  this  junction  the  Board  of  Trustees  adopted  a  resolution 
submitting  again  to  the  people  the  proposition  of  reincorporation. 
The  city  was  divided  into  four  precincts  and  the  election  was  set 
for  June  16th.  On  that  day,  by  a  decisive  majority,  the  people 
voted  to  incorporate  into  a  city  of  the  fifth  class  and  elected 
officers  as  follows: — Board  of  Trustees  L.  Charmak,  J.  0.  Maxwell, 
M.  Diggs,  J.  G.  Crutcher,  G.  H.  Jackson.  Board  of  Education: 
J.  H.  Wright,  R,  H.  Beamer,  M.  O.  Harling,  E.  T.  Clowe,  J.  I. 
McConnell.  A.  G.  Read,  assessor ;  Herman  Kuhn,  marshal ;  J.  F. 
Garrette,  treasurer;  R.  B.  Mosby,  clerk,  P.  W.  Fisher,  recorder. 

April  13,  1891 — Board  of  Trustees:  George  H.  Jackson,  G.  W. 
Hiatt,  Dr.  Thomas  Ross,  J.  F.  Duncan,  W.  G.  Hunt.  Frank  Dietz, 
assessor;  J.  C.  Harlan,  treasurer;  R.  B.  Mosby,  clerk;  P.  W.  Fisher 
recorder;  Herman  Kuhn,  marshal.  Board  of  Education:  J.  I. 
McConnell,  R,  H.  Beamer,  M.  O.  Harling,  J.  H.  Wright,  E.  T. 
Clowe. 

1893— Board  of  Trustees:  L.  Charmak,  L.  B.  Holmes,  J.  0. 
Maxwell.  L.  A.  Ervin,  marshal;  J.  C.  Harlan,  treasurer;  C.  M. 
Barney,  assessor;  P.  W.  Fisher,  recorder.  Board  of  Education: 
F.  E.  Baker,  C.  Q.  Nelson,  N.  M.  Weaver. 

1895— Board  of  Trustees:  J.  W.  Bandy,  C.  M.  Hiddleson. 
Robert  Warren,  marshal;  James  C.  Harlan,  treasurer;  R.  L.  Sinkey, 
assessor;  A.  C.  Ruggles,  recorder;  E.  E.  Gaddis,  attorney.  Board 
of  Education:  George  Banks,  J.  O.  Chalmers. 

1897— Board  of  Trustees:  A.  M.  Britt,  L.  Charmak,  A.  Moss- 
mayer.  J.  B.  Lawson,  marshal;  R.  B.  Mosby,  clerk;  James  C. 
Harlan,  treasurer;  R.  L.  Sinkey,  assessor;  J.  E.  Strong,  attorney; 
P.  W.  Fisher,  recorder.  Board  of  Education:  M.  Diggs,  J.  I. 
McConnell,  M.  O.  Harling. 

1899— Board  of  Trustees:  W.  P.  Craig,  T.  B.  Gibson.  J.  B. 
Lawson,  marshal;  W.  B.  Aldrich,  clerk;  J.  C.  Harlan,  treasurer; 
E.  M.  Tilden,  assessor;  W.  A.  Anderson,  attorney;  P.  W.  Fisher, 
recorder.     Board  of  Education:  C.  E.  Dingle,  J.  M.  Day. 

1901— Board  of  Trustees:  E.  P.  Huston,  J.  J.  Brown,  W.  H. 
Troop.  W.  C.  Gwinn,  marshal;  L.  R.  Pierce,  treasurer;  R.  B. 
Mosby,  assessor;  Charles  W.  Pickard,  attorney  and  clerk;  P.  W. 
Fisher,  recorder.  Board  of  Education:  S.  C.  Deaner,  F.  A.  Kauff- 
man,  C.  R.  Wilcoxon. 

1903— Board  of  Trustees:  R,  H.  Beamer,  Douglas  Balfour, 
W.   H.   Troop.     W.   C.   Gwinn,   marshal;   L.   R.   Pierce,   treasurer; 


124  HISTORY  OF  YOLO  COUNTY 

A.  G.  Eead,  assessor;  Bryon  Ball,  recorder;  Charles  W.  Pickard, 
attorney  and  clerk.    Board  of  Education :  C.  Q.  Nelson,  J.  M.  Day. 

On  account  of  a  change  of  the  state  law  regarding  the  gov- 
ernment of  cities  of  the  fifth  class  the  officers  elected  at  this  elec- 
tion, with  the  exception  of  City  Trustees  and  Board  of  Education 
were  elected  to  hold  office  for  four  years  and  it  was  also  provided 
that  at  the  next  ensuing  election  five  members  of  each  hoard  should 
be  elected  to  also  hold  office  for  a  term  of  four  years. 

1905— Board  of  Trustees :  W.  H.  Troop,  Joseph  Craig,  W.  H. 
Alexander.  Board  of  Education:  J.  Beith,  Jr.,  F.  A.  Kauffman, 
C.  R.  Wilcoxon. 

1907 — Board  of  Trustees:  J.  R.  Mitchell,  Theodore  Muegge, 
W.  H.  Curson,  W.  A.  Boots,  W.  S.  White.  S.  A.  Leach,  marshal ; 
L.  R.  Pierce,  treasurer;  Charles  W.  Pickard,  attorney  and  clerk; 
Barnard  Rehmke,  recorder;  Frank  Dietz,  assessor.  Board  of 
Education:  J.  Reith,  Jr.,  J.  A.  Murray,  S.  C.  Deaner,  F.  A.  Kauff- 
man, C.  Sieber. 

During  this  term  two  of  the  elected  officers  resigned.  E.  B. 
Mering  was  appointed  to  succeed  C.  W.  Pickard,  whose  resigna- 
tion was  accepted  June  3,  1907,  and  M.  S.  Ish  succeeded  Treasurer 
Pierce,  resigning  October  2,  1907.  The  vote  on  the  question  of 
saloons  resulted  for  saloons  382,  against  353. 

1911— Board  of  Trustees:  J.  R.  Mitchell,  C.  T.  Bidwell,  J.  J. 
Kinkade,  J.  0.  Maxwell  H.  M.  Miller.  R.  Rehmke,  recorder;  G.  E. 
Whitney,  attorney  and  clerk;  L.  H.  Stephens,  treasurer;  Peter 
Scott,  marshal;  Frank  Dietz,  assessor.  Board  of  Education: 
J.  Reith,  Jr.,  J.  L.  Harlan,  F.  C.  Ewert,  R.  J.  Gibson,  C.  W. 
Thomas,  Jr. 

The  vote  on  the  question  of  saloons  resulted  as  follows :  Against 
saloons,  431 ;  for  saloons,  395. 

STATE  AND  COUNTY  OFFICERS  FOR  YEARS  1849  TO  1911 

1849 — State  senator,  M.  G.  Yallejo;  assemblymen,  J.  E.  Braekett 
and  J.  S.  Bradford. 

1850 — State  senator,  Martin  E.  Cook;  assemblyman,  H.  P. 
Osgood;  county  judge,  P.  A.  Marguarn;  sheriff  and  tax  collector,  J. 
N.  Borden;  district  attorney,  G.  W.  Crane  and  P.  R.  Moore;  clerk, 

B.  F.  Brown;  assessor,  J.  E.  Braly;  recorder  and  auditor,  G.  W. 
Crane ;  surveyor,  W.  B.  Brown ;  administrator,  G.  W.  Keene ; 
coroner,  C.  F.  Collins;  treasurer,  G.  W.  Keene;  superintendent  of 
public  schools,  duties  by  county  assessor  until  1855. 

1851 — State  senator,  M.  M.  Wombough;  assemblyman,  John  G. 
Parrish;  county  judge-  H.  H.  Hartley;  sheriff  and  tax  collector,  E. 
A.  Harris;  district  attorney,  M.  M.  Wombough  and  G.  W.  Keene; 
clerk,  Humphrey  Griffith;  assessor,  Humphrey  Griffith;  recorder  and 
auditor,  (duties  by  county  clerk  until  1873) ;  surveyor,  Charles  F. 


HISTORY   OF   YOLO   COUNTY  125 

Reed;  administrator,  G.  W.  Keene;  coroner,  John  Van  Arnam; 
treasurer,  H.  H.  Hartley. 

1852 — State  senator,  M.  M.  Wombougb;  assemblyman,  A.  B. 
Caldwell;  county  judge,  H.  11.  Hartley;  sheriff  and  tax  collector,  E. 
A.  Harris;  district  attorney,  G.  H.  Carter  and  B.  F.  Ankeny;  clerk, 
Humphrey  Griffith ;  assessor,  J.  W.  Myrick ;  surveyor,  Charles  F. 
Reed;  administrator,  G.  W.  Keene;  coroner,  John  Van  Arnam; 
treasurer,  Alex  Chisbolm;  supervisors-  J.  B.  Greene,  AY.  G.  Brown, 
Isaac  Laferty,  C.  H.  Cooley,  G.  F.  Brown. 

1853 — State  senator,  Edward  McGarry;  assemblyman,  Hum- 
phrey Griffith;  county  judge,  Harrison  Gwinn;  sheriff  and  tax  col- 
lector, G.  W.  Gish;  district  attorney,  W.  R.  Chapman  and  W.  R. 
Cantwell ;  clerk,  R.  H.  Baskett ;  assessor,  D.  P.  Diggs ;  recorder  and 
auditor  duties  by  clerk  until  1873;  surveyor,  Wm.  Minis;  adminis- 
trator, G.  W.  Keene;  coroner,  John  Smith;  treasurer,  J.  B.  Tilden; 
supervisors,  J.  B.  Tufts,  C.  Chisbolm,  G.  H.  Peck,  W.  G.  Brown, 
A.  H.  Willard. 

1854 — State  senator,  Edward  McGarry;  assemblyman,  J.  H.  Up- 
degraff;  county  judge,  Harrison  Gwinn;  sheriff  and  tax  collector, 
Jas.  A.  Douglas;  district  attorney,  H.  Meredith;  clerk,  R.  H. 
Baskett;  assessor,  P.  J.  Hopper  and  T.  F.  W.  Price;  surveyor,  Wm. 
Minis ;  administrator,  Isaac  Sunderland ;  coroner,  John  Van  Arnam ; 
treasurer,  W.  N.  Brooks ;  supervisors,  Samuel  Wagner,  H.  L.  Robey, 
J.  C.  Hawley,  Wm.  Flanders,  J.  W.  Snowball. 

1855 — State  senator,  S.  Bynum;  assemblyman,  E.  Bynum; 
county  judge,  Harrison  Gwinn;  sheriff  and  tax  collector,  Geo.  Bell 
and  F.  G.  Russell ;  district  attorney,  H.  Griffith  and  F.  Woodward ; 
clerk,  A.  McDonald;  assessor,  J.  S.  Cox;  superintendent  of  schools, 
L.  W.  Mering;  surveyor,  Wm.  Minis;  administrator,  E.  A.  Harris; 
coroner,  E.  C.  Taylor;  treasurer,  W.  N.  Brooks;  supervisor,  first 
district,  J.  V.  Iloag;  supervisor,  second  district,  J.  D.  Stephens; 
supervisor,  third  district,  D.  Lamb. 

1857 — State  senator,  Humphrey  Griffith;  assemblyman,  J.  S. 
Curtis  and  Wm.  Minis;  county  judge,  Isaac  Davis;  sheriff  and  tax 
collector.  J.  L.  Cox;  district  attorney,  W.  H.  McGrew;  clerk,  J.  N. 
Pendegast;  assessor,  J.  A.  McCauley;  superintendent  of  public 
schools,  N.  Wyckoff  and  H.  Gaddis;  surveyor,  J.  I.  Underbill;  ad- 
ministrator, Wm.  H.  Marders;  coroner,  I.  N.  Hoag;  treasurer,  W.  N. 
Brooks;  supervisor,  first  district,  J.  V.  Hoag  and  Mike  Bryte; 
supervisor,  second  district,  H.  C.  Riggs;  supervisor,  third  district, 
M.  P.  Ferguson. 

1859 — State  senator,  Henry  Edgerton;  assemblyman,  Harrison 
Gwinn;  county  judge,  Isaac  Davis;  sheriff  and  tax  collector,  Jas.  A. 
Douglas;  district  attorney,  I.  W.  Jacobs;  clerk,  J.  T.  Daly;  assessor, 
J.  A.  McCauley;  superintendent  of  public  schools,  H.  Gaddis;  sur- 


126  HISTORY  OF  YOLO  COUNTY 

veyor,  Wm.  Minis;  administrator,  W.  N.  Brooks  and  C.  F.  Reed; 
coroner,  J.  S.  Curtis  and  E.  C.  Taylor;  treasurer,  W.  N.  Brooks; 
supervisor,  first  district,  S.  N.  Norton;  supervisor,  second  district, 
G.  E.  Sill;  supervisor,  third  district,  A.  W.  Morris. 

1861 — State  senator,  0.  B.  Powers;  assemblyman,  W.  C.  Wood 
and  I.  N.  Hoag;  county  judge,  J.  B.  Smith  and  I.  N.  Hoag;  sheriff 
and  tax  collector,  C.  H.  Gray;  district  attorney,  H.  I.  Hamblin;  clerk, 
Ed.  B.  Giddings;  assessor,  J.  G.  Overshiner;  superintendent  of 
public  schools,  H.  Gaddis;  surveyor,  A.  Mathews;  administrator,  S. 
F.  Rodolph;  coroner,  S.  F.  Rodolph;  treasurer,  C.  W.  Reed;  super- 
visor, first  district,  S.  N.  Norton;  supervisor,  second  district,  G.  E. 
Sill ;  supervisor,  third  district,  A.  W.  Morris. 

1863 — State  senator,  J.  J.  Hall;  assemblyman,  Ed.  Patten  and 
J.  B.  Hartsough;  county  judge,  L.  R.  Hopkins  and  I.  N.  Hoag; 
sheriff  and  tax  collector,  0.  H.  Gray;  district  attorney.  H.  G.  Bur- 
nett ;  clerk,  L.  E.  Brownell ;  assessor,  P.  Parker ;  superintendent  of 
public  schools,  H.  Gaddis;  surveyor,  A.  Mathews;  administrator,  W. 
S.  Emery;  coroner,  A.  S.  Sprague;  treasurer,  G.  A.  Fabricius; 
supervisor,  first  district,  G.  W.  Bell ;  supervisor,  second  district,  G. 
E.  Sill;  supervisor,  third  district,  A.  W.  Morris. 

1865 — State  senator,  L.  B.  Mizner;  assemblyman,  C.  F.  Reed; 
county  judge,  J.  A.  Hutton;  sheriff  and  tax  collector,  Wm.  Minis; 
district  attorney,  H.  G.  Burnett;  clerk,  Ed.  R.  Giddings;  assessor- 
J.  B.  Bullock;  superintendent  of  public  schools,  M.  A.  Woods;  sur- 
veyor, A.  Mathews;  administrator,  G.  W.  Pierce;  coroner,  J.  S. 
Curtis;  treasurer,  Giles  E.  Sill;  supervisor,  first  district,  G.  W.  Bell; 
supervisor,  second  dictrict,  G.  W.  Scott;  supervisor,  third  district, 
S.  N.  Mering. 

1867 — State  senator,  L.  B.  Mizner;  assemblyman,  John  M. 
Kelly;  county  judge,  M.  A.  Woods;  sheriff  and  tax  collector,  Wm. 
Minis;  district  attorney,  J.  C.  Ball;  clerk,  E.  Bynum;  assessor,  J.  P. 
Bullock'  et  al.;  superintendent  of  public  schools,  R.  R.  Darby;  sur- 
veyor, J.  I.  Underbill;  administrator,  G.  W.  Pierce;  coroner,  J.  S. 
Miller;  treasurer,  Giles  E.  Sill;  supervisor,  first  district,  G.  W.  Bell; 
supervisor,  second  district,  G.  H.  Swingle;  supervisor,  third  district, 
Ed.  Roberts. 

1869 — State  senator,  Wm.  Minis;  assemblyman,  John  M.  Kelly; 
county  judge,  Jas.  Johnson ;  sheriff  and  tax  collector,  J.  P.  Bullock ; 
district  attorney,  J.  C.  Ball;  clerk,  E.  Bynum;  assessor,  J.  J.  Am- 
nions; superintendent  of  public  scbools,R.  R.  Darby;  surveyor,  J. 
I.  Underbill;  administrator,  Giles  E.  Sill;  coroner,  J.  T.  Lillard; 
treasurer,  A.  0.  Kean;  supervisor,  first  district,  L.  B.  Buggies; 
supervisor,  second  district,  G.  H.  Swingle;  supervisor,  third  district. 
Ed.  Roberts. 

1871 — State  senator,  Wm.  Minis;  assemblyman,  F.  S.  Freeman; 


HISTORY   OF   YOLO   COUNTY  127 

county  judge,  J.  A.  Hutton;  sheriff  and  tax  collector,  J.  P.  Bullock; 
district  attorney,  J.  C.  Ball;  clerk,  D.  Schindler;  assessor,  J.  J. 
Amnions;  superintendent  of  public  schools,  G.  N.  Freeman;  sur- 
veyor, J.  I.  Underbill;  administrator,  E.  R.  Bush;  coroner,  D.  W. 
Edson;  treasurer,  A.  C.  Kean;  supervisor,  first  district,  R.  W. 
Megowan;  supervisor,  second  district,  G.  H.  Swingle;  supervisor, 
third  district,  Ed.  Roberts. 

1873 — State  senator,  H.  E.  McCune;  assemblyman,  F.  S.  Free- 
man ;  county  judge,  J.  A.  Hutton ;  sheriff  and  tax  collector,  Carey 
Barney;  district  attorney,  F.  E.  Baker;  clerk,  D.  Schindler;  assessor, 
R.  H.  Beamer;  recorder  and  auditor,  J.  D.  Lawson;  superintendent 
of  public  schools,  G.  N.  Freeman;  surveyor,  L.  Friel;  administrator, 
J.  S.  Stevenson;  coroner,  S.  L.  Monday;  treasurer,  A.  C.  Kean; 
supervisor,  first  district,  R.  W.  Megowan;  supervisor,  second  dis- 
trict, G.  H.  Swingle;  supervisor,  third  district,  Ed.  Roberts;  super- 
visor, fourth  district,  J.  K.  Smith;  supervisor,  fifth  district,  S.  N. 
Mering. 

1875 — State  senator,  H.  E.  McCune;  assemblyman,  Jason  Wat- 
kins;  county  judge,  E.  R.  Bush;  sheriff  and  tax  collector,  Carey 
Barney;  district  attorney,  F.  E.  Baker;  clerk,  D.  M.  Burns;  assessor, 
R.  H.  Beamer;  recorder  and  auditor,  J.  A.  Hiller;  superintendent  of 
public  schools,  H.  B.  Pendegast;  surveyor,  M.  A.  Nurse;  adminis- 
trator, A.  S.  House;  coroner,  P.  Krellenberg;  treasurer,  A.  C.  Kean; 
supervisor,  first  district,  R.  W.  Megowan;  supervisor,  second  dis- 
trict, Wm.  Sims;  supervisor,  third  district,  J.  C.  Smith;  supervisor, 
fourth  district,  J.  H.  Harlan;  supervisor,  fifth  district,  S.  N.  Mering. 

1877 — State  senator,  John  Lambert;  assemblyman,  W.  M.  De- 
Witt;  county  judge,  E.  R.  Bush  (superior)  ;  sheriff  and  tax  collector, 
Carey  Barney;  district  attorney,  C.  H.  Garoutte;  clerk,  D.  M. 
Burns;  assessor,  F.  Schlieman;  recorder  and  auditor,  R.  W.  Me- 
gowan; superintendent  of  public  schools,  H.  B.  Pendegast;  surveyor, 
J.  A.  Brown ;  administrator,  S.  L.  Monday ;  coroner,  P.  Krellenberg ; 
treasurer,  A.  C.  Kean;  supervisor,  first  district,  R.  F.  Hester;  super- 
visor, second  district,  Wm.  Sims ;  supervisor,  third  district,  J.  C. 
Smith;  supervisor,  fourth  district,  J.  II.  Harlan;  supervisor,  fifth 
district,  S.  N.  Mering. 

1879 — State  senator,  J.  II.  Harlan;  assemblyman,  D.  N.  Her- 
shey;  county  judge,  E.  R.  Bush;  sheriff  and  tax  collector,  F.  M. 
Ralim;  district  attorney,  C.  H.  Garoutte;  clerk,  J.  K.  Smith; 
assessor,  F.  Schlieman;  recorder  and  auditor,  W.  D.  Holcom;  super- 
intendent of  public  schools,  G.  W.  Goin ;  surveyor,  J.  E.  R.  O'Far- 
rell;  administrator,  A.  W.  Tucker;  coroner,  P.  Krellenberg;  treas- 
urer, A.  C.  Kean;  supervisor,  first  district,  R.  F.  Hester;  supervisor, 
second  district,  Wm.  Sims;  supervisor,  third  district,  J.  C.  Smith; 


128  HISTORY  OF  YOLO  COUNTY 

supervisor,  fourth  district,  R.  H.  Newton;  supervisor,  fifth  district, 
S.  N.  Mering. 

1882— State  senator,  K.  E.  Kelley;  assemblyman,  D.  N.  Hershey; 
county  judge,  C.  H.  Oaroutte;  sheriff  and  tax  collector,  Jason 
Watkins;  district  attorney,  Jos.  Craig;  clerk,  M.  O.  Harling;  as- 
sessor, R.  M.  Huston;  recorder  and  auditor,  R.  F.  Hester;  superin- 
tendent of  public  schools,  G.  W.  Goin ;  surveyor,  E.  P.  Everett ;  ad- 
ministrator, Giles  Sill;  coroner,  C.  Krellenberg;  treasurer,  A.  C. 
Kean;  supervisor,  first  district,  T.  C.  Snider;  supervisor,  second 
district,  J.  F.  Lillard ;  supervisor,  third  district,  J.  C.  Smith ;  super- 
visor, fourth  district,  C.  Nelson;  supervisor,  fifth  district,  J.  S.  Tutt. 

1884 — State  senator,  W.  B.  Parker ;  assemblyman,  C.  B.  Culver ; 
superior  judge,  C.  H.  Garoutte;  sheriff  and  tax  collector,  R.  H. 
Beamer;  district  attorney,  F.  S.  Sprague;  clerk,  F.  Schlieman;  as- 
sessor, R.  M.  Huston ;  recorder  and  auditor,  A.  J.  Atchinson ;  super- 
intendent of  public  schools,  G.  W.  Goin;  surveyor,  J.  E.  R.  O'Far- 
rell ;  administrator,  L.  B.  Isham ;  coroner,  P.  Krellenberg ;  treasurer, 
J.  K.  Smith;  supervisor,  first  district,  T.  J.  Hodgdon;  supervisor, 
second  district,  J.  T.  Lillard ;  supervisor,  third  district,  Geo.  Sharp- 
neck;  supervisor,  fourth  district,  W.  H.  Ludden;  supervisor,  fifth 
district,  J.  S.  Tutt. 

1886 — State  senator,  B.  0.  Carr;  assemblyman,  L.  B.  Adams; 
superior  judge,  C.  H.  Garoutte;  sheriff  and  tax  collector,  Jason 
Watkins;  district  attorney,  F.  S.  Sprague;  clerk,  M.  O.  Harling; 
assessor,  R.  M.  Huston;  recorder  and  auditor,  A.  J.  Atchinson; 
superintendent  of  public  schools,  Geo.  Banks;  surveyor,  J.  E.  R. 
O'Farrell;  administrator;  G.  W.  Hiatt;  coroner,  L.  0.  Stephens; 
treasurer,  Wm.  Minis;  supervisor,  first  district,  J.  Hodgdon;  super- 
visor, second  district,  T.  W.  Guthrie;  supervisor,  third  district,  L. 
M.  Clark;  supervisor,  fourth  district;  W.  H.  Ludden;  supervisor, 
fifth  district,  J.  S.  Tutt. 

1888 — State  senator,  G.  P.  Harding;  assemblyman,  L.  B. 
Adams;  superior  judge,  C.  H.  Garoutte;  sheriff  and  tax  collector, 
N.  W.  Weaver;  district  attorney,  E.  E.  Gaddis;  clerk,  M.  O.  Har- 
ling; assessor,  R.  M.  Huston;  recorder  and  auditor,  D.  A.  McGriff ; 
superintendent  of  public  schools,  Geo.  Banks;  surveyor,  J.  E.  R. 
O'Farrell;  administrator,  G.  W.  Hiatt;  coroner,  L.  O.  Stephens; 
treasurer,  Wm.  Minis ;  supervisor,  first  district,  T.  C.  Snider ;  super- 
visor, second  district,  T.  W.  Guthrie;  supervisor,  third  district,  L. 
M.  Clark;  supervisor,  fourth  district,  J.  K.  Schuerle;  supervisor, 
fifth  district,  M.  R.  York. 

1890 — State  senator,  G.  P.  Harding;  assemblyman,  R.  Clark; 
superior  judge,  M.  H.  Grant;  sheriff  and  tax  collector,  N.  M. 
Weaver;  district  attorney,  R.  E.  Hopkins;  clerk,  R.  W.  Pendegast; 
assessor,  M.  D.  Chamberlin ;  recorder  and  auditor,  D.  A.  McGriff ; 


HISTORY   OF   YOLO   COUNTY  129 

superintendent  of  public  schools,  Geo.  Banks ;  surveyor,  T.  J.  Phil- 
lips; administrator,  M.  L.  Woods;  coroner,  L.  O.  Stephens;  treas- 
urer, J.  H.  Wright;  supervisor,  first  district,  T.  C.  Snider;  super- 
visor, second  district,  William  King;  supervisor,  third  district,  D. 

F.  Houx;  supervisor,  fourth  district,  J.  K.  Schuerle;  supervisor, 
fifth  district,  M.  R.  York. 

1892 — State  senator,  G.  P.  Harding;  assemblyman,  I.  W. 
Jacobs ;  superior  judge,  M.  H.  Grant ;  sheriff  and  tax  collector,  D.  H. 
Wyckoff;  district  attorney,  C.  M.  Head;  clerk,  R.  W.  Pendegast; 
assessor,  M.  D.  Chamberlin ;  recorder  and  auditor,  W.  A.  Stephens ; 
superintendent  of  public  schools,  Geo.  Banks;  surveyor,  P.  N.  Ash- 
ley; administrator,  H.  C.  Duncan;  coroner,  D.  0.  Bean;  treasurer, 
Wm.  Minis;  supervisor,  first  district,  Ezra  Casselman;  supervisor, 
second  district,  Wm.  King;  supervisor,  third  district,  D.  F.  Houx; 
supervisor,  fourth  district,  J.  K.  Schuerle;  supervisor,  fifth  dis- 
trict, J.  G.  Fredericks. 

1894 — State  senator,  Eugene  Aram;  assemblyman,  H.  W.  Lau- 
genour;   superior  judge,   M.  H.   Grant;   sheriff  and   tax  collector, 

G.  W.  Griffin ;  district  attorney,  R.  E.  Hopkins ;  clerk,  G.  L.  Duncan ; 
assessor,  M.  D.  Chamberlin;  recorder  and  auditor,  F.  Scblieman; 
superintendent  of  public  schools,  Clara  A.  March;  surveyor,  P.  N. 
Ashley;  administrator,  H.  C.  Duncan;  coroner,  D.  0.  Bean;  treas- 
urer, W.  L.  Wood ;  supervisor,  first  district,  Ezra  Casselman ;  super- 
visor, second  district,  J.  F.  Griffin;  supervisor,  third  district,  D.  F. 
Houx;  supervisor,  fourth  district,  J.  K.  Schuerle;  supervisor,  fifth 
district,  J.  G.  Fredericks. 

1896 — Assemblyman,  A.  W.  North;  superior  judge,  E.  E.  Gad- 
dis;  supervisor,  first  district,  T.  C.  Snider;  supervisor,  second  dis- 
trict, J.  F.  Griffin,  supervisor,  third  district,  D.  F.  Houx;  supervisor, 
fourth  district,  J.  W.  Bandy;  supervisor,  fifth  district,  J.  G.  Fred- 
ericks. 

1898— State  senator,  W.  M.  Cutter ;  assemblyman,  G.  W.  Pierce ; 
superior  judge,  E.  E.  Gaddis;  sheriff  and  tax  collector,  G.  W. 
Griffin;  district  attorney,  E.  R.  Bush;  clerk,  G.  L.  Duncan;  assessor, 
J.  K.  Smith;  recorder,  J.  T.  Goodin;  auditor,  Charles  Hadsall; 
superintendent  of  public  schools,  Mrs.  S.  E.  Peart;  surveyor,  P.  N. 
Ashley;  administrator,  J.  F.  Dearing;  coroner,  D.  0.  Bean;  treas- 
urer, W.  L.  Wood;  supervisor,  first  district,  T.  C.  Snider;  super- 
visor, second  district,  W.  O.  Russell;  supervisor,  third  district,  J. 
N.  Decker;  supervisor,  fourth  district,  J.  W.  Bandy;  supervisor, 
fifth  district,  J.  G.  Fredericks. 

1900 — Assemblyman,  J.  F.  Chiles;  supervisor,  first  district,  T. 
C.  Snider ;  supervisor,  second  district,  W.  O.  Russell ;  supervisor, 
third  district,  J.  N.  Decker;  supervisor,  fourth  district,  T.  J. 
Vaughn;  supervisor,  fifth  district,  G.  H.  Hopkins. 


130  HISTORY  OF  YOLO  COUNTY 

1902 — Assemblyman,  J.  I.  McConnell;  superior  judge,  E.  E. 
Gadclis;  sheriff  and  tax  collector,  G.  W.  Griffin;  district  attorney, 
W.  A.  Anderson;  clerk,  0.  F.  Hadsall;  assessor,  H.  E.  Harrison; 
recorder,  J.  T.  Goodin ;  auditor,  W.  M.  Browning ;  superintendent  of 
public  schools,  Minnie  De  Vilbiss;  surveyor,  P.  N.  Ashley;  adminis- 
trator, J.  S.  Tutt;  coroner,  T.  H.  Kitto;  treasurer,  J.  G.  Cruteher; 
supervisor,  first  district,  T.  C.  Snider;  supervisor,  second  district, 
M.  P.  Ormsby;  supervisor,  third  district,  L.  N.  Taber;  supervisor, 
fourth  district,  T.  J.  Vaughn;  supervisor,  fifth  district,  G.  H. 
Hopkins. 

1904 — Assemblyman,  N.  A.  Hawkins;  supervisor,  first  district, 

E.  A.  Palm;  supervisor,  second  district,  M.  P.  Ormsby;  supervisor, 
third  district,  L.  N.  Taber;  supervisor,  fourth  district,  T.  J.  Vaughn; 
supervisor,  fifth  district,  G.  H.  Hopkins. 

1906 — State  senator,  Jos.  Craig;  assemblyman,  J.  I.  McConnell; 
superior  judge,  E.  E.  Gaddis ;  sheriff  and  tax  collector,  Sam  Mont- 
gomery; district  attorney,  W.  A.  Anderson;  clerk,  C.  F.  Hadsall; 
assessor,  H.  E.  Harrison;  recorder,  W.  L.  Ely;  auditor,  R.  P.  Wal- 
lace; superintendent  of  public  schools,  May  E.  Dexter;  surveyor, 
P.  N.  Ashley ;  administrator,  J.  S.  Tutt ;  coroner,  T.  H.  Kitto ;  treas- 
urer, J.  G.  Cruteher;  supervisor,  first  district,  E.  A.  Palm;  super- 
visor, second  district,  Eli  Snider;  supervisor,  third  district,  K.  B. 
Edson;  supervisor,  fourth  district,  T.  J.  Vaughn;  supervisor,  fifth 
district,  G.  H.  Hopkins. 

1908 — Assemblyman,  L.  H.  Wilson ;  superior  judge,  N.  R.  Haw- 
kins; supervisor,  first  district,  E.  A.  Palm;  supervisor,  second  dis- 
trict, Eli  Snider ;  supervisor,  third  district,  F.  B.  Edson ;  supervisor, 
fourth  district,  J.  S.  Scott;  supervisor,  fifth  district,  J.  W.  Monroe. 

1910 — State  senator,  A.  P.  Boynton;  assemblyman,  L.  H.  Wil- 
son; superior  judge,  N.  A.  Hawkins;  sheriff  and  tax  collector,  J.  W. 
Monroe;  district  attorney,  A.  G.  Bailey;  clerk,  H.  R.  Saunders; 
assessor,  H.  E.  Harrison;  recorder,  H.  Henigan;  auditor,  R.  P. 
Wallace ;  superintendent  of  public  schools,  May  E.  Dexter-Henshall ; 
surveyor,  P.  N.  Ashley;  administrator,  A.  L.  Farish;  coroner,  T.  H. 
Kitto;  treasurer,  R.  E.  Cole;  supervisor,  first  district,  E.  A.  Palm; 
supervisor,  second  district,  W.  O.  Russell ;  supervisor,  third  district, 

F.  B.  Edson;  supervisor,  fourth  district,  J.  S.  Scott;  supervisor, 
fifth  district,  M.  H.  Stitt. 

Justices  of  the  Peace  for  the  Last  Ten  Years 

1902— Blacks,  S.  P.  Cutler;  Capay,  S.  H.  Bowles;  Cacheville,  C. 
P.  Summer;  Clarksburg,  D.  R.  Nason;  Cottonwood,  J.  N.  Bicknell; 
Grafton,  M.  P.  Shannon;  Guinda,  J.  H.  Norton;  Putah,  H.  S.  D. 


HISTORY  OF  YOLO  COUNTY  131 

Deck;  Washington,  C.  A.  Simpson,  Winters,  Jas.  McClure;  "Wood- 
land, E.  T.  Lampton. 

1906 — Blacks — Win.  Sandrock;  Capay,  S.  H.  Bowles;  Cache- 
ville,  S.  L.  Nutting;  Clarksburg,  Geo.  Colby;  Cottonwood,  J.  N. 
Bieknell;  Dunnigan,  Frank  Weedner;  Grafton,  M.  P.  Shannon; 
Guinda,  J.  H.  Norton ;  Putah,  G.  R.  Carey ;  Washington,  C.  A.  Simp- 
son; Winters,  Jas.  McClure;  Woodland,-  E.  T.  Lampton. 

1910— Blacks,  L.  J.  Didion;  Capay,  G.  W.  Tandy;  Cacheville, 
Wirt  Millsap;  Clarksburg,  F.  B.  Wire;  Cottonwood,  J.  N.  Bieknell; 
Dunnigan,  A.  H.  Reager;  Grafton,  C.  C.  Cobb;  Guinda,  J.  H. 
Norton;  Putah,  W.  H.  Scott,  Washington,  C.  A.  Simpson;  Winters, 
W.  P.  Womack;  Woodland,  J.  E.  Strong. 


132  HISTORY  OF  YOLO  COUNTY 


CHAPTER  XXVIII 

SCHOOLS  OF  YOLO  COUNTY 
By  Mrs.  May  E.  Dexter-Hen  shall 

In  the  spring  of  1847  in  a  primitive  structure  near  the  banks 
of  Cache  creek  one  mile  from  Gordon's,  Mr.  Tyler,  the  pioneer 
teacher  of  Yolo  county,  gathered  about  him  his  little  flock  of  eight 
pupils  and  taught  them  the  three  R's,  untrammeled  by  any  laws 
governing  education.  Miss  Matilda  McCord,  of  Illinois,  taught  the 
second  school,  which  was  located  at  Fremont  in  1849.  The  school- 
house  was  a  frame  building  erected  by  Jonas  Spect.  Mr.  Wheaton, 
afterwards  a  lawyer  in  San  Francisco,  taught  a  private  school  in 
Washington  at  an  early  date.  It  was  probably  the  third  school 
in  the  county. 

There  was  one  school  in  the  county  in  1851  and  seventy-five 
children  between  four  and  eighteen  years  of  age.  An  early  his- 
torian states  that  the  school  was  probably  located  at  Washington. 
The  reports  of  1852  and  1853  show  that  there  were  two  schools  and 
one  hundred  and  forty-three  children  between  four  and  eighteen 
years  of  age.  These  two  schools  were  at  Washington  and  Yolo 
City,  now  Woodland. 

In  the  early  part  of  1853  the  people  living  south  of  Cache 
creek  who  had  children  needing  school  facilities  erected  a  building 
on  the  land  later  owned  by  R.  L.  Beamer,  within  four  rods  of  the 
south  line  of  his  place,  and  where  Fourth  street  would  intersect  it 
if  continued  far  enough  north.  The  building  was  16x20  feet,  the 
frame,  floor,  windows,  and  door  casings  being  of  sawed  oak  lumber, 
while  the  roof  and  sides  were  covered  with  oak  shakes.  There 
were  four  windows,  two  on  either  side,  and  a  door  in  the  west  end. 
The  furniture  consisted  of  seats  eight  feet  long,  made  from  two- 
inch  planks,  by  inserting  pins  into  them  for  legs,  the  desk  being  a 
seat  with  longer  legs.  The  lumber  was  all  hand-sawed  by  Joseph 
German.  J.  C.  Welch  was  the  first  teacher.  He  was  paid  $100  a 
month  by  the  school  patrons,  John  Morris,  Robert  Welch,  F.  C. 
Ruggles,  Mrs.  High,  J.  M.  Harbin,  George  McConnell,  William  G. 
Belcher,  John  Cops,  William  Gordon,  the  Wolfskills,  and  Hap. 
Works  of  Gordon  Valley.  The  books  used  were  such  as  each  fam- 
ily happened  to  possess.  There  were  Ray's,  Smith's,  and  Smiley 's 
arithmetics,  Smith's  grammar,  and  several  kinds  of  readers.  The 
school  was  taught  five  months  by  Mr.  Welch,  commencing  in  April 
or  May,  and  the  attendance  averaged  about  twenty  pupils.  He 
was  succeeded  by  Joseph  German,  followed  by  L.  B.  Ruggles.  The 
building  was  afterwards  given  to  the  public  and  in  it  was  taught 
the  first  public  school  by  Rev.  J.  N.  Pendegast,  in  District  No.  1. 


HISTORY  OF  YOLO  COUNTY  133 

Sometime  during  1853  a  school-house  was  built  on  the  land  now 
owned  by  A.  W.  Morris,  north  of  Cache  creek,  and  as  the  school 
census  reports  of  1854  show  but  three  schools  in  the  county,  they 
must  have  been  in  the  Woodland,  Reed,  and  Washington  buildings. 
The  Reed  school-house  was  in  Cache  Creek  District  No.  2,  which 
was  north  of  the  creek.  Previous  to  1855  the  county  assessor  had 
supervision  over  the  schools  of  the  county. 

On  September  13,  1855,  L.  M.  Mering  was  elected  county 
school  superintendent.  No  records  are  on  file  for  the  year  that  he 
served,  as  his  books  and  papers  were  burned.  Fortunately  he  had 
filed  a  report  with  the  state  superintendent.  His  reports  shows  that 
the  following  districts  were  in  existence : 

Cache  Creek,  Districts  Nos.  1  and  2,  with  number  of  children 
between  the  ages  of  four  and  eighteen  years  of  age,  278 ;  Washing- 
ton No.  1,  64;  and  Cottonwood  No.  1,  95. 

The  lowest  salary  paid  was  $60  per  month  and  the  highest 
was  $100.  The  average  school  term  was  five  months.  The  teach- 
ers employed  were  L.  B.  Ruggles,  C.  D.  Tibbetts,  Emma  Alexan- 
der, M.  A.  Wheaton,  and  M.  Woods.  The  total  amount  expended 
for  educational  purposes  in  1855  was  $1,543.50. 

N.  Wyckoff  was  appointed  superintendent  of  schools  on  No- 
vember 20,  1856.  He  was  succeeded  by  Henry  Gaddis  on  Septem- 
ber 15,  1857.  Of  those  early  days  his  widow,  Mrs.  Anna  Barnes, 
has  given  most  interesting  information.  The  superintendent  did 
not  have  an  office.  People  who  wished  to  transact  business  with 
him  went  to  his  home.  The  applicants  who  wished  to  teach  came 
to  him  to  be  examined.  They  would  travel  for  miles  on  horseback 
through  the  forest,  and,  with  carpet-bag  in  hand,  ask  for  a  night's 
lodging  and  for  permission  to  teach.  "Every  greenhorn  that  came 
thought  he  could  teach  in  '  Calif orny.'  "  The  optimistic  remark, 
"I  reckon  I  can  brush  up  a  bit,"  was  often  heard. 

After  the  applicant  had  rested  over  night  and  been  fortified  by 
a  generous  meal  of  fried  chicken,  provided  by  the  superintendent's 
sympathetic  wife,  the  examination  commenced.  It  was  usually 
oral.  Webster's  international  spelling  book  proved  the  Waterloo 
of  many  a  crestfallen  applicant,  for  failure  to  spell  correctly  was 
an  offense  not  to  be  condoned  by  Mr.  Oaddis. 

As  the  years  went  by  the  teachers  were  examined  by  an  exam- 
ining board.  The  early  records  give  names  of  examiners  and  those 
examined.  If  successful,  the  one  word  "AiDproved"  was  placed 
after  the  applicant's  name.  If  unsuccessful,  the  word  "Disap- 
proved" was  written.  After  an  instructor  had  taught  school  a 
year  he  had  to  be  examined  again.  Teaching  had  not  then  reached 
the  dignity  of  a  profession. 

Neither  were  the  people  agitated  by  the  question   of  "state 


134  HISTORY  OF  YOLO  COUNTY 

text-books."     Each  child  studied  from  the  hooks  his  parents  hap- 
pened to  possess. 

Promotion  certificates  and  diplomas  of  graduation  had  not  at 
that  time  caused  any  unrest  to  pupils,  teachers,  or  parents.  At  the 
close  of  the  term  the  pupils  would  mark  the  page  that  they  had 
studied  last.  The  next  year  a  new  teacher  would  appear,  have  them 
go  hack  to  the  beginning,  and  study  it  all  over  again. 

Pupils  sat  on  benches  and  had  benches  in  front  of  them  for 
their  books.  The  big  rawhide  or  black-snake  occupied  a  prominent 
place  and  kept  an  outward  serenity  iu  the  overcrowded  school- 
rooms. At  the  close  of  the  month  the  teacher  would  have  to  go  to 
the  home  of  the  superintendent  for  his  salary  warrant  and  then 
travel  on  horseback  to  Cacheville,  the  county  seat,  to  have  it  cashed. 

Among  the  pioneers  who  have  left  a  lasting  impression  upon 
the  minds  and  hearts  of  the  people  is  Mrs.  F.  S.  Freeman.  When 
a  girl  of  seventeen  in  her  comfortable  Eastern  home  she  read 
"Colton's  Three  Years  in  California."  Fascinated  with  the  tales 
she  read,  she  decided  to  see  this  western  land.  She  made  the  trip 
in  1856  by  the  Nicaragua  route.  Shortly  after  her  arrival  she  com- 
menced teaching  a  subscription  school  three  miles  from  Folsom. 
Each  pupil  paid  her  $1  per  week,  bringing  the  money  to  her  each 
Monday.  At  the  close  of  the  term  she  decided  to  go  to  Yolo  City 
(Woodland).  She  crossed  the  Sacramento  river  on  a  ferry-boat 
and  traveled  on  horseback  from  seven  o'clock  in  the  morning  until 
seven  in  the  evening  through  the  woods  between  Sacramento  and 
Yolo  City.  Because  of  the  oak  grove  in  which  Yolo  City  was  lo- 
cated Mrs.  Freeman,  at  a  later  date,  suggested  that  the  village  be 
called  Woodland.  When  the  postoffice  was  changed  from  Cache- 
ville to  Yolo  City  the  name  Woodland  was  given  to  the  place. 

In  those  early  days  Mrs.  Freeman  was  known  as  Miss  Ger- 
trude Swain,  and  was  elected  first  teacher  to  occupy  the  new  school 
building  that  was  erected  in  Yolo  City  in  1856,  one  block  west  of 
the  eastern  termination  of  Main  street.  The  upper  part  of  the  new 
school  building  was  used  as  a  Masonic  hall. 

The  trustees,  Mr.  Giddings,  F.  C.  Euggles,  and  Rev.  J.  N. 
Pendegast,  asked  Miss  Swain  a  few  general  questions,  gave  her 
some  words  to  spell,  had  her  read  two  verses  from  one  of  Longfel- 
low's poems,  and  then  pronounced  her  qualified  to  teach  the  sixty 
restless  lads  and  lassies  of  the  village.  She  proved  herself  equal 
to  the  undertaking,  and  names  with  pride  as  her  former  pupils,  R. 
H.  Beamer,  J.  I.  McConnell,  D.  M.  Burns,  Wirt  Pendegast,  Henry 
Fisher,  Mrs.  Mary  Beamer  Brown,  and  many  others. 

It  was  not  an  uncommon  sight  to  see  three  or  four  children 
on  the  back  of  one  horse  wending  their  way  through  the  woods  to 
school.  They  were  all  ages,  from  the  tiny  "A,  B,  C's"  to  the  stal- 
wart youth  who  was  as  old  as  his  teacher.    The  salary  paid  was  $60 


HISTORY  OF  YOLO  COUNTY  135 

a  month.  The  school  was  in  session  three  months  in  the  summer 
and  three  months  in  the  winter.  Miss  Swain  taught  the  school  for 
two  years.  She  was  succeeded  by  J.  C.  Welch,  who  was  followed 
by  Miss  Carrie  Templeton.  The  school  had  grown  so  large  that  it 
was  divided  into  two  rooms.  Prof.  Giles  Freeman  and  his  wife 
were  elected  teachers. 

The  school  building  which  was  erected  in  1856  was  built  on 
land  not  belonging  to  the  district,  and  resulted  in  expensive  litiga- 
tion in  after  years.  C.  W.  Crocker,  who  owned  the  land  on  which 
it  was  built,  failed  to  make  either  a  deed  to  the  district  or  to 
reserve  it  when  he  sold  the  farm,  and  the  property,  after  passing 
through  several  hands,  was  finally  purchased  by  W.  L.  Messenger 
and  George  D.  Fiske,  who  offered  to  sell  the  same  to  the  district 
for  $250.  By  a  majority  of  three  the  people  voted  the  requisite 
amount  for  Messenger  and  Fiske;  also  $300  to  pay  the  Masons  for 
their  interest,  and  $300  for  teachers'  salaries.  The  collection  of 
the  tax  was  contested.  The  supreme  court  decided  in  favor  of  the 
tax.  As  the  value  of  the  lot  had  increased  in  the  meantime  until  it 
was  worth  four  times  the  amount  of  their  first  offer,  Messenger  and 
Fiske  refused  to  sell  it  for  $250.  The  trustees  prosecuted  them  in 
the  courts  for  a  year  or  two  in  a  vain  effort  to  force  an  acceptance 
of  the  offer.  The  building  was  finally  decided  to  be  the  property  of 
Messenger  and  Fiske.  Afterwards  it  was  used  as  a  hotel  and  was 
called  the  Travelers'  Rest,  or  Quilty  Building. 

The  district  being  without  a  school-house,  a  vote  was  taken  to 
see  if  the  people  would  authorize  a  tax  to  build  one.  The  vote  was 
not  in  favor  of  the  tax.  At  the  time  a  lot  was  offered  for  school 
purposes  at  $400,  and  to  secure  it  twenty  progressive  men  sub- 
scribed $20  each,  and  after  having  purchased  it  offered  it  to  the 
district  as  a  gift,  provided  a  school-house  was  built  on  it.  Another 
election  was  called  and  the  proposition  received  but  seventeen  nega- 
tive votes.  The  following  are  most  of  the  names  of  those  who  pre- 
sented the  lot  to  the  district:  Clark  Elliot,  Nathan  Elliot,  R.  B. 
Blowers,  D.  A.  Jackson,  Dr.  George  H.  Jackson,  J.  G.  A.  Overshiner, 
C.  P.  Sprague,  George  D.  Fiske,  James  Asberry,  A.  C.  Ruggles, 
F.  C.  Ruggles,  F.  S.  Freeman,  L.  F.  Craft,  G.  E.  Sill,  J.  M.  Garoutte, 
O.  D.  Wescott,  A.  S.  House,  D.  M.  White,  and  W.  L.  Messenger.  The 
trustees  procured  plans  and  specifications,  and  in  August,  1871, 
commenced  to  erect  the  structure  that  is  now  known  as  the  Main 
Street  school  building.  It  cost  nearly  $16,000.  In  March.  1872,  the 
legislature  passed  a  special  Act  authorizing  the  levying  of  taxes 
and  issuing  of  bonds  to  enable  Woodland  district  to  complete  the 
building  and  pay  the  debts  already  incurred. 

At  the  present  time  (1912)  there  are  three  elementary  school 
buildings  in  Woodland  named  after  the  principal  street  upon  whicli 
each  is  located,  as  follows:  Main,  Walnut  and  Oak. 


136  HISTOEY  OF  YOLO  COUNTY 

The  following  is  the  official  list  of  the  districts,  clerks,  postoffice 

addresses,  and  teachers  of  Yolo  county  for  the  year  ending  June 

30,  1912: 

Apricot — August  Brinck,  Winters.  Teacher,  Mrs.  Anna  C.  Greg- 
ory. 

Buckeye — Chas.  Allen,  Winters.    Teacher,  Mrs.  Maude  Lamme. 

Cache  Creek— G.  L.  Griffith,  Woodland.  Teachers,  Edith  V.  Edmis- 
ton,  Mrs.  Lulu  H.  Windsor. 

Cacheville — Bernard  Borach,  Yolo.  Teachers,  D.  D.  Sturgis,  Mar- 
garet Shell. 

Canon — C.  W.  Kingshury,  Brooks.    Teacher,  June  B.  Smith. 

Cadenasso — H.  C.  Howard,  Brooks.    Teacher,  Gatsey  Landrum. 

Capay— L.  A.  Eddy,  Capay.    Teacher,  Lillie  L.  Laugenour. 

Cottonwood — L.  E.  Kale,  Madison.    Teacher,  Elsie  White. 

Clover— Wm.  Eeiff,  Madison.    Teacher,  Mary  Vasey. 

Davis— J.  C.  Luft,  Davis.  Teachers,  E,  C.  Kissling,  Elsa  V.  Boyds- 
tun,  Hazel  Hyde. 

Enterprise— D.  F.  Houx,  Blacks.    Teacher,  Frank  Hulbert. 

Esparto— C.  F.  Derby,  Esparto.  Teachers,  T.  L.  Herbert,  Julia  Mc- 
Willianis. 

Eureka— Chas.  C.  Morris,  Grafton.    Teacher,  Blanch  I.  Laird. 

Fairfield— Win.  Oeste,  Davis.    Teacher,  Vivian  Yater. 

Fairview— Edward  Linderman,  Capay.    Teacher,  Elizabeth  Powers. 

Fillmore — W.  H.  Browning,  Woodland.    Teacher,  Julia  Bray. 

Gordon — S.  L.  Norton,  Madison.    Teacher,  Lester  C.  Dalbey. 

Grafton— M.  F.  Huber,  Grafton.  Teachers,  T.  L.  Whitehead,  Alma 
Brandenberg. 

Guinda— A.  H.  Beard,  Guinda.    Teacher,  Stella  Harris. 

Jefferson— J.  C.  Smith,  Courtland.    Teacher,  Lillie  Bean. 

Laugenour— J.  W.  Gallup,  Woodland.     Teacher,  Stacy  Armstrong. 

Liberty— Mrs.  W.  W.  Vickroy,  Woodland.  Teacher,  Mrs.  May 
Sharpnaek. 

Lisbon — M.  S.  Contente,  Freeport.    Teacher,  Marion  Duncan. 

Madison — J.  T.  Archer,  Madison.     Teacher,  Florence  Armstrong. 

Merritt— B.  J.  Waterbury,  Clarksburg.  Teachers,  Myrtle  Eowe, 
Gertrude  Watson. 

Monument — J.  J.  Merkley,  Sacramento.    Teacher,  Lucy  V.  J.  Riley. 

Mountain— Robert  Clooney,  Capay.    Teacher,  Aida  Cadenasso. 

Mt.  Pleasant— George  J.  Snyder,  Madison.  Teacher,  Mrs.  E.  J. 
Craig. 

North  Grafton— A.  H.  Eeager,  Dunnigan.  Teacher,  Widde  Ken- 
drick. 

Oat  Creek— D.  H.  Long,  Blacks.  Teacher,  Elizabeth  McGrew. 

Parks — Mrs.  S.  Pritchett,  Brooks.    Teacher,  Elvie  Swinney. 

Plainfield— H.  0.  Purinton,  Plainfield.    Teacher,  Mary  Hall. 


HISTORY  OF  YOLO  COUNTY  137 

Pleasant  Prairie — Frank  Cook,  Woodland.    Teacher,  Marian  Stone. 

Prairie — L.  J.  Didion,  Blacks.    Teacher,  Arthur  E.  Mills. 

Rumsey — Geo.  A.  Farish,  Rumsey.     Teacher,  Edna  Williams. 

Sacramento  River — George  C.  Lauken,  Sacramento.  Teacher,  Kate 
Merkley. 

Spring  Lake — E.  S.  Farnham,  Woodland.  Teacher,  Frances  Sim- 
mons. 

Summit — A.  A.  Logan,  Guinda.     Teacher,  Hilda  Fisher. 

Union — Mrs.  Clarence  Scott,  Winters.     Teacher,  Mahel  Sackett. 

Washington — Frank  De  Riso,  Broderick.  Teachers,  Carolyne  M. 
Webh,  Irma  Phleger,  Olive  Martinelli,  Anna  M.  Dixon,  Vita 
Baker,  Mary  Duff. 

Wildwood — A.  H.  Abele,  Arbuckle.    Teacher,  Maude  Kast. 

Willow  Spring — John  Horgan,  Blacks.    Teacher,  Ellen  Kelly. 

Woodland  Prairie — W.  C.  Schuder,  Woodland.  Teacher,  Merlin 
Ogden. 

Winters — Geo.  R.  Sidwell,.  Winters.  Teachers,  Stewart  0.  Samuels, 
Emily  Seaman,  Edith  Overhouse,  Edna  Stark,  Alma  Sims, 
Mrs.  Bertha  Young ;  music,  Helene  J.  Sloane. 

Woodland— C.  E.  Dingle,  Woodland.  Teachers,  C.  E.  Dingle,  Har- 
riett S.  Lee,  Kathryn  Simmons,  Annie  McWilliams,  Mabel 
Griffes,  Bertha  Laugenour,  Florence  Murray,  Eleanor  Shell, 
Lola  Bray,  Jennie  Gibson,  Gertrude  White,  M.  Ella  Baker, 
Rhoda  Maxwell;  kindergarten,  Anne  Reith;  music,  March  Clem- 
ents. 

HIGH   SCHOOLS 

Esparto  Union  High— J.  L.  Stephens,  Madison.  Teachers,  Charles 
G.  Davis,  Ethel  Davis,  Violet  Beck,  Lillian  Secrest. 

Pierce  Joint  Union  High — J.  E.  Cain,  Arbuckle.  Teachers,  J.  Perry 
Ratzell,  A.  R.  Baird,  Mildred  Martin,  Clara  Shira. 

Winters  Joint  Union  High — F.  W.  Wilson,  Winters.  Teachers, 
Louise  Mayne,  Mary  Stewart,  Kate  Zimmerman,  Bessie  Mayne, 
Matilda  Hayes. 

Woodland  High — Wm.  M.  Hyman,  Woodland.  Teachers,  William 
M.  Hyman,  Mrs.  L.  D.  Lawhead,  Lola  J.  Simpson,  Oda  M. 
Smith,  Olive  Montgomery,  Ella  Tuttle,  Veta  Hurst,  G.  T.  Kern. 

Yolo  County  Board  of  Education— C.  E.  Dingle,  Woodland ;  Wm.  M. 
Hyman,  Woodland;  Annie  McWilliams,  Woodland;  R.  C.  Kiss- 
ling,  Davis ;  May  E.  Dexter-Henshall,  Woodland. 

May  E.  Dexter-Henshall,  superintendent  of  schools. 

Suspended  Districts — Franklin,  Monday  and  Willow  Slough. 

SCHOOL  DISTRICTS 

The  earliest  record  of  the  establishment  of  a  school  district  as 
shown  by  the  records  of  the  board  of  supervisors  was  on  October 
7,  1856.    No  name  was  given  to  the  district.     (A-197.)     On  Decern- 


138  HISTORY  OF  YOLO  COUNTY 

ber  3,  1856,  the  following  districts  were  in  existence,  as  the  records 
show  that  school  funds  were  apportioned  to  them:  Cache  Creek 
North,  Cache  Creek  South,  Washington.  (A-219.)  On  January  7, 
1857,  N.  Wyckoff,  superintendent  of  schools,  made  the  following 
order:  "To  prevent  confusion  from  the  similarity  of  names,  it  is 
ordered  by  this  office  that  districts  shall  be  numbered  as  follows : 
Cache  Creek  South  shall  be  known  as  District  No.  1;  Cache  Creek 
North,  District  No.  2;  Washington,  District  No.  3;  Cottonwood, 
District  No.  4;  Cache  Creek  on  the  Colusa  Plains  (probably  the 
early  name  for  Prairie  District),  District  No.  5. 

From  the  records  of  the  boards  of  supervisors  and  also  those 
kept  by  Henry  Gaddis,  superintendent  of  schools  from  1857  to  1863, 
the  names  of  the  districts  and  dates  they  were  established  have 
been  secured.  As  some  of  the  districts  were  not  named  when  they 
were  established  and  some  of  them  changed  their  names  after  they 
were  formed,  it  has  been  impossible  to  give  an  accurate  record  of 
the  establishment  of  each  of  the  present  districts.  The  following  is 
a  list  of  the  districts  and  the  dates  they  were  established : 

Cache  Creek  North,  No.  1. 

Cache  Creek  South,  No.  2. 

Washington,  No.  3. 

Cottonwood,  No.  4,  May  4,  1858. 

West  of  Cache  Creek  North,  No.  5,  Mav  4,  1858. 

West  of  Cache  Creek  South,  No.  6,  May  4,  1858. 

Knight's  Landing,  No.  7,  May  4,  1858. 

South  Putah,  No.  8,  June,  1858. 

North  Putah,  No.  9,  June,  1858. 

Buckeye,  No.  10,  September  11,  1858. 

Cacheville,  No.  11,  October,  1858. 

Grand  Island,  No.  12,  August  2,  1859. 

Merritt,  No.  13,  August  2,  1859. 

Fillmore,  No.  14,  February  25,  1861. 

Fremont  (Svcamore  Grove),  No.  15,  November,  1859. 

Plainfield,  No.  16,  June  17,  1861. 

Willow  Slough,  No.  17,  October  10,  1861. 

Monument,  No.  18,  November  5,  1861. 

Pine  Grove,  No.  19  (Winters  District). 

Cache  Creek  Vallev  School  District  (Canon),  No.  20,  November 
6,  1862. 

Union,  No.  21,  November  6,  1862. 

Woodland  Prairie,  No.  22,  August  3,  1863. 

Richland,  No.  23,  1864. 

Sacramento  River,  No.  24,  November  7,  1864. 

Mount  Nebo,  No.  25,  November  7,  1864. 

Eureka,  No.  26,  May  2,  1865. 

Cottonwood,  No.  27,  August  15,  1865. 


HISTORY  OF  YOLO  COUNTY  139 

Capav,  No.  28,  March  5,  1866. 

Putah,  No.  29,  May  7,  1866. 

Excelsior,  No.  30,  May  8,  1866. 

Enterprise,  No.  31,  August  8,  1866. 

Vernon,  April  4,  1867. 

Pleasant  Prairie,  No.  33,  May  8,  1867. 

Fair  View,  March  9,  1868. 

Fair  View  (probably  Spring  Lake),  May  5,  18(58. 

Clover,  August  4,  1868. 

Yolo,  September  7,  1868. 

Mount  Pleasant,  March  1,  1869. 

North  Grafton,  April  6,  1869. 

Montgomery,  February  8,  1870. 

Lisbon,  May  4,  1870. 

Haight,  March  6,  1871. 

Center,  May  6,  1872. 

Mountain,  January  12,  1875. 

Langville,  May  12,  1875. 

Jefferson,  April  11,  1876. 

Occidental,  July  10,  1876. 

Jefferson,  January  8,  1877. 

Quicksilver,  January  8,  1877. 

Champion,  July  19,"  1880. 

Wildwood,  May  10,  1881. 

Bufort,  May  10,  1881. 

Pacific,  October  13,  1885. 

Oat  Creek,  April  6,  1886. 

East  Slope,  March  5,  1890. 

Cleveland,  March  5,  1890. 

Escalante,  March  5,  1890. 

City  of  Woodland  School  District  of  Yolo  Countv,  July  9,  1890. 

Guinda,  April  7,  1891. 

Monday,  May  5,  1891. 

Madison,  April  3,  1894. 

Summit,  April  2,  1895. 

New  district  (not  named),  March  1,  1897. 

Fillmore,  February  7,  1910. 

Additional  districts  are  mentioned  in  the  reports  of  1867,  '69, 
'70,  and  '71  made  by  the  superintendents  to  the  supervisors,  as 
follows:  Woodland,  Buchanan,  Prairie,  Grafton,  Franklin,  Monitor, 
Gordon,  Fairfield,  Liberty. 

Vernon  and  Franklin  Districts  were  consolidated  on  May  10, 
1881.  Wildwood  District  in  Y"olo  county  consolidated  with  Wild- 
wood  District  in  Colusa  county  September  12,  1881.  Montgomery 
District  was  re-established  June  6,  1887.  Montgomery  District  was 
lapsed  July  15,  1891.    Pine  Grove  District  was  named  Winters  Dis- 


140  HISTOEY  OP  YOLO  COUNTY 

trict  on  June  6,  1887.  Occidental  District  was  named  Bumsey 
April  5,  1892.  Pacific  District  lapsed  July  2,  1894.  Eureka  and 
Buchanan  Districts  united  September  20,  1897,  and  formed  Eureka 
District.  Center  District  lapsed  July  3,  1899.  Monitor  District 
lapsed  June  8,  1900.  Cleveland  District  lapsed  June  3,  1907.  Frank- 
lin District  was  suspended  August  3,  1909.  Willow  Slough  District 
was  suspended  August  7,  1911.  Monday  District  was  suspended 
August  7,  1911.  Parks  District  was  suspended  August  5,  1912. 
Mountain  District  was  suspended  August  5,  1912.  Monday  District 
lapsed  August  5,  1912.  Summit  District  was  suspended  August  5, 
1912. 

The  list  of  school  superintendents  of  Yolo  county,  with  date  of 
election,  is  as  follows:  L.  M.  Mering,  September  13,  1855;  N. 
Wyckoff,  November  20,  1856  (appointed) ;  Henry  Gadclis,  Septem- 
ber 15,  1857;  Henry  Gaddis,  September  10,  1859;  Henrv  Gaddis, 
September  4,  1861 ;  Henry  Gaddis,  September  2,  1863 ;  M.  A.  Woods, 
September  6,  1865;  R.  B.  Darby,  September  4,  1867;  B.  R.  Darby, 
January  13,  1868 ;  E.  E.  Darby,  September  6,  1869 ;  G.  N.  Freeman, 
September  11,  1871 ;  G.  N.  Freeman,  September  3,  1873 ;  H.  B.  Pen- 
degast,  September  6,  1875;  H.  B.  Pendegast,  September  5,  1877; 
J.  W.  Goin,  September  3,  1879;  J.  W.  Goin,  November  7,  1882; 
George  Banks,  November  2,  1886;  George  Banks,  November  11, 
1890;  Clara  A.  March,  November  6,  1894  (died  July,  1897);  H.  B. 
Pendegast,  July  8,  1897  (appointed) ;  Mrs.  S.  E.  Peart,  November 
8,  1898;  Mrs.  Minnie  De  Vilbiss,  November  10,  1902  (died  January, 
1906) ;  May  E.  Dexter,  January  15,  1906  (appointed)  ;  May  E.  Dex- 
ter, November  6,  1906 ;  May  E.  Dexter-Henshall,  November  8,  1910. 

HESPERIAN    COLLEGE 

Hesperian  College  was  organized  June  20,  1860,  by  the  citizens 
of  Yolo  City,  under  leadership  of  Prof.  O.  L.  Mathews.  Ten  acres 
of  land  were  donated  by  M.  M.  Harris,  five  for  the  college  and  five 
for  the  residence  of  Professor  Mathews.  The  sum  of  $4,925  was 
subscribed  in  scholarships.  The  cash  donation  amounted  to  $1,025. 
All  this  was,  by  a  contract  with  the  citizens,  to  go  to  Prof.  O.  L. 
Mathews,  who  was  to  erect  a  building  and  conduct  an  academy  or 
seminary  for  five  years  called  "Yolo  Seminary."  At  the  end  of 
five  years  the  property  was  to  belong  to  Mr.  Mathews. 

On  January  18,  1861,  a  committee  of  stockholders  reported  on 
a  change  of  plan,  owing  to  the  fact  that  it  would  take  several  thou- 
sand dollars  more  than  was  originally  anticipated.  They  reported 
a  plan  whereby  the  property  and  premises  may  and  shall  be  for- 
ever devoted  to  the  cause  of  education  and  agreed  to  pay  Professor 
Mathews  $700  for  his  interest,  carry  out  his  obligations,  and  em- 
ploy his  teachers. 

The  committee  further  reported  and  advised  that  a  temporary 


HISTORY  OF  YOLO  COUNTY  141 

board  of  five  trustees  be  selected  to  conduct  and  control  said  enter- 
prise, employ  teacbers,  and  to  employ  Professor  Matbews  to  take 
charge  of  the  same;  that  a  committee  be  appointed  to  apply  to  the 
legislature  for  certificate  of  incorporation  with  a  permanent  board 
of  trustees,  and  that  three-fourths  of  the  same  shall  be  members 
in  good  standing  of  the  religious  body  known  as  the  Christian 
Church;  that  a  committee  be  appointed  to  draft  a  plan  of  organiza- 
tion and  prepare  a  charter  for  a  collegiate  institution,  and  on  ap- 
proval to  submit  the  same  to  the  present  session  of  the  legislature 
of  California  (1861)  and  they  be  petitioned  to  pass  the  same. 

The  committee  advised  that  a  general  agent  be  appointed 
whose  duty  it  shall  be  to  canvass  the  state  and  solicit  aid  for  the 
institution  in  money,  books,  apparatus,  etc.,  and  that  a  special 
agent  be  appointed  to  solicit  aid  in  Yolo  county  and  the  counties 
adjacent. 

This  report  was  submitted  by  a  committee  January  8,  1861, 
which  committee  was  composed  of  J.  N.  Pendegast,  N.  Wyckoff,  J. 
C.  Welch,  F.  S.  Freeman  and  R.  L.  Beamer,  and  the  same  was 
adopted,  and  the  following  were  elected  as  the  board  of  trustees, 
viz.:  Joshua  Lawson,  James  F.  Morris,  H.  M.  Fiske,  and  J.  C. 
Welch.  J.  N.  Pendegast,  0.  L.  Mathews  and  W.  W.  Stephenson 
were  appointed  a  committee  to  petition  the  legislature  to  incor- 
porate the  institution  under  a  board  of  trustees,  three-fourths  of 
whom  should  be  members,  in  good  standing,  of  the  Christian 
Church. 

On  March  11,  1861,  Professor  Mathews  assigned  his  interest  to 
said  trustees,  in  consideration  of  $700,  and  he  was  employed  i "resi- 
dent of  the  institution.  The  first  term  of  the  institution  opened  on 
the  first  Monday  in  March,  1861.  On  March  6,  1861,  the  treasurer 
made  report  showing  that  he  had  received  $4,813.13  from  scholar- 
ships and  donations  and  had  paid  out  $4,999.80.  At  the  same  meet- 
ing  J.  N.  Pendegast,  of  the  building  committee,  made  a  report  show- 
ing that  in  building,  the  institution  was  in  debt  above  its  assets,  in 
the  sum  of  $2,238.04.  About  this  time  the  name  of  the  institution 
was  changed  from  "Yolo  Seminary"  to  Hesperian  College. 

The  minutes  show  that  down  to  1894  the  president  of  the  insti- 
tution was  a  member  of  the  Christian  Church  and  that  the  faculty 
at  all  times  had  been  composed  of  members  of  the  Christian  Chinch. 

On  January  20,  1868,  the  board  of  trustees  present  J.  N.  Pende- 
gast, F.  S.  Freeman,  R,  L.  Reamer  and  F.  Giddmgs,  selected  a 
temporary  board  of  trustees  for  the  incorporation  of  the  college,  as 
follows:  J.  N.  Pendegast,  F.  S.  Freeman,  R.  L.  Beamer,  C.  Nelson, 
U.  Shellhammer,  Edward  Bynum,  Jesse  Clark,  G.  O.  Burnett,  W.  W. 
Dewitt,  A.  C.  Hawkins,  B.  S.  Young,  John  Hendley,  J.  F.  Thomp- 
son, J.  P.  Rose,  AY  O.  Miller,  A.  M.  Crow,  T.  H.  Lane.  Silas  March, 
J.  P.  Blanks,  S.  K.  Hallum  and  W.  W.  Pendegast. 


142  HISTORY  OF  YOLO  COUNTY 

On  October  17,  1868,  on  motion,  J.  N.  Pendegast  was  appointed 
to  make  application  for  a  charter  to  the  state  board.  June  3,  1869, 
the  minutes  show  that,  Hesperian  College,  having  been  incorpo- 
rated, it  was  ordered  that  the  first  meeting  of  the  new  board  be 
held  at  the  college  building  on  Monday,  August  23,  1869,  and  the 
secretary  directed  to  notify  the  trustees. 

On  August  23,  1869,  J.  N.  Pendegast  was  elected  president; 

B.  C.  Lawson,  secretary,  and  the  faculty  elected  was  composed  of 
J.  M.  Martin,  J.  L.  Simpson,  G.  N.  Freeman,  Mrs.  C.  L.  Cross, 
William  Walle,  and  Mrs.  J.  E.  Dixon,  for  the  school  year  of 
1869-70. 

On  March  15,  1872,  a  committee  composed  of  J.  L.  Simpson,  B. 

C.  Lawson  and  R.  W.  Dewitt,  was  appointed  to  consider  the  pro- 
priety of  inaugurating  a  Bible  department  in  Hesperian  College, 
and  a  committee  consisting  of  C.  Nelson,  U.  Shellhammer  and 
Jesse  Welch  appointed  to  consider  the  question  of  raising  an  en- 
dowment fund  for  Hesperian  College.  These  committees  reported 
May  8,  1872.  On  endowment,  the  report  in  substance  is  that  the 
endowment  of  the  college  is  an  indispensable  necessity  to  her  future 
prosperity;  that  the  sum  of  $25,000  be  the  minimum  subscribed  to 
make  the  subscription  binding ;  that  the  subscriptions  be  paid  in  five 
equal  installments,  the  first  to  be  due  when  the  sum  of  $25,000 
shall  have  been  subscribed,  and  the  other  installments  to  be  due 
within  one,  two,  three,  and  four  years  thereafter,  with  interest  an- 
nually at  the  rate  of  ten  per  cent.  The  committee  on  Bible  depart- 
ment reported  in  substance  that  the  cause  of  Christ  requires  the 
establishment  of  a  school  for  the  dissemination  of  the  knowledge  of 
the  sacred  scriptures  amongst  the  young,  and  especially  for  the 
benefit  of  those  who  propose  to  preach  the  gospel,  and  recom- 
mended the  inauguration  of  such  a  school  or  department  of  in- 
struction in  Hesperian  College,  provided  that  a  sufficient  sum  can 
be  raised  to  endow  a  chair  of  sacred  literature. 

Elder  J.  N.  Pendegast  was  chosen  president  of  the  college  and 
professor  sacred  literature  on  July  26,  1872. 

On  December  2,  1872,  on  motion,  the  plan  for  raising  the  en- 
dowment fund  for  the  college  passed  May  8,  1872,  was  annulled, 
and  the  minimum  sum  to  be  raised  by  subscription  fixed  at  $10,000. 

About  1887  the  trustees  of  Hesperian  College  decided  to  sell 
the  original  site  and  building  to  Gibson  and  Briggs  for  $20,000. 
The  college  was  next  located  on  the  present  site  of  the  Woodland 
High  school.    Nine  years  slipped  quickly  by. 

The  trustees  of  Hesperian  College  met  in  Beamers'  Hall,  August 
21,  1896,  with  the  following  members  present:  C.  W.  Bush,  J.  D. 
Lawson,  F.  S.  Freeman,  C.  G.  Day,  C.  W.  Thomas,  John  R.  Briggs, 
U.  Shellhammer,  A.  M.  Elston,  J.  J.  Stephens,  W.  Y.  Browning, 
W.  A.  Gardner,  C.  Nelson,  W.  B.  Gibson  and  J.  W.  Bandv.    C.  W. 


HISTORY  OF  YOLO  COUNTY  143 

Bush  was  elected  chairman  and  J.  D.  Lawson,  secretary.  The  pur- 
pose of  the  meeting  was  to  hear  the  report  of.  the  committee  on 
the  matter  of  transferring  the  property  and  endowment  fund  of 
Hesperian  College  to  the  Berkeley  Bible  Seminary.  C.  W.  Thomas 
made  a  verbal  report  in  behalf  of  himself  and  W.  A.  Gardner, 
showing  how  a  legal  transfer  could  be  made.  0.  W.  Bush  followed 
with  a  written  minority  report.  C.  W.  Thomas  made  a  motion  that 
was  at  first  defeated,  then  reconsidered  and  carried  by  unanimous 
vote.  His  motion  was  that  all  the  money,  property  and  franchise  of 
Hesperian  College  be  transferred  to  the  Berkeley  Bible  Seminary 
on  condition  that  said  Berkeley  Bible  Seminary  pay  the  indebted- 
ness of  Hesperian  College  and  transfer  the  land  with  college  build- 
ing and  stable  to  the  Woodland  High  School  District,  paying  all 
expenses  for  transfer  and  in  addition  thereto  pay  to  the  Christian 
Church  the  sum  of  $5626.75. 

Mr.  Thomas  then  moved  that  the  trustees  proceed  to  pay  the 
debts  of  the  corporation  and  make  application  for  dissolution.  The 
motion  was  adopted  by  unanimous  vote. 

A  motion  was  made  and  carried  authorizing  the  executive 
committee  to  transfer  the  chemical  apparatus  to  the  high  school 
and  the  library  to  the  Public  Library  and  to  dispose  of  all  other 
personal  property  belonging  to  the  college. 

On  August  22,  1896,  the  trustees  of  Hesperian  College  conveyed 
to  the  trustees  of  the  Berkeley  Bible  Seminary  the  real  property 
of  the  college,  an  endowment  fund  of  $21,170.23,  and  certain  rights, 
privileges  and  franchises. 

The  Berkeley  Bible  Seminary  agreed  to  accept  the  conveyance 
of  the  property,  endowment,  rights,  etc.,  and  agreed  to  pay  to 
the  Christian  Church  of  Woodland,  California,  an  amount  sufficient 
to  pay  off  a  mortgage  indebtedness  of  $5626.76  and  to  convey  the 
real  property  known  as  the  Hesperian  College  property,  including 
college  building,  barn,  and  lot  on  which  barn  is  located  to  the  Wood- 
land High  School  for  high  school  purposes. 

On  February  12,  1897,  the  property  was  deeded  to  the  Wood- 
land School  District  with  the  following  proviso:  "Provided  that 
said  property  shall  be  used  for  high  school  educational  purposes  and 
none  other,  that  if  said  property  should  at  any  time  cease  to  lie 
used  for  high  school  educational  purposes  the  same  shall  revert 
to  the  Berkeley  Bible  Seminary  and  become  the  property  of  this 
corporation." 

During  the  many  years  that  Hesperian  College  was  in  existence 
it  was  recognized  as  one  of  the  best  educational  institutions  in 
California.  It  numbered  among  its  instructors  some  of  the  finest 
educators  of  the  state.  Its  presidents  were:  O.  L.  Mathews,  H.  M. 
Atkenson,  J.  W.  Anderson,  J.  M.  Martin,  J.  N.  Pendegast,  B.  H. 
Smith  and  A.  M.  Elston. 


144  HISTORY  OF  YOLO  COUNTY 


YOLO    COUNTY    HIGH    SCHOOL    DISTRICTS 

Winters  Joint' Union  High  School  was  established  in  1892.  It 
comprises  Apricot,  Buckeye  and  Winters  Districts  in  Yolo  County 
and  Olive  and  Wolfskill  Districts  in  Solano  County.  The  enrollment 
for  the  year  ending  June  30,  1912,  was  seventy-three  pupils.  The 
members  of  the  high  school  board  are  Fred  W.  Wilson,  president; 
August  Brinck,  James  R.  Briggs,  C.  M.  Cooper  and  William  Baker. 
The  members  of  the  faculty  for  the  year  1912  are  Louise  Mayne, 
principal;  Mary  Stewart,  Matilda  Hayes,  Bessie  Mayne  and  Mrs. 
Kate  J.  Stirring. 

Esparto  Union  High  School  was  established  in  1892.  The  dis- 
tricts forming  it  are  Cadenasso,  Canon,  Cottonwood,  Esparto,  Fair- 
view,  Gordon,  Guinda,  Madison,  Monday,  Mountain,  Mt.  Pleasant, 
Kumsey,  Summit  and  Willow  Spring.  The  number  of  students 
enrolled  in  1912  was  forty-two.  The  members  of  the  high  school 
board  are  J.  L.  Stephens,  president;  R.  0.  Armstrong,  H.  B.  John- 
son, E.  J.  Mast  and  Edward  Morrin.  The  members  of  the  faculty 
for  the  year  1912  are  Mrs.  H.  Josephine  Shute,  Lillian  Secrest, 
Pearl  Heath  and  Ray  T.  Howes. 

The  date  of  the  establishment  of  the  Woodland  High  School 
was  April  23,  1895.  It  was  located  within  the  corporate  limits  of  the 
city  of  Woodland. 

The  city  board  of  education  at  that  time  had  for  its  members 
C.  I.  Nelson,  N.  M.  Weaver,  F.  E.  Baker,  E.  T.  Clowe  and  Herbert 
Coil.  E.  H.  Henderson  was  the  first  principal,  with  Mrs.  L.  D.  Law- 
head  and  J.  D.  Burks  as  assistants.  The  first  year  the  school  was 
held  in  three  rooms  in  the  Walnut  Street  Grammar  School  building. 
The  next  year  (1896)  the  trustees  of  Hesperian  College  permitted 
the  old  college  building  to  be  used  by  the  high  school.  The  mem- 
bers of  the  faculty  for  the  term  commencing  August  24,  1896,  were 
E.  H.  Henderson,  principal,  with  Mrs.  L.  D.  Lawhead  and  William 
Hyman  as  assistants. 

The  steady  increase  of  students  from  1896  till  there  were  one 
hundred  ninety-one  in  1912  made  it  necessary  to  vote  bonds  for  a 
new  building.  A  bond  election  was  held  December  18,  1911.  It 
carried  by  more  than  two-thirds  majority.  Nine  hundred  seventy- 
three  votes  were  cast.  Of  this  number  eight  hundred  fourteen  votes 
were  in  favor  of  the  bonds.  The  bonds  issued  were  for  $90,000, 
payable  in  forty  years,  with  interest  at  the  rate  of  five  per  cent  per 
annum.  The  bonds  were  purchased  by  the  Bank  of  Yolo.  A  mag- 
nificent new  building,  designed  by  W.  H.  Weeks  of  San  Francisco, 
is  in  course  of  construction. 

The  members  of  the  Woodland  Board  of  Education  are  J. 
Reith,  Jr.,  president;  F.  C.  Emert,  J.  L.  Harlan,  R.  J.  Gibson  and 
Charles  Thomas,  Jr. 


HISTORY  OF  YOLO  COUNTY  145 

The  members  of  the  faculty  are  William  M.  Hyman,  principal; 
Mrs.  L.  D.  Lawhead,  vice-principal;  Lola  J.  Simpson,  Oda  M.  Smith, 
Olive  Montgomery,  Ella  Tuttle,  Veta  Hurst,  G.  T.  Kern  and  Arthur 
Thomas. 

UNIVERSITY   FARM 

The  University  Farm  at  Davis  was  established  according  to 
an  act  of  the  legislature  of  1905.  At  that  session  Hon.  Nicholas  A. 
Hawkins,  member  of  the  assembly  from  Yolo  county,  introduced 
a  bill  appropriating  $1,500  to  purchase  and  begin  the  equipment 
of  such  a  farm  and  naming  a  commission  of  five  men  to  make  the 
selection.  Out  of  scores  of  sites  offered  in  various  parts  of  the 
state  a  farm  of  780  acres  adjoining  the  town  of  Davis  was  chosen 
in  1906. 

The  first  buildings  were  erected  in  1907.  Short  courses  for 
adult  farmers  were  first  offered  in  the  fall  of  1908.  The  farm 
school  for  young  men  and  boys  was  opened  in  January,  1909,  and 
students  from  the  College  of  Agriculture  at  Berkeley  came  for 
part  of  their  four-year  course  at  the  same  time. 

The  farm  is  a  part  of  the  College  of  Agriculture  of  the  State 
University  and  its  purpose  is  to  carry  on  experiments  in  all  lines 
of  agriculture  and  to  give  instruction  in  agriculture  in  such  a 
manner  that  all  who  need  may  be  supplied.  The  farm  school  is 
open  to  boys  who  have  completed  the  grammar  school  and  offers 
a  three-year  course  touching  upon  all  phases  of  farm  life  and  work. 
The  farmers'  short  course  admits  all  persons  over  eighteen  years 
of  age  and  without  any  educational  test.  The  courses,  seven  in  all, 
are  given  each  fall  and  range  in  length  from  two  to  seven  weeks. 
In  1911  the  short  course  enrollment  was  214.  During  1911-12  the 
enrollment  in  the  farm  school  was  100.  Up  to  July  1,  1912,  about 
$450,000  have  been  expended  in  land,  buildings  and  permanent 
equipment. 


146  HISTORY  OF  YOLO  COUNTY 

CHAPTER  XXIX 

THE  CATHOLIC  CHURCH  IN  YOLO  COUNTY 

The  earliest  pioneer  Catholic  family  of  whom  there  is  a  defi- 
nite record  moving  into  Yolo  county  and  becoming  identified  with 
Catholic  life  in  this  section,  is  Ednard  St.  Louis  and  his  wife,  Mar- 
cella  Jacks,  the  last  a  descendant  of  one  of  the  first  settlers  that 
came  with  Lord  Baltimore  in  Maryland.  The  St.  Louises  emi- 
grated from  St.  Charles  county,  near  St.  Louis,  Mo.,  and  with 
four  children,  Charles,  George,  Francis  and  Mary,  settled,  Sep- 
tember 18,  1852,  near  Knight's  Landing.     The  grandfather,  John 

B.  St.  Louis,  came  with  them,  also  Colbert  and  Charles,  brothers 
of  Eduard;  Charles  had  been  in  California  before,  fighting  under 
General  Fremont,  but  had  returned  to  Missouri.  James  St.  Louis, 
a  cousin,  who  also  accompanied  them,  is  still  living  in  Knight's 
Landing.  After  a  year,  Eduard  St.  Louis  and  his  wife  settled  on 
lands  near  Cacheville,  where  five  more  children  were  born  to  them: 
Virginia,  Marcella,  Margareth,  Sylvia  and  Martha.  As  Sacramento 
and  Marysville  were  the  only  places  in  the  valley  having  resident 
priests,  the  St.  Louises  would  occasionally  attend  divine  service  in 
Sacramento,  but  in  1858  a  priest  from  Sacramento  came  to  Knight's 
Landing,  gathered  in  the  dispersed  Catholics,  and  held  the  first 
Catholic  service  in  Yolo  county  at  John  O'Keefe's  house  in 
Knight's  Landing.  John  O'Keefe  (the  father  of  Dan,  John  and 
Mary,  still  living)  drove  a  regular  stage  from  Knight's  Landing  to 
Sacramento. 

When  "Woodland  began  to  build  up,  Rev.  P.  Kelly  came  from 
Sacramento  and  held  the  first  divine  service  in  the  house  of  Peter 
Fitzgerald,  afterwards  in  the  Good  Templars'  hall  and  in  the  court- 
house.    At  the  divine  service,  held  April   12,   1869,   he  appointed 

C.  D.  Morin,  John  Schuerle,  Anton  Miller  and  Charles  E.  St.  Louis 
a  church  committee  to  secure  a  suitable  location  for  a  Catholic 
church  in  Woodland.  Charles  E.  St.  Louis  was  chosen  president 
and  treasurer  and  John  Schuerle  secretary.  June  12  of  the  same 
year  the  committee  bought  two  lots,  120x90  feet,  on  Main  street, 
between  Elm  street  and  the  present  church  building  for  $420  from 
Edwin  Giddings.  The  ground  was  deeded  as  church  property,  to 
Archbishop  Joseph  Sadoc  Alemany.  The  drawing  of  plans  and 
specifications  for  a  brick  building  50x70  feet  and  the  superintend- 
ence of  the  structure  were  awarded  to  the  architect  Gustave  Cox 
for  $175,  the  cost  of  the  building  not  to  exceed  $7,000.  The  brick- 
work was  let  October  9  to  L.  F.  Craft  for  $15.50  per  thousand, 
wall  count,  work  to  begin  in  two  days;  mill  and  carpenter  work 


HISTORY  OF  YOLO  COUNTY  147 

was  let  for  $1,800.  Sunday,  November  7,  1869,  was  set  for  the 
solemn  laying  of  the  cornerstone.  The  new  church  was  dedicated 
by  the  Very  Rev.  Jacob  Croke,  vicar  general  of  the  diocese,  on  the 
first  Sunday  of  October,  1870,  and  as  that  day  is  Rosary  Sunday 
in  the  Catholic  almanac,  the  church  was  dedicated  to  the  Holy 
Rosary.  In  the  winter  following  the  foundation  of  the  church  gave 
way,  especially  on  the  rainy  side,  the  front  and  steeple  settled  and 
cracked  and  the  building  was  declared  unsafe.  The  walls  were 
bolted  together  and  divine  services  held  in  it  for  a  while,  until  a 
new  church  could  be  built. 

In  1870  Woodland  had  the  first  priest  residing  in  Yolo  county, 
in  the  person  of  Rev.  Lawrence  Scanlan,  now  Bishop  of  Salt  Lake 
diocese.  In  the  beginning  of  1871  he  was  succeeded  by  the  Rev. 
Dominic  Spellman,  whom  Rev.  P.  Gallagher  succeeded  in  June, 
1872.  March  17,  1874,  Rev.  P.  Gallagher  "bought  the  three  lots  on 
the  corner  of  Main  and  Walnut  streets,  180  feet  fronting  Main 
and  190  feet  deep  on  Walnut,  the  ground  on  which  the  present 
Catholic  church  property  is  built.  The  brick  church  had  been  taken 
down  and  the  lots  sold.  May  11,  1873,  Archbishop  Joseph  S. 
Alemany,  to  whose  jurisdiction  Yolo  county  belonged,  paid  Wood- 
land his  first  visit  and  confirmed  a  large  class  in  the  old  Washing- 
ton hall  between  Elm  and  College  streets.  He  paid  four  more  offi- 
cial, fatherly  visits,  October  1,  1875;  August  18,  1878;  June  20,  1881, 
and  October  22,  1883.  His  successor,  Archbishop  P.  Riordan,  vis- 
ited it  May  4,  1886. 

Rev.  P.  Gallagher  left  in  June,  1874,  and  was  succeeded  by 
Rev.  P.  Kaiser,  a  German  priest,  formerly  pastor  of  St.  Boniface 
church,  San  Francisco.  He  built  the  present  frame  church,  30x60 
feet,  with  the  addition  of  rooms  in  the  rear  for  his  residence.  He 
built  also  the  Catholic  church  in  Davisville  and  secured,  through 
James  St.  Louis,  the  purchase  of  Knight's  Landing  school  house  and 
lot,  which  he  arranged  for  a  church.  These  three  churches,  built 
by  him,  remained  the  only  ones  in  the  county  to  serve  the  Cath- 
olics for  'over  thirty  years,  until  under  the  Rev.  P.  Greelv, 
the  two  churches  in  Winters  and  Blacks  were  built  in  addition. 
The  divine  service  is  given  during  this  time  as  follows:  First  and 
third  Sunday  of  the  month  in  Woodland,  second  Sunday  in  Davis- 
ville, the  fourth  Sundav  in  Knight's  Landing  and  the  fifth  in  Knox- 
ville. 

The  Rev.  P.  Kaiser,  being  on  the  sick  list  in  the  summer  of  1876, 
the  Rev.  Luciana  Osuna,  a  Spanish  missionary,  was  pastor  in 
Woodland  until  October,  when  Rev.  P.  Kaiser  returned  to  his  charge. 
In  the  beginning  of  1877  Rev.  P.  Kaiser  was  succeeded  by  the  Rev. 
J.  Largan  as  pastor,  remaining  until  June,  1878,  when  Rev.  P. 
Ward  followed  him.    In  September  of  the  same  year  Rev.  John  Nil- 


148  HISTORY  OF  YOLO  COUNTY 

gent  succeeded  him  and  in  September,  1879,  Rev.  C.  O'Connor  fol- 
lowed. In  the  beginning  of  1883  Rev.  John  McGinty  arrived.  Being 
an  active  young  priest,  he  set  to  work  at  once  to  secure  the  present 
Catholic  cemetery  and  Archbishop  Joseph  S.  Alemany  dedicated  it 
October  22  of  that  year  to  the  honor  of  his  patron — St.  Joseph. 
Then  Rev.  McGinty  moved  the  building  of  a  Catholic  parish  school. 
In  September  he  had  a  successful  ladies'  fair,  which  netted  $3,237 
for  this  purpose.  May  25,  1884,  he  secured  five  acres  of  ground  on 
Main  street  for  $2,500  and  built  "Holy  Rosary  Academy."  Bryant 
Clinch  was  the  architect  and  S.  Caldwell  the  contractor.  From  a 
second  ladies'  fair  in  1884,  the  missions  assisting,  he  cleared  $4,575 
and  collected  in  the  whole  county  for  the  building.  He  finished  the 
building  in  1885  and  secured  for  the  institution  the  service  of  the 
Holy  Cross  sisters,  whose  motherhouse  is  in  Notre  Dame,  Ind.,  and 
who  arrived  in  Woodland,  July  21,  1886.  These  sisters  have  raised 
a  successful  young  ladies'  academy  which  enjoys  a  high  reputation 
and  is  well  attended  by  pupils  from  abroad. 

Upon  the  formation  of  the  new  diocese  of  Sacramento,  in  May, 
1886,  when  Yolo  county  was  taken  from  the  jurisdiction  of  San 
Francisco  and  added  to  Sacramento,  Rev.  J.  McGinty  left  Woodland 
for  new  fields  in  San  Francisco  and  was  succeeded  by  Rev.  M.  Cole- 
man and  in  January,  1880,  by  Rev.  James  Hynes,  who  built  the 
present  parish  house  at  a  cost  of  $4,500.  An  assistant  priest  was 
sent  to  Yolo  county  in  1890,  the  first  one  being  Rev.  M.  Walsh, 
others  succeeding  him.  Rt.  Rev.  P.  Manogue  paid  Woodland  an 
episcopal  visit  May  3,  1886,  his  successor,  Rt.  Rev.  Thomas  Grace 
the  same,  May  2,  1897,  May  24,  1903,  May  28,  1907,  and  May  22, 
1910.  Rev.  J.  Hynes  died  January  28,  1899,  beloved  and  lamented 
by  all.  His  remains  were  interred  in  the  center  of  St.  Joseph's 
cemetery.  Rev.  J.  Hunt  succeeded  the  departed,  remaining  until  Sep- 
tember, when  Rev.  P.  Greely  followed  him.  During  the  eleven  years 
of  his  pastorate,  the  last  built  the  churches  in  Winters  and  Blacks, 
collected  and  deposited  in  the  banks  over  $7,000  for  the  building  of  a 
new  church  in  Woodland  and  bought  the  ground  north  of  the 
church  180x190  feet  on  the  corner  of  Court  and  Walnut.  On  the 
feast  of  St.  Monica,  May  4,  1911,  he  moved  to  St.  Monica,  Willows. 
as  pastor,  and  the  same  day  Rev.  M.  Wallrath  from  Colusa  began 
his  pastorate  in  Woodland.  In  November  he  moved  the  old  church 
to  the  lot  north,  to  clear  the  place  for  a  new  church  on  Main  street. 
March  1.  1912,  he  turned  the  first  shovel  for  its  foundation.  Fidele 
( !osta,  an  Italian  artisan,  having  finished  the  new  church  in  Auburn, 
Cal.,  designed,  with  the  pastor,  the  plans  in  pure  gothic  style  and 
secured  the  contract  for  the  new  church,  which  is  being  built  at 
present  at  a  cost  of  $30,000.  It  is  thoroughly  modern,  being  of  re- 
inforced concrete,  with  granite  rock  faced  walls  and  steeples,  backed 


HISTORY  OF  YOLO  COUNTY  14!) 

by  concrete  with  steel  reinforcement  and  throughout  concrete  but- 
tresses and  mouldings,  the  whole  strengthened  with  a  riveted  steel 
frame.  Rt.  Rev.  Thomas  Grace  laid  the  foundation  stone  for  the 
church  with  great  solemnity  April  28,  1912. 

The  Holy  Cross  sisters  built  the  east  wing  to  their  academy  in 
1907  and  are  building  at  present  (1912)  another  large  addition  in 
the  rear.  Holy  Rosary  parish,  Woodland,  is  now  ready  for  a  divis- 
ion, forming  a  second  parish  in  Yolo  county  of  the  missions  Win- 
ters, Davis,  Madison  and  Guinda,  with  Winters  as  the  pastor's  resi- 
dence. The  number  of  Catholics  in  the  county  is  about  one  thou- 
sand, with  seven  churches,  and  the  present  schedule  of  divine  ser- 
vice is  as  follows :  In  Woodland  two  masses  on  all  Sundays  and  all 
holy  days  of  obligation  at  8  and  10 :30,  evening  service  at  7 :30,  daily 
mass  at  7:30;  in  the  academy  daily  communion  and  mass  daily,  as 
nearly  as  possible ;  in  Davis,  mass  on  the  second  and  fourth  Sunday 
of  every  month  at  11,  benediction  in  the  evening  at  7  and  mass  the 
following  Monday ;  in  Broderick,  mass  on  the  same  Sundays  at  8 :45 
in  the  town  hall ;  in  Winters,  mass  on  the  third  Sunday  of  every 
month  at  9,  evening  devotion  at  7,  and  mass  the  following  Monday 
morning;  in  Madison,  mass  on  the  same  Sunday  at  11:30  and  on  the 
fifth  Saturday  at  9 ;  in  Blacks,  mass  on  the  first  Sunday  of  all  the 
even  number  months  at  11 :30 ;  evening  devotion  at  7  and  mass  the 
following  Monday;  in  Knight's  Landing  the  same  on  the  first  Sun- 
days of  all  the  uneven  numbered  months  and  the  following  Monday ; 
in  Blacks,  also  on  the  first  Sundays  of  all  the  uneven  months  and  on 
the  third  Saturdays  at  9;  and  in  Knight's  Landing  also  on  the  first 
Sunday  of  all  the  even  months  and  the  fourth  Saturdays  at  9;  in 
Guinda,  on  the  second  Saturday  of  the  month  at  9  and  every  fifth 
Sunday  at  10. 

A  few  facts  are  added  about  the  Catholic  missions  in  Yolo 
county,  dependents  of  Holy  Rosary  parish. 

The  first  divine  service  at  Davisville  was  held  in  1869  by  ;i 
priest  from  Sacramento  in  the  parlor  of  Maurice  Reardon's  hotel. 
After  this,  occasional  service  was  held  in  the  school-house.  The 
Catholics  built  their  present  church  in  1875  and  Archbishop  Joseph 
S.  Alemany  dedicated  it  to  the  honor  of  St.  James  June  10,  1881, 
and  confirmed  a  number  of  candidates.  Mrs.  Chiles  donated  an  acre 
of  her  land  for  a  cemetery. 

The  church  in  Knight's  Landing,  as  no  record  nor  remembrance 
could  be  discovered  of  its  dedication,  was  dedicated  to  the  honor  of 
St.  Paul  by  Rev.  M.  Wallrath  December  26,  1911,  after  a  bell  and 
bell-tower  had  been  put  up  and  the  building  been  repaired. 

The  first  service  in  the  Winters  missions  was  held  by  Rev. 
Thomas  Gibney  from  Sacramento  in  the  house  of  the  widow  of 
Thomas  Lynch  near  the  present  Norton  railroad  station,  when  the 


150  HISTORY  OF  YOLO  COUNTY 

priest  came  on  a  sick  call.  The  town  of  Winters  was  then  not  yet 
begun  and  Buckeye  was  the  postoffice  center.  In  August,  1873,  a 
priest  from  Napa  held  divine  service  in  the  house  of  James  Mc- 
Mahon  of  the  neighborhood.  During  1874  and  1875  Rev.  P.  Ward 
from  Dixon  held  divine  service  in  the  same  house  and  also  in  Union 
school  between  Madison  and  Winters.  In  1877  Rev.  Powers  held 
divine  service  in  the  house  of  J.  Devilbis  west  of  Winters.  When 
Winters  built  up,  divine  service  was  held  there  occasionally  by  the 
resident  priests  from  Woodland  in  Seaman's  hall  and  in  private 
houses.  James  Foy  left  in  his  will  two  lots  for  the  building  of  a 
Catholic  church  in  Winters.  These  were  sold  and  a  more  preferable 
location  was  bought  on  Main  street.  Rev.  P.  Greely  let  the  con- 
tract in  1905  for  the  present  church  to  A.  Ritchie  of  Winters,  and 
regular  monthly  service  was  held  in  the  church.  In  1911  Rev.  M. 
Wallrath  wired  the  church,  put  up  a  bell  and  bought  two  adjacent 
lots  with  the  view  for  the  residence  of  a  pastor.  October  29  of  that 
year  Rt.  Rev.  Thomas  Grace  dedicated  the  church  to  the  honor  of 
St.  Anthony  and  administered  holy  confirmation  and  Rev.  E.  Mol- 
loy,  a  Redemptorist  religieux,  opeued  a  week's  mission. 

Madison  was  made  a  mission  and  divine  service  held  monthly 
in  its  school-house  after  the  church  in  Winters  was  finished  and  the 
regular  monthly  service,  which  Rev.  J.  McGinty  began  in  the  Union 
school-house  in  1884  and  which  the  Woodland  pastors  had  continued 
regularly,  was  abandoned.  Madison  has  now  a  church  building 
which  was  finished  last  September  and  is  intended  to  be  dedicated 
next  May. 

The  Catholics  in  and  around  Blacks  enjoyed  for  long  years  reg- 
ular monthly  service  in  the  school-bouse  south  of  town  by  the  priests 
from  Woodland,  duplicating  the  same  Sunday  in  Knight's  Landing 
and  Blacks.  In  1906  they  secured,  under  Rev.  P.  Greely,  a  suitable 
location  in  the  town  and  built  a  church,  which  was  dedicated  by  Rt. 
Rev.  Thomas  Grace  May  2,  1909,  to  the  honor  of  St.  Agnes,  in  due 
regard  for  Mrs.  Agnes  Bemmerly,  who  had  donated  nearly  the 
whole  cost  of  lot  and  building;  Mrs.  Helen  Walker  donated  almost 
all  of  the  furniture.  A  grand  barbecue  was  held  on  that  day  and 
the  solemnity  of  the  occasion  is  still  remembered. 

The  Guinda  mission  was  opened  under  Rev.  P.  Greely  in  1907. 
In  1912  a  church  was  built  and  the  Rt.  Rev.  Thomas  Grace  sol- 
emnly dedicated  it  to  the  Annunciation,  April  28,  the  same  year. 

Broderick,  or  West  Sacramento,  as  they  wish  to  call  it,  is  a 
new  mission  opened  by  Rev.  M.  Wallrath  and  the  many  Catholics 
there  are  awaiting  the  building  of  a  church  in  the  near  future,  as 
the  town  and  country  around  are  fast  developing. 

HOLY    ROSARY    ACADEMY 

In   its   location   the   Holy   Rosary  Academy   has   been    excep- 


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HISTORY  OF  YOLO  COUNTY  151 

tionally  fortunate  and  bears  enduring  testimony  concerning  the 
wisdom  of  its  founders.  The  city  of  Woodland,  where  the  school 
was  established  during  the  '80s,  ranks  among  the  most  beautiful 
as  well  as  the  most  healthful  in  all  of  Northern  California,  thus 
ensuring  to  students  an  environment  conducive  alike  to  health  and 
to  a  love  of  nature.  It  also  appears  from  the  general  air  of  pros- 
perity that  the  people  of  Woodland  are  winning  success  in  busi- 
ness and  professional  affairs,  and  it  is  further  evident  that  the 
surrounding  agriculturists  are  exceptionally  fortunate  in  the  culti- 
vation of  their  properties.  In  the  midst  of  such  surroundings 
indicative  of  energy  and  material  development  the  academy  was 
founded  to  give  to  the  young  people  of  the  community  such  oppor- 
tunities as  the  increasing  means  of  their  parents  rendered  possible, 
besides  offering  to  the  young  from  other  points  all  the  healthful  and 
charming  environments  favorable  to  the  growth  of  the  highest 
powers  of  the  mind.  It  has  been  well  said  that  "the  element  that 
stamps  the  progress  of  an  age  is  undoubtedly  education,  since 
upon  the  tone  and  quality  of  a  nation's  education  largely  depend 
its  welfare  and  moral  status,  hence  its  progress." 

Few  states  in  the  Union  can  boast  of  educational  facilities  equal 
to  those  offered  by  California.  The  number  and  superiority  of  its 
institutions  of  learning,  both  public  and  private,  are  no  small 
factor  in  its  remarkable  development.  Yolo  county  may  with 
justice  be  proud  of  its  record  in  educational  progress  and  it  pos- 
sesses in  Holy  Rosary  Academy  one  of  the  best-equipped  private 
schools  on  the  coast.  The  roots  of  the  moral  welfare  as  well  as 
those  of  true  culture  attain  their  perfected  growth  only  in  an 
environment  that  tends  to  make  one  feel  that  to  be  true  and  good 
is  most  desirable.  Few  institutions  have  more  suitable  surround- 
ings than  those  of  the  Holy  Rosary  on  West  Main  street  in  Wood- 
land. While  within  easy  reach  of  both  San  Francisco  and  Sacra- 
mento it  is  yet  sufficiently  removed  from  the  turmoil  of  vast  com- 
mercial enterprises  to  ensure  the  quiet  requisite  for  mental  appli- 
cation. 

The  academy  is  a  branch  of  the  noted  St.  Mary's  Academy 
and  St.  Mary's  College  at  Notre  Dame,  Ind.,  whose  renown  as 
a  center  of  culture  is  unrivaled.  Established  as  early  as  1884  by 
Rev.  Father  McGinty,  now  of  the  Holy  Cross  Church  in  San  Fran- 
cisco, the  main  building  was  erected  during  that  year,  but  the 
academy  was  not  opened  by  the  Sisters  until  August  of  1886,  anil 
on  the  18th  of  June,  1888,  it  was  incorporated  as  St.  Mary's  of 
Holy  Rosary  Academy.  The  work  was  under  the  supervision  of 
Sister  M.  Lucretia,  a  daughter  of  the  late  Judge  Fuller  of  Marys- 
ville,  and  prospered  exceedingly  under  her  care  from  the  beginning 
until  1895,  when  Sister  M.  Barbara  came  to  the  head  of  the  institu- 


152  HISTORY  OF  YOLO  COUNTY 

tion,  and  she  in  turn  was  succeeded  by  the  present  superior,  Sister 
M.  Bertilde,  a  graduate  of  the  Mother  House  of  St.  Mary's  Acad- 
emy at  Notre  Dame,  Ind.,  and  after  1890  a  teacher  at  the  Holy 
Rosary  Academy,  of  which  she  has  been  the  head  since  August 
of  1905. 

The  building  is  an  imposing  structure  three  stories  high,  sur- 
rounded by  large  grounds  artistically  laid  out  and  beautifully 
kept,  with  tennis  court,  basket-ball  grounds  and  all  other  facilities 
for  the  recreation  of  the  students.  During  1906  a  wing-,  66x30, 
was  added  and  in  1912  another  building,  an  auditorium,  90x48,  gave 
completeness  to  the  school.  Accommodations  are  afforded  for  the 
primary,  preparatory  and  academic  departments,  and  in  the 
last-named  there  have  been  graduates  every  year  since  1889.  The 
course  of  studies  embraces  all  the  requisites  of  a  solid  and  refined 
education  based  on  Christian  principles.  It  is  intended  to  train 
the  heart  as  well  as  the  mind,  to  form  women  who  shall  grace 
society  by  their  accomplishments  and  edify  all  around  them  by 
their  virtues  and  devotion  to  duty.  The  best  known  methods  are 
followed  and  standard  books  are  used  for  text  and  reference.  A 
spirit  of  emulation  is  promoted  by  competitions,  examinations, 
monthly  reports,  prizes  and  academic  diplomas. 

The  special  course  in  English  embraces  at  least  two  years 
and  the  business  course  also  requires  two  years  and  must  be  pre- 
ceded by  a  thorough  knowledge  of  the  common  branches  of  study. 
Logic,  ethics  and  psychology  with  co-ordinate  reading  form  an 
essential  part  of  the  academic  curriculum.  The  study  of  French 
and  German  is  considered  important,  while  Latin  is  obligatory 
in  the  academic  course.  For  Roman  Catholic  students  the  study 
of  religion  takes  precedence  over  all  other  branches.  The  training 
in  church  history,  Christian  doctrine  and  the  New  Testament  is 
thorough.  Close  attention  is  given  to  mathematics,  while  for 
natural  science  the  academy  possesses  laboratories  equipped  with 
the  necessary  apparatus  to  illustrate  the  truths  of  chemistry  and 
physics.  The  course  in  English  embraces  literature,  history,  bi- 
ography and  critical  study  of  the  different  forms  of  prose  and 
poetry,  the  first  two  years  being  devoted  to  American  and  English 
authors  and  the  last  two  years  to  general  literature.  Frequent 
recitals  are  incentives  to  the  study  of  elocution  and  dramatic 
art,  and  a  medal  is  conferred  on  those  who  complete  the  course  in 
the  art  of  expression.  A  large  new  gymnasium  recently  con- 
structed has  given  impetus  to  the  work  of  the  physical  culture 
classes. 

The  studio  is  a  bee-hive  of  industry  and  skill,  where  the  stu- 
dents take  the  regular  course  in  perspective  drawing  and  work 
in  charcoal  crayon,  painting  in  pastel,  oil  and  water  colors,  and 


HISTORY  OF  YOLO  COUNTY  153 

decorative  china  receives  special  attention.  At  commencement  the 
work  of  the  year  appears  on  exhibition,  with  an  exhibit  embracing 
sketches  from  nature,  studies  from  still  life  and  objects,  decorative 
china;  also  specimens  of  ornamental  needlework,  dainty  and  elab- 
orate according  to  the  use  intended,  and  illuminated  leather.  Under 
talented  instructors  the  students  acquire  those  artistic  accomplish- 
ments which  contribute  so  materially  to  home  adornment.  The 
conservatory  of  music  is  modeled  after  the  best  in  the  land.  Bril- 
liancy of  style,  technical  skill  and  comprehensive  interpretation 
characterize  the  efforts  of  the  students  in  instrumental  music; 
while  for  delicacy  of  shading  and  artistic  finish  their  vocal  music 
is  declared  by  competent  judges  to  be  unsurpassed.  The  Virgil- 
Clavier  method,  which  is  in  such  favor  in  the  east,  has  contributed 
its  share  toward  the  musical  reputation  which  the  academy  enjoys. 
The  graduate  gold  medal  and  diploma  of  the  conservatory  are 
bestowed  only  upon  those  who  have  completed  the  entire  course. 
Before  graduating  each  candidate  is  required  to  give  publicly  a 
program  of  about  ten  numbers.  In  the  post-graduate  course,  which 
embraces  a  term  of  two  years,  a  special  line  of  advanced  work  is 
offered  those  who  wish  to  go  beyond  the  limits  of  the  amateur 
in  the  tone  world.  The  course  includes  the  best  training  along 
lines  of  artistic  excellence  in  technique  and  interpretation  and 
demands  more  than  mere  skill  and  ordinary  attainments  on  the 
part  of  the  student.  The  Cecelian  and  Choral  clubs,  composed  of 
advanced  students  of  the  music  department,  give  monthly  programs. 

A  notable  feature  of  the  academy  is  the  happy  blending  of 
the  pleasurable  and  the  useful.  Aside  from  the  regular  recre- 
ations there  are  entertainments  judiciously  distributed  among  the 
various  classes.  The  primary  grades  have  charge  of  the  Hal- 
lowe'en program  which  is  always  amusing  and  interesting.  The 
Japanese  fete  is  in  charge  of  the  graduates  as  hostesses.  On  St. 
Cecelia's  day  the  members  of  the  Cecelian  club  give  an  elaborate 
musical  program.  Thanksgiving  is  always  fittingly  celebrated,  while 
before  the  students  leave  for  the  holidays  a  festival  is  given  in 
honor  of  Christmas,  on  one  such  occasion  Holy  Night  having  been 
presented  by  the  elocution  and  physical  culture  classes.  St.  Valen- 
tine's day  is  always  observed,  and  in  addition  there  are  musicales, 
lawn  fetes  and  piano  recitals  at  other  periods,  not  the  least  of  the 
celebrations  being  on  "Washington's  birthday,  St.  Patrick's  day 
and  Holy  Rosary  fete  day. 

The  silver  jubilee  of  Holy  Rosary  Academy  met  with  appro- 
priate recognition  and  called  forth  many  testimonies  as  to  the 
value  of  the  school  in  the  community.  The  efforts  and  achieve- 
ments of  the  quarter  of  a  century  merited  and  received  appreciative 
recognition.      Congratulations   were    showered   upon   the    academy 


154  HISTORY  OF  YOLO  COUNTY 

and  its  devoted  community  on  the  occasion  of  this  auspicious 
anniversary,  but  even  greater  cause  for  congratulations  exists  for 
the  diocese  in  its  possession  of  such  an  institution  and  for  the 
public  of  the  section,  without  regard  to  creed  lines  or  other  dif- 
ferences. The  history  of  the  academy  from  its  inception  has  been 
one  of  steady  growth  and  betterment  along  all  lines.  Notwith- 
standing the  more  or  less  unsettled  social  conditions  incident  to  a 
newly  settled  country,  and  the  sparseness  of  population  in  the 
territory  at  the  time  of  its  establishment,  the  academy  has  pros- 
pered and  developed  materially  as  well  as  in  scholastic  excellence 
and  efficiency.  It  has,  with  the  modern  spirit  of  progressive  ideas, 
characteristic  of  the  order  of  the  Holy  Cross,  kept  pace  with  the 
most  advanced  thought  and  system  of  educational  work.  The 
patrons  of  the  institution  have  benefited  by  this  closeness  of  touch 
with  the  best  methods  evolved  by  experience  in  the  field  of  school 
work  the  world  over.  Starting  with  the  completion  of  its  first  cycle 
of  constructive  effort,  Holy  Rosary  faces  an  era  of  still  greater 
development  and  usefulness.  Building  upon  the  foundations  so  sol- 
idly laid  during  the  quarter  of  a  century  just  closed,  the  institution 
seems  destined  to  attain  even  proportionately  stronger  and  speedier 
growth  during  the  immediate  future.  That  the  coming  years  may 
witness  perfect  fulfillment  of  the  promise  of  its  past  and  present 
is  the  sincere  hope  of  the  countless  hosts  of  friends  of  Holy  Rosary. 


HISTORY  OF  YOLO  COUNTY  155 


CHAPTER  XXX 

TEMPERANCE  MOVEMENT  IN  YOLO  COUNTY 

By  S a rali  A.  Huston 

Yolo  county  in  the  beginning  of  its  history  licensed  the  liquor 
traffic  for  the  sake  of  revenue.  Had  it  outlawed  the  saloons  how  dif- 
ferent would  have  been  the  career  of  many  of  the  descendants  of 
the  pioneers  who  first  located  in  Yolo  county  and  helped  make  its 
history!  It  is  pitifully  true  that  hundreds  of  young  men  who  other- 
wise would  have  made  good  citizens  fell  victims  to  King  Alcohol 
during  the  rein  of  this  great  destroyer  of  life  and  character. 

The  first  organized  effort  in  the  temperance  cause  was  made 
along  moral  suasion  lines  in  the  fall  of  1854,  when  a  division  of  the 
Sons  of  Temperance  was  instituted  at  a  school-house  close  to  and 
north  of  where  Woodland  now  stands.  As  late  as  January  20,  I860, 
a  division  was  organized  at  Knight's  Landing,  Davis,  Plainfield  and 
Washington.  This  order  was  succeeded  by  the  Independent  Order 
of  Good  Templars,  organized  at  Knight's  Landing  December  9, 
1861,  by  D.  S.  Cutter,  deputy  for  California.  Men  and  women  were 
admitted  to  membership  with  equal  privileges  in  the  order.  Many 
of  the  prohibition  workers  of  later  years  were  in  their  childhood 
members  of  the  Band  of  Hope,  the  juvenile  organization  of  the  In- 
dependent Order  of  Good  Templars. 

For  some  years  previous  to  1873  the  temperance  forces  had 
been  agitating  the  saloon  question,  and  in  the  fall  of  that  year  the 
members  of  the  I.  0.  G.  T.  determined  with  much  enthusiasm  to 
make  a  strenuous  effort  at  the  next  session  of  the  legislature  to  se- 
cure the  adoption  of  a  local  option  law.  The  local  option  bill  was 
framed  by  the  state  executive  committee  of  the  I.  0.  G.  T.  and  intro- 
duced by  the  Hon.  Wirt  W.  Pendegast,  state  senator  from  this  dis- 
trict, the  oldest  son  of  Rev.  J.  N.  Pendegast,  a  pioneer  preacher  of 
the  Christian  church  and  founder  of  Hesperian  College.  It  was  sup- 
ported by  the  petitions  of  about  thirteen  thousand  persons,  nearly 
all  voters.  The  Act  was  passed  with  little  opposition  in  the  senate 
March  11,  1874,  by  a  vote  of  twenty-eight  to  eleven;  and  on  the  14th, 
in  the  assembly,  by  a  vote  of  fifty-two  to  nineteen,  and  signed  by 
Governor  Booth. 

The  temperance  workers  were  jubilant  and  went  to  work  hop- 
ing that  success  would  crown  their  efforts.  Elections  were  held  in 
all  directions  throughout  the  state.  About  seven-ninths  of  nearly 
one  hundred  districts,  towns  and  townships  voted  no-license,  some 
by  sweeping  majorities. 

The  contest  upon  the  question  of  license  or  no-license  in  Yolo 


156  HISTORY  OF  YOLO  COUNTY 

county  was  initiated  in  Woodland  township,  the  election  taking 
place  on  May  8,  1874.  There  were  three  hundred  and  eighty  votes 
cast,  a  majority  of  two  against  license.  On  the  15th  of  the  same 
month  Cache  Creek  and  Grafton  townships  voted  upon  the  ques- 
tion, followed  by  other  townships.  The  vote  on  saloons  in  1874  was 
as  follows: 

For  Against 

Woodland    .'. 189  191 

Cacheville 248  314 

East  Grafton  74  91 

West  Grafton  15  69 

East  Cottonwood 84  72 

West  Cottonwood 50  48 

North  Grafton 16  26 

Fairview 4  28 

North  Putah  119  94 

South  Putah  17  22 

Buckeye 81  58 

Total  897  1013 

Majority  against,  116. 

Everything  looked  favorable  for  the  suppression  of  the  liquor 
traffic  and  no  one  at  that  time  could  have  been  made  to  believe  that 
liquor  sellers  and  saloon  advocates  would  control  politics  and  defeat 
every  movement  made  by  the  temperance  people  and  that  the  Wood- 
land saloons  would  be  allowed  to  run  until  August  1,  1911,  sending 
hundreds  of  men  to  premature  graves. 

In  Contra  Costa  county  a  liquor  seller  was  fined  $50  for  con- 
tinuing his  business  contrary  to  law.  Refusing  to  pay,  he  was  ad- 
mitted to  bail  during  an  appeal  to  the  supreme  court.  Not  a  sa- 
loon in  the  state,  including  those  in  Woodland,  closed,  all  remained 
open  in  defiance  of  the  will  of  the  majority,  waiting  the  decision  of 
the  court  on  the  test  case. 

The  liquor  dealers  of  San  Francisco  made  no  secret  of  having 
raised  and  deposited  to  the  credit  of  John  B.  Felton,  their  attorney, 
the  sum  of  $40,000  payable,  provided  he  should  secure  a  decision  of 
the  supreme  court  declaring  the  local  option  law  unconstitutional. 
No  success,  no  pay.  Judge  Sanderson  defended  the  law  in  a  mas- 
terly style  before  the  supreme  court.  After  two  months'  delay  the 
majority  of  the  judges,  Wallace,  McKinstry  and  Niles,  affirmed  the 
unconstitutionality  of  the  law,  while  Crockett  and  Rhodes  dis- 
sented. 

Thus  the  people  of  California  by  the  casting  vote  of  one  man 
were  unjustly  deprived  of  the  benefits  of  a  beneficent  law.  Dollars 
won  out.     This  unlooked-for  decision  discouraged  the  workers  and 


HISTOEY  OF  YOLO  COUNTY  157 

very  little  aggressive  work  was  done  until  May,  1883,  when  Frances 
E.  Willard  organized  a  local  union  of  the  Women's  Temperance 
Union  in  the  Congregational  Church  in  Woodland  and  one  at  Win- 
ters. In  the  following  December  Mrs.  Mary  B.  Leavitt  organized 
the  Cacheville  W.  C.  T.  U.  These  three  unions  were,  in  April,  1887, 
organized  by  Mrs.  Euth  Armstrong  into  a  county  union.  At  later 
dates  Davis,  Knight's  Landing,  Madison,  Guinda,  Brooks  and  Rum- 
sey  were  added  to  the  Yolo  county  W.  C.  T.  U.  Mrs.  Emily  Hoppin 
was  the  first  county  president,  her  successors  being  Mrs.  Euth  Arm- 
strong, Mrs.  A.  M.  Hilliker,  Mrs.  M.  M.  Morrin,  Mrs.  S.  A.  Huston, 
Mrs.  G.  W.  Pierce  and  Mrs.  J.  E.  Scarlett. 

Soon  after  the  organization  of  the  county  Mrs.  S.  A.  Huston 
was  appointed  superintendent  of  the  press  department.  Her  first 
work  was  editing  a  W.  C.  T.  U.  column  in  the  Mail  and  Democrat 
until  she,  with  the  help  of  the  W.  C.  T.  U.  established  the  Home 
Alliance  July  1,  1891.  It  was  first  printed  by  William  Kehoe,  then 
by  E.  E.  Lee  until  October,  1894,  when  the  W.  C.  T.  U.,  through  the 
liberality  of  Mrs.  Emma  C.  Laugenour  ,who  had  been  president  of 
the  Woodland  W.  C.  T.  U.  for  many  years,  purchased  a  printing 
plant  and  opened  headquarters  in  a  building  opposite  the  city  hall. 
The  paper  has  never  missed  an  issue  and  has  been  a  great  force  in 
educating  public  sentiment  against  the  liquor  traffic.  The  publica- 
tion of  the  names  of  saloon  petitioners  proved  to  be  such  an  effec- 
tive weapon  in  the  warfare  against  the  saloons  that  to  save  them, 
saloon  sympathizing  supervisors  and  trustees  changed  the  ordi- 
nances so  that  no  petitioners  would  be  required  to  get  a  saloon 
license.  The  continuance  of  the  paper  through  all  these  years  was 
made  possible  by  the  loyal  support  given  it  by  the  members  of  the 
W.  C.  T.  U.,  the  churches  and  the  good  citizenship  of  the  county, 
and  the  patronage  of  the  business  and  professional  men  and  women 
of  Woodland. 

After  the  W.  C.  T.  U.  was  organized  there  was  no  cessation  in 
the  work  against  legalized  liquor  traffic  and  for  equal  suffrage.  The 
members  kept  "everlastingly  at  it."  Through  their  efforts  scien- 
tific temperance  instruction  in  the  public  schools  of  Yolo  county  was 
adopted  by  the  county  board  of  education,  prior  to  its  adoption  by 
the  state  legislature.  A  matron  for  the  first  time  was  appointed  at 
the  county  hospital  and  a  drinking  fountain  provided  for  the  public 
in  Woodland  and  Winters. 

A  committee  from  the  Winters  W.  C.  T.  U.  went  before  the 
trustees  and  asked  for  an  election  on  the  saloon  question.  Their  re- 
quest was  granted  and  the  election  was  held  on  April  11,  1904.  The 
result  was  thirty-three  majority  against  the  saloons  and  the  election 
of  an  anti-saloon  board  of  trustees.  This  was  the  first  notable  vic- 
tory in  the  county.     Two  years  later  Winters  voted  by  an  increased 


15S  HISTORY  OF  YOLO  COUNTY 

majority  (forty-seven)  to  continue  the  prohibition  regime  and  again 
elected  an  anti-saloon  board  of  trustees. 

The  second  victory  was  obtaining  the  consent  of  the  supervisors 
to  submit  the  saloon  question  to  the  voters.  Petitions  presented  at 
different  times  during  the  period  of  eighteen  years  were  always  re- 
fused until  1908. 

To  Frank  B.  Edson,  of  Knight's  Landing,  belongs  the  honor 
of  being  the  first  supervisor  in  Yolo  county  to  move  that  the  saloon 
question  be  submitted  to  the  voters.  The  motion  was  seconded  by 
Supervisor  Snyder  and  passed  by  the  votes  of  Edson,  Snyder, 
Vaughn  and  Hoppin.  The  election  was  held  November  21,  1908. 
Nine  out  of  thirteen  precincts  voted  out  the  saloon.  Taking  the 
county  as  a  whole,  the  majority  against  the  saloons  was  218.  Total 
vote  for  saloons  773,  against  saloons  991.  In  November,  1910, 
Blacks  and  Dunnigan  precincts,  after  a  two  years'  trial  of  prohibi- 
tion, voted  to  remain  "dry."  The  license  fee  paid  by  each  saloon 
in  the  county  had  been  $15  per  quarter. 

The  legislature  of  1911-12  passed  a  law  prohibiting  saloons 
within  three  miles  of  the  state  farm  at  Davis.  The  law  went  into 
effect  September  1,  1911,  closing  seven  saloons,  leaving  only  one  sa- 
loon in  the  second  supervisorial  district,  on  the  Plainfield  road.  A 
petition  was  presented  to  the  board  at  the  April  meeting,  1912,  ask- 
ing that  the  application  for  a  renewal  of  the  license  for  this  saloon 
be  denied.  The  board  denied  the  petition  and  renewed  the  license. 
A  petition  for  an  election  in  the  second  supervisorial  district  was 
presented  at  the  next  meeting  of  the  board.  It  had  the  required 
number  of  names  under  the  new  local  option  law,  and  the  board 
ordered  the  election  to  be  held  on  July  2,  1912,  and  the  Plainfield 
saloon  was  voted  out  by  sixty-nine  majority,  every  precinct  in  the 
district,  including  Davis,  giving  a  majority  against  the  saloon.  The 
supervisors  on  the  day  of  the  election  renewed  the  license  for  an- 
other three  months.    The  saloon  was  closed  October  1,  1912. 

In  the  '70s  Woodland  had  forty  saloons  that  paid  a  license  fee 
of  $15  per  quarter,  under  an  ordinance  without  any  restrictions,  and 
a  red-light  district,  in  which  liquors  were  sold,  that  occupied  a  large 
part  of  the  southeast  part  of  the  city.  Murders,  suicides  and  cutting 
scrapes  occurred  at  different  times,  for  which  the  liquor  traffic  was 
directly  responsible.  Two  night  watchmen  were  employed  by  the 
city  during  the  existence  of  these  conditions.  Through  the  efforts 
of  the  W.  C.  T.  U.  the  prohibitionists  and  the  churches  this  red-light 
district  was  abolished  several  years  ago,  and  the  whole  county,  ex- 
cept the  small  river  towns,  Broderick  and  Clarksburg,  are  now  with- 
out saloons.  A  movement  has  been  started  to  secure  an  election  in 
those  places. 

The  first  restrictive  measure  against  the  Woodland  saloons  was 


HISTORY  OF  YOLO  COUNTY  159 

the  adoption  of  a  midnight  closing  ordinance  as  an  economic  meas- 
ure to  save  $900  per  year  by  dispensing  with  the  services  of  the 
night  watchman.  The  ordinance  was  adopted  by  the  votes  of  three 
trustees,  W.  P.  Craig,  Edward  P.  Huston  and  T.  B.  Gibson.  The 
saloon  fought  the  ordinance  and  Mayor  Britt,  who  was  engaged  in 
the  wholesale  liquor  business,  refused  to  sign  it.  Mandamus  pro- 
ceedings followed  and  the  judge  of  the  superior  court  decided  that 
the  mayor  must  sign  it.  The  decision  was  rendered  just  before  the 
next  city  election,  when  midnight  closing  was  made  an  issue  in  the 
candidacy  of  Edward  P.  Huston,  one  of  the  trustees  who  had  voted 
for  it.  He  was  re-elected  and  midnight  closing  became  the  fixed 
policy  of  the  city. 

The  next  board  raised  the  license  fee  to  $40  per  quarter  and 
adopted  a  precinct  option  ordinance  and  later  submitted  the  saloon 
question  to  the  voters  of  the  city  for  the  first  time  on  April  13,  1903. 
This  board  (Gibson,  Craig,  Troop,  Huston  and  Brown)  was  the  first 
in  Northern  California  to  give  the  voters  of  a  city  the  opportunity 
to  vote  on  the  saloon  question.  The  vote  on  April  13,  1903,  was  as 
follows:  Total  vote  cast  830;  for  saloons  424;  no  saloons  316;  ma- 
jority for  the  saloons  108. 

On  April  11,  1905,  another  board  was  elected,  as  follows :  R.  H. 
Beamer,  W.  H.  Alexander,  W.  H.  Troop,  Douglas  Balfour  and  Joe 
Craig.  This  board  in  December,  1905,  raised  the  license  fee  to  $80 
per  quarter.  The  saloon  men  opposed  it  and  made  an  unsuccessful 
effort  to  have  it  reduced  to  $60. 

The  saloon  question  was  for  the  second  time  submitted  to  the 
voters  of  Woodland  by  order  of  the  board  on  February  19,  1907, 
Craig,  Beamer  and  Alexander  voting  aye,  and  Balfour  no,  Troop 
absent.  The  election  was  held  on  April  8,  1907,  resulting  as  follows : 
Total  vote  cast  826;  for  saloons  382;  no  saloons  353;  majority  for 
saloons  29.  In  both  of  the  elections  the  majority  of  the  resident 
voters  voted  against  the  saloons,  but  their  vote  was  overcome  by 
colonized  voters  imported  by  the  liquor  interests. 

The  next  board  of  trustees  (Mitchell,  Curson,  Boots,  White  and 
Muegge)  were  elected  on  a  platform  that  pledged  them  not  to  re- 
open the  saloon  question  during  their  term  of  office,  four  years. 
They  fixed  the  license  fee  at  $100  per  quarter.  Near  the  close  of  the 
four  years,  at  the  February  meeting,  1911,  G.  P.  Hurst,  in  behalf  of 
the  anti-saloon  forces,  asked  the  board  that  the  saloon  question  be 
again  submitted  at  the  city  election,  to  be  held  April  11,  1911. 
Trustee  White  moved  that  the  question  be  submitted;  Trustee 
Boots  and  Trustee  Curson  seconded  the  motion  simultaneously.  On 
the  roll  call  the  vote  stood:  ayes,  White,  Mitchell,  Boots  and  Curson; 
no,  Muegge.  On  election  day,  April  10,  1911,  the  anti-saloon  forces 
won  by  the  following  vote :   Total  vote  cast  900 ;  for  saloons  395 ;  no 


160  HISTORY  OF  YOLO  COUNTY 

saloons  431;  majority  against  saloons  36.  The  Woodland  saloons 
were  closed  by  ordinance  August  1,  1911.  In  the  meantime  the  new 
local  option  law  passed  by  the  legislature  in  March  of  the  same  year 
went  into  effect  and  under  its  provisions  the  saloon  men  petitioned 
for  another  election,  hoping  that  the  voters  might  reverse  their  de- 
cision. The  trustees  ordered  the  election  and  fixed  the  date  for  the 
same  on  Tuesday,  December  12,  1911.  Full  suffrage  was  given  to 
the  women  of  California  on  October  10,  1911,  and  Thursday,  October 
19,  1911,  will  long  be  remembered  as  the  first  registration  day  for 
the  women  of  Woodland.  Many  women  were  lined  up  at  the  court- 
house before  the  clerk's  office  was  opened  for  business.  At  six 
o'clock  p.  m.,  there  were  still  fifty  women  in  line  waiting  to  reach 
the  desk  of  the  clerk,  who  worked  overtime  to  get  them  all  regis- 
tered. About  four  hundred  women  registered  during  the  day. 
Some  of  them  were  over  eighty  years  of  age,  and  all  of  them  were 
determined  to  get  their  names  on  the  register  in  time  to  avail  them- 
selves of  the  first  opportunity  given  them  to  express  their  wishes  at 
the  ballot  box  in  regard  to  the  re-opening  of  the  saloons  in  Wood- 
land. When  the  polls  were  opened  on  election  day  the  women  were 
at  the  polls  ready  to  vote,  and  their  ballot  helped  settle  the  saloon 
question  in  Woodland  and  it  was  settled  right.  The  vote  was  as  fol- 
lows: Total  vote  cast,  1,222;  for  saloons  452;  no  saloons  770;  ma- 
jority against  saloons  318. 

The  closing  of  the  saloons  has  not  "killed  the  town,"  as  was 
predicted  by  the  liquor  men,  but  business  has  been  better,  the  city 
is  building  up  rapidly,  all  buildings  on  Main  street,  including  those 
formerly  occupied  by  saloons,  are  occupied,  and  the  delinquent  tax 
list  the  smallest  in  the  history  of  the  county.  There  has  been  a 
marked  decrease  in  drunkenness  and  disorder,  the  city  jail  being 
empty  most  of  the  time,  the  number  of  prisoners  in  the  county  jail 
has  been  less  and  the  most  of  them  are  vagrants,  products  of  the 
Sacramento  saloons,  who  have  been  ordered  out  of  that  city  by  the 
officials,  and  they  congregate  in  or  near  Broderick,  in  Yolo  county, 
just  across  the  river.  But  the  work  is  not  finished.  It  will  be  a  con- 
stant fight  to  retain  what  we  have  won  and  add  to  it  Broderick  and 
Clarksburg.  We  must  also  do  our  part  toward  securing  state  and 
national  prohibition  of  the  manufacture  and  sale  of  alcoholic  liquors 
for  beverage  purposes,  and  better  law  enforcement. 


HISTORY  OF  YOLO  COUNTY  161 


CHAPTER  XXXI. 
WOODLAND  LIBRARY  AND  WOMEN'S   CLUBS 

The  Woodland  library  was  opened  to  the  public  July  4,  1S74. 
A  generous  donation  of  books  had  been  presented  to  the  association 
by  the  citizens  of  the  town.  Two  rooms  had  been  provided  with  all 
arrangements  complete  for  the  comfort  of  visitors  and  librarian, 
who  was  in  attendance  every  evening  in  the  week  except  Sunday. 

To  become  a  member  of  the  library  it  was  necessary  to  pay 
into  the  treasury  at  the  beginning  the  sum  of  $1.  Afterwards 
there  was  required  a  quarterly  payment  of  $1.  Those  who  com- 
plied with  these  regulations  were  allowed  to  take  books  to  their 
homes.  The  expenses  were  $10  per  month  for  rent;  $10  to  the 
librarian;  gas  bills  varying  from  $1.50  to  $4  per  month;  fuel,  and 
the  price  of  magazines  and  newspapers.  Notwithstanding  this  large 
outlay  the  association  managed  to  obtain  sufficient  revenue  from 
membership  dues  and  proceeds  from  entertainments  given  by  the 
ladies  of  the  association  to  pay  all  expenses  and  have  funds  left 
with  which  to  procure  new  books. 

Ice  cream  was  sold  all  day  and  in  the  evening  of  July  4,  1874. 
The  ladies  were  indefatigable  in  their  efforts  to  make  the  venture 
a  success  and  the  people  generously  responded  to  them,  so  that  at 
the  end  of  the  day  they  had  quite  a  respectable  sum  at  their  dis- 
posal for  the  first  purchase  of  books.  From  1874  until  the  fall  of 
1879  the  ladies  never  failed  in  their  efforts  to  make  the  experiment 
a  success.  They  were  intelligent,  talented,  practical  women,  but  it 
required  money  to  keep  a  free  reading  room  open  every  evening  for 
five  years.  As  the  membership  dues  were  insufficient  for  that  pur- 
pose, they  resorted  to  every  expedient  to  raise  funds.  They  made 
and  sold  ice  cream  at  church  festivals,  balls,  picnics,  parties,  holiday 
entertainments  and  in  the  circus  tent  of  Montgomery  Queens  circus 
twice  when  it  was  erected  on  the  old  college  campus  They  gave 
entertainments  themselves,  admission  free,  but  exacted  small 
charges  for  refreshments. 

The  reading  room  being  open  and  free  to  all,  the  membership 
finally  decreased,  funds  fell  short  ,and,  but  for  the  untiring  efforts 
of  those  faithful  ladies,  the  rooms  would  have  been  closed  long  be- 
fore 1879.  In  the  fall  of  that  year,  at  the  annual  election  of  trus- 
tees, the  financial  condition  of  the  library  and  its  future  possibili- 
ties were  discussed.  They  owed  nothing,  but  the  prospective  reve- 
nue was  inadequate  for  the  maintenance  of  the  reading  room.  The 
committee  reluctantly  determined  to  close  the  rooms  until  less  ex- 
pensive arrangements  could  be  made. 


162  HISTORY  OF  YOLO  COUNTY 

In  January,  1880,  Mrs.  Glendenning  took  charge  of  the  books 
in  her  own  home.  Members  were  allowed  to  draw  books  at  stated 
hours  only,  thus  saving  expense.  A  small  salary  was  paid  to  the 
custodian  and  from  time  to  time  a  few  new  books  were  bought. 
After  more  than  a  year  the  board  again  became  discouraged  be- 
cause of  lack  of  means  and  the  books  were  boxed  and  stored,  after 
which  the  ladies  waited  patiently  for  brighter  prospects.  In  Sep- 
tember, 1881,  two  rooms  were  rented  in  the  Thomas  and  Clanton 
building  (now  Physicians'  building),  corner  of  Main  and  First 
streets,  carpeted,  furnished,  warmed  and  lighted.  The  books  were 
placed  in  neat  cases  and  the  same  privileges  as  of  old  were  offered 
to  the  members  and  visitors.  The  different  ladies  in  turn  acted  as 
librarian  three  evenings  and  one  afternoon  each  week,  without  any 
remuneration.  These  devoted  ladies  were  Mrs.  F.  S.  Freeman  (first 
president),  Mrs.  George  Fiske  (first  vice-president),  Mrs.  Addie 
Baker  (secretary,  to  whom  we  are  indebted  for  the  interesting  data 
incorporated  in  this  history),  Mrs.  G.  C.  Grimes,  Mrs.  John  Free- 
man, Mrs.  Elizabeth  Craft  (now  deceased),  Mrs.  Herbert  Coil,  Mrs. 
John  Elston,  Mrs.  Gertrude  Simpson,  and  Mrs.  Holmes,  now  de- 
ceased. 

In  August,  1888,  a  committee  from  the  Y.  M.  C.  A.  visited  the 
board  and  proposed  to  place  the  books  in  the  library  rooms  of  their 
building,  with  the  understanding  that  the  librarian  of  the  Y.  M. 
C.  A.  should  be  in  daily  attendance  from  9  a.  m.  to  9  p.  m.  Their 
proposition  was  accepted  and  the  books  removed  to  their  library 
rooms.  After  five  months  the  board  discovered  that  the  conditions 
were  not  complied  with,  and  that  books  were  lost  and  misused.  The 
ladies  again  took  the  books  in  their  charge,  packing  and  storing 
them  until  May,  1891,  when  they  were  placed  in  the  hands  of  the 
city  board  of  library  trustees,  where  they  are  at  present.  The  gen- 
tlemen were  Louis  Walker,  C.  F.  Thomas,  C.  W.  Thomas,  Dr. 
Holmes  and  John  McGoffey. 

During  the  years  of  its  struggle  for  existence  the  W.  C.  T.  U., 
which  had  been  organized  in  1883  in  Woodland  by  Miss  Willard, 
aided  and  abetted  the  efforts  made  by  the  library  association  in 
every  way  they  could.  Assisted  by  the  faculty  and  students  of  Hes- 
perian College,  they  gave  an  entertainment  at  the  opera  house  for 
the  benefit  of  the  library  and  donated  the  net  proceeds,  $75,  to  its 
help — this  and  $500  given  by  A.  D.  Porter  being  the  only  gifts  of 
money  noted  in  the  records  of  the  library.  After  the  city  had 
undertaken  the  management  of  the  reading  room,  Walter  F.  Huston 
was  appointed  librarian.  He  retained  the  position  until  failing 
health  interfered  with  his  work.  During  this  time  his  wife,  Mrs. 
S.  A.  Huston  of  the  "Home  Alliance,"  was  his  faithful  and  tireless 
assistant.    At  that  time  there  was  only  a  limited  number  of  books, 


HISTORY  OF  YOLO  COUNTY  163 

which  were  not  allowed  to  be  withdrawn  from  the  reading  room,  but 
were  free  of  access  to  the  public  every  evening  of  the  week.  Finally, 
with  a  fixed  allowance  from  the  city  board  of  trustees  and  the  dona- 
tion from  Mr.  Porter,  it .  was  determined  to  change  the  reading- 
room  into  a  free  public  library.  New  books  were  bought,  rules  and 
regulations  adopted,  and  in  June,  1892,  the  Woodland  Free  Library 
became  an  accomplished  fact. 

Mrs.  Ada  Wallace  was  elected  librarian,  which  position  she 
still  retains.  Magazines  and  newspapers  were  furnished  and  the 
books  were  allowed  to  be  withdrawn  on  application  of  card  holders. 
During  the  twenty  years  of  its  existence  there  has  been  a  steady 
growth  in  the  library,  the  number  of  books  has  increased  from 
1,200  to  7,500,  readers  have  included  all  classes,  from  children  of 
ten  years  to  elderly  men  and  women.  The  gentlemen  who  have 
kindly  acted  as  trustees  have  been,  without  exception,  intelligent, 
high-minded,  conscientious  men  whose  one  aim  was  to  make  the 
library  an  honor  to  the  town. 

The  books  include  all  classes  of  literature,  philosophy,  religion, 
sociology,  natural  sciences,  arts,  history,  travel,  essays,  biography, 
poetry  and  drama;  the  best  novelists  are  represented,  American, 
English,  French,  German,  Spanish  and  Irish.  Visitors  to  the  library 
from  all  over  this  state  and  others  express  their  surprise  and 
pleasure  at  the  excellence  of  so  small  a  library,  containing  as  it  does 
a  great  number  of  valuable  and  uncommon  books.  As  in  numberless 
other  cases  the  institution  has  been  handicapped  for  want  of  means, 
but  by  economy  and  judicious  expenditure  of  money  it  has  been  kept 
alive  and  growing,  though  slowly. 

In  1904  the  trustees  secured  a  donation  of  $10,000  from  Andrew 
Carnegie  and  after  the  usual  debate  as  to  location  and  other  pre- 
liminaries, the  new  building  was  erected  at  the  corner  of  First  and 
Court  streets.  It  is  of  the  Mission  style,  situated  in  large,  beautiful 
park-like  grounds,  carpeted  with  blue-grass  and  containing  many 
fine  palms  and  other  ornamental  trees.  All  visitors  to  Woodland 
express  great  admiration  for  the  grounds,  which  seem  to  exceed  in 
size  and  beauty  nearly  all  other  library  sites  in  the  state.  The  city 
is  indebted  to  K.  H.  Beamer,  ex-mayor,  for  his  zeal  and  taste  in  the 
arrangement  of  the  grounds.  The  corner-stone  of  the  new  building 
was  laid  June  7,  1904,  just  thirty  years  after  the  Woodland  library 
was  first  organized,  and  the  librarian,  Mrs.  Ada  Wallace,  had  the 
day  before  completed  her  twelfth  year  as  librarian.  Douglas  Bal- 
four, one  of  the  city  trustees,  in  Mayor  Beamer 's  absence  gave  a 
concise  history  of  the  events  leading  up  to  the  securing  of  the  new 
library.  There  were  the  usual  ceremonies  attending  the  event,  with 
music  and  addresses.  The  trustees  who  had  so  perseveringly  lent 
themselves  to  the  work  were  T.  W.  Prone,  president;  L.  H.  Steph- 


164  HISTORY  OF  YOLO  COUNTY 

ens,  secretary ;  A.  W.  North,  J.  T.  Grant  and  T.  R.  Slielton,  three  of 
whom  (Messrs.  Stephens,  Grant  and  Shelton)  are  still  faithfully  ful- 
filling their  duties  as  library  trustees. 

The  city  library  is  in  the  upper  part  of  the  building.  The  lower 
story  was  leased  to  the  Ladies'  Improvement  Club  for  a  term  of 
years,  with  the  condition  that  they  finish  and  furnish  the  apart- 
ment suitably,  a  work  they  accomplished  with  great  taste  and  good 
judgment. 

The  history  of  the  struggle  of  the  Woodland  Library  for  exist- 
ence during  so  many  years  should  be  an  eloquent  appeal  to  the 
public  and  private  sympathies  of  the  citizens  for  help  to  promote  its 
future  growth.  The  following  statistics  are  taken  from  the  News 
Notes  of  California  Library:  "Woodland  Free  Public  Library,  Mrs. 
Ada  Wallace,  librarian,  established  June,  1874;  as  free  public  1891. 
Annual  income  $1,289,  received  from  city  taxation,  etc.;  two  em- 
ployes, one  janitor.  Open  to  all  residents  of  the  county  daily  except 
Christmas;  week  days,  1:30  to  5:30  and  7  to  9:30  p.  m. ;  Sundays, 
2 :30  to  5 :30  and  7  to  9 :30  p.  m.  Owns  Carnegie  building  valued  at 
$11,000.  Twenty  magazines  received  regularly,  total  volumes 
7,500." 

THE  YOLO  COUNTY  LIBEAEY 

The  county  library  movement  in  California  is  only  four  years 
old,  having  been  started  in  1908,  but  already  twenty  counties  have 
availed  themselves  of  its  privileges.  The  county  library  did  not 
originate  in  California,  several  states  having  had  county  libraries 
before  us,  but  no  other  state  has  taken  it  up  in  such  a  whole-souled 
way  as  California,  and  to  Yolo  county  belongs  the  honor  of  starting 
the  county  library  system  in  California.  In  1905  a  small  orphan 
lad,  an  invalid,  living  in  the  country,  who  had  devoured  all  the 
books  in  his  school  library,  sent  a  request  to  the  Woodland  Library 
board  asking  that  he  be  permitted  to  draw  books  from  the  Wood- 
land Library  without  paying  the  usual  fee  that  was  charged  to  peo- 
ple living  outside  the  town  limits.  The  library  board  solved  that 
problem  by  paying  his  fee  from  their  own  pockets,  but  the  following 
months  other  small  country  boys  flooded  them  with  similar  requests. 
It  was  obviously  impossible  to  dispose  of  all  these  requests  as  they 
had  the  first  one,  so  they  went  to  the  supervisors  and  obtained  from 
them  an  annual  offering  of  $200,  taken  from  the  advertising  fund, 
on  condition  that  the  Woodland  Library  be  open  to  all  the  residents 
of  Yolo  county  free  of  charge. 

Soon  after  this  was  done  a  meeting  of  the  California  Library 
Association  was  held  in  Woodland,  and  Mr.  Gillis,  state  librarian, 
was  much  interested  in  the  way  the  Woodland  Library  Board  had 
solved  the  problem  of  getting  books  to  the  people  living  in  the  coun- 
try.   As  far  as  it  went  it  was  an  excellent  arrangement,  but  people 


HISTORY  OP  YOLO  COUNTY  165 

living  in  distant  parts  of  the  county  could  not  avail  themselves  of 
the  privilege  offered  and  Mr.  Gillis  then  and  there  decided  that  if 
the  people  in  the  country  wanted  libraries  they  should  have  libraries 
and  just  as  good  libraries  as  their  town  brothers.  From  that 
small  beginning  the  County  Free  Library  system  of  California  has 
grown. 

The  work  went  on  in  that  way  in  Yolo  county  for  two  years 
and  on  July  12,  1910,  the  board  of  supervisors  entered  into  a  con- 
tract with  the  Woodland  Library  trustees  by  which  they  agreed, 
commencing  August  1,  1910,  to  establish  branch  libraries  in  the  var- 
ious parts  of  the  county.  "Deposit  libraries  shall  consist  of  fifty 
or  more  books  and  shall  be  entirely  or  partly  changed  every  three 
months.  ...  In  addition  shipments  will  be  made  to  each  de- 
posit station  not  oftener  than  once  a  week  of  such  books  as  may  be 
called  for  by  deposit  borrowers  and  not  found  in  the  deposit  li- 
brary." For  this  work  the  supervisors  agreed  to  pay  $5,000  the 
first  year.  A  county  librarian,  Miss  Stella  Huntington,  was  engaged 
and  the  work  started  August  1,  1910.  The  first  year  stations  were 
started  at  Davis,  Winters,  Grafton,  Broderick,  Fillmore  school, 
Ouinda,  Dunnigan,  University  Farm  school,  Yolo,  Woodland,  Madi- 
son, Blacks,  Capay  and  Clarksburg.  Stations  have  since  been  added 
at  Esparto  and  Rumsey. 

After  the  regular  stations  were  started  the  first  year  it  was  de- 
cided to  see  wbat  could  be  done  to  help  the  schools.  Under  the  1910 
law  it  was  possible  for  the  school  districts  to  turn  their  library 
funds  over  to  the  County  Library  and  thus  become  branches  of  the 
County  Library  and  entitled  to  regular  library  service.  In  1910- 
1912  twelve  schools  joined  the  County  Library,  so  far  in  1912-1913 
eighteen  schools  have  joined.  They  are:  Canon,  Capay,  Cotton- 
wood, Clover,  Enterprise,  Eureka,  Fairview,  Fillmore,  Grafton, 
Lisbon,  Madison,  Merritt,  Mt.  Pleasant,  North  Grafton,  Oat  Creek, 
Union,  Washington,  Winters.  As  Yolo  county  was  the  first  to  start 
the  County  Library  work  it  was  also  the  first  to  take  up  the  work 
with  the  schools. 

With  the  fifteen  regular  stations  and  the  eighteen  school  sta- 
tions there  are  now  thirty-three  branches  scattered  over  Yolo 
county.  If  books  called  for  are  not  in  the  County  Library  they 
are  borrowed  from  the  State  Library  at  Sacramento  (the  State  Li- 
brary pays  transportation  charges  both  ways  for  books  borrowed 
through  a  County  Library),  so  that  beside  the  books  in  the  County 
Library  and  the  Woodland  Library  there  are  the  150,000  books  in 
the  State  Library  that  are  at  the  service  of  every  man,  woman  and 
child  in  Yolo  county. 

IMPROVEMENT    CLUB 

The  Ladies'  Improvement  Club  was  organized  May  S,  1902,  at 
Hotel  Julian,  with  twenty  ladies  present  out  of  a  list  of  twenty-five. 


166  HISTORY  OF  YOLO  COUNTY 

Messrs.  C.  W.  Thomas,  T.  B.  Gibson  and  J.  Reitk,  Jr.,  were  present 
to  assist  and  advise  the  ladies  as  to  methods  and  means  of  beautify- 
ing the  city.     Miss  Carrie  Blowers  was  chosen  chairman  and  Mrs. 

C.  B.  Gray,  secretary. 

At  the  second  meeting  there  were  fifty  ladies  present.    Mrs.  L. 

D.  Lawhead  submitted  a  constitution,  which  was  adopted  without 
amendment.  The  object  of  the  club  was,  organized  action  for  the 
benefit  of  Woodland  and  vicinity.  Miss  Carrie  Blowers  was  chosen 
president;  Mrs.  W.  P.  Craig,  vice-president;  Mrs.  C.  B.  Gray,  secre- 
tary; Mrs.  J.  I.  McConnell,  treasurer;  and  Mrs.  C.  R.  Wilcoxon,  cor- 
responding secretary.  One  of  the  primary  objects  of  the  club  was 
to  secure  a  city  park.  The  observance  of  Arbor  Day  was  also  de- 
cided on  and  has  been  faithfully  fulfilled. 

The  club  accepted  an  invitation  to  join  the  federation  of  the 
Sacramento  Valley  organization.  In  October,  1904,  they  secured 
rooms  in  the  first  floor  of  the  new  Carnegie  library  building.  They 
had  them  finished  and  furnished  beautifully  and  occupied  them  for 
seven  years. 

The  ladies  of  the  club  succeeded  in  getting  able  speakers  for  a 
lecture  course  which  proved  instructive  and  remunerative.  By  per- 
severance and  untiring  effort  they  finally  earned  the  greater  part 
of  the  sum  necessary  to  purchase  a  beautiful  park  of  five  acres  in 
the  southwestern  part  of  Woodland.  The  citizens  aided  them  some- 
what, and  when  the  last  payment  was  made  they  handed  the  deed  to 
the  city  trustees  and  the  work  of  improvement  and  beautifying  the 
park  is  now  in  process  of  completion. 

THE  "FIVE"   CLUB 

Thirty  years  ago,  when  Woodland  had  not  yet  attained  the  dig- 
nity of  an  incorporated  city,  there  were  two  ladies  residing  nearby 
who  became  very  much  interested  in  reading  Shakespeare's  immor- 
tal dramas.  These  two  were  Mrs.  Thomas  Armstrong,  since  de- 
ceased, and  Mrs.  Ann  Blake-Ryder.  Mrs.  Armstrong  was  also  very 
fond  of  the  study  of  history,  so  these  two  ladies  often  met  and  en- 
joyed reading  together.  Other  ladies  at  that  early  date  were  invited 
to  join  them  in  their  readings,  but  were  unable  to  do  so  on  account 
of  household  duties.  After  a  year  or  two  both  ladies  became  resi- 
dents of  Woodland  and  were  near  neighbors.  They  resumed  their 
former  reading  and  gradually  the  study  of  Shakespeare  became  an 
established  habit  with  them,  Mrs.  Armstrong  graciously  yielding 
her  preference  for  history.  At  that  time  Mrs.  Jeanette  Merritt. 
who  was  visiting  her  cousin,  Mrs.  Armstrong,  suggested  that  sev- 
eral other  ladies  be  invited  to  join  them,  as  it  would  make  the  study 
more  interesting  and  instructive  for  them.  They  did  so,  and  the 
result  was  a  club  of  five,  Mrs.  Jeanette  Merritt,  Mrs.  Ruth  Arm- 
strong, Mrs.  C.  W.  Thomas,  Mrs.  Blake-Ryder  and  Mrs.  S.  E.  Peart. 


HISTORY  OF  YOLO  COUNTY  167 

The  five  soon  became  eight,  by  the  addition  of  Mrs.  Cran,  Mrs.  W. 
H.  Lawson  and  Dr.  Frances  Newton.  They  met  every  two  weeks, 
and  thus  was  created  the  nucleus  of  the  Woodland  Shakespeare 
Club. 

At  the  time  of  its  organization,  in  1885,  there  were  four  ladies 
who  were  eminently  fitted  by  education  and  wide  general  culture  to 
become  leaders  of  the  club.  One  of  these,  Mrs.  Peart,  was  chosen 
and  held  that  position  for  many  years,  her  resignation  being-  uni- 
versally regretted  by  the  club.  She  was  succeeded  by  Mrs.  C.  W. 
Thomas,  who  ably  fulfilled  her  mission. 

The  club  grew  and  flourished  and  many  names  have  been  en- 
rolled in  its  membership.  Some  have  grown  old  in  faithful  service 
to  it.  Some  have  passed  over  into  a  new  existence.  Others  have 
removed  to  new  places  and  are  interested  in  other  club  work.  One 
lady  only,  Mrs.  C.  W.  Thomas,  has  been  an  active  member  continu- 
ously of  the  Woodland  Shakespeare  Club  from  that  first  meeting  at 
Mrs.  Armstrong's  in  1885  until  the  present  time.  At  this  time  the 
club  numbers  thirty-five,  with  a  large  waiting  list.  There  have  been 
one  hundred  and  thirty-three  working  members  since  its  origin. 

They  were  organized  to  read  Shakespeare  and  they  have  made 
a  faithful  study  of  all  his  plays  and  sonnets,  supplementing  that 
reading  with  history  and  critical  analyses  of  the  plays  and  charac- 
ters. Some  of  the  papers  written  have  been  thought  worthy  of  pub- 
lication in  the  "Poet  Lore"  and  other  reviews.  As  the  years  went 
by,  in  addition  to  their  study  of  Shakespeare  they  have  read  Brown- 
ing, Goethe  and  Schiller.  They  have  studied  the  old  Greek  trage- 
dies and  comedies.  Passion  plays  and  medieval  drama  have  claimed 
their  attention.  They  have  not  overlooked  the  French^and  Spanish 
classics  of  the  golden  age  of  literature  in  those  countries.  Ibsen 
and  Maeterlinck  have  been  studied  and  discussed,  approved  and  dis- 
approved, for  one  notable  feature  of  the  club  has  always  been  free- 
dom of  thought  and  expression. 

During  the  last  two  years  the  club  has  devoted  its  time  to  the 
study  of  the  Development  of  the  Drama,  from  the  remotest  times 
down  to  the  present.  In  connection  with  this  many  old  plays  of  dif- 
ferent nations  and  peoples  have  been  discovered  and  studied.  The 
ladies  have  borrowed  books  from  the  state  library,  besides  using 
all  of  those  of  the  city  library  referring  to  the  drama.  With  all 
this  exhaustive  study  the  club  has  not  neglected  social  obligations. 
It  has  been  the  custom  during  all  these  years  to  celebrate  Shake- 
speare's birthday  by  a  rural  fete,  at  which  all  the  members  iA'  the 
club  with  their  friends  assemble.  For  years  in  conjunction  with  the 
Mutual  Club  of  ladies  and  gentlemen  (then  in  existence)  they  met 
at  the  close  of  the  season  at  the  country  home  of  Mrs.  Pearl  for  an 
outing.     Later  an  annual   picnic  was   held  at  Coil's  Grove,   where 


168  HISTORY  OF  YOLO  COUNTY 

friends  and  friends'  friends  met  for  comnranion  with  nature  and 
each  other.  Twice  there  has  been  a  reunion  at  ' '  Sequoia, ' '  the  home 
of  Mrs.  Thomas.  On  all  these  occasions  there  has  been  a  "feast  of 
reason"  as  well  as  a  flow  of  soul,  when  friends,  old  and  new,  met  in 
joyous  and  sad  conclave. 

In  1910  the  club  celebrated  its  twenty-fifth  birthday,  thus  rank- 
ing as  the  oldest  Shakespeare  club  in  the  state.  The  occasion  was 
one  of  unusual  interest.  It  was  held  at  the  home  of  Mrs.  Blanc-h- 
ard. Many  guests  assembled,  among  them  ex-members  from  towns 
and  cities.  There  was  a  fitting  program,  music,  flowers  and  dainty 
refreshments.  The  program  reflected  the  wide  influence  of  the  cul- 
ture the  members  had  received  during  the  years  of  its  existence. 
There  was  a  welcome  in  verse,  a  paraphrase  of  the  many  addresses 
of  welcome  to  be  found  in  Shakespeare's  plays  arranged  by  Mrs. 
Wallace  and  delivered  by  Mrs.  Richard  Brown.  Miss  Vivian  of  the 
San  Jose  Normal  sent  a  scholarly  paper  on  Shakespeare  in  Art; 
Mrs.  B.  M.  Miller,  an  ex-president  of  the  club,  delivered  an  instruc- 
tive address  on  the  Modern  Drama;  Mrs.  Henry  Schuler  read  a 
paper  on  Staging  of  Drama  in  Shakespeare's  Time  and  the  Present 
Day;  Mrs.  Genoa  Pond,  of  Berkeley,  gave  Fraternal  Greetings  from 
the  many  prominent  women  at  the  Bay  cities  who  had  begun  their 
career  in  Woodland;  Miss  Lulu  Shelton,  a  former  teacher  in  Wood- 
land and  an  active  worker  in  the  club,  gave  a  clever  and  humorous 
address  on  Appreciation.  It  related  to  the  development  of  women 
along  lines  of  higher  education  and  culture  and  dealt  in  clever  hits 
at  the  stronger  sex  who  have  systematically  opposed  the  advance- 
ment of  women. 

There  are  fourteen  deaths  to  record  during  the  twenty-six  years 
life  of  the  club.  Two  presidents  have  been  removed  from  their 
earthly  work,  Mrs.  Atkinson  and  Mrs.  Lawson,  both  faithful,  ef- 
ficient and  beloved.  One  of  the  founders  of  the  club  also,  Mrs.  Ruth 
Armstrong,  has  gone  to  her  reward,  a  noble  woman,  tenderly 
mourned. 

The  presidents  of  the  club  have  been  Mrs.  S.  S.  Peart,  Mrs.  C. 
W.  Thomas,  Mrs.  H.  Coil,  Mrs.  B.  M.  Miller,  Mrs.  S.  Atkinson,  Mrs. 
M.  W.  Ward,  Mrs.  Ryder-Blake,  Mrs.  W.  H.  Lawson  and  Mrs.  T. 
Royles.  The  women  of  the  club  have  not  been  idle  ones — many  have 
led  very  busy  lives,  doing  work  along  practical,  artistic  and  intel- 
lectual lines.  They  have  been  leaders  of  clubs  elsewhere,  have  lec- 
tured and  directed  the  study  of  numberless  women  elsewhere.  They 
have  never  stopped  in  their  own  individual  growth,  have  kept 
abreast  with  all  the  important  events  of  the  age,  have  fitted  them- 
selves for  the  added  responsibilities  which  legislation  has  thrust 
upon  them  and  will  no  doubt  lend  their  aid  to  the  furtherance  of 
civic  reform  in  every  community  where  they  dwell.    They  rank  high 


HISTORY  OF  YOLO  COUNTY  169 

as  cultured,  highly-developed  women  iu  all  the  attributes  that  be- 
long to  noble  womanhood. 

WOODLAND    STUDY    CLUB 

Mrs.  L.  D.  Lawhead,  vice-principal  of  the  Woodland  High 
school,  inaugurated  some  years  ago  a  study  club  for  the  benefit  of 
friends  and  pupils.  The  object,  as  its  name  testifies,  is  study,  not 
of  any  one  particular  object,  but  to  be  extended  over  broad  fields  of 
knowledge.  For  several  years  they  devoted  their  time  to  art,  paint- 
ing, sculpture  and  architecture.  The  history  of  art,  its  development 
and  improvement  included  the  study  of  the  great  masters  in  differ- 
ent lines  and  acquaintance  through  pictures  and  illustration  of  then- 
noted  works.  By  way  of  variation  and  recreation  they  have  taken 
up  the  reading  of  various  authors. 

WOODLAND    CUEEENT    TOPICS    CLUB 

This  club  was  organized  several  years  ago  and  now  has  a  large 
membership.  The  members  are  enthusiastic  in  their  efforts  to  keep 
well  informed  as  to  the  status  of  different  countries  politically  and 
socially,  and  to  know  of  the  religious  movements  of  the  world  and 
scientific  discoveries  and  developments.  This  is  a  very  important 
factor  in  the  development  of  any  community,  as  it  serves  to  bring 
about  a  common  interest  in  affairs  between  the  sexes. 

MUTUAL    CLUB 

This  club  was  organized  at  Woodland  in  October,  1885.  C.  W. 
Thomas  was  its  real  founder  and  chief  organizer.  For  a  number  of 
years  the  membership  was  limited  to  twenty,  meetings  were  held  at 
private  houses  and  elaborate  and  carefully  prepared  papers  were 
the  rule.  The  members  as  a  rule  were  the  busy  people  of  the  city. 
and  after  the  lapse  of  a  few  years  the  growing  duties  and  responsi- 
bilities operating  to  prevent  work  of  this  kind,  the  long  papers  were 
omitted  and  the  preparation  was  for  general  debate  and  discussion 
instead.  The  object  was  mutual  improvement,  culture  and  the  study 
of  literature. 

The  club  was  in  actual  existence  until  about  1905.  In  the  mean- 
time many  other  clubs  had  been  formed  which  exacted  less  of  the 
members  than  did  the  Mutual,  and  the  membership  gradually 
dwindled.  Finally  there  were  but  a  few  of  the  real  workers  left, 
and  these,  owing  to  other  obligations  and  feeling  their  inability  to 
devote  the  necessary  time  and  energy  to  keep  up  the  work  of  the 
club,  it  was  decided  to  disband.  The  presidents  were  C.  W.  Thomas, 
G.  P.  Hurst,  Mrs.  S.  E.  Peart.  Mrs.  L.  P.  Lawhead,  Dr.  Elizabeth 
Yates,  Dr.  M.  W.  Ward,  R,  L.  Simpson  and  C.  W.  Bush. 


170  HISTORY  OF  YOLO  COUNTY 


THE   FOKTNIGHTLY    CLUB 


The  Fortnightly  Club  has  been  in  active  existence  for  a  number 
of  years.  It  was  organized  for  the  benefit  of  school  teachers  and 
other  busy  women  who  could  not  find  time  to  attend  tbe  Shake- 
speare Club,  or  for  whom  there  was  no  room  in  that  club.  The 
object  was  and  is  to  study  Shakespeare.  They  are  expected  to  add 
to  this  work-by  supplementary  reading  of  history,  criticism,  works 
of  many  dramatists  and  other  good  literature.  The  number  in  the 
club  is  limited  to  about  twenty  members  and  they  are  all  earnest 
and  zealous.  Many  of  them  are  women  advanced  in  years  who 
found  no  time  in  the  strenuous  time  of  youth  during  the  early  days 
of  California  for  literary  pursuits. 

Mrs.  M.  G.  Lee  has  been  the  leader  of  the  club  for  several 
years.  She  is  one  of  the  pioneer  women  of  Yolo  county,  a  woman  of 
unusual  mentality,  a  great  reader  and  widely  conversant  with  all  the 
great  affairs  of  the  world.  She  is  in  her  seventy-fifth  year  and  the 
mother  of  a  large  family,  amongst  whom  is  Miss  Harriet  Lee,  who 
is  very  prominent  in  educational  circles  and  as  a  native  daughter 
has  taken  a  very  active  interest  in  all  local  and  many  state  affairs. 
Mrs.  Lee  is  a  veritable  mother  to  the  younger  members  of  the  club, 
who  follow  her  guidance  and  agree  that  no  one  could  fill  her  place. 

In  entering  a  new  year  of  study  they  will  no  doubt  add  to  their 
already  fine  reputation  as  good  faithful  students  in  various  lines. 
The  club  was  formed  by  Dr.  Elizabeth  Yates,  of  Santa  Rosa,  Miss 
Martha  Fisher  (now  Mrs.  Clark,  of  Berkeley),  and  Miss  Calthea 
Vivian,  in  the  art  department  of  the  San  Jose  normal  school.  They 
met  for  years  at  the  home  of  Mrs.  B.  M.  Miller  (now  in  New  York 
for  the  purpose  of  introducing  some  plays  she  has  written),  after- 
wards at  the  various  homes  of  the  members  of  the  club. 


.  u^c^^^ia^^y 


BIOGRAPHICAL 


HON.  FRANK  S.  FREEMAN 

Xo  name  is  associated  more  intimately  or  more  honorably  with 
the  early  history  of  Woodland,  Cal.,  than  that  of  the  eminent 
citizen  which  appears  above.  He  was  the  founder  of  the  city,  the 
promoter  of  its  important  pioneer  enterprises,  its  first  merchant, 
its  first  postmaster  and  the  projector  of  the  measures  that  made 
possible  the  progressive  Woodland  of  the  twentieth  century.  His 
the  prophetic  vision  that  discerned  in  the  attractive  wooded  lands 
a  choice  site  for  a  town;  his  the  energy  that  made  of  the  new 
town  a  business  center  for  the  surrounding  agricultural  communi- 
ties; his  the  ambitious  purpose  that  brought  about  the  removal  of 
the  county  seat  to  the  municipality  he  was  planning  and  building; 
and  his  the  generous  hand  that  donated  all  the  land  required  by  the 
county  for  its  buildings.  The  name,  Woodland,  which  at  the  sug- 
gestion of  his  wife  he  gave  to  the  village  which  had  become  known 
as  Yolo  City,  brings  to  the  mental  vision  a  picture  of  broad  lands 
covered  with  great  old  trees,  and  such  was  the  appearance  of  the 
spot  during  the  '50s  when  along  its  streets  giant  oaks  lifted  their 
heads  to  the  clouds  and  cast  a  grateful  shade  far  out  upon  the 
wayside  meadows. 

The  Freeman  family  of  America  is  traced  to  colonial  Virginia, 
whence  some  of  the  name  crossed  the  mountains  into  Kentucky 
and  later  were  borne  on  the  tide  of  emigration  to  Missouri.  J.  N. 
and  Mary  (Parman)  Freeman,  born  in  Kentucky,  removed  in 
1833  to  Buchanan  county,  Mo.,  and  took  up  government  land  on 
Blacksnake  creek,  within  the  present  limits  of  the  city  of  St. 
Joseph.  Frank  S.  Freeman  was  born  in  Knox  county,  Ky.,  Christ- 
mas, 1832,  but  his  earliest  recollections  were  of  Western  Missouri. 
When  he  was  only  fourteen  years  old  he  secured  an  appointment  in 
the  commissary  department  of  the  United  States  army,  which 
then  was  in  the  war  with  Mexico.  Until  1848  he  was  stationed  at 
Santa  Fe,  with  Van  Fleet,  quartermaster  of  Doniphan's  regiment. 
Then,  going  north  as  far  as  St.  Louis,  he  joined  the  commissary 
department  of  Rodney  Hopkins,  wagon  master  with  the  Oregon 
battalion  of  five  hundred  men.  During  a  march  westward,  this  bat 
talion  built  Fort  Kearney,  Fort  Childs  and  Fort  Laramie,  and 
later  its  members  were  discharged  at  Fort  Leavenworth. 

As  soon  as  news  of  the  discovery  of  gold  in  California  was 
received,  Mr.  Freeman  resolved  to  start  without  unnecessary  delay 


174  HISTORY  OF  YOLO  COUNTY 

for  the  coast,  and  in  April,  1849,  he  joined  a  company  organized  at 
St.  Joseph  and  bought  an  interest  in  one  of  the  wagons  of  the 
outfit;  and  as  far  as  Fort  Hall  he  guided  the  train,  his  services 
proving  of  the  utmost  value  to  his  companions  during  that  part 
of  the  perilous  trip.  The  party  arrived  at  Hangtown  August  5, 
and  the  young  gold-seeker  began  at  once  to  mine,  and  unusual  good 
fortune  rewarded  his  efforts  in  the  diggings  at  Coloma  and 
Georgetown.  Within  less  than  a  year  his  profits  amounted  to 
$3,000,  which  he  brought  to  Yolo  county,  where  he  took  up  land  on 
the  north  side  of  Cache  creek,  about  sixteen  miles  west  of  the  site 
of  Woodland.  There  he  began  raising  grain  and  stock,  and  in  1851 
he  and  two  partners  sowed  a  hundred  acres  of  barley  which 
yielded  fifty  bushels  to  the  acre  and  brought  six  cents  a  pound  at 
Sacramento  and  Grass  Valley. 

In  1855  Mr.  Freeman  located  at  Willow  Slough,  where  he 
raised  stock  for  two  years.  In  1857  he  bought  a  claim  to  one  hun- 
dred and  sixty  acres,  a  part  of  which  is  now  within  the  city  limits 
of  Woodland,  north  of  Main  street.  After  a  careful  study  of  the 
country  and  all  local  conditions,  he  decided  to  start  a  town  there, 
and  subsequent  events  have  justified  his  practical  judgment.  His 
first  step  toward  the  project  was  the  establishment  of  a  store  on 
the  present  site  of  the  Main  street  school  house.  In  1860  he 
removed  his  stock  of  goods  to  the  present  site  of  the  E.  B.  Cranston 
store,  First  and  Main,  and  in  that  year  he  platted  the  town.  Next 
he  secured  the  location  there  of  a  postoffice,  of  which  he  was 
appointed  postmaster,  and  soon  afterward  he  was  made  the  local 
agent  of  the  WTells-Fargo  Express  Company.  He  found  it  not 
easy  to  induce  home-seekers  to  venture  their  precious  capital  in 
his  undeveloped  town,  and  to  make  it  more  of  a  business  center  he 
erected  a  grist  mill  which  he  operated  two  years,  then  sold.  During 
that  period  he  directed  the  destinies  of  a  very  creditable  hardware 
store.  He  introduced  a  meat  market,  a  harness  shop,  a  blacksmith 
shop,  a  tin  shop,  a  grocery,  a  clothing  store  and  a  drygoods  store, 
and  disposed  of  each  in  turn  as  soon  as  he  could  find  a  buyer  for 
it.  Land  he  sold  very  low,  his  only  stipulation  being  that  a  building 
must  be  erected  on  it  within  three  months.  One  day  in  1861  he 
cut  wheat  which  was  threshed,  milled  and  made  into  biscuits  by 
Mrs.  Freeman  and  were  on  his  table  within  twelve  hours  from  the 
time  when  the  grain  had  been  growing.  The  rapid  development  of 
the  town  brought  many  new  responsibilities  to  its  founder,  who 
soon  felt  obliged  to  resign  as  postmaster  and  as  express  agent  in 
order  to  devote  all  his  time  to  its  growing  and  broadening  interests. 
In  1868  the  first  bank  in  the  town  was  established.  John  D. 
Stephens  took  one-half  the  stock  and  through  the  efforts  of  Mr. 
Freeman  the  other  half  was  placed  among  citizens,  he  becoming  a 
heavy  shareholder.    From  the  organization  of  the  bank  until   his 


HISTORY  OF  YOLO  COUNTY  175 

death  he  was  its  vice-president.  In  1872  he  built  a  brick  block,  part 
of  which  is  now  the  Diggs  building,  and  moved  his  hardware  store 
into  part  of  it.  It  was  not  until  1884,  when  he  had  for  a  quarter  of 
a  century  been  Woodland's  foremost  citizen,  that  he  sold  out  his 
mercantile  interests.  But  he  did  not  relinquish  his  farming  inter- 
ests, which  he  retained  until  many  years  later.  Always  progres- 
sive in  his  ideas,  he  was  the  first  in  the  county  to  use  a  steam  com- 
bined harvester  and  thresher,  first  to  irrigate  wheatfields,  first  to 
cultivate  the  foothills  and  sow  them  to  grain. 

Neighbor  and  friend,  Mr.  Freeman  came  in  time  to  be  affec- 
tionately called  Major  Freeman.  He  found  time  from  his  business 
to  devote  to  the  politics  of  his  time  and  locality  and  gave  ad- 
herence in  early  days  to  the  principles  and  policies  of  the  Demo- 
cratic party.  But  he  was  one  of  the  "progressives"  of  his  day.  His 
last  Democratic  presidential  vote  was  cast  in  1856  for  the  Hon. 
James  Buchanan,  and  in  1860  he  was  among  those  who  voted  for 
Lincoln,  and  thereafter  he  was  a  loyal  Republican.  He  was  elected 
to  the  legislature  in  1870,  and  served  on  the  ways  and  means 
committee  and  on  the  swamp  lands  committee,  and  re-elected  in 
1872,  and  appointed  to  the  same  committees  and  given  the  chair- 
manship of  the  ways  and  means  committee.  His  second  term  was 
particularly  fruitful  of  results.  He  advocated  thirty-eight  meas- 
ures that  became  laws.  After  a  long  fight  against  powerful  op- 
position, he  carried  the  Freeman  freights  and  fare  bill  through  the 
lower  house,  but  the  tremendous  influence  of  the  railroads  defeated 
the  measure  in  the  senate.  His  efforts  in  behalf  of  the  bill  were 
warmly  backed  by  the  San  Francisco  Examiner,  the  San  Francisco 
Bulletin,  the  San  Francisco  Chronicle  and  the  Sacramento  Union. 
The  measure  inspired  wide  and  abiding  interest  and  its  patriotic 
advocacy  brought  to  its  creator  a  national  reputation.  One  of 
the  bills  which  Major  Freeman  was  successful  in  passing  was 
that  which  made  the  compensation  of  Yolo  county  officials  pay- 
able in  salaries  instead  of  by  fees.  Another  provided  for  the  in- 
corporation of  Woodland.  In  his  last  session  he  was  a  candidate 
for  speaker,  but  was  defeated  by  the  Democratic  majority  in  the 
house.  So  great  was  his  popularity  throughout  the  state  that  in 
1874  he  was  widely  talked  of  in  connection  with  the  governorship. 
But  such  suggestions  were  discouraged  by  him.  His  friendly  title 
dated  from  the  Civil  war  period,  when  he  held  a  major's  commission 
in  the  state  militia  by  appointment  of  Governor  Downey.  In 
Masonic  circles  he  was  widely  popular.  Of  the  blue  Lodge  at 
Woodland  he  served  as  Master,  and  he  was  a  member  also  of  the 
chapter  at  Woodland  aud  of  the  commandery  at  Sacramento.  He 
died  July  8,  1900,  and  was  buried  with  Masonic  honors.  He  was 
survived  by  a  widow  and  one  daughter,  Lillian,  the  latter  being 
the  wife  of  John  Eakle,  of  Point  Richmond,  Gal.,  and  the  mother  of 


176  HISTORY  OF  YOLO  COUNTY 

a  daughter,  Gertrude.  Mrs.  Freeman  was  Miss  Gertrude  Swain. 
She  is  represented  by  a  separate  notice  in  these  pages.  Besides 
the  daughter  mentioned,  she  bore  Major  Freeman  two  sons,  George 
and  Curry  Freeman,  both  of  whom  have  passed  away.  Genial  in 
nature,  Major  Freeman  retained  to  the  end  of  his  life  somewhat  of 
the  youthful  spirits  that  made  his  companionship  ever  a  pleasure. 
Generous  to  a  fault,  he  gave  liberally  of  his  wealth,  the  accumula- 
tion of  which  he  regarded  as  secondary  to  the  establishment  and  de- 
velopment of  enterprises  in  his  beloved  adopted  state.  Magnani- 
mous in  victory  and  calm  in  defeat,  he  was  esteemed  by  political 
foes  and  friends  alike.  His  death  was  felt  throughout  the  state  as 
a  public  bereavement. 


LEWIS  CRAIG  DRUMMOND 

Probably  no  citizen  of  Davis,  Yolo  county,  was  more  sincerely 
mourned  than  L.  C.  Drummond,  whose  demise  occurred  April  23, 
1882.  His  influence  among  his  many  friends  and  acquaintances  who 
were  fortunate  enough  to  know  him  well  was  both  permanent  and 
uplifting.  Mr.  Drummond  was  born  February  2,  1828,  in  Rahway, 
N.  J.,  where  he  was  educated  and  spent  his  early  life.  At  the 
age  of  fourteen  he  accompanied  his  parents  to  Monmouth,  N.  J., 
and  seven  years  later  found  him  on  his  way  to  the  Golden  West, 
via  Panama,  in  quest  of  a  goodly  portion  of  the  pot  of  gold  to  be 
found  "at  the  end  of  the  rainbow."  Yrouth  and  hope  are  bosom 
friends,  therefore  the  young  emigrant  gave  no  thought  to  the  hard- 
ships and  failures  to  be  met  in  his  great  venture.  But,  like  all 
brave  hearts,  he  endured  his  trials  with  quiet  perseverance  and 
courage,  recognizing  them  as  an  important  part  of  the  woof  of  the 
character  that  was  one  day  to  crown  his  life. 

In  1850  Mr.  Drummond  located  in  Mariposa  county,  Cal.,  later 
removing  to  Sacramento,  where  he  remained  until  1852,  when  he 
purchased  in  Yolo  county  three  fine  farms  aggregating  seventeen 
hundred  acres,  upon  which  he  raised  grain  and  stock  with  great 
success.  He  established  also  the  first  hardware  store  in  Davis, 
taking  as  his  partner  E.  W.  Brown.  Known  as  the  Davis  Hardware 
Company,  this  store  is  still  in  successful  operation.  Though  much 
occupied  with  his  business  interests,  Mr.  Drummond  served  for 
some  time  as  justice  of  the  peace,  and  was  always  a  zealous  worker 
in  the  Methodist  Church  of  Davis.  Of  a  truth,  if  a  duty  is  to  be 
done,  the  busy  man  will  find  time  for  it,  while  he  who  never  has 
time,  accomplishes  little  of  real  worth. 


&i/(7^U  <g  & 


HISTORY  OF  YOLO  COUNTY  17!) 

In  1857  Mr.  Drummond  married  Miss  Eliza  Eeid,  of  Tennessee, 
whose  parents  in  1857  brought  their  family  of  fourteen  children  to 
Y'olo  county,  locating  on  the  Drummond  place.  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Drum- 
mond  were  blessed  with  four  children :  Mrs.  Jennie  D.  Read  resides 
in  Davis;  Mary  I.  Long  is  a  resident  of  New  Jersey;  M.  M.  Drum- 
mond resides  in  the  Sandwich  Islands;  and  Elizabeth  Holman  died 
in  Oakland. 

To  both  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Drummond  life  was  replete  with  oppor- 
tunities for  doing  good  work  and  for  making  happy  others  as  well 
as  themselves,  and  the  widow  continued  in  the  name  of  her  husband 
and  herself  to  perform  many  unobtrusive  acts  of  kindness  and  to 
lend  in  every  way  possible  her  assistance  toward  the  betterment  of 
the  community  until  her  death  in  1909.  For  many  years  Mr.  Drum- 
mond was  a  Mason  in  high  standing. 


MRS.  GERTRUDE  FREEMAN 

The  name  of  Mrs.  Frank  S.  Freeman  is  as  well  known  in 
Yolo  and  contiguous  counties  as  was  that  of  her  honored  hus- 
band, now  passed  from  the  scenes  of  his  earthly  activities  to  such 
reward  as  is  vouchsafed  to  those  who  pass  their  years  in  love 
for  their  fellows  and  in  labors  useful  to  humanity.  These  pages 
bear  an  extended  record  of  his  career.  Mrs.  Freeman  owns  and 
occupies  the  beautiful  home  lie  erected  on  First  street,  Woodland, 
many  years  ago,  a  residence  which  has  long  been  held  to  reflect, 
in  its  artistic  environment  and  interior  fitting,  her  own  ideals 
and  cultured  tastes.  Major  Freeman  married  in  October,  1858. 
Before  that  date  Mrs.  Freeman  was  Miss  Gertrude  Swain.  Her 
father,  George  Gorham  Swain,  died  in  Michigan.  His  widow, 
Ruth  (Kimball)  Swain,  Mrs.  Freeman's  mother,  settled  at  Wood- 
land and  there  married  Elder  Martin  and  afterward  lived  near 
her  daughter. 

George  Gorham  Swain  was  born  in  Nantucket,  Mass.,  April 
2,  1812.  When  he  was  fourteen  years  of  age  he  came  to  the 
Pacific  coast  by  way  of  Cape  Horn,  stopped  at  Santa  Barbara, 
Cal.,  and  went  on  north  to  Alaska.  He  was  at  the  time  on  a  four 
years'  whaling  cruise.  After  making  several  memorable  voyages 
he  settled  down  in  New  York  state  as  a  landsman,  and  thence 
he  went  west  to  Michigan,  locating  in  Calhoun  county  when 
Michigan  was  as  yet  only  a  territory.  There  he  lived  out  the 
remainder  of  his  days.     He  was  a  descendant  of  Mayflower  pil 


180  HISTORY  OF  YOLO  COUNTY 

grims  and  of  the  best  New  England  Revolutionary  stock.  Ruth 
Kimball,  who  became  his  wife  and  the  mother  of  Mrs.  Freeman, 
also  of  Puritan  and  Revolutionary  ancestry,  bore  him  the  fol- 
lowing children:  Cornelia  (Mrs.  Smith),  who  died  at  Woodland 
in  1900;  Erastus  Kimball  Swain,  who  died  at  Woodland  in  1882; 
Emily,  who  is  Mrs.  Davidson  of  Woodland;  Florence,  who  mar- 
ried C.  T.  Bidwell;  Hannah  (Mrs.  John  W.  Freeman)  of  Wood- 
land; Lillian  (Mrs.  McConnell)  of  Woodland;  and  Mrs.  Major 
Freeman. 

The  birthplace  of  Mrs.  Freeman  was  Marengo,  Calhoun  county, 
Mich.  When  she  was  fourteen  years  old  she  began  to  teach 
school,  and  so  successful  was  she  that  she  was  complimented,  two 
years  later,  by  engagement  as  an  instructor  in  the  Woman's 
College  at  Lansing,  Mich.  Her  maternal  grandfather,  Erastus 
Kimball,  had  come  to  California  during  the  gold  excitement  of 
1849  and  had  become  one  of  the  owners  of  the  old  Haywood 
mine  on  Sutter  creek,  and  she  had  heard  many  wonderful  tales 
of  the  coast  regions,  which  had  aroused  in  her  a  desire  to  visit 
the  West.  So,  when  Clark  W.  Crocker  returned  from  California 
and  married  her  mother's  sister  she  sought  and  obtained  the 
consent  of  her  mother  to  accompany  the  couple  to  the  land  of 
the  setting  sun.  They  started  on  a  November  day — it  was  Thanks- 
giving Day — in  1856,  and  came  by  the  Nicaragua  route.  Immedi- 
ately after  her  arrival  the  young  educator  was  employed  to  teach 
a  school  at  Negro  Hill,  near  Folsom  City,  and  at  once  entered 
upon  the  discharge  of  her  duties  there.  In  March,  1857,  she 
resigned  the  position  and  left  Sacramento  county  for  Yolo  City 
(now  Woodland),  where  she  took  charge  of  a  school  in  a  two- 
story  building  on  the  site  of  the  Southern  Pacific  railroad  depot. 
Except  for  a  term  taught  in  the  preceding  year  by  the  Rev.  J. 
Pendegast  this  was  the  pioneer  school  in  the  village.  At  times 
it  numbered  as  many  as  sixty  pupils,  some  of  whom  came  from 
homes  six  miles  away,  either  walking  or  on  horseback — two  or 
three  on  a  horse.  The  young  teacher  was  very  popular,  and 
when,  in  1858,  she  became  the  bride  of  Major  Freeman  they  were 
reluctant  to  give  her  up.  Some  of  the  young  people  whom  she 
fondly  called  her  "boys"  and  "girls,"  afterward  became  promi- 
nent, but  none  of  them  ever  forgot  their  school  days  or  ceased 
to  remember  their  teacher  with  gratitude  and  admiration.  It 
was  her  good  fortune  to  impart  information  in  an  interesting 
manner,  so  that  her  pupils  made  rapid  progress  in  their  studies 
without  experiencing  the  drudgery  that,  under  another  teacher, 
might  have  been  inseparable  from  their  acquisition  of  knowledge. 
In  spite  of  the  greater  advantages  of  young  people  of  today,  it 
is   doubtful   if  any   of  them  learn   more   rapidly   or   enjoy   study 


HISTORY  OF  YOLO  COUNTY  181 

more  thoroughly  than  did  those  pioneer  lads  and  lassies  who 
gladly  came  each  morning,  two  or  three  on  the  back  of  a  horse, 
or  perhaps  on  foot,  to  the  little  school  in  the  new  town  where 
Gertrude  Swain  labored  so  conscientiously  to  prepare  them  for 
their  duties  jDolitically  and  socially  in  the  part  that  would  be 
theirs  in  the  development  of  the  future  great  state  of  California. 
It  was  in  October,  1858,  that  Miss  Swain  became  the  wife  of 
Major  Freeman.  She  bore  him  three  children,  Lillian  (Mrs. 
John  Eakle  of  Point  Richmond,  Cal.)  and  George  and  Curry,  both 
of  whom  are  deceased.  Mrs.  Eakle  has  a  daughter  Gertrude, 
named  in  honor  of  her  grandmother.  In  all  the  years  of  her 
womanhood  Mrs.  Freeman  has  been  actively  interested  in  the 
spread  of  education  and  the  advancement  of  women.  She  was 
one  of  the  founders  of  the  Woodland  library  and  the  first  presi- 
dent of  the  Woodland  Library  Association.  She  and  about  a 
score  of  other  women  established  and  maintained  the  library  until 
they  turned  it,  its  books  and  its  cash  on  hand,  over  to  the  city 
when  the  time  was  ripe  for  its  perpetuation  at  municipal  expense. 
She  is  past  Matron  of  Yolo  Chapter  No.  60,  0.  F.  S.,  and  was  in 
1887  and  1888  Grand  Matron  of  the  Grand  Chapter  of  California. 
As  a  communicant  of  the  Protestant  Episcopal  Church  she  takes 
a  helpful  interest  in  the  religious  and  charitable  work  of  the 
community.  As  narrated  in  the  biographical  notice  of  her  late 
husband,  it  was  Mrs.  Freeman  who  gave  to  the  village — now 
city — of  Woodland  the  appropriate  name  by  which  it  is  so  widely 
known. 


GUSTAVE  ERNEST  SCHLOSSER 

Two  spots,  with  the  width  of  one-half  the  continent  between 
them,  have  furnished  the  environment  for  the  energetic  efforts  of 
Mr.  Schlosser,  and  these  locations  are  Hancock  county,  111.,  where 
he  lived  until  he  had  attained  his  majority,  and  Yolo  county,  Cal., 
of  which  he  has  been  a  resident  from  the  age  of  twenty-one  up 
to  the  present  time.  The  family  comes  of  German  extraction,  as 
the  name  indicates,  and  his  father,  Peter,  was  the  first  representa- 
tive of  the  family  in  the  United  States,  crossing  the  ocean  to  the 
new  world  and  settling  in  Hancock  county  in  184S.  The  land 
which  he  purchased  was  rich  and  fertile,  but  no  attempt  had  been 
made  at  cultivation  and  long  years  of  effort  were  necessary  be- 
fore gratifying  returns  could  be  secured.     The  Country  was  sparse- 


182  HISTORY  OF  YOLO  COUNTY 

ly  settled  at  the  time  of  Ms  arrival.  A  few  years  before  he  had 
become  a  resident  of  the  county  the  Mormons,  who  had  built  a 
temple  at  Nauvoo,  were  expelled  from  that  locality  and  sought 
refuge  farther  west  subsequent  to  the  killing  of  their  leader, 
Joseph  Smith,  in  the  Hancock  county  jail  at  Carthage. 

During  the  Civil  war  Peter  Schlosser  gave  efficient  service 
as  a  soldier  to  his  adopted  country  and  when  peace  was  declared 
he  returned  to  bis  farm  and  family.  His  last  years  were  spent  in 
Hancock  county  and  his  son,  Gustave  E.,  who  was  born  there 
August  5,  1857,  was  reared  at  the  old  homestead  which  he  had 
assisted  his  father  in  bringing  under  cultivation.  During  the 
winter  montbs  he  attended  scbools,  but  bis  education  has  been 
acquired  by  self-culture  rather  than  text-book  study.  When  he 
started  out  to  seek  his  own  livelihood  in  1878  he  came  direct  to 
California  and  settled  in  Yolo  county,  where  be  worked  on  a 
farm  by  the  month.  At  tbe  expiration  of  six  years  be  returned 
to  bis  old  home  in  Illinois,  and  at  Carthage,  Hancock  county, 
March  12,  1885,  he  was  united  with  Miss  Minnie  Young-man,  a  na- 
tive of  that  state.  Accompanied  by  bis  bride,  be  came  to  Yolo 
county  and  rented  a  farm  of  one  hundred  and  sixty  acres  near 
Blacks  Station.  After  having  rented  the  place  for  two  years 
he  purchased  the  property. 

Since  becoming  the  owner  of  the  land  Mr.  Schlosser  has  made 
improvements  that  have  greatly  enhanced  its  value.  Especially 
attractive  is  the  modern  farm  house  with  its  air  of  comfort  and 
hospitality.  The  necessary  farm  buildings  have  been  erected, 
fruit  and  shade  trees  have  been  planted  and  sixty-five  acres  are 
in  alfalfa,  the  whole  forming  a  well-improved  property.  In  addi- 
tion to  the  cultivation  of  this  land  the  owner  thereof  rents  two 
hundred  additional  acres  and  engages  in  raising  wheat  and  bar- 
ley. Tbe  conduct  of  a  grain  farm  would  not  be  by  itself  wholly 
satisfactory  to  him,  for  he  is  a  believer  in  tbe  stock  business  and 
entertains  the  firm  conviction  that  every  farm  should  carry  a  sub- 
stantial supply  of  first-class  animals.  In  accordance  with  that 
theory  he  has  engaged  in  the  breeding  and  raising  of  stock  and 
has  on  the  place  some  fine  specimens  of  their  several  breeds. 

Tbe  family  of  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Schlosser  comprises  seven  chil- 
dren, and  among  these  there  are  twins,  Mollie  and  Minnie,  the 
former  now  being  the  wife  of  George  Peterson,  of  Woodland. 
Besides  the  twins  there  are  Dora,  Mrs.  Herman  Wilkendorf,  of 
Pleasant  Prairie;  Gustave,  John,  Julius  and  Henry.  Interested 
in  educational  affairs,  Mr.  Schlosser  has  served  as  a  member  of 
the  school  board  for  a  number  of  years.  For  about  eight  years 
he  served  as  a  deputy  sheriff.  In  politics  he  votes  with  the  Re- 
publican party.     He  is  a  leading  worker  in   the   Grafton   Lodge, 


;<y<  ^V  /iua^va-r^ 


HISTORY  OF  YOLO  COUNTY  185 

I.  0.  0.  F.,  and  has  passed  through  all  of  the  chairs.  On  the 
occasion  of  the  convention  of  the  sovereign  grand  lodge  at  San 
Francisco  he  was  chosen  a  delegate  from  the  home  lodge.  With 
his  wife  he  holds  membership  in  the  Lodge  of  Rebekahs  in  Wood- 
land, while  his  fraternal  associations  are  enlarged  through  mem- 
bership in  Woodland  Encampment  No.  71,  I.  0.  0.  F.,  and  the 
Herman  Sons. 


JOHN  W.   FREEMAN 

For  many  years  associated  with  the  early  and  later  develop- 
ment of  Yolo  county,  Cal.,  John  W.  Freeman,  born  in  1842, 
retained  an  important  place  among  the  citizens  of  this  part  of 
the  state  until  his  death,  which  occurred  on  Christmas  Day,  1906. 
Then  almost  twenty  years  had  elapsed  since  he  had  located  in 
Nevada  as  a  rancher  and  stockman.  In  Woodland,  however,  he 
had  had  a  beautiful  residence  which  he  had  made  his  home,  ever 
giving  to  the  welfare  of  the  city  and  surrounding  country  the 
support  which  might  have  been  expected  from  one  of  bis  gener- 
ously helpful  nature. 

A  native  of  Buchanan  county,  Mo.,  Mr.  Freeman  was  left  an 
orphan  at  an  early  age  and  endured  many  hardships  and  priva- 
tions which  taught  him  that  self-reliance  which  stood  him  in  such 
good  stead  in  his  later  life.  At  the  age  of  twelve  years  he  began 
to  acquire  a  knowledge  of  printing  in  a  printing  office  in  Nebraska 
City,  established  and  owned  by  the  Hon.  J.  Sterling  Morton,  in 
which  he  labored  faithfully  four  years.  Deciding  to  follow  bis 
brother,.  Major  Frank  S.  Freeman,  to  California,  he  came  overland 
to  the  state  in  1860,  and  was  employed  as  a  clerk  by  bis  brother, 
in  the  latter 's  store  at  Yolo  City,  now  Woodland.  Four  years 
later  he  entered  into  partnership  with  his  brother,  and  the  two 
established  a  general  merchandise  enterprise  at  Lakeport,  Lake 
county,  Cal.  Two  years  later  they  sold  out  and  opened  a  store 
in  Cacheville.  Yolo  county.  After  four  more  years  had  passed 
Major  Freeman  withdrew  from  the  enterprise  and  A.  J.  Hall 
became  John  W.  Freeman's  partner,  and  the  new  linn  existed 
about  four  years.  Then  Mr.  Freeman  sold  his  interest  in  this 
store  and  again  entered  into  partnership  with  his  brother,  the 
two  conducting  the  Pioneer  store  at  Cacheville.  About  that  time 
they  opened  a  branch  store  at  Capay  and  a  hardware  and  agri- 
cultural machinery  business  in  the  College  block,  Woodland.  The 
brothers  continued  in  business  until  1885,  when  John  W.  Freeman 
sold  out,  after  which   he  improved  a  large  ranch   in  Capay  valley, 


186  HISTORY  OF  YOLO  COUNTY 

raising  fruit  and  stock.  In  1888  he  located  in  Nevada,  where  he 
bought  an  extensive  stock  ranch  in  the  sink  of  the  Carson  river, 
fourteen  miles  from  Fallon  and  twenty-seven  miles  from  the 
Southern  Pacific  Railroad.  He  eventually  owned  12,000  acres  of 
land,  a  part  of  which  had  been  under  irrigation  from  the  old 
ditches  until  1905,  when  the  great  government  canal  was  com- 
pleted, the  government  still  recognizing  that  right.  He  devoted 
his  attention  to  the  cultivation  of  alfalfa  and  the  raising  of  cattle, 
sheep  and  horses,  having  thousands  of  head  grazing  on  the  broad 
lands  of  his  ranch.  In  his  work  he  met  with  the  most  gratifying 
results  and  was  justly  mentioned  as  one  of  the  most  successful 
stockmen  of  the  West,  his  indomitable  energy  and  strict  applica- 
tion to  business  having  won  him  his  competency  and  his  proud 
place  among  his  eotenrporaries. 

In  Woodland,  October  2,  1867,  Mr.  Freeman  married  Hannah 
Swain,  sister  of  Mrs.  Gertrude  Freeman,  who  was  born  in  Mar- 
shall, Mich.,  the  daughter  of  George  G.  and  Ruth  (Kimball)  Swain. 
After  spending  the  first  thirteen  years  of  her  life  in  Calhoun 
county,  Mrs.  Freeman  came  to  California  by  way  of  the  Isthmus 
of  Panama  in  1862,  and  was  educated  at  Hesperian  College, 
Woodland.  She  is  a  woman  of  culture  and  refinement,  widely 
known  for  her  generosity  of  heart  and  for  the  kindly  hospitality 
of  her  home.  She  bore  Mr.  Freeman  two  children:  Mary  was 
born  in  Yolo  county  and  was  educated  at  Stanford  University, 
where  she  was  graduated  in  1897  with  the  B.  S.  degree.  She  is 
now  the  wife  of  John  H.  Crabbe,  an  attorney  of  San  Francisco. 
John  Ernest  Freeman  was  a  graduate  of  St.  Mathew's  Academy 
at  San  Mateo.  While  manager  of  the  Freeman  ranch  in  Nevada 
he  became  very  ill  and  came  to  San  Francisco,  where  he  died 
June  22,  1912,  at  the  age  of  twenty-eight.  In  January,  1909,  he 
married  Elizabeth  Williams,  a  daughter  of  Senator  W.  W.  Wil- 
liams of  Nevada. 

Fraternally  John  W.  Freeman  was  a  Mason  of  the  Knight 
Templar  degree,  and  was  a  member  of  the  Knights  of  Pythias. 
Politically  he  was  a  staunch  Republican.  Mrs.  Freeman  is  a 
member  of  the  Order  of  Eastern  Star  and  is  a  past  matron  of 
Yolo  Chapter  No.  60.  She  attends  the  Protestant  Episcopal  Church 
and  assists  all  of  the  varied  interests  of  that  organization  at 
Woodland.  With  her  sister  she  was  active  in  the  establishment 
of  the  city  library  which,  when  it  was  popular  and  prosperous  to 
a  degree,  was  turned  by  its  management  over  to  the  city  of  Wood- 
land. Since  her  husband's  death  she  has  retained  the  ownership 
of  the  Freeman  ranch  in  Nevada,  which  is  under  her  management, 
and  she  also  has  valuable  property  in  Woodland  and  in  San 
Francisco. 


HISTORY  OF  YOLO  COUNTY  187 

HENRY  CROCKETT  CULTON,  D.  D. 

Notwithstanding  the  mists  of  obscurity  out  of  which  all  gene- 
alogical records  emerge,  there  is  abundant  evidence  that  the 
Culton  family  remained  for  many  generations  in  the  highlands 
of  Scotland,  that  they  embraced  the  Calvinistic  doctrines  ex- 
pounded by  their  original  exponent,  also  that  during  the  era  of 
religious  persecution  in  their  native  country  they  were  forced  to 
flee  for  their  lives,  thus  establishing  the  name  in  the  north  of 
Ireland,  whence  in  the  colonial  history  of  our  own  country  some 
of  the  descendants  emigrated  to  Virginia.  Later  generations  fol- 
lowed the  tide  of  settlement  toward  the  further  west.  James 
Culton,  a  Virginian  by  birth  and  education,  spent  his  last  days 
in  Tennessee.  The  next  generation  was  represented  by  Alexander 
Culton,  also  a  Virginian  by  birth,  but  from  early  manhood  a  resi- 
dent of  Tennessee.  For  some  years  he  engaged  in  operating  a 
plantation  near  Athens,  McMinn  county,  near  the  state  lines  of 
North  Carolina  and  Georgia  and  later  he  removed  to  an  adjoining 
county,  where  he  settled  near  Charleston.  His  last  days  were 
passed  in  that  locality,  and  there  also  occurred  the  death  of  his 
wife,  Sarah  (Newman)  Culton,  a  native  of  Tennessee,  her  father, 
Robert  Newman,  having  been  a  descendant  of  German  ancestry. 

Out  of  nine  children  in  the  parental  family  all  but  one  at- 
tained years  of  maturity,  but  only  three  now  survive,  one  of 
these  being  Rev.  Henry  Crockett,  D.  D.,  pastor  of  the  Presbyterian 
Church  of  Winters  since  December  of  1877  and  widely  recognized 
as  a  theologian  of  fine  mental  powers,  an  honor  to  the  denomina- 
tion which  he  represents  and  a  leader  in  the  community  where  for 
thirty-five  years  he  has  made  his  home.  In  boyhood  he  lived 
in  southeastern  Tennessee,  first  near  Athens  and  then  near 
Charleston,  and  after  he  had  graduated  from  the  Calhoun  academy 
he  entered  the  Cumberland  University  at  Lebanon,  Tenn.,  from 
which  in  1874  he  received  the  degree  of  A.  B.  Remaining  in  the 
institution,  he  began  a  course  in  theology  and  in  1875  he  was 
ordained  to  the  ministry  by  the  Memphis  presbytery  of  the  Cum- 
berland Presbyterian  denomination.  Called  to  the  pastorate  of  the 
Vance  Street  Church  in  Memphis,  Tenn.,  he  continued  there  from 
December,  1874,  until  November,  1S7(>,  and  at  the  latter  dale  became 
pastor  of  the  Cumberland  Presbyterian  Church  at  Cleveland, 
Tenn.,  in  his  home  county  and  only  twelve  miles  from  his  father's 
place.  For  one  year  he  remained  in  that  position  and  then 
came  to  California,  where  he  has  been  pastor  of  the  church  at 
Winters  since  December  of  1877,  meantime  giving  to  this  important 
charge  the  fullness  of  bis  remarkable  mental  powers  and  the  self- 
sacrificing  devotion  of  his  keen  spiritual  vision. 


188  HISTOEY  OF  YOLO  COUNTY 

The  history  of  the  church  extends  back  as  far  as  1863.  Ac- 
cording to  such  records  as  are  obtainable,  the  congregation  had 
services  at  Pine  Grove  schoolhouse,  one  mile  west  of  town,  as  early 
as  the  year  named.  After  two  years  they  began  to  hold  their 
services  in  the  Wolfskill  schoolhouse  across  Putah  creek  in  Solano 
county.  During  1875  a  house  of  worship  was  erected  on  Russell 
and  Second  streets,  Winters,  and  this  building,  with  improvements 
and  modifications,  is  still  in  use  by  the  congregation.  The  first 
pastor,  Rev.  T.  M.  Johnson,  served  the  congregation  from  Monti- 
cello  and  at  the  close  of  the  year  1877  Dr.  Culton  became  the  first 
resident  minister,  beginning  a  pastorate  that  has  been  markedly 
successful  and  far-reaching  in  influence.  Today  the  congregation 
is  perhaps  as  large  as  any  in  Winters,  while  in  the  breadth  of  its 
benefactions  and  the  extent  of  its  missionary  services  it  has  been 
surpassed  by  none.  About  1902  the  degree  of  D.  D.  was  con- 
ferred upon  the  pastor  by  his  alma  mater.  Frequently  he  was 
honored  with  election  as  moderator  of  the  presbytery  and  he  was 
occupying  that  position  in  the  Pacific  synod  when  the  union  of 
the  Presbyterian  denomination  with  the  Cumberland  branch  was 
accomplished,  after  which  he  preached  the  opening  sermon  of  the 
United  Synod  at  Mount  Hermon,  this  state.  As  a  result  of  this 
amalgamation  since  1906  his  congregation  no  longer  claims  Cum- 
berland Presbyterian  affiliations,  but  forms  a  part  of  the  larger 
brotherhood  known  as  the  Presbyterian  Church  of  the  United 
States  of  America.  Among  his  parishioners  he  is  greatly  beloved, 
while  his  influence  among  other  denominations  has  increased  with 
the  passing  years  as  the  full  extent  of  his  devotion  to  Christianity 
has  been  recognized  with  growing  appreciation.  As  early  as  1884 
he  embraced  the  tenets  of  Prohibition  and  since  then,  by  precept 
no  less  than  example,  he  has  given  the  weight  of  his  influence  to  the 
cause,  believing  that  the  sale  of  intoxicating  liquors  is  a  curse  to 
our  country  and  should  be  sternly  repressed  by  the  aid  of  the  law. 
The  city  of  Winters  voted  "dry"  in  1904,  and  is  still  dry  and 
prosperous. 

The  marriage  of  Dr.  Culton  and  Miss  Martha  E.  Crawford  was 
solemnized  at  Charleston,  Tenn.,  January  2,  1877,  the  bride  having 
been  a  native  of  Greene  county,  Tenn.,  and  a  daughter  of  Rev. 
W.  H.  Crawford,  D.  D.,  an  honored  and  useful  minister  in  the 
Cumberland  Presbyterian  denomination.  After  years  of  acceptable 
and  helpful  ministerial  service  in  Tennessee,  removing  to  Cali- 
fornia Dr.  Crawford  entered  the  ministry  in  this  state  and  it  was 
while  supplying  a  pulpit  at  Newman,  Stanislaus  county,  that  he 
passed  away.  There  were  nine  children  in  the  family  of  Dr.  and 
Mrs.  Culton  and  seven  of  these  are  still  living,  as  follows :  Maud, 
who  married  N.  A.  McArthur,  of  Winters;  Mrs.  Sarah  Owen  and 


HISTORY  OF  YOLO  COUNTY  191 

Mrs.  Clemmie  Stone,  both  of  Colton,  this  state;  Perry  and  Carroll, 
who  are  engaged  in  the  horticultural  industry  at  Winters  under  the 
firm  name  of  Culton  Brothers;  Gertrude  and  Lenis,  who  remain 
with  their  parents. 


CHARLES   COIL 

To  recount  even  a  few  of  the  experiences  of  this  pioneer  of 
1849  is  to  realize  anew  the  hardships  incident  to  the  early  settle- 
ment of  the  west  and  to  appreciate  afresh  the  self-sacrificing 
labors  of  our  forefathers.  Theirs  the  toil  that  we  might  reap 
the  reward;  theirs  the  incessant  labor  amid  discomforts  in  order- 
that  we  might  enjoy  the  fruits  of  a  high  civilization;  and  theirs 
the  years  of  self-denial  in  order  that  generations  yet  unborn 
might  find  life's  cup  of  joy  filled  to  overflowing  in  this  goodly 
land  beside  the  sunset  sea.  The  trite  adage  that  he  is  a  public 
benefactor,  "who  causes  two  blades  of  grass  to  grow  where  one 
grew  before,"  finds  a  noteworthy  exemplification  in  the  activi- 
ties of  Mr.  Coil,  who  by  his  own  wise  judgment  proved  the  pos- 
sibilities of  the  soil  of  Yolo  county,  tested  its  adaptability  to  varied 
crops  and  won  financial  success  as  a  tiller  of  the  soil.  When  he 
took  up  farming  he  was  one  of  the  very  first  men  in  Yolo  county 
to  raise  grain.  The  venture,  made  at  considerable  financial  risk, 
proved  so  successful  that  others  were  quick  to  follow  his  example. 
Nor  was  this  the  only  agricultural  enterprise  in  which  his  was 
the  risk  and  to  others  came  the  returns  of  his  experiments.  Such 
service  proves  the  value  of  a  man  to  his  community  and  his  worth 
was  appreciated  by  all  who  were  familiar  with  his  forceful  efforts. 

Sorrow  and  bereavement  cast  their  shadow  over  the  early 
years  of  Charles  Coil  and  thrust  upon  him  the  necessity  of  self- 
support  ere  an  education  had  been  acquired.  A  member  of  an 
old  family  of  New  York,  he  was  born  in  1828  at  Verona,  Oneida 
county,  and  lost  both  his  father  and  his  mother  while  he  was  yet 
a  mere  child.  At  the  age  of  seventeen  years  he  went  west  as  far 
as  Wisconsin  and  settled  at  Racine,  where  he  secured  employment 
with  S.  C.  Tuckerman,  a  grain  dealer.  Upon  learning  of  the  dis- 
covery of  gold  in  California  he  immediately  arranged  his  plans 
for  removal  to  the  coast.  Early  in  the  spring  of  1849  he  started 
across  the  plains  with  a  party  that  traveled  with  oxen  and  wagons. 
August  13,  1849,  he  reached  Hangtown  (Placerville),  where  he 
joined  an  excited  and  cosmopolitan  throng  of  gold-seekers.     Such 


192  HISTORY  OF  YOLO  COUNTY 

work,  however,  did  not  satisfy  Mm  nor  did  he  meet  with  any 
success  therein. 

While  looking  for  employment  at  Sacramento,  a  chance  en- 
counter with  Matt  Harbin,  the  owner  of  the  Hardy  grant,  gave 
Mr.  Coil  an  opportunity  to  enter  upon  ranch,  affairs.  Mr.  Harbin 
not  only  engaged  him,  but  also  furnished  him  with  a  horse  so  that 
he  might  ride  to  the  grant.  After  a  brief  and  pleasant  experience 
as  a  ranch  hand,  he  embarked  in  the  butcher  business  at  Sacramento 
with  F.  W.  Fratt  and  John  McNulty.  The  stock  was  bought  from 
the  Harbin  ranch  and  the  venture  netted  its  projectors  a  neat  profit. 
Returning  east  via  Panama  in  1852,  Mr.  Coil  drove  a  herd  of  cattle 
across  the  plains  the  following  year  and  then  leased  a  part  of  the 
Harbin  ranch.  Later  the  property  came  into  his  possession  and 
since  then  has  been  known  as  the  Coil  place.  To  the  house  he 
erected  there  he  brought  his  bride  in  1858  and  there  he  conducted 
large  stock  enterprises  in  partnership  with  John  McNulty  and 
W.  B.  Todhunter.  With  Gabriel  Brown  as  a  partner  he  bought  the 
Thomas  0.  Larkin  grant,  situated  on  the  present  site  of  Willow, 
Glenn  county,  and  the  two  men  engaged  there  in  the  cattle  business 
for  a  number  of  years. 

The  year  1862  was  a  disastrous  one  for  settlers  on  account  of 
the  floods.  Even  more  serious  was  the  drought  of  1864,  and  Mr. 
Coil  was  among  the  sufferers  both  from  the  flood  and  the  drought. 
A  part  of  his  cattle  he  saved  by  taking  them  to  Nevada,  but  to  do 
this  he  had  to  mortgage  his  land.  Later  he  found  himself  unable 
to  redeem  his  Willow  land,  which  was  foreclosed.  In  a  desperate 
effort  to  save  the  old  homestead  he  spent  his  last  dollar.  In  des- 
peration he  asked  D.  0.  Mills  of  San  Francisco  for  a  loan.  On 
being  asked  how  much  he  needed,  he  answered  $10,000,  and  Mr. 
Mills  gave  the  amount  to  him  with  no  other  security  than  his  note. 
Purchasing  teams,  he  engaged  in  trading  between  Sacramento  and 
Salt  Lake.  The  merchandise  taken  to  Utah  would  be  sold  there, 
the  money  used  for  the  purchase  of  cattle,  which  he  would  drive 
back  to  the  coast.  The  tide  began  to  turn  in  his  financial  affairs. 
Little  by  little  he  paid  off  his  debts.  Finally  he  was  able  to  resume 
farming.  Then  he  began  to  buy  more  land.  His  possessions  in- 
creased to  such  an  extent  that  at  the  time  of  his  death  he  owned 
four  thousand  acres,  some  of  which  was  only  one  and  one-half 
miles  from  Woodland. 

The  marriage  of  Mr.  Coil  and  Ellen  W.  Pond  was  solemnized 
near  Cacheville,  Yolo  county,  March  8,  1858.  Mrs.  Coil  was  born 
at  Bristol,  Vt.,  being  the  only  child  of  Samuel  P.  and  Ann  (Greg- 
ory) Pond,  likewise  natives  of  Vermont.  At  the  time  of  the 
discovery  of  gold  Mr.  Pond  relinquished  his  farming  enterprises 
in  New  England,  and  came,   in  1849,  via  Panama,  to   California, 


HISTORY  OF  YOLO  COUNTY  193 

where  he  worked  in  the  mines.  During  1852  his  wife  joined  him 
and  he  established  a  home  on  Cache  creek.  In  1856  his  daugh- 
ter, who  had  been  a  student  in  the  Townsend  Academy  in  Ver- 
mont, came  by  way  of  the  isthmus  to  join  her  parents  in  Yolo 
county.  About  that  time  Mr.  Pond  bought  a  farm  just  east  of 
Woodland.  When  he  sold  that  place  and  retired  from  agricul- 
tural labors,  he  settled  at  Woodland,  where  he  died  at  the  age  of 
seventy-eight  years.     His  wife  lived  to  be  seventy-two. 

A  worthy  life  came  to  an  end  when  New  Year's  Day  of  1892 
witnessed  the  passing  from  earth  of  Charles  Coil.  His  had  been 
a  kindly  existence,  simple,  sincere  and  earnest,  and  he  had  borne 
life's  disappointments,  as  its  triumphs,  with  dignity  and  honor. 
He  was  survived  by  his  widow,  who  has  since  spent  much  of  her 
time  in  Berkeley,  the  home  of  their  youngest  child,  Irene.  The 
older  son,  LeRoy,  resides  at  No.  548  Second  street,  Woodland,  and 
the  younger  son,  Herbert  E.,  has  made  his  home  on  the  old  farm 
so  long  identified  with  the  activities  of  the  father.  The  years 
that  have  come  and  gone  since  Mr.  Coil  entered  into  eternal  rest 
have  not  dimmed  his  memory  in  the  hearts  of  relatives  and  friends. 
His  true  worth  is  now>  as  it  was  then,  appreciated  by  associates 
in  business,  neighbors  on  ranches,  by  co-workers  in  the  Repub- 
lican party,  by  comrades  in  the  Ancient  Order  of  United  Work- 
men, and  among  the  Knights  of  Pythias,  and  indeed  by  all  in 
whose  breasts  God  has  implanted  a  deep  respect  for  true  prin- 
ciples of  manhood. 


JUDGE  ROBERT   H.  BUCKINGHAM 

As  long  as  Washington,  or  Broderick  (or  whatever  the  pretty 
riparian  town  on  the  bank  of  the  Rio  Sacramento  just  opposite 
the  state  capital  may  be  called),  exists,  Judge  Robert  H.  Buck- 
ingham will  be  remembered.  As  a  fisherman  on  the  river,  as  a 
fish  commissioner  on  duty  throughout  the  state  of  California,  as 
a  justice  of  the  peace  in  his  township  and  as  an  all-around  citizen 
of  Yolo  county  he  made  good.  The  earliest  thing  that  occurred 
in  his  life  was  his  birth  at  New  Haven,  Conn.,  in  1834.  Naturally 
other  things  occurred  there  during  his  seventeen  years'  residence 
in  the  old  Nutmeg  State,  but  they  will  not  be  recorded  here.  When 
he  left  his  native  city  he  was  on  his  way  to  gather  some  of  the 
gold  he  heard  was  to  be  found  in  distant  California.  The  steam 
ship   Daniel   Webster,   a   historical   old  Atlantic  liner,   carried   him 


194  HISTOEY  OF  YOLO  COUNTY 

and  about  eight  hundred  of  the  west-bound  tourists  down  to  Grey- 
town,  making  their  way  by  Lake  Nicaragua  to  the  Pacific  side. 
It  cannot  be  told  how  many  of  that  number  reached  San  Fran- 
cisco, but  the  subject  of  this  sketch  landed  safely  December  1, 
1851.  After  trying  his  "  'printice  hand"  at  mining,  however, 
without  accumulating  much  of  the  yellow  mineral,  he  found  himself 
where  he  is  at  present — in  Washington,  in  1852.  Salmon  were 
running  freely  in  the  clear  waters  of  the  Sacramento  then,  and 
the  young  man  from  Connecticut  went  after  them,  and  during 
many  following  years  he  hauled  in  numberless  nets  full  of  the 
noble  quinnat.  In  fact,  he  has  been  connected  with  that  industry 
nearly  all  his  California  life.  It  was  a  profitable  business  when 
fish  sold  from  the  boats  at  forty  and  fifty  cents  per  pound,  and 
a  big  salmon  could  produce  many  marketable  pounds  of  the  deli- 
cacy. When  the  fishers  packed  for  the  mines  they  used  ice  that 
had  been  shipped  around  the  Horn  all  the  way  from  Maine  or 
Massachusetts,  and  sold  here  at  fifteen  cents  a  pound.  Later  on 
the  ice  was  brought  from  Alaska. 

In  1883  Judge  Buckingham  was  appointed  a  state  fish  com- 
missioner, serving  four  years  as  president  of  the  board — and  not 
a  better  man  for  the  place  could  have  been  found.  Under  his 
management  the  industry  flourished,  there  being  over  fifteen  hun- 
dred fishing  boats  on  the  river.  In  1889  he  engaged  in  the  grocery 
business  in  Washington  and  continued  therein  for  ten  years.  He 
served  as  justice  of  the  peace  of  Washington  township  for  twelve 
years.  His  political  faith  is  Democratic  and  for  a  long  time  he 
was  an  active  member  of  the  Democratic  state  central  committee. 
He  was  married  in  Sandwich,  111.,  in  1861,  to  Miss  Sarah  Jane 
White,  a  native  of  Washington  county,  N.  Y.,  and  they  celebrated 
their  golden  wedding  in  1911.  Their  children  are  Fred  M.  and 
Henry.  Fred  married  Miss  Annie  Kemler,  and  they  live  in  Para- 
dise valley,  Nevada;  Frederick,  Emilie  and  Jeanette  are  their  chil- 
dren. Henry,  who  resides  in  Washington,  married  Miss  Maggie 
Fisher,  and  to  them  were  born  Frank,  Mildred,  Florence  and 
Helen. 

Judge  Buckingham  has  retired  from  business  and  in  his 
pleasant  home  in  Washington,  on  the  green  banks  of  the  river 
he  loves,  he  passes  a  quiet  life.  He  is  still  interested  in  the  sport 
and  old  Izaak  Walton  himself  was  not  more  keen  to  seek  the 
"place  of  the  finny  prey."  Many  prominent  professional  men  of 
the  state  may  remember  with  pleasure  their  fishing  trips  with  the 
judge.  With  such  a  guide  and  companion  they  had  no  trouble 
in  catching  a  fine  string.  Judge  Buckingham  is  now  the  oldest 
resident  of  Washington,  where  he  has  been  in  business  since 
Julv,    1852. 


y^lJ/^Z^^c^y 


.. 


HISTORY  OF  YOLO  COUNTY  197 

GEORGE  DICKSON  STEPHENS 

From  the  initial  period  of  American  occupancy  of  California 
until  his  demise  more  than  fifty  years  later  George  Dickson  Steph- 
ens was  intimately  identified  with  the  upbuilding  of  the  great  west 
and  contributed  in  especially  .large  degree  to  the  development  of 
Yolo  county.  The  record  of  his  life  epitomizes  the  romance  of  the 
frontier.  Time  itself,  painting  with  glowing  colors  upon  the  can- 
vas of  the  past,  reveals  the  sturdy  figure  of  a  youth  crossing _the 
plains  in  company  with  an  expedition  of  Argonauts  eager  to  find  the 
hidden  gold  of  unknown  mines,  but  little  dreaming  that  it  was  to  be 
through  the  cultivation  of  the  fertile  and  undeveloped  soil  of  the 
state  they  would  find  the  gold  of  their  hopes.  The  party  of  gold- 
seekers  began  their  journey  from  Cooper  county,  Mo.,  May  10, 
1849,  and  arrived  in  Sacramento  August  6,  having  pushed  their 
way  across  the  plains  with  a  persistence  that  faltered  not  for 
weariness  or  perils.  The  new  country  with  its  cosmopolitan  popu- 
lation presented  a  remarkable  contrast  to  the  environment  familiar 
to  the  early  years  of  the  young  man.  In  a  region  remote  from  the 
scenes  of  boyhood  and  the  homes  of  kindred,  with  no  relative  near 
him  excepting  his  older  brother,  John  Dickson  (long  the  confidante 
of  all  business  undertakings  and  the  comrade  of  many  frontier  ex- 
peditions), he  struggled  toward  independence  and  success  and  laid 
the  foundation  of  the  interests  that  now  make  his  name  one  of  the 
most  prominent  in  the  annals  of  Yolo  county. 

The  life  which  this  narrative  depicts  began  in  Cooper  county, 
Mo..  July  31,  1828,  and  closed  in  Yolo  county,  Cal.,  December  22, 
1901.  Many  of  the  qualities  that  individualized  a  forceful  personal- 
ity came  as  an  inheritance  from  Scotch  and  Welsh  ancestors.  The 
family  genealogy  indicates  that  Peter  Stephens,  who  was  born  in 
Pennsylvania  during  the  latter  part  of  the  seventeenth  century, 
founded  the  village  of  Stephensburg  in  that  state.  The  next  gen- 
eration was  represented  by  Peter,  Jr.,  who  married  Johanna  Chris 
man  and  moved  to  Wythe  county,  Ya.  Out  of  a  family  comprising 
seven  sons  and  one  daughter  it  is  a  noteworthy  fact  that  every  son 
became  a  Revolutionary  soldier  and  two  died  the  death  of  patriots 
while  fighting  on  the  battlefield  for  liberty  and  independence.  One 
of  these  young  heroes  was  Joseph  Stephens,  who  in  1801  settled  in 
Wayne  county,  Ky.,  thence  moved  to  Tennessee  in  1815  and  during 
November  of  1817  traveled  by  wagon  to  Missouri,  settling  thirteen 
miles  south  of  Boonville,  Cooper  county,  where  he  acquired  slaves 
and  a  fine  tract  of  land.  P^or  years  be  contributed  to  the  agricnl 
tural  upbuilding  of  that  community.  His  death  occurred  May  7. 
1836,  near  Bunceton.  Twelve  children  bad  been  born  of  his  mar- 
riage to  Rhoda  Cole.     By  bis  second  wife.  Catharine  Dickson,   be 


198  HISTORY  OF  YOLO  COUNTY 

was  the  father  of  nine  children,  namely:  John  D.,  who  for  years 
before  his  death  was  an  influential  banker  of  Woodland,  Cal. ; 
George  D.,  whose  name  introduces  this  article;  Andrew  J.,  Thomas 
H.  B.,  Margaret,  Alpha,  Harriet,  Isabella  and  Lee  Ann. 

As  an  educative  preparation  for  life's  activities  the  environ- 
ment of  George  Dickson  Stephens  in  youth  was  most  efficacious. 
Self-reliance  and  persistence  were  learned  by  actual  experience.  In 
addition,  observation  taught  him  lessons  which  could  not  have  been 
learned  in  school.  Gold  was  discovered  in  California  just  at  the 
time  when,  standing  at  the  threshold  of  manhood,  he  was  pondering 
the  subject  of  a  permanent  occupation  as  a  means  of  livelihood. 
He  was  therefore  in  a  mood  to  be  fascinated  by  the  unknown  oppor- 
tunities of  the  west  and  with  ardor  he  entered  upon  the  expedition 
made  up  for  the  coast.  As  his  primary  object  in  seeking  this  state 
had  been  to  search  for  gold,  he  immediately  began  to  work  as  a 
miner  and  prospector  and  established  temporary  headquarters  suc- 
cessively at  Mormon  Island,  Missouri  bar  on  the  American  river 
and  at  ilangtown.  The  winter  of  1849-50  he  spent  with  others  in 
a  cabin  on  the  Sacramento  river.  During  the  spring  of  1850  he 
mined  on  the  middle  fork  of  the  American  river.  Returning  to 
Sacramento  on  the  -1th  of  July,  he  soon  began  to  buy  cattle  and 
mules  from  arriving  emigrants.  '  These  he  drove  down  to  Cache 
creek,  where  in  1850  he  made  a  camp  on  what  he  supposed  to  be 
government  land.  Soon,  however,  he  found  that  it  was  a  portion 
of  the  Berryessa  grant.  With  his  brother,  John  D.,  he  acquired 
the  property  in  the  same  year  and  put  up  au  adobe  house,  the  only 
building  of  the  Hnd  now  remaining  in  Yolo  county.  To  this  original 
adobe  has  been  added  a  comfortable  home  where  the  family  gather 
to  have  their  good  times. 

In  addition  to  the  purchase  of  the  Rancho  de  Capay  the  broth- 
ers promoted  the  Cottonwood  Ditch  Company,  later  known  as  the 
Capay  Ditch  Company(  which  ultimately  was  merged  into  the  Yolo 
County  Consolidated  Water  Company)  and  now  known  as  the  Yolo 
Power  and  Water  Company.  With  the  securing  of  irrigation  it  was 
possible  to  raise  grain  profitably  and  from  that  the  brothers  drifted 
into  live  stock  operations,  raising  horses  and  mules,  Durham  cattle 
and  Poland-China  hogs,  also  sheep  of  such  fine  quality  that  they 
won  many  premiums  at  local  and  state  fairs.  While  building  up  a 
remarkable  business  in  stock  and  grain  George  D.  Stephens  at  the 
same  time  identified  himself  with  the  material  upbuilding  of  the 
community,  promoted  the  maintenance  of  good  schools,  helped  to 
secure  first-class  teachers  for  the  country  schools,  and  also  wielded 
a  wide  influence  as  a  Democrat,  although  he  uever  consented  to 
become  a  candidate  for  office,  nor  was  he  willing  to  accept  party 
favors  of  any  kind.     During  1872  he  married  Miss  Laura  Wilcox- 


HISTORY  OF  YOLO  COUNTY  199 

son,  who  was  born  in  Fayette,  Howard  county,  Mo.,  the  daughter  of 
Joseph  and  Amanda  (Stapleton)  Wilcoxson,  of  Kentucky.  She 
died  in  1875,  leaving  two  daughters,  Kate  L.  and  Josephine.  The 
latter  is  the  wife  of  Russell  Harriman  and  lives  in  Los  Angeles, 
Cal.  The  former  was  elected  secretary  of  the  Stephens  Agricul- 
tural &  Livestock  Company,  the  president  having  been  George 
Dickson  Stephens  from  the  organization  of  the  concern  until  his 
death,  December  22,  1901.  Since  then  his  eldest  son,  by  a  later  mar- 
riage, was  elected  to  the  office  his  father's  death  vacated.  The 
second  marriage  of  Mr.  Stephens  took  place  May  27,  1877,  and 
united  him  with  Miss  Nannie  Lucas,  a  native  of  Buchanan  county, 
Mo.,  and  a  daughter  of  G.  J.  Lucas,  who  in  1868  brought  his  family 
to  California.  Of  this  union  there  are  the  following-named  sons 
and  daughters:  John  L.,  president  of  the  Stephens  Agricultural  & 
Livestock  Company;  Mrs.  Louise  M.  Plummer,  of  San  Francisco; 
Sarah,  wife  of  Capt.  Charles  Gordon,  U.  S.  A.;  Margaret;  Mrs. 
Elizabeth  Needham,  of  Sacramento,  Cal.;  George  D.,  now  in  Ari- 
zona; Frank  Warren,  of  Woodland;  Ben  Gray,  of  Winters;  Will- 
iam Fulton,  Thomas  Jackson,  and  Paul,  who  remain  on  the  estate. 
The  property  comprises  about  eight  thousand  acres  of  land  in  Yolo 
county  and  has  been  provided  with  every  equipment  for  the  care  of 
stock,  in  which  a  specialty  is  now  made  of  Shorthorn  Durham  cattle 
and  of  Shropshire  sheep. 

Since  the  death  of  Mr.  Stephens,  to  whose  far-seeing  ability 
must  lie  attributed  the  acquisition  of  the  vast  tracts  in  Yolo  county, 
the  estate  has  remained  intact  ami  conducted  as  an  incorporated 
business  has  brought  gratifying  returns  to  the  heirs.  The  marvel- 
ous harmony  that  pervades  the  family,  an  admirable  and  most  un- 
usual feature  in  such  instances,  causes  each  member  to  place  im- 
plicit confidence  in  the  others  and  to  make  sacrifices  if  necessary 
for  their  good.  A  bond  of  affection  and  trust  exists  between  all  the 
members  of  the  family  that  is  rarely  shown  so  strongly  or  expressed 
so  positively  in  even  the  most  minute  details  of  daily  activities. 
This  spirit  of  devotion  and  confidence  is  a  heritage  from  the  father, 
whose  home  was  to  him  the  fairest  spot  on  earth  and  whose  great 
heart  encompassed  each  child  with  a  boundless  affection.  Deep  as 
was  his  interest  in  agriculture,  progressive  as  he  was  in  promoting 
the  quality  of  live  stock  raised  in  the  county,  engrossed  as  he  was 
in  schools  and  other  public  institutions  of  worth,  interested  as  lie 
was  in  the  directorate  of  the  Bank  of  Woodland  and  prominent  in 
many  movements  of  permanent  value  to  the  county,  it  was  in  his 
home,  surrounded  by  his  family  and  extending  a  gracious  hospital- 
ity to  friends,  that  he  was  at  his  best  and  there  his  generous  na- 
ture, unselfish  spirit  ami  honorable  character  shone  forth  with  a 
dignified  beauty  that  lends  a  permanent  value  to  the  record  of  hi-- 


200  HISTORY  OF  YOLO  COUNTY 

life.  To  his  children  he  taught  precious  lessons  by  example  and 
precept.  From  him  they  learned  how  to  bear  disappointment  with 
fortitude,  how  to  secure  victory  with  moderation,  how  to  suffer 
svith  patience,  iu  short,  how  to  live  with  courage  and  how  to  die 
with  honor. 


THOMAS  J.  BELSHE 

A  native  of  California,  his  birth  having  occurred  in  Woodland, 
Y'olo  county,  February  9,  1856,  Mr.  Belshe  is  widely  known  as 
a  most  practical  and  enterprising  citizen,  and  by  his  well-directed 
efforts  has  contributed  largely  to  the  development  of  the  com- 
munity. His  parents,  William  G.  and  Leah  (Morris)  Belshe,  na- 
tives of  Germany  and  Kentucky,  respectively,  crossed  the  plains 
from  Missouri  in  1849,  and  in  Y'olo  county,  Cal.,  they  took  up  a 
ranch  near  Woodland.  After  five  years  Mr.  Belshe  took  his  family 
to  Geyserville,  Sonoma  county,  where  he  resumed  farming,  actively 
conducting  his  duties  until  his  death  in  1859.  To  the  union  of 
Mr.  and  Mrs.  Belshe,  the  latter  of  whom  now  makes  her  home 
in  San  Diego  county,  six  children  were  born,  as  follows:  John  M. 
and  Robert  F.,  deceased ;  Thomas  J. ;  William  P.,  who  resides 
in  Orange  county,  and  two  daughters  who  died  young. 

In  1864  Mr.  Belshe  returned  to  Yrolo  county  with  his  mother, 
who  settled  on  a  farm  near  Madison,  where  she  purchased  two 
hundred  acres  of  land.  Mr.  Belshe  was  educated  in  the  public 
schools  there,  after  which  he  followed  farming  on  his  mother's 
place  until  his  marriage.  For  some  time  thereafter  he  followed 
horticulture,  but  is  now  engaged  in  viticulture  at  Cottonwood. 
Year  by  year  his  vineyard  increases  in  both  value  and  production, 
the  record  for  the  season  of  1911  having  been  seventy-five  tons 
from  nine  acres,  and  for  1912  one  hundred  tons.  The  ranch  is 
counted  one  of  the  leading  properties  of  the  county,  none  present- 
ing a  more  highly  cultivated  or  more  beautiful  appearance  than  the 
Belshe  vineyard. 

Thomas  J.  Belshe  was  united  in  marriage  in  1876  to  Miss 
Johanna  Toelle,  a  native  of  Sacramento.  The  three  children  born 
to  them  are  William  A.,  Mary  I.  and  Cora  B.  In  the  death  of  his 
wife  in  1899  Mr.  Belshe  lost  a  devoted  companion  and  the  children 
a  kind  and  affectionate  mother.  Politically  he  has  always  supported 
Democratic  principles  and  has  at  all  times  maintained  an  active 
concern  in  public  enterprises  of  merit,  being  especially  interested 
in  the  cause  of  education. 


Q€. 


HISTORY  OF  YOLO  COUNTY  Jit:; 

LAWRENCE  DAVID  STEPHENS 

One  of  the  most  highly  esteemed  and  public-spirited  citizens  of 
Woodland  is  Lawrence  1).  Stephens,  who  since  1898  lias  been 
president  of  the  Bank  of  Woodland,  having  been  a  director  since  its 
organization  in  1868.  when  his  uncle,  John  I).  Stephens,  was  its 
chief  executive.  Born  in  Boonville,  Cooper  county,  Mo..  June  30, 
1835,  he  spent  his  boyhood  on  the  farm  of  his  parents,  James 
Madison  and  Mary  Ann  (Adams)  Stephens,  receiving  his  early  edu- 
cation in  the  district  school  of  his  home  community. 

Mr.  Stephens  is  a  descendant  of  an  old  and  historic  family  who 
came  originally  from  England  and  settled  in  Philadelphia  at  the 
time  of  William  Penn.  His  grandfather,  Joseph  Stephens,  was  born 
in  old  Virginia,  and  was  a  farmer  in  the  Shenandoah  Valley.  He 
served  in  the  Revolutionary  war,  after  which  he  removed  to  the 
state  of  Tennessee,  where  his  son,  James  Madison,  was  probably 
born,  and  he  later  became  a  pioneer  farmer  of  Boonville,  Cooper 
county,  Mo.,  where  he  had  gone  in  1818.  There  James  Madison 
made  his  home  and  died,  having  followed  the  vocation  of  farming 
all  his  life.  Of  the  eleven  children  born  to  James  M.  and  his  wife, 
Mary  Ann  (Adams)  Stephens,  ten  grew  to  maturity:  Eliza,  Mrs. 
S.  A.  Howard,  resides  in  Woodland,  Cal. ;  Jane,  Mrs.  Allison,  passed 
away  near  Boonville,  Mo. ;  Rhoda,  Mrs.  C.  W.  Bonynge.  resides  in 
London,  England;  Zilpha  is  Mrs.  George  W.  Chapman,  of  Winters; 
Kate,  Mrs.  Robert  Hawxlmrst,  lives  in  San  Francisco;  Lawrence 
D.  is  mentioned  below;  Joseph  J.  resides  in  Woodland,  Cal.;  Wil- 
liam H.  H.  is  a  farmer  and  lives  on  the  old  homestead  in  Cooper 
county,  Mo.;  James  M.  is  a  resident  of  San  Diego,  Cal.;  and 
Benjamin  W.  resides  in  Ft.  Worth,  Texas. 

In  April,  1852,  when  a  lad  of  sixteen,  Lawrence  D.  Stephens 
carried  out  a  resolve  which  had  long  been  the  desire  of  his  heart — 
to  travel  to  the  far  west  and  make  for  himself  a  name  which  should 
reflect  credit  not  only  upon  himself,  but  upon  the  family  name 
as  well.  An  opportunity,  without  which,  however,  the  boy  would 
doubtless  have  proceeded  on  his  way  unaided,  occurred  when  his 
uncle,  Andrew  J.  Stephens,  announced  his  intention  of  immigrating 
to  California  and  joining  his  brothers  who  for  some  time  had  been 
successful  ranchers  in  Yolo  county,  in  company  with  five  neighbors 
they  set  out,  traveling  a  portion  of  the  way  with  a  large  train,  but 
throughout  the  major  part  of  the  journey  fraught  with  dangers  as 
well  as  hardships,  they  were  compelled  to  proceed  alone.  After 
several  months'  patient  plodding  and  hoping  they  arrived  safely  at 
their  destination,  the  ranch  of  the  Stephens  Brothers,  at  Madison, 
where  they  remained  for  a  time.  The  following  year  the  boy,  for 
he  was  no  more,  rented  a  farm  and  courageously  began  operations 


■204  HISTORY  OF  YOLO  COUNTY 

for  himself.  In  1853  he  and  his  brother,  J.  J.,  purchased  five 
hundred  and  twenty  acres  not  far  from  Madison,  which  they  stocked 
with  cattle  and  sheep  and  successfully  conducted  for  the  next  ten 
years.  During  the  dry  season  of  1864,  however,  they  suffered  with 
the  majority  of  cattle  owners  in  that  section,  and  were  forced  to 
take  their  stock  to  Placer  county,  where  they  camped  in  the  foot- 
hills some  distance  north  of  Newcastle.  In  spite  of  their  efforts 
to  save  their  herd  the  winter  proved  so  cold  that  by  the  following 
spring,  when  they  returned  to  their  home  in  Yolo  county,  they 
had  lost  all  of  their  stock  with  the  exception  of  a  solitary  cow  and 
thirty  sheep. 

About  this  time  occurred  a  circumstance  which  cost  Mr.  Ste- 
phens dearly,  especially  since  he  had  lost  all  his  stock  and  was 
obliged  to  make  a  fresh  start  in  life.  While  on  his  way  from 
Placer  to  Yolo  county,  a  highwayman  stopped  Mm  on  an  unfre- 
quented road  between  Yankee  Jim's  and  Auburn,  demanding  his 
money.  With  regret  bordering  on  despair  Mr.  Stephens  relin- 
quished his  sole  capital  of  $600,  upon  which  he  was  permitted  to 
continue  his  journey  unmolested.  Conditions  at  this  time,  it  will 
be  remembered,  were  utterly  different  from  those  of  the  early 
period  of  emigration,  when  prospectors  journeyed  about  with 
valuable  gold  dust,  etc.,  without  fear  of  robbery. 

Some  time  later,  nothing  daunted  by  his  discouraging  experi- 
ence, Mr.  Stephens  established  himself  in  a  new  locality,  where 
he  continued  to  raise  cattle,  selling  his  beef  profitably  to  the  mining 
camps  of  the  section.  In  1866,  however,  he  went  to  Grass  Valley, 
a  mining  camp,  leaving  his  brother  to  care  for  his  interests. 
Scarcely  had  he  appeared  in  the  midst  of  his  new  associates  when 
they  unanimously  chose  him  as  superintendent  of  the  Omaha  Quartz 
Mining  Company.  Throughout  the  next  year  Mr.  Stephens  filled 
his  post,  returning  in  1867  to  his  ranch  in  Yolo  county.  In  1873 
he  accepted  the  presidency  of  the  Grangers'  warehouse  at  Wood- 
land, which  position  he  held  for  three  years,  when  he  engaged  in 
the  grain  business  with  J.  J.  Stephens  and  J.  H.  Harlan,  a  business 
that  continued  for  about  eight  years.  May  10,  1876,  he  was  united 
in  marriage  to  Miss  Alice  E.  Hunt,  whose  father  was  W.  G.  Hunt, 
a  pioneer.  Immediately  after  the  wedding  the  young  people 
proceeded  on  a  tour  through  the  East,  including  Mr.  Stephens'  old 
home  and  as  far  east  as  the  Philadelphia  Centennial,  Washington 
and  New  York.  Five  years  later,  in  1881,  Mr.  Stephens,  with  his 
brother,  J.  J.  Stephens  and  J.  H.  Harlan  as  associates,  purchased 
a  parcel  of  land  aggregating  three  thousand  acres,  located  ten  miles 
south  of  Fresno.  This  they  stocked  with  cattle  and  also  engaged 
in  raising  grain,  their  success  being  most  gratifying. 

