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Full text of "An illustrated history of Sacramento County, California : containing a history of Sacramento County from the earliest period of its occupancy to the present time, together with glimpses of its prospective future ... portraits of some of its most eminent men, and biographical mention of many of its pioneers and also prominent citizens of today"

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ACRAMEIfTO  COUNTY, 


CALIFORNIA 


Containing  a  History  of  Sacramento  County  from  the  Earliest  Period 

of  its  Occupancy  to  the  Present  Time,  together  -with  Glimpses  of 

its  Prospective  Future;    with  Profuse  Illustrations  of  its 

Beautiful  Scenery,  Full-Page  Portraits  of  Some  of 

its    most    Eminent    Men,    and  Biographical 

Mention  of  Many  of  its  Pioneers  and 

also  of  Prominent  Citizens 

of  To-day. 


GENERAL    CHAPTERS 

By  Hon.  Win.  J.  Davis. 

CHICAGO: 
THE   LEWIS  PUBLISHING  COMPANY. 

is9or 


1152321 


^^-h^« 


X 


CHAPTER  I. 

Topography,  Soil,  Climate,  Etc.— 

Derivatioa  of  name  "  Sacramento" 1 

Latitude  and  Longitude 1 

Height  above  Sea-level 1 

Surface  of  tlie  Laud 1 

Water  and  Soil 3 

Productions  and  Climate 3 

Mines  and  Minerals  5 

Indians. fi 

CHAPTER  IL 

John  A.  Sutter  and  his  Fort 7,  806 

CHAPTER  III. 

The  California  Revolution  and  the  Bear-Flag 

Party 13 

CHAPTER  IV. 

Discovery  of  Gold— 

Discoveries  Pnor  to  1818 15 

Marshall's  Discovery 17 

Skeich  of  Marshall 17 

CHAPTER  V. 

F  UNDING  op  Sacramento  City- 

The  "  Embarcadero  "  and  Sutterville 18 

Hoboken 19 

George  McDougal 19 

First^Election 20 

Other  '•  First "  Things  20 

Prison  Brig 21 

CHAPTER  VI. 
The  Squatter  Riots- 

Dr.  Morse's  History 23 

Sutter's  Notice  lo  the  Squatters 23 

Claims  of  the  Squatters 23 

Squatters'  Association 24 

Judge  Willis'  Adverse  Decision 25 

Squatters  Declare  Resistance 25 

Riotous  Meeting 2(i 

The  Shooting 28 

Letter  Found  in  Dr.  Robinson's  Tent 29 

Subsequent  Events,  and  Peace  Restored 30 

Sketches  of  McCulloch  and  Caullield 34 

Gen.  A.   M.  Winn 80G 


CHAPTER  VII. 
County  Government — 

First  Attempt 


First  Elecii 

Subsequent   Elections,   and    List  of   Officers   to 
Date 39-4S 

CHAPTER  VIII.  • 
Sacramento  County  Legislators — 

Senators 43,  806 

Assemblymen 46, 806 

CHAPTER  IX. 
The  Bench  and  the  Bar — 

The  Bench 52 

The  Attorneys  of  the  Past 54, 806 

The  Present  Bar 59 

CHAPTER  X. 

Criminals — 

Early  RufHanism 61 

Lynching 61 

Sketches  of  Principal  Cases .63-71, 807 

CHAPTER  XI. 
Political— 

Double-headed  Convention  at  the  Baptist  Church.  72 

"  Spittoon  "  Convention 74 

Sketch  of  H.  S.  Foote 75 

CHAPTER  XII. 

The  Military 76 

CHAPTER  XIII. 
The  Press— 

Sketch  of  all  the  Periodicals 80,  807 

CHAPTER  XIV. 
Educational — 

City  Schools 98 

Officers  of  the  Board 99-104,807 

The  High  School 104 

The  Country  Schools 105 

CHAPTER  XV. 
Xaviqation — 

First  Sailing  on  the  Sacramento 107 


First  Steamboat 108 

Steamboat  Explosions 110 

CHAPTER  XVI. 
Railroads— 

The  Sacramento  Valley  Kailroaii 113,-119 

Central  Pacitic 113 

Western  Pacific 118 

Calitornia  Central 119 

Freeport  Railroad  ' 120 

Railroad  Shops  at  Sacramento 120 

CHAPTER  XVII. 

Business  Associations — 

Agricultural  Society 122 

A  Successful  Experiment 123 

Sacramento  Board  of  Trade 123 

The  Improvement  Association 126 

CHAPTER  XVIII. 

Charitable  Lnstitutions — 

Distress  During  the  Early  G  Id-Mining  Period  ...  127 

Cliolera 129 

Early  Hospitals  132 

The  County  Hospital 132 

Railroad  Hospital 133 

Protestant  Orphan  Asylum   133 

.Marguerite  llome 134 

Water  Cures 135 

•  CHAPTER  XIX. 
Sacramento  City — 

Pioneer  Business  Men 138 

Flouring-Mills 142 

Other  Enterprises 143 

Mills'  Bank 807 

Museum  and  Art  Gallery 146 

Bu.viness  Colleges 147 

Public  Libraries 159 

Municipal 1.51 

First  Charter 1.52 


Consolidation  with  the  County 154 

Present  City  Charter 154 

First  Mayor  Elected 154 

Mayors  to  Date 155 

Other  City  OfBcers 156 

Fires  and  Fire  Department 160 

Exempt  Firemen's  Association 164 

Waterworks 164 

Gas  Works 166 

Yolo  Bridge 167 

Cemeteries 168 

Churches l'>8 

Societies  l'^9 

CHAPTER  XX. 
Miscellaneous — 

Postoffices 200 

Other  Points 200 

County  Xomenclature 200 

Census 202 

Court-House 203 

State  Capital 203 

Floods 204 

Levees 205 

CHAPTER  XXI. 

The  Townships— 

Alabama 207 

American 208 

Brighton 210 

Center 313 

Cosumnes 215 

Dry  Creek 218 

Franklin   223 

Georgiana 225 

Granite 227 

Lee 234 

Mississippi 237 

Natoma 240 

San  Joaquin 243 

Sutter 245 

Addenda 806 


BIOGRAPHICAL  SKETCHES. 


Adams,  C.  E 483 

Addington.  A.  M 487 

Aiken,  E.  F 579 

Alexander,  D.  E  798 

Alexander,  John  Kihg 799 

Allen,  Robert 485 

Alltucker,  Henry 48H 

Alvord,  Harvey 486 

Anderson,  .lames 708 

Anderson,  W.  A 291 

Andrews,  John  N 526 

Armstrong,  John  W 274 

Armstrong,  Mrs.  Julia    537 

Aull,  ChaHes 386 

Azevedo,  M.J 759 

Bailey,  J.  D 461 

Bailey,  Joseph 709 

Bailey,  Joshua  J 492 

Bainbridpe,  J  C 259 

Barber.  Manville  408 


Barnett,  Robert 491 

Barry,  John  T 492 

Barton,  H.  E 770 

Bassett,  L.  F 7.55 

Bates!  G.  6. 710 

Bauer,  John  J   313 

Bauquier,  Joseph 313 

Baxter,  M.  A 735 

Beals,  H.S 792 

Beans,  B.  F 4.58 

Beatly,  H.  0 254 

Beatty,  William  H 571 

BecUley,  Lucius  R 422 

Beckley,  P.  R 422 

Bellmer,  John 791 

Benedix,  C.  W.  T 309 

Bennett,  Mrs.  M 390 

Besagno,  A  712 

Biewener,  F 734 

Birch,  William  A 493 


Bitchell,  James 538 

Black,  John 510 

Blanchard,  George  A  374 

Bloom,  Andrew  C 711 

Bohl,  Peter 713 

Bonte,  C.  C 401 

Booth,  Newion 287 

Bowers,  W.  O 795 

Bowles,  J.  S 713 

Bradford,  J.  B 714 

Bradley,  William  H 714 

Branscombe,  S.  A 491 

Breeding,  William 490 

Briggs,  Alfred  716 

Briggs,  William  Ellery 367 

Brison,  W.  W 384 

Broder,  Jacob 387 

Broder,  Oswald 387 

Bronner,  George  F 768 

Brown,  Alexander  488 

Browu,  J.  B 494 


Brundao-e  N  J 

410 

Costello,J.  H 

.,..718 

Fisher,  George  S 

Fisher,  H.&  Co 

Fitch,  W.C 

..743 

..   369 
...366 

....679 

Brusie,  Jud.  C: 

Cox,  .John  H 

....699 

309 

Bryan,  William  E 

. . .550 

Coy,  Zenas  L 

...698 

Flaherty,  Peter 

347 

Bryan,  W.  F 

...713 

Coyle,James 

696 

Fortman,  Henry 

729 

Buckley.  John  J 

...394 

Crouch,  H.  R 

....697 

Foster,  Albert 

465 

Buell.  Daniel  H 

...467 

Croley,E.  J 

....703 

Foster,  B.  W 

673 

Buffalo  Brewing  Company  . 

...773 

Cross,  John  F 

096 

Fountain,  Joshua 

670 

Burke,  F.  T 

...773 

Cummings,  C.  H 

255 

Fountain,  \V.  A 

796 

Burke,  F.  A 

...455 

Cunningham,  J.  A 

793 

Praley,  James  M 

512 

Buruham,  James  H 

...389 

Cunningham,  William 

.    ..695 

Burns,  A.  B 

...691 

Curtis,  William 

424 

Frazer,  Wm.  F 

681 

Burns,  Peter 

...705 

637 

Burr,  A.  E 

...413 

....697 

748 

Butterfield,  Rufus 

. ..708 

681 

Daniel,  Barliu 

....   292 

Frey,  Henry 

.    ..680 

...754 

Danis,  Alexis  J 

728 

Fritsch,  John 

. . . .   328 

Calderwood,  J.  F 

.     788 

Darlinfic,  George  W 

.       i;94 

Frost,  A.  L 

545 

Calio,  J.  B 

704 

Dart,  George    

....510 

Frye,  Wm.  H 

427 

Callahan,  G.W 

Dart,  Martin 

093 

Fuchs,  Peter 

325 

Camp,  J.  E 

..   584 

Davies,  OwenT 

694 

Campbell,  Chas.  M 

Campbell,  Mrs.  Polly 

...765 
...700 

Davis  A.  B 

Davis,  D.  L 

Davis.  L.  R....'. 

....692 

467 

Galgaui,  P.  A 

. .    ..749 

Cantrell,  D.  H 

.. .800 

Gardiner,  P.  H 

523 

Caples,  James 

. . .700 

Davi.s  George  G 

....553 

Gardner,  Charles  F 

..    ..365 

Carle.  Silas 

...703 

95 

Gardner,  Zebulon 

365 

Carr.  George  T 

...529 

....636 

Garfield,  S.  H 

683 

286 

683 

Carroll,  Edgar  B 

Carroll,  II.  W 

...144 

Deterding,  H.  F.  W 

....4.;i 

Gebert,  Jacob 

748 

.    ...688 

Gehring.Fred 

Gerber.L 

.    ...330 

Carroll,  John  H 

..  801 

Dickey,  Sanford 

760 

650 

...719 
. ..719 

Dickinson,  Mrs.  Mary 

Dickson,  Charles 

759 

Caselli,  Vincent 

Gett,  W.  A,  Jr 

609 

Casey,  Thomas  G 

Caswell,  W.  A 

Castro,  Manuel 

Cailin  A  P 

.'.'.'3a5 

Dierssen,  G.  E.  A 

736 

737 

Gilmore,  J.  A 

Glann  Family 

463 

...249 
...316 
. .  .4'>5 

Divine",  J.  B 

Dixon,  G.M   

785 

405 

655 

Cave,  J.  B 

Chamberlain,  W.  E 

Dixon,  William  E 

45S 

Glann,  Vincent 

655 

Champlin,  Nelson 

...406 

669 

Goldberg,  A  

652 

Chandler,  L.C 

Chase  Hiram 

.   361 

...718 

Goodell,  N.  D  

Goodrich,  0.  0 

Goslin,John  

Grace,  Thos 

270 

4''9 

Dolson,  JohnC 

511 

Douglas,  Philip 

Dray,  F.  R 

307 

254 

ChinnicU,  James  T 

.  484 

6  9 

Chipman,  H.  C 

...353 
...691 

Drew,  M.  M 

Duden,  George  E 

Duffey,  John 

.    ..688 

607 

398 

Graf  Markus 

560 

Graff,  W.C 

Graham,  J.  A  

758 

518 

Clark,  Howell 

...273 

Dtinn,  Chauncey  H 

.    ...390 

Clark,  J.  Frank 

Green,  Chris 

664 

Clark,  Palmer 

...548 

Green,  E.  H 

756 

Clark   Robert  C 

799 

Eagle,  Thomas  B 

Eastman,  W.E 

....699 
509 

Green,  MS 

Green.  P.  B 

587 

Clarke,  George  L 

....544 

541 

Clarke,  J.  W  

,.   303 

Eberhardt,  William 

.    ...337 

Greene,  Geo.  B 

....617 

Clayton,  M.  F, 

Clayton,  Mrs.  S.  E 

...135 
..   136 

Greer,  Erskin 

Gregory,  A.  0 

Eckhardt,  Henry 

340 

Clow,  G.  B 

...576 

Ecklon,C.  L     ..   

390 

Gregory,  Eugene  J 

. . . .433 

Cluness,  W.  R 

...475 

Eckman,  H.  L 

. .  .  .743 

Gribble,  Hiram 

...333 

Coffraan,  Alfred 

...409 

Ehrhardt,  Henry 

412 

Griesel,  Jacob 

327 

Ehrhardt.  John 

Eilers,  D  W 

Eldred  Sidney 

419 

.    ...790 
331 

.580 

Colebaker,  A 

Grim,  Otho  Shaw 

Grimshaw,W.  R 

Grimshaw,  W.  Robinson.. . . 
Grondona,  Joseph 

4.55 

Coleman  J  0 

...464 

(il6 

Ellis,  vVilliamH 

Enos,  James  E 

. . . .549 
517 

616 

ColtOD,  G.M 

...536 

....644 

Comstock,  Elijah 

Comsiock,  W.  D 

!."!-.'89 

Gruhler,  Christian 

Gruhler,  Elias 

Ewing,  G.  V 

494 

....7,58 

Conner,  George  D 

Connor,  F.  E 

Cook,  A,  A 

. . .688 
...468 
...789 

Ewing,  Mis.  Elizabeth  W... 

494 

Gruhler,  Jacob 

.    .320 

Fassett,L.H 

.    ...675 

Gunter,  A.  M 

....643 

Cook,  Henry 

...690 

Fay,  Franklin  6 

....2.58 

Gutenberger,  Wm  

....415 

Cook,  Thomas  H 

...790 

Fay,M 

452 

Coons,  David 

. . .392 

Felch,  W.C  

407 

Ilaase,  Peter. .  . 

....389 

Core,  A.  F 

...474 

Feldhusen,  C  

308 

Hack,  Geo.  W 

276 

Cornelius,  H.  P 

Cosby,  G.  B 

...478 
...769 

Fiel  Isaac 

674 

Hale  Bros  &  Co 

781 

Figg.E-P 

....362 

Hall,  I.  G 

....651 

Hall,  R.  B 533 

Hamilton,  E.  R ■. . .  .2m 

Hamilton,  J.  H .639 

Hamilton,  W.  B 558 

Hamilton,  W.  H 783 

Hammer,  L.  K 642 

Hancock,  Geo.  W 776 

Hanlon,. Joseph 639 

Hanson,  Peter 533 

Harkins,  James 471 

Harlow,  6.  W 649 

Hart,  A 785 

Hart,  E.  C 369 

narvey,  C.  W 644 

Harvey,  Obed  646 

Harvie,  N 7S6 

Hasman,  Joseph 396 

Hatch,  F.W 736 

Haub,  John     313 

Hayden,JohnH 631 

Hay  ion,  George 791 

Healey,  Edward 523 

Heard,  John 660 

Heath,  Geo.  VV 705 

Heath,  John  W 519 

Heinrich,  Charles 73"> 

Henderson,  J.  M 573 

Henry,  W.  A 401 

Heringa,  John 523 

Herrick,  A.  C 263 

Hertzel,  A 341 

Herzou,  Philip 360 

Hill,  H.  S 626 

Hiukson,  Add.C 258 

Hite,  J.  G 63S 

Hoev,  Peter 633 

Hoitt,  IraG  284 

Holder,  Thos 731 

Hollister,  Dwight 489 

Holmes,  Henry 6l0 

Hoover,  S.  M 604 

Hopkins,  A.  S 623 

Hopkins,  E.  C 623 

Hornlein  Bros   343 

Howe,  E.  P 535 

Hubbard,  C.H 684 

Hubbard,  I.  M 805 

Huber,  Herman 4'>8 

Hughson,  W.  A 266 

Hull,  C.  A 680 

Hull,  Joseph 519 

Humbert,  P.  A 679 

Hunt,  D.  R 521 

Huntoon,  J.  L 261 

Hy man,  Jacob 678 

Irvine,  W.J 341 

Jackson,  H.J 519 

Jackson,  M.  C 533 

Jean.  Adolph  611 

Jenkins,  0.  A 403 

Johnson,  A 537 

Johnson,  Grove  L ...  .613 

Johnson,  G.  A 297 

Johnston,  D 373 

Johnston.  "Wm 576 

Jolly,  C.  H  612 

Jordan,  James 763 

Joseph,  Isaac 737 

Kane,  J.  O 635 

Kane,  Newell   51:( 

Karcher,  Matt 786 


Keefe,  Michael 516 

Kellogg,  C 381 

Kelly,  Edward  634 

Kercheval,  Reuben 514 

Kerr,  Geo.  H 513 

Kerr,  J.  H 517 

Kerth,  Wendall 4U9 

Kestler,  Martin 336 

Kewen.  Perrie 369 

Kilgore,  J.  W 518 

Kinross,  W.  H 778 

Klebitz,  Edward 779 

Klenk,  0 750 

Knauer,  F.  C 738 

Kreeger,  S 378 

Krull,  A.  A 411 

Kunz,  Frank 394 

Kunz,  Peter   33i 


Lages,  Christopher 359 

Lages,  Herman 325 

LaRue,  H.M   577 

Laut  kotter,  J.  A 356 

Lauppe,  Roudalph 667 

Lawson,  Powell  S 563 

Lawton,  John 395 

Lea,  Charles 666 

Lea,  Isaac 6(i5 

Lee,  Mrs.  Mary 496 

Lee,  Timothy 485 

Leimbach,  H   473 

Leitch,  EM 394 

Lemay,  Victor 296 

Lewis,  L.  L 356 

Light,  W.  W 271 

Lincoln,  L.  M 441 

Lindley,  T.  M 706 

Little,  George.... 390 

LittlefieUl,  Thomas 476 

Loch,  Louis 753 

Lockett,  R.  S 676 

Logan,  A 677 

Lothhammer,  Fred '^VS 

Lovdal,  0.0 677 

Lowell,  Amos.  M 495 

Luce,  Israel 47  i 

Luckett,  E.  M   413 

Lufkin,  D.  T 671 

Lufkin,  H.  T 673 

Luther,  W.  H 498 

Lyman,  F.T 6T8 

Mahin,  Mrs.  Jane  380 

Mabon,  John 471 

Manlove,  W.  S 433 

Manogue,  Patrick 251 

Maringo,A 677 

Martin,  E.  M   267 

Maslin,  E.  W 778 

Maxfield,  Mrs.  M.  E 577 

Mayhew,  H.  A 657 

Mazzini  Bros 283 

McAnally,  Thomas 760 

McCleery,  James 497 

McConnell,  Thaddeus  C 684 

McConnell,  Thos  685 

McClatchy,  James,  and  Sons. . .  .8-«-9 

McCraken,  W.  W 659 

McCreary,  W.  P 745 

McCue  Bros 660 

McDonell,  G.  A 499 

McFarland,  John 586 

McFarland,  Thaddeus  J 97 

McGuire,  James  B 501 


Mclntyre,  Mary  E 493 

McKee,  E.  H 375 

McKinstry,  J.  K 381 

McKune,  J.  H 766 

McLanahan,  D 659 

McLaughlin,  Wm 50J 

McManus,  Alfred  G 461 

McMitchell,  Wyman 753 

McMullen,  Geo.  C 357 

McNamee,  Frank 648 

McNeal,  A 664 

McNeill,  John 364 

Mealand,  Ciiarles 3.57 

Meckfessel,  Frank 723 

Meierdierks,  C.  H 335 

Meister,  A 826 

Meister,  Jacob 598 

^Meister,  John 789 

Melvin,  H.  G 735 

Melvin,  Wm 734 

Mendis,  Anton 599 

Menke,  Anton 416 

Merwin,  S.  H 503 

Meyers,  Frederick 500 

Middlemass,  J.  H 316 

Milgate,  Wm 543 

Miller,  A.  D 618 

Miller,  Jacob 574 

Miller,  John 740 

Miller,  John  S 783 

Miller,  P.  A  433 

Miller,  W.  A 617 

Millikin,  John  M 793 

Miser,  Mrs,  Isabella  W 761 

]\[itchell,Wm 574 

Montague,  Alex 377 

Morgan,  Henry  O 50 J 

Morse,  G,W  614 

Mor.-e,  S  T     501 

Morton,  EG  615 

Mott,  F.  N .500 

Munger,  Carl 625 

Murphy,  R,  J 630 

Myers,  Henry  W 619 

Nagele,  J.J 625 

Neal,  Charles  A 628 

Neal,  John 623 

Neary,  Fred 348 

Need,  George 381 

Neely,  Wm,  F 469 

Nelson,  Clarence  N 853 

Nesche,  George  547 

Nicholas,  John 624 

Nichols,  H.  L 477 

Nichols,  Mrs.  M 506 

Nichols,  Wm  H 631 

Nicolaus,  Louis ...753 

Nielsen,  Chris 752 

Nielsen,  H.  B 834 

Nielsen,  J.  M 724 

Neubourg  &  Lages 358 

Neumann,  Geo 319 

Newman,  Peter 323 

Oakley,  A.  D  402 

Ochsner,  John 573 

Odell,  M.  F 787 

O'Meara,  Michael   414 

O'Neil,  James 289 

Oppenheim,  R 314 

Orton,   R.  H 561 

O.sbarn,  David 628 

O'Toole.  Thos 6.'7 


Overmeyer,  J.  M 383 

Owen,  Eben  541 

Painter,  Levi 279 

Parker,  Win.  F 525 

Parvin,  E.  R 456 

Patterson,  A.  D 436 

Pendery,  B.  F 406 

Perkins,  T.C 438 

Peters,  George 627 

Peterson,  W.F 751 

Petrie,  W.  M 253 

Pettit,  R.  H 737 

Phelps,  F.F 378 

Pierson,  J.  C 358 

Pike,  M.  C 640 

PI  an  alp,  Peter 637 

Plummer,  Oliver 435 

Pollock,  Mrs.  Priscilla 277 

Pond,  J.  H  785 

Popert,  James 329 

Presbiny,  E.  H 296 

Prouty,  Simon 220 

Puuh,  8.  H 661 

Putnam,  Geo.  A 780 

Putney,  H.  S 379 

Pyburn,  George 556 

Pyne,  J.  G ^...632 

Randolph,  Alfred 631 

Rave,  C.  H 630 

Ray,  Don 221 

Ray,  Ephraim 632 

Raymond,  A.  F 536 

Reese,  David 587 

Reese,  U.M 442 

Raid,  James 649 

Restaurant  de  France  772 

Rheil,  Philip  G 572 

Rhoads,A.  J 285 

Rhoads,  J.  P 641 

Rich,  George  T 439 

Richards,  John  608 

Richmond,  J.  W 528 

Ritter,  William 585 

Robinson,  James 648 

Robinson,  W.  H  444 

Rodegerdts,  August 754 

Roden,  Daniel 649 

Robr,  John 531 

Rooney,  John 645 

Ross,  Andrew 584 

Ross,  Mrs.  Frances  M 475 

Ross,  H.  C 722 

Routier,  Joseph 705 

Roth,  Simon 343 

Ruedy,  John 747 

Ruhstaller,  F 324 

Ruman,  C.  A 525 

Runyon,  O.  R 636 

Runyon,  Solomon 437 

Russell,  F.  II 635 

Russell,  Peyton 524 

Russell,  R.  B 289 

Rutter,  James 443 

Ryan,  Frank  D 321 

Ryan,  John 783 

Sacramento  Home  School 475 

Sanders,  Oliver 278 

Sawyer,  J.  H  382 

Schaden,  Arend  355 

Schaden,  J.  C 741 

Schadt,  N 355 

Schaper.  Mrs.  C.  H 414 

Scheld,  Phillip 350 


Schell,  John 454 

Schindler,  C 740 

Schmitt,  Charles 94 

Schmitt,  Jacob 315 

Schneider,  Josef 777 

Schreiner,  Charles 610 

Schroth,  George 568 

Schuch,  Adolph 535 

Snhuler,  Frank  D 593 

Schultz,  Jacob 534 

Schulze,  William  J   451 

Schwartz,  Charles 319 

Scott,  R.  T 282 

Scott,  William  A 611 

Scroggs,  A 763 

Senalz,  A.  J 351 

Sermonet,  George 303 

Shaver,  Nelson 397 

Shaw,  Ira  G 407 

Sheldon,  J.  D 588 

Sheldon,  W.  C 588 

Sherwood,  J.  0 398 

Shields,  John 281 

Shirley,  J.  H 405 

Siebenthaler,  P 747 

Siller,  J.  L.&  L.  G 787 

Silveisa,  Manuel  F 593 

Silva,Joe 591 

Simmons,  G.  L 368 

Simoni,  August 329 

Simons,  John  A 531 

Sims,  Joseph 601 

Skelton,  John 349 

Slawson,  S.  S  599 

Slawson,  W.  H 600 

Slayback,  C.  M 388 

Small,  H.  J 460 

Smith,  Brainard  F 385 

Smith,  Edwin  F  611 

Smith,  George 731 

Smith,  Halsey  G 402 

Smith,  L.  B 782 

Smith,  M.  L 397 

Smith,  A.  P  and  Sidney 473 

Smith,  S.  Prentis 601 

Spooner,  Alfred 280 

Sprague,  Moses 553 

Stafford,  James 788 

Starr,  Henry - 368 

Steffens  Joseph 446 

Steinauer,  Ben  330 

Stephens,  R.  D 557 

Stevens,  Mrs.  A.  J 797 

Stevenson,  A 448 

Stewart,  J.  H 459 

Stewart,  Norman  1 458 

Still,  J.  F 606 

Stoddard,  George  A 551 

Stoll,  John  T  603 

Strong,  W.  R 564 

Stuart,  A.  W 763 

Studarus,  John  B 445 

Sturges,  J.  H 539 

Sullivan,  J.  H 554 

Suter,  C 311 

Swanson,  E.  J 411 

Sweetser,  A.  C 566 

Tash,Joe , 287 

Taverner,  George 621 

Taverner,  Thos.  M 620 

Taylor,  D.W 608 

Taylor,  Ed.  F 598 

Taylor,  J.  B  449 

Taylor,  Leroy  S 260 


Terry,  W.  E 345 

Thisby,  George 480 

Thompson,  T.  J 012 

Tietjens,  Peter  529 

T(unlin!,on,  Joseph 597 

Tomlinson,  Lewis  597 

Tooker,  R.  W  763 

Towle,  Cyrus 479 

Townsend,  E.  B 388 

Trainor.H.  C 482 

Trask,  C.  F 530 

Traver,  Charles 720 

Treat,  Sullivan 481 

Triechler,  Henry 4-53 

Tryon,  A.  G 264 

Tryon,  John 452 

Tryon,  Sylvester 263 

Upson,  Lauren 304 

Upson,  L.  A 305 

Uren,  Stephen 307 

Van  Fleet,  W.C 450 

Van  Loben  Sels,  P.  J 226 

VanMaren,  N - 601 

Van  Vorhies,  A.  A 707 

Vogel,  Charles 733 

Von  Herrlich,  John  F 545 

Von  Tillow,  Alma 418 

Wachhorst,  H 775 

Wachtel,  V 395 

Wackman,  A.  K 593 

W;.hl,  Christ 733 

AVhUI,  Gustav 321 

Walsh, John 287 

Warnock,  A.  M 764 

Watermann,  R.  W 583 

Watson,  Henry 504 

Watson,  J.  R 784 

Weber,  F.  H.  L 594 

Weil,  John 744 

Weinrich,  Henry 348 

Weinstock,  Lubin  «&  Co 581 

Weir,  James 417 

Weisel,  Chris 7o5 

Welch,  James 595 

Welch,  Benj 393 

Wells,  Eli M5 

Welty,  James  B 507 

Werner,  Fred 340 

West,  CM 295 

White,  G.  A 450 

White,  Wm.W 730 

Wickstrom,  Chas.  A 464 

Wilcox,  Nelson 590 

Wild,  John 591 

Wilke,  Charles 725 

Williams,  E.  H 293 

Williams,  John  B 459 

Williamson,  Geo.  S 508 

Willis,  E.  B 84 

Wilson,  George 50d 

Wise,  Joseph 506 

Wise,  M.  L 555 

Withington,  R.  H 359 

Wolf,  Philip 793 

Woodard,  Abram 591 

Woodson,  Joseph  A 83 

WTiodward,  E.  F  507 

Wright,  Willis 380 

WristoD,  S.  E 377 

Young,.J.  D 295 


Zeh,  Chris.  M 

Zimmerman,  Christian 

Zimmerman,  Chas 

Zimmerman,  Chas.  W... 

Zoller,  Leopold 

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. . .802 
...803 

...349 
...272 
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...465 

Gett  W  A  Jr 

609 

Wdr,  James 

Welch,  Benj 

ILLUSTRATIONS 

Mount  Shasta 

Sutter's  Fort 

Marguerite  Home 

State  Printing  Office  

E.  B.  Crocker  Art  Gallery 

Cathedral  of  the  Holy  Sacrament 

Capitol 

Residence  of  Howell  Clark 

.417 

Hancock,  G.  W 

...:        .776 

.393 

Hunt,  D.  R 

5.'1 

Kewen,  E.  J.  C 

La  Rue  H    M 

369 

577 

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PORTRAITS. 

134 

Catlin,  A.  P 

Mayhew,  H.  A 

Mayhew,Mrs.  H.  A.... 

656 

657 

705 

.134 
.14ij 
169 

Clark,  Mrs.  Howell 

Foster.  Albert 

Terry,  W.  E 

Von  Henlich,  J.  F 

345 

545 

.204 

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5     E 


HISTORY    OF    SACRAMSNTO    COUNTY. 


CHAPTER   I. 


fAORAMENTO  COUNTY  is  named  after 
the  river  upon  which  it  is  situated,  and 
the  latter  was  named  bj  the  Spanish 
Mexicans,  Catholics,  in  honor  of  a  Christian  insti- 
tution. The  word  differs  from  its  English  cor- 
respondent only  in  the  addition  of  one  letter. 
It  would  have  been  a  graceful  compliment  to 
General  Sutter  if  his  own  name,  or  the  name 
New  Helvetia,  which  he  had  bestowed  upon 
this  locality,  had  been  given  to  the  city.  Hel- 
vetia is  the  classic  name  of  Switzerland,  Sut- 
ter's native  country. 

Sacramento  City  is  38°  35'  north  latitude  and 
121°  30'  west  longitude  from  Greenwich. 

The  depot  at  Sacramento  is  thirty-one  feet 
above  sea  level.  From  the  city  the  most  promi- 
nent mountains  and  mountain  ranges  visible 
arc: 

1.  The  Sierra  Nevada,  snow-capped  during 
halt'  the  year  or  a  little  more.  The  most  visi- 
ble portion  of  this  range,  to  whose  snow-line 
the  distance  is  about  seventy-live  miles,  east- 
ward, is  the  head  of  the  American  River.  The 
most  conspicuous  peaks  there  are:  Pyramid, 
10,052  feet  high;  Alpine,  10,426;  Round  Top, 
9,624;Tell, 9,042;  Ralston,  9,140;  Robb's, 6,746. 

2.  To  the  southwest  fifty-three  miles,  rises 
Mt.  Diablo,  3,856  feet  high. 


3.  Toward  the  west  thirty  or  forty  miles 
arises  an  eastern  spur  of  the  Coast  Range,  while 
toward  the  northwest  about  ninety  miles,  in  the 
same  range,  are  Mt.  John's,  8,000  feet  high, 
Mt.  Snow  and  Sheet  Iron  Mount,  on  the  west- 
ern border  of  Colusa  County. 

4.  The  Marysville  Buttes,  forty  to  fifty  miles 
north,  are  about  2,000  feet  high  and  cover  an 
area  of  fifty-five  square  miles. 

THE    SURFACE 

of  the  Sacramento  Valley  presents  three  dis- 
tinct features.  As  the  mountains  descend  into 
the  valley,  they  are  fringed  by  a  range  of  low 
foot-hills,  which  gradually  disappear  in  a  broad, 
level  plain,  which  must  have  been  at  some  time 
long  past  the  bottom  of  a  large  body  of  water. 
Through  the  center  of  this  plain  runs  the  Sacra- 
mento River,  fringed  by  the  low  bottom  lands 
always  found  with  such  geological  formations. 
Thus  the  foot-hills,  the  plain,  and  the  bottoms 
present  three  distinct  tracts  of  land,  each  with 
peculiarities  fitting  it  for  special  use.  It  may 
be  said  in  a  general  way,  that  on  the  foot-hills 
and  the  plain  lands  near  them  are  the  great 
fruit-raising  districts,  while  the  plain  proper  is 
most  suitable  for  grains  and  grasses,  and  on  the 


UISTORT    OP    SACRAMENTO    COUNTY. 


rich  alluvia]  bottom  lands  any  fruit  or  vegetable 
suitable  for  a  temperate  or  semi-tropical  climate 
will  grow  to  full  perfection. 

At  the  southern  end  of  Sacramento  Valley,  in 
the  very  richest  portion  of  the  State,  and  very 
near  its  geographical  center,  lies  Sacramento 
County,  with  an  area  of  640,000  acres,  200,000 
of  which  are  under  the  highest  cultivation, 
while  about  320,000  more  are  in  use  for  stock- 
raising,  pasturage,  etc.  It  is  watered  its  entire 
length  from  north  to  south  by  the  Sacramento 
River,  and  by  the  American,  Cosumnes  and 
Mokelumne  from   east  to  west. 

The  surface  of  the  county  is  generally  level, 
a  section  along  the  eastern  side  rising  into  low 
hills  and  rolling  prairies.  Along  the  east  side 
of  the  Sacramento  River  extends  a  belt  of  tule 
land,  which  toward  the  southern  boundary  of  the 
county  expands  to  a  width  of  fifteen  miles. 
Parallel  with  the  Cosumnes  is  Dry  Creek,  form- 
ing part  of  the  county  boundary.  Sycamore 
and  Cottonwood  abound  along  the  water-courses. 

JS'ear  the  center  of  Sacramento  County,  and 
on  the  east  bank  of  the  Sacramento  River,  at 
the  point  of  its  confluence  with  the  American, 
is  the  city  of  Sacramento,  the  capital  of  the 
State,  a  thriving,  wealthy  and  beautiful  city. 
Here  is  the  railroad  center  of  the  State.  To 
the  east,  the  Central  Pacific  stretches  its  iron 
arm  across  the  continent.  To  the  north,  the 
California  and  Oregon  reaches  out  to  connect 
with  the  Northern  Pacific,  and  so  furnish 
another  route  to  Eastern  markets;  to  the  west 
the  California  Pacific  makes  possible  almost 
hourly  communication  with  San  Francisco  and 
the  commerce  of  the  Pacific  Ocean,  while  the 
"Western  Pacific  connecting  at  Oakland  with  the 
Southern  Pacific  system  opens  up  another  route 
to  seaports  east  and  west.  In  addition  numer- 
ous branch  roads  and  feeders  make  this  city  the 
best  connecting  and  distributing  point  in  the 
State. 


The   average   rainfall   has  been   19.4  inches. 
This,  with  the   moisture   incident  to   the    pro.x- 


imity  of  so  many  rivers  and  running  streams, 
and  the  almost  annual  overflow  of  the  bottom 
lands,  renders  the  county  so  well  watered  that 
but  little  irrigation  is  necessary.  Still  there  are 
some  small  sections  lying  comparatively  high, 
and  away  from  the  streams,  where  the  natural 
water  supply  is  insuflicient.  They  are,  however, 
small,  and  in  nearly  all  cases  abundant  water  is 
obtained  by  sinking  wells  and  raising  the  water 
by  windmills  or  other  power.  A  total  failure 
of  crops  for  want  of  water  has  never  been  known. 
Still,  as  an  abundant  supply  of  water  renders 
many  things  possible  which  are  not  so  without 
it,  a  company  has  been  formed  to  ofl'er  an  abun- 
dant supply  of  water  to  all  who  desire  to  irri- 
gate any  of  the  plain  lands,  in  raising  crops 
that  need  more  water  than  tlie  usual  rain-fall 
affords,  or  where  the  availability  of  water  may 
insure  against  the  danger  of  injury  to  valuable 
plants,  which  might  be  seriously  aflected  by 
even  an  occasional  year  of  unusual  drought.  An 
application  has  been  made  for  2,000  inches  of 
water  from  the  American  River. 

All  fruits  do  well  without  the  aid  of  artificial 
watering,  but  in  some  of  the  high  lying  irriga- 
tion is  said  to  increase  the  lusciousness  of  the 
fruit.  Vegetables  require  irrigation,  especially 
for  the  second  and  third  crops. 


As  stated,  the  soil  of  the  county  offers  every 
variety  requisite  for  a  large  and  varied  produc- 
tion. The  foot-hills  and  their  washings  form  a 
fringe,  from  five  to  eight  miles  wide,  entirely 
around  the  Sacramento  Valley.  The  soil  here 
varies  from  a  red,  sandy  loam  to  a  cool,  gravelly 
soil,  all  especially  adapted  to  fruits.  For  many 
years  the  foot-hill  lands  were  regarded  as  almost 
valueless,  but  e.xperience  has  shown  that  their 
soil  is  perhaps  better  adapted  to  a  full  develop- 
ment of  the  best  qualities  of  strength  and  flavor 
in  fruit,  especially  in  grapes,  than  the  lower  ly- 
ing lands,  which  are  of  more  clay  or  alluvial 
character,  and  so  warmer  soils.  And  it  is  now 
claimed  that  the  question  of  securing  fine  fiavor 


HISTORY    OF    SACItAMENTO    COUNTY. 


for  California  grapes  and  wines,  as  well  as  abuu- 
dant  quantity,  will  find  its  best  solution  among 
tbe  cool,  gravelly  soils  of  the  foot-hills.  The 
soil  of  the  plain  lands  varies  from  red  loam  and 
a  rich  clay,  to  a  rich  alluvium  mixed  with  sand. 
This  varies  in  localities,  but  afl'ords  such  a  vari- 
ety that  the  productions  of  this  portion  of  the 
county  cover  a  range  from  those  of  the  cereals 
of  the  middle  temperate  climate  to  the  fruits  of 
the  semi-tropical.  They  afford,  however,  mostly 
soil  for  grains  and  grasses.  Wheat,  oats,  hay, 
alfalfa,  barley,  corn,  hops,  besides  grapes  and 
fruits  flourish  when  planted  in  suitable  loca- 
tions. But  the  richest  lands  are  the  bottom 
lands,  which  fringe  the  rivers  and  larger  streams 
for  a  distance  of  from  one  to  three  miles.  These 
are  covered  with  a  deep,  rich  alluvium,  upon 
which  may  be  raised  any  kind  of  vegetables,  and 
temperate  and  semi-tropical  fruits  are  reaching 
full  perfection  in  size,  quantity  and  quality. 
These  lands  are  almost  annually  overflown,  and 
the  deposit  left  by  the  receding  waters  is  said 
almost  to  equal  guano  in  its  fertilizing  effects. 
Many  of  these  lands  are  now  protected,  so  that 
the  rising  waters  may  be  controlled  and  utilized 
with  judgment.  Upon  such  lands,  so  watered, 
and  in  such  a  climate,  almost  anything  will 
grow. 

Owing  to  the  fact  that  the  country  is  traversed 
by  so  many  rivers,  it  contains  an  unusual  amount 
of  this  exceedingly  rich  land,  which  is  nearly 
all  under  the  highest  cultivation. 


PKODUCTIONS. 


The  productions  of  Sacramento  County  com- 
prise all  the  grains,  vegetables,  fruits,  trees  and 
flowers  grown  in  the  temperate  and  semi-tropi- 
cal climates.  Everything  in  the  way  of  grain, 
bread-stuffs,  vegetables,  and  fruits  needed  for 
man's  comfort  and  support  may  be  successfully 
cultivated  here.  The  soil  is  rich  and  varied, 
water  is  abundant,  and  the  climate  is  propitious. 
Here  is  na  winter,  in  the  common  acceptation 
of  the  word,  nor  any  rainy  season  as  it  is  under- 
stood in  the  tropics.  The  winter  months  are 
called  the  "rainy  season,"  not  that  it  then  rains   I 


incessantly  or  severely,  but  because  the  rainfall 
comes  almost  exclusively  in  those  mouths.  In 
the  summer  it  rarely  rains.  The  grain  is  sel- 
dom housed  when  harvested,  but  is  left  in  the 
fields  until  ready  for  the  market,  the  husband- 
man feeling  little  fear  of  trouble  from  the  ele- 
ments. 


Perhaps  no  feature  of  California  has  been 
more  powerful  in  inducing  immigration  than  its 
mild  and  ecjuable  climate.  The  uortia  Atlantic 
States  have  their  cold,  damp  east  winds,  which 
blow  from  the  ocean  at  times  for  days  in  succes- 
sion, and  whose  power  of  penetration  is  such 
that  neither  woolen  underwear  nor  rubber  top- 
coats seem  able  to  keep  them  from  "  searching 
the  marrow  of  one's  bones."  The  borders  of 
the  Great  Lakes  are  visited  with  winds  so  cold 
and  so  charged  with  moisture,  that  they  clothe 
all  nature  in  coats  of  ice,  and  often  jeopardize 
the  lives  of  the  domestic  animals.  On  the 
northern  shores  of  the  lakes,  the  jingling  sleigh- 
bells  for  fully  five  months  in  the  year  strive  by 
their  merry  music  to  direct  attention  from  the 
chill  of  death  that  lays  over  the  land,  and  from 
these  sections  thousands  longingly  turn  their 
faces  from  the  cold  and  ice  to  the  sunny  land 
where  each  may  sit  in  the  shade  of  "  his  own 
vine  and  tig  tree." 

In  this  regard  Sacramento  County  offers 
temptations  that  are  not  exceeded  in  attractive- 
ness by  those  of  any  portion  of  the  State.  The 
following  data,  culled  from  the  published  re- 
ports of  the  United  States  Government  observ- 
ers will  give  a  fair  idea  of  the  charming  climate, 
which  has  enabled  the  city  of  Sacramento  to  win 
for  itself  the  delightfully  suggestive  sobriquet 
of  the  "City  of  Roses." 

During  the  ten  years  just  passed,  the  highest 
temperature  recorded  is  105°,  which  was  reached 
once,  and  the  lowest  is  21°,  also  reached  but 
once.  A  better  idea  of  the  range  of  tempera- 
ture may  be  had  from  the  fact  that  during  the 
same  period  the  average  number  of  days  in  each 
year  upon  which  the  thermometer  reached  90°, 


HISrORT    OF    SACRAMENTO    COUNTY. 


ten  below  the  surface.  About  fifteen  tons  of 
roughly  dressed  stone  are  shipped  from  this 
quarry  weeldy,  the  most  of  it  being  used  for 
cemetery  Mork  and  street  curbs.  Thirteen  men 
are  employed  here  at  wages  ranging  from  $2.50 
to  $4  per  day. 

In  the  quarry  on  the  State  Prison  grounds  at 
Folsom,  a  large  force  of  convicts  are  employed 
getting  out  stone  for  the  dam  being  built  by  the 
State  on  the  American  Eiver. 

Most  of  the  cobblestones  used  for  paving  tlie 
streets  of  San  Francisco  were  taken  from  the 
banks  of  the  American  River,  in  the  vicinity  of 
Folsom. 

At  Michigan  Bar,  on  the.  Cosumnes  Kiver, 
occurs  an  extensive  bed  of  potter's  clay.  Being 
a  good  article,  and  easily  obtained,  large  quan- 
tities of  this  clay  are  taken  out  and  shipped  to 
the  potteries  at  Sacramento,  San  Francisco,  and 
elsewhere  in  the  State.  Great  quantities  of 
oricks  are  made  from  the  more  common  clays 
found  abundantly  in  tliis  county. 


From  Dr.  M.  F.  Clayton  we  learn  the  follow- 
ing particulars  concerning  the  Digger  Indians 
of  this  region,  in  early  day. 

They  obtain  their  English  name  from  the  fact 
that  they  procured  much  of  their  food  by  dig- 
ging, in  search  of  roots,  reptiles,  etc.  Acorns, 
grasshoppers,  fish  and  other  animals  were  also 
comprised  in  their  menu.  Their  habits  were 
those  of  laziness  and  tilth,  and  they  scarcely  had 
energy  enough  to  steal.  They  were  in  stature 
low  and  stocky.  The  few  attempts  that  have 
been  made  to  civilize  (?)  them  have  generally 
resulted  in  shortening  their  lives.     They  did  not 


follow  a  tent  life,  but  wandered  about  like  tramps, 
occasionally,  however,  having  a-rajicheree,  which 
was  a  rude  hut  constructed  of  bark,  pieces  of 
board,  sticks  and  brush.  After  the  discovery  of 
gold  they  picked  up  a  little  of  the  shining  metal 
occasionally,  which  they  exchanged  for  a  few 
articles  iurnished  by  the  whites  only.  Some- 
times, too,  they  would  bring  forth  a  few  speci- 
mens of  fur  and  hides  from  wild  animals,  for 
barter  with  the  whites.  They  were  incessant 
and  intolerable  beggars.  The  squaws  dia  about 
all  the  menial  labor. 

Their  dances  and  funerals  were  often  wit- 
nessed by  the  early  immigrants.  The  former 
were  performed  within  enclosures  surrounded 
by  a  rude  fence,  made  of  bark,  pieces  of  board, 
shakes,  etc.,  where  several  tribes  would  gather, 
feast,  dance,  yell  and  make  many  hideous  noises. 

They  burned  their  dead.  With  bark  or  leath- 
ern thongs  they  would  tie  the  arms  and  legs  of 
the  corpse  up  about  the  body  so  as  to  make  as 
solid  a  ball  as  possible,  tying  also  about  it  the 
blankets,  clothing  and  other  articles  which  the 
subject  had  possessed,  and  in  a  heap  of  dry  bark, 
brush,  etc.,  burn  the  corpse  into  a  small  charred 
mass.  Meanwhile  the  men  and  women,  bared 
to  the  waist,  danced  around  the  pile,  yelling, 
moaning,  sweating  and  violently  exercising  un- 
til nearly  exhausted.  Great  drops  of  sweat, 
rolling  down,  made  conspicuous  streaks  over 
the  dirty  surfaces  of  their  bodies.  The  crema- 
tion completed,  they  would  pulverize  the  charred 
mass  upon  a  flat  stone,  mix  gum  or  pitch  with 
it  and  then  daub  the  mixture  upon  their  fore- 
heads, noses,  chins,  and  in  spots  and  streaks 
elsewhere  upon  their  bodies.  Whence  they  were 
often  called  "Tar-heads." 


SUTTER'S  FORT   IN    1849. 

THE    BUILDINGS. 


^  ^  ' 

^ 


Suiter  "Fort     ^     J  ,    .    ^ 


SI:TTER'S    fort    IX    184<J. 

THE    GROUNDS. 

The  aljive  cuts  are  kindly  furnished  Ihisworlv  by  the  proj>rietoi-s  of  "Then 


HISTORY    OF    SACRAMENTO    COUNTY. 


CHAPTER   II. 


fHE  first  permanent  settler  within  the 
limits  of  what  is  now  Sacramento  County, 
wlio  is  known  to  history,  and  who  initiated 
European  civilization,  was  Captain  John  A. 
Sutter.  The  following  sketch  of  his  life  we  con- 
dense from  a  lecture  delivered  in  New  York, 
April  6,  1866,  by  General  Dunbar  in  Sntter'-s 
presence,  and  published  in  the  Sacramento  Union 
of  May  10  following: 

Sutter  was  born  of  Swiss  parents,  in  the 
Grand  Duchy  of  Baden,  February  28,  1803. 
Reared  and  educated  in  Baden,  young  Sutter 
entered  the  military  service  of  France  as  Cap- 
tain under  Charles  X.,  and  remained  there  until 
he  was  thirty  years  of  age.  At  this  period, 
yielding  to  his  pioneer  impulses,  he  embarked 
for  New  York,  and  arrived  there  in  July,  1834. 
His  object  in  coming  to  the  New  World  was  to 
select  a  place  and  prepare  the  way  for  a  colony  of 
his  countrymen  in  the  West.  He  first  located  at 
St.  Charles,  Missouri;  but  the  vessel  containing 
his  effects  was  sunk,  his  property  lost,  and  he 
abandoned  the  place  of  his  first  choice. 

After  sojourning  in  St.  Louis  for  a  time,  he 
made  a  journey  of  exploration  to  New  Mexico, 
where  he  met  hunters  and  trappers,  who  had 
traversed  Upper  California,  and  they  described 
to  him  the  beautiful  sun-lit  valleys,  the  verdure- 
covered  hills  and  the  magnificent  niountains  of 
that  remarkable  land.     These  accounts   resolved 


him  to  make  California  the  field  of  his  future 
operations. 

The  only  way  of  reaching  the  Pacific  Coast  at 
that  time  was  to  accompany  trapping  expe- 
ditions of  the  English  and  American  fur  com- 
panies. On  the  1st  of  April,  1836,  Sutter 
joined  Captain  Tripp,  of  the  American  Fur 
Company,  and  traveled  with  his  party  to  their 
rendezvous  in  the  Rocky  Mountain  region. 
Thence,  with  six  horsemen,  he  crossed  the 
mountains,  and  after  encountering  many  dangers, 
arrived  at  Fort  Vancouver.  Not  finding  it 
practicable  to  go  south  from  Vancouver  by  land, 
he  embarked  on  a  vessel  bound  for  the  Sand- 
wich Islands,  hoping  to  find  an  opportunity  of 
sailing  thence  to  the  California  coast.  He  sailed 
from  the  Islands  in  a  vessel  bound  for  Sitka, 
and  from  there  down  the  coast.  The  vessel 
was  driven  by  gales  into  the  Bay  of-  San  Fran- 
cisco, on  July  2,  1839.  (The  point  at  which 
San  Francisco  now  stands  was  then  called  Yerba 
Buena.)  The  vessel  was  boarded  by  a  Govern- 
mental officer,  with  an  armed  force,  who  ordered 
Sutter  to  leave,  saying  that  Monterey,  ninety 
miles  southward,  was  the  port  of  entry.  Per- 
mission, however,  was  obtained  to  remain  forty- 
eight  hours  for  supplies. 

On  reaching  Monterey,  Sutter  told  the  Gov- 
ernor, General  Alvarado,  that  he  desired  to 
occupy  and  colonize    a    section    of  country    in 


HISTORT    OF    SACRAMENTO    COUNTY. 


Upper  California,  on  the  Sacramento  River. 
The  Governor  warmlj  approved  liis  plan,  as  he 
was  desirous  that  the  upper  country  should  be 
subdued  and  settled.  He  informed  Sutter  that 
the  Indians  in  that  country  were  hostile,  that 
they  would  not  permit  the  whites  to  settle  there, 
and  that  they  had  robbed  the  inhabitants  of  San 
Jose  and  the  lower  settlements  of  their  cattle, 
etc;  but  he  readily  gave  Sutter  a  passport  with 
authority  to  explore  and  occupy  any  territory 
which  he  should  consider  proiitable  for  his 
colony,  and  requested  him  to  return  in  one  year, 
whenheshouldhavehiscitizenshipacknowledged 
and  receive  a  grant  of  such  lands  as  he  might 
desire. 

Sutter  returned  to  Yerba  Buena,  then  con- 
taining scai'cely  fifty  inhabitants,  engaged  a 
schooner  and    several   small   boats,    and   with   a 


company 


of  ten   whites  started    to   ascend  the 


river  with  no  guide,  as  no  one  could  be  found  in 
Yerba  Buena  who  had  ever  ascended  the  Sacra- 
mento River.  After  eight  days'  search  he  found 
the  mouth  of  the  Sacramento.  Reaching  a  point 
about  ten  miles  below  the  present  site  of  Sacra- 
mento City,  he  encountered  a  party  of  200  Indian 
warriors,  who  exibited  every  indication  of  hos- 
tility. Fortunately,  two  or  three  of  the  Indians 
understood  Spanish,  and  Sutter  soon  soothed 
them  by  an  assurance  that  there  were  no  Span- 
iards in  his  party, — against  whom  the  Indians 
were  particularly  hostile, — and  explained  to  them 
that  he  came  only  to  be  a  peaceable  citizen. 

Guided  by  two  Indians,  who  could  speak 
Spanish,  Sutter  made  his  way  up  the  Sacra- 
mento to  the  Feather  River,  and  ascended  the 
latter  stream  some  distance;  but,  on  account  of 
the  alarm  of  some  of  his  men,  returned  down 
the  Sacramento  River  to  the  mouth  of  the 
American,  and  on  August  16,  1839,  landed  his 
effects  upon  the  south  bank  of  that  stream,  a 
little  above  the  mouth  and  near  where  the  city 
of  Sacramento  is  now  located.  Here  he  informed 
the  disappointed  whites  that  they  might  leave 
him  if  they  wished,  but  that  the  Kanakas  were 
willing  to  remain.  Three  of  the  wiiites  left, 
witli  tlic  schooner,  for  Yerba  Buena. 


Three  weeks  later  Sutter  removed  to  where  he 
built  the  fort  which  has  since  become  famous. 
But  little  did  he  think  then  that  he  was  to  be 
the  most  importaiitlnstrumentality  in  the  found- 
ing of  a  magnificent  empire.  His  companions 
were  six  wandering  whites  of  various  nativities 
and  eight  Kanakas,  who  were  ever  faithful  to 
him,  and  who  constituted  his  "  colony  "  and  his 
army.  By  their  aid  he  was  to  hold  his  ground, 
subdue  and  colonize  a  district  of  country  en- 
tirely unknown,  and  inhabited  only  by  wild  and 
roving  tribes  of  hostile  Indians.  This  portion 
of  Upper  California,  though  fair  to  look  upon, 
was  peculiarly  solitary  and  uninviting.  It  was 
isolated  and  remote  from  civilization.  The 
nearest  white  settlement  was  a  small  one  at 
Martinez.  The  Indians  were  of  that  class  known 
as  "  Diggers." 

Born  and  reared  in  the  atmosphere  of  royalty 
and  the  refined  society  of  Europe,  with  a  liberal 
military  education,  gentle  and  polished  in  man- 
ners, and  of  unbounded  generosity  of  heart,  we 
find  Sutter  successfully  planting  his  little  colony 
in  the  midst  of  the  wild  Digger  Indians  of  the 
Sacramento  country.  At  length  a  few  pioneers 
came  stealingovertlie  border,  then  the  solid  tramp 
of  masses  was  heard,  and  then  came  a  human 
deluge,  that  overwhelmed  our  bold  Swiss  pio- 
neer. 

The  first  tide  of  immigration  was  entirely 
from  Oregon.  In  the  fall  of  1839  there  was 
an  accession  of  eight  white  men,  and  in  August, 
1840,  five  of  those  who  had  crossed  the  Rocky 
Mountains  with  Sutter,  and  whom  he  had  left 
in  Oregon,  joined  him.  During  the  fall  of  that 
year  the  Mokelumne  Indians,  with  other  tribes, 
became  so  troublesome  that  open  war  was  made 
against  them;  and  after  a  severe  but  short  cam- 
paign they  were  subdued,  and  an  enduring 
peace  established.  Other  bands  of  Indians  or- 
ganized secret  expeditions  to  destroy  the  colony, 
but  by  force  and  strict  vigilance  their  machi- 
nations were  defeated,  and  Sutter  conquered  the 
entire  Sacramento  Valley,  bringing  ii.to  willing 
suljjection  many  of  those  who  had  been  his 
fiercest  enemies.      In  time  he  made  them  ciilti- 


HISTORY    OF    SACRAMENTO    COUNTY. 


vate  tlie  soil,  build  his  fort,  care  for  the  stock, 
and  make  themselves  generally  useful.  In  the 
subsequent  military  history  of  California,  Sutter 
and  his  Indians  were  a  power.  TratKc  increased 
apace.  He  sent  hides  to  San  Francisco,  furnished 
the  trappers  with  supplies,  and  received  in  ex- 
change or  by  purchase  their  furs.  The  me- 
chanics and  laborers  who  came  he  employed,  or 
procured  them  work. 

In  June,  1841,  Sutter  visited  Monterey,  then 
the  capital  of  the  country,  was  declared  a  Mexi- 
can citizen,  and  received  from  Governor  Alva- 
rado  a  grant  of  the  ^land  upon  which  he  had 
located — eleven  "  leagues  " — under  the  title  of 
"  New  Helvetia."  The  Governor  also  gave  him 
a  commission.  Returning  to  his  colony,  he  was 
shortly  afterward  visited  by  Captain  Ringgold, 
of  the  United  States  Exploring  Expedition, 
under  Commodore  Wilkes,  with  otficers  and  men. 
About  the  same  time  Alexander  Kotchkoif, 
Governor  of  the  Russian  Possessions  in  Cali- 
fornia, visited  Sutter  and  offered  to  sell  him  all 
the  possessions  of  his  Government  known  as 
Ross  and  Bodega.  Accepting  the  bargain,  Sut- 
ter came  into  possession  of  a  vast  extent  of  real 
estate,  besides  2,000  cattle,  1,000  horses,  fifty 
mules  and  2,500  sheep,  most  of  which  were 
transferred  to  New  Helvetia. 

In  1844  Sutter's  improvements  were  exten- 
sive, and  the  amount  of  his  stock  was  large. 
During  that  year  he  petition-ed  Governor  Michel- 
torena  for  the  grant  or  purchase  of  the  surplus 
over  the  first  eleven  leagues  of  land  within  the 
bounds  of  the  survey  accompanying  the  Alva- 
rado  grant,  and  this  petition  was  granted  Febru- 
ary 5,  1845,  in  consideration  of  Sutter's  valuable 
services  and  his  expenditure  of  $8,000  in  the 
suppression  of  the  Castro  rebellion. 

About  1S44  small  bodies  of  emigrants  began 
to  find  their  way  to  California  direct  from  the 
States,  striking  Sutter's  Fort,  the  first  settlement 
after  crossing  the  mountains.  Year  by  year 
these  parties  of  immigrants  increased  in  size, 
until  after  the  gold  discovery,  when  they  could 
be  counted  by  thousands  and  tens  of  thousands. 
It   was  then   that  the   value  of  Sutter's    settle- 


ment and  the  generous  qualities  of  the  man  be- 
came strikingly  apparent.  No  weary,  destitute 
immigrant  reached  his  fort  who  was  not  sup- 
plied with  all  that  he  needed  and  sent  on  his 
way  rejoicing.  Frequently  he  even  sent  sup- 
plies in  advance  to  those  coming  through  tho 
Sierras.  Year  after  year  he  did  this,  without 
thinking  of  any  return.  On  one  occasion  a 
solitary  immigrant  was  just  able  to  reach  the 
fort  and  reported  that  his  companions  were  at 
some  distance  back  dying  of  starvation.  Sutter 
immediately  caused  seven  mules  to  be  packed 
with  supplies,  and,  attended  by  two  Indian  boys, 
started  with  the  immigrant  for  the  scene  of  dis- 
tress. On  arriving,  everything  was  seized  by 
the  crazed  wretches  and  devoured. 

Other  starving  immigrants  arriving,  they 
killed  the  Sutter's  seven  mules  and  ate  them. 
Then  they  killed  the  two  Indian  boys  and  ate 
them.  Said  Sutter,  referring  to  the  circumstance 
afterward  with  much  feeling,  "  They  ate  my 
Indian  boys  all  up." 

During  the  war  between  the  United  States 
and  Mexico,  Sutter  was  a  Mexican  citizen,  and 
the  representative  of  the  Mexican  Government 
on  the  frontier;  but  his  sympathies  were  natu- 
rally with  the  United  States.  Whenever  any 
party  of  American  citizens,  civil  or  military, 
visited  him,  his  unbounded  hospitalities  were 
uniformly  and  cordially  extended  to  them. 
Wiien  the  country  surrendered  to  the  United 
States  forces,  with  joy  he  raised  the  American 
flag,  July  10,  1846,  and  fired  a  salute  from  the 
guns  of  his  fort.  In  1849  he  was  a  member  of 
the  Constitutional  Convention;  at  the  first  State 
election  was  a  candidate  for  Governor,  and  was 
afterward  a  Brigadier-General  in  the  State  mi- 
litia. 

But  the  day  on  which  gold  was  discovered 
was  an  evil  one  for  him.  His  mechanics  and 
laborers  deserted  him,  even  the  Kanakas  and 
Indians.  He  could  not  hire  laborers  to  plant  or 
harvest  his  crops.  Neither  could  he  run  his 
mills.  For  a  time  after  the  immense  flood  of 
immigration  poured  in,  his  rights  were  re- 
sj)ected;  but  it   was  not  for  long.     When   men 


HISTORY    OF    SAGBAMENTO    COUNTY. 


found  that  money  could  be  made  in  other  ways 
than  by  mining,  many  forcibly  entered  upon  his 
lands  and  cut  his  wood,  under  the  plea  that  they 
were  vacant  and  unappropriated  lands  of  the 
Unitea  States.  By  the  1st  of  January,  1852, 
the  settlers  had  occupied  his  lands  capable  of 
settlement  or  appropriation,  and  others  had 
stolen  all  his  horses,  mules,  cattle,  sheep  and 
hogs,  save  a  small  portion  used  and  sold  by  him- 
self. One  party  of  five,  diiring  the  high  waters 
of  1849-'50,  when  his  cattle  were  partly  sur- 
rounded by  water  near  the  Sacramento  Kiver, 
killed  and   sold   enough  to  amount  to  $60,000. 

Sutter,  broken  in  purse,  disheartened,  robbed 
and  powerless  to  help  himself,  removed  to  Sut- 
ter County  and  took  up  his  residence  at  Hock 
Farm,  then  a  beautiful  piece  of  property,  but 
now  a  waste  of  sand  and  debris.  For  some 
years  he  led  the  quiet  life  of  a  farmer  there,  but 
afterward  was  a  continual  haunter  of  Congress 
at  Washington,  where  he  sought  to  obtain  re- 
dress from  the  general  Government  for  the  bare- 
faced robberies  that  had  been  practiced  upon 
him.  In  1873  he  removed  to  Litiz,  Pennsylva- 
nia, and  on  the  18th  day  of  June,  1880,  died  at 
Washington,  District  of  Columbia. 

Sutter  was  a  generous  man.  His  manners 
were  polished,  and  the  impression  he  made  on 
every  one  was  favorable.  In  figure  he  was  of 
medium  height,  rather  stout  but  well  made. 
His  head  was  round,  features  regular,  with 
smiling  and  agreeable  expression,  while  his 
complexion  was  healthy  and  roseate.  He  wore 
his  hair  cut  close,  and  his  moustache  trimmed 
short,  a  la  mUitaire.  He  dressed  very  neatly 
in  frock  coat,  pantaloons  and  cape  of  blue. 

Such  was  the  man  to  whom  California  owes 
so  much,  and  upon  whom  she  bestowed  so 
little. 

Captain  John  C.  Fremont,  the  "Pathfinder," 
arrived  in  this  country  in  March,  1844,  and  in 
his  narrative  thus  describes  the  situation  of  Sut- 
ter and  his  fort: 

"Captain  Sutter  emigrated  to  this  country 
from  the  western  part  of  Missouri  in  1838-'39, 
and  formed  the  first  settlement  in  the  vallev,  on 


a  large  grant  of  land  which  he  obtained  from 
the  Mexican  Government.  He  had  at  first  some 
trouble  with  the  Indians;  but  by  the  occasional 
exercise  of  well-timed  authority,  he  has  suc- 
ceeded in  converting  them  into  a  peaceful  and 
industrious  people.  The  ditches  around  his  ex- 
tensive wheat  fields;  the  making  of  the  sun- 
dried  bricks  of  which  his  fort  is  constructed;  the 
plowing,  harrowing  and  other  agricultural  oper- 
ations, are  entirely  the  work  of  these  Indians, 
for  which  they  receive  a  very  moderate  com- 
pensation— principally  in  shirts,  blankets  and 
other  articles  of  clothing.  In  the  same  manner, 
on  application  to  the  chief  of  a  village,  he  read- 
ily obtains  as  many  boj'S  and  girls  as  he  has 
any  use  for.  There  were  at  this  time  a  number 
of  girls  at  the  fort,  in  training  for  a  future 
woolen  factory;  but  they  were  now  all  busily 
engaged  in  constantly  watering  the  gardens. 
Mr.  Sutter  was  about  making  arrangements  to 
irrigate  his  lands  by  means  of  the  American 
Rivei'.  He  had  this  year  sown,  and  altogether 
by  Indian  labor,  300  bushels  of  wheat. 

"A  few  years  since,  the  neighboring  Russian 
establishment  of  Ross,  being  about  to  withdraw 
from  the  country,  sold  to  him  a  large  number 
of  stock,  with  agricultural  and  other  stores,  with 
a  number  of  pieces  of  artillery  and  other  muni- 
tions of  war;  for  these,  a  regular  yearly  pay- 
ment is  made  in  grain. 

"  The  fort  is  a  quadrangular  adobe  structure, 
mounting  twelve  pieces  of  artillery  (two  of  them 
brass),  and  capable  of  admitting  a  garrison  of 
1,000  men;  this  at  present  consists  of  forty  In- 
dians, in  uniform — one  of  whom  is  always  found 
on  duty  at  the  gate.  As  might  be  expected, 
the  pieces  are  not  in  very  good  order.  The 
whites  in  the  employ  of  Captain  Sutter,  Ameri- 
can, French  and  German,  number  thirty  men. 
The  inner  wall  is  formed  into  buildings  com- 
prising the  common  quarters,  with  blacksmith 
and  other  work-shops,  the  dwelling-house  with 
a  large  distillery  house,  and  other  buildings  oc- 
cupying more  the  center  of  the  area. 

"  It  is  built  upon  a  pond-like  stream,  at  times 
a    running    creek,    communicating    with     the 


HISTORT    OF    SACRAMENTO    COUNTY. 


American  Eiver,  which  enters  the  Sacramento 
about  two  miles  below.  The  latter  is  here  a 
noble  river,  about  300  yards  broad,  deep  and 
tranquil,  with  several  fathoms  of  water  in  the 
channel,  and  its  banks  continuously  timbered. 
There  were  two  vessels  belonging  to  Captain 
Sutter  at  anchor  near  the  landing — one  a  large 
two-masted  lighter,  and  the  other  a  schooner, 
which  was  shortly  to  proceed  on  a  voyage  to 
Fort  Vancouver  for  a  cargo  of  goods." 


Nothing  now  remains  of  the  fort  excepting 
the  main  two-story  building,  which  is  still  un- 
protected against  the  ravages  of  the  elements 
and  the  vandalism  of  reckless  boys.  The  south- 
ern end  was  many  years  ago  replaced  with  fire- 
burned  brick,  and  a  new  roof  of  shingles  has 
supplanted  the  primitive  Mexican  tiling.  The 
property  is  owned  by  a  gentleman  in  the 
East. 


HISTORY    OF    SACRAMENTO    COUNTY. 


The  California  I^evolution      k^ 

AND  THE  Bear  Flag  Party,  >^  p' 


CHAPTEE   III. 


T  was  evident  in  1844-'45  that  hostilities  could 
reasonably  be  expected  between  the  United 
States  and  Mexico.  Events  which  had  oc- 
curred in  Texas  had  aroused  a  feeling  on  the 
part  of  the  Mexican  people,  and  in  the  United 
States  it  was  generally  understood  that  the 
election  of  Polk  in  1844  meant  the  annexation 
of  Mexican  territory.  In  California,  about  that 
time,  feelings  of  animosity  sprang  up  between 
the  Mexican  and  American  population.  At  first 
the  settlement  of  Americans  in  this  country  had 
been  encouraged  by  the  local  government;  but 
in  1845  the  American  settlers  apprehended  that 
steps  would  be  taken  by  the  native  population 
to  drive  thetn  from  the  country.  This  was  be- 
fore there  had  been  any  declaration  of  war  be- 
tween the  United  States  and  Mexico.  It  was 
very  evident,  however,  that  both  Governments 
were  preparing  for  hostilities.  Colonel  Fremont 
reached  California  ostensibly  on  an  exploring 
expedition.  This  was  one  of  a  series  of  expedi- 
tions led  by  him,  for  the  exploration  of  the 
western  portion  of  the  continent.  He  had  en- 
countered some  little  opposition  from  the  exist- 
ing government  in  the  lower  portion  of  California, 
and  proceeded  on  his  way  toward  Oregon. 

In  April  or  May,  1846,  Lieutenant  Gillespie, 
of  the  United  States  Army,  arrived  in  California, 
and,  after  preparing  himself  for  the  journey, 
left  Monterey  in  pursuit  of  Fremont's  party,  but 
he  did  not  overtake  them  until  the  9th  of  May. 
Fremont  was  then  in  Oregon.     While  the  pur- 


port of  Gillespie's  dispatch  to  Fremont  has 
never  been  made  public,  it  has  been  reasonably 
surmised  that  it  contained  an  intimation  from 
the  authorities  at  "Washington  that  Fremont 
should  return  to  California  and  be  in  readiness 
to  assist  in  the  conquest  of  this  territory  on  the 
first  intimation  of  the  outbreak  of  war.  Fre- 
mont immediately  returned,  and  encamped  at  or 
near  the  site  where  Sacramento  City  is  now  lo- 
cated. At  that  time  the  population  of  Califor- 
nia was  estimated  at  about  10,000,  exclusive  of 
Indians,  and  probably  less  than  2,000  of  that 
number  were  foreigners.  General  Castro,  the 
military  coniraandante  of  California,  had  issued 
several  proclamations  ordering  the  foreigners  to 
leave  the  country,  and  the  American  settlers 
finally  determined  that  the  time  had  arrived 
that  some  decisive  movement  for  defense 
should  be  made.  The  immediate  occasion  for 
this  movement  was  an  order  from  Castro  to 
Lieutenant  Francisco  de  Arce  to  proceed  with 
fourteen  men  as  a  guard  for  some  horses  be- 
longing to  the  Government,  which  were  at  the 
mission  of  San  Rafael,  and  remove  them  to  the 
mission  of  Santa  Clara.  The  Lieutenant  was 
under  the  necessity  of  passing  up  the  Sacra- 
mento River  as  far  as  what  was  then  called  New 
Helvetia, — now  the  site  of  Sacramento  City, — 
that  being  the  first  point  at  which  the  horses 
could  swim  across  the  river.  The  party  of  de 
Arce  was  observed  by  an  Indian  in  their  move- 
ment, who  reported  that  he  had  seen  two  or  three 


HISTORY    UP    SACRAMENTO    COUNTY. 


hundred  armed  and  mounted  men  advancing  up 
the  Sacramento  River;  and  from  his  information 
the  settlers  believed  that  Castro,  at  the  head  of 
a  large  party,  was  marching  to  attack  Fremont. 
The  news  traveled  by  couriers  among  the 
Americans,  and  they  hastily  gathered  for  the 
defense  at  Sutter's  Fort.  At  the  meeting  there 
held  it  was  proposed  that  a  suihcient  company 
should  follow  Lieutenant  de  Arce  and  seize  the 
horses.  This  settlers'  party  overtook  the  Lieu- 
tenant and  his  command  on  the  morning  of 
June  10,  1846,  and  surprised  de  Arce's  party 
near  the  Cosunines  River,  where  they  were  en- 
camped, and,  without  resistance,  their  horses 
and  arms  were  seized,  and  the  captured  men 
were  dismissed,  each  one  being  given  ahorse. 

This  was  the  first  overt  act  on  the  part  of  the 
foreigners  which  led  to  the  revolution;  and  it 
opened  a  breach  which  made  it  necessary  that 
all  should  take  ground  on  one  or  the  other  side. 

This  act  was  immediately  followed  by  the 
taking  of  the  town  and  mission  of  Sonoma, 
which  occurred  on  the  morning  of  June  14. 
The  party  of  Americans  had  been  augmented  to 
thirty-three,  and  were  under  the  command  of  a 
man  named  Merritt.  They  were  known  as  the 
famous  "Bear  Flag  party."  It  was  composed 
mostly  of  hunters,  and  of  men  who  could  leave 
their  homes  at  the  shortest  notice.  ■  They  had 
not  time  to  dress,  even  if  they  had  good  clothes; 
and  as  they  entered  the  town  they  appeared 
about  as  rough  looking  as  could  well  be  imag- 
ined. The  seizure  of  the  town  and  mission  was 
made  without  bJoodi-hed,  and  General  M.  G. 
Vallejo,  Lieutenant-Colonel  I'rudon,  Don  Sal- 
vador Yallejo  and  otiier  gentlemen  cf  promi- 
nence were  captured  and  carried  to  Sutter's  Fort, 
where  they  were  kept  prisoners  for  si.xty  days 
or  more. 

A  garrison  of  about  eighteen  men,  under  the 
command  of  William  13.  Ide,  was  left  at  Sonoma. 
In  a  few  days  it  was  increased  to  about  forty; 
and  on  the  18th  day  of  June,  1846,  Ide  issued 
a  proclamation  declaring  that  himself  and  com- 
panions had  been  invited  to  the  country,  and 
had   been  promised   protection   by  the  Govern- 


ment; but  that  they  had  been  subjected  to  op- 
pression by  the  military  despotism;  that  threats 
had  been  made,  by  proclamation,  of  extermina- 
tion if  they  did  not  depart  from  the  country; 
that  it  simply  meant  that  they  had  either  to  be 
compelled  to  abandon  their  property  and  be 
driven  through  deserts  inhabited  by  hostile  In- 
dians, or  must  defend  themselves;  and  that  they 
had  been  forced  to  inaugurate  a  revolution,  with 
a  view  of  establishing  and  perpetuating  a  re- 
publican government. 

The  party  adopted  what  has  been  called  the 
"Bear  Flag,"  and  there  was  a  partial  organiza- 
tion under  the  name  of  the  "  Republic  of  Cali- 
fornia." The  flag  was  made  of  a  piece  of  cotton 
cloth,  with  one  red  strip  on  the  bottom,  and  on 
the  white  portion  the  figure  of  a  grizzly  bear, 
with  a  single  star  in  front  of  him.  It  was 
painted,  or  rather  stained,  with  lamp-black  and 
poke-berries.  On  the  top  were  the  words,  "  Re- 
public of  California." 

Inasmuch  as  there  has  been  considerable  dis- 
pute regarding  the  causes  which  led  to  the  rev- 
olution in  California,  the  capture  of  Sonoma, 
the  issuance  of  the  Ide  proclamation,  and  the 
raising  of  the  "  Bear  Flag"  and  its  design,  we 
rely  upon  the  accounts  which  were  published  in 
the  Californian  newspaper  in  August  and  Sep- 
tember, 1846,  a  few  months  after  the  occurrence 
of  the  events,  and  which  were  written  by  Rob- 
ert Semple,  the  editor,  who  was  an  active  par- 
ticipant in  some  of  the  scenes  which  he  de- 
scribed. In  his  articles  he  distinctly  stated  that 
he  wrote  them  as  a  matter  of  history  and  for  the 
benefit  of  future  historians. 

On  the  7th  of  July,  1846,  Commodore  John 
D.  Sloat  arrived  at  Monterey  with  a  United 
States  frigate.  Monterey  was  then  the  Mexican 
capital  of  California.  The  Commodore  took  pos- 
session of  the  town,  and  hoisted  over  it  the 
American  flag  From  that  day  dates  the  pro- 
prietorship of  the  United  States  to  California. 
Sloat's  frigate  had  been  lying  at  Mazatlan,  under 
instructions  to  seize  California  on  the  first  inti- 
mation of  hostilities  between  his  government 
and  Mexico.    The  first  American  flag  was  hoisted 


HISTORY    OP    SACRAMENTO    COUNTY. 


in  the  Sacramento  Valley,  where  Sacramento 
City  now  stands.  Colonel  John  C.  Fremont  was 
then  encamped  there,  at  the  head  of  about  170 
men.  On  the  evening  of  July  10,  William 
Scott  arrived  in  the  camp  with  the  news  of  the 
lioisting  of  tlie  flag  at  Monterey  by  Commodore 
Sloat,  and  brought  witli  him  an  American  flag 
sent  by  Captain  John  B.  Montgomery,  of  the 
United  States  ship  Portsmouth.  Speaking  of 
the  receipt  of  the  news  at  Sacramento,  the  Cali- 
fornian,  the  first  newspaper  published  in  Cali- 
fornia, said: 

"  It  (the  news)  was  received  with   universal 
shouts  by  the  men,  and  our  gallant  leader,  sur- 


rounded by  a  number  of  oflicers  and  soldiers, 
partook  of  a  cup  of  good  brandy  and  sang  some 
national  airs.  The  '  Star  Spangled  Banner'  was 
responded  to  with  warmth." 