In  1898  occurred  the  death  of  John  D.  Stephens,  and,  as  above 


HISTORY  OF  YOLO  COUNTY  205 

mentioned,  Lawrence  D.  Stephens  was  elected  president  of  the 
Bank  of  Woodland,  which  institution  had,  since  its  organization, 
numbered  him  among  its  stockholders.  Incorporated  November  9, 
1868,  the  Bank  of  Woodland  started  on  its  career  with  the  following- 
stockholders  :  John  D.  Stephens,  II.  F.  Hastings,  George  Snodgrass, 
John  Hollingsworth,  F.  S.  Freeman,  C.  Nelson,  D.  Q.  Adams, 
G.  D.  Stephens,  Frank  Miller,  B.  F.  Hastings,  O.  Livermore,  J. 
Wilcoxson,  H.  C.  Hemenway,  U.  Shellhammer,  L.  D.  Stephens, 
Charles  Coil  and  Charles  (i.  Day.  The  original  officers  were: 
J.  D.  Stephens,  president;  F.  S.  Freeman,  vice-president  and  C.  W. 
Bush,  cashier.  Directors  were  chosen  as  follows:  F.  S.  Freeman, 
Frank  Miller,  J.  D.  Stephens,  John  Hollingsworth,  C.  Nelson,  J. 
Wilcoxson,  L.  D.  Stephens,  H.  F.  Hastings  and  C.  W.  Bonynge. 
Capitalized  at  $100,000,  the  venture  proved  so  successful  that  in 
1870,  at  the  annual  stockholders'  meeting,  the  capital  stock  was 
doubled.  A  few  years  afterward,  at  a  special  stockholders'  meeting, 
it  was  raised  to  $500,000  and  some  years  later,  about  1880,  it  was 
increased  to  its  present  capitalization  of  $1,000,000.  On  May 
2,  1882,  L.  D.  Stephens  was  elected  teller  and  acting  president. 
Upon  this  occasion  was  presented  the  following  resolution  by 
J.  H.  Harlan,  second  by  F.  S.  Freeman: 

"Resolved,  That  the  directors  of  the  Bank  of  Woodland  do 
hereby  authorize  and  empower  Lawrence  D.  Stephens,  the  teller 
of  said  bank,  to  do  anything  in  and  about  the  premises  that  the 
president  of  the  bank  has  the  power  to  do,  requiring  the  teller  to 
give  satisfactory  bond  of  $50,000  for  the  faithful  performance  of 
his  duties."  Owing  to  the  death  of  John  Hollingsworth,  0.  <L). 
Nelson  was  elected  a  director  at  the  annual  meeting  February 
20,  1897.  February  25,  1899,  George  D.  Stephens  was  elected 
to  fill  the  vacancy  caused  by  the  death  of  the  vice-president,  F.  S. 
Freeman,  John  S.  Craig  having  been  chosen,  September  7,  1898, 
to  take  the  place  of  director  John  J.  Stephens.  In  February, 
1901,  at  the  regular  annual  meeting,  the  following  directors  were 
chosen  to  fill  vacancies:  C.  Nelson,  C.  Q.  Nelson,  J.  S.  Craig,  J.  11. 
Harlan  (whose  death  occurred  in  April,  1905),  G.  D.  and  L.  D. 
Stephens  and  M.  Michael.  In  February,  1902,  C.  Nelson  was 
elected  vice-president  to  till  the  vacancy  caused  by  the  death  of 
George  D.  Stephens  in  November,  1901,  John  L.  Stephens  taking 
his  place  as  director.  In  191)1  J.  S.  Craig  took  the  place  of  C.  F. 
Thomas,  who  had  held  the  post  of  cashier  since  his  election  in 
1883.  The  paid-up  capital  which  in  about  the  year  1880  had  Keen 
increased  to  $9(;2,10(>  has  remained  unchanged.  In  is?.",  the 
bank  moved  from  its  old  quarters  to  a  newly  remodeled  corner 
building,  which  it  still  occupies.    The  present  directors  are:  L.   I>. 


206  HISTORY  OF  YOLO  COUNTY 

Stephens,  J.  L.  Stephens,  C.  Q.  Nelson,  J.  L.  Harlan,  J.  S.  Craig, 
C.  M.  Faris  and  L.  H.  Stephens. 

For  many  years  Mr.  Stephens  held  the  position  of  secretary 
of  the  Capay  Ditch  Company,  which  is  now  known  as  the  Yolo 
County  Power  Company,  capitalized  at  $1,000,000,  of  which  he 
is  president.  He  was  also  actively  interested  in  the  organization 
and  work  of  the  Woodland  Building  and  Loan  Association,  serving 
as  its  treasurer  until  it  was  dissolved.  In  1901  he  assisted  in 
organizing  the  "Woodland  Milling  Company,  whose  buildings  two 
years  later  were  destroyed  by  fire.  Mr.  Stephens  is  still  largely 
interested  in  farming.  His  ranch  near  Madison  comprises  over 
five  hundred  acres  under  the  Yolo  County  Power  Company  ditch, 
which  is  under  cultivation  to  alfalfa,  grapes  and  grain,  and  another 
ranch,  comprising  six  hundred  and  forty  acres,  which  is  under 
the  canal  he  has  also  devoted  to  the  raising  of  grain. 

The  following  children  were  born  to  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Stephens : 
Rowena  Alice,  Mrs.  Fairchild,  of  Woodlaud ;  Lawrence  Hunt, 
director  in  the  Bank  of  Woodland  and  acting  secretary  of  the 
Yolo  County  Power  Company;  William  G.,  in  the  grain  business 
in  Woodland;  and  John  D.,  of  Woodland.  Throughout  his  career 
Mr.  Stephens  has  ever  shown  tact  and  consideration  for  others. 
and  deservedly  enjoys  the  high  regard  of  a  host  of  friends  and 
Imsiness  associates.  His  home  is  ideal,  both  as  to  grounds  and 
dwelling,  which  bear  the  impress  of  the  cultivated  tastes  of  its 
owner. 


WILLIAM  BRAY 

One  of  Yolo  county's  pioneers,  now  deceased,  was  William 
Bray,  who  was  born  in  Monroe  county,  Ky.,  P^ebruary  23,  1832, 
and  passed  away  in  Woodland  March  25,  1894.  When  he  was  in 
his  nineteenth  year,  in  1850,  Mr.  Bray  left  his  home  in  the  south 
for  the  great  west  and  his  journey  across  the  plains  with  ox- 
teams,  in  company  with  a  number  of  other  immigrants,  was  fraught 
great  dangers  from  the  savage  red  men,  who  more  than  once  at- 
tempted to  overpower  the  travelers.  However,  they  made  the  trip 
in  safety,  after  which  they  separated,  Mr.  Bray  mining  a  short 
time  at  Dutch  Flats,  after  which  he  took  up  a  quarter  section  of 
land  in  Yolo  county,  two  miles  south  of  Woodland,  on  which  he 
located  and  built  a  cabin,  and  ever  afterward  he  continued  to  make 
improvements.     He  carried  on  general  farming,  making  a  specialty 


A 
a/ 


Ctzs&tsz^i 


HISTOEY  OF  YOLO  COUNTY  209 

of  raising  grain,  alfalfa  and  stock.  Here  he  made  his  home  until 
his  death.  In  front  of  the  modest  little  home  which  he  built  years 
ago  stands  a  modern  residence,  and  the  great  cottonwood  trees 
which  he  planted  still  surround  the  property  which  he  labored  so 
patiently  to  improve.  His  wife,  formerly  Harriet  Eakle,  was 
born  in  Tennessee,  and  accompanied  her  mother  and  sisters  west- 
ward in  the  early  '50s.  Her  death  occurred  on  the  home  place 
near  Woodland  in  December,  1907.  The  following  children  were 
born  to  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Bray:  Alexander,  deceased;  John  E.,  de- 
ceased; Sarah  A.  and  Lucy  Jane,  who  share  the  eighty  acres  left 
by  their  parents;  James  R.,  whose  wife  before  her  marriage  was 
Ida  Butterfield,  and  who  has  one  son;  William  H.,  deceased;  and 
Mary  C,  who  is  now  Mrs.  William  Gould,  of  Woodland. 

Mr.  and  Mrs.  Bray  were  both  devout  members  of  the  Chris- 
tian Church  in  Woodland  and  were  mourned  by  a  large  number 
of  friends  who  knew  them  well. 


JOHN  WOHLFROM 

The  Yolo  County  Savings  Bank  under  the  presidency  of  John 
Wohlfrom  has  maintained  the  high  position  in  financial  circles  it  lias 
won  through  the  cautious,  conservative  policy  adopted  by  its  of- 
ficers at  the  very  beginning  of  its  history.  To  a  large  decree  the 
success  of  the  institution  may  be  attributed  to  the  present  head  of 
the  concern,  who  as  one  of  the  promoters  and  organizers  of  the 
bank,  became  a  member  of  the  original  board  of  directors  and 
served  in  the  capacity  of  vice-president  until  promoted  to  his  pres- 
ent post  of  honor  and  trust.  It  is  said  by  many  that  no  citizen  of 
the  city  of  Woodland  exerts  a  greater  influence  upon  its  financial 
affairs  than  does  Mr.  Wohlfrom  and  certain  it  is  that  none  displays 
more  prudence  in  investments  or  greater  tact  in  business  dealings 
than  he.  Indeed,  his  gratifying  success  comes  from  the  constant 
exercise  of  industry,  prudence  and  tact,  for  he  had  none  to  aid  him 
in  getting  a  foothold  in  the  world  and  when  he  came  to  America 
he  was  hampered  not  only  by  poverty,  but  also  by  a  lack  of  knowl- 
edge of  the  English  language. 

Born  in  the  viciuity  of  Strassburg  and  the  Rhine  river  in  Kir- 
cheim,  Alsace  (then  a  part  of),  France,  November  9.  1832,  John 
Wohlfrom  was  the  youngest  son  among  nine  children,  six  of  whom 
lived  to  maturity  and  three  came  to  the  new  world.  Educated  in 
the  schools  of  Alsace,  he  left  home  al  the  age  of  twentv  vears  and 


210  HISTORY  OF  YOLO  COUNTY 

took  passage  from  Havre,  France,  for  America  in  1852,  landing  in 
New  Orleans  on  New  Year's  day  of  1853  and  proceeding  direct  to 
St.  Louis,  Mo.,  where  were  two  older  brothers,  Joseph  and  Anton, 
both  of  whom  died  in  Colusa  county,  Cal.  Hoping  to  secure  em- 
ployment in  Illinois,  he  crossed  the  river  from  St.  Louis  on  the  ice 
and  after  tramping  a  considerable  distance  he  was  hired  by  a 
farmer  near  Centerville  at  $6  per  month.  Later  his  brother,  An- 
ton, found  a  place  for  him  at  $10  per  month  with  George  Lewis,  an 
Englishman  living  at  Boonville,  Mo.,  and  it  was  there  that  Mr. 
Wohlfrom  learned  to  speak  English.  Upon  the  removal  of  his  em- 
ployer to  St.  Louis  he  accompanied  him  to  the  city  and  secured 
work  as  a  drayman.  In  a  short  time  he  had  a  team  of  his  own  and 
in  business  for  himself. 


It  was  during  1855  that  Mr.  Wohlfrom  started  for  the  west. 
Misfortune  attended  him  from  the  first.  The  steamer  on  which  he 
had  taken  passage  burned  and  he  escaped  with  difficulty.  Then  he 
boarded  a  second  steamer,  which  soon  sank,  the  passengers,  how- 
ever, being  saved.  Finally  the  third  steamer  conveyed  him  as  far 
as  Aspinwall.  From  Panama  he  sailed  north  on  a  vessel  that  cast 
anchor  at  San  Francisco  March  2,  1855.  June  of  the  same  year 
found  him  in  Yolo  county,  where  he  worked  three  months  in  the 
hay  fields.  Six  weeks  in  Sierra  county  as  a  miner  caused  all  of  his 
earnings  to  vanish.  From  Downieville  he  returned  to  Yolo  county, 
where  he  secured  work  as  a  farm  hand  at  $1  per  day.  Later  he  and 
a  cousin,  Joseph  Wohlfrom,  who  had  accompanied  him  to  Califor- 
nia, purchased  one  hundred  and  sixty  acres  of  land  two  miles  east 
of  what  is  now  Blacks  Station.  The  entire  tract  cost  them  $280. 
In  1856  their  partnership  was  dissolved. 

The  old  Weyant  place  of  three  hundred  and  twenty  acres,  which 
lie  still  owns,  was  purchased  in  1860  by  John  Wohlfrom.  There 
he  raised,  bought  and  sold  horses,  cattle  and  sheep.  At  his  house 
he  accommodated  travelers  with  board  and  rooms  and  he  also  car- 
ried a  stock  of  merchandise  and  groceries,  besides  having  the  post- 
office  known  as  Prairie  at  his  store.  In  1868  he  built  a  store  on 
Colusa  plains  two  miles  north  of  College  City  and  remained  there 
until  the  building  was  burned  in  1873.  Besides  the  Weyant  prop- 
erty he  acquired  three  farms  within  twelve  miles  of  Woodland,  two 
of  these  being  quarter-section  farms,  while  the  other  contains  two 
hundred  acres.  In  addition  he  owns  ten  hundred  and  forty  acres  in 
one  body  in  Colusa  county  and  a  well-improved  farm  of  seven  hun- 
dred and  twenty  acres  two  miles  south  of  College  City.  With  his 
brother  he  owned  at  Prize,  Colusa  county,  a  finely  improved  farm  of 
two  hundred  and  eighty  acres  and  besides  he  owned  four  hundred 
acres  one  and  a  half  miles  west  of  Maxwell,  Colusa  county,  which 
he  has  since  sold.     During  the  years  of  his  greatest  physical  activ- 


HISTORY  OF  YOLO  COUNTY  211 

ity  he  was  called  the  cattle  king  of  Yolo  and  Colusa  counties. 
Finally  the  demands  upon  his  energy  proved  too  much  for  his 
strength  and  he  decided  to  enter  upon  activities  less  taxing  physi- 
cally. Coming  to  Woodland  in  1891  he  erected  a  valuable  residence 
at  No.  203  Court  street  and  has  since  been  interested  in  the  banking 
business. 

After  he  became  a  resident  of  the  United  States  and  had  made 
a  study  of  the  political  issues  of  the  country,  Mr.  Wohlfrom  em- 
braced Republican  principles  and  cast  his  first  presidential  ballot 
for  Abraham  Lincoln.  His  first  wife,  whom  he  married  in  1861, 
was  Barbara  Keller,  a  native  of  Switzerland,  but  a  resident  of 
Yolo  county  for  a  long  time  prior  to  her  demise.  In  1891  he  was 
united  with  Miss  Helene  Wimmer,  who  was  born  in  Baden,  Ger- 
many, April  4,  186.1,  the  daughter  of  Michael  and  Elizabeth  (Gras) 
Wimmer,  likewise  natives  of  Germany.  She  came  to  Yolo  county  in 
young  womanhood  and  resided  with  her  sister,  Mrs.  John  Bern- 
merly,  until  her  marriage.  She  passed  away  November  24,  1908, 
mourned  by  all  who  were  privileged  to  know  her.  It  is  not  fulsome 
praise  to  say  that  John  Wohlfrom's  life  has  been  one  that  might  be 
taken  as  an  example  for  young  men  just  starting  in  life  to  follow. 
He  began  his  career  without  means  or  backing  of  any  kind,  but  he 
had  implanted  within  him  what  was  better  than  anything  else, — an 
ambition  and  determination  to  succeed.  At  no  time  in  his  search 
for  fortune  did  he  lose  sight  of  the  Golden  Rule,  squaring  all  of  his 
actions  by  this  unfailing  guide,  and  it  is  for  this  reason  that  as  lie 
nears  life's  close  and  looks  back  over  the  past  he  can  do  so  with 
satisfaction,  knowing  that  he  has  wilfully  wronged  no  one.  He  has 
had  no  greater  pleasure  in  life  than  giving  a  helping  hand  to  young 
men  who,  like  himself,  have  had  their  own  way  to  make  against 
great  odds.  His  integrity  and  honor  are  unquestioned  and  of  him  it 
may  truly  he  said  that  his  word  is  as  good  as  his  bond. 


ROBERT  W.  BROWNING 

To  the  pioneers  of  western  civilization  who  suffered  all 
manner  of  hardships  and  baffling  failures,  yet  who  were  sus- 
tained throughout  this  trying  period  by  their  splendid  faith 
in  their  ultimate  victory  over  the  problem  presented  by  this 
new  and  untried  land,  too  much  credit  can  not  be  given.  The 
pleasant  and  convenient  conditions  of  life  in  our  modern  day  so 
strongly    contrast    with    existence    in    the    last    century    that     the 


212  HISTORY  OF  YOLO  COUNTY 

bravest  of  us  would  not  feel  sufficient  courage  to  attempt,  for 
any  compensation,  to  live  and  work  and  suffer  under  the  cir- 
cumstances that  surrounded  our  forefathers. 

One  of  the  most  manly  and  indomitable  characters  who 
played  his  part  as  a  pioneer  we  find  in  Robert  W.  Browning, 
a  southerner,  with  the  high  ambitions  and  earnest,  impulsive 
nature  of  a  true  son  of  the  south.  Born  near  Tompkinsville, 
Monroe  county,  Ky.,  December  1,  1833,  he  came  to  the  coast 
at  the  age  of  twenty  with  his  parents.  The  journey  was  made  in 
1854  across  the  plains,  and  in  the  same  year  the  family  set- 
tled on  the  farm  which  Mr.  Browning  now  occupies,  four  miles 
southwest  of  Woodland.  The  father,  Charles  Browning,  passed 
away  here  in  1861,  when  sixty-two  years  of  age.  The  mother 
lived  to  reach  the  age  of  seventy-nine,  passing  away  in  1882. 
South  Carolina  was  the  birth  state  of  the  elder  Browning,  and 
his  wife,  Elizabeth,  was  born  in  Kentucky,  the  native  state  of 
her  parents,  James  and  Ann  (Hibbit)  Crawford.  Botli  Mr.  and 
Mrs.  Browning  were  earnest  Christians  and  were  members  of 
the  church  of  that  denomination.  Mr.  Browning  was  a  loyal 
Whig  until  that  party  passed  out  of  existence,  when  he  allied 
his  political  sympathies  to  the  Democratic  party.  Eight  chil- 
dren were  born  to  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Browning:  Mrs.  Ann  Brandon 
and  James  C,  deceased;  Mrs.  Martha  Welch,  who  resides  near 
Woodland ;  Mrs.  Jane  Lawson,  of  Woodland ;  Mrs.  Elizabeth 
Barnes,  of  Eureka;  Mrs.  Mary  Dameron,  deceased;  William  Y., 
deceased;  and  Robert  W. 

Answering  one  of  the  greatest  needs  of  the  country,  R.  W. 
Browniug  established  himself  in  the  freighting  trade  in  1861 
and  during  the  next  four  summers  carried  on  the  business  of 
transporting  goods  between  Sacramento  and  the  mines  in  Nevada. 
Meanwhile  he  devoted  much  of  his  time  to  his  farm  of  one 
hundred  and  sixty  acres  that  he  had  pre-empted,  and  later  he 
bought  adjoining  land  until  he  now  has  a  ranch  of  five  hundred 
acres,  devoted  largely  to  the  raising  of  grain,  besides  which  he 
carries  on  a  dairy. 

In  1889  the  cottage  which  had  sheltered  the  family  during 
their  first  years  in  the  west  was  removed  and  replaced  by  a 
comfortable,  substantial  dwelling.  Mrs.  Browning,  formerly  Miss 
Martha  Kincheloe,  was  born  in  Missouri,  the  daughter  of  Z.  B. 
Kincheloe,  who  resides  five  miles  southwest  of  Woodland.  Ten 
children  were  born  to  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Browning.  The  eldest  child, 
Lela,  married  Lanson  Merritt,  by  whom  she  had  two  daughters, 
Gladys  A.  and  Florence  C;  after  the  death  of  Mr.  Merritt  she 
became  the  wife  of  John  Reith,  Jr.  The  other  children  are  Wil- 
liam  M.    Browning,    who    served    as   auditor    of   Yolo    county    and 


fajtesKst^O.    ,    CO  . 


HISTORY  OF  YOLO  COUNTY  215 

is  now  accountant  in  the  Bank  of  Yolo;  Elizabeth,  the  wife  of 
A.  C.  Huston,  an  attorney  of  Woodland;  Zora,  the  wife  of  Henry 
J.  Bush,  who  is  in  the  mercantile  business  in  Woodland;  Charles 
B.,  deceased;  Harry  H.,  who  married  Miss  Gladys  Knight,  of 
Woodland;  Irma,  Mrs.  W.  G.  Stephens,  of  Woodland;  Philip 
Ludwell,  deceased;  Victorine  and  Donald  M.,  who  are  still  at 
home.  The  mother  of  these  children  died  March  17,  1910,  at 
the  age  of  sixty  years.  She  had  been  an  active  member  of  the 
Christian  Church  of  Woodland. 

The  Bank  of  Yolo,  a  solid  and  reliable  institution,  controlled 
by  some  of  Woodland's  most  responsible  citizens,  has  enjoyed 
Mr.  Browning's  services  as  vice-president  for  many  years.  Mr. 
Browning  is  an  avowed  Democrat.  For  the  past  twenty  years 
he  has  served  as  school  trustee  and  is  a  member  of  Woodland 
Lodge  Xo.  156,  F.  &  A.  M.  His  firm,  dependable  character  and  his 
faithfulness  to  duty  have  earned  for  him  a  high  regard  in  the 
community  which  lie  has  helped  to  build. 


MRS.    EMMA    C.    LAUGENOUB 

As  compared  with  the  volumes  that  have  been  written  exploit- 
ing the  accomplislnnents  of  men  in  bringing  California  up  to  its 
present  state  of  development,  little  or  nothing  has  been  said  con- 
cerning the  part  women  have  taken  in  this  same  work.  While 
from  an  outward  viewpoint  the  characters  they  have  represented 
in  the  drama  have  been  less  conspicuous  perhaps  than  those 
portrayed  by  the  men,  nevertheless  they  have  been  equally  neces- 
sary to  bring  about  the  ends  accomplished,  as  many  men  have 
declared  in  giving  the  synopsis  of  their  lives.  Few  of  California's 
early  settlers  recognized  more  thoroughly  than  did  John  D.  Lauge- 
nour  the  sustaining  help  and  comfort  which  he  received  from  his 
wife,  and  he  frankly  gave  credit  to  her  for  much  that  lie  was 
able  to  accomplish  during  his  long  residence  in  the  west.  Emma 
Christene  Watkins  was  born  in  New  Philadelphia,  Ohio,  May  12, 
1842,  and  was  therefore  about  eighteen  years  of  age  when  she 
became  the  wife  of  John  D.  Laugenour  in  1860.  Of  the  eight 
children  born  to  them  five  are  now  living  and  exemplifying  in 
their  daily  lives  the  high  principles  of  manhood  and  womanhood 
instilled  in  them  by  the  teachings  of  their  parents.  Named  in  the 
order  of  their  birth  they  are  as   follows:     Philip   T..    Henry    W.. 


216  HISTORY  OF  YOLO  COUNTY 

Jesse  D.,  William  R.,  and  Emma  Carter,  the  wife  of  Walter  F. 
Malcomb. 

To  the  tactful  sympathy,  as  well  as  conservative  judgment  of 
his  wife,  Mr.  Laugenour  attributed  much  of  his  success,  and  the 
fact  that  since  his  death  she  has  faithfully  endeavored  to  carry 
out  plans  of  both  philanthropy  and  business  in  which  she  deems 
he  would  have  been  deeply  interested,  is  proof  of  the  confidence 
and  understanding  which  existed  between  them. 

As  president  of  the  W.  C.  T.  U.  of  Woodland,  and  as  the 
principal  financial  backer  of  the  Home  Alliance,  a  paper  devoted 
not  only  to  the  temperance  movement,  but  to  general  news  as 
well,  Mrs.  Laugenour  has  done  much  to  aid  in  the  banishment  of 
the  liquor  evil,  and  by  her  womanly  sympathy  and  sunny  person- 
ality, united  with  pecuniary  assistance,  has  lightened  many  a  sad 
heart  and  given  more  than  one  poor  but  ambitious  young  person 
a  chance  to  prove  himself.  She  has  lived  to  see  the  cause  of  tem- 
perance victorious  in  Yolo  county,  but  now  the  saloons  are  ban- 
ished from  every  part  of  the  county,  with  the  exception  of 
Broderick  and  Clarksburg.  She  is  also  happy  to  have  lived  to 
see  the  object  for  which  she  labored  for  twenty  years — the  enfran- 
chisement of  women— crowned  with  success,  she  having  been  the 
pioneer  and  the  foremost  worker  in  her  county  in  pushing  the 
cause  of  suffrage  to  a  reality.  In  1900  she  bore  a  part  of  the 
expense  incident  to  the  erection  of  Mary's  Chapel,  near  Yolo,  in 
order  that  those  who  could  not  go  to  the  city  churches  might 
have  a  place  to  worship,  as  well  as  to  provide  accommodations  for 
funeral  corteges  from  the  outlying  districts  of  Yolo  county.  She 
also  organized  the  Mary's  Cemetery  Association,  which  she  has 
served  as  president  about  fifteen  years,  and  it  was  during  this 
time  that  Mary's  Chapel  was  built.  In  her  home,  Christene  Cot- 
tage, Woodland,  always  open  to  those  who  seek  comfort  and  assis- 
tance, Mrs.  Laugenour  dispenses  true  hospitality.  To  her,  life 
holds  nothing  sweeter  than  doing  for  those  less  fortunate  than 
herself,  and  it  is  meet  that  her  name  should  be,  as  it  is,  a  synonym 
for  purity  and  beauty  of  character. 


ERASTUS   SYLVESTER  FARNHAM 

The  history  of  E.  S.  Farnham,  a  Civil  war  veteran,  is  most 
interesting  and  well  worthy  of  the  man  it  represents.  His  paternal 
grandfather,  Benjamin  Farnham,  fought  in  the  Revolutionary  war 
and  died  in  Van  Buren  countv,  Mich.     Daniel  Farnham,  the  son 


HISTORY  OF  YOLO  COUNTY  217 

of  this  Revolutionary  hero  and  the  father  of  our  subject,  was  born 
in  New  York  state  in  1799  and  when  quite  young  removed  to  Mich- 
igan and  took  up  farming.  In  1850,  accompanied  by  his  son  Hor- 
ace and  Theodore  Dopking,  now  a  resident  of  Woodland,  he  came 
west,  crossing  the  plains  with  oxen.  He  mined  three  years,  then 
returning  to  his  Michigan  farm  by  way  of  the  Panama  route. 
Leasing  his  farm  in  1858  he  again  made  his  way  to  California 
with  his  son  Daniel,  Jr.  During  the  journey  he  acted  as  captain 
of  the  train.  Upon  his  arrival  in  the  west  Mr.  Farnham  took 
up  mining,  following  it  until  1865,  when  he  engaged  in  farming  in 
Yolo  county.  He  died  at  the  age  of  eighty-two  years.  He  was  a 
valued  member  of  the  Methodist  Episcopal  Church  and  politically 
was  a  Republican.  Naomi  (Rice)  Farnham,  his  wife,  a  native  of 
Ohio,  died  in  Yrolo  county  at  the  age  of  eighty-two  years.  Their 
children  were:  Amanda,  Mrs.  Lee,  now  living  in  Michigan;  Mary, 
Mrs.  W.  Wilkinson,  who  died  in  Michigan;  Erastus  S. ;  Caroline, 
and  Daniel,  Jr.  By  a  previous  marriage,  with  Miss  Myers,  Mr. 
Farnham  had  two  children,  Horace  and  Catherine. 

Erastus  Sylvester  Farnham  was  born  November  1,  1844,  in 
Cass  county,  Mich.,  where  he  spent  his  youth,  receiving  his  edu- 
cation in  the  public  schools.  At  the  age  of  sixteen,  in  the  fall  of 
1861,  he  offered  his  services  as  volunteer  in  the  Civil  war  and 
entered  Company  K,  Twelfth  Michigan  Volunteer  Infantry.  After 
being  mustered  in  at  Niles  he  went  south  with  his  company,  there 
after  engaging  in  many  battles,  including  Shiloh,  or  Pittsburg 
Landing,  and  Little  Rock.  At  the  close  of  the  war,  having  been 
honorably  discharged,  he  returned  to  his  home  in  Michigan,  where 
he  farmed  about  a  year,  after  which,  having  disposed  of  bis  land, 
he  came  to  California,  his  mother  and  his  sister  Caroline  (now 
Mrs.  Thomas  Beckett)  accompanying  him.  They  came  by  way 
of  Nicaragua,  arriving  in  California  in  the  spring  of  1866.  Mr. 
Farnham  purchased  eighty  acres  two  and  one-half  miles  southeast 
of  Woodland,  a  portion  of  this  farm  having  belonged  to  his  father 
and  his  brother  Daniel.  Mr.  Farnham  erected  a  house  and  other 
buildings  upon  it  and  pursued  farming  activities.  In  addition 
to  his  home  place  he  owns  six  hundred  and  forty  acres  west  of 
Orland,  Glenn  county,  which  is  devoted  to  stock  raising  and  the 
cultivation  of  grain.  lie  also  has  one  hundred  and  seventy  acres 
on  Cache  creek,  seven  miles  northwest  of  Woodland,  seventy  acres 
of  which  is  planted  in  alfalfa.  Most  of  this  tract  is  under  irriga- 
tion. His  dairy  business,  which  lie  established  in  1871,  has  been 
making  fine  strides  and  is  now  an  excellent  asset.  Mr.  Farnham 
was  one  of  the  organizers  of  the  Woodland  Creamery,  having 
erected  a  large  plant  in  Woodland,  and  he  is  a  member  of  the 
board  of  directors.     In  addition  to  the  property  mentioned  he  also 


218  HISTORY  OF  YOLO  COUNTY 

owns  one  hundred  and  sixty  acres  of  grain  land  in  Hungry  IIol 
low,  Yolo  county.  He  was  among  the  first  in  this  section  to  ven- 
ture in  the  raising  of  alfalfa. 

In  1870  Mr.  Farnham  married  Miss  Ella  Myers,  born  iu  Mil- 
ford,  Ind.,  July  5,  1854.  Her  father,  Martin  Myers,  a  native  of 
Ohio,  came  to  California  from  Indiana  in  1850,  his  wagons  being- 
drawn  by  oxen.  Taking  up  his  residence  in  Sacramento,  lie 
opened  the  "Watcheer  House,"  but  two  years  later,  having  a 
longing  for  the  old  home,  he  returned  to  the  Hoosier  state  and 
was  married,  coming  west  again  in  1860.  The  trip,  which  was 
made  with  horses,  consumed  five  months.  He  teamed  in  Nevada 
a  short  time  before  finally  locating  in  this  state,  and  passed  away 
in  Woodland  at  the  age  of  sixty-seven.  His  wife  was  formerly 
Eliza  Keightley,  a  native  of  Indiana  and  the  daughter  of  a  mill- 
wright. At  the  age  of  eighty  years  she  makes  her  home  with  her 
daughter,  Mrs.  Farnham.  The  three  children  born  to  Mr.  and 
Mrs.  Myers  are:  Charles,  engaged  in  the  contracting  business  in 
Long  Beach;  "Warren,  manager  of  one  of  Woodland's  creameries; 
and   Ella,   Mrs.   Farnham. 

Mr.  and  Mrs.  Farnham  have  had  nine  children:  Stella,  for- 
merly a  teacher,  and  now  Mrs.  T.  J.  Dinsdale,  of  Woodland ; 
Mary  E.,  who  died  when  seventeen  years  old;  Minnie  B.,  a  teacher, 
who  died  at  the  age  of  twenty-eight;  Edwin  D.,  a  farmer  in  Ore- 
gon; Alta  Mae,  a  graduate  of  the  San  Jose  state  normal  and  a 
teacher  until  her  marriage  to  H.  N.  Cunning,  of  Oakland;  Elsie, 
who  died  when  eight  years  old;  Elmer  and  Warren,  who  are 
farming  on  Cache  creek;   and  Lloyd,  who  is  on  the  home  place. 

Mr.  and  Mrs.  Farnham  are  members  of  the  Methodist  Epis- 
copal Church.  They  assisted  in  erecting  two  churches  in  their 
city  and  are  active  in  all  public  affairs.  Mr.  Farnham  is  and  has 
been  clerk  of  the  Spring  Lake  school  district  for  the  past  thirty 
years  and  in  politics  is  a  Republican.  He  is  connected  with 
Woodland  Lodge  No.  156,  F.  &  A.  M.,  and  is  a  member  and  past 
commander  of  William  H.  Seward  Post  No.  65,  G.  A.  R.,  of  Wood- 
land. He  was  also  at  one  time  a  member  of  the  county  central 
committee.  He  is  president  of  the  Woodland  Cemetery  Associa- 
tion. The  Farmers'  Mutual  Fire  Insurance  Company,  of  which 
he  was  one  of  the  organizers  and  the  first  president,  has  over 
$1,000,000  worth  of  property  insured  and  has  never  yet  had  a  fire. 

Mrs.  Farnham  is  a  member  of  the  W.  C.  T.  U.  and  of  the 
William  H.  Seward  Relief  Corps,  of  which  latter  organization  she 
was  president  for  two  years.  She  is  much  interested  in  plant  life 
and  has  many  fine  specimens  of  cacti.  The  excellent  qualities 
of  both  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Farnham  have  won  for  them  a  high  place 
in  the  esteem  of  friends  and  acquaintances. 


HISTORY  OF  YOLO  COUNTY  221 

JOHN  D.  LAUGENOUR 

A  residence  of  nearly  forty  years  in  Yolo  county  made  it  pos- 
sible for  John  D.  Laugenour  to  witness  its  development,  as  well 
as  to  be  a  contributor  to  its  progress.  Over  twenty  years  have 
passed  since  Death  ceased  his  activities,  but  such  was  the  impress 
that  his  life  made  upon  those  who  were  privileged  to  know  him 
and  labor  with  him  that  he  is  still  remembered  and  revered  by 
old  pioneers  as  one  of  the  strong  factors  in  the  growth  and 
development  of  the  country,  and  of  Yolo  county  and  Woodland  in 
particular.  A  native  of  North  Carolina,  he  was  born  near  the 
city  of  Salem,  December  23,  1823,  and  was  reared  and  educated 
there.  His  parents  were  farmers,  and  it  was  quite  natural  there- 
fore that  he  should  assist  with  the  farm  duties  when  school  was 
not  in  session.  In  1847  he  went  to  Indiana  and  there  learned 
the  wagon  maker's  trade.  Two  years  later  the  rumors  of  the 
finding  of  gold  in  California  put  a  different  aspect  upon  the  whole 
situation,  and  as  soon  as  possible  he  made  arrangements  to  come 
to  the  west  in  search  of  his  fortune.  Hopes  were  high  in  the 
hearts  of  the  little  party  of  five  that  started  from  Indiana  in  the 
latter  part  of  the  year  1849,  consisting  of  Thomas  F.,  Lewis, 
George  and  John  D.  Laugenour  and  Joseph  Spurgeon,  a  friend. 
Their  five  yoke  of  faithful  oxen  brought  them  into  Hangtown  in 
September  in  the  following  year,  the  termination  of  a  long  and 
tedious  journey  by  way  of  Fort  Hall.  Months  of  intense  priva- 
tion had  been  endured,  including  not  only  sickness  and  danger, 
but  hunger  as  well,  and  only  those  who  have  experienced  a  sim- 
ilar situation  can  know  the  joy  that  was  theirs  when  they  were 
able  to  make  a  permanent  camp  and  share  in  the  crude  comforts 
that  for  the  time  being  are  exalted  to  the  point  of  luxuries.  The 
first  winter  was  passed  in  the  mines  of  Kelseyville,  and  the  fol- 
lowing spring  Mr.  Laugenour  started  out  for  Hangtown,  having  only 
twenty-five  cents  in  his  pocket.  Here,  as  in  Kelseyville,  lie  was  not 
satisfied  with  his  efforts,  but  he  made  no  mistake  in  removing  to 
the  south  fork  of  the  American  river,  where  he  realized  between 
$500  and  $600  a  day. 

With  the  money  which  he  made  in  this  venture  Mr.  Lauge- 
nour went  to  Yankee  Jim's,  Placer  county,  where,  in  partnership 
with  his  two  brothers,  he  established  a  trading  post,  in  connection 
with  which  he  also  carried  on  a  teaming  business.  Desiring  to 
settle  down  to  the  life  which  was  after  all  more  congenial  to  him, 
Mr.  Laugenour  disposed  of  his  interest  in  that  part  of  the  state 
and  came  to  Yolo  county,  and  on  January  12,  1852,  he  made  his 
first  purchase  of  land,  stocking  it  with  cattle.  The  venture  proved 
profitable    from    the    beginning,    inasmuch    as    stock    was    bringing 


222  HISTOEY  OF  YOLO  COUNTY 

high  prices  in  the  market,  and  as  that  was  in  a  day  when  fencing- 
was  not  required  to  mark  individual  properties  the  large  herds 
of  cattle  could  graze  unmolested  over  large  tracts  of  land.  He 
increased  his  herds  to  take  advantage  of  the  opportunities  offered, 
but  when  the  business  began  to  be  overdone  and  changed  condi- 
tions reduced  the  price  of  stock,  he  wisely  disposed  of  his  cattle. 
Adjusting  himself  to  the  changes  which  came  with  the  passing- 
years,  Mr.  Laugenour  wisely  took  up  grain  farming,  being  asso- 
ciated in  this  undertaking  with  L.  M.  Curtis.  Among  the  ranches 
which  they  operated  was  the  famous  Glenn  ranch,  in  what  is  now 
Glenn  county.  In  1860  Mr.  Laugenour  purchased  a  large  tract 
of  land  on  Cache  creek,  which  was  also  devoted  to  grain  raising. 
Going  to  Knight's  Landing  in  1867  he  there  opened  a  mercantile 
business  with  C.  F.  Thomas,  the  firm  making  a  specialty  of 
buying  and  selling  grain.  Later,  owing  to  the  increased  produc- 
tion of  wheat  and  barley  in  that  section,  Mr.  Laugenour  erected 
a  grain  warehouse  which  he  and  his  partner,  Mr.  Thomas,  con- 
ducted successfully  for  seven  years.  The  extension  of  the  railroad 
to  Woodland  was  destined  to  make  a  change  in  Mr.  Laugenour 's 
plans,  and  in  the  same  year,  1874,  he  removed  to  this  city  to 
make  his  home.  He  was  guided  in  his  decision  by  the  belief 
that  the  town  would  one  day  be  a  shipping  center  of  importance 
and  he  lived  to  see  that  his  foresight  had  been  correct.  Gradu- 
ally disposing  of  his  scattered  interests  he  devoted  his  attention 
to  the  development  of  Woodland  and  vicinity,  aiding  in  many 
public  enterprises,  not  only  with  capital,  which  was  vastly  impor- 
tant, but  also  with  energy  and  executive  ability  as  well. 

Mr.  Laugenour 's  marriage  in  1860  united  him  with  Emma 
Christene  Watkins,  who  was  born  in  New  Philadelphia,  Ohio,  in 
1842,  the  daughter  of  Enos  Watkins.  Of  the  eight  children  born 
to  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Laugenour  five  are  living,  as  follows :  Philip 
T.,  Henry  W.,  Jesse  D.,  William  E.  and  Emma  Carter,  the  latter 
the  wife  of  Walter  F.  Malcolm.  With  the  exception  of  Jesse  D., 
a  resident  of  Salem,  N.  O,  all  of  the  children  are  living  in  Yolo 
county.  Up  to  the  time  of  his  death,  April  18,  1891,  Mr.  Lauge- 
nour actively  conducted  his  affairs,  enjoying  among  his  friends 
and  associates  a  reputation  that  was  as  honorable  as  his  character. 


MRS.  MARY  DEXTER-HENSHALL 


Yolo  county  is  fortunate  indeed  in  possessing  many  representa- 
tives of  old  American  families.     The  early  pioneers  who   settled 


HISTORY  OF  YOLO  COUNTY  223 

here  were  principally  descendants  of  those  who  left  their  European 
homes  in  the  previous  century  and  became  the  founders  of  this 
republic. 

The  records  of  the  Dexter  family  show  that  early  in  the 
seventeenth  century  several  members  emigrated  from  Scotland  to 
Canada,  where  they  settled  in  Home  district,  York  county.  In 
May,  1835,  John  and  Margaret  Dexter,  grandparents  of  Mrs.  John 
Henshall,  county  superintendent  of  schools,  crossed  the  line  and 
located  in  Amboy,  Lee  county,  111.  They  were  the  first  white 
settlers  in  a  fertile  section  populated  by  roving  bands  of  Indians, 
who  disputed  fiercely  the  advent  of  the  palefaces.  At  that  time 
Thomas  J.  Dexter,  father  of  Mrs.  Henshall,  was  five  years  of 
age.  Young  Dexter  must  have  inherited  the  adventurous  blood 
of  his  parents,  for  when  but  nineteen  years  of  age  he  joined  an 
overland  expedition  to  California.  The  usual  encounters  with 
Indians  furnished  plenty  of  excitement  en  route.  On  arrival  in 
the  Land  of  Gold  in  1849  young  Dexter  followed  mining  for 
a  time  with  varying  success  and  later  homesteaded  a  quarter 
section  two  and  a  half  miles  southeast  of  where  Woodland  is  lo- 
cated. In  1854  he  returned  overland  to  his  old  home  in  Lee 
county,  111.,  where  he  married  Miss  Eliza  Hills,  sister  of  Sheriff 
Hills  of  Dixon.  The  lure  of  the  west  was  too  strong,  however, 
and  the  young  couple  again  made  the  trip  overland,  returning  to 
the  Yolo  county  homestead.  It  was  there  that  the  present  county 
superintendent  of  schools  was  born.  Mrs.  Henshall  is  the  youngest 
of  a  family  of  four  daughters.  The  others  are  Mrs.  Nina  Lee 
Fraser  of  Honolulu,  T.  H.,  and  Mrs.  Delia  Nye  Gibbs,  and  Mrs. 
Grace  Margaret  Johnston,  both  of  Woodland. 

Mrs.  Henshall  is  probably  known  to  every  man,  woman  and 
child  in  Yolo  county.  She  entered  upon  her  vocation  of  teacher 
at  an  early  age  and  taught  for  several  years  in  country  schools 
near  Woodland.  Later  she  held  a  position  as  teacher  in  the  Wood- 
land grammar  schools  for  nine  years.  On  January  15,  1906,  she 
was  appointed  by  the  board  of  supervisors  to  fill  the  position  made 
vacant  by  the  death  of  Mrs.  Minnie  DeVilbiss,  county  superin- 
tendent of  schools.  On  November  (>,  1906,  she  was  elected  to  the 
same  office  by  a  good  majority  of  the  votes  cast. 

On  November  8,  1910,  Mrs.  Henshall  did  not  have  an  oppo- 
nent. She  was  the  nominee  of  the  Republican,  Democratic,  Prohi- 
bition and  Socialist  parties  and  received  the  full  voting  strength 
of  the  county.  Such  an  endorsement,  after  four  years  in  official 
position,  speaks  louder  than  pages  of  printed  eulogy  for  pains 
taking  and  efficient  conduct  of  school  affairs.  During  her  term  of 
office  many  forward  steps  have  been  taken,  and  Yolo  county 
schools  have  attained  a  standing  second  to  none  in  the  state.     The 


224  HISTOEY  OF  YOLO  COUNTY 

elementary  schools,  when  the  present  superintendent  assumed 
office,  had  a  course  that  required  nine  years  to  complete.  The 
length  of  the  school  term  was  eight  months  and  the  school  tax 
was  the  third  lowest  in  California.  The  supervisors  increased 
the  tax  rate  for  school  purposes  from  sixteen  cents  to  nineteen 
cents  in  response  to  her  persistent  representations  of  the  urgent 
necessity  for  so  doing.  This  increase  enabled  the  boards  of 
school  trustees  to  lengthen  the  term  to  nine  months  and  the  board 
of  education  to  shorten  the  course  of  study  in  the  elementary 
schools  to  eight  years.  Teachers'  salaries  in  all  but  four  smail 
districts  have  been  raised  from  $5  to  $35  per  month,  thus  enabling 
Yolo  county  to  secure  the  best  talent  available. 

Many  school  libraries  have  been  merged  with  the  county  li- 
brary under  the  provisions  of  Sec.  1715  of  the  School  Law,  giving 
boards  of  trustees  or  city  boards  of  education  the  power  to  make 
the  school  library  a  branch  of  the  county  library.  This  work  has 
been  so  successful  that  Yolo  county  is  admitted  to  lead  the  state 
in  this  latest  development  of  educational  progress.  Inquiries 
have  been  received  from  superintendents  all  over  the  state  asking 
for  information  in  order  that  similar  work  may  be  carried  on  in 
their  counties.  State  Librarian  Grillis  is  emphatic  in  his  endorse- 
ment of  the  work  that  has  been  done  in  this  line.  The  teachers' 
library  of  2,500  volumes,  that  heretofore  has  been  practical]  y 
unused,  has  been  turned  over  to  the  county  library  by  Mrs. 
Henshall  and  the  teachers  and  pupils  are  now  receiving  the  benefit 
of  it. 

Fillmore  school  district  was  established  on  February  7,  1910, 
with  an  average  attendance  of  twenty-five  pupils.  New  school 
houses  have  been  erected  in  Pleasant  Prairie,  Fairfield  and  Union 
districts.  The  new  Woodland  high  school  building,  a  reinforced 
concrete  structure  costing  $90,000  and  capable  of  accommodating 
three  hundred  pupils,  is  approaching  completion.  Manual  training 
and  domestic  science  have  been  introduced  in  the  public  school 
curriculum.  For  the  first  time  in  the  history  of  the  county  an 
automobile  has  been  used  by  the  county  superintendent  for  the 
purpose  of  visiting  schools.  By  this  means  teachers,  pupils  and 
superintendents  have  been  brought  into  closer  touch  and  the  effi- 
ciency of  the  schools  greatly  increased. 

On  November  26,  1910,  Miss  Dexter  became  the  wife  of  John 
A.  Henshall,  a  local  newspaper  man.  Mrs.  Henshall  has  taken  a 
prominent  part  in  fraternal  organizations.  She  was  a  charter 
member  of  Woodland  Parlor  No.  90,  N.  D.  G.  W.,  and  is  a  past 
president,  having  filled  every  office  in  the  parlor.  She  is  also  a 
member  of  Yolo  Chapter,  No.  60,  Order  of  the  Eastern  Star. 

Such  is  a  brief  epitome  of  the  life  of  one  of  the  most  promi- 


HISTORY  OF  YOLO  COUNTY  227 

nent  and  respected  women  in  Yolo  county.  Like  most  people  who 
are  talented  and  able  to  encompass  great  ends  she  is  modest  and 
unassuming  to  a  degree.  Mrs.  Henshall  has  never  sought,  official 
position,  but  when  requested  to  hold  office  by  men  and  women  who 
had  known  her  all  her  life  she  acquiesced.  It  is  easy  to  discern  tbat 
she  loves  her  work  and  that  her  heart  is  wrapped  up  in  the  welfare 
of  the  children  who  are  soon  to  take  our  places  in  the  great  world. 
She  believes  that  the  educational  problem  is  the  most  important 
of  all  problems  and  during  her  six  years'  incumbency  has  ap- 
proached it  in  that  spirit.  It  is  not  surprising,  therefore,  to  learn 
that  as  the  years  pass  the  esteem  in  which  she  is  held  increases, 
for  a  more  conscientious  official  has  never  held  public  office  in 
this  count  v. 


JAMES  WILLIAM  MONROE 

The  fact  that  he  represents  the  third  generation  of  the 
family,  on  both  the  paternal  and  maternal  sides,  actively  identi- 
fied with  the  material  upbuilding  of  Yolo  county,  is  a  source  of  no 
small  gratification  to  Mr.  Monroe,  who  to  the  honors  associated 
with  the  offices  of  sheriff  and  tax  collector,  adds  the  further  dis- 
tinction of  being  a  native  son  of  the  county.  His  father,  John  T., 
crossed  the  plains  with  his  parents  from  Missouri  to  Oregon  in 
the  early  '50s,  and  in  the  early  '60s  he  came  by  team  to  California, 
where  for  many  years  he  engaged  in  ranching  in  Yolo  county, 
after  which  he  engaged  extensively  in  the  sheep  business  in  Colusa 
county.  Eventually  he  retired  from  active  labors  and  his  last 
days  were  spent  quietly  at  his  home  in  Santa  Barbara  county, 
where  in  1883  his  earth  life  was  ended.  Fraternally  he  was  prom- 
inent in  Masonry  and  in  the  Independent  Order  of  Odd  Fellows. 
Shortly  after  coming  to  Yolo  county  he  formed  the  acquaintance 
of  Miss  Sarah  Campbell  and  they  were  married  at  the  home  of 
her  father,  William  Campbell,  a  pioneer  of  the  early  '50s,  and  a 
man  of  local  prominence,  a  large  rancher  and  a  man  of  sterling 
traits  of  character,  one  who  had  a  wide  acquaintance  among  the 
frontier  settlers.  Judge  James  Monroe,  our  subject's  paternal 
grandfather,  made  his  way  from  Missouri  to  Oregon  in  the  early 
'50s  and  served  as  judge  in  that  slate.  After  coming  to  Yolo 
county  in  the  '60s  he  engaged  in  the  stock  business  until  his  removal 
to  Colusa  county,  where  his  last  days  were  passed. 

The   countv   sheriff    was    horn    in    the    Buckeye    district.    Yolo 


228  HISTORY  OF  YOLO  COUNTY 

county,  August  5,  1867,  and  received  the  best  educational  advan- 
tages the  locality  afforded.  During  1884  he  attended  Hesperian 
College  in  Woodland,  and  in  1885-86  he  took  a  course  in  Pierce 
Christian  College  at  College  City.  During  1890  he  entered  the 
Stockton  Business  College,  and  the  following  year  he  completed 
the  course,  graduating  with  honor.  After  his  graduation  he  became 
an  accountant  for  Pratt  &  Manley  at  Fowler,  Fresno  county.  A 
year  later  he  left  their  employ  to  enter  the  Santa  Fe  Railroad 
office  as  clerk  and  ticket  agent,  but  from  that  position  he  was 
summoned  home  to  manage  his  mother's  property.  Upon  his 
return  to  Yolo  county  he  entered  extensively  into  agricultural 
operations  and  for  some  time  followed  the  occupation  with  suc- 
cess, but  eventually  left  the  farm  in  order  to  become  a  buyer  of 
livestock  and  also  to  embark  in  the  butcher  business.  In  his 
business  dealings  with  the  wholesale  merchants  of  San  Fran- 
cisco and  stock  raisers  of  Yolo  county  he  uniformly  has  proved 
reliable,  efficient  and  accurate.  The  esteem  in  which  he  is  held 
results  from  honest  dealings  with  all.  His  word  has  proved  as 
good  as  his  bond.  In  every  instance  integrity  has  been  his  watch- 
word and  square  dealing  has  been  his  creed. 

The  marriage  of  Mr.  Monroe  took  place  April  9,  1902,  and 
united  him  with  Miss  Elvira  Grey  Duncan,  also  born  in  Yolo 
county,  and  they  have  four  children,  Mary  L.,  Forest  D.,  James 
W.,  Jr.,  and  Wyatt  Campbell.  Mrs.  Monroe  is  the  only  daughter 
of  Wyatt  Godfrey  Duncan,  who  settled  in  Yolo  county  about  sixty 
years  ago  and  has  been  identified  with  its  development,  being  one 
of  its  largest  land  owners.  He  is  still  living  on  his  ranch  near 
Capay  and  enjoys  the  esteem  and  affection  of  a  large  circle  of 
friends.  Since  his  election  to  office  Mr.  Monroe  has  resided  with 
his  family  in  Woodland,  having  a  comfortable  home  at  No.  740 
College  street.  In  fraternal  relations  Mr.  Monroe  holds  member- 
ship with  the  Independent  Order  of  Foresters  and  the  Woodmen 
of  the  World.  Always  stanch  in  his  fidelity  to  the  Democratic 
party,  he  has  been  a  leader  in  its  local  councils  and  a  popular 
man  in  its  conventions.  During  a  period  as  county  supervisor 
he  gave  the  closest  attention  to  matters  brought  before  the  board 
for  consideration.  To  each  measure  he  gave  a  vote  based  upon 
his  personal  convictions  of  right  and  wrong.  The  interests  of  the 
tax-payers  were  guarded  and  economy  was  his  watchword,  yet  at 
the  same  time  he  supported  progressive  enterprises.  For  every 
dollar  of  public  money  expended  he  endeavored  to  get  value 
received.  At  times  his  views  were  not  in  accord  with  those  of 
the  majority  of  the  hoard,  but  no  one  questioned  his  sincerity  or 
the  integrity  of  his  purpose.  When  he  was  brought  before  his 
party  as  a  candidate  for  sheriff  and  tax  collector  two  years  after 


HISTORY  OF  YOLO  COUNTY  229 

he  had  been  elected  supervisor  of  the  fifth  district,  he  was  nomin- 
ated over  two  of  the  most  influential  and  popular  Democrats  in 
the  county.  The  election  of  1910  showed  that  he  had  won  the 
victory  with  a  flattering  majority,  and  since  entering  upon  his 
duties  he  has  been  fearless  in  their  discharge  and  determined  in 
his  efforts  to  maintain  the  law-abiding  reputation  of  the  county 
where  he  has  been  a  lifelong  resident. 


HON.  GEORGE  W.  PIERCE 

The  eminent  position  among  the  galaxy  of  states  forming  our 
Union  secured  and  maintained  by  California  is  due  to  the  loyal 
devotion,  not  alone  of  her  native-born  citizens,  but  also  of  those 
who  through  long  years  of  association  have  become  imbued  with 
an  intense  affection  for  the  commonwealth  as  well  as  a  sincere 
faith  in  her  future  possibilities.  In  practically  all  else  save  the 
accident  of  birth  Mr.  Pierce  is  a  typical  Calif ornian  and  to  the 
state  where  he  has  lived  since  childhood  he  gives  a  patriotic  Loyalty 
unexcelled  by  the  devotion  of  the  native  sons.  Combined  with 
his  affection  for  the  west  is  an  intelligent  appreciation  of  the  ad- 
vantages offered  by  the  region.  These  qualifications  led  to  his 
selection  by  the  California  Promotion  committee  (composed  of 
successful  busiuess  men  of  San  Francisco  and  other  cities  of  the 
state)  as  lecturer-at-large  to  visit  Kansas,  Nebraska,  Illinois, 
Wisconsin  and  Minnesota,  where  he  delivered  addresses  in  many 
cities  concerning  the  west  and  portrayed  vividly  but  without  exag- 
geration the  prospects  for  future  areatness  of  the  coast  country. 

The  Pierce  family  has  been  represented  in  California  since 
the  year  1852.  George  W.  Pierce,  Sr.,  who  was  born  in  Herkimer 
county,  N.  Y.,  in  1814,  traveled  overland  to  Wisconsin  in  1835  and 
settled  in  Kenosha  county,  where  he  took  up  a  tract  of  raw  land. 
There  he  married  Miss  Eunice  French,  who  was  born  in  Connecti- 
cut October  28,  1821.  For  some  time  the  young  couple  gave  their 
attention  to  the  development  of  a  farm  from  their  unimproved 
claim.  Three  children  were  born  on  that  farm,  but  the  sole  sur- 
vivor is  George  W.,  who  was  born  December  10,  L850.  During 
1852  the  parents  left  him  with  relatives  in  Wisconsin  and  they 
came  overland  to  California,  where  the  father  tried  his  hick  in 
the  mines  of  Eldorado  county.  Removing  in  1S54  to  the  "Big" 
ranch,  owned  by  Hutchinson  &  Green,  he  devoted  his  time  to 
transforming   the   property   into   a    productive   tract.      The    failure 


230  HISTORY  OF  YOLO  COUNTY 

of  the  firm  in  1860  put  the  land  on  the  market,  and  lie  bought 
twelve  hundred  acres,  which  for  many  years  he  cultivated.  Re- 
tiring in  1888  to  Davisville,  he  died  in  that  place  in  Fehruarv  of 
1891. 

When  the  first  hardships  of  western  existence  had  been  ended 
and  the  first  obstacles  overcome,  the  parents  decided  to  bring  their 
son  to  the  coast,  and  in  1859  the  mother  returned  to  Wisconsin  for 
him.  In  1860  she  brought  him  to  California  via  Panama,  reach- 
ing San  Francisco  in  May,  1860.  Since  then  George  W.,  Jr.,  has 
known  no  other  home  save  the  west.  Here  he  completed  his 
studies  in  the  public  schools.  In  1875  he  was  graduated  from  the 
department  of  civil  engineering,  University  of  California,  with  the 
degree  of  Ph.  D.,  being  the  first  young  man  from  the  Sacramento 
valley  to  graduate  from  the  institution.  A  thorough  course  in 
civil  engineering  qualified  him  for  successful  work  in  that  difficult 
occupation  and  already  he  had  entered  upon  work  with  the  South- 
ern Pacific  Railroad  Company  when,  owing  to  an  accident  to  his 
father,  he  was  obliged  to  return  home  and  assume  the  management 
of  the  ranch.  After  a  time  his  father  began  to  improve  and  mean- 
while he  had  formulated  plans  for  the  study  of  the  law,  but  again 
ill  health  prostrated  the  parent  and  the  son  finally  abandoned  all 
hope  of  a  professional  career.  The  disappointment  was  keen,  yet 
there  have  been  many  compensations,  not  the  least  of  which  is  the 
high  esteem  in  which  he  is  held  as  an  agriculturist  and  horticul- 
turist and  the  aid  he  has  been  enabled  to  render  the  farming  in- 
terests of  his  county. 

The  ranch  owned  and  operated  by  Mr.  Pierce  comprises 
twelve  hundred  acres  situated  on  Putah  creek  five  miles  west  of 
Davis.  All  of  the  improvements  on  this  splendid  property  have 
been  made  since  the  present  family  took  possession.  One  of  the 
most  valuable  improvements  is  an  orchard  of  one  hundred  and 
fifty  acres  planted  largely  to  almond  and  prune  trees.  For  many 
years  a  large  flock  of  Shropshire  sheep  has  been  kept  on  the  place, 
also  a  fine  drove  of  full-blooded  Shorthorn  cattle,  and  the  sale  of 
the  stock  in  the  general  markets  brings  an  important  annual 
revenue  to  the  owner  of  the  ranch.  Grain  and  other  crops  are 
raised  in  large  quantities  and  with  considerable  profit.  Although 
educated  for  another  occupation  than  agriculture,  the  owner  has 
been  remarkably  successful  in  his  ranching  operations  and  has 
made  of  his  task  a  science  and  a  pleasure  as  well  as  a  source  of 
profit. 

Every  movement  for  the  expansion  of  the  resources  of  Cali- 
fornia receives  the  stanch  aid  of  Mr.  Pierce.  Prominent  in  the 
organization  of  the  Almond  Growers'  Association  of  Davisville, 
lie  served  as  its  vice-president  for  some  years.     Further  he  aided 


HISTORY  OF  YOLO  COUNTY  231 

in  organizing  the  California  Grain  Growers'  Association,  which 
held  its  first  convention  in  1902  and  which  has  established  head- 
quarters in  San  Francisco.  Of  this  important  movement  he  has 
officiated  as  president.  The  united  efforts  of  its  members  has 
proved  most  helpful  to  the  grain  interests  of  the  localities  most 
largely  represented  therejn.  When  a  location  of  a  site  for  the 
experiment  farm  of  the  University  of  California  was  under  con- 
sideration there  were  thirteen  counties  offered  sites  and  seventy- 
seven  sites  altogether  were  offered  in  the  various  counties.  Know- 
ing the  fertility  of  the  soil  on  Putah  creek  and  the  central  location 
of  Davis  for  adaptability  and  experimental  purposes,  Mr.  Pierce 
was  foremost  in  advocating  the  location  of  the  farm  at  Davis. 
After  about  fifteen  months  the  commission  decided  on  the  location 
he  had  selected,  securing  for  Yolo  county  the  state  institution. 
It  is  an  interesting  fact  that  fifty  years  prior  to  the  location  this 
farm  secured  the  first  prize  as  the  best  ranch  for  general  farm- 
ing in  California. 

In  1910  Mr.  Pierce  was  selected  by  a  coterie  of  capitalists  as 
an  expert  on  lands  and  soils  to  visit  Panama  and  report  on  the 
condition  and  the  desirability  of  lands  as  an  investment.  He 
spent  about  six  weeks  there,  later  making  an  exhaustive  report  on 
the  country.  In  1911  he  was  sent  to  Arizona  to  examine  copper 
mines.  He  is  the  executive  member  of  the  Yolo  County  Panama- 
Pacific  Fxposition  Commission  and  is  very  active  in  securing  and 
arranging  for  Yolo  county's  representation  and  exhibit  at  the 
Panama-Pacific  Exposition  at  San  Francisco  and  the  California 
Pacific  Exposition  at  San  Diego  in  1915. 

Politically  a  Republican,  Mr.  Pierce  has  been  chosen  t<>  serve  in 
various  posts  of  trust  and  honor,  notably  that  of  representative 
in  the  state  assembly  of  1898,  also  serving  in  the  session  of  1899 
and  the  special  session  of  the  same  term.  Able  service  was  given 
as  a  member  of  the  coiinnittee  on  ways  and  means,  on  education, 
on  public  buildings  and  grounds,  and  on  swamps  and  overflowed 
lands.  His  party  has  utilized  his  services  upon  its  state  central 
committee.  Under  the  administrations  of  Governors  Budd  and 
Gage  he  served  as  a  trustee  of  the  State  Normal  school  at  San 
Jose. 

Mr.  Pierce  was  married  to  Miss  Susan  Gilmore,  a  native  of 
Eldorado  county,  Cal.,  the  daughter  of  Nathan  Gilmore.  who  came 
to  California  from  Indiana  across  the  plain  in  184!).  lie  discovered 
and  founded  Glen  Alpine  Springs,  near  Lake  Tahoe,  and  this  is 
still  in  the  possession  of  his  daughters,  lie  died  in  Placerville. 
Mis.  Gilmore  was  in  maidenhood  Amanda  Cray  of  Kentucky.  She 
came  across  the  plains  to  California  in  1850,  and  died  at  Eldorado. 
The  two  daughters  who  survive  are  Mrs.  .1.   L   Ramsay,  of  Free- 


232  HISTORY  OF  YOLO  COUNTY 

water,  Ore.,  and  Mrs.  Pierce.  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Pierce  became  the 
parents  of  four  children,  two  of  whom,  Grilmore  and  Eunice,  died  iu 
infancy.  Two  sons  are  living,  George  G.,  attending  the  University 
of  California,  class  of  1915,  and  Dixwell  Lloyd,  a  pupil  in  the 
Woodland  high  school,  class  of  1914.  In  fraternal  relations  Mr. 
Pierce  is  past  noble  grand  of  Davisville  LQdge  No.  169,  I.  0.  0.  F., 
and  with  his  wife  belongs  to  the  Rebekahs.  In  his  own  locality 
he  is  a  very  influential  citizen  and  the  varied  avenues  of  activity 
that  have  secured  his  co-operation  are  the  richer  and  more  suc- 
cessful for  his  intelligent  support  and  sensible  suggestions. 


OSCAR  E.  JACOBS 

The  earliest  memories  clustering  around  the  distant  days  of 
childhood  are  associated  in  the  mind  of  Mr.  Jacobs  with  Yolo 
county,  its  broad  stretches  of  unimproved  land,  its  tiny  villages,  its 
scanty  population  laboring  against  the  discouragements  of  the 
frontier  and  its  genial  climate  bringing  health  and  sunshine  and 
bountiful  crops  in  compensation  for  the  privations  of  the  pioneers. 
While  he  is  not  a  native  of  the  west  (for  he  was  born  in  Texas 
August  7,  1853,)  in  all  but  the  accident  of  birth  he  is  a  typical 
Californian  and  the  native-born  sons  do  not  surpass  him  in  devotion 
to  the  commonwealth  and  in  loyal  affection  for  the  county  of  his 
home.  Years  of  industry  and  frugal  self-denial  enabled  him  to 
purchase  the  property  where  long  he  had  lived  as  a  tenant  and 
he  now  owns  the  well-improved  farm  of  one  hundred  and  sixty 
acres  lying  near  Black's  Station  and  evidencing  in  its  bountiful 
harvests  the  skill  of  his  husbandry  and  the  sagacity  of  his  super- 
vision. 

The  name  of  Hon.  Isaac  W.  Jacobs,  father  of  Oscar  E.,  is 
honorably  associated  with  the  early  history  of  Yolo  county,  where 
he  engaged  in  the  development  of  farm  property  and  in  the  prac- 
tice of  law,  where  he  filled  a  number  of  offices  with  marked  intel- 
ligence and  bore  a  part  in  early  movements  for  the  local  upbuilding. 
Of  Virginian  birth  and  parentage,  he  read  law  and  was  admitted 
to  the  bar  while  still  making  his  home  in  the  Old  Dominion. 
During  young  manhood  he  removed  to  Missouri  and  opened  a  law 
office  at  Chillicothe,  Livingston  county.  While  living  there  he  mar- 
ried Almira  Elizabeth  Martin,  a  native  of  Virginia.  For  a  few 
months  the  young  couple  made  their  home  in  Texas,  where  a  son, 
Oscar  E.,  was  born,  but  in  a  short  time  thev  returned  to  Missouri 


HISTORY  OF  YOLO  COUNTY  233 

and  made  preparations  to  move  to  California,  crossing  the  plains 
in  1854  and  settling  in  Stockton.  In  a  few  months  they  came  to 
Yolo  county  and  bought  a  pre-emption  claim  on  one  hundred  and 
sixty  acres,  later  securing  a  patent  from  the  government.  Estab- 
lishing his  home  on  the  tract  he  cultivated  the  land,  harvested  the 
crops  and  invested  his  earnings  in  other  property  until  he  had 
acquired  the  title  to  four  hundred  acres  of  fertile  land. 

The  development  of  a  valuable  farm  did  not  engross  the 
attention  of  Mr.  Jacobs  to  the  exclusion  of  other  activities,  for  he 
engaged  in  the  practice  of  law  and  served  with  conspicuous  ability 
in  the  offices  of  district  attorney  and  member  of  the  general  as- 
sembly. Eventually  he  retired  from  agricultural  and  professional 
cares  and  in  his  last  days  he  enjoyed  the  leisure  and  the  comforts 
to  which  his  long  labors  justly  entitled  him.  His  wife  passed  away 
in  1903  and  two  years  later  he  also  entered  into  eternal  rest.  In 
the  annals  of  the  county  his  name  is  worthy  of  a  prominent  place, 
for  he  was  one  of  the  pioneers  who  laid  the  foundations  upon  which 
the  present  prosperity  has  been  rendered  possible.  Talented  in 
an  unusual  degree,  he  used  his  abilities  to  promote  the  welfare  of 
his  community  and  proved  a  public-spirited  citizen. 

There  were  eight  sons  and  four  daughters  in  the  parental 
family  of  whom  nine  are  still  living.  Oscar  E.,  who  was  born 
during  the  temporary  sojourn  of  his  parents  in  Texas,  has  lived 
in  California  from  his  earliest  recollections  and  passed  his  boy- 
hood years  on  the  home  farm  in  Yolo  county.  After  he  had  com- 
pleted the  studies  of  the  common  schools  he  was  sent  to  college 
and  remained  for  one  year,  after  which  he  returned  to  Yolo 
county.  Later  with  a  brother  he  went  to  Ventura  comity  and 
entered  four  hundred  acres  of  land,  which  he  worked  for  one  year. 
From  that  county  he  moved  south  to  San  Diego  and  for  a  year  he 
was  employed  in  that  part  of  the  state,  returning  in  1881  to  Yolo 
county.  Shortly  after  his  return  he  rented  a  quarter  section  and 
began  to  operate  the  land.  For  twenty-five  years  he  remained  on 
the  farm  as  a  renter,  meanwhile  saving  with  a  resolute  purpose 
in  view.  At  the  expiration  of  that  time  he  was  in  a  position  to 
purchase  the  ranch.  On  the  property  in  1908  he  erected  a  commo- 
dious residence.  An  excellent  system  of  fencing  divides  the  fields 
from  one  another  and  from  the  pasture.  The  barn  facilities  are 
adequate  for  all  needs.  Durham  cattle  are  raised  in  considerable 
numbers  and  are  of  the  best  grades. 

The  marriage  of  Mr.  Jacobs  took  place  in  San  Diego  Septem- 
ber 12,  1880,  and  united  him  with  Miss  Dora  Caldwell,  who  was 
horn  and  reared  in  California,  being  the  daughter  of  a  Forty-niner, 
Tarleton  Caldwell,  a  native  of  Virginia  and  for  sonic  time  a  suc- 
cessful miner  in  the  west.     Mr.  and  Mrs.  Jacobs  are  the  parents 


234  HISTORY  OF  YOLO  COUNTY 

of  three  sons  and  two  daughters.  William  T.,  the  eldest  son,  is 
engaged  in  business  at  Woodland.  O.  E.,  Jr.,  and  Van  V.  are  at 
home,  as  is  also  the  youngest  child,  Berniee  E.  The  older  daughter, 
Eliza,  is  the  wife  of  Rodney  Ely  and  lives  on  a  farm  in  Yolo  county. 
For  years  Mr.  Jacobs  served  as  a  member  of  the  school  hoard  and 
meanwhile  aided  greatly  in  the  development  of  educational  interests. 
Stanch  in  his  advocacy  of  Democratic  principles,  he  has  served  the 
party  as  a  delegate  in  county  conventions  and  in  other  ways  has 
endeavored  to  advance  the  party  success  locally,  but  he  has  not 
sought  office  for  himself  nor  has  he  craved  any  honor  except  that 
of  serving  the  county  as  a  progressive  and  public-spirited  citizen. 


ARTHUR  C.  HUSTON 

Not  only  is  Arthur  C.  Huston  one  of  the  prominent  attorneys 
of  Yolo  county,  but  he  is  also  equally  well  known  in  the  different 
counties  throughout  the  Sacramento  valley  and  the  Bay  region. 
He  is  the  third  generation  of  the  family  to  be  represented  in  the 
state.  His  grandparents,  John  M.  and  Priscilla  (Branham)  Hus- 
ton, left  Kentucky  in  an  early  day  and  became  pioneer  settlers 
in  Missouri,  locating  on  a  farm  that  was  far  from  any  other 
habitation.  Leaving  Missouri  in  1864  they  came  across  the  plains 
to  California  and  settled  in  Big  Valley,  Lake  county,  not  far  from 
Lakeport,  there  carrying  on  farming  until  Mr.  Huston's  advancing 
years  necessitated  retirement  from  active  labor.  He  died  at  the 
age  of  eighty-six,  and  his  wife  when  eighty-two  years  old.  Twelve 
children  were  born  to  this  worthy  couple,  ten  growing  to  years  of 
maturity,  as  follows:  Walter  S.  (deceased),  James,  George,  John 
M.,  Mrs.  Mary  Craig,  Mrs.  Nannie  Gregg,  Robert  M.  (deceased), 
Mrs.  Sarah  Evans   (deceased),  Edward  T.  and  Richard  B. 

Walter  S.  Huston  was  born  October  2,  1830,  in  Boone  county, 
Mo.  As  one  of  the  Argonauts  he  crossed  the  plains  to  California 
during  the  gold  boom  in  1849  and  eagerly  sought  the  fortune 
which  he  expected  awaited  him.  His  first  efforts  were  made  in 
Placerville,  where  during  the  first  twenty-four  hours  he  suc- 
ceeded in  washing  gold  dust  to  the  amount  of  $8,  and  indeed  he 
met  with  fair  returns  during  the  several  months  he  passed  at 
this  camp.  In  1850  he  returned  to  his  native  state  on  a  visit,  but 
the  following  spring  again  found  him  in  California,  and  for 
several  years  thereafter  he  was  engaged  in  freighting  in  Placer 
county.     In  the  '50s  he  came  to  Yolo  county  and  engaged  in  farm- 


^ 


BISTORT  OF  YOLO  COUNTY  237 

ing  near  Woodland,  later  removing  to  Knight's  Landing,  where, 
with  his  brothers  Robert  M.  and  Edward  T.  he  engaged  in  the 
mercantile  business.  Coming  to  Woodland  in  1878  he  established 
himself  in  the  grocery  business,  a  venture  that  proved  more  suc- 
cessful than  he  had  anticipated.  In  recognition  of  his  excellent 
qualities  his  fellow-citizens  elected  him  to  the  office  of  city  trus- 
tee, and  they  also  honored  him  with  the  office  of  deputy  assessor. 
He  was  an  earnest  member  of  the  Christian  Church  and  was  deeply 
interested  in  educational  progress,  and  none  more  than  he  assisted 
in  establishing  Hesperian  College  of  Woodland  upon  a  substan- 
tial footing.  He  was  also  one  of  the  foremost  factors  in  the 
establishment  of  the  fire  department  in  this  city.  As  one  of  the 
state's  early  settlers  he  assisted  in  forming  and  was  one  of  the 
charter  members  of  the  California  Pioneers'  Society  of  San  Fran- 
cisco. Fraternally  he  belonged  to  the  Ancient  Order  of  United 
Workmen.  His  first  marriage  united  him  with  Miss  Sarah  E. 
Robinson,  who  died  January  26,  1860.  On  January  20,  1869,  he 
was  united  in  marriage  with  Miss  Sarah  Laugenour,  a  native  of 
Salem,  N.  C.  Of  the  second  marriage  six  children  were  born,  one 
daughter  dying  in  infancy,  and  the  others  are  as  follows:  Bertha, 
now  Mrs.  J.  L.  Hare  of  Woodland;  Walter  S.  and  Edward  P., 
both  of  Sacramento;  Arthur  C,  the  subject  of  this  sketch;  and 
Harry  L.,  an  attorney  of  Woodland. 

Arthur  C.  Huston  was  born  November  16,  1871,  at  Knight's 
Landing,  and  received  a  public  school  education,  after  which  he 
became  a  pupil  in  Hesperian  College.  Following  this  he  engaged 
in  mercantile  pursuits  for  a  time,  but  the  literary  6eld  attracted 
him  so  strongly  that  he  took  up  journalism,  and  later  became 
city  editor  of  the  Mail  and  Woodland  Democrat,  respectively. 
He  also  filled  the  office  of  deputy  county  recorder.  A  long  cher- 
ished desire  to  study  law  began  to  be  fulfilled  when  he  accepted 
a  position  in  the  law  office  of  Charles  W.  Thomas,  there  pursuing 
his  legal  studies  until  January  16,  1895,  when  he  was  admitted  to 
the  bar.  For  the  past  sixteen  years  he  has  followed  the  practice 
of  bis  profession  with  splendid  success,  his  suite  of  offices  being 
located  at  Main  and  Second  streets,  and  equipped  with  a  well- 
selected  law  library.  In  1897  he  filled  the  office  of  city  attorney 
and  under  R.  E.  Hopkins  and  E.  R.  Bush  acted  as  assistant  dis- 
trict attorney. 

Before  her  marriage  Mrs.  A.  C.  Huston  was  Elizabeth  Brown- 
ing, the  daughter  of  Robert  Browning,  who  was  a  pioneer  settler 
and  rancher  of  Y'olo  county.  Two  sons  were  born  to  Mr.  and 
Mrs.  Huston,  Arthur  C.  and  Robert  W.  Mr.  Huston  is  past  presi- 
dent of  Woodland  Parlor  No.  30,  N.  S.  G.  W.  He  was  made  a 
Mason   in   Woodland   Lodge  No.   156,  F.   &  A.   M.,   of  which   he   is 


238  HISTORY  OF  YOLO  COUNTY 

past  master,  is  a  member  of  Woodland  Chapter  No.  46,  R.  A.  M., 
of  which  he  is  past  high  priest,  and  he  is  also  a  member  of  Wood- 
land Connnandery  No.  21,  K.  T.,  being  past  eminent  commander, 
and  he  is  also  identified  with  the  Order  of  the  Eastern  Star. 


H.  T.  BARNES  &  SON 

No  modern  development  in  the  building  business  has  affected 
more  vitally  the  permanent  character  of  such  work  than  the  intro- 
duction and  increasing  use  of  cement,  which,  utilized  in  founda- 
tions or  for  entire  structures  as  well  as  in  sidewalks,  bridges  and 
vaults,  has  proved  an  indispensable  factor  in  the  industrial  growth 
of  every  community.  The  firm  of  H.  T.  Barnes  &  Son,  organized 
in  1906,  represents  the  results  of  years  of  activity  on  the  part  of 
the  older  member  of  the  concern,  who  for  thirty  years  or  more 
has  engaged  in  cement  work  in  Woodland  and  vicinity.  Mean- 
while he  has  had  charge  of  the  building  of  practically  all  of  the 
sidewalks  in  the  town,  has  erected  cement  dairies  in  the  country 
and  has  built  vaults  and  walls  in  the  cemetery,  besides  erecting 
a  fine  monument  of  reinforced  concrete  in  the  city  cemetery.  The 
first  concrete  foundation  in  this  part  of  Yolo  county  was  put 
under  his  residence  at  No.  524  Walnut  street,  Woodland,  and 
since  then  an  almost  universal  adoption  of  such  foundations  has 
followed.  Many  of  these  have  been  put  in  place  under  his  super- 
vision,  including  the  foundation  for   the   Odd   Fellows'   Building. 

A  superior  quality  of  cement  always  has  been  used.  In  earlier 
days  much  of  this  was  imported  from  Germany,  Belgium  and  Eng- 
land, but  more  recently  the  product  manufactured  in  Solano  and 
Napa  counties  has  grown  in  popular  favor  and  its  practicability 
has  been  proved  by  actual  experience.  About  twenty-seven  years 
ago  Mr.  Barnes  built  a  reinforced  culvert  bridge  with  steel  rods, 
being  the  first  resident  of  the  entire  county  to  attempt  such  work. 
Ten  years  later  reinforced  work  was  patented.  As  early  as  1894 
he  erected  at  the  Yolo  Orchard  a  reinforced  concrete  packing 
house,  50x100  feet  in  dimensions  and  two  and  one-half  stories 
high.  Although  on  two  different  occasions  fire  has  broken  out 
in  this  packing  house  and  threatened  its  destruction,  its  walls  are 
still  standing  firm  and  substantial  as  when  first  erected.  Besides 
his  work  in  this  locality  he  has  had  contracts  at  Suisun,  Solano 
county,  and  in  other  counties.  The  joint  bridge  between  Yolo  and 
Solano  county,  of  which  he  was  the  inspector  and  which  was  built 


HISTORY  OB"  YOLO  COUNTY  239 

in  1906,  has  three  spans,  each  one  hundred  and  twenty-five  feet 
long,  and  merits  especial  mention  on  account  of  being  the  largest 
bridge  of  its  kind  west  of  Kansas  City.  In  1911  he  was  inspector 
on  the  facing  of  levees  two  and  one-half  miles  long  in  the  Lisbon 
district;  said  reinforced  facing  would  equal  an  area  of  twelve  and 
one-half  acres.  In  it  were  used  over  twenty  thousand  barrels  of 
cement,  and  it  is  considered  the  largest  space  covered  continuously 
in  the  United   States. 

Of  Canadian  birth  and  parentage,  Henry  Thomas  Barnes  was 
born  near,  the  city  of  Toronto  April  14,  1857.  At  the  age  of  four- 
teen years  he  lost  by  death  his  father,  John  Barnes,  and  then  went 
to  Michigan,  where  he  served  an  apprenticeship  under  a  merchant 
tailor.  The  occupation  proved  too  sedentary  for  his  health  and 
he  sought  outdoor  employment,  thus  having  his  attention  called 
to  the  cement  business,  in  which  he  has  been  unqualifiedly  success- 
ful. After  he  came  to  California  in  1879  he  endeavored  to  resume 
tailoring,  but  a  short  period  of  work  proved  too  confining  and  he 
left  San  Francisco  for  Woodland  in  1882.  In  the  marble  yard  of 
H.  P.  Martin  he  found  employment  congenial  to  his  tastes  and 
suited  to  his  physical  demands.  Here  he  began  to  interest  people 
in  cement  work.  His  predecessors  had  been  so  unsuccessful  that 
would-be  buyers  were  suspicious  of  the  industry,  but  Mr.  Barnes 
soon  proved  that  he  thoroughly  understood  the  proper  propor- 
tions of  sand  and  cement  necessary  for  permanent  results.  Side- 
walks laid  by  him  years  ago  are  as  solid'  today  as  when  first  laid. 
Forming  a  partnership  with  J.  0.  Shaffer  in  1883  he  opened  a 
marble  yard  and  plant  for  the  manufacture  of  cement  products 
on  Main  street,  opposite  the  Pacific  hotel,  but  when  his  partner 
died  a  year  later  he  discontinued  the  marble  business,  since  which 
time  he  has  devoted  his  energies  to  the  erection  of  concrete  bridges, 
culverts,  foundations,  fence  posts,  water  troughs,  tanks,  houses, 
business  structures,  and  indeed,  the  many  purposes  to  which  cement 
is  applicable. 

When  he  came  to  Woodland  in  1882  Mr.  Barnes  was  unmar- 
ried. November  5,  1884,  he  married  Miss  Mollie  Cosby,  a  native 
of  St.  Charles  county,  Mo.,  and  a  daughter  of  Josiah  Cosby  of  that 
state.  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Barnes  are  the  parents  of  two  children, 
Cosby  H.  (his  father's  partner)  and  Ruth.  Fraternally  he  holds 
membership  with  the  Woodland  lodge  of  Masons,  chapter  and  com 
mandery,  and  with  the  lodge  and  encampment  of  Odd  Fellows 
and  the  Woodmen  of  the  World.  For  many  years  Mr.  Barnes 
was  a  member  of  the  board  of  trustees  of  the  Odd  Fellows'  Hall, 
besides  having  served  as  noble  grand  and  for  four  terms  filling 
the  post  of  district  deputy  grand  master  and  two  terms  as  dis- 
trict   deputy   grand    patriarch    of   the    encampment.      In    tin'    Re 


240  HISTORY  OF  YOLO  COUNTY 

bekaks,  to  which  he  and  his  wife  belong,  the  latter  has  served  as 
noble  grand,  and  they  are  also  both  members  of  the  Order  of 
Eastern  Star.  The  Methodist  Episcopal  Church  South  has  received 
their  earnest  support,  and  Mr.  Barnes  for  years  gave  the  most 
efficient  service  as  superintendent  of  the  Sunday  school.  As  a 
member  of  the  First  Rifle  Team  he  accompanied  his  command 
from  California  to  the  meet  at  Seagirt,  X.  J.,  the  government  de- 
fraying all  expenses.  For  seven  years  he  was  a  member  of  the 
California  National  Guard  and  retired  with  the  rank  of  sergeant 
of  Company  F,  Second  California  Regiment,  to  which  his  son 
and  partner  also  has  belonged  for  the  past  five  years  or  more. 

The  junior  member  of  the  firm,  Cosby  H.  Barnes,  is  a  native 
son  of  Woodland,  born  June  1,  1886.  After  completing  his  edu- 
cation he  was  for  a  time  employed  with  the  Wells,  Fargo  Com- 
pany. Having  learned  the  cement  business  from  a  youth,  in  1906 
he  joined  his  father  in  the  business  and  since  then  has  been  ac- 
tively interested  with  him.  He  was  married  in  Woodland,  Decem- 
ber 30,  1906,  to  Miss  Hazel  Irene  Roberts,  who  was  born  near 
Woodland,  and  to  them  have  been  born  two  children,  Virginia 
Elberta  and  Elwood  Henry.  For  six  years  he  has  been  and  still  is 
a  member  of  Company  F,  Second  Regiment  of  California,  and 
served  with  the  regiment  at  the  San  Francisco  fire  in  1906.  In 
1911  he  was  a  member  of  the  team  that  won  the  regimental  cup 
and  also  the  lodge  state  cup.  He  holds  membership  in  Woodland 
Lodge  of  Masons  and  encampment  of  the  Odd  Fellows,  in  which 
he  is  a  past  grand,  and  he  is  also  a  member  of  the  Woodmen  of 
the  World. 


RICHARD  HENDERSON  BEAMER 

The  development  of  the  Sacramento  valley,  not  only  from  the 
standpoint  of  financial  stability,  but  also  from  the  side  of  com- 
mercial growth,  has  been  fostered  through  the  sagacious  leader- 
ship of  the  First  National  Bank,  formerly  the  Farmers  and  Mer- 
chants Bank,  an  institution  well  known  in  Woodland  and  in  all  of 
the  surrounding  country.  As  a  financial  concern  it  has  achieved 
a  wide  reputation  for  conservative  spirit,  local  pride,  keen  super- 
vision and  an  important  list  of  depositors.  Its  officers  are  without 
exception  men  of  fine  mental  attributes  and  ability  as  financiers. 
Guarding  the  investments  of  their  stockholders  with  wise  cau- 
tion, they  yet  have  proved  of  the  utmost  importance  to  the  perma- 


HISTORY  OF  YOLO  COUNTY  243 

nent  advancement  of  their  home  city  through  their  judicious  exten- 
sion of  credit  to  men  hampered  by  want  of  capital,  and  in  every 
instance  the  wisdom  of  their  confidence  has  been  proved  by  actual 
results. 

Coming  into  the  office  of  president,  some  seven  or  more  years 
after  the  organization  of  the  Farmers  and  Merchants  Bank,  Mr. 
Beamer  soon  impressed  upon  the  institution  the  influence  of  his 
strong,  virile  personality.  The  results  of  his  executive  manage- 
ment permeated  the  community  with  a  distinct  effect  upon  its 
permanent  upbuilding.  The  valley  has  achieved  a  prosperity 
more  vital  and  lasting  than  would  have  been  possible  without  the 
presence  of  the  bank,  working  through  its  officers  for  the  bene- 
fit of  the  entire  region,  and  its  president  has  been  particularly 
helpful  in  establishing  for  the  concern  a  position  as  sound,  reliable 
and  conservative.  At  the  time  that  he  was  chosen  president, 
November  9,  1901,  F.  Miller  was  selected  for  the  office  of  vice- 
president,  M.  0.  Harling  was  re-elected  cashier,  and  J.  M.  Day 
was  made  the  accountant.  At  the  report  of  September,  1903,  the 
capital  stock  was  shown  to  lie  $200,000,  the  assets  were  large  and 
the  surplus  increasing.  Since  then  the  capital  has  been  equally 
divided,  and  it  is  now  the  First  National  Bank  and  Home  Savings 
Bank  of  Woodland,  with  equal  proportions  of  the  capital  stock  and 
surplus.  On  January  20,  1910,  Mr.  Beamer  resigned  as  president 
of  the  bank  to  take  the  position  of  state  bank  examiner,  which 
he  filled  during  the  administration  of  Superintendent  of  Banks 
Alden   Anderson. 

The  Farmers  and  Merchants  Bank  of  Woodland  was  estab- 
lished September  26,  1892,  with  the  following  directorate:  David 
N.  Hershey,  C.  G.  Day,  Col.  D.  M.  Burns,  W  G.  Hunt,  M.  Diggs, 
Thomas  Ross,  Richard  H.  Beamer,  L.  B.  Adams,  George  H.  Jack- 
son and  D.  R.  Clanton.  The  concern  was  incorporated  through 
the  work  of  a  special  committee  comprising  Messrs.  Adams,  Day, 
Diggs,  Ross,  Beamer  and  Burns.  Vacant  property  was  bought  at 
the  northwest  corner  of  Main  and  First  streets  in  1893.  Sep- 
tember 26  of  that  year  the  work  of  building  was  begun  with  J.  J. 
Hall  as  architect  and  D.  McPhee  as  contractor.  The  building, 
which  is  three  stories  in  height  and  built  of  Arizona  red  sandstone, 
cost  $31,205,  exclusive  of  interior  fittings  and  furnishings.  The 
first  floor  is  occupied  by  the  bank  and  the  other  suites  are  utilized 
for  office  purposes.  The  building  is  heated  by  steam  and  lighted 
by  gas  and  electricity,  while  a  fireproof  room  enables  customers 
to  deposit  valuable  papers  in  a  vault  constructed  by  the  Diebold 
Safe  and  Lock  Company.  Modern  conveniences  enable  the  occu- 
pants of  the  building  to  transact  business  with  dispatch  in  the 
midst   of  comfortable  surroundings. 


244  HISTORY  OF  YOLO  COUNTY 

Born  in  Missouri,  July  29,  1849,  Richard  Henderson  Beamer 
is  a  son  of  Richard  L.  Beamer,  a  native  of  Virginia.  Primarily 
educated  in  local  schools,  he  later  was  sent  to  the  Hesperian  Col- 
lege and  then  attended  the  University  of  Kentucky  at  Lexington. 
December  20,  1870,  he  married  Miss  Mary  E.  Hodgen,  a  native  of 
Kentucky.  The  young  couple  enjoyed  a  wedding  tour  that  brought 
them  to  the  west  and  they  settled  in  Yolo  county,  where  for  years 
Mr.  Beamer  engaged  in  ranching.  He  platted  Beamer 's  addition 
to  Woodland,  comprising  eighty  acres.  He  built  his  comfortable 
home  on  North  Third  street,  where  he  resided  with  his  family.  His 
wife  died  at  the  age  of  forty-nine  years,  and  two  of  their  chil- 
dren died  when  young.  The  other  members  of  the  family  are 
Dr.  Richard  F.  Beamer,  a  dentist  in  San  Francisco;  Daisy  Irene, 
wife  of  C.  B.  Hobson  of  Berkeley;  Blanche  H.  of  Woodland,  and 
Joseph,  assistant  collection  teller  of  the  First  National  Bank  of 
San   Francisco. 

Stanchly  devoted  to  the  Democratic  party,  Mr.  Beamer  has 
been  prominent  in  the  local  councils  of  the  party.  From  1872 
to  1874  he  served  as  county  auditor,  after  which  he  held  office  as 
assessor  four  years.  During  1885  he  was  chosen  sheriff,  and  that 
office  he  filled  with  courage  and  energy.  His  party  nominated  him 
to  represent  Yolo  and  Napa  counties  in  the  state  senate,  but  he 
declined  the  honor,  although  the  nomination  was  equivalent  to  an 
election.  For  a  long  period  he  rendered  efficient  service  as  a 
member  of  the  state  board  of  equalization  and  for  one  term  he 
held  office  as  mayor  of  Woodland,  in  which  position  he  promoted 
the  progress  of  the  city  by  his  intelligent  sympathy  with  all 
movements  for  the  general  welfare.  Since  he  retired  from  the 
state  bank  examiner's  office  he  has  devoted  his  attention  to  his 
varied  interests  and  is  serving  as  the  representative  appointed  by 
the  supervisors  of  Yolo  county  to  secure  the  state  highway  for 
the  west  side  of  the  Sacramento  river.  Fraternally  Mr.  Beamer 
is  a  Mason  and  an  Odd  Fellow,  and  also  belongs  to  the  Knights 
of  Pythias.  He  is  one  of  Woodland's  most  dependable  citizens 
and  is  always  giving  of  his  time  and  means  to  promote  the  com- 
mercial importance  of  his  community  and  county. 


CHARLES  E.  GREENE,  Sb. 

Among  the  wave  of  emigrants  who  left  the  east  to  answer 
the  call  of  the  Southern  California  gold  fields  in  1849  was  C.  E. 
Greene,  who  passed  away  July  10,  1886,  at  his  home  near  Davis, 


HISTORY  OF  YOLO  COUNTY  247 

after  laboring  with  other  brave  pioneers  nearly  thirty  years  to 
bring  to  a  state  of  beauty  and  production  the  vast  tracts  of  virgin 
land  in  Yolo  county,  which  awaited  the  touch  of  the  home- 
steader. Born  in  Sherburne,  Vt.,  in  1824,  be  received  bis  educa- 
tion in  the  local  schools  of  Vermont  and  New  York  state.  Dur- 
ing the  excitement  occasioned  by  the  discovery  of  gold  in  Cali- 
fornia in  1849  he  left  his  boyhood  home  in  company  with  others, 
making  the  journey  by  ox-teams,  and  after  a  trying  and  hazard- 
ous trip  finally  reached  Sacramento.  For  a  year  thereafter  he 
worked  in  the  mines  with  success,  and  later  was  engaged  in  tbe 
mercantile  business  in  Sacramento.  In  1852  be  settled  on  Putah 
creek,  where  he  carried  on  farming  on  an  extensive  scale,  later 
purchasing  a  tract  of  twelve  hundred  and  eighty  acres  of  valu- 
able land  located  five  miles  from  Davis,  upon  which  he  made 
a  specialty  of  grain  raising. 

Mr.  Greene  was  united  in  marriage  in  Sacramento  in  1855, 
with  Miss  Bertha  L.  Bennett,  who  was  born  in  Muscatine  county, 
Iowa,  and  whose  parents,  Milo  and  Mary  (Gibson)  Bennett,  were 
among  the  first  settlers  of  Sacramento  in  1851,  having  crossed  the 
plains  that  year.  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Greene  were  blessed  with  three 
children:  Mrs.  B.  B.  Tuttle,  Mrs.  Col.  James  Jackson,  and  Charles 
E.,  Jr.  Identified  with  all  public  movements  of  merit,  Mr.  Greene 
was  known  throughout  the  county  as  a  man  of  the  highest 
worth  and  to  those  who  had  the  privilege  of  knowing  him  best, 
the  memory  of  his  life  will  ever  remain  an  encouragement  and  a 
blessing;. 


WILLIAM  A.  ANDERSON 

Prior  to  the  discovery  of  sold  that  made  California  the 
Eldorado  for  the  aspiring  purposes  of  the  youth  from  many  lands, 
there  crossed  the  plains  with  a  large  expedition  of  wagons  and 
oxen,  a  sturdy  young  man  of  eighteen  years,  Thomas  Anderson, 
a  native  of  Cincinnati,  Ohio,  and  a  member  of  a  pioneer  family 
whose  limited  means  prevented  him  from  receiving  any  great 
educational  advantages  or  any  business  training  except  such  as 
appeared  in  an  apprenticeship  to  the  trade  of  a  carriage-maker. 
However,  the  lack  of  means  did  not  prove  a  handicap  to  one  pos- 
sessing resolution  of  spirit  and  energy  of  character;  with  the 
courage  characteristic  of  the  frontiersman  he  left  the  associates 
of  early  life  to  cast  in  his  fortunes  with  an  unknown  land.     About 


248  HISTORY  OF  YOLO  COUNTY 

two  years  after  his  arrival  in  California  gold  was  discovered  at 
Sutter's  camp,  and  the  tide  of  emigration  swiftly  turned  toward 
this  point  from  all  portions  of  the  civilized  world.  The  incoming 
of  settlers  created  a  demand  for  vehicles  and  he  found  employ- 
ment in  the  making  of  wagons  and  carriages.  For  some  years 
he  had  business  headquarters  at  Sacramento,  where  at  one  time 
he  owned  the  site  of  the  Western  hotel.  The  floods  and  fires  of 
early  days  caused  him  heavy  losses,  but  it  was  his  privilege  to 
live  until  prosperity  had  cast  its  benediction  upon  the  west,  and 
when  he  died  in  1886  the  town  which  he  remembered  as  a  typical 
headquarters  for  miners  had  developed  into  a  populous,  refined 
and  progressive  city.  With  a  distaste  for  politics,  he  had  never 
allowed  his  name  to  be  presented  as  candidate  for  any  of  the  local 
offices,  but  on  one  occasion  he  accepted  a  position  as  deputy  in  the 
office  of  the  county  treasurer,  and  during  the  several  years  of  his 
service  in  that  capacity  his  books  were  said  to  be  models  of  accuracy 
and  neatness. 

For  a  long  period  subsequent  to  his  arrival  in  the  west  Thomas 
Anderson  remained  a  bachelor,  but  eventually  he  established  a  home 
of  his  own,  choosing  as  his  wife  Miss  Katherine  Leigh,  who  was 
born  in  Louisiana  and  came  to  California  with  her  parents  dur- 
ing the  early  '50s.  Her  death  occurred  in  1879,  at  which  time 
her  son,  William  A.,  who  was  born  August  6,  1875,  was  too  young 
to  realize  the  heavy  bereavement  that  had  fallen  upon  the  family. 
There  were  nine  children  altogether,  but  only  three  are  now  living. 
Lillie  is  the  wife  of  E.  F.  Haswell  of  Eumsey,  and  Rose  married 
T.  D.  Parker  of  Winters.  The  only  surviving  son,  who  is  now 
one  of  the  most  prominent  attorneys  of  Woodland,  received  his 
education  primarily  in  the  public  schools,  later  under  a  private 
tutor,  and  finally  in  the  San  Francisco  Business  College,  from 
which  he  was  graduated  in  1891.  Immediately  afterward  he  took 
up  the  study  of  law,  which  he  completed  in  the  office  of  C.  W. 
Thomas  of  Woodland.  Since  being  admitted  to  the  bar,  in  Janu- 
ary of  1897,  he  has  engaged  in  the  practice  of  his  profession  at 
Woodland,  where  he  has  risen  to  influence  among  the  members 
of  the  bar.  Near  the  city  on  Cache  creek  he  has  a  finely  improved 
vineyard,  and  to  it  he  gives  personal  attention,  finding  recreation 
and  relaxation  in  the  change  from  arduous  mental  labors  to 
interesting  outdoor  activities. 

Two  children,  Wilella  and  George  Clark,  comprise  the  family 
of  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Anderson,  the  latter  of  whom  was  Ella  Arm- 
strong, a  native  of  Reno,  Nev.,  and  a  graduate  of  the  San  Jose 
Normal  school.  She  is  a  daughter  of  Alexander  Armstrong,  one 
of  the  leading  pioneers  of  Yolo  county.  The  family  are  identified 
with  the  Christian  Church,  and  Mr.  Anderson  is  numbered  among 


HISTORY  OF  YOLO  COUNTY  249 

the  liberal  contributors  to  its  work  in  Woodland.  As  past  presi- 
dent he  holds  official  relations  with  Woodland  Parlor  No.  30,  N.  S. 
U.  W.  Besides  being  connected  with  the  Independent  Order  of 
Odd  Fellows  he  is  also  a  member  of  Woodland  Circle,  Companions 
of  Foresters,  the  Foresters  of  America,  and  is  now  serving  as 
Junior  Beadle  of  the  Grand  Court  of  California. 

The  principles  of  the  Republican  party  always  have  received 
the  intelligent  support  of  Mr.  Anderson,  who,  while  not  entering 
into  partisan  affairs,  nevertheless  is  numbered  among  the  leading- 
men  of  Woodland  in  civic  and  political  affairs.  When  in  July  of 
1898  District  Attorney  Hopkins  left  Yolo  county  on  account  of 
illness,  Mr.  Anderson  took  charge  of  the  office  for  the  balance  of 
the  term,  retiring  in  January  of  1899.  During  April  following 
he  was  elected  city  attorney  of  Woodland  and  served  for  a  term 
of  two  years.  Nominated  for  district  attorney  in  1902,  on  the  face 
of  the  returns  he  was  elected,  in  evidence  whereof  a  certificate  of 
election  was  tendered  him.  Eventually,  however,  he  was  counted 
out  through  a  technicality,  but  not  until  he  had  filled  the  office 
for  two  years,  attending  to  all  of  the  work  incident  thereto  and 
drawing  his  salary  at  regular  intervals.  When  the  final  decision 
was  rendered  he  relinquished  the  office,  but  in  the  autumn  of 
1906  he  was  elected  by  a  most  emphatic  majority.  A  service  of 
four  years  proved  satisfactory  to  the  people,  and  he  retired  in 
January  of  1911  with  every  evidence  of  success  in  the  important 
position.  He  was  the  first  district  attorney  for  fifty  years  who 
obtained  a  sentence  of  hanging  in  the  prosecution  of  murder  in 
Yolo  county.  One  of  his  most  important  responsibilities  was  the 
planning  for  and  signing  of  a  contract  for  the  erection  of  a  steel 
railroad  bridge  over  the  the  Sacramento  river,  the  same  to  cost 
$1,000,000.  Much  to  the  discomfort  of  the  railroad  officials,  he 
held  off  from  signing  a  contract  until  he  had  secured  one  that 
was  satisfactory  and  protected  the  people's  rights.  Not  only  in 
this  matter,  but  in  all  enterprises  of  grave  importance  to  the  tax- 
payers, he  represented  the  people  with  fidelity,  intelligence  and 
tact,  while  as  a  private  citizen,  no  less  than  when  in  public  office, 
he  has  proved  patriotic,  loyal  and  alert  to  advance  the  prosperity 
of  city  and  commonwealth. 


JOSEPH  G-ERMESHAUSEN 

More   than   fifty   years   have   brought   their   interesting   series 
of  progress  since  first  Joseph  Germeshausen  arrived  in  Woodland. 


250  HISTORY  OF  YOLO  COUNTY 

The  city  that  now  spreads  its  thriving  expanse  of  commerce  over 
the  valley  held  little  at  that  time  to  arouse  the  admiration  of  a 
newcomer.  A  few  small  houses  gave  homes  to  the  pioneers  who, 
in  the  midst  of  primeval  surroundings,  were  endeavoring  to  earn 
their  livelihoods.  On  every  hand  could  be  seen  the  great  forests 
with  their  wealth  of  timber  and  their  abundance  of  game.  Fre- 
quently deer  in  considerable  numbers  appeared  within  the  town 
limits.  A  skilled  marksman  was  able  to  keep  his  family  supplied 
with  venison  as  well  as  other  game  during  the  season.  When 
the  environment  of  that  period  is  contrasted  with  the  improve- 
ments characteristic  of  the  twentieth  century,  an  appreciation 
is  aroused  in  behalf  of  the  early  settlers  whose  rugged  self-reliance 
and  keen  foresight  rendered  possible  present  conditions  of  pros- 
perity. 

Not  the  least  important  of  these  pioneers  is  Joseph  Germes- 
hausen,  who  was  born  in  Prussia,  Germany,  March  25,  1836,  grew 
to  manhood  upon  the  home  farm,  attended  the  schools  of  his 
native  land  and  in  1856  crossed  the  ocean  to  New  York  City,  land- 
ing with  little  money  and  less  knowledge  of  our  language  and 
customs.  It  was  possible,  however,  for  the  sturdy  young  German 
to  secure  immediate  employment  and  he  continued  in  the  metrop- 
olis until  1861,  when  the  opportunities  of  California  attracted 
him  to  the  west.  Associated  with  his  brother,  Barney,  he  went 
to  Leavenworth,  Kans.,  and  bought  a  mule  team  and  wagon,  also 
laid  in  an  abundance  of  supplies  for  the  long  overland  journey. 
It  was  his  good  fortune  to  accompany  a  train  of  thirteen  wagons 
that  encountered  no  vexatious  delays  and  no  hostility  from  In- 
dians, but  pushed  forward  with  such  persistence  that  they  reached 
Virginia  City,  New,  in  four  months  from  the  time  of  leaving 
Leavenworth.  A  short  stop  in  the  western  mining  town  was  fol- 
lowed by  removal  to  Yolo  county  during  the  fall  of  1861,  when 
Woodland  was  seen  for  the  first  time  and  the  surrounding  country 
carefully   inspected. 

It  is  significant  of  the  favorable  impression  created  in  the 
mind  of  Mr.  Germeshausen  by  the  appearance  of  Yolo  county 
in  its  then  undeveloped  condition  that  he  immediately  took  up 
land  and  started  to  raise  grain.  The  tract  which  he  selected 
comprises  three  hundred  and  twenty  acres  and  lies  in  close  prox- 
imity to  Plainfield,  its  distance  from  Woodland  being  about  nine 
miles.  From  that  early  period  to  the  present  he  has  continued 
to  own  and  superintend  the  same  property.     For  years  he  ocou- 


HISTORY  OF  YOLO  COUNTY  251 

pied  the  ranch,  tilled  the  soil,  sowed  the  grain,  harvested  the 
crops  and,  indeed,  with  his  own  energetic  hands  managed  the 
entire  place,  hut  eventually  he  removed  to  Woodland  in  1882,  and 
the  ranch  is  now  occupied  and  operated  by  his  youngest  son,  Dan- 
iel. After  he  moved  into  the  city  he  purchased  the  Yolo  brewery 
from  Miller  &  Schuerle,  and  later  he  organized  the  Yolo  Brewing 
Company,  of  which  he  continued  to  be  the  president  as  well  as 
the  manager  until  a  few  years  since,  when  he  retired  to  private 
life,  relinquishing  to  others  the  supervision  of  the  important  in- 
dustry he  had  fostered  and  enlarged.  He  still  serves  as  a  director 
in  the  First  National  Bank  of  Woodland,  in  which  for  years  he 
has  been  a  holder  of  a  large  amount  of  stock. 

Ever  since  making  a  study  of  political  questions  in  this  coun- 
try Mr.  Germeshausen  has  voted  with  the  Republican  party  and 
supported  its  principles  with  unwavering  zeal.  He  came  to  this 
county  a  young  man,  unmarried,  and  it  was  not  until  some  years 
later  that  he  established  domestic  ties,  his  marriage  in  1868  unit- 
ing him  with  Miss  Mary  Selma  Beck,  a  native  of  Wurtemberg, 
Germany,  but  from  early  life  a  resident  of  Woodland.  They  are 
the  parents  of  seven  children  now  living.  It  was  their  misfor- 
tune to  lose  two  of  their  sons,  Joseph,  Jr.,  and  William,  when  they 
were  about  twenty-seven  years  of  age.  The  surviving  sons  re- 
main in  Yolo  county:  Beno  is  clerk  at  the  Pacific  house,  this  city; 
Edwin  is  a  blacksmith  in  Woodland,  and  Daniel  is  the  manager 
of  the  old  homestead.  The  eldest  daughter,  Lena,  is  the  wife  of 
Fred  Ewert,  of  this  city;  Selma,  Mrs.  Abele,  resides  near  Cache- 
ville;  Katherina  is  Mrs.  Gumbinger,  of  Woodland,  and  Minnie 
married  Ben  Harling,  also  of  this  city. 


RICHARD  ALGE 

An  identification  with  the  business  interests  of  Woodland 
covering  practically  the  entire  period  from  1878  to  the  present 
time  gives  to  Mr.  Alge  the  prestige  connected  with  pioneer  citi- 
zenship and  the  influence  associated  with  successful  activities. 
As  a  friendless  immigrant  to  the  shores  of  America  his  experi- 
ence was  not  dissimilar  to  that  of  thousands  of  young  aliens,  who. 


252  HISTOEY  OF  YOLO  COUNTY 

brave  in  hope  but  penniless  in  purse,  seek  the  rich  opportunities 
of  the  new  world.  In  the  midst  of  a  people  whose  language 
sounded  strange  to  his  ears  and  whose  broad  prairies  presented 
a  forlorn  aspect  to  his  vision  he  began  the  task  of  earning  a 
livelihood,  a  task  whose  possibilities  seemed  indeed  limited  until  a 
fortunate  decision  brought  him  to  California  and  thus  started 
him  in  the  upward  path  of  progress.  Throughout  the  entire 
period  of  his  residence  in  the  west  he  has  been  interested  in  the 
meat  business,  first  as  an  employe  in  a  market,  later  for  years 
as  the  energetic  co-partner  in  a  flourishing  establishment,  but 
more  recently  only  from  the  standpoint  of  a  retired  market  owner, 
whose  attention  is  now  concentrated  upon  the  shipment  of  live- 
stock to  San  Francisco  and  the  management  of  his  property 
interests  in  and  near  Woodland. 

About  the  middle  of  the  nineteenth  century  there  resided  in 
Voralberg,  Austria,  a  farmer'  and  educator  named  Joseph  Alge, 
a  man  of  considerable  ability  and  a  lifelong  resident  of  Austria, 
which  had  been  the  home  of  unnumbered  generations  of  his  ances- 
try. His  wife,  who  bore  the  maiden  name  of  Magdalena  Vogel, 
also  died  in  Austria.  Of  their  nine  children  five  were  spared  to 
attain  maturity,  but  the  only  one  of  the  number  to  come  to  Amer- 
ica was  Eichard,  whose  birth  occurred  at  Voralberg  April  2,  1852, 
and  whose  early  days  were  passed  on  the  home  farm.  After  he 
had  completed  the  studies  of  the  common  schools  he  served  an 
apprenticeship  to  the  butcher's  trade  in  his  native  land,  whence 
in  1872  he  came  to  the  United  States.  His  first  experiences  in 
the  new  world  were  gained  at  New  York  City,  Newark,  N.  J., 
and  Philadelphia,  and  from  the  latter  city  in  1875  he  came  to  San 
Francisco,  where  he  found  employment  at  his  trade. 

The  year  1878  found  the  young  Austrian  a  newcomer  in 
Woodland,  where  he  spent  one  month  in  the  employ  of  the  Moss- 
mayer  meat  market  and  eighteen  months  with  Frasier  &  Gary, 
also  butchers.  Finally  he  resigned  in  order  to  form  a  partnership 
with  George  Armstrong  under  the  firm  title  of  Armstrong  & 
Alge,  and  the  two  started  a  new  shop  on  Main,  between  First  and 
Second  streets.  For  a  period  of  about  thirty  years  the  partner- 
ship was  continued  pleasantly  and  profitably,  but  eventually  the 
senior  member  of  the  firm  disposed  of  his  interest  to  Mr.  Alge 
and  retired  to  private  life.  Eighteen  months  later,  in  1910,  Mr. 
Alge  leased  the  shop  to  other  parties  and  since  then  has  devoted 
himself  to  the  shipment  of  stock  to  the  metropolitan  packing 
houses  and  stockyards,  also  to  the  supervision  of  his  business  and 
residence  properties  in  Woodland,  and  to  the  management  of  his 
alfalfa  ranch  of  seventv  acres  about  one  and  one-half  miles  north 


&     /4^^^^^it^>L 


El 


.MRS.    II.    11AM1LTOX 


HISTORY  OF  YOLO  COUNTY  257 

of  the  city.  Besides  other  important  interests,  he  serves  as  a 
director  in  the  First  National  Bank  of  Woodland,  in  which  for 
years  he  has  been  a  stockholder. 

After  coming  to  the  west  Mr.  Alge  formed  the  acquaintance 
of  Miss  Louisa  Graff,  and  they  were  married  in  Sacramento,  her 
native  city.  For  years  they,  with  their  only  child,  Bertha,  have 
been  leading  members  of  the  Holy  Rosary  Catholic  Church  and 
have  contributed  to  its  maintenance  with  the  utmost  generosity, 
while  in  addition  Mr.  Alge  has  been  a  helper  of  various  move- 
ments for  the  general  welfare  and  an  interested  participant  in 
public  affairs.  In  political  views  he  has  voted  with  the  Demo- 
cratic party  ever  since  he  became  a  naturalized  citizen  of  our 
country,  and  his  party  has  depended  upon  him  for  the  support  of 
its  measures  and  nominees.  His  fraternal  relationships  include 
enrollment  with  the  Herman  Sons,  the  Knights  of  Pythias  and 
the  Independent  Order  of  Foresters.  In  1882  he  became  a  charter 
member  of  Company  F,  Third  Regulars,  N.  O.  C,  and  served  for 
three  years.  He  also  served  for  five  years  as  a  member  of  the 
Woodland  volunteer  fire  department.  It  has  been  his  privilege 
to  witness  much  of  the  growth  of  Woodland.  When  lie  came 
here  it  was  a  hamlet  of  insignificant  proportions,  but  gradually  it 
has  expanded  in  area  and  commercial  importance  and  has  taken 
upon  itself  metropolitan  improvements  of  the  greatest  value  to 
property  owners  and  business  men.  With  this  slow  but  sure 
development  it  has  risen  to  a  foremost  rank  among  the  cities  of 
this  class  in  the  state  and  its  substantial  commercial  prestige 
mav  well  be  the  basis  of  future  advancement. 


DAVID    HAMILTON 

It  was  sixty-three  years  ago,  on  the  3rd  of  April,  1849,  that 
twenty-nine  men  started  from  McDonough  county.  111.,  enroute 
to  California.  Of  that  party  probably  only  two  are  now  living, 
David  Harris,  now  of  San  Francisco,  and  David  Hamilton,  the 
subject  of  this  sketch.  He  was  born  December  25,  1825,  at  Rush- 
ville,  Muskingum  county,  Ohio,  the  son  of  Alexander  and  Han- 
nah (Gabriel)  Hamilton,  the  former  of  Pennsylvania  and  the 
latter  of  Ohio.  The  father  died  in  1828  and  the' mother  in  1840. 
Alexander  and  David  were  their  only  children.  When  he  was  quite 
young  David  went  to  Miami  comity,  Ohio,  where  he  learned  the 
trade  of  blacksmith,     in  1848  he  located  in  Macomb,  111.,  where  he 


258  HISTORY  OF  YOLO  COUNTY 

remained  about  a  year,  thence  coming  to  California,  as  above 
mentioned.  The  trip  was  made  overland  with  ox  teams  and  re- 
quired six  months  and  was  attended  by  many  disagreeable  features, 
which,  however,  were  speedily  forgotten  by  the  travellers  upon 
reaching  their  destination.  From  Shingle  Springs,  Cal.,  where  the 
little  company  separated,  Mr.  Hamilton  went  to  Coloma,  where  he 
mined  a  short  time.  In  October  he  purchased  an  ample  stock  of 
living  necessities  and  made  his  way  to  Amador  county,  Cal.,  where 
he  spent  the  winter  mining.  The  following  March  he  again  changed 
his  residence  to  Calaveras  county,  and  after  two  months  took  the 
trail  for  Sacramento,  where  he  conducted  a  combination  feed 
store  and  blacksmith  shop.  In  October,  1850,  he  moved  to  Yolo 
county  and  took  up  his  abode  on  a  ranch  three  miles  south  of 
Knights  Landing,  and  today  he  is  one  of  the  oldest  living  settlers  in 
this  county.  Stock-raising  was  his  next  venture,  but  after  two  years 
he  left  his  farm  to  engage  in  hauling  freight  from  Colusa  to  the 
mines  of  Shasta.  In  the  fall  he  returned  to  his  ranch  and  con- 
tinued operations  there  until  the  year  1857,  when  he  again  took  up 
teaming  between  Davisville  and  Sacramento.  One  of  the  notable 
events  of  that  summer  was  the  hauling  by  Mr.  Hamilton  of  a 
large  threshing  machine  from  Yolo  county  to  Carson  valley, 
New,  ten  mules  being  used,  six  for  hauling  the  machine,  and  four 
for  hauling  the  hops  and  feed.  The  trip  was  a  success  in  spite 
of  the  hills  and  bad  roads.  This  was  the  first  threshing  machine 
hauled  into  Nevada  and  Mr.  Hamilton  did  the  first  threshing  there 
that  fall,  pay  at  that  time  being  every  tenth  bushel.  Soon  after 
this  he  sold  his  outfit  and  returned  to  his  ranch.  The  winter  of 
1858-59  he  spent  at  the  Fraser  river  mines,  this  proving  another 
wild-goose  chase  attended  with  much  danger,  three  men  of  the 
party  being  killed  in  Indian  fights.  Mr.  Hamilton  returned  to  his 
farm  in  the  spring  of  1860. 

Mr.  Hamilton's  marriage  occurred  June  15,  1861,  to  Phoebe  P. 
Browned,  who  with  her  brother,  W.  W.  Browned,  came  to  Cali- 
fornia from  their  native  town,  New  Bedford,  Mass.,  in  1857,  via 
Panama.  In  1862  Mr.  Hamilton  purchased  a  quarter  section  of  land 
one  and  one-half  miles  west  of  Knights  Landing,  and  for  some 
years  engaged  in  stock-raising  and  farming  with  great  success, 
frequently  adding  to  his  land  holdings,  until  he  became  the  owner 
of  four  hundred  acres  of  excellent  land  which  he  sold  to  great 
advantage  in  1892.  Woodland  was  the  home  of  Mr.  Hamilton  for 
the  next  three  years,  when  he  bought  a  ten-acre  tract  one-third 
of  a  mile  west  of  the  city  limits,  where  he  has  a  large  residence  with 
the  necessary  improvements.  The  only  child  born  to  Mr.  and  Mrs. 
Hamilton,  Eugenia  Forest,  passed  away  when  seventeen  and  one- 
half  years  of  age,  leaving  bereft  not  only  her  parents,  but  her  many 
friends  as  well.     Her  education  had  been  carefully  conducted,  pri- 


HISTORY  OF  YOLO  COUNTY  259 

marily  at  Knights  Lauding,  and  later  at  Mrs.  Perry's  Seminary  in 
Sacramento.  In  December,  1909,  Mrs.  Hamilton  followed  her 
daughter  "over  the  bar,"  leaving  the  husband  and  father  to  wait 
and  hope  for  the  reunion  which  will  one  day  be  theirs. 

Mr.  Hamilton  adheres  to  Republican  principles  and  first  voted 
for  president  in  1852.  Broad-minded  and  sympathetic,  he  has 
always  enjoyed  many  friends  who  attribute  his  success  to  his 
generous  heart  and  his  conscientious  devotion  to  dutv. 


WILLIAM  KING 

Beneath  the  shadow  of  the  Great  Smoky  mountains,  with 
the  lofty  peaks  of  the  Blue  Ridge  chain  lying  in  the  remote 
distance  and  lifting  their  gray  summits  toward  the  sky,  in  the 
eastern  portion  of  Tennessee  seventy-five  years  ago  there  stood 
a  few  buildings  on  a  Knox  county  plantation,  forming  a  home- 
stead whose  memory  lingers  with  William  King  into  his  old 
age.  There  he  was  born  in  1838  and  there  he  played  with  the 
zest  of  care-free  childhood.  But  when  he  was  yet  quite  small 
the  family,  in  the  hope  of  bettering  their  condition,  removed  by 
wagon  to  Missouri  and  journeyed  west  almost  to  the  Kansas 
line,  settling  in  Jackson  county  south  of  the  present  metropolis 
of  Kansas  City.  Into  that  region  settlers  were  coming  in  large 
numbers,  but  the  news  of  the  discovery  of  gold  in  California 
turned  the  tide  of  emigration  still  further  toward  the  setting 
sun. 

With  the  passing  of  winter  and  the  opening  of  the  spring 
of  1853  an  expedition  was  formed  for  the  purpose  of  crossing 
the  plains.  In  the  party  there  were  thirty-two  men  and  only 
two  boys,  David  and  William  King,  brothers,  the  latter  a  youth 
of  fifteen  years,  sturdily  endowed  by  nature,  but  with  only  the 
education  afforded  by  the  day  and  locality.  He  was  quite  useful 
as  a  cattle  drover  and  also  looked  after  the  mules  for  the  men. 
At  the  end  of  a  tedious  journey  Yolo  county  was  reached  during 
the  autumn  of  1853  and  here  Mr.  King  still  resides.  At  present 
there  is  not  a  man  nor  a  woman  in  Davis  township  who  was 
here  when  he  came  in  1853  and  many  are  the  changes  he  lias 
witnessed  during  the  long  period  of  his  residence,  his  own 
quiet  and  industrious  labors  having  contributed  to  the  bringing 
about  of  some  of  these  changes. 

After  having  made  two   trips   across   the   mountains    hauling 


260  HISTORY  OF  YOLO  COUNTY 

freight  with  four  yoke  of  oxen,  Mr.  King  began  to  work  on  the 
Gregory  ranch,  where  he  was  the  only  employe  able  to  speak 
English.  Two-thirds  of  the  people  in  the  vicinity  of  Davis  at 
the  time  were  Spaniards.  In  1856  he  rented  sixty  acres  of 
raw  land  and  raised  a  crop  of  wheat,  which  he  sold  at  $2.50 
per  cwt.  Next  he  squatted  on  a  land  grant,  but  was  ejected  be- 
cause he  had  not  attained  his  majority.  However,  he  managed  to 
raise  a  crop  of  broom  corn  on  the  place.  During  1861  he  began 
to  haul  freight  from  Sacramento  to  Virginia  City  and  continued 
at  the  work  for  a  considerable  period,  eventually,  however,  re- 
moving to  Yolo  county,  where  he  bought  eighty-five  acres  of 
unimproved  land.  His  first  task  was  the  clearing  away  of  the 
brush  that  covered  the  land  and  he  then  was  able  to  raise  large 
crops  of  barley  and  wheat.  In  1875  he  moved  into  the  village 
of  Davis,  where  ever  since  he  has  made  his  home,  but  the 
farm  of  eighty-five  acres,  purchased  in  1869,  he  still  owns  and 
manages.  All  of  the  trees  on  his  home  place  in  Davis  were 
planted  by  Mrs.  King.  Many  other  improvements  were  made 
that  enhanced  the  value  of  the  property.  During  1910  the 
grain  threshed  on  the  farm  averaged  twenty-three  sacks  to  the 
acre.     A  large  crop  of  hay  also  was  taken  from  the  farm. 

Since  becoming  a  citizen  of  Davis  and  a  man  of  some  leisure, 
Mr.  King  has  devoted  a  part  of  his  time  to  public  activities. 
Movements  for  the  benefit  of  the  town  or  township  receive  his 
sympathetic  co-operation  and  he  has  been  progressive  in  his  citi- 
zenship from  the  first  of  his  identification  with  the  county.  In 
no  movement  has  he  been  more  interested  than  in  the  improve- 
ment of  the  highways  and  he  has  rendered  efficient  service  as 
roadmaster.  As  early  as  1879  he  was  first  chosen  to  the  office 
of  justice  of  the  peace  and  for  nine  years  he  continued  to  serve 
with  impartiality  and  intelligence  in  the  position.  During  1890 
he  was  elected  a  member  of  the  board  of  county  supervisors  and 
later  was  honored  with  the  chairmanship  of  that  body.  During 
this  time  he  built  the  first  two  steel  bridges  in  his  district,  the 
first  in  the  county,  and  he  justly  takes  pride  in  having 
reduced  the  taxes  to  $1.  No  one  surpasses  him  in  devo- 
tion to  the  county,  of  which  for  so  many  years  he  has  been  a 
progressive  citizen.  Sharing  with  him  in  the  regard  of  others  is 
liis  wife,  formerly  Miss  Rebecca  M.  Montgomery,  whom  he  mar- 
ried March  30,  1864,  and  who  was  born  in  Marion  county,  Mo. 
She  crossed  the  plains  with  her  parents  in  1854.  Her  father, 
Alexander,  and  her  grandfather,  William  Montgomery,  first  came 
to  Yolo  county  in  1850.  Mr.  and  Mrs.  King  became  the  parents 
to  eight  children,  but.  two,  J.  K.  and  Daisy,  have  passed  from 
earth.     The  others  are  as  follows:  Catherine,  Mrs.  W.  H.   Scott, 


HISTORY  OF  YOLO  COUNTY  261 

of  Davis;  Amanda,  wife  of  J.  B.  Harrington,  of  Davis;  Thomas 
J.;  Edna,  Mrs.  W.  Cole,  of  Sacramento;  Nellie,  wife  of  Samuel 
Lillard,  of  Davis;  and  Belle,  who  married  I.  C.  May  and  lives 
in  Sacramento. 


T.  G.  ROGERS 

As  the  efficient  engineer  of  the  Winters  Canning  Company 
Mr.  Rogers  has  served  for  the  past  six  years,  and  by  his  manli- 
ness and  progressive  spirit  has  won  many  stanch  friends  in  that 
locality. 

Mr.  Rogers  was  born  April  13,  1848,  in  Tazewell  county,  Va., 
where  he  spent  his  youth,  receiving  his  education  in  the  schools 
of  that  section,  and  during  his  leisure  hours  assisted  upon  the 
farm  of  his  parents,  Gilbert  and  Lena  (Doak)  Rogers,  of  Vir- 
ginia, both  of  English  parentage.  At  the  age  of  eighteen  he  went 
to  Harrison  county,  Mo.,  where  he  attended  school,  and  two  years 
later  removed  to  Council  Bluffs,  Iowa,  where  he  became  night 
watchman  for  the  Ogden  hotel.  In  April,  1868,  he  went  to  Omaha, 
Nebr.,  to  accept  a  position  in  the  shops  of  the  Union  Pacific 
Railroad  ComjDany,  and  subsequently  was  transferred  to  the  road 
as  engineer,  running  the  freight  which  hauled  the  rock  for  the 
piers  of  the  iron  suspension  bridge  built  over  the  Missouri  river 
at  Omaha  in  1869.  In  1871  he  resigned  his  duties  and  came  to 
California,  where  for  twenty-three  years  he  was  in  the  employ 
of  MeCune  &  Garnett,  farmers,  of  Dixon,  Solano  county.  Since 
settling  in  Winters  in  1897  he  has  followed  the  trade  of  machinist 
and  stationary  engineer.  For  eleven  months  he  acted  as  mail 
carrier  for  the  federal  forces  during  the  Civil  war,  his  experience 
having  been  so  fraught  with  danger  and  horror  that  never  again 
would  he  consent  to  undergo  a  similar  ordeal. 

Mr.  Rogers  was  united  in  marriage  in  May,  1896,  with  Miss 
Louise  King,  of  Tazewell  county,  Va.,  and  to  their  union  five 
children  were  born:  James  II.,  who  graduated  from  the  Winters 
high  school;  Jessie  L.,  a  graduate  of  the  San  Jose  Normal;  Jose- 
phine, who  is  a  high  school  senior;  John,  and  Alma. 

Mr.  Rogers  is  a  member  of  Silveyville  Lodge  No.  201,  F.  & 
A.  M.,  at  Dixon,  and  as  a  prominent  Democrat  maintains  an  active 
interest  in  political  developments.  A  citizen  of  practical  worth, 
he  is  always  prompt  to  lend  all  the  aid  in  his  power  to  public 
enterprises  of  merit,  and  is  highly  esteemed  throughout  the  com- 
munitv. 


262  HISTORY  OF  YOLO  COUNTY 

WILLIAM   0.   RUSSELL 

As  supervisor  of  his  district  for  a  number  of  terms,  "William 
0.  Russell  lias  utilized  the  office  as  offering  an  opportunity  to 
promote  needed  improvements  in  his  section  of  the  county,  and 
he  is  intensely  interested  in  bringing  his  county  up  to  the  stan- 
dard of  any  in  California  today.  The  son  of  the  well-known  and 
estimable  citizen,  Francis  E.  Russell,  he  inherited  many  of  his 
excellent  characteristics,  which  have  been  the  means  of  bringing 
him  the  recognition  he  merits. 

On  the  old  ranch,  where  he  still  lives,  William  0.  Russell  was 
born  June  1,  1867,  and  to  the  management  of  this  old  homestead 
he  returned,  after  having  completed  his  education  in  the  Univer- 
sity of  the  Pacific  at  San  Jose.  The  work  which  was  begun  by  his 
father  has  been  carried  forward  under  his  intelligent  oversight, 
and  now  he  has  the  gratification  of  knowing  that  the  ranch  is  the 
equal  of  any  property  in  the  locality.  The  original  property, 
owned  by  himself  and  his  mother,  has  been  enlarged  and  now 
comprises  eight  hundred  acres,  including  the  homestead  and 
some  adjacent  land,  much  of  which  is  in  pasture  or  under  cultiva- 
tion to  grain.  Thirty-five  sacks  of  barley  have  been  harvested 
as  the  average  per  acre.  Seventy-five  acres  are  in  alfalfa  and 
under  irrigation,  of  which  five  or  six  crops  are  cut  annually.  A 
fine  dairy  of  forty  Holstein  cows  adds  to  the  revenue  secured 
from  the  ranch. 

During  1906  Mr.  Russell  brought  to  the  old  homestead  his 
bride,  who  was  Miss  Eleanor  A.  Carlson,  a  native  of  Kansas 
City,  Mo.  They  are  the  parents  of  a  son  who  bears  his  father's 
name.  Fraternally  Mr.  Russell  holds  membership  with  Athens 
Lodge  No.  228,  F.  &  A.  M.,  at  Davis,  and  his  Masonic  relations 
are  enlarged  through  his  association  with  Dixon  Chapter  No.  48, 
R.  A.  M.,  Woodland  Commandery  No.  21  and  Islam  Temple,  Nobles 
of  the  Mystic  Shrine,  of  San  Francisco.  The  Native  Sons  of  the 
Golden  West  have  his  name  enrolled  upon  their  list  of  active 
members.  From  early  life  he  has  been  an  advocate  of  good  roads 
and  the  highways  of  his  district  have  had  the  benefit  of  his  intel- 
ligent demand  for  improvement. 

In  1898  Mr.  Russell  was  elected  supervisor  and  enjoyed  the 
distinction  of  being  the  first  candidate  on  the  Republican  ticket 
ever  elected  to  that  office  from  the  second  district  of  Yolo  county, 
serving  until  the  close  of  his  term  in  January,  1903.  He  served 
two  years  as  member  of  the  finance  committee,  and  a  like  period 
as  chairman  of  the  board.  Again,  in  1910,  he  was  chosen  to  serve 
as  supervisor,  and  at  this  writing  he  continues  in  the  position, 
never  losing  an  opportunity  to  attend  the  conventions  of  super- 


Ofr@Jfe^jM^ 


HISTORY  OF  YOLO  COUNTY  -267> 

visors  of  the  state,  in  order  to  further  his  ideas  for  the  improve- 
ments of  his  section.  Other  industrial  and  commercial  gatherings 
for  the  discussion  of  public  welfare  and  needed  legislation  attract 
him  and  usually  find  him  one  of  them,  and  by  so  doing  he  feels 
he  can  most  conscientiously  and  ably  serve  his  constituents,  who 
have  every  reason  to  be  proud  of  their  choice. 


ELIJAH  AUGUSTUS  COOK 

Numbered  among  the  most  substantial  and  progressive  citi- 
zens of  Winters  is  Mr.  Cook,  who  has  been  an  orchardist  in  Yolo 
county  for  the  past  thirty-two  years.  A  native  of  Illinois,  Mr. 
Cook's  birth  occurred  October  17,  1852,  in  Greene  county,  where 
his  parents,  Morris  and  Mary  (Gleason)  Cook,  natives  of  Ireland, 
settled  in  an  early  day.  In  1859  the  family  removed  to  Grundy 
county,  Mo.,  locating  on  the  Grand  river,  near  Spickard,  in 
which  section  our  subject,  received  his  education,  later  assisting 
his  father  on  the  farm.  At  the  age  of  twenty-two  he  went  to 
near  Grinned,  Poweshiek  county,  Iowa,  where  he  farmed  for 
two  years,  going  thence  to  Austin,  Minn.,  in  which  locality  he 
conducted  a  farm  until  1877,  when  he  came  to  Yolo  county,  Cal. 
Soon  after  this,  however,  he  removed  to  Jackson  county,  Ore., 
where  for  three  years,  he  operated  a  mining  and  milling  busi- 
ness. In  1880,  he  returned  to  Yolo  county,  where  he  purchased 
twenty-seven  and  one-half  acres,  later  adding  fifty-eight  acres 
to  his  holdings,  and  at  present  is  the  owner  of  ninety-six  acres 
of  land  two  miles  west  of  Winters.  Fifty  acres  of  his  property 
is  devoted  to  orchard,  producing  in  1911  six  tons  of  dried  fruit 
and  one  and  one-half  tons  of  dried  prunes. 

Mr.  Cook  was  united  in  marriage  in  Sacramento,  June  6, 
1894,  with  Miss  Elizabeth  Eyerly,  a  native  of  Springfield,  Ohio, 
and  to  their  union  three  children  were  born,  namely:  Morris  Iv, 
a  senior  in  the  Winters  high  school;  Helen,  Elizabeth  II.,  and 
Samuel  K. 

Mr.  Cook  is  an  active  member  of  Damocles  Lodge  No.  33, 
K.  of  P.,  and  as  a  stanch  Democrat  and  public  spirited  citizen 
maintains  a  keen  interest  in  all  public  movements.  He  has  con- 
tributed materially  to  the  progress  of  the  community,  and  among 
his  associates  is  regarded  as  a  man  of  high  honor  and  kindly  per- 
sonality. 


266  HISTORY  OF   YOLO  COUNTY 

CHRIS  SCHLOTZ 

Iu  a  comfortable  residence  on  West  Main  street,  two  miles 
from  the  city  of  Woodland,  lives  Chris  Schlotz,  who  was  born  in 
Oberamt  Schorndorf,  Wurtemberg,  Germany  March  13,  1874.  His 
father,  David  Schlotz,  a  farmer  in  Wurtemberg,  is  still  living  in 
his  native  land.  The  latter  married  Christine  Birk,  who  died  in 
1907,  after  having  borne  him  ten  children,  of  whom  seven  are 
living  and  of  whom  Chris,  fourth  in  order  of  nativity,  is  the  only 
one  in  California. 

In  the  public  schools  of  his  native  land  Chris  Schlotz  was 
educated  and  in  farming  he  was  •  instructed  by  his  father  until 
he  was  nineteen  years  old.  At  that  time  he  had  become  deeply 
interested  in  California,  no  less  through  reading  than  through  the 
representations  of  men  and  women  of  his  neighborhood  who  had 
returned  from  the  American  Golden  West,  enthusiastic  as  to  its 
beauties  and  its  possibilities,  and  he  resolved  to  visit  the  land  of 
his  dreams  and  of  his  aspirations;  so  in  1893,  the  year  in  which 
he  was  nineteen  years  old,  he  came  to  California  and  immediately 
located  in  Yolo  county.  During  the  first  five  years  of  his  stay 
here  he  was  employed  on  the  ranch  of  George  Woodward.  Then 
he  ranched  until  1903,  rounding  out  the  first  ten  years  of  his 
career  in  America,  and  from  1903  until  1911  he  was  in  the  liquor 
trade  on  Main  street,  Woodland.  In  1912  he  bought  his  present 
ranch  of  thirty  acres  two  miles  from  Woodland,  which  he  devotes 
to  the  growing  of  alfalfa.  Being  under  irrigation,  it  yields  about 
five  cuttings  a  year.  The  place  is  well  improved  with  a  good  house 
and  ample  barns  and  other  outbuildings.  A  thorough  California 
farmer,  Mr.  Schlotz,  operating  along  lines  strictly  up-to-date,  is 
making  a  success  of  which  many  another  farmer  in  his  vicinity 
might  well  be  proud. 

August  3,  1905,  Mr.  Schlotz  married,  at  Woodland,  Miss 
Emma  Rath,  who  was  born  in  Hungry  Hollow,  Yolo  county,  a 
daughter  of  George  and  Sarah  (Mast)  Rath,  successful  farmers, 
who  lived  out  their  days  in  that  neighborhood.  Mr.  and  Mrs. 
Schlotz  are  members  of  the  German  Evangelical  Lutheran  Church, 
with  which  her  parents  also  were  identified.  Fraternally  he  affili- 
ates with  the  Herman  Sons  and  with  the  Eagles.  His  political 
alliances  are  Democratic,  and  there  is  no  question  of  public  econ- 
omy in  which  he  is  not  deeply  interested.  Thoroughly  American- 
ized, firmly  believing  in  the  great  destiny  of  the  people  with  whom 
he  has  cast  his  lot,  he  is  as  patriotic  as  any  native  son  of  the  soil 
could  possibly  be,  and  there  is  no  movement  for  the  benefit  of  the 
community  that  he  does  not  aid  to  the  extent  of  his  ability. 


M.  H.   STITT 


HISTORY  OF  YOLO  COUNTY  269 

MATT   H.   STITT 

The  chairman  of  the  hoard  of  supervisors  of  Yolo  county 
is  a  representative  of  an  honored  old  Kentucky  family  that  since 
1888  has  been  identified  with  the  material  upbuilding  of  Cali- 
fornia. Since  having'  been  established  in  the  new  world,  the  family 
has  displayed  a  depth  of  loyalty  to  country  and  a  degree  of 
patriotism  that  proves  beyond  question  their  true  American  spirit 
and  by  no  one  of  the  name  was  this  loyal  devotion  more  evi- 
denced than  by  Hon.  William  J.  Stitt,  a  Kentuckian  of  the  old 
school,  brave  in  battle,  honorable  in  business  and  enterprising  in 
temperament,  whose  love  for  country  was  so  great  that  it  impelled 
him  to  serve  throughout  the  entire  period  of  the  Mexican  war, 
and  whose  devotion  to  the  south  was  so  sincere  that  it  led  Mm 
into  the  Confederate  cause,  as  a  major  in  the  command  of  the 
famous  leader,  Gen.  John  C.  Breekenridge.  When  the  cause  was 
lost  he  again  took  up  the  pursuits  of  peace,  and  out  of  the  wreck 
of  the  ruined  hopes  of  the  Confederacy  endeavored  to  build  anew 
a  permanent  place  in  his  own  home  state.  As  proprietor  of  Hotel 
Flemingsburg,  in  Fleming  county,  and  the  Versailles  house,  in 
Woodford  county,  he  found  work  peculiarly  fitted  to  one  of  his 
temperament,  for  his  genial  disposition  and  friendly  manner  won 
for  him  many  friends,  and  as  "mine  host"  of  the  two  southern 
hotels  he  became  very  popular  with  the  traveling  public.  His 
intelligence  of  mind  and  energy  of  spirit  were  appreciated  by  the 
people  among  whom  he  lived  and  they  called  him  to  serve  in 
positions  of  trust.  For  one  term  he  served  as  sheriff  of  his 
native  county  of  Nicholas.  The  position  was  one  for  which  he 
was  well  qualified  by  his  absolute  fearlessness  of  temperament. 
In  the  administration  of  the  law  he  knew  neither  fear  nor  par- 
tiality. For  two  terms  he  represented  the  people  of  his  district 
in  the  Kentucky  state  legislature,  and  in  that  responsible  capacity 
he  proved  not  only  efficient,  but  even  brilliant,  upholding  the  inter- 
ests of  the  locality  which  he  represented  and  at  the  same  time 
laboring  willingly  for  all  measures  calculated  to  benefit  the  com- 
monwealth. 

During  young  manhood  Major  .Stitt  had  established  domestic 
ties,  being  united  in  marriage  with  Miss  Mary  Bradley,  a  native  of 
Cynthiana,  Ky.,  and  their  son,  Matt  II.,  was  born  at  Versailles. 
that  state,  August  14,  1873.  The  family  removed  to  California  in 
L888  and  settled  upon  a  ranch  near  Yacaville,  where  the  Major  died 
in  1907,  and  where  his  widow  is  still  making  her  home.  Of  their 
nine  children  the  sixth  was  Matt  H.,  who  accompanied  the  family 
to  California  at  the  age  of  fifteen  years  and  later  studied  at 
Yacaville    College    for    a    time.      When    eighteen    years    of    age    he 


270  HISTORY  OF  YOLO  COUNTY 

began  to  work  at  $1.25  per  day.  The  beginning  was  small,  but 
he  had  a  robust  constitution  and  a  willing  spirit,  and  it  was  not 
in  his  make-up  to  despise  the  day  of  small  things.  Little  by  little 
he  advanced  and  the  humble  beginning  was  merged  into  substantial 
activities,  dating  from  his  removal  in  1891  to  Yolo  county,  and 
his  identification  with  the  ranching  interests  in  the  vicinity  of 
Guinda.  During  1895  he  bought  land  near  this  same  village 
and  that  was  the  basis  of  subsequent  success.  Making  a  specialty 
of  horticulture  and  experimenting  with  deciduous  fruits  of  various 
kinds,  he  proved  the  kinds  best  suited  to  the  soil  and  climate. 
In  this  way  he  secured  an  orchard  of  especial  value.  At  this  writ- 
ing he  owns  about  two  hundred  acres  in  his  home  place,  besides  hav- 
ing an  interest  in  five  hundred  acres  of  ranch  lands  and  orchards. 
When  it  is  considered  that  he  came  to  Yolo  county  at  the  age  of 
eighteen  and  earned  his  livelihood  by  poorly  paid  manual  toil,  his 
present  standing,  ere  he  has  reached  life's  prime,  may  well  be  a 
source  of  gratification  to  him. 

As  he  has  advanced  little  by  little  into  independence,  Mr. 
Stitt  has  attracted  the  attention  of  acquaintances  by  his  sterling 
qualities  of  head  and  heart.  Easily  discerned  by  them  is  the 
fact  that  he  is  making  his  own  success  by  dint  of  indomitable  per- 
severance. Believing  that  the  qualities  that  are  bringing  him 
success  in  private  affairs  would  make  him  a  helpful  factor  in  the 
county's  well-being,  his  fellow-citizens  selected  him  to  serve  as 
supervisor.  Prom  the  time  of  attaining  his  majority  he  has 
voted  the  Democratic  ticket  and  it  was  the  Democrats  who  chose 
him  for  the  office,  the  election  being  necessary  on  account  of  the 
resignation  of  the  late  incumbent,  J.  W.  Monroe.  His  election  by 
a  large  majority  in  a  Republican  district  furnishes  abundant  proof 
concerning  his  personal  popularity  as  well  as  concerning  the  con- 
fidence reposed  in  him  by  the  people  of  the  fifth  district.  At  the 
expiration  of  his  term  in  1912  he  was  nominated  for  his  own  suc- 
cessor, without  any  opposition  whatever,  and  received  a  flattering 
vote,  not  only  from  his  own  party,  but  also  from  the  Republicans 
and  the  Socialists.  In  January  of  1912  he  was  chosen  chairman  of 
the  board,  and  in  that  responsible  post  he  displays  a  keen  knowl- 
edge concerning  the  needs  of  the  county  along  every  line  of  prog- 
ress and  an  enthusiastic  desire  to  promote  the  building  of  good 
roads,  the  maintenance  of  substantial  bridges  and  the  support  of 
county  institutions,  while  at  the  same  time  he  also  guards  the 
interests  of  the  taxpayers  so  that  they  may  feel  no  undue  strain 
in  their  taxes.  For  a  long  period,  after  coming  to  Yolo  county, 
he  remained  unmarried,  but  in  1895,  at  the  age  of  twenty-two,  he 
was  united  with  Miss  Julia  A.  Hamilton,  who  was  born  near 
Madison,   Cab,  but  at  the  time   of  the  marriage  made   her  home 


HISTORY  OF  YOLO  COUNTY  271 

in  Guinda,  her  father,  James  W.  Hamilton,  having  been  for  years 
a  prominent  man  in  this  section  and  an  honored  pioneer  of  the 
county.  Three  children,  Josephine,  M.  H.,  Jr.,  and  William  J., 
comprise  the  family  of  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Stitt,  and  it  is  the  hope  and 
expectation  of  the  parents  to  give  to  them  the  best  educational 
advantages  the   schools   of  Yolo   county  afford. 


CHARLES    E.    GREENE 

Among  the  leading  citizens  of  Yolo  county  is  Charles  E. 
Greene,  the  owner  of  El  Nido  ranch,  comprising  two  hundred 
acres  eight  miles  southwest  of  Woodland,  which  ranks  among 
the  finest  and  most  highly  developed  ranches  in  that  section. 
Representing  the  type  of  man  well  fitted  for  the  labor  of  build- 
ing up  a  community,  Mr.  Greene's  executive  ability  and  tenacity 
of  purpose,  united  with  unquestioned  honor  and  good  judgment, 
have  enabled  him  to  control  with  ease  the  many  problems  which 
are  inevitable  in  his  work. 

Mr.  Greene  was  born  July  9,  1865,  in  the  old  Greene  home 
adjoining  the  present  place,  where  his  father,  whose  life  appears 
elsewhere  in  this  volume,  located  in  1852.  Upon  completion  of  his 
public  school  education  the  son  entered  the  California  Military 
Academy,  at  Oakland,  where  he  continued  his  studies  for  three 
years  and  later  took  a  course  in  the  Atkinson  Business  College  at 
Sacramento,  where  he  graduated  in  1885.  He  then  assisted  his 
father  in  the  management  of  their  ranch  consisting  of  twelve 
hundred  and  eighty  acres  devoted  to  grain  raising.  In  1902.  in 
connection  with  the  home  place,  he  rented  the  Hext  place,  com- 
prising nine  hundred  and  sixty  acres  adjoining  the  old  home, 
and  after  giving  up  the  Hext  ranch  he  rented  the  Marders  grain 
ranch  of  nine  hundred  acres  located  near  Esparto.  After  four 
years  he  relinquished  his  control  of  this  property  in  order  to  take 
charge  of  the  two  hundred-acre  tract  allotted  to  him  upon  the 
division  of  his  father's  estate,  since  which  period  he  has  devoted 
his  efforts  to  the  improvement  of  his  inheritance.  In  addition  to 
raising  barley,  which  runs  fifteen  to  twenty-five  sacks  per  acre, 
he  conducts  an  almond  orchard  of  fourteen  acres  which  produces 
from  one-half  to  three-quarters  of  a  ton  per  acre  annually.  His 
comfortable  bungalow  erected  in  1906  is  surrounded  by  trees, 
vines  and  shrubbery,  artistically  arranged,  and  his  entire  ranch 
is  suggestive  of  the  progressive  thought  and  untiring  industry 
of  its  owner. 


272  HISTORY  OF  YOLO  COUNTY 

July  30,  1902,  Mr.  Greene  was  married  at  Sacramento  to 
Miss  Cornelia  Purrington,  whose  birth  occurred  in  Sutter  county 
and  whose  parents,  Henry  and  Anna  (Parker)  Purrington,  were 
natives  of  Maine  and  California  respectively.  Two  daughters, 
Lucile  and  Dorothy,  have  been  born  to  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Greene. 
Since  1896  Mr.  Greene  has  been  an  active  member  of  Athens 
Lodge  No.  228,  F.  &  A.  M.,  at  Davis,  being  affiliated  also  with 
Woodland  Chapter  No.  46,  R.  A.  M.,  and  Woodland  Commandery 
No.  21,  and  by  virtue  of  his  wife's  identification  with  Ionia  Chap- 
ter No.  199,  0.  E.  S.,  at  Davis,  is  likewise  enabled  to  enjoy  the 
privileges  of  that  order.  In  all  enterprises  pertaining  to  the 
public  good,  Mr.  Greene  is  prompt  to  lend  his  hearty  support,  and 
is  conceded  to  be  one  of  the  most  able  citizens  of  the  section  in 
which  he  is  so  well  and  favorably  known. 


WILLIAM  DAHLER 

The  strong,  sterling  qualities  that  made  members  of  the 
Dahler  family  desirable  citizens  in  every  locality  in  which  its 
members  settled  lost  nothing  in  transmission  to  William  Dahler, 
a  well-known  resident  of  Woodland.  He  is  a  son  of  Elisha  and 
Mary  (Kins)  Dahler,  both  natives  of  Germany  and  early  settlers 
in  Merrimack,  Sauk  county,  Wis.  Settling  there  as  pioneers  they 
eleared  a  farm  in  the  oak  openings  and  it  was  there  that  the 
earth  life  of  the  father  came  to  a  close.  The  mother  came  to  the 
west  and  passed  her  last  days  in  Woodland.  Of  the  six  children 
horn  to  these  parents  William,  the  youngest,  was  born  in  Merri- 
mack, Wis.,  June  14,  1878.  He  gained  a  good  public  school  educa- 
tion in  that  state  and  came  to  Woodland  in  1895,  when  he  was 
about  seventeen  years  of  age.  For  about  four  years  he  was 
employed  in  a  grocery  store.  In  1902  he  was  employed  by  the 
Pacific  Telephone  and  Telegraph  Company  as  repair  man  and 
rose  to  he  wire  chief  of  the  Woodland  Exchange.  Associated  with 
Mr.  Roberts,  in  1909  he  established  the  Electric  Garage  Company, 
which  was  incorporated  in  1912  under  that  name  and  Mr.  Dahler 
was  made  president  and  manager.  Under  his  guidance  it  has  ad- 
vanced to  the  first  place  among  similar  institutions  in  the  county 
and  to  prominence  among  those  of  Northern  California.  The 
business  was  begun  on  Third  street,  where  its  quarters  proved 
too  restricted  for  its  growing  demands.  In  1911  it  was  removed 
to    its    present    quarters    at    Third    and    Main    streets,    where    it 


QjL^  (P^ 


HISTORY  OF  YOLO  COUNTY  275 

occupies  a  building  with  a  floor  space  of  44x190  feet.  The  machine 
shop  is  one  of  the  most  complete  of  its  kind,  being  equipped  with 
all  modern  machinery  and  appliances,  and  the  garage  is  equipped 
for  charging  electric  machines  and  also  has  a  vulcanizing  de- 
partment. In  this  establishment  may  be  found  for  sale  a  complete 
line  of  standard  automobiles  and  motorcycles.  All  in  all  the  enter- 
prise is  both  large  and  comprehensive  and  not  the  least  that  may  he 
said  of  it  is  that  it  is  growing  both  steadily  and  rapidly. 

Mr.  Dahler's  marriage,  celebrated  in  Woodland,  united  him 
with  Miss  Rosa  Zecher,  a  native  of  Peoria,  111.  They  have  two 
children,  William  and  Dorothy.  Mr.  Dahler  is  a  member  of  the 
Foresters  of  America,  and  helpful  to  the  various  interests  of  the 
order.  Politically  he  is  a  Democrat.  In  all  matters  pertaining  to 
the  advancement  of  his  community  he  takes  a  deep  and  generous 
interest,  aiding  to  the  extent  of  his  ability,  financially  and  other- 
wise, any  measure  which  in  his  judgment  promises  practical  and 
permanent  benefit  to  any  considerable  class  of  his  fellow-citizens. 


RICHARD  P.  WALLACE 

The  present  auditor  of  Yolo  county,  Richard  P.  Wallace,  is 
the  descendant  of  a  long  line  of  southern  ancestors,  and  he  him- 
self was  a  native  of  the  south,  his  birth  having  occurred  in  McMinn- 
ville,  Tenm,  April  14,  1871.  He  is  the  son  of  James  F.  and  Ada 
(Bush)  Wallace,  who  were  born,  respectively,  in  Tennessee  and 
Mississippi.  The  father,  a  man  of  considerable  ability  and  promi- 
nent in  newspaper  circles,  came  from  the  south  in  1873  to  Cali- 
fornia, locating  in  Oakland,  and  thereafter  was  connected  with  the 
San  Francisco  Call.  The  mother,  who  is  a  woman  of  wide  learn- 
ing and  experience,  is  now  the  efficient  librarian  of  the  Woodland 
public  library,  an  institution  which  has  progressed  notably  under 
her  able  supervision. 

Richard  P.  Wallace  is  practically  a  native  Californian,  for 
he  has  been  a  resident  of  the  state  since  he  was  two  years  of  age. 
His  education  was  acquired  in  the  public  schools  of  Oakland,  and 
under  private  instruction  in  New  Mexico,  to  which  place  he  removed 
in  the  year  1881.     His  identification  with  Woodland  dates  from  the 

year  1885,  when  he  became  associated  with  a  prominent  dry  g Is 

firm  in  this  city,  and  for  the  following  ten  years  was  connected 
with  this  and  other  dry  goods  firms  in  the  city.  Eventually  he 
gave  up  this  business  to  enter  one  for  which  he  had  special  adap- 


276  HISTORY  OF  YOLO  COUNTY 

tation,  as  his  record  in  the  newspaper  field  in  this  city  for  the 
nine  years  that  followed  abundantly  testified.  Resigning  his  posi- 
tion at  the  end  of  that  time  he  took  a  course  in  advertising  writing 
in  Powell's  correspondence  school  of  New  York,  and  after  gradu- 
ating be  continued  "ad"  writing  and  fire  insurance  for  two  years. 

As  a  candidate  on  the  Democratic  ticket  Mr.  Wallace  was  in 
1906  nominated  to  the  office  of  county  auditor  and  following  his 
election  he  assumed  the  duties  of  that  office  in  January,  1907.  So 
satisfactorily  had  he  served  the  interests  of  his  constituents  that 
in  1910  he  was  re-elected  for  a  second  term  without  opposition, 
being  the  nominee  of  all  parties,  than  which  there  could  be  no 
greater  testimony  given  as  to  bis  worth  to  bis  community  as  a 
citizen  and  public  servant. 

The  marriage  of  Mr.  Wallace,  July  2,  1901,  united  him  with 
Miss  Elsie  Bullivant,  a  native  of  Sacramento,  and  two  children 
have  been  born  to  them,  Mora  Elise  and  Clara  Adelaide.  Frater- 
nally Mr.  Wallace  is  well  known,  being  a  member  of  the  Masons, 
Odd  Fellows  and  Woodmen  of  the  World,  and  he  is  also  an  active 
member  of  the  Episcopal  Church. 


E.  D.  PRATT 

One  of  the  most  successful  and  highly  esteemed  ranchers  of 
Winters  is  E.  D.  Pratt,  who  since  1861  has  been  a  resident  of 
Yolo  county,  to  the  development  of  which  he  has  contributed  mater- 
ially. A  native  of  New  York,he  was  born  in  Erie  county  August 
4,  1835,  and  removed  in  1842  to  DuPage  county,  111.,  with  his  par- 
ents, Daniel  and  Lucretia  (Cook)  Pratt,  natives  of  New  York.  In 
1861  E.  D.  Pratt  left  the  farm  and  came  to  California  with  ox- 
teams,  crossing  the  Missouri  river  at  Omaha,  Neb.,  up  the  Platte 
to  Sublett's  cutoff,  thence  into  Humboldt  and  Honey  Lake  valley, 
in  which  section  he  noted'  numerous  natural  springs,  both  hot  and 
cold,  many  of  which  were  within  four  feet  of  each  other.  While 
camping  on  Green  river  his  party  was  besieged  by  Indians,  who 
drove  away  some  of  their  cattle.  Pressing  onward  toward  the 
desert,  which  they  crossed  in  thirty-six  hours,  they  struck  north- 
ward, shortly  thereafter  reaching  water,  much  to  the  relief  of  both 
themselves  and  their  weary  stock.  After  a  six  months'  journey  full 
of  dangers  and  hardships,  the  travelers  reached  Marysville,  Cal., 
the  latter  part  of  the  trip  having  been  made  in  company  with  a  train 
of  seventy  wagons. 


EISTORY  OF  YOLO  COUNTY  277 

Mr.  Pratt  remained  with  his  brother-in-law,  S.  M.  Enos,  being 
employed  in  the  old  tule  house  that  was  washed  away  in  the  flood 
of  1862.  This  was  rebuilt  and  Mr.  Pratt  continued  there  until  he 
and  Mr.  Enos  became  associated  in  the  stock  business  in  Yolo 
county.  About  1865  Mr.  Pratt  sold  his  interest  and  returned  to 
Illinois,  and  after  one  year  settled  in  Iowa.  In  Poweshiek  county, 
that  state,  he  engaged  in  farming  and  stock-raising  until  1876, 
when  he  returned  to  Yolo  county  and  ever  since  he  has  been  en- 
gaged in  stock-raising  and  horticulture.  Some  years  ago  he  pur- 
chased ten  acres  of  the  Wolfskill  tract  near  Winters,  setting  it  out 
to  peaches.  Selling  this  property  in  1908,  he  then  located  in  Win- 
ters, where,  on  Putah  creek,  he  has  a  small  prune  orchard. 

The  marriage  of  Mr.  Pratt,  which  occurred  December  18.  1872, 
in  Grinnell,  Iowa,  united  him  with  Miss  Mary  J.  Hamilton,  who 
was  born  in  Syracuse,  N.  Y.,  and  whose  parents,  Andrew  J.  and 
Elizabeth  (Shaw)  Hamilton,  were  natives  of  New  York  and  Eng- 
land, respectively.  Mr.  Hamilton  died  in  Grinnell,  Iowa,  in  1875, 
and  Mrs.  Hamilton  in  New  York  in  1906.  Their  children  were  as 
follows:  Mary  J.  (Mrs.  Pratt),  Frank  F.,  James  V.,  William  A., 
Harriett  (Mrs.  0.  Mclntyre)  and  Andrew  J.  The  three  children 
born  to  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Pratt  are  Eaymond  E.,  a  fruit  grower  in 
Winters,  who  married  Miss  Sophia  Dnnnebeck  and  has  one  child, 
Cecil;  Edith  M.,  a  graduate  of  the  San  Jose  normal  school  and 
now  the  wife  of  Dr.  M.  W.  Haworth  of  Sacramento  and  the  mother 
of  two  children,  Edith  Claire  and  Maiva  Wells;  and  Elmer  H.,  who 
makes  his  home  in  Lodi  with  his  wife,  formerly  Bernice  Thistle,  and 
their  daughter,  Dorothy. 

Mr.  Pratt  is  a  stanch  Republican,  prompt  to  lend  to  his  party 
all  the  influence  in  his  power,  and  as  a  citizen  of  broad,  generous 
principles  and  sterling  characteristics,  fully  merits  the  wide  esteem 
which,  throughout  his  career,  he  has  enjoyed.  His  wife  is  a 
woman  of  rare  qualities  and  as  an  active  member  of  the  Christian 
Church  of  Winters  is  untiring  in  her  aid  of  the  many  worthy  causes 
supported  by  that  institution. 


JAMES  G.  CECIL 

An  identification  of  thirty  years  with  the  history  of  the 
west  enabled  Mr.  Cecil  to  acquire  a  large  fund  of  information 
concerning  the  resources  and  possibilities  of  this  section  of  the 
country.     From  the  time  of  crossing  the  plains  lie  made  his  home 


278  HISTOEY  OF  YOLO  COUNTY 

in  California,  with  the  exception  of  a  comparatively  brief  sojourn 
in  Oregon  and  for  many  years  he  was  one  of  the  extensive  farmers 
of  Yolo  county,  where  since  his  death  his  widow  has  managed  his 
interests  and  developed  them  into  income-producers  of  excep- 
tional importance.  The  capability  in  ranching  which  he  displayed 
forms  also  an  important  element  in  her  personality.  Competent 
judges  assert  that  comparatively  few  ranchers  of  the  county 
surpass  her  in  sagacious  judgment  and  discriminating  management 
of  landed  tracts.  In  evidence  of  this  statement  mention  is  made 
of  her  early  identification  witb  the  fruit  and  nut  industry  and 
her  shrewd  foresight  in  the  planting  of  seventeen  acres  in  almond 
trees,  from  which  now  she  receives  an  important  annual  income. 

The  isolated  settlement  at  Sand  Hill,  Knox  county,  Mo.,  where 
James  G.  Cecil  was  born  in  1836,  is  famous  as  the  birthplace  of 
the  noted  humorist,  Mark  Twain.  The  parents  of  James  G.  were 
Samuel  S.  and  Lillian  (Richardson)  Cecil.  The  former  traced  his 
lineage  to  the  illustrious  English  family  of  Cecils  and  for  many 
years  engaged  in  farming  in  Missouri,  but  during  1863  accompanied 
an  expedition  across  the  country  to  California,  where  he  died 
in  1895  at  a  very  advanced  age.  The  son,  James  G.,  had  come 
west  in  1862  and  settled  on  Putah  creek  in  Solano  county  near 
the  Yolo  county  line,  where  he  took  up  land  and  engaged  in  raising 
grain.  At  that  time  Nevada  offered  the  best  market  for  produce 
and  the  greater  part  of  the  grain  was  freighted  over  the  mountains 
to  mining  camps  and  villages  in  the  other  state.  Going  to  Oregon 
in  1864,  in  that  year  Mr.  Cecil  married  Miss  Eliza  Lindsay,  a  native 
of  Kentucky,  their  wedding  being  solemnized  in  the  city  of  Port- 
land. The  bride  had-  arrived  in  Oregon  only  a  short  time  before 
her  marriage,  having  come  across  the  plains  with  her  parents, 
Hiram  and  Mary  (Lilly)  Lindsay.  After  a  brief  sojourn  in  Oregon 
the  Lindsay  family  came  to  California  and  settled  on  a  ranch  near 
Madison,  Yolo  county,  where  Mr.  Lindsay  died  in  1870  and  his 
wife  five  years  later.  For  a  long  period  he  held  prominent  identifi- 
cation with  the  blue  lodge  of  Masonry  and  in  his  life  he  always 
endeavored  to  exemplify  the  philanthropic  teachings  of  the  order. 

Coming  to  Yolo  county  as  a  permanent  resident  in  1867,  James 
G.  Cecil  secured  a  quarter  section  north  of  the  village  of  Davis 
and  for  fourteen  years  he  gave  his  undivided  attention  to  the 
improvement  of  the  property.  Next  he  purchased  three  hundred 
and  twenty  acres  in  the  same  locality  and  eventually  he  purchased 
a  ranch  of  one  hundred  and  twenty-three  acres,  where  he  remained 
until  his  death  in  1892.  Since  then  Mrs.  Cecil  has  managed  the 
property  and  has  increased  its  productiveness.  From  the  harvest 
of  1910  she  secured  thirty-five  sacks  of  barley  per  acre.  Other 
crops  have  been  correspondingly  valuable  and  the  entire  appear- 


HISTOEY  OF  YOLO  COUNTY  283 

anee  of  the  ranch  bespeaks  her  thrifty  management.  While  not 
neglecting  the  least  detail  pertaining  to  the  prosperity  of  the 
ranch,  she  finds  leisure  for  participation  in  charitable  enterprises, 
for  information  concerning  educational  advancement  in  the  county 
and  for  active  membership  in  the  Davis  Presbyterian  Church, 
besides  enjoying  the  social  life  of  the  community  and  contributing 
to  its  moral  upbuilding. 


WILLIAM  BYAS  GIBSON 

Among  several  farmers  and  stockmen  of  note  lost  to  the 
country  around  Woodland,  Yolo  county,  Cal.,  during  recent  years, 
was  William  Byas  Gibson,  who  passed  away  at  his  home  February 
15,  1906.  A  man  of  noble  qualities  and  exceptional  business  abil- 
ity, his  generous  assistance  toward  the  development  of  the  county 
will  be  long  remembered  by  his  co-workers. 

May  30,  1831,  Mr.  Gibson  was  born  in  Louisa  county,  Ya.,  forty 
miles  from  Richmond,  which  region  his  parents  left  six  years 
later,  settling  in  Howard  county,  Mo.,  where  the  son  acquired  a 
public  school  education.  His  father,  William  B.  Gibson,  Jr., 
a  skilled  brick  mason,  also  a  native  of  Louisa  county,  was  born 
in  the  year  1800,  the  second  eldest  son  of  William  B.  Gibson,  Sr., 
of  Irish  descent,  who  was  a  soldier  in  the  Revolutionary  war  and 
afterwards  prominent  in  Virginia,  where  he  owned  a  large  cotton 
plantation  and  held  numerous  slaves  according  to  the  custom  in 
that  state  in  that  period.  William  B.  Gibson,  Jr.,  married  Miss 
Susan  Turney,  who  was  born  near  Richmond,  Ya.,  and  who  passed 
away  in  1875  at  the  home  of  her  daughter,  Mrs.  Emma  (Gibson) 
Cooper,  at  Napa,  Cal.,  her  husband  having  died  in  Missouri  in 
1846. 

In  1850,  William  Byas  Gibson,  of  this  review,  intending  to 
join  his  brother  Thomas,  who  had  come  to  California  with  some 
other  '49ers,  left  the  home  of  his  youth  with  a  party  of  "over- 
landers,"  using  as  his  means  of  transportation  a  wagon  drawn 
by  a  six-mule  team.  The  party  crossed  the  Missouri  river  March 
29,  in  the  year  mentioned,  and  followed  the  westward  trail  for 
three  months,  until  Mr.  Gibson  made  his  last  camp  in  Yolo  county. 
Cal.,  near  Woodland,  and  built  a  modest  home  on  Cache  creek. 
October  30  he  went  to  Scott  Bar.  where  he  mined  for  a  time.  July 
5,  1851,  he  returned  to  Cache  creek  and  homesteaded  a  claim  of 
one   hundred   and   sixty   acres,    four   miles   ami    a    half   northeast    of 


284  HISTORY  OF  YOLO  COUNTY 

Woodland,  where  he  entered  upon  a  successful  career  as  a  grain- 
grower  and  stock-raiser.  Six  years  later  he  sold  this  property, 
but  soon  afterward  bought  three  hundred  and  twenty  acres  ad- 
joining the  present  town  plat  of  AVoodland,  which  was  the  nucleus 
of  his  later  three  thousand  acres  estate  in  Yolo  county.  In  con- 
nection with  general  farming  he  made  a  specialty  of  the  breeding 
of  high-grade  cattle,  selling  his  stock  throughout  the  state,  and 
was  the  owner  of  seventy-five  registered  Shorthorn  Durhams. 
Besides  his  property  in  California,  he  had  a  ranch  of  six  hundred 
and  forty  acres  in  Pecos  county,  Texas. 

December  23,  1857,  Mr.  Gibson  married,  in  Yolo  county,  Miss 
Mary  Isabelle  Cook,  a  native  of  Boyle  county,  Ky.,  who  had  moved 
to  Jackson  county,  Mo.,  with  her  parents,  Joseph  and  Elizabeth 
(Chiles)  Cook,  of  Kentucky  birth,  and  had  come  with  them  to 
California  in  1853,  by  way  of  the  overland  trail,  making  the  journey 
with  ox-teams  and  consuming  five  months  en  route.  The  family 
located  in  Yolo  county,  and  here  Mr.  Cook  became  a  farmer  and 
achieved  honor  as  a  citizen.  He  died  at  the  home  of  his  daughter, 
Mrs.  Gibson,  in  his  eighty-seventh  year,  April  1,  1901,  his  wife 
having  passed  away  in  her  seventy-third  year,  August  22,  1893. 
To  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Gibson  three  sons  were  born:  Robert  J.,  of 
Woodland,  who  married  Elnora  Root,  of  Zomora,  and  has  a  son, 
William  Byas;  Thomas  Ballard  of  Woodland,  who  married  Virginia 
Lee  Root  and  has  a  daughter  Zellah,  who  is  the  wife  of  Dr.  Elberg 
of  San  Luis  Obispo,  Cab;  and  Joseph,  who  married  Surene  Allen 
of  Winters,  Yolo  county,  and  died  November  20,  1897,  leaving  four 
children:  J.  Wray;  Coloma  L.  (Mrs.  Snaveley),  of  Woodland; 
Ouida  B.  (Mrs.  Chester  Sackett)  of  Winters;  and  Gazeua.  The 
evening  of  life  found  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Gibson  blessed  with  the  world's 
comforts,  even  with  its  luxuries,  and  surrounded  by  loving  friends 
and  relatives  who  honored  them  for  their  noble  qualities  of  head 
and  heart;  and  since  he  passed  away  she  is,  if  possible,  held 
doubly  dear  by  all  who  know  her. 

Politically  Mr.  Gibson  was  a  Democrat,  a  firm  supporter  of 
the  principles  of  his  party  and  keenly  alert  in  his  apprehension  of 
timely  economic  questions.  His  success  in  life  was  universally  con- 
ceded to  be  the  result  of  his  own  inherent  qualities  of  thrift  and 
perseverance.  Of  humane  and  generous  principles,  he  became 
widely  known  for  his  kindliness  and  for  his  material  assistance  of 
deserving  people  in  trouble.  In  a  public-spirited  way  he  responded 
promptly  to  all  demands  in  the  interest  of  the  community.  Mrs. 
Mary  Isabelle  (Cook)  Gibson,  a  woman  of  rare  tact  and  sympathy, 
still  lives  at  the  old  home  which  has  been  hers  ever  since  her 
marriage  and  continues  the  charities  in  which  her  husband  was 
interested  in  the  days  of  his  active  life. 


HISTORY  OF  YOLO  COUNTY  285 

HARRY"   RUSSELL    SAUNDERS 

It  is  with  pride  that  Harry  Russell  Saunders  claims  California 
as  his  native  commonwealth  and  proudly  asserts  that  YTolo  county, 
where  he  lived  most  of  the  time  since  childhood  and  where  now 
he  is  an  influential  citizen  and  popular  official,  yields  precedence  to 
no  other  part  of  the  great  west  in  its  agricultural  possibilities  and 
exceptional  resources.  Himself  in  the  prime  of  manly  strength 
(born  September  8,  1864,)  he  is  a  native  of  the  neighboring  county 
of  Solano,  having  been  born  near  old  Tremont,  and  his  first  recol- 
lections cluster  around  scenes  and  sights  there  and  in  Yolo  county. 
As  he  contrasts  the  activities  and  improvements  of  the  present  day 
with  the  conditions  of  the  past,  he  recognizes  that  such  results 
would  have  been  impossible  without  a  natural  wealth  of  soil  and  a 
vast  undeveloped  richness  of  resources.  In  official  positions  he  has 
proved  efficient  and  prompt,  attending  to  the  duties  connected 
with  the  post  in  a  manner  indicative  of  his  ability  and  trust- 
worthiness. 

The  father  of  the  gentleman  above  named  was  Ira  Saunders, 
a  pioneer  of  the  early  '50s  in  California  and  a  man  of  robust  con- 
stitution, well  qualified  by  natural  endowments  to  endure  the 
vicissitudes  associated  with  frontier  existence.  Three  times  he 
crossed  the  plains  and  on  each  trip  he  was  called  upon  to  go 
through  hardships  and  dangers,  but  in  each  instance  he  reached  his 
destination  without  delay  and  in  safety.  His  early  home  had  been 
in  Michigan  and  there  he  had  met  and  married  Miss  Mary  Baker, 
who  accompanied  him  in  his  removal  to  the  coast  and  endured  with 
him  the  discouragements  incident  to  the  conditions  in  that  era. 
For  a  time  they  made  their  home  on  a  ranch  in  Solano  county  and  it 
was  on  that  large  farm  their  son  was  born.  Later  they  went  to 
Davisville  and  put  up  one  of  the  very  first  houses  built  in  that  then 
insignificant  hamlet.  The  mother  died  in  California  in  1876  and 
later  the  father  returned  to  Branch  county,  Mich.,  where  in  retire- 
ment from  active  labors  he  spent  his  last  days,  passing  away  in 
1902.  Many  of  the  early  settlers  of  Davisville  still  remember  him 
and  speak  with  admiration  of  his  splendid  qualities  of  mind  and 
heart. 

An  attendance  of  some  years  in  the  schools  of  Davisville,  Y^olo 
county,  and  in  those  of  Jackson  and  Union  City,  Mich.,  for  four 
years  gave  Mr.  Saunders  the  advantage  of  a  practical  education 
which  proved  of  inestimable  value  to  his  later  activities.  Upon 
returning  to  Yrolo  county  in  1880  he  engaged  in  agricultural  and 
horticultural  pursuits  and  his  crops  found  a  ready  sale  at  the 
highest  market  prices.  Later  he  was  employed  in  the  grocery  busi- 
ness at  Woodland  and  made  many  friends  among  the  people   of 


286  HISTORY  OF  YOLO  COUNTY 

the  city  and  surrounding  country  by  bis  obliging  disposition,  pleas- 
ant manner  and  sterling  integrity.  A  borne  was  established  by  him 
in  1894,  when  he  was  united  in  marriage  with  Miss  Grace  M.  Stone, 
a  native  of  Iowa  and  a  woman  of  attractive  attributes  of  character. 
Of  this  union  two  children  were  born,  Mildred  and  Harry  B.  Ever 
since  attaining  his  majority  Mr.  Saunders  has  been  unswerving  in 
his  allegiance  to  the  Republican  party  and  in  its  local  councils 
he  wields  considerable  influence.  Having  served  one  year  as 
deputy  county  clerk  in  1905-06  he  was  nominated  for  county  clerk 
in  1910  and  was  elected  to  the  office,  taking  the  oath  January  2, 
1911,  but  before  this  he  was  appointed  county  clerk  December  14, 
1910,  to  fill  out  the  unexpired  term  of  Charles  F.  Hadsall,  deceased. 
A  number  of  the  local  fraternal  orders  have  the  benefit  of  his 
active  identification  with  their  work  and  his  contributions  to  their 
enterprises. 


ALVIS  G.  HUNT 

Tlie  interests  that  engage  the  attention  of  Mr.  Hunt  are  as 
important  as  they  are  varied,  and  include  the  ownership  of  busi- 
ness and  residence  property  in  Woodland,  real  estate  in  Oakland, 
San  Francisco  and  Chicago,  and  a  valuable  fruit  and  alfalfa  ranch 
on  Cache  creek  near  Yolo,  which  he  leases.  Participation  in  the 
financial  affairs  of  Woodland  comes  through  the  ownership  of 
shares  of  stock  in  the  First  National  Bank,  also  the  Bank  of 
Woodland,  both  of  which  prosperous  institutions  have  received  the 
encouragement  of  bis  steadfast  support  and  wise  co-operation. 
For  many  years  he  owned  a  grain  ranch  near  Wildfiower,  Fresno 
county,  but  this  property  was  operated  by  tenants,  his  own  time 
being  given  to  the  grain  and  warehouse  business.  In  the  days 
before  the  railroad  was  extended  the  wheat  was  hauled  in  Wood- 
land in  large  "prairie  schooners"  from  all  parts  of  the  county, 
purchased  by  him  and  shipped  to  Port  Costa,  Contra  Costa  county, 
from  winch  point  it  was  sent  all  over  the  world.  Those  were  the 
years  of  enormous  crops  of  wheat  and  barley  and  the  shipments 
exceeded  anything  possible  in  more  recent  times,  when  the  great 
ranches  bave  been  divided  up  into  small  farms  and  devoted  to  in- 
tensive agriculture. 

Tbe  Hunt  family  is  of  southern  lineage  and  English  extrac- 
tion. Asa  and  Diana  (Stanley)  Hunt  (the  latter  a  Quaker  by 
birth)  reared  eight  daughters  and  two  sons,  of  whom  the  youngest, 


HISTORY  OF  YOLO  COUNTY  289 

William  Gaston  Hunt,  was  born  in  Guilford  county,  X.  C,  Feb- 
ruary 12,  1827.  About  1843  the  family  removed  from  North  Caro- 
lina, where  the  father  had  engaged  in  the  milling  business  and  also 
conducted  a  cotton  gin,  to  Andrew  county,  Mo.,  where  he  took  up 
government  land.  During  1846  the  mother  passed  away  and  in 
1848  the  father  was  taken  from  the  family  by  death.  The  chil- 
dren decided  to  join  an  expedition  to  California  and  May  1,  1849, 
left  their  old  Missouri  home  with  a  train  of  five  wagons.  Three 
payments  had  been  made  upon  the  home  farm,  and,  thinking  they 
might  wish  to  return,  they  left  with  the  justice  of  the  peace  the 
money  necessary  for  the  fourth  payment.  Two  months  after  their 
arrival  in  California  they  received  a  letter  from  Missouri  stating 
that  the  justice  of  the  peace  was  dead  and  that  they  had  forfeited 
their  right  to  their  land  through  having  failed  to  make  the  fourth 
payment.  Thus  was  broken  the  last  link  that  bound  them  to  their 
old  home,  and  they  never  returned  to  Missouri.  Establishing  a 
hotel  at  Hangtown,  the  two  brothers  left  a.  sister  to  manage  it 
while  they  engaged  in  freighting  between  Sacramento  and  the 
mines. 

As  early  as  1850  William  Gaston  Hunt  began  to  buy  live  stock. 
During  that  year  he  bought  a  herd  of  cattle  at  Carson  City,  drove 
them  over  the  mountains  and  turned  them  out  to  graze  along  the 
banks  of  Cache  creek,  on  a  ranch  where  he  lived  for  some  years. 
To  that  place  he  brought  his  sister  in  the  spring  of  1851.  His 
only  brother,  Alvison,  died  in  1852.  During  the  autumn  of  1853 
he  married  Miss  Jennie  Day,  a  native  of  South  Bend,  Ind.,  and 
a  daughter  of  Dale  Lot  and  Sybil  (Russell)  Day.  From  1853 
until  1863  Mr.  Hunt  engaged  in  raising  sheep  and  had  as  many 
as  fifteen  thousand  head  in  his  flocks  at  one  time.  During  1863 
he  sent  one  drove  to  Oregon  and  another  to  Lower  California, 
after  which  he  engaged  principally  in  general  farming.  Later  he 
became  interested  in  buying  grain  and  in  his  warehouses  at  times 
he  had  as  much  as  $300,000  worth  of  grain.  In  addition  he  served 
as  president  of  the  Yolo  county  winery.  From  1875  until  his  re- 
moval to  Oakland  in  1897  he  resided  in  Woodland  on  the  corner  of 
First  and  Oak  avenues.  During  his  identification  with  the  town 
he  helped  to  build  the  splendid  city  sewer  system,  aided  in  estab- 
lishing the  city  water  works,  became  a  stockholder  in  the  Bank 
of  Woodland,  and  was  a  factor  in  practically  every  enterprise  of 
that  period  projected  for  the  material  upbuilding  of  the  place. 
With  his  wife  he  gave  allegiance  to  the  Society  of  Friends  and 
loved  the  earnest  doctrines  of  that  peaceful  sect,  although  he  also 
was  generous  in  contributions  to  other  religious  movements.  From 
the  organization  of  the  Republican  party  until  his  death  he  ad- 
hered to  the  principles  of  the  Republican  party  and  his  only  son 
also   has  been   a  lifelong  member   of  that   organization. 


290  HISTORY  OF  YOLO  COUNTY 

For  some  time  after  the  demise  of  William  Gaston  Hunt, 
which  occurred  in  1899,  his  widow  continued  to  make  her  home 
in  Oakland,  and  there  her  death  occurred  April  27,  1911.  She 
had  come  across  the  plains  in  1850  with  her  father,  two  brothers 
and  sister,  and  had  settled  in  Sacramento,  later  removing  to 
Stockton.  Dale  Lot  Day,  who  was  born  near  Morristown,  N.  J., 
in  1785,  died  in  Nevada  at  the  age  of  eighty-two  years.  He  had 
been  a  jDioneer  builder  in  Stockton  and  had  erected  the  first  insane 
asylum  in  that  locality.  His  wife,  who  died  in  South  Bend,  Ind., 
in  young  womanhood,  was  a  daughter  of  Hezekiah  Russell,  a  sol- 
dier in  the  Revolutionary  war.  The  four  brothers  of  Mrs.  Hunt 
settled  in  the  west:  Russell  died  in  Woodland  in  1904;  Lot  died 
in  Oakland;  John  died  in  Woodland,  and  Roland  passed  away  in 
Nevada.  Her  two  sisters,  Delighta,  Mrs.  Charles  Traver,  and 
Mary,  Mrs.  Hopkins,  both  died  in  Sacramento  in  1899  on  the  same 
day.  After  her  removal  to  Oakland  she  united  with  the  First 
Congregational  Church  and  remained  in  its  communion  until  her 
death.  One  of  the  most  delightful  experiences  of  the  later  years 
of  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Hunt  was  their  tour  around  the  world,  which  af- 
forded them  a  merited  recreation  after  years  of  ceaseless  indus- 
try. It  also  gave  them  an  appreciated  opportunity  of  visiting- 
points  of  interest  in  Great  Britain  and  on  the  continent.  Their 
family  comprised  two  daughters  and  the  son  whose  name  intro- 
duces this  article.  The  older  daughter,  Alice  Edith,  became  the 
wife  of  L.  D.  Stephens  of  Woodland.  The  younger  daughter,  Rowena 
D.,  is  the  wife  of  E.  J.  DuPue,  of  San  Francisco.  The  only  son 
was  born  in  Yolo  county  April  19,  1857,  received  his  education  in 
the  University  of  California  and  a  commercial  college  in  Sacra- 
mento, and  after  graduating  from  the  latter  in  1875  engaged 
with  his  father  in  the  grain  and  warehouse  business,  of  which 
eventually  he  became  sole  proprietor.  His  attractive  home  at  No. 
518  First  street.  Woodland,  is  presided  over  graciously  by  his 
cultured  wife,  formerly  Miss  Alice  Stump,  of  San  Francisco,  and 
has  been  brightened  by  the  cheerful  presence  of  two  children, 
Irvin  Gaston  and  Jennie.  Mrs.  Hunt  is  a  daughter  of  Irvin  C. 
Stump,  a  prominent  pioneer  of  San  Francisco  and  for  years  a 
leading  politician  of  that  city,  but  now  a  resident  of  New  York. 


SARAH  A.  LAUGENOUR-HUSTON 

The  descendant  of  German  ancestors  on  the  paternal  side, 
Sarah  A.  Laugenour  was  born  on  a  southern  plantation  near  Salem, 
Forsyth  county,  N.  C,  March  19,  1848,  the  daughter  of  Samuel  H. 


HISTORY  OF  YOLO  COUNTY  291 

and  Lisetta  (Fisher)  Laugenour.  The  grandmother  on  the  mater- 
nal side  was  in  maidenhood  a  Miss  Hamilton  from  Scotland.  Early 
representatives  of  the  Laugenour  family  were  members  of  the 
Moravian  Church  and  located  in  the  Moravian  settlement  in  Forsyth 
county,  where  Count  Von  Zindendorf  had  purchased  a  grant  of  land 
for  the  purpose  of  establishing  a  boarding  school  for  girls  in  Salem. 
A  large  brick  building  was  erected  for  this  purpose  next  door  to 
the  church,  and  Salem  College  was  founded  in  1804.  There  is  was 
that  Sarah  A.  Laugenour  was  educated,  under  the  influence  of 
religious  and  cultured  teachers.  Her  parents  were  members  of 
the  Baptist  Church. 

The  eldest  of  twelve  children,  four  of  whom  died  in  infancy, 
Sarah  A.  Laugenour  was  eighteen  years  of  age  when  with  her 
parents  she  came  to  California  by  way  of  Panama.  The  family 
arrived  in  Yolo  county,  Cal.,  November  26,  1866,  and  located  on  a 
farm  near  Knights  Landing,  continuing  there  for  a  few  years  or 
until  removing  to  College  City,  Colusa  county.  Before  leaving 
Yolo  county  Miss  Laugenour  had  taught  school  up  to  the  time 
of  her  marriage  to  Walter  S.  Huston,  January  20,  1869,  when  she 
became  a  resident  of  Knights  Landing,  where  her  husband  was  en- 
gaged in  the  mercantile  business.  It  was  during  their  ten  years 
residence  in  that  town  that  their  first  four  children  were  born, 
Walter  Samuel,  Arthur  Craig,  Edward  P.  and  Mary,  the  latter 
dying  in  infancy.  In  the  fall  of  1878,  after  the  disastrous  flood 
of  the  preceding  February,  the  family  moved  to  Woodland  to 
make  their  permanent  home,  and  it  was  there  that  their  two  young- 
est children  were  born,  Harry  Lyle  and  Bertha  Leora,  the  latter 
now  the  wife  of  James  L.  Hare.  At  this  writing,  1912,  Mrs.  Huston 
is  the  happy  grandmother  of  sis  girls  and  four  boys.  She  and  her 
husband  united  with  the  Woodland  Christian  Church  by  letter 
from  the  Knights  Landing  Church  soon  after  their  removal  from 
the  former  city. 

An  organization  which  claims  much  of  Mrs.  Huston's  thought 
and  attention  is  the  Woodland  W.  C.  T.  U.,  which  was  organized 
by  Frances  E.  Willard  in  1883.  After  uniting  with  the  organization 
she  served  as  president  of  the  local  union,  as  county  president  and 
as  county  superintendent  of  press  work  for  twenty-seven  years.  She 
edited  a  column  in  the  Woodland  Daily  Democrat  when  William 
Saunders  was  its  editor,  and  also  supplied  material  for  a  column  in 
the  Woodland  Mail  when  it  was  published  by  W.  R.  Ellis.  A 
paralytic  stroke  ended  the  business  career  of  her  husband  three  and 
one-half  years  previous  to  his  death,  which  occurred  September 
8,  1894.  With  an  invalid  husband  to  care  for  and  children  to  edu- 
cate, she  took  up  the  work  outside  of  her  home  at  the  age  of 
forty-three  years.  She  established  the  Home  Alliance,  a  local 
newspaper  devoted  to  the  prohibition  of  the  liquor  traffic  and  equal 


292  HISTORY  OF  YOLO  COUNTY 

rights  for  women,  the  first  issue  appearing  July  7,  1891.  Under 
her  management  the  paper  has  been  an  important  factor  in  banish- 
ing the  open  saloon  from  almost  the  entire  county,  and  a  help- 
ful influence  in  securing  the  adoption  of  the  state  constitutional 
amendment  giving  the  ballot  to  the  women  of  California.  Mrs. 
Huston  attributes  the  success  of  The  Home  Alliance  largely  to  the 
liberal  support  given  it  by  her  co-workers  in  the  W.  C.  T.  U.,  in 
the  churches,  the  professional  and  business  men  and  women  of 
Woodland,  and  the  farmers  throughout  the  county.  In  the  evening 
of  life  she  is  enjoying  congenial  work  and  the  society  of  her  chil- 
dren, who  are  all  married  and  settled  in  their  own  homes,  and  of  her 
ten  grandchildren.  While  her  business,  like  all  reform  work,  has  not 
brought  great  financial  gain,  she  is  in  possession  of  what  is  far  bet- 
ter in  the  satisfaction  that  comes  only  from  service  to  God  and 
humanity. 


CHARLES    ROSSITER    HOPPIN 

Among  the  early  settlers  of  Yolo  county  whose  names  will 
ever  lie  kept  in  grateful  remembrance  is  that  of  the  late  Charles 
Rossiter  Hoppin,  one  of  the  very  first  pioneers  to  embark  in  the 
stock  industry  within  the  limits  of  this  county,  also  one  of  the 
first  to  undertake  extensive  operations  as  a  raiser  of  grain,  and 
likewise  a  leading  promoter  of  movements  for  the  local  upbuild- 
ing. When  first  his  eyes  rested  upon  the  environment  so  familiar 
to  his  later  activities  he  beheld  a  vast  stretch  of  unfilled  country, 
apparently  suitable  only  for  grazing  purposes.  Oaks  made  the 
landscape  beautiful  and  Cache  creek  afforded  abundant  water. 
Here  and  there  a  cattle-ranger's  cabin  broke  the  monotony  of  the 
view  or  a  herd  of  stock  betokened  the  presence  of  cowboys  in 
the  vicinity,  but  for  the  most  part  the  surroundings  presented  an 
aspect  wholly  primeval.  Civilization  had  not  yet  shed  its  benign 
influence  over  the  fair  and  fruitful  land  and  nature  still  held 
almost  undisputed  sway.  It  would  have  required  a  far-seeing  and 
optimistic  vision  to  predict  the  prosperity  of  the  present  day,  when 
multitudes  of  comfortable  country  homes  indicate  the  presence 
of  a  contented  throng  of  progressive  agriculturists  and  fields 
of  waving  grain  betoken  seasons  of  bountiful  harvests.  Mr. 
Hoppin  was  one  who  grasped  the  possibilities  of  the  soil  and  cli- 
mate, and  was  not  only  one  of  the  first  to  raise  grain,  but  also 
alfalfa  and  fruit.     Some  of  the  trees  planted  by  him  on  the  ranch 


4>&aS    S^cfaku*. 


HISTORY  OF  YOLO  COUNTY  295 

in  185.'!  are  still  in  bearing.  In  company  with  others  he  hnilt  the 
first  irrigation  ditch,  tlms  utilizing  the  waters  of  Cache  creek. 

Born  in  New  York  state.  Charles  Rossiter  Hoppin  started  on 
his  westward  migrations  in  early  life,  for  he  was  but  a  boy  when 
lie  settled  at  Niles,  Mich.,  and  there  he  attended  the  public  schools 
for  some  years.  As  soon  as  he  heard  of  the  discovery  of  gold  in 
California  he  made  preparations  to  come  to  the  coast,  and  during 
the  spring  of  1849  he  joined  an  expedition  which  crossed  the 
plains  with  wagons  and  oxen.  Fair  success  came  to  him  in  the 
mines,  but  in  a  few  months  he  tired  of  the  work,  and  early  in 
1850  he  came  to  the  ranch  in  Yolo  county  that  still  is  owned  by 
the  family.  With  his  brother,  John,  he  bought  one-fourth  of  the 
old  Spanish  Bancho  Rio  de  Jesus  Maria,  and  also  purchased  stock 
to  put  on  the  land.  In  later  years  he  engaged  in  raising  hay  and 
grain.  The  increase  in  land  valuations  and  the  large  returns  from 
the  crops  made  him  one  of  the  leading  farmers  of  the  county. 
and  he  continued  active  in  agriculture  until  the  infirmities  of  age 
compelled  his  entire  relinquishment  of  work. 

For  a  long  period  after  his  arrival  in  the  west,  Mr.  Hoppin 
remained  a  bachelor,  but  eventually  he  returned  to  the  home  of 
his  youth,  and  there  (Niles,  Mich.),  in  1874,  he  married  Miss  Emily 
Bacon,  who  was  born  in  that  city  and  received  excellent  educa- 
tional advantages  at  Mount  Holyoke  Seminary  in  Kalamazoo, 
Mich.  The  family  of  which  she  was  a  member  belonged  to  the 
honored  and  influential  pioneer  element  of  Michigan,  and  her 
father,  Hon.  Nathaniel  Bacon,  became  one  of  the  leading  jurists 
of  the  state,  being  especially  prominent  in  the  southwestern  part 
thereof.  For  years  he  served  as  a  judge  in  Branch,  Cass  and 
Berrien  counties,  and  often  he  was  called  to  hold  court  in  other 
parts  of  the  commonwealth,  where  his  reputation  for  impartiality 
and  logical  reasoning  had  preceded  him.  While  still  rendering- 
distinguished  service  as  a  jurist  he  was  stricken  with  a  fatal  illness 
and  soon  was  called  by  death  from  the  scene  of  his  professional 
successes. 

The  family  of  Charles  R.  and  Emily  Hoppin  comprised  six 
children,  but  one  of  the  sons  died  in  infancy  and  another,  Edward, 
passed  from  earth  in  1900,  three  years  before  the  demise  of  the 
husband  and  father,  who  passed  away  at  the  old  homestead  in 
May  of  1903.  The  eldest  son,  who  is  the  namesake  of  his  father, 
occupies  a  part  of  the  home  ranch,  and  with  his  wife  and  three 
children  has  a  comfortable  home  on  the  estate.  Harriet,  Mrs. 
August  J.  Kergel,  has  two  children;  her  husband  farms  a  portion 
of  the  Hoppin  estate.  Edith  married  Luther  ('.  Young  and  remains 
with  her  mother,  Mi'.  Young  cultivating  a  portion  of  the  ranch. 
The    voum-est    child,    Dorothea,    is    a    student    in    Snell's    Seminary 


296  HISTOEY  OF  YOLO  COUNTY 

at  Berkeley.  In  her  religious  associations  Mrs.  Hoppin  has  been 
identified  from  girlhood  with  the  Episcopal  Church.  Mr.  Hoppin 
was  also  a  devoted  church  member  and  contributed  generously  to 
missionary  causes.  After  his  death  Mrs.  Hoppin  became  the  man- 
ager of  the  ranch,  and  in  this  work  she  has  had  the  efficient 
assistance  of  her  sons  and  sons-in-law,  all  of  whom  are  skilled 
farmers  and  owners  of  fine  herds  of  Holstein  dairy  stock.  Six 
hundred  and  forty  acres  are  under  cultivation,  and  of  this  tract 
three  hundred  acres  are  irrigated,  affording  excellent  oppor- 
tunities for  the  raising  of  alfalfa  and  fruit.  A  vineyard  of  choice 
grapes  has  been  made  a  profitable  adjunct  of  the  ranch,  and  the 
raising  of  grain  is  still  followed  with  noteworthy  success-. 


P.  H.  McGARR 

One  of  the  enterprising  men  of  Yolo  county  who  has  made 
his  home  here  since  1886,  Mr.  McGarr  is  well  known  throughout 
Winters  and  vicinity  not  only  as  an  orehardist  of  exceptional  abil- 
ity, but  also  as  a  most  public-spirited  citizen,  prompt  to  lend  his 
efforts  toward  the  progress  of  the  community. 

A  native  of  Canada,  Mr.  McGarr  \s  birth  occurred  January  6, 
1865,  in  Guelph,  where  he  received  his  education,  spending  his 
youth  on  the  farm  of  his  parents,  Patrick  and  Ann  (Cunningham) 
McGarr,  natives  of  Guelph.  At  the  age  of  twenty  he  came  to 
California,  successfully  conducting  a  farm  in  Solano  county  for 
eleven  years  prior  to  his  removal  to  Yolo  county,  where  he  has 
since  been  engaged  in  fruit  raising.  For  many  years  he  leased 
an  orchard  in  the  vicinity  of  Winters,  but  in  the  fall  of  1911  he 
accepted  the  position  of  foreman  for  M.  Kahn,  having  charge 
of  his  large  orchard,  located  three  miles  west  of  Winters,  to 
which  he  gives  his  undivided  time. 

In  Woodland,  February  29,  1892,  Mr.  McGarr  was  united  in 
marriage  with  Miss  Mary  L.  Baker,  whose  birth  occurred  in 
Solano  county,  and  whose  parents  crossed  the  plains  from  Illinois 
in  the  early  '50s.  She  died  in  September,  1907.  Six  children  were 
born  to  Mr.  and  Mrs.  McGarr,  as  follows:.  Francis  L.,  Henry  H. 
(both  of  Winters),  Edith  M.,  WTilliam  D.,  Clark  A.  and  Raymond 
P.,  the  four  last  mentioned  residing  at  home.  Mr.  McGarr 's 
second  marriage  occurred  in  San  Francisco  and  united  him  with 
Mary  Gotellie,  a  native  of  Italy,  who  by  a  former  marriage  had 
five;'  children,  Anthony,  Joseph  and  Louis.  A  Republican  in  poli- 
tics, Mr.  McGarr  is  a  broad  minded  and  generous  citizen,  interested 
in  all  public  movements  of  merit.  He  is  a  communicant  of  the  Holy 
Rosarv  Catholic  Church,  as  are  also  his  wife  and  family. 


HISTORY  OF  YOLO  COUNTY  299 

THOMAS  BALLARD  GIBSON 

It  would  be  difficult  to  name  any  important  enterprise  associated 
with  the  material  upbuilding  of  Woodland  which  has  lacked  the 
generous  co-operation  and  enthusiastic  support  of  Mr.  Gibson, 
who  indeed  stands  second  to  no  citizen  in  his  progressive  spirit 
and  devoted  loyalty  to  civic  development.  Having  spent  his  entire 
life  in  Woodland  and  Yolo  county,  he  has  been  familiar  from 
earliest  recollections  with  movements  for  the  common  welfare 
and  has  acquired  a  thorough  knowledge  of  local  possibilities. 
His  faith  in  future  advancement  is  surpassed  only  by  his  knowledge 
of  past  achievements.  Whether  commercial  affairs  are  projected 
or  educational  progress  is  demanded,  whether  modern  improve- 
ments are  instituted  in  the  city's  public  works  or  fraternal  organi- 
zations seek  adequate  quarters  for  their  meetings,  he  interests 
himself  in  all  and  has  demonstrated  the  possession  of  a  broad, 
rounded  citizenship  that  holds  itself  aloof  from  any  narrow  parti- 
sanship. 

The  boyhood  years  of  Thomas  B.  Gibson  were  passed  unevent- 
fully in  the  home  of  his  father,  William  B.  Gibson,  and  in  attend- 
ance upon  the  public  schools  and  Hesperian  College.  Born  October 
2,  18(51,  he  was  twenty  years  of  age  when  he  was  graduated  from 
Ilea  Id's  Business  College  in  San  Francisco.  Afterward  he  assisted 
his  father  in  farming  until  1885,  when  he  established  a  hardware 
store  at  Woodland  under  the  firm  name  of  T.  B.  Gibson  &  Co.. 
bis  partner  being-  Thomas  M.  Prior.  For  ten  years  they  occupied 
their  own  building  and  continued  in  partnership.  At  the  expiration 
of  that  time  he  purchased  his  partner's  interest,  and  until  January 
17,  1903,  he  continued  alone  in  the  Gibson  block,  at  the  corner  of 
Main  and  Elm  streets,  a  building  two  stories  high,  with  a  frontage 
of  one  hundred  and  seventy  feet  and  a  depth  of  from  eighty  to  one 
hundred  and  eighty  feet,  the  corner,  60x180  feet,  being  devoted  to 
the  hardware  business,  while  the  balance  is  arranged  for  five  stores. 
On  the  day  of  190.'!  previously  mentioned  the  hardware  business  was 
sold  to  C.  Sieber  &  Co.,  the  present  proprietors. 

As  the  first  president  of  the  Woodland  Milling  Company, 
Mr.  Gibson  had  been  interested  in  the  building  of  the  Woodland 
Flour  Mills,  with  a  capacity  of  one  hundred  barrels  per  day.  After 
the  plant  burned  to  the  ground  in  1903,  Mr.  Gibson  sold  his  stock 
to  the  Globe  Milling  Company.  With  his  brother,  R.  .).,  he  pur- 
chased the  Union  warehouse,  comprising  two  buildings.  50x300 
feet,  and  80x150  feet,  respectively.  During  1903  ho  bought  sixty 
acres  under  the  Yolo  County  Consolidated  ditch  and  this  he  put 
under  cultivation  to  alfalfa.  As  a  promoter  of  the  Woodland 
Creamery  Company  lie  assisted  in  establishing  a  concern  that    has 


300  HISTORY  OF  YOLO  COUNTY 

been  most  helpful  to  the  dairy  interests  of  the  county,  and  after 
a  time  he  was  honored  with  the  office  of  president,  which  he  now 
fills,  his  executive  ability  being  indispensable  in  the  rapid  develop- 
ment of  the  plant. 

At  Blacks,  Yolo  county,  August  4,  1885,  Mr.  Gibson  married 
Miss  Virginia  Lee  Root,  who  was  born  near  Linneus,  Linn  county, 
Mo.,  and  is  a  daughter  of  James  and  Nancy  E.  Root,  a  pioneer 
family  of  Yolo  county.  The  only  child  of  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Gibson 
is  a  daughter,  Zellah  Lee,  now  Mrs.  Dr.  H.  M.  Elberg  of  San 
Luis  Obispo.  For  about  fourteen  years  the  family  resided  in  a 
cottage  on  Elm  street,  but  in  1905  they  removed  to  their  new 
and  elegant  residence,  at  the  south  end  of  College  street.  By 
virtue  of  his  birth  in  California,  Mr.  Gibson  is  a  member  of  the 
Native  Sons  of  the  Golden  West,  and  with  others  he  erected  the 
Native  Sons'  Hall  in  Woodland,  which  was  opened  in  March  of 
1905.  Fraternally  he  is  connected  with  Woodland  Lodge  No.  156, 
F.  &  A.  M.;  Woodland  Chapter  No.  46,  R.  A.  M.;  Woodland 
Commandery  No.  21,  K.  T. :  and  Islam  Temple,  A.  A.  0.  N  M.  S., 
of  San  Francisco,  being  also,  with  his  wife,  a  member  of  the 
Eastern  Star,  in  which  he  ranks  as  past  worthy  patron.  Since 
1884  he  has  heen  connected  with  the  Knights  of  Pythias,  and  in 
the  local  lodge  he  has  served  as  chancellor. 

While  engaged  in  the  hardware  business  Mr.  Gibson  assisted 
in  organizing  the  Pacific  Coast  Retail  Hardware  Association,  the 
first  of  its  kind  in  the  west.  The  first  meeting  was  held  in  Marys- 
ville,  Yuba  county,  in  1899,  when  John  C.  White  was  elected  presi- 
dent and  Mr.  Gibson  was  made  a  member  of  the  executive  board. 
In  addition  he  was  a  prominent  member  of  the  California  State 
Retail  Hardware  Dealers'  Association.  On  the  organization  of  the 
Sacramento  Valley  Development  Association  he  became  a  charter 
member  and  assisted  in  promoting  its  progress,  and  now  repre- 
sents Yolo  county  upon  its  board  of  trustees.  He  is  also  a  mem- 
ber of  the  California  Development  Board  of  San  Francisco  and  serv- 
ing as  a  member  of  its  board  of  directors.  He  was  one  of  the  organ- 
izers of  the  California  Live  Stock  Breeders'  Association  and  a  mem- 
ber of  the  board  of  directors.  He  is  also  president  of  the  Central 
Irrigation  Ditch  Company  that  supplies  Woodland  farms  on  the 
south  and  east  with  water  for  irrigation. 

In  politics  Mr.  Gibson  votes  with  the  Democratic  party.  With 
E.  P.  Huston  and  W.  P.  Craig  he  organized  the  Woodland  Cham- 
ber of  Commerce  and  aided  its  early  enterprises  through  his  service 
upon  its  executive  board.  As  a  member  of  the  board  of  trustees, 
he  favored  civic  improvements.  As  chairman  of  the  fire  and  water 
committee,  he  secured  two  new  wells  and  the  installation  of  an 
electric  pumping  plant  of  large  capacity.     The   all-night  lighting 


<>/  ^sd^^c/c^ejt— 


HISTORY  OF  YOLO  COUNTY  303 

of  the  city  by  electricity  and  the  closing  of  the  saloons  at  mid- 
night were  two  movements  that  he  favored  with  intense  zeal,  and 
he  was  also  an  important  factor  in  the  substitution  of  cement  pave- 
ments for  board,  which  always  had  been  in  use  for  the  cross  streets. 
Any  other  movements  indispensable  to  the  permanent  welfare  of 
city  and  county  have  received  his  stalwart  championship  and  owe 
much  to  his  intelligent  advocacy. 


BARRY  E.  SACKETT 

One  of  the  most  prosperous  and  well  known  places  of  Yolo 
county,  Cal.,  and  indeed  of  the  entire  state,  is  the  Golden  Star 
orchard,  owned  and  operated  by  Harry  E.  Sackett,  whose  able 
and  efficient  conduct  of  this  place  has  brought  it  to  a  high  state 
of  cultivation,  so  that  its  product  has  gained  world-wide  fame  for 
its  particularly  fine  quality. 

The  son  of  an  old  pioneer  in  this  state,  and  one  who  built  up 
a  fine  and  extensive  property  in  this  county,  Mr.  Sackett  belongs 
to  a  family  whose  members  have  counted  greatly  in  the  history 
of  this  as  well  as  the  countries  of  Great  Britain,  and  he  has  in- 
herited the  sturdy  elements  of  the  race  and  carried  on  the  excel 
lent  work  of  his  father,  being  a  credit  to  his  family,  a  worthy 
bearer  of  the  honored  name. 

Born  January  13,  1864,  in  Solano  county,  a  half  mile  across 
Putah  creek  from  Winters,  the  eldest  son  of  Buel  R.  and  Susan 
(Williams)  Sackett,  Harry  E.  Sackett  was  here  reared  to  man- 
hood, receiving  an  excellent  training,  attending  the  Lafayette 
grammar  school  in  San  Francisco.  Upon  completing  his  studies 
he  engaged  in  horticulture,  spending  eight  years  in  Fresno  county, 
Cal.,  after  which  he  became  proprietor  of  a  commission  business 
in  San  Francisco,  his  trade  being  entirely  wholesale.  In  1907 
he  purchased  one  hundred  and  sixty-three  acres  adjoining  his 
father's  place,  which  he  now  operates,  having  twenty-eight  acres 
in  a  vineyard  of  the  tokay  variety.  Much  of  the  land  is  in  meadow 
and  pasture,  but  the  most  important  department  is  the  fifty-acre 
orchard  of  plums,  apricots  and  peaches,  which  vie  with  the  grapes 
in  their  profitable  cultivation  and  enormous  crops.  During  the 
season  of  1910  the  apricots  yielded  twenty  tons  and  the  peaches 
eighty-five  tons,  while  the  table  grapes  produced  fifty  tons  and 
were  marketed  in  thirty-five  hundred  crates.  Mr.  Saekett's  pack- 
ing   house    is    equipped    so    extensively    that    it    allows    for    all    the 


304  HISTORY  OF  YOLO  COUNTY 

packing  of  the  fruit  raised  on  the  place  to  he  handled  for  shipping- 
there.  The  product  is  shipped  to  different  cities  in  the  east  under 
the  brand  "Golden  Star,"  and  is  in  demand  by  many  who  handle 
it  throughout  the  country.  Mr.  Sackett  has  named  his  place  the 
Golden  Star  orchard  because  of  the  brand  his  goods  carry  and  its 
reputation    is   wide   and   favorable. 

Mr.  Sackett  was  married  to  Lena  Bryee,  who  is  a  native  of 
Kentucky.  She  is  very  popular  in  their  community  and  is  an  ac- 
tive worker  in  the  Eebekah  Lodge  in  Winters,  while  her  husband 
holds  membership  with  the  Independent  Order  of  Odd  Fellows 
and  the  Woodmen  of  the  World. 

Mr.  Sackett  has  followed  closely  in  the  footsteps  of  his  emi- 
nent father,  devoting  all  his  time  and  all  of  his  splendid  energies 
to  the  cultivation  and  improvement  of  the  property,  and  his  ener- 
gies have  been  abundantly  justified  by  the  returns  he  has  received. 
Personally  he  is  practical  and  thorough  in  all  his  undertakings, 
temperate  in  all  his  habits,  and  he  holds  the  confidence  and  respect 
of  all   with  whom   he  is   associated. 


JAMES  M.  McHENRY 

To  Mr.  McHenry,  one  of  Yolo  county's  earliest  pioneers,  be- 
longs much  of  the  credit  for  the  establishment  of  both  business 
and  social  life  on  a  substantial  basis  in  that  section,  his  foresight 
and  executive  ability  having  been  of  incalculable  value  in  that  con- 
nection. 

A  native  of  White  county,  Ky.,  Mr.  McHenry  removed  to 
Missouri  with  his  parents,  who  spent  their  last  years  in  that  sec- 
tion. His  father,  James  McHenry,  a  farmer  by  occupation,  mar- 
ried Miss  Moody,  a  relative  of  the  famous  Evangelist  Moody. 
James  McHenry,  Jr.,  successfully  conducted  a  farm  in  Missouri 
until  his  marriage  with  Miss  Pierce,  whereupon  he  disposed  of 
his  eastern  interests  and  crossed  the  plains  with  his  bride  in  the 
early  '50s.  For  some  months  he  mined  with  varying  success, 
later  engaging  in  the  teaming  and  livery  business  in  Modesto,  Cal., 
where  he  built  the  first  hotel  in  that  section.  Upon  the  death  of 
his  wife,  who  left  two  daughters,  Margareta,  Mrs.  Paul  Tietzen. 
of  Berkeley,  and  Almeda,  Mrs.  Davidson,  of  Santa  Maria,  he 
sold  his  business  in  Stanislaus  countv  and  removed  to  Santa  Rosa, 


HISTORY  OF  VoLo  COUNTY  305 

where  he  continue. 1  to  exert  his  efforts  as  a  progressive  and  capa- 
ble citizen,  contributing  largely  to  the  development  of  that  locality 
until  1873,  when  he  settled  in  Woodland.  Shortly  thereafter,  in 
partnership  with  Al  Eaton,  he  opened  an  up-to-date  livery  barn, 
conducting  also  many  other  public  enterprises,  including  the  sur- 
vey and  maintenance  of  a  stage  road  between  Woodland  and  Lake 
county.  Upon  the  sale  of  his  livery  interest  to  H.  C.  Duncan  he 
engaged  in  agricultural 'pursuits  near  Esparto,  Yolo  county. 

January  25,  1875,  Mr.  McHenry  married  his  second  wife, 
Mrs.  Elizabeth  (Duncan)  Keithly,  born  near  St.  Joseph,  Mo.,  and 
to  their  union  two  children  were  born:  William  Lane,  who  now 
resides  near  Esparto,  and  Ethel  Terry,  who  after  her  graduation 
from  the  San  Francisco  Business  College  became  the  wife  of 
Charles  P.  Murphy  of  that  city. 

Mr.  McHenry  was  a  man  of  literary  as  well  as  business  abil- 
ity, and  contributed  many  leading  articles  to  various  county 
papers.  A  charter  member  of  the  Odd  Fellows  Lodge  at  Capay, 
he  served  as  noble  grand  for  many  years.  He  was  a  stanch  Demo- 
crat and  for  some  years  was  supervisor  of  Stanislaus  county.  As 
an  active  member  of  the  Christian  Church,  to  which  he  lent  his 
willing  support,  he  endeavored  at  all  times  to  conduct  his  life 
according  to  the  principles  of  practical  Christianity,  his  gener- 
osity and  kindly  interest  in  the  welfare  of  his  fellow  men  having 
fully  merited  the  confidence  and  esteem  which  he  enjoyed. 

Elizabeth  Duncan  was  the  daughter  of  Charles  and  Dorcas 
(Coffman)  Duncan,  natives  of  Tennessee  and  Maryland,  respec- 
tively, and  received  her  education  in  the  public  schools  near  St. 
Joseph,  Mo.  Her  paternal  grandfather,  Joel  Duncan,  of  Scotch 
parentage,  was  also  a  native  of  Tennessee  and  settled  in  McDon- 
ough  county.  111.,  where  he  farmed  until  his  death.  His  son  Charles 
spent  his  youth  in  Illinois,  removing  later  to  Andrew  county, 
Mo.,  where  he  operated  a  farm  for  a  time.  Later  he  located  in 
Henderson  county,  HI.,  where  lie  remained  until  1864,  going  thence 
to  California,  with  his  wife  and  seven  children,  in  company  with 
twelve  families  westward  bound,  their  well-stocked  wagons  being 
drawn  by  horses.  After  five  months  of  weary  travel,  not  the 
least  of  their  troubles  having  been  the  necessity  of  frequently 
keeping  the  Indians  at  bay,  they  reached  Yolo  county,  where  Mr. 
Duncan  filed  upon  a  homestead  near  Plainfield,  actively  conduct 
ing  his  ranch  until  his  death  in  L886,  at  the  age  of  eighty  years. 
lacking  but  two  weeks.  Of  the  various  sections  in  which  Mr.  Dun- 
can had  made  his  home,  he  found  no  climate  so  agreeable  as  that 
of  California,  which  he  termed   the  land  of  sunshine  and   flowers. 

Mr.  Duncan  was  united  in  marriage  with  Dorcas  Coffman, 
who  was  born  in  Maryland  and  who  accompanied  her  parents  to 


306  HISTORY  OF  YOLO  COUNTY 

Hancock  county,  111.  Her  father,  Jacob  Coffman,  born  in  Mary- 
land, was  a  farmer  by  occupation,  and  with  his  wife  spent  his 
last  years  in  Illinois.  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Duncan  were  blessed  with 
the  following  children:  Louisa  J.,  now  Mrs.  W.  J.  Chard,  of 
Washington ;  Mary  C,  who  became  the  wife  of  H.  H.  Hungate,  and 
who  now  resides  in  Walla  Walla,  Wash.;  Elizabeth,  Mrs.  Mc- 
Henry;  William  J.,  who  makes  his  home  in  Waitsburg,  Wash.; 
Nancy  A.,  now  Mrs.  J.  T.  McJunkin,  of  Hanford,  Cal.;  H.  C, 
who  resides  in  Fair  Oaks,  Cal.;  James  C,  of  Shasta  county;  and 
Lane,  who  prior  to  his  removal  to  Garfield  County,  Wash.,  served 
for  eight  years  as  clerk  of  Yolo  county. 

January  25,  1866,  Elizabeth  Duncan  became  the  wife  of  Wil- 
liam Keithly,  who  was  born  in  Indiana,  and  who  moved  to  Mc- 
Donough  county,  111.,  with  his  parents,  Jacob  and  Sarah  (Roberts) 
Keithly.  The  son  assisted  upon  his  father's  farm  until  1852, 
when,  with  his  brother  John,  he  crossed  the  plains  to  Yolo  county, 
Cal.,  with  the  aid  of  ox-teams.  Later  he  took  up  a  homestead 
and  engaged  in  stock  raising,  but  owing  to  continued  exposure 
under  adverse  climatic  conditions  his  health  failed  to  the  extent 
that  in  1869  he  was  forced  to  sell  his  interests.  Shortly  there- 
after he  purchased  a  ranch  of  one  thousand  and  ninety-two  acres 
in  the  Esparto  section,  conducting  his  affairs  with  great  success 
until  his  death  in  Sacramento  in  1872,  when  but  forty-five  years 
old.  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Keithly  were  the  parents  of  three  children,  as 
follows:  Frank,  who  is  a  farmer  near  Esparto;  Charles  H.,  who 
resides  in  Prince  Rupert,  Canada;  and  Hattie,  Mrs.  Mehmedoff, 
of  Esparto. 

Since  the  death  of  her  second  husband  Mrs.  McHenry  has 
divided  her  time  between  the  home  ranch  and  her  Woodland  resi- 
dence, continuing  an  active  interest  in  the  affairs  of  the  estate, 
which,  in  1909,  was  sub-divided  and  sold,  the  heirs  reserving 
forty  acres  each. 

William  Lane  McHenry  was  married  to  Rosella  Carrick, 
whose  birth  occurred  in  Yreka,  Siskiyou  county,  Cal.  They  now 
make  their  home  in  Yolo  county,  where,  in  addition  to  his  share 
of  his  father's  estate,  Mr.  McHenry  conducts  a  ten-acre  tract 
devoted  to  horticulture,  his  enterprise  and  good  management  hav- 
ing placed  him  among  the  leading  citizens  of  the  community. 

Highly  cultured,  and  of  a  generous,  sympathetic  temperament, 
Mrs.  McHenry  is  greatly  beloved  among  her  many  friends,  and 
in  addition  to  lending  practical  aid  in  the  various  auxiliaries  of 
the  Christian  Church,  in  which  she  enjoys  active  membership, 
maintains  a  deep  interest  in  the  suffrage  movement,  her  thorough 
study  of  the  question  enabling  her  to  intelligently  assist  in  that 
work. 


AA 


HISTORY  OF  YOLO  COUNTY  31] 

REUBEN  B.  NISSEN 

In  a  region  remote  from  North  Carolina,  where  he  was  born 
July  5,  1845,  and  where  he  passed  the  uneventful  years  of  youth, 
it  was  the  destiny  of  Reuben  B.  Nissen  to  pass  the  busy  afternoon 
of  life  and  to  pass  from  a  serene  twilight  into  the  rest  of  eternity, 
lie  did  not  come  direct  from  the  Atlantic  seaboard  to  the  shores  of 
the  Pacific,  but  stopped  for  three  years  at  Knobnoster,  Johnson 
county,  Mo.,  and  thence  proceeded  westward  in  the  year  1870.  For 
eight  years  he  followed  the  carpenter's  trade  at  Elmira  and  rose 
from  day  wages  to  the  work  of  a  contractor  and  builder,  in  which 
he  met  with  fair  success,  and  he  followed  the  building  business  after 
he  located  at  Esparto.  Eventually  he  turned  to  agricultural  pur- 
suits and  became  the  owner  of  nine  hundred  and  eighty  acres  near 
Esparto,  where  he  resided  from  1878  until  his  death,  February  13, 
1910.  Prominent  among  associates,  he  was  called  upon  to  fill  the 
office  of  school  trustee  and  in  that  capacity  aided  in  the  upbuilding 
of  the  district  schools.  On  one  occasion  his  friends  selected  him  for 
the  office  of  supervisor,  but  he  refused  to  serve  in  the  position.  The 
cares  of  business  kept  him  from  returning  to  his  old  southern  home 
and  renewing  the  associations  of  boyhood,  but  a  number  of  his  rela- 
tives visited  him  in  his  western  home,  among  them  being  his  three 
brothers,  W.  M.,  a  prominent  wagon  manufacturer  of  North  ( Jarolina, 
C.  F.  and  S.  J.  Two  sisters,  two  nephews  and  two  nieces  also  came 
to  visit  him  from  North  Carolina  and  he  further  enjoyed  a  visit 
from  a  sister  living  in  Missouri,  so  that  the  ties  of  kinship  were 
maintained  with  affection   throughout   his   entire  life. 

The  marriage  of  Reuben  B.  Nissen  at  Maine  Prairie,  Solano 
county,  January  6,  1875,  united  him  with  Miss  Mary  Virginia  Wyatt, 
who  was  born  in  Grundy  county,  Mo.,  and  at  a  very  early  age  came 
across  the  plains  in  1864  with  her  parents,  James  N.  B.  and  Ann 
(Williams)  Wyatt.  Although  very  young  at  the  time,  she  recalls 
many  events  of  the  journey  with  surprising  distinctness.  When  the 
emigrants  were  in  camp  on  the  Platte  river  they  were  surprised  and 
alarmed  by  the  sudden  advent  of  a  man  on  horseback,  without  hat 
or  hoots,  his  clothing  in  rags  and  an  arrow  in  his  hack,  lie  told 
them  that  the  Indians  had  killed  his  parents  and  taken  captive  his 
wife,  a  beautiful  young  woman  with  long  hair.  Dr.  A.  YVynn.  an 
uncle  of  Mrs.  Nissen,  cut  the  arrow  out  and  made  the  man  as  com- 
fortable as  the  circumstances  permitted,  lie  was  put  on  a  wagon 
and  taken  with  the  expedition  as  far  as  Fort  Laramie,  where  he 
made  heart-rending  pleadings  that  the  party  would  remain  until  he 
recovered  so  that  he  could  come  on  to  California  with  them. 

There  were  thirty  wagons  and  one  hundred  persons  in  the 
train.     They  crossed  the  Platte  river  in  four  wagon  beds,  caulked 


312  HISTORY  OF  YOLO  COUNTY 

and  tied  together.  Ten  men  took  hold  of  the  sides  of  the  craft. 
When  they  could  touch  bottom  they  would  shove  the  boat  along. 
When  they  could  not  touch  bottom  they  would  swing  on  the  boat 
and  let  it  float.  All  of  the  running  gear  of  the  thirty  wagons,  as 
well  as  the  one  hundred  persons  and  their  belongings  were  crossed 
in  the  wagon  beds  and  it  took  twenty-one  days  to  get  across  and 
prepared  to  move  forward.  While  camping  on  the  Platte  an  electric 
storm  arose.  The  downpour  of  hail,  with  the  vivid  lightning  and 
terrific  thunder,  frightened  the  cattle  so  that  they  ran  away  and 
the  Indians  captured  them.  Some  of  the  brave  men  of  the  expedi- 
tion followed  the  savages,  shot  them,  rescued  the  stock  and  returned 
to  camp  with  every  animal  safe.  Mrs.  Nissen  well  remembers  the 
great  rejoicing  when  the  men  and  stock  came  safely  back  to  camp. 

When  camp  was  made  a  long  distance  from  any  fort  it  was  the 
custom  for  the  emigrants  to  arrange  their  wagons  in  a  circle.  The 
stock  were  placed  within  the  circle  and  all  night  long  each  man 
would  stand  guard  at  his  wagon  with  his  gun  in  his  hand.  The  ox- 
teams  would  sometimes  give  out  from  tender  feet.  When  an  ox 
began  to  walk  lame  it  would  be  taken  out  and  a  cow  put  in  its  place, 
while  the  tired  ox  had  a  chance  to  recuperate  with  the  balance  of 
the  herd  driven  back  of  the  wagon  train.  The  churning  on  the  trip 
was  not  after  the  method  followed  in  the  Woodland  and  Winters 
creameries.  After  the  cows  had  been  milked  in  the  morning,  the 
milk  would  be  placed  in  the  churn  and  at  night,  when  camp  was 
made,  the  butter  would  be  in  round  balls  about  the  size  of  a  marble. 

During  the  long  journey  of  six  months  and  ten  days  between 
Grundy  county.  Mo.,  and  Cloverdale,  Sonoma  county,  only  one  death 
occurred.  A  small  child  was  buried  at  Fort  Laramie  on  the  4th  of 
July  and  the  accidental  presence  of  soldiers  with  their  band  of 
music  made  the  ceremony  very  impressive,  particularly  for  the  small 
children,  who  felt  sad  at  the  thought  of  leaving  their  beloved  play- 
mate in  the  lonely  little  grave  in  that  strange  land.  Few  of  the 
travelers  were  ill,  the  most  serious  trouble  being  an  epidemic  of  the 
whooping  cough.  Every  Sunday  services  were  held  with  excellent 
singing  and  earnest  preaching.  During  the  week  nights  the  young 
people  would  have  parties  and  dances,  so  that  there  was  some  en- 
joyment in  the  midst  of  the  hardships.  The  only  mirror  in  the  ex- 
pedition was  the  property  of  her  mother,  Mrs.  J.  N.  B.  Wyatt,  who 
was  accustomed  to  hang  it  out  on  the  wagon  every  Sunday  morning, 
so  that  the  men  could  come  there  to  shave.  Some  would  come  to 
look  at  their  faces  and  study  the  changes  in  their  features  since 
they  left  home.  There  was  no  silverware  in  the  party,  nor  any 
china  or  cut-glass,  but  every  woman  had  her  new  outfit  of  tin  dishes. 
The  first  night  that  the  provisions  were  placed  on  the  ground  a 
baby   (F.  M.  Wyatt  of  Winters)    started  to  creep  across  the  im- 


HISTORY  OF  YOLO  COUNTY  313 

provised  table  in  a  hurry  and  the  rattle  that  followed  was  amusing 
for  everyone. 

Four  sons  came  to  bless  the  union  of  Reuben  B.  and  Virginia 
Nissen.  The  third  oldest,  Babe,  born  September  16,  1889,  was  taken 
from  the  home  by  death  April  6,  1891.  The  eldest  of  the  family, 
Clarence  R.,  a  stockman,  born  September  9,  1883,  married  Elsie  M. 
Taber  and  they  have  two  children,  Virginia  M.  and  Clarence  Reuben, 
Jr.  The  second  son,  Claude  S.,  born  November  12,  1886,  manages 
the  home  place,  with  the  assistance  of  the  youngest  son,  Frank  W., 
born  June  13,  1895.  These  two  brothers  have  one  hundred  and 
twenty-five  head  of  hogs  as  well  as  a  large  number  of  other  live 
stock  and  in  the  threshing  season  they  run  a  combined  harvester 
on  their  own  place,  also  doing  threshing  for  others  and  averaging 
twenty-five  acres  per  day.  The  home  farm,  "Rose  Mound,"  occu- 
pied by  the  widow  and  the  two  youngest  sons,  comprises  one  hun- 
dred and  ninety  acres,  located  in  Lamb  valley,  three  and  one-half 
miles  southwest  of  Esparto,  of  which  more  than  one-half  is  in  pas- 
ture and  in  grain.  Seventy-five  acres  are  in  apricots,  peaches, 
pears,  prunes,  almonds  and  apples,  bringing  in  a  large  annual 
revenue.  The  rest  of  the  holdings  has  been  divided  between  the 
sons.  They  are  young  men  of  energy  and  are  adding  lustre  to  an 
honored  pioneer  name. 


WILLIAM  M.  JACKSON 

Among  the  ranks  of  the  army  of  brave  men  who  established 
western  civilization,  William  M.  Jackson  deserves  an  honored 
place.  He  was  born  in  Hamilton  county,  Ohio,  in  1833,  his  par- 
ents being  Benjamin  B.  and  Polly  (Ruggles)  Jackson.  When  lie 
was  nineteen,  in  1852,  he  and  his  brothers,  Benjamin  F.  and  Bryon 
B.,  in  company  with  the  Ruggles  family,  joined  a  party  bound 
for  California,  and  slowly  but  surely  driving  their  cattle  before 
them  they  crossed  the  plains  and  entered  the  borderland  of  the 
Golden  state.  For  a  time  Mr.  Jackson  mined  in  Placer  county 
and  in  1856  he  purchased  a  ranch  of  one  hundred  and  sixty  acres 
two  miles  south  of  Woodland.  After  three  years  he  returned  easl 
by  way  of  the  Panama  route  and  remained  about  a  year,  and 
again,  in  1860,  he  made  his  way  across  the  plains  and  once  more 
took  up  farming.  In  the  meantime  he  purchased  land  adjoining 
until  he  had  four  hundred  and  eighty  acres  in  one  body,  and  here 
he  carried  on  farming  until  his  death  in  1874. 


314  HISTOEY  OF  YOLO  COUNTY 

Mr.  Jackson's  wife  before  her  marriage  was  Kate  Cooper,  a 
native  of  Ohio.  She  died  in  Santa  Cruz  in  1903.  The  only  child 
born  of  this  marriage  was  Benjamin  Byron,  who  was  born  in 
Woodland  October  1,  1862,  and  who  became  the  stay  and  comfort 
of  his  mother  during  her  last  years.  He  has  since  successfully 
operated  the  farm,  which  now  consists  of  three  hundred  and  ninety 
acres.  The  place  is  all  under  irrigation,  having  a  ditch  from 
Cache  creek.  For  many  years  he  devoted  the  land  to  alfalfa 
and  grain  and  to  cattle  and  hog  raising,  besides  running  a  dairy, 
but  he  now  leases  it  for  beet  raising. 

Twice  married,  Benjamin  B.  Jackson's  first  wife  was  Nora 
Epperson,  a  native  of  Illinois,  who  at  her  death  left  one  daughter, 
Rowena  Fay,  now  Mrs.  Van  Norden,  of  San  Francisco.  His  .sec- 
ond wife  was  formerly  Miss  Cleopatra  Miller,  a  native  of  Auburn, 
Cal.  One  of  the  native  sons  of  Yolo  county,  Mr.  Jackson  was  edu- 
cated in  the  public  schools  here  and  later  attended  Hesperian 
College.  This  has  been  his  life-time  home,  and  by  all  he  is  re- 
garded as  a  public-spirited  and  progressive  citizen  and  a  success- 
ful farmer. 


CHARLES  FRANK  HADSALL 

The  prominent  citizen  of  Yolo  county,  Cal.,  whose  name  is 
above  is  remembered  as  a  man  and  as  an  official  of  the  highest 
character,  whose  record  is  dear  to  all  who  knew  him.  Charles 
Frank  Hadsall  was  born  April  3,  1869,  at  Wilmington,  Will  county, 
111.,  the  only  son  of  Frank  and  Mercy  Hadsall.  The  father  died 
at  Woodland,  about  1900,  the  mother  about  1890,  and  they  lie  at 
rest  in  Woodland  cemetery.  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Hadsall  came  to  Yolo 
county  in  1879,  when  their  son  was  about  ten  months  old,  and  the 
latter  was  educated  in  the  Woodland  grammar  school  and  in  the 
Woodland  Business  College.  Three  months  before  the  completion 
of  the  course  by  his  class  in  the  latter  institution  he  was  offered 
by  W.  H.  Hampton  a  position  in  the  Davis  lumber  yard.  Mr. 
Hampton  was  manager  of  the  yard,  and  under  his  able  and  careful 
instruction — for  he  took  a  real  interest  in  the  young  man — Mr. 
Hadsall  acquired  his  initial  knowledge  of  actual  business.  Here, 
as  he  had  been  at  school,  he  was  an  apt  pupil.  He  was  in  the 
employ  of  Mr.  Hampton  until  1897,  when  he  accepted  an  appoint- 
ment as  deputy  county  clerk  under  Lane  Duncan,  who  was  then 
clerk  of  Yolo  county.    Mr.  Hadsall  served  as  Mr.  Duncan's  deputy 


-<f 


HISTOEY  OF  YOLO  COUNTY  317 

during  the  last  two  years  of  the  hitter's  first  term,  then  was  nomi- 
nated on  the  Republican  ticket  for  county  auditor  and  was  elected 
and  served  four  years  in  that  office.  About  the  time  of  the  ex- 
piration of  his  term  as  auditor  he  was  nominated  as  county  clerk, 
to  succeed  Mr.  Duncan,  and  was  elected.  In  1906  he  was  re- 
elected to  the  same  office,  and  would  have  completed  his  second 
term  about  two  weeks  after  the  date  of  his  death.  He  had  decided 
to  retire  from  official  life  in  order  to  devote  his  time  entirely  to 
his  farm.  As  a  citizen  he  had  an  impelling  sense  of  respect  for 
every  obligation,  and  in  all  his  relations  with  his  fellow  men  he 
was  just  even  to  generosity  and  tolerant  of  the  views  of  others. 
As  public  official  lie  was  efficient,  honest  and  painstaking.  There  was 
no  duty  that  he  did  not  discharge  with  the  utmost  fidelity.  He  was 
not  affiliated  with  any  church,  but  was  an  attendant  upon  the  services 
of  the  Methodist  Episcopal  Church  South,  of  Woodland. 

There  was  another,  and  the  most  interesting,  side  to  the  life  of 
Mr.  Hadsall — the  domestic  side.  On  November  24,  1892,  he  was  mar- 
ried in  Davis  to  Miss  Nettie  Viola  Eowe,  by  the  Eev.  E.  F.  Allen. 
As  a  husband  and  father  he  was  loving  and  devoted.  He  was  sur- 
vived by  a  widow  and  four  daughters — Carrie  Viola,  Mildred 
Rowena,  Bernice  Carmen  and  Charlotte  Nettie — who  ranged  in  age 
from  four  to  sixteen  years.  His  sister,  Mrs.  Frank  G.  Blaisdell,  lives 
in  Los  Angeles.  Another  sister,  Mrs.  Carrie  O'Connell,  is  buried 
in  the  Woodland  cemetery.  His  aunt,  Mrs.  Abiah  Day,  and  his 
cousin,  Russell  T.  Day,  live  at  Berkeley.  His  aunt,  Mrs.  Sarah 
Russell,  and  two  of  his  cousins,  Frank  Russell  and  Mary  Sweet, 
have  their  homes  in  Auburn.  He  passed  away  December  14,  1910, 
at  his  residence,  No.  140  First  street,  Woodland. 

Besides  performing  his  duties  as  county  clerk  and  clerk  of  the 
board  of  supervisors,  Mr.  Hadsall  devoted  all  his  spare  time  for 
some  years  to  the  development  of  a  farm  in  the  Hoppin  tract,  near 
Yolo,  which  he  bought  late  in  his  life.  He  was  an  active  member  of 
Woodland  Lodge  No.  Ill,  I.  0.  O.  F.,  and  of  Court  Yolo  No.  1313, 
I.  0.  F.  Mrs.  Hadsall  was  born  near  Folsom,  Sacramento  county,  a 
daughter  of  Jesse  G.  Rowe,  a  native  of  New  Jersey,  who  came  to 
California  in  1867,  and  after  freighting  for  a  time  at  Sacramento 
farmed  at  Davis,  where  he  is  still  living.  His  wife,  who  was  Miss 
Susan  Armstrong  of  Des  Moines,  Iowa,  died  at  Davis,  January  27, 
1897.  Mrs.  Hadsall,  maintaining  her  residence  at  the  family  home 
in  Woodland,  superintends  the  conduct  of  her  farm  of  ninety  acres, 
fifty-seven  in  alfalfa  and  the  remainder  devoted  to  grain  and  dairy- 
ing. An  estimable  woman  of  many  splendid  traits  of  character, 
liberal  and  enterprising,  she  is  a  member  of  the  Woodland  Metho- 
dist Episcopal  Church  South  and  affiliates  with  Woodland  Parlor 
No.  90,  N.  D.  G.  W.,  and  with  Woodland  Lodge,  L.  O.  T.  M. 


318  HISTORY  OF  YOLO  COUNTY 

HIRAM  HENIGAN 

The  present  efficient  recorder  of  Yolo  county,  Cal.,  Hiram 
Henigan,  of  Woodland,  was  born  near  Massena,  St.  Lawrence 
county,  N.  Y.,  June  20,  1876,  and  when  but  seven  years  old  accom- 
panied his  parents,  Eli  and  Eliza  (Miller)  Henigan,  to  California. 
The  family  located  in  Woodland,  where  the  father  died  four  years 
later.  The  mother  reared  the  children,  fitting  them  as  well  as 
she  was  able  for  the  duties  and  responsibilities  of  the  best  citi- 
zenship, and  lived  in  the  old  home  until  her  death,  which  occurred 
March    7,    1911. 

It  was  in  the  schools  of  Woodland  that  Mr.  Henigan  gained 
his  education.  After  he  was  graduated  from  the  high  school  he 
engaged  in  draying  and  thus  was  busied  several  years',  working 
hard  and  learning  a  good  deal  about  the  city,  its  business  men 
and  its  enterprises  and  prospects.  He  then  entered  the  employ 
of  Chris  Sieber  &  Company,  hardware  merchants,  with  whom  he 
remained  four  years,  still  farther  broadening  his  business  vision. 
In  August,  1910,  he  was  nominated  on  the  Republican  ticket  for 
recorder  of  Yolo  county,  to  which  office  he  was  elected  in  the  fol- 
lowing November  and  the  duties  of  which  he  assumed  January  2, 
1911.  He  has  become  popular  as  an  official  and  his  conduct  of  the 
business  to  which  he  was  chosen  has  given  general  satisfaction 
to  citizens  of  all  classes  and  of  every  shade  of  political  belief. 

In  1900  Mr.  Henigan  married  Miss  Lottie  Boots,  whose  father, 
W.  A.  Boots,  came  to  Woodland  among  the  earliest  settlers.  She 
has  borne  Mr.  Henigan  three  children:  Lawrence,  Wallace  and 
Evelyn.  Mr.  Henigan  is  a  member  of  the  Foresters  of  America; 
is  a  member  of  Woodland  Lodge  No.  Ill,  I.  0.  O.  F.,  of  which  he 
is  past  noble  grand,  and  is  identified  also  with  Encampment  No. 
79  and  is  its  past  chief  patriarch.  Frank  and  straightforward  in 
all  his  dealings  and  associations  with  men,  he  is  well  liked  and 
much  appreciated,  and  between  him  and  the  people  whom  he  con- 
scientiously serves  there  exists  a  strong  bond  of  friendship. 


ALBERT  JOHNSON  HANNUM 

One  of  the  best  known  and  most  successful  cattle  dealers  in 
Yolo  county,  and  an  enterprising  citizen  as  well,  is  Albert  J.  Han- 
num,  of  Woodland,  whose  birth  occurred  near  Cacheville,  Yolo 
county,  March  3,  1871.     His  parents  were  Warren  W.  and  Pris- 


HISTORY  OF  YOLO  COUNTY  32] 

cilia  (Hill)  Hannum.  The  father  was  a  school  teacher  in  Moni- 
teau county,  Mo.,  until  the  gold  excitement,  when,  in  1850,  he 
came  west  with  ox-teams  and  experienced  the  usual  features  of 
that  long  and  wearisome  journey  across  the  plains.  Settling  in 
Placer  county,  he  mined  for  a  time,  and  also  served  ably  one  term 
as  sheriff  of  that  county,  going  thence  to  Yolo  county,  where  he 
secured  a  grant  of  land  near  Woodland.  In  1854,  however,  he 
purchased  a  farm  three  miles  north  of  Cacheville,  where  he  con- 
ducted a  general  farming  business  until  his  death  in  1885.  He 
was  a  charter  member  of  Cacheville  Lodge,  F.  &  A.  M.,  and  in 
religion  was  a  member  of  the  Christian  Church.  His  first  wife, 
formerly  Eunice  Mattier,  left  three  children  at  her  death,  as 
follows:  Charles  H.,  an  immigration  officer  at  Sumas,  Wash.; 
Mattie,  Mrs.  Mitchum,  of  Harrington,  Wash. ;  and  James  A.,  who 
went  to  South  Africa  to  serve  in  the  Boer  war,  this  being  the  last 
that  was  heard  from  him.  In  1870  Mr.  Hannum  married  Miss 
Priscilla  Hill,  a  native  of  Missouri,  and  the  eldest  of  their  three 
children  is  Albert  J.,  the  others  being  Warren  H.,  of  Sebastopol, 
and  William  C,  of  Seattle,  Wash. 

Albert  J.  Hannum  spent  his  boyhood  on  his  father's  ranch, 
and  received  his  early  education  in  the  schools  of  that  vicinity, 
completing  it  with  a  course  at  Hesperian  College,  Woodland.  He 
manifested  keen  interest  in  every  duty  pertaining  to  the  farm, 
but  more  particularly  cattle  raising,  which  vocation  he  has  since 
followed.  In  1893,  when  twenty-three  years  old,  he  entered  the 
cattle  business  in  Woodland  and  from  the  beginning  of  his  ven- 
ture his  success  was  assured.  Mr.  Hannum  deals  in  Yolo  county 
and  Sacramento  valley  cattle,  shipping  to  San  Francisco  by  car- 
loads. He  is  also  engaged  in  general  farming  on  the  old  Taylor 
place,  two  miles  north  of  Woodland.  He  is  aggressive  and  pros- 
perous, and  though  very  busy  in  his  chosen  work  is  ever  on  the 
alert  to  assist  his  home  county  in  every  way  within  his  power. 
In  1909  he  married  Miss  Forella  Andrus,  who  was  bom  in  Den- 
ver, Colo.,  and  enjoys  with  her  husband  the  esteem  of  their  numer- 
ous  friends. 


DAVID  H.  LONG 

To  devote  the  years  of  maturity  to  agricultural  pursuits  in  the 
locality  familiar  to  his  earliest  recollections  and  to  achieve  a  grati- 
fying degree  of  success  through  his  own  painstaking  efforts — such 
lias  been  the  experience  of  David  H.  Long,  and  such  the  results 


322  HISTORY  OF  YOLO  COUNTY 

of  his  sagacious  labors.  The  family  of  which  he  is  a  member  has 
been  represented  in  the  community  for  little  less  than  one-half 
century  and  its  members  of  the  earlier  generation  as  well  as  the 
present  have  been  helpful  in  the  development  of  the  land,  con- 
tributing their  quota  toward  the  scientific  cultivation  of  the  soil 
and  proving  themselves  to  be  citizens  of  the  highest  type.  Men- 
tion of  the  family  appears  elsewhere  in  the  sketch  of  James 
Thomas  Long,  a  pioneer  rancher  of  this  district  and  an  older 
brother  of  the  gentleman  above  named. 

The  well-improved  farm  of  eighty  acres  owned  and  occupied 
by  David  H.  Long  adjoins  the  old  homestead  where  he  was  born 
December  5,  1868,  and  where  he  learned  the  rudiments  of  general 
farming,  as  well  as  the  care  of  stock  and  many  other  details  of 
agriculture.  Assisting  at  home  during  the  vacations,  he  attended 
the  public  schools  at  other  times  and  after  he  had  completed  the 
studies  of  these  institutions  he  spent  one  year  at  Pacific  Methodist 
College  at  Santa  Rosa.  On  his  return  to  the  old  homestead  he 
became  an  active  assistant  in  the  tilling  of  the  soil.  September 
16,  1891,  he  was  united  in  marriage  with  Miss  Clara  L.  Morgan, 
who  was  born  on  her  father's  homestead  near  Blacks,  Y"olo  county. 
Losing  her  mother  by  death  in  her  childhood  years,  she  was  taken 
to  Oregon  by  an  aunt  and  there  received  her  education,  as  well  as 
a  practical  training  in  housewifely  duties.  She  was  the  daughter 
of  Moses  W.  and  Mary  A.  (Neal)  Morgan,  natives  of  Trumbull 
county,  ( )hio.  The  father  came  to  California  in  1853  by  way  of 
Panama  with  his  brother,  Emory  B.  Morgan,  who  taught  the  first 
school  in  Cacheville.  Mrs.  Long's  grandfather,  Ezra  Morgan, 
came  to  California  in  1851  and  took  up  land  at  Cacheville.  In 
1867  her  father  purchased  the  farm  on  which  she  is  now  living 
and  where  he  and  his  wife  died.  Since  their  marriage  the  young 
couple  have  lived  on  the  Morgan  ranch,  of  which  they  now  own 
eighty  acres.  In  addition  Mr.  Long  rents  four  hundred  acres, 
which  he  has  under  cultivation  principally  to  wheat,  barley  and 
alfalfa.  On  his  home  place  he  has  erected  a  neat  farm  house,  a 
substantial  barn  and  other  necessary  buildings.  Fences  have  been 
constructed  for  the  division  of  the  fields  and  the  pasturage  of  the 
stock.  Many  shade  trees  have  been  planted,  and  these  add  much 
to  the  attractive  appearance  of  the  grounds.  All  in  all,  the  prop- 
erty bespeaks  the  care  and  cultivation  of  an  energetic  and  capable 
farmer,  and  the  impression  thus  given  is  deepened  by  a  study  of 
the  well-kept  cattle,  hogs,  sheep  and  horses.  The  pleasant  home 
is  brightened  by  the  presence  of  five  children,  Mary  Louise,  Luella, 
David  Harold,  Margaret  and  Charles  Sidney,  all  of  whom  are 
being  given  the  best  advantages  within  the  means  of  the  parents. 
Especially  has  it  been  the  aim  of  Mr.  Long  to  give  his  children 


II1STOKV  OF  YOLO  COUNTY  325 

a  good  education  and  this  interest  in  their  intellectual  advance- 
ment and  in  the  welfare  of  other  children  in  the  neighborhood 
led  him  to  accept  the  office  of  school  director,  in  which  capacity 
he  served  with  efficiency.  In  addition  he  now  fills  the  office  of 
district  clerk.  Other  offices  he  refuses  to  hold,  for  his  tastes  do 
not  incline  him  toward  politics  and,  indeed,  he  takes  no  part  in 
local  elections  aside  from  supporting  the  candidates  of  the  Demo- 
cratic party.  With  his  family  he  attends  the  Methodist  Episcopal 
Church  at  Blacks  and  contributes  to  its  support  and  to  its  mis- 
sionarv   movements. 