Of  course  the  flag  of  the  United  States  sup- 
planted the  flag  of  the  Bear.  Several  engage- 
ments occurred  between  the  United  States  and 
Mexican  forces  in  the  southern  portion  of  the 
territory,  but  early  in  1847  the  Mexicans  capitu- 
lated, and  hostilities  ceased  upon  the  soil  of 
California. 

The  above  are  all  the  events  of  importance 
that  occurred  in  this  section  in  connection  with 
the  conquest  of  the  country. 


UISTORY    OF    SACRAMENTO    COUNTY. 


'*^^™^  ^DISCOVERY   OF  GOLD,^ :|^ 


fSi?(^iSi?(^tSi^(S?fi^i>^u 


JESMi?^ 


r 


g55^^^t^<?§ltii§l<^t^«^tg§l' 


CHAPTER   IV. 


fllE  first  mention  of  gold  in  California  was 
made  in  Hakluyt's  account  of  the  voyage 
of  Sir  Francis  Drake,  who  spent  five  or 
six  weeks,  in  June  and  July,  1579,  in  a  bay  on 
the  coast  of  California.  It  has  always  been  a 
question  and  will  remain  a  question,  whether 
this  bay  was  that  of  San  Francisco  or  one  further 
to  tlie  north.  In  the  narrative  of  Hakluyt  it  is 
written:  "  There  is  no  part  of  the  earth  here  to 
be  taken  up  wherein  there  is  not  a  reasonable 
quantity  of  gold  or  silver."  At  this  day  we 
know  that  this  statement  must  have  been  un- 
true, and  was  doubtless  written  for  the  purpose 
of  attracting  attention  to  the  importance  of  the 
expedition  of  Sir  Francis  Drake.  California 
was  then  a  comparatively  unknown  country.  It 
had  been  visited  only  by  early  explorers,  and  its 
characteristics  were  merely  conjectured.  When 
Hakluyt  wrote  there  could  hardly  be  a  "  hand- 
i'ul  of  soil  taken  up  wherein  there  is  not  a  rea- 
sonable quantity  of  gold  or  silver,"  in  the  light 
of  the  present  the  statement  was  absurd,  for 
neither  gold  nor  silver  has  ever  been  found  in 
the  vicinity  of  the  point  where  Drake  must 
have  landed. 

Other  early  explorers  stated  that  gold  had 
been  found  long  before  the  discovery  by  Mar- 
shall; and  there  is  no  doubt  that  a  well-founded 
surmise  prevailed  that  gold  existed  in  California. 
The  country  had  been  explored  at' times  since 
the  sixteenth  century,  by  Spanish,  Russian  and 
American  parties.     It  was  visited  by  Commo- 


dore Wilkes,  who  was  in  the  service  of  the  Uni- 
ted States  on  an  extensive  exploring  expedition; 
and  members  of  his  party  ascended  the  Sacra- 
mento River  and  visited  Sutter  at  the  fort,  while 
others  made  explorations  by  land. 

James  D.  Dana,  a  celebrated  author  of  several 
works  on  mineralogy,  was  the  mineralogist  of 
this  expedition  and  passed  by  land  through  the 
upper  portion  of  (^alifornia.  In  one  of  his 
works  he  says  that  gold  rock  and  veins  of  quartz 
were  observed  by  him  in  1842  near  the  Umpqua 
River,  in  Southern  Oregon;  and  again,  that  he 
found  gold  near  the  Sierra  Nevada  and  on  the 
Sacramento  River;  also,  on  the  San  Joaquin 
River  and  between  those  rivers.  There  is,  in 
the  reports  of  the  Fremont  exploring  expedi- 
tion,'an  intimation  of  the  existence  of  gold. 

It  has  been  said  that  in  October  and  Novem- 
ber, 1845,  a  Mexican  was  shot  at  Yerba  Buena 
(San  Francisco)  on  account  of  having  a  bag  of 
gold  dust,  and  when  dying  pointed  northward 
and  said,  "Legos!  Legos!"  (yonder),  indicating 
where  he  had  found  the  gold  dust. 

It  has  been  claimed,  and  with  a  considerable 
degree  of  probability,  that  the  Mormons  who 
arrived  in  San  Francisco  on  the  ship  Brooklyn 
found  gold  before  the  famous  discovery  at  Co- 
loma.  The  circumstances  in  connection  with 
this  discovery  are  somewhat  romantic.  The 
Mormon  people  had  established  themselves  at 
Nauvoo,  Illinois,  a  point  where  they  believed 
themselves  to  be  beyond  the  reach  of  perse- 


HISTORY    OF    SACRAMENTO    COUNTY. 


cntion.  However,  the  country  there  became 
populated  by  those  not  of  their  faith,  and  the 
antagonism  against  the  Mormons  resulted  finally 
in  bloodshed,  and  the  founder  of  the  church, 
Joseph  Smith,  was  shot  by  a  mob  and  killed. 
The  Mormons  then  determined  to  remove  farther 
west,  and  into  a  section  of  country  beyond  the 
reach  of  the  Government  of  the  United  States. 
They  selected  California  as  their  future  home. 
Their  land  e.xpedition  started  across  the  plains, 
and  a  ship  named  the  Brooklyn  carried  from  the 
eastern  side  of  the  continent  a  number  of  the 
believers.  Samuel  Brannan,  who  was  prominent 
in  the  early  history  of  Sacramento,  San  Fran- 
cisco and   the   State,  was  one  of  their  leading 


men  who  came  with   the 


sea  voyagers. 


When 


the  Brooklyn  emigrants  landed  at  Yerba  Buena 
(San  Francisco)  they  found  that  the  United 
States  forces  had  taken  possession  of  California, 
and  that  they  had  landed  upon  soil  possessed  by 
the  nation  from  which  they  were  endeavoring 
to  flee.  Couriers  were  sent  overland  to  inter- 
cept the  land  party,  and  it  is  said  that  they 
found  them  at  the  place  where  Salt  Lake  City 
is  now  located.  The  overland  party  determined 
to  locate  at  that  place,  although  it  was  then 
sterile  and  unpromising.  Those  who  came  on 
the  Brooklyn  dispersed  in  California,  and  some 
of  them  located  at  Mormon  Island,  in  Sacra- 
mento County,  and  it  is  claimed  that  they  found 
gold  long  before  the  discovery  at  Colonia,  but 
that  they  kept  their  discovery  a  secret.  How- 
ever that  may  be,  it  is  a  fact  that  mining  was 
prosecuted  by  them  about  the  time  of  Marshall's 
discovery. 

At  a  banquet  of  the  Associated  Pioneers  of 
tlie  territorial  days  of  California,  held  in  the 
city  of  New  York,  on  January  18,  1878,  Colonel 
T.  B.  Thorpe,  a  veteran  of  the  Mexican  War, 
who  had  been  on  the  staflf  of  General  Zachary 
Taylor,  stated  that  while  he  had  been  employed 
as  a  journalist  in  New  Orleans,  several  years 
before  the  discovery  of  gold  at  Coloma,  a  Swede, 
evidently  far  gone  into  consumption,  called  upon 
him   and   rciiresented   that  he  was  what  in   his 


country  was  called 


kin 


g's  orphan ;"  that  he 


had  been  educated  at  a  governmental  institution, 
on  condition  that  after  he  had  received  his  edu- 
cation he  should  travel  in  foreign  lands,  observe 
and  record  what  he  had  seen,  and  deposit  his 
records  with  the  Government.  He  stated  that 
he  had  visited  California,  remained  several  days 
at  Sutter's  Fort,  enjoying  the  hospitality  of 
Sutter;  that  while  there  he  closely  examined  the 
surrounding  country  and  became  convinced  that 
it  abounded  richly  in  gold.  Colonel  Thorpe 
stated  that  the  Swede  gave  him  this  opinion  in 
writing.  At  that  banquet  General  Sutter  was 
present,  and  Colonel  Thorpe  called  upon  him  to 
say  whether  he  had  any  recollection  concerning 
the  Swedish  visitor.  Sutter  replied  that  he 
did  recollect  the  visit,  which  had  occurred  about 
thirty-four  years  before;  and  he  also  remem- 
bered that  the  Swede  expressed  himself  regard- 
ing the  presence  of  mineral  wealth  in  the  neigh- 
boring hills;  "  but,"  added  the  General,  "  I  was 
too  much  occupied  at  the  time  with  other  con- 
cerns to  devote  any  time  or  attention  to  it.  My 
crops  were  ripe,  and  it  was  imperative  that  they 
should  be  gathered  as  quickly  as  possible,  but  I 
do  recollect  the  scientific  Swedish  gentleman." 

The  report  of  the  remarks  delivered  at  that 
banquet  were  published,  and  in  it  is  contained 
a  copy  of  the  manuscript  to  which  Colonel 
Thorpe  referred,  in  which  the  "king's  orphan  " 
wrote:  "The  Californias  are  rich  in  minerals. 
Gold,  silver,  lead,  oxide  of  iron,  manganese  and 
copper  ore  are  all  met  with  throughout  the 
country,  the  precious  metals  being  the  most 
abundant." 

There  is  another  account  of  an  early  gold  dis- 
covery, which  was  published  in  the  New  Age, 
in  San  Francisco,  the  official  organ  of  the  Odd 
Fellows,  in  September,  1865.  It  purports  to 
have  been  an  extract  written  by  the  Paris  cor- 
respondent of  the  London  Star,  who  wrote  that 
in  the  city  of  Paris  he  visited  a  private  museum, 
and  that  its  owner  exhibited  to  him  a  nugget  of 
gold,  and  stated  that  twenty-eight  years  before 
a  poor  invalid  had  presented  himself  and  took 
out  of  his  tattered  coat  a  block  of  quartz,  and 
asked  the  proprietor  of  the  museum  if  he  would 


IILSTOin'    OF    SACliAMENTO    COUNT F. 


purchase  it,  assuring  him  that  it  was  full  of 
gold.  The  stranger  said :  "  I  have  come  to  you 
to  apply  to  the  Government  to  give  me  a  vessel 
and  a  crew  of  100  men,  and  I  will  promise  to 
return  with  a  cargo  of  gold."  The  proprietor 
of  the  museum  presumed  that  the  man  was  mad, 
and  gave  him  a  napoleon  as  a  matter  of  charity, 
but  retained  a  jsiece  of  the  quartz.  Afterward 
the  quartz  was  analyzed,  and  it  was  proved  to 
contain  pure  gold.  Fifteen  years  elapsed,  and 
a  parcel  and  a  letter  were  left  at  his  door.  The 
parcel  was  wrapped  in  a  handkerchief,  and  was 
heavy.  The  letter  was  worn  and  almost  illegi- 
ble. On  deciphering  it,  it  proved  to  be  the 
dying  statenient  of  the  poor  traveler,  which, 
through  tlie  neglect  of  the  lodging-house  keeper 
where  he  had  died  after  the  interview  referred  to, 
had  never  been  delivered.  The  package  contained 
a  block  of  quartz,  and  the  letter  was  thus  worded: 

"You  alone  listened  to  me;  you  alone  stretched 
out  a  helping  hand  to  me.  Alas!  it  was  too 
late!  I  am  dying.  1  bequeath  my  secret  to 
you.  The  country  from  whence  I  brought  this 
gold  is  called  California." 

The  credit,  however,  for  the  practical  discovery 
of  gold  in  California  is  due  to  James  W.Marshall. 
It  is  true  that  a  gold  mine  had'  been  worked 
in  1841  in  tlie  lower  part  of  the  State,  and  that 
gold  from  that  mine  had  been  sent  to  the  Phila- 
delphia mint  for  coinage  as  early  as  July,  1843. 
Tlie  mine,  however,  proved  unprolitable  and  was 
abandoned.  The  story  of  the  discovery  by  Mar- 
shall at  Coloma,  in  January,  1848,  is  confused, 
and  the  precise  date  upon  which  it  was  made 
c.'^.a  perhaps  never  be  settled.  Marshall  was  em- 
ployed by  Captain  Sutter,  and  was  in  charge  of 
a  party  of  men  erecting  a  saw-mill  at  tlie  pres- 
ent site  of  Coloma,  in  El  Dorado  County.     A 


raceway  was  dug  and  the  water  turned  in.  In 
examining  the  race  afterward,  Marshall's  atten- 
tion was  attracted  by  a  shining  object.  He 
picked  it  up.  It  was  gold.  Other  particles  of 
the  nrietal  were  collected,  and  Marshall  came 
with  them  to  Sutter's  Fort  and  exhibited  them 
to  his  employer,  Sutter.  They  were  tested  in  a 
crude  way,  and  Sutter  became  convinced  that 
the  metal  was  gold.  Afterward  specimens  were 
sent  to  Monterey,  then  the  capital  of  the  Terri- 
tory, and  exhibited  to  General  R.  B.  Mason,  the 
military  governor,  and  to  "W.  T.  Sherman,  at 
that  time  an  obscure  officer  in  the  United  States 
Army,  but  who  has  since  risen  to  national  noto- 
riety. The  integrity  of  the  metal  was  estab- 
lished, the  news  of  the  discovery  sent  forth,  the 
world  was  electrilied,  and  immigration  poured 
in  from  every  civilized  country. 

James  W.  Marshall  was  born  in  Hope  Town- 
ship, Hunterdon  County,  New  Jersey,  October 
8,  1810.  On  arriving  at  man's  estate  he  re- 
moved to  Indiana,  afterward  to  Illinois  and 
Missouri,  and  arrived  in  California  in  1844.  In 
1845  he  came  to  Sutter's  Fort,  and  was  employed 
by  Captain  Sutter.  He  took  an  active  part  in 
the  California  revolution  of  1846.  After  his 
discovery  of  gold  the  Legislature  of  the  State 
pensioned  him  for  a  time.  Subsequently  he 
settled  on  a  small  piece  of  land  at  Coloma,  near 
where  he  had  discovered  the  gold,  and  made  his 
living  by  farming.  About  5  o'clock  on  the 
morning  of  August  10,  1885,  he  was  found  dead 
in  his  cabin,  and  was  buried  near  the  spot  where 
gold  was  first  found  by  him.  He  was  never 
married. 

A  line  statue  of  Marshall  has  recently  been 
erected  by  the  State  at  the  point  where  he  made 
his  famous  discovery. 


HISTORY    OF    SACRAMENTO    COUJSTT. 


FOUNDING  OF  SACRAMENTO  CITY, 


CHAPTER   V. 


fHE  city  of  Sacramento  is  located  on  the 
east  bank  of  the  Sacramento  River,  im- 
,r  mediately  below  the  month  of  the  Ameri- 
can River.  The  lirst  settlement  was  made  by 
John  A.  Sutter,  in  1839,  and  long  before  there 
was  any  thought  of  establishing  a  city.  The 
news  of  the  gold  discovery  attracted  to  Sutter's 
Fort  a  large  immigration  from  all  portions  of 
the  civilized  world,  and  this  point,  being  prac- 
tically the  head  of  inland  navigation,  became 
the  first  nucleus  of  a  settlement.  At  tirst  a 
town  of  canvas  tents  was  established,  and  after- 
ward the  city  was  regularly  laid  out,  the  survey 
being  made  in  December,  1848,  by  Captain 
William  II.  Warner,  of  the  United  States  Army, 
assisted  by  W.  T.  Sherman,  now  General. 

In  184:4,  however,  an  effort  was  made,  under 
tlie  |)atr()nage  of  Sutter  and  others,  to  lay  out 
and  build  a  town  at  a  point  three  miles  below 
the  site  of  Sacramento  City.  A  survey  was 
made  and  a  village  commenced.  The  first  house 
was  erected  by  Sutter,  the  second  by  one  Hadel, 
and  the  third  by  George  Zins.  Tiie  last  men- 
tioned was  a  brick  building,  and  the  first  of  the 
kind  erected  in  California.  Zins  afterward  man- 
ufactured the  bricks,  in  Sacramento,  which  were 
used  in  the  first  brick  buildings  erected  in  this 
city.  He  stamped  each  brick  with  his  initials, 
and  one  of  them  is  now  preserved  in  the  Crocker 
Art  Gallery  Museum  of  the  city,  and  one  in  the 
Museum  of  the   Pioneer    Association.     For  a 


time,  "  Sutterville,"  as  it  was  called,  in  honor  of 
its  projector,  flourished;  but  after  the  gold  dis- 
covery the  population  centered  at  Sacramento, 
or  the  "  Embarcadero,"  the  Spanish  name. 

At  the  time  or  shortly  after  the  discovery  of 
gold,  quite  a  number  of  stores  were  established 
at  the  fort,  and  indeed  that  was  the  practical 
business  center  in  this  portion  of  the  Territory. 
The  first  store,  an  adobe  building,  was  that  of 
C.  C.  Smith  &  Co.,  Samuel  Brannan  being  the 
"Co."  This  was  started  two  months  prior  to 
the  opening  of  the  inines,  and  across  its  count- 
ers were  made  the  first  exchanges  of  American 
goods  for  California  gold.  Brannan  subsequently 
became  the  sole  proprietor.  Hensley  &  Read- 
ing had  a  store  afterward  in  the  fort,  and  one  of 
the  clerks  was  James  King  of  William,  later 
editor  of  the  San  Francisco  Bulletin,  who  was 
killed  by  James  P.  Casey  in  the  "  Vigilance 
Committee"  days  of  1856. 

When  the  city  of  Sacramento  was  established 
Sutter  owned  its  site.  After  the  discovery  of 
gold  and  the  laying  out  of  the  city,  Sutter  con- 
veyed his  entire  interest  in  the  plat  to  his  son; 
and  on  December  30,  1849,  Sutter,  Jr.,  em- 
ployed Peter  H.  Burnett — afterward  Governor — 
as  his  lawyer  to  manage  his  newly  acquired  in- 
terests. Conveyances  were  made  by  Sutter  and 
his  son,  which  resulted  in  a  confusion  of  titles 
that  were  not  adjusted  until  after  many  years  of 
litigation. 


HISTORY    OF    SACRAMENTO    COUNTY. 


19 


After  the  establishment  of  Sacramento  there 
was  a  steady  improvement  of  the  town.  From 
a  village  o£  canvas  tents  it  grew  to  be  one  of 
wood  anl  brick  striictaras,  and  the  town  of  Sut- 
terville  soon  bad  an  existence  only  on  piper. 
After  the  flooi  of  1861-'62,  an  effort  was  made 
to  revive  tlie  town  of  SutterviUe,  but  it  again 
failed. 

Daring  the  time  that  Sacramento  was  flooded, 
in  January,  1853,  all  communication  with  the 
mining  counties  was  cut  off,  ani  some  of  the 
enterprising  merchants  sought  liigher  ground 
for  the  city  site,  where  freight  could  be  landed 
from  vessels  without  danger  from  floods.  The 
site  they  selected  was  on  the  south  bank  of  the 
American  River,  nearly  due  north  from  the  point 
now  called  Brighton,  and  they  named  the  new 
town  "  Hoboken."  At  that  day  the  American 
River  was  navigable  to  that  point.  A  large 
town  was  laid  out  there,  with  wide  streets  and  a 
steamboat  landing.  Within  ten  days  a  place 
sprang  up  which  promised  to  be  a  rival  to  Sac- 
ramento. Three  steamers  made  daily  trips  be- 
tween the  two  places.  An  express  office  was 
established  at  Hoboken,  besides  many  other  fa- 
cilities for  commercial  business.  Trade  there 
flourished.  Many  of  the  business  firms  of  Sac- 
ramento removed  to  the  new  town,  and  the 
newspapers  of  the  city  devoted  a  page  to  tlie 
interests  of  Hoboken.  But  Hoboken  declined 
as  rapidly  as  it  had  sprung  up,  and  to-day  its 
site  constitutes  a  portion  of  a  farm. 

The  city  of  "  Boston  "  was  laid  out  at  the  con- 
fluence of  the  Americaii  and  Sacramento  rivers, 
north  of  Sacramento.  It,  however,  never  "  ma- 
terialized," and  existed  only  on  maps. 

The  population  of  Sacramento,  prior  to  Janu- 
ary, 1848,  was  comparatively  insignificant;  but 
with  the  influx  which  followed  the' discovery  of 
gold  its  augmentation  had  been  perhaps  unpre- 
cedented in  the  history  of  the  world.  The  first 
census  taken  in  the  State — in  1851 — during  the 
administration  of  President  Fillmore,  was  under 
the  superintendency  of  J.  Neely  Johnson,  as 
Census  Agent  of  this  district.  He  was  after- 
ward Governor  of  the  State.      In  that  enumera- 


tion Sacramento  was  credited  with  11,000  in- 
habitants. The  population  of  the  State  as  then 
returned  was  about  120,000.  The  Federal  cen- 
sus of  1860  credits  the  city  with  12,800;  of 
1870,  with  16,283;  of  1880,  with  21,420;  and 
the  present  year,  1889,  it  has  probably  between 
30,000  and  40,000. 

George  McDougal,  brother  of  "  I  John,"  the 
second  Governor,  was  a  prominent  character  in 
the  founding  of  Sacramento  City.  He  came 
here  from  Indiana  in  1848,  joined  Fremont's 
battalion,  and  was  with  it  in  the  memorable 
campaign  in  Southern  California.  Returning 
to  San  Francisco,  he  became  distinguished  there; 
and  when  the  mines  were  discovered  joined  the 
gold-seekers  and  had  some  exciting  experiences 
in  the  mines.  Shortly  after  the  survey  of  Sac- 
ramento City  was  made,  he  procured  a  lease  of 
a  ferry  privilege  from  Captain  Sutter  at  a  point 
below  the  entrance  of  Sutter  Lake,  and  opened 
the  first  store  in  the  place,  bringing  up  a  store 
ship  and  locating  it  near  the  foot  of  I  street. 
His  partner  was  Judge  Blackburn,  of  Santa 
Cruz.  The  arrival  of  the  son  of  Captain  Sutter 
effected  an  important  change  in  the  destiny  of 
the  new  city.  He  received  the  interest  of  his 
father  in  the  city,  and  immediately  a  question 
arose  between  him  and  McDougal  in  respect  to 
the  prerogatives  of  his  lease.  The  question  be- 
ing decided  in  favor  of  Sutter,  McDougal  became 
so  disaffected  with  the  place  that  he  determined 
to  "extinguish  the  prospects"  of  the  new  city, 
and  move  to  SutterviUe.  Transporting  all  his 
goods  to  that  point,  and  leaving  his  brother 
J-ohn  in  charge  of  them,  he  went  East.  Joiin 
then  issued  immense  placards,  declaring  that 
the  firm  over  which  he  presided  iiad  determined 
to  take  the  lead  in  competition,  and  accordingly 
would  sell  goods  at  "cost  and  freight,"  with  a 
verbal  assurance  that  if  tliey  could  not  obtain 
patronage  at  that  rate  they  would  sell  at  the 
primary  cost  of  their  merchandise.  But  the 
merchants  at  the  fort  combined  and  McDougal 
&  Co.  soon  had  to  break  up. 

George  wandered  into  Utah,  New  Mexico, 
and  adjacent  Territories,  and  meanwhile  reports 


HISTORY    OF    SACRAMENTO    COUNTY. 


of  his  death  were  received  on  the  coast.  An 
Eastern  brother  administered  on  his  estate. 
Trace  of  him  was  lost  for  years.  Finally  Cap- 
tain Brown,  of  the  ram  Stonewall,  was  going  to 
Japan  through  the  Straits  of  Magellan,  when 
some  Fatagonian  chiefs  came  aboard,  among 
whom  was  a  "hirsute,  squalid,  weather-tanned 
and  very  tattooed  man,"  none  other  than  "  Colo- 
nel George  McDougal!"  He  had  journeyed 
through  Central  America  and  various  South 
American  countries,  and  was  then  prospecting 
at  Sandy  Point,  a  savage  and  solitary  station  in 
the  straits.  He  was  the  chief  of  an  Indian  tribe! 
He  was  a  giant  in  size,  and  so  princely  and 
handsome  that  he  had  been  called  "  Lord  George 
McDougal."  Captain  Brown  says  that  after  he 
had  had  him  shaved,  cleaned  up  and  dressed  in 
good  clothes,  he  was  the  handsomest  and  most 
distinguished  looking  man  he  had  ever  seen. 
McDougal  sobbed  and  cried  when  told  of  his 
family;  but  all  entreaty  to  keep  him  on  board 
and  get  liim  back  home  was  unavailing,  as  he 
had  a  valuable  mine  which  he  was  developing 
by  aid  of  these  Indians.  However,  he  promised 
that  as  soon  as  possible  he  would  proceed  farther 
north  and  then  make  for  home.  Some  time 
afterward  Brown  chanced  to  meet  McDougal  in 
Valparaiso,  and  succeeded  in  sending  him  home. 

FIRST    ELECTION. 

Among  the  musty  old  papers  on  tile  in  the 
otBce  of  the  county  clerk  in  San  Francisco,  is  the 
original  polling  list  of  an  election  for  magis- 
trate held  in  Sacramento  District,  September 
28,  1846,  and  which  it  is  thought  was  the  tirst 
election  in  the  district.  Following  is  the  copy 
of  the  list  of  voters,  furnished  Themis  by  As- 
sistant Adjutant-General  Perrie  Kewen: 

Daniel  Sill,  William  Potter,  Ed.  J.  Minier, 
T.  J.  Siiadden,  David  Dutton,  Peter  Cadel, 
William  Johnson,  I.  Fuller,  James  Smith,  Jas. 
Tylee,  James  McDowell,  William  Northgrave, 
James  Gregson,  Ben.  Sena,  Martin  Murphy, 
Heling  Downing,  J ared  Siieldon,  Perry  McCoon, 
Gardner  T.  Wyman,  J.  A.  Sutter,  Silas  Hitch- 
cock. Edmund  Bray,  Tobias  Cade),  John  Kunye. 


The  candidates  and  the  number  of  votes  were: 
John  Sinclair,  15;  Jared  Sheldon,  8;  J.  A.  Sut- 
ter, 1. 

The  subscribers  certify  that  the  above  is  a 
correct  register  and  poll  of  votes  for  the  election 
of  a  magistrate  of  the  Sacramento  District,  held 
at  Fort  New  Helvetia,  on  the  28th  day  of  Sep- 
tember, A.  D.  1846. 

J.  A.  Sutter,  Judge. 

G.  T.  Wtman, 

J.  Tylee. 

FIRST    MAIL    TO    SACRAMENTO. 

The  schooner  John  Dunlap,  owned  jointly  by 
Simmons,  Hutchins  &  Co.  and  E.  S.  Marsh,  left 
San  Francisco  on  her  first  trip  to  Sacramento, 
May  18,  1849.  The  first  mail  was  brought  on 
her  second  trip,  when  she  sailed  June  25  and 
arrived  here  in  forty-eight  hours. 

the    first    DIRECTORY 

of  the  city  of  Sacramento  was  published  in  1851, 
by  J.  Horace  Culver,  and  -was  printed  by  the 
Transcript  press,  then  on  K  street,  between 
Second  and  Third.  It  has  ninety-six  pages, 
with  a  vast  amount  of  interesting  information, 
the  names  of  the  citizens  occupying  not  quite 
half  the  space.  A  copy  of  it  is  preserved  in  the 
State  Library. 

THE  first  public  RECEPTION  AND  BANQUET  IN 
SACEAMENTO. 

The  following  is  an  old-time  leminiscence 
from  the  memory  of  W.  M.  Siddons,  of  Sacra- 
mento: 

"In  June,  1849,  Hon.  T.  Butler  King  was 
sent  out  by  the  general  Government  to.iecon- 
noiter  the  Sacramento  Valley,  and  report  to 
Washington.  He  called  on  General  P.  F.  Smith, 
who  afterward  was  conspicuous  in  the  army  of 
the  Rebellion,  but  who  was  then  in  command  of 
the  military  of  the  Pacific;  also  upon  Commo- 
dore Jones,  in  command  of  the  navy,  to  whom 
he  presented  his  credentials  and  orders,  at  Beni- 
cia.  An  expedition  was  made  up  at  that  point, 
consisting   of  two  six-mule  teams,  one  dingay 


UISTORY    OF    SACRAMENTO    VOUNTT. 


cart,  with  supplies  for  the  trip.  A  detachment 
of  thirty  dragoons  was  formed  under  command 
of  Lieutenant  Stoneman — afterward  a  famous  war 
General,  later  Governor  of  California — to  act  as 
escort. 

"  The  e.xpedition  started  on  the  4th  day  of 
July,  184:9,  the  writer  being  one  of  the  party. 
We  reached  a  point  at  the  mouth  of  the  Feather 
River,  called  Fremont,  crossed  over  to  Ver- 
non, and  set  out  for  Sacramento,  where  we  ar- 
rived on  July?.  Lieutenant  Stoneman  was  left 
in  charge  of  the  camp  about  five  miles  from  the 
city.  General  Smith,  Commodore  Jones,  T. 
Butler  King  and  myself  came  to  the  city,  and 
were  met  by  General  Sutter,  Sam  Brannan,  E. 
F.  Gillespie,  J.  G.  Hyer,  P.  B.  Cornwall,  Colo- 
nel J.  B.  Starr,  W.  R.  Grimshaw,  and  a  large 
number  of  citizens.  After  congratulatory  re- 
marks, a  banquet  was  given  the  visitors  by  the 
citizens.  General  Sutter  had  a  considerable 
quantity  of  English  ale,  which  was  the  principal 
beverage  for  the  occasion.  Considering  the 
scarcity  of  the  commodities  that  usually  appear 
at  banquets,  this  early  effort  in  that  line  was  a 
success.  It  must  be  remembered  that  Sacra- 
mento City  was  composed  then  only  of  a  few 
buildings  and  tents. 

"  During  the  stay  we  visited  Sutter's  Fortj 
where  we  received  additional  courtesies  from 
General  Sutter.  After  making  a  tour  of  Marys- 
ville,  through  the  Yubas,  we  crossed  the  Ameri- 
can, Feather  and  Stanislaus  Rivers,  and  stopped 
at  Stockton,  about  August  1.  We  had  a  good 
reception  and  an  improvised  banquet  at  that 
place,  which  was  comprised  of  but  few  houses. 
We  moved  on  to  the  foot  of  Mount  Diablo, 
where  we  found  Dr.  Marsh,  who  owTied  a  large 
ranch,  and  who  also  entertained  us  handsomely. 
Our  circuit  was  made  in  one  month  and  eleven 
days." 

THE    FIRST    GEAND    BALL 

in  Sacramento  is  so  eloquently  described  by  Dr. 
Morse  that  we  must  quote  his  language: 

"About  the  4th  of  July  [1849],  a  grand  ball 
was  given  at  the  City  Uotel,  which  building  was 
not  yet  completed.     An   immense  and  vigorous 


effort  was  made  to  get  up  a  ball  upon  a  mag- 
nificent scale.  To  do  this,  it  was  essentially  im- 
portant that  every  Caucasian  descendant  of  Eve 
in  this  section  of  the  State  should  be  present. 
Accordingly  a  respectable  number  of  gallant 
young  gentlemen  were  commissioned  to  explore 
the  country,  with  specific  instructions  to  visit 
every  ranch,  tent  or  wagon  bed  where  there  was 
any  indication  of  feminine  divinity,  and,  irre- 
spective of  age,  cultivation  or  grace,  to  bring 
one  and  all  to  this  'aristocratic'  festal  occasion. 
These  orders  were  admirably  attended  to,  and 
at  the  opening  of  the  dance  the  hungry,  rather 
voracious  optics  of  about  200  plain-lookinggen- 
tlemen  were  greeted  with  the  absolute  presence 
of  some  eighteen  ladies,  not  Amazons  all,  but 
replete  with  all  the  adornments  that  belong  to 
bold  and  enterprising  pioneers  of  a  new  country. 
Such  a  sight  in  California  at  that  time  was  almost 
a  miraculous  exhibition,  and  tilled  men  with 
such  an  ebullition  of  sentiment  as  to  make  it 
impossible  to  breathe  without  inhaling  the  dying 
cadences  of  the  most  devoted  and  tenderly  ex- 
pressed politeness. 

"Tickets  of  admission  to  this  ball  were  $32. 
The  supper  was  most  sumptuously  prepared, 
and  champagne  circulated  so  freely  that  identity 
became  jeopardized,  and  the  very  illumination 
of  the  room  converted  into  a  grand  magnifying 
medium  for  the  revels  of  fancy  and  delights  of 
illusion." 

PRISON    BEIG. 

The  first  ship  ever  used  in  the  State  of  Cali- 
fornia as  a  "prison  brig"  was  the  bark  Straf- 
ford, which  was  moored  in  the  Sacramento 
River  opposite  the  foot  of  I  street.  It  was 
brought  here  from  New  York  in  1849.  While 
lying  at  the  foot  of  O  street  it  was  sold  at  auc- 
tion by  J.  B.  Starr,  and,  though  it  had  cost 
$50,000,  it  was  knocked  down  to  C.  C.  Haydeu 
for  $3,750!  Immediately  the  latter  sold  three- 
quarters  of  his  interest  to  Charles  Morrill,  Cap- 
tain Isaac  Derby  and  Mr.  Whiting.  In  March, 
1850,  they  rented  the  vessel  to  the  county  for  a 
"  prison  brig."  May  25,  1850,  the  others  sold 
out  their  interests  to   Charles    Morrill,  who   in- 


BISTORT    OF    SACRAMENTO    COUNTY. 


tended  the  bark  for  a  trader  between  San  Fran- 
cisco and  Panama.  It  was  loaded  at  the  levee, 
but  in  so  poor  a  manner  that  she  nearly  capsized 
on  reaching  the  Bay  of  San  Francisco.  It  was 
readjusted  and  taken  on  to  the  sea,  but  was 
never  brought  back. 

The  county  soon  afterward  purchased  the  La 
Grange,  which  had  arrived  in  California  from 
Salem,  Massachusetts.  It  was  moored  about  op- 
posite H  street.  When  the  first  freshet  of  the  high 
water  of  1861-'62  came  on,  the  vessel  pulled 
heavily  at  its  moorings,  and  the  water  came  in 
through  the  open  scams  so  rapidly  that  it  was 
only  by  great  exertions  the  prisoners  were  safely 


removed  to  the  city  jail.  The  bark  filled  and 
sank  right  there  at  the  anchors.  Sand  and  sedi- 
ment filled  the  hold  and  cabin  and  collected  in 
great  quantities  all  about  it.  Being  sold  at 
auction,  it  was  purchased  by  T.  Talbert,  who,  at 
considerable  profit,  disposed  of  it  to  a  company 
of  Chinese.  The  Celestials  went  actively  to  work 
pegging  away  at  the  carcass  of  the  old  bark, 
which  had  so  many  times  braved  storm  and 
tempest;  and  if  any  of  its  remains  were  not 
carried  off  by  them,  they  are  in  the  deep  bosom 
of  the  sand-bank  buried. 

Since  then  the  Sacramento   County  jail  has 
never  been  afloat. 


HISTORY    Of    SACRAMENTO    COUNTY. 


tg«g-.<S«: 


THE    SQUATTEE 

IMIMIIMIl^ 


CHAPTER   VI. 


JN  our  sketch  of  the  life  of  Sutter,  in  a  pre- 
vious chapter,  allusion  is  made  to  the  fact 
that  some  unprincipled  immigrants  entered 
upon  his  lands,  cut  timber,  and  stole  his  cattle, 
horses,  etc.  In  1849  others,  more  honorable 
in  their  intentions,  questioned  Sutter's  title  to 
certain  tracts,  including  the  site  of  the  city  of 
Sacramento.  Their  settling  upon  lands  claimed 
by  Sutter  soon  led  to  litigation  and  ultimately 
to  riot  and  bloodshed.  Our  account  of  this  very 
delicate  aftair  is  the  one  given  by  Dr.  John  F. 
Morse,  who  compiled  a  history  of  the  city  soon 
after  that  tragic  period,  from  official  and  other 
sources. 

Dr.  Morse  says: 

In  the  Placer  Times  of  May  5,  1849,  we  find 
the  following: 

"  NOTICE    TO    SQUATTERS. 

"  All  persons  are  hereby  cautioned  not  to 
settle,  without  my  permission,  on  any  land  of 
mine  in  this  Territory.  Said  land  is  bounded 
as  follows:  Commencing  on  the  north,  in  lati- 
tude thirty-nine  degrees,  thirty-three  minutes 
and  f(jrty-five  seconds,  at  a  point  on  the  east 
bank  of  the  Sacramento  River,  running  thence 
east  three  leagues  beyond  Feather  River;  thence 
south  to  latitude  thirty- eight  degrees,  forty-one 
minutes  and  thirty-two  seconds;  thence  west  to 
said  Sacramento  River;  thence  up  and  along  the 
course  of  said   Sacramento    River   to    its  inter- 


section with  Feather  River;  thence  in  a  westerly 
direction  up  and  along  the  course  of  the  said 
Sacramento  River  to  the  place  of  beginning,, 
excepting  a  certain  tract,  included  in  tlie  above, 
lying  on  the  east  side  of  the  said  Sacramento 
River,  bounded  on  the  north  by  latitude  thirty- 
nine  degrees  one  minute  and  forty-five  seconds, 
and  on  the  south  by  the  American  Fork,  granted 
by  the  Republic  of  Mexico  to  one  Elias  Grimes. 
"John  A.  Suttee,  Jk." 

On  the  7th  of  December,  following,  H.  A. 
Schoolcraft  petitioned  the  City  Council  to  re- 
move a  house  built  by  Charles  Robinson  upon 
property  which  he  represented.  Robinson,  whose 
sketch  appears  in  the  chapter  on  the  Legislators 
of  this  county,  was  among  the  first  to  contest 
Sutter's  title.  He  settled  upon  and  claimed  a 
lot  on  the  levee  near  I  street  and  regarded  by 
him  as  public  ground.  The  city  authorized  the 
removal.  The  next  day  a  suit  was  entered 
against  the  city  because  of  the  removal  of  the 
building,  and  it  resulted  in  favor  of  the  city. 

The  claim  that  Sutter's  title  was  no  good,  and 
that  his  grant  was  public  land  and  subject  to 
pre-emption,  had  been  promulgated  in  the  early 
part  of  the  fall  of  1849,  but  it  was  treated  by 
the  speculators  in  town  lots  and  the  owners  of 
property  with  indifl'erence.  This  treatment, 
while  it  suppressed  for  a  short  time  the  bold- 
ness of  the  squatters,  did  not  extinguish  their 
sjiirit.     They  intimated  tiiat  they  would  receive 


HISTORr    OF    SACRAMENTO    COUNTY. 


a  reiiifoi-cenieiit,  wbeu  the  immigration  arrived, 
to  secure  them  in  their  possession  of  the  prop- 
erty upon  which  they  had  settled.  This  as- 
sumption was  based  on  the  arrival  of  immigrants 
across  the  plains.  "Worn  ont  by  a  long  journey, 
and  without  money  or  homes,  they  did  not  listen 
with  indiflerence  to  the  assurance  that  by  the 
mere  locating  of  their  tents  upon  a  city  lot  it  be- 
came their  property.  Thus,  in  a  very  few  weeks, 
the  timid  and  esteemedinsignificautsquatterism, 
became  a  distinct  party  organization.  Lots  were 
staked  off  in  many  parts  of  the  city,  and  the 
squatter  title  was  boldly  presented  as  a  superior 
claim  to  that  based  upon  conveyances  and  sub 
conveyances  from  Sutter. 

The  latter  claimed  the  land  now  embraced 
within  thelimitsofthecity,throligh  agrant  from 
the  Mexican  Government  and  the  guarantees 
ot  the  treaty  of  the  United  States  with  Mexico. 
His  claim  was  sustained  by  an  actual  settle- 
ment, by  immense  and  most  useful  improve- 
ments, by  the  occupation  of  the  present  site  of 
the  city,  and  survey  made  by  a  person  whom  he 
supposed  to  be  a  competent  engineer,  and  an 
accompanying  map,  both  of  which  located  him 
upon  the  land  he  claimed.  Upon  this  claim,  he 
conveyed  the  property  to  his  son,  John  A. 
Sutter,  Jr.,  from  whom  it  had  been  purchased 
and  sold,  and  passed  through  the  hands  of  thou- 
sands of  individuals. 

Against  this  claim  the  squatters  ui-ged  that 
the  natural  boundaries  of  tlie  land  claimed  were 
not  in  keeping  with  the  imaginary  lines,  or  the 
boundaries  by  latitude  and  longitude  given  by 
the  engineer;  that  Sutter  had  not  complied  with 
the  requisitions  of  his  grant,  and  especially  that 
the  site  of  the  city  could  not  be  embraced 
witliin  the  land  granted,  as  by  the  stipulations 
it  would  not  be  subjected  to  annual  inundations, 
and  that  by  the  improvement  of  Hock  Farm 
and  New  Helvetia  he  had  overstepped  the 
boundaries  of  his  possessions  under  the  grant,   I 


either  to  the  north,  or  south;  and 


till 


engi 


iieer  had  given  the  soutliern  boundary  by  lati- 
tudinal lines,  and  as  those  lines,  when  correctly 
taken,  placed    liis   southern   limit   considerably 


above  this  point,  therefore  this:  the  site  of 
Sacramento  was  public  land  and  subject  to  pre- 
emption by  occupation  and  improvement.  The 
first  civil  suit  against  the  squatters  was  insti- 
tuted in  November,  1849,  by  John  A.  Sutter 
et  al.  vs.  George  Chapman.  A  writ  of  restitu- 
tion was  issued  by  Judge  Thomas  and  served 
by  Presley  Dunlap  of  the  sheriff's  ofiice. 

These  were  the  leading  issues  that  were  first 
developed  in  the  fall  of  1849  between  the 
squatters  and  the  anti-squatters.  The  removals 
alluded  to  gave  great  umbrage  to  the  squatters, 
and  were  not  forgotten  by  them,  although  the 
incoming  rainy  season  and  the  terrible  flood 
gave  a  temporary  buietus  to  the  subject. 

During  the  summer  of  1850,  a  Squatters' 
Association  was  formed  in  the  city.  The  first 
meeting  was  called  by  John  H.  Keyser,  at  the 
house  of  Mr.  Kelly,  who  kept  a  place  of  enter- 
tainment on  Front  street,  above  J.  At  this 
place  meetings  were  frequently  held  prior  to  the 
flood.  Sometimes  these  meetings  would  be  very 
largely  attended.  The  speakers  at  first  were  not 
only  entirely  uneducated,  but  also  so  poorly  sus- 
tained by  native  talent  as  to  incur  the  ridicule 
of  all  but  their  immediate  associates.  But  very 
soon  men  of  talent  and  tact  succeeded  them,  and 
infused  into  their  proceedings  a  degree  of 
strength  and  popular  pleading  that  made  the 
purchasers  of  Sutter  titles  watch  their  move- 
ments with  anxiety.  This  anxiety  was  produced 
by  an  attention  to  the  speaking  Squatters;  for 
as  a  general  thing  their  speeches  were  freighted 
with  denunciations  against  "Grasping  and  de- 
signing men,"  "Speculators  in  lots  and  land 
monopolists."  In  the  month  of  May  the  asso- 
ciation was  ably  sustained  by  a  most  talented 
engineer,  Colonel  John  Plum  be,  who  was  the 
regular  surveyor  and  recorder  of  the  organiza- 
tion. After  the  floods  of  January  and  March, 
a  more  thorough  and  complete  organization  of 
the  party  took  place,  and  a  deep  feeling  of  hos- 
tility sprung  up  between  the  Squatters  and  the 
purchasers  of  the  Sutter  titles.  The  members 
of  the  association  began  to  demonstrate  their 
views  Ity  squatting  upon  lots  in   different  parts 


HISTORY    OF    SACRAMENTO    COUNTY. 


of  the  city.  Contests  ensued  and  removals  oc- 
casionally eflected. 

But  on  the  10th  of  May,  the  particular  suit 
was  commenced  which  resulted  in  the  riots  of 
August,  1850.  Jolin  P.  Rodgers  and  De  Witt 
J.  Burnett  commenced  action  against  John  F. 
Madden,  in  the  Recorder's  Court,  B.  F.  Wash- 
ington presiding,  under  the  statute  providing 
for  "Unlawful  entry  and  detainer.'"  The  lot 
settled  upon  and  claimed  by  Madden  was  situ- 
ated on  the  southeast  corner  of  N  and  Second 
streets.  The  case  was  sustained  by  E.  J.  C. 
Kewen  and  R.  F.  Morrison  for  the  plaintiff's, 
and  F.  W.  Thayer  for  the  defendant.  The  lat- 
ter set  forth  the  plea  of  no  jurisdiction,  and  the 
plea  was  overruled.  He  then  instituted  the  plea 
that  the  property  was  public  land,  the  free  hold 
of  the  Government,  and  therefore  subject  to  a 
title  by  settlement  and  imprcrvement;  thatabout 
the  1st  of  March,  1850,  he  had  peaceably  en- 
tered upon  the  premises  and  made  improve- 
ments thereon.  A  demurrer  was  interposed  by 
plain tifl's  upon  the  ground  that  the  plea  set 
forth  by  defendant  was  insufficient  in  law.  The 
plea  was  overruled.  The  defendant  then  tiled 
an  affidavit  asking  a  change  of  venue  upon  the 
ground  that  the  recorder  was  biased  and  that 
he  could  not  have  a  fair  trial  in  this  city,  the 
citizens  also  being  prejudiced  against  him.  The 
application  was  refused,  and  the  case  went  to 
trial.  After  argument,  the  recorder  returned 
a  judgment  against  defendant,  fining  him  $300 
and  costs,  and  ordered  the  issuance  of  a  writ  of 
restitution. 

The  defendant  appealed  from  this  decision  to 
the  County  Court,  and  on  the  8th  of  August, 
1850,  the  case  came  up  for  hearing  before  Judge 
Willis,  of  that  tribunal.  At  this  trial  the  de- 
fendant was  assisted  by  J.  H.  McKune,  C.  A 
Tweed  and  Lewis  Aldrich.  Defendants  moved 
for  a  nonsuit,  on  the  ground  that  the  Recorder's 
Court  had  no  jurisdiction,  but  finally  by  con- 
sent the  case  was  submitted  upon  its  merits. 
The  claim  of  title  from  Sutter  being  offered -by 
plaintiffs,  deiendant  ol)jected,  and  the  objection 
was  overruled.     The  case  was  then  argued,  and 


the  following  day  judgment  was  rendered  sus- 
taining the  decision  of  the  Inferior  Court.  The 
defendant  then  asked  to  appeal  to  the  Supreme 
Court,  but  there  being  no  law  to  provide  for 
such  an  appeal,  the  motion  was  overruled.  Dur- 
ing the  proceedings  of  this  trial  both  parties 
became  excited  to  the  utmost  degree,  and  the 
Squatters,  as  a  body,  declared  against  the  resto- 
ration of  the  property  pursuant  to  the  judg- 
ments of  the  courts.  Squatters  and  Anti-squat- 
ters held  meetings  almost  every  night,  and  the 
city  was  excited. 

Almost  immediately  after  the  decision  of 
Judge  Willis  was  pronounced,  the  Squatters 
issued  the  following  poster: 

TO  THE  PEOPLE  OF  SACRAMEXTO  CITY. 

It  is  well  known  that  a  few  individuals  have 
seized  upon  nearly  all  the  arable  public  lands  in 
this  county,  and  the  following  are  some  of  the 
means  they  have  resorted  to  in  order  to  retain 
the  property  thus  taken: 

First,  They  have  used  brute  force  and  torn 
down  the  buildings  of  the  settlers  and  driven 
them  from  their  homes  by  riotous  mobs. 

Second,  They  have  used  threats  of  violence, 
even  to  the  taking  of  life,  if  the  occupant  or 
settler  persisted  in  defending  his  property,  and 
thus  extorted  from  the  timid  their  rightful 
possessions. 

Third,  they  have  passed  or  procured  the  pass- 
age of  certain  rules  in  the  so-called  Legislature 
of  California,  for  the  purpose,  as  their  attorneys 
affirm,  of  protecting  themselves  and  removing 
the  settlers  from  the  land  they  may  occupy, 
whether  right  or  wrong;  thus  settling  the  ques- 
tion of  title  in  an  assumed  legislative  body, 
which  question  can  alone  be  settled  by  the  Su- 
preme Government  of  the  United  States. 

Fourth,  Under  said  legislative  regulations,  by 
them  called  laws,  they  have  continually  har- 
rassed  the  settler  with  suits,  and  in  many  in- 
stances compelled  him  to  abandon  his  home  for 
want  of  the  means  to  pay  the  costs  of  their 
courts.  Many  others  have  paid  these  costs 
with  the  hope  ol  carrying  their  cause  through 
these  so-called  courts  to  the  proper  tribunal  for 
final  decision,  namely,  the  Supreme  Court  of 
the  United  States. 

But  these  hopes  were  vain;  for  Judge  Willis, 
so-called,  lias  decided  that  from  his  decision 
there  is  no  apjieal. 


HISTORY    OF    SACRAMENTO    COUNTY. 


And  now,  inasmuch  as  the  so-called  Legisla- 
ture is  not  recognized  by  Congress,  and  their 
rules  and  regulations  not  approved,  and  are 
therefore  of  no  binding  force  upon  the  citizens 
of  the  United  States,  but  simply  advisory;  and 
inasmuch  as  the  co-called  law  of  "Forcible 
Entry  and  Detainer,"  if  passed  for  the  purpose 
affirmed  by  their  counsel,  namely,  to  drive  off 
settlers,  with  or  without  title,  is  unconstitu- 
tional, and  would  be  in  any  State,  the  people 
in  this  community  called  settlers,  and  others  who 
are  friends  of  justice  and  humanity,  in  consid- 
eration of  the  above,  have  determined  to  disre- 
gard all  decisions  of  our  courts  in  land  cases, 
and  all  summonses  or  executions  by  the  sheriff, 
constable  or  other  officer  of  the  present  county 
or  city  touching  this  matter.  They  will  regard 
the  said  officers  as  private  citizens,  as  in  the 
eyes  of  the  constitution  they  are,  and  hold 
them  accountable  accordingly.  And,  moreover, 
if  there  is  no  other  appeal  from  Judge  AVillis, 
the  settlers  and  others,  on  the  lirst  show  of 
violence  to  their  persons  or  property,  either  by 
the  sheriff  or  other  person,  under  color  of  any 
execution  or  writ  of  restitution,  based  on  any 
judgment  or  decree  of  any  court  in  this  county, 
in  an  action  to  recover  possession  of  land,  have 
deliberately  resolved  to  appeal  to  arms  and 
protect  their  sacred  rights,  if  need  be,  with 
their  lives. 

Should  such  be  rendered  necessary  by  the 
acts  of  the  sheriff  or  others,  the  settlers  will  be 
governed  by  martial  law.  All  property,  and 
the  persons  of  such  as  do  not  engage  in  the 
contest,  will  be  sacredly  regarded  and  protected 
by  them,  whether  land-holders  or  otherwise,  but 
the  property  and  lives  of  those  who  take  the 
field  against  them  will  share  the  fate  of  war. 

Tliis  card  of  the  Squatters  increased  the  ex- 
citement in  the  community  to  such  an  intensity 
as  to  make  collision  and  blood-shed  an  inevita- 
ble result.  It  was  pronounced  to  be  a  declara- 
tion of  civil  war,  and  enlisted  many  people 
against  the  Squatters  who  had  previously  favored 
them  by  a  sort  of  passive  approbation. 

August  11,  the  Squatters  held  a  meeting 
upon  the  levee,  which  we  find  thus  reported  in 
the  Transcript  of  the  following  day: 

"The  meeting  of  the  Squatters,  at  the  foot  of 
J  street,  on  Saturday  evening  was  largely  at- 
tended. The  proceedings  were  characterized  by 
great  excitement,  with  a  mixture  of  mirtli  and 


sparkling  wit,  which  made  the  meeting  decid- 
edly '  rich  and  racy.'  When  we  arrived  Dr. 
Kobiuson,  chairman  of  the  meeting,  was  read- 
ing a  series  of  resolutions  declarative  of  the 
sentiments  of  the  Squatters.  Among  others 
was  a  resolution  to  resist  decisions  made  by 
Judge  Willis,  of  the  County  Court. 

"A  motion  was  adopted  that  the  resolutions 
be  taken  up  separately.  At  this  stage  of  the 
proceedings  loud  calls  were  made  for  different 
speakers — McKune,  Kewen,  Brannan,  Barton 
Lee,  McClatchy,  etc. 

"Mr.  McKune  appeared  on  the  stand,  and 
had  proceeded  about  three-quarters  of  an  hour, 
in  an  exposition  of  the  Sutter  title  and  defenses 
of  the  Squatters,  when  he  was  interrupted  by 
loud  cries  for  'a  new  speaker,'  'Brannan,' 
'Kewen,'  etc. 

"The  chairman'  at  length  succeeded  in  re- 
storing order,  assuring  the  audience  that  Mr. 
Brannan  should  be  heard  when  Mr.  McKune 
closed.  During  his  speech  McKune  made  a 
statement  in  regard  to  Mr.  Sutter's  place  of 
residence,  that  if  he  had  one  any  more  than 
another  it  was  at  Hock  Farm  and  not  at  the 
fort,  which  was  promptly  pronounced  as  'false' 
by  Mr.  Brannan.  This  renewed  the  commotion, 
and  amidst  a  goodly  sprinkling  of  'noise  and 
confusion'  Mr.  McKune  retired. 

"  The  cries  for  different  speakers  were  both 
'loud  and  long.'  Mr.  Brannan  and  Judge 
Wilson  took  the  stand.  The  latter  stated  he 
had  just  returned  to  the  city  with  a  complete 
translation  of  the  Mexican  laws  in  relation  to 
land  titles,  and  proceeded  to  show  that  the 
Squatters  were  vastly  mistaken  in  regard  to  one 
or  two  of  the  arguments  they  used  in  support 
of  their  rights  and  adverse  to  the  validity  of 
Captain  Sutter's  title. 

"Disorder  again  reigned  supreme,  until  Mr. 
Brannan  had  gotten  fully  under  headway.  Mr. 
Brannan  proceeded  to  show  that  he  was  justifi- 
able in  pronouncing  the  statement  made  by  Mr. 
McKune  as  being  '  false,  untrue.'  Mr.  Bran- 
nan also  adverted  to  liis  agency  in  removing  a 
Squatter    from    his  land,  '  Land   that  had   been 


BISTORT    OF    SACRAMENTO    COUNTY. 


paid  for,  with  money  lie  bad  earned  by  hard 
work.' 

"Colonel  E.  J.  C.  Kewen  was  loudly  called 
for.  After  considerable  tumult,  that  gentleman 
took  the  stand,  and  was  proceeding,  when  he 
was  interrupted  by  cries  of  '  "Who's  the  speaker?' 
'  Give  us  your  name! '  '  My  name,'  said  Colo- 
nel Kewen,  '  is  Ed  Kewen,  a  man  who  is  not 
afraid  to  face  any  populace,  or  give  expression 
to  the  honest  convictions  of  his  heart,  at  any 
time,  or  under  any  circumstances.'  'Are  you 
aland  holder?'  'Yes,  I  have  a  few  acres  of 
land,  which  I  have  honestly  acquired — land 
which  I  bought  and  paid  for.'  Colonel  Kewen 
remarked  that  many  of  those  who  were  now 
here  claiming  land  had  been  deluded  by  de- 
signing persons — that  at  heart  they  were  hon- 
est men;  and  alluded  to  the  general  integrity  of 
the  Anglo  Saxon  race.  Whilst  indulging  in 
tliis  strain,  he  was  interrupted  with  cries  of 
'  soft  soap.'  '  Yes,'  replied  the  speaker,  '  I  be- 
lieve there  is  a  little  too  much  lie  in  it,  and  I 
will  forbear.'  Colonel  Kewen  referred  to  the 
decision  of  Judge  AYillis,  and  controverted  the 
position  assumed  by  Mr.  McKune.  His  re- 
marks were  received  with  plaudits  on  one  side 
and  disapprobation  on  the  other. 

"  Dr.  Robinson,  the  chairman,  asked  leave  to 
address  the  meeting;  at  the  same  time  James 
Queen  applied  for  a  similar  favor.  Mr.  Queen 
was  denied  the  privilege,  whereupon  he  turned 
to  the  assemblage  and  put  the  question  for  per- 
mission for  the  chair,  which  was  also  refused. 
(Roars  of  laughter.) 

"  Here  there  was  a  perfect '  war  of  words '  and 
bandying  of  set  phrases,  between  the  Squatters 
and  others.  The  reading  of  the  resolutions  was 
loudly  called  for,  when  Dr.  Robinson  proceeded 
to  read  the  first,  and  then  delivered  a  speech  of 
considerable  length  in  defense  of  the  resolutions. 
Dr.  Robinson  closed  with  the  remark,  that,  as 
for  himself,  he  meant  to  defend  the  property  he 
had  settled  upon,  at  all  hazards." 

Madden  retained  possession  of  his  premises 
for  some  time,  being  defended  by  members  of 
the  association.     The  house  itself  became  a  sort 


of  garrison  for  the  Squatters.  In  it  they  kept 
a  variety  of  muskets,  pistols  and  some  very  an- 
tiquated sabres  and  swords.  The  sheriff',  Mc- 
Kinney,  in  his  endeavors  to  execute  the  writ  of 
restitution,  discovered  a  number  of  individuals, 
whom  he  knew,  among  the  party  resisting  his 
authority,  and  reported  the  names  of  James  Mc- 
Clatchy,  Charles  Robinson  and  others,  and  war- 
rants for  their  arrest  were  issued  by  Justice 
Charles  C.  Sackett.  The  excitement  continued 
to  increase,  and  hasty  and  unwarrantable  acts 
were  committed  on  both  sides  for  several  days. 
McClatchy  had  in  the  meantime  delivered  him- 
self up,  and  was  confined  in  jail  during  the  sub- 
sequent conflicts.  Madden  was  finall}'  dispos- 
sessed of  his  house,  but  recovered  it  on  the  14th 
of  August.  On  the  morning  and  through  the 
day  of  the  14th,  a  crisis  arrived,  which  can  be 
best  appreciated  by  a  re-publication  of  the  inci- 
dents as  then  recorded  by  the  journals: 

From  the  Daily  Times  of  the  loth  we  quote: 
"At  two  o'clock  a  body  of  Squatters,  number- 
ing about  forty,  proceeded  to  the  foot  of  I  street, 
on  the  levee,  and  undertook  to  regain  possession 
of  a  lot  of  ground,  which  had  been  lately  in  the 
occupation  of  one  of  their  party.  They  were 
fully  armed,  and  a  general  understanding  pre- 
vailed that  their  object  included  the  liberation 
of  the  two  men  committed  the  day  before  to  the 
prison  ship,  upon  the  charge  of  being  concerned 
in  a  riotous  assemblage  on  the  morning  of  the 
12th,  for  the  purpose  of  forcibly  resisting  the 
process  of  law.  After  the  displacement  of  some 
of  the  lumber  upon  the  ground,  the  party  of 
Squatters  were  deterred  from  proceeding  further 
in  their  intent.  The  Mayor,  Hardin  Biglow, 
had  meantime  requested  all  good  citizens  to  aid 
in  suppressing  the  threatened  riot,  and  very 
large  numbers  had  gathered  about  the  spot — ■ 
several  citizens  armed,  proceeded  also  to  the 
prison  ship — but  no  demonstration  was  made  in 
that  direction. 

"The  Squatters  retreated  in  martial  order,  and 
passed  up  I  street  to  Third,  thence  to  J  and  up 
to  Fourth  followed  by  a  crowd  of  persons.  They 
were  here  met  by  the  mayor,  who  ordered  them 


HISTORY    OP    SAOBAMENTO    COUNTY. 


to  deliver  up  their  arms  and  disperse.  This 
they  refused  to  do,  and  immediately  several  shots 
were  fired  at  him,  four  of  which  took  effect.  He 
fell  from  his  horse,  and  was  carried  to  his  resi- 
dence, dangerously  if  not  mortally  wounded.  J. 
"W.  Woodland,  who,  unarmed,  stood  near  the 
mayor  at  the  time,  received  a  shot  in  the  groin 
which  he  survived  but  a  few  moments.  A  man, 
named  Jesse  Morgan,  said  to  be  from  Millers- 
ville,  Ohio,  lately  arrived,  and  who  aa.^  seen  to 
aim  at  the  mayor,  next  fell  dead,  from  the  ef- 
fects of  a  ball  which  passed  through  his  neck. 
James  Harper  was  very  severely  but  not  danger- 
ously wounded,  in  supporting  the  sheriff.  It 
is  difficult  to  give  an  exact  detail  of  the  terrible 
incidents  which  followed  in  such  rapid  succes- 
sion. It  appeared,  from  an  examination  before 
the  coroner,  that  the  party  of  Squatters  drew  up 
in  regular  order,  on  arriving  at  the  corner  of 
Fourth  street,  and  that  the  sheriff  was  several 
times  fired  upon  before  he  displayed  any  weap- 
ons. Testimony  was  also  given  as  to  the  per- 
son who  was  seen  to  fire  upon  Woodland.  The 
mounted  leader  of  the  Squatters,  an  Irishman 
by  the  name  of  Maloney,  had  his  horse  shot 
under  him;  h6  endeavored  to  escape,  was  pur- 
sued a  short  distance  up  an  alley  and  shot 
through  the  head,  falling  dead.  Dr.  Robinson, 
one  of  the  armed  party  under  his  command,  was 
wounded  in  the  lower  part  of  his  body.  Mr. 
Hale,  of  the  firm  of  Crowell,  Hale  &  Co.,  was 
slightly  wounded  in  the  leg.  A  young  boy, 
son  of  Mr.  Rogers,  was  also  wounded.  We 
have  heard  of  several  others,  but  are  not  assured 
of  the  correctness  of  the  reports.  Upon  oath  of 
several  gentlemen,  that  they  saw  Dr.  Robinson 
deliberately  aim  at  the  mayor,  he  was  arrested 
and  placed  in  confinement.  An  Irishman,  named 
Henry  A.  Caulfield,  accused  of  a  similar  act 
with  regard  to  both  the  mayor  and  Woodland, 
was  arrested  late  in  the  afternoon.  [A  sketch  of 
Caulfield  is  given  at  the  close  of  this  chapter.] 
"  After  these  terrible  scenes,  which  occupied 
less  time  than  we  have  employed  to  describe 
them,  had  passed,  a  meeting  of  the  council  was 
held,  the    citizens    gathered    at    the    corner    of 


Second  and  J  streets,  and  other  places  through- 
out the  city,  and  proceeded  to  organize  in  parties 
to  prevent  further  outrage.  A  body  of  mounted 
men  under  the  command  of  the  sherifi',  hearing 
the  report  that  the  Squatters  were  reinforcing 
at  the  fort,  proceeded  thither.  The  lawless  mob 
was  nowhere  to  be  found;  scouts  were  dispatched 
in  all  directions,  but  no  trace  of  them  could  be 
discovered;  meanwhile  several  other  parties  had 
formed  into  rank,  and  proceeded  to  ditierent 
parts  of  the  c\iy,  establishing  rendezvous  at 
various  points.  Brigadier-General  A.  M.  Winn 
issued  a  proclamation,  declaring  the  city  under 
martial  law,  and  ordering  all  law-abiding  citizens 
to  form  themselves  into  volunteer  companies, 
and  report  their  organization  at  headquarters  as 
soon  as  possible.  At  evening,  quiet  was  fully 
restored  throughout  the  city.  Lieutenant-Gov- 
ernor McDougal,  who  left  upon  the  Senator,  and 
expects  to  meet  the  Gold  Hunter,  will  bring 
up  this  morning  a  detachment  of  troops  from 
Benicia.  An  extraordinary  police  force  of  500 
was  summoned  for  duty  during  the  night." 

By  the  minutes  of  the  council,  we  find  that 
B.  F.  Washington  was  appointed  marshal,  and 
Captain  J.  Sherwood,  assistant,  to  whom  all  per- 
sons desirous  of  making  arrests  were  requested 
to  apply  for  authority  and  aid. 

From  the  Placer  Times  Extra  of  the  15th  of 
August,  the  following  few  paragraphs  are  taken, 
as  also  a  copy  of  the  letter  found  in  Dr.  Robin- 
son's teit: 

"The  night  passed  without  the  least  disturb- 
ance. The  companies  of  Captain  Sherwood  and 
Major  Snyder,  and  the  artillery  under  Major 
Fowler,  were  constantly  on  duty;  also  a  police 
force  of  about  200.  The  greatest  vigilance  was 
observed,  but  no  farther  arrests  were  made,  and 
quiet  seems  to  be  fully  restored  throughout  the 
city.  The  public  mind  is  composed,  but  reso- 
lute and  fairly  determined  that  the  work  shall 
be  well  done  now.  The  few  persons  who  were 
heard  to  promulgate  opinions  opposed  to  the 
action  which  the  authorities  have  pursued,  have 
prudently  desisted  from  their  course,  and  but 
one  sentiment  is  known  at  this  time  among  the 


Hl^TOHY    OF    SACRAMENTO    COUNTY. 


entire  community.  The  Squatters  have  success- 
fully concealed  themselves  or  fled.  A  proposi- 
tion is  very  generally  supported  to  give  notice 
to  all  occupying  city  property  as  Squatters  to 
leave  forthwith,  and  that  their  tenements  be  de- 
molished, and  all  vestiges  of  their  presence  be 
removed.  An  early  action  in  this  direction  will 
probably  ensue.  The  most  important  develop- 
ment of  the  day  is  the  letter  found  in  the  tent 
of  Dr.  Robinson,  which  is  in  his  own  hand 
writing,  as  can  be  fully  proved.  It  is  a  damn- 
ing evidence  of  the  plans  and  purposes  which 
governed  the  proceedings  of  the  lawless  mob  of 
the  13th.  We  have  no  expression  for  the 
enormity  of  guilt  which  is  thus  brought  home 
to  them  and  all  that  abetted  their  cause. 

"  Lieutenant-Governor  McDougal  returned 
from  Benica  on  the  Gold  Hunter  this  morning, 
bringing  fifty  stand  of  arms  and  1,500  cartiidges. 

•'  The  arrangements  for  the  funeral  of  J.  W. 
Woodland  are  completed. 

'' A  general  expression  ot  admiration  is  awarded 
to  the  conduct  of  the  sheriff,  Joseph  McKinney. 
Under  the  most  critical  circumstances,  bravery 
and  discretion  have  united  to  commend  his  every 
action.  He  has  been  placed  in  positions  de- 
manding the  exercise  of  the  most  exalted  cour- 
age, and  in  the  midst  of  tlie  most  intense  excite- 
ment which  surrounded  him  his  perfect  coolness 
and  composure  did  not  desert  him.  To  these 
attributes,  as  well  as  the  foi-tune  which  favors 
the  brave,  is  the  preservation  of  his  life  owing; 
and  our  coraunmity  may  rejoice  that  such  a 
well-tried  public  officer  continues  to  hold  au- 
thority among  them.  He  was,  during  i\\e  melee 
the  mark  of  many  shots,  but  his  vigilance  and 
a  kind  Providence  protected  him. 

"We  would  allude  in  the  same  connection 
to  the  intrepid  valor  of  Recorder  Washington, 
upon  whom  the  highest  civic  powers  of  com- 
mand have  devolved  by  the  action  of  the 
council,  with  the  enthusiastic  and  unanimous 
approbation  of  the  entire  community. 

"  Sheriff  McKinney,  on  returning  from  the 
fort  yesterday,  entered  the  house  of  the  sur- 
veyor   of  the    Settlers'    Association,    and    took 


possession  of  all  records,  documents,  etc.,  found 
therein." 

Following  is  a  coj)y  of  the  letter  found  in  Dr. 
Robinson's  tent: 

"August  12,  1850. — Although  I  have  writ- 
ten one  letter,  yet,  as  I  have  been  called  upon 
by  circumstances  to  remain  in  town,  and  as  I 
have  a  little  leisure,  I  will  talk  with  you  a  little, 
my  ever  dear  S.  Since  writing  you,  we  have 
seen  much  and  experienced  much  of  a  serious 
and  important  character,  as  well  as  much  excite- 
ment. The  county  judge,  before  whom  our  cases 
were  brought,  decided  against  us,  and  on  Satur- 
day morning  declared  that  from  his  decisions 
there  should  be  no  appeal.  The  Squatters  im 
mediately  collected  on  the  ground  in  dispute,  and 
posted  on  large  bills  the  following:  '  Outrage! !  ! 
Shall  Judge  Willis  be  dictator?  Squatters,  and  ' 
all  other  republicans,  are  invited  to  meet  on 
the  levee  this  evening,  to  hear  the  details.'  It 
was  responded  to  by  both  parties,  and  the 
speculators,  as  aforetime,  attempted  to  talk 
against  time,  etc.  On  the  passage  of  a  series 
of  resolutions  presented  by  your  humble  servant, 
there  were  about  three  ayes  to  one  nay,  although 
the  Tmascrlpt  said  they  were  about  equal.  Sun- 
day morning  I  drew  up  a  manifesto,  carried  it 
with  me  to  the  church,  paid  one  dollar  for  preach- 
ing, helped  them  sing,  showed  it  to  a  lawyer, 
to  see  if  my  position  was  correct,  legally,  and  pro- 
cured the  printing  of  it  in  handbills  and  in  the 
paper,  after  presenting  it  to  a  private  meeting 
of  citizens  for  their  approval,  which  I  addressed 
at  some  length.  After  a  long  talk  for  the  pur- 
pose of  consoling  a  gentleman  just  in  from  the 
plains,  and  who  the  day  before  had  buried  his 
wife  whom  he  loved  most  tenderly,  and  a  few  days 
previous  to  that  had  lost  his  son,  I  threw  my- 
self upon  my  blankets  and  '  seriously  thought  of 
the   morrow.' 

"  What  will  be  the  result?  Shall  I  be  borne 
out  in  my  position?  On  whom  can  I  depend? 
How  many  of  those  who  are  Squatters  will  come 
out  if  there  is  a  prospect  of  a  tight?  Will 
the  sherift' take  possession,  as  he  has  promised, 
before  10  o'clock  a.  m?     How  many  speculators 


UISTORT    OF    SACRAMENTO    COUNTT. 


will  fight?  Have  I  distinctly  detined  our  posi- 
tion iu  the  bill?  Will  the  world,  the  nniverse 
and  God  say  it  is  just? — etc.,  etc.,  etc.,  Will 
you  call  me  rash  if  I  tell  you  that  I  took  these 
steps  to  this  point  when  I  could  get  but  twenty- 
live  men  to  pledge  themselves  on  paper  to  sus- 
tain me,  and  many  of  them,  I  felt,  were  timid? 
Such  was  the  case. 

"  This  morning  I  was  earl}"^  on  my  feet,  silently 
and  quietly  visiting  my  friends,  collecting  arms, 
etc.  Our  manifesto  appeared  in  the  paper  and 
in  bills  early,  and  the  whole  town  is  aroused. 
Nothing  is  thought  or  talked  of  but  war.  About 
200  men  assembled  on  the  disputed  territory, 
and  most  of  them  sympathized  with  us.  A 
few,  however,  were  spies.  We  chose  our  com- 
mander, and  enrolled  such  as  were  willing  to  lay 
down  their  lives,  if  need  be,  in  the  cause.  About 
fifty  names  could  be  obtained.  I  managed  by 
speeches,  business,  etc.,  to  keep  the  spectators 
and  fighters  mingled  in  the  mass,  all  unarmed, 
so  as  to  let  no  one  know  but  all  were  men  of 
valor,  and  ready  to  tight.  While  thus  engaged, 
the  mayor  appeared  and  addressed  us  from  his 
saddle — not  ordering  us  to  disperse,  but  advis- 
ing us  to  do  so.  I  replied,  most  respectfully, 
that  we  were  assembled  to  injure  no  one,  and  to 
assail  no  one  who  left  us  alone.  We  were  on 
our  own  property,  with  no  hostile  intentions 
while  unmolested.  After  he  left  1,  with  others, 
was  appointed  a  committee  to  wait  upon  him  at 
his  office,  and  state  distinctly  our  position,  etc., 
so  that  there  could  be  no  possibility  of  mistake. 
He  said  he  should  use  his  influence,  as  an  indi- 
vidual, to  keep  anyone  from  destroying  our 
property,  and  told  us  the  sheriff  had  just  told 
him  that  the  e.xecutionsfrom  the  court  had  been 
postponed.  We  returned,  and  after  reporting, 
and  making  some  further  arrangements  for  an- 
other meeting,  if  necessary,  we  adjourned.  I 
told  the  mayor  we  should  remain  together  if  no 
attempt  was  to  be  made  to  execute  their  war- 
rants, but  I  told  him  if  in  the  meantime  a  sheriff 
or  any  other  person  molested  a  Squatter,  we 
should  hold  him  responsible  according  to  our 
proclamation.      F"rom  this  position  we  could  not 


be  driven,  although  we  knew  it  was  in  violation 
of  the  regulations  of  the  State.  We  were  pre- 
pared to  abide  the  result. 

"It  is  said  that  a  writ  is  made  out  for  my  ar- 
rest, as  a  rebel,  etc.  If  so,  it  will  not  probably 
be  served  at  present." 

From  the  Daily  Times  of  the  16th,  the  fol- 
lowing paragraphs  are  taken: 

"  Another  day  of  gloom  arrives  in  the  dread 
succession  which  we  are  compelled  to  record. 
Scarcely  had  the  funeral  rites  been  rendered  to 
one  victim,  ere  a  second  is  immolated  upon  the 
sacred  altar  of  duty.  The  sheriff  of  this  county, 
Joseph  McKinney,  was  killed  last  evening.  He 
had  proceeded  to  Brighton  in  company  with  a 
party  of  about  twenty,  to  make  arrests  of  per- 
sons whom  he  had  been  advised  were  concerned 
in  the  riotous  outrages  of  the  14th.  On  reach- 
ing Pavilion,  and  being  assured  that  the  parlies 
sought  for  were  at  the  hotel  of  one  Allen  in  the- 
neighborhood,  it  was  arranged  that  Mr.  Mc- 
Dowell, of  Mormon  Island,  well  known  at  the 
house,  should  proceed  there,  make  observations 
and  return.  They  did  not  wait  for  him,  how- 
ever, but  soon  after  rode  up  to  the  door,  when 
the  sheriff  demanded  of  Allen  that  he  and  the 
others  should  surrender  themselves.  They  re- 
fused to  do  this,  and  immediately  several  shots 
were  fired,  mortally  wounding  Mr.  McKinney. 
He  expired  iu  a  few  moments.  Meanwhile, 
several  of  those  with  him  had  entered  the  bar- 
room, where  about  a  dozen  Squatters  were  as- 
sembled. Three  of  the  latter  were  killed  on  the 
spot.  Allen  escaped,  though  wounded.  Three 
prisoners  were  taken  and  brought  into  town. 
We  have  heard  that  a  fourth  and  a  negro  Squat- 
ter were  also  taken. 

"At  the  time  the  tirst  report  of  these  pro- 
ceedings reached  the  city,  the  council  was  iu 
session.  Messrs.  Tweed  and  Spaulding  were  ap- 
pointed to  unite  with  Captain  Sherwood  in 
taking  measures  to  meet  the  emergency.  Num- 
bers of  the  citizens  left  immediately  for  the 
scene  of  disturbance.  The  greatest  c<jmmotion 
pervaded  the  city,  and  the  most  contradictory 
and  exaggerated  rumors  were  circulated.    It  was 


BISTORT    OF    SACRAMENTO    COUNTY. 


feared  that  in  the  excitement  the  protection  of 
tlie  city  would  be  neglected.  In  the  course  of 
a  few  hours  the  facts  became  known,  and  quiet 
was  restored.  Messengers  continued  to  arrive 
throughout  the  night.  A  strict  patrol  was  kept 
in  the  vicinity  of  Brighton  and  of  the  city.  A 
man  was  arrested  by  Captain  Sherwood,  being 
identified  by  two  or  three  persons  as  implicated 
in  the  riot  of  the  14th.  We  are  denied  room 
for  comment.  But  a  few  hours  ago,  we  had  the 
satisfaction  to  give  a  just  tribute  of  appreciation 
to  the  gallant  conduct  of  the  officer  whose  sac- 
rifice we  now  relate.  Every  member  in  our 
community  feels  in  his  own  person  the  enormity 
of  the  crime  which  has  been  committed  against 
all  the  social  and  political  rights  prized  by  our 
countrymen.  A  similar  outrage  is  almost  un- 
precedented in  the  history  of  the  American  peo- 
ple, and  every  interest  of  this  community  de- 
mands that  the  retribution  should  be  summary 
and  complete." 

The  following  is  the  dispatch  sent  to  General 
A.  M.  Winn,  by  Governor  Burnett,  when  he 
heard  of  the  troubles  at  Sacramento: 

San  Jose,  Aug.  15,  1850. 
To  Brig.  Gen.  A.  21.  Winn,  Second  Brigade, 
I^irst  Division,  California  Militia: 
Sir:  It  having  been  made  to  appear  to  me 
that  there  is  a  riotous  and  unlawful  assembly, 
with  intent  to  commit  a  felony  at  Sacramento 
City,  in  Sacramento  County,  yon  will  forthwith 
order  out  the  whole  of  your  command,  to  appear 
at  Sacramento  City  on  the  16th  day  of  August, 
1850,  or  as  soon  thereafter  as  practicable;  and 
you  \v^ill  take  command  of  the  same,  and  give 
all  the  aid  in  your  power  to  the  civil  authorities, 
iti  suppressing  violence  and  enforcing  the  laws. 
Should  the  force  ordered  out  not  be  sufficient, 
you  will  forthwith  iLform  me  accordingly. 
Your  obedient  servant, 

Petek  H.   Burnett, 
Governor  of  California  and   Com'r-in-Ghief. 

On  the  morning  of  the  16th,  two  military 
companies  arrived  by  the  steamer  Senator,  from 
San  Francisco,  under  command  of  Captains 
Howard  and  McCorinick,  accompanied  by  Colo- 
nel J.  W.  Geary,  Mayor  of  San  Francisco,  and 
afterward  Governor  of  Pennsylvania,  and  they 


placed  themselves  under  command  of  General 
Winn,  who  transmitted  to  the  Co  mmon  Council 
the  following  letter: 

Brigade  Headquarters,  Aug.  17, 1850. 
To  the  Acting  Mayor  and  Common  Council  of 
Sacramento  City: 
I  have  the  honor  to  inform  you  that  the  Sec- 
ond Brigade,  First  Division,  California  Militia, 
is  now  in  readiness  to  give  aid  to  the  civil  au- 
thorities in  suppressing  violence  and  enforcing 
law.  Any  orders  emanating  from  your  board 
shall  be  promptly  attended  to. 

With  high  respect,  I  subscribe  myself  your 
obedient  servant, 

A.  M.  Winn,  Brig.  Gen. 

By  E.  J.  C.  Kewen, 
Asst.    Adj.    Gen.,    Second  Brig.,    First  Div., 
Cat.  Militia.. 

The  Council  then  made  the  following  reply : 
Council  Chamber,  Sacramento  City, 
August  17,  1850. 

Sir:  Your  communication  of  this  date  is  re- 
ceived, notifying  me  of  the  readiness  of  the  Sec- 
ond Brigade,  First  Division,  California  Militia, 
under  your  command,  to  aid  the  civil  authori- 
ties in  suppressing  violence  and  enforcing  law, 
and  stating  tliat  any  orders  emanating  from  this 
board  shall  be  promptly  attended  to.  In  reph", 
I  would  state  that  immediately  after  the  unex- 
pected riot  of  the  14tli  inst.  a  police  force  of 
500  men  was  authorized  to  be  raised,  and  B.  F. 
Washington,  Esq.,. appointed  as  marshal  to  take 
command,  aided  by  Captain  J.  Sherwood.  Thus 
far  this  force  has  proven  itself  capable  of  sus- 
taining our  laws  and  protecting  the  property  of 
our  citizen^  without  resort  to  military  aid;  and 
from  all  the  information  which  we  now  possess 
there  is  no  great  probability  of  such  aid  being 
needed.  Should  any  emergency  arise  requiring 
it,  rest  assured  we  shall  avail  ourselves  of  your 
kind  offer. 

By  order  of  the  board, 

D.  Strong, 
Pres.  Common  Council  and  Acting  Mayor. 

Two  days  afterward  the  mayor  issued  the 
following  proclamation: 

Felloxo  Citizens:  Peace,  order  and  quiet- 
ness have  re-assumed  their  sway.  Scouts  have 
returned,  after  scouring  the  neighborhood,  and 
report  the  absence  of  any  appearance  of  hostili- 
ties.    A  heavy  guard  is  constantly  maintained. 


nr STORY    OF    SACRAMENTO    COUNTY. 


and  the  city  is  safe  from  an  attack.  Reliable 
information  has  been  received  from  the  mines, 
assuring  us  of  the  falsity  of  the  rumors  of  as- 
semblages to  resist  the  law.  An  observance  of 
the  ordinance  against  discharging  lire-arms  in 
the  city  is  commanded.  Especially'  is  it  neces- 
sary at  this  time,  after  nightfall.  Officers  on 
duty  will  attend  to  this.  No  farther  disturb- 
ance is  apprehended,  butonr  vigilance  must  not 
be  relaxed. 

D.  Strong, 
Pres.  Common  Council  and  Acting  Mayor. 
August   19,  1850. 

Under  the  heading  "  Restoring  of  quiet,"  the 
Transcript  of  August  19  had  the  following: 

"We  are  happy  to  see  at  last  the  dawning  of  a 
calmer  state  of  things  in  our  midst.  Under  the 
circumstances,  the  excitement  of  the  past  few 
days  was  perhaps  unavoidable.  It  is  a  terrible 
step  for  men  to  take,  to  rise  in  armed  opposi- 
tion to  the  laws  and  constitution  of  the  State 
in  which  they  reside;  but  when  such  a  step  is 
taken,  it  must  be  promptly  met.  Our  citizens 
have  aroused  with  determination;  they  have 
rushed  in  multitudes  to  the  side  of  law  and 
authority.  The  blow  has  been  struck.  The 
armed  opposition  has  been  crushed.  The  riot- 
ers are  scattered,  and  the  authority  of  our  Gov- 
ernment is  still  maintained.  In  addition  two 
telling  moral  blows  have  been  struck  whose 
eflfect  will  last  long  in  our  community.  "We 
allude  to  the  funerals  of  Mr.  Woodland  and  of 
Mr.  McKiuney.  It  almost  seemed  as  if  the  en- 
tire city  rose  to  perform  over  them  the  last 
duties  which  were  left  to  be  performed. 

''  At  present  all  is  quiet  in  our  midst;  and  we 
trust  that  until  there  is  need  of  further  excite- 
ment, our  fellow  citizens  will  do  what  lies  in 
their  power  to  allay  the  turmoil  which  has  jos- 
tled our  city  from  its  course  of  prosperity.  The 
remote  evils  resulting  from  such  an  excitement 
as  we  have  passed  through  are  much  to  be  de- 
plored, and  should  be  avoided  if  it  is  within  the 
range  of  possibility.  The  utter  stagnation  of  all 
business,  the  cessition  of  works  of  public  im- 
provement, the  stop  placed  upon  private  works 
of  enterprise,  the  forgetfulness  of  the  thousand 
and  one  subjects  which  should   demand  the  im- 


mediate attention  of  the  public, — these  all  call 
upon  us  to  allay  the  excitement  no  longer  called 
for,  and  to  resume  our  former  condition  of 
quiet." 

The  death  of  Woodland  was  the  result  of  an 
exposure  that  was  prompted  by  one  of  the  no- 
blest impulses  of  the  human  heart.  He  was 
walking  up  the  street,  and  near  the  corner  of 
Fourth  and  J,  in  company  with  a  friend,  when  the 
Squatters  ranged  themselves  diagonally  across 
Fourth  and  J,  with  their  guns  presented  toward 
the  approaching  mayor  and  his  party.  The 
moment  he  saw  the  menacing  attitude  of  these 
men  he  exclaimed  to  his  friend,  "  Oh!  it's  too 
bad  for  these  men  to  take  such  a  stand,  for  they 
will  certainly  be  shot  down;  I  will  go  up  and 
advise  them."  In  an  attempt  to  execute  this 
intention  he  went  forward  a  couple  of  steps  when 
he  received  a  ball  that  killed  him  almost  in- 
stantly. 

After  Mayor  Biglow  had  been  disabled  by 
his  wounds  received  on  the  14th,  Demas  Strong, 
now  of  New  York  City,  became  tlie  acting 
mayor  for  the  balance  of  the  term. 

After  the  riot,  Squatterism  seemed  for  a  time 
totally  dead  so  far  as  concerned  city  property. 

A  prominent  citizen  who  lived  here  at  the 
time  of  the  riot  furnishes  the  following  ac- 
count of  the  death  of  Sheriff  McKinney: 

"At  the  conclusion  of  the  funeral  ceremonies 
of  Woodland,  the  sun  hung  low  and  red  in  the 
haze  of  the  western  horizon,  and  as  the  people 
were  returning  in  irregular  masses  to  the  city, 
a  squad  of  about  forty  mounted  men,  led  by 
Sheriff  McKinney,  were  observed  to  file  out 
upon  the  plain,  at  a  leisurely  pace,  in  a  north- 
easterly direction  toward  Brighton.  To  those 
who  had  the  curiosity  to  inquire,  it  was  whis- 
pered that  the  sheriff  had  intelligence  of  a 
meeting,  in  secret  conclave  that  evening,  of  the 
band  of  Squatters  who  had  been  engaged  in  the 
fight  the  day  befoi-e,  in  which  Woodland  had 
cost  his  life. 

"As  the  sheriff  hoped  to  surprise  his  enemy, 
he  proceeded  slowly  so  as  to  time  his  arrival  at 
the  scene  of  action  after  dark.      He  reached  the 


jirsroHY  OF  sACUAMEirro   count y. 


'  Pavilion,"  a  large  house  of  public  resort  on  the 
main  road  about  a  mile  short  of  the  house 
where  he  supposed  the  party  he  sought  would 
be  congregated,  and  there  rested  to  consult 
upon  a  plan  of  action  and  gain  further  intelli- 
gence. The  sequel  shows  that  his  information 
was  of  a  very  uncertain  sort.  About  a  mile 
beyond  the  Pavilion  was  a  small  roadside  inn, 
kept  by  one  who  was  familiarly  known  as  '  old 
man  Allen,'  and  who  was  supposed  to  be  one  of 
the  armed  band,  and  tl;is  place  was  thought  to 
be  tlie  rendezvous  of  the  scattered  Squatter 
leaders. 

"Among  the  sheriff's  party  was  David  Mc- 
Dowell, who  had  a  trading  post  at  McDowell 
Hill,  a  short  distance  above  Mormon  Island, 
and  who  was  a  frequent  traveler  on  the  road, 
and  knew  Allen  and  his  house.  McDowell 
volunteered  to  go  up  the  road,  make  an  appar- 
ently casual  call  at  Allen's,  reconnoitre  the  po- 
sition, and  return  in  as  short  a  time  as  possible. 
It  was  so  arranged,  and  it  was  understood  that 
the  sheriff  should  not  leave  the  Pavilion  until 
McDowell  returned.  The  latter,  taking  with 
him  Country  McCloskey — at  that  time  a  well- 
known  ex-hero  of  the  prize  ring,  but  yet  little  per- 
sonally known  in  Sacramento  — proceeded  upon 
what  his  nervous  companions  thought  a  perilous 
undertaking.  McDowell,  however,  had  no  fears; 
and  if  the  agreement  upon  which  he  relied — 
tliat  the  sheriff  should  await  his  return — had 
been  observed,  the  catastrophe  which  followed 
would  have  been  avoided.  McDowell  and  his 
companion  tied  their  horses  at  Allen's  door  and 
entered  the  little  bar-room  of  the  house.  They 
fonnd  Allen  and  two  or  three  strangers  there, 
but  saw  nothing  unusual.  A  few  guns  stood  in 
a  corner.  The  strangers  appeared  like  innocent 
travelers.  A  friendly  conversation  ensued,  as 
well  as  a  couple  of  drinks  at  the  bar.  The  sub- 
ject of  the  Sacramento  riot  was  not  touched  by 
either  party.  McDowell  learned  that  Allen's 
wife  was  lying  very  ill  of  typhoid  fever  in  an 
adjoining  room.  Wishing  not  to  appear  in  too 
much  haste  nor  to  excite  Allen's  suspicion  as 
to    the  object    of  their  call,  the  visitors,   after 


some  delay,  were  on  the  p^int  of  departing 
when  the  alert  ear  of  McDowell  caught  the 
sound  of  rapidly  approaching  horses,  and  di- 
vined the  truth.  The  impetuous  and  impa- 
tient young  sheriff  was  thundering  up  the 
road.  The  minutes  of  McDowell's  absence  had 
seemed  like  hours,  and  he  foared  for  the  safety 
of  his  friend.  McDowell  and  his  companion 
hastened  to  their  horses;  and  as  the  former  was 
swinging  into  his  saddle,  and  before  his  seat 
was  secured,  the  sheriff,  with  five  or  six  of 
his  party  (the  others  remaining  behind  at 
the  Pavilion),  came  upon  him  in  the  dark,  and 
with  a-cloud  of  dust  which  rendered  every- 
thing invisible,  with  such  sudden  force  as  to 
overthrow  him  and  his  steed.  It  was  but  the 
work  of  an  instant  for  the  sheriff  to  dismount, 
announce  himself  at  the  door,  and  demand  en- 
trance. At  the  same  moment  the  lights  in  the 
bar-room  were  extinguished,  and  Allen  opened 
the  door  and  discharged  the  contents  of  a  rifle 
full  in  the  bosom  of  the  sheriff.  Allen  and 
others  in  the  house  continued  firing,  and  several 
of  the  sheriff's  party  rushed  in  and  fought  an 
unknown  enemy  in  the  dark. 

"The  result  was  terrible.  McKinney  was 
instantly  killed;  another  of  the  party  was  shot 
through  the  arm  and  fainted  from  loss  of  blood. 
Two  men  were  killed  in  the  bar-room;  Allen 
was  severely  wounded  and  escaped  in  the  dark- 
ness; Mrs.  Allen  died  before  morning.  It  is 
quite  certain  this  lady's  death  was  not  caused 
or  hastened  by  the  sad  events  with  which  her 
last  hours  were  attended;  but  it  could  not  fail, 
under  such  circumstances,  to  be  counted  in  the 
catalogue  of  that  night's  fearful  tragedy.  Dr. 
Wake  Brierly,  one  of  the  sheriff's  party,  saw 
the  patient  as  soon  as  lights  were  restored,  and 
found  her  wholly  unconscious  and  in  the  last 
hopeless  condition  of  typhoid  fever. 

"Thus  perished  the  tirst  executive  officer  of 
Sacramento  County,  in  attempting  to  execute 
warrants  placed  in  his  hands  for  the  arrest  of 
Allen  and  others,  charged  with  the  violation  of 
the  law.  •  He  was  only  twenty-one  years  of 
acre,   and   of    quite    youthful   appearance.      His 


JIISTOUr    OF    SAC-RAM ENTO    COUNTY. 


ardor  to  discharge  promptly  his  duty  led  him 
into  ati  erior  of  judgment — an  error  into  which 
the  eanie  causes  might  have  led  a  cooler  and 
more  experienced  man,  and  which  was  the  im- 
mediate cause  of  a  fatal  issue.  The  town  had 
been  terrorized  by  the  open  defiance  of  the 
Squatters,  and  the  yonng  sherilt'  probabl}'  felt 
that  any  over-cautions  conduct,  or  any  apparent 
reluctance  on  his  part,  might  be  taken  by  the 
public  as   an   indication    of  a  want  of  courage. 

"Allen  made  his  way  to  •  Hangtown,'  as 
Placerville  was  then  known,  and  there,  among 
the  miners,  related  the  story  of  his  wrongs 
with  such  effect  that  it  was  feared,  both  in  Sac- 
ramento and  San  Francisco,  that  there  was 
danger  that  he  would  appear  at  the  head  of  a 
sufficient  force  and  take  vengeance  upon  the 
people  of  Sacramento.  The  Squatters  were  en- 
couraged, and  it  was  thought  they  were  secretly 
organizing  and  expecting  aid  from  the  miners, 
whom  the  excited  Sacramentans  imagined  would 
be  led  by  Allen  against  them.  The  wildest  rumors 
prevailed.  The  people  armed  and  formed  a  mil- 
itary guard.  The  city  of  San  Francisco  sent 
Mayor  Geary  with  two  military  companies,  one 
in  command  of  Captain  W.  D.  M.  Howard,  and 
the  other  in  the  command  of  Captain  McCor- 
mick,  to  aid    in    the   defense  of  the  city." 

Ben  McCulloch,  the  successor  to  the  murdered 
McKinney,  in  the  office  of  the  sheriffalty,  after- 
ward became  a  man  of  considerable  note.  He 
was  born  in  Rutherford  County,  Tennessee,  in 
1814;  as  he  grew  to  manhood  he  evinced  a  great 
fondness  for  hunting  and  adventure,  and  desired 
to  accom])any  exploring  and  trapping  expedi- 
tions to  the  mountainous  regions  of  the  AVest; 
but,  failing  to  find  such  an  opportunity,  he  went 
with  David  Crockett  to  Texas,  to  take  part  in  the 
lievolution.  Sickness  prevented  him  from  par- 
ticipation in  the  earlier  engagements,  but  in 
1830  he  joined  the  Texan  Army  under  General 
Sam  Houston,  and  was  assigned  to  the  artillery. 
He  served  gallantly  at  the  battle  of  San  Ja- 
cinto, and  afterward  was  employed  on  the  front- 
ier, surveying  and  locating  lands  in  Texas. 
Upon  the  breaking  out  of  the  Mexican  War,  he 


raised  a  company  of  Texan  "  Rangers,"  which 
was  accepted  by  General  Taylor,  won  great  honor 
at  the  battles  of  Monterey  and  Buena  Vista, 
and  rendered  gallant  service  in  the  taking  of 
the  city  of  Mexico.  He  was  appointed  United 
States  Marshal  of  Texas  by  President  Pierce. 
In  1857  he  was  appointed,  in  coninnctiou  with 
ex-Governor  Powell,  a  commissioner  to  Utah. 
At  the  time  of  the  inauguration  of  President 
Lincoln,  he  was  in  Washington,  it  was  believed, 
making  arrangements,  at  the  head  of  a  body  of 
secessionists,  to  take  possession  of  the  city;  but, 
owing  to  the  precautions  of  General  Scott,  the 
idea  was  abandoned.  He  was  subsequently 
made  Brigadier-General  in  the  Confederate 
Army  and  assigned  the  command  of  the  Arkan- 
sas forces.  In  June,  1861,  he  issued  a  procla- 
mation to  the  people  of  that  State  to  assemble 
at  Fayetteville  to  defend  the  State  against  inva- 
sion from  Missouri.  He  ct)mmanded  at  the  bat- 
tle of  Wilson's  Creek,  where  General  Nathaniel 
Lyon  was  killed;  and,  it  was  said,  having  some 
misunderstanding  with  General  Sterling  Price, 
he  surrendered  the  command  to  him.  At  the 
battle  of  Pea  Ridge,  Arkansas,  he  led  a  c(jrps 
of  troops  from  that  State  and  from  Louisiana 
and  Texas,  and  fell  on  tlie  second  day  of  the  en- 
gagement, March  7,  1862. 

Henry  A.  Caultield  was  born  in  Ireland,  in 
1827,  and  early  in  life  came  to  the  United 
States.  In  184:4  he  was  a  member  of  the  Em- 
met Guards  at  Albany,  New  York,  and  during 
the  anti-rent  troubles  in  that  State  his  company 
was  ordered  to  Colnmbia  County  to  assist  the 
authorities  in  suppressing  the  anti-renters,  who 
had  committed  various  outrages,  killing  an  un- 
der-sheriff, tarring  and  feathering  several  other 
officers,  etc. 

He  arrived  in  California  in  1849,  via  Cape 
Horn,  and  settled  in  Sacramento,  where  for  a 
time  he  was  a  carpenter  and  joiner,  and  was  act- 
ive in  Democratic  politics.  Fleeing  with  others 
at  the  time  of  the  riot  just  described,  he  was 
arrested  by  John  G.  Cleal  somewhere  between 
this  city  and  Brighton  and  brought  back  to  the 
city  strapped  on  the  back  of  a  horse  and  lodged 


HIsroHY    OF    SACRAMENTO    COUNTY. 


on  board  the  prison  brig.  The  next  Grand  Jury 
indicted  liim  and  several  others  for  murder  and 
conspiracy  to  murder.  A  nolle  prosequi  was 
subsequently  entered,  as  Governor  McDougal 
had  declared  that  he  would  pardon  them  if  con- 
victed. After  his  release  Caulfield  was  active  in 
the  Squatter  troubles  that  followed. 

About  1851  he  settled  on  a  farm  on  the  mound 
north  of  the  American  River,  about  half  a  mile 
above  its  mouth,  and  lived  there  until  the  flood 
of  1852,  when  he  sold  the  place  to  Patrick  Ban- 
non,  and  removed  to  a  ranch  south  of  the  R 
street  levee,  out  of  which  arose  most  of  his 
subsequent  troubles.       JLi 52321- 

June  19,  1851,  he  had  a  disagreement  with 
George  Wilson,  a  justice  of  the  peace  and  an 
associate  judge  of  the  Court  of  Sessions.  Wil- 
son had  made  some  offensive  remark  about  an 
attorney,  and  on  the  day  mentioned  the  attorney 
came  into  the  court-room  and  demanded  that 
Wilson  retract,  which  the  latter  declined  to  do. 
The  attorney  struck  at  him  and  the  next  instant 
received  a  stab  from  the  sword  which  Wilson  drew 
from  his  cane.  Caulfield  entered  the  room  at 
this  juncture  and  with  his  revolver  fired  several 
shots  at  Wilson,  without  hitting  him.  Wilson 
then  seized  Caulfield  around  the  neck,  with  his 
head  in  front  of  him,  presented  a  large  revol- 
ver at  his  head,  and  was  on  the  point  of  sending 
a  bullet  through  his  brain  when  R.  P.  Jacobs, 
a  policeman,  rushed  in  and  saved  Caulfleld's  life. 

At  another  time  Caulfield  had  a  difiiculty 
with  Thomas  O.  Shelby  over  land  matters;  and 
a5  he  was  coming  out  of  the  hall  of  Reed'a 
building  at  Third  and  J  streets,  Shelby  shot 
him  several  times,  wounding  him  dangerously; 
half  of  the  bullets  were  not  extracted.  On  that 
occasion  Caulfield  was  unarmed,  and  the  assault 


was  unprovoked'  on  his  part.  While  he  was 
lying  at  death's  door  a  priest  called  to  see  him, 
saying,  "  I  am  told  yoa  have  been  a  very  bad 
man."  "It's  a  dom  lie,  and  you  are  no  doctor; 
git  out  of  here!  " 

About  1856,  Caulfield  had  a  difficulty  with  a 
man  named  Miller,  about  politics  and  some 
mules.  Being  in  Miller's  house,  on  the  second 
floor,  at  night  he  attempted  to  strike  Miller 
with  a  flat-iron  during  a  quarrel,  when  Miller 
.seized  a  heavy  cane  and  broke  it  in  pieces  by 
repeated  blows  upon  Caulfleld's  head.  Caul- 
field was  forced  partly  out  of  the  window,  when 
Mrs.  Miller  interfered,  and  Miller  let  go,  and 
Caulfield  fell  to  the  ground.  Miller  sent  word 
to  the  coroner  that  he  had  killed  Caulfield.  The 
sheriff'  and  coroner  went  out  with  the  dead-wagon 
for  the  remains,  which,  however,  they  found 
had  recovered  sufliciently  to  walk  to  the  county 
hospital. 

On  another  occasion,  about  1856,  he  was 
stabbed  severely  by  Frank  Nolan  on  Front  street. 
So  severely  was  he  hurt  this  time  that  for  several 
days  he  breathed  through  the  knife  holes  in  his 
back!  During  the  encounter,  Caulfield  caught 
the  blade  of  the  knife  and  wrenched  the  instru- 
ment from  Nolan's  grasp,  wliich  of  course  cut 
his  hand  fearfully.  August  15,  1878,  Caulfield 
shot  William  G.  English  on  a  disputed  lot  south 
of  R  street,  causing  his  death  two  days  later. 
For  this  he  was  sent  to  State  prison  for  six  years. 

Besides  the  foregoing,  Caulfield  was  involved 
in  many  other  ugly  scrapes,  nearly  killing  some 
one  or  being  killed  himself;  but  finally,  on  July 
2,  188S,  as  the  evening  train  from  Folsom  was 
approaching  Fourth  street,  it  struck  him  with  a 
death  blow.  It  seems  that  he  did  not  notice 
the  "  familiar  alarm  "  of  the  whistle. 


lIIsronY    OF    SACUAMENTO    COUNTY. 


CHAPTER  YII. 


f^R.  JOHN  F.  MORSE,  iu  liis  "  History  of 
•fl  SacraTuento,"  published  in  1853,  makes 
?  this  allusion  to  what  was  probably  the  first 
election  held  in  Sacramento  District:  "  In  the 
fall  of  1848  an  election  was  held  at  the  fort 
(Sutter's)  for  first  and  second  alcaldes,  and  re- 
sulted in  the  selection  of  PVank  Bates  and  John 
S.  Fowler.  Fowler  resigned  in  the  spring  fol- 
lowing, and  H.  A.  Schoolcraft  was  elected  to 
till  the  vacancy.  In  the  spring  of  18-49,  Bran- 
nan,  Snyder,  Slater,  Hensley,  King,  Cheever, 
McCarver,  McDougall,  Barton  Lee,  Slater,  Dr. 
Carpenter,  Southard  and  Fowler  were  elected  a 
Board  of  Commissioners  to  frame  a  code  of  laws 
for  the  district.  Pursuant  to  the  wish  of  this 
legislating  committee,  the  people  convened  to- 
getiier  under  a  broad-spreading  oak  at  the  foot 
of  I  street.  The  report,  which  was  then  offi- 
cially submitted  and  which  was  duly  accepted  by 
the  sovereigns  assembled,  provided  tlie  following 
officers  of  a  jurisdiction  extending  from  the 
Coast  Range  to  the  Sierra  Nevada,  and  through- 
out the  length  of  the  Sacramento  Valley,  to-wit: 
One  alcalde  and  a  sheriff".  H.  A.  Schoolcraft 
was  then  elected  alcalde  and  A.  M.  Turner, 
sheriff^.  This  constituted  the  judiciary  of  North- 
ern California  up  to  the  time  that  those  changes 
took  place  in  very  rapid  succession  after  the 
immigration  of  1849  began  to  concentrate  at 
Sacramento." 


In  1871  a  history  of  Sacramento  was  pub- 
lished in  Crocker's  Directory,  written  by  D.  J. 
Thomas,  and  we  make  the  following  extract 
from  it,  which  in  part  relates  to  the  same  event 
that  Morse  alluded  to: 

"  The  first  attempt  to  establish  a  civil  govern- 
ment under  American  ideas  of  government  was 
made  on  April  30,  1849,  when  a  mass  meeting 
of  the  then  residents  of  Sacramento  City  and 
other  portions  of  Sacramento  District  was  held 
at  the  Embarcadero  to  devise  a  means  for  the 
government  of  the  city  and  district.  At  this 
meeting  Henry  A.  Sciioolcraft  presided,  Peter 
Slater  was  Vice-President  and  James  King  of 
William  and  E.  J.  Brooks,  Secretaries.  Samuel 
Brannan  explained  the  object  of  the  meeting, 
and  it  was  resolved  that  a  Legislature  of  eleven 
members  should  be  elected,  '  with  full  powers  to 
enact  laws  for  the  government  of  the  city  and 
district.'  It  was  also  determined  to  hold  the 
election  forthwith,  and  Henry  Bates,  M.  D., 
M.  T.  McCiellan,  Mark  Stewart,  Ed.  H.  Von 
Pfister  and  Eugene  F.  Gillespie  were  appointed 
judges.  The  vote  resulted  in  the  election  of 
John  McDougall,  Peter  Slater,  Barton  Lee,  John 
S.  Fowler,  j".  S.  Robb,  Wm.  Pettit,  Wm.  M. 
Carpenter,  M.  D.,  Chas.  G.  Southard,  M.  M. 
McCarver,  James  King  of  William  and  Samuel 
Brannan,  but  upon  the  announcement  of  the  re- 
sult Robb  declined  to  accept,  and  Henry  Cheever 


UISTOliY    OF    S.WliAMENTO    COUHTY. 


was  chosen  to  till  tlie  vacancy.  [Whether  the 
list  given  by  Morse  or  this  one  is  correct  we 
cannot  decide.]  The  eleven  were  immediately 
sworn  in,  and  some  time  afterward  adopted  a 
code  that  no  laws  were  wanted  and  that  all  the 
ofScers  necessary  for  '  the  District  of  Sacra- 
mento, bounded  on  the  north  and  west  by  the 
Sacramento  River,  on  the  east  by  the  Sierra 
Nevadas,  and  on  the  south  by  the  Cosnranes 
liiver,  were  one  alcalde  and  one  sheriff.  They 
then  submitted  the  code  to  the  people  for  adop- 
tion or  rejection,  and  asked  them  at  the  same 
time  to  vote  for  ofticers.     The  code  was  adopted. 

"Nothino;  further  toward  forming  a  local  gov- 
ernment was  attempted  until  after  the  proclama- 
tion of  General  Riley  (the  military  Governor) 
was  issued  at  Monterey  on  June  3.  In  fact 
nothing  seemed  necessary,  if  theft  was,  by  com- 
mon consent,  punished,  as  the  Tunes  says,  '  by 
giving  the  offender  thirty  oi'  forty  rawhide  lashes, 
and  then  ordering  him  off,  not  to  return  under 
penalty  of  death.'  " 

General  B.  Riley,  the  military  Governor  of 
California,  issued  a  proclamation  for  an  election 
to  be  held  August  1,  1849,  lo  elect  delegates  to 
a  general  convention  and  for  tilling  several  nec- 
essary offices.  On  July  5,  a  meeting  was  held 
and  a  committee  was  appointed  to  organize  the 
district  into  precincts,  apportion  the  representa- 
tion, and  nominate  the  candidates  to  be  voted 
for.  The  committee  consisted  of  P.  B.  Corn- 
wall, C.  E.  Pickett,  Wm.  M.  Carpenter,  Samuel 
Brannan,  John  McDougall,  W.  Blackburn,  J. 
S.  Robb,  Samuel  J.  Hensley,  Mark  Stewart,  M. 
M.  McCarver,  John  S.  Fowler  and  A.  M.  "Winn. 
On  the  14th  the  committee  reported,  recom- 
mending the  places  for  polls,  etc.  At  the  elec- 
tion tliat  followed  the  vote  was  as  follows:  For 
delegates  to  the  Constitutional  Convention: 
Jacob  R.  Snyder,  469;  John  A.  Sutter,  468; 
John  Bidwell,  462;  AY.  E.  Shannon,  458;  L. 
W.  Hastings,  450;  W.  S.  Sherwood,  446;  M. 
M.  McCarver,  296;  John  S.  Fowler,  289;  John 
McDougall,  281;  Chas.  E.  Pickett,  193;  W. 
Blackburn,  192;  E.  O.  Crosby,  189;  R.  M. 
Jones,  179;   W.  Lacey,  123;  James  Queen,  180. 


For  local  offices — Wm.  Stout,  Henry  E.  Robin- 
son, P.  B.  Cornwall,  Eugene  F.  Gillespie,  T.  L. 
Chapman,  Berryman  Jennings,  John  P.  Rodg- 
ers,  A.  M.  Winn  and  M.  T.  McClellan  were 
elected  a  City  Council  without  opposition,  and 
by  an  average  vote  of  424.  Jas.  S.  Thomas  was 
elected  First  Magistrate  by  393  votes,  against 
twenty-two  for  S.  S.  White,  and  tive  for  J.  S. 
Fowler.  J.  C.  Zabriskie  was  elected  Second 
Magistrate;  H.  A.  Schoolcraft,  Recorder;  and 
D.  B.  Hanner,  Sheriff. 

Under  the  call  for  the  Constitutional  Conven- 
tion, the  district  was  entitled  to  but  four  dele- 
gates, and  J.  R.  Snyder,  W.  E.  Shannon,  W.  S. 
Sherwood  and  J.  A.  Sutter  were  the  representa- 
tives, but  afterward  the  representation  was  in- 
creased to  fifteen,  and  in  addition  to  the  original 
four,  the  following  were  appointed:  L.  W.  Hast- 
ings, John  Bidwell,  John  S.  Fowler,  M.  M.  Mc- 
Carver, John  McDougall,  E.  O.  Crosby,  W. 
Blackburn,  James  Queen,  K.  M.  Jones,  W.  Lacey 
and  C.  E.  Pickett. 

In  October  the  convention  adjourned,  and  an 
election  was  called  for  Tuesday,  November  13, 
1849,  to  vote  on  the  constitution,  for  State  offi- 
cers, and  for  representatives  in  the  Legislature. 
At  that  election  the  vote  of  Sacramento  District 
stood  as  follows:  For  the  Constitution,  4,317; 
against  it,  643.  For  Governor — P.  H.  Burnett, 
2,409;  J.  A.  Sutter,  856;  Thomas  McDowell, 
87;  W.  S.  Sherwood,  1,929;  William  M.  Stew- 
art, 448.  For  State  Senators— John  Bidwell, 
3,474;  Thomas  J.  Green,  2,516;  Elisha  O. 
Crosby,  2,610;  Henry  E.  Robinson,  2,328; 
Murray  Morrison,  2,171;  Hardin  Biglow,  1,407; 
Gilbert  A.  Grant,  1,687;  Charles  E.  Pickett, 
905.     The  first  four  were  elected. 

The  county  was  formally  organized  when  the 
Legislature  passed  "  an  act  subdividing  the  State 
into  counties  and  establishing  the  seats  of  jus- 
tice therein,"  February  18,  1850,  and  Section 
17  of  it  defined  the  boundaries  of  Sacramento 
County  as  follows:  •'  Beginning  at  a  point  ten 
miles  due  north  of  the  mouth  of  the  American 
River,  and  running  thence  in  an  easterly  direc- 
tion to  the  iunction  of  the  north  and  south  forks 


niSTOBY    OF    SACRAMENTO    COUNTY. 


of  said  river;  thence  up  the  middle  of  the  prin 
cipal  channel  of  the  south  fork  to  a  point  'one 
mile  above  the  head  of  Mormon  Island,  so  as  to 
include  said  island  in  Sacramento  County;  thence 
in  a  southerly  direction  to  a  point  on  the  Co- 
siimnes  River  eight  miles  above  the  house  of 
William  Daylor;  thence  due  south  to  Dry  Creek; 
thence  down  tlie  middle  of  said  creek  to  its 
entrance  into  the  Moquelumne  Eiver,  or  into  a 
large  slough  in  tiie  tule  marsh;  thence  down 
the  middle  of  said  slough  to  its  junction  with 
the  San  Joaquin  River;  thence  down  the  mid- 
dle of  said  river  to  tlie  mouth  of  the  Sacra- 
mento River,  at  the  head  of  Suisun  Bay;  thence 
up  the  middle  of  the  Sacramento  to  the  mouth 
of  Merritt's  Slough;  thence  up  the  middle  of 
said  slough  to  its  head;  thence  up  the  middle 
of  the  Sacramento  River  to  a  point  due  west  of 
the  place  of  beginning,  and  thence  east  to  the 
place  of  beginning.  The  seat  of  justice  shall 
be  at  Sacramento  City. 

The  first  election  law  appointed  the  first 
Monday  in  October  the  day  for  holding  the 
election  for  State  oificers,  and  denominated  that 
the  general  election.  The  first  Monday  in  April 
was  designated  as  the  day  for  the  election  of 
county  officers  and  was  called  the  county  elec- 
tion. The  Legislature  of  1851  repealed  the 
clause  relating  to  the  county  election  and  pro- 
vided that  it  should  be  held  the  same  time  with 
the  State  election,  and  the  time  for  holding 
the  general  election  was  changed  from  the  first 
Monday  in  October  to  the  firft  Wednesday  in 
September,  and  it  has  since  remained  that  way. 
The  terms  of  the  county  ofiicers  commenced 
originally  on  the  first  Monday  in  May,  1850,  but 
the  Legislature  of  1851  changed  it  so  that  the 
term  commenced  on  the  first  Monday  in  Oc- 
tober following  the  election.  In  1863  the 
Legislature  changed  the  law  again  so  that  the 
official  terms  commenced  on  the  first  Monday 
in  March  following  the  election,  and  it  remains 
60  now. 

These  were  the  first  county  officers,  and  they 
were  elected  April  1,  1850,  to  serve  from  April, 
1850,    to    April,   1852;  County    Judge,    E.    J. 


Willis;  Sheriff",  Joseph  McKinney;  Clerk,  Pres- 
ley Dunlap;  Recorder,  L.  A.  Birdsall;  District 
Attorney,  William  C.  Wallace;  County  Attor- 
ney, John  H.  McKune;  Treasurer,  Wm.  Glas- 
kin;  Assessor,  David  W.  Thorpe;  Surveyor,  J. 
G.  Cleal;  Coroner,  P.  F.  Ewer.  J.  S.  Thomas 
was  elected  District  Judge  by  the  Legislature 
of  1849-50,  and  he  resigned  January  1,  1851. 
Tod  Robinson,  lately  deceased,  was  appointed 
January  2,  1851,  and  served  till  the  first  part 
of  August,  when  Ferris  Forman,  who  was  Sec- 
retary of  State  during  the  administration  of 
John  B.  Weller,  succeeded  him  on  the  14th  of 
August,  1851,  and  presided  one  month.  On 
the  15th  of  September,  1851,  Lewis  Aldrich 
became  District  Judge.  The  sheriff",  Joseph 
McKinney,  was  killed  near  Brighton  on  the 
evening  of  August  15,  1850,  the  day  after  the 
Squatter  riot,  and  at  a  special  election  held  the 
first  Monday  in  September,  Ben  McCullough 
was  elected  to  fill  the  vacancy.  The  Legislature 
of  1851  abolished  the  office  of  county  attorney, 
and  assigned  the  duties  of  the  otfice  to  the 
district  attorney.  In  the  meantime  AVallace 
resigned,  and  Milton  S.  Latham,  afterward  Gov- 
ernor, succeeded  to  the  office  of  district  attor- 
ne}',  October  18,  1850.  Wm.  Glaskin  resigned 
the  office  of  treasurer  August  22,  1850,  and 
John  W.  Peyton  was  appointed  to  fill  the  va- 
cancy. Peyton  resigned  November  29,  1850, 
and  Charles  II.  Swift  was  appointed  treasurer 
and  collector  by  the  Court  of  Sessions,  of  which 
he  was  a  member,  to  fill  the  vacancy. 

The  court  of  criminal  jurisdiction  was  termed 
the  Court  of  Sessions,  and  it  was  composed  of 
the  county  judge  and  two  associates.  These  as- 
sociates were  elected  by  a  convention  of  justices 
of  the  peace,  held  the  first  Monday  in  October, 
in  each  j-ear,  except  the  first  convention,  which 
was  held  May  20,  1850,  and  then  C.  C.  Sackett 
and  Charles  H.  Swift  were  elected  associates. 
This  court  filled  vacancies  in  office  in  the  county 
and  attended  to  the  financial  affairs  of  the  county 
in  early  times.  When  Swift  was  elected  county 
treasurer,  James  Brown  was  elected  associate  in 
his  stead,  and   assumed   the  duties   of  his  office 


HISTORY    OF    SACRAMENTO    COUNTY. 


February  7,  1851.  August  14,  following,  D. 
D.  Bullock  succeeded  Brown. 

The  following  county  officers  were  elected 
September  3,  1851,  and  served    from    October, 

1851,  to  October  5,  1853:  County  Judge,  E. 
J.Willis;  Sheriff,  A.  D.  Patterson;  Clerk,  L. 
B.  Harris;  Recorder  and  Auditor,  W.  S.  Long; 
District  Attorney,  Geo.  H.  Cartter;  Treasurer, 
Cyrus  Rowe;  Assessor,  W.  A.  Selkirk;  Sur- 
veyor, John  G.  Cleal;  Coroner,  S.  J.  May;  Pub- 
lic Administrator,  John  Q.  Brown;  Associate 
Justices,  George   Wilson   and  James  B.  Gates. 

The  Legislature  of  1852  provided  for  a  Board 
of  Supervisors  in  the  different  counties  to  trans- 
act the  financial  business.  On  the  14:th  of  June, 

1852,  a  special  election  was  had,  and  John 
Noyes,  Louis  Z.  Hagen,  James  S.  Meredith, 
James  Martin  and  E.  M.  Pitcher  were  elected. 
Meredith  was  elected  chairman  when  the  board 
organized.  The  last  meeting  of  the  Court  of 
Sessions  was  held  July  6, 1852.  At  the  general 
election,  held  September,  1852,  these  members 
were  elected:  William  McNulty,  Luther  Curtis, 
John  A.  Watson,  H.  H.  Lewis  and  H.  B.  Wad- 
dilove.  Watson  was  elected  chairman,  and  the 
board  did  the  county  business  till  May  16,  1853, 
after  which  time  the  Court  of  Sessions  assumed 
control  of  the  civil  affairs  of  the  county. 

Tliese  county  officers  were  elected  September 
7,  1853,  and  served  from  October  of  that  year 
to  October,  1855:  County  Judge,  John  Heard; 
Sheriff,  D.  N.  Hunt;  Clerk,  Abner  C.  Hunter; 
Recorder  and  Auditor,  John  L.  Craig;  District 
Attorney,  James  H.  Hardy;  Treasurer,  G.  Gris- 
wold;  Assessor,  H.  J.  Bidleman;  Surveyor,  W. 
L.  DeWitt;  Coroner,  Ephriam  Smith;  Public 
Administrator,  James  B.  Mitchel. 

In  1855  the  Legislature  passed  another  act 
relative  to  Boards  of  Supervisors,  and  as  the  Su- 
preme Court  had  decided  that  the  constitution 
contemplated  that  the  business  concerns  of  the 
different  counties  should  be  managed  l)y  the 
boards,  the  Court  of  Sessions  could  not  act, 
and  the  counties  again  elected  Boards  of  Super- 
visors. The  first  election  under  the  act  of 
1885    was   held   April   2.   aixl    the    board   then 


elected  commenced  its  sessions  early  in  May. 
J.  L.  Howard,  L.  P.  Ormsby  and  F.  S.  Mum- 
ford  constituted  the  board,  and  Howard  was 
the  chairman.  In  September.  1855,  L.  R. 
Beckley,  Josiah  Johnson  and  S.  R.  Caldwell 
were  elected  the  board,  and  Johnson  was  chosen 
chairman. 

■  On  the  5th  of  September,  1855,  the  following 
county  officers  were  elected,  and  they  served  from 
October,  1855,  to  October  1, 1857 ;  County  Judge, 
John  Heard;  Sheriff;  W.  S.White;  Clerk,  C.  H. 
Bradford;  Recorder  and  Auditor,  John  Q.  Brown; 
District  Attorney,  Frank  Hereford;  Treas- 
urer, David  Maddux;  Assessor,  J.  F.  Turner; 
Surveyor,  E.  A.  Sherman;  Coroner,  R.  Bell; 
Public  Administrator,  Gordon  Backus;  Super- 
intendent of  Common  Schools,  F.  W.  Hatch. 
Hatch  was  the  first  school  superintendent  elected 
by  the  people.  Previous  to  the  time  he  went 
into  office  the  county  assessor  performed  the 
duties  of  that  office.  The  Board  of  Supervisors 
of  1856  was  composed  of  L.  R.  Beckley,  A 
Spinks  and  Julius  Wetzler,  and  Beckley  was 
chairman.  In  1857  the  members  were  Jared 
Irwin,  C.  C.  Harrington  and  Frank  Hastings, 
and  the  latter  was  chairman. 

The  following  county  officers  were  elected 
September  2,  1857,  and  served  from  October 
5,  1857,  to  October  5,  1859:  County  Judge,  R. 
Robinson;  Sheriff,  W.  S.  Manlove;  Clerk,  J.  B. 
Dayton;  Recorder  and  Auditor,  Jerome  Madden; 
District  Attorney,  Robert  F.  Morrison;  Treas- 
urer, Morgan  Miller;  Assessor,  E.  Black  Ryan; 
Surveyor,  John  G.  Cleal;  Coroner,  J.  P.  Counts; 
Public  Administrator,  L.  R.  Beckley;  School 
Superintendent,  N.  Slater.  The  Legislature  of 
1858  consolidated  the  government  of  the  city  and 
county  and  increased  the  Board  of  Supervisors 
five  members,  making  the  president  of  the  board 
a  separate  office.  In  April  a  special  election  was 
held,  when  H.  L.  Nicliols  was  elected  Presi- 
dent, and  Mark  Hopkins,  J.  A.  Carroll,  S.  C. 
Fogus,  E.  Stockton  and  W.  K.  Lindsey  the  new 
members.  These,  with  the  old  members,  met 
May  8, 1858.  In  September,  1858,  at  the  general 
election,    a  board  was  clecti'd   consistinir  of  the 


HISTORY    OF    SACRAMENTO    COUNTY. 


following:  E.  Granger,  John  Leavitt,  Sylvester 
Marshall,  H.  T.  Holmes,  I.  N.  Babcock,  John 
1>.  Taylor,  L.  C.  Goodman  and  W.  K.  Lindsey. 
The  president  was  continned  another  year.  Au- 
gust 4, 1859,  B.  H.  Hereiord  was  elected  a  mem- 
ber in  j^lace  of  Lindsey,  resigned.  These  were 
the  members  of  1859:  President,  AVm.  Shat- 
tuck;  members,  E.  Granger,  John  Leavitt,  R. 
L.  Bobertson,  A.  Henley,  L  N.  Balicock,  A.  M. 
Green,  L.  C.  Goodman  and  Larkin  Lamb.  S. 
Marshall  served  until  October  11,  when  he  was 
succeeded  by  Mr.  Eobertson.  Thomas  Letson 
was  tlie  Cleik,  he  being  the  first  elected  under 
the  confolidation  act.  On  the  12th  of  October, 
1859,  Thomas  Hunt  was  elected  a  member,  in 
place  of  Goodman,  resigned. 

The  following  were  the  county  ofiicers  that 
were  elected  September  7, 1859,  and  served  from 
October,  1859,  to  October,  1861:  County  Judge, 
Bobert  Bobinson;  Sheriff,  Sylvester  Marshall; 
Clerk  and  Becorder,  Jerome  Madden;  District 
Attorney,  Cornelius  Cole;  Treasurer,  C.  L.  Bird; 
Assessor,  E.  B.  Ryan;  Surveyor,  J.  G.  Cleal; 
Coroner,  D.  Murray;  Public  Administrator, 
Jared  Irwin;  School  Superintendent,  F.  W. 
Hatch ;  Clerk  Board  of  Supervisors  and  Auditor, 
Thomas  Letson.  Len  Harris  was  elected  County 
Warden  in  1861,  but  the  ofhce  was  abolislied. 
The  Board  of  Supervisors  in  1860  was  composed 
of  E.  Granger,  Thomas"Hansbrow,P.  H.Bussell, 

A.  Henley,  J.  S.  Woods,  A.  M.  Green,  S. 
Waterman  and  Larkin  Lamb.  The  president, 
Shattuck,  was  continued.  These  were  the  mem- 
bers of  the  board  in  1861:  President,  Williatn 
Shattuck;  E.  Granger,  Thomas  Hansbrow,  P.  H. 
Russell,  S.  Ilite,  J.  S.  Woods,  Jacob  Dickerson, 
S.  Waterman,  and  John  Hall. 

On  the  4th  of  September,  1861,  an  election 
was  held  for  county  officers,  and  the  following 
were  elected,  who  served  from  October  7,  1861, 
to  March  7,  1864:  County  Judge,  Robert  C. 
Clark;  Sheriff,  Benjamin  N.  Bugbey;  Clerk  and 
Recorder,  Jared  Irwin;  District  Attorney,  W. 
W.  Upton;  Treasurer,  C.  L.  Bird;  Assessor,  E. 

B.  Ryan ;  Surveyor,  G.  W.  Colby ;  Coroner,  J.  W. 
Reeves;  Public    -Vdniinistrator,   F.  McCombcr; 


School  Superintendent,  F.  W.  Hatch;  Clerk 
Board  of  Supervisors  and  Auditor,  Josiah 
Howell.  Bird  absconded  and  James  C.  McDon- 
oiigh  was  appointed  Treasurer  by  the  Board 
of  Supervisors.  The  Boiird  of  Supervisors  in 
1862  was  composed  of  E.  Granger,  N.  L.  Drew, 
Thomas  Ross,  S.  Hite,  J.  L.  Graves,  Jacob 
Dickerson,  D.  L.  Williams  and  J.  Hall.  Shat- 
tuck continued  to  be  President.  In  1863  the 
Legislature  divided  the  city  and  county  govern- 
ments and  reduced  the  Board  of  Supervisors  for 
the  county  lo  five  members.  In  the  spring  the 
new  organization  was  effected,  and  the  board 
was  composed  of  the  following:  A.  C.  Bidwell, 
Thomas  Ross,  Joseph  Hull,  H.  A.  Thompson  and 
Dwight  Hollister — Ross,  Chairman. 

At  the  same  election  (September  2, 1863),  the 
following  county  officers  were  elected,  and  they 
served  from  March,  1864,  to  March,  1866: 
County  Judge,  R.  C.  Clark;  Sheriff,  James  Mc- 
Clatchy;  Clerk  and  Recorder,  A.  C.  Bidwell; 
District  Attorney,  M.  M.  Estee;  Treasurer,  F. 
S.  Lardner;  Assessor,  P.  R.  Beckley;  Surveyor, 
G.  W.  Colby;  Coroner,  J.  W.  Reeves;  Public 
Administrator,  J.  E.  Miller;  School  Superin- 
tendent, Sparrow  Smith;  Clerk  of  Board  of  Su- 
pervisors and  Auditor,  Josiah  How-ell  At  the 
general  election  in  September,  1863,  the  follow- 
ing were  elected  members  of  the  Board  of  Su- 
pervisors: D.  W.  Clark,  Thomas  Ross,  Joseph 
Hull,  H.  A.  Thompson  and  Dwight  Hollister. 
Thompson  failed  to  serve,  and  on  the  16th  of 
November  Jesse  Couch  was  elected  in  his  place. 
These  were  elected  for  a  term  of  two  years,  and 
they  took  their  seats  the  first  Monday  in  Octo- 
ber', 1863. 

An  election  was  held  September  6, 1865.  The 
following  were  elected  to  fill  the  various  county 
offices,  and  they  se.rved  from  March  5,  1866,  to 
March,  1868:  County  Judge,  Robert  C.  Clark; 
Sheriff,  James  Lansing;  Clerk  and  Recorder,  E. 
D.  Shirland;  District  Attorney,  James  C.  Goods; 
Treasurer,  Ezra  Woolson;  Assessor,  E.  Black 
Ryan;  Surveyor,  A.  G.  Winn;  Coroner,  Joseph 
A.  Conboie;  Public  Administrator,  Findley  R. 
D)-ay;   School    Superintendent,    F.   W.    Hatch; 


HISTOBT    OP    SACRAMENTO    COUNTY. 


Clerk  of  Board  of  Supervisors  and  Auditor,  W. 
A.  Anderson;  members  of  the  Board  of  Super- 
visors, D.  W.  Clark,  M.  McManns,  Joseph 
Hull,  Jesse  Couch,  William  Beckman — Hull, 
Chairman. 

On  the  4th  of  September,  1867,  an  election 
was  held,  and  the  following  were  elected  to  the 
county  offices,  and  they  served  from  March,  1868, 
to  March,  1870:  Sheriff,  Edward  F.  White 
(contested  by  Hugh  M.  Larue);  Clerk,  W.  B.  C. 
Brown;  District  Attorney,  James  C.  Goods; 
Treasurer,  A.  Spinks;  Assessor,  F.  li.  Dray; 
Surveyor,  John  Doherty;  Coroner,  J.  P.  Counts; 
Public  Administrator,  William  Shattnck;  School 
Superintendent,  Augustus  Trafton ;  Clerk  Board 
of  Supervisors  and  ex-officio  Auditor,  W.  A. 
McWilliams;  Board  of  Supervisors,  John  Do- 
mingos,  C.  H.  Hoss,  Benjamin  Bailey,  James  S. 
Meredith,  William  Beckman.  Meredith  was 
President.  These  members  were  elected  for  two 
years,  and  under  the  provisions  of  the  statute 
in  force  at  the  time  of  their  election  their  term 
of  office  would  expire  in  October,  1869,  but  the 
Legislature  of  1867-'68  extended  the  term  of 
the  members  from  the  Third,  Fourth  and  Fifth 
districts — Bailev,  Meredith,  Beckman — to  1871, 
making  the  term  four  years. 

An  election  was  held  September  1,  1869,  and 
the  following  were  elected  to  the  county  offices, 
and  served  from  March,  1870,  to  March,  1872: 
Sheriff,  J.  S.  Wood ;  Clerk,  W.  B.  C.  Brown ; 
Treasurer,  Alfred  Spinks;  Recorder  and  ex- 
officio  Auditor,  W.  A.  McWilliams;  Assessor, 
F.  R.  Draj;  District  Attorney,  John  X.  Alex- 
ander; Surveyor,  A.  G.  Winn;  Coroner,  J.  P. 
Counts;  School  Superintendent,  Augustus  Traf- 
ton; Public  Administrator,  William  Shattuck; 
Board  of  Supervisory,  John  Domingos,  James 
H.  Groth,  Benjamin  Bailey,  James  S.  Meredith 
and  William  Beckman. 

At  the  general  election  held  September  0, 
1871,  the  following  were  elected  to  fill  the 
Cv^.unty  offices  from  March,  1872,  till  March, 
1874:'  Sheriff,  Mike  Bryte;  Clerk,  Lauren  Up- 
son; Treasurer,  Jolin  Bellmer;  Recorder  and 
Auditor,  Jesse  A.  Stewart;  Assessor,  F.  R.  Dray; 


District  Attorney,  Henry  Starr;  Surveyor,  John 
Prentice;  Coroner,  J.  AV.  Wilson;  School  Su- 
perintendent, S.  H.  Jackman;  Public  Adminis- 
trator, IS.  G.  Feldheim;  Board  of  Supervisors, 
John  Domingos,  James  H.  Groth,  James  S. 
Meredith,  S.  B.  Moore  and  J.  V.  Sims.  Sep- 
tember 3,  1873,  there  were  elected  Daniel 
Brown,  J.  J.  Bauer,  L.  Elkus  and  H.  O.  Sey- 
mour. 

At  the  same  election  the  following  were 
elected  county  officers:  Sheriff,  Hugh  M.  La 
Rue;  Collector  of  Taxes,  Joseph  W.  Houston; 
Clerk,  Ham.  C.  Harrison;  Treasurer,  John  Bell- 
mer; District  Attorney,  Charles  T.  Jones;  Re- 
corder, Matthew  Clarken;  Auditor,  Jesse  A. 
Stewart;  Public  Administrator,  H.  S.  Beals; 
Superintendent  of  Schools,  G.  R.  Kelly;  Sur- 
veyor, Ed.  Murray;  Coroner,  J.  P.  Counts;  Com- 
missioner of  Highways,  S.  D.  Johnson.  The 
Supervisors  serving  in  1874-'75  were,  James  S. 
Meredith,  S.  B.  Moore,  Daniel  Brown,  J.  Y. 
Sims,  H.  O.  Seymour,  L.  Elkns,  J.   A.  Mason. 

The  September  election  of  1875  resulted  in 
the  following  list:  Sheriff,  M.  M.  Drew;  Clerk, 
A.  A.  Wood;  District  Attorney,  C.  T.  Jones; 
Assessor,  James  Lansing;  Treasurer,  D.  E. 
Callahan;  Auditor,  R.  C.  Lowell;  Public  Ad- 
ministrator, G.  F.  Bronner;  Surveyor,  A.  G. 
Winn;  Coroner,  R.  K.  Wick;  Superintendent 
of  Schools,  F.  L.  Landes;  Supervisors,  S.  B. 
Moore,  Edward  Christy,  P.  R.  Beckley;  those 
holding  over  were,  L.  Elkus,  Daniel  Brown,  II. 
O.  Seymour,  J.  A.  Mason.  A.  S.  Hopkins  and 
F.  R.  Dray  served  to  fill  the  vacancies  caused 
by  the  deatlis  of  Seymour  and  Mason. 

In  September,  1877,  the  officers  elected  were: 
Sheriff,  M.  M.  Drew;  Clerk,  Thomas  H.  Berkey; 
Treasurer,  D.  E.  Callahan;  Auditor,  William 
E.  Gerber;  District  Attorney,  George  A.  Blanch- 
ard;  Superintendent  of  Schools,  F.  L.  Landes; 
Pul)lic  Administrator,  Troy  Dj-e;  Surveyor, 
John  Prentice;  Coroner,  A.  J.  Vermilya.  The 
Supervisors  serving  during  the  year,  October, 
1877,  to  October,  1878,  were,  S.  B.  Moore,  J. 
W.  Wilson,  J.  J.  Bauer,  P.  R.  Beckley,  Samuel 
Blair,    Daniel     Brown,    Edward    Christy.       In 


HISTORY    OF    SACRAMENTO    COUNTT. 


1878-'79  Benjamin  Bailey  served  in  the  place 
of  Mr.  Moore. 

The  county  officers  elected  in  September,  1879, 
were:  Sheriif,  Adolph  Heilbron;  Clerk,  Thomas 
H.  Berkley;  Assessor,  Joseph  W.  Houston; 
Auditor,  "William  E.  Gerber;  Treasurer,  Ezra 
"Woolson;  Public  Administrator,  George  F. 
Brenner;  District  Attorney,  Henry L.  Buckley; 
Superintendent  of  Schools,  Charles  E.  Bishop; 
Coroner,  A.  J.  Yermilya;  Surveyor,  James  C. 
Pearson;  Supervisors,  1879-'80,  J.  W.  Wil- 
son, Benjamin  Bailey,  P.  E.  Beckley,  Edward 
Christy,  S.  W.  Butler,  Samuel  Blair  and  John 
F.  Dreman. 

By  an  act  of  the  Legislature  of  1882,  the 
time  of  election  was  changed  to  November, 
making  the  day  correspond  with  that  for  the 
election  of  President  of  the  United  States.  In 
November  of  that  year,  the  following  were 
chosen  as  county  officers:  Sheriff,  A.  H.  Estill; 
Clerk,  C.  M.  Coglan;  Assessor,  John  T.Griffitts; 
Treasurer,  A.  S.  Greenlaw;  District  Attorney, 
John  T.  Carey;  Auditor  and  Recorder,  W.  E. 
Gerber;  Public  Administrator,  George  Y.  Bron- 
ner;  Coroner,  J.  Frank  Clark;  Surveyor,  J.  C. 
Pierson;  Supervisors,  J.  F.  Dreman,  J.  W. 
Wilson,  Samuel  Blair,  S.  W.  Butler,  Edward 
Christy,  P.  R.  Beckley,  Benjaman  Bailey. 

At  the  election  held  November  4,  1884,  the 


following  county  officers  were  elected:  Sheriff, 
J.  W.  Wilson;  Clerk,  W.  B.  Hamilton;  Audi- 
tor and  Recorder,  J.  Henry  Miller;  District  At- 
torney, Henry  L.  Buckley;  Treasurer,  George 
E.  Kuchler;  Public  Administrator,  F.  H.  Rus- 
sel;  Coroner,  J.  Frank  Clark;  Surveyor,  J.  C. 
Pierson;  Supervisors,  B.  tJ.  Steinman,  George 
O.  Bates,  George  C.  McMuUen,  S.  J.  Jackson, 
L.  H.  Fassett. 

November  2, 1886,  the  following  were  elected : 
Clerk,  W.  B.  Hamilton;  Sheriff,  M.  M.  Drew; 
Assessor,  A.  L.  Frost;  Treasurer,  John  L.  Hun- 
toon;  District  Attorney,  Elwood  Bruner;  Audi- 
tor and  Recorder,  J.  H.  Miller;  Superintendent 
of  Schools,  B.  F.  Howard;  Public  Administra- 
tor, S.  B.  Smith;  Coroner,  J.  Frank  Clark;  Sur- 
veyor, J.  C.  Pierson;  Supervisors,  H.  C.  Ross 
and  F.  F.  Tebbets.  During  the  year.  Miller 
resigned  as  Auditor  and  Recorder,  and  Frank 
T.  Johnson  was  elected  to  succeed  him. 

At  the  election  held  November  6,  1888,  the 
following  were  chosen:  Sheriff,  George  C.  Mc- 
Mullen;  Clerk,  W.  B.  Hamilton;  Auditor  and 
Recorder,  Frank  T.  Johnson ;  District  Attorney, 
Elwood  Bruner;  Treasurer,  John  L.  Huntoon; 
Public  Administrator,  G.  W.  Harlow;  Coroner, 
J.  Frank  Clark;  Surveyor,  J.  C.  Boyd;  Super- 
visors, Andrew  Black,  George  O.  Bates,  Erskine 
Greer.     Ross  and  Tebbets  held  over. 


nitSTORY    OF    SACRAMENTO    COUNTY. 


CHAPTER    VIII. 


;E  PRESENT  below  a  list  of  the  per- 
sons who  have  represented  Sacramento 
County  in  the  Legislature  since  the 
organization  of  the  State  Government,  together 
with  remarks  as  to  their  present  residence,  etc. 
At  the  first  session  the  members  represented 
Sacramento  District,  which  included  the  entire 
northern  portion  of  the  State — there  being  at 
that  time  no  county  subdivisions.  The  consti- 
tution of  1849  provided  that  until  the  Legisla- 
ture should  divide  the  State  into  counties,  and 
into  senatorial  and  assembly  districts,  the  Dis- 
trict of  Sacramento  should  be  entitled  to  four 
senators  and  nine  assemblymen.  It  appears 
from  the  following  list  that  the  district  had 
twelve  assemblymen.  This  is  accounted  for  by 
the  fact  that  Cornwall  resigned  January  28, 
1850,  and  was  succeeded  on  March  4  by  Deal; 
White  resigned  February  9,  1850,  and  was  suc- 
ceeded on  March  15  by  Henley,  and  Dicken- 
son's seat  was  declared  vacant  December  18, 
1849,  and  Bigler  was  seated  in  his  place.  The 
first  Legislature,  on  April  4,  1850,  made  Sacra- 
mento County  the  Twelfth  Senatorial  District, 
and  provided  that  it  should  be  represented  by 
one  senator  and  three  assemblymen.  On  May 
1, 1851,  the  county  was  constituted  the  Eleventh 
Senatorial  District,  to  be  represented  by  two 
senators  and  four  assemblymen.  On  May  18, 
1861,  in  the  reapportionment  the  county  was 
made  the  Sixteenth  Senatorial  District,  to  be 
represcnteil  by  two  senators  nnd  five  assembly- 


men. This  apportionment  was  retained  in  the 
Political  Code  which  was  adopted  March  2, 1872. 
On  May  16,  1874,  the  county  was  made  the 
Eighteenth  Senatorial  District,  to  be  represented 
by  two  senators  and  three  assemblymen.  On 
March  8,  1883,  in  the  present  apportionment 
Sacramento  County  was  constituted  the  Thir- 
teenth Senatorial  District,  to  be  represented  by 
one  senator;  and  by  the  act  of  March  13,  1883, 
the  First  and  Third  wards  of  the  city  were 
constituted  the  Eighteenth  Assembly  District; 
the  Second  fand  Fourth  wards  the  Nineteenth 
District,  and  the  balance  of  the  county  the 
Twentieth  District,  each  of  which  is  entitled  to 
one  assemblyman.     The  list  is  as  follows: 


1849-'50— John  Bidwell,  Elisha  O.  Crosby, 
Thomas  J.  Green  and  Henry  E.  Robinson.  Bid- 
well  is  one  of  the  very  earliest  pioneers  who 
came  to  this  State,  having  arrived  here  in  1841. 
He  came  by  the  overland  route,  and  the  journey 
occupied  six  months.  He  had  charge  of  Forts 
Bodega  and  Ross,  and  also  of  General  Sutter's 
Feather  River  possessions.  During  the  war 
with  Mexico  he  entered  the  army  and  rose  to 
the  rank  of  Major.  He  was  the  first  man  to 
find  gold  on  the  Feather  River,  in  1848.  He 
was  elected  from  Sacramento  District  to  the  first 
Constitutional  Convention,  but  did  not  serve; 
and  was  a  delegate  to  the  Charleston  (Demo- 
cratic) National  Convention  in  1860.     He  was 


HISTORY    OF    SACRAMENTO    COUNTY. 


elected  to  Congress  from  tlie  old  Third  District 
November  8,  1864.  lie  ran  in  the  Republican 
Convention  for  the  nomination  for  Governor  in 
1867,  but  was  defeated  by  George  C.  Gorham, 
who  was  beaten  at  the  election  by  Henry  H. 
Haight.  In  1875  Bidwell  was  nominated  for 
Governor  on  the  Independent  ticket,  but  was 
defeated  by  William  Irwin,  the  Democratic 
nominee.  General  Bidwell  now  lives  at  Chico, 
where  he  is  extensively  engaged  in  agriculture. 
Crosby  arrived  in  California  in  December,  1848. 
He  was  a  member  of  the  first  Constitutional 
Convention,  and  has  lived  at  Alameda  for  many 
years,  where  he  now  serves  as  justice  of  the 
peace.  Green  was  elected  a  Major-General  by 
the  Legislature  April  11,  1850.  He  left  here 
in  early  days,  and  died  in  Warren  County,  JNorth 
Carolina,  December  13,  1863.  Robinson  was  a 
lawyer  by  education,  but  followed  merchandis- 
ing. He  arrived  in  San  Francisco  in  March, 
1849,  in  the  California,  the  first  steamer  that 
ever  entered  that  port.  In  his  will  he  left  some 
$40,000  to  be  used  by  the  Board  of  Supervisors 
of  San  Francisco  for  the  benefit  of  the  poor  of 
that  city.  He  was  a  member  of  the  first  coun- 
cil of  this  city,  and  an  early  postmaster.  For 
many  years  he  resided  in  Alameda  County,  where 
he  amassed  a  large  fortune.  He  died  in  Nor- 
walk,  Connecticut,  January  9,  1880. 

1851 — Henry  E.  Robinson. 

1852 — Henry  E.  Robinson  and  James  11. 
Ralston.  Ralston  was  for  many  years  a  leading 
lawyer  in  this  city.  He  went  to  Washoe  at  the 
breaking  out  of  the  mining  excitement  there, 
and  afterward  settled  at  Austin.  When  ram- 
bling over  the  county  in  search  of  mineral  ledges 
in  May,  1864,  he  lost  his  way,  and  after  wander- 
ing many  days  and  nights,  succumbed  to  starva- 
tion. His  body  was  discovered  and  buried  by 
Indians,  but  was  afterward  disinterred  and  buried 
at  Austin. 

1853 — James  H.  Ralston  and  A.  P.  Catlin. 
A  biography  of  Judge  Catlin  appears  in  another 
department  of  this  work. 

1854— A.  P.  Catlin  and  Gill,ert  W.  Colby. 
Colby  was   a   jiionecr,  and    in   early  days   i-an  a 


ferry  across  the  Upper  Sacramento  at  Colby's 
Landing.  He  was  county  surveyor  here  from 
1862  to  1866.  He  lived  at  Nord  for  many 
years,  and  then  located  at  Martinez,  and  became 
interested  in  banking.  He  died  at  San  Fran- 
cisco, August  20,  1881. 

1855— Gilbert  W.  Colby  and  A.  S.  Gove. 
The  latter,  a  merchant,  returned  to  Vermont, 
and  died  there  many  years  ago.  lie  was  a 
member  of  the  City  Council  when  he  was  elected 
to  the  Senate. 

1856— A.  S.  Gove  and  W.  I.  Ferguson.  Fer- 
guson, a  native  of  Illinois,  was  shot  in  a  duel 
with  George  Pen  Johnston,  and  died  September 
14,  1858,  at  San  Francisco,  from  the  effects  of 
his  wound.  He  was  a  lawyer  of  ability,  and  an 
effective  and  popular  speaker.  He  was  nick- 
named "Ipse  Doodle."  He  was  a  man  of 
unusual  courage,  and  it  is  said  that  when  he 
received  the  wound  that  caused  his  death,  he 
exclaimed,  "I  am  a  gone  community,"  and  fell. 
His  remains  are  interred  in  the  State  plat  of  our 
city  cemetery.  George  Pen  Johnston  died  at 
San  Francisco,  March  4,  1884. 

1857 — W.  I.  Ferguson  and  Josiah  Johnson. 
Johnson  was  at  one  time  a  supervisor,  and  sub- 
sequently city  trustee.  He  died  in  this  city, 
December  10,  1888. 

1858 — W.  I.  Ferguson  and  Josiah  Johnson. 

1859— J.  M.  McDonald  and  Dr.  Johnson 
Price.  McDonald  removed  to  San  Francisco 
years  ago,  and  is  now  one  of  the  prominent 
capitalists  and  mining  men  of  that  city.  Price, 
who  was  elected  at  a  special  election  to  fill  the 
Ferguson  vacancy,  was  a  Kentuckian.  He  had 
been  a  member  of  the  convention  to  revise  the 
constitution  of  his  native  State,  and  an  officer 
during  the  Mexican  war.  He  came  to  this 
State  in  1849,  and  practiced  medicine  in  this 
city.  On  January  10,  1860,  he  was  appointed 
Secretary  of  State  by  Governor  Latham,  and 
held  that  oflice  until  the  expiration  of  the  term 
of  Governor  Downey.  He  afterward  was  a 
stock-bi'oker  in  San  Francisco,  and  died  there  of 
consumption  on  February  8,  1868. 

I860— J.  M.  McDonald  and  R()l)ert  C.  Clark. 


III.nVHY    OP    SACRAMENTO    COUNTY. 


Judge  Clark  was  a  son  of  James  Clark,  an  early 
Congressman,  Supreme  Judge  and  Governor  of 
Kentucky.  He  arrived  in  California  in  1853, 
and  settled  here  to  practice  law.  In  1861  he 
was  elected  county  judge,  and  was  continuously 
re-elected  to  that  office  until  it  was  abolished  by 
the  new  constitution.  In  1879  he  was  elected 
a  superior  judge  of  the  county,  and  filled  that 
office  until  the  time  of  his  death — January  27, 
1883. 

1861— R.  C.  Clark  and  E.  II.  Heacock.  The 
latter  practiced  law  here  for  several  years.  He 
was  city  attorney  from  1863  to  1867.  He  re- 
moved to  Santa  Cruz  and  was  for  many  years 
county  judge  there.  He  then  located  in  Santa 
Barbara  County,  and  on  January  15,  1880,  was 
appointed  superior  judge  of  that  county  by 
Governor  Perkins,  to  succeed  Eugene  Faucett, 
deceased,  who  will  be  recollected  as  the  judge 
who  tried  Sprague  for  the  killing  of  More. 
Heacock  at  present  represents  the  counties  of 
San  Luis  Obispo,  Santa  Barbara  and  Ventura  in 
the  State  Senate. 

1862— E.  II.  Heacock  and  Dr.  A.  B.  Nixon. 
The  latter  has  practiced  medicine  in  this  city 
many  years,  and  is  now  in  charge  of  the  Rail- 
road Hospital.  He  was  among  the  first  in  this 
State  who  espoused  the  principles  of  the  Re- 
publican party.  Latterly  the  Doctor  has  been 
prominently  identified  with  the  Prohibition 
movement,  and  in  the  spring  of  1884  ran 
against  J.  Q.  Brown  for  mayor  on  the  Prohibi- 
tion ticket.  He  also  ran  as  a  St.  John  elector 
in  1884. 

1863— Dr.  A.  B.  Nixon  and  Newton  Booth. 
A  sketch  of  the  latter  will  be  found  in  the  bio- 
graphical department  of  this  volume. 

1863-'64— J.  E.  Benton  and  E.  II.  Heacock. 
Benton  was  at  that  time  a  minister  at  Folsom. 
It  is  related  of  him  that  on  one  occasion  in 
Sacramento  he  was  so  shocked  by  some  irrever- 
ent remark  he  overheard  a  young  rough  make, 
that  he  gave  him  a  reprimand.  The  young 
man,  after  hearing  the  reproof,  asked  him 
ratlier  pointedly  who  he  was,  when  Benton  re- 
plied, "  I  am  a  follower  of  the  meek  and   lowly 


Jesus."  "Well,"  was  the  rejoinder,  "if  I  was 
the  meek  and  lowly,  and  a  fellow  looking  like 
you  was  following  me,  I  would  hit  him  in  the 
nose."  Benton  built  the  first  church  that  was 
erected  in  Folsom.  He  was  afterward  post- 
master of  Oakland,  and  died  there,  February 
18,  1888. 

1865-'66— J.  E.  Benton  and  E.  II.  Heacock. 

lS67-'68— E.  H.  Heacock  and  N.  Greene 
Curtis.  Judge  Curtis  arrived  in  California  in 
May,  1850,  and  was  recorder  or  police  judge  of 
this  city  from  1853  to  1855.  He  has  practiced 
law  among  ns  since  the  early  days,  and  the 
reputation  he  has  acquired  as  a  criminal  lawyer 
is  second  to  that  of  no  other  practitioner  in  the 
State.  Soon  after  his  arrival  in  Sacramento  he 
was  appointed  deputy  postmaster,  and  shortly 
afterward  his  principal,  Jonathan  Tittle,  went 
East  on  business,  leaving  Curtis  in  charge  of 
the  office.  While  Tittle  was  absent,  Richard 
Eads  came  out  with  a  notification  that  he  had 
been  appointed  to  that  office.  Curtis  refused 
to  give  it  up  until  Eads  presented  his  commis- 
sion and  filed  his  bond,  and  he  retained  the 
office  until  those  necessary  fornialities  were  ar- 
ranged— some  seven  months.  When  Eads  came 
in  he  retained  Curtis  until  the  latter  was  elected 
recorder.  The  Judge  is  a  prominent  Mason, 
and,  although  a  Democrat,  has  been  elected  in 
this  Republican  county  to  the  Legislature  every 
time  his  party  has  been  fortunate  enough  to  in- 
duce him  to  run. 

18G9-'70— N.  Greene  Curtis  and  A.  Comte. 
Jr.  The  latter  is  now  a  lawyer  in  Sau  Fran- 
cisco, but  graduated  from  the  public  schools  of 
Sacrameuto  and  from  Harvard  College,  and  was 
admitted  to  the  bar  from  our  law  offices. 

1871-*72  —  A.  Comte,  Jr.,  and  James  A. 
Dutfy.  The  latter  resided  in  San  Francisco  for 
several  years.  For  a  long  time  he  was  chief 
clerk  of  the  old  California  Steam  Navigation 
Company  here,  and  for  a  time  was  clerk  in  the 
office  of  the  Secretary  of  State  under  Melone. 
He  died  in  Lake  County,  in  September,  1889. 

1873-'74— James  A.  Duflfy  and  Henry  Edger- 
ton.     The  latter  is  a  native  of  Vermont,  and  a 


IIISTORT    OF    SACRAMENTO    COUNT T. 


distinwiiislied  lawyer.  He  serFed  for  several 
terms  as  district  attorney  of  Napa  County,  and 
as  such  conducted  the  prosecution  of  Edward 
McGowan  for  his  connection  with  the  killing  of 
Jatnes  King  of  William,  the  editor  of  the  San 
Francisco  Bulletiii,  out  of  which  grew  the 
vigilance  committee  of  1856.  He  was  Senator 
from  Napa  County  in  1860  and  1861;  ran  un- 
successfully for  Congress  in  1861  and  1882; 
was  a  member  of  the  late  Constitutional  Con- 
vention; was  the  only  Republican  presidential 
elector  elected  in  1880,  and  was  re-elected  to 
that  office  in  1884.  He  died  in  San  Francisco, 
November  4,  1887. 

1875-'76— Henry  Edgerton  and  Creed  Hay- 
mond.  The  latter  has  a  national  i-eputation  as 
a  lawyer.  He  arrived  in  California  from  Vir- 
ginia in  1852,  and  practiced  in  Plumas  County 
for  many  years,  then  removed  to  this  city,  and 
was  appointed  one  of  the  commissioners  to  draft 
a  code  of  laws  for  the  State.  He  was  a  dele- 
gate to  the  last  three  National  Republican  Con- 
ventions. He  now  holds  a  prominent  position 
in  the  law  department  of  the  Central  Pacific 
Railroad  Company  at  San  Francisco. 

1877-'78— Creed  Haymond  and  N.  Greene 
Curtis. 

1880 — Grove  L.  Johnson  and  William  John- 
ston. Find  Johnson's  sketch  elsewhere  by  the 
index.  Johnston  is  a  wealthy  fruit-grower  at 
Richland.  He  served  for  a  time  as  a  member 
of  the  State  Board  of  P^qualization,  by  appoint- 
ment from  Governor  Perkins,  and  was  a  dele- 
gate to  tiie  National  Republican  Convention  of 
1880.  In  1886  he  was  a  prominent  candidate 
for  the  Republican  nomination  for  Lieutenant- 
Governor. 

1881 — Grove  L.  Johnson  and  William  John- 
ston. 