JOHN  K.  SCHUEELE 

In  the  loss  of  Mr.  Schuerle,  a  successful  and  highly  respected 
Yolo  county  agriculturist,  who  passed  away  January  15,  1901, 
Woodland  relinquished  one  of  her  most  able  citizens,  whose  gen- 
erous aid  in  the  development  of  that  locality  proved  both  well  di- 
rected and  permanent  and  clearly  attested  his  foresight  and  intelli- 
gent public  interest. 

A  native  of  Germany,  his  birth  having  occurred  in  Horn, 
Gmund,  Wurtemberg,  June  1,  1832,  Mr.  Schuerle  was  the  son  of 
Bernhard  and  Veronica  (Klatzbiger)  Schuerle,  and  was  educated  in 
the  public  schools,  subsequently  taking  a  course  in  the  Wurtemberg 
Agricultural  College.  His  father,  the  son  of  Christof  and  Veronica 
(Myer)  Schuerle,  farmers  in  Horn,  spent  his  boyhood  in  that  vicin- 
ity and  for  many  years  held  the  position  of  game  warden  and  head 
forester  in  the  service  of  Count  Raroldingen  of  Horn,  retaining  his 
appointment  until  his  death  at  the  ai>e  of  sixty  years. 

In  1854  Mr.  Schuerle  came  to  America,  settling  in  Cincinnati. 
Ohio,  where  he  was  employed  in  a  lumber  yard,  also  becoming  the 
owner  of  valuable  real  estate  in  that  city.  In  1860,  upon  deciding 
to  emigrate  to  the  west,  he  sold  his  interests  and  took  passage  via 
Panama,  arriving  in  Woodland,  Cai.  He  at  once  identified  himself 
with  the  little  village,  which  at  that  time  boasted  but  one  dwelling 
and  a  blacksmith's  shop.  Associated  with  Anton  Miller,  a  friend 
from  Cincinnati,  Ohio,  he  established  a  brewery  which  proved  most 
successful.  Disposing  of  his  interests  in  1881,  he  bought  a  quarter- 
section  adjacent  to  the  rapidly  growing  town  in  which  he  had  casl 
his  Fortunes,  and  by  further  wise  purchases  acquired  a  total  of  two 
hundred  and  forty  acres,  upon  which  he  raised  barley,  grapes  and 
various  grains,  profitably  conducting  his  farm  until  his  death,  when 


326  HISTORY  OF  YOLO  COUNTY 

it  became  known  that  to  his  sister,  Mrs.  Bertha  "Weber,  who  for 
twenty-five  years  had  managed  the  affairs  of  his  household,  he  had 
bequeathed  his  entire  estate. 

Mr.  Schuerle  was  a  stanch  Democrat,  prompt  to  lend  his  sup- 
port to  his  party,  and  as  a  member  of  Woodland's  first  board  of 
trustees,  also  a  member  of  the  board  of  supervisors  during  a  period 
of  eight  years,  thoroughly  demonstrated  his  executive  ability  and 
wise  judgment.  He  was  a  man  of  highest  principles,  and,  in  the 
opinion  of  his  many  friends  and  associates,  no  citizen  received  more 
deservedly  the  sincere  and  unanimous  regret  manifested  by  his 
large  circle  of  acquaintances  upon  his  withdrawal  from  their  midst. 


JACOB  MOSBACHEE 

One  of  the  most  courageous  pioneers  of  the  west  was  Mr. 
Mosbacher,  who  passed  away  near  Madison  in  1903,  survived  by 
his  four  daughters  and  his  wife.  The  latter  was  formerly  Mrs. 
Mary  Cooper,  whose  birth  occurred  in  Ireland  and  who  died  at 
the  old  home  November  23,  1904.  Mr.  Mosbacher  was  born  August 
22,  1820,  in  Bavaria,  Germany,  where  he  received  his  education, 
immigrating  in  1842  to  Miami  county,  Ohio,  where  he  resided 
eight  years.  In  1850  he  came  to  San  Francisco  via  Panama,  arriv- 
ing at  his  destination  with  no  capital  save  his  own  determination, 
which  later  proved  fully  adequate  to  meet  the  trials  which  ensued. 
Stopping  for  a  short  time  at  Dutch  Flat,  Mr.  Mosbacher  con- 
tinued his  way  to  Hangtown,  where  he  was  a  prospector  and  over- 
seer in  mines  for  the  succeeding  eight  years.  With  his  earnings 
of  $2,000  he  settled  in  1858  in  Yolo  county,  where  he  filed  on  a 
homestead  of  one  hundred  and  sixty  acres,  two  and  one-half  miles 
south  of  Madison,  happy  in  the  knowledge  that  the  hardships 
which  he  had  endured  as  a  miner  were  gone  forever.  Later  lie 
purchased  a  quarter  section  in  Napa  valley,  also  a  similar  tract 
adjoining  his  homestead,  and  still  later  added  to  his  holdings  one 
hundred  and  eighty-four  acres  near  Woodland,  the  larger  por- 
tion of  which  is  fine  bottom  land,  thus  at  the  time  of  his  death 
owning  five  hundred  acres  of  fine  land. 

To  the  union  of  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Mosbacher  five  children  were 
horn:  John,  deceased;  Eva,  Mrs.  Mulcahy,  who  resides  in  San 
Francisco;  Margaret,  now  the  wife  of  H.  T.  Lynch  of  San  Fran- 
cisco, and  a  graduate  of  Holy  Rosary  Academy;  Rose,  Mrs.  Harry 
Han,  of  Madison;  and  Susie,  who  was  educated  at  Holy  Rosary 


HISTORY  OF  YOLO  COUNTY  327 

Academy  and  is  now  Sister  M.  J.  Alenie  of  the  Sisters  of  the 
Holy  Cross,  residing  at  the  convent  at  Fresno. 

Mr.  Mosbacher  was  a  Republican,  intelligently  interested  in 
political  issues,  and  he  endeavored  at  all  times  to  exercise  his 
rights  as  a  progressive  and  broad-minded  citizen,  his  unquestioned 
business  ability  and  genial  temperament  having  placed  him  among 
the  most  successful  and  popular  men  of  the  county. 

Harry  Han,  to  whom  Rose  Mosbacher  was  united  in  marriage 
September  5,  1905,  is  a  native  of  Deedsville,  Ind.,  and  for  the 
past  sixteen  years  has  been  a  resident  of  Yolo  county,  where  he 
is  engaged  in  farming  and  stock  raising.  Mrs.  Han  received  from 
her  father  one  hundred  and  sixty  acres  of  land,  a  part  of  the  old 
homestead,  two  and  a  half  miles  south  of  Madison,  and  here  she 
and  her  husband  make  their  home.  An  advocate  of  Republican 
principles,  which  he  is  prompt  to  support,  Mr.  Han  is  well  known 
as  a  citizen  of  the  highest  worth,  always  among  the  first  to  aid 
in  public  enterprises  of  merit.  His  wife,  who  maintains  active 
membership  in  the  Madison  Catholic  Church,  lends  practical  aid 
in  the  charitable  work  carried  on  by  that  institution  and  is  known 
as  a  woman  of  rare  sympathies  and  kindly  personality. 


OTIS  0.  FLOWERS 

Long  identification  with  the  wine  industry  has  enabled  Mr. 
Flowers  to  acquire  an  experience  which,  coupled  with  his  keenness 
of  observation  and  acute  perceptive  qualities,  gives  him  a  knowl- 
edge of  his  specialty  equalled  by  few  men  of  the  west.  It  was  his 
recognized  familiarity  witli  the  work  and  judicious  energy  in  its 
prosecution  that  brought  him  the  enviable  offer  of  a  position  as 
superintendent  of  the  Yolo  winery  for  the  California  Wine  Asso 
ciation,  a  responsible  post  occupied  by  him  for  a  number  of  years. 
Prior  to  his  incumbency  of  this  office  he  had  a  varied  experience 
that  gave  him  a  thorough  knowledge  of  the  business  as  conducted 
in  different  large  wineries  of  the  state.  In  each  position  lie  gave 
of  his  original  ideas,  his  intelligent  study  and  his  tireless  energy 
to  the  upbuilding  of  the  business,  thereby  rendering  possible  the 
attainment  of  results  impossible  under  less  intense  methods  and 
less  devoted  application. 

A  consideration  of  the  life  and  lineage  of  Mr.  Flowers  shows 
that  he  belongs  to  an  old,  earnest  family  whose  representatives 
were  helpful  in  the  early  development  of  our  country.     His  parents. 


328  HTKTORY  OF  YOLO  COUNTY 

William  A.  and  Louisa  (Wiggins)  Flowers,  were  natives,  respec- 
tively, of  Madison  county,  111.,  and  Pickaway  county,  Ohio,  and  his 
maternal  grandfather,  Thomas  Wiggins,  for  years  held  a  place  among 
the  most  influential  men  of  the  latter  locality.  As  early  as  1859, 
when  the  Pike's  Peak  gold  excitement  occurred,  William  A.  Flowers 
crossed  the  plains  from  Illinois  to  Colorado  with  a  large  company 
of  Argonauts,  but  he  failed  to  find  the  fortune  he  had  anticipated, 
so  took  up  any  occupation  that  offered  an  honorable  living.  Dur- 
ing the  Civil  war  he  served  as  a  government  teamster  and  crossed 
the  plains  many  times  with  supplies  for  the  troops.  Upon  receiving 
a  discharge  at  the  close  of  the  war  he  went  to  Ohio  and  settled  on  a 
farm  in  Pickaway  county.  There  he  married  Miss  Wiggins,  previ- 
ously mentioned.  In  the  same  locality  eight  children  were  born, 
all  but  two  of  whom  still  survive.  The  family  removed  to  Mis- 
souri in  1891  and  settled  on  a  farm  near  Carthage,  where  he  and 
his  wife  still  make  their  home. 

During  the  residence  of  the  family  near  Circleville,  Ohio,  on 
a  farm  located  on  what  was  known  as  the  Pickaway  plains,  Otis 
0.  Flowers  was  born  August  8,  1880.  A  peculiar  coincidence  about 
his  birth  anniversary  is  that  in  1888  he  was  eight  years  of  age  on 
the  eighth  day  of  the  eighth  month.  Very  few  persons,  even  with 
the  most  exhaustive  study  of  their  anniversaries,  would  be  able 
to  duplicate  such  a  similitude  of  dates.  With  the  other  chil- 
dren, among  whom  he  was  third  youngest,  he  accompanied  the 
parents  to  Missouri  in  1891  and  aided  in  making  productive  a 
large  farm  near  Carthage.  At  the  same  time  he  did  not  neglect 
his  studies.  In  1899  he  was  graduated  from  the  Carthage  Col- 
legiate Institute.  His  first  business  experience  was  gained  while 
working  as  a  bookkeeper  in  a  large  paint  concern.  During  the 
spring  of  1901  he  came  to  California  and  secured  a  position  as 
foreman  on  the  ranch  of  the  Occidental  Land  Company  near 
Fresno.  The  following  year  found  him  learning  the  business  of 
wine-making  at  the  Scandinavian  winery  of  the  California  Wine 
Association,  which  later  transferred  him  to  the  Walitoke  winery 
on  the  Great  Western  vineyards  near  Reedley,  Fresno  county. 
After  a  few  months  there  he  was  appointed  winemaker  at  the 
Fresno  winery,  where  he  worked  for  one  season.  Another  season 
was  spent  at  Egger's  vineyard  and  from  there  in  1906  he  was 
transferred  to  Woodland  as  superintendent  of  the  Yolo  winery, 
just  purchased  from  Eisman  &  Co.  by  the  larger  organization. 

As  general  superintendent  of  the  winery  Mr.  Flowers  main- 
tains the  excellent  reputation  established  by  this  concern  during 
the  thirty  years  of  its  existence.  Every  modern  improvement 
has  been  introduced  for  the  benefit  of  the  plant.  Especial  atten- 
tion is  given  to  producing  a  wine  of  superior  quality.     The  quan- 


HISTORY  OF  YOLO  COUNTY  331 

tity,  however,  is  uot  neglected,  as  may  be  understood  from  the 
statement  that  two  hundred  thousand  gallons  are  manufactured 
in  one  season.  To  secure  so  large  an  output  it  is  necessary  to 
buy  enormous  quantities  of  grapes,  and  these  are  purchased  from 
the  vineyardists  of  Yolo,  Colusa  and  Sutter  counties.  By  means 
of  a  switch  extending  into  the  winery  the  task  of  unloading  the 
grapes  is  not  difficult,  nor  is  it  an  arduous  task  to  load  the  im- 
mense output  for  shipment.  The  superintendent  gives  his  atten- 
tion closely  to  the  winery  and  takes  no  part  in  politics  aside  from 
voting  the  Republican  ticket,  nor  has  he  any  important  fraternal 
associations  other  than  membership  with  the  Eagles  and  the 
Moose. 


WALTER   G.   READ 

Of  all  the  pioneers  of  Yolo  county,  none  gave  a  larger  share 
of  interest  and  assistance  toward  its  progress  than  did  Walter  G. 
Read,  who  died  while  on  a  trip  to  Freehold,  N.  J.,  April  17,  1907. 
He  was  born  in  Fall  River,  Mass.,  February  21,  1854,  and  was  a 
member  of  a  prominent  Massachusetts  family,  his  grandfather,  the 
Hon.  Benjamin  Read,  having  been  a  representative  in  the  legisla- 
ture of  that  state.  His  father,  Francis  B.  Read,  was  a  farmer  and 
merchant  of  Fall  River,  but  in  1854  took  his  family  to  Carlyle, 
Clinton  county,  111.,  where  they  lived  until  1872,  thence  immigrating 
to  California  and  settling  in  Colusa  county  on  the  site  where  the 
town  of  Arbuckle  now  stands.  Two  years  later  Mr.  Read  pur- 
chased a  ranch  live  miles  northwest  of  Colusa  and  engaged  in 
general  farming,  moving  in  1880  to  Bear  Valley,  where  he  resided 
six  years.  He  then  removed  to  Ellensburg,  Wash.,  and  there  he 
passed  away  when  in  his  seventy-second  year.  He  was  survived 
by  six  of  his  eight  children,  and  his  wife,  who  afterwards  died  in 
Colusa  in  October,  1906.  She  was  formerly  Angeline  Grinnell,  a 
descendant  of  an  old  Massachusetts  family,  and  was  born  in  Little 
Compton,  R.  I. 

Walter  G.  Read  was  educated  in  the  public  schools  of  Carlyle, 
111.,  coming  in  1872  to  California  with  bis  parents.  Shortly  after 
his  arrival  in  the  west  he  entered  lleald's  Business  College  in 
San  Francisco,  and  upon  graduating  returned  home,  where  he 
assisted  his  father  on  the  ranch,  later  establishing  a  farm  of  his 
own  and  raising  grain  on  the  Sacramento  river  with  great  suc- 
cess   for    several    years.      In    1880    he    accepted    an    opportunity    to 


332  HISTORY  OF  YOLO  COUNTY 

enter  a  new  field  and  became  a  salesman  in  the  employ  of  Walter 
A.  Wood,  the  manufacturer  of  harvesters  and  farming  machinery. 
His  territory  was  extensive,  covering  the  states  north  from  Texas 
to  Canada,  and  his  success  was  immediate.  His  knowledge  of 
machinery  enabled  him  to  give  valuable  suggestions  to  the  Wood 
Company,  which  lost  no  time  in  incorporating  his  hints  in  their 
new  models.  After  nine  years  of  this  work  Mr.  Read  traveled 
about  a  year  on  the  western  coast  in  the  interests  of  the  Wood 
Company,  and  in  1891  left  the  field.  He  then  secured  a  farm  near 
his  father's  place  and  set  out  an  almond  orchard.  Later  he  in- 
vented and  patented  an  almond  huller  which  he  successfully  mar- 
keted, since  it  met  a  long-felt  want.  This  was  the  beginning  of  a 
series  of  practical  inventions  which  Mr.  Read  brought  to  fruition 
and  which  he  manufactured  on  his  place  until  his  removal  to  Davis, 
where  he  erected  a  modern  shop  to  meet  the  rapid  increase  of  busi- 
ness. One  of  his  principal  inventions  is  the  Read  portable  and 
automatic  hay  derrick  for  stacking  hay;  another,  a  folding  trestle 
much  appreciated  by  carpenters  and  paper-hangers.  In  1901  Mr. 
Read  established  a  mill  for  the  preparation  of  almonds  for  the 
market.  This  plant  is  two  stories  high,  80x120,  and  has  a  capacity 
of  five  hundred  tons  of  almonds.  Here  is  accomplished  every  stage 
of  the  work  of  preparing  the  almonds  for  commercial  use.  He  also 
had  in  his  mill  a  grain  cleaner  and  steam  barley  roller.  Mr.  Read 
also  invented  the  Read  apricot  pit-cracker  and  upon  its  comple- 
tion operated  it  in  various  towns,  including  Fresno,  Davis  and 
Los  Angeles,  where  it  was  greeted  with  approbation  by  those 
engaged  in  the  almond  industry.  Mr.  Read  will  also  be  remem- 
bered as  having  successfully  grafted  the  English  walnut  on  the 
black  walnut  tree,  the  experiment  occurring  in  Sacramento  valley, 
many  vain  attempts  to  that  end  having  been  made  prior  to  his 
efforts. 

Mr.  Read's  assistance  in  securing  water  rights  for  the  Uni- 
versity Farm  at  Davis  was  deeply  appreciated  by  those  interested 
in  the  institution.  He  spared  no  pains  to  aid  in  the  upbuilding  of 
Davis  and  community  and  enjoyed  a  large  circle  of  friends  through- 
out the  state.  He  was  a  Republican  in  politics  and  was  a  Mason, 
an  Odd  Fellow  and  a  Modern  Woodman.  Both  he  and  his  wife 
were  actively  associated  with  the  Presbyterian  Church  of  Davis, 
and  since  his  death  Mrs.  Read  has  faithfully  carried  on  the  interests 
of  her  husband.  Upon  the  destruction  by  fire  of  the  Read  ware- 
house in  Davis,  she  at  once  erected  a  corrugated  iron  structure  to 
take  its  place,  a  rolling  mill  being  added  to  the  new  building.  Here 
also  apricot  pits  were  extracted,  grain  stored  and  barley  rolled. 
However,  in  the  fall  of  1911  the  warehouse  where  the  pitcrackers 
were  stored  was  burned  and  the  two  machines  were  lost. 


HISTORY  OF  YOLO  COUNTY  333 

Formerly  Mrs.  Read  was  Mrs.  Jennie  (Dmmniond)  Lillard, 
born  near  Davis,  and  she  has  one  child,  Lewis  Craig  Lillard.  She 
received  her  early  education  in  the  public  schools  and  afterward 
she  graduated  from  Snell  Seminary  in  Oakland.  She  is  an  active 
member  of  the  Rebekahs  and  the  Eastern  Star  and  is  one  of  the 
most  popular  and  progressive  women  in  the  community. 


HON.  DAVID  N.  HERSHEY 

During  the  half  century  with  which  he  was  identified  with  the 
history  of  Y"olo  county  Mr.  Hershey  held  an  influential  position  as  a 
farmer,  cattle-raiser,  land-owner,  banker  and  public  official,  his  ver- 
satile talents  enabling  him  to  successfully  carry  forward  interests  of 
a  widely  different  nature.  By  virtue  of  his  recognized  ability  he 
was  called  from  the  quiet  life  of  the  agriculturist  into  the  busy 
career  of  a  man  of  public  affairs;  and,  as  he  had  been  progressive 
and  prosperous  in  the  one  calling,  so  he  proved  himself  equal  to 
every  responsibility  awaiting  him  in  the  field  of  finance,  in  the  man- 
agement of  large  properties  and  in  the  service  of  the  people. 

The  genealogy  of  the  Hershey  family  is  traced  to  the  ancestral 
home  on  the  banks  of  the  Rhine  in  Germany.  The  first  of  the  name 
in  America  was  a  preacher  in  the  United  Brethren  Church  and  after 
crossing  the  ocean  assisted  in  establishing  that  denomination  in 
Pennsylvania.  David  Hershey,  Sr.,  who  was  the  son  of  this  pioneer 
minister,  was  born  in  Dauphin  county,  Pa.,  one  mile  from  Harris 
burg,  and  in  early  manhood  married  Christiana  Rohrer,  who  was 
born,  of  German  ancestry,  on  a  farm  through  which  ran  the  state 
line  of  Pennsylvania  and  Maryland.  After  their  marriage  they  set- 
tled in  Maryland  and  their  son,  David  N.,  was  born  April  13,  L818, 
during  their  residence  in  Washington  county,  four  miles  from  ITag- 
erstown.  When  he  was  six  years  of  age  his  parents  removed  to 
Montgomery  county,  eighteen  miles  west  of  Rockville,  near  the  line 
of  the  District  of  Columbia,  and  there  he  attended  school  and  grew 
to  manhood.  In  company  with  a  brother-in-law  he  removed  to  Mi- 
sour]  in  1841,  settling  in  Howard  county.  A  year  later  lie  rented 
land  and  began  to  raise  tobacco,  Which  was  a  new  industry  in  Hint 
region.  After  curing  bis  first  crop  be  sold  seven  hogsheads  of  (lie 
dried  leaves  to  Dr.  Oder,  who  found  a  ready  market  for  the  product 
in  Europe.  Encouraged  by  lliis  success,  in  1844  the  doctor  bought 
an  interest  in  the  business  and  they  raised  tobacco  on  an  extensive 
scale,  making  large  shipments  to  Europe.    After  a  series  of  success 


334  HISTORY  OF  YOLO  COUNTY 

ful  shipments,  reverses  came  to  them,  and  the  doctor  discontinued 
his  interests,  leaving  Mr.  Hershey  alone.  Forced  to  find  a  new  mar- 
ket, the  latter  embarked  in  the  manufacture  of  cigars,  some  of  which 
he  sold  to  traders,  and  the  balance  in  the  then  small  town  of  St. 
Louis. 

Having  decided  to  seek  a  new  location,  Mr.  Hershey  made  a 
long  prospecting  tour  through  Texas  with  a  view  to  locating,  but 
not  finding  a  satisfactory  opening,  in  1850  he  returned  to  Maryland 
and  the  next  year  went  back  to  Missouri.  For  some  time  he  worked 
with  Colonel  Floumoy  in  Linn  county.  In  May  of  1853,  in  company 
with  William  S.  Flournoy,  be  left  Missouri  with  a  drove  of  one  hun- 
dred head  of  cattle  and  proceeded  across  the  plains  and  via  the  Car- 
son route  to  California.  More  than  once  during  the  trip  they  were 
threatened  by  hostile  Indians,  but  fortunately  escaped  a  direct  at- 
tack. In  October  they  arrived  in  Amador  county  and  from  there 
came  to  Yolo  county.  Soon  afterward  they  bought  land  that  is  still 
owned  by  the  family.  As  his  interests  enlarged  Mr.  Hershey  became 
president  and  a  stockholder  in  the  Farmers  &  Merchants  Bank 
of  Woodland,  the  Bank  of  Yolo  County  and  the  Grangers  Bank  of 
San  Francisco;  also  owned  an  interest  in  the  original  Seventy-six 
canal  in  Fresno  and  Tulare  counties,  together  with  a  similar  interest 
in  nineteen  thousand  acres  of  land  adjoining  the  canal,  all  of  which 
was  subsequently  sold  to  the  Alta  Irrigation  Company. 

Had  Mr.  Hershey  been  willing  to  hold  public  office,  doubtless  he 
would  have  been  a  constant  incumbent  of  some  responsible  post,  but 
his  tastes  did  not  incline  him  toward  such  a  career.  However,  in 
1879,  he  consented  to  serve  as  representative  of  his  district  in  the 
legislature  and  again  in  1883  lie  was  elected  to  the  assembly.  Dur- 
ing both  of  his  terms  he  gave  his  support  to  measures  for  the  benefit 
of  his  constituents  and  proved  himself  a  man  of  progressive  spirit. 
Before  leaving  Missouri,  in  1852  he  became  a  member  of  the  Inde- 
pendent Order  of  Odd  Fellows  and  later  his  membership  was  trans- 
ferred to  the  lodge  at  Woodland. 


January  2,  1873,  Mr.  Hershey  married  Ella  L.  Flournoy,  the 
daughter  of  W.  S.  Flournoy.  To  them  were  born  the  following  chil- 
dren: Cornelia,  Davidella,  May,  Grace  H,  David  N.  and  Florence, 
all  of  whom  are  enjoying  advantages  of  the  schools  of  the  present 
time.  From  the  time  of  his  settlement  in  Yolo  county  in  1853  until 
his  death,  which  occurred  February  5,  1903,  Mr.  Hershey  was  a 
witness  of  the  remarkable  growth  and  development  made  in  this 
section  of  the  state.  Nor  was  any  citizen  more  interested  than  be  in 
the  promotion  of  measures  tending  to  render  this  county  in  every 
respect  a  desirable  place  for  settlement.  Education,  religion,  com- 
mercial enterprises  and  agricultural  industries,  all  those  factors  con- 
nected with  the  true  and  permanent  development  of  a  place  found  in 


<S>j£&~<^       «&' 


HISTORY  OF  YOLO  COUNTY  339 

him  a  stanch  supporter  and  generous  contributor,  and  no  history  of 
Yolo  county  could  lie  written  without  giving'  due  praise  to  the  citi- 
zenship of  David  N.  Ilershey. 


WILLIAM  J.  CANNEDY 

The  energetic  enterprises  incident  to  the  existence  of  a  Cali- 
fornia pioneer  have  left  to  Mr.  Cannedy  little  leisure  for  reverting 
to  memories  of  the  past  and  the  days  of  his  youth  seem  far  distant 
indeed.  Boston,  Mass.,  is  his  native  city,  and  his  birth  occurred 
February  6,  1828,  while  his  schooling  was  also  obtained  there. 
From  a  lad  he  followed  the  sea,  entering  many  ports  in  foreign 
lands.  Afterwards  lie  located  in  New  Orleans,  La.,  from  which 
point  he  ran  on  the  Mississippi  river,  and  he  was  also  an  expert 
diver.  Subsequently  he  owned  and  sailed  a  small  craft,  with 
which  he  carried  on  a  transportation  trade  up  and  down  the  Mis- 
sissippi river. 

William  J.  Cannedy  was  married  in  New  Orleans,  La.,  De- 
cember 25,  1853,  to  Ellen  Cloughesey,  a  native  of  Ireland  and  a 
member  of  an  ancient  and  honored  family  of  that  country.  The 
young  couple  came  to  California  via  Panama  and  at  the  latter 
point  were  obliged  to  wait  fifteen  days  for  a  steamer.  The  prin- 
cipal excitement  of  the  intervening  period  was  the  celebration  of 
a  Mexican  bull  fight.  The  voyage  ended  in  safety  at  San  Fran- 
cisco during  July  of  1855  and  the  young  gold-seeker  afterward 
passed  through  all  the  disappointments  and  trials  incident  to 
pioneering  in  the  west.  A  brief  sojourn  at  Yallejo,  Solano  county, 
was  followed  by  a  successful  experience  at  Sailors'  Diggings,  Ore 
gon,  whence  at  the  expiration  of  four  months  he  returned  to  Sacra- 
mento. For  about  six  months  he  lived  on  the  Calaveras  river 
between  Mokelumne  Hill  and  Stockton  and  later  found  employ 
ment  at  Sacramento.  The  only  railroad  of  the  pioneer  period 
extended  from  Sacramento  to  Polsom  and  produce  was  necessarily 
shipped  by  water,  Sacramento  and  Stockton  being  the  principal 
Shipping  points  for  the  central  part  of  the  state.  Notwithstanding 
the  commercial  advantages  thus  enjoyed  by  these  two  points,  the 
future  capital  of  the  state  was  an  insignificant  hamlet,  nor  -lid 
Stockton  possess  many  houses  or  stores. 

Upon  establishing  a  permanent  citizenship  in  Yolo  county 
in  1858  Mr.  Cannedy  took  up  a  homestead  of  one  hundred  and  sixty 
acres  and  later  under  the  school  act  he  pre-empted  four  hundred 
and  eighty  acres,  afterward  buying  enough  to  give  him  a   total   of 


340  HISTORY  OF  YOLO  COUNTY 

fourteen  hundred  and  forty  acres  in  one  body.  He  now  owns  a 
ranch  of  six  hundred  and  twenty  acres  on  Putah  creek  ten  miles 
west  of  Winters,  where  he  is  engaged  in  stock-raising  and  farming. 
In  addition  he  owns  property  in  Winters,  including  an  attractive 
and  convenient  modern  bungalow,  surrounded  by  beautiful  shade 
trees  and  also  a  sufficient  number  of  fruit  trees  to  furnish  assorted 
fruits  for  the  family.  A  specialty  is  made  of  grain  and  large  crops 
of  wheat  and  barley  have  been  harvested  from  the  land.  His 
attention  has  been  given  closely  to  the  management  of  the  land 
and  he  has  had  little  leisure  for  participation  in  public  affairs, 
but  is  always  depended  upon  to  vote  the  Republican  ticket  in 
national  elections  and  supports  all  movements  for  the  upbuilding 
of  the  county.  Having  no  children  of  their  own,  Mr.  and  Mrs. 
Cannedy  adopted  one  boy  and  two  girls,  namely:  William  A.,  Mary 
and  Charlotte  D.  Mary  is  now  the  wife  of  Clarence  Scott  and 
the  mother  of  four  children,  William,  Adelene,  Emmett  and  Mar- 
garet. Charlotte  D.  married  the  late  Dr.  Allen  P.  Popes  of  Winters 
and  has  three  children,  Ellis,  Mark  and  Allen. 


JOSEPH  T.  COOPER 

Significant  of  his  future  identification  with  California  is  the 
fact  that  the  year  of  Mr.  Cooper's  birth  was  likewise  the  year  mem- 
orable in  our  national  development  through  the  vast  westward 
migration  drawn  to  the  Pacific  coast  through  the  discovery  of  gold. 
The  son  of  a  pioneer  Argonaut  who,  however,  remained  in  the 
west  for  a  comparatively  brief  period,  he  heard  in  boyhood  many 
stories  concerning  the  region  beyond  the  mountains  and  across  the 
plains  and  thus  became  interested  in  the  coast  country  to  an  extent 
determining  his  future  associations.  Arriving  at  maturity  with  no 
education  except  such  as  he  had  secured  through  his  own  energy 
and  no  material  advantages  save  those  of  his  own  creation,  he  de- 
termined to  try  his  fortune  in  the  western  region  visited  by  his 
father  more  than  twenty  years  before,  and  accordingly  in  1873  he 
came  to  the  state  in  which  he  has  since  made  a  home.  It  was  during 
1882  that  he  came  to  Yolo  county  and  here  he  has  since  remained, 
meanwhile  owning,  occupying  and  developing  the  valuable  farm  of 
eighty  acres  to  which  he  holds  the  title  and  which  stands  within  a 
short  distance  of  Yolo. 

Very  early  in  the  colonization  of  Missouri  the  Cooper  family 
established  themselves  in  that  state.     There  Hendley  Cooper  was 


HISTORY  OF  YOLO  COUNTY  341 

born  and  reared  and  there  he  married  Miss  Mary  Ann  Gibson,  a  na- 
tive of  Louisa  county,  Va.  Among  their  children  was  a  son,  Joseph 
T.,  born  January  16,  1849,  at  the  familj"  homestead  lying  on  the 
banks  of  the  Missouri  river  in  Howard  county,  Mo.  The  year  after 
the  birth  of  the  son  the  father  went  across  the  plains  with  a  brother- 
in-law  and  after  his  arrival  in  California  took  up  a  claim  on  Cache 
creek,  but  finding  himself  lonely  far  from  the  associations  of  youth 
and  the  refinements  of  civilization  he  gave  up  the  land  in  a  few 
years,  returning  to  Howard  county,  where  he  remained  until  his 
death.  On  account  of  conditions  in  Missouri  incident  to  the  Civil 
war  it  was  impossible  for  Joseph  T.  Cooper  to  enjoy  many  educa- 
tional advantages  and  he  is  therefore  almost  wholly  self  educated, 
having  by  diligent  application  in  mature  years  gained  a  broad 
knowledge  concerning  all  important  topics.  When  he  started  west 
in  1872  he  found  employment  at  Helena,  Mont.,  from  which  point 
he  went  to  Utah.  A  brief  sojourn  there  was  followed  by  his  re- 
moval to  California  and  his  settlement  on  leased  land  now  the  site 
of  the  Soldiers'  Home  in  Napa  county,  where  he  became  interested 
in  general  farming.  Through  his  prominent  identification  with  the 
Grange  he  was  selected  to  superintend  the  Grange  store  at  Yount- 
ville  and  carry  on  the  business,  later  disposing  of  the  goods  at  a 
public  sale  and  closing  out  the  concern  to  the  best  interests  of  all 
connected  therewith.  In  1882  he  came  to  YTolo  county  and  pur- 
chased a  bare  tract  of  land,  which  since  has  been  improved  under 
his  capable  oversight.  On  the  property  in  1904  he  erected  an  at- 
tractive two-story  residence  and  he  also  has  erected  convenient 
barns  and  other  outbuildings,  still  further  beautifying  the  tract  by 
the  planting  of  ornamental  and  fruit  trees. 

While  making  Napa  county  his  headquarters  Mr.  Cooper  mar- 
ried Miss  Emma  C.  May,  who  was  born  and  reared  there,  but  passed 
the  years  of  young  womanhood,  prior  to  her  marriage,  in  San 
Benito  and  San  Francisco.  She  was  the  daughter  of  Judge  James 
May  of  San  Benito  county.  They  are  the  parents  of  four  children, 
namely:  Lillie  M.,  wife  of  A.  M.  Bemmerly,  a  well-known  rancher 
of  Yolo  county;  May  V.,  Mrs.  A.  E.  Scarlett,  of  Yolo;  Emmett  C,  of 
this  county;  and  Jay  T.,  who  graduated  from  the  Behind  Stanford 
University  at  Palo  Alto,  class  of  1912,  with  degree  LL.  B.  No  de- 
sire has  been  stronger  with  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Cooper  than  that  of  see- 
ing their  children  honored  and  useful  members  of  whatever  com- 
munity they  may  identify  themselves  with,  and  with  this  object  in 
view  they  have  trained  them  wisely,  educated  them  carftdly  and 
encouraged  their  early  efforts  in  industrial  affairs.  Unitedly  the 
family  have  labored  to  improve  their  homestead  and  they  are  justly 
proud  of  the  neat  and  well-kept  place,  with  its  splendid  orchard  of 
apples,  pears,  apricots,  peaches,  plums,  lemons  and  oranges,   and 


342  HISTORY  OF  YOLO  COUNTY 

with  its  valuable  vineyard  of  sixteen  acres  producing  large  quanti- 
ties of  raisin  grapes.  Not  only  the  quality  of  their  fruit,  but  also 
of  their  stock,  is  recognized,  for  their  dairy  cows,  their  pure-bred 
hogs  and  their  work  horses  testify  to  their  owner's  care  and  wise 
supervision.  On  the  organization  of  the  Woodland  creamery,  as 
also  of  the  Knight's  Landing  creamery,  Mr.  Cooper  became  inter- 
ested in  the  new  enterprises,  buying  stock  in  the  concerns,  and  he 
served  as  a  director  in  both  creameries,  his  association  therewith 
giving  him  a  convenient  market  for  the  cream  sold  from  the  farm. 
Other  local  and  county  movements  of  known  worth  have  received 
the  benefit  of  his  co-operation.  Politically  he  is  independent  in 
local  matters  and  votes  with  the  Democrats  in  national  issues.  In 
Masonry  he  holds  membership  with  Yolo  Lodge  No.  82,  F.  &  A.  M. 


AUGUST  BRINCK 

La  Orilla  Rancho  (which  is  Spanish  for  The  Brinck  ranch), 
located  on  the  banks  of  Putah  creek  and  commanding  a  fine 
view  of  the  coast  range,  is  the  property  of  August  Brinck  and 
represents  the  tangible  results  of  his  splendid  judgment  and  tireless 
industry.  The  eye  of  the  stranger  at  once  is  attracted  to  the 
modern  residence,  completed  in  1911  and  embodying-  the  principal 
features  of  the  bungalow  type  of  architecture.  Two  sides  of 
the  house  are  surrounded  by  a  commodious  veranda  finished  with 
native  cobble-stones  and  floored  with  tile.  Another  attraction 
for  the  stranger  is  the  great  orchard  filled  with  fruit  of  every 
kind  and  boasting  fig  trees  that  were  planted  in  1851  by  John 
Wolfskill.  Some  of  these  trees  have  grown  to  such  magnitude 
that  they  now  measure  thirteen  feet  in  circumference  and  four 
feet  in  diameter,  being  not  only  the  largest  trees  of  the  kind  in 
Yolo  county,  but  also,  as  far  as  known,  in  the  entire  state. 

The  owner  of  La  Orilla  rancho  is  of  Alsatian  birth  and  ances- 
try and  was  horn  October  15,  1860,  into  the  family  of  Henry 
and  Elise  (Kline)  Brinck.  The  father,  who  was  a  farmer  and 
baker  in  France,  spent  his  last  years  with  his  sons  near  Winters 
and  the  mother  died  in  New  York  City.  Four  children  of  the 
parental  family  are  now  living  and  August  is  the  youngest  of 
these.  When  nine  years  of  age  he  left  Alsace  with  his  parents 
and  crossed  the  ocean  to  New  York  City,  where  he  lived  for  three 
years.  During  1872  he  came  to  California  and  early  began  to 
work   for   his   older   brothers,   who    were    orchardists    in    Pleasant 


-  / 


HISTORY  OF  YOLO  COUNTY  345 

valley,  continuing  with  them  until  some  years  after  he  had  attained 
his  majority.  While  first  working  under  them  as  an  apprentice 
he  learned  every  detail  of  horticulture,  so  that  they  paid  him  fair 
wages  after  he  was  twenty-one  and  thus  he  was  able  to  lay  aside 
a  small  sum  to  aid  him  in  getting  a  start  for  himself.  With  his 
twin  brother,  Charles,  he  purchased  forty  acres  from  Buel  R. 
Sackett  in  Yolo  county  and  later  added  another  tract  of  equal 
size.  In  a  few  years  Charles  died,  leaving  a  little  daughter  to 
inherit  his  property  and  through  the  wise  judgment  of  her  uncle 
in  planting  the  acreage  in  fruit  trees  and  carefully  tending  the 
orchard  her  inheritance  was  materially  increased. 

Upon  the  division  of  the  property  in  1911  Mr.  Brinck  retained 
his  portion,  which  he  managed  together  with  forty  acres  in  the 
l)e  Yilbiss  tract  one  and  one-half  miles  west  of  Winters.  The 
latter  place  he  sold  in  1911.  Meanwhile,  in  1908,  he  had  pur- 
chased the  old  De  Yilbiss  homestead  of  one  hundred  and  sixty-seven 
acres  one  and  one-half  miles  west  of  Winters,  one  of  the  old 
orchards  of  the  district.  With  his  other  holdings  this  now  gives 
him  the  title  to  two  hundred  and  seventeen  acres,  all  of  which 
is  in  an  orchard,  with  the  finest  quality  of  apricots,  peaches,  plums. 
prunes,  almonds  and  figs.  The  product  is  packed  and  shipped 
either  as  ripe  or  dried  fruit,  and  to  aid  in  the  work  Mr.  Brinck 
erected  a  packing  house  and  drying  sheds,  as  well  as  installing  an 
electric  plant,  by  which  means  water  is  pumped  and  the  whole 
ranch  lighted.  The  entire  equipment  is  up-to-date.  A  system  has 
been  adopted  that  secures  the  largest  results  with  the  smallest 
possible  expenditure  of  capital  and  labor.  In  his  knowledge  of 
horticulture  he  is  backed  by  years  of  successful  experience.  His 
judgment  concerning  fruits  is  often  sought  by  men  in  his  line  of 
business.  As  an  expression  of  his  high  standing  in  the  fruit 
industry  he  was  selected  to  serve  as  horticultural  commissioner  of 
Yolo  county  and  for  five  years  he  tilled  the  position  with  the  great- 
est efficiency.  In  addition  lie  has  been  chosen  a  director  of  the 
Winters  Dried  Fruit  Company  and  the  Geraldson  Fig  Company. 

The  limit  of  the  activities  of  Mr.  Brinck  is  not  represented  by 
horticultural  interests.  The  public  school  system  has  in  him  a 
firm  champion.  For  years  he  has  contributed  to  the  educational 
progress  of  his  locality  and  at  this  writing  he  still  serves  as  a 
member  of  the  board  of  education  of  the  Apricot  district  and  as 
a  member  of  the  Winters  union  high  school  board.  The  Citizens 
Bank  of  Winters  has  his  name  upon  its  roll  of  stockholders  and 
directors.  Near  Old  Buckeye,  Yolo  county,  November  S,  1890,  Rev. 
Henry  Culton  officiating,  he  was  united  in  marriage  with  Miss 
Dora  AVurth,  a  native  of  Yolo  county,  and  a  daughter  of  that  hon- 
ored  pioneer  couple,  John   and   Gertrude    (Koch)    Wnrth.     Three 


346  HISTORY  OF  YOLO  COUNTY 

daughters  blessed  the  union,  Elsiedora,  Pearl  and  Grace,  the  eldest 
of  whom  is  now  a  student  in  the  University  of  California,  while 
the  two  youngest  are  attending  the  Winters  high  school.  The 
family  have  their  religious  home  in  the  Presbyterian  Church  at 
Winters.  During  young  manhood  Mr.  Brinck  was  made  a  Mason 
in  Buckeye  Lodge  No.  195,  F.  &  A.  M.,  at  Winters,  and  he  still 
is  identified  with  that  organization,  besides  being  with  his  wife 
associated  with  the  work  of  Yosolano  Chapter  No.  218,  0.  E.  S., 
also  at  Winters,  where  in  addition  he  holds  membership  with  the 
Independent  Order  of  Odd  Fellows.  The  Republican  party  has 
received  his  stanch  support  ever  since  he  cast  his  first  ballot  and 
he  has  been  a  firm  believer  in  the  efficacy  of  its  platform  as  adapted 
to  the  promotion  of  national  prosperty. 


JOHN  CHRISTIAN  LUFT 

Davis,  Yolo  county,  boasts  no  more  substantial  and  devoted 
citizen  than  John  C.  Luft,  who,  though  not  a  native  of  the  United 
States,  ever  since  his  immigration  to  the  new  world  has  taken  the 
deepest  interest  in  matters  nmnicipal  as  well  as  social.  He  was 
born  at  Husum,  Sleswick-Holstein,  Germany,  September  11,  1863, 
and  upon  finishing  his  education  became  an  apprentice  to  a  black- 
smith, serving  the  customary  four  years.  At  the  age  of  nineteen, 
alone  and  unaided,  he  came  to  America,  where  he  gradually  ac- 
quired the  competency  which  is  his  today.  For  a  year  after  his 
arrival  in  this  country  he  worked  in  the  shops  of  the  John  Deere 
Plow  Company,  Moline,  111.,  and  at  the  close  of  that  period,  having 
saved  a  sufficient  sum  with  which  to  continue  his  journey  west,  he 
came  to  California.  Arriving  in  1883  in  Livermore,  Alameda  county, 
he  worked  at  his  trade  for  a  time,  after  which  he  removed  to 
Dixon,  Solano  county,  where  for  eight  years  he  worked  at  his 
trade.  In  1893  he  came  to  Davis  and  purchased  his  present  building 
and  established  the  blacksmith  shop  which  he  now  operates,  the 
excellent  training  which  he  received  in  his  native  land  enabling  him 
to  perform  the  most  exacting  and  difficult  work  in  his  line.  Besides 
doing  a  general  shoeing  and  repair  business  he  builds  carriages 
and  plows  with  a  skill  which  is  recognized  and  sought  throughout 
the  county.  He  owns  not  only  his  well-equipped  shop,  but  a  com- 
fortable home  and  five  lots  as  well,  and  it  is  to  his  credit  that  not 
once  has  he  changed  his  location  or  failed  in  his  work  since  his 
arrival  at  Davis,  while  many  of  his  neighbors  have  started  in  busi- 
ness only  to  abandon  their  enterprises  later. 


HISTORY  OF  YOLO  COUNTY  347 

In  1893  Mr.  Luft  married  Miss  Etta  Frittz,  a  native  of  Lake 
county,  Cal.,  and  into  their  home  were  born  the  following  children : 
John  E.,  Oliver  F.,  Maud  L.  and  Lawrence.  Mr.  Luft  is  a  member 
of  the  Odd  Fellows  and  since  1904  has  occupied  a  place  on  the 
school  board,  which  he  also  served  as  clerk  two  years,  and  at  the 
last  election  was  unanimously  chosen  to  continue  the  office  for  the 
regular  term  of  three  years. 


GEORGE  L.  BARNES 

The  native  sons  of  the  Golden  West  did  not  have  the  distinc- 
tion of  "coming  the  plains  across"  as  did  their  pioneer  fathers 
and  mothers.  The  children  grew  up  with  the  country — were  a 
part  of  it  from  their  earliest  times,  a  product  of  the  soil.  Nathan 
Barnes,  a  native  of  Ohio,  left  St.  Louis,  Mo.,  in  1852  and  crossed 
the  plains  to  California  with  ox-teams.  .  The  large  train  disbanded 
at  Sacramento  and  Mr.  Barnes  some  years  later  located  in  Solano 
county,  not  far  from  Denverton.  He  was  there  married  to  Miss 
Elizabeth  Brock,  a  native  of  Wisconsin,  who  came  to  California 
with  her  mother,  via  Panama,  about  1854.  The  father  was  acci- 
dentally killed  in  a  runaway  in  1884,  but  the  mother  is  still  living, 
at  the  old  home  place  near  Denverton.  The  eight  children  born 
to  these  parents  were  as  follows:  Ross,  Maurice,  Henry  C,  Ben- 
jamin 0.,  Fred  S.,  George  L.,  Anna  and  Maud. 

George  L.  Barnes  was  born  in  Solano  county  December  25, 
1866,  and  therefore  is  eligible  to  membership  in  the  Native  Sons 
of  the  Golden  West.  He  was  educated  in  the  public  schools  and 
afterward  followed  farming  until  1892,  when  he  removed  to  Win- 
ters and  assumed  the  management  of  the  F.  B.  Chandler  Com- 
pany lumber  yard.  This  enterprise  was  established  in  1876  and 
has  continued  to  do  business  at  the  old  stand  ever  since. 

George  L.  Barnes  married  Miss  Nellie  V.  Humphrey,  a  native 
of  Berryessa  valley,  and  a  graduate  of  the  schools  of  Winters. 
Their  four  children  are  Paul,  Helen,  Lowell  and  Virginia.  Paul 
and  Helen  are  pupils  at  Winters.  Like  other  residents  of  that 
remarkable  fruitful  locality,  Mr.  Barnes  has  his  orchards  near 
his  home  town,  and  for  several  years  past  has  gathered  splendid 
crops  of  fruit  from  his  trees.  His  time,  however,  is  devoted  prin- 
cipally to  the  lumber  business,  which  has  grown  to  be  the  largest 
in  this  end  of  Yolo  county. 

Mr.   Barnes  is  a  member   of  several   fraternal    organizations. 


348  HISTORY  OF  YOLO  COUNTY 

being  a  charter  member  of  the  Foresters  and  of  the  Woodmen 
of  the  World.  For  a  number  of  years  he  has  been  a  member  of 
the  board  of  trustees  t»f  his  city,  and  at  present  is  president. 
During  this  time  the  sewer  system  has  been  built.  For  six  years 
lie  was  also  clerk  of  the  board  of  school  trustees.  With  his  wife 
Mr.  Barnes  is  a  communicant  of  the  Christian  Church.  He  has 
always  been  a  Republican  in  politics,  of  the  progressive  and 
independent  variety,  and  this  progressiveness  has  characterized 
all  his  life.  His  lumber  establishment  is  one  of  the  enterprising 
business  features  of  Winters,  as  its  proprietor  is  one  of  its  most 
enterprising  citizens. 


ROY  EMMETT  C(  )LE 

The  prestige  afforded  by  lineage  of  honored  pioneer  strain, 
illumined  by  personal  prominence  resultant  from  intelligent  activi- 
ties, bestows  increased  importance  upon  the  standing  of  Mr.  Cole, 
who  as  county  treasurer  of  Yolo  county,  enjoys  distinction  as  one 
of  the  youngest  county  officials  in  the  state  in  point  of  years,  and 
is  the  youngest  county  treasurer  in  the  entire  commonwealth.  la 
point  of  fidelity  to  bis  trust  and  devotion  to  his  duty  he  is  sur- 
passed by  no  other  incumbent  of  the  office  in  any  part  of  the  state, 
nor  do  the  records  of  the  past  in  his  own  county  furnish  the  name 
of  any  treasurer  more  capable  than  he  or  more  intelligently  active 
in  protecting  the  financial  interests  of  the  county.  Whatever  of 
success  he  already  has  attained  it  may  be  attributed  to  bis  own 
unaided  exertions,  for  he  had  no  help  in  starting  out  for  himself 
and  only  his  own  resolute  force  of  purpose  enabled  him  to  obtain 
an  excellent  education,  for  the  family,  although  highly  respected, 
possessed  little  means  and  naturally  the  struggle  for  a  livelihood 
was  constant. 

The  paternal  grandfather  of  Mr.  Cole,  John  B.  Cole,  was 
born  in  Kentucky.  Later  years  found  him  in  Iowa,  and  still  later, 
in  1852,  be  came  to  California  with  his  family,  consisting  of  his 
wife  and  two  children,  William  and  David,  and  settled  on  a  farm 
in  Yolo  county,  and  bere  he  and  his  wife  passed  away.  Before 
her  marriage  the  grandmother  was  Julia  Jacobs,  a  native  of  Mis- 
souri. David  V.  was  born  while  his  parents  were  living  in  Iowa 
and  he  was  still  a  small  child  when  removal  was  made  to  Cali- 
fornia in  1852.  During  young  manhood  he  went  to  Oregon,  having 
previously  married  Eliza  Anderson,  who  was  born  in  Sacramento 


<^<r<gg 


HISTORY  OF  YOLO  COUNTY  351 

county,  the  daughter  of  William  Anderson.  The  latter  was  born 
in  Missouri  and  in  young  manhood,  about  1852,  came  to  California. 
Here  he  married  Drucilla  Swinney,  also  a  native  of  Missouri. 
Mr.  Anderson  died  in  Oregon,  and  his  wife  still  makes  her  home 
in  Gilliam  county,  that  state.  Returning  to  California  about  the 
year  1893,  David  V.  Cole  settled  near  Capay,  Yolo  county,  but 
since  1902  has  made  Woodland  his  home. 

Roy  E.  Cole  was  born  in  Gilliam  county,  Ore.,  September  20, 
1885.  After  completing  the  studies  of  the  country  schools  he 
entered  the  Woodland  high  school  and  in  1906  was  graduated  from 
that  institution.  Later  he  studied  in  the  Woodland  Business 
College.  An  examination  in  which  he  received  credits  unusually 
high  enabled  him  to  secure  a  teacher's  certificate  and  he  then 
began  to  teach  in  the  Eureka  district.  At  the  close  of  the  term  he 
was  engaged  as  principal  of  the  Cacheville  school.  In  1910  he 
entered  the  campaign  for  the  nomination  on  the  Democratic  ticket 
for  county  treasurer  and  in  the  primaries  won  the  nomination  over 
two  competitors,  both  of  whom  were  popular  and  capable.  He 
was  elected  by  a  good  majority  and  took  the  oath  of  office  Janu- 
ary 2,  1911.  Since  entering  upon  his  official  duties  he  has  given 
his  attention  closely  to  the  work  and  has  proved  his  fitness  for 
the  position.  Among  business  men,  as  among  his  schoolmates  in 
earlier  life,  he  has  been  popular.  It  is  said  that  the  young  men 
who  have  known  him  throughout  the  most  of  his  life  are  his  most 
ardent  champions.  In  boyhood  they  learned  to  rightly  estimate 
his  personal  worth.  His  sterling  qualities  of  mind  and  heart 
they  have  recognized.  Their  appreciation  of  his  companionship 
has  been  constant  as  also  their  regard  for  his  genial  temperament 
and  his  persevering  industry.  Older  people,  witnessing  the  self- 
denial  of  his  early  struggles  and  the  honest  impulses  governing 
his  acts,  have  become  his  friends  and  tender  to  his  official  career 
their  zealous  support. 

Mr.  Cole  was  married  in  Yolo  county  June  17,  1911,  to  Miss 
Louise  Brownell,  a  native  of  Yolo  county  and  the  daughter  of 
William  and  lone  (Hayes)   Brownell,  pioneers  of  the  county. 


JOHN  DICKSON  STEPHENS 

Prom  the  time  of  the  establishment  of  the  first  bank  in  Yolo 
county  until  his  demise  almost  thirty  years  later  Mr.  Stephens  sus- 
tained a  wide  reputation  as  one  of  the  most  able  and  far-seeinir 
financiers  of  Woodland.     His  the  keen  mental  vision  that  discerned 


352  HISTORY  OF  YOLO  COUNTY 

the  need  of  adequate  banking  facilities  in  the  then  frontier  settle- 
ment ;  his  the  sincerity  of  citizenship  that  gave  to  the  community  an 
example  of  unselfish  devotion  to  duty;  and  his  the  intelligent  in- 
sight into  financial  problems  that  laid  stanch  and  deep  and  strong 
the  foundations  of  a  banking  institution  honored  among;  the  bankers 
of  the  entire  state.  Nor  did  he  leave  the  impress  of  his  fine  person- 
ality alone  upon  banking  enterprises,  for  he  also  was  known  and 
honored  as  a  philanthropist  of  wise  activities,  a  stock-raiser  of  suc- 
cessful experience,  a  pioneer  miner  of  conservative  policies  and  a 
citizen  of  cultured  attainments.  His  death,  which  occurred  August 
27,  1898,  was  a  loss  not  only  to  the  bank  of  which  he  had  been 
the  first  and  only  president,  but  also  was  recognized  as  a  distinct 
loss  to  dignified,  unselfish,  high-minded  citizenship. 

A  study  of  the  genealogy  of  the  Stephens  family  indicates  a 
mingling  of  Welsh  blood  with  that  of  the  sturdy  Scotch  race.  Long 
before  the  Revolutionary  war  the  family  was  transplanted  upon  the 
shores  of  America  and  united  with  the  loyal  followers  of  Penn  in 
the  early  development  of  the  timber  lands  of  the  Keystone  state, 
where  Peter  Stephens  was  born  about  1690  or  1700.  Little  is  known 
concerning  his  life  except  that  he  founded  the  village  of  Stephens- 
burg  in  Pennsylvania  and  held  a  position  of  influence  in  that  com- 
munity. The  next  generation  was  represented  by  Peter,  Jr.,  who 
married  Johanna  Chrisman  and  moved  to  Wythe  county,  Va.,  thus 
founding  the  family  in  the  Old  Dominion.  In  his  home  there  were 
reared  seven  sons  and  one  daughter.  A  noteworthy  indication  of 
the  patriotic  spirit  of  the  family  is  afforded  by  the  statement  that 
all  of  the  seven  sons  served  in  the  Revolutionary  war.  Five  lived  to 
see  their  country  free  and  independent,  but  two  fell  upon  battle- 
fields. 

Among  the  five  patriotic  brothers  who  lived  to  enjoy  the  fruits 
of  their  sacrifices  as  soldiers  there  was  one,  Joseph,  in  whom  the 
pioneer  instinct  of  developing  the  frontier  was  especially  well  de- 
veloped and  who  became  successively  a  pioneer  of  three  great  com- 
monwealths. After  his  marriage  in  1790  to  Rhoda  Cole  he  contin- 
ued to  live  in  Virginia  for  more  than  a  decade,  but  the  year  1801 
found  him  and  his  family  following  the  tide  of  emigration  across 
the  mountains  into  the  blue  grass  regions  of  Kentucky,  where  he 
built  a  cabin  in  Wayne  county,  turned  the  first  furrows  of  virgin 
soil  and  endured  the  dangers  and  privations  of  the  frontier.  In  a 
search  for  better  conditions  he  removed  to  Tennessee  in  1815,  but  not 
finding  the  satisfactory  environment  that  he  desired  he  made  a  new 
move  during  1817.  In  that  year  he  loaded  his  possessions  into 
"prairie  schooners"  and  followed  the  blazed  trail  to  the  Mississippi 
river,  crossed  that  stream,  journeyed  forward  to  the  Missouri  river 
and  after  crossing  it  he  made  a  settlement  in  Cooper  county,  Mo., 


HISTORY  OF  YOLO  COUNTY  353 

upon  raw  land  thirteen  miles  south  of  Boonville.  In  this  memorable 
journey  he  had  been  accompanied  by  all  of  his  children  excepting 
Mary,  who  had  married  and  settled  near  the  old  home.  After  years 
of  struggle  and  hardship  he  passed  away  May  7,  1836,  at  his  home 
near  Buneeton.  His  descendants  are  scattered  throughout  the  en- 
tire west  and  are  very  numerous,  for  he  was  the  father  of  twelve 
children  by  his  first  wife.  One  of  these  was  Joseph  Lee,  the  father 
of  Lon  V.  Stephens,  ex-governor  of  Missouri,  and  another  son  was 
Speed  Stephens,  president  of  the  Bank  of  Buneeton.  By  his  second 
wife,  Catharine  Dickson,  there  were  nine  children,  as  follows:  John 
D.,  George  D.,  Andrew  J.,  Thomas  H.  B.,  Margaret,  Alpha,  Har- 
riet, Isabella  and  Lee  Ann. 

John  Dickson  Stephens  was  born  near  Buneeton,  Mo.,  Septem- 
ber 23,  1826,  and  was  the  eldest  son  of  his  father's  second  marriage. 
When  he  was  a  boy  public  educational  institutions  had  not  been  in- 
troduced, but  he  had  excellent  advantages  in  private  schools  and  was 
well  qualified  to  teach.  His  first  source  of  income  came  as  a  teacher 
from  1844  to  1846.  At  the  opening  of  the  war  with  Mexico  he  volun- 
teered in  the  service,  was  assigned  to  a  regiment  and  marched  to 
the  front,  but  his  company  saw  no  active  service,  the  war  having 
been  brought  to  a  successful  issue.  When  all  hope  of  military  ser- 
vice had  to  be  abandoned  he  turned  to  the  study  of  medicine,  and  it 
is  probable  that  he  would  have  been  a  lifelong  practitioner  in  Mis- 
souri had  not  the  discovery  of  gold  in  California  turned  his  thoughts 
toward  the  then  unknown  west. 

Together  with  a  brother  and  various  of  their  acquaintances 
John  D.  Stephens  sought  fortune  in  the  mines,  but  he  met  with  so 
little  success  that  he  began  to  investigate  other  means  of  earning  a 
livelihood.  From  Sacramento  he  traveled  through  Yolo  county,  then 
an  unsettled  region  whose  possibilities  had  not  attracted  attention 
from  the  emigrants.  With  keen  discernment  he  decided  that  there 
was  a  chance  for  a  struggling  easterner  in  this  county  and  accord- 
ingly he  took  up  raw  land  and  engaged  in  ranching.  It  is  said  that 
he  was  the  first  to  successfully  raise  grain  here.  In  addition  he  was 
a  pioneer  in  introducing  high-grade  stock.  For  years  his  sheep  won 
prizes  at  the  state  fairs  and  county  exhibitions.  In  the  raising  of 
mules  and  horses,  Durham  cattle  and  Poland-China  hogs,  lie  was 
equally  successful,  the  only  drawback  to  material  prosperity  being 
the  lack  of  adequate  marketing  facilities,  also  the  shortage  of  water. 
The  latter  impediment,  however,  was  overcome  through  his  organi- 
zation in  1863  of  the  Capay  Ditch  Company,  which  built  a  reservoir 
for  storing  the  waters  of  the  Cache  creek  canyon  and  thereby  irri- 
gating the  plains  below. 

Various  mining  ventures,  one  of  which  brought  him  excellent 
returns  from  the  Conistock  lodge  in  Nevada,  enabled  Mr.  Stephens 


354  HISTORY  OF  YOLO  COUNTY 

in  1867  to  return  to  Yolo  county  with  increased  finances  for  invest- 
ments. Shortly  afterward  he  formed  an  alliance  with  various 
moneyed  men  of  Yolo  county  and  financed  the  organization  in  1868 
of  the  Bank  of  Woodland,  the  first  hank  here,  of  which  solid  and 
substantial  institution  he  became  the  first,  and  remained  the  only 
president  until  his  death.  Notwithstanding  panics  and  depressions 
the  bank  never  lost  the  confidence  of  depositors,  never  refused  to 
meet  an  obligation  and  never  betrayed  the  trust  of  even  the  humb- 
lest individual.  Its  record  was  unimpeachable,  its  investments  con- 
servative, its  policy  cautious  yet  progressive  and  its  results  certain 
and  satisfactory,  for  which  condition  the  stockholders  gave  the 
credit  to  the  founder  and  president  of  the  institution.  He  organ- 
ized the  Woodland  gas  works  and  managed  it  for  many  years.  It 
was  he,  too,  who  started  the  water  works  of  Woodland  and  was  at 
the  helm  until  it  was  sold  to  the  city. 

The  marriage  of  Mr.  Stephens  and  Mary  F.  Alexander  was  sol- 
emnized at  Bellair,  Cooper  county,  Mo.,  January  4,  1854,  and  thus 
began  a  union  of  mutual  helpfulness  and  happiness.  During  the 
colonial  era  the  Alexander  family  had  crossed  the  ocean  from  Scot- 
land to  Virginia  and  had  gained  prominence  in  the  Old  Dominion, 
where  the  historic  town  of  Alexandria  was  named  for  her  grand- 
father. Later  the  family  became  established  in  Kentucky,  where  she 
was  born.  Of  her  three  children  the  only  survivor  is  Kate,  wife  of 
Hon.  Joseph  Craig,  of  Woodland.  The  children  were  born  in  an 
adobe  house  one  and  one-half  miles  west  of  Madison,  Yolo  county, 
the  old  homestead  of  the  family,  but  later  occupied  by  the  family  of 
the  brother,  George  Dickson  Stephens,  who  enlarged  the  original 
house  that  had  been  constructed  by  Indians  in  the  old  Californian 
style  of  architecture.  In  his  marriage  Mr.  Stephens  was  most  for- 
tunate, for  his  wife  possessed  many  superior  qualities  of  mind  and 
heart,  exhibited  an  unfailing  gentleness  under  all  circumstances,  and 
found  in  her  home  a  vivid  satisfaction  that  enabled  her  to  radiate 
its  happiness  among  her  wide  circle  of  friends.  She  survived  her 
husband  several  years  and  died  in  Fulton,  Mo.,  in  1906. 

No  record  of  the  life  of  the  late  Mr.  Stephens  would  lie  com- 
plete without  mention  of  his  prominence  in  Masonry.  He  was  made 
a  Mason  in  Cacheville  Lodge,  at  old  Cacheville,  and  later  was  iden- 
tified with  Woodland  Lodge  No.  156,  F.  &  A.  M.,  and  from  that  time 
he  was  one  of  its  most  popular  members.  August  16,  1859,  he  was 
iuitiated  into  the  Sacramento  Chapter  of  the  Royal  Arch  degree  and 
when  Woodland  Chapter  No.  46  was  organized  he  became  one  of  its 
charter  members  April  9,  1873.  He  was  created  a  Knight  Templar 
and  a  Knight  of  Malta  at  Sacramento.  On  January  13,  1883,  he 
with  others  instituted  the  Woodland  Commandery  No.  21  under  dis- 
pensation.   In  this  commandery  he  was  honored  with  official  respon- 


HISTORY  OF  YOLO  COUNTY  357 

sibilities,  and  December  10,  1887,  was  chosen  eminent  commander. 
The  philanthropic  and  brotherly  principles  of  the  order  he  exempli- 
fied by  precept  and  action;  its  ministrations  and  services  remained 
to  him  not  only  an  ideal  of  duty,  but  also  a  source  of  comfort  to  his 
benevolent  temperament.  As  one  of  those  citizens  whose  pioneer 
services  were  of  incalculable  value,  whose  being  thrilled  with  pa- 
triotic devotion  to  the  county,  whose  loyalty  to  the  community  re- 
mained undiminished  to  the  end  and  whose  intellect  was  over  at  the 
service  of  the  home  of  his  adoption,  his  name  is  worthy  of  perpetua- 
tion in  the  annals  of  the  county. 


HON.   ISAAC  W.   JACOBS 

Had  Mr.  Jacobs  been  induced,  during  the  latter  years  of  his 
honorable  career,  to  depict  with  pen  the  leading  incidents  of  his 
life,  the  reader  would  have  learned  much  concerning  the  history 
of  our  country,  the  privations  endured  by  pioneers  as  they  followed 
the  tide  of  emigration  toward  the  west,  and  the  hardships  borne 
by  men  who  cleared  the  forests  or  taught  scantily  equipped  frontier 
schools,  or  practiced  law  or  medicine  or  preached  the  gospel  in 
the  obscure  hamlets  that  dotted  the  prairies  or  nestled  on  moun- 
tain sides.  The  earliest  events  in  the  life  of  this  honored  Cali- 
fornia pioneer  were  associated  with  old  Virginia.  It  was  in  Hardy 
county,  that  state,  that  he  was  born  June  24,  1820,  and  there  it 
was  that  he  rambled  in  his  care-free  boyhood  through  the  woods 
and  along  the  banks  of  the  streams,  observant,  receptive  ami 
happy.  But  all  too  soon  a  change  came  into  his  life,  and  the 
necessity  for  self  support  brought  an  abrupt  end  to  all  his  little 
careless  pleasures.  When,  at  the  age  of  fifteen  years,  he  went 
to  Ohio,  it  was  with  the  knowledge  that  thenceforth  he  must'  earn 
his  own  way  and  place  in  the  world,  but  that  knowledge  did  not 
dampen  his  ambition  or  impair  his  determination  to  complete  his 
education.  After  a  weary  day's  work  on  the  farm  lie  took  up  his 
books  and  often  he  burned  midnight  oil  in  an  effort  to  secure  the 
information  for  which  he  ardently  longed.  As  a  result  of  his  per- 
sistence he  passed  a  creditable  examination,  received  a  teacher's 
certificate  and  was  <>iven  charge  of  a  school  in  a  country  district 
in  Ohio. 

Upon  his  removal  from  Ohio  to  Missouri,  the  young  teacher 
continued  his  educational  work  for  a  year,  and  during  the  next 
year  he  studied  law  in  the  office  of  Judge  Winters.     Then,  pjoing 


358  HISTORY  OF  YOLO  COUNTY 

to  Iowa,  he  entered  the  law  office  of  the  Hon.  G.  W.  Grimes,  after- 
ward United  States  senator  from  that  state,  and  a  year  later  he 
was  able  to  pass  a  brilliant  and  exacting  examination  before  Judge 
Mason,  chief  justice  of  the  Supreme  Court  of  Iowa  and  one  of 
the  most  eminent  jurists  of  his  day.  After  having  been  admitted  to 
practice  law  before  all  the  courts  of  Iowa,  Mr.  Jacobs  returned 
to  Missouri  and  formed  a  partnership  with  a  well  known  lawyer  of 
Buchanan  county.  He  was  still  a  young  man  when  gold  was  dis- 
covered in  California,  and  when  he  realized  the  possibilities  of  con- 
ditions here  he  determined  to  close  out  his  Missouri  interests  as 
soon  as  possible,  preparatory  to  removal  to  the  coast.  The  summer 
of  185-1  found  him  crossing  the  plains  with  a  large  expedition  of 
emigrants,  with  whom  he  experienced  the  discomforts  incidental  to 
the  primitive  mode  of  travel  which  was  the  only  one  available  for 
the  occasion.  Believing  that  more  gold  was  to  be  made  in  garnering 
crops  than  in  digging  gold  dust,  he  never  worked  in  the  mines. 
In  1854  he  was  admitted  to  practice  in  the  courts  of  California,  and 
in  1858  he  was  elected  district  attorney  of  Yolo  county.  From 
that  time  until  he  passed  away,  February  10,  1905,  he  was  identified 
with  the  public  affairs  of  the  county  and  with  its  professional  and 
agricultural  activities.  He  long  owned  and  cultivated  a  ranch 
of  four  hundred  acres  near  Yolo  and  made  a  specialty  of  grain 
and  stock  and  gradually  he  drifted  into  a  private  banking  busi- 
ness, for  the  accommodation  of  his  large  clientele  and  the  business 
community  generally.  Recognized  as  a  Democratic  leader,  he  was 
elected  by  that  party  in  1892  to  represent  his  district  in  the 
California  assembly.  In  that  position  he  gave  to  his  constituents 
the  best  of  his  talents.  He  was  not  only  a  scholar,  but  an  orator 
as  well,  and  on  public  occasions  was  often  engaged  by  his  admiring- 
fellow  citizens  as  the  principal  speaker  of  the  day. 

In  1849  Mr.  Jacobs  married  Almira  E.  Martin,  only  daughter 
of  James  Martin  and  a  native  of  Virginia.  Her  father  emigrated 
from  Missouri  to  California  in  1854  and  passed  away  in  Yuba 
county.  Mrs.  Jacobs  proved  herself  a  devoted  wife  and  mother 
and  her  earth  life  terminated  November  4,  1901.  She  bore  her 
husband  twelve  children,  John  M.,  the  first  in  order  of  birth,  died, 
aged  forty-seven  years.  Linnie  J.  was  the  next  in  order  of  nativity. 
Oscar  E.,  of  Blacks  Station,  is  represented  elsewhere  in  this  work; 
George  N.  and  James  R.,  of  Woodland,  are  also  represented  else- 
where; William  R.  is  a  well  known  lawyer  of  Los  Angeles;  Isaac 
W.  died  in  infancy;  Joseph  A.  lives  at  Knights  Landing;  Martha 
is  Mrs.  James  Taylor  of  Yolo;  Mary  is  Mrs.  Edward  Baldwin  of 
Berkeley;  Annie  E.  is  Mrs.  Welch 'of  Red  Bluff;  Van  W.  died, 
aged  thirty-five  years.  Mr.  Jacobs  died,  full  of  years  and  of 
honors,  leaving  the  priceless  legacy  of  a  good  name  to  his  children 


HISTORY  OF  YOLO  COUNTY  359 

and  grandchildren  and  the  example  of  a  life  well  spent,  which 
should  be  of  benefit  to  the  people  among  whom  be  lived  so  long  and 
with  so  much  credit  to  himself  and  to  the  community. 


AUGUST   VALENTINE   HUCKE 

There  is  a  large  number  of  prominent  citizens  in  this  vast 
state  who  have  reached  their  present  progressive  environment  by 
overcoming  obstacles  which  would  appear  appalling  to  some,  and 
by  putting  forth  their  utmost  effort  to  solve  the  vital  problem  of 
eking  out  an  existence  and  building  up  an  enterprising  business  out 
of  the  uncultivated  country  which  they  found  here.  It  is  interesting 
to  note  that  many  of  these  were  natives  of  Germany,  among  them 
being  August  Valentine  Hucke,  whose  birth  occurred  there  August 
9,  1861. 

Upon  his  arrival  in  California  Mr.  Hucke  secured  a  situation 
.upon  a  farm  at  $25  per  month,  but  some  time  later  decided  to 
start  for  himself,  and  rented  a  tract  of  four  hundred  and  eighty 
acres,  assuming  thereby  an  indebtedness  of  $2500.  Misfortune, 
however,  accompanied  him  in  these  efforts,  his  later  lease  of  two 
hundred  acres  also  proving  a  poor  investment.  Undaunted,  deter- 
mined to  rise  above  his  defeat,  he  remained  in  the  community. 
bending  every  effort  toward  the  liquidation  of  his  obligations,  his 
quiet  courage  calling  forth  the  admiration  of  his  associates. 
Throughout  the  succeeding  years,  during  which  period  he  resided 
near  Dunnigan,  he  succeeded  not  only  in  clearino-  his  debts,  but, 
also  in  educating  his  brothers,  his  victory  having  but  added  to  the 
stability  of  his  character,  lie  took  a  three-year  lease  upon  a  tract 
of  four  hundred  and  eighty  acres  some  time  ago,  which  he  devoted 
to  general  farming  and  pasture  land,  and  he  gives  a  ureal  deal  of 
attention  to  the  raising  of  stock. 

Mr.  Hucke  is  the  owner  of  twenty-four  horses  and  mules,  and 
has  several  hue  colts,  among  them  a  span  of  twins,  brothers,  whose 
sire  has  distinguished  himself  as  a  pacer  in  several  important  races. 
his  time  having  been  two  minutes  and  nine  seconds.  Both  colts 
are  broken  to  drive  single  or  double  and  are  fine  travelers.  Mr. 
Hucke  has  one  hundred  and  twenty-five  sheep,  several  cows  ami 
about  seventy  turkeys,  all  well  kept  and  in  fine  condition.  He  has  a 
small  plot  planted  to  grapes,  which  are  now  in  bearing. 

In  1898  Mr.  Hucke  was  united  in  marriage  with  Miss  Bertha 
Willkendorf,  a  native  of  California,  their  union  being  Messed  with 


360  HISTORY  OF  YOLO  COUNTY 

three  children,  as  follows :  August,  Martha  Elisabeth  and  Bertha. 
The  youngest  child  died  in  infancy,  and  the  two  eldest  are  students 
in  the  public  school. 

A  stanch  Democrat,  having  at  all  times  supported  his  party 
to  the  best  of  his  ability,  Mr.  Hucke  is  a  citizen  of  highest  worth, 
and  as  an  advocate  of  Free  Thought  religiously,  maintains  a  deep 
interest  in  matters  relating  to  the  betterment  of  social  conditions. 


WATSON  M.  HUBERTS 

One  of  Yolo  county's  prosperous  and  progressive  fruit  ranch- 
ers is  W.  M.  Ruberts,  who  came  to  California  in  1879.  He  was 
born  in  La  Salle  county,  111.,  November  27,  1850,  and  while  a 
small  boy  accompanied  his  parents  to  McDonough  county,  in  the 
same  state,  where  he  lived  until  he  reached  the  age  of  twenty-eight 
years.  At  this  period  he  determined  to  seek  his  fortune  in  the  far 
west,  and  with  his  family  journeyed  forth,  settling  in  Woodland,- 
Cal.,  where  he  resided  about  a  year.  Later  he  removed  to  Rumsey, 
Capay  valley,  where  he  purchased  twenty  acres,  eight  of  which 
he  planted  to  grapes,  subsequently  setting  out  on  the  remainder 
apricots  and  pears.  He  now  has  only  eight  acres,  having  sold  off  all 
but  this  amount. 

Shortly  after  locating  on  this  land  the  Southern  Pacific  Rail- 
road Company  bought  the  upper  end  of  the  valley  and  proceeded  to 
improve  it,  building  a  station  and  subdividing  the  land  into  ten 
and  twenty  acre  tracts  which  they  planted  to  fruit.  Owing  to  the 
superior  shipping  facilities  thus  established,  the  value  of  the 
surrounding  land  increased  immensely  and  this  section  became  one 
of  the  leading  fruit  belts  of  the  state.  Not  the  least  to  profit  by 
the  change,  Mr.  Ruberts  prospered  rapidly,  and  in  one  season  he 
and  a  neighbor  shipped  an  entire  car  of  raisin  grapes. 

Mr.  Ruberts  was  married  in  LaHarpe,  Hancock  county.  111., 
in  1878  to  Miss  Hattie  Edgington,  a  native  of  Des  Moines,  Iowa. 
Four  children  were  born  to  them,  namely:  George,  a  machinist  at 
Willows;  C.  Arthur,  an  electrical  engineer  of  Bakersfield;  Charles 
Irvin,  a  contractor  of  Coalinga ;  and  Richard,  an  electrical  engineer 
employed  in  Yolo  county  and  residing  in  Rumsey.  Mr.  Ruberts  is 
a  stanch  Republican,  well  versed  in  the  political  issues  of  the  day, 
and  is  a  citizen  worthy  of  the  esteem  and  popularity  which  he 
enjoys. 


$&. 


dhtasi^f  .£.<&. 


HISTORY  OF  YOLO  COUNTY  365 

WYATT  GODFREY  DUNCAN 

Sixty  years  or  more  have  brought  their  remarkable  series  of 
changes  to  Yolo  county  since  first  Mr.  Duncan  arrived  in  this  por- 
tion of  California  and  in  this  great  task  of  material  upbuilding 
he  has  borne  an  honorable  and  influential  part,  so  that  now  in  the 
afternoon  of  a  successful  and  busy  career  he  is  enabled  to  enjoy 
the  comforts  resultant  from  his  own  industry.  It  has  been  his  priv- 
ilege to  witness  much  of  the  development  of  this  commonwealth. 
Coming  hither  during  the  era  of  mining  excitement,  he  found  a 
cosmopolitan  population  few  of  whom  discerned  the  great  agri- 
cultural possibilities  of  the  land.  From  the  first  he  was  interested 
in  ranching  and  stock-raising.  The  results  of  his  intelligent 
labor  manifest  themselves  in  a  large  and  growing  prosperity 
and  in  the  kindly  regard  entertained  for  him  by  the  people  of  his 
community.  To  his  friends  here  as  well  as  in  the  east  he  is 
known  as  Doc,  a  name  first  given  him  by  other  members  of  the 
parental  family  and  afterward  adopted  by  acquaintances.  As  a 
child  he  displayed  a  great  regard  for  physicians  and  nothing 
pleased  him  more  than  to  play  he  was  a  doctor  riding  an  imag- 
inary horse  and  diagnosing  the  serious  illnesses  of  imaginary  pa- 
tients. In  that  way  the  nickname  came  to  be  used  which,  from 
being  considered  merely  a  joke,  rose  to  the  dignity  of  an  appella- 
tion of  affection  and  regard. 

The  founder  of  the  Duncan  family  in  America  was  Wyatt 
Duncan,  a  native  of  Scotland  and  for  many  years  a  planter  in 
Virginia,  but  eventually  a  pioneer  of  Missouri,  where  he  died  in 
Callaway  county  at  a  great  age.  Among  his  children  was  a  son, 
Judge  John  I.  Duncan,  who  was  born  in  Virginia  April  15,  1807, 
grew  to  manhood  at  the  old  homestead,  married  Margaret  Toler 
and  after  his  marriage  settled  in  the  western  part  of  the  ( >ld 
Dominion.  About  1833  he  took  his  family  to  Missouri  and  set- 
tled upon  raw  land  in  Callaway  county.  Later  he  returned  east  as 
far  as  Indiana  and  rented  land  in  Vigo  county,  but  not  being 
satisfied  he  went  back  to  Missouri,  where  he  bought  a  large  tract 
in  Barry  county.  The  title  by  which  he  was  known  came  through 
service  as  county  judge.  Early  in  life  he  advocated  Whig  doc- 
trines and  later  became  a  Democrat,  for  years  being  one  of  the 
leaders  of  that  party  in  his  community.  Consistent  throughout 
life  in  his  devotion  to  Christianity,  he  was  a  prominent  worker 
in  the  Baptist  Church  of  his  Missouri  neighborhood.  His  death 
occurred  January  18,  187n\  when  he  was  almost  sixty-nine  years 
of  age.  His  wife  was  born  in  Virginia  and  died  August  18,  1849, 
in  Missouri.  Her  father,  Godfrey  Toler,  came  to  the  United 
States  during  young  manhood  and   settled   in  Virginia,   where  he 


366  HISTORY  OF  YOLO  COUNTY 

engaged  in  farming.  After  many  years  he  settled  among  the 
pioneer  farmers  of  Indiana.  Later  he  went  to  Barry  county,  Mo., 
and  there  he  passed  away  November  4,  1843,  at  an  advanced  age. 

There  were  twelve  children  in  the  family  of  Judge  Duncan. 
Five  of  the  number  are  still  living.  The  eldest  of  the  family, 
Wyatt  Godfrey,  was  born  in  Amherst  county,  Va.,  October  1, 
1828,  and  was  taken  to  Missouri  at  five  years  of  age,  later  went 
to  Indiana  with  the  family  and  then  returned  to  Missouri,  whence 
he  started  with  a  brother,  William,  to  California,  April  24,  1850. 
About  six  young  men  had  been  hired  by  Dr.  Lane  with  the 
understanding  that  he  was  to  defray  all  of  their  expenses  on  the 
trip  and  they  were  to  work  for  him  for  a  year  in  California.  The 
journey  was  made  in  wagons  drawn  by  oxen  and  mules.  The  expe- 
dition was  abundantly  supplied  with  provisions  for  one-half  year 
and  they  also  were  well  armed,  there  being  the  greatest  need  of 
protecting  themselves  against  possible  Indian  raids.  No  special 
incident  occurred  to  mar  the  pleasure  of  the  trip,  which  ended 
uneventfully  September  1,  1850,  at  the  mines  near  Eldorado. 
Pursuant  upon  agreement  the  young  men  began  to  work  for 
Dr.  Lane  and  during  the  winter  they  mined  in  gulches,  living  in 
rude  cabins  they  had  built  with  their  own  hands.  While  a  con- 
siderable period  yet  remained  to  be  worked  out,  Dr.  Lane  came 
to  the  mines  and  proposed  that  if  the  young  men  would  work  for 
him  on  a  ranch  for  two  months  he  would  free  them  from  any 
further  obligation  toward  him. 

Thus  it  was  that  Mr.  Duncan  came  to  Yolo  county  in  1851. 
The  Lane  ranch  of  six  hundred  and  forty  acres  stood  west  of 
the  present  site  of  Madison  and  he  helped  to  put  in  the  crops 
there,  also  aided  in  digging  a  ditch  around  the  land.  His  work 
ended,  he  began  mining  and  prospecting.  With  his  brother,  Wil- 
liam, he  came  to  Yolo  county  during  the  spring  of  1853  from  Yreka, 
Siskiyou  county.  For  a  year  he  was  employed  by  Dr.  Lane  on  a 
ranch  on  Cache  creek  and  later  he  became  the  doctor's  partner 
in  the  stock  business,  buying  one  thousand  head  of  Spanish  cattle 
from  Jack  Wilcox  on  the  Matt  Wolfskill  ranch  and  driving  them 
to  Mendocino  county.  A  year  later  the  young  rancher  returned 
to  Cache  creek,  dissolved  his  partnership  with  Dr.  Lane  and 
engaged  in  the  stock  industry  for  himself.  As  all  the  acreage 
adjacent  to  the  creek  was  grant  land  he  first  settled  on  the  plains. 
When  the  government  land  was  placed  on  sale  he  and  his  brother 
began  to  buy  heavily.  At  one  time  they  purchased  thirty-five 
hundred  acres  known  as  the  Canada  de  Capay  grant.  When 
finally  a  dissolution  of  their  partnership  was  made  Doc  Duncan 
had  about  six  thousand  acres  in  one  body.  About  one  thousand 
acres   of  level   farming   land   under   irrigation    furnished   excellent 


HISTORY  OF  YOLO  COUNTY  367 

opportunities  for  the  cultivation  of  alfalfa.  Wheat  and  barley 
were  raised  in  enormous  quantities.  During  the  early  years  the 
wheat  was  cradled  according  to  the  old-fashioned  method  still 
in  vogue,  but  later  he  purchased  a  combined  harvester  propelled 
by  an  engine  and  utilized  the  most  modern  equipment  in  the  harv- 
esting and  threshing  of  the  grain.  For  years  he  engaged  exten- 
sively in  raising  horses,  mules,  cattle,  hogs  and  sheep.  Since  1904 
he  has  been  retired  from  arduous  ranch  activities,  his  son-in-law 
taking  his  place  as  manager  of  the  large  tract. 

The  marriage  of  Mr.  Duncan  took  place  March  13,  1879, 
in  Woodland,  this  state,  and  united  him  with  Miss  Mary  Franklin, 
who  was  born  and  reared  near  that  city.  Her  parents,  Benjamin 
and  Elvira  (Wright)  Franklin,  were  natives,  respectively,  of 
Tennessee  and  Kentucky,  and  the  latter  passed  away  while  yet  a 
young  woman.  The  father,  after  having  lived  for  some  years  in 
Barry  county,  Mo.,  crossed  the  plains  in  1850  in  the  party  of 
which  the  Duncan  brothers  were  members,  but  in  1852  he  returned 
to  Missouri  and  there  married  Miss  Wright.  In  his  next  trip 
across  the  plains  she  accompanied  him  and  her  death  occurred  in 
Yolo  county.  Later  he  married  again.  His  death  occurred  April 
1,  1893,  at  the  age  of  sixty-six  years.  From  the  time  of  his  second 
marriage  until  his  death  he  owned  and  occupied  a  farm  near 
Madison,  but  prior  thereto  he  had  lived  at  Woodland  and  had 
carried  on  a  blacksmith  and  wagon-shop.  Of  his  first  marriage 
there  were  four  children,  two  now  living.  Mrs.  Duncan,  who 
was  next  to  the  youngest  among  the  children,  received  a  public 
school  education,  supplemented  by  attendance  at  Hesperian  Col- 
lege and  in  that  way,  aided  by  habits  of  close  observation  and 
careful  reading,  she  has  acquired  a  broad  fund  of  information 
that  gives  her  culture  and  refinement.  With  her  husband  she 
holds  membership  in  the  Christian  Church  and  generously  supports 
all  of  its  missionary  and  educational  enterprises.  In  their  political 
views  both  were  reared  in  the  faith  of  the  old  Democracy  and  still 
adhere  to  the  tenets  of  that  party,  although  not  personally  in- 
terested in  polities.  Their  only  daughter,  Elvira  (hey,  is  the 
wife  of  J.  W.  Monroe,  of  Woodland,  and  the  only  son,  Wyatt  G., 
assists  in  looking  after  the  home  farm. 


EDWARD  REASBECK 

As  a  citizen  of  progressive  spirit  and  good  business  ability 
Mr.  Reasbeck  has  attained  both  prosperity  and  influence  during  his 
long  residence  in  Yolo   county,   his   many  friends   and   associates 


368  HISTORY  OF  YOLO  COUNTY 

fully  appreciating  his  qualities  of  honor  and  manliness  and  his 
example  of  public  interest.  Born  November  3,  1842,  in  Pomerania, 
Prussia,  Mr.  Eeasbeck  was  educated  there  and  later  became  a 
railroad  employe.  After  fifteen  years  of  faithful  service  he  de- 
cided to  leave  his  native  land  and  cast  his  fortunes  in  America. 
He  landed  in  New  York  City  in  1882,  and  from  there  came  to 
Woodland,  Yolo  county.  Here  for  two  years  he  engaged  in  farm- 
ing and  fruit  raising,  and  then  removed  to  the  foothills  of  Butte 
county,  where  he  purchased  thirty  acres,  which  he  still  retains. 
In  1905  he  took  up  his  residence  in  Winters,  where  he  owns  one 
and  three-ninths  acres,  upon  which  is  located  his  present  com- 
fortable residence. 

In  1866  Mr.  Reasbeck  married  Miss  Helena  Neamann,  also  a 
native  of  Prussia,  and  to  their  union  two  children  were  born: 
William  Carl  Theodore,  a  fruit  grower  near  Winters,  and  Maria 
Wilhelmina  Johanna,  also  a  resident  of  Winters. 

Mr.  Reasbeck  is  a  stanch  Republican,  prompt  to  aid  all  public 
movements  of  worth,  and  as  an  active  member  of  the  Christian 
Church  of  Winters  takes  a  prominent  part  in  the  betterment  of 
social  conditions. 


MRS.  GERTRUDE  WURTH 

The  large  and  finely  improved  farm  which  Mrs.  AYurth  still 
owns  and  occupies  is  endeared  to  her  by  the  associations  of 
almost  one-half  century  of  toil  and  sacrifice.  Hither  she  came  as  a 
bride,  young,  patient  and  capable;  here  she  reared  her  large 
family,  carefully  guarding  the  health  of  each  and  wisely  training 
them  to  a  knowledge  of  the  duties  awaiting  them  in  life;  here  she 
endured  the  privations  of  the  frontier  and  the  hardships  incident 
to  isolation  from  railroads  and  cities;  and  here  she  watched  the 
gradual  development  of  the  country,  the  expansion  of  its  interests, 
the  growth  of  its  villages  and  the  enhancing  values  of  its  farms. 
As  she  reviews  the  history  of  the  agricultural  development  of 
Yolo  county  she  may  well  exclaim,  "All  of  which  I  saw  and  part  of 
which  I  was."  Her  wise  counsel  was  ever  ready  to  co-operate  with 
her  husband's  energy  and  she  gave  to  him  sympathy,  help  and 
encouragement.  With  busy  hands  she  labored  unceasingly  for 
the  welfare  of  her  large  family  and  at  the  same  time,  with  the 
burden  of  heavy  household  cares,  she  yet  found  the  time  to 
aid  in  charitable  measures  and  the  means  to  assist  the  poor 
and  needv. 


HISTOEY  OF  YOLO  COUNTY  373 

Born  in  Hesse-Cassel,  Kur-Hessen,  Germany,  Mrs.  Wnrth 
was  a  daughter  of  George  A.  and  Anna  M.  (Klotzburg)  Koch,  whom 
she  accompanied  across  the  ocean  in  a  sailer  and  landed  at  New 
York  after  a  voyage  of  nine  weeks.  From  New  York  they  came 
via  Panama  to  California  and  after  landing  at  San  Francisco  in 
1863  they  proceeded  to  Sntterville,  Sacramento  county,  where  the 
parents  died.  The  daughter  was  given  a  fair  education  in  the 
convent  at  Sacramento  and  in  that  city,  October  24,  1867,  became 
the  wife  of  John  Wurth,  a  German-American  citizen  of  sterling 
integrity  and  great  energy.  Born  near  Stuttgart,  Wurtemberg, 
Germany,  October  25,  1836,  he  was  reared  on  a  farm  and  in  young 
manhood  came  to  the  United  States,  spending  five  years  at  Aurora, 
N.  Y.,  as  a  day  laborer.  During  1859  he  started  with  an  expedition 
for  Pike's  Peak,  but  on  the  way  met  so  many  men  returning  dis- 
couraged and  with  tales  to  tell  of  troubles  of  all  kinds  that  he 
decided  to  push  on  to  California.  Arriving  here,  he  spent  a  few 
months  in  the  mines.  During  1860  he  came  to  Sacramento  and 
secured  employment  by  the  day.  Coming  to  Yolo  county  in  the 
fall  of  1861  he  located  a  claim  of  one  hundred  and  sixty  acres  five 
miles  northeast  of  Winters.  At  first  he  kept  "bachelor's  hall"  in 
a  little  cabin  on  the  farm,  but  in  1867  he  married  and  brought  his 
young  wife  to  the  ranch.  Together  they  worked  with  the  most 
unwearied  diligence.  Little  by  little  they  established  a  financial 
foothold.  With  a  wise  forethought  as  to  advancing  values  they 
purchased  adjoining  land  from  time  to  time.  The  raising  of  grain 
was  the  principal  occupation.  In  those  days  crops  were  large  and 
prices  almost  uniformly  -good,  so  that  they  were  able  to  pay  off 
their  indebtedness  and  educate  their  children.  When  Mr.  Wurth 
died  May  23,  1005,  he  left  an  estate  of  six  hundred  acres  and  since 
then  his  widow  has  added  to  the  ranch  until  now  she  owns  seven 
hundred  and  eighty-seven  acres  of  valuable  land.  While  she  con- 
tinues to  reside  at  the  old  homestead,  the  land  is  leased  to  tenants 
and  she  is  enjoying  a  deserved  respite  from  the  anxieties  and  labors 
of  a  busy  existence. 

In  politics  Mr.  Wurth  voted  with  the  Republican  party,  in 
religion  was  confirmed  in  the  Lutheran  faith  and  fraternally  held 
membership  with  the  Independent  Order  of  Odd  Fellows.  Educa- 
tional matters  interested  him  greatly.  In  the  building  up  of  the 
district  school  he  gave  of  his  time  and  means  and  for  fourteen 
years  he  served  as  its  trustee,  displaying  in  the  position  an 
untiring  zeal  in  behalf  of  the  school  and  a  constant  desire  to 
promote  its  standard  of  education.  His  wife  shared  his  devotion 
to  Republican  principles  and  is  in  hearty  sympathy  with  that 
party  platform.  As  early  as  1876  she  became  a  member  of  the 
Rebekah  Lodge  and  now  is  associated  with  the  Mendelssohn  Lodge 


372  HISTORY  OF  YOLO  COUNTY 

of  Rebekahs  in  Winters,  belonging  also  to  tbe  Lodge  of  Pythian 
Sisters  in  the  same  town.  Eleven  children  were  born  of  her  mar- 
riage and  it  was  her  happy  fortune  to  live  to  see  them  all  settled 
in  homes  of  their  own  and  holding  positions  of  respect  in 
their  various  communities.  They  are  named  as  follows :  George  A., 
connected  with  the  Consolidated  Water  Company  of  Woodland; 
Celia,  wife  of  George  R.  Siclwell,  of  Winters;  Dora  R.,  who  mar- 
ried August  Brinck,  of  Winters;  Rosa  M.,  Mrs.  Adam  Beiser,  of 
San  Francisco;  John  Albert,  who  is  engaged  in  farming  near  Buck- 
eye; Charles  F.,  a  miller  in  Woodland;  Minnie  G.,  Mrs.  William 
F.  Russell,  of  Merritt;  Lydia  A.,  Mrs.  John  Hucke,  of  Wood- 
land; Kate  B.,  who  married  Lee  Shackelford  and  lives  at  Cedar- 
ville,  Modoc  county;  Ida  M.,  Mrs.  Homer  Cook,  of  Plainfield;  and 
Sadie,  wife  of  Adolph  Oeste,  a  resident  of  Davis,  Yolo  county. 


HON.  JOSEPH  CRAIG 

An  identification  with  the  new  world  dating  back  to  the  colonial 
era  indicates  that  the  pioneer  instinct  was  strong  in  the  early  Amer- 
ican representatives  of  the  Craig  family.  Unknown  regions  beyond 
the  confines  of  civilization  constantly  lured  them  from  the  peaceful 
abodes  of  progress.  Theirs  the  undimmed  vision  of  the  frontiers- 
man in  nature's  primeval  wild;  theirs  the  love  of  stream  and  forest 
with  the  gifts  they  brought  of  fish  and  game;  and  theirs  the  soli- 
tary way  through  life  far  from  the  crowded  haunts  of  men.  When 
later  generations  of  the  name  found  no  outlet  for  their  frontier  pre- 
dilections they  expressed  their  innate  tastes  in  a  love  for  the  open 
and  in  the  adoption  of  occupations  necessitating  outdoor  work.  An 
apparent  exception  to  this  rule  appears  in  the  forceful  activities  of 
Hon.  Joseph  Craig,  who  entered  upon  the  profession  of  the  law  and 
also  developed  patents  that  necessitated  the  erection  and  manage- 
ment of  a  foundry.  However,  those  who  for  years  have  enjoyed 
glimpses  into  the  attractive  characteristics  of  Mr.  Craig  have  dis- 
covered that  his  happiest  hours  are  those  spent  on  his  ranches,  in 
superintending  the  purchase  or  care  of  his  thoroughbred  Durham 
cattle,  in  planning  for  suitable  irrigation  facilities,  in  experiment- 
ing with  alfalfa  and  other  desired  crops  and  in  enjoying  all  the 
amenities  incident  to  pleasant  tasks  in  God's  great  out-of-doors. 

An  early  expansion  of  the  interests  of  Virginia  caused  many  of 
her  most  forceful,  aggressive  citizens  to  cross  the  mountains  and 
establish  farms  in  the  then  wilds  of  Kentucky.    Thus  the  Crai°-  fam 


HISTOEY  OF  YOLO  COUNTY  373 

ily  became  established  in  the  blue  grass  country.  Randolph  K. 
Craig  was  born  at  Versailles,  Woodford  comity,  I\v.,  and  in  1837 
married  Miss  Minerva  R.  Darneal,  a  native  of  the  same  village. 
Soon  afterward  they  sought  the  government  lands  of  Missouri  for 
the  purpose  of  undertaking  farm  work  and  they  were  numbered 
among  the  pioneers  of  Clinton  county,  later  removing  to  the  rich 
agricultural  regions  of  Clay  county,  in  the  same  state,  not  far  from 
the  now  flourishing  metropolis  of  Kansas  City,  a  place  at  that  time 
as  yet  unplatted  and  unnamed. 

When  news  came  of  the  discovery  of  gold  Randolph  R.  Craig 
made  immediate  preparations  for  a  trip  to  California  and  joined  a 
party  bound  for  the  gold  mines  in  1849.  A  safe  ending  to  a  peril- 
ous journey  was  followed  by  an  adventurous  career  in  the  mines  of 
Nevada  county,  where  he  met  with  some  success  as  a  miner.  With 
the  encouragement  suggested  by  the  run  of  good  luck  he  determined 
to  locate  permanently  in  California  and  therefore  in  1852  returned 
to  Missouri  via  the  Isthmus  of  Panama,  disposed  of  his  property 
there  and  returned  to  the  coast  accompanied  by  his  family,  whose 
youngest  member  was  a  son,  Joseph,  born  in  Clinton,  Mo.,  August 
14,  1849.  The  first  home  in  California  was  at  Nevada  City,  whence 
the  father  made  mining  expeditions  to  the  foothills  of  the  Sierras. 
In  the  fall  of  1869  he  established  a  residence  in  Oakland  and  in 
1878  removed  to  San  Francisco,  where  he  had  a  comfortable  home 
and  a  large  circle  of  friends.  Always,  however,  he  continued  to 
spend  much  of  his  time  at  the  mines  and  his  death  occurred  in  1883 
at  Auburn,  Placer  county,  when  he  was  sixty-six  years  of  age.  Mrs. 
Craig  attained  the  age  of  eighty-four  years.  They  were  the  parents 
of  twelve  children,  seven  of  whom  lived  to  maturity,  namely:  Ed- 
ward L.,  Walter  R.,  Lee  D.,  William  C,  Joseph,  Mrs".  Phoebe"  C.  Mc- 
Kinzie,  and  Mrs.  Elizabeth  M.  Doud. 

By  reason  of  his  residence  as  a  boy  in  communities  interested 
in  mining  Joseph  Craig  has  been  familiar  with  that  occupation  from 
his  earliest  recollections  and  his  inventive  mind  found  expression  in 
a  patent,  secured  in  1869,  on  a  hydraulic  monitor,  which  revolu- 
tionized the  entire  system  of  hydraulic  mining  and  proved  of  inesti- 
mable value  to  men  engaged  in  the  occupation.  To  establish  a  fac- 
tory for  the  manufacture  of  this  patent  he  built  a  foundry  and  ma- 
chine shop  at  Marysville,  where  the  Globe  and  Little  Giant  nozzle 
were  manufactured  for  years.  Eventually  the  plant  was  removed  to 
San  Francisco  and  somewhat  later  he  disposed  of  his  interests  in 
the  same.  Some  inventions  of  lesser  importance  were  also  covered 
by  patents,  among  which  was  a  combination  plow. 

Establishing  his  residence  in  San  Francisco  during  1872,  Mr. 
Craig  there  continued  the  study  of  law  which  he  hail  commenced  in 
Nevada  City.    After  he  had  completed  the  regular  course  of  reading 


374  HISTORY  OF  YOLO  COUNTY 

with  M.  A.  Wheaton  of  San  Francisco,  lie  was  admitted  in  1876  to 
practice  before  the  supreme  court  of  California.  The  previous 
year,  as  the  nominee  of  the  Democratic  party,  he  had  been  elected 
to  represent  the  tenth  district  of  San  Francisco  in  the  state  senate. 
The  election  was  noteworthy  because  he  was  the  only  Democrat  ever 
chosen  for  the  senate  from  that  strong  Republican  district.  During 
this  time  he  was  a  member  of  the  firm  of  Marshall,  Smoot  &  Craig, 
attorneys,  of  San  Francisco.  During  1878  with  Hudson  Grant  he 
established  a  law  office  at  Woodland,  Yolo  county,  where  in  1883 
he  was  elected  district  attorney.  Later  on  he  was  associated  with 
N.  A.  Hawkins  in  the  practice  of  law.  Until  his  retirement  in  1892 
Mr.  Craig  held  high  rank  among  the  leading  attorneys  of  this  part 
of  California.  For  one  term,  dating  from  January  17,  1889,  be 
served  as  a  member  of  the  board  of  state  prison  directors. 

May  1,  1874,  in  Woodland,  Mr.  Craig  was  united  in  marriage 
with  Miss  Kate  Stephens,  born  on  the  old  Stephens  ranch  near  Mad- 
ison, Yolo  county,  the  only  child  of  the  late  John  D.  Stephens.  Five 
children  blessed  their  union,  namely.  Tilden  J.  and  Josephine  M., 
both  deceased;  John  S.,  cashier  of  the  Bank  of  Woodland;  Mary  A., 
Mrs.  George  Gray,  of  Madison,  and  Cassie  B.  In  addition  to  man- 
aging his  own  landed  estate  Mr.  Craig  has  superintended  the  large 
estate  inherited  by  bis  wife  from  her  father.  At  Highland  Springs, 
in  Lake  county,  be  built  a  modern  hotel  and  made  other  improve- 
ments, which  resulted  in  the  establishment  of  a  large  patronage  for 
the  resort.  During  1902,  associated  with  other  capitalists,  he  pur- 
chased and  consolidated  the  Adams,  Moore  and  Capay  irrigation 
canal  systems  and  water  rights  on  Cache  creek  and  incorporated  the 
Yolo  County  Consolidated  Water  Company,  of  which  he  has  been 
president  since  its  organization.  The  new  owners  purchased  adja- 
cent land  and  developed  the  entire  property.  At  Clear  lake  they  ac- 
quired the  right  to  build  a  dam  covering  sixty-five  square  miles  of 
water,  having  an  average  depth  of  five  feet.  The  canals  are  twenty 
feet  wide  at  the  bottom,  with  four  feet  of  water,  and  will  supply  all 
of  the  county  as  far  as  Black's  Station  on  the  north,  and  extending 
south  of  Davis  and  Winters,  thence  into  Solano  county  as  far  as 
Dixon.  The  general  irrigation  system  has  been  most  advantageous 
to  the  alfalfa  raisers  of  the  lands  appertaining  thereto  and  also  has 
been  helpful  to  all  property  owners. 

For  years  a  number  of  the  most  prominent  fraternities  have 
received  the  support  and  influence  of  Mr.  Craig,  his  interest  being 
peculiarly  strong  in  the  Masons  and  the  Odd  Fellows.  Besides  be- 
ing one  of  the  active  members  of  the  lodge  of  Odd  Fellows,  he  has 
identified  himself  with  the  encampment  and  has  been  an  honorary 
member  of  the  Rebekahs.  In  Masonry  he  has  risen  from  the  blue 
lodge  through  the  chapter  and  commandery  to  the  Scottish  Rite.    In 


y 


r^-*^?  -^zz^sf 


HISTOEY  OF  YOLO  COUNTY  377 

the  local  chapter  of  the  Eastern  Star  he  is  past  patron,  while  his 
wife  has  been  honored  with  the  offices  of  worthy  matron  and  is  past 
grand  treasurer  of  the  Grand  Chapter,  California  0.  E.  S.  Repre- 
senting the  state  of  California  she  has  served  as  grand  representa- 
tive of  Maryland  and  also  as  grand  representative  of  Kentucky. 
She  is  also  a  member  of  Rebekahs,  in  which  she  is  past  noble  grand. 
and  is  an  active  member  of  the  Christian  Church.  Mr.  Craig's  de- 
votion to  the  west  has  known  no  diminution  throughout  his  life  of  in- 
tense activity.  In  all  ways  he  is  a  typical  western  man,  displaying 
the  enthusiasm  and  progressive  spirit  so  noticeable  in  those  whose 
lives  have  been  given  to  the  upbuilding  of  the  great  region  of  the 
Pacific  coast. 


THORNTON  CRAIG,  M.  D. 

It  is  significant  of  the  stable  personal  qualities  possessed  by 
Dr.  Craig  that  he  has  passed  the  entire  period  of  his  professional 
practice  in  the  same  town.  Immediately  after  his  graduation  from 
one  of  the  most  noted  educational  institutions  of  the  new  world 
he  came  to  California  in  1876  and  opened  an  office  at  Capay,  since 
which  time  by  successful  practice  lie  has  risen  to  rank  among  the 
most  distinguished  physicians  not  only  of  Yolo  county,  but 
of  the  Sacramento  valley  itself.  The  quiet  but  prosperous 
village  that  was  the  scene  of  his  earliest  professional  ef- 
forts has  remained  his  home  through  all  these  years,  and 
from  it  he  has  answered  summons  from  every  part  of 
the  adjacent  territory.  In  the  early  period  of  his  residence  here 
he  made  his  trips  on  horseback  with  saddlebags,  but  later  adopted 
a  carriage  for  professional  use  and  more  recently  has  purchased 
an  automobile  as  offering  the  most  expeditious  mode  of  travel.  In 
the  efficient  discharge  of  his  professional  duties  he  has  gone  hither 
and  thither,  lias  had  to  cope  with  disease  in  every  form  and  has 
become  an  expert  in  diagnosis  as  well  as  in  the  treatment  of 
intricate  and  baffling  cases,  retaining  in  the  midst  of  all  professional 
anxieties  and  successes  the  simple  dignity,  companionable  disposi- 
tion and  large-hearted  kindly  spirit  characteristic  of  bis  younger 
years. 

The  Craig  lineage  is  traced  to  Scotland,  whence  James  Craig 
brought  his  family  to  the  new  world  and  settled  in  Ontario.  Canada. 
John,  a  son  of  James,  was  born  near  Glasgow,  Scotland,  but  from 
early  years  lived  on  a  farm  in  Glengarry,  Canada,  and  there  passed 


378  HISTORY  OF  YOLO  COUNTY 

Ms  last  days.  In  young  manhood  he  had  married  Mary  Westley, 
who  was  born  in  Ontario,  of  English  and  Scotch  descent.  Their 
thirteen  children  inherited  sturdy  physiques  and  robust  constitu- 
tions. It  is  a  noteworthy  fact  that  there  was  not  a  death  in  the 
family  until  after  all  of  the  sons  had  entered  into  business  or  into 
the  professions.  The  sixth  in  order  of  birth  was  Thornton,  born 
January  2,  1845,  at  the  old  family  home  on  the  St.  Lawrence  river, 
at  Glenn  Walter,  Glengarry,  Canada.  His  earliest  recollections 
are  of  the  picturesque  scenery  of  the  river,  the  stern  and  rigorous 
winters  and  the  constant  battle  for  a  livelihood  from  the  farm. 
The  parents  were  ambitious  for  their  children  and  he  was  given 
excellent  educational  advantages,  being  sent  to  the  high  school  at 
Williams,  a  short  distance  down  the  St.  Lawrence  river.  After 
he  had  completed  the  studies  of  that  school  he  passed  successfully 
the  entrance  examination  into  McGill  University  at  Montreal, 
Quebec,  and  there  became  a  student  in  the  medical  department,  from 
which  in  1876  he  was  graduated  with  the  degree  of  M.D.C.M.  Hav- 
ing decided  to  seek  a  location  in  the  western  states,  he  came  to 
California  and  found  the  desired  opportunity  at  Capay.  During 
all  the  years  of  active  practice  he  has  found  leisure  to  keep  posted 
concerning  the  advancement  made  in  materia  medica.  Every 
development  that  experience  proves  to  be  efficacious  he  adopts  in 
his  practice  of  the  healing  art.  At  the  same  time  he  has  identified 
himself  with  the  county,  state  and  American  Medical  Associations. 

At  the  time  of  coming  to  the  west  Dr.  Craig  was  unmarried  and 
it  was  a  few  years  before  he  established  domestic  ties,  his  mar- 
riage uniting  him  with  Miss  Lizzie  Rhodes,  e.  young  lady  of  educa- 
tion and  culture,  a  native  daughter  of  the  state,  born  and  reared 
in  Yolo  county.  She  was  a  daughter  of  John  M.  Rhodes,  a  pioneer 
miller  of  Woodland  and  banker  of  Sacramento,  and  for  years  one 
of  the  most  influential  business  men  of  that  place.  Eventually  he 
removed  to  Lassen  county,  Cal.,  and  he  died  in  Reno,  Nev.,  August 
4,  1908.  Dr.  and  Mrs.  Craig  are  the  parents  of  three  sons,  who 
have  inherited  the  ability  of  their  parents  and  give  promise  of 
exceptional  future  success.  The  eldest,  John  M.,  was  graduated 
from  the  mining  engineering  department  of  the  University  of 
California  and  now  has  identification  with  occupative  interests 
at  Cananea  in  Old  Mexico.  The  second  son,  Thornton,  Jr.,  is  a 
member  of  the  class  of  1913,  dental  department,  University  of 
California,  and  the  youngest  son,  Charles,  is  a  student  in  the  Es- 
parto high  school.  The  family  maintain  a  warm  interest  in  move- 
ments for  educational  and  commercial  advancement  and  contribute 
to  philanthropic  and  religious  enterprises,  having  a  special  regard 
for  the  welfare  of  their  own  community.  The  doctor  was  reared  in 
the   Presbyterian   faith,    but     with    broad-minded    liberality    sees 


HISTORY  OF  YOLO  COUNTY  379 

the  good  in  every  creed  that  aims  at  the  uplifting  of  humanity. 
Since  he  became  a  citizen  of  our  country  he  has  voted  with  the 
Republican  party.  Before  leaving  Ontario  he  was  made  a  Mason 
in  the  Ferrens  Point  Lodge  and  later  became  a  charter  member 
of  Landmark  Lodge  No.  253,  F.  &  A.  M.,  while  he  also  is  connected 
with  Woodland  Chapter,  R.  A.  M.,  and  Woodland  Commandery 
No.  19,  K.  T.  Besides  his  Masonic  connections  he  is  identified  with 
Capay  Lodge  No.  230,  I.  0.  0.  F.,  in  which  he  ranks  as  past  noble 
grand.  The  active  years  of  maturity  have  been  devoted  zealously  to 
medical  work.  His  ambition  has  been  concentrated  upon  his  chosen 
tasks  in  life.  However,  he  has  found  that  outside  interests  broaden 
rather  than  hamper  his  mental  faculties  and  therefore,  in  making 
property  investments,  he  has  sought  principally  interests  that  will 
take  him  into  the  open  and  thus  give  him  a  pleasant  relaxation 
from  his  practice.  Included  in  his  possessions  and  requiring  a 
portion  of  his  time  in  their  management  are  six  hundred  and  forty 
acres  in  the  Yolo  basin  and  a  valuable  orchard  and  vineyard  of 
fifty-five  acres  at  Capay,  besides  which  he  also  has  invested  in 
mines  in  Sonora,  Mexico. 


CARRINGTON  A.  SWETE 

Of  English  parentage  and  birth,  Mr.  Swete  was  born  in  Oxford 
March  21,  1873.  His  father,  Fanshaw  C.  B.  Swete,  was  a  graduate 
of  Dublin  University,  from  which  institution  he  first  received  the 
degree  of  A.  B.  and  later  that  of  A.  M.  He  was  a  clergyman  in 
the  Church  of  England.  The  grandfather,  John  B.  Swete,  was  the 
owner  of  Blatchford  Hall,  Netherexe,  Train  Hall,  Oxton  Hall  and 
other  estates.  He  married  Lady  Shafto,  who  passed  away  at 
Park  Place,  county  of  Devon.  The  father,  a  gentleman  of  means 
and  leisure,  resided  at  the  latter  place.  The  family  on  both  sides 
were  prominent  in  the  English  navy.  The  children  in  the  parental 
family  were  educated  at  the  Rossall  school  in  Lancashire.  From 
boyhood  Carrington  A.  Swete  made  many  trips  to  various  parts 
of  Chili  and  other  points  off  the  Horn,  where  the  winters,  which 
occur  in  July  and  August,  are  very  stormy  and  where  the  nights 
are  long  and  dark.  On  one  of  these  expeditions  Mr.  Swete  canie 
near  losing  his  life,  when  one  night  a  storm  came  on,  which  in- 
creased in  severity  as  the  hours  passed.  So  fearful  was  the  power 
of  the  wind  that  not  only  the  boats  but  the  wheel  house  as  well 
were  torn  away;  the  sea  raged  over  the  deck,  sweeping  before  it 
the    sailors,    whose    long   training   in    such    emergencies,    however. 


380  HISTORY  OF  YOLO  COUNTY 

enabled  them  to  cling  with  almost  superhuman  power  to  various 
parts  of  the  ship.  In  the  midst  of  this  crisis  Mr.  Swete  was  thrown 
overboard,  but  succeeded  in  grasping  the  guard  rail,  to  which  he 
hung,  while  the  foaming  waves  dashed  over  him  and  the  voice  of 
the  tempest  thundered  in  his  ears.  A  few  moments,  hours  to  him, 
passed  ere  strong  hands  rescued  him,  shaken  but  safe,  from  his 
perilous  position.  Only  by  the  valiant  efforts  of  the  crew  did 
the  ship  weather  the  storm,  arriving  at  her  goal  crippled  but  with 
her  precious  cargo  intact.  For  four  years  Mr.  Swete  sailed  the 
ocean  in  trading  vessels,  and  the  life,  though  ofttimes  fraught  with 
grave  danger,  held  for  him  a  fascination  the  memory  of  which 
still  thrills  him. 

Responding  to  the  alluring  reports  that  drifted  from  America's 
great  west,  Mr.  Swete  came  in  1894  to  Bakersfleld,  Cal,  but  re- 
mained there  scarcely  three  months,  owing  to  his  disappointment 
in  the  situation.  From  there  he  came  to  the  Capay  valley,  where 
he  purchased  forty  acres  of  land,  thirty  of  which  he  planted  to 
almonds  and  pears.  Owing  to  the  eventful  career  which  he  had 
led  up  to  the  time  of  his  arrival  in  California,  he  found  life  some- 
what monotonous  during  the  next  few  years,  and  when,  in  1898, 
stories  of  the  discovery  of  gold  in  Alaska  came  to  his  ears  he  gladly 
seized  the  opportunity  to  join  a  party  bound  for  the  gold  fields, 
leaving  San  Francisco  on  a  two-mast  lumber  schooner  called  The 
Charles  Hanson,  manned  by  its  own  crew  and  captain.  Eight 
weeks  elapsed  from  the  beginning  of  the  journey  until  they  reached 
their  first  landing,  St.  Michaels,  whence  they  went  to  the  Oohnck 
river,  proceeding  overland  to  Nome,  a  distance  of  seven  hundred 
miles.  Their  sleds  were  drawn  by  the  strong  and  capable  dogs 
native  to  that  land,  and  all  fared  well  until  the  food  supplies  became 
exhausted,  when  they  were  forced  to  kill  their  faithful  animals  to 
sustain  life.  After  days  of  suffering  they  were  rescued  by  a 
passing  vessel,  the  kindness  of  whose  captain  and  crew  will  never  be 
forgotten  by  the  men  they  saved.  Later,  scurvy  developed  among 
the  sailors  and  misery  reigned  supreme,  men  dying  by  dozens.  Mr. 
Swete,  however,  remained  immune  and  when  the  vessel  reached 
Cape  Nome  he  found  at  its  height  the  excitement  occasioned  by  the 
discovery  of  the  precious  gold.  He  engaged  in  mining  on  the  beach 
and  was  successful  but  could  not  hold  the  twenty  acres,  as  it  was 
held  by  the  United  States  from  high  water  to  low  water.  In  the 
fall  of  1899  he  embarked  for  the  sunny  land  of  California,  bavin"' 
been  in  the  frigid  climate  of  Alaska  about  eighteen  months.  Upon 
the  return  trip,  typhoid  fever  appeared  among  the  passengers  and, 
as  before,  the  journey  was  made  in  horror,  two  men  becoming 
maniacs  and  had  to  be  dealt  with  accordingly. 

After  the  experience  above  related,  Mr.  Swete  determined  to 


2^>^^^^^/T 


HISTORY  OF  YOLO  COUNTY  383 

remain  in  peace  upon  his  flourishing  fruit  ranch,  and  to  that  end 
proceeded  to  devote  his  entire  energy  and  interest  to  the  devel- 
opment of  his  property  and  the  comfort  of  his  family.  It  should 
be  mentioned  that  his  brother,  Shafto  Swete,  is  his  partner  in 
the  orchard.  A  machinist  by  trade,  he  also  came  to  Capay  valley 
in  1894.  In  1898  he  went  to  Dawson,  Alaska,  over  the  Chilcoot 
Pass,  and  after  the  exciting  experiences  of  one  year  returned 
home. 

Carrington  A.  Swete  was  married  in  Guinda  to  Miss  Agnes 
Boniface,  and  they  with  their  daughter,  Camilla,  are  active  mem- 
bers of  the  Congregational  Church.  Politically  Mr.  Swete  is  an 
independent  Republican.  Having  renounced  his  roving  life,  he  finds 
his  greatest  pleasure  in  his  home  and  in  all  things  that  pertain  to 
the  development  of  Yolo  county. 


LAWSON  BROTHERS 

Among  Yolo  county's  successful  ranchers  and  dairymen  none, 
perhaps,  are  better  known  or  more  highly  respected  than  the  Law- 
son  brothers,  Budd  and  Syl  by  name,  who  throughout  their  lives 
have  resided  in  that  section,  their  interests  at  present  being  cen- 
tered in  the  development  of  approximately  two  thousand  acre-  of 
land  in  the  vicinity  of  Woodland.  Born  on  Willow  Slough.  Yolo 
countv,  the  brothers  spent  their  youth  on  the  farm  of  their  parents, 
Samuel  and  Emma  (Wright)  Lawson,  who  were  born,  respectively. 
in  Sweden  and  England.  When  a  lad  of  eight  years  the  father  went 
to  sea,  shipping  on  English  vessels,  and  in  time  he  became  mate. 
On  one  of  his  voyages,  in  the  year  1868,  he  rounded  Cape  Horn 
and  landed  at  San  Francisco.  Pleased  with  the  outlook  he  de- 
termined to  make  his  future  home  in  the  Golden  State  and  made 
settlement  in  Yolo  county  seven  miles  southeast  of  Woodland. 
There  he  later  married  Emma  Wright,  who  had  come  overland 
from  Illinois  with  her  parents,  the  tedious  journey  behind  plodding 
oxen  coming  to  an  end  in  Yolo  county  in  November,  1851,  after 
which  Mr.  Wright  took  up  farming  and  became  a  factor  in  the 
development  of  this  section  of  country.  After  his  marriage  Samuel 
Lawson  located  on  a  quarter  section  of  land  on  Willow  Slough, 
where  he  carried  on  farming  successfully  until  death  ended  his 
labors  in  1896,  when  he  was  seventy-two  years  of  age.  His  wife 
survived  a  number  of  years,  passing  away  January  19,  1909,  at 
the  age  of  sixty-nine.  All  of  the  four  children  born  to  them  are 
living  and  are  named  as  follows:  Syl.  the  senior  member  of  the 


384  HISTORY  OF  YOLO  COUNTY 

firm  of  Lawson  Brothers ;  Lena,  Mrs.  Strawbridge,  of  Woodland ; 
Emma,  Mrs.  Cunningham,  also  residing  in  the  old  home ;  and  Bndd. 
the  junior  member  of  the  firm. 

For  the  past  eighteen  years,  or  since  1894,  the  Lawson  Brothers 
have  been  in  partnership  in  a  farming  and  dairying  enterprise  that 
from  the  start  has  proved  a  paying  venture.  After  carrying  on 
the  home  place  for  a  time  they  rented  adjoining  land  on  which 
they  made  a  specialty  of  grain  raising,  having  at  one  time  about 
five  thousand  acres  under  cultivation.  Their  first  venture  on 
land  of  their  own  was  on  the  old  home  place,  which  they  had 
purchased  in  the  meantime,  as  well  as  one  hundred  and  sixty 
acres  of  land  adjoining,  all  of  which  they  put  in  grain.  Their 
holdings  were  further  increased  by  the  purchase  of  eighty  acres 
one  mile  west  of  Woodland,  this  land  being  devoted  to  raising 
alfalfa  to  supply  their  dairy  herd  and  not  for  market.  Besides 
the  land  mentioned  they  also  operate  on  lease  four  hundred  and 
eighty  acres  near  Knights  Landing  in  grain  and  alfalfa,  and 
fourteen  hundred  acres  on  Willow  slough,  the  latter  in  grain, 
and  they  harvest  their  great  crop  with  a  combined  harvester, 
propelled  by  a  caterpillar  engine.  The  flourishing  dairy  business 
of  which  the  brothers  are  now  the  proprietors  began  with  thirty 
cows  in  1903,  on  Willow  slough.  Encouraged  by  their  success,  the 
following  year  they  leased  the  old  Becket  ranch  of  one  hundred 
and  forty  acres  one-half  mile  west  of  Woodland  and  increased 
their  herd  to  about  two  hundred  cows  of  the  Holstein  and  Durham 
breed,  milking  on  an  average  of  one  hundred  and  twenty  cows.  A 
full-blooded  registered  Holstein  bull  is  at  the  head  of  the  herd. 
The  dairy  is  equipped  with  a  DeLaval  separator  run  by  electric 
power,  and  during  the  summer  season  all  of  the  cream  from  the 
ranch  is  shipped  to  Sacramento  and  sold  for  sweet  cream  to  the 
confectioners.  The  brothers  are  interested  in  the  Woodland  Co- 
operative Creamery  Company,  of  which  Syl  Lawson  is  vice- 
president,  as  well  as  a  director. 

The  Lawson  Brothers  are  also  engaged  in  raising  horses, 
mules,  sheep  and  hogs,  and  in  this  as  in  every  venture  that  they 
have  as  yet  undertaken  they  are  meeting  with  the  success  which 
their  tireless  efforts  deserve.  The  by-product  of  the  dairy,  the 
skimmed  milk,  is  used  for  fattening  the  hogs  for  the  market,  a 
venture  which  has  passed  the  experimental  stage,  for  there  are  no 
finer  Durock  Jersey  hogs  brought  to  the  market  in  Woodland 
than  those  from  the  Lawson  ranch,  all  of  which  have  been  fattened 
without  the  aid  of  grain.  Though  they  have  been  in  the  dairy  busi- 
ness only  a  few  years  the  Lawson  Brothers  have  already  risen 
to  the  front  rank  in  their  line  and  are  today  the  largest  dairymen 
in  Yolo  county.     They  are  also  large  buyers  and  sellers  of  sheep 


HISTORY  OF  YOLO  COUNTY  385 

and  cattle  for  the  market,  this  extensive  business  also  having  grown 
from  a  modest  beginning. 

Syl  Lawson  was  married  in  Oakland  August  28,  1895,  to  Miss 
Carrie  Overacker,  who  was  born  in  Portland,  Mich.,  the  daughter 
of  Philander  and  Marcella  (Headley)  Overacker,  the  former 
born  in  Michigan  and  the  latter  in  Vermont.  The  mother  passed 
away  in  Michigan,  and  the  father  now  makes  his  home  with  his 
daughter,  Mrs.  Lawson.  She  is  a  graduate  of  the  state  normal 
at  San  Jose,  being  a  member  of  the  class  of  1892.  After  her 
graduation  she  taught  school  for  three  years.  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Syl 
Lawson  are  the  parents  of  four  children,  Howard,  Walter,  Emma 
and  Justus.  Mrs.  Lawson  is  a  member  of  the  Methodist  Episcopal 
Church  and  takes  an  active  interest  in  its  various  organizations. 
Mr.  Lawson  is  identified  with  the  Woodmen  of  the  World  and 
politically  he  is  a  Republican.  In  addition  to  the  partnership  in- 
terests already  mentioned,  Syl  Lawson.  was  for  five  years  asso- 
ciated with  the  Alameda  Beet  Company  as  superintendent.  On 
the  advent  of  the  company  in  Yolo  county  he  became  interested 
in  securing  beet  land  and  in  creating  an  interest  in  beet-raising 
among  the  farmers.  It  is  interesting  to  note  in  this  connection 
that  the  first  beets  were  hauled  to  the  railroad  in  sacks  and  dumped 
into  the  cars. 

Budd  Lawson  is  giving  his  attention  to  the  management  of 
their  agricultural  and  grain  growing  interests,  while  Syl  attends  to 
the  dairy  interests  of  the  firm.  The  former  is  clerk  of  the  board 
of  trustees  of  the  Willow  Slough  school  district,  having  held 
it  for  the  past  four  years.  He  is  a  member  of  the  Woodland 
Lodge  No.  Ill,  I.  0.  0.  P.,  towards  the  charities  of  which  he  is  a 
liberal  contributor. 

In  retrospection  the  Lawson  brothers  frequently  survey  the 
changes  that  have  taken  place  in  Yolo  county  since  they  were  boys. 
Then  the  country  was  in  its  original  state,  thickly  covered  with 
live  oak  trees,  and  Woodland  in  those  days  had  only  two  small 
stores  and  a  few  scattered  homes.  Loyal  to  the  beautiful  valley 
in  which  they  were  born,  and  which  they  have  assisted  materially 
in  developing,  their  opinion  is  unanimous  concerning  the  superior- 
ity of  this  section  over  the  many  localities  which  they  have  visited 
and  which  have  offered  most  attractive  inducements  to  the  home- 
seeker.  Progressive  and  public  spirited,  they  maintain  an  active 
interest  in  all  public  movements  of  worth  and  deservedly  rank 
among  the  most  influential  citizens  of  the  community.  They  may 
always  be  depended  upon  to  stand  up  for  the  right,  and  in  all  of 
their  dealings  they  have  strictly  adhered  to  the  teachings  of  the 
Golden  Rule. 


386  HISTORY  OF  YOLO  COUNTY 

DAVID  WOLG-AMOTT 

We  of  the  present  generation  are  justly  proud  of  our  ances- 
tors of  the  last  decade,  whose  unremitting  labor  and  self-sacrifice 
laid  the  foundation  of  the  noble  and  progressive  civilization  that 
we  enjoy  today. 

David  Wolganiott,  of  German  descent,  inheriting  the  sturdy 
and  admirable  qualities  of  his  worthy  parents,  was  well  fitted  for 
the  role  of  a  California  pioneer.  He  was  born  on  his  father's 
farm  in  Guernsey  county,  Ohio,  February  9,  1838,  and  received 
his  education  in  the  local  schools,  early  giving  evidence  of  a  strong, 
manly  character. 

Upon  his  brother  Joseph's  emigration  to  California  in  1850 
David's  imagination  became  fired  with  a  keen  desire  to  take  a 
like  journey  and  make  for  himself  in  the  mysterious  west  a  name 
and  a  fortune  that  should  reflect  honor  upon  the  house  of  Wolga- 
niott. In  1859  at  the  age  of  twenty-one,  being  free  to  order  his 
life  according  to  his  desires,  he  accepted  the  opportunity  to  join 
a  party  of  five  hundred  and  eighty  people  westward  bound,  and, 
filled  with  the  high  hopes  of  youth,  he  left  the  scenes  of  his  boy- 
hood. The  wagons  were  drawn  by  bull  teams,  and  the  memory 
of  that  slow,  wonderful  journey  across  the  plains,  the  mingled 
hardships  and  compensations,  and  the  deep  sense  of  the  Creator's 
nearness,  David  Wolganiott  would  not  voluntarily  relinquish. 
His  destination  reached,  September  13,  1859,  he  joined  his  brother 
Joseph,  who  had  located  near  Woodland,  Cal.,  and  for  fifteen 
years  the  brothers  carried  on  the  affairs  of  the  ranch  in  partner- 
ship. 

In  1870  Mr.  Wolgamott  won  for  his  wife  Rose  M.  Dinsdale, 
a  native  of  Missouri,  whose  father  had  brought  his  family  to  Cali- 
fornia the  year  the  Civil  war  began.  Four  years  later,  believing 
that  more  money  could  be  made  by  dealing  in  sheep  than  by 
farming,  Mr.  Wolgamott  moved  to  the  foothills  of  Capay  valley 
and  engaged  in  sheep  raising,  gradually  adding  to  his  flock  until 
it  numbered  three  thousand.  In  1884  he  again  changed  his  resi- 
dence, locating  near  Healdsburg,  in  Sonoma  county,  where  he  con- 
tinued in  the  sheep  industry.  Steady  progress  rewarded  his  ef- 
forts and  in  1910  he  purchased  fifty  acres  of  the  finest  and  most 
productive  land  in  Yolo  county,  located  southeast  of  Woodland 
and  known  as  the  old  Demming  place,  where  he  now  resides. 
Without  irrigation  four  crops  of  alfalfa  are  raised  yearly  on  this 
land,  and  from  fifteen  acres  which  had  never  been  plowed  or 
harrowed  Mr.  Wolgamott  secured  as  volunteer  crops  three  hun- 
dreds sacks  of  barley  each  harvest  for  three  years. 

Three   sons  were  born  to   Mr.   and   Mrs.   Wolgamott,   as   fol- 


QiL/  ^J^Uy 


j^W*^    /&&&t*o>  eX^J^ 


HISTORY  OF  YOLO  COUNTY  391 

lows:  Frank,  a  farmer  of  Fresno  county;  Charles,  who  resides 
near  Healdshurg;  and  Walter,  who  is  still  on  the  home  place. 
Integrity  and  honor  are  synonymous  with  the  name  of  Wolga- 
mott,  upon  which  the  sons  of  this  generation  bid  fair  to  cast  no 
shadow.  The  mother  of  these  children  died  in  Sonoma  county 
May  16,  1909,  at  the  age  of  fifty  years. 


JOHN  KEITHLY 

From  the  Atlantic  seaboard,  where  the  original  immigrant  to 
America  established  a  home,  the  Keithly  family  by  successive 
removals  became  transplanted  to  the  west  and  its  present  repre- 
sentatives in  California  are  associated  honorably  and  intimately 
with  many  enterprises  for  the  agricultural  upbuilding  and  com- 
mercial development  of  the  commonwealth.  The  member  of  the 
family  to  whose  worth  this  sketch  forms  a  sincere  tribute  was 
born  in  Harrison  county,  Ind.,  November  15,  1828,  and  entered  into 
eternity  in  1898  after  a  long  association  with  western  history.  In 
him  were  combined  the  elements  necessary  to  enduring  pioneer 
activities.  Sturdy  of  frame,  stalwart  of  physique,  optimistic  in 
temperament  and  sanguine  under  the  most  discouraging  outlook, 
his  physical  and  mental  attributes  were  those  of  the  frontiersman. 
Upon  no  shoulders  more  capable  than  his  could  fall  the  task  of 
promoting  pioneer  movements  and  laying  well  the  foundation  of 
a  great  and  wealthy  state,  whose  chief  cause  for  gratitude  is  the 
presence  of  early  settlers  resourceful  in  mind  and  patriotic  in 
spirit. 

Genealogical  records  show  that  Jacob  and  Sarah  (Roberts) 
Keithly,  natives  of  Kentucky,  became  pioneer  farmers  of  Indiana 
and  as  early  as  1837  removed  thence  to  Illinois,  settling  in 
McDonough  county  upon  a  large  tract  of  raw  land.  Ere  this  the 
son,  when  a  boy  of  eight  years,  had  ploughed  corn  on  the  Indiana 
farm  and  he  took  up  the  same  task  in  Illinois,  besides  doing  other 
work  more  fitted  for  older  boys  or  men.  There  was  a  large  family 
(ten  sons  and  two  daughters)  and  it  was  necessary  for  each  to 
aid  in  the  cultivation  of  the  land  or  the  care  of  the  home  to  the 
extent  of  his  or  her  ability.  When  the  children  started  out  in  the 
world  for  themselves  they  became  widely  scattered  and  some  came 
as  far  west  as  the  coast.  Their  reports  concerning  the  west  so 
enthused  their  father  that  in  L869  he  visited  California.  During 
1870  he  again  came  west,  this  time  buying  land  near  Santa  Rosa. 


392  HISTORY  OF  YOLO  COUNTY 

but  in  a  short  time  he  sold  the  property.  Returning  to  Illinois 
in  1871,  the  next  year  he  removed  permanently  to  California  and 
purchased  a  ranch  near  Fulton,  Sonoma  county,  where  in  August 
of  1875  his  useful  existence  came  to  an  end. 

When  twenty-three  years  of  age,  in  1852  John  Keithly  crossed 
the  plains  in  a  "prairie  schooner"  and  at  the  expiration  of  six 
months  arrived  at  Placerville,  where  he  took  up  mining  pursuits. 
Later  he  worked  in  the  Santa  Clara  valley.  In  partnership  with 
his  brother,  William,  he  went  to  Redwood  City,  San  Mateo  county, 
and  took  a  contract  to  cut  timber,  at  which  work  they  made  $1160 
in  seven  months.  Going  to  Sacramento,  they  purchased  a  drove 
of  cattle  with  the  intention  of  returning  with  the  stock  to  Red- 
wood City,  but  a  favorable  offer  was  made  and  they  sold  the 
cattle  at  an  advance  of  $20  per  head  over  the  cost  to  them.  With 
the  returns  from  the  sale  they  bought  other  cattle.  That  herd  they 
took  to  Redwood  City  and  during  the  winter  engaged  in  teaming. 
Their  next  venture  took  them  to  Sacramento  and  from  there  they 
engaged  in  teaming  to  the  mines  at  Nevada  City.  A  large  sum 
of  money  resulted  from  their  energetic  labors  and  this  they  in- 
vested in  cattle,  but  after  a  few  years  they  sold  out.  Taking  up 
land  in  Solano  county,  they  became  interested  in  the  sheep  industry 
and  at  one  time  owned  a  flock  of  seven  thousand  head.  During 
1860  they  bought  one  thousand  acres  from  Henry  Conner  and 
engaged  in  raising  wheat. 

Upon  the  dissolution  of  the  partnership  between  the  brothers 
in  1865  John  Keithly  came  to  Yolo  county  and  purchased  eight 
hundred  and  forty  acres  near  Davis.  Later  he  acquired  a  tract 
of  six  hundred  and  forty  acres  in  another  part  of  the  county,  besides 
owning  three  hundred  and  twenty  acres  in  Solano  county.  The 
large  area  was  devoted  to  the  raising  of  grain  and  to  the  stock 
industry,  his  specialty  being  line  horses  and  mules.  As  a  rancher 
lie  carried  forward  his  work  upon  an  extensive  scale  and  met  with 
returns  gratifying  as  well  as  richly  merited.  For  twelve  years  after 
his  death  the  farm  was  managed  by  his  widow,  but  eventually  the 
property  was  divided  among  the  heirs  and  Mrs.  Keithly  then 
established  a  home  in  San  Francisco,  where  she  makes  her  home. 
Prior  to  her  marriage  in  1868  she  bore  the  name  of  Alicia  Reynolds. 
From  girlhood  she  has  lived  in  California,  Imt  Canada  is  her 
native  land.  The  former  marriage  of  Mr.  Keithly  had  united 
him  with  Miss  Maria  E.  Briggs,  who  was  born  in  Massachusetts 
and  died  in  Yolo  county  in  1866  one  year  after  their  union.  Of 
the  second  marriage  four  children  were  born,  George  F.  L.,  Wil- 
liam E.  (deceased),  James  K.  and  Estelle,  Mrs.  Simon  Errington. 
The  oldest  son  married  Miss  Sophia  Struve  and  has  two  children, 
Edwin   L.    and    Clarice.      The    second    son    not    only    conducted    a 


HISTORY  OF  YOLO  COUNTY  393 

livery  stable  at  Davis,  but  also  assisted  his  mother  in  the  man- 
agement of  the  ranch  and  displayed  ability  in  both  lines  of  activity 
until  his  death,  October  4,  1899.  ' 

Mrs..  Keithly  was  the  daughter  of  Lawrence  and  Mary  (Koen) 
Reynolds,  wbo  brought  their  family  to  California  in  1856  via 
Panama.  Mr.  Reynolds  engaged  in  farming  near  Vacaville,  and 
there  he  died  at  the  age  of  fifty  years.  Mrs.  Reynolds  died  at  the 
age  of  eighty-one  years.  After  the  death  of  her  mother  Mrs. 
Keithly  purchased  the  old  home  of  her  parents  containing  three 
hundred  and  twenty  acres  four  miles  northeast  of  Vacaville.  This 
she  rents,  as  she  also  does  another  half  section  that  she  owns. 

Mrs.  Keithly  received  her  education  in  the  public  schools 
near  Vacaville  and  at  St.  Catherine's  convent  at  Benicia.  In  retro- 
spect she  looks  back  over  fifty  years  and  sees  broad  vacant  plains 
that  now  abound  in  productive  farms  and  orchards  and  beautiful 
homes. 


GEORGE  HAYES 

One  of  the  earliest  pioneers  of  Yolo  county,  having  been  iden- 
tified with  the  development  of  that  section  for  the  past  thirty-eight 
years,  Mr.  Hayes  fully  merits  the  esteem  and  prosperity  which  he 
enjoys  today,  his  name  being  synonymous  with  courage  and  honor. 
A  native  of  Illinois,  he  was  born  in  October,  1855,  near  St.  Louis, 
Mo.,  where  he  remained  with  his  parents  until  he  came  to  Yolo 
county.  Here  he  first  engaged  in  farming,  in  connection  with 
which  he  successfully  conducted  a  general  wood  business.  Subse- 
quently he  was  joined  by  his  father,  a  wheelwright  by  occupation. 

The  marriage  of  Mr.  Hayes  united  him  with  Miss  Elizabeth 
Jones,  and  to  their  union  the  following  children  were  born:  Leo 
George,  who  married  Miss  Ollie  Oollett;  Ollie,  who  is  the  wife  of 
Carl  Bicknell  and  the  mother  of  two  sons,  Melvin  and  Kenneth; 
Ora,  who  is  now  the  wife  of  George  Perry  of  Knight's  Landing 
and  who  has  one  son,  Norman;  T).  L.,  and  Leland  E. 

Mr.  Hayes'  holdings  aggregate  two  hundred  and  eighty  acres, 
fifty  of  which  are  devoted  to  alfalfa,  the  remainder  being  in 
barley,  which.,  in  1911,  produced  thirteen  sacks  per  acre.  He  is 
also  the  owner  of  eighteen  head  of  stock,  and  raises  lio.o-s  for  his 
own  use.  As  a  man  of  enterprise  and  exceptional  business  abil- 
ity, Mr.  Hayes  has  aided  materially  in  the  progress  of  the  section 
in  which  he  has  so  long  resided  and  anions  his  fellow  citizens  is 
regarded  with  warm  respect  and  admiration. 


394  HISTOEY  OF  YOLO  COUNTY 

J.   WESLEY    GALLUP 

Horticultural  enterprises  have  engaged  the  attention  of  Mr. 
Gallup  for  a  long  period  of  successful  activity  and  by  means  of 
his  skill  in  the  occupation,  as  well  as  his  persevering  industry,  he 
has  added  another  name  to  the  list  of  prosperous  fruit-growers 
in  the  county  and  has  furnished  additional  evidence  as  to  the 
adaptability  of  the  soil  to  such  pursuits.  Lying  on  the  route  of 
the  free  delivery  No.  2  out  from  Woodland  may  be  seen  his  at- 
tractive homestead  of  forty-seven  acres,  which,  together  with 
another  farm  of  twenty-seven  acres  entirely  given  over  to  the 
cultivation  of  grapes,  forms  a  possession  of  considerable  value  and 
gratifying  annual  returns.  A  specialty  is  made  of  seedless  raisin 
grapes  and  in  this  product  he  has  been  successful  to  an  unusual 
degree.  On  the  home  place,  in  addition  to  the  vineyard,  he  has 
a  great  variety  of  apricots,  plums,  prunes,  pears,  peaches,  almonds 
and  walnuts,  and  from  the  sale  of  these  varied  products  he  re- 
ceives an  income  of  considerable  dimensions,  worthily  won  through 
his  own  industry  and  perseverance,  supplemented  by  the  intelligent 
co-operation  of  his  wife. 

In  his  lineage  Mr.  Gallup  represents  a  colonial  family  of 
Connecticut.  His  father,  N.  S.  and  grandfather,  Peter  Gallup, 
were  natives  of  that  state.  The  former,  a  contractor  by  occupa- 
tion and  a  lifelong  resident  of  Connecticut,  married  Julia  A.  Gal- 
lup, daughter  of  Frank  Gallup.  In  a  very  early  day  her  brothers 
came  to  California  and  were  pioneer  freighters  out  of  Sacra- 
mento. Of  her  children  J.  Wesley,  the  eldest,  was  born  at  Ledyard, 
Conn.,  March  10,  1859.  Ellen  is  the  wife  of  Prof.  C.  L.  Bristol, 
an  eminent  educator  of  New  York  City.  Amos,  a  contractor  and 
builder,  makes  his  home  in  Connecticut,  where  also  resides  the 
only  other  member  of  the  family,  Mrs.  Cora  Turner,  a  widow. 
The  common  schools  of  Connecticut  gave  J.  Wesley  Gallup  fair 
advantages  and  on  the  home  farm  he  was  trained  to  habits  of 
industry  and  self-reliance.  Upon  starting  out  to  make  his  own 
way  in  the.  wo  rid  he  came  to  California  in  1883,  and  in  1885  settled 
in  Yolo  county,  where  he  has  since  resided  with  the  exception 
of  one  year  in  Sacramento  county  and  three  years  in  San  Fran- 
cisco. After  his  return  to  Yolo  county  in  1894  Mr.  Gallup  rented 
the  land  he  later  acquired  by  purchase,  first  buying  twenty-seven 
acres  and  afterward  becoming  the  owner  of  the  balance  of  the 
property.  Since  he  bought  the  land  he  has  rebuilt  and  remodeled 
the  house,  transforming  it  into  a  neat  and  attractive  country  home. 
The  beauty  of  the  residence  is  enhanced  by  the  shade  and  orna- 
mental trees  surrounding  the  buildings.  A  substantial  barn  and 
other   necessary  structures   add   to   the  value   of  the  place.      The 


HISTORY  OF  YOLO  COUNTY  397 

present  condition  of  the  property  speaks  volumes  for  the  skill  and 
perseverance  of  the  owner,  who  began  in  horticultural  efforts 
without  means  and  through  his  own  exertions  has  accumulated  a 
valuable  tract.  It  has  been  his  good  fortune  to  enjoy  the  co- 
operation of  his  wife,  a  woman  of  intelligence  and  energy,  whom 
he  married  in  this  county  in  1896  and  who  was  formerly  Miss 
Madge  Godsil.  Mrs.  Gallup  was  born  at  Hong  Kong,  China, 
being  the  daughter  of  an  Englishman  who  for  years  served  as 
a  sea  captain  and  meanwhile  had  his  family  stationed  first  in 
China,  later  in  Australia  and  eventually  in  California.  Five 
children  comprise  the  family  of  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Gallup,  namely: 
Edward,  Harold,  Lyle,  Ellen  and  Katheryn.  In  fraternal  relations 
Mr.  Gallup  and  his  wife  are  identified  with  the  Woodland  Lodge  of 
Rebekahs  and  in  addition  he  is  a  prominent  worker  in  and  a 
past  noble  grand  of  the  Woodland  Lodge,  I.  0.  0.  F.  The  welfare 
of  the  order  has  been  promoted  through  his  wise  leadership  and 
he  has  been  active  in  enlarging  its  field  of  usefulness.  As  a  citizen 
he  favors  all  movements  for  the  general  good  and  has  been  par- 
ticularly interested  in  measures  for  the  enlargement  of  horticul- 
tural enterprises  in  the  county. 


CHARLES  S.  THOMAS 

The  activities  of  a  generation  of  patriotic  and  resourceful  citi- 
zens have  wrought  many  transformations  in  the  agricultural  aspect 
and  commercial  enterprises  of  Yolo  county  since  there  passed  from 
his  useful  toil  one  long  identified  with  its  progress  and  a  promoter 
of  its  early  business  development.  The  value  of  the  citizenship  of 
C.  S.  Thomas  during  the  years  of  his  pioneer  labors  can  scarcely  lie 
overestimated.  Coming  to  the  county  in  a  very  early  day,  he  dis- 
cerned its  possibilities  and  often  predicted  its  ultimate  prosperity 
and  wealth,  this,  too,  at  a  time  when  the  most  optimistic  spirit  but 
dimly  discerned  the  hidden  resources  of  the  region.  His  judgment 
was  keen,  his  loyalty  to  county  was  deep  and  his  contributions  of 
time  and  means  to  local  development  generous  and  cordial.  All  in 
all,  his  character  was  of  the  type  so  indispensable  to  the  evolution 
of  a  frontier  region  into  a  highly  civilized  community. 

The  changes  of  a  busy  existence  brought  Mr.  Thomas  to  a  point 
far  distant  from  his  birthplace  at  New  Haven,  Conn.,  and  into  sur- 
roundings  radically  different  from  those  familiar  to  his  boyhood. 
Born  in  1810,  he  was  still  quite  small  when  the  family  took  up  the 


398  HISTOBY  OF  YOLO  COUNTY 

journey  toward  the  west.  Finding  a  desirable  location  in  New  York 
state,  they  took  up  land  and  he  entered  upon  the  task  of  earning  a 
livelihood  as  a  tiller  of  the  soil.  It  followed  that  he  had  neither 
the  time  nor  the  opportunity  to  attend  school  and  the  broad  fund  of 
information  he  later  acquired  was  the  result  of  habits  of  close  ob- 
servation and  thoughtful  reading.  The  attaining  of  his  majority 
marked  another  change  in  his  environment,  for  he  then  became  a 
pioneer  of  Wisconsin  and  settled  among  the  frontiersmen  of  Green 
county,  where  for  one  term  he  served  as  county  sheriff. 

In  company  with  a  party  of  emigrants  Mr.  Thomas  crossed  the 
plains  to  California  during  the  summer  of  1853  and  after  his  arrival 
he  engaged  in  mining  at  Placerville.  The  year  1855  found  him  a 
pioneer  of  Yolo  county,  where  he  settled  at  Knight's  Landing  and 
embarked  in  business  pursuits.  For  a  long  period  he  held  rank 
among  the  leading  men  of  the  locality  and  his  general  store  was  a 
center  of  trade  for  the  pioneers  coming  from  every  direction.  His 
leading  occupation  was  that  of  grain  buyer  and  in  the  early  era  of 
the  settlement  the  farmers  were  accustomed  to  haul  their  grain  to 
his  elevator,  and  then  buy  at  his  store  such  necessities  as  they 
wished  to  take  back  home  with  them.  The  grain  was  hauled  to  town 
in  "prairie  schooners"  and  was  loaded  from  the  elevator  into 
barges,  which  conveyed  it  down  the  Sacramento  river  to  the  mar- 
kets. When  Mr.  Thomas  removed  from  Knight's  Landing  to  Wood- 
land in  1872  he  resumed  the  grain  business  and  until  his  death  ten 
years  later  he  bought  and  sold  grain  in  very  large  quantities.  For 
many  years  before  his  demise  he  had  the  inestimable  benefit  of  the 
co-operation  and  cheerful  counsel  of  his  capable  wife,  whom  he  had 
married  in  Monroe,  Wis.,  in  1848  and  who  was  Miss  Josephine 
Louisa  Wallace,  a  native  of  Galena,  111.  Mrs.  Thomas  survives  her 
husband  and  in  her  pleasant  home  at  No.  658  First  street,  Wood- 
land, surrounded  by  the  comforts  that  give  pleasure  to  age  and  min- 
istered to  by  children  and  friends,  she  passes  the  twilight  of  her  use- 
ful existence  in  quiet  contentment  and  finds  her  highest  happiness  in 
the  welfare  and  society  of  her  daughter,  Mrs.  Addie  E.  Baker,  and 
son,  Charles  F.  Thomas,  both  of  whom  are  living  in  Woodland. 


FEDELE   COSTA 

The  name  of  Costa  indicates  the  Italian  origin  of  the  family. 
Indeed  up  to  the  present  the  majority  of  the  members  remain  in  the 
land  of  their  ancestors,  although  a  number  have  sought  the  oppor- 
tunities offered  by  other  countries.  Among  those  who  have  found  in 


HISTORY  OF  YOLO  COUNTY  399 

the  new  world  advantages  not  possible  in  their  own  beautiful  Italy 
mention  belongs  to  Fedele  Costa,  a  native  of  Bioglio,  Novara,  born 
November  30,  1863.  The  fact  that  his  father,  Dominico  Costa,  was 
a  very  successful  contractor  and  builder  in  Italy  determined  his 
own  line  of  activities,  for  at  the  age  of  twelve  years  he  began  with 
his  father  to  learn  the  occupation  of  a  builder  and  soon  gained  a 
thorough  knowledge  of  the  occupation.  Meanwhile,  while  working 
at  the  trade  during  the  summer  months,  he  devoted  the  winters 
to  school  and  thus  acquired  a  fair  education  in  the  city  of  Tech- 
nique, where  he  completed  the  studies  of  the  grammar  grade.  Upon 
leaving  school  lie  began  to  give  his  entire  time  to  occupative 
labors  and  soon  became  known  as  a  skilled  workman  in  every 
branch  of  constructive  work.  From  a  position  as  a  clay  laborer 
he  rose  to  be  contractor  and  superintendent  for  large  building  firms 
in  Italy,  where  he  had  charge  of  the  construction  of  many  large  and 
important  buildings.  Before  leaving  his  native  country  he  had 
begun  to  take  contracts  of  his  own  and  these  he  filled  with  scrupu- 
lous exactness. 

Coming  to  the  United  States  and  to  California  during  1906 
Mr.  Costa  found  employment  at  his  trade  in  San  Francisco,  but 
after  a  brief  sojourn  in  the  metropolis  he  removed  to  Livermore, 
where  he  engaged  in  the  building  business  for  three  years.  From 
there  he  was  called  to  Auburn  and  was  the  architect  and  contractor 
for  the  erection  of  St.  Joseph's  Catholic  Church.  So  satisfactory 
was  his  work  on  that  beautiful  and  substantial  structure  that,  on  its 
completion,  the  building  committee  honored  him  with  valuable 
presents  and  also  gave  him  the  highest  testimonials  for  efficiency. 
The  skill  which  he  had  exercised  in  the  construction  of  that  church 
led  him  to  be  regarded  as  a  specialist  in  church  building  and 
brought  him  to  the  notice  of  the  committee  having  in  charge  the 
erection  of  the  Holy  Rosary  Roman  Catholic  Church  at  Woodland 
For  this  imposing  and  magnificent  edifice,  the  largest  and  finest 
house  of  worship  in  Yolo  county,  he  was  engaged  as  architect  as 
well  and  building  contractor.  The  duties  of  the  large  contract 
brought  him  to  Woodland  during  February  of  1912  and  here  he 
has  since  made  his  headquarters,  meantime  giving  his  attention 
to  the  building  business.  More  than  ordinary  success  has  come  to 
him  in  his  chosen  occupation,  every  department  of  which  he 
thoroughly  understands  and  with  every  phase  of  which  he  is  famil- 
iar. Eaving  devoted  himself  to  the  occupation  with  the  must  in- 
tense diligence,  he  lias  had  no  leisure  for  participation  in  the  public 
affairs  of  his  adopted  country,  nor  has  he  identified  himself  with  any 
order  excepting  the  Ancient  Order  of  Foresters.  In  this  organiza- 
tion he  has  been  interested  from  the  standpoint  of  an  active  mem 
bership  and  to  its  philanthropies  be  has  contributed  with  character- 
istic generosity. 


400  HISTORY  OF  YOLO  COUNTY 

ISAAC  J.  ELY 

From  an  early  period  in  the  colonization  of  the  new  world  the 
Ely  family  was  identified  with  its  agricultural  development  and 
several  successive  generations  lived  in  the  south,  the  earliest  repre- 
sentative coming  from  England  and  settling  in  Virginia.  Several 
members  of  the  Ely  family  fought  in  the  Revolutionary  war.  Dar- 
ing the  year  1819  Isaac  Ely,  a  Kentuckian  by  birth  and  education, 
Kicatcd  on  land  in  Missouri,  and  in  1823  brought  his  wife  and  chil- 
dren to  the  newer  regions  of  that  state,  taking  up  a  claim  in 
Ralls  county  in  the  midst  of  a  region  so  desolate  that  no  settlers 
other  than  Indians  had  invaded  the  lonely  precincts.  Out  of  the 
wilderness  he  carved  a  home  for  his  family,  one  of  whom,  Aaron  F., 
born  in  Kentucky  and  reared  in  Missouri,  married  Miss  Emily 
Utterbach,  a  native  of  Clay  county,  Mo.,  who  was  the  daughter 
of  George  Utterbach,  who  served  as  aide  to  General  Washington 
in  the  Revolutionary  war,  afterward  moving  to  Kentucky,  where 
he  married  Catherine  Spence.  They  began  housekeeping  upon  a 
tract  of  raw  land  in  Ralls  county  and  labored  with  devoted  dili- 
gence to  develop  a  productive  farm  out  of  the  virgin  soil.  In 
1844,  ere  he  had  realized  his  dreams  of  a  highly  improved  farm  and 
the  acquisition  of  a  competency,  the  father  was  stricken  by  the 
hand  of  death.  Upon  the  widow  devolved  the  task  of  rearing  their 
children  and  making  a  home  for  the  little  family.  This  duty  she 
performed  nobly  and  affectionately  and  until  her  death,  in  1879, 
she  gave  her  thoughts  and  work  wholly  to  the  welfare  of  her 
children.  Her  eldest  son  was  Isaac.  J.,  born  in  Ralls  county,  Mo., 
March  6,  1836.  The  second,  Hankerson,  died  in  Ralls  county,  Mo., 
in  1909,  when  almost  sixty  years  of  age.  The  third,  Aaron  F.,  Jr.. 
died  in  Woodland,  Cah,  in  1901,  leaving  wife  and  children  to 
mourn  his  demise.  The  youngest  member  of  the  family  circle, 
Martin,  is  a  resident  of  his  native  county  in  Missouri  and  engages 
in  agricultural  pursuits. 

To  aid  in  an  intelligent  grasp  of  business  matters  Isaac  J. 
Ely  was  given  an  excellent  common  school  education,  which  he 
has  enlarged  by  habits  of  observation  and  thoughtful  reading. 
October  19,  1857,  was  his  first  day  in  his  present  locality  and  the 
date  of  his  arrival  in  Sacramento  at  the  expiration  of  a  journey 
lasting  only  one  day  less  than  six  months.  The  trip  across  the 
plains  had  been  made  with  a  large  train  of  ox-teams,  horses  and 
cattle,  and  proved  very  tedious  but  not  especially  dangerous. 
Each  day  of  the  six  months  the  young  emigrant  wrote  in  his  diary 
an  account  of  special  happenings,  all  interesting  and  some  amusing. 
The  record  was  kept  with  painstaking  care  and  was  highly  prized 
by  him  as  a  detailed  description  of  an  important  series  of  events. 


jz/*  £ 


HISTORY  OF  YOLO  COUNTY  403 

When  the  journal  was  accidentally  lost  its  author  experienced  a 
feeliug  of  the  deepest  regret. 

After  having  gained  some  experience  in  mining  for  gold  at 
Folsom  and  meanwhile  having  met  with  a  little  success,  in  Feb 
ruary  of  1858  Mr.  Ely  came  to  Yolo  county  and  took  up  land 
which  he  still  owns  and  occupies.  Later  he  bought  a  quit-claim 
deed  to  one  hundred  and  sixty  acres  near  his  homestead.  In  1864 
he  purchased  another  quarter  section  and  removed  to  the  new 
tract,  where  for  a  time  he  kept  "bachelor's  hall."  At  Woodland. 
August  19,  1866,  he  was  united  in  marriage  with  Mrs.  Jane  (Strode) 
Watson,  who  was  born  in  Ralls  county,  Mo.,  and  came  to  California 
in  1852,  settling  at  Sacramento.  After  his  marriage  Mr.  Ely 
returned  to  the  farm  that  he  had  purchased  immediately  after  his 
removal  to  this  county  and  here  he  took  up  general  farm  pursuits. 
In  the  course  of  time  he  erected  a  neat,  substantial  and  commodious 
residence,  adequate  outbuildings,  etc.,  and  transformed  the  prop- 
erty into  a  highly  improved  estate,  well  adapted  to  profitable 
farming  in  grain  and  hay  and  also  adapted  especially  to  the  raising 
of  stock,  high-grade  cattle,  horses  and  hogs  being  a  specialty  of 
the  owner.  Conservative  in  business  dealings,  wise  in  agricultural 
enterprises,  judicious  in  the  selection  of  stock  and  energetic  in  the 
dispatch  of  farm  work,  he  furnishes  an  ideal  type  of  the  old  set- 
tler who  yet  is  in  active  touch  with  present-day  affairs.  In  addi- 
tion to  eight  hundred  acres  which  he  has  in  Yolo  county,  he  owns 
valuable  timber  lands  and  stock  range  in  Sutter  county,  where 
in  1878  he  bought  two  tracts,  one  embracing  one  hundred  and 
forty-seven  and  one-half  acres  and  the  other  containing  a  quarter 
section.    Some  of  this  land  is  devoted  to  raising  alfalfa  and  beans. 

A  happy  married  life  of  twenty  years  was  ended  with  the 
death  of  Mrs.  Ely  in  1886.  Four  children  survive  her.  The  two 
eldest  sons,  Frank  E.  and  Rodney  M.,  reside  upon  and  cultivate 
the  large  home  ranch.  The  first-named  married  Miss  Annie 
Broughton  and  they  have  three  sons,  Isaac  J.,  Jr.,  Robert  D.  and 
John  F.  Rodney  M.  married  Miss  P^liza  Jacobs,  and  they  have  one 
daughter.  Fern.  Leslie  S.,  the  third  son  in  the  family  circle,  has 
a  son,  Leslie  S.,  Jr.,  and  resides  in  Sacramento.  The  only  daughter, 
Emily,  Mrs.  George  N.  Jacobs,  of  Woodland,  has  two  children, 
Isaac  Wayne  and  Virginia.  As  early  as  1865  Mr.  Ely  was  made  a 
Mason  in  Grafton  Lodge  No..  141,  F.  &  A.  M.,  and  later  he  became 
connected  with  Woodland  Chapter  No.  46,  R.  A.  M.  and  Woodland 
Commandery  No.  21,  K.  T.  The  principles  of  the  order  have  a 
linn  adherent  in  him  and  he  has  been  stanch  in  his  long  allegiance 
to  the  lofty  creed  adopted  by  the  organization.  His  Interest  in 
the  blue  lodge  has  been  particularly  keen  and  his  service  in  various 
positions,  including  that  of  worshipful  master,  has  been  intelligent 


404  HISTORY  OF  YOLO  COUNTY 

and  capable.  His  sons,  Frank  E.  and  Rodney  M.,  are  also  disciples 
of  Masonry  and  share  the  father's  deyoted  faith  in  the  principles 
of  the  order. 


WILLIAM  BRINCK 

One  of  the  most  prominent  citizens  of  Winters  is  William 
Brinck.  This  Yolo  pioneer  was  born  in  Bichweiler,  Alsace,  France, 
October  20,  1849,  living  there  until  1869,  or  until  nineteen  years  of 
age.  With  his  parents,  Henry  and  Elizabeth  (Klem)  Brinck, 
natives  of  the  same  place,  he  came  to  this  country,  locating  in 
New  York  City,  and  after  three  years'  sojourn  there  the  subject 
of  this  review,  in  company  with  his  brother,  Henry  Brinck,  struck 
out  for  the  west.  Fortune  evidently  went  with  the  two  young  Al- 
satians, because  they  landed  in  one  of  the  garden  spots  of  this 
garden  of  the  world — Pleasant  valley,  Solano  county.  They 
immediately  settled  upon  a  tract  of  two  hundred  and  ten  acres 
and  began  to  prosper.  It  was  hard  work  clearing  land  for  culti- 
vation, but  that  made  no  difference  to  them,  or  to  their  neighbors, 
and  that  is  the  reason  Pleasant  valley  blossoms  as  the  rose.  Wil- 
liam married  Miss  Mary  Keene,  a  native  daughter  of  the  Golden 
West,  and  from  that  union  was  born,  thirty-one  years  ago,  a  son, 
William,  Jr.,  whose  marriage  to  Miss  Daisy  Manning  resulted  in 
the  birth  of  two  sons,  William  G.  and  John  M.  After  the  death 
of  his  first  wife,  William  Brinck  married  Josephine  Bernier,  a 
native  of  Kentucky.  This  event  took  place  sixteen  years  ago, 
and  the  couple  have  two  daughters,  Gladys  I.  and  Elizabeth  E. 

Mr.  Brinck,  true  to  his  native  France,  at  first  planted  grape- 
vines, but  when  his  vineyard,  with  those  of  his  neighbors,  became 
diseased,  he  grubbed  it  up  and  planted  the  land  to  peaches,  apri- 
cots, plums,  prunes  and  pears.  In  the  year  1903  he  dissolved 
with  his  brother  and  divided  the  places.  About  eighteen  years 
ago  he  located  on  his  present  place  and  set  out  an  orchard  on  a 
tract  of  grain  land,  now  having  one  hundred  and  twenty-five  acres 
in  one  big  orchard  of  different  varieties  of  fruit.  He  has  sixty 
acres  of  peaches  and  twenty-five  acres  of  almonds.  The  yields 
of  all  his  orchards  for  the  year  have  been  enormous.  He  lives  in 
a  splendid  ten-room  residence,  fully  modern  and  up  to  date,  set 
in  the  middle  of  beautiful  surrounding  grounds  planted  with 
orange  trees  and  rare  fruits  for  family  use.  The  ranch  is  well 
equipped  with  suitable  packing  and  drying  houses,  etc. 


HISTORY  OF  YOLO  COUNTY  407 

Mr.  Brinck  was  made  a  Mason  in  Buckeye  Lodge  No.  195  at 
Winters,  and  himself  and  wife  are  identified  with  the  Order  of 
the  Eastern  Star.  He  has  always  taken  a  keen  interest  in  the 
educational  affairs  of  his  neighborhood  and  has  repeatedly  served 
as  trustee  of  the  district  and  of  the  Winters  union  high  school. 
For  several  years  he  has  been  vice  president  and  a  director  of 
the  First  National  and  Savings  Bank  of  Winters,  and  is  also  a 
director  in  the  Winters  Canning  Association  and  the  Winters 
Dried  Fruit  Company.  In  politics  he  affiliates  with  the  Republi- 
cans, but  does  not  stick  close  within  party  lines  when  the  personal 
character  of  the  candidate  is  in  question.  He  is  closely  attached 
to  his  family,  is  a  loving  father,  a  helpful  neighbor,  and,  in  all,  a 
good  citizen  of  the  republic,  like  the  many  immigrants  the  Repub- 
lic of  France  has  sent  to  this  country. 


MRS.  BERTHA  WEBER 

By  her  innate  refinement  and  breadth  of  culture  Mrs.  Weber 
has  greatly  endeared  herself  to  her  many  friends  in  Woodland,  and 
has  also  amply  proven  her  business  ability  in  the  management  of 
her  highly  cultivated  and  productive  estate  adjacent  to  the  city. 

Born  in  Horn,  Grnund,  Wurtemberg,  Germany,  Mrs.  Weber  was 
the  fourth  eldest  of  seven  children  and  received  a  thorough  public 
school  education  in  her  home  community.  Her  parents,  Bernard 
and  Veronica  (Klotzbiger)  Schuerle,  were  also  natives  of  Gmund, 
and  her  father  served  as  game  warden  and  head  forester  of  a 
large  estate  until  he  died.  The  Schuerle  family  comes  of  very  old 
and  noble  ancestors  of  Wurtemberg,  Germany.  Bertha  Schuerle 
became  the  wife  of  Christian  Weber,  a  carpenter  and  builder,  their 
marriage  taking  place  in  Stuttgart,  Germany,  May  19,  1863.  During 
the  succeeding  eight  years  they  made  their  home  in  Stuttgart,  the 
husband  continuing  to  conduct  his  trade  with  increasing  success, 
and  by  his  sterling  qualities  and  good  judgment  becoming  one  of 
the  leading  citizens  of  the  community.  In  1871,  however,  the  plans 
of  the  young  couple  were  shattered  by  the  death  of  Mr.  Weber,  at 
the  age  of  thirty-five.  In  1876  the  bereaved  young  wife,  accom- 
panied by  her  two  little  daughters,  left  the  scenes  of  her  happy  mar- 
ried life  of  five  years,  with  her  brother.  John  K.  Schuerle,  a  farmer 
of  Woodland,  Cal.  In  1901,  upon  the  death  of  her  brother,  she 
became  sole  owner  of  the  two  hundred  and  thirty-five  acre  farm 


408  HISTORY  OF  YOLO  COUNTY 

which,  in  innumerable  ways,  she  had  assisted  in  bringing  to  a  state 
of  prosperity,  and  she  continued  to  reside  on  her  ranch,  the  affairs 
of  which  she  had  so  judiciously  conducted.  After  the  marriage  of 
her  children,  Mary,  Mrs.  Allele  of  Dunnigan,  and  Amelia,  Mrs. 
Bemmerly,  who  resides  in  Woodland,  Mrs.  Weber  redoubled  her 
interest  in  the  general  welfare  of  the  community,  bravely  endeav- 
oring to  bridge  the  gap  that  became  apparent  upon  the  departure 
of  those  whom  she  loved  best. 

In  addition  to  raising  grain  Mrs.  Weber  devotes  sixty  acres  of 
her  property  to  the  culture  of  a  vineyard,  and  finds  keen  pleasure 
in  the  many  duties  which  command  her  attention.  She  is  the 
owner  of  valuable  real  estate  in  Woodland  and  maintains  an  intelli- 
gent and  personal  control  over  her  interests.  The  grounds  sur- 
rounding her  home  are  well  kept  and  in  excellent  taste,  a  notable 
feature  being  a  massive  and  beautiful  oak  which  towers  majestically 
above  its  fellows. 

Mrs.  Weber  is  an  active  member  of  the  Holy  Rosary  Catholic 
Church,  to  which  she  devotes  much  of  her  time  and  thought  as  well 
as  financial  assistance,  and  is  widely  known  as  a  woman  of  high 
intelligence  and  generous  sympathies. 


MRS.  HENRY  BORDEN  WOOD 

The  late  Henry  Borden  Wood,  whose  widow,  Mrs.  Julia  T. 
Wood,  is  one  of  the  most  highly  honored  of  the  older  citizens  of 
Woodland,  Yolo  county,  Cal.,  was  born  at  Little  Compton,  R.  I., 
August  S,  1826,  and  died  November  10,  1906.  Mr.  Wood  was  a  son 
of  Borden  and  Harriet  (Gray)  Wood,  natives  of  Rhode  Island. 
When  he  was  fifteen  years  old  his  parents  moved  to  New  York  City 
and  his  father  became  a  captain  in  the  merchant  marine  service.  A 
few  years  later  the  family  took  up  their  residence  at  New  Bedford, 
Mass.,. and  Borden  Wood  became  president  of  a  bank  in  that  city. 
There  the  son  completed  his  education  and  there  he  was  a  clerk  until 
1849,  when  he  and  five  others  chartered  a  whaling  vessel  and  sailed 
around  Cape  Horn  for  San  Francisco  and  thence  up  to  Benicia.  It 
was  on  Washington's  birthday  that  they  left  New  Bedford  and  the 
journey  was  slow  and  tiresome.  Mr.  Wood  went  to  the  mines,  but 
soon  established  himself  as  a  grocery  merchant  in  Sonora.  Later  he 
was  in  the  shoe  trade  until  in  1852,  when  lie  returned  to  Massa- 
chusetts. After  a  stay  there  of  five  months  he  returned  to  Califor- 
nia by  way  of  the  Isthmus  of  Panama  and  opened  a  shoe  store  in 
Marysville.    In  1858  he  removed  to  Yolo  county  and  bought  and  im- 


HISTORY  OF  YOLO  COUNTY  411 

proved  and  operated  a  ranch  near  Charleston  and  in  1864  he  en- 
tered upon  a  two  years'  clerkship  with  Thomas  &  Laugenour  at 
Knight's  Landing.  In  1866  he  was  appointed  deputy  sheriff  under 
Sheriff  Charles  Gray,  but  soon  opened  a  hardware  store  on  Main 
street,  Woodland,  which  he  conducted  successfully  until  his  death. 
After  that  event  his  widow  continued  the  business  a  year  and  a  half, 
then  disposed  of  it.  She  still  owns  a  store  building  on  Main  street 
near  First,  her  residence  at  No.  827  Main  street,  and  other  property 
in  the  city. 

June  8,  1851,  at  Sacramento,  Gal.,  Mr.  Wood  married  Julia  T. 
Hannon,  a  native  of  Kings  county,  Ireland.  When  she  was  two 
years  old  she  was  adopted  by  her  grandparents,  James  and  Eliza- 
beth Prout,  of  Queens  county,  and  was  educated  by  a  tutor.  In 
1849  she  came  across  the  ocean  to  Boston,  Mass.,  with  her  aunt, 
Margaret  Prout,  who  sent  her  to  a  young  ladies'  seminary  at  New 
Bedford.  In  1859  she  came  to  California  by  way  of  the  Isthmus  of 
Panama,  landing  at  San  Francisco  July  30,  thence  she  went  to  Sac- 
ramento, where  she  was  married  about  two  years  later.  She  bore 
her  husband  five  children:  Harriet  E.  died  at  the  age  of  two  years 
and  six  months;  Borden  died  in  San  Francisco  in  1904  in  his  thirty- 
seventh  year;  Henry  died  August  15,  1906;  Augustine  and  James 
live  in  Woodland.  Mrs.  Wood  is  a  woman  of  strong  character  and 
ready  sympathies,  noted  alike  for  her  business  ability  and  for  her 
unostentatious  help  of  deserving  persons  in  need.  She  is  a  com- 
municant of  the  Holy  Rosary  Catholic  Church  of  Woodland.  Her 
late  husband  was  in  his  political  affiliations  a  Republican ;  in  his  re- 
ligion he  was  an  Episcopalian;  as  a  citizen  he  was  generously  public- 
spirited  and  helpful  to  all  worthy  local  interests. 


G.  H.  HECKE 

It  is  to  men  of  superior  ability  and  scientific  knowledge  that 
the  various  horticultural  sections  of  California  owe  their  present 
prosperous  condition  and  wonderful  state  of  development,  and  in 
particular  is  Yolo  county  fortunately  and  scientifically  equipped 
in  her  horticultural  commissioner,  <!.  II.  Eecke.  This  busy  and 
useful  official  was  horn  in  Hamburg,  Germany,  where  after  leav- 
ing the  high  school  of  his  native  city  he  was  employed  several 
years  in  a  large  nursery.  lie  left  thai  establishment  to  enter  a 
German  agricultural  college,  in  which  he  took  a  course  in  horticul- 
ture and  viticulture.     After  a  year  of  study  and  practical  work   in 


412  HISTORY  OF  YOLO  COUNTY 

France  lie  further  fitted  himself  for  his  chosen  profession  by 
special  study  at  the  Royal  Botanical  Gardens,  at  Kew,  near  London, 
England,  where  he  remained  two  years  (1890-91).  This  is  the 
only  government  institution  of  its  kind  in  England,  and  its  grad- 
uates supply  the  British  colonies  with  trained  horticulturists.  After 
passing  his  examinations  Mr.  Hecke  looked  around  for  a  location 
and  chose  the  Pacific  coast  country  as  a  fair'  field  for  future 
operations  and  selected  California  as  the  most  suitable  district  for 
his  purpose.  Accordingly  he  arrived  here  in  1892  and  entered 
the  employ  of  the  Kern  County  Land  Company  at  Bakersfield.  The 
next  year  he  decided  to  seek  a  more  desirable  field  for  his  special 
experiments  and  found  it  in  Yolo  county,  where  he  accepted  a  posi- 
tion on  the  Byron  Jackson  ranch,  two  miles  south  of  Woodland. 
In  the  course  of  time  Mr.  Hecke  became  the  owner  of  this  beautiful 
ranch.  Under  his  intelligent  and  careful  management  it  could 
not  he  other  than  what  it  is — a  rare  garden  of  plant,  vine  and  tree 
and  one  of  the  show  places  of  Central  California.  Within  its 
limits  are  a  raisin  vineyard  of  eighty  acres,  a  prune  orchard  of 
fifty  acres  and  an  apricot  and  olive  orchard  of  about  twenty 
acres.  "The  Yolanda"  is  the  fitting  and  poetical  name  Mr.  Hecke 
has  given  his  home,  and  its  one  hundred  and  sixty  acres  of  park- 
like cultivation  and  arrangement  could  not  have  been  more  appro- 
priately named.  The  ranch  is  adorned  with  a  beautiful  residence, 
in  perfect  keeping  with  the  place,  and  has  drying  houses,  packing- 
houses, stables  and  other  necessary  buildings.  Here  its  cultured 
owner  lives  and  gathers  the  plant  products  of  a  wonderful  farm. 
A  two-hundred  acre  tract  near  Esparto,  also  belonging  to  this 
estate,  is  devoted  to  the  cultivation  of  grain  and  alfalfa.  In  a 
county  of  such  agricultural  possibilities  as  Yolo  it  is  no  wonder 
that  within  its  territory  a  grower  like  this  trained  horticulturist 
has  found  his  natural  field. 

From  1904  until  1906  Mr.  Hecke  was  employed  by  the  United 
States  Department  of  Agriculture  as  an  expert  in  viticulture  and 
had  in  charge  eleven  experimental  vineyards  extending  from  Chico 
to  Cucamonga.  After  several  years  of  this  service  he  resigned 
to  devote  all  his  time  to  his  own  business  interests.  When  the 
University  Farm  at  Davis  was  established  Mr.  Hecke  was  one 
of  its  most  enthusiastic  local  advocates.  As  is  known,  this  farm 
is  a  part  of  the  College  of  Agriculture  of  the  University  of  Cali- 
fornia and  contains  seven  hundred  and  eighty  acres  of  the  rich 
alluvium  which  Putah  creek  has  for  countless  ages  been  bringing 
down  from  the  hills.  Believing  firmly  in  the  theory  of  establishing 
this  great  educational  institution  where  farming  is  taught  as  a 
science  and  pays  for  itself  in  the  knowledge  it  imparts  to  the  sur- 
rounding   world,    Yolo's    commissioner    of    horticulture    is    deeply 


B.  fi  J^a/^- 


HISTORY  OF  YOLO  COUNTY  415 

interested  in  the  noble  institution  and  has  faith  in  the  efficacy  of 
its  future  influence  on  the  agricultural  and  horticultural  develop- 
ment of  the  resources  not  only  of  California,  but  of  the  Pacific 
coast. 

In  1898  Mr.  Hecke  married  Miss  Elizabeth  Welch,  a  native  of 
Yolo  county.    They  have  two  daughters,  Leila  and  Martha. 


BUEL  RUTHVEN  SACKETT 

Studying  the  genealogy  of  the  Sackett  family,  to  which  belong 
the  well-known  ranchers  of  California,  Buel  Ruthven  Sackett,  now 
deceased,  and  his  son,  Harry  E.  Sackett,  it  is  found  that  one  of  the 
name,  supposedly  a  native  of  England,  served  as  a  regimental  sur- 
geon in  the  Revolution.  His  son,  Rev.  John  B.  Sackett,  was  born 
near  Syracuse,  N.  Y.,  January  8,  1812,  and  in  1837  became  a  pioneer 
of  Ohio,  where  he  first  taught  school,  and  later  became  a  Baptist 
minister  in  Ashtabula  and  Knox  counties.  As  a  student  of  the  Bible 
he  attained  a  widespread  reputation,  and  in  an  accurate  knowledge 
of  the  Scriptures  had  few  equals.  In  recognition  of  his  profound 
Biblical  knowledge  he  was  appointed  corresponding  secretary  of  the 
Ohio  Baptist  convention,  and  in  the  discharge  of  his  duties  he  trav- 
eled throughout  the  entire  state.  His  sudden  death,  December  24, 
1870,  closed  a  career  of  more  than  ordinary  usefulness  and  honor. 
For  some  years  he  was  survived  by  his  wife,  Amanda  (Bardeen) 
Sackett,  who  was  born  in  New  York  January  16,  1813,  and  traced 
her  lineage  to  Scottish  ancestry. 

One  of  the  expeditions  that  entered  California  during  the  early 
'50s  contained  among  its  members  a  weary  and  penniless  lad  who, 
aroused  by  tales  concerning  the  discovery  of  gold,  had  run  away 
from  home  in  the  hope  of  becoming  a  gold-seeker  in  the  west.  When, 
after  countless  discouragements,  after  a  long  period  of  hunger  and 
privation,  lie  anally  reached  his  destination,  it  was  only  to  meet 
hundreds  of  discouraged  men  returning  from  the  mines  with  the 
report  that  the  wonderful  tales  concerning  the  abundance  of  gold 
were  wholly  untrue.  The  vision  of  gold  that  had  allured  the  eastern 
youth  disappeared  before  the  bald  statements  of  other  disillusioned 
Argonauts,  and  he  turned  to  a  job  of  splitting  rails  as  a  means  of 
providing  food  and  raiment.  Four  years  later  lie  returned  to  his 
Ohio  home  and  took  up  the  apprenticeship  from  which  he  had  run 
away.     No  one  would  have  predicted  that  the  twilight  of  his  life 


416  HISTORY  OF  YOLO  COUNTY 

would  find  liim  one  of  the  prosperous  ranchers  of  California.  Des- 
tiny seemed  to  hold  Mm  now  to  the  east,  but,  under  all,  the  manic 
of  Californian  attractions  was  working,  and  in  eighteen  months 
after  his  return  to  the  east  he  gave  up  his  position,  bade  farewell  to 
friends,  and  for  the  last  time  came  to  the  west  to  earn  a  livelihood. 
How  well  he  succeeded  in  his  modest  aspirations  the  record  of  his 
holdings  and  the  influence  of  his  name  abundantly  testify. 

Fabius,  a  village  in  the  vicinity  of  Syracuse,  X.  Y.,  was  the 
birthplace  of  Buel  Euthven  Saekett,  and  here  he  was  born  Jan- 
uary 4,  1834.  At  three  years  of  age  he  was  taken  by  his  parents  to 
Ohio,  and  from  that  time  until  he  was  eighteen  remained  in  Ashta- 
bula and  Knox  counties.  Meanwhile  he  had  been  apprenticed  to  a 
jeweler  in  Mount  Vernon,  and  as  he  sat  at  work  he  heard  little  dis- 
cussed but  the  discovery  of  gold  in  California.  Small  wonder  that 
his  imagination  became  inflamed  and  his  ambition  aroused.  The 
principal  impediment  was  the  fact  that  his  apprenticeship  had  not 
expired.  Finally  he  determined  not  to  allow  that  to  hinder  him 
in  his  plans,  and  so,  with  a  friend,  he  executed  the  coup  d'etat,  run- 
ning away  in  the  night  with  a  total  capital  of  $8,  but  with  a  fund 
of  hope  that  at  the  time  seemed  inexhaustible. 

From  the  first  the  discouragements  were  many.  Every  out- 
going train  of  emigrants  leaving  Lexington,  Mo.,  was  implored  to 
give  work  to  the  lad,  whose  anxiety  grew  greater  as  his  fund  became 
less.  A  loaf  of  bread  warded  off  starvation,  while  a  barn  furnished 
shelter  at  night.  Thus  a  week  dragged  its  slow  length  along,  and 
then  a  kind-hearted  man  listened  to  his  appeal,  hiring  him  to  aid  in 
driving  a  herd  of  stock  across  the  plains.  As  Mr.  Saekett  had  no 
knowledge  of  harnessing  horses  or  driving  cattle,  he  was  less  help- 
ful than  a  country  boy  would  have  been,  but  with  his  eagerness  and 
determination  he  soon  learned  to  be  of  use  to  his  employer.  The 
journey  was  tedious  and  not  without  danger,  but  finally  California 
was  reached  in  safety,  and  he  continued  on  to  Sonoma  county  with 
the  man  who  had  brought  him  west.  From  there  he  walked  to  Napa 
county  and  began  to  split  rails,  receiving  $6  per  hundred,  and 
shortly  afterward  built  a  house  of  logs  hewn  by  himself.  Near  the 
cabin  he  planted  apricot,  peach  and  fig  trees,  which  though  planted 
in  1852  are  to  some  extent  still  bearing  fruit. 

Selling  his  claim  and  returning  to  the  east,  Mr.  Saekett  took  up 
work  in  the  shop  from  which  he  had  run  away,  and  as  stated  above 
remained  there  about  eighteen  months,  when  he  returned  to  Califor- 
nia via  the  Panama  route.  He  rented  land  in  the  northern  part  of 
Solano  county  near  Winters,  where  he  remained  for  two  years,  and 
then  with  Milton  Wolf  skill  bought  two  hundred  and  ten  acres  near 
Winters,  and  shortly  afterward  forty  acres  of  the  tract  were  planted 
to  grapes.  On  selling  out  four  years  later  Mr.  Saekett  received 
only  enough  to  pay  his  debts,  and  he  accordingly  crossed  the  line 


HISTOEY  OF  YOLO  COUNTY  417 

into  Yolo  county,  where  he  bought  one  hundred  and  ninety  acres, 
situated  about  three  miles  west  of  Winters,  and  here,  for  four  years, 
engaged  in  raising  vegetables.  On  selling  this  property  for  $2,000 
he  bought  one  hundred  and  fifty  acres  for  the  same  amount,  but  this 
place  he  sold  for  $11,000  four  years  later.  His  next  purchase  com- 
prised three  hundred  and  eighty  acres  in  Solano  and  Yolo  counties, 
and  this  splendid  ranch  he  and  his  brother,  John,  owned  and  man- 
aged jointly  with  large  profit.  The  William  Brinck  ranch,  for  which 
he  paid  $18,000,  he  sold  four  years  afterward  for  $29,000.  In  part- 
nership with  his  brother  John  he  bought  nine  hundred  acres,  the 
most  of  which  is  along  Putah  creek  in  Yolo  county,  although  a  por- 
tion of  the  tract  is  in  Solano  county.  The  large  acreage  is  divided 
into  five  farms  and  each  bears  a  full  equipment  of  improvements. 
The  home  farm  lies  three  and  a  half  miles  west  of  Winters  in  Yolo 
county,  and  has  about  two  hundred  and  fifty  acres  in  orchard  and 
vineyard.  In  1906  Mr.  Sackett  located  in  Alameda,  where  he  made 
his  home  the  remainder  of  his  life,  his  death  occurring  March  30; 
1912.  Mr.  Sackett 's  death  was  sincerely  mourned  by  a  great  num- 
ber of  friends  and  associates,  who  had  ever  found  him  a  conscien- 
tious and  thoughtful  friend,  and  also  by  a  number  who  had  been 
the  recipient  of  his  kindly  charities.  He  was  a  high  type  of  the 
self-made,  self-reliant  man  who  has  come  to  the  west  to  build  it  up 
and  make  it  the  exceptional  country  it  is  today,  and  it  is  largely  due 
to  him  and  his  followers  that  his  line  of  business  has  reached  its 
present  flourishing  condition. 

In  February,  1862,  Buel  R.  Sackett  was  married  to  Susan  Wil- 
liams, who  was  born  in  Missouri  and  came  across  the  plains  with 
her  father  shortly  before  her  marriage.  Four  children  were  born 
to  this  union,  as  follows:  Harry  E.,  who  is  an  eminent  horticulturist 
of  this  vicinity ;  Fannie,  who  is  the  wife  of  R.  N.  Dinsmore  and  the 
mother  of  Buel  Dinsmore;  Louis  A.,  who  married  Clara  Graham, 
and  has  two  children,  Buel  R.  and  Dorothy;  and  Herbert  F.,  de- 
ceased. After  the  death  of  his  first  wife  Mr.  Sackett  married 
Frances  Williams,  who  soon  after  passed  away.  On  September  30, 
1879,  at  Fairfield,  he  married  Florence  A.  Howe,  a  native  of  Auburn, 
Fayette  county,  Iowa,  daughter  of  Hiram  T.  and  Rhoda  A.  (Pitts) 
Howe,  early  settlers  of  Iowa.  Mr.  Howe  was  a  soldier  in  an  Iowa 
regiment  in  the  Civil  war,  and  died  during  service.  Mrs.  Sackett 
was  brought  to  California  in  1875  with  her  mother  and  stepfather, 
H.  B.  Austin.  She  was  the  mother  of  five  children,  viz.:  Amanda 
J.,  who  married  Frederick  Ayres,  of  Alameda,  Cal.;  Buel,  deceased; 
Chester  H.,  who  is  managing  the  home  place;  Ruthven  W.,  who  is 
Mrs.  Roy  Wyatt,  of  Winters;  and  Florence  M.  All  these  children 
have  been  given  a  thorough  educational  training  and  been  broughl 
up  to  be  a  credit  to  the  name  they  hear. 


418  HISTORY  OF  YOLO  COUNTY 

JOHN  CRAIG  DRUMMOND 

As  fall  the  ripened  fruits  and  the  autumn  leaves  upon  the  som- 
ber earth,  there  to  receive  burial  beneath  a  white  shroud  of  snow, 
so  pass  the  pioneers  from  the  darkness  of  life's  night  into  the  gra- 
cious memory  of  the  past.  Few  still  remain  of  the  rugged  youths 
who  were  allured  to  the  west  by  thrilling  tales  concerning  the  dis- 
covery of  gold  and  who  nobly  performed  their  part  in  the  upbuilding 
of  a  great  commonwealth,  whose  present  prosperity  may  be  attri- 
buted largely  to  their  labors  during  the  formative  period  of  western 
civilization.  An  honored  place  in  the  annals  of  Yolo  county  was 
filled  by  the  late  John  C.  Drummond  and  his  memory  remains  green 
in  the  hearts  of  family  and  friends,  while  his  wife,  who  came  across 
the  plains  in  girlhood  and  has  witnessed  the  remarkable  expansion 
of  local  resources,  remains  to  receive  the  kindly  hospitality  of  old- 
time  friends  and  the  sympathetic  reverence  of  a  younger  generation 
of  workers.  ^ 

It  may  be  taken  for  granted  that  the  early  life  of  Mr.  Drum- 
mond in  Rahway,  N.  J.,  where  he  was  born  in  1828,  prepared  him 
for  hardships  and  pioneer  tasks  in  the  west.  Certain  it  is  that  he 
proved  equal  to  every  emergency  that  arose  and  acquitted  himself 
manfully  in  every  responsibility  of  a  long  and  useful  existence. 
When  he  took  the  long  voyage  around  the  Horn  in  1849  it  was  with 
the  intention  of  trying  for  a  fortune  in  the  mines,  but  his  experi- 
ences in  that  occupation  were  not  encouraging  and  in  a  short  time 
he  resumed  his  trade  of  a  blacksmith,  which  he  had  learned  in  the 
east.  For  twelve  years  he  followed  his  trade  in  Sacramento  and 
meanwhile  accumulated  savings  to  an  amount  justifying  him  in 
landed  investments.  Coming  to  Yolo  county,  he  secured  the  title  to 
seven  hundred  acres  of  land  seven  miles  east  of  Davis  and  here  he 
remained  until  his  death,  which  occurred  November  12,  1895.  Mean- 
while he  had  risen  to  a  high  rank  among  the  farmers  of  Yolo  county 
and  had  been  markedly  successful  in  the  raising  of  grain  as  well  as 
stock.  It  was  his  privilege  to  witness  the  steady  development  of  the 
west  and  he  might  well  recount  with  pride  his  association  with  the 
history  of  the  state  from  the  time  of  its  admission  to  the  Union  until 
his  own  activities  came  to  an  end. 

Any  account  of  the  life  of  this  sterling  pioneer  would  be  incom- 
plete were  no  mention  made  of  his  faithful,  devoted  wife,  to  whose 
loyal  co-operation  and  unflagging  industry  his  own  material  success 
largely  might  be  attributed.  Sarah  Frances  Reid  was  born  in 
Franklin  county,  Tenn.,  February  5,  1844,  and  was  one  of  sixteen 
children,  fourteen  of  whom  came  across  the  plains  in  company  with 
their  parents,  William  F.  and  Elizabeth  (Shores)  Reid.  Six  months 
of  1857  were  spent  on  the  road  and  finally,  on  October  15  of  that 


HISTORY  OF  YOLO  COUNTY  421 

year,  the  family  thankfully  reached  their  destination  in  Yolo  county, 
all  well  and  hearty,  and  even  their  horses  and  cattle  brought  through 
without  any  heavy  loss.  The  journey,  however,  had  not  been  with- 
out its  trials  and  dangers  and  many  of  these  Mrs.  Drummond  well 
remembers.  Of  her  descendants  there  are  nine  grandchildren  and 
eight  great-grandchildren  and  all  of  them  who  are  old  enough  to  ap- 
preciate her  tales  of  early  days  love  to  listen  to  her  accounts  of  the 
trip  across  the  plains,  presenting  as  it  does,  a  graphic  picture  of  a 
period  radically  different  from  our  twentieth-century  civilization. 
In  the  immediate  family  of  Mrs.  Drummond  there  are  three  daugh- 
ters, living,  namely :  Mrs.  Annie  Ramey  and  Mrs.  Bettie  Tufts,  both 
of  whom  live  near  Davis,  and  Mrs.  Lillian  Hafner,  who  makes  her 
home  in  the  city  of  Oakland.  Mrs.  Drummond  since  her  husband's 
death  continues  to  reside  in  Davis,  looking  after  her  interests  and 
still  owns  three  hundred  acres  of  the  old  homestead  where  she  went 
as  a  bride  and  where  her  children  were  born. 


GEORGE  A.  OGDEN 

The  man  whose  name  is  the  title  of  this  sketch  is  one  of  the  best 
posted  grain  dealers  in  Northern  California.  He  has  built  up  a 
large  business  and  is  well  known  and  highly  respected  by  all  with 
whom  he  has  had  to  do  in  any  way.  Always,  his  integrity  is  un- 
questioned and  often  it  is  said  of  him  more  truly  than  it  has  been 
said  of  many  others,  "his  word  is  as  good  as  his  bond."  George  A. 
Ogden  was  born  at  Plainfield,  Yolo  county.  Cab,  September  28,  18(53. 
His  father,  Andrew  Ogden,  a  native  of  the  Old  Dominion  state, 
started  for  California  by  way  of  Cape  Horn  in  1848,  and  arrived  at 
Sacramento  January  1,  1849.  After  some  not  entirely  satisfactory 
experiences  as  a  miner  for  gold  be  settled  in  Yolo  county  and  be 
came  a  farmer  and  stock-raiser.  He  bought  and  improved  a  farm 
near  Plainfield,  on  which  he  lived  and  prospered  until  his  death, 
which  occurred  in  1892.  His  widow,  who  was  before  her  marriage 
Miss  Georgiana  Blair,  is  living  at  Woodland,  Yolo  county,  Of  the 
eight  children  she  bore  to  her  husband  seven  are  living.  George  A. 
was  the  third  in  order  of  birth. 

Amid  the  healthful  and  moral  environments  of  the  farm,  Gteorge 
A.  Ogden  was  reared  and  learned  farming  and  the  value  of  industry 
and  honesty  to  one  who  would  make  a  real  success  of  life,  lb'  was 
educated  in  the  public  schools  near  his  father's  farm  and  at  Atkin- 
son's Business  College,  at  Sacramento,  where  be  was  graduated  in 


422  HISTORY  OF  YOLO  COUNTY 

1880,  when  he  was  about  seventeen  years  old.  His  father  owned  a 
grain  farm  near  Anderson,  in  Shasta  county,  and  this  the  young  man 
managed  successfully  for  ten  years,  improving  his  knowledge  of 
agriculture  and  learning  the  ways  of  business  and  of  men.  Of 
course  he  made  mistakes  sometimes,  but  he  got  on.  He  came  to 
"Woodland  in  1890  and  engaged  in  the  grain  trade,  and  that  has  been 
his  business  ever  since.  During  the  first  eight  years  he  was  a  buyer 
for  Eppinger  &  Company,  and  since  then  he  has  been  in  the  trade 
wholly  for  himself.  He  buys  and  ships  grain  so  extensively  that  his 
operations  demand  a  warehouse  having  a  capacity  of  eight  thousand 
tons  of  grain  and  four  thousand  tons  of  hay.  His  establishment  is 
connected  with  the  Southern  Pacific  tracks  by  a  private  switch. 

It  was  in  Redding,  Shasta  county,  Cal.,  that  Mr.  Ogden  mar- 
ried Miss  Mary  Wolfe,  a  native  of  Oregon,  who  has  borne  him  two 
children :  "William  H.,  a  high  school  graduate,  is  assisting  his  father 
in  the  conduct  of  his  business.  Hazel  is  a  member  of  her  parents' 
household.  In  his  political  views  Mr.  Ogden  is  a  Republican.  He  is 
a  Past  Grand  of  "Woodland  Lodge  No.  Ill,  I.  0.  0.  F.,  and  a  member 
of  the  Woodmen  of  the  "World. 


DRFWRY  ROBERT  CLANTON 


One  of  Yolo  county's  earliest  settlers  is  D.  R.  Clanton,  whose 
life  record  indicates  his  exceptional  business  sagacity  and  his 
inflexible  determination  to  overcome  all  obstacles  that  arose  to 
thwart  his  plans.  He  was  born  January  24,  1831,  in  Montgomery 
county,  Mo.,  but  early  in  life  accompanied  his  parents  to  near 
Quincy,  Adams  county,  111.,  where  he  grew  to  manhood,  receiving 
his  education  in  the  country  schools  of  that  locality.  His  father, 
John  M.  Clanton,  was  a  native  of  Tennessee;  his  mother,  Mary 
(Griggs)  Clanton,  was  a  Kentuckian. 

In  1850  Drewry  R.  Clanton  came  to  California,  making  the 
trip  across  the  plains  with  mule  teams  and  wagons.  He  arrived 
in  the  vicinity  of  Hangtown  after  a  six  months  journey  and  there- 
after spent  a  short  time  in  the  mines.  Following  this  experience 
he  engaged  in  freighting  from  Sacramento  to  Forest  Hill  for 
eighteen  months.  It  was  while  on  a  trip  through  this  country  for 
the  purpose  of  buying  work  oxen  that  he  saw  the  great  possibilities 
of  Yolo  county  and  in  1853  he  took  up  land  here.  In  the  fall  of 
that  year  his  parents  joined  him,  settling  upon  land  which  their 
son  had  homesteaded  and  given  to  them.  There  they  carried  on 
a   general   farming   and   stock  business  with   great    success.      The 


f&£%   £^ 

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HISTORY  OF  YOLO  COUNTY  425 

mother  died  in  1867,  the  father  remaining  on  the  farm  until   his 
retirement  in  Woodland,  where  he  died  at  the  age  of  eighty-four. 

Drewry  Clanton,  upon  his  arrival  in  California,  faced  his  new 
life  penniless  and  weary  after  his  long,  hard  journey  across  the 
plains.  Selling  for  a  song  the  faithful  rifle  which  had  served  him 
so  well  during  his  trip,  his  next  step  was  to  order  the  first  ' '  square 
meal"  he  had  enjoyed  for  many  a  day.  As  stated  above,  in  1853 
he  homesteaded  eighty  acres  in  Yolo  county  about  a  mile  and 
one-half  north  of  Woodland,  choosing  barley  as  his  first  crop. 
When  his  parents  arrived  he  turned  this  land  over  to  them 
and  he  and  his  two  brothers  filed  on  a  section  of  land,  sharing 
equally.  In  conformance  with  the  law  each  erected  a  dwelling, 
Drewry 's  proving  superior  to  those  of  his  brothers. 

The  father  lost  his  land  later,  owing  to  the  fact  that  it  was 
a  part  of  a  Spanish  grant.  His  son  Drewry,  however,  proved 
equal  to  the  occasion  and,  presenting  his  new  home  to  his  father, 
himself  took  up  his  abode  near  the  mountains  upon  a  ranch  of 
twenty-two  hundred  acres  which  he  had  recently  acquired.  Here 
he  entered  the  stock  business,  meeting  with  success,  his  herd  at 
times  reaching  the  five-hundred  mark.  Later,  upon  disposing 
of  his  foothill  ranch,  he  purchased  a  half  section  from  his  brothers, 
added  to  this  a  quarter  section,  and  also  purchased  one  hundred 
and  sixty  acres  of  his  father,  the  same  land  he  had  given  him, 
paying  him  $14,000  for  the  quarter  section.  These  transactions  made 
D.  R.  Clanton  the  owner  of  a  section  of  valuable  land  near  Wood- 
land. Later  he  sold  three  hundred  and  twenty  acres  for  the  Briggs 
orchard  and  the  balance  is  in  sugar  beets  and  all  under  irrigation. 

The  following  incident  is  one  which  Mr.  Clanton  has  often 
related  and  is  still  fresh  in  the  minds  of  those  who  witnessed  it: 
Accompanied  by  David  Hayes,  Mr.  Clanton  started  in  1862  for 
San  Francisco,  driving  before  him  ninety-five  head  of  cattle. 
Last,  but  not  least,  in  the  party  was  a  horse,  Henry,  which  bad 
more  than  once  displayed  great  intelligence  and  which  upon  this 
occasion  lived  up  to  his  record.  Their  route  lay  via  Benicia  and 
Oakland  Ferry  and  after  a  tedious  journey  they  reached  their  des- 
tination on  a  Sabbath  day.  Since  no  cattle  were  allowed  upon 
the  streets  of  San  Francisco  on  Sunday,  Mr.  Clanton  found  himself 
in  a  quandary  as  to  how  he  might  take  his  herd  to  the  corral  which 
awaited  them.  At  last  he  hit  upon  a  plan  and  while  his  sagacious 
horse  drove  the  cattle,  he  led  the  cavalcade,  diverting  suspicion 
from  himself  as  the  owner  of  the  pilgrims  by  strolling  on  the  side- 
walk. Several  policemen  endeavored  to  interfere  with  the  progress 
of  the  party,  but  the  clever  horse,  by  means  of  his  well-aimed 
kicks,  succeeded  in  routing  them.  For  this  herd  Mr.  Clanton 
secured   $50   each   and   upon   his   return   to   his   home   resumed    his 


426  HISTORY  OF  YOLO  COUNTY 

busy  life  with  continued  success.  Upon  the  sale  of  half  his  land  in 
1882  he  purchased  of  Wilcox  &  Ferris  a  portion  of  the  Jesus 
Maria  grant,  making  a  deposit  of  $44,000,  with  the  understanding 
that  he  might  pay  the  remainder  later  at  seven  per  cent,  interest. 
The  sellers,  however,  increased  the  interest  to  ten  per  cent,  and  in 
sundry  ways  succeeded  in  baffling  Mr.  Clanton's  efforts  to  borrow 
for  less  than  that  rate  the  money  with  which  to  complete  the  deal. 
After  much  trouble  and  worry  Mr.  Clanton  finally  raised  $126,000, 
having  been  assisted  by  Dr.  H.  P.  Merritt  and  other  friends,  and 
six  weeks  thereafter  made  the  last  payment  upon  the  land. 

Early  in  his  career,  on  June  7,  1868,  Mr.  Clanton  was  married 
to  Margaret  Smith,  a  native  of  Harrison  county,  Mo.  Her 
father,  William  Eeese  Smith,  came  across  the  plains  to  California 
but  did  not  long  survive  the  journey,  dying  of  mountain  fever  in 
1850,  in  Placer .  county,  Cal.  His  wife,  who  in  maidenhood  was 
Julia  Hart,  after  his  death  was  married  in  Missouri  to  Jacob 
Hayes  and  with  him  came  across  the  plains  to  Oregon  in  1865. 
The  Indians  were  very  troublesome,  but  notwithstanding  this 
the  party  came  through  all  right,  In  1866  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Hayes 
took  up  their  residence  in  Yolo  county,  and  here  the  latter  made 
her  home  until  her  death,  at  the  age  of  eighty-two. 

Mr.  and  Mrs.  Clanton  were  blessed  with  sis  children:  Mary 
Ada,  Mrs.  E.  Streeter,  died  leaving  three  children,  Edward,  Gladys 
and  Keith,  who  were  reared  by  their  grandparents ;  Irene,  Mrs. 
A.  W.  Fox,  has  one  child,  Verna;  Laura,  Mrs.  W.  T.  Criteser,  has 
a  son,  Darwin  C. ;  Elma,  Mrs.  J.  Beers,  resides  in  Sacramento ; 
Claudie,  Mrs.  F.  E.  Meed,  died  leaving  one  child,  Margaret  M., 
who  is  also  being  reared  by  her  grandparents;  Clarence  is  a 
rancher  of  Yolo  county.  Since  1878  Mr.  Clanton  has  made  his 
home  at  No.  211  Pendegast  street,  Woodland,  where  he  has  a 
comfortable  residence  on  four  acres  of  ground.  Mr.  Clanton  is 
past  noble  grand  of  Woodland  Lodge  No.  Ill,  I.  O.  O.  F.,  having 
been  a  member  of  the  order  for  many  years.  In  the  twilight  of 
his  life  he  enjoys  the  best  recompense  earth  can  offer — the  con- 
sciousness of  duty  well  done. 


GEORGE  WASHINGTON  SCOTT 

One  of  Yolo  county's  earliest  pioneers  was  G.  W.  Scott,  who 
passed  away  at  his  home  near  Winters,  Cal.,  February  20,  1912, 
and  who  will  long  be  remembered  by  his  countless  friends  and 
associates,   more   particularly   those   who    have    lived    and    worked 


(SJood^SK^ 


HISTORY  OF  YOLO  COUNTY  429 

with  him  through  his  busy  years  in  Yolo  county,  as  a  man  of 
exemplary  qualities  and  conservative  business  judgment,  fully 
deserving  of  the  honors  which  he  enjoyed  through  the  esteem  and 
confidence  of  his  fellow  citizens. 

A  native  of  the  state  of  New  York,  his  birth  having  occurred 
October  19,  1828,  near  Ovid,  Seneca  county,  Mr.  Scott  was  a 
member  of  one  of  the  oldest  and  most  highly  respected  families  of 
the  United  States,  his  genealogy  having  been  traced  as  follows : 
Some  two  hundred  years  ago  three  Scotchmen  left  their  native  land 
to  join  the  little  company  bravely  endeavoring  to  establish  a  colony 
on  the  new-found  shores  of  America.  One  settled  in  New  Jersey, 
one  in  Connecticut  and  one  in  Virginia,  from  which  last-named 
branch  General  Winfield  Scott  was  a  later  representative.  David, 
the  great-grandfather  of  George  W.  Scott,  was  born  February 
25,  1729,  in  Connecticut.  One  of  his  children  was  Gideon,  who  was 
born  in  Connecticut  December  11,  1755,  and  who,  with  his  brothers, 
James,  David  and  Thomas,  took  an  active  part  as  a  Continental 
soldier  in  the  war  of  Independence.  October  17.  1779,  he  was 
united  in  marriage  with  Miss  Anna  Burt,  who  was  born  January 
27,  1758,  their  union  being  blessed  with  eight  children,  the  birth 
of  the  eldest,  Daniel,  occurring  August  8,  1770.  In  1790,  Gideon 
Scott  took  his  family  to  Orange  county,  N.  Y.,  where  he  remained 
until  1801,  going  thence  to  Seneca  county,  where  he  spent  his  last 
years.  January  1,  1805,  Daniel  Scott  was  united  in  marriage  with 
Miss  Sarah  Dunlap,  whose  birth  occurred  in  Connecticut,  August 
8,  1786,  and  of  their  fifteen  children,  George  W.  was  the  fourteenth. 
A  veteran  of  the  war  of  1812,  in  which  he  served  as  captain, 
Daniel  Scott  was  a  prominent  Whig,  and  in  1827  was  chosen  to 
represent  Seneca  county  in  the  legislature  which  convened  at 
Albany,  N.  Y.  Later  he  assisted  in  establishing  the  Republican 
party,  in  which,  throughout  his  life,  he  maintained  an  alert  interest, 
and  with  his  family  enjoyed  active  membership  in  the  Baptist 
Church. 

In  1847  George  W.  Scott  removed  to  Columbia  county,  Y\Tis., 
where  he  cleared  a  farm  upon  which  he  resided  three  years, 
emigrating  to  California  in  March,  1850,  in  company  with  seven 
comrades,  the  journey  being  made  with  horses  and  several  well 
stocked  prairie  schooners.  Crossing  the  Missouri  river  at  St. 
Joseph,  May  3,  they  proceeded  on  the  way,  not  without  many  trials, 
reaching  Yolo  county  in  December,  1850.  The  remainder  of  the 
winter  Mr.  Scott  spent  on  Cottonwood  creek,  Yolo  county,  and 
in  March  made  preparations  for  farming  and  stock-raisin  <;-,  having 
been  in  no  wise  disappointed  with  the  state  of  which  he  had  heard 
so  many  favorable  reports.  Scarcely  a  year  later,  however,  he 
returned  to  his  native  state,  where  he  remained  until  1S54,  having 


431)  HISTORY  OF  YOLO  COUNTY 

in  the  interim  (on  December  13,  1853)  married  Miss  Emma 
Bloomer,  also  born  in  Ovid,  Seneca  county.  She  was  the  daughter 
of  Isaac  and  Maria  (Ketchem)  Bloomer,  of  New  YTork,  who  died 
leaving  their  daughter  an  orphan  when  she  was  two  years  old. 
She  was  reared  by  her  grandmother,  Hannah  Ketchem,  on  her 
father's  farm,  receiving  her  education  in  the  public  school  and 
she  also  attended  Albion  Seminary.  Cheerfully  facing  the  vicissi- 
tudes which  they  knew  awaited  them,  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Scott  came  to 
California  across  the  plains  in  1854,  and  after  a  six-months  trip 
they  finally  reached  their  journey's  end.  The  first  years  of 
their  early  married  life  were  spent  in  a  modest  little  home  on 
Buckeye  creek,  which  the  young  husband  erected  with  his  own 
hands.  Seven  children  were  born  to  them:  Elveno,  deceased; 
Clarence,  engaged  in  stock-raising  on  a  part  of  the  ranch;  Arthur, 
manager  of  the  home  ranch;  Elma,  now  Mrs.  J.  H.  Rice,  of 
Dixon;  Addie  and  Stella,  both  deceased;  and  Charles,  who  died 
in  February,  1908. 

That  the  united  efforts  of  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Scott  were  rewarded 
by  unqualified  success  is  shown  by  the  fact  that  they  were  the 
owners  of  about  fourteen  thousand  acres  in  Yolo  county,  a  similar 
number  of  sheep  and  thousands  of  horses  and  cattle.  For  thirty 
years  Mr.  Scott  was  widely  known  as  a  leading  Republican,  having 
twice  been  the  nominee  on  the  Republican  ticket  as  state  assem- 
blyman, but  as  it  was  a  strong  Democratic  county  he  was  not 
elected.  For  one  term  he  served  as  supervisor  of  Yolo  county, 
was  a  member  of  the  state  Republican  central  committee,  and  he 
also  attended  practically  all  of  the  state  conventions  of  his  party. 
His  work  in  the  development  of  the  county  has  been  of  incalculable 
value,  and  despite  his  many  interests,  it  is  a  well  known  fact  that 
he  was  never  too  busy  to  speak  a  kindly  word  and  to  lend  practical 
aid  to  his  less  fortunate  fellow  men.  Since  his  death  Mrs.  Scott 
has  continued  to  reside  at  the  old  home,  four  miles  southwest  of 
Madison,  looking  after  her  varied  interests,  her  sons  assisting  her 
in  the  management  of  the  large  ranch. 


FRANKLYN  G.  SCHAEFFER 

One  of  those  whom  the  state  of  Pennsylvania  has  contributed 
to  the  Golden  State  is  Franklyn  G.  Schaeffer,  who  was  born  in 
Northumberland  county  in  the  year  which  closed  the  Civil  war,  1865. 
His  father,  P.  D.  Schaeffer,  a  miller  by  trade,  was  also  a  native  of 
Northumberland  county,  and  his  mother,  in  maidenhood  Rebecca 
Stitzel,   was   likewise   a   native   of  Pennsvlvania.    When   a   lad   of 


HISTORY  OF  YOLO  COUNTY  433 

seventeen  years  Franklyn  Schaeffer  accompanied  his  parents  to 
Three  Rivers,  St.  Joseph  county,  Mich.,  where  for  the  ensuing 
eighl  years  lie  assisted  his  father  in  the  maintenance  of  the  farm. 
In  L902  lie  carried  out  a  plan  which  he  had  long  been  cherishing  and 
came  to  the  Capay  valley,  Yolo  county,  Cal.,  where  soon  after- 
ward he  purchased  the  land  that  is  now  his  bearing  orchard.  This 
comprises  twenty-one  acres  of  land  near  Rumsey,  all  of  which, 
aside  from  two  and  one-half  acres  in  alfalfa,  is  in  prune  and  apricot 
trees. 

For  the  past  ten  years  Mr.  Schaeffer  has  resided  upon  his 
ranch,  devoting  his  best  interests  to  its  development,  and  reaping 
a  profit  commensurate  with  the  energy  and  effort  bestowed  upon  it. 
Last  year,  besides  the  income  derived  from  his  alfalfa,  which  is  of 
high  quality,  his  fruit  netted  him  over  $2,000. 

Mr.  Schaeffer 's  wife  was  formerly  Miss  Maggie  Frymire,  also 
a  native  of  Pennsylvania  and  one  of  his  schoolmates.  In  politics  Mr. 
Schaeffer  votes  the  independent  ticket,  and  is  deeply  interested  in 
the  welfare  of  the  community  of  which  he  has  so  long  been  a 
resident.  Members  of  the  Reformed  Church,  genial  and  kindly, 
Mr.  and  Mrs.  Schaeffer  enjoy  the  esteem  of  a  large  circle  of  friends. 


JOHN  C<  )M(  (NTOFSKI 

By  virtue  of  his  innate  qualities  of  perseverance  and  unswerv- 
ing honor,  Mr.  Comontofski  has  succeeded  in  building  up  from  no 
capital  whatever,  save  his  own  industry  and  determination,  the 
prosperity  which  he  enjoys  today,  his  beautiful  ranch  of  eighty 
acres,  as  well  as  other  tracts  near  Woodland,  ranking  among  the 
most  valuable  in  this  section. 

A  native  of  Germany,  Mr.  Comontofski's  birth  occurred  in 
Koenigsberg,  Prussia,  July  15,  1860,  and  there  he  received  bis 
education,  later  following  farming  until  his  immigration  to  America 
in  1889.  Proceeding  immediately  to  Yolo  county,  Cal.,  he  entered 
the  service  of  Otto  Schluer,  upon  whose  ranch  he  remained  three 
years,  going  thence  to  Webster  county.  Neb.  A  year  later, 
however,  he  returned  to  Yolo  county,  strong  in  the  belief  that  the 
climate  of  this  section  had  no  equal  either  in  the  old  country 
or  the  new.  For  a  time  he  rented  land  near  Woodland  and  en- 
gaged in  farming  and  viticulture  until  he  purchased  his  present 
home  place  of  eighty  acres  in  1895.  Erecting  a  comfortable  resi- 
dence, the  grounds  surrounding  which  he  took  great  pride  in  beau 


4.34  HISTORY  OF  YOLO  COUNTY 

tifying,  lie  turned  his  attention  to  the  development  of  his  property, 
planting  thirty-five  acres  to  Zinfindel  grapes,  the  wine  variety,  his 
crops  approximating  eight  to  ten  tons  per  acre.  Thirty  acres  he 
put  in  alfalfa,  which  averages  five  cuttings  annually,  conducting 
also  upon  his  home  place  a  dairy  of  eighteen  cows.  He  also  owns 
a  ranch  of  twenty-two  acres  a  quarter  mile  from  his  home,  nearly 
all  of  which  is  in  seedless  sultana  raisin  grapes,  besides  one 
hundred  and  sixty  acres  of  land  eight  miles  southwest  of  Wood- 
land, devoted  to  raising  grain,  cattle,  hogs  and  also  furnishing 
pasture.  In  addition  to  his  own  land  he  rents  land  upon  which 
he  raises  alfalfa. 

On  January  24,  1884,  Mr.  Comontofski  was  married  to  Miss 
Minnie  Wademan,  also  a  native  of  Germany,  their  union  being 
blessed  with  six  children,  as  follows:  August,  Lydia,  Emma,  Ed- 
ward, Emil  and  Elsie. 

A  member  of  Concordia  Lodge  No.  20,  Herman  Sons,  Mr. 
Comontofski  maintains  a  practical  interest  in  all  questions  of  the 
day,  and  with  his  wife  and  family  enjoys  active  membership  in  the 
German  Lutheran   Church   of  Woodland. 


OLIVER  B.   SCHOOLING 

In  1859,  when  he  was  eleven  years  of  age,  Oliver  B.  Schooling 
came  to  California  across  the  plains  with  his  parents.  Although 
this  was  not  a  very  early  date  as  compared  with  the  time  of  the  old 
pioneers,  the  family  nevertheless  had  their  share  of  hardships  and 
adventures  on  the  great  trans-continental  trail  before  their  train 
was  disbanded  in  Marysville.  At  the  beginning  of  the  journey  the 
company  consisted  of  five  families,  but  it  grew  larger  as  it  proceeded 
and  overtook  other  small  bands  of  immigrants,  and  presently  was  a 
twenty-wagon  train.  They  met  the  usual  bands  of  mischievous 
Indians  with  eyes  on  the  travelers'  cattle,  and  it  took  all  their 
care  and  watchfulness  to  prevent  trouble  and  preserve  their  three 
hundred  head  of  livestock.  Mr.  Schooling  relates  an  incident  along 
this  line  which  is  unusual  and  unique.  The  train  seems  to  have 
crossed  the  trail  of  a  general  buffalo  migration,  and  these  wild  ani- 
mals occasionally  were  disposed  to  claim  relationship  with  their  kin, 
the  immigrants'  cattle.  In  quite  a  sociable  way  they  went  through 
the  train  and  succeeded  several  times  in  stampeding  the  domestic 
herd.  Of  course  the  men  used  their  rifles  freely,  and  not  only  had 
plenty  of  buffalo  meat  as  an  article  of  diet,  but  captured  a  number 
of  buffalo  calves  whose  mothers  had  fallen  in  the  fights. 

The  familv  settled  on  a  small  farm  which  was  purchased 
en  Hornoit  creek,  where  they  lived  for  about  five  years.    Their  next 


HISTORY  OF  YOLO  COUNTY  435 

venture  was  the  accumulation  of  one  thousand  acres  at  Live  Oak, 
where  they  engaged  in  sheep  raising  for  six  years.  This  tract  they 
sold  and  removed  to  Lake  county,  in  this  state,  and  securing  a  fine 
range  on  the  shores  of  Clear  Lake  went  into  farming  and  stock- 
raising.  They  were  there  during  the  water  and  range  troubles, 
when  a  dam,  built  in  a  watercourse  by  a  company  for  the  purpose 
of  drowning  out  a  number  of  contesting  settlers,  was  destroyed  by 
a  band  of  four  hundred  angry  farmers  living  around  the  lake.  This 
occurred  in  1870,  and  it  was  partially  the  cause  of  the  Schoolings 
selling  out  after  ten  years'  residence  and  removing  to  Modoc 
county.  There  they  had  some  more  warm  experiences,  as  the  big 
Modoc  war  came  on  during  their  residence  in  that  wild,  rocky,  In- 
dian-invested country. 

Mr.  Schooling  was  married  to  Miss  Lillias  Gordon,  a  native 
of  Siskiyou  county,  Cal.,  and  their  children  are  Leonard  C,  Ervin 
P.,  Robert  E.,  Albert  and  Eva.  The  eldest  child,  Leonard  C,  is 
deceased.  Ervin  P.  married  Miss  Maggie  Slayter,  and  they  have 
three  children.  Robert  E.  married  Miss  Bell  Charter,  and  they  are 
the  parents  of  five  children.  Eva  married  Fred  Hamblet  of  Dunni- 
gan,  and  they  have  three  children,  Earl,  Russell  and  Mabel.  Albert 
married  Miss  Fannie  Flournoy,  and  resides  in  British  Columbia. 

Oliver  B.  Schooling  in  1892  was  again  on  the  wing,  as  it  were, 
as  during  that  year  he  changed  his  residence  from  Modoc  to  Tehama 
and  then  down  to  Colusa  county.  Finally  he  came  to  Yolo  comity. 
This  was  in  1909 — just  a  half-century  from  Old  Missouri.  It  was  a 
long  time  of  wandering,  but  it  was  ended  at  last.  He  was  then 
sixty-oue,  not  old  for  a  man  who  has  lived  fifty  years  in  California 
— where  people  grow  young  as  they  grow  old.  True,  his  wife,  to 
whom  he  was  married  years  ago,  is  deceased,  but  he  is  settled 
down,  content  to  pass  the  remainder  of  his  days  in  quietude.  His 
home  farm  consists  of  one  hundred  and  sixty  acres,  about  eight 
miles  southwest  of  Dunnigan,  besides  which  he  rents  adjoining  land, 
devoting  it  to  grain  and  hay.  He  is  quite  successful  in  sheep-rais- 
ing, but  his  specialty  is  the  raising  of  turkeys.  He  carefully  selects 
the  best  breeds  and  the  flocks  he  produces  for  market  take  the  high- 
est price.     In  1910  and  1911  lie  sold  ^1,000  worth  each  year. 


THOMAS  (i.   1 1  CGI  IKS 

The  well-known  citizen  of  "Woodland,  Yolo  county.  Cal..  whose 
naire  is  the  title  of  this  brief  notice — Thomas  Green  Hughes — was 
"horn  at  the  old  town  of  Liberty,  San  Joaquin  county,  Cal.,  a   son 


436  HISTORY  OF  YOLO  COUNTY 

of  William  G.  and  Clementine  (Aull)  Hughes.  His  father  was  a 
native  of  Liberty,  Clay  county,  Mo.,  and  was  educated  in  the  Mis- 
souri public  schools  and  at  William  Jewell  College,  Liberty,  where 
bis  brother,  George  Hughes,  was  a  teacher.  He  came  to  California 
in  1853,  his  party  crossing  the  plains  with  the  primitive  ox  outfits 
then  in  vogue  for  trans-continental  travel  and  transportation.  For 
awhile  he  taught  school.  Then  he  engaged  in  merchandising  in  the 
town  of  Liberty,  Cal.,  near  where  the  town  of  Gait  has  since  grown 
up  on  tbe  railroad,  trading  there  until  1862,  when  he  passed  away, 
aged  thirty-two  years.  Clementine  Aull  was  born  in  Barry,  Clay 
county,  Mo.,  and  came  to  California  with  her  father,  Dr.  Thomas 
M.  Aull.  physician  and  surgeon,  who  practiced  his  profession  in 
Barry,  Clay  county,  Mo.,  and  at  Linden,  Atchison  county,  in  that 
state,  until  1852,  when  he  crossed  the  plains  to  California.  He  lo- 
cated at  Martinez,  where  he  was  in  1853  and  1854  surveyor  of 
Contra  Costa  county.  From  there  he  went  to  Liberty,  San  Joaquin 
county,  and  continued  there  the  practice  of  his  profession,  giving 
some  little  attention  to  politics  with  such  success  that  he  repre- 
sented his  assembly  district  in  the  California  Legislature  in  1856 
and  1857.  His  wife,  who  was  Clara  Fugitt,  was  born  in  Howard 
county,  Mo.,  and  died  at  Sacramento  in  1888.  Charles  Aull,  one 
of  the  sons  of  this  pioneer  couple,  was  the  deputy  warden  of  San 
Quentin  Prison  until  1888,  when  he  was  made  the  warden  of  the 
State  Prison  at  Folsom,  which  office  he  held  until  his  death  in  Octo- 
ber, 1899.  The  second  husband  of  Mrs.  Hughes  was  Abiel  Leonard 
Boggs,  a  nephew  of  Governor  Lilburn  W.  Boggs  of  Missouri.  He 
crossed  the  plains  by  way  of  old  Mexico  and  Magdalena  Bay,  finish- 
ing the  trip  by  boat.  That  was  in  1849,  making  him  literally  a 
forty-niner.  He  became  a  farmer  and  stockman  in  Sonoma  county, 
where  for  eight  years  he  was  deputy  sheriff.  Later  he  came  to 
Woodland,  where  he  followed  the  business  of  contractor  and 
builder  until  1902,  when  he  died.  Mrs.  Boggs  has  been  a  member  of 
the  Christian  Church  since  1859.  Of  three  children  of  her  first 
marriage  only  one,  Thomas  G.  Hughes,  is  living.  By  her  second 
marriage  she  had  nine  children,  of  whom  five  are  living,  four 
daughters  and  one  son,  as  follows:  Clara,  Mrs.  W.  H.  Hooper,  of 
Woodside,  Cal.;  Sophia,  Mrs.  A.  G.  Stearns,  of  Los  Angeles;  Mary, 
the  wife  of  Dr.  C.  R.  Wilcoxon,  of  Woodland;  Helen,  the  wife  of 
the  Rev.  T.  G.  Picton,  of  Los  Angeles ;  and  Jefferson,  of  San  Fran- 
cisco. 

Thomas  G.  Hughes  was  brought  to  Woodland  in  the  spring 
of  1870,  and  was  educated  in  the  public  schools  of  that  enlightened 
city.  He  was  an  officer  of  the  State  Prison  at  Folsom  under  War- 
den Charles  Aull  for  six  years,  resigning  as  deputy  warden  in  the 
fall  of  1893.  Later  he  was  for  some  years  an  accountant  for  dif- 
ferent business  houses  in  Woodland.    In  1911  he  formed  a  partner- 


§ 

^ 


^ 


HISTORY  OF  YOLO  COUNTY  43!) 

ship  with  Judge  E.  T.  Lampton  under  the  firm  name  of  Lampton 
&  Hughes,  to  transact  a  general  abstracting  business,  in  which  lie 
give's  special  attention  to  the  perfecting  of  titles.  Mr.  Hughes  is  a 
charter  member  and  past  president  of  Woodland  Parlor  No.  30, 
N.  S.  G.  W.,  and  is  the  present  master  of  Woodland  Lodge  No.  156, 
F.  &  A.  M.  He  served  seven  years  as  a  member  of  Company  F, 
Fourth  Artillery  Regiment,  N.  G.  0.,  retiring  as  first  lieutenant. 
He  is  a  member  of  the  Christian  Church  of  Woodland,  and  is 
president  of  the  board  of  trustees.  In  his  political  convictions  he  is 
a  Democrat. 


JOHN  CARL  ALTPETER 

Born  near  Saarbrueken,  Prussia,  March  2,  1832,  John  ('ail 
Altpeter  was  a  son  of  Frank  and  Magdalene  (Dinner)  Altpeter. 
The  parents  both  died  in  their  native  land,  the  father  when  John 
Carl  was  eight  years  old.  The  youngest  of  the  three  children  of 
the  family,  he  is  the  only  survivor.  He  remained  in  Germany 
until  he  was  seventeen  years  old,  educating  himself  in  the  public 
schools,  then,  in  1849,  came  to  the  United  States,  making  the  voyage 
on  board  a  sailing  vessel  which  landed  at  New  York.  Having  too 
generously  rendered  financial  assistance  to  comrades  on  shipboard, 
he  arrived  in  America  penniless,  but  accidentally  met  a  cousin,  who 
helped  him  to  reach  Rochester,  N.  Y.  From  there  he  went  to 
Orleans  county,  that  state,  and  found  work  on  a  farm  at  $72  a 
year  and  his  board,  and  at  the  end  of  the  year  had  $44.75  in  cash. 
Continuing  to  work  and  save,  his  mother  soon  joined  him  and 
eventually  they  bought  twenty  acres  of  land  in  Orleans  county, 
N.  Y.,  and  later  more  land  until  they  owned  a  farm  of  eighty 
acres. 

December  20,  I860,  in  Monroe  county,  N.  Y.,  Mr.  Altpeter 
married  Miss  Catherine  Nessel,  a  native  of  Paterson,  N.  J.  Her 
father,  Peter  Nessel,  was  born  in  Alsace,  France,  became  a 
leather-dresser  and  immigrated  to  New  Jersey,  where  he  worked  at 
his  trade  until  he  moved  to  Monroe  county,  N.  Y.,  where  he  con- 
tinued in  the  same  line  of  endeavor,  established  a  leather  store 
and  acquired  a  farm.  He  died  in  Rochester  and  his  wife,  Margaret 
(Koerner)  Nessel,  a  native  of  Bavaria,  died  in  1876,  having  borne 
him  seven  children,  four  of  whom  are  living  and  of  whom  Mrs. 
Altpeter  was  the  eldest.  After  their  marriage  Mr.  and  Mrs. 
Altpeter  located  on  a   farm   in  Monroe  county,   N.   Y..  which   they 


440  HISTORY  OF  YOLO  COUNTY 

operated  ten  years.  Then  they  removed  to  Mr.  Altpeter's  farm  in 
Orleans  county,  where  they  lived  nine  years.  . 

In  1882  Mr.  Altpeter  removed  with  his  family  to  Berkeley, 
Cal.,  making  his  home  there  ahout  three  years.  In  1885  he 
moved  to  Woodland,  Yolo  county,  where  he  bought  a  six-acre 
ranch,  on  which  he  has  since  lived.  For  sixteen  years  he  rented 
twenty-five  acres  of  vineyard  land  of  Professor  Loughridge,  half 
a  mile  east  of  town.  In  1901  he  bought  a  ten-acre  vineyard  four 
and  one-half  miles  out  on  Cache  creek,  and  five  years  later  sold 
it  and  invested  in  improved  property  in  Woodland.  At  this  time 
he  owns  eight  houses  in  the  city,  which  he  rents.  Mr.  Altpeter's 
success  is  the  well-deserved  success  of  the  salf-made  man,  made 
in  fair  competition  with  the  world  and  with  a  due  regard  for  all 
the  rights  of  others.  While  prospering  abundantly  he  has  not 
forgotten  the  community  at  large  and  has  never  failed  to  respond 
generously  to  any  appeal  for  the  good  of  his  fellow  citizens. 

On  the  20th  of  December,  1910,  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Altpeter  cele- 
brated their  golden  wedding.  They  have  had  three  sons,  Louis, 
Charles  and  Edward.  Louis  is  in  Seattle,  Edward  in  San  Fran 
cisco  and  Charles  is  deceased.  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Altpeter  are  com- 
municants of  the  German  Evangelical  Lutheran  Church,  and  he 
has  been  a  member  of  its  board  of  trustees  ever  since  its  organiza 
tion.    Politically  he  is  a  Republican. 


WILLIAM  RUSSELL 

For  forty  years  prior  to  his  demise  Mr.  Russell  resided  upon 
the  farm  near  Winters  which  is  now  owned  and  managed  by  his 
widow  and  which,  after  repeated  failures  during  the  prolonged 
droughts  of  early  days,  has  now  been  transformed  into  a  valuable 
and  remunerative  property,  returning  abundantly  in  its  large  harv- 
ests the  fruits  of  the  care  and  cultivation  received.  The  one  hun- 
dred and  sixty  acres  comprising  the  homestead  were  taken  up  from 
the  government  by  his  father  as  early  as  1857,  but  he  himself  did 
not  settle  here  permanently  until  1869  and  afterward  throughout 
the  remaining  years  of  his  busy  existence  he  engaged  in  the  up- 
building of  the  land.  Adjacent  to  the  place  the  Southern  Pacific 
Railroad  recently  establisheed  the  station  of  Norton.  Seventy-five 
acres  are  under  cultivation  to  grain.  The  balance  of  the  land  is 
watered   from   the  Yolo  county  irrigation  ditch  and  this   renders 


HISTORY  OF  YOLO  COUNTY  441 

possible  large  crops  of  alfalfa  as  well  as  a  productive  fruit  orchard 
of  twenty-five  acres. 

The  genealogy  of  the  Russell  family  is  traced  to  Virginia, 
whence  William  Russell  migrated  to  Kentucky  and  in  the  blue  grass 
state  he  took  up  government  land  at  Russell's  Cave,  uine  miles  from 
Lexington.  The  generation  following  him  was  represented  by  Felix 
G-.  Russell,  who  was  born  and  reared  on  the  Kentucky  plantation 
and  after  marriage  engaged  in  farming  in  the  old  home  neighbor- 
hood. During  1852  he  came  to  California  with  his  sons,  William  and 
Samuel  P.,  and  subsequent  to  a  brief  unsatisfactory  experience  at 
the  mines  he  came  to  Yolo  county  and  with  his  sons  secured  squat- 
ter's claims.  During  1875  he  went  to  Texas  and  bought  land.  ,His 
death  occurred  in  that  state  when  he  was  more  than  eighty  years 
of  age. 

Born  in  Gallatin  county,  Ky.,  April  17,  1834,  William  Russell 
grew  to  manhood  in  the  blue  grass  state  and  received  a  fair  educa- 
tion. With  his  brother  and  father  he  came  to  California  in  1852, 
the  trip  via  Panama  consuming  sixty  days.  During  the  months 
immediately  following  his  arrival  in  the  west  he  mined  in  Placer 
county,  but  the  work  did  not  prove  profitable  and  the  three  came 
to  Yolo  county  to  take  up  land.  During  1857  he  and  his  father  came 
to  the  vicinity  of  the  present  site  of  Winters  and  took  up  land  still 
owned  by  the  family.  Here  he  planted  a  small  orchard  of  peaches, 
but  these  were  destroyed  by  grasshoppers  during  their  second  year 
of  bearing.  The  drought  of  18(54  proved  so  serious  that  he  was 
forced  to  leave  the  ranch  and  seek  a  livelihood  elsewhere.  While  his 
father  remained  there  he  proceeded  to  Nevada  and  engaged  in  pros- 
pecting near  Austin,  but  lack  of  success  caused  him  to  secure  work 
by  the  day  at  the  mines.  Two  years  later  he  went  to  the  head- 
waters of  the  Missouri  river  in  Montana  and  engaged  in  prospecting 
and  mining.  Later  he  went  to  Round  valley  in  Oregon,  where  he 
engaged  in  baling  hay.  Afterward  he  resumed  without  special 
success  the  work  of  a  prospector  and  miner. 

Returning  to  Yolo  county  in  1869  Mr.  Russell  aided  his  brother 
to  put  in  a  crop,  but  failure  ensued.  However,  he  did  not  allow  him- 
self to  become  discouraged,  but  continued  to  work  with  intelligence 
and  persistence,  ultimately  wresting  success  from  reverses  and  dis- 
couragements. As  soon  as  possible  he  bought  his  father's  interest  in 
the  quarter-section  and  from  that  time  until  his  death  he  remained 
the  sole  proprietor  and  owner  of  the  well-improved  farm.  After 
years  of  usefulness  and  activity  lie  passed  away  October  22.  L909, 
deeply  mourned  by  family  and  friends.  For  years  lie  had  been 
a  devoted  member  of  the  Baptist  Church  and  a  generous  supporter 
of  religious  enterprises.     His  interest   in  educational   matters  led 


442  HISTORY  OF  YOLO  COUNTY 

him  to  fill  the  office  of  school  trustee.     In  politics  he  was  a  firm 
believer  in  Democratic  principles. 

The  marriage  of  Mr.  Russell  took  place  September  17,  1874, 
and  united  him  with  Miss  Susan  I.  Wilson,  who  was  born  in 
Moniteau  county,  Mo.,  June  25,  1841.  Their  eldest  child,  Susan 
Mary,  born  June  18,  1875,  married  L.  S.  Allen  of  Yolo  county 
and  they  have  two  children,  William  R.  and  Susan  L.  The  oldest 
son,  James  W.  Russell,  born  February  16,  1877,  married  Lena 
Searse,  by  whom  he  has  a  son,  William  A.  They  make  their  home 
near  Winters,  which  is  likewise  the  home  of  the  youngest  son, 
Florence  Dudley,  familiarly  known  as  Jack  D.  Russell ;  he  was  born 
December  26,  1878,  and  married  Myrtle  Marely;  they  have  two 
children,  Earl  D.  and  Ruth  Emma.  The  family  have  a  high  stand- 
ing among  the  pioneers  of  the  county,  whose  esteem  they  have 
won  by  intelligence,  industry  and  high  principles  of  honor. 


ROY  F.  WYATT 

Although  one  of  the  younger  business  men  of  Yolo  county, 
Mr.  Wyatt  has  demonstrated  clearly  his  possession  of  not  only 
sterling  principles,  but  of  exceptional  business  ability  as  well, 
and  by  his  progressive  spirit  and  untiring  enterprise  has  set  an 
example  well  worthy  of  emulation  among  his  fellow  workers. 

A  native  of  California,  his  birth  having  occurred  in  Dixon, 
Solano  county,  May  6,  1888,  Mr.  Wyatt  came  to  Yolo  county  two 
years  later  with  his  parents,  M.  0.  and  Lulu  (Shelford)  Wyatt. 
of  Winters.  Two  years  before  his  graduation  from  the  Winters 
high  school  he  negotiated  for  his  present  ranch  of  two  hundred 
and  fifty  acres,  and  upon  the  completion  of  his  studies  in  1907 
turned  all  his  attention  to  his  property.  The  Linda  Vista  dairy, 
as  his  place  is  known,  lies  three  miles  east  of  Winters  and  at 
present  is  supplied  by  seventy  milch  cows.  By  means  of  a  Sim- 
plex separator,  which  has  a  capacity  of  twelve  hundred  pounds 
per  hour,  and  which  is  operated  by  electricity,  the  cream  and 
milk  are  divided,  the  former  being  sold  to  the  Western  Yolo 
Creamery  at  Winters.  In  1910  a  one  hundred  ton  cement  silo 
was  erected  and  filled  with  green  alfalfa  for  winter  feed,  the  cows 
doing  exceptionally  well  under  that  system  of  feeding.  All  the 
dry  hay  used  for  feed  on  the  farm  is  chopped,  a  method  which 
Mr.  Wyatt  finds  very  satisfactory.  Eighty  acres  are  in  alfalfa, 
which  is  under  irrigation,  and  the  remainder  of  the  tract  is  in 
grain  and  pasture.     In  the  operation  of  his  ranch  Mr.  Wyatt  uses 


o<L^&~j/s  -&y  vL+*h-<~£{( 


HISTORY  OF  YOLO  COUNTY  447 

about  ten  horses.  Besides  bis  dairy  and  farming  interests  be  is 
engaged  in  raising  Berkshire  bogs  and  Holstein  cattle.  There 
are  four  good  wells  on  the  property,  also  a  pumping  plant  which 
furnishes  nine  hundred  gallons  per  minute,  a  six-inch  pump  being 
used. 

The  marriage  of  Mr.  Wyatt  in  Alameda,  November  10,  1910, 
united  him  with  Miss  Ruth  Sackett  of  that  city,  the  daughter  of 
Buel  R.  Sackett,  whose  biography  appears  on  another  page  of 
this  volume. 

Mr.  Wyatt  is  an  active  member  of  Acacia  Camp  No.  176, 
W.  0.  W.,  and  as  a  Republican  is  intelligently  interested  in  politi- 
cal movements,  as  well  as  all  enterprises  relating  to  the  welfare 
of  the  community  in  which  he  lives.  He  is  affiliated  with  the  Men 's 
Bible  Class  of  the  Winters  Christian  Church,  to  which  he  con- 
tributes liberally,  and  is  never  too  busy  to  assist  his  fellows,  both 
by  cheering  words  and  practical  help. 


FRANCIS  E.  RUSSELL 

The  migration  of  the  Russell  family  from  the  Atlantic  sea- 
board to  the  shores  of  the  Pacific  was  brought  about  through 
the  discovery  of  gold  in  the  west.  Neither  the  original  immigrant 
nor  his  descendants  bad  cause  to  regret  the  apparently  accidental 
circumstance  that  led  to  his  removal  to  a  region  far  distant  from 
the  home  of  his  boyhood  and  the  scene  of  the  labors  of  his  ances- 
tors through  the  generations  of  their  identification  with  American 
development.  Himself  a  native  of  Canada,  Francis  E.  Russell  was  in 
all  else  save  birth  a  typical  citizen  of  the  United  States  and  exempli- 
fied particularly  the  traits  characteristic  of  New  Englanders,  where 
lie  was  reared  in  Vermont.  An  uneventful  term  as  a  school  teacher 
in  the  Green  Mountain  region  came  to  an  end  shortly  after  he  bad 
beard  of  the  discovery  of  gold  in  California  and  the  news  caused 
him  to  abandon  all  further  thoughts  of  pedagogical  work  in  the 
east.  The  call  of  the  west  bad  come  to  him  and  be  was  eager  to 
try  his  fortune  in  that   then  unknown  country. 

With  a  party  from  New  England,  the  majority  of  whom  were 
like  himself  eager,  enthusiastic  and  rugged  young  men,  Francis  E. 
Russell  sailed  from  Boston  in  the  fall  of  1849,  on  the  sailing  vessel 
Herculean,  bound  for  San  Francisco  around  Cape  Horn.  The 
voyage  was  long  and  contained  not  a  few  thrilling  experiences, 
for  at  times  there  was  great  danger  of  shipwreck,  but  a  safe  end- 
ing at  last  rewarded  the  crew  and  passengers,  who,  on  May  .'!, 
1850,    sailed    through    the    Golden    Gate    into    the    harbor    of    San 


448  HISTORY  OF  YOLO  COUNTY 

Francisco.  The  majority  of  the  immigrants,  Mr.  Russell  among 
them,  hastened  to  the  mines,  and  for  a  time  he  sought  for  gold  in 
Calaveras  county,  but  he  was  not  sufficiently  successful  to  care  to 
continue  in  the  occupation,  so  he  turned  his  attention  to  the  freight- 
ing business  and  engaged  in  teaming  between  Stockton  and  Sonora. 
When  he  became  interested  in  ranching  he  settled  on  a  large  tract 
of  leased  land  in  Green  valley  near  Suisun,  Solano  county.  Next 
he  bought  land  near  Vacaville  and  engaged  in  raising  grain  and 
broom  corn. 

An  identification  with  Yolo  county  beginning  in  1858  and  con- 
tinuing until  his  death,  February  24,  1907,  laid  the  foundation  of 
Mr.  Russell's  prosperity.  He  purchased  six  hundred  and  seventy 
acres  of  unimproved  land  on  Putah  creek,  six  miles  west  of  Davis, 
and  this  continued  to  be  his  home  throughout  life.  Diversified 
farming,  particularly  the  raising  of  grain  and  the  handling  of 
stock,  brought  the  ranch  to  a  high  state  of  productiveness  under 
his  able  supervision.  Near  the  house  he  planted  a  large  number 
of  black  walnut  trees,  which  he  afterward  grafted  to  English 
walnuts,  and  these  now  bear  enormous  crops  of  this  popular  nut. 
In  addition  he  started  an  almond  orchard  and  there  is  now  on 
the  ranch  a  tract  of  twenty  acres  devoted  to  this  profitable  product. 
Some  years  before  his  death  he  retired  from  all  active  business 
and  turned  the  management  of  the  ranch  over  to  his  eldest  son, 
William  0.  The  younger  son,  Frank  E.,  has  for  years  been  a 
resident  of  Alameda,  where  his  mother  is  now  residing,  and  two 
daughters,  Mrs.  Ellen  Enos  and  Mrs.  Mary  Love,  make  their  home 
in  Sacramento.  One  daughter,  Mrs.  Maud  Henle,  passed  away 
near  Davis,  Cal.,  in  May,  1907.  Mr.  Russell  was  a  Mason  of  the 
Knight  Templar  degree,  while  his  wife  was  a  member  of  the  East- 
ern  Star. 