1883— Frederick  Cox  and  Joseph  Routier. 
Cox  is  one  of  the  most  prominent  land-owners 
and  stock-raisers  in  the  State,  and  has  been  for 
years  a  bank  director.  A  sketch  of  Routier  ap- 
pears elsewhere  in  this  volume. 

1885^Frederick  Cox  and  Joseph  Routier. 

1887— Findley  R.  Dray.      A   full    biography 


of  this  gentleman  may  be  found  elsewhere  by 
the  index. 

1889— Findley  R.  Dray. 


ASSEMBLYMEN. 


1849-'50— H.  C.  Cardwell,  P.  B.  Cornwall, 
Rev.  W.  Grove  Deal,  W.  B.  Dickenson,  T.  J. 
Henley,  E.  W.  McKinstry,  John  Bigler,  George 
B.  Tingley,  Madison  Walthal,  Dr.  Thomas  J. 
White,  John  T.  Hughes  and  John  F.  Williams. 
Cardwell  died  at  Los  Angeles,  July  4,  1859. 
Cornwall  arrived  in  Sacramento  in  August, 
1848,  was  a  member  of  the  first  City  Council, 
and  has  been  for  several  years  and  is  now  a 
prominent  business  man  in  San  Francisco. 
Cornwall,  with  Sam  Brannan,  foreseeing  that  a 
great  city  would  very  soon  spring  up  at  the 
head  of  navigation  on  the  Sacramento  River, 
came  up  from  San  Francisco  to  purchase  a  suit- 
able site.  They  perceived  that  Sutterville  was 
the  most  eligible  spot  on  which  to  locate  the 
place,  but  were  unable  to  effect  satisfactory  ar- 
rangements with  L.  W.  Hastings,  the  owner  of 
the  land  there.  They  had  passed  two  launches 
loaded  with  supplies  for  the  mines,  on  the  way 
up  the  river,  and  after  their  failure  to  make 
terms  with  Hastings,  returned  and  met  them, 
and  induced  them  to  land  their  cargoes  at  the 
Sutter  Embarcadero— Sacramento.  From  this 
little  circumstance  a  trading  post  was  estab- 
lished here,  and  before  many  months  a  city 
had  grown  up.  They  arranged  with  Sutter  for 
an  interest  in  the  land,  and  had  the  city  laid 
out.  Had  Hastings  arranged  with  them,  there 
is  no  doubt  that  the  city  would  have  been 
located  on  bis  land. 

Henley,  the  father  of  Congressman  Barclay 
Henley,  was  a  native  of  Indiana,  where  he  was 
born  in  1807  In  that  State  he  served  several 
terms  in  the  Assembly,  and  was  once  speaker. 
He  was  a  Congressman  from  Indiana  for  three 
terms,  serving  with  President  Lincoln.  In  1840 
he  arrived  in  California,  and  engaged  in  bank- 
ing at  Sacramento.  He  was  elected  presidential 
elector  in  1852;  chosen  postmaster  of  San  Fran- 
cisco   in    1853;    appointed     Superintendent    of 


HISTORY    OF    SACRAMENTO    COUNTY. 


Indian  Affairs  in  1854,  and  defeated  for  presi- 
dential elector  in  1868.  He  died  on  his  farm 
at  Round  Valley,  Mendocino  County,  on  May 
1,  1875.  McKinstry  is  a  native  of  Michigan, 
and  arrived  in  California  in  March,  1849.  He 
was  elected  judge  of  the  Seventh  District,  No- 
vember 2,  1852;  re-elected  September  1,  1858; 
elected  judge  of  the  Twelftii  District  (San  Fran- 
cisco) October  20,  1869,  but  resigned  in  the 
latter  part  of  1873,  having  been  elected  a  jus- 
tice of  the  Supreme  Court  on  October  15,1873. 
He  was  re-elected  supreme  justice  on  Septem- 
ber 3,  1879,  and  resigned  October  1,  1888. 
Bigler  was  a  Pennsylvanian,  and  a  journalist 
and  lawyer.  He  arrived  in  Sacramento  in 
1849,  and  employed  himself  as  an  auctioneer 
and  a  wood-chopper.  He  was  for  a  time  speaker 
of  the  first  Assembly;  was  elected  Governor 
September  3,  1851;  re-elected  September  7, 
1853;  defeated  for  that  ofhce  in  1855;  served 
as  United  States  Minister  to  Chili  from  1857  to 
1861;  defeated  for  Congress  in  1863;  served  as 
a  delegate  to  the  National  Democratic  Conven- 
tions of  1864  and  1868;  appointed  Assessor  of 
Internal  Revenue  for  this  district  in  1866,  and 
edited  the  State  Capital  Re-porter  from  January, 
1868,  until  his  death,  November  29,  1871.  His 
remains  repose  in  the  city  cemetery.  Tingley 
was  a  native  of  Ohio.  He  was  a  brilliant  law- 
yer. He  removed  to  Indiana,  and  there  served 
in  the  Legislature  with  Vice-President-elect  T. 
A.  Hendricks  and  T.  J.  Henley.  He  served  as 
an  officer  in  the  Mexican  war;  came  across  the 
■plains  to  California  in  1849  with  Henley;  was 
an  unsuccessful  candidate  for  the  United  States 
Senate;  was  defeated  for  Congress  in  1851. 
He  died  at  San  Francisco,  August  3, 1862.  His 
daughter,  Mrs.  Lawrence  (Ridinghood),  is  the 
talented  lady  correspondent  to  newspapers. 
White  was  speaker  until  February  6,  when  he 
resigned  the  office,  and  was  succeeded  by  Bigler 
AVhite  was  once  a  city  councilman,  and  died  at 
Los  Angeles  in  December,  1861.  Deal  was  a 
Methodist  minister,  and  was  elected  to  succeed 
Cornwall,  who  resigned,  and  qualified  March  4, 
1850.     He  is  now  living  in  the  East. 


1851 — John  Bigler,  D.  J.  Lisle  and  Dr.  Chas. 
Robinson.    Lisle  built  the  Twelfth  street  bridge 
across   the   American   River,   and    died   in   San 
Francisco,   lebruary  8,  1855.     He  was  elected 
at  a  special  election  on   December  21,  1850,  to 
fill  a  vacancy  caused   by  the  death   of  L.  Dun- 
lap,   who    had   been   elected,  but  who  died  of 
cholera  before  the  meeting  of  the  Legislature. 
Robinson  came  here  from   Massachusetts,  and 
was   prominently   identified   with    the  Squatter 
element  in  this  city  in  1850.      He   was  second 
in  command  of  the  forces  of  that  party  in  the 
riot  which  occurred  in  August  of  that  year,  was 
wounded  in  the  fight,  and  was  arrested  upon  the 
oath  of  several  citizens  that  he  had  been  seen 
to  deliberately  aim  at  the  mayor,  who  was  shot 
four  times   in   the   melee.     He  was  in  confine- 
ment on  the  prison  brig  when  he  was  elected  to 
the  Assembly.     On  October  30, 1850,  the  Set- 
lets'  and  Millers'  Trihune,  a  daily  newspaper, 
was  stationed  here  as  the  organ  of  the  Squatters, 
and  Robinson  was  the  editor.     The  paper  lived 
but  a  month.    In  1854  he,  with  S.  C.  Pomeroy, 
led  one  of  the  many  parties  of  Free   State  im- 
migrants into  Kansas  to  offset  similar  coloniza- 
tion of  pro-slavery  men,  and   was  prominently 
connected  with  the  Free  State  party  in  the  sub- 
sequent slavery  agitation  in  that  then  proposed 
State.     He  was  elected   Governor  of  the  Terri- 
tory by  the   Free  State  men   under  the  Topeka 
Constitution  on  January  15,  1856.  The  troubles 
which  then  followed  are  familiar  to  every  one. 
On  May  5  the  Grand    Jury  indicted   Robinson 
and  the  other  officers  who  had  been  elected,  for 
high  treason.      Several  of  the  parties  so  charged 
fled    the  Territory,  but   Robinson   was  arrested 
and   imprisoned    for  four  months.     While    he 
was  in  jail  his  residence  was  burned  in  the  sack- 
ing of  Lawrence.     After  a  State  Constitution 
was  formally  adopted  he  was,  on  December  6, 
1859,  elected  the  first  Governor  of  the  State. 
He  is  now  a  resident  of  and  large  real-estate 
owner  of  Leavenworth. 

1852— Gilbert  W.  Colby,  Alpheus  Kip,  G.  N. 
McCouaha  and  Dr.  Jose])h  C.  Tucker.  Colby  was 
also  Senator  at  one  time.     McConaha,  a  lawyer, 


IIISTOUY    OF    SACRAMENTO    COUNTY. 


was  drowned  by  the  upsetting  of  a  boat  at  Seat- 
tle, Washington  Territory,  May  4,  1854.  Kip 
lived  on  the  farm  near  Brighton,  where  Sheriff 
McKinney  was  killed  by  Allen,  its  then  owner, 
in  1850.  The  place  is  now  occupied  by  John 
Rooney.  Kip  left  here  years  ago.  Tucker  has 
resided  in  San  Francisco  .for  a  long  time. 

1853— J.  W.  Harrison,  J.  Neely  Johnson, 
Robert  Robinson  and  J.  H.  Estep.  Robinson 
was  afterward  county  judge,  and  was  for  many 
years  connected  with  the  law  department  of  the 
Central  Paciiic  Raiload  Company.  Estep  re- 
moved hence  and  died  at  Lakeport  on  Janiiary 
11,  1876.  Harrison  left  here  years  ago.  John- 
son was  elected  Governor  on  the  Know-Nothing 
ticket  in  1855.  He  afterward  removed  to  Ne- 
vada, where  he  served  as  a  member  of  the  Con- 
stitutional Convention  and  as  supreme  justice. 
He  died  from  the  effects  of  a  sunstroke  at  Salt 
Lake  City,  August  31,  1872.  He  was  elected 
city  attorney  of  Sacramento,  April  1,  1850. 

1854— J.  M.  McBrayer,  Dr.  F.  A.  Park,  T. 
R.  Davidson  and  J.  W.  Park.  F.  A.  Park  was 
a  dentist,  and  at  one  time  deputy  sheriff.  He 
died  in  San  Francisco,  November  13,  1870. 
McBrayer,  Davidson  and  J.  "W.  Park  went  away 
years  ago. 

1855 — John  G.  Brewton,  Philip  L.  Edwards, 
•H.  B.  Meredith  and  James  R.  Vineyard.  Ed- 
wards was  a  native  of  Kentucky.  He  visited 
San  Francisco  with  a  party  of  traders  in  July, 
1836,  and  afterward  returned  to  the  East.  He 
was  then  admitted  to  the  bar,  elected  to  the 
Missouri  Legislature  in  1843,  chosen  a  delegate 
to  the  ^V'hig  National  Convention  in  1844,  re- 
moved to  Sacramento  in  1850,  defeated  as  the 
Whig  candidate  for  Congress  in  1852,  and  ran 
unsuccessfully  for  United  States  Senator  in 
1855.  He  died  here  May  1,  1869.  Vineyard 
was  a  member  of  the  City  Council  at  the  time 
of  his  election  to  the  Assembly.  He  died  at 
Los  Angeles,  August  30,  1863.  Meredith  is  a 
brother  of  e.\-Supervisor  James  H.  Meredith,  of 
Folsom.  lie  left  tliat  town  about  1864,  and 
now  lives  in  Now  York,  where  he  is  engaged 
as  a  broker.      He  practiced    law  while  he  lived 


at  Folsom.  Brewton  now  lives  in  San  Fran- 
cisco. 

1856 — George  H.-Cartter,  George  Cone,  Geo. 
W.  Leihy  and  Dr.  J.  W.  Pugh.  Cone  was  for 
many  years  justice  of  the  peace  in  Center  Town- 
sliip,  and  a  few  years  ago  was  the  unsuccessful 
nominee  for  county  treasurer  on  the  Democratic 
ticket.  He  died  at  Red  Bluff,  November  12, 
1883.  He  was  a  brother  of  ex-Railroad  Com- 
missioner Cone.  Leihy  was  a  farmer  and  miner. 
He  was  murdered  by  Indians  in  Arizona  on  No- 
vember 18, 1866.  Cartter  was  district  attorney 
in  1852  and  1853,  and  left  this  section  of  the 
country  and  located  in  Oregon  many  years  ago, 
where  he  died.  Pugh  is  living,  but  moved  from 
the  county  years  ago. 

1857— A.  P.  Catlin,  Robert  C.  Clark,  L.  W. 
Ferris  and  John  H.  McKune.  Catlin  and  Clark 
were  also  Senators.  A  sketch  at  length  is  given 
of  Judge  McKune  elsewhere.  Ferris  has  not 
lived  here  for  a  long  time.  He  was  in  business 
here  in  early  days. 

1858— R.  D.  Ferguson,  Charles  S.  Howell, 
James  E.  Sheridan  and  Moses  Stout.  Ferguson 
for  many  years  conducted  a  horse  market  in  this 
city.  He  went  to  Nevada  and  was  a  member 
of  the  Legislature  of  that  State  in  1868.  He 
then  went  to  Arizona,  and  we  believe  died  thei-e 
a  few  years  ago.  Sheridan  was  a  farmer  near 
Georgetown,  and  died  on  his  farm  October  12, 
1872.  Howell  was  a  farmer,  living  this  side  of 
Walnut  Grove,  and  was  killed  by  the  e.xplosion 
of  the  steamboat  J.  A.  McClelland  near  Knight's 
Landing,  August  25,  1861.  Stout  died  on  his 
farm  in  this  county  December  20,  1879. 

1859— Dr.  R.  B.  Ellis,  A.  R.  Jackson,  James 
E.  Sheridan  and  Dr.  Charles  Dunconibe.  Jack- 
son was  a  prominent  school  teacher.  He  died 
at  San  Francisco,  August  30,  1876.  Ellis  prac- 
ticed medicine  here  at  that  time.  He  removed 
to  Nevada  about  1861,  and  died  at  Carson  about 
eleven  years  ago.  His  son,  A.  C.  Ellis,  who 
now  resides  at  Carson,  is  second  to  no  man  in 
that  State  as  a  lawyer.  He  ran  for  Congress 
two  times  on  the  Democratic  ticket,  but  was  de- 
feated, the  State  being  largely  Republican.    The 


HISTORY    OP    SACRAMENTO    COUNT T. 


mother  of  the  younger  Ellis  is  a  sister  of  At- 
torney-General Marshall.  Dtincombe  was  once 
a  member  of  the  City  Council.  His  election 
gave  rise  to  a  novel  contest  in  the  Assembly, 
and  one  wliich  is  often  cited  in  the  Legislature 
in  election  cases.  The  Doctor  was  born  in  Con- 
necticut, and  about  1817  removed  to  Canada.  A 
couple  of  months  afterward  he  was  elected  to 
the  Colonial  Parliament,  and  took  an  oath  of 
allegiance  to  the  then  English  Kini;.  He  was 
afterward  denounced  as  a  rebel  and  fled  to  the 
United  States  in  1837,  but  was  never  natural- 
ized here.  His  seat  in  the  Assembly  was  con- 
tested on  the  ground  that  he  was  not  a  citizen, 
and  on  January  22,  1859,  the  House  declared 
the  seat  vacant.  A  special  election  was  called, 
and  on  February  19  Duncombe  was  again 
elected  by  a  large  majority.  On  the  14th  he 
had  been  admitted  to  citizenship  under  the  act 
of  1795.  His  seat  was  again  contested  on  the 
ground  that  he  had  not  been  a  citizen  for  the 
constitutional  period  at  the  time  of  his  election, 
and  on  March  8  the  House  again  declared  the 
seat  vacant.  Sacramento  County,  therefore,  had 
but  a  partial  representation  during  the  session. 
Duncombe  died  at  Hicksville,  October  1,  1867. 
I860— Dr.  R.  B.  Ellis,  L.  C.  Goodman,  Henry 
Starr  and  D.  W.  Welty.  Goodman  was  once 
Supervisor  and  afterward  removed  from  here. 
Starr  is  still  a  practicing  attorney  here.  See 
sketch  in  full  in  the  biographical  department. 
Welty  removed  to  Nevada,  then  returned  and 
practiced  law  at  Sacramento,  and  now  resides  in 
Oregon . 

1861 — Amos  Adams,  Charles  Crocker,  N. 
Greene  Curtis  and  Dr.  Joseph  Powell.  Adams, 
then  a  farmer,  afterward  became  prominently 
connected  with  the  Granger  Society,  and  is  now 
a  resident  of  San  Francisco.  Crocker,  then  a 
dry-goods  merchant,  afterward  acquired  a  na- 
tional reputation  as  one  of  the  builders  of  the 
Central  Pacitic  Railroad.  He  was  at  one  time 
a  city  councilman.  His  death  occurred  at  Mon- 
terey, August  14,  1888.  Powell  then  practiced 
medicine  at  Folsom.  He  died  at  that  place 
November  27,  1869. 


1862— W.  H.  Barton,  John  E.  Benton,  James 
B.  Saul,  James  H.  Warwick  and  R.  D.  Fergu- 
son. Barton  has  been  president  of  the  New 
Liverpool  Salt  Company  in  San  Francisco  for 
many  years.  It  is  one  of  the  largest  enterprises 
on  the  coast.  Benton  was  also  a  Senator.  Saul 
removed  to  Yolo  County,  where  he  managed  a 
large  fruit  ranch,  and  died  at  Davisville,  Octo- 
ber 30,  1881.  Warwick,  an  actor  of  ability, 
and  a  brilliant  orator,  has  not  been  here  for 
many  years. 

1863 — Amos  Adams,  W.  H.  Barton,  Morris 
M.  Estee,  James  H.  Warwick  and  Dr.  Charles 
Duncombe.  Estee  served  here  as  district  attor- 
ney in  1864-''65.  He  ran  for  Governor  on  the 
Republican  ticket  in  1882,  and  was  defeated  by 
Stoneuian.  Pie  was  chairman  of  the  late  Na- 
tional Republican  Convention.  He  resides  in 
Napa,  and  is  engaged  in  grape-growing  and  tlie 
practice  of  law. 

1863-'64— Alexander  Badlam,  William  B. 
Hunt,  John  P.  Rhodes,  Francis  Tukey  and  J. 
R.  Watson.  Badlam,  in  connection  with  John 
Simpson,  M.  M.  Estee,  H.  C.  Bidwell  and  others, 
published  a  newspaper  called  the  Evening  Star 
for  about  three  months,  from  May  25,  1864. 
He  afterward  removed  to  San  Francisco,  and 
was  there  elected  assessor.  He  was  defeated  for 
reelection  on  a  "cold  day"  in  1882.  Hunt 
kept  the  French  Hotel  on  Second  street  for  many 
years,  and  was  chief  engineer  of  our  Fire  De- 
partment. Was  an  Assemblymen  from  San 
Francisco  in  1885.  When  he  represented  this 
county  he  was  known  as  "  the  Sacramento  States- 
man." Rhodes  was  a  farmer  on  the  Cosuranes, 
and  died  on  his  farm  December  20,  1866.  Tukey 
was  marshal  of  Boston  at  the  time  of  the  cele- 
brated Webster- Parkman  murder.  He  was  city 
school  superintendent  in  1855,  and  died  on  his 
farm  near  this  city  November  23, 1867.  Watson 
was  for  many  years  purchasing  agent  of  the 
Central  Pacific  Railroad  Company,  and  super- 
intendent of  the  Railroad  Hospital,  and  lives 
here. 

1865-'66— Thomas  Hansbrow,  Dwight  IIol- 
lister,   Peter  J.  Hopper,   AVilliam  E.  Hunt  and 


HISTORF    OF    SACRAMENTO    COUNTY. 


and 


J.  B.  Maliolinb.  Hansbrow  was  in  business  hen 
for  years;  was  at  one  time  a  supervisor, 
died  on  Au^uft  31, 1868.  HoUister  is  a  farmer 
and  fruit-grower  near  Courtland.  He  was  once 
supervisor.  Hopper  was  a  newspaper  publisher 
and  lawj-er  at  Folsom,  then  moved  here,  where 
he  died  July  22,  1883.  Mahohnb  was  then  a 
farmer  on  the  Cosuranes,  but  now  lives  in  San 
Francisco. 

1867-T)8— Marion  Biggs,  Paschal  Coggins, 
A.  Comte,  Jr.,  Bruce  B.  Lee  and  Charles  Wol- 
leb.  Biggs  now  lives  in  Butte  County,  at  the 
town  of  Biggs,  which  was  named  after  him.  He 
was  a  member  of  the  late  Constitutional  Con- 
vention, and  is  at  present  a  member  of  Congress. 
Coggins  was  for  many  years  local  editor  of  the 
Union,  and  was  a  member  of  the  City  Board 
of  Education,  but  drifted  away  from  here,  shot 
himself  in  the  head  in  San  Francisco,  and  died 
from  the  effects  of  the  wound  on  November  18, 
1883.  Comte  was  also  a  Senator.  Lee  is  a  son 
of  Barton  Lee,  one  of  our  prominent  pioneer 
merchants.  He  was  subsequently  harbor  com- 
missioner, and  now  lives  in  Tehama  CouTity, 
where  he  is  engaged  in  the  insurance  business. 
Wolleb  was  secretary  of  the  Germania  Building 
and  Loan  Association  for  years.  He  died  at 
Fruitvale,  Alameda  County,  December  21, 1883. 

1869-'70— James  A.  Duffy,  Isaac  F.  Free- 
man, M.  S.  Horan,  John  A.  Odell  and  R.  D. 
Stephens.  Duffy  was  also  a  Senator.  Freeman 
farms  at  Elk  Grove.  See  his  sketch  elsewhere, 
found  by  the  index.  Horan  was  afterward  po- 
lice judge,  and  is  now  practicing  law  at  San 
Francisco.  Odell  died  at  Folsora,  May  29,  1881. 
Stephens  is  at  present  postmaster  of  this  city, 
and  was  recently  elected  a  trustee  of  the  State 
Library  by  the  Legislature. 

1871-'72— C.  G.  W.  French,  Dr.  Obed  Har- 
vey, Peter  J.  Hopper,  William  Johnston  and 
E.  B.  Mott,  Jr.  French  practiced  law  at  Folsom 
and  here  for  many  years.  President  Hayes  ap- 
pointed him  Chief  Justice  of  Arizona,  and  he 
held  that  office  until  a  short  time  ago.  Harvey 
formerly  lived  in  El  Dorado,  and  at  one  time 
was  a  State  Senator  from  that  cotmty.      He  has 


resided  at  Gait  for  Tnany  years.  Johnston  was 
also  a  Senator.  Mott  was  for  many  years  a 
member  of  the  firm  of  Gillig,  Mott  &  Co.,  doing 
business  here  and  in  Virginia  City.  Afterward 
he  was  connected  with  the  Pacific  Mutual  Life 
Insurance  Company,  and  died  here  April  4, 1882. 
1873-'74— James  N.  Barton,  W.  E.  Bryan, 
Paschal  Coggins,  Reuben  Kercheval  and  P.  H. 
Eussell.  Barton  removed  to  Humboldt  County, 
and  was  a  member  of  the  last  Constitutional  Con- 
vention. Bryan  is  a  farmer,  still  residing  in 
this  county.  Kercheval  owned  a  magnificent 
fruit  ranch  at  the  head  of  Grand  Island,  and 
there  died  on  May  9,  1881.  Russell  for  many 
years  has  been  in  the  grocery  business  on  J 
street,  and  at  one  time  was  a  supervisor. 

1875-'76 — Marion  Biggs,  Jr.,  Thomas  J. 
Clunie  and  A.  D.  Patterson.  Biggs  is  a  son  of 
the  former  Assemblyman  of  the  same  name,  and 
is  now  a  prominent  farmer  in  Butte  County. 
Clunie  is  a  member  of  Congress  from  San  Fran- 
cisco. He  also  represented  that  city  in  the  State 
Senate.  He  was  a  delegate  to  the  Democratic 
National  Convention  of  1884.  Patterson  was 
sheriff  in  1852  and  1853,  and  lived  for  many 
years  at  Patterson's  Station,  on  the  Sacramento 
Valley  Railroad,  where  he  died  December  4, 
1884. 

1877_'78 — Grove  L.  Johnson,  Reuben  Ker- 
cheval and  Joseph  Routier.  Johnson  and  Rou- 
tier  were  also  Senators. 

1880 — Elwood  Bruner,  Seymour  Carr  and 
John  N.  Young.  Bruner  and  Young  have  both 
be^iu  members  of  the  Board  of  Education.  Bru- 
ner has  been  the  State  Grand  Master  of  Odd 
Fellows,  and  is  at  present  district  attorney. 
Young  is  practicing  law  in  San  Francisco.  Carr 
is  a  farmer  near  Clay  Station.  He  has  been  a 
justice  ot  the  peace. 

1881— John  E.  Baker,  W.  C.  Van  Fleet  and 
J.  N.  Young.  Baker  served  as  a  soldier  during 
the  war,  was  a  farmer  down  the  river,  and  died 
in  this  city  May  2, 1881.  See  sketch  of  Judge 
Van  Fleet  elsewhere. 

1888— Gillis  Doty,  Hugh  M.  La  Rue  and 
Frank   D.    Ryan.      Doty  is  a  farmer   near  Elk 


HISTORY    OF    SACRAMENTO    COUNTY. 


51 


Grove.  La  Rue  came  here  in  1850,  ran  for 
slieriif  in  1867  and  was  defeated;  was  elected  to 
that  office  in  1873;  was  a  member  of  the  last 
Constitutional  Convention;  was  speaker  of  the 
Twenty-fifth  Assembly;  was  a  delegate  to  the 
National  Democratic  Convention  of  1884,  and 
has  been  for  years  a  director  of  the  State  Agri- 
cultural Society.  He  is  engaged  in  farming, 
but  lives  in  the  city.  Ryan's  sketch  appears 
elsewhere. 

1885— Winfield  J.  Davis,  Charles  T.  Jones 
and  Dwight  Hollister.  Davis  has  been  the 
official  reporter  of  the  courts  of  this  county  since 


1874.  See  the  biographical  department  of  this 
work  for  further  particulars  concerning  his  life. 
Jones  served  several  terms  as  district  attorney; 
was  elected  an  alternate  elector  in  1888;  and  is 
now  in  law  practice  here. 

1887— H.  W.  Carroll,  L.  S.  Taylor,  and  Sey- 
mour Carr.  Find  Carroll's  and  Taylor's  sketches 
by  the  index. 

1889— W.  M.  Petrie,  E.  C.  Hart  and  L.  H. 
Fassett.  A  biography  of  Petrie  appears  else- 
where. Hart  has  been  city  attorney;  and  Fas- 
sett  has  served  as  a  member  of  the  Board  of 
Supervisors. 


HISTORY    OF    SACMAMENTO    COUNTY. 


CHAPTER   IX. 


fNDER  Mexican  rule  the  Government  of 
California  was  conducted  under  the  laws 
of  March  20  and  May  23,  1887,  and  those 
laws  were  observed,  on  the  acquisition  of  the 
country  by  the  United  States,  until  the  organi- 
zation of  the  State  Government.  Those  laws 
provided  for  the  selection  of  alcaldes,  whose 
duties  were  to  care  for  good  order  and  public 
tranquillity,  to  see  that  police  regulations,  laws 
and  decrees  were  enforced,  to  provide  for  the  ap- 
prehension of  criminals,  and  in  come  cases  to 
impose  lines  and  imprisonment  upon  malefac- 
tors. There  were  also  justices  of  the  peace,  who 
served  as  municipal  and  judicial othcers.  There 
was  in  tlie  Territory  a  Superior  Tribunal,  con- 
sisting of  four  judges  and  an  Attorney-General, 
which  had  the  general  reviewing  of  cases  tried 
before  inferior  courts.  There  were  also  Courts 
of  "  First  Instance,"  in  which  cases,  both  crim- 
inal and  civil,  were  originally  brought. 

The  first  Legislature  of  the  State,  by  an  act 
passed  March  10,  1850,  divided  the  State  into 
nine  judicial  districts,  and  constituted  the 
counties  of  Sacramento  and  El  Dorado  the 
Si.xth  Judicial  District.  Afterward  the  counties 
of  Sacramento  and  Yolo  composed  that  district, 
and  it  so  existed  until  the  taking  effect  of  the 
constitution  of  1879,  whicli  abolished  that  court. 

Tiie   same    Legislature,  by  an   act  passed   on 


the  13th,  1850,  created  a  County  Court  in  each 
county,  and  by  an  act  approved  on  the  11th  of 
that  month,  the  Court  of  Sessions  was  created, 
to  be  composed  of  the  county  judge  and  two 
justices  of  the  peace,  who  were  to  serve  as  as- 
sociate justices.  The  latter  were  chosen  by  the 
justices  of  the  peace  of  the  county.  That  court 
had  jurisdiction  in  cases  of  misdemeanor,  and 
also  exercised  functions  now  performed  by  the 
Board  of  Supervisors,  such  as  the  supervision 
of  claims  against  the  county,  the  management 
of  roads,  etc.  Subsequently  the  Court  of  Ses- 
sions was  abolished,  and  its  jurisdiction  vested 
in  the  County  Court.  Its  legislative  and  superr 
vision  powers  were  transferred  to  the  Board  of 
Supervisors.  The  present  State  constitution 
abolished  all  these  courts,  and  provided  for  the 
organization  of  a  Superior  Court  in  the  county 
with  two  departments,  and  two  judges,  with 
civil  and  criminal  jurisdiction.' 

In  the  latter  part  of  August,  1849,  General 
B.  Itiley,  Acting  Military  Governor  of  Cali- 
fornia,   appointed   James   S.    Thomas  judge  of 


the  Court  of  First  Instance,  withcivi 


J" 


•isdic- 


tion.  He  appointed  W.  E.  Shannon  judge  of 
the  Court  of  the  First  Instance,  with  criminal 
jurisdiction.  On  the  2d  of  September,  1849, 
Thomas  entered  upon  the  duties  of  his  office. 
A  suit  was  instituted  for  the  recovery  of  money. 
A  summons  was  made  returnable  the  same  day 


HISTORY    OF    SACUAMBNTO    COUNTY. 


at  4  o'cloak,  at  which  time  judgineat  was  en- 
tered, and  execution  ordered.  This  gives  some 
idea  of  the  rapidity  with  which  business,  even 
of  a  judicial  character,  was  transacted  at  that 
early  period  of  Sacramento's  history.  On  the 
3d  of  September,  Judge  Thomas  appointed  J. 
P.  Rogers  clerk  of  his  court.  The  latter  gen- 
tleman served  in  that  capacity  till  the  19th  of 
November  following,  whereupon  James  R.  Law- 
rence was  appointed.  He  continued  to  the  27th 
of  December,  at  which  time  Presley  Dunlap  was 
appointed  to  the  position. 

Judge  Shannon  opened  his  court  for  criminal 
business  in  September,  1849.  R.  A.  Wilson 
was  appointed  clerk,  and  S.  C.  Hastings — after- 
ward Chief  Justice  of  the  Supreme  Court  of 
the  State  and  subsequently  Attorney-General-  — 
acted  as  prosecuting  attorney.  D.  B.  Hanner, 
who  had  been  elected  sheriff  by  the  people  in 
their  primarj^  capacity,  attended  both  the  civil 
and  criminal  courts.  The  first  case  before  Judge 
Shannon  was  a  prosecution  against  a  party  for 
stealing  a  cow  from  Samuel  Norris.  During 
the  trial,  defendant's  counsel  objected  to  the 
proceedings  because  they  were  not  in  conformity 
with  the  constitutional  provision  guaranteeing 
to  every  party  accused  of  high  crime,  that  be- 
fore he  can  be  put  upon  trial  he  must  have  been 
indicted  by  a  grand  jury  of  his  countrymen. 
The  court  held  that  inasmuch  as  the  defendant 
had  not  raised  the  question  in  the  beginning  of 
the  case  he  was  deemed  as  waiving  his  right, 
and  that  the  trial  must  proceed.  The  defendant 
was  found  guilty  and  fined  §200  and  costs,  which 
amounted  to  $515 — rather  costly  beef. 

About  December  1,  1849,  R.  A.  Wilson  suc- 
ceeded to  the  bench,  vice  Shannon  deceased.  On 
January  11,  1850,  he  appointed  A.  J.  McCall 
clerk  of  his  court  for  Sacramento,  and  on  Janu- 
ary 26  he  appointed  Stephen  J.  Field — now  a 
justice  of  the  Supreme  Court  of  the  United 
States — clerk  of  his  court,  to  reside  at  Marys- 
ville.  During  the  time  Sacramento  was  flooded 
that  winter,  Wilson  held  his  court  at  Marys- 
ville.  The  two  courts  alluded  to  did  the  judi- 
cial business  of  the  district,  both  civil  und  crim- 


inal, until  the  organization  of  the  Judiciary 
under  the  State  constitution,  May  20,  1850. 

The  first  district  judges  were  elected  by  the 
Legislature  March  30,  1850,  and  James  S. 
Thomas  was  elected  judge  of  the  Sixth  Ju- 
dicial District.  He  resigned  November  9  fol- 
lowing. Tod  Robinson  was  appointed  by  the 
Governor  to  succeed  Jiim  on  January  2,  1851, 
and  assumed  ofiice  on  the  8th.  Ferris  Forman 
succeeded  Robinson  by  appointment  on  August 
13,  1851;  and  on  September  15,  the  same  year, 
Lewis  Aldrich  assumed  the  office.  He  resigned 
November  19,  1852,  and  A.  C.  Monson  was 
appointed  by  Governor  Bigler  on  November  26, 

1852.  He  took  ofl[ice  on  the  1st  of  Decem'oer 
of  that  year.  Monson  had  been  elected  at  the 
general  election  on  November  2,  1852.  He 
resigned  August  17,  1857,  and  Governor  John- 
son, on  the  3d  of  September,  appointed  Charles 
T.  Botts  to  succeed  him.  At.  the  general  elec- 
tion, held  September  1, 1858,  John  H.  McKune 
was   elected,    and   was    re-elected    October  21, 

1853.  On  October  20,  1869,  Lewis  Ramage 
was  elected,  and  October  20,  1875,  Samuel  C. 
Denson  was  elected.  He  served  until  the  new 
constitution,  abolishing  the  court,  took  effect. 

Thomas,  after  his  resignation,  returned  to 
the  East,  and  died  at  St.  Louis  in  1857  or 
1858.  Robinson,  who  was  a  prominent  mem- 
ber of  the  bar,  and  who  belonged  to  a  family 
of  distinguished  lawyers,  died  in  San  Mateo 
County,  October  27,  1870.  Forman  was  after- 
ward Secretary  of  State,  and  is  now  living  in 
the  East.  Aldrich  died  at  San  Francisco,  May 
19,  1885.  Monson  removed  East,  and  is  still 
living.  Botts  was  a  brother  of  John  Minor 
Botts.  He  had  been  a  member  of  the  first 
Constitutional  Convention  of  the  State,  and  was 
afterward  State  printer.  He  died  in  San  Fran- 
cisco, October  4,  1884.  McKune  is  still  in  the 
law  practice  here.  Ramage  removed  to  Kansas 
City  and  died  there  February  14,  1879.  Denson 
was  afterward  elected  superior  judge  of  the 
county,  and  resigned  that  office  and  is  now  in 
law  practice  in  this  city.  A  sketch  of  his  life 
appears  on  a  subsequent  page. 


niSTORT    OF    SACRAMENTO    COUNTY. 


As  we  have  stated,  the  Court  of  Sessions 
was  composed  of  the  county  judge  and  two 
associates.  The  latter  were  elected  by  a  con- 
vention of  the  justices  of  the  peace,  held  on  the 
lirst  Monday  of  October  of  each  year — except 
the  lirst  convention,  which  was  held  May  20, 
1850.  C.  C.  Sackett  and  Charles  H.  Swift  were 
then  elected  associates.  The  associates  held 
office  for  two  years.  On  November  27,  1850, 
the  county  treasurer  resigned,  and  Swift  was 
appointed  to  fill  the  vacancy.  James  Brown 
was  elected  associate  in  his  stead,  and  assumed 
the  duties  of  his  ofiice  February  7,  1851.  On 
August  14  following,  D.  D.  Bullock  succeeded 
Brown.  The  last  meeting  of  the  Court  of  Ses- 
sions was  held  July  6,  1862. 

The  following  is  a  list  of  the  subsequent 
judges  of  the  court  from  October,  1851,  to 
October,  1862: 

E.  J.  Willis,  Judge;  George  Wilson  and 
James  R.  Gates  Associates. 

1852-'53— E.  J.  Willis,  Judge;  he  resigned 
November  18,  and  John  Heard  was  appointed. 
James  K.  Gates  and  J.  T.  Day  were  Associates. 

1853-'54— John  Heard,  Judge;  Gilbert  M. 
Cole  and  D.  H.  Taft,  Associates. 

1854-'55— John  Heard,  Judge;  H.  Lock- 
wood  and  B.  D.  Fry,  Associates. 

1855-'56— John  Heard,  Judge;  S.  N.  Baker 
and  C.  0.  Jenks,  Associates. 

1856-'57— Same. 

]857-'58— Robert  Robinson,  Judge;  C.  A. 
Hill  and  Peter  Bross,  Associates. 

1858-'59 — Robert  Robinson,  Judge;  James 
Coggins  and  W.  B.  Whitesides,  Associates. 

1859-'60 — Robert  Robinson,  Judge;  James 
Coggins  and  Hodgkins,  Associates. 

18G0-'61— Robert  C.  Clark,  Judge:  James 
Coggins  and  George  Cone,  Associates. 

1861-'62— Robert  C.  Clark,  Judge,  George 
Cone  and  W.  W.  Crouse,  Associates. 

After  the  abolishment  of  the  Court  of  Ses- 
sions, Judge  Clark  continued  county  judge, 
successively  elected  to  that  office  and  occupied 
it  until  the  abolishment  of  the  County  Court 
by  tlie  operation  of  the  new  constitution.     Tiie 


County  Court  also  exercised  the  functions  of  a 
Probate  Court. 

Willis  left  here  and  returned  to  the  East  in 
early  days.  Wilson  died  in  one  of  the  north- 
ern counties  of  this  State  a  number  of  years 
ago.  Day  died  recently.  Heard  still  lives  here. 
Jenks  removed  to  Oakland,  and  has  held  public 
offices  there.  Robinson  is  still  a  resident  of 
Sacramento.  Coggins  died  a  number  of  years 
ago.  Cone  was  afterward  a  member  of  the 
State  Legislature  from  this  county.  Clark  had 
been  a  Senator  and  Assemblyman,  and  after  the 
abolishment  of  the  County  Court  was  elected, 
with  Denson,  a  judge  of  the  Superior  Court, 
and  held  the  office  until  the  time  of  his  death. 

At  the  first  election  under  the  new  constitu- 
tion, September  3,  1879,  Samuel  C.  Denson 
and  Robert  C.  Clark  were  elected  judges  of  the 
Superior  Court.  Judge  Denson  resigned  De- 
cember 16,  1882,  and  on  the  18th  Governor 
Perkins  appointed  Thomas  B.  McFarland  to  fill 
the  vacancy.  The  latter  was  elected  by  the 
people  to  succeed  himself  at  the  general  election 
held  November  4,  1884;  and  at  the  general 
election  held  November  2,  1886,  McFarland 
was  elected  one  of  the  justices  of  the  State  Su- 
preme Court.  He  resigned  the  office  of  supe- 
rior judge,  and  Governor  Stoneman,  on  Decem- 
ber 31,  1886,  appointed  John  W.  Armstrong  to 
the  office.  At  the  general  election  held  in  No- 
vember, 1888,  Armstrong  was  elected  to  suc- 
ceed himself,  and  is  now  serving  on  the  bench. 

Judge  Clark  died  January  27,  1883,  and 
Governor  Stoneman  appointed  John  W.  Arm- 
strong to  succeed  him.  At  the  general  election 
held  November  4,  1884,  W.  C.  Van  Fleet  was 
elected  for  the  full  term,  and  he  still  occupies 
the  bench. 

THE    ATTORNEYS    OF    THE    PAST. 

James  C.  Zabriskie  was  the  first  city  attor- 
ney. He  was  a  native  of  New  Jersey,  of  Polish 
stock,  was  Colonel  of  a  regiment  of  New  Jersey 
militia,  and  with  his  regiment  participated  in 
the  inaugural  ceremonies  of  President  Jackson, 
and  was  warmly  entertained  by  that  stern  old 
veteran.      He  was  an  intimate   friend    of  Com- 


HISTORY    OF    SACRAMENTO    COUNTY. 


!nodore  R.  F.  Stockton,  after  whom  the  city  of 
Stockton  was  named,  and  was  selected  as  master 
of  ceremonies  on  the  occasion  of  the  inspection 
by  the  great  peacemaker,  on  board  the  Commo- 
dore's frigate,  Princeton,  on  the  Potomac  River, 
in  184:4.  The  inspection  was  witnessed  by  Presi- 
dent Tyler,  members  of  the  cabinet,  foreign 
ministers,  members  of  courts  and  the  represen- 
tatives of  the  beauty  and  fashion  of  the  national 
capital.  The  guns  had  been  fired  twice,  satis- 
factorily, and  the  guests  were  about  to  retire  to 
the  banquet,  when  one  of  the  cabinet  officers 
begged  Stockton  to  fire  just  once  more.  The 
Commodore  complied,  and  it  proved  to  be  "three 
times  and  out,"  for  the  immense  piece  exploded 
with  terrific  force  and  scattered  death  and  deso- 
lation about  the  deck!  The  Secretary  of  State 
and  of  the  .Navy  and  several  other  distinguished 
persons  were  instantly  killed,  while  Thomas  H. 
Benton,  Commodore  Stockton  and  many  others 
were  more  or  less  injured.  The  life  of  the  Presi- 
dent was  saved  as  by  a  miracle. 

Zabriskie  arrived  in  Sacramento  in  1849  and 
established  a  law  office  in  a  little  shanty  under 
an  oak  tree  which  stood  near  the  intersection  of 
Second  and  K  streets.  His  library  consisted  of 
a  single  volume,  "The  New  Jersey  Justice." 
He  had,  however,  a  good  business,  and  in  a  few 
months  was  elected  second  alcalde. 

In  early  days  he  was  a  Democrat  and  a  fol- 
lower of  David  C.  Broderick,  and  published  a 
paper,  called  the  Sacramento  Register,  in  favor 
of  Broderick.  Afterward  he  became  a  Repub- 
lican, being  one  of  the  first  to  espouse  the  cause 
of  that  party  in  this  county.  In  1861  he  re- 
moved to  San  Francisco  and  continued  in  law 
practice  there  until  his  death  July  10,  1883. 

M.  D.  Reed  and  B.  F.  Ankeny  were  in  part- 
nership; the  latter  was  deputy  clerk. 

James  H.  Hardy  was  elected  district  attorney; 
afterward,  January  28,  1859,  was  appointed 
judge  of  the  Sixteenth  Judicial  District  by  Gov- 
ernor Weller,  and  later  he  was  elected  by  the 
people  to  that  office.  During  the  war  he  was 
impeached  by  the  Assembly  for  treasonable  ut- 
terances, and  his' trial  before  tlie  liar  of  the  Sen- 


ate resulted  in  his  removal  from  office,  Alay  14, 
1862.  He  afterward  removed  to  Virginia  City 
and  thence,  in  1866,  to  San  Francisco,  where  he 
died,  June  11,  1874,  at  the  age  of  fortj-two 
years. 

Lewis  Sanders,  Jr.,  was  city  attorney. 

Joseph  W.  Winans  left  New  York  City,  his 
native  place,  with  a  party  of  young  men  who 
had  formed  a  joint-stock  company,  and  who  had 
purchased  and  furnished  a  sailing  vessel,  and 
they  came  around  by  Cape  Horn  to  this  coast. 
Winans  had  no  idea  of  making  anything  but  a 
transient  trip,  and  expected  to  pick  up  lumps  of 
gold  from  the  surface,  enough  to  furnish  a  com- 
petence. He  left  his  office  practice  in  the  care 
of  a  partner.  The  vessel  arrived  at  San  Fran- 
cisco, August  29,  1849,  and  was  brought  up  the 
Sacramento  River  and  anchored  opposite  Sutter- 
ville.  At  tiiat  point  the  members  of  the  com- 
pany gathered  their  mining  implements  and 
started  for  the  mountains,  and  Mr.  Winans  pur- 
chased from  them  a  controlling  interest  in  the 

bark.     At  the  solicitation   of  R.   N.  Jessup 

afterward  a  prominent  citizen  of  California,  he 
opened  a  law  office  in  Sacramento  and  took 
charge  of  an  important  law  case  for  Jessup.  The 
profits  from  his  law  practice  extended  beyond 
his  anticipations.  In  the  great  fire  of  1852  his 
law  library,  one  of  the  largest  in  the  State,  was 
destroyed,  and  the  few  books  that  were  saved 
were  deposited  in  an  iron  building  for  security; 
but  that  building  also  was  burned. 

Mr.  Winans  went  to  San  Francisco,  purchased 
an  extensive  library  and  rented  a  primitive  but 
high-priced  office  here,  in  whicli  he  did  business 
during  the  day  and  slept  at  night;  but  the  first 
great  stormy  winter  demonstrated  that  the  roof 
was  decidedly  "  unseaworthy,"  and  one  night 
his  new  library  was  ruined  by  the  water  which 
came  in  torrents  through  the  roof.  In  1861  he 
rctnoved  to  San  Francisco  and  continued  his 
practice  until  his  death,  Marcli  3,  1887. 

While  in  Sacramento  he  was  prominently 
identified  with  the  society  of  pioneers  and  the 
City  Library  Association,  and  was  an  early  presi- 
dent of  both   these  institutions.      He  was  dele- 


HISTORY    OP    SACRAMENTO    COUNTY. 


gate  at  large  to  the  last  Constitutional  Conven- 
tion, taking  an  active  and  important  part  in  its 
proceedings.  He  was  also  a  writer  of  distinc- 
tion. Several  of  his  poems  have  been  e.xteii- 
sivelj  republished;  and  his  prose  writings  in 
the  riacer  Times,  the  Sacramento  Union  and 
other  journals  have  attracted  wide  attention. 
His  private  library  was  the  best  selected  in  the 
Stale.  For  several  years  he  was  regent  of  the 
State  University,  and  for  a  time  was  president 
of  the  Society  for  the  Prevention  of  Cruelty  to 
Animals,  and  also  of  the  Society  for  the  Preven- 
tion of  Cruelty  to  Children. 

J.  G.  Hyer  was  in  partnership  with  Winans 
for  a  time. 

John  C.  Burch  practiced  law  here  and  was  a 
member  of  Congress.  Was  in  favor  of  the  es- 
tablishment of  the  "Pacific  Republic,"  and  wrote 
the  remarkable  "  Cactus  "  letter. 

Edmund  Eandolph,  a  descendant  of  the  cele- 
brated John  Randolph,  "of  Roanoke,"  was  a 
prominent  man  in  this  State. 

A.  T.  Ward  was  one  of  the  pioneer  lawyers. 

Edward  J.  C.  Kewen  was  born  in  Mississippi 
in  1825,  and  was  thrown  upon  his  own  resources 
at  the  age  of  thirteen  years.  He  studied  law, 
and  at  the  early  age  of  nineteen  years  he  entered 
politics  and  became  a  prominent  orator.  He 
came  overland  to  California  with  Dr.  T.  J. 
White  and  fainily,  and  married  a  daughter  of 
the  Doctor's  in  this  city,  December  10,  1849; 
this  was  probably  the  first  marriage  in  Sacra- 
mento. Colonel  Kewen  was  elected  the  first 
Attorney-Gtneral  of  the  State,  by  the  first  Leg- 
islature, soon  after  his  arrival.  In  1851  he  was 
a  Whig  candidate  for  Congress,  but  was  de- 
feated by  a  small  majority.  Pie  left  Sacramento 
in  1852,  and  established  himself  in  law  practice 
in  San  Francisco.  He  was,  however,  of  a  rest- 
less and  daring  disposition.  One  of  his  brothers 
was  second  in  command  under  William  Walker 
in  tlie  fillibuster  e.xpedition  to  Nicaragua,  and 
was  shot  and  killed  there,  in  June,  1855. 

Colonel  Kewen  was  an  intimate  friend  of 
Walker,  went  to  Nicaragua  and  was  at  once 
commissioned  by  Walker  as  the  financial  agent 


of  the  embryo  republic,  and  also  became  a  mem- 
ber of  the  judicial  tribunal.  He  took  an  active 
part  in  the  subsequent  military  movements  there, 
and  at  the  close  of  Walker's  rule  returned  to 
San  Francisco.  In  January,  1858,  he  became  a 
citizen  of  Los  Angeles,  where  he  died  Novem- 
ber 25,  1879.  He  was  several  times  a  member 
of  the  Legislature,  and  in  1868  ran  for  Presi- 
dential elector  on  the  Democratic  ticket. 

Philip  L.  Edwards;  see  Chapter  VIIL, '•  Leg- 
islators." 

James  L.  English,  who  still  resides  here  but 
is  out  of  practice,  served  at  one  time  as  mayor 
of  this  city,  and  at  another  as  State  Treasurer. 

Horace  Smith  was  a  prominent  lawyer  and 
distinguished  citizen,  and  died  at  Virginia  City 
December  4,  1863. 

Murray  Morrison  was  a  brother  of  the  late 
Chief  Justice  Robert  F.  Morrison,  who  in  early 
days  was  district  attorney  of  the  county.  He 
afterward  served  as  district  judge  in  the  south- 
ern part  of  the  State,  and  died  at  Los  Angeles, 
December  18,  1871. 

Other  men  who  have  served  as  district  attor- 
neys of  Sacramento  County  have  become  mem- 
bers of  the  United  States  Senate;  as,  Milton  S. 
Latham,  who  was  first  elected  Governor,  and  a 
few  days  afterward  United  States  Senator;  Cor- 
nelius Cole;  and  Frank  Hereford,  who  removed 
to  the  East  and  was  elected  from  West  Vir- 
ginia. 

W.  H.  McGrew's  name  appears  in  the  Direct- 
ory of  185B  as  a  lawyer  here. 

J.  Neely  Johnson  was  elected  Governor  by 
the  Know-Nothing  party  in  1845,  afterward  re- 
moved to  Nevada  and  served  on  the  Supreme 
Bench  there.  He  died  at  Salt  Lake,  August 
31,  1872. 

Ferris  Forman  was  appointed  Secretary  of 
State  by  Governor  Weller,  January  9,  1858,  and 
served  for  a  while  as  judge  of  the  Ninth  Judi- 
cial District.     He  now  resides  in  the  East. 

Thomas  Sunderland  was  a  lawyer  here  in  the 
early  '50s. 

Robert  C.  Clark,  who  was  on  the  bench  for 
many  years  as  county  and  superior  judge,   was 


BISTORT    OF    SACRAMENTO    COUNTY. 


the  son  of  Governor  James  Clark,  of  Kentucky. 
He  died  in  this  State,  January  27,  1883. 

James  W.  Coflrotli  represented  the  county  of 
Tuolumne  in  the  Assembly  and  Senate  several 
terms,  and  unsuccessfully  ran  for  Congress  sev- 
eral times  on  the  Democratic  ticket.  Pie  died 
in  Sacramento,  October  9,  1872. 

E.  B.  Crocker  was  appointed  a  justice  of  the 
State  Supreme  Court  to  succeed  Stephen  J. 
Field,  on  May  21,  1863.  Field  had  been  ap- 
pointed by  President  Lincoln  as  associate  jus- 
tice of  the  National  Supreme  Court.  Later 
Judge  Crocker  made  extended  visits  to  Europe 
and  made  one  of  the  finest  art  collections  to  be 
found  in  America,  which  is  now  public  property 
in  this  city.  He  died  in  this  city,  June  24, 
1875,  and  his  widow  has  distinguished  herself 
in  several  magnificent  gifts  to  the  public.  See 
sections  on  Crocker  Art  Gallery  and  Marguerite 
Home  in  this  volume. 

W.  R.  Cantwell,  a  Western  man,  served  one 
term  as  police  judge  and  afterward  moved  to 
San  Francisco,  where  he  died. 

W.  S.  Long,  a  lawyer  of  note,  practiced  in 
this  city  twelve  years;  was  police  judge,  and 
afterward  represented  Colusa  County  in  the 
Legislature.    Died  at  Shasta,  February  21,  1871. 

In  partnership  with  Long  for  a  time  were 
Charles  D.  Judah  and  Presley  Dunlap.  Dunlap 
was  born  in  Pennsylvania,  in  1817;  moved  to 
Illinois  and  then  to  Iowa,  where,  in  1842,  he 
was  elected  clerk  of  Des  Moines  County,  and 
was  recorder  of  that  county  for  two  years.  When 
a  young  man  he  was  a  warm  and  intimate  friend 
of  John  C.  Breckenridge.  He  arrived  in  Cali- 
fornia, August  16,  1849,  and  in  October  follow- 
ing was  appointed  deputy  sheriff  by  the  first 
sheriff  of  the  district,  there  being  then  no  State 
or  county  organization.  In  December,  1849,  he 
was  appointed  clerk  of  the  court,  and  at  the 
first  county  election,  in  April,  1850,  was  elected 
county  clerk.  For  a  time  he  was  surveyor,  and 
afterward  lawyer.  In  1857  he  was  elected  city 
police  judge,  and  after  that  term  expired  he 
continued  in  the  practice  of  law  until  liis  death 
in  this  city,  September  23,  1883.     In  1879  he 


represented  this  county  in  the  Constitutional 
Convention. 

Tod  Robinson  was  at  one  time  the  reporter  of 
the  State  Supreme  Court,  and  died  in  San  Mateo 
County,  October  27,  1870. 

Messrs.  Botts  and  Sackett  have  already  been 
mentioned. 

George  R.  Moore  died  here  June  22,  1868. 
His  son  practiced  law  in  connection  with  Judge 
N.  Greene  Curtis,  and  died  here  several  years 
ago. 

D.  W.  Welty,  a  partner  of  Moore,  is  noticed 
in  Chapter  VIIL,  having  been  a  "  Legislator." 

John  B.  Harmon  and  R.  H.  Stanley  were 
partners  of  Thomas  Sunderland. 

I.  S.  Brown  figured  prominently  as  a  crimi- 
nal lawyer,  being  engaged  in  many  important 
cases.  He  died  in  the  spring  of  1889,  while 
holding  the  ofiice  of  justice  of  the  peace  in  this 
city, 

George  Cadwallader  arrived  in  California  in 
1849,  engaged  in  merchandising,  studied  law, 
was  admitted  to  the  bar  and  rose  to  a  position 
of  prominence  in  his  profession,  having  much 
to  do  with  mining-debris  litigation.  He  re- 
moved to  San  Francisco,  where  he  died  April 
28,  1884,  never  having  held  any  public  office. 

A.  Comte,  Jr.,  represented  the  county  in  the 
Assembly  and  Senate.  He  is  now  a  merchant 
in  San  Francisco. 

Samuel  Cross,  who  died  here  a  few  years  ago, 
was  a  searcher  of  records  as   well  as  a  lawyer. 

Thomas  C.  Edwards,  son  of  Philip  L.,  died 
many  years  ago. 

C.  G.  W.  French  practiced  law  many  years 
in  Folsora,  then  in  Sacramento,  and  while  here 
was  appointed  by  President  Hayes  Chief  Jus- 
tice of  Arizona. 

A.  C.  Freeman,  who  is  a  distinguished  com- 
piler and  writer  of  standard  law  books,  and 
editor  of  "American  Decisions,"  is  now  residing 
in  San  Francisco. 

A.  H.  Lynch,  his  former  partner  here,  was  at 
one  time  a  justice  of  the  peace,  and  came  to  be 
a  journalist  of  some  note.  Died  a  number  of 
years  ago. 


UISTOIiT    OF    SACRAMENTO    COtJNTY. 


L.  H.  Foote  was  a  police  judge.  Is  the 
author  of  a  number  of  poems  and  prose  articles 
which  have  been  published  in  magazines.  He 
was  for  a  time  United  States  Consul  at  Corea. 

T.  W.  Gilmer  served  as  police  judge,  and  also 
as  justice  of  the  peace.     Died  a  few  years  ago. 

James  C.  Goods  was  one  of  the  most  promi- 
nent criminal  lawyers  in  the  State;  served  several 
terms  as  district  attorney,  and  was  one  of  the 
leaders  of  the  Democratic  party.  Died  in  this 
city  November  23,  1877. 

Henry  Hare  Hartley  occupied  a  foremost 
position  in  the  bar  of  the  State;  was  county 
judge  of  Yolo  County,  and  in  1865  ran  on  the 
Democratic  ticket  for  justice  of  the  Supreme 
Court,  but  was  defeated  by  Judge  Sanderson. 
He  died  in  this  city   March  12,  1868. 

E.  H.  Heacock;  see  Chapter  YIII. 

J.  G.  McCallum  was  once  a  State  Senator 
from  El  Dorado  County,  and  subsequently  Regis- 
ter of  the  United  States  Land  Office  in  Sacra- 
mento. 

Daniel  J.  Thomas,  besides  being  a  lawyer, 
was  most  conspicuous  here  for  having  been  con- 
nected with  some  of  the  railroad  enterprises. 
Died   here  several  years  ago. 

Gregory  Yale,  a  prominent  member  of  the 
bar  here,  moved  to  San  Francisco,  where  he 
died  June  16,  1871. 

Thomas  Conger  was  police  judge  and  justice 
of  the  peace.     Died  several  years  ago. 

Henry  Edgerton  was  one  of  the  most  brilliant 
men  who  have  figured  in  the  political  and  legal 
history  of  the  State.  He  was  a  matchless 
orator.  Served  as  district  attorney  of  Napa 
County,  and  prosecuted  the  celebrated  case  of 
Edward  McGowan,  which  grew  out  of  the  acts 
of  the  vigilance  committee  of  San  Francisco  in 
1856.  He  served  in  the  State  Senate  from  that 
county  in  the  eleventh  and  twelfth  sessions. 
He  died  at  San  Francisco,  November  4,  1887. 

Thomas  J.  Clunie  represented  San  Francisco 
in  the  State  Senate  during  the  twenty-fourth 
session,  and  November  6,  1888,  was  elected  to 
Congress,  which  office  he  now  holds. 

Jo   Hamilton  served   two  terms  as  Attorney- 


General  of  the  State,  and  is  now  practicing  law 
at  Auburn. 

William  C.  Stratton  was  State  Librarian. 

Creed  Haymond  and  C.  T.  Jones;  see  Chap- 
ter vin. 

J.  T.  Carey  served  one  term  as  district  attor- 
ney, and  ran  unsuccessfully  for  State  Senator. 
He  is  now  United  States  District  Attorney,  ap- 
pointed by  President  Cleveland. 

William  Neely  Johnson,  brother  of  the 
former  Governor,  was  at  one  time  State  Libra- 
rian. He  afterward  became  blind,  and  finally 
died  in  San  Francisco  in  June,  1885. 

J.  G.  Severance  was  a  prominent  member  of 
the  bar  of  Amador  County,  as  well  as  of  this 
county  at  another  time,  and  is  now  practicing 
in  San  Francisco. 

James  E.  Smith  was  a  partner,  at  one  time,  of 
Henry  Edgerton;  has  been  dead  several  years. 

John  K.  Alexander  was  district  attorney, 
and  at  present  is  superior  judge  of  Monterey 
County. 

T.  B.  McFarland  and  R.  C.  Clark  were 
judges;  already  noticed. 

Hamilton  C.  Harrison,  a  pi-ominent  Free- 
mason, was  at  one  time  county  clerk,  and  is 
now  deceased. 

Silas  W.  Sanderson  represented  El  Dorado 
County  in  the  Legislature,  and  in  October, 
1863,  was  elected  justice  of  the  State  Supreme 
Court;  in  October,  1865,  was  re-elected,  but 
resigned  January  4,  1870,  and  became  attorney 
for  the  Central  Pacific  Railroad  Company, 
which  position  he  held  until  his  death,  in  San 
Francisco,  June  24,  1886. 

W.  B.  C.  Brown  served  as  county  clerk,  and 
I'ebruary  6,  1876,  was  appointed  controller 
of  .State,  to  fill  the  term  made  vacant  by  the 
death  of  James  W.  Mandeville.  He  was  a 
prominent  candidate  for  the  Democratic  nomi- 
nation for  Governor  in  1882,  but  he  died  April 
12  of  that  year,  in  this  city. 

Paschal  H.  Coggins  was  brought  up  in  Sacra- 
mento, and  served  for  a  while  as  justice  of  the 
peace.  He  is  now  practicing  law  in  Philadel- 
phia. 


HISTORY    OF    SACRAMENTO    COUNTY. 


James  L.  English,  once  ma^'or,  died  at  Sacra- 
mento, May  29,  1889. 

Twenty  or  thirty  other  lawyers,  of  less  note 
than  those  mentioned,  have  practiced  in  Sacra- 
mento. 

THE    PEES^ENT    BAR. 

The  last  City  Directory  furnishes  the  follow- 
ing list  of  attorneys  now  practicing  in  Sacra- 
mento, extended  sketches  of  some  of  whom 
appear  in  a  subsequent  portion  of  this  work: 

D.  E.  Alexander,  Add.  C.  Hinkson, 

W.  A.  Anderson,  Joseph  "W.  Hughes, 

C.  W.  Baker,  Albert  M.  Johnson, 

Beatty,  Denson  &  Oat-  Grove  L.  Johnson, 

mat).  Matt.  F.  Johnson, 

William  H.  Beatty,  Daniel  Johnston, 

George  A.  Blancliard,  C.  T.  Jones, 

I.  S.  Brown,  Isaac  Joseph, 

Jay  R.  Brown,  Frank  J.  Lewis, 

El  wood  Bruner,  W.  S.  Mesick, 

Jud  C.  Brusie,  Ed.  M.  Martin, 

Alex.  N.  Buchanan,  McKune  &  George, 

A.  P.  Catlin,  G.  G.  Pickett, 

Catlin  &  Blanchard,  Charles  N.  Post, 

W.  S.  Church,  John  F.  Rarnage, 

Richard  M.  Clarkin,  Ed.  I.  Robinson, 

J.  P.  Counts,  Frank  D.  Ryan, 

N.  Greene  Curtis,  John  Shannon, 

George  G.  Davis,  Peter  J.  Shields, 

Robert  T.  Devlin,  Singer  &  Gardner, 

James  B.  Devine,  William  Singer,  Jr., 

Chauncey  K.  Dunn,  Henry  Starr, 

Edward  J.  Dwyer,  Horace  Stevens, 

Wilber  F.  George,  Taylor  &  Holl, 

W.  A.  Gett,  Jr.,  Ed.  F.  Taylor, 

Gabriel  Haines,  M.  C.  Tildeu, 

George  Haines,  John  C.  Tubbs, 

A.  L.  Hart,  John  West,  Jr., 

Elijah  C.  Hart,  Clinton  L.  Wliite, 

John  Heard,  Lincoln  White, 

William  Henley,  Young  A;  Dunn. 
Wilson  A.  Henley, 

A    QUEER    CASE. 

A  remarkable  case  of  mistaken  identity  was 
recently  related  by  Attorney  Paschal  H.  Coggins 
before  the  Medical  Jurisprudence  Society  in 
Piiiladelphia,  as  having  come  under  his  personal 
observation.  Two  men— John  A.  Mason,  of 
Boston,  and  John  A.  Mason,  of  Illinois — left 
their   respective   homes   and    went  to  California 


in  search  of  Jiealth  and  wealth.  They  were 
both  wagon-makers.  One  left  a  wife  and  two 
sons  in  Boston,  and  the  other  a  wife  and  two 
daughters  in  Illinois.  The  Boston  wife  heard 
nothing  of  her  husband  after  three  .years'  ab- 
sence, and  twenty  years  later  heard  of  the. death 
of  John  A.  Mason,  a  wagon-maker.  She 
brought  suit  for  his  property,  his  photograph 
was  identified  by  twenty  witnesses,  but  at  the 
last  moment  the  Illinois  wife  turned  up  and 
proved  that  the  man  was  her  husband,  and  the 
later  developments  showed  that  the  Boston 
pioneer  died  alone  and  friendless.  —  If.  Y. 
Graphic. 

Upon  this  Themis  comments  as  follows: 
"The  Coggins  referred  to  was  a  resident  of  this 
city,  and  at  one  time  the  law  partner  of  Creed 
Haymond.  He  was  also  a  justice  of  the  peace 
here,  married  the  daughter  of  one  of  our  pio- 
neer citizens,  and  afterward  removed  with  his 
family  to  Philadelphia,  where  he  has  since  re- 
sided. He  is  a  son  of  Paschal  Coggins,  at  one 
time  one  of  the  editors  ot  the  Sacramento 
Union,  and  who  represented  this  county  two 
terms  in  the  Assembly.  Coggins,  Sr.,  ran  for 
Congress  against  H.  F.  Page  in  1872,  on  the 
independent  ticket.  The  case  referred  to  was 
that  of  Supervisor  John  A.  Mason,  of  this  city. 
It  was  certainly  one  of  the  most  remarkable 
cases  that  ever  came  up  in  court,  but  the  state- 
ment in  the  Graphic  is  not  strictly  correct. 
The  case  was  tried  before  the  late  Judge  Clark. 
In  the  contest  Hayward  &  Coggins  appeared 
for  the  lady  contestant,  and  the  late  George 
Cadwalader  and  W.  A.  Anderson  for  the  will. 
It  was  developed  that  there  were  two  John  A.  ■ 
Masons;  that  they  followed  the  same  trade — 
carriage-making;  and  that  they  came  to  Cali- 
fornia about  the  same  time;  one,  however,  by 
steamer,  and  the  other  overland.  By  a  strange 
coincidence  the  Mr.  Coggins  referred  to  was  a 
passenger  on  the  same  steamer  with  the  Mason - 
who  came  by  sea,  and  he  was  referred  to  in  the 
printed  passenger  list  as  an  "infant."  It  fur- 
ther developed  that  the  two  Masons  worked  at 
their  trades  in  the  same  block  in  Sacramento 
City — Third  street  between  I  and  J.  After  the 
death    of    Supervisor    Mason    his    sons,  grown 


HISTORY    OF    SACRAMENTO    COUNTY. 


men,  applied  for  letters  on  his  estate;  their 
issuance  was  contested  by  a  lady  and  two 
grown  daughters,  who  claimed  to  be  the  wife 
and  offspring  of  Mason.  There  is  no  doubt 
that  the  contest  was  in  good  faith  and  that  the 
lady  believed  that  the  deceased  was  her  hus- 
band. The  testimony,  however,  developed  that 
there  must  have  been  two  John  A.  Masons,  and 
that   the  husband   of  the  lady  contestant  had. 


like  many  another  of  the  California  argonauts, 
disappeared  long  years  ago.  It  was  strange 
that  photographs  of  Supervisor  Mason  were 
identified  by  his  mother  and  other  relatives  in 
Massachusetts,  and  that  the  same  pictures  were 
identified  by  prominent  citizens  of  Illinois  as 
being  the  other  Mason.  Judge  Clark  held 
against  the  contestants,  but  said  that  there  was 
no  doubt  of  the  good  faith  of  their  contest." 


HISrORT    OF    SACRAMENTO    COUNTY. 


CHAPTER    X. 


SfTN  Sacramento  there  have  been  twenty-four 
M  executions  of  criminals,  sixteen  of  which 
^  were  according  to  the  forms  of  law.  AVe 
have  space  here  for  a  brief  account  of  the  prin- 
cipal cases. 

In  1850  robbery  and  murder  became  so  fre- 
quent, while  the  law's  delays  were  so  characteris- 
tically slow,  that  the  people  became  exasperated 
and  arose  in  self-defense.  The  first  victim 
of  their  vengeance  was  Frederick  J.  Roe,  a 
professional  gambler.  While  quarreling  at  a 
monte  table  in  the  Mansion  House,  corner  of 
Front  and  J  streets,  he  engaged  in  a  fight  with  an 
unknown  man.  The  bystanders  separated  them 
and  stopped  the  row  several  times,  but  it  was  as 
often  renewed.  At  length  a  peaceable  and 
industrious  citizen  named  Charles  Humphrey 
Myers, an  immigrant  from  Columbus,  Ohio,  and 
a  partner  in  the  blacksmithing  establishment  of 
Joseph  Prader  &  Co.,  again  parted  them,  when 
Roe  shot  him  for  interfering.  The  ball  entered 
Myers's  bead,  but  did  not  kill  him  instantly. 
He  was  carried  to  the  blacksmith  shop,  where 
the  wound  was  examined  by  surgeons  and  pro- 
nounced to  be  necessarily  fatal.  The  excite- 
ment of  the  large  crowd  which  had  gathered 
became  intense.  L)r.  Mackenzie,  a  member  of 
the  City  Council,  mounted  a  wagon  and  made  a 
violent  address,  stating  that  crime  had  run  ramp- 
ant Ions   enough;   that  the  courts  and    ofiicers 


seemed  powerless  to  prevent  it;  but  that  it  must 
be  stopped  somehow,  or  all  respectable  and 
honest  people  must  leave  the  city;  that  the 
remedy  was  now  in  the  people's  own  hands,  and 
that  it  was  a  duty  each  of  them  owed  to  society 
to  aid  in  applying  it.  He  was  followed  by 
David  B.  Milne  and  Ross  and  Taplin  in  the 
same  strain. 

The  addresses  were  eflective.  A  meeting  was 
organized,  of  which  Ross  was  appointed  presi- 
dent. In  the  meantime  Roe  had  been  taken 
into  custody  by  the  ofiicers,  and  news  was 
bronght  that  he  was  in  the  station-house,  corner 
of  Second  and  J  streets.  The  meeting  promptly 
and  unanimously  resolved  to  bring  him  out,  and 
a  large  crowd  proceeded  to  the  prison,  where  a 
still  larger  body  had  assembled.  One  Everard 
addressed  them,  stating  that  if  ever  they  in- 
tended to  rid  the  city  of  the  scoundrels  that 
infested  it,  now  was  the  time.  He  advised  the 
appointment  of  a  committee  who  should  deter- 
mine what  justice  was  in  the  case,  and  James 
Queen  followed  to  the  same  effect,  urging  the 
selection  of  a  jury  for  the  immediate  trial  of  the 
prisoner.  These  speeches  were  continually  inter- 
rupted by  loud  and  long  cheers,  mingled  with 
cries  of  "Ilang  him,"  etc. 

The  city  marshal,  N.  C.  Cunningham,  next 
followed,  stating  that  he  had  the  prisoner  in 
custody  and  that  he  should  not  escape;  but  in 


HISTORY    OF    SACRAMENTO    COUNTY. 


the  name  of  God  and  Sacramento  let  him  be 
tried  by  the  proper  tribunal,  the  courts  of  the 
country.  He  was  interrupted  by  cries  of  "  No, 
no;  they  have  proved   useless  to  prevent  crime 


and  punish  murder."     Eut  he  continued: 


If 


he  don't  get  justice  in  the  courts,  then  I  will 
help  you  get  it;  I  pledge  you  my  honor  I'll  re- 
sign my  office  and  help  you ;  but  now  I  am  a 
sworn  officer  and  you  cannot,  you  shall  not, 
have  him  while  I  am  such."  He  attempted  to 
continue  further  in  the  same  strain,  but  his 
voice  was  drowned  in  cries  of,  "  Let  the  peo])le 
have  a  jury,"  etc.  Queen  tried  it  again.  He 
was  in  favor  of  laws  and  of  supporting  them, 
but  ours  have  proved  inoperative;  let  us  have 
a  people's  jury;  let  us  imitate  San  Francisco." 

C.  A.  Tweed  was  then  called  to  the  chair,  who 
said  lie  believed  the  prisoner  was  a  great  scoun- 
drel and  ought  to  be  hanged,  but  he  wanted 
the  hanging  to  be  done  by  law.  He  was  con- 
sequently hustled  out  of  the  chair  and  Scranton 
forced  in.  Then  Justice  of  the  Peace  Bullock 
attempted  to  speak  in  behalf  of  law  and  order, 
but  his  voice  was  immediately  smothered  be- 
neath tumultuous  cries  of  "Jury!  jury!  appoint 
a  jury." 

A  jury  was  announced,  all  of  whom  accepted, 
except  F.  C.  Ewer,  who  stated  that  he  was  a 
newspaper  man,  and  that  it  was  his  duty  to 
make  an  unbiased  report  of  the  proceedings, 
which  he  could  not  do  if  he  participated  in  them. 
Dr.  V.  Spalding  was  appointed  in  his  place. 
The  jury  retired  to  the  Orleans,  on  Second  street, 
and  organized  by  appointing  Levi  Hermance 
foreman,  and  George  G.  Wright  secretary.  A 
committee  was  appointed  to  guard  the  prisoner 
and  see  that  the  officers  did  not  remove  him. 
Some  of  the  officers  attempted  at  various  times 
to  address  the  assemblage,  but  were  invariably 
shut  off.  The  marshal  again  addressed  the  peo- 
ple, stating  that  the  prisoner  could  not  be  taken 
from  Ilia  custody  until  his  own  life  had  been 
taken;  "If  Roe  escapes  the  courts  you  may 
have  him;  but  now  I  call  on  all  good  citizens  to 
aid  me  in  liis  protection."  Some  four  or  iive 
advanced,  but  the  only  notice  the  crowd  took  of 


the  speech  was  to  hoot  those  few,  and  to  express, 
in  most  unmistakable  terms,  their  nonconcur- 
rence  with  the  marshal. 

The  -privilege  of  letting  the  prisoner  have  a 
lawyer  was  proposed  and  voted  down.  After  a 
few  further  attempts  at  speech-making,  and  en- 
deavors by  the  marshal  to  preserve  the  prisoner, 
the  deafening  yells  of  2,500  or  more  people 
goaded  on  the  leaders  to  a  determined  effort  to 
execute  Lynch  law.  The  jury  was  quite  delib- 
erate, while  the  crowd  was  impatient.  Com- 
mittees were  sent  to  the  jury  to  hurry  them  up. 
They  reported  that  the  jury  were  acting  fairly, 
but  needed  the  protection  of  the  people  to  keep 
the  lawyers  out,  as  they  (the  jury)  could  elicit 
the  testimony  themselves.  Simple  facts  did  not 
require  legal  gloss.  The  lawyers  were  ordered 
out,  and  staid  out. 

As  Myers  was  not  yet  quite  dead,  Tweed  un- 
dertook to  make  a  point  temporarily  in  the  pris- 
oner's favor;  but  it  was  useless  against  the  cries 
of,  "  But  he  will  "die,  and  you  know  it;  the  doc- 
tors say  so,  and  so  will  the  other  man!"  One 
stentorian  voice,  ringing  above  the  rest,  shouted, 
"Yes;  the  murder  was  deliberate  and  cold- 
blooded. The  murderer  has  made  a  widow  and 
four  orphans.  Blood  for  blood!  He  must  die! 
Let  those  who  are  in  favor  of  hanging  him  say 
Aye!"  The  whole  street  reverberated  with  the 
sound  of  the  Ayes. 

Dr.  Taylor  hoped  every  man  present  was 
armed.  If  so,  he  wanted  a  picked  body  to  go 
with  him  and  take  the  prisoner;  "  if  we  have 
him  in  our  custody  we  will  know  where  he  is." 
A  large  portion  of  the  crowd  stepped  forward, 
but  were  stopped  by  a  cry  that  the  verdict  had 
been  rendered,  which  was  read  from  the  Orleans 
balcony  at  8  p.  m.  amid  perfect  silence,  as  fol- 
lows: 

We,  the  committee  of  investigation  appointed 
by  our  fellow-citizens  to  investigate  the  circum- 
stances of  the  unfortunate  occurrence  that  took 
place  this  afternoon,  report  that  after  a  full  and 
impartial  examination  of  the  evidence  we  lind 
that  at  about  2  o'clock  p.  ii.  this  day,  Frederick 
J.  Koe  and  some  other  person,  whose  name  is 
unknown,  were  engaged  in  an  altercation  which 


HISTORY    OF    SACRAMENTO    COUNTY. 


originated  in  the  Mansion  House;  and  that  after 
said  parties  had  proceeded  to  the  street,  and 
where  they  were  fighting,  Charles  H.  Myers, 
who  was  passing  in  tKe  street,  interfered  with 
words  requesting  them  to  desist  fighting  or 
show  fair  play ;  and  that  immediately  there- 
upon the  said  Roe  called  out,  '•  What  the  devil 
have  you  to  say?"  and  drew  his  pistol  and  with- 
out further  provocation  shot  said  Myers  through 
the  head. 

John  IT.  Sceanton,       John  T.  Bailey, 
"W.  F.  Pkettyman,        Edw.  Ceonin, 
J.  B.  Stake,  D.  O.  Mills, 

H.  G.  Langley,  F.   B.  Coenwall, 

Geoege  G.  Weight,      A.  M.  Winn, 
Haeeison  Olmstead,     L.  Heemance. 