Mrs.  Russell  bore  the  maiden  name  of  Lucy  Ogburn,  and  was 
born  near  Corsicana,  Texas,  the  daughter  of  Dr.  John  C.  Ogburn. 
The  latter  was  born  in  Virginia,  and  was  a  second  cousin  of  Gen. 
J.  C.  Fremont,  the  pathfinder.  He  moved  to  Corsicana,  Texas, 
where  he  practiced  medicine  and  became  well  known.  He  married 
there  Mary  Love,  a  native  of  Tennessee,  and  in  1849  came  to  Cali- 
fornia by  pack  mules  and  engaged  in  the  produce  trade  between 
San  Francisco  and  Portland.  In  1852  he  returned  to  Texas,  the 
next  year  bringing  his  family  across  the  plains  by  means  of  ox- 
teams  and  wagons  via  El  Paso  and  Yuma.  They  suffered  many 
hardships,  among  them  the  experience  at  a  place  near  Santa  Cruz, 
where  the  Indians  stampeded  their  work  cattle,  and  had  it  not 
been  for  the  loan  of  cattle  from  a  beef  train  the  band  would  have 
suffered  even  greater  inconvenience.  As  it  was,  those  of  the  party 
who  were  able  walked  most  of  the  way  into  Los  Angeles,  where 
they  remained  one  year.    The  subsequent  year  was  spent  in   San 


HISTORY  OF  YOLO  COUNTY  449 

Luis  Obispo  county,  where  Dr.  Ogburn  taught  the  first  school,  and 
then  located  in  Vacaville,  where  he  followed  farming  for  a  short 
time.  Their  last  days  were  spent  near  Woodland,  where  the  par- 
ents both  passed  away.  Mrs.  Russell  is  spending  the  latter  years 
of  her  life  in  Alameda,  tenderly  cared  for  by  her  son  and  enjoying 
all  the  comforts  of  life. 


JOHN  DAVENPORT  WOOD 

J.  D.  Wood,  of  Capay  valley,  was  born  in  Nashville,  111.,  Decem- 
ber 24,  1828.  When  he  was  eight  years  old  the  family  moved  to 
Green  county,  Mo.,  where  he  made  his  home  for  about  seventeen 
years.  Then,  at  the  age  of  twenty-five  years,  he  went  to  Santa 
Fe  as  a  teamster  with  Keith  &  Livingston,  the  celebrated  freight- 
ers. The  far  west  pleased  him  and  on  his  return  home  he  made 
arrangements  for  removal  to  California.  A  portion  of  his  journey 
across  the  plains  was  made  in  company  with  the  survey  party  of 
Gen.  John  C.  Fremont  and  Kit  Carson.  The  great  Pathfinder  and 
the  equally  great  scout  were  again  hunting  and  marking  roads 
across  the  American  continent — this  being  Fremont's  fifth  and  last 
labor  in  the  west,  and  the  last  time  he  ever  came  over  the  ground 
made  memorable  by  his  work  as  an  explorer. 

The  ox  train  was  under  the  command  of  Colonel  Hagen,  after- 
wards of  Sonoma,  and  consisted  of  twenty-three  wagons,  ninety-six 
persons  and  eleven  hundred  head  of  cattle.  They  traveled  along  the 
old  beaten  way  via  Fort  Laramie,  Chimney  Rock,  Sweetwater, 
North  Platte,  Green  River,  Sinks  of  the  Humboldt,  and  after  being 
six  months  on  the  road,  their  trip  ended  at  Petaluma,  Cal.  Not- 
withstanding their  large  string  of  cattle  they  had  few  losses  except 
from  their  stock  getting  sore  feet,  which  seemed  to  be  epidemic  in 
the  band.  They  successfully  ran  the  gauntlet  of  hostile  Indians  ex- 
cept in  one  instance,  when  a  big  armed  band  appeared  and  de- 
manded the  surrender  of  one  of  the  white  men  whom  they  accused 
of  having  shot  a  squaw.  The  fellow  was  guilty  as  charged,  and  he 
was  given  up  to  the  Indians  who  put  him  to  death,  and  no  further 
molested  the  train. 

Mr.  Wood's  sphere  of  activity  during  the  next  dozen  years 
was  in  the  vicinity  of  Mt.  Shasta,  Eureka  Flat,  Diamond  Springs 
and  the  mining  camps  of  that  portion  of  the  state.  He  was  a 
worker  and  his  industry  in  those  well-paid  times  brought  him  good 
wages,  consequently  he  was  always  "flush"  and  knew  no  hardships 
other  than  the  hardship  of  hard  work.  A  part  of  his  occupation 
was  hunting  wild  game  in  the  great  forests  of  that  time  and  place. 
Animal  pelts  were  well  worth  seeking  and  his  good  rifle  and  traps 


450  HISTORY  OF  YOLO  COUNTY 

brought  him  much  profit.  He  cruised  Humboldt  and  Mendocino 
counties,  and  during  the  twelve  years  he  slaughtered  numerous 
bears,  panthers,  foxes,  deer  and  smaller  game.  He  finally  settled 
on  his  present  home  place  of  one  hundred  and  thirty-four  acres 
in  Oapay  valley  and  has  taken  to  the  life  of  the  quiet  rancher. 
His  marriage  united  him  with  Miss  Malinda  S.  Alexander,  whose 
parents  came  across  the  plains  in  1857.  The  children  of  this  union 
are  Cyrus  V.  and  John  C. 


JAMES  WILLIAM  CHAPMAN 

The  development  of  extensive  agricultural  interests  has  en- 
gaged the  attention  of  James  William  Chapman  ever  since  he  was 
old  enough  to  operate  land  or  care  for  stock  and  in  undertaking  the 
management  of  important  farming  properties  he  is  giving  expres- 
sion to  a  preference  for  such  work  always  entertained  by  him.  The 
farm  which  he  owns  and  manages  comprises  three  hundred  and 
twenty  acres  lying  in  the  vicinity  of  Winters  and  recognized  as  one 
of  the  improved  estates  of  Yolo  county,  where  he  has  been  a  life- 
long resident.  The  raising  of  grain  has  engaged  Ins  attention  and 
to  care  for  the  enormous  crops  he  has  acquired  a  combined  har- 
vester drawn  by  a  team  of  twenty-six  mules.  Besides  the  stock 
which  he  keeps  for  working  the  land  he  usually  has  about  one  hun- 
dred head  of  hogs  in  his  yards  and  has  met  with  success  with  the 
Berkshire  breed,  the  raising  of  which  is  one  of  his  specialties.  On 
the  ranch  lie  has  developed  a  vineyard  and  orchard  for  family  use 
and  also  has  started  a  small  grove  of  figs,  which  he  believes  to  lie 
well  adapted  to  the  soil  and  climate. 

Born  on  the  old  Chapman  homestead  in  Yolo  county,  November 
17,  1874,  educated  in  the  public  schools,  and  Heald's  Business  Col- 
lege in  San  Francisco,  trained  on  the  home  ranch  to  a  knowledge 
of  agriculture,  he  represents  that  sturdy  element  of  native-born 
sons  to  whose  success  the  county  may  point  with  pride.  His  wife 
is  a  native  of  Madison,  Yolo  county,  and  comes  of  pioneer  lineage. 
Her  father,  George  Abbey,  who  was  born  in  Quincy,  111.,  April  24, 
1844,  was  the  son  of  a  Forty-niner,  while  he  himself  crossed  the 
plains  in  the  early  '50s.  A  machinist  by  trade,  he  found  employ- 
ment in  a  Sacramento  machine  shop.  For  some  time  he  lived  at 
Cottonwood  and  also  for  a  time  made  his  home  at  Madison,  Yolo 
county.  After  he  had  given  up  work  at  his  trade  he  turned  his  at- 
tention to  farming  and  still  later  he  acted  as  agent  for  the  Wells- 
Fargo    Express    Company.      During    young    manhood    he    married 


fc 


HISTORY  OF  YOLO  COUNTY  453 

Josephine  Emma  Powers,  who  was  also  born  in  Illinois  July  25, 
1855.  They  became  the  parents  of  five  children,  namely:  William 
N.,  of  Santa  Eosa,  who  married  Nellie  Allen  and  has  one  daughter ; 
Bertram  0.,  who  married  Hattie  Lewis;  Lottie  May,  deceased; 
Georgia,  who  was  reared  in  Yolo  county  and  December  11,  1900, 
became  the  wife  of  James  William  Chapman;  and  Claudia,  Mrs. 
W.  B.  Young,  who  has  two  daughters  and  one  son  and  resides  at 
Winters.  Mr.  and  Mrs.  James  W.  Chapman  are  the  parents  of 
three  sons,  the  eldest  of  whom,  George  W.,  Jr.,  was  born  July  14, 
1904,  and  died  in  infancy.  The  two  living  are  James  Rufus,  born 
March  7,  1906;  and  Ralph  Waldo,  May  17,  1908.  The  family  are 
members  of  the  Presbyterian  Church  at  Winters,  of  which  Mr. 
Chapman  is  an  elder.  Independent  in  political  attitude,  averse  to 
official  honors  and  local  prominence,  Mr.  Chapman  has  never  con- 
sented to  serve  in  any  public  capacity  except  that  of  school  trustee. 
In  fraternal  affairs  he  has  been  connected  with  the  Woodmen  of 
the  World  since  1895  and  meanwhile  has  aided  the  philanthropic 
movements  of  the  local  camp. 

The  family  of  which  Mr.  Chapman  is  a  leading  member  holds 
a  position  among  the  most  influential  holders  of  property  in  this 
part  of  California,  their  entire  estate  at  this  writing  aggregating 
almost  twenty-four  thousand  acres,  of  which  five  thousand  acres 
lie  in  Napa  county  and  the  balance  principally  in  Yolo  county.  The 
family  was  founded  in  the  west  by  George  Walker  Chapman,  who 
descended  from  William  Chapman,  a  native  of  England  and  a 
pioneer  of  Virginia.  During  the  Revolution  he  served  in  the 
patriot  army  and  was  taken  prisoner  by  Lord  Cornwallis  to  pre- 
vent the  carrying  of  dispatches  to  General  Greene,  but  he  was 
held  only  one  day.  A  young  son,  James,  served  under  the  same 
command  and  was  only  twelve  years  old  at  the  expiration  of  the 
war,  while  a  brother  of  William  crossed  the  Delaware  under  Gen- 
eral Washington  and  bore  a  part  in  other  memorable  expeditions 
of  the  conflict. 

For  years  James  Chapman,  the  young  soldier  of  the  Revolu- 
tion, engaged  in  farming  and  stock-raising  in  Georgia,  but  late  in 
life  he  removed  to  Wilcox  county,  Ala.,  and  his  death  occurred  in 
Macon  county,  that  state,  at  the  age  of  eighty-live  years.  By  mar- 
riage he  became  allied  with  one  of  the  F.  F.  Y.'s.  One  of  his  sons, 
John,  was  a  commissioned  officer  in  the  war  of  1812  and  also 
served  in  early  Indian  wars.  The  next  generation  was  represented 
by  William,  a  native  of  Georgia,  but  from  early  manhood  a  resi- 
dent of  Alabama,  where  he  entered  government  land  on  the  Talla- 
poosa river  in  Macon  county.  The  Creek  Indian  community  was  in 
the  neighborhood  and  its  members  proved  unfriendly.  More  than 
once   the   Chapman   family   fled    for   safety   to   the   blockhouse   and 


454  HISTORY  OF  YOLO  COUNTY 

remained  there  until  the  savages  had  left  the  war  path.  Finally 
they  won  the  good-will  of  Yargey,  chief  of  the  Creeks,  who,  learn- 
ing that  the  Seminoles  were  to  attack  the  settlers,  sent  one  of  his 
seven  wives  to  warn  the  white  men.  In  order  to  reach  the  settlers 
it  was  necessary  for  the  squaw  to  swim  the  Tallapoosa  river,  but 
she  was  successful  in  her  mission  and  the  whites  were  prepared  to 
defend  themselves.  In  consequence  of  the  attack  the  Seminoles 
about  1836  were  expelled  from  the  region. 

The  first  cotton-gin  in  Macon  county  was  owned  by  William 
Chapman,  who  also  owned  the  first  rice  mill  and  the  first  threshing- 
machine  in  the  county.  For  many  years  he  served  as  justice  of  the 
peace  and  he  also  served  as  county  supervisor.  After  the  disin- 
tegration of  the  Whig  party  he  voted  the  Democratic  ticket.  With 
his  wife  he  held  membership  in  the  Methodist  Episcopal  Church. 
Farming  and  stock-raising  continued  to  engage  his  attention  until 
he  died  at  the  age  of  sixty-six  years.  His  wife,  who  bore  the 
maiden  name  of  Mary  Clough.  was  born  in  Georgia  and  died  in 
Alabama  at  about  seventy  years  of  age.  Her  father,  Zachariah 
Clough,  was  born  in  Virginia  of  French  ancestry  and  settled  in 
Georgia,  where,  with  the  exception  of  the  period  of  his  service  in 
the  war  of  1812,  he  engaged  in  the  occupation  of  a  planter  until  his 
demise  at  sixty-two  years.  The  family  of  William  and  Mary  Chap- 
man included  eight  children,  namely:  Cornelia  E.,  Mrs.  R.  Dickin- 
son, who  died  in  Alabama ;  Alpheus  Z.,  deceased ;  George  Walker,  of 
California;  William  R.,  a  physician  now  deceased;  James  A.,  also 
a  physician,  who  resides  near  Lakeland,  Fla. ;  Reuben,  who  died  in 
Alabama  during  the  Civil  war;  Mandred,  who  started  across  the 
plains  in  1861  and  was  never  afterward  heard  of;  and  Caroline. 
Mrs.  James  Clough,  of  Florida. 

George  Walker  Chapman  was  born  in  Wilcox  county,  Ala., 
April  29,  1829.  About  1836  he  accompanied  his  parents  to  Macon 
county,  Ala.,  and  settled  six  miles  from  Tuskegee,  where  he  attended 
a  subscription  school.  Later  he  was  a  student  under  Judge  Bate- 
man  of  Xew  York  in  the  Sumner  seminary  at  Tuskegee.  From  an 
early  age  he  was  taught  to  help  his  father.  At  the  age  of  nine  he 
was  sent  to  Salem.  Ala.,  with  $600  in  cash  to  pay  for  land  bought 
by  his  father.  In  addition  be  was  taught  to  be  methodical  in  his 
work  and  systematic  in  the  keeping  of  accounts.  On  the  home  plan- 
tation a  town  was  started  called  Chapman's  Crossroads  and  he 
began  to  clerk  in  a  store  there  at  the  age  of  nineteen.  January  18. 
1854,  he  began  the  long  journey  to  California,  going  by  train  to 
Montgomery,  by  steamboat  to  Xew  Orleans  and  from  there  by  an- 
other steamboat  to  Aspinwall.  There  he  boarded  a  train  for  Gor- 
gona   and  then  rode  on  muleback  to  Panama,   where   he  boarded 


HISTORY  OF  YOLO  COUNTY  455 

the  John  L.  Stevens,  arriving  at  San  Francisco  February  16.  For 
two  and  one-half  years  he  prospected  and  mined  at  Canon  creek. 

Arriving  in  Yolo  county  in  September  of  1856,  George  Walker 
Chapman  formed  a  partnership  with  W.  H.  Anlt  and  bought  one 
hundred  and  sixty  acres  near  Buckeye.  After  one  year  he  sold  out 
and  bought  one  hundred  and  sixty  acres,  forming  the  nucleus  of  his 
present  ranch.  The  land  was  well  adapted  to  the  sheep  industry 
and  he  bought  five  hundred  head  for  $4.75  each.  During  October  of 
1858  he  sold  the  flock  at  $5.50  per  head  and  then  returned  to  his 
old  home  via  Panama.  On  that  visit  he  had  an  opportunity  to  sell 
for  $1,500  each  the  three  slaves  that  formed  his  entire  inheritance 
from  his  father's  estate,  but  he  did  not  wish  to  separate  them  and 
accordingly  left  them  on  his  brother's  plantation,  where  they  were 
freed  through  the  Civil  war.  Therefore  he  received  nothing  what- 
ever from  the  paternal  estate. 

Upon  his  second  trip  George  Walker  Chapman  followed  the 
Nicaragua  route  and  landed  at  San  Francisco  in  January  of  1859. 
When  he  started  into  the  sheep  industry  again  he  bought  ewes  for 
$6.50  each  and  later,  when  he  had  accumulated  a  large  flock,  he  let 
some  out  on  shares  for  one-half  of  the  increase.  Little  by  little  he 
added  to  his  landed  possessions  until  he  became  one  of  the  largest 
land-owners  in  this  part  of  the  state.  As  land  increased  in  value 
the  stock  business,  which  had  laid  the  foundation  of  his  prosperity, 
bcame  less  profitable,  yet  he  continued  to  reap  excellent  financial 
returns  from  his  Merino  and  Lincolnshire  graded  sheep  as  well  as 
from  his  Red  polled  cattle,  his  hundreds  of  hogs  and  his  large  num- 
ber of  horses  and  mules,  while  even  from  poultry  he  received  re- 
turns in  large  figures.  Meanwhile  he  had  interested  himself  in  hor- 
ticulture and  had  planted  on  his  homestead  pears,  peaches,  apricots, 
apples,  almonds,  prunes,  figs,  oranges,  lemons  and  twenty  varieties 
of  grapes,  including  some  of  the  very  finest  kinds  to  be  found  in  any 
part  of  the  world.  He  continued  the  management  of  this  vast  estate 
until  his  death,  December  21,  1909.  Prior  to  this  however  he  had 
incorporated  all  of  his  holdings  under  the  name  of  the  G.  W.  Chap 
man  Company.  Until  his  death  he  was  president  of  the  company, 
and  since  then  his  son  Mandred  has  filled  this  office,  while  Mrs.  Ash- 
ley has  been  secretary  since  its  incorporation. 

At  the  home  of  Joseph  J.  Stephens  near  Madison,  Yolo  county. 
May  4,  1870,  occurred  the  marriage  of  George  Walker  Chapman 
and  Zilphia  Stephens,  who  was  born  near  Bunceton,  Cooper  county. 
Mo.,  being  a  daughter  of  James  Madison  and  Mary  (Adams) 
Stephens.  The  next  to  the  youngest  among  nine  children,  Mrs. 
Chapman  received  her  education  at  Tipton  and  in  the  Boonville 
(Mo.)  ladies'  seminary.  In  1869,  shortly  after  the  golden  spike 
bad  been  driven  at  Promontory  Point,  she  came  to  California  with 


456  HISTORY  OF  YOLO  COUNTY 

a  brother,  L.  D.  Stephens.  ( >f  her  marriage  five  children  were  born, 
of  whom  James  William  is  the  subject  of  this  review.  The  older 
daughter,  Mamie,  married  P.  N.  Ashley,  a  surveyor  living  in  Wood- 
land. Mandred,  the  second  son,  married  Rhoda,  daughter  of  Hamp- 
ton and  Jennie  Scroggins.  The  younger  daughter,  Lillie,  resides  in 
San  Francisco.  The  youngest  son,  Walter,  married  Edna  Hoy,  a 
daughter  of  Samuel  Hoy  of  Winters.  Early  in  life  Mr.  Chapman 
became  identified  with  the  Methodist  Episcopal  Church,  while  his 
wife  has  always  favored  the  Presbyterian  denomination  and  is  a 
member  of  the  church  of  that  faith  at  Winters.  The  family  is 
among  the  most  prominent  as  well  as  successful  in  Yolo  county  and 
their  hospitality  in  their  beautiful  home,  their  generosity  in  con- 
tributions to  worthy  enterprises  and  their  spirit  of  broad-minded 
fellowship  have  won  for  all  of  the  members  an  unusually  large  circle 
of  stanch  friends.  Mrs.  G.  W.  Chapman  still  resides  at  the  old 
homestead,  five  miles  north  of  Winters. 


MATHEW  CLANCY 

The  transformation  which  one-half  century  brings  into  any 
community  has  wrought  its  slow  but  resistless  results  in  the  aspect 
of  Yolo  county  since  first  Mathew  Clancy  arrived  in  the  village 
of  Davis  on  the  29th  day  of  May,  1862.  Far  removed  from  the 
center  of  the  sanguinary  war  that  threatened  the  disruption  of 
the  Union,  he  found  the  few  inhabitants  of  the  county  working 
peacefully  at  their  various  occupations,  unable  by  reason  of  the 
great  distance  to  keep  well  posted  concerning  the  struggle  in 
which  they  were  not  needed  personally.  Joining  them  in  the 
cultivation  of  the  land,  he  soon  learned  the  details  in  connection 
with  the  raising  of  grain  and  of  stock  and  for  a  long  period 
he  made  agriculture  his  occupation.  Even  at  the  present  time, 
although  not  so  active  as  in  the  past,  he  still  owns  a  ranch  and 
from  his  home  in  Davis  he  maintains  a  general  supervision  of  his 
country  property. 

As  his  name  indicates,  Mathew  Clancy  descends  from  Irish 
forefathers.  He  is  himself  a  native  of  the  Emerald  Isle  and  was 
born  in  county  Cork,  August  14,  1842.  His  education  was  secured 
in  the  national  schools.  At  the  age  of  sixteen  years  he  came  to  the 
United  States  and  settled  at  Lynn,  Mass.,  where  he  was  employed 
for  two  years.  Late  in  the  year  1861  he  took  passage  on  the 
steamer   Northern    Light    from    New   York    for   Aspinwall.      After 


i/£&tsT^<z^y^~ 


HISTORY  OF  YOLO  COUNTY  459 

crossing  the  Isthmus  of  Panama  lie  sailed  up  the  Pacific  on  the 
St.  Louis  to  San 'Francisco,  landing  January  4,  1862.  Immediate 
search  was  made  for  employment  and  he  secured  a  position  in  a 
dairy  occupying  the  present  site  of  Hayes  park  in  San  Francisco, 
where  he  engaged  in  milking  cows.  During  1862  he  went  to  Sac- 
ramento and  from  there  proceeded  to  Yolo  county,  where  ever 
since  he  has  made  his  home.  After  working  on  the  Swingle  ranch 
he  became  an  employe  on  the  Wilger  ranch,  where  he  continued 
for  five  years  and  then  worked  on  the  Chiles  ranch.  During  1873 
he  leased  five  hundred  and  twenty  acres  from  Fred  Wilger  and 
engaged  in  raising  Sonora  wheat,  which  yielded  large  crops  in 
return   for  his  care  and  cultivation. 

Four  years  of  industrious  enterprise  as  the  renter  of  three 
hundred  acres  of  the  W.  W.  Montgomery  ranch,  where  he  engaged 
in  raising  stock  and  grain,  were  followed  by  the  lease  of  five 
hundred  acres  of  the  Rice  and  Roleson  ranch,  which  Mr.  Clancy 
cultivated  for  some  ten  years.  The  frugal  savings  of  this  period 
of  hard  labor  put  him  in  a  position  for  land  ownership  and  in 
1896  he  bought  one  hundred  and  sixty  acres  in  Solano  county,  four 
and  one-half  miles  south  of  Davis.  For  about  fourteen  years 
he  owned  and  operated  this  ranch,  besides  renting  and  managing 
two  other  ranches  in  the  same  neighborhood.  Meanwhile  he  was 
increasingly  successful  and  rose  to  a  position  of  influence  in  his 
community.  When  he  sold  the  ranch  in  1910  he  invested  the  re- 
turns in  a  ranch  of  two  hundred  and  twenty-one  acres  situated 
four  and  one-half  miles  northeast  of  Davis.  When  he  came  to  Yolo 
oounty  he  was  only  twenty  years  of  age  and  it  was  not  until 
twenty-two  years  thereafter  that  he  established  domestic  ties, 
his  marriage,  February  4,  1884,  uniting  him  with  Miss  Elizabeth 
Rowan,  a  native  of  county  Roscommon,  Ireland. 

Of  the  varied  possessions  of  Mr.  Clancy  there  is  none  that  he 
prizes  as  highly  as  his  seven  bright  and  attractive  daughters  and 
it  has  been  his  highest  ambition  to  give  them  excellent  educational 
advantages,  so  that  they  may  be  prepared  for  life's  responsibilities. 
The  three  eldest,  Catherine,  Irene  and  Helen,  are  graduates  of 
the  high  school  and  the  second  also  is  a  business  college  graduate. 
The  fourth,  Martha,  has  completed  the  studies  of  the  Davis 
grammar  school,  while  the  three  youngest,  Maude,  Geraldine  and 
Amelda,  are  pupils  in  the  local  schools.  Upon  her  graduation 
from  the  Sacramento  high  school  Catherine  took  up  the  study  of 
stenography  and  at  present  holds  a  position  as  stenographer  in 
the  office  of  Devlin  &  Devlin,  Sacramento.  The  business  ability 
which  Miss  Irene  possesses  enables  her  to  manage  with  success 
an  ice  cream  and  confectionery  establishment  in  Davis,  of  which 
she  is  the  sole  proprietor. 


4(30  HISTORY  OF  YOLO  COUNTY 

MISS  AGNES  BREEN 

In  no  respect  does  the  remarkable  transformation  of  the  past 
century  exhibit  its  results  more  successfully  than  in  the  increased 
opportunities  for  women.  The  advancement  made  by  the  sex, 
educationally,  socially  and  from  a  business  standpoint,  is  little 
less  than  amazing,  and  it  has  been  proved  repeatedly  that  the 
qualities  which  enable  them  to  preside  over  the  homes  of  the 
country  with  simple  grace  and  to  train  for  their  coming  responsi- 
bilities the  future  statesmen  and  men  of  commerce  also  enable 
them  to  discharge  the  duties  of  the  most  complex  forms  of  busi- 
ness, the  highest  departments  of  education  and  the  most  cultured 
circles  of  society.  Practically  every  line  of  business  is  now  open 
to  their  interested  and  successful  participation.  From  the  largest 
municipalities  to  the  most  humble  villages  they  are  to  be  found, 
not  only  self-supporting  and  self-reliant,  but  also  promoters  of 
civic  growth  and  conservators  of  municipal  funds,  loyal  to  com- 
munity interests  and  well  informed  concerning  local  needs. 

Such  a  group  of  business  women  would  include  the  name  and 
recognize  the  commercial  success  of  Miss  Agnes  Breen,  who,  tak- 
ing up  the  battle  of  life  with  earnestness  and  enthusiasm,  has 
worked  her  own  way  forward  unaided  until  now  she  stands  promi- 
nent in  the  business  affairs  of  Woodland  and  influential  among 
the  business  women  of  her  section  of  the  state.  Her  success  might 
well  serve  as  an  incentive  to  young  girls  facing  the  world  without 
means,  but  with  an  abundance  of  tact,  sagacity  and  sound  common 
sense.  The  confectionery  establishment  of  which  she  is  sole  pro- 
prietor has  been  built  up  through  her  own  enterprise,  maintained 
by  her  own  sagacious  management  and  gives  personal  proof  con- 
cerning her  skill  in  the  manufacture  of  the  choicest  varieties  of 
ice  cream  and  the  most  tempting  candies.  It  has  been  said,  indeed, 
that  in  her  store  on  Main  street  there  are  specimens  of  confec- 
tionery of  her  own  manufacture  that  are  unsurpassed  by  even 
the  most  highly  advertised  dainties  of  San  Francisco. 

Miss  Breen  is  a  daughter  of  John  and  Mary  (Bremion)  Breen, 
the  latter  of  whom  died  in  Woodland,  while  the  former,  an  exten- 
sive rancher,  influential  stockman  and  well-known  lumber  manu- 
facturer, passed  away  in  Siskiyou  county,  the  scene  of  his  large 
agricultural  ami  business  activities.  After  having  completed  the 
studies  of  the  public  schools  of  Woodland  Miss  Breen  took  a  com- 
plete course  of  study  in  Heald's  Business  College,  Sacramento, 
from  which  she  was  graduated.  In  taking  up  business  pursuits 
she  became  connected  with  and  learned  the  trade  of  a  confec- 
tioner, after  which  she  opened  a  small  store  on  Main  street,  the 


<^W^£f ~ MavujL' 


HISTORY  OF  YOLO  COUNTY  463 

nucleus  of  the  present  attractive  and  popular  establishment  that 
represents  the  results  of  her  intelligent  application  and  wisely 
directed  efforts.  Her  large  circle  of  friends  in  Woodland  testify 
concerning  her  charming  traits  of  character  and  high  degree  of 
intelligence,  while  her  confectionery  establishment  furnishes  the 
most  convincing  evidence  as  to  her  business  ability  and  executive 
management. 


GEORGE  F.  HAMEL 

Farming  operations  conducted  upon  an  extensive  scale  form 
the  basis  of  the  partnership  existing  between  George  F.  and  Henry 
J.  Hamel,  native-born  citizens  of  the  Golden  State  of  the  west  and 
members  of  a  pioneer  family  honorably  associated  with  agricul- 
tural development  and  material  upbuilding.  The  property  which 
came  to  them  as  an  inheritance  and  which  has  been  increased 
through  their  own  capable  efforts  yields  to  their  keen  supervision 
an  annual  income  that  furnishes  abundant  proof  of  the  fertility 
of  the  soil  as  well  as  their  own  sagacious  oversight.  At  this  writ- 
ing they  have  charge  of  eleven  hundred  acres  near  Davis  and  two 
hundred  and  eighty-five  acres  in  the  vicinity  of  "Winters,  the  whole 
forming  a  vast  tract  whose  care  and  cultivation  demands  their 
diligent  attention. 

George  F.  Samel  was  born  at  Placerville,  Eldorado  county, 
Cal.,  in  1859,  and  received  his  education  in  the  academy  of  his  na- 
tive town,  the  German  school  at  Sacramento.  St.  Augustine's  Col- 
lege at  Benicia  and  Heald's  Business  College  in  San  Francisco. 
To  the  knowledge  gained  from  text-books  he  has  added  a  la  rye 
fund  of  information  gained  from  contact  with  the  world,  from 
habits  of  close  observation  and  from  the  careful  perusal  of  current 
literature.  Throughout  life  he  has  made  ranching  his  chief  occu- 
pation and  under  the  oversight  of  his  father.  Henry  Haiuel.  he 
learned  his  first  lessons  in  agriculture,  the  same  being  the  founda- 
tion of  his  present  intimate  familiarity  with  the  occupation.  In 
the  operation  of  the  farm  the  most  modern  machinery  for  facili- 
tating the  farm  work  is  used  and  the  grain  erop  is  gathered  with 
a  combined  harvester.  Fail-  crops  are  raised,  returning  a  gratify- 
ing dividend  upon  the  investment.  The  barley  crop  for  1!>11  aver- 
aged twenty-five  sacks  per  acre,  although  some  of  the  laud  yielded 
as  high  as  thirty-five.  The  wlieat  crop  in  1912  averaged  tweutv- 
five   sacks   to  the  acre.      Stock-raising   is   a    leading   feature   of   the 


464  HISTORY  OF  YOLO  COUNTY 

Davis  ranch,  where  twenty-five  calves  of  the  short-horn  Durham 
variety  are  raised  every  year,  as  well  as  eight  or  ten  colts  of 
Clydesdale  and  Norman  breed.  As  much  of  the  land  is  well 
adapted  to  pasture,  the  stock  industry  proves  profitable  as  well 
as  interesting.  The  meadows  produce  large  crops  of  hay  and  the 
entire  tract  under  the  capable  supervision  of  the  proprietors  gives 
evidence  of  soil  fertility,  careful  cultivation  and  an  intelligent  rota- 
tion of  crops. 

Upon  the  organization  of  the  Davis  branch  of  the  Bank  of 
Yolo  George  F.  Hamel  became  one  of  the  original  stockholders 
and  still  retains  his  connection  with  the  concern,  while  his  associa- 
tion with  the  village  is  further  enlarged  through  the  ownership  of 
real  estate.  In  January,  1898,  he  was  united  in  marriage  with 
Miss  Katherine  M.  Dietrich,  a  native  of  Sacramento,  Cal.  They 
are  the  parents  of  two  children,  Carolyn  M.  and  Lestenna  H.,  who 
are  receiving  excellent  educational  advantages  in  the  schools  of 
the  neighborhood.  Mr.  Hamel  was  made  a  Mason  in  Athens  Lodge 
No.  228,  F.  &  A.  M.,  of  Davis,  of  which  he  was  master  for  two 
years.  He  was  raised  to  the  Eoyal  Arch  degree  in  Woodland 
Chapter  No.  46,  E.  A.  M.,  and  to  the  Knight  Templar  degree  in 
Woodland   Commandery  No.   21. 


EDWARD  W.   CULVER 

A  man  who  is  making  a  success  of  his  business,  in  Woodland, 
Yolo  county,  Cal.,  and  whose  work  is  appreciated  by  his  towns- 
men, is  Edward  W.  Culver,  a  purveyor  of  first-class  plumbing,  tin- 
ning and  gasfitting.  He  was  born  in  Middlebury,  Vt.,  December 
13,  1886,  a  son  of  A.  E.  Culver,  a  farmer  in  that  old  town,  and 
was  educated  in  the  public  schools  near  his  boyhood  home.  In 
1903,  when  he  was  about  seventeen  years  old,  he  came  west  as  far 
as  Eureka,  Nev.,  and  during  the  ensuing  year  and  a  half  rode  the 
cattle  range,  acquiring  experience  as  a  cowboy  and  knowledge  of 
western  ways.  Then  he  went  to  Oakland  and  began  an  apprentice- 
ship to  the  plumber's  trade,  which  he  completed  under  the  in- 
struction of  Robert  Dalzell.  He  worked  at  his  trade  in  Oakland 
until  1907,  then  went  to  Sacramento,  where  he  was  employed  as  a 
plumber  on  the  state  capitol.  This  latter  work  was  on  a  contract 
held  by  Mr.  Dalzell.  His  trade  took  him  to  other  work  in  Sacra- 
mento and  to  Lodi,  and  thence  to  Marshfield,  Ore.,  where  he  re- 
mained  until   February,   1909,   when   he   came  to  Woodland,   Yolo 


/£__^u~-  /Cjl^U. 


HISTORY  OF  YOLO  COUNTY  407 

county,  and  established  himself  iu  the  plumbing  business.  Here 
he  has  remained,  -winning  the  good  opinion  of  his  fellow  citizens 
both  as  a  workman  and  as  a  man  of  affairs.  He  did  the  plumb- 
ing in  the  A.  C.  Morris  residence,  the  Dr.  Fairchild  residence,  the 
Woodland  Sanitarium,  the  First  National  Bank,  the  Harry  Por- 
ter residence  and  other  notable  public  and  private  buildings,  and 
has  several  fine  contracts  to  which  he  will  give  attention  in  the 
near  future.  His  store  and  shop,  under  one  roof,  are  located  at 
No.  425  Main  street. 

In  Ukiah,  Cal.,  Mr.  Culver  married  Mrs.  Edna  (Overmeyer) 
Bush,  who  has,  by  her  former  marriage,  children  named  Yerba  and 
Zorah  Bush.  In  political  alliance  Mr.  Culver  is  a  Republican; 
he  is  an  attendant  upon  the  services  of  the  Congregational  church, 
and  socially  he  affiliates  with  the  L.  0.  0.  M.  and  the  K.  0.  T.  M. 


BURLIN  CECIL 

Throughout  the  development  of  California,  Yolo  county  has 
ever  been  to  the  front,  her  citizens,  substantial  and  progressive, 
having  exerted  in  her  behalf  all  the  assistance  in  their  power  to 
make  her  one  of  the  most  highly  cultivated  and  modernized  coun- 
ties in  the  state.  Burlin  Cecil,  a  retired  farmer  of  Yolo  county, 
has  done  much  toward  the  improvement  of  this  section  and.  in 
retrospection,  views  a  life  well  spent  and  holding  few  regrets. 
He  was  born  January  20,  1845,  in  Scotland  county,  Mo.,  the  son 
of  Samuel  Stewart  and  Lillie  B.  (Richardson)  Cecil,  natives  of 
Kentucky  and  Tennessee,  respectively.  The  Cecil  family  came 
originally  from  England,  where  the  grandfather,  John  Cecil,  was 
born,  being  closely  related  to  Lord  Burleigh  and  Lord  Salisbury, 
who  were  both  Cecils.  Samuel  S.  Cecil  was  reared  in  Scotland 
county,  Mo.,  attending  public  schools  there  and  also  Fayette  Col- 
lege, and  afterward  he  took  up  farming  there.  On  April  10,  1863, 
with  his  family  he  joined  a  train  of  one  hundred  and  five  wagons 
en  route  to  California,  the  journey  holding  one  event  which  the 
emigrants  never  forgot.  At  Deep  Creek,  Utah,  they  came  upon 
a  party  of  United  States  soldiers  engaged   in  conflict  with  a   large 


468  HISTORY  OF  YOLO  COUNTY 

hand  of  Indians,  who  had  already  killed  several  of  the  white  men. 
The  pioneers  promptly  took  a  hand  in  the  battle,  routing  the  red 
men  and  safely  guarding  their  own  company  until  reinforcements 
arrived.  Proceeding  on  their  way  without  further  incident,  they 
reached  their  goal  in  July,  then  separated  to  locate  in  various 
sections  of  the  country.  The  Cecil  party  went  to  the  Robert  Arm- 
strong ranch  in  Solano  county,  arriving  there  July  23,  and  there- 
upon the  father  and  son  took  charge  of  the  farm  until  their  re- 
moval to  Oregon  with  their  stock.  They  remained  in  the  Upper 
Willamette  valley  about  eighteen  months,  after  which  they  returned 
to  Yolo  county  by  horse  teams.  For  one  year  after  their  return 
they  were  located  on  the  Ike  Chiles  ranch  of  five  hundred  acres 
near  Davis.  About  one  year  after  this  the  father  purchased  a 
farm  which  his  sons  managed  until  1870,  when  Burlin  Cecil  with- 
drew to  take  up  clerking  in  a  mercantile  store  in  Davis,  remaining 
thus  engaged  for  two  years.  Later  he  farmed  the  well-known  Lil- 
lard  ranch  and  subsequently,  in  1882,  bought  one  hundred  and 
sixty  acres  which  he  later  sold.  He  then  purchased  two  hundred 
and  fifty-one  acres  northwest  of  Davis,  upon  which  he  resided 
until  December  22,  1910,  when  he  sold  it  and  retired  from  active 
farm  life  to  a  comfortable  home  in  Davis,  and  has  since  then  de- 
voted his  attention  to  the  real  estate  business,  making  a  specialty 
of  buying  and  selling  farm  lands. 

In  speaking  of  his  agricultural  success  Mr.  Cecil  remarked 
that  he  had  secured  as  high  as  twenty-one  sacks  of  wheat  to  the 
acre,  each  sack  weighing  one  hundred  and  fifty-one  pounds.  Bar- 
ley crops  frequently  ran  twenty-five  sacks  to  the  acre,  also  an 
exceptional  record.  In  connection  with  his  general  farming  pur- 
suits, he  raised  also  cattle,  hogs  and  mules  with  profit. 

Mr.  Cecil  was  united  in  marriage  May  12,  1872,  with  Miss 
Eliza  A.  Lillard,  who  passed  away  in  Davis  December  22,  1908. 
Eight  children  were  born  to  them,  as  follows:  Bertha,  now  Mrs. 
George  A.  Gordon,  of  Davis,  who  has  two  children,  George  and 
Beryl;  Burlin.  Jr.,  farming  near  Davis,  who  wedded  Miss  Grace 
Rogers,  and  who  has  a  daughter,  Merrea ;  Ida  Belle,  the  wife  of 
"William  P.  Gordon,  of  Davis,  who  has  a  daughter  and  a  son,  Cecil 
and  Burleigh;  Lola,  now  Mrs.  W.  H.  Pike,  of  Oakland,  who  has 
two  daughters,  Ruin-  and  Buryl;  Grace,  Mrs.  Roy  Alter,  of  Rose^ 
ville,  who  has  a  son,  "Wesley;  Lillard,  of  Oakland,  who  married 
Jessie  Melntyre;  Hazel,  Mrs.  R,  Hildehrand,  of  Sacramento,  who 
has  a  daughter,  Helen;  and  Granville.  Mr.  Cecil  has  been  much 
interested  in  education  and  has  been  an  advocate  of  and  liberal 
contributor  toward  the  upbuilding  of  churches  and  schools.  Po- 
litically he  is  a  stanch  Democrat. 


.^fe§^/ 


HISTORY  OF  YOLO  COUNTY  471 

WILLIAM    JOHN    DILL 

The  possession  of  decided  ability  along  mechanical  lines  and 
of  fondness  for  work  with  tools  led  Mr.  Dill  in  early  life  to  enter 
upon  enterprises  enabling  him  to  develop  and  utilize  his  occupa- 
tional preferences.  Like  his  father  before  him  he  became  a 
skilled  blacksmith  while  yet  a  mere  lad  and  like  him  also  he  has 
given  considerable  attention  to  the  pursuance  of  this  occupation. 
At  this  writing  he  owns  and  operates  a  shop  near  Blacks  Station 
which  years  ago  was  built  and  established  by  his  father  and 
which  has  been  associated  with  the  family  name  for  two  genera- 
tions. Since  he  returned  to  the  old  homestead  and  resumed  work 
at  the  shop  in  1896  he  has  built  up  an  important  trade  throughout 
all  of  the  surrounding  country  and  has  introduced  modern  ma- 
chinery for  the  work  of  horse-shoeing.  One  of  his  most  recent 
innovations  was  the  introduction  of  an  engine  and  machinery  for 
the  manufacture  of  rolled  barley,  also  erecting  the  mill,  and 
since  then  he  has  built  up  a  growing  trade  in  the  rolling  of  that 
grain. 

The  Dill  family  conies  of  Teutonic  extraction.  Henry  Dill, 
who  was  born  and  reared  in  Hesse-Darmstadt,  Germany,  began 
to  serve  an  apprenticeship  to  the  blacksmith's  trade  at  the  age 
of  fourteen  years  and  prior  to  his  immigration  to  the  United 
States  he  had  acquired  a  thorough  understanding  of  every  detail 
connected  with  the  calling.  Upon  crossing  the  ocean  he  found 
employment  in  the  new  country  at  his  trade  and  for  some  time 
worked  in  Belleville,  111.  While  living  there  he  married  Miss 
Eva  Burt,  who  was  born  of  German  parentage  in  Alsace,  then 
a  province  of  France.  The  young  couple  came  to  California  and 
at  first  Mr.  Dill  engaged  in  mining,  but  after  his  location  in 
Sacramento  he  carried  on  'a  blacksmith  shop.  Upon  selling  that 
business  he  moved  to  Yolo  county  and  after  having  earned  a 
livelihood  through  different  occupations  for  some  time  he  settled 
near  Blacks  Station,  where  he  built  a  shop  and  began  work  at  his 
trade.  Close  to  the  shop  he  put  up  a  neat  residence  for  the 
family  and  surrounding  it  was  a  tract  of  forty  acres  which  he 
owned  and  developed,  making  out  of  the  whole  a  desirable  rural 
location  for  a  home.  At  this  place  his  death  occurred  April  '2'-l. 
1887,  and  May  6,  1909,  his  wife  passed  away. 

Of  the  children  born  to  them  six  are  living,  as  follows: 
Josephine,  Mrs.  Brandenburg,  of  College  City;  William  J.,  of  this 
review;  Celia,  Mis.  M.  F.  Iluber,  of  Grafton;  Emma,  Mrs. 
Cassilis,  of  Blacks;  Fred,  and  Frank  .1..  of  Blacks, 

William  John  Dill  was  born  in  the  city  of  Sacramento  March  7. 
1861,  and  there  he  learned  the  blacksmith's  trade  in   his   father's 


472  HISTORY  OF  YOLO  COUNTY 

shop,  gaining  the  skill  which  had  made  his  father's  work  so  much 
in  demand  among  those  familiar  with  its  quality.  After  leaving 
the  shop  he  engaged  in  farming  for  several  years,  but  agriculture 
interested  him  less  than  mechanical  activities  and  he  soon  re- 
turned to  his  trade.  August  28,  1889,  he  married  Miss  Nora  Ely, 
daughter  of  Isaac  J.  Ely,  one  of  the  prominent  farmers  of  Yolo 
county.  Mrs.  Dill  was  born  and  reared  on  the  Ely  farm  in 
Yolo  county  and  died  in  the  city  of  Oakland  March  24,  1894,  after 
a  happy  but  brief  married  life.  During  four  years  of  their  life 
together  they  had  remained  on  a  farm  east  of  Blacks  Station, 
but  from  there  had  gone  to  Oakland,  and  in  1896  Mr.  Dill  returned 
to  the  old  homestead  where  his  mother  still  remained.  Here  he 
opened  the  shop  and  resumed  work  at  the  trade,  which  since  bas 
occupied  his  attention  and  yields  him  a  neat  income.  He  is  a  man 
well  informed  upon  all  general  topics  and  takes  an  active  interest 
in  matters  that  tend  to  build  up  the  county  in  which  he  resides. 
He  filled  one  term  as  road  overseer  of  Supervisoral  district  No.  3, 
and  politically  is  a  Democrat  in  national  principles. 


RICHARD  HOWARD 

The  name  of  Howard  is  well-known  in  all  the  English-speak- 
ing world  and  many  among  the  bearers  of  that  title  have  won  fame 
on  many  a  hard-contested  field.  Richard  Howard,  quiet  and  well- 
to-do  farmer,  retired  to  his  home  near  Madison,  Yolo  county, 
did  not  come  to  his  present  location  by  an  easy  way  and  without 
some  fierce  experience  in  life.  He  was'born  January  31,  1857,  in 
Missouri.  Afterwards  removing  to  Denton,  Texas,  with  his  pareuts, 
he  g'rew  up  on  the  free  soil,  absorbing  the  free  manners  and 
methods  of  the  unique  Lone  Star  commonwealth.  On  the  breaking 
out  of  the  great  war  of  the  Rebellion  his  father,  Seth  Howard, 
shouldered  a  musket  and  served  in  the  Confederate  army  through 
the  entire  conflict.  He  returned  to  his  Texas  home  the  defeated 
soldier  in  gray,  but  an  honorable  soldier  even  if  the  cause  he  battled 
for  was  lost.  A  mustered-out  trooper  after  four  years  of  unsuccess- 
ful war  seldom  finds  his  home  and  its  surroundings  blooming  in 
prosperity,  and  when  Seth  Howard  shed  his  gray  jacket  for  more 
peaceful  work  the  war-mutilated  South  was  beomnins}'  her  effort 
at  recuperation.  About  three  years  afterward  he  pulled  up 
stakes  and  took  the  road  for  the  west,  wending  his  way  through 
Arizona,  the  sunset  route  of  the  immigrant  of  that  period.    He  was 


HISTORY  OF  YOLO  COUNTY  47:1 

elected  captain  of  the  wagon  train,  which  numbered  thirteen  grown 
men  and  two  boys  that  carried  arms  and  that  drove  the  mule  and 
horse  teams.  The  Indians  were  occasionally  taking  a  shot  at  the 
passing  wagon  trains,  but  fortunately  they  did  not  attack  the 
Howard  train,  although  they  were  very  arrogant  and  showed  a 
disposition  to  stampede  the  stock  and  lift  the  whitemen's  scalps. 
just  as  a  reminder  that  they  were  still  the  implacable  foes  of  the 
paleface.  But  the  other  troubles  of  the  train-people  were  legion. 
That  seemed  to  be  the  year  of  cloudbursts  and  other  classes  of 
rainstorms,  and  the}-  found  the  streams  and  dry-washes  swollen 
by  the  sudden  showers.  They  caulked  their  wagon  beds  and  ferried 
the  families  over  and  swam  the  stock  across.  They  saw  war  signal- 
fires  among  the  hills  and  knew  the  Indians  were  sending  the 
"news"  by  wireless,  and  the  whites  frequently  traveled"  by  night 
to  throw  the  signallers  off  the  line.  Richard,  the  subject  of  this 
article,  was  one  of  the  herders  and  stayed  pretty  close  to  the  back 
of  his  mule  during  these  exciting  times.  They  finally  unhitched 
in  Los  Angeles  and  remained  there  a  short  time  to  recuperate.  Five 
months  and  six  days  afterward,  in  September,  1868,  they  located  on 
a  farm  at  what  is  now  Citrona,  then  known  as  Buckeye.  In  1873, 
while  they  were  living  on  a  leased  ranch  in  Capay  valley,  the  fam- 
ily suffered  the  never-to-be-repaired  loss  of  the  death  of  the  father. 
A  splendid  man  was  Seth  Howard — always  a  soldier  warring  for 
principle — always  a  Howard,  he  was  mustered  out  for  all  time. 

The  first  marriage  of  Seth  Howard  united  him  with  Lurana 
Tadlock,  their  marriage  occurring  in  Missouri.  She  died  leaving 
two  daughters,  Mary  A.,  who  is  the  wife  of  J.  W.  Gilliam  and 
resides  near  Citrona,  and  Emma  J.,  who  married  E.  L.  Gray  and 
resides  in  Fresno  county.  The  second  marriage  of  Seth  Howard 
was  to  Mary  H.  Tadlock,  and  their  five  children  are  Richard,  John, 
Joseph,  Lulu  and  Martha.  Joseph  Howard  married  Nellie  Young, 
their  home  being  in  San  Francisco,  where  he  is  a  practicing 
physician.  Lulu  is  the  wife  of  Fwel  Windsor,  a  farmer  near 
Woodland. 

At  the  time  of  the  death  of  his  father  Richard  Howard  was 
about  sixteen  years  of  age,  and  largely  on  him  fell  the  burden  laid 
down  by  the  elder.  The  family  finally  settled  on  a  ranch  near 
Cottonwood.  Richard  Howard  now  occupies  a  splendid  ranch 
three  miles  east  of  Madison,  comprising  about  two  hundred  and 
forty-four  acres,  where  lie  has  lived  continuously  for  many  years, 
witli  the  exception  of  four  years  residence  in  Chico,  locating 
there  temporarily  for  the  school  advantages  afforded  for  his 
children.  In  Knights  Landing  he  was  united  in  marriage  with 
Anna  E.  Dustin,  who  was  horn  in  Cataract.  Monroe  county.  Wis.. 
the   daughter   of   Preston    and    Maria    (Ascottj    Dustin,    natives    of 


47-i  HISTORY  OF  YOLO  COUNTY 

Pennsylvania  and  England  respectively,  and  early  settlers  in 
Wisconsin.  The  father  died  in  that  state  and  the  mother  passed 
away  in  Yolo  county.  The  children  horn  to  Richard  Howard  and 
his  wife  are  Aubrey  Milton,  Velma  Byrle  and  Vida  U.  Both 
of  the  daughters  are  high  school  graduates.  Velma  B.,  a  graduate 
of  the  Chico  state  normal,  was  afterward  a  teacher  in  the  Madison 
grammar  school;  she  became  the  wife  of  Ray  D.  Head  of  Chico. 
Aubrey  M.  married  Etoil  Archer,  and  they  live  in  Woodland, 
where  Mr.  Howard  is  engaged  in  the  real  estate  business. 


REUBEN    FITZ 

The  agricultural  and  horticultural  possibilities  of  Yolo 
county  were  demonstrated  through  the  successful  activities  of  the 
late  Reuben  Fitz,  protracted  during  a  long  period  of  years  and 
indeed  up  to  the  time  of  his  demise.  A  close'  student  of  the  soil, 
he  learned  by  actual  experience  the  crops  best  suited  to  the  cli- 
mate and  the  land,  and  his  work  therefore  contained  much  of 
value  for  later  generations.  Particularly  were  his  efforts  far- 
reaching  in  the  domain  of  viticulture,  for  which  he  possessed  a 
natural  aptitude.  When  he  became  identified  with  the  landed 
interests  of  the  county  he  acquired  the  title  of  a  ranch  near 
Woodland  and  found  on  the  property  an  old  orchard  not  destitute 
of  possibilities  for  profits.  The  cherry  trees  alone  seemed  useless 
cumberers  of  the  earth  and  these  he  removed.  A  vineyard  of  fif- 
teen acres  was  started  and  eventually  his  table  and  raisin  grapes 
gained  a  wide  reputation,  while  the  superior  quality  of  the  wine 
elicited  praise  from  even  the  most  critical  judges. 

In  tracing  the  history  of  the  Fitz  family  we  find  that  George 
and  Lydia  (Richardson)  Fitz  removed  about  1845  from  York 
state  to  Michigan,  took  up  land  in  the  newer  regions  of  that  state 
and  remained  there  engaged  in  agricultural  pursuits  until  their 
death.  Their  son,  Reuben,  was  bora  in  Niagara  county,  N.  Y., 
July  30,  1835,  and  attended  the  schools  of  that  locality  as  well  as 
those  near  the  Michigan  home  of  the  family.  At  the  age  of  about 
twenty-five  years  he  gave  up  farming  interests  at  the  old  home- 
stead and  came  via  the  Isthmus  of  Panama  to  California,  landing 
in  San  Francisco  on  the  1st  of  February,  1860.  Proceeding  direct 
to  Yolo  county,  he  found  work  as  a  ranch  hand  by  the  day  or 
month.  After  two  years  as  a  farm  laborer  he  was  given  a 
position  in  a  large  livery  and  feed  stable  at  Washington,  Yolo 
county,  and  bad  the  management  of  the  business  for   about   two 


£juy^*&,  22 


HISTORY  OF  YOLO  COUNTY  477 

years.  With  the  savings  of  that  period  of  industry  he  bought 
the  equity  in  two  hundred  and  sixty  acres  owned  by  David  Cole 
and  situated  about  one  and  one-half  miles  from  Woodland.  Later 
he  sold  a  quarter  section,  leaving  one  hundred  acres  as  the  pres- 
ent boundaries  of  the  estate. 

The  raising  of  Jersey  and  Holstein  cattle  formed  one  of  the 
specialties  in  which  Reuben  Fitz  gained  a  local  reputation.  Alfalfa 
was  then  and  is  now  one  of  the  principal  income-producers  on 
the  property.  During  1873  the  owner  bought  a  residence  in  Wood- 
land and  established  his  home  there,  but  the  farm  lying  close  to 
the  city  he  was  still  able  to  devote  close  attention  to  its  cultiva- 
tion. During  1865  he  married  Sarah,  daughter  of  James  and 
Barbara  (Bridger)  Hilton.  She  was  born  near  London,  Canada, 
April  2,  1844,  and  in  1856  with  other  members  of  the  family 
came  to  California,  joining  her  father,  who  had  settled  in  this 
state  in  1853.  For  a  long  period  Mr.  Hilton  held  conspicuous 
position  among  the  successful  farmers  of  Yolo  county,  but 
eventually  he  removed  to  Sacramento  and  in  that  city  he  died  at 
the  age  of  seventy-three  years,  his  wife  surviving  him  and  pass- 
ing away  at  the  age  of  seventy-seven.  The  death  of  Reuben  Fitz 
occurred  August  8,  1907,  and  his  wife  passed  from  earth  October 
10,  1906.  Of  their  four  children  Frank  has  been  engaged  in 
mining  in  Mexico,  and  Nina  and  George  have  remained  at  the  old 
homestead,  while  the  youngest,  Lurita,  died  at  the  age  of  nine- 
teen years.  The  father  always  supported  Republican  principles 
and  his  son,  George,  favors  the  same  party.  The  latter  is  asso- 
ciated fraternally  as  a  member  of  Woodland  Lodge  No.  156,  F.  & 
A.  M.,  Independent  Order  of  Odd  Fellows  and  Woodmen  of  the 
World.  After  having  maintained  active  agricultural  operations 
for  some  time  he  retired  in  1903  and  the  ranch  was  leased  until 
recently,  when  he  again  resumed  its  management,  and  now  is 
actively  engaged  in  oeneral  farming. 


MALFORD  H.  DRUMMOND 

One  of  the  best  known  erstwhile  citizens  of  Davis,  who  has 
contributed  largely  to  the  progress  of  the  locality,  is  Malford  II. 
Drummond,  who  now  resides  in  the  Sandwich  Islands.  A  son  of 
L.  C.  Drummond,  deceased,  he  was  born  on  his  father's  farm  near 
Davis,  May  1,  1859,  and  was  educated  in  the  public  schools  of  Davis, 
Later  taking  a  course  in  Atkins  Business  College  in  Sacramento. 
At  the  age  of  twenty-three  he  engaged  in  the  hardware  business  in 


478  HISTORY  OF  YOLO  COUNTY 

his  home  town  ill  partnership  with  E.  W.  Brown,  but  less  than  a 
year  later  sold  his  interest  and  became  a  member  of  the  hardware 
and  grocery  firm  of  Liggett  &  Drummond.  His  efforts  in  behalf  of 
this  venture  proved  most  successful  and  business  steadily  pros- 
pered. 

March  13,  1884,  Mr.  Drummond  was  united  in  marriage  with 
Miss  Eliza  Callaway  of  Oregon.  Scarcely  sixteen  months  later,  in 
a  runaway,  Mrs.  Drummond  was  thrown  from  a  buggy  and  killed, 
leaving  her  husband  and  infant  son,  Lester,  to  meet  life  without  the 
dear  presence  they  had  known  such  a  short  time.  Unable  to  find 
content  in  the  place  so  associated  with  memories  of  his  wife,  Mr. 
Drummond  two  years  later  went  to  Fresno,  where  he  bought  a 
farm.  His  next  move  was  to  the  Sandwich  Islands,  where  he  served 
as  deputy  collector  of  customs  and  afterward  became  a  member  of 
the  Merchants'  Exchange  of  Honolulu.  Mr.  Drummond  is  a  very 
prominent  member  of  the  Benevolent  Protective  Order  of  Elks. 
His  many  friends  in  Yolo  county  remember  him  as  a  true  ^son  of 
his  nobly  ambitious  and  prosperous  father,  whose  name  will  ever 
stand  high  in  the  community  where  he  was  known  so  well. 


GILBERT  T.  WITHAM 

After  a  six  months'  stormy  trip  around  the  Horn,  G.  T.  Witham 
landed  in  San  Francisco  May  6,  1850.  The  journey  was  made  in 
the  old  sailing  bark  Carlomarand,  long  ago  gone  to  the  graveyard 
of  worn-out  ships,  and  during  the  entire  voyage  from  Boston  to 
San  Francisco  she  called  only  at  one  place,  and  that  the  Island 
of  San  Juan  Fernandez,  off  the  coast  of  Chile — the  place  made 
famous  by  being  the  isle  where  Alexander  Selkirk  was  marooned 
for  seven  years  and  which  occasioned  the  writing  of  "Robinson 
Crusoe."  The  young  Argonaut — he  was  seventeen  years  of  age 
— came  as  supercargo  of  the  vessel,  having  superintended  the  load- 
ing of  the  vessel  with  lumber  at  Boston,  and  on  her  arrival  in  San 
Francisco  he  superintended  the  discharge  of  the  vessel. 

G.  T.  Witham  was  born  at  Alfred,  York  county,  Me.,  in  1832, 
and  was  educated  in  the  public  schools,  after  which  he  was  em- 
ployed in  a  general  store  in  Portland  until  he  came  to  California. 
For  several  years  his  life  was  the  usual  life  of  the  young  men 
wandering  in  the  yellow  haze  of  the  Eldorado.  He  was  a  miner, 
teamster  and  all-round  rustler  wherever  there  was  something  to 
do.  At  Kanaka  valley,  on  the  American  river,  he  found  for  a 
partner  John  Milliken,  a  fellow-Maine  man — native  of  Portland — 


a**? 


HISTORY  OF  YOLO  COUNTY  481 

and  they  picked  and  shoveled  together,  working  many  a  ton  of 
sand  and  other  debris  into  the  Sacramento  river — and  some  "(lust" 
into  their  pockets.  They  ran  a  store  at  Michigan  Bar— a  typical 
mining-camp  store,  such  as  described  so  vividly  by  Bret  Harte 
and  other  early  California  writers.  They  sold  out  and  afterwards 
opened  and  ran  the  old  New  England  house  on  J  street,  Sacra- 
mento, until  the  big  fire  of  1851-52,  when  they  were  burned  out. 
Mr.  Witham  ran  the  first  hack  that  rolled  up  and  down  the  streets 
of  the  state  capital.  The  vehicle  cost  him  $3,000  in  San  Francisco. 
His  stand  was  at  the  Orleans  hotel,  a  lively  hostelry  in  those  ex- 
ceedingly lively  times.  In  185-1  he  entered  the  employ  of  C.  K. 
Doughty  &  Co.,  and  was  in  their  service  for  many  years.  He  also 
saw  military  service  during  the  war  as  captain  of  Company  M, 
First  California  Cavalry,  though  his  campaigning  happened  to  be 
in  New  Mexico  chasing  hostile  Indians.  One  of  his  fellow  troop- 
ers was  the  famous  scout,  Kit  Carson,  and  many  a  wild  ride  have 
these  two  taken  together  with  the  Apaches  either  close  before  or 
behind.  Captain  Witham  met  the  secretary  of  war  in  New  Mexico 
and  by  that  official  was  offered  a  commission  in  the  regular  army. 
But  the  captain  declined  the  honor,  preferring  the  freer  life  of  a 
civilian.  After  the  conflict  he  returned  to  Sacramento,  re-entered 
the  employ  of  Doughty  &  Co.,  running  for  that  firm  the  first  steam 
trading  and  produce  boat  on  the  river. 

From  the  river  to  the  road  was  but  a  short  step,  and  lie  took 
it,  becoming  a  Central  Pacific  trainman — and  a  faithful  one.  As 
conductor  he  ran  the  first  train  out  of  Sacramento  en  route  to 
Chico,  Tehama  and  Red  Bluff;  and  took  the  first  carload  of  freight 
to  the  "Summit"  from  Sacramento.  The  stuff  was  blasting  pow- 
der, and  it  was  used  to  open  the  way  for  the  road  through  the 
mountains.  Judge  Crocker  was  in  charge  of  the  train  bossing  the 
job.  Captain  Witham  saw  Stanford  turn  the  first  shovelful  of 
earth  on  the  levee  between  J  and  K  streets,  Sacramento,  for  the 
Central  Pacific  Railroad  Company.  Afterward  he  was  assistant 
superintendent  and  train  dispatcher  of  the  Sacramento  division, 
and  later  was  offered  the  position  of  superintendent,  but  declined 
it.  He  is  the  oldest  living  Central  Pacific  conductor.  In  1900 
he  retired  from  the  "road"  and  is  now  in  the  insurance  business 
in  Washington. 

In  Sacramento,  October  28,  1857,  Captain  Witham  was  mar- 
married  to  Jemima  Reid,  a  native  of  New  York  City.  Her  father. 
James  Reid,  was  a  forty-niner,  and  Mrs.  Witham  joined  him  in 
1852,  she  also  coming  via  Cape  Horn.  Born  to  Captain  and  Mrs. 
Witham  were  the  following  children:  Frederick,  William,  Albert, 
Edith  and  Cyrus,  of  whom  only  William  and  Edith  are  living. 
Captain  Witham  was  made  a  Mason  in  Union  Lodge  No.  58,  !■'.  & 


482  HISTORY  OF  YOLO  COUNTY 

A.  M.,  is  a  member  of  Union  Chapter,  Union  Commandery,  K.  T., 
all  of  Sacramento,  and  is  a  member  of  the  California  Commandery, 
Militant  Order  of  the  Loyal  Legion.  He  can  claim  for  himself 
the  distinction  of  casting  the  first  Republican  vote  in  (Washing- 
ton) Broderick.  Eighty  years  of  age  finds  this  hearty  old  pioneer 
enjoying  life  after  his  strenuous  time  through  the  other  days. 
So  his  last  years  flow  on  as  peacefully  as  the  great  river  that 
ripples  past  his  door. 


EARL  T.  ANDERSON 

One  mile  south  of  Woodland,  on  the  Davis  road,  lies  Victoria 
orchard,  a  beautiful  fruit  farm  which  throughout  the  county  is  re- 
nowned for  its  high  state  of  cultivation  and  the  excellent  quality 
of  its  products.  The  owner  of  this  property,  (which  was  known 
as  the  old  Briggs  ranch  at  the  time  he  acquired  it)  is  Earl  T. 
Anderson,  one  of  Yolo  county's  youngest  horticulturists.  He  was 
born  November  10,  1888,  in  Lewis  county,  Mo.  His  father,  William 
T.  Anderson,  is  engaged  in  breeding  thoroughbred  horses  on  his 
stock  farm  near  Lexington,  Ky.  Earl  T.  Anderson  was  educated 
at  LaGranse,  Mo.,  and  also  attended  the  Gem  City  Business  Col- 
lege at  Quincy,  111.  In  Lewis  county  he  assisted  his  uncle  in  the 
management  of  his  stock  farm,  consisting  of  three  lnmdred  and 
sixty  acres,  upon  which  fine  horses  and  mules  were  raised,  the 
herd  numbering  at  one  time  one  hundred  head.  Mr.  Anderson  had 
long  felt  a  desire  to  locate  in  the  golden  west,  concerning  the 
beauty  and  prosperity  of  which  he  had  heard  so  many  glowing- 
tales;  therefore,  in  1909,  he  came  to  California  and  after  carefully 
surveying  the  various  opportunities  presented  to  him  chose  his 
present  ranch  in  Yolo  county,  which  had  the  advantages  of  being 
in  a  greatly  improved  condition  and  of  beini>-  in  close  proximity 
to  the  rapidly  growing  town  of  Woodland,  thus  easily  answering 
the  question  of  shipping.  The  high  standard  of  excellence  enjoyed 
by  this  property  at  the  time  of  Mr.  Anderson's  purchase  has  not 
only  been  maintained,  but  in  the  short  period  it  has  been  in  the 
hands  of  its  new  owner  has  shown  various  phases  of  improve- 
ment which  are  the  result  only  of  his  thoroughly  modern  and 
progressive  methods.  Victoria  orchard,  located  at  Mullen  station 
on  the  Southern  Pacific,  comprises  eighty  acres,  divided  as  fol- 
lows: Apricots,  twenty  acres;  grapes  (Muscat  and  Thompson 
seedless  raisin  varieties),  sixty  acres;  fifty  fig  trees  (the  drying 
species) ;  thirty-five  fine  English  walnut  trees ;   one   hundred   and 


HISTORY  OF  YOLO  COUNTY  485 

fifty  almond  trees;  five  hundred  olive  trees  (Mission  and  Navo- 
della,  pickle  and  oil  varieties);  seventy-five  silver  prune  trees; 
seventy-five  peach  trees;  also  a  number  of  orange,  lemon,  nectar- 
ine, chestnut,  persimmon,  quince  and  cherry  trees.  Besides  his 
fruit,  Mr.  Anderson  raises  a  fine  quality  of  alfalfa  on  a  small  por- 
tion of  his  land. 

Mr.  Anderson  has  for  some  time  been  keenly  interested  in 
thoroughbred  horses,  and  with  his  father  is  interested  in  breeding 
them  in  Kentucky,  where  have  been  raised  many  of  the  notably 
swift  runners  which  have  taken  part  in  California  meets.  Though 
not  a  native  of  this  state,  Mr.  Anderson  is  intensely  interested  in 
everything  pertaining  to  the  welfare  of  Yolo  county,  and  his 
friends  are  aware  that  he  may  be  counted  upon  to  respond  to  the 
best  of  his  ability  to  the  various  calls  for  the  betterment  of  the 
community. 


THOMAS  HALL 

One  of  Madison's  oldest  and  one  of  her  best  citizens  is  Thomas 
Hall.  He  began  life  in  Herkimer  county,  N.  Y.,  October  6,  1828, 
and  today  in  Yolo  county,  Cal.,  his  farthest  past  and  his  nearest 
present  are  eighty-four  years  apart  and  the  two  places  are  sepa- 
rated by  several  thousand  miles  of  American  continent.  He  lived 
in  his  native  town  until  he  was  fourteen  years  of  age,  when  the 
family  moved  to  Racine  county,  "Wis.  Ten  years  afterwards,  in 
1852,  he  found  himself  aboard  a  very  crowded  steamer  westward 
bound.  The  New  Yorker  landed  in  Yerba  Buena  (San  Francisco) 
safely  and  from  there  came  on  to  Sacramento,  where  lie  went  to 
work  in  the  spring  of  1853.  He  began  ranching  on  the  river  bot- 
tom, remaining  there  until  1867,  when  he  located  on  Cache  creek, 
near  Madison,  Yolo  county.  There  was  plenty  of  land  for  the  mere 
taking  up  and  he  took  up  a  tract  of  one  hundred  and  sixty  acres 
of  government  land,  improving  his  holdings  and  making  additional 
purchases  until  he  had  four  hundred  and  fifty  acres  of  land  under 
high  cultivation.  There  was  not  a  tree  on  the  place.  He  set  out 
groves  and  orchard,  barnyard  fences  and  buildings.  One  lie,-  tree 
new  measures  nine  feet  in  circumference. 

Thomas  Hall  was  married  in  Racine,  Wis.,  in  July,  1850,  to 
Miss  Fidelia  Hutchins.  a  native  of  Steuben  county,  X.  V.  Of  the 
eleven  children  born  to  them,  eight  are  living,  as  follows:  Charles, 
Adelbert,  Florence.  Martha,  Nellie.  Maud.  Mary  and  Minnie. 
Charles  resides  on  a  part  of  the  old  home  place.     Florence  i>  Mrs. 


486  HISTORY  OF  YOLO  COUNTY 

John  B.  Sankey,  of  Oakland.  Martha  is  Mrs.  L.  T.  Brock,  of  Win- 
ters. Nellie,  Mrs.  E.  K.  Caldwell,  resides  in  Oakland.  Mand  is 
Mrs.  G.  A.  Weihe,  of  San  Francisco.  Mary  is  Mrs.  P.  S.  Grant,  of 
St.  Helena.  Minnie  is  Mrs.  George  Warren,  of  Frnitvale.  Adal- 
bert resides  on  a  part  of  the  home  ranch. 

Mr.  and  Mrs.  Hall  are  now  living  retired  on  the  old  home  ranch, 
having  been  married  for  sixty-one  years.  Mr.  Hall  never  aspired 
to  official  life.  He  is  now  the  only  one  left  of  those  who  settled 
on  the  Sacramento  river  when  he  did  in  1853.  After  eighty-four 
years  of  activity,  he  is  now  enjoying  a  well-earned  rest,  surrounded 
by  his  family  and  respected  by  his  neighbors. 


WILLIAM  EDWARD  ROACH 

One  of  the  most  prosperous  and  highly  esteemed  farmers  and 
viticulturists  of  Yolo  county  is  Mr.  Roach,  who  since  1892  has  been 
identified  with  Woodland  and  Madison.  He  was  born  February  18, 
1872,  near  Ironton,  Lawrence  county,  Ohio,  and  in  that  state  too 
his  parents,  Eli  and  Mary  (Dillon)  Roach,  were  born.  They  became 
farmers  of  Lawrence  county,  and  there  they  now  reside.  The  son 
received  his  education  in  the  schools  of  his  home  locality  and  at  the 
age  of  seventeen  he  went  to  Douglas  county,  111.,  where  for  two 
years  he  was  employed  on  a  farm.  It  was  in  1892  that  he  came  to 
California  and  located  in  Woodland,  and  after  being  variously  em- 
ployed for  a  time  he  became  an  employe  on  the  place  of  Dr.  H.  P. 
Merritt,  remaining  there  for  about  twelve  years,  all  of  this  time 
excepting  the  first  year  being  foreman  of  the  l'anch.  Subsequently 
going  to  San  Francisco,  he  secured  a  position  in  the  shops  of  the 
Union  Iron  Works  and  remained  there  about  eighteen  months. 
Later  on  he  leased  the  old  Dr.  IT.  P.  Merritt  ranch  near  Madison, 
a  tract  of  twelve  hundred  acres,  and  this  he  has  farmed  ever  since 
with  increasing  success.  In  January,  1911,  at  Mullen  station,  one 
mile  south  of  Woodland,  he  purchased  eighty  acres  for  $227.50  an 
acre,  all  set  to  vineyard,  mostly  table  grapes.  He  leases  his  vine- 
yard profitably,  his  1912  rent  netting  him  $1500,  showing  an  in- 
creased valuation  of  over  one  hundred  per  cent.  He  operates  his 
ranch  with  eight  mule  teams,  and  gathers  his  crops  with  a  com- 
bined harvester,  which  he  propels  with  thirty  head  of  mules.  Be- 
sides raising  grain  and  alfalfa  he  also  raises  cattle  and  hogs. 

The  marriage  of  Mr.  Roach  occurred  in  San  Francisco  in  Sep- 
tember, 1897,  and  united  him  with  Miss  Nellie  Kerr,  who  like  him- 
self was  a  native  of  Lawrence  county,  Ohio.    The  two  children  born 


O-0&& 


HISTORY  OF  YOLO  COUNTY  489 

In  them  arc  Floyd  D.  and  Mary  B.  Mr.  Roach  lias  one  brother  in 
California,  John  C.  Roach,  who  makes  his  home  with  him.  A 
member  of  Madison  Lodge  Xo.  287,  I.  0.  0.  F.,  of  Which  he  is  past 
grand,  Mr.  Roach  is  also  affiliated  with  the  encampment  at  Wood- 
land. Politically  he  is  a  stanch  Democrat,  keenly  interested  in 
both  civic  and  national  issues.  As  a  citizen  of  the  highest  type  and 
worth,  he  enjoys  the  universal  esteem  of  his  associates,  and  may 
always  he  relied  Upon  to  contribute  his  share  towards  the  progress 
of  the  community. 


DANIEL  MILLER  W( MISTER 

As  indicating  the  possession  of  a  logical  mind  and  clear  reason- 
ing powers  it  may  be  said  that  Mr.  Wooster  very  early  in  life  took 
an  inventory  of  his  assets  as  represented  in  opportunities  and  ad- 
vantages. He  was  not  dismayed  in  the  realization  that  the  outlook 
in  these  respects  was  limited,  but  with  characteristic  energy  began 
the  battle  of  life  with  the  determination  to  win  success  in  spite  of 
adverse  circumstances,  and  it  was  this  determination  that  stands  as 
the  keynote  to  his  high  position  as  a  citizen  and  horticulturist  of 
Woodland. 

A  native  of  the  east,  "Dan"  Wooster,  as  he  is  familiarly  known 
in  Woodland,  was  born  in  Green  county.  N.  Y.,  in  1870,  and  received 
such  education  as  the  district  school  of  his  home  locality  afforded. 
He  also  acquired  some  knowledge  of  farming  as  conducted  in  the 
east,  but  having  heard  many  optimistic  tales  of  the  Golden  West 
the  outlook  in  the  east  paled  in  comparison,  and  it  was  therefore  a 
natural  consequence  that  he  should  seek  the  land  of  larger  oppor 
tunity.  April  of  1890  found  him  traveling  toward  the  west  and  in 
due  time  he  reached  his  destination,  California.  Coming  directly 
to  Capay  valley,  Yolo  county,  he  was  fortunate  in  securing  employ- 
ment with  E.  H.  Miller.  .Jr..  and  by  his  capability  and  devoted  atten- 
tion to  business  was  soon  advanced  to  the  position  of  superintendent 
and  manager.  Later  he  purchased  a  one-third  interest  in  the  prop- 
erty, which  included  thirty  acres  of  prunes,  a  like  amount  in 
almonds,  and  also  a  tract  in  pears.  This  ranch  he  conducted  with 
considerable  profit  for  eleven  years,  when,  in  190.'!,  he  disposed  of 
it  and  removed  to  Woodland,  where  he  established  the  City  Stables. 
At  the  end  of  hve  years  he  disposed  of  the  stables  and  returned  to 
the  tilling  of  the  soil,  having  in  the  meantime  purchased  forty  acres 
of  exceptionally  fertile  and  therefore  valuable  land  a  short  distance 
west  of  Woodland.     In  addition  to  raising  alfalfa  he  also  carried  on 


490  HISTORY  OF  YOLO  COUNTY 

general  farming,  all  of  which  he  managed  with  the  ability  of  one 
long  trained  in  the  work,  and  also  maintained  a  modern  dairy  sup- 
plied by  eighteen  cows.  After  improving  the  property  along  all 
lines  he  disposed  of  it  to  good  advantage  and  in  1912,  in  partnership 
with  L.  J.  Holton,  of  San  Francisco,  he  purchased  the  Watkins' 
ranch  of  three  hundred  and  thirty-eight  acres  adjoining  Woodland 
on  the  north.  Mr.  Wooster  immediately  took  up  the  management  of 
the  ranch,  which  is  devoted  to  stock-raising  as  well  as  to  raising 
grain  and  alfalfa.  As  an  indication  of  the  quality  of  the  soil  it  may 
be  said  that  five  crops  of  alfalfa  a  year  are  grown  without  irrigation 
and  during  the  season  of  1912  the  yield  of  barley  was  thirty-six 
sacks  to  the  acre.  The  breeding  and  raising  of  heavy  draft  horses 
of  the  English  shire  breed  forms  an  important  feature  of  the  ranch 
enterprise,  and  taken  as  a  whole  the  ranch  is  one  of  the  most  thriv- 
ing in  this  part  of  Yolo  county.  Much  of  the  land  is  still  covered 
with  beautiful  native  oak  trees,  and  in  the  midst  of  this  beautiful 
setting  Mr.  Wooster  has  erected  a  new  residence  designed  in  mission 
style  of  architecture. 

In  1896  Mr.  Wooster  married  Miss  Viva  Collins,  a  native  of 
Nebraska,  and  they  have  two  children,  Elizabeth  and  Leonard.  Mr. 
Wooster  is  an  active  and  efficient  member  of  Woodland  Lodge  No. 
Ill,  I.O.O.F.,  and  as  a  loyal  and  stanch  defender  of  Democratic 
principles  has  done  much  to  forward  the  success  of  that  party  in 
Yolo  county.  Personally  he  is  a  man  of  large  sympathies  and  may 
always  be  counted  upon  to  aid  all  enterprises  that  have  for  their 
object  the  upbuilding  of  the  county.  As  Mr.  Wooster  looks  back  to 
the  time  when  he  came  to  the  west  without  means  or  influence  La 
takes  a  commendable  pride  in  what  he  has  accomplished  in  the  years 
that  have  intervened. 


EMIL  KRELLENBERG 

A  native  of  New  York  City,  Emil  Krellenberg,  of  Woodland. 
Yolo  county,  Cal.,  was  born  December  9,  1856,  a  son  of  Peter  and 
Julia  (Clausen)  Krellenberg.  Peter  Krellenberg  first  saw  the 
light  of  day  in  Schleswig-Holstein,  Germany,  June  22,  1828,  and 
died  in  Woodland  October  21,  1904.  After  leaving  school  he 
learned  the  cabinetmaker's  trade,  then  worked  at  his  trade  until 
he  entered  upon  his  three  years'  term  of  military  service.  In 
1853  he  came  to  the  United  States  and  for  ten  years  thereafter 
lived  in  New  York  City,  working  continuously  for  one  house  at 
his   trade.      Soon   after   his   arrival    he   married   Julia    Clausen,    of 


HISTORY  OF  YOLO  COUNTY  491 

German  birth,  who  bore  hint  nine  children,  of  whom  only  three 
are  living:  Emil,  Julia  and  Nellie.  In  1863  he  brought  his  family 
to  California  by  way  of  Panama,  expending  most  of  his  ten  years' 
savings  on  the  journey.  At  that  time  he  had  four  children.  Set- 
tling near  Blacks  Station,  Yolo  county,  he  made  furniture  for 
his  neighbor  pioneers,  and  he  made  such  good  furniture  that 
some  of  it  is  in  use  in  the  county  at  this  time.  In  1864  he  moved 
to  Sacramento,  but  in  1869  settled  in  Woodland,  then  only  a  small 
village,  and  opened  a  furniture  store  and  cabinet  shop  on  the 
corner  now  occupied  by  the  establishment  of  his  son  and  successor. 
His  small  building  did  service  as  both  store  and  residence,  but 
his  success  was  such  that  he  was  soon  able  to  erect  a  brick  build- 
ing in  its  place,  in  which  he  enlarged  his  enterprise,  partially  by 
the  purchase  of  an  undertaking  business.  His  second  building 
was  burned  in  1881,  but  he  immediately  built  a  two-story  brick 
structure,  and  in  the  following  year  put  up  an  adjoining  building, 
and  the  two  constituted  a  block  with  a  ground  area  of  76x100 
feet.  For  eleven  years  he  served  as  county  coroner  by  election 
and  re-election  on  the  Democratic  ticket,  and  then  declined  further 
renomination.  He  was  city  trustee  also  for  many  years,  and 
officially  and  as  a  private  citizen  did  much  for  the  advancement 
of  the  interests  of  his  fellow  townsmen.  As  he  advanced  in  years 
his  business  was  entrusted  more  and  more  to  Emil  Krellenberg, 
his  son  and  partner.  Socially  he  was  popular  and  he  was  a  mem- 
ber and  officer  of  the  Independent  Order  of  Odd  Fellows  and  the 
Ancient  Order  of  United  Workmen. 

With  his  parents  and  their  other  children,  Emil  Krellenberg 
came  to  California  when  he  was  seven  years  old.  He  was  educated 
in  the  public  schools  of  Woodland,  completing  the  course  in  1874, 
when  he  was  eighteen  years  old,  and  then  entered  his  father's 
establishment  and  acquired  a  full  knowledge  of  the  business  in 
its  mechanical  as  well  as  in  its  commercial  department.  Be  be- 
came his  father's  partner  in  1881,  the  firm  name  becoming  P. 
Krellenberg  &  Son,  and  since  his  father's  death  lie  has  been  sole 
proprietor.  Besides  the  shop  and  establishment  above  described 
he  has  a  storage  warehouse  in  the  block  adjoining.  The  main 
building  is  at  the  corner  of  Third  and  Main  streets,  the  auxiliary 
building  across  the  street,  also  on  Main  street.  When  the  elder 
Krellenberg  located  in  the  town  there  were  oak  trees  growing  in 
the  middle  of  Main  street,  and  the  country  all  round  about  was 
very  new  and  its  population  was  sparse.  At  the  time  of  the  senior 
Krellenbera,''s  last  illness  his  business  was  the  oldest  in  Wood 
land  under  one  management  and  today  is  the  oldest  business  of 
any  kind  in  the  city.     Emil  Krellenberg  fiuds  time  for  some  politi- 


492  HISTOKY  OF  YOLO  COUNTY 

cal  activity  in  the  work  of  the  Democratic  party,  in  the  policies 
of  which  he  is  much  interested.  Other  business  interests  than 
his  immediate  enterprise  command  his  attention  to  some  extent. 
He  is  a  stockholder  and  director  in  the  First  National  Bank  of 
Woodland. 


EMIL  F.   GRAUEL 

As  orchardist  for  the  University  state  farm  at  Davis  and  also 
as  an  expert  horticulturist  Mr.  Grauel  wields  a  large  influence 
in  circles  associated  with  the  line  of  Ms  specialty.  The  broad 
knowledge  which  he  possesses  results  from  scientific  researches, 
constant  study  and  long  practical  experience.  No  haphazard 
methods  ever  have  been  adopted  in  his  investigations.  Every  phase 
of  fruit  culture  receives  due  attention  and  the  results  of  his  study 
have  tangible  expression  in  improved  varieties  or  the  development 
of  old-established  strains.  Notwithstanding  the  breadth  of  his  horti- 
cultural information  he  still  considers  himself  a  student  and  is  ever 
eager  to  grasp  facts  bearing  upon  the  scientific  cultivation  of 
fruits. 

The  early  years  of  Emil  F.  Grauel  gave  little  evidence  of  the 
bent  of  his  nature  or  the  specialties  of  his  maturity.  Born  at 
Lebanon,  St.  Clair  county,  111.,  March  28,  1865,  educated  in  public 
schools,  and  apprenticed  in  the  east  to  the  trade  of  factory  shoe- 
maker, he  later  abandoned  that  work  for  the  business  of  a  jeweler, 
but  only  for  a  short  time  did  he  continue  to  work.  Coming  to 
California  in  1889,  it  was  not  long  before  he  found  the  occupation 
to  which  he  was  best  suited.  While  employed  by  Pike  &  Kendall 
on  the  Ingleside  fruit  farm  in  Sacramento  county  for  two  years, 
he  learned  every  detail  of  the  fruit  industry  and  also  made  a 
scientific  study  of  vine  culture.  When  he  left  the  fruit  farm  he  came 
to  Davis,  Yolo  county,  and  began  to  operate  vineyards  and  or- 
chards as  a  renter.  For  a  time  he  rented  the  William  Ede  vine- 
yard of  thirty-two  acres  at  Davis  and  in  addition  he  raised  raisin 
grapes  on  what  is  now  the  state  farm  grounds.  For  three  years  he 
leased  and  operated  the  Miller  ranch  of  two  hundred  and  forty 
acres,  where  he  raised  grain,  also  had  a  large  orchard  and  a  vine- 
yard. At  different  times  he  has  bought  the  products  of  the  various 
almond  orchards  and  has  shipped  them  to  the  city  markets. 

The  acquisition  of  the  title  to  six  acres  of  almond  orchard 
near  the  state  farm  placed  Mr.  Grauel  among  the  property  owners 
of  Davis  and  he  held  the  entire  orchard  for  a  time,  but  recently 


Ifpap  >'* 

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HISTORY  OF  YOLO  COUNTY  495 

sold  one  and  one-half  acres  to  another  party  for  the  purpose  of 
cutting  up  the  land  into  town  lots.  The  growth  of  Davis  has  justi- 
fied the  enlargement  of  its  subdivisions  and  there  are  not  wanting 
enthusiastic  citizens  to  predict  a  far  greater  expansion  of  local 
interests  in  the  future  than  the  past  has  witnessed,  their  reason  for 
this  belief  being  based  upon  the  rich  farming  and  horticultural  ter- 
ritory tributary  to  the  village.  In  patriotic  devotion  to  the  com- 
munity upbuilding  Mr.  Grauel  stands  second  to  none,  for  he  is  an 
earnest  advocate  of  the  adaptability  of  the  soil  to  fruit  culture  and 
a  stalwart  friend  of  all  enterprises  tending  to  expand  undeveloped 
resources.  In  1891  he  was  united  in  marriage  with  Mrs.  Mary  L. 
(Caulfield)  Haines,  born  at  Davis,  by  whom  he  has  a  daughter, 
Hilda.  His  union  brought  him  into  relationship  with  an  honored 
pioneer  family  of  Yolo  county,  for  his  father-in-law,  John  Caulfield, 
came  here  in  a  very  early  day  and  contributed  his  quota  toward  de- 
veloping the  local  resources. 


NAPOLEON  BONA PA RT  LaBRIE 

As  the  name  indicates,  the  subject  of  tins  sketch  is  of  French 
descent  and  in  addition  to  that  he  is  ;i  native  of  Virginia,  having 
been  born  near  the  Natural  Bridge,  Rockbridge  county,  May  1-. 
1849.  He  was  the  son  of  Joseph  and  Elizabeth  (Downs)  LaBrie, 
who  were  born,  respectively,  in  France  and  Virginia.  The  father 
was  educated  for  the  priesthood,  but  becoming  dissatisfied  with  liis 
religion  he  gave  it  up  and  for  this  lie  was  disinherited.  He  then 
immigrated  to  this  country  and  settled  in  Virginia,  where  lie  mar- 
ried. After  coming  to  tliis  country  lie  became  a  sculptor.  At  the 
time  of  the  Civil  war  lie  enlisted  in  the  Confederate  army  as  a 
lieutenant  and  met  bis  death  in  the  battle  of  the  Wilderness.  His 
wife  passed  away  in  Virginia  in  1906.  Of  the  ten  children  born 
to  these  parents  only  two  survive,  Napoleon  B.  and  bis  youngest 
sister,  Josephine,  who  is  now  Mrs.  Dudley,  of  Lynchburg,  Va. 

Until  be  was  eighteen  years  of  age  Napoleon  B.  LaBrie  re- 
mained in  his  native  state,  then  came  to  California  and  settled  in 
Mendocino  county.  Naturally  in  that  unsettled  locality  lie  engaged 
in  stock  raising,  and  in  protecting  his  herds  from  tlie  wild  animals 
of  the  surrounding  forests  lie  became  an  expert  and  noted  hunter. 
Bear,  panthers  and  wild  cats  were  bis  especial  prey,  as  these  tierce 
carnivora  were  thickest  around  his  colt  and  calf  corrals.  The  year 
1898  found  him  aboard  a  steamer  bound  from  Seattle  to  Skagway, 
his  soul  burning  up  with  the  Klondyke  fever.     Climbing  through 


496  HISTORY  OF  YOLO  COUNTY 

the  snowy  Chilcoot  Pass  and  making  his  way  down  the  Yukon, 
he  struck  Dawson  City  and  joined  the  great  army  of  goldseekers. 
Of  course  there  were  not  mines  enough  to  go  around,  and  he  did 
what  he  could.  Chopping  wood  was  a  profitable  business,  and  Mr. 
LaBrie  could  swing  an  axe  with  the  best  of  them.  From  $15  to 
$20  a  cord  for  turning  the  forests  into  four-foot  lengths  for  the 
river  steamers  was  fair  pay,  and  better  than  thousands  of  gold 
mines  on  the  creeks  were  paying.  Where  the  timber  was  easy  to 
get  at  he  has  cut  three  cords  in  a  day.  The  intense  cold  was  no 
detriment  to  the  choppers;  many  days  they  would  be  working 
when  it  was  sixty  below.  At  times  they  would  lay  their  axes 
aside  and  "stampede"  with  the  band  for  some  new-found  rich 
creek.  There  he  would  stake  out  his  claim  and  return  with  the 
crowd  to  civilization  and  his  woodchopping.  Another  diversion 
was  hunting,  and  he  sold  many  a  pound  of  bear  and  moose  meat 
to  miners  and  other  consumers  at  lofty  prices.  The  flesh  of  a 
twelve  hundred  pound  moose  netted  him  $600.  Mr.  LaBrie  says 
he  knew  of  hunters  in  the  Klondyke  who  cleared  $10,000  a  year 
each  in  the  wild  meat  business.  He  has  seen  caribou  in  droves  of 
one  thousand  on  their  way  north,  where  they  have  their  young, 
and  afterward  has  seen  the  same  herds  returning  south  with  the 
calves.  He  passed  a  long  winter  (seven  months)  twenty  miles 
north  of  the  Arctic  Circle  alone  with  his  dog,  some  of  the  time 
in  semi-starvation.  When  he  had  settled  down  in  the  final  sleep 
that  comes  to  the  hungry  man  in  that  awful  cold  he  was  awakened 
by  a  noise  outside  the  cabin,  and,  dragging  himself  to  the  door, 
saw  two  moose  near  by.  He  managed  to  get  his  rifle  at  work  and, 
though  he  was  so  weak  he  could  hardly  stand,  he  managed  to  kill 
both  of  the  animals.  It  was  providential,  as  he  was  helpless  in 
that  place,  having  no  snowshoes  for  travel  and  no  food  to  eat  on 
the  journey.  Once  he  was  found  by  Indians  frozen  on  the  trail. 
He  had  $7,000  with  him,  his  partner  having  gone  ahead  with  the 
dog-team  for  help.  The  Indians  thawed  him  out  and  saved  his 
life. 

Mr.  LaBrie  made  a  number  of  trips  between  Seattle  and  Daw- 
son before  he  concluded  that  he  had  enough  of  the  north  and  its 
great  white  wastes.  He  is  now  a  farmer  of  the  farm  instead  of  a 
tiller  of  the  nugget-bearing  soil  along  the  icy  Yukon,  and  he  finds 
the  Capay  valley  more  congenial  than  the  Alaskan  plains.  He 
married  in  Colusa  Miss  Fannie  Johnson,  and  the  children  born  to 
them  are:  Minnie,  George  (deceased),  Ruby  and  Fannie.  Minnie 
married  D.  E.  Jacobs,  and  they  have  one  daughter,  named  Ber- 
nice.  Ruby  married  E.  W.  Armfield,  who  is  practicing  law  in 
Woodland.  Fannie,  Mrs.  Brunson,  has  two  sons,  Glenford  and 
Lloyd.     Mrs.  LaBrie  passed  away  thirty  years  ago.     Mr.  LaBrie 


HISTORY  OF  YOLO  COUNTY  499 

has  charge  of  one  hundred  acres  in  almonds  and  other  fruits, 
carrying  on  this  large  orchard  with  success,  and  now,  after  his 
adventurous  life,  he  takes  it  easy  in  his  comfortable  home  in  Capay. 


GEORGE  N.  JACOBS 

In  this  work  appears  a  sketch  of  the  long  and  honorable  career 
of  the  Hon.  Isaac  W.  Jacobs.  He  married  Almira  E.  Martin  and 
had  twelve  children,  one  of  whom,  George  N.  Jacobs,  of  Woodland, 
Yolo  county,  Cal.,  it  is  the  purpose  of  the  writer  to  refer  to  some- 
what at  length.  Mr.  Jacobs  was  born  near  Stockton,  San  Joaquin 
county,  Cal.,  April  11,  1855.  He  was  a  year  old  when  he  was 
taken  by  his  parents  to  Yolo  county.  He  grew  to  manhood  on  a 
farm  near  Yolo,  helping  his  father  and  picking  up  much  easily 
assimilated  information  concerning  the  production  of  crops  and 
stock.  He  gained  his  primary  education  in  the  public  school 
near  his  home,  then  later  was  a  student  at  Hesperian  College, 
Woodland.  His  father's  farm  having  been  turned  over  to  him, 
he  gave  his  attention  to  ranching  to  the  exclusion  of  all  other  prac- 
tical pursuits  and  has  since  been  engaged,  year  after  year,  in  grain 
and  stock  raising.  Under  his  capable  supervision  the  old  home- 
stead has  yielded  large  crops,  as  witness  its  production  of  seven 
thousand  sacks  of  grain  in  1910.  That  year  the  wheat  yield  on 
the  ranch  was  twenty-two  sacks  to  the  acre.  He  is  an  extensive  and 
enthusiastic  breeder  of  full-blooded  and  graded  shorthorn  Dur- 
ham cattle,  his  being  recognized  as  Durhams  of  as  high  grade  as 
are  to  be  found  in  California.  For  twenty  years  he  has  had  his  resi- 
dence on  First  street,  Woodland,  in  order  that  his  children  might 
enjoy  the  tine  educational  advantages  of  the  city.  In  1893  he 
married  Miss  Emily  J.  Ely,  a  native  daughter  of  Yolo  county, 
who  was  graduated  from  Hesperian  College,  Woodland,  and  the 
San  Jose  State  Normal  School.  Her  father,  Isaac  J.  Ely,  an 
honored  pioneer  of  Yolo  county,  is  represented  elsewhere  in  this 
volume.  Mrs.  Jacobs  has  borne  her  husband  three  children.  Isaac 
W.  is  a  namesake  of  his  grandfather  in  the  paternal  line.  Nora 
Almira  died,  aged  three  months.  Virginia  is  the  youngest  of  the 
family.  Mr.  Jacobs  and  members  of  his  family  arc  active  sup- 
porters of  the  Christian  church  of  Woodland. 

In  some  ways  Mr.  Jacobs  is  a  leader  among  his  fellows.  Then' 
is  probably  no  citizen  of  Woodland  who  takes  a  deeper  or  more 
abiding  interest  in  all  that  pertains  to  the  public  welfare  than  does 
It.     There   is  no  movement  for  the  upbuilding  and   development 


500  HISTORY  OF  YOLO  COUNTY 

of  the  natural  resources  of  Yolo  county  that  does  not  receive  his 
moral  support  or  his  financial  aid.  Altogether  he  is  a  worthy  son 
of  a  worthy  sire. 


J.  M.  MORRIN 

There  is  a  vast  difference  between  character  and  reputation,  the 
former  representing  what  a  man  is,  the  latter  what  he  is  believed  to 
be;  but  when  the  two  qualities  are  correlative  a  splendid  harmony 
results.  Of  Mr.  Morrin  it  can  truthfully  be  said  that  not  only  his 
character,  but  his  reputation  as  well,  is  indicative  of  generous,  manly 
principles  and  noble  ambitions.  Born  in  Piqua,  Ohio,  April  11,  1847, 
lie  received  a  fair  education  in  the  schools  of  his  home  district,  cheer- 
fully laboring  on  his  father's  farm  until  the  age  of  twenty-ei.niit 
years,  when  he  became  imbued  with  a  determination  to  make  his  own 
way  in  the  world,  the  success  of  his  efforts  being  demonstrated  by 
the  further  record  of  his  life.  His  first  move  was  to  Yazoo  City, 
Miss.,  where  he  remained  about  eighteen  months,  his  popularity 
being  attested  by  his  being  chosen  to  fill  the  position  of  deputy 
assessor,  which  office  he  held  until  1876,  when  he  changed  his 
domicile  to  Marshalltown,  Iowa.  From  there  he  went  to  north- 
western Kansas,  from  there  to  Emporia,  and  still  later  to  Cedar 
Point.  The  latter  move  he  never  regretted,  as  it  was  iht-re  That  he 
met  a  lady  who  afterward  became  his  wife.  She  was  formerly 
Essie  Chittenden,  a  native  of  Crystal  Lake,  McHenry  county,  111. 
Afterward  they  located  a  homestead  at  Golden,  Stanton  county, 
Kan.,  which  place  they  proved  up  on  and  still  own. 

In  1892  the  family  came  to  Yolo  county,  Cal.,  where,  in  Rumsey, 
Mr.  Morrin  purchased  the  site  of  his  store,  erecting  a  building  in 
which  he  opened  the  merchandise  business  which  he  still  carries  on. 
Besides  this  building  and  his  residence,  he  also  owns  one  hundred 
and  sixty  acres  in  Kansas  previously  mentioned,  as  well  as  his 
Yolo  county  property  in  the  river  bottom,  which  comprises  an 
almond  orchard  and  a  flourishing  young  orange  grove,  irrigated 
by  means  of  a  gasoline  engine.  Highly  improved,  his  property 
sets  forth  unmistakably  the  thrifty  and  progressive  methods  of 
the  owner. 

Four  children  were  horn  to  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Morrin,  namely : 
Bertha  (deceased).  Ethel,  James  C.  and  Sylva.  Ethel  is  a  graduate 
of  the  Berkeley  high  school  and  the  Oakland  Polyclinic;  Sylva  is 
attending  the  San  Jose  normal  school,  a  member  of  the  class  of 
1913. 


BISTORY  OF  YOLO  COUNTY  501 

Besides  caring  for  his  merchandise  business  Mr.  Morriii 
efficiently  fills  the  office  of  postmaster  in  Rumsey,  having  l>een 
appointed  to  that  office  shortly  after  his  arrival  in  Yolo  county. 
In  Kansas  he  joined  the  A.  0.  U.  W.,  with  which  he  is  still  affiliated, 
lie  is  a  Republican,  and  although  not  identified  with  any  religious 
denomination,  is  a  firm  believer  in  the  Golden  Rule  and  its  prac- 
tical application,  while  his  wife  is  a  member  and  earnest  worker 
of  the  Methodist  church  of  Rumsey.  Few  men  in  Yolo  county  en- 
joy the  prosperity  and  esteem  which  have  long  been  the  portion  of 
Mr.  Morrin,  whose  baud  and  heart  are  ever  interested  in  the  wel- 
fare of  his  fellow  men. 


GEORGE  B.  HOAG 

One  of  the  best  known  citizens  of  Davis  is  Mr.  Hoag,  whose 
birth  occurred  June  15,  1859,  in  Washington,  Yolo  county,  Cal.  His 
father,  Benjamin  Hoag,  came  to  the  west  by  way  of  Cape  Horn  in 
1850,  settling  in  Washington,  where,  with  his  brother,  I.  N.  Hoag, 
he  established  the  first  ferry  operated  on  the  Sacramento  river  at 
that  point.  His  wife,  formerly  Mary  A.  Conrad,  crossed  the  plains 
in  1849.  Mr.  Hoag  owned  and  operated  the  first  reaper  ever  used 
near  Washington,  for  several  seasons  harvesting  not  only  for  him- 
self, but  for  his  neighbors  as  well.  Later  he  engaged  in  the  mercan- 
tile business  in  both  Dixon  and  Davis,  conducting  his  interests  until 
his  retirement  to  the  home  of  his  son,  E.  G.,  in  Fresno,  his  wife 
having  passed  away  in  1896.  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Hoag  were  the  parents 
of  the  following  children:  George  B.;  Charles  A.,  of  Ventura  coun- 
ty; Edmoncl  S.  and  Arthur,  both  of  Fresno;  and  Mrs.  Lillian  I'.. 
Harlin,  deceased. 

George  B.  Hoag  has  been  in  the  mercantile  business  all  his  life, 
having  assisted  in  his  father's  establishment  as  well  as  in  other 
stores  at  Davis  prior  to  entering  into  the  grocery  business  in  this 
city.  Here  Mr.  Hoag  was  united  in  marriage  to  Miss  Lucy  Tuffts, 
a  California  girl,  whose  father,  Joshua  B.  Tuffts,  was  a  pioneer  of 
Yolo  county.  Six  children  were  born  to  them:  George  Peroival, 
Clarence  Garfield,  Oliver  T.,  Tracy  Conrad,  Lillian  1>.  (now  Mrs.  E. 
Mcliriile.  of  Davis),  and  Anna  N.  The  four  sons  are  well  known 
in  baseball  circles,  having  made  excellent  records  on  the  field.  Mr. 
and  Mrs.  Hoag  are  highly  esteemed  in  the  community  which  has  so 
long  been  their  home,  and  are  ever  ready  to  assist  in  any  movement 
pertaining  to  the  development  of  their  city. 


502  HISTORY  OF  YOLO  COUNTY 

SAMUEL  LAWRENCE  NUTTING 

Long  and  efficient  service  in  the  capacity  of  justice  of  the  peace 
made  Mr.  Nutting  a  prominent  figure  throughout  Yolo  county  and 
rendered  familiar  the  title  of  judge  by  which  he  was  usually  ad- 
dressed. An  identification  with  the  county  extending  back  for 
thirty  years  or  more,  as  well  as  a  general  knowledge  of  the  law 
unusual  in  one  not  trained  for  the  profession,  combined  to  adapt 
him  admirably  to  the  office  of  justice,  in  which  he  proved  pains- 
taking, careful  and  impartial,  always  counseling  harmony  and  op- 
posing litigation,  but  in  the  event  of  suit  proving  himself  well  in- 
formed in  all  the  technicalities  appertaining  to  kindred  cases. 
When  first  elected  to  the  office  he  proved  so  reliable  and  impartial 
that  at  the  expiration  of  the  term  he  was  chosen  his  own  successor 
and  again  continued  in  office  for  a  third  consecutive  term.  Later 
he  was  elected  to  the  same  office  and  re-elected,  making  five  terms 
altogether  in  the  position,  the  long  tenure  proving  the  acceptabil- 
ity of  his  service. 

One  of  the  early  vessels  that  sailed  from  England  to  America 
brought  the  Nutting  family  to  the  Atlantic  coast  during  the  year 
1650,  and  from  that  time  to  the  present  the  family  has  had  repre- 
sentatives in  New  England.  Daniel,  Sr.,  and  his  son  and  name- 
sake were  born  in  Massachusetts,  and  Asha,  son  of  Daniel,  Jr., 
likewise  was  born  in  the  old  Bay  State,  where  in  young  manhood 
he  married  Clarissa  Wilkins,  who  was  born  in  Massachusetts  of 
English  ancestry.  Their  son,  Samuel  L.,  was  born  at  Westford, 
Mass.,  October  19,  1835,  and  received  a  common  school  education 
supplemented  by  attendance  in  an  academy.  As  a  boy  he  lived 
on  a  farm,  where  his  aptitude  as  a  mechanic  and  his  skill  with 
tools  proved  very  useful.  During  1857  he  came  to  San  Francisco 
via  the  Panama  route  and  secured  employment  in  a  hardware 
store,  where  he  had  a  fair  business  training.  After  a  little  less 
than  three  years  in  the  store  he  went  to  Lower  California  in  Mex- 
ico and  engaged  in  mining  about  three  years.  Next  he  removed 
to  Nevada,  and  for  about  twenty  years  operated  a  stationary  en- 
gine in  a  quartz  mill. 

The  round  of  labor  in  the  Nevada  mill  was  interrupted  by  a 
visit  to  the  east  and  a  temporary  sojourn  in  New  England,  where 
in  March  of  1867  Mr.  Nutting  married  Miss  Ellen  Chickering,  who 
was  born  in  Framingham,  Mass.,  and  taught  school  there  for  some 
years  prior  to  her  marriage.  She  was  the  daughter  of  James  and 
Nancy  (Bailey)  Chickering,  natives  of  Massachusetts,  where  the 
father  was  a  farmer.  The  young  couple  settled  at  Concord,  N.  H., 
where  for  more  than  a  year  he  worked  in  the  railroad  shops,  later 
returning  to   Nevada  and   resuming  his   former   occupation.      The 


'■yoxofyfOr 

Mm      iilf   ^1 

^^K  ^**^^^H 

^^iy^^H 

HISTORY  OF  YOLO  COUNTY  505 

only  child  born  of  the  marriage  died  in  infancy.  For  a  short  time 
Mrs.  Nutting-  remained  with  her  father  in  the  east  before  joining 
her  husband  in  California.  The  judge,  however,  remained  steadily 
in  the  west,,  where,  in  his  cozy  home,  surrounded  by  the  comforts 
of  existence,  he  rounded  out  an  active,  useful  life.  After  1881 
he  made  his  home  in  Yolo,  where  he  bought  a  ranch  of  seventeen 
acres,  on  which  lie  built  a  neat  cottage.  On  the  land  he  planted 
English  walnut  and  almond  trees,  also  a  vineyard  producing 
grapes  of  the  choicest  quality,  and  an  orchard  with  desirable  varie- 
ties of  deciduous  fruits.  The  entire  tract  reflects  his  wise  judg- 
ment and  untiring  energy.  In  addition  to  managing  the  place  and 
serving  as  justice  he  engaged  in  well-boring  and  sunk  a  large  num- 
ber of  wells  throughout  this  part  of  the  state.  His  earthly  career 
came  to  an  end  on  March  30,  1912. 

While  working  as  a  mechanic  at  Concord,  N.  H.,  Judge  Nut- 
ting was  made  a  Mason  in  the  blue  lodge  of  that  city,  and  later 
he  transferred  his  membership  to  Yolo,  where  he  served  in  an  offi- 
cial capacity  for  many  years.  His  first  presidential  ballot  was 
cast  for  John  C.  Fremont  in  1856.  After  that  he  never  missed 
voting  at  each  national  election  with  the  exception  of  the  year 
1860,  the  first  election  of  Abraham  Lincoln,  for  whom  he  did  not 
then  have  the  privilege  of  voting  by  reason  of  his  absence  in 
Mexico.  His  faith  in  Republican  principles  was  strong  and  he 
gave  unqualified  support  to  men  and  measures  supported  by  the 
party.  Since  her  husband's  death  Mrs.  Nutting  has  continued  to 
reside  at  the  old  home  place,  which  she  superintends.  She  is  espe- 
cially interested  in  the  work  of  the  Yolo  Methodist  Episcopal 
( Ihurch,  with  which  she  is  activelv  identified. 


HICKASON  BELT  COOPER 

As  one  of  the  leading  business  men  of  Winters  Mr.  Cooper 
is  well  known,  having  made  his  home  in  this  section  since  1889. 
Born  in  Flemingsburg,  Ky.,  October  12,  1849,  he  remained  in  that 
locality  until  about  five  years  old,  when  the  family  home  was  trans- 
ferred to  Illinois.  In  1854  his  parents,  A.  B.  and  Nancy  (Rollins) 
Cooper,  also  natives  of  Kentucky,  settled  in  Prairie  City,  Mc- 
Donough  county,  and  there  the  father  carried  on  a  store  for  many 
years.  Both  himself  and  wife  arc  now  deceased.  The  son  was 
educated  in  Illinois,  attending  first  the  public  schools  in  the  vicinity 
of  his  home,  and  later  attended  the  Christian  College  at  Abingdon, 
111.     After   his   schooling  was   completed   he   engaged   in    farming 


506  HISTORY   OF   YOLO    COUNTY 

in  MeDonough  county,  continuing  there  until  coining  to  Cali- 
fornia in  1873.  In  that  year  lie  settled  in  Elmira,  Solano  county, 
where  for  seven  years  he  was  employed  in  the  lumber  yard  of  F. 
B.  Chandler.  Removing  to  Winters  in  1891  he  purchased  several 
valuable  lots  upon  which  he  erected  residences,  including  his  own 
home  on  Second  street;  and  since  that  time  has  successfully  en- 
gaged in  contracting  and  building. 

On  January  1,  1872,  in  Prairie  City,  111.,  occurred  the  mar- 
riage of  H.  B.  Cooper  and  Miss  Frankie  Barber,  born  in  Dundee, 
Mich.,  the  daughter  of  Lafayette  and  Mary  (Belts)  Barber,  na- 
tives of  New  York.  Mr.  Barber,  who  was  at  one  time  a  large  mer- 
chant in  Prairie  City,  died  in  Chariton,  Iowa,  and  Mrs.  Barber 
died  in  Sacrahiento  December  14,  1911.  Four  children  were  born 
to  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Cooper.  Arthur  L.,  a  pharmacist  in  Winters, 
married  Miss  Mazie  Nathan,  and  they  have  two  children,  Nita 
Isabel  and  Nathan  Belt;  Walter  is  deceased;  Maine  L.  was  first 
married  to  George  Morris,  and  is  the  mother  of  three  children, 
Lewis  A.,  lone  and  Ven;  her  second  marriage  was  to  Hartley 
Buford;  Myrtle  J.,  now  the  wife  of  Frank  Wolf  skill,  of  Solano 
county,  was  prior  to  her  marriage  a  teacher  in  the  public  schools 
of  Elmira,  Fairfield  and  Winters  for  ten  years.  Upon  finishing 
his  education  Arthur  L.  Cooper  secured  a  position  in  the  drug 
store  of  R.  L.  Day,  in  Winters,  and  after  remaining  with  that 
employer  for  fifteen  years  took  a  course  in  pharmacy  in  San 
Francisco  and  is  now  pharmacist  in  the  store  of  his  old  employer. 

H.  B.  Cooper  is  a  member  of  Dixon  Lodge  No.  50,  A.  0.  U. 
W.,  and  is  a  believer  in  Democratic  principles,  though  in  local 
affairs   he  is  independent. 


MAURICE  REARDON 

Seldom  is  it  the  privilege  of  the  biographer  to  chronicle  a 
life  whose  activities  were  centered  upon  one  farm  for  a  period  of 
fifty  years.  In  this  era  of  change  and  restlessness  few  there  are 
who  can  boast  of  long  identification  with  any  one  spot  on  old 
Mother  Earth,  but  it  was  a  source  of  pride  to  Maurice  Reardon 
that  he  gave  the  larger  part  of  his  life  and  the  greatest  measure 
of  his  energies  to  the  development  of  the  property  now  known 
as  his  old  homestead.  Hither  he  came  not  many  years  after  2,'old 
had  been  discovered.  As  he  turned  the  first  furrows  in  the  virgin 
soil,  so  also  he  erected  the  first  substantial  buildings  on  the  place 
and  harvested  the  first  crops  of  grain.     As  time  passed  by  he  saw 


(foi^^  fiUaAdm^ 


HISTORY  OF  YOLO  COUNTY  509 

the  swift  locomotive  .supersede  the  slow-moving  stage  coach.  Vil- 
lages sprang  up  and  farms  began  to  show  signs  of  prosperity. 
But  it  was  a  far  cry  from  the  desolation  of  the  '50s  to  the  civiliza- 
tion of  the  twentieth  century,  and  few  there  were  who,  like  himself, 
could  claim  an  association  with  both  eras. 

A  native  of  Ireland,  Maurice  Reardon  was  born  September  10, 
1819,  and  there  he  passed  the  uneventful  days  of  boyhood.  From 
his  early  life  he  was  interested  in  tales  concerning  America  and 
resolved  to  seek  a  livelihood  there.  In  pursuance  of  the  plan  he 
crossed  the  ocean  in  young  manhood  and  settled  in  Massachusetts, 
where  he  found  employment  near  the  city  of  Boston.  During  Sep- 
tember of  1850  he  was  united  in  marriage  with  Miss  Elizabeth 
Griffin  at  Lawrence,  Mass.,  and  from  that  time  until  her  demise 
in  1901  he  enjoyed  the  inestimable  benefit  of  her  keen  judgment, 
persevering  industry  and  shrewd  intelligence.  His  life  was  pro- 
longed for  live  years  after  her  decease,  but  the  loneliness  of  old 
age  had  fallen  upon  him  and  notwithstanding  the  devoted  minis- 
trations of  sons  and  daughters  he  never  recovered  from  the  deep 
bereavement  occasioned  by  her  death. 

Of  the  six  children  comprising  the  family  of  Maurice  and 
Elizabeth  Reardon,  four  were  born  in  Massachusetts  prior  to  the 
departure  of  the  parents  from  the  east  and  their  removal  via  Pan- 
ama to  California,  where  they  took  up  land  in  Yolo  county  and 
developed  a  farm  of  three  hundred  and  twenty  acres  seven  miles 
northwest  of  Davis.  The  two  eldest  children,  John  and  Mary 
(Mrs.  Quinn)  were  twins.  The  others  were  as  follows:  Thomas; 
Nellie,  who  married  Edward  Malone  and  lives  in  Sacramento; 
Lizzie,  Mrs.  William  O'Oonnell,  of  Napa;  and  Margaret.  The 
first-named  son,  John,  was  born  in  Boston,  but  has  lived  in  Cali- 
fornia from  early  childhood,  and  after  he  had  completed  the  studies 
of  the  common  schools  he  engaged  in  farming  and  stock-raising. 
For  a  long  period  he  was  an  extensive  sheep  shearer  in  Nevada, 
Oregon,  Wyoming  and  Idaho.  Near  Davis  he  owns  a  stock  and 
grain  farm  of  one  hundred  and  sixty  acres,  which  he  formerly 
operated  personally,  but  now  leases  to  a  tenant.  The  other  son. 
Thomas,  owns  and  operates  one  hundred  and  sixty  acres  near 
Davis,  where  lie  keeps  a  full  quota  o'f  stock,  including  a  flock  of 
sixty-five  sheep.  Grain  is  the  principal  product  of  the  land  and  an 
average  of  thirteen  sacks  of  wheat  to  the  acre  was  the  record  for 
the  last  crop  harvested.  In  fraternal  relatione  he  holds  membership 
with  the  Foresters  of  America.  By  his  marriage  to  Clara  Braun,  a 
native  of  Gefma!ly,  he  is  the  father  of  two  children.  Edward  and 
Elizabeth. 


510  HISTOEY  OF  YOLO  COUNTY 

BENJAMIN  FKANKLIN  DAVISSON,  Se. 

The  subject  of  this  sketch,  now  deceased,  was  born  in  Muskin- 
gum count}*,  Ohio,  April  30,  1835,  and  when  he  was  nineteen  the 
family  struck  out  for  the  great  Far  West.  It  was  in  a  large  immi- 
grant train — many  families  and  much  stock — and  his  father  was 
the  captain.  They  came  the  well-known  route  along  the  North 
Platte,  Green  river  and  the  "Sinks  of  the  Humboldt."  The  In- 
dians occasionally  ran  off  their  stock,  but  did  not  further  trouble 
them,  as  the  immigrants  were  in  too  large  force  to  attack.  It 
took  the  train  exactly  four  months  to  make  the  journey.  They 
continued  through  the  Sacramento  Valley  down  to  Suisun.  For 
several  years  the  Davissons  farmed,  during  which  time  they  pur- 
chased a  complete  threshing  outfit  and  used  it  during  the  busy 
harvest  seasons  through  the  Suisun,  Capay  and  other  valleys  and 
over  the  Montezuma  Hills. 

Mr.  Davisson  married  in  San  Francisco  Miss  Serrita  Clark, 
whose  parents  came  to  this  state  in  1849.  The  children  born  to 
them  are  as  follows :  Benjamin  F.,  William  H.,  Lawrence  E.,  S. 
Grace,  Jennie  A.,  Huldah  M.,  Ella  S.,  Bessie  M.  (deceased),  and 
Florence  L.  S.  Grace  married  T.  B.  Harrison;  they  live  in  Visalia 
and  have  three  children.  Jennie  married  W.  T.  Jane;  they  live 
in  San  Francisco,  and  have  two  daughters.  Huldah,  Mrs.  A.  0. 
Harley,  is  the  postmaster  at  Guinda.  Ella  married  S.  T.  Clark,  of 
Guinda.     Florence  married  B.  W.  Driggs,  also  of  Guinda. 

B.  F.  Davisson,  Sr.,  first  settled  on  the  McHenry  ranch  of  over 
one  thousand  acres  near  Esparto,  then  came  to  Capay.  He  there 
located  on  the  Davis  place  of  eleven  hundred  acres,  which  he 
farmed  for  many  years,  or  until  it  was  sold  to  the  railroad  com- 
pany. He  bought  thirty  acres  of  the  old  ranch,  which  is  set  to 
orchard  of  apricots,  peaches,  plums  and  prunes,  and  one  hundred 
and  thirty  acres  of  other  land  in  grain.  He  kept  about  fourteen 
head  of  livestock  on  his  well-equipped  farm.  In  politics  he  was  a 
lifelong  Republican,  as  was  his  father,  and  he  was  proud  of  the 
fact  that  he  never  changed  his  faith.  He  was  also  a  member  of 
the  Masonic  and  Odd  Fellow  fraternities.  Mr.  Davisson  died  in 
Oakland  September  1,  1908. 

B.  F.  Davisson,  Jr.,  was'  born  in  Guinda  July  8,  1882,  and  was 
educated  in  the  local  schools  and  in  Heald's  Business  College  at 
San  Francisco,  graduating  from  the  latter  institution  in  1901. 
He  then  became  a  partner  of  his  father  in  farming  and  horticul- 
ture and  soon  had  charge  of  the  business.  Since  the  death  of  his 
father  he  has  continued  the  business,  and  besides  the  management 
of  the  orchard  he  also  farms  about  one  hundred  and  thirty  acres 


HISTORY  OF  YOLO  COUNTY  511 

of  land  to  grain  and  ha}-.     He  ships  both  the  ripe  and  dried  fruit 
from  his   orchard  to  market. 

Benjamin  F.  Davisson,  Jr.,  married  Esther  Morrison,  a  native 
of  Winters,  Cal.,  and  the  daughter  of  Robert  Morrison,  a  retired 
merchant  of  that  place.  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Davisson  have  one  child, 
Malcolm.  Mr.  Davisson  was  made  a  Mason  in  Landmark  Lodge 
No.  253,  F.  &  A.  M.,  at  Madison.  He  is  also  a  member  of  Capay 
Lodge  No.  230,  I.  O.  0.  F.,  and  politically  he  espouses  the  prin- 
ciples  of  the  Republican  party. 


JOHN  FINGLAND,  Jk. 

No  man  is  better  or  more  favorably  known  in  railroad  and 
business  circles  in  Yolo  county,  Cal.,  than  John  Fingland,  Jr.,  of 
Woodland.  His  father,  John  Fingland,  was  born  at  No.  7  Lethan 
Hill,  Dumfrieshire,  Scotland,  and  went  to  sea  when  he  was  fifteen 
years  old.  Three  jears  later,  at  eighteen,  having  sailed  around 
Cape  Horn,  he  landed  at  San  Francisco.  That  was  in  the  spring 
of  1850.  For  a  time  he  mined  with  indifferent  success  in  Placer 
county,  at  Forest  Hill  Divide,  at  Mormon  Island  and  in  other 
diggings.  Then  he  turned  to  carpentering  and  until  1873  was  con- 
nected with  contracting  and  building  in  different  California  towns. 
In  the  year  mentioned  he  went  to  Visalia  and  there  contracted  and 
built  until  the  outbreak  of  the  Mineral  King  excitement  in  Tulare 
county,  when,  with  others,  he  sought  fortune  in  that  field  and  met 
failure  and  defeat,  as  did  many  another  too  venturesome  ore 
hunter.  After  that  he  went  into  the  meat  trade  at  Penryn.  Cal. 
From  there  he  eventually  moved  to  Roseville,  where  he  is  now 
living,  aged  eighty-one  years.  He  married  Miss  Armethea  ('. 
Murphy,  born  in  Rhode  Island,  who  came  early  to  this  state, 
where  she  lived  until  1908,  when  she  died.  Of  their  six  children 
four  sons  and  one  daughter  are  living. 

The  oldest  of  the  children  of  John  and  Armethea  C.  (Mur- 
phy) Fingland,  John  Fingland,  Jr..  was  born  at  Auburn.  Placer 
county,  Cal.,  July  31,  1870.  From  his  fourth  to  his  sixteenth  year 
he  spent  at  Visalia,  and  there  his  education  was  begun  in  the 
village  school.  In  1885  the  family  moved  to  Penryn.  and  there 
in  the  public  school  he  continued  his  studies  up  t<>  (he  time  lie 
be^an  to  help  his  father  in  the  building  business,  in  which  he  was 
employed  until  1891.  Then  he  entered  the  service  of  the  Southern 
Pacific  Railroad  Company  as   assistant   station    agent    at    Penryn, 


512  HISTORY  OF  YOLO  COUNTY 

and  while  there  he  also  learned  telegraphy.  In  1893  and  1894  he 
was  assistant  agent  and  operator  at  Newcastle,  and  after  that 
he  was  night  operator  at  Cascade,  Summit,  Cisco  and  Truekee, 
then  relief  agent  at  Penryn,  Loomis  and  Newcastle.  After  sev 
eral  years  passed  in  those  places,  in  1897  he  was  appointed  agent 
at  Loomis,  a  position  which  he  held  until  1907,  when  he  was  trans- 
ferred to  Woodland,  where  he  has  been  the  railway  agent  since, 
with  a  prospect  of  remaining  indefinitely,  for  which  fact  the 
business  community  is  glad,  for  a  more  obliging,  yet  businesslike, 
agent  is  not  to  be  found  at  any  station  in  the  entire  Southern 
Pacific    system. 

In  politics  Mr.  Fingland  is  a  Republican.  He  is  a  member  of 
the  0.  R.  T.,  a  Knight  of  Pythias,  and  was  made  a  Mason  in  Wood- 
land Lodge  No.  156,  F.  &  A.  M.  He  married,  in  Loomis,  Cal., 
Miss  Edna  Smyth,  a  native  of  Horseshoe  Bar,  Placer  countv,  Cal. 


GEORGE  W.  SANDERS 

A  goodly  number  of  competent  judges  assert  that  in  his  knowl- 
edge of  the  nursery  business  Mr.  Sanders  is  unsurpassed  by  any 
resident  of  Northern  California,  but  that  gentleman  himself  with 
accustomed  modesty  always  disclaims  any  skill  beyond  that  pos- 
sessed by  many  other  nurserymen.  Be  that  as  it  may,  certain  it 
is  that  he  has  devoted  years  of  laborious  application  to  the  busi- 
ness and  through  unflagging  devotion  to  its  demands  has  risen 
to  a  place  of  independence.  It  may  also  be  stated  that  he  is  familiar 
with  every  phase  of  fruit  culture.  Many  discouragements  have  met 
his  ambitious  endeavors  to  promote  the  industry  in  his  own  com- 
munity and  often  obstacles  have  appeared  to  retard  his  personal 
progress,  but  ultimately  a  determined  will  and  an  untiring  indus- 
try have  enabled  him  to  override  hardships  that  would  have 
daunted  many   others. 

The  youthful  years  of  Mr.  Sanders  were  passed  uneventfully 
at  Allegan.  Mich.,  where  he  was  born  June  '22,  1867,  and  where 
he  received  a  public  school  education.  Leaving  home  in  1886,  he 
came  to  California  to  make  his  own  way  in  the  world  and  since 
he  was  a  youth  of  nineteen  he  has  known  no  home  save  in  Yrolo 
county.  Immediately  after  his  arrival  he  found  employment  with 
a  nurseryman  (having  worked  in  a  nursery  from  a  boy  in  Michi- 
gan), and  in  this  way  his  attention  was  called  to  the  possibilities 
of  the  business  in  California,  which  he  liked  so  well  that  he  chose 
it  for  his  life  work.  Nor  has  he  had  any  reason  to  regret  his  choice 
of   an    occupation,   for   he   has   met    with   gratifying   success.      For 


-^u^yL^^^ 


HISTORY  OF  YOLO  COUNTY  515 

live  years  lie  remained  in  the  employ  of  B.  F.  Godfrey,  who  con- 
ducted a  nursery  business  on  the  Chiles  ranch,  and  it  was  during 
that  era  when  he  laid  the  foundation  of  his  present  broad  and 
comprehensive  knowledge  of  the  industry.  During  1892-93  he  had 
sixty  acres  in  nursery  on  the  land  now  occupied  by  the  state  farm 
at    Davis. 

Upon  the  acquisition  of  the  title  to  forty-seven  acres  in  the 
vicinity  of  Davis,  Mr.  Sanders  planted  twenty-five  acres  to  almond 
trees  and  embarked  in  that  business,  besides  which  he  managed  a 
nursery  of  forty  acres  on  the  old  Cooley  ranch.  On  the  George  W. 
Pierce  ranch  he  planted  the  Fancher  creek  nursery  and  also  had 
twenty  acres  of  the  property  devoted  to  nursery  stock  of  his  own, 
having  a  contract  with  the  company  to  furnish  to  them  two  hun- 
dred and  fifty  thousand  trees  annually.  It  was  Largely  through 
his  persuasions  that  the  company  was  induced  to  remove  here  from 
Fresno,  and  their  investment  has  been  helpful  to  local  interests, 
as  well  as  satisfactory  to  themselves.  Mr.  Sanders  has  fifty  acres 
in  nursery  stock  on  the  LaRue  ranch  (about  six  hundred  thousand 
trees)  and  he  has  supplied  smaller  nurseries  with  stock  for  years, 
hut  his  specialty  is  the  shipment  in  carload  lots  of  the  stock 
throughout  California  and  Oregon.  Great  care  is  taken  with  all 
consignments.  No  pains  are  spared  to  give  satisfaction  to  pur- 
chasers and  few  complaints  are  received  from  the  recipients  of  the 
trees,  while,  on  the  other  hand,  words  of  commendation  are  fre- 
quent. 

The  home  of  Mr.  Sanders  is  presided  over  by  his  wife,  whom 
he  married  in  Santa  Barbara  October  15,  1!)07,  and  who  was  Miss 
Virginia  Klays,  a  native  of  Davis.  She  is  a  daughter  of  Frederick 
Klays,  who  came  to  California  during  young  manhood  and  settled 
in  Yolo  county.  For  some  time  he  engaged  as  a  bookkeeper  with 
Driesbach  &  Co.,  of  Davis,  and  he  also  served  with  efficiency  as 
justice  of  the  peace.  Various  fraternal  organizations  have  had 
the  benefit  of  the  enthusiastic  co-operation  of  Mr.  Sanders,  who 
has  been  active  especially  with  the  Knights  of  Pythias  and  serves 
the  local  lodge  as  past  chancellor.  His  identification  with  various 
degrees  of  Masonrv  enables  himself  and  wife  to  participate  in  the 
activities  of  the  Eastern  Star  and  they  have  been  prominent  in 
its  executive  and  philanthropic  enterprises,  Mrs.  Sanders  holding 
the  office  of  past  matron    in   the   local    chapter. 


SCI  lid  KM  AX   Bl 

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identi- 

516  HISTORY  OF  YOLO  COUNTY 

fied  honorably  and  intimately  with  the  agricultural  activities  of 
Yolo  count)',  whither  in  an  early  day  came  a  rugged  and  stalwart 
young  German,  Ferdinand  Schlieman,  the  descendent  of  a  long 
line  of  Teutonic  ancestors  and  the  possessor  in  his  own  sturdy 
mentality  of  qualities  inherited  from  worthy  progenitors.  While 
he  had  not  been  endowed  with  wealth  nor  had  destiny  bestowed 
upon  him  the  qualities  that  bring  a  swift  success,  he  had  a  large 
fund  of  energy  and  industry  and  was  not  easily  disheartened 
by  obstacles.  Hence  he  was  in  a  position  to  appreciate  the  ad- 
vantages offered  by  Yolo  county  and  to  foresee  the  possibilities 
of  the  region  as  the  result  of  careful  cultivation. 

Tbe  pre-emption  of  a  claim  of  one  hundred  and  sixty  acres 
save  tbe  industrious  young  German  his  first  start  in  the  new 
world  and  established  him  among  the  ranchers  of  Yolo  county, 
where  as  a  subsequent  prosperity  gave  him  financial  standing  and 
credit  he  was  enabled  to  buy  one-half  section,  thus  giving  him 
tbe  title  to  four  hundred  and  eighty  acres  in  one  body,  situated 
near  Blacks  Station.  Favorably  impressed  with  the  opportunities 
here  presented  to  industry  and  thrift  he  resolved  to  establish  a 
permanent  home  on  bis  land  and  with  that  object  in  view  lie  re- 
turned to  Germany  for  the  young  lady,  Miss  Caroline  Kuntze, 
to  whom  he  had  plighted  his  troth.  A  quiet  wedding  ceremony 
was  followed  by  farewells  to  their  friends  and  they  then  set  sail 
for  the  new  world,  coming  direct  to  California  and  beginning  their 
married  life  upon  the  farm  that  is  now  owned  by  their  children. 
Here  they  passed  many  busy  and  happy  years  and  here  their  last 
days  were  passed.  Tbe  only  exception  to  their  continuous  resi- 
dence upon  the  farm  was  during  the  period  of  his  official  service, 
when  they  made  their  home  at  the  county  seat.  For  one  term 
he  served  as  county  assessor,  for  one  term  he  filled  the  office  of 
county  clerk  and  for  one  term  he  held  the  position  of  county 
recorder.  In  each  position  he  gave  satisfaction  to  the  people  of 
the    county. 

Since  the  death  of  this  pioneer  rancher  and  his  devoted  wife 
the  old  homestead  has  been  occupied  by  Ernest  E.,  and  the  daugh- 
ter, Miss  Helen.  Adolph  and  Louis  have  built  neat  residences  on 
other  portions  of  the  estate.  The  three  brothers  work  in  partner- 
ship and  by  wise  and  harmonious  dealings  they  have  gained  promi- 
nence as  farmers  and  stockraisers.  The  productiveness  of  the 
laud  proves  their  skilled  cultivation.  Alfalfa  and  grain  raising 
are  carried  on  extensively  and  they  merit  their  splendid  financial 
returns.  Conservative  and  careful,  energetic  and  enthusiastic 
they  possess  the  traits  indispensable  to  successful  agricultural 
operations  and  are  wiselv  developing  the  interests  inherited  from 
their  father.     The  oldest  of  the  three  brothers,   Ernest   E.,   is   n 


-^CO~~^A)      kJUl^AA  O^D 


HISTORY  OF  YOLO  COUNTY  519 

member  of  Grafton  Lodge  No.  293,  I.  O.  0.  P.,  to  which  the  young- 
est brother,  Louis,  also  belongs.  All  have  the  sturdy  traits  char- 
acteristic of  the  Teutonic  race,  supplemented  by  the  enterprise 
that  is  associated  with  the  American  race,  and  their  high  princi- 
ples of  honor  have  gained  for  them  the  respect  of  a  large  circle 
of  acquaintances. 


WILLIAM  HENRY  LEEMAN 

The  man  who  realizes  early  in  life  the  value  of  prudent  and 
economical  measures  in  all  lines  is  certain  to  reap  the  reward  of 
his  moderation.  No  one  admires  a  niggardly  character,  but  who 
does  not  esteem  a  man  who  can  in  all  situations  maintain  a  calm 
and  unbiased  judgment,  which,  in  the  end,  place  him  far  ahead  of 
his  more  impulsive  and  indiscreet  brother?  A  man  who  has  ever 
shown  consideration  and  generosity  to  his  family,  yet  whose  quiet 
sagacity  has  enabled  him  to  build  a  competency  which  ranks  among 
the  foremost  in  Yolo  county,  in  W.  H.  Leeman,  who  was  born  in 
Iowa,  and  who,  when  but  a  babe  crossed  the  plains  in  185(5  with 
his  parents,  who  settled  in  Sacramento  county. 

Following  his  education  in  the  public  schools  of  that  section 
W.  H.  Leeman 's  first  independent  step  was  to  secure  employment 
in  the  Pioneer  hop  yards  of  Daniel  Flint,  the  latter  residing  three 
miles  below  Sacramento.  In  1882  Mr.  Leeman  purchased  one 
hundred  and  eighty  acres  of  swamp  land  near  Washington,  Yolo 
county.  He  built  small  levees  around  parts  of  his  land,  this 
being  before  there  was  a  reclamation  district.  Here  he  put  into 
practice  on  his  own  account  the  methods  and  training  which  he 
had  acquired  on  the  Pioneer  ranch,  setting  it  to  hops,  and  lie  and 
Mr.  Lovdal  were  the  first  to  cultivate  hops  in  Yolo  county.  Still 
continuing  hop  culture,  Mr.  Leeman  added  to  his  holdings  from 
time  to  time  until  he  became  the  owner  of  four  hundred  and  twenty 
acres,  one  hundred  and  sixty  of  which  were  in  hops  and  the  re- 
mainder in  alfalfa,  besides  which  he  conducted  a  dairy  supplied 
by  two  hundred  cows.  The  1!>11  yield  of  hops  proved  so  large, 
producing  a  ton  to  the  acre,  that  Mr.  Leeman  was  obliged  to  erect 
an  additional  hop  drying  shed.  Prices  were  good  and  the  income 
from  this  source  alone  was  very  material.  lie  was  one  of  the 
first  trustees  of  reclamation  district  No.  537  and  was  active  in 
constructing  the  levees.  Fraternally  he  was  a  member  of  the  Benev- 
olent Protective  Order  of  Elks,  and  politically  he  was  a  Republican. 


520  HISTORY  OF  YOLO  COUNTY 

He  passed  away  at  his  home,  No.-  2507  K  street,  Sacramento, 
August  24,  1911. 

The  marriage  of  Mr.  Leeman,  in  Sacramento,  united  him  with 
Miss  Kate  Farley,  who  was  born  in  this  city,  and  who  passed  away 
July  28,  1910,  leaving  three  children,  Walter  W.,  Gertrude  and 
Maretta. 

Walter  W.  Leeman  was  born  in  Sacramento  April  12,  1885. 
After  completing  his  public  school  education  he  entered  the  Uni- 
versity of  California  at  Berkeley,  where  he  continued  his  studies 
for  one  year.  Returning  home  in  1904  he  became  actively  engaged 
in  the  duties  of  the  ranch,  demonstrating  an  ability  much  appre- 
ciated by  his  father.  On  the  death  of  the  latter  he  became  executor 
of  the  estate  and  now  has  the  management  of  the  Leeman  ranch. 
It  is  located  four  miles  west  of  Sacramento  on  the  Sacramento  & 
Woodland  electric  railway,  at  Leeman  station,  where  a  switch 
is  located,  providing  splendid  shipping  facilities.  The  buildings 
on  the  ranch  comprise  a  hop  house  with  six  kilns,  also  a  cooling 
room.  After  leaving  this  room  the  hops  are  pressed  into  bales 
of  about  two  hundred  pounds  each.  About  two  hundred  acres 
of  the  ranch  are  in  alfalfa  and  the  product  of  the  dairy,  sup- 
plied by  two  hundred  cows,  is  sold  at  wholesale  in  Sacramento, 
being  shipped  by  boat  direct  from  the  landing  on  the  ranch. 
Mr.  Leeman  also  breeds  draft  horses  of  the  Percheron  strain.  He 
was  married  in  Sacramento  to  Miss  Irma  Kilgore,  a  native  of 
that  city.  Fraternallv  he  is  identified  with  Sacramento  Lodge 
No.  6,  B.  P.  0.  E. 


BERNAL  H.  SHARP. 

At  Castlewood,  S.  Dak.,  Bernal  H.  Sharp,  manager  of  the 
Woodland  station  for  the  Western  Creameries  Company,  was 
born  July  2,  1885,  a  son  of  O.  M.  Sharp,  who  brought  his  family 
to  California  in  1903  and  is  one  of  the  successful  farmers  in  the 
Woodland  district. 

At  Black  River  Falls,  Wis.,  where  his  parents  moved  when 
he  was  quite  young,  Bernal  H.  Sharp  was  educated  in  the  public 
and  high  schools.  From  1903,  when  he  came  to  Yolo  county,  until 
November,  1909,  he  busied  himself  with  farming  and  dairying, 
acquiring  an  intimate  knowledge  of  everything  pertaining  to  the 
manufacture  of  butter  and  to  the  preparation,  care  and  sale  of 
dairy  goods  generally.     At  the  date  last  mentioned  he  was  made 


HISTORY  OF  YOLO  COUNTY 

manager  at  Woodland  for  the  Western  Creameries  Company  and 
began  buying  and  shipping  cream  to  the  creamery  of  that  com- 
pany at  Benicia,  Solano  county.  Later,  in  connection  with  this 
work,  he  was  also  given  supervision  over  the  Madison  station  of 
the  same  concern.  A  young  man  of  tine  business  ability  and  of 
undoubted  integrity  of  purpose,  he  has  won  the  confidence  of 
all  with  whom  he  lias  had  to  deal,  with  the  result  that  the  business 
entrusted  to   him   has   been  increasingly   prosperous. 

In  Eocklin,  Placer  county,  Mr.  Sharp  married  Miss  Lucy 
Sommer,  a  native  of  Morton,  111.,  and  they  have  a  daughter  whom 
them  have  named  Cora.  In  his  political  affiliations  he  is  a  Repub- 
lican. As  a  citizen  he  has  proven  himself  helpful  to  all  worthy 
interests  of  the  community. 


ALOIS  HENRY  ABELE 

The  measure  of  success  which  has  rewarded  the  painstaking 
efforts  of  Mr.  Abele  is  the  measure  of  his  ability.  Adversity 
handicapped  him  in  youth.  Almost  before  he  was  able  to  lisp 
the  name  of  "father."  that  parent  was  taken  from  the  home 
by  death.  Later  the  mother  married  again,  but  died  while  still  a 
young  woman.  Orphaned  and  hampered  by  poverty,  the  young 
lad  began  to  earn  his  livelihood  at  an  age  when  most  boys  arc 
in  school.  His  education  has  been  obtained  almost  wholly  by  self- 
culture.  Experience  has  been  his  teacher.  The  loneliness  of 
his  position  developed  within  him  self-reliance  and  perseverance. 
When  he  started  out  for  himself  he  learned  to  give  way  to  no  dis- 
couragement however  great.  As  a  result  of  his  earnest  endeavors 
he  has  acquired  a  finely  improved  ranch  of  about  fifteen  hundred 
acres,  containing  three  substantial  barns  and  a  large  granary, 
attractive  shade  and  ornamental  trees  and  a  neat  resilience  for 
the  occupancy  of  the  family.  When  it  is  considered  that  this  estate 
has  been  secured  by  the  unaided  efforts  of  the  owner,  it  will  be 
realized  that  he  is  a  man  of  unusual  force  of  character  and  energy 
of  will. 

The  founder  of  the  family  in  America  was  John  Abele,  a 
native  of  Wurtemberg.  Germany,  and  by  trade  a  wagon-maker 
and  cooper.  During  the  year  1854  he  crossed,  the  ocean  to  Canada 
and  found  employment  in  the  manufacture  of  wagons.  Returning 
to  Germany  in  a  short  time  he  there  married  Annie  Yost,  who 
was  born  and  reared  in  the  same  village  as  himself.     Accompanied 


524  HISTORY  OF  YOLO  COUNTY 

by  his  wife  he  went  again  to  Canada  and  resumed  work  at  his  trade. 
While  the  family  were  living  near  Hamilton,  Canada,  a  son,  Alois 
Henry,  was  born  February  7,  1858.  The  following  year  the  father, 
in  search  of  a  less  rigorous  climate,  came  to  California  and,  being 
pleased  with  the  country,  sent  back  for  his  family,  who  joined 
him  in  Yolo  county  in  1860.  He  opened  a  wagon  shop  at  Cacheville 
and  undoubtedly  would  have  attained  a  fair  degree  of  success, 
had  not  he  died  in  1862  at  the  age  of  twenty-eight  years.  After 
a  subsequent  marriage  his  wife  died  in  San  Francisco  while  in  that 
city  for  medical  treatment. 

Among  four  children  Alois  Henry  Abele  was  third  in  order 
of  birth.  With  such  meager  preparation  for  life  as  a  brief  attend- 
ance at  country  schools  afforded,  at  the  age  of  fourteen  years  he 
entered  the  employ  of  Dave  Schindler,  remaining  with  him  for 
ten  months,  was  later  in  the  employ  of  Mike  Bemmerly  for  two 
years,  and  still  later  was  employed  as  driver  of  a  team  and  wagon 
for  Schuerle  &  Miller,  brewers,  at  Woodland,  holding  the  last- 
mentioned  position  for  five  years.  On  October  3,  1882,  he  was 
united  in  marriage  in  Woodland  with  Miss  Mary  E.  Weber,  who 
was  born  at  Stuttgart,  Germany,  and  came  to  this  country  in 
1876  with  her  mother,  Mrs.  Bertha  Weber,  settling  at  Woodland, 
where  she  remained  until  her  union  with  Mr.  Abele.  The  young 
people  purchased  and  settled  upon  three  hundred  and  sixty  acres  of 
land  near  Dunnigan.  This  he  placed  under  cultivation  and  im- 
proved with  a  neat  set  of  farm  buildings.  The  residence  stands 
in  Yolo  county  six  and  one-quarter  miles  south  of  Arbuckle  and 
eight  and  one-quarter  miles  northwest  of  Dunnigan.  From  time 
to  time  he  has  added  to  the  dimensions  of  the  ranch  until  now  he 
owns  fifteen  hundred  acres  in  the  home  place,  wheat  and  barley 
being  the  principal  products.  An  excellent  grade  of  stock  is  kept 
on  the  home  place.  Business  methods  are  utilized  in  the  harvesting 
and  marketing  of  the  crops  and  in  the  entire  management  of  the 
land,  so  that  the  returns  are  gratifying  to  the  owner.  Mr.  Abele 
was  the  first  man  in  his  section  to  set  out  and  raise  the  spineless 
cactus  for  stock  food  and  fruit.  To  demonstrate  their  enter- 
prise and  interest  in  all  movements  that  tend  to  build  up  the  county 
Mr.  and  Mrs.  Abele,  when  the  company  that  is  planning  the  elec- 
tric railroad  through  the  valley  asked  for  a  right  of  way  over 
their  ranch,  gave  it  freely. 

The  family  of  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Abele  numbered  eight  children, 
but  Annie  died  in  childhood  and  Clara  E.,  Mrs.  Spencer,  who 
was  popular  in  a  large  circle  of  acquaintances,  passed  away  in 
1906.  Bertha  M.  is  the  wife  of  John  Keehn,  of  Woodland.  Agnes 
L.,  Mrs.  W.  G.  Myers,  resides  near  Arbuckle,  while  Victoria  R., 
Amelia  D.,  John  Shirley  and  Alois  Henry,  Jr.,  still  remain  at  the 


BISTORY  OF  YOLO  COUNT V  527 

homestead.  Ever  since  be  attained  his  majority  Mr.  Abele  has 
voted  with  the  Democratic  party  in  national  elections,  but  in 
local  issues  he  supports  the  men  whom  he  considers  best  qualified 
to  represent  the  people  regardless  of  their  political  tenets.  Mr. 
Abele  and  his  family  are  members  of  the  Catholic  Church  at  Wood- 
land. His  interest  in  educational  progress  led  him  to  accept  the 
position  of  director  and  later  he  was  made  clerk  of  the  school 
district,  so  that  his  connection  with  the  public  schools  has  been 
protracted  through  a  period  of  some  twenty-seven  years.  At  dif- 
ferent times  he  has  served  on  the  grand  and  petit  juries.  Through- 
out the  county  he  is  honored  as  a  man  of  broad  views,  untiring 
energy  and  sagacious  judgment. 


WILLIAM  S.  WRIGHT 

The  establishment  of  the  Wright  family  in  America  dates 
back  to  the  early  '40s,  when  William  R.,  a  shoemaker  in  England, 
decided  to  seek  the  larger  opportunities  offered  by  the  new  world 
and  in  consummation  of  his  hopes  he  crossed  the  ocean  to  Philadel- 
phia, there  following  his  chosen  occupation.  Before  leaving  the 
mother  country  lie  had  married  Miss  Hannah  Nixon,  who  was 
born  in  Staffordshire,  where  his  birth  had  occurred  in  the  year 
1817.  The  brief  sojourn  in  Philadelphia  was  followed  by  removal 
to  Illinois  and  settlement  at  Peoria,  whence  during  the  summer 
of  1850  he  and  his  family  journeyed  across  the  plains  with  ox-teams 
as  part  of  an  expedition.  Sacramento  was  his  first  home  and 
headquarters.  From  that  city  he  freighted  to  the  mines.  Coming 
to  Yolo  county  in  1853  he  settled  ten  miles  west  of  Sacramento  on 
the  plains,  now  four  miles  northeast  of  Davis,  and  there  lie  re- 
mained until  his  death,  which  occurred  October  28,  1874,  at  the  age 
of  fifty-seven  years  and  two  months.  His  wife  died  November 
24,  1890,  at  the  age  of  seventy-nine  years  and  six  months,  and  sur 
viving  her  were  three  daughters  and  two  sons,  namely:  Mrs. 
Emma  Lawson,  Mrs.  Susan  F.  Linton  and  Mis.  Amanda  McDonald, 
all  deceased;  Joseph,  of  Davis,  and  William  S. 

Born  at  the  old  homestead  January  10,  1862,  William  S.  Wright 
attended  the  public  schools  and  Heald's  Business  College  in  San 
Francisco.  After  lie  had  left  school  in  187!)  he  began  to  assisl 
his  mother  in  the  care  of  the  old  borne  ranch  and  after  her  demise 
he  bought  the  interest  of  the  other  heirs  in  the  property,  so  that 

now    lie    is   the   sole   owner   of   the    line    ranch    of    four    hundred    and 


528  HISTORY  OF  YOLO  COUNTY 

fifty  acres.  The  land  is  well  fenced,  well  watered  and  well  culti- 
vated, and  the  yield  of  wheat  and  barley  in  1910  reached  ten 
thousand  sacks.  Modern  machinery  is  used,  including  a  large 
combined  harvesting  outfit.  A  small  dairy  of  twenty  cows  has 
proved  a  profitable  innovation  and  twenty-six  head  of  work  animals 
are  used  in  the  sowing  and  harvesting  of  the  grain.  At  the  present 
time  the  owner  is  engaged  in  raising  mules,  but  in  earlier  days  he 
made  a  specialty  of  fine  horses  and  raised  some  excellent  colts 
that,  were  sired  by  his  imported  (1898)  French  Norman  stallion, 
De  Scharnp,  weight  nineteen  hundred  pounds,  $1800  being  the 
price  paid  for  this  splendid  specimen  of  equine  perfection. 

In  addition  to  the  mules  and  dairy  cows  kept  on  the  ranch, 
there  are  always  to  be  seen  Jersey-Duroc  hogs  of  the  best  strains. 
About  one  hundred  head  are  raised  each  year  and  these  attain 
unusual  weights  under  the  intelligent  care  of  the  owner.  It  is  said 
that  there  are  few  droves  of  hogs  in  the  county  superior  to  his  own 
and  this  reputation  results  not  only  from  the  excellent  breed 
kept  on  the  place,  but  also  from  the  owner's  ability  to  care  for  the 
animals  skillfully  and  successfully.  Having  been  busily  occupied 
with  the  ranch  and  the  stock,  Mr.  Wright  has  had  no  leisure  for 
participation  in  public  affairs,  yet  he  keeps  posted  concerning  the 
issues  of  the  times  and  always  votes  the  Republican  ticket.  Fra- 
ternally he  holds  membership  with  Davisville  Lodge  No.  109, 
I.  0.  O.  F.,  in  which  he  has  passed  all  of  the  chairs  and  has  rep- 
resented his  lodge  in  the  grand  lodge  of  the  state.  The  Rebekahs 
also  number  himself  and  wife  among  their  members. 

The  present  wife  of  Mr.  Wright,  whom  he  married  December 
10,  1902,  was  formerly  Miss  Caroline  Oeste,  a  native  of  Yolo 
county  and  the  daughter  of  William  and  Barbara  (Hiedecke) 
Oeste,  early  settlers.  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Wright  have  one  son,  Wilbur  O. 
The  first  marriage  of  Mr.  Wright  took  place  August  30,  1882,  and 
united  him  with  Miss  Henrietta  C.  Martin,  a  native  of  Lake  county, 
CaL,  and  a  daughter  of  Thomas  A.  Martin,  one  of  Yolo  county's 
pioneers.  Mrs.  Henrietta  Wright  passed  from  earth  November 
20,  1895,  and  left  seven  children,  namely:  Mary  Etta,  Mildred 
Irene,  Florence  Elva,  William  Manfred  and  George  Martin  (twins). 
Susan  Ethel  and  Henrietta  Catherine.  The  eldest  daughter  is  the 
wife  of  Clarence  Hoag,  of  Davis,  and  they  have  one  child,  Mildred. 
The  second  daughter  married  Thomas  Bell,  of  Sacramento,  and 
they  have  a  son,  Clinton.  The  third  daughter  is  the  wife  of  Sidney 
Grady  of  Davis,  and  they  have  two  children,  Harold  and  Evelyn. 
Manfred  and  Martin  assist  their  father  in  the  care  of  the  ranch 
and  are  proving  efficient,  reliable  and  painstaking,  worthy  suc- 
cessors to  several  generations  of  skilled  farmers  and  honored 
citizens. 


HISTORY  OF  YOLO  COUNTY  529 

ELI  LAYS 

One  of  the  best  known  and  most  highly  respected  citizens  of 
Yolo  county  was  Eli  Lays,  who  was  born  October  7,  1835,  in  Ken- 
tucky and  died  October  li,  1897,  on  his  ranch  in  Yolo  county.  In  1856 
he  crossed  the  plains  with  ox-teams,  experiencing  many  adventures 
with  the  Indians,  and  located  in  Yolo  county,  where  lie  purchased 
a  quarter  section  of  land  five  miles  south  of  Woodland  and  en- 
gaged in  farming  and  stock  raising.  To  this  he  added  from  time 
to  time  until  he  had  six  hundred  and  forty  acres  in  a  body.  His 
father,  Jacob  Lays,  was  a  native  of  Virginia,  but  lived  for  a 
time  in  Kentucky  before  going  to  Missouri,  where  he  operated  a 
.main  and  stock  farm.  In  1865,  after  the  death  of  his  wife,  Nancy 
(Good)  Lays,  who  was  a  Kentuckian,  Mr.  Lays  took  his  children 
to  Oregon,  where  they  lived  about  a  year  in  the  Willamette  val- 
ley. In  1866  they  drove  south  over  the  mountains  to  Yolo  county, 
where  Eli  Lays  was  already  well  established.  Securing  a  farm  of 
three  hundred  and  forty  acres,  Mr.  Lays  again  resumed  agri- 
cultural pursuits,  also  dealing  .in  stock.  All  of  bis  nine  children 
grew  to  maturity,  but  only  one  daughter  is  now  living,  Mrs.  Jane 
Enyart    of    Woodland. 

The  widow  of  Eli  Lays,  formerly  Sarah  Guile,  was  born  in 
Hamilton,  Ohio,  whence  her  father,  Silas  Guile,  removed  from 
New  York.  Le  was  of  English  descent  and  served  in  the  Semi 
nole  Indian  war.  Part  of  the  city  of  Hamilton  stands  upon  land 
which  Mr.  Guile  once  owned  and  upon  which  he  conducted  a 
farming  and  dairying  business.  Lis  wife,  Eliza  (Beaver)  Guile, 
was  reared  in  Hamilton.  Ohio,  and  was  the  daughter  of  Daniel 
Beaver,  of  Pennsylvania.  In  1855  Mr.  Beaver,  with  his  son-in- 
law,  Silas  Guile,  and  his  eldest  son,  Gideon  Beaver,  came  to  Cali- 
fornia by  way  of  Gape  Born.  Later  Mr.  Beaver  attempted  to 
return  to  Ohio,  but  the  steamer  Central  America  on  which  he 
sailed  from  Panama  was  wrecked  in  the  Gulf  of  Mexico  Septem 
her  U.  1857,  and  be  was  lost  with  others.  He  had  previously 
come  to  California  in  1848,  via  Cape  Horn,  settling  in  the  Sacra- 
mento valley.  Upon  bis  arrival  in  Yolo  county  Silas  Guile  pur- 
chased three  hundred  and  twenty  acres  fourteen  miles  from  Wood 
laud,  which  he  successfully  cared  for  until  his  death  at  the  age  of 
seventy   years. 

Mrs.  Hays  is  the  oldest  of  two  children,  and  with  her  brother, 
Daniel  1*..  Guile,  came  to  California  in  1869  by  the  Panama  route. 
She  had  charge  of  her  father's  home  until  her  marriage  to  Mr. 
Hays.  Her  In-other  resides  in  Woodland,  near  which  city  is  located 
his  line  fruit   ranch.     For  eight   years  prior  to  his  death.   Eli    I  lavs 


530  HISTORY  OF  YOLO  COUNTY 

was  a  victim  of  extremely  poor  health,  thus  the  burden  of  both  the 
home  and  the  ranch  fell  upon  his  wife,  who,  through  her  inces- 
sant labor  and  good  management,  proved  equal  to  her  task.  Her 
son,  Ernest,  now  has  charge  of  the  ranch,  his  brother,  Daniel, 
assisting.  The  other  children  are:  Viola,  now  Mrs.  William  Rab- 
lin;  Slayden;  Myrtle;  Ray,  and  Bert.  Mrs.  Hays  is  an  earnest 
and  consistent  member  of  the  Adventist  Church  of  Woodland, 
and  enjoys  the  love  and  esteem  of  many  friends. 


FRANK  WILLIAMS  BLANCHARD 

In  a  region  remote  from  his  native  commonwealth  and  inter- 
ested in  affairs  radically  different  from  the  seafaring  exploits  of 
his  boyhood  days,  Frank  W.  Blanchard  is  passing  the  maturity  of 
his  resolute,  purposeful  existence  and  is  enjoying  the  rewards 
of  commercial  and  social  prominence  tendered  to  those  who 
surmount  life's  hardships  with  undaunted  perseverance.  Chance 
brought  him  to  the  shores  of  California  and  at  once  he  was  so 
pleased  with  the  country  and  the  climate  that  he  resolved  to 
remain,  severing  the  ties  that  bound  him  to  the  home  of  his 
childhood  and  to  the  occupation  of  his  youth.  Nor  has  he  had 
reason  to  regret  the  decision  that  bound  him  to  the  west  as  a 
permanent  citizen,  for  the  passing  of  the  years  has  but  deepened 
his  devotion  to  the  land  of  the  setting  sun. 

The  earliest  recollections  of  Mr.  Blanchard  cluster  around 
the  village  of  Searsport,  Me.,  where  he  was  born  in  1868  and 
where  as  a  small  child  he  watched  the  sailors  returning  from  their 
voyages  to  distant  countries  or  with  a  sad  farewell  starting  out 
on  their  long  cruises.  The  waters  of  Searsport  harbor  and  Bel- 
fast bay  on  either  hand  attracted  him  by  their  nearness  to  the 
great  ocean  and  often  he  sailed  with  friends  on  the  vessels  that 
passed  here  and  there  between  the  many  tiny  islands  lying  off 
the  coast  of  Waldo  county.  Like  many  other  lads  reared  in  seacoast 
towns,  he  followed  the  sea  in  his  youth  and  by  his  industry  and 
application  he  soon  rose  to  be  first  mate.  After  having  sailed 
over  many  seas  and  cast  anchor  at  many  ports,  he  finally  in 
1888  passed  through  the  Golden  Gates  into  the  harbor  of  San 
Francisco  as  the  first  mate  on  the  ship  A.  J.  Fuller,  but  this 
position  he  resigned  in  order  to  become  a  citizen  of  the  far  west. 


HISTORY  OF  YOLO  COUNTY  533 

The  first  position  secured  by  the  young  sailor  in  California 
was  in  the  employ  of  Balfour,  Guthrie  &  Co.,  at  Port  Costa,  Contra 
Costa  county,  and  for  three  years  he  continued  with  that  firm.  Next 
he  secured  a  position  with  the  C.  B.  Houghton  Lumber  Company 
of  Benicia.  Removing  from  that  point  to  Woodland  during  the 
year  1903  he  formed  an  association  with  the  West  Valley  Lumber 
Company,  whose  interests  at  this  place  he  since  has  superintended 
and  in  the  responsible  capacity  of  manager  has  proved  the  trust- 
worthiness of  his  character  and  the  sagacity  of  his  judgment. 
Originally  known  as  the  Puget  Sound  Lumber  Company,  the 
enterprise  has  had  years  of  successful  commercial  activity.  The 
present  title  was  assumed  in  1888,  when  the  older  company  was 
absorbed  by  the  West  Valley,  which  since  has  owned  and  operated 
the  entire  plant  and  is  now  rounding  out  its  quarter  of  a  century 
in  Yolo  county.  At  one  time  the  company  owned  yards  in  six  towns, 
but  at  this  writing  they  operate  only  in  Woodland  and  Dixon. 
Their  property  in  both  places  is  well  improved  and  their  yards 
finely  equipped  for  their  special  use.  The  business  is  large  and 
the  uniform  honesty  of  the  company  in  all  transactions  has  given 
it  a  high  standing  among  the  people  as  well  as  an  enviable  rating 
among  the  banks.  Mr.  Blanchard  is  also  interested  in  the  building 
up  of  Woodland  in  other  ways.  In  1912  he  laid  out  Blanchard 's 
addition  to  Woodland  on  Cleveland  and  Cross  streets,  opposite 
the  city  park,  where  he  is  erecting  modern  bungalows.  He  is  one 
of  the  founders  and  a  director  of  the  Northern  California  Building 
and  Loan  Association  of  Woodland,  and  he  also  takes  an  active 
part  in  the  Chamber  of  Commerce  and  the  Merchants'  Association. 

Notwithstanding  his  many  business  interests  Mr.  Blanchard 
has  found  the  leisure  for  identification  with  the  Woodmen  of  the 
World,  Knights  of  Pythias  and  the  Masons,  in  which  latter  order 
he  has  become  associated  not  only  with  the  local  bine  lodge  and 
chapter,  but  also  with  the  Knights  Templar  and  Islam  Temple, 
Nobles  of  the  Mystic  Shrine,  of  San  Francisco.  The  principles  of 
Masonry  find  in  him  a  steadfast  upholder  and  their  charitable 
enterprises  receive  his  sincere  support.  With  his  wife,  formerly 
Miss  Etta  M.  Sanborn  of  Benicia,  and  their  son,  Blbridge  H., 
he  has  a  comfortable  home  in  Woodland  and  a  large  circle  of 
friends  among  the  best  people  of  the  community,  and  he  and 
his  wife  are  members  of  the  Unitarian  Church.  Among  business 
men  he  is  regarded  as  an  expert  in  the  lumber  industry.  I  lis 
judgment  of  the  values  of  different  grades  of  lumber  is  seldom  at 
fault  and  his  sagacity  in  selecting  the  best  possible  varieties  for 
use  in  the  company's  yards  has  contributed  in  no  small  degree  to 
the  success  of  the  business. 


534  HISTORY  OF  YOLO  COUNTY 

JOHN   T.   ARCHER 

Among  the  most  extensive  ranchers  of  Yolo  county  are  Mr. 
Archer  and  his  son  Byron,  who  by  their  sterling  qualities  and 
excellent  business  ability  have  won  the  highest  regard  of  their 
fellow  citizens.  Born  in  Devonshire,  England,  August  12,  1849, 
John  T.  Archer,  when  six  months  old,  came  to  the  United  States 
with  his  parents,  Daniel  and  Ann  (Hutton)  Archer,  who  settled 
Middleton,  Dane  county,  Wis.  At  the  age  of  twenty-three,  in  1873, 
the  son  accompanied  his  father  to  Albany,  Ore.,  where  he  remained 
a  year  prior  to  locating  in  Healdshurg,  Sonoma  county,  in  October, 
1874.  A  year  later  the  family  permanently  settled  in  Yolo  county, 
where  Dauiel  Archer  purchased  on  Cache  creek  a  partially  im- 
proved tract  of  four  hundred  acres,  which  adjoins  Madison.  Sub- 
sequently Daniel  Archer  sold  forty  acres  of  this  to  the  railroad 
for  a  town  site.  Upon  completion  of  the  Vacaville  and  Clear  Lake 
Railroad  through  that  section  in  1876  land  values  rose  rapidly 
and  Madison  soon  became  a  commercial  center  of  importance.  Cot- 
tonwood being  devoid  of  shipping  facilities  Madison  secured  the 
business  which  had  formerly  gone  to  Woodland.  The  Archers 
replaced  their  original  buildings  by  more  substantial  structures, 
improving  two  places,  one  of  which  was  occupied  by  John  T. 
Archer,  the  other  by  his  son  Byron.  Daniel  Archer  having  retired 
from  active  duties  in  1878  he  lived  retired  from  that  time  until 
his  death,  in  1902. 

In  partnership  John  T.  Archer  and  his  son  Byron  are  exten- 
sively engaged  in  raising  hay  and  grain,  using  their  own  as  well 
as  rented  land,  besides  which  they  have  ninety  acres  in  alfalfa.  The 
land  is  well  watered  from  the  Consolidated  ditch.  They  gather 
their  crops  with  a  Haines-Hauser  combined  harvester  which  has 
been  operated  by  the  family  since  1892.  Prior  to  this,  in  1879, 
they  purchased  a  portable  barley  roller,  the  first  mill  of  that  char- 
acter ever  operated  in  the  county,  and  with  this  they  ground  their 
own  as  well  as  their  neighbors'  grain  for  feed.  They  own  forty 
mules  and  thirty  horses,  and  are  extensively  engaged  in  raising 
cattle  and  sheep. 

The  marriage  of  John  T.  Archer,  September  25,  1879,  at 
Cacheville,  united  him  with  Miss  Carrie  Lippincott,  who  was  born 
near  Knights  Landiug,  the  daughter  of  Josiah  R.  and  Sarah 
(Bower)  Lippincott.  The  latter  were  natives  of  Ohio,  from  which 
state  they  came  to  California  via  Panama  in  1858.  On  the  farm  on 
which  they  located  near  Knights  Landing  the  father  subsequently 
died,  and  the  mother  died  at  Cacheville.  Of  the  eleven  childre'n 
born  to  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Archer  we  mention  the  following:  Daniel  A. 
died  when  five  months  old:  John  Bvron  married  Miss  Lela  Chinn, 


HISTORY  OF  YOLO  COUNTY  537 

of  Capay,  and  they  have  one  child,  Irma  A.;  Elwood  is  on  the 
home  place;  Clayton  H.  married  Adelphia  Chandler,  and  they  have 
two  children,  Herbert  0.  and  John  T. ;  Lowell  Lippjncott  and 
Frank  Edward,  who  are  graduates  of  the  Madison  grammar  school 
and  the  Capital  City  Commercial  College,  are  interested  in  raising 
mules  and  hogs  and  are  also  working  with  the  older  brothers  in 
their  business;  Ethel  S.  is  now  Mrs.  D.  II.  Gilliam,  and  they 
reside  near  Madison  with  their  three  children,  Leona  A.,  Mary  C. 
and  John  Archer ;  Edna  Mae  is  now  Mrs.  D.  D.  Russell,  of  Madison ; 
Etoil  E.  is  the  wife  of  Aubrey  Howard,  of  Woodland,  and  the 
mother  of  one  child,  Joyce  B.;  Ruth  and  Venus,  who  complete 
the  family,  are  both  at  home. 

Elwood  and  Clayton  H.  Archer  have  been  engaged  in  the 
butcher  business  for  the  past  four  years  in  partnership  with  their 
father,  operating  stores  in  Winters,  Esparto,  Madison,  Guinda 
and  Capay,  and  in  connection  with  operating  their  stores  they 
also  buy  and  sell  livestock  extensively.  As  citizens  of  progressive 
spirit  and  exceptional  business  ability  Mr.  Archer  and  his  sons 
fully  merit  the  wide  esteem  which  they  enjoy.  The  elder  Mr. 
Archer  has  always  been  a  stanch  Republican  and  he  and  his  family 
are  active  members  of  the  Christian  Church  at  Madison  and  liberal 
supporters  of  all  movements  that  tend  to  uplift  the  morals  and 
enhance  the  interests  of  the  county  in  which  they  live. 

John  T.  Archer's  brother,  Edward  H.  Archer,  is  serving  effi- 
ciently as  surveyor  general  of  the  port  of  San  Francisco,  to 
which  office  he  was  appointed  by  President  Taft  and  is  known  as  a 
man  of  honor  and  high  principles. 


H  KNRY  LEINBERGEB 

The  acquisition  of  a  trade  or  profession  is  one  of  the  most 
important  features  of  the  preparation  of  youth  for  the  journey 
through  life.  The  man  who  knows  how  to  do  one  thing  well,  and 
who  possesses  sufficient  business  ability  to  make  capital  of  his 
knowledge  is  certain  to  succeed  sooner  or  later.  Mr.  Leinberger, 
one  of  Washington's  leading  citizens,  and  owner  of  the  only  slaugh- 
ter house  in  this  locality,  learned  his  trade  in  Germany,  where 
he  was  horn  in  1830.    In  1850  he  immigrated  to  America,  Landing 

at    Wilmington,    Del.      For   a    time    he    worked    in    Philadelphia,    hnt 

returned    to    Wilmington,   going   thence    to  •  Baltimore,    where    he 
carried  on  his  trade  a  number  of  years.     Again  removing  to  Wi! 


538  HISTOEY  OF  YOLO  COUNTY 

mington,  lie  opened  a  butcher  shop  of  his  own,  which  he  conducted 
until  his  marriage  in  1858  with  Miss  Minnie  Gilla,  a  native  of 
Delaware,  whereupon  the  young  couple  took  passage  on  the  steamer 
St.  Louis,  bound  for  the  isthmus,  which  they  crossed,  boarding 
on  the  opposite  shore  the  ship  John  L.  Stevens.  In  San  Francisco, 
which  they  reached  April  1,  1858,  they  resided  for  a  time,  Mr. 
Leinberger  traveling  north  during  the  excitement  of  the  discovery 
of  gold  in  the  Fraser  river  section.  After  prospecting  several 
months  he  returned  to  California,  where  he  secured  employment 
on  a  ranch  near  Hicksville,  Sacramento  county.  Later  he  estab- 
lished a  butcher  shop  in  Sacramento,  and  in  the  fall  of  1860  located 
in  Washington,  Yolo  county,  where  he  purchased  a  small  shop. 
Through  his  efforts  and  tireless  energy,  his  trade  grew  rapidly 
and  he  later  erected  a  slaughter  house,  which  he  has  since  en- 
larged and  of  which  at  the  present  time  the  daily  output  is  about 
forty  sheep,  five  to  six  cattle  and  several  hogs,  which  he  disposes 
of  to  the  wholesale  market  in  Sacramento.  In  1911,  from  July  5 
to  August  11,  nine  hundred  and  twelve  sheep  were  dressed  in  his 
abattoir,  which  is  conceded  to  be  one  of  the  most  up  to  date  in  the 
country.  Not  long  since  Mr.  Leinberger  took  his  son  into  part- 
nership with  him  and  the  firm  is  now  known  as  H.  L.  Leinberger 
&  Son. 

Mr.  and  Mrs.  Leinberger  were  blessed  with  five  children,  as 
follows:  Henry,  Jr.,  of  Washington;  Charles,  of  Sacramento;  Wil- 
liam J.,  a  partner  in  the  business;  Louisa,  Mrs.  F.  P.  Smith,  of 
Sacramento;  and  Elizabeth,  the  wife  of  Thomas  Limnell,  of  Wash- 
ington. Since  1863  Mr.  Leinberger  has  been  an  Odd  Fellow,  being 
a  charter  member  of  Schiller  Lodge  of  Sacramento,  and  he  enjoys 
the  distinction  of  being  the  oldest  Odd  Fellow  in  Washington. 


FOSTER  NOBLE  CLARKE 

A  lifelong  identification  with  Yolo  county  has  given  to  Mr. 
Clarke  an  intimate  knowledge  of  its  agricultural  possibilities  and 
a  firm  belief  in  the  future  prosperity  and  importance  of  the  region. 
As  one  of  the  native  sons  of  the  county,  he  cherishes  for  its  insti- 
tutions an  affection  peculiarly  loyal  and  a  faith  intensely  patriotic. 
His  sentiments  however  do  not  find  expression  in  office-holding, 
for  he  is  averse  to  any  participation  in  political  affairs  and  prefers 
to  concentrate  his  attention  upon  the  supervision  of  his  ranch  near 
Knights  Landing,  a  well-improved  property  consisting  of  two 
hundred  and  eighty  acres  adapted  to  the  raising  of  grain  and  the 


%^eJ*  ^.d-^^t^ 


HISTORY  OF  YOLO  COUNTY  541 

pasturage  of  stock.  As  a  specialist  with  stock  he  has  engaged  in 
raising  cattle,  mules  and  hogs  and  has  found  the  stock  industry 
an  important  adjunct  to  general  farming. 

The  founder  of  the  Clarke  family  in  America  and  in  California 
was  William  J.  Clarke,  a  native  of  Ireland,  but  from  early  life 
a  resident  of  the  United  States.  After  a  brief  sojourn  in  Illinois, 
where  he  followed  the  cabinet-maker's  trade,  he  came  across  the 
plains  to  California  with  ox-teams,  a  journey  of  six  months  bring- 
ing him  to  Sacramento  July  4,  1849.  He  immediately  went  from 
that  city  to  the  mines  and  for  some  years  he  devoted  his  time 
wholly  to  the  search  for  gold,  in  which  he  met  with  fair  success. 
Upon  leaving  the  mines  he  came  to  Yolo  county  and  took  up  his 
present  farm,  later  purchasing  land  near  Dunnigan.  Besides 
the  two  thousand  acres  which  be  owned  tbere  he  also  owned  six 
hundred  and  sixty  acres  near  College  City,  Colusa  county,  as  well 
as  a  large  stock  ranch  in  Plumas  county.  His  last  years  were 
spent  in  College  City,  his  death  occurring  there  in  1895.  He 
served  as  justice  of  the  peace  at  Dunnigan,  and  besides  being 
a  member  of  the  Society  of  California  Pioneers,  he  was  fraternally 
associated  with  the  Odd  Fellows  and  the  Masons.  After  be  settled 
in  Yolo  county  he  met  and  married  Katherine  Tenny,  who  was 
born  near  Galena,  111.,  and  who  survived  him  a  number  of  years. 
Besides  their  only  son,  Foster  N.,  they  had  three  daughters: 
Elizabeth,  Mrs.  J.  E.  Caine;  Margaret,  Mrs.  W.  Powers;  and 
May,  the  wife  of  G.  R.  Stover,  and  all  reside  in  College  City. 

At  the  home  farm  near  Dunnigan  Foster  N.  Clarke  was  born 
January  16,  1874,  and  there  and  at  College  City  he  passed  the 
years  of  boyhood,  meanwhile  learning  the  rudiments  of  agriculture 
and  also  gaining  a  fair  common-school  education.  After  he  had 
completed. the  studies  of  the  common  schools  he  spent  a  year  in 
Pierce  Christian  College  at  College  City  and  in  this  way,  with 
the  additional  advantage  of  habits  of  thoughtful  reading  and  care- 
ful observation,  he  has  become  well  informed.  He  first  engaged  in 
viticulture  at  College  City  and  in  1898  he  located  on  his  present 
ranch  of  two  hundred  and  eighty  acres,  on  which  he  has  made 
valuable  improvements.  This  is  one  of  the  oldest  farm  places 
in  Yolo  county,  and  lie  has  about  sixty  acres  in  alfalfa,  although 
his  principal  interest  lies  in  the  raising  of  mules  and  horses.  In 
Woodland,  April  6,  1898,  he  was  united  in  marriage  with  Miss 
Mattie  Gates,  who  was  born  and  reared  in  Red  Bluff,  Cal.  The 
(iates  family  is  of  Southern  lineage  and  Ross  F.  Gates,  father  of 
Mrs.  Clarke,  was  a  native  of  Tennessee,  but  came  to  California 
with  other  members  of  the  family  when  a  small  child.  In  the 
early  '50s  Mr.  Gates  was  engaged  in  stock-raising  in  Tehama 
county  and  now  resides  in  Los  Angeles  county.     His  wife,  in  maid- 


542  HISTORY  OF  YOLO  COUNTY 

enhood  Kittie  Beckwitli  and  a  native  of  Shasta  county,  died  in 
Red  Bluff.  Mr.  .and  Mrs.  Clarke  have  three  children,  Wilson  J., 
Alice  May  and  Grace  Noble.  The  family  attend  the  Christian 
Church,  Mrs.  Clarke  being-  identified  by  membership  with  that 
denomination.  Fraternally  Mr.  Clarke  holds  membership  with  the 
Modern  Woodmen  of  America.  In  politics  he  votes  with  the 
Democratic  party.  With  carefnl  thought  for  every  detail  connected 
with  ranching,  he  is  succeeding  in  his  chosen  occupation  and 
now  holds  a  position  among  the  progressive  farmers  of  his  native 
count  v. 


CALVIN    N.    ROBINSON 

By  his  splendid  business  ability  and  sterling  characteristics 
Calvin  N.  Robinson  has  won  not  only  prosperity,  hut  likewise 
the  unqualified  regard  of  his  associates  throughout  Winters  and 
vicinity,  to  the  development  of  which  he  has  contributed  most  gen- 
erously. 

Born  January  28,  1875,  in  Nevada,  Mr.  Robinson  came  a  year 
later  to  Yolo  county,  Cal.,  brought  hither  by  his  parents,  who 
came  originally  from  New  York.  In  1881  they  moved  to  Solano 
county,  remaining  there  for  two  years,  and  then  returned  to  Yolo 
county,  where  C.  N.  Robinson  has  since  lived  and  which  place  he 
has  made  the  field  of  his  labors.  The  only  child  of  his  parents, 
he  was  given  a  thorough  education  in  the  public  schools  which  was 
later  supplemented  by  a  course  at  the  Atkinson  Business  College  in 
Sacramento.  Starting  out  in  life  for  himself  he  first  purchased 
forty-three  acres  on  Putah  creek  and  later  added  sixty-six  acres  to 
his  holdings,  his  property  being  now  divided  as  follows:  apricots, 
ten  acres;  peaches  and  plums,  twenty-five  acres;  grapes,  fifteen 
acres;  and  tomatoes,  three  acres;  the  remainder  of  land  compris- 
ing the  grounds  surrounding  his  comfortable  home.  In  1910  he 
sold  thirty-three  tons  of  apricots  and  shipped  two  thousand  boxes 
of  peaches,  his  tomatoes  yielding  three  and  one-third  tons  to  the 
acre  and  his  vineyard  producing  twelve  hundred  boxes  for  which 
he  received  $1.25  per  box.  He  is  also  engaged  in  raising  hay  and 
stock,  for  which  he  finds  a  ready  market. 

Mr.  Robinson  was  united  in  marriage  with  Miss  Anna  Hall, 
whose  birth  occurred  in  Texas,  and  whose  parents  migrated  to 
California  when  she  was  but  a  child.  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Robinson  have 
three  children,  Florence  M.,  Zelda  E.  and  Baby. 


HISTORY  OF  YOLO  COUNTY  545 

Mr.  Robinson  is  a  Republican,  intelligently  interested  in  polit- 
ical developments  and  is  a  member  of  Acacia  Camp  No.  170, 
W.  0.  W.,  and  the  Christian  Church  of  Winters,  in  which  his 
wife  also  holds  active  membership,  endeavoring  at  all  times  to 
lend  his  best  efforts  to  the  progress  of  the  community  and  the 
welfare  of  his  fellow  citizens. 


CHRISTIAN    GUMBINGER 

The  proprietor  of  the  Pacific  House  at  Woodland  represents 
the  German-American  element  that  has  contributed  powerfully  to 
the  development  of  the  west  and  has  formed  a  desirable  accession 
to  the  citizenship.  Himself  a  descendant  of  unnumbered  genera- 
tions of  sturdy  Teutonic  ancestry,  he  is  the  son  of  John  and 
Theresa  (Schuerle)  Gumbinger,  lifelong  residents  of  Germany, 
and  the  third  in  their  family  of  five  children;  he  was  born  on  the 
home  farm  near  Dyrkheim,  Rheinfalz,  December  14,  1866.  The 
environment  of  his  boyhood  was  such  as  to  develop  within  him  a 
love  of  nature  and  a  fondness  for  outdoor  occupations.  Those 
tastes  remain  with  him  to  the  present,  notwithstanding  the  fact 
that  much  of  his  business  life  has  been  devoted  to  other  pursuits. 
The  excellent  educational  system  for  which  Germany  is  famous 
gave  to  him  fair  opportunities  for  acquiring  a  knowledge  of  the 
common  branches,  so  that,  although  he  left  school  at  fourteen, 
already  he  had  gained  a  comprehensive  fund  of  information. 

Very  early  in  the  settlement  of  California  John  K.  Schuerle, 
Mr.  Gumbinger 's  uncle,  had  come  hither  from  Germany  and  had 
established  a  ranch  home  near  Woodland.  Believing  that  he 
might  find  a  favorable  opening  for  himself  in  the  New  World 
Mr.  Gumbinger  left  his  native  land  at  the  age  of  fourteen,  in 
March,  1881,  first  locating  in  Chicago,  111.  Accepting  the  first 
opportunity  that  offered  for  earning  a  livelihood  he  became  an 
apprentice  to  the  trade  of  furniture  varnisher.  He  continued 
at  this  business  until  December,  1884,  when  he  joined  his  uncle, 
Mr.  Schuerle,  in  Woodland,  the  latter  taking  the  young  man  in 
his  employ  and  teaching  him  the  rudiments  of  western  ranching, 
nt  the  same  time  he  had  excellent  opportunities  for  learning  the 
English  language.  It  was  not  until  1893  that  he  discontinued 
ranching  and  turned  his  attention  to  business  pursuits  in  Wood 
land,  where  with  John  Jacobs  he  purchased  the  Model  bakery 
on  Main  street.  At  the  expiration  of  eighteen  months  he  sold  his 
interest   to  the  other  member  of  the   firm.      His   next   employment 


546  HISTORY  OF  YOLO  COUNTY 

was  that  of  blacksmith  with  F.  H.  Heidtman  and  for  almost 
twelve  years  he  carried  on  a  general  blacksmithing  business,  the 
Main  street  shop  being  the  center  of  a  large  trade  and  presenting 
a  scene  of  busy  activity  through  the  working  hours  of  the  day. 

For  some  years  the  attention  of  Mr.  Gumbinger  has  been 
given  closely  and  successfully  to  the  proprietorship  of  the  Pacific 
House.  The  property,  covering  a  frontage  of  one  hundred  and 
fifty  feet  with  a  depth  of  one  hundred  and  ninety  feet,  stands 
ou  the  corner  of  Main  and  Elm  streets,  which  is  one  of  the  most 
desirable  locations  in  Woodland.  Not  only  is  the  hotel .  one  of 
the  oldest  in  Yolo  county,  but  in  addition  it  is  one  of  the  best 
known.  Since  it  came  under  the  ownership  of  Mr.  Gumbinger 
in  October  of  1907  various  needed  improvements  have  been 
made,  the  most  orderly  service  has  been  instituted  and  the  com- 
fort of  guests  has  been  made  the  principal  consideration.  Those 
who  have  experienced  the  hospitality  of  the  genial  landlord  unite 
in  testifying  concerning  his  admirable  fitness  for  his  important 
task.  Not  a  little  of  his  success  in  the  hotel  business  is  due  to  the 
capable  assistance  of  his  wife,  formerly  Miss  Katheryn  Ger- 
meshausen,  and  a  native  of  this  county,  where  she  was  educated, 
reared  and  married  at  Woodland.  Two  children  were  born  to 
them:  Joseph  Alfred,  nine  years  old,  and  Christian,  deceased. 
The  family  holds  membership  with  the  Holy  Rosary  Roman  Cath- 
olic Church  and  contributes  generously  to  the  maintenance  of  the 
same,  as  well  as  to  general  philanthropies  and  public  enterprises. 
Since  he  became  a  citizen  of  the  United  States  and  acquired  a 
knowledge  of  politics,  Mr.  Gumbinger  has  voted  the  Democratic 
ticket  and  supports  the  men  and  measures  pledged  to  the  prin- 
ciples of  that  party.  In  fraternal  relations  he  is  identified  with 
the  Herman  Sons.  Well  and  favorably  known  to  the  people  of 
Woodland  and  to  the  traveling  public,  he  occupies  .  a  position  of 
recognized  importance  among  the  business  men  of  the  community. 


AARON  BECK 

A  native  of  Wurtemberg,  Germany,  born  in  1847,  Mr.  Beck 
received  a  thorough  education  in  the  public  schools  of  that  sec- 
tion. Later  he  learned  the  shoemaker's  trade,  in  which,  upon 
his  immigration  to  America  in  1866,  he  engaged  in  Newark,  N.  J., 
serving  in  a  shoe  factory  ten  years.  He  then  came  to  Capay, 
Yolo  county,  Cal.,  where  he  remained  a  similar  period.  In  1886 
he  located  in  Woodland,  where  he  worked  at  his  trade  until  the 


HISTORY  OF  YOLO  COUNTY  549 

purchase  of  his  present  twenty-acre  ranch  in  Willow  Oak  Park, 
in  1890. 

During  the  past  twelve  years  Mr.  Beck  has  devoted  his  prop- 
erty to  alfalfa.  His  thrift  and  perseverance,  united  with  strictly 
honorable  methods,  have  won  him  a  place  among  the  most  influ- 
ential and  highly  esteemed  citizens  of  the  community. 

In  Newark,  N.  J.,  in  1869,  Mr.  Beck  was  married  to  Miss 
Mary  E.  Krnmeich,  a  native  of  that  state,  and  eight  children 
were  born  to  them,  as  follows :  Anna  E.,  at  home ;  Mamie,  deceased ; 
Selma,  the  wife  of  Alfred  Streng,  of  San  Francisco;  Aaron, 
deceased ;  Jesse  J. ;  Lavinia,  Mrs.  Joseph  Wetzel,  of  Woodland ; 
Francis  H.  and  Gertrude  A.  The  mother  of  these  children  passed 
away  at  her  home  March  10,  1912. 

Always  keenly  active  in  public  movements  of  worth,  Mr.  Beck 
maintains  a  special  interest  in  educational  progress,  observation 
and  study  having  not  only  added  to  his  culture,  but  enabled  him 
to  keep  fully  abreast  of  the  times  as  well.  He  is  a  member  of 
the  Herman  Sons,  and  also  holds  active  membership  in  the 
German  Lutheran  Church  of  Woodland,  while  the  children  are 
members  of  the  Catholic  Church,  as  was  his  wife  also. 


LESTER  CLARK  WILCOX 

Among  the  brave  Civil  war  veterans,  who  for  the  sake  of 
their  beloved  country  dared  dangers  and  hardships  which  can 
scarcely  be  appreciated  by  this  generation,  surrounded  as  it  is  by 
peace  and  comfort,  no  one  served  more  faithfully  or  enjoye  1 
during  his  entire  life,  higher  regard  and  admiration  than  Mr. 
Wilcox,  who  since  1894  has  resided  on  his  ranch  three  miles  west 
of  Winters. 

Mr.  Wilcox  was  horn  March  3,  1839,  in  Constantia,  Oswego 
County,  N.  Y.,  and  until  the  age  of  six  years  remained  in  his 
native  state,  removing  in  1845  to  Dodge  county,  Wis.,  with  his 
parents,  E.  E.  and  Julia  (Clark)  Wilcox,  natives  of  Massachusetts 
and  New  York,  respectively.  In  Dodge  county  he  made  his  home 
during  the  succeeding  twenty-two  years,  with  the  exception  of  the 
period  which  he  spent  in  military  service,  and  which  to  him,  as 
well  as  to  his  comrades,  seemed  an  eternity  instead  of  three  short 
years.  During  the  opening  year  of  the  rebellion,  on  September  9, 
1861,  he  enlisted  in  Company  C.  Eleventh  Wisconsin  Infantry,  and 
with  the  patriotism  and  loyal  love  of  a  true  American,  entered  upon 
Ins  hazardous  duties,  participating  in  numerous  importanl  engage- 


550  HISTORY  OF  YOLO  COUNTY 

ments,  including  the  battle  at  Port  Gibson  and  the  Siege  of  Vicksburg, 
which  lasted  forty-seven  days.  In  February,  1864,  he  was  trans- 
ferred to  Company  I,  Third  United  States  Veteran  Reserves,  and 
served  until  the  expiration  of  his  term,  when  he  was  mustered  out 
in  Washington,  D.  C,  September  26,  1864.  Following  this  lie  re- 
turned to  Wisconsin  and  there  married  the  girl  he  left  behind  him. 
Two  years  later,  in  Waushara  county,  Wis.,  he  purchased  a  farm 
upon  which  he  resided  until  1883,  when  he  located  in  Waupaca 
county  and  made  a  specialty  of  raising  potatoes  on  his  farm. 

In  Milwaukee  county,  Wis.,  January  20,  1865,  Mr.  Wilcox 
married  Miss  Helen  Wechselberg,  a  native  of  Germany.  Seven 
children  were  born  to  them,  as  follows :  Ernest  S.,  deceased ; 
John  E.,  who  married  Miss  Ella  J.  Rappleyea,  and  who  at  his 
death  left  four  children,  Nellie  M.,  Gladys  L.,  Harry  A.  and 
John  H. ;  Julia  L.,  deceased ;  Charles  A.,  of  Winters,  who  married 
Lizzie  McCloud,  the  latter  leaving  two  children,  Edith  L.  and 
Edna  M.,  at  her  death  August  3,  1908;  Lettie  E.,  Arthur  L.  and 
Edmond  N.,  all  deceased. 

In  1894  Mr.  Wilcox  came  to  Yolo  county  and  purchased  thirty- 
two  acres  of  land  near  Winters,  since  which  time  he  has  given  ten 
acres  to  his  son,  and  he  now  has  twenty-one  acres  set  to  orchard 
of  different  varieties.  Mrs.  Wilcox  passed  away  June  8,  1899. 
Mr.  Wilcox  was  a  member  of  Garfield  Post  No.  21,  G.  A.  R.,  at 
Waupaca,  Wis.,  of  which  post  he  is  past  commander,  and  he  is 
justly  proud  to  be  entitled  to  wear  the  past  commander's  badge. 
At  one  time  he  was  affiliated  with  the  Independent  Order  of  Good 
Templars.  His  first  presidential  vote  was  cast  for  Abraham  Lin- 
coln in  1860,  and  ever  since  then  he  has  supported  Republican 
principles,  and  throughout  his  life  has  endeavored  to  live  up  to 
the  hiah  ideals  which  he  has  alwavs  held  sacred. 


THOMAS  H.  RYDER 

One  who  may  with  truth  be  called  a  pioneer  of  Yolo  county  is 
Thomas  H.  Ryder,  who  arrived  in  Woodland  in  the  fall  of  1863, 
when  but  two  business  blocks  graced  the  town.  A  native  of 
Michigan,  he  was  born  in  Van  Buren  county  in  1844,  the  son  of 
Samuel  Ryder.  The  latter  came  to  California  across  the  plains 
and  engaged  in  mining  and  he  died  in  the  west.  The  wife  and 
mother,  Ruth  Ryder,  spent  her  last  days  in  Woodland.  Thomas 
H.  Ryder  passed  his  early  life  on  a  farm,  and  in  the  fall  of  1863 
set  out  for  California  by  the  Panama  route.     Reaching  San  Fran- 


*?*  ^JUL^^(M 


HISTORY  OF  YOLO  COUNTY  553 

cisco  December  20,  1863,  he  immediately  started  for  Woodland, 
crossing  the  Sacramento  river  and  arriving  at  his  destination 
December  22nd.  Securing  a  position  Mr.  Ryder  worked  for  others 
fonr  years  before  purchasing  his  present  property  located  one 
mile  south  of  Woodland.  There  are  ninety-six  fertile  acres  in 
this  ranch,  twenty-seven  of  which  are  planted  to  grapes,  the  re- 
mainder to  barley  and  alfalfa,  and  it  is  Mr.  Ryder's  just  claim 
that  not  once  in  the  forty-five  years  that  he  has  operated  his 
ranch  has  he  had  a  single  failure  in  his  grain  crop,  which  some- 
times yields  thirty  sacks  to  the  acre.  Incidentally,  the  soil  is 
twenty-seven  feet  deep  and  exceedingly  rich.  Sultana  and  Zin- 
fendel  are  the  proud  names  his  grape  family  bear. 

In  1873  Mr.  Ryder  married  Miss  Nannie  Dunkel,  a  native  of 
Iowa.  They  have  one  daughter,  Mrs.  Oleta  Bates  of  Sacramento. 
Mr.  Ryder  is  a  director  of  the  Home  Savings  Bank  and  enjoys 
the  high  regard  of  his  friends  and  business  associates. 


LEWIS  CRAMER 

Many  have  been  the  changes  in  the  life  of  Lewis  Cramer  and 
in  the  aspect  of  his  environment  since  first  he  identified  his  destiny 
with  that  of  Yolo  county.  With  the  transformation  wrought  by 
almost  sixty  years  of  ceaseless  progress  he  has  been  associated 
quietly  but  effectively  and  in  the  prosperity  of  the  present  era 
he  may  rejoice  as  a  participant.  Here,  following  the  uneventful 
round  of  agricultural  labors,  he  has  passed  from  the  activity  of 
youth  to  the  serenity  of  old  age;  and  here  in  honorable  retirement 
lie  now  enjoys  the  fruits  of  his  industry  and  the  companionship 
of  those  pioneers  who,  like  himself,  have  been  spared  to  witness 
the  gratifying  results  of  their  early  and  sagacious  investments. 
As  he  reflects  upon  the  material  prosperity  of  the  community  in  the 
twentieth  century  he  may  feel  a  just  pride  in  his  contribution 
thereto  and  a  pardonable  gratification  in  his  identification  with 
movements  for  the  local  upbuilding. 

A  review  of  the  Cramer  genealogy  indicates  the  Teutonic  origin 
of  the  family,  whose  first  representative  in  America,  Lawrence 
Cramer,  was  born,  reared  and  married  in  Germany,  but  crossed 
the  ocean  to  the  new  world  in  young  manhood  and  for  many  years 
made  his  home  in  Hamilton  county,  Ohio.  It  was  during  the 
brief  residence  of  the  family  at  Covington,  Ky.,  that  Lewis  Cramer 
was  born  June  25,  1832,  but  he  has  little  knowledge  of  his  native 


554  HISTORY  OF  YOLO  COUNTY 

city,  for  the  years  of  childhood  and  youth  were  passed  in  Ohio. 
It  was  his  privilege  to  attend  the  excellent  schools  of  Cincinnati 
and  after  completing  the  study  of  the  common  branches  he  gave 
his  attention  to  the  duties  in  conection  with  the  management  of 
the  home  farm.  News  concerning  the  discovery  of  gold  in  Cali- 
fornia reached  him  in  18-19,  but  it  was  not  until  1852  that  he  was 
able  to  carry  out  an  early-formed  determination  to  seek  a  liveli- 
hood in  the  far  west.  During  the  spring  of  1852  he  started  across 
the  plains  with  a  wagon  and  ox-team,  joining  a  train  of  emigrants 
that  pursued  the  tedious  journey  in  safety  until  their  destination 
was  reached  at  Placerville  during  the  latter  part  of  August,  the  trip 
being  made  in  about  four  months.  The  sole  experience  he  ever 
had  as  a  miner  was  gained  in  the  mines  of  that  world-famous  camp. 

The  spring  of  1853  found  Mr.  Cramer  a  newcomer  in  Yolo 
county  and  here  he  has  since  made  his  home,"  throughout  all  of 
his  active  life  following  general  farming  and  stock-raising.  At 
first  he  bought  and  developed  one  hundred  and  sixty  acres  of  land, 
but  in  1862  he  purchased  and  removed  to  one  hundred  acres  within 
one  mile  of  Yolo.  On  this  farm  he  has  since  resided  and  in  the 
meantime  he  has  purchased  forty  acres  adjoining.  Under  his 
supervision  desirable  improvements  have  been  made.  Trees  have 
been  planted  in  abundance,  some  for  ornament  and  shade  and 
others  for  fruit.  Substantial  barns  have  been  built  affording  every 
facility  for  the  shelter  of  stock  and  the  storage  of  grain.  A 
commodious  aud  comfortable  residence  of  two  stories  furnishes  a 
pleasant  home  for  the  family  and  there  is  also  a  building  provided 
for  the  accommodation  of  the  hired  men.  The  farm  yields  large 
harvests  of  grain  and  ranks  among  the  most  fertile  in  the  locality. 
At  one  time  the  owner  made  a  specialty  of  raising  sheep  and  car- 
ried several  thousand  head  on  the  range,  but  with  the  incoming 
of  settlers  and  the  cultivation  of  the  lands  the  industry  ceased  to 
be  profitable.  Of  recent  years  he  has  devoted  his  attention  to 
the  dairy  business  and  carries  on  the  farm  a  splendid  herd  of 
twenty-four  milch  cows,  selling  the  product  to  the  local  creamery. 

For  a  long  period  after  his  arrival  in  Yolo  county  Mr.  Cramer 
kept  a  "bachelor's  hall,"  but  October  24,  1871,  he  established 
domestic  ties  and  since  then  has  had  the  advantage  of  the  co-oper- 
ation of  his  estimable  wife,  formerly  Miss  Mattie  Pace,  a  native 
of  Boone  county,  Mo.  She  was  the  daughter  of  Russell  Pace,  and 
a  sister  of  John  L.  Pace,  who  came  to  California  in  1850,  and 
was  a  pioneer  of  1852  in  Yolo  county.  Mrs.  Cramer  came  to 
California  in  1869  on  one  of  the  first  trains  across  the  continent. 
Mr.  and  Mrs.  Cramer  are  the  parents  of  five  children,  namely: 
Lawrence  E.,  into  whose  capable  charge  has  been  given  the  over- 
sight   of  the   homestead   and   who   is   married   and   the   father    of 


HISTORY  OF  YOLO  COUNTY  557 

two  children;  Bertie,  Mrs.  Edward  Riley,  and  Mattie,  Mrs.  John 
Summers,  both  residing  in  San  Francisco;  Vernon,  a  rancher  in 
Yolo  county;  and  Greta,  who  married  Curtis  Hotter,  of  Berkeley. 
In  questions  affecting  national  prosperity  Mr.  Cramer  supports 
the  Democratic  party,  but  in  local  matters  he  gives  his  vote  to 
the  man  he  considers  best  qualified  to  represent  the  people.  For 
many  years  he  has  been  identified  with  Masonry,  belonging  to 
Yolo  Lodge  No.  81,  F.  &  A.  M.,  Woodland  Chapter  No.  46,  R,  A~  M., 
Woodland  Commanderv  No.  21,  K.  T. 


OTIS  B.  WILBER 

There  are  thousands  of  men,  not  the  least  influential  among 
whom  is  Mr.  Wilber,  to  whom  California  has  been  the  land  of 
opportunity,  whose  modest  ambitions  have  here  attained  fruition 
and  whose  industrious  efforts  have  brought  their  own  merited 
measure  of  prosperity.  In  an  exceptional  sense  Yolo  county  has 
presented  favorable  openings  to  men  of  energy  and  intelligence,  for, 
while  great  cities  do  not  here  rear  their  lofty  structures  toward 
the  sky  and  mines  of  vast  riches  do  not  present  their  alluring 
fascinations  to  the  prospector,  the  rich  soil  and  the  genial  climate 
unite  to  attract  the  man  whose  aim  is  the  acquisition  of  financial 
independence  through  the  cultivation  of  the  soil.  Prosperous 
farmers  are  the  rule  and  not  the  exception  in  this  county  and  their 
success  has  given  the  region  a  high  standing  among  agricultural 
communities. 

An  investigation  of  various  locations  in  the  west,  followed 
by  settlement  in  Yolo  county,  convinced  Mr.  Wilber  of  the  superior 
advantages  offered  by  this  part  of  the  state  and  he  has  had 
no  reason  to  regret  the  decision  that  made  him  a  permanent  resi- 
dent of  the  vicinity  of  Davis.  Of  eastern  family  and  lineage,  he 
was  born  in  Albany  county,  N.  Y.,  in  1865,  and  grew  to  manhood 
in  the  same  locality,  receiving  his  education  in  the  public  schools. 
Upon  starting  ou1  to  earn  his  own  livelihood  he  followed  the  tide 
of  migration  toward  the  west  and  at  the  age  of  twenty-one  years 
became  a  settler  of  Minnesota.  However,  after  nine  months  he 
decided  to  push  on  further  toward  the  setting  sun.  On  the  26th  of 
November,  1886,  he  arrived  in  San  Diego,  Cal.,  a  stranger  and 
wholly  without  means.  However,  he  was  able  to  secure  employ- 
ment without  delay  and  for  two  and  one-half  years  he  continued  in 
the  same  neighborhood,  going  thence  to  Elko.  Nev.     On  his  return 


558  HISTORY  OF  YOLO  COUNTY 

to  California  he  settled  at  Truckee,  but  did  not  find  conditions 
satisfactory,  so  lie  once  again  took  up  the  search  for  a  permanent 
location.  This  move  in  1889  brought  him  to  Yolo  county  and  he 
was  so  well  pleased  with  prospects  that  he  became  a  permanent 
citizen  and  industrious  farmer. 

The  marriage  of  Mr.  Wilber  in  1899  united  him  with  Miss 
Annette  Marden,  by  whom  he  has  one  son,  Harrison  Marden.  The 
family  are  earnestly  identified  with  the  Presbyterian  Church  and 
contribute  to  its  maintenance.  Ever  since  1887  Mr.  Wilber  has 
been  associated  with  the  Odd  Fellows,  but  he  belongs  to  no  other 
order,  his  time  and  attention  being  fully  taken  up  with  the  duties 
of  his  agricultural  affairs.  Shortly  after  his  arrival  in  the  county 
he  was  engaged  as  foreman  of  the  ranch  of  W.  H.  Marden  and 
in  1900  he  was  given  entire  charge  of  the  property.  Since  the 
beginning  of  his  superintendeney  he  has  made  many  valuable  im- 
provements and  has  greatly  enhanced  the  financial  value  of  the 
estate,  as  well  as  the  annual  returns  from  its  cultivation.  At  this 
writing  the  ranch  contains  five  hundred  and  sixty-seven  acres, 
forty-two  acres  having  been  purchased  since  the  death  of  Mr. 
Marden.  More  than  one-half  of  the  almond  orchard  has  been 
planted  under  the  direct  oversight  of  the  superintendent  and  there 
are  now  sixty  acres  of  the  Hatch  variety  of  that  product.  Some 
unusually  large  crops  of  almonds  have  been  harvested  and  as  the 
quality  is  the  best  they  command  the  highest  market  price. 

The  sagacious  management  of  the  almond  orchard  represents 
only  a  small  item  in  Mr.  Wilber 's  work  as  superintendent.  A  vine- 
yard of  Muscat  grapes  embraces  twenty-seven  acres  and  demands 
the  most  painstaking  supervision.  One  hundred  acres  are  under 
cultivation  to  barley  and  there  are  thirty-five  acres  in  alfalfa,  of 
which  several  crops  are  harvested  during  the  season.  The  land 
has  been  brought  to  a  high  state  of  cultivation  and  ranks  among 
the  finest  farms  of  the  county.  In  addition  to  the  production  of 
grain  and  the  care  of  orchard  and  vineyard,  Mr.  Wilber  devotes 
considerable  time  to  the  raising  of  stock.  His  judgment  of  stock 
is  accurate  and  seldom  at  fault.  One  hundred  head  of  high- 
grade  cattle  may  be  seen  in  the  pastures,  including  twenty-five 
milch  cows  of  the  Durham  breed.  The  dairy  forms  an  important 
part  of  the  ranch  activities  and  the  entire  output  of  milk  is  sold  to 
the  state  farm  at  Davis.  At  present  there  are  about  two  hundred 
head  of  Poland-China  hogs  on  the  ranch  and  the  superintendent 
is  such  a  firm  believer  in  pure-bred  stock  that  he  has  paid  as 
high  as  .$50  for  a  stock  hog,  it  being  his  theory,  not  only  with 
swine  but  with  all  kinds  of  stock,  that  often  the  best  is  the  cheapest 
and  that  the  stock-raiser  must  consider  quality  as  of  vastly  more 
importance  than  price. 


HISTORY  OF  YOLO  COUNTY  559 

FRANCIS  LAFAYETTE  BOURLAND 

Driving  an  ox-team  across  the  plains  for  his  board,  or  herding 
cattle  along  that  same  route,  lias  been  the  method  by  which  many 
a  young  man  has  come  to  California,  especially  in  the  early  days, 
and  this  was  the  way  Francis  L.  Bourland  got  here.  He  was  horn 
during  the  year  1833  in  the  "Old  Chickasaw  Purchase,"  Missis- 
sippi, and  lived  there  with  his  parents  until  1853,  when  they  moved 
to  Fort  Smith,  Ark.  His  father  had  a  mail-carrying  contract  be- 
tween Fort  Smith  and  other  points  in  the  state,  and  young  Bour- 
land on  his  mule,  conveying  the  letter  bags  through  the  wilds, 
often  had  exciting  adventures.  When  his  mail  route  was  discon- 
tinued the  young  man  worked  at  carpentering  and  wagonmaking 
until  he  had  a  chance  to  start  for  the  golden  west.  He  provided 
his  own  pony  and  played  the  part  of  cowboy  all  the  way  across 
in  Capt.  Boliver  Bennett's  train,  getting  his  board  for  the  ser- 
vice; his  lodging  he  got  in  his  saddle  generally.  There  were 
twenty  wagons  in  the  train,  and  a  portion  of  the  herder's  work 
was  to  hunt  for  the  travelers.  One  day  he  shot  a  buffalo  cow, 
and  hei'  calf  followed  him  to  camp.  The  youngster  thrived  in  its 
orphanage,  grew  quite  tame,  and  Bourland  sold  it  for  $20. 

At  Carson  City  Mr.  Bourland  left  the  train,  and  when  he  had 
earned  enough  money  he  sent  it  back  to  the  "old  folks  at  home." 
By  his  direction  his  mother  sold  out  her  small  belongings  and 
started  for  California.  When  their  train  was  approaching  the 
state  line  he  hired  a  mule  and  rode  to  meet  it — several  days'  jour- 
ney away.  There  he  was  met  with  the  sad  intelligence  that  his 
mother  was  dead.  She  had  died  just  before  the  beginning  of  the 
trip,  but  the  children  had  been  sent  on,  and  he  found  them  safe 
in  the  train.  He  settled  down  with  his  brothers  and  sisters  in 
Stockton,  teaming  at  good  wages  and  providing  a  good  and  com- 
fortable home  for  his  young  charges.  He  afterwards  located  on  a 
ranch  about  eight  miles  east  from  the  Slough  City. 

Mr.  Bourland  married  Miss  Mary  Jane  Squires,  and  their 
five  children  are  Rolla,  George,  Arthur,  Lemuel  and  Abbie. 
Lemuel  married  Etta  Mercer  and  they  live  on  their  farm  in  Yolo 
county;  Abbie  became  the  wife  of  F.  A.  Brown  of  Merced  county. 
Mr.  Bourland's  second  marriage  occurred  in  Collegeville,  Cal., 
uniting  him  with  Miss  Emily  Block,  who  was  born  in  Gordon 
county,  Ga.,  and  the  two  children  born  of  this  marriage  are  Mary, 
who  married  F.  G.  Perrott  and  lives  at  Woodbridge,  Cal.,  and 
William,  who  married  Eva  'Padlock  and  makes  his  home  in  Yolo 
county. 

F.  L.  Bourland  formerly  owned  about  four  hundred  and  eighty 
acres   of  land,   but  he   has   sold   off  all   but  one   hundred   and   sixtv 


560  HISTORY  OF  YOLO  COUNTY 

acres,  and  this  he  has  deeded  to  Mrs.  Bourland.  Besides  the  fine 
ranch  near  Madison,  which  has  heen  their  home  for  years,  they 
also  have  a  residence  at  Cottonwood,  also  near  Madison.  They 
take  great  comfort  and  pleasure  in  their  children,  to  whom  they 
have  given  good  educations  and  have  so  reared  them  that  they 
are  now  industrious  and  honorable  citizens  of  the  county. 

After  a  long  life  of  hard  work,  coupled  with  thrift  and  other 
economical  features,  the  subject  of  this  sketch  has  settled  down 
to  a  well-earned  rest.  In  religion  he  and  his  wife  are  Presby- 
terian, in  politics  he  is  Democratic,  and  all  in  all  he  is  a.  goori 
citizen  and  an  honor  to  his  home  town  and  countv. 


BERNARD  W.  PARRISH 

Fifty  years  of  agricultural  and  commercial  activity  wrought 
their  startling  transformations  in  the  aspect  and  environment  of 
Yolo  county  during  Mr.  Parrish's  residence  here.  When  he  came 
here  he  was  young  and  strong,  but  friendless  and  almost  penni- 
less. The  devotion  he  exhibited  in  the  management  of  his  ranch 
and  the  wise  judgment  he  showed  as  a  farmer  and  stock-raiser 
placed  him  in  the  forefront  of  the  agriculturists  residing  in  the 
vicinity  of  Yolo.  In  his  old  age,  weakened  by  bodily  infirmities, 
he  was  surrounded  by  the  affectionate  ministrations  of  family  and 
friends  and  comfortably  supported  through  the  returns  from  the 
labors  of  his  years  of  strength.  The  home  place,  paid  for  by  his 
own  self-sacrificing  efforts,  developed  through  his  tireless  industry 
and  improved  with  a  harmonious  striving  toward  the  beautiful 
and  the  useful,  is  now  capably  superintended  and  intelligently 
tilled  by  William  W.,  one  of  his  sons  and  himself  a  resourceful 
rancher  with  a  thorough  knowledge  of  the  raising  of  grain  and 
stock. 

A  pioneer  of  1858  in  California  and  a  resident  of  Yolo  county 
since  1861,  Barney  Parrish  was  born  in  Allegheny  county,  Pa., 
September  18,  1830,  and  grew  to  manhood  upon  a  farm  in  his 
native  locality,  having  no  educational  advantages  except  such  as 
his  own  determination  provided.  After  he  had  worked  as  a  farm 
laborer  for  some  years  in  1858  he  went  to  New  York  City,  where 
he  took  passage  on  a  vessel  bound  for  the  Isthmus  ci  Panama  and 
from  the  isthmus  he  traveled  north  to  San  Francisco  on  the  John 
L.  Stevens,  landing  in  the  summer  of  1858  with  $5  as  his  capital, 
a  stranger  in  the  city.  Immediately  after  his  arrival  in  the  west 
he  went  to  the  mines  and  began  to  work  in  placer  digging,  but  the 


HISTORY  OF  YOLO  COUNTY  563 

untiring  efforts  of  the  next  three  years  convinced  him  that  other 
occupations  would  afford  him  a  more  satisfactory  livelihood. 
Coming  to  Yolo  county  he  secured  work  as  a  ranch  hand  and  for 
four  years  he  worked  for  wages.  In  1865  he  bought  the  equity 
in  two  hundred  and  twenty  acres  and  began  to  improve  a  farm. 
On  that  place  he  began  housekeeping  with  his  bride  in  the  fall 
of  1865,  the  young  wife  having  been  Miss  Mary  Boub,  a  native  of 
Wurtemberg,  Germany.  Her  death  in  1871  left  him  a  widower 
with  one  son,  Edward.  The  latter  has  been  employed  as  an  engi- 
neer on  the  Southern  Pacific  Railroad  for  the  past  fourteen  years 
and  makes  his  residence  at  Roseville. 

During  the  year  1872  Mr.  Parrish  married  Miss  Anna  Wim- 
mer,  who  was  born  near  Baden-Baden,  Germany,  but  has  lived 
in  the  United  States  since  thirteen  years  of  age  and  grew  to 
womanhood  in  Yolo  county,  where  she  was  living  at  the  time  of 
her  marriage.  Born  of  this  union  are  six  children,  as  follows: 
Mrs.  M.  Elizabeth  Hines,  of  Oakland;  William  W.,  the  manager  of 
the  old  homestead ;  Anna,  who  married  Thomas  McConnell  and  lives 
in  Nevada;  Otto,  who  is  a  farmer  near  Yolo;  Mamie,  Mrs.  Asa 
Bender,  of  Woodland;  and  Theodore,  who  resides  in  Woodland. 
For  a  long  period  the  family  have  lived  near  Yolo,  where  Mr. 
Parrish  owned  a  valuable  farm  of  two  hundred  and  seventy 
acres.  The  tillable  land  is  devoted  principally  to  wheat  and  barley, 
while  in  the  pastures  may  lie  seen  stock  of  the  best  grades.  The 
house  has  been  remodeled  and  enlarged  and  a  substantial  barn 
has  been  added  to  the  equipment  of  the  property,  which  has  been 
further  improved  by  the  planting  of  fruit  and  shade  trees. 

The  death  of  Mr.  Parrish  occurred  May  25,  1912,  when  the 
community  lost  one  of  its  noblest  citizens  and  the  family  a  cherished 
husband  and  father. 


CHARLES  M.  FISHBACK 

One  of  Woodland's  best  known  and  most  popular  citizens  is 
Charles  M.  Fishback,  who  by  his  perseverance  and  sterling  quali- 
ties has  succeeded  in  attaining  his  present  prosperity.  A  native  of 
Kentucky,  born  May  17,  1848,  in  Barren  county,  he  there  spent  his 
early  childhood,  removing  in  1855  to  Pike  county,  Mo.,  with  his 
parents,  John  Morgan  and  Elizabeth  (Button)  Fishback,  both  na- 
tives of  Kentucky.  He  was  educated  in  the  public  schools  and 
followed  farming  in  Missouri  until  the  spring  of  1872.  when  he 
came  to  Yolo  county,  Cal.    The  latter  part  of  his  journey  westward 


564  HISTORY  OF  YOLO  COUNTY 

was  somewhat  novel,  a  recent  wash-out  across  the  tules  near 
Sacramento  necessitating  the  removal  of  the  passengers  to  a  flat 
car  pulled  a  short  distance  by  horses.  They  were  then  conveyed 
by  a  boat  to  another  handcar  fitted  with  a  sail,  and  with  sails 
set  they  flew  along  until  they  arrived  at  Davisville.  The  tules 
were  under  water  for  miles  at  that  time.  Upon  his  arrival  in 
Woodland  Mr.  Fishback  secured  a  situation  on  the  J.  M.  Duttou 
ranch,  but  after  eighteen  months  rented  a  place  at  Hungry  Hollow, 
later  purchasing  the  property,  consisting  of  one  hundred  and 
sixty  acres.  In  1892  he  bought  his  present  thirty-eight  acre  ranch 
in  Willow  Oak  Park,  adjacent  to  Woodland,  devoting  twenty-rive 
acres  to  alfalfa,  of  which  five  cuttings  are  secured  annually.  He 
has  also  three  and  one-half  acres  of  Sultana  grapes,  and  upon  a 
portion  of  the  property  he  operates  a  dairy  of  twelve  cows. 

The  marriage  of  Mr.  Fishback,  in  Yolo  county,  in  1874,  united 
him  with  Miss  Colislia  Dutton,  who  was  born  in  Pike  county,  111., 
and  who  came  to  California  in  1863,  crossing  the  plains  with  her 
father,  James  M.  Duttou,  who  was  for  many  years  a  well  known 
rancher  of  Yolo  county.  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Fishback  were  blessed  with 
eight  children:  Cora  E.,  now  the  wife  of  J.  D.  Musgrove,  of 
Woodland;  Bruce,  at  home;  Zuella,  now  Mrs.  D.  E.  Green,  of 
Sacramento ;  Marcia,  the  wife  of  H.  E.  Van  Horn,  of  Fresno ; 
Myrtle,  Eunice,  Gladys,  and  Harold. 

Optimistic  and  generous,  Mr.  Fishback  is  prompt  to  support 
all  public  enterprises  of  merit,  and  as  a  thoroughly  progressive 
and  dependable  citizen  enjoys  the  esteem  and  confidence  of  his 
associates. 


PETER  KNUDSEN 

The  years  between  that  of  his  birth,  August  30,  1869,  and  that 
of  his  immigration  to  the  United  States  in  1887  were  passed  by 
Mr.  Knudsen  in  his  native  country  of  Denmark.  The  earliest 
memories  of  existence  are  to  him  associated  with  the  picturesque 
environment  of  the  Baltic  sea  and  the  stern,  gloomy  isolation  of 
Danish  isles.  The  island  of  his  boyhood  home  was  that  of  Fyen 
lying  between  the  Great  Belt  and  the  Little  Belt  and  there  his 
father  cultivated  a  little  farm  near  Odense  on  the  fiord  of  the 
same  name.  Such  were  the  surroundings  of  the  first  eight  years 
of  his  life,  but  a  change  came  then  with  the  death  of  his  father. 
The  children  were  scattered  and  he  was  taken  into  the  home  of 
relatives  at  Odense,  where  he  attended  the  public  schools  and  where 


HISTORY  OF  YOLO  COUNTY  567 

at  the  age  of  fourteen  he  began  to  earn  a  livelihood  by  the  driving 
of  horses.  However,  there  seemed  to  him  to  be  little  hope  for 
the  future  if  he  remained  on  the  sterile  and  stern  island  of  his  birth, 
so  he  decided  to  seek  a  home  across  the  great  ocean  in  the  new 
world.  The  year  1887  found  him  at  Greenville,  Mich.,  where  he 
worked  in  town  for  two  years  and  on  a  farm  for  a  similar  period. 

After  arriving  in  California  during  1891  Mr.  Knudsen  first 
took  up  the  work  in  which  he  has  since  achieved  his  life's  success. 
As  a  helper  he  secured  employment  in  a  Sacramento  laundry 
owned  by  Fred  Mason,  with  whom  he  continued  for  fourteen  years, 
meantime  working  in  every  department  and  becoming  thoroughly 
familiar  with  every  detail  of  the  business.  During  the  period  of 
his  employment  in  that  plant  he  and  an  associate  started  a  laundry 
in  Yacaville  iu  1901,  but  this  they  sold  after  having  conducted 
it  for  thirteen  months.  After  he  left  the  Mason  laundry  he  em- 
barked in  the  restaurant  business  and  for  two  years  he  carried 
on  such  an  enterprise  in  Sacramento.  April  1,  1909,  he  came  to 
Woodland,  where  he  bought  a  very  small  laundry  at  No.  419 
Main  street,  this  being  the  nucleus  of  the  present  Woodland  Steam 
Laundry.  The  building  was  small  and  the  equipment  meagre, 
making  the  work  so  unsatisfactory  that  December  4,  1909,  he 
removed  to  another  building,  which  he  remodeled  for  a  laundry, 
putting  in  new  machinery  and  doing  satisfactory  work  with  his 
up-to-date  equipment. 

A  disastrous  tire,  January  28,  1911,  caused  the  total  destruction 
of  the  building  and  the  plant.  The  energetic  proprietor  refused  to 
stop  work  in  the  face  of  the  heavy  disaster.  Renting  rooms  in  a 
brick  structure  adjacent  to  the  former  laundry,  he  continued  the 
business  as  best  he  could  with  his  heavy  handicap.  Meanwhile 
he  had  immediately  started  a  new  building  and  on  the  28th  of 
Februarv  he  was  able  to  open  up  for  work  in  the  building  at 
No.  315  College  street,  where  he  has  a  plant  74x60  feet  in  dimen- 
sions. The  latest  machinery  has  been  introduced.  Competent 
judges  assert  that,  for  its  size,  this  is  the  finest  laundry  in  the  west. 
The  owner,  who  has  seen  the  remarkable  improvement  in  laundry 
machinery  since  he  first  became  connected  with  the  occupation, 
believes  that  it  is  economy  to  buy  the  best  and  most  modern. 
Accordingly  the  washers  and  mangles  and  indeed  all  of  the  ma- 
chinery are  of  the  most  approved  types,  while  a  twenty-five 
horse  power  steam  engine  is  utilized  for  power  and  for  heating. 
The  trade  is  not  limited  to  Woodland,  but  extends  to  adjacent 
cities,  shipments  being  made  back  and  forth  on  the  trains. 

Since  he  became  a  naturalized  citizen  of  onr  country  and  at 
tained  his  majority  Mr.  Knudsen  has  voted  with  the  Republican 
party.     In   religion   he   adheres   to   the   Lutheran   faith,    in    which 


568  HISTORY  OF  YOLO  COUNTY 

he  was  reared  from  his  earliest  recollections.  Fraternally  he 
holds  membership  with  the  Dania  Order,  the  Modern  Woodmen 
of  America  and  the  Independent  Order  of  Odd  Fellows,  while 
commercially  he  is  a  leading  member  of  the  Woodland  Merchants' 
Association.  In  Sacramento,  December  19,  1900,  he  married  Miss 
Birdie  Dreyer,  by  whom  he  has  two  sons,  Peter  and  Henry.  Mrs. 
Knudsen  was  born  in  Stockton,  this  state,  but  was  reared  in  Sacra- 
mento from  the  age  of  one  year  and  received  an  excellent  educa- 
tion in  the  schools  of  the  capital  city.  Her  father,  Henry  Dreyer, 
a  native  of  Berlin,  Germany,  and  a  pioneer  of  California,  died  in 
Sacramento,  where  also  occurred  the  demise  of  her  mother.  From 
childhood  she  has  been  in  sympathy  with  the  doctrines  of  the  Bap- 
tist Church  and  has  contributed  to  its  maintenance.  In  social 
circles  her  attractive  qualities  have  won  for  her  many  friends, 
while  she  is  likewise  popular  in  fraternal  work  and  a  leading- 
member  of  the  Bebekahs  and  the  Marguerite  Circle  of  the  American 
Foresters. 


EPHRAIM  COOK 

The  suns  of  many  summers  have  shone  upon  the  ripening 
grain  and  as  often  the  fallen  leaves  of  autumn  have  found  a  grave 
amid  the  dead  grasses  of  the  earth,  since  the  early  settlers  began 
to  develop  the  agricultural  resources  of  Yolo  county.  Although 
not  one  of  the  first  farmers  of  the  county,  Mr.  Cook  was  entitled 
to  the  term  of  pioneer.  When  he  came  here  after  several  years 
of  prospecting  in  the  gold  mines,  he  found  little  to  arouse  the  en- 
thusiasm of  the  ordinary  observer.  It  was  long  before  the  era  when 
railroads  had  made  transportation  a  matter  of  ease  and  conveni- 
ence and  travelers  here  as  elsewhere  rode  on  horseback  or  in  the 
old-fashioned  stage-coaches.  Few  houses  had  been  built  and  these 
were  cabins  primitive  in  structure,  affording  a  rude  shelter,  but 
providing  no  conveniences  for  the  inmates.  Villages  were  few 
and  sparsely  inhabited,  while  in  the  country  districts  many  miles 
intervened  between  the  homes  of  the  closest  neighbors. 

It  was  into  such  an  environment  that  Mr.  Cook  entered  when 
he  became  a  farmer  of  the  county  and  took  up  land  six  miles  from 
the  present  site  of  Washington,  after  having  spent  a  number  of 
years  as  a  miner  at  Cold  Springs  and  Ragtown,  Eldorado  county. 
He  was  a  native  of  Putnam  county,  Ohio,  born  February  13,  1829, 
and  had  grown  to  maturity  in  the  Buckeye  state,  where,  the  family 
being  in  limited  circumstances,   he   had  worked   at    an   age  when 


HISTORY  OF  YOLO  COUNTY  571 

most  boys  were  attending  school.  Hoping  to  better  his  condition 
in  the  west,  during  the  summer  of  1852  he  came  across  the  plains 
with  a  large  party  of  gold-seekers  who  made  the  journey  with 
"prairie  schooners"  drawn  by  mules  and  horses.  The  mines  did 
not  prove  as  remunerative  to  his  labors  as  he  had  anticipated,  so 
he  decided  to  turn  his  attention  to  ranching  and  with  this  object 
in  view  he  took  up  a  quarter-section  of  grain  and  timber  land 
in  Yolo  county.  Later  he  bought  three  hundred  and  twenty  acres 
near  Plainfield  and  besides  farming  the  ranch  he  also  operated  a 
threshing-machine  in  the  neighborhood.  After  years  of  diligent 
application  to  agriculture  he  died  September  18,  1896,  leaving  to  his 
heirs  a  valuable  property  and  that  which  is  even  more  desirable, 
viz. :  the  memory  of  an  honorable  life. 

The  first  wife  of  Mr.  Cook,  whom  he  married  in  1853  and  who 
passed  from  earth  June  9,  1856,  bore  the  maiden  name  of  Ann 
Blodgett.  Two  sons  were  born  of  that  union,  George  and  Roswell, 
the  former  of  whom  died  in  early  life;  the  latter  resides  in  Sacra- 
mento. During  1859  Mr.  Cook  was  united  in  marriage  with  Miss 
Mary  A.  Hurlock,  a  native  of  Maryland.  They  became  the  parents 
of  four  children,  Edmond  R.  (residing  in  the  East),  Alice  (now 
deceased),  T.  Frank  and  Homer.  The  last-named  married  Miss 
Ida  Worth  and  has  four  children,  Arline,  Alta,  Homer  and  Philip. 
T.  Frank  in  1893  married  Miss  Elma  Edgington  and  of  their  union 
three  children  were  born,  Mary  F.,  Roswell  H.  and  Lela  M. 

The  fraternal  organizations  of  which  T.  Frank  Cook  is  a  mem- 
ber, the  Foresters  of  America  and  the  Woodmen  of  the  World, 
have  the  benefit  of  his  interested  contributions  to  their  local 
progress.  However,  he  has  little  leisure  for  activity  in  the  lodges 
nor  does  he  find  the  time  necessary  for  participation  in  politics, 
for  the  care  of  his  farming  interests  demands  his  close  attention. 
Having  ranched  with  his  father  until  the  death  of  the  latter,  he 
then  became  the  manager  of  the  old  homestead  and  continued  as 
such  for  four  years.  About  1905  he  rented  the  farm  of  eight 
hundred  acres  which  he  now  occupies  and  which  ranks  among 
the  valuable  tracts  of  the  locality.  Fire  caused  a  heavy  loss  in 
1908,  when  his  barns  burned  to  the  ground  carrying  with  them 
valuable  stock,  a  large  amount  of  hay,  a  harvester  and  other 
machinery.  Forced  to  start  again  to  a  certain  extent,  he  has 
devoted  his  attention  ever  since  to  the  replacing  of  what  he  lost 
through  the  catastrophe.  One  of  his  specialties  is  the  raising 
of  barley  and  he  threshes  yearly  from  twenty-five  hundred 
to  three  thousand  sacks.  Another  specialty  is  the  raising  of 
Holstein  cattle  and  the  herd  now  to  be  seen  on  his  ranch  will  not 
suffer  by  comparison  with  many  of  the  boasted  droves  of  thai  breed 
throughout  the  northern  part  of  the  state. 


572  HISTORY  OF  YOLO  COUNTY 

HENRY    KETTENBURG 

The  Kettenburg  family  was  prominent  in  German  politics 
prior  to  the  coming  of  several  of  its  members  to  this  country. 
They  were  from  Hanover,  and  the  student  of  history  will  recall 
the  exciting  part  the  Hanoverians  played  in  the  "Seven  Weeks' 
war,"  which  was  fought  during  the  months  of  June  and  July, 
1866.  Primarily  the  conflict  was  between  Prussia  and  Austria, 
with  a  number  of  the  German  states,  among  which  was  Hanover,  in 
sympathy  with  Austria.  The  complete  victory  of  Prussia  over  her 
foes  at  the  battle  of  Sadowa  was  anything  but  pleasing  to  the 
Hanoverians.  Henry  Kettenburg,  Sr.,  always  objected  to  his  sons 
serving  their  allotted  time  in  the  Prussian  army,  and  though  he 
did  not  leave  his  native  city,  he  encouraged  his  male  relatives  to 
immigrate.  Born  in  Bremen  April  5,  1860,  Henry  Kettenburg,  our 
subject,  at  the  age  of  fifteen,  a  typical  sturdy  German  lad,  landed 
in  New  York  in  June,  1875.  He  finally  joined  an  uncle,  Richard 
Kettenburg,  in  Colusa  county,  whither  the  latter  had  come  from 
Germany  in  1857  and  become  an  extensive  land  owner.  Under 
his  uncle  Henry  Kettenburg  gained  his  first  insight  into  farming 
as  conducted  in  this  country.  For  twelve  years  he  engaged  in 
boring  wells  and  so  industrious  and  continuous  was  he  at  this 
business  that  in  the  territory  around  Winters,  Dixon,  Woodland, 
and  through  Berryessa  valley  he  bored  over  five  hundred  wells — 
piercing  the  old  globe's  dry  crust  and  drawing  the  living  waters 
from  her  deep  reservoirs.  His  farming  ventures  were  fully  as 
successful.  He  first  purchased  fifty-five  acres,  and  then  sixty 
more,  in  and  adjoining  Winters.  Apricots,  peaches,  prunes,  plums 
and  almonds  are  his  specialty,  and  the  harvests  of  1910  and  1911 
were  unprecedented.  His  vineyard  is  also  turning  out  each  sea- 
son a  good  vintage.  As  a  pioneer  in  the  setting  out  of  orchards 
he  has  taken  an  active  part  in  developing  the  horticultural  inter- 
ests of  Yolo  county.  In  partnership  with  a  Mr.  Prescott  he  has 
installed  a  pumping  plant  for  irrigation,  and  from  this  source 
gets  ample  water  for  his  orchards  and  alfalfa. 

In  San  Francisco,  August  30,  1884,  Mr.  Kettenburg  married 
Caroline  Koop,  a  native  of  Hanover.  Six  children  were  born  to 
them,  as  follows:  Henry  W.,  Clarence  G.,  Elmer  J.,  Caroline  D., 
Elise  A.  and  Ethel  K.  Caroline  became  the  wife  of  William  D. 
Gifford,  of  Winters,  and  their  children  are  William,  Joseph  and 
Harry. 

Mr.  Kettenburg  is  a  member  of  the  Lutheran  Church  at 
Dixon,  a  Republican  on  progressive  lines,  and  a  dependable,  con- 
sistent citizen. 


/K/^^wC^^ 


HISTORY  OF  YOLO  COUNTY  575 

F.  J.   RUSSELL 

Few  men  have  so  early  in  life  exhibited  the  conservative 
judgment  and  executive  ability  which  have  characterized  the  suc- 
cessful efforts  of  Mr.  Russell,  one  of  Y'olo  county's  most  prosper- 
ous ranchers  and  business  men,  who  is  devoting  his  attention  to 
his  valuable  orchard  and  farm  of  one  hundred  and  forty  acres 
near   Capay. 

A  native  of  California,  Mr.  Russell  was  born  near  Madison. 
Yolo  county,  January  17,  1875,  the  son  of  Samuel  P.  and  Mary  J. 
(Wilson)  Russell,  who  were  born,  respectively,  in  Kentucky  and 
Moniteau  county,  Mo.  By  way  of  Panama  the  father  came  to 
California  in  1851  and  became  a  farmer  near  Madison,  and  here 
lie  still  resides.  The  son,  F.  J.  Russell,  received  a  thorough  edu- 
cation in  the  schools  of  that  locality  and  later  attended  Heald's 
Business  College,  San  Francisco.  Upon  graduating  from  the 
business  course  in  1895  he  returned  to  the  home  place,  where  he 
assisted  his  father  for  a  time,  subsequently  working  with  his 
uncle,  William  Russell,  also  with  R.  B.  Nissen  of  Capay.  In  1899 
he  rented  from  his  father  a  farm  of  four  hundred  acres  in  Capay 
valley,  where  he  remained  during  the  succeeding  ten  years,  his 
success  encouraging  him  to  engage  in  agriculture  upon  a  larger 
scale.  Upon  relinquishing  this  farm  he  took  over  a  tract  belong- 
ing to  Capay  Lodge  No.  230,  I.  0.  0.  F.,  and  ran  that  in  connec- 
tion with  eight  hundred  acres  adjoining  which  he  leased  from  the 
Pacific  Improvement  Club  of  San  Francisco.  A  large  portion  of 
the  last-mentioned  land  was  devoted  to  grain.  Besides  the  land 
mentioned  he  also  leased  six  hundred  acres  owned  by  W.  R 
Laugenour,  upon  which  he  conducted  a  dairy  of  twenty  cows. 
in  1910  he  purchased  twenty  acres  of  alfalfa  land  one  mile  from 
Woodland,  upon  which  he  erected  a  comfortable  home  and  other 
buildings,  and  here  established  a  dairy  supplied  by  thirty  cows, 
his  dairy  ranking  among  the  most  sanitary  and  up-to-date  of  any 
in  the  county.  In  October,  1911,  he  sold  his  holdings  and  pur- 
chased his  present  place  of  one  hundred  and  forty  acres  three 
miles  above  Capay.  Twenty  acres  of  this  are  in  almonds  and  the 
rest  of  the  land  is  devoted  to  general  farming. 

Mr.  Russell  began  his  domestic  life  in  1899,  his  marriage  at 
Cadanassa  uniting  him  with  Miss  Pearl  Armstrong,  who  was  born 
on  the  old  homestead  there.  ITer  father,  P.  O.  Armstrong,  came 
from  Andrew  county.  Mo.,  to  California  across  the  plains  with 
ox-teams  in  1856  with  his  parents.  ITe  was  thus  one  of  the  pioneers 
of  Cadanassa,  and  in  the  Capay  valley  he  married  Margaret  J. 
Alexander,  who  was  born  in  California,  the  daughter  of  Vincenl 
Alexander,  who  crossed  the  plains  to  this  state  in   1849.     Mr.  and 


576  HISTORY  OF  YOLO  COUNTY 

Mrs.   Russell    have    three    children,   Lyle    Dale,    Thornton    C.    and 
Alice  Isabel. 

A  member  of  Woodland  Lodge  No.  603,  L.  0.  0.  M.,  Mr.  Ru* 
sell  is  also  a  member  of  Capay  Lodge  No.  230,  I.  O.  0.  F.,  of 
which  he  is  vice  grand,  and  is  also  a  member  of  Woodland  Camp 
No.  186,  W.  0.  W.  He  maintains  a  keen  interest  in  the  better- 
ment of  social  conditions  and  lends  his  support  to  all  public  enter- 
prises relating  to  the  development  of  the  community,  his  generous 
principles  and  kindly  personality  having  won  the  unqualified 
esteem    of    his    fellow    citizens. 


CAPT.  CARL  B.  NICHOLS 

The  captain  of  Company  F,  Second  Infantry,  California  Na- 
tional Guard,  has  spent  the  greater  portion  of  his  life  in  Woodland, 
his  present  home,  but  is  a  native  of  Iowa  and  was  born  at  Clair- 
mont,  Fayette  county,  August  19,  1877,  being  a  son  of  Cyrus  B. 
and  Mary  C.  (Adams)  Nichols,  natives  of  New  York  state,  but 
residents  of  Iowa  from  early  years.  Through  all  of  his  active  life 
the  father  followed  agricultural  pursuits  and  after  he  had  disposed 
of  his  farming  interests  in  Iowa  he  came  to  California  in  1889, 
settling  near  Woodland,  where  he  took  up  general  farming.  Even- 
tually he  relinquished  the  heavy  duties  incident  to  agriculture  and 
since  then  he  has  been  living  retired  in  Woodland,  where  he  has  a 
host  of  warm  personal  friends,  not  only  among  his  acquaintances 
of  the  past  twenty  or  more  years,  but  also  among  the  younger  gen- 
eration entering  upon  life's  activities.  During  1904  he  was  be- 
reaved by  the  death  of  his  wife,  who  passed  away  at  the  family 
home,  leaving  him  irreparably  grieved  in  the  separation. 

The  only  child  of  his  parents,  Carl  B.  Nichols  was  given  the 
best  educational  advantages  that  Woodland  afforded,  completing 
the  studies  of  the  grammar  and  high  schools  and  also  attending 
Pierce's  Business  College.  After  leaving  college  he  entered  the 
employ  of  T.  S.  Spaulding  as  a  salesman  in  1900  and  soon  became 
recognized  for  efficiency  and  thoroughness.  Meanwhile  during  1899 
he  had  enlisted  as  a  private  in  Company  F,  Second  Infantry,  Cali- 
fornia National  Guard.  Later  he  was  commissioned  corporal,  then 
sergeant,  next  second  lieutenant,  and  as  such  served  with  the  com- 
pany at  San  Francisco  at  the  time  of  the  earthquake  and  fire  in  1906. 
Soon  afterwards,  in  recognition  of  his  efficiency  in  military  tactics, 
he  was  made  first  lieutenant,  which  commission  he  held  for  about 
five  years.     March  5,  1911,  the  company  elected  him  captain,  thus 


G\^.     yyuxyUy 


HISTORY  OF  YOLO  COUNTY  57!) 

showing  their  appreciation  of  his  fidelity  in  service  and  also  fur- 
nishing abundant  testimony  as  to  their  belief  in  his  efficiency. 

The  marriage  of  Captain  Nichols  and  Miss  Emma  Mather,  a 
native  of  Lake  count}',  Cal.,  was  solemnized  March  1,  1904,  in 
Woodland,  where  the  young  couple  began  housekeeping  and  where 
since  they  have  made  their  home.  They  are  the  parents  of  three 
children,  Claude,  Louise  and  Shirley.  The  family  are  identified  with 
the  Congregational  Church  and  contribute  quite  generously  to 
religious  movements.  From  the  time  of  casting  his  first  ballot 
Captain  Nichols  has  supported  the  men  and  measures  of  the  Repub- 
lican party,  to  which  he  gives  a  whole-hearted  fidelity  and  an  intelli- 
gent appreciation  of  its  value  to  the  prosperity  of  the  nation.  Vari- 
ous fraternal  organizations  have  had  the  benefit  of  his  co-operation, 
included  among  these  being  the  Maccabees,  the  Foresters  of  America 
and  the  Independent  Order  of  Odd  Fellows. 


ANTONE  MARTY 

Among  the  enterprising  and  progressive  residents  of  Yolo 
county  is  Antone  Marty,  of  the  firm  of  Marty  Brothers,  he  and  his 
brother  Martin  (and  until  his  death  the  late  Joseph  Marty)  own- 
ing and  controlling  jointly  a  five  hundred  acre  ranch  seven  miles 
northwest  of  Sacramento,  known  as  the  Golden  Eagle  dairy,  the 
largest  and  finest  plant  of  the  kind  in  Yolo  county.  The  brothers 
were  natives  of  Canton  Schwytz,  Switzerland,  the  birth  of  the 
eldest,  Antone,  occurring  January  20,  1869.  He  was  educated  in 
the  public  schools  of  his  native  place  and  there,  too,  he  learned 
the  dairy  business  under  his  father  Bernardin  Marty,  in  the  Alps. 
The  father  afterward  came  to  Sacramento  and  spent  his  last  days 
with  his  son,  Antone,  at  whose  home  he  passed  away  December 
21,  1911. 

Antone  Marty  immigrated  to  the  United  States  April  30, 
1890,  and  joined  his  uncle,  Joseph  Marty,  who  conducted  a  dairy 
in  Sacramento  county  south  of  the  capital  city.  Two  years  later 
Martin  Marty  arrived  and  secured  a  position  on  his  uncle's  ranch, 
and  the  following  year  Antone  purchased  a  one-third  interest  in 
the  uncle's  dairy,  and  at  the  same  time  took  into  partnership  his 
brothers,  Martin  and  Joseph.  Nine  years  later,  in  1902,  the  broth- 
ers purchased  the  interest  of  their  uncle  and  continued  the  man- 
agement of  the  dairy  until  October,  1908,  when  they  purchased 
their  present  ranch,  comprising  live  hundred  acres  of  rich  bottom 
land,   three  hundred   and   seventy-five   of  which   is   in   alfalfa,      tin- 


580  HISTORY  OF  YOLO  COUNTY 

mediately  after  purchasing  the  property  the  brothers  erected  three 
commodious,  sanitary  barns  for  dairy  purposes,  provided  with 
cement  floors,  running  water  and  gas  for  lighting.  In  the  boiler 
house  a  sixty-horse  power  engine  was  installed  for  the  operation 
of  the  separator,  electric  lights,  machinery  and  pumps,  and  a  water 
tank  of  ten  thousand  gallons  capacity  was  also  set  in  place.  A 
twenty-five-horse  power  engine  is  used  to  force  the  water  through 
the  pipes,  the  heavy  water  pressure  insuring  adequate  fire  protec- 
tion. For  the  accommodation  of  the  twenty-five  employes  who 
assist  in  the  work  of  the  ranch  a  comfortable  boarding  house  was 
built;  also  a  blacksmith  shop  and  a  milling  plant  and  steam  feed 
mixer,  for  the  preparation  of  feed  and  hay  for  the  stock.  In  ad- 
dition to  the  ranch  interests  already  mentioned,  it  is  necessary  to 
state  that  the  brothers  are  also  raising  hogs  on  a  scale  that  adds 
considerable  to  the  yearly  income.  Of  their  three  hundred  and 
fifty  cows,  two  hundred  and  fifty  are  milked  at  present,  and  from 
fifteen  to  eighteen  cheeses  are  made  daily,  each  weighing  twenty- 
five  pounds.  One  thousand  gallons  of  milk  are  shipped  daily  on 
their  launch,  Milk  Maid,  to  their  Sacramento  depot,  at  No.  300  N 
street,  this  being  in  charge  of  Martin  Marty.  Four  retail  and  two 
wholesale  delivery  wagons  are  required  in  the  operation  of  the 
extensive  business  and  altogether  forty  horses  are  used  on  the 
ranch  and  in  the  dairy  interests.  The  yield  of  alfalfa  from  three 
hundred  and  seventy-five  acres  (six  clippings)  provides  feed  for 
four  hundred  head  of  cattle  and  horses  as  well  as  several  hundred 
hogs,  besides  which  they  sell  about  seven  hundred  tons  annually. 
Splendid  shipping  facilities  are  provided  by  the  Marty  station  on 
the  new  Sacramento  and  Woodland  electric  railroad,  a  switch  on 
the  ranch  affording  direct  communication.  The  Golden  Eagle 
dairy  is  admirably  located  on  the  west  side  of  the  Sacramento 
river,  where  there  is  a  landing  for  the  launch  previously  men- 
tioned. The  brothers  also  own  a  valuable  ranch  of  one  thousand 
acres  at  Clipper  Gap,  Placer  county,  where  a  specialty  is  made 
of  raising  and  shipping  wood. 