The  above  signers  composed  the  entire  jury, 
except  Dr.  Spalding,  who,  after  participating 
for  some  time,  withdrew  in  consequence  of  what 
he  considered  the  undue  influence  of  the  people's 
committee  sent  to  the  jury.  As  soon  as  the 
verdict  was  read  there  was  a  general  stampede 
for  tiie  station-house;  and  there  Dr.  Taylor,  who 
had  urged  immediate  action  from  the  first,  stated 
that  he  had  visited  the  prisoner  and  found  him 
penitent;  and  lie  thought  the  murder  was  with- 
out malice  or  deliberation  and  he  hoped  a  com- 
mittee would  be  appointed  to  guard  the  prisoner 
until  the  next  day,  when  a  course  of  action 
might  be  determined.  The  Doctor  was  hooted 
and  hissed  off.  A.  D.  Rightmire  said  the  ver- 
dict had  been  rendered,  and  he  now  considered 
it  the  duty  of  all  good  citizens  to  see  it  carried 
out;  he  was  ready,  for  his  part;  and  lie  was 
thereupon  appointed   marshal,   by  acclamation. 

About  9  o'clock  awning  posts  were  pulled  up 
and  made  into  battering  rams,  with  which  the 
door  of  the  station-house  was  assaulted,  and 
under  the  blows  from  wliich  it  soon  yielded. 
Deputy  Sheriff  Harris  stood  in  the  door-M-ay, 
with  a  small  posse  in  his  rear,  and  held  the 
place  for  some  time,  both  by  remonstrances  and 
threats  to  fire;  but  the  impatient  multitude 
crowded  those  in  front  up  against  the  door,  and 
through  it,  against  Harris  and  his  aids,  pushing 
them  over  and  taking  thein  prisoners.  Roe  was 
chained  in  an  inner  cell,  and  there  was  consid- 
erable difficulty  in  getting  him  unshackled;  but 


as  soon  as  that  was  accomplished  he  was  in- 
formed that  he  was  to  be  hanged  forthwith,  on 
one  of  the  large  oak  trees  that  then  stood  on 
Sixth  street,  between  K  and  L.  A  large  por- 
tion of  the  crowd  imnie'diately  rushed  to  the 
point,  but  a  sufficient  number  remained  to  guard 
the  escort  of  the  prisoner.  Arriving  at  the 
tragical  spot,  where  a  staging  had  been  erected 
for  the  purpose,  they  placed  the  prisoner  upon 
it,  tied  his  hands  and  feet  and  sent  for  Rev.  M. 
C.  Briggs.  Through  this  man,  Roe  said  to  the 
public  that  he  committed  the  deed  in  a  fit  of 
passion,  and  had  nothing  more  to  say  in  self- 
defense;  that  he  was  an  Englishman  by  birth, 
was  twenty  years  of  age,  and  had  a  mother  and 
sister  then  living  in  the  old  country.  After  the 
minister  had  performed  his  duties,  a  rope  con- 
taining a  slip  noose  was  placed  around  the  pris- 
oner's neck,  the  other  end  thrown  over  one  of 
the  limbs  of  the  tree,  and  this  was  seized  by  a 
multitude  of  strong  hands,  which  launched  the 
prisoner  into  eternity,  in  the  presence  of  an 
estimated  assemblage  of  5,000  people.  Myers, 
however,  was  not  dead  at  the  time  the  prisoner 
was  executed. 

On  July  9,  1851,  William  B.  Robinson,  James 
Gibson  and  John  Thompson  knocked  down  and 
robbed  James  Wilson  on  L  street,  between 
Fourth  and  Fiftli,  in  broad  daylight.  They 
were  seen  and  arrested,  and  before  4  o'clock 
p.  M.  more  than  1.000  men  surrounded  tiie  jail. 
Violent  speeches  were  made,  and  a  crowd  organ- 
ized by  electing  a  president  and  secretary.  A 
jury  was  impaneled,  but  it  could  not  agree; 
and  it  was  decided  that  the  parties  siiould  be 
indicted  and  tried  on  the  following  Monday, 
when  a  special  term  of  court  would  meet.  The 
court  met  at  that  time;  but,  to  give  the  counsel 
for  the  defense  time  to  prepare,  it  continued  £lie 
case  one  week.  •  The  prisoners  were  tried  sepa- 
rately. On  Tuesday  Robinson  was  found  guilty 
by  the  jury,  and  his  punishment,  death,  was 
also  designated  by  tiiem.  On  the  16th  Gibson 
was  likewise  convicted,  and  on  the  18th  Thomp- 
son also.  Under  the  first  statutes  of  this  State 
the  crimes  of  robbery  and  grand  larceny,  as  well 


HISTORY    OF    SAGMAMENTO    COUNTY. 


as  murder,  were  punishable  by  death,  in  the 
discretion  of  the  jury.  July  21st  Judge  Willis 
sentenced  all  three  to  be  hanged  August  22d; 
and  accordingly  Gibson  and  Thompson  were  ex- 
ecuted that  day,  on  an  old  sycamore  tree  at 
Sixth  and  O  streets;  but  Tiobinsou  was  first  re- 
prieved by  the  Governor  and  afterward  iianged 
at  the  same  place   by  the  people. 

On  the  night  of  Sunday,  February  20,  1853, 
John  Carroll,  alias  "  Bootjack,"  was  murdered 
on  the  levee  near  Tenth  and  B  streets.  He  was 
one  of  a  gang  of  thieves,  and  was  killed  by 
his  associates,  who  suspected  that  he  was  a 
traitor  to  them.  One  of  the  parties  arrested 
for  the  murder,  William  Dunham,  turned 
State's  evidence,  and  Jack  Thompson,  Barney 
Ackerman  and  Charles  Stewart  were  tried,  con- 
victed, and  sentenced  to  be  hung.  A  gallows 
was  erected  about  three  or  four  hundred  paces 
east  of  Sutter's  Fort,  on  an  open  plain,  where 
every  person  was  afforded  an  excellent  oppor- 
tunity to  witness  the  execution;  and  on  the  29th 
of  April,  1853,  the  men  were  hanged.  Thomp- 
son was  aged  twenty-five,  Stewart  twenty,  and 
Ackerman  nineteen. 

Ah  Chung,  a  Chinaman,  was  executed  be- 
tween J  and  K  streets,  just  below  Sutter's  Fort, 
May  9,  1856,  for  the  murder  of  one  of  his 
country-women,  named  Ah  Lei,  February  8, 
1856.  The  execution  was  public  and  was  wit- 
nessed by  a  large  number.  The  culprit  claimed 
the  murdered  woman  to  be  his  wife  and  ac- 
cused her  of  infidelity. 

Samuel  L.  Garrett  was  hung  near  Sutter's 
Fort,  June  27,  1856,  for  the  murder  of  Amiel 
Brickell,  at  the  Golden  Eagle  Hotel,  April  26, 
1855.  Brickell  had  had  some  difiiculty  with 
Garrett  relative  to  the  daughter  of  the  former, 
whom  the  latter  was  accused  of  having  seduced, 
and  it  ended  in  Garrett  fatally  shooting  Brickell. 
On  the  20th  of  November  following  he  was 
tried  for  the  murder  before  Judge  Monson  and 
convicted.  He  was  sentenced  to  be  executed 
January  9,  1856,  but  an  appeal  was  taken  to  the 
Saj)reme  Court,  and  May  5  the  judgment  of 
the  court  below  was  sustained  and   the  convict 


was  again  sentenced  to  death,  which  sentence 
was  executed.  Garrett  a  native  of  Pennsylvania, 
born  in  1833,  was  married  to  Miss  Harriet  L. 
Brickell,  the  daughter  of  the  murdered  man,  by 
Justice  C.  C.  Jenks  on  the  prison  brig  the 
Sunday  befoi'e  the  execution,  in  the  presence  of 
a  large  assembly.  She  attempted  suicide  by  tak- 
ing poison  a  day  or  two  before  he   was   hanged. 

William  S.  Kelly  was  executed  at  the  same 
moment,  for  the  murder  of  Daniel  C.  Howe,  at 
Lake  Valley,  El  Dorado  County.  On  the  night 
of  July  10,  1855,  Mickey  Free,  George  Wilson 
and  this  Kelly  went  into  the  cabin  of  Howe  and 
Ruggles,  traders,  for  the  purpose  of  robbery. 
Free  shot  Howe  dead,  and  Wilson  shot  Kuggles 
with  a  long  rifie,  but  did  not  kill  him.  liug- 
gles  turned  his  side  to  them  after  receiving  the 
wound  and  asked  them  to  kill  him,  when  Free 
said  he  would  accommodate  him  and  stabbed 
him  several  times  with  a  bowie-knife.  After 
Ruggles  was  dead  Wilson  declared  that  Kelly 
must  have  a  hand  in  the  murder  also,  and 
forced  him  to  cut  the  throat  of  the  murdered 
man.  This  is  the  version  given  by  the  crimi- 
nal himself. 

Free  was  executed  October  26,  1855,  at  Co- 
loma,  and  in  his  confession  substantiated  Kelly's 
statement.  Wilson  was  the  principal  witness 
against  Kelly,  and  testified  that  Kelly  cut  Rug- 
gles's  throat  before  the  latter  was  dead.  Kelly 
got  a  change  of  venue  in  November,  1855,  to 
this  county,  and  was  tried  and  convicted  before 
Judge  Monson,  December  20,  1855.  The  usual 
motions,  in  arrest  of  judgment,  a  new  trial, 
etc.,  were  made  and  overruled,  and  an  appeal 
taken  to  the  Supreme  Court,  but  the  judgment 
of  the  Lower  Court  was  sustained  and  the  orig- 
inal sentence  was  executed. 

Peter  Lundberg,  who  murdered  John  Peter 
Ritz,  was  executed  in  the  water-works  building 
April  13,  1860.  He  was  at  work  for  a  man 
named  Palm,  and  between  his  employer  and 
Ritz  there  was  an  enmity,  which  grew  out  of  a 
dispute  concerning  some  money  which  the  latter 
owed  the  former,  and  did  not  pay  on  account  of 
failure    in    business.      Lundberg  confessed  that 


HISTORY    OF    SACRAMENTO    COCTNTT. 


he  was  induced  to  commit  the  murder,  and 
Mrs.  Palm  was  arrested  for  the  murder,  but 
acquitted.  One'dark  night  Ritz  walked  out  to 
call  on  a  friend  above  the  old  gas-works,  and 
when  returning,  about  9  o'clock,  was  shot 
dead.  The  officers  suspected  that  Palm  com- 
mitted the  deed,  and  officer  Burke  went  to 
Palm's  house.  Mrs.  Palm  was  there  alone. 
Burke  turned  down  the  light  and  waited.  In 
a  short  time  Lnndberg  arrived,  and  the  muddy 
appearance  of  his  clothes,  etc.,  caused  the  officer 
to  suspect  him,  and  he  was  arrested. 

The  case  of  William  Wells,  in  1860,  was  an 
extraordinary  one.  It  seems  that  an  old  man 
named  Matthias  Wetzel  had  been  murdered  and 
robbed  of  a  large  amount  of  jewelry  and  pre- 
cious stones  some  time  during  that  year.  Wells 
had  been  arrested  for  this  murder  at  Virginia 
City,  Nevada,  some  of  the  spoils  found  in  his 
possession,  and  was  on  his  way  from  that  place 
to  Sacramento  in  charge  of  Deputy  Sherifi' 
Wharton,  of  Sutter  County,  and  George  Arm- 
strong, a  mountaineer  of  Virginia  City.  July 
25  they  left  Marysville  for  this  city.  Tiie  stage 
reached  Nicolaus  with  all  safe  on  board  and 
was  about  to  continue  the  trip  when  Wharton 
went  to  the  driver,  Whipple,  and  told  him  that 


the  driver  of  the  u 


p-stage. 


Whitn 


'^y- 


;poi' 


i-ted 


that  the  morning  stage  from  Marysville  had 
been  met  on  Lisle's  bridge  by  a  posse  of  men 
who  had  the  appearance  of  a  rescuing  mob. 
Whipple  drove  into  town  without  his  passen- 
gers, and  reported  to  the  police  officers  the  state 
of  affiiirs,  and  that  Wharton  expected  assistance, 
and  would  wait  until  the  officers  came.  Officer 
Deal  and  Whipple  returned  to  Nicolaus,  where 
they  learned  that  Wharton  had  engaged  a  wagon, 
and  a  man  named  W.  C.  Stoddard  to  attend 
them;  and  that  they  had  left  Nicolaus  at  10 
p.  M.  by  the  river  road,  for  the.purpose  of  avoid- 
ing the  supposed  mob.  At  about  1:30  a.  m. 
they  arrived  at  a  point  about  half  a  mile  from 
Swift's  bridge  at  tlie  mouth  of  the  American 
Eiver.  At  this  time  Stoddard  was  driving, 
with  Wharton  sitting  on  the  seat  beside  him. 
Behind  them,  on  the  bottom  of  the  wagon  box. 


sat  Wells;  and  stretched  out  on  the  bottom 
lay  Armstrong  fast  asleep.  Stoddard  remarked 
to  Wharton,  "We  are  near  to  Sacramento; 
you  had  better  wake  Armstrong  up."  As 
Wharton  turned  to  do  so.  Wells  shot  him  in  his 
right  side,  which  had  the  effect  of  knocking 
him  off  the  seat  among  the  horses.  The  next 
instant  Stoddard  was  shot  and  instantly  killed; 
and  a  third  discharge  rendered  Armstrong  help- 
less. By  this  time  Wharton  had  disengaged 
himself  and  tired  on  Wells,  who  was  retreating 
and  returned  the  fire,  striking  Wharton  in  the 
thigh. 

It  appears  that  Wells  felt  entirely  safe  for  a 
time,  as  he  coolly  started  toward  town,  then 
went  down  to  the  river,  took  a  row-boat  and 
rowed  back  to  the  scene  of  the  tragedy,  where 
he  robbed  Armstrong  of  the  money  and  jewelry 
stolen  from  Wetzel.  Armstrong  died  that  day, 
and  Wharton  the  next. 

Wells  evidently  had  taken  the  key  to  his 
handcufl's  from  Armstrong's  pocket,  and,  after 
freeincr  his  wrists,  had  snatched  Armstrong's 
revolver  from  his  belt  and  used  it  as  above  de- 
scribed. For  several  years  he  was  reported  as 
having  been  seen,  sometimes  in  one  State,  some- 
times in  another.  March  1,  1866,  the  officers 
brought  a  man  whom  the\'  had  arrested  in 
Idaho,  to  Sacramento,  under  the  impression 
that  he  was  Wells;  but  it  proved  to  be  Donald 
McDonald,  and  he  was  released,  and  afterward 
presented  with  $600,  by  vote  of  the  Legislature, 
to  compensate  him  for  loss  of  time  and  damage 
to  reputation.  The  last  we  hear  of  AVells  is  in 
a  letter  received  by  the  Union,  from  a  man  in 
Idaho,  in  which  we  are  informed  tiiat  Wells 
was  killed  in  Washington  Territory  in  1864,  by 
one  of  the  party  with  whom  he  was  traveling. 
But  the  theory  generally  accepted  among  the- 
officers  of  Sacramento  is  that  Wells  did  not  dis- 
engage himself  from  the  irons,  and  in  attempt- 
ing to  swim  the  Sacramento  River  was  drowned. 
He  had  been  known  as  a  man  of  low  character, 
frequently  arrested  for  petty  larceny,  and  as  a 
lounger  at  Wetzel's  saloon. 

Louis   Kahl   was  executed  at  the  old  water- 


HISTORY    OF    SACRAMENTO    COUNTY. 


works  building,  November  29,  1861,  for  the  | 
murder  uf  Catherine  Gerken.  On  the  night  of 
January  4  preceding,  tiie  murdered  woman  was 
found  at  lier  residence  on  L  street,  near  Second, 
at  about  midnight,  strangled  in  her  room.  The 
deed  had  been  committed  evidently  for  the  pur- 
pose of  robbery.  On  the  afternoon  of  the  fol- 
lowing day,  Officer  Frank  Hardy,  with  the  aid 
of  a  convict  called  "Jimmy  from  Town,"  ar- 
rested Kahl  at  the  Father  Rhine  house,  on  J 
street,  opposite  the  Plaza.  The  watch  of  the 
murdered  woman  was  found  on  his  person,  and 
he  gave  no  very  satisfactory  account  of  it.  lie 
was  tried,  convicted  and  sentenced  to  be  exe- 
cuted. His  case  was  taken  to  the  Supreme 
Court,  and  sent  back  to  the  District  Court  with 
directions  to  carry  out  the  original  sentence. 
He  was  a  native  of  Germany,  and  twenty- three 
years  of  age. 

William  Williams  was  hung  May  20,  1864, 
for  the  murder  of  A.  Blanchard.  Williams  was 
born  in  Wales  in  1827,  and  came  to  California 
in  1854,  settling  in  San  Joaquin  Township,  this 
county,  in  partnership  with  Blanchard._  They 
quarreled,  had  a  lawsuit  and  dissolved  partner- 
ship. Afterward  they  ranched  as  neighbors, 
but  continually  disagreed.  They  had  a  diffi- 
culty about  the  ownership  of  a  horse,  which  was 
settled  in  Blanchard's  favor.  Williams  had  in 
his  employ  a  half-witted  Englishman,  named 
Joe  Blake.  On  the  night  of  August  3,  1860, 
Blanchard  was  returning  home  from  Sacra- 
mento, when  Williams  and  Blake  lay  in  wait 
for  him  in  a  ditch.  Williams  had  a  pick- 
handle,  and  Blake  a  wagon-spoke.  Next  day 
Blanchard  was  found  dead,  with  his  head  terri- 
bly mutilated.  For  this  Williams  was  arrested, 
convicted,  and  hanged  in  the  extreme  outskirts 
of  Washington,  about  a  quarter  of  a  mile  from 
the  river. 

George  Nelsou  Symonds  was  hung  in  the  old 
water-works  building,  December  4, 1863,  for  the 
murder  of  B.  F.  Russell,  on  the  night  of  July 
11,  1860,  near  Benson's  Ferry.  Symonds  and 
Monroe  Crozier  were  arrested  for  a  robbery 
committed  in  Placer  County,  immediately  after 


the  murder,  and  before  it  was  known  that  it 
had  been  committed.  On  the  12th  of  July 
they  crossed  the  ferry  with  four  horses,  saddled 
and  bridled.  Their  clothing  was  wet  and  their 
appearance  suspicious.  When  arrested  for  the 
robbery  they  had  a  valise  containing  bloody 
clothing,  a  stencil  plate  with  the  name  of  B.  F. 
Russell  on  it,  and  other  articles  of  the  murdered 
man. 

In  October,  1860,  Symonds  turned  State's 
evidence  in  the  robbery  case.  Crozier  soon 
after  escaped,  and  on  the  night  of  October  — 
two  bodies  were  found  in  the  slough  near  the 
ferry,  which  had  evidently  been  murdered 
several  months  previous  and  sunk.  They  were 
discovered  when  the  water  in  the  slough  dried 
up,  and  proved  to  be  those  of  Russell  and  Seli- 
zer,  who  had  early  in  the  season  started  for  the 
Coso  mines.  The  trial  of  Symonds,  who  was 
brought  down  from  Placer  after  the  bodies  were 
found,  commenced  March  9,  1861,  before  Judge 
McKune.  He  was  convicted,  and  sentenced  to 
be  hung  May  10.  The  Supreme  Court  granted 
him  a  new  trial,  and  it  comnjenced  June  2, 
1862,  and  on  the  6th  he  was  again  convicted, 
and  sentenced  to  be  hung  July  25.  The  case 
was  again  taken  to  the  Supreme  Court,  and  on 
September  18  the  judgment  of  the  District 
Court  was  affirmed,  and  he  was  sentenced  for 
the  third  time. 

Frank  Hudson,  a  Corporal  in  Company  I, 
Second  Cavalry,  was  executed  at  Camp  Union 
(Agricultural  Park),  June  16,  1865,  for  the 
murder  of  Lieutenant  Daniel  Webster  Lever- 
good,  at  Camp  Bidwell,  Butte  County,  on  the 
14th  of  April.  Levergood  had  ordered  Hudson 
on  a  doubfe  quick  in  the  afternoon,  for  drunken- 
ness, and  at  9  o'clock  in  the  evening  the  officer 
was  shot,  and  died  in  two  days.  He  was  cer- 
tain that  Hudson  shot  him,  and  as  the  latter  at 
once  deserted,  the  evidence  was  very  strong. 
He  was  captured,  tried  by  court-martial,  brought 
here  and  hanged. 

On  the  evening  of  June  17,  1870,  a  man 
named  "Tip"  McLaughlin  shot  and  killed 
Charles  Lundholm,  bar-keeper  of  the   Railroad 


HISTORY    OP    SACRAMENTO    COUNTY. 


Exchange  Saloon.  The  alleged  cause  wa.s  that 
Lundhohn  had  written  some  slanderous  articles 
about  a  relative  of  McLaughlin's,  which  was 
published  in  a  disreputable  sheet  called  the  Ma- 
zeppa.  McLaughlin  was  indicted.  The  regular 
venire  of  jurors  was  soon  exhausted,  and  a  second 
one  drawn,  which,  singularly  enough,  was  almost 
entirely  composed  of  the  prisoner's  friends. 
The  prosecution  exhausted  all  of  their  peremp- 
tory challenges  and  were  obliged  to  go  to  trial. 
As  expected,  the  jury  failed  to  agree,  and  after 
being  out  threj  days  were  discharged,  though 
defendant  objected.  Shortly  afterward,  defend- 
ant's counsel  applied  for  bail,  which  was  refused 
by  Judge  Eamage.  A  writ  of  habeas  corpus 
was  issued  by  the  Supreme  Court  providing  for 
bail,  which  was  granted  in  the  sum  of  $10,000, 
the  court  holding  that  the  fact  of  a  disagreement 
of  the  jur^'  indicated  grave  doubt  about  the  of- 
fense being  murder  in  the  first  degree.  The 
second  trial  was  held  in  October,  and  the  jury 
gave  a  verdict  of  murder  in  the  first  degree. 
Defendant's  counsel  gave  notice  of  a  motion  for 
a  new  trial.  The  judge  then  adjourned  court 
until  9  o.'clock  the  next  morning.  McLaugh- 
lin was  not  given  in  charge  of  the  sheriff,  and 
walked  out  of  the  court-house.  During  the 
evening  he  was  seen  at  several  places  in  town, 
but  did  not  appear  for  sentence  the  next  morn- 
ing, and  was  next  heard  of  in  South  America, 
where  lie  died  a  few  years  ago.  Judge  Ramage 
held  that  the  order  of  the  Supreme  Court  ad- 
mitting McLaughlin  to  bail  and  the  bail  bond 
provided  for  the  appearance  of  the  defendant 
for  judgment  and  the  execution  thereof,  and  that 
by  issuing  an  order  to  take  McLaughlin  into 
custody,  he  would  be  placed  in  contempt.  The 
case  became  subject  of  much  comment. 

Charles  Mortimer,  whose  true  name  was 
Charles  J.  Flinn,  was  executed  in  the  Sacra- 
mento County  jail-yard,  May  15,  1873,  for  the 
murder  of  Mary  Gibson.  » 

On  the  morning  of  September  20,  1872,  the 
citizens  were  startled  by  the  announcement  that 
Mary  Gibson  had  been  brutally  murdered  at  her 
saloon   and   residence  on   "Jib-boom"  street  — 


now  extinct — or  near  the  Station-lionse  on  Front 
street.  Her  body  was  found  in  a  rear  room  with 
her  face  badly  lacerated  by  a  blow  from  a  broken 
tumbler,  and  her  throat  cut  with  a  knife.  A 
glass  of  beer  was  found  which  by  analysis  was 
ascertained  to  contain  strychnine.  The  house 
had  been  ransacked,  and  it  was  believed  that 
several  hundred  dollars  in  coin  had  been  stolen. 
The  hand  of  the  dead  woman  grasped  a  portion 
of  a  man's  whiskers,  evidently  torn  from  the 
face  of  her  murderer  in  the  death  struo-gle. 
Officers  Harris  and  Dole,  having  seen  Mm-timer 
drunk  the  evening  before,  suspected  that  he 
might  be  the  murderer.  Carrie  Spencer,  a  com- 
panion of  Mortimer,  was  arrested  on  suspicion, 
and  Mortimer  himself  was  soon  afterward  ar- 
rested. An  examination  of  their  room  revealed 
the  fact  that  the  suspected  parties  had  posses- 
sion of  several  of  Mrs.  Gibson's  dresses.  In 
Mortimer's  pocket  was  found  a  paper  of  strych- 
nine. Altogether,  the  clues  of  the  identity  of 
Mortimer  were  as  definite  as  could  be  desired. 

During  the  progress  of  the  trial  it  was  found 
that  he  had  killed  one  Caroline  Frenel  in  San 
Francisco,  in  May  previous.  He  was  convicted 
of  murder  in  the  first  degree,  and  afterward  he 
prepared  a  confession  at  length,  which  he  gave 
to  S.  C.  Denson  and  Cameron  H.  King,  his  at- 
torneys, as  the  only  means  within  his  power  to 
compensate  them  for  their  legal  services  in  his 
defense.  In  this  confession  the  convicted  man 
admitted  having  murdered  both  Mrs.  Gibson 
and  Caroline  Prenel;  but,  as  is  natural,  he  im- 
plicated Carrie  more  than  himself.  According 
to  his  confession  it  seems  that  he  was  naturally 
a  very  selfish  man,  willing  at  any  time  to  prac- 
tice deception  in  order  to  get  more  than  his 
share. 

On  the  night  of  April  16  a  remarkable  at- 
tempt was  made  to  rescue  him  from  ihe  county 
jail.  The  sheriff  and  deputies  had  been  informed 
that  such  an  attempt  might  possibly  be  made. 
At  1:30  o'clock  the  yard  bell  was  rung,  and 
Deputy  Sheriff  Cross,  on  going  cautiously  into 
the  yard,  encountered  a  man  with  his  face 
masked,  without  iiis  boots,  with  his  coat  turned 


BISTORT    OF    SACRAMENTO    COUNTY. 


wrong  side  out,  and  with  a  revolver  in  his  hand. 
He  had  scaled  the  wall  with  a  ladder.  He  at- 
tempted to  enter  the  jail  and  Cross  fired  at  him 
twice  and  killed  him.  It  became  evident  from 
papers,  etc.,  in  his  pockets  that  his  name  was 
William  J.  Flinn,  and  that  he  was  a  resident  of 
Lynn,  Massachusetts.  Mortimer  subsequently 
acknowledged  that  this  was  his  brother,  and  that 
his  own  name  was  Charles  J.  Flinn.  He  had 
left  home  in  1858,  since  which  time  his  family 
had  known  nothing  of  his  career;  but  after  his 
arrest  here  he  wrote  to  his  brothers,  for  the  first 
time,  soliciting  their  financial  aid. 

An  elaborate  attempt  was  made  to  prove  that 
Mortimer  was  insane  during  the  past  few  weeks 
of  his  confinement,  but  without  avail.  He 
feigned  insanity  by  staring  vacantly  at  the  walls, 
refusing  to  speak,  brushing  away  imaginary 
flies,  etc.  According  to  the  sentence,  the 
wretched  convict  was  hanged  at  noon,  Friday, 
May  15,  1873,  in  the  presence  of  about  150  in- 
vited spectators.  Many  more  were  of  course 
outside  the  wall  desiring  admission,  among  them 
a  number  of  women.  lu  the  execution  the  fall 
was  immediately  fatal,  not  a  quiver  of  muscle 
being  noticeable. 

About  midnight  of  April  7,  1874,  the  body 
of  John  Cruse,  a  German  sailor,  was  found  on 
Front,  near  N  street.  His  death  had  evidently 
been  caused  by  stabbing.  Although  there  at 
first  appeared  to  be  literally  no  clue  to  the  iden- 
tity of  the  murderers,  yet  the  measures  adopted 
by  Chief  Karcher  and  his  force  were  so  ener- 
getic and  conclusive  that  before  dark  of  the  day 
following  the  police  had  arrested  the  culprits 
and  obtained  the  full  particulars  of  their  crime. 
A  month  afterward  the  Grand  Jury  presented 
indictments  against  Domingo  Estrada  and  Filo- 
mena  Cotta  for  murder  in  the  first  degree.  May 
15  they  were  arraigned,  and  pleaded  not  guilty. 
I.  S.  Brown  appeared  as  counsel  for  Estrada, 
and  James  C.  Goods,  Jo  Hamilton  and  Paschal 
H.  Coggins  for  Cotta.  June  G  Estrada  was 
convicted  with  the  determination  by  the  jury 
that  the  punishment  should  be  death;  and  July 
9  Cotta     was    similarly    convicted.       Sentence 


upon  both  was  pronounced  July  28,  and  Sep- 
tember 18  was  set  for  the  day  of  execution. 
Appeal  was  taken  to  the  Supreme  Court,  execu- 
tion stayed,  and  on  final  hearing  the  men  were 
sentenced  to  be  hanged  February  19,  1875. 
Friends  industriously  circulated  petitions  to 
Governor  Booth  for  a  commutation  of  sentence, 
but  without  avail,  although  they  were  signed  by 
many  prominent  men.  The  sentence  was  ac- 
cordingly executed,  in  the  presence  of  200  in- 
vited citizens.  For  more  than  two  hours  previous 
to  the  moment  fixed  for  the  hanging,  the  houses 
and  trees  in  the  vicinity  of  the  jail  yard  were 
filled  with  men  and  boys  hoping  to  witness  the 
final  scenes.  Two  days  previously,  Estrada's 
mother,  on  hearing  that  he  was  to  be  executed 
so  soon,  fainted,  and  raved  all  the  succeeding 
night,  being  quieted  only  by  the  use  of  chloro- 
form ;  was  in  a  comatose  state  all  the  next  day, 
and  subsequently  had  several  fainting  spells. 
Estrada's  death  seemed  to  be  a  painful  one,  as 
he  had  convulsive  movements  or  an  active  pulse 
for  twelve  minutes  after  the  fall;  and  Cotta's 
pulse  continued  fifteen  minutes. 

On  April  1,  1875,  a  horse-race  was  run  near 
Koseville.  David  Turley,  a  sheep-herder,  was 
present  as  a  spectator.  He  had  been  drinking 
very  freely,  and  was  on  horseback.  W.  II. 
Shaw,  a  farm  laborer,  was  also  present,  quite  in- 
toxicated. He  was  on  foot,  and  applied  an 
epithet'to  Turley,  who  pulled  a  pistol  and  shot 
him  dead.  Turley  rode  to  Roseville,  surrendered 
himself,  and  was  brought  to  the  county  jail  in 
Sacramento;  was  tried  for  murder, and  defended 
by  Creed  Ilaymond.  The  defense  was  made 
upon  the  ground  that  the  accused  was  so  intoxi- 
cated as  to  be  irresponsible  for  his  acts;  and  it 
was  shown  at  the  trial  that  he  had  drank  an  in- 
ordinate quantity  of  whisky.  The  law,  however, 
provides  that  intoxication  is  no  excuse. for  the 
commission  of  crime,  but  can  be  regarded  only 
in  initigarion  of  punishment.  Turley  was  con- 
victed and  suffered  the  penalty  of  death,  Febru- 
ary 25,  1876. 

At  about  8  o'clock  on  the  evening  of  Decem- 
ber 7,  1878,  a  bright  moonlight  night,  just  back 


HISTOKY    OF    SACRAMENTO    COUNTY. 


on  Seventeenth  street,  between  1  and  J,  a  pistol 
sliot  was  heard;  but  no  investigation  was  made, 
and  the  result  was  not  known  until  the  next 
morning,  when  the  body  of  a  policeman,  Joseph 
Scott,  was  found  lying  upon  the  sidewalk.  He 
had  been  shot  through  the  heart,  and  from  the 
blood  marks  it  was  ascertained  that  he  had  passed 
across  the  street  after  having  received  the  wound. 
For  many  years  the  murder  remained  a  mys- 
tery. The  only  clue  was  that  a  citizen  in  the 
block,  on  hearing  the  shot,  looked  from  his 
window  and  saw  four  men  running,  one  of  whom 
wore  a  long,  white  coat.  Several  years  after- 
ward a  convict  named  James  Ivey,  in  the  San 
Quentin  State  Prison,  informed  the  authorities 
that  three  men  then  confined  in  the  prison  were 
the  persons  who  had  committed  the  crime,  and 
that  he  had  overheard  them  detail  the  particu- 
lars of  it.  On  the  expiration  of  the  terms  of 
these  three  men,  they  were  brought  to  Sacra- 
mento, whf-re  two  of  them  made  a  full  con- 
fession. They  had  been  in  former  years  inmates 
of  the  State  Prison,  and  on  the  night  of  the  kill- 
ing of  Scott  had,  in  company  with  another  ex- 
convict  named  Edwards,  arrived  in  the  city  on  a 
freight  train  from  Marysville.  The  ride  was 
stolen,  and  as  the  train  slowed  up  about  Twen- 
tieth street  they  jumped  off  and  started  through 
the  city,  with  the  understanding  that  they  would 
rob  the  first  person  whom  they  met.  There  had 
been  a  fire  at  the  Protestant  Orphan  Asylum,  at 
Nineteenth  and  L  streets,  earlier  on  that  even- 
ing, and  Officer  Scott  had  been  detailed  to  watch 
the  ruins.  He  was  passing  through  Seventeenth 
street  when  these  four  men  overtook  him,  and 
in  an  attempt  to  rob  him  he  resisted  and  Ed- 
wards drew  a  revolver  and  shot  him,  as  de- 
scribed. The  men  did  not  stop  to  search  the 
body,  but  ran  away  from  the  city  and  continued 
on  to  Stockton,  and  finally  three  of  them  arrived 
in  Sonoma  County.  There  they  burglarized  the 
house  of  Judge  W.  C.  Wallace,  who  apprehended 
them,  and  they  were  sent  to  the  State  Prison. 
While  serving  this  sentence  the  authorities  re- 
ceived the  information  of  their  complicity  in 
the  murder  of  Scott. 


They  were  put  upon  trial  at  Sacramento,  be- 
fore Judge  A.  Van  K.  Paterson,  then  a  superior 
judge,  but  now  a  justice  of  the  State  Supreme 
Court.  Two  of  the  accused,  as  we  have  stated, 
made  full  confessions,  and  were  permitted  to 
plead  guilty  of  murder  in  tiie  first  degree,  with 
the  understanding  tiiat  their  punishment  should 
be  life  imprisonment.  The  third  one  stoutly 
refused  to  confess,  and  exhibited  feelings  of  in- 
dignation because  the  other  two  had.  Finally 
the  authorities  proposed  to  him  to  plead  guilty 
as  the  others  had.  He  accepted  it  and  received 
a  life  sentence. 

Edwards,  who  fired  the  fatal  shot,  is  now  in 
an  Eastern  penitentiary,  and  will  be  brought 
here  for  trial  as  soon  as  his  term  expires. 

The  case  of  Troy  Dye  and  Edward  Anderson 
was  one  of  the  most  remarkable  in  the  annals  of 
crime. 

On  the  morning  of  August  2,  1878,  A.  M. 
Tullis,  a  wealthy  fruit-raiser  on  Grand  Island, 
in  the  lower  part  of  the  county,  was  found  dead 
in  his  orchard,  with  a  bullet-hole  through  his 
body.  He  was  a  bachelor,  aged  about  fifty-five 
years,  and  had  lived  alone  upon  his  ranch. 
There  was  apparently  no  motive  for  the  murder, 
as  no  property  had  been  taken,  and  for  a  time 
the  officers  were  at  sea  to  unravel  the  mystery. 
At  length  pieces  of  new  redwood  lumber  were 
found  in  the  tules  on  the  opposite  side  of  the 
river,  a  little  lower  down;  and  from  the  indica- 
tions they  were  portions  of  a  duck-boat.  Upon 
one  of  the  pieces  were  figures  used  in  calcula- 
tions of  lumber  measurement.  These  boards 
were  secured  by  the  officers,  and  the  pieces  con- 
taining figures  were  taken  to  the  various  lum- 
ber-yards in  Sacramento,  and  a  salesman  at  one 
of  the  yards  identified  them  as  iiaving  been 
made  by  himself.  It  was  developed  subse- 
quently that  Anderson  had  purchased  the  lum- 
ber; that  the  salesman  had  figured  the  number 
of  feet  in  the  purchase  upon  the  smooth  side  of 
a  board;  tiiat  Anderson's  curiosity  was  aroused 
as  to  how  the  determination  could  be  made  in  a 
manner  so  simple;  that  the  salesman  had  re- 
peated   the   figiiriTig    upon    one   of   tlie    lioards 


HISTORY    OF    SACRAMENTO    COUNTY. 


wliich  Anderson  liad  purchased.  The  officers 
then  found  tlie  drayman  who  had  taken  the 
lumber  from  the  yard,  and  discovered  that  he 
had  delivered  it  at  the  house  of  Dye. 

The  information  from  the  neighbors  showed 
that  a  boat  was  made  in  the  basement  of  that 
house,  and  the  expressman  was  found  who  had 
taken  the  boat  to  the  river.  Parties  along  the 
river  had  ohseri-ed  an  unpainted  boat  contain- 
ing two  men  passing  down,  and  their  descrip- 
tions were  obtained.  Upon  this  information  a 
clue  was  based  which  resulted  in  the  arrest  of 
Dye  and  Anderson,  the  third  party  being  then 
unknown.  They  were  confined  in  separate  jails, 
and  they  confessed  fully  concerning  the  crime. 

Dye  had  been  elected  to,  and  was  thea  hold- 
ing, the  office  of  public  administrator.  It  was 
ascertained  from  their  confessions  that  soon 
after  his  election  he  had  entered  into  an  arrange- 
ment with  Anderson  and  Tom  Lawton]  to  kill 
certain  wealthy  persons  who  had  tio  relatives  in 
the  State,  to  enable  Dye  to  administer  upon 
their  estate  and  receive  the  commissions.  He, 
of  course,  was  to  divide  the  spoils  with  those 
who  killed  for  him.  Tullis  was  the  first  victim 
selected.  Anderson  and  Lawton  went  to  Tul- 
lis's  ranch  in  the  duck-boat,  and  met  Tullis  in 
his  orchard.  They  had  never  met  him  before, 
but  he  liad  been  fully  described  to  thera  by 
Dye.  AYhile  in  conversation  with  him,  Ander- 
son struck  him  with  a  sand-bag,  and  Lawton 
shot  him.  They  then  rowed  to  the  opposite 
side  of  tiie  river,  and  started  up  the  road.  By 
appointment  Dye  met  them  on  the  way  up  in  a 
buggy,  the  signal  of  his  approach  being  that  he 
should  whistle  the  tune  "Sweet  Bye  and  Bye." 
They  returned  to  the  city  and  took  oysters,  and 
Anderson  on  the  same  night  rode  up  to  Sutter 
County,  where  he  had  been  employed  on  a 
threshing-machine,  and  resumed  his  work  there. 
It  was  understood  I)etween  them  that  in  case 
there  should  be  danger  a  letter  should  be 
written  to  him,  signed  by  a  fictitious  name, 
and  that  the  name  should  be  underscored  with 
one  line  or  more,  to  indicate  the  degree  of 
danger. 


On  August  8,  1878,  a  letter  was  sent  to  An- 
derson fiom  Sacramento,  reading  as  follows: 

John  A.  Paekee,  Esq.: — Tour  child  is  very 
sick.  Yon  must  come  home  at  once.  It  would 
be  well  to  come  down  in  tiie  night.  It  would 
be  so  much  cooler  for  you.  Call  at  the  Doctor's 
new  iionse.      I  will  be  there. 

Yonrs  in  haste,  Chaelics  Paekee. 

The  signature  was  doubly  underscored.  On 
the  receipt  of  this  note  Anderson  came  down  on 
horseback,  and  was  arrested  by  officers  who  were 
watching  his  house.  Lawton  fled,  and  has  never 
been  captured.  Dye  was  tried  first,  and  An- 
derson next.  Both  were  convicted  of  murder 
in  the  first  degree,  sentenced  to  be  hanged,  and 
were  executed  in  the  county  jail-yard  on  March 
28,  1879. 

A  fourth  party,  named  Clark,  was  tried  for 
complicity  in  the  murder,  but  was  acquitted. 

The  defense  of  Dye  was  made  upon  the  ground 
that  he  had  years  before  received  an  injury 
which  caused  a  lesion  of  his  brain,  and  conse- 
quent insanity.  -  There  was  a  division  of  opin- 
ion among  medical  witnesses  on  the  subject. 
After  his  conviction  a  sheriff's  jury  was  called 
to  determine  the  question  of  his  insanity,  and 
the  verdict  was  against  him.  That  question  at- 
tracted considerable  attention  in  the  medical 
world,  and  was  elaborately  discussed  in  quite  a 
number  of  pamphlets  subsequently  issued. 

About  4  o'clock  on  the  afternoon  of  April 
10,  1882,  a  tragedy  occurred  in  the  city  which 
created  the  wildest  excitement. 

A  Siberian  named  Simon  liatan  had  some 
misunderstanding  with  a  man  which  resulted  in 
his  being  beaten.  He  applied  for  a  warrant  of 
arrest  for  the  party,  but  was  refused.  He  then 
procured  a  revolver,  sought  out  the  party  and 
met  him  at  the  corner  of  Fourth  and  K  streets. 
He  shot  at  him,  without  effect,  and  ran  away, 
pursued  by  a  large  number  of  people.  While 
passing  through  the  alley  between  K  and  L  and 
Third  and  Fourth  streets,  and  as  he  reached  the 
rear  of  the  International  Hotel,  James  Lansing, 
the  proprietor,  came  out  into  the  alley  in  front 
of  Ratan  and   attempted   to   stop  him.     Ratan 


BISTORT    OF    SACRAMENTO    COUNTY. 


leveled  his  revolver  at  Lansing  and  shot  him  in 
the  stomacli. 

Lansing  hsid  been  a  sheriff  of  the  county  and 
also  assessor;  his  standing  in  the  community 
was  high  and  his  friends  many,  and  the  news  of 
his  being  shot  spread  over  the  city  like  wild- 
fire, and  the  city  prison  in  which  Ratan  had 
been  lodged  was  surrounded  by  a  large  number 
of  people,  who  threatened  summary  vengeance 
upon  Ratan.  Lansing  died  that  evening,  in 
great  agony,  and  several  thousand  people  im- 
mediately surrounded  the  prison.  It  seemed 
that  a  riot  was  imminent.  The  mayor  of  the 
city  addressed  the  crowd,  urging  them  to  return 
to  their  homes  and  allow  the  law  to  deal  with 
the  offender.  His  appeal  was  of  no  avail.  The 
military  were  summoned  and  they  drove  the 
mob  from  the  immediate  vicinity  of  the  prison, 
and  established  a  guard  line  about  it.  A  Gat- 
ling  gun  was  placed  in  the  prison  door^  fully 
prepared  for  service  in  an  emergency.  A  dis- 
persal was  effected.  A  month  later  Ratan  was 
placed  on  trial  for  his  life,  the  jury  convicted 
him,  and  he  was  sentenced  to  be  hung. 

About  the  same  time  Joseph  Hurtado  shot 
and  killed  a  man  named  Estuardo,  at  Front  and 
I  streets.  He  was  subsequently  convicted  and 
sentenced  to  be  hung.  The  attorneys  for  Ratan 
and  Hurtado  appealed  their  cases  to  the  Supreme 
Court  of  the  State,  without  avail.  Then  their 
cases  were  appealed  to  the  Supreme  Court  of  the 
United  States,  upon  the  point  that  an  informa- 
tion filed  by  a  district  attorney  under  the  pro- 
visions of  the  State  Constitution  was  void;  and 
that  no  man  could  be  put  upon  trial  for  a  felony 
e.xcept  after  having  been  indicted  by  the  grand 
jury.  It  was  claimed  that  the  State  constitu- 
tion was  repugnant  to  the  United  States  con- 
stitution. The  Federal  Supreme  Court,  in  an 
elaborate  opinion,  held  that  the  point  was  not 
well  taken,  and  the  parties  were  re-sentenced  to 
death.  Subsequently  doubts  as  to  the  sanity  of 
Ratan  were  entertained,  and  the  Governor  com- 
muted his    sentence   to   imprisonment  for  life. 


After  confinement  in  the  State  Prison  foratime, 
he  proved  to  be  insane,  and  is  now  in  one  of  the 
asylums  for  the  insane. 

Hurtado  was  consumptive,  and  he  died  of 
that  disease  in  the  County  jail  before  the  day  ar- 
rived for  his  execution.  He  had  been  a  hotel 
runner,  but  was  a  man  of  quarrelsome  disposi- 
tion, although  of  sacriticingfidelitytohis  friends. 
On  one  occasion  he  saved  the  life  of  a  friend  at 
the  risk  of  his  own.  Some  years  ago  he  had  a 
difficulty  with  a  man  named  Denny,  and  the  lat- 
ter was  killed.  He  was  put  on  trial  for  the  mur- 
der of  Denny,  but  was  acquitted.  The  night 
before  his  trial  he  had  married,  and  the  defense 
for  the  killing  of  Estuardo  was  because  of  the 
infidelity  of  that  wife. 

In  March,  1888,  John  Lowell,  a  well-known 
rancher,  left  his  home  near  Brighton  to  visit 
another  ranch  in  El  Dorado  County,  about  seven 
miles  from  Folsom.  He  was  missing  for  sev- 
eral weeks,  and  search  was  made  for  him,  and 
on  June  2  his  remains  were  found  buried  in  a 
cellar  under  his  house.  It  was  subsequently 
ascertained  that  three  men,  John  Henry  Myers, 
John  Olsen  and  William  Drager  had  borrowed  a 
team  at  Sacramento,  driven  up  to  Lowell's  ranch, 
ostensibly  to  engage  in  wood-cutting;  and  that 
while  they  were  going  out  to  look  at  the  wood 
one  of  them  shot  and  killed  Lowell  with  a  shot- 
gun, and  disposed  of  his  body  as  indicated.  The 
motive  for  the  crime  was  to  steal  a  buggy  and 
some  horses  and  harnesses  from  Lowell.  They 
returned  with  their  plunder  to  Sacramento,  and 
disposed  of  it  openly.  They  were  arrested,  made 
full  confession,  taken  to  Placerville,  tried,  con- 
victed and  sentenced  to  death.  Myers  was  exe- 
cuted November  30,  1888.  The  other  two 
appealed  their  cases  to  the  Supreme  Court,  and 
are  (April,  1889),  still  awaiting  the  decision. 

Lowell,  the  murdered  man,  a  few  years  before 
had  a  difficulty  with  some  parties  at  Brighton, 
and  he  shot  and  killed  Joseph  Powers.  He  was 
placed  upon  trial  for  murder,  and  the  jury  ac- 
quitted him. 


UISTORY    OF    SACRAMENTO    COUNTY: 


CHAPTER   XI. 


N   1854,  duri 
Whig   party 


the  rapid  decay  of   the   old 


and   the  ii 


of  the  anti- 


slavery  party  into  prominence,  and  when  the 
struggles  in  "bleeding  Kansas"  constituted  the 
most  exciting  topics  of  political  discussion,  a 
Democratic  convention  was  held  at  the  Fourth 
Street  Baptist  Church  in  Sacramento,  at  3  o'clock 
p.  M.,  Tuesday,  July  18.  Some  time  before  the 
hour  for  the  meeting,  the  doors  of  the  church 
were  surrounded  by  a  large  assemblage  of  per- 
sons, many  of  whom  were  not  delegates;  and  as 
soon  as  the  doors  were  opened  the  church,  which 
was  estimated  to  afford  accommodation  for  about 
400  persons,  was  filled  to  its  utmost  capacity. 

D.  C.  Broderick,  the  chairman  of  the  State 
Committee,  ascended  the  platform,  and  was  re- 
ceived with  loud  and  continued  cheering.  On 
his  calling  the  convention  to  order,  several  dele- 
gates instantly  sprang  to  the  floor  for  the  pur- 
pose of  nominating  candidates  for  temporary 
chairman.  Broderick  recognized  T.  L.  Vermule 
as  having  the  floor;  but  before  the  announce- 
ment was  made,  John  O'Meara  proposed  ex- 
Governor  John  McDougal  for  chairman  pro 
tern.  Vermule  nominated  Edward  McGowan 
for  the  position.  Broderick  stated  that  he  could 
not  recognize  O'Meara's  motion,  and  put  tlie 
question  on  McGowan's  election,  and  declared 
that  it  had  carried.  McGowan  instantly  mounted 
the  stand,  closely  followed  by  McDougal,  whose 
friends  insisted  that  he  had  been  selected  al- 
thoutrh  his  name  had  not  been  submitted  to  the 


convention  in  regular  form.  The  two  chairmen 
took  seats  side  by  side,  and  a  scene  of  inde- 
scribable confusion  and  tumult  ensued.  When 
something  like  order  was  restored,  McDougal 
read  the  names  Major  G.  W.  Hook  and  John 
Bidwell  as  vice-presidents;  and  McGowan  an- 
nounced J.  T.  Hall  and  A.  T.  Laird  as  his  ap- 
pointees for  those  offices.  Again  a  scene  of 
extreine  confusion  occurred;  but  the  gentlemen 
named  seated  tliemselves  with  their  respective 
leaders.  Two  sets  of  secretaries  and  commit- 
tees were  then  appointed,  and  reports  were  made 
to  each  side  recommending  that  the  temporary 
officers  be  declared  permanently  elected.  Mo- 
tions were  made  to  adopt  the  reports,  and  amid 
the  greatest  excitement  they  were  declared  car- 
ried. 

This  double-headed  convention  sat  until  about 
9  o'clock  in  the  night.  No  further  business  was 
transacted  but  each  side  tried  to  "  sit  "  the  other 
out.  Two  sickly  candles,  one  in  front  of  each 
president,  lighted  up  the  scene.  The  trustees 
of  the  church  finally  relieved  both  sides  by  stat- 
ing that  they  could  not  tolerate  the  riotous 
crowd  longer  in  the  building,  and  the  delegates 
left  without  a  formal  adjournment. 

The  session  throughout  was  like  pandemonium 
let  loose.  Soon  after  the  organization,  a  rush 
was  made  by  the  crowd  to  the  stage.  One  of 
the  officers  was  seized,  and  at  that  instant  a 
pistol  exploded  in  the  densely  crowded  room. 
A  mad  rush  was  made  for  the  doors,  and  a  por- 


HISTORY    OF    SACRAMENTO    COUNTY. 


tion  of  the  delegates  made  a  precipitate  retreat 
through  the  windows  to  the  _e;round — a  distance 
of  some  iif'teen  feet.  Toward  night  Governor 
Eigler  was  called  to  the  stand  and  he  made  a 
conciliatory  speech,  but  without  effect. 

On  the  19th,  the  wing  presided  over  by  Mc- 
Dougal,  and  wiiich  represented  the  "  chivalry," 
or  Southern  element,  of  the  party,  met  at  Musical 
Hall;  and  the  McGowan  or  Tammany  branch, 
representing  the  JMorthern  element,  met  in  Car- 
penter's building.  The  officers  of  the  chivalry 
wing  resigned,  and  Major  Hook  was  elected 
President,  and  H.  P.  Barber,  William  A.  Man- 
nerly, A.W.  Taliaferro  and  J.  G.  Downey,  Vice- 
Presidents.  A  communication  was  received 
from  the  other  convention  asking  that  a  com- 
mittee of  conference  be  appointed,  with  a  view 
of  settling  the  disagreement;  but  the  language 
of  the  communication  was  regarded  as  offensive, 
and  it  was  withdrawn  for  the  purpose  of  chang- 
ing the  phraseology.  Afterward  a  second  note, 
almost  similar  to  the  first,  was  sent  in;  but  it 
was  flatly  rejected. 

After  nominating  candidates  for  Congress  and 
for  clerk  of  the  Supreme  Court,  and  passing 
resolutions  favoring  the  construction  of  the  At- 
lantic &  Pacific  Railroad  under  the  auspices  of 
Congress  and  indorsing  the  Nebraska  bill,  etc., 
they  levied  an  assessment  of  $5.00  per  delegate 
to  repair  the  damages  to  the  chnrch  building. 
The  convention  also  appointed  a  State  Central 
Cotnmittee. 

The  McGowan  wing  met  at  9:30  a.  m.  on  the 
19th,  that  gentleman  continuing  to  act  as  the 
presiding  officer.  A  committee  of  seven  was 
appointed  to  invite  the  McDougal  convention  to 
attend,  and  the  committee  were  empowered  to 
arrange  the  difficulties.  A  recess  was  taken 
until  1  o'clock  to  give  the  committee  time  to 
act.  On  the  re-assembling  of  the  convention 
the  committee  reported  that  they  had  sent  the 
following  comir^nication  to  the  McDougal  con- 
vention, and  that  the  proposition  therein  con- 
tained had  been  rejected. 

"John  McDouoal,  Esq.,  Chairman  of  Dem- 
ocratic Delegates  convened  at   Musical  Hall: 


Sir — The  undersigned  have  been  this  morning 
constituted  a  committee,  with  full  powers,  by 
and  on  behalf  of  the  Democratic  State  Conven- 
tion at  Carpenter's  Hall,  for  a  conference  with 
our  fellow  Democrats  at  Musical  Hall,  for  the 
purpose  of  harmonizing  and  uniting  the  Democ- 
racy of  California.  You  will  Ije  pleased  to 
announce  this  to  your  body;  and  any  commu- 
nication may  be  addressed  to  the  chairman  of 
this  committee,  at  Jones's  Hotel." 

The  committee  was  discharged,  and  the  con- 
vention proceeded  to  nominate  a  ticket,  different 
throughout  from  the  one  nominated  by  the  other 
convention.  They  also  adopted  a  series  of  reso- 
lutions alluding  to  the  heterogeneous  character 
of  the  Democratic  party  in  this  State  and  the 
subsequent  diflTerences  of  the  convention  in  this 
city,  and  urged  the  people  to  adopt  their  ticket 
as  the  one  most  conciliatory.  They  also  ap- 
pointed a  State  Central  Committee.  A  collec- 
tion of  $400  was  taken  up  to  repair  the  damages 
that  had  been  done  to  the  Baptist  chnrch  on  the 
previous  day,  a  committee  having  reported  that 
the  building  had  been  injured  to  that  extent. 

Directly  after  the  adjournment  of  the  conven- 
tions, several  of  the  nominees  withdrew  from 
the  ticket,  and  after  the  election  the  Tammany 
party  ascribed  their  defeat  to  the  withdrawal  of 
Milton  S.  Latham  from  the  Congressional  race. 

The  first  mass  meeting  of  "  Republicans  "  in 
California  was  held  in  Sacramento,  April  19, 
1856.  E.  B.  Crocker  was  the  leader  of  the  new 
party  in  this  county,  and  opened  the  meeting 
with  a  speech  which  was  listened  to  attentively. 
George  C.  Bates  was  then  introduced,  but  the 
general  disturbance  raised  by  the  "Americans" 
and  Democrats  present  prevented  his  voice  from 
being  heard.  Henry  S.  Foote,  previously  Gov- 
ernor of  Mississippi,  then  took  the  stand  and 
begged  the  disturbers  to  desist  and  allow  the 
meeting  to  proceed;  but  he  was  not  heeded. 
The  Republican  speakers  again  attempted  to 
talk,  when  suddenly  a  rush  was  made  for  the 
stand  by  the  crowd,  and  it  was  overturned  and 
the  meeting  broken  up. 

On    the   30th   of  that    month  the    first   State 


HISTORY    OF    SACRAMENTO    COUNTY. 


Convention  of  the  Republicans  met  in  the  Con- 
gregational church  in  Sacramento.  E.  B.Crocker 
was  temporary  chairman.  Only  thirteen  counties 
were  represented,  and  of  the  125  delegates  pres- 
ent si.Kty-six  were  from  San  Francisco  aiid  Sac- 
ramento. Resolutions  were  adopted  opposing 
the  further  extension  of  slave  territory  and  of 
slave  power,  welcoming  honest  and  industrious 
immigrants,  deprecating  all  attempts  to  preju- 
dice immigrants  against  our  free  institutions, 
favoring  the  speedy  construction  of  a  trans-con- 
tinental railroad  by  aid  from  Congress,  favoring 
the  speedy  settlement  of  land  titles  in  this  State 
and  the  election  only  of  bona-hde  permanent 
settlers  to  oflBce. 

Early  in  May  tliat  year  a  public  discussion 
was  announced  to  take  place  at  Sacramento  be- 
tween George  C.  Bates,  Republican,  and  J.  C. 
Zabriskie,  Democrat;  but  when  the  appointed 
time  arrived  no  location  could  be  procured  on 
account  of  the  anticipated  disturbance,  and  the 
meeting  was  postponed  until  the  evening  of  the 
10th  of  that  month.  When  the  time  arrived 
the  discussion  was  commenced.  Rotten  eggs 
were  thrown  and  tire-crackers  burned  to  create 
a  disturbance,  but  the  police  made  several  ar- 
rests and  order  was  restored.  After  the  meet- 
ing closed,  outsiders  took  possession  of  the 
stand,  and  a  resolution  was  adopted  declaring 
"that  the  people  of  this  city  have  been  out- 
raged by  the  discussion  of  treasonable  doctrines 
by  a  public  felon;  and  that  we  will  not  submit 
to  such  an  outrage  in  the  future." 

A  few  days  later  the  Sacramento  Tribune 
(American),  referring  to  the  meeting,  said: 
"The  fact  that  a  public  discussion  was  per- 
mitted to  take  place  in  a  public  street  in  the 
heart  of  our  city,  in  the  presence  of  a  large  con- 
course of  citizens,  almost  all  of  whom  disap- 
prove the  doctrine  advocated  by  the  speakers, 
and  this  too  when  it  is  the  firm  conviction  of  a 
large  majority  of  the  persons  assembled  that 
the  agitation  of  the  slavery  question  as  the  basis  of 
political  party  organization  is  against  the  true  in- 
terest of  the  State  and  the  Nation,  speaks  volumes 
in  favor  of  the  public  morals  of  Sacramento." 


In  1865  a  dissension  occurred  in  the  Union 
party.  On  the  25th  of  July  that  year  it  cul- 
minated at  a  county  convention  held  at  Sacra- 
mento. The  Low  and  the  anti-Low  delegates 
were  about  equally  divided  in  numbers.  Gov- 
ernor Frederick  F.  Low  was  a  candidate  for  the 
United  States  Senate,  and  was  supported  by  one 
wing  of  the  party.  There  was,  however,  a  strong 
opposition  to  him.  The  convention  met  in  the 
Assembly  chamber  in  the  then  State  capitol, 
now  the  court-house.  The  desks  which  had 
ordinarily  occupied  the  floor  had  been  removed, 
and  a  sufficient  number  of  chairs  had  been 
placed  in  their  stead  to  accommodate  the  106 
delegates  who  were  expected  to  participate  in 
the  proceedings.  As  the  room  filled  it  was  a 
noticeable  fact  that  almost  without  exception 
the  Low,  or  short-hair,  delegates  occupied  the 
seats  on  the  right  of  the  speaker's  cliair,  and  the 
anti-Low,  or  long-hairs,  those  on  the  left.  Ln- 
mediately  after  the  convention  was  called  to 
order,  two  persons  were  placed  in  nomination 
for  temporary  secretary,  and  voted  for.  The 
chairman  of  the  county  committee  announced 
"W.  H.  Barton,  the  long-hair  candidate,  elected 
to  the  position  by  a  viva  voce  vote.  The  con- 
vention was  at  once  thrown  into  confusion,  and 
the  Low  delegates  insisted  on  a  count  of  the 
votes.  Barton  advanced  from  the  left  toward 
the  secretary's  table,  when  the  delegates  from 
the  right  made  a  general  rush  to  the  left  side  of 
the  house. 

Then  ensued  an  indescribable  and  a  terrible 
scene,  such  as  was  never  before  witnessed  in 
Sacramento  at  any  political  convention.  Barton 
was  intercepted  before  reaching  the  secretary's 
table,  and  told  that  he  should  not  take  his  seat. 
The  delegates  on  the  left  crowded  up  for  the 
purpose  of  supporting  him,  as  those  from  the 
right  forced  a  solid  phalanx  on  the  front  to  pre- 
vent him  from  advancing.  In  a  moment  the 
two  parties  were  engaged  in  a  hand-to-hand 
fight.  Solid  hickory  canes,  which  appeared  to 
be  abundant  on  both  sides,  were  plied  with 
vigor.  Spittoons  ilew  from  side  to  side  like 
bomb-shells  on  a  battle-field.      Lik-stands  took 


HISTORY    OF    SACRAMENTO    COUNTY. 


the  place  of  solid  shot.  Pistols  were  drawn 
and  used  as  substitutes  for  clubs.  The  principal 
weapons,  however,  which  were  used  by  both 
sides,  were  the  cane-bottomed  arm-chairs,  which 
were  of  course  within  the  reacli  of  every  one. 
These  implements,  tliough  not  very  well  adapted 
to  purposes  of  warfare,  were  swung  in  the  air 
by  the  dozen  and  broken  over  the  heads  of  the 
contending  parties.  In  some  instances  chairs 
were  broken  up  for  the  purpose  of  procuring 
the  legs  to  use  as  clubs.  No  fire-arms  were 
discharged  and  no  knives  were  used.  The  fight 
lasted  probably  five  minutes.  At  the  close  the 
anti-Low  men,  or  long-hairs,  who  had  rallied  to 
the  support  of  Barton,  were  driven  from  the 
field.  Several  jumped  out  through  the  win- 
dows; others  who  were  badly  hurt  were  assisted 
out  of  the  building,  while  the  greater  portiou 
passed  into  the  ante-room  and  the  main  hall  to 
find  neutral  ground. 

After  the  fight  the  long-hairs  retired  in  a 
body  and  organized  in  another  hall,  while  the 
short-hairs  proceeded  with  business  in  the  capi- 
tol.  Each  convention  nominated  a  full  local 
ticket,  and  elected  a  set  of  delegates  to  the  State 
Convention.  Newton  Booth  was  nominated  for 
State  Senator  by  the  long-hairs,  and  E.  II.  Hea- 
cock  by  the  shorts.  The  shorts  attributed  the 
trouble  to  an  alleged  partial  ruling  by  the  chair- 
man of  the  committee  in  favor  of  Barton,  and 
to  the  determination  on  the  part  of  the  longs  to 
run  the  convention  without  regard  to  the  rights 
or  wishes  of  the  opposition.  The  short-hair 
convention  instructed  its  nominees  for  the  Leg- 
islature to  vote  for  Low  for  United  States  Sen- 
ator, but  he  afterward  declined.  His  withdrawal, 
however,  did  not  heal  the  breach  in  the  Union 


party.  The  division  continued  until  sometime 
in  August,  when  the  short-hairs  generally  trans- 
ferred their  support  to  John  B.  Felton  for  United 
States  Senator. 

The  result  of  the  election  was  that  Cornelius 
Cole  was  elected  to  the  United  States  Senate, 
December  16  following,  as  the  agreed  candidate 
of  both  parties. 

Ex-Governor  H.  S.  Foote,  referred  to  in  this 
chapter,  was  born  in  Virginia  in  1800;  graduated 
at  Washington  College  in  1819;  commenced  the 
practice  of  law  in  1822;  edited  a  Democratic 
paper  in  Alabama  in  1824-'32,  and  then  resided 
many  years  in  Mississippi,  by  which  State  he 
was  elected  United  States  Senator.  In  1852  he 
was  elected  Governor  of  that  State,  having  re- 
signed his  Senatorship.  He  came  to  California 
in  1854,  joined  the  Native  American  party,  and 
was  their  candidate  for  United  States  Senator 
in  1856,  being  defeated  by  David  C.  Broderick. 
In  1858  he  returned  to  Mississippi  and  took  an 
active  part  in  politics;  represented  Tennessee  in 
the  Confederate  Congress.  One  of  his  daugh- 
ters became  the  wife  of  William  M.  Stewart, 
United  States  Senator;  the  other  two  daughters 
married  and  reside  in  this  State,  and  two  of  the 
sons  are  practicing  lawyers  on  the  Pacific  Coast. 
During  his  life  Foote  became  engaged  in  three 
duels,  in  two  of  which  he  was  wounded. 

He  possessed  considerable  literary  ability. 
In  1866  he  published  "The  War  of  the  Rebell- 
ion" and  "Scylla  and  Carybdis,"  and  in  1871 
a  volume  of  reminiscences.  He  was  also  the 
author  of  "Texas  and  the  Texans,"  published  in 
1847. 

He  died  near  Nashville,  Tennessee,  at  his 
residence,  May  20,  1880. 


l}^^-*- 

;([^^-*- 


HISTORY    OF    SACRAMENTO    COUNTY. 


'^!=^.T:^^smsS'mmmfs^M^T''^S!nTAS^^m 


i  THE    MILITARY. 


J:i^Mii=i;=^;^;^;oi;^: 


^iio;sa;;2ii;;a^a: 


CHAPTER  XII. 


rilfN  the  following  synopsis,  necessarily  brief, 
|f|  of  the  military  organizations  in  this  city, 
■^s-  many  familiar  names  will  be  found,  and  many 
a  train  of  thought  and  recollection  awakened. 
There  is  an  ample  mine  of  good  things  to  be 
had  by  research  in  every  one  of  these  organi- 
zations of  "auld  lang  syne." 

The  Sutter  Eifle  Corps  was  organized  June 
27,  1852,  with  B.  D.  Fry,  Captain;  M.  D. 
Corse,  First  Lieutenant;  John  Q.  Brown,  Sec- 
ond Lieutenant;  W.  Bryerly,  Third  Lieutenant. 
This  company  was  especially  noted  for  its  lib- 
erality on  all  public  and  private  occasions.  It 
paid  $1,200  for  choice  of  the  first  seat  at  Cath- 
erine Hayes's  concert,  in  1853,  and  presented 
the  ticket  to  General  Sutter. 

M.  D.  Corse,  mentioned  above,  was  afterward 
Captain  of  the  company,  and  also  held  other 
offices  in  the  city.  He  returned  to  the  East  in 
1857,  and  finally  graced  the  list  of  Sheridan's 
prisoners  in  1865  as  "General  Corse." 

When  the  Governor  called  on  the  militia  for 
duty  against  the  Vigilance  Committee  of  San 
Francisco,  in  1856,  the  Sutter  Rifles  met  on 
the  4th  of  June  and  voted  to  respond  to  the 
Governor's  call.  E.  E.  Eyre  was  then  Lieuten- 
ant Commanding;  H.  S.  Foushee,  Second  Lieu- 
tenant; and  John  C.  Keenan,  Orderly  Sergeant. 
Soon  afterward  the  company  disbanded,  but  re- 
organized  in    1857,   with   E.  E.  Eyre,   Captain; 


Charles  J.  Torbert,  First  Lieutenant;  Joseph 
H.  Yigo,  Second  Lieutenant;  W.  R.  Covey, 
Brevet  Second  Lieutenant.  The  company  had 
but  little  vigor,  however,  and  soon  died. 

Sacramento  Guards,  Light  Infantry,  were  or- 
ganized August  11,  1855.  Henry  Meredith, 
Captain;  D.  S.  "Woodward,  First  Lieutenant; 
R.  W.  Wilcox,  Second  Lieutenant;  John  Arnold, 
Brevet  Second  Lieutenant;  Josiah  Howell,  En- 
sign; L.  L.  Baker,  Orderly  Sergeant.  On  De- 
cember 17,  1855,  Baker  was  elected  Captain, 
and  among  the  subsequent  officers  of  the  com- 
pany were  D.  A.  McMerritt,  L.  Powers,  Isaac 
Lohman  and  C.  H.  Cummings.  The  company 
numbered  forty-five. 

During  the  excitement  over  the  actions  of  the 
Vigilance  Committee,  in  1856,  the  Governor 
issued  a  proclamation  calling  out  the  militia  of 
the  State  to  suppress  the  disturbance.  The 
Sacramento  Guards  met  June  4,  1856,  and  dis- 
banded, giving  their  arms  into  tlie  custody  of 
the  Sutter  Rifles.  They  at  once  reorganized  as 
the  "Independent  City  Guards,"  and  were  fully 
equipped  by  the  end  of  the  year.  In  1858 
this  was  the  only  company  in  Sacramento. 

Young  Men's  Pioneer  Guard. — Organized  in 
1856,  it  was  composed  of  the  leading  young 
men  in  the  city.  John  Talbot  was  Captain;  A. 
R.  Simons,  First  Lieutenant;  Samuel  Richard- 
son, Second  Lieutenant;  Charles  Sinclair,  Third 


HISTORY    OF    SACRAMENTO    COUNTY. 


77 


Lieutenant;  Oliver  II.  Worden,  Ensign;  John, 
Foley,  First  Sergeant. 

The  Sacramento  Cadets  were  organized  May 
17,  1856,  with  Edwin  A.  Sherman  as  Captain;  C- 
H.  "Watson,  First  Lieutenant;  George  J.  Pren- 
tice, Second  Lieutenant. 

Independent  (Sacramento)  City  Guard  reor- 
ganized under  the  State  law  June  28,  1858.  L. 
L.  Baker,  Captain;  Josiah  Howell,  First  Lieu- 
tenant; L.  Powers,  Second  Lieutenant;  I.  Loh- 
man,  Brevet  Second  Lieutenant.  Among  the 
subsequent  officers  were  S.  P.  Ford,  Benjamin 
Peart,  Joseph  I.  Friend,  Henry  Starr,  W.  H. 
Ratenberry,  C.  L.  Bird,  I.  B.  Vanderburg. 
Among  the  privates  were  C.  II.  Cummings,  H. 
S.  Crocker,  D.  Gillis,  P.  J.  Hopper  and  J.  H. 
Lewis.  During  the  Rebellion  this  company 
furnished  several  officers  and  some  thirty  men 
for  the  service  of  the  United  States. 

The  Sacramento  Hussars,  a  company  of  Ger- 
man cavalry,  were  organized  August  4, 1859,  and 
reorganized  June  11,  1863,  and  attached  to  the 
State  Militia.  Tiiey  were  honorably  discharged 
from  the  National  Guard  August  21,  1874 
since  wliicii  time  they  have  continued  an  inde- 
pendent organization.  At  first  there  were 
twenty-six  members,  and  the  officers  were:  Fred 
"Werner,  Captain ;  Charles  Heinrich,  First  Lieu- 
tenant; F.  X.  Ebner,  Senior  Second  Lieutenant; 
Josepii  Martzen,  Junior  Second  Lieutenant. 
Other  early  members  were  L.  Steudaman,  A. 
Ileilbron,  E.  Kraus,  Charles  Sellinger,  A.  Neu- 
bauer,  D.  Weimaun,  M.  Arentz,  C.  Iser,  G. 
Uhl,  S.  Gerber,  John  Batcher,  M.  Wetzel,  James 
H.  Groth,.  George  Schroth,  J.  Korn,  Julius 
Gregory,  A.  Menke,  M.  Miller,  A.  Dennery, 
Andrew  Ross,  John  B.  Kohl,  deceased,  and 
Jacob  Meister. 

Granite  Guard,  at  Folsom,  was  organized  May 
27,  1861,  with  Hfty-eight  men;  F.  S.  Mumford, 
Captain. 

The  Washington  Rifles  were  organized  May 
27,  1861,  with  eighty-one  men.  This  company 
was  organized  under  tiie  militia  laws  of  the 
State,  and  immediately  tendered  their  services 
to  the  Governor,  were  accepted   and   mustered 


into  the  service  of  the  United  States.  Thomas 
I.  Roberts  was  Captain;  "W.  A.  Thompson, 
First  Lieutenant;  J.  S.  Hunter,  Second  Lieu- 
tenant; "W.  L.  Ustick,  Brevet  Second  Lieuten- 
ant; and  Henry  Kline  and  Cornelius  V.  Kel- 
logg were  also  officers. 

Sacramento  Rangers,  cavalry,  organized  Au- 
gust 27,  1861,  with  sixty-two  men,  and  were 
mustered   into  the  service  of  the  United  States. 

D.  A.  McMerritt  was  Captain;  J.  M.  Ropes, First 
Lieutenant;  A.  "W.  Starr,  Second  Lieutenant; 
H.  A.  Burnett,  First  Sergeant;  James  Contell, 
Second  Sergeant;  J.  B.  Slocum,  Third  Sergeant; 
Frank  Jones,  Fourth  Sergeant;  W.  I.  Camp- 
bell, Fifth  Sergeant. 

Shirland's  Cavalry. — E.  D.  Shirland  raised, 
and  was  Captain  of,  a  cavalry  company,  which 
was  recruited  principally  about  Folsom.  They 
were  mustered  into  the  service  of  the  United 
States,  and  arrived  at  Sacramento  by  rail  Sep- 
tember 5,  1861,  seventy-five  strong.  Here  they 
were  joined  by  about  forty  recruits  from  this 
city,  and  left  for  San  Francisco  on  the  Steamer 
Antelope.  In  two  hours  the  citizens  of  Folsom 
raised  $513  for  the  use  of  the  company. 

The  National  Guard  was  organized  October 
7,  1862,  with  L.  L.  Baker  as  Captain;  D.  W. 
"Welty,  First  Lieutenant;  AY.  H.  B.  Morrill, 
Senior  Second  Lieutenant;  Prescott  Robinson, 
Junior  Second  Lieutenant.  The  Sergeants  were 
John  Talbot,  John  Foley,  R.  H.  Daley,  Paschal 
Coggins  and  M.  L.  Templeton.  Among  the 
privates  were  Newton  I'ooth,  M.  M.  Estee,  Jus- 
tin Gates,  S.  S.  Holl,  James  McClatchy,  A. 
Badlam  and  S.  Tryon. 

The  Sacramento  Sharp-Shooters  organized 
June  6,  1863,  with  E.  R.  Hamilton  as  Captain; 
Thomas  "V.  Cummings,  First  Lieutenant;  W. 
M.  Siddons,  Senior  Second  Lieutenant.  C.  "Wei- 
sel,  J.  A.  Conboie  and  E.  II.  lleacock  were 
Sergeants.     Among  the  privates  were  L.  Booth, 

E.  M.  Fry,  A.  Flohr,  J.  T.  Glover,  S.  S.  Holl, 
I.  Luce,  J.  H.  McKune,  Robert  Robinson,  P. 
Stanton,  O.  H.  Tubbs  and  G.  K.  Van  Ileusen. 
This  company  was  mustered  out  in  1866. 

The  Turner  Rifles  organized  June  22,  1863, 


HISTORY    OF    SACRAMENTO    COUNTY. 


with  forty-four  men.  Charles  Wolleb  was  Cap- 
tain; A.  Geisel,  First  Lieutenant;  L.  Lottham- 
raer,  Senior  Second  Lieutenant;  A.  Nessell, 
Junior  Second  Lieutenant.  Among  the  privates 
were  Jolin  Eellmer,  A.  Heilbron,  Charles  Pom- 
mer,  C.  Weil,  C.  Kleinsorge,  L.  B.  Mohr  and  C. 
Weisel. 

The  "Walnut  Grove  Union  Guard  was  organ- 
ized at  Walnut  Grove  in  August,  1863,  and 
continued  for  several  years  as  a  portion  of  the 
State  Militia. 

The  Baker  Guard,  organized  September  15, 

1863,  was  composed  of  over  fifty  young  men, 
generally  under  twenty- one  years  of  age.  W. 
T.  Crowell  was  Cajitain;  James  Clunie,  First 
Lieutenant;  D.  K.  Zumwalt,  Second  Lieuten- 
ant; and  Samuel  Carlisle,  Third  Lieutenant.  It 
was  consolidated  with  Company  D,  JSIational 
Guards,  in  June,   1866. 

The  Sacramento  Light  Artillery,  unattached, 
was  organized  September  24,  1864,  with  Edgar 
Mills  as  Captain;  Wyman  McMitchell,  First 
Lieutenant;  W.  M.  Siddons,  Senior  Second 
Lieutenant;  D.  W.  Earl,  Junior  Second  Lieu- 
tenant; and  A.  J.  Senatz  was  prominent  in  the 
organization.  Among  the  subsequent  Captains 
were  S.  S.  Montague,  Joseph  Davis  and  J.  L. 
At  wood. 

The  First  Battalion,  Light  Artillery,  was 
organized  in  September,  1866,  with  Edgar  Mills 
as  Major;  L.  E.  Crane,  First  Lieutenant  and 
Adjutant;  Paul  Morrill,  First  Lieutenant  and 
Quartermaster;  W.  R.  Cluness,  Assistant  Ser- 
geant. 

The    Emmet    Guards   organized    March   19, 

1864,  with  John  Foley  as  Captain;  F.  A.  Mo- 
ran,  First  Lieutenant;  John  F.  Sheehan,  Senior 
Second  Lieutenant;  John  S.  Barrett,  Junior 
Second  Lieutenant.  The  other  officers  were  T. 
W.  Sheehan,  Owen  Farrell  and  M.  McManus. 
This  company  was  mustered  out  of  the  State 
service  .June  11,  1872. 

The  Sacramento  Zouaves  were  an  independent 
colored  company,  which  had  an  existence  for 
several  years. 

Company  G  (Sarstield  Guards)  was  organized 


in  1870,  with  William  H.  Ashton,  Jr.,  Captain; 
Charles  Brady,  First  Lieutenant;  and  Thomas 
Nolan,  Second  Lieutenant. 

On  April  10, 1850,  the  first  Legislature  passed 
an  act  providing  for  the  organization  of  the  State 
Militia  into  four  divisions  and  eight  brigades. 
The  First  Division  was  composed  of  the  coun- 
ties of  Trinity,  Shasta,  Butte,  Yuba,  Sutter,  El 
Dorado  and  Sacramento.  The  Legislature  was 
to  elect  the  Generals.  On  the  next  day  that 
body  met  in  joint  convention  and  elected  as 
Major-Generals,  Thomas  J.  Green,  John  E. 
Brackett,  David  F.  Douglass  and  Joshua  H. 
Bean;  and  as  Brigadiers,  J.  H.  Eastland,  A.  M. 

Winn,  Robert  Semple,  McDonald,  John 

E.  Addison,  D.  P.  Baldwin,  Thomas  H.  Bowen 
and  J.  M.  Covarrubias.  On  May  1, 1852,  a  law 
was  passed  organizing  the  militia  into  seven 
districts,  and  the  Seventh  District  was  composed 
of  Sacrantento,  Sutter,  Placer  and  El  Dorado 
counties. 

On  April  25, 1855,  a  law  was  passed  creating 
six  divisions  and  twelve  brigades.  The  Fourth 
Division  comprised  the  counties  of  Amador,  El 
Dorado,  Sacramento,  Placer,  Nevada  and  Sierra. 
The  First  Brigade  of  that  division  comprised 
Amador,  El  Dorado  and  Sacramento.  On  May 
9,  1861,  another  milit^iry  law  was  passed,  but  it 
did  not  change  the  brigade  position  of  Sacra- 
mento. 

On  April  24, 1862,  a  law  was  passed  organizing 
the  militia  into  one  division  and  six  brigades. 
The  Fourth  Brigade  was  made  to  consist  of  the 
counties  of  Sacramento,  Yolo,  Sutter,  El  Dorado, 
Amador,  Placer,  Nevada,  Yuba  and  Sierra.  On 
April  12,  1866,  Alpine  was  added  to  the  Fourth 
Brigade,  and  since  then  no  change  has  been  made. 

James  Collins  was  appointed  Brigadier-Gen- 
eral, commanding  the  Fourth  Brigade,  August 
1,  1862,  commissioned  August  30.  General 
Collins  died  in  Nevada  City,  July  18,  1864. 

Josiah  Howell  was  then  appointed,  receiving 
his  commission  July  25,  1864,  and  resigned 
November  14,  1874. 

Wm.  L.  Campbell  was  appointed  to  the  posi- 
tion December  1,  1874,  received  his  commission 


HISTORY    OF    SACRAMENTO    COUNTY. 


on  the  same  day,  and  resigned  JMovember  19, 
1875. 

Governor  Paclieco  appointed  "Wentworth  T. 
Crowell  to  the  position  November  27,  1875. 
This  appointment  was  not  confirmed  by  tlie 
Democratic  Senate,  and  General  Croveell  only 
held  the  office  until  his  successor  was  appointed. 

J.  G.  Martine  was  appointed  to  the  command 
April  4,  1876,  and  resigned  April  8.  This 
resignation  was  caused  by  severe  attacks  on  the 
General  by  some  of  the  newspapers  in  the  dis- 
trict. Crowell  continued  in  office  till  March  3, 
1877,  when  he  resigned. 

M.  S.  Horan  was  appointed  March  3,  1877, 
was  commissioned  on  March  5,  and  resigned 
November  4,  1878. 

T.  J.  Clunie  was  appointed  to  fill  the  vacancy 
by  Governor  Irwin,  December  30,  1878,  but 
was  not  confirmed  by  the  Republican  Senate. 

John  F.  Sheehan  was  appointed  January  15) 
1880,  commissioned  on  the  17th,  and  resigned 
May,  1882. 

Lewellyn  Tozer  was  appointed  May  19,  1882, 
but  the  subsequent  Democratic  Senate  refused 
to  confirm  him. 

John  T.  Carey  was  commissioned  February 
10,  1883.  T.  W.  Sheehan  is  the  present  in- 
cumbent. 

The  Fourth  Regiment  of  Infantry,  N.  (x.  C, 
was  organized  in  1864,  with  E.  R.  Hamilton  as 
Colonel;  B.  Eilerman,  Lieutenant-Colonel,  and 
James  Adams,  Major.  The  regiment  was  re- 
organized in  December,  1865,  when  L.  L.  Baker 
was  elected  Colonel,  and  the  remaining  officers 
continued   the  same.     August  22,  1866,  Ham- 


ilton was  again  elected  Colonel;  James  Adams, 
Lieutenant-Colonel,  and  John  F.  Sheehan,  Ma- 
jor. The  regiment  was  mustered  out  of  service 
in  pursuance  of  Special  Order  No.  44,  dated 
July  8,  1868,  and  the  companies  were  ordered 
to  remain  unattached  until  further  orders. 

The  Fourth  Regiment  was  reorganized  under 
Special  Order  No.  7,  dated  February  19,  1872. 
March  7  following,  C.  Y.  Kellogg  was  elected 
Colonel;  B.  Eilerman,  Lieutenant-Colonel,  and 
H.  F.  Page,  Major.  Kellogg  and  Eilerman  re- 
signed in  July,  1874,  when  W.  T.  Cromwell 
was  elected  Colonel,  and  H.  "W".  Thain,  Lieu- 
tenant-Colonel. This  regiment  was  disbanded 
and  mustered  out  of  service  March  31,  1877. 
It  was  immediately  reorganized  as  the  First  Bat- 
talion of  Infantry,  and  Thomas  J.  Clunie  was 
elected  the  Commander.  Creed  Haymond  sub- 
sequently succeeded  him,  and  when  he  resigned 
T.  W.  Sheehan  assumed  the  command.  Shee- 
han became  Brigadier-General,  and  J.  W.  Guth- 
rie was  commissioned  Colonel.  He  is  the  pres- 
ent incumbent. 

A  respectable  company  of  colored  men  has 
also  existed  in  Sacramento  for  some  time. 

J.  W.  Guthrie,  plumber  and  gas-fitter  near 
the  foot  of  J  street,  has  been  so  active  and  effi- 
cient in  military  matters,  as  a  member  of  the 
First  Artillery  Regiment,  Fourth  Brigade,  Na- 
tional Guard  of  California,  that  he  has  been 
promoted  from  the  position  of  private  in  1869 
through  diflerent  grades  to  that  of  Colonel  of 
the  regiment,  April  7,  1887.  The  superiority 
of  his  regiment  is  due  to  his  efficiency. 


HISTORY    OF    SAGBAMENTO    COUNTY. 


f^iir: 


# -%_ 


m' 


CHAFTEE   XIII. 


•OST  of  the  following  history  is  from  an 
'    elaborate  account  published  in  the  Rec- 
;^'^  ord-  Union  hy3.  A.  Woodson,  the  editor, 
in  1875. 

On  the  28th  of  April,  1849,  at  Sutter's  Fort, 
the  iirst  Sacramento  newspaper,  the  Place?' 
Times,  was  started  by  E.  C.  Kemble  &  Co.,  as 
an  oli-shoot  of  the  Alta  California,  of  San  Fran- 
cisco. The  merchants  in  the  vicinity  rallied 
about  the  pioneer  publisher  and  subscribed  lib- 
erally to  secure  him  from  loss.  A  lot  of  old 
type  was  picked  up  out  of  the  Alta  office,  an  old 
Kamage  press  was  repaired,  a  lot  of  Spanish 
foolscap  secured  in  San  Francisco,  and  the  whole 
shipped  to  Sacramento  on  a  vessel  known  as  the 
Dice  me  Kana  (says  my  mamma),  the  tirst  craft 
to  carry  type  and  press  to  the  interior  of  Cali- 
fornia, which  trip  she  made  in  eight  days.  An 
office  was  built  for  the  paper  about  600  feet 
from  the  northeast  corner  of  the  bastion  and 
near  what  is  now  the  corner  of  Twenty-eighth 
and  K  streets.  It  was  a  strange  mixture  of 
adobe,  wood  and  cotton  cloth,  but  answered  the 
purpose.  The  paper  was  18x18  inches  in  size, 
witli  a  title  cut  from  wood  with  a  pocket  knife. 
Ail  sorts  of  expedients  were  resorted  to  in  cut- 
ting off  and  piecing  out  letters  to  make  up  a 
com))lement  of  "  sorts  "  in  the  cases.  The  press 
had  a  wooden  platen,  which  needed  constant 
])laning  off  to  keep  it  level,  and  tiie  rollers  were 
anything  but  successes. 


The  Times  appeared  on  Saturdays  until  June, 
when  chills  and  fever  drove  Mr.  Kemble  to 
"  The  Bay,"  and  T.  P.  Per  Lee  &  Co.  took  charge. 
Per  Lee  ran  the  paper  two  weeks,  but,  being  a 
tyro  in  the  business,  gave  it  up,  and  J.  H.  Giles 
took  charge  as  agent  for  E.  Gilbert  &  Co.,  own- 
ers of  the  Alta.  In  July  the  Times  removed  to 
Front  street,  where  it  flourished  well  for  a  time. 
The  subscription  was  $10  per  annum.  In  No- 
vember, 1849,  after  a  brief  period  of  reduction 
in  size,  it  resumed  its  old  shape  and  was  removed 
to  Second  street,  between  K  and  L.  April  22, 
1850,  it  began  to  appear  as  a  tri- weekly,  and  J. 
E.  Lawrence  made  his  editorial  bow.  June  5 
following,  it  appeared  as  a  daily,  and  thus  won 
the  distinction  of  being  the  first  daily  paper  of 
Sacramento.  In  July  it  was  enlarged  one-third. 
October  8,  same  year,  it  was  purchased  by 
Loring  Pickering,  J.  E.  Lawrence  and  L.  Al- 
drich,  the  price  paid  being  $16,000,  which  in- 
cluded the  cost  of  the  building  and  two  lots. 
Aldrich  soon  sold  out  to  the  others.  The  paper 
had  been  neutral,  but  in  1850  inclined  toward 
Democracy.  When  the  Squatter  Riot  excite- 
ment came  on,  it  had  been  valiant  in  defense  of 
the  real-estate  owners,  but  under  its  new  man- 
agement was  less  partisan.  Its  last  issue  was 
dated  June  15,  1851,  during  which  month  it 
was  consolidated  with  its  rival,  the  Sacramento 
Transcript. 

The  latter  had  been  started  April  1,  1850,  as 


HISTOHY    OF    SACRAMENTO    COUNT r. 


a  tri-weekly,  and  the  size  of  the  Times,.  It  was 
the  first  paper  in  interior  California  to  be  issued 
oftener  than  once  a  week.  The  proprietors  were 
G.  K.  Fitch,  S.  C.  Upliam,  J.  M.  Julian,  H.  S. 
"Warner,  Theodore  Riisseil  and  F.  C.  Ewer. 
Mr.  Ewer  had  been  a  prominent  minister  of  the 
Congregational  Church  elsewhere.  After  he 
left  here  he  went  to  New  York,  where  he  again 
maintained  his  pre-eminence  as  a  minister. 

The  Transcript  was  a  good  paper  and  aimed 
at  literary  excellence.  Fifth  interests  in  the 
paper  sold  during  the  first  summer  as  high  as 
$5,000.  G.  C.  Weld  bought  the  interest  of 
Upham  for  $10,000  very  shortly  after  the  paper 
started.  In  July,  that  season,  the  paper  was 
enlarged,  and  the  rivalry  between  it  and  the 
Times  became  very  warm.  The  Transcript  was 
started  as  an  independent  sheet,  but  in  Decem- 
ber, 1850,  came  out  for  the  Democratic  party 
and  was  thus  the  first  interior  Democratic  paper. 

As  before  stated,  the  Times  and  Transcript 
were  united  June  16,  1851,  and  thus  was  the 
first  double-headed  paper  printed  in  California. 
It  was  enlarged  to  a  size  slightly  greater  than 
the  present  Record-TTnion^m^%  sheet.  G.  K. 
Fitch  had  become  State  Printer,  and  L.  Picker- 
ing had  the  city  printing.  These  formed  the 
basis  of  the  fusion.  Fitch  retaining  a  half  in- 
terest in  the  printing,  and  Pickering  &  Law- 
rence holding  the  other  half.  The  editors  were 
Pickering,  Fitch  and  Lawrence,  The  new  pa- 
per found  a  rival  in  the  State  Journal,  and  in 
June,  1852,  the  Times  and  Transcript  left  the 
field  and  went  to  San  Francisco,  where  it  was 
published  by  the  .old  firm,  and  subsequently  by 
George  Kerr  &  Co.,  composed  of  George  Kerr, 
B.  F.  "Washington,  J.  E.  Lawrence  and  J.  C. 
Haswell.  It  passed  from  them  to  Edwin  Bell, 
and  next  to  Vincent  E.  Geiger  &  Co.  Picker- 
ing, Fitch  &  Co.  meanwhile  had  acquired  the 
Alta  California,  and  December  17,  1854,  they 
bought  back  their  old  Times  and  Transcript, 
and  the  Alta  at  once  absorbed  it. 

October  30,  1850,  the  Squatter  Association 
started  an  organ,  styling  it  the  Settlers'  and 
Miners'  Tributie.     Dr.  Charles   Robinson,  the 


editor,  was  noted  for  the  active  part  he  took  in 
the  Squatter  Riots.  He  subsequently  became 
the  Free  State  Governor  of  Kansas;  James  Mc- 
Clatchy  and  L.  M.  Booth  were  associate  editors. 
Sirus  Rowe  brought  the  type  from  Maine.  The 
paper  was  daily,  except  Sundays,  for  a  month, 
when  it  declined  to  a  weekly,  and  after  another 
month  quietly  gave  up  the  ghost  and  was  laid 
to  rest  in  the  Journalistic  boneyard. 

December  23,  1850,  the  first  weekly  paper, 
the  Sacra^neiito  Index,  was  started  by  Lynch, 
Davidson  &  Rolfe,  practical  "  typos,"  with  J. 
W.  Winans,  since  a  prominent  lawyer  of  San 
Francisco,  as  editor.  H.  B.  Livingstone  was 
associate.  It  was  nearly  the  size  of  the  Record- 
Union,  typographically  neat,  and  was  issued 
from  the  Times  office,  and  was  the  first  evening 
paper  in  Sacramento.  Taking  gi'ound  against 
the  act  of  a  vigilance  committee  in  hanging  a 
gambler,  it  lost  ground,  and  died  March  17, 
1851,  after  a  life  of  three  months.  It  tvas  a 
paper  of  rare  literary  ability. 

The  competition  between  the  Times  and  the 
Transcript  before  their  union  became  so  warm 
that  prices  of  advertising  declined  until  they 
fell  below  the  cost  of  composition.  The  print- 
ers in  both  oHices  rebelled,  and  the  greater 
number  quit.  They  held  a  meeting  in  a  build- 
ing next  to  the  Transcript  oflice,  which  thereby 
acquired  the  name  of  ''Sedition  Half."  They 
resolved  to  start  a  new  paper  and  secured  Dr. 
J.  F.  Morse  as  editor.  They  bought  stock  in 
San  Francisco,  and  March  19,  1851,  launched 
the  Sacramento  Diily  Union,  at  21  J  street,  in 
rented  rooms  in  Langlcy's  brick  building.  The 
proprietors  were  Alexander  Clark,  who  subse- 
quently went  to  the  Society  Islands  and  has 
never  been  heard  of  since;  "W.  J.  Keating,  wliu 
died  a  few  years  afterward  in  the  insane  asylum; 
Alexander  C.  Cook;  Joe  Court,  who  was  burned 
to  death  at  the  "Western  Hotel  fire  in  this  city, 
in  the  fall  of  1874;  E.  G.  Jeffries,  Charles  L. 
Hansicker,  F.  H.  Harmon,  W.  A.  Davison  and 
Samuel  II.  Dosh.  The  last  named  subsequently 
was  editor  of  the  Shasta  Courier,  and  is  now 
dead. 


HISTORY    OF    SACRAMENTO    COUNTY. 


Nearly  a  year  elapsed,  however,  before  type 
could  be  had.  A  lot  had  been  ordered,  but 
failed  to  arrive;  and  J.  W.  Simonton,  having 
made  an  appearance  with  a  full  printing  office, 
intending  to  start  a  Whig  paper,  his  stock  was 
purchased  by  the  Union  men.  Dr.  John  F. 
Morse,  the  editor,  was  later  known  throughout 
California  as  one  of  the  chief  leaders  in  Odd- 
fellowship;  and  his  death  in  1874,  in  San 
Francisco,  was  the  occasion  of  profound  testi- 
monials of  esteem  being  made  at  many  places 
throughout  the  State. 

The  size  of  the  Union  was  23  x  34  inches, 
with  twenty-four  columns,  thirteen  of  which 
were  filled  with  advertisements.  The  daily  edi- 
tion started  with  500  copies,  and  rapidly  in- 
creased. The  paper  was  independent,  outspoken 
and  ably  edited.  The  issue  for  March  29, 1851, 
was  entitled  the  Steamer  Union,  and  was  de- 
signed for  reading  in  the  Eastern  States.  April 
29,  1851,  the  Union  hoisted  the  Whig  flag,  but 
declined  to  be  ranked  as  a  subservient  partisan. 
S.  H.  Dosh  sold  out  at  this  time  for  $600,  and 
in  June  Harmon  sold  for  a  like  sum.     April  23 


the 


paper 


ilari 


about  to  the  size  it  has 


since  averaged,  and  appeared  with  the  new  type 
at  first  ordered.  January,  1852,  H.  B.  Living- 
stone became  associate  editor,  and  Hansecker 
sold  out  for  $2,000,  the  firm  now  being  E.  G. 
Jelferis  &  Co.  They  next  sold  out  to  W.  W. 
Kurtz  for  $2,100.  January  10,  1852,  the  first 
Weekly  Union  was  issued.  February  13  Cook 
sold  out  to  H.  W.  Larken,  and  April  8  Davidson 
to  Paul  Morrill.  In  May  Dr.  Morse  retired  as 
editor,  being  succeeded  by  A.  C.  Russell,  who 
remained  until  August,  when  Lauren  Upson 
became  editor,  retiring  for  a  time  in  1853;  then 
John  A.  Collins  filled  the  place. 

November  2,  1852,  the  Union  was  burned 
out  in  the  great  fire.  A  small  press  and  a  little 
type  were  saved,  and  the  paper  came  out  the 
second  morning  after  the  fire,  foolscap  size,  and 
soon  resumed  its  lormer  dimensions.  A  brick 
building  was  erected  for  it  on  J  street,  near 
Second,  the  same  now  occupied  by  AV.  M.  Lyon 
&Co. 


May  16,  1853,  Jelferis  &  Kurtz  sold  to  the 
other  partners  and  to  James  Anthony,  who  had 
been  in  the  business  department  of  the  paper 
since  November,  1851.  The  firm  was  now 
James  Anthony  &  Co.  June  15,  1853,  Keating 
sold  to  Morrill,  Anthony,  Clark  and  Larken, 
and  in  December  Clark's  interest  passed  to  the 
firm. 

.   July  20, 1853,  a  steam  engine  was  introduced 
to  run  the  presses. 

May,  1858,  Morrill  sold  his  interest  to  J. 
Gray.  Morrill  went  to  New  Hampshire  and 
remained  between  one  and  two  years,  and  re- 
turning, bought  back  Gray's  interest.  In  Feb- 
ruary, 1875,  the  firm  sold  out  to  the  Sacramento 
Publishing  Company,  which  also  purchased  the 
Sacramento  Daily  and  Weekly  Record,  and  the 
two  papers  were  issued  under  the  joint  title  of 
the  Sacramento  Daily  Record-  Union.  Besides 
the  daily  issue,  the  semi-weekly  feature  of  the 
Record  was  retained,  and  this  was  issued  on 
Wednesdays  and  Saturdays.  Since  then  they 
have  issued  the  daily  on  each  day  of  the  week 
(except  Sundays  until  recently),  with  a  double 
or  eight-page  sheet  on  Saturdays,  besides  a 
mammoth  sheet  on  each  New  Year's  day. 

Mr.  Upson  remained  chief  editor  of  the 
Union  about  twelve  years.  He  was  succeeded 
by  H.  C.  Watson,  who  served  until  his  death, 
in  June,  1867,  and  was  succeeded  by  Samuel 
Seabongh,  who  served  until  the  merging  of  the 
Union  with  the  Record.  Then  George  Fred- 
erick Parsons,  Editor-in-chief  of  the  Record,  be- 
came editor-in-chief  of  the  Record-Union,  and 
continued  as  such  until  his  removal  to  New 
York  City  in  the  winter  of  1883.  He  was  suc- 
ceeded by  J.  A.  Woodson.  The  manager  of  the 
Record  on  its  consolidation  with  the  Union 
was  William  H.  Mills,  one  of  the  proprietors  of 
the  Record,  who  remained  in  charge  of  the 
paper  until  January,  1883,  when  he  removed  to 
San  Francisco,  and  C.  E.  Carrington  was  ap- 
pointed local  managing  editor,  and  T.  W.  Shee- 
han,  business  manager.  Mr.  Carrington  retired 
April  1,  1889,  and  E.  B.  Willis  and  T.  W.  Shee- 
lian    were  appointed   general    managers  of  the 


HISTORY    OF    SACRAyiENTO    COUNTY. 


83 


paper,  the  former  assuming  the  duties  of  man- 
aging editor,  and  the  latter  continuing  in  im- 
mediate charge  of  the  business  department. 

On  the  19th  of  May,  1889,  the  publication  of 
the  Sunday  Union  was  commenced,  and  mailed 
to  all  subscribers  to  the  Weekly  Union,  the 
publication  of  the  semi-weekly  having  been  dis- 
continued. 

The  fine  three-story  brick  building  which  has 
for  many  years  been  occupied  by  this  company 
is  on  the  east  side  of  Third  street,  between  J 
and  K  streets,  and  was  built  for  the  Union  in 
1861. 

Joseph  A.  Woodson,  Editor-in-chief  of  the 
Sacramento  Daily  Record-  Union,  was  born  in 
La  Porte,  Indiana,  in  1837,  and  educated  at  the 
"Weslejan  Seminary,  Albion,  Michigan.  His 
parents  early  removed  to  Michigan  City,  Indi- 
ana, where  liis  father  was  president  of  the  State 
Bank  of  Indiana  for  many  years.  After  two 
years'  service  as  a  clerk  in  mercantile  business, 
Mr.  "Woodson,  in  1858,  came  to  California,  set- 
tling at  Santa  Ro.sa,  Sonoma  County;  read  law 
in  the  office  of  Jackson  Temple,  now  one  of  the 
justices  of  the  Supreme  Court  of  the  State;  was 
admitted  to  the  bar  in  1860,  before  Judge  Me- 
Kinstry,  for  the  Seventh  District  Court,  and 
moved  to  San  Francisco  in  1862,  where  he 
practiced  law  until  1872.  In  the  meantime  he 
founded,  published  and  edited  the  Pacific  Law 
Reporter,  having  for  associate  editors  some  of 
the  first  members  of  the  San  Francisco  bar; 
also  had  charge  of  the  law  department  of  the 
Daily  Spectator,  San  Francisco,  for  a  portion  of 
the  time,  and  edited  and  published  at  different 
times  society  and  philanthropic  papers,  and  was 
a  frequent  contributor  to  the  literary  journals  of 
that  city. 

In  July,  1872,  he  became  the  San  Francisco 
correspondent  of  the  Sacramento  Daily  Record, 
and  in  November,  that  year,  removed  to  this 
city,  temporarily,  and  edited  the  first  statistical 
number  of  the  Daily  Record.  In  January, 
1873,  he  represented  that  paper,  as  correspond- 
ent, at  the  Legislature  of  the  State  of  Nevada. 
Returning  in  March  to  Sacramento,  he  accepted 


the  position  of  law  and  literary  editor  of  the 
Record.  On  the  union  of  the  Record  and  tlie 
Union,  under  the  title  of  the  Record-Union 
in  February,  1875,  he  became  the  literary  ed- 
itor of  that  paper  and  '•  general  utility  assistant  " 
upon  all  the  departments  of  the  journal.  Act- 
ing in  this  multiform  capacity,  he  went  to  Bea- 
ver, Utah,  and  reported  the  first  trial  of  John 
D.  Lee,  notorious  as  connected  with  the  Mount- 
ain Meadow  Massacre.  His  letters  from  Bea- 
ver, published  over  the  signature  of  "  Thad- 
deus,"  attracted  wide  attention  and  rendered  his 
further  sojourn  in  Utah  at  least  "  uncomfort- 
able." Returning  to  Sacramento,  he  resumed 
his  position  upon  the  Record-Union.  Early  in 
January,  1883,  he  became  the  editor  in-chief 
of  the  Daily  Rtcord-Union,  a  position  he  still 
holds. 

As  to  other  positions,  Mr.  Woodson  was 
deputy  district  attorney  of  Sonoma  County 
for  a  time;  was  one  of  the  founders  of  the  Cali- 
fornia Museum  Association,  and  for  four  con- 
secutive years  a  director;  and  by  appointment 
is  a  member  of  the  Board  of  Trustees  of  the 
State  Mineral  Cabinet.'  Mr.  Woodson's  chief 
function  in  the  public  welfare  has  been  that  of 
"  an  intellectual  power  behind  the  throne  "  rather 
than  a  mere  figure-head  in  cons|)icuous  positions. 
S.  E.  Caheinoton  was  born  in  Ohio  in  1840; 
received  a  public  and  High-School  education, 
and  engaged  in  the  profession  of  teaching  for  a 
time,  but  joined  the  Union  Army  soon  after 
commencement  of  the  Rebellion  of  1861-'65. 
Served  in  Army  of  Potomac  until  1863,  when 
he  was  transferred  to  the  War  Department  and 
remained  there  until  after  close  of  the  war. 
Studied  law  and  graduated  at  the  Law  School  at 
Columbia  College,  Washington,  District  of  Co- 
lumbia, in  1867.  Entering  the  legal  profession, 
he  practiced  before  the  departments  at  Washing- 
ton and  in  the  courts  of  Ohio,  until  1876,  when 
from  broken  health  he  visited  California,  re- 
maining about  a  year,  and  again  returned  to  the 
Golden  State  in  the  spring  of  1879,  with  his 
family,  and  took  up  his  permanent  residence  in 
Sacramento.      In  the  fall  of  1879  Mr.  Carring- 


HISTORY    OF    SACRAMENTO    COUNTY. 


ton  was  employed  upon  the  Record-  Union  and 
so  continued  until  January  1,  1883,  when  he 
became  managing  editor  of  the  paper,  and  which 
position  he  occupied  until  April  1,  1889,  when 
he  resigned. 

In  his  religious  relations  he  is  connected  with 
the  Congregational  Church  in  Sacramento,  of 
which  he  is  trustee;  and  in  his  society  connec- 
tions he  is  a  member  of  both  the  Masonic  and 
Odd  Fellows  orders. 

In  1865  Mr.  Carrington  was  married  to  Miss 
Eilla,  daughter  of  William  B.  Stone,  of  York, 
Ohio.     Their  children  are  Belle  and  Alice. 

EvANDEB  Beeey  "VVillis,  Managing  Editor  of 
the  Sacramento  Daily  Record-Union^  was  born 
at  the  residence  of  Commodore  Evander  Berry,  at 
the  United  States  Navy  Yard,  Brooklyn,  New 
York,  on  August  19,  1847.  Being  well  ad- 
vanced in  his  studies,  at  the  age  of  thirteen  he 
entered  a  printing  office  and  learned  the  trade 
in  all  its  branches.  While  working  at  his  trade 
he  mastered  the  art  of  stenography  and  soon  had 
a  position  as  official  reporter  in  the  Supreme 
Court  circuit  of  New  York.  At  the  age  of 
twenty  he  was  editor  and  proprietor  of  the  Mail, 
at  Middletown,  Orange  County,  New  York. 
This  field  was  too  limited  for  him,  and  after 
publishing  the  paper  for  a  little  over  a  year  he 
sold  out  and  accepted  a  position  on  the  New 
York  Herald,  being  sent  for  that  paper  all  over 
the  country.  From  this  he  acquired  a  roving 
disposition  and  subsequently  held  various  edito- 
rial positions  on  leading  newspapers  in  several 
States,  among  them  the  following:  Assistant 
city  editor  New  York  Daily  Democrat  ("Brick" 
Poineroy's  paper);  city  editor  Newburgh,  New 
York,  Daily  i-'yess/ -city  editor  Scranton,  Penn- 
sylvania, Daily  Democrat;  telegraph  editor 
Scranton  Daily  Republican;  commercial  editor 
San  Francisco  Chronicle;  city  editor  Sacramento 
Daily  Record;  editor-in-cliief  of  tlie  Virginia 
City,  Nevada,  Chronicle;  night  city  editor  New 
York  Daily  Star,  and  others. 

Mr.  Willis  first  came  to  California  in  August, 
1871.  He  has  made  several  trips  to  the  East 
since  tliat  time,   visiting  Europe  and   traveling 


through  the  United  Kingdom  and  over  the  con- 
tinent. He  was  the  official  stenographer  of  the 
Constitutional  Convention  which  framed  the 
present  constitution  of  the  State  of  California, 
and  with  his  partner,  the  late  P.  K.  Stockton, 
transcribed  the  debates  and  proceedings  of  that 
body  for  publication  by  the  State.  He  has  re- 
ported in  the  California  Legislature  for  the 
Record-Uaion  at  every  session  but  two  since 
1871,  and  is  consequently  well  known  through- 
out the  State.  Mr.  Willis  is  a  prominent  mem- 
ber of  the  Masonic  order,  being  a  member  (Past 
Master)  of  Sacramento  Lodge,  No.  40,  F.  & 
A.  M.;  Sacramento  Chapter,  No.  3,  Royal  Arch 
Masons;  Sacramento  Council,  No.  1,  Royal  and 
Select  Masters,  and  Past  Commander  of  Sacra- 
mento Commaudery,  No.  2,  Knights  Templar. 
On  April  1,  1889,  E.  B.Willis  and  General  T.  W. 
Sheehan  were  appointed  general  managers  of  the 
Sacramento  Daily  Record-  Union  and  Sacra- 
mento Weekly  Union,  the  former  assuming  the 
duties  of  managing  editor,  and  the  latter  those 
of  business   manager. 

In  the  list  of  dead  journals  comes  now  the 
Democratic  State  Journal.  It  was  a  morning 
paper  of  the  size  of  the  Record-  Union,  and  ap- 
peared February  5,  1852.  V.  E.  Geiger  &  Co. 
were  the  publishers,  and  Geiger  and  B.  F.  Wash- 
ington the  editors.  It  was  a  valiant  warrior  for 
the  Democratic  party,  supporting  John  Bigler 
in  liis  political,  aspirations,  while  its  contempo- 
rary, the  Times  and  Transcript,  was  the  advo- 
cate of  William  M.  Gwin.  Washington,  early 
in  1858,  retired  and  went  upon  tiie  Times  and 
Transcript,  and  B.  B.  Redding,  since  land  agent 
of  the  Central  Pacific  Railroad  Company,  be- 
came editor.  The  destruction  of  the  office  by 
the  great  lire  of  1852  greatly  retarded  tlie  paper, 
and  finally  in  July,  1853,  forced  it  into  a  coali- 
tion with  the  Californian,  wdien  a  new  firm  was 
formed  composed  of  B.  B.  Redding,  P.  C.  John- 
son, S.  J.  May  and  James  McClatchy.  In  April, 
1854,  Johnson  sold  to  Colonel  Snowden.  and  in 
June,  May  sold  to  Redding  and  Snowden.  Snow- 
den and  May  have  been  dead  many  years. 

In  the  fall  of  1854  William  Walker,  afterward 


uisTonr  OF  sacramento  county. 


known  as  General  Walker,  of  Nicaragua  tillibus- 
ter  fame,  tlie  "  grey-eyed  man  of  destiny,"  be- 
came editor.  October,  1854,  McClatcby  sold 
out  to  D.  J.  Thomas.  Walker  retired  in  Feb- 
ruary, 1855,  and  McClatchy  became  editor,  be- 
ing succeeded  in  a  month  by  John  White.  In 
1866  Snowden  sold  out  to  Eedding  and  Thomas. 
In  June,  1857,  the  party  failing  to  give  adequate 
support  to  the  journal,  it  was  sold,  under  attach- 
ment, and  bought  in  by  the  printers  in  the 
office.  After  a  suspension  of  four  weeks  it  re- 
sumed, with  Henry  Shipley  &  Co.  as  publishers, 
the  company  being  made  up  by  most  of  the 
printers  in  the  office.  H.  Shipley  and  R.  Rust 
were  editors.  April  24,  1858,  P.  W.  S.  Rayle 
bought  up  nearly  all  the  interests  and  announced 
S.  W.  Raveley  as  editor.  It  so  continued  to 
June  24,  1858,  when  it  expired.  At  one  time 
it  ran  a  column  in  French,  and  was  the  first  and 
only  daily  paper  issued  in  Sacramento  with  a 
department  for  any  foreign  tongue. 

In  August,  1852,  T.  Alter  began  to  publish  a 
weekly  Baptist  paper,  with  O.  C.  Wheeler  and 
E.  J.  Willis  as  editors.  It  continued  about  one 
year,  and  had  its  office  in  the  court-house.  It 
lost  $3,000  to  the  publisher,  and  breathed  its 
last  so  quietly  that  the  exact  date  of  its  taking 
off  is  unknown. 

November  17,  1852,  E.  Williamson  &  Co., 
with  James  McClatchy  and  D.  J.  Thomas  as 
editors,  started  a  settler  Democratic  paper.  It 
was  issued  every  morning,  super-royal  in  size. 
April,  1853,  S.  J.  May  bought  a  one-fourth  in- 
terest and  became  editor.  It  was  burned  out 
once,  and  started  again  in  a  deserted  kitchen, 
brought  from  the  country  for  the  purpose.  On 
the  30th  of  July  it  fused  with  the  State  Jour- 
nal, as  stated  above. 

The  California  Statesman,  a  morning  paper 
edited  by  Henry  Meredith  and  published  by  J. 
W.  Gish  &  Co.,  was  begun  November  13,  1854. 
It  was  Democratic  and  supported  W.  M.  Gwin 
for  United  States  Senator  against  Broderick. 
March  1,  1855,  Gish  &  Woodward,  the  pub- 
lishers, sued  Gwin  &  Ilardenbergh  on  a  claim 
that  they  had  agreed  to  pay  §=2,500  for  the  sup- 


port of  Gwin  by  the  paper.  They  alleged  that 
Gwin  also  agreed  to  give  the  paper  the  public 
printing.  They  laid  their  damages  at  §20,000, 
but  ihey  were  ousted  from  court  on  the  ground 
that  the  agreement  was  contrary  to  public  policy. 
Hardenbergh  tiien  sued  for  the  possession,  and 
so  the  Statesman  died. 

T1\\Q  California  Farmer  and  Journal  of  Use- 
ful Science  began  a  publication  in  Sacramento 
in  May,  1855,  having  already  appeared  in  San 
Francisco  a  year  before.  The  publishers  were 
Warren  &  Son,  and  J.  K.  Philips  &  Co.  Dr. 
J.  F.  Morse  was  the  editor  for  one  month.  It 
was  a  weekly  paper.  July  18,  1856,  it  was 
moved  back  to  San  Francisco,  where  it  still  ap- 
pears. 

In  March,  1854,  Dr.  Morse  and  S.  Oolville 
issued  the  first  and  only  number  of  a  monthly 
magazine  entitled  "■Illustrated  Historical 
Sketches  of  California,  with  a  minute  history 
of  Sacramento  Yalley."  This  number  was  a 
good  one,  but  the  business  department  was  badly 
managed  and  a  second  number  never  appeared. 

The  Pacific  Recorder  appeared  July  15, 1854, 
edited  by  E.  J.  Willis,  and  was  to  be  the  organ 
of  the  Baptist  Church.  It  was  a  neat  semi- 
monthly; in  July,  1855,  it  became  a  weekly, 
but  in  March  following  it  was  discontinued. 

June  8,  1855,  a  daily  paper  came  to  the  sur- 
face called  the  State  Tribune.  It  was  edited 
and  published  by  Parker  H.  French  and  S.  J. 
May.  It  was  the  size  of  the  other  morning 
papers  and  professedly  independent  of  politics, 
but  inclined  to  the  Democracy.  In  September 
French  sold  out  to  May  and  left  in  the  Nicara- 
gua expedition.  August  1,  J.  M.  Estill  became 
editor  of  the  Tribune  and  opposed  John  Bigler 
and  the  Democracy  with  such  vigor  as  to  draw 
it  to  the  front  rank  of  the  opposition  journals. 
French  returning  to  the  State  bought  into  the 
paper  again,  but  left  some  of  the  arrangements 
for  payment  so  open  that  difficulty  ensued.  He 
sold  to  George  W.  'iift,  who  liad  assigned  to 
Monson  and  Valentine,  wiio  attached  tlie  paper. 
S.  J.  May  and  his  three  remaining  partners  set 
out  tlusc    things    in   a  card    and    issued   a  new 


HISTORT    OP    SACRAMENTO    COUNTY. 


Trilune,  so  that  on  the  IGth  of  October,  1855, 
two  Trihiuus  appeared,  each  claiming  to  be  the 
genuine  one.  May  &  Co.'s  issue  was  from  the 
material  of  the  defunct  St'itesinan.  The  other 
Tribune  was  published  by  Farwell  &  Co.  Both 
papers  were  ardent  American  or  Know-Nothing 
jonrn.ds,  and  each  was  especially  bitter  on  the 
other.  The  local  war  waged  for  two  weeks,  to 
the  great  amusement  of  the  people.  October 
30  the  Farwell  &  Co.  Tribune  gave  up,  and 
the  other  paper  was  satisfied,.  The  Tribune  came 
out  with  James  Allen  &  Co.  as  publishers,  still 
advocating  Know-Nothingism.  It  lived  until 
June  1,  1856,  when  it  died. 

A  new  paper  sprang  from  the  ashes  of  the 
Tribune  the  day  after  the  death  of  that  paper. 
It  was  christened  the  California,  Ainerican  and 
was  as  radically  Know-Nothing  as  its  predeces- 
sor. The  proprietors  were  James  Allen,  J.  R. 
Eidge  and  S.  J.  May,  with  Allen  as  chief  writer, 
but  in  January,  1857,  he  was  succeeded  by  J. 
K.  Ridge.  Allen  was  at  the  time  State  Printer, 
and  it  is  said  lost  about  $15,000  in  the  new  pa- 
per in  the  first  six  months.  It  died  in  Febru- 
ary, 1857,  and  never  was  a  success  at  any  period 
of  its  existence. 

The  Water  Fount  and  Home  Journal^  a 
weekly  paper  nearly  the  size  of  the  Record- 
Union,  was  brought  from  San  Francisco  and 
issued  here  December  15,  1855,  by  Alexander 
Montgomery  &  Co.,  with  Montgomery  as  editor. 
It  was  a  temperance  paper,  and  the  official  or- 
gan of  the  Sons  of  Temperance,  and  made  a 
good  appearance.     It   lived   nine    months  only. 

December  6,  1855,  George  H.  Baker,  now  of 
San  Francisco,  a  lithographer,  and  J.  A.  Mitch- 
ell, now  deceased,  began  an  independent  even- 
ing paper  entitled  The  Spirit  of  the  Age.  In 
June,  1856,  it  changed  its  name  to  The  Sacra- 
mento Age,  and  enlarged,  with  A.  A.  Appleton 
&  Co.  (Baker  withdrawing)  as  publishers.  J. 
S.  Robb,  dying,  was  succeeded  by  W.  "Wright. 
In  the  summer  of  1856  the  paper  was  sold  to 
the  Know-Nothing  party  and  fought  its  battles 
till  the  election  was  over.  Early  in  1857  it 
died. 


December  24,  1855,  A.  Badlam&Co.  started 
the  Daily  Evening  Times,  a  gratuitous  adver- 
tising sheet,  10x18  inches.  It  was  worked  on 
a  wooden  press  made  by  the  publishers.  It  ran 
up  from  200  to  700  circulation,  and  in  March, 
1856,  breathed  its  last.  For  a  time  it  was  re- 
inovtd  to  tlie  mountains  to  try  the  effect  of 
change  of  air  and  diet,  but  it  came  back  to  Sac- 
ramento and  died  in  good  order. 

December  11,  1856,  C.  Babb  and  W.  H. 
Harvey  began  a  publication  of  a  daily  morning 
independent  paper,  of  a  small  size,  entitled  the 
City  Item.  Paschal  Coggins  was  the  editor.  It 
lived  seven  months. 

Cornelius  Cole  &  Co.,  on  the  15th  of  August, 
1856,  commenced  the  publication  of  the  Daily 
Times,  a  morning  paper.  Republican  in  politics. 
It  was  very  lively  in  the  canvass  for  Fremont,  and 
was  edite<l  with  ability.  In  November  ?t  be- 
came an  evening  paper,  and  issued  a  weekly,  be- 
ing then  run  by  a  joint-stock  company,  with 
Mr.  Colo,  subsequently  United  States  Senator, 
as  editor.  In  size  it  was  24 x  36  inches.  Janu- 
ary 24, 1857,  it  succumbed  to  the  winter  weather 
and  went  into  the  newspaper  charnel-house. 

The  Chinese  JVeivs  began  in  December,  1856. 
It  was  printed  of  respectable  size,  and  in  the 
Chinese  language.  Ze  Too  Yune,  alias  Hung 
Tai,  was  editor  and  publisher,  and  exhibited 
much  skill  in  the  business.  It  was  at  first  a 
daily,  then  a  tri-weekly,  then  a  weekly,  lastly  a 
monthly,  and  after  two  years'  lease  of  life  it 
went  to  earth  and  was  heard  of  no  more. 

The  Temperance  Ilirror  was  a  quarto- 
monthly,  commenced  January,  1857,  by  O.  B. 
Turrell,  with  "W.  B.  Taylor  as  editor.  It  issued 
one  number  here,  and  then  took  itself  off"  to  San 
Francisco,  where  it  died  in  March  of  the  same 
year. 

The  Daily  Morning  Bee  began  its  life  Feb- 
ruary 3,  1857.  It  was  independent  in  politics, 
and  was  edited  by  J.  R.  Ridge  and  S.  J.  May. 
The  proprietors  were  L.  C.  Chandler,  L.  P. 
Davis,  John  Church  and  W.  H.  Tobey.  It  was 
much  smaller  than  the  present  Bee,  embracing 
but  five  columns   to  the   page.     It  became  an 


nisTour  OF  saghamento  county. 


87 


evening  paper  April  6,  1857.  In  the  summer 
following,  Ridge  retired  and  James  McClatchy 
succeeded  him.  In  1858  the  firm  was  F.  S. 
Thompson,  L.  F.  Davis  and  W.  H.  Tobey.  It 
was  enlarged  during  the  first  year  to  seven 
columns  to  the  page.  On  April  8,  1860,  J. 
O'Leary  purchased  the  interest  of  S.  F.  Thomp- 
son, and  the  firm  name  was  changed  to  L.  P. 
Davis  &  Co.  December  28,  1863,  G.  H.  Wiii- 
terburn  bought  out  Tobey,  and  in  turn  sold  to 
James  McClatchy,  February  12, 1866. 

June  26,  1872,  McClatchy  bought  the  inter- 
est of  Davis,  and  the  firm  name  became  James 
McClatchy  &  Co.,  as  at  present.  August  1, 
1872,  J.  F.  Sheehan  purchased  one-third  inter- 
est from  Mr.  McClatchy,  since  which  time  the 
paper  has  been  stjll  further  enlarged  and  con- 
tinues to  be  one  of  the  few  profitable  and  pros- 
perous journals  in  Sacramento's  history. 

November  1,  1879,  James  McClatchy  ad- 
mitted his  younger  son,  C.  K.,  as  a  partner  in 
the  business,  and  the  members  of  the  firm  were 
then  J.  F.  Sheehan,  James  and  C.  K.  Mc- 
Clatchy. October  23,  1883,  James  McClatchy 
died  at  Paraiso  Springs,  leaving  all  his  title 
and  interest  in  the  Bee  to  his  wife  and  two 
sons.  January  29,  1884,  the  interest  of  J.  F. 
Sheehan  in  the  paper  was  purcliased  by  the 
members  of  James  McCIatchy's  family,  the  firm 
name  remaining  unchanged — James  McClatchy 
&  Co.  From  that  time  to  the  present  the  paper 
has  been  conducted  by  the  sons,  C.  K.  as  man- 
aging editor,  and  V.  S.  as  business  manager. 

The  Bee  has  steadily  progressed  in  circula- 
tion, power  and  influence,  and  is  now  one  of  the 
two  afternoon  papers  in  California  that  receive 
the  full  Associated  Press  report.  In  the  early 
part  of  1888  the  Bee  put  in  a  fast  stereotyping 
press,  it  being  the  first  afternoon  paper  on  the 
Pacific  Coast  to  do  so.  It  has  kept  pace  in 
other  departments  with  the  times,  and  is  re- 
garded as  one  of  the  best  pieces  of  newspaper 
property  on  the  coast. 

James  McCLATCiry,  veteran  and  late  editor  of 
the  Bee,  was  born  near  Lisburu,  County  An- 
trim, Ireland,  in    the   year   182-4,   and    died    at 


Paraiso  Springs,  Monterey  County,  on  Septem- 
ber 26,  1883,  being  then  over  fifty-nine  years  of 
age.  He  was  but  eighteen  years  of  age  when 
he  left  Ireland  for  the  hospitable  shores  of  the 
United  States,  his  father  and  mother  having 
died  previously.  It  was  but  a  few  years  there- 
after when  he  sent  for  his  sisters  and  brothers 
to  come  over  and  join  him  in  this  land  of  free- 
dom. Be  early  formed  the  acquaintance  of 
Horace  Greeley  in  New  York,  and  with  him 
was  a  member  of  the  Land  Reform  Association 
of  that  State,  among  whose  members  were  many 
who  afterward  became  nationally  prominent. 

He  departed  for  California  in  1848,  reaching 
Sacramento  in  the  latter  part  of  1849.  The 
ship  on  which  a  number  had  sailed  from  Pan- 
ama was  wrecked  near  Mazatlan,  and  he  and 
twenty-eight  others  walked  to  San  Diego.  He 
had  orders  from  Horace  Greeley  to  write  as 
many  letters  to  the  Tribune  as  he  desired  at  $5 
per  letter,  good  pay  for  those  days  with  such  an 
unlimited  carte  'blanche.  His  letters  to  the 
Tribune  did  much  to  populate  this  State  with 
an  intelligent  and  progressive  class  of  men  and 
women.  He  was  connected  with  the  Sacramento 
Legislature,  reported  the  proceedings  of  the  first 
Legislature  for  the  Placer  Times,  and  was  sub- 
sequently connected  with  the  Miners'  Tribune 
and  other  early  and  short  lived  papers.  He  first 
joined  the  late  B.  B.  Redding  in  the  publication 
of  the  State  Journal,  but  as  he  believed  in  the 
principles  of  the  Republican  party,  he  left  that 
paper  and  started  the  Times,  in  conjunction 
with  the  afterward  United  States  Senator,  Cor- 
nelius Cole. 

With  the  defeat  of  Fremont  that  newspaper 
venture  died,  and  he  joined  the  staff"  of  the  Bee, 
which  was  started  in  1857.  He  soon  succeeded 
John  R.  Ridge  as  chief  editor,  a  position  he  ably 
and  brilliantly  filled  with  few  interruptions,  and 
those  of  his  own  seeking,  until  his  death.  He 
was  a  stanch  Unionist  during  the  days  of  the 
Rebellion,  and  was  president  of  the  Lincoln 
League  of  Sacramento. 

He  was  elected  by  the  Republican  party  to 
the  office  of  sheriff  in   1863,    and   re-elected   in 


88 


n I  STORY    OF    SACRAMENTO    COUNTY. 


1865,  but  was  counted  out.  Proof  of  the  latter 
fact  was  subsequently  found  when  workmen 
were  engaged  in  altering  a  chimney  in  the  office 
of  the  Board  of  Supervisors,  then  in  what  is 
now  known  as  the  Masonic  Building,  on  the  ] 
southwest  corner  of  Sixth  and  K  streets.  Tlie 
destroyed  ballots  were  found,  and  ample  esi- 
dence  furnished  to  James  McClatcliy.  It  was  1 
then  too  late  to  benetit  him  any,  and  he  paid  no 
attention  to  it,  ihongh  it  was  subsequently 
written  up  as  a  reminiscence,  in  the  San  Fran- 
cisco Chronicle. 

In  1866  he  purchased  an  interest  in  the  Bee., 
but  went  to  San  Francisco  to  manage  the  San 
Francisco  Times.  He  remained  there  but  a 
very  short  time,  iiovvever,  as  his  independent 
spirit  could  not  brook  the  conflicting  orders  of 
seven  owners,  each  of  whom  wanted  the  paper 
conducted  to  suit  his  own  views.  So  he  re- 
turned to  the  Bee,  and  never  left  it  until  his 
death. 

lie  was  collector  of  the  port  of  Sacramento, 
a  member  of  the  Board  of  Education,  president 
of  the  Pioneers'  Association,  president  of  the 
Union  Building  and  Loan  Association,  a  director 
of  the  Capital  Savings  Bank  and  historian  of 
the  day  at  the  Centennial  Celebration  in  Sacra- 
mento. 

As  a  man,  James  McClatchy  was  a  combina- 
tion of  the  stern  and  yet  gentle  qualities  of 
the  Scotch-Irish  race.  In  denunciation  of  a 
wrong  he  could  be  as  severe  a  judge  as  any,  but 
in  the  presence  of  sorrow  or  grief  he  would  be 
as  gentle  as  a  child.  As  an  editor  he  was 
straightforward  and  always  to  the  point.  His 
one  great  and  prominent  trait  was  his  manly  in- 
dependence. He  did  not  ask:  "Is  this  thing 
politic?"  but,  "  Is  it  right?"  Tiiat  question  de- 
cided, he  immediately  proceeded  to  condemn  or 
approve  it  in  the  simplest  but  most  elegant 
English.  He  could  get  at  the  kernel  of  a  ques- 
tion quicker  and  make  a  proposition  plain  to 
the  readers  more  rapidly  and  in  fewer  words 
than  any  of  his  cotemporary  journalists.  He 
never  "scattered,"  either  in  words  or  in  reforms. 
When   he  liad   anything  to  say,  he  said  it  and 


stopped.  He  did  not  cloud  the  idea  with  a 
mass  of  verbiage.  When  he  was  battling  for 
a  principle,  he  paid  his  entire  attention  to  that 
and  that  alone.  He  was  frequently  asked  to 
strike  good  and  heavy  blows  in  this  or  in  that 
cause.  He  would  say:  "  Gentlemen,  one  thing 
at  a  time.  You  will  have  to  shoot  at  one  mark 
until  you  hit  it,  if  you  want  to  succeed  in  this 
w-ork.  You  can't  be  shooting  at  everything 
with  any  good  prospects  of  success  in  anything." 
He  was  a  leader  in  popular  thought,  not  a  fol- 
lower. He  was  brimful  of  new  and  good  ideas; 
in  fact,  his  originality  was  often  very  startling 
to  the  conservative  mind.  He  was  laughed  at 
for  his  advocacy  of  a  no-fence  law,  but  such  a 
law  is  the  law  of  the  State  to-day  in  many  of 
the  counties,  and  can  be  made  so  in  all  if  the 
citizens  properly  petition  and  vote  upon  it. 

His  anti-land  monopoly  principles  were 
preached  in  season  and  out  of  season,  in  the 
face  of  sneers,  but  they  are  wonderfully  popu- 
lar to-day.  Henry  George's  "  Progress  and 
Poverty,"  which  lias  made  such  a  brilliant  stir 
in  the  literary  world,  was  the  outcome  of  the 
doctrines  he  had  learned  from  James  McClatchy, 
whose  disciple  he  really  was.  In  fact,  George 
one  day  suggested  that  McClatchy  should  write 
a  book  embodying  those  principles,  claiming 
that  it  would  make  a  stir  in  the  world. 

"  ;No,"  was  the  answer,  "  I  am  getting  too  old 
for  the  work,  and  have  too  much  on  hand.  But 
why  don't  you  do  it?  You  have  little,  if  any- 
thing, to  do  [George  then  had  the  easy  position 
of  inspector  of  gas  meters],  and  you  are  just 
the  man  to  do  it." 

The  result  was  that  George  commenced  the 
work  and  submitted  it,  a  few  chapters  at  a  time, 
to  James  McClatchy  for  suggestions  and  altera- 
tions, and  continued  so  to  do  until  the  wonder- 
ful book  was  completed. 

Years  before  the  people  of  the  Sacz-amento 
Valley  ever  realized  the  danger  menacing  them 
from  the  destructive  system  of  mining  known 
as  hydraulicking,  James  McClatchy  began  a 
crusade  against  it  in  the  interest  of  the  homes 
and  cities  of  the   valley,  continuing  it  without 


HISTORY    OF    SACRAMENTO    COUNTY. 


interruption  up  to  the  time  of  his  death.  He 
had  the  satisfaction  of  seeing  tlie  people  of  the 
valley  come  to  the  standard  of  their  own  self- 
interest  and  preservation,  and  to  read  decisions 
of  the  courts,  the  highest  as  well  as  the  lowest, 
all  in  favor  of  the  valley  people — to  iind,  in 
fact,  the  power  of  this  giant  aggregation  of 
wealth  engaged  in  hydraulic  raining  broken,  and 
the  system  itself  declared  a  nuisance. 

Many  other  reforms  were  inaugurated  and 
carried  to  a  successful  issue  by  this  enterprising, 
plodding,  original  and  conscientious  journalist. 
Above  all,  he  was  ever  loyal  and  true  to  Sacra- 
mento, and  the  universal  grief  expressed  at  his 
death  betokened  the  respect  and  love  in  which  he 
was  held   by  the  citizens  of  his   adopted  home. 

Mes.  James  McClatchy,  one  of  the  proprie- 
tors of  the  Bee,  widow  of  its  former  veteran 
editor  and  mother  of  its  present  managers,  was 
born  in  Charlottetown,  Prince  Edward  Island, 
on  April  21,  1830.  She  came  to  Sacramento 
the  day  after  the  big  fire  of  1852  to  join  her 
first  husband,  Captain  Feeny.  The  latter  died 
not  long  aftei',  and  some  years  thereafter  she 
was  married  to  James  McClatchy,  then  a  tall, 
young  reporter,  working  hard  for  a  livelihood. 
Four  of  their  children  are  living:  Valentine, 
Charles,  Fanny  and  Emily.  The  young  men 
are  managers  of  the  Bee,  while  tlie  young  ladies 
are  well  known  in  Sacramento,  where  all  four 
were  born.  Mrs.  McClatchy  is  well  known  in 
charitable  circles,  and  is  a  life  member  of  the 
California  Museum  Association. 

Y.  S.  McClatchy  was  born  in  Sacramento 
in  1857;  educated  at  Santa  Clara  College,  where 
he  graduated  in  1877;  for  the  ensuing  five  years 
he  was  employed  in  the  Oakland  Bank  at  Oak- 
land, this  State,  and  during  the  ne.xt  two  years 
was  a  clerk  in  the  Sub-Treasury  in  San  Fran- 
cisco. After  the  death  of  his  father  he  came  to 
Sacramento  to  assume  the  business  management 
of  the  Bee.  Besides  his  connection  with  this 
paper,  which  has  been  a  successful  one,  Mr. 
McClatchy  has  been  active  in  a  number  of  local 
enterprises,  as  a  dii'ector  of  the  Placer  County 
Citrus  Colony,   Orangevale  Cnlonization   Com- 


pany, etc.  In  1882  Mr.  McClatchy  married  Miss 
Ilanifan,  of  Oakland,  and  they  have  four  children. 

C.  K.  McClatchy  is  also  a  native  of  Sacra- 
mento, born  in  1858;  attended  Santa  Clara 
College  three  years,  and,  returning  to  this  city 
before  he  was  eighteen  years  of  age,  has  since 
been  employed  upon  the  Bee,  as  has  already 
been  mentioned.  He  is  now  the  editorial  man- 
ager. Besides,  he  is  a  director  in  the  Union 
Building  and  Loan  Association  of  this  city.  He 
married  Miss  Ella  Kelly,  of  Sacramento,  in  1885; 
they  have  one  child. 

In  July,  1857,  the  Star'  of  the  Pacific,  a  re- 
ligious journal,  was  removed  from  Marysville  to 
this  city.  It  was  a  quarto  monthly.  Its  editor 
and  proprietor  was  Rev.  A.  C.  Edmonds,  a  Uni- 
versalist  clergyman.  In  December,  1857,  it 
suspended,  revived  in  May,  1858,  and  died  in 
the  fall  of  that  year. 

The  Daily  State  Sentinel,  a  Republican  pa- 
per, was  issued  July  27,  1857,  by  J.  R.  Atkins 
&  Co.,  as  a  morning  paper.  It  was  small  size. 
In  October  C.  D.  Hossack  &  Co.  took  the  paper, 
and  C.  A.  Sumner  became  its  editor.  It  was  a 
vigorous  paper  and  bid  fair  to  succeed,  but  early 
in  1858  it  breathed  its  last. 

C.  A.  Sumner  began  the  publication  of  a  pam- 
phlet sheet  dubbed  the  Eye-Glass,  August  22, 
1857.  No  other  number  ever  appeared.  It 
was  peculiar  and  critical  upon  social  matters. 

The  Covenant  and  Odd  Felloivs''  Magazine, 
a  monthly  of  thirty-two  pages,  began  August 
31,  1857;  J.  D.  Tilson,  Publisher;  A.  C.  Ed- 
monds, Editor.  It  died  with  the  tenth  number, 
June,  1858. 

The  Temperance  Register,  H.  Davidson  & 
Co., a  monthly,  began  September,  1857,  in  quarto 
form.  In  October  it  was  in  small  semi-monthly 
parts.  December  12  it  became  a  monthly  again, 
and  then  expired. 

December  20,  1857,  the  Herald  of  the  Morn- 
ing appeared  as  a  Sunday  paper,  J.  C.  McDonald 
&Co.,  Publishers;  Calvin  B.  McDonald,  Literary 
Editor.  It  was  a  spiritualistic  paper,  and  lived 
four  weeks. 

The  Phienix,  afterward  the    Ubicuitoiis,  was 


UISTOBT    OF    SACRAJtIENTO    COUNTY. 


a  scurrilous  sheet,  fathered  bj  E.  McGowan.  It 
Ijegaii  as  an  occasional  in  the  fall  of  1857,  issued 
as  a  weekly  during  the  winter  following,  and 
died  during  tlie  next  summer. 

The  Watch-Dog  was  started  January  1, 1858; 
was  similar  in  character  to  the  last  mentioned, 
and  died  in  March  following. 

During  the  same  March  began  the  Sacra- 
mento Visitor,  by  Brown,  Ingiiani  &  Co.;  J. 
Coggins,  Editor.  It  was  a  daily  evening  paper 
of  moderate  size,  independent  in  tone  and  lively 
in  manner.     It  ceased  to  exist  June  1,  1858. 

The  Sacramento  Mercury,  a  straight-out 
Democratic  paper,  was  commenced  March  28, 
1858,  by  H.  S.  Foushee,  Publisher,  and  W.  S. 
Long,  Editor.  It 'was  about  half  the  size  of  the 
Record-  Union.  In  the  summer  A.  Montgomery 
became  its  associate  editor.  It  died  October 
12, 1858. 

The  California  Statesman,  No.  2  of  that 
name,  took  the  place  of  the  old  journal  in  May, 
1858;  S.  W.  Ravely,  Publisher,  and  A.  C.  Rus- 
sell, Editor.  It  was  a  Democratic  daily,  and 
died  June  24,  same  year. 

The  Callfornian,  No.  2  of  that  name,  also 
was  a  neutral  daily  of  small  size,  edited  by  D. 
J.  Thomas.  It  was  born  July  9,  1858,  and  de- 
parted this  life  July  15  following,  aged  one  week. 

The  Baptist  Circular  was  the  result  of  the 
third  effort  of  the  Baptists  to  start  a  paper  here. 
It  began  August,  1858,  under  tiie  editorial 
management  of  Rev.  J.  L.  Shuck;  but  it  was 
discontinued  the  next  spring. 

In  1858-'59,  the  Democracy  being  double- 
headed,  and  known  as  the  Lecompton  and  anti- 
Lecompton  wings,  the  contest  between  limbs  of 
the  common  body  became  very  warm,  and  the 
auti-Lecompton,  half  spurred  thereto  by  the  as- 
saults of  Charles  T.  Botts,  from  the  Lecompton 
side,  started  a  paper  called  the  Daily  Register. 
It  was  about  the  size  of  the  Bee,  and  issued 
every  morning  except  Monday.  The  money 
chiefly  was  furnished  by  Dr.  Houghton, and  the 
style  of  the  Arm  was  Harvey,  Houghton  &  Co., 
the  editors,  J.  C.  Zabriskie  and  William  Baus- 
man,  since  a  journalist  in   San  Francisco,  hold- 


ing small  interests.  The  paper  was  vigorous, 
but  too  scholarly,  and  not  lively  enough  for  the 
times.  Bausman  early  got  out  of  it.  Hough- 
ton sunk  money  in  the  concern  like  water,  and 
the  second  day  before  the  general  election,  in 
the  fall  of  that  year,  it  peacefully  died,  and  left 
the  doctor  to  ruminate  upon  his  ducats  gone  for- 
ever. The  office  of  the  Register  was  located  at 
the  corner  of  Fifth  and  J  streets,  and  the  outfit 
and  dress  of  the  paper  was  good. 

The  rival  of  the  Register,  and  far  the  better 
paper  in  a  purely  journalistic  point  of  view,  was 
the  Daily  Democratic  Standard.  It  saw  the 
light  February  26, 1859,  and  J.  R.  Hardenbergh 
was  its  publisher,  with  Charles  T.  Botts,  Editor. 
It  was  a  morning  paper,  and  about  the  size  of 
the  Record-  Union.  In  July,  1859,  C.  T.  Botts 
became  sole  proprietor.  It  was  the  advocate  of 
the  Lecompton  ring  of  the  Democracy,  and  a 
vigorous  one.  Its  office  was  on  Third  street, 
between  I  and  J.  On  the  2d  of  June,  1860, 
it  ceased  its  daily  issues.  The  seeds  of  death 
were  already  sown  in  its  body.  For  a  few  months 
it  appeared  as  a  weekly,  but  was  only  a  faint 
semblance  of  its  old  self.  M.  G.  Upton  and 
Hon.  C.  Gorham  were  for  a  time  editors,  and 
many  tales  were  told  of  the  shrewd  passes  these 
two  used  to  make  to  get  news  for  tlie  Standard. 
Soon  after  the  fall  election  in  1860  the  Stand- 
ard was  lowered — into  the  grave  of  journalism, 
and  the  earth  over  its  remains  has  never  been 
disturbed  to  this  day.  The  proprietors  lost 
money  by  the  paper,  and  in  the  farewell  article 
they  growled  over  it  fearfully.  It  was  the  death 
rattle — nothing  more. 

In  June,  1860,  Henry  Bidleman  &  Co.  started 
the  Daily  Democrat.  It  was  issued  from  the 
Standard  o'Si.QQ;  M.  G.  Upson  was  its  editor.  It 
was  a  six-column  paper  and  made  a  lively  cam- 
paign effort,  but  died  with  the  fall  election, 
having  failed  in  its  mission  for  the  Democracy. 

June  24,  1860,  F.  R.  Folger  &  Co.  issued  the 
Daily  Morning  News,  Douglas  Democratic  pa- 
per. The  Folgers  were  its  first  editors.  Sub- 
sequently George  C.  Gorham  and  Albert  S. 
Evans  were  editors.      Evans   subsequently  went 


HISTORT    OF    SACRAMENTO    COUNTY. 


to  Mexico  with  the  Steward  party  and  wrote  it 
up  and  gained  some  notoriety  with  his  pen.  He 
died  a  few  yeai's  ago  in  San  Francisco.  The 
News  continued  to  exist  about  nine  months. 

The  Evening  Post,  published  by  R.  W. 
Lewis  &  Co.,  began  October,  1860,  as  an  inde- 
pendent paper,  but  subsequently  became  Re- 
publican in  politics.  It  was  half  the  size  of  the 
.Record-  Union  at  first,  but  latterly  enlarged  one- 
third.  After  live  months  of  life  W.  S.  Johnson 
&  Co.  undertook  its  publication.  It  had  vari- 
ous editors — writers  who  wrote  for  it  as  occa- 
sion demanded.  It  was  discontinued  Septem- 
ber. 1861. 

The  Rescue,  organ  of  the  Independent  Order 
of  Good  Templars,  began  in  San  Francisco  as  a 
monthly  about  February,  1862,  and  ran  about 
two  months  when  it  was  removed  to  Stockton, 
where  it  was  published  five  months.  Its  first 
editor  was  Edwin  H.  Bishop,  then  the  State 
Grand  Secretary;  he  was  followed  by  William 
11.  Mills,  of  San  Quentin,  also  Grand  Secretary* 
1864-'71;  the  next  editor  was  Albert  D.  Wood, 
of  Vallejo,  who  conducted  the  paper  until  1876; 
then  Rev.  George  Morris,  of  Dixon,  had  the 
charge  of  it  lor  a  time,  when  it  was  removed  to 
San  Francisco.  In  the  fall  of  1877  it  was 
moved  to  Los  Angeles,  when  Yarnell  and  Cay- 
stile  became  the  editors- and  publishers.  It  was 
next  returned  to  San  Francisco,  in  the  fall  of 
1880,  when  Albert  D.  Wood  again  became  the 
editor.  He  served  until  December  13,  1883, 
when  Rev.  E.  F.  Dinsmore,  of  .San  Francisco, 
became  editor.  In  October,  1885,  the  paper  was 
again  removed  back  to  this  city,  since  which 
time  George  B.  Katzen stein,  the  Grand  Secre- 
tary, has  been  the  editor.  The  editors  of  this 
organ  are  elected  by  the  Grand  Lodge  of  the 
Order,  or  its  executive  committee.  The  paper 
has  been  enlarged  from  time  to  time;  it  now  has 
eight  to  sixteen  quarto  pages.  OfHce,  328  J  street. 

The  Evening  Star  was  a  daily  started  May 
25,  1864,  by  a  company  composed  of  J.  J.  Beebe. 
Alexander  Badlam,  G.  I.  Foster,  J.  Simpson,  M. 
M.  Estee  and  H.  C.  Bidwell.  It  was  an  inde- 
pendent journal    and   lived  about  three  months 


and  sunk  under  tinancial  embarrassments.  Bad- 
lam is  now  assessor  of  San  Francisco;  Estee 
was  speaker  of  the  last  Assembly  and  practices 
law  in  San  Francisco.  Bidwell  is  dead,  having 
committed  suicide  a  few  years  ago.  He  was 
once  county  clerk  of  Sacramento  County. 

The  Californian  Republican,  a  Democratic 
paper  of  the  hard-shell  stripe,  appeared  January 
4,  1863.  The  publishers  were  Conley  Patrick 
&  Co.,  and  the  editor  was  Beriah  Brown,  ai'ter- 
ward  of  the  Democratic  Press,  San  Francisco, 
which  was  destroyed  by  a  mob  in  the  spring  of 
1865.  Brown  is  still  an  editor,  and  resides  in 
Oregon.     The  paper  died  in  the  fall  of  1863. 

The  Golden  Gate,  a  spiritualistic  weekly,  was 
started  by  Ingham  &  McDonald  in  the  spring 
of  1864,  and  lived  but  a  few  weeks. 

In  the  winter  of  1860  Judd  &  McDonald 
started  the  Advertiser.  It  was  a  gratuitous 
sheet,  and  lived  two  or  three  months. 

The  California  Express  was  a  Democratic 
journal,  formerly  published  at  Marysville  under 
direction  of  Alexander  Montgomery.  He 
moved  the  paper  to  Sacramento  and  issued  it 
December  23,  1866,  expecting  patronage  from 
the  then  dominant  party,  but  it  did  not  come, 
and  the  paper  died  in  July,  1867.  It  was  issued 
as  a  morning  paper. 

The  Sacramento  Daily  Record  first  appeared 
as  an  independent  evening  paper,  February  9, 
1867.  It  was  published  by  an  association  of 
printers,  composed  of  J.  J.  Keegan,  John  L. 
Sickler,  J.  P.  Dray  and  R.  E.  Draper.  Draper 
was  the  first  editor,  and  in  about  a  month  was 
succeeded  by  AV.  S.  Johnson,  who  remained 
about  one  year,  and  was  succeeded  by  J.  B.  Mc- 
Quillan, who  remained  a  few  mouths  and  was 
succeeded  by  R.  A.  Bird.  Subsequently  it  was 
purchased  by  W.  H.  Mills  and  A.  D.  Wood. 
Mr.  Wood  was  afterward  manager  of  the  Record- 
Union,  and  a  portion  of  the  then  and  subse- 
quent iSecon;?  editorial  staff,  as  also  a  portion  of 
the  Sacramento  Union  then  and  subsequent 
editorial  staff,  afterward  composed  the  Record- 
Union  staff.  The  Record  became  a  morning 
paper  December  2,  1867.     In  the  beginning  it 


HISTORY    OF    SACRAMENTO    COUNTY. 


was  a  small  five-column  sheet,  but  through  suc- 
cessive enlargements  soon  grew  to  the  present 
size  of  the  Record- Union.  During  the  winter 
of  1871-'72  the  Record  distinguished  itself  by 
the  fullest  and  most  elaborate  phonographic 
Legislative  reports  ever  published  in  the  United 
States,  frequently  printing  morning  after  morn- 
ing nineteen  columns  of  solid  nonpareil  of  the 
proceedings  of  Senate  and  House.  For  several 
years  the  Sacramento  Union  had  published  an- 
nual or  New  Year  statistical  sheets.  January  1, 
1873,  the  Record  entered  the  same  field  and 
eclipsed  its  rival  by  issuing  the  fullest  and 
largest  holiday  statistical  sheet  ever  published 
in  the  United  States,  and  each  year  since  has 
issued  a  similar  mammoth  sheet.  It  was  the 
first  daily  paper  to  maintain  a  semi-weekly  edi- 
tion. The  Record  was  a  rival  to  the  Union, 
and  the  contest  for  patronage  and  public  favor 
between  them  was  very  warm  for  years.  In 
February,  1875,  the  Record  and  Union  were 
consolidated  as  above  stated,  and  appear  under 
the  joint  title  of  the  Record-Union. 

The  Expositor  was  published  by  C.  D.  Sem- 
ple,  first  appearing  July  23,  1867.  It  was  a 
daily,  and  old-line  Democratic.  It  lived  until 
the  9th  of  .September,  and  died. 

Richard  Bowden,  February  26, 1864,  published 
a  youth's  paper,  the  I'"(9w«^  ^mer^can,  as  weekly. 
It  lived  about  eleven  weeks,  ceasing  on  tlie  death 
of  the  publisher,  who  was  accidentally  killed. 

Along  about  this  time  were  published  weekly 
]5apers  of  a  local  character,  viz.:  My  Paper,  Pio- 
neer, Blusterer,  The  Anti-Office  Seeker,  a  lot  of 
State  Fair  papers,  Sunday  Times,  Hesperian, 
Students''  Repository,  and  others. 

In  the  winter  of  1864,  Charles  De  Young, 
now  of  the  San  Francisco  Chronicle,  began  the 
publication  of  the  Dramatic  Chronicle  as  a 
daily  gratuitous  advertising  sheet  of  small 
dimensions.  In  about  nine  months  he  removed 
it  to  San  Francisco,  enlarged  it  and  published 
it  until  the  Daily  San  Francisco  Chronicle 
grew  out  of  it,  the  old  Dramatic  Chronicle 
being  swallowed  by  the  Figaro  of  San  Fran- 
cisco, published  by  J.  P.  Bogardus. 


The  Traveler's  Guide,  an  advertising  sheet, 
published  weekly  by  L.  Samuels  and  N.Torres, 
in  1865.  In  the  same  year  T.  W.  Stanwell 
began  the  monthly  Railroad  Gazetteer,  which 
is  still  published  by  II.  S.  Crocker  &  Co. 

January  12,  1868,  the  State  Capital  Re- 
porter, a  daily  Democratic  sheet,  began  with  a 
glowing  announcement  of  its  plans.  It  nomi- 
nated H.  H.  Haight  for  President  of  the  United 
States.  B}'  Legislative  enactment  it  became 
the  litigant  paper,  in  which  all  summonses  had 
to  be  published.  This  gave  it  a  good  income, 
but  made  it  obnoxious  to  the  entire  press  of  the 
State,  and  brought  it  into  disfavor  with  the 
people.  The  act  of  February  21, 1872,  repealed 
the  litigant  law,  and  took  away  the  Reporter^ 
bread.  It  then  ceased  to  issue  as  a  daily,  send- 
ing out  its  last  effort  in  that  line  May  7,  1872, 
when  the  law  took  effect,  and  thereafter  issued 
a  half  sheet  once  a  week,  to  run  out  legal  ad- 
vertisements on  hand.  July  30,  1872,  without 
a  last  word,  it  died.  The  Reporter  was  pub- 
lished bj' a  joint  stock  company,  and  lost  money 
for  everybody  who  touched  it.  It  was  at  first 
controlled  by  John  Bigler.  Its  first  editor  was 
Henry  George,  afterward  of  the  San  Francisco 
Post,  and  now  of  national  notoriety  as  the 
author  of  "Progress  and  Poverty,"  and  chief 
promulgator  of  the  land  theory  that  is  known 
by  his  name.  The  paper  was  edited  with  abil- 
ity, and  for  a  long  time  was  a  periodical  of 
much  vigor.  Mr.  George  was  succeeded  by  J. 
F.  Linthicum,  an  old  editor,  who  kept  up  the 
tone  of  the  paper  and  edited  ably.  John  Big- 
ler, ex-Governor  of  California,  then  just  re- 
turned from  Chili,  to  which  country  he  went  as 
Minister,  became  editor  of  the  Reporter  some 
months  before  it  died.  He  was  noted  for  his 
vigorous  attacks,  his  laborious  compilation  of 
statistics,  his  political  thunderbolts,  and  his 
dignified  manner  in  editorial  columns.  Gov- 
ernor Bigler  died  some  three  years  ago  in  this 
city.     O.  T.  Shuck  was  its  last  editor. 

The  Sacramento  Democrat  was  a  small  daily 
paper  which  began  August  3,  1871,  under  a 
publishing  company,  with  Cameron  H.  King  as 


HISTORY    OF    SACRAMENTO    COUNTY. 


editor.  Its  office  was  at  the  corner  of  Third  and 
J  streets.  It  lived  until  just  after  the  election, 
dyiuo;  September  5,  1871. 

The  Locomotive  vi&s  a.  good  six-column  weekly 
advertiser  and  local  paper,  which  was  begun  by 
R.  S.  Lawrence  in  the  early  spring  of  1873, 
with  an  office  on  J  street,  between  Second  and 
Third.  It  did  a  prosperous  business  for  some 
months.  T.  F.  Cane  then  bought  a  half  inter- 
est, and  subsequently  the  whole  interest,  selling 
half  of  it  to  Dr.  A.  F.  Truesdell,  who  became 
editor,  and  the  paper  and  the  name  were  changed 
to  that  of  the  People's  Champion.  In  the 
summer  of  1874  it  went  the  way  of  the  dead. 

With  one  exception,  the  only  foreign  paper 
ever  published  here  prior  to  1885  was  the 
Semi-  Weekly  Sacramento  Journal  (German), 
published  by  K.  F.  Wieuieyer  &  Co.,  and  edited 
by  Mr.  Wiemeyer.  It  was  first  issued  June  6, 
1868,  and  has  had  a  successful  career  to  the 
present.  Lately  Wiemeyer  &  Co.  established 
an  office  in  Oakland,  and  the  Journal  now  ap- 
pears simultaneously  in  both  places.  It  is  ably 
edited,  is  Republican  in  tone,  liberal  in  senti- 
ment and  fearless  in  utterance.  It  receives  good 
business  management  and  appears  to  have  a 
legitimate  field  of  journalism,  which  it  fully 
occupies.  The  Sacramento  office  is  now  at  314 
J  street. 

Early  in  1873,  H.  B.  Eddy,  now  deceased, 
started  a  small,  neatly  printed,  critical  paper, 
called  the  Valley  World.  It  was  issued  weekly 
and  aimed  at  literary  excellence.  Mr.  Eddy  dying 
in  the  fall,  the  Valley  World  was  continued 
for  a  few  weeks.  Rev.  J.  H.  C.  Bonte  editing  it. 

The  Evening  News,  a  daily,  Sundays  ex- 
cepted, neutral,  was  started  by  B.  F.  Huntly  & 
Co.,  March  26,  1869.  Vincent  Ryan,  one  of 
the  firm,  did  most  of  the  writing,  with  Frank 
Folger  and  W.  S.  Johnston  in  other  departments. 
It  lived  three  months. 