In  Sacramento  Antone  Marty  was  married,  February  6,  1898, 
to  Miss  Susan  Durrer,  a  native  of  Turners  Falls,  Mass.  Her 
father,  Joseph  Durrer,  upon  coming  to  California  first  located  in 
Sacramento,  and  later  settled  in  Tehama  county,  where  his  daugh- 
ter was  educated.  Three  children  have  been  born  to  Mr.  and  Mrs. 
Antone  Marty:  Hedwig,  Antone  and  Adel.  He  is  a  member  of 
the  Foresters  of  America,  the  Woodmen  of  the  World,  the  Red 
Men  and  the  Helvetia  Verein.  His  fraternal  and  business  interests 
do  not  absorb  all  of  his  time  and  thought,  however,  for  he  is  greatly 
interested  in  the  welfare  of  his  community  and  loses  no  oppor- 
tunitv  to  lend  a  hand  in  its  behalf. 


j^A^Wl 


a^t^y 


HISTORY  OF  YOLO  COUNTY  583 

Martin  Marty  is  a  resident  of  Sacramento,  having  charge  of 
the  firm's  business  at  that  point.  Joseph  Marty  was  accidentally 
drowned  in  the  Sacramento  river  March  18,  1912,  while  repairing 
a  barge  at  the  landing. 


JOSEPH  WILLMAN 

A  short  distance  north  of  Dunnigan  lies  one  of  the  well-im- 
proved ranches  of  Yolo  county,  a  tract  that  represents  the  results 
of  the  wise  energy  and  persevering  labors  of  the  owner,  Joseph 
Willman,  who  as  early  as  1877  acquired  the  equity  in  three  hun- 
dred and  twenty  acres  of  the  present  homestead.  Scarcity  of 
funds  handicapped  him  for  years  and  for  some  time  after  he 
had  purchased  the  property  he  continued  to  work  out  for  wages, 
in  order  that  he  might  secure  needed  money  for  making  payments 
on  his  property.  When  finally  he  had  reduced  the  indebtedness 
to  an  amount  possible  to  handle  and  had  also  accumulated  the 
capital  necessary  for  investment  in  machinery  and  stock  he  began 
the  personal  cultivation  of  the  tract.  The  first  years  were  filled 
with  toil  of  the  most  severe  nature,  but  after  a  time  he  began  to 
reap  the  reward  of  his  efforts  and  was  able  to  enjoy  life  in  a 
greater  degree.  The  neat  residence  adds  to  the  beauty  of  the 
homestead  and  the  general  attractiveness  is  enhanced  by  the  large 
number  of  shade  and  ornamental  trees,  also  the  English  walnut 
trees  and  fruit  trees,  planted  by  the  owner.  A  pumping  plant  is 
an  important  addition  to  the  place  and  there  also  are  needed  build- 
ings for  the  storage  of  grain  and  shelter  of  the  stock.  A  later  pur- 
chase of  one  hundred  and  sixty  acres  of  adjacent  land  gives  the 
owner  a  splendid  tract,  forming,  indeed,  one  of  the  very  finest 
ranches  in  the  entire  north  part  of  the  county. 

Evidence  of  the  possession  of  the  splendid  traits  of  the  Teu- 
tonic race  is  manifest  in  the  activities  of  Mi-.  Willman,  who,  al- 
though of  American  birth,  comes  of  German  ancestry  mi  his  father's 
side,  while  through  his  mother  he  inherits  the  thrifty  qualities  of 
French  progenitors.  His  father,  Xavera  Willman,  was  born  in 
Alsace-Lorraine,  on  the  shores  of  the  Rhine  river,  and  in  youth 
learned  the  trade  of  a  stone  mason.  Upon  the  expiration  of  his 
apprenticeship  he  came  to  the  United  States  in  1827  and  followed 
bis  occupation  as  a  journeyman.  Finally  he  established  a  home 
in  Medina  countv,  Ohio,  and  there  followed  his  trade.     There  also 


584  HISTORY  OF  YOLO  COUNTY 

he  married  and  in  that  state  he  reared  his  family,  comprising  five 
sons  and  three  daughters,  their  mother  having  heen  Josephine 
Braman,  a  native  of  France.  The  family  moved  from  Medina 
county  to  the  vicinity  of  Defiance,  Ohio,  and  settled  on  a  farm, 
where  the  father,  with  the  assistance  of  the  boys,  developed  a 
profitable  acreage. 

Among  the  children  the  fourth  in  order  of  birth  was  Joseph, 
who  was  born  in  Medina  county,  Ohio,  October  25,  1842,  and  who 
received  a  fair  education  in  the  country  schools.  During  the  month 
of  April  in  the  year  1864  he  left  Edgerton,  Ohio,  with  an  expedi- 
tion bound  for  California.  The  journey  across  the  plains  was 
made  with  wagons  and  horses.  At  the  expiration  of  about  five 
months  he  arrived  in  Yolo  county  September  20,  and  immediately 
secured  work  on  a  ranch  near  Knights  Landing,  where  he  remained 
during  the  winter  and  continued  working  in  that  vicinity  until 
1872.  From  that  year  until  1877  he  operated  a  rented  farm,  and 
then  purchased  the  larger  part  of  his  present  ranch,  after  which 
he  worked  out  for  ranchers  until  able  to  begin  the  cultivation  of 
Lis  own  place.  The  raising  of  wheat  and  barley  has  been  his  spe- 
cialty, and  besides  cultivating  his  own  ranch  he  has  rented  several 
hundred  acres  each  year  for  the  sowing  of  grain.  To  some  ex- 
tent he  has  had  stock  on  his  ranch-  and  in  this  department  of  agri- 
culture he  has  been  fairly  successful. 

The  marriage  of  Mr.  Willman  was  solemnized  in  Dunnigan, 
Yolo  county,  September  28,  1884,  and  united  him  with  Mrs.  Louisa 
(Harper)  Goodin,  a  widow,  with  one  son  and  a  daughter.  The 
former,  Albertus  Goodin,  is  now  married  and  cultivating  a  part 
of  the  Willman  ranch,  and  the  latter,  May,  is  deceased.  Simeon 
Harper,  a  native  of  Germany,  immigrated  in  early  life  to  America 
and  settled  in  Lafayette,  Mo.,  where  his  daughter,  Louisa,  was 
born.  Later  he  engaged  in  farming  in  Kansas  and  from  that  state 
during  1873  she  removed  to  California,  where  they  settled  on  a 
ranch  near  College  City,  Colusa  county.  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Willman 
are  the  parents  of  three  children,  namely:  Clara  Belle,  who  is  the 
wife  of  Herman  West  and  lives  in  Colusa  county;  Alena,  Mrs.  Cot- 
ter, of  Sacramento;  and  Joseph  Floyd,  who  remains  at  home. 
The  family  are  identified  with  the  Dunnigan  Christian  Church  and 
Mr.  Willman  serves  the  congregation  in  the  office  of  elder.  In 
fraternal  relations  Mr.  Willman  for  years  held  membership  with 
the  Ancient  Order  of  United  Workmen  at  Arbuckle.  While  stead- 
fastly refusing  to  accept  nomination  for  any  office,  he  nevertheless 
has  consented  to  serve  as  a  delegate  to  the  county  Republican  con- 
ventions and  has  given  of  his  time  and  means  for  the  furtherance 
of  the  party  welfare. 


Jk6^^%Pc^Jj 


HISTORY  OF  YOLO  COUNTY  .  587 

MRS.  JANE   ELIZABETH  PAUL 

Among  the  most  enterprising  and  highly  respected  citizens  of 
Winters  is  Mrs.  Paul,  a  horticulturist  who  is  making  a  success 
of  her  undertaking  and  a  woman  of  sterling  qualities  and  coura- 
geous optimism,  who  has  been  a  resident  of  this  ranch  for  twenty- 
eight  years.  During  this  time  she  has  seen  it  develop  from  a  cow 
pasture  to  a  full-bearing  orchard,  a  part  of  which  she  has  set  out 
a  second  time. 

In  maidenhood  Mrs.  Paul  was  Miss  Hill,  born  in  Guelph,  On- 
tario, Canada,  July  20,  1852,  the  daughter  of  William  and  Esther 
(Cunningham)  Hill,  who  were  natives  of  England  and  Ireland, 
respectively,  and  who  settled  in  Canada  in  an  early  clay.  Jane  E. 
Hill  received  her  education  in  the  schools  of  Guelph  and  at  an 
early  age  became  the  wife  of  James  Haynes,  who  was  born  in 
Lower  Canada,  and  who,  five  years  after  their  marriage,  passed 
away  in  Gruelph,  where  he  was  laid  to  rest.  Mr.  aud  Mrs.  Haynes 
were  blessed  with  three  children,  as  follows:  William  II.,  of  Sacra- 
mento ;  Minnie,  who  became  the  wife  of  0.  E.  Fuller,  of  Sacra- 
mento, and  has  five  children,  Wesley,  William,  Eveline,  Ruth  and 
Mary;  and  Maud,  the  wife  of  A.  H.  Blanchard,  of  Sacramento, 
and  the  mother  of  one  child,  Laurena  J.  Mr.  Haynes  was  a  car- 
penter by  trade  and  a  broad-minded  Democrat,  interested  in  all 
public  enterprises  of  worth.  After  Mr.  Haynes'  death  in  1884  his 
widow  came  to  Yolo  county  and  located  on  the  ranch  she  now  occu- 
pies, consisting  of  twenty  acres  and  located  one  mile  west  of  Win- 
ters. Not  a  tree  was  on  the  place  at  that  time,  but  since  then  it 
has  all  been  set  out  to  orchard,  principally  to  peaches  and  apri- 
cots, and  five  acres  have  been  reset  to  Muir  peaches,  the  last  men- 
tioned land  having  been  in  peaches  for  the  past  twenty-seven 
years.  The  balance  of  the  land  is  in  full  bearing,  the  crop  either 
being  dried  or  shipped  to  the  cannery. 

In  Woodland  Mrs.  Haynes  was  married  to  Joseph  11.  Paul, 
who  was  horn  in  Canton,  Mo.,  February  9,  1851.  Of  the  five  chil- 
dren born  of  this  marriage  four  are  living.  Joseph  F.,  the  eldest. 
married  Miss  Emily  Hardy,  and  they  and  their  son,  Joseph  L.. 
reside  in  Sacramento;  the  other  children,  Cornelius,  Rudolph  and 
Lauretta  J.,  make  their  home  with  their  mother. 

Joseph  F.  Paul  is  a  member  of  the  Woodmen  of  the  World, 
and  bis  brothers,  Cornelius  and  Rudolph,  are  members  of  the  Inde- 
pendent Order  of  Red  Men  and  the  Foresters.  All  of  the  brothers 
are  Republicans,  intelligently  interested  in  both  civic  and  national 
political  developments.  Mrs.  Paul  is  a  member  of  St.  Anthony's 
Catholic  Church  of  Winters.  She  is  a  woman  of  indomitable 
energy  and  perseverance  and   in   her  horticultural   efforts   is  ever 


588  HISTORY  OF  YOLO  COUNTY 

forging  onward  to  success.     She  is  much  esteemed  by  those  who 
know  her  for  her  many  acts  of  kindness  and  her  universal  good 


J.  B.  TUFTS 

The  family  represented  by  this  honored  pioneer  of  the  west 
descends  from  a  long  line  of  patriotic  ancestry  associated  for 
several  generations  with  the  military  service  of  the  United  States. 
His  father,  a  graduate  of  West  Point  and  an  officer  distinguished 
for  his  knowledge  of  military  tactics,  served  at  northern  barracks 
for  a  long  period  and  then  was  stationed  for  years  at  a  fort  in 
North  Carolina.  He  owned  three  hundred  and  twenty  acres  in 
New  York  state  and  also  had  valuable  property  in  New  York 
City.  In  marriage  he  was  united  with  Mary  Davis,  a  niece  of 
Jefferson  Davis  and  the  daughter  of  a  commanding  regimental 
officer.  The  grandfather  died  in  Albany,  N.  Y.,  and  left  a  large 
estate  to  descendants  so  widely  scattered  that  it  became  necessary 
for  the  officials  to  advertise  for  the  heirs. 

J.  B.  Tufts  was  born  in  New  Jersey,  November  8,  1824,  and 
he  was  educated  principally  in  New  Jersey,  leaving  home  at 
the  age  of  twenty-one  years  to  make  his  own  way  in  the  world. 
Starting  in  the  printing  business  he  had  learned  all  of  its  details 
in  two  years  and  later  he  embarked  in  the  card-printing  busi- 
ness in  New  York  City,  where  with  a  partner  he  rented  rooms  on  a 
first  floor.  While  living  in  the  east,  in  1849,  Mr.  Tufts  married 
Mary,  daughter  of  John  M.  Kingsland,  a  former  sheriff  of  New 
York  City,  where  she  was  born  and  educated.  They  became  the 
parents  of  ten  children,  but  lost  three  at  birth,  the  others  being 
George  K.,  William,  Charles,  Andrew,  Lucy,  Dolly  and  Belle.  All 
are  married  and  at  this  writing  there  are  twenty-three  grand- 
children and  fifteen  great-grandchildren. 

It  has  been  the  privilege  of  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Tufts  to  celebrate 
the  sixtieth  anniversary  of  their  marriage.  In  a  beautiful  residence, 
far  removed  from  the  eastern  home  where  they  were  married,  they 
received  the  congratulations  of  their  hosts  of  friends  upon  the  at- 
tainment of  the  auspicious  occasion  and  all  united  in  wishing 
for  them  the  enjoyment  of  many  more  years  of  happiness  and 
prosperity. 

The  discovery  of  gold  in  California  was  the  attraction  thai 
drew  Mr.  Tufts  from  the  bright  prospects  of  his  eastern  business. 


HISTORY  OF  YOLO  COUNTY  589 

At  New  York  he  took  passage  on  the  only  ship  that  ever  came  from 
there  to  Sacramento.  After  a  voyage  of  six  months  lie  and  his 
partner  left  the  ship  at  San  Francisco,  where  they  had  planned  to 
engage  in  business.  They  had  brought  with  them  $4,000  worth  of 
groceries  and  batter,  and  sold  the  latter  at  from  $4  to  $5  per 
pound.  They  also  brought  lumber  worth  $600  per  thousand  feet 
and  seventeen  thousand  pounds  of  sheet  iron  worth  $2  per  pound. 
Unable  to  lease  a  lot  in  San  Francisco  for  less  than  $5,000  annual 
rental  they  chartered  a  schooner  for  $1,000  and  took  their  cargo 
to  Sacramento,  where  they  utilized  their  six  thousand  feet  of 
lumber  in  the  erection  of  a  two-story  building.  The  sheet  iron  also 
found  a  place  in  the  structure.  With  their  other  property  they  had 
brought  from  the  east  ten  casks  of  brandy  and  all  of  this  they  sold 
to  a  merchant  on  J  street. 

From  June  until  July  of  1850  Mr.  Tufts  engaged  in  the  restaur- 
ant business  on  Front  street,  San  Francisco,  as  a  partner  of 
Senator  Stewart  of  Nevada,  tie  then  formed  a  partnership  with 
a  penniless  man  who  claimed  to  have  considerable  experience.  "With 
the  money  earned  by  Mr.  Tufts  the  two  men  purchased  an  ox-team 
and  loaded  a  wagon  with  groceries  and  a  large  supply  of  meat 
(twelve  beeves).  They  crossed  the  desert  on  foot  and  without 
water  and  opened  a  shop  where  emigrants  approached  from  the 
east.  Customers  were  abundant  and  always  hungry.  The  meat 
was  sold  at  $5  per  pound  and  was  paid  for  by  the  emigrants  with 
their  horses  or  mules.  When  the  partners  had  sold  out  their 
entire  supply  of  food  they  started  back  with  four  hundred  head 
of  horses  and  mules.  Mr.  Tufts  went  on  ahead  and  left  the  partner 
with  the  stock.  Later  he  learned  that  the  man  sold  the  animals 
for  $6,000,  but  from  that  time  to  this  he  has  never,  seen  nor 
heard  of  the  rascal,  who  made  it  convenient  to  vanish  to  parts 
unknown.  Mr.  Tufts  then  ran  a  hotel  at  Washing-ton,  Yolo  county, 
besides  running  a  ferry.  In  this  work  he  was  fortunate  to  have 
for  a  partner  Jacob  Lewis,  the  owner  of  a  fine  hotel  in  Sacra- 
mento. Later  he  bought  for  $17  an  acre  five  hundred  acres  of  land, 
some  of  which  he  sold  for  $50  an  acre.  The  last  of  the  tract  lie 
sold  to  G.  G.  Briggs  for  $600  an  acre,  reserving  the  right  to  keep 
the  house,  which  he  moved  to  ground  bought  at  $10  per  lot.  Since 
1878  he  has  resided  at  Davisville,  Solo  county,  where  he  is  a  large 
property  owner  and  where,  before  his  retirement  from  all  public 
and  business  cares,  he  served  as  postmaster,  road  supervisor  and 
justice  of  the  peace.  Although  now  retired,  he  maintains  a  warm 
interest  in  all  local  and  state  activities.  Few  have  done  more  than 
he  to  advance  the  welfare  of  his  community  and  none  lias  displayed 
a  more  steadfast  interest  in  all  movements  for  the  material,  moral 
and  educational  upbuilding  of  town  and  county. 


590  HISTOEY  OF  YOLO  COUNTY 


EDWARD  ADOLPH  PALM 


One  of  Yolo  county's  native  sons  is  Edward  A.  Palm,  a  resi 
dent  of  Broderiek,  and  who  for  the  past  eight  years  has  efficiently 
served  as  county  supervisor.  He  was  born  near  Washington,  as 
it  was  then  called,  July  21,  1859,  the  son  of  Adolph  C.  and^Wilhel- 
mine  (Thoelen)  Palm,  who  were  born,  respectively,  in  Oldenburg 
and  Bremen,  Germany.  Upon  the  discovery  of  gold  in  California 
the  father  (a  cabinet-maker  by  trade)  came  to  the  United  States, 
landing  in  New  York,  from  there  making  his  way  across  the  plains 
with  oxen  by  way  of  St.  Joseph,  in  1849.  For  nearly  a  year  after 
his  arrival  in  the  west  he  prospected  in  the  mines  on  the  Ameri- 
can river,  then  locating  on  a  ranch  four  miles  from  Washington. 
There  he  made  a  specialty  of  raising  vegetables,  for  which  he 
found  a  ready  market  in  the  mines,  making  a  trip  once  a  week. 
In  1860,  associated  with  H.  Harms,  he  established  a  chicory  manu- 
facturing plant,  the  venture  proving  entirely  successful,  and  he 
continued  his  interest  in  the  same  until  1882,  when  he  sold  out. 

In  1856  Adolph  C.  Palm  returned  to  Germany  and  was  there 
united  in  marriage.  Subsequently  he  brought  his  bride  to  his 
new  home  near  Washington,  Cal.  This  continued  to  be  their  home 
until  1882,  when  Mr.  Palm  divided  the  ranch  with  his  sons  and  he 
engaged  in  the  cultivation  of  hops,  which  at  that  time  sold  as  high 
as  $1.25  per  pound.  After  the  death  of  his  first  wife,  which  oc- 
curred in  October,  1876,  he  was  married  to  Miss  Lizzie  Thielebeule, 
who  survives  him.  Until  his  death  in  1888  Mr.  Palm  was  actively 
engaged  in  the  management  of  his  affairs,  and  afterwards  his  sons, 
Henry  and  Edward  A.,  took  charge  of  the  property.  There  were 
four  children  born  of  Mr.  Palm's  first  marriage  and  the  two  sons 
above  mentioned  are  the  only  ones  living. 

After  finishing  his  education  in  the  public  schools  Edward  A. 
Palm  entered  Hesperian  College,  and  it  was  after  completing  the 
course  there  that  he  returned  home  and  engaged  in  raising  hops 
on  twenty-five  acres  of  land.  This  land  he  later  sold  and  there- 
after on  leased  land  he  continued  hop  raising,  which  has  at  all 
times  proved  a  very  lucrative  business.  He  now  owns  a  hop  ranch 
of  eighty  acres  at  Sheldon,  Sacramento  county,  where  he  has  every 
modern  improvement  for  gathering,  curing  and  baling  his  hops. 
In  1904  he  was  elected  on  the  Republican  ticket  to  fill  the  office 
of  county  supervisor  and  four  years  later  he  was  re-elected.  After 
having  given  eight  years  of  his  time  to  the  office  he  declined  re- 
election when  the  office  was  again  offered  him  in  1912. 

The  marriage  of  Edward  A.  Palm,  November  27,  1881,  united 
him  with  Miss  Wilhelmina  Schaper,  who  was  born  in  Sacramento 
county,  the  daughter  of  Henry  and  Caroline   (Tospann)    Schaper. 


3dP«J^ 


HISTOEY  OF  YOLO  COUNTY  593 

natives  of  Hamburg,  Germany.  The  parents  came  to  California 
across  the  plains  in  1852.  Six  children  were  born  to  Mr.  and  Mrs. 
Palm:  Henry,  a  carpenter  in  Sacramento,  who  by  his  marriage 
with  Miss  Ethel  Jones  has  a  son,  Arvid  D. ;  Elmer,  who  assists  his 
father  on  the  hop  ranch;  Walter,  a  brass  moulder  in  Sacramento; 
Delia,  the  wife  of  Henry  Steen,  also  residing  in  Sacramento;  Flor- 
ence, Mrs.  John  McCaw,  and  Lester,,  at  home.  Fraternally  Mr. 
Palm  is  a  member  of  the  Independent  Order  of  Odd  Fellows,  being 
identified  with  Eureka  Lodge  No.  4,  of  Sacramento;  also  a  mem- 
ber of  Woodland  Aerie  No.  1629,  and  the  Sacramento  Lodge,  L. 
0.  0.  M.,  and  he  is  further  associated  as  a  member  of  the  Society 
of  Junior  California  Pioneers,  his  father  before  him  being  a 
member  of  the  Sacramento  California  Pioneers. 


FRED  VICTOR  STENING 

A  native  of  Dortmund,  Westphalia,  Germany,  this  successful 
and  artistic  merchant  tailor  was  born  February  21,  1877,  a  son 
of  Herman  and  Louise  (Gronenberg)  Stening,  natives  of  Germany, 
who  lived  out  their  lives  in  the  Fatherland.  The  father,  who  was 
a  merchant  tailor,  passed  away  in  1907.  Of  their  nine  children 
Fred  Victor  was  the  fifth  in  order  of  nativity.  The  years  of  his 
childhood  and  boyhood  until  he  was  fourteen  were  passed  in 
acquiring  such  education  as  he  was  afforded  in  the  public  schools. 
Then  he  served  a  three  years'  apprenticeship  to  the  tailor's  trade 
under  his  father.  After  that  he  was  a  journeyman  tailor  in  dif- 
ferent German  provinces  and  in  Austro-Hungary,  Italy,  Switzer- 
land and  other  parts  of  Europe  until  1897.  His  service  in  the 
German  army  followed,  and  for  two  years  he  was  a  member  of 
the  First  Company,  Second  Guard  Grenadiers,  Emperor  Francis 
Joseph  Chief  of  Honor  Regiment.  In  1901  he  came  to  America 
and  lor  two  years  worked  at  his  trade  in  Chicago,  111.  From 
there  lie  went  to  Denver  and  other  places  in  Colorado,  including 
Colorado  Springs,  hut  working  most  of  the  time  in  Denver,  till  he 
moved  on  to  Goldfield,  New  After  working  there  three  months 
he  came,  in  October,  1905,  to  Sacramento,  and  from  Sacramento 
he  came  to  Woodland  in  March,  190(1.  Soon  after  his  arrival 
lie  opened  a  merchant  tailor's  establishment  and  from  the  first 
was  so  liberally  patronized  that  the  growth  of  his  business  was  a 
foregone  conclusion.  Carrying  a  large  line  of  woolens,  foreign 
ami  domestic,  and  employing  only  the  best  help  and  keeping  in 
touch  with  the  styles  from  year  to  year,  he  has  proven  himself  to 
hi'   the   truly    up-to-date   tailor   of   his   city.      In    1911    he   bore   the 


594  HISTORY  OF  YOLO  COUNTY 

expense  of  time  and  money  incidental  to  a  trip  to  Chicago  in 
order  there  to  study  the  latest  methods  of  the  most  advanced  tailors 
in  the  art  of  garment  cutting.  His  patrons  are  among  the  really 
good  dressers  of  Woodland  and  vicinity.  His  location  at  No.  433 
Main  street  is  one  of  the  most  attractive  in  the  town. 

Since  coming  to  Woodland  Mr.  Stening  has  married  one  of 
Woodland's  native  daughters,  Miss  Harriette  Aronson.  She  has 
borne  him  a  daughter  whom  they  named  Clara  Louise.  Socially 
Mr.  Stening  is  an  Eagle.  He  is  a  member  of  the  Woodland 
Merchants'  Association. 


JOHN  MARTIN 

John  Martin,  one  of  Yolo  county's  most  esteemed  pioneers 
and  who  will  not  soon  be  forgotten  by  his  many  friends,  was  a 
southerner,  his  birth  occurring  January  1,  1832,  in  Surry  county, 
N.  C.  His  father,  John  Martin,  Sr.,  was  born  in  the  same  county, 
but  lived  some  years  in  Missouri,  where  he  farmed  extensively. 
He  then  spent  a  year  in  Texas,  later  taking  up  his  residence  in 
Kentucky,  where  he  remained  until  his  death.  John  Martin,  Jr., 
with  his  mother,  lived  for  a  time  in  Buchanan  county,  Mo.,  in  1851 
moving  to  Fremont  county,  Iowa.  After  his  mother's  death  Mr. 
Martin  continued  to  reside  on  the  farm  until  the  year  1859,  when, 
with  his  brothers,  H.  P.  and  P.  P.  Martin,  he  came  across  the 
plains  with  ox-teams  to  California,  settling  on  new  land  in  Yolo 
county.  The  house  that  they  built  was  the  first  one  in  Plainfield. 
John  Martin  spent  the  winter  of  1862  in  Iowa,  but  returned  the 
following  spring  by  the  overland  trail  with  horse  teams.  Soon 
after  this  he  took  up  one  hundred  and  sixty  acres  of  land  seven 
miles  southwest  of  Woodland,  and  some  time  later  he  bought  three 
hundred  and  twenty  acres  adjoining  this,  and  thereafter  he  devoted 
his  best  efforts  to  its  development.  Again,  in  1890,  he  purchased 
twenty-five  acres  one  mile  south  of  Woodland,  on  Cemetery  ave- 
nue, upon  which  he  erected  a  substantial  dwelling  and  other  build- 
ings and  otherwise  improved  the  place  until  it  ranked  among  the 
best  in  the  locality.  In  addition  to  his  orchard  he  also  raised  al- 
falfa. He  concentrated  his  attention  upon  his  small  tract  and  con- 
tinued to  improve  it  materially  until  his  death,  January  8,  1892. 
Mr.  Martin  was  a  Democrat.  He  was  a  member  of  the  Christian 
Church  and  was  in  sympathy  with  all  progressive  movements  of 
the  locality. 

Mr.  Martin's  widow,  Belle  Hutton   (Winter)   Martin,  with  the 


i/Pfawfu^ 


HISTORY  OF  YOLO  COUNTY  597 

assistance  of  her  son,  Wilfred,  actively  conducts  the  affairs  of  the 
farm,  which  is  modei'n  in  every  way.  The  place  is  in  alfalfa,  and 
in  addition  to  stock  raising  and  general  agriculture  a  dairy,  which 
is  fitted  with  a  separator,  is  one  of  their  business  assets,  and 
they  also  lease  forty  acres  of  alfalfa  land  adjoining  the  place. 
Mrs.  Martin  was  born  in  Montgomery  county,  Mo.,  and  came  to 
California  in  November,  1872.  Her  father  was  Sterling  Winter, 
of  Blount  county,  Tenn.,  and  her  mother  was  Dicy  Birdwell.  There 
were  ten  children,  of  whom  three  are  living.  Upon  the  completion 
of  her  studies  at  the  Danville  Female  Academy  of  Missouri,  she 
became  a  teacher,  but  shortly  afterward  was  married  to  Mr.  Mar- 
tin, November  18,  1872,  at  the  home  of  her  father  in  Montgomery 
county,  Mo.  She  came  to  Yolo  county  a  bride  and  took  up  her 
duties  on  the  farm,  becoming  a  true  helpmate  to  her  husband  in 
every  sense  of  the  word.  She  is  a  member  of  the  Christian  Church 
of  Woodland  and  takes  an  active  part  in  all  the  departments  of 
church  work,  and  is  also  an  active  worker  in  the  cause  of  tem- 
perance, being  a  member  of  the  W.  C.  T.  U.  Of  the  five  children 
born  to  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Martin  we  mention  the  following:  John  W. 
is  a  farmer  near  Woodland;  Harry  S.  died  in  Woodland  in  1906; 
Jessie,  Mrs.  H.  W.  Krines,  lives  in  Santa  Maria;  Marie,  Mrs.  F. 
W.  Haslam,  resides  in  El  Paso,  Tex. ;  and  Wilfred  manages  the 
home  farm  and  dairy. 

Mrs.  Martin  is  a  member  of  the  Rochdale  Company  of  Wood- 
land and  of  the  Woodland  Creamery  Company.  She  has  ably 
demonstrated  her  ability  to  take  charge  of  and  successfully  man- 
age the  affairs  left  her  by  her  husband,  and  by  her  many  friends 
she  is  much  loved  and  esteemed  for  her  manv  charities  and  kind- 


EDWARD  EVERETT  GADDIS 

A  native  of  this  state  and  also  of  Yolo  county,  Edward  E. 
Gaddis  was  born  in  Zamora  February  25,  1865,  the  son  of  that  well- 
known  and  worthy  pioneer,  Henry  Gaddis,  who  is  represented  else- 
where in  this  volume.  In  his  childhood  and  early  boyhood  Edward 
E.  attended  the  public  school  near  his  home,  and  when  he  was  six- 
teen years  old  he  entered  St.  Augustine  College,  at  Benicia,  Cal., 
and  graduated  therefrom  in  1885.  Following  his  graduation  he 
entered  the  law  department  of  the  University  of  California,  from 
which  he  was  duly  graduated  in  1888,  with  the  degree  of  LE.B. 
Before  the  close  of  that  vear  he  had  been  elected  district  attorney  of 


598  HISTORY  OF  YOLO  COUNTY 

Yolo  county,  in  which  office  he  served  with  credit  and  success  from 
January,  1889,  to  January,  1891.  He  took  up  the  practice  of  his 
profession  in  Woodland,  and  continued  it,  with  the  best  results  pro- 
fessional and  pecuniary,  until  in  November,  1896,  when  he  was 
elected  on  the  Republican  ticket  superior  judge  of  Yolo  county.  He 
was  re-elected  in  1902,  and  served  twelve  years,  from  January,  1897, 
to  January,  1909,  when  he  resumed  his  practice  in  Woodland,  giving 
his  attention  to  general  law  cases  of  whatever  kind  or  class.  As  a 
lawyer  and  as  a  judge  he  has  placed  the  law  and  the  obligations  of 
the  lawyer  on  a  very  high  plane.  Many  noted  cases  have  been  tried 
by  him  or  have  come  before  him  for  adjudication,  and  his  conduct 
at  the  bar  and  on  the  bench  has  invariably  commended  him  to  the 
good  opinion  of  high-minded  and  discriminating  men. 

At  Oroville,  Butte  county,  Cal.,  in  1900,  Judge  Gaddis  married 
Miss  Anna  Biggs,  a  native  of  Oroville,  daughter  of  the  late  Major 
Marion  Biggs,  Jr.,  who  was  in  his  day  well  known  as  a  wealthy  and 
enterprising  land  owner,  farmer  and  stockman,  and  granddaughter 
of  Marion  Biggs,  who  was  the  pioneer  at  Biggs  and  the  founder  of 
the  town.  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Gaddis  have  their  residence  at  No.  734 
College  street.  The  Judge  was  made  a  Mason  in  Woodland  Lodge 
No.  156,  F.  &  A.  M.,  and  is  identified  with  Pythian  Lodge  No.  43, 
K.  P.,  and  with  Woodland  Parlor  No.  30,  N.  S.  G.  W. 


JOHN  H.  SMITH 

The  results  of  frugal  saving  of  wages  earned  in  the  employ 
of  others  eventually  enabled  Mr.  Smith  to  invest  in  property  for 
himself  and  during  1896  he  became  the  owner  of  twenty  acres  in 
Willow  Oak  park,  near  Woodland,  since  which  purchase  he  has 
devoted  his  entire  attention  to  the  cultivation  and  improvement 
of  the  ranch.  The  tract  has  been  seeded  down  to  alfalfa,  of  which 
he  has  frequently  cut  six  crops  per  annum,  never  cutting  less 
than  five  crops  of  the  hay.  It  has  been  his  experience  that  an 
alfalfa  ranch  affords  an  exceptional  opportunity  for  success  in 
the  dairy  industry  and  he  still  has  his  dairy,  which,  although 
small,  is  so  well  conducted  as  to  yield  gratifying  results.  A  fam- 
ily orchard  adds  to  the  value  of  the  property  and  furnishes  an 
abundance  of  fruit  for  table  use. 

At  the  period  of  national  development  when  the  undeveloped 
soil  of  Missouri  was  attracting  homesteaders  from  Kentucky, 
among  other  pioneers  Matthew  H.  and  Rebecca  (Eppson)  Smith, 
natives    of   Kentucky,   became   identified   with   the    newer    regions 


J.   H.    SMITH 


HISTORY  OF  YOLO  COUNTY  601 

west  of  the  Mississippi  river.  Laud  was  pre-empted  in  Audrain 
county,  a  home  was  established,  a  farm  improved;  and  there  in 
1854  occurred  the  birth  of  John  H.  Smith,  one  of  a  family  num- 
bering eight  children.  The  location  was  favorable  from  the  stand- 
point of  soil  fertility,  but  when  the  threatened  outbreak  of  the  Re- 
bellion and  its  later  development  into  a  sanguinary  struggle  made 
of  Missouri  one  vast  battlefield  the  Smith  family,  in  1862,  crossed 
the  plains  with  wagons,  oxen  and  a  drove  of  cattle  They  were 
members  of  an  expedition  comprising  ninety-five  wagons  and  in- 
cluding a  large  number  of  men,  women  and  children. 

A  perilous  journey  came  to  an  uneventful  termination  and  the 
Smith  family  settled  at  Smith's  Ferry  in  Sutter  county  near  the 
Sacramento  river,  where  the  father  bought  one  hundred  and  sixty 
acres  of  unimproved  land.  The  soil  and  climate  proved  to  be 
adapted  to  barley  and  wheat  and  also  to  corn  and  these  he  made 
his  principal  crops.  By  dint  of  energy  and  perseverance  he  paid 
for  his  ranch,  made  many  improvements  and  transformed  the 
property  from  a  frontier  claim  into  a  productive  estate.  With  ad- 
vancing years  he  lightened  his  labors,  but  he  never  left  the  old 
homestead  and  there  his  death  occurred  in  1881.  There  also  oc- 
curred the  demise  of  his  wife.  They  were  the  parents  of  eight 
children,  John  H.,  Wesley,  William,  Wilburu,  Mary,  Rebecca,  James 
and  Robert,  of  whom  seven  are  living. 

The  most  memorable  event  in  the  boyhood  years  of  John  II. 
Smith  was  the  trip  across  the  plains.  He  has  never  forgotten  its 
perils  and  accidents,  its  monotony  and  its  final  safe  ending.  The 
sorrow  at  the  departure  from  the  home  of  infancy  was  soon  lost 
in  the  pleasures  incident  to  existence  in  the  west.  The  schools 
of  the  neighborhood  afforded  him  an  education  in  the  three  R's, 
and  habits  of  reading  and  close  observation  have  widened  his  realm 
of  knowledge.  At  the  age  of  twenty-one  he  left  the  home  ranch 
to  earn  his  own  livelihood.  With  throe  brothers  he  settled  in 
Modoc  county  and  took  up  nine  hundred  and  sixty  acres  of  wild 
land  near  Eagleville,  where  he  engaged  in  raising  stock.  Circum- 
stances over  which  he  had  no  control  prevented  the  venture  from 
becoming  a  financial  success,  and  at  the  expiration  of  eight  yens 
he  gave  up  the  business  there  and  relinquished  all  hope  of  material 
prosperity  through  its  continuance.  Coming  to  Yolo  county,  he 
worked  for  wages  on  the  Adams  ranch  and  also  was  employed  on 
the  Senator  Fair  ranch.  It  was  not  until  1896  that  he  felt  pre- 
pared for  landed  investments  of  his  own,  and  he  then  bought  his 
present  farm  near  Woodland.  So  closely  has  his  attention  been 
given  to  the  earning  of  a  livelihood  that  he  has  had  little  leisure 
for  outside  affairs  and  has  taken  no  part  whatever  in  politics, 
nor  has  he  been  identified  with  any  fraternal   organization   excepi 


602  HISTORY  OF  YOLO  COUNTY 

the  Maccabees.  His  greatest  source  of  pleasure  has  been  in  his 
home  and  in  the  companionship  of  his  wife  and  daughter,  Mae. 
Mrs.  Smith,  prior  to  their  marriage  in  1887,  was  Miss  Ruth  Plautz 
and  was  born  in  Illinois,  but  in  1884  came  to  California  with  her 
father,  Timothy  Plantz,  and  settled  in  Yolo  county,  which  has 
remained  the  home  of  the  Plantz  family  from  that  time  to  the 
present. 


CHARLES  C.  COOPER 

With  the  good  judgment  and  unswerving  honor  which  have 
characterized  his  entire  life,  Mr.  Cooper  has  conducted  his  inter- 
ests with  increasing  success  since  he  became  a  citizen  of  Winters, 
and  though  as  much  occupied  with  personal  cares  as  the  average 
individual,  can  nevertheless  be  relied  upon  to  lend  his  aid  to  all 
worthy  public  enterprises. 

Mr.  Cooper  was  born  May  28,  1860,  near  Buckeye,  Yolo  county, 
where  he  has  lived  throughout  his  life,  and  received  a  good  educa- 
tion in  the  public  schools  and  Dixon  Academy.  His  parents,  Henry 
and  Ann  (Peck)  Cooper,  both  natives  of  St.  Lawrence  county, 
N.  Y.,  immigrated  to  California  via  the  Isthmus  of  Panama  in 
1856,  and  from  San  Francisco  proceeded  directly  to  Yolo  county, 
concerning  which  they  had  heard  many  favorable  comments  as 
to.  climate  and  soil.  Their  seven  children  are  as  follows :  Egbert, 
deceased;  George,  who  makes  his  home  at  Buckeye;  Charles  C, 
our  subject;  Mary,  Mrs.  James  Grafton,  who  died  in  Woodland; 
Susan,  Mrs.  John  Baker,  who  died  in  Winters;  Luella,  Mrs.  John 
Wilgus,  who  resides  in  Sacramento;  and  Emma,  Mrs.  William 
Bentley,  of  Winters. 

An  orchardist  by  occupation,  Charles  C.  Cooper  has  resided 
near  Winters  since  he  finished  school,  when  he  purchased  eleven 
acres,  which  he  has  highly  developed,  and  all  of  which,  save  the 
site  occupied  by  his  comfortable  home  and  attractive  grounds,  is 
devoted  to  apricots  and  peaches,  from  which  he  secured  a  fair 
crop  in  1912,  prices,  also,  being  very  good. 

Mr.  Cooper  was  united  in  marriage  in  Broderick  with  Miss 
Mary  Nicholson,  who  is  also  a  native  of  California,  born  in  Napa 
county.  Mr.  Cooper  is  a  member  of  Winters  Parlor,  N.  S.  G.  W. ; 
Damocles  Lodge,  K.  of  P.,  Winters,  and  a  member  of  Mystic 
Workers  of  the  World.  A  Democrat,  intelligently  interested  in 
political  developments,  he  is  ever  on  the  alert  to  assist  in  pro- 
gressive measures  concerning  both  civic  and  national  life,  and  as 


^f/^A 


HISTORY  OF  YOU)  COUNTY  605 

a  man  of  culture  and  broad,  generous  principles  has  always  main- 
tained a  deep  interest  in  educational  matters,  his  excellent  judg- 
ment during  his  service  as  school  trustee  having  demonstrated  his 
ability   and  public   spirit. 


WILLIAM  JAMES  REYNOLDS 

Among  the  leading  citizens  of  Winters,  no  one  enjoys  wider 
esteem  than  does  Mr.  Reynolds,  who,  for  the  past  eleven  years 
has  resided  in  that  community,  to  the  general  progress  of  which 
he  has  contributed  most  generously.  He  was  born  November 
17,  1839,  near  Platteville,  Grant  county,  Wis.,  the  son  of  Eldridge 
and  Adaline  (Perkins)  Reynolds,  natives  of  Kentucky.  At  the 
age  of  seven  years  he  moved  with  his  parents  to  Dubuque  county, 
Iowa,  crossing  the  Mississippi  on  a  ferry  boat  propelled  by  tread 
horse  power.  During  the  succeeding  seven  years  the  father  con- 
ducted a  farm,  his  son  assisting  him  out  of  school  hours.  In  1853 
the  family  started  for  California  with  a  wagon  and  four  yoke 
of  oxen,  crossing  the  Missouri  at  Council  Bluffs.  All  went  well 
witli  them  until  they  reached  the  Humboldt,  where  they  lost  most  of 
their  cattle  by  alkali  water.  Only  one  yoke  was  spared  to  them 
and  they  were  compelled  to  leave  their  wagons  on  the  summit 
of  the  Sierra  Nevada  mountains.  Mr.  Reynolds  was  able  to 
proceed  by  doubling  yokes  with  his  brother-in-law,  and  they  ar- 
rived at  their  destination  after  a  journey  of  six  months.  Upon 
reaching  Hangtown  they  established  a  modest  home,  remaining 
there  for  two  and  a  half  years,  during  which  time  Mr.  Reynolds 
mined  with  considerable  success.  However,  his  gains  of  about 
$20,000  were  rapidly  expended  in  mining  enterprises.  The  last 
shaft  sunk  showed  better  results  than  former  ones,  the  dirt  removed 
from  the  structure  containing  large  quarititites  of  gold,  $10  being 
secured  in  a  few  hours'  work.  Just  before  the  arrival  of  the 
family  in  Hangtown  the  large  oak  tree  some  four  feet  in  girth, 
known  as  "hang  oak"  was  felled,  and  it  was  for  this  tree  that 
the  town  was  named.  In  1856  the  father  and  son  removed  to  the 
San  Joaquin  valley,  where  they  farmed  three  hundred  and  twenty 
acres  near  French  Cam]),  raising  botl  wheal  and  barley. 

At  French  Camp,  in  1860,  Mr.  Reynolds  was  united  in  mar- 
riage with  Miss  Julia  Burt,  of  Illinois,  their  union  being  blessed 
with  two  children,  George  Henry,  of  Stockton,  and  Maria  A.. 
the  later  deceased.  Mr.  Reynolds'  second  marriage  united  him 
with  Miss  Alary  L,  Brent,  a  native  of  Dubuque  county.  Iowa.     She 


606  HISTORY  OF  YOLO  COUNTY 

died  near  Winters  in  1907,  since  which  time  Mr.  Reynolds  has 
resided  in  Winters  with  his  adopted  daughter,  Priscilla  Hall,  now 
Mrs.  Clarence  Wyatt.  Mr.  Reynolds  superintends  his  ranch,  which 
he  reaches  by  means  of  a  run-about  which  he  owns. 

Upon  settling  in  Yolo  county  in  1891,  W.  J.  Reynolds  bought 
a  one-third  interest  in  a  valuable  tract  containing  ninety-three  and 
one-third  acres,  one  mile  from  Winters,  and  later  by  purchase 
became  sole  owner.  This  property,  which  he  leases  on  halves,  com- 
prises seven  hundred  and  forty-eight  apricot  trees  and  seven 
thousand  peach  trees,  his  share  from  the  1912  crop  having  amounted 
to  nearly  $8000.  The  trees  average  twenty  years  in  age  and  are  in 
excellent  condition. 

For  two  terms  Mr.  Reynolds  served  efficiently  as  school 
trustee  in  Merced  county,  and  as  'a  Republican  of  broad  and  gener- 
ous principles  has  always  been  deeply  interested  in  political  devel- 
opments. For  three  years  during  the  war  he  assisted  in  maintain- 
ing the  state  home  guard  ready  for  instant  call,  he  at  this  time 
being  a  resident  of  San  Joaquin  county.  Since  coming  to  Yolo 
county  he  has  devoted  his  time  to  horticulture,  which  he  has  found 
very  congenial,  interesting  and  profitable.  As  a  citizen  of  the 
highest  worth  he  has  ever  enjoyed  the  commendation  of  his 
fellows. 


WILLIAM  SAMUEL  WHITE 

Few  citizens  of  Woodland  have  been  so  intimately  associated 
with  the  growth  of  that  community  as  has  Mr.  White,  who  since 
his  settlement  in  Yolo  county  in  1878,  has  been  untiring  in  his 
efforts  toward  its  development.  He  was  born  February  22,  1848, 
on  the  St.  Johns  river,  New  Brunswick,  his  parents  being  Samuel 
and  Margaret  (Davis)  White.  The  progenitor  of  the  family  to 
first  locate  in  this  country  was  Thomas  White,  of  Kent  county, 
England,  who  settled  in  New  Jersey.  In  that  state  were  born 
William  and  Philip  White,  the  great-grandfather  and  grandfather 
of  our  subject  respectively.  They  settled  in  New  Brunswick  and 
became  United  Empire  Loyalists. 

William  S.  White  spent  his  youth  in  the  place  of  his  birth 
and  after  the  completion  of  his  education  he  became  an  apprentice 
to  a  carpenter  and  builder.  Later,  in  Boston,  Mass.,  with  his 
brother  Philip  he  carried  on  contracting  for  eight  years,  after 
which  he  sold  out  to  his  brother  and  in  1875  came  to  California. 
He    was    fortunate    in    securing   the    position    of    foreman    in    the 


HISTORY  OF  YOLO  COUNTY  607 

erection  of  the  Napa  state  hospital,  a  position  which  he  held  for 
one  year,  and  after  the  same  length  of  time  passed  in  San  Fran- 
cisco he  went  to  Rockville,  Solano  county,  where  he  was  engaged 
in  carriage  and  wagon  making.  In  1878  he  came  to  Yolo  county, 
locating  in  Woodland,  where  he  became  foreman  for  Samuel 
Caldwell,  and  remained  with  this  employer  for  six  years.  Later, 
in  the  employ  of  Glenn  &  White,  he  superintended  the  erection 
of  many  of  Woodland's  finest  houses.  Subsequently  he  decided 
to  take  up  farming,  and  for  this  purpose  purchased  a  quarter 
section  of  land  on  Hooker  creek,  Temaha  county,  upon  which 
he  set  out  an  orchard  of  twenty  acres,  devoting  the  remainder 
of  the  ranch  to  general  agriculture.  However,  owing  to  the  fact 
that  shipping  facilities  were  at  that  time  very  unsatisfactory,  he 
decided,  after  ten  years  of  unprofitable  endeavor,  to  abandon  bis 
enterprise,  and  disposing  of  his  land  again  took  up  his  residence 
in  Woodland,  where  he  bought  the  planing  mill  established  in 
1887  by  his  brother  Charles  G.  in  partnership  with  George  Glenn, 
and  to  which  they  gave  the  name  of  the  Ever  Ready  Planing 
Mill,  which  has  never  belied  its  cognomen.  In  addition  to  this 
new  interest  he  again  took  up  contracting  and  building,  which  he 
found  most  lucrative.  Following  is  a  list  of  the  residences  which 
Mr.  White  not  only  erected,  but  which  he  planned  as  well,  since 
he  is  a  skilled  architect :  The  homes  of  Mrs.  Clanton,  W.  F. 
Blanhard,  J.  H.  Dungan,  Dr.  Grant,  A.  N.  Hawkins,  Mr.  Corlett, 
Mr.  Henshall  and  Mr.  Wooley,  and  many  others.  He  also  erected 
the  Unitarian  Church  and  superintended  the  construction  of  the 
Catholic  convent,  the  A.  D.  Porter  and  the  Curtis  residences.  In 
1905  Mr.  White  built  his  own  beautiful  residence,  which  is  one 
of  the  most  artistic  in  the  city. 

Mi'.  White's  wife  was  formerly  Miss  Imogene  Jackson,  a 
native  of  Bucksport,  Me.,  and  the  daughter  of  Benjamin  F.  and 
Charlotte  (Lewis)  Jackson,  both  natives  of  Maine.  Mr.  Jack- 
son (a  contractor  during  his  active  years)  and  his  wife  passed 
their  last  days  in  California  with  their  daughter,  Mrs.  White. 
The  latter  was  educated  in  Fast  Maine  Conference  Seminary,  in 
Bucksport,  and  was  married  in  Boston  September  19,  1S7J,  to 
Mr.  White.  Four  children  were  horn  id'  this  marriage.  Walter  ('. 
followed  teaching  for  a  time,  after  which  he  entered  the  University 
of  California,  where  his  career  was  cut  short  by  his  death.  January 
21,  1904,  at  the  age  of  thirty-one,  when  in  his  senior  year;  Gertrude 
F.  is  a  teacher  in  the  Oak  Street  school;  Lottie  J.  is  at  home;  and 
Phenie  May  is  deceased.  Mr.  and  Mrs.  White  are  members  of 
the  Unitarian  Church,  he  being  a  member  of  the  board  of  trustees. 
Fraternally  he  is  a  member  of  the  Independent  Order  of  Odd 
Fellows,  having  joined  the  order  before  coming  to  the  west.    From 


608  HISTORY  OF  YOLO  COUNTY 

1907  to  1911  he  served  efficiently  as  city  trustee  of  Woodland  and 
he  is  conceded  to  be  one  of  the  most  progressive  and  sagacious 
business  men  of  the  community. 


JOHN  WESLEY  ANDERSON 

The  genealogy  of  the  Anderson  family  is  traced  to  Scotland, 
but  several  generations  have  been  identified  with  American  his- 
tory. John  Anderson,  who  was  born  in  Virginia  shortly  after 
the  immigration  of  the  family,  became  a  builder  and  there  still 
stand  in  the  Old  Dominion  many  fine  old  buildings  that  are  monu- 
ments to  his  skill  in  construction.  For  years  he  was  the  leading 
contractor  and  builder  in  Stafford  county,  Va.,  where  he  owns  a 
fine  plantation  of  two  hundred  and  forty-four  acres.  At  the  close 
of  the  Civil  war  he  began  to  rebuild  the  place  which  had  been 
devastated  by  soldiers.  In  time  the  farm  became  once  more  an 
attractive  homestead,  where  hospitality  reigned  and  good  cheer 
abounded  for  stranger  and  friend.  At  that  place  he  died  when 
sixty-five  years  of  age.  There  also  in  1895  occurred  the  demise  of 
his  wife,  Delphia  (Curtis)  Anderson,  a  life-long  resident  of 
Virginia.  Sixteen  children  formed  their  family  and  ten  of  the 
number  attained  majority. 

The  sixth  child  in  the  large  family,  John  Wesley  Anderson, 
was  born  at  the  old  homestead  near  Fredericksburg,  Va.,  September 
21,  1848,  and  completed  his  education  in  Wallace  academy.  From 
1872  until  1874  he  was  employed  in  Baltimore,  and  during  1875 
he  came  to  the  Pacific  coast  with  his  br others,  M.  0.  and  J.  H., 
the  former  of  whom  served  as  captain  of  the  San  Francisco  police 
force  for  fifteen  years  and  the  latter  ranked  as  sergeant  on  the 
same  force.  Coming  to  Yolo  county,  John  Wesley  Anderson 
secured  a  position  as  superintendent  of  the  Oakshade  orchard  of 
three  hundred  and  forty  acres  situated  one  mile  east  of  Davis- 
ville.  For  ten  years  he  continued  in  the  same  position.  Upon 
leaving  that  place  he  superintended  the  planting  of  three  thousand 
acres  of  fruit  trees  in  the  Orangevale  colony  in  Sacramento 
county.  Next  he  superintended  the  planting  of  an  orange  grove  in 
San  Diego  county.  Upon  the  ranch  in  Yrolo  county  which  he  had 
previously  purchased  he  settled  in  1891  and  since  then  he  lias 
visited  every  part  of  the  west  where  fruit  is  grown,  studying  the 
soil  and  climate  in  their  relation  to  fruit  possibilities. 

For  a  long  period  Mr.  Anderson  has  been  a  leading  worker 
in  the  Presbyterian  Church,  in  which  he  has  served  as  a  trustee  and 


HISTORY  OF  YOLO  COUNTY  611 

as  Sunday-school  treasurer.  Politically  he  votes  with  the  Repub- 
lican party.  His  marriage  took  place  in  Yolo  county  and  united 
him  with  Miss  Clara  Cecil,  a  native  of  Missouri,  their  union 
being-  blessed  with  two  daughters,  Mary  Cecil  and  Alma.  The 
family  still  reside  one-half  mile  east  of  Davis,  where  Mr.  Anderson 
owns  ninety-five  acres,  planted  to  table  grapes,  prunes,  pears  and 
almonds.  Throughout  this  entire  region  he  is  known  as  an  expert 
in  fruit  culture  and  his  judgment  is  sought  wherever  the  relation 
of  fruit  trees  to  soil  or  climate  is  brought  into  question.  When 
chosen  horticultural  commissioner  it  became  his  duty  to  inspect 
all  nursery  stock  prior  to  exportation  and  seldom  indeed  was  his 
decision  questioned,  for  throughout  the  entire  county  the  growers 
of  fruit  early  came  to  realize  that  his  interests  were  their  own 
and  that  adherence  to  his  sagacious  judgment  would  redound 
to  their  own  financial  advantage. 


WILLIAM   A.   LILLARD 

Closely  following  the  discovery  of  gold  was  the  advent  of  the 
first  representative  of  the  Lillard  family  in  California,  for  during 
the  summer  of  1850  John  Lillard  crossed  the  plains,  braving  the 
dangers  of  the  deserts  and  the  perils  of  the  mountain  passes  in 
order  to  reach  the  land  so  suddenly  made  famous  the  world  over. 
While  he  engaged  in  mining  for  two  years,  no  sperial  success  re- 
warded his  exertions  and  he  returned  thereupon  to  the  old  Mis- 
souri home.  The  busy  years  that  followed  did  not  banish  from 
his  mind  the  memories  of  the  delightful  climate  of  the  west  and 
the  many  advantages  offered  by  the  country,  hut  it  was  not  until 
as  late  as  1885  that  affairs  so  shaped  themselves  that  he  found 
it  convenient  to  remove  permanently  to  the  shores  of  the  western 
ocean.  Upon  his  second  trip  to  the  west  he  was  accompanied  by 
his  son,  William  A.,  who  was  born  near  Independence,  Jackson 
county,  Mo.,  December  20,  1857.  John  Lillard  was  born  in  Ken- 
tucky and  was  taken  to  Missouri  when  a  babe  by  his  patents,  lb' 
served  in  the  state  militia  and  also  served  in  the  Civil  war.  His 
wife,  formerly  Ruth  Hamilton,  was  a  native  of  Missouri. 

William  A.  Lillard  received  a  common  school  education  in  his 
native  locality.  After  his  arrival  in  California  he  settled  near 
Davis.  Yolo  county,  and  since  then  lie  has  leased  and  operated  a 
number  of  ranches  with  fair  success.  The  first  lease  gave  him 
possession  of  the  Robert  Armstrong  ranch  over  the  creek  in  Solano 
county,  where  he  had  charge  of  fourteen  hundred  acres.  In  one 
year  from  four  hundred  and  fifty  acres  of  that  ranch  he  harvested 


612  HISTORY  OF  YOLO  COUNTY 

ten  thousand  five  hundred  and  fifty  sacks  of  barley  and  from  the 
entire  property  he  sold  as  high  as  $15,000  worth  of  produce  as  a 
result  of  a  single  season's  efforts.  Other  farms  operated  by  him 
were  the  William  Montgomery  ranch  of  two  hundred  and  forty 
acres,  the  John  Winters  ranch  and  the  Mitchell  place. 

Removing  to  the  vicinity  of  Plainfield  and  buying  one  hundred 
and  sixty  acres,  Mr.  Lillard  began  farming  operations  for  him- 
self. Later  he  bought  three  hundred  and  twenty  acres  adjoining 
and  now  owns  four  hundred  and  eighty  acres  in  one  body.  He 
also  owns  six  hundred  and  seven  acres  of  the  old  Henry  Brinck 
place,  six  miles  east  of  Winters,  on  Putah  creek,  under  irrigation. 
On  it  is  a  one  hundred  and  twenty  acre  orchard  of  peaches,  apri- 
cots, prunes  and  plums,  in  full  bearing,  this  being  one  of  the  best 
orchards  in  California  for  its  size.  The  remainder  of  the  land 
is  devoted  to  orain  and  alfalfa.  On  his  own  ranch  he  has  at  dif- 
ferent times  raised  from  twenty-five  to  thirty  sacks  of  barley  to 
the  acre.  In  connection  with  the  ranch  that  he  owns  he  is  now 
leasing  the  Harby  ranch  at  Davis,  comprising  four  hundred  and 
eighty  acres.  During  the  season  of  1911  he  raised  on  three  hun- 
dred acres  near  Davis  a  large  crop  of  barley  which  sold  for  $5,200. 
To  aid  him  in  his  extensive  agricultural  operations  he  has  bought 
and  utilized  the  most  modern  machinery.  Nothing  needed  in  the 
care  of  crops  is  lacking  from  his  equipment.  For  the  more  satis- 
factory care  of. the  grain  he  bought  a  combined  harvester  and 
threshing  machine  nineteen  years  ago  and  since  then  he  has  been 
able  to  complete  his  harvesting  operations  promptly  and  effec- 
tively. While  grain  raising  is  his  specialty,  he  does  not  neglect 
stock  interests,  but  keeps  on  the  land  an  adequate  supply  of  stock 
and  is  interested  particularly  in  the  raising  of  horses  and  mules, 
especially  the  latter,  for  which  his  ranch  is  well  known.  In  his 
neighborhood  he  is  regarded  as  a  man  of  progressive  farming 
tendencies  and  sagacious  judgment  as  to  crops.  Movements  for 
the  general  welfare  receive  his  support  and  he  exhibits  the  devo- 
tion of  county  and  commonwealth  characteristic  of  all  true  citizens. 

Two  years  before  he  came  to  California  Mr.  Lillard  was  mar- 
ried at  Independence,  Mo.,  June  21,  1883,  to  Miss  Laura  Martin, 
born  near  Cincinnati,  Ohio,  the  daughter  of  Jacob  and  Charity 
(Hitchcock)  Martin,  the  former  born  in  Perry  county  and  the 
latter  in  Fairfield  county,  Ohio.  They  removed  to  Missouri  in 
1868.  The  father  served  in  the  Fifth  Ohio  Cavalry  in  the  Civil 
war  and  died  in  Missouri,  as  did  also  his  wife.  Mr.  and  Mrs. 
Lillard  have  six  children,  as  follows:  Thomas  W. ;  Alice,  the  wife 
of  James  Brady,  of  Davis,  and  the  mother  of  one  child,  James 
William;  Gertrude,  who  married  Ollie  Hoa°\  of  Davis,  and  has  one 
daughter,   Thelma;  Walter  E.,  Ruth  C,   and  William   R. 


HISTORY  OF  YOLO  COUNTY  613 

Z.  B.  KINCHELOE 

In  the  minds  of  our  pioneers  who  obeyed  the  "call  of  the 
west"  there  must  have  existed  a  feeling  akin  to  that  which  filled 
the  hearts  of  Columbus  and  his  followers  when  they  boldly  launched 
their  crafts  upon  the  great  unknown  sea;  secretly  somewhat  fear- 
ful, yet  possessing  sufficient  faith  to  risk  their  lives  in  the  attempt 
to  establish  beyond  peradventure  of  a  doubt  the  truth  that  there  did 
exist  behind  that  endless  stretch  of  water  another  land — and  not  the 
end  of  the  world,  either. 

Among  those  who  laboriously  made  their  way  to  California 
in  the  early  days  was  Z.  B.  Kincheloe,  who  was  born  in  182o  in 
Howard  county,  Mo.,  and  who  passed  his  early  manhood  years 
in  Cooper  county.  In  1845,  when  he  was  scarcely  twenty-two 
years  of  age,  he  married  Miss  Yictorine  Barnes,  a  charming  young 
lady  of  the  neighborhood,  and  the  young  people  continued  their 
residence  in  Missouri  until  1854,  when  they  joined  a  "settlers* 
movement"  which  for  some  time  had  been  agitating  the  com- 
munity and  started  west  with  a  large  train  of  wagons  drawn  by 
oxen.  The  travelers  hopefully  believed  that  the  trip  would  occupy 
not  more  than  three  months,  but  the  end  of  that  period  found 
them  still  plodding  onward,  their  goal  far  in  the  distance.  The 
tales  of  this  journey  are  many  and  interesting,  being  well  spiced 
with  both  love  and  danger,  for  more  than  one  romance  sprang 
to  life  along  the  trail  of  the  pioneers,  and,  too,  the  travelers  can 
recall  many  instances  when  the  Indians  surrounded  them,  serious 
results  being  averted  by  the  tactful  advances  of  the  white  men. 
Gifts  of  provisions  and  articles  pleasing  to  the  eye  of  the  Red 
Man  were  proffered  and  in  each  case  the  party  was  allowed  to 
proceed  in  peace.  Ere  the  last  camp  was  called  five  months  had 
elapsed  since  the  wagons  wended  their  way  out  of  the  village  in 
Missouri,  amid  the  anxious  "Godspeeds"  of  the  friends  and  rela- 
tives gathered  to  witness  their  departure. 

The  Kincheloes  settled  in  Yolo  county,  five  miles  southwest 
of  Woodland,  and  proceeded  to  diligently  improve  their  land. 
Prosperity  marked  them  for  her  own — as  she  ever  does  those 
who  earnestly  seek  her — and  for  thirty-three  years  they  lived 
happily  in  their  new  home.  In  1887  Mrs.  Kincheloe,  who  had 
always  been  a  devoted  wife  and  a  tender  mother,  went  to  her  well- 
earned  rest.  After  his  wile's  death  Mr.  Kincheloe  continued  to 
reside  on  the  home  place,  retiring  from  active  labor  several  years 
ago.  The  children  of  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Kincheloe  are:  Mrs.  Mary  .1. 
Hartley,  of  Berkeley;  Mrs.  Martha  Browning,  deceased;  Mrs. 
[sabel    Matheson,   of   Contra   Costa   county;   Airs,   ('race    Howard, 


614  HISTORY  OF  YOLO  COUNTY 

who  resides  at  the  old  home;  Mrs.  Eva  Craig,  deceased;  and  John, 
who  has  charge  of  the  ranch,  with  his  nephew,  Homer  Howard. 
The  farm  consists  of  an  entire  section  and  is  well  adapted  to 
grain  and  alfalfa,  both  having  been  raised  extensively  for  years. 
Mr.  Kincheloe  also  established  a  small  dairy  some  years  ago. 
Since  his  wife  died  his  home  has  been  presided  over  by  his  daugh- 
ter, Mrs.  Grace  Howard,  who  ministers  to  his  comforts. 

Mr.  Kincheloe  proudly  affirms  that  he  is  the  possessor  not 
only  of  forty-two  grandchildren,  but  of  forty  great-grandchildren. 
He  is  a  member  of  the  Masonic  order  and  is  a  prominent  and 
much-loved  citizen  of  the  community  which  has  been  his  home 
for  so  many  vears. 


REUBEN  BORTON  CRANSTON 

The  genealogy  of  the  Cranston  family  is  traced  to  Ireland,  but 
for  the  greater  part  of  a  century  there  have  been  representatives  of 
the  name  in  the  United  States.  In  this  era  of  restless  and  frequent 
change  of  location  it  is  worthy  of  especial  mention  that  three  suc- 
cessive generations  have  lived  and  labored  at  the  same  old  home- 
stead in  Guernsey  county,  Ohio.  The  founder  of  the  name  in  Amer- 
ica was  Thomas  Cranston.  In  1812  he  crossed  the  ocean,  settling 
in  Ohio  and  taking  up  government  land  near  Fairview.  The  claim 
was  situated  in  the  midst  of  a  forest  primeval.  Giant  trees  of  beech 
and  maple  imparted  their  majestic  beauty  to  the  woods,  but  in  order 
to  bring  the  land  under  cultivation  it  was  necessary  first  for  the  stal- 
wart homesteader  to  hew  down  the  great  old  monarchs  of  the  forest, 
a  task  in  itself  requiring  no  small  degree  of  skill  with  the  axe. 
Eventually  the  tireless  and  long-continued  labor  of  the  resolute  emi- 
grant transformed  the  claim  into  a  productive  and  profitable  farm, 
and  when  he  died  at  the  age  of  eighty-two  he  was  surrounded  by 
the  comforts  made  possible  by  his  long  devotion  to  agriculture. 
Through  all  of  his  life  he  gave  evidence  of  an  upright  character, 
refined  and  illumined  by  religion  (for  he  was  a  devoted  Metho- 
dist), sustained  by  endurance  amid  vicissitudes  and  supported  by 
the  courage  typical  of  frontier  existence.  Not  long  after  he  came 
to  the  new  world  he  had  established  a  home  on  the  farm  and  had 
brought  to  the  primitive  log  cabin  his  bride,  who  was  Nancy  Cum- 
mings,  a  native  of  Lancaster  county,  Pa.,  and  like  himself  a  resident 
at  the  old  homestead  throughout  her  remaining  years.  Her  death 
occurred  there  when  she  was  seventy-two. 

Among  the  children  of  the  Irish-American  pioneer  in  Guernsey 


HISTORY  OF  YOLO  COUNTY  G15 

county  there  was  a  son,  George  W.,  who  was  born  on  the  home  farm 
in  December  of  183:!,  grew  to  manhood  on  the  place  familiar  to  his 
earliest  memories,  took  up  agricultural  pursuits  on  the  land,  mar- 
ried and  there  reared  his  family,  one  of  whom,  George  E.,  now  owns 
the  old  homestead,  thus  keeping  under  the  same  name  the  property 
associated  with  the  childhood  recollections  of  the  entire  circle  of 
kindred.  Besides  the  son  who  still  owns  the  homestead  there  were 
live  children  in  the  parental  family.  All  but  one  of  these  are  still 
living  and  two  reside  in  California,  namely:  Reuben  Borton  and 
Thomas  F.,  the  latter  holding  a  responsible  position  as  accountant 
in  the  office  of  the  former.  The  mother,  who  bore  the  maiden  name 
of  Margaret  Borton,  was  born  in  Guernsey  county,  Ohio,  and  died 
there  in  1864,  her  husband,  who  long  survived  her,  dying  from  the 
results  of  an  accident  at  the  age  of  sixty-five.  Mrs.  Cranston  was 
a  daughter  of  Reuben  Borton,  an  honored  farmer  of  Guernsey 
county  and  a  prominent  pioneer  of  the  neighborhood  where  his 
daughter  spent  her  entire  life.  Her  son,  Reuben  Borton,  to  whom 
she  gave  the  name  of  her  father,  was  born  at  the  Cranston  home- 
stead near  Fairview  September  2,  1856,  and  received  a  public-school 
education.  At  the  age  of  eight  years  he  was  bereaved  by  the  death 
of  his  mother,  but  he  continued  at  the  old  home  afterward  and  gave 
increasing  aid  to  the  farm  work  as  the  years  passed  by. 

Desiring  to  try  his  fortunes  in  regions  yet  undeveloped,  Mr. 
Cranston  went  to  Arkansas  in  February  of  1879  and  became  inter- 
ested in  cotton  raising  near  Coalhill,  Johnson  county.  A  brief  ex- 
perience convinced  him  of  the  futility  of  further  efforts  in  that  loca- 
tion and  accordingly  in  December  of  the  same  year  he  proceeded  to 
California,  where  he  settled  at  Capay,  Yolo  county.  For  a  time  he 
was  employed  in  the  digging  of  wells  and  later  he  engaged  in  chop- 
ping wood,  after  which  he  was  employed  on  a  farm.  During  Sep- 
tember of  1880,  as  an  employe  of  H.  0.  Duncan,  he  began  to  drive 
the  stage  between  Woodland  and  Lower  lake,  a  distance  of  seventy 
miles  over  the  mountains.  With  the  assistance  of  four  relays  of 
horses  he  was  able  to  make  the  trip  in  twelve  hours,  returning  the 
following  day.  At  the  expiration  of  six  and  one-half  months  he 
began  to  work  for  H.  E.  Rhodes,  a  farmer,  with  whom  he  continued 
from  April,  1881,  until  August  12,  1882.  It  had  been  one  of  his 
ambitions  to  visit  the  regions  farther  north  and  during  the  autumn 
of  1882  he  availed  himself  of  an  opportunity  for  such  a  trip.  After 
a  sojourn  of  a  few  weeks  in  Washington  he  went  to  Oregon  in  I  >cto- 
ber,  remaining  until  December,  when  he  returned  to  Capay. 

Resuming  the  task  of  stagedriver  for  Mr.  Duncan  on  New 
Year's  day  of  1883,  Mr.  Cranston  continued  at  the  work  until  De- 
cember b").  1885.  Coming  to  Woodland  in  April  of  1886,  he  entered 
the  employ  of  E.  H.  Baker  in  the  old  Exchange  Hotel,  occupying  the 


616  HISTORY  OF  YOLO  COUNTY 

present  site  of  the  Julian  Hotel,  and  there  he  remained  as  clerk 
for  a  year.  During  April  of  1887  he  became  clerk  for  the  Mar- 
shall Diggs  hardware  store  and  continued  in  the  same  establish- 
ment for  eleven  years  and  four  months  without  losing  a  day.  Dur- 
ing this  time,  on  New  Year's  day  of  1888,  he  had  been  married 
in  the  Capay  valley  to  Miss  Alma  Viola  Henry,  who  was  born  in 
Michigan  and  in  order  of  birth  was  the  third  youngest  in  a  family 
of  nine  children,  all  but  one  of  whom  still  survive.  Of  the  mar- 
riage there  are  five  children,  namely:  Lester  Henry,  who  assists 
his  father  in  the  store;  Geneva  B.,  who  died  in  July  of  1895  at  the 
age  of  five  years;  George  R.,  Thornton  E.  and  Hazel  V.  The 
family  occupy  a  modern  and  comfortable  home  on  First  street, 
erected  in  1909  under  the  personal  supervision  of  Mr.Cranston 
and  reflecting  in  outward  appearance  and  interior  appointments 
the  cultured  tastes  of  the  inmates. 

Jacob  Henry,  father  of  Mrs.  Cranston,  was  born  in  Fairfield 
county,  Ohio,  March  3,  1818,  the  son  of  John  Henry,  an  Ohio 
pioneer.  Left  an  orphan  at  a  very  early  period  of  childhood,  he 
began  to  be  self-supporting  when  only  about  eight  years  of  age. 
Upon  attaining  his  majority  he  settled  in  Michigan  and  cleared  a 
tract  of  timber  land  in  Berrien  county  near  Buchanan.  On  that 
farm  occurred  the  birth  of  his  daughter.  In  1865  he  removed  to 
Henderson  county,  111.,  and  took  up  land  near  Kirkwood.  Ten 
years  later  he  came  to  the  Capay  valley  of  California.  There 
he  died  December  30,  1900,  from  injuries  received  in  a  fall  from 
his  wagon.  At  the  time  of  his  demise  he  was  eighty-two  years  of 
age.  From  young  manhood  he  had  been  identified  with  the  Masons 
and  an  active  worker  in  the  Christian  Church.  April  26,  1849,  he 
had  married  Miss  Caroline  R.  Conradt,  who  was  born  in  "Wurtem- 
berg,  Germany,  September  20,  1833,  and  at  the  age  of  thirteen 
years  accompanied  her  parents  to  America,  spending  one  year  in 
New  York  and  thence  removing  to  Berrien  county,  Mich.  After 
the  death  of  her  husband  she  continued  at  the  old  farm  for  a  few 
years,  but  the  land  is  now  rented  to  tenants,  while  she  resides 
with  her  children. 

The  personal  identification  of  Mr.  Cranston  with  the  busi- 
ness circles  of  Woodland  began  in  July  of  1898,  at  which  time 
he  bought  from  the  estate  of  H.  B.  "Wood  a  small  stock  of  hard- 
ware, located  on  Main  street  in  a  building  of  only  fourteen  feet 
frontage.  For  three  years  he  continued  at  that  location,  whence 
he  removed  to  leased  quarters  on  the  corner  of  Main  and  First 
streets.  Afterward  he  rented  more  room  and  enlarged  the  busi- 
ness. At  this  writing  he  occupies  a  salesroom  45x200  feet  in 
dimensions  and  a  warehouse  100x100,  the  latter  utilized  for  the 
storage  of  implements,  wagons,  carriages  and  surplus  stock,  while 


HISTORY  OF  YOLO  COUNTY  617 

the  former  contains  paints,  varnishes,  plumbing  goods,  shelf  and 
heavy  hardware,  and  the  other  articles  to  be  found  in  a  first-class 
hardware  store.  During  October  of  1911  he  purchased  the  forty- 
foot  frontage  adjoining  the  Northern  electric  depot  to  the  west  and 
he  has  also  bought  the  property  of  75x150  feet  on  Second  near 
Main  street,  Woodland.  Besides  his  city  realty  he  owns  thirty- 
four  acres  of  land  at  Esparto,  Yolo  county,  also  two  hundred  and 
forty  acres  of  wheat  land  situated  in  the  bend  of  the  Columbia 
river,  in  Adams  county,  Wash.  Through  the  exercise  of  saga- 
cious judgment  in  his  investments  and  in  the  management  of  his 
store  he  has  become  well-to-do.  Business  tact  and  ability  char- 
acterize all  of  his  transactions.  A  retentive  memory  aids  him 
greatly  in  the  successful  supervision  of  his  business,  while  atten- 
tion to  the  wants  of  customers  meets  with  recognition  in  the  per- 
manency of  his  patronage.  The  business  which  he  has  acquired 
through  his  own  arduous  efforts  ranks  among  the  high-class  estab- 
lishments of  Woodland  and  counts  its  customers  among  people 
from  almost  every  part  of  the  county. 

The  demands  upon  his  time  in  business  affairs  have  been  such 
that  Mr.  Cranston  has  not  devoted  any  considerable  attention  to 
public  affairs  or  to  partisan  matters,  and  aside  from  voting  the 
Democratic  ticket  in  national  elections  he  has  taken  no  part  in 
politics.  Nor  has  it  been  practicable  for  him  to  identify  himself 
with  civic  projects  as  closely  as  he  might  have  desired,  yet  he  has 
always  kept  posted  concerning  municipal  enterprises  and  favors 
all  plans  for  the  educational,  moral  or  commercial  upbuilding  of 
the  city.  Through  his  membership  in  the  Chamber  of  Commerce 
and  the  Merchants'  Association  he  has  been  a  vital  force  in  local 
progress,  these  two  organizations  having  accomplished  much  in 
behalf  of  civic  development.  As  early  as  1881  he  became  a  mem- 
ber of  the  Independent  Order  of  Odd  Fellows  and  for  years  he 
was  a  leader  in  the  lodge  work,  while  his  wife  also  has  been  promi- 
nent among  the  other  members  of  the  lodge  of  Rebekaks  at  Wood- 
land. Their  sterling  worth  gives  them  a  recognized  position  in 
the  most  refined  society  of  the  city  and  his  commercial  acumen 
brings  him  into  prominence  among  other  business  men. 


REV.  MICHAEL  WALLRATH 

Versatility  is  marked  in  the  make-up  of  Father  Wallrath. 
and  whereas  for  years  his  main  purpose  in  life  has  been  the  build- 
ing up  and  forwarding  the  interests  of  the  Catholic  church  in  Cali- 


(518  HISTORY  OF  YOLO  COUNTY 

fornia,  he  has  been  no  less  active  in  advancing  the  material  wel- 
fare of  every  community  in  which  his  duties  as  pastor  have  taken 
him.  The  Wallrath  family  was  one  of  long  and  honorable  stand- 
ing in  Germany,  where  the  name  is  perpetuated  in  a  town  in  honor 
of  one  of  its  members.  Father  Wallrath  was  born  in  Bockum, 
Rhenish  Prussia,  January  17,  1841,  being  one  in  a  family  of  ten 
children,  of  whom  six  now  survive,  born  to  Zachaeus  and  Catherine 
(Jansen)  Wallrath.  After  the  death  of  the  wife  and  mother  the 
father,  a  blacksmith  by  trade,  came  to  the  United  States,  and  a 
few  years  afterward  he  passed  away  in  San  Francisco.  Devotion 
to  the  cause  of  religion  was  a  strong  characteristic  of  the  family, 
and  one  of  the  sons,  Rev.  William  Wallrath,  is  now  a  missionary 
in  Beluchistan,  India. 

While  only  a  child  Michael  Wallrath  showed  the  possession 
of  mental  ability  above  the  average.  His  school  studies  were 
undertaken  when  he  was  only  four  years  old  and  six  years  later 
he  completed  the  course  in  the  local  school,  after  which  he  contin- 
ued his  studies  under  a  private  tutor.  When  twelve  years  old  he 
was  appointed  an  assistant  teacher  in  the  school  of  his  home  town, 
at  first  having  forty  children  under  him  and  later  sixty.  At  the 
age  of  fifteen  he  taught  in  Crefeld,  with  one  hundred  and  eight 
children  under  his  charge,  and  continued  in  this  responsible  posi- 
tion for  three  years.  Again  taking  up  his  studies  he  was  for  two 
years  a  student  in  the  normal  school  at  Kempen,"Dusseldorf,  after 
which  he  taught  for  one  year  in  the  city  of  Viersen.  Later  for  five 
years  he  was  principal  of  the  school  at  Amern,  St.  George.  With 
the  idea  of  devoting  his  life  to  the  cause  of  the  church,  he  had  in 
the  meantime  utilized  his  spare  time  in  the  study  of  the  classics 
under   a  private   tutor. 

The  identification  of  Father  Wallrath  with  America  dates 
from  the  year  1866,  in  which  year  he  entered  the  Seminary  St. 
Mary's  of  the  West  in  Cincinnati,  where  he  completed  the  classics 
and  philosophy  and  began  the  study  of  theology.  Indications  of 
ill  health  and  a  tendency  to  lung  difficulties  made  it  advisable  for 
him  to  seek  a  warmer  climate,  and  therefore  in  1871  he  came  to 
California.  In  Eureka,  Humboldt  county,  he  completed  his  studies 
under  Father  A.  Guggenberger,  a  celebrated  scholar  in  that  city. 
On  September  24,  1871,  Father  Wallrath  was  ordained  to  the  holy 
priesthood  at  Marysville  by  Bishop  0 'Conner.  He  was  first  as- 
signed as  instructor  in  mathematics,  elocution  and  physics  at  St. 
Joseph's  College,  Humboldt  county,  while  there  also  having  charge 
of  the  mission  at  Table  Bluff,  and  afterward  he  had  charge  of  the 
parish  of  Crescent  City,  Del  Norte  county.  That  was  in  a  day  when 
railroads  in  that  part  of  the  country  were  unknown  and  even 
wagon  roads  were  few,  so  that  he  was  obliged  to  ride  the  entire 


HISTORY  OF  YOLO  COUNTY  619 

distance  on  horse  back  over  the  Indian  trails.  The  hardships  en- 
dured seemed  but  to  deepen  his  devotion  to  the  work  he  had  under- 
taken, becoming  especially  interested  in  the  welfare  of  the  Indians, 
for  whom  he  built  St.  Michael's  Church.  Later  he  erected  the 
Catholic  church  at  Trinidad,  following  this  with  a  pastorate  of 
seven  months  at  Weaverville,  when,  on  May  26,  1877,  he  was  given 
charge  of  the  congregation  at  Colusa,  the  Church  of  the  Immacu- 
late Conception.  With  his  characteristic  progressive  spirit  Father 
Wallrath  at  once  took  steps  to  provide  a  more  suitable  house  of 
worship  and  in  1879  the  foundation  was  laid  and  the  cornerstone 
placed  with  suitable  ceremonies  by  Rt.  Rev.  E.  O'Connell,  the 
church  being  dedicated  under  the  title  of  Our  Lady  of  Lourdes. 
On  the  following  Easter  Sunday  the  brick  edifice,  seating  four 
hundred,  was  completed  and  opened  for  worship.  Surrounding 
the  substantial  parsonage,  which  was  completed  in  1880,  is  a  small 
orange  orchard  that  is  now  in  bearing.  Besides  his  other  work 
in  Colusa,  and  perhaps  of  even  greater  importance,  was  the  en- 
couraging support  which  he  gave  to  the  parochial  school,  organized 
in  1888,  with  a  substantial  building  completed  in  1892,  at  a  cost 
of  $24,000;  and  since  then  in  charge  of  the  St.  Ursuline  Sisters. 
To  mention  nothing  of  Father  Wallrath 's  efforts  in  Colusa 
outside  of  the  church  would  be  unjust,  for  in  other  ways  he  con- 
tributed to  the  upbuilding  of  the  city.  In  1889  he  built  the  Wash- 
ington block  on  Fifth  street,  86x150  feet,  two  stories  in  height, 
undoubtedly  the  finest  building  in  the  city  at  the  time.  He  him- 
self drew  the  plans  for  the  building,  which  was  erected  under  his 
personal  care,  and  he  burned  the  brick  used  in  it,  as  well  as  the 
brick  for  the  parochial  school.  He  also  erected  eight  dwelling 
houses. 

During  the  early  days  of  his  residence  in  Colusa  Father  Wall- 
rath heard  the  call  for  spiritual  help  and  uplift  in  the  country 
round  about  and  responded  eagerly.  At  Willows,  Glenn  county, 
he  established  Santa  Monica's  parish  and  in  1878  erected  a  briek 
house  of  worship  for  the  congregation.  He  continued  to  have 
charge  of  the  parish  until  1884,  when  a  resident  priest  was  in- 
stalled. In  the  meantime,  in  1882,  he  erected  the  Church  of  the 
Sacred  Heart  at  Maxwell,  and  in  1884  at  Orland,  Glenn  county, 
St.  Dominick's  Church,  this  later  being  embraced  in  Santa  Monica 
parish.  During  the  year  last  mentioned  he  also  built  a  chapel  at 
Grand  Island,  in  1892  the  Church  of  the  Incarnation  at  Williams 
and  in  1899  the  Church  of  the  Holy  Cross,  Arbuckle.  Still  an- 
other congregation  organized  through  his  energy  and  devotion 
was  that  at  Mount  St.  Zachary,  where  in  1895  he  erected  the 
('lunch  of  the  Visitation.  At  great  expense  a  summer  resort  was 
here  made  for  the  Sisters,  and  it  is  only  just  to  say  that  this  is 


620  HISTORY  OF  YOLO  COUNTY 

counted  one  of  the  most  beautiful  spots  in  California.  In  1904 
and  '05  Father  Wallrath  built  the  Church  of  the  Holy  Ghost  at 
Sites. 

What  was  Colusa's  loss  was  Woodland's  gain  when,  on  May 
4,  1911,  Father  Wallrath  was  transferred  to  the  Holy  Rosary 
Church  at  this  place,  and  in  the  meantime  he  has  won  the  love 
and  admiration  of  his  parishioners  and  citizens  in  general  by  his 
unwearied  devotion  to  the  cause  of  the  church  and  to  the  welfare 
of  humanity.  Besides  the  church  in  Woodland  he  also  has  charge 
of  the  missions  at  Winters,  Madison,  Gruinda,  Davis,  Black's. 
Knight's  Landing  and  Broderick,  the  mission  last  mentioned  hav- 
ing been  organized  in  1911.  As  a  result  of  Father  Wallrath 's 
enterprise  a  new  stone  church  is  now  under  way  at  Woodland, 
also  one  at  Madison,  and  one  has  just  been  completed  at  G-uinda. 
Ever  since  taking  up  his  high  and  holy  calling  as  pastor  Father 
Wallrath  has  not  ceased  to  labor  for  the  development  of  the 
Roman  Catholic  Church,  and  his  record  for  erecting  churches  in 
this  faith  is  surpassed  by  few  in  the  country. 


JAMES  DAVID  BAIRD 

The  opportunities  afforded  by  Yolo  county  to  men  of  self- 
reliant  spirit  and  persevering  energy  find  a  striking  illustration  in 
the  successful  activities  of  James  D.  Baird,  who  came  here  at  the 
age  of  ten  years,  the  son  of  a  pioneer  who  gave  to  his  children  the 
heritage  represented  by  rugged  constitutions,  education  and  sagac- 
ious training.  The  family  is  of  Anglo-Saxon  lineage  and  its  repre- 
sentatives in  the  new  world  give  evidence  of  the  possession  of  many 
of  the  traits  for  which  that  race  is  famous.  In  his  own  history  it  is 
apparent  that  he  is  a  man  not  easily  daunted  by  discouragements 
and  not  readily  disheartened  by  obstacles.  Quietly  but  energeti- 
cally he  worked  his  way  forward  until  now  he  ranks  amon»-  the 
large  land-owners  of  the  county  as  well  as  one  of  its  most  loyal 
citizens  and  progressive  farmers. 

Born  on  the  Isle  of  Wight,  England,  January  24,  1849,  James 
D.  Baird  was  a  very  small  child  when  the  family  crossed  the  ocean 
to  the  United  States.  The  father,  Thomas,  who  had  married  Mary 
Ann  Hodgen,  followed  the  trade  of  a  millwright  in  his  native  land,  and 
in  this  country  found  similar  employment.  After  a  brief  sojourn 
at  Richmond,  Ray  county,  Mo.,  the  father  brought  the  family  to 
California  in  1859,  crossing  the  plains  with  ox  teams,  and  six 
months  later  he  settled  near  Woodland,  Yolo  county.     There  he 


HISTORY  OF  YOLO  COUNTY  621 

bought  a  tract  of  raw  land  one  mile  east  of  Woodland,  afterwards 
adding  to  it  and  ultimately  developed  an  improved  farm  of  four 
hundred  acres.  Meanwhile  he  also  operated  a  flour  and  grist  mill 
at  Woodland  and  thus  earned  a  livelihood  for  his  wife  and  children 
at  a  time  when  the  land  was  not  sufficiently  cultivated  to  be  remun- 
erative. Beth  he  and  his  wife  spent  their  last  days  in  this  county. 
Upon  the  completion  of  the  studies  of  the  common  schools 
James  D.  Baird  gave  his  whole  time  to  farm  work.  After  the  death 
of  his  father  he  took  charge  of  the  home  farm  for  a  time,  but 
about  1880  he  made  a  purchase  of  three  hundred  and  twenty  acres 
near  Knight's  Landing,  forming  the  nucleus  of  his  present  posses- 
sions. The  land  boasted  very  meager  improvements.  Little  by 
little  he  expended  time  and  money  upon  its  building  until  it  became 
.one  of  the  most  valuable  ranches  of  the  locality.  A  commodious 
residence  was  one  of  his  principal  improvements,  but  in  addition 
he  erected  three  substantial  barns  as  well  as  other  outbuildings. 
A  pumping  plant  proved  to  be  a  valuable  addition  to  the  farm 
equipment.  Shade  trees  were  planted  that  add  greatly  to  the  at- 
tractiveness of  the  grounds  and  there  are  also  some  old  native  oak 
trees  still  standing  on  the  place,  one  of  these  being  an  oak  that 
measures  six  feet  in  diameter  at  its  base  and  that  has  immense 
branches  extending  more  than  one  hundred  feet  in  every  direction. 

From  time  to  time  Mr.  Baird  added  to  his  original  acquisition 
of  land  until  he  now  owns  seven  hundred  and  twenty  acres  in  one 
body,  provided  with  an  excellent  system  of  fencing  and  suited  for 
cultivation  in  grain.  Besides  the  raising  of  wheat,  which  is  one  of 
his  specialties,  he  has  other  crops  that  produce  a  neat  income  each 
year  and  he  also  engages  in  raising  horses  and  mules  of  good 
grades.  Like  many  of  the  other  men  now  living  in  Yolo  county,  he 
began  here  without  means  and  by  dint  of  unwearied  labor  and  wise 
management  he  has  accumulated  a  valuable  property  comprising 
one  of  the  well-kept  ranches  of  the  locality.  Of  recent  years  he  has 
been  less  active  in  work  and  has  enjoyed  his  ability  to  relinquish 
heavy  manual  labor,  turning  over  to  his  sons  many  of  the  duties 
once  attended  to  by  himself.  As  he  looks  back  over  the  long 
period  of  his  residence  in  the  county  he  recalls  the  appearance  of 
Woodland  when  it  was  a  mere  cross-roads  hamlet,  whose  trans- 
formation into  a  thriving  town  he  has  witnessed  with  interest. 
Within  his  recollection  the  country  has  been  developed  from  a  wil- 
derness into  a  region  of  thrifty  villages  and  valuable  farms,  rail- 
roads have  furnished  convenient  markets  for  all  produce  and  have 
enabled  the  people  to  keep  in  touch  with  metropolitan  enterprises. 

On  January  HO,  1876,  at  Woodland  occurred  the  marriage  of 
James  D.  Baird  and  Miss  Annie  M.  Schindler,  who  was  born  of 
Swiss   parentage   in   New  Orleans,   La.     She   is   the   daughter    of 


622  HISTORY  OF  YOLO  COUNTY 

William  and  Catherine  (Durst)  Schindler,  natives  of  New  Grlarus, 
Switzerland,  who  immigrated  to  the  United  States  and  settled  in 
New  <  >rleans,  where  the  father  died.  Mrs.  Baird  became  a  resident 
of  Woodland  in  March,  1873.  She  and  her  husband  have  reared  a 
family  of  seven  children.  The  eldest,  Edward  L.,  is  married  and 
engaged  in  business  in  Woodland.  The  next  three  sons,  James 
David,  Joseph  C,  and  Ernest  R.,  are  practical  farmers  of  excellent 
business  ability  and  carry  on  the  home  ranch.  The  youngest  son, 
William  P.,  holds  a  position  in  the  First  National  Bank  of  Wood- 
land. The  daughters  are  May  Irene  and  Anna  Mary.  Mr.  Baird 
is  a  stockholder  in  the  First  National  Bank  of  Woodland.  Politically 
he  is  a  stanch  Republican.  His  wife  is  a  member  of  the  Congrega- 
tional Church. 


JOHN  MILTON  RHODES 

The  ancestry  of  the  Rhodes  family  is  traced  back  to  the 
New  England  colonies,  its  members  fighting  valiantly  to  defend 
their  right  to  freedom  from  the  Mother  Country,  and  the  stalwart 
characteristics  of  these  early  ancestors  were  no  less  marked  in 
the  generations  which  followed  them.  Henry  Rhodes  was  born 
in  Rhode  Island,  and  his  wife,  before  her  marriage  Esther  Mason, 
was  born  in  Connecticut,  a  descendant  of  John  Mason,  who 
figured  conspicuously  in  the  history  of  the  New  England  colonies 
about  the  year  1635. 

Into  the  home  of  Henry  and  Esther  (Mason)  Rhodes  John 
Milton  Rhodes  was  born  February  12,  1817,  in  Middlebury,  Ohio, 
whither  the  parents  had  removed  some  time  prior  to  the  birth 
of  their  son.  Middlebury  continued  to  be  the  home  of  the  family 
for  a  number  of  years,  the  son  in  the  meantime  attending  the 
public  school  and  also  the  Tallmadge  Central  Union  School,  and 
in  1830  he  accompanied  his  parents  to  Canal  Fulton,  that  state, 
where  the  father  engaged  in  the  mercantile  business.  A  subsequent 
removal  took  the  family  to  Massillon,  in  which  vicinity  the  father 
purchased  a  farm  and  a  grist  mill.  For  a  time  John  M.  Rhodes 
was  interested  with  his  father  in  the  latter 's  new  undertaking, 
but  as  a  broader  field  for  his  abilities  seemed  to  lie  elsewhere  than 
in  farming  the  association  was  of  short  duration.  More  congenial 
work  was  found  with  his  uncle,  Jesse  Rhodes,  a  business  man  in 
Massillon,  aud  in  his  establishment  he  remained  as  bookkeeper 
and  accountant  until  1835.     Through  the  influence  of  his  uncle  Mr. 


JOHN  M.  RHODES 


HISTORY  OF  YOLO  COUNTY  625 

Rhodes  in  that  year  secured  a  position  as  bookkeeper  with  Wil- 
liam T.  Dixon  &  Co.,  a  well-known  wholesale  dry  goods  house  of 
New  York  City,  and  although  he  was  less  than  nineteen  years  old 
and  had  no  knowledge  of  the  world,  he  set  out  for  the  metropolis 
with  a  determination  to  concpier  obstacles  and  make  a  success 
of  his  life,  and  the  resolution  then  made  was  never  lost  sight  of 
throughout  his  long  and  checkered  career.  The  duties  of  his  new 
position  were  arduous  and  the  hours  long,  sixteen  hours  a  day 
being  the  average,  but  his  determination  to  make  a  success  of 
his  venture  in  new  fields  made  discouragement  or  fatigue  unknown. 
That  his  services  were  appreciated  by  his  employers  was  evident 
when,  at  the  end  of  the  first  year,  his  salary  was  doubled.  After 
a  service  of  seven  years  in  Mr.  Dixon's  employ,  in  1842  he  resigned 
his  position  to  embark  in  business  for  himself  in  Canal  Fulton, 
Ohio.  A  few  years  later  he  removed  to  Mansfield,  the  same  state, 
there  too  establishing  himself  in  a  mercantile  business. 

It  was  while  in  business  in  Mansfield  that  Mr.  Rhodes  was  mar- 
ried, October  12,  1846,  in  Chillicothe,  to  Miss  Mary  Jane  Beall 
Christmas,  and  after  their  marriage  the  young  people  settled  in  a 
comfortable  home  in  Mansfield.  The  following  year,  upon  the 
organization  of  the  Farmers'  Bank  of  Mansfield,  Mr.  Rhodes  was 
chosen  cashier,  a  position  which  he  filled  for  three  years,  resigning 
at  the  end  of  that  time  to  establish  a  banking  house  in  Sacramento, 
Cal.,  with  two  associates.  Making  the  voyage  by  way  of  the 
Panama  ronte,  he  finally  reached  San  Francisco,  going  from  there 
directly  to  Sacramento,  where  he  found  conditions  as  favorable 
as  he  had  anticipated  and  proceeded  at  once  with  his  banking 
venture.  The  bank  of  Rhodes,  Sturges  &  Co.  was  launched  early  in 
the  year  1850,  in  quarters  on  Second  street  between  J  and  K 
streets,  and  it  was  there  that  it  passed  through  some  of  the  most 
trying  experiences  of  those  years  of  hardships  and  disaster. 
Following  an  epidemic  of  cholera  that  visited  the  city  with  dis- 
astroiis  effects  the  fire  of  1852  left  the  firm  practically  penniless, 
their  losses  amounting  to  not  less  than  $25,000,  with  no  insurance, 
as  uo  insurance  company  had  as  yet  been  started  in  the  town. 
In  the  meantime,  in  1851,  Mr.  Rhodes  had  returned  to  Ohio  for  his 
family  and  in  the  same  year  Mr.  Sturges  had  retired  from  the  busi- 
ness and  had  also  returned  to  Ohio.  Undismayed  by  the  wreck 
and  ruin  in  which  the  fire  left  him  Mr.  Rhodes  rebuilt  his  banking 
business  in  the  same  year,  onh'  to  meet  with  another  disaster  in 
the  flood  of  January,  i853. 

In  1852  John  M.  Rhodes  assisted  his  brother  James  and  his 
uncle,  Jesse  Rhodes,  to  start  in  the  express  business  on  the  Shasta 
route,  the  company  having  offices  in  Weaverville  and  Yreka,  Cal., 
and  in  Jacksonville,  Ore.     A  few  years  after  the  firm  had  started 


626  HISTORY  OF  YOLO  COUNTY 

in  business  a  robbery  occurred  in  which  tbe  messengers  were  held 
up  and  gold  dust  to  the  amount  of  $20,000  taken  from  them. 
John  M.'  Rhodes  had  become  responsible  for  the  business  of  his 
kinsmen  by  guaranteeing  drafts,  and  thus  he  became  a  very  heavy 
loser  by  the  theft.  Another  enterprise  in  which  Mr.  Rhodes  was  a 
prominent  figure  was  the  building  of  the  plank  road  into  Sacra- 
mento, he  being  the  treasurer  of  the  company  that  constructed  the 
road  in  1853.  After  experiencing  a  chain  of  losses  through  fire, 
floods  and  robbery  Mr.  Rhodes  concluded  that  it  would  be  wise  for 
him  to  fasten  his  attention  upon  something  tangible.  It  was  follow- 
ing this  decision  that  he  purchased  the  undivided  half  of  seven  and 
one-half  leagues  of  land  in  Capay  valley,  Yolo  county,  equal  to  about 
sixteen  thousand  acres,  purchasing  the  land  from  Pioche  &  Bayarke, 
bankers,  of  San  Francisco.  The  bankers  mentioned  acquired  title 
through  Jasper  O'Farrell,  and  he  from  Berryessa,  the  original 
grantee.  Mr.  Rhodes  subsequently  admitted  F.  W.  Fratt  into  part- 
nership in  the  ownership  of  this  land,  each  in  a  subsequent  division 
taking  eight  thousand  acres.  Subsequently  he  operated  three  flour 
mills  in  Yolo  county,  in  Knights  Landing,  Woodland  and  Madison. 
In  1857  he  had  established  his  home  in  Capay  valley,  continuing  to 
reside  there  for  about  seven  years,  when  he  removed  with  his  family 
to  Sacramento  and  continued  there  until  his  milling  interests  in 
Woodland  made  it  desirable  to  locate  in  that  city. 

That  Mr.  Rhodes  was  a  man  of  courage  and  indomitable  spirit 
needs  no  reiteration,  for  the  trials  which  he  passed  through  in  the 
course  of  his  career  mark  him  as  an  unusual  man,  for  few  there  are 
who  could  pass  through  experiences  similar  to  his  and  still  main- 
tain his  optimism  and  sweetness  of  spirit..  In  speaking  of  the  events 
that  had  come  into  his  life  he  singled  out  those  that  occurred  during 
the  year  of  1855-56  as  being  the  most  disastrous.  It  was  in  that 
year  that  he  signed  State  Treasurer  Bates'  official  bond  for  $100,- 
000.  Bates,  through  a  misappropriation  of  the  state's  money  by  a 
subordinate,  became  short  in  his  accounts  to  the  state  and  suit  for 
the  recovery  of  the  money  was  imminent.  Mr.  Rhodes'  depositors 
naturally  became  alarmed  and  before  he  was  able  to  realize  sufficient 
funds  from  other  sources  to  meet  the  drafts  on  his  institution  he 
was  forced  to  suspend  payment.  The  silver  lining  to  this  dark 
cloud  was  the  fact  that  all  of  the  demands  made  upon  him  were 
subsequently  discharged,  and  that  he  at  no  time  took  advantage 
of  the  bankrupt  law  or  the  statute  of  limitations  to  pay  his  debts. 
His  operations  in  real  estate,  with  the  exception  of  the  losses  by 
fire,  were  uniformly  profitable  and  did  much  to  relieve  him  from 
the  embarrassment  that  threatened  him  in  other  lines. 

In  1878  Mr.  Rhodes  was  elected  a  member  of  the  constitutional 
convention  that  drafted  the  present  constitution  of  the  state.     He 


HISTOEY  OF  YOLO  COUNTY  627 

was  peculiarly  fitted  for  the  position,  and  his  co-workers  gave  him 
credit  for  a  great  deal  that  was  accomplished  in  the  stupendous 
work  of  drafting  the  constitution.  He  was  a  fluent  speaker  and 
he  spoke  from  the  rostrum  frequently  in  favor  of  the  adoption 
of  the  constitution. 

Having  disposed  of  his  property  in  Yolo  county,  in  1883  Mr. 
Ehodes  removed  to  Lassen  county,  Cal.,  and  being  deeply  im- 
pressed with  the  beauty  of  the  green  meadows  and  the  beautiful 
mountain  brooks  he  determined  to  make  his  home  there.  In  this 
quiet  spot  he  purchased  a  stock  ranch  of  seventeen  hundred  and 
eighty-eight  acres  in  Long  valley,  a  fitting  place  in  which  to  pass 
the  remaining  years  of  his  useful  life.  To  the  end  he  took  an 
optimistic  view  of  life,  accepting  the  bitter  with  the  sweet,  and  in 
his  passing,  August  4,  1908,  at  Eeno,  Nev.,  one  of  God's  noble- 
men was  called  to  his  reward. 


JAMES  TAYLOE 

Throughout  the  greater  part  of  his  life,  extending  back  indeed 
to  the  period  of  his  earliest  recollections,  Mr.  Taylor  has  been  a  resi- 
dent of  Yolo  county.  In  the  schools  of  the  county  he  received  a  fair 
education  and  from  the  fertile  soil  which  this  region  boasts  he  has 
been  able  not  only  to  earn  a  livelihood,  but  at  the  end  of  each  year 
to  have  a  neat  surplus  representing  gratifying  returns  for  his  ex- 
penditure of  time,  labor  and  means.  "With  a  high  standing  among 
the  acquaintances  of  a  lifetime  and  with  a  neat  property  represent- 
ing his  intelligent  investments,  he  has  already  attained  much  of  the 
ends  for  which  mankind  strives  and  in  his  own  community  he  has 
the  warm  regard  of  those  who  have  come  to  know  and  appreciate 
his  sterling  qualities  of  head  and  heart, 

Descended  on  the  paternal  side  from  English  progenitors, 
James  Taylor  is  a  son  of  John  E.  Taylor,  an  Englishman  by  birth 
and  education,  but  a  resident  of  the  United  States  from  young  man- 
hood. During  the  first  few  years  of  his  residence  in  this  country  he 
was  engaged  in  farming  in  Iowa.  From  that  state  he  came  west 
across  the  plains  with  ox  teams  as  far  as  Utah  in  the  early  '50s  and 
settled  on  a  farm  near  Salt  Lake,  where  his  son,  James,  was  born 
June  10,  1857.  Eemoval  was  made  to  California  about  1860,  when 
he  bought  a  tract  of  one  hundred  and  sixty  acres  near  Woodland 
and  undertook  the  improvement  of  a  farm.  On  that  place  he  re- 
mained until  death,  meanwhile  placing  the  land  under  cultivation 
and  maintaining  a  warm  interest  in  community  activities.     Twice 


628  HISTORY  OF  YOLO  COUNTY 

married,  he  was  survived  by  his  second  wife,  Elizabeth  Pincock,  also 
a  native  of  England,  who  died  at  the  age  of  seventy-seven.  Mr. 
Taylor- organized  the  first  brass  band  in  Woodland;  this  was  the 
first  band  in  Yolo  county. 

From  the  age  of  three  years  James  Taylor  has  lived  in  Yolo 
county.  Primarily  educated  in  country  schools,  he  later  was  sent 
to  Hesperian  College  in  Woodland.  Under  the  training  of  his  father 
he  received  early  in  life  considerable  knowledge  concerning  agri- 
culture and  when  he  left  the  old  homestead  he  was  thoroughly  quali- 
fied to  take  up  general  farming  for  himself.  For  about  ten  years  he 
occupied  a  tract  of  one  hundred  and  sixty  acres  north  of  Yolo, 
where  at  first  he  kept  "bachelor's  hall."  To  that  place  he  brought 
his  bride,  a  popular  young  lady  of  Yolo  county,  whom  he  married 
November  19,  1891,  and  who  was  Miss  Martha  E.  Jacobs,  the  daugh- 
ter of  Isaac  W.  Jacobs,  one  of  the  pioneer  attorneys  of  Yolo  county, 
who  is  represented  on  another  page  in  this  volume.  Mrs.  Taylor 
was  born  on  the  old  Jacobs'  homestead  near  Yolo,  and  her  entire 
life  has  been  passed  in  this  county,  her  education  being  received  in 
its  schools. 

Upon  disposing  of  the  farm  where  first  he  made  his  home  after 
marriage  Mr.  Taylor  came  to  the  farm  which  he  now  owns  and  oc- 
cupies, the  same  comprising  one  hundred  and  twenty  well-improved 
acres  situated  near  Yolo.  Since  he  came  to  this  property  in  1895 
he  has  erected  a  comfortable  farm  home,  has  fenced  the  entire  tract 
with  a  substantial  system  of  durable  fencing  and  has  built  a  barn 
for  the  shelter  of  his  stock,  besides  making  other  needed  improve- 
ments. Cattle,  horses  and  hogs  of  good  grades  are  to  be  found  on 
the  farm  and  their  sale  from  year  to  year  adds  a  neat  sum  to  the 
income  of  the  owner,  who  is  accounted  one  of  the  prosperous  stock- 
men as  well  as  grain  and  alfalfa  farmers  in  the  district.  In  his 
family  there  are  three  sons  and  one  daughter,  namely :  James  Elmer, 
Clay  William,  Elmira  E.,  and  Wayland  Francis.  In  national  elec- 
tions he  always  has  given  his  vote  to  Republican  nominees,  but 
locally  he  supports  the  men  he  considers  best  qualified  to  serve  the 
interests  of  the  community,  regardless  of  their  party  beliefs. 
Through  fraternal  association  with  the  Woodmen  of  the  World  he 
enjoys  the  insurance  advantages  offered  by  that  order  and  also  par- 
ticipates in  its  social  activities.  Mr.  Taylor  can  look  back  over  fifty 
years  of  improvements  in  Yolo  county  and  remember  when  most  of 
the  land  out  of  Woodland  was  a  stock  range,  and  he  has  seen  it 
opened  up  until  it  is  all  farmed,  thus  passing  from  a  stock  range  to 
a  grain  field,  and  from  the  latter  to  orchards  and  alfalfa  fields.  A 
part  of  this  transformation  he  has  taken  a  hand  in,  thus  contributing 
no  small  part  to  the  development  of  Yolo  county. 


HISTOEY  OF  YOLO  COUNTY  629 

MRS.   MARCIA  E.  ZIMMERMAN 

The  ability  of  women  to  carry  forward  important  undertakings 
in  agriculture  or  business  has  been  recognized  for  so  many  recent 
years  that  proofs  of  the  fact  are  unnecessary,  but  were  further 
evidence  called  for  the  same  could  be  found  in  the  successful 
activities  of  Mrs.  Zimmerman,  who  subsequent  to  the  death  of  her 
father  and  of  her  husband  assumed  the  management  of  large  landed 
interests  and  lias  superintended  them  with  recognized  skill.  More 
recently  she  has  given  over  to  the  charge  of  her  only  son  a  valuable 
property  south  of  Cache  creek,  comprising  three  hundred  and 
twenty  acres,  and  also  an  improved  and  valuable  ranch  consisting 
of  two  hundred  and  seventy  acres,  both  of  which  formed  a  part  of 
the  original  Woodard  estate. 

The  name  of  Woodard  is  intimately  associated  with  the  pio- 
neer era  of  Yolo  county,  for  as  early  as  1854  George  W.  Woodard 
came  to  this  then  undeveloped  region  and  cognizant  of  its  possi- 
bilities, decided  to  cast  his  fortunes  with  those  of  the  county. 
He  was  a  native  of  Vermont  and  in  early  life  had  migrated  as  far 
west  as  Michigan,  settling  in  Berrien  county,  where  later  he  mar- 
ried Miss  Lauretta  Bryant,  a  native  of  New  York  state.  For  a 
time  he  followed  his  trade  as  wagon-maker  in  Michigan,  but  as 
previously  stated,  in  1854  he  came  to  the  west  and  settled  at  Yolo, 
then  called  Cacheville,  where  he  put  up  a  large  building  and 
started  a  hotel.    During  1856  he  was  joined  by  his  family  and  in 

1857  his  wife  died  at  their  new  home  in  the  west.  During  the  early 
period  of  his  residence  in  the  county  he  had  acquired  the  title  to 
one  hundred  and  sixty  acres  a  mile  and  a  half  west  of  Yolo,  and  in 

1858  he  began  the  improvements.  This  property  is  now  owned  by 
his  daughter,  Mrs.  Zimmerman.  At  different  times  he  owned  other 
lands.  One  of  his  specialties  was  the  raising,  buying  and  selling 
of  horses,  carrying  on  an  extensive  business  in  this  line.  When  he 
died,  in  December,  1894,  he  was  survived  by  his  second  wife,  for- 
merly Miss  Mary  Bemmerly,  and  by  Mrs.  Zimmerman. 

After  having  completed  her  education  and  graduated  from 
Mills  Seminary,  Miss  Marcia  E.  Woodard  returned  to  the  parental 
home  in  Yolo  county  and  there  in  1873  became  the  bride  of  Dr. 
George  W.  Zimmerman,  who  was  born  in  West  Virginia  near  the 
historic  site  of  Harper's  Ferry.  Given  fair  classical  advantages  in 
eastern  schools,  he  later  entered  a  medical  college  and  pursued  the 
regular  course  of  study,  graduating  with  high  standing.  Later  he 
took  a  post-graduate  course  in  some  of  his  specialties.  For  a 
brief  period  he  engaged  in  practice  in  Yolo  county,  but  in  1874  he 
returned  as  far  east  as  Indiana,  where  he  engaged  in  professional 
work  for  ten  years.     Upon  disposing  of  his  interests  in  Indiana 


630  HISTORY  OF  YOLO  COUNTY 

he  returned  to  California  and  embarked  in  the  drug  business  at 
Woodland,  where  he  continued  as  proprietor  of  a  store  for  twenty 
years.  He  was  a  man  of  scholarly  attainments,  very  fond  of  his 
profession,  and  at  all  times  and  under  all  circumstances  stood  for 
what  was  just  and  right.  His  last  days  were  spent  at  Woodland 
and  here  he  died  in  January  of  1906.  Surviving  him  are  his  widow 
and  two  children,  Laura  and  George  D.  The  son,  a  successful 
rancher  and  superintendent  of  his  mother's  ranches  near  Yolo,  is 
married  and  has  one  son,  Leroy  Zimmerman.  Laura  is  the  wife 
of  I.  Leroy  Brownell,  of  Glenn  county,  and  they  have  a  daughter 
bearing  the  name  Phebe  Brownell,  which  for  seven  generations  has 
been  borne  by  some  member  of  the  family. 

Possessing  versatile  mental  activities,  Mrs.  Zimmerman  has 
not  limited  her  energies  to  the  management  of  her  financial  and 
landed  interests.  In  addition  she  has  been  among  the  most  prominent 
workers  in  the  Woodland  Congregational  Church  and  officiated 
with  resourcefulness  and  tact  as  president  of  the  Young  Women's 
Christian  Temperance  Union  and  is  superintendent  of  the  Sunday 
School.  The  Women's  Christian  Temperance  Union  has  enjoyed 
the  benefit  of  her  warm  co-operation  and  firm  espousal  of  the 
temperance  cause.  For  a  number  of  years  she  has  been  an  influen- 
tial member  of  the  lodge  of  Rebekahs  in  Woodland  and  has  con- 
tributed to  the  usefulness  and  social  successes  of  that  organization. 
In  her  own  private  circle  of  friends  she  is  respected  and  admired 
for  the  energy  of  will,  determination  of  character,  dignity  of  de- 
meanor and  kindness  of  heart  that  are  among  her  most  con- 
spicuous traits  of  temperament. 


JOHN  D.  LAWSON 

A  southern  home  in  Tennessee,  near  the  banks  of  the  Cum- 
berland river  in  Jackson  county,  forms  the  earliest  recollections 
of  John  D.  Lawson,  for  there  he  was  born  July  15,  1832,  and  there 
lie  spent  the  first  eight  years  of  his  life.  Far  distant  as  are  those 
days,  shadowed  by  the  intervening  activities  of  a  useful  and 
active  existence,  he  recalls  the  happiness  of  the  childhood  home, 
the  hospitality  of  the  southern  neighbors,  the  contentment  of  the 
family  in  the  midst  of  privations  and  the  true  devotion  of  their 
intimate  friends.  When,  however,  news  came  of  better  soil  and 
cheaper  land  in  Missouri,  the  family  were  quick  to  grasp  the  op- 
portunity, and  during  1840  they  removed  by  wagon  to  the  newer 
country    of   their    hopes,    settling    on    raw   land   near    Keithsville, 


HISTORY  OF  YOLO  COUNTY  631 

Clariton  county.  In  1852,  when  he  was  twenty  years  old,  the 
young-  frontiersman  crossed  the  plains  with  ox-teams  to  California 
with  an  expedition  of  emigrants  and  settled  in  Sierra  county,  but 
a  year  later,  in  1853,  he  came  to  Yolo  county,  where  he  has  since 
lived  and  labored. 

At  the  time  of  his  arrival  in  Yolo  county  Mr.  Lawson  was 
unmarried,  but  in  a  few  years  he  established  a  home  for  himself 
and  his  bride  and  on  the  13th  of  September,  1855,  Rev.  J.  N. 
Pendegast  united  him  in  marriage  with  Miss  Jane  Browning. 
Prior  to  his  marriage  and  for  some  years  thereafter  he  cultivated 
land  a  few  miles  southwest  of  Woodland,  but  in  1864  he  moved 
into  town  and  here  he  has  since  resided.  Different  lines  of  busi- 
ness activity  have  engaged  his  attention  at  different  periods  of 
his  residence  in  this  place.  During  the  term  of  William  Minis  as 
sheriff  of  Yolo  county  he  acted  as  under  sheriff  and  for  a  term 
of  four  years  he  served  as  deputy  under  Sheriff  Bullock,  also  under 
Jason  Watkins.  From  1874  until  the  expiration  of  the  term  he 
held  the  office  of  county  recorder.  In  addition  he  served  for  three 
terms  as  town  trustee  and  during  a  part  of  the  time  lie  was 
honored  with  the  presidency  of  the  board.  He  had  the  distinc- 
tion of  being  the  first  city  marshal  of  Woodland. 

The  family  of  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Lawson  consists  of  one  daughter 
and  four  sons,  namely:  Genoa,  who  married  Wallace  Pond  and 
lives  in  Berkeley;  William  H.,  James  B.,  Robert  G.  and  Edward. 
For  a  number  of  years  Mr.  Lawson  ran  a  livery  business  at  the 
corner  of  Second  and  Main  streets,  Woodland,  the  present  site 
of  the  Democrat  office,  and  later  he  was  associated  with  H.  L. 
Marders  in  the  livery  business,  their  stable  standing  on  the  corner 
of  College  and  Main  streets.  When  he  had  severed  his  connection 
with  the  livery  interests  Mr.  Lawson  became  one  of  the  pioneer 
real  estate  agents  in  Woodland,  where  in  1900  he  took  into  part- 
nership his  son,  Robert  G.,  under  the  firm  title  of  J.  D.  &  R.  G. 
Lawson,  dealers  in  real  estate.  However,  in  1911,  he  sold  his 
interest  to  his  son  and  retired  from  business.  Throughout  his 
long  identification  with  Yolo  county  Mr.  Lawson  has  kept  posted 
concerning  property  matters  and  few  men  understand  soil  values 
better  tban  he,  while  none  is  more  enthusiastic  concerning  the 
possibilities  of  this  section  of  the  state.  Few  are  now  living  who 
preceded  him  to  this  county.  The  sunshine  and  shadows  of  almost 
sixty  years  have  fallen  upon  his  head  since  he  first  came  here,  a 
robust  young  fellow  with  life's  possibilities  all  ahead  of  him,  and 
it  has  been  his  privilege,  as  he  passed  from  youth  to  age,  to  wit- 
ness the  development  of  the  country  and  to  contribute  to  the  same 
his  own  quota  of  useful  activities  and  superior  mental  powers. 


632  HISTORY  OF  YOLO  COUNTY 

JESSE  G.  ROWE,  Se. 

The  Rowe  family  comes  of  old  eastern  extraction. 
G.  Eowe,  Si'.,  was  born  in  New  Jersey,  January  6,  1837,  and  at 
the  age  of  two  years  was  taken  to  Ohio,  where  his  father,  Philip 
Gray  Rowe,  settled  on  a  farm  near  Cincinnati.  In  that  neigh- 
borhood he  attended  school  and  also  gained  a  practical  knowledge 
of  agriculture,  later  also  acquiring  proficiency  in  the  trade  of  au 
engineer.  At  the  age  of  nineteen  years  he  left  Ohio  and  went 
as  far  west  as  Iowa,  where  he  remained  for  a  number  of  years  and 
followed  his  trade  as  well  as  agricultural  pursuits.  While  living 
there  he  met  and  married  Miss  Susan  R.  Armstrong. 

The  journey  that  brought  Mr.  Rowe  to  California  in  1864  was 
exceedingly  circuitous  owing  to  the  absence  of  railroad  connec- 
tions between  the  east  and  the  west.  Starting  at  Burlington, 
Des  Moines  county,  he  traveled  via  the  railroad  to  New  York 
City,  where  he  took  passage  on  the  Ariel  for  Panama.  Crossing 
the  isthmus  on  the  railroad  he  then  took  passage  on  the  Arazaba, 
which  landed  him  at  San  Francisco  in  April  with  thirteen  hun- 
dred other  passengers.  His  plans  had  been  made  and  brought 
him  on  to  Sacramento  and  from  there  down  into  the  country 
to  aid  in  boring  wells.  After  four  months  he  went  to  Folsom 
City,  Sacramento  county,  and  rented  eleven  hundred  acres,  largely 
adapted  to  the  pasturage  of  stock  and  thus  utilized  by  him.  Three 
hundred  acres  were  in  hay  and  barley  and  in  1865  he  delivered 
at  Sugar  Loaf  Station  fifty  tons  of  hay  and  fifty  tons  of  barley, 
for  which  he  received  $50  per  ton.  Nine  profitable  years  were 
passed  on  that  ranch  and  he  then  removed  to  Davisville,  where 
ever  since  he  has  made  his  home. 

Nine  children  were  born  to  the  union  of  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Rowe. 
John  D.,  the  eldest  son,  married  Mary  Horning,  a  native  daughter 
of  the  state,  and  they  have  four  children.  Philip  H.  chose  as  his 
wife  Daisy  Simmons,  a  native  of  California,  and  they  have  two 
sons  and  two  daughters.  Jesse  G.,  Jr.,  married  Miss  Etta  Wire, 
a  native  of  the  state,  and  they  have  six  children.  Charles  H., 
who  married  Florence  Davis,  likewise  a  native  daughter  of  the 
^tate,  has  one  child,  a  daughter.  Laura  A.,  Mrs.  Perry  Scheffer, 
is  the  mother  of  seven  daughters.  Nettie  Y.  married  Charles 
Hadsall,  a  native  son  of  the  state  and  at  present  serving  as 
county  clerk  of  Yolo  county;  they  are  the  parents  of  four  daughters. 
Minnie,  Mrs.  Charles  Fissel,  lives  near  Davisville  and  has  two 
children.  Zillah,  Mrs.  Orrin  Wright,  is  a  resident  of  Davisville. 
Eva  is  Mrs.  F.  A.  Russell,  of  Woodland,  and  has  two  sons.  Mr. 
and  Mrs.  Rowe  are  very  proud  of  their  nine  children  and  thirty- 
two  grandchildren,  and  they  now  have  several  great-grandchildren 
who  form  an  object  of  especial  affection. 


HISTORY  OF  YOLO  COUNTY  633 

During  early  life  Mr.  Rowe  became  identified  with  the  Metho- 
dist Church,  and  he  is  a  Democrat,  as  also  are  his  sons.  Fraternally 
Philip  and  John  hold  membership  with  the  Woodmen,  Charles  has 
local  connection  with  the  Independent  Order  of  Odd  Fellows,  and 
Jesse  G.,  Jr.,  belongs  to  Athens  Lodge  No.  228,  F.  &  A.  M.,  of 
Davisville.  The  firm  of  Rowe  &  Wire,  of  which  Jesse  G.  Rowe,  Jr., 
is  a  member,  engages  in  the  tinning  and  plumbing  business,  also 
conducts  a  general  repair  shop  and  deals  in  pumps,  windmills, 
tanks,  gasoline  engines  of  all  sizes  and  well-boring  machinery. 
Outside  of  the  men  in  the  shop  and  office  five  men  are  given  con- 
stant employment  in  the  boring  of  wells  and  a  large  business  is 
conducted  in  that  line. 


JAMES  THOMAS  LONG 

This  pioneer  of  1866  in  Yolo  county,  now  one  of  the  exten- 
sive farmers  and  prosperous  stock-raisers  in  the  country  region 
surrounding  Blacks  Station,  is  a  native  of  Kentucky  and  was  born 
at  Frankfort,  Franklin  county,  December  7,  1847,  being  a  son  of 
Thomas  Wright  and  Louise  Jane  (Duke)  Long,  likewise  born 
and  reared  in  the  same  county  and  state.  The  father,  who  was  a 
skilled  carpenter  by  trade,  moved  to  Missouri  in  an  early  day 
and  settled  in  Linn  county,  where  he  engaged  in  the  building 
business.  His  ceaseless  labors  earned  a  livelihood  for  his  family, 
but  his  yearning  ambition  ever  turned  his  thoughts  toward  the 
far  west  and  eventually  in  1864  he  carried  out  a  long  cherished 
plan  to  migrate  to  the  coast.  Starting  in  the  spring  of  the  year 
he  traveled  with  ox-teams  and  wagon,  accompanied  by  his  family, 
as  members  of  a  large  expedition  crossing  the  plains.  At  the 
expiration  of  an  uneventful  journey  he  arrived  in  Oregon  six 
months  after  he  left  Missouri. 

About  eighteen  months  were  spent  in  Oregon,  but  the  location 
did  not  satisfy  Thomas  W.  Long  and  he  brought  his  family  south 
into  California,  where  he  eventually  arrived  in  Yolo  county  with 
his  teams,  household  necessities  and  other  appurtenances.  Soon 
after  his  arrival  he  bought  one  hundred  and  sixty  acres  and  put 
up  a  cabin  for  the  family,  with  a  barn  for  the  stock.  Later  he 
added  to  his  original  purchase  until  he  had  about  five  hundred 
acres  under  his  control.  From  time  to  time  he  enlarged  ami 
remodeled  his  buildings  until  lie  had  ample  facilities  for  the  com- 
fort of  his  family  and  the  convenience  of  his  work.     After  the  death 


634  HISTORY  OF  YOLO  COUNT!' 

of  his  first  wife  be  was  married  a  second  time,  July  3,  1878, 
being  united  with  Miss  Jane  Corton,  a  native  of  England,  but 
reared  principally  in  the  city  of  Frankfort,  Ky.  Since  the  death 
of  Mr.  Long,  which  occurred  at  the  old  homestead  in  January,  1896, 
his  widow  has  continued  to  make  her  home  here  with  her  step- 
sons, James  Thomas  and  Owen  M.  Her  own  son,  Claude  C.  Long, 
M.  D.,  a  graduate  of  Cooper  Medical  College,  with  his  wife, 
who  was  formerly  Miss  Claire  Owens,  and  their  only  child,  Claude 
C,  Jr.,  is  a  resident  of  San  Francisco,  where  he  engages  in  the 
practice  of  medicine  and  surgery.  The  remaining  sons  of  the 
first  marriage  are  Willard  A.  (a  physician  of  Lewistown,  Mont.), 
and  David  H.,  who  is  represented  elsewhere  in  this  volume. 

At  the  time  of  coming  to  California  and  settling  with  his 
parents  at  bis  present  place  of  residence,  James  Thomas  Long 
was  a  young  man  of  nineteen,  sturdy,  energetic,  willing  to  endure 
the  privations  of  frontier  farming  and  to  assist  bis  younger  broth- 
ers in  getting  a  start  in  life.  Adjacent  to  the  quarter-section  which 
his  father  owned  he  purchased  three  hundred  and  twenty  acres 
and  the  entire  tract  is  now  under  his  management,  yielding  fair 
returns  for  his  labor  and  skilled  cultivation.  In  1908  he  erected 
the  commodious  residence  that  now  adorns  the  property.  Previous 
thereto  he  had  planted  ornamental  trees  whose  beauty  adds  to  the 
attractive  appearance  of  the  estate.  The  entire  set  of  farm  build- 
ings is  kept  in  excellent  condition.  Modern  conveniences  in  the 
buildings  and  on  the  land  assist  the  work  of  caring  for  the  stock, 
including  horses  and  mules,  hogs  and  sheep.  The  principal 
products  of  the  ranch  are  wheat  and  barley,  but  there  is  also 
considerable  hay  raised  on  the  broad  meadows. 

The  political  views  of  Mr.  Long  bring  him  into  co-operation 
with  the  local  Democrats  and  cause  him  to  support  the  men  pledged 
to  work  for  party  principles  and  measures.  Since  he  came  to 
Yolo  county  be  has  witnessed  many  changes.  Woodland  was  a 
village  of  only  a  few  bouses  when  he  arrived  here  in  1866  and 
there  was  not  even  one  bouse  between  that  hamlet  and  Yolo. 
Nor  had  a  railroad  been  built  into  the  county.  All  travel  there 
was  by  stage-coach  or  wagon.  Notwithstanding  its  lack  of  improve- 
ment, there  was  considerable  travel  through  the  county  owing  to 
its  proximity  to  the  city  of  Sacramento  and  to  various  mining 
camps  in  active  operation.  When  the  work  of  development  began 
it  was  promoted  by  men  of  energy  and  sagacious  judgment,  among 
whom  not  the  least  prominent  were  James  T.  Long  and  his  father. 
It  has  been  the  privilege  of  the  former  to  survive  to  see  the  im- 
provements of  the  twentieth  century  and  to  enjoy  in  middle  age 
the  comforts  earned  by  his  own  self-sacrifice  and  privations  during 
younger  years. 


HISTORY  OF  YOLO  COUNTY  635 

JOHN  HUNT 

Strangers  visiting  in  Davisville  for  the  first  time  inquire  con- 
cerning the  Hunt  homestead  and  express  a  profound  admiration 
for  the  artistic  skill  displayed  and  the  picturesque  effects  secured 
in  its  architecture.  This  commodious  residence  of  twelve  rooms 
contains  all  modern  improvements  and  is  furnished  in  a  manner 
indicative  of  the  refined  tastes  of  the  family.  Surrounding  it  are 
large  and  beautiful  grounds  embellished  with  fruit  and  ornamental 
trees.  Perhaps  the  most  conspicuous  trees  are  twenty  of  a  su- 
perior qualit}'  of  orange,  twenty-five  years  old.  There  are  also 
fifteen  orange  trees  seven  years  old,  five  lemon  trees  and  a  num- 
ber of  peach  and  apricot  trees,  besides  many  large  shade  trees.  A 
neat  brick  walk  affords  convenient  access  to  various  parts  of  the 
grounds  and  to  the  residence  itself. 

The  owner  of  this  attractive  property  was  born  in  County 
Mayo,  Ireland,  in  184-0.  At  thirteen  he  crossed  the  ocean  to  the 
United  States,  and  since  then  has  been  self-supporting.  He  worked 
for  a  time  in  New  Orleans,  whither  he  went  from  New  York.  After 
a  brief  sojourn  in  that  city  and  in  Wisconsin  he  returned  to  New 
York  and  secured  employment  there.  The  year  1859  found  him 
an  emigrant  to  California  by  way  of  the  isthmus.  November  16, 
that  year,  he  arrived  in  Sacramento  and  from  there  came  to  the 
site  of  Davisville.  For  a  time  he  operated  a  large  tract  of  leased 
land  that  later  was  sold  to  Robert  Armstrong  and  eventually  be- 
came the  property  of  the  state  of  California,  which  has  converted 
it  into  an  experiment  station  for  agricultural  products.  During 
his  early  experiences  in  the  west  he  operated  a  freight  business 
between  Hangtown  and  the  mines  of  Virginia  City  and  Carson 
City,  Nev.,  using  two  wagons  and  eight  mules  and  carrying  about 
eight  tons  to  the  load,  $1,000  having  been  the  average  price  he 
received  for  a  load  of  freight. 

Returning  to  the  east  Mr.  Hunt  settled  near  Kenosha,  Wis., 
and  took  up  dairying  and  farming  with  success.  Meanwhile  he 
married,  in  Chicago,  Miss  Catharine  McAllister.  They  are  the 
parents  of  four  children,  Thomas,  Mary,  Josephine  and  Irene. 
The  son,  who  was  educated  in  eastern  high  schools,  is  farming 
and  has  displayed  judgment  and  energy  in  his  chosen  field  of 
labor.  The  two  older  daughters  are  graduates  of  Chicago  high 
schools,  and  the  youngest  child  is  being  educated  in  the  Davis- 
ville schools.  Some  twenty  years  after  he  had  left  California 
Mr.  Hunt  returned  to  Davisville  and  bought  three  hundred  and 
forty-three  acres  near  there  at  $75  an  acre.  At  this  writing  he 
owns  and  operates  seven  hundred  acres  adjoining  Davisville,  im- 
proved with  neat  buildings  and  under  a  high  state  of  cultivation. 


636  HISTORY  OF  YOLO  COUNTY 

Four  hundred  and  fifty  acres  are  in  barley.  The  rest  of  the  land 
is  utilized  for  hay  and  pasture.  All  of  Mr.  Hunt's  stock  is  the 
best  of  its  kind.  There  are  about  one  hundred  and  sixty  head  of 
hogs,  all  of  pure-bred  Poland-China  types.  In  cattle  the  short- 
horn Durham  is  the  breed  represented  by  the  two  hundred  head 
kept  on  the  farm,  and  the  herd  is  headed  by  the  very  choicest  of 
pure-bred  animals.-  Five  horses  aid  in  the  farm  work  and  thirty 
mules  are  utilized  in  operating  the  combined  harvester  that  cuts 
and  threshes  the  grain.  Since  becoming  a  citizen  of  our  country 
Mr.  Hunt  has  voted  the  Democratic  ticket,  but  he  takes  no  active 
part  in  politics  and  on  no  occasion  has  he  sought  office.  In  religion 
he  is  identified  with  the  Roman  Catholic  Church. 


PETER  PETERSON 

That  well  known  and  highly  esteemed  citizen  of  Yolo  county, 
Peter  Peterson,  was  born  in  Skaane,  Sweden,  October  4,  1849, 
and  was  a  student  in  the  public  schools  in  vogue  there  from  the 
day  he  reached  school  age  until  he  was  seventeen  years  old,  when 
he  went  to  Denmark  to  become  a  student  in  the  Gylland  Agri- 
cultural College.  There  he  was  duly  graduated,  and  for  a  year 
thereafter  he  was  foreman  on  a  large  farm.  That  position  he 
gave  up  to  take  up  the  study  of  civil  engineering  in  the  Scientific 
School  at  Lyngby.  When  he  had  mastered  a  two-and-a-half  years' 
course,  in  which  he  was  given  much  field  practice,  he  was  grad- 
uated with  the  degree  of  C.  E.  Then  he  entered  definitely  upon 
his  professional  career  and  practiced  civil  engineering  in  Den- 
mark. In  the  meantime  he  took  a  course  in  dairying  at  iEro,  Den- 
mark, where  he  graduated  under  Professor  Pontopidan.  During 
his  practice  of  civil  engineering  he  made  several  trips  to  Sweden, 
professional  duties  calling  him  there. 

It  was  in  1884  that  Mr.  Peterson  located  at  Cedar  Falls, 
Blackhawk  county,  Iowa,  where  he  engaged  in  dairying  and  build- 
ing creameries.  In  the  latter  work  he  became  well  and  favorably 
known  throughout  Blackhawk  and  Trinity  counties.  In  construct- 
ing a  milk  separator  he  invented  a  ball-bearing  journal  which  he 
patented  in  1887.  So  far  as  is  known  that  was  the  first  ball-bear- 
ing ever  invented  and  was  the  beginning  of  a  revolution  in  ma- 
chinery construction  which  has  spread  to  machinery  in  nearly 
every  department  of  manufacture.  That  was  in  March.  In  the 
fall  of  the  same  year  he  went  to  Brookings,   S.   Dak.,  where  he 


HISTOEY  OF  YOLO  COUNTY  637 

bought  a  three  hundred  acre  property  and  engaged  quite  exten- 
sively iu  farming  and  stock  raising.  There  he  remained  till  1908, 
gaining  a  reputation  as  a  successful  business  man  and  achieving 
popularity  as  a  citizen.  For  some  years  he  was  supervisor  of 
Elkton  township,  Brookings  county,  and  he  also  filled  the  offices 
of  school  trustee  and  clerk  of  his  township  school  board.  It  was 
in  1908  that  he  located  at  Woodland,  Yolo  county,  and  bought  a 
small  farm  east  of  that  city.  He  sold  the  place  in  1911,  however, 
to  the  New  Northern  Electric  Company,  and  purchased  a  residence 
on  Elliott  street,  Woodland,  with  two  acres  of  land.  He  also  owns 
a  farm  of  eighty-seven  acres  at  Moore's  Dam,  eight  miles  west  of 
Woodland,  which  he  is  improving.  Besides  his  pleasant  home 
at  No.  101  Elliott  street  he  owns  three  other  houses  in  Woodland. 
Mr.  Peterson's  marriage  at  Cedar  Falls,  Iowa,  united  him 
with  Miss  Aima  Olsen,  a  native  of  Sweden,  who  has  borne  him  two 
children:  Otto  M.  has  charge  of  his  father's  home  farm;  Clara 
Olivia  is  Mrs.  Baffaeta  of  Woodland.  In  his  political  affiliations 
Mr.  Peterson  is  an  independent  Bepublican,  and  fraternally  he 
is  a  devoted  and  helpful  member  of  the  Independent  Order  of 
Odd  Fellows.  In  his  dealings  with  his  fellow  men  he  is  not  only 
honest,  but  liberal,  always  giving  the  other  party  to  a  transac- 
tion as  good  a  show  as  his  own,  even  preferring  to  yield  a  point 
when  there  is  a  chance  that  the  other  man  needs  the  benefit  of  it 
more  than  he  does  himself.  Charitable  in  his  aspirations,  he  is 
liberal  in  his  views  on  all  questions  vital  to  men  and  their  for- 
tunes. 


EBNEST   BEMMEBLY 

A  worthy  representative  of  one  of  the  early  and  prominent 
pioneer  families  of  Yolo  county,  Ernest  Bemmerly  is  upholding 
the  record  for  genuine  worth  and  stability  borne  by  his  predeces- 
sors, and  Woodland  has  no  more  dependable  citizen  than  "Sam" 
Bemmerly,  as  he  is  known  and  addressed  by  his  most  intimate 
friends.  He  was  born  near  Blacks  Station,  Yolo  county,  March 
10,  1873,  the  youngest  of  five  children  born  to  his  parents,  John 
and  Agnes  (Wimmer)  Bemmerly.  Both  of  the  parents  were 
natives  of  Germany,  the  father  born  in  Wurtemberg,  February 
24,  1824,  and  the  mother  in  Baden,  February  2,  1833.  From  the 
time  that  he  came  to  California  in  1852,  until  his  death,  August 
8,  1872,  the  father  was  a  resident  of  Yolo  county,  and  here,  too, 
the  mother  has  been  a  continuous  resident  since  1859.    An  interest- 


638  HISTORY  OF  YOLO  COUNTY 

ing  sketch  of  this  worthy  couple  may  be  found  elsewhere  in  this 
volume. 

As  will  be  seen  by  the  dates  above  given,  Ernest  Bemmerly 
was  born  after  the  death  of  his  father,  and  therefore  he  has  no 
personal  knowledge  of  that  parent.  In  his  mother,  however,  he 
had  a  most  sympathetic  friend  and  adviser,  who  gave  to  him  and 
to  the  four  other  children  older  than  himself,  every  opportunity 
that  lay  in  her  power  to  make  them  worthy  citizens.  Primarily 
educated  in  the  local  schools,  Ernest  Bemmerly  completed  his 
studies  in  St.  Joseph's  Academy,  Oakland,  and  in  1893  he  began 
farming  on  his  own  account,  making  a  specialty  of  stock-raising. 
His  first  experience  was  in  farming  about  two  thousand  acres  of  his 
mother's  land,  and  in  gathering  the  crops  he  used  a  combined 
harvester  and  five  eight-mule  teams.  Later  he  bought  land  adjoin- 
ing Dunnigan  on  the  southwest,  owning  and  farming  ten  hundred 
and  twenty  acres  until  1911,  when  he  rented  the  property  and  re- 
moved to  Woodland,  where  he  has  a  fine  home  and  is  interested  in 
local  affairs.  At  Corpus  Christi,  Tex.,  he  was  married  to  Mrs.  May 
West,  a  native  of  Refugio,  Tex.,  and  they  have  one  daughter,  Mar- 
garet Edith.  In  his  political  affiliations  Mr.  Bemmerly  is  a  Repub- 
lican. 


JOEL  WOOD 

One  of  the  wealthiest  and  most  popular  ranchers  of  the  Capay 
valley  is  Joel  Wood,  who  was  born  sixteen  miles  from  Nashville, 
Tenn.,  January  27,  1827.  When  but  six  years  of  age  he  and  his 
two  brothers,  accompanied  by  their  uncle,  William  Glaze,  walked 
the  entire  distance  between  Nashville  and  Carlton,  Mo.,  near  which 
town  Mr.  Wood  spent  his  boyhood,  receiving  a  common  school 
education.  In  1849,  at  a  time  when  hundreds  of  emigrants  left 
their  homes  in  the  east  for  the  alluring  "land  of  gold,"  Mr. 
Wood,  in  company  with  Edmond  Clark,  a  neighbor  residing  in 
Richmond  county,  Mo.,  joined  a  train  westward  bound,  with  William 
Gray  as  its  captain.  At  this  time  a  large  party  of  Mormons  was 
enroute  to  Salt  Lake  and  maintained  a  most  unfriendly  attitude 
toward  Captain  Gray's  company.  At  Green  River  the  caravan 
divided,  the  Mormons  striking  another  trail,  while  Captain  Gray's 
party  continued  in  peace.  They  stopped  a  short  time  at  Antelope 
Springs  and  resumed  their  journey,  knowing  nothing  of  the  desert 
before  them  but  safely  crossed  it  in  about  two  days,  though  they 
were  obliged  to  kill  most  of  their  cattle  owing  to  fatigue  and  lack 
of  water.     At  Bitter  creek  they  rested  three  days,   then  pushed 


HISTORY  OF  YOLO  COUNTY  639 

ahead  to  the  Red  Hills,  where  their  wagons  and  remaining  cattle 
became  mired  to  such  an  extent  that  they  were  obliged  to  go 
on  without  them.  At  Marysville,  Cal.,  Mr.  Wood  purchased  a 
claim  from  which  he  and  his  uncle  secured  $500  in  a  short  time. 
In  the  fall  of  1850  he  returned  to  Missouri,  but  another  year  found 
him  again  in  Marysville.  He  lived  for  a  time  in  Big  valley,  Lake 
county,  but  owing  to  the  proximity  of  the  Indians  took  his  family 
to  Land  valley,  where  they  lived  about  a  year,  removing  to  the 
Capay  valley,  where  Mr.  Wood  purchased  five  hundred  and  ninety- 
five  acres  of  land  at  $6  per  acre.  Erecting  a  blacksmith's  shop 
he  carried  on  his  trade  for  several  years. 

At  the  present  time  Mr.  Wood  owns  six  hundred  and  forty 
acres,  and  has  also  presented  his  children  with  land.  He  has 
about  twenty  head  of  cattle  and  eighty  hogs  and  conducts  a  general 
farming  business. 

Mr.  Wood's  marriage  united  him  with  Miss  Emmeline  Clark, 
a  native  of  Missouri  and  the  daughter  of  Edmond  Clark.  She 
died  in  1910.  The  following  children  were  born  of  their  marriage: 
Albert,  of  San  Bernardino  county;  George,  of  Lakeport;  John, 
deceased;  Lee,  of  Guinda;  Josie,  Mrs.  Al  Schulte,  of  Folsom;  Mary, 
Mrs.  Nourse,  of  Sacramento;  Etta,  Mrs.  Alfred  Richardson,  of 
Capay  valley;  and  Myrtle,  Mrs.  William  Boles,  of  Capay  valley. 
Mr.  Wood  is  a  Democrat  and  is  deeply  interested  in  all  move- 
ments pertaining  to  the  welfare  of  the  county.  For  many  years 
he  has  been  a  member  of  the  United  Brethren  Church  and  can 
is  be  relied  upon  to  assist  in  its  cause. 


WILLIAM  D.   OVERHOUSE 

The  men  to  whom  may  be  ascribed  justly  the  honor  of  bring- 
ing a  community  to  a  thriving  and  successful  state  are  those  who 
have  unselfishly  put  their  personal  interests  second  to  the  needs 
of  the  public  and  with  foresight  and  untiring  effort,  supplemented 
by  unfailing  optimism,  have  assisted  in  the  task  of  bringing  to 
fruition  plans  which  shall  place  on  a  solid  foundation  the  district 
to  which  they  have  lent  their  citizenship. 

Numbered  among  those  who  have  not  only  planned  but  who 
have  judiciously  carried  out  their  ideas  to  the  benefit  of  their  fel- 
low men  is  W.  D.  Overhouse,  who  has  spent  his  entire  life  in 
Yolo  county,  his  birth  having  occurred  near  Winters  April  13, 
1864.  Upon  completing  Ms  education  in  the  public  schools  he 
engaged  in  farming,  early  displaying  the  high  principles  and  ex- 


640  HISTOEY  OF  YOLO  COUNTY 

ecutive  ability  which  have  distinguished  him  among  his  associates. 
He  is  the  son  of  the  pioneer,  William  Overhouse,  who  is  repre- 
sented elsewhere  in  this  work.  For  the  past  twenty-two  years 
Mr.  Overhouse  has  successfully  farmed  the  Cradwick  fruit  ranch, 
and  has  spent  much  time  and  thought  in  its  improvement,  being 
a  firm  believer  in  progressive  ■  and  up-to-date  measures  in  all 
liel i Is  of  labor. 

Mr.  Overhouse  was  united  in  marriage  with  Miss  Lillie  Parker, 
whose  birth  occurred  in  Virginia  City,  Nev.,  and  who  received 
her  education  in  the  schools  of  Winters.  Her  parents,  Thomas 
and  Libbie  (Cradwick)  Parker,  natives  of  England,  were  among 
the  first  settlers  of  Winters.  Seven  children  were  born  to  the 
union  of  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Overhouse:  Adrian,  who  is  employed  as  a 
bookkeeper  by  the  Earl  Fruit  Company  of  Sacramento,  Cal. ;  Ray; 
Harold;  Leonard;  Edith,  who  graduated  from  the  San  Jose  State 
Normal  in  1909,  and  who  now  teaches  in  the  grammar  school 
of  Sacramento ;   Leta ;   and  Melva. 

Mr.  Overhouse  is  a  charter  member  of  Acacia  Camp,  W.  0. 
W.,  and  Court  Winters  No.  87,  Ancient  Order  of  Foresters,  in  both 
of  which  lodges  he  takes  an  active  interest.  The  Democratic  party 
has  always  received  his  hearty  support  as  an  elector,  and  he  has 
at  all  times  maintained  a  comprehensive  interest  in  political  af- 
fairs in  general,  though  he  has  never  desired  public  office.  As  a 
consistent  member  of  the  Presbyterian  Church  of  Winters  he  is 
known  as  one  of  the  most  able  and  generous  factors  of  that  insti- 
tution and  is  prompt  to  aid  in  the  uplifting  and  far-reaching  work 
connected   therewith. 


HORACE  CAMERON  HINCKLEY 

The  agricultural  possibilities  of  California  and  especially  of 
that  portion  thereof  lying  within  the  limits  of  the  fertile  valley  of 
the  Sacramento,  find  in  Mr.  Hinckley  an  intelligent  champion  and 
enthusiastic  supporter.  With  an  ardent  faith  in  the  future  of  this 
region  he  left  his  home  in  the  southern  part  of  the  state  and  estab- 
lished headquarters  on  the  ranch  near  Knights  Landing,  where  now 
he  extensively  engages  in  grain-growing  and  stock-raising.  Modern 
methods  are  employed  in  the  selection  of  stock  and  in  their  super- 
vision, as  well  as  in  the  cultivation  of  the  land.  The  Yolo  Ranch 
Company,  of  which  he  is  vice-president,  superintendent  and  the 
principal  owner,  has  been  incorporated  under  the  laws  of  the  state 
and  owns  a  vast  tract  aggregating  twenty-one  hundred  acres,  of 


HISTORY  OF  YOLO  COUNTY  641 

which  eight  hundred  acres  are  in  wheat,  a  very  profitable  crop  in 
this  locality.  The  president  of  the  company  is  William  H.  Meek  of 
Haywards. 

The  Hinckley  family  has  been  represented  in  the  west  for  a 
considerable  number  of  years.  Frank  Hinckley,  a  native  of  Ohio 
and  a  civil  engineer  during  early  life,  was  led  to  the  Pacific  coast  by 
reason  of  opportunities  for  employment  in  his  chosen  occupation 
and  for  some  time  he  remained  in  the  employ  of  the  Southern  Pacific 
Railroad  Company.  While  making  his  headquarters  in  Oregon  he 
there  married  Miss  Sarah  Meek,  and  later  they  established  a  home 
in  Alameda  county,  Cal.,  where  their  son,  Horace  C,  was  born  De- 
cember 15,  1883.  From  the  vicinity  of  San  Francisco  bay  they  re- 
moved to  San  Bernardino  county  and  purchased  land  there.  The 
death  of  the  senior  Hinckley  occurred  in  that  county  in  1890  and 
there  the  younger  representative  of  the  name  received  his  educa- 
tion in  the  schools  of  San  Bernardino  and  Redlands.  After  having 
finished  the  studies  of  the  high  school  in  the  city  last-named  he 
turned  his  attention  to  business  pursuits  and  engaged  in  the  grading 
of  roads  and  the  laying  of  pipe  lines. 

After  having  worked  as  a  contractor  in  his  home  county  for  a 
number  of  years,  Mr.  Hinckley  came  to  Yolo  county  in  1908  and 
assumed  the  management  of  the  large  property  in  which  he  was 
then  and  now  continues  to  be  the  principal  owner.  As  previously 
intimated,  he  is  making  a  specialty  of  the  wheat  business.  From  the 
crop  of  1910  he  harvested  ten  thousand  sacks  of  grain,  in  1911 
seventeen  hundred  sacks,  and  in  1912  about  thirty-five  hundred 
sacks  and  about  nine  hundred  tons  of  hay.  On  the  ranch  may  be 
seen  a  number  of  pure-bred  Holstein  cattle  and  others  of  a  high 
grade,  besides  which  there  are  numerous  horses  kept  both  for  work 
and  breeding  purposes,  as  well  as  a  large  drove  of  hogs.  Mr. 
Hinckley  makes  a  specialty  of  breeding  and  raising  heavy  draft 
horses.  He  owns  one  of  the  best  English  shire  stallions  in  the  state, 
Rillington  Rover,  A.  S.  B.  9160,  a  seven-year  old  imported  English 
shire  dark  bay  weighing  twenty-two  hundred  and  fifty  pounds.  His 
two-year  old  colts  and  fillies  weigh  fifteen  hundred  pounds,  and 
yearlings  a  thousand  to  eleven  hundred  pounds.  Mr.  Hinckley  also 
owns  a  two-year  old  stallion  by  Rillington  Rover  that  weighs  eigh- 
teen hundred  pounds.  The  Yolo  ranch  lias  established  a  reputation 
for  having  the  finest  draft  horses  in  this  entire  section.  The  ener- 
getic manager  is  putting  forth  every  effort  to  secure  the  greatest 
possible  results  from  the  laud.  The  efficacy  of  the  methods  lie  em- 
ploys is  apparent  even  to  the  casual  observer.  In  no  local  problem 
is  he  more  deeply  interested  than  in  the  subject  of  overflow.  The 
conditions  appertaining  thereto  he  has  studied  with  an  intelligent 
and  discriminating  comprehension,  with  a  view  to  the  reclamation 


642  HISTORY  OF  YOLO  COUNTY 

of  some  of  the  most  fertile  land  is  the  entire  state.  At  the  present 
time  lie  is  utilizing  large  pumping  plants  on  his  own  ranch  and  the 
method  thus  resorted  to  seems  to  promise  satisfactory  results.  He 
has  installed  an  irrigation  system,  a  large  twenty-inch  pump  and  a 
hundred  horse  electric  motor,  from  which  he  can  irrigate  any  part 
of  the  extensive  ranch.  He  is  raising  alfalfa  and  will  soon  have 
about  five  hundred  acres  of  clover. 

The  marriage  of  Mr.  Hinckley  took  place  in  Woodland  April  5, 
1911,  and  united  him  with  one  of  the  native  daughters  and  cultured 
young  ladies  of  that  thriving  place,  Miss  Allie  Madge  Tharp,  who 
was  educated  in  the  Woodland  schools  and  has  been  one  of  the  lead- 
ing members  of  the  Eastern  Star  at  that  place.  Mr.  Hinckley  also 
has  affiliations  with  that  chapter,  besides  being  an  active  member  of 
the  blue  lodge  and  the  Royal  Arch  chapter  at  Woodland  and  in  these 
various  degrees  of  Masonry  he  ranks  as  a  man  of  generous  attri- 
butes and  keen  mental  faculties,  which  likewise  is  his  reputation 
among  the  business  men  of  Woodland,  Knights  Landing,  Grafton 
and  Sacramento,  as  well  as  other  cities  and  towns  of  the  valley. 


H.  J.  HANSEN 

Back  to  the  period  when  authentic  history  is  lost  in  traditional 
lore  the  Hansen  family  lived  in  Denmark  and  followed  the  sea 
as  sailors.  The  geographical  location  of  the  peninsula  where  they 
were  born  and  reared  attracted  them  to  an  ocean  life  as  a  means 
of  livelihood,  for,  brought  up  within  the  sound  of  the  sea  and 
familiar  with  sailors  from  their  earliest  recollections,  for  genera- 
tion after  generation  the  men  of  the  family  gave  their  preference 
to  work  on  shipboard.  Always  starting  in  very  lowly  capacities, 
some  of  them  rose  to  be  masters  of  vessels,  while  others  occupied 
more  humble  rank,  yet  filled  their  positions  with  the  same  fear- 
lessness characteristic  of  the  higher  officers.  Nor  was  Peter  Hansen 
less  brave  than  his  progenitors,  and  many  a  time  in  his  seafaring 
expeditions  he  encountered  great  peril  with  calmness.  Although 
fond  of  the  sea,  he  was  not  averse  to  the  quiet  pursuits  of  the 
landsmen,  and  when  his  ship  rounded  the  Horn  in  an  early  day,  a 
desire  to  see  the  west  led  him  to  give  up  his  work  and  join  a 
throng  of  gold  miners  in  Trinity  county.  The  mines  not  proving 
profitable,  he  removed  to  Butte  county  and  took  up  land  near  Chico, 
where  he  spent  the  remainder  of  his  life.  After  he  settled  in  Cali- 
fornia he  married  Elizabeth  Boydstun,  who  was  born  in  Arkansas, 


HISTOEY  OF  YOLO  COUNTY  643 

and  crossed  the  plains  with  members  of  her  family  at  an  early  age. 
Among  the  children  of  Peter  and  Elizabeth  Hansen  there  was 
a  son,  H.  J.,  who  was  born  near  Chico,  Butte  county,  in  1877,  and 
received  a  common-school  education,  supplemented  by  attendance 
at  the  Chico  Business  College.  After  leaving  the  college  he  was 
employed  for  five  years  in  a  business  office  in  Chico.  During  1905 
he  married  Miss  Catherine  Eggleston,  member  of  a  pioneer  Cali- 
fornia family.  They  are  the  parents  of  two  children,  Willis  E.  and 
Dorothy  M.  Coming  to  Yolo  county  in  1906,  Mr.  Hansen  since 
has  engaged  in  farm  pursuits  here,  although  he  still  retains  an 
interest  in  the  old  homestead  near  Chico.  The  ranch  of 
one  hundred  and  sixty  acres,  which  he  has  operated  since 
his  arrival  in  the  county,  has  been  greatly  improved.  An 
innovation  which  has  proved  profitable  was  the  planting  of 
twenty-four  acres  of  Egyptian  corn.  Some  of  this  has 
run  forty  sacks  to  the  acre  and  all  has  been  sold  at  $2  per  sack. 
The  barley  yields  about  thirty  sacks  to  the  acre,  and  under 
the  present  mode  of  cultivation  and  fertilization  will  give  larger 
returns  in  the  future.  Thirty  acres  of  the  farm  are  under  alfalfa, 
which  always  proves  a  profitable  crop.  The  owner  realizes  the 
value  of  fine  stock,  and  the  animals  to  be  found  on  the  farm  are 
unexcelled  in  quality  and  breeding.  The  mares  are  not  only  good 
work  animals,  but  in  addition  they  produce  fine  colts  of  the  Per- 
cheron  strain.  A  herd  of  one  hundred  Poland-China  hogs  proves  an 
income  producer.  The  milch  cows  are  the  best  that  could  be  bought 
in  the  community  and  the  stock  animal  is  a  fine  type  of  thorough- 
bred Holstein.  At  the  state  farm  Mr.  Hansen  won  the  prize  in 
1910  for  the  best  grade  of  cream  and  the  highest  dairy  score,  the 
prize  being  a  $200  bull  calf  presented  by  George  A.  Smith.  Since 
he  came  to  this  county  he  has  been  so  closely  tied  to  farm  work 
and  so  anxious  to  improve  the  condition  of  the  property  that  he 
has  had  no  leisure  for  participation  in  public  affairs,  nor  has  he 
identified  himself  with  any  fraternities  aside  from  the  Independent 
Order  of  Odd  Fellows,  and  their  kindred  society,  the  Rebekahs,  to 
which  latter  his  wife  also  belongs. 


JOHN  B.  ANDERSON 

Across  the  ocean  and  over  the  trackless  deserts  the  tide  of 
emigration  always  has  drifted  toward  the  setting  sun.  Several 
generations  of  the  Anderson  family  have  lived  in  the  new  world, 
and  George  and  Mary  A.  (Freeland)  Anderson,  were  both  natives 


644  HISTORY  OF  YOLO  COUNTY 

of  Canada,  but  they  descended  from  Scotch  and  Irish  progenitors 
who  had  left  their  old  homes  for  the  unknown  possibilities  across 
the  great  sea.  It  was  natural  that  John  B.  Anderson,  who  was 
born  in  1863  at  Shanly,  Ontario,  the  home  of  his  father,  George, 
one  hundred  miles  from  Montreal,  should  feel  the  call  of  the  west, 
and  in  responding  to  the  nameless  fascination  it  exerted  over  him 
should  come  to  the  shores  of  the  Pacific  in  his  search  for  a  perma- 
nent location.  Nor  did  he  travel  the  entire  distance  in  one  journey, 
for  in  1888  he  stopped  at  White  Pine,  Nev.,  and  entered  the  employ 
of  the  Eberhart  Mining  Company,  an  English  corporation,  for  whom 
he  worked  about  three  and  one-half  years. 

Coming  to  California  in  1892,  Mr.  Anderson  arrived  at  San 
Francisco  without  any  definite  idea  as  to  his  future  location.  Being 
a  stranger,  he  had  no  friends  to  consult  in  reference  to  desirable 
points  for  employment  and  for  settlement.  By  chance,  as  he  was 
standing  on  the  street  one  day,  he  heard  two  men  talking  about 
the  village  of  Davis  and  they  described  Yolo  county  in  glowing- 
terms.  The  description  interested  him  and  he  decided  to  investi- 
gate for  himself,  the  result  being  that  he  became  a  permanent  citi- 
zen of  the  county.  Nor  has  he  had  reason  to  regret  the  happy 
coincidence  which  led  to  his  settlement  here,  for  he  has  prospered 
in  this  community  and  has  become  a  highly  honored  and  influen- 
tial citizen. 

After  having  worked  for  the  Anderson  Bros.,  in  their  almond 
orchard,  Mr.  Anderson  hired  out  for  one  year  on  the  Greene  ranch. 
Next  he  entered  the  employ  of  McFarland,  Smith  &  Co.,  dealers  in 
general  merchandise  in  Davis,  and  later  bought  out  the  proprietors 
of  the  establishment,  which  he  conducted  as  the  Davis  cash  store, 
the  largest  general  merchandise  establishment  in  Davis.  His  con- 
tinuance in  business  terminated  in  February  of  1910,  when  he  sold 
the  store  to  P.  S.  Marshall,  and  he  in  turn  sold  to  Eummelsburg  & 
Bierbaum,  the  present  proprietors.  Among  the  farmers  he  not  only 
built  up  a  large  trade,  but  won  a  high  standing  through  unvarying 
integrity  and  uprightness  in  all  transactions. 

Before  the  local  bank  was  established,  he  handled  large  amounts 
of  money  for  farmers  of  the  neighborhood  and  built  up  a  banking 
business  of  considerable  importance.  Much  of  this  was  for  accom- 
modation and  brought  no  returns  financially,  but  it  gave  him  the 
confidence  of  his  customers,  and  in  no  instance  did  he  betray  any 
trust  reposed  in  him.  Like  the  majority  of  the  residents  of  the 
county,  lie  has  owned  considerable  property  here,  and  at  one  time 
he  had  twenty-six  town  lots  near  the  state  farm,  but  these  he  has 
sold. 

The  first  marriage  of  Mr.  Anderson  took  place  in  1899  and 
united  him  with  Miss  Alvina  C.  Henning,  who  was  born  in  Solano 


HISTORY  OF  YOLO  COUNTY  645 

county,  this  state,  and  died  in  Yolo  county  in  1905,  leaving  an 
only  son,  George  F.  In  1908  Mr.  Anderson  was  again  married, 
this  time  being  united  with  Miss  Minnie  Campbell,  who  was  born 
in  Missouri,  but  has  been  a  resident  of  California  from  early  life. 
One  daughter,  Helen  C,  blesses  this  union.  Various  fraternal 
organizations  receive  the  allegiance  and  aid  of  Mr.  Anderson,  who 
enjoys  the  insurance  privileges  of  the  Woodmen,  as  well  as  the 
social  opportunities  afforded  by  identification  with  the  Masons,  the 
Knights  of  Pythias  and  the  Independent  Order  of  Odd  Fellows. 
With  his  wife  he  has  been  connected  with  the  local  chapter  of  the 
Eastern  Star,  as  well  as  the  charities  and  civic  helpfulness  for 
which  the  Rebekahs  are  well  known. 


ISAAC  CHILES 

The  distinction  which  he  enjoyed  as  a  pioneer  of  1849,  and  as 
one  of  the  most  talented  men  of  his  day,  gave  to  Isaac  Chiles  a 
local  prestige  and  prominence  which  caused  his  death  to  be  deeply 
mourned,  for  on  every  side  the  statement  was  heard  that  not  only 
had  his  untimely  demise  occurred  ere  he  had  attained  the  expected 
results  of  his  sagacious  endeavors,  but  in  addition  the  community 
had  lost  a  citizen  of  inestimable  value  to  its  permanent  welfare. 
Early  as  was  the  date  of  his  settlement  in  Yolo  county,  he  was  not 
the  first  member  of  the  family  to  arrive  here  and  to  invest  in 
property  lying  within  the  present  limits  of  this  prosperous  sec- 
tion. It  is  a  fact  of  historic  interest  that  his  uncle,  Col.  J.  B. 
Chiles,  crossed  the  plains  during  the  summer  of  1841  in  company 
with  Green  McMahon.  In  those  days  the  overland  route  had  not 
been  blazed  and  travelers  were  at  a  loss  to  decide  as  to  the  best 
roads  for  travel,  hence  he  and  his  companion  encountered  many 
delays  and  many  dangers  happily  escaped  by  later  emigrants.  Some 
time  after  his  arrival  in  the  west  the  colonel  located  the  Los  Putas 
grant  in  Yolo  county  and  paid  for  the  same,  eventually  giving  a 
part  of  the  tract  to  his  son-in-law,  Jerome  Davis,  the  influential 
old  settler  in  whose  honor  the  village  of  Davis  was  named. 

Born  in  Lafayette  county,  Ky.,  July  9,  1829,  Isaac  Chiles  was 
the  only  one  of  fourteen  children  who  claimed  the  blue  grass  state 
as  his  native  commonwealth.  Shortly  after  his  birth  the  parents 
removed  to  Missouri,  and  there  all  of  the  other  children  were  born. 
In  Missouri  the  father  owned  a  large  warehouse,  which  he  conducted 
for  years.     The  eldest  child  in  the  family  left  school  at  the  age  of 


646  HISTORY  OF  YOLO  COUNTY 

fourteen  and  afterward  assisted  in  the  warehouse  until  the  spring 
of  1849,  when  he  started  across  the  plains  from  Independence,  Mo., 
with  wagons  and  ox-teams.  Sacramento  was  reached  in  the  fall  of 
the  same  year,  and  from  there  he  came  to  Yolo  county,  where  he 
engaged  as  bookkeeper  for  Jerome  Davis  on  the  Davis  ranch,  cov- 
ering the  present  site  of  the  village  of  that  name.  During  1862 
he  bought  five  thousand  acres  of  the  grant,  which  he  devoted  to  the 
raising  of  stock  and  grain. 

In  January  of  1863,  Isaac  Chiles  married  Bridget  Dee,  a  native 
of  Ireland.  They  became  the  parents  of  two  sons,  J.  F.  and  W.  D. 
While  still  in  the  prime  of  his  vigorous  activities,  Mr.  Chiles  died 
June  5,  1874,  at  the  age  of  forty-seven  years,  ten  months  and 
twenty-six  days.  His  success  had  been  large,  but  it  was  the 
universal  sentiment  that  had  his  life  been  spared  he  would 
have  become  in  time  one  of  the  largest  land-owners  of  Northern 
California,  for  his  ability  was  great  and  his  energy  tireless. 
Fortunately,  his  ability  and  his  energy,  as  well  as  his  lands, 
have  fallen  to  the  inheritance  of  his  sons,  both  of  whom  have 
become  prominent  citizens  of  Yolo  county.  The  younger,  Wil- 
liam D.,  is  represented  elsewhere  in  this  volume.  The  older  son, 
James  Franklin,  born  in  November  of  1863,  has  served  in  the  state 
assembly  from  Yolo  county  and  owns  a  large  ranch  devoted  to  the 
raising  of  grain  and  of  stock,  his  specialties  being  thoroughbred 
horses  and  Durham  cattle.  By  his  marriage  to  Miss  Buneman, 
a  native  of  San  Francisco,  he  has  three  children,  Henry  Gardner, 
Marjorie  and  John  Preston. 


WILLIAM  M.  LOGWOOD 

The  old-fashioned  prairie  schooner  was  the  popular  convey- 
ance for  transportation  at  the  time  of  Mr.  Logwood's  removal  to 
California,  and  he  vividly  recalls  the  incidents  of  the  trip  that 
brought  him,  when  a  boy  of  seven  years,  from  the  sunny  southland 
to  the  land  by  the  sunset  sea.  The  recollections  which  he  enter- 
tains concerning  his  native  Texas  (for  he  was  born  in  Sherman 
county,  that  state,  in  1845)  are  obscured  by  the  mists  that  throw 
childhood  into  the  realms  of  dreamland,  yet  he  remembers  the 
rugged  farmers  pausing  in  their  toil  to  converse  concerning  the 
outcome  of  the  Mexican  war  and  the  vast  riches  of  the  new  Cali- 
fornia mines.  The  family  home,  too,  was  enlivened  by  discussions 
as  to  removal  to  the  west,  and  his  father,  Thomas  Y.  Logwood, 


HISTORY  OF  YOLO  COUNTY  647 

a  native  of  Alabama  and  a  descendant  of  an  old  southern  family, 
eventually  decided  to  take  his  wife  and  children  across  the  country 
to  California,  with  the  hope  of  bettering  his  financial  prospects. 
The  year  1852  found  them  traveling  via  the  southern  overland 
route,  and  a  tedious  but  uneventful  journey  found  its  termination 
in  the  Salinas  valley  of  Monterey  county,  where  land  was  secured 
and  a  home  established.  Death  brought  its  own  sorrows  into  the 
home  within  a  few  years  after  settlement  had  been  made  in  the 
valley,  for  one  of  the  sons,  Thomas,  passed  away  in  1856,  and  the 
following  year  the  mother,  Susan  (Wyatt)  Logwood,  a  Texan  by 
birth  and  education,  was  taken  from  the  home,  leaving  the  father 
with  the  care  of  four  small  motherless  children,  William  M.,  Charles 
P.,  Edward  L.  and  Mary  E.  The  first-named  was  twelve  at  that 
time  and  thenceforth  he  practically  made  his  own  way,  although 
until  the  death  of  the  father  in  1881,  he  had  the  benefit  of  his 
practical  agricultural  experience  and  kindly  counsel. 

Having  been  trained  to  a  practical  knowledge  of  general  farm- 
ing it  was  natural  that  William  M.  Logwood  should  select  it  as  his 
occupation  in  life.  After  a  time  he  became  especially  interested  in 
one  of  the  most  important  departments  of  agriculture,  viz. :  the 
dairy  industry.  For  a  long  period  he  conducted  a  dairy  of  four  hun- 
dred cows  on  the  site  of  what  is  now  the  village  of  Spreckels  in 
Monterey  county  and  became  one  of  the  most  experienced  dairy- 
men in  the  entire  state,  gaining  a  wide  reputation  for  skill  in  the 
industry.  Indeed,  it  was  this  reputation  which  led  to  his  selection 
for  the  important  position  he  now  fills.  When  the  Henry  Cowell 
Lime  and  Cement  Company  of  San  Francisco  was  searching  for 
a  man  of  intelligence  and  skill  to  act  as  foreman  of  their  cattle 
ranch,  commonly  known  as  the  old  R.  S.  Carey  property,  they 
invited  him  to  fill  the  position  and  he  consented,  the  result  being 
that  he  has  been  retained  in  that  capacity  ever  since  1896.  His 
long  retention  is  proof  of  the  high  character  of  his  services.  The 
ranch  of  which  he  has  charge  comprises  sixty-two  thousand  acres, 
and  there  is  usually  kept  in  the  vast  pastures  from  one  thousand 
to  fifteen  hundred  head  of  cattle.  The  tract  lies  in  the  vicinity 
of  Davis,  Yolo  county,  and  is  owned  by  the  San  Francisco  firm, 
who  conduct  the  extensive  stock  business.  To  the  management  of 
the  business  Mr.  Logwood  devotes  his  entire  time  and  has  not  had 
the  leisure  for  participation  in  politics  or  in  fraternal  affairs, 
although  when  he  was  living  in  Monterey  county  he  held  active 
membership  with  the  Salinas  Lodge  of  Masonry. 

During  1885  he  married  Miss  Irene  Robbins,  a  native  of  Illinois, 
and  since  coming  to  Yolo  county  he  and  his  wife,  with  their  two 
children,  Leslie  and  Yewel,  have  made  their  home  on  the  large 
ranch  of  which  he  acts  as  foreman. 


648  HISTORY  OF  YOLO  COUNTY 


THOMAS  D.  CUMMINS 


The  prominent  young  citizen  of  Yolo  county,  Cal.,  whose  name 
is  above  is  a  son  of  the  late  Thomas  J.  Cummins,  who  was  born 
in  Fulton  county,  111.,  July  23,  1838,  and  passed  away  at  Wood- 
land, December  14,  1910.  The  younger  Cummins  was  born  at  Col- 
lege City,  Colusa  county,  Cal.,  August  10,  1881.  His  mother  was 
Cordelia  (Bostwick)  Cummins,  a  native  of  Missouri.  He  was  edu- 
cated in  the  Woodland  public  school,  which  he  entered  at  four- 
teen years  of  age,  and  at  Woodland  Business  College.  Then  he 
assisted  his  father  in  the  latter 's  stock  business  until  the  elder 
Cummins  died.  Later,  after  some  time  spent  on  the  Cummins 
ranch  in  Sutter  county,  he  returned  to  Woodland,  where  he  has 
since  been  operating  on  his  own  account.  In  July,  1911,  in  part- 
nership with  Mr.  Boyle,  he  bought  the  Brown  Brothers  feed  and 
fuel  business  on  Main  street  near  Elm.  They  also  do  a  large 
business  in  buying  and  selling  draught  horses,  shipping  many  to 
the  most  available  markets.  They  handle  also  much  hay,  buying 
and  selling  as  the  market  dictates. 

In  San  Jose,  Cal.,  Mr.  Cummins  married  Miss  Hazel  Spauld- 
ing,  a  native  of  Woodland,  and  they  have  two  daughters,  Sue 
Dea  and  Elizabeth.  He  was  made  a  Mason  in  Tyrian  Lodge  No. 
284  of  Dunnigan,  Cal.,  and  is  now  a  member  of  Woodland  Lodge 
No.  156,  F.  &  A.  M.,  and  of  Woodland  Chapter  No.  46,  B,  A.  M., 
and  Woodland  Commandery  No.  21,  K.  T.  He  affiliates  also  with 
the  0.  E.  S.  and  the  Woodmen  of  the  World. 

James  and  Mary  (Dickinson)  Cummins,  parents  of  Thomas  J. 
and  grandparents  of  Thomas  D.  Cummins,  in  the  paternal  line,  were 
born,  respectively,  in  Greenbrier  county,  Va.,  and  Lincoln  county, 
Ohio.  They  settled  first  in  Illinois,  then  removed  to  Bates  county, 
Mo.,  where  the  mother  died  in  1847,  when  Thomas  J.  was  nine  years 
old.  The  other  children  of  the  family  were :  Jane,  Bebecca,  Saman- 
tha,  Emiline,  John,  James  and  Samuel.  From  Bates  county  the 
family  moved  to  Henry  county,  but  afterward  settled  in  Bay  county. 
Lured  by  tales  of  gold,  James  Cummins  crossed  the  plains  in  1850, 
and  in  1851  returned  to  his  children  with  several  thousand  dollars 
dug  out  of  mines  around  Hangtown.  In  1852  he  came  back  to  the 
coast  with  a  part  of  his  family,  he  having  married  a  second  time. 
He  bought  and  conducted  the  old  Eagle  hotel  on  the  old  Nevada 
road,  above  Sacramento,  until  1855,  then  sold  it,  and  with  one  of 
his  daughters  and  his  son,  Thomas  J.,  returned  to  Missouri.  In 
1857  he  bought  five  hundred  cattle,  which  he  drove  across  the  plains 
to  Calaveras  county,  Cal.,  settling  near  Jenny  Lind,  where  he  was 
several  years  busied  with  stock-raising.  Failing  health  at  length 
compelled  him  to  return  to  Greenbrier  county,  Va.,  whence  he  went 
to  Hillsdale,  Kan.,  where  he  died  in  1878. 


HISTORY  OF  YOLO  COUNTY  <S19 

Arrived  in  Missouri,  Thomas  J.  Cummins  fell  in  love  with 
and  married  Miss  Bostwick.  She  was  a  daughter  of  Noble  D.  and 
Katherine  (Cummins)  Bostwick,  natives  of  Pennsylvania  and  Ohio, 
respectively.  The  Bostwick  family  settled  in  Sutter  county,  Cal., 
on  the  Sacramento,  in  1857,  and  later  moved  to  Santa  Rosa,  whence 
a  year  later  they  went  to  Oregon,  and  still  another  year  later,  to 
College  City,  Colusa  county.  Mr.  Bostwick  died  in  Jackson  county, 
Ore.,  in  1896,  aged  seventy-eight;  his  wife,  at  the  home  of  her 
son-in-law,  Mr.  Cummins,  in  1899,  almost  eighty  years  old.  It 
was  on  the  return  from  Missouri  with  the  five  hundred  cattle  that  at 
the  head  of  the  Humboldt  river  Thomas  J.  Cummins  and  his  father 
had  a  misunderstanding,  which  resulted  in  the  departure  of  the 
son,  with  his  bride  and  a  cash  capital  of  $4.50,  with  a  declaration 
to  the  pater  that  he  had  no  fears  for  the  future  and  would  some 
day  be  as  rich  as  his  parent.  The  young  couple  made  the  rest  of 
the  journey  on  foot,  three  hundred  miles,  their  bedding  and  extra 
clothing  being  hauled  by  fellow  travelers  with  teams.  The  route  was 
by  Beckwith  Pass  and  valley,  and  at  Salt  Creek  Mrs.  Cummins  and 
her  sister  each  earned  $3  a  day  at  sewing.  For  two  months  Mr. 
and  Mrs.  Cummins  managed  the  Mountain  Spring  hotel  for  $80 
a  month.  With  a  part  of  their  earnings  Mr.  Cummins  bought  a 
mule,  saddle  and  bridle.  The  following  month  they  spent  with 
Mrs.  Cummins'  parents,  who  had  settled  near  Yuba  City.  Mrs. 
Cummins  was  a  mere  girl,  then  between  fifteen  and  sixteen  years 
old,  and,  after  her  experiences,  it  is  probable  she  found  her  mother's 
sympathy  comforting.  Her  young  husband  soon  secured  employ- 
ment at  $50  a  month  in  the  George  Briggs  orchard,  above  Marys - 
ville.  Four  months  later  he  took  sheep  on  shares  in  Sutter  county, 
and  the  family  lived  in  the  most  primitive  of  log  cabins,  on  a  diet 
principally  of  rice.  He  eked  out  his  income  by  woodchopping  and 
was  soon  able  to  buy  a  cow,  and  others  were  bought  until  they 
had  five.  At  the  end  of  a  year  he  sold  his  interest  in  the  sheep  for 
$1275.  His  wife  had  made  his  shirts  out  of  flour  sacks  and  had 
raised  motherless  lambs  on  cows'  milk.  They  were  now  able  to 
buy  land  at  Butte  Slough,  Colusa  county,  on  which  he  raised  hogs 
up  to  18(>2.  He  then  sold  his  farm  and  rented  Col.  George  Hagar's 
ranch  until  early  in  1870.  In  the  fall  he  bought  four  hundred  acres 
in  Sutter  county,  where  he  later  owned  eighteen  hundred  acres, 
stocked  with  thousands  of  sheep  and  hundreds  of  hogs.  Thirteen 
years  after  their  separation  son  and  father  met  on  the  prairie  and 
were  reconciled,  and,  as  he  had  promised,  the  son  then  had  more 
wealth  than  the  father.  In  1872  Mr.  Cummins  took  a  herd  of  cal  tic 
to  Lassen  county,  but  sold  out  next  year  to  Jacob  McKissick.  "With 
1L  Murdock  he  bought  seventeen  hundred  cattle  and  range  in 
Nevada,  and  the  same  year  he  bought  fifteen  hundred  head.     Two 


650  HISTORY  OF  YOLO  COUNTY 

years  later  lie  bought  sixteen  hundred  head  at  Forty-Nine,  on  Las- 
sen trail.  He  handled  cattle  for  the  San  Francisco  market,  1873- 
75.  Later  he  bought  three  thousand  acres  of  hay  land  in  Sur- 
prise Valley,  Modoc  county,  Cal.  In  order  to  secure  better  educa- 
tional advantages  for  his  children  he  located  on  a  forty-acre  tract 
near  College  City,  Colusa  county,  where  he  lived  from  1876  to  1894. 
Then  he  purchased  the  fine  family  home  on  Court  street,  Woodland, 
where  he  lived  out  his  days,  taking  occasional  trips  to  his  more  or 
less  distant  possessions.  In  his  more  active  years  he  traveled  exten- 
sively throughout  the  country,  buying  stock.  He  was  one  of  the 
largest  individual  stock  buyers  in  California.  It  was  as  a  business 
man  that  he  gained  most  reputation.  Socially  he  was  jovial  and 
companionable,  approachable  when  his  financial  support  was  de- 
sired for  charitable  or  other  worthy  causes,  and  at  all  times  a 
gentleman  of  the  old  school,  loyal,  honorable  and  fearless.  Follow- 
ing are  the  names  of  his  children,  arranged  in  the  order  of  the  birtb 
of  those  on  whom  they  were  conferred:  Virginia  S.,  who  mar- 
ried James  Whitehead;  Mary  E.,  who  is  the  wife  of  George  Tol- 
son;  Ida  S.,  who  died,  aged  sixteen  months;  Catharine  L.,  who 
married  Asa  Lane;  Charles  Edwin,  who  married  Lillie  Vaughan; 
Evelyn  L.,  the  wife  of  Jackson  P.  West;  Ada  E.,  who  married 
Charles  Betterton;  Cordelia  M.,  Mrs.  B.  W.  Worley;  Leonora  E., 
Mrs.  Forest  B.  Caldwell;  Thomas  D.,  mentioned  somewhat  at  length 
above;  and  Miss  Blanche  A.  Cummins,  who  is  a  member  of  her 
mother's  household.  There  are  twenty-three  grandchildren  and 
seven  great-grandchildren. 


FRED  C.  EWERT 

For  more  than  a  quarter  of  a  century  the  associations  of  Mr. 
Ewert  have  been  with  the  progressive  business  interests  of  Wood- 
land, where  he  has  risen  to  an  influential  position  solely  through 
his  unaided  exertions.  Upon  coming  to  California  he  was  greatly 
handicapped  by  a  lack  of  knowledge  of  the  English  language,  a 
lack  of  money  with  which  to  meet  the  necessary  expenses  of  exis- 
tence in  a  strange  country,  and  a  lack  of  friends  to  help  him  in 
the  first  heavy  struggles  toward  independence.  Notwithstanding 
the  obstacles  and  privations  of  those  years  he  won  his  way  to  a 
post  of  honor  in  commercial  circles.  The  greatest  aid  in  those 
years,  as  now,  was  his  accurate  knowledge  of  the  trade  of  a  watch- 
maker.    Following  the  excellent  German  custom,  he  had  been   ap- 


HISTORY  OF  YOLO  COUNTY  651 

prenticed  to  a  trade  at  the  age  of  fourteen  years.  By  a  seeming- 
chance  the  trade  selected  had  been  that  of  jeweler  and  watch- 
maker, for  which  he  was  well  qualified  by  natural  gifts,  and  in 
which  he  soon  acquired  an  unusual  profieiency.  The  knowledge  of 
the  trade  became  the  foundation  of  later  success  and  rendered  pos- 
sible the  accumulation  of  a  competency. 

The  first  sixteen  years  in  the  life  of  Mr.  Ewert  were  passed 
in  Germany,  where  the  family  home  was  located  in  Pomerania. 
He  was  born  there  March  23,  1865,  received  a  fair  education  in  its 
schools,  and  served  his  apprenticeship  in  Loitz,  a  thriving  village 
not  a  great  distance  from  the  rockbound  coast  of  the  Baltic  sea. 
Accompanying  two  brothers  he  crossed  the  ocean  to  America  in 
1881,  and  on  the  1st  of  November  arrived  in  San  Francisco,  where 
he  soon  secured  employment.  His  unfamilarity  with  the  English 
language  prevented  bim  from  securing  work  at  his  trade,  and  he 
engaged  in  other  lines  of  labor  until  he  was  able  to  fill  a  position 
as  a  watchmaker  and  jeweler.  From  San  Francisco  he  had  removed 
to  Sacramento,  and  in  1885  he  came  to  Woodland,  where  he  has 
since  made  bis  home.  In  1887  he  started  in  the  jewelry  business 
here,  and  by  the  excellence  of  his  workmanship  he  won  a  position 
of  respect  and  confidence  among  the  people.  A  general  jewelry 
business  was  conducted  in  his  store,  on  the  corner  of  First  and 
Main  streets,  until  August,  1912,  when  he  established  himself  in  bis 
own  building,  No.  532  Main  street,  where  the  appointments  and  fix- 
tures are  as  modern  and  up-to-date  as  any  in  the  state.  By  his 
business  integrity  and  the  exercise  of  high  principles  he  has  gained 
a  place  among  the  most  honored  citizens  of  his  home  town,  while  he 
further  enjoys  a  reputation  for  skill  and  accuracy  in  all  details  con- 
nected with  the  occupation  selected  for  his  life  work. 

Since  coming  to  the  United  States  and  making  a  study  of  our 
national  problems  Mr.  Ewert  has  familiarized  himself  with  every 
phase  of  citizenship  and  has  proved  loyal  to  his  adopted  country, 
while  naturally  he  cherishes  an  especial  interest  in  the  progress  of 
his  own  town  and  chosen  place  of  residence.  After  coming 
to  this  city  he  was  made  a  Mason  in  Woodland  Lodge  No.  156, 
F.  &  A.  M.,  and  since  becoming  one  of  its  members  he  has  been 
generous  in  support  of  its  philanthropies  and  consistent  in  his 
exemplification  of  its  high  principles.  In  addition  he  has  been 
associated  actively  with  the  Foresters.  At  the  time  of  his  arrival 
in  Woodland  he  was  only  twenty  years  of  age,  and  it  was  not  until 
some  time  afterward  that  lie  established  a  home  of  his  own,  his 
marriage  uniting  him  with  Miss  Lena  Germeshausen,  daughter  of 
Joseph  Germeshausen  and  a  member  of  a  prominent  family  of  the 
community.  They  are  the  parents  of  two  children,  a  daughter. 
Lela,  and  a  son  who  bears  his  father's  name. 


652  HISTORY  OF  YOLO  COUNTY 

WILLIAM  DEE  CHILES 

The  agricultural  resources  of  Yolo  county  are  best  known  and 
most  highly  appreciated  by  those  who  by  practical  experience  have 
acquired  an  accurate  knowledge  of  its  possibilities.  In  their  opinion 
there  is  no  part  of  Northern  California  more  rich  in  its  soil  or 
more  certain  in  its  offers  of  a  livelihood  to  farmers  than  the  valley 
of  the  Sacramento,  and  especially  that  portion  thereof  exempt 
from  damages  by  water.  It  is  in  this  desirable  location  that  Mr. 
Chiles  carries  on  grain-raising  and  stock-raising,  and  the  success 
of  his  efforts  adds  another  proof  concerning  the  exceptional  advan- 
tages offered  by  the  region  to  men  of  industrious  habits  and  saga- 
cious judgment.  The  property  near  Davis,  which  was  left  to  him 
as  an  inheritance,  returns  a  neat  annual  income  in  exchange  for 
his  intelligent  oversight  and  practical  management.  It  is  said  that 
the  barley  harvested  on  the  ranch  has  run  as  high  as  forty  sacks 
to  the  acre,  and  the  wheat  has  produced  twenty  sacks  to  the  acre. 
While,  of  course,  the  average  per  annum  has  been  less  than  these 
gratifying  returns,  yet  under  favorable  weather  conditions  excellent 
crops  always  are  secured. 

The  adaptability  which  Mr.  Chiles  shows  for  agriculture  is 
the  result  of  training  from  boyhood,  for  he  passed  his  early  life  on 
the  home  ranch  and  surroundings.  Born  in  the  city  of  Sacra- 
mento, April  11,  1S68,  he  received  an  excellent  education  in  the 
Christian  Brothers'  College  of  that  place.  Thereafter  he  continued 
the  duties  of  the  farm,  and  later  he  began  to  operate  the  two  hun- 
dred and  forty  acres  left  Mm  by  his  father,  Isaac  Chiles.  Later  on 
his  ranch  was  added  to  and  he  now  has  five  hundred  and  fifty  acres. 
One  of  his  specialties,  as  previously  indicated,  is  the  rais- 
ing of  grain;  another  is  the  raising  of  fine  stock.  A 
flock  of  one  hundred  head  of  sheep  is  kept  on  the  ranch,  and  there 
are  also  fifty  head  of  pure-bred  Durham  beef  cattle,  as  well  as  a 
large  drove  of  Berkshire  and  Poland-China  hogs.  For  some  time 
he  has  owned  an  interest  in  the  imported  French  stallion  Fortuna, 
and  he  has  raised  a  number  of  draft  and  driving  horses  of  excep- 
tional merit. 

The  marriage  of  Mr.  Chiles  and  Miss  Clara  Callaway  was 
solemnized  in  1892  and  has  been  blessed  with  four  sons  and  one 
daughter,  namely:  William  E.,  Richard  F.,  Isaac  S.,  Carol  C.  and 
George  D.  The  family  of  which  Mrs.  Chiles  was  a  member  com- 
prised fourteen  children,  whose  father,  Richard  Callaway,  came 
across  the  plains  with  a  large  expedition  of  emigrants  during  the 
summer  of  1849.  At  that  time  he  was  very  young,  and  it  was  his 
privilege  to  witness  the  subsequent  development  of  the  west  through 
the  many  years  of  his  identification  with  its  upbuilding.  During 
the  early  days  he  engaged  in  freighting  to  the  gold  mines.     Many 


HISTORY  OF  YOLO  COUNTY  653 

were  the  dangers  that  he  experienced  and  many  the  thrilling  scenes 
in  which  he  bore  a  part.  When  California  began  to  be  more  thickly 
populated  he  removed  to  the  newer  regions  of  Oregon  and  became 
quite  prominent  in  that  state,  being  a  member  of  its  legislature  and 
assisting  in  the  enactment  of  laws  for  its  permanent  development. 
It  has  been  the  desire  of  Mr.  Chiles  to  assist  in  local  enterprises 
to  the  extent  of  his  ability,  and  his  interest  has  been  especially  deep 
in  educational  matters,  he  having  served  as  school  trustee  with 
efficiency  and  zeal.  The  only  fraternal  organization  with  which 
he  has  identified  himself  is  the  Benevolent  Protective  Order  of 
Elks,  in  which  he  holds  membership  with  the  lodge  in  Sacramento. 


RICHARD  L.  BEAMER 

From  the  time  of  his  arrival  in  the  west  during  the  eventful 
year  of  1849,  until  his  death  thirty  years  afterward,  the  honored 
pioneer,  Richard  L.  Beamer,  was  identified  with  the  material  devel- 
opment of  California,  and  during  the  greater  portion  of  the  long 
period  he  engaged  in  ranching  in  Yolo  county.  Nature  qualified 
him  admirably  for  the  difficult  task  of  the  frontiersman.  A  robust 
constitution  and  sturdy  physique  enabled  him  to  endure  hardships 
without  detriment  to  his  health.  Toil  made  little  impress  upon  his 
trained  muscles.  Work,  that  open  sesame  to  success,  was  the  lode- 
star that  guided  him  to  an  ultimate  prosperity  neither  insignificant 
nor  unworthy  of  a  man  of  ability.  Religion  had  assisted  in  the  for- 
mation of  his  character  and  he  gave  of  his  best  to  promote  churches 
and  also  to  advance  educational  interests.  All  in  all,  he  was  a 
man  of  well-rounded  character  and  attractive  personality. 

Descended  from  an  old  family  of  colonial  Virginia,  Richard  L. 
Beamer  was  born  in  Carroll  county,  that  state,  February  29,  1816, 
and  during  youth  learned  the  trade  of  a  cabinet-maker.  Drifting 
toward  the  west  with  the  tide  of  migration  and  civilization,  he 
followed  his  trade  in  Tennessee  and  Missouri  and  in  the  latter 
state  also  improved  a  tract  of  raw  land.  While  living  in  Missouri 
lie  married  Miss  Rebecca  Anderson,  a  native  of  White  county,  Tenn. 
Their  son,  Richard  II.,  now  a  .leading  citizen  of  Woodland,  was 
horn  in  July,  1S49,  while  the  father  was  en  route  to  California  with 
an  expedition  of  gold-seekers.  After  he  had  reached  the  mines 
he  tried  his  luck  there  and  met  with  some  success,  but  the  work- 
did  not  interest  him.  In  1Sf)i2  he  turned  his  attention  to  farming 
and  stock-raising.  In  that  year  he  bought  a  raw  tract  of  land 
near  the  present  site  of  Woodland.     Settlers  were  few.     He  knew 


654  HISTORY  OF  YOLO  COUNTY 

little  or  nothing  as  to  crops  best  suited  to  the  soil  and  climate. 
The  cultivation  of  the  land  was  in  the  nature  of  an  experiment. 
While  there  were  many  drawbacks  on  account  of  his  ignorance  of 
best  methods  of  cultivation  and  also  by  reason  of  his  lack  of  proper 
appliances  for  agricultural  efforts,  he  nevertheless  soon  proved  to 
his  own  satisfaction  that  he  could  earn  a  livelihood  here. 

The  question  of  a  livelihood  settled,  the  next  enterprise  of 
importance  confronting  the  resolute  pioneer  was  the  return  to  Mis- 
souri after  his  family.  Arriving  at  home  in  the  fall  of  1853  he 
saw  for  the  first  time  his  son,  Richard  H.,  a  child  of  four  years. 
During  1854  he  brought  his  wife  and  child  to  California  and  settled 
on  his  claim  in  Yolo  county.  Eventually  he  became  owner  of  four 
hundred  and  eighty  acres  of  well-improved  land,  with  buildings, 
fences  and  other  appurtenances  of  a  modern  estate.  It  was  on  this 
place  his  death  occurred  November  5,  1879,  and  from  here  his  body 
was  carried  to  his  last  resting  place,  not  far  from  the  scenes  familiar 
to  him  through  years  of  activity.  His  able  helpmate  and  widow  is 
still  living  at  the  age  of  eighty-seven  years,  making  her  home  at 
the  old  family  residence,  at  the  head  of  North  Third  street.  From 
youth  Mr.  Beamer  had  been  identified  with  the  Christian  Church, 
and  in  his  last  days  the  hope  and  peace  of  religion  encompassed 
him  with  a  serene  happiness.  A  believer  in  education,  he  always 
regretted  his  own  lack  of  early  advantages,  and  always  aided  the 
young  in  their  efforts  to  secure  schooling.  When  Hesperian  College 
was  established  he  was  one  of  its  most  enthusiastic  promoters  and 
friends,  and  he  gave  freely  of  time  and  influence  to  aid  the  institu- 
tion in  its  struggle  for  maintenance.  The  discouraged  and  the 
destitute  found  in  him  a  generous  helper  and  the  community  enjoyed 
the  benefit  of  his  ripened  experience  and  broad  citizenship. 


CALEB  R.  WILCOXON,  D.  D.  S. 

The  removal  of  the  Wilcoxon  family  from  the  Atlantic  sea- 
board to  the  Pacific  coast  was  accomplished  in  successive  stages  of 
migration,  in  accordance  with  the  principles  governing  the  westward 
current  of  civilization.  A  colonial  establishment  of  the  name  in 
Maryland  brought  the  family  into -touch  with  the  southern  culture 
of  the  period.  It  was  Louis,  a  native  of  Maryland,  who  crossed  the 
mountains  into  Kentucky  and  later  established  the  name  to  the  west 
of  the  Mississippi  river.  As  in  Kentucky  he  had  been  a  pioneer 
of  resourceful  ability  and  undaunted  courage,  so  in  Missouri  he 
exhibited  the  qualities  typical  of  the  frontiersman,  and  with  tire- 
less energy  labored  to  transform  a  tract  of  raw  land  into  a  pro- 


HISTORY  OF  YOLO  COUNTY  655 

ductive  farm.  The  balance  of  his  useful  life  was  passed  in  Howard 
county  and  there  was  reared  to  manhood  his  son,  Caleb  E.,  who 
was  born  in  Bullitt  county,  Ky.,  September  8,  1823,  but  had  been 
taken  to  Missouri  in  very  early  years.  The  environment  in  Mis- 
souri was  wholly  that  of  the  frontier.  Schools  were  few  and  widely 
scattered.  The  teachers  were  in  many  instances  little  better  in- 
formed than  the  pupils,  while  the  log  cabins  utilized  as  "temples 
of  learning"  were  as  crude  as  the  text-books  and  the  methods  of 
instruction  employed. 

That  the  pioneer's  son,  deprived  of  every  advantage  for  culture 
and  education,  should  nevertheless  have  risen  to  prominence  and 
success  furnishes  abundant  proof  as  to  his  native  ability  and  the 
force  of  will  which  enabled  him  to  surmount  obstacles  and  rise 
above  circumstances.  With  the  courage  that  always  characterized 
him  he  started  across  the  plains  in  the  spring  of  1853,  bringing 
with  him  his  wife  and  infant  child,  and  making  the  journey  in  a 
"prairie  schooner"  drawn  by  oxen.  Many  months  of  weary  travel 
had  dragged  their  slow  length  along  ere  he  reached  California  and 
found  employment  for  the  support  of  his  family.  After  a  very 
brief  period  with  a  Marysville  firm  as  bookkeeper  he  was  appointed 
under-sheriff  of  Sutter  county,  and  in  1856  was  elected  county 
clerk,  auditor  and  recorder,  which  positions  he  filled  during  much 
of  the  ensuing  fourteen  years.  Afterward  he  served  for  one  term 
as  a  member  of  the  general  assembly  of  the  state  legislature.  In 
addition  he  filled  out  an  unexpired  term  as  sheriff  and  tax  col- 
lector, also  filled  out  a  term  as  county  superintendent  of  schools, 
and  was  further  chosen  to  fill  a  vacancy  in  the  office  of  treasurer. 
All  of  these  offices,  with  their  varied  duties  and  heavy  responsibili- 
ties, he  filled  with  fidelity  and  intelligence.  His  admirable  adapta- 
bility for  the  public  service  led  to  his  election  from  his  district 
to  the  state  board  of  equalization,  and  for  eight  years  he  continued 
on  the  board,  being  its  chairman  most  of  the  time.  Upon  his  re- 
tirement from  the  office  he  was  succeeded  by  Hon.  Richard  H. 
Beamer. 

Easily  one  of  the  foremost  men  of  his  day  and  locality,  it  would 
be  difficult  to  mention  any  important  enterprise  to  which  Caleb  E. 
Wilcoxon  did  not  lend  his  influence.  During  early  days  he  served 
both  as  postmaster  and  express  agent  of  Yuba  City,  but  eventually 
his  interests  became  too  diversified  for  him  to  retain  these  positions. 
For  a  long  period  he  was  interested  with  T.  D.  Boyd  in  mercantile 
affairs  at  Yuba  City.  Liberal  and  charitable  to  a  fault,  he  never 
refused  an  appeal  for  aid  or  declined  to  help  the  unfortunate.  The 
Methodist  Episcopal  Church  South  received  his  generous  assist- 
ance for  years,  and  not  only  did  he  make  liberal  donations  to  the 
building  of  the  house  of  worship  at  Yuba  City,  but  in  addition  he 


656  HISTORY  OF  YOLO  COUNTY 

donated  the  site  of  the  parsonage  and  always  helped  in  the 
maintenance  of  the  congregation  by  large  offerings.  While  still 
living  in  Missouri  he  had  been  initiated  into  Masonry  and  when  En- 
terprise Lodge  No.  70,  F.  &  A.  M.,  was  organized  at  Yuba  City  he 
became  one  of  its  charter  members,  besides  which  he  also  main- 
tained a  warm  interest  in  the  Independent  Order  of  Odd  Fellows. 
When  his  death  occurred  January  2,  1904,  there  were  countless  ex- 
pressions of  regret  among  his  large  circle  of  acquaintances  through- 
out the  state  and  upon  the  occasion  of  his  funeral  every  business 
house  in  Yuba  City  was  closed  as  a  last  token  of  respect  to  his 
memory. 

As  previously  stated,  the  marriage  of  Hon.  Caleb  E.  Wilcoxon 
had  occurred  prior  to  his  removal  to  the  coast.  His  wife,  who 
bore  the  maiden  name  of  Julia  Ann  Crow,  was  born  in  Charleston, 
W.  Va.,  and  in  very  early  childhood  accompanied  her  parents  to 
Ohio,  thence  soon  removing  to  Missouri  and  settling  in  Howard 
county.  Of  her  marriage  eleven  children  were  born,  seven  of  whom 
grew  to  maturity.  The  eldest  of  the  children  was  a  native  of 
Missouri,  the  others  being  natives  of  Sutter  county,  Cal.  Her  last 
.years  were  quietly  passed  in  the  last-named  county  and  there  she 
passed  away  two  months  after  the  demise  of  her  husband.  Six 
of  her  children  are  still  living,  the  fourth  of  these  being  Dr.  Caleb 
Russell  Wilcoxon,  an  honored  professional  man  of  Woodland,  and 
a  native  of  Sutter  county,  born  at  Yuba  City  March  31,  1862. 
After  he  had  completed  the  studies  of  the  Yuba  City  schools  he 
entered  the  office  of  the  county  clerk,  auditor  and  recorder  of 
Sutter  county,  where  he  continued  as  a  deputy  from  1880  until 
July,  1886.  Upon  resigning  as  deputy  he  entered  upon  the  duties 
of  postmaster  of  Yuba  City,  to  which  office  he  had  been  appointed 
under  the  administration  of  President  Cleveland.  The  term  lasted 
for  four  years,  until  July  of  1890.  Meanwhile,  leaving  the  office 
in  charge  of  his  brother  as  deputy,  in  1888  he  became  bookkeeper 
with  Weinlander  &  Hexter  of  Marysville,  with  whom  he  remained 
for  four  years.  Nominated  and  elected  county  clerk  of  Sutter 
county  on  the  Democratic  ticket,  he  entered  upon  official  duties  in 
January  of  1893  and  served  one  term  of  two  years. 

For  some  time  it  had  been  the  ambition  of  the  young  county 
official  to  take  up  dental  studies  and  he  had  saved  much  of  his 
salary  for  that  purpose.  During  May  of  1895  he  matriculated  in  the 
University  of  California  and  there  he"  kept  up  the  regular  course 
until  he  was  graduated  in  1898  with  the  degree  of  D.D.S.  After  a 
short  professional  engagement  in  San  Francisco  he  came  to  Wood- 
land and  opened  an  office,  October  1,  1898,  in  the  First  National 
Bank  Building,  where  he  has  since  remained,  being  now  the  oldest 
active  practitioner  in  the  city  in  point  of  professional  service.     He 


HISTORY  OF  YOLO  COUNTY  657 

is  a  member  of  the  Sacramento  Valley  Dental  Society  and  the  Cali- 
fornia State  Dental  Association,  having  been  a  member  of  the  latter 
since  June,  1899,  and  in  both  of  which  his  standing  is  the  highest 
and  his  reputation  for  broad  professional  knowledge  the  most 
enviable. 

To  limit  all  mention  of  Dr.  Wilcoxon  to  his  professional  labors, 
important  as  these  have  been,  would  be  to  do  injustice  to  the  varied 
mental  powers  that  have  enabled  him  to  participate  actively  and 
successfully  in  many  progressive  projects.  Recognizing  the  value 
of  education  to  the  future  prosperity  of  our  country,  he  has  never 
refused  to  aid  movements  for  the  promotion  of  the  schools.  For  six 
years  he  served  as  a  member  of  the  board  of  education  and  during 
two  years  of  the  time  he  held  the  presidency  of  the  board,  mean- 
while giving  of  his  best  efforts  to  the  advancement  of  the  public 
schools.  In  national  politics  he  votes  with  the  Democratic  party, 
but  partisanship  with  him  gives  place  to  patriotism.  The  greatest 
good  to  the  greatest  number  has  been  his  aim  as  a  citizen  and  as 
an  official.  Movements  for  the  moral  upbuilding  of  the  community 
receive  the  same  support  from  him  that  is  given  to  educational 
affairs,  while  his  allegiance  to  religious  work  has  been  equally 
vital  and  steadfast.  As  president  of  the  board  of  elders  and 
deacons  of  the  Woodland  Christian  Church,  he  occupies  a  leading 
position  in  the  activities  of  that  organization,  whose  charities  he 
supports  with  zeal  and  whose  missionary  movements  he  fosters 
with  enthusiasm.  April  18,  1900,  he  married  Miss  Mary  Josephine 
Boggs,  daughter  of  the  late  A.  Leonard  Boggs,  of  Woodland;  her 
mother  was  Mrs.  Clementine  (Anil)  Hughes,  an  estimable  lady  still 
residing  in  this  city.  In  church  and  in  society  Mrs.  Wilcoxon 
holds  a  position  of  esteem  and  influence  and  she  also  gives  gen- 
erous support  to  the  charitable  measures  fostered  by  the  Doctor. 
The  latter  was  made  a  Mason  in  Enterprise  Lodge  No.  70,  F.  & 
A.  M,.  and  subsequently  identified  himself  with  Woodland  Lodge 
No.  156,  F.  &  A.  M.,  of  which  in  1907  he  served  as  master.  When 
the  Woodland  Merchants'  Association  was  organized  he  was  se- 
lected the  first  president  and  for  three  years  he  filled  the  position 
with  characteristic  devotion.  Nor  has  his  service  been  less  helpful 
as  president  of  the  Federated  Brotherhood  of  Woodland,  an 
organization  having  for  its  aim  the  raising  of  the  standard  of  social 
conditions  and  the  moral  uplifting  of  the  community. 


CHEIS  SIEBEB 

The  large  hardware  establishment  of  Chris  Sieber  &  Co.  is  said 
to  be  among  the  oldest  stores  of  its  kind  in  Yolo  county  and  now 


G58  HISTORY  OF  YOLO  COUNTY 

occupies  a  central  location  on  Main  street,  Woodland,  where  a  com- 
modious modern  building  is  utilized  for  the  storage  and  display  of 
the  large  variety  of  agricultural  implements,  hardware,  harness, 
etc.,  provide  for  the  selection  and  convenience  of  the  customers. 
The  firm  represents  the  John  Deere  Plow  Company,  also  carries  a 
full  line  of  wagons  and  carriages  manufactured  by  Studebaker  Bros., 
besides  selling  the  Deering  harvesters  and  mowers  and  the  gas  en- 
gines manufactured  by  Eoot  &  Vanderworth.  In  connection  with 
other  lines  of  activity  the  firm  manufactures  harness  and  also  pro- 
vides facilities  for  the  repair  of  harness  brought  to  them  by  their 
customers.  Every  department  of  the  business  shows  the  thrift, 
energy  and  wise  judgment  of  the  owner,  whose  capable  oversight  is 
seen  in  the  smallest  details  as  well  as  the  most  important  orders  of 
the  house. 

Much  of  the  success  and  present  standing  of  the  business  is 
due  to  the  qualities  inherited  by  Mr.  Sieber  from  a  long  line  of 
Teutonic  ancestors.  His  father,  Christopher,  was  born  at  Grosgade 
near  Heilbronn  in  Wurtemberg,  Germany,  January  29,  1847,  and 
received  a  fair  education  in  his  native  country,  where  also  he  served 
an  apprenticeship  to  the  trade  of  tinsmith  and  plumber.  Crossing 
the  ocean  in  1866  he  found  employment  in  New  York  City,  whence 
in  1867  he  came  to  California  and  worked  at  his  trade  in  Sacra- 
mento. The  following  year  found  him  in  Woodland,  where  for  a 
few  years  he  was  employed  as  a  tinsmith  by  Mr.  Morin.  Next  he 
formed  a  partnership  with  Otto  Schluer  and  started  the  first  bak- 
ery in  Woodland,  later  selling  out  to  his  partner.  During  1880  he 
bought  the  Pacific  House  on  the  corner  of  Main  and  Elm  streets 
and  after  improving  and  enlarging  the  building  he  continued  to  act 
as  landlord  until  the  time  of  his  death,  which  occurred  December  13, 
1898.  In  politics  he  had  been  a  loyal  Democrat  and  for  one  term  he 
served  as  city  treasurer.  Fraternally  he  held  membership  with  the 
Chosen  Friends,  Hermann  Sons,  and  Independent  Order  of  Odd  Fel- 
lows, while  in  religious  preferences  he  was  in  sympathy  with  the 
Lutheran  Church,  in  which  he  had  been  confirmed  while  yet  in  Ger- 
many. 

The  marriage  of  Christopher  Sieber,  Sr.,  took  place  near  Yolo, 
Cal.,  May  10,  1874,  and  united  him  with  Miss  Christiana  Fredericka 
Buob.  who  was  born  at  Eberbach,  Wurtemberg,  Germany,  being  a 
daughter  of  Christian  and  Barbara  (Brudi)  Buob.  After  having 
followed  the  baker's  trade  for  many  years  in  his  native  land  Chris- 
tian Buob  in  1863  brought  his  famiiy  to  America.  They  crossed 
the  ocean  on  the  steamer  America.  At  New  York  City  they  boarded 
the  North  Star  for  Aspinwall.  After  having  crossed  the  isthmus 
they  proceeded  up  the  Pacific  ocean  on  the  Golden  Age  and  landed 
in  San  Francisco  October  27,  1863.     Securing  land  two  miles  north 


HISTORY  OF  YOLO  COUNTY  659 

of  Yolo,  Mr.  Buob  began  to  till  the  soil  there.  During  1880  he 
removed  to  a  ranch  near  Washington  and  there  resided  until  his 
death.  Of  his  six  children  Mrs.  Sieber  was  next  to  the  youngest 
and  she  was  educated  principally  at  Yolo.  After  the  death  of  her 
husband  she  continued  to  manage  the  hotel  until  1907,  when  she  sold 
the  property  and  since  then  she  has  been  living  a  retired  life  at 
Woodland.  Of  her  six  children  four  were  daughters,  Frieda  Hen- 
rietta, Elsa,  Bertha  and  Carrie.  The  older  son,  Christian,  is  uni- 
versally known  as  Chris.  The  younger  son,  Louis  Henry,  is  en- 
gaged in  the  real-estate  business  at  Oakland. 

Membership  in  Woodland  Parlor,  Native  Sons  of  the  Golden 
West,  comes  to  Chris  Sieber  by  virtue  of  his  western  birth.  He 
claims  Woodland  as  his  native  place  and  here  he  was  born  Decem- 
ber 22,  1881.  Here  also  he  received  his  education  in  the  public 
schools  and  Pierce's  Business  College,  from  which  he  was  grad- 
uated in  1898.  In  a  very  humble  position  he  was  given  employment 
by  T.  B.  Gibson,  but  soon  his  worth  was  recognized  and  he  was  pro- 
moted to  greater  responsibilities.  January  17,  1903,  he  bought  the 
hardware  and  implement  business  from  Mr.  Gibson  and  since  then 
has  given  close  attention  to  the  upbuilding  of  the  business.  It  was 
in  1912  that  he  moved  from  his  old  location  at  Main  and  Elm  streets 
to  his  present  place  of  business.  For  years  he  has  been  a  member 
of  the  California  Retail  Hardware  Dealers'  Association  and  he 
further  is  connected  with  the  Woodland  Merchants'  Association  and 
the  Woodland  Chamber  of  Commerce. 

The  marriage  of  Mr.  Sieber  took  place  at  Vacaville  and  united 
him  with  Miss  Lillian  Buck,  daughter  of  W.  H.  Buck,  a  well-known 
horticulturist  of  the  locality.  Of  her  marriage  there  are  two  chil- 
dren, Raymond  and  Margaret  L.  Politically  Mr.  Sieber  always 
gives  allegiance  to  the  Democratic  party.  His  interest  in  educa- 
tional matters  led  him  to  accept  the  office  of  member  of  the  Wood- 
land board  of  education  and  he  served  in  that  capacity  for  four 
years.  The  Woodland  lodge  of  Odd  Fellows  has  enjoyed  the  benefit 
of  his  active  co-operation,  as  has  also  the  Hermann  Sons.  Inter- 
ested in  Masonry  he  has  identified  himself  with  Woodland  Lodge 
No.  156,  F.  &  A.  M. ;  Woodland  Chapter,  R.  A.  M. ;  Woodland  Com- 
mandery,  K.  T.,  and  Islam  Temple,  Nobles  of  the  Mystic  Shrine,  in 
San  Francisco. 


DANIEL  FLINT 

Recognized  among  hop  growers  as  an  authority  in  that  line,  Mr. 
Flint,  who  resides  in  Sacramento,  Cal.,  also  enjoys  the  honor  of 


660  HISTORY  OF  YOLO  COUNTY 

being  the  first  man  in  the  state  to  experiment  with  the  product 
under  the  climatic  conditions  found  in  California.  He  was  born  in 
Swanzey,  N.  H.,  May  9,  1832,  his  parents  being  natives  of  Ver- 
mont. His  mother  was  in  maidenhood  Harriet  Rixford,  and  shortly 
after  her  marriage  with  Benjamin  Flint,  accompanied  him  to  a  New 
Hampshire  farm,  where  they  remained  during  life. 

The  youth  of  Daniel  Flint  was  spent  upon  the  home  place,  and 
after  completing  his  education,  which  included  also  an  academic 
course,  he  worked  on  his  father's  farm  a  few  months.  Later  he  be- 
came a  clerk  in  Winchester  and  after  three  years'  service  went  to 
Crown  Point,  N.  Y.,  where  he  entered  the  employ  of  Flint  &  Holton, 
his  duties  taking  him  upon  Lake  Champlain.  In  1853  he  decided  to 
ally  his  future  with  a  number  of  pioneers  who  were  about  to  immi- 
grate to  the  west,  and  by  way  of  Cape  Horn  on  the  clipper  ship 
"Mystery,"  after  a  voyage  of  one  hundred  and  thirty-nine  days, 
finally  reached  San  Francisco,  where  he  secured  a  position  in  the 
bonded  warehouse  of  the  United  States  government.  In  1855  he 
became  his  brother's  bookkeeper,  faithfully  performing  his  duties 
for  three  years,  when  he  located  in  the  Sacramento  valley  and  en- 
gaged in  hop  raising,  he  and  his  brother  having  previously  con- 
ducted experiments  in  Alameda  county.  Having  convinced  himself 
that  the  climate  of  California  was  conducive  to  the  successful  cul- 
ture of  hops,  Mr.  Flint  purchased  in  Sacramento  county  twenty 
acres,  setting  out  the  first  hop  yard  ever  planted  on  the  Pacific 
coast.  His  crop  justified  all  his  expectations,  but  upon  attempting 
to  dispose  of  it,  he  was  met  by  an  unforeseen  obstacle,  the  brewers 
declining  to  accept  his  product,  stating  their  preference  for  the  east- 
ern hops  which  they  had  long  employed  in  the  manufacture  of  their 
goods.  Not  discouraged,  however,  Mr.  Flint  proposed  to  a  promi- 
nent brewer  that  he  try  a  portion  of  the  western  hops  which  should 
cost  him  nothing  should  they  prove  unsatisfactory.  The  manufact- 
urer agreed,  and,  after  experiments,  purchased  from  Mr.  Flint  his 
entire  crop.  Continuing  to  improve  his  product,  Mr.  Flint  soon  be- 
came recognized  throughout  the  state  as  the  most  expert  hop  grower 
in  the  west.  As  a  proof  of  his  ability  in  this  line,  he  wrote  a  prize 
paper  on  the  subject  in  response  to  a  request  from  the  government, 
receiving  for  his  article  a  draft  for  $140.  Besides  his  two  ranches 
in  Sacramento  county,  of  fifty  and  sixty-five  acres,  respectively,  he 
owns  a  number  of  hop  yards  elsewhere,  and  employs  a  large  num- 
ber of  people  during  the  picking  season.  He  is  also  interested  in 
the  breeding  of  high  grade  horses,  not  only  roadsters  and  trotters, 
but  draft  animals  as  well. 

Mrs.  Flint,  a  most  gracious  and  charming  woman,  became  the 
wife  of  Daniel  Flint,  August  22,  1854.  Prior  to  her  marriage  she 
was  Marv  E.  Russell  and  was  born  in  Crown  Point,   N.  ¥.,   the 


HISTORY  OF  YOLO  COUNTY  661 


daughter  of  Jonathan  Russell.  The  following-  children  were  born 
to  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Flint:  Lillian  J.,  now  Mrs.  Elwood  Bruner;  Rus- 
sell R. ;  Flood  V.;  Alice  H.,  wife  of  William  Lanrpert;  William  R. ; 
Howard  M. ;  Clarence  C,  of  the  United  States  Navy;  Stanley  M., 
and  Edward  C.  All  the  sons,  with  the  exception  of  two,  are  en- 
gaged in  hop  culture.  Mr.  Flint  is  a  stanch  Republican,  and  al- 
though many  times  requested  by  friends  of  note  to  accept  a  public 
office,  he  has  deemed  it  unwise  to  do  so,  and  continues  in  his  quiet 
mode  of  life.  He  is  an  active  Odd  Fellow  and  has  served  also  as 
master  of  the  local  grange  and  grand  master  of  the  state  grange, 
of  which  he  acted  as  treasurer  four  terms.  He  is  a  member  of  the 
Methodist  Episcopal  Church  and  is  deeply  interested  in  the  work 
of  the  Humane  Society,  which  he  assisted  in  organizing  and  of 
which  he  is  treasurer.  He  is  also  closely  identified  with  the  charita- 
ble work  of  the  community.  For  two  years  he  served  as  superin- 
tendent of  the  track  of  the  State  Agricultural  Society,  of  which  he 
was  a  director  for  three  years.  Throughout  his  career  Mr.  Flint 
has  ever  shown  toward  his  fellow  men  the  greatest  consideration 
and  by  his  honorable  dealings  maintains  the  esteem  of  his  many 
friends  and  associates. 


JAMES  RICHARD  FISHER 

Bereft  by  fate  of  the  kindly  ministrations  of  parents  during  the 
formative  period  of  childhood  and  forced  by  poverty  to  forego  edu- 
cational opportunities  in  order  to  earn  a  livelihood,  Mr.  Fisher 
struggled  against  adversity  and  discouragement  and  has  won  his 
way  to  a  gratifying  position  in  the  community  where  for  thirty 
years  he  has  been  an  honored  resident.  While  he  was  still  very 
young  the  Civil  war  east  its  dark  shadow  over  the  country  and  Lis 
father,  Benjamin  F.,  a  Missourian  by  birth,  nevertheless  took  up 
arms  in  defense  of  the  Union  and  bore  a  brave  part  in  various  bat- 
tles of  the  Rebellion.  During  the  period  of  his  service  he  was 
stricken  with  measles  and  the  disease  terminated  fatally.  Learning 
of  his  illness  his  wife,  who  was  a  Miss  Pace,  a  native  of  Missouri, 
hastened  to  the  camp  to  nurse  and  care  for  him.  There  she,  too,  fell 
ill  with  the  same  disease  and  both  of  them  died  in  the  soldier's 
camp.  They  left  to  mourn  them  an  only  son,  who  was  still  too 
young  to  realize  his  heavy  loss,  and  an  only  daughter,  Mary  Jane, 
who  died  at  the  age  of  eighteen  years. 

Born  in  Johnson  county,  Mo.,  April  16,  1858,  James  R.  Fisher 
passed  the  years  of  boyhood  on  a  farm  in  his  native  locality.     Dur- 


662  HISTORY  OF  YOLO  COUNTY 

ing  1874  lie  went  to  Texas  and  worked  on  a  farm  in  Denton  county. 
After  a  brief  period  there  lie  went  further  west  in  the  state  and  for 
four  years  worked  on  a  cattle  ranch.  Coming  to  California  in  1881 
he  joined  an  uncle  and  aunt  in  Yolo  county  and  afterward  spent 
several  years  as  a  hand  on  a  ranch.  It  was  not  until  1897  that  he 
established  domestic  ties.  On  the  14th  of  November  of  that  year 
he  married  Annie  E.,  daughter  of  U.  B.  Sassaman,  and  a  native  of 
Sutter  county,  this  state,  her  father  having  migrated  hither  from 
Pennsylvania  in  a  very  early  clay. 

For  thirty  years  or  more  Mr.  Fisher  has  lived  in  Yolo  county, 
where  in  1891  he  bought  ten  acres  adjacent  to  the  village  of  Yolo 
and  included  within  the  limits  of  the  town.  Here  he  built  a  house 
and  a  barn  and  made  other  improvements.  With  the  exception  of 
engaging  in  the  butcher  business  and  carrying  on  a  meat  market  at 
Yolo  for  two  years,  he  has  earned  his  livelihood  from  his  little 
farm,  where  for  some  years  he  has  kept  several  fine  cows  and  has 
made  a  specialty  of  dairying.  At  present  he  also  engages  in  the 
poultry  business  with  profit  and  on  an  extensive  scale.  In  view  of 
the  fact  tbat  he  came  to  this  county  without  means  and  incurred  a 
heavy  debt  in  buying  his  present  place,  he  is  to  be  credited  with 
sagacity  and  energy  in  attaining  a  competency  through  his  exer- 
tions. While  he  has  been  a  voter  at  Yolo  for  thirty  years  he  has 
never  sought  office  and,  aside  from  casting  a  Republican  ballot,  he 
lias  taken  no  part  whatever  in  politics.  In  religious  connections  he 
is  identified  with  the  First  Baptist  Church  of  Woodland.  Many 
years  ago  he  joined  the  Independent  Order  of  Odd  Fellows  at 
Knight's  Landing,  which  he  has  served  as  an  official  and  has  been 
a  leader  in  many  of  the  activities  of  the  organization.  In  the  quiet 
round  of  daily  duties  he  has  lived  a  busy  life  among  the  people  of 
the  community.  Without  the  ties  of  near  kindred  to  draw  him  back 
to  his  native  locality,  he  has  centered  his  affections  upon  the  home 
of  his  adoption  and  believes  Yolo  county  to  be  as  desirable  a  loca- 
tion as  may  be  found  for  those  desirous  of  enjoying  a  quiet,  useful 
and  contented  existence. 


EDWARD  J.  EVANS 

Long  identification  with  Yolo  county  and  close  observation  of 
material  conditions  enabled  Mr.  Evans  to  exercise  sound  judgment 
when  in  the  autumn  of  1908  he  invested  in  the  property  he  now  owns 
in  the  neighborhood  of  Yolo.  While  the  farm  is  quite  small,  con- 
taining only  twenty  acres,  it  has  been  made  to  produce  a  large  an- 


HISTORY  OF  YOLO  COUNTY  663 

nual  income  through  an  ahundance  of  water  for  irrigation.  The 
pumping  plant  comprises  two  wells  equipped  with  a  gasoline  en- 
gine of  thirty-five  horsepower  and  enables  the  owner  to  raise  large 
crops  of  alfalfa,  the  average  annual  yield  being  eight  tons  to  the 
acre.  Ample  facilities  for  the  storage  of  the  hay  are  afforded  by 
the  barns,  which  also  afford  shelter  for  the  stock  kept  on  the  place. 
A  specialty  is  made  of  the  dairy  business  and  of  the  raising  of 
Berkshire  hogs  of  excellent  quality.  In  both  of  these  departments 
of  stock-raising  and  agriculture  the  owner  has  gained  a  local  repu- 
tation for  care,  skill  and  sagacious  judgment. 

It  was  during  the  year  1876  that  Mr.  Evans  came  to  the  west 
from  Ohio  and  settled  in  Yolo  county,  where  ever  since  he  has  made 
his  home.  He  was  born  in  Portage  county,  Ohio,  March  17,  1S52, 
the  son  of  Evan  and  Ann  (Morris)  Evans,  natives  of  Wales,  whose 
family  comprised  five  children,  namely:  Mary,  Jennie,  David,  Ed- 
ward J.  and  Robert.  The  years  of  his  boyhood  were  uneventfully 
passed  in  study  at  the  country  schools  and  in  work  on  the  home 
farm,  and  the  lessons  of  patient  industry  he  learned  while  tilling 
the  soil  were  no  less  valuable  than  the  knowledge  acquired  from 
text-books.  Much  he  learned  also  of  trees  and  birds  and  plants 
and  soil  as  he  worked  in  the  open  and  studied  nature  with  a  boy's 
eager  thirst  for  information.  December  14,  1873,  he  was  united  in 
marriage  with  Miss  Sarah  Ann  Thomas,  who  was  born  and  reared 
in  Portage  county.  The  Thomas  family  is  of  Welsh  origin  and  one 
of  its  first  representatives  in  America  was  William  S.  Thomas,  who 
in  early  life  migrated  from  his  native  Wales  to  Ohio,  where  he  mar- 
ried Miss  Mary  Phillips,  who  was  born  in  the  same  locality  as  him 
self.  They  settled  upon  a  farm  in  Ohio,  reared  their  children  at  the 
old  homestead  and  remained  there  until  death  ended  their  activities. 

For  about  two  seasons  after  his  marriage  Mr.  Evans  lived  upon 
a  farm  in  Ohio,  but  in  1876  he  brought  his  family  to  California  and 
settled  in  Yolo  county.  During  the  first  four  years  here  he  worked 
on  a  ranch  near  Dunnigan  and  later  he  purchased  one  hundred  and 
sixty  acres  west  of  the  railroad,  where  he  cleared  the  land,  brought 
the  soil  under  profitable  cultivation  and  engaged  in  raising  grain 
and  stock.  Ten  busy  years  were  spent  on  that  farm  and  he  then 
sold,  after  which  he  operated  leased  land  for  some  time,  again  be- 
coming a  property  owner  in  1908,  when  he  bought  a  small  farm  near 
Yolo.  The  place  contained  fair  improvements,  including  a  house 
and  barn,  and  he  since  has  built  another  barn,  thus  giving  him  all 
needed  facilities  for  the  storage  of  hay  and  shelter  of  stock. 

The  family  of  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Evans  comprises  three  sons  and 
two  daughters.  The  eldest  son,  William  S.,  a  rancher  of  Yolo 
county,  is  married  and  has  four  sons,  Myron,  Milton,  Edward  and 
Robert.     The  eldest  daughter  and  second  child,  Harriet  C.  is  the 


664  HISTORY  OF  YOLO  COUNTY 

wife  of  William  S.  Stetson,  a  farmer  near  College  City.  Mary  mar- 
ried Herbert  Howlett  and  has  three  children,  Alberta,  Evan  and 
Mary  Elizabeth.  Edward  M.,  a  business  man  of  Sacramento,  has 
three  children,  Edward,  Howard  and  Marcele.  Seth  Evert  studied 
civil  engineering  in  the  California  State  University  at  Berkeley, 
where  he  was  a  member  of  the  class  of  1911.  Always  steadfast  in 
his  refusal  to  hold  office,  Mr.  Evans  nevertheless  maintains  a  warm 
interest  in  public  affairs  and  is  well  informed  concerning  govern- 
mental problems.  At  the  national  elections  he  votes  for  Republican 
nominees,  but  in  local  issues  he  is  independent.  For  many  years  he 
and  his  wife  have  been  earnest  church  workers.  While  living  near 
Dunnigan  he  acted  as  superintendent  of  the  Methodist  Episcopal 
Sunday-school  in  that  village  and  after  moving  near  Yolo  he  served 
for  several  years  in  a  similar  capacity  with  the  school  at  this  point. 
In  addition  he  has  officiated  as  steward  and  trustee  and  has  been 
generous  in  his  contribution  toward  the  maintenance  of  the  church, 
as  well  as  toward  its  missionary  enterprises. 


HON.  HUGH  McELROY  LA  RUE 

Although  death  has  stilled  the  voice  and  terminated  the  force- 
ful activities  of  Hon.  Hugh  McElroy  LaRue,  it  will  be  long  ere  his 
influence  will  be  lost  in  the  county  of  Yolo  and  long,  too,  ere  the 
power  of  his  personality  shall  cease  to  be  an  effective  factor  in  the 
local  upbuilding.  Every  line  of  advancement  felt  the  impetus  of  his 
splendid  mind  and  energetic  spirit,  and,  while  he  was  a  pioneer  of 
1849  and  very  active  in  the  early  settlement  of  the  west,  he  un- 
doubtedly will  be  less  remembered  by  his  accomplishments  during 
that  era  than  by  his  activities  of  a  later  date.  The  ranch  near  Davis 
which  is  now  owned  by  his  heirs  and  the  nucleus  of  which  he  ac- 
quired as  early  as  1866,  comprises  two  thousand  and  sixty  acres,  of 
which  one  thousand  acres  are  under  cultivation  to  barley,  wheat  and 
oats.  All  the  grains  produce  well  in  this  soil  and  at  times  the  bar- 
ley has  averaged  as  high  as  thirty-five  sacks  to  the  acre.  Fifty 
acres  are  in  almonds  and  two  hundred  and  twenty  acres  in  wine 
grapes  form  the  largest  vineyard  in  the  entire  county,  producing 
from  six  to  seven  tons  per  acre.  Under  a  contract  for  ten  years 
the  vineyard  products  are  shipped  to  the  California  Wine  Associa- 
tion. In  grapes  of  the  white  variety  there  are  the  Burger  and  the 
Green  Hungarian,  while  of  the  reds  there  are  the  Alicante  Bouschet, 
Caragnan,  Serene,  Beclan,  Charbono  and  Mondeuse. 

As  an  illustration  of  what  may  be  grown  on  the  rich  soil  of  the 


HISTORY  OF  YOLO  COUNTY  665 

ranch,  and  indeed  upon  any  ranch  in  Yolo  county  if  properly  cared 
for,  it  may  he  stated  that  the  LaRue  ranch  has  the  following  trees 
in  full  bearing:  almonds,  walnuts,  oranges,  lemons,  figs,  persim- 
mons, pomegranates,  olives,  pears,  peaches,  apples,  apricots,  plums 
and  prunes.  Every  acre  of  the  tract  is  under  an  irrigation  ditch 
and  there  is  also  a  private  pumping  plant  operated  by  an  engine  of 
sixty-horse  power.  Eighty  head  of  horses  and  mules  are  required 
in  the  sowing  of  seed,  harvesting  of  crops  and  ploughing  of  the 
ground,  and  such  is  the  quality  of  the  soil  that  it  can  be  ploughed 
one  day  after  a  heavy  rain.  Ever  since  the  original  owner  of  the 
property  brought  an  importation  of  jacks  from  Kentucky  there 
have  been  fine  mules  raised  on  the  ranch,  about  forty  having  been 
the  number  for  the  past  season.  A  specialty  is  made  of  Hoi  stein 
cattle  and  about  two  hundred  and  fifty  head  of  hogs  are  raised  an- 
nually, besides  which  considerable  attention  is  also  given  to  horses. 
For  eighteen  years  Jacob  Stihl  has  acted  as  the  efficient  overseer 
of  the  ranch,  while  the  eldest  son  of  the  owner,  Jacob  Eugene  La 
Rue,  was  retained  as  manager  until  his  death  in  January  of  1906, 
since  which  time  another  son,  Calhoun  Lee  LaRue,  has  filled  the 
position  of  superintendent  with  intelligence  and  sagacity. 

Tracing  the  genealogy  of  the  LaRue  family  it  is  ascer- 
tained that  they  were  so  prominent  in  Kentucky  that  the  county  in 
which  they  lived  was  named  in  their  honor  and  Hodgenville,  the 
county  seat,  was  named  for  the  maternal  grandfather  of  H.  M.  La 
Rue.  Near  this  same  town  Abraham  Lincoln  was  born  on  a  farm 
owned  by  Mr.  LaRue 's  grandmother.  Iu  the  neighboring  county 
of  Hardin,  same  state,  Hugh  McElroy  LaRue  was  born  August  12, 
1830,  being  a  son  of  Jacob  Hodgen  and  Sarah  Cummings  (McEl- 
roy) LaRue.  At  the  age  of  nine  years  he  accompanied  the  family 
to  Missouri  and  settled  in  Lewis  county  near  the  Mississippi  river. 
It  was  not  long  before  he  began  to  talk  about  going  west.  The 
mysterious  unknown  regions  beyond  the  plains  seemed  to  exercise 
a  fascination  over  his  mind.  In  18-19,  before  news  of  the  discovery 
of  gold  had  reached  his  neighborhood,  he  joined  an  expedition  of 
emigrants  under  the  command  of  V.  A.  Sublette  and  Dr.  Conduitt. 
They  crossed  the  Missouri  river  at  Boonville  and  left  Independence 
on  the  29th  of  April,  journeying  along  the  Platte  river  and  through 
South  Pass,  thence  via  Sublette's  cut-off  and  the  Oregon  trail.  In 
the  short  distance  of  thirty  miles  they  crossed  the  Truckee  river 
twenty-seven  times.  On  the  12th  of  August  they  arrived  at  the 
Bear  river  mines  near  Steep  Hollow.  For  six  weeks  the  young 
prospector  remained  in  that  locality,  but  later  he  mined  at  Grass 
Valley  and  Deer  creek.  With  others  he  built  one  of  the  first  cabins 
at  Oleta,  Amador  county,  and  worked  the  first  mines. 

In  those  days  Oleta  was  known  as  Fiddletown.  the  name  orig- 


666  HISTORY  OF  YOLO  COUNTY 

inating  in  the  fact  that  some  violin-players  from  Arkansas  passed  the 
long  and  wet  winter  season  at  their  favorite  recreation  and  the  first 
sound  heard  by  approaching  travelers  was  that  of  the  fiddle.  From 
that  camp  Mr.  LaEue  went  to  Willow  Springs,  four  miles  west  of 
Drytown,  where  he  carried  on  a  small  restaurant  until  early  in 
March.  During  the  spring  of  1850  he  made  a  trading  expedition  to 
Shasta  and  solid  groceries  from  his  wagon  to  merchants  and  miners. 
Flour  brought  forty  cents  per  pound,  pork,  ham,  sugar,  coffee,  pota- 
toes and  rice  from  $1  to  $1.25  per  pound,  and  whisky  and  brandy 
about  $8  a  gallon.  After  a  second  trip  to  Shasta  in  June,  same 
year,  he  came  to  Sacramento  and  began  to  work  as  a  blacksmith 
and  wagon-maker.  The  cholera  epidemic  of  that  year  made  it  neces- 
sary for  him  to  seek  other  employment.  Eenting  a  part  of  rancho 
del  Paso  on  the  Norris  grant,  he  engaged  in  raising  vegetables  and 
later  embarked  in  grain  farming.  As  early  as  1857  he  planted  an 
orchard  of  seventy-five  acres,  the  first  large  one  in  the  valley  and 
one  of  the  first  that  was  irrigated.  The  floods  of  1861-62  damaged 
the  orchard  and  the  failure  of  Mr.  Norris  following  shortly  after- 
ward, he  bought  the  orchards,  but  the  floods  of  1868  entirely  de- 
stroyed the  work  of  the  previous  decade. 

As  early  as  1866  Mr.  LaRue  had  purchased  nine  hundred  acres 
in  Yolo  county  and  to  this  he  added  until  the  ranch  contained  more 
than  two  thousand  acres.  After  the  floods  of  1868  he  sold  his  in- 
terest in  the  rancho  del  Paso  and  gave  his  time  to  the  Yolo  county 
property,  but  made  his  home  in  Sacramento  in  order  that  his  chil- 
dren might  have  the  advantages  offered  by  the  city  schools.  When 
the  wine  industry  was  still  in  its  infancy  he  became  interested  in 
vineyards  and  planted  one  hundred  acres  to  grapes.  Other  im- 
provements were  made,  some  of  which  already  have  been  men- 
tioned, while  others,  equally  important,  are  beyond  the  limits  of 
this  space  to  present  in  detail.  When  advancing  years  rendered  ac- 
tive work  less  desirable,  he  turned  over  to  his  sons  the  care  of  the 
large  property,  and  retired  to  private  life,  with  a  record  of  having 
raised  crops  for  more  than  fifty  consecutive  years  in  California. 
His  agricultural  experiences  centered  in  the  counties  of  Colusa, 
I'olo,  Napa  and  Sacramento. 

During  1858  Mr.  LaRue  married  Miss  Elizabeth  Marion,  daugh- 
ter of  Thomas  Lizenby,  a  pioneer  of  Lewis  county,  Mo.,  and  also 
of  Colusa  county,  Cal.  Mrs.  LaRue  was  a  half-sister  of  Rev.  Will 
iam  M.  Rush,  D.  D.,  of  the  Missouri  conference  of  the  Methodist 
Episcopal  Church,  also  of  Hon.  John  A.  Rush,  at  one  time  state 
senator  from  Colusa  county  and  later  attorney-general  of  Arizona. 
Mr.  and  Mrs.  LaRue  were  the  parents  of  four  sons  and  one  daugh- 
ter, Jacob  Eugene  (who  died  in  January  of  1906),  Calhoun  Lee, 
Hugh  McElroy,  Jr.,  John  Rush  and  Marie  Virginia  (who  died  in 
1888).     During  1856  Mr.  LaRue  became  a  member  of  the  Sacra- 


HISTORY  OF  YOLO  COUNTY  667 

mento  Society  of  California  Pioneers,  of  which  he  served  as  presi- 
dent several  times.  As  master  of  the  Sacramento  Grange  he  was 
prominent  in  another  organization  prominent  in  its  day.  For  years 
he  was  a  member  of  Sacramento  Lodge  No.  49,  F.  &  A.  M.,  and 
also  affiliated  with  the  chapter. 

For  years  one  of  the  leading  Democrats  of  his  locality,  Mr. 
LaRue  never  lost  his  interest  in  public  affairs  and  when  he  passed 
from  earth,  December  12,  1906,  not  only  his  party,  but  the  state  as 
well,  lost  a  patriotic  supporter  and  loyal  promoter.  During  1857 
the  Democrats  elected  him  sheriff-  of  Sacramento  county  by  a  ma- 
jority of  eight  votes,  but  when  the  election  was  contested  he  lost 
the  office.  When  again  he  became  a  candidate  in  1873  he  was  elected 
by  a  large  majority.  During  the  sessions  of  1883  and  1884  he  was  a 
member  of  the  lower  house  of  the  state  legislature  and  served  as 
speaker.  As  representative  from  the  second  congressional  district, 
in  1879  he  served  as  a  member  of  the  state  constitutional  conven- 
tion. While  in  the  legislature  he  supported  the  bill  providing  for 
the  erection  of  an  exposition  building  for  the  State  Agricultural 
Association,  also  supported  the  revision  of  the  general  railroad 
laws,  the  county  government  act,  the  bill  reorganizing  the  senatorial 
and  assembly  districts  and  the  laws  relating  to  taxes.  During  1888 
he  was  the  Democratic  candidate  for  senator  and  ran  ahead  of  his 
ticket,  but  was  not  elected. 

From  1867  until  his  death  in  1906  Mr.  LaRue  was  identified 
with  the  State  Agricultural  Association.  Three  times  (1879-1880 
and  1882)  he  was  chosen  president  of  the  organization.  After  1882 
he  was  a  member  of  its  board  of  directors.  During  the  expositions 
he  acted  as  superintendent  of  the  pavilion.  While  president  of  the 
board,  also  while  speaker  of  the  assembly,  he  was  an  ex-officio  mem- 
ber of  the  board  of  regents  of  the  California  State  University  at 
Berkeley.  He  was  National  Chief  of  Viticulture  at  the  Columbian 
Exposition  held  in  Chicago  in  1S93.  Elected  railroad  commis- 
ioner  for  Northern  California  in  1894,  he  served  as  president  of 
the  board  for  four  years,  besides  holding  other  official  positions 
With  his  demise  another  pioneer  passed  from  the  scenes  of  his  sue 
cessful  industry.  Another  link  joining  the  present  with  the  past 
was  burst  asunder  and  another  name  was  added  to  those  of  the 
illustrious  immortals  recorded  in  the  annals  of  the  state. 


HENRY  M.  KIER,  M.  D. 

The  science  of  therapeutics  has  no  disciple  more  loyal   to  the 
profession,  more  conversant  with  its  possibilities  or  more  eager  to 


668  HISTORY  OF  YOLO  COUNTY 

keep  pace  with  its  development  than  Dr.  Kier  of  Yolo  county,  a 
skilled  practitioner  whose  extended  experience  has  brought  to  him 
the  ever-increasing  prestige  associated  with  accuracy  in  diagnosis 
and  success  in  the  treatment  of  disease.  His  researches  into  the 
mysteries  of  materia  medica,  commenced  while  he  was  yet  at  the 
threshold  of  life's  activities,  have  been  continued  with  enlarged  ap- 
preciation and  growing  results  up  to  the  present  time.  In  these 
studies  he  has  availed  himself  of  every  opportunity  for  the  acquisi- 
tion of  knowledge.  The  best  medical  literature  of  the  age  has  been 
consulted.  The  great  leaders  in  medicine  and  surgery  have  been 
sought.  The  centers  of  medical  research,  both  in  this  country  and 
abroad,  have  been  visited  in  an  eager  effort  to  keep  pace  with  the 
modern  development  of  the  science.  Extensive  travels  have  been 
entered  upon  with  a  view  to  the  broadening  of  his  professional 
knowledge.  Nor  has  this  desire  for  increased  medical  information 
been  the  mere  selfish  hope  of  personal  attainments.  On  the  other 
hand,  he  has  continued  to  be  an  earnest  student  of  the  profession, 
an  eager  disciple  of  the  greatest  physicians  and  surgeons  in  the 
world,  solely  that  he  might  use  the  knowledge  thus  acquired  for 
the  benefit  of  the  patients  under  his  charge.  A  lofty  spirit  of  al- 
truism has  guided  his  professional  labors.  Devotion  to  humanity 
has  been  the  ennobling  principle  of  his  existence.  A  sense  of  duty 
to  others,  and  particularly  to  those  now  or  in  the  future  to  be 
under  his  professional  charge,  causes  him  to  study  every  develop- 
ment in  the  science  and  adopt  into  his  own  practice  every  mod- 
ernism whose  value  has  been  proved  by  the  most  exhaustive  tests. 

It  was  but  natural  that  Dr.  Kier  should  enter  upon  the  profes- 
sion of  medicine  as  a  life  occupation,  for  from  his  earliest  recollec- 
tions he  was  taught  to  regard  the  science  with  deep  interest  and  to 
believe  that  a  profound,  comprehensive  knowledge  of  its  varied  de- 
partments represented  the  highest  phase  of  human  attainments.  It 
was  his  father,  Dr.  J.  S.  Kier,  who  unconsciously  impressed  him 
with  the  greatness  of  the  profession  and  whose  own  self-sacrificing- 
devotion  to  the  work  inspired  the  son  to  emulation.  During  the 
early  portion  of  the  nineteenth  century,  when  medical  colleges  of- 
fered fewer  opportunities  than  those  of  the  present  day,  J.  S.  Kier, 
a  native  of  Armstrong  county,  Pa.,  and  the  recipient  of  a  classical 
education  in  the  Western  Reserve  College,  aquired  an  exceptionally 
broad  knowledge  of  materia  medica  and  became  one  of  the  most  re- 
nowned physicians  of  his  native  county.  After  the  Cincinnati  Medi- 
cal College  had  conferred  the  degree  of  M.  D.  upon  him  he  spent 
some  years  in  professional  work  in  Armstrong  county,  but  his 
growing  reputation  led  to  his  removal  to  Pittsburg,  where  he  be- 
came one  of  the  leading  men  of  his  profession  of  that  period.  About 
the  year  1865  he  became  a  pioneer  of  Detroit,  Mich.,  where  he  pur- 


HISTORY  OF  YOLO  COUNTY  669 

chased  property,  established  a  home  and  built  up  a  practice  that 
formed  the  highest  tribute  to  his  professional  skill  and  enviable  rep- 
utation. Until  his  death  in  1889  he  continued  to  be  an  active  prac- 
titioner, deeply  interested  in  all  developments  in  the  science,  quick 
to  avail  himself  of  modern  advancement  in  therapeutics  and  grasp- 
ing with  all  the  enthusiasm  of  younger  years  the  presentation  of 
new  principles  for  the  treatment  of  disease.  In  the  hopes  and  as- 
pirations of  his  professional  career  he  had  the  wise  counsel  and  ac- 
tive co-operation  of  his  wife,  Martha  J.  (McBride)  Kier,  who  was 
born  in  Westmoreland  county,  Pa.,  and  died  in  Detroit  in  1909  at 
the  age  of  eighty-one  years. 