The  Sunday  Free  Press  was  started  by  Beers 
&  Co.,  in  February,  1873,  and  appeared  once. 
It  was  a  lively  number,  particularly  local  and 
jolly,  but  its  precociousness  was  too  much  for 
it,  and  it  died  a  heavy  loss  to  its  proprietors. 


The  Sacramento  Valley  Agriculturist  began 
February,  1874,  as  a  monthly;  Davis  &  Stock- 
ton, Editors  and  Publishers.  June,  1874,  it 
changed  to  a  weekly.  July,  1874,  it  bought  up 
the  old  Champion  material,  and  enlarged  con- 
siderably. April  15,  1875,  Davis  sold  his  in- 
terest to  W.  T.  Crowell.  It  was  devoted  wholly 
to  agricultural  matters,  with  a  city  edition  Sun- 
day mornings,  with  a  few  local  references. 

The  Occidental  Star,  devoted  to  the  interest 
of  the  return  of  the  Jews  to  Palestine — a  weekly, 
four  pages — began  January,  1873,  and  ran  about 
five  months,  with  Mrs.  L.  I.  L.  Adams  as  pro- 
prietor. 

The  Winning  Way,  edited  and  published  by 
Mrs.  Clark  and  Mrs.  Potter,  was  a  weekly  paper 
devoted  to  the  cause  of  woman  and  sociality. 
It  began  September,  1873,  and  lived  till  Febru- 
ary, 1874. 

Common  Sense  was  begun  by  Dr.  A.  P. 
Truesdell  as  a  weekly,  four  pages,  January, 
1873,  and  died  March,  1874.  It  was  afterward 
revived  in  San  Francisco. 

The  Mercantile  Glohe,  an  advertising  sheet 
published  by  Byron  &  Co.,  August,  1872, 
changed  October  18  to  Sacramento  Globe,  pub- 
lished weekly  by  Kclley  &  Farland.  After  run- 
ning some  months,  suspended,  and  was  again 
revived  by  Raye  &  Ford,  December  5,  continu- 
ing weekly  until  April  17,  1875,  and  was  after- 
ward published  at  ii-regular  intervals  by  B.  Y. 
R.  Raye. 

The  California  Teacher  was  started  by  the 
State  Board  of  Education  about  1877,  being  pur- 
chased fi-om  the  San  Francisco  Teachers'  Asso- 
ciation. It  is  a  monthly,  and  is  now  issued  at 
San  Francisco. 

The  State  Fair  Gazette,  by  H.  S.  Crocker  & 
Co.,  has  been  published  for  some  years  on  the 
recurrence  of  each  State  Fair  and  still  continues. 
It  is  an  advertising  sheet,  and  is  circulated  gra- 
tuitously. 

The  Evening  Herald  was  begun  as  a  small 
evening  paper,  independent  in  character,  March 
8, 1875,  by  Gardner,  Larkin,  Fellows  and  Major 
E.  A.  Rockwell,  a  journalist  of  long  experience 


HISTORY    OF    SACRAMENTO    COUNTY. 


and  sound  judgment,  the  editor.  lie  was  for- 
merly of  the  Morning  Call ^  San  Francisco,  and 
served  a  term  in  tiie  Legislature  with  credit. 

The  Enterprise,  a  Sunday  morning  paper, 
was  begun  bj  Drites,  Davis  &  Alexander,  Au- 
gust 29, 1875.  It  exhibited  much  vigor  and  was 
well  conducted;  but  the  proprietors,  not  find- 
ing a  business  manager  to  their  mind,  closed  up 
the  paper  with  the  ninth  issue,  and  in  time  to 
save  themselves  from  loss.  The  paper  was 
printed  from  the  old  Reporter  type. 

The  Seminary  Budget  was  an  "occasional," 
issued  by  the  young  ladies  of  the  Sacramento 
Seminary  for  a  few  years.  It  was  a  literary 
paper,  doing  credit  to  its  student  editors. 

The  Business  College  Journal  is  an  "  occa- 
sional," issued  by  the  proprietors  of  the  Sacra- 
mento Business  College. 

The  Stinday  Leader  was  started  fn  October, 
1875,  by  J.  N.  Larkin,  who  is  still  the  editor 
and  proprietor.  The  office  is  at  305  J  street. 
In  1884-'S5  it  was  the  official  paper  of  the 
county.  In  politics  it  is  straight  Republican. 
The  paper  is  28x42  inches  in  size  and  is  neatly 
printed  with  large,  clear  type. 

The  Daily  Sun,  organ  of  the  "Workingmen's 
party,  was  started  immediately  after  the  ad- 
journment of  the  Legislature  of  1879,  which 
provided  for  a  State  Constitutional  Convention. 
This  organ  was  established  by  a  company  of 
stockholders,  with  William  Halley  as  manager. 
When  the  delegates  to  that  convention  were 
elected,  and  the  editor  of  this  paper  was  de- 
feated as  a  candidate  for  the  same,  he  withdrew 
from  its  management,  a  new  company  was 
formed,  and  F.  J.  Clark  was  continued  as  editor 
for  a  few  months,  when  it  was  discontinued. 

In  1883  the  Sunday  Capital  was  established 
l)y  J.  L.  Ptobinette  and  C.  C.  Goode,  a  four- 
page  folio,  independent  in  politics  and  devoted 
to  news  and  literature.  It  was  run  for  about  a 
year,  when  Robinette  sold  his  interest  to  Will- 
iam Ellery,  and  six  months  afterward  it  was 
discontinued.  The  pi'opriutors  named  were  the 
editors.  , 

The  Sacramento,  now    Occidental,   Medical  \ 


Times,  a  large  octavo  monthly,  was  launched 
forth  in  March,  1887,  in  this  city,  by  five  physi- 
cians, and  it  continues  to  grow  in  patronage, 
amount  and  quality  of  reading  matter,  etc.  It 
now  has  fifty-six  pages  besides  advertisements. 
Office,  429^  J  street.  J.  H.  Parkinson  is  the 
editor  in  chief,  and  his  assistants  are:  W.  A. 
Briggs,  William  Ellery  Briggs,  W.  R.  Cluness, 
Thomas  A.  Huntington  and  G.  L.  Simmons, 
Jr.,  of  Sacramento;  J.  F.  Morse,  W.  H.  Mays, 
Albert  Abrams,  W.  Watt  Kerr  and  D.  W. 
Montgomery,  of  San  Francisco;  and  J.  W.  Rob- 
ertson, of  Napa. 

The  Daily  Evening  Journal  was  commenced 
July  4,  1888,  by  H.  A.  Weaver,  and  was  run 
until  October  1  following.  It  was  28x42 
inches  in  size,  and  devoted  to  general  news  and 
literature. 

The  Nord  California  Ilerold,  a  large  Ger- 
man weekly  paper,  published  on  Saturdays  in 
the  Record-  Union  Building,  was  started  Sep- 
tember 5,  1885,  by  Charles  Schmitt,  the  present 
editor  and  proprietor. 

Chakles  Schmitt,  Proprietor  of  the  Nord 
California  Herold,  is  a  native  of  Kaiserslaut- 
ern,  Rhenish  Bavaria,  born  October  9,  1836,  a 
son  of  Nicholas  and  Rosina  (Stubenrauch) 
Schmitt.  His  father,  a  lawyer  and  an  active 
Republican,  was  a  member  of  the  Parliament 
at  Frankfort,  where  the  Revolutionary  troubles 
came  on.  Mr.  Schmitt  had  been  a  leader  in  his 
party,  and  from  the  prominent  part  he  had 
taken  was  compelled  to  leave  Germany.  He 
went  to  Switzerland,  and  in  1849  came  to  Amer- 
ica on  a  sailing  vessel.  He  landed  at  New 
York  and  from  there  went  to  Philadelphia, 
where  he  had  relatives  living.  There  he  lived 
until  his  death,  which  occurred  in  1860. 

Charles  Schmitt,  whose  name  heads  this 
sketch,  was  br.t  thirteen  years  of  age  when  he 
accompanied  his  parents  to  America,  tliough 
his  education  had  been  pretty  well  advanced 
previous  to  leaving  his  native  country.  While 
the  family  were  residents  of  Philadelphia,  his 
father  had  founded  a  Tiewspaper,  and  in  the  office 
Charles  Schmitt  learned   his  trade.      Before  he 


niSTOBT    OF    SACRAMENTO    COUNTY. 


95 


liad  reached  his  twentieth  year  he  had  deter- 
mined to  come  to  California,  and  in  September, 
1856,  his  name  was  enrolled  on  tiie  list  of  pas- 
sengers of  the  steamer  Illinois,  New  York  to  i\s- 
pinwall.  Crossing  the  Isthmus  of  Panama,  he 
took  passage  on  the  steamer  John  L.  Stephens, 
bound  for  San  Francisco,  which  port  he  reached 
September  25,  185(5.  He  received  work  in  the 
otfice  of  Mr.  Lefontaine,  the  first  job  printer  of 
San  Francisco,  and  remained  in  the  city  about 
two  years.  He  then  went  to  the  mines.  His 
first  experience  with  the  pick  and  shovel  was  at 
the  Tuolumne  mines  near  Columbia,  but  two  or 
three  months  later  the  scene  of"  his  labors  was 
transl'erred  to  Sau  Gabriel  mines,  Los  Angeles 
County.  He  next  went  to  the  Arizona  mines, 
where  he  remained  about  two  years.  In  1860 
he  returned  to  San  Francisco,  where  he  became 
one  of  the  founders  of  the  Abend  Post,  the 
second  German  daily  pajier  published  in  San 
Francisco.  In  May,  1868,  he  came  to  Sacra- 
mento and  founded  the  Sacramento  Journal, 
German,  and  followed  its  fortunes  until  1881. 
On  the  5tli  of  Sejitember,  1885,  he  launched 
the  Nord  California  Ilerold,  which  has  taken 
front  rank  among  German  papers.  He  also 
carries  on,  in  connection  with  the  newspaper 
publication,  job  printing  to  a  considerable  ex- 
tent, doing  both  German  and  English  work, 
though  principally  the  latter.  His  otfice  en- 
joys a  good  reputation  for  the  excellence  of  its 
work. 

M  r.  Schmitt  is  connected  with  Schiller  Lodge, 
No.  5,  I.  O.  O.  F.,  and  Sacramento  Lodge,  No. 
80,  A.  O.  U.  W.  He  is  Past  Chief  of  Sacra- 
mento Stamm,  No.  124,  I.  O. -P.  M.;  has  passed 
through  all  the  chairs  in  Sacramento  Lodge, 
No.  11,  O.  D  H.  S.;  also  in  Sacramento  Ver- 
ein-Eintracht.  He  is  a  member  of  the  Sacra- 
mento Turn-Verein,  and  is  one  of  the  directors 
of  the  Germania  Loan  and  Building  Associa- 
tion. Mr.  Schmitt  was  married  in  San  Fran- 
cisco, January  22,  1862,  to  Miss  Elizabeth 
Denger,  a  native  of  New  York.  They  have 
had  twelve  children,  of  whom  eleven  are  yet 
living:.      Mr.  Schmitt  is  a  man  of  superior  in- 


telligence, and  wields  a  ready  pen,  and  his  pa- 
per has  a  powerful  influence  in  his  chosen  field. 

Themis,  an  eight-page  quarto  Sunday  paper, 
devoted  to  the  material  interests  of  Sacramento, 
dramatic  and  governmental  criticism  and  mis- 
cellany, printed  with  large  type  upon  the  finest 
kind  of  paper  at  A.  J.  Johnston  &  Co.'s,  was 
started  in  February,  1889,  by  Win.  J.  Davis.W. 
A.  Anderson  and  George  A.  Clanchard,  and  at 
this  date  is  flourishing. 

A  few  lesser  papers  have  been  published  in 
past  years  in  this  city,  which  have  not  been 
named  herein,  exclusive  of  sheets  issued  in  the 
interests  of  insurance  companies  and  business 
houses,  but  their  origin  and  death  have  been  too 
obscure  to  warrant  the  necessary  loss  of  time  in 
searching  out  their  history. 

Total  number  of  deceased  periodicals,  about 
seventy-five;  of  living,  eight. 

Hon.  Winfield  J.  Davis,  Oflicial  Court  Ke- 
porter  and  Editor  of  the  historical  portion  of 
this  volume,  and  Editor  of  Themis,  is  of  pure 
Welsh  descent,  both  his  parents  being  natives 
of  Wales.  His  father,  William  Davis,  died  in 
this  city,  August  21,  1885;  and  his  mother, 
whose  maiden  name  was  Elinor  Parry,  is  still 
living,  in  Sacramento. 

Mr.  Davis  was  born  in  Utica,  Oneida  County, 
New  York,  December  5,  1851.  In  1862  the 
family  came  thence  to  California,  by  way  of  the 
Isthmus,  arriving  here  while  the  marks  of  the 
great  flood  of  1861-'62  were  still  plainly  visi- 
ble, the  waters  having  just  subsided.  After 
arriving  here,  Mr.  William  Davis  purciiased  a 
ranch  near  Lincoln,  Placer  County,  where  he 
resided  until  1869,  when  the  family  removed  to 
Sacramento.  Until  this  time,  therefore,  the 
subject  of  this  sketch  was  inured  to  farm  labor, 
In  1867,  however,  he  began  the  study  of  slio;t- 
hand,  from  a  small  book  entitled  "The  Youtig 
Keportei-,"  and  worked  at  considerable  disad- 
vantage, for  want  of  the  proper  elementary 
text-books;  but,  as  one  would  suppose  from  the 
power  of  his  genius,  he  went  right  along  witii 
it  and  ultimately  attained  a  success  which  not  as 
many  as  one  in  a  thousand  attain  who  commence 


HISTORY    OF  -SACRAMENTO    COUNTY. 


the  study  of  this  useful  art.  Entering  the  first 
grade  of  the  grammar  school  of  this  city  Sep- 
tember 19,  1869,  in  the  midst  of  the  school 
year,  he  graduated  April  22,  1870,  iu  the  first 
rank  with  ten  others  in  a  class  of  thirty-four. 
Among  his  classmates  were  Ella  Haskell,  now 
Mrs.  Cummins,  the  noted  writer  of  juvenile  lit- 
erature; P.  E.  Piatt,  of  the  present  firm  of  W. 
R.  Strong  &  Co.;  Colonel  C.  F.  Crocker,  now 
vice-president  of  the  Southern  Pacific  Railroad 
Company;  E.  B.  Cushman,  late  sheriff  of  a 
county  in  Nevada;  and  Valentine  S.  McClatchy, 
now  one  of  the  proprietors  of  the  Bee.  After 
tlie  graduation  referred  to,  Mr.  Davis  entered 
the  High  School  and  remained  there  until  Janu- 
ary, 1871.  On  the  2d  of  February,  that  win- 
ter, he  went  to  the  Bee  office  to  learn  the  print- 
ing trade,  and  worked  there  until  June,  when 
he  was  employed  in  the  office  of  the  Daily  Rec- 
ord, to  set  type  and  do  short-hand  reporting. 
In  the  line  of  reporting  the  first  particular  task 
he  undertook  was  to  report  the  proceedings  of 
the  Republican  State  Convention,  held  in  June, 

1871,  which  nominated  Newton  Booth  for  Gov- 
ernor. In  1871-'72  he  reported  the  proceed- 
ings of  the  State  Assembly  for  the  Sacramento 

Union.     At  the  close  of  the  session,  in  April, 

1872,  he  was  engaged  as  one  of  the  local  editors 
of  that  paper,  under  the  direction  of  Captain  J. 
D.  Young,  now  State  printer.  He  was  ad- 
mitted to  the  bar  of  the  Sixth  District  Court, 
April  7,  1879.  On  August  31,  1874,  Mr.  Davis 
was  appointed,  after  a  competitive  examination, 
official  short-hand  reporter  of  the  Sixth  Dis- 
trict Court,  by  Judge  Ramage.  The  district 
embraced  the  counties  of  Sacramento  and  Yolo. 
When  Judge  Denson  succeeded  Ramage  Mr. 
Davis  was  retained  in  the  office,  and  he  continued 
to  hold  until  tlie  abolition  of  the  court  by  the 
new  constitution.  On  the  organization  of  the 
Superior  Court  in  its  place,  he  was  appointed 
official  reporter  of  both  departments  of  the  Su- 
perior Court,  and  has  held  that  office  continu- 
ously since  that  titne.  In  this  capacity  he  has 
reported  some  of  the  most  important  cases  that 
have  been  tried  in  this   State;  for  example,  the 


prosecution  against  the  proprietors  of  the  San 
Francisco  ChromcleviX  Placerville  for  libel  upon 
United  States  Senator  Sargent  and  Congress- 
man II.  F.  Page.  The  trial  lasted  about  a  month. 
Among  the  witnesses  were  many  of  the  leading 
oflicials  and  politicians  in  the  State.  He  also 
reported  the  trial  of  Troy  Dye  for  the  murder 
of  Tullis,  an  account  of  which  is  given  else- 
where in  this  volume;  also  the  trials  of  Charles 
Mortimer  for  the  killing  of  Mrs.  Gibson;  of  ex- 
State  Senator  J.  H.  Harlan,  at  Woodland,  for  the 
killing  of  E.  L.  Craft;  and  the  famous  Gold  Run 
Hydraulic  Mining  case,  which  occupied  about 
two  months. 

Mr.  Davis  has  also  had  considerable  political 
experience.  For  several  years  he  was  chairman 
of  the  Republican  City  Central  Committee. 
During  the  Blaine  campaign  of  ISSi  and  the 
Swift  campaign  of  1886  he  was  chairman  of 
the  Republican  County  Central  Committee, 
having  the  general  supervision  of  these  cam- 
paigns throughout  the  county.  In  each  cam- 
paign there  was  a  loss  to  the  Republicans  of 
but  one  candidate  on  the  city  and  county  tickets. 
In  1884  the  candidate  lost  was  that  for  police 
judge,  and  in  1886  that  for  suf)ervisor  in  one  of 
the  country  districts. 

On  Saturday  night,  immediately  before  the 
Presidential  election  of  1884,  it  was  discovered 
that  the  Hon.  Frank  D.  Ryan,  the  Republican 
nominee  for  the  State  Assembly  from  the  Eight- 
eenth District,  was  ineligible,  by  reason  of  the 
fact  that  he  had  not  lived  in  that  particular  dis- 
trict for  a  year,  although  he  had  been  born  and 
raised  in  an  adjoining  district  in  the  city.  Mr. 
Ryan  resigned  his  position  on  the  ticket,  and 
the  nomination  was  tendered  to  Mr.  Davis. 
The  campaign  was  an  extremely  lively  one. 
The  result  of  the  election,  which  was  held  No- 
vember 4,  was  that  Mr.  Davis  was  chosen  by  a 
vote  of  1,498,  to  822  for  Hon.  II.  M.  La  Rue, 
the  Democratic  candidate,  who  was  a  popular 
man,  liad  filled  important  State  positions,  and  at 
that  time  was  speaker  of  the  Assembly.  During 
the  ensuing  session  of  the  Legislature,  Mr. 
Davis  was  chairman  of  the  Committee  on  Pub- 


HTSTORT    OF    SACRAMENTO    COUNTY. 


lie  Buildings  and  Grounds,  and  a  member  of  the 
Committee  on  Ways  and  Means,  Claims,  and 
Water  Rights  and  Drainage.  During  that  ses- 
sion large  appropriations  were  secured  for  the 
improvement  of  public  buildings  and  grounds 
in  Sacramento  County.  It  was  in  that  Legisla- 
ture, also,  that  the  exciting  measures  concerning 
irrigation  were  brought  forward,  to  settle  which 
two  extra  sessions  were  called. 

Mr.  Davis  has  written  extensively  for  the 
press,  especially  on  historical  and  political  sub- 
jects. For  his  connection  with  the  various  pe- 
riodicals he  has  aided  in  establishing  see  the 
chapter  on  the  Press,  under  heads  of  Sacramento 
Valley  Arjriculturist,  the  E nterprise  and  The- 
mis. In  the  winter  of  1888-'89  he  compiled 
one-half  of  a  large  volume  entitled  '>  The  Gov- 
ernmental Koster  of  the  State  of  California,"  of 
which  5,000  copies  were  issued  by  the  Legisla- 
ture. In  his  library  he  has  the  largest  collec- 
tion of  books  and  documents  relating  to  the 
history  of  California  that  can  be  found  in  the 
State  outside  of  the  State  Library  and  a  few  in 
San  Francisco. 

Mr.  Davis  is  a  member  of  the  California  His- 
torical Society,  and  historian  of  the  Sacramento 
Society  of  California  Pioneers;  also  an  honorary 
member  of  the  Sacramento  Typographical  Union, 
No.  46.  He  was  commissioned  Major  and  En- 
gineer Officer  of  the  National  Guard  of  Califor- 
nia, November  16, 1881,  and  served  on  the  staffs 
of  Brigadier-Generals  John  F.  Sheehan,  Llewel- 
lyn Tozer  and  John  T.  Carey. 

Mr.  Davis  has  a  half-brother,  AV.  H.  Turnor; 
also  a  brother  named  Elmer  L.,  and  a  sister 
named  Nellie  L. 

There  is  one  newspaper  published  in  Folsom, 
the  Telegraph,  which  is  issued  every  Saturday 
morning.  It  was  established  in  the  early  part 
of  1856  by  Dr.  Bradley,  and  was  at  tliat  time 
known  as  the  Granite  Journal,  Granite  then 
being  the  name  of  the  present  Folsom  City. 
The  paper  was  conducted  by  Dr.  Bradley  for 
7 


several  years,  and  was  one  of  the  most  widely 
circulated  papers  in  the  State  in  that  day  of  few 
newspapers.  When  the  name  of  the  town  was 
changed  from  Granite  to  Folsom  City  the  Jour- 
nal changed  its  name  to  the  Folsom  Telegraph. 
About  this  time  the  paper  also  changed  hands, 
Will.  Penry,  now  treasurer  of  Amador  County, 
becoming  tiie  editor  and  proprietor,  continuing 
as  such  for  several  years,  when  Wra.  Aveling 
became  his  successor.  At  Mr.  Aveling's  death, 
which  occurred  shortly  afterward,  Mrs.  Avelino- 
took  charge  of  the  establishment,  but  after  a 
short  time  sold  it  to  Peter  J.  Hopper,  now  de- 
ceased, but  for  many  years  a  well-known  lawyer 
of  this  county.  John  F.  Howe  purchased  the 
paper  from  Mr.  Hopper  about  1872,  and  pub- 
lished it  up  to  the  time  of  iiis  death,  which 
occurred  ten  years  later,  after  which  Mrs.  Howe 
published  it  until  July  19,  1884,  when  it  passed 
into  the  hands  of  Weston  P.  Truesdell,  who 
published  it  until  August  1,  1888,  when  I.  Fiel 
became  associated  with  him,  the  paper  beino- 
conducted  by  the  two  gentlemen  until  March 
16,  1889,  when  Mr.  Fiel  purchased  the  entire 
paper,  he  in  turn  selling  out  to  Thad.  J.  Mc- 
Farland,  its  present  editor  and  proprietor. 

Th.\d.  J.  McFarland,  the  present  editor  of 
the  Telegraph,  was  born  in  Benicia  in  1854, 
and  is  a  prominent  member  of  the  order  of 
Native  Sons  of  the  Golden  West.  He  was  one 
of  the  founders  of  the  Vallejo  Daily  Times,  and 
also  conducted  the  Biggs  Recorder.  For  seven 
years  he  conducted  the  Wheatland  Graphic, 
which  ranks  among  the  leading  journals  of 
Northern  California.  He  is  a  practical  printer, 
and  a  member  of  the  Sacramento  Typographical 
Union.  Mr.  McFarland's  reputation  as  a  news- 
paper man  is  such  as  to  justify  the  prediction 
that  the  Telegraph  will  rank  with  the  best, 
and  Folsom  be  greatly  benefited  by  iiis  advent 
there. 

At  Gait  the  Gazette  is  a  sprightly  journal, 
pui)lislied  by  Meacham  &  Campbell. 


HISTORY    OF    SACRAMENTO    COUNTY. 


,^,   „  -^EDUCATIONAL.*  |    W 


CIIAPTEE   XIV, 


fAORAMENTO    CITY   has    kept   abreast 
with  the  times  in  the  matter  of  education, 
and  the  conduct  and  success  nf  her  school 
system  has  always  been  a  matter  of  pride. 

The  first  school  established  in  the  city  was 
opened  by  C.  T.  H.  Palmer,  in  August.  1849. 
Concerning  the  school,  Hev.  J.  A.  Benton, 
formerly  pastor  of  the  Congregational  Clmrcli, 
wrote  the  following  interesting  account:  "C.  T. 
H.  Palmer,  formerly  of  Folsoin,  taught  the  first 
school,  so  far  as  I  know,  ever  taught  in  Sacra- 
mento. He  tanght  during  the  month  of  August, 
1849,  and  tlien  abandoned  the  business.  I  do 
not  know  how  many  pupils  he  had,  but  the 
number  could  not  have  exceeded  ten.  I  pur- 
chased from  him  in  September  the  benches  and 
furniture  he  had  used,  and  opened  the  school 
again  October  15,  1849,  at  the  same  place  in 
which  he  had  kept  it.  The  place  was  on  I 
street,  in  a  building  owned  by  Prof.  F.  Shep- 
herd. The  structure  was  a  one-story  house, 
about  14x28  feet,  covered  at  the  ends  with 
rough  clapboards,  and  the  roof  and  sides  were 
covered  with  old  sails  from  some  craft  tied  up 
at  the  bank  of  a  river.  Some  'shakes'  and 
'pickets'  were  nailed  over  the  places  not  cov- 
ered by  the  sails,  near  the  ground.  Tlie  door- 
way was  covered  by  a  piece  of  canvas  fastened 
at  the  top  and  dropping  before  the  opening. 
There  was  no  floor  but  the  ground,  and  that  was 
by  no  means  level.     Tiie  school-house  stood  on 


the  brink  of  the  slough,  or  'Lake  Sutter,'  near 
the  northeast  corner  of  Third  and  I  streets.  It 
was  about  sixty  feet  east  of  the  east  side  of 
Third  street,  and  the  southern  side  of  it  en- 
croached a  few  feet  upon  I  street.  I  street  was 
not  then  passable  for  wagons.  The  remains  of 
a  coal-pit  were  in  the  middle  of  1  street,  a  few 
yards  eastward  from  the  building.  A  small  and 
crooked  oak  tree  stood  at  the  eastern  end  of  the 
school-iiouse,  close  to  it  and  near  the  door.  A 
sycamore  tree  and  some  shrubs  of  ash  and  alder 
grew  out  of  the  bank  on  the  northern  side  and 
close  to  the  building.  The  filling  up  of  I  street 
and  the  advent  of  the  Chinese  now  obliterate 
every  trace  of  the  building  and  its  exact  site. 
My  school  opened  with  four  pupils,  and  in- 
creased soon  to  six,  then  to  eight  or  nine.  I  do 
not  think  it  ever  exceeded  twelve.  By  stress  of 
weather  aiid  other  circumstances  I  was  com- 
pelled to  close  the  school  about  the  1st  of 
December,  1849.  That  was  the  end  of  my  en- 
deavors in  the  way  of  school-teaching.  It  is 
raj  impression  that  Crowell  opened  a  school  in 
the  spring  of  1850,  but  it  may  have  been  during 
the  following  autumn.  In  the  spring  there  were 
families  enough  to  make  school-teaching  desira- 
ble, and  the  weather  and  other  circumstances 
were  such  as  to  render  it  practicable.  I  know 
of  no  other  schools  in  1849  than  Palmer's  and 
mine." 

Previous  to   1854  the   public  schools  of  the 


in  STOUT    OF    SAGRAMENTO    COUNTY. 


city  were  merged  with  those  of  the  county, 
and  were  under  the  superintendence  of  tlie 
county  assessor,  by  virtue  of  Iiis  office.  The 
State  scliool  law  of  1851  provitled  fur  a  super- 
vising school  eomuiittee  in  eacli  city,  town  and 
incorporated  village.  The  attempt  made  here 
to  establish  a  common  school  under  that  law 
failed,  and  in  1852  the  Legislature  repealed  the 
act  and  passed  a  new  one,  which  gave  to  cities 
and  incorporated  towns  the  control  of  the  com- 
mon schools  within  their  limits,  with  a  pro- 
vision that  if  the  municipal  authorities  did  not 
exercise  that  power  the  county  assessor  should 
have  charge  of  them  and  be  ex  officio  county 
superintendent.  The  act  was  again  amended 
April  26, 1853,  and  that  year  the  county  assessor, 
H.  J.  Bidleman,  appointed  under  the  amended 
law  a  Board  of  School  Commissioners  for  the 
city,  consisting  of  Dr.  H.  W.  Ilarkness,  G.  J. 
Phelan  and  George  Wiggins. 

The  commissioners  appear  tc  have  been  very 
tardy  in  establishing  schools,  for  the  newspapers 
of  the  time  frequently  demanded  them  to  do  their 
duty  and  open  a  public  school.  The  following 
advertisement  appeared  in  February,  1854: 

"  Public  School. — -The  citizens  of  Sacramento 
are  hereby  notified  that  the  school  commission- 
ers for  this  city  will  open  a  public  school  on  the 
southeast  corner  of  Fifth  and  K  streets,  on 
Monday  morning,  February  20,  1854,  at  9 
o'clock.  G.  H.  Peck  will  have  charge  of  the 
male  department,  and  Miss  Griswold  of  the 
female  department.  By  Order  of  the  Commis- 
sioners of  Common  Schools." 

On  that  day  the  school  was  opened.  This 
was  the  first  public  school  established  in  this 
city.  Two  rooms  were  occupied,  one  by  the 
boys  and  one  by  the  girls.  Tlie  first  day  fifty 
boys  and  forty  girls  attended.  Most  of  them 
were  between  seven  and  nine  years  of  age,  and 
the  greater  portion  of  them  had  never  before 
attended  school.  Four  days  afterward  there 
were  ninety  boys  and  seventy  girls  in  attend- 
ance, and  it  was  found  that  there  was  not  suf- 
ficient room   to  accommodate  all   the  scholars. 


Soon  there  were  200  altogetl 


ild- 


ing  was  not  large  enough  to  accommodate  so 
many,  another  scho  )1  was  opened  in  an  old 
building  known  as  the  Indiana  House,  on  I 
street,  near  Tenth,  and  A.  R.  Jackson  was  ap- 
pointed teacher.  As  this  school  also  became  too 
crowded,  another  building  was  leased,  on  the 
corner  of  Tenth  and  G  streets,  and  to  this  place 
the  girls  of  I  street  scliool  were  removed  and 
placed  in  charge  of  M.  E.  Corby.  June  19  a 
school  for  boys  and  girls  was  opened  near  the 
corner  of  Seventh  and  K  streets,  of  which  W. 
A.  Murray  had  charge.  Early  in  June,  the  first 
primary  school  was  opened  in  the  rear  of  the 
Fifth  street  school,  in  a  building  formerly  oc- 
cupied as  a  mechanic's  shop.  Miss  A.  E.  Rob- 
erts was  appointed  teacher. 

In  July,  185-4,  it  is  said  that  there  were  261 
pupils  in  the  public  schools  and  250  in  private 
schools. 

October  2,  1854,  an  ordinance  was  passed  by 
the  City  Council,  which  had  been  drafted  hy 
N.  A.  H.  Ball,  providing  for  the  election  of  a 
city  superintendent  of  schools  and  a  Board  of 
Education.  The  board  was  to  assume  the  con- 
trol of  the  city  schools,  which  was  at  that  time 
vested  in  the  county  assessor.  The  council 
elected  Dr.  H.  W.  Harkness,  Superintendent, 
and  N.  A.  H.  Ball,  George  Wiggins  and  Dr.  T. 
A.  Thomas,  Trustees,  or  members  of  the  board, 
which  organized  on  the  1st  of  the  following 
month.  Harkness  occupied  the  chair  and  Ball 
was  secretary.  At  the  first  meeting  they  esti- 
mated the  school  income  and  expenses  for  the 
ensuing  year  at  §22,000.  December  7,  after 
some  controversy,  County  Superintendent  Bidle- 
man and  county  commissioners  surrendered 
to  the  City  Board  full  control  of  the  pub- 
lic schools  established  by  them  in  the  city,  with 
all  the  property,  on  condition  that  the  latter 
liquidate  the  outstanding  debts  contracted  for 
the  schools.  The  indebtedness  thus  assumed 
amounted  to  §7,500.  On  the  11th  the  county 
superintendent  and  commissioners  resigned 
their  offices,  and  the  City  Board  assumed  exclu- 
sive control  of  the  schools  of  the  city. 

The   first   common-school   house    in    the  city 


HISTORY    OF    SACRAMENTO    COUNTY. 


was  erected  on  the  corner  of  Tenth  and  H  streets, 
upon  a  lot  tendered  rent  free  by  John  H.  Gass, 
and  was  dedicated  January  2,  1855.  The  build- 
ing was  erected  by  A.  B.  Asper,  who  contracted 
to  build  it  within  fifteen  days,  for  $1,487. 

February  5,  1855,  a  primary  school  was  es- 
tablished at  the  corner  of  Eleventh  and  I  streets, 
and  Mrs.  Eliza  A.  "Wright  was  elected  teacher. 

At  a  meeting  of  the  board,  held  the  13th  of 
that  month,  the  number  of  scholars  allowed  to 
each  school  was  fixed  at  fifty  to  sixty.  When 
the  complement  of  scholars  was  made  up  the 
teachers  were  to  register  the  applicants.  If  a 
pupil  absented  himself  for  one  week  without  a 
good  excuse,  the  teacliers  were  to  notify  the 
board  and  the  scholar's  parents,  erase  the  name 
from  the  roll,  and  notify  the  first  on  the  list  of 
applicants  of  the  vacancy. 

Dr.  II.  "VV.  Harkness,  the  city  superintendent, 
submitted  his  first  quarterly  report  February 
13,  1855.  He  reported  six  schools  in  success- 
ful operation,  with  accommodations  for  414 
pupils,  but  578  have  made  application  to  enter 
the  schools  during  the  term.  Average  attend- 
ance, 463. 

The  board  adjourned  sine  die  April  10,  1S55, 
their  term  of  office  having  expired.  In  March 
the  method  of  electing  members  of  the  Board  of 
Education  had  been  changed  by  special  legisla- 
tive enactment,  taking  from  the  City  Council 
the  authority  to  create  the  board  and  giving  it 
to  the  people,  who  would  elect  such  ofilcers  upon 
the  first  Monday  in  April  of  each  year.  The 
number  of  commissioners  was  also  increased  to 
six. 

At  the  election  in  April,  1855,  Francis  Tukey 
was  chosen  Superintendent,  and  R.  P.  Johnson, 
H.  Houghton,  F.  A.  Hatch,  J.  F.  Morse,  Geo. 
W.  Woolleyand  George  Wiggins,  Commission- 
ers. The  new  board  organized  on  the  11th  of 
the  month,  and  WooUey  was  elected  secretary. 
At  this  time  the  monthly  salaries  of  the  teach- 
ers amounted  in  the  aggregate  to  $1,350,  and  the 
rent  bills  for  school-houses  to  $300.  On  the 
15th,  Lee  &  Marshall's  circus  gave  a  benefit  for 
the  schools,  and  the  profits  were  $321.      After- 


ward the  same  circus  company  gave  other  bene- 
fits to  the  schools. 

May  5  the  board  elected  teachers.  On  the 
25th  it  adopted  a  set  of  by-laws  and  rules  of 
order.  The  by-laws  provided  that  the  board 
should  consist  of  six  members  and  one  superin- 
tendent; that  it  should  hold  regular  monthly 
meetings  on  the  last  Saturday  of  each  month; 
and  that  special  meetings  may  be  called  at  any 
time  by  the  superintendent  or  a  majority  of  the 
members.  The  board  was  divided  into  three 
supervisory  committees,  who  were  to  preside 
over  the  schools  in  their  respective  wards,  and 
have  special  superintendence  over  them.  On  the 
17th  of  June,  Woolley  resigned  his  position  as 
secretary  of  the  board  and  Dr.  Hatch  was 
elected  to  fill  the  vacancy.  On  the  19th  a  reso- 
lution was  introduced  that  the  Bible  be  adopted 
as  a  text  book  in  the  grammar  schools,  and  that 
a  portion  of  it  be  read  by  the  teacher  on  open- 
ing each  day.  It  was  laid  on  the  table,  but  at 
a  subsequent  meeting  it  was  taken  up  and  passed, 
after  striking  out  the  part  requiring  its  use  as  a 
text  book.  September  8, 1855,  a  resolution  was 
adopted  abolishing  corporal  punishment  in  the 
schools,  and  providing  that  when  a  pupil  shall 
prove  incorrigible  under  the  ordinary  modes  of 
punishment  the  teacher  should  temporarily  sus- 
pend him  until  a  decision  of  the  board  should 
be  obtained. 

February  12,  1856,  A.  R.  Jackson,  Principal 
of  the  Grammar  School  at  the  corner  of  Tenth 
and  H  streets,  was  dismissed  from  his  position  as 
a  teacher,  because  he  refused  to  collect  an  assess- 
ment from  his  scholars  under  the  provision  of 
the  rate  bill  prescribed  in  the  school  law  of  1855. 

In  February,  1856,  Tukey  resigned  his  posi- 
tion as  superintendent,  and  Dr.  F.  W.  Hatch 
was  elected  in  his  stead.  William  E.  Chamber- 
lain was  elected  a  commissioner  in  the  place  of 
Hatci),  and  chosen  secretary,  which  office  Hatch 
resigned  when  he  was  elected  superintendent. 
From  the  annual  report  submitted  by  the  latter 
March  18,  1856,  we  learn  that  there  were  466 
scholars  registered  during  the  year;  average  at- 
tendance, 254. 


HISTOBT    OF    SACRAMENTO    COUNTY. 


Early  in  1856  W.  H.  "Watson  succeeded 
Woolley  as  a  member  of  the  board.  In  April 
a  superintendent  and  board  were  elected,  and  on 
tbe  lltli  of  that  month  the  new  board  met  for 
the  first  time.  It  was  composed  of  Hatch,  re- 
elected superintendent;  Dr.  C.  Burrell,  David 
Maddux,  John  F.  Dremau,  J.  F.  Thompson,  A. 
Montgomery  and  C.  H.  Bradford;  the  latter 
served  until  May  5,  when  he  left  the  State,  and 
on  May  12  the  board  devoted  the  sum  of  $25 
per  month  to  the  support  of  the  colored  school, 
which  was  taught  by  J.  B.  Anderson.  This  was 
the  first  instance  where  they  had  received  assist- 
ance from  the  city.  In  November,  1856,  J.  B. 
Harmon  succeeded  Burrell  as  a  member  of  the 
board. 

On  April  11,  1857,  occurred  the  first  meeting 
of  a  new  board,  consisting  of  J.  G.  Lawton, 
Superintendent,  and  Samuel  Cross,  R.  A.  Pearis, 
David  Murray,  H.  J.  Bidleman,  P.  W.  S.  Ilayle 
and  G.  L.  Simmons,  Commissioners.  The  last 
mentioned  was  elected  secretary.  In  the  latter 
part  of  this  year,  the  building  of  the  Franklin 
Grammar  School,  at  Sixth  and  L  streets,  was 
commenced.  The  corner-si  one  was  laid  Decem- 
ber 22,  under  the  auspices  of  the  Masons.  The 
structure  was  completed  the  ensuing  year,  at  a 
cost  of  $7,500. 

On  May  4,  1858,  the  school  directors,  com- 
posed of  the  Board  of  Education  appointed  under 
the  city  and  county  "  Consolidation  Act,"  held 
their  first  meeting,  ana  elected  Samuel  Cross, 
President,  and  Dr.  Simmons,  Secretary.  Daniel 
J.  Thomas  was  appointed  a  director  in  place  of 
Dr.  R.  A.  Pearis,  by  the  Board  of  Supervisors; 
but  this  appointment  was  declared  illegal  by  the 
Board  of  School  Directors. 

October  4,  1858,  the  Board  of  Education  con- 
sisted of  G.  J.  Phelan,  A.  G.  Richardson,  II.  J. 
Bidleman,  T.  M.  Morton,  H.  P.  Osborne,  G.  I. 
N.  Monell,  John  Hatch  and  G.  L.  Simmons. 
They  elected  Phelan,  President,  and  Bidleman, 
Secretary.  Hatch  did  not  qualify  and  the  Board 
of  Supervisors  elected  David  Meeker  to  fill  the 
position.  Simmons  resigned  in  January,  1859, 
and  C.  A.  Hill   succeeded  him.      Early  in  1859 


a  school-building  was  erected  at  Thirteenth  and 
G  streets,  at  a  cost  of  about  $3,800.  It  was 
named  the  Washington  School-house.  On  May 
9  Bidleman,  the  secretary  of  the  board,  was  re- 
moved, and  Monell  elected  to  the  office. 

October  3,  1859,  a  new  board  organized  com- 
prised of  Cyril  Hawkins,  H.  J.  Bidleman,  J. 
M.  Frey,  G.  L.  Simmons,  J.  J.  Murphey,  G.  I. 
N.  Monell,  D.  J.  Thomas  and  Henry  McCreary. 
They  elected  Dr.  Frey,  President,  and  Monell, 
Secretary.  An  attempt  was  made  to  establish 
a  Normal  School,  to  be  taught  two  nights  in  the 
week,  but  the  plan  was  not  carried  out.  At  the 
close  of  the  year  there  were  ten  schools  in  the 
city,  one  High  School,  four  grammar  and  the 
rest  intermediate  and  primary.  There  were 
1,031  scholars  enrolled,  with  an  average  attend- 
ance of  790.  Fifteen  teachers  were  employed. 
The  board  adopted  the  monitorial  system,  which 
they  thought  increased  the  teaching  force  with- 
out additional  expense. 

December  3,  1860,  the  new  board  consisted 
of  G.  Taylor,  J.  F.  Crawford,  Henry  Miller,  J. 
M.  Frey,  J.  M.  Milliken,  A.  C.  Sweetser,  S.  M. 
Mouser  and  J.  Bithell.  Miller  was  chosen 
President,  and  Sweetser,  Secretary.  This  board 
discharged  all  the  teachers  and  monitors,  graded 
the  schools,  fixed  the  salaries  of  the  teachers, 
decided  that  male  teachers  should  be  employed 
as  principals  of  the  High  School  and  of  the  first 
grade  of  the  grammar  school.  J.  W.  Anderson 
was  elected  principal  of  the  Franklin  Grammar 
School,  and  Miss  Doyle  was  appointed  his  assist- 
ant. June  7,  1861,  Anderson  was  elected  prin- 
cipal of  the  High  School. 

January  6,  1862,  the  board  comprised  J.  F. 
Dreman,  D.  J.  Thomas,  W.  Bidwell,  II.  Miller, 
W.  H.  Hill,  J.  M.  Milliken,  S.  M.  Mouser 
and  Edward  Collins.  Hill  was  elected  presi- 
dent. G.  Taylor,  the  city  superintendent  of 
schools,  acted  as  secretary.  When  this  board 
assumed  control  they  found  the  school-houses 
considerably  damaged  by  the  flood,  but  they 
were  put  in  order  in  a  short  time  and  the 
schools  commenced.  The  question  of  maintain- 
ing a  colored  school  came  up  at  various  times 


msTOsr  OF  sagbambnto  county. 


before  the  different  boards,  and  it  seemed  that 
for  many  years  this  school  was  not  regarded  in 
the  same  light  as  the  schools  for  the  white  chil- 
dren. Part  of  tlie  time  no  support  whatever 
was  'j-iven  to  the  education  of  colored  children. 
IJut  in  March,  1862,  Mrs.  Folger  was  elected 
teacher  of  tiie  colored  school,  and  tlie  hoard 
vo;ed  to  pay  her  salary  whenever  the  building 
and  furniture  should  be  furnished  by  the  parents 
interested.  March  3  the  schools  were  opened 
for  the  first  time  after  the  flood. 

Mouser  resigned  as  a  member  of  the  board  July 
28,  and  J.  T.  Peck  was  elected  to  1111  the  vacancy. 

Tiie  scliool-house  at  Tenth  and  P  streets  was 
erected  in  the  latter  part  of  1862,  at  a  cost  of 
about  §2,500. 

A  Board  of  Education,  consisting  of  Edwin 
Collins,  John  J.  Dreman,  AV.  A.  Hill,  H.  H. 
Hartley,  Paul  Morrill,  D.  J.  Thomas,  W.  Bid- 
well  and  H.  J.  Bidleman,  organized  and  elected 
Hill  President  in  January,  1863.  At  the  close 
of  this  year  there  were  1,093  names  on  the  roll 
as  pupils — thirty-two  in  the  colored  school.  In 
the  spring  of  this  year  a  building  for  the  colored 
school  was  ertcted  at  Fifth  and  0  streets,  but  it 
was  set  on  fire  by  an  incendiary,  and  consumed 
with  all  its  contents.  During  this  year  eleven 
schools  were  under  the  charge  of  the  board. 
Total  disbursements,  $24,483.57. 

On  January  4,  1864,  the  board  was  composed 
of  W.  Bidwell,  M.  C.  Briggs,  J.  11.  Carroll,  J. 
F.  Crawford,  Henry  11.  Hartley,  Paul  Morrill, 
(J.  U.  Lambard  and  II.  J.  Bidleman.  Briggs 
was  president.  At  the  close  of  this  year  tliere 
were  thirteen  juiblic  schools  in  the  city. 

1865. — The  board  comprised  M.  C.  Briggs, 
AV.  E.  Chamberlain,  O.  D.  Lambard,  Eugene 
Soule,  J.  AV.  Avery,  J.  II.  Carroll,  J.  F.  Craw- 
ford and  Paul  Morrill;  Briggs,  President.  The 
Union  school-house  at  Seventh  and  G  streets 
was  completed  January  27.  At  the  annual 
election  of  teachers,  April  27,  J.  L.  F"'ogg  was 
elected  principal  of  the  grammar  school.  De- 
cember 25,  AV.  H.  Hill,  who  had  been  chosen 
city  superintendent,  submitted  his  annual  re- 
port, showing  the  statistics  in  detail. 


1866. — Tlie  board  was  composed  of  J.  AV. 
Avery,  AV.  E.  Chamberlain,  Paschal  Coggins, 
John  F.  Dreman,  G.  E.  Moore,  O.  D.  Lambard, 
Paul  Morrill  and  Eugene  Soule;  Chamberlain, 
President.  At  the  end  of  this  year  there  were 
found  ro  be  1.524  children  enrolled.  Expenses, 
$32,136.43. 

1867. — Same  board  as  previous  year;  Mor- 
rill, President.  The  annual  report  shows  the 
usual  rate  of  increase,  the  usual  brandies  pur- 
sued, etc.  The  proportion  of  native  children 
becomes  conspicuous,  being  1,227  born  in  Cali- 
fornia to  457  elsewhere.  In  tlie  early  part  of 
this  year  the  Lincoln  School  Building,  at  Second 
and  P  streets,  was  erected  at  a  cost  of  $8,049. 
In  March  $200  was  set  apart  from  the  State 
apportionment  for  tlje  purchase  of  a  school 
library,  as  required  by  law.  AA'^ith  this  money 
about  250  volumes  were  purchased.  Since  then 
large  additions  have  been  made.  Early  in  1867 
Lambard  resigned  as  a  member  of  ilie  board, 
and  John  F.  Crawford  was  elected  to  fill  the 
vacancy.  Soule  resigned  in  April,  and  David 
S.  Ross  was  elected  to  fill  his  place. 

1868. — The  board  consisted  of  Henry  Miller, 
President;  J.  F.  Crawford,  Paschal  Coggina, 
Joseph  Davis,  J.  AV.  Avery,  D.  S.  Pvoss,  F.  A. 
Gibbs  and  Horace  Adams. 

1869.— The  board  consisted  of  Henry  Miller, 
President;  J.  F.  Crawford,  J.  W.  Avery,  B.  B. 
Bedding,  David  S.  Ross,  F.  A.  Gibbs,  W.  L. 
Campbell  and  Henry  McCreary.  School  attend- 
ance increased  from  si.\ty-si.\  to  seventy-two  per 
cent.  A  wooden  addition  was  built  to  tiie  school- 
house  at  Thirteenth  and  G  streets,  but  both  it 
and  the  main  building  were  burned  by  an  in- 
cendiary within  a  fortnight  afterward.  On  the 
same  site  the  present  AVashington  School-house, 
two- story  brick,  was  erected  the  same  year; 
cost,  $13,720.  Also  a  frame  addition  was  made 
to  the  Franklin  Sciiool-house,  at  an  expense  of 
$278.  In  November  a  petition  signed  by  over 
400  citizens  was  presented  to  the  board,  asking 
that  German  be  added  to  tlie  list  of  studies. 
During  the  month  of  January  following  Arnold 
Dulon  was  elected  a  teacher  of  German,  and  on 


IIISTOBY    OF    SACRAMENTO    COUNTY. 


the  first  day  over  200  pupils  began  the  study  of 
that  languai^e. 

1870.— The  board  consisted  of  Henry  Miller, 
President;  John  F.  Dreinan,  J.  W.  Avery,  David 
S.  Ross,  F.  A.  Gibbs,  Daniel  Brown,  Dr.  J.  F. 
Montgomery  and  B.  B.  Redding.  In  May  two 
new  departments  were  added  to  the  grammar 
school.  Early  in  the  summer  a  contract  was 
made  for  the  erection  of  a  two-story  brick  school- 
house  on  the  corner  of  Sixteenth  and  N  streets, 
at  a  cost  of  $9,000;  but  within  a  day  or  two 
after  the  completion  of  the  building  it  was  set 
on  fire  by  an  incendiary  and  destroj'ed;  loss.^ 
$8,000.  Immediately  a  second  building,  on  the 
same  plan,  was  erected. 

1871. — The  board  was  composed  of  Dr.  J. 
F.  Montgomery,  President;  W.  C.  Stratton,  J. 
W.  Avery,  E.  T.  Taylor,  D.  S.  Ross,  Henry 
Miller,  Daniel  Brown  and  Henry  C.  Kirk.  These 
had  the  oversight  of  twenty  schools. 

1872. — The  board  was  composed  of  Henry 
Miller,  President;  Henry  C.  Kirk,  W.  C.  Strat- 
ton, E.  T.  Taylor,  E.  I.  Robinson,  John  F.  Dre- 
man,  C.  H.  Cummings  and  H.  K.  Snow.  In 
April  Judge  E.  B.  Crocker  effected  a  trade  with 
the  city  for  the  land  on  which  a  school-house 
was  located  at  Second  and  P  streets,  and  a  build- 
ing was  removed  to  Fourth  and  Q  streets.  In 
.  May  and  June  the  board  made  strong  efforts  to 
obtain  possession  of  the  public  square  between 
1  and  J  and  Fifteenth  and  Sixteenth  streets,  and 
finally  the  city  donated  it  to  them,  and  on  this 
they  erected  the  present  commodious  brick 
Sacramento  Grammar  School-house.  Stratton 
resigned  and  George  Rowland  was  elected  to 
fill  the  yacancy.  Underwood  resigned  as  prin- 
cipal of  the  grammar  school,  and  A.  II.  Mc- 
Donald, the  old  teacher,  was  elected  to  the  posi- 
tion. During  this  year  also  the  night-school 
system  was  established. 

Since  1872  the  boards  have  been  constituted 
as  follows: 

1873. — C.  II.  Cummings,  John  F.  Dreman, 
H.  C.  Kirk,  Henry  Miller,  E.  I.  Robinson,  II. 
K.  Snow,  (xeorge  Rowland,  E.  T.  Taylor. 

1874. — John   F.    Dreman,   George  Rowland, 


George  S.  Wait,  W.  F.  Knox,  J.  I.  Felter,  C. 
H.  Cummings,  Felix  Tracy,  D.  W.  Welty. 

1875.— John  F.  Dreman,  W.  F.  Knox,  George 
S.  Wait,  C.  H.  Cummings,  J.  F.  Montgomery, 
Albert  Hart,  T.  M.  Lindley,  Felix  Tracy. 

1876.— John  F.  Dreman,  J.  F.  Montgomery, 
Albert  Hart,  T.  M.  Lindley,  T.  B.  McFarland, 
Felix  Tracy,  J.  F.  Richardson,  A.  T.  Nelson. 

1877.— John  F.  Dreman,  II.  II.  Linnell,  John 
Stevens,  J.  1.  Felter,  T.  B.  McFarland,  J.  N. 
Young,  J.  F.  Richardson,  A.  T.  Nelson.  Nel- 
son died  during  the  year,  and  Matthew  Cooke 
was  elected  to  fill  the  vacancy. 

1878.— H.  H.  Linnell,  J.  N.  Young,  J.  F. 
Dreman,  E.  Greer,  John  Stevens,  Matt.  F.  John- 
son, T.  B.  McFarland,  J.  I.  Felter,  President. 

1879.-Matt.  F.  Johnson,  S.  W.  Butler,  E. 
Greer,-  J.  F.  Dreman,  John  T.  Grifiitts,  F.  A. 
Hornblower,  James  McClatchy,  T.  B.  McFar- 
land, President. 

1880.— John  T.  Grifiitts,  F.  A.  Hornblower, 
W.  D.  Stalker,  James  McClatchy,  S.  W.  Butler, 
K.  F.  Wiemeyer,  J.  D.  Lord,  W.  R.  Knights. 
Knights  resigned  and  Felix  Tracy  was  appointed 
to  succeed  him. 

1881.— K.  F.  Wiemeyer,  W.  D.  Stalker,  J. 
D.  Lord,  L.  K.  Hammer,  S.  W.  Butler,  Felix 
Tracy,  Philip  Herzog,  W.  S.  Mesick.  The  last 
named  resigned  during  the  year,  and  C.  H. 
Stevens  was  elected  to  succeed  him. 

1882.— John  F.  Slater,  Philip  Herzog,  C.  H. 
Stevens,  W.  D.  Stalker,  S.  W.  Butler,  Felix 
Tracy,  Matthew  Cooke,  L.  K.  Hammer.  G.W. 
Hancock  was  appointed  to  succeed  Hammer, 
resigned. 

1883.— John  F.  Slater,  C.  II.  Stevens,  Mat- 
thew  C.  Cooke,  W.  D.  Stalker,  O.  P.  Goodhue, 
Felix  Tracy,  George  Hancock,  S.  W.  Butler. 
Goodhue  died  and  Elwood  Bruner  was  elected 
as  his  successor. 

1884.— John  F.  Slater,  C.  II.  Stevens,  Matthew 

C.  Cooke,  J.  L.  Chadderdon,  Richmond  Davis, 

D.  Johnson,  Elwood  Bruner,  Frank  Avery. 
1885.— W.    M.    Petrie,   John    F.    Slater,   A. 

Conklin,  J.  L.  Chadderdon,    Richmond    Davis, 
Frank  Avery,  C.  H.  Stevens,  E.  K.  Alsip. 


HISTORY    OF    SACRAMENTO    COUNTY. 


1886.— A.  Conklin,  C.  H.  Stevens,  J.  W. 
Todd,  W.  M.  Fetrie,  llichmond  Davis,  0.  W. 
Erlewiiie,  Jolin  F.  Slater,  E.  K.  Alsip.  Stevens 
resigned  and  Jj.  F.  Howard  was  appointed  to 
succeed  liiin. 

1887.— A.  Conklin,  W.  M.  Petrie,  J.  ^Y. 
Todd,  Kiclunond  Davis,  John  V.  Slater,  A.  S. 
Hopkins,  H.  C.  Chipinan,  0.  W.  Erlewine. 

1888.— Kiclunond  Davis,  W.  M.  Petrie,  E. 
M.  Martin,  A.  Conklin,  J.  W.  Todd,  A.  S.  Hop- 
kins, H.  C.  Chipnian,  John  Skelton. 

1889.— E.  M.  Martin,  A.  J.  Senatz,  J.  W. 
Todd,  Joseph  Hopley,  R.  Davis,  A.  C.  Tufts, 
H.  C.  Chipinan,  John  Skelton. 

A  list  of  the  superintendents  of  city  schools 
appears  in  the  chapter  on  Municipal  Govern- 
ment. 

TUE    HIGH    SCHOOL. 

The  inception  of  the  iirst  High  School  in 
Sacramento  appears  by  the  record  to  bave  been 
May  22,  1855,  when  Dr.  Hatch  proposed  the 
studies  of  "Willson's  History,  Astronomy,  Book- 
keeping, Latin,  French  and  Spanish.  An  order 
to  add  these  studies  to  the  course  was  then 
adopted,  but  was  not  executed  until  next  year, 
when  the  classes  pursuing  these  studies  were 
taught  in  the  school-house  on  M  street,  between 
Eighth  and  Ninth,  by  J.  M.  Howe.  During 
the  first  year  eighteen  girls  and  twenty-one  boys 
attended.  The  average  attendance  was  remark- 
ably high,  being  36.8  of  the  39. 

May  8,  1857,  Howe  was  succeeded  by  C.  A. 
Hill,  as  the  former  declined  to  be  examined  in 
Greek.  In  August,  1857,  Hill  resigned  and  A- 
R.  Jackson  was  chosen  to  succeed  him.  Early 
in  1858  the  school  was  removed  to  Fifth  and  K 
streets,  and  J.  P.  Carleton  elected  teacher  of 
French  and  Spanish. 

May  20,  1858,  Charles  A.  Swift  was  elected 
principal,  and  his  salary  was  fixed  at  $200  a 
moi  th.  Professor  Lefebre  was  employed  to 
teach  French  and  Spanish,  in  place  of  Carleton. 

As  soon  as  the  Franklin  School  Building  was 
completed,  the  High  School  was  moved  into  it. 
In  June,  1859,  Professor  Lefebre  left  the  State, 
and   Professor  Jofrc   was  employed  to  succeed 


him.  In  November,  1859,  the  board  added  the 
natural  sciences  to  the  curriculum,  electing  A. 
R.  Jackson  the  teacher.  In  October,  1860, 
Swift  showed  evidences  of  insanity,  and  his 
oflice  was  declared  vacant,  and  Jackson  was  ap- 
pointed to  succeed  him.  In  April,  1861,  Jack- 
sou  refused  to  serve  as  principal  any  longer, 
because  of  insufficient  salary,  and  J.  W.  Ander- 
son was  appointed  in  his  stead.  September  18, 
1862,  the  latter  was  succeeded  by  R.  K.  Marri- 
ner,  who  resigned  March  27,  1865,  and  was 
succeeded  by  J.  L.  Fogg.  April  29  the  same 
spring,  Milo  L.  Templeton  was  elected  princi- 
pal. July  25,  1865,  the  school  was  removed  to 
Seventh  and  G  streets.  In  November,  Alex- 
ander Goddard  was  appointed  teacher  of  French. 
In  April,  1871,  Jourdon  W.  Roper  was  ap- 
pointed principal.  In  January,  1872,  he  re- 
signed, and  H.  H.  Howe  was  elected  to  fill  his 
place.  In  August,  1872,  Max  Straube  was  elected 
teacher  of  German,  in  place  of  Dulon.  Early 
this  year,  Edward  P.  Howe  was  appointed  to 
take  the  place  of  his  brother  as  principal.  His 
successors  to  date  have  been  Oliver  M.  Adams, 
who  resigned  in  June,  188i;  W.  W.  Anderson, 
from  that  date  to  the  close  of  the  school  year  in 
July,  1888,  since  which  time  James  H.  Pond 
has  been  principal.  The  present  enrollment  of 
pupils  is  143.  December,  1888,  the  present 
High  Scliool  Uuilding,  at  the  northeast  corner 
of  Ninth  and  M  streets,  was  completed  Septem- 
ber 2,  1876,  and  the  school  was  opened  January 
1,  1877.  The  building  is  60x70  feet  in  size, 
consisting  of  two  stories  and  basement,  and  cost 
$10,687. 

Of  the  Franklin  Grammar  School  at  Sixth 
and  L  streets,  II.  II.  Howe  was  the  principal 
until  January  20,  1870,  when  he  resigned,  and 
was  succeeded  by  A.  H.  McDonald,  1870-'71; 
J.  G.  Underwood,  six  weeks  in  1871;  A.  H. 
McDonald,  1871-'80.  In  1872,  while  the  lat- 
ter was  principal,  the  Sacramento  Grammar 
School  Building,  of  fifteen  rooms,  was  erected 
at  Fifteenth  and  J  streets,  at  a  cost  of  $62,000, 
and  the  Franklin  School  was  transferred  to  it  in 
the  year  following.      E.  P.  Rfiwell  was  ])rincipal 


UlSTORY    OF    ISACRAilENrO    COUNTT. 


here  1880 -'85;  Madison  Babcock,  1885  to  March 
1,  1888,  since  which  time  Mary  J.  Watson  has 
been  the  principal.  The  enrollment  of  pupils 
in  this  school  at  present  is  about  650. 

During  1875  tiie  Franklin  Grammar  School 
was  re-organized  at  Sixth  and  L  streets,  with  S. 
H.  Jackman  as  principal.  He  was  succeeded  in 
turn  by  F.  L.  Landes,  Laura  H.  Wells  and 
Joseph  W.  Johnson.  Some  years  ago  the  prop- 
erty was  sold,  and  a  building  of  ten  rooms  was 
erected,  at  the  corner  of  Tenth  and  Q  streets; 
but  the  primai-y  pupils  so  increased  in  number 
that  anotiier  building  was  needed  for  them,  and 
this  was  devoted  to  their  use;  and  for  the  gram- 
mar school  another  structure,  of  ten  rooms,  was 
erected  on  the  same  block,  at  the  corner  of  Tenth 
and  P  streets,  in  1885,  at  a  cost  of  §15,000, 
where  Johnson  continues  as  principal.  The 
present  enrollment  is  424.  This  is  termed  the 
Capital  Grammar  School. 

At  this  writing  the  board  is  advertising  for 
plans  for  another  grammar-school  building  east 
of  Twentieth  street;  also,  for  enlarging  the 
High  School  Building  and  the  school-house  at 
Twenty-seventh  and  J  streets. 

The  night  school  in  the  old  Ferry  Seminary 
Building  on  I  street,  between  Tenth  and  Elev- 
enth, is  very  successfully  conducted,  with  about 
115  pupils. 

The  following  table  gives  the  statistics  of  the 
present  condition  of  the  city  schools: 

School-houses IG 

Grammar  schools 24 

Primary  schools TiG 

Children  of  school  age 6,193 

Primary  grade  pupils  eurolled 2,193 

Grammar  grade  pupils  enrolled 1,10.3 

High  School  pupils  enrolled 175 

Male  teachers 4 

Female  teachers 76 

Total  teachers'  salaries $   65,406 

Total  rents,  repairs  and  contingent  expenses 16,516 

Total  valuation  of  school  property 253,000 

The  present  statistics  of  the  public  schools  of 
Sacramento  County,  not  including  the  city,  are 
exhibited  in  the  following  table: 


School-houses,  including  joint  districts 

Grammar  schools 

Primary  schools 

New  districts  organized  in  lt!87-'S8 

Children  of  school  age  

Per  ceut.  of  attendance  on  average  number  be- 
longing  


2,411 
92 


Grammar  grade  pupils  enrolled 610 

Primary  grade  pupils  enrolled 1,416 

Average  daily  attendance 1,291 

Male  teachers 10 

Female  teachers 61 

Teachers'  certificates  granted  iBST-'Sbi- 37 

Applicants  for  same  rejected* 40 

Total  teachers"  salaries $32,525 

Total  rents,  repairs  and  contingent  expenses 3,9»7 

Cash  paid  for  school  libraries 1,496 

Cash  paid  for  apparatus 1,051 

Total  valuation  of  school  property 97,034 

COUXTEY    SCHOOLS. 

The  most  important  details  concerning  the 
schook  in  the  county  outside  of  the  city  appear 
in  the  following  table: 


Arcade 

American  River. . 

Alabama 

Alder  Creek 

Brighton 

Braufan    

Brown 

Buckeye  .... 

Capital    

Carroll 

Carson  Creek 

CarsonCreek  Join 

Center 

Courtland 

Davis 

Pry  Creek.  Joint., 

Elder  Creek  

Elk  Grove  

Enterprise 

Excelsior 

Florin, 

Franklin     

Freeport 

Gait 

Georgiana 

Grand  Island 

Granite 

Grant 

Hicksville 

Highland 

Highland  Park.. 

Howard 

Hutson,  Joint 


Ion 


Jackson 

Junction 

Kinney  

Laguna 

Lee 

Lincoln 

Lisbon 

Jlichigan  Bar. 
Mokelumne.  . . 

Nye    

Natoma,  Joint. 


-J 


tovtnships  . 
Counties 


Center 

Sutter 

Alabama 

Granite,  Natoma. 

;bton 

Georgiana 

Alabama 

Alabama,C'os. .  . . 

Sutter 

San  J.,  Franklin. 
Lee.Cos.,  Gran.  Nat. 
Cos.,  El  Dor.  Co... 

Center 

Franklin 

Dry  Creek 

Center,  Placer  Co.. 
.Sut.  Bright,  Frank. 

San  Joaquin 

Brighton 

Brigbtiin,  San  J.'. .. 
Brighton,  San  J. . .. 

Franklin,  San  J 

Franklin 

Dry  Creek 

Georgiana 

Georgiana 

Granite,  Natoma.. . 

Dry  Creek 

Dry  Creek 

Lee 

Sutter,  Org.  in  18S8. 
Granite,  Brighton  . 
Alabama,  San  J.  Co. 

Georgiana 

Brighton 

Brighton 

Bright'n,  Lee.Gran. 

Alabama 

Alabama,  Lee 

American,  Center.. 
Sutter,  Franklin... 

COsumnes 

Franklin 

Granite,  Lee 

Natoma,  El  Dor. Co. 


1570 
2,875 
1,725 

850 
1,850 

715 
1,040 

770 
2,650 
1,250 

500 
1,250 

900 
1,320 

425 
1.175 

775 
1,400 

530 


2,350 
1,S63 
3  035 
1,250 

800 
5,550 

975 
1,076 
1,305 


12  13 
7  24 
4  i  10 

2  I  37 

13  17 

3  10 
12  i  14 

9  1  17 


1,750 
1,275 
2,810 
823 
,325 
,700 
550 


'  Total  of  I 


county. 


HISTORY    OF    SACRAMENTO    COUNTY. 


Onisbo 

Oak  Grove 

Pacific 

Pleasant  Grove 
Point  Pleasant. 

Prairie 

Reese 

Uichland 

Rio  Vista   

Rhoads 

Roberts 

San  Joaquin.. . 

San  Juan  

Slough 

Stone  House. . 
Sutter    


ToWNSHfPS  , 

Counties 


Franklin 

American,  Center..! 
Sutter,  Franklin...! 

San  Joaquin I 

Franklin \ 

Franklin 

San  Joaquin | 

Franklin ' 

Georgiana,  Solano. | 

Lee 

Mississippi 

San  Joaquin 

Center 

Georgiana 

Cosumnes 

Sutter 

Center,  Miss 

San  Joaquiu,  Lee 


2,400 

650 

1,400 

3  200 

i)00 

1,3S0 

835 

850 

5,575 

1,325 

990 

1,300 

1,380 

570 

1,000 

3,550 

795 

600 


Victory 

Walnut  Grove. 
Washington. . . 
West  Union  .. 
White  Rock... 
Wilson 


TO\ST*SHIPS   A 
CODNTIES. 


San  Joaquin 

Georp-iana     .... 

Brighton 

Sutter,  Franklin. 

Natoma 

Lee,  Cosumnes. . 


i,700 
900 

1,350 
435 
700 


The  County  Board  of  Education  at  present 

consists  of    the  following:  Term  Expires. 

J.  W.  Johnson,  1726  O  street,  Sacramento July  1,  1889 

J.  E.  Blanchard,  Rocklin,  Placer  County July  1,  1891 

Miss  Josie  Regan,  Third  and  M  streets,  Sac- 
ramento  July  1,  1889 

Mrs.  Jennie  Kilgore,  Mansion  House,  Sacra- 
mento  July  1,  1891 

B.  F.  Howard,  1526  Third   street,  Sacramento,  Superin- 
tendent and  ex-officio  Secretary. 


HISTORY    OF    a.WRAMENrO    COUNTY. 


CHAPTER   XV. 


fllE  natural  sequence  of  historical  matter 
led  us  on  uninterruptedly  to  the  subject 
of  education;  now  we  can  begin  again 
with  pioneer  times  on  another  scries  of  topics, 
namely,  those  pertaining  to  material  develop 
ment. 

Doubtless  the  first  navigation  on  the  Sacra- 
mento River  was  conducted  by  the  Russians 
from  Sitka  Island,  who  were  located  at  Ross 
and  Bodega  on  the  coast,  and  engaged  in  trade 
in  fnrs,  hides,  tallow,  etc.  They  were  in  this 
region  prior  to  1840,  carrying  on  trade  with  the 
interior  up  to  the  time  of  their  selling  out  to 
Captain  Sutter;  but  tlie  hostility  of  the  Spanish 
Government  and  the  expense  of  maintaining 
their  position  finally  caused  them  to  abandon 
the  field.  At  tliat  time  also  there  was  in  this 
part  of  the  country  an  agency  for  the  Hudson 
Bay  Company.  In  1841  Sutter  purchased  the 
property  of  the  Russians,  including  a  small 
schooner  of  forty  tons  burden,  with  which  thej' 
had  made  short  voyages  along  the  coast.  The 
first  record  we  have  of  its  appearance  up  the 
Sacramento  River  was  in  August  of  that  year, 
though  probably  it  had  been  upon  its  waters 
previously.  This  may  be  considered  the  date  of 
tiie  commencement  of  American  commerce  upon 
this  stream.  According  to  the  terms  of  Sutter's 
bargain  with  the  Russians,  he  was  to  furnish  a 
given  (piantity  of  grain  each  year  for  their  set- 


tlement on  the  JSJorthwe.-t  coast,  and  the  trans- 
portation of  this  product  every  fall  t)  the  bay 
was  a  part  of  the  regular  trade  upon  which  this 
vessel  entered.  She  was  manned  and  subse- 
quently commanded  by  Indians  selected  from 
Sutter's  domesticated  tribes,  and  for  a  long  time 
was  the  only  "regular  packet"  on  the  river. 
After  performing  a  number  of  important  offices 
during  the  war,  she  was  taken  down  to  San 
Francisco  in  the  spring  of  1848,  to  carry  thither 
the  tidings  of  the  discovery  of  gold.  She  con- 
tinued to  be  the  largest  schooner  on  the  river 
up  to  the  period  when  the  commerce  with  the 
mines  began. 

The  Brooklyn  Mormons  also  owned  a  launch 
called  the  Comet,  which  made  three  trips  to  the 
settlement  on  the  Stanislaus,  and  was  the  pio- 
neer at  the  San  Joaquin. 

The  voyage  from  San  Francisco  to  New  Hel- 
vetia, or  Sutter's  Fort,  as  this  place  was  then 
called,  and  back  to  the  city,  occupied  from  two 
to  four  weeks. 

In  the  spring  of  1848,  when  the  rush  for  gold 
set  in,  the  San  Francisco  Star  (of  May  20)  thus 
ironically  alludes  to  the  first  embarkations: 
"  Fleet  of  launches  left  this  place  on  Sunday  and 
Monday  last,  bound  'up  the  Sacramento  River,' 
closely  stowed  with  human  beings  led  by  the 
love  of  filthy  lucre  to  tiie  perennial-yielding 
irold  mines  of  the  north,  where  'a  man  can  find 


HISrORT    OF    SACRAMENTO    COUNTY. 


upward  of  two  ounces  a  daj','  and  'two  thousand 
men  can  find  their  hands  full' — of  hard  work.'' 
May  27  the  same  editor  said:  "Launches  have 
plied  without  cessation  between  this  place  and 
New  Helvetia  during  this  time  (since  the  dis- 
covery of  gold).  The  Sacramento,  a  lirst-class 
craft,  left  here  on  Thursday  last,  thronged  with 
passengers  for  the  gold  mines — a  motley  assem- 
blage, composed  of  lawyers,  merchants,  grocers, 
carpenters,  cartmen  and  cooks,  all  possessed  with 
the  desire  of  suddenly  becoming  rich."  He  also 
stated  that  at  that  time  over  300  men  were 
engaged  in  washing  gold,  and  parties  were  con- 
tinually arriving  from  every  part  of  the  country. 
San  Francisco  was  soon  made  to  present  a  deso- 
late appearance  on  account  of  the  sudden  de- 
parture of  her  principal  citizens  for  the  gold 
Held.  During  the  first  eight  weeks  a  quarter  of 
a  million  dollars'  worth  of  gold  was  taken  to 
that  city,  and  during  the  second  eight  weeks 
$600,000  worth.  By  this  time  (September)  the 
number  of  persons  in  the  diggings  was  esti- 
mated at  6,000.  "An  export  at  last!"  was  the 
exclamation  of  the  San  Franciscan  editor;  "and 
it  is  gold." 

The  first  vessel  whose  tonnage  exceeded  tiiat 
of  the  "launches"  was  the  schooner  Providence, 
Hinckley,  Master,  which  ascended  the  Sacra- 
mento in  April,  1849.  For  several  years  pre- 
vious she  had  been  engaged  between  Tahiti  and 
the  Sandwich  Islands.  Her  burden  was  less 
than  100  pounds.  In  March  that  year  Samuel 
Brannan  purchased  the  Eliodora,  a  Chilian  ves- 
sel, filled  it  with  goods  and  started  up  the  river 
in  April.  The  Joven  Guipuzcoana,  a  Peruvian 
vessel,  and  other  large  sailing  vessels  of  first- 
class  dimensions,  soon  followed.  At  the  date  of 
their  arrival  about  twelve  stores  and  tenements 
graced  this  locality.  Meanwhile  several  vessels 
of  considerable  size  also  ascended  the  San  Joa- 
quin to  Stockton. 

On  the  success  of  the  Joven  Guipuzcoana 
were  founded  the  plans  of  the  first  steam  navi- 
gation companies.  Her  trip  to  this  point  dem- 
onstrated the  practicability  of  navigation  by 
such  large  vessels  as  the  McKim  and  the  Sena- 


tor, which  soon  followed.  In  the  month  of  May 
the  crowning  exploit  in  the  history  of  sailing 
vessels  was  performed.  This  was  the  trip  of 
the  Bark  Whiton,  Gelston,  Master,  to  this  place 
in  seventy-two  hours  from  San  Francisco,  and 
140  days  from  New  York.  She  came  up  with 
her  royal  yards  crossed,  without  meeting  with  a 
single  detention,  though  she  was  a  vessel  of  241 
tons  burden  and  drew  nine  and  a  half  feet  of 
water. 

The  first  steamboat  that  ever  plowed  the 
waters  of  either  the  bay  or  the  rivers  of  this 
State  arrived  at  the  port  of  San  Francisco,  Octo- 
ber 14,  1847,  owned  by  Captain  Leidesdorff,  a 
man  of  remarkable  enterprise,  who  was  the  chief 
instrumentality  in  laying  the  corner-stone  of  San 
Francisco's  prosperity.  She  wa's  packed  on 
board  a  Russian  bark  from  Sitka.  Leidesdorff 
had  carried  on  a  trade  with  the  Russians  at  their 
American  settlement  for  seven  years  previous; 
and,  hearing  that  a  small  steamboat  was  in  use 
upon  their  waters,  he  sent  up  and  purchased  it 
for  his  hide  and  tallow  commerce  on  the  small 
streams  leading  from  the  inland  embarcaderos 
to  the  bay.  The  vessel,  not  exceeding  forty  tons 
burden,  was  put  together  under  the  lee  of  Terba 
Buena  Island,  was  named  "  Little  Sitka,"  and 
on  the  15th  of  November,  1847,  steamed  out 
under  the  management  of  a  Russian  engineer 
who  had  superintended  her  construction.  From 
a  swivel  gun  mounted  upon  her  bow  was  occa- 
sionally fired  a  salutation.  She  successfully 
rounded  the  island  and  arrived  in  port,  hailed 
by  the  cheers  of  a  multitude.  This  boat  was 
long,  low,  and  what  the  sailors  termed  very 
"  crank."  The  weight  of  a  single  person  on 
her  guards  would  throw  one  of  her  wheels  out 
of  order. 

Her  first  trip  for  business  was  made  down  to 
Santa  Clara,  with  indifferent  success.  Her  next 
trip  was  up  to  Sacramento,  in  the  latter  part  of 
November,  1847,  and  safely  arrived  at  this  em- 
barcadero.  Nearly  a  month  elapsed,  however, 
before  her  return;  and  in  the  meantime  various 
were  the  jokes  and  jibes  "  launch "-ed  at  her 
and  on    the   proprietor,   who   nevertheless  per- 


HISTORY    OF    SACRAMENTO    COUNTY. 


sisted  that  he  would  yet  "  make  the  smoke  fly 
on  the  bay,"  and  hand  the  name  of  his  first 
steamboat  "  down  to  dexterity,"  as  lie  pro- 
nounced the  word. 