The  splendid  qualifications  of  the  parents,  descending  as  an  in- 
heritance to  their  three  sons,  brought  to  each  a  fair  degree  of  suc- 
cess in  his  chosen  sphere  of  activity.  Dr.  William  F.  Kier  became  a 
prosperous  physician  of  St.  Louis,  Mo.,  and  James  A.  entered  into 
business  enterprises  in  Detroit,  Mich.  The  eldest  of  the  three,  Dr. 
Henry  M.  Kier,  was  born  at  Leechburg,  Armstrong  count}',  Pa., 
August  31,  1847,  and  received  a  public-school  education  in  Pennsyl- 
vania. After  the  removal  of  the  family  to  Detroit  in  1865  he  at- 
tended the  schools  there  for  two  years.  In  1867  he  matriculated  in 
the  medical  department  of  the  University  of  Michigan  at  Ann  Arbor 
and  continued  in  that  institution  until  1869,  when  he  was  graduated 
with  the  degree  of  M.  D.  Upon  returning  to  Detroit  he  became  as- 
sociated with  his  father  in  professional  work.  However,  he  soon 
found  that  his  professional  knowledge  was  incomplete  and  unsatis- 
factory. With  the  high  ideals  which  he  entertained  of  the  calling  he 
was  satisfied  with  nothing  less  than  the  best.  Under  these  circum- 
stances he  determined  to  continue  his  collegiate  studies  beyond 
their  previous  limits.  Choosing  St.  Louis  as  the  center  of  his  ad- 
vanced studies,  he  forthwith  entered  the  St.  Louis  Medical  College 
and  took  a  thorough  post-graduate  course  under  the  distinguished 
professor  of  obstetrics  and  gynecology  then  connected  with  the  in- 
stitution, while  at  the  same  time  he  gained  practical  experience  in 
the  profession  by  laboring  among  the  patients  of  the  Sisters'  Hos- 
pital. In  1871  the  college  conferred  the  degree  of  M.  D.  upon  him. 
He  chose  California  as  the  field  for  his  future  professional  career, 
selecting  San  Francisco  as  his  probable  location.  However,  having 
formed  the  acquaintance  of  Dr.  Edward  Gordon,  of  Knight's  Land 
ing,  CaL,  a  graduate  of  the  St.  Louis  Medical  College  and  a  young 
man  of  professional  promise,  Dr.  Kier  naturally  visited  him  on  his 
arrival  in  the  west.  He  was  immediately  impressed  with  the  great- 
ness of  the  county  and  its  future  possibilities  and  lie  therefore 
joined  his  friend  as  a  practitioner  at  Knight's  Landing.  Six  months 
later  Dr.  Gordon  removed  to  Dixon,  but  Dr.  Kier  continued  at  the 
same  location  until  1880,  when  he  went  to  Europe  for  the  purpose  of 


670  HISTORY  OF  YOLO  COUNTY 

carrying  forward  special  studies  under  some  of  the  master  surgeons 
of  the  world.  For  two  years  he  studied  in  the  medical  department 
of  the  University  of  Vienna  and  then  for  nine  months  he  had  the 
further  advantage  of  a  special  course  in  the  University  of  Berlin, 
after  which  he  spent  four  months  in  the  city  of  London  and  studied 
the  principles  of  therapeutics  as  explained  by  some  of  the  leading 
physicians  of  Great  Britain.  Upon  his  return  to  Yolo  county  in 
1884  he  engaged  in  practice  at  "Woodland  and  in  this  city  he  has 
built  up  an  enviable  reputation  for  medical  skill.  Few  physicians 
in  the  west  have  enjoyed  more  extended  advantages  than  he  and  his 
years  of  close  study  and  research  have  enabled  him  to  make  a  suc- 
cess of  his  chosen  work.  Identifying  himself  with  the  local  progress 
of  the  profession,  he  has  entered  into  active  membership  with  the 
Yolo  County  Medical  Society.  The  California  State  and  American 
Medical  Associations  also  have  the  benefit  of  his  intelligent  co- 
operation. Aside  from  his  professional  activities,  he  has  found 
leisure  only  for  identification  with  Masonry,  whose  principles  of 
philanthropy  and  brotherhood  always  have  appealed  to  him  as  an 
agency  in  the  forward  march  of  humanity.  As  early  as  1875  be 
was  made  a  Mason  in  Grafton  Lodge,  F.  &  A.  M.,  at  Knight's  Land- 
ing, and  he  still  retains  his  membership  in  that  lodge,  being  oue  of 
the  very  few  survivors  of  its  leading  workers  of  early  days.  Since 
becoming  one  of  its  members  he  has  risen  in  the  order  until  now  ho 
is  a  thirty-third  degree  Mason  in  the  United  States  jurisdiction  of  the 
Scottish  Rite. 


WILLIAM  NATHANIEL  MARDERS 

An  example  worthy  of  emulation,  in  that  it  represented  noble 
and  exemplary  principles,  was  the  life  of  W.  N.  Marders,  one  of 
Yolo  county's  pioneers,  who  passed  away  August  13,  1899.  To 
the  end,  Mr.  Marders  remained  true  to  his  highest  ideal  of  honor, 
and  not  one  of  his  many  acquaintances  was  ever  able  to  speak  of 
him  in  aught  but  respect  and  admiration.  Born  in  Monroe  county, 
Mo.,  August  30,  1834,  Mr.  Marders  spent  his  boyhood  on  his 
father's  farm,  reeciving  his  education  in  the  country  schools.  At 
the  age  of  nineteen  he  determined  to  start  in  life  for  himself,  and 
with  his  father's  gift  of  $10— a  large  sum  to  the  boy — he  fared 
forth,  rich  in  the  hopes  of  youth.  Shortly  after  this,  in  1853,  he 
secured  a  position  as  driver  with  Glenn  and  Wilson,  cattle  dealers, 
who  were  about  to  cross  the  plains.  Upon  reaching  Nevada  he 
allowed  the  party  to  proceed  without  him,  and  thereupon  became 


HISTORY  OF  YOLO  COUNTY  671 

interested  in  mining  and  followed  it  for  several  years.  Relinquish- 
ing this  work,  he  took  up  freighting,  operating  between  Sacramento, 
Auburn,  Cah,  and  Virginia  City,  New,  but  in  1860,  weary  of  con- 
tinual traveling,  he  purchased,  in  Shasta  county,  a  ranch  which  he 
stocked  and  conducted  for  the  next  four  years.  He  then  located 
in  Yolo  county  on  a  homestead.  At  this  time,  however,  funds  were 
low  and  it  became  necessary  to  resume  for  a  time  his  occupation 
of  freighting.  Subsequently  he  went  into  the  sheep  raising  business 
at  Casey's  Flat  with  his  brother  Hezekiah,  who  after  several  years 
grew  tired  of  the  occupation  and  took  up  other  work,  leaving  Mr. 
Marders  in  sole  possession  of  the  ranch. 

November  2,  1873,  Mr.  Marders  married  Miss  Esther  Ryder,  a 
native  of  Michigan,  who  came  to  California  when  sixteen  years  old. 
The  young  couple  took  up  their  residence  upon  a  farm  of  three  hun- 
dred and  twenty  acres  near  Madison,  Yolo  county,  which  they  pur- 
chased and  stocked  with  cattle,  horses  and  mules.  From  time  to 
time  Mr.  Marders  added  to  his  holdings  and  at  the  time  of  his 
death  owned  nine  hundred  and  fifty  acres,  considered  one  of  the 
most  valuable  stock  and  grain  ranches  in  Sacramento  Valley. 

Mr.  Marders '  word  was  as  good  as  his  bond  and  this,  spoken  in 
truth,  is  the  best  that  can  be  said  of  any  man.  He  was  devoted  to 
his  home  and  cared  nothing  for  public  life,  though  always  interested 
in  municipal  work  that  called  for  his  support.  He  and  bis  family 
were  members  of  the  Christian  Church,  which  they  assisted  in  every 
possible  way. 

Four  children  were  born  to  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Marders,  namely, 
William  0. ;  Mabel  0.,  now  Mrs.  VvT.  E.  Nissen,  of  Palo  Alto ;  Maude 
Esther,  who  is  the  wife  of  Harry  R.  Brown,  and  whose  home  is  in 
Palo  Alto;  and  Roy  A.,  who  resides  in  Capay.  Of  all  the  pioneer 
families  of  the  valley  none  are  more  highly  esteemed  than  Mr. 
Marders'  widow  and  her  children. 

"William  O.  Marders,  the  eldest  son  of  Mr.  and  Mrs.  W.  N. 
Marders,  was  born  near  Esparto  in  1874,  and  spent  tbe  first  thirty 
years  of  his  life  assisting  bis  father  on  the  ranch  and  acquiring  a 
thorough  knowledge  of  the  farming  industry,  as  well  as  the  breed- 
ing of  horses  and  cattle.  From  1905  to  1907  he  ranched  in  Tehama 
county  before  taking  up  his  residence  in  Woodland,  where  he  spent 
the  next  three  years.  In  1910  he  purchased  a  ranch  of  twenty  acres 
one  mile  west  of  Woodland ;  this  is  highly  improved  and  from  it  he 
secures  annually  five  or  six  crops  of  alfalfa  with  irrigation.  He 
also  has  a  small  dairy  supplied  by  ten  cows.  In  1904  Mr.  Marders 
married  Miss  Josephine  H.  Brown,  who  was  born  in  Yolo  county, 
her  father,  Warren  Brown,  being  an  early  settler  here.  Mr.  and 
Mrs.  Marders  have  three  children,  William  G.,  Helen  and  Russel 
Alston. 


672  HISTORY  OF  YOLO  COUNTY 

CHARLES  EDWARD  DINGLE 

It  is  the  belief  of  many  that  no  profession  is  more  important 
and  no  responsibilities  more  weighty  than  those  associated  with  the 
preparation  of  the  children  of  our  great  country  for  the  duties 
awaiting  them  in  life's  vast  fields  of  labor.  To  such  work  Professor 
Dingle  has  given  the  entire  period  of  manhood's  activities  and  with 
a  success  that  is  recognized  wherever  he  is  known.  Any  record 
of  his  own  life  is  in  many  respects  also  a  history  of  the  gradual 
development  of  the  Woodland  schools,  with  which  he  is  connected 
as  supervising  principal  and  to  which  he  has  devoted  the  most  fruit- 
ful era  of  his  eventful  career.  As  an  educator  he  has  been  charac- 
terized particularly  by  a  progressive  spirit,  a  far-seeing  discrimina- 
tion, an  intelligent  vision  of  present  opportunities  and  a  compre- 
hensive insight  into  future  needs.  Throughout  the  entire  period  of 
his  association  with  the  Woodland  schools  he  has  labored  conscien- 
tiously to  raise  the  standard  of  education  and  to  secure  for  the 
young  people  of  the  city  the  very  best  possible  opportunities  to 
prepare  for  lives  of  patriotic  citizenship  and  intelligent  helpfulness. 

In  taking  up  a  consideration  of  the  life  of  Professor  Dingle 
Ave  find  that  he  is  of  Missourian  nativity  and  Kentucky  lineage.  His 
father,  Carter  B.  Dingle,  was  born  at  Georgetown,  Ky.,  and  followed 
the  westward  drift  of  migration,  settling  on  a  farm  in  Audrain 
county,  Mo.,  while  he  was  a  mere  youth.  While  in  the  prime  of 
manhood,  in  1860,  he  was  taken  from  home  and  children  by  death. 
There  were  six  children  in  his  family,  and  four  of  these  are  still 
living.  Charles  Edward,  who  was  next  to  the  eldest,  was  born 
near  Mexico,  Audrain  county,  Mo.,  August  13,  1852,  and  at  the  time 
of  the  death  of  the  father  he  was  eight  years  of  age.  The  mother, 
who  was  born  in  Missouri  and  bore  the  maiden  name  of  Nancy  C. 
Ward,  afterward  became  the  wife  of  John  G.  Dingle,  a  brother  of 
her  first  husband;  four  children  were  born  of  that  union,  three 
of  them  being  now  living.  Of  the  ten  children  born  of  both  unions 
Charles  Edward  was  the  only  one  to  seek  a  home  on  the  Pacific 
coast,  the  others  preferring  to  remain  in  the  midst  of  scenes 
familiar  to  their  early  days  and  among  the  friends  of  their  youth. 

It  would  perhaps  be  impossible  for  Professor  Dingle  to  recall 
when  he  first  formed  the  determination  to  secure  an  education. 
As  a  small  child  he  was  ambitious  to  learn.  In  that  locality  and 
era  educational  interests  were  at  a  low  ebb.  Little  was  being  done 
for  the  children.  The  teachers  were  for  the  most  part  illy  prepared 
for  their  profession,  the  text-books  were  few  and  crude,  and  the 
schoolhouses  bare  and  uninviting.  The  school  which  Professor 
Dingle  attended  in  his  own  home  district  he  named  "Poverty 
Point."  The  name  is  indicative  of  the  barrenness  of  the  surround- 
ings and  the  difficulty  experienced  in  securing  an  education  there. 


HISTORY  OF  YOLO  COUNTY  673 

However,  he  had  hetter  advantages  in  an  academy  at  Mexico,  Mo., 
and  later  he  worked  his  way  through  the  Kirksville  (Mo.)  State 
Normal,  from  which  in  1871  he  was  graduated  with  a  high  standing. 
On  his  return  home  he  began  to  teach  in  the  home  district.  It  can 
be  understood  readily  that  this  was  no  easy  task.  All  of  the  chil- 
dren were  acquainted  with  him  and  some  had  gone  to  school  with 
him,  though  in  lower  classes.  To  all  of  them  he  was  known  by  his 
nickname  of  "Bud."  The  familiarity  of  old  comradeship  would  in 
many  instances  prevent  success,  but  that  was  not  the  case  with  him, 
for  he  was  so  remarkably  fortunate  in  pushing  the  pupils  forward 
in  their  studies  that  he  was  retained  for  three  years  and  then  re- 
signed against  the  wishes  of  the  patrons. 

Coming  to  California  in  1876  and  securing  a  school  near  Santa 
Rosa,  Professor  Dingle  was  engaged  as  instructor  in  the  Rincon 
district  for  six  months.  From  there  he  came  to  Yolo  county  and 
taught  for  six  months  in  the  Buchanan  district.  Next  he  taught 
for  six  months  in  the  Rincon  district  and  for  a  similar  period  in 
the  Buchanan  district,  after  which  he  followed  the  work  at  Black's 
Station.  During  1880  he  came  to  Woodland  as  vice-principal  of 
the  schools.  There  were  then  two  school  buildings  and  nine  teach- 
ers, with  about  four  hundred  pupils.  At  the  expiration  of  two  years 
he  was  chosen  principal  and  continued  to  serve  in  this  capacity  until 
1897,  when  he  resigned  in  order  to  serve  as  postmaster  under  the 
administration  of  President  Cleveland.  During  the  four  years  of 
his  incumbency  of  the  office  of  postmaster  he  also  served  as  a  mem- 
ber of  the  board  of  education,  being  president  of  the  same  for  one 
year. 

Upon  the  expiration  of  his  term  as  postmaster  Professor  Dingle 
again  was  selected  as  principal  of  the  Woodland  schools,  and  since 
then  there  has  been  no  interruption  in  his  association  with  the  exact- 
ing duties  of  educational  work.  During  two  years  of  the  time,  al- 
though nominally  supervising  principal,  he  was  continued  as  prin- 
cipal on  account  of  shortage  of  funds,  but  since  1912  he  has  limited 
bis  labors  to  those  of  supervising  principal.  There  are  now  three 
grammar  schools  and  a  kindergarten,  with  seventeen  teachers  and 
six  hundred  and  fifty  pupils.  In  addition  there  is  a  splendid  high 
school,  with  seven  teachers  and  one  hundred  and  eighty  pupils.  The 
establishment  of  the  kindergarten  was  due  to  the  efforts  of  the  prin- 
cipal, who  for  several  years  labored  to  arouse  interest  in  the  enter- 
prise and  finally,  about  1892,  was  successful  in  having  it  started. 
From  1884  until  he  was  appointed  postmaster  he  served  as  a  mem- 
ber of  the  county  board  of  education,  which  has  had  the  further 
benefit  of  his  co-operation  since  1910.  Success  in  his  work  has  given 
him  prominence  in  the  California  State  Teachers'  Association  and 
he  is  further  an  active  member  of  the  National  Educational  Associa- 


674  HISTORY  OF  YOLO  COUNTY 

tion,  whose  conventions  he  has  attended  several  times  and  in  whose 
progressive  plans  he  has  maintained  a  warm  interest.  Although 
never  partisan  in  his  political  views,  he  is  loyal  to  the  Democratic 
party,  and,  had  he  so  desired,  could  have  held  many  of  the  offices 
within  the  gift  of  his  party.  In  fraternal  relations  he  is  connected 
with  the  "Woodmen  of  the  World  and  the  Masons.  He  was  made  a 
Mason  in  Woodland  Lodge  No.  156,  F.  &  A.  M.,  in  which  he  is 
past  master,  and  furthermore  he  holds  membership  in  the  lodge  of 
Perfection  and  the  Eose  Croix,  Scottish  Eite,  in  Sacramento. 

The  pleasant  home  of  Professor  Dingle  at  No.  631  College 
street  is  presided  over  with  rare  tact  and  unfailing  hospitality  by 
his  wife,  whom  he  married  in  Petaluma,  this  state,  and  who  was 
Miss  Nellie  Sims,  born  near  Mexico,  Mo.,  educated  there  and  in 
California,  and  from  childhood  identified  with  the  Baptist  Church. 
They  became  the  parents  of  four  children.  The  eldest,  Willie  Boone, 
is  the  wife  of  Charles  W.  Ilgner  and  lives  in  Sacramento.  The  elder 
son,  Carter  Spence,  is  now  in  Mesa,  Ariz.  Eleanor  Edward,  who 
died  at  the  age  of  twenty  years,  was  a  graduate  of  the  Woodland 
high  school  and  a  member  of  the  sophomore  class  in  Mills  College. 
The  youngest  member  of  the  family  circle,  Charles  Oscar,  grad- 
uated with  the  class  of  1912  from  the  Leland  Stanford  University. 


GEOEGE  H.  FISH 

Diversified  activities,  all  of  them  involving  extensive  responsi- 
bilities, have  occupied  the  mature  years  of  George  H.  Fish,  who  is 
one  of  the  leading  residents  of  Knight's  Landing,  Yolo  county,  and 
especially  prominent  in  the  vicinity  of  Woodland  and  Knight's 
Landing.  At  this  writing  and  for  some  years  past  he  has  served 
ably  and  resourcefully  as  superintendent  of  the  old  Fair  ranch  for 
the  Sacramento  Eiver  Farms  Company,  an  enormous  tract  of  land, 
aggregating  about  eleven  thousand  acres.  The  varied  duties  asso- 
ciated with  the  position  he  has  discharged  with  tact,  fidelity  and 
energy,  and  both  as  to  results  secured  from  the  cultivation  of  the 
estate  and  tactful  direction  of  the  workmen  engaged  thereon  he  has 
proved  his  adaptability  to  the  position.  Wheat  and  barley  are  the 
principal  crops  raised  on  the  ranch  and  the  task  of  plowing,  sowing, 
harvesting  and  threshing  is  carried  on  with  the  assistance  of  about 
forty  ranch  men,  with  S.  W.  Fish  as  foreman. 

The  personal  identification  of  George  H.  Fish  with  Yolo  county 


HISTORY  OF  YOLO  COUNTY  675 

dates  from  the  year  1877,  when  he  came  hither  a  small  child  in 
company  with  his  father,  Byron  Fish.  The  latter,  a  native  of 
Michigan  and  a  descendant  of  eastern  ancestry,  hecame  an  early 
settler  of  Boone  county,  Iowa,  where  he  met  and  married  Miss 
Nannie  Berryhill,  a  native  of  Pennsylvania.  After  some  years  in 
Iowa,  the  family  removed  to  California  and  in  a  short  time  estab- 
lished a  home  at  Knights  Landing.  For  some  years  the  father 
carried  on  a  wholesale  fish  business  and  made  large  sales  to  retail 
dealers  at  other  points,  establishing  an  industry  that  later  attained 
enormous  dimensions  under  the  management  of  his  son,  George  H. 
From  1877  until  his  death  in  1891  he  was  identified  with  Yolo 
county  and  contributed  to  its  commercial  development,  at  the  same 
time  winning  the  regard  of  a  large  circle  of  acquaintances.  Of 
his  family  of  nine  children  six  are  now  living,  namely:  Mayme, 
wife  of  E.  J.  Franklin;  George  H. ;  Charles,  of  Knights  Landing; 
S.  ~W.,  foreman  of  the  Fair  ranch;  Lucille,  Mrs.  Charles  Moore; 
and  Edward,  who  is  engaged  in  business. 

Born  in  Iowa  May  17,  1876,  George  H.  Fish  was  reared  at 
Knights  Landing  and  educated  in  the  Grafton  schools.  From  an 
early  age  he  aided  his  father  in  the  fish  industry  and  later  he  em- 
barked in  the  business  for  himself.  It  would  be  impossible  to  esti- 
mate the  tons  of  fish  which  he  shipped  while  engaged  in  the  business, 
but  suffice  it  to  state  that  San  Francisco  was  his  principal  market 
in  the  west  and  Boston  his  main  shipping  place  in  the  east.  At  one 
time  he  controlled  the  entire  San  Francisco  fish  market.  From 
fifteen  to  twenty  men  assisted  him  in  the  business.  When  eventually 
he  turned  his  attention  to  other  lines  of  enterprise  he  became  fore- 
man on  a  large  cattle  ranch  and  maintained  the  entire  supervision, 
with  cowboys  as  assistants,  of  three  thousand  head  of  cattle.  From 
that  position  he  came  to  his  present  post  as  superintendent  of  the 
Fair  ranch  that  is  largely  given  over  to  the  raising  of  wheat  and 
barley,  with  other  crops  upon  a  somewhat  smaller  scale. 

An  only  son,  Melvin,  has  been  born  to  the  union  of  Mr.  Fish  and 
Miss  Rose  Hachman  (a  native  of  Chico,  Cal.),  who  were  married 
at  Woodland  in  1903  and  have  lived  in  the  same  part  of  the  county 
ever  since  they  began  housekeeping.  In  this  neighborhood  they 
have  many  warm  friends  who  have  been  drawn  to  them  by  their 
sterling  qualities  of  heart  and  mind.  As  a  citizen  Mr.  Fish  always 
gives  allegiance  to  movements  for  the  general  welfare.  Progres- 
sive and  public-spirited,  he  co-operates  in  all  enterprises  for  the 
permanent  upbuilding  of  the  community.  In  politics  he  has  been 
stanch  in  his  support  of  the  Republican  party  and  on  several  occa- 
sions has  served  as  a  delegate  to  local  conventions  of  that  organiza- 
tion, aiding  its  progress  here  by  his  wise  counsel  and  enthusiastic 
allegiance. 


676  HISTORY  OF  YOLO  COUNTY 

THEODORE  MEZGER 

A  Teutonic  origin  is  indicated  by  the  family  name  of  Mezger 
and  it  is  learned  that  the  ancestry,  as  far  back  as  the  records  can 
be  traced,  lived  and  labored  in  Germany,  belonging  to  the  sturdy 
and  honorable  middle  class  forming  the  bulwark  of  that  and  every 
other  country.  The  founder  of  the  name  in  the 'new  world  was  Fred- 
erick, father  of  Theodore  and  a  resident  of  his  native  land  until 
arrival  at  mature  years  left  him  free  to  decide  as  to  a  future  loca- 
tion, when  he  took  passage  on  an  ocean  steamer  and  crossed  to 
New  York  City.  For  a  time  he  held  a  position  in  the  American 
metropolis  and  during  the  period  of  his  residence  there  he  married 
Katherine  Clause,  a  native  of  Germany.  Shortly  after  his  marriage 
he  brought  his  young  wife  to  California  via  the  Panama  route  in 
1868,  and  after  landing  from  the  steamer  at  San  Francisco  he  pro- 
ceeded to  search  for  a  permanent  location.  Chance  led  his  steps 
to  Yolo  county,  and  he  became  one  of  the  pioneers  of  this  portion 
of  the  commonwealth.  On  every  hand  were  evidences  of  a  frontier 
environment.  Vast  tracts  of  land,  on  which  a  furrow  had  never 
been  turned,  showed  the  possibilities  for  the  agriculturists  of  the 
future.  With  characteristic  decision  he  promptly  entered  a  claim 
to  three  hundred  and  twenty  acres  of  raw  land,  whose  richness 
and  fertility  his  shrewd  judgment  discerned.  Later  he  also  operated 
the  ranch  where  now  his  sons  reside  and  here  he  passed  away  in 
May,  1908,  after  a  long  and  useful  existence  devoted  to  the  welfare 
of  his  family  and  the  upbuilding  of  his  chosen  community. 

The  large  family  reared  by  Frederick  and  Katherine  Mezser 
and  carefully  trained  by  them  in  habits  of  industry  and  integrity 
are  now  scattered  in  different  places  as  their  occupations  have 
called  them,  but  all  are  reflecting  credit  upon  the  memory  of  their 
honored  father  and  are  adding  prestige  to  the  family  name  by  their 
own  useful,  busy  lives.  The  eldest  son,  Frederick,  holds  a  position 
as  an  engineer  on  the  Southern  Pacific  Railroad  and  is  a  prominent 
local  worker  in  the  Independent  Order  of  Odd  Fellows.  Charles 
resides  in  Sacramento.  Frank  and  Theodore  are  partners  in  the 
management  of  the  home  farm  and  cultivate  about  six  hundred 
acres.  The  other  sons  are  Albert,  of  Yreka,  and  Eugene,  of  Wood- 
land. Kate,  the  eldest  daughter,  is  the  wife  of  John  Mast,  of  Madi- 
son. Mary  married  Frederick  Dill  and  lives  in  Yolo  county.  The 
youngest  daughter,  Clara,  resides  with  her  mother  in  Woodland, 
where  they  own  a  comfortable  cottage  and  enjoy  the  friendship  of 
their  many  acquaintances.  All  of  the  children  received  fair  educa- 
tional advantages  and  all  were  born  and  reared  in  Yolo  county, 
where  they  are  known  and  respected  for  worthy  traits  of  character. 
The  brothers  adhere  to  Democratic  principles,  but  as  yet  have  taken 


HISTORY  OF  YOLO  COUNTY  677 

no  part  in  local  polities.  Fraternally  Frank  and  Theodore  hold 
membership  with  the  subordinate  lodge  of  Odd  Fellows  at  Black's 
Station  and  contribute  generously  to  the  charities  of  the  organiza- 
tion, as  well  as  to  other  movements  for  the  welfare  of  the  people 
and  the  prosperity  of  the  community.  In  addition  to  their  partner- 
ship in  the  management  of  six  hundred  acres  in  Yolo  county,  Frank 
also  owns  some  four  hundred  and  eighty  acres  in  Washington. 
The  brothers  rank  among  the  resourceful  and  energetic  farmers  of 
the  county  and  merit  a  large  degree  of  success  through  their  devo- 
tion to  duty,  their  adherence  to  honorable  principles  and  their 
energetic  application  to  agricultural  enterprises. 


EMERSON  B.  HARLEY 

A  lapse  of  sixty-one  years  since  the  original  identification  of 
the  Harley  family  with  Yolo  county  has  witnessed  a  remarkable 
transformation  in  the  aspect  of  the  region  and  a  gratifying  develop- 
ment of  the  native  resources.  The  founder  of  the  family  in  this 
vicinity  was  an  honored  pioneer,  the  late  Elias  Harley,  a  descen- 
dant of  English  and  German  ancestry  and  the  possessor  of  rugged 
qualities  admirably  qualifying  him  for  the  difficult  achievements 
demanded  of  a  frontiersman.  Born  in  Montgomery  county,  Pa., 
in  1815,  he  followed  the  tide  of  migration  toward  the  then  unde- 
veloped regions  of  the  Mississippi  valley  and  about  1840  took  up 
land  in  McLean  county,  111.,  where  he  made  his  home  for  ten  years. 
Meanwhile  the  death  of  his  first  wife  in  1847  left  him  somewhat 
alone  in  the  world  and  thus  in  a  position  to  respond  to  the  call  to 
the  west  coincident  with  the  discovery  of  gold. 

Accompanied  by  a  younger  brother,  Aaron,  and  journeying 
in  a  wagon  drawn  by  a  team  of  mules,  in  1850  Elias  Harley  crossed 
the  plains  and  autumn  of  that  year  found  him  a  stranger  at  the 
Placerville  camp,  eagerly  studying  prospects  and  conditions  at  that 
famous  spot.  After  he  and  his  brother  had  tried  mining  for  a 
year  with  no  special  success,  in  the  fall  of  1851  they  came  to  Yolo 
county  and  settled  among  the  pioneers  of  this  then  undeveloped 
region.  Eventually  Elias  Harley  again  established  domestic  ties, 
choosing  as  his  wife  Miss  Anna  Y.  Powell,  who  was  born,  reared 
and  educated  in  Pennsylvania,  and  engaged  in  teaching  school  in 
that  state,  later  following  the  same  occupation  in  Iowa,  and  thence 
coming  to  California. 

The  purchase  of  land  had  been  one  of  the  early  acts  in  the 


678  HISTORY  OF  YOLO  COUNTY 

identification  of  Elias  Harley  with  Yolo  county.  For  years  he  and 
his  wife  lived  upon  a  ranch  of  one  hundred  and  sixty  acres  near 
Yolo,  and  to  this  he  added  land  adjoining  until  he  owned  four  hun- 
dred and  forty  acres,  which  he  devoted  to  grain  and  stock  raising. 
At  the  old  homestead  occurred  the  hirth  of  their  only  son,  Emerson 
B.,  May  29,  1878,  and  it  was  in  order  that  he  might  enjoy  the 
splendid  educational  advantages  for  which  Berkeley  is  famed  that 
the  parents  in  1894  relinquished  their  agricultural  activities  and 
turned  their  land  over  to  the  care  of  others.  From,  that  time  they 
remained  in  Berkeley  until  the  death  of  Mr.  Harley  April  27,  1897, 
and  the  widow  continued  in  the  city  until  the  completion  of  her 
son's  education,  giving  him  the  advantages  of  the  Berkeley  high 
school  and  the  University  of  California.  Afte.r  he  had  completed  the 
course  in  electrical  engineering  and  had  graduated  with  the  class 
of  1903  with  the  degree  of  B.  S.,  he  went  to  Portland,  Ore.,  to  take 
up  professional  work,  and  there  he  and  his  mother  made  their  home 
until  1910.  Meanwhile  the  landed  interests  in  Yolo  county  were 
in  need  of  skilled  supervision.  In  order  that  the  best  returns  might 
he  secured  from  the  property  it  was  necessary  for  the  owners  to 
expend  money  and  time  on  the  estate.  Accordingly  they  returned 
to  the  old  homestead,  which  Mr.  Harley  now  owns,  while  his  mother 
owns  the  other  farm,  both  properties  comprising  two  hundred  and 
eighty  acres,  being  under  his  personal  charge.  By  a  previous  mar- 
riage, Elias  Harley  had  one  child,  Celia,  Mrs.  George  Jones,  of  Mc- 
Lean, 111.,  who  received  one  hundred  and  sixty  acres  of  her  father's 
property,  which,  as  previously  stated,  aggregated  four  hundred 
and  forty  acres. 

The  marriage  of  Emerson  B.  Harley  was  solemnized  at  Berke- 
ley July  12,  1910,  and  united  him  with  Miss  Pluma  B.  Dutton,  who 
was  born  in  Kansas,  but  has  spent  her  life  almost  wholly  in  Cali- 
fornia. As  a  girl  she  lived  with  her  parents  in  Oakland  and 
attended  the  University  of  California  at  Berkeley,  graduating  with 
the  class  of  1907  with  the  degree  of  B.  L.  From  that  time  until 
ber  marriage  she  engaged  in  teacbing  school,  and  achieved  signal 
success  in  the  profession.  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Harley  began  housekeeping 
on  the  ranch  they  now  own.  Here  they  have  erected  a  commodious 
bungalow  that  is  a  model  of  comfort  and  convenience.  Other  im- 
provements have  been  made  and  the  farm  has  been  greatly  enhanced 
in  value  through  the  intelligent  activities  of  Mr.  Harley,  who  is 
engaged  principally  in  the  raising  of  grain  and  alfalfa  and  is  bring- 
ing the  land  into  a  material  condition  that  renders  its  cultivation 
profitable  in  a  constantly  increasing  degree.  For  such  important 
tasks  as  these  he  gave  up  his  professional  labors,  and  it  is  now  his 
hope  and  ambition  to  develop  an  estate  second  to  none  in  point  of 
improvements,  thrifty  cultivation  and  gratifying  returns. 


HISTORY  OF  YOLO  COUNTY  (379 

JOHN  D.  MARTIN 

The  power  of  concentration  has  been  exemplified  in  the  success- 
ful activities  of  Mr.  Martin.  From  early  youth  he  has  devoted  his 
energies  wholly  to  the  nursery  business.  While  others  have  drifted 
from  one  occupation  to  another  in  a  desire  to  find  something  both 
congenial  and  profitable,  it  was  his  good  fortune  at  an  early  age 
to  become  identified  with  an  industry  for  which  he  was  well  adapted 
by  natural  endowments.  As  a  result  of  his  long  association  with 
the  occupation  there  is  now  no  detail  with  which  he  is  unfamiliar ; 
whether  in  selection  of  stock,  in  judicious  choice  of  suitable  varieties, 
in  grafting  of  trees,  or  in  marketing  of  crops,  in  all  he  displays 
the  sagacity  and  keen  discrimination  that  have  produced  his  present 
high  standing  as  a  fruit-raiser. 

In  recognition  of  his  noteworthy  success  with  one  of  his  spe- 
cialties, the  title  of  "Strawberry"  Martin  has  been  bestowed  upon 
him  by  his  hosts  of  friends  and  still  clings  to  him,  notwithstanding 
the  fact  that  of  late  years  he  has  concentrated  his  attention  on 
seedless  raisin  grapes  as  a  specialty,  giving  up  to  a  large  extent 
the  production  of  the  rare  and  delicious  varieties  of  strawberries 
that  once  gave  him  local  fame.  The  nursery  business  first  engaged 
his  attention  at  the  age  of  thirteen  years  in  his  native  county  of 
Niagara  in  York  state,  where  he  had  received  a  grammar-school 
education.  The  need  of  earning  his  own  livelihood  forced  him  to 
leave  school  at  the  completion  of  the  grammar  course  and  he  then 
took  up  the  nursery  business  with  a  company  that  gave  him  charge 
of  two  hundred  men  when  he  was  only  sixteen.  Being  a  lad  of 
rugged  health  as  well  as  tireless  energy,  he  was  never  absent  from 
his  place  of  work  on  any  days  except  the  4th  of  July  and  Christmas 
day  for  a  period  of  ten  years.  Year  after  year  he  continued  without 
the  loss  of  a  day's  time  and  he  was  so  energetic  in  his  work  that 
in  one  year  he  and  his  men  grafted  the  enormous  number  of  five 
million  trees.  For  about  three  years  he  was  superintendent  of 
Niagara  county  poor  farm,  resigning  in  1882  for  the  purpose  of 
coming  to  the  west. 

An  experience  of  one  year  in  a  nursery  in  Yolo  county  was 
followed  by  the  return  of  Mr.  Martin  to  his  previous  occupation 
in  New  York,  but  in  1884  he  again  came  to  Yolo  county,  this  time 
us  a  permanent  resident.  Renting  twenty  acres  on  Cache  creek, 
lie  began  to  plant  strawberries,  blackberries  and  loganberries  and 
finally  lie  had  the  entire  tract  under  cultivation  to  the  choicest 
varieties.  The  output  was  enormous,  but  Sacramento  furnished 
a  convenient  and  profitable  market  for  even  the  largest  crops,  and 
an  immense  trade  was  established  in  that  city,  as  well  as  in  Yolo 
county  itself.  The  first  large  crop  was  taken  off  in  1886,  ami  from 
that   year   until    1900,    he   carried   on   the   place    profitably.       The 


680  HISTORY  OF  YOLO  COUNTY 

arrival  of  his  berries  was  looked  forward  to  with  eagerness 
by  buyers  catering  to  the  tastes  of  critical  customers.  The 
products  invariably  brought  the  highest  market  prices,  this 
being  due  not  only  to  care  in  cultivation,  but  to  the  original  dis- 
crimination in  the  selection  of  stock. 

Meanwhile  having  purchased  twenty-seven  acres  of  unimproved 
land  and  having  planted  the  same  to  seedless  raisin  grapes,  in  1900 
Mr.  Martin  removed  to  his  new  location  and  here  he  has  built  up 
a  very  productive  and  remunerative  vineyard.  A  capable  overseer 
is  employed  to  reside  upon  the  farm  and  manage  the  vines,  while 
the  owner  himself  now  sjjends  much  of  his  time  traveling  both  in 
the  east  and  the  west.  Various  improvements  have  been  made  from 
time  to  time.  A  good  barn  and  a  packing  house  were  erected  and 
the  grapes  are  cured  and  packed  on  the  premises.  For  the  year 
1910  the  entire  expense  of  raising,  picking,  curing  and  packing  the 
raisins  totaled  $750,  while  the  crop  of  forty-five  tons  of  choice 
raisins  brought  $4,200  on  the  market,  and  the  crop  of  1911  was 
equally  valuable,  this  representing  a  gratifying  revenue  for  twenty- 
seven  acres  of  land  in  Yolo  county.  The  owner's  success  has  en- 
couraged others  to  enter  the  same  occupation,  for  he  has  proved 
what  may  be  accomplished  with  this  soil  by  careful  management 
and  practical  business  forethought. 


PERRY  PINCKNEY  LAWSON 

The  genealogy  of  the  Lawson  family  extends  back  in  America 
to  the  colonial  period  of  our  national  history  and  the  entire  record 
is  one  of  high  principles  expressed  in  patriotic  loyalty  to  country 
and  affectionate  devotion  to  family  and  friends.  For  many  years 
the  name  was  limited  to  the  eastern  coast  of  the  new  world,  but  the 
spread  of  civilization  led  them  toward  the  central  west  and  even- 
tually they  became  identified  with  the  Pacific  coast  in  a  permanent 
citizenship.  John  and  Elizabeth  (Deering)  Lawson,  natives  respec- 
tively of  North  Carolina  and  Virginia,  lived  after  their  marriage 
on  a  plantation  in  North  Carolina,  where  their  son,  James  Madison, 
was  born.  A  desire  to  realize  the  greater  opportunities  offered  by 
the  valleys  of  the  Mississippi  and  the  Missouri  led  them  to  leave 
the  beloved  scenes  of  their  old-time  home.  With  their  scanty  pos- 
sessions loaded  in  a  "prairie  schooner,"  they  started  for  the  fron- 
tier. The  wagon  was  drawn  by  oxen  and  the  journey  necessarily 
was  tedious,  but  at  the  expiration  of  the  uneventful  trip  they  settled 
four  miles  north  of  California,  the  countv  seat  of  Moniteau  countv, 


HISTORY  OF  YOLO  COUNTY  681 

Mo.,  where  they  found  conditions  strictly  those  of  the  wilderness. 
For  many  years  they  labored  in  the  same  locality,  but  finally  during 
the  '70s  they  came  to  California  and  settled  near  Madison,  Yolo 
county,  where  they  continued  to  reside  until  death. 

It  was  never  the  privilege  of  James  Madison  Lawson  to  see  the 
great  west.  While  still  in  the  prime  of  manhood  he  died  on  his 
Missouri  farm  in  August  of  1861,  leaving  five  children,  of  whom 
only  two  survive.  His  widow,  who  bore  the  maiden  name  of  Eliza- 
beth Bailey  and  was  born  in  Indiana  January  8,  1828,  still  resides 
in  California,  Mo.,  where  after  the  death  of  Mr.  Lawson  she  mar- 
ried William  H.  Welch,  having  one  daughter  by  that  union.  The 
oldest  child  of  her  first  marriage,  Perry  Pinckney  Lawson,  was 
born  at  the  old  homestead  near  California,  Moniteau  county,  Mo., 
on  the  last  day  of  the  year  1851.  Reared  on  a  farm,  he  early 
learned  the  rudiments  of  agriculture,  and  this  occupation  he  fol- 
lowed until  he  left  Missouri.  March  14,  1875,  he  arrived  at  Dixon, 
Solano  county,  Cal.,  and  from  there  he  went  to  Lake  county,  where 
he  was  engaged  in  teaming  for  several  years. 

A  resident  of  Yolo  county  since  1880,  Mr.  Lawson  has  here 
found  various  occupations  to  engage  his  attention.  First  he  con- 
fined himself  to  the  raising  of  grain  and  stock  and  to  kindred  pur- 
suits of  agriculture.  About  1894  he  began  to  operate  a  butcher 
shop  and  during  1904  he  opened  a  shop  at  Guinda.  Besides  his 
meat  market  he  conducted  a  confectionery  establishment.  Mean- 
while from  January  of  1907  until  January  of  1911  he  filled  the  office 
of  constable  for  Guinda  and  Rumsey  townships.  The  county  board 
of  supervisors  appointed  him  in  August  of  1911  to  the  position  of 
warden  of  the  Yolo  county  hospital  and  he  began  his  duties  on  the 
16th  of  the  same  month,  since  which  time  he  has  devoted  himself 
to  the  economical  and  practical  management  of  the  institution.  In 
connection  with  the  hospital  there  is  a  farm  of  sixty-five  acres,  of 
which  thirty-five  acres  are  in  alfalfa  and  vegetables.  The  balance 
is  utilized  for  grain  and  for  the  buildings.  A  dairy  herd  is  kept 
on  the  farm  and  milk  and  butter  are  provided  for  the  table.  An- 
other feature  of  the  farm  is  the  raising  of  hogs.  The  previous 
experience  of  the  manager  in  the  raising  of  stock  and  his  knowledge 
of  the  butcher  and  mercantile  business  helps  him  here,  as  does  also 
his  general  farming  experience,  and  he  is  filling  the  position  with 
manifest  judgment,  intelligence  and  trustworthiness. 

A  friend  of  his  early  life  became  the  companion  of  his  mature 
years  when  Miss  Malinda  Ellen  Jobe,  a  native  of  Moniteau  county, 
Mo.,  was  there  united  with  Mr.  Lawson.  She  was  the  daughter  of 
Bartholomew  and  Rebecca  Jobe,  the  former  a  resident  of  Missouri, 
while  the  latter  is  deceased.  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Lawson  became  the 
parents  of  four  children.  The  only  son,  E.  Gray  Lawson.  is  cm- 
ployed  on  the  Southern  Pacific  Railroad  and  makes  his  headquar- 


682  HISTORY  OF  YOLO  COUNTY 

ters  at  Roseville,  Placer  county,  this  state.  The  three  daughters 
are  as  follows:  Mrs.  Sallie  Elizabeth  Curry,  of  Lincoln,  Placer 
county;  Mrs.  Jessie  Floyd  Searcy,  a  resident  of  Calistoga,  Napa 
county;  and  Mrs.  Ella  May  Van  Dyke,  who  makes  her  home  at 
Lincoln. 


REV.  JOHN  G.  MANGOLD 

It  has  always  been  the  aim  of  the  German  Evangelical  Synod 
of  America  to  serve  the  German- American  people  and  to  keep  them 
in  their  faith  and  make  them  useful  citizens  of  our  country,  that 
has  given  the  people  freedom  of  religious  thought;  this  has  been 
the  ambition  of  the  pastor  of  St.  John's  Evangelical  Church  ai 
Woodland.  That  his  ministrations  heave  reached  beyond  the  boun- 
daries of  his  immediate  field  of  labor  is  indicated  by  the  fact  that 
for  six  years,  from  1898  to  1904,  he  officiated  as  president  of  the 
Pacific  district  of  the  German  Evangelical  Synod  of  North  America, 
while  in  addition  for  some  time  he  served  as  a  member  of  the  mis- 
sion board.  Both  of  these  important  posts  furnished  an  opportunity 
for  sagacious  service  to  the  denomination  and  also  brought  him 
into  conspicuous  pre-eminence  among  the  talented  divines  of  the 
faith.  

In  recording  events  of  importance  in  the  life  of  Rev.  Mr.  Man- 
gold we  find  that  he  was  born  January  15,  1864,  at  Leichingen, 
Wurtemberg,  Germany,  where  his  father,  Jacob,  engaged  in  mer- 
cantile pursuits.  Primarily  educated  in  the  excellent  public  schools 
of  Wurtemberg,  he  later  had  the  advantages  of  the  gymnasium,  and 
after  his  graduation  he  crossed  the  ocean  to  the  United  States, 
where  he  hoped  to  continue  his  studies  and  acquire  a  desired 
knowledge  of  the  English  language.  It  was  his  good  fortune  to 
study  in  the  Congregational  Seminary  at  Elmlmrst,  a  suburb  of 
Chicago,  where  he  completed  the  classics  and  began  a  course  in 
theology.  At  the  expiration  of  three  years  in  that  institution  he 
went  to  St.  Louis  and  studied  theology  in  a  German  Evangelical 
(Eden)  college.  After  his  graduation  in  1888  he  was  ordained  to 
the  ministry  of  the  denomination  which  he  has  since  served  with 
true  fidelity  and  intelligent  devotion. 

Coming  to  California  in  1888  to  accept  the  pastorate  of  St. 
John's  German  Evangelical  Church  at  Pomona,  Mr.  Mangold  con- 
tinued in  that  pastorate  for  three  years,  and  meanwhile  was  married 
to  Miss  Martha  Hoops,  a  native  of  Nebraska,  but  from  early  life 
a  resident  of  California.     During  1891  he  went  to  San  Francisco 


HISTORY  OF  YOLO  COUNTY  683 

as  pastor  of  St.  John's  Evangelical  Church.  The  period  of  his 
service  as  pastor  was  marked  by  the  erection  in  1894  of  a  honse 
of  worship.  The  site  chosen  for  the  building  was  Mason  street, 
between  Pacific  and  Jackson.  Resigning  from  that  charge  in 
1901,  he  came  to  Woodland  as  pastor  of  St.  John's  German  Evan- 
gelical Church  and  ever  since  he  has  ministered  to  this  congrega- 
tion, besides  having  charge  of  the  membership  at  Dixon  and 
Hungry  Hollow. 

The  congregation  at  Woodland  was  organized  into  a  church 
during  1892  through  the  self-sacrificing  efforts  of  Rev.  Mr.  Weltge, 
who  at  the  time  was  serving  as  pastor  at  Hungry  Hollow  and  who 
by  occasional  preaching  at  Woodland  gathered  together  the  nucleus 
of  a  congregation.  The  second  pastor  was  Rev.  J.  Schilling,  under 
whose  supervision  a  house  of  worship  was  built,  the  congregation 
enlarged  and  various  societies  formed  for  the  uplifting  of  the 
community  spiritually.  The  third  pastor,  Rev.  J.  Endter,  served 
until  February  of  1901,  when  Rev.  Mr.  Mangold  was  called  to  the 
work.  Under  his  ministrations  a  steady  growth  has  been  main- 
tained in  every  department  of  the  church.  The  congregation  has 
become  known  through  the  munificence  of  its  contributions  to  mis- 
sions and  charities.  The  self-sacrificing  spirit  of  the  membership 
has  been  the  secret  of  the  substantial  progress  made  in  all  good 
works,  and  it  has  been  a  great  blessing  to  the  German  people  of 
Yolo  county  to  have  had  these  churches.  The  young  people  as 
well  as  the  older  members  have  risen  to  honorable  positions  and 
won  the  esteem  of  their  fellow  citizens. 

The  successful  labors  of  Rev.  Mr.  Mangold  have  been  pro- 
moted by  the  gentle  but  capable  helpfulness  of  his  wife,  who,  besides 
the  care  of  a  large  family,  has  yet  found  time  to  aid  in  church  work 
and  to  foster  every  movement  inaugurated  for  the  benefit  of  the 
congregation.  Her  deep  religious  character  has  found  expression 
in  many  ways,  perhaps  the  greatest  of  which  is  her  wise  guidance 
of  the  seven  children,  Anna,  Lydia,  Martha,  John,  Carl.  Martin 
and  Philip.  It  has  been  the  ambition  of  the  parents  to  educate 
each  child  adequately  for  life's  responsibilities.  The  eldest  daugh- 
ter has  been  educated  in  the  San  Francisco  State  Normal,  and  the 
younger  members  of  the  family  circle  also  will  be  given  the  best 
opportunities  the  state  affords  in  its  educational  institutions. 


HENRY  GADDIS 

Varied  lines  of  development  received  the  encouragement   and 
practical  co-operation  of  the  late  Henry  Caddis,  but  he  was  promi- 


684  HISTORY  OF  YOLO  COUNTY 

nent  especially  in  the  agricultural  growth  of  Yolo  county  and  in  its 
educational  expansion.  Himself  the  recipient  of  academic  advan- 
tages in  Albany,  N.  Y.,  and  later  an  instructor  of  the  young  for  a 
brief  period,  he  possessed  a  broad  knowledge  of  educational  needs 
and  utilized  this  information  to  the  lasting  advantage  of  Yolo 
county  schools.  The  first  school  district  in  the  entire  county  was 
organized  largely  through  his  intelligent  efforts.  As  early  as  1854 
the  board  of  supervisors  chose  him  to  serve  as  county  superin- 
tendent of  schools  and  afterward  he  was  elected  to  the  office,  then 
re-elected,  serving  altogether  for  a  period  of  fourteen  years.  The 
present  splendid  school  system  of  which  the  county  boasts  was 
devised  under  his  supervision.  A  high  educational  standard  was 
established  and  first-class  instructors  were  engaged,  so  that  the 
county  stood  second  to  none  in  its  pioneer  struggles  for  the  mental 
advancement  of  its  youth. 

Educational  activities  did  not  prevent  Mr.  Gaddis  from  ac- 
cumulating a  competency  through  intelligent  farming  enterprises 
and  in  the  one,  as  in  the  other,  he  proved  a  true  pioneer,  paving  the 
way  for  the  generations  to  follow.  Many  were  the  experiments 
he  tried  in  his  endeavor  to  ascertain  the  crops  best  suited  to  this 
soil  and  climate.  In  one  particular  he  proved  especially  helpful 
to  the  agricultural  element  of  the  community  and  that  was 
through  the  summer  fallowing  of  ground,  which  plan  he  was  the 
first  resident  of  the  valley  to  attempt  and  its  success  caused  its 
general  adoption  by  grain  farmers.  From  the  time  of  his  arrival 
in  the  county  until  his  accidental  death,  a  period  of  twenty  years, 
he  was  a  leader  in  all  movements  for  the  general  welfare,  and 
many  men,  in  years  of  activity,  have  accomplished  less  than  he 
during  his  sojourn  in  this  community. 

Henry  Gaddis  was  born  in  Albany,  N.  Y.,  in  1818,  and  was  the 
eldest  son  and  second  child  among  seven  children  forming  the 
family  of  Rev.  William  and  Deborah  (Blair)  Gaddis,  natives  of 
Ireland.  The  father  was  a  minister  of  the  Methodist  Episcopal 
denomination  in  the  state  of  New  York  until  the  early  '40s,  when 
he  was  transferred  to  Illinois  and  there  until  his  death  he  held  a 
leading  position  in  his  church.  Meanwhile  Henry  was  sent  to  the 
public  schools  and  academy  in  Albany,  N.  Y.,  where  later  he  clerked 
in  a  grocery  for  about  two  years.  For  a  time  he  taught  school  in 
Lake  county,  111.,  and  also  purchased  a  tract  of  unimproved  land 
in  that  state,  but  later  returned  to  the  grocery  business  in  New 
York  state.  After  his  marriage  he  returned  to  Illinois  and  settled 
on  his  farm  near  Waukegan,  where  he  transformed  the  raw  land 
into  a  productive  estate.  Upon  learning  of  the  discovery  of  gold 
in  the  west  he  determined  to  join  the  host  of  emigrants  to  the 
coast  and  during  the  summer  of  1850  he  crossed  the  plains,  arriving 


HISTORY  OF  YOLO  COUNTY  685 

at  Hangtown  during  the  month  of  July.  For  a  year  he  engaged 
in  mining  and  then  returned  via  Panama  to  Illinois,  where  he  dis- 
posed of  his  property,  coming  hack  to  the  west  immediately  after- 
ward. In  November  of  1853  he  was  joined  by  his  wife  and  chil- 
dren, who  came  via  Aspinwall,  crossing  the  isthmus  by  railroad 
and  on  muleback,  a  native  carrying  the  children. 

After  a  winter  in  the  mines  of  Sierra  county,  in  1852  Mr. 
Gaddis  brought  his  family  to  Yolo  county  and  purchased  a  quar- 
ter section  one-half  mile  south  of  what  is  now  Black's  Station. 
For  years  he  devoted  his  attention  largely  to  the  improvement  of 
the  property.  In  1870  he  bought  a  ranch  of  one  hundred  and  sixty 
acres  three  miles  from  the  old  homestead,  and  very  shortly  after- 
ward, April  30,  1870,  at  the  age* of  fifty-two  years,  he  was  killed 
in  a  runaway  accident.  His  demise  was  a  deep  loss  not  only  to 
his  family,  but  also  to  the  educational  and  agricultural  interests 
of  Yolo  county,  to  the  local  ranks  of  the  Republican  party  aud  to 
the  local  camp  of  the  Odd  Fellows,  in  which  for  years  he  had  been 
a  leading  worker. 

The  marriage  of  Mr.  Gaddis  took  place  in  1845  and  united 
him  with  Miss  Anna  Campbell,  who  was  born  in  Albany,  N.  Y., 
July  6,  1827,  being  a  daughter  of  Andrew  and  Marjory  (Corn- 
wall) Campbell,  natives  of  Ireland,  but  of  Scotch  and  English 
extraction.  From. his  native  county  Down  in  early  life  Mr.  Camp- 
bell came  to  the  new  world  and  settled  in  Albany,  N.  Y.,  where 
he  died  at  the  age  of  about  eighty-four  years.  The  manufacture 
of  brick  had  engaged  his  attention  throughout  the  era  of  his  activity. 
His  wife  died  in  Albany  in  1854  at  the  age  of  fifty-four  years. 
Both  had  been  earnest  and  devoted  members  of  the  Presbyterian 
Church.  Of  the  nine  children  in  the  Campbell  family  Anna  was 
the  only  one  to  settle  in  California,  and  she  has  made  this  state 
her  home  since  1853.  Some  time  after  the  death  of  Mr.  Gaddis 
she  became  the  wife  of  Silas  P.  Barnes,  who  was  born  in  Deering, 
N.  II.  Since  his  death  in  April  of  1888  she  has  made  her  home  on 
College  street,  Woodland.  Seven  children  were  born  of  her  first 
marriage,  of  whom  Hon.  Edward  E.  Gaddis,  superior  judge  of  Yolo 
county  from  1897  to  1909,  is  the  only  surviving  son,  William  H. 
having  died  at  the  age  of  twenty-two  years.  The  daughters  were 
unusually  well  educated  and  followed  educational  work  with  signal 
success  in  young  womanhood.  The  eldest,  Helen  A.,  is  now  the 
wife  of  Frank  Rahm  of  Oakland ;  Anna  D.  married  J.  0.  Maxwell 
of  Woodland;  Mary  is  a  graduate  nurse  of  the  French  hospital 
in  San  Francisco;  Kate,  Mrs.  Frank  A.  Grimes,  died  at  Knight's 
Landing;  and  Bertha  is  married  to  W.  L.  Wood  and  resides  in 
Berkeley. 


686  HISTORY  OF  YOLO  COUNTY 

ANTHONY  LINN  FAEISH 

The  public  administrator  of  Yolo  county,  who  was  elected  to 
the  office  on  the  Democratic  ticket  in  1910,  is  a  pioneer  of  California 
and  for  many  years  has  been  interested  with  his  son,  George  A., 
who  manages  their  large  ranch  in  the  Capay  valley,  Yolo  county. 
As  the  senior  member  of  the  Farish  Realty  Company  of  Woodland 
he  has  been  associated  in  the  real  estate  business  with  his  younger 
son,  Franks  L.  The  headquarters  of  the  concern  at  No.  507  Main 
street  are  well  known  to  the  people  of  Yolo  county  and  particularly 
to  those  who  wish  to  buy  or  sell  city  homes  or  unimproved  prop- 
erty, as  well  as  lands  adapted  to  the  raising  of  fruit,  alfalfa  and 
grain.  While  making  the  sale  of  property  their  principal  interest, 
the  firm  also  conducts  a  growing  insurance  business  and  in  that 
line  enjoys  the  patronage  of  a  large  number  of  the  leading  men 
of  the  county. 

The  son  of  Adam  Thomas  Farish,  a  pioneer  of  1849  and  for 
many  years  the  head  of  a  wool  and  hide  industry  in  San  Fran- 
cisco, A.  L.  Farish  was  born  in  Macon,  near  Memphis,  Tenn., 
August  30,  1845,  and  came  via  the  Isthmus  of  Panama  to  California 
in  1852.  He  was  educated  primarily  in  a  private  school  in  San 
Francisco,  after  which  he  spent  five  years  in  Marysville  attending 
the  public  schools,  and  later  he  completed  his  education  in  the 
public  schools  and  the  city  college  of  San  Francisco.  He  then 
became  a  clerk  in  the  law  office  of  Elisha  Cook  in  that  city  and 
afterward,  in  Hollister,  San  Benito  county,  he  engaged  in  the  mer- 
cantile business.  While  there  he  was  elected  county  treasurer, 
serving  one  term.  He  then  sold  out  his  business  interests  and  pur- 
chased a  store  in  Los  Gatos,  from  which  place  on  February  15, 
1887,  he  was  appointed  chief  deputy  in  the  office  of  the  United 
States  marshal  at  San  Francisco,  a  position  which  he  filled  for 
about  twenty  years  altogether,  about  eight  years  under  Demo- 
cratic and  twelve  years  under  Republican  administration.  When 
he  was  retired,  to  the  regret  of  a  host  of  well-wishers  and  friends, 
the  Oakland  Tribune  published  a  complimentary  article  concerning 
his  work,  from  which  we  quote  the  following: 

"It  is  regrettable  that  the  exigencies  of  partisan  politics  should 
compel  so  competent  and  trustworthy  a  man  as  A.  L.  Farish, 
former  chief  deputy  in  the  United  States  marshal's  office,  to  leave 
the  public  service.  Mr.  Farish  has  held  his  position  in  the  mar- 
shal's office  for  nearly  twenty  years,  through  successive  adminis- 
trations, and  has  never  been  charged  with  a  questionable  act  or 
dereliction  of  duty.  Four  successive  marshals,  two  Democrats  and 
two  Republicans,  found  him  an  assistant  so  well  informed,  so  atten- 
tive to  his  duties  and  so  loval  to  his  chief  as  to  be  almost  inval- 


HISTORY  OF  YOLO  COUNTY  687 

liable.  Mr.  Elliott,  the  new  marshal,  was  not  to  blame  for  having 
friends  of  his  own  to  whom  he  would  like  to  give  a  place.  It  is 
quite  likely  that  he  has  political  obligations  to  discharge  which 
compel  him  to  displace  Mr.  Farish  to  make  room  for  someone 
else,  and  he  should  not  be  harshly  criticised  for  conforming  to 
conditions  which  he  did  not  create  and  for  which  he  is  not  respon- 
sible. Nevertheless  it  is  a  matter  of  regret  that  so  faithful  and 
valuable  an  official  as  Mr.  Farish  has  proved  himself  to  be  should 
be  summarily  turned  out  of  office  after  a  score  of  years  of  service 
free  from  reproach.  No  man  would  dismiss  such  an  employe  from 
his  private  business;  on  the  contrary,  employers  raise  the  salaries 
and  show  increased  consideration  for  such  employes." 

Upon  retiring  from  the  marshal's  office  Mr.  Farish  came  to 
Woodland,  Yolo  county,  where  he  and  his  older  son  own  a  ranch 
of  four  hundred  and  fifty  acres  in  Capay  valley.  In  addition  he 
owns  an  alfalfa  ranch  of  twenty  acres  in  the  suburbs  of  Wood- 
land. During  the  period  of  his  residence  in  this  city  he  has  won 
the  confidence  of  the  people,  among  all  of  whom  his  integrity  is 
unquestioned  and  his  intelligence  conceded.  Stanch  in  his  allegi- 
ance to  Democratic  principles,  he  yet  never  solicits  office  from  his 
party,  and  the  position  he  now  holds  came  to  him  as  a  token  of  his 
high  standing  in  the  community.  It  has  been  his  privilege  to  wit- 
ness sixty  years  of  progress  and  development  in  California  and 
the  state  has  no  resident  more  loyal  than  he,  no  citizen  more 
devoted  to  its  upbuilding  and  more  positive  as  to  its  possibilities. 
His  marriage  took  place  in  Hollister  December  4,  1873,  and  united 
him  with  Miss  Sarah  E.  Triplett.  They  are  the  parents  of  three 
children  now  living,  the  eldest  of  whom,  George  A.,  who  manages 
the  Capay  valley  ranch,  married  Miss  May  Collins  and  has  one 
son,  Linn.  The  only  daughter  is  the  wife  of  H.  H.  Gable  of  Wood- 
land and  they  have  one  daughter,  Margaret,  The  youngest  mem- 
ber of  the  family  circle,  Franks  L.,  is  a  member  of  the  Farish 
Realty  Company  of  Woodland. 


HENRY  HAMEL 

Conceded  to  be  one  of  the  largest  land  owners  in  the  Davis 
section,  and  ranking  among  its  most  able  and  highly  respected 
citizens  as  well,  was  the  late  Henry  Hamel.  He  was  born  Novem- 
ber 5,  1832,  in  Hesse-Cassel,  Kur-Hessen,  Germany,  where  he  re- 
ceived his  education,'  later  taking  up  farming  with  his  father.  He 
continued  this  until  he  left  the  home  land  for  the  United   Stales. 


688  HISTORY  OF  YOLO  COUNTY 

taking  passage  on  the  Harriet  in  May,  1851.  His  parents,  George 
and  Elizabeth  (Schneider)  Hamel,  were  also  native  Teutons,  and 
among  the  foremost  farmers  of  their  vicinity.  '  Upon  arriving  in 
New  York  Henry  Hamel  proceeded  at  once  to  La  Salle,  111.,  where 
his  brother  John  had  settled  some  years  before,  but  in  1852  he 
came  to  California  as  a  goldseeker.  Joining  an  ox-team  train,  he 
crossed  the  plains  and  after  five  months  reached  Hangtown,  later 
re-christened  Placerville.  For  a  short  period  he  tried  his  luck  in 
the  mines,  hut  meeting  with  indifferent  siiecess  left  this  occupation 
and  established  a  freighting  route  embracing  several  mining  camps, 
Sacramento  being  the  supply  station.  In  1862  he  opened  a  meat 
market  in  Placerville  and  built  up  a  large  business  in  that  village. 
During  his  residence  there  he  took  an  active  part  in  the  local  fire 
company,  of  which  he  was  a  charter  member.  After  a  residence 
of  five  years  in  Placerville  he  disposed  of  his  interests  there  and 
located  in  Solano  county,  where  he  purchased  land  which  he  im- 
proved and  devoted  to  farming  and  stock-raising.  From  time  to 
time  he  added  to  the  original  purchase  until  he  finally  had  four- 
teen hundred  acres.  His  home  was  situated  one-quarter  mile  south 
of  Davis,  in  Solano  county,  near  the  line  of  division,  and  his  lands 
were  included  in  both  Yolo  and  Solano  counties.  Though  he  de- 
voted a  portiou  of  his  estate  to  agriculture,  most  of  his  attention 
was  directed  toward  stock  raising,  cattle  dealers  throughout  the 
west  considering  his  Durhams  the  best  of  their  type.  Not  without 
patient  labor  and  keen  foresight  did  he  accomplish  the  miracle 
which  appears  to  the  eye  beholding  the  beauty  and  fertility  of  the 
well-conducted  farm,  representative  of  the  highest  citizenship  of 
our  country,  and  among  his  wide  circle  of  acquaintances  not  one 
stands  forth  to  speak  aught  but  good  of  the  man  who  made  the 
best  of  every  opportunity  presented  to  him. 

In  Sacramento,  June  29,  1858,  Mr.  Hamel  was  united  in  mar- 
riage with  Maria  Wirtz,  who  was  born  in  Louisville,  Ky.,  and  was 
brought  up  and  received  her  education  in  Cincinnati,  Ohio.  In 
1856  she  came  to  California  via  Panama  with  her  parents,  Jacob 
and  Charlotta  (Aug)  Wirtz,  natives  of  Canton  Zurich,  Switzer- 
land, and  Rheinpfalz,  Germany,  respectively.  Mr.  Wirtz  was  a 
merchant  in  Cincinnati,  and  after  locating  in  Placerville  he  became 
a  pioneer  merchant  in  that  place.  Of  the  fourteen  children  born 
to  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Hamel  nine  are  living:  George  F.,  a  farmer  three 
miles  east  of  Davis;  Henry  J.,  owning  and  conducting  a  fine  ranch 
six  miles  from  Winters;  Carrie  M. ;  Fred;  Alma  M. ;  Charlotta  E. ; 
William  C,  farming  a  part  of  the  estate  and  residing  five  miles 
southeast  of  Davis;  Edward,  and  Elizabeth.  Fred  and  Edward 
are  farming  on  the  home  place.  All  of  the  daughters  are  still 
under  the  parental  roof,  and  in  the  domestic  life  of  this  remark- 


HISTORY  OF  YOLO  COUNTY  689 

able  family  is  found  a  beautiful  understanding  which  puts  to  shame 
the  conditions  which  exist  in  many  of  our  homes,  and  serves  as  a 
lesson  to  those  who,  searching  for  happiness,  may,  if  they  will, 
find  it  at  their  own  firesides. 

Mr.  Hamel  was  made  a  Mason  in  Placerville  Lodge,  F.  &  A. 
M.,  and  later  became  a  charter  member  of  Athens  Lodge  No.  228. 
F.  &  A.  M.,  of  which  he  was  master  for  four  years;  St.  James 
Chapter,  R.  A.  M.,  Placerville,  and  subsequently  lie  became  iden- 
tified with  Woodland  Commandery  No.  21,  K.  T.  At  the  time  of 
his  death  he  was  one  of  the  oldest  Masons  in  California  and  the 
last  of  the  charter  members  of  Athens  Lodge.  His  sons,  George, 
Henry  and  William,  are  also  members  of  Athens  Lodge  No.  228, 
F.  &  A.  M.,  while  his  daughters  are  charter  members  of  Ionia 
Chapter  No.  19!),  0.  E.  S.,  at  Davis.  Mr.  Hamel  died  in  San 
Francisco  October  5,  1911,  and  was  buried  from  his  home  with 
Masonic  honors.  Toward  all  movements  of  worth  he  was  ever  a 
generous  contributor,  and  was  recognized  as  a  man  of  exceptional 
executive  ability,  his  efforts  in  the  interests  of  his  fellow  citizens 
having  won  their  deepest  appreciation.  For  twenty  years  he 
served  as  school  trustee,  and  in  educational  matters  always  dis- 
played marked  concern,  lending  his  influence  to  all  movements  of 
worth  in  that  connection. 


A.  G.  BAILEY 

A  professional  career  that  began  with  his  admission  to  the 
bar  of  the  state  January  14,  1907,  gives  abundant  indication  of 
future  successes  for  Mr.  Bailey.  Indeed,  already  he  has  achieved 
a  position  highly  creditable  to  one  so  young  in  years  and  in  pro- 
fessional experience.  Conscientious  endeavor,  dating  back  to  early 
childhood  and  continued  without  abatement  up  to  the  present 
time,  has  brought  him  to  an  established  position  among  the  able 
citizens  of  Yolo  county,  and  he  further  has  the  honor  of  being 
one  of  the  youngest  district  attorneys  in  California.  Nature  en- 
dowed him  with  qualities  well  adapting  him  to  public  affairs.  Con- 
servative in  spirit,  yet  a  friend  of  progress,  a  logical  reasoner  and 
a  fluent  speaker,  he  throws  himself  into  professional  affairs  with 
an  energy  that  bespeaks  success  when  coupled  with  the  attributes 
indispensable  to  the  law. 

The  family  represented  by  Mr.  Bailey  ranks  among  the  pioneer 
element  of  the  west.  Both  of  his  grandfathers  came  to  California 
during  the  memorable   era   of   1849,   and   his   father,   who   came,   a 


690  HISTORY  OF  YOLO  COUNTY 

mere  boy,  in  1854,  settled  at  French  Gulch,  Shasta  county.  The 
mother  came  to  the  state  from  Missouri  in  1862,  and  she  and  her 
husband  are  now  residents  of  Janesville,  Lassen  county.  In  that 
county  occurred  the  birth  of  A.  G.  Bailey  May  12,  1883,  and  from 
there  he  was  taken  to  Oregon  in  early  life  by  his  parents,  who, 
however,  in  a  short  time  returned  to  California  and  settled  in 
Shasta  county.  At  the  age  of  fourteen  years  he  accompanied  the 
family  back  to  his  native  county,  where  at  the  age  of  eighteen 
years  he  secured  a  grammar-grade  teacher's  certificate.  At  that 
time  his  father  became  an  invalid  through  rheumatism,  and  the 
support  of  the  family  devolved  upon  the  youth,  obliging  him  to 
teach  for  three  years  when  he  had  been  ambitious  to  attend  col- 
lege. Meanwhile  he  labored  to  secure  the  establishment  of  a  high 
school  in  his  home  town,  and  with  the  aid  of  several  progressive 
citizens  he  succeeded  in  his  object,  afterward  himself  attending 
the  school  and  completiug  the  four  years'  course  in  two  years. 
After  he  came  to  Woodland  in  the  summer  of  1905  he  attended 
the  high  school  of  this  city. 

It  would  be  difficult  for  Mr.  Bailey  to  recall  the  time  when  he 
first  decided  to  become  a  lawyer.  Toward  that  profession  were 
directed  his  childhood  studies.  Shortly  after  he  came  to  Woodland 
he  began  to  read  law  in  the  office  of  A.  C.  Huston  and  at  the 
date  previously  given  he  passed  a  very  creditable  examination 
which  resulted  in  his  admission  to  the  bar.  In  common  with  all 
penniless  and  briefless  young  lawyers,  he  found  the  early  days  of 
professional  life  disheartening,  but  with  a  determination  not  the 
least  of  his  attributes  he  continued  to  study  and  fit  himself  for 
later  emergencies.  No  matter  how  formidable  the  obstacles,  he 
never  lost  faith  in  his  ability  to  succeed.  Meanwhile  he  took  an 
active  part  in  political  affairs  as  a  stanch  Democrat.  On  the 
reform  platform  of  that  party  in  1910  he  was  chosen  district  attor- 
ney of  Yolo  county,  and  since  then  he  has  served  ably  in  that 
capacity.  During  the  year  of  his  election  to  the  office  he  estab- 
lished a  home  of  his  own,  being  united  with  Miss  Clara  Griggs,  a 
native  of  Woodland.  In  fraternal  relations  he  is  identified  witb 
the  Masons,  the  Independent  Order  of  Odd  Fellows  and  the  Mod- 
ern Woodmen  of  America.  For  three  years  he  was  a  member  of 
Company  F,  Second  Regiment,  California  National  Guard,  and 
served  with  his  company  in  San  Francisco  during  the  fire  of  1906. 

The  cases  which  Mr.  Bailey  has  handled  have  proved  his 
qualifications  for  professional  work.  In  the  Lopez  case  he  de- 
fended the  man  upon  the  theory  that  he  was  the  victim  of  a  con- 
spiracy. The  jury  disagreed  in  two  trials  and  Judge  Gaddis  finally 
dismissed  the  case.  In  1908  Jesse  Prince,  a  negro,  killed  an  old 
man  named  Dopson  near  Gray's  Bend.     The  murderer  was  friend- 


HISTORY  OF  YOLO  COUNTY  691 

less  and  penniless  and  the  court  appointed  Mr.  Bailey  to  defend 
him.  The  duty  was  performed  conscientiously  and  the  accused  re- 
ceived the  light  sentence  of  five  years  for  manslaughter.  Persons 
competent  to  judge  state  that  Mr.  Bailey  handled  that  difficult 
case  with  remarkable  skill.  In  a  number  of  cases  he  has  been 
associated  with  other  counsel.  In  his  position  as  district  attorney 
he  has  endeavored  to  strictly  enforce  the  laws,  and  in  the  brief 
period  of  his  service  has  ably  demonstrated  his  determination  to 
live  up  to  his  oath  of  office.  The  results  show  that  he  has  prose- 
cuted twice  as  many  felony  cases  as  were  ever  handled  by  any 
predecessor  extending  over  the  same  period.  The  duties  of  the 
office  becoming  so  large  as  to  leave  little  time  for  his  private  prac- 
tice, it  became  necessary  to  associate  himself  with  Lawrence  H. 
Wilson,  assemblyman  for  the  sixteenth  district,  under  the  firm 
name  of  A.  G.  Bailey  &  L.  H.  Wilson,  since  which  time  he  has  been 
enabled  to  give  all  his  attention  to  the  county's  legal  matters.  Mr. 
Bailey's  work  shows  a  persistent  study  of  the  law,  a  wide  knowl- 
edge of  its  intricacies  and  a  decided  ability  for  the  profession  he 
has   chosen   as   his   life   calling. 


WILLIAM  HARBISON  MARDEN 

Never  yet  has  there  been  found  an  individual  with  soul  so 
unappreciative  that  he  fails  to  render  the  reverence  and  gratitude 
due  those  who  blazed  the  way  into  the  unknown  west  and  amid  dan- 
gers and  hardships  indescribable  established  a  civilization  destined 
to  be  tenfold  more  powerful  than  its  founders  dreamed.  In  com- 
mon with  the  majority  of  this  world's  heroes,  no  glory  surrounded 
the  lives  of  those  who  risked  their  all  and  bore  the  trials  incident 
to  the  settlement  of  a  new  land,  their  only  reward,  and  sufficient 
to  them,  being  the  regard  and  confidence  of  their  associates.  In 
this  connection  it  is  interesting  to  note  that  for  over  fifty-five 
years,  owing  to  his  courageous  attitude  as  the  leader  of  an  emi- 
grant train  which  crossed  the  plains  in  1850,  the  appellation  of 
"General"  lovingly  bestowed  upon  him  by  his  associates  was  borne 
by  Mr.  Marden,  who  passed  away  at  his  home  four  miles  south- 
east of  Davis  on  May  29,  1905. 

Mr.  Marden  was  born  March  4,  1824,  in  Coos  county,  N.  II., 
this  also  being  the  birthplace  of  his  parents,  William  and  Polly 
(Stokes)  Marden,  who  were  of  English  parentage,  and  who,  in 
1831,  took  their  family  to  Chenango  county,  N.  Y.,  where  few  set- 
tlers had  preceded  them.     Mrs.  Marden  passed  away  in  1855,  and 


692  HISTOEY  OF  YOLO  COUNTY 

accompanied  by  his  son  Elisha  the  father  later  removed  to  Green- 
wood county,  Kans.,  where  he  resided  until  his  death.  Of  the 
eight  children  born  to  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Marden,  only  one  survives, 
Elisha,  a  resident  of  Greenwood  county,  Kans. 

Educated  in  the  district  schools  common  to  that  period,  Wil- 
liam H.  Marden  assisted  his  father  on  the  farm  until  he  was  six- 
teen years  old,  when  he  engaged  in  teaching  school  and  ultimately 
was  made  county  superintendent  of  schools.  Following  his  edu- 
cational career  he  went  to  Waukesha  county,  Wis.,  arriving  at  his 
destination  March  24,  1848.  For  two  years  he  worked  at  the  car- 
penter trade,  as  it  was  the  only  thing  he  could  find  to  do.  His 
cheerful  personality  and  clear,  good  judgment  won  him  many 
friends,  and  it  was  not  surprising  that  upon  his  decision  to  go 
west  he  was  eagerly  joined  by  others,  who  urged  him  to  act  as 
their  captain,  secure  in  the  belief  that  his  strong  young  manhood 
and  unfailing  optimism  would  assuredly  carry  them  safely  to  their 
journey's  end,  where,  they  doubted  not,  the  proverbial  pot  of 
gold  awaited  them.  With  ox  teams  and  prairie  schooners,  thor- 
oughly outfitted,  the  party  of  sixteen  started  in  the  spring  of  1850. 
crossing  the  Missouri  river  on  May  8.  The  journey  proved  very 
tedious,  although,  in  contrast  with  other  companies,  who  lost  large 
numbers  by  various  fatal  diseases,  they  arrived  in  California  in 
good  physical  condition.  After  several  months  in  the  mines  at 
Georgetown,  Eldorado  county,  Mr.  Marden  settled  near  Davis, 
Yolo  county,  where  he  engaged  in  agriculture  and  stock  raising, 
his  original  tract  consisting  of  one  hundred  and  sixty  acres,  to 
which  he  added  from  time  to  time,  his  estate  at  the  time  of  his 
decease  aggregating  five  hundred  and  twenty-eight  acres.  In  1869 
he  opened  the  pioneer  butcher  shop  in  Davis,  his  business  in- 
creasing rapidly,  and  finally  he  started  a  hotel  and  established  a 
hardware  store.  Until  1880,  when  he  relinquished  his  business 
duties  and  took  up  his  residence  on  his  ranch,  he  was  actively  asso- 
ciated with  the  development  of  the  town  and  did  all  in  his  power 
to  increase  its  commercial  strength  as  well  as  to  induce  settlers  to 
locate  in  its  midst. 

Mr.  Marden 's  marriage,  which  occurred  in  Auburn  in  1856, 
united  him  with  Miss  Marium  Leigh,  who  was  born  in  Bath,  N.  Y., 
and  who  came  to  Sacramento  county,  Cal.,  in  1854,  joining  her 
brother,  A.  H.  Leigh,  a  resident  of  Dixon,  who  had  settled  in  the 
west  in  the  early  '50s.  To  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Marden,  the  latter  of 
whom  passed  away  April  16,  1899,  at  the  age  of  sixty-eight,  four 
children  were  born:  William  E.,  a  fruit  grower  and  dairyman  of 
Fowler,  Fresno  county;  Susan  Annette,  who  resides  on  the  old 
homestead,  her  husband,  0.  B.  Wilber,  being  the  manager  of  the 
Marden  ranch;  Minnie  M.,  Mrs.   Collins,  of  Oakland;  and  Grant. 


HISTORY  OF  YOLO  COUNTY  693 

a  business  man  of  Fresno.  Fraternally  Mr.  Marden  was  a  Mason 
of  Knight  Templar  degree.  He  ably  assisted  in  all  public  enter- 
prises requiring  the  support  of  loyal  citizens.  From  the  day  he 
cast  his  first  ballot  for  Abraham  Lincoln  he  remained  a  firm  advo- 
cate of  Republican  principles  and  lent  material  aid  to  bis  party. 
He  was  postmaster  at  Davis  for  a  great  many  years;  and  was  the 
candidate  of  his  party  for  sheriff  and  later  for  supervisor,  but 
at  that  time  his  party  was  hopelessly  in  the  minority,  so  he  failed 
of  election.  A  man  of  broad  sympathies  and  kindly  manner,  his 
loss  was  felt  keenly  by  the  entire  community  which  he  so  stanchly 
served  during  his  identification  therewith,  and  those  who  knew  and 
loved  him  best  will  not  soon  forget  his  memory. 


JOHN  GUSLER  BOWER 

The  tendency  of  the  people  to  drift  toward  the  west  and  the 
resultant  increase  in  prosperity  and  population  of  the  vast  regions 
beyond  the  mountains  find  exemplification  in  the  family  history  of 
the  German  race  represented  by  the  gentleman  above  named.  In- 
duced by  alluring  tales  concerning  life  in  the  new  world,  William 
Bower  bade  farewell  to  the  friends  of  his  boyhood  in  Germany  and 
crossed  the  ocean  to  New  York,  thence  proceeding  to  Pennsylvania 
and  there  selecting  a  suitable  location.  A  home  was  established  in  the 
Keystone  state  and  among  the  children  born  there  was  a  son,  John 
G., father  of  the  gentleman  whose  name  introduces  this  article  and 
himself  a  pioneer  of  the  vast  west.  Later  the  home  was  transferred 
to  the  newer  country  of  Ohio.  From  that  state  John  G.,  Sr.,  went 
to  Illinois  in  young  manhood  and  identified  himself  witli  the 
pioneers  on  the  then  frontier  of  Pike  county.  At  that  time  lie  was 
a  rugged  young  man,  stalwart  of  frame  and  industrious  in  disposi- 
tion, without  home  ties  to  bind  him  to  the  east,  the  type  indeed 
of  the  class  of  men  qualified  for  pioneer  work. 

While  making  his  home  in  Pike  county  Mr.  Bower  was  united 
in  marriage  with  Miss  Susan  Crowder,  a  native  of  Tennessee  and 
member  of  a  family  of  colonial  prominence  in  the  south.  Her 
father,  Philip  Crowder,  was  born  in  North  Carolina  in  1778  and  her 
mother,  who  bore  the  maiden  name  of  Charlotte  Robins,  was  a  na- 
tive of  Rutherford  county,  S.  C.  The  young  couple  settled  in  Pike 
county  and  three  children  were  born  to  them  during  the  period  of 
their  residence  in  that  state,  one  of  the  sons  being  John  G.,  Jr., 
whose  birth  occurred  June  .'!,  1S4<).  During  that  same  year,  mem- 
orable in  the  history  of  California,  the  father  came  hither  on  a  pros- 
pecting tour,  having  crossed  the  plains  with  a  large  expedition.    Ilis 


694  HISTORY  OF  YOLO  COUNTY 

first  location  was  in  Trinity  county  and  for  a  time  lie  successfully 
mined  in  the  Cow  creek  country. 

Returning  via  the  Panama  route  in  1851,  Mr.  Bower  made  prep- 
arations to  remove  to  the  coast  with  his  family.  During  the  spring 
of  1852  he  and  his  wife  and  children,  in  a  wagon  drawn  by  oxen, 
joined  a  large  train  of  emigrants  and  crossed  the  plains  in  safety. 
August  23,  1852,  they  arrived  at  a  point  known  as  Hangtown  (now 
Placerville),  but  in  the  same  year  came  to  Yolo  county  and  pur- 
chased three  hundred  and  twenty  acres  now  owned  by  the  pioneer's 
namesake.  Step  by  step  the  land  was  brought  under  cultivation. 
Little  by  little  improvements  were  made  that  added  to  the  value  of 
the  property  and  to  its  convenience  as  a  place  of  residence.  After 
a  busy,  useful  life,  the  father  passed  away  at  the  old  homestead 
July  11,  1894,  and  here  occurred  the  death  of  the  mother,  December 
23,  1902.  Both  were  earnest  members  of  the  Methodist  Episcopal 
Church  and  regular  contributors  to  charitable  movements  as  well 
as  missionary  enterprises.  Of  their  three  sons,  Philip  M.  died 
May  1,  1864.  The  eldest,  James  W.,  is  a  substantial  farmer  and 
stockraiser  at  Turlock,  and  the  youngest,  John  Gr.,  Jr.,  owns  the 
old  homestead,  having  purchased  his  brother's  interest  therein. 

Primarily  educated  in  the  country  schools  of  Yolo  county,  John 
G.  Bower,  Jr.,  later  attended  the  Pacific  Methodist  College  at  Vaca- 
ville  for  some  years,  but  at  the  beginning  of  his  junior  year  he  re- 
turned home  and  with  his  brother  took  charge  of  the  farm.  Later 
he  became  the  sole  owner  of  the  property,  since  which  time  he  has 
remodeled  the  residence,  put  up  a  substantial  barn,  built  a  thor- 
ough system  of  fencing  and  planted  trees  for  shade  and  ornament, 
making  of  the  place  one  of  the  most  tasteful  and  attractive  in  the 
locality.  One  of  the  most  important  accessories  of  the  place  is  a 
well  of  never-failing  water,  clear  and  pure.  The  chief  products 
of  the  farm  were  alfalfa  and  grain.  Stockraising  also  brought  in  a 
neat  annual  income.  Skilled  management  on  'the  part  of  the  owner 
made  the  land  productive  and  a  very  profitable  investment.  Mr. 
Bower  has  raised  alfalfa  successfully  without  irrigation.  At  the 
present  time  the  entire  ranch  is  utilized  for  producing  sugar  beets, 
and  is  all  under  irrigation.  Idylwild  ranch  is  one  of  the  most  pro- 
ductive in  the  vicinity  of  Woodland,  and  it  is  dotted  with  large 
native  oaks,  their  branches  spreading  over  large  areas. 

At  Woodland,  April  7,  1875,  occurred  the  marriage  of  Mr. 
Bower  to  Miss  Alice  Friel,  a  native  of  Yolo  county,  where  since 
their  union  they  have  lived  uninterruptedly  upon  the  same  farm. 
Both  are  earnest  members  of  the  Woodland  Christian  Church  and 
have  aided  generously  the  charities  and  missionary  movements  fos- 
tered by  that  congregation.  Mrs.  Bower  is  a  daughter  of  Jeremiah 
Friel,  born  in  Virginia,  who  was  a  pioneer  of  1849,  crossing  the 


HISTORY  OF  YOLO  COUNTY  695 

plains.  He  returned  to  the  east  after  a  short  time,  but  in  Decem- 
ber, 1852,  removed  permanently  to  the  west  and  settled  near  Wood- 
land, Yolo  county.  His  wife  was  Minerva  Severe  Kirkpatrick,  who 
was  born  in  Tennessee,  a  descendant  of  the  Kirkpatricks  of  Scot- 
land. In  1875  the  Friel  family  moved  to  Lompoc.  Mr.  Friel  became 
deputy  sheriff  of  Santa  Barbara  and  died  in  December,  1881.  The 
mother  died  in  Los  Angeles  in  1904.  Mrs.  Bower  completed  her 
educational  training  at  the  Young  Ladies'  Seminary  at  Benicia. 
In  national  elections  Mr.  Bower  votes  with  the  Democratic  party, 
but  in  local  matters  he  supports  the  men  he  deems  best  adapted  to 
office  regardless  of  their  party  affiliations.  Many  years  ago  he  was 
made  a  Mason  in  Yolo  Lodge  No.  81,  F.  &  A.  M.,  in  which  he  has 
passed  through  the  chairs  and  at  this  writing  acts  as  past  master. 
On  two  occasions  he  represented  his  lodge  in  the  grand  lodge  of 
the  state.  From  early  childhood  he  has  been  a  resident  of  Yolo 
county  and  meanwhile  he  has  witnessed  the  building  of  the  rail- 
roads, the  development  of  the  land  and  the  establishment  of  thriv- 
ing villages.  With  everything  contributory  to  the  progress  of 
the  region  he  has  been  identified.  The  prosperity  of  the  people  is 
a  source  of  deep  interest  to  him  and  he  neglects  no  opportunity 
to  promote  projects  for  the  general  welfare. 


HON.  EPHRAIM  CLARK 

An  interesting  career  is  that  of  the  Hon.  Ephraim  Clark, 
of  Woodland,  Yolo  county,  Cal.,  own  cousin  of  the  Hon.  Champ 
Clark  of  Missouri,  speaker  of  the  national  House  of  Representa- 
tives, Washington,  D.  C,  now  one  of  the  most  prominent  men  in 
the  Democratic  party  and  certain  if  he  lives  to  go  forward  to 
still  greater  distinction.  Ephraim  Clark,  who  came  to  California 
in  1854,  was  born  near  Jefferson  City,  Mo.,  April  25,  1832,  a  son 
of  Michael  D.  and  Dorcas  Tabitha  (Fowler)  Clark.  Michael,  born 
at  Hopkinsville,  Ky.,  in  1799,  was  the  first  white  child  born  in 
that  town.  His  father,  Capt.  Benjamin  Clark,  a  soldier  of  the 
Revolutionary  war.  early  emigrated  from  Tennessee  to  Kentucky. 
Michael  Clark,  when  he  was  seventeen  years  old,  went  from  his 
native  state  to  Missouri  and  settled  near  Jefferson  City,  where 
he  had  success  as  a  farmer  and  lived  out  the  days  of  his  natural 
life.  His  wife,  Dorcas  Tabitha  Fowler,  was  horn  in  Virginia  and 
died  iii  Missouri.    They  had  six  sons  and  a  daughter,  and  of  those 


696  HISTORY  OF  YOLO  COUNTY 

children  the  Hon.  Ephraim  Clark  is  the  only  survivor.  He  was 
reared  on  a  farm  in  the  days  when  farming  was  hard  work,  and 
attended  subscription  schools  in  log  houses  that  had  puncheon 
floors  and  slab  benches  and  were  in  charge  of  teachers  some  of 
whom  were  as  primitive  as  the  surroundings. 

Under  his  parents'  roof  Mr.  Clark  remained  till  1854,  when 
he  was  about  twenty-two  years  old.  Then  he  came  to  California, 
accompanied  by  his  uncle,  William  B.  Eagsdale.  They  came 
across  plains  and  mountains,  and  young  Clark  drove  an  ox-team, 
walking  all  of  the  way.  After  some  preliminary  skirmishes  with 
Fortune  he  settled  down  to  lumber  manufacturing  with  such  poor 
mills  as  the  time  and  place  afforded.  Eventually  he  built  a  mill 
which  he  operated  till  in  1862,  then,  attracted  by  the  Florence 
City  (Idaho)  mining  excitement,  he  precipitately  packed  in  to 
Florence.  Eight  months'  experience  there  sent  him  less  enthusias- 
tically back  to  California.  In  1864  he  located  in  Nevada,  where 
he  built  the  first  toll  road  east  of  Virginia  City,  Nev.,  to  Austin 
on  the  east.  He  located  at  Cottonwood,  where,  in  addition  to  col- 
lecting tolls  he  engaged  in  raising  cattle.  In  1868  he  was  elected 
a  member  of  the  legislature,  being  the  second  Democrat  sent  from 
his  county,  and  served  with  ability  and  credit  one  term.  Later  he 
was  county  commissioner  of  Churchill  county,  Nev.,  for  two  terms 
and  served  one  term  as  county  assessor.  During  all  of  this  time 
he  was  extensively  engaged  in  raising  cattle,  having  a  wide  range 
for  his  cattle,  which  were  branded  with  the  figure  2.  In  1880 
he  sold  out  there  and  came  to  Yolo  county,  Cal.,  and  bought  a 
farm  a  mile  and  a  half  from  Woodland,  upon  which  he  began  to 
raise  grapes  and  almonds.  In  1908  he  sold  that  property  and 
bought  his  residence  at  No.  150  Second  street,  Woodland. 

At  Northampton,  Mass.,  August  25,  1875,  Mr.  Clark  married 
Miss  Lucy  Severance,  the  ceremony  having  been  performed  by 
the  Rev.  Clark  Seeley,  president  of  Smith  College.  Miss  Sever- 
ance was  born  in  Heath,  Mass.,  a  daughter  of  Horace  and  Mary 
(Fisk)  Severance.  They  had  one  child,  James  Henry,  who  died 
at  the  age  of  three  months.  Educated  in  the  pay  schools,  Mr. 
Clark  has  always  been  a  friend  of  education  and  of  every  other 
source  of  enlightenment.  He  is,  as  has  been  suggested,  a  Demo- 
crat, and  as  such  has  frequently  been  chosen  a  delegate  to  state 
and  county  conventions.  Mrs.  Clark  is  a  member  of  the  Congrega- 
tional Church,  helpful  to  all  its  direct  and  auxiliary  interests. 
She  is  a  woman  of  exalted  character,  who  stands  high  in  the 
esteem  of  the  best  people  of  the  county.  Mr.  Clark  is  greatly 
respected  by  all  who  know  him,  as  a  man  of  much  worth,  whose 
integrity  is  never  questioned.  He  is  always  listed,  too,  among  the 
honored  pioneers  of  California  and  Nevada. 


HISTORY  OF  YOLO  COUNTY  697 

FRANK  BACON  EDSON 

Throughout  the  county  of  Yolo  and  particularly  in  the  vicinity 
of  Knights  Landing,  where  he  was  born  and  reared,  Mr.  Edson  has 
a  large  circle  of  acquaintances  and  it  is  said  that  he  knows  by 
name  every  voting  citizen  in  the  district  which  he  represents  on 
the  board  of  county  supervisors.  More  important  even  than  the 
intimate  personal  acquaintance  is  the  fact  that  he  maintains  the 
warm  confidence  of  all.  The  qualities  which  he  possesses  are  such 
as  to  win  the  respect  of  associates.  Uniformly  affable  and  court- 
eous, he  is  at  all  times  and  under  every  circumstance  gentlemanly, 
generous  and  gracious  of  demeanor,  with  a  pleasant  greeting  for 
old  and  young,  a  type  indeed  of  the  native-born  citizens  whom 
the  state  may  claim  with  pride. 

The  Edson  family  became  established  in  New  England  during 
an  early  period  of  our  national  existence  and  also  claims  the  honor 
of  having  been  represented  in  California  ever  since  the  eventful 
year  of  1849.  Daniel  W.  Edson,  who  was  born  and  reared  in 
Massachusetts  near  the  historic  Plymouth  Rock,  followed  the  sea, 
going  on  several  whaling  voyages  from  New  Bedford.  In  1848, 
on  the  old  barque  Chase,  he  rounded  Cape  Horn,  then  proceeded 
up  the  Pacific  ocean  to  San  Francisco  and  later  sailed  up  the 
Sacramento  river  to  a  point  near  the  gold  mines.  The  next  year, 
1849,  he  turned  his  attention  to  ranching  and  took  up  a  tract  of 
land  at  Knights  Landing,  where  he  became  prosperous  and  promi- 
nent. A  man  of  superior  education,  he  naturally  became  a  leader 
in  his  community,  while  in  addition  he  engaged  extensively  in  the 
buying  and  selling  of  land,  which  brought  him  gratifying  gains 
In  young  manhood  he  had  learned  the  surveyor's  calling  and  this 
he  followed  in  Yolo  county,  where  he  assisted  in  locating  section 
lines  and  dividing  up  the  large  claims. 

The  marriage  of  Daniel  W.  Edson  united  him  with  Miss 
Katherine  Bacon,  who  was  born  and  reared  in  Ireland  and  died 
at  Knights  Landing  in  1887.  After  having  survived  her  for 
some  years  lie  passed  away  in  May  of  1904.  They  were  the  par- 
ents of  nine  children:  John  and  Lowell,  both  deceased;  Webster,  of 
Sacramento;  Mary,  of  Knights  Landing;  Thomas,  also  a  resi- 
dent of  Knights  Landing;  Frank  B.,  mentioned  later;  James  and 
Charles,  of  Knights  Landing,  and  Edward,  who  died  when  two 
years  old. 

Frank  B.  Edson  was  born  duly  !(!,  1868,  and  received  his  edu- 
cation in  the  common  schools.  When  eighteen  years  of  age  he 
lefl  home  and  started  out  upon  a  whaling  expedition  which  spent 
son  e  months  in  the  Arctic  ocean.  The  adventures  were  interesting 
to  a  youth  reare  1  on  land  and  unfamiliar  with  life  on  the  ocean. 
More  than  once  the  crew  were   in   the  greatest   peril   and   perhaps 


698  HISTORY  OF  YOLO  COUNTY 

at  no  time  was  the  danger  more  imminent  than  when  the  whale- 
boat  was  wrecked  by  a  wounded  whale,  throwing  the  boat's  crew 
into  the  water.  Fortunately  another  whale-boat  was  able  to  reach 
them  quickly  and  thus  save  them  from  a  watery  grave.  During 
the  course  of  the  voyage  seventeen  whales  were  secured,  which 
was  considered  an  excellent  record  for  the  crew. 

Returning  to  "the  life  of  a  landsman  Mr.  Edson  has  since  fol- 
lowed agricultural  and  business  activities  in  Yolo  county  and  has 
made  his  home  at  Knights  Lauding,  where  for  a  number  of  years 
he  and  a  brother,  Thomas,  carried  on  a  general  mercantile  store. 
They  now  own  three  ranches,  one  of  eighty-seven  acres  near 
Knights  Landing,  one  of  a  hundred  and  twenty  acres  near  Blacks 
Station,  and  the  third  covers  five  hundred  and  seventy  acres  in 
Sutter  county.  They  are  engaged  extensively  in  raising  sheep, 
while  in  grain  they  specialize  with  wheat,  besides  raising  consid- 
erable barley. 

The  marriage  of  Mr.  Edson  took  place  in  his  home  town  Oc- 
tober 6,  1897,  and  united  him  with  Miss  Mary  Creason,  who  was 
born  and  reared  near  Yolo,  Yolo  county.  They  are  the  parents 
of  two  children,  Lowell  and  Genevieve.  In  religious  faith  Mr. 
Edson  and  his  wife  are  members  of  the  Catholic  Church.  A  life- 
long progressive  Democrat,  he  has  been  prominent  in  local  politics. 
In  1906  his  party  named  him  as  their  candidate  for  county  super- 
visor and  he  made  the  race  against  a  prominent  and  popular 
Republican,  whom  he  defeated  by  fourteen  majority,  notwithstand- 
ing the  fact  that  the  district  is  strongly  Republican.  At  the  ex- 
piration of  his  term  in  1910  he  was  again  nominated  for  the 
office,  again  running  against  a  prominent  Republican,  and  he  was 
elected  this  time  by  a  hundred  and  sixteen  majority.  He  is  now 
filling  the  office  with  recognized  ability  and  unwavering  devotion  to 
the  permanent  welfare  of  the  county.  He  has  made  an  excellent 
record  and  showing  for  his  constituents,  which  they  graciously 
recognized  at  the  polls. 


JAMES  R.  EDWARDS 

Another  Kentuckian  who  is  making  his  mark  in  Yolo  county, 
Cal.,  is  James  R.  Edwards,  supervising  janitor  of  the  grammar 
and  high  school  at  Woodland.  Mr.  Edwards  was  born  in  the  city 
of  Louisville,  August  18,  1862,  a  son  of  H.  H.  and  Lucretia  (Cor- 
neal) Edwards.  His  father  was  born  in  North  Carolina,  and  was 
a   contractor   an  1   builder   in   Kentucky   and   Indiana.      He   was    a 


HISTORY  OF  YOLO  COUNTY  699 

soldier  in  the  federal  army  in  our  Civil  war.  In  1880  he  came  to 
Colusa  county,  Cal.,  and  from  there  he  moved  to  Woodland  two 
years  later.  Here  he  lived  and  labored  at  his  trade  and  busi- 
ness until  he  died.  Lucretia  Corneal,  who  became  his  wife,  was 
born  in  Kentucky  and  is  now  living  in  Woodland.  Of  the  seven 
children  she  bore  her  late  husband  four  survive.  James  R., 
next  to  the  youngest  of  them,  lived  and  went  to  school  in  Evans- 
ville,  Ind.,  till_  he  was  twelve  years  old,  when  he  came  with  his 
parents  to  California,  later  settling  in  Woodland.  Here  he  com- 
pleted his  studies  and  learned  the  moulder's  trade,  except  for 
some  supplementary  experience  and  instruction  which  he  received 
at  Fresno,  where  he  was  employed  in  the  Fresno  Agricultural 
Works  six  years.  Returning  to  Woodland,  he  engaged  in  carpen- 
tering, which  he  followed  until  1904,  when  he  was  elected  by  the 
board  of  education  supervising  janitor  of  the  Woodland  grammar 
and  high  school.  So  satisfactory  have  been  his  labors  in  this 
capacity  that  he  has  been  continued  in  the  office  as,  emphatically, 
the  right  man  in  the  right  place.  In  this  employment  he  finds  his 
knowledge  of  mechanics,  plumbing  and  carpentering  very  valuable. 

In  Woodland,  Mr.  Edwards  married  Miss  Mary  Leonora 
Pureed,  a  native  of  Yolo  county.  Their  daughter  Edna  is  Mrs. 
C.  T.  Riner,  of  Woodland.  Mr.  Edwards  is  a  member  of  the 
Modern  Woodmen  of  America  and  a  member  of  the  S.  O.  0.  M. 
In  his  politics  he  is  a  Democrat,  devoted  to  the  principles  of  his 
party  and  active  in  its  local  work.  His  public  spirit  is  so  well 
developed  that  he  is  among  the  leaders  at  Woodland  in  all  move- 
ments having  for  their  object  the  public  good. 


MRS.  HALCYOX  JOYCE 

One  of  the  comparatively  few  women  as  yet  holding  public 
office  in  California,  Mrs.  Halcyon  (Williams)  Joyce  has  had  a 
career  which  in  some  of  its  aspects  is  of  more  than  usual  interest. 
Halcyon  Williams  was  born  near  Carthage,  111.,  a  daughter  of 
Rolla  T.  and  Mollie  (Irwin)  Williams.  Her  father  was  born  near 
Urbana,  Champaign  county,  Ohio,  and  in  1862,  enlisted  in  the 
Twenty-sixth  Regiment,  Ohio  Volunteer  Infantry,  with  which  organ- 
ization he  did  gallant  service  as  a  soldier  until  the  close  of  the 
Civil  war.  Returning  to  his  home,  he  soon  moved  to  Illinois,  and 
settling  near  Carthage,  engaged  in  farming.  There  he  remained 
till  in  1877,  when,  with  his  family,  he  came  to  California  and  located 
in  Yolo  county,  where  he  resumed  farming  and  was  thus  employed 


700  HISTORY  OF  YOLO  COUNTY 

until,  retiring  from  active  life,  he  made  bis  home  in  Woodland. 
His  wife  was  a  native  of  Lexington,  Ky.,  and  a  member  of  the 
family  of  Breckinridge  long  prominent  in  our  national  history. 
Halcyon  Joyce  is  their  only  child. 

Mrs.  Joyce  was  educated  in  the  schools  of  Woodland  and  at 
the  Woodland  Business  College.  Soon  after  her  graduation  from 
the  institution  just  named  she  was  appointed  official  reporter 
of  the  Superior  court  of  Yolo  county.  From  1897  until  the  present 
time  she  has  held  that  office  by  repeated  appointment  except  during 
eighteen  months.  She  has  won  much  praise  from  high  sources  for 
the  accuracy  with  which  her  work  has  been  done  as  well  as  for 
her  devotion  to  the  duties  of  an  exacting  office.  Among  stenog- 
raphers she  is  widely  and  favorably  known  because  of  her  promi- 
nence in  the  state  and  also  for  her  activity  in  the  California  Short 
Hand  Reporters '  Association,  of  which  she  has  long  been  a  member. 

At  Buffalo,  N.  Y.,  July  29,  1905,  Miss  Williams  married  Wil- 
liam Allen  Joyce,  M.D.,  a  native  of  New  York  city  and  a  graduate 
of  the  Baltimore  Medical  College,  who  has  been  in  the  practice 
of  medicine  and  surgery  in  Woodland  since  1903  and  has  attained 
much  prominence  in  his  profession  in  Yolo  and  nearby  counties. 


WILLIAM  A.  BOOTS 

A  citizeu  of  Yolo  county  since  the  end  of  the  year  1870, 
William  A.  Boots  was  born  in  Indianapolis,  Ind.,  January  21, 
1847,  a  son  of  Jacob  and  Mary  (Bowles)  Boots.  His  father  was 
born  near  Frankfort,  Ky.,  became  a  farmer  in  Indiana,  and  died  at 
Indianapolis,  Ind.,  in  1861.  Mary  Bowles,  born  near  Lexington 
Ky.,  came  to  California  to  spend  her  declining  years  and  died  at 
the  home  of  her  son  William,  aged  seventy-eight.  She  bore  her 
husband  six  sons  and  four  daughters.  Three  of  the  former  and 
two  of  the  latter  are  living.  Of  these  children  William  was  fifth  in 
order  of  nativity.  He  was  brought  up  as  a  farmer's  boy,  and 
obtained  in  the  public  school  near  his  boyhood  home  such  edu- 
cation as  was  available  to  him.  In  1863  the  family  moved  to 
Charleston,  Coles  county,  111.,  where  Mrs.  Boots  bought  a  farm 
which  they  worked  till  1870,  when  they  came  to  Yolo  county,  Cal. 
Locating  in  Hungry  Hollow,  they  farmed  there  two  years.  In 
1872  Mr.  Boots  moved  to  Woodland  and  built  the  first  house  on 
Fifth  Street,  before  the  street  had  legally  been  laid  out,  That  has 
been  Mr.  Boots'  home  ever  since  except  during  twelve  months 
spent  in  Washington.     He  has  given  his  time  to  house-moving  and 


HISTORY  OF  YOLO  COUNTY  701 

to  farming.  As  a  farmer,  lie  is  perhaps  as  well  known  as  any  in 
the  county.  His  farming  has  all  been  done  in  the  vicinity  of  Wood- 
land, where  it  would  not  materially  interfere  with  his  more  im- 
portant occupation.  It  is  often  said  of  him  that  he  has  moved 
more  buildings  than  any  other  man  in  Yolo  county,  and  he  has 
also  done  house-moving  in  Solano,  Colusa,  Glenn  and  Sacramento 
counties.  His  equipment  for  handling  structures,  large  and  small, 
of  all  classes  is  unsurpassed  in  completeness  and  efficiency  by  that 
of  any  other  house-mover  in  the  county. 

In  Coles  county,  111.,  Mr.  Boots  married  Miss  Cordelia  Wan, 
who  died  in  Woodland,  leaving  four  children,  all  of  whom  are 
living:  Dora  (Mrs.  Moe),  Jessie  (Mrs.  Clary),  Ollie  (Mrs.  Davis) 
and  Lottie  (Mrs.  Henigan)  all  of  Woodland.  Mr.  Boots'  second 
wife  was  Miss  Ellen  Henigan,  of  Woodland,  but  a  native  of  New 
York  state.  Three  children  were  born  of  this  union.  Albert  died  at 
the  age  of  twelve  years  and  those  living  are  Lela  and  Arthur. 

A  Republican,  Mr.  Boots  was  for  four  years  an  efficient  and 
well  appreciated  member  of  the  board  of  trustees  of  Woodland. 
Officially  and  as  a  private  citizen,  he  has  demonstrated  a  helpful 
public  spirit  of  which  any  man  might  well  be  proud.  In  religion 
he  is  a  member  of  the  Baptist  Church.  Socially  he  is  a  mem- 
ber of  the  Fraternal  Brotherhood  and  of  the  lodge  and  encamp- 
ment of  the  Independent  Order  of  Odd  Fellows  in  Woodland. 


JOHN  J.  MURPHY 

This  respected  citizen  and  successful  mechanic  of  Woodland 
is  a  native  of  San  Francisco,  born  January  7,  1869,  a  son  of 
John  C.  and  Bridget  L.  (Pierce)  Murphy.  His  father,  a  native 
of  Kilkenny,  Ireland,  crossed  the  Atlantic  and  located  in  Boston, 
Mass.,  where  he  prospered  as  a  butcher.  About  1861  he  came  to 
California  by  way  of  the  Isthmus  of  Panama  and  settled  in  San 
Francisco,  where  he  re-engaged  in  the  meat  business,  occupying 
a  shop  at  New  Montgomery  and  Minnie  streets  until  his  retire- 
ment, since  which  time  he  has  been  a  member  of  the  household  of 
his  son  John  J.  Now,  at  ninety-three  years  of  age,  he  is  hale  and 
hearty,  scarcely  impaired  either  physically  or  mentally.  His 
good  wife  died  in  San  Francisco  in  1900.  Of  their  three  children, 
of  whom  John  J.  was  the  first  horn,  two  are  living,  Agnes  is  Mis. 
Longinetti  of  Guatemala,  Central  America. 

It  was  in  the  public  schools  of  San  Francisco  that  John  J. 
Murphy  acquired  such  education  as  was  available  to  him.     When 


702  HISTOEY  OF  YOLO  COUNTY 

he  was  seventeen  years  old  he  was  apprenticed  to  the  Union  Iron 
Works  of  San  Francisco  to  learn  the  blacksmith's  trade,  of  which 
he  was  master  after  four  years'  work  and  instruction.  The  fol- 
lowing seven  years  and  sis  months  he  spent  as  a  blacksmith  in  the 
employ  of  the  Pacific  Boiling  Mills.  Of  this  period,  he  served 
three  years  as  foreman  of  an  important  department  of  the  estab- 
lishment. Then  we  find  him  at  Fort  Bragg,  Mendocino  county, 
where  for  three  years  he  was  foreman  of  the  blacksmith  depart- 
ment of  the  Union  Lumber  Company.  Going  back  to  San  Fran- 
cisco, he  was  for  six  years  engaged  as  blacksmith  for  the  Bisdon 
Iron  Works.  In  May,  1907,  he  located  in  Woodland,  Yolo  county, 
and  was  until  September,  1911,  blacksmith  for  the  Faulkner- 
Peart  Company.  Then,  having  bought  the  old  Henry  Heitman 
shop,  at  No.  311  Main  street,  he  put  new  life  into  its  business, 
which  he  has  continued  with  increasing  success  ever  since,  giving 
his  attention  chiefly  to  general  blacksmithing,  carriage  and  wagon 
making. 

Mr.  Murphy  was  married  in  Sacramento  February  14,  1912, 
to  Miss  Ella  Bobinson,  who  was  born  in  Vermont.  Personally, 
Mr.  Murphy  is  a  man  of  enterprise  and  of  much  public  spirit, 
interested  in  a  helpful  way  in  all  that  pertains  to  the  welfare  of 
the  community  with  which  he  has  so  satisfactorily  cast  his  lot. 
In  fact  there  is  no  measure  for  the  general  good  that  does  not 
receive  in  some  substantial  form  his  encouragement  and  aid. 


JOSEPH  J.  STEPHENS 

Among  Yolo  county's  pioneers  is  Joseph  J.  Stephens,  an 
honored  and  progressive  citizen  of  Woodland.  For  the  past  fifty- 
seven  years  he  has  contributed  his  quota  of  energy  and  practical 
assistance  to  the  gradual  improvement  and  development  of  Yolo 
county,  and  now,  in  the  afternoon  of  his  life,  while  still  retaining 
his  ever  alert  interest  in  the  welfare  of  the  community,  his  chief 
pleasure  is  found  in  his  beautiful  home  at  Elm  and  Lincoln  streets, 
where  he  has  provided  for  himself  and  family  all  the  comforts 
and  luxuries  of  the  modern  day. 

Born  near  Bunceton,  Cooper  county,  Mo.,  October  25,  1836, 
Mr.  Stephens  was  the  son  of  James  Madison  and  Mary  Ann 
(Adams)  Stephens,  highly  respected  farmers,  and  upon  the  home 
place  received  the  training  which  was  later  to  prepare  him  for 
his  own  battles  in  a  new  land.  Educated  in  a  private  school,  he 
gained  much  that  the  majority  of  young  people  in  that  day  failed 


HISTOEY  OF  YOLO  COUNTY  703 

to  receive,  thus  further  equipping'  him  for  life's  responsibilities. 
From  his  brother,  Lawrence  D.,  who  had  gone  to  California  in 
1852,  he  received  such  encouraging  reports  of  the  opportunities  to 
be  acquired  in  the  new  land,  that  he  determined  to  seek  his  for- 
tune here,  there  being  an  added  reason  for  his  enthusiasm  in 
gaining  an  immediate  start  in  life,  inasmuch  as  he  had  found 
in  Miss  Elizabeth  Davis,  daughter  of  John  Davis,  of  Tennessee, 
the  one  girl-  who  lie  believed  should  grace  his  home.  Leaving 
his  home  April  9,  1854,  in  company  with  his  uncle,  John  D.  Adams, 
he  assisted  in  the  care  of  the  cattle  which  they  drove  across  the 
plains,  and  arrived  in  Yolo  county  some  months  later,  having 
walked  most  of  the  way.  By  most  economical  measures  he  suc- 
ceeded in  the  course  of  the  next  two  years  in  saving  a  sufficient 
sum  with  which  to  make  the  return  trip  to  claim  his  sweetheart, 
and  in  1856,  in  company  with  twenty  of  his  countrymen  who 
yearned  for  a  sight  of  their  own  land  he  made  the  journey  to 
Cooper  county  via  Panama  and  New  Orleans,  passing  through 
St.  Louis.  Soon  after  his  arrival  home  occurred  his  marriage, 
and  the  following  year,  1867,  the  happy  couple  started  for  the  land 
where  the  young  husband  had  already  gained  a  foothold  for  the 
home  which  they  were  so  eager  to  build.  Their  progress  was  nec- 
essarily slow,  owing  to  the  fact  that  they  drove  a  large  herd  of 
cattle,  the  nucleus  of  the  holdings  which  Mr.  Stephens  later  con- 
trolled, but  at  length  the  journey  was  finished  and  at  once,  asso- 
ciated with  his  brother,  Lawrence  D.,  Mr.  Stephens  engaged  in 
the  stock-raising  industry  in  Yolo  county,  the  unlimited  range 
existing  at  that  period  affording  them  ample  pasturage  for  their 
herds  and  flocks.  Later  they  bought  five  hundred  and  twenty 
acres  near  Cottonwood  (now  Madison)  upon  which  they  continued 
their  business  until  1864,  when  the  dry  season  compelled  them  to 
take  their  cattle  to  the  Coast  Range  mountains,  while  their  sheep 
they  drove  to  Placer  county  among  the  low  hills  where  good  pas- 
turage was  to  be  obtained.  The  winter  proved  so  severe,  however, 
being  not  only  cold  but  rainy  as  well,  that  their  efforts  to  save 
their  stock  proved  unavailing,  and  by  the  following  May,  1865, 
when  they  returned  to  Yolo  county,  but  one  cow  and  twenty-four 
sheep  remained. 

In  1866  Mr.  Stephens  took  charge  of  the  interests  of  his 
brother  Lawrence,  who  had  gone  to  the  mines,  where  he  remained 
about  a  year.  Upon  his  return  in  1867,  they  again  joined  forces 
in  general  farming  and  stock-raising,  and  in  1873  they  became 
active  in  the  grain  and  warehouse  business,  continuing  to  retain 
their  previous  interests.  In  1876  the  brothers  erected  in  Wood- 
land a  grain  warehouse,  which  filled  a  long-felt  need  in  that  com- 
munity and  which  was  at  all  times  taxed  to  its  capacity.     After- 


704  HISTORY  OP  YOLO  COUNTY 

ward  they  built  the  first  warehouses  at  Madison  and  Esparto  and 
engaged  in  the  grain  business  there  for  many  years.  In  1881, 
associated  with  J.  H.  Harlan,  the  brothers  purchased  three  thou- 
sand acres  of  land,  twelve  miles  south  of  Fresno,  which  they 
stocked  and  farmed.  In  1882  Lawrence  Stephens  relinquished  his 
duties  on  the  ranch  to  serve  as  teller  and  acting  president  of  the 
Bank  of  Woodland,  which  left  J.  J.  Stephens  to  superintend  their 
large  landed  and  grain  interests,  until  they  dissolved  partner- 
ship,   lie  is  now  superintending  his  own  farms  and  other  interests. 

Early  in  life  J.  J.  Stephens  joined  the  Masonic  order,  the  prin- 
ciples of  which  are  in  keeping  with  his  own  high  principles,  not 
only  of  thought,  but  of  action.  Besides  his  home  in  Woodland, 
he  owns  the  old  home  place  of  two  hundred  and  forty  acres,  near 
Madison,  Yolo  county,  and  an  eight-hundred-acre  ranch  in  Fresno 
county,  upon  which  are  raised  alfalfa  and  grain,  as  well  as  high 
grade  stock,  forty-five  acres  of  the  property  being  devoted  to 
grapes.  Though  retaining  oversight  of  his  interests,  Mr.  Stephens 
finds  at  this  period  of  his  life  more  leisure  than  he  has  ever  known 
before,  which  he  employs  in  maintaining  an  insight  into  current 
topics,  especially  political  issues. 

Mr.  Stephens'  first  wife  was  born  in  Cooper  county,  Mo., 
March  5,  1837,  and  passed  away  in  Woodland  August  25,  1891. 
His  second  marriage,  in  Woodland  in  April,  1894,  united  him  with 
Miss  Sallie  L.  Lucas,  born  in  Andrew  county,  Mo.,  whose  father, 
George  J.  Lucas,  was  born  in  Greencastle,  Ind.,  and  served  in  the 
Civil  war,  holding  a  commission  as  captain  in  a  Missouri  regiment. 
His  wife  was  Sarah  Thomas,  of  Kentucky,  and  they  came  to 
Yolo  county  in  1868.  Following  are  the  children  in  Mr.  Stephens' 
family,  all  born  on  the  old  home:  Mary  F.,  now  Mrs.  R."  B.  Butler 
of  San  Francisco ;  Lewis  Oliver,  the  first  mayor  of  Fresno,  Cal., 
and  now  a  prominent  business  man  of  that  city;  William  A.,  who 
served  as  county  recorder  of  Yolo,  and  who  resides  at  Selma,  Cal.; 
Charles,  a  farmer,  whose  home  is  in  Hanford,  Kings  county,  Cal.; 
James  M.,  who  died  at  the  age  of  eleven  years;  Isabelle,  who  died 
in  infancy;  Kate  N.,  now  Mrs.  W.  A.  Porter,  whose  home  is  in 
Berkeley;  and  Bettie  Ora,  who  is  Mrs.  J.  W.  Hawkins,  and  resides 
in  Modesto,  Cal.  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Stephens  are  members  of  the 
Christian  Church  in  Woodland.     Politically  he  is  a  Democrat. 

It  is  fitting  here  to  relate  that  at  a  reunion  of  his  family,  on 
Mr.  Stephens'  seventy-fourth  birthday,  twenty-six  of  the  twenty- 
eight  descendants  were  present  for  a  week's  visit  at  his  residence 
iu  Woodland,  the  time  being  made  the  most  memorable  of  his  life. 
A  retrospection  of  his  fifty-eight  years  in  California  gives  him 
the  distinction  and  pleasure  of  having  taken  a  very  prominent 
and  active  part  in  the  development  and  upbuilding  of  Yolo  county. 


HISTORY  OF  YOLO  COUNTY  705 

His  life  has  been  an  open  book,  and  he  is  much  loved  and  revered 
by  his  many  friends  and  acquaintances,  who  admire  him  for  his 
kindness  and  charities  toward  others. 


CHARLES  JOHNSON 

Those  who  are  qualified  to  make  the  statement  assert  that  few 
men  in  the  west  possess  a  more  thorough  knowledge  of  the  horse 
business  or  are  more  thorough  judges  concerning  equine  flesh 
than  is  Charles  Johnson,  the  energetic  and  well-known  liveryman 
of  Woodland,  who  since  1905  lias  been  connected  with  this  line 
of  business  here.  It  has  also  been  his  good  fortune  to  acquire  a 
familiarity  with  the  training  of  fine  horses  in  other  parts  of  the 
state,  so  that  he  understands  even  the  minutest  details  of  a  specialty 
in  which  few  men  attain  prominence  and  to  which  comparatively 
few  man  of  large  ability  devote  their  lives.  When  he  first  em- 
barked in  the  livery  business  in  this  city  he  carried  on  a  stable  on 
College  street,  hut  later  he  bought  the  City  stable  from  Dan 
Wooster  and  moved  to  his  present  location,  where  now  he  con- 
ducts the  largest  barn  in  the  entire  county.  Here  are  the  head- 
quarters of  Eirlie  Demonia,  a  bay  stallion  of  five  years,  sired  by 
Demonia,  dam  Potrero  Girl,  this  young  animal  having  a  wide 
reputation  for  fine  markings  and  general  excellence.  In  addition 
he  owns  some  valuable  standard-bred  mares  and  Mary  Ladd,  a 
dark-brown  stallion,  imported  from  England  and  showing  the  best 
qualities  of  the  Shires. 

The  Native  Sons  of  the  Golden  West  have  the  name  of  Mr. 
Johnson  enrolled  as  a  member  of  their  Woodland  Parlor,  this 
being  by  virtue  of  his  birth  in  Brighton,  Sacramento  county,  where 
he  was  born  February  14,  185)).  His  parents,  William  and  Eattie 
(White)  Johnson,  died  respectively  in  1856  and  1858,  leaving  him 
wholly  orphaned  when  he  was  hut  five  years  of  age.  The  father, 
who  was  a  Kentuckian  by  birth,  crossed  the  plains  to  California 
shortly  after  the  discovery  of  gold  and  arrived  at  the  mines  at  the 
end  of  an  uneventful  journey  with  oxen  and  wagons.  He  was  then 
a  single  man,  hut  shortly  after  his  arrival  he  formed  the  acquaint- 
ance of  Miss  White,  whose  father  was  a  pioneer  of  the  gold 
era.  They  established  their  home  in  Sacramento  county  after 
their  marriage  and  remained  there  until  death,  at  which  time  they 
left  three  children,  Charles  having  been  the  second  in  order  of 
birth. 

It    was    necessary    to    find    homes    for    the    children    who    had 


706  HISTORY  OF  YOLO  COUNTY 

been  left  homeless  and  friendless.  Mr.  Seargent,  a  farmer  near 
Brighton,  took  Charles  to  his  place  and  sent  him  to  the  public 
schools  in  the  winter  months,  while  in  the  summer  he  taught  him 
the  rudiments  of  farming.  At  the  age  of  fourteen  the  -lad  started 
out  to  make  his  own  way  in  the  world  and  since  then  he  has  been 
wholly  self-supporting.  His  first  work  was  with  the  Southern 
Pacific  Railroad  Company.  Next  he  secured  employment  on 
ranches.  From  his  earliest  recollections  he  has  been  fond  of 
horses  and  when  his  employers  noted  this,  they  gave  him  the  care 
of  animals  and  taught  him  to  appreciate  their  best  qualities.  At 
the  same  time  they  were  astonished  at  the  quickness  with  which 
he  picked  out  the  leader  in  a  large  herd.  Without  any  delay 
he  could  pick  out  the  choicest  animal  and  subsequent  examinations 
seldom  reversed  his  decision.  By  reason  of  these  natural  abili- 
ties he  was  led  to  become  a  dealer  in  fine  horses  and  his  success 
proves  that  he  made  no  mistake  in  selecting  his  life  work. 

Since  establishing  himself  in  business  in  Woodland  Mr.  John- 
son has  married  one  of  the  young  ladies  of  this  city,  Miss  Hattie 
Rogers,  a  native  of  Illinois,  and  a  woman  of  splendid  attributes 
of  mind  and  heart.  In  social  circles  they  have  many  friends  and 
their  worth  is  appreciated  by  people  in  every  walk  of  life.  The 
companionable  disposition  of  Mr.  Johnson  leads  him  into  fraternal 
activities.  Besides  having  been  actively  associated  with  the  Native 
Sons,  as  heretofore  indicated,  he  ranks  among  the  leading  local 
workers  in  the  Woodmen  of  the  World,  also  belongs  to  the  lodge 
and  encampment,  Independent  Order  of  Odd  Fellows,  and  further- 
more has  risen  to  prominence  in  the  Knights  of  Pythias  as  a 
participant  in  the  work  of  the  Uniform  Rank. 


WILLIAM  ALBERT  STITES 

One  of  California's  native  sons,  who  is  engaged  in  viticulture 
and  horticulture  near  Citrona,  is  William  A.  Stites,  who  set 
out  and  improved  his  vineyard  and  orchard  from  the  raw  land. 
Possessed  of  the  qualities  of  courage  and  manliness,  he  has  not 
only  made  a  decided  success  of  his  own  life,  but,  by  his  well-directed 
efforts  and  generous  aid,  has  assisted  in  countless  ways  his  many 
friends  and  associates,  who  regard  him  with  warm  esteem  and 
admiration. 

Mr.  Stites  was  born  near  Geyserville,  Sonoma  county,  May 
5,  1863,  the  son  of  Alexander  Hill  Stites,  who  was  born  in  Dekalb 


HISTORY  OF  YOLO  COUNTY  707 

county,  Texm.,  August  3,  1837,  and  was  reared  in  Missouri.  In  1856 
the  father  left  the  farm  and,  accompanied  by  other  emigrants, 
crossed  the  plains  to  California  via  Salt  Lake  City  and  the  sink 
of  the  Humboldt.  After  a  long  and  wearisome  journey  of  six 
months,  during  which  time  the  travelers  were  obliged  to  maintain 
constant  vigilance  against  the  Indians,  they  arrived  in  Santa  Rosa 
September  4,  1856.  Until  1858  Mr.  Stites  remained  in  Sonoma 
county,  working  at  various  occupations,  and  then  went  to  Hum- 
boldt county,  to  which  section  he  drove  several  hundred  head  of 
cattle,  the  majority  of  which,  however,  were  either  stolen  or 
killed  by  the  Indians.  Returning  to  Sonoma  county  he  embarked 
in  the  livery  business  at  Healdsburg,  but  a  year  later  disposed  of 
the  same  and  settled  on  a  farm  of  one  hundred  and  sixty  acres 
near  Geyserville,  where  he  resided  until  his  death,  April  30,  190-4. 

On  July  25,  1861,  Alexander  H.  Stites  was  united  in  mar- 
riage with  Miss  Mattie  Kilgore,  who  was  born  in  Iowa,  January 
30,  1841,  and  who  now  resides  in  Geyserville.  To  their  union  nine 
children  were  born:  William  A.,  the  subject  of  this  review;  Effie, 
Mrs.  McDonough,  who  died  in  Cloverdale;  Belle,  Mrs.  Ellis,  of 
Geyserville;  Emma,  deceased;  Adelaide,  of  Berkeley;  Maggie, 
deceased;  Luella,  deceased;  Kate,  Mrs.  Brooks,  of  Turlock;  and 
Estelle,  Mrs.  H.  G.  Hill,  of  Berkeley. 

"William  A.  Stites  was  brought  up  at  Geyserville,  where  he  re- 
ceived his  education  in  the  public  schools.  In  1898  he  removed 
with  his  family  to  Yolo  county,  where  they  became  possessors  of 
a  tract  of  eighty  acres  near  Citrona,  a  part  of  the  Mathew  Hays 
ranch.  In  addition  to  twenty  acres  of  alfalfa,  Mr.  Stites  conducts 
an  eighteen-acre  vineyard  and  an  eight-acre  orchard  planted  to 
apricots,  peaches  and  prunes.  In  1904  he  erected  his  present  com- 
fortable residence  and  otherwise  improved  his  property,  which  now 
ranks  among  the  most  valuable  in  that  section.  In  Madison,  March 
3,  1887,  he  was  married  to  Miss  Hattie  E.  Hays,  who  was  born 
in  Healdsburg,  the  daughter  of  Mathew  and  Jemima  (Linville) 
Hays,  born  in  Tennessee  and  Missouri,  respectively.  They  crossed 
the  plains  in  1857  with  ox-teams,  and  settled  in  Yolo  county,  where 
Mr.  Hays  was  a  farmer  and  stock-raiser.  After  spending  a  few 
years  in  Sonoma  county  he  returned  to  Yolo  and  purchased  a 
ranch  east  of  Citrona,  where  lie  was  engaged  in  grain-raising. 
He  died  in  Woodland  April  22,  1898,  and  afterward  his  wife  made 
her  home  with  her  daughter,  Mrs.  Stites,  until  her  death,  May 
5,  1912,  when  over  eighty-six  years  of  age.  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Stites 
have  two  children,  Manford,  a  resident  of  Sacramento,  and  Leland, 
who  assists  his  parents  on  the  home  farm.  Mr.  Stites  is  a  member 
of  the  Native  Sons  of  the  Golden  West  and  maintains  a  deep 
interest  in  all  public  enterprises  of  merit. 


708  HISTORY  OF  YOLO  COUNTY 

C.  FRED  WIRTH 

What  is  within  the  power  of  earnest  endeavor  to  accomplish  is 
proved  by  the  history  of  the  Trade  Palace,  a  leading  mercantile 
emporium  of  Woodland  and  the  development  of  a  seemingly  in- 
significant store  started  many  years  ago  by  a  widow,  upon  whom 
had  been  thrust  the  stern  necessity  of  supporting  her  five  fatherless 
children.  Thus  was  formed  the  nucleus  of  the  present  large  busi- 
ness, whose  proprietor,  C.  Fred  Wirth,  has  supplemented  native 
business  ability  by  practical  experience,  strict  attention  to  detail  and 
a  high  sense  of  honor.  With  justice  it  may  be  stated  that  his  own 
upright  character  and  commercial  standing  reflect  credit  upon 
his  native  city  and  present  home,  Woodland,  where  his  birth 
occurred  in  1876  on  Christmas  clay.  The  goddess  of  fortune  did 
not  smile  upon  his  infancy  and  youth,  but  pluck  and  perseverance 
won  success  from  a  beginning  that  portended  disaster  and  defeat. 
When  only  five  years  of  age  he  lost  his  father  and  four  years  later 
he  began  to  earn  his  own  livelihood,  since  which  time  lie  has 
worked  his  own  way  upward  to  success  and  has  won  prosperity 
through  unaided  exertions. 

The  patronymic  of  Wirth  indicates  the  Teutonic  extraction  of 
the  family,  whose  first  representative  in  America,  George  L.  Wirth, 
was  born  in  Wurtemberg,  March  28,  1838,  and  became  a  resident 
of  California  during  1860.  After  having  been  employed  for  some 
time  in  a  dairy  owned  by  Mike  Bryte  in  1869  he  started  the  Wood- 
land Brewery  and  also  began  to  develop  a  ranch  east  of  the  city. 
Ere  yet  he  had  attained  success  he  passed  from  earth  December 
21,  1882,  leaving  to  his  family  the  memory  of  an  industrious, 
upright  character,  whose  highest  ambition  was  to  provide  tenderly 
and  honorably  for  wife  and  children.  He  had  married  in  Yolo 
county,  April  13,  1873,  Miss  Rosine  Buob,  who  was  born  at  Eber- 
bach,  Wurtemberg,  Germany,  in  1851,  being  a  daughter  of  Chris- 
tian and  Barbara  (Brudi)  Buob.  When  she  was  only  two  years 
of  age  the  family  came  to  the  United  States  for  the  first  time. 
After  having  spent  three  years  in  Illinois  they  returned  to  Ger- 
many in  1856.  However,  their  minds  reverted  with  such  persist- 
ency to  the  new  world  that  finally  they  determined  to  return  to 
America.  Accordingly  in  1863  they  again  crossed  the  ocean,  but 
this  time  they  settled  in  California  and  took  up  land  in  Yolo  county. 
Here  the  mother  passed  away  and  afterward  the  father  removed  to 
Washington,  where  he  died  at  the  age  of  eighty-six. 

Not  only  was  Mrs.  Rosine  Wirth  a  devoted  wife  and  wise 
mother,  but  when  necessity  forced  her  to  take  up  the  burden  of 
the  support  of  the  little  ones  she  displayed  unusual  business  judg- 
ment.     Selecting   a    small    room    on    Main    street,    Woodland,    she 


HISTORY  OF  YOLO  COUNTY  709 

placed  therein  a  small  stock  of  toys  and  notions.  Having  bought 
with  sagacity,  she  was  able  to  sell  at  reasonable  prices  and  this 
laid  the  foundation  of  her  success.  Little  by  little  she  added  to 
the  stock.  In  1888  she  met  with  a  heavy  misfortune  in  a  tire  that 
destroyed  the  entire  block.  As  soon  as  the  structure  was  rebuilt 
she  made  a  new  start  in  business  and  from  that  time  enjoyed  a 
growing  trade  that  rendered  advisable  a  steady  enlargement  of  the 
stock  carried  in  the  establishment.  Meanwhile  her  three  daughters 
and  two  sons  had  become  self-supporting  and  the  need  for  her  con- 
tinuance in  business  no  longer  existed,  so  that  her  son,  C.  Fred, 
who  had  been  with  her  in  the  store  from  the  age  of  eighteen  years, 
bought  her  interests  and  became  her  successor  as  proprietor. 

Aside  from  a  course  in  Pierce's  Business  College  at  Wood- 
land and  the  usual  grammar  school  studies,  Mr.  Wirth  had  no 
preparation  for  life's  activities  other  than  those  provided  by  his 
own  determined  efforts  to  attain  culture  and  broad  information. 
In  his  life  may  lie  -seen  an  example  of  inherited  commercial  instincts 
developed  and  emarged  through  personal  application  and  intelli- 
gent labors.  Since  he  became  proprietor  of  the  store  in  1897  he 
has  fostered  its  upbuilding  by  energy,  persistence  and  sagacity. 
The  need  of  a  different  location  caused  him  in  1903  to  lease  the 
old  White  House  at  No.  515  Main  street,  a  two-story  structure, 
24x115  feet  in  dimensions,  and  this  he  purchased  in  1911,  since 
which  he  has  built  a  new  front  and  made  many  other  improve- 
ments. The  Trade  Palace,  which  is  a  continuation  of  one  of  the 
oldest  stores  in  the  city,  carries  a  general  line  of  stock,  including 
dry  goods,  notions,  trunks,  ladies'  clothing,  and  gentlemen's  cloth- 
Lng  and  furnishing  goods,  all  being  strictly  modern  and  up-to-date. 
It  is  but  justice  to  add  that  in  his  business  career  Mr.  Wirth  has 
been  ably  assisted  by  his  sister,  Louise  H.  Wirth,  who  has  aided 
materially  in  contributing  to  his  success. 

The  marriage  of  C.  Fred  Wirth  was  solemnized  in  San  Fran- 
cisco and  united  him  with  Miss  Lottie  D.  Howard,  who  was  born 
near  Woodland,  being  a  daughter  of  Mrs.  Grace  Howard  and  a 
granddaughter  of  Z.  B.  Kincheloe,  an  honored  pioneer  of  Yolo 
county.  In  the  Wirth  family  there  are  two  children,  Weldon 
Kincheloe  and  Dorothy  Delight.  The  Republican  party  receives 
the  standi  allegiance  of  Mr.  Wirth,  who  gives  to  its  candidates 
his  ballot  and  to  its  principles  his  influence.  By  reason  of  his 
western  nativity  he  has  entered  into  active  membership  with 
Woodland  Parlor,  Native  Sons  of  the  Golden  West.  The  Sons  of 
Hermann  also  number  him  among  the  members  of  the  order.  His 
fraternal  associations  are  further  promoted  by  active  connection 
with  Masonry,  in  which  he  holds  membership  with  Woodland 
Lodge  Xo.  156,  F.  &  A.  M.;  Woodland  Chapter  No.  46,  R.  A.  M.; 


710  HISTORY  OF  YOLO  COUNTY 

and  Woodland  Commandery  No.  21,  K.  T.  His  native  county, 
which  also  has  been  the  center  of  his  life  efforts,  has  reason  to  be 
proud  of  his  growing  success  and  widening  influence,  while  he  him- 
self without  egotism  may  reflect  with  pleasure  upon  the  advance 
he  has  made  in  business  circles  through  his  own  determined  efforts 
and  sagacious  labors. 


THOMAS  F.  LAUGENOUR 

A  reputation  for  successful  agricultural  activities  and  high 
principles  of  character,  not  limited  to  his  own  home  county  but 
extending  also  into  the  adjacent  regions,  forms  a  fitting  sequel  to 
the  long  career  of  Thomas  F.  Laugenour,  one  of  the  few  survivors 
of  the  early  settlers  of  Yolo  county  and  a  man  of  intense  mental 
and  physical  alertness.  It  is  indeed  this  equipment  of  mind  and 
body  that  furnished  the  basis  of  his  growing  prosperity.  Not  only 
as  a  young  man,  but  even  when  the  shades  of  evening  were 
beginning  to  cast  their  shadows  over  his  useful  existence,  he  was 
able  to  work  assiduously  and  indefatigably  without  disastrous 
results  and  now,  at  the  age  of  eighty-five,  he  is  still  active  and 
not  easily  fatigued.  During  a  residence  of  over  sixty  years  in  this 
county  he  has  had  practically  no  illness  and  even  when,  during 
1905,  he  suffered  an  accident  through  the  catching  of  his  left  arm 
in  a  horse-power  and  was  forced  to  submit  to  amputation  below 
the  elbow,  he  was  confined  to  his  room  for  only  a  very  short  time, 
his  splendid  constitution  enabling  him  easily  to  withstand  the  shock 
of  an  operation  that  would  have  proved  fatal  to  many  men  of  his 
advanced  years. 

The  genealogical  records  show  that  the  Swiss  family  of  Lauge- 
nour became  identified  with  American  history  during  the  colonial 
period.  Thomas  F.,  fourth  oldest  son  of  Philip  and  Phoebe  (Davis) 
Laugenour,  large  land  owners  and  planters  of  Salem,  N.  C,  and 
lifelong  residents  of  that  state,  was  born  on  the  old  plantation  in 
what  is  now  Forsyth  county,  July  6,  1827.  Memories  of  early  days 
bring  to  his  mind  thoughts  of  the  broad  acres  cultivated  with  the 
aid  of  slave  labor,  affording  for  the  white  men  a  life  of  aristocratic 
ease  and  broad  hospitality.  The  environment  and  conditions, 
however,  were  not  satisfactory  to  the  youth  and  when  he  had  com- 
pleted his  education  he  started  for  other  regions.  In  1847  he 
became  a  pioneer  in  Indiana.  Later  he  took  up  a  temporary  resi- 
dence in  Pettis  county,  Mo.  Early  in  1850  he  joined  an  expedi- 
tion  bound   for   California    and   with   oxen   and   prairie    schooners 


HISTORY  OF  YOLO  COUNTY  711 

crossed  the  plains  in  safety,  landing  at  Placerville  September 
7,  1850.  For  a  time  he  there  engaged  in  mining  and  met  with 
some  success. 

Shortly  after  his  arrival  in  Yolo  county,  during  1852,  Mr. 
Laugenour  made  his  first  purchase  of  land,  the  same  consisting  of 
one  hundred  and  sixty  acres  containing  only  meager  improvements 
and  here  he  still  makes  his  home.  Later  through  a  trade  he  ac- 
quired the  title  to  other  lands  adjoining  his  present  homestead 
situated  five  miles  north  from  Woodland.  From  time  to  time  he 
has  bought  and  sold  thousands  of  acres  and  at  this  writing  he  still 
owns  three  thousand  acres,  more  or  less,  improved  with  four  sets 
of  farm  buildings  and  largely  under  cultivation  to  wheat,  barley, 
beets,  and  alfalfa.  The  broad  pastures  support  extensive  droves 
of  stock,  including  a  flock  of  several  thousand  sheep  as  well  as 
many  head  of  cattle,  horses  and  mules.  Through  careful  personal 
supervision  the  owner  has  made  stock-raising  a  profitable  adjunct 
of  general  farming  and  he  is  accounted  one  of  the  best  judges  of 
stock  in  the  whole  county.  At  a  glance  and  apparently  almost  by 
intuition  he  detects  the  best  points  in  an  animal  and  discerns  also 
disqualifications  not  noticeable  to  the  majority,  this  keen  judg- 
ment having  been  one  of  his  most  helpful  factors  in  the  stock 
industry.  The  ranch  is  naturally  one  of  the  most  beautiful  in 
Yolo  county.  Oak  Leaf  ranch  is  well  named  on  account  of  the 
many  large  scalloping  oak  trees,  besides  a  large  grove  of  the 
same  variety.  Some  have  attained  a  diameter  of  four  or  five 
feet  and  represent  hundreds  of  years  of  growth. 

The  marriage  of  Mr.  Laugenour  took  place  in  Sacramento 
November  16,  1864,  and  united  him  with  Miss  Belle  Burton,  who 
was  born  in  Monroe  county,  Mo.,  and  at  the  age  of  fifteen  years 
came  to  California  with  other  members  of  the  family.  Her  parents, 
Charles  and  Lucy  (Nelson)  Burton,  were  natives  of  Kentucky  and 
in  early  maturity  removed  to  Missouri,  where  they  passed  much 
of  their  married  life  upon  a  farm  in  Monroe  county.  During  the 
year  1859  they  came  to  the  west  accompanied  by  their  children, 
crossing  the  plains  with  a  large  expedition  bringing  many  head  of 
cattle  and  horses  for  sale  in  California.  They  established  a  home 
in  Sacramento  county,  where  Miss  Belle  grew  to  womanhood  and 
received  wise  training  in  the  domestic  arts.  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Lauge- 
nour became  the  parents  of  one  son  and  three  daughters,  but  lost 
one  of  the  daughters,  Phoebe,  at  the  age  of  six  years.  The  other 
daughters  are  Bettie,  Mrs.  I).  A.  McGriff,  and  Lucy,  Mrs.  D.  B. 
Woods,  both  residing  on  farms  that  were  once  a  part  of  the  old 
homestead.  The  only  son,  Charles,  is  a  progressive  rancher  on 
property  that  was  also  formerly  a  part  of  the  old  home  ranch. 
Politically  Mi-.  Laugenour  votes  with  the  Democratic  party.     In 


712  HISTORY  OF  YOLO  COUNTY 

religion  he  believes  in  the  doctrines  of  the  Moravian  Church,  of 
which  he  is  a.  member  and  has  long  been  identified  with  its  fel- 
lowship, while  his  wife  is  a  member  of  the  Christian  Church  at 
Woodland.  Both  have  been  ardent  supporters  of  and  workers  in 
the  temperance  cause  and  Mrs.  Laugenour  is  a  member  of  the 
Woman's  Christian  Temperance  Union. 


DANIEL  WEBSTER  NUTTING 

The  name  of  this  honored  citizen  of  Yolo  was  associated  with 
local  upbuilding  for  many  years.  Whether  in  the  capacity  of  a 
business  man  or  in  the  discharge  of  official  duties  he  was  char- 
acterized alike  by  a  faithful  attention  to  details  and  a  keen  intel- 
ligence in  the  comprehension  of  large  enterprises.  Endowed  by 
nature  with  the  qualities  that  win  and  retain  friends,  he  was 
peculiarly  fortunate  in  possessing  the  warm  regard  of  associates 
and  the  confidence  of  acquaintances.  In  all  circles  he  was  respected 
as  a  kindly,  courteous  gentleman  and  when  he  died,  ending  the 
long  period  of  his  service  as  postmaster,  many  tributes  of 
admiration  gave  evidence  to  the  sincerity  of  the  attachment  of  his 
friends  and  the  high  character  of  his  citizenship. 

Born  near  Lowell,  Mass.,  in  1838  and  educated  in  the  schools 
of  that  state,  Mr.  Nutting  heard  the  call  of  the  west  in  his  young 
manhood  and  came  to  the  coast  country  at  an  early  date.  To  this 
region  he  gave  the  best  of  his  energies  and  the  maturity  of  his 
mental  powers.  At  first  he  found  employment  in  Tulare  county. 
For  a  number  of  years  he  owned  and  operated  a  flour  mill  at  Prince- 
ton, Colusa  county,  meanwhile  extensively  engaging  in  the  manu- 
facture of  flour.  During  the  period  of  his  residence  in  Princeton 
he  established  a  home,  being  united  in  marriage,  August  4,  1873, 
with  Miss  Mary  Jane  Forsythe,  who  was  born  near  Marshall, 
Clark  county,  111.  Her  parents,  Chesterfield  and  Mary  Jane  (Davis) 
Forsythe,  were  natives  respectively  of  Kentucky  and  Illinois,  the 
former  having  removed  to  Illinois  in  early  maturity  and  afterward 
identified  himself  with  the  development  of  his  chosen  locality. 

For  five  years  after  marriage  remaining  in  Princeton,  in  1878 
Mr.  and  Mrs.  Nutting  removed  to  Yolo,  where  he  purchased  the 
flour  mill  and  engaged  jn  the  milling  business  until  he  disposed 
of  the  plant  and  building  four  years  later.  From  the  first  of 
his  identification  with  Yolo  he  was  a  leader  among  the  people  and 
by  all  he  was  respected  as  a  citizen  of  solid  worth  and  unques- 
tioned value  of  the  town.     For  fourteen  consecutive  vears  he  filled 


HISTORY  OF  YOLO  COUNTY  713 

the  office  of  postmaster  and  was  still  occupying  the  position  at 
the  time  of  his  death.  His  long  retention  in  the  place  furnishes 
abundant  testimony  as  to  the  appreciation  given  to  his  services. 
The  only  secret  order  of  which  he  was  a  member,  the  Independent 
Order  of  Odd  Fellows,  for  years  enjoyed  tbe  benefit  of  his  asso- 
ciation with  its  lodge  at  Yolo,  in  which  he  was  a  generous  con- 
tributor to  the  good  of  the  order. 

Of  the  children  comprising  the  family  of  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Nutt- 
ing one  beloved  daughter,  Clara  Belle  Nutting,  died  in  young 
womanhood.  The  surviving  daughter,  Alice,  is  the  wife  of  H.  F. 
Sham]i,  an  engineer  on  the  Southern  Pacific  railroad,  with  head- 
quarters at  Sacramento.  The  only  son,  Alden,  a  young  man  of 
excellent  education  and  high  character,  has  gained  proficiency  in 
the  trades  of  carpenter  and  engineer  and  makes  a  specialty  of 
operating  portable  or  stationary  engines.  At  the  death  of  his 
father  he  was  chosen  to  fill  out  the  unexpired  term  and  served 
for  two  years,  giving  to  the  work  the  same  painstaking  earnest- 
ness, the  same  industrious  application  and  the  same  intelligent 
oversight  that  had  characterized  his  father's  long  and  successful 
official  record. 


GEORGE  PIERCE  HATCHER 

Three  generations  of  the  Hatcher  family  have  lived  and  labored 
in  Yolo  county  and  are  still  contributors  to  the  material  upbuilding 
of  the  region,  the  oldest  generation  having  its  representative  in 
William  Hatcher,  an  honored  pioneer  of  1853  and  still  an  influ- 
ential citizen  of  tbe  locality  he  has  assisted  materially  to  promote. 
Probably  mine  of  the  early  settlers  enjoys  conversing  in  regard 
to  frontier  happenings  with  a  keener  zest  than  does  this  well-known 
pioneer.  Possessing  an  excellent  memory,  he  has  a  large  fund 
of  incident  pertaining  to  early  times  and  can  give  particulars  with 
unusual  accuracy.  Seldom  indeed  is  bis  splendid  memory  found 
to  be  at  fault,  hence  he  is  consulted  often  when  any  question  arises 
concerning  the  occurrences  of  the  '50s.  It  is  his  proud  claim  that 
lie  has  raised  one  more  crop  in  this  county  than  any  other  man  now 
living  here  and  it  is  also  a  matter  of  pride  with  him  that  he  is 
still  living  on  the  land  where  he  first  settled.  It  was  here  that  he 
suffered  the  hardships  incident'  to  transforming  raw  land  into  a 
productive  estate.  Here  he  enjoyed  the  sociability  of  other  days 
and  the  friendships  of  other  pioneers.  On  this  farm  he  reared  his 
children  and   trained  them  to  be  useful  members  of  society.     The 


714  HISTORY  OF  YOLO  COUNTY 

improvements  bespeak  his  intelligent  labor  and  tbe  cultivated  land 
shows  a  keen  supervision. 

On  this  Yolo  county  farm  George  P.  Hatcher  was  born  Feb- 
ruary 3,  1863.  A  near-by  school  afforded  him  his  primary  educa- 
tion, which  later  was  supplemented  by  attendance  at  a  business 
college.  Upon  starting  out  for  himself  he  embarked  in  the  grocery 
business  at  Woodland,  but  at  the  expiration  of  two  years  he  retired 
from  that  enterprise  and  removed  to  Yolo.  For  about  three  years 
he  carried  on  a  general  mercantile  establishment  in  that  place. 
In  1893  he  purchased  the  thirty  acres  which  he  now  owns  and 
occupies  and  on  which  he  has  erected  a  neat  house  and  substan- 
tial outbuildings.  Since  then  he  has  carried  on  this  small  tract, 
besides  renting  and  cultivating  other  farm  lands  in  the  locality. 
The  place  is  attractive,  with  its  neat  buildings,  its  beautiful  trees 
and  its  air  of  thrift  and  comfort. 

The  marriage  of  Mr.  Hatcher  was  solemnized  at  Yolo  February 
6,  1883,  and  united  him  with  Miss  Hattie  E.  Cook,  a  native  of 
Nova  Scotia,  but  a  resident  of  Yolo  county  from  early  girlhood. 
They  are  the  parents  of  two  sons  and  a  daughter.  The  former, 
Clinton  and  Earl,  are  partners  in  farming  operations  and  own  a 
tract  of  three  hundred  and  twenty  acres  near  Plainfield,  Yolo 
county.  Both  are  married,  the  older  brother  having  three  children : 
Eoma,  Darrell  and  Pierce,  while  Earl  is  the  father  of  one  son, 
Thomas.  The  youngest  member  of  the  parental  circle  is  Miss  Lola, 
a  popular  young  lady  in  the  home  neighborhood  and  an  active 
worker,  with  her  parents,  in  the  Methodist  Episcopal  Church  of 
Yolo. 

Ever  since  he  began  to  devote  his  attention  to  agricultural 
pursuits  Mr.  Hatcher  has  made  a  specialty  of  the  dairy  business. 
Years  of  efforts  and  study  have  enabled  him  to  build  up  a  fine  herd 
of  registered  Jersey  cattle.  Some  of  the  pure-bred  calves  are  sold 
to  others  and  some  are  retained  for  the  home  dairy.  Mrs.  Hatcher 
attained  an  enviable  local  reputation  as  a  butter-maker  and  for  a 
long  period  sold  butter  to  private  customers  in  Woodland,  but  the 
work  was  so  arduous  and  exhausting  that  a  change  has  been  made 
and  the  cream  is  now  sold  to  the  Yolo  creamery.  As  a  judge  of 
Jersey  cattle  Mr.  Hatcher  is  regarded  as  an  expert  and  his  opinion 
concerning  this  favorite  type  of  dairy  stock  is  regarded  with  def- 
erence by  others  similarly  interested.  It  has  not  been  possible 
for  him,  with  his  many  duties  keeping  him  engrossed  in  his  work, 
to  bear  a  part  in  public  enterprises  and,  aside  from  voting  the 
Republican  ticket  in  national  issues,  he  has  no  association  with 
politics.  When  he  votes  at  the  local  elections  it  is  in  favor  of  the 
candidates  whom  he  considers  best  qualified  to  guard  the  welfare 
of  the  tax-payers,  regardless  of  their  political  beliefs. 


HISTORY  OF  YOLO  COUNTY  715 

JOHN  Z.  TAYLOR 

An  identification  with  Yolo  county  dating  back  to  a  period  in 
childhood  so  early  that  Mr.  Taylor  has  only  vag-ue  and  indistinct 
recollections  of  the  former  home  of  the  family,  has  continued  unin- 
terruptedly up  to  the  present  time  and  has  been  fruitful  in  the 
acquisition  of  valuable  farming  lands  and  in  the  building  up  of  a 
circle  of  warm  personal  friends.  Fifty  years  have  brought  their 
almost  magical  changes  into  this  county  since  first  he  came  here 
with  his  parents.  Time,  transforming  him  from  childhood  to  the 
rugged  strength  of  maturity  and  opening  before  him  the  serenity 
of  advancing  years,  has  likewise  left  its  impress  upon  the  region 
familiar  to  his  boyhood  recollections  and  has  replaced  a  vast 
roadless  plain  with  improved  farms,  thriving  villages  and  a  flour- 
ishing country  with  a  network  of  railroads  and  every  evidence  of 
a  high  civilization.  In  his  own  life  the  flight  of  the  seasons  has 
witnessed  his  increasing  prosperity  and  his  ultimate  ownership 
of  two  well-improved  farms,  the  larger  of  which  forms  his  at- 
tractive home  place. 

Born  at  Springville,  Utah,  December  19,  1854,  John  Z.  Taylor 
was  one  of  six  children  born  to  the  second  marriage  of  John  E. 
Taylor,  a  native  of  England,  but  a  resident  of  the  United  States 
from  young  manhood.  For  some  years  he  made  his  home  on  a 
farm  in  Utah,  but  the  superior  advantages  of  California  led  him 
to  remove  hither  in  1861.  Three  of  his  children  by  his  second 
wife  (in  maidenhood  Elizabeth  Pincock,  a  native  of  England)  were 
born  in  Utah,  the  others  are  natives  of  California.  Of  the  sons 
James  is  represented  on  another  page  of  this  volume  and  W.  S. 
cultivates  the  old  home  farm.  The  three  daughters  are  as  fol- 
lows :  Cecelia,  wife  of  J.  W.  Browning,  of  Grand  Island,  Cal. ; 
Rosina,  of  Woodland;  and  Stella,  wife  of  Dr.  W.  J.  Blevins,  also 
of  Woodland.  The  eldest  son,  John  Z.,  had  few  advantages  in 
early  life,  for  he  was  obliged  to  work  early  and  late  assisting  his 
father  in  the  support  of  the  younger  children,  and  while  other 
boys  were  in  school  he  was  helping  to  till  the  soil  of  the  home 
farm.  However,  he  has  become  a  well-informed  man,  but  his 
knowledge  comes  from  reading  and  observation  rather  than  from 
regular  attendance  at  schools. 

The  marriage  of  John  Z.  Taylor  and  Miss  Anna  McClintic, 
daughter  of  John  McClintic,  took  place  in  Yolo  county  in  March 
of  1890.  Her  father  came  across  the  plains  from  Missouri  in  the 
early  '50s.  He  afterward  returned  east  and  was  married,  in 
Missouri,  to  Sarah  E.  Tincher,  bringing  his  bride  to  his  home  in 
California.  He  improved  a  farm  three  miles  west  of  Knights 
Landing,   and   here   the   parents   both   passed   away.     Immediately 


716  HISTORY  OF  YOLO  COUNTY 

after  their  marriage  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Taylor  began  keeping  house  on 
the  farm  which  had  been  bought  prior  to  the  marriage.  Mrs. 
Taylor,  who  is  a  native  of  this  county,  inherited  a  small  tract  of 
land  and  Mr.  Taylor  added  to  the  same,  so  that  he  now  owns  one 
hundred  acres  two  miles  distant  from  the  home  farm,  both  of 
which  places  he  superintends,  having  the  tillable  land  in  wheat, 
barley  and  alfalfa.  Good  stock  is  to  be  seen  on  the  farm  and 
proves  a  source  of  considerable  income  to  the  owner.  An  indus- 
trious farmer  and  conservative  business  man,  he  is  making  a 
success  of  his  enterprises  and  owns,  besides  his  land  and  personal 
property,  stock  in  the  Rochdale  store  at  Yolo.  In  his  family  there 
are  six  children,  Frank  T.,  Maude,  Jessie,  Ethel,  Clarence  and 
Floyd.  In  politics  he  votes  with  the  Republican  party,  but  takes 
no  part  in  public  affairs  aside  from  casting  his  ballot  and  has 
never  been  induced  to  become  a  candidate  for  office.  Fraternally 
he  is  a  Master  Mason  and  a  prominent  member  of  Yolo  Lodge 
No.  81,  F.  &  A.  M. 


ELBERT  TADLOCK 

Traditional  statements  in  regard  to  the  Tadlock  family  indi- 
cate their  long  and  honorable  identification  with  Scotland  and 
their  early  immigration  to  the  new  world,  where  they  witnessed 
the  development  into  a  vigorous  republic  of  the  scattered  and 
unassociated  colonies.  The  founder  of  the  family  in  Kentucky 
was  Lewis  Tadlock,  a  native  of  Virginia,  born  in  1800,  but  for 
years  a  planter  in  Kentucky,  where  he  died  in  1849  ere  yet  he  had 
succeeded  in  securing  a  competency  for  the  maintenance  of  his  wife 
and  their  family  of  young  children.  A  man  of  unusual  mental 
vigor  he  had  identified  himself  with  the  public  life  of  the  com- 
munity and  had  advocated  Whig  principles  with  a  firmness  that 
never  wavered.  After  he  had  removed  to  Kentucky  he  met  and 
married  Miss  Margaret  Crawford,  who  was  born  in  the  blue  grass 
state  in  1806,  being  of  Scotch  lineage  and  a  daughter  of  James 
Crawford,  presumably  of  Virginian  birth. 

Very  shortly  after  the  death  of  the  husband  and  father  the 
Tadlock  family  removed  to  Missouri  and  resided  in  Moniteau 
county.  Two  of  the  four  sons,  Rilford  G.  and  Elbert,  who  be- 
came pioneers  of  Yolo  county,  were  born  at  the  old  plantation  in 
Kentucky  near  Tompkinsville,  the  county  seat  of  Monroe  county, 
the  birth  of  the  older  having  occurred  February  7,  1839,  while 
the  younger  was  born  September  10,  1841.  After  the  daughters 
had  married  the  mother  decided  to  accompany  her   sons   on  their 


HISTORY  OF  YOLO  COUNTY  717 

removal  to  the  west  and  they  crossed  the  plains  with  ox-teams 
and  wagons  in  1856.  On  their  arrival  in  Yolo  county  the  mother 
pre-empted  a  claim  to  three  hundred  and  twenty  acres  and  there 
her  son,  Eilford,  established  a  frontier  home,  remaining  for  some 
years  to  look  after  her  interests.  The  younger  son,  Elbert,  secured 
work  as  a  laborer  on  ranches.  During  the  spring  of  1858  he 
walked  to  Contra  Costa  county  with  a  capital  of  $2.50  and  there  he 
secured  work  on  a  ranch.  His  earnings  were  utilized  in  the  pur- 
chase of  a  horse,  bridle  and  saddle,  and  with  these  he  rode  home 
in  comfort.  Later,  while  working  as  a  ranch  hand,  he  bought  some 
wild  Spanish  horses  and  devoted  considerable  time  to  breaking 
them  for  use.  The  task  was  one  of  danger  and  difficulty,  but  it 
brought  him  considerable  profit. 

With  a  desire  to  own  a  ranch  of  his  own  the  young  settler  filed 
a  claim  on  raw  land,  but  the  prolonged  drought  caused  a  loss  of 
crops  and  he  then  allowed  the  claim  to  go  by  default.  During 
1862  he  rented  land  for  the  purpose  of  planting  a  crop,  but  his 
plans  were  changed  and  instead  he  began  freighting  with  mule- 
teams  from  Sacramento  to  Virginia  City.  For  four  years  he 
hauled  to  and  from  the  mines  and  during  the  latter  part  of  the 
time  he  used  a  team  of  eight  mules.  After  he  discontinued  the 
freighting  business  he  bought  his  brother's  interest  in  the  ranch 
of  their  mother  and  thereafter  engaged  in  the  raising  of  grain. 
Upon  the  building  of  the  railroad  through  this  section  of  the 
country  in  1877  he  built  a  warehouse,  48x200  feet  in  dimensions, 
at  Scott's  Station,  now  called  Citrona,  which  he  still  runs,  and 
there  stores  large  quantities  of  grain,  his  warehouse  having  a 
capacity  of  nearly  four  thousand  tons. 

By  trading  his  interest  in  the  home  ranch  for  one  hundred  and 
sixty  acres  in  Yolo  county  Mr.  Tadlock  laid  the  foundation  of  his 
subsequent  prosperity.  During  1883  he  bought  three  hundred  and 
fourteen  acres  two  miles  northwest  of  his  earlier  purchase  and 
during  1898  he  bought  an  adjacent  tract  of  two  hundred  acres, 
thus  becoming  the  owner  of  more  than  five  hundred  acres  in 
one  body,  lie  still  retains  two  hundred  acres  in  the  home  place 
south  of  Madison,  improved  with  a  neat  residence  and  a  substantial 
barn.  Ten  acres  are  planted  to  almonds  and  the  balance  of  the 
land  is  devoted  to  grain.  As  a  farmer  and  fruit-raiser  he  possesses 
the  long  experience  so  essential  t<>  the  truest  success,  while  energy 
and  industry  have  aided  him  in  the  accumulation  of  a  competency. 
Politically  he  votes  the  Democratic  ticket  both  in  local  and  national 
elections.  When  Buckeye  Lodge  No.  195,  F.  &  A.  M.,  was  organized 
at  Winters  he  became  a  charter  member  and  was  honored  with 
election  as  the  first  senior  warden,  and  afterwards  served  as  master 
for  two  terms. 


718  HISTORY  OF  YOLO  COUNTY 

The  marriage  of  Elbert  Tadlock  took  place  August  19,  1869. 
and  united  him  with  Miss  Anna  White,  a  native  of  Lafayette 
county,  Mo.,  but  a  resident  of  California  after  1868.  Reared  in  the 
faith  of  the  Christian  Church,  she  has  been  a  sincere  member  of 
that  denomination  from  childhood  and  Mr.  Tadlock  also  has  beeri 
one  of  its  leading  local  workers  for  many  years.  They  became  the 
pareuts  of  seven  children,  of  whom  Emma  died  at  the  age  of  thir- 
teen. The  others  are  William  E.,  Orville  O,  Thomas  E.,  Ada,  Mar- 
garet and  Nannie.  Orville  C.  took  the  regular  course  of  study  in 
the  law  department  in  the  California  State  University  and  is  now 
located  at  Madison.  Ada  is  the  wife  of  Ira  Morris,  of  Winters, 
where  the  latter  is  cashier  of  the  First  National  Bank;  and  Mar- 
garet married  Dr.  J.  H.  Hale,  of  Winters. 

The  eldest  son,  William  E.,  married  Ella  York,  a  daughter  of 
Meredith  Roper  and  Susan  (Maxwell)  York,  natives  respectively  of 
Kentucky  and  Missouri,  but  pioneers  of  the  west.  After  having 
completed  the  studies  of  the  Esparto  high  school  William  E.  Tad- 
lock engaged  in  ranching  for  himself  and  now  operates  two  hun- 
dred acres  of  land,  including  twenty  acres  of  alfalfa  under  irriga- 
tion. In  addition  to  his  farm  pursuits  he  has  charge  of  four  acres 
of  fruit  land,  from  which  he  sells  large  cpiantities  of  peaches,  apri- 
cots and  almonds  in  their  season.  Another  source  of  income  is  his 
drove  of  one  hundred  hogs  and  pigs  and  in  addition  he  has  other 
stock  on  the  ranch.  For  some  years  he  filled  the  office  of  road  over- 
seer and  in  that  office  accomplished  much  for  the  improvement  of 
the  highways  of  the  district.  While  favoring  Democratic  principles 
he  is  inclined  to  be  independent  in  local  campaigns  and  gives  his 
support  to  the  men  whom  he  considers  best  qualified  to  promote  the 
interests  of  the  countv. 


CHESTER  L.  HATCH 

The  American  family  of  Hatch  is  of  Welsh  extraction.  Two 
brothers  of  the  name  came  early  to  the  American  colonies.  One  of 
them  married  and  was  the  progenitor  of  the  family,  at  least  this  is 
the  statement  of  one  genealogist.  Chester  L.  Hatch,  of  Woodland, 
Yolo  county,  was  born  in  Sacramento,  a  son  of  Roscoe  G.  Hatch 
and  a  grandson  of  Mark  Hatch,  born  in  Washington,  Me.  Grand- 
father Hatch  left  the  Pine  Tree  state  in  September,  1849,  on  board 
the  bark  Gold  Hunter  and,  rounding  Cape  Horn,  landed  at  SaD 
Francisco  in  March,  1850.  By  trade  a  contractor  and  builder,  he 
entered  the  employ  of  the  United   States  government  at  barrack 


HISTORY  OF  YOLO  COUNTY  719 

building  at  Benicia  and  elsewhere  in  California,  but  after  a  time 
went  to  Slate  creek  to  try  bis  luck  as  a  miner,  making  the  journey 
on  horseback.  On  the  return  trip  to  Maine  in  1852,  he  took  pas- 
sage on  a  vessel  bound  for  the  Isthmus,  but  in  the  course  of  the 
voyage  the  craft  was  wrecked.  However,  Grandfather  Hatch  and 
others  were  saved,  but  were  sequestered  on  an  island  in  mid-ocean, 
from  which  they  were  eventually  rescued.  He  was  taken  to  Pan- 
ama, whence  lie  was  soon  able  to  return  home.  He  wanted  to  re- 
turn to  California,  but  his  wife  could  not  reconcile  herself  to  mov 
ing  so  far  from  her  native  Maine.  He  had  a  farm  and  bought  a 
store  which  he  operated  till  1857,  when  he  sold  out  and  came  to 
California  by  way  of  Panama,  locating  at  Jenny  Lind,  Calaveras 
county.  There  Mr.  Hatch  bought  a  farm,  on  which,  in  1859,  lie  was 
joined  by  his  son,  Roscoe  G.  Meanwhile  Grandfather  Hatch  con- 
tinued contracting  and  building.  His  first  wife  having  died  in 
Maine,  he  married  Eliza  Herold  in  1861  and  was  soon  after  joined 
by  the  remainder  of  his  family.  He  lived  at  Virginia  City,  Nev.,  in 
1863  and  1864,  then  came  back  to  Calaveras  county.  In  1867  he 
moved  to  Sacramento,  where  he  was  employed  as  a  foreman  of 
railroad  carpenters  till  he  died,  aged  sixty-six  years.  Roscoe  G. 
Hatch  was  born  in  Noblesboro,  Me.,  August  8,  1841,  but  was  reared 
at  Bangor  and  Charleston,  Me.,  where  he  attended  the  public  school 
and  the  local  academy  until  he  was  seventeen  years  old.  In  1859 
he  came  to  the  Pacific  coast  by  way  of  the  isthmus,  landing  at  San 
Francisco,  from  the  old  boat  Sonora,  March  2.  He  came  to  Cala- 
veras county  and  ranched  two  years  in  the  vicinity  of  Jenny  Lind. 
During  the  next  two  years  he  was  employed  by  the  Table  Mountain 
Water  Company,  then  he  bought  an  interest  in  the  Bunty  claim  and 
constructed  a  tunnel  and  mined  there  with  success  for  five  years. 
After  that  he  went  to  Sacramento,  in  1866,  and  engaged  in  the  groc- 
ery trade  on  J  street.  He  sold  out  two  years  later,  however,  and 
was  for  five  years  employed  in  carpentering  in  railroad  construc- 
tion and  repairs.  His  next  venture  was  the  purchase  of  a  ranch  at 
Latrobe,  Eldorado  county,  which  he  devoted  to  grapes,  horticulture, 
farming  and  stock-raising.  This  ranch  he  sold  ten  years  later,  and 
in  1882  he  bought  property  in  Woodland,  where  he  brought  his 
family  in  1883.  As  a  contractor  and  builder  he  has  been  actively  en- 
gaged in  building  and  has  erected  many  residences  in  Woodland  and 
vicinity.  Associated  with  Chester  L.  Hatch,  he  has  built  several 
houses  which  he  still  owns. 

November  3,  1871,  Roscoe  G.  Hatch  married  Miss  Lois  Olds, 
bom  in  Iowa  county,  WTis.  Her  father,  Chester  Olds,  died  in  Wis- 
consin and  her  mother,  Lovisa  (Pettygrove)  Olds,  brought  the  chil- 
dren to  the  father,  who  with  the  brothers-in-law,  Louis  and  Cheeney 
Olds,  were  pioneers  at  Plainfield,  Yolo  eountv.    Roscoe  G.  and  Lois 


721)  HISTORY  OF  YOLO  COUNTY 

(Olds)  Hatch  had  three  children:  Chester  L.,  Howard  M.,  of  Stock- 
ton, Cal.,  and  Elmer  R.,  of  Woodland. 

In  Woodland,  Chester  L.  Hatch  was  reared,  receiving  his  edu- 
cation in  the  public  school,  Hesperian  College  and  the  Woodland 
Business  College.  He  learned  the  carpenter's  trade,  then  studied 
architecture  with  Seth  Babon  in  San  Francisco.  After  contracting 
and  building  for  some  years,  he  accepted  a  position  as  tallyman  for 
the  Port  Costa  Lumber  Company  at  Vallejo  Junction.  Later  he  be- 
came secretary  of  the  Retail  Lumber  Dealers'  Association  of  San 
Francisco.  Afterward  he  was  for  three  years  manager  of  the 
Sierra  Lumber  Company  at  Corning.  Resigning,  he  bought  a  saw- 
mill at  Log  Spring  Ridge,  Tehama  county,  where  he  manufactured 
lumber  three  years,  selling  out  to  accept  a  position  with  the  Dia- 
mond Match  Company.  He  was  a  year  in  the  principal  office  of 
the  concern,  then  was  for  two  years  manager  of  its  yard  at  Wood- 
laud.  Then,  severing  his  relations  with  the  Diamond  Match  Com- 
pany, he  manufactured  lumber  at  Moss  Beach  in  1910  and  1911.  In 
the  latter  year  he  sold  his  interest  there  and  returned  to  Woodland 
and  received  appointment  as  United  States  ganger  for  the  fourth 
district,  embracing  all  of  Northern  California  and  Nevada.  He 
now  gives  his  attention  principally  to  the  duties  of  his  office,  but  is 
interested  in  wholesaling  lumber  and  other  building  material  and 
supplies  and  in  contracting  and  building  at  Woodland.  In  his  lum- 
ber connection  he  is  the  representative  of  the  E.  K.  Wood  Lumber 
Company  for  this  section  of  California. 

Mr.  Hatch  married  Miss  Mary  A.  Troop,  a  native  of  Woodland, 
and  they  have  a  daughter  named  Edith  R.  He  is  a  Republican  in 
political  allegiance.  Socially  he  affiliates  with  the  Modern  Wood- 
men and  with  the  Independent  Order  of  Foresters. 


THOMAS  COOK 

The  last  leaf  was  turned  in  the  quiet  calendar  of  a  well-spent 
life  when  death  entered  the  comfortable  cottage  of'  Thomas  Cook 
and  called  his  spirit  hence.  From  the  opening  chapter,  which  chron- 
icled his  birth  in  Fairfield  county,  Ohio,  in  the  year  1833,  to  the 
closing  chapter  that  recorded  his  demise  at  Woodland  in  1891,  there 
was  little  of  excitement  or  adventure  iu  the  annals  of  his  orderly, 
industrious  and  honorable  existence.  Apart  from  his  service  in  the 
Civil  War  and  the  manifold  dangers  experienced  throughout  the 
term  of  his  association  with  the  boys  in  blue,  the  record  is  that  of 
a  capable  farmer,  earning  a  livelihood  by  dint  of  perseverance  and 


HISTORY  OF  YOLO  COUNTY  721 

energy,  but  avoiding  the  allurements  of  public  affairs  and  all  in- 
ducements to  speculative  investments.  Whether  lie  farmed  in  tbe 
east,  in  the  midst  of  an  old  settled  community,  or  in  the  west,  where 
agriculture  was  yet  in  its  infancy,  he  proved  to  be  efficient  and 
judicious,  a  careful  student  of  the  soil  and  a  sagacious  exponent 
of  crop  rotation. 

The  opening  of  the  Civil  War  found  Thomas  Cook  so  zealous  in 
behalf  of  the  Union  that  he  gave  not  only  his  influence,  but  also  his 
personal  services  to  the  country.  Family  duties  detained  him  at 
home  until  1863,  but  in  that  year  he  volunteered  as  a  private  and 
was  assigned  to  Company  K,  Third  New  York  Cavalry,  which  he 
accompanied  to  the  front  and  in  which  he  served  for  twenty-two 
months,  or  until  after  the  close  of  the  war,  with  fidelity  and  valor. 
On  his  return  to  the  old  home  he  resumed  agricultural  labors  and 
continued  quietly  amid  the  familiar  surroundings,  engaged  in  the 
cultivation  of  the  soil,  until  1875,  when  he  brought  his  family  to 
California  and  settled  near  Colusa.  Here,  as  in  the  east,  he  devoted 
himself  assiduously  to  general  farming.  Removing  from  the  Colusa 
farm  in  1881,  he  came  to  Yolo  county  and  bought  four  hundred  and 
eighty  acres  near  Madison,  where  he  gave  his  time  to  farm  pursuits 
for  ten  years.  During  1891  he  retired  from  extensive  agricultural 
efforts  and  settled  on  a  small  place  near  Woodland,  where  shortly 
afterward  he  passed  away. 

The  opening  years  of  young  manhood  found  Mr.  Cook  establish- 
ing domestic  ties  and  starting  a  home  of  his  own,  and  in  this  home, 
first  on  an  eastern  farm,  and  later  in  the  rural  portion  of  Northern 
California,  he  found  the  highest  happiness  of  maturity  and  the 
greatest  content  of  old  age.  It  was  in  Putnam  county,  Ohio,  on  Oc- 
tober 20,  1851,  that  he  married  Miss  Electra  M.  Flint,  who  was 
born  in  Williams,  Orange  county,  Vt.,  December  31,  1835,  the 
daughter  of  Reuben  S.  and  Electra  (Holt)  Flint,  and  a  grand- 
daughter of  Daniel  Flint,  who  served  in  the  Revolutionary  War, 
as  did  also  her  maternal  great-grandfather,  Amaden  Holt.  Thirty 
years  after  their  union  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Cook  became  residents 
of  Yolo  county,  where  now  Mrs.  Cook  owns  and  occupies  a  neat  resi- 
dence at  No.  117  Elm  street,  Woodland.  Nine  children  were  born 
of  their  marriage  and  seven  are  still  living.  Reared  to  lives  of 
usefulness,  all  have  gone  out  into  the  world  for  themselves,  the 
daughters  to  preside  over  their  own  homes,  and  the  sons  to  earn 
their  way  to  competency  through  intelligent  application.  There  are 
thirty-two  grandchildren  and  six  great-grandchildren  and  this  large 
circle  of  descendants  is  the  pride  of  Mrs.  Cook  in  the  evening  of  her 
existence.  The  daughters  and  sons  are  named  as  follows:  Mrs. 
Sarah  Evans,  of  San  Francisco;  Mrs.  Cynthia  W.  Sedam,  of  Peta- 
luina;  William  B.,  a  photographer  with  a  studio  in  Gilroy;  George, 


722  HISTORY  OF  YOLO  COUNTY 


a  rancher  at  Esparto,  Yolo  county;  James,  who  is  in  the  employ  of 
the  Southern  Pacific  Railroad  and  resides  in  Sacramento;  John,  a 
photographer  in  Woodland;  and  Alice,  who  married  Frederick 
Boxold  and  resides  in  Colusa. 


WILLIAM  H.  WINNE 

One  of  the  most  potent  factors  in  the  progress  of  Woodland, 
having  contributed  both  time  and  talent  toward  its  development 
since  his  identification  with  the  community  in  1868,  Mr.  Winne 
indeed  deserves  the  place  he  occupies  in  the  fortunes  of  this  pros- 
perous town.  The  descendant  of  one  of  the  old  Holland-Dutch  fami- 
lies of  New  Amsterdam,  he  was  born  in  Amsterdam,  Montgomery 
county,  N.  Y.,  December  1,  1840,  and  spent  his  boyhood  on  the  farm 
of  his  parents,  John  P.  and  Amelia  (Snyder)  Winne.  Upon  the 
completion  of  his  studies  in  the  country  school  of  the  district  in 
which  he  lived,  he  proceeded  to  fit  himself  for  the  trade  of  carpenter 
and  builder  and  was  thus  occupied  when  at  the  age  of  twenty  the 
Civil  war  began.  Heart  and  soul  with  the  movement,  Mr.  Winne 
identified  himself  with  Company  B,  Thirty-second  New  York  Volun- 
teer Infantry,  and  after  two  years  was  honorably  discharged  in 
June,  1863,  receiving  the  insignia  of  lieutenant  in  recognition  of 
creditable  conduct  throughout  the  battle  of  Crampton  Gap.  At  this 
time  he  was  also  honored  by  his  own  company,  which  gave  him  a 
sword  and  equipment  worthy  of  his  service.  In  October,  1863,  he 
joined  the  engineering  corps,  in  which  he  served  until  peace  was 
declared,  when  he  was  honorably  discharged,  having  taken  part  in 
most  of  the  battles  of  the  Army  of  the  Potomac. 

By  way  of  the  Isthmus  of  Panama  Mr.  Winne  came  to  Cali- 
fornia, arriving  in  San  Francisco  in  April,  1867,  and  for  a  short 
time  thereafter  he  was  employed  in  that  city  and  in  Sacramento. 
His  advent  in  Woodland  occurred  in  1868  and  at  once  he  recognized 
the  part  he  was  privileged  to  play  in  the  progress  of  the  city  and 
immediately  interested  himself  in  its  needs.  Following  the  old 
adage  "Whatever  is  worth  doing  at  all  is  worth  doing  well,"  Mr. 
Winne  filled  the  years  that  followed  with  many  evidences  of  his 
ability  in  his  chosen  work,  proving  himself  a  capable  architect  and 
builder.  From  time  to  time  he  bought  property  in  Woodland,  dis- 
posing of  it  frequently  at  great  profit,  and  at  the  present  time  owns 
not  only  the  fine  residence  which  he  occupies,  but  also  almost  a  block 
of  College  street  residences.  The  German  Lutheran,  Episcopal  and 
other  churches  were  erected  by  him,  and  the  stores,  residences,  etc., 


HISTORY  OF  YOLO  COUNTY  723 

that  he  has  built  are  too  numerous  to  mention.  He  constructed 
Woodland's  first  public  school  house  and  was  also  called  upon 
throughout  the  county  to  build  churches,  dwellings,  barns,  etc.,  his 
fame  as  a  builder  having  gone  far  beyond  the  confines  of  Woodland. 
In  1879  Mr.  Winne,  associated  with  James  Silby,  built  and  operated 
the  first  planing  mill  ever  established  in  Woodland,  at  First  and 
Bush  streets. 

Mr.  Winne  lias  long  been  an  active  member  of  the  G-.  A.  R.  and 
August  1,  1884,  organized  William  H.  Seward  Post  No.  65,  Gr.  A.  R., 
in  Woodland.  Starting  with  nineteen  members  and  passing  the  one 
hundred  mark,  the  membership  has  diminished  until  but  twenty-five 
now  answer  to  the  roll  call.  Mr.  Winne  has  more  than  once  been 
commander  and  his  deep  devotion  to  his  country  and  his  enthusiastic 
efforts  in  behalf  of  the  G.  A.  R.  have  kept  at  par  the  interest  and 
activity  of  the  post.  He  was  made  a  Mason  in  Amsterdam,  N.  Y., 
in  1863,  and  is  now  a  member  of  Woodland  Lodge  No.  156,  F.  &  A. 
M.,  and  is  also  a  member  of  Woodland  Chapter  No.  46,  R.  A.  M. 
Several  times  he  has  been  chosen  high  priest  by  the  Woodland 
fraternity.  In  his  political  views  he  is  an  old-line  Republican. 
Though  no  longer  engaged  in  active  labor  Mr.  Winne  still  continues 
his  interest  in  the  improvement  and  upbuilding  of  Woodland. 


J.  SMITH  SCOTT 

As  chairman  of  the  board  of  supervisors  of  Yolo  county  Mr. 
Scott  is  giving  to  his  native  region  the  benefit  of  his  discriminating 
judgment,  superior  mental  powers  and  enthusiastic  belief  in  the 
unrivalled  resources  of  the  section.  While  all  projects  for  the  ma- 
terial development  of  the  county  receive  his  earnest  co-operation, 
in  no  department  of  progress  is  he  more  interested  than  in  the 
building  of  good  roads,  and  the  people  of  the  county,  more  particu- 
larly the  farmers,  have  been  aroused  to  a  realization  of  the  value 
of  his  suggestions  concerning  the  highways.  When  first  he  entered 
upon  road  construction  in  Woodland  township,  he  advanced  modern 
ideas  as  to  methods  of  work,  and  by  means  of  a  large  traction 
engine  with  plows  attached  he  broke  up  the  roads,  refilled  them 
with  gravel  and  finally  oiled  the  highway,  thus  securing  a  permanent 
and  substantial  road  at  a  small  cost  to  the  county.  The  benefit  of 
his  services  in  this  one  respect  can  scarcely  be  overestimated  and  in 
other  avenues  of  progress,  while  less  prominent,  he  has  been  in- 
terested in  an  equal  degree. 

The  Scott  family  ranks  among  the  pioneer  element  of  Yolo 


724  HISTOEY  OF  YOLO  COUNTY 

county,  the  first  representatives  here  having  been  Harmon  H.  and 
his  father,  William.  The  former,  a  native  of  Tennessee  and  a 
descendant  of  old  southern  ancestry,  accompanied  his  parents  to 
Missouri  at  the  age  of  eleven  years  and  during  the  summer  of  1850 
crossed  the  plains  to  California,  where  he  followed  the  adventurous 
life  of  a  miner  for  four  years.  Coming  to  Yolo  county  in  1854 
he  settled  at  Woodland  and  in  1861  married  Miss  Margaret  Eakle, 
who  two  years  before  had  come  across  the  plains"  to  California  in 
company  with  her  mother  and  eight  brothers  and  sisters.  Her 
brother,  Hon.  Henry  P.  Eakle,  who  had  served  as  captain  of  the 
train  in  the  long  journey  from  the  east,  settled  on  a  large  ranch 
near  Woodland  and  in  time  became  the  owner  of  valuable  property 
in  both  Yolo  and  Colusa  counties.  Intelligent  and  capable,  he 
rose  to  prominence  in  his  community  and  for  some  years  repre- 
sented the  district  in  the  state  legislature,  where  he  gave  the 
best  of  his  powers  to  the  welfare  of  his  constituents  and  promoted 
many  measures  for  their  benefit.  His  death  occurred  in  1910  after 
one-half  century  of  intimate  association  with  the  agricultural  and 
material  upbuilding  of  the  county. 

For  twenty-three  years  after  his  marriage  Harmon  H.  Scott 
cultivated  and  occupied  a  ranch  southeast  of  Woodland  near  the 
Willow  slough,  but  eventually  he  retired  from  the  burdens  of 
farm  work  and  devoted  the  closing  years  of  his  useful  existence  to 
an  enjoyment  of  the  society  of  family  and  friends  and  the  light 
labors  associated  with  the  care  of  his  home  and  other  property 
in  Woodland,  where  in  1889  his  kindly  existence  came  to  a  peaceful 
end.  Surviving  him  are  his  wife  and  four  children,  the  sons 
being  William  H.,  of  Davisville,  and  J.  Smith,  of  Woodland,  both 
well-known  citizens  of  Yolo  county.  The  daughters  are  Priscilla 
A.,  wife  of  A.  J.  Hendricks,  of  Willows,  and  Mary  E.,  who  mar- 
ried Elmer  Rahm  and  resides  at  Oakland.  On  the  old  homstead 
near  Woodland  J.  Smith  Scott  was  born  November  14,  1864,  and 
there  he  early  learned  the  rudiments  of  agriculture,  which  aided 
him  when  finally  he  embarked  in  farming  for  himself.  For  eleven 
years  he  devoted  his  attention  wholly  to  ranching,  but  at  the  expi- 
ration of  that  time  he  came  to  Woodland,  his  present  place  of 
residence,  and  since  then  he  has  been  associated  with  road  con- 
struction. Although  not  active  in  agriculture,  he  still  owns  and 
manages  a  ranch  of  twenty-five  acres  near  Woodland  and  from 
this  land  during  the  years  of  1910  and  1911  he  cut  six  crops  of 
alfalfa  each  year. 

The  marriage  of  J.  Smith  Scott  and  Miss  Margie  McCutcheon, 
a  native  of  Santa  Clara  county,  Cal.,  was  solemnized  in  1896  and 
has  been  blessed  with  a  daughter,  Meta  I.  Mrs.  Scott  is  the 
daughter    of    Maxie    and    Elizabeth    (Johnson)    McCutcheon,    the 


HISTORY  OF  YOLO  COUNTY  725 

former  coming  to  California  in  1848  via  Cape  Horn.  By  virtue  of 
his  life-long  residence  in  the  state  Mr.  Scott  holds  membership 
with  the  Native  Sons  of  the  Golden  West  and  in  Woodland  Parlor 
No.  30  he  has  been  an  influential  worker  for  some  years.  In  addi- 
tion, he  has  identified  himself  with  the  Independent  Order  of  Odd 
Fellows  and  has  been  prominent  in  the  work  of  Woodland  Lodge 
No.  Ill,  whose  charities  he  assists  by  his  generous  contributions. 
Ever  since  he  reached  his  majority  he  has  supported  the  Demo- 
cratic ticket  in  all  elections.  Elected  supervisor  in  1908,  he  filled 
the  position  with  such  energy  and  intelligence  that  three  years 
later  he  was  chosen  chairman  of  the  board  and  is  now  filling  the 
position  with  characteristic  fidelity  and  sagacity. 


JAMES  A.  CRANE 

Agricultural  enterprises  occupied  the  attention  of  James  A. 
Crane  from  early  maturity  until  recent  years,  when,  retiring  from 
the  manifold  activities  associated  with  ranch  life,  he  came  to 
Woodland  and  here  owns  and  occupies  a  comfortable  home  at 
No.  815  Court  Street.  It  is  said  that  few  men  are  better  posted 
than  he  concerning  farm  values  and  crop  possibilities  in  Yolo 
county  and  certainly  his  long  experience  has  given  him  a  fund  of 
information  neither  insignificant  nor  unimportant.  Deeply  inter- 
ested in  the  development  of  the  state,  of  which  he  has  been  a 
life-long  resident,  he  also  keeps  well  posted  concerning  its  progress 
in  agriculture  and  horticulture,  its  upbuilding  in  commerce  and 
its  growth  in  population  and  in  wealth.  To  a  large  extent  his  in- 
terest centers  in  Yolo  county,  where  he  successfully  prosecuted 
agricultural  labors  and  where  he  has  spent  much  of  his  active  life. 

The  Crane  family  is  of  southern  lineage.  Robert  Crane 
was  born  in  Mercer  county,  Ky.,  December  8,  1822,  but  at  an  early 
age  accompanied  his  parents  to  Washington  county,  the  same  state, 
where  he  lived  on  a  plantation.  At  the  age  of  seventeen  he  re- 
moved with  the  family  to  Missouri  and  settled  in  Marion  county, 
where  he  undertook  the  task  of  transforming  a  tract  of  raw  land 
into  a  productive  farm.  As  soon  as  he  heard  of  the  discovery 
of  gold  in  California  he  determined  to  come  to  the  west  and  early 
in  1849  he  started  across  the  plains  with  a  party  of  thirty  gold- 
seekers.  At  the  end  of  six  months  the  prairie  schooners,  with 
their  load  of  human  freight,  landed  at  Cold  Springs,  Eldorado 
county.     There  Mr.   Crane   remained   for   two   and   one-half   vears, 


726  HISTORY  OF  YOLO  COUNTY 

engaged  iu  mining  and  in  mercantile  pursuits.  July  31,  1852, 
he  arrived  in  Sonoma  county,  practically  penniless,  but  with  a 
willing  heart  and  capable  hands  to  aid  him.  Soon  he  took  up 
four  hundred  and  eighty-six  acres  seven  miles  from  Santa  Rosa 
and  with  the  development  of  that  farm  his  own  prosperity  was 
associated. 

For  many  years,  and  indeed  until  his  death,  which  occurred 
October  31,  1900,  Robert  Crane  ranked  as  a  prosperous  farmer 
of  Sonoma  county  and  as  a  public-spirited  citizen.  In  1856  and 
1858  he  served  as  a  constable  and  from  the  latter  year  until  1860 
he  served  as  a  justice  of  the  peace.  About  1878  he  was  chosen  a 
member  of  the  board  of  county  supervisors  and  continued  in  that 
capacity  for  two  terms.  For  years  he  officiated  as  a  deacon  in 
the  Baptis.t  Church,  and  his  wife  is  also  a  faithful  member  of  that 
denomination,  having  her  membership  at  present  with  the  congre- 
gation at  Santa  Rosa,  where  she  has  resided  since  the  death  of 
her  husband.  Their  marriage  was  solemnized  November  3,  1853, 
three  years  after  she  had  crossed  the  plains  from  Missouri.  Susan 
C.  Davidson  (such  was  her  maideu  name)  was  born  in  Kentucky 
March  24,  1833,  and  accompanied  her  parents  to  Missouri,  whence 
she  crossed  the  plains  and  settled  near  Santa  Rosa,  Cal.  Twelve 
children  were  born  of  her  marriage,  of  whom  James  A.  was  fifth 
in  order  of  birth,  and  he  was  born  November  5,  1860,  at  the  family 
home  seven  miles  south  of  Santa  Rosa  in  Sonoma  county.  In 
boyhood  he  attended  a  country  school  and  an  academy  taught  by 
Prof.  G.  W.  Jones.  At  the  age  of  twenty-two  years  he  left  home 
and  started  out  to  earn  his  own  way  in  the  world,  coming  direct 
to  Yolo  county,  where  he  worked  as  a  ranch  hand  for  three  years. 

The  period  from  the  fall  of  1886  to  the  spring  of  1888,  spent 
in  Tulare  county  as  a  renter  of  a  quarter-section  farm,  proved  an 
unfruitful  season,  and  the  young  man  returned  to  Yolo  county 
poorer  in  pocket  by  the  venture.  For  two  years  he  worked  by  the 
month.  Next  for  ten  years  he .  rented  a  ranch  of  two  hundred 
and  eighty  acres  in  this  county.  While  there  he  devoted  the  land 
chiefly  to  the  raising  of  grain  and  also  engaged  in  dairying  to  a 
small  extent.  In  the  fall  of  1899  he  bought  two  hundred  acres  four 
miles  west  of  Knights  Landing  and  for  a  considerable  period  he 
remained  actively  engaged  in  ranching  on  this  place,  which  under 
his  supervision  became  very  productive.  Recently  he  retired 
from  ranching  and  removed  to  Woodland,  where  he  and  his  wife, 
formerly  Miss  Addie  Leathers,  a  native  daughter,  have  a  large 
circle  of  warm  personal  friends.  His  first  wife,  whom  he  mar- 
ried August  20,  1885,  was  Lena  Leathers,  an  older  sister  of  the 
present  Mrs.  Crane,  and  who  at  her  death  in  1891  left  an  only 
child,  Nellie,  the  wife  of  W.  D.  Cole,  of  Knights  Landing.     Po- 


HISTORY  OF  YOLO  COUNTY  727 

litically  Mr.  Crane  votes  with  the  Democratic  party,  while  fratern- 
ally he  holds  membership  in  the  Woodland  Camp,  Woodmen  of 
the  World. 


THOMAS  BAIKD 

Forty  years  have  wrought  their  marvelous  transformations  in 
city  and  on  farms  since  time  ceased  and  eternity  began  for  Thomas 
Baird,  an  Englishman  by  birth  and  lineage,  but  an  American  in 
his  keen  desire  to  grasp  opportunity  and  in  his  pre-eminent  char- 
acteristics of  enterprise  and  optimism.  Comparatively  brief,  as  we 
count  time,  was  the  period  of  his  sojourn  near  the  western  coast 
of  our  country  and  brief  also  was  the  duration  of  his  residence  in 
America,  nevertheless  he  was  able  to  lay  the  foundation  of  a 
permanent  prosperity  which,  although  death  prevented  his  own 
consummation  thereof,  aided  his  children  in  their  personal  efforts 
to  accumulate  a  competency.  When  he  crossed  the  ocean  to  the 
new  world  he  was  young  and  strong,  but  without  means  or  friends, 
and  the  early  years  of  his  association  with  our  country  repre- 
sented a  constant  endeavor  on  his  part  to  earn  a  livelihood.  For 
some  time  he  made  his  home  in  Richmond,  Mo.,  and  followed  the 
tra>de  of  a  millwright,  in  which  he  was  not  only  experienced,  but 
also  unusually  capable.  Early  in  manhood  he  had  married  Miss 
Mary  A.  Hutchinson  and  they  crossed  the  plains  in  1859,  making 
the  tedious  journey  with  wagons  and  oxen  after  the  fashion  of 
the  day.  During  the  spring  of  1862  he  settled  on  a  ranch  one  mile 
east  of  Woodland  and  here  he  died  in  1871,  his  wife  having  died 
two  years  before. 

The  family  of  Thomas  Baird  consisted  of  five  children,  but  the 
daughters,  Annie  and  Elizabeth,  died  at  an  early  age.  The  sons 
survive,  Thomas  L.,  James  D.  and  Joseph  E.,  who  under  the  firm 
title  of  Baird  Bros.,  carry  on  extensive  operations  as  grain-raisers. 
They  own  and  cultivate  the  old  homestead,  which  now  comprises 
four  hundred  acres.  In  addition  they  own  and  manage  seven 
hundred  acres  in  the  vicinity  of  Knights  Landing.  Through  their 
large  undertakings  they  have  risen  to  a  place  among  the  leading 
grain-raisers  of  Yolo  county  and  in  their  specialties  of  barley  and 
wheat  they  have  few  rivals.  Their  annual  sales  aggregate  from 
ten  thousand  to  twelve  thousand  sacks  of  grain  and  they  are  also 
extensive  raisers  of  alfalfa,  having  one  hundred  acres  from  which 
they  cut   four  crops  each  season. 

A   noteworthy  fact   in   relation   to   their  cultivation   of  the  old 


728  HISTORY  OF  YOLO  COUNTY 

homestead  is  that,  although  it  has  been  under  the  plow  constantly 
for  the  past  forty  years,  ever  since  the  father  established  his  home 
there  in  1871,  the  crops  are  still  large  and  the  soil  apparently  is 
as  rich  as  when  its  first  furrow  was  turned,  which  is  accounted 
for  by  rotation  of  crops.  The  brothers  own  a  traction  engine  and 
a  combined  harvester  and  are  thus  amply  qualified  to  manage  their 
grain  from  the  time  of  seeding  until  the  last  load  has  gone  to 
the  market.  Modern  machinery  greatly  facilitates  the  work  and 
lessens  the  number  of  hired  hands  needed,  so  that  large  areas  are 
cultivated  with  comparatively  little  assistance  from  other  men. 
Horses,  mules  and  hogs  are  raised  at  the  old  homestead  and  some 
fine  specimens  of  equine  perfection  have  been  sold  to  buyers  who 
will  accept  only  the  best.  While  less  interested  in  stock-raising 
than  in  grain  and  alfalfa-farming,  the  brothers  have  been  equally 
successful  in  both  and  they  have  accumulated  large  holdings 
through  their  exercise  of  sagacious  judgment  and  intelligent  in- 
dustry. The  eldest  of  the  brothers  has  long  been  a  stockholder 
in  the  Bank  of  Yolo  at  Woodland  and  for  some  years  he  has  offi- 
ciated as  a  member  of  its  board  of  directors,  besides  being  iden- 
tified with  other  movements  for  the  civic  prosperity.  On  East 
Main  street  he  has  a  pleasant  home,  surrounded  by  evidences  of 
refinement  and  culture,  and  representing  his  own  accumulations 
during  the  period  of  his  business  activity. 


JOHN  JOHNSON 

Through  the  sunshine  and  the  storms  of  almost  sixty  years, 
through  hardships  and  successes,  John  Johnson  has  retained  a  deep 
affection  for  the  commonwealth  of  his  adoption.  The  trials  of 
early  days  did  not  dismay  him  nor  did  repeated  adversities  lessen 
his  enthusiastic  faith  in  the  country's  future  greatness.  Now  in 
the  afternoon  of  his  well-spent  life,  surrounded  by  the  material 
accumulations  of  many  industrious  years,  he  looks  back  upon  the 
past  with  pleasure  and  experiences  a  feeling  of  justifiable  pride  in 
his  association  with  the  early  agricultural  development  of  the 
west.  When  the  decision  was  made  to  leave  the  east  for  the 
vast  undeveloped  regions  near  the  western  coast,  he  was  a  hardy 
young  man,  willing  to  undertake  any  enterprise,  but  wholly  without 
means,  and  it  was  necessary  to  borrow  the  money  with  which  to 
defray  the  expenses  of  the  trip  to  the  coast.  The  steamer, 
Northern  Light,  conveyed  him  from  New  York  City  to  the 
Isthmus  of  Panama,  which  he  crossed  on  the  back  of  a  mule,  and 


HISTORY  OF  YOLO  COUNTY  729 

then  took  passage  on  the  vessel,  Sierra  Nevada,  up  the  Pacific  to 
San  Francisco.  The  long  and  tedious  journey  presented  a  re- 
markable contrast  to  the  opportunities  for  travel  afforded  in  the 
present  century,  when  swift-speeding  engines  followed  by  sumptu- 
ous parlor  and  dining  cars  bear  the  westerner  to  the  Atlantic 
coast  in  a  time  that  would  have  seemed  incredibly  short  to  the 
emigrants  of  the  gold-discovery  days. 

While  Mr.  Johnson  feels  himself  to  be  a  Californian  in  all  else 
save  birth,  he  is  of  eastern  nativity  and  was  born  in  Greene 
county,  Pa.,  June  1,  1829,  and  is  a  son  of  the  late  David  and 
Edith  (Cummings)  Johnson.  The  father  was  born  December 
4,  1776,  and  died  September  12,  1870,  after  nearly  a  century  of 
usefulness.  The  wife  and  mother  was  born  January  14,  1786, 
and  died  March  5,  1863.  The  record  of  their  children  includes  the 
following  names,  with  dates  of  birth  and  of  death:  Lewis,  born 
April  22,  1804,  died  June  5,  1854;  Reuben,  April  22,  1806,  January 
12,  1873;  Simon  P.,  January  8,  1808,  March  23,  1877;  Mary,  Feb- 
ruary 6,  1810,  March  21,  1901 ;  Nancy,  April  6,  1812,  July  22,  1889 ; 
Robert,  May  6,  1814,  February  20,  1891;  "William,  April  3,  1816, 
March  14,  i894;  David,  born  September  3,  1818,  and  still  living, 
being  a  resident  of  Hepler,  Kan. ;  Owen,  born  October  16,  1820,  and 
died  April  17,  1899;  Rebecca,  born  February  12,  1823,  and  also 
living  in  Hepler,  Kan. ;  Edith,  who  was  born  October  29,  1825, 
and  died  April  16,  1868;  Phebe,  born  February  20,  1828,  and  died 
July  25,  of  the  same  year;  John,  whose  name  introduces  this 
article  and  who  was  the  youngest  of  the  large  family  circle.  The 
sons  and  daughters  married  and  established  homes  of  their  own 
in  various  parts  of  the  country.  Longevity  was  characteristic 
of  the  family  and  the  most  of  the  name  lived  to  advanced  years. 
The  majority  also  had  eight  or  more  children,  so  that  at  the 
present  writing  there  are  more  than  one  hundred  descendants 
of  the  Pennsylvania  couple  who,  about  1837,  settled  on  a  farm 
in  Guernsey  county,  Ohio. 

From  Greene  county,  Pa.,  where  he  was  born,  John  Johnson 
accompanied  the  family  to  Ohio  at  the  age  of  about  eight  years 
and  in  that  locality  he  remained  until  he  had  attained  maturity. 
When  he  landed  in  California  December  31,  1853,  he  went  at  once 
to  Nevada  county  and  secured  work  as  a  day  laborer.  Besides  he 
engaged  in  prospecting.  Mining  occupied  his  time  until  1864,  when 
he  removed  to  Solano  county  and  took  a  squatter's  claim  to  land 
in  the  Montezuma  hills,  only  to  find  later  that  the  claim  already 
belonged  to  Dr.  Toland.  However,  he  remained  on  the  place 
and  farmed  the  land  on  shares  with  the  owner.  Through  the  most 
persistent  efforts  and  constant  labor  lie  acquired  a  competency. 
During  September  of  1888  he  retired  from  farming  and  removed 


730  HISTORY  OF  YOLO  COUNTY 

to  Woodland,  where  lie  owns  and  occupies  a  comfortable  home  at 
No.  609  Third  street.  Under  his  supervision  the  residence  was 
remodeled  and  the  grounds  improved,  making  the  place  attractive 
and  valuable.  During  his  experience  as  a  farmer  he  made  a  spe- 
cialty of  raising  grain  and  the  highest  price  he  ever  received  for 
his  products  was  $2.38  per  hundred  pounds.  On  the  organization 
of  the  Solano  County  Grange  he  became  a  charter  member  and 
until  he  removed  from  the  county  he  was  a  prominent  figure  in 
the  activities  of  the  organization.  Politically  he  always  has  sup- 
ported the  Republican  party. 

Sharing  with  Mr.  Johnson  in  the  good  will  of  the  community 
and  the  affection  of  old-time  acquaintances  is  his  wife,  whom 
he  married  in  1874  and  who  bore  the  maiden  name  of  Vina  S. 
Micheud.  She  was  born  in  New  Brunswick,  Canada,  and  was  a 
daughter  of  Marcum  and  Marcelina  (Willits)  Micheud.  When 
very  small  sho  lost  her  mother  by  death  and  thereupon  was  given 
a  home  with  friends  in  Maine.  When  only  thirteen  years  of  age 
she  began  to  teach  school  and  for  seven  years  she  continued  to 
earn  her  livelihood  in  that  occupation.  By  her  first  husband, 
Dennis  Farrell,  she  was  the  mother  of  three  children,  Charles 
C,  Margaret  and  Rose,  while  to  her  second  union  one  daughter, 
Mary  O.,  was  born.  Her  second  husband,  John  Menzyes,  a  me- 
chanic by  trade,  brought  the  family  to  California  in  1870,  but  died 
shortly  afterward.  A  woman  of  true  and  noble  character,  she  has 
been  of  the  greatest  assistance  to  Mr.  Johnson  in  his  efforts  to 
secure  a  competence  and  in  her  declining  days  she  enjoys  with 
him  the  fruits  of  their  years  of  honorable  labor  and  intelligent 
industry. 


AMOS  W.  GABLE 

Men  who  were  born  in  Yolo  county  and  who  have  reached 
middle  life  here  cannot  recall  a  time  when  the  name  of  Amos 
W.  Gable  was  not  familiar  to  them  or  when  it  did  not  stand  for 
good  citizenship  and  remarkable  agricultural  success.  These  men 
grew  up  believing  in  Mr.  Gable  as  an  examplar  of  unselfish  devo- 
tion to  duty  and  of  material  prosperity  attained  in  the  face  of 
early  handicaps.  Newcomers  in  the  county  found  his  prestige  so 
firmly  established  that  they  immediately  became .  cognizant  of  his 
reputation  and  through  their  later  personal  experiences  confirmed 
all  good  opinions  of  him.     Gracious  and  manly  qualities  adorned 


HISTORY  OF  YOLO  COUNTY  731 

his  rare  personality.  Sincerity  of  purpose  marked  his  decisions. 
A  natural  enthusiasm  was  tempered  hy  caution  in  judgment.  Such 
was  his  temperament  and  such  his  character  that  success  made 
no  change  in  his  quiet,  unostentatious  existence,  and  his  happiest 
hours  were  spent  with  his  family  and  his  intimate  friends  and  in 
the  pleasant  task  of  improving  his  beautiful  homestead. 

The  record  of  the  boyhood  years  of  Amos  W.  Gable  is  an 
epitome  of  struggles  bravely  endured,  hardships  valiantly  sur- 
mounted and  obstacles  quietly  overcome.  The  frontier  record  of 
toil  and  privation  was  to  him  of  far  less  consequence  than  the 
private  record  of  bereavement,  sorrow  and  family  separation.  His 
parents,  Solomon  and  Elizabeth  (Dull)  Gable,  were  farmers  of 
great  worth  of  character  and  indomitable  perseverance.  While 
they  lived  on  a  farm  in  Washington  county,  Ohio,  their  son, 
Amos  W.,  was  born  September  13,  1834,  he  being  one  of  four- 
teen children.  During  his  early  childhood  he  was  taken  to  Iowa, 
where  his  father  in  1843  took  up  land  in  Van  Buren  county,  later 
going  to  Appanoose  county.  When  in  his  fiftieth  year,  in  June 
of  1846,  the  exertion  of  lifting  a  large  log  caused  liim  to  burst 
a  blood-vessel  and  he  died  a  few  hours  later.  The  children  were 
put  out  among  farmers  to  earn  their  board  and  clothing,  the 
mother  married  again  and  the  family,  once  separated,  were  never 
again  united  on  earth. 

The  chance  for  a  boy  apprenticed  to  an  existence  of  drudgery 
on  a  frontier  farm  seemed  meager  indeed,  but  an  apparent  des- 
tiny was  overruled  by  a  spirit  of  resolution.  The  greatest  depriva- 
tion was  the  lack  of  educational  advantages.  To  the  end  of  his 
life  Mr.  Gable  never  ceased  to  regret  the  fact  that  he  was  unable 
to  attend  school  at  a  time  when  the  mind  was  plastic,  the  intelli- 
gence receptive  and  the  intuition  quick,  yet  perhaps  no  one  ever 
overcame  with  greater  determination  than  he  this  lack  of  school- 
ing. His  lessons  were  learned  in  the  great  school  of  experience 
and  he  proved  an  apt  pupil.  One  of  the  advantages  of  his  youth 
of  struggle  was  the  fact  that  he  developed  self-reliance  and  learned 
to  realize  that  true  success  comes  only  from  strenuous  exertion. 
At  the  time  of  discovery  of  gold  in  California  he  resolved  to 
come  west,  but  it  was  not  until  some  years  later  that  the  oppor- 
tunity came  to  him.  In  1853  he  hired  out  to  drive  a  team  across 
the  plains  for  Harvey  Porterfield  in  return  for  his  own  passage 
to  the  west.  The  party  drove  one  hundred  head  of  cattle  to  the 
west  and  settled  in  Yolo  county,  where  the  young  man  received 
work  from  Mr.  Porterfield  at  $30  per  month  as  a  cattle-herder. 
Appreciation  of  his  tireless  labors  came  in  an  advance  of  his 
wages  to  $100  per  month  and  tliis  amount  he  frugally  saved  for 
future  investment. 


732  HISTORY  OF  YOLO  COUNTY 

The  arrival  of  the  younger  brother,  Harvey  C.  Gable,  in  1861 
with  $700  in  cash  enabled  the  brothers  to  invest  in  cattle  and  form 
a  partnership  that  continued  throughout  their  lives.  With  en- 
thusiastic faith  in  the  future,  they  purchased  Mr.  Porterfield's 
ranch  and  went  heavily  in  debt  in  the  venture.  For  a  few  years 
they  met  with  fair  success.  Stock  being  then  allowed  to  roam 
at  large,  pasturage  was  a  matter  of  small  expense.  But  a  change 
came  with  the  severe  drought  of  1864.  The  year  1865  found  them 
with  a  debt  of  $5500  which  they  were  utterly  unable  to  meet.  They 
met  their  creditors  and  offered  them  their  entire  holdings  to  settle 
the  iudebtedness,  but  the  men  urged  them  to  keep  on  without 
growing  discouraged,  assuring  them  they  would  wait  for  their 
money,  believing  success  would  come  to  them  in  the  end.  Time 
proved  the  wisdom  of  the  counsel.  The  debt  was  eventually  paid 
off  and  afterward  they  began  to  accumulate  property  until  they 
became  the  joint  owners  of  eighty-five  hundred  acres  of  land,  much 
of  it  under  cultivation.  On  their  vast  tracts  roamed  large  herds 
of  cattle  and  enormous  flocks  of  sheep.  Horses  and  hogs  also  were 
raised  on  their  ranches.  The  advance  in  the  price  of  land  and 
cattle  brought  them  great  wealth  and  gave  them  a  standing  among 
the  leading  property  owners  of  the  county. 

The  marriage  of  Amos  W.  Gable  was  solemnized  June  4,  1874, 
and  united  him  with  Miss  Mary  Gottwals,  a  native  of  Yolo  county, 
Cal.,  who  was  born  in  1856  and  died  March  30,  1903,  at  the  age 
of  forty-seven  years.  Four  children  blessed  the  union,  Harvey 
Hayes,  Myrtle,  Gertrude  and  Awilma  (Mrs.  H.  D.  Porter),  all  of 
Woodland.  The  family  removed  to  Woodland  in  1882  and  made 
their  home  on  the  corner  of  Laurel  and  First  streets.  Three  years 
later  Mr.  Gable  erected  a  residence  on  the  corner  of  First  and 
Cross  streets  and  eventually,  by  personal  efforts,  converted  the 
property  into  one  of  the  most  attractive  homes  in  the  city.  The 
well-kept  lawn  is  artistically  adorned  with  tropical  shrubbery. 
Orange  trees  of  the  finest  varieties  were  planted  and  in  the  care 
of  them  the  owner  passed  many  hours  of  pleasure.  Indeed,  he  was 
never  happier  than  when  improving  his  place  and  enjoying  its 
beauties  with  his  family.  He  was  a  Mason  of  the  Knights  Templar 
degree.  While  relaxing  his  labors  with  increasing  wealth,  he  never 
lost  his  business-like  aptitude  for  affairs,  but  until  his  death 
(which  occurred  February  24,  1898)  he  served  as  vice-president  and 
a  director  of  the  Bank  of  Yolo  and  as  a  director  in  the  Yolo  County 
Savings  Bank,  besides  retaining  the  personal  management  of  his 
extensive  landed  interests  in  the  county.  It  is  but  fitting  to  relate 
that  his  son,  Harvey  Hayes  Gable,  the  only  male  representative 
of  the  family  in  the  Sacramento  valley  since  the  death  of  the 
other   brother,   Harvey   C,   has   assumed   the   management   of   the 


HISTOEY  OF  YOLO  COUNTY  733 

large  ranch  and  varied  interests  and  for  convenience  he  incorpor- 
ated the  estate  under  the  name  of  The  Gable  Company,  of  which 
he  is  president  and  manager. 


HARVEY  C.  GABLE 

The  intense  activities  characteristic  of  the  Californian  of  the 
twentieth  century  cannot  dim  the  memory  of  the  labors  of  the 
pioneers  nor  will  the  lustre  of  their  achievements  ever  fade  from 
the  grateful  recollections  of  later  generations.  The  lives  of  these 
early  settlers  were  as  varied  as  their  temperaments,  but  destiny 
brought  to  all  of  them  a  common  service  for  their  adopted  com- 
monwealth, a  common  endurance  of  privation  and  a  common 
struggle  for  success.  Some,  however,  passed  away  ere  yet  suc- 
cess had  set  its  seal  upon  their  brows;  some  from  the  nature 
of  their  environment  or  their  erring  judgment  failed  to  grasp 
the  coveted  measure  of  prosperity;  but  some  there  were  of 
whom  Harvey  C.  Gable  was  one,  who  rose  from  an  orphaned  lad 
without  means  and  attained  a  remarkable  degree  of  prominence 
and  popularity. 

The  annals  of  the  Gable  family  show  a  genealogy  character 
ized  by  industry,  honor  and  patriotism.  The  pioneer  spirit  has 
been  strong  in  the  blood.  Early  established  in  the  new  world,  each 
generation  bore  its  share  in  the  development  of  the  land  and, 
followed  the  tide  of  migration  toward  the  west.  The  privations 
incident  to  frontier  existence  they  bore  with  a  patience  that  never 
murmured.  In  these  characteristics  Solomon  Gable  proved  a 
worthy  descendant  of  colonial  ancestry  and  bis  was  the  arduous 
task  of  clearing  land,  improving  a  farm  and  earning  a  livelihood 
for  his  family  of  fourteen  children.  With  his  wife,  who  bore 
the  maiden  name  of  Elizabeth  Dull,  he  removed  from  Washington 
county,  Ohio,  to  Van  Buren  county,  Iowa,  in  1843,  and  later  took 
up  government  land  in  Appanoose  county,  Iowa,  where  he  died  in 
June  of  1846.  The  family  were  left  without  means  and  it  was 
necessary  to  separate  the  children  by  putting  them  out  to  farmers 
to  earn  their  board  and  clothing. 

At  the  death  of  the  father,  Harvey  C.  Gable,  who  was  born 
in  Ohio  March  11,  1836,  was  a  child  of  ten  years  and  afterward 
he  had  no  home,  but  earned  his  livelihood  by  the  hardest  of  work 
on  frontier  farms.  When  his  brother,  eighteen  months  older 
than  himself,  secured  a  chance  to  work  his  passage  to  California 
in  1853,  lie  determined  to  join  him  as  soon  as  possible.     The  oppor- 


734  HISTORY  OF  YOLO  COUNTY 

trinity  came  in  the  spring  of  1854,  when  he  had  a  chance  to  work 
his  way  across  the  plains.  The  journey  was  one  of  unusual 
privations  and  hardships.  When  he  reached  the  destination  of  the 
party  he  was  bare-headed  and  barefooted  and  his  clothing  was 
ragged  to  the  point  of  extreme  discomfort.  Without  any  delay 
he  secured  work  and  later  he  met  with  some  success  in  the  mines. 
After  having  secured  $700  in  the  mines  he  joined  his  brother  in 
1861  and  invested  in  cattle,  later  buying  one-half  interest  in  the 
Porterfield  ranch.  The  prolonged  drought  of  1864  caused  a  heavy 
loss  of  cattle  and  threatened  the  brothers  with  bankruptcy,  which, 
however,  was  averted  by  the  kindness  of  creditors.  Never  after- 
ward did  they  have  to  ask  for  leniency.  The  tide  in  their  affairs 
changed  for  the  better,  advances  in  the  price  of  land  made  them 
wealthy  and  from  that  time  until  they  died  they  held  a  place 
among  the  most  prosperous  and  resourceful  stockmen  of  the 
county.  In  judgment  they  seldom  erred,  in  generosity  to  young 
and  struggling  cattle-raisers  they  had  few  equals  and  in  kindness 
to  the  sorrowing  they  were  constant.  The  events  of  their  long 
identification  with  Yolo  county  justified  a  high  estimate  of  their 
characters. 

For  years  Harvey  C.  Gable  owned  stock  in  the  Yolo  County 
Savings  Bank  and  at  the  time  of  his  death  in  1901  he  was  serving 
as  vice-president  of  the  institution.  In  addition  he  acted  as  a 
director  in  the  Bank  of  Yolo.  Fraternally  he  stood  high  in  Masonry, 
as  did  also  his  brother,  both  being  connected  with  the  lodge,  chapter 
and  commandery.  The  high  principles  for  which  Masonry  stands 
found  in  them  stanch  believers.  Their  lives  flowed  on  harmoniously 
side  by  side,  there  being  little  difference  in  their  histories  except 
that  caused  by  the  marriage  of  the  older  brother.  Both  lived  to 
be  about  sixty-five  years  of  age.  Both  had  the  same  discourage- 
ments to  meet  and  both  inherited  the  same  rugged  constitutions 
and  high  principles.  Their  vast  properties  continued  in  one  estate 
until  they  died  and  are  now  managed  by  the  son  of  the  older 
brother,  Harvey  Hayes  Gable,  a  native  son  of  the  state  and  a 
leading  citizen  of  Woodland,  the  sole  male  inheritor  of  the  honored 
family  name  in  this  county  and  himself  the  possessor  of  admirable 
traits  of  character. 


DEL  FENTON 

Few  departments  of  business  activity  affect  more  deeply  the 
permanent  welfare  of  a  place  and  none  is  more  vitally  associated 
with  the  attractiveness   of  a   town  than  that   of   contracting   and 


HISTORY  OF  YOLO  COUNTY  735 

building.  The  village  that  boasts  picturesque  cottages  and  substan- 
tial business  structures  attracts  the  stranger  who  is  repelled 
by  a  town  containing  only  unsightly  houses  and  public  buildings 
lacking  grace  or  convenience  of  design.  It  has  been  the  task  of 
Mr.  Fenton,  during  a  somewhat  brief  identification  with  the  citizen- 
ship of  "Woodland,  to  erect  buildings  attractive  in  exterior  ap- 
pearance, convenient  as  to  interior  arrangements  and  yet  con- 
serving of' space  as  well  as  of  expenditures  of  money.  The  build- 
ings, both  private  and  public,  in  many  instances  have  been  de- 
signed by  the  builder  and  the  completed  structure,  symmetrica] 
and  harmonious,  represents  his  intelligent  oversight  and  architec- 
tural ability. 

In  his  native  city  of  Springfield,  Ohio,  where  he  was  born  in 
1876  and  where  he  had  received  a  fair  education,  Mr.  Fenton 
learned  the  trade  of  carpentering  under  his  father,  a  practical 
and  experienced  builder.  Upon  starting  out  for  himself  he  came 
to  California  during  1900  and  settled  at  Davisville,  Yolo  county, 
where  he  joined  an  uncle,  Eli  Snyder,  and  for  three  years  he  worked 
faithfully  and  well  on  the  ranch  owned  by  that  relative.  Leaving 
the  ranch  and  taking  up  work  at  his  trade,  he  labored  for  a  time  at 
Goldfield,  Nev.,  and  next  went  to  Medford,  Ore.,  where  he  followed 
his  chosen  occupation.  Later  going  to  Berkeley,  Cal.,  he  acted  as 
foreman  of  the  Newton  Sanford  Construction  Company  for  four- 
teen months,  and  when  he  resigned  that  position  he  returned  to 
Yolo  county.  Since  August  of  1909  he  has  resided  in  Woodland, 
where  he  owns  a  comfortable  home  at  No.  173  West  Court  street. 

It  is  significant  of  the  popularity  enjoyed  by  Mr.  Fenton  in 
his  home  city  that,  during  the  two  years  of  his  residence  here, 
he  has  erected  over  forty  dwellings  in  or  near  the  city,  represent- 
ing an  investment  of  from  $90,000  to  $100,000.  While  he  refuses 
no  contracts  except  for  lack  of  time,  he  prefers  to  erect  modern, 
elegant  residences  and  for  these  he  draws  his  own  plans.  Two 
of  the  best  houses  iu  Madison,  this  county,  were  erected  recently 
by  him,  also  the  Fillmore  district  schoolhouse  and  the  country 
residence  of  J.  C.  Clark,  besides  the  Woodland  residences  of 
A.  E.  Lee,  F.  V.  Stening,  H.  E.  Norton,  O.  Howard,  E.  Snavely, 
Mrs.  Bray,  Miss  Alice  Ralls,  George  Zane,  J.  J.  Keene  and  John 
Dole,  as  well  as  two  houses  for  W.  Woolley  and  other  buildings 
in  or  near  town.  When  he  came  to  Woodland  he  brought  with 
him  his  bride,  whom  he  had  married  in  Oregon  in  1909  and  who 
was  formerly  Miss  Josephine  Ralls.  While  she  had  lived  in  the 
northern  state  during  much  of  her  girlhood,  she  was  born  in 
California  and  is  a  member  of  an  old  family  of  the  west.  With 
her  husband  she  enjoys  the  friendship  of  the  people  of  Woodland 
and  has  made  many  warm  friends  during  the  period  of  her  resi- 


736  HISTORY  OF  YOLO  COUNTY 

denee  in  the  city.  Fraternally  Mr.  Fenton  holds  membership  with 
the  Junior  Order  of  United  American  Mechanics  and  maintains  a 
deep  interest  in  the  activities  of  this  order.  As  a  citizen  he  heartily 
supports  all  movements  for  the  permanent  advancement  of  Wood- 
land and  vies  with  older  settlers  in  his  devotion  to  civic  progress 
and  in  his  intelligent  advocacy  of  progressive  movements. 


M.  S.  BENTZ 

The  business  interests  and  commercial  progress  of  Wood- 
land receive  the  constant  co-operation  of  Mr.  Bentz,  who  since 
coming  to  this  city  during  1906  has  identified  himself  with  move- 
ments for  the  local  upbuilding  and  has  proved  the  high  value 
of  his  capable  citizenship.  Such  success  as  he  has  achieved — 
and  it  is  by  no  means  insignificant — results  from  his  own  determin- 
ation and  unaided  efforts.  As  a  boy  he  had  little  opportunity  to 
advance  in  the  world,  but,  sturdily  resolved  to  secure  an  education, 
he  paid  his  own  expenses  as  he  was  attending  various  institutions 
in  the  east.  The  result  was  that  he  acquired  a  varied  knowledge 
and  also  gained  what  is  even  more  to  be  desired,  viz. :  aD 
abundance  of  self-reliance  and  independence.  A  member  of  aD 
old  Pennsylvania  family,  he  was  born  in  York  county,  that  state, 
April  11,  1851,  and  was  next  to  the  youngest  in  a  family  of  ten 
children,  five  of  whom  are  still  living.  The  parents,  George  and 
Nancy  (Grove)  Bentz,  were  born  in  York  county,  lived  upon 
farming  land  there  and  remained  in  the  same  locality  until  death. 

When  the  completion  of  public-school  studies  seemed  to  indicate 
to  M.  S.  Bentz  that  his  educational  opportunities  had  ended 
he  started  to  work  to  secure  further  advantages,  so  that  he  made 
it  possible  to  attend  the  Shippensburg  Normal  and  the  York 
high  school.  From  the  latter  institution  he  was  graduated  at  the 
age  of  nineteen.  Later  he  taught  school  in  York  and  Cumberland 
counties  for  eight  years,  meanwhile  attending  the  Holbrook  Normal 
School  at  Lebanon,  Ohio,  and  graduating  from  its  commercial 
department.  During  March  of  1877  he  landed  in  Kansas  and  pur- 
chased land  in  Rice  county,  where  he  was  bereaved  by  the  death  of 
his  wife,  who  was  Abbie  Heikes,  a  native  of  Pennsylvania.  In 
the  fall  following  her  death  he  removed  to  Stafford,  Kan.,  and 
embarked  in  the  mercantile  business.  For  a  time  he  was  prospered, 
hut  a  cyclone  in  1881  destroyed  his  store,  ruined  the  stock  of 
goods  and  left  him  without  means  to  start  anew.  Thereupon  he 
embarked   in   the   freighting   business   in   Colorado,   where    he    re- 


HISTORY  OF  YOLO  COUNTY  737 

maiued  for  eighteen  months.  Upon  his  return  to  Kansas  he  settled 
in  Canton,  McPherson  county,  and  opened  a  mercantile  store,  which 
he  conducted  for  ten  years.  Later  he  engaged  in  the  same  busi- 
ness at  Eldorado,  Butler  county,  Kan.,  for  ten  years. 

Coming  to  California  during  January  of  1904  Mr.  Bentz  bought 
land  in  Sutter  county  and  planted  an  orchard.  Two  years  later 
he  came  to  Woodland  and  purchased  the  store  of  Powell  Brothers, 
whom  he  succeeded  as  proprietor  of  the  little  establishment. 
Here  he  has  since  built  up  a  large  trade  and  has  carried  a  full  line 
of  notions  and  furnishing  goods.  Thoroughly  devoted  to  Wood- 
land, he  entertains  a  profound  liking  for  the  city  of  his  adoption 
and  champions  every  measure  for  local  progress.  In  national 
affairs  he  has  been  a  close  student  and  the  result  of  his  studies  is 
that  he  supports  socialist  principles,  being  a  firm  believer  in 
the  adoption  of  national  measures  that  will  aid  the  day  laborer 
and  prevent  the  enormous  wealth  of  our  country  from  being  con- 
centrated in  the  hands  of  a  few.  Fraternally  he  holds  member- 
ship with  the  Modern  Woodmen  of  America.  The  Woodland 
Methodist  Episcopal  Church  has  the  benefit  of  his  active  co-opera- 
tion with  every  movement  for  its  spiritual  and  material  upbuilding 
and  as  a  member  of  the  official  board  he  is  rendering  efficient 
service  in  its  interests.  While  making  his  home  at  Canton,  Kan., 
he  was  united  in  marriage  with  Miss  Florence  L.  Cronk,  who  was 
born  in  Oneida  county,  N.  Y.  Six  children  were  born  of  their 
union,  namely:  May,  who  died  in  Eldorado,  Kan.;  Charles  W.,  now 
living  in  Woodland;  Earl  S.,  who  is  employed  at  Long  Beach, 
this  state;  Ruth,  Mary  E.  and  Herbert,  who  still  remain  with 
their  parents  in  the  Woodland  home. 


CYRIAK  HERMLE 

Through  years  of  identification  with  Yolo  county,  to  the  devel 
opment  of  which  he  has  contributed  materially,  Mr.  Hermle  has 
become  well  known  as  a  man  of  unquestioned  honor  and  enterpris- 
ing spirit,  his  good  judgment  and  rare  business  ability  having 
placed  him  among  the  most  influential  citizens  of  Winters. 

A  native  of  Germany,  Mr.  Hermle 's  birth  occurred  August 
7,  1862,  in  Wurtemberg,  where  he  received  his  education,  spending 
bis  youth  on  the  farm  of  bis  parents,  John  and  Ursula  Hermle,  also 
of  German  nativity.  Having  completed  the  shoemaker's  trade,  at 
the  age  of  eighteen  years,  led  by  a  determination  to  win  both 
wealth  and  freedom  in  the  land  of  opportunity,  the  son  immigrated 


738  HISTORY  OF  YOLO  COUNTY 

to  America,  securing  a  position  as  a  shoemaker  in  Cincinnati,  Ohio, 
where  he  remained  six  months.  In  1881  he  came  to  Yolo  county, 
Cal.,  and  for  six  years  worked  on  a  ranch,  prior  to  his  purchase 
of  a  quarter  section  of  land  nine  miles  north  of  Capay,  which 
he  operated  until  1902,  when  he  sold  out  and  bought  his  present 
place  of  five  hundred  and  sixty  acres  six  miles  northeast  of 
Winters.  His  peach  and  almond  orchard  cover  twenty  acres  and 
he  also  raises  other  fruit.  In  addition  to  his  own  highly  cultivated 
and  productive  ranch  he  leases  seven  hundred  acres,  which  he  de- 
votes to  grain  raising.  He  gathers  his  crops  with  a  combined 
harvester,  the  motive  power  for  which,  as  well  as  for  plowing 
and  harrowing,  is  supplied  by  a  caterpillar  engine.  He  also  at  one 
time  engaged  in  raising  cattle  and  sheep. 

In  1886  Mr.  Hermle  was  married  to  Miss  Corne  Stall,  a  native 
of  Germany  and  the  daughter  of  Charles  L.  and  Kate  (Latch) 
Stall,  who  ultimately  became  residents  of  California.  Two 
children  were  born  to  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Hermle,  Frank  and  Adolph. 
Mr.  Hermle  maintains  a  deep  interest  in  political  issues,  is  active 
in  all  public  enterprises  demanding  conservative  judgment,  and 
with  his  family  enjoys  membership  in  the  Catholic  Church  of 
Winters,  which  receives  his  hearty  support. 


URIAH  J.  WALLER 

Frontier  scenes  and  pioneer  experiences  left  an  indelible  im- 
press upon  the  mind  of  Mr.  Waller,  who  now,  in  the  eventide 
of  a  iiseful  existence,  finds  pleasure  in  reviewing  events  of  the 
past  and  in  contrasting  the  isolation  of  that  era  with  the  con- 
veniences of  the  present.  Born  in  Illinois  in  1836,  he  recalls  that 
great  commonwealth  as  it  appeared  in  the  infancy  of  its  indus- 
trial and  agricultural  development.  Memory  likewise  brings  to 
him  thoughts  of  the  excitement  caused  by  news  of  the  discovery 
of  gold  in  California  and,  as  he  played,  a  barefoot  boy  of  thirteen 
years,  around  the  home  farm  or  assisted  in  work  suited  to  his 
strength,  he  constantly  dwelt  upon  the  opportunities  afforded 
by  the  then  unknown  west.  However,  it  was  not  until  1858  that 
it  became  possible  for  him  to  come  across  the  plains.  Having 
previously  married  Miss  Amelia  Gum  in  Illinois,  he  and  his  young 
wife  were  induced  to  come  to  the  coast  through  favorable  reports 
received  from  her  father,  Jehu  Gum,  who  had  traveled  over 
mountains  and  deserts  in  1852  and  had  reached  the  golden  west 
after  a  tedious  journey  with  wagons  and  oxen.    The  sturdy  pioneer 


HISTORY  OF  YOLO  COUNTY  739 

had  settled  in  Willow  slough  near  Woodland,  Yolo  county,  and 
there  for  years  he  lived  and  labored,  meeting  with  a  success  amply 
merited  by  his  frugality  and  industry.  Upon  disposing  of  his 
ranch  in  1882  be  removed  to  Oregon  and  remained  in  that  state 
for  eight  years.  Returning  to  Woodland,  he  purchased  a  little 
home  in  this  city  and  here  in  1901  his  well-spent  life  reached  the 
end  of  its  quiet  calendar. 

When  the  young  couple  started  across  the  plains  with  a 
view  to  joining  her  father  in  Yolo  county,  they  put  themselves 
under  the  care  of  a  large  expedition  and  traveled  with  ox-teams 
as  far  as  Salt  Lake  City.  For  the  purpose  of  hastening  the  re- 
mainder of  the  journey,  they  traded  the  oxen  for  horses  at  the  great 
Mormon  stronghold  and  on  their  arrival  in  California  they  sold 
the  horses  for  $500  a  pair.  During  a  temporary  pause  at  Placer- 
ville  Mr.  Waller  assisted  in  building  a  hotel  with  timber  cut 
from  the  great  native  forests.  From  there  they  came  on  to 
Yolo  county  and  soon  after  their  arrival  they  settled  upon  a 
quarter-section  near  Davisville,  well  adapted  to  the  raising  of 
grain.  Selling  the  property  in  1864,  they  removed  to  a  ranch 
at  Buckeye  and  remained  on  that  place  until  it  was  sold  in  1872. 
Not  long  afterward  Mr.  Waller  drove  a  large  herd  of  cattle  into 
Modoc  county  and  remained  there  until  1875,  when  he  disposed 
of  the  stock  to  good  advantage.  Upon  his  return  to  Yolo  county 
he  rented  a  ranch  and  resumed  agricultural  activities.  His  last 
experience  as  a  rancher  was  on  a  tract  of  thirty  acres  near  Wood- 
land, where  he  conducted  a  dairy  business  and  with  the  aid  of 
his  capable  wife  built  up  an  established  reputation  for  fine  dairy 
products.  During  1909  be  retired  from  the  laborious  duties  of 
dairying  and  removed  to  a  comfortable  cottage  on  Fifth  street. 
Woodland,  where  he  and  bis  wife  are  passing  their  declining  days 
in  peace  and  content.  Of  their  five  children  all  survive  with  the 
exception  of  George.  The  living  sons  are  Jehu  and  Lewis,  while 
the  daughters  are  Mrs.  Mary  Dutcher,  who  has  four  children  and 
resides  in  Woodland,  and  Mrs.  Theresa  Hensley,  also  a  resident  of 
this  place. 


WILLIAM  M.  BROWNING 

The  name  of  Browning  has  been  associated  with  the  material 
upbuilding  of  Yolo  county  ever  since  the  period  when  agriculture 
was  in  its  infancy  and  the  possibilities  of  the  soil  wholly  unknown. 
Tbe  founder  of  the  family  in  this  valley  and  indeed  in  the  west 


740  HISTOEY  OF  YOLO  COUNTY 

itself,  Robert  W.  Browning,  a  member  of  tbe  resolute  pioneer  band 
of  tbe  '50s,  still  survives  to  enjoy  in  the  twilight  of  bis  useful  exist- 
ence tbe  fruits  of  years  of  assiduous  labor.  While  many  of  those  early 
settlers  migrated  from  county  to  county  irresolutely  seeking  after 
new  opportunities,  he  was  content  to  remain  in  the  same  place  and 
the  fixedness  of  purpose  visible  in  long  identification  with  one 
section  became  evident  also  in  his  permanent  continuance  in  ranch- 
ing pursuits.  Not  long  after  he  had  crossed  the  plains  in  1854 
he  took  up  a  raw  tract  of  land  about  four  miles  southwest  of 
Woodland  and  there  he  still  remains,  meanwhile  having  brought 
about  a  complete  transformation  in  the  estate,  which  now  ranks 
among  tbe  most  productive  properties  in  the  county.  Further  men- 
tion of  this  honored  pioneer  appears  elsewhere  in  this  volume  and 
clearly  indicates  his  admirable  character  as  well  as  his  intimate 
connection  with  the  advancement  of  his  locality. 

Among  the  children  comprising  the  family  of  Robert  W. 
Browning  the  next  to  the  eldest,  William  M.,  was  born  at  the  old 
homestead  near  Woodland  October  22,  1871,  and  received  his  pri- 
mary education  in  local  schools.  Later  he  was  a  student  in 
Hesperian  College  and  finally  took  a  commercial  course  in  Heald's 
Business  College,  from  which  he  was  graduated  in  1892.  For  a 
time  during  young  manhood  he  engaged  in  farming,  continuing 
at  the  occupation  until  he  was  elected  a  county  auditor.  Mean- 
while, in  1893,  he  married  Miss  Alice  Jackson,  who  was  born  and 
reared  in  Woodland,  being  the  daughter  of  Dr.  G.  H.  Jackson, 
now  of  Alameda,  but  for  years  a  leading  physician  of  Woodland 
and  county  physician  of  Yolo  county.  The  only  child  of  Mr.  and 
Mrs.  Browning  was  Julian  Ludwell,  who  passed  from  earth  at  the 
age  of  six  years  and  six  months,  October  21,  1900. 

From  early  life  Mr.  Browning  has  been  a  stanch  believer  in 
tbe  Democratic  principles  and  upon  attaining  his  majority  he  began 
to  vote  that  ticket,  which  he  still  supports  in  general  and  local 
elections.  During  1902  his  party  elected  him  county  auditor.  In 
January  of  1903  he  took  the  oath  of  office  and  entered  upon  its 
duties,  continuing  in  the  position  until  January  of  1907.  For  some 
years  afterward  he  made  his  home  at  Oakland  and  acted  as  deputy 
county  clerk  of  Alameda  county.  Upon  resigning  that  position  in 
1910  he  returned  to  Woodland,  where  in  December  of  that  year 
he  became  accountant  in  the  Bank  of  Yolo.  As  a  bookkeeper  he  is 
said  to  be  unusually  proficient  and  when  keeping  county  books  and 
records  he  proved  himself  the  equal  of  any  of  his  predecessors 
in  point  of  reliability,  accuracy  and  dispatch.  Fraternally  he  has 
been  a  leading  worker  in  Woodland  Parlor  No.  30,  N.  S.  G.  W., 
which  he  has  served  as  president.  In  addition  he  has  co-operated 
in  the  local  activities  of  the  Independent  Order  of  Foresters.    With 


HISTORY  OF  YOLO  COUNTY  741 

his  wife  he  holds  membership  in  the  Woodland  Christian  Church. 
He  has  been  much  interested  in  measures  for  the  advancement 
of  the  community  along  lines  not  only  religious,  but  others  eminently 
worthy  of  maintenance  and  encouragement.  In  fact,  no  worthy 
philanthropy  and  no  civic  benefaction  have  been  presented  to  the 
consideration  of  the  citizens  which  have  lacked  his  cordial  co-opera- 
tion and  intelligent  support. 


GEORGE  W.  LINDERMAN 

The  attainment  of  a  gratifying  degree  of  success  through 
the  tilling  of  the  soil  of  Yolo  county  has  caused  Mr.  Linderman 
to  become  a  stanch  believer  in  the  advantages  offered  by  this 
portion  of  California.  It  was  after  a  mining  experience  covering 
several  years  in  other  parts  of  the  state  that  he  finally  came  to 
Yolo  county  in  1866,  and  so  strongly  impressed  was  he  with  the 
appearance  of  the  country  round  about  that  he  determined  to 
purchase  land  and  make  it  his  future  home,  and  during  the  forty- 
five  years  that  have  since  passed  he  has  not  regretted  the  step 
that  he  then  took,  but  on  the  other  hand  has  given  evidence  of  his 
satisfaction  by  the  purchase  of  more  land  from  time  to  time. 
His  ranch  is  located  not  far  from  Capay,  and  is  watered  from 
Cottonwood  creek.  In  1912  he  built  a  new  substantial  and  com- 
modious residence  on  the  place. 

A  native  of  the  east,  George  W.  Linderman  was  born  in 
Utica,  N.  Y.,  May  4,  1838,  the  son  of  Henry  and  Diana  (Hammel) 
Linderman,  they  too  being  natives  of  that  state.  The  Linderman 
family  was  of  German  origin  and  was  established  in  the  United 
States  during  an  early  period  in  its  history.  Six  children,  four 
sons  and  two  daughters,  comprised  the  family  of  Henry  and 
Diana  Linderman  and  George  W.  was  the  youngest  of  the  number. 
As  early  as  1844,  when  he  was  about  six  years  old,  the  family 
removed  from  the  east  to  Illinois,  settlement  being  made  in  Boone 
county,  where  the  father  took  up  an  unimproved  tract  of  land. 
The  journey  was  made  by  team  and  wagon  by  way  of  Fort  Dear- 
born, which  boasted  only  a  few  stores  and  bore  scant  evidence  of 
becoming  in  less  than  a  half  century  the  second  city  in  point  of 
population  in  the  United  States.  Through  untiring  exertion  the  father 
acquired  two  hundred  acres  of  fertile  land,  which  he  cultivated 
witli  fair  success,  and  on  the  old  homestead  he  and  his  wife  passed 
away,  when  about  seventy-live  and  seventy-four  years  old  respec- 
tively.   All  of  their  children  lived  to  attain  maturity,  but  George  W. 


742  HISTORY  OF  YOLO  COUNTY 

is  the  only  one  now  living.  On  account  of  the  newness  of  the 
country  in  which  the  family  settled  school  advantages  were  meagre 
indeed,  so  much  of  Mr.  Linderman 's  education  had  to  he  acquired 
through  personal  endeavor.  At  the  age  of  sixteen  he  went  to  Iowa, 
but  returned  to  Illinois  a  year  later  and  thereafter  continued  on 
the  home  farm  until  attaining  the  age  of  twenty-one. 

A  new  epoch  in  the  life  of  the  young  man  began  when,  on 
April  3,  1859,  he  set  out  for  the  far  west  with  six  companions 
With  three  wagons  drawn  by  oxen  they  left  Roekford,  111.,  and  in 
due  time  reached  Rock  Island.  From  there  they  went  down  the 
Mississippi  and  up  the  Missouri  river  to  St.  Joseph,  Mo.  There 
their  party  was  increased  in  size,  twenty  wagons  starting  from 
that  place  on  the  overland  trail.  Pike's  Peak  was  their  destination, 
but  on  the  way  they  met  so  many  returning  from  there'  disappointed 
and  discouraged  that  the  party  became  divided  in  their  opinions 
as  to  the  advisability  of  carrying  out  their  original  plan.  Three  of 
the  six  boys  that  started  from  Illinois  (among  them  Mr.  Linderman) 
determined  to  change  their  course  and  come  to  California  instead, 
their  route  taking  in  Landers  cut-off  and  the  Sink  of  the  Hum- 
boldt, as  well  as  Honeylake  valley,  and  they  finally  reached  Indian 
valley,  Plumas  county.  For  the  following  six  years  Mr.  Linderman 
engaged  in  prospecting  and  mining,  chiefly  in  Butte  county,  where 
with  two  others  associated  with  him  he  was  fairly  successful  in 
hydraulic  mining,  improving  his  claim  during  the  winter  months 
and  for  a  time  in  the  summer  season  he  worked  in  a  sawmill. 
For  one  year,  1865-66,  he  engaged  in  freighting  to  Belmont,  Virginia 
City  and  other  mining  towns,  using  a  freight  wagon  drawn  by  ten 
mules.  The  large  expense  involved  in  this  undertaking  did  not 
justify  its  continuance,  however,  and  after  one  season  it  was 
abandoned.  Following  this,  while  in  search  of  suitable  pasturage 
for  his  mules,  Mr.  Linderman  came  to  Yolo  county  in  1866,  and 
the  same  year  purchased  three  hundred  and  twenty  acres  of  his 
present  place,  a  large  part  of  which  was  then  under  cultivation. 
The  new  owner  continued  the  work  of  improvement,  making  a  speci- 
alty of  raising  stock  and  grain,  and  subsequently  he  undertook 
grain-raising  on  a  large  scale,  leasing  one  thousand  acres  for  this 
purpose  alone.  During  the  first  two  seasons  of  his  residence  in 
Yolo  county  he  operated  a  threshing  machine  which  he  had  pur- 
chased, but  on  account  of  small  profits  in  the  threshing  business 
the  venture  was  then  abandoned.  As  grain-raising  gradually  gave 
place  to  the  raising  of  fruit  throughout  this  section  of  country  Mr. 
Linderman  wisely  followed  the  lead  of  others  in  setting  out  thirty 
acres  of  his  land  to  orchard  and  through  a  long  experience  in 
the  meantime  he  has  gained  a  valuable  knowledge  of  horticulture. 
Besides   his   orchard,  which  is   devoted  largely  to   the   raising  of 


HISTORY  OF  YOLO  COUNTY  743 

peaches  and  pears,  lie  also  has  a  vineyard  of  sixty  acres,  of 
which  eight  acres  are  in  the  Thompson  seedless,  three  and  one- 
half  in  Tokay,  and  the  balance  in  wine  grapes.  In  spite  of  his 
large  interests  as  a  horticulturist  and  vineyardist  Mr.  Linderman 
has  not  entirely  relinquished  the  business  that  started  him  on 
the  road  to  success,  and  grain  and  stock-raising  still  form  a  large 
part  of  the  income  of  his  ranch.  The  land  is  watered  from  Cot- 
tonwood creek,  and  in  its  entirety  includes  four  hundred  and  fifty 
acres. 

Mrs.  Linderman,  before  her  marriage  Miss  Julia  Clooney,  was 
born  in  St.  Johns,  Newfoundland,  the  daughter  of  James  and  Mary 
(Murphy)  Clooney.  With  her  parents  she  came  to  California  via 
Panama  from  Prince  Edward  Island  in  1861.  Seven  children 
were  born  to  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Linderman,  as  follows :  James  E.  and 
George  E.,  twins,  the  former  foreman  of  the  Globe  ranch  and  the 
latter  a  blacksmith  and  a  resident  of  Ralston,  Wash. ;  Henry  W., 
a  horticulturist  at  Esparto;  John,  who  is  interested  with  his 
father  in  the  care  and  management  of  the  home  place ;  Minnie,  now 
Mrs.  Harry  Shuey,  of  Red  Bluff ;  Mabel,  Mrs.  Rolla  Vestal,  also  of 
Red  Bluff;  and  Cornelius,  a  resident  of  Montana.  Self-made  in 
the  best  sense  implied  by  that  term,  Mr.  Linderman  enjoys  to  an 
unusual  degree  the  esteem  and  confidence  of  his  fellow-townsmen, 
his  persona]  characteristics  as  well  as  business  ability  and  judg- 
ment winning  him  many  friends.  In  his  political  sympathies  he  is 
a  Republican. 


WILBUR  C.  CURTISS 

In  the  activities  that  fill  an  eventful  existence  Mr.  Curtiss  has 
run  the  gamut  of  human  experiences,  has  realized  the  alluring  vision 
of  success  and  endured  the  disheartening  discouragements  of  fail- 
ure, lias  enjoyed  the  fruits  of  his  labors  in  a  merited  prosperity 
and  accepted  with  philosophical  resignation  the  reverses  inflicted 
by  an  unkind  fate.  As  the  elation  of  success  failed  to  deteriorate 
or  corrupt  his  manly  qualities,  so,  too,  repeated  losses  failed  to 
undermine  his  deep  faith  in  the  permanent  possibilities  of  his 
home  comity  or  to  lessen  the  courageous  optimism,  the  cheerful 
outlook  and  the  genial  good  nature  with  which  he  faced  the  world. 
Whether  the  seasons  as  they  came  and  went  brought  him  vast  crops 
or  only  flooded  fields,  he  remained  the  same  energetic  worker  and 
loyal  citizen.  As  success  did  not  unduly  elate  him,  so  also  reverses 
have  not  dismayed  him,  and  he  is  working  with  the  same  patience, 


744  HISTOEY  OF  YOLO  COUNTY 

the  same  enterprise  and  the  same  fidelity  that  characterized  the 
efforts  of  his  years  of  greater  physical  strength. 

Although  a  resident  of  California  from  the  period  of  his  early 
childhood  memories,  Mr.  Curtiss  claims  Michigan  as  his  native 
commonwealth,  his  birth  having  occurred  in  Lapeer  county,  that 
state,  May  15,  1852.  The  family  had  been  identified  for  years  with 
the  development  of  New  England  and  his  father,  L.  M.,  had  been 
the  one  to  seek  the  larger  opportunities  of  the  unknown  regions 
to  the  west.  After  he  settled  in  Michigan  during  1840  he  began 
to  improve  a  tract  of  raw  land  and  engage  in  farming.  The 
discovery  of  gold  in  the  far  west  attracted  his  immediate  attention, 
but  it  was  not  until  1852  that  he  left  his  wife  and  children  at 
the  old  home  and  started  on  the  voyage  of  discovery  to  the  new 
country.  The  trip  was  made  by  way  of  New  York  City  and  the 
Isthmus  of  Panama,  and  upon  its  safe  termination  he  began  to 
earn  his  livelihood  as  opportunity  offered,  but  eventually  became 
an  extensive  farmer  near  Woodland,  Yolo  county.  During  1856 
he  was  joined  by  his  wife  with  their  two  sons  and  one  daughter, 
and  the  family  settled  on  a  tract  embracing  five  hundred  and 
sixty  acres  situated  between  Woodland  and  Knights  Landing. 
Manly  traits  of  character  attracted  a  host  of  warm  friends  and 
when  he  died  in  1871  his  funeral  was  among  the  largest  that  had 
ever  been  held  in  the  city  of  Sacramento.  To  his  widow  he  left 
a  large  property,  but  unfortunately  the  greater  portion  of  this 
was  subsequently  lost.  While  much  of  his  accumulations  has  van- 
ished, the  memory  of  his  kindly  character,  shrewd  foresight  and 
generous  disposition  will  remain  in  the  hearts  of  family  and  friends 
as  long  as  life  shall  last. 

When  only  fifteen  years  of  age  Wilbur  C.  Curtiss  took  charge 
of  his  father's  extensive  farming  interests  and  from  that  time  to 
the  present  he  has  filled  a  man's  place  in  the  world.  For  the  most 
part  he  has  given  his  attention  to  agriculture,  although  there  was 
a  time  when  mining  allured  him  by  its  bright  promises,  only  in 
the  end  to  leave  him  with  but  a  remnant  of  a  once  valuable  property- 
After  the  age  of  twenty-seven  he  gave  his  attention  wholly  to  farm- 
ing and  in  time  he  became  one  of  the  largest  grain-growers  in 
California.  In  addition  to  the  original  tract  of  five  hundred  and 
sixty  acres  he  acquired  five  thousand  acres  of  bottom  land  in  Yolo 
county,  two  thousand  acres  in  Colusa  county,  besides  residence 
property  both  in  Woodland  and  Sacramento.  The  five  thousand 
acres  comprises  a  tract  near  Cacheville  known  as  the  Kay  tract, 
which  he  bought  in  1885  from  an  English  nobleman,  Sir  John  Lester 
Kay.  At  one  time  there  were  cattle  and  other  live  stock,  machinery 
and  implements  on  the  various  estates  valued  at  fully  $30,000. 
During  1888  he  harvested  from  his   own  lands   and  from  rented 


HISTOEY  OF  YOLO  COUNTY  745 

tracts  (fourteen  thousand  acres  altogether)  one  hundred  and  twenty- 
four  thousand  and  five  hundred  sacks  of  grain,  which  would  require 
twenty  trains  of  fifteen  cars  each,  of  over  twenty  tons  capacity,  to 
carrj'  it  to  tide  water,  and  would  load  fully  four  large  wheat  ships. 
The  gross  income  during  that  year  aggregated  more  than  $250,000, 
but  naturally  the  expenses  were  very  heavy,  particularly  that  inci- 
dent to  the  plowing  of  the  land,  which  was  done  with  three  powerful 
steam  engines  made  at  the  Benicia  agricultural  works. 

A  continuance  of  favorable  weather  for  many  successive  years 
allowed  Mr.  Curtiss  to  accumulate  the  vast  estate  previously  men- 
tioned, but  unfortunately  there  was  a  change  in  the  seasons  and 
the  elements  seemed  to  conspire  against  him.  Year  after  year  the 
rich  bottom  lands  that  he  farmed  were  flooded  by  continuous  rains 
until  crops  were  ruined  and  great  financial  losses  incurred.  Know- 
ing so  well  the  richness  of  the  soil,  he  kept  on  in  the  hope  that  each 
season  would  permit  him  to  atone  for  the  losses  of  the  preceding 
year,  but  finally  his  health  became  so  impaired  that  he  was  no 
longer  able  to  work  with  the  remarkable  energy  of  youth.  Since 
then  he  has  engaged  in  farming  on  a  small  scale  with  moderate 
success.  Remarkable  indeed  is  his  disposition  to  make  the  best  of 
circumstances  beyond  his  control.  When  untiring  efforts  did  not 
enable  him  to  retrieve  his  lost  fortune,  he  accepted  his  fate  with 
a  cheerful  courage,  relinquished  his  large  holdings  of  tule  lands 
and  since  has  devoted  himself  to  smaller  although  no  less  important 
farming  interests. 

December  18,  1876,  in  Peoria,  111.,  occurred  the  marriage  of 
"Wilbur  C.  Curtiss  and  Miss  Elizabeth  Summers  Todd,  who  was 
born  in  that  city  and  received  her  education  at  Perry's  Seminary 
in  Sacramento.  Her  father,  Capt.  Henry  Clay  Summers,  was 
born  in  Peoria,  being  the  son  of  Leonard  F.  Summers,  who 
became  a  pioneer  of  the  Illinois  town.  Reared  and  educated  there, 
he  was  a  young  married  man  at  the  time  the  Civil  war  began. 
Fired  witli  patriotic  loyalty,  he  enlisted  as  a  volunteer  and  was 
elected  captain  of  Company  G,  One  Hundred  and  Eighth  Illinois 
Infantry.  With  his  company  he  went  to  the  front  and  served  under 
General  Grant.  After  their  last  battle  in  1865,  while  on  the  way 
to  the  station  to  telegraph  the  news  of  the  northern  victory,  he  was 
wounded  from  ambush  and  captured  by  guerillas  under  the  leader- 
ship of  "Dick"  Davis,  who  afterward  shot  all  of  the  prisoners.  The 
widow  received  a  sympathetic  personal  letter  of  condolence  from 
General  Grant,  who  had  appreciated  the  courage  and  military  skill 
of  the  young  captain. 

The  mother  of  Mrs.  Curtiss  was  (Jeorgina  Gelston  Durham, 
who  was  born  near  Washington,  Tazewell  County,  111.  The  grand- 
father, John  Gelston,  a  native  of  Baltimore,  Md.,  and  an  attorney, 


746  HISTORY  OF  YOLO  COUNTY 

became  a  prominent  citizen  of  Peoria,  111.,  and  for  three  terms 
served  as  its  mayor.  In  early  days  he  owned  large  tracts  of  land 
in  Illinois  and  Iowa.  His  wife  bore  the  maiden  name  of  Mary 
Gregory  and  was  born  in  Richmond,  Ya. ;  the  demise  of  both  oc- 
curred in  Peoria.  A  few  years  after  the  death  of  Captain  Summers 
his  widow  became  the  wife  of  John  Albert  Todd,  who  was  born  in 
Philadelphia,  Pa.,  but  grew  to  manhood  in  Peoria,  111.  At  the  age 
of  seventeen  years  he  crossed  the  plains  to  California,  where  he 
became  interested  in  the  lumber  and  planing-mill  business.  For 
years  he  owned  and  conducted  the  lumber  yards  located  on  Fifth 
and  L  streets,  Sacramento,  and  in  the  same  city  he  built  up  the 
John  A.  Todd  carriage  manufacturing  plant.  At  the  age  of  thirty- 
nine,  October  4,  1874,  death  cut  short  his  prosperous  career.  Of  his 
two  children  only  one  survives,  Martha  Ellen,  who  was  educated  at 
Van  Ness  Seminary,  San  Francisco,  and  is  now  the  widow  of  the 
late  A.  D.  Porter,  of  Woodland.  To  the  union  of  Mr.  and  Mrs. 
Curtiss  there  were  born  four  children,  the  oldest  of  whom  died  in 
infancy;  Genevieve  V.,  a  graduate  of  Ursuline  College  in  Santa 
Rosa,  is  now  residing  in  San  Francisco ;  Matelese  died  at  the  age 
of  sixteen  years;  and  Hagar  was  educated  at  Mills  College  and 
resides  with  her  parents. 


DIRK  VAN  ZEE 

To  the  casual  observer  who  is  not  a  profound  student  of  char- 
acter the  life  history  of  Dirk  Van  Zee  reads  more  like  a  chapter 
from  a  romance  than  a  record  of  actual  experiences;  but  to  those 
who  understand  the  relation  of  cause  to  effect  and  who  comprehend 
the  unceasing  toil  and  wise  intelligence  behind  every  act,  the  ulti- 
mate prosperity  and  wide  influence  of  the  man  do  not  occasion  sur- 
prise. The  home  of  his  childhood  was  the  large  stock  farm  of  his 
father  near  Rotterdam,  Holland.  His  ancestors  belonged  to  that 
sturdy  class  of  farmers  who  laid  the  foundation  of  a  national  pros- 
perity that  has  made  their  country  noteworthy  among  greater 
nations  of  the  world.  For  years  his  parents,  Garrett  and  Mary 
(Dikop)  Van  Zee,  cultivated  a  farm  at  Herwenia  near  Rotterdam, 
and  there  he  was  born  September  12,  1828,  his  first  recollections 
hems  of  the  picturesque  environment  close  to  the  North  sea.  During 
childhood  he  was  sent  to  a  school  of  the  neighborhood  and  made 
such  diligent  use  of  his  time  that  he  gained  a  thorough  education 
in  his  native  language.  As  he  studied  concerning  the  countries  of 
the  world  and  as  he  listened  to  the  conversation  of  his  elders  in 


HISTORY  OF  YOLO  COUNTY  717 

regard  to  prospects  in  America,  he  decided  that  be  would  cast  in  his 
destiny  with  the  United  States,  nor  did  he  ever  have  cause  to  regret 
the  deeision_that  brought  him,  a  young-  emigrant,  to  the  opportuni- 
ties of  the  new  world. 

Two  years  (1851-53)  spent  at  Pella,  Iowa,  afforded  Mr.  Van 
Zee  the  desired  opportunity  to  acquire  a  knowledge  of  the  English 
language  as  well  as  the  customs  of  the  people  of  America.  Mean- 
while he  heard  much  concerning  California  and  in  the  spring  of 
1853  he  joined  an  expedition  that  crossed  the  plains  with  ox-teams 
and  wagons,  arriving  in  due  time  at  their  destination.  Ambitious  to 
try  his  luck  as  a  miner,  be  spent  four  years  in  the  mines  at  or  near 
Gibsonville,  but  no  special  fortune  rewarded  his  endeavors  and  he 
turned  to  agriculture  as  offering  a  more  reliable  source  of  income. 
His  early  experiences  as  a  farmer  were  scarcely  more  encouraging 
than  those  as  a  miner.  Coming  to  Yolo  county  in  1857,  the  follow- 
ing year  he  took  up  one  hundred  and  sixty  acres  on  Willow  slough. 
By  the  most  arduous  effort  he  secured  a  start  and  had  acquired  a 
fine  bunch  of  stock,  when  in  the  disastrous  drought  of  1864  he  lost 
every  head  of  stock  except  a  span  of  horses.  The  experience  was 
most  discouraging,  but  be  was  a  man  of  great  determination  and 
began  anew  with  the  energy  characteristic  of  his  earlier  effort. 
For  a  time  he  made  a  specialty  of  grain,  but  eventually  be  acquired 
another  large  herd  of  stock.  Renting  the  original  farm,  during 
1869  he  removed  to  a  place  of  one  hundred  and  sixty  acres  which 
he  had  recently  purchased  and  which  was  situated  two  and  one-half 
miles  east  of  Woodland. 

To  the  new  home  in  1870  Mr.  Van  Zee  brought  his  bride,  who 
was  Miss  Ernestine  Furch,  a  resident  of  Woodland,  but  a  native 
of  Ludvigsruhe,  Prussia,  Germany.  Her  parents,  Henry  and 
Ernestine  (Blauert)  Furch,  were  likewise  of  Prussian  birth  and  for 
years  Mr.  Furch  engaged  extensively  in  the  contracting  business 
in  that  country,  but  during  1862  he  brought  the  family  to  America, 
only  to  be  taken  from  them  by  death  almost  immediately  after  his 
arrival  in  Xew  York  City.  The  mother  and  children  made  their  way 
to  Minnesota  and  settled  at  Henderson,  Sibley  county,  where  they 
soon  found  friends  among  the  other  Germans  of  the  vicinity.  Mrs. 
Furch  died  in  that  county  during  the  spring  of  1905,  when  eighty- 
two  years  of  age.  In  religion  she  had  been  a  lifelong  adherent  of 
the  Methodist  denomination  and  an  earnest  worker  in  the  church. 
Of  her  seven  children  all  but  one  are  still  living,  hut  only  two  of 
the  family,  Mrs.  Van  Zee  and  Theresa,  now  the  widow  of  Fred 
Lothammar,  of  Sacramento,  ever  came  to  California  and  established 
homes  in  this  state.  Mrs.  Van  Zee,  who  was  third  in  order  of  birth 
among  the  children,  received  her  education  in  the  schools  of  Ger- 
many and   Minnesota    and   during   1868   came   via    Panama    to    San 


748  HISTORY  OF  YOLO  COUNTY 

Francisco  in  company  with  her  sister,  Mrs.  Lothammar,  proceeding 
to  Woodland,  in  or  near  which  place  she  has  since  resided. 

For  twelve  years  after  his  marriage  Mr.  Van  Zee  engaged  in 
farming  on  his  place  east  of  Woodland,  but  at  the  expiration  of  that 
time  he  rented  the  farm  and  bought  one  hundred  and  sixty  acres 
three  miles  west  of  Woodland.  Removing  to  the  new  tract,  he  took 
up  its  improvement  and  cultivation.  Being  prospered  in  large 
degree,  he  added  to  the  farm  and  thus  acquired  four  hundred  and 
eighty  acres  in  one  body,  the  whole  forming  a  splendid  estate, 
devoted  to  viticulture,  grain  and  alfalfa,  and  watered  by  a  model 
system  of  irrigation.  When  eventually  he  retired  from  agricultural 
activities  in  1892,  he  came  into  Woodland  and  established  his  home 
on  a  tract  of  nine  acres  in  the  east  part  of  town,  where  his  death 
occurred  December  12,  1905.  Since  his  demise  the  widow  has  made 
her  home  at  No.  552  College  street,  Woodland,  where  surrounded  by 
the  affectionate  ministrations  of  her  children  and  esteemed  by  a 
large  circle  of  friends,  she  is  passing  the  afternoon  of  existence  in 
tranquil  contentment.  Her  eldest  son,  William,  is  engaged  in  the 
automobile  business  in  Woodland.  Mary,  the  older  daughter,  is  the 
wife  of  Russ  Strong  and  lives  in  the  vicinity  of  this  city.  Fred  died 
in  1892,  at  the  age  of  seventeen  years  and  six  months.  Sarah 
resides  with  her  mother,  while  the  youngest  sons,  Garrett  and  John, 
are  engaging  in  agricultural  pursuits  near  Woodland.  The  family 
are  earnest  supporters  of  the  Woodland  Christian  Church,  with 
which  Mr.  Van  Zee  was  officially  connected  for  years  and  to  which 
he  contributed  with  the  generosity  that  had  its  foundation  in  his 
deep  devotion  to  the  cause  of  religion.  As  a  citizen  of  his  adopted 
country  he  was  loyal  to  an  unusual  degree.  Particularly  was  he 
interested  in  movements  for  the  advancement  of  California,  the 
commonwealth  of  his  affectionate  regard,  the  source  of  his  gratify- 
ing personal  prosperity,  the  center  of  his  enterprises  throughout 
a  long  period  of  successful  endeavor.  After  he  had  gained  a  knowl- 
edge of  political  conditions  and  national  problems  in  the  United 
States  he  espoused  the  cause  of  the  Republican  party  and  always 
afterward  he  continued  to  give  his  allegiance  to  its  men  and  meas- 
ures in  both  general  and  local  elections. 


ALONZO  H.  FREDSON 

The  early  recollections  of  this  influential  citizen  of  Yolo 
county  cluster  around  the  Kennebec  river  region  in  Maine,  where 
he  was  born  in  October  of  1846  and  where  he  spent  the  years  of 


HISTORY  OF  YOLO  COUNTY  749 

youth  in  the  home  of  his  parents.  When  only  seventeen  years  of 
age  he  entered  the  service  of  his  country  as  a  volunteer  in  the 
Union  army  and  early  in  1863  was  sent  to  the  front  with  his  regi- 
ment, having  gone  to  Bangor,  the  state  headquarters,  from  Bel- 
fast, Waldo  county,  where  he  had  been  enrolled  as  a  member  of 
Company  M,  First  Maine  Heavy  Artillery.  After  the  volunteers 
had  been  drilled  in  a  knowledge  of  military  tactics  they  were  ready 
for  action  and  their  share  in  the  northern  victory  was  neither 
insignificant  nor  unimportant.  No  memory  lingers  with  more  tragic 
force  in  the  mind  of  Mr.  Fredson  than  that  of  the  campaign  in 
Virginia  during  1864.  The  records  of  the  war  contain  nothing 
more  fateful  than  the  incidents  connected  with  the  long  struggle 
in  the  Wilderness.  About  the  4th  of  May  the  siege  began,  at  which 
time  the  army  of  the  Potomac  marched  in  two  columns  for  the 
lower  fords  of  the  Bapidan  river. 

At  the  head  of  the  Union  forces  was  that  sagacious  general, 
Grant,  who  with  the  assistance  of  Meade  had  planned  a  campaign 
against  Lee's  forces.  The  battle  of  the  Wilderness  commenced 
May  5th  and  continued  until  the  Federals  had  lost  fifteen  thousand 
in  killed  and  wounded  and  five  thousand  imprisoned.  The  encounter 
at  Spottsylvania  Courthouse  followed  with  its  heavy  losses  to 
both  sides.  The  fighting  indeed  kept  up  throughout  the  entire 
month  and  the  regiment,  which  had  entered  the  conflict  on  the  1st 
of  May  with  nineteen  hundred  men,  was  reduced  to  two  hundred 
and  fifty  men  on  the  18th  of  June.  On  that  day  Mr.  Fredson 
received  his  first  wound,  a  ball  in  the  left  leg  which  confined  him 
to  a  hospital  for  treatment.  On  his  recovery  he  rejoined  his  com- 
mand and  the  last  winter  of  the  war  he  spent  at  Fort  Hill  in  front 
of  Petersburg,  April  9,  1865,  he  witnessed  the  surrender  of  General 
Lee  at  Appomattox  Courthouse  and  saw  the  final  triumph  of 
northern  arms  when  General  Grant,  in  behalf  of  the  government, 
dictated  the  terms  of  peace. 

A  brief  period  after  the  close  of  the  war  was  spent  in  the 
old  home  neighborhood  in  Maine,  from  which  state  Mr.  Fredson 
came  via  the  Isthmus  to  San  Francisco  in  1867.  After  landing 
in  June  he  proceeded  to  Sonoma  county  and  found  employment  in 
the  vicinity  of  Santa  Rosa.  From  there  in  1874  he  went  to  San 
Benito  county  and  identified  himself  with  the  growing  activities  of 
Hollister  and  Tres  Pinos,  the  latter  situated  at  the  terminus  of 
the  Southern  Pacific  Railroad  from  San  Francisco.  Putting  up  a 
Large  building,  he  opened  the  first  hotel  in  the  town  and  this 
(known  as  the  Southern  Pacific  hotel)  he  conducted  for  seven 
years.  Upon  discontinuing  the  hotel  business  he  began  to  buy  and 
sell  hay  and  main  and  for  twenty  years  he  carried  on  a  concern 
known  as  the  Farmers'  Hay  Company,  the  controlling  element  in 


750  HISTORY  OF  YOLO  COUNTY 

the  hay  and  grain  business  of  the  locality.  In  January,  1911, 
he  came  to  Esparto,  Yolo  county,  and  bought  the  town  site, 
including  a  brick  three-story  hotel  with  about  forty-five  rooms,  a 
livery  barn  with  accommodations  for  thirty-five  head  of  stock 
and  with  an  adjacent  large  stockade,  two  large  general  store  build- 
ings (in  one  of  which  he  put  a  $20,000  stock  of  goods),  a  meat 
market,  and  indeed  the  entire  commercial  center  of  the  village. 
Since  then  he  has  established  a  lumber  yard  for  the  convenience 
of  newcomers  and  also  has  acted  as  representative  of  the  Esparto 
Real  Estate  &  Improvement  Company.  Since  he  became  identified 
with  the  place  its  struggling  business  activities  have  gained  a 
new  impetus  and  the  place  is  now  enjoying  a  steady  growth  which 
is  the  foundation  of  future  prosperity. 

At  Santa  Rosa  occurred  the  marriage  of  A.  H.  Fredson  and 
Adda  Jose,  a  native  daughter  of  the  state.  She  died  in  1885.  Three 
children  were  born  to  them.  The  only  son,  Alonzo  H.,  Jr.,  married 
Marie  Yparraguerre  and  they  live  in  San  Benito  county,  where  he 
has  engaged  in  the  raising  of  grain  and  hay  and  also  for  some  years 
has  followed  the  butcher's  business.  The  elder  daughter,  Nellie, 
Mrs.  Frederick  McCune,  resides  in  Portland,  Ore.,  where  her 
older  daughter,  Adelaide,  is  a  student  in  St.  Helen's  private 
seminary,  and  the  younger  daughter,  Miriam  V.,  attends  the  high 
school.  The  remaining  member  of  the  Fredson  family,  Lottie  C, 
Mrs.  M.  P.  Wilkes,  lives  in  Portland,  where  her  daughter,  Beren- 
ice, is  being  educated.  The  second  marriage  of  Mr.  Fredson  oc- 
curred in  San  Benito  county  and  united  him  to  Miss  Mary  E. 
Moore,  who  was  born  in  Petaluma,  the  daughter  of  Dr.  Edwin 
Moore.  The  latter,  a  pioneer  physician  of  Sonoma  county,  died  at 
the  age  of  eighty-five  years.  For  many  years  Mr.  Fredson  has 
been  interested  in  the  activities  of  the  Grand  Army  of  the  Re- 
public and  during  his  residence  in  San  Benito  county  he  was  a 
leading  member  of  the  local  post.  There  also  he  served  for  six- 
teen years  as  county  supervisor,  six  years  of  this  time  as  chairman, 
and  during  his  long  service  he  accomplished  much  in  the  interests 
of  good  roads.  On  several  occasions  he  was  chosen  to  represent 
the  Republican  party  as  a  delegate  to  the  state  conventions. 
Throughout  his  entire  life,  whether  in  times  of  war  or  peace,  he 
has  been  loyal  in  his  devotion  to  the  country,  and  he  is  particularly 
patriotic  in  his  affectionate  regard  for  California,  the  chosen 
home  of  his  adoption.  While  not  personally  identified  with  any 
denomination  he  is  in  sympathy  with  their  efforts  for  the  upbuild- 
ing of  the  world  and  has  contributed  generously  to  the  Adventist 
Church,  of  which  his  wife  is  a  member.  Education  also  has  re- 
ceived his  practical  aid,  for  he  recognizes  in  it  the  most  important 
adjunct  of  modern  existence  and  the  greatest  factor  in  the  future 


HISTORY  OF  YOLO  COUNTY  751 

prosperity  of  the  west.  As  a  citizen  he  has  been  progressive  and 
public-spirited  and  his  removal  to  Yolo  county  has  contributed 
largely  to  the  material  growth  of  Esparto  and  the  surrounding 
country. 


CHARLES  WILSON  LIPE 

One  of  the  most  accomplished  all-around  mechanics  in  Wood- 
land, Yolo  county,  is  Charles  Wilson  Lipe,  the  proprietor  of  the 
Main  Street  Garage,  engaged  in  the  sale  and  repair  of  automobiles, 
motorcycles  and  bicycles.  Mr.  Lipe  is  a  native  son  of  California, 
born  in  San  Jose  December  15,  1878,  a  son  of  Milan  Wilson  Lipe. 
The  latter,  a  native  of  Pennsylvania,  came  early  to  San  Jose, 
where,  though  he  was  a  machinist  by  trade,  he  was  long  engaged 
in  the  grain  trade  and  in  threshing.  At  one  time  he  was  operating 
as  many  as  four  steam  threshers  between  Los  Angeles  and  Paso 
Robles.  This  branch  of  his  business  occupied  his  attention  six 
months  of  each  year,  and  he  was  known  as  one  of  the  most  success- 
ful threshermen  in  all  California.  He  is  still  living  in  San  Jose, 
where  he  and  his  good  wife,  who  was  Miss  Agnes  McCracken,  are 
resting  after  many  years  of  activity,  in  which  they  have  done  well 
for  themselves  and  their  children  and  benefited  the  people  among 
whom  their  lot  has  been  cast. 

Mr.  Lipe's  mother,  who  was  born  in  Scotland,  bore  three 
children,  all  of  whom  are  living,  and  of  these  he  was  the  second 
born.  After  receiving  his  education  in  the  public  schools  he 
served  an  apprenticeship  to  the  machinist's  trade,  and  then,  after 
three  years  at  the  Enright  foundry  and  machine  shop,  he  became  a 
student  at  the  Garden  City  Business  College,  from  which  institution 
he  was  graduated.  In  the  threshing  season  he  assisted  his  father 
until  the  latter 's  retirement  in  1900,  and  from  that  time  on  he  has 
relied  wholly  on  his  trade  aud  business  connected  with  it.  For  two 
years  he  was  employed  at  Wadsworth,  Nev.,  for  the  Southern 
Pacific  Railroad  Company,  in  its  shops,  which  are  a  feature  of  the 
industrial  life  of  that  town. 

The  next  work  of  Mr.  Lipe  was  as  a  machinist  with  the  Nevada 
Engineering  Works,  at  Reno,  where  he  was  soon  made  general 
foreman  and  remained  eight  years.  He  located  in  Woodland  in 
1911  and  established  the  Main  Street  Garage,  at  Main  and  Elm 
streets,  a  fully  equipped  modern  machine  shop  with  electric  power 
under  his  personal  supervision.  Mr.  Lipe  handles  all  of  the  popular 
makes  of  automobiles,  and  is  prepared  to  supply  anything  in  his 


752  HISTORY  OF  YOLO  COUNTY 

line,  from  the   simplest   repairs   to   the  making   of   a    complicated 
machine  from  blue  prints. 

In  Sacramento,  Cal.,  Mr.  Lipe  married  Miss  Edna  Myrtle 
Olinder,  a  native  of  San  Francisco.  He  is  a  member  of  the  Cali- 
fornia State  Auto  Association.  In  Wadsworth,  Nev.,  he  was  made 
a  Mason  in  Wadsworth  Lodge  No.  25,  F.  &  A.  M.  Though  he  has 
not  been  long  in  the  city  he  has  made  many  friends  and  has  shown 
that  he  possesses  a  public  spirit  which  promises  to  make  him  a 
useful  citizen,  alive  to  the  advancement  of  all  worthv  local  interests. 


PATRICK  HENRY  ELIOT 

A  son  of  the  east  who  is  making  good  in  the  very  best  sense 
of  the  phrase  in  California  is  Patrick  Henry  Eliot,  a  native  of 
MeDonough  county,  III,  born  July  28,  1855,  a  son  of  Patrick  Eliot, 
who  first  saw  the  light  of  day  in  Otsego  county,  N.  Y.,  and  pros- 
pered as  a  farmer  and  stockman  in  Illinois,  Iowa,  Missouri  and 
Indiana,  buying,  improving  and  selling  land  as  opportunity  offered 
and  handling  horses  and  cattle  to  the  best  financial  advantage.  The 
state  of  his  wife's  health  impelled  the  elder  Mr.  Eliot  to  locate  in 
California  in  1859,  and  he  made  the  trip  by  way  of  the  Isthmus 
of  Panama,  arriving  in  Sutterville,  Sacramento  county,  October  10, 
that  year.  After  farming  there  about  three  years  he  went  to  San 
Joaquin  county. and  there  bought  a  ranch,  where  he  put  in  most  of 
the  remaining  years  of  his  active  life.  His  closing  years  were  spent 
in  well  earned  retirement,  and  he  passed  away  in  1891.  His  wife, 
who  in  the  days  of  her  maidenhood  was  Miss  Anna  Westfall,  was 
born  in  Ohio  and  died  in  this  state.  She  bore  Mr.  Eliot  eleven 
children,  of  whom  the  immediate  subject  of  this  notice  was  the  last 
born.  He  accompanied  his  parents  and  brothers  and  sisters  to  Cali- 
fornia and  was  educated  in  public  schools  and  graduated  from 
Clark's  Institute  at  Stockton. 

The  first  regular  employment  to  which  Mr.  Eliot  devoted  him- 
self after  having  finished  his  studies  was  as  a  farmer  in  San 
Joaquin  county,  though  he  had  to  an  extent  fitted  himself  for  a 
business  career  by  a  study  of  bookkeeping  at  Heald's  Business 
College.  Later  he  operated  in  Washington,  Idaho  and  Montana, 
principally  in  stock,  with  considerable  success,  for  some  years,  until, 
returning  to  California,  he  resumed  farming  in  San  Joaquin  and 
Sacramento  counties.  In  1897  he  located  in  Woodland  and  for  four 
years  was  janitor  in  charge  of  the  public  school  buildings.  Then, 
for  four  years,  he  was  connected  with  the  Globe  Mills.     The  latter 


HISTORY  OF  YOLO  COUNTY  753 

business  he  relinquished  in  order  to  assume  the  management  of  the 
Woodland  hotel,  on  Main  street,  of  which  he  is  yet  the  proprietor. 
The  Woodland  is  a  large,  newly  furnished,  well  appointed,  first- 
class  hotel  and  is  accorded  a  patronage  deservedly  liberal.  Mr. 
Eliot  is  popular  with  the  traveling  public  and  counts  his  friends 
among  the  leading  people  of  all  sections  of  the  state.  Politically  he 
is  a  Republican.  Socially  he  is  identified  with  the  Independent 
Order  of  Odd  Fellows  and  with  its  auxiliary  order  the  Rebekahs. 
Of  the  latter  Mrs.  Eliot  also  is  a  member.  She  was  Miss  Anna 
Ehler,  a  native  of  Boone  county,  Mo.  They  have  three  children, 
Orrin  Charles,  Florence  and  Leland  Stanford.  Mr.  Eliot  is  a  man 
of  enterprise  and  of  public  spirit,  who  has  prospered  greatly  be- 
cause of  his  disposition  to  help  others  and  advance  the  best  interests 
of  his  city,  countv  and  state. 


WILLIAM  E.  OSBORN 

The  manager  of  the  Pacific  Gas  and  Electric  Company,  William 
E.  Osborn  is  a  resident  of  Woodland  and  has  charge  of  the 
company's  business  in  that  territory,  besides  managing  the  dis- 
tricts of  Knights  Landing  and  Yolo.  As  early  as  1897  he  entered 
the  employ  of  the  Nevada  County  Electric  Power  Company  and 
when  the  interests  of  the  concern  were  merged  into  those  of  its 
successor,  the  Pacific  Gas  and  Electric  Company,  he  continued 
with  the  newer  organization,  whose  affairs  he  has  superintended 
with  characteristic  sagacity  and  keen  intelligence.  After  having 
filled  various  subordinate  positions  he  was  made  manager  for 
Nevada  City  in  1901,  but  the  following  year  he  was  transferred 
to  Woodland,  where  he  has  since  remained  as  manager  for  the 
company.  Meanwhile  the  business  has  reached  a  size  three  times 
larger  than  that  of  1902  and  this  gratifying  increase  is  due  in 
no  small  measure  to  his  capable  management  and  tactful  control 
of  the  entire  situation. 

A  study  of  the  history  of  the  Osborn  family  reveals  their 
connection  with  California  ever  since  the  era  of  mining  activity. 
Hosmer  Prosper  Osborn,  who  was  born  at  Cooperstown,  N.  Y.,  and 
engaged  in  the  clothing  business  in  New  York  City,  on  hearing  of 
the  discovery  of  gold  joined  with  a  company  of  other  Argonauts 
in  the  purchase  of  the  sailing  vessel  Morning  Star,  which  came 
to  California  via  the  Horn  during  the  year  1849.  Like  all  newcom- 
ers of  that  era,  he  hastened  to  the  mines.     His   experience   was 


754  HISTOEY  OF  YOLO  COUNTY 

principally  in  Auburn  ravine  and  did  not  bring  any  special  good 
fortune,  so  be  settled  in  Sacramento,  where  he  engaged  in  the 
hardware  and  stove  business.  One  of  the  destructive  fires  of  the 
pioneer  era  wiped  out  all  of  his  former  profits  and  forced  him 
to  begin  anew  without  capital.  At  first  he  operated  a  bakery, 
but  later  he  removed  to  the  line  of  Placer  and  Sacramento  counties 
and  embarked  in  the  sheep  business.  Selling  out  the  flock  in  1873 
he  returned  to  Sacramento  and  there  opened  a  wood  and  coal  yard, 
which  he  managed  until  his  death  in  1884.  Honored  among  the 
early  settlers,  he  was  chosen  president  of"  the"  Sacramento  Pioneer 
Association  and  filled  the  position  for  some  time.  During  the 
early  days  he  also  was  a  member  of  the  Sacramento  Volunteer 
fire  department. 

The  marriage  of  this  California  pioneer  had  occurred  some 
time  before  he  left  New  York  City  for  the  western  coast  of  the 
continent.  He  had  chosen  as  his  wife  Marietta  Folger,  who  was 
born  at  Hudson,  N.  Y.,  and  who  in  1852  came  via  the  Horn  on 
a  sailing  vessel  to  San  Francisco,  accompanied  by  her  five  daugh- 
ters. Her  death  occurred  in  Sacramento.  Of  the  eight  children 
forming  the  family  all  but  two  attained  maturity  and  three  are 
now  living.  The  youngest  child  and  only  son,  William  E.,  was 
born  in  Sacramento,  Cal.,  December  8,  1855,  and  graduated  from 
the  high  school  of  the  capital  city  in  1875.  During  1876  he 
matriculated  in  the  University  of  California,  which  institution  in 
1880  conferred  upon  him  the  degree  of  Ph.B.  Upon  his  return 
to  Sacramento  he  aided  his  father  in  the  coal  and  wood  business. 
Upon  the  death  of  the  proprietor  he  became  manager  in  1884  and 
continued  as  such  until  he  had  closed  out  the  business  in  1891. 
Later  he  went  to  Guatemala,  Central  America,  where  for  four 
years  he  engaged  in  raising  coffee.  Returning  to  California  he 
spent  a  short  time  in  Sacramento  and  in  1897  entered  into  the  business 
relations  which  have  developed  to  their  present  importance. 

The  first  marriage  of  Mr.  Osborn  united  him  with  Miss  Caro- 
line Korb,  who  was  born  at  Marysville,  Cal.,  and  died  at  San  Fran- 
cisco during  the  year  1901.  Later  he  was  married  in  Woodland 
to  Mrs.  Fannie  E.  Foley,  a  native  of  Shasta  county,  this  state, 
and  the  mother,  by  this  union,  of  a.  daughter,  Marietta  C.  Osborn. 
The  family  are  identified  with  the  Unitarian  Church  of  Wood- 
land and  Mr.  Osborn  officiates  as  a  member  of  the  .board  of  trustees, 
besides  aiding  liberally  in  the  maintenance  of  the  church  and  the 
support  of  its  charities.  In  national  polities  he  votes  with  the 
Republican  party.  The  Chamber  of  Commerce  has  had  the  benefit 
of  his  intelligent  co-operation  and  business  experience,  while  other 
movements  for  local  advancement  also  have  not  lacked  his  cordial 
helpfulness.     As  past  president  he  is   connected  with  the  Native 


HISTORY  OF  YOLO  COUNTY  755 

Sons  of  the  Golden  West  and  bis  fraternal  relations  are  further 
enlarged  through  his  association  with  Nevada  City  Lodge  No.  518, 
Benevolent  Protective  Order  of  Elks. 


RICHTER  BROTHERS 

That  conspicuous  era  of  western  development  whose  climax 
was  reached  in  the  memorable  year  of  1849  witnessed  the  identifica- 
tion of  the  Richter  fainily  with  California  and  the  beginning  of 
their  long  and  honorable  association  with  the  commonwealth.  It 
was  Andreas  Richter,  a  young  German  of  stalwart  frame  and  sturdy 
powers  of  endurance,  who  left  his  native  place  near  the  city  of 
Berliu  and  crossed  the  ocean  to  the  new  world,  landing  at  Memphis, 
Tenn.,  in  1846.  Hearing  of  the  trouble  in  the  west,  Mr.  Richter, 
who  had  served  his  three  years  in  the  German  army,  enlisted  in 
the  Mexican  war,  at  the  close  of  which  he  went  to  St.  Louis.  His 
stay  there,  however,  was  brief,  for  again  he  was  lured  to  the  west 
and  in  1849  came  to  San  Francisco  as  a  gold-seeker.  In  the  midst  of 
the  chaos  then  existing  he  found  employment  at  the  mines  and  for 
several  years  he  experienced  the  joys  and  sorrows  of  a  miner's 
life,  he  having  lost  considerable  in  the  Fraser  river  country.  Sub- 
sequently he  established  a  large  pack  train,  by  which  he  profited 
well  in  supplying  the  needs  of  man.  Eventually  he  laid  by  an 
amount  sufficient  to  permit  him  to  return  in  comfort  to  his  old 
German  home  beyond  the  seas.  The  visit  was  not  made  solely  for 
the  purpose  of  renewing  the  associations  of  childhood,  but  with 
a  deeper  purpose  in  view,  for  he  there  married  Miss  Amelia  Leh- 
man, his  boyhood's  sweetheart  and  the  devoted  companion  of  his 
later  years. 

Upon  the  arrival  of  the  young  German  couple  in  California 
chey  came  at  once  to  Yolo  county,  where  Mr.  Richter  bought  a 
cract  of  raw  land,  one  hundred  and  sixty  acres  one  mile  north  of 
Yolo.  With  unwearied  ardor  he  cleared  the  tract,  put  up  necessary 
buildings  and  brought  the  land  under  cultivation.  A  comfortable 
home  was  provided  for  his  growing  family.  Constant  applica- 
tion brought  its  merited  reward.  Eventually  he  became  known 
as  a  prosperous  farmer  and  always  he  was  honored  as  a  patriotic 
German-American  citizen  and  as  a  representative  of  the  class  of 
men  indispensable  to  western  development.  On  the  home  farm 
where  for  years  he  had  lived  and  labored  his  useful  existence 
came  to  an  end  in  1896  and  here  too  his  wife  passed  away  some 
years  later.    The  old  home  is  still  occupied  by  some  of  their  family 


.756  HISTORY  OF  YOLO  COUNTY 

and  it  will  be  long  ere  their  memory  will  grow  dim  in  the  hearts 
of  descendants  or  in  the  annals  of  the  pioneers  of  the  county. 

The  Richter  family  comprises  four  sons  and  six  daughters. 
The  eldest,  Henry,  is  engaged  in  business  at  Berkeley,  this  state. 
The  daughters  are  Emma,  wife  of  Jacob  Freiberger;  Mrs.  Laura 
Cooper;  Miss  Amelia  H.  Richter;  Mrs.  Ella  Relnnke;  Mrs.  Minnie 
Millsap;  Mrs.  Elizabeth  M.  Curtis;  Lewis  J.,  Herman  H.  and 
Adolph  J.,  the  last-named  a  resident  of  Oregon.  Under  the  firm 
name  of  Richter  Brothers  two  of  the  sons,  Lewis  J.  and  Herman  H., 
have  since  the  death  of  their  father  operated  the  old  homestead 
where  they  were  reared.  During  1903  they  increased  their  enter- 
prises by  the  purchase  of  three  hundred  and  twenty  acres,  which 
they  now  cultivate  in  addition  to  managing  the  estate.  Their 
activities  are  varied  and  extensive.  Horses,  sheep,  cattle  and 
hogs  may  be  seen  on  their  lands  and  each  in  its  own  line  con- 
tributes to  the  income  of  the  proprietors,  who  exercise  sagacious 
judgment  in  the  purchase  and  care  of  stock  and  are  accounted 
experts  in  this  department  of  agriculture.  In  the  raising  of  grain 
they  also  are  experienced  and  successful,  while  the  making  of 
hay  adds  another  to  the  list  of  activities  that  contribute  to  their 
prosperity.  Throughout  Yolo  county  they  are  well  known  and 
everywhere  they  are  honored  as  men  of  high  principles  and 
farmers  of  recognized  skill  who,  by  their  capable  work,  are  adding 
prestige  to  an  honored  family  name. 


CLAIRE  RASOR,  Ph.D.,  M.D. 

The  Sacramento  valley  has  just  reason  to  feel  proud  of  its 
native-born  sons,  many  of  whom  have  attained  distinction  in  their 
chosen  callings  and  have  risen  to  prominence  not  limited  to  the 
boundaries  of  the  locality,  but  extending  throughout  the  state. 
In  the  list  of  rising  citizens  mention  belongs  to  Dr.  Rasor,  a 
young  physician  of  exceptional  ability,  thorough  education  and 
profound  mastery  of  the  science  of  therapeutics,  who  has  scored 
many  a  success  in  surgery  and  holds  an  enviable  rank  in  that  de- 
partment of  the  profession.  Since  he  entered  upon  practice  in 
Woodland  he  bas  proved  his  skill  in  diagnosis,  accuracy  in  treat- 
ment and  the  wide  scope  of  his  researches  in  materia  medica. 
Perhaps  no  work  in  which  he  has  engaged  exceeds  in  importance 
that  in  connection  with  the  Woodland  sanitarium,  an  incorporated 
institution,  of  which  he  is  vice-president  and  a  member  ^of  the 
board  of  directors.     The   hospital   owes  its   establishment   to   the 


HISTORY  OF  YOLO  COUNTY  757 

public  spirit  and  energy  of  five  physicians  of  Woodland,  of  whom 
he  was  one.  Realizing  the  great  need  of  such  an  institution  they 
united  their  efforts.  The  result  appears  in  a  structure  built  in 
mission  style  at  a  cost  of  $22,500,  and  equipped  with  all  modern 
appliances  for  the  care  of  patients  and  the  performance  of  surgical 
operations  of  all  kinds,  major  and  minor,  trivial  and  extreme,  these 
being  carried  through  with  dispatch  and  skill,  to  the  credit  of 
the  institution  and  the  gratification  of  the  interested  parties. 

A  resume  of  the  life  of  Dr.  Rasor  shows  that  he  is  eligible  to 
membership  in  the  Native  Sons  of  the  Golden  West  and  has  the 
further  honor  of  being  a  lifelong  resident  of  the  Sacramento  valley. 
In  what  is  now  Glenn  county,  but  then  was  within  the  limits  of 
Colusa  county,  he  was  born  June  15,  1883,  on  a  farm  near  Willows. 
Of  Virginian  lineage,  he  was  a  son  of  Andrew  Jackson  Rasor,  a 
native  of  the  Old  Dominion,  but  in  early  life  an  emigrant  to 
Missouri,  whence  during  the  summer  of  1850  he  crossed  the  plains 
with  wagons  and  ox-teams.  He  was  then  a  youth  of  eighteen  years, 
rugged  and  well  fitted  to  endure  the  hardships  of  such  a  journey 
as  well  as  the  subsequent  privations  incident  to  mining.  From 
the  mines  he  went  to  the  agricultural  lands  and  for  years  engaged 
in  the  raising  of  grain  and  stock.  A  tract  of  twelve  hundred  and 
eighty  acres  four  miles  north  of  Princeton  was  improved  through 
his  painstaking  labors  and  there  he  built  a  substantial  farm- 
house, added  other  buildings  as  needed,  and  lived  the  arduous  life 
of  a  western  pioneer  farmer.  Eventually  he  retired  from  active 
labors  and  spent  his  last  days  in  the  enjoyment  of  the  comforts 
rendered  possible  through  earlier  years  of  self-sacrifice.  His  death 
occurred  August  26,  1910,  about  sixty  years  after  he  had  crossed 
the  plains  to  the  coast.  In  politics  he  was  a  lifelong  Democrat, 
while  fraternally  he  was  identified  with  the  Masons.  About  ten 
years  before  his  demise  that  of  his  wife  had  occurred  September 
11,  1900,  at  the  old  homestead;  she  bore  the  maiden  name  of 
Clara  Brockman  and  was  born  in  Missouri,  from  which  state  in 
1856  she  accompanied  her  parents  across  the  plains. 

There  were  nine  sons  and  daughters  in  the  parental  family 
and  five  of  these  survive.  The  youngest  member  of  the  family 
circle,  Claire,  passed  the  years  of  early  childhood  upon  the  home 
farm,  from  which  he  was  sent  to  the  Woodland  high  school.  After 
he  had  graduated  in  1902  he  entered  the  department  of  pharmacy, 
University  of  California,  and  carried  on  the  regular  course  there, 
graduating  in  1904  with  the  degree  of  Ph.G.  Immediately  after  his 
graduation  he  matriculated  in  the  medical  department  of  the  North- 
western University,  Chicago,  111.,  and  there  he  finished  the  regular 
course  of  study,  graduating  in  1908  with  the  degree  of  M.D.  An 
experience   as   an   interne   at    Wesley   hospital   in   Chicago   proved 


758  HISTORY  OF  YOLO  COUNTY 

most  helpful  to  him  and  he  continued  in  the  position  for  two  years, 
after  which  in  1910  he  opened  an  office  at  Woodland.  Here  he 
married  Miss  Martha  Garrette,  who  had  heen  his  classmate  in  the 
high  school  and  who  has  spent  her  life  in  her  native  city.  In 
politics  he  was  reared  in  the  Democratic  faith  and  always  has 
adhered  to  its  principles.  Fraternally  he  was  made  a  Mason 
in  Woodland  Lodge  No.  156,  F.  &  A.  M.,  and  during  his  col- 
lege life  he  was  identified  with  the  Phi  Delta  Chi  and  Phi  Eho 
Sigma,  while  since  then  he  has  become  an  active  member  in  the 
Yolo  County  Medical  Society  (of  which  he  is  now  vice-president), 
also  the  State  and  American  Medical  Associations. 


EDWARD  RIDLEY 

Not  long  after  gold  had  been  discovered  in  California  and 
throngs  of  fortune-seekers  had  begun  to  seek  the  western  coast, 
•  the  family  of  James  Ridley  crossed  the  plains  with  wagons  and 
ox-teams,  taking  with  them  such  absolute  necessities  as  the  arduous 
trip  demanded.  With  the  caravan  traveled  a  small  boy,  James 
Taylor  Ridley,  a  son  of  James,  Sr.,  and  a  native  of  Missouri.  A 
girl,  Vianna  Pope,  also  came  with  the  same  expedition,  having 
joined  her  parents  in  removing  from  her  native  Missouri  to  the 
unknown  regions  of  the  west.  Destiny  later  united  the  fortunes  of 
the  young  people,  who  married  during  the  pioneer  period  of  our 
state  history  and  settled  upon  a  farm  in  Tehama  county,  later 
returning  to  Yolo  county  and  settling  at  Dunnigan,  where  the 
wife,  who  survives  her  husband,  still  makes  her  home.  The  head 
of  the  emigrating  expedition,  James  Ridley,  Sr.^  developed  a 
large  tract  of  raw  land  near  Black's  Station  and  remained  in  Yolo 
county  throughout  the  balance  of  his  life. 

There  were  thirteen  children  in  the  family  of  James  T.  and 
Yianna  Ridley  and  all  but  two  of  these  are  still  living.  The 
youngest,  Edward,  was  born  in  Tehama  county,  this  state,  Septem- 
ber 3,  1882,  and  at  the  age  of  six  years  accompanied  his  parents 
to  Yolo  county,  where  he  attended  the  Dunnigan  public  schools. 
While  yet  a  mere  lad  his  business  tendencies  began  to  assert  them- 
selves. With  an  eager  desire  to  earn  a  livelihood  he  took  up 
any  occupation  that  offered  a  moneyed  recompense,  but  from  the 
first  his  inclinations  were  toward  the  care  and  management  of 
horses.  He  can  scarcely  remember  when  he  first  began  to  be 
interested  in  equine  flesh.  Few  men  are  more  competent  than  he 
to    judge    their    merits    or    discover    their    blemishes.      No    defect 


HISTORY  OF  YOLO  COUNTY  759 

escapes  his  keen  glance.  On  the  contrary  no  good  point  is  over- 
looked. With  such  tastes  as  these  it  is  natural  that  he  should 
embark  in  the  livery  business.  When  only  eighteen  he  started  a 
livery  business  and  built  a  barn  at  Dunnigan,  where  he  continued 
for  a  considerable  period. 

Desiring  to  avail  himself  of  the  enlarged  business  opportunities 
afforded  by  Woodland,  during  1907  Mr.  Ridley  removed  hither, 
having  sold  his  livery  outfit  at  Dunnigan  and  rented  the  barn 
there.  Shortly  after  his  arrival  here  he  started  the  Pacific  stable 
on  Main  street,  and  remained  in  that  place  for  two  years,  after 
which,  in  July  of  1909,  he  bought  the  Fashion  stable.  Since  then 
he  has  devoted  his  attention  to  a  general  livery  business  and 
has  maintained  the  excellent  reputation  held  by  the  concern  of  which 
he  is  the  proprietor.  With  exacting  scrupulousness  he  gives  himself 
to  the  work  at  hand,  neglecting  no  small  detail,  but  carefully  over- 
seeing the  horses,  caring  for  the  large  equipment  of  vehicles  and 
keeping  the  harness  in  first-class  condition.  As  yet  he  has  devoted 
his  time  to  business  to  the  exclusion  of  politics  and  has  taken  no 
part  in  public  affairs  other  than  voting  the  Republican  ticket,  but 
he  keeps  posted  concerning  questions  of  vital  importance  to  the 
country  and  is  particularly  zealous  regarding  the  progress  of  the 
commonwealth.  His  wife,  like  himself,  has  the  proud  distinction 
of  being  a  native  Californian.  She  bore  the  maiden  name  of 
Amanda  Hiatt  and  was  born  in  Sutter  county,  Cal.,  but  during 
girlhood  lived  near  Dunnigan.  She  received  the  educational  ad- 
vantages of  that  section,  being  a  graduate  of  the  Woodland  high 
school  and  the  Woodland  Business  College.  Their  marriage  was 
solemnized  in  Sacramento  and  has  been  blessed  with  one  daughter, 
Velma  Ellen.  The  family  has  a  high  social  standing  among  the 
people  of  Woodland  and  contributes  to  many  of  the  movements  for 
the  upbuilding  and  permanent  welfare  of  the  city. 


RILFORD  GENERAL  TADLOCK 

A  native  of  Kentucky,  Rilford  G.  Tadlock  was  born  near  Tomp- 
kinsville,  Monroe  county,  February  7,  1889.  Ten  years  after  this 
date  the  family  moved  t<>  Missouri,  and  in  1856  the  young  man 
started  in  the  great  trek  for  the  westernmost  side  of  the  continent. 
He  was  in  the  ox-train  of  Capt.  Joe  Campbell,  a  long  procession 
winding  over  the  plains,  composed  of  fifteen  wagons  and  about  eight 
hundred  head  of  cattle.  This  was  a  great  care  and  moreover  the 
Indians  were  bad  along  the  way.     They  had  to  herd  vigilantly  their 


760  HISTORY  OF  YOLO  COUNTY 

stock  by  day  and  stand  a  sleepless  guard  at  night  to  keep  the  sav- 
ages from  stampeding  their  animals  and  leaving  them  helpless  on 
the  road.  They  did  not  fear  personal  violence  so  much  as  they  did 
robbery.  In  Nevada  the -train  was  visited  by  a  big  war-party  of 
Piutes,  and  it  was  more  of  a  raid  and  a  capture  than  of  a  visit.  The 
visitors  were  seeking  a  white  man  whom  they  accused  of  shooting 
one  of  their  squaws  some  time  before,  and  they  were  angry  through 
and  through.  They  gave  the  train-men  to  understand  that  they 
were  determined  to  find  their  quarry  and  they  would  brook  no  inter- 
ference. Then  they  searched  every  wagon,  even  hunting  through 
the  beds  and  clothing  of  the  immigrants,  fiercely  looking  here  and 
there.  They  found  the  man  in  a  later  train  and  his  fate  was  a  hor- 
rible one,  for  the  Indians  skinned  him  alive.  The  train  company 
could  not  save  him  as  their  number  was  too  small  to  oppose 
the  Piutes,  and  as  he  was  guilty  of  a  needless  piece  of  savag- 
ery himself,  the  whites  did  not  feel  justified  in  inviting  a  conflict 
that  would  imperil  the  lives  of  innocent  women  and  children.  The 
Indians  finally  withdrew  from  the  neighborhood  after  trying  several 
times  to  stampede  the  train  cattle.  They  wanted  more  vengeance, 
but  the  rifles  of  the  white  men  looked  too  dangerous — and  were 
always  too  handy. 

Captain  Campbell's  wife  died  at  Raft  river  and  was  buried  in  a 
coffin  made  of  the  boards  of  a  wagon  bed.  It  was  a  particularly 
sad  and  impressive  scene, — that  desert  funeral;  afterward  the  train 
passed  on,  leaving  the  dear  dead  alone  by  the  dreary  wayside.  But 
many  graves  lost  and  forgotten,  are  by  the  great  trail  that  reaches 
east  to  west  over  the  plains. 

The  desert  winds,  they  whistle  by  and  sweep 
Above  them,  browned  and  russet  grasses  wave 
Along  a  thousand  leagues  that  lie  one  common  grave. 

After  getting  into  this  state,  Mr.  Tadlock  stopped  first  at  Chico, 
then  came  down  to  Yolo  county,  where  he  leased  a  farm  near  "Wood- 
land. He  also  took  up  one  hundred  and  sixty  acres  of  government 
land,  and  pitched  into  hard  work.  He  stuck  to  this  spot  for  about 
three  years,  but  the  harvests  were  not  golden  to  any  great  extent. 
With  his  brother  for  an  assistant  he  rigged  up  a  four-horse  team 
and  went  freighting  over  the  mountains,  conveying  supplies  to  the 
miners  far  up  on  the  slopes  of  the  Nevadas.  This  move  brought  a 
financial  improvement  to  them,  as  the  lofty  prices  per  pound  re- 
ceived for  the  hauls  both  ways  added  to  their  savings,  every  trip. 
In  1865  Mr.  Tadlock  "went  back  to  the  farm,"  of  one  hundred  and 
sixty  acres  one-half  mile  west  of  Citrona,  and  from  that  time  he  has 
farmed  with  pleasure  and  profit,  managing  his  own  home-ranch,  and 
leasing  other  tracts  of  land.  Wherever  practical  he  has  planted 
fruit  trees,  and  having  chosen  the  best  variety,  he  has  sold  their 


HISTORY  OF  YOLO  COUNTY  761 

yearly  output  at  the  best  prices.  As  an  instance  of  Ms  far-sighted- 
ness he  planted  twelve  acres  to  black  figs,  exercising  great  care  in 
the  selection  of  the  plants,  and  during  the  last  fifteen  years  his  in- 
come from  them  has  averaged  $100  an  acre  annually.  His  vineyards 
are  in  the  same  prosperous  condition.  All  of  his  land  is  under  irri- 
gation. 

Mr.  Tadloek  was  made  a  Mason  in  Buckeye  Lodge  No.  195,  F. 
&  A.  M.,  at  old  Buckeye,  and  was  a  charter  member  of  Landmark 
Lodge  No.  256,  at  Madison.  Both  himself  and  wife  are  members  of 
the  Christian  Church.  His  political  creed  is  Socialism.  He  was 
married  in  Yolo  county  to  Miss  Alice  Collet,  a  native  of  Moniteau 
county,  Mo.,  who  came  to  California  in  1870.  Their  children  are 
Louis  0.,  Thomas  R.,  Eva  M.,  Lola  A.,  Elizabeth  and  Nola.  Eva 
married  William  L.  Bourland,  on  the  home  place;  Lola,  who  mar- 
ried Philip  Tutt,  died  in  Yolo  county  in  1904 ;  Louis  married  Norma 
Harvey,  of  Esparto.  In  1906  Mr.  Tadloek  located  in  Esparto,  where 
he  lives  retired.  As  he  comes  of  a  race  remarkable  for  longevity — 
his  mother  Margaret  (Crawford)  Tadloek,  a  native  of  Virginia, 
reaching  the  age  of  ninety-two,  and  her  father,  James,  dying  at 
almost  the  century  mark — it  is  likely  Mr.  Tadloek  has  many  years 
before  him  in  his  pleasant  home  at  Esparto. 


ROBERT  J.  McKINNEY 

The  swift  flight  of  almost  sixty  years  has  left  its  impress  of 
civilization  and  growth  upon  every  part  of  the  west  since  first  Rob- 
ert J.  McKinney,  then  a  rugged  youth  eager  for  adventure,  beheld 
its  valleys  and  mountains  and  discerned  with  prophetic  foresight  the 
greatness  of  years  to  come.  As  early  as  1859  he  became  a  rancher 
of  the  Capay  valley  and  thereafter  until  his  earth  life  closed,  he 
contributed  his  quota  to  the  agricultural  development  of  Yolo 
county,  at  the  same  time  aiding  in  the  moral,  religious  and  educa- 
tional upbuilding  of  his  community.  No  enterprise  for  the  general 
welfare  failed  of  his  earnest  support.  Church  work  especially  en- 
joyed his  generous  assistance  and  from  early  life  he  was  a  devoted 
member  of  the  United  Brethren  denomination.  Of  recent  years  he 
yielded  to  the  affectionate  appeal  of  the  local  congregation,  num- 
bering  from  thirty  to  thirty-live  members,  and  served  as  their  pas- 
tor, filling  the  pulpit  with  dignity  at  the  regular  services,  officiating 
at  the  marriages  of  a  goodly  number  of  young  peoj^le,  and  giving  to 
the  dead  those  last  tributes  of  respect  which  the  church  commends 
and  affection  suggests. 


762  HISTORY  OF  YOLO  COUNTY 

Various  removals  of  the  family  brought  their  interesting 
changes  into  the  early  years  of  Robert  J.  MeKinney,  who  was  born 
in  Tennessee  December  27,  1837,  and  lived  there  and  in  Mississippi 
during  early  boyhood,  later  making  a  brief  sojourn  in  Arkansas. 
During  the  spring  of  1854  he  started  for  California  and  drove  a 
team  of  oxen  across  the  plains.  The  route  of  the  expedition  fol- 
lowed the  course  of  the  Platte  river  and  took  the  party  through  the 
present  site  of  the  city  of  Denver,  thence  westward  to  Salt  Lake 
City.  After  they  had  crossed  the  North  Platte  the  ferryman 
warned  them  that  they  would  encounter  a  band  of  about  seven  hun- 
dred Arapahoe  Indians.  The  captain,  James  Simms,  who  had 
crossed  the  plains  in  1852  and  understood  the  danger  of  Indian 
attacks,  immediately  made  preparations  for  trouble.  They  had 
traveled  but  a  short  distance  when  some  of  the  savages  met  them 
and  demanded  five  head  of  fat  cattle.  Not  daring  to  refuse  yet 
realizing  that  the  cattle  were  sorely  needed  by  the  expedition,  the 
captain  tried  to  temporize  and  eventually  offered  them  three  head 
of  sore-footed  cattle.  Angered  thereby  the  savages  jerked  him  from 
his  horse,  tore  his  clothes,  bruised  his  body  and  left  him  deeidedly 
the  worse  for  the  experience.  Three  of  the  Indians  traveled  with 
the  train  all  day  and  remained  with  them  at  night,  the  whites  re- 
treating to  their  wagons  for  sleep  and  leaving  their  uninvited  visit- 
ors to  the  occupancy  of  a  tent.  In  the  morning  they  found  that  the 
Indians  had  cut  all  the  ropes  of  the  tents  and  had  fled.  On  another 
occasion  Indians  stampeded  the  cattle,  but  the  stock  had  been  well 
guarded  and  not  a  head  was  lost. 

After  an  interesting  journey  of  six  months  and  six  days  the 
party  arrived  at  their  destination  and  Mr.  MeKinney  worked  at 
Sonora,  Tuolumne  county,  until  March  of  1856,  when  he  removed  to 
Eldorado  county  and  engaged  in  mining  six  miles  north  of  Hang- 
town  (Placerville).  A  subsequent  experience  as  a  teamster  earned 
him  a  livelihood  at  Bloomfield,  Sonoma  county,  from  which  point  he 
came  to  Yolo  county  in  December  of  1859.  The  development  of  the 
country  caused  him  to  relinquish  agricultural  pursuits  in  favor  of 
horticulture  and  latterly  he  had  only  two  head  of  stock,  a  radical 
change  from  the  early  years  with  their  large  stock  interests.  In  the 
vicinity  of  Esparto  he  purchased  a  small  but  well-developed  fruit 
farm  with  improvements  that  represented  his  own  keen  intelligence, 
sagacious  judgment  and  tireless  industry.  Here  he  raised  prunes, 
almonds  and  apricots,  and  the  six  and  one-half  acres  of  orchard  re- 
turn a  flattering  revenue  on  the  original  investment. 

Nine  children  were  born  of  the  union  of  Mr.  MeKinney  and 
Miss  Mary  Armstrong,  a  native  of  Missouri.  They  are  named  as 
follows:  Robert  L.,  James  D.,  George  W.,  John  Y\r.,  Leonard  S., 
Nora  E.,  Mary  Olive,  Ella  J.  and  Florence  E.     The  first-named  son 


HISTORY  OF  YOLO  COUNTY  763 

married  Emeline  Murphy  and  has  two  children,  John  W.  and  Fe- 
licia N.  Mary  Olive  had  a  daughter,  Estelle  M.,  by  her  marriage  to 
William  Finley,  and  by  her  second  marriage,  to  J.  M.  Coppock,  she 
became  the  mother  of  two  children,  Everett  and  George.  Ella  J. 
McKiuuey  was  the  wife  of  John  Bishop  and  after  his  death  married 
Frederick  C.  Newman,  having  one  son,  Harry  Wesley  Bishop,  by 
her  first  union.  Throughout  his  life  Mr.  McKinney  voted  with  the 
Republican  party,  but  no  partisan  spirit  entered  into  his  life  and  he 
always  avoided  official  cares,  preferring  to  devote  his  entire  atten- 
tion to  private  affairs.  He  passed  away  at  his  home  in  Esparto 
July  6,  1912,  much  loved  and  esteemed  by  everyone. 


JOHN  McCOUBREY 

"Among  the  prosperous  industrial  men  of  Winters  Mr.  Mc- 
Ooubrey  occupies  a  prominent  place,  his  sterling  qualities  and 
mechanical  as  well  as  business  ability,  having  won  the  esteem 
and  confidence  of  his  associates.  He  is  a  native  of  Maine,  his 
birth  having  occurred  two  and  one-half  miles  from  Robbinston, 
December  28,  1848.  He  received  his  education  in  his  home  section, 
and  until  the  age  of  seventeen  remained  with  his  parents,  William 
and  Sarah  (Peacock)  MeCoubrey,  of  Maine  and  Scotland,  respec- 
tively. His  father,  a  ship  joiner  by  occupation,  spent  his  last 
years  in  Maine  actively  conducting  his  duties  until  his  death  in 
1898,  survived  by  his  wife,  who  died  two  years  later. 

In  1865  John  MeCoubrey  went  to  Boston,  Mass.,  where  he 
became  an  apprentice  to  a  blacksmith,  and  three  years  later  passed 
an  examination  before  the  mechanical  board,  permitting  him  to 
practice  his  trade.  In  1876  he  established  a  general  horseshoeing 
and  wagon  joining  shop  in  Putnam,  Conn.,  but  in  1877  he  removed 
to  Newark,  N.  J.,  where  he  remained  until  the  fall  of  that  year. 
Having  determined  to  seek  his  fortune  in  the  west  he  sold  his 
interest  in  his  business  to  his  partner  and  crossed  the  plains  by 
emigrant  train,  the  journey  occupying  thirteen  days.  The  day 
after  his  arrival  in  San  Francisco  Mr.  MeCoubrey  accepted  a 
positiou  as  foreman  in  a  shoeing  shop  at  $4  per  day,  and  until 
the  spring  of  1878  resided  in  that  city,  having  been  there  during 
the  Kearney  excitement,  which  occurred  upon  the  site  of  the  present 
city  hall  grounds.  During  the  same  year  he  went  to  Visalia,  thence 
to  Dixon,  and  in  1883  he  went  to  Old  Mexico,  and  for  a  time 
remained  in  the  vicinity  of  Mazatlan.  Finding  that  climate  dis- 
agreeable,    he    returned    to    California    and    located    in    Winters. 


764  HISTORY  OF  YOLO  COUNTY 

Shortly  afterward  he  took  a  lease  of  the  J.  L.  Depree  place,  re- 
taining it  for  five  years,  after  which  he  returned  to  his  eastern 
home.  In  1889  he  returned  to  Winters,  where  he  bought  his  pres- 
ent business  property,  and  since  then  has  conducted  a  general  black- 
smith shop  with  great  success,  his  place  being  located  on  Main 
street  adjoining  the  postoffice. 

In  1898  Mr.  McCoubrey  visited  Nome,  Dawson  City  and  other 
Alaskan  points,  as  well  as  the  Aleutian  Islands  and  the  Bering 
Sea  and  while  in  that  country  he  witnessed  the  midnight  sun.  He 
returned  to  San  Francisco  on  the  St.  Paul,  after  a  most  exciting 
trip.  One  of  his  most  dangerous  experiences  was  on  board  the 
Samoa,  before  reaching  the  Aleutian  Islands,  when,  without  warn- 
ing, he  and  one  hundred  and  fifty  others  were  caught  in  a  terrific 
storm  which  lasted  forty-eight  hours. 

In  1876  occurred  the  marriage  of  Mr.  McCoubrey  with  Miss 
Josephine  Kennedy  of  Foster,  B.  I.,  and  the  next  year  he  came  to 
California.  In  1904  he  was  elected  on  the  no-license  ticket  to  fill 
the  office  of  city  trustee,  which  position  he  held  for  five  years. 
Also,  for  one  term  he  held  the  office  of  city  recorder,  but  resigned 
before  the  close  of  his  term.  He  might  have  held  many  other 
public  positions  but  for  his  disinclination  to  become  a  politician. 
He  is  a  member  of  Othello  Lodge  No.  31,  K.  P.,  Dixon,  and  a 
charter  member  of  the  U.  E.  K.  P.  of  Woodland.  He  has  always 
been  a  stanch  Eepublican  and  has  endeavored  at  all  times  to  live 
up  to  the  teachings  of  practical  Christianity.  His  parents  were 
Presbyterians,  in  which  faith  he  was  reared,  and  his  earliest  im- 
pressions are  those  of  a  refined  and  cultured  home. 


JOSEPH  WOLGAMOTT 

In  this  era  of  twentieth  century  progress  those  who  travel 
swiftly  and  comfortably  across  the  continent  cannot  realize  the  dif- 
ficulties and  perils  that  surrounded  the  emigrants  of  the  pioneer 
period,  nor  can  they,  refreshing  themselves  in  the  sunshine  of 
western  civilization,  grasp  the  knowledge  of  hardships  incident  to 
the  primitive  conditions  characterizing  the  middle  portion  of  the 
nineteenth  century.  In  conversing  with  pioneers  one  is  brought  to 
realize  more  forcibly  the  difficulties  under  which  they  labored  and 
the  obstacles  they  were  forced  to  surmount  in  their  endeavor  to 
build  homes  for  themselves  and  develop  farms  for  their  descendants. 
Always  their  names  will  be  held  in  grateful  remembrance  by  an  ap- 


HISTORY  OF  YOLO  COUNTY  765 

preciative  citizenship  and  will  bear  an  imperishable  renown  in  the 
annals  of  the  west. 

The  turning  point  in  the  life  of  Joseph  Wolgamott  was  his  de- 
cision to  come  to  the  western  coast.  Reared  and  educated  in  Day- 
ton, Ohio,  where  his  birth  occurred  January  22,  1828,  he  had  earned 
his  own  livelihood  from  an  early  age  and  was  well  qualified  physi- 
cally to  endure  the  hardships  of  pioneering.  During  the  spring  of 
1849  he  started  for  the  coast  with  a  train  of  emigrants  and  pro- 
ceeded slowly  but  in  safety  via  Fort  Laramie  and  the  sink  of  the 
Humboldt  into  California,  where  the  expedition  disbanded  at  Hang- 
town,  Placer  county.  For  three  years  the  youthful  adventurer  tried 
his  luck  in  the  mines  and  then  returned  to  Ohio  in  order  to  bring- 
back  to  the  coast  his  bride  and  his  brother  David. 

The  second  journey  was  more  perilous  than  its  predecessor. 
The  expedition  was  unusually  large,  comprising  one  hundred  and 
seventeen  wagons.  A  short  distance  of  the  route  had  been  covered 
when  disease  began  to  incapacitate  the  emigrants.  Some  lingered 
long  unable  to  walk  or  eat,  others  passed  away  after  a  brief  illness. 
The  condition  became  so  alarming  that  the  expedition  disbanded. 
Many  of  the  wagons  turned  back  to  civilization,  others  scattered 
along  different  routes,  hoping  thereby  to  escape  the  disease.  About 
twenty  of  the  original  band  kept  together  and  finished  their  journey 
without  separating.  Meanwhile  death  reduced  their  ranks  and  even 
the  cattle  died  in  large  numbers.  On  one  occasion  Indians  attacked 
the  emigrants  and,  a  herd  of  buffalo  stampeding  at  the  same  time, 
when  animals  and  savages  had  disappeared  at  the  expiration  of  five 
hours,  it  was  found  that  many  of  the  whites  had  been  killed.  The 
survivors  were  overjoyed  when,  weak  from  sickness  and  weary  from 
exposure,  they  finally  landed  at  their  destination. 

The  marriage  of  Mr.  Wolgamott  united  him  with  Ruth  Ryder, 
a  native  of  Michigan.  They  became  the  parents  of  four  sons  and 
three  daughters,  namely:  George,  Joseph  II.,  David,  Samuel,  Ella, 
Alma  and  Aletha.  George  is  the  father  of  four  children;  Ella,  Mrs. 
Nicholas  Miles,  of  the  Capay  valley,  has  five  children;  and  Joseph 
H.,  who  married  Rosetta  Inman,  has  three  children,  Claude,  Esther 
and  Ada.  David,  who  makes  his  home  in  Idaho,  married  Myrtle 
Burnett  and  has  two  children.  Alma,  Mrs.  J.  A.  White,  makes  her 
home  in  San  Bernardino,  Cal.  Aletha  is  the  mother  of  two  children 
by  her  union  with  Charles  A.  Mienwald,  a  resident  of  Washington. 

Various  occupations  engaged  the  attention  of  Joseph  Wolga- 
mott after  he  came  to  the  west.  After  he  abandoned  mining  he 
opened  a  blacksmith  shop  at  Woodland,  Yolo  county,  and  for  almost 
fifteen  years  he  followed  that  trade.  For  nine  years  he  devoted 
himself  to  ranching,  his  specialty  being  the  raising  of  sheep.  From 
the  ranch  he  went  to  Capay  and  became  proprietor  of  the  hotel, 


766  HISTORY  OF  YOLO  COUNTY 

which  he  conducted  for  seven  years.  He  died  in  "Woodland,  August 
4,  1908;  his  wife  had  died  two  years  before.  The  son,  Joseph  H., 
took  up  a  claim  in  Oregon  and  remained  there  until  he  proved  up  on 
it,  after  which  he  disposed  of  the  land,  situated  in  Klamath  county. 
Returning  to  California  in  1892,  he  has  since  remained  in  Capay, 
Yolo  county,  engaged  in  farming  and  horticulture.  His  conviction 
as  to  the  adaptability  of  the  soil  and  climate  to  fruit-growing  has 
led  him  to  undertake  horticultural  pursuits  and  he  has  started  an 
orchard,  it  being  his  expectation  to  make  a  specialty  of  almonds  in 
the  future.  Fraternally  he  has  been  identified  with  the  Independent 
Order  of  Odd  Fellows  for  years  and  in  politics  he  has  voted  with  the 
Republican  party  ever  since  he  cast  his  first  presidential  ballot. 


JAMES  N.  B.  WYATT 

The  era  immediately  following  the  discovery  of  gold  witnessed 
the  arrival  in  California  of  thousands  of  eager  young  Argonauts 
and  none  among  them  was  more  hopeful  than  James  N.  B.  Wyatt. 
While  the  result  of  that  trip  was  not  an  immediate  settlement  in  the 
west  as  a  permanent  home,  the  fascinations  of  the  country  were  so 
great  that  later,  after  he  had  married  and  was  earning  a  comforta- 
ble livelihood  in  Missouri,  he  gave  up  everything  there  in  order  that 
he  might  identify  himself  with  the  upbuilding  of  the  west.  Born  in 
Boone  county,  Mo.,  February  5,  1831,  he  had  started  with  an  expedi- 
tion May  2,  1850,  and  had  furnished  his  quota  of  supplies  necessary 
for  the  long  journey  across  the  plains.  After  crossing  the  Missouri 
river  at  St.  Joseph  the  emigrant  train  followed  the  trail  along  the 
south  side  of  the  Platte  river. 

The  worst  disaster  in  connection  with  the  expedition  was  the 
outbreak  of  cholera.  Five  wagons  abandoned  the  train  and  the 
ranks  of  the  remainder  were  reduced  by  frequent  deaths.  In  the 
hope  of  out-traveling  the  disease  the  worn-out  teams  were  pushed 
forward  long  after  darkness  had  veiled  the  earth.  Finally  they 
reached  the  mountains  and  were  able  to  secure  pure  fresh  water, 
which  immediately  stopped  the  trouble  and  from  that  time  no  trace 
of  cholera  appeared  to  give  new  alarm  to  the  emigrants.  Unfor- 
tunately, after  the  cholera  disappeared  there  was  a  scarcity  of  pro- 
visions. Thousands  of  miles  from  any  habitation  they  found  them- 
selves reduced  to  a  small  supply  of  dried  apples  and  jerked  meat. 
The  emigrants  became  emaciated  and  one  man  was  unable  to  leave 
the  wagon.  The  cattle  had  been  worked  so  hard  and  fed  so  little 
that  they  were  unfit  for  food,  the  hide  and  bones  presenting  no  at- 


HISTORY  OF  YOLO  COUNTY  767 

traction  even  for  starving  men.  For  fourteen  days  thev  subsisted 
on  apples  and  meat.  Other  wagons  were  so  reduced  in  supplies  that 
they  could  not  help  the  sufferers.  On  one  occasion  Mr.  Wyatt  saw 
a  man  throw  away  a  bacon  rind.  With  the  eagerness  of  a  hawk  for 
a  young  chicken  he  picked  up  the  discarded  rind  and  eagerly  swal- 
lowed it.  In  the  search  for  food  he  came  to  a  camp  and  begged  for 
something  for  the  sick  man  in  the  wagon,  but  was  told  that  a  pound 
of  flour  would  cost  him  $2,  and  this  sum  he  was  obliged  to  pay,  both 
for  flour  and  for  bacon,  at  a  station  three  hundred  miles  from  Salt 
Lake.  At  another  trading  post  he  was  able  to  buy  the  same  supplies 
for  $1  per  pound. 

During  the  entire  journey  the  fear  of  Indian  attacks  never  left 
them.  At  one  place  some  Indians  climbed  into  the  wagons  to  search 
for  food,  but  of  course  found  nothing.  At  one  of  the  fords  on  the 
Humboldt  river  they  showed  considerable  hostility  and  there  in  1852 
they  massacred  a  whole  train  of  men  and  women,  carrying  off  two 
boys  and  four  girls.  Sometimes  the  emigrants  quarreled  among 
themselves,  but  the  only  outbreak  with  serious  consequences  oc- 
curred when  Frank  Shepherd  was  killed  by  another  emigrant,  who 
like  himself  came  from  Ohio.  The  last  three  days  of  the  journey 
were  extremely  trying,  for  the  course  of  the  worn-out  oxen  and  ema- 
ciated men  took  them  through  sage  brush  where  water  was  poor, 
where  alkali  was  on  every  side  and  where  dead  horses  and  cattle 
could  be  seen  at  frequent  intervals  on  the  road.  The  journey  ended 
in  the  Sacramento  valley  September  15,  1850,  and  soon  afterward 
at  Coloma,  Eldorado  county,  Mr.  Wyatt  met  an  uncle,  Rev.  Thomas 
Thompson,  who  was  the  first  Christian  preacher  in  that  region. 

The  first  sojourn  of  the  young  Missourian  in  California  was 
marked  by  an  experience  with  mining  around  Coloma  and  with 
ranch  pursuits  at  Napa  as  an  employe  of  John  Stickter.  On  leav- 
ing Coloma  he  went  to  San  Francisco  and  there  took  passage  for 
Panama  on  the  "Golden  Gate,"  a  ship  that  on  its  next  voyage 
burned  at  sea,  causing  a  total  loss  of  passengers.  Mr.  Wyatt 
reached  Missouri  in  safety  and  at  once  took  up  farming  pursuits. 
Soon  afterward  he  married  Ann  Williams,  by  whom  he  had  the  fol- 
lowing-named children:  M.  Oscar,  Frank  M.,  Clarence  E.,  Virginia 
(Mrs.  Reuben  B.  Nissen),  Flora  E.,  Ella  M.,  Emma  L.,  May  D.  and 
Lulu  B.  In  1864  the  family  crossed  the  plains  and  settled  in  So- 
noma county.  During  1875  they  removed  to  Maine  Prairie  in  So- 
lano county.  In  1893  Mr.  Wyatt  was  engaged  to  take  charge  of  the 
interests  of  his  son-in-law,  R.  B.  Nissen,  who  owned  a  ranch  near 
Capay,  Yolo  county.  Eventually  he  established  a  home  at  Winters 
and  there,  May  12,  1911,  his  life  of  usefulness  came  to  an  end.  Fra- 
ternally he  held  membership  with  the  Ancient  Order  of  United 
Workmen.    In  religion  he  was  connected  with  the  Christian  Church. 


768  HISTORY  OF  YOLO  COUNTY 

Politically  he  believed  in  Republican  principles,  but  went  further  in 
his  beliefs  than  did  his  party,  for  he  included  prohibition  in  his  pro- 
posed ideal  platform. 

The  eldest  son  of  J.  N.  B.  Wyatt  is  Dr.  M.  0.  Wyatt,  now  presi- 
dent of  the  First  National  Bank  of  Winters.  By  his  marriage  to 
Lulu  Shelford,  of  Cloverdale,  he  has  four  children,  Roy,  Fred,  Erna 
and  Velma.  The  second  son,  Frank  M.  Wyatt,  who  married  Miss 
Nelia  Shelford,  of  Cloverdale,  formerly  conducted  a  mercantile  busi- 
ness at  Winters,  but  is  now  secretary  and  a  director  of  the  First 
National  Bank  of  Winters.  The  third  son,  Clarence  E.,  who  mar- 
ried Priscilla  Hall,  is  engaged  in  the  jewelry  business  at  Winters. 
All  of  the  daughters  are  married  except  the  youngest,  Miss  Lulu, 
who  is  assistant  postmaster  at  Winters.  Virginia  is  the  widow  of 
R.  B.  Nissen,  who  was  a  well-known  and  highly  respected  citizen  of 
Yolo  county;  she  had  four  children,  Clarence,  Claude,  Babe  (de- 
ceased), and  Frank.  Flora  married  T.  E.  McFall,  an  undertaker  at 
Winters;  their  family  includes  the  following-named  children: 
Charles  (deceased),  Carl,  Walter,  Alfred,  Edgar  (deceased), 
Claudia,  Stella  and  Edith.  Ella.  M.  Wyatt  married  L.  E.  Sturgill, 
of  Oakland,  Cal.,  and  they  had  two  children,  Frank  (deceased)  and 
Jessie.  Emma  L.  is  the  widow  of  the  late  Dr.  G.  S.  Conner  of  St. 
Helena,  and  May  D.  married  A.  L.  Marshall  and  resides  at  Win- 
ters. The  widow  of  J.  N.  B.  Wyatt  resides  at  her  old  home  in  Win- 
ters and  now  at  the  age  of  seventy-two  years  she  finds  enjoyment  in 
her  children,  grandchildren  and  great-grandchildren. 


JOHN  ROBERT  PARKER 

The  laborious  existence  of  a  progressive  Iowa  farmer,  whose 
broad  fields  of  grain  stretch  from  his  barns  in  every  direction,  was 
exchanged  for  the  radically  different  yet  no  less  busy  life  of  a  Cali- 
fornia sheep-raiser  when  in  1876  Mr.  Parker  removed  to  the  west- 
ern coast  as  a  permanent  settler.  Prior  to  the  removal  his  life  had 
been  marked  by  few  changes,  the  first  of  any  importance  having 
been  the  migration  of  the  family  from  Ohio  to  Iowa  when  he  was  a 
lad  of  thirteen  years,  and  the  second  event  of  prominence  occurring 
when  he  made  a  trip  to  Pike's  Peak  at  the  time  of  the  discovery  of 
gold  in  Colorado.  The  latter  journey  interested  him  in  the  west,  but 
the  resnlts  from  a  moneyed  standpoint  were  unsatisfactory  and  he 
cheerfully  returned  to  agricultural  efforts  on  the  home  farm. 

John  Robert  Parker  was  born  at  Newark,  Licking  county,  Ohio, 
November  9,  1838,  and  at  the  age  of  thirteen  in  1851  he  accompanied 


HISTORY  OF  YOLO  COUNTY  769 

his  parents,  Timothy  and  Catharine  (Trout)  Parker,  from  Ohio  to 
Iowa,  settling  in  Poweshiek  county,  where  he  aided  his  father  in  the 
clearing  of  a  government  claim.  Later  he  took  up  land  for  a  home- 
stead and  spent  many  years  in  making  improvements,  bringing  the 
soil  under  cultivation  and  securing  those  returns  to  which  the  efforts 
of  capable  farmers  entitle  them.  While  he  gave  his  attention  almost 
wholly  to  agriculture,  there  was  a  time  in  young  manhood  when  he 
taught  school  and  he  continued  in  that  profession  for  a  very  short 
period  after  his  marriage,  thus  earning  the  money  he  needed  for  de- 
fraying indebtedness  on  his  land. 

The  establishment  of  a  home  on  an  Iowa  farm  followed  the 
union  of  Mr.  Parker  with  Miss  Sarah  Dillon,  a  native  of  Ohio  and  a 
woman  of  forceful  personality  and  attractive  qualities.  Eleven  chil- 
dren were  born  of  the  marriage,  but  three  of  these  died  young, 
namely:  Everett,  John  and  Lena;  and  Elbert  died  in  1904.  Those 
now  living  are  as  follows :  Uurward  O,  Eugene  D.,  Freeman,  Jen- 
nie K.,  Luella,  Eva  and  Mary  E.  The  first-named  son,  a  resident 
of  Esparto,  married  Minnie  Gates  and  is  the  father  of  two  daugh- 
ters. Eugene  D.,  of  Capay,  Yolo  county,  married  Daisy  Goodnow 
and  has  two  children,  Milo  and  Fern.  Freeman,  who  lives  at  Es- 
parto, is  married  and  has  two  sons,  Ervin  and  Everett.  The  first- 
named  daughter,  Jennie  K.,  is  the  wife  of  Richard  Chinn  and  the 
mother  of  four  children,  John,  Lela,  Erma  and  Blanche.  Luella, 
Mrs.  Hugh  Chinn,  has  four  children,  Lowell,  Amy,  Nella  and  Stella. 
Eva  married  Jack  Simpson,  a  dairyman  living  at  Meridian,  Sutter 
county;  they  are  the  parents  of  three  children,  Elmo,  Elmer  and 
Vernon  R.  Mary  E.,  the  last-named  member  of  the  Parker  family, 
married  Paschal  Moore  and  they  are  living  on  a  dairy  ranch  near 
Woodland;  their  family  comprises  three  children,  Marvyn,  Leoma 
and  Ola. 

Shortly  after  his  arrival  in  Yolo  county  and  his  taking  up  of 
land,  Mr.  Parker  went  back  into  the  hills,  where  he  bought  about 
three  thousand  acres  of  range  land.  On  this  vast  tract  he  herded  a 
flock  of  three  thousand  head  of  sheep.  The  business  proved  profita- 
ble, although  the  net  returns  were  largely  reduced  through  the  dep- 
redations of  wildcats,  wolves  and  coyotes.  In  those  days  wild  ani- 
mals were  plentiful  and  hunting  excursions  were  frequent  in  the 
vicinity  of  the  Snow  mountain,  where  frequently  Mr.  Parker  aided 
in  the  killing  of  bears.  On  his  large  ranch  near  Esparto  he  planted 
eight  acres  in  an  orchard  which  forms  a  valuable  adjunct  to  the 
place.  At  one  time  he  owned  an  almond  orchard  of  thirty  acres  in 
Hungry  Hollow,  but  this  he  sold.  Throughout  the  long  period  of  his 
residence  in  Yolo  county  he  gave  consistent  aid  to  all  movements  for 
the  general  welfare  and  especially  helped  in  the  work  of  the  Chris- 
tian Church,  whose  doctrines  he  upheld  by  precept  and  theory.     His 


770  HISTORY  OF  YOLO  COUNTY 

interest  in  educational  progress  .led  him  to  consent  to  serve  as  a 
school  trustee,  but  as  a  rule  he  declined  all  offices  and  took  no  part 
whatever  in  public  affairs  and  politics  aside  from  voting  the  Repub- 
lican ticket.  When  death  came  to  him,  February  24,  1902,  it  re- 
moved from  the  county  one  of  its  pioneer  sheep-raisers  and  worthy 
ranchers,  a  citizen  of  sterling,  rugged  characteristics,  of  pro- 
nounced strength  of  character  and  unquestioned  integrity  in  every 
relation  of  life. 


JOHN  J.  SMITH 

The  proprietor  of  Alfa-Dune  ranch  in  the  Capay  valley  traces 
his  lineage  to  an  old  and  honored  family  of  Ireland,  whose  first  rep- 
resentative in  America,  Charles  Smyth,  first  saw  the  light  of  day  at 
Belfast  in  County  Antrim.  During  the  early  part  of  the  nineteenth 
century  he  crossed  the  ocean  to  Canada  in  company  with  a  brother 
and  settled  near  Kingston,  where  his  son,  John,  passed  the  greater 
part  of  his  life.  The  spelling  of  the  name  was  changed  to  its  pres- 
ent form  during  comparatively  recent  years.  Genealogical  records 
show  a  Scotch  lineage  through  some  of  the  ancestors  and  the  evi- 
dence of  Scotch  blood  has  been  manifest  in  the  traits  of  every  gener- 
ation, for  they  have  been  honorable  in  business,  religious  in  tem- 
perament and  frugal  in  expenditures.  At  the  same  time  a  consider- 
able proportion  of  the  family  have  possessed  the  wit  and  keen  sense 
of  humor  characteristic  of  the  Irish  race. 

Concerning  the  maternal  ancestors  of  John  J.  Smith  little  is 
known  except  that  his  mother  bore  the  name  of  Malissa  Williams 
and  was  reared  in  Canada,  where  she  became  the  wife  of  John 
Smith.  Their  son,  who  was  given  the  name  of  the  father,  was  born 
on  the  home  farm  at  Mud  Lake  in  Canada,  near  the  city  of  Kings- 
ton, December  30,  1857.  During  boyhood  he  lived  with  his  grand- 
mother in  the  then  unsettled  wilderness  of  Michigan,  where  he  re- 
ceived a  common-school  education.  Two  scholarships  were  offered 
him,  one  in  Adrian  (Mich.)  College  and  the  other  in  a  western  insti- 
tution, but  he  felt  the  need  of  earning  a  livelihood  and  so  was 
obliged  to  learn  by  later  reading  the  facts  and  lessons  ordinarily 
accompanying  a  collegiate  education.  A  brief  experience  in  a  car- 
riage and  wagon  shop  was  followed  by  an  apprenticeship  to  the 
trade  of  a  carpenter  and  joiner,  which  occupation  he  afterward 
occasionally  followed. 

At  the  age  of  seventeen  years  Mr.  Smith  bought  forty  acres  of 
wild  land  in  Tuscola  county,  Mich.     The  purchase  was  made  on  a 


HISTORY  OF  YOLO  COUNTY  771 

minor's  contract,  same  to  mature  when  be  had  reached  the  age  of 
twenty-one  years.  The  payment  of  the  land  occupied  his  attention 
closely  during  the  next  five  years  and  meanwhile  he  had  found  a 
devoted  helper  in  his  bride..  April  18,  1877,  in  Tuscola  county, 
Mich.,  he  married  Miss  Mary  Mallory,  member  of  a  pioneer  family 
of  that  county  and  a  daughter  of  Nelson  Mallory  ,well-known  among 
the  citizens  of  Ellington.  She  was  one  of  a  large  family  and,  al- 
though frail  in  health,  had  been  trained  to  a  thorough  knowledge  of 
housekeeping,  so  that  she  was  able  to  assist  her  young  husband  in 
his  early  efforts  toward  independence.  Nine  children  were  born  of 
the  union  and  of  the  five  daughters  all  but  one  are  married.  The 
presence  of  a  number  of  bright  grandchildren  indicates  that  there 
is  not  the  slightest  tendency  to  -race  suicide.  The  large  family  were 
lovingly  reared  and  cared  for  by  the  affectionate  mother  and  not- 
withstanding her  delicate  health  she  was  constantly  laboring  for 
the  welfare  of  home  and  loved  ones,  until  in  1891  she  was  stricken 
suddenly  with  paralysis  and  passed  away  at  the  old  Nebraska  home. 
One  hundred  and  forty  miles  west  of  Omaha,  in  the  locality  where 
much  of  her  happy  life  had  been  passed,  she  was  laid  to  rest  in  the 
old  cemetery  where  many  of  her  old-time  friends  repose  in  eternal 
sleep. 

While  still  a  resident  of  Michigan  John  J.  Smith  cast  his  first 
presidential  vote  for  James  A.  Garfield.  A  short  time  afterward  he 
sold  his  forty  acres  at  an  excellent  price  for  those  days  and  removed 
to  Nebraska,  where  he  bought  several  hundred  acres  and  engaged 
extensively  in  general  farming.  Soon  he  became  one  of  the  leading 
men  of  his  locality.  One  of  his  most  important  tasks  in  life  was  that 
of  assisting  in  the  founding  and  early  management  of  Gibbon  Col- 
legiate Institute  at  Gibbon,  Neb.,  a  pleasant  and  congenial  duty  that 
occupied  his  time  during  the  early  '80s,  but  that  was  relinquished 
upon  removal  to  California.  In  the  hope  of  benefiting  his  health  he 
came  to  California  in  1887  and  accepted  the  pastorate  of  the  United 
Brethren  Church  in  Yolo  county,  becoming  a  pioneer  of  Esparto 
when  that  village  was  first  started.  After  he  had  filled  the  place 
four  years  and  had  been  appointed  for  the  fifth  year  he  resigned 
to  return  to  Nebraska,  where  the  home  was  broken  up  by  the  death 
of  his  wife. 

When  only  seventeen  years  of  age  Mr.  Smith  was  led  to  con- 
sider the  serious  question  of  his  personal  responsibility  to  his 
God  and  the  result  was  that  he  became  a  member  of  the  Methodist 
Protestant  Church  in  Michigan.  Later,  he  and  his  wife  transferred 
their  membership  to  the  United  Brethren  in  Christ  and  for  twenty- 
five  years  he  was  a  minister  in  that  denomination,  eventually  retir- 
ing from  the  ministry  owing  to  failing  vision  and  shattered  nerves. 
In  political  views  he  has  been  independent,  voting  as  his  close  study 


772  HISTORY  OF  YOLO  COUNTY 

of  public  questions  leads  him  to  decide.  His  uncompromising 
enmity  to  the  saloons  has  led  him  into  the  prohibition  cause  and 
at  one  time  he  was  a  leading  worker  with  the  Good  Templars.  In 
his  busy  life  he  has  had  no  leisure  to  get  "office  hungry."  His 
connection  with  public  affairs  he  has  aimed  to  make  simply  that 
of  the  public-spirited  citizen.  He  states  that  on  one  occasion  he 
took  "the  speedway  with  Congressman  Kinkade  in  the  'Big  Sixth' 
district  of  Nebraska  at  the  time  of  the  Roosevelt  landslide,  but  my 
'dry'  convictions  would  not  let  me  go  by  'water,'  so  he  broke  into 
Congress  and  left  me  out  on  dry  land  with  my  face  to  the  skies." 
His  present  high  standing  as  the  owner  of  Alfa-Dune  ranch  at 
Brooks  in  the  Capay  valley  and  as.  a  specialist  in  the  raising  of 
horses  and  cattle  and  as  the  successful  proprietor  of  important 
dairy  and  alfalfa  interests  has  not  come  by  accident,  but  is  the 
result  of  unremitting  toil.  With  tireless  energy  he  arises  each 
morning  at  four  o'clock  and  superintends  the  care  of  the  fine  herd 
of  milch  cows.  All  through  the  day  he  is  busy  on  the  ranch,  and 
finally,  when  all  are  at  rest  and  the  hum  of  daytime  activity  has 
given  way  to  the  peace  of  night,  he  takes  up  his  beloved  books  or 
enjoys  the  leisure  time  for  writing  in  the  interests  of  some  of  his 
public  activities. 

The  present  wife  of  Mr.  Smith  was  born  in  California  and  is  a 
daughter  of  John  and  Mary  A.  (Shaffer)  Winter,  natives  of  Wur- 
temberg,  Germany.  When  eighteen  years  of  age  John  Winter  immi- 
grated to  the  United  States  and  settled  at  Detroit,  Mich.,  where  he 
worked  at  the  blacksmith's  trade.  During  1855  he  came  to  Cali- 
fornia via  Panama  and  after  a  brief  sojourn  in  the  mines  of  Amador 
county  he  began  to  till  the  soil  of  Sacramento  county.  In  the  city 
of  Sacramento  in  1863  he  married  Miss  Shaffer,  who  had  crossed 
the  ocean  from  Germany  in  1861  and  after  two  years  in  Michigan 
had  proceeded  to  California  by  way  of  Panama.  After  their  mar- 
riage Mr.  and  Mrs.  Winter  settled  at  Antelope  in  Sacramento 
county.  From  there  in  1871  they  removed  to  the  Capay  valley  in 
Yolo  county  and  settled  on  a  farm,  where  Mr.  Winter  engaged  in 
general  farming  and  stock-raising  until  his  death  in  18S7.  His 
widow  survived  him  for  a  considerable  period,  her  death  occurring 
in  1901.  Nine  sons  remain  of  the  family  and  all  live  in  different 
parts  of  California,  the  most  of  them  being  farmers  and  quite  suc- 
cessful. The  only  daughter,  Mary,  is  the  wife  of  J.  J.  Smith  and 
lives  at  Alfa-Dune  ranch  in  the  Capay  valley.  To  the  residents  of 
Yolo  county  there  is  no  need' of  any  characterization  with  reference 
to  the  Winter  family  and  were  it  left  to  the  members  of  the  family, 
with  their  unassuming  modesty,  no  words  of  theirs  would  demand 
recognition  of  their  ability  and  unwavering  honesty.  Their  lives 
and  acts  are  like  an  open  book,-  to  be  known  and  read  of  all  men. 


HISTORY  OF  YOLO  COUNTY  773 

The  splendid  qualities  of  mind  and  soul  noticeable  in  the  parents  are 
reflected  in  each  one  of  the  children.  A  very  manifest  and  dominant 
characteristic  in  the  entire  family  is  their  intense  eagerness  to  have 
something  to  do  and  to  do  that  "something"  modestly,  persistently 
and  always  successfully.  Whatever  the  quality  be  that  makes  a 
family  unassuming  and  modest,  that  quality  is  possessed  by  the 
Winter  family  in  great  measure  and  it  is  one  explanation  for  their 
great  popularity  in  the  communities  of  which  they  severally  form 
an  influential  factor. 


HIRAM  S.  EDDY 

An  intimate  knowledge  of  many  sections  of  the  country  had 
been  gained  by  Mr.  Eddy  by  personal  residence  therein,  and  of  all 
the  localities  with  which  he  became  familiar  none  compared  in  his 
estimation  with  California,  where,  in  Capay,  Yolo  county,  he  made 
his  home  until  his  death,  September  3,  1911.  From  Cattaraugus 
county,  N.  Y.,  where  his  birth  occurred,  he  removed  at  the  age  of 
seven  years  to  Illinois  in  company  with  his  parents,  George  W.  and 
Betsey  Eddy,  natives,  respectively,  of  New  York  and  New  Hamp- 
shire. The  family  settled  in  Lee  county,  ninety  miles  from  Chicago, 
and  the  father  took  up  government  land.  Afterward  he  gave  his 
entire  time  and  attention  to  the  development  of  his  farm,  his  only 
connection  with  other  work  being  the  taking  of  a  contract  to  build 
two  miles  of  the  Illinois  Central  Railroad  near  his  homestead. 

As  early  as  1853,  while  Minnesota  was  yet  a  territory,  Hiram 
S.  Eddy  became  a  pioneer  of  Fillmore  county,  near  the  Iowa  state 
line.  The  country  was  new  and  he  turned  the  first  furrows  in  the 
soil,  afterward  raising  a  large  acreage  of  wheat  and  earning  needed 
money  through  the  work  of  a  thresherman.  When  the  Civil  war 
began  his  sympathies  were  with  the  Union  and  during  March  of 
1864  he  enlisted  in  the  regular  government  service  as  a  member 
of  a  Minnesota  battalion  organized  to  defend  the  northwest  from 
Indian  attacks.  From  Rochester,  the  place  of  enrollment,  he  was 
sent  to  Fort  Snelling,  on  the  Mississippi  river,  and  drilled  there 
for  thirty  days.  Next  he  was  stationed  at  Sioux  City  for  thirty 
days.  A  similar  period  was  spent  at  Fort  Rice,  whence  the  men 
were  ordered  to  the  Yellowstone  region  in  Montana  and  from 
there  back  to  the  Black  Hills  in  South  Dakota.  The  Missouri 
river  was  crossed  at  Fort  Union.  The  most  important  engagement 
of  the  period  occurred  at  Cold  Springs,  N.  Dak.,  where  six  thou- 
sand warriors   of  the   Sioux  tribe  attacked  four   thousand   Union 


774  HISTORY  OF  YOLO  COUNTY 

soldiers.  The  battle  was  fought  fiercely  for  three  hours  and  then 
the  savages  retreated  into  the  mountain  fastnesses,  leaving  five 
hundred  dead  and  wounded.  While  only  twelve  Union  men  were 
killed,  a  large  number  received  serious  wounds. 

After  having  piled  in  one  immense  mound  the  dead  of  the 
enemy,  including  even  their  ponies  and  their  dogs,  the  Federal 
soldiers  marched  to  the  Bad  Lands  and  engaged  in  scouting  in 
that  region.  Later  they  were  ordered  to  Fort  Ridgely,  Nicollet 
county,  Minn.,  a  short  distance  northwest  of  St.  Peter,  on  the 
Minnesota  river.  In  the  spring  of  the  following  year  they  were 
returned  to  Sioux  City.  During  the  summer  they  engaged  in 
scouting  in  the  Red  River  valley  and  around  Devil's  Lake.  Next 
they  were  stationed  at  Fort  Snelling  and  from  there  went  to 
Fort  Randall,  where  Mr.  Eddy  was  detailed  as  quartermaster  in 
charge  of  all  the  supplies.  During  the  winter  the  regiment  was 
stationed  at  Sioux  City  and  in  the  spring  of  1866  they  were  or- 
dered to  Fort  Snelling,  where  in  May  they  received  an  honorable 
discharge.  One  of  the  most  serious  attacks  made  by  the  Indians 
during  this  period  was  the  Blue  Earth  massacre,  where  many 
white  settlers  were  murdered  and  the  entire  community  plundered. 
For  these  depredations  thirty-nine  Indians  afterward  were  hung. 

Minnesota  remained  the  home  of  Mr.  Eddy  from  1853  to 
1867  and  he  then  removed  to  Kansas,  where  he  took  up  govern- 
ment land  in  Douglas  county.  For  a  time  he  was  prospered  in  his 
farming  ventures  and  he  laid  the  foundation  of  a  subsequent  suc- 
cess, but  ill  fortune  intervened  and  brought  to  naught  all  of  his 
labors.  The  grasshoppers  laid  waste  the  fields  of  grain,  robbed 
the  trees  of  their  leaves  and  the  gardens  of  their  vegetation,  left 
the  pastures  and  meadows  brown  and  bare,  and  even  ate  the  bark 
of  the  trees.  Nothing  was  left  for  farmers  or  for  their  stock,  so 
Mr.  Eddy  gave  up  his  land,  abandoned  the  stock  and  started  to  find 
a  more  desirable  location.  This  naturally  brought  him  to  Cali- 
fornia and  in  1875  he  became  a  resident  of  Yolo  county.  For  some 
time  he  engaged  in  the  livery  business  at  "Woodland,  but  after  the 
death  of  his  wife  and  after  he  himself  had  accidentally  suffered 
a  severe  injury  resulting  in  a  broken  hip-bone,  he  gave  up  all 
business  activities.  Never  active  in  politics,  he  was  inclined  to  be 
independent  in  his  opinions,  although  he  cast  his  first  ballot  for 
Abraham  Lincoln  and  inclined  toward  Republican  principles. 

While  living  in  Minnesota  occurred  the  marriage  of  Mr.  Eddy 
to  Mrs.  Christina  Smith,  a  widow,  who  was  born  in  Indiana  and 
who  died  in  California  in  April,  1909.  They  became  the  parents 
of  six  children,  of  whom  Charles  died  at  an  early  age.  The  only 
daughter,  Mattie  J.,  is  the  wife  of  T.  L.  Dryden  and  the  mother 
of  three  (laughters,  Marie,  Hazel  and  Babe.    The  eldest  son,  Hiram 


HISTORY  OF  YOLO  COUNTY  775 

G.,  married  Elizabeth  Holmes,  and  both  are  now  deceased;  they 
were  the  parents  of  five  children,  Ernest,  Granville  (deceased), 
Harold,  George  (deceased)  and  Christina.  The  second  son,  Frank- 
lyn  J.,  married  Lucy  Sturtevant  and  they  are  the  parents  of  three 
children,  Charles,  Hazel  and  Mabel.  The  third  son,  Herbert,  chose 
as  his  wife  Miss  Flora  Gary,  and  their  family  comprises  three 
daughters,  Ida,  Martha  and  Flora.  The  youngest  son,  Lyman  A., 
married  Miss  Leona  White  and  has  two  children  by  the  union, 
Clyde  and  Velda.  For  some  years  he  has  owned  and  operated  a 
livery  barn  at  Capay  and  in  this  stable  he  keeps  a  full  equipment 
of  teams  and  buggies,  besides  having  two  automobiles  for  passen- 
ger traffic  between  Capay  and  Woodland. 


ISAAC  FISHER 

The  life  which  this  narrative  delineates  began  in  Lebauon 
county,  Pa.,  March  4,  1829,  and  closed  in  Yolo  county,  Cal.,  April 
4,  1908.  The  intervening  period  of  seventy-nine  years  represented 
an  era  of  great  activity  and  large  accomplishments.  The  greater 
portion  of  the  eventful  existence  was  identified  with  California, 
and  the  sturdy  pioneer  who  had  crossed  the  plains  from  Indiana 
as  early  as  1853  formed  one  of  that  intelligent  and  industrious 
group  of  farmers  to  whose  foresight  may  be  attributed  the  first 
agricultural  development  of  the  great  commonwealth.  In  no  par- 
ticular was  his  shrewd,  keen  judgment  more  in  direct  evidence 
than  when  he  expressed  himself  as  favoring  irrigation  and  the 
consequent  dividing  up  of  the  large  ranches  into  small  fruit  farms, 
thereby  securing  large  returns  from  the  fertile  soil  of  the  valley. 
Many  opposed  his  theories  concerning  irrigation,  holding  that  the 
presence  of  the  ditches  would  injure  the  appearance  of  the  ranches 
and,  more  serious  still,  would  cut  up  the  land  in  a  way  that  would 
render  cultivation  a  tedious  and  difficult  task.  The  history  of  later 
years  testifies  as  to  the  correctness  of  his  opinion.  In  other  re- 
spects he  was  ahead  of  his  times  and  viewed  his  county  and  com- 
monwealth with  the  progressive  vision  more  characteristic  of  the 
twentieth  century  than  of  his  own  period  of  activity. 

The  genealogical  records  of  the  Fisher  family  indicate  their 
early  association  with  Pennsylvania,  hut  about  1836  Henry  and 
Magdalena  (Snavley)  Fisher  took  their  family  to  the  newer 
country  of  Indiana,  where  the  father,  who  was  a  farmer  by  occu- 
pation and  a  miller  by  trade,  settled  at  South  Bend  and  became 
interested  in  the  manufacture  of  woolens.     During  1858,  more  than 


776  HISTORY  OF  YOLO  COUNTY 

twenty  years  after  his  settlement  in  a  frontier  Indiana  town,  lie 
started  on  another  trip  toward  the  further  west,  having  decided 
to  accompany  a  son,  John  H.,  to  California,  whither  another  son, 
Isaac,  had  preceded  them.  While  on  the  plains  he  fell  ill,  and  three 
weeks  after  his  arrival  in  California  he  died  at  the  home  of  his 
son,  Isaac,  at  the  age  of  sixty-three  years. 

Subsequent  to  the  removal  of  the  family  to  Indiana  attend- 
ance at  school  and  work  in  the  woolen  mills  occupied  the  attention 
of  Isaac  Fisher  until  he  became  self-supporting,  after  which  he 
found  employment  as  a  farm  laborer  and  as  an  assistant  in  tan- 
neries, besides  occasionally  working  in  the  woolen  mills.  However, 
his  decision  early  was  made  to  come  to  the  then  unknown  west 
and  as  soon  as  practicable  he  started  on  the  trip.  It  was  during 
March  of  1853  when  he  with  a  number  of  companions  left  South 
Bend  for  California  via  Council  Bluffs,  Salt  Lake  City  and  the 
Carson  route.  The  journey,  which  was  made  with  horse  teams, 
came  to  an  end  in  Sacramento  September  19,  after  which  Mr. 
Fisher  found  employment  at  odd  jobs  for  a  time  and  in  the  mines 
for  a  few  months.  Coming  next  to  Yolo  county, .  he  settled  on  a 
claim,  which  his  widow  still  owns,  this  now  being  a  very  valuable 
and  productive  tract.  With  the  arrival  of  his  brother  in  1858  the 
two  bought  a  squatter's  title  to  three  hundred  and  twenty  acres 
and  engaged  in  its  cultivation,  but  in  1859  Mr.  Fisher  dissolved 
partnership  with  his  brother  and  thereafter  was  the  owner  of  one 
hundred  and  sixty  acres.  When  the  irrigation  ditch  was  completed 
he  devoted  the  ranch  to  alfalfa  and  erected  substantial  farm  build- 
ings. To  show  what  he  accomplished  it  may  be  stated  that  during 
1886  he  raised  five  tons  of  alfalfa  seed  from  twenty-five  acres  and 
sold  the  same  at  twelve  cents  a  pound.  For  years  he  made  of  his 
ranch  one  of  the  most  remunerative  properties  in  the  entire  val- 
ley and  his  success  proves  what  it  is  within  the  power  of  a  capable 
farmer  to  accomplish  on  this  fertile  soil  when  aided  by  satisfac- 
tory irrigation  facilities. 

The  first  marriage  of  Mr.  Fisher  was  solemnized  in  Woodland 
and  united  him  with  Miss  Mary  Cunningham,  who  was  a  native 
of  Ohio  and  died  in  Yolo  county.  Two  daughters  were  born  of 
that  union.  The  elder,  Adella,  Mrs.  Madison  P.  Barnes  of  Sacra- 
mento, is  the  mother  of  two  children,  Jean  and  James  Barnes. 
The  younger,  Edna,  is  the  wife  of  Gardner  Spencer,  of  Alameda, 
and  the  mother  of  two  children,  Marjorie  and  Kenyon.  At  Cache- 
ville,  Yolo  county,  March  16,  1878,  occurred  the  marriage  of  Isaac 
Fisher  and  Miss  Anna  Rhoads,  a  native  of  Anderson,  Madison 
county,  Ind.,  and  a  daughter  of  John  L.  and  Lovina  (Fierce) 
Rhoads,  natives,  respectively,  of  Ohio  and  Virginia.  During  the 
years  of  active  life  Mr.  Rhoads  engaged  in  the  building  business 


HISTORY  OF  YOLO  COUNTY  777 

in  Anderson,  Ind.,  and  there  his  death  occurred  during-  1909  at  the 
age  of  eighty-six  years.  "When  Mrs.  Fisher  was  still  a  small  child 
she  was  bereaved  by  the  death  of  her  mother  in  1858,  after  which 
she  was  taken  into  the  home  of  an  uncle,  Rev.  S.  H.  Rhoads,  a 
minister  in  the  Methodist  Episcopal  Church.  She  was  given  ex- 
cellent advantages  and  is  a  graduate  of  the  high  school  of  Elkhart, 
Ind.  When  her  uncle  became  a  citizen  of  Woodland  during  1875 
she  accompanied  him  to  this  city  and  three  years  later  became  the 
wife  of  Mr.  Fisher.  Since  his  death  she  has  rented  the  alfalfa 
ranch  three  and  one-half  miles  south  of  Woodland  and  has  made 
her  home  in  this  city,  where  she  has  a  large  circle  of  friends,  not 
only  in  the  Methodist  Episcopal  Church,  of  which  she  is  an  ear- 
nest member,  but  among  all  the  people,  irrespective  of  creed  or 
social  rank.  At  the  age  of  twelve  years  she  was  converted  and 
united  with  the  denomination  to  which  she  has  given  a  life  of  de- 
voted, intelligent  service  and  whose  charities  and  missionary 
movements  have  received  the  aid  of  her  practical  helpfulness  and 
generous  contributions.  She  is  the  mother  of  four  children,  three 
of  whom  still  reside  in  Woodland,  while  the  eldest,  Oscar  S.,  makes 
his  home  in  Berkeley.  By  his  marriage  to  Miss  Anna  Stone  he  has 
one  son,  John  F.  The  second  son,  Nile  I.,  who  is  engaged  in  the 
feed  and  fuel  business,  married  Doli  G.  Owens.  Mrs.  Grace  L. 
Epperson  is  the  mother  of  two  children,  Sidney  and  Anna.  The 
youngest  member  of  the  family  circle  is  Chester  H.,  also  a  resident 
of  Woodland. 

From  boyhood  Isaac  Fisher  was  interested  in  public  affairs. 
Frequently  he  would  recount  with  pride  the  story  of  his  partici- 
pation, in  1840,  at  the  age  of  eleven  years,  in  the  raising  of  a  flag- 
pole in  honor  of  William  Henry  Harrison.  When  the  slavery  agi- 
tation first  began  to  interest  the  nation  with  its  dark  forecasts  for 
the  future  he  threw  his*  influence  on  the  side  of  the  Abolitionists 
and  did  all  within  his  power  to  arouse  a  sentiment  against  the 
country's  curse  of  bondage.  Upon  the  organization  of  the  Repub- 
lican party  he  was  one  of  its  original  members  and  from  that  time 
until  his  death  he  never  failed  to  support  its  principles.  Had  there 
been  need  of  his  services  in  the  Civil  war  he  would  have  enlisted 
with  pride,  but  throughout  the  entire  struggle  California  had  more 
than  her  stipulated  quota  of  volunteers  waiting  for  assignment. 
Fraternally  he  held  membership  with  Woodland  Lodge  No.  22, 
A.  O.  U.  W.,  and  also  for  years  belonged  to  the  Independent  Order 
of  Odd  Fellows.  His  death  was  the  occasion  of  many  tributes  of 
praise  on  the  part  of  the  large  circle  of  friends  and  associates 
who  had  witnessed  liis  brave  struggle  to  develop  the  country  and 
had  appreciated  his  far-seeing  discrimination  and  practical  judg- 
ment. 


778  HISTOEY  OF  YOLO  COUNTY 

HAMPTON  E.  ROBERTS 

The  possibilities  open  to  intelligent  and  persistent  application 
are  abundantly  exemplified  in  the  past  successes  and  present  ac- 
tivities of  Hampton  E.  Roberts,  who  solely  through  his  own  exer- 
tions has  risen  to  a  position  of  prominence  in  business  circles. 
When  he  was  ten  years  of  age  he  lost  his  father  by  death  and 
when  he  was  thirteen  he  began  to  be  self-supporting.  With  char- 
acteristic determination  he  devoted  his  evenings  to  study  and  in 
this  way  he  was  able  to  complete  the  course  of  instruction  in 
Pierce's  Business  College,  where  he  acquired  a  systematic  knowl- 
edge of  commercial  affairs  indispensable  to  subsequent  enter- 
prises. Liberal  and  enterprising,  he  ranks  among  the  honored 
and  upright  citizens  of  Woodland  and  is  regarded  as  a  valuable 
element  in  civic  progress. 

The  history  of  the  Roberts  family  indicates  their  association 
with  California  ever  since  the  era  of  gold  discovery.  Shortly 
after  news  was  received  concerning  the  mining  possibilities  of  the 
west  George  Roberts,  a  native  of  Arkansas  and  a  young  man  of 
rugged  health  and  robust  constitution,  crossed  the  plains  with  a 
large  expedition  of  argonauts.  For  him  the  mines  held  little  fas- 
cination and  less  gold,  so  he  soon  turned  his  attention  to  agricul- 
tural pursuits.  The  lands  were  then  raw  and  unimproved,  their 
possibilities  unknown,  but  a  large  market  existed  for  all  that 
could  be  raised.  For  a  long  period  he  conducted  a  grain  and  stock 
farm  near  Silveyville,  in  Solano  county,  but  in  1883  he  retired  from 
ranching  and  settled  in  Woodland,  where  in  1889  he  passed  away 
at  the  age  of  sixty-nine  years.  For  years  after  he  came  to  the 
coast  he  remained  a  bachelor,  but  eventually  he  married  Miss 
Mary  E.  Mennefee,  who  was  born  in  Missouri  and  in  infancy  was 
brought  across  the  plains  during  the  summer  of  1849.  The  journey 
was  made  with  wagons  and  ox-teams.  Many  hardships  were  en- 
countered, but  the  deepest  trouble  came  from  the  illness  and  death 
of  the  father,  Arthur  Mennefee.  The  body  was  buried  on  the 
plains  and  the  family  came  on  to  the  west,  where  they  first  settled 
at  Placerville. 

The  family  of  George  and  Mary  E.  (Mennefee)  Roberts  con- 
sisted of  two  sons,  Albert  and  Hampton  E.,  both  residents  of 
Woodland,  where  their  mother  also  continues  to  make  her  home. 
Hampton  E.  was  born  at  Dixon,  Cal.,  January  28,  1879,  but  his 
earliest  memories  are  associated  with  Woodland,  for  the  family 
removed  to  this  town  when  he  was  still  a  mere  child.  At  the  ago 
of  thirteen  he  secured  employment  as  a  messenger  boy  with  the 
telephone  company  and  as  his  fidelity  received  recognition  he  was 
promoted  from  time  to  time.     By  studying  at  night  he  fitted  him- 


HISTORY  OF  YOLO  COUNTY  779 

self  for  higher  positions.  At  the  age  of  twenty  he  was  made  man- 
ager of  the  Woodland  exchange,  which  at  the  time  comprised  Yolo, 
Colusa  and  Glenn  counties.  The  work  of  reorganization  limited  the 
district  to  Woodland  and  Yolo  county,  of  which  he  now  acts  as 
manager  for  the  Pacific  Telephone  and  Telegraph  Company,  fill- 
ing the  responsible  position  with  the  greatest  energy  and  the  most 
conscientious  devotion.  When  he  entered  the  employ  of  the  com- 
pany there  were  only  thirteen  telephones  in  the  system,  but  he  has 
witnessed  the  gradual  growth  until  there  are  now  eleven  hundred 
telephones  in  this  one  exchange.  Since  1900  he  has  also  served 
as  city  electrician.  His  marriage  took  place  in  Woodland  Jan- 
uary 20,  1912,  and  united  him  with  Miss  Ora  Windsor,  who  was 
born  at  College  City,  Colusa  county. 

The  management  of  the  large  and  important  telephone  sys- 
tem does  not  represent  the  limit  of  the  business  activities  of  Mr. 
Roberts,  who  in  addition  is  interested  in  the  Electric  garage  on 
Main  and  Third  streets,  the  oldest  business  of  its  kind  in  Wood- 
land. Not  only  did  he  assist  in  starting  the  Electric  Garage  Com- 
pany, but  in  addition  he  has  continued  a  partner  up  to  the  present 
time  and  has  assisted  in  the  building  up  of  a  successful  trade.  In 
1912  it  was  incorporated  as  the  Electric  Garage,  of  which  he  is  a 
director,  secretary  and  treasurer.  The  company  acts  as  agent 
for  the  E.  M.  F.  30,  Flanders,  Mitchell,  Maxwell,  Haynes  and 
Rambler,  and  has  recently  erected  a  building  44x190  feet  in  dimen- 
sions, containing  all  modern  equipments,  including  a  machine  shop 
with  vidcanizing  and  electric-charging  apparatus.  While  his  time 
is  closely  filled  with  business  affairs,  Mr.  Roberts  finds  leisure  for 
intelligent  study  of  political  questions  and  at  national  elections 
he  votes  the  Democratic  ticket.  Besides  being  a  member  of  Wood- 
land Lodge  No.  Ill,  I.  O.  O.  F.,  and  the  encampment,  he  was  made 
a  Mason  in  Woodland  Lodge  No.  156,  F.  &  A.  M.,  and  has  been  a 
leading  member  and  active  worker  in  both  organizations. 


LORENZ  HEINZ 

An  example  of  fortitude  amid  discouragements  is  afforded 
by  the  career  of  the  late  Lorenz  Heinz.  The  pathway  of  his  early 
years  was  rugged  and  thorn-strewn.  Had  he  been  easily  depressed 
the  weary  obstacles  between  him  and  success  would  have  daunted 
liis  courage.  With  a  youth's  bright  hope  for  the  future  he  had 
come  to  the  new  world,  only  to  find  little  to  encourage  him  in  his 
early  prospects.     Still  optimistic  of  the  future,  he  had  sought  the 


780  HISTORY  OF  YOLO  COUNTY 

far  west  and  here  he  found  employment  difficult  to  secure,  wages 
sometimes  held  back  from  him  and  eventually,  when  he  had  accumu- 
lated a  little  capital  by  the  most  arduous  exertion,  the  bank  failed 
in  which  he  had  deposited  his  precious  earnings.  Notwithstand- 
ing these  hardships  and  many  other  discouraging  circumstances, 
he  exhibited  a  tireless  patience  and  an  unflagging  perseverance 
and  in  the  end  he  worked  his  way  out  of  difficulties  into  inde- 
pendence. 

The  life  which  this  narrative  presents  had  its  beginning  in 
the  kingdom  of  Wurtemberg,  Germany,  January  9,  1828,  in  the 
home  of  Franz  and  Margaret  Heinz,  natives  of  Germany.  The 
father  was  a  blacksmith,  and  it  was  natural  that  the  son  should 
learn  the  same  occupation  under  the  skilled  training  of  the  other. 
The  fact  that  he  was  the  only  son  in  the  family  and  that  the  father 
was  more  than  sixty  years  of  age  exempted  him  from  military 
service  for  his  native  land.  During  1849  he  took  passage  on  the 
vessel,  Havre,  which  covered  the  route  from  France  to  America 
in  thirty-six  days,  a  fast  voyage  for  that  period  of  history.  The 
ship  cast  anchor  in  the  harbor  of  New  York  and  the  young  immi- 
grant in  a  short  time  proceeded  to  Philadelphia,  going  from  that 
city  to  Chester  county,  Pa.,  where  he  entered  the  employ  of  Rob- 
ert Brown,  a  farmer.  His  wages  for  one  year  amounted  to  $87 
and  board.  Next  he  was  employed  as  a  blacksmith  and  boiler- 
maker  in  Philadelphia. 

During  the  autumn  of  1852  Lorenz  Heinz  sailed  from  New 
York  City  on  the  vessel  Uncle  Sam,  bound  for  the  Isthmus  of  Pan- 
ama. After  he  had  crossed  to  the  Pacific  side  of  the  isthmus  he 
boarded  the  ship  Cortez,  which  cast  its  anchor  in  the  harbor  of 
San  Francisco  January  6,  1853.  The  western  metropolis  presented 
a  strange  appearance  to  his  inexperienced  eyes.  A  motley  throng 
of  emigrants  from  all  parts  of  the  world  formed  its  leading  in- 
habitants. Many  lived  in  tents,  although  the  process  of  permanent 
building  was  well  begun.  The  young  German  was  entirely  friend- 
less and  none  too  familiar  with  the  English  language,  so  that  he 
worked  under  a  great  disadvantage  in  his  efforts  to  secure  em- 
ployment. As  he  paid  $13  per  week  for  board  his  scanty  savings 
became  reduced  so  rapidly  that  he  was  practically  penniless  when 
at  the  expiration  of  a  month  he  finally  found  work.  The  new  position, 
which  paid  $5  per  day,  took  him  into  a  factory  where  iron  doors 
and  shutters  were  made,  and  he  continued  for  a  month,  when  he 
resigned  to  accompany  an  expedition  to  Australia.  Scarcely  had 
he  resigned  the  position  when  the  trip  was  abandoned  and  he  was 
left  again  without  employment. 

Seeing  no  favorable  opening  in  the  city,  Mr.  Heinz  went  to 
Sacramento    and   from   there    started   via    steamer   for   the    mines 


HISTORY  OF  YOLO  COUNTY  781 

near  Colusa,  but  in  the  course  of  the  voyage  the  vessel  broke  a 
shaft  and  a  delay  was  occasioned.  While  awaiting  the  completion 
of  the  repairs,  Mr.  Heinz  became  acquainted  with  a  number  of 
miners  returning  from  the  mines  and  they  gave  such  discouraging 
reports  of  conditions  there  that  he  abandoned  all  thought  of  going- 
farther.  Returning  to  Sacramento,  he  took  up  the  weary  search 
for  work.  Finally  he  was  engaged  by  Wallace  Barnes,  who  agreed 
to  pay  him  $50  per  month,  but  after  he  had  given  his  best  efforts 
for  his  employer  for  six  months  he  was  left  without  a  penny  of 
pay.  His  next  position  did  not  result  so  disastrously,  but  was 
of  brief  duration,  being  a  temporary  post  with  a  concern  that 
manufactured  iron  doors  and  shutters.  Next  he  worked  in  the 
Muldrow  vegetable  gardens  and  then  entered  the  employ  of  Rad- 
cliff  &  Co.,  of  Sacramento. 

Having  saved  $400  by  1854,  Mr.  Heinz  deposited  the  money 
in  a  Sacramento  bank  and  started  for  the  mines  at  Iowa  Hill. 
During  the  spring  of  1855  he  went  back  to  Sacramento,  only  to 
find  the  bank  closed  and  his  earnings  lost.  With  these  discourage- 
ments to  depress  him,  he  looked  for  a  new  location,  where  he 
might  retrieve  his  losses.  Coming  to  Yolo  county,  he  hired  to 
Alexander  Manor  and  worked  for  various  ranchers  until  the  fall 
of  1860,  when  he  settled  on  a  half-section  of  land  six  miles  north- 
west of  Davis,  having  obtained  the  land  of  a  squatter  for  $800. 
Later  he  bought  the  land  with  school  warrants  of  the  state  of 
California.  Starting  with  sheep,  he  afterward  became  interested 
in  other  lines  of  agriculture.  Little  by  little  success  came  to  him. 
The  ranch  was  improved  with  substantial  barns  and  a  neat  house. 
Shade  trees  gave  beauty  to  the  landscape  and  fruit  trees  proved 
a  source  of  profit.  From  year  to  year  improvements  were  made 
as  the  means  of  the  owner  permitted.  Gradually  the  ranch  took 
rank  among  the  best-improved  places  of  the  community.  This 
result  was  due  to  the  early  pioneer  efforts  of  the  owner,  seconded 
by  the  wise  management  of  the  present  proprietor,  A.  J.  Heinz, 
youngest  son  of  the  original  upbuilder  of  the  property. 

The  first  marriage  of  Mr.  Heinz  took  place  in  December,  1862, 
and  united  him  with  Caroline  Weimer,  by  whom  he  had  two  sons, 
Charles  and  Theodore.  On  February  25,  1871,  Mr.  Heinz  married 
Miss  Lucia  Hlsobe  Kuehnel,  a  native  of  Husum,  Schleswig-Hol- 
stein,  Germany,  born  September  28,  1839.  In  1870  she  came  to 
California  and  the  following  February  she  was  married.  Mrs. 
Heinz  was  a  noble  woman  and  her  exemplary  life  furnishes  an 
example  that  no  woman  can  study  without  benefit  to  herself  and 
help  to  those  with  whom  she  associates.  She  was  true  in  all  of  the 
relations  of  life,  a  good  neighbor,  a  loyal  friend,  a  devoted  wife 
and  mother,   an   ardent   and   loyal  Christian,   and   her   death   was 


782  HISTORY  OF  YOLO  COUNTY 

profoundly  mourned  by  a  wide  circle  of  friends.  She  passed  from 
earth  March  29,  1901,"  after  a  happy  wedded  life  of  thirty  years. 
Just  three  years  later,  March  28,  1904,  Mr.  Heinz  also  entered  into 
eternal  rest,  mourned  by  a  large  circle  of  friends,  who  united  in 
bearing  testimony  to  his  courage  in  the  midst  of  difficulties  and 
his  perseverance  in  the  routine  of  farm  work.  Mr.  Heinz'  honesty 
was  joined  with  the  still  nobler  qualities  and  principles.  He  was 
not  only  honest,  but  just  and  generous.  It  was  known  that  at  one 
time  he  paid  out  of  his  own  pocket  hundreds  of  dollars  given  vol- 
untarily and  without  other  influence  or  obligation  than  his  recog- 
nition of  the  Golden  Rule.  What  he  was  to  his  neighbors  can  be 
best  stated  by  the  estimate  one  gave  him  when  he  said,  "A  better 
neighbor  never  lived."  Surviving  Mr.  Heinz  are  the  three  chil- 
dren of  his  second  marriage,  the  son,  August  J.,  previously  men- 
tioned as  the  present  capable  manager  of  the  old  homestead,  and 
the  two  daughters,  one  of  whom,  Julia,  is  the  wife  of  L.  J.  Cassel, 
while  the  other,  Miss  Lucia  Heinz,  an  artist  of  prominence,  has 
her  studio  in  San  Francisco.  The  old  Heinz  ranch  comprises 
three  hundred  and  thirty-seven  acres  and  is  given  over  particu- 
larly to  grain,  alfalfa  and  stock  raising.  August  J.  Heinz  was 
born  on  the  place  October  10,  1875,  and  was  educated  in  the  public 
schools  and  Hesperian  College. 


HENRY  McNEILL 

The  first  excitement  caused  by  the  discovery  of  gold  in  Cali- 
fornia had  subsided  and  the  tide  of  emigration  had  passed  its 
flood  when  the  McNeill  family  left  their  Illinois  home  for  the  un- 
developed regions  of  the  vast  western  portion  of  our  country. 
There  were  not  wanting,  however,  thousands  of  emigrants  to  pur- 
sue the  popular  route  of  overland  travel  and  in  their  own  party 
were  a  goodly  number  of  resolute  pioneers  intent  upon  reaching 
the  distant  land  of  their  opportunity.  With  the  expedition  there 
was  a  lad  in  his  fourteenth  year,  Henry  McNeill,  who  with  the 
fearless  nature  of  youth  saw  much  to  enjoy  and  nothing  to  dis- 
courage or  depress  in  this  move  from  the  old  friends  and  the 
former  associations  of  his  parents,  William  H.  and  Christina  Mc- 
Neill. With  the  heritage  of  Scotch  and  Irish  blood  they  were  the 
inheritors  of  the  energy,  thrift  and  shrewd  judgment  character- 
istic of  that  race  and  these  qualities  aided  them  in  their  efforts 
to  earn  a  livelihood  in  the  west. 

The  native  place  of  Henry  McNeill  was  in  the  vicinity  of  Chi- 


HISTORY  OF  YOLO  COUNTY  783 

cago,  111.,  and  the  date  of  his  birth  was  August  16,  1840.  When 
he  was  in  his  fourteenth  year,  in  1854,  he  crossed  the  plains  and 
afterward  he  had  little  opportunity  to  attend  school,  it  being  neces- 
sary for  him  to  earn  his  own  way  in  the  world.  The  first  western 
location  of  the  family  was  at  Bay  Point,  Contra  Costa  county, 
whence  they  went  to  Oregon,  but  in  a  short  time  returned  to  Cali- 
fornia and  bought  one  hundred  and  sixty  acres  of  land  near 
Plainfield,  Yolo  county.  The  parents  spent  their  declining  days 
in  Lake  county,  this  state,  where  they  died  at  advanced  ages.  When 
it  was  possible  for  Henry  McNeill  to  acquire  land  of  his  own  he 
bought  six  hundred  and  forty  acres  seven  miles  southwest  of 
Woodland  and  there  for  many  years  he  carried  forward  agricul- 
tural pursuits  with  considerable  success. 

In  order  that  his  children  might  enjoy  good  educational  advan- 
tages Henry  McNeill  removed  from  the  ranch  into  the  village  of 
Woodland  and  bought  a  house  on  West  Main  street.  Surround- 
ing the  residence  were  three  acres  suited  for  gardening  purposes, 
and  thus  he  found  abundant  opportunity  to  gratify  his  fondness 
for  work.  Six  of  his  children  attended  the  Catholic  convent  and 
all  were  given  the  best  possible  advantages  in  order  that  they  might 
be  prepared  for  life's  responsibilities.  At  his  town  residence  his 
death  occurred  February  14,  1898.  Many  tributes  of  sympathy 
were  conveyed  to  the  wife  and  children.  There  was  universal  ex- 
pression of  an  appreciative  sense  of  his  labors  as  a  pioneer  and  a 
regard  for  his  honesty  as  a  man,  his  patriotism  as  a  citizen  and 
his  sagacity  as  a  farmer.  His  wife  still  survives  him  and  resides 
in  the  city  home.  She  was  formerly  Miss  Julia  Finegan,  a  native 
of  Ireland,  who  upon  coming  to  this  country  landed  in  New  York 
City.  In  1856  she  came  across  the  Isthmus  of  Panama  with  a  sis- 
ter to  San  Francisco,  where  they  had  two  sisters  living.  The  mar- 
riage of  Mr.  and  Mrs.  McNeill  occurred  in  San  Francisco  July  10, 
1862,  and  they  became  the  parents  of  eight  children:  Henry  W., 
of  Woodland;  Frank,  who  died  in  early  life;  James  P.,  manager 
of  the  home  ranch;  Julia  Christine,  who  married  Hiram  Billiard, 
of  Woodland;  Margaret  May,  Mrs.  Burtt,  of  Woodland;  Frederick 
Charles,  of  Woodland;  D.  Byron,  of  Antioch,  and  Mary  Florence, 
who  became  the  wife  of  George  Herrington,  and  resides  in  Wood- 
land. All  of  the  boys  attended  St.  Mary's  College,  where  they 
finished  their  educations.  The  ranch,  still  owned  by  the  wife  and 
mother,  is  under  the  capable  supervision  of  James  P.  McNeill, 
who  was  born  near  Antioch,  Contra  Costa  county,  this  state,  and 
received  excellent  educational  training  in  the  public  schools,  Hes- 
perian College  at  Woodland  and  St.  Mary's  College  of  San  Fran- 
cisco, now  of  Oakland.  The  same  wise  lines  of  agriculture  followed 
by  the  father  are  utilized  in  the  ranching  operations  of  the  son,  who 


784  HISTORY  OF  YOLO  COUNTY 

further  with  a  growing  appreciation  of  the  value  of  the  stock  in- 
dustry is  raising  the  best  grades  of  stock  on  the  farm.  One  of  his 
specialties  is  the  raising  of  horses  and  mules;  another  specialty  is 
his  flock  of  six  hundred  sheep  headed  by  an  animal  for  which  re- 
cently he  paid  $50  and  which  is  a  pure-bred  Merino  with  the  ideal 
markings  of  that  popular  breed. 


WILLIAM  ALEXANDER  PORTER 

Notwithstanding  business  interests  that  have  required  his  pres- 
ence elsewhere  during  recent  years,  Mr.  Porter  is  still  bound  to 
Yolo  county  by  the  ties  of  a  long  residence  here  and  by  the  intimate 
friendships  that  form  the  silken  thread  in  the  web  of  life.  Patriotic 
devotion  to  the  welfare  of  the  county  naturally  characterizes  one 
who  claims  it  as  his  native  place  and  whose  father  belonged  to  its 
splendid  band  of  pioneers,  men  of  sturdy  fearlessness,  bone  and 
sinew  of  the  original  development  of  California.  To  that  pioneer, 
Adelbert  Deloss  Porter,  late  of  Woodland,  appropriate  reference  is 
made  elsewhere  in  this  volume.  Suffice  it  to  say  in  this  connection 
that  he  left  to  his  descendants  the  heritage  of  an  honorable  career 
upon  civilization's  last  frontier. 

While  the  family  home  was  in  the  vicinity  of  Black's  Station, 
Yolo  county,  the  birth  of  William  Alexander  Porter  occurred  De- 
cember 2,  1867,  but  from  the  age  of  two  years  until  about  1905  he 
lived  in  Woodland  and  its  schools  gave  to  him  the  rudimentary  ad- 
vantages that  lie  at  the  basis  of  all  true  education.  From  the  local 
schools  he  was  sent  to  the  high  school  of  Oakland  and  with  a  course 
of  study  in  that  institution  his  school  attendance  was  brought  to  a 
close.  Inherited  ability  for  business  pursuits  as  well  as  a  natural 
aptitude  for  financial  affairs  have  characterized  his  subsequent  his- 
tory. Beginning  to  fill  a  clerical  position  with  the  Bank  of  Yolo 
in  1885,  he  soon  rose  to  a  position  of  importance  in  that  concern, 
where  his  accuracy  as  an  accountant  paved  the  way  to  other  respon- 
sibilities and  trusts.  For  twenty  years  he  continued  with  the  bank, 
meanwhile  winning  the  confidence  of  a  large  list  of  depositors  and 
gaining  a  reputation  for  tact,  a  conservative  policy  in  financial  en- 
terprises and  an  almost  unerring  judgment  in  loans  and  discounts. 

A  long  identification  with  the  financial  concern  was  terminated 
with  the  resignation  of  Mr.  Porter  in  1905,  at  which  time  he  engaged 
in  the  real  estate  business  in  Berkeley  and  formed  a  partnership 
with  W.  R.  Laugenour  under  the  firm  title  of  Laugenour  &  Porter. 
The  connection  continued  for  about  four  years  and  then  Mr.  Porter 


HISTORY  OF  YOLO  COUNTY  785 

carried  on  the  same  business  alone  until  January  of  1911,  when  the 
present  firm  of  Knowles  &  Porter  was  established,  the  senior  mem- 
ber of  which  is  George  R.  Knowles.  The  firm  has  its  offices  at  No. 
2184  Shattuck  avenue,  Berkeley,  and  carries  on  a  general  real  estate 
business,  also  makes  loans,  places  insurance  and  engages  in  the 
building  of  residences  for  sale.  The  investments  and  interests  of 
the  firm  associate  them  intimately  with  the  territory  contiguous  to 
the  San  Francisco  bay,  but  particularly  with  that  portion  thereof 
adjacent  to  Berkeley.  In  addition  to  these  interests  Mr.  Porter 
has  invested  heavily  in  lands  in  Sonora,  Mexico.  The  location  of  the 
property  offers  excellent  advantages  for  the  stock  industry,  and 
accordingly  he  has  placed  a  large  herd  of  stock  on  the  ranch,  the 
whole  being  under  the  care  of  resident  persons.  Since  the  death  of 
their  father  he  and  his  brother,  H.  D.,  have  been  retained  as  adminis- 
trators of  the  estate,  and  in  addition  he  is  a  stockholder  in  the  Yolo 
County  Savings  Bank.  The  various  interests  of  a  business  nature 
which  he  retains  in  Yolo  county  make  necessary  occasional  trips  to 
the  old  home  and  thus  afford  him  an  opportunity  to  keep  in  intimate 
touch  with  every  phase  of  local  upbuilding  and  also  to  visit  those 
to  whom  he  is  bound  by  the  ties  of  lifelong  friendship. 

The  marriage  of  Mr.  Porter  took  place  in  Woodland  August 
15,  1892,  and  united  him  with  Miss  Kathryn  Stephens,  daughter  of 
J.  J.  Stephens,  of  whom  mention  appears  on  another  page  of  this 
work.  The  distinction  belongs  to  Mrs.  Porter  of  being  a  native 
daughter  of  Yolo  county,  for  her  birth  occurred  at  Madison.  To 
some  extent  she  was  also  educated  in  this  county,  although  she  en- 
joyed the  further  advantage  of  a  complete  course  of  study  at  Mills 
College  and  is  a  graduate  of  that  famous  institution  of  learning. 
One  daughter,  Dorothy  Nell,  has  blessed  their  union.  To  aid  move- 
ments for  the  advancement  of  the  city  Mr.  Porter  considered  it  to  be 
a  privilege  during  the  long  period  of  his  identification  with  the  citi- 
zenship of  Woodland.  Perhaps  no  measure  enlisted  his  sympathy 
to  a  greater  degree  than  that  relative  to  the  building  of  a  library. 
With  other  public-spirited  men,  he  promoted  the  movement  from 
which  finally  resulted  the  present  Carnegie  library  building,  and  for 
ten  years  he  had  the  honor  of  serving  as  secretary  of  the  Woodland 
public  library.  To  others  the  influence  of  his  efforts  to  promote  the 
library  served  as  an  incentive  to  aid  in  this  progressive  project,  and 
the  fact  that  Woodland  now  boasts  a  building  as  substantial  in  con- 
struction as  many  towns  much  larger  in  size  may  be  attributed  to 
the  efforts  of  such  men  as  Mr.  Porter,  who  likewise  gave  personal 
attention  to  the  securing  of  the  best  class  of  reading  matter  for  the 
libary  and  to  the  maintenance  of  a  magazine  and  newspaper  depart- 
ment free  of  access  to  all  residents  and  to  visitors.  His  interest 
in  Woodland  and  Yolo  county  had  in  it  no  flavor  of  politics,  for  he 


786  HISTORY  OF  YOLO  COUNTY 

is  not  a  politician  in  any  sense  of  that  word,  and  both  in  his  former 
place  of  residence  and  at  Berkeley  he  has  refrained  from  partici- 
pation in  public  affairs  except  from  the  standpoint  of  a  loyal  citi- 
zen, impartial  in  spirit  and  independent  in  thought. 


AUGUST  WILKENDORF 

Three  continents  gave  a  home  to  Mr.  Wilkendorf  at  different 
periods  of  his  life,  Europe  having  formed  the  environment  of  his 
earliest  memories,  while  Australia  afforded  him  a  livelihood  during 
early  manhood  and  America  was  the  scene  of  his  latest  and  most  suc- 
cessful efforts.  In  his  native  land  of  Prussia  he  had  attended  the 
German  schools  and  learned  the  shoemaker's  trade,  but  when  the 
time  came  for  him  to  make  his  own  way  in  the  world  he  decided  to 
go  to  Australia.  The  mines  of  that  country  were  his  first  place  of 
employment,  but  no  special  good  fortune  rewarded  his  labors,  and  in 
a  short  time  he  turned  his  attention  to  the  butcher's  trade,  which 
he  followed  in  the  city  of  Melbourne.  Meanwhile  having  heard  of 
the  progress  of  the  Civil  war  in  the  United  States,  he  determined 
to  come  hither  and  enlist  as  a  soldier,  but  when  at  the  end  of  a  long- 
but  uneventful  voyage  he  landed  at  the  port  of  San  Francisco  he 
found  the  struggle  so  near  a  close  that  recruits  were  not  enrolled. 
It  was  then  the  latter  ji>art  of  1864,  but  a  few  months  before  the  end 
of  the  Rebellion.  When  he  found  that  he  must  abandon  all  hope  of 
service  as  a  soldier  he  turned  his  attention  to  mining  and  for  a 
time  worked  in  the  quicksilver  mines  at  Knoxville  in  Napa  county. 

Coming  to  Yolo  in  1868,  Mr.  Wilkendorf  bought  a  raw  tract  of 
one  hundred  and  sixty  acres  situated  six  miles  southwest  of  Wood- 
land. From  that  time  until  his  death  in  August  of  1889  he  devoted 
his  attention  undividedly  to  the  improvement  of  the  property,  which 
he  increased  by  subsequent  purchases  until  it  embraced  four  hun- 
dred and  eighty  acres.  To  this  ranch  in  1869  he  brought  his  bride, 
who  was  Miss  Margaret  Klipple,  a  native  of  Germany  and  a  woman 
of  industrious  disposition,  energetic  and  capable,  devoted  to  her 
family  aud  her  home  and  of  great  assistance  to  her  husband  in  his 
efforts  to  secure  a  competency.  They  were  the  parents  of  six  chil- 
dren, namely:  Mrs.  Bertha  Hucke,  Herman  A.,  Mrs.  Agnes  Clover, 
Frederick  A.,  Otto  F.  and  George  I.  After  becoming  a  citizen  of 
California  Mr.  Wilkendorf  gave  his  support  to  all  movements  for 
its  advancement  and  proved  himself  to  be  loyal  and  patriotic.  Fra- 
ternally he  held  membership  with  the  Order  of  Chosen  Friends  and 
the  Ancient  Order  of  United  Workmen. 


HISTORY  OF  YOLO  COUNTY  787 

Since  the  death  of  this  old  resident  of  Yolo  county  two  of  his 
sons,  Herman  A.  and  Otto  F.,  have  together  carried  on  the  old 
homestead,  and  in  addition  they  have  entered  upon  the  care  of  other 
lands,  so  that  at  this  writing  they  have  twenty-six  hundred  acres  of 
tillable  land  under  their  supervision.  The  old  homestead  is  being 
developed  into  a  stock  ranch,  with  dairying  as  a  special  industry 
and  alfalfa  as  the  principal  feed  for  the  cows,  twenty-five  in  number. 
Fifty  head  of  mules  are  kept,  many  of  these  being  necessary  to  the 
care  of  the  land  and  the  harvesting  of  the  crops.  Modern  machinery 
adds  to  the  equipment  of  the  ranch  and  reduces  the  number  of  hired 
hands  necessary  to  the  place.  Hence  they  use  a  sixty  horse-power 
traction  engine  for  all  farm  purposes,  as  well  as  gathering  the  crop 
with  a  combined  harvester.  Both  of  the  brothers  are  excellent 
judges  of  stock  and  thorough  believers  in  the  value  of  stock  raising 
as  the  leading  occupation  for  landowners,  their  opinion  being  that 
the  carrying  of  stock  not  only  keeps  the  land  in  better  order,  but 
also  brings  enlarged  returns  in  the  direct  receipts  from  the  sale  of 
the  increase.  They  have  devoted  their  time  so  unreservedly  to  the 
management  of  the  large  area  under  their  charge  that  they  have 
had  little  leisure  to  participate  in  local  enterprises  or  public  affairs, 
but  they  are  highly  honored  socially  and  the  older  brother  is  also 
prominent  in  the  order  of  the  Herman  Sons,  besides  being  a  mem- 
ber of  all  the  branches  of  the  Independent  Order  of  Odd  Fellows. 


JOHN  T.  RODGERS 

An  important  factor  in  the  management  of  the  University 
state  farm  is  Mr.  Rodgers,  who  holds  the  responsible  position  of 
farm  foreman,  having  charge  of  all  outside  work  in  connection  with 
the  institution.  He  is  a  native  of  California,  his  birth  having  oc- 
curred in  Davis,  Yolo  county,  September  25,  1879.  His  parents, 
Byron  H.  and  Mary  (Rowan)  Rodgers,  were  natives  of  Ireland 
and  immigrated  to  California  in  the  early  '60s,  settling  in  Yolo 
county,  where,  July  1,  1909,  Mr.  Rodgers  passed  away.  The  fol- 
lowing children  were  born  into  the  home:  Edward,  who  resides 
in  Sacramento;  William,  Byron,  Loretta,  Virgie  and  John. 

John  T.  Rodgers  received  his  education  in  the  public  schools 
of  Davis  and  afterward  worked  for  William  0.  Russell.  Subse- 
quently he  took  up  farming  on  rented  land,  raising  grain,  and  fol- 
lowing this  he  worked  on  the  M.  V.  Sparks  ranch,  which  is  now 
the  University  state  farm.  When  it  was  purchased  by  the  state 
in  September,  1906,  he  took  the  position  of  farm  foreman  and  has 


788  HISTORY  OF  YOLO  COUNTY 

held  it  ever  since.  The  judicious  management  of  his  department 
has  resulted  in  a  marked  improvement  in  the  appearance  of  the 
grounds,  which  call  forth  the  admiration  of  all  who  visit  them,  and 
his  capabilities  are  thoroughly  appreciated  by  the  faculty  and  by 
the   public   in   general. 

June  21,  1911,  Mr.  Eodgers  was  united  in  marriage  with  Miss 
Bertha  Rowe,  also  a  native  of  California,  and  whose  father,  John 
Rowe,  was  born  in  Iowa,  moving  west  in  an  early  period.  Fra- 
ternally Mr.  Rodgers  is  a  member  of  Golden  Seal  Lodge  No.  110, 
K.  of  P.,  at  Davis.  He  is  known  throughout  his  native  community 
as  a  public-spirited  and  energetic  young  citizen. 


ALBERT  J.  PLANT 

Formerly  prominent  in  business  circles  of  Davis,  Yolo  county, 
Albert  J.  Plant  was  born  in  Bangor,  Butte  county,  Cal.,  June  11, 
1859,  the  son  of  Lewis  J.  Plant,  of  Alabama,  and  Sarah  (Lanham) 
Plant,  a  Kentuckian,  having  crossed  the  plains  from  St.  Joseph, 
Mo.,  in  1852.  Locating  in  Clipper  Mills,  Butte  county,  Mr.  Plant 
prospected  for  a  time,  later  engaging  in  the  hotel  business,  which 
proved  most  profitable.  Subsequently,  when  the  Central  Pacific 
Railroad  started  the  construction  of  a  line  to  connect  at  Terrace, 
Utah,  with  the  main  road  of  the  Union  Pacific,  he  utilized  the 
insight  which  he  had  gained  in  his  last  venture  by  at  once  taking 
advantage  of  the  opportunity  thus  presented  for  the  establishment 
along  the  prospective  line  of  eating  houses  for  the  accommodation 
of  the  railroad  crew.  To  this  end  he  traveled  in  advance  of  the 
workers,  and  upon  reaching  Terrace  remained  for  a  time.  Return- 
ing to  California  in  1859  he  located  in  Davis,  Yolo  county.  His  next 
enterprise  was  the  launching  of  the  pioneer  newspaper  of  that  sec- 
tion, the  Davisville  Advertiser,  in  connection  with  which  he  con- 
ducted a  grocery  store.  In  addition  to  this  publication  he  main- 
tained a  restaurant  in  the  railroad  depot  of  the  town,  and  also 
opened  a  liquor  store  later,  actively  continuing  his  duties  until  his 
death  in  1897.  Five  children  were  born  to  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Lewis  J. 
Plant,  namely,  Eudora,  Mrs.  Frank  Swan,  now  deceased;  Laura, 
Mrs.  C.  W.  Paine,  who  resides  in  Sacramento;  Edith,  of  Pacific 
Grove;  Ethel,  now  Mrs.  George  Sutton,  whose  home  is  in  Vallejo; 
and  Albert  J.,  the  subject  of  this  review. 

At  the  age  of  sixteen  Albert  J.  Plant  started  in  life  for  him- 
self, working  for  a  time  in  Sacramento,  and  later  establishing  a 
cigar  store  in  that  city.    In  1886  he  returned  to  Davis  and  took  the 


HISTORY  OF  YOLO  COUNTY  789 

position  of  bookkeeper  with  Liggett  &  Drummond,  merchants,  faith- 
fully performing  his  duties  for  nine  years.  In  1896  he  determined 
to  start  in  business  for  himself,  and  thereupon  engaged  in  the 
grain  and  warehouse  industry  at  Davis,  which  he  conducted  so 
judiciously  that  his  position  in  the  financial  world  became  yearly 
more  secure  and  the  business  grew  until  he  operated  three  ware- 
houses in  which  were  stored  large  quantities  of  grain.  He  was  also 
grain  buyer  for  Garrett  &  Thomas,  of  "Woodland,  and  besides  his 
many  other  duties  was  for  some  years  notary  public  and  agent 
for  several  life  insurance  companies.  A  life-long  Republican,  he 
was  very  prominent  and  active  in  the  party.  His  death  occurred 
at  his  home  in  Davis  December  27,  1911. 

From  his  wife,  who  was  formerly  Mary  Borchers,  of  Sacra- 
mento, and  to  whom  he  was  married  in  1888,  Mr.  Plant  received 
the  most  helpful  encouragement  in  all  his  undertakings,  and  her 
death  in  1907  brought  grief  beyond  expression  to  the  stricken  fam- 
ily. Of  the  four  children,  Forrest  A.  was  a  student  at  the  Uni- 
versity of  California  at  the  time  of  his  father's  death,  after  which 
he  gave  up  his  studies  and  has  since  had  charge  of  the  grain  and 
warehouse  business,  conducting  it  along  the  lines  maintained  by 
the  father  during  his  lifetime;  this  son  is  also  administrator  of  the 
estate;  Lois  M.  (Mrs.  H.  Beckett),  June  Rose  and  Marion  B.  com- 
plete the  family.  Mr.  Plant  was  an  active  member  of  Golden  Seal 
Lodge  No.  110,  K.  P.,  of  Davis.  By  his  straightforward  business 
methods  and  integrity  he  had  acquired  a  high  standing  and  his 
passing  away  was  not  only  a  great  loss  to  his  family  and  friends, 
but  to  the  whole  communitv. 


ROBERT  L.  OGDEN 

Extensive  operations  mark  the  agricultural  identification  of 
Mr.  Ogden  with  Yolo  county.  For  many  years  he  has  been  oper- 
ating the  Spanish  ranch,  the  Clark  ranch  and  the  Bend  ranches  near 
Dunnigan,  and  his  lease  of  the  property  gives  to  him  the  use  of 
three  thousand  acres,  a  vast  area  embracing  some  land  that  is 
well  adapted  to  the  raising  of  grain.  With  the  comprehensive 
equipment  provided  for  his  ranch  he  is  enabled  to  harvest  large 
crops  with  promptness  and  efficiency.  As  a  rule  he  sows  from  fif- 
teen hundred  to  two  thousand  acres  in  wheat  and  barley  and 
the  average  yield  is  from  twelve  to  fifteen  sacks  per  acre.  In 
addition  to  the  care  of  the  grain  and  the  other  crops  raised  on 


790  HISTORY  OF  YOLO  COUNTY 

the  ranch,  he  has  given  considerable  attention  to  stock  and  raises 
standard  bred  horses  and  also  mules,  finding  in  this  department  of 
agriculture  a  remunerative  adjunct  to  the  grain  business. 

The  distinction  of  being  a  native  son  of  the  state  belongs  to 
Mr.  Ogden,  who  was  born  in  the  city  of  Sacramento  March  20,  1861, 
and  is  a  son  of  the  late  Andrew  J.  and  Georgia  Ann  (Blair)  Ogden, 
natives  respectively  of  Indiana  and  Texas.  The  father,  who  de- 
scended from  English  ancestry  and  claimed  England  as  the  native 
country  of  his  parents,  left  Indiana  during  young  manhood  and 
came  via  the  Panama  route  to  California  about  1850,  very  shortly 
after  the  discovery  of  gold.  For  a  time  he  engaged  in  hauling 
freight  to  and  from  the  mines.  As  soon  as  he  married  he  estab- 
lished a  home  in  Sacramento.  Later  he  came  to  Yolo  county  and 
took  up  one  hundred  and  sixty  acres  of  raw  land  from  the  govern- 
ment. The  tract  was  in  the  vicinity  of  Woodland,  then  a  mere 
cross-roads  hamlet.  After  he  had  developed  and  improved  the 
ranch  he  sold  it  and  removed  to  Colusa  county,  where  he  followed 
general  farming.  Eventually  he  returned  to  Yolo  county  and 
bought  land  near  Plainfield,  where  he  developed  a  new  farm  from 
the  primeval  condition  of  nature.  In  1888  he  died  while  still 
carrying  on  that  place.  Since  his  demise  Mrs.  Ogden  has  made 
Woodland  her  home. 

The  parental  family  comprised  four  sons  and  four  daughters, 
all  of  whom  attained  mature  years.  Robert  L.,  the  second  oldest 
in  order  of  birth,  passed  the  years  of  boyhood  principally  in  Yolo 
county,  where  he  received  his  early  education  in  the  public  schools. 
After  he  left  these  schools  he  entered  Hesperian  College  and  took 
one  year  of  study,  later  completing  a  commercial  course  at  Sacra- 
mento, his  native  city.  From  an  early  age  he  has  regarded  agri- 
culture as  his  life  work.  The  occupation  of  farming  has  proved 
congenial  and  even  its  most  monotonous  duties  he  does  not  find 
irksome,  for  every  detail  interests  him.  In  Woodland,  July  8,  1883, 
occurred  his  marriage  to  Miss  Laura  Elizabeth  Murray,  who  was 
born  near  Davis,  Yolo  county,  and  attended  the  Woodland  public 
schools  during  girlhood  years.  She  is  the  daughter  of  Conkling  B. 
and  Emma  J.  (Wright)  Murray,  natives  of  Scotland  and  England 
respectively.  They  both  crossed  the  plains  with  ox-teams  in  the 
early  '50s,  the  father  following  farming  and  blacksmithing  near 
Davis.  The  young  couple  began  housekeeping  on  a  ranch  in 
Shasta  county,  where  Mr.  Ogden  assisted  his  father  and  a  brother 
in  the  cultivation  of  a  tract  of  one  thousand  acres.  At  the  expira- 
tion of  eighteen  months,  he  returned  to  Yolo  county  and  settled 
on  the  old  homestead  at  Plainfield,  where  he  carried  forward  agri- 
cultural operations  during  the  ensuing  six  years.  From  the  old 
homestead  in  1893  he  removed  to  the  Spanish  ranch  near  Dunni- 


HISTORY  OF  YOLO  COUNTY  791 

gan,  his  juresent  headquarters  and  the  center  of  his  large  grain 
and  stock  interests. 

The  political  views  of  Mr.  Ogden  bring  him  into  sympathy  with 
the  Republican  party,  whose  men  and  measures  he  upholds  with 
ballot  and  influence.  Averse  to  office-holding  he  has  never  con- 
sented to  fill  any  of  the  local  positions  for  which  he  is  so  admir- 
ably adapted,  but  prefers  to  concentrate  his  attention  upon  the 
cultivation  of  the  ranch  and  the  care  of  his  stock,  leaving  to  others 
the  anxieties  incident  to  official  life.  In  fraternal  relations  he  holds 
membership  with  the  lodge  of  Odd  Fellows  at  Davis.  Three  chil- 
dren came  to  bless  his  marriage  and  the  deepest  sorrow  that  has 
fallen  to  the  wedded  life  of  himself  and  wife  is  the  loss  of  their 
daughter,  01eta,who  passed  away  in  1898  at  the  age  of  ten  years. 
Another  daughter,  Laura,  is  spared  to  bring  sunshine  and  happi- 
ness into  the  home.  The  only  son,  Fred,  a  young  man  of  excellent 
education,  is  married  and  resides  on  the  ranch,  of  which  he  acts  as 
foreman. 


H.  L.  MARDERS 

The  greatest  westward  migration  known  in  the  history  of  the 
world  occurred  during  the  '50s,  when  the  newly  discovered  mines  of 
California  proved  the  magnet  that  attracted  gold-seekers  from 
every  portion  of  the  globe.  One  of  the  expeditions  that  crossed  the 
plains  had  among  its  most  active  members  a  youth  of  seventeen 
years,  H.  L.  Marders,  who  had  left  forever  the  old  associations  of 
boyhood  and  had  joined  in  the  movement  destined  ultimately  to 
develop  the  then  unknown  west.  The  young  traveler  was  a  member 
of  an  old  family  in  the  United  States  and  was  born  in  Missouri, 
April  17,  1837,  being  a  younger  brother  of  "William  Nathaniel  Mar- 
ders, like  himself  a  native  of  Monroe  county,  his  birth  having  oc- 
curred August  30,  1834.  The  brothers  were  alike  in  energy  of  tem- 
perament, fertility  of  resource  and  fondness  for  adventure,  and 
many  of  their  experiences  in  the  west  were  memorable  and  to  a 
large  degree  perilous. 

An  opportunity  to  work  his  passage  across  the  plains  came  to 
H.  L.  Marders  in  1854  and  he  eagerly  availed  himself  of  the  chance. 
The  expedition  with  its  large  herd  of  cattle  and  it  full  equipment  of 
wagons  and  supplies  proceeded  by  way  of  Fort  Laramie  and  the 
Platte  river,  on  to  Chimney  Rock  and  Echo  Canyon,  thence  via 
Devil's  Slide  and  the  sink  of  the  Humboldt  into  the  mining  regions. 
On  one  occasion,  just  as  dawn  was  lighting  the  east,   the   guard 


792  HISTORY  OF  YOLO  COUNTY 

beard  several  arrows  suddenly  whizz  by  and  as  he  turned  an  Indian 
jumped  to  his  feet,  exclaiming  ' '  How  do  you  do  ? ' '  "Without  the 
pause  of  an  instant  the  guard  shot  the  Indian  twice  and  the  savage 
dropped  dead.  Knowing  other  savages  lurked  in  the  distance  ready 
to  attack  the  party,  the  captain  of  the  train  hastily  posted  a  notice 
for  other  emigrant  trains,  warning  them  of  danger.  The  party  then 
started  forward  with  as  much  haste  as  possible  and  did  not  pause 
until  they  were  sixteen  miles  away.  Afterward  they  learned  that 
every  member  of  the  next  emigrant  train  was  killed  by  Indians. 

Leaving  the  expedition  in  Nevada  and  remaining  behind  to 
earn  some  needed  money,  H.  L.  Marders  followed  freighting  for  two 
years  and  hauled  many  loads  to  Jacobsville,  five  miles  west  of  Aus- 
tin, on  the  Reese  river.  In  addition  he  hauled  salt  from  Sand 
Springs  to  Virginia  City.  Each  trip  brought  him  from  $1000  to  $1500. 
One  of  his  chief  difficulties  was  the  loss  of  cattle  through  the  drink- 
ing of  the  alkali  water.  Notwithstanding  all  losses  be  found  the 
freighting  business  one  bringing  considerable  profit  and  he  fol- 
lowed it  both  in  Nevada  and  California  for  a  considerable  period. 
Meanwhile  he  also  had  frequent  intervals  devoted  to  prospecting 
and  mining.  The  first  visit  he  ever  made  to  Yolo  county  was  during 
the  year  1864  and  since  then  he  has  been  more  or  less  closely  identi- 
fied with  various  portions  of  the  county.  In  the  vicinity  of  "Wood- 
land he  hired  out  to  do  a  job  of  plowing  and  turned  the  sod  neatly 
and  expeditiously  with  five  yoke  of  oxen,  when  the  rancher  himself 
bad  been  unable  to  accomplish  satisfactory  results  with  seven  yoke. 
For  six  months  he  worked  with  Jesse  D.  Carr,  for  several  years  he 
lived  in  Watsonville  (Santa  Cruz  county)  and  for  three  years  he 
made  his  home  in  Woodland,  where  he  built  a  large  stable  and  then 
leased  one-half  of  the  building  to  tenants.  The  occupations  of  the 
early  days  (mining,  freighting  and  ranching)  he  tried  at  different 
times  and  had  his  share  of  good  luck  and  of  adversity,  but  with  it 
all  he  never  lost  his  affection  for  the  west  and  his  sincere  belief  in 
its  future  prosperity.  For  some  years  he  and  his  brother,  William 
Nathaniel,  engaged  in  the  raising  of  sheep  at  Casey's  Flat,  but 
eventually  their  partnership  was  dissolved.  In  1900  he  located  at 
Esparto,  set  out  an  orchard  of  fourteen  acres  to  almonds  and 
grapes,  and  has  also  set  out  an  orchard  of  twenty-five  acres  near 
his  place. 

The  marriage  of  Mr.  Marders  took  place  in  Sacramento  in  the 
year  1877  and  united  him  with  Miss  Martha  Sweeney,  a  native  of 
Missouri.  She  died  in  1896,  when  forty-four  years  of  age.  They 
became  the  parents  of  two  sons.  The  elder,  Miles,  married  Mattie 
Bolden,  a  young  lady  from  El  Paso,  Tex.,  and  they  have  three  sons, 
Miles,  Jr.,  Glenn,  and  Merl  of  Esparto.  The  political  affiliations  of 
Mr.  Marders  are  with  the  Democratic  party,  and  his  brother,  the 


HISTORY  OF  YOLO  COUNTY  793 

late  W.  N.  Marders,  likewise  voted  the  Democratic  ticket  at  national 
elections.  This  brother,  who  passed  away  August  13,  1899,  owned 
nine  hunderd  and  fifty  acres  in  the  Sacramento  valley  and  left,  to 
inherit  the  estate,  his  widow,  formerly  Esther  Ryder  and  their  four 
children,  William  0.,  Mabel  0.  (Mrs.  W.  E.  Nissen),  Maude  Esther 
(Mrs.  H.  R.  Brown),  and  Roy  A. 


ETHELBERT  J.  CLANTON 

Of  English  descent,  Ethelbert  J.  Clanton  is  one  of  Yolo  county's 
pioneers,  having  come  to  California  with  his  parents  in  1853.  He 
was  born  in  Quincy,  Adams  county,  111.,  May  1,  1832.  His  great- 
grandfather was  the  first  representative  of  the  Clantons  to  leave 
English  soil  and  cast  his  fortunes  with  struggling  young  America. 
With  many  other  families  from  his  native  land  he  located  in 
Virginia,  where  his  son  Drewry  was  born  and  reared.  Fate  decreed 
that  the  young  man  should  meet  and  wed  Jemima  Warpool,  whose 
grandfather  was  the  well  known  Lord  Warpool,  thus  forming  from 
two  of  the  best  families  of  England  a  new  genealogical  branch. 
Their  son  John  M.  was  born  near  Nashville,  Tenn.,  and  when  a 
young  man  went  to  Missouri,  where  he  subsequently  married  Mary, 
daughter  of  Samuel  Griggs,  who  belonged  to  the  Griggs  family  of 
historical  renown.  Removing  to  a  farm  near  Quincy,  111.,  Mr.  and 
Mrs.  Clanton  there  remained  until  1853,  when  they  joined  their  son 
Drewry,  who  had  in  1850  come  to  Yolo  county,  Cal.  Upon  land 
which  their  son  had  acquired  they  took  up  their  residence,  Mr. 
Clanton  later  purchasing  a  tract  of  land  about  two  miles  west  of 
Woodland,  which  he  farmed  up  to  the  time  of  his  retirement  in  that 
city.  His  death  occurred  at  the  age  of  eighty-four. 

Ethelbert  J.  Clanton  crossed  the  plains  to  California,  driving 
a  three-yoke  ox-team,  the  journey  beginning  April  1  and  ending 
September  17,  he  having  walked  the  twenty-five  hundred  miles. 
Upon  his  arrival  in  the  state  he  took  up  land  near  Woodland, 
which  he  began  cultivating  with  a  will.  Later,  upon  disposing  of 
his  land  to  his  brother  Drewry,  he  followed  carpentering  for  many 
years.  In  1881  he  bought  forty  acres  of  land  which  he  planted  to 
grapes,  apricots,  plums,  figs,  almonds,  pears,  peaches  and  apples. 
For  his  fine  specimens  he  received  several  medals.  The  entire 
venture  proved  most  successful  and  in  July,  1903,  John  Duncan 
purchased  the  ranch,  whereupon  Mr.  Clanton  erected  in  Woodland, 
at  North  and  Second  streets,  a  comfortable  and  commodious  resi- 


794  HISTORY  OF  YOLO  COUNTY 

dence  which  ranks  among  the  best  dwellings  of  the  city,  and  there 
he  is  now  living  retired  from  active  labor. 

Mr.  Clanton's  first  wife,  Margaret  Angeline  Kelsay,  daughter 
of  Larkin  Kelsay,  was  born  in  Missouri  in  1842  and  died  in  Lake 
county  in  1872.  Two  daughters  were  born  to  them,  Josephine,  Mrs. 
James  England,whose  five  children  are  Roy,  Elma,  Nita,  Edward 
and  Irene;  and  Janet,  Mrs.  D.  G.  Hartman,  who  has  three  children, 
Leta,  Marguerita  and  Ethelbert.  In  1874  Mary  D.  Kettle,  of 
Indiana,  became  Mr.  Clanton's  second  wife.  Before  her  marriage 
she  had  taught  school  for  ten  years  in  Missouri.  Mr.  Clanton  is 
past  grand  and  past  chief  patriarch  of  Woodland  Lodge  No.  Ill, 
I.  0.  0.  F.,  Woodland  Encampment  No.  71,  and  he  also  belongs  to 
the  Rebekahs,  his  wife  being  past  noble  grand  of  Rebekah  Lodge  No. 
249.  Both  himself  and  wife  are  active  members  of  the  Methodist 
Episcopal  Church  and  politically  he  was  originally  a  Whig,  and 
upon  the  organization  of  the  Republican  party  identified  with  it. 


HEZEKIAH  M.   MILLER 

The  civic  welfare  of  Woodland  depends  upon  the  patriotic 
spirit  and  progressive  co-operation  of  citizens  of  intelligence  and 
high  principles  of  honor,  not  the  least  noteworthy  among  whom 
stands  H.  M.  Miller,  a  pioneer  resident  of  Yolo  county  and  since 
May  of  1910  an  incumbent  of  the  office  of  city  trustee.  As  an 
extensive  land-owner  and  influential  rancher,  he  has  been  identified 
intimately  with  the  agricultural  development  of  the  region  and  has 
proved  an  important  factor  in  the  development  of  the  stock-raising 
industry.  Since  first  he  arrived  in  Yolo  county,  during  the  year 
1871,  he  has  remained  here  with  the  exception  of  a  brief  period 
spent  at  his  old  eastern  home,  and  while  he  has  met  with  many  dis- 
couragements in  his  agricultural  efforts,  the  final  outcome  lias 
been  most  gratifying. 

Several  generations  of  the  Miller  family  have  lived  and 
labored  beneath  the  flag  of  the  United  States.  The  immigrant, 
John  Miller,  came  from  Germany  and  settled  in  Maryland,  where 
he  engaged  in  farming  in  Frederick  county.  In  his  native  land 
he  had  been  confirmed  in  the  Lutheran  Church  and  always  he 
remained  faithful  to  the  doctrines  of  that  denomination.  Among 
his  children  there  was  a  son,  Charles,  born  in  Frederick  county, 
and  married  to  Rosanna  Myers,  a  native  of  Washington  county,  Md. 
The  home  farm  of  Charles  Miller  stood  two  miles  from  Sharpsburc: 


HISTORY  OF  YOLO  COUNTY  795 

and  near  it  was  fought  the  famous  battle  of  Antietani,  during  which 
the  family  took  refuge  in  their  cellar.  The  wife  and  mother  had 
died  in  1860  before  the  beginning  of  the  war,  but  the  father  lived 
until  1868  and  spent  his  last  days  in  Frederick  county.  The  father 
of  Mrs.  Miller  was  Frederick  Myers,  a  native  of  Washington 
county,  a  descendant  of  German  ancestry,  an  adherent  of  the  Luth- 
eran faith  and  a  lifelong  farmer,  owning  a  farm  near  Antietam 
creek. 

In  the  family  of  Charles  Miller  there  were  four  children, 
of  whom  Hezekiah  M.,  the  third  in  order  of  birth,  was  born  in 
Frederick  county,  Md.,  November  13,  1850.  After  lie  had  received 
a  fair  education  he  secured  employment  as  a  clerk.  During  1869 
he  went  to  Illinois  and  settled  at  Mount  Morris,  Ogle  county. 
From  there,  November  1,  1870,  he  started  for  California,  but  the 
near  approach  of  winter  forced  him  to  stop  temporarily  in  St. 
Joseph,  Mo.,  whence  in  the  spring  he  took  up  the  journey  toward  the 
west.  Upon  his  arrival  in  Yolo  county  he  secured  employment  as  a 
farm  laborer.  After  two  years  of  hard  work  and  frugal  saving  lie 
and  his  brother,  Frederick,  rented  land.  Their  first  efforts  were 
frustrated  by  a  drought,  but  in  the  second  and  third  seasons  the 
weather  proved  more  propitious,  hence  the  returns  were  more  en- 
couraging. 

Returning  east  in  1876  Mr.  Miller  spent  nine  months  in  Mary- 
land. At  the  expiration  of  the  visit  he  came  again  to  California 
and  with  his  brother  purchased  four  hundred  and  eighty  acres  near 
Knights  Landing.  On  this  place  the  brothers  engaged  in  farming 
for  about  eleven  years,  but  finally  in  1888  H.  M.  sold  out  to  his 
brother  and  became  connected  with  Lowe,  Myers  &  Co.,  (organized 
in  1868)  through  the  purchase  of  the  interests  of  E.  R.  Lowe. 
The  business  has  since  been  conducted  under  the  title  of  N.  Myers 
Co.  The  concern  owns  eight  thousand  acres  of  land  at  Cranmore, 
Sutter  county,  of  which  twenty-six  hundred  is  tillable,  while  the 
balance  is  devoted  to  the  raising  of  sheep  and  cattle.  Mr.  Miller 
owns  one-quarter  interest  in  the  ranch,  Noah  Myers,  his  uncle, 
owns  another  quarter,  E.  Poffenberger  also  owns  a  quarter,  while 
the  remaining  quarter  interest  is  owned  in  conjunction  by  Luther 
Poffenberger  and  S.  C.  Deaner.  In  addition  to  his  interest  in  the 
immense  ranch,  Mr.  Miller  owns  an  adjoining  ranch  of  one  hundred 
and  sixty-nine  acres.  After  having  resided  on  the  ranch  from  1888 
until  1902,_he  then  removed  into  Woodland  and  bought  property 
which  he  still  owns  and  occupies. 

The  first  marriage  of  Mr.  Miller  occurred  in  Marysville,  Octo- 
ber 12,  1887,  uniting  him  with  Matilda  Belle  McGrath.  who  was 
born  in  Washington  county,  Md.,  and  died  in  Woodland  March  31, 
1897,  leaving  three  children,  Noah  Lee,  Elizabeth  Rose  and  Sarah 


796  HISTORY  OF  YOLO  COUNTY 

Mabel.  The  second  marriage  of  Mr.  Miller  took  place  at  Sacra- 
mento January  1,  1900,  and  united  him  with  Miss  Abbie  Lee  Mc- 
Grath, a  sister  of  his  former  wife  and  an  earnest  member  of  the 
Methodist  Episcopal  Church,  in  which  for  years  she  has  been  a 
prominent  local  worker.  They  have  one  son,  Leslie  Clyde.  The 
McGrath  family  was  established  in  Maryland  during  an  early  period 
of  our  county's  history  and  became  transplanted  in  California 
shortly  after  the  American  occupancy  of  this  state,  where  Samuel 
McGrath,  father  of  Mrs.  Miller,  long  engaged  in  farm  pursuits  in 
Sutter  county  and  accumulated  a  competency  through  his  untiring 
industry  and  excellent  judgment. 

Mr.  Miller  was  made  a  Mason  in  Woodland  Lodge  No.  156,  F. 
&  A.  M.,  in  1872,  was  exalted  to  the  Royal  Arch  degree  in  Wood- 
land Chapter  No.  46,  R.  A.  M.,  in  1874,  was  created  a  Knight 
Templar  in  Woodland  Commandery  No.  21  in  1888,  and  was 
made  a  member  of  Islam  Temple,  N.  M.  S.,  San  Francisco,  in  April, 
1911.  He  has  been  secretary  of  the  chapter  for  four  years  and  has 
been  recorder  of  the  commandery  for  the  past  eight  years.  With 
his  wife  he  is  a  member  of  Yolo  Chapter  No.  60,  0.  E.  S. 


CHARLES  E.  BYRNS 

The  original  association  of  the  Byrns  family  with  the  state  of 
California  dates  back  to  the  memorable  year  of  1850,  when  there 
crossed  the  plains  as  driver  of  a  large  herd  of  cattle  a  young  man 
bearing  the  name  of  John  Byrns.  The  discovery  of  gold  in  the  west 
had  attracted  him  from  the  quiet  environment  of  Jefferson  City, 
Mo.,  where  he  had  been  born  and  reared.  With  characteristic 
energy  he  determined  to  come  to  the  coast  country  and  to  bring  with 
him  a  drove  of  stock,  which  plan  he  carried  to  a  successful  con- 
summation. The  cattle  were  disposed  of  in  Sutter  county  and 
during  the  summer  of  1851  he  returned  to  his  old  Missouri  home, 
only,  however,  to  make  immediate  preparations  for  another  expe- 
dition to  the  coast.  After  having  brought  another  large  drove  of 
cattle  through  in  safety,  in  the  autumn  of  1852  he  arrived  in  Sutter 
county,  where  he  embarked  in  the  stock  industry.  At  first  he  was 
prospered,  but  the  flood  of  1862  proved  so  disastrous  that  he  was  led 
to  remove  to  the  northern  part  of  Yolo  county.  Here  in  1864  he 
lost  heavily  on  account  of  the  severe  drought.  The  succession  of 
floods  and  droughts  had  discouraged  him  in  stock-raising  and  he 
turned  his  attention  to  general  farm  pursuits  on  his  large  tract  near 


HISTORY  OF  YOLO  COUNTY  797 

Woodland.  Establishing  his  home  in  Woodland,  he  embarked  in 
the  livery  business  and  finally  started  to  erect  a  large  building  for 
hotel  purposes.  Unfortunately  his  death  occurred  March  25,  1883, 
before  the  completion  of  the  building.  Later  when  it  was  made 
ready  for  use,  it  was  called  the  "Byrns  Hotel"  in  his  honor.  Always 
he  had  been  a  patriotic  citizen,  a  local  upbuilder,  a  man  of  generous 
impulses  and  the  sturdy  resolution  so  necessary  to  successful  pio- 
neer effort.  For  more  than  a  quarter  of  a  century  he  was  survived 
by  his  wife,  Cornelia  (Reynolds)  Byrns,  who  was  born  in  York 
state  and  died  September  29,  1911,  in  Eldorado  county. 

The  eldest  of  four  children  comprising  the  family  of  the  late 
John  and  Cornelia  Byrns  was  Charles  E.,  whose  birth  occurred  in 
Sutter  county  December  12,  1861,  and  whose  loyalty  to  this  part  of 
the  state  came  from  a  lifelong  familiarity  with  its  resources.  An 
excellent  education  was  made  possible  for  him  through  the  zealous 
oversight  of  his  parents,  who  were  not  satisfied  to  limit  his  ad- 
vantages to  those  offered  by  the  public  schools,  but  in  addition  sent 
him  to  the  Hesperian  College  and  also  to  the  Pacific  Methodist 
College  at  Santa  Rosa.  Later  he  took  a  commercial  course  in 
Heald's  Business  College.  His  marriage  took  place  at  Woodland 
June  23,  1882,  and  united  him  with  Miss  Laura  Hiatt,  a  native  of 
Yolo  county,  being  a  daughter  of  George  W.  and  Amanda  (Ledford) 
Hiatt.  Early  in  the  '50s  Mr.  Hiatt  crossed  the  plains  from  Missouri 
to  California,  where  eventually  he  became  one  of  the  most  extensive 
farmers  in  Sutter  and  Yolo  counties.  Both  he  and  his  wife  died 
in  Woodland.  Their  daughter,  Mrs.  Byrns,  was  educated  in  Hes- 
perian College  and  is  a  woman  of  broad  culture  and  excellent 
business  ability,  co-operating  with  her  husband  in  his  real-estate 
undertakings  and  promoting  their  success  by  her  far-seeing  dis- 
crimination. Their  only  child  is  a  son  named  Elmer  E.,  now  living 
in  Woodland. 

For  years,  beginning  in  1882,  Mr.  Byrns  engaged  in  farming 
at  Dunnigan,  where  at  times  he  operated  as  many  as  eight  thou- 
sand acres.  Enormous  crops  of  grain  were  raised  on  his  vast  tracts 
and  at  times  his  profits  were  large.  After  he  had  spent  twenty-six 
seasons  on  the  grain  farm  he  established  himself  on  a  dairy  farm 
one-half  mile  north  of  Woodland  and  here  he  still  makes  his  home. 
The  farm  is  in  alfalfa  and  has  a  fine  water  system  which  gives 
excellent  irrigation  facilities.  Besides  the  raising  of  cattle,  he  now 
makes  a  specialty  of  raising  mules  and  Belgian  horses.  As  soon  as 
he  had  settled  on  his  farm  near  Woodland  he  became  interested  in 
the  real-estate  business  and  during  January  of  1909  he  opened  an 
office  here.  In  a  short  time  he  had  sold  more  property  than  had 
changed  hands  in  many  years,  his  sales  averaging  from  eighteen 
thousand  to  forty  thousand  acres  each  year.   At  his  office,  centrally 


798  HISTORY  OF  YOLO  COUNTY 

located  on  Main  street,  he  lias  an  exhibit  and  display  of  products  of 
the  county.  Even  the  old  residents,  familiar  as  they  are  with  the  ad- 
vantages offered  by  this  locality,  experience  a  feeling  of  renewed 
pride  and  gratification  in  the  showing  depicted  by  this  progressive 
citizen,  who  as  real-estate  agent  and  as  a  leading  worker  in  the 
Chamber  of  Commerce  is  promoting  the  prosperity  of  city  and 
county  and  proving  the  value  of  "boosting"  to  even  the  most  pros- 
perous and  settled  of  old  communities.  While  he  has  not  taken  part 
in  public  affairs  of  a  political  nature,  he  has  positive  views  of  his 
own  and  gives  allegiance  to  the  Democratic  party  in  state  and 
national  elections. 


OTTO   SCHLUER 

Sturdy  principles  that  form  the  basis  of  all  true  success  have 
governed  the  resolute  activities  of  Mr.  Schluer  and  contributed  to 
the  commendable  degree  of  prosperity  achieved  by  him.  It  is 
characteristic  of  his  quiet,  home-loving  temperament  that  he  pre- 
fers old  friends  to  new,  familiar  scenes  to  the  most  beautiful  that 
are  strange  to  his  eyes  and  the  accustomed  routine  of  work-a-day 
activities  to  the  most  thrilling  adventures  pen  could  depict.  Pos- 
sessing such  mental  endowments,  it  is  natural  that  he  selected  a 
location  more  than  forty  years  ago  and  has  never  removed  there 
from;  natural,  also,  that  he  selected  an  occupation  in  boyhood  and 
continued  at  the  same  trade  until  he  retired  from  all  business 
activities.  Almost  ever  since  he  crossed  the  ocean  he  has  made 
Woodland  his  home  and  among  the  old  settlers  of  this  attractive 
city  he  has  a  large  circle  of  stanch,  true  friends. 

As  his  name  indicates,  Mr.  Schluer  comes  of  Teutonic  ancestry. 
Himself  likewise  of  German  nativity,  he  was  born  in  Hanover 
September  20,  1846,  and  in  that  province  he  attended  school. 
Following  the  usual  German  custom,  he  left  school  when  fourteen 
to  take  up  a  trade  and  during  the  next  few  years  he  served  under 
a  baker  in  Oldendorf,  Prussia.  Coming  via  Greytown  and  the 
Nicaragua  route  to  California  in  1866  immediately  after  crossing 
the  ocean  to  the  new  world,  he  secured  his  first  position  as  a  baker 
in  the  Washington  bakery  on  Third  street,  Sacramento,  but  in  1867 
removed  to  Woodland,  then  a  village  of  very  insignificant  propor- 
tions. Opening  a  bakery  on  First  street  (then  Mill  street)  in 
November,  1867,  he  conducted  the  first  shop  of  the  kind  in  the  town. 
Later  he  removed  to  Main  street  and  continued  in  the  same  business 
until  1905,  when  he  sold  out  his  interests  and  retired. 


HISTORY  OF  YOLO  COUNTY  799 

While  devoting  himself  with  assiduous  industry  to  the  baker's 
trade,  Mr.  Schluer  did  not  remain  oblivious  to  the  opportunities 
offered  to  investors  in  farm  properties.  During  the  '80s  he  bought 
a  brush-covered  tract  of  eighty  acres  situated  three  miles  north 
of  "Woodland  and  this  farm  he  still  owns.  However,  it  presents 
no  resemblance  to  the  original  acreage,  for  under  his  capable  over- 
sight it  has  been  cleared,  developed  and  made  very  productive. 
Forty  acres  have  been  planted  in  a  vineyard  with  twenty-two 
varieties  of  wine  and  raisin  grapes.  The  remainder  of  the  farm 
is  under  cultivation  to  alfalfa.  Hog-raising  also  forms  a  profitable 
feature  of  the  farm  activities.  The  purchase  of  the  land  has 
proved  a  wise  investment  on  the  part  of  the  owner,  who  feels  a 
just  pride  in  the  valuable  tract  and  in  his  own  association  with  its 
upbuilding.  As  a  citizen  he  is  interested  in  all  movements  for  the 
benefit  of  Woodland  and  rendered  efficient  service  in  the  capacity  of 
city  trustee.  For  some  years  he  has  been  a  stockholder  in  the 
Yolo  brewery.  The  only  fraternal  organization  with  which  he  holds 
membership,  the  Independent  Order  of  Odd  Fellows,  has  been  bene- 
fited through  his  warm  interest  in  and  active  connection  with  its 
lodge  at  Woodland,  to  whose  philanthropies  he  has  been  a  generous 
contributor. 

Coming  to  the  United  States  in  early  manhood,  Mr.  Schluer 
remained  unmarried  for  some  years  thereafter,  but  on  January  5, 
1873,  he  was  married  in  Sacramento  to  Miss  Annie  Dinzler  ,  a  resi- 
dent of  Woodland.  Of  the  union  fifteen  children  were  born,  twelve 
of  whom  are  now  living,  namely:  Matilda  (Mrs.  Ditmer),  Edward, 
William,  Ralph,  Norman,  Annie  (wife  of  A.  Schindler),  Carl,  Alge, 
Aileen,  August,  Shirley  and  Otto.  The  older  sons  and  daughters 
have  left  the  parental  roof,  but  the  younger  children  remain  and 
brighten  the  home  with  their  happiness  and  cheerful  presence. 


GEORGE  H.  SWINGLE 

It  would  be  impossible  to  overestimate  the  value  to  Yolo 
county  of  the  indefatigable  labors  of  the  sturdy  pioneers  of  the 
'50s.  Many  of  that  rugged  throng  of  home-seekers  have  rested  from 
their  labors,  but  their  works  do  follow  them,  and  they  are  remem- 
bered with  affectionate  reverence  as  important  contributors  to  thfl 
permanent  prosperity  of  the  region.  Not  the  least  among  these  men 
was  George  H.  Swingle,  who  for  a  long  period  of  successful  activity 
identified  himself  with  the  ranching  interests  of  the  county  and  also 
contributed  his   quota   to   the   public   service.     The   lapse   of   time 


800  HISTORY  OF  YOLO  COUNTY 

since  his  demise  has  not  dimmed  his  memory  in  the  hearts  of  family 
and  friends,  nor  has  it  lessened  the  appreciation  of  his  pioneer 
labors  for  the  upbuilding  of  the  community.  His  the  task,  with 
other  early  settlers,  of  laying  the  foundations  broad  and  deep  and 
strong,  so  that  future  generations  might  labor  with  every  hope  of 
success.  His  the  labor  of  turning  the  first  furrows  in  the  virgin 
soil  and  transforming  a  barren  waste  into  a  productive  ranch,  and 
the  work  which  he  started  with  such  commendable  industry  has 
been  prosecuted  sagaciously  by  the  inheritors  of  the  estate. 

Descended  from  an  old  southern  family  and  born  at  Frank 
fort,  Ky.,  July  26,  1826,  George  H.  Swingle  led  the  care-free,  happy 
life  of  a  southern  lad  until  the  time  came  for  him  to  earn  his  own 
livelihood,  when  he  moved  to  Missouri  and  settled  near  Inde- 
pendence. When  gold  was  discovered  in  the  west  he  saw  many 
"prairie  schooners"  pass  his  home  on  their  way  to  the  overland 
route  and  it  soon  became  his  desire  to  join  the  gold-seekers  across 
the  mountains.  During  the  summer  of  1853  he  crossed  the  plains 
with  oxen  and  finally  reached  Sacramento.  That  city  was  his  head- 
quarters for  some  years,  during  which  time  he  was  in  the  employ  of 
Mr.  Bullard,  a  couple  of  years  being  passed  in  Dutch  Flat,  where 
he  sold  goods.  In  the  meantime  observation  had  led  him  to  decide 
to  invest  in  land  and  therefore  in  1858  he  abandoned  his  occupation 
permanently  and  removed  to  Yolo  county,  here  purchasing  land 
upon  which  he  engaged  in  ranching.  Both  as  a  grain-raiser  and  as  a 
raiser  of  stock  he  was  successful  and  at  one  time  his  landed  pos- 
sessions aggregated  eleven  hundred  and  twenty  acres.  He  was  a 
progressive  citizen,  and  when  the  Central  Pacific  road  planned  their 
line  he  gave  the  right  of  way  through  his  ranch,  the  company  estab- 
lishing a  station  there  and  naming  it  Swingle  in  his  honor. 

While  forging  his  way  ahead  through  the  intelligent  cultivation 
of  the  ranch,  Mr.  Swingle  did  not  neglect  any  duty  as  a  citizen,  but 
contributed  his  quota  to  the  upbuilding  of  the  county.  In  politics 
he  gave  his  supjiort  to  the  Democratic  party.  At  the  fall  election 
of  1866  he  was  chosen  to  represent  the  second  district  on  the  board 
of  county  supervisors.  The  satisfaction  given  by  his  services  re- 
ceived abundant  proof  in  his  re-election  to  the  office  and  he  served 
for  four  consecutive  terms,  meanwhile  maintaining  an  active  part  in 
the  building  of  bridges,  the  opening  of  highways,  the  development 
of  villages  and  the  encouraging  of  public  improvements.  At  the  time 
of  coming  west  he  was  unmarried  and  it  was  not  for  a  considerable 
period  thereafter  that  he  established  domestic  ties.  His  marriage 
was  solemnized  in  San  Francisco  in  1871  by  the  Rev.  Mr.  Lathrop 
and  united  him  with  Miss  M.  E.  Hall,  who  was  born  in  Elyria,  Ohio, 
but  passed  her  childhood  in  Grand  Rapids,  Mich.  She  is  the  daugh- 
ter of  Erastus  and  Sophia  (Cowles)   Hall,  natives  of  Connecticut. 


HISTORY  OF  YOLO     COUNTY  801 

For  a  few  years  prior  to  1890  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Swingle  resided  in 
Alameda  in  order  that  their  only  son,  George  Kirk,  might  enjoy 
the  splendid  educational  advantages  offered  by  that  city.  On  their 
return  to  the  ranch  Mr.  Swingle  resumed  farming  activities.  He 
passed  away  after  a  long  illness,  November  1,  1895.  Since  then  the 
widow  and  son  have  operated  the  ranch,  which  is  under  a  high 
state  of  cultivation,  bringing  in  a  gratifying  annual  income  in  re- 
turn for  the  care  exercised  in  its  management. 


AETHUE  ALBERT  POWEES 

As  a  partner  in  the  clothing  firm  of  Eosenberg  &  Co.,  Mr. 
Powers  has  worked  his  way  forward  to  a  position  of  influence  among 
the  business  men  of  Woodland,  which  city,  always  fortunate  in 
the  civic  loyalty  of  its  people,  boasts  no  resident  more  devoted  than 
he  to  the  upbuilding  of  its  commerce  and  the  expansion  of  its 
business  interests.  Nor  has  he  only  that  narrow  loyalty  which  seeks 
civic  growth  at  the  expense  of  outside  and  extraneous  movements 
for  the  general  welfare;  on  the  other  hand,  he  is  a  true  patriot, 
intensely  and  earnestly  devoted  to  the  progress  of  the  state,  of 
which  he  is  a  native  son  and  a  lifelong  resident.  Diligence  in  busi- 
ness and  ability  as  a  salesman  are  indicated  by  his  long  identifica- 
tion with  the  establishment  in  which  he  is  now  the  managing  part- 
ner and  to  which  he  has  given  years  of  useful  labor,  for  it  was  in 
this  store  that  he  began  as  a  clerk  about  thirty  years  ago  when 
first  starting  out  to  earn  his  own  way  in  the  world. 

Eepresenting  the  third  generation  of  the  Powers  family  in 
California,  Arthur  Albert  Powers  was  born  at  Bodega  Bay  in 
Sonoma  county,  December  9,  1865,  and  is  a  son  of  Warren  and  Jane 
(Hiller)  Powers,  who  came  across  the  plains  to  the  west  with  their 
parents  early  in  the  '50s.  For  years  the  father  lived  in  Sonoma 
county,  but  finally  he  removed  to  Yolo  county  and  settled  at  Old  Cot- 
tonwood. Later  he  removed  from  that  place  to  Woodland  and  for 
many  years  served  as  a  peace  officer  of  the  town.  At  this  writing 
he  acts  as  janitor  of  the  supreme  court  rooms  in  San  Francisco. 
The  mother  died  about  1871,  leaving  a  daughter  and  a  son,  Arthur 
Albert,  the  latter  at  the  time  only  about  six  years  of  age.  He  has 
lived  in  Yolo  county  from  the  age  of  five  years  and  received  his  edu- 
cation in  the  grammar  schools  of  Woodland.  During  1883  he  en- 
tered the  employ  of  M.  Michael,  a  clothing  merchant  of  Woodland. 
Soon  he  demonstrated  his  admirable  qualifications  for  this  line  of 
work.    With  frugal  saving  he  put  aside  his  earnings  so  that  they 


802  HISTORY  OF  YOLO  COUNTY 

might  be  utilized  in  a  later  investment  in  business  and  thus  be 
finally  was  able  to  join  with  Mr.  Rosenberg  in  buying  out  the  inter- 
ests of  his  employer.  The  purchase  was  consummated  January  7, 
1904,  since  which  time  he  has  continued  the  business  under  his 
personal  management,  Mr.  Rosenberg  making  his  home  in  San 
Francisco. 

During  October  of  1912  the  company  took  possession  of  their 
new  quarters  at  No.  531  Main  street,  where  they  have  a  modern 
equipment  and  every  facility  for  the  satisfactory  continuance  of 
the  business.  Not  only  is  their  establishment  the  oldest  in  Yolo 
county,  but  the  largest  as  well,  and  a  complete  assortment  is  car- 
ried of  men's  and  boys'  clothing  and  furnishings.  The  gratifying 
growth  of  business  may  be  attributed  to  the  splendid  management 
of  Mr.  Powers,  who  personally  oversees  every  detail  and  assumes 
the  responsibility  of  every  department.  In  the  midst  of  his  mani- 
fold duties  as  manager  of  the  store  and  a  partner  in  the  business, 
he  has  found  leisure  to  take  an  active  part  in  forwarding  the  local 
success  of  the  Republican  party  and  also  aided  in  the  organization  of 
the  Merchants'  Association  of  Woodland.  Numerous  fraternal  or- 
ganizations also  have  had  the  weight  of  his  co-operation  and  influ- 
ence, among  these  being  the  Woodmen  of  the  World,  Independent 
Order  of  Foresters,  Companions  of  Foresters,  Foresters  of  America 
(in  which  he  is  past  officer)  and  the  local  lodge  as  well  as  the 
encampment  of  Odd  Fellows. 


ASA  W.  MORRIS 

It  would  be  difficult  to  discover,  in  a  careful  enumeration  of 
the  progressive  and  prosperous  citizens  of  Yolo  county,  one  whose 
success  has  been  due  in  greater  degree  to  his  own  unaided  and 
resolute  exertions  than  is  the  case  with  Asa  W.  Morris,  the  owner 
of  large  tracts  of  farm  lands  and  widely  known  as  a  dealer  in 
pure-bred  registered  Holstein  cattle.  Out  of  hardships  and  dis- 
couragements, through  obstacles  disheartening  to  a  man  of  less 
inflexible  determination,  he  has  risen  to  a  degree  of  success  gratify- 
ing to  himself  and  indicative  also  of  the  opportunities  offered  by 
this  county  to  men  of  his  type.  When  he  came  here  he  was  without 
means  and  forced  to  work  out  by  the  day.  Nor  had  he  received  any 
of  the  higher  educational  advantages,  as  regular  attendance  at 
academies  had  been  precluded  by  reason  of  the  necessity  of  self- 
support.     In  spite  of  these  and  other  handicaps  he  has  achieved 


HISTOEY  OF  YOLO  COUNTY  803 

recognition  as  a  farmer  of  decided  capabilities  and  a  citizen  of 
recognized  worth. 

While  having  made  Yolo  county  his  home  since  1879,  Mr. 
Morris  claims  Pennsylvania  as  his  native  commonwealth  and  was 
born  near  Waynesburg,  Greene  county,  May  8,  1857.  From  his  early 
recollections  he  has  been  accustomed  to  labor  and  thus  he  gained 
habits  of  self-reliance  and  industry  valuable  in  his  later  activities. 
His  first  marriage  took  place  at  Waynesburg,  Pa.,  in  September 
of  1879  and  united  him  with  Miss  Mary  E.  Call,  who  was  born  and 
reared  in  that  place.  The  young  couple  at  once  came  to  California 
and  settled  in  Yolo  county,  where  he  secured  work  as  a  farm 
hand.  Significant  of  his  persevering  industry  is  the  fact  that 
he  worked  on  a  farm  for  five  years  without  missing  a  day.  With 
the  savings  of  that  period  he  was  enabled  to  buy  the  equipment 
necessary  for  the  cultivation  of  land,  and  he  then  began  as  a 
renter.  Later  he  bought  three  hundred  and  twenty  acres  of  land 
at  a  low  price,  and  since  then  he  has  added  to  the  tract  until  he 
now  has  eight  hundred  and  eighty  acres  in  the  home  place.  Shade 
trees  were  planted,  a  neat  residence  erected  and  outbuildings  put 
up,  so  that  the  farm  bore  evidence  of  the  prosperity  of  the  owner 
and  the  thrift  of  its  occupants. 

An  important  addition  was  made  to  the  previous  holdings  of 
Mr.  Morris  when  he  bought  ten  hundred  and  twenty-one  acres 
four  miles  northeast  of  Woodland,  where  he  built  such  houses  as 
were  necessary  and  made  other  desired  improvements  for  a 
modern  dairy.  On  that  place  he  keeps  a  herd  of  over  two  hun- 
dred and  fifty  head  of  pure-bred  Holsteins.  He  owns  the  cele- 
brated Riverside  Sadie  De  Kol  Burke,  which  holds  the  world's 
record  from  seven  days  to  six  months  for  milk,  also  owns 
Aralia  De  Kol,  holding  the  world's  milk  record  for  one  year. 
Think  of  28,065  9-10ths  pounds  of  milk  in  a  year — over  fourteen 
tons  of  milk!  Competent  judges  assert  that  Mr.  Morris  has  one 
of  the  best  herds  of  Holsteins  in  the  United  States,  the  animals 
being  uniform  as  to  refinement  of  type  and  standard  of  excellence. 
Utility  has  been  made  the  chief  desideratum  of  the  herd,  but  qual- 
ity and  size  have  not  been  sacrificed  in  the  attempt  to  secure  dairy 
excellencies,  and  the  drove  therefore  has  a  high  standing  among 
all  admirers  of  Holsteins.  Mr.  Morris  is  a  member  of  the  Hol- 
stein-Freisian  Association  of  America.  In  1912  he  completed  his 
fine  new  residence  on  First  street,  Woodland,  built  in  mission 
style,  and  from  here  he  continues  the  management  of  his  ranches. 

The  first  wife  of  Mr.  Morris  passed  away  iu  1905,  and  in 
March  of  1911,  at  Washington,  D.  C,  he  married  Mrs.  Cassia 
(Keller)  Black,  a  native  of  Waynesburg,  Pa.,  and  the  widow  of 
A.    H.    Black.      They    are    prominent    members    of    the    Woodland 


804  HISTORY  OF  YOLO  COUNTY 

Christian  Church  and  have  a  host  of  friends  in  this  city.  Polit- 
ically Mr.  Morris  has  adhered  to  Republican  principles  ever  since 
he  attained  his  majority,  but  he  is  not  active  in  local  affairs  and 
takes  little  part  in  campaign  activities.  His  only  daughter,  Miss 
Zella,  resides  at  home  and  is  popular  in  social  circles.  The  four 
sons,  Frank  L.,  Charles  C,  Harry  Y.  and  Asa  J.,  are  partners 
with  him  and  aid  him  in  the  management  of  the  business,  con- 
ducted under  the  firm  name  of  A.  W.  Morris  &  Sons,  which  was 
incorporated  in  1910.  The  two  eldest  sons  are  married  and  all 
are  well  educated,  having  had  the  best  opportunities  offered  by  the 
Woodland  schools,  as  well  as  the  benefit  of  study  in  business 
colleges. 


RUSSELL  R,   FLINT 

A  man  who  has  done  much  toward  the  development  of  Yolo 
county  is  R.  R.  Flint,  who  as  trustee  of  reclamation  district  No.  537, 
working  in  conjunction  with  the  government,  lent  valuable  assist- 
ance toward  the  reclamation  of  the  bottom  lands  of  the  Sacramento 
river.  His  father,  Daniel  Flint,  came  to  California  in  1853  via  Cape 
Horn,  and  established  the  pioneer  hop  yards  of  California.  (His 
biographical  sketch  appears  on  a  separate  page  of  this  work.) 

Russell  R.  Flint  was  born  in  Sacramento,  Cal.,  in  1859,  and  was 
educated  in  this  city  and  at  the  California  Military  Academy  at 
Oakland.  He  later  accepted  a  position  as  bookkeeper  for  the  Friend 
&  Terry  Lumber  Company  of  Sacramento,  and  subsequently,  in 
1884,  took  charge  of  his  father's  ranch  three  miles  north  of 
Washington,  which  later  on  he  purchased.  The  property  consists 
of  one  hundred  and  eighty-three  acres,  sixty  of  which  are  in  hops 
and  one  hundred  in  alfalfa.  This  is  considered  the  finest  alfalfa 
land  in  California,  in  1910  producing  six  crops  without  irrigation. 
Nubsequentlv  he  put  in  an  irrigating  plant  for  the  hop  yard  and  in 
1912  the  yield  approximated  three  thousand  pounds  to  the  acre,  dry, 
which  makes  a  gross  yield  of  $600  per  acre. 

In  1890  Mr.  Flint  was  united  in  marriage  with  Miss  May 
Burnham,  who  was  born  in  Sacramento,  and  whose  father,  Henry 
Burnham,  came  to  California  in  1850  via  Cape  Horn,  from  Glouces- 
ter, Mass.  For  fifty  years  he  was  in  the  service  of  the  Friend  & 
Terry  Lumber  Company  of  Sacramento,  his  death  occurring  in 
1908.  Mr.  Flint  is  a  member  of  the  Sutter  Club  and  he  is  a  Repub- 
lican in  politics.  His  interest  in  behalf  of  the  community  in  which 
he  has  so  long  resided  never  wavers,  and  he  is  conceded  to  be  one 
of  the  most  able  citizens. 


HISTORY  OF  YOLO  COUNTY  805 

WILLIAM  W.  MONTGOMERY 

One  of  the  earliest  settlers  of  Yolo  county  was  William  W. 
Montgomery,  whose  death,  which  occurred  April  12,  1894,  at  his 
home,  two  miles  southeast  of  Davis,  deprived  that  community  of 
one  of  its  most  prominent  and  highly  respected  citizens.  A  thor- 
ough business  man,  his  excellent  judgment  and  wise  control  of 
every  detail  of  his  affairs  justly  merited  the  admiration  which 
they  inspired,  and  his  success  was  but  commensurate  with  the 
industry  and  executive  skill  put  forth  in  that  behalf. 

Mr.  Montgomery  was  born  March  31,  1830,  in  Ralls  county, 
Mo.,  and  received  a  common  school  education,  eagerly  seizing  the 
meager  educational  advantages  offered  at  that  period.  His 
parents,  William  and  Rebecca  (Simmons)  Montgomery  of  Logan 
county,  Ky.,  and  North  Carolina,  respectively,  settled  in  1825  upon 
a  tract  of  undeveloped  land  in  Ralls  county,  Mo.,  later  moving  to 
Marion  county,  thence  to  Shelby  county,  where  they  continued  to 
farm  until  1850.  In  that  year,  accompanied  by  two  of  his  sons, 
Alexander  and  William  W.,  the  father  crossed  the  plains,  joining 
his  son  Robert,  who  in  1849  had  gone  to  Eldorado  county,  Cal.,  in 
company  with  other  gold  seekers.  After  a  period  of  success  in  the 
mines,  the  party  located  farms  on  Putah  creek,  Yolo  county,  con- 
fident of  the  bright  future  awaiting  the  great  untouched  resources 
of  that  section.  In  1853  William  Montgomery,  Sr.,  returned  to 
the  wife  and  mother  who  so  anxiously  awaited  his  return.  In 
1854  they  bade  goodbye  to  the  scenes  so  familiar  to  them  both 
and  turned  their  faces  toward  the  golden  west,  in  which  they  had 
placed  their  hopes.  Mr.  Montgomery  was  a  Democrat,  loyal  to 
every  principle  held  by  his  party,  and  until  his  death,  at  the  age 
of  seventy-four  years,  he  retained  a  deep  interest  in  all  public 
movements  of  worth.  His  wife,  who  had  faithfully  shared  every 
sorrow  and  joy  of  her  husband  and  children,  passed  away  in  her 
eighty-fifth  year. 

William  W.  Montgomery,  a  youth  of  twenty  at  the  time  of  his 
removal  to  California,  displayed  at  an  early  age  keen  judgment, 
which,  united  with  perseverance,  soon  placed  him  in  the  ranks  of 
the  most  successful  and  prosperous  ranchers  of  that  community. 
Owing  to  the  character  and  situation  of  his  land,  which  afforded 
ample  pasture  and  excellent  facilities  for  the  production  of  hay, 
he  was  enabled  to  raise  profitably  both  horses  and  cattle,  his  chosen 
type  of  the  latter  being  the  famous  Durham  Shorthorns.  By  means 
of  careful  attention  to  his  interests  Mr.  Montgomery  became  the 


806  HISTORY  OF  YOLO  COUNTY 

owner  of  eleven  hundred  and  three  acres,  the  management  of  which, 
upon  his  death,  was  undertaken  by  his  widow  and  their  only  son,  John 
Elmo.  Seven  hundred  acres  of  the  property  is  used  for  pasture,  prac- 
tically all  of  the  remainder  being  devoted  to  the  use  of  their 
stock,  the  herd  now  numbering  about  four  hundred.  The  high 
grade  of  the  stock  secured  from  the  Montgomery  ranch  is  recog- 
nized by  all  cattle  dealers.  Though  much  of  their  tract  is  well 
suited  to  the  production  of  fruit  and  cereals,  their  income  from 
stock  raising  is  such  that  they  prefer  to  continue  under  the  regime 
established  by  the  original  owner. 

Mr.  Montgomery's  marriage  on  October  23,  1862,  united  him 
with  Miss  Caroline  Jones,  whose  birth  occurred  in  Carroll  county, 
Ark.,  and  who  accompanied  her  parents  to  California  in  1857, 
crossing  the  plains  with  ox  teams.  "William  M.  Jones  was  bom  in 
North  Carolina  and  several  years  later  moved  with  his  parents 
to  Kentucky,  where  he  received  his  education,  later  taking  up 
farming  as  an  occupation.  Afterwards  he  settled  in  Missouri,  and 
later  went  to  Arkansas,  where  he  remained  until  his  location  in 
the  west.  His  wife,  formerly  Nancy  Bass  of  Barren  county,  Ky., 
accompanied  her  husband  through  all  his  travels,  passing  away  at 
their  home  in  California  at  the  age  of  seventy-five.  Upon  his  arrival 
in  the  west  Mr.  Jones  engaged  in  farming  and  stock  raising  upon 
two  hundred  acres  six  miles  southwest  of  Santa  Rosa,  Cal.  He 
served  as  justice  of  the  peace  in  Sonoma  county,  and  until  his 
death,  while  in  his  eighty-fourth  year,  actively  conducted  his  inter- 
ests. Mr.  and  Mrs.  Jones  were  both  active  members  of  the  Bap- 
tist Church,  to  which  they  lent  generous  support,  and  they  enjoyed 
the  esteem  of  many  friends.  They  were  blessed  with  nine  children, 
five  of  whom  are  living,  Mrs.  Montgomery  being  the  third  oldest. 
Since  her  marriage  she  has  resided  in  Yolo  county,  and  not  only 
during  the  life  of  her  husband  did  she  aid  and  sympathize  in  all 
his  interests,  but  since  his  death  she  has  continued  her  intense 
devotion  to  all  things  in  which  he  was  interested.  "With  the  help 
of  her  only  son,  J.  Elmo,  she  has  managed  the  ranch  with  such 
wisdom  that  in  the  past  few  years  it  has  steadily  increased  in 
worth.  It  has  been  enlarged  by  the  purchase  of  two  hundred  acres 
now  numbering  thirteen  hundred  and  twenty  acres. 

William  W.  Montgomery  was  always  interested  in  and  a  lover 
of  fine  horses,  which  is  also  true  of  Mrs.  Montgomery,  and  she 
and  her  son  have  for  many  years  been  breeding  thoroughbred  and 
standard  horses.  Her  son,  J.  Elmo,  is  now  the  owner  of  Jim 
Logan,  a  horse  which  he  trained,  and  he  drove  him  as  a  three- 
year-old  at  W7oodland,  where  he  made  a  record  of  2:05'-.  and 
again,  in  1912,  drove  him  at  Grand  Rapids,  where  he  made  a  record 
of   2:03%. 


HISTORY  OF  YOLO  COUNTY  807 

J.   C.   MONTGOMERY 

Other  localities  besides  his  own  community  recognize  in  Mr.  Mont- 
gomery one  of  the  most  experienced  horsemen  of  the  entire  state. 
His  interest  in  and  liking  for  animals  date  back  to  his  earliest 
recollections,  and  he  can  scarcely  recall  the  time  when  he  was  not 
familiar  with  the  qualifications  necessary  for  well-bred  horses. 
The  care  of  stock  came  intuitively  to  him,  and  even  in  early  youth 
his  judgment  was  sought  by  his  seniors  when  in  doubt  as  to  the 
best  method  of  caring  for  or  training  a  certain  horse.  As  a  boy 
he  became  interested  in  raising  trotting  stock,  and  he  has  continued 
in  the  enterprise  to  the  present  time,  meanwhile  selling  many  fine 
specimens,  as  well  as  retaining  several  that  have  made  records. 
At  one  time  he  was  part  owner  of  the  famous  French  stallion 
Fortuno,  which  was  awarded  medals  at  French  shows,  and  as  a  three- 
year-old  won  the  second  prize  at  the  California  state  fair.  For  a 
number  of  years  the  animal  sired  all  of  the  fine  colts  raised  in  this 
vicinity  and  some  fillies  sired  by  him  are  still  on  the  Montgomery 
farm.  Dan  Logan,  2:1114,  which  Mr.  Montgomery  owns  and  has 
entered  at  a  number  of  races  in  the  pacing  class,  and  which  was 
raised  on  his  farm,  is  by  Charles  Durby,  out  of  Effie  Logan,  and  a 
full  brother  of  Jim  Logan,  the  champion  three-year-old  pacer  of 
the  world,  holding  now  and  for  some  time  past  the  world's  record 
of  2:0314. 

The  distinction  of  being  a  native-born  son  of  Yolo  county 
belongs  to  Mr.  Montgomery,  who  was  born  near  Davis  in  1872,  and 
is  a  member  of  a  highly-respected  family  of  the  community.  At- 
tendance at  the  public  schools  was  followed  by  a  course  of  study  in 
Hesperian  College  at  Woodland,  and  upon  the  completion  of  his 
education  he  returned  to  the  old  homestead  to  assist  his  mother 
in  its  management,  remaining  there  until  1895.  For  a  time  he 
farmed  in  partnership  with  his  brother,  and  later  he  engaged  in 
agricultural  pursuits  on  his  own  account.  At  this  writing  he  owns 
and  occupies  forty  acres  in  Solano  county,  across  the  line  from 
Yolo  county,  besides  owning  fifty-five  acres  in  the  same  neighbor- 
hood. For  three  successive  years  his  home  ranch  was  under  culti- 
vation to  sugar  beets,  and  this  enriched  the  soil  to  such  an  extent 
that  the  year  afterward  he  harvested  forty  sacks  of  barley  to  the 
acre. 

After  leaving  the  old  homestead,  Mr.  Montgomery  established 

a  home  for  himself,  being  united  in  marriage,  in  November  of 
1895,  with  Miss  Glory  C.  Miller,  who  was  horn  and  reared  in 
Woodland,  ('ah,  and  received  an  excellent  education  in  the  schools 
of  the  state.  Her  father,  Antone  Miller,  was  an  honored  early 
settler  of  California,  and  a  sketch  of  his  life  appears  elsewhere  in 


808  HISTORY  OF  YOLO  COUNTY 

this  volume.  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Montgomery  have  two  children,  a 
daughter,  Mary  Ethel,  to  whom  is  being  given  all  the  educational 
advantages  within  the  means  of  her  parents,  and  a  son,  Edwin 
Lowell.  The  family  standing  is  high  socially  and  they  have  a  large 
circle  of  friends  in  the  community,  where  for  years  they  have  been 
prominent  residents. 


HON.   FRANCIS  E.   BAKER 

A  native  of  Michigan,  Francis  E.  Baker  was  born  in  Quincy, 
October  2,  1839,  and  he  made  his  home  in  his  native  state  until  he 
became  a  resident  of  California.  His  early  education  was  followed 
by  a  course  in  Hillsdale  College,  which  he  entered  in  1860  and 
continued  his  studies  there  until  the  fall  of  1862.  It  was  at  that 
time  that  he  entered  the  law  department  of  the  University  of  Mich- 
igan, and  immediately  after  his  graduation,  March  31,  1864,  he 
was  admitted  to  the  bar.  In  the  following  year  he  came  to  Cali- 
fornia via  Panama,  and  in  1867  he  located  in  Yolo  county,  and  here 
he  engaged  in  teaching  until  1871,  when  he  began  the  practice  of 
law.  In  September,  1873,  he  was  elected  district  attorney,  and  in 
1875  he  was  re-elected,  thus  holding  the  office  from  March  4,  1874, 
until  March  4,  1878. 

For  many  years  Mr.  Baker  was  a  leader  in  the  Democratic 
party  and  a  shining  light  among  the  attorneys  of  the  state.  In 
1880  he  was  elected  to  the  assembly  of  the  Twenty-fourth  legisla- 
ture, and  during  his  term  of  office  he  represented  his  constituents 
ably.  lie  was  a  member  of  the  board  of  education,  was  one  of  the 
library  trustees,  and  held  various  other  municipal  offices,  in  all  of 
which  he  showed  good  judgment  and  a  keen  loyalty  to  the  com- 
munity's best  interests.  Fraternally  he  was  a  Mason  and  was  past 
worshipful  master  and  was  also  honored  by  an  election  to  Grand 
Orator  of  the  Grand  Lodge  of  California.  He  also  held  member- 
ship in  the  Knights  of  Pythias  and  the  Uniform  Rank,  K.  P. 

In  Woodland,  July  19,  1874,  Mr.  Baker  was  married  to  Miss 
Addie  E.  Thomas,  a  native  of  Monroe,  Green  county,  Wis.,  and 
the  daughter  of  Charles  S.  and  Josephine  L.  (Wallace)  Thomas. 
(A  sketch  of  Charles  S.  Thomas  will  be  found  elsewhere  in  this 
volume.)  Mr.  Baker  was  one  of  God's  noblemen.  He  was  gener- 
ous to  a  fault,  true  as  steel,  and  all  who  came  in  contact  with  him 
liked  him  instinctively.  He  was  a  very  able  man,  with  broad  ideas 
and  a  remarkably  strong  and  bright  intellect,  and  he  left  a  record 


HISTORY  OF  YOLO  COUNTY  809 

in  his  profession  that  will  ever  adorn  the  brightest  pages  of  legal 
jurisprudence  in  the  county  and  state. 


DEMARCUS  NEVARRO  BROWN 

A  lifetime  of  active  identification  with  the  ranching  interests 
has  given  to  Mr.  Brown  an  intimate  and  far-reaching  knowledge 
concerning  this  portion  of  California.  Ever  since  he  was  five 
years  of  age  he  has  made  his  home  in  this  state,  hence  his  infor- 
mation has  been  acquired  through  personal  experience.  It  has 
been  his  privilege  to  witness  the  gradual  development  of  the  coun- 
try and  its  transformation  from  raw  land  into  remunerative 
ranches,  and  it  has  been  his  further  privilege  to  acquire  for  his 
own  home  one  of  the  most  valuable  of  the  alfalfa  ranches  located 
in  the  vicinity  of  Woodland.  While  he  has  resided  here  for  a  brief 
period  only  (having  arrived  at  the  ranch  February  29,  1911),  he 
has  won  a  large  circle  of  acquaintances  and  well-wishers.  Through 
uniform  courtesy  and  high  principles  of  honor  he  has  won  the 
confidence  and  good-will  of  associates,  all  of  whom  unite  in  wish- 
ing him  a  prosperous  management  of  his  forty-acre  alfalfa  farm. 

One  of  the  expeditions  crossing  the  plains  during  the  summer 
of  1864  had  among  its  members  a  farmer  from  Missouri,  II.  S. 
Brown,  whose  journey  was  one  of  investigation,  with  a  view  to 
permanent  location.  On  the  trip  he  drove  a  mule-team  and  bore 
his  share  in  the  hardships  and  privations  incident  to  such  an 
expedition.  The  country  pleased  him,  and  he  determined  to  settle 
permanently  in  the  west.  Returning  to  Missouri  he  brought  back 
his  wife,  Martha  (Gentel)  Brown,  and  their  children,  among  whom 
was  D.  N.,  who  was  born  in  Pike  county,  Mo.,  in  1860.  The 
trip  was  made  by  way  of  Panama  in  1865,  and  settlement  followed 
in  Yolo  county,  where  the  father  bought  a  grain  farm  of  one 
hundred  and  sixty  acres  near  Yolo.  Later  he  added  to  his  pos- 
sessions from  time  to  time,  and  eventually  in  Modoc  county 
he  owned  and  mauaged  a  stock  ranch  of  eight  hundred  acres. 
His  wife  passed  away  in  1872,  but  he  survived  to  a  good  old 
age  and  died  at  the  old  homestead  in  June  of  1896.  Their  children 
were:  D.  N. ;  James  M.,  deceased;  Rufus,  of  Oklahoma;  Mrs.  Kate 
Leventon,  of  Modesto;  and  Mrs.  Nettie  Harvey,  of  Modoc  county. 

After  having  received  common-school  advantages  in  Yolo 
county,  and  gained  a  comprehensive  knowledge  of  farm  work  upon 
the  home  ranch,  during  1877  D.  N.  Brown  accompanied  his  father 
to    Modoc    county,    and    for    a    considerable    period    thereafter    he 


810  HISTOEY  OF  YOLO  COUNTY 

assisted  in  the  development  of  the  newly  acquired  land.  During 
the  year  1882  he  started  out  for  himself  and  homesteaded  a  tract 
of  one  hundred  and  sixty  acres  in  Modoc  county,  where  he  con- 
tinued for  some  years,  meanwhile  laying  the  foundation  of  a 
subsequent  degree  of  success.  Upon  his  return  to  Yolo  county 
in  1890  lie  rented  a  farm  at  Knight's  Landing  and  finally  came 
to  his  present  home  in  1911,  since  which  time  he  has  devoted 
his  attention  to  the  management  of  a  small  dairy  and  to  the 
care  of  forty  acres  of  alfalfa.  While  living  at  Knight's  Land- 
ing lie  was  initiated  into  the  Independent  Order  of  Odd  Fel- 
lows and  became  identified  with  the  Eiver  lodge.  Later  he 
identified  himself  with  the  Modern  Woodmen  of  America.  His 
father  also  took  a  warm  interest  in  fraternities  and  held  mem- 
bership with  the  Masons  and  the  Ancient  Order  of  United  Work- 
men. A  man  of  intelligence  and  public  spirit,  he  had  many  warm 
friends  in  Yolo  and  Modoc  counties,  and  in  the  latter  place  served 
for  four  years  as  a  member  of  the  board  of  supervisors,  mean- 
while favoring  movements  for  the  upbuilding  of  his  community. 

The  marriage  of  D.  N.  Brown  in  1886  united  him  with  Miss 
Eunice  M.  Phillips,  born  near  Knight's  Landing.  Her  father, 
Jonathan  Phillips,  came  to  California  from  Missouri  and  settled 
on  a  farm  at  Knight's  Landing,  making  his  home  there  until  his 
death,  in  January,  1873.  Three  sons  were  born  to  Mr.  and  Mrs. 
Brown,  Roy,  Ernest  and  Marcus.  Possessing  high  principles  of 
honor  and  unwavering  integrity  of  character,  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Brown 
are  an  important  acquisition  to  the  farming  element  of  the  com- 
munity, and  by  industry  and  integrity  are  entitled  to  a  high  degree 
of  success. 


GEORGE  W.  HUGHSON 

While  the  results  achieved  in  California  bring  the  state  into 
favorable  comparison  with  the  old  commonwealths  of  the  east, 
the  fact  that  the  state  boasts  of  but  comparatively  few  native  sons 
indicates  that  it  is  yet  in  the  infancy  of  its  material  development 
and  of  its  interesting  history.  The  distinction  of  having  passed 
his  entire  life  within  the  limits  of  California  belongs  to  George  W. 
Hui>hson,  a  prosperous  resident  of  Yolo  county  and  one  of  the 
progressive  farmers  of  the  vicinity  of  Woodland.  Born  and  reared 
in  San  Joaquin  county,  in  young  manhood  identified  with  the 
ranching  interests  of  Stanislaus  county  and  ultimately  a  large 
land  owner  there,  he  became  a  citizen  of  Yolo  countv  of  recent 


HISTORY  OF  YOLO  COUNTY  811 

years  and  expresses  himself  as  convinced  of  the  superior  advan- 
tages of  this  section  of  the  country  from  a  standpoint  of  soil, 
crop  results,  natural  advantages  and  high  qualityof  citizenship. 

As  early  as  1857  the  Hnghson  family  became  identified  with 
the  west.  During  that  year  Hiram  Hughson  came  from  New  York 
via  Panama  to  San  Francisco  and  proceeded  thence  to  Marysville, 
where  he  secured  a  clerkship  in  a  store.  For  a  brief  period  he 
followed  the  fortunes  of  a  miner  on  the  Feather  and  American 
rivers.  The  occupation,  however,  was  uncongenial  and  the  returns 
unsatisfactory,  so  that  he  looked  up  an  agricultural  opening.  For 
some  time  he  engaged  in  the  raising  of  grain  and  stock  in  San 
Joaquin  county,  near  Stockton,  and  later  he  farmed  extensively  in 
Stanislaus  county,  near  Modesto,  where  at  one  time  he  operated 
seven  thousand  acres  of  grain  and  pasture  land.  In  his  ventures  he 
was  willing  to  risk,  although  at  no  time  was  he  reckless  in  his  in- 
vestments, and  although  at  first  hampered  by  heavy  debts  he  finally 
acquired  large  means  and  became  widely  known  as  a  wealthy  ranch- 
er. On  the  completion  of  the  Santa  Fe  Railroad,  through  the  home 
ranch,  the  town  of  Hughson,  in  Stanislaus  county,  was  named  in  his 
honor.  Toward  the  close  of  his  life  he  bought  a  ranch  of  ten  hun- 
dred and  twenty  acres  in  Yolo  county,  all  devoted  to  and  well  adapted 
to  grain-raising. 

An  identification  of  more  than  one-half  century  with  the  agri- 
cultural development  of  the  west  was  terminated  with  the  demise 
of  Hiram  Hughson,  January  15,  1911.  Some  years  after  his 
arrival  in  California  he  had  married  Miss  Luella  R.  Avery  and  they 
became  the  parents  of  ten  children,  all  of  whom  survive  him.  They 
are  named  as  follows :  Belle,  who  is  married  and  living  at  River- 
side; Orra,  a  resident  of  Stanislaus  county;  George  W.,  of  Yolo 
county;  Mary,  who  is  the  wife  of  Joseph  Diehl  and  a  resident  of 
Stockton;  Edna,  Mrs.  Charles  Craig,  of  Westley,  Stanislaus  county; 
Minnie,  who  married  Harry  Sturgill  and  lives  at  Stockton;  Hiram, 
a  citizen  of  Modesto;  Levyne,  who  is  Mrs.  Charles  Nichols,  of 
San  Jose;  Ollie,  who  married  Frank  Hatch  and  makes  her  home 
in  Modesto;  and  Lester,  the  youngest  of  the  family. 

The  home  ranch  near  Stockton,  San  Joaquin  county,  where  he 
was  born  in  1870,  continued  to  be  the  home  of  George  W.  Hugh- 
son  during  his  childhood  years.  After  he  had  completed  the 
studies  of  the  common  schools  of  Stockton,  he  entered  the  Uni- 
versity of  the  Pacific  at  San  Jose,  and  there  took  the  regular  course 
of  study  through  several  semesters.  Upon  leaving  school  he  re- 
turned to  assist  his  father  on  the  ranch  and  remained  there  until 
L892,  after  which  he  operated  six  hundred  and  forty  acres  in  Stanis- 
laus county  in  partnership  with  his  father-in-law,  J.  G.  Hudelson. 
At  the  end  of  three  vears  he  removed  to  Hickman,  in  the  same  conn- 


812  HISTORY  OF  YOLO  COUNTY 

ty,  and  rented  one  thousand  acres.  Desirous  of  acquiring  land  for 
himself  he  bought  five  hundred  and  sixty  acres  in  Stanislaus  county, 
and  for  nine  years  he  devoted  his  attention  closely  to  the  improve- 
ment and  cultivation  of  the  tract.  During  October  of  1909  he  came 
to  Yolo  county  and  assumed  the  management  of  the  large  ranch 
owned  by  his  father,  the  tract  lying  twelve  miles  southwest  of  "Wood- 
land, together  with  three  hundred  and  twenty  acres  adjoining.  From 
that  place  he  came  to  the  immediate  vicinity  of  Woodland  in  May 
of  1911,  at  which  time  he  bought  an  alfalfa  and  grain  farm  of  forty 
acres  on  Cemetery  avenue.  With  the  raising  of  alfalfa  he  com- 
bines the  management  of  a  dairy  and  is  meeting  with  encouraging 
success  on  his  new  farm.  He  still  owns  five  hundred  and  sixty 
acres  of  land  near  Modesto  which  he  leases  for  grain.  In  politics 
he  supports  Republican  principles.  During  1892  he  married  Laura 
L.  Hudelson,  who  like  himself  has  the  distinction  of  being  a  native 
of  the  state,  her  father,  J.  G.  Hudelson,  having  crossed  the  plains 
in  early  days  and  settled  in  Stanislaus  county,  where  he  died  in 
1908.  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Hughson  are  the  parents  of  four  children, 
Carroll  ('.,  Howard  H.,  Georgia  L.,  and  Paul. 


MATTIE   LOU   WILKERSON,    D.    C. 

As  the  world  advances,  more  and  more  are  thinking  people 
realizing  the  deleterious  effects  of  drugs  on  the  human  system  and 
seeking  relief  from  physical  ills  through  other  means  than  medi- 
cine. Among  the  many  systems  of  drugless  healing  in  use  today 
there  is  none  that  has  more  remarkable  cures  to  its  credit  than  the 
system  known  as  chiropractic,  which  as  the  word  implies  is  hand 
(chiro)  manipulation;  the  cause  of  the  disease  being  removed  by 
adjustment,  nature  provides  the  cure.  Wxoodland  is  favored  in 
having  in  her  midst  a  practitioner  of  this  school  of  healing  in  Dr. 
Wilkerson,  whose  remarkable  cures  have  given  her  a  wide  reputa- 
tion. Not  only  from  Yolo  county  do  her  patients  come  for  treat- 
ments, but  also  from  Sacramento,  Yuba,  Sutter  and  Solano  coun- 
ties, as  well  as  from  Berkeley  and  Oakland. 

Dr.  Wilkerson  is  a  native  of  Missouri,  having  been  born  in 
Fayette,  Howard  county,  the  daughter  of  James  Hudson.  The  lat- 
ter was  a  native  of  Scotland  and  came  to  this  country  in  childhood 
with  his  parents,  who  settled  in  Howard  county,  Mo.  There  the 
son  grew  to  manhood,  and  became  an  agriculturist  of  considerable 
importance  in  the  community  which  was  practically  his  lifetime 
home.     In  Missouri   he  married   Miss  Martha   Gibbs,   who   was   a 


HISTORY  OF  YOLO  COUNTY  813 

native  of  that  state,  and  who  became  the  mother  of  six  children. 
Both  of  the  parents  passed  away  on  the  old  Missouri  homestead. 
Mattie  Lou  Hudson  was  the  youngest  child  in  the  parental 
family  and  was  given  every  advantage  that  her  native  town 
afforded.  After  completing  the  studies  prescribed  by  the  com- 
mon schools  she  attended  Central  College  at  Fayette  and  was  grad- 
uated with  honors  from  that  institution.  It  was  about  this  time 
that  she  became  the  wife  of  George  Wilkerson,  and  after  their 
marriage  the  young  people  continued  to  make  their  home  in  the 
locality  with  which  they  had  been  familiar  from  childhood. 

Previous  to  taking  up  her  studies  for  the  profession  in  which 
she  has  won  signal  success,  Dr.  Wilkerson  became  a  nurse  and  fol- 
lowed that  profession  in  Missouri  until  failing  health  compelled 
her  to  relinquish  the  work  for  which  she  was  so  well  adapted.  Her 
medical  adviser  had  pronounced  her  case  incurable,  but  with  a 
determination  to  refute  the  statement,  Dr.  Wilkerson  went  to 
Davenport,  Iowa,  for  adjustments  at  the  School  of  Chiropractic, 
and  almost  immediately  she  responded  to  the  adjustment  and  was 
soon  able  to  resume  her  former  duties  as  nurse  had  she  been  so 
inclined.  So  remarkable  had  been  her  cure  that  she  was  at  once 
a  convert  to  the  school  of  chiropractic  and  without  loss  of  time 
prepared  herself  to  become  a  practitioner,  in  fact,  became  a  stu- 
dent of  the  profession  after  three  weeks  in  the  aforesaid  institu- 
tion. Continuing  her  studies  in  the  Palmer  School  of  Chiroprac- 
tic at  Davenport,  on  February  1,  1910,  she  received  the  degree  of 
Doctor  of  Chiropractic. 

Dr.  Wilkerson 's  advent  in  Woodland,  Cal.,  dates  from  March 
17,  1911,  and  it  was  just  five  days  later  that  she  opened  an  office 
for  the  practice  of  her  profession  at  No.  609  Second  street.  Be- 
tween that  time  and  the  present  she  has  gathered  about  her  a  large 
practice,  her  patients  coming  not  only  from  Yolo  county,  but  from 
points  far  distant,  which  is  abundant  evidence  that  her  cures  have 
been  numerous  and  remarkable  in  character.  Aside  from  the  pleas- 
ure which  Dr.  Wilkerson  takes  in  the  practice  of  her  profession 
is  the  deeper,  and  therefore  greater  satisfaction  of  knowing  that 
she  is  adding  her  mite  to  the  great  transformation  that  is  slowly 
hut  as  surely  making  the  practice  of  healing  by  drugs  a  thing  of 
the  past.  She  has  two  sons,  Harry  and  Hawkins,  both  attending 
school  in  Woodland.  She  is  a  member  of  the  Christian  Church 
at  Woodland,  fraternally  is  identified  witli  the  Rebekahs  and  the 
Fraternal  Brotherhood,  and  professionally  is  a  member  of  the 
Universal  Chiropractors'  Association. 


814  HISTORY  OF  YOLO  COUNTY 

W.  V.  NEWMAN 

The  possibilities  of  the  new  world  were  as  yet  a  matter  of 
uncertainty  and  conjecture  when  the  Newman  family  crossed  the 
ocean  to  identify  their  fortunes  with  those  of  the  fair  land  of  hope. 
The  ancient  commonwealth  of  Virginia  was  their  first  place  of 
sojourn,  and  several  generations  remained  in  that  part  of  the 
country,  bearing  their  quota  in  state  and  national  advancement. 
It  was  not  until  about  the  middle  of  the  nineteenth  century  that 
the  first  representatives  of  the  family  established  the  name  in  the 
Mississippi  valley  and  took  up  government  land  in  that  rich 
Illinois  region  tributary  to  McLean  county.  In  the  city  of  Bloom- 
ington,  111.,  Mr.  Newman  was  born  in  1854,  and  there  he  passed 
the  first  seven  years  of  life.  Meanwhile  the  settlement  of  Kansas 
was  arousing  great  interest,  both  by  reason  of  the  rich  soil  of  the 
Sunflower  state  and  because  of  the  excitement  incident  to  the 
Civil  war  or  the  preliminary  struggle  associated  with  that  part 
of  the  west. 

The  settlement  of  the  family  in  Kansas  was  followed  shortly 
thereafter  by  the  pre-emption  of  a  quarter  section  of  government 
land  in  Greenwood  county,  some  distance  south  of  the  city  of 
Emporia.  At  the  age  of  twenty-one  years  he  started  out  to  earn 
his  own  livelihood.  For  a  long  period  he  rented  a  farm  of  two 
hundred  and  fifty  acres,  where  he  engaged  in  raising  corn,  cattle 
■and  hogs. 

Coming  to  California  during  1901  Mr.  Newman  settled  in  the 
vicinity  of  Winters,  Yolo  county,  and  engaged  in  the  raising  of 
fruit  on  a  farm  of  sixty  acres.  For  three  years  he  labored  with 
untiring  industry  to  secure  the  most  satisfactory  results  possible 
from  the  tract,  of  which  seven  acres  were  in  almond  trees,  three 
acres  in  pears,  and  the  balance  largely  in  apricots  and  peaches. 
At  the  expiration  of  three  years  he  gave  up  horticulture  for  ranch- 
ing and  settled  near  Knight's  Landing,  where  he  operated  sixty 
acres  as  an  alfalfa  ranch  and  dairy  farm.  To  a  small  extent  he 
raised  corn  and  engaged  in  the  hog  business.  November  1,  1910, 
he  rented  a  farm  near  Woodland,  on  the  Yolo  road,  and  there  he 
managed  eighty  acres  of  fine  land,  forty  acres  in  alfalfa  and  a  like 
amount  in  grain.  In  the  fall  of  1911  he  located  in  Woodland, 
near  the  high  school,  wbere  he  conducts  a  dairy,  supplied  by  a 
herd  of  twenty  milch  cows.  Assisting  him  in  the  care  of  the  dairy 
business  is  his  wife,  a  woman  of  capability  and  thrift,  possessing 
the  economical  traits  characteristic  of  the  people  of  her  native 
land,  Germany.  October  18,  1885,  in  Kansas,  Miss  Sarah  Ulridge 
became  the  wife  of  Mr.  Newman,  and  since  then  she  has  been  his 
efficient  co-worker  in  all  labors.     They  are  the  parents   of  eight 


HISTOEY  OF  YOLO  COUNTY  815 

children,  namely:  Henry,  who  assists  Ms  father  in  the  care  of 
the  ranch;  Martha,  who  married  Jesse  Wiseman  and  resides  in 
Sacramento;  Bessie,  Edgar,  Jessie,  Frank,  Harvey  (deceased) 
and  Grace. 


JOHN  NORTON 

A  native  of  Ireland,  his  birth  having  occurred  in  County  Ros- 
common, October  14,  1868,  Mr.  Norton  came  direct  to  Woodland 
at  the  age  of  sixteen  years,  in  1885,  and  shortly  thereafter  secured 
a  situation  upon  the  ranch  of  Frank  Bullard,  with  whom  he 
remained  off  and  on  for  sixteen  years.  In  1900  he  accepted  a 
position  on  the  Southern  Pacific  Railroad,  his  route  lying  between 
Sacramento  and  Truckee,  Cal.,  but  five  months  later,  having  been 
accustomed  all  his  life  to  the  great  out  of  doors,  resigned  his 
position  with  intense  relief  at  the  prospect  of  again  working  in 
harmony  with  nature. 

Returning  to  Yolo  county,  Mr.  Norton  took  charge  of  the  farm 
of  George  Woodward,  and  two  years  later  purchased  his  present 
ranch  of  twenty  acres,  one  mile  west  of  Woodland,  which  was  for- 
merly used  as  a  race  track  and  was  known  as  Brown's  Corners. 
Twelve  acres  of  this  property  he  planted  to  wine  grapes,  the  bal- 
ance to  alfalfa  and  orchard,  maintaining  in  connection  with  his 
agricultural  pursuits  an  active  interest  in  the  breeding  of  fine 
horses.  At  one  time  he  owned  the  famous  stallion  Gossiper  Jr., 
and  has  raised  many  fine  trotters  and  roadsters.  At  present  he 
is  the  owner  of  the  draft  stallion,  Prince  S.  Wright,  whose  weight 
is  eighteen  hundred  and  sixty  pounds,  and  who,  by  reason  of  his 
superiority,  has  taken  two  blue  ribbons,  one  at  the  Sacramento 
State  Fair  in  1903,  as  a  two-year-old,  and  one  at  the  Yolo  County 
Fair,  held  in  Woodland  in  1909.  Mr.  Norton  trained  the  well-known 
pacer  Smuggler,  by  Walstein,  whose  record  was  2  il?1/!,  and  has 
raised  many  fine  colts. 

The  marriage  of  Mr.  Norton  in  August,  1901,  united  him 
with  Miss  Rowena  Millsap,  a  native  of  Yolo  county,  and  to  their 
union  three  children  were  born,  Elsa,  Glennon  L.  and  Albert  L. 
Mrs.  Norton's  father,  Walter  W.  Millsap,  a  native  of  Missouri, 
crossed  the  plains  at  the  age  of  seventeen,  arriving  in  Hangtown 
in  May,  1850.  During  the  succeeding  two  years  he  mined  witli 
indifferent  success,  and  in  1852  settled  in  Yolo  county,  where  until 
his  death,  February  2,  1910,  he  farmed  one  hundred  and  fifteen  acres 
near  Yolo.    He  was  married  in  1856  to  Miss  Amanda  Lowe,  a  Ken- 


816  HISTORY  OF  YOLO  COUNTY 

tucky  girl,  who  came  overland  by  wagon  to  California  in  1850  with 
her  parents,  and  who  now  resides  on  the  home  place.  Mrs.  Norton  is 
fifth  eldest  of  the  living  children,  as  follows :  William  N,  of  Ander- 
son, Shasta  county,  Cal. ;  Martha  W.,  now  Mrs.  L.  Odium  of  Wood- 
land; Lee  W.  and  Casse,  twins,  the  former  residing  in  Yolo,  the 
latter,  now  Mrs.  S.  M.  Snyder,  of  San  Francisco;  Eowena,  Mrs. 
Norton;  Eufus  L.,  of  Lake  county;  Melvin  H.,  a  rancher  near 
Yolo;  Wirt,  who  conducts  the  home  ranch;  Gertrude,  now  the  wife 
of  Allen  Lawcock,  of  Berkeley;  and  Albert,  who  makes  his  home 
in  Portland,  Ore. 

Mr.  Norton  has  aided  materially  in  the  development  of  Yolo 
county,  maintaining  at  all  times  an  alert  interest  in  all  public 
enterprises,  and  enjoys  the  highest  esteem  of  his  fellow  citizens. 


DEAN  C.  BEEMAN 

The  desire  to  find  a  location  entirely  satisfactory  caused  Mr. 
Beeman  to  travel  extensively  throughout  the  United  States.  Reared 
in  the  Mississippi  valley,  he  had  been  familiar  with  that  region 
from  his  earliest  memories  and  his  travels  therefore  took  him  into 
other  directions.  Twice  he  went  to  the  northwest,  but  what  he 
desired  was  not  there.  Then  he  began  to  investigate  California 
and  he  did  not  cease  his  journeys  until  he  had  traversed  the  entire 
length  of  the  Pacific  coast  at  a  point  of  contact  with  our  own 
country.  A  careful  estimate  of  the  extent  of  his  journeyings  in 
search  of  a  location  gives  the  mileage  in  one  year  as  seventeen  thou- 
sand, but  he  does  not  regret  the  time  and  money  spent  in  these  ex- 
peditions, for  they  gave  him  a  broad  acquaintance  with  the  United 
States  and  also  convinced  him  that  Yolo  county  is  without  a  supe- 
rior in  its  possibilities  for  the  earning  of  a  livelihood  out  of  the  soil. 

The  first  ten  years  in  the  life  of  Dean  C.  Beeman  were  passed 
at  Hicksville,  Defiance  county,  Ohio,  where  he  was  born  in  1880, 
and  where  he  attended  the  primary  schools.  During  1890  he 
accompanied  the  family  to  Chicago,  and  there  he  was  a  pupil  in 
the  grammar  schools.  In  1895  he  secured  employment  as  clerk 
on  the  board  of  trade  and  remained  there  during  the  next  two 
years,  a  period  famous  in  history  on  account  of  the  memorable 
corner  in  wheat  by  Joseph  Leiter.  Upon  leaving  his  clerkship 
there  he  became  yard  clerk  for  the  Chicago,  Indianapolis  &  Louis- 
ville Railroad  in  Chicago.  Two  years  later  he  resigned  that  posi- 
tion and  became  a  fireman,  out  from  Chicago  on  the  Atchison, 
Topeka  &  Santa  Fe  Railroad.     Four  years  afterward  he  gave  up 


HISTORY  OP  YOLO  COUNTY  817 

that  work.  Next  be  ran  an  engine  for  the  Illinois  traction  system 
electric  railroad  from  Peoria  to  Springfield,  111.,  a  line  then,  as 
now,  the  largest  electric  system  in  the  United  States. 

Upon  leaving  the  employ  of  the  traction  company  in  1909, 
Mr.  Beeman  began  his  investigations  in  search  of  land  where  he 
might  engage  in  ranching.  During  March  of  1910  he  came  to 
Yolo  county  and  bought  forty  acres  near  Woodland.  When  be 
came  here  he  was  accompanied  by  his  wife,  whom  he  had  married 
in  1905,  and  who  was  Miss  Daisy  L.  Roberts,  a  native  of  Morton, 
111.  Their  comfortable  country  home  is  brightened  by  the  presence 
of  two  sons,  Donald  and  Howard.  The  land  is  largely  in  alfalfa, 
and  the  product  is  utilized  in  the  dairy  of  twelve  cows.  The  care 
exercised  by  the  proprietor  in  the  purchase  of  milch  cows,  and  in 
their  care  and  feed  enables  him  to  secure  the  very  greatest  possible 
results  from  his  dairy,  and  he  has  no  reason  to  regret  his  decision 
to  combine  the  raising  of  alfalfa  with  the  management  of  a  dairy. 
In  addition  to  the  cattle  he  keeps  a  small  number  of  hogs  on  the 
ranch.  Horticulture  forms  a  profitable  adjunct  to  other  farm 
duties.  There  are  on  the  farm  ninety-five  prune  trees  and  two  hun- 
dred and  twenty-five  almond  trees,  and  the  owner  is  decidedly  proud 
of  the  record  made  by  the  almond  trees  in  1911,  for  his  crop  that 
year  brought  him  the  neat  sum  of  $500,  an  excellent  record  for  two 
hundred  and  twenty-five  young  trees.  Although  not  an  early  settler 
of  Yolo  county,  Mr.  Beeman  vies  with  older  men  in  his  devotion  to 
the  county,  in  his  belief  in  its  possibilities  and  in  bis  determination 
to  secure  the  greatest  practicable  results  from  the  cultivation  of 
its  soil. 


CHRIS.  F.  BLICKLE 

A  citizen  of  the  most  dependable  qualities  was  Mr.  Blickle, 
who  passed  away  at  his  ranch  home,  four  miles  from  Woodland, 
July  11,  1906.  Thoroughly  trusted  by  his  associates,  who  sorely 
missed  his  companionship  and  advice,  as  well  as  his  hearty  sup- 
port in  all  worthy  public  measures,  he  was  a  man  whose  influence 
was  always  most  helpful  upon  the  community  in  which  he  main- 
tained an  active  interest  during  his  residence  therein. 

Mr.  Blickle 's  birth  occurred  in  Wurtemberg,  Germany,  in 
1857,  he  being  the  son  of  Joban  Martin  and  Christene  (Latch) 
Blickle.  After  he  had  completed  bis  studies  in  the  schools  of  bis 
native  land  he  became  an  apprentice  to  a  baker,  continuing  in  this 
field   of  labor   until   1882,   when,    acting  upon   a   decision   he    had 


818  HISTOEY  OF  YOLO  COUNTY 

reached  regarding  the  advisability  of  starting  life  in  a  new  coun- 
try, he  left  the  scenes  of  his  youth,  his  mind  filled  with  dreams 
of  the  golden  years  that  stretched  before  him,  and  immigrated  to 
America.  He  came  on  to  Yolo  county,  Cal.,  and  located  in  Hungry 
Hollow,  where  he  rented  a  farm  of  one  hundred  and  sixty  acres. 
Afterwards  he  leased  nine  hundred  acres  in  the  same  locality  and 
profitably  managed  this  tract  until  August,  1905,  when  he  pur- 
chased the  place  of  forty  acres,  in  Willow  Oak  Park,  Woodland,  now 
the  home  of  his  widow.  Until  his  death  he  was  active  in  the  duties 
connected  with  his  property,  which  he  sought  in  every  way  to  render 
both  attractive  and  valuable. 

Mr.  Blickle's  marriage  in  Hungry  Hollow,  November  25,  1883, 
united  him  with  Miss  Lena  Holsman,  a  native  of  Hohenzollern, 
Germany,  who  came  to  California  in  1882.  Six  children  were  born 
to  them,  as  follows:  Charles,  who  manages  the  home  place;  Freda, 
Mrs.  Johnson,  residing  near  Woodland;  Sophia,  Mrs.  Charles 
Staas,  of  Hungry  Hollow;  Henry,  Elsie,  and  Alfred,  at  home. 

Persevering  and  self-reliant  by  nature,  Mr.  Blickle  was  not 
a  man  to  be  discouraged  easily,  and  through  both  disappointment 
and  success,  retained  his  optimism  and  determination,  at  all  times 
placing  the  care  and  comfort  of  his  family  above  all  other  consid- 
erations. For  many  years  he  held  membership  in  the  Herman 
Sons,  to  which  he  lent  active  assistance.  Since  the  death  of  her 
husband  Mrs.  Blickle,  a  woman  of  broad  sympathies  and  excellent 
management,  has  continued  the  operation  of  the  ranch,  ably 
assisted  by  her  son  Charles.  In  addition  to  a  good  acreage  of 
alfalfa  they  have  a  beautiful  vineyard  of  five  acres  and  also  con- 
duct a  dairy  of  fifteen  cows,  this  source  of  profit  being  not  incon- 
siderable. Industrious  and  congenial,  the  family  enjoy  the  highest 
regard  of  their  many  friends  and  are  considered  among  the  most 
substantial  citizens  of  their  community. 


FRANK  FLETCHER 

A  touch  of  romance  lingers  around  the  adventurous  but  suc- 
cessful career  of  the  late  Frank  Fletcher.  While  especially  fond  of 
the  quiet  calm  of  the  country,  with  the  golden  sunlight  falling 
softly  upon  meadow  and  valley,  not  for  him  was  the  isolation  of 
rural  communities.  When  a  long-hidden  desire  for  a  country  home 
was  able  to  be  gratified,  not  for  long  did  he  enjoy  the  seclusion 
of  the  attractive  place  he  had  purchased.     Always  for  him  were 


HISTORY  OF  YOLO  COUNTY  819 

the  haunts  of  men,  the  teeming  life  of  the  city,  the  excitement  of 
commercial  affairs  and  the  anxieties  connected  with  the  financing 
of  large  undertakings.  For  a  short  period  he  gave  his  attention 
to  the  improvement  of  his  ranch,  the  planting  of  ornamental  and 
fruit  trees,  and  the  other  tasks  that  delighted  his  heart  with  their 
promise  of  future  beauty  and  charm;  but  while  yet  at  the  begin- 
ning of  his  self-imposed  tasks  death  came  to  him  and  ended  all 
the  hopes  so  fondly  cherished. 

The  life  which  this  narrative  depicts  began  in  Liverpool,  Eng- 
land, July  22,  1864,  and  closed  in  San  Francisco,  Cal.,  March  30, 
1911.  The  Fletcher  family  is  of  old  English  ancestry,  and  the 
father,  Thomas,  was  a  native  of  Liverpool,  where  for  years  he 
owned  and  operated  a  foundry.  Himself  an  expert  and  skilled 
mechanic,  he  was  well  qualified  to  manage  an  industry  of  that 
kind,  but  the  conditions  connected  with  the  work  in  England  were 
such  that  he  decided  to  transfer  his  interests  to  the  new  world. 
Accordingly  during  1869  he  crossed  the  Atlantic  and  settled  in 
Mexico,  where  he  built  a  foundry  and  for  years  operated  a  machine 
shop  at  Chihuahua,  some  distance  south  of  El  Paso,  Tex.  From 
his  earliest  recollections,  Frank  Fletcher  was  familiar  with  machin- 
ery and  exhibited  mechanical  skill,  but  this  did  not  prevent  him 
from  endeavoring  to  secure  a  liberal  classical  education.  For  some 
time  he  worked  in  the  foundry  as  a  pattern-maker,  and  after 
the  death  of  his  father  he  succeeded  to  the  estate  and  business. 
A  man  of  great  energy  and  activity,  the  conduct  of  the  machine 
shop  did  not  represent  the  limit  of  his  labors.  In  partnership 
with  Gov.  Enricque  Creel  he  had  the  distinction  of  building  a 
railroad  in  Mexico,  a  narrow-gauge  road  of  twenty-six  miles,  which 
was  later  sold. 

Upon  disposing  of  his  interests  in  Mexico  and  removing  to 
California,  Mr.  Fletcher  remained  for  a  time  in  San  Francisco, 
but  later  took  up  mining  activities  in  Trinity  county.  He  opened 
up  the  Northern  Headlight  mine  and  operated  it  for  a  time,  but 
was  obliged  to  discontinue  owing  to  an  insufficiency  of  funds  for 
the  purchase  of  needed  machinery.  The  temporary  abandoning  of 
his  project  only  made  him  the  more  eager  to  prove  the  worth  of 
the  mine.  Never  once  did  he  lose  his  faith  in  its  value.  Returning 
to  Chihuahua  he  assumed  the  management  of  the  old  foundry  and 
machine  shop  established  bjT  his  father,  and  in  addition  he  acted  as 
superintendent  of  the  City  Electric  Lighting  &  Power  Company, 
owners  of  the  local  tramway  and  the  electric  light  system.  After 
a  few  years  he  resigned  and  returned  to  the  management  of  the 
Northern  Headlight  mine,  which,  with  new  capital  to  aid  him, 
he  improved  by  the  introduction  of  modern  machinery.  The  mine 
proved  fully  equal  to  his  expectations,  and  when  its  value  became 


820  HISTORY  OF  YOLO  COUNTY 

known  he  was  able  to  sell  out  for  a  large  sum.  Returning  to  San 
Francisco  be  came  from  tbere  to  Yolo  county  in  1908  and  pur- 
chased a  ranch  of  three  hundred  and  twenty  acres  adjoining  Dunni- 
gan,  the  neat  residence  standing  directly  west  of  the  railroad  sta- 
tion. 

The  marriage  of  Mr.  Fletcher  took  place  at  Berkeley,  Cal.,  in 
1890,  and  united  him  with  Miss  Annie  Estella  Willmott,  who  is  a 
native  of  San  Francisco,  and  received  a  classical  education  at 
Berkeley.  She  is  a  daughter  of  Charles  Willmott,  a  native  of  Eng- 
land, who  came  to  the  new  world  in  young  manhood  and  settled  at 
Berkeley,  where  he  operated  a  brewery.  The  family  of  Mr.  and 
Mrs.  Fletcher  comprises  three  children :  Thomas  Frank,  manager 
of  the  ranch;  Harry  Detwiler  and  Hannah  Wells,  who  reside  at 
home.  Three  years  after  their  removal  to  the  ranch  Mr.  and 
Mrs.  Fletcher  went  to  San  Francisco  for  purposes  of  recreation 
and  recuperation,  but  shortly  after  their  arrival  in  the  city,  Mr. 
Fletcher  was  taken  seriously  ill,  and  on  the  30th  of  March,  1911, 
passed  away.  Since  his  death  she  has  resided  in  San  Francisco, 
leaving  the  management  of  the  ranch  to  her  son.  For  years  he 
had  been  a  member  of  the  Masonic  lodge  at  Chihuahua.  In 
religion,  while  identified  with  no  denomination,  he  was  in  sym- 
pathy with  the  charitable  enterprises  of  all  and  contributed  with 
great  liberality  to  the  Episcopal  Church,  of  which  Mrs.  Fletcher 
is  an  earnest  member. 


HON.  NICHOLAS  A.  HAWKINS 

The  genealogical  records  indicate  that  the  Hawkins  family 
became  established  in  Virginia  during  the  colonial  era  of  our 
national  history.  Following  the  example  of  so  many  pioneer 
Virginians,  who  crossed  the  mountains  to  found  homes  in  the 
beautiful  "blue-grass"  country  of  Kentucky,  Thomas  Hawkins 
took  up  government  land  in  the  vicinity  of  Lexington  and  aided 
in  the  development  of  that  picturesque  region.  The  next  genera- 
tion was  represented  by  Nicholas,  born  on  the  plantation  near 
Lexington,  and  reared  in  the  same  locality.  Through  his  personal 
fearlessness  in  hardships,  he  established  the  family  still  further 
beyond  the  then  confines  of  civilization.  Taking  up  government 
land  in  Marion  county,  Mo.,  he  engaged  in  tilling  the  soil  there  for 
fifteen  years.  Subsequently  he  spent  five  years  as  a  farmer  in 
Crawford  county,  the  same  state. 

The  tide  of  migration  was  drifting   still  further   toward  the 


HISTORY  OF  YOLO  COUNTY  821 

setting  sun,  and  Nicholas  Hawkins  was  eager  to  join  the  host  of 
homeseekers  in  the  far  west.  Accordingly  he  disposed  of  his 
Missouri  holdings  and  in  1860  crossed  the  plains  to  California, 
accompanied  by  his  wife,  Margaretta  M.  (Frasier)  Hawkins,  and 
their  seven  children.  At  that  time  the  Indians  were  peculiarly 
active  in  depredations,  but  the  family  traveled  with  a  very  large 
expedition,  the  size  of  which  deterred  the  savages  from  hostile 
efforts.  The  original  location  of  the  family  was  upon  the  Solis 
grant  near  Gilroy,  Santa  Clara  county.  The  title  was  disputed 
for  some  time,  but  finally  the  United  States  supreme  court  sus- 
tained Mr.  Hawkins  in  his  ownership  of  the  land.  Later  he  dis- 
posed of  the  land  to  a  son-in-law  and  removed  to  Hollister,  San 
Benito  county,  where  he  died  in  1890  at  the  age  of  eighty  years. 
During  1896  occurred  the  death  of  his  widow,  who  was  born  near 
Lexington,  Ky.,  in  1812,  being  a  daughter  of  Joel  Frasier,  of  Vir- 
ginian birth. 

The  family  of  Nicholas  Hawkins  comprised  the  following- 
named  sons  and  daughters:  Thomas  S.,  a  banker  of  Hollister; 
Joel  F.  and  John  W.,  who  long  engaged  in  farming  near  Hollister ; 
Margaret  Jane,  whose  husband,  J.  Q.  Patton,  occupied  the  old 
Hawkins  homestead  near  Gilroy;  Elizabeth,  Mrs.  J.  A.  McCroskey, 
of  Hollister;  Mary  E.,  Mrs.  R.  W.  Chappell,  also  a  resident  of 
Hollister;  and  Nicholas  Andrew,  whose  name  introduces  this 
article,  and  whose  birth  occurred  in  Crawford  county,  Mo.,  May 
31,  1856.  When  only  four  years  of  age  he  was  brought  to  Cali- 
fornia, and  among  his  earliest  recollections  is  that  of  the  long 
journey  in  a  wagon  across  the  plains.  As  a  boy  he  lived  in  Santa 
Clara  county  and  near  Hollister.  After  having  graduated  from  the 
Gilroy  high  school  in  1873  he  matriculated  in  the  Pacific  Methodist 
College  at  Santa  Rosa,  Sonoma  county,  where  he  took  the  four 
years'  course  of  study  and  received  the  degree  of  A.  B.  During 
the  fall  of  1877  he  entered  the  Albany  (N.  Y.)  Law  School,  and 
after  two  years  of  study  he  was  graduated  with  the  degree  of 
LL.B.  About  the  same  time  his  alma  mater  conferred  the  degree 
of  A.  M.  upon  him. 

Upon  his  return  to  the  west  the  young  lawyer  began  to  prac- 
tice his  profession  with  N.  C.  Briggs  at  Hollister.  From  1880 
until  1882  he  served  as  district  attorney  for  San  Benito  county 
and  then  declined  in  favor  of  his  friend,  B.  B.  McCroskey,  who 
was  elected  to  the  office.  During  1884  he  was  himself  chosen  for 
the  position  and  served  one  term.  In  search  of  a  warmer  climate 
for  considerations  of  health,  he  came  to  Woodland  in  January  of 
1887.  Two  years  later  he  formed  a  partnership  with  J.  Craig,  and 
the  connection  continued  until  the  retirement  of  Mr.  Craig  from 
practice.    Afterward  Mr.  Hawkins  served  as  attorney  for  the  Yolo 


822  HISTORY  OF  YOLO  COUNTY 

County  Consolidated  Water  Company  and  the  Bank  of  Wood- 
land. Under  his  personal  management  were  conducted  many  of  the 
most  important  suits  in  Yolo  county.  Seldom  was  one  of  his  cases 
lost,  for  with  masterly  acumen  and  profound  knowledge  of  the  in- 
tricacies of  the  law  he  pushed  every  case  forward  to  its  anticipated 
termination. 

When  the  Republican  "landslide"  occurred  in  1904,  Mr.  Haw- 
kins was  the  only  Democrat  north  of  San  Francisco  elected  to  either 
house  of  the  legislature,  but  he  became  a  member  of  the  assembly 
and  ran  four  hundred  and  fifty  votes  ahead  of  the  rest  of  the  ticket. 
During  the  session  he  introduced  and  was  instrumental  in  secur- 
ing the  passage  of  the  agricultural  farm  bill,  a  measure  for  which 
the  people  of  Yolo  county  had  been  working  for  some  years.  The 
bill  provided  for  an  appropriation  of  $150,000  to  be  used  in  the 
establishment  of  a  farm  in  connection  with  the  agricultural  depart- 
ment of  the  California  State  University.  In  addition  he  served  as 
a  member  of  the  committee  on  swamps  and  overflowed  lands.  The 
irrigation  committee  had  in  him  an  intelligent  member,  and  the 
same  may  be  stated  concerning  the  committees  on  county  boun- 
daries, engrossment  and  enrollment,  and  military  affairs.  Some 
amendments  to  the  codes,  and  municipal  and  county  government 
acts  were  passed  through  his  painstaking  efforts.  The  fact  that 
he  was  a  Democrat  and  the  legislature  largely  Republican  did  not 
affect  the  standing  of  Mr.  Hawkins,  who  was  chosen  to  serve  on 
committees  because  he  was  recognized  as  a  man  of  fine  ideas, 
unusual  ability  and  patriotic  devotion  to  the  state.  He  was  elected 
superior  judge  of  Yolo  county  in  1908  and  still  fills  that  high 
position  with  impartiality  and  intelligence.  On  the  bench,  as  at  the 
bar,  he  displays  a  broad  knowledge  of  the  law  in  its  every  detail 
and  few  men  are  by  nature  and  also  by  education  as  well  qualified 
as  he  for  the  important  duties  of  a  jurist. 

The  judge  was  married  at  Amity,  Ore.,  in  1879,  his  bride 
being  Emma  E.  Chase,  a  native  of  Fairbury,  111.,  and  a  daughter 
of  William  T.  Chase,  a  cousin  of  Chief  Justice  Salmon  P.  Chase. 
Her  father  enlisted  at  the  opening  of  the  Civil  war  as  a  member 
of  an  Illinois  regiment  and  died  while  at  the  front  in  the  service 
of  the  Union.  Mrs.  Hawkins  is  a  graduate  of  a  seminary  at 
Peoria,  111.,  and  a  woman  of  unusual  culture.  The  two  sons  in  the 
family  are  J.  Waldo  and  Bellwood  Chase.  The  former  received 
the  degree  of  LL.  B.  from  the  University  of  Michigan  in  1904 
and  is  a  practicing  attorney  at  Modesto,  Stanislaus  county.  The 
latter  was  educated  at  the  University  of  California  and  University 
of  Michigan.  The  judge  is  a  member  of  the  California  Bar  Asso- 
ciation and  maintains  a  warm  interest  in  every  matter  connected 
with  his  chosen  profession.    For  many  years  he  has  been  connected 


HISTORY  OF  YOLO  COUNTY  823 

with  "Woodland  Lodge  No.  156,  F.  &  A.  M.,  and  the  Order  of  the 
Eastern  Star.  In  addition  he  belongs  to  the  Woodmen  of  the 
World,  and  since  1879  has  been  an  Odd  Fellow,  having  joined  at 
1 1 ol lister,  but  now  belonging  at  Woodland,  where  he  acts  as  past 
grand  of  the  lodge.  In  his  service  on  the  bench  the  conventional 
phrase,  "an  able  and  upright  judge,"  fitly  describes  the  qualifica- 
tions of  Judge  Hawkins,  who  in  addition  may  be  said  to  be  schol- 
arly, devoted,  independent,  incorruptible,  earnest  and  impartial,  a 
fitting  type,  indeed,  of  the  men  who  honor  the  office  to  which  they 
are  called  and  who  justify  the  faith  of  the  public  in  the  incum- 
bents of  these  high  positions. 


HERBERT   E.   HARRISON 

No  decade  has  passed  since  the  far-distant  days  of  the  discov- 
ery of  gold  that  has  not  witnessed  a  large  influx  into  California 
of  the  sturdy  and  energetic  young  men  from  the  east,  who,  at- 
tracted to  the  western  coast  through  the  opportunties  here  afforded, 
become  integral  factors  in  local  advancement  and  promote  the 
enviable  reputation  enjoyed  by  the  commonwealth  as  a  center  of 
progress  and  prosperity.  The  men  of  Yolo  county  have  been  no 
less  patriotic  and  progressive  than  those  in  other  portions  of  the 
state,  and  it  is  to  their  development  of  natural  resources,  their 
aptitude  in  business,  their  integrity  in  action  that  the  county  owes 
its  wealth  and  its  prestige.  In  the  attainments  that  form  the  index 
of  ideal  citizenship,  Herbert  E.  Harrison,  the  county  assessor,  has 
not  been  surpassed  by  others  associated  with  the  local  upbuilding, 
and  popularity  among  the  voters  is  indicated  by  his  long  retention 
in   his   present   position. 

Genealogical  records  indicate  that  the  branch  of  the  Harrison 
family  to  which  Plerbert  E.  belongs  became  established  in  the  east 
at  an  early  period  of  our  national  history.  His  parents,  Jerome 
Bonaparte  and  Sarah  (Stowed)  Harrison,  were  natives  of  the 
east,  and  he  was  born  August  16,  1852,  during  the  period  of  their 
residence  in  Alleghany  county,  N.  Y.  The  family  removed  to 
Wisconsin  during  the  year  1863  and  settled  in  Adams  county, 
where  he  attended  the  schools  of  the  village  of  Friendship.  After 
he  had  completed  the  studies  of  the  local  schools  he  secured  em- 
ployment as  a  mercantile  clerk  and  continued  at  Friendship  until 
1S77,  when  he  resigned  his  position  and  came  to  the  west.  Imme- 
diate! v  after  his  arrival  in  California  he  settled  at  Knight's  Land- 


824  HISTORY  OF  YOLO  COUNTY 

ing,  Yolo  county,  and  began  to  work  as  a  clerk,  later  became  a 
bookkeeper  for  a  business  bouse  and  eventually  entered  into  the 
mercantile  business  bimself.  This  he  followed  until  about  the  time 
of  his  election  as  assessor  in  1902,  when  he  disposed  of  the  store 
and  turned  his  attention  to  official  duties.  As  the  Democratic  can- 
didate he  succeeded  J.  K.  Smith  in  the  office  of  assessor.  When 
the  first  term  had  expired  he  was  chosen  his  own  successor,  and 
in  1910  he  was  elected  for  the  third  time  to  the  position,  which 
he  still  fills. 

The  comfortable  home  owned  by  Mr.  Harrison  in  Woodland 
is  presided  over  by  Mrs.  Harrison,  who  was  Louisa  Belle  Mas- 
ters, a  native  of  Sutter  county,  Cal.,  and  a  daughter  of  the  late 
Emmett  Masters.  When  the  Foresters  of  America  organized  at 
Knight's  Landing  and  selected  their  officers,  Mr.  Harrison,  a 
charter  member,  was  chosen  for  trustee  and  continued  in  the  same 
capacity  until  he  removed  from  that  village  to  Woodland.  The 
Woodmen  of  the  World  also  have  had  the  benefit  of  his  interested 
identification  therewith.  In  fraternal,  as  in  political  activities,  he 
seeks  neither  prominence  nor  influence,  but  his  popularity  is  such 
that  he  becomes  one  of  the  local  leaders  without  any  desire  on  his 
part  for  such  results.  It  is  thirty-five  years  since  he  came  to  this 
county  and  in  all  of  the  long  period  he  has  striven  earnestly  to 
promote  the  local  progress,  thus  identifying  himself  with  the  class 
of  public-spirited  men  to  whose  efforts  the  county's  high  standing 
may  be  attributed. 


JOHN  DIETRICH  RICHIE 

One  of  the  most  liberal  and  enterprising  citizens  of  Yolo 
county  for  thirty  years,  Mr.  Richie  lent  his  aid  toward  the  devel- 
opment of  that  section;  and  his  death,  January  2,  1890,  was  the 
occasion  of  sincere  regret  among  his  many  friends  and  associates, 
who  fully  appreciated  his  exceptional  qualities  of  both  mind  and 
heart. 

Born  September  10,  1819,  near  Heilgenbruch,  Germany,  Mr. 
Richie  was  of  most  aristocratic  lineage,  having  been  a  member  of 
a  famous  family  of  Hanover,  who  owned  not  only  the  city  of  his 
birth,  but  a  large  estate  adjacent  thereto.  Upon  completion  of 
his  education  he  became  a  navigator  and  in  time  became  an  officer 
on  Atlantic  liners  plying  between  Bremen  and  New  York  City. 
In  1850  he  resigned  his  position  in  New  York  City  and  came  by 
way   of   Panama   to    California.      Proceeding    to    Yreka,    Siskiyou 


HISTORY  OF  YOLO  COUNTY  825 

county,  he  operated  a  mine  there,  and  also  bought  and  sold  stock. 
After  the  severe  winter  of  1862,  having  suffered  the  total  loss  of 
his  herds,  in  common  with  other  stock  dealers,  he  settled  in  Yolo 
county,  where  he  engaged  in  both  cattle  and  sheep  raising.  In 
1864  he  purchased  four  hundred  and  eighty  acres  eight  miles  west 
of  Woodland,  which  he  stocked  with  sheep,  increasing  his  holdings 
gradually,  until  at  the  time  of  his  death  he  was  the  owner  of  twenty- 
six  hundred  acres  and  many  thousands  of  sheep.  In  1885  he  bought 
in  Woodland  a  ten-acre  tract,  upon  which,  in  1887,  he  erected  a 
beautiful  and  commodious  residence.  Later  he  disposed  of  one- 
half  of  the  property. 

Mr.  Richie's  marriage,  in  Sacramento,  June  8,  1873,  united 
him  with  Miss  Elizabeth  Schaumloeffel,  whose  birth  occurred  in 
Obervorschutz,  Hessen-Cassel,  where  also  her  father,  Conrad 
Schaumloeffel,  was  born.  He  died  in  Sacramento  in  1900,  while 
upon  his  second  visit  to  California.  Mrs.  Schaumloeffel,  who  prior 
to  her  marriage  was  Elizabeth  Riedemann,  spent  her  life  in  her 
native  land,  passing  away  June  13,  1870.  To  their  union  seven 
children  were  born:  Henry,  of  Sacramento;  Mrs.  P.  H.  Menken, 
also  of  that  city;  Mrs.  William  Kuhn,  who  resides  in  Woodland; 
Mrs.  Theodore  Muegge,  of  San  Francisco;  Mrs.  Christene  Rietz, 
who  resides  upon  the  old  home  place  in  Obervorschutz,  Germany; 
George,  who  died  at  the  age  of  thirty  years,  as  the  result  of  dis- 
ease contracted  in  the  Franco-Prussian  war;  and  Mrs.  Richie.  To 
the  union  of  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Richie  three  children  were  born,  as  fol- 
lows :  Annie  M.,  who  was  educated  at  the  Holy  Rosary  Academy, 
as  was  also  Ottilia,  the  latter  the  widow  of  Bruce  Strong,  of 
Woodland;  and  Adolph  H.,  who  resides  upon  and  manages  his 
mother's  ranch. 

Since  her  husband's  death  Mrs.  Richie  has  conducted  the  busi- 
ness along  the  same  lines  that  brought  him  such  splendid  success. 
She  is  farming  the  home  place  of  four  hundred  and  eighty  acres, 
being  engaged  in  sheep  raising  on  the  large  ranch.  The  two  ranches 
are  about  a  mile  apart.  Mrs.  Richie  is  actively  identified  with  the 
German  Lutheran  Evangelical  Church,  giving  time  and  money  to  the 
many  worthy  causes  supported  by  that  organization,  and  she  is 
especially  interested  in  the  Ladies'  Aid  Society.  In  1892  she 
donated  the  site  on  which  the  present  German  Lutheran  Church 
was  erected  that  year.  Though  in  common  with  others  she  lias 
suffered  both  disappointment  and  sorrow,  Mrs.  Richie  has  ever 
retained  her  natural  optimism  and  womanly  sympathy — qualities 
which  have  enshrined  her  memory  in  many  an  aching  heart, — and 
with  her  accustomed  habit  of  counting  her  blessings,  rejoices  in  the 
supreme  privilege  of  motherhood,  her  children  having  been  the 
source  of  her  greatest  happiness. 


826  HISTORY  OF  YOLO  COUNTY 

JOHN  BEMMERLY 

Prominent  among  the  pioneer  ranchmen  and  sheep  growers 
of  Yolo  county  was  the  late  John  Bemmerly,  who  settled  on  land 
lying  three  and  a  half  miles  north  of  Yolo  more  than  half  a  cen- 
tury ago,  on  the  homestead  now  owned  and  occupied  by  the  widow. 
Squatting  on  Knight's  grant,  he  helped  his  neighbors  to  fight  the 
claims  of  the  Knight  heirs  and  gain  the  victory  oyer  them  which 
perfected  the  titles  to  their  own  homes.  A  man  of  great  deter- 
mination and  perseverance,  he  was  at  the  same  time  progressive, 
patient  and  tactful,  a  farmer  who  in  other  environments  would 
have  developed  into  a  splendid  business  man.  He  was  born  in 
Wurtemberg,  Germany,  February  24,  1824,  and  was  reared  and 
educated  in  his  native  city.  In  1847  he  came  to  the  United  States 
and  worked  in  New  York  as  a  farm  hand  until  1852,  when  he  came 
to  California.  For  several  months  he  mined,  but  with  no  marked 
success,  and  so  he  squatted  on  land  in  Yolo  county  that  he  had 
recently  bought  from  the  United  States  government.  Industrious 
and  farseeing,  he  labored  courageously  and  became  in  the  course  of 
time  an  extensive  land  owner  and  a  citizen  of  influence.  He  raised 
excellent  crops  and  as  fast  as  he  made  money  he  invested  it  in 
contiguous  land  until  he  had  a  home  ranch  of  eight  hundred  acres, 
as  well  as  a  sheep  ranch  near  Dunnigan  comprising  thirty-six  hun- 
dred acres.  He  divided  his  attention  between  farming  and  sheep 
raising,  and  at  the  time  of  his  death  had  one  of  the  largest  flocks 
of  the  county.  His  passing,  which  took  place  August  8,  1872,  was 
regarded  as  a  sad  loss  to  the  community  and  an  irreparable  one 
to  his  family.  He  had  been  reared  in  the  Lutheran  faith  and  in 
his  political  affiliations  was  a  stanch  Republican. 

On  October  14,  1860,  Mr.  Bemmerly  married  Agnes  Wimmer, 
a  native  of  Baden,  Germany,  born  February  2,  1833.  Immigrat- 
ing to  the  United  States  in  1854,  she  made  her  home  in  New  York 
until  1859,  coming  to  California  that  year,  and  she  has  since  been 
a  resident  of  Yolo  county.  The  death  of  Mr.  Bemmerly  left  her 
with  four  small  children  and  another  was  born  afterward,  giving 
her  five  little  ones  to  rear  and  educate.  From  the  first  Mrs.  Bem- 
merly demonstrated  her  superior  business  ability.  She  employed 
men  to  operate  the  home  ranch  and  others  to  attend  to  the  sheep- 
raising  and  her  management  was  so  successful  that  she  had  in  a 
few  years  paid  off  all  of  the  indebtedness  and  increased  the  Dun- 
nigan ranch  to  forty-two  hundred  acres  by  the  purchase  of  six 
hundred  acres  of  adjoining  land.  In  1897  she  turned  this  fine 
property  over  to  her  children,  keeping  in  her  own  name  the  home 
ranch,  in  the  improvement  of  which  she  has  paid  out  considerable 
monev.     She  has  invested  in  land  near   her   original   ranch,   and 


HISTORY  OF  YOLO  COUNTY  827 

her  holdings  now  aggregate  three  thousand  acres  of  as  rich  and 
productive  farming  land  as  lies  within  the  borders  of  Yolo  county. 
The  eldest  of  Mrs.  Bennnerly's  children,  Mary,  assists  her  in 
the  management  of  the  ranch.  John  F.,  who  died  in  1906,  was  a 
resident  of  Woodland.  Agnes  H.  is  also  a  member  of  her  mother's 
household.  William  J.  is  a  successful  rancher.  Ernest,  the  young- 
est of  the  familv,  is  mentioned  elsewhere  in  this  work. 


EPHRAIM  Q.  CEITES 

It  has  been  the  rare  privilege  of  Mr.  Crites  to  remain  for 
more  than  fifty  years  on  one  farm.  Meantime  he  has  witnessed 
many  changes  in  the  environment  and  has  watched  the  develop- 
ment of  Yolo  county  with  an  interest  as  appreciative  as  it  has  been 
loyal  and  patriotic.  The  tract  upon  which  he  settled  in  1859  has 
been  improved  under  his  capable  oversight  into  an  extensive  vine- 
yard with  every  facility  for  the  raising  and  packing  of  seedless 
grapes.  Years  ago,  after  he  had  made  a  close  study  of  the  soil 
and  the  climate,  he  determined  to  plant  a  vineyard  and  set  aside 
ten  acres  for  that  purpose.  In  vain  his  friends  attempted  to  dis- 
suade him  with  their  warnings  against  the  folly  of  the  undertaking. 
With  a  steadfast  purpose  he  started  about  the  task,  and  in  a  short 
time  those  who  had  ridiculed  the  theory  came  to  admire  the  thrifty 
vines  loaded  with  their  rich  clusters  of  grapes.  The  success  of 
the  first  planting  encouraged  him  to  increase  the  size  of  the 
vineyard  and  he  started  new  vines,  continuing  to  increase  the 
vineyard  from  time  to  time  until  now  he  has  one  hundred  and 
forty  acres  in  seedless  raisin  grapes,  the  largest  vineyard  of  the 
kind  in  Yolo  county,  besides  having  on  the  farm  a  modern  equip- 
ment for  the  curing',  drying  and  packing  of  the  raisins.  He  has 
the  only  recleaning  outfit  as  well  as  patent  dippers  and  cap  stem- 
mer  in  the  county.  The  grapes  on  the  ranch  ripen  two  weeks 
earlier  than  in  other  points  and  in  1911  he  shipped  the  first  two 
cars  of  seedless  Sultana  raisins  from  California  which  were  ex- 
ported to  Europe.  In  1912  he  again  made  the  first  shipment 
from  the  state,  consisting  of  two  cars,  the  raisins  being  shipped 
to  New  Zealand. 

Born  in  Wooster,  "Wayne  county,  Ohio,  in  April,  1835,  Ephraim 
Q.  Crites  received  a  common-school  education,  supplemented  by 
academical  advantages.  When  lie  started  out  to  make  his  own 
wav  in  the  world  he  came  via  the  Nicaragua  route  and  an  ocean 


828  HISTORY  OF  YOLO  COUNTY 

steamer  to  California  in  1856  and  gained  Ms  first  experiences  of 
the  west  in  the  cities  of  San  Francisco  and  Sacramento.  Any 
honest  occupation  was  followed  that  offered  an  opportunity  for  a 
livelihood,  but  he  principally  engaged  in  work  as  a  clerk.  Coming 
to  Yolo  county  in  1859  he  bought  a  squatter's  claim  near  what  is 
now  Blacks  Station.  A  shanty  stood  on  the  tract,  but  no  other 
attempt  had  been  made  toward  improvement.  Hardships  and 
privations  filled  his  life  for  years  with  struggle.  The  discourage- 
ments would  have  disheartened  a  man  of  less  determination.  It 
was  incredibly  difficult  to  improve  the  one  hundred  and  sixty  acres 
in  such  a  manner  that  they  would  prove  producers  of  a  large  reve- 
nue. Indeed  it  was  not  until  he  had  entered  the  grape  industry 
that  he  found  himself  the  recipient  of  returns  from  the  place  equal 
to  his  expectations.  In  1911  he  purchased  what  is  known  as  the 
Ethel  vineyard  at  College,  comprising  one  hundred  and  sixty  acres, 
of  which  one  hundred  and  twenty  acres  are  in  muscat  grapes  and 
the  remainder  in  almonds  and  peaches.  The  London  layer  raisins 
from  this  vineyard  took  the  first  prize  at  the  St.  Louis  Exposition. 
For  a  long  time  after  his  arrival  in  Yolo  county  and  his  loca- 
tion on  his  present  farm  Mr.  Crites  kept  "bachelor's  hall"  and 
lived  in  a  most  frugal  and  self-denying  manner.  Eventually  he 
established  home  ties  and  became  the  possessor  also  of  a  neat  farm 
residence,  while  he  further  has  improved  the  place  with  a  substan- 
tial barn  and  a  packing  house  equipped  for  his  special  work.  In 
this  county  August  3,  1884,  he  married  Miss  Cordelia  Frances 
Maupin,  a  native  of  Shasta  county  and  a  devoted  member  of  the 
Christian  Church.  She  is  the  daughter  of  Thomas  and  Elwisa 
(Eockhold)  Maupin,  natives  of  Missouri.  Mr.  Maupin  crossed 
the  plains  to  California  in  the  '50s  and  became  a  large  land  owner 
and  stock  raiser  on  the  Cottonwood,  in  Shasta  county.  There  he 
passed  away  February  23,  1912,  his  wife  having  died  about  twenty- 
five  years  ago.  Mrs.  Crites  received  her  education  in  the  public 
schools  of  Shasta  county  and  the  Red  Bluff  high  school.  The 
two  sons  born  to  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Crites,  Charles  Carleton  and 
Harry  E.,  were  educated  in  the  Woodland  high  school  and  now 
assist  their  father  in  the  management  of  the  vineyards.  In  addi- 
tion to  his  public-school  advantages  the  older  son  also  attended  a 
business  college  and  took  a  commercial  course  of  study.  Politi- 
cally Mr.  Crites  has  been  a  lifelong  Republican.  He  prides  him- 
self upon  the  fact  that  he  cast  his  first  ballot  for  Abraham  Lincoln 
in  Yolo  county  in  1860  and  four  years  later  he  enjoyed  the  privi- 
lege of  voting  for  the  same  candidate.  Indeed,  he  has  supported 
every  Republican  nominee  presented  by  the  party  as  its  presiden- 
tial candidate  and  anticipates  a  continuance  of  the  same  policy 
throughout  the  balance  of  his  life,  but  with  his  devotion  to  party 


HISTORY  OF  YOLO  COUNTY  829 

principles  he  combines  a  dislike  for  office-holding  and  at  no  time 
has  he  consented  to  become  a  candidate  for  local  positions  of 
trust  and  honor. 


OTTO  J.  BAUMANN 

The  qualities  of  accuracy  and  skill,  without  which  permanent 
success  cannot  be  attained  in  any  line  of  enterprise,  are  no  less 
important  to  the  building  industry  than  to  other  avocations.  As 
leading  characteristics  of  Otto  J.  Baumann  they  have  been  indis- 
pensable factors  in  the  commendable  degree  of  success  which  he 
has  secured  as  a  contractor  and  builder.  While  he  is  of  Swiss 
lineage  and  nativity  (born  in  September  of  1879),  he  allows 
none  to  surpass  him  in  loyal  devotion  to  American  institutions 
and  in  his  work  he  displays  the  American  traits  of  energy  and  pro- 
gressiveness,  combined  with  the  thrift  and  economical  management 
usually  seen  in  people  who  claim  Switzerland  as  their  native 
country.  Still  in  early  life,  with  a  long  period  of  usefulness  lying 
before  him,  it  may  be  predicted  that  he  will  enjoy  a  gr owing- 
reputation  for  efficiency  in  his  chosen  occupation. 

The  trade  which  he  has  made  his  chief  occupation  Mr.  Bau- 
mann learned  through  serving  a  term  as  apprentice  to  a  promi- 
nent contractor  in  Dubuque,  Iowa,  and  after  he  had  acquired  an 
excellent  technical  knowledge  of  the  craft  he  began  to  earn  his 
livelihood  thereby.  Upon  coming  to  California  in  1900  he  settled 
first  at  Corning,  Tehama  county,  and  while  he  was  plying  his  trade 
as  opportunity  offered  he  devoted  the  balance  of  his  time  to  the 
task  of  assisting  his  father  on  a  ranch.  From  1906  until  1909 
he  made  his  home  in  Napa,  where  he  was  employed  by  a  contrac- 
tor. During  the  latter  year  he  came  to  Davis,  Yolo  county,  and 
formed  a  partnership  with  J.  W.  Campbell  under  the  firm  title  of 
Baumann  &  Campbell,  the  junior  member  being  a  native  of  Solano 
county  who  has  engaged  in  the  building  business  for  the  past 
eight  or  more  years. 

Accompanying  Mr.  Baumann  to  Davis  was  his  wife,  whom  he 
had  married  four  years  before  their  settlement  in  Yolo  county  and 
who  was  formerly  Miss  Minnie  Fisher,  being  a  native  of  New 
York,  but  a  resident  of  California  from  early  years.  They  are 
the  parents  of  two  children,  Otto  and  Marie.  In  fraternal  rela- 
tions Mr.  Baumann  holds  membership  with  the  Modern  Woodmen, 
but  he  cares  little  for  such  organizations  aside  from  their  insur- 
ance privileges,   his   time   and   attention  being   concentrated   upon 


830  HISTORY  OF  YOLO  COUNTY 

the  successful  outcome  of  his  occupational  tasks.  While  he  has 
never  made  a  special  study  of  architecture,  he  seems  to  possess 
natural  ability  in  that  respect  and  draws  his  own  plans  for  his 
buildings,  thus  saving  to  the  other  party  the  expense  of  outside 
drawings,  as  well  as  securing  results  that  many  assert  could  not 
be  surpassed  by  a  specialist  in  designs.  The  firm  have  kept  stead- 
ily occupied  ever  since  they  began  work  at  Davis  and  have  erected 
the  houses  of  Mrs.  Hampton,  Mrs.  E.  Granell,  Mrs.  Haussler,  J. 
Harby,  H.  A.  Plant  and  F.  Baca,  besides  the  building  occupied 
by  tbe  Schmeiser  restaurant,  the  attractive  library,  and  as  a  con- 
tract for  Mrs.  James  Reed  the  warehouse,  50x130,  which  displays 
substantial  construction  with  one  fifty-foot  span  without  supports. 
A  recent  task  completed  by  the  firm,  a  dormitory  at  the  Univer- 
sity farm  at  a  cost  of  $32,000,  is  the  largest  contract  ever  given 
for  any  building  in  or  near  Davis  and  may  be  accepted  as  an  evi- 
dence of  the  high  reputation  of  the  contractors  engaged  for  the 
responsible   undertaking. 


ELI  SNIDER 

Genealogical  records  show  that  the  Snider  family  came  from 
Germany  to  America  during  an  early  period  of  our  colonial  his- 
tory and  settled  in  Virginia,  from  which  state  Felty  Snider  went 
forth  to  do  service  in  the  war  of  1812.  At  the  close  of  the  war 
he  returned  to  his  Virginian  home,  but  in  1811:  he  removed  to  the 
then  wilderness  of  Ohio  and  settled  in  a  region  so  sparsely  in- 
habited that  his  nearest  neighbor  lived  twelve  miles  from  his  own 
cabin.  In  the  clearing  of  a  farm  he  had  the  energetic  assistance 
of  his  children,  one  of  whom,  Jacob,  the  father  of  Eli,  was  born 
in  Clark  county,  Ohio,  some  years  after  the  family  had  become  es- 
tablished in  that  portion  of  the  country.  His  existence,  like  that 
of  his  father,  was  filled  with  hardships  and  discouragements,  but 
blessed  by  affection  and  industry,  and  ultimately  crowned  with  a 
success  which  placed  him  among  the  well-to-do  men  of  his  com- 
munity. Helpful  to  him  in  his  struggles  and  enjoying  with  him 
his  achievements  was  his  wife,  who  bore  the  maiden  name  of 
Catharine  Shoemaker  and  was  a  native  of  Highland  county,  Ohio. 

There  were  six  children  reared  on  the  old  homestead  in  Clark 
county,  seven  miles  from  Springfield,  Ohio,  among  them  being 
Eli,  whose  birth  occurred  March  1,  1853.  One  of  his  brothers, 
Willis,   has   officiated   ably  as   superintendent    of   the   Agricultural 


HISTORY  OP  YOLO  COUNTY  831 

park  in  his  native  comity.  Another  brother,  Solomon,  is  a  vet- 
erinary surgeon  of  that  comity,  where  the  youngest  brother, 
D.  C,  engages  in  farm  pursuits.  A  sister,  Sarah,  is  the  wife  of 
John  Fenton,  a  contractor  of  Springfield,  Ohio.  The  mother  of 
these  sons  and  daughters  survives  her  husband,  who  died  in 
1891,  at  the  age  of  sixty-seven  years,  having  passed  his  declining 
days  quietly  and  contentedly  on  the  farm  associated  with  his  first 
struggles  toward  independence. 

After  having  completed  the  studies  of  the  country  schools 
and  aided  in  the  cultivation  of  the  home  farm  for  several  years, 
Eli  Snider  started  out  for  himself  at  the  age  of  eighteen  and  began 
to  learn  the  machinist's  trade  in  Lawrenceville,  Ohio.  On  his 
journey  toward  the  west  he  spent  the  summer  of  1875  in  Macoupin 
county,  III,  and  during  the  autumn  he  arrived  in  California,  where 
he  found  employment  as  an  engineer  in  Yolo  county.  November 
17,  1880,  he  married  Minnie  J.  D.  Montgomery,  a  native  of  Yolo 
county,  Cal.  The  only  child  of  their  union,  Alexander,  married 
Clara  Flaa  and  they  have  a  daughter,  Eunice  A.  Mrs.  Snider  is  a 
daughter  of  the  late  Alexander  and  Susan  (Martin)  Montgomery, 
who  came  to  California  in  1850  and  settled  in  Yolo  county  during 
January  of  the  next  year.  Like  many  other  early  settlers,  Mr. 
Montgomery  tried  his  luck  in  the  mines,  but  later  turned  to  farm- 
ing pursuits  and  to  such  enterprises  he  devoted  his  later  years. 
His  death  took  place  April  4,  1884,  at  the  age  of  sixty-four. 

The  management  of  the  farm  of  Alexander  Montgomery 
occupied  the  careful  attention  of  Eli  Snider  from  1881  until  1886 
and  he  then  removed  to  his  present  ranch  near  Davis.  Formerly 
he  conducted  a  nursery  business  on  the  land  and  shipped  nursery 
stock  over  the  entire  state  as  well  as  into  adjacent  territories. 
From  the  first,  however,  he  had  seventy  of  the  ninety-six  acres  in 
fruit,  the  balance  being  in  nursery  trees,  but  eventually  he  gave 
up  the  latter  industry,  reduced  the  almond  orchard  to  thirty  acres 
and  planted  six  acres  in  Bartlett  pears  of  the  very  choicest  grades. 
The  Earl  Fruit  Company  has  contracted  for  the  pears  for  a  term 
of  years  for  $100  per  acre.  During  the  season  of  1910  he  sold  his 
crop  of  almonds  for  $4,750,  while  in  1911  he  sold  two  hundred 
tons  of  oat  hay  for  $14  per  ton,  f.  o.  b.,  the  crop  running  more 
than  five  tons  to  the  acre.  For  some  years  he  served  as  a  mem- 
ber of  the  executive  committee  of  the  Davis  Fruit  Association 
and  from  the  first  he  has  been  an  exponent  of  all  that  is  most 
progressive  in  horticulture. 

The  fraternities  which  include  the  name  of  Eli  Snider  on  their 
rolls  of  members  are  Davis  Lodge  No.  228,  F.  &  A.  M. ;  Dixon 
Chapter  No.  48,  R.  A.  M.,  of  Dixon;  Woodland  Commandery  No. 
21,  K.  T.;  Yolo  Lodge  No.  169,  I.  O.  O.  F.,  of  Davis,  and  Golden 


832  HISTORY  OF  YOLO  COUNTY 

Seal  Lodge  No.  110,  K.  P.,  of  Davis,  in  which  latter  he  has  served 
as  chancellor.  Politically  he  has  been  stanch  in  his  support  of 
the  Democratic  party.  From  1906  until  1910  he  served  as  super- 
visor from  the  second  district  and  the  last  year  as  chairman  of 
the  board  and  during  his  term  many  improvements  were  made 
in  Yolo  county,  among  these  being  the  building  of  the  large  stone 
arch  bridge  at  Winters,  the  Southern  Pacific  Eailroad  bridge 
across  the  Sacramento  river,  the  bridge  of  the  Northern  Electric 
Company  across  the  same  river  and  the  completion  of  two  large 
reclamation  systems  in  the  Sacramento  valley. 


ALEXANDER  MONTGOMERY 

The  history  of  the  world  contains  the  record  of  few  migra- 
tions more  vast  in  volume  or  more  sweeping  in  results  than  that 
of  the  accession  to  California's  population  during  the  years  of 
1849  and  1850.  During  that  era  the  Montgomery  family  began 
an  identification  with  the  state  which  has  continued  up  to  the 
present  and  has  proved  profitable  and  pleasant  for  the  several 
generations  of  the  name  resident  herein.  A  father,  William,  with 
his  three  stalwart  sons,  Alexander,  William  W.  and  Hugh  (all 
of  whom  have  passed  from  earth),  were  the  founders  of  the  name 
in  northern  California,  for  in  January  of  1851,  after  a  brief  ex- 
perience in  mining,  they  came  to  Yolo  county  and  took  up  land  on 
Putah  creek.  Returning  east  by  water  in  1853,  the  father  visited 
former  friends  and  then  came  across  the  plains  accompanied  by 
his  wife,  who  was  born  in  West  Virginia,  but  had  removed  to 
Missouri  in  girlhood.  Kentucky  was  his  native  commonwealth, 
but  before  coming  west  he  had  engaged  in  farming  in  Ralls, 
Marion  and  Shelby  counties,  Mo.,  successively.  After  coming  to 
the  west  he  gave  his  attention  to  the  developing  of  land  and  the 
raising  of  farm  products.  When  seventy-four  years  of  age  he 
passed  away;  his  wife  lived  to  be  eighty-one. 

Among  the  sons  of  this  honored  pioneer  was  Alexander,  him- 
self a  settler  of  1850  and  a  man  of  forceful  traits.  Born  in  Ken- 
tucky March  7,  1822,  he  grew  to  manhood  in  Missouri,  where 
May  4,  1845,  he  married  Miss  Susan  Martin,  daughter  of  Andrew 
and  Katherine  (Harrison)  Martin,  natives  of  Virginia,  the  latter 
of  Scotch  extraction.  Mr.  Martin,  who  was  of  Irish  descent  and 
the  son  of  a  Revolutionary  soldier,  removed  to  Missouri  about 
1832  and  settled  in  Marion  county,  where  he  engaged  in  farming 


HISTORY  OF  YOLO  COUNTY  833 

until  advancing  years  rendered  retirement  advisable.  He  lived  to 
be  ninety-four  and  bis  wife  was  eighty  at  the  time  of  death..  Botb 
were  members  of  the  Missionary  Baptist  Church.  The  eldest  of 
their  nine  children,  Susan,  was  born  in  Fairfax  county,  Va.,  Jan- 
uary 8,  1828,  and  grew  to  womanhood  in  Missouri,  where  she  mar- 
ried Mr.  Montgomery  at  the  age  of  seventeen  years.  Three  of 
their  children  were  born  in  Missouri  and  the  others  are  natives 
of  California. 

The  eldest  son  in  the  family,  William  S.,  was  born  in  Marion 
county,  Mo.,  on  Christmas  day  of  1848,  and  crossed  the  plains  at 
the  age  of  five  years  in  company  with  his  parents.  From  1872 
until  1876  he  had  charge  of  the  old  homestead.  For  a  year  he 
engaged  in  business  at  Willows,  Glenn  county,  where  he  built  the 
first  house  in  the  village.  For  seven  years  he  lived  on  a  claim  in 
the  Big  valley,  Lassen  county,  and  thence  came  to  Yolo  county, 
settling  on  a  farm.  By  his  first  wife  he  had  four  children,  one 
of  whom  died  at  two  years  and  another,  Ida  M.,  when  thirty- 
three;  Etta  married  J.  Johnson,  a  rancher  near  the  old  home- 
stead, where  she  died;  and  Elmer  settled  at  Red  Bluff.  The  sec- 
ond wife  of  William  S.  Montgomery  was  Magdalena  Glockler,  a 
native  of  California,  and  who  died  in  1902,  when  thirty-six  years 
of  age.  Six  children  were  born  of  that  union,  one  of  whom, 
Frank,  died  at  the  age  of  three  years.  The  others,  Gertrude, 
Caroline,  William,  Marie  and  Oleta,  remain  with  their  father. 

In  the  family  of  Alexander  Montgomery  there  were,  besides 
the  son,  William  S.,  before  named,  fourteen  children,  three  of 
whom  died  in  childhood.  The  eldest  daughter,  Rebecca  M.,  mar- 
ried William  King,  of  Davis;  Susan  J.  married  John  A.  Johnson, 
of  Woodland;  Sarah  E.,  Mrs.  Enoch  Johnson,  lives  at  Lincoln, 
this  state;  Dora  A.,  Mrs.  L.  L.  Ralls,  a  widow,  makes  her  home 
at  Woodland;  Minnie  Jeff  Davis  married  Eli  Snider,  of  Yolo 
county;  Lee  Jackson  Stewart,  who  owns  forty-six  acres  of  the 
old  homestead,  married  Kate  Glockler,  and  they  have  three  chil- 
dren; Orlena  is  the  wife  of  A.  E.  Glockler,  a  rancher  of  Yolo 
county;  Andrew,  of  Sacramento,  married  Louisa  Glockler,  and 
they  have  one  daughter;  James  Carey  and  John  Pelham,  who  each 
inherited  forty-six  acres  of  the  estate,  have  since  purchased  in 
partnership  one  hundred  and  twenty-eight  acres  from  their 
mother,  but  more  recently  their  partnership  has  been  dissolved. 
John  Pelham  married  Letta  Tamm  and  they  have  one  daughter 
living,  Mercedes  Madge.  Upon  the  death  of  Alexander  Montgom- 
ery his  widow  inherited  the  family  residence  at  Woodland,  as  well 
as  one-half  of  the  home  farm  of  six  hundred  and  forty  acres, 
the  other  one-half  being  given  to  the  children.  After  a  useful 
and  successful  career  as  a  farmer  and  promoter  of  local  upbuild- 


834  HISTORY  OF  YOLO  COUNTY 

ing,  the  father  died  April  2,  1884,  at  the  age  of  sixty-two  years 
and  twenty-three  days.  His  last  resting  place  is  marked  by  an 
attractive  monument  in  the  Davis  cemetery. 


HENRY  REHM 

For  generations  the  name  of  Rehm  was  one  well  and  favor- 
ably known  in  Germany  and  subsequently  claimed  like  distinction 
in  Russia,  whither  the  grandfather  of  our  subject,  Jacob  Rehm, 
migrated  during  the  reign  of  Czarina  Ekatherina.  In  Russia  as 
in  Germany  the  granclfatber  was  a  tiller  of  the  soil.  Among  the 
children  in  his  family  was  Jacob  Rehm,  who  was  born  on  the 
paternal  farm  in  Russia  and  who  in  later  years  became  a  contrac- 
tor and  builder.  He  became  a  citizen  well  known  and  highly  re- 
spected in  Petersburg,  where  he  built  up  a  large  trade  in  his  line. 
His  marriage  united  him  with  Barbara  Fohrath,  who  like  himself 
was  a  native  of  Russia  and  was  a  descendant  of  German  ancestors. 

Three  children  comprised  the  family  of  Jacob  and  Barbara 
(Fohrath)  Rehm,  and  the  second  of  these  was  Henry  Rehm,  who 
was  born  in  Petersburg,  Russia,  May  31,  1878.  His  early  life 
was  identified  with  the  city  of  his  birth,  and  up  to  the  age  of 
fifteen  years  his  time  was  passed  in  the  national  schools  of  Peters- 
burg. This  ended  his  training  so  far  as  books  were  concerned, 
but  in  reality  the  closing  of  his  school  days  was  but  the  beginning 
of  that  larger  education  which  is  gained  through  contact  with 
the  outside  world  and  the  meeting  and  solving  aright  of  the  prob- 
lems of  life  that  come  to  all.  Leaving  home  surroundings  at  the 
age  of  fifteen  he  went  to  Orenburg  and  apprenticed  himself  to 
the  baker's  trade,  which  he  completed  in  the  prescribed  time  and 
thereafter  worked  as  a  journeyman  in  different  parts  of  Russia 
and  Germany.  Subsequently  he  returned  to  Russia  and  joined  the 
army,  his  service  of  four  years  therein  fitting  him  admirably  for 
the  active  service"  which  awaited  him  in  the  breaking  out  of  the 
Japanese-Russian  war.  He  was  ordered  to  the  front  and  as  a 
member  of  the  Fifty-sixth  Cavalry,  First  Company,  in  which  he 
held  the  rank  of  quartermaster  sergeant,  he  rendered  valiant 
service,  having  participated  in  the  battles  of  Leoyan  and  Mukdem 
In  recognition  of  heroism  displayed  in  the  battle  of  Leoyan,  when 
he  was  shot  in  the  right  leg,  he  received  a  medal  with  the  line  of 
promotion  to  second  lieutenant.  At  the  close  of  his  service  he 
was  honorably  discharged. 


HISTORY  OF  YOLO  COUNTY  835 

Mr.  Rebm  was  a  young  man  of  twenty-seven  when,  in  1905,  he 
landed  in  the  harbor  of  New  York,  a  stranger  to  the  language 
and  customs  of  the  country  which  he  had  selected  for  Ms  future 
home.  Youth  and  ambition  were  in  his  favor  and  these  apparent 
obstacles  proved  no  bar  to  his  progress.  Instead  of  lingering  in 
the  east  he  came  during  the  same  year  to  Woodland,  Yolo  county, 
Cal.,  where  at  that  time  he  was  not  able  to  secure  work  at  his 
trade,  but  hearing  of  an  opportunity  at  Sacramento  he  went  to 
that  city.  With  the  means  which  he  had  been  able  to  accumulate 
through  one  year  of  hard  work  and  frugal  living  he  returned  to 
Woodland  and  opened  a  business  of  his  own.  The  beginning  was 
necessarily  small  and  unpretentious,  and  would  hardly  be  recog- 
nized in  the  fine  modern  plant  at  No.  422  Main  street  which  has 
been  made  possible  by  the  push  and  energy  of  the  proprietor. 
Besides  dispensing  the  wholesome  commodities  of  a  first-class 
bakery,  Mr.  Rebm  has  added  a  coffee  parlor  to  his  place,  an  inno- 
vation that  is  appreciated,  as  demonstrated  in  the  hearty  patron- 
age that  it  receives. 

Before  coming  to  this  country  Mr.  Rehm  was  married,  in 
Orenburg,  Russia,  to  Miss  Margareta  Brehm,  who  was  a  native  of 
that  city.  Four  children  have  been  born  to  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Rehm, 
as  follows :  Henry,  Frederick,  Lydia  and  Wilhelm.  The  family 
are  communicants  of  St.  John's  Lutheran  Church  at  Woodland,  in 
the  activities  of  which  all  participate.  Politically  Mr.  Rehm  is  a 
Republican,  and  his  fraternal  affiliations  are  with  the  Modern 
Woodmen  of  the  World,  Royal  Neighbors  and  Herman  Sons. 


ANTONE  MILLER 

The  life  which  this  narrative  sketches  began  in  Alsace  (then  a 
part  of  France,  but  now  belonging  to),  Germany,  June  8,  1837, 
and  closed  at  Woodland,  Cal.,  February  14,  1879.  Between  the  two 
dates  there  was  an  era  of  energetic  activity  resulting  in  property 
accumulations  and  an  honorable  standing  in  business  circles. 
When  nineteen  years  of  age  Mr.  Miller  had  accompanied  his  par- 
ents to  the  United  States,  where  a  heavy  bereavement  came  two 
months  later  in  the  death  of  the  father  and  mother  in  the  city  of 
New  Orleans.  There  were  six  children  in  the  family  and  of  these 
Antone,  Wendell,  Ignatius  and  Joseph  came  to  California,  settling 
in  the  Sacramento  valley.  The  three  latter  followed  the  butcher's 
trade.     The  youngest  of  the  sons,  Antone,  had  learned  the  trade 


836  HISTORY  OF  YOLO  COUNTY 

of  a  brewer  at  Strassburg  and  had  followed  the  same  in  Cincin- 
nati, Ohio,  for  a  few  years.  In  1861  he  came  to  the  coast  via  the 
Isthmus  of  Panama  and  settled  in  Sacramento,  whence  he  came  to 
Yolo  county.  Forming  a  partnership  with  John  Shirley,  he  started 
a  brewery  on  the  farm  of  E.  Lowe,  midway  between  Woodland 
and  Yolo.  Two  years  later  the  plant  was  removed  to  Woodland 
and  the  Yolo  brewery  continued  under  the  prosperous  manage- 
ment of  the  partners.  They  borrowed  $500  for  the  purchase  of 
five  acres  of  land  at  $50  per  acre  and  $250  for  the  improvements, 
but  this  money  they  were  soon  able  to  repay.  During  1868  a 
modern  building  was  erected  with  large  cellars  and  every  facility 
for  the  prosperous  continuance  of  the  business.  After  the  death 
of  Mr.  Miller  the  brewery  was  managed  by  Mr.  Shirley  for  two 
years,  when  it  was  sold  and  the  partnership  dissolved.  It  should 
be  stated  that  when  they  came  to  San  Francisco  Mr.  Miller  was 
the  means  of  saving  a  would-be  suicide  in  that  city,  the  man  after- 
ward  becoming   a   wealthy   citizen. 

The  marriage  of  Antone  Miller  and  Bridget  Comer  was  sol- 
emnized in  Sacramento  April  17,  1864,  Father  Hugh  Gallagher 
officiating.  The  Comer  family  originated  in  Hungary,  but  accom- 
panied William  the  Conqueror  to  England  and  some  of  the  name 
bore  a  part  in  the  famous  battle  of  Hastings.  Eventually  they 
settled  in  Ireland  and  built  the  noted  castle  Comer  in  Kilkenny. 
Bernard  Comer,  a  farmer  who  died  in  Ireland,  had  made  three 
trips  to  the  new  world  and  in  one  of  these  he  came  as  far  west  as 
California.  His  wife,  who  like  himself  was  a  lifelong  resident  of 
Ireland,  bore  the  maiden  name  of  Bridget  Ward  and  was  of  Eng- 
lish ancestry  on  the  paternal  side.  Among  their  children  there 
was  a  daughter,  Bridget,  a  native  of  Athlone,  Ireland,  and  the  last 
survivor  in  a  family  numbering  eleven  children.  At  the  age  of 
fourteen  years  she  left  Athlone  and  crossed  the  ocean  with  a 
brother  to  join  their  sister,  Mary,  then  living  in  Boston.  In  1864 
the  young  girl  came  to  California  via  the  Nicaragua  route,  travel- 
ing up  the  Pacific  on  a  steamer  that  was  burned  during  its  return 
trip.  Two  years  after  the  death  of  Mr.  Miller  his  widow  removed 
from  Woodland  to  a  ranch  two  miles  northwest  of  town  and  on 
that  place  she  reared  her  children.  Devoted  in  her  allegiance  to 
the  Holy  Rosary  Roman  Catholic  Church  at  Woodland,  she  not 
only  gave  liberally  to  its  original  establishment,  but  also  contrib- 
uted generously  to  the  building  of  two  houses  of  worship,  as  well 
as  a  convent. 

In  the  family  of  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Miller  there  were  seven  chil- 
dren. Mary  Elizabeth  married  Timothy  Noonan  and  resides  in 
Oakland,  Mr.  Noonan  being  connected  with  the  San  Francisco 
Examiner.     Barbara,  Mrs.  0.  A.  Lowe,  died  in  young  womanhood. 


HISTORY  OF  YOLO  COUNTY  837 

Frank  has  operated  the  home  farm  for  years.  Antone  died  at  the 
age  of  twenty-four  years.  Glory  married  J.  C.  Montgomery  and 
resides  on  a  ranch  near  Davis.  Bertha  is  living  at  the  old  home- 
stead. Ignatius,  who  served  as  a  member  of  a  California  regi- 
ment in  the  Spanish-American  war  for  four  years,  received  an 
honorable  discharge  at  the  close  of  the  war  and  returned  to  Yolo 
county,  taking  up  farm  pursuits  at  the  old  homestead. 


JAMES  RANDOLPH  JACOBS 

If  any  residents  are  entitled  to  speak  with  authority  con- 
cerning the  resources  of  Yolo  county  it  is  those  who,  born  within 
its  limits  and  educated  within  its  schools,  trained  to  a  knowledge 
of  its  soil  possibilities  and  identified  constantly  with  its  landed 
development,  still  remain  within  its  boundaries  content  to  pass 
life's  afternoon  amid  the  scenes  endeared  to  their  earliest  recollec- 
tions. To  this  class  belongs  J.  R.  Jacobs,  who  is  proud  of  being 
a  native  son  of  the  county  as  well  as  a  lifelong  resident  thereof 
and  a  continuous  operator  of  farm  lands.  He  was  born  on  a 
farm  near  Knights  Landing  October  23,  1856,  the  son  of  Isaac  W. 
Jacobs,  who  is  represented  on  another  page  in  this  volume.  He  was 
educated  primarily  in  the  schools  of  Yolo  county  and  completed 
his  studies  in  Hesperian  College.  Subsequently  he  became  an 
assistant  to  his  father  on  the  ranch  and  later  was  the  active  man- 
ager of  the  home  place,  remaining  there  until  he  was  thirty-five. 
He  then  started  to  rent  other  properties,  and  later  took  up  farming 
and  leasing  tracts  in  different  parts  of  the  county. 

It  was  not  until  1907  that  Mr.  Jacobs  acquired  the  tract  of 
forty  acres  whose  cultivation  consumes  much  of  his  time  and  whose 
improvements  bespeak  his  skill  and  thrift.  The  little  farm  lies 
two  miles  west  of  Woodland  and  has  a  neat  residence  built  since 
the  present  owner  acquired  the  property.  Ten  acres  of  the  farm 
are  in  alfalfa,  which  furnishes  hay  for  his  dairy  herd  of  nine  milch 
cows.  A  large  drove  of  hogs,  some  Poland-China  and  others 
Berkshire,  brings  the  proprietor  a  substantial  addition  to  his  an- 
nual income.  Ten  acres  of  the  farm  are  in  a  vineyard,  which  last 
season  produced  a  large  crop  of  wine  grapes.  Peach  trees  of  the 
Orange  Cling  variety  are  in  bearing,  although  only  two  years  old. 
Almond  trees  also  began  to  bear  at  two  years,  although  entirely 
without  irrigation.  Indeed,  it  would  be  difficult  to  find  any  ranch 
as  small  that  equals  the  Jacobs  farm  in  point  of  production  and 
in  the  annual  income  from  the  sale  of  the  varied  crops. 


838  HISTOEY  OF  YOLO  COUNTY 

With  a  desire  to  invest  further  in  the  fine  farming  land  near 
Woodland,  during  1910  Mr.  Jacobs  bought  a  ranch  of  eighty  acres 
north  of  Yolo  and  here  he  gives  over  the  land  to  the  raising  of 
barley.  The  crop  for  the  past  season  averaged  eighteen  sacks  to 
the  acre  and  the  yield  undoubtedly  will  be  larger  after  the  land 
has  been  longer  under  the  efficient  management  of  the  present 
owner.  Besides  his  other  grain  and  stock  interests  he  engages 
in  raising  horses  and  mules.  Eesoureeful  and  energetic,  he  is  of 
the  type  of  native  sons  who  contribute  largely  to  local  development 
and  form  a  desirable  addition  to  the  citizenship  of  the  county.  In 
faternal  relations  he  holds  membership  with  the  Independent  Order 
of  Odd  Fellows.  During  1892  he  was  united  in  marriage  with 
Miss  Tena  Nickell,  a  native  of  Yolo  county  and  a  graduate  of 
Hesperian  College.  They  are  the  parents  of  four  children,  Mary 
E.,  Anita  E.,  Henry  E.  and  Fay.  Mrs.  Jacobs  is  the  daughter  of 
the  late  James  J.  Nickell,  a  native  of  Kentucky  and  an  honored 
pioneer  of  California,  who  crossed  the  plains  with  horse  teams 
from  Missouri  during  the  summer  of  1864  and  took  up  a  land 
claim  in  Hungry  Hollow,  later  settling  on  a  ranch  near  Yolo.  For 
many  years  he  engaged  in  ranching  in  Yolo  county  and  when  death 
ended  his  activities  in  1907  he  was  deeply  mourned  as  a  man  of 
high  principles  of  honor  and  unwavering  integrity.  Mrs.  Nickell 
was  formerly  Mary  Ann  Taylor,  also  a  native  of  Missouri,  and 
since  the  death  of  her  husband  she  has  continued  to  reside  on  the 
old  homestead  north  of  Yolo. 


JACOB  EEIFF 

Experiences  of  existence  in  regions  far  distant  from  each 
other  have  given  to  Mr.  Eeiff  a  profound  comprehension  of  life 
viewed  from  the  standpoint  of  a  traveler  and  a  close  observer. 
During  his  younger  years  he  had  little  ambition  toward  the  accumu- 
lation of  wealth.  With  a  realization  that  he  would  pass  through 
youth  but  once  he  enjoyed  to  its  utmost  that  fleeting  period  of  life 
and  spent  his  earnings  in  the  pleasures  of  travel,  not  only  returning 
to  his  native  Germany  for  a  protracted  visit,  but  also  journeying 
through  much  of  the  United  States  and  inspecting  parts  of  the 
country  seldom  visited  by  men  dependent  upon  their  daily  wages 
for  a  livelihood.  Nor  has  he  had  reason  to  regret  the  enjoyments 
or  expenses  of  young  manhood,  for  he  is  comfortably  situated  in 
an  attractive  home  and  by  industrious  application  he  has  provided 
for  the  necessities  of  an  oncoming  old  age. 


HISTOEY  OF  YOLO  COUNTY  839 

Born  in  Wurtemberg,  German}-,  January  17,  1843,  educated 
in  the  schools  of  his  native  locality,  and  trained  in  a  humble  home 
for  useful  service  in  the  world,  he  earned  his  livelihood  from  a 
very  early  age  as  an  employe  in  a  cotton  mill.  At  first  he  held  a 
very  humble  position,  but  recognition  of  his  industry  came  with 
advancement  in  wages  and  responsibilities.  Finally  he  was  made 
foreman  of  the  mill.  After  eight  years  in  the  same  plant  he  re- 
signed his  position  and  in  1864  crossed  the  ocean  to  the  new  world, 
proceeding  from  New  York  to  Ohio  and  securing  employment  with 
a  farmer  in  Miami  county.  At  first  he  received  only  $10  per 
month,  but  after  he  had  become  familiar  with  the  language  and  the 
customs  of  the  country  he  easily  earned  $1  per  day.  Evidence 
of  his  trustworthiness  appears  in  the  fact  that  he  continued  for 
five  years  with  one  man  and  then  resigned  against  the  protests 
of  his  employer  in  order  that  he  might  return  to  Germany.  The 
visit  at  the  old  home  in  1871  brought  its  pleasures  in  reunion 
with  relatives  and  friends,  but  after  two  months  he  became  anxious 
to  return  to  the  United  States.  The  land  across  the  seas  suited 
him  better  than  Germany  and  he  came  back  to  become  a  permanent 
citizen  of  his  adopted  country. 

Upon  his  return  to  Ohio  and  to  Miami  county  Mr.  Eeiff  re- 
sumed work  with  his  former  employer  and  this  time  he  continued 
on  his  farm  for  three  years.  During  1875  he  came  west  and  settled 
in  California,  first  working  in  Alameda  county  a  short  time,  then 
finding  employment  in  Yolo  county,  where  he  remained  for  twenty- 
two  months.  The  richer  by  $500  for  the  comparatively  brief  period 
spent  in  this  locality,  he  went  back  to  Ohio  on  a  visit,  then  traveled 
through  the  south  and  east  and  saw  many  of  the  large  cities  of  our 
country.  With  exhausted  finances,  but  with  an  abundance  of  hope, 
he  came  once  more  to  Yolo  county  in  January  of  1877.  Being 
utterly  without  money,  it  was  necessary  to  find  employment  at 
once.  For  five  years  he  worked  for  Captain  Ramsey.  Next  he 
pre-empted  a  homestead  of  one  hundred  and  sixty  acres.  A  portion 
of  that  tract  he  placed  under  cultivation  to  grain.  Upon  selling  the 
land  he  went  to  Hungry  Hollow  and  for  a  year  worked  in  the  moun- 
tains for  wages. 

The  purchase  of  two  hundred  acres  of  raw  land  from  the  rail- 
road company  gave  Mr.  Reiff  a  start  as  a  land-owner  and  for 
twenty  years  lie  remained  on  the  same  place,  meanwhile  clearing 
the  land,  bringing  it  under  cultivation  and  improving  it  with  neces- 
sary farm  buildings.  "When  he  left  that  farm  it  was  to  settle  upon 
a  fruit  farm  of  one  hundred  acres.  Besides  taking  care  of  the 
trees  and  harvesting  the  crops  of  fruit,  be  rented  outside  lands 
which  he  placed  under  cultivation  to  grain.  For  seven  years  he 
remained  on  the  rented  farm  and  then  removed  to  his  present  ranch, 


840  HISTORY  OF  YOLO  COUNTY 

buying  the  same  two  years  after  his  removal  to  it.  The  farm 
comprises  two  hundred  and  eighty  acres  near  Dunnigan.  A  sub- 
stantial residence  affords  a  comfortable  home  for  the  family.  A 
large  barn  provides  accommodations  for  the  stock  and  other  out- 
buildings have  been  erected  as  needed.  An  abundance  of  fruit 
for  family  use  is  gathered  each  year  from  the  trees  planted  by 
the  present  owner. 

When  forty-three  years  of  age  Mr.  Reiff  established  a  home  of 
his  own,  being  united  February  28,  1886,  with  Miss  Rosamund  M. 
Sweitzer,  a  native  of  Germany,  but  since  1884  a  resident  of  Hungry 
Hollow,  Yolo  county.  She  was  the  daughter  of  Martin  Sweitzer, 
who  came  to  Yolo  county  in  1883.  Four  children  were  born  of 
the  union,  Fred,  Minnie,  Carl  W.  and  Rosalie.  The  older  son  as- 
sists in  the  raising  of  grain  and  the  care  of  the  stock  on  the  home 
farm.  The  family  are  identified  with  the  German  Lutheran  Church. 
Both  Mr.  Reiff  and  his  wife  were  confirmed  in  that  faith  when 
they  were  yet  living  in  Germany  and  ever  since  coming  to  the  new 
world  they  have  remained  faithful  to  the  tenets  of  their  religion. 
In  national  elections  Mr.  Reiff  votes  with  the  Republican  party, 
but  in  local  campaigns  he  takes  an  independent  attitude  and  sup- 
ports the  men  whom  he  considers  best  qualified  to  represent  the 
people  irrespective  of  their  political  views.  It  has  been  his  pref- 
erence to  avoid  offices  and  the  only  exception  was  made  in  con- 
sideration of  the  needs  of  the  local  schools,  which  he  served  as  a 
director.  In  the  land  of  his  adoption  he  has  had  varying  experi- 
ences. Not  a  few  reverses  have  retarded  his  progress  and  lessened 
his  success.  Notwithstanding  these  he  has  accumulated  a  compe- 
tence, has  won  the  friendship  of  associates,  has  overcome  obstacles 
and  risen  to  a  position  of  respect  and  influence  which  may  well  cause 
him  to  feel  content  that  he  cast  in  his  fortunes  with  the  great 
west. 


WILLIAM  SANDROCK 

Time  has  wrought  manifold  changes  in  the  aspect  and  environ- 
ment of  Yolo  county  since  first  Mr.  Sandrock  arrived  in  this  portion 
of  the  state.  The  vast  tracts  of  land  that  then  awaited  the  first 
turn  of  a  furrow  now  have  been  brought  under  cultivation.  Vil- 
lages have  been  transformed  into  thriving  centers  of  population 
and  commerce.  Schools  and  churches  betoken  the  mental  and  relig- 
ious aspirations  of  the  residents.     Into  this  work  of  upbuilding 


HISTORY  OF  YOLO  COUNTY  841 

and  development  he  threw  the  energies  of  middle  age  and  by  his 
own  painstaking  industry,  by  his  progressive  spirit  and  by  his 
consistent  uprightness  he  proved  a  valuable  citizen  to  the  com- 
munity with  whose  destinies  his  own  fate  had  been  sealed.  Of  late 
years  and  indeed  during  the  greater  part  of  his  residence  in  the 
county  he  has  been  a  business  man  of  Blacks  Station,  where  he 
still  resides,  occupying  a  comfortable  home,  but  now  to  some  extent 
retired  from  the  enterprises  that  engrossed  his  energies  in  youth 
and  early  maturity. 

Born  in  New  York  City  February  24,  1850,  William  Sandrock 
passed  the  years  of  youth  at  Boonville,  Mo.,  and  there  learned 
the  trade  of  a  blacksmith.  Coming  to  California  in  1869,  he  set- 
tled at  Woodland,  Yolo  county,  and  secured  employment  in  a  shop. 
Later,  in  1881,  he  removed  to  Blacks  Station  and  bought  out  a 
blacksmith's  business,  establishing  at  that  time  a  trade  that  devel- 
oped with  the  enlarging  population  of  the  surrounding  country. 
The  shop  and  his  cottage  were  destroyed  by  a  fire,  but  he  rebuilt 
the  shop  and  bought  another  residence,  so  that  he  soon  recovered 
from  the  heavy  loss  entailed  by  the  catastrophe.  Until  1908  he 
continued  as  proprietor  of  the  shop,  but  in  that  year  he  disposed 
of  the  business  and  invested  his  funds  so  as  to  secure  an  income 
without  heavy  manual  labor  on  his  part. 

For  a  few  years  after  coming  to  the  west  Mr.  Sandrock  re- 
mained a  bachelor,  but  in  October  of  1882  he  was  united  with 
Miss  Crona  Rominger,  who  was  born  in  Germany,  but  grew  to 
womanhood  in  California  and  received  her  education  in  local  schools. 
The  family  of  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Sandrock  comprises  five  children, 
namely:  Freda,  wife  of  Louis  Schlieman,  a  prosperous  rancher  of 
Yolo  county;  Henry  W.,  employed  as  a  fireman  on  the  Southern 
Pacific  Railroad;  Arthur,  bookkeeper  for  the  Southern  Pacific 
Railroad  at  Marysville,  Cal. ;  Annie  and  Lawrence.  Ever  since 
coming  to  California  and  attaining  his  majority  Mr.  Sandrock 
has  voted  with  the  Republican  party  in  state  and  national  elec- 
tions. In  local  campaigns  he  gives  his  influence  to  the  men  whom 
he  considers  best  qualified  to  discharge  the  duties  of  the  offices 
in  question,  without  regard  to  their  opinions  concerning  the  national 
problems.  While  at  no  time  solicitous  for  office  himself,  he  has  con- 
sented to  fill  positions  of  local  trust,  the  most  important  of  these 
being  the  office  of  justice  of  the  peace,  to  which  he  was  elected  and 
in  which  he  continued  for  a  number  of  terms.  On  several  occasions 
the  party  organization  has  chosen  him  to  act  as  delegate  to  county 
conventions  and  in  such  gatherings  his  influence  has  been  given  to 
measures  for  the  benefit  of  tlie  party  in  the  county.  No  question 
interests  him  more  keenly  than  that  of  education  and  for  some 
fourteen  years  he  gave  efficient  service  to  the  district  in  (lie  capacity 


842  HISTORY  OF  YOLO  COUNTY 

of  director,  meanwhile  striving  to  promote  the  welfare  of  the 
schools  and  to  surround  the  boys  and  girls  with  advantages  enabling 
them  to  prepare  for  the  responsibilities  of  active  life.  While  not 
identified  with  any  religious  movement  he  contributes  to  the 
Lutheran  Church,  to  which  his  wife  belongs  and  in  which  faith  she 
was  reared.  Many  years  ago  he  joined  the  lodge  of  Odd  Fellows 
at  Davisville,  but  of  recent  years  he  has  held  membership  with 
the  lodge  at  Blacks  Station  and  has  passed  through  the  chairs  up 
to  and  including  that  of  past  grand,  while  his  wife  for  a  time  was 
very  active  in  the  work  of  the  allied  organization  of  Rebekahs. 


CHARLES  EDGAR  FRENCH 

One  of  Yolo  county's  progressive  and  prosperous  farmers  is 
Mr.  French,  a  recent  addition  to  the  community,  and  who,  by  his 
straightforward,  manly  dealings,  has  already  made  many  friends 
in  his  new  home.  His  birth  occurred  December  30,  1865,  in 
Stearns  county,  Minn.,  whither  his  parents,  John  H.,  of  the  state 
of  New  York,  and  his  mother,  Ellen  (Young)  French,  a  native  of 
Maine,  had  moved  from  their  respective  places.  Mr.  French  spent 
his  youth  upon  his  father's  farm,  where  he  laid  the  foundation 
of  his  splendid  physique  and  the  splendid  health  which  he  has 
since  enjoyed.  He  received  his  education  in  the  schools  of  his 
home  community,  and  while  yet  a  lad  courageously  left  his  home 
for  Ogallala,  Keith  county,  Neb.,  where  he  took  up  a  homestead. 
He  spent  six  years  upon  this  j}lace,  raising  wheat  and  corn,  going 
thence  to  Blackfoot,  Idaho,  where  he  secured  a  position  as  section 
foreman  on  the  Utah  Northern,  a  branch  of  the  Union  Pacific. 
In  1893  he  journeyed  to  California,  where,  until  November,  1907, 
he  worked  in  a  similar  capacity  at  different  places  in  the  Sacra- 
mento valley,  for  the  Southern  Pacific  road.  Abandoning  this 
occupation  he  determined  to  secure  a  small  but  valuable  piece  of 
land,  where  he  might  engage  in  an  industry  more  conducive  to 
peace  and  also  one  of  a  more  lucrative  nature.  After  viewing 
the  situation  in  different  localities  he  located  on  his  present  farm 
of  twenty  acres  one  mile  west  of  Woodland,  which  he  has  improved 
with  buildings  and  an  orchard  of  about  thirty  varieties  of  fruit 
trees,  as  well  as  ornamental  trees.  Seventeen  acres  of  his  prop- 
erty he  devotes  to  alfalfa,  which  he  finds  most  profitable,  his  income 
from  this  source  alone  last  year  netting  him  $70  per  acre.  He 
also  established  a  dairy,   supplied  by  eleven  high  grade  Holstein 


HISTORY  OF  YOLO  COUNTY  843 

On  this  home  place,  which  is  highly  improved,  Mr.  French  and 
his  family  find  hoth  tranquility  and  happiness.  He  was  united  in 
marriage  in  1898  to  Miss  Agnes  Kergel,  a  native  of  Cacheville, 
Yolo  county.  They  have  two  bright  young  sons,  Clarence  H.  and 
Elwin  H.  Mr.  French  is  an  active  member  of  Woodland  Lodge  No. 
Ill,  I.  0.  0.  F. 


J.  W.  GILLIAM 

The  descendant  of  southern  ancestors,  J.  W.  Gilliam  was  also 
a  native  of  the  south,  born  in  Macon  county,  Tenn.,  October  5, 
1837,  the  son  of  Taylor  G.  and  Mary  (Meddor)  Gilliam,  both  natives 
of  Virginia.  He  was  about  eight  years  of  age  when  the  family 
removed  to  St.  Clair  county,  Mo.,  and  it  was  there  that  he  was 
educated  in  pioneer  schools.  Later,  in  1856,  he  removed  with 
T.  T.  Barnes  and  family  to  California  across  the  plains.  The 
train  consisted  of  six  wagons  under  the  command  of  Capt.  Robert 
McCloud,  and  one  of  the  ox-teams  was  driven  by  young  Gilliam. 
The  party  reached  the  Sacramento  valley  in  safety  and  then  broke 
up,  each  family  choosing  a  location  of  its  own.  During  his  early 
days  in  the  west  Mr.  Gilliam  engaged  in  farming  with  his  brother- 
in-law,  T.  T.  Barnes,  but  upon  reaching  the  age  of  twenty-one  he 
located  on  the  ranch  which  he  owns  and  occupies  near  Winters. 
He  became  the  owner  of  the  property  in  1860  and  in  the  years  that 
have  followed  he  has  made  many  improvements. 

In  1872  Mr.  Gilliam  was  married  to  Miss  Mary  A.  Howard, 
who  was  born  in  Cooper  county,  Mo.,  the  daughter  of  Seth  Howard, 
who  brought  the  family  across  the  plains  in  1868  and  settled  on  a 
farm  near  Madison.  Five  children  were  born  to  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Gil- 
liam, as  follows:  Mary  Emma,  Frances  Luraney,  Mildred  Eudora, 
D.  Howard  and  John  William.  Mary  married  L.  E.  Neel  and  they 
with  their  son,  Dewey  H.,  reside  near  Vacaville ;  D.  Howard  married 
Ethel  Archer  and  they  live  on  their  Yolo  county  farm  with  their 
children,  Leona  L.,  Mary  C.  and  John  A.  Remembering  his  own 
meager  advantages  for  receiving  an  education  Mr.  Gilliam  has  seen 
to  it  that  his  children  have  had  the  benefit  of  the  best  advantages 
for  him  to  give  them  and  all  have  been  pupils  in  the  grammar 
and  high  schools  of  the  neighborhood.  Mary  E.  received  further 
advantages  at  the  San  Jose  state  normal  school;  Frances  is  a 
graduate  of  Hesperian  College  of  Woodland;  Mildred  E.  and  D. 
Howard  are  graduates  of  the  Esparto  high  school;  and  John    W. 


844  HISTORY  OF  YOLO  COUNTY 

graduated  from  the  University  of  California  with  the  degrees  of 
B.  S.  and  C.  E.  He  has  been  in  the  employ  of  the  Southern 
Pacific  Railroad  Company  as  a  civil  engineer  for  the  last  three 
years.  His  marriage  united  him  with  Hulda  Blanton,  of  Cohasset, 
Cal.,  who  was  a  graduate  of  the  Chico  normal  school  and  a  success- 
ful teacher  for  many  years. 

Since  settling  on  his  present  ranch  of  two  hundred  and  sixty 
acres  near  Winters  Mr.  Gilliam  has  sought  to  bring  the  tract  to  the 
highest  state  of  cultivation,  and  now  has  twenty  acres  of  fig  trees, 
also  a  grove  of  almonds,  and  to  carry  on  the  work  of  the  ranch  he 
keeps  sixteen  head  of  horses  and  mules. 

Coming  to  this  coast  when  the  mountains  were  filled  with  wild 
game  Mr.  Gilliam  became  quite  a  hunter  in  the  early  days.  Bear 
and  deer  furnished  the  sport  he  sought  and  once  from  the  former 
quarry  he  had  a  narrow  escape.  While  deer  hunting  he  came  in 
close  contact  with  a  female  grizzly  with  cubs.  She  was  enraged 
and  followed  him  into  a  tree  and  out  upon  a  limb.  Mr.  Gilliam 
had  a  hair-trigger  gun  with  him  which  went  off  by  accident.  The 
old  grizzly  became  frightened  and  slid  down  the  tree,  none  too 
soon  for  the  comfort  of  Mr.  Gilliam,  who  had  been  within  a  few 
feet  only  of  the  enraged  animal.  Gathering  her  frightened  cubs 
around  her  she  limped  off  into  the  thicket  and  the  bold  hunter 
climbed  out  of  the  tree  and  hurried  to  camp.  Mr.  Gilliam  was  a 
trustee  of  schools  for  many  years  and  both  himself  and  wife  are 
members  of  the  Christian  Church  at  Madison,  he  being  one  of  the 
oldest  members  of  that  organization. 


DANIEL  FRANKLIN  HOUX 

The  high  character  of  the  citizenship  is  a  noteworthy  feature 
in  the  history  of  Yolo  county  and  perhaps  none  of  the  residents 
has  a  wider  circle  of  acquaintances,  while  certainly  none  stands 
higher  for  integrity  and  manly  worth,  than  "Frank"  Houx,  a 
resident  of  this  region  since  very  early  childhood  and  identified 
for  more  than  one-half  century  with  the  material  development 
of  his  locality.  The  arrival  of  the  family  in  the  county  when  he 
was  scarcely  six  years  of  age  remains  one  of  the  lasting  memories 
of  his  early  life.  He  recalls  the  vast  stretches  of  unoccupied  ter- 
ritory, the  wilderness  untouched  by  the  hand  of  the  white  man  and 
the  lonely  frontier  region  waiting  for  the  plastic  touch  of  civiliza- 
tion and  settlement.  Cross-roads  stores  stood  on  the  sites  later 
occupied  by  flourishing  villages.     Railroads  had  not  yet   spanned 


HISTORY  OF  YOLO  COUNTY  845 

the  country  with  their  vivifying  systems  nor  had  telegraph  and 
telephone  lines  entered  the  imagination  of  the  most  prophetic 
pioneer. 

A  history  of  the  IIoux  family  indicates  their  Teutonic  origin 
and  their  long  association  with  the  material  upbuilding  of  Germany, 
whence  John  came  to  the  new  world  and  settled  in  Kentucky. 
Later  he  became  one  of  the  very  earliest  settlers  of  Cooper  county, 
Mo.,  removing  there  at  a  period  so  early  that  few  claims  had  been 
taken  up  by  home-seekers  and  scarcely  any  attempt  had  been  made 
at  cultivation  of  the  land.  His  son,  Leonard,  a  native  of  Kentucky, 
grew  to  manhood  in  Missouri  and  there  married  Miss  Sarah  L. 
Tebbs,  likewise  a  Kentuckian  by  birth.  After  some  years  on  a 
farm  in  Cooper  county  they  removed  to  Johnson  county,  Mo., 
where  a  son,  Daniel  Franklin,  was  born  December  7,  1845.  Dis- 
posing of  all  interests  in  Johnson  county  the  family  came  to  Cali- 
fornia, crossing  the  plains  with  ox-teams,  in  1852,  and  shortly 
after  arriving  at  Sacramento  in  July  of  that  year  they  proceeded  to 
Yolo  county,  where  Leonard  Houx  took  up  one  hundred  and  sixty 
acres  of  government  land.  More  than  twenty  busy  years  were 
given  to  the  improvement  of  the  farm,  which  under  the  capable 
oversight  and  diligent  labor  was  transformed  from  virgin  soil 
into  productive  areas,  and  there  he  remained  until  his  death  in 
August  of  1874.  His  wife  passed  away  in  1897,  at  the  age  of 
seventy-five  years. 

Of  the  sons  and  daughters  comprising  the  parental  family 
D.  F.  Houx  was  the  first-born,  the  others  being  C.  C,  J.  L.,  E.  M., 
Miranda  J.,  George  R.  and  W.  L.  The  only  daughter  is  the  wife 
of  Watson  Barnes,  a  well-known  farmer  of  Yolo  county.  George 
R.,  a  prosperous  business  man  residing  at  Blacks  Station,  was 
accidentally  killed  May  4,  1911.  The  youngest  of  the  brothers, 
W.  L.,  is  now  engaged  in  business  at  Blacks  Station.  Primarily 
educated  in  the  common  schools,  Daniel  F.  Houx  later  attended 
the  Vacaville  College  for  one  term  and  also  had  the  advantage 
of  a  complete  commercial  course  in  Pacific  Business  College,  San 
Francisco.  Upon  starting  out  for  himself  he  rented  land  and  en- 
gaged in  general  farming.  After  some  years  as  a  renter  he  suc- 
ceeded by  inheritance  to  a  portion  of  the  old  homestead  and  pur- 
chased the  interest  of  the  other  heirs,  so  that  he  is  now  the  owner 
of  the  farm  originally  taken  up  by  his  father.  Here  he  raises 
grain  and  hay  and  also  keeps  on  the  farm  some  fine  horses  and 
mules,  cattle  and  hogs.  In  addition  to  the  cultivation  of  the  home 
place  he  has  leased  and  operated  other  farms. 

The  marriage  of  D.  F.  Houx  took  place  at  Arbuckle,  Cal.,  in 
August,  1878,  and  united  him  with  Miss  Lucinda  Frances  Maupin, 
who  was  born  in  Humboldt  county,  Cal.,  but  passed  her  girlhood 
days  principally  in  Shasta  county.     The  eldest  child  of  this  mar- 


846  HISTORY  OF  YOLO  COUNTY 

riage,  Lulu  May,  died  in  infancy.  The  surviving  daughter,  Minnie 
Myrtle,  is  the  wife  of  Alexander  Leiter,  Jr.,  a  merchant  at  Modesto, 
this  state.  The  only  son,  Roy  Reed,  assists  his  father  in  the  man- 
agement of  the  old  homestead.  In  national  elections  Mr.  Houx 
votes  the  Democratic  ticket,  but  locally  he  supports  the  candidate 
whom  he  considers  to  be  the  best  man  for  the  position  in  question. 
In  early  manhood  he  served  one  term  as  constable.  Frequently 
he  has  been  a  delegate  to  county  and  state  conventions.  In  1889  he 
was  elected  supervisor  of  district  No.  3  and  four  years  later  he 
was  re-elected,  serving  eight  consecutive  years.  During  the  first 
term  he  served  as  a  member  of  the  finance  committee,  while  during 
the  last  four  years  he  was  chairman  of  the  county  board  for  a 
full  term.  On  several  occasions  he  has  been  chosen  to  serve  on 
petit  and  grand  juries.  For  twenty-six  years  he  officiated  as  trustee 
of  his  school  district  and  for  the  past  five  years  he  has  acted  as 
secretary  of  the  board,  meanwhile  accomplishing  much  in  behalf 
of  the  educational  interests  of  his  district.  Fraternally  a  mem- 
ber of  Yolo  Lodge  No.  81,  F.  &  A.  M.,  he  has  passed  through  the 
chairs  and  is  now  past  master,  besides  having  represented  the 
local  organization  in  the  grand  lodge  of  the  state.  The  Independent 
Order  of  Odd  Fellows  also  number  him  among  the  leading  members 
of  the  subordinate  lodge  at  Blacks  Station.  Besides  having  held 
the  offices  of  this  lodge  up  to  and  including  that  of  past  grand, 
he  has  represented  the  body  in  the  grand  lodge  on  five  different 
occasions.  In  addition  he  and  his  wife  hold  prominent  identifica- 
tion with  the  lodge  of  Rebekahs  at  Woodland. 


FREDOLINE  DURST 

One  of  the  distinguishing  characteristics  of  California  is  the 
fact  that  it  has  attracted  men  from  all  parts  of  the  world.  Here 
the  Teutonic  element  finds  an  acceptable  place  for  the  exemplifica- 
tion of  its  traits  of  industry  and  perseverance;  the  French  are 
attracted  by  the  opportunity  to  develop  their  national  trait  of 
thrift;  here  are  to  be  found  the  English  with  their  firmness  of 
will,  the  Irishmen  with  their  cheery  wit,  the  Scotch  with  their  lofty 
principles  of  morality  and  religion,  and  the  Italians  with  their 
love  of  the  warm  sunshine  and  genial  air  so  like  their  own  native 
land.  Nor  are  there  wanting  industrious  and  successful  Swiss  in 
this  fortunate  region  and  many  of  them  here,  as  their  ancestors  for 
generations  in  Switzerland,  are  distinguished  by  the  manufacture 
of  butter  and  cheese  of  unexcelled  quality. 

Many  generations  of  the  Durst  family  (indeed  as  far  back  as 


HISTORY  OF  YOLO  COUNTY  847 

the  genealogy  can  be  traced)  followed  the  dairy  industry  in  the 
foothills  of  the  Alps  and  gained  local  prominence  through  their 
output  of  butter  and  cheese.  The  republic  of  Switzerland  is  the 
native  home  of  Fredoline  Durst,  where  he  was  born  in  the  vil- 
lage of  Thornhaus,  Canton  Glarus,  and  there  also  were  born  his 
parents,  Fredoline,  Sr.,  and  Magdalina  (Strieff)  Durst,  proprietors 
of  a  small  dairy  farm  from  which  by  toilsome  exertions  they  earned 
a  scanty  livelihood.  Hoping  to  better  their  condition  the  family 
immigrated  to  the  new  world  in  the  spring  of  1854  and  settled  on 
the  then  frontier  of  Green  county,  Wis.,  where  they  bought  land 
in  the  midst  of  a  dense  wilderness.  The  son,  who  was  born  August 
15,  1848,  had  reached  the  age  of  five  years  at  the  time  of  the  depart- 
ure from  the  old  world,  hence  he  retains  only  vague  recollections 
of  his  native  country.  He  recalls  with  distinctness  the  voyage  on 
the  ocean,  the  subsequent  trip  to  Wisconsin  and  the  settlement 
in  an  isolated  locality.  It  was  his  duty  to  assist  in  turning  the 
first  furrows  on  some  Wisconsin  land  and  to  aid  in  the  mainte- 
nance of  the  family,  being  indeed  his  father's  right-hand  man 
until  he  started  out  to  earn  his  own  way  in  the  world.  The  parents 
continued  at  the  old  Wisconsin  homestead  and  the  mother  died 
there  in  1882;  the  father,  now  a  rugged  old  man  of  eighty-six,  still 
resides  on  the  place  improved  by  his  own  personal  efforts  during 
the  pioneer  era. 

Throughout  his  entire  life  Fredoline  Durst,  Jr.,  has  been 
known  familiarly  as  Fred  and  his  oldest  son,  a  prominent  educator, 
represents  the  third  generation  bearing  the  same  name.  It  was 
not  possible  for  a  boy  on  a  frontier  farm  to  enjoy  educational 
advantages  and  hence  he  attended  school  seldom,  his  present  wide 
fund  of  information  having  been  gained  by  reading  and  observa- 
tion, with  the  exception  of  such  school  attendance  as  his  own 
determined  efforts  rendered  possible.  After  he  had  commenced 
to  learn  the  trade  of  a  blacksmith  and  carriage-maker  in  Madison, 
Wis.,  he  was  able  to  attend  a  common  school  for  a  short  time  and 
later  he  worked  his  way  for  one  term  at  Mount  Morris  Seminary 
in  the  northern  part  of  Illinois.  Upon  leaving  Carroll  county, 
that  state,  he  went  west  as  far  as  Nebraska  and  later  for  two 
years  he  worked  in  a  saw-mill  on  the  Nodaway  river  near  Clear- 
mont,  Nodaway  county,  Mo.  From  that  locality  he  came  to  Cali- 
fornia during  1873  and  settled  in  Yolo  county,  where  he  was  en- 
gaged in  carpentering  for  about  one  year  and  later  turned  his 
attention  to  farming.  During  1878  he  traveled  by  steamship  to 
the  Klickitat  country,  Washington,  and  thence  returned  by  steamer 
from  Portland,  finding  the  trip  so  thoroughly  enjoyable  that  the 
next  year  he  again  traveled  north,  this  time  by  team  and  wagon, 
to  Spokane  Falls,  Wash.,  and  every  night  during  the  jouruey  of 
three  months  he  slept  out-of-doors.     The  expedition  brought  him 


848  HISTORY  OF  YOLO  COUNTY 

renewed  health  and  strength  and  also  gave  him  an  excellent  op- 
portunity to  inspect  the  country  through  which  he  traveled. 

One  hundred  and  sixty  acres,  forming  the  nucleus  of  his  present 
property,  were  acquired  by  Mr.  Durst  in  the  spring  of  1880.  The 
place  had  no  improvements  whatever  except  a  small  house  illy 
fitted  to  accommodate  a  family  in  comfort.  To  this  ranch  he 
brought  his  young  wife,  whom  he  had  married  in  Yolo  county 
during  the  spring  of  1879  and  who  was  Miss  Augusta  Fritag,  a 
native  of  Pomenia,  Germany,  but  after  1870  a  resident  of  Cali- 
fornia, where  she  made  her  home  in  Sacramento  for  a  short  time. 
With  the  assistance  of  his  capable  wife  Mr.  Durst  has  completely 
changed  the  appearance  of  the  ranch  since  he  bought  the  property. 
The  house  was  remodeled  and  shade  trees  were  planted  that  greatly 
beautify  the  grounds,  while  there  are  also  fruit  trees  with  all 
varieties  of  fruit  desired  for  the  family  use.  A  substantial  barn 
has  been  erected  as  well  as  other  farm  buildings.  From  time  to 
time  additional  land  has  been  acquired,  until  now  nine  hundred 
and  sixty  acres  are  embraced  within  the  limits  of  the  home  ranch. 
Wheat  and  barley  are  the  principal  products  and  bring  in  a  neat 
annual  income  through  the  skilled  cultivation  of  the  soil.  In  the 
pastures  are  usually  kept  about  sixty  head  of  cattle  and  there 
is  also  other  stock  on  the  place,  notably  Berkshire  and  Poland- 
China  hogs  representing  the  best  types  of  their  breed. 

It  has  been  the  happy  fortune  of  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Durst  to  rear 
a  family  of  sons  and  daughters  of  whom  they  may  well  be  proud. 
The  eldest  son,  Prof.  Fred  M.  Durst,  is  now  vice-principal  of  the 
Watsonville  high  school.  Herman,  who  finished  his  education 
in  a  commercial  college,  is  now  engaged  in  the  furniture  business 
at  Carson  City,  Nev.  John  H.,  who  also  took  a  course  in  a  business 
college,  is  now  farming  near  Dunnigan.  David  M.  is  a  graduate 
of  the  University  of  California  at  Berkeley,  class  of  1912.  Frank  C. 
is  a  graduate  of  the  Woodland  high  school,  class  of  1911,  and  now 
a  teacher  in  Yolo  county.  The  youngest  sons,  George  and  Oscar, 
are  still  at  home.  The  elder  daughter,  Magdalena,  is  the  wife  of 
Charles  Ledder,  a  rancher  of  Glenn  county.  The  younger  daughter. 
Freda,  a  graduate  of  the  Western  Normal,  Stockton,  is  now  teach- 
ing in  Colusa  county.  The  family  are  identified  with  the  German 
Lutheran  Church.  In  national  elections  Mr.  Durst  votes  with  the 
Democratic  party,  but  locally  he  supports  the  candidates  whom  he 
considers  best  qualified  to  represent  the  people.  For  a  time  he 
served  as  a  director  in  the  local  schools  and  also  acted  as  clerk  of 
the  school  district.  Thirty-three  years  have  passed  since  he  came 
to  his  present  ranch  and  meanwhile  he  has  witnessed  the  growth 
of  the  county,  having  indeed  contributed  largely  to  the  same 
through  his  own  progressive  efforts  and  judicious  labors  as  an 
agriculturist. 


HISTORY  OF  YOLO  COUNTY  849 

ED  E.  LEAKE 

The  editor  and  proprietor  of  the  Woodland  Democrat  is  a 
native  of  Hannibal,  Mo.,  born  January  31,  1850,  and  is  the  oldest 
son  of  the  late  William  M.  and  Jane  F.  Leake.  Educated  in  the 
public  schools  and  the  New  London  Academy,  he  subsequently 
worked  on  the  farm  until  he  was  eighteen  years  of  age,  and,  it 
may  be  remarked  in  passing,  that  he  has  never  lost  his  interest 
in  farm  life,  but  has  consistently  maintained  that  the  intellectual, 
college-bred  man  can  find  no  wider  or  more  useful  field  for  his 
talents  than  the  farm  offers.  He  was  a  powerful  advocate  of 
agricultural  education  fostered  by  the  state,  and  the  establishment 
of  the  University  Farm  in  Yolo  county  was  made  possible  largely 
by  his  efforts  and  those  of  the  men  with  whom  he  labored. 

Mr.  Leake  taught  three  terms  in  the  public  schools  of  Ralls 
county,  near  his  father's  home.  Coming  to  California  at  the  age 
of  twenty  his  first  employment  was  on  a  farm  near  Dixon,  in 
Solano  county,  after  which  he  taugh  school  one  year  near  Batavia. 
He  was  successful  in  this  work,  and  although  ties  of  friendship  of 
lifelong  duration  were  formed  between  him  and  his  pupils,  he  never 
considered  adopting  pedagogy  as  his  profession.  It  was  but  a  step- 
ping-stone. In  the  '70s  he  accepted  the  position  of  acting  agent 
for  Wells-Fargo  &  Co.  in  Dixon  and  of  deputy  postmaster  in  the 
store  of  the  late  W.  R.  Ferguson.  His  abilities  won  recognition 
from  his  superiors  in  the  service  and  he  was  appointed  agent  for 
the  express  company,  also  receiving  the  appointment  of  agent  for 
the  Southern  Pacific  Company. 

Mr.  Leake's  grasp  on  political  affairs,  which  has  since  given 
him  a  state-wide  reputation,  caused  his  nomination  for  and  election 
to  the  assembly  from  Solano  county  in  1880,  and  he  served  one 
regular  and  one  special  session.  He  was  elected  chief  clerk  of 
the  Assembly  in  1883,  and  again  in  1889,  with  only  one  vote  east 
against  him.  He  made  such  a  good  record  for  economy  and  effi- 
ciency that  years  afterward  it  was  cited,  and  by  his  political 
opponents,  to  rebuke  the  methods  of  those  holding  the  same 
position.  The  Red  Bluff  People's  Cause  and  the  River  News, 
both  Republican,  commended  Mr.  Leake  for  saving  the  state 
something  like  $4,000  in  the  organization  of  the  Assembly.  He 
was  a  member  of  the  State  Board  of  Agriculture,  representing 
district  No.  36,  from  1889  to  1891,  and  was  a  trustee  of  the  State 
Library  from  1891  to  1893.  He  was  appointed  commissioner  of 
public  works  in  1895,  and  held  the  position  until  1899.  Extremely 
effective  work  was  accomplished  during  his  administration,  but 
so  economically  were  funds  handled  that  out  of  the  $300,000  ap- 
propriation received,  $180,000  was  on  hand  when  bis  term  of 
office   expired.     His   faithful   service   won   hearty   praise   from   Re- 


850  HISTORY  OF  YOLO  COUNTY 

publicans  as  well  as  Democrats,  the  press  of  the  state  generally 
commenting    on    his    good    work. 

Mr.  Leake  has  ever  been  a  strong  partisan,  and  has  labored 
with  unflagging  zeal  for  the  success  of  the  Democratic  party; 
yet,  while  he  is  recognized  by  Republicans  throughout  the  state 
as  a  most  formidable  antagonist,  and  his  support  is  earnestly 
sought  by  every  Democratic  candidate,  many  of  his  warmest 
friends  and  admirers  are  to  be  found  among  Republicans  as 
strong  in  their  political  affiliations  as  he  is.  He  has  attended 
every  Democratic  state  convention  for  nearly  forty  years,  and 
was  a  delegate  to  the  national  convention  in  1S96  that  nominated 
Mr.  Bryan.  He  has  made  state-wide  platform  campaigns,  begin- 
ning with  E.  B.  Pond,  who  was  a  candidate  for  governor,  Mr. 
Leake  traveling  and  appearing  on  the  stand  with  him. 

In  1898  the  California  Democrats,  recognizing  that  Mr.  Leake 
would  be  a  strong  candidate,  urged  him  to  accept  the  nomination 
for  governor.  He  was  endorsed  practically  unanimously  by  the 
Democratic  press,  and  Republican  papers  likewise  praised  him. 
Mr.  Leake  positively  declined  to  enter  the  race,  but  in  1902 
his  name  was  again  brought  forward,  and  again  he  refused. 
However,  the  commendation  of  his  newspaper  brethren,  particu- 
larly those  of  opposite  political  faith,  was  very  gratifying  to  him. 
A  few  extracts  from  the  Republican  press  of  the  state  will  give 
some  idea  of  the  esteem  in  which  Mr.  Leake  was  held  by  those 
politically  opposed  to  him.  Lodi  Herald:  "No  man  in  his  party 
is  more  deserving."  Solano  Republican:  "He  would  be  a  strong 
candidate  and  if  elected  would  make  a  good  officer."  Sunday 
News :  ' '  He  is  a  great  campaigner  and  ranks  with  John  P.  Irish 
as  an  exponent  of  the  principles  of  the  party.  He  is  a  popular 
man  and  would  probably  be  as  strong  a  candidate  as  the  party 
could  nominate."  The  Wave:  "He  is  sound  timber  and  worth 
saving."  Placer  News-Messenger:  "Leake  in  his  general  make- 
up has  the  necessary  material  for  success  and  is  mighty  good 
timber  for  governor."  Lakeport  Avalanche:  "If  we  must  have 
a  Democratic  governor  we  know  of  no  man  in  the  state  that 
would  suit  us  better  than  Ed.  Leake."  Alameda  Encinal:  "If 
the  Democrats,  by  any  possibility,  could  succeed  in  electing  him 
they  would  have  a  governor  of  whom  they  might  well  feel  proud." 
Napa  Register:  "Leake  would  lead  with  as  much  dignity  and 
dash  as   any  one." 

Mr.  Leake  is  one  of  the  original  Woodrow  Wilson  men,  and 
though  his  hearty  support  would  have  been  given  to  any  one  of 
the  candidates  before  the  Baltimore  convention,  the  fact  that  his 
favorite  was  chosen  induced  his  friends  to  think  that  it  would  be 
an  opportune  time  to  once  more  ask  him  to  accept  a  nomination, 
and  be  his  party's  candidate  for  Congress  in  the  Third  district. 


HISTORY  OF  YOLO  COUNTY  851 

The  appeal  was  made  by  leading  Democrats  in  different  sections 
of  the  state,  but  Mr.  Leake  insisted  that  he  could  serve  better  by 
remaining  in  the  ranks. 

Mr.  Leake's  journalistic  career  began  in  Dixon  in  1880,  when 
he  became  the  editor  and  publisher  of  the  Dixon  Tribune.  His 
literary  style,  command  of  facts  and  trenchant  pen  gained  Mm 
a  wide  audience,  and  offers  from  the  metropolitan  papers  were 
extended  to  him,  notably  one  from  the  San  Francisco  Examiner, 
when  the  late  Philip  Roach  was  editor-in-chief.  An  editorial  posi- 
tion on  the  Call  was  also  tendered  him.  However,  he  chose  to 
remain  a  free  lance  and  not  accept  a  salaried  position.  In  1891 
he  bought  the  plant  of  the  Woodland  Daily  and  Weekly  Democrat 
and  removed  his  family  to  Woodland.  He  immediately  equipped 
the  office  throughout  with  new  material,  and  he  has  constantly 
added  to  the  stock  and  has  installed  modem  improvements  till 
the  establishment  is  second  to  none  north   of   Sacramento. 

Yolo  county  recognizes  Mr.  Leake  as  one  of  its  foremost  citi- 
zens. In  extent  of  reputation,  in  oratorical  ability,  in  personal 
acquaintanceship  with  people  of  note  and  in  literary  versatility 
he  is  without  a  peer  in  the  community.  He  has  been  called  on  to 
address  every  sort  of  public  and  semi-public  gathering  that  has 
ever  met  in  Woodland,  to  extend  welcome  to  delegations  and  dis- 
tinguished guests  and  to  write  on  almost  every  conceivable  sub- 
ject. 

But,  after  all,  Mr.  Leake  has  most  endeared  himself  to  his 
fellow-citizens  by  his  public  spirit.  With  a  zeal  that  no  prospect 
of  personal  reward  could  incite  he  has  labored  for  the  development 
of  the  Sacramento  valley  and  particularly  of  Yolo  county.  The 
cause  of  good  roads,  of  public  improvements  and  enterprises,  has 
been  ably  and  unfalteringly  espoused  by  him.  In  1910  the  Wood- 
land Chamber  of  Commerce  requested  him  to  write  a  booklet  on 
the  resources  of  Yolo  county,  for  which  public  funds  had  been  ap- 
propriated and  which  the  intention  was  to  make  it  one  of  the  most 
attractive  of  its  kind  ever  put  in  circulation.  Mr.  Leake  was  then 
slowly  recovering  from  a  long  and  very  severe  illness.  Not  from 
any  desire  to  shirk  a  service  he  could  render  his  beloved  county, 
but  through  fear  that  he  was  not  able  to  treat  the  subject  as  it 
should  be  he  asked  to  be  excused.  The  men  who  had  the  work  in 
charge  continued  their  importunities,  declaring  that  no  one  else 
could  perform  the  task  so  well  as  he.  He  finally  consented  to 
undertake  it.  The  expectations  of  his  friends  were  fulfilled  and 
the  wisdom  of  the  selection  amply  justified.  As  many  and  as  high 
enconiums  have  been  bestowed  on  the  booklet  as  on  any  similar 
publication,  and  have  come  from  the  press,  individuals  and  organi- 
zations. 


852  HISTORY  OF  YOLO  COUNTY 

On  August  18,  1871,  Mr.  Leake  was  married  to  Miss  Cecelia 
Snyder  of  Dixon,  Solano  county.  Tliey  have  two  sons,  Ed.  I.  and 
Paul  R.,  both  of  whom  are  associated  with  their  father  in  the 
newspaper   business. 

What  is  now  known  as  the  Woodland  Democrat  is  not  located 
in  the  town  of  its  birth.  The  newspaper  from  which  it  has  evolved 
was  started  in  Cacheville,  Yolo  county,  in  the  spring  of  1853  by 
Jernagan  &  Everts.  It  was  called  the  Yolo  Democrat,  and  Sam- 
uel Ruland  was  editor.  It  suspended  after  a  three-months'  exis- 
tence. The  material  was  purchased  by  M.  P.  Ferguson,  who,  in 
November,  1858,  began  the  publication  of  the  Cacheville  Specta- 
tor, a  twenty-column  paper.  J.  T.  Howard  became  associated 
with  Mr.  Ferguson  and  in  1859  took  over  the  business. 

After  conducting  the  business  in  Cacheville  several  years, 
Mr.  Howard  removed  the  stock  to  Knights  Landing,  and  issued 
one  number  of  the  Knights  Landing  News,  in  conjunction  with 
S.  L.  Snyder.  This  was  printed  on  August  24,  1859.  Two  months 
later  S.  W.  Raveley  bought  the  outfit  and  continued  publishing  it 
in  Knights  Landing  till  1864,  when  it  was  removed  to  Woodland, 
the  new  county  seat,  and  called  the  Woodland  News. 

Grover  &  St.  Louis  became  the  owners  in  1865  and  then,  for 
the  first  time,  the  paper  was  Republican  in  politics.  A.  A.  De- 
Long  was  editor.  In  1867  the  plant  was  purchased  by  the  Demo- 
crat Publishing  Company,  composed  of  Judge  M.  C.  Woods,  John 
M.  Kelley  and  H.  C.  Grover,  which  issued  the  Yolo  County  Demo- 
crat from  May  1,  1869,  to  September,  1869.  Then  William  Saun- 
ders and  H.  C.  Grover  assumed  command.  Mr.  Saunders  took 
complete  control  in  1870.  He  enlarged  the  paper,  and  under  his 
management  it  acquired  a  prestige  not  before  attained. 

Up  to  1877  the  Democrat  had  been  published  as  a  weekly, 
but  in  June  of  that  year  the  Daily  was  issued,  and  since  then  both 
editions  have  been  continuously  published. 

In  1886  Mr.  Saunders  sold  the  business  to  Ruffner  &  Lee, 
who  disposed  of  the  property  in  1888  to  Mrs.  C.  Byrns.  She 
leased  it  to  W.  B.  Parsons,  who  was  succeeded  by  Lee  &  Maxwell. 

In  December,  1891,  Ed.  E.  Leake  became  the  owner.  He  has 
edited  and  published  the  Woodland  Daily  and  Yolo  Weekly  Demo- 
crat since,  and  has  also  conducted  a  modern  job  printing  office. 

Of  all  those  who  have  been  connected  with  the  paper  since 
its  inception  as  editor  or  owner,  Mr.  Leake,  Charles  St.  Louis 
and  Mayor  J.  0.  Maxwell  are  the  only  ones  living. 


HISTORY  OF  YOLO  COUNTY  853 

ADELBEET  DELOSS  PORTER 

In  the  quality  of  her  citizenship  Woodland  always  has  been 
blessed.  Numerous  as  have  been  the  men  identified  with  her 
progress,  devoted  to  her  well-being  and  loyal  to  her  welfare,  per- 
haps none  has  manifested  a  more  sincere  interest  in  civic  upbuild- 
ing than  that  which  gave  individuality  to  the  noble  and  successful 
career  of  A.  D.  Porter,  and  his  passing  out  of  life  removed  an 
influential  factor  from  the  throbbing  current  of  local  commerce 
and  finance.  For  almost  one-half  century  it  was  his  privilege  to 
be  identified  with  the  history  of  Yolo  county.  When  in  later  life 
he  turned  in  retrospect  to  the  changes  wrought  during  that  long 
period  of  growth,  he  might  well  have  exclaimed:  "All  of  which  I 
saw  and  part  of  which  I  was."  It  was  during  1870  that  he  relin- 
quished agricultural  activities  in  the  country  and  came  into  town, 
whose  upward  progress  he  aided  ever  afterward.  While  he  was  a 
man  of  diversified  abilities  and  varied  interests,  he  became  espe- 
cially prominent  and  influential  in  business  and  financial  affairs. 
The  realm  of  politics  he  never  entered,  yet  civic  duty  and  good 
government  were  among  the  causes  that  enlisted  his  mind  and 
heart.  By  reason  of  his  stanch  devotion  to  all  that  makes  for 
the  welfare  of  mankind  and  the  uplifting  of  humanity,  his  death 
was  a  great  loss  to  all  unselfish  and  high-minded  citizenship. 

Mr.  Porter  came  to  California  from  Wisconsin,  where  he  was 
born  at  Racine,  October  23,  1845,  and  where  he  received  a  common- 
school  education  at  Menasha,  Winnebago  county.  During  1861 
he  left  home  and  journeyed  to  New  York  City,  where  he  took  pas- 
sage on  a  ship  bound  for  the  Isthmus  of  Panama.  From  Aspin- 
wall  he  crossed  to  the  Pacific  coast,  thence  sailed  up  to  San  Fran- 
cisco and  immediately  after  leaving  his  ship  came  direct  to  Yolo 
county,  where  ever  afterward  he  made  his  home.  Here  he  found 
work  as  a  farm  laborer.  After  he  had  gained  a  thorough  experi- 
ence in  agriculture  as  conducted  in  this  county  he  began  to  rent 
land.  From  the  first  his  economy  and  wise  judgment  brought 
him  satisfactory  returns.  Until  1867  he  lived  on  land  adjacent 
to  the  Sacramento  river,  but  in  that  year  he  removed  to  what  was 
known  as  the  Bellesterling  ranch  and  there  he  remained  for  three 
years. 

When  he  relinquished  agricultural  activities  to  take  up  business 
pursuits,  Mr.  Porter  selected  Woodland  as  a  most  desirable  loca- 
tion and  in  1870  he  rented  a  small  room  and  embarked  in  the 
grocery  trade.  It  was  not  long  until  his  small  quarters  were  in- 
sufficient to  accommodate  the  needs  of  a  growing  business.  To 
secure  adequate  accommodations  ho  built  a  store  on  Main  street, 
but  this  he  was  soon  obliged  to  enlarge.     Later  he  added  a  ware- 


854  HISTORY  OF  YOLO  COUNTY 

house,  in  order  to  have  abundance  of  space  for  the  storage  of  his 
large  stock  of  groceries.  The  variety  of  the  stock  was  increased 
as  the  demands  of  the  trade  grew  larger  and  eventually  the  store 
became  one  of  the  most  important  of  its  kind  in  the  entire  county. 
Meanwhile  it  had  been  brought  to  the  keen  mental  vision  of  this 
progressive  merchant  that  Woodland  offered  an  excellent  open- 
ing for  a  banking  institution.  Thereupon  he  began  to  interest 
capitalists  in  the  undertaking  and  without  difficulty  he  secured  the 
needed  number  of  stockholders  for  raising  $300,000  of  capital 
stock,  with  a  limit  of  $10,000  to  each  person.  In  January  of  1883 
the  Bank  of  Yolo  was  organized  and  on  the  1st  of  June  following- 
it  opened  for  business.  After  serving  for  many  years  on  the 
board,  he  finally  retired  from  the  directorate  and  sold  all  of  his 
stock  in  the  institution.  This  bank  now  has  a  combined  commer- 
cial and  savings  capital  and  surplus  of  $500,000. 

During  the  period  of  his  management  of  a  bank  devoted 
especially  to  business  men  and  large  depositors,  it  had  been 
brought  to  the  knowledge  of  Mr.  Porter  that  there  was  need  of  a 
savings  institution  whereby  young  people  might  be  encouraged 
to  save  their  small  earnings.  Older  people  also  had  expressed 
their  desire  for  such  a  bank,  in  order  that  they  might  receive 
interest  on  time  deposits.  Therefore  in  1891  he  organized  the 
Yolo  County  Savings  Bank  in  Woodland,  with  a  capital  of  $60,000. 
The  original  headquarters  of  the  bank  were  in  rented  rooms,  but 
later  Mr.  Porter  bought  a  site  on  Main  and  College  streets  and 
erected  a  structure  equipped  with  all  modern  banking  facilities 
and  conveniences.  Until  his  death  he  continued  to  serve  as  presi- 
dent of  this  bank.  Meanwhile  he  had  acquired  other  interests, 
prominent  among  which  was  his  identification,  with  A.  W.  Gable 
and  J.  Byrns,  in  the  building  of  the  Byrns  hotel  in  1883,  and  sub- 
sequently by  purchasing  the  Byrns  interest  he  became  two-thirds 
owner  of  the  hotel.  He  also  owned  a  residence  on  Main  street, 
one  of  the  most  attractive  homes  of  Woodland.  Three  years 
after  coming  to  the  west  he  had  married  Miss  Elizabeth  Mosby, 
who  died  June  14,  1897.  Of  their  nine  children,  Lena  died  in  1885, 
Frank  in  1904  and  three  others  passed  away  in  infancy.  W.  A. 
resides  in  Berkeley,  Clarence  became  a  farmer  in  Mexico,  Harry 
D.  remains  in  Woodland  and  Cora,  Mrs.  Talbot  Ware,  is  living 
in  Berkeley.  July  4,  1902,  Mr.  Porter  married  Mrs.  Mattie  Knox, 
who   survives  him. 

In  the  midst  of  his  usual  business  activities  death  came  sud- 
denly and  unexpectedly  to  Mr.  Porter.  On  the  3d  of  March,  1911, 
after  a  busy  day  at  the  bank,  he  returned  home,  cheerful  and 
apparently  as  well  as  usual.  It  had  been  his  intention  to  pass 
the  evening  at   a  basket-ball   game,  but  when  he  found   that   his 


HISTORY  OF  YOLO  COUNTY  855 

wife,  who  was  ill,  would  be  left  alone,  lie  excused  himself  to  his 
frieuds  and  passed  the  evening  in  her  company,  retiring  shortly 
after  nine  o'clock.  Between  ten  and  eleven  o'clock  he  was  awake 
and  conversed  with  his  wife,  but  after  dropping  to  sleep  again 
his  breathing  became  heavy  and  he  relapsed  into  unconsciousness, 
from  which  physicians  could  not  rally  him.  He  did  not  again 
speak  or  give  any  sign  of  recognition.  The  immediate  cause  of 
death  was  cerebral  thrombosis,  a  condition  resulting  from  degen- 
erative changes  in  the  arteries  of  the  brain  and  closely  connected 
with  a  weakness  of  the  heart. 

One  who  had  known  Mr.  Porter  for  twenty  years  said  of  him : 
"No  one  could  come  into  contact  with  Mr.  Porter  without  feeling 
that  he  was  a  remarkable  man,  a  man  of  high  sense  of  honor,  a 
man  of  generous  and  exalted  instincts  and  high  ideals.  He  was 
public  spirited  and  very  earnest  and  unselfish  in  promoting  the 
interests  of  the  state,  county  and  city,  and  he  could  be  depended 
upon  to  liberally  encourage  every  legitimate  public  and  private  en- 
terprise the  purpose  of  which  was  to  promote  the  general  good 
and  prosperity.  Although  his  career  was  remarkably  brilliant 
he  was  exceedingly  modest  in  relating  an  account  of  it.  Coming 
to  California  while  yet  a  boy,  with  no  advantageous  circumstances 
to  smooth  his  pathway,  by  his  genius,  superb  judgment  and  daunt- 
less courage  he  accumulated  a  handsome  competency  and  rounded 
out  a  business  career  of  which  the  highest  and  noblest  might 
be  justly  proud.  And  this  was  accomplished  by  such  means  as  an 
honorable  and  just  man  may  always  employ.  He  was  charitable 
and  hospitable  in  a  marked  degree.  No  one  in  distress  ever  ap- 
pealed to  his  sympathy  and  went  away  empty-handed.  Many 
a  young  man  starting  in  life  felt  the  influence  of  his  favor;  he 
having  fought  the  great  battle  of  life  successfully,  knew  its  trials 
and  loved  to  smooth  the  pathway  to  success  for  the  young.  Char- 
itable benefactions  at  all  times  and  in  many  forms  were  generously, 
though  unostentatiously,  dispensed  by  him  among  those  who  were 
less  fortunate  than  himself.  Many  a  poor  man,  many  an  honest 
laborer,  many  a  poor  widow  and  orphan  child  will  miss  his  thought- 
ful generosity.  He  was  a  man  not  only  of  sound  judgment,  but 
a  man  of  strong  convictions  and  fearless  in  their  advocacy,  and 
yet  he  was  tolerant  of  the  views  of  others  and  reasonable  in  all 
things.  His  judgment  in  important  business  matters  was  so  well 
recognized  that  it  was  much  sought  after  by  others  and  was 
always  freely  and  frankly  given.  Indeed,  his  whole  life  from  his 
boyhood  days  in  faraway  Wisconsin  to  the  hour  of  his  decease 
was  an  exemplification  of  honest  effort,  intelligent  judgment  and 
honorable  conduct  in  every  detail." 


856  HISTORY  OF  YOLO  COUNTY 

FREDERICK   WILGER 

During  the  period  of  his  identification  with  the  west  it  has 
been  the  happy  fortune  of  Mr.  Wilger  to  witness  the  development 
of  the  vast  resources  of  California,  the  remarkable  increase  of 
population  and  the  upbuilding  of  prosperous  towns  as  well  as 
thriving  agricultural  regions.  In  a  locality  far  distant  from  the 
land  of  his  birth  and  the  scenes  familiar  to  his  boyhood  years  he  has 
risen  to  a  substantial  degree  of  success  and  has  made  a  distinctive 
place  for  himself  in  the  community  containing  a  large  number  of 
forceful,  energetic  citizens.  A  native  of  Hesse-Cassel,  he  inherits 
traits  that  are  distinctly  Teutonic  and  may  lay  claim  to  a  thrift, 
perseverance  and  frugality  descending  to  him  from  German  fore- 
fathers. He  was  born  October  10,  1826,  and  at  the  age  of  seven 
years  came  to  the  United  States  with  his  mother.  Successively  a 
resident  of  Pennsylvania,  Maryland  and  Missouri,  he  had  gained 
much  by  habits  of  close  observation  in  the  various  localities  of  his 
sojourns  and  thus  self-culture  gave  him  a  partial  recompense  for 
lack  of  educational  advantages. 

Early  in  the  year  1853  Frederick  Wilger  started  across  the 
plains  with  a  body  of  emigrants  bringing  forty  head  of  mules  and 
horses.  All  along  the  way  there  was  constant  danger  from 
marauding  bands  of  unfriendly  Indians.  On  one  occasion,  while 
the  emigrants  were  eating  their  breakfast  at  the  camp,  the  savages 
captured  seven  head  of  horses  and  escaped  without  detection. 
When  the  loss  was  discovered  an  immediate  pursuit  was  inaug- 
urated and  a  hurried  drive  of  twelve  miles  brought  the  men  within 
a  short  distance  of  the  robbers.  Suddenly  a  mule  brayed  and  the 
call  was  answered  quickly  from  the  other  camp.  By  making  a 
dash  through  the  tall  wild  wheat  and  grass  a  capture  was  effected 
and  the  horses  were  again  in  the  hands  of  their  rightful  owners, 
not,  however,  without  considerable  peril,  one  man  receiving  a  severe 
gunshot  wound  from  a  rifle  carried  by  an  Indian. 

At  the  expiration  of  five  and  one-half  months  and  with  no  loss 
of  any  stock  excepting  fourteen  head  of  cattle,  the  party  arrived 
at  Sacramento  on  Friday,  August  19,  1853.  The  men  were  there 
dismissed  and  paid  $20  each.  As  Mr.  Wilger  turned  to  walk  down 
the  street  he  met  John  Woods,  an  old  comrade,  with  whom  he 
enjoyed  a  pleasant  reunion  and  conversation.  Later  he  engaged  to 
work  in  a  threshing  crew  at  $2.50  per  day.  For  seven  years  he 
continued  in  the  employ  of  one  farmer  and  meantime  carefully 
saved  his  earnings,  investing  them  in  three  hundred  and  twenty  acres 
bought  at  a  purchase  price  of  $900.  With  a  partner  as  proprietor 
of  the  new  ranch  (he  himself  continuing  to  work  by  the  month) 
a  crop  of  four  thousand  sacks  was  threshed  from  one  hundred  and 


HISTORY  OF  YOLO  COUNTY  857 

sixty  acres  of  grain.  The  partner's  interest  was  bought  for  $1800 
and  thus  he  came  into  entire  possession  of  a  valuable  property, 
which  for  years  he  personally  superintended  and  cultivated.  At 
this  writing  he  owns  seven  hundred  and  thirty  acres  near  Davis 
which  for  many  years  he  has  rented  to  his  son-in-law,  W.  R.  Wiese. 
In  addition  to  the  ranch  he  owns  the  Odd  Fellows'  building,  the 
blacksmith's  shop,  eight  houses,  twelve  vacant  lots  and  the  elegant 
residence  that  he  now  occupies,  all  in  Davis. 

The  first  marriage  of  Frederick  Wilger  was  solemnized  in 
1861  and  united  him  with  Augusta  Gloeckler,  a  native  of  Germany, 
who  died  leaving  three  children,  P]lla  M.,  Alice  M.,  and  Augusta  P. 
Afterward  he  was  married  in  Sacramento  October  27,  1873,  to  Miss 
Eliza  Boy,  a  native  of  Hamburg,  Germany,  and  immediately  fol- 
lowing their  union  they  settled  on  the  ranch  about  three  miles  from 
Davis.  It  was  the  pleasure  of  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Wilger  to  visit  the 
east  at  the  time  of  the  World's  Fair.  He  has  kept  posted  con- 
cerning national  development,  but  he  is  first  and  most  emphatically 
a  Californian,  loyal  to  the  state  of  his  adoption  and  believing  it  to 
be  unsurpassed  by  any  commonwealth.  With  advancing  years  and 
the  accumulation  of  a  competency  he  has  retired  from  business 
and  agricultural  cares  and  is  spending  his  time  quietly  and  hap- 
pily in  his  cozy  home,  taking  no  part  in  politics  nor  in  fraternities 
with  the  exception  of  the  Independent  Order  of  Odd  Fellows.  The 
raising  of  fruit  for  the  family  use  is  a  source  of  interest  to  him  and 
he  takes  great  pride  in  securing  good  crops  of  choice  varieties.  In 
addition  he  notes  with  interest  the  welfare  of  the  horses,  cattle, 
sheep  and  hogs  on  the  ranch,  as  well  as  the  cultivation  of  the  land. 


CHARLES   T.   BIDWELL 

The  enterprising  spirit  that  led  Mr.  Bidwell  to  seek  a  location 
in  the  newer  regions  of  the  undeveloped  west  formed  the  nucleus 
of  his  subsequent  success,  whereby,  through  an  iutimate  identifica- 
tion with  varied  lines  of  commercial  activity,  he  has  become  one 
of  the  influential  citizens  of  Woodland,  contributing  personally  to 
the  permanent  prosperity  of  the  place  and  occupying  an  honorable 
position  in  the  annals  of  the  local  history.  For  years  he  was  one 
of  the  leading  grain-buyers  in  Yolo  county,  but  later  he  abandoned 
that  field  of  commercial  activity  and  entered  the  real-estate  arena, 
in  which  through  his  thorough  knowledge  of  land  values  he  has 
risen  to  prominence.  Besides  the  close  attention  to  all  business 
details,  he  has  found  leisure  for  the  management  of  a  large  vine 


858  HISTORY  OF  YOLO  COUNTY 

yard  and  has  studied  grape  culture  exhaustively,  so  that  he  is  con- 
sidered an  authority  on  the  subject.  Added  to  other  duties,  he 
now  fills  the  office  of  city  trustee,  to  which  he  was  elected  in  April 
of  1911  for  a  term  of  four  years.  That  office  he  regards  as  a  trust 
from  the  people  and  it  is  his  endeavor  so  to  discharge  its  duties 
as  to  secure  for  the  citizens  needed  benefits,  substantial  reforms  and 
practical  improvements. 

Prior  tcThis  arrival  at  Woodland  in  1872  Mr.  Biclwell  had  lived 
in  Michigan,  where  he  was  born  in  Albion  during  the  year  1845, 
where  also  he  was  educated  (attending  Albion  College)  and  where 
he  had  engaged  in  book-keeping  and  clerical  work  during  the  years 
of  young  manhood.  While  still  making  Michigan  his  home  he  there 
married,  in  1868,  Miss  Florence  Swain,  a  native  of  the  state.  Four 
years  after  their  marriage  they  came  to  the  west  and  purchased  a 
home  in  Woodland,  where  they  reared  their  children,  David  B., 
Alice  R.  and  Charles  C.  The  daughter  is  now  the  wife  of  H.  P. 
Suavely  and  resides  in  Woodland.  After  an  engagement  of  two 
years  as  a  book-keeper  in  this  city,  during  1874  Mr.  Bidwell  was 
admitted  as  a  partner  into  the  firm  of  Thomas  &  Hunt,  grain- 
buyers,  and  a  successful  business  career  was  then  entered  upon. 
Selling  his  interest  in  the  concern  in  1880  he  formed  a  partnership 
with  A.  J.  Hall  under  the  title  of  Hall  &  Bidwell. 

For  a  number  of  years  the  firm  engaged  extensively  in  the 
buying  of  grain,  but  finally  the  partnership  was  dissolved  and  Mr. 
Bidwell  conducted  the  business  alone  for  five  years.  When  event- 
ually he  retired  from  the  grain  business  he  entered  upon  real-estate 
activities  under  the  firm  title  of  Bidwell  &  Wright,  but  in  a  short 
time  the  title  was  changed  to  Bidwell  &  Reith  and  continued  as 
such  until  1909,  when  the  junior  partner  purchased  the  entire  busi- 
ness, Mr.  Bidwell  retiring  to  private  life.  Fruit  culture  has  been 
one  of  his  "hobbies."  He  believes  that  California  has  no  soil  more 
adapted  to  the  raising  of  fruit  than  that  of  Yolo  county  and  he 
has  put  his  belief  into  actual  experience  through  the  cultivation 
of  a  vineyard  of  eighty  acres,  which  he  owns  and  which  is  located 
three  and  one-half"  miles  south  of  Woodland.  Table  and  raisin 
grapes  are  sold  in  large  quantities  from  this  fine  vineyard  and  buy- 
ers always  express  their  gratified  surprise  at  the  size  and  quality 
of  the  product,  as  well  as  the  enormous  output  from  the  vines. 
Without  question  the  land  is  well  adapted  to  vine  culture  and  un- 
questionably also  the  owner  understands  the  art  of  securing  the 
best  possible  returns  from  the  investment.  In  the  midst  of  his 
duties  as  a  citizen,  city  trustee,  viticulturist  and  man  of  affairs, 
he  found  leisure  for  intimate  identification  with  the  Republican 
party,  for  close  study  of  its  progress  and  for  intelligent  work  in  its 


HISTORY  OF  YOLO  COUNTY  859 

interests,  and  both  by  precept  and  by  example  he  has  given  to 
this  canse  such  assistance  as  conies  from  the  sturdy,  substantial  in- 
fluence of  an  honorable  life. 


ROBERT  J.   GIBSON 

While  other  occupations  may  reward  their  adherents  with 
larger  financial  returns  or  inay  bestow  upon  their  disciples  greater 
prominence  and  broader  influence,  none  surpasses  that  of  agri- 
culture in  its  relation  to  the  material  welfare  of  the  entire  world. 
To  those  men  who  are  giving  farm  cultivation  their  best  energies 
and  their  keenest  intelligence  (and  in  this  class  none  is  more  intel- 
ligent than  Mr.  Gibson)  there  has  come  a  realization  of  the  im- 
portance of  their  work,  an  appreciation  of  its  value  to  the  com- 
munity of  which  they  are  a  part,  He  who  causes  two  blades  of 
grass  to  grow  where  one  grew  before  is  a  public  benefactor;  how 
much  more  may  this  be  said  of  the  man  who  brings  a  large  tract  of 
land  up  to  a  point  where  the  returns  therefrom  are  doubled  or 
trebled,  who  improves  a  large  farm  or  turns  the  first  furrows  in  the 
virgin  soil. 

From  the  standpoint  of  service  of  an  agriculturist  Mr.  Gibson 
has  accomplished  much  for  the  benefit  of  his  community  in  Yolo 
county,  but  he  is  not  one  of  those  who  aspire  to  public  honors  or 
official  prominence.  Quietly  but  energetically  he  devotes  himself  to 
agricultural  activities.  Modestly  but  forcibly  he  disclaims  any 
praise  for  what  he  has  accomplished,  yet  his  efforts  are  worthy 
of  mention  not  only  from  their  relation  to  his  personal  success,  but 
also  from  the  bearing  upon  the  general  prosperity  of  the  agri- 
cultural class  of  the  county.  A  lifelong  resident  of  Yolo  comity, 
he  was  born  at  the  old  Gibson  home  near  Woodland  October  18, 
.1.859,  and  from  his  earliest  recollections  he  has  been  familiar  with 
rural  affairs  in  this  locality,  hence  he  understands  the  soil  thor- 
oughly and  knows  the  best  methods  to  be  followed  in  its  cultivation. 
Education  has  broadened  his  mind  and  quickened  his  aspirations. 
It  was  his  privilege  not  only  to  complete  the  studies  of  the  public 
schools,  but  also  to  attend  the  Hesperian  College  of  Woodland 
and  take  a  course  of  study  in  Heald's  Business  College  in  San 
Francisco,  where  he  was  graduated  October  4,  1881. 

Returning  to  the  ranch  of  his  father,  William  Byas  Gibson, 
near  Woodland,  upon  the  completion  of  his  commercial  course,  Mr. 
Gibson  in  a  few  years  took  over  the  management  of  the  estate  and 


860  HISTORY  OF  YOLO  COUNTY 

engaged  in  raising  mules,  horses,  cattle,  sheep  and  pure-bred  hogs. 
The  stock  was  shipped  principally  to  the  east  and  brought  excellent 
returns  upon  .the  investment.  Afterward  the  young  farmer  started 
out  for  himself  and  to  such  effect  did  he  work  that  now  he  is  the 
owner  of  a  ranch  of  one  thousand  acres  four  miles  west  of  Wood- 
land, besides  another  valuable  property  comprising  fifteen  hundred 
acres  situated  near  Capay.  The  supervision  of  these  two  properties 
and  their  cultivation  to  alfalfa  and  grain  make  him  one  of  the 
leading  grain-growers  in  Yolo  county  and  his  success  is  the  result 
of  indefatigable  efforts  and  shrewd  intelligence.  He  is  a  stock- 
holder of  the  Yolo  Bank  and  the  First  National  Bank,  being  also  a 
director  in  the  latter  institution.  While  superintending  his  large 
holdings  he  makes  his  home  at  Woodland,  where  at  No.  618  College 
street  he  and  his  wife  and  son,  William  B.,  have  an  attractive  resi- 
dence furnished  in  a  manner  indicative  of  their  refinement  and  cul- 
tured tastes.  Prior  to  their  marriage  in  1888  Mrs.  Gibson  was  Miss 
Eleanor  Root;  her  entire  life  has  been  passed  in  California  (hav- 
ing been  born  at  Blacks  Station)  and  she  is  eligible  through  birth 
to  membership  with  the  Native  Daughters  of  the  Golden  West. 
Aside  from  his  agricultural  pursuits,  Mr.  Gibson  finds  time  for 
fraternal  associations.  Made  a  Mason  in  Woodland  Lodge  No.  156, 
F.  &  A.  M.,  he  is  also  a  member  of  Woodland  Chapter  No.  46, 
R.  A.  M.,  Woodland  Commandery  No.  21,  K.  T.,  and  is  a  member 
of  Islam  Temple,  A.  A.  0.  N.  M.  S.,  in  San  Francisco. 


JAMES  O.  MAXWELL 

Few  names  have  been  associated  more  intimately  and  none 
more  prominently  than  that  of  James  0.  Maxwell,  who  as  property 
owner,  editor,  councilman,  mayor,  chairman  of  the  Democratic 
county  central  committee  and  in  other  capacities  has  proved  the 
loyalty  of  his  citizenship  and  the  sincerity  of  his  devotion  to  city 
and  county.  Numerous  enterprises  for  the  progress  of  the  com- 
munity owe  their  inception  to  his  business  acumen  and  far-seeing- 
vision.  The  present  modern  water  system  was  established  during 
the  period  of  his  service  as  councilman  and  he  was  foremost  in 
furthering  the  project.  For  six  years  he  has  filled  the  mayor's 
chair  and  is  the  present  incumbent  of  the  office,  to  which  he  was 
elected  in  May  of  1911.  As  the  presiding  civic  official  he  has  proved 
not  only  energetic  but  also  reliable,  not  only  resourceful  but  also 
judicious,  and  the  best  interests  of  the  city  have  been  conserved 


HISTORY  OF  YOLO  COUNTY  861 

under  his  executive  supervision,  besides  which  he  also  has  evinced 
a  commendable  public  spirit  through  his  able  service  of  fourteen 
years  as  a  member  of  the  board  of  trustees. 

Early  in  life  Mr.  Maxwell  became  identified  with  newspaper 
work  and  his  association  with  the  same  has  continued  up  to  the 
present,  being  now,  however,  limited  to  articles  published  in 
various  newspapers  and  magazines  of  the  coast.  A  Missourian  by 
birth,  he  was  born  in  Cooper  county  May  26,  1838,  and  was  one  of 
three  children,  his  sister  and  brother  being  Susan,  wife  of  M.  E. 
York,  who  died  at  Madison,  Yolo  county,  Cah,  and  Thomas  J.,  a 
miner  in  Mexico.  The  genealogical  records  show  that  the  Max- 
wells came  to  America  during  the  colonial  period  of  our  country's 
history  and  established  the  name  in  Virginia.  John  Maxwell,  a 
Virginian  by  birth,  served  as  a  commissioned  officer  during  the 
Revolutionary  struggle,  but  died  before  the  expiration  of  the  war. 
Inheriting  his  patriotic  ardor  his  son,  Thomas,  left  his  native 
Virginia  to  do  service  during  the  war  of  1812.  Later  he  crossed  the 
mountains  into  the  frontier  regions  of  Kentucky  and  settled  in 
Madison  county,  where  he  became  the  owner  of  a  plantation  and 
a  large  number  of  slaves. 

Following  the  westward  tide  of  emigration  the  Maxwell  family, 
transplanted  to  Kentucky  grounds  from  Virginia,  next  became 
pioneers  of  Missouri,  the  first  of  the  name  in  that  state  having  been 
Thomas  J.,  son  of  Thomas,  and  a  native  of  Madison  county,  Ky. 
For  some  years  he  earned  a  livelihood  as  a  farmer  in  Cooper 
county,  Mo.  During  1856  he  brought  his  wife  and  three  children 
across  the  plains  to  California  in  a  train  consisting  of  twelve 
wagons  and  thirty-five  men.  Six  months  were  spent  on  the  road  and 
during  the  time  Indians  were  so  troublesome  that  the  emigrants 
stationed  men  around  their  camp  each  night  to  guard  them  as  they 
slept.  Upon  their  arrival  in  Yolo  county  Mr.  Maxwell  bought  out  a 
squatter  on  the  old  Taylor  place,  two  miles  northwest  of  what  is 
now  Woodland.  Three  years  were  spent  on  that  ranch  and  then  he 
removed  to  an  unimproved  tract  near  Winters.  Building  a  store 
at  Buckeye,  he  engaged  in  mercantile  pursuits  besides  managing  his 
farm.  Eventually  he  became  the  owner  of  large  tracts  of  land  and 
engaged  extensively  in  the  sheep  business.  Later  he  turned  his  at- 
tention to  the  raising  of  fruit.  When  death  ended  his  labors  in 
1903  he  had  reached  the  age  of  eighty-nine  years,  and  for  sixty 
years  he  had  been  an  earnest  member  of  the  Baptist  Church.  In 
politics  he  was  a  Douglas  Democrat.  Being  of  a  southern  family  he 
had  inherited  a  number  of  slaves,  but  these  he  refused  to  receive, 
preferring  that  they  be  given  their  freedom  in  accordance  with  his 
views  upon  the  slavery  question.  In  young  manhood  he  had  married 
Rhoda,   daughter   of  James   D.   and   Ellen    (Stephens)    Campbell, 


862  HISTORY  OP  YOLO  COUNTY 

natives  of  Virginia,  but  for  years  residents  of  Marion  county,  Ky., 
and  later  farmers  of  Missouri,  where  Mr.  Campbell,  a  veteran  of  the 
war  of  1812,  died  in  1839.  Eventually  his  widow  came  to  the  west, 
where  she  died  at  the  home  of  her  daughter  near  Winters  at  the 
age  of  more  than  ninety  years.  Mrs.  Maxwell  was  eighty-two 
years  of  age  at  the  time  of  her  death  in  1902. 

When  fifteen  years  of  age  James  0.  Maxwell  entered  the  print- 
ing office  of  the  Boonville  Observer,  where  he  remained  for  two 
years.  In  1856  he  accompanied  his  parents  to  California  and  later 
had  charge  of  the  store  at  Buckeye,  also  served  as  deputy  post- 
master until  1860.  He  set  the  first  type  in  the  county  on  the  old 
Yolo  Democrat,  published  at  Cacheville,  and  afterward  assisted  in 
the  publication  of  the  Cacheville  Spectator,  which  succeeded  the 
old  "Democrat.  During  1860  he  returned  via  the  Isthmus  of  Panama 
to  the  east  and  entered  the  University  of  Kentucky  at  Lexington, 
where  he  remained  a  student  for  two  years.  On  his  return  to  the 
coast  by  way  of  the  isthmus,  he  entered  the  printing  office  of  the 
California  Alta  Publishing  Company  in  San  Francisco  as  a  com- 
positor and  afterward  worked  in  the  commercial  and  advertising- 
departments.  On  coming  again  to  Yolo  county,  he  began  to  raise 
grain  on  a  ranch  and  at  the  same  time  acted  as  editor  of  the  San 
Luis  Obispo  Mirror.  Later  he  became  manager  and  editor  of  the 
Woodland  Democrat  and  afterward  published  the  Woodland  Re- 
porter, which  he  managed  for  eighteen  months  with  Robert  Lee 
and  then  sold  out  to  his  partner.  Besides  his  attractive  residence 
on  Main  street,  he  owns  other  property  in  Woodland  and  for  years 
also  owned  a  ranch  comprising  four  hundred  and  twenty  acres  fif- 
teen miles  southwest  of  Woodland  and  five  miles  northeast  of  Win- 
ters, but  this  tract  he  recently  sold  and  now  owns  a  small  farm 
containing  forty  well-improved  acres  two  miles  southwest  of  Wood- 
land devoted  to  alfalfa  and  grapes. 

Fraternally  Mr.  Maxwell  was  made  a  Mason  in  Buckeye 
Lodge  No.  195,  F.  &  A.  M.,  at  Winters,  and  he  also  belongs  to  the 
Sons  of  the  Revolution.  In  Yolo,  Cal.,  January  12,  1870,  he  married 
Anna  Gaddis,  who  was  born  in  Waukegan,  111.,  and  attended  the 
California  State  Normal  School,  afterward  engaging  successfully 
in  educational  work.  Her  father,  the  late  Henry  Gaddis,  is  repre- 
sented elsewhere  in  this  volume,  and  her  brother,  Hon.  E.  E.  Gaddis, 
is  one  of  the  leading  jurists  of  the  state.  Tbe  family  of  Mr.  and 
Mrs.  Maxwell  consists  of  three  children.  The  older  son,  William  C, 
is  an  attorney-at-law  in  San  Francisco.  The  only  daughter,  Rhoda, 
a  graduate  of  the  California  State  Normal  School,  is  principal  of 
the  Oak  Street  school  in  Woodland.  The  younger  son,  George  L., 
also  resides  in  Woodland  and  is  engaged  in  the  dairy  business. 


HISTORY  OF  YOLO  COUNTY  863 

KEEHN   BROS. 

That  there  has  been  a  continuous  development  of  the  building 
industry  in  Woodland  and  that  the  place  presents  an  umisally 
attractive  appearance  by  reason  of  its  beautiful  homes  and  sub- 
stantial public  structures,  may  be  attributed  in  large  degree  to  the 
persistent  and  permanent  efforts  of  the  contracting  firm  of  Keelm 
Bros.,  comprising  five  brothers,  Benjamin  E.,  William,  Frank, 
John  and  August,  all  of  whom  are  natives  of  Stark  county,  Ohio, 
all  received  public  school  educations  and  all  were  trained  to  excep- 
tional thoroughness  in  the  occupation  they  chose  for  their  life- 
work.  Unusual  similarity  therefore  appears  in  any  narrative  of 
their  careers,  for  as  they  studied  together  in  boyhood  and  learned 
their  trade  together  in  youth,  so  together  they  have  labored 
throughout  manhood's  years  and  side  by  side  they  have  labored  for 
success  in  their  chosen  calling.  There  are  various  departments  of 
work  in  carpentering  and  contracting  and  each  brother  has  been 
delegated  to  the  tasks  for  which  nature  best  qualified  him,  so  that 
the  desired  result  is  secured  more  easily  and  more  economically 
than  otherwise  would  be  possible. 

In  1881  the  family  removed  to  Chillicothe,  Livingston  county, 
Mo.  The  first  of  the  brothers  to  leave  the  east  for  the  broader 
opportunities  offered  by  the  Pacific  coast  country  was  Benjamin  E., 
who  in  the  spring  of  1886  went  to  Caldwell,  Idaho,  remaining  un- 
til August,  1887,  when  he  came  to  California,  during  the  "boom" 
in  Los  Angeles  that  had  its  collapse  in  1889,  found  ready  employ- 
ment at  his  trade  and  remained  for  a  time  in  that  part  of  California. 
After  a  visit  at  the  old  eastern  home  he  again  came  to  California 
and  on  this  occasion  followed  his  trade  at  Colusa.  After  another 
visit  in  the  east  he  came  back  to  the  coast  accompanied  by  his  four 
brothers  and  in  1891  they  settled  in  Woodland,  where  they  have 
since  remained,  actively  and  successfully  engaged  as  contractors  and 
builders.  All  are  competent  and  experienced  workmen,  able  to 
carry  to  completion  any  task  connected  with  the  erection  of  a 
building.  Besides  their  building  and  indeed  as  an  aid  to  the  same, 
they  own  and  operate  a  planing  mill  on  Fifth  near  Main  street  and 
are  thus  enabled  to  furnish  finishing  lumber  on  short  order  and  in 
any  desired  quantity. 

Besides  taking  part  in  all  activities  connected  with  the  building- 
industry,  the  brothers  have  been  prominent  in  the  social  and  public 
life  of  their  community  and  Benjamin  E.  likewise  has  been  quite 
prominent  locally  in  the  Woodmen  of  the  World.  They  own  their 
own  homes  and  have  an  intimate  association  with  the  welfare  of 
their  chosen  location.  So  occupied  have  they  been  with  the  filling 
of  contracts  that  it  would  be  impossible  to  give  a  complete  list  of 


864  HISTORY  OF  YOLO  COUNTY 

their  work,  but  the  following  recapitulation  shows  how  greatly 
in  demand  their  services  have  been,  not  only  in  their  home  town,  but 
throughout  the  surrounding  country.  The  James  Campbell  resi- 
dence near  Davisville  was  one  of  their  contracts  and  they  also 
erected  the  houses  of  George  Hollingsworth,  H.  E.  Coyle,  Z. 
Kincheloe,  Frank  Bullard,  and  the  homes  of  Joseph  Cooper  at  Yolo, 
Fred  Miller,  Charles  T.  Laugenour,  Thomas  B.  Gibson  and  George 
Merritt.  Many  business  blocks  in  Woodland  have  been  remodeled 
under  their  supervision,  a  new  plant  has  been  erected  for  the 
Standard  Oil  Company,  an  addition  has  been  made  to  the  Catholic 
convent  in  Woodland,  also  a  large  annex  and  hall  to  the  same,  the 
Arcade  block  was  erected,  new  city  water  plant  on  Grand  avenue, 
the  Union  warehouse,  the  alfalfa  mill,  the  Ogden  warehouse,  a 
large  shed  for  the  West  Valley  Lumber  Company,  the  parsonage 
of  the  German  Lutheran  Church,  the  electric  garage,  the  College 
stable,  an  addition  to  the  county  hospital,  the  warehouse  at  Merritt 
Station,  many  barns  in  various  parts  of  Yolo  county,  and  in  Wood- 
land the  residences  of  Dr.  Fairchild,  Mrs.  Ford,  W.  B.  Collins,  W. 
M.  Germeshausen,  Ed  Leake,  J.  J.  Brown,  R.  B.  Cranston,  Dr.  Alex- 
ander, Mrs.  B.  Weber,  Dan  Jacobs,  Edward  Germeshausen  and 
William  Johnston.  While  this  list  is  far  from  complete  it  is  suf- 
ficient to  indicate  the  enterprise  of  the  firm  and  the  far-reaching- 
nature  of  their  contracts  as  well  as  their  importance  from  the 
standpoint  of  the  permanent  development  of  the  community. 


WALTER  W.  FISK 

No  section  of  the  country  received  the  news  of  the  discovery 
of  gold  in  California  with  greater  interest  or  responded  more  en- 
thusiastically to  the  attractions  of  the  west  than  did  New  England, 
which  sent  many  of  its  sturdy  young  men  to  aid  in  the  opening  of 
the  vast  undeveloped  regions  near  the  Pacific  coast.  Not  the  least 
ambitious,  and  certainly  not  the  least  successful,  of  these  eastern 
emigrants  was  the  late  John  C.  Fisk,  who  although  no  fortune 
awaited  him  in  the  western  mines,  was  yet  able  to  achieve  more 
than  ordinary  results  along  other  lines  of  activity.  The  geography 
of  Sonoma  county  records  his  name  in  the  village  of  Fisk,  originally 
known  as  Fisk's  Mill,  where  he  built  and  for  years  operated  the 
second  sawmill  in  the  county.  The  redwood  was  hauled  from  the 
interior  to  his  mill  near  the  coast  and  after  being  sawed  into  lumber 
was  conveyed  by  vessels  to  the  markets  up  aud  down  the  ocean. 


HISTORY  OF  YOLO  COUNTY  865 

During  the  Civil  war  the  mill  was  taxed  to  its  utmost  capacity  and 
for  some  years  thereafter  the  original  builder  continued  at  the  head 
of  the  plant. 

There  is  little  to  record  of  the  early  life  of  John  C.  Fisk,  except 
that  he  was  born  and  reared  in  Vermont  and  belonged  to  an 
honored  old  family  of  that  state.  At  the  time  of  the  discovery  of 
gold  he  was  just  ready  to  begin  the  earning  of  a  livelihood  and 
naturally  was  attracted  to  the  coast,  whither  he  came  via  the  Horn 
and  during  1850  engaged  in  mining  with  some  success.  Returning  to 
Vermont,  he  there  married  Miss  Sarah  Hubbard  and  in  1853  the 
young  couple  came  west  by  way  of  the  Isthmus  of  Panama,  settling 
on  raw  land  near  Vacaville,  Solano  county.  On  that  frontier  ranch 
a  son  was  born  in  1853,  whom  they  named  Walter  W.  Their  other 
sons  were  Eugene  F.,  George  S.,  Charles  B.,  Andrew  J.,  and  Fred 
(deceased). 

It  was  after  an  experience  of  several  years  as  a  rancher  in 
Solano  county  (a  part  of  the  time  as  a  partner  of  W.  0.  Russell) 
that  John  C.  Fisk  removed  to  Sonoma  county  and  in  1860  began  to 
saw  redwood  at  Fisk's  Mill,  where  a  number  of  years  passed  in 
busy  industry.  Upon  selling  the  mill  in  1868  he  embarked  in  the 
mercantile  business  and  also  carried  on  a  hotel  at  Stewarts  Point, 
on  the  ocean  a  short  distance  above  his  earlier  location.  Until  1882 
he  remained  in  Sonoma  county,  although  meanwhile  he  had  fre- 
quently made  trips  to  Texas,  where  he  had  acquired  large  tracts 
of  unimproved  land.  On  the  final  disposition  of  the  property  in 
the  Lone  Star  state  he  and  his  sons  formed  a  partnership  in  the 
purchase  of  twelve  hundred  acres  in  Sonoma  county.  A  small  por- 
tion of  the  large  ranch  was  planted  to  prunes  and  eventually  large 
crops  were  raised  for  which  they  were  paid  as  high  as  twelve  cents 
per  pound.  The  father  continued  at  the  head  of  this  enterprise  un- 
til his  death  in  1890  and  since  then  the  widow  has  remained  at  the 
old  homestead,  which  is  still  conducted  by  members  of  the  family. 

After  having  been  associated  in  agricultural  enterprises  with 
his  father  and  brothers  from  early  youth  until  1885,  Mr.  Fisk  then 
started  out  independently  and  bought  a  dairy  ranch  near  Duncans 
Mills,  Sonoma  county,  where  for  a  long  period  he  successfully 
engaged  in  the  dairy  industry.  From  a  very  small  herd  he  in- 
creased his  dairy  until  it  comprised  one  hundred  head  of  milch 
cows.  When  finally  he  sold  the  property  at  a  fair  profit,  in  Octo- 
ber of  1907  he  came  to  Yolo  county  and  bought  sixty-eight  acres  of 
fine  alfalfa  land  on  Putah  creek,  five  miles  from  Davis.  On  this 
place  he  has  since  engaged  in  dairy  enterprises  and  owns  one  hun- 
dred cows  of  superior  milking  strain,  the  whole  forming  an  invest- 
ment that  returns  him  gratifying  dividends  in  a  neat  annual  in- 
come.   The  milk  from  the  dairy  is  sold  to  the  University  farm  at 


866  HISTORY  OF  YOLO  COUNTY 

Davis.  In  his  capable  efforts  the  owner  has  enjoyed  the  assistance 
of  his  children,  Eugene  and  Hazel,  as  well  as  the  co-operation 
and  wise  counsel  of  his  wife,  whom  he  married  in  1887,  and  who 
was  Miss  Clara  Fiddlebrown,  a  native  of  Vermont,  but  a  resi- 
dent of  California  from  girlhood.  The  family  have  a  high  social 
standing  in  their  locality  and  are  esteemed  as  the  possessors  of 
those  sterling  traits  that  almost  invariably  characterize  the  New 
Englanders  in  whatever  part  of  the  world  they  may  be  found. 


HAYWARD  REED 

Prominent  among  California  orchardists  is  Hayward  Reed, 
who  resides  near  Washington,  Yolo  county,  where  bis  birth  oc- 
curred February  15,  1876.  His  parents  were  Charles  W.  and 
Abbie  (Jenks)  Reed,  natives  of  New  York  and  Illinois,  respectively. 
In  1851  Charles  W.  Reed  came  to  California  via  Panama,  bringing 
with  him  forty-five  varieties  of  pear  trees.  For  a  time  after  his 
arrival  in  the  west  he  prospected,  but  shortty  abandoned  this  un 
certain  occupation  to  experiment  with  his  various  species  of  pears. 
After  selecting  the  Bartlett  as  the  type  best  adapted  to  this  climate, 
he  established  a  nursery  at  Washington,  where  he  raised  millions 
of  trees  which  he  sold  to  consumers  in  different  parts  of  the  Pacific 
coast.  He  set  out  what  is  known  as  the  Reed  orchard  across  the 
river  from  Sacramento.  His  orchard  reaching  the  point  of  fruition, 
he  accompanied  his  first  carload  of  fruit  east,  the  freight  amounting 
to  $1,700.  Returning  to  California,  he  continued  to  devote  his 
attention  to  his  orchards  until  his  death  in  1896,  Mrs.  Reed  passing 
away  in  1911.  Their  children  are  as  follows:  Dudley,  of  Sacra- 
mento; Charles  W.,  an  attorney  in  San  Francisco;  Howard,  of 
Marysville;  Rowena,  who  is  the  wife  of  Professor  DeMeter,  who 
occupies  the  chair  of  German  at  the  University  of  California,  at 
Berkeley;  and  Hayward. 

Hayward  Reed  received  his  education  in  the  public  schools 
of  Sacramento,  graduating  from  the  high  school  in  1898.  During 
the  last  month  of  school,  upon  the  declaration  of  war  between 
Spain  and  the  Philippines,  he  enlisted  in  the  Third  U.  S.  Artillery, 
Battery  L,  journeying  to  Manila  on  the  third  expedition,  and 
served  there  for  sixteen  months.  Near  that  city  his  regiment  took 
part  in  many  battles,  one  of  which  cost  the  life  of  Captain  Krayen- 
bull'of  his  battalion.  During  this  period  Captain  Hobbs  and  a 
number  of  lieutenants,  also,  were  seriously  wounded.     In  1900  Mr. 


HISTORY  OF  YOLO  COUNTY  867 

Reed  made  his  first  trip  to  Alaska  on  the  whaling  ship  Thresher 
going  to  Nome,  where  he  engaged  in  mining.  He  returned  in  the 
fall  of  that  year,  but  in  1901  again  went  to  Alaska,  this  time  on  the 
whaler  Jeanne,  taking  with  him  about  a  hundred  boxes  of  oranges 
and  lemons,  many  of  which  he  sold  for  twenty-five  cents  each  on  the 
beach  to  the  winter-bound  residents  there.  After  spending  the 
season  at  mining  on  Iron  Creek,  he  returned  home  and  took  charge 
of  the  home  place  for  his  mother,  also  renting  two  small  orchards. 
The  following  year  he  rented  in  the  vicinity  of  Washington  eighteen 
pear  orchards  which  he  conducted  two  years,'  one  of  which  con- 
sisted of  eighty  acres  which  he  purchased  in  1908.  In  1911  this 
orchard  yielded  fifty  thousand  boxes  of  pears,  most  of  which  were 
sent  to  the  cannery,  a  portion  being  shipped  east.  In  December, 
1911,  Mr.  Reed  purchased  near  Marysville,  Yuba  county,  a  six  hun- 
dred and  fifty  acre  ranch  containing  a  large  pear  orchard.  He 
«old  off  half  of  it,  retaining  the  pear  orchard,  which  place  is  known 
as  the  New  England  orchard,  and  here  he  has  set  out  nineteen 
thousand  new  pear  trees  in  the  past  two  years.  It  is  located  seven 
miles  down  the  Feather  river  from  Marysville.  He  makes  his  home, 
however,  at  Rose  Orchard,  which  was  named  for  his  wife,  and 
this  orchard  comprises  a  hundred  and  fifty  acres  and  is  situated 
two  and  a  half  miles  west  of  Sacramento.  He  has  also  set  out 
sixteen  thousand  pear  trees  on  this  orchard  in  the  last  four  years 
and  on  the  two  places  which  cover  over  four  hundred  and  fifty 
acres  he  has  about  four  hundred  acres  planted  to  pears.  It  is  a 
significant  fact  that  either  of  them  ranks  among  the  largest  pear 
orchards  in  the  world.  During  the  year  1912  two  thousand  three 
hundred  tons  of  pears  were  produced  from  these  orchards.  Mr. 
Reed  also  engaged  in  raising  prunes  in  the  season  of  1912.  His 
rented  orchards  in  Shasta  county  yielded  about  six  hundred  tons. 
At  Rose  Orchard  he  has  spurs  running  from  both  the  Southern 
Pacific  Railroad  tracks  and  those  of  the  Sacramento  and  Woodland 
road,  and  he  has  a  large  packing  house  where  the  pears  are  ar- 
ranged for  shipment  to  the  different  consumers,  and  the  balance 
he  sends  to  points  in  the  East.  His  two  celebrated  brands  are  the 
New  England  and  the  Rose  Orchard. 

In  Sacramento  September  8,  1907,  Mr.  Reed  was  united  in  mar- 
riage with  Miss  Rose  Mather,  born  in  San  Francisco.  They  have 
two  children,  George  and  Rose.  Mr.  Reed  is  a  member  of  the 
Spanish  War  Veterans  and  is  a  member  of  the  Baptist  church  in 
Sacramento.  The  Y.  M.  C.  A.  has  in  him  not  only  a  member,  but 
a  very  active  worker,  he  being  a  member  of  the  board  of  trustees, 
whose  philanthropies  he  espouses,  and  he  is  very  active  in  the 
building  of  the  new  Y.  M.  0.  A.  building  at  Fifth  and  J  streets  in 
Sacramento.    In  1907  with  his  wife,  Mr.  Reed  visited  foreign  lands. 


868  HISTORY  OF  YOLO  COUNTY 

the  trip  leading  them  through  Europe  and  into  Egypt,  the  sojourn 
covering  a  period  of  three  months.  In  1909  he  made  the  trip 
along-  the  Panama  canal  and  in  1912  went  to  the  Sandwich  Islands, 
while  there  investigating  the  Mediterranean  fruit  fly.  In  politics 
Mr.  Reed  holds  to  the  principles  of  the  Republican  party,  believing 
in  their  movements  as  best  for  the  interests  of  the  community. 
Both  Mr.  Reed  and  his  wife  are  deeply  interested  in  the  develop- 
ment of  their  community,  and  enjoy  the  high  regard  of  many 
friends. 


MELYIN  WHITE  BLANCHARD 

Backed  by  a  life  experience  of  more  than  usual  interest,  Mr. 
Blanchard  enjoys  in  his  closing  years  not  only  precious  memories 
which  serve  to  fill  many  a  quiet  hour,  but  also  the  contemplation 
of  many  important  changes  which  have  taken  place  recently  and 
which  point  to  a  wonderful  future  for  the  west.  For  the  past 
fifty-two  years  he  has  lived  and  labored  with  other  pioneers  of 
the  Woodland  section,  and  it  is  a  source  of  the  utmost  joy  to  him 
to  be  able  to  realize  many  of  the  hopes  which  he  has  cherished 
so  long. 

Born  July  14.  1836,  in  Saratoga  county,  N.  Y.,  Mr.  Blan- 
chard is  the  only  living  son  of  Martin  and  Matine  (Shaw)  Blanch- 
ard, both  of  whom  were  born  in  Canada,  of  French  parentage. 
They  passed  away  in  Saratoga  county,  N.  Y.  Of  their  three 
children  Melvin  W.  was  the  second  oldest.  Upon  the  comple- 
tion of  his  public  school  studies  he  became  apprenticed  to  a  black- 
smith in  Glens  Falls,  N.  Y.,  and  after  completing  Ms  trade  he 
worked  in  different  parts  of  that  state.  At  the  age  of  twenty 
he  enlisted  in  Company  F,  Tenth  United  States  Infantry,  and  was 
detailed  government  blacksmith  in  frontier  service.  During  the 
succeeding  five  years  he  participated  in  the  life  enacted  on  the 
plains  amid  trials  and  dangers  innumerable,  determined,  as  were 
his  associates,  to  place  western  civilization  on  a  firm  founda- 
tion. In  1857  he  was  in  Utah  serving  as  a  soldier.  Later  he 
became  a  member  of  General  Johnston's  regiment,  continuing  in 
service  until  1860,  when  he  was  honorably  discharged.  In  1860 
he  crossed  the  mountains  to  California  horseback,  locating  per- 
manently in  Yolo  county.  After  working  seven  years  on  the 
ranch  of  Samuel  H.  Lettner,  followed  by  one  year  on  the  farm  of 
Dr.  H.  P.  Merritt,  he  purchased  a  quarter-section  three  and  one- 


HISTORY  OF  YOLO  COUNTY  869 

half  miles  north  of  Davis,  engaging  in  grain  and  stock  raising  on 
a  large  scale.  A  manager  of  excellent  ability  and  judgment,  he 
successfully  operated  in  1897  a  tract  of  five  thousand  acres,  upon 
which  he  raised  grain.  He  has  added  to  his  place  and  now  owns 
three  hundred  and  twenty  acres,  his  sons  owning  four  hundred 
and  eighty  acres  near  here,  they  together  owning  eight  hundred 
acres.  For  the  past  few  years  Mr.  Blanchard  has  profitably  raised 
cattle,  sheep  and  hogs,  his  sons,  Lewis  M.  and  Martin  H.,  ably 
assisting  him  in  all  his  ventures.  In  connection  with  his  large  grain 
culture  years  ago  he  employed  two  modern  harvesters  which 
required  twenty-six  mule  power  each. 

•  Mr.  Blanchard 's  marriage,  April  21,  1867,  which  occurred 
in  California's  capital  city,  united  him  with  Miss  Mary  Neary, 
of  county  Mayo,  Ireland,  whose  parents,  Martin  and  Catherine 
(Conway)  Neary,  also  natives  of  that  country,  never  left  their 
native  home.  Her  father  was  well  known  both  in  England  and 
Ireland  as  a  successful  stock  dealer,  supplying  markets  in  both 
countries  with  cattle,  sheep  and  horses.  Of  their  family  of  four 
children,  Mrs.  Blanchard  is  the  oldest.  Mary  Neary  came  to  the 
United  States  in  1862  with  her  aunt,  Mrs.  Catherine  McDonald, 
and  in  1864  came  west  via  Panama,  settling  in  Yolo  county,  Cal., 
where  she  has  resided  since.  Of  the  children  born  to  Mr.  and 
Mrs.  Blanchard,  four  grew  up :  Louis  and  Martin,  who  assist 
their  father  in  his  extensive  farming;  Mary,  now  the  wife  of 
Adolph  Luttges,  of  Binghampton,  who  conducts  a  three-hundred- 
and-twenty  acre  farm  in  Solano  county,  their  home  having  been 
blessed  with  four  children :  Leta,  Louis,  Clarence  and  Gladys ; 
and  Josephine,  whose  husband,  Barrett  J.  Sanderson,  is  a  .well 
known  Yolo  county  rancher,  and  who  has  twin  sons,  Martin  and 
Melvin.  Martin  Blanchard  is  an  inventor,  having  patented  an 
equalizer  which  renders  uniform  the  pulling  power  of  the  horses 
attached  thereto,  and  which  may  be  used  with  one  or  any  number 
up  to  thirty-two  teams.  He  has  also  invented  a  device  for  the 
harvester,  as  well  as  an  excavator  for  ditching,  all  of  which  have 
been  patented.  In  addition  to  his  ranch  Melvin  W.  Blanchard 
is  the  owner  of  valuable  Sacramento  property,  and  although 
retired  from  the  most  arduous  duties  connected  with  his  inter- 
ests, still  maintains  an  active  concern  in  his  affairs.  Both  himself 
and  sons  vote  the  Republican  ticket,  and  are  deeply  interested  in 
political  developments  in  general,  their  good  citizenship  having 
placed  them  among  the  most  prominent  and  highly  respected 
men  of  that  community.  With  his  family,  Mr.  Blanchard  enjoys 
membership  in  the  Davis  Catholic  Qhurch,  which  he  supports 
most  generously. 


870  HISTORY  OF  YOLO  COUNTY 

HENRY  BONAPART  JOHNSON 

This  prominent  citizen  of  Madison,  Yolo  county,  was  born 
in  South  Carolina,  in  September,  1840,  and  at  an  early  age  he 
moved  with  bis  parents  to  Cherokee  county,  Ala.  His  father,  Enoch 
Johnson,  a  planter,  died  in  Alabama.  The  mother  dying  when 
Henry  was  six  years  old,  he  was  left  an  orphan  and  knew  little 
of  a  parent's  care.  His  brother  Robert  was  killed  in  the  Mexican 
war.  His  brother  John  enlisted  as  a  soldier  in  the  Civil  war, 
went  away  to  the  field  of  carnage  and  never  returned.  Henry  was 
sixteen  when  he  struck  out  for  the  Pacific,  but  he  "rounded"  the 
Isthmus  all  right,  and  landed  in  San  Francisco  one  stormy 
December  day  in  1856.  Subsequently  he  came  to  Yolo  county  and 
here  he  worked  on  ranches  for  about  twelve  years.  Finally  he 
"fetched  up"  near  Madison  and  became  a  real  farmer  and  for 
himself.  He  bought  a  tract  of  one  hundred  and  sixty  acres  south- 
west from  Madison,  where  he  remained  for  several  years. 

Mr.  Johnson  married  Martha  A.  Sneath,  a  native  of  Missouri, 
who  had  come  to  this  state  across  the  plains  in  1857.  After  her 
death,  which  occurred  about  two  years  later,  he  returned  east  by- 
way of  the  Isthmus  for  cattle.  In  Texas  he  and  several  others 
who  were  on  the  same  quest  bought  stock  young  and  old  for  as 
low  as  $6  a  head,  and  they  soon  had  a  band  of  three  thousand. 
As  they  drove  their  great  herd  along  working  towards  the  west, 
Mr.  Johnson  saw  that  they  would  be  late  getting  over  the  moun- 
tains and  down  into  the  California  valleys.  He  thought  of  the 
snows  of  the  Sierras  and  concluded  to  sell  his  band  of  about  six 
hundred  cattle,  which  he  did.  It  was  a  fortunate  conclusion  for 
him,  for  between  the  cold  and  cattle  thieves  many  of  the  herd 
were  lost  enroute.  He  returned  to  this  state  in  1868  and  went 
back  to  ranching.  Having  sold  the  Madison  farm,  he  leased 
for  awhile,  then  purchased.  His  second  marriage  was  to  Martha 
C.  Butler,  from  his  native  Alabama.  Their  five  children  are 
James,  Richard,  Sallie,  May  and  Josie.  James  resides  on  the 
home  farm.  Sallie  is  now  Mrs.  Fred  Thomas  of  "Winters.  May 
married  Dr.  D.  Heran  of  Porterville.  Richard  lives  near  Wood- 
land.   Josie  is  Mrs.  Linn  Caruth,  of  Esparto. 

During  the  last  fifteen  or  twenty  years  Mr.  Johnson  has 
been  very  successful  in  his  farming  ventures.  First  he  raised 
grain  and  stock  exclusively,  later  he  planted  fruit  trees  and  grape 
vines,  and  now  he  has  a  fine  vineyard  of  about  twenty  acres  of 
wine  grapes  on  his  home  place.  But  he  is  a  grain  producer  and 
his  farms  have  always  turned  out  full  harvests.  He  keeps  about 
thirty-five  head  of  stock — horses  and  cattle — on  his  places.  He 
is  a  breeder  of  thoroughbreds,  and  has  several  blooded  draft  stal- 


HISTORY  OF  YOLO  COUNTY  871 

lions  at  the  stock  farm.  Fraternally  Mr.  Johnson  is  a  member  of 
Buckeye  Lodge  No.  195,  F.  &  A.  M.,  at  Winters,  and  in  politics 
is  a  Democrat.  He  also  takes  much  interest  in  the  educational 
matters  of  his  neighborhood  and  for  several  years  has  served 
as  a  trustee  of  the  high  school  board  at  Esparto. 


JOHN-H.  OESTE 

The  agricultural  possibilities  of  the  west,  supplemented  by  the 
unwearied  industry  of  the  man,  have  made  it  feasible  for  Mr. 
Oeste  to  merge  the  position  of  a  stranger  whose  entire  possessions 
were  limited  to  $5  for  the  gratifying  responsibilities  incident  to 
prosperity,  influence  and  landed  possessions.  As  an  instance  of 
llie  opportunities  afforded  by  Yolo  county  the  chronicle  of  his  life 
repays  perusal  and  it  further  presents  to  young  men  the  example 
of  what  may  be  accomplished  by  thrift,  frugality  and  practical 
common-sense  applied  to  farming  operations.  The  large  farm 
shows  the  care  of  the  owner  in  even  the  smallest  detail.  The 
fields  of  barley,  wheat  and  oats  indicate  that  he  is  an  expert  in  the 
raising  of  grain.  The  broad-spreading  pastures  with  their  flocks 
of  sheep,  their  drove  of  hogs  and  their  band  of  mules  prove  that 
he  understands  the  care  of  stock  and  makes  this  department  the 
most  profitable  part  of  his  farming  operations.  Every  part  of 
the  six  hundred  acres  bespeaks  the  thrift  of  the  owner  and  gives 
evidence  of  his  fitness  for  his  chosen  occupation. 

Referring  to  the  family  history  of  Mr.  Oeste  we  find  that  he 
was  born  in  Germany  April  21,  1837,  and  came  to  America  with 
other  members  of  the  family  at  the  age  of  seventeen  years,  set- 
tling with  them  in  Milwaukee,  Wis.,  where  lie  remained  until 
1858,  thence  going  to  St.  Louis  and  New  Orleans.  The  father. 
Jacob  William  Oeste,  was  born  and  reared  in  Hesse-Cassel, 
Germany,  and  followed  farm  pursuits,  also  conducted  an  inn 
in  his  native  province.  When  he  brought  the  family  to  America 
in  1854  he  settled  in  Milwaukee,  Wis.,  hut  the  severe  climate  of 
that  locality  affected  his  health  injuriously  and  in  May  of  1868  he 
came  to  California  with  the  hope  of  receiving  physical  benefit. 
For  a  few  years  he  engaged  in  ranching  seven  miles  west  of  Davis, 
Yolo  county,  but  in  1872  he  sold  the  property  to  his  son,  William, 
and  retired  from  farm  pursuits.  His  death  occurred  when  he 
was  sixty-six  years  of  age.  After  becoming  a  citizen  of  the 
United    States    he    voted    the    Republican    ticket    at    all    elections. 


872  HISTORY  OF  YOLO  COUNTY 

During  young  manhood  he  had  married  Annie  Catherine  Yoigt, 
a  native  of  Kur-Hessen,  and  she  accompanied  him  to  Wisconsin 
and  later  to  California,  where  she  died  at  sixty-seven  years 
of  age.  Five  of  their  seven  children  attained  maturity,  namely: 
John  H.,  who  owns  large  interests  near  Davis;  Sophia,  Mrs.  G. 
Schmeiser;  David  Theodore,  deceased;  William,  who  purchased 
the  old  homestead  in  Yolo  county;  and  Carlotta,  Mrs.  Frank 
Euhstaller,  of  Sacramento.  William  married  Barbara  Niedecker, 
who  was  born  in  Germany  and  died  on  the  home  ranch  near 
Davis,  leaving  seven  children,  viz. :  L.  Carrie,  Mrs.  William  S. 
Wright;  Matilda  L.,  Mrs.  Edwin  B.  Taylor,  of  Dixon;  Edna  C, 
William  Charles,  George  David,  Amelia  B.  and  Frank. 

The  trip  by  way  of  Panama  to  California  during  the  year 
1863  almost  exhausted  the  scanty  resources  of  John  H.  Oeste 
and  forced  him  to  seek  employment  without  delay.  Proceeding 
from  San  Francisco  to  Sacramento  he  secured  a  job  of  teaming 
across  the  mountains  and  thus  laid  the  foundation  of  subsequent 
prosperity,  for  the  wages  were  excellent  and  his  frugality  unceasing. 
For  a  time  he  worked  in  a  store  at  Sacramento,  from  which  city 
he  removed  to  Yolo  county  and  invested  in  land  near  Davis.  Ever 
since  then  he  has  labored  incessantly  to  pay  for  the  farm  and 
make  such  improvements  as  were  needed  from  time  to  time.  The 
ranch  is  now  under  excellent  cultivation  and  bears  all  the  neces- 
sary improvements,  the  entire  result  coming  from  the  efforts  of 
the  owner.  In  his  work  he  has  had  the  efficient  assistance  of  his 
wife,  whom  he  married  in  1870  and  who  was  Mary  E.  Strippel, 
a  native  of  Germany.  They  are  the  parents  of  five  children, 
Theodore,  Henry,  Adolph,  Julius  and  Sophia. 


J.   E.   SUGGETT 

Since  establishing  a  home  in  Yolo  county  during  the  year 
1897  Mr.  Suggett  has  owned  and  managed  ten  acres  of  alfalfa 
land  in  Willow  Oak  park,  where  he  has  an  attractive  country 
home.  Since  he  has  made  a  specialty  of  alfalfa  he  has  been  pros- 
pered in  a  gratifying  degree  and  has  cut  as  many  as  seven  crops 
yearly,  never  taking  off  less  than  six  crops,  which  fact  in  itself 
speaks  volumes  for  the  character  of  the  soil  and  its  adaptability 
to  this  popular  variety  of  hay.  It  has  been  found  profitable  to 
carry  on  a  small  dairy  and  the  owner  devotes  much  of  his  time 
to  the  correct  care  of  the  splendid  milch  cows  kept  on  the  place. 


HISTOEY  OF  YOLO  COUNTY  873 

A  firm  believer  in  the  future  growth  and  prosperity  of  the  county, 
he  gives  it  as  his  opinion  that  in  all  of  his  travels  throughout 
the  west  he  has  found  no  region  more  fertile,  no  people  more 
hospitable  and  no  climate  more  salubrious  than  is  to  be  found 
in  his  own  chosen  locality. 

A  Missourian  by  birth  and  a  Kentuckian  by  lineage,  Mr. 
Suggett  was  born  at  Middletown,  Montgomery  county,  in  1854, 
being  a  son  of  Volney  and  America  A.  (Holman)  Suggett,  natives 
respectively,  of  Kentucky  and  Missouri.  During  early  life,  many 
years  before  the  outbreak  of  the  Civil  war,  Volney  Suggett  left 
Kentucky  for  the  newer  lands  of  Missouri,  where  he  developed 
a  fine  farm  from  a  tract  of  raw  land.  About  the  year  1875  he 
came  to  California  and  bought  land  near  College  City,  where  he 
engaged  in  farming  until  his  death.  One  of  his  sons,  George, 
never  left  Missouri  but  continued  to  farm  in  the  vicinity  of 
Middletown,  where  he  married  and  reared  his  family  of  four 
children.  Three  of  these  children,  Homer  Marvin,  Buford  and 
Mattie,  came  to  the  west  and  purchased  a  large  tract  of  ranch 
land  in  Yolo  county  seven  miles  north  of  Dunnigan. 

When  about  twenty  years  of  age  J.  E.  Suggett  came  to 
California  in  company  with  a  party  of  home-seekers.  Nine  days 
were  spent  between  Omaha  and  Sacramento.  Even  as  late  as 
that  year  (1874)  the  country  was  still  wild  and  in  parts  lawless. 
On  one  occasion,  when  stepping  from  the  train  at  a  station,  he 
was  shot  at  by  a  Chinaman.  However,  he  reached  his  destina- 
tion in  safety.  For  a  time  he  attended  school  at  College  City, 
Colusa  county,  where  later  he  engaged  in  building  operations  and 
assisted  in  erecting  a  drug  store  and  hotel.  In  a  search  for 
cheap  land  he  prospected  through  Oregon  and  Washington  and  in 
the  latter  state  he  took  up  three  hundred  and  twenty  acres  of 
government  land  during  the  year  1883.  At  that  time  Indians  were 
very  troublesome  and  on  one  occasion  the  savages  attacked  him 
so  fiercely  that  he  would  have  been  killed  had  not  a  neighbor 
hastened  to  his  rescue.  The  land  was  rich  and  fertile  and  he 
harvested  as  much  as  seventy  bushels  of  wheat  to  the  acre.  On 
the  ranch  he  had  a  number  of  horses,  also  a  large  drove  of  hogs 
and  some  poultry.  The  location  was  suitable  from  the  standpoint 
of  crops,  but  the  country  was  so  wild  and  unattractive  that  he  finally 
returned  to  California  after  an  absence  of  fifteen  years.  During 
1896  he  married  Mrs.  Sarah  (Wernekie)  Suggett,  the  widow  of 
his  brother,  William,  and  one  daughter,  Marie,  blesses  their 
union.  By  her  first  marriage  there  are  five  children,  namely: 
Nora,  who  married  A.  B.  Caveler  and  is  living  in  Mexico;  Mrs. 


874  HISTORY  OF  YOLO  COUNTY 

Myrtle  Parsons ;  Hermena,  wife  of  Amos  Williams,  of  Sacramento ; 
Dewey,  who  lives  in  Oregon,  and  Charles,  who  remains  with  his 
mother  and  assists  Mr.  Suggett  in  the  care  of  the  home  place. 


WILLIAM  YOUNG  GORDON 

Comparatively  few  of  the  pioneers  of  the  '50s  remain  to 
enjoy  the  civilization  and  refinements  of  the  twentieth  century 
and  a  still  smaller  proportion  of  the  once  vast  throng  of  workers 
are  able  now  to  enter  into  the  activities  of  existence,  to  dispense 
a  generous  hospitality  from  beneath  their  own  rooftrees  and  to 
appreciate  fully  the  progress  made  in  every  year  of  advance- 
ment throughout  the  west.  It  has  been  the  rare  and  delightful 
privilege  of  Mr.  Gordon  to  reach  old  age  in  comfort  and  content- 
ment, without  impairment  of  faculties  mental  or  physical,  but  with 
a  fund  of  information  concerning  the  past  that  makes  him  an 
entertaining  conversationalist  and  with  a  breadth  of  knowledge 
concerning  the  present  that  stamps  him  as  an  exponent  of  twen- 
tieth-century progress.  Remembering  the  past  with  clearness, 
he  nevertheless  is  not  lost  in  its  somber  shadows.  Appreciating 
the  present  with  its  opportunities,  he  yet  does  not  fail  to  realize 
that  its  foundation  was  laid  by  past  efforts  as  a  basis  for  an 
unending  growth  in  years  to  come. 

The  surroundings  of  the  early  years  of  Mr.  Gordon  were  far 
different  from  those  of  his  declining  days.  Born  January  8,  1831, 
he  remembers  well  his  native  county  of  Grand  Isle,  separated 
from  the  mainland  of  Vermont  by  Lake  Champlain,  sparsely 
settled  (for  the  beautiful  location  had  not  yet  attracted  summer 
tourists)  and  isolated  through  the  long  winter  months  by  the 
frozen  waters  of  the  northern  lake.  As  soon  as  old  enough  to 
work  he  began  to  earn  his  own  livelihood  by  assisting  his  father 
on  the  farm  and  following  the  custom  of  the  age  he  gave  his  time 
to  his  parents  until  he  had  attained  the  age  of  twenty-one,  after 
which  he  came  at  once  to  California,  starting  February  19,  1852, 
and  taking  the  steamer  Georgia  from  New  York  to  Cuba.  Next  he 
boarded  the  Ohio  for  the  Isthmus  of  Panama.  With  a  party  of 
seventeen  he  rode  seventeen  miles  on  a  flat-car,  after  which 
the  natives  conveyed  the  party  in  boats  for  a  short  distance  up  the 
river  and  they  then  walked  the  balance  of  the  distance  to  the 
Pacific  ocean.     The  steamer.  Isthmus,  landed  him  in  San  Francisco 


HISTORY  OF  YOLO  COUNTY  875 

after  an  interesting  but  uneventful  passage  of  fifty-two  days  out 
of  New  York. 

After  having  mined  at  Placerville  and  Coloma  Bar  in  Eldorado 
county,  also  along  the  Indian  creek  in  Amador  county,  William  Y. 
Gordon  came  to  Yolo  county  in  June,  1856,  and  rented  a  large 
ranch  near  Davis.  A  year  later  he  bought  out  the  squatter  right 
to  one  hundred  and  sixty  acres  in  the  South  Putah  section  and 
here  he  has  since  resided.  A  period  of  fifty-seven  years  on  one 
California  farm  represents  an  unusual  identification  with  landed 
interests  and  proves  not  only  that  the  farm  is  a  rich  one,  but 
also  that  Mr.  Cordon  is  averse  to  abandoning  associations  beloved 
through  long  familiarity.  During  early  days  the  land  frequently 
produced  twenty-five  sacks  of  wheat  to  the  acre  and  he  has  seen 
three  excellent  crops  of  barley  harvested  from  one  sowing.  He 
has  added  to  his  ranch  and  now  owns  four  hundred  and  sixty 
acres  in  one  body.  In  addition  to  his  home  place  he  owns  a 
quarter  section  nearer  Davis.  Of  late  years  his  two  sons, 
George  A.  and  William  P.,  have  run  the  ranch,  thus  relieving 
the  father  of  that  responsibility.  During  1911  they  harvested 
twenty-seven  hundred  sacks  of  barley  from  one  hundred  and  five 
acres,  which  is  considered  an  excellent  yield,  and  a  part  of  the 
tract  produced  as  high  as  thirty  sacks  per  acre.  Fine  horses  are 
raised  on  the  ranch  and  one  of  these  recently  was  sold  for  $225. 
At  this  writing  there  are  one  hundred  and  sixty-five  head  of 
hogs  on  the  farm  and  the  sale  of  these  will  add  materially  to 
the  annual  income.  Modern  equipment  has  been  provided  for  the 
management  of  the  ranch.  Machinery  of  every  needed  kind  is  to 
be  found  there,  including  a  large  combined  harvester  and  a  modern 
traction  engine,  by  means  of  which  the  grain  is  threshed  quickly 
and  without  waste. 

It  has  been  the  good  fortune  of  this  honored  pioneer  to  re- 
ceive the  capable  assistance  of  a  helpmate  more  than  ordinarily 
energetic  and  economical.  His  marriage  in  1870  united  him  with 
Miss  Jane  Phelps,  who  has  spent  the  greater  part  of  her  life  in 
the  west,  but  is  a  native  of  Vermont.  They  are  the  parents  of  five 
children,  George,  "William,  Mabel,  Ira  and  Florence.  The  eldest 
son  married  Miss  Bertha  Cecil  and  has  two  children,  George  G. 
and  Buryl  R.  The  second  son  chose  Miss  Belle  Cecil  as  his  wife 
and  their  union  has  been  blessed  with  two  children,  Cecil  and 
William.  The  older  of  the  two  daughters  in  the  Gordon  family 
is  now  the  wife  of  J.  H.  McCracken,  of  Lovelock,  New,  and  the 
mother  of  four  children,  Florence,  Harvey,  Gordon  and  Baby. 
Ira  resides  in  Roseville;  and  the  youngest,  Florence,  a  graduate 
of  the  University  of  California,  after  spending  five  years  in 
Japan  as  a  missionary  is  now  teaching  in  the  Fresno  high  school. 


876  HISTORY  OF  YOLO  COUNTY 

WILLIAM  OVERHOUSE 

Among  Yolo  county's  modern  and  prosperous  farmers  was 
William  Overhouse,  who  recently  passed  away  leaving  a  name 
which  will  always  rank  high  in  the  community  where  he  lived 
and  labored  for  thirty  years.  Mr.  Overhouse  was  born  in  Prussia 
May  5,  1823,  and  was  bereft  of  his  father  at  the  age  of  six  months. 
When  twenty-two  years  old  he  joined  his  fortunes  with  many  other 
people  bound  for  America  and  upon  landing  at  New  Orleans,  made 
his  way  to  St.  Louis,  Mo.,  where  for  four  years  he  worked  at 
the  trade  of  ship  caulker.  In  1850,  having  heard  many  tales  of 
the  opportunities  to  be  secured  in  the  far  west,  he  bought  a 
mule  team  and  with  a  party  of  eager  emigrants  started  over- 
land for  California.  After  six  months  of  vicissitudes  sleeping 
on  the  ground  beneath  the  stars  at  the  close  of  each  weary  day, 
the  travelers  arrived  at  last  in  the  promised  land.  Mr.  Overhouse 
was  among  the  first  to  go  upon  the  south  side  of  the  Humboldt, 
where  plenty  of  food  was  to  be  found  for  stock.  At  Sacramento 
the  company  disbanded  and  Mr.  Overhouse  followed  the  example 
set  by  many  new  arrivals,  for  the  next  two  months  devoting  his 
energies  to  mining.  Illness  fell  upon  him,  however,  and  he  was 
obliged  to  return  to  Sacramento,  thence  to  San  Francisco,  where 
he  took  passage  for  Humboldt. 

With  the  aid  of  a  faithful  mule  he  visited  Scott  valley,  stop- 
ping a  fortnight  at  Shasta  on  Whiskey  creek,  where  one  night 
the  camp  was  raided  by  a  band  of  Indians,  who,  with  their  ac- 
customed abandon,  committed  theft  and  murder.  Mr.  Overhouse 
escaped  unscathed,  however,  and  returned  to  Sacramento,  where 
he  secured  work  as  a  driver  in  the  employ  of  the  city.  Homesick 
for  the  east  and  its  more  encouraging  aspect  of  life,  he  yielded 
in  1853  to  the  impulse  to  again  visit  Missouri,  going  by  way  of 
the  Isthmus.  The  next  two  years  he  spent  in  St.  Louis,  return- 
ing in  1855  to  California  via  Panama.  Passing  through  Sacra- 
mento which  held  for  him  many  memories  of  his  first  visit  there, 
he  rented  a  piece  of  land  in  Yolo  county,  later  purchasing  a  squat- 
ter's claim  of  four  hundred  and  eighty  acres  three  miles  from 
Winters,  which  he  devoted  to  grain  and  stock  raising,  erecting 
a  ten-room  comfortable  dwelling,  which  at  the  present  time  is 
modern  and  in  fine  condition.  On  this  property  are  several  large 
fig  trees  three  and  one-half  feet  through  and  fifty  feet  high, 
which  were  planted  by  Mrs.  Overhouse  thirty  years  ago.  Mrs. 
Overhouse  was  formerly  Miss  Fredricka  Bearnbum,  also  a  native 
of  Prussia,  and  married  Mr.  Overhouse  in  1854.  They  were  blessed 
with  three  sons  and  four  daughters,  two  of  whom  are  deceased 


HISTORY  OF  YOLO  COUNTY  877 


The  others  are:  Emma  L.,  now  Mrs.  George  Sims;  Ella  0.;  George; 
W.  D. ;  and  Louis  E.  Mr.  Overhouse  was  a  firm  Democrat  and 
an  active  and  efficient  member  of  the  Lutheran  Church. 


THOMAS  D.  BALL 

One  of  the  earliest  settlers  of  Winters  was  Mr.  Ball,  who  con- 
tributed materially  toward  the  development  of  this  section,  and 
whose  death,  February  27,  1902,  deprived  his  fellow  citizens  of  one 
of  their  most  beloved  friends  and  co-workers. 

Mr.  Ball  was  born  May  10,  1826,  in  Columbiana  county,  Ohio, 
in  which  locality  he  spent  his  youth,  during  the  winter  months 
attendiug  district  school  and  during  the  summer  assisting  on  the 
farm  of  his  parents,  William  and  Rachel  (Bradfield)  Ball,  natives 
of  Virginia.  The  history  of  the  Ball  family  has  been  traced  back 
to  the  year  1381  in  England.  Early  representatives  who  came 
to  America  settled  in  Massachusetts  and  some  of  them  served  in 
the  Revolutionary  war. 

At  the  age  of  twenty-two,  Thomas  D.  Ball  engaged  in  his 
trade  of  carpenter  and  joiner,  his  services  being  greatly  in 
demand  in  Marietta  and  vicinity.  Later  he  removed  to  Iowa, 
thence  to  Springfield,  111.,  still  continuing  at  his  trade,  and  in 
1858  he  came  to  California  via  the  Isthmus  of  Panama,  arriving 
in  San  Francisco  after  a  journey  of  three  weeks.  Proceeding 
to  Vacaville,  Solano  county,  he  resumed  his  trade  and  among 
other  buildings  erected  the  Wolfskill  residence  on  the  banks 
of  Putah  creek,  after  the  flood  of  1862.  While  living  in  Vacaville 
he  organized  the  Masonic  lodge  of  that  place.  Afterwards  he 
located  in  Sacramento,  where  he  soon  became  well  known  as  a 
successful  builder,  and  sixteen  years  later  he  settled  in  Winters, 
where  he  purchased  blocks  two,  three  and  four  and  erected  a 
comfortable  home,  devoting  much  of  his  attention  to  the  improve- 
ment of  his  property,  which  he  beautified  with  many  varieties  of 
trees  and  shrubs.  His  first  marriage  occurred  in  Virginia  and 
united  him  with  Miss  Polly  Hoagland,  who  died  in  Sacramento. 
His  second  marriage  was  solemnized  in  Sacramento,  March  24, 
1867,  uniting  him  with  Miss  Elizabeth  N.  Stamper,  of  Batli  county, 
Ky.,  and  the  only  child  of  their  marriage,  Mary  Alice,  died  in 
infancy.  Mrs.  Ball  is  of  Scotch  ancestry  and  was  not  only 
closely  related  to  the  Xeely  family  of  Welsh  descent,  and  the 
Ralstons  of  Scotch  ancestry,  but  also  to  Martha  Washington,  of 


878  HISTORY  OF  YOLO  COUNTY 

Virginia.  Her  great  uncle,  John  Neely,  was  one  of  the  earliest 
settlers  of  Virginia  and  an  Indian  fighter.  Her  great-grandfather, 
Joseph  Neely,  before  the  Revolutionary  war,  with  his  wife  and 
a  few  neighbors  defended  a  blockhouse  in  Kentucky  from  the 
onslaught  of  the  Indians. 

Mr.  Ball  was  a  stanch  Republican,  and  by  means  of  wide 
reading  and  active  public  labors,  kept  fully  abreast  of  the  times. 
Since  the  death  of  her  husband  Mrs.  Ball  has  continued  to 
reside  in  the  home  place  in  Winters,  and  as  a  conscientious  and 
valued  member  of  the  Congregational  Church  has  demonstrated 
her  strength  of  character  and  practical  sympathy. 


FRANK  MAIER 

Haying  been  identified  actively  with  the  growth  of  Davis 
and  vicinity  since  1860,  Mr.  Maier  is  enabled  to  enjoy  during  the 
closing  years  of  his  career  the  fruits  of  his  well-directed  labors, 
as  well  as  the  sincere  regard  of  all  who  are  privileged  to  know 
him,  both  in  business  and  social  circles. 

A  son  of  Germany,  Mr.  Maier  was  born  November  2,  1831, 
near  Stuttgart,  Wurtemberg,  which  was  also  the  birthplace  of  his 
parents,  Joseph  and  Ottilie  (Friedel)  Maier.  In  1837  the  husband 
and  father  passed  away,  leaving  the  care  of  the  younger  members 
of  the  family  of  five  children  to  the  mother,  assisted  by  her  sons. 
On  account  of  thus  being  required  to  lend  his  aid  in  carrying  on 
the  affairs  of  the  home  farm,  Frank  received  a  limited  education, 
though  he  endeavored  during  his  spare  moments,  which,  it  must 
be  admitted,  were  exceedingly  few,  to  add  conscientiously  to  his 
store  of  practical  knowledge.  At  the  age  of  twenty-one,  the  family 
having  become  self-supporting,  he  carried  out  a  long  cherished 
plan  of  immigrating  to  the  United  States,  taking  passage  on  a 
sailer  from  Havre  in  1852.  Upon  his  arrival  in  New  York  City  he 
went  to  Buffalo,  N.  Y.,  and  finally  secured  a  situation  as  farm 
hand,  faithfully  performing  his  duties  until  March,  1858,  when 
he  started  for  California.  From  New  York  he  went  to  Panama, 
and  after  crossing  the  Isthmus  he  completed  the  trip  by  boat 
to  San  Francisco.  From  there  he  went  to  Sacramento,  determined 
to  try  his  luck  at  mining,  and  entered  the  Rattlesnake  Bar  fields, 
but  after  six  months  of  unrewarded  labor  left  that  section  and 
in  1860  became  associated  with  a  horsepower  threshing  machine 
in  Yolo,  owned  by  Alex.  Lockhart.     After  working  six  years  in 


HISTOEY  OF  YOLO  COUNTY  879 

Yolo  county,  during  which  period  he  carefully  hoarded  his  sav- 
ings, he  succeeded  in  securing  sufficient  capital  with  which  to 
purchase  the  property  which  he  has  since  conducted  and  which 
comprises  an  entire  section  located  two  and  one-half  miles  from 
Davis.  A  large  portion  of  this  tract,  which  at  the  time  he  became 
its  owner  was  almost  wholly  unimproved,  he  planted  to  grain, 
erecting  necessary  buildings  and  otherwise  creating  a  general 
appearance  of  thrift  throughout  the  ranch.  At  present  he  culti- 
vates four  hundred  acres,  most  of  which  is  in  grain,  and  although 
his  financial  condition  is  all  that  could  be  desired,  it  is  not  to  be 
inferred  that  his  success  was  attained  without  the  most  frugal 
methods,  both  of  himself  and  family,  who  justly  merit  the  pros- 
perity which  they  enjoy. 

Mr.  Maier's  marriage,  which  occurred  in  Troy,  N.  Y.,  in  July, 
1889,  united  him  with  Miss  Katie  Wesenford,  one  of  his  country- 
women, who  came  to  the  United  States  when  twenty  years  of  age. 
To  the  union  of  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Maier  two  children  were  born: 
Francis  and  Albert,  who  are  still  in  the  parental  home.  Mr. 
Maier  is  a  Democrat,  but  casts  his  ballot  independently  and,  though 
never  an  aspirant  for  public  office,  preferring  to  devote  his  attention 
to  his  personal  affairs,  has  always  maintained  an  intelligent 
interest  in  public  matters  and  has  been  prompt  to  assist  in  the 
development  of  the  community.  Active  members  of  the  Catholic 
Church  at  Davis,  both  himself  and  family  are  well  known  for  their 
excellent  principles  and  their  deep  concern  in  the  welfare  of  their 
fellowmen. 


H.  S.  STEIPPEL 

The  type  of  foreigner  represented  by  Mr.  Strippel  is  of  that 
class  so  advantageous  to  American  progress  and  development. 
While  never  forgetful  of  his  native  land,  which  gave  to  him  as 
a  heritage  the  qualities  of  thrift,  frugality  and  industry,  he 
nevertheless  has  maintained  a  loyal  devotion  to  the  country  of 
his  adoption  and  is  peculiarly  patriotic  in  his  sincere  admiration 
for  California,  his  chosen  home.  Quietly  and  unostentatiously 
he  lived  his  active  life  of  labor  and  energetic  effort  and  finally, 
when  more  than  sixty  years  of  existence  had  left  their  burden  upon 
him,  he  retired  from  agricultural  activities  and  since  then  lias 
lived  in  quiet  enjoyment  of  home  and  family  and  friends. 

Germany  is  the  native  land  of  H.  E.   Strippel  and  June  21. 


880  HISTORY  OF  YOLO  COUNTY 

1841,  the  date  of  his  birth.  Nothing  of  especial  importance  oc- 
curred to  accentuate  and  individualize  the  years  of  his  childhood 
and  youth,  which  were  devoted  to  study  and  to  work  in  accordance 
with  the  usual  praise-worthy  custom  of  his  native  country.  When 
he  came  to  the  United  States  in  1868  he  proceeded  at  once  to  Cali- 
fornia, where  he  worked  for  his  board  in  San  Francisco.  Desiring 
to  secure  a  more  satisfactory  -position,  he  proceeded  to  Marys- 
ville  and  found  employment  on  a  ranch.  Next  he  began  to  learn 
the  trade  of  a  baker  and  this  he  followed  after  he  had  acquired 
a  thorough  knowledge  of  all  its  details.  Securing  employment 
in  Sacramento  he  worked  as  a  baker  until  1875,  when  he  returned 
to  Germany  to  visit  the  friends  of  his  boyhood  and  the  relatives 
yet  remaining  there. 

Upon  coming  again  to  Sacramento  in  1876,  Mr.  Strippel  worked 
in  a  bakery  for  a  year.  During  1877  he  joined  his  brother-in-law, 
John  H.  Oeste,  on  the  latter 's  ranch  in  Yolo  county  near  the  city 
of  Woodland  and  here  he  continued  for  many  years  as  a  partner, 
meanwhile  proving  of  the  greatest  assistance  in  the  care  of  the 
stock  and  the  cultivation  of  the  land.  When  in  1905  he  dissolved 
partnership  with  Mr.  Oeste  and  retired  from  manual  labors,  it 
was  with  distinct  regret  on  the  part  of  his  brother-in-law,  who 
had  for  years  depended  much  upon  his  sound  common  sense,  his 
willing  helpfulness  and  his  untiring  energy. 


WALTER  MILLSAP 

To  none  is  higher  honor  given  than  to  those  fearless  fore- 
runners of  a  later  civilization  who,  in  the  midst  of  dangers  seen 
and  unseen,  in  the  face  of  the  turbulence  incidental  to  life  at 
cosmopolitan  mining  camps,  steadfastly  pursued  the  even  tenor 
of  their  way,  holding  fast  to  principles  of  integrity  and  upright- 
ness and  proving  themselves  to  lie  of  that  desirable  element  form- 
ing the  bone  and  sinew  of  a  new  country.  Such  was  the  character 
of  the  late  Walter  Millsap  and  such  the  reputation  he  acquired 
and  maintained  from  the  time  of  his  arrival  in  the  west  during 
the  pioneer  era  until  the  time  of  his  decease  at  a  ripe  old  age.  In 
the  annals  of  Yolo  county  his  name  is  worthy  of  perpetuation,  not 
alone  from  the  fact  that  he  came  here  in  1852  and  ever  afterward 
continued  to  be  identified  with  the  same  locality,  but  also  from 
the  high  motives  that  animated  his  being  and  the  keen  intelligence 
that  actuated  his  agricultural  activities. 


HISTORY  OF  YOLO  COUNTY  881 

Between  the  date  of  his  birth,  which  occurred  iu  Lincoln 
county.  Mo.,  February  27,  1833,  and  the  time  of  his  death,  which 
took  place  at  the  family  home  in  Yolo  county  February  2,  1910, 
there  was  in  the  life  of  Walter  Millsap  an  exemplification  of  the 
qualities  of  energy,  honesty  and  perseverance  that  combine  to 
form  an  ideal  manhood.  "When  only  seventeen  years  of  age  he 
bade  farewell  to  the  friends  of  his  early  days  and  started  across 
the  plains  with  a  large  expedition  of  goldseekers,  who  ended  an 
uneventful  journey  during  the  autumn  of  the  same  year  with  their 
safe  arrival  in  California.  After  he  had  worked  as  a  miner  for 
two  years  he  abandoned  that  occupation  and  turned  his  attention 
to  agriculture,  coming  to  Yolo  county,  of  which  afterward  he  re- 
mained a  resident.  At  first  as  a  renter  and  later  as  the  owner, 
he  occupied  and  operated  the  farm  with  which  so  many  of  his  use- 
ful activities  were  associated.  During  1858  he  built  on  the  place 
a  house  for  the  accommodation  of  his  family,  for  he  had  married, 
May  8,  1856,  Miss  Amanda  J.  Lowe,  a  native  of  Kentucky.  About 
the  same  time  he  put  up  a  barn  and  later  other  necessary  build- 
ings were  added.  Fruit  and  shade  trees  were  planted  and  little 
by  little  the  raw  land  was  transformed  into  a  beautiful  farm. 

The  early  memories  of  Mrs.  Millsap  are  associated  with  Mis- 
souri, for  when  she  was  yet  very  young  her  father,  Archibald 
Lowe,  became  a  pioneer  of  Jackson  county,  that  state,  where  he 
died.  During  1850  his  widow  brought  the  family  across  the  plains 
to  California  and  settled  in  Nevada  county,  but  as  early  as  1853 
they  became  pioneers  of  Yolo  county,  where  Amanda  Lowe  was 
married  at  Madison.  From  early  life  she  has  been  an  earnest 
member  of  the  Christian  Church  and  her  husband  likewise  was 
devoted  to  the  doctrines  of  that  body.  The  sincerity  of  their 
Christian  belief  was  proved  by  their  many  acts  of  kindness,  their 
helpfulness  to  the  destitute  and  their  self-sacrificing  devotion  to 
the  enlargement  of  the  church.  Wisely  and  conscientiously  they 
reared  their  large  family,  doing  by  each  child  the  best  their  cir- 
cumstances permitted  and  inculcating  in  their  minds  the  highest 
principles  of  honor  and  a  love  of  justice.  In  her  advanced  years 
and  widowed  condition,  Mrs.  Millsap  finds  her  greatest  joy  in  the 
prosperity  and  well-being  of  her  children.  There  are  six  sons 
and  tour  daughters  still  living  and  one  little  daughter.  Lucy  E.. 
died  at  the  age  of  eight  years.  The  eldest.  William  X.,  makes  his 
home  in  Shasta  county,  this  state.  .Mrs.  Martha  Odium  resides  in 
Woodland.  Leander  W.  carries  on  mercantile  pursuits  at  Yolo. 
Mrs.  Cassandra  Snyder  is  a  resident  of  San  Francisco.  Rowena  is 
the  wife  of  John  Norton  and  lives  in  Woodland.  Rufus  1,.  resides 
in  Lake  county,  Melvin  II.  in  Yolo  county  and  Wirt,  a  farmer  by 
occupation,    superintends    the    old    homestead,    now    the    home    of 


882  HISTORY  OF  YOLO  COUNTY 

himself  and  wife,  Mary  E.  (Shannon)  Millsap,  horn  in  Virginia 
City,  Nev. ;  they  have  an  only  child,  Francis  Edmund.  Gertrude 
is  the  wife  of  Allan  Lawcock  and  lives  at  West  Berkeley,  while 
Albert,  the  youngest  of  the  large  family,  is  engaged  in  business 
at  Portland,  Ore.,  where  for  some  years  he  has  made  his  home. 


JOHN  STODDARD 

Out  of  the  dreary  environment  and  intense  isolation  of  a 
miner's  existence  into  the  freedom  and  outdoor  exercise  incident 
to  the  occupation  of  agriculture,  Mr.  Stoddard  passed  when  he 
came  from  the  east  to  California  and  settled  among  the  pioneers 
of  Yolo  county.  At  the  time  of  his  location  here,  1867,  land  was 
cheap  and  easily  obtained,  yet  so  scanty  were  his  means  that  he 
was  impoverished  through  the  purchase  of  one  hundred  and  sixty 
acres  of  raw  land  lying  ten  miles  southwest  of  Woodland.  How- 
ever, although  lacking  capital  to  develop  the  land,  he  did  not  lack 
energy  and  industry,  and  these  two  qualities  carried  him  through 
many  a  discouraging  condition  of  affairs,  becoming  indeed  the 
foundation  upon  which  later  was  built  his  very  substantial  degree 
of  success. 

Perhaps  the  ultimate  prosperity  of  Mr.  Stoddard  was  due 
largely  to  the  inheritance  of  characteristics  for  which  the  Scotch 
race  is  famous  and  which  its  representatives  exhibit  in  whatever 
part  of  the  world  destiny  may  take  them.  Edinburgh  is  the  city 
where  he  was  born  January  6,  1830,  and  where  he  received  such 
advantages  as  it  was  possible  for  him  to  obtain  educationally. 
At  the  age  of  twenty-two  years  he  crossed  the  ocean  to  America, 
settling  in  Pennsylvania,  where  he  secured  work  in  the  coal  mines. 
Later  he  became  a  miner  in  Illinois,  and  from  there  traveled  west 
to  Salt  Lake  City,  thence  removing  to  Virginia  City,  Nev.,  and 
finding  work  in  gold  and  silver  mines  and  quartz  mills.  After 
seven  years  in  the  same  location  he  left  for  California  in  1867  and 
exchanged  his  former  occupation  for  farming  operations.  Shortly 
after  his  arrival  in  Yolo  county  he  bought  the  ranch  to  which 
allusion  has  been  made.  From  a  very  small  beginning  he  worked 
his  way  forward  until  he  had  acquired  one  thousand  acres  of  land, 
devoted  principally  to  the  raising  of  barley  and  wheat.  The  pos- 
session of  such  a  large  landed  estate  rendered  necessary  the  ex- 
penditure of  large  sums  of  monev  in  machinery  for  its  cultivation 
and  in  stock  for  its  pastures.     Proof  of  the  success  of  the  owner 


HISTORY  OF  YOLO  COUNTY  883 

is  shown  in  his  long  and  profitable  operation  •  of  the  land  and 
in  his  introduction  of  all  the  improvements  and  the  equipment 
desirable  on  a  modern  ranch.  Since  he  retired  in  1909  he  has 
resided  in  Woodland. 

While  working  in  Illinois  and  living  in  Perry  county,  that 
state,  Mr.  Stoddard  there  married,  September  27,  1857,  Miss  Agnes 
Christie,  who  was  born  January  3,  1838,  and  died  May  18,  1911. 
Like  her  husband,  she  was  a  native  of  Scotland  (born  in  Cooper, 
FifesMre),  and  like  him,  too,  she  possessed  the  splendid  traits 
for  which  the  people  of  that  country  are  known.  The  four  chil- 
dren forming  the  family  felt  the  inspiration  of  her  beautiful  char- 
acter and  the  encouragement  of  her  words  of  helpful  and  cheerful 
counsel.  By  all  of  them  her  death  was  mourned  as  a  heavy  be- 
reavement, but  the  influence  of  her  gentle  life  has  not  ended  with 
the  grave,  for  even  unto  the  second  generation  she  is  held  in 
affectionate  remembrance.  Her  eldest  son,  David,  married  Miss 
Eliza  Billings,  and  they  are  the  parents  of  seven  children,  namely : 
Irma,  John,  David,  Agnes,  James,  Eliza  and  Lyle.  The  second 
child  and  older  daughter,  Louisa,  is  the  wife  of  Thomas  Billings 
and  the  mother  of  six  children,  named  as  follows :  Roy,  Charles. 
Laura,  Ivy,  Dora  and  Agnes.  The  younger  daughter,  Irma,  mar- 
ried Charles  D.  Bentley  and  has  an  only  child,  Mary.  The  younger 
son  and  the  youngest  member  of  the  family  circle,  Frank,  married 
Miss  Lettie  Billings,  and  operates  the  old  homestead  under  a 
lease,  giving  to  the  land  the  care  and  skilled  cultivation  which 
it  had  under  the  long  and  successful  management  of  his  father. 


FRED  FRANK  McCULLOUGH 

Diversified  avenues  of  industrial  activity  are  open  to  people 
removing  to  Yolo  county,  but  agriculture  still  continues  to  be  the 
leading  occupation  and  one  to  which  turn  for  a  livelihood  the 
greatest  number  of  settlers.  As  an  instance  of  the  opportunities 
afforded  by  the  soil  when  wisely  cultivated,  mention  should  be 
made  of  Fred  Frank  McCullough,  whose  large  measure  of  success 
has  been  gained  since  he  arrived  in  Yolo  county  and  entered  upon 
the  laborious  task  of  developing  a  farm.  As  a  result  of  his  cease- 
less industry  and  sagacious  management  he  has  become  the  owner 
of  a  large  landed  estate  and  now  holds  a  position  among  the  lead- 
ing- farmers  and  stock  raisers  of  the  entire  county. 

The  genealogy  of  the   family  is  traced  back   to   the   original 


884  HISTORY  OF  YOLO  COUNTY 

American  settler,  John  MeCullough,  a  member  of  an  ancient  and 
influential  Scotch  Presbyterian  family.  Shortly  after  he  accom- 
panied other  members  of  the  family  to  Pennsylvania  and  had  set- 
tled in  the  forests  of  that  colony  he  was  taken  prisoner  by  the 
Indians,  who  kept  him  captive  in  Ohio  for  eight  years.  When 
finally  he  was  exchanged  he  returned  to  his  old  Pennsylvania  home 
and  engaged  in  farming.  Afterward  he  removed  to  Maryland  and 
developed  a  farm  near  Frostbnrg,  but  his  last  days  were  spent  in 
Pennsylvania.  His  son,  Alexander,  was  born  in  Franklin  county, 
Pa.,  near  the  Maryland  state  line.  During  young  manhood  he 
married  Elizabeth  Siler,  a  native  of  Frostburg,  Md.,  and  in  1856 
they  became  pioneers  of  Champaign  county,  111.,  where  they  devel- 
oped a  farm  near  Urbana.  Of  their  five  sons  and  two  daughters 
Fred  Frank  was  the  fourth  in  order  of  birth  and  he  was  a  native 
of  Frostburg,  Md.,  born  March  9,  1854.  When  only  two  years  of 
ai>e  he  was  taken  to  Illinois,  and  his  first  recollections  cluster 
around  a  tract  of  government  land  homesteaded  by  his  father.  As 
soon  as  he  became  old  enough  to  work  he  assisted  in  the  cultivation 
of  the  claim  and  gave  his  whole  time  to  farm  work  with  the  excep- 
tion of  a  few  months  each  year  spent  in  attendance  upon  country 
schools. 

Coming  to  California  during  the  autumn  of  1874,  Mr.  MeCul- 
lough settled  in  Sutter  county  and  secured  employment  on  a  ranch 
opposite  Grand  Island.  Two  years  later  he  removed  to  Solano 
county  and  rented  three  hundred  and  twenty  acres  near  Bird's 
Landing.  The  year  1886  found  him  a  resident  of  Yolo  county, 
where  he  rented  a  section  near  Dunnigan  and  engaged  in  the  grain 
and  stock  business.  About  1891  he  bought  three  hundred  and 
twenty  acres  of  unimproved  land  and  removed  to  the  new  tract, 
which  he  improved  and  developed.  Later  he  bought  a  quarter- 
section  adjoining,  and  this  gives  him  four  hundred  and  eighty 
acres  in  one  body,  the  whole  comprising  his  homestead,  a  well- 
improved  and  valuable  property  in  the  vicinity  of  Dunnigan.  In 
addition  he  owns  and  manages  three  hundred  and  twenty  acres 
near  Blacks  Station  and  five  hundred  acres  northwest  of  Dunnigan, 
the  large  landed  possessions  representing  his  own  untiring  industry 
and  frugal  economy.  Besides  the  raising  of  stock  and  of  general 
farm  crops,  for  some  years  he  has  engaged  in  buying  and  selling 
mules,  sheep  and  hogs  and  now  devotes  much  of  his  time  to  this 
important  occupation. 

During  the  period  of  his  residence  in  Solano  county  Mr.  Me- 
Cullough there  married,  December  5,  1883,  Miss  Mary  Grapen,  who 
was  born  and  reared  at  Suisun  City,  the  daughter  of  John  M.  and 
Janette  (Wallace)  Gapen,  born  in  Pennsylvania  and  Michigan,  re- 
spectively.    Her  father  crossed  the  plains   to   California   in   1849 


HISTORY  OF  YOLO  COUNTY  885 

and  her  mother  crossed  in  1848.  They  became  pioneers  of  Solano 
county  and  died  in  Yacaville.  Of  the  five  children  born  to  them 
Mrs.  McCullongb  is  the  third  oldest.  Mr.  and  Mrs.  McCullougb 
are  the  parents  of  six  sons  and  five  daughters.  The  eldest,  Fred 
<>.,  attended  a  business  college  at  Oakland  and  is  now  assisting' 
his  father  in  the  management  of  the  ranch.  The  others  are  Mere- 
dith, Victor,  Marshall,  Burns,  Ruth,  Welthy,  Lemuel,  Nevada, 
Marion  and  Elizabeth.  The  Masons  have  the  active  assistance  of 
Mr.  McCullongb  through  his  identification  with  Dunnigan  Lodge 
No.  284.  F.  &  A.  M.;  Woodland  Chapter,  R.  A.  M.,  and  Woodland 
Oommandery  No.  21,  K.  T.  Ever  since  attaining  his  majority  lie 
has  voted  the  Republican  ticket  and  in  Yolo  county  be  has  served 
the  party  in  county  and  state  conventions,  besides  giving  to  its 
candidates  his  quiet  influence  and  steadfast  support.  For  bis 
labors  as  a  public-spirited  citizen  and  as  a  capable  farmer  the 
county  is  indebted  to  him  and  rightly  places  him  in  a  foremost 
position  among  its   prosperous   and   progressive   residents. 


WILLIAM  E.  M.  BEARDSLEE 

One  of  the  most  interesting  as  well  as  one  of  the  most  im- 
portant phases  of  the  development  of  our  western  country  relates 
to  the  reclamation  of  arid  lands  and  the  saving  of  other  lands 
subject  to  overflow.  Few  are  more  closely  associated  with  the 
progress  of  this  important  work  in  California  than  is  Mr.  Beards- 
lee,  trustee  of  the  Yolo  basin  drainage  district,  which  was  organ- 
ized by  state  enactment  to  investigate  the  practicability  of  reclaim- 
ing the  lands  lying  in  the  Yolo,  Solano  and  Colusa  basins  on  the 
Sacramento    river. 

A  native  of  New  England,  in  whose  make-up  are  combined 
all  of  the  conscientious  principles  and  determination  characteristic 
of  his  ancestors,  William  PL  M.  Bearclslee  was  born  August  15, 
1865,  in  Fall  RiVer,  Mass.  His  early  boyhood,  however,  was 
passed  in  Boston,  where  he  attended  the  public  school,  and  there 
also  he  later  attended  an  academy.  He  was  the  son  of  Edgar  A. 
Beardslee,  who  first  came  to  California  in  1870  alone,  but  a  few 
months  later  he  returned  east  for  his  family,  coming  hack  to  the 
west  the  following  year  by  way  of  Panama.  For  the  past  fiftv- 
two  years  he  has  followed  telegraphy.  For  seventeen  years  he 
was  assistant  superintendent  of  the  Western  Union  Telegraph 
Company  at  Sacramento,  and  is  now  a  resident  of  Los  Angeles, 
still    in   the   service   of  the   Western    Union. 


886  HISTORY  OF  YOLO  COUNTY 

It  was  in  1880  that  the  family  located  in  Sacramento  and  in 
that  city  William  E.  M.  Beardslee  completed  his  schooling  by 
attending  the  high  school  for  one  year.  He  then  began  to  learn 
telegraphy  under  his  father  in  the  Western  Union  telegraph  office, 
and  for  ten  years  afterward  was  employed  by  the  same  company, 
two  years  of  this  time  as  cashier  of  the  Los  Angeles  office.  In 
1890  he  became  associated  with  his  brother-in-law,  T.  B.  Lovdal, 
in  fruit  and  hop  raising  in  Yolo  county,  the  ranch  lying  in  the 
rich  bottom  lands  which  Mr.  Beardslee  has  done  so  much  to 
reclaim.  The  ranch  consists  of  two  hundred  and  sixteen  acres,  of 
which  twenty  are  in  Bartlett  pears,  prunes  and  plums,  sixty  in 
hops  (which  in  1911  ran  one  ton  to  the  acre)  and  the  remainder 
in  alfalfa,  which  yields  about  six  crops  annually  without  irrigation. 

Since  coming  to  California  Mr.  Beardslee  has  been  intensely 
interested  in  reclamation  measures  and  has  been  very  active  in 
securing  legislative  assistance  therefor.  For  eighteen  years  he 
served  as  secretary  of  reclamation  district  Xo.  537,  which  re- 
claimed three  thousand  acres  north  of  Sacramento,  this  locality 
being  the  first  to  make  use  of  the  famous  "Yolo"  dredge,  which 
was  designed  and  built  by  this  district.  Mr.  Beardslee  was  a 
member  of  the  Sacramento  drainage  district  commission,  which 
secured  for  congress  and  the  state  information  relative  to  the 
conditions  existing  in  the  delta  sections,  also  suggesting  methods 
of  relief.  Through  the  efforts  of  the  board  congress  appropriated 
$400,000,  a  like  amount  being  given  by  the  state,  for  improving 
the  navigability  of  the  Sacramento  river  and  to  investigate  flood 
control.  That  the  funds  were  wisely  expended  is  unnecessary  to 
state  in  noting  the  conditions  of  these  lands  today.  Lands  once 
submerged  are  now  in  a  high  state  of  cultivation  and  are  sur- 
rounded by  fifteen  miles  of  dredge-built  levees  constructed  at  a 
cost  of  from  $10,000  to  $15,000  per  mile. 

At  the  age  of  twenty-two  years  Mr.  Beardslee  was  united  in 
marriage  with  Miss  Emma  T.  Lovdal,  whose  father,  O.  O.  Lovdal, 
was  one  of  the  pioneer  hop  raisers  of  the  Sacramento  valley.  They 
have  two  children,  Beatrice  and  William  E.  L. 


ROBERT  A.  MEIER 

An  experience  with  conditions  in  different  parts  of  our  own 
country  and  in  the  territory  of  Alaska  gives  to  Mr.  Meier  a  com- 
prehensive knowledge  of  climates,  soils,  business  opportunities  and 


HISTORY  OF  YOLO  COUNTY  887 

practical  advantages  of  various  localities.  The  opinion  formed 
through  this  experience  leads  him  to  favor  Woodland  and  Yolo 
county  as  offering  an  excellent  opening  to  young  men  in  the  line 
of  both  agriculture  and  business.  Since  coming  to  this  city  he 
has  acted  as  manager  of  the  Woodland  Alfalfa  Products  Cora- 
puny,  also  as  selling  agent  for  the  alfalfa  mill  at  Orland  and  in 
addition  as  Yolo  county  agent  for  the  Ford  automobile,  these 
diversified  lines  of  business  activity  bringing  to  him  prestige  and 
prominence.  The  plant  of  which  he  is  manager  has  a  capacity  of 
twenty-five  tons  per  day  and  is  operated  by  electricity.  This 
being  the  only  mill  of  the  kind  in  the  county,  there  naturally  exists 
a  wide  demand  for  its  products  and  we  find  that  there  is  a  steady 
sale  here  and  in  every  part  of  the  coast  region.  Under  the  able 
supervision  of  the  manager  the  plant  turns  out  a  satisfactory 
product  that  finds  approving  buyers  throughout  this  part  of  the 
state. 

Born  in  Minneapolis,  Minn.,  March  13,  1884,  Robert  A.  Meier 
is  the  younger  son  of  the  late  August  and  Wilhelmina  (Heimer- 
dinger)  Meier,  both  of  whom  died  in  Minneapolis.  The  father  had 
lived  in  Illinois  as  a  boy  and  young  man  and  there  enlisted  in  an 
Illinois  regiment  during  the  Civil  war,  serving  at  the  front  until 
the  expiration  of  his  period  of  enlistment.  Later  he  became  an 
early  settler  in  Minnesota,  and  there  met  and  married  Miss  Heimer- 
dinger,  whose  parents  had  been  pioneers  of  the  northwest  and 
had  been  established  in  Minnesota  prior  to  the  famous  Indian  mas- 
sacre in  that  state  during  the  Civil  war.  The  parental  family  com- 
prised two  sons  and  one  daughter.  The  elder  son,  Fred,  is  now 
the  manager  of  the  beet  sugar  plant  at  Visalia. 

Upon  the  completion  of  the  studies  of  the  Minneapolis  gram- 
mar and  high  schools,  Robert  A.  Meier  entered  the  Pillsbury  Mili- 
tary Academy  at  Owatonna,  Minn.,  and  continued  his  studies  there 
for  several  terms.  Later  he  spent  a  year  in  the  University  of 
Minnesota.  Upon  starting  out  to  make  his  own  way  in  the  world 
he  went  to  Washington  and  engaged  in  mining  for  two  years  with 
more  or  less  luck.  Next  he  sailed  for  Alaska  with  the  intention 
of  prospecting  and  mining  in  the  Klondike  region.  Making  his 
headquarters  at  Nome,  he  traveled  through  various  parts  of  the 
mining  district,  prospected  here  and  there,  took  up  some  claims 
and  met  with  his  share  of  prosperity  and  adversity  while  endeav- 
oring to  find  gold.  Five  summers  and  four  winters  were  spent  in 
the  far  north.  During  one  of  these  winters  he  was  stormbound 
on  Candle  creek,  two  hundred  miles  above  Nome,  where  often  the 
thermometer  registered  as  low  as  seventy  below.  In  spite  of  the 
rigors  of  the  environment  he  found  much  to  interest  him  in  the 
isolated   northern   country   and   regards   his    experiences    there   as 


888  HISTORY  OF  YOLO  COUNTY 

profitable  if  not  always  pleasant.  Upon  his  return  to  the  United 
States  he  settled  in  California  and  engaged  in  well-drilling  at  Por- 
terville,  where  he  operated  two  steam  rigs.  During  July  of  1912 
he  came  from  Porterville  to  Woodland  and  entered  upon  the 
duties  of  manager  of  the  Woodland  Alfalfa  Products  Company, 
besides  which  he  later  took  up  the  agency  for  the  Ford  automo- 
bile in  this  county.  Accompanying  him  to  this  city  were  his  wife 
and  daughter,  Bernice,  the  former  having  been  Miss  Gertrude 
Cunningham,  a  native  of  Pike  City,  Sierra  county,  this  state,  and 
a  resident  of  Fresno  at  the  time  of  her  marriage. 


MRS.  JAKIE  GREIYE 

For  half  a  century  and  more  the  Deck  family,  to  which  Mrs. 
Jakie  Greive  belongs,  has  been  identified  with  the  progress  of  the 
west,  her  father,  H.  S.  G.  Deck,  having  come  to  California  by  way 
of  Cape  Horn  in  1819.  He  was  a  native  of  Virginia,  and  was 
among  those  fortunate  prospectors  who  acquired  wealth  in  the 
mines  at  that  period.  There  were  no  railroads  then,  and  as '  Mr. 
Deck  had  erected  a  grain  warehouse  at  Maine  Prairie  it  was 
necessary  to  haul  the  grain  across  the  country  and  ship  by  boat 
to  San  Francisco.  He  finally  disposed  of  this,  however,  and  be- 
came proprietor  of  a  mercantile  house  in  old  Silverville,  which 
he  successfully  conducted  until  his  return  to  the  grain  business, 
which  he  followed  for  a  time.  His  later  life  was  passed  in  Davis, 
Yolo  county,  Cal.,  where  he  served  two  terms  as  justice  of  the 
peace,  and  here  his  death  occurred  in  1907. 

H.  S.  G.  Deck  had  become  a  well-known  and  popular  man 
throughout  this  district.  His  sterling  worth  as  a  business  man. 
as  well  as  his  trustworthy  service  as  a  public  official,  had  been  the 
means  of  securing  him  the  general  good  will  and  high  respect  of 
all  his  associates  and  fellow  citizens,  and  his  death  was  mourned 
by  all  who  knew  him.  His  wife,  who  survives  him,  was  before  her 
marriage  Martha  York,  and  she  came  to  California  with  a  I  a  rue 
party  in  the  year  1857,  among  them  being  the  Ely  and  Griffith 
families.  There  were  two  children  born  to  the  marriage  of  Mr. 
and  Mrs.  Deck,  viz. :  James  and  Jakie,  the  latter  becoming  Mrs. 
Albert  N.  (ireive.  It  is  of  interest  to  note  that  there  are  now 
living  four  generations  of  the  Deck  family,  namely:  Mrs.  H.  S.  G. 
Deck;  her  daughter,  Mrs.  Albert  X.  (Ireive;  the  hitter's  daughter. 
Vera    (the  wife  of  Dr.  R.  Asbill),  and  her,  child. 


HISTORY  OF  YOLO  COUNTY  889 

In  1887  J  aide  Deck  was  united  in  marriage  to  Albert  N.  Greive, 
who  was  born  at  Fort  Atkinson,  Jefferson  county,  Wis.,  the  son 
of  Robert  and  Eliza  (Lircoinbe)  Greive,  the  former  a  native  of 
Scotland  and  the  latter  of  England.  To  the  marriage  of  Mr.  and 
Mrs.  Greive  have  come  two  children,  Vera,  who  is  the  wife  of 
Dr.  R.  Asbill,  and  Jack. 

Albert  N.  Greive  is  a  member  of  a  large  family,  whose  parents 
were  early  settlers  in  this  part  (if  the  country.  Accustomed  to  the 
life  of  a  pioneer,  through  their  experiences  in  Canada,  and  also 
in  Wisconsin,  they  settled  on  a  ranch  of  six  hundred  acres  in 
Solano  county  about  1854,  to  which  the  father  had  previously 
come,  crossing  the  plains ;  but  he  had  returned  east  by  the  Panama 
route.  Robert  Greive  passed  away  here  in  1895,  and  was  closely 
followed  to  the  grave  by  his  wife,  who  passed  away  two  years 
later.  Twelve  children  and  fifty-two  grand  and  great-grandchildren 
survived   them. 

Albert  N.  Greive  was  the  third  youngest  of  his  parents'  fam- 
ily, and  was  brought  up  on  his  father's  place  in  Solano  county, 
on  August  20,  1891,  embarking  in  the  livery  and  hotel  business 
for  himself.  In  January,  1897,  he  built  a  hotel  upon  the  Lillard 
property,  which  was  destroyed  by  fire  in  1906,  and  Mr.  Greive 
immediately  began  the  plans  for  his  present  substantial  four-story 
structure,  which  contains  sixty-seven  rooms  and  which  is  known 
as  the  Buena  Vista.  The  Greives  are  making  a  success  of  this 
enterprise,  and  enjoy  a  prosperous  and  flourishing  business.  Mr. 
Greive  has  the  earnest  and  valuable  assistance  of  his  wife,  whose 
clever  management  of  various  departments  of  the  work  has  done 
much  lo  make  it  the  superior  class  of  place  it  is  today. 


MAY  03 


•  MANCHESTER.  I