On  the  12th  of  February  following  (1848) 
this  little  steamer  was  swamped  by  a  norther 
while  lying  at  anchor  at  San  Francisco  Bay.  It 
was  raised,  the  engine  taken  out,  and  the  hull 
converted  into  a  sailing  vessel  which  served  well 
for  years.  The  engine,  after  having  rusted  on 
the  sandy  beach  for  a  long  time,  was  finally 
made  to  do  duty  in  a  small  domestic  manufac- 
tory in  San  Francisco.  Tiie  little  steamboat  en- 
terprise just  described  was,  however,  more  a 
freak  of  will  than  the  demand  of  business. 

But  to  whom  belongs  the  iiaving  first  pro- 
jected the  running  of  good  steamboats  for  traffic 
after  the  great  tide  of  gold  emigration  had  set 
in,  it  is  difficult  to  say.  The  first  vessel  pro- 
pelled by  steam  entering  the  Bay  of  San  Fran- 
cisco was  the  California,  February  28,  1849. 
The  excursion  of  the  steamship  Oregon  from 
San  Francisco  to  Benicia  and  back,  April  21  of 
tlie  same  year,  was  the  first  trip  of  a  steam  ves- 
sel of  any  magnitude  into  any  of  the  interior 
waters  adjacent  to  the  main  bay.  It  was  indeed 
a  successful  and  magnificent  excursion.  Prior 
to  this,  however,  announcements  had  been  made 
that  steamboats  were  on  their  way  from  the  East 
to  California,  to  ply  on  the  rivers  here.  The 
first  of  these  announcements  was  issued  from 
the  office  of  the  old  Placer  Times,  when  that 
journal  was  first  started  at  Sutterville,  in  April, 
1849.  It  was  printed  in  the  form  of  a  handbill, 
at  the  order  of  some  of  the  proprietors  of  tiiat 
place.  May  19,  the  following  advertisement 
appeared  in  the  Times:  "  Ten  thousand  cords 
of  wood.  We  wish  to  employ  any  number  of 
men  that  may  call,  to  cut  wood  at  Sutterville 
for  the  use  of  the  steamers.  George  McDougal 
&  Co.,  Sutterville,  May  15,  1859."  Of  course 
the  wood  was  never  cut. 

During  the  summer  of  1849  a  number  of 
steamboat  enterprises  were  on  foot,  and  the 
keels  of  several  small  vessels,  brougiit  by  some 
of  the  ships  cliartered  by  tlie  gold  hunters,  were 


laid  at  diflerent  points  on  the  river  and  bay. 
Tlie  first  of  this  series  of  which  we  have  any 
record  was  one  of  about  fifty  tons  burden,  put 
together  at  Benicia,  the  material  having  been 
brought  from  the  East  by  way  of  the  Horn  on 
board  the  Edward  Everett.  She  made  her  first 
trip  to  Sacramento,  August  17,  1849. 

About  this  period  also  were  established  the 
first  regular  express  lines  in  the  State,  two  com- 
mencing business  between  here  and  San  Fran- 
cisco, to  take  the  business  of  the  regular  mail, 
which  was  at  tliat  time  the  subject  of  bitter 
complaint  and  unsparing  ridicule.  August  25, 
another  small  steamboat  from  Philadelphia  be- 
gan to  ply  the  river,  accommodating  some  thirty 
passengers  and  "  running  about  seven  knots  an 
hour." 

About  the  first  boat  advertised  for  regular 
trips  between  this  city  and  San  Francisco  ap- 
pears to  have  been  the  Sacramento,  in  Septem- 
ber, 1849,  commanded  by  Captain  John  Van 
Pelt.  She  had  two  engines  of  sixteen  horse- 
power, could  carry  about  100  passengers,  besides 
freight.  She  was  built  about  where  Washing- 
ton now  stands,  opposite  the  northern  portion 
of  Sacramento  City,  and  the  captain,  who  be- 
came a  sort  of  Pacific  Vanderbilt,  made  suc- 
cessful and  regular  tripe  with  this  vessel  as  far 
down  as  "  New  York  of  the  Pacific,"  now  where 
passengers  and  freight  had  to  be  transferred. 

About  the  same  time  a  little  steam  dredge, 
brought  out  by  the  Yuba  Qorapany,  was  set  up 
in  a  scow  and  started  on  a  trip  up  the  Feather 
River,  carrying  a  quantity  of  bricks,  at  $1.00 
each  for  freight  (!),  and  lumber  at  §150  per 
1,000  feet.  Two  months  after  lier  arrival  she 
was  sold  at  auction  for  $40,000. 

Tiie  next  boat  was  tlie  Mint, also  a  small  one, 
put  up  at  San  Francisco,  which  was  really  tiie 
first  steamboat  to  make  successful  trips  witii 
passengers  and  freight  all  the  way  between  tliat 
city  and  Sacramento,  beginning  in  the  middle 
of  October,  1849. 

The  propeller  McKim  was  the  first  large  ves- 
sel that  ever  navigated  the  Sacramento  River  by 
steam.    She  had  doubled  Cape  Horn  and  arrived 


UISTORT    OF    SACRAMENTO    COUNTY. 


at  San  Francisco,  October  3,  and  was  immediately 
pnt  in  order  by  her  San  Francisco  agents,  Sim- 
mons, Hutchinson  &  Co.,  for  the  Sacramento 
trade.  She  drew  eight  feet  of  water,  and  many 
doubted  whether  she  could  ascend  the  river  to 
this  point;  but  she  arrived  here  on  the  27th  of 
that  month,  amid  the  cheers  of  an  immense 
crowd  lining  the  shore.  The  fine  old  steamer 
Senator  became  lier  rival  November  6,  1849. 

During  these  times  the  fare  from  Sacramento 
to  San  Francisco  Was  $30. 

The  little  steamer  called  the  Washington  was 
the  first  that  ascended  as  far  as  Vernon,  at  the 
mouth  of  Feather  River,  to  which  point  she 
made  regular  trips.  In  April,  1S50,  the  JEtna, 
a  very  small  steamer,  ascended  the  American  as 
far  as  "  Norristown,"  the  first  and  probably  the 
last  time  that  point  had  ever  been  reached  by  a 
steamboat.  May  8,  1850,  the  Jack  Hays  reached 
the  town  of  Redding  at  the  head  waters  of  the 
Sacramento  River,  within  forty-five  miles  of  the 
Trinity  Diggings.  Among  those  who  first  took 
their  place  on  the  route  between  this  point  and 
Yuba  City,  at  the  mouth  of  the  Yuba  River, 
the  early  rival  of  Marysville,  was  the  little 
steamboat  Linda,  in  the  fall  of  1849. 

The  steamer  New  World  was  built  at  New 
York  City,  purposely  for  a  trip  to  California,  in 
the  fall  of  1849  and  spring  of  1850.  Tt  was 
320  feet  long,  and  of  530  tons  burden.  The 
proprietor,  William  H.  Brown,  becoming  finan- 
cially embarrassed,  had  to  take  the  sheriff'  in  as 
partner.  The  latter  employed  deputies  to  go 
and  remain  on  board  during  the  launching,  and 
to  make  assurance  doubly  sure  he  went  upon 
board  himself,  but  was  unknown  to  the  capt.an, 
Ed.  Wakeman.  The  vessel  was  held  to  the  port 
of  New  York  l)y  law,  and  the  launching  was 
ostensibly  for  the  only  purpose  of  getting  the 
boat  into  the  water.  Steam,  however,  was  raised 
previous  to  the  launching,  and  the  sheriff,  in- 
cognito, inquired  what  it  meant.  The  reply 
was,  "  To  wear  the  rust  otf  tlie  bearings  and  see 
that  the  engine  worked  well."  But  the  cap- 
tain, after  steaming  around  the  harbor  awhile, 
put  out  to  sea,  against  the  protests  of  the  sherifi'. 


The  captain  and  his  crew,  being  more  numer- 
ous than  the  sherifi'  and  his  posse,  put  them 
ashore  in  row-boats,  and  came  their  way  around 
Cape  Horn  to  California!  They  made  a  fine 
voyage,  and  arrived  at  San  Francisco,  July  11, 
1850. 

For  a  long  time  thereafter  the  New  World 
and  the  Senator  made  alternate  trips  between 
Sacramento  and  Benicia.  Afterward  she  was 
employed  in  the  coasting  and  oceanic  trade,  and 
some  years  ago  was  overhauled  at  San  Francisco 
and  transformed  into  a  magnificent  ferry-boat, 
and  as  such  is  now  employed  on  the  bay. 

Captain  Wakeman  was,  at  last  accounts,  a 
resident  of  San  Francisco,  which  he  has  made  his 
home  ever  since  coming  to'  the  coast. 

Many  interesting  particulars  in  addition  to 
the  foregoing  concerning  pioneer  navigation  are 
given  in  the  biographies  of  Captains  Foster  and 
Dwyer  in  a  subsequent  portion  of  this  work. 
Captain  Fourat  is  another  good  historian  of 
those  items. 

STEAMBOAT    EXPLOSIONS. 

Steamboat  explosions  and  other  accidents  on 
inland  waters  were  very  common  in  early  days, 
previous  to  the  many  improvements  that  have 
in  our  generation  been  made  in  engine  machinery 
and  the  structure  of  vessels.  During  the  first 
several  years  after  the  gold  discovery  and  the 
introduction  of  steam  vessels  in  California,  it 
was  estimated  that  on  San  Francisco  Bay  alone, 
and  its  tributaries,  there  were  no  less  than  two 
or  three  accidents  every  week.  Thus  they  were 
so  common  that  t!ie  newspapers  did  not  detail 
the  particulars  of  all  (jf  them,  and  our  sources 
of  information  concerning  many  of  them  are 
correspondingly  meagei-. 

The  first  explosion  of  which  we  have  any  ac- 
count was  that  of  a  steamer  named  the  Fawn, 
occurring  August  18,  1850. 

The  Sagamore  sufi'ered  a  like  accident  Octo- 
ber 29,  following. 

Major  Tompkins,  January  23,  1851. 

The  steamer  Jack  Hays  was  overhauled  and 
repaired  during  the  earliest  months  of  1853, 
expressly   for  traffic    between    Sacramento   and 


UISlOIiY    OF    SACRAMENTO    COUNTY. 


Marysville,  in  opposition  to  the  Governor  Dana, 
and  renamed  R.  K.  Page.  Slie  started  on  her 
first  trip  np  the  river  March  22,  tlie  same  day 
her  opponent  was  going  up.  Coming  along- 
side, the  crew  and  passengers  began  cheering, 
each  one  hurrahing  for  his  own  boat  without 
thinking  of  consequences.  The  engineer  of  the 
Page  heaved  in  a  barrel  of  oil,  and  as  they  weie 
passing  Nicolaus  the  boiler  exploded,  being 
driven'ahead.  Daniel  Moore,  the  former  cap- 
tain of  the  boat,  Thomas  Kirbey  and  Lieutenant 
Henry  Moore  were  standing  on  the  hurricane 
deck  at  the  time,  and  nothing  was  ever  seen  of 
them  afterward. 

The  Jennie  Lind,  April  11,  1853,  suffered  a 
like  disaster  on  her  way  to  Alviso,  in  San  Fran- 
cisco Bay,  killing  or  badly  scalding  between 
forty  and  fifty  passengers,  most  of  whom  were 
at  dinner  at  the  time  of  the  accident. 

October  18,  the  same  year,  there  were  two 
similar  catastrophes  within  the  limits  of  the 
waters  described.  One  was  the  explosion  of  the 
boiler  of  the  American  Eagle  on  the  San  Joaquin 
Iliver,  at  a  point  known  as  the  Tiiree  Sloughs, 
twentj'-five  miles  below  Stockton,  which  shivered 
the  vessel  to  pieces,  killing  one  of  the  crew  and 
three  passengers;  others  were  injured.  Cause 
of  e.xplosion,  defective  iron.  There  were  fifty- 
three  passengers  altogether.  Ilardison  was 
captain. 

In  tlie  afternoon  of  the  same  day  tlje  steamer 
Stockton,  while  passing  New  York  landing, 
burst  a  boiler,  killing  one  person  and  severely 
scalding  eight.  One  of  the  latter,  Captain  J. 
B.  Sharp,  died  the  following  day.  Cause  of  ac- 
cident unknown. 

January  8, 1854,  the  Ranger  exploded  on  San 
Francisco  Bay,  with  twelve  persons  on  board, 
killing  three  and  severely  scalding  five,  and 
almost  totally  wrecking  the  vessel.  Tlie  cause 
of  this  disaster  was  supposed  to  be  tiie  turning 
of  cold  water  suddenly  into  a  super-heated  boiler. 
The  engine  was  of  the  high-pressure  style,  of 
eigiiteen  horse-power,  and  was  carrying  120 
pounds  of  steam  when  the  crown  or  arch  sheet 
of  the  boiler  gave   wav,  and   the  steam    rushed 


down  to  the  feet  and  recoiled  with  sufficient 
force  to  carry  away  the  decks  above.  The  ves- 
sel was  of  thirty  tons  burden;  John  A.  Bryan, 
Engineer. 

On  the  19th  of  the  same  month,  the  Helen 
Hensley  exploded  at  San  Francisco,  just  as  she 
was  about  to  leave  for  Benicia.  Engine,  high- 
pressnre.  Both  ends  of  one  of  the  four  boilers 
were  blown  out,  causing  great  destruction  in 
the  front  portion  of  the  boat.  Cause,  some  de- 
fect in  the  flues  or  steam  connections,  or  too 
much  fire  under  one  of  the  boilers.  Two  men 
were  killed.  One  passenger  was  thrown  upon  a 
bed  and  with  it  quite  over  upon  the  wharf,  when 
he  quietly  gathered  himself  up  and  coolly  re- 
marked that  he  guessed  he  wouldn't  go  to  Beni- 
cia that  day! 

The  Secretary,  of  whom  the  captain  was  E. 
"W.  Travis,  exploded  April  15, 1854,  with  about 
sixty  persons  on  board,  when  between  the  islands 
called  the  "  Brothers  and  Sisters  "  in  San  Fran- 
cisco Bay,  and  when  engaged  in  a  race  with  the 
Nevada.  Sixteen  persons  were  killed  and  thirty- 
one  wounded.  The  Nevada  picked  up  those 
who  escaped  death  and  returned  to  the  city, 
leaving  nothing  in  sight  but  the  bow  of  the  ill- 
fated  Secretary.  The  engine  was  the  same  that 
had  been  used  upon  the  exploded  Sagamore. 
Cause  of  disaster,  probably  a  defective  boiler. 
Bessie,  tiie  engineer,  was  seen  to  lay  an  oar 
across  the  lever  of  the  safety  valve,  and  that  was 
bending  upward  from  the  pressure  of  the  steam 
just  before  the  explosion  took  place. 

The  Pearl,  of  the  "Combination  Line,"'  burst 
a  boiler  just  below  the  mouth  of  the  American 
River,  January  27.  1855,  on  her  way  from 
Marysville,  and  was  racing  against  the  Enter- 
prise, of  the  "Citizens'  Line."  Fifty-six  per- 
sons were  killed!  There  were  ninety-three 
persons  aboard,  many  of  whom  were  China- 
men. Most  of  the  passengers  were  on  the  for- 
ward part,  as  is  usual  when  a  boat  approaches 
a  landing.  The  captain,  E.  T.  Davis,  was  killed. 
James  Robinson  would  liave  been  drowned  had 
not  a  large  blood-hound  plunged  in  and  saved 
him!    Only  four  ladies  were  on  board,  and  they 


HISTORY    OF    SACRAMENTO    COUNTY. 


were  all  saved  without  injury.  The  vessel  was 
made  a  total  wreck.  The  verdict  of  the  coro- 
ner's jury  was,  cause  unknown.  The  engineer 
was  incompetent,  but  it  was  also  known  that 
the  gauges  were  inaccurate.  The  Legislature, 
which  was  then  in  session,  adjourned  in  conse- 
quence of  'he  mournful  event. 

February  5,  1856,  the  Belle,  running  from 
San  Francisco  to  Marysville,  exploded  nine 
miles  above  Sacramento,  probably  from  too 
high  pressure  or  defective  boiler.  The  captain, 
Charles  H.  Houston,  was  killed,  and  his  remains 
now  lie  in  the  Sacramento  Cemetery.  The 
steamer  General  Reddington,  coming  down  the 
river,  picked  up  the  survivors.  The  entire  ves- 
sel on  which  the  disaster  occurred,  except  the 
rear  forty  feet,  immediately  sank.  There  were 
probably  about  forty  persons  on  board,  of  whom 
between  twenty  and  thirty  were  killed.  W.  J. 
Elrick  was  the  chief  engineer. 

The  J.  A.  McClelland,  C.  Mills  commanding, 
ran  as  an  independent  boat  between  Sacramento 
and  Ked  Bluff.  August  25, 1861,  when  about  six 
miles  by  water  and  two  by  land  below  Knight's 
Landing,  with  about  thirty  persons  on  board,  it 
exploded  a  boiler,  killing  tifteen  outright,  fa- 
tally injuring  several,  and  more  or  less  injuring 
all  the  rest  except  one!  The  action  tore  away 
the  whole  of  the  front  portion  of  the  decks,  and 
fearfully  scattered  the  freight.  A  large  piece  of 
boiler  rolled  up  like  a  scroll  of  paper  and  was 
thrown  across  the  river,  a  distance  of  200  or 
300  yards.  Sheldon  S.  Baldwin,  tlie  pilot, 
averred  that  he  must  have  gone  up  fully  200 
feet  (!)  in  the  air,  with  the  pilot-house  and 
several  companions,  and  that  they  came  down 
directly  into  the  place  where  the  boiler  had 
l)een,  "not  much  hurt!" 

The  cause  of  this  disaster  is  undetermined, 
but  it  is  said  that  the  boilers  had  been  much 
strained  by  previous  racing.  The  hull,  which 
sank  in  a  few  minutes  after  the  accident,  was 
subsequently  raised,  the  vessel  rebuilt,  "chris- 
tened" the  Rainbow,  ran  for  a  time  as  a  strong 
opposition  boat,  and  was  finally  bought  off  by 
tlie  Steam  Navigation  Comjiany. 


The  Washoe  exploded  September  5,  1804, 
thirty-five  miles  below  Sacramento,  or  ten  miles 
above  Rio  Vista,  with  about  175  persons  on 
board,  killing  about  half  of  them  ani  severely 
injuring  more  than  half  the  remainder.  Cap- 
tain Albert  Foster,  with  the  steamfer  Antelope, 
picked  up  the  survivors  and  hurried  on  to  Sacra- 
mento, but  ran  on  a  bar  opposite  R  street,  and 
was  delayed  several  hours  there.  Before  running 
aground  the  captain  tolled  the  bell,  in  order  to 
convey  to  the  citizens  the  sad  intelligence  of  the 
disaster,  and  the  fire-bells  of  the  city  were  rung 
in  response.  In  a  short  time  the  levee  was 
crowded  with  anxious  spectators.  The  tedious 
delay  by  being  aground  rendered  the  pain  and 
suspense  of  the  citizens  intolerable. 

The  Yoseinite,  commanded  by  Captain  Poole, 
exploded  on  the  first  revolution  of  the  wheels 
on  plying  out  of  the  port  of  Rio  Vista,  Octo- 
ber 12,  1865,  with  about  150  people  on  board. 
About  100  lives  were  lost,  thirty-two  being 
Chinese.  Cause  of  explosion,  defective  iron,  as 
during  the  war  all  the  best  iron  had  been  kept 
in  the  East  for  military  purposes.  The  bulk- 
heads were  too  strong  to  permit  the  steam  to 
expand  itself  in  the  hull,  where  the  boilers  were, 
and  it  pushed  up,  liiaking  a  great  breach,  into 
which  the  people  fell.  Captain  Fourat,  now  of 
the  Modoc,  was  pilot  of  the  Yosemite  on  that 
occasion.  The  Chrysopolis,  on  her  upward  trip, 
brought  the  dead  and  wounded  to  Sacramento. 
The  Julia,  in  September,  1866,  exploded  in 
San  Francisco  Bay,  nearly  opposite  Alcatraz 
Island,  while  rounding  it  on  her  return  trip 
from  Stockton.  The  total  number  of  deaths 
resulting  from  the  accident  was  thirteen.  Cap- 
tain Fourat,  being  near  with  a  boat,  picked  up 
some  of  the  dead.  Something  was  noticed  to  be 
wrong  with  the  works  before  the  accident  oc- 
curred, but  little  heed  was  paid  to  it.  The  en- 
gineer, Mr.  Long,  was  killed  by  the  explosion. 
Many  other  accidents  have  of  course  occurred, 
but  we  believe  we  have  named  the  principal 
ones.  Everything  pertaining  to  navigation  has 
so  improved  that  serious  accidents  nowadays 
seldom  happen. 


HISTORY    OF    SACRAMENTO    COUNTY. 


♦1,.  ^RAILROADS.*  i 


CHAPTER   XVI 


■^ 


fllE  following  account,  with  some  correc- 
tions, is  mostly  taken  from  Thompson  & 
West's  History,  of  1880. 
Tlie  project  of  building  a  railroad  across  the 
plains  and  inounta,iiis  was  agitated  by  Asa 
Whitney,  in  184G,  in  Congress  and  out  of  it, 
till  1850,  and  he  was  supported  in  his  movement 
by  such  men  as  Senator  Breese,  of  Hlinois,  and 
ikniton,  of  Missouri,  the  latter  of  whom  intro- 
duced a  bill  into  the  Senate  of  the  United  States, 
for  a  Pacific  Railroad,  February  7,  1849.  This 
bill  was  really  the  first  tangible  effort  made 'in 
this  direction.  The  first  effort  made  in  Califor- 
nia toward  the  building  of  an  overland  road 
was  the  formation  of  a  company  by  citizens  of 
Nevada,  Placer  and  Sacramento  counties.  There 
were  filed  in  the  office  of  the  Secretary  of  State, 
August  17,  1852,  articles  of  incorporation  of 
the  Sacramento,  Auburn  &  Nevada  Railroad 
Company,  containincr  the  names  of  twenty-six 
subscribers  of  twenty-eight  shares  each,  at  a 
value  of  $100  per  share,  and  the  names  of  the 
followingdirectors:  S.W.  Lovell,  PlacerCounty; 
T.  O.  Dunn,  John  R.  Coryell,  Ciiarles  Marsh, 
Isaac  Williamson  and  William  H.  Lyons,  of 
Nevada  County;  John  A.  Read,  J.  E.  Ilaggin 
and  Lloyd  Tevis,  of  Sacramento  County.  A  line 
was  surveyed  from  Sacramento  City,  tlirougii 
Folsoni,  Auburn,  and  Grass  Valley,  to  Nevada 
City.  This  line  was  sixty-eight  miles  long,  and 
the  estimated  cost  of  construction  was  ,^2,000,- 
000.    From  Nevada  City  the  survey  was  contin- 


ued through  the  Ilenness  Pass.  Tlie  enterprise 
was  too  gigantic  for  the  means  at  the  command 
of  the  incorporators,  and  they  were  compelled 
to  abandon  the  project. 

During  the  month  of  March,  1853,  Congress 
passed  an  act  providing  for  a  survey,  by  the 
topographical  engineers  of  the  army,  of  three 
routes  for  a  transcontinental  railway,  the  north- 
ern, southern  and  middle  routes.  These  surveys 
were  made,  and  reports  submitted  to  Congress, 
and  published,  with  elaborate  engravings  of  the 
scenery  along  the  routes,  topographical  maps, 
representations  of  the  animals  and  plants  dis- 
covered. These  reports  were,  no  doubt,  im- 
mensely valuable,  but  they  did  not  show  that 
a  route  for  a  railway'  was  practicable  over  the 
Rocky  Mountains  and  the  Sierra  Nevadas.  The 
demonstration  of  the  fact  that  such  a  route 
did  exist  was  left  to  be  made  by  Theodore 
D.  Judah,  the  chief  engineer  of  the  first  rail- 
road ever  built  in  California — tlie  Sacramento 
Valley  Railroad.  It  was  while  engaged  in 
building  this  road,  from  185i  to  1856,  that  Mr. 
Judah  became  convinced  of  the  practicability  of 
a  railroad  over  the  Sierra  Nevadas,  which  was 
the  only  mountain  range  that  had  before  been 
deemed  impracticable.  He  made  trial  surveys, 
or,  more  properly,  recounoisances  over  several  of 
the  supposed  passes  over  tlie  Sierras,  at  his  own 
expense.  These  were  simply  barometrical  sur- 
veys, but  were  sufficiently  accurate  to  convince 
Mr.  J  udah  that  a  road  could  be  Ituilt,  and,  armed 


HISTORY    OF    SACRAMENTO    COUNTY. 


with  the  data  thus  obtained,  he  lost  no  oppor- 
tunity in  presenting  liis  views  and  aims  when- 
ever and  wherever  it  seemed  to  him  thatitwould 
advance  the  project  of  a  Pacific  Railroad.  He 
succeeded,  through  a  concurrent  resolution  of 
the  California  Legislature  of  1858,  in  having  a 
railroad  convention  called,  to  meet  in  San  Fran- 
cisco, September  20,  1859.  This  convention 
was  composed  of  many  of  the  prominent  men 
of  California  at  that  time;  among  them  we  note 
Hon.  J.  A.  McDougall,  Hon.  J.  B.  Crockett, 
Major  John  Bidwell,  Hon.  S.  B.  Axtell,  Hon. 
James  T.  Farley,  Sherman  Day  and  others,  of 
California,  together  with  delegates  from  Oregon 
and  adjoining  Territories. 

They  sent  Mr.  Judah  to  Washington,  Dis- 
trict of  Columbia,  tii  endeavor  to  procure  legis- 
lation on  the  subject  of  the  railroad.  He  pro- 
ceeded thither  in  time  to  be  at  the  opening  of 
the  Thirty-sixth  Congress.  Arrived  at  Wash- 
ington, he  lost  no  time  in  visiting  the  different 
departments,  and  collecting  from  each  all  the 
information  they  had  that  could  in  any  way  aid 
him  in  presenting  plainly  to  Congress  the  im- 
portance and  practicability  of  the  enterprise. 
Unfortunately,  this  Congress  was  so  entirely  oc- 
cupied with  political  matters  that  little  could  be 
done  in  the  way  of  procuring  legislation,  but 
great  good  was  effected  by  the  personal  inter- 
views that  Mr.  Judah  had  with  the  different 
members  and  other  prominent  men.  PHs  knowl- 
edge of  the  subject  was  so  thorough  that  he 
rarely  failed  to  convince  any  one,  with  whom  he 
talked,  of  the  entire  feasibility  of  the  project. 
A  bill  was  drawn  up  by  himself  and  Hon.  John 
C.  Burcli,  then  a  Member  of  Congress  from 
California.  It  contained  nearly-  all  the  provis- 
ions of  the  bill  as  finally  passed  in  1862.  It 
was  printed  at  private  expense,  and  a  copy  sent 
to  eacli  Senator  and  Member  of  Congress. 

Mr.  Judah  returned  to  California  in  1860,  and 
set  about  making  a  more  thorough  survey  of 
the  Sierras  for  a  pass  and  approach  tliereto.  He 
was  accompanied  on  this  survey  by  Dr.  D.  W. 
Strong,  of  Dutch  Flat,  who  contributed  largely 
from  his  private   means  to  pay  the  expenses  of 


the  trip,  in  addition  to  assisting  very  materially 
the  progress  of  the  work  by  his  intimate  knowl- 
edge of  the  mountains.  Dr.  Strong  was  one  of 
the  first  directors  of  the  Central  Pacific  Rail- 
road Company  when  formed. 

After  completing  these  surveys,  which  were 
made  with  a  barometer,  Mr.  Judah  went  to  San 
Francisco  to  lay  his  plan  before  the  capitalists 
of  that  place,  and  induce  them,  if  possible,  to 
form  a  company  to  take  hold  of  the  work  and 
push  it  forward.  His  ideas  were  received  very 
coldly,  and  he  failed  to  get  any  financial  support 
in  San  Francisco.  Returning  to  his  hotel  one 
evening,  convinced  of  the  futility  of  any  fur- 
ther trials  in  San  Francisco,  Mr.  Judah  re- 
marked: "The  capitalists  of  San  Francisco  have 
refused  this  night  to  make  an  investment,  for 
which,  in  less  than  three  years,  they  shall  have 
ample  cause  to  blame  their  want  of  foresight. 
I  shall  return  to  Sacramento  to-morrow,  to  in- 
terest merchants  and  others  of  that  place  in 
this  great  work,  and  this  shall  be  my  only  other 
effort  on  this  side  of  the  continent." 

Previously  Mr.  Judah  had  placed  his  plans 
and  estimates  before  a  friend,  James  Bailey, 
of  Sacramento,  who,  struck  by  the  force  of 
these  calculations,  introduced  Mr.  Judah  to 
Governor  Stanford,  Mark  Hopkins  and  E.  B. 
and  Charles  Crocker;  C.  P.  Huntington  he  knew 
before. 

A  meeting  of  the  business  men  of  Sacra- 
mento was  called  and  the  preliminary  steps 
were  taken  to  organize  a  company.  This  or- 
ganization was  perfected  and  articles  of  incor- 
poration filed  with  the  Secretary  of  State,  June 
28,  1861.  The  company  was  named  The  Cen- 
tral Pacific  Railroad  Company  of  California, 
and  the  following  ofiicers  were  elected:  Leland 
Stanford,  President;  C.  P.  Huntington,  Vice- 
President;  Mark  Hopkins,  Treasurer;  Theodore 
D.  Judah,  Chief  Engineer;  Leland  Stanford, 
Charles  Crocker,  James  Bailey,  Theodore  D. 
Judah,  L.  A.  Booth,  C.  P.  Pluntington,  Mark 
Hopkins,  D.  W.  Strong,  of  Dutch  Flat,  and 
Charles  Marsh,  of  Nevada,  Directors. 

All  but  the  two  last  named  were  residents  of 


HISTORY    OP    SACRAMENTO    COUNT 


Sacramento,  showing  conclusively  that  to  Sac- 
ramento and  her  citizens  belongs  the  honor  of 
inaugnrating  and  carrying  to  a  successful  com- 
pletion the  Pacific  railroads;  for  had  not  Judah 
spent  his  time  and  talents  in  proving  that  such 
an  undertaking  were  possible,  it  is  an  open 
question  if  to-day  the  Pacific  railroads  would 
be  in  existence.  His  coadjutors,  named  in  the 
foregoing  list  of  officers,  and  some  of  wliom 
are  still  the  owners  and  officers  of  the  road,  de- 
serve full  credit  for  their  faith  in  the  enter 
prise  and  the  masterly  manner  in  whieli  they 
managed  the  financial  difficulties  encountered 
in  the  years  that  elapsed  between  the  organiza- 
tion of  the  company  and  the  completion  of  the 
road;  but  we  cannot  forget  that  for  three  or 
four  years  previous  to  the  organization  of  the 
company  Mr.  Judah  had  spent  all  his  time, 
money  and  energy  in  collecting  data,  without 
which  no  prudent  man  would  be  inclined  to 
invest  a  dollar  in  the  project  which  was  so  gen- 
erally believed  to  be  chimerical.  After  the 
organization  of  the  company,  Mr.  Judah  was 
instructed  to  make  a  thorough  instrumental 
survey  of  the  route  across  the  Sierras,  which 
he  did. 

The  previous  surveys  or  reconnoisances  had 
included  three  routes,  one  through  E!  Dorado 
County,  via  Georgetown,  another  via  Illinois- 
town  and  Dutch  Flat,  and  the  third  via  Nevada 
and  Henness  Pass.  The  observations  had  proved 
the  existence  of  a  route  across  the  Sierras  by 
•which  the  summit  could  be  reached  with  max- 
imum grades  of  105  feet  per  mile.  The  instru- 
mental survey  developed  a  line  with  lighter 
grades,  less  distance  and  fewer  obstacles  than 
the  previous  observations  had  shown.  The  first 
report  of  the  chief  engineer  to  the  officers  of 
the  company  gave  the  following  as  the  topo- 
graphical features  of  the  Sierra  Nevadas,  which 
rendered  them  so  formidable  for  railroad  opera- 
tions: 

1.  "The  great  elevation  to  be  overcome  in 
crossing  its  summit,  and  the  want  of  uniformity 
in  its  western  slope."  The  average  length  of 
the  western  slope  of  the  Sierras  is  about  seventy 


miles,  and  in  this  distance  the  altitude  increases 
7,000  feet,  making  it  necessary  to  maintain  an 
even  grade  on  the  ascent  to  avoid  creating  some 
sections  with  excessive  grades. 

2.  '  "From  the  impracticability  of  the  river 
crossings."  These  rivers  run  through  gorges 
in  many  places  over  1,000  feet  deep,  with  the 
banks  of  varying  slopes  from  perpendicular  to 
45°.  A  railroad  line,  therefore,  must  avoid 
crossing  these  canons.  The  line,  as  established 
by  the  surveys  of  1861,  pursued  its  course  along 
an  unbroken  ridge  from  the  base  to  the  summit 
of  the  Sierras,  the  only  river  crossing  in  the 
mountains  being  that  of  Little  Bear  River, 
about  three  miles  above  Dutch  Flat.  Another 
prominent  feature  of  the  location  is  the  fact 
that  it  entirely  avoids  the  second  summit  of  the 
Sierras.  The  estimated  cost  of  the  road  from 
Sacramento  to  the  State  Line  was  §88,000  per 
mile. 

October  9,  1861,  the  Board  of  Directors  of 
the  Central  Pacific  Railroad  Company  passed 
a  resolution  directing  Mr.  Judah,  the  chief  en- 
gineer of  the  company,  to  immediately  proceed 
to  Washington  on  a  steamer  as  their  accredited 
agent,  for  the  purpose  of  procuring  appropria- 
tions of  land  and  United  States  bonds  from  the 
Government,  to  aid  in  -the  construction  of  the 
road.  Mr.  Judah  went  East  and  this  time  ac- 
complished his  purpose,  as  was  evidenced  by 
the  bill  which  passed  Congress  in  July,  1862. 
This  bill  granted  to  the  roads  a  free  right-of- 
way  of  400  feet  wide  over  all  Government  lands 
on  their  route.  The  Government  also  agreed 
to  extinguish  the  Indian  title  to  all  the  lands 
donated  to  the  company,  either  for  right-of-way 
or  to  the  granted  lands.  The  lands  on  either  side 
of  the  route  were  to  be  withdrawn  from  settle- 
ment, by  pre-emption  or  otherwise,  for  a  dis- 
tance of  fifteen  miles,  until  the  final  location  of 
the  road  should  be  made  and  the  United  States 
surveys  had  determined  the  location  of  the 
section  lines.  This  map  of  the  route  was  made 
by  Mr.  Judah,  filed  in  the  office  of  the  Secretary 
of  the  Interior,  and  the  lands  withdrawn  in  ac- 
cordance with  the  terms  of  the  bill. 


HISTORY    OF    SACRAMENTO    COUNTY. 


This  bill  also  provided  for  the  issue  to  the 
company  of  United  States  thirty-year  six  per 
cent,  bonds,  to  be  issued  to  the  company  as  each 
forty-mile  section  of  the  road  was  completed,  at 
the  rate  of  S16,000  per  mile  for  the  line  west  of 
the  western  base  of  the  Sierra  Nevadas,  and  at 
the  rate  of  $48,000  per  mile  from  the  western 
base  east  to  the  eastern  base  of  the  Sierras,  the 
latter  subsidy  to  be  paid  on  the  completion  of 
each  twenty-mile  section.  To  secure  the  Gov- 
ernment from  loss,  and  insure  the  repayment  of 
these  bonds,  they  were  made  a  iirst  lien  on  the 
road.  This  was  subsequently  modified,  by  an 
act  passed  July,  1864,  allowing  the  company  to 
issue  first-mortgage  bonds,  the  United  States 
assuming  the  position  of  second  mortgagee. 
The  land  grant  in  the  first  bill  was  every  alter- 
nate section  for  ten  miles,  each  side  of  the  track. 
This  allowance  was  subsequently  doubled,  mak- 
ing twenty  sections  per  mile.  The  State  of 
California  also  donated  $10,000  per  mile  to  the 
road,  by  an  act  approved  April  25,  1863. 

The  engineering  difficulties  were  great,  and 
had  been  considered  insurmountable,  but  the 
financial  difiiculties  were  also  great,  and  un- 
doubtedly required  more  labor  and  thought  than 
the  engineering,  though  of  a  difl"erent  kind. 
That  these  difiiculties  were  surmounted,  and  the 
originators  of  the  eflfort  still  retain  the  owner- 
ship and  control  of  the  road,  and,  in  addition  to 
the  original  line,  have  built  thousands  of  miles 
of  road  in  California  and  Arizona,  proves  the 
ability  of  the  leaders  in  this  movement.  These 
men  were  merchants  in  wliat  cannot  be  classed 
among  the  large  cities,  and  consequently  not 
largely  known  to  the  financial  world;  they  had 
never  been  engaged  in  the  railroad  business, 
and  were  supposably  ignorant  of  the  immense 
undertaking  in  which  they  had  embarked.  Aside 
from  the  natural  difficulty  of  the  situation,  they 
encountered  opposition  from  the  moneyed  men 
of  San  Francisco  and  other  places,  who  gave 
their  enterprise  the  not  very  pleasant  name  of 
the  "  Dutch  Flat  Swindle." 

Mr.  Huntington,  Vice-President  of  the  com- 
pany, was  sent  East,  with  full  power  of  attorney 


to  do  any  acts  he  miglit  think  best  for  the  in- 
terest of  the  company.  One  of  the  main  objects 
of  this  visit  was  to  see  that  the  bill  which  was 
then  before  Congress  should  not  oblige  the  com- 
pany to  pay  interest  on  the  bonds  received  of 
the  Government  for  ten  years,  at  least,  from  the 
date  of  their  issue.  After  the  passage  of  the 
bill,  the  books  were  opened  for  stock  subscrip- 
tions, to  the  amount  of  $8,500,000,  and  for  a 
long  tin)e  the  stock  was  disposed  of  very  slowly. 
Huntington,  on  endeavoring  to  dispose  of  the 
bonds  of  the  company  in  New  York,  was  in- 
formed that  they  had  no  marketable  value  until 
some  part  of  the  road  was  built.  Before  he 
could  dispose  of  them,  he  was  obliged  to  give 
the  personal  guarantees  of  himself  and  four 
partners,  Hopkins,  Stanford,  and  the  Crockers, 
for  the  money,  until  such  time  as  they  could  be 
exchanged  for  United  States  bonds.  The  bonds 
so  obtained,  $1,500,000,  built  thirty-one  miles 
of  the  road. 

In  1862  the  company  was  granted  the  right 
of  way  into  the  city  of  Sacramento,  and  also 
granted  the  Slongh,  or  Sutter  Lake.  The  first 
shovelful  of  dirt  thrown  in  the  construction  of 
the  Central  Pacific  Railroad  was  in  Sacramento, 
January  8,  1863,  by  Governor  Stanford,  at  the 
foot  of  K  street,  on  the  levee. 

The  contract  for  building  the  road  from  this 
point  to  Grider's,  on  the  California  Central 
Railroad,  was  let  to  C.  Crocker  &  Co.,  December 
22,  1862.  C.  Crocker  &  Co.  sub-let  the  con- 
tract to  difi'erent  parties.  Twenty  miles  of  road 
each  year  were  completed  in  1868,  1864  and 
1865,  thirty  miles  in  1866,  forty-six  miles  in 
1867,  364  miles  in  1868,  190^  miles  in  1869; 
making  690^  miles  from  Sacramento  to  Prom- 
ontory, where  the  roads  met.  May  10,  1869. 

All  of  the  materials,  except  the  cross-ties,  for 
constructing  this  road,  including  a  large  portion 
of  the  men  employed,  had  to  be  brought  from 
the  East,  via  Cape  Horn.  Toward  the  latter 
end  of  the  work  several  thousand  Chinamen 
were  employed.  In  addition  to  this,  it  was  war 
times,  and  marine  insurance  was  very  high; 
iron    and  railroad   materials  of  all  kinds   were 


HISTORT    OF    SACRAMENTO    COUNTY. 


held  at  enormous  figures,  and  the  price  of  the 
subsidy  bonds  was  very  low.  All  of  these  facts 
tended  to  make  the  cost  of  the  road  large. 

Tiie  State  of  California  ag'eed  to  pay  the  in- 
terest on  $1,500,000  of  bonds  for  twenty  years, 
in  e.xchange  for  %¥hich  the  railroad  company 
gave  a  valuable  stone  quarry.  Several  of  the 
counties  along  the  line  of  the  road  granted  bonds 
of  the  counties  in  exchange  for  stock.  Sacra- 
mento County  gave  her  bonds  to  the  amount  of 
$300,000.  These  bonds  were  exchanged  for 
money,  and  the  work  pusliod  forward.  There 
was  delay  in  obtaining  the  Government  subsidy, 
and  the  money  ran  short.  When  Mr.  Hunting- 
ton returned  from  New  York  he  found  the 
treasury  almost  depleted  of  coin,  and  tlie  neces- 
sity of  raising  more  means  or  stopping  the  work 
was  evident.  "  Huntington  and  Hopkins  can, 
out  of  their  own  means,  pay  500  men  during  a 
year;  how  many  can  each  of  you  keep  on  the 
line?"  was  the  characteristic  way  in  which  this 
man  met  the  emergency.  Before  the  meeting 
adjourned  these  five  men  had  resolved  that  they 
would  maintain  800  men  on  the  road  during 
the  year  out  of  their  own  private  fortunes. 

About  this  time  (1863)  Mr.  Judah  had  sold 
out  his  interest  in  the  company  and  gone  East. 
On  the  way  he  was  stricken  with  the  Panama 
fever,  of  which  he  died  shortly  after  his  arrival 
in  New  York,  in  1863,  at  the  age  of  only  thirty- 
seven  years.  Dr.  Strong,  of  Dutch  Flat,  though 
a  sincere  believer  in  the  enterprise,  was  unable 
to  furnish  what  was  considered  his  share  of  the 
expenses  necessary  to  be  advanced,  and  retired 
from  the  Board  of  Directors.  Bailey,  Mr.  Marsh 
and  Mr.  Booth  we  hear  nothing  of  after  the  en- 
terprise was  fairly  under  way,  though  we  know 
they  were  all  three  earnest  workers  at  the  com- 
mencement. 

S.  S.  Montague  succeeded  Mr.  Judah  as  chief 
engineer  of  the  road,  which  position  he  still 
holds.  Tlie  location  surveys  were  made  under 
Mr.  Montague's  directions.  The  road  from 
Sacramento  to  Colfax,  or  Lower  Illinoistown 
Gap,  was  located  on  the  line  run  by  Mr.  Judah 
in  1861;  from  Colfax  to   Long  Ravine  the  line 


was  changed  materially;  from  Long  Ravine  to 
Alta  the  line  ran  on  Judah's  survey,  and  from 
Alta  to  the  Summit  on  an  entirely  new  line, 
located  by  Mr.  L.  M.  Clement,  engineer,  in 
charge  of  second  division  from  Colfax  to  the 
Summit.  Tin's  final  location  gave  a  better  grade 
line,  and  one  more  free  from  snow  in  the  winter, 
two  very  desirable  objects.  Tlie  value  of  these 
changes  is  plainly  shown  by  the  report  of  George 
E.  Gray,  formerly  chief  engineer  of  the  New 
York  Central  Railroad.  Mr.  Gray  was  requested 
by  Leland  Stanford,  in  a  letter  dated  'July  10, 
1865,  to  inspect  the  line  of  road  and  surveys 
then  made,  and  report  to  the  Board  of  Directors 
of  the  company  his  opinion  as  to  the  quality  of 
the  work,  and  the  economical  location  of  that 
portion  not  then  built.  Mr.  Gray's  report  gave 
as  his  opinion  that  the  road  already  constructed 
would  compare  favorably  with  any  road  in  the 
United  States.  Of  tliat  portion  not  constructed 
he  reported  that  Mr.  Judah's  line  had  been 
materially  altered,  causing  a  saving  in  distance 
of  nearly  5,000  feet,  and  also  reducing  the 
aggregate  length  of  the  tunnels  about  5,000 
feet,  a  saving  in  cost  of  construction  of  over 
$400,000  at  least.  The  road  progressed,  as  we 
have  stated  above,  slowly  at  first,  but  more 
rapidly  toward  the  close,  until,  on  the  10th  day 
of  May,  1869,  the  last  spike  was  driven,  which 
completed  the  railroad  connection  between  the 
Atlantic  and  Pacific  oceans.  A  large  party 
were  gathered  on  Promontory  Point  to  see  this 
ceremony.  Telegraph  wires  had  been  connected 
with  the  different  large  cities  of  the  Union,  so 
that  the  exact  moment  of  driving  the  last  spike 
could  be  known  in  all  at  the  same  time.  The 
hour  designated  having  arrived,  Leland  Stan- 
ford, President  of  the  Central  Pacific,  and  other 
officers  of  the  company  came  forward.  T.  C. 
Durant,  Vice-President  of  the  Union  Pacific, 
accompanied  by  General  Dodge  and  others  of 
the  same  company,  met  them  at  the  end  of  the 
rail,  where  they  paused,  while  Rev.  Dr.  Todd, 
of  Massachusetts,  gave  a  short  prayer.  The 
last  tie,  made  of  California  laurel,  with  silver 
plates  bearing  suitable  inscriptions,  was   put  in 


HISTORY    OP    8AGEAMENT0    COUNTY. 


place,  and  the  last  connecting  rails  were  laid  by 
parties  from  each  company.  The  last  spikes 
were  made,  one  of  gold  from  California,  one  of 
silver  from  Nevada,  and  one  of  gold  and  silver 
from  Arizona.  President  Stanford  then  took 
the  hammer  of  solid  silver,  to  the  handle  of 
which  were  attached  the  telegraph  wires,  by 
which,  at  the  first  tap  on  the  iiead  of  the  gold 
spike,  at  12  m.,  the  news  of  the  event  was  flashed 
over  the  American  continent. 

A  locomotive  of  the  Cential  Pacific  Railroad 
Company  and  another  of  the  Union  Pacific  Rail- 
road Company  approached  from  each  way,  and 
rubbed  their  pilots  together,  while  bottles  of 
champagne  were  passed  from  one  to  the  other. 

During  the  building  of  this  road  the  track- 
laying  force  of  the  Central  Pacific  laid  ten  miles 
and  200  feet  of  track  in  one  day.  This  herculean 
feat  was  performed  on  the  20th  of  April,  1869, 
when  only  fourteen  miles  of  track  remained  to 
be  laid  to  connect  with  the  Union  Pacific  Rail- 
road, and  was  entirely  finished  by  7  p.  m. 

By  mutual  agreement  between  the  two  roads 
Ogden  was  made  the  terminus  of  each.  By  this 
arrangement  the  Union  Pacific  sold  fifty- three 
miles  of  ruad  to  the  Central,  making  the  length 
of  road  owned  by  the  Central  Pacific  proper 
743^  miles,  from  Sacramento  to  Ogden. 

August  20,  1870,  the  Western  Pacific,  San 
Joaquin  Valley,  ("alifornia  &  Oregon,  and  San 
Francisco,  Oakland  &  Alameda  railroads  were 
all  consolidated  \inder  the  name  of  the  Central 
Pacific  Railroad. 

The  "AVestern  Pacific  Railroad  Company" 
was  incorporated  December  13,  1862,  for  the 
purpose  of  constructing  a  railway  from  Sac 
Jose,  through  the  counties  of  Alameda  and  San 
Joaquin,  to  the  city  of  Sacramento.  Its  capital 
stock  was  $5,400,000.  The  road  was  137^ 
miles  in  length,  and  made  the  whole  length  of 
the  Central  Pacific  881  miles.  This  road  was 
not  completed  until  1870.  The  franchise  had, 
we  believe,  passed  into  the  hands  of  the  Central 
Pacific  Railroad  Company  a  year  before  the 
above  date  of  consolidation.  The  San  Joaquin 
Valley    Railroad    is    now   the   property   of   the 


Southern  Pacific.  The  California  &  Oregon 
Railroad  leaves  the  Central  Pacific  at  Roseville, 
and  runs  from  thence  to  Redding,  California. 

The  "California  Pacific  Railroad  Company" 
was  for  some  time  an  active  competitor  for  the 
carrying  trade  of  the  State,  and  at  one  time  it 
was  thought  that  the  intention  of  its  owners 
was  to  construct  a  line  of  railroad  to  connect 
with  the  Union  Pacific.  This  company  bought 
the  boats  and  franchises  of  the  California  Steam 
Navigation  Company,  and  for  some  time  really 
controlled  the  rates  of  freight  between  Sacra 
mento  and  San  Francisco. 

It  was  incorporated  January  10,  1865,  with  a 
capital  stock  of  $3,500,000.  Work  was  begun 
in  Vallejo  in  1867,  and  ihe  road  was  finished  to 
Washington,  Yolo  County,  November  11,  1868, 
and  to  Marysville  in  November,  1869.  In  June, 
1869,  this  company  purchased  the  Napa  Valley 
Railroad;  the  two  railroads  were  consolidated  in 
December,  1869,  with  a  capital  of  $12,000,000. 

In  1869  and  1870  the  Central  Pacific  and 
California  Pacific  railroads  were  at  war  with 
each  other.  The  track  of  the  Central  Pacific 
being  laid  on  the  levee,  it  was  impossible  for 
the  California  Pacific  road  to  cross  the  river, 
and  secure  depot  and  switch  accommodations, 
without  crossing  this  track.  Various  attempts 
were  made  to  lay  the  track  and  form  the  cross- 
ing of  the  two  tracks,  but  these  attempts  were 
resisted;  and  at  one  time  it  appeared  as  if 
bloodshed  would  result.  The  crossing,  however, 
was  made,  and  passengers  landed  by  the  Cali- 
fornia Pacific  in  Sacramento,  January  29,  1870. 
The  train  was  received  with  a  regular  ovation; 
guns  were  fired,  the  fire  department  turned  out, 
and  intense  enthusiasm  was  manifested  on  all 
sides.  The  war  continued  until  August,  1871, 
during  which  time  the  rates  of  freight  and  travel 
were  very  low,  and  neither  road  could  have  made 
much  profit.  In  August,  however,  these  roads 
were  consolidated,  since  which  time,  with  the 
exception  of  competition  by  river  for  a  short 
period,  the  Central  Pacific  Railroad  Company 
has  had  a  monopoly  of  the  carrying  trade  from 
Sacramento. 


HISTORY    OP    SACRAMENTO    COUNTY. 


The  California  Pacific  gave  the  "Vallejo 
route"  to  San  Francisco.  The  trip  was  made 
to  Vallejo  b}'  rail,  and  from  thence  to  San  Fran- 
cisco bj  boat.  This  was  a  very  popular  route, 
and  monopolized  the  majority  of  the  travel  be- 
tween Sacramento  and  San  Francisco.  Decern 
ber  28,  1879,  the  new  road  via  Henicia  was 
opened,  and  the  trains  have  since  been  run 
through  to  Oakland,  and  the  Vallejo  route  as  a 
line  of  travel  to  San  F'rancisco  was  abandoned. 
The  large  ferry  at  Benicia  will  be  superseded  by 
a  bridge  in  a  few  years. 

The  "  Sacramento  Valley  Railroad  "  was  the 
first  constructed  in  California.  The  company 
was  organized  August  4,  1852,  when  ten  per 
cent,  of  tlie  stock  subscribed  was  paid  in,  amount- 
ing to  85,000.  The  company  re-organized  No- 
vember 9,  1854,  and  made  immediate  prepara- 
tion for  building  the  road.  The  first  shovelful 
of  dirt  was  thrown  in  February,  1855,  tlie  first 
tie  came  in  May,  and  the  first  vessel  load  of  ma- 
terial and  rolling  stock  arrived  from  Boston 
in  June.  The  first  work  done  on  a  railroad 
car  in  California  was  on  this  road,  July  4, 1855. 
The  first  rail  was  laid  August  9,  1855,  and  the 
first  train  was  placed  on  the  track  August  14. 
The  road  had  some  little  trouble  with  its  finances, 
but  was  not  impeded  materially  in  its  progress. 

November  13,  1855,  an  excursion  train  was 
run  to  Patterson's,  ten  miles  from  Sacramento, 
the  round  trip  costing  $1.00.  By  January  1, 
1856,  the  road  was  completed  to  Alder  Creek, 
and  on  February  22  was  finished  to  Folsom. 
The  length  of  the  road  was  twenty-two  and  one- 
half  miles,  and  cost  $1,568,500.  The  capital 
stock  was  $800,000— $792,000  of  wliicli  were 
issued.  The  road  was  a  very  profitable  one  from 
the  date  of  its  completion.  Its  efl'ect  was  to 
move  the  terminus  of  the  stage  and  freight  lines 
running  to  the  nortliern  mines  to  Folsom,  build- 
ing up  quite  a  town  at  that  point.  At  one  time 
twenty  one  different  stage  lines  were  centered 
at  Folsom,  all  leaving  shortly  after  the  arrival 
of  the  trains  from  Sacramento. 

In  August,  1865,  the  Central  Pacific  Com- 
pany   jiurchased   the   Sacramento    Valley    road. 


The  purchase  was  made  by  George  F.  Bragg,  on 
behalf  of  himself  and  others,  of  the  entire  stock 
held  by  L.  L.  Robinson  and  Pioche  and  Bayer- 
que.  The  price  paid  for  this  stock  was  $800,- 
000.  Bragg,  soon  after  coming  into  possession, 
transferred  the  stock  to  the  owners  of  the  Cen- 
tral Pacific.  The  latter  company  was  forced  to 
do  this  in  order  to  secure  the  whole  of  the  Wa- 
shoe trade,  which  at  this  time  was  immense, 
amounting  to  several  million  dollars  per  annum. 
The  short  line  of  the  Sacramento  Valley  road 
alone  declared  an  annual  profit  of  nearly  half  a 
million  dollars  the  year  previous  to  its  purchase, 
most  of  which  came  from  the  freights  going  to 
the  "Washoe  and  other  mining  districts. 

California  Central  Railroad. — In  the  spring 
of  1857  a  company  was  formed  in  Marysville, 
to  build  a  railroad  from  tliat  city  to  the  ter- 
minus of  the  Sacramento  Valley  Railroad,  at  Fol- 
som. This  company  was  entirely  independent 
of  the  Sacramento  Valley  Company.  Colo.iel 
C.  L.  Wilson,  who  was  one  of  the  contractors 
on  the  Sacramento  Valley  road,  was  sent  East 
to  procure  funds  for  building  the  road.  This 
object  he  eflected,  and  the  construction  com- 
menced forthwith.  The  road,  however,  never 
was  finished  to  Marysville  by  the  original  com- 
pany'. By  1861  the  track  was  laid  to  Lincoln. 
The  name  was  subsequently  changed  to  the 
California  &  Oregon  Railroad,  and  is  now 
known  as  the  Oregon  Division  of  the  Central 
Pacific  Railroad.  Shortly  after  the  completion 
of  the  Central  Pacific  Railroad  to  Roseville,  the 
company  purchased  the  California  Central  Rail- 
road; that  portion  of  the  road  between  Rose- 
ville and  Folsom  was  abandoned;  the  bridge 
over  the  American  River  was  condemned  and 
sold  in  1868. 

The  Placerville  cfi  Sacramento  Valley  Rail- 
road commences  at  Folsom  and  runs  to  Shingle 
Springs,  in  El  Dorado  County,  and  is  commonly 
known  as  the  Shingle  Springs  road.  It  was 
constructed  in  1864  or  '65. 

The  Amador  Branch  of  the  Central  Pacific 
Railroad  runs  from  Gait  to  lone,  a  distance  of 
twenty-seven  miles,  and  was  built  by  the  Central 


nmrouY  ot   sAciuMENro  county. 


Pacific  Company  in  1876,  to  gaiu  access  to  some 
coal  mines  at  or  near  lone. 

Freeport  Itailroad. — This  originated  in  a 
sclieme  to  divert  tlie  northern  trade  from  Sacra- 
mento by  building  wharves,  etc.,  at  Freeport, 
and  a  i-aili-oad  from  there  to  some  point  on  the 
Sacramento  Valley  I'oad.  The  road-bed  Mas 
graded  for  a  distance  of  nine  miles  from  Free- 
port,  and  the  ti-ack  laid;  but  before  its  comple- 
tion, the  Sacramento  Yalley  road  became  the 
property  of  the  Central  Pacific,  and  the  value 
of  the  Freeport  road,  never  very  large,  became 
still  smaller,  until  its  decease. 

In  addition  to  tliese  roads,  which  at  some 
time  had  a  real  existence,  there  have  been  a  num- 
ber of  otlier  companies' incorporated,  some  part 
of  whose  lines  would  touch  Sacramento  County. 

There  are  now  sixty  miles  of  railroad  in  Sac- 
ramento County. 

The  depot  building,  in  the  northwest  corner 
of  the  city  of  Sacramento,  is  up  with  the  times 
in  capacity,  convenience  and  beauty.  A  portion 
of  the  building  is  a  hotel. 

RAILROAD    SHOPS. 

Small  shops  were  established  at  the  time  of 
the  iirst  construction  of  the  road,  but  it  has  only 
been  in  late  yeais  that  the  growth  of  the  con- 
struction works  here  has  led  to  such  enlarge- 
ment of  the  shops.  At  the  present  time,  the 
works,  or  as  they  are  generally  called,  "  The 
IJailroad  Shops,"  with  the  track  room  and  yard 
room  necessarily  included,  occupy  about  fifteen 
acres  of  ground,  and  each  year  finds  a  larger 
area  in  use.  They  comprise  at  present  a^out 
twenty  large  buildings,  and  scores  of  small  ones. 
Most  of  the  large  ones  are  of  brick  with  slate 
roofs,  or  are  of  wood  and  corrugated  iron.  A 
statement  of  the  principal  buildings,  and  the 
use  to  which  they  are  devoted,  will  convey  a 
good  idea  of  how  completely  the  work  of  car 
and  engine  construction  is  carried  on. 

Tiie  main  buildings  are:  1,  General  Foundry; 
2,  Wheel  P'oundry;  3,  Brass  Foundry;  4,  Cop- 
per  Shop;    5,   Tin    Shop;  6,    Rolling-mill;    7, 


Boiler  Shop;  8,  Blacksmith  Shop;  9,  Round 
House;  10,  Locomotive  Machine  Shop;  11,  Car 
Machine  Shop;  12,  Car  Repair  Shop;  13,  Car 
Erecting  Shop;  14,  Cabinet  Shop;  15,  Paint 
Shop;  16,  Upholstery  Shop;  17,  Pattern  Shop; 
18,  Pattern  Lofts.  Besides  these,  there  have 
recently  been  erected  an  addition  to  the  paint 
shop,  80x100  feet;  a  large  brick  addition,  two 
stories  high,  to  the  car  machine  shop,  and  a 
large  brick  addition  to  the  car  erecting  shop. 
The  great  increase  in  the  clerical  force  necessary 
to  the  operation  of  the  works  demands  more 
room  than  is  now  available,  and  the  erection  of 
a  large  brick  building,  solely  for  office  use,  is  in 
contemplation.  The  works  are  under  the  direc- 
tion of  Mr.  H.  J.  Small,  Superintendent  M.  P. 
M.;  Benj.  Welch,  Master  Car  Builder,  and  Wm. 
McKenzie,  Assistant  General  Master  Machinist. 
To  the  thoughtful  observer,  the  tour  through 
the  works  is  most  interesting,  as  in  much  of 
what  is  going  on  in  the  construction  in  wood, 
and  iron,  and  brass,  and  otherwise  there  are 
suggestions  of  new  lines  of  manufacture  that 
might  well  be  developed  in  the  city,  to  the  great 
profit  of  those  who  should  first  intelligently  un- 
dertake the  work.  Only  a  very  general  idea 
can  be  given  here  of  the  character  of  the  work, 
or  of  its  magnitude.  There  are  employed  own 
an  aggregate  of  about  2,600  men.  Work  in 
many  departments  is  carried  on  day  and  night, 
by  different  shifts  of  men,  and  the  aid  of  numer- 
ous large  electric  lights.  The  shop  and  shed 
room  is  totally  inadequate  to  the  work  to  be 
done. 

The  shops  are  called  upon  to  do  work  of  this 
class  for  the  whole  road,  from  Ogden  to  San 
Francisco,  San  Francisco  to  Ashland,  and  from 
here  to  El  Paso;  while  the  road  from  Ashland 
to  Portland  will  eventually  demand  the  same, 
and  work  for  that  road  is  already  rapidly  coming 
into  the  shops.  The  company  of  course  buys 
its  rails  from  the  rail-mills  in  Europe  and  the 
East,  but  the  rail  trimmings  for  these  thousands 
of  miles  of  track  are  made  here.  Did  but  one 
foundry  have  the  manufacture  of  these  chairs^ 
fish-bars  and  bolts,  etc.,  it  would  be  a  handsome 


nisroRT  OF  sachamento  county. 


addition  to  the  industries  of  the  city.  But  the 
company  do  more:  they  make  their  own  car- 
wheels.  They  also  make  large  quantities  of 
bridge  material  of  wood  and  iron,  all  used  in 
fact,  except  in  the  case  of  iron  bridges  built  by 
bridge-building  companies  of  the  East,  who 
make  and  supply  their  own  material.  They  en- 
tirely construct  locomotives.  The  steel  tires 
come  mostly  from  Germany  via  New  York,  and 


the  cast  steel  work  is  done  in  San  Francisco, 
but  otherwise  the  engine  is  entirely  built  here. 
So  with  cars;  sleepers  and  fine  passenger  coaches 
are  not  generally  built  here,  but  in  the  great  car 
shops  of  the  East.  But  ordinary  passenger, 
emigrant  and  freight  cars  are  built  throughout, 
as  well  as  all  the  specially  fine  and  elegant  work, 
as  Governor  Stanford's  private  car,  which  was 
built  in  these  shops. 


UISTUIiT    OF    SACRAMENTO    COUNTY. 


CHAPTER    XVII. 


AGRICULTURAL    SOCIETY. 

friE  first  agricultural  association  in  the 
State  met  here  in  Sacramento,  October  8, 
^-  1852,  in  the  American  Theater.  C.  I. 
Hutchinson  was  president,  and  Dr.  J.  F.  Morse 
delivered  tlie  address.  A  fair  was  held  a  week 
or  two  on  that  occasion,  under  the  supervision 
of  "Warren  &  Co.  The  "  State  Agricultural 
Society  "  was  organized  early  in  1854,  and  on 
May  13,  that  year,  was  incorporated  by  a  special 
act  of  the  Legislature.  The  first  officers  were 
named  in  the  charter  and  were  as  follows:  F. 
W.  Macondray,  of  San  Francisco,  President; 
Vice-Presidents,  E.  L.  Eeard  of  Alameda,  J.  K. 
Rose  of  San  Francisco,  D.  W.  C.  Thompson  of 
Sonoma,  H.  C.  Malone  of  Santa  Clara,  W.  H. 
Thompson  of  San  Francisco,  and  C.  I.  Hutchin- 
son of  Sacramento;  Corresponding  Secretary,  J. 
L.  L.  Warren,  of  San  Francisco;  Recording 
Secretary,  C.  V.  Gillespie,  of  San  Francisco; 
Treasurer,  David  Chambers,  of  San  Francisco. 
The  same  act  appropriated  $5,000  per  annum 
for  the  first  four  years,  for  premiums. 

Under  the  new  charter,  the  first  fair  was  held 
in  San  Francisco,  in  October  following;  the 
second  in  Sacramento,  September,  1855,  when 
the  general  exhibition  was  held  in  the  State 
House  and  tlie  cattle  show  at  the  Louisiana  race- 
track; the  third  in  San  Jose,  in  October,  1856; 
the  fourth  in  Stockton,  in  1857;  the  fifth  in 
Marysville,  in  1858,  since  which  time  all  the 
fair.s  have  been  hold  at  Sacramento.      When  the 


society,  in  1860,  voted  to  hold  the  next  fair  at 
Sacramento, — being  the  third  time  in  succession 
at  the  same  place, — it  angered  the  competing 
points  in  the  State,  opposition  agricultural  so- 
cieties were  formed,  and  the  receipts  fell  from 
$28,639  in  1860,  to  $18,584  in  1861. 

In  1859  the  Pavilion  at  the  corner  of  Sixth 
and  M  streets  was  erected.  It  was  a  fine  build- 
ing for  the  times,  constructed  upon  plans  de- 
signed by  M.  F.  Butler.  To  defray  the  expenses, 
one-fourth  of  one  per  cent,  was  levied  upon  the 
property  of  the  county,  and  the  title  was  there- 
fore vested  in  the  county. 

In  1860  the  Sacramento  Park  Association 
was  formed,  which  donated  the  ground  bounded 
by  E,  H,  Twentieth  and  Twenty-second  streets, 
which  was  cleared  and  equipped  for  a  trotting 
park.  The  Legislature  also  appropriated  $15,000 
for  the  improvements.  A  brick  wall  was  built 
around  the  plat,  stands,  etc.,  erected,  at  a  cost 
of  $25,000. 

Early  in  1862,  a  society  styled  the  "  Union 
Park  Association,"  purchased  the  six  blocks  of 
land  lying  north  of  the  society's  cattle  grounds, 
and  thus  enabled  them  to  make  an  excellent 
mile  track.  These  grounds  are  still  used  and 
kept  in  good  condition. 

In  1863  the  Legislature  provided  for  the 
election  of  a  "Board  of  Agriculture,"  to  be  en- 
trusted with  the  affairs  of  the  State  Agriculture 
Society.  Under  this  arrangement  the  fairs  were 
Iield  until   the  State  Constitution  of  1879  was 


IIIHTORT    OF    SAGBAMENTO    COUNTY. 


adopted,  which  cut  off  all  State  assistance  unless 
the  Board  of  Directors  were  appointed  bj  State 
authority.  The  subsequent  Legislature  em- 
powered the  Governor  to  appoint  the  members 
of  this  board,  and  also  divided  the  State  into 
"  agricultural  districts  "  of  several  counties  each, 
placing  in  the  Third  District  the  counties  of 
Sacramento,  Sutter,  Yuba,  Butte,  Colusa,  Te- 
hama and  Yolo;  but  at  present,  probably  on 
account  of  the  direct  presence  of  the  State  in- 
stitution, Sacramento  is  not  taking  an  active 
part  in  the  district  organization. 

In  1884  the  present  magnificent  Pavilion, east 
of  the  Capitol,  was  erected.  It  is,  in  general, 
about  400  feet  square,  and  cost,  with  furnish- 
ings, in  the  neighborhood  of  $115,000.  It  is 
the  largest  public  building  in  the  State. 

For  some  years  the  fairs  have  occupied  about 
two  weeks'  time.  At  the  last  exhibition,  Sep- 
tember 3  to  15,  over  $20,000  was  awarded  in 
premiums.  The  annual  membership  fee  is  $5, 
which  entitles  one  to  exhibit  in  the  Pavilion 
and  to  compete  for  premiums,  and  also  to  a  sea- 
son ticket  of  admission  for  himself,  an  accom- 
panying lady,  and  children  under  fifteen  years  of 
age. 

The  preisdent  of  the  board  this  year  is  Chrif- 
topher  Green,  of  Sacramento;  and  the  other 
resident  members  are:  G.  W.  Hancock,  Superin- 
tendent of  the  Park;  H.  M.  La  Eue,  Superin- 
tendent of  the  Pavilion;  and  Frederick  Cox. 
The  secretary  of  the  board  is  Edwin  F.  Smith, 
whose  oiiice  is  in  the  Pavilion. 

A  SUCCESSFUL    KXPERIMEXT. 

In  the  year  1884,  A.  A.  Krull,  about  two  and 
a  half  miles  northeast  of  Florin,  executed  a 
novel  but  brilliantly  successful  experiment  in 
horticulture.  Having  several  acres  of  "  hard- 
pan  "  upon  his  place,  he  devised  the  plan  of 
breaking  it  up  with  blasts  of  powder.  Em- 
ploying an  expert,  he  bored  holes  in  the  ground, 
one  for  each  tree,  put  down  in  each  a  pound  of 
Huckley's  No.  2  Giant  Powder,  and  exploded 
it,  with  the  result  of  giving  to  each  tree  a  mass 
of  rich,  loose,  moist   earth,  not    needing  irriga- 


tion. It  is  now  as  good  as  the  best  land  for 
raising  fruit.  The  cost  was  $27  per  100  charges. 
Occasionally  a  spot  required  a  second  charge. 
Other  horticulturists  are  taking  lessons.  It 
seems  that  in  time  all  the  hard-pan  in  the 
country,  now  considered  nearly  worthless,  may 
be  made  the  best  of  land. 

SACBAilENTO    BOAED    OP'    TRADE. 

We  are  indebted  to  the  kindness  of  Albert 
M.  Johnson,  Esq.,  Secretary  of  the  board  dur- 
ing the  years  1885,  1886  and  1887,  for  the  fol- 
lowing particulars: 

Although  this  city  ever  since  the  admission  of 
California  into  the  Union  had  been  the  second  in 
the  commonwealth  in  respect  to  commercial  im- 
portance, no  definite  steps  were  taken  until  1877 
toward  the  organization  of  a  business  men's 
association  whose  mission  should  be  the  im- 
provement of  the  city  and  the  establishment  of 
commercial  intercourse  between  it  and  the  sur- 
rounding country.  At  that  time,  however,  the 
growth  of  the  city  seemed  to  render  it  impera- 
tively necessary  to  form  such  an  organization. 
Accordingly,  on  the  24th  of  October,  that  year, 
a  few  of  the  leadir.g  merchants  here  held  an  in- 
formal meeting  in  the  office  of  W.  P.  Coleman, 
one  of  the  oldest  business  men  of  Sacramento, 
and  discussed  the  advisability  of  uniting  them- 
selves into  a  commercial  organization  whose  aim 
should  be  to  supply  the  pressing  needs  referred 
to.  Albert  Gallatin  was  chairman  of  that  meet- 
ing, which  comprised  Joseph  Steffens,  A.  S. 
Hopkins,  W.  P.  Coleman,  Sparrow  Smith,  John 
McNeill,  C.  II.  Hubbard,  C.  T.  Wheeler  and 
others.  Preliminary  steps  were  then  taken.  On 
the  21st  of  the  next  month  a  constitution  and 
by-lawa  were  adopted,  and   the  officers  elected 


December    11,  1877,  for  the  first 


year    were : 


Albert  Gallatin,  President;  W.  P.  Coleman, 
Vice-President;  H.  G.  Smith,  Treasurer;  C. 
T.  Wheeler,  A.  S.  Hopkins,  Joseph  Steffens, 
Wm.  M.  Lyons  and  James  I.  Felter,  Directors. 
Starting  with  a  membership  of  about  twenty, 
the  board  has  constantly  increased  in  numerical 
strength,  as  follows:     1878,  thirty-four;   1879, 


HISTORF    OF    SACRAMENTO    COUNTY. 


thirty-five;  1880,  fortj-four;  1881,  forty-nine; 
1882,  fifty-seven;  1883,  lifty-nine;  1884-'87, 
sixty-two;  1888,  sixty-five;  1889,  about  seventy. 
The  only  conditions  of  membership  are  signing 
the  constitution  and  paying  the  monthly  dues, 
it  being  the  design  of  the  founders  to  admit  all 
persons  and  firms  feeling  an  interest  in  the 
growth  and  welfare  of  the  city.  From  the  organ- 
ization to  the  present  time  the  zeal  and  efli- 
ciency  of  the  board  have  not  flagged,  and  almost 
every  improvement  of  the  city  and  county 
owes  its  origin  to  their  philanthropy  and  enter- 
prise. 

In  1878  their  exertions  procured  the  estab- 
lishment of  a  branch  State  Prison  near  Folsom. 
About  that  time  they  also  began  to  agitate  the 
question  of  having  a  Government  building  in 
Sacramento,  wherein  should  be  the  postoffice, 
revenue  offices,  the  land  oflice,  etc.  This  was  a 
difficult  undertaking,  but,  despite  the  opposition 
of  a  few  and  the  indilFerence  of  many,  they  con- 
tinued to  memorialize  their  Senators  and  Rep- 
resentatives in  Congress  until  they  succeeded 
in  having  a  bill  passed  making  the  necessary 
appropriation"  for  such  a  purpose.  Sufficient 
ground  has  been  purchased  on  the  north-east 
corner  of  Seventh  and  K  streets  —a  central  lo- 
cation— and  the  building  will  probably  be  com- 
pleted within  two  years. 

By  the  year  1879  the  interests  of  its  members 
had  so  increased  that  the  board  began  to  pay 
special  attention  to  the  matter  of  business  fail- 
ures, attachments,  etc.  In  the  absence  of  a 
State  insolvent  act,  the  repeal  by  Congress  of 
the  United  States  bankrupt  law  had  entailed 
severe  losses  upon  the  merchants  of  both  Sac- 
ramento and  San  Francisco.  The  Boards  of  Trade 
of  these  cities  therefore  united  their  eff'orts  to 
procure  the  passage  of  a  State  insolvent  law. 
They  also  agreed  during  that  year  that  all  fail- 
ures thereafter  affecting  their  membership  should 
be  managed  in  common,  and  that  all  the  recov- 
eries therein  effected  through  the  instrumen- 
tality of  either  board  should  be  divided  pro  rata 
among  all  the  members  interested  in  both  boards. 
This  agreement  has  been  in  force  ever  since, 


and  the  operations  of  the  two  boards  under  it 
have  been  uniformly  satisfactory. 

The  Legislature  of  1880  was  called  upon  by 
the  merchants  throughout  the  State  to  pass  the 
insolvent  act  prepared  and  recommended  by  the 
San  Francisco  and  Sacramento  Boards  of  Trade; 
and  through  the  joint  eff'orts  of  the  two  bodies 
the  Legislature  was  prevailed  upon  to  enact  the 
law,  which  is  yet  upon  the  statute  books  and  has 
since  proved  a  great  benefit,  to  debtors  as  well 
as  creditors. 

In  1882,  realizing  the  insufficiency  of  the 
accommodations  aff'orded  by  the  State  Agricult- 
ural Society  in  the  building  then  used  as  a 
pavilion  during  the  annual  State  fairs,  the  Sacra- 
mento Board  of  Trade  inaugurated  a  movement 
for  the  procuring  of  a  better  building,  to  be 
erected  by  the  State  upon  a  part  of  the  Capitol 
Park.  The  result  was  the  erection  of  the  State 
Exposition  Building,  the  most  beautiful  and  the 
largest  public  edifice  in  the  State,  described 
elsewhere  under  the  head  of  "Agricultural  In- 
terests." 

About  this  time  the  State  began  to  feel  the 
influence  of  Eastern  immigration  that  had  been 
pouring  in  for  a  year  or  two,  principally  to 
Southern  California,  and  measures  began  to  be 
taken  in  the  northern  and  central  portions  of 
the  State  to  induce  a  part  at  least  of  that  im- 
migration to  "move  up  this  way."  In  this 
enterprise  the  Sacramento  Board  of  Trade  took 
a  leading  part,  and  has  ever  since  sustained  that 
position.  The  movement  has  been  effectual. 
Land  has  risen  in  some  parts  of  Northern  Cali- 
fornia to  several  times  its  former  value,  while 
population  has  almost  doubled.  In  December, 
1882,  Hon.  Joseph  Steff^ens  was  elected  presi- 
dent of  the  board,  and  filled  the  position  so 
creditably,  and  gave  such  universal  satisfaction, 
that  he  has  ever  since  been  re-elected  without 
opposition  to  that  office.  It  was  he  who  in- 
augurated, in  pursuance  of  a  long-forgotten  by- 
law of  the  board,  the  custom  of  delivering  an 
annual  address  which  should  not  only  give  a 
summarized  account  of  the  work  done  by  the 
association,  but  should  also  refer  to  many  mat- 


HISTORY    OF    SACRAMENTO    COUNTY. 


ters  of  general  interest  in  Sacramento  and  the 
surrounding  territory.  His  addresses  have  been 
printed  and  widely  circulated,  and  have  aided 
very  materially  in  attracting  the  attention  of 
Eastern  people  to  this  community. 

It  is  also  due  to  the  untiring  efforts  of  the 
Sacramento  Board  of  Trade  that  appropriations 
were  increased  in  1885-'86  for  the  improvement 
of  the  rivers,  and  in  the  latter  year  the  board 
saw  that  the  money  was  properly  expended.  In 
September,  at  the  expense  of  the  Board  of  Trade, 
the  California  Senators  and  Representatives  in 
Congress,  accompanied  by  representatives  from 
the  commercial  organizations  of  San  Francisco, 
as  well  as  by  a  delegation  from  tiie  Board  of 
Trade  and  the  city  authorities,  ascended  the 
Sacramento  River  in  a  steamer  chartered  for  the 
purpose  by  tiie  board,  to  view  for  themselves 
the  devastation  caused  by  hydraulic  mining. 
Since  tiien  more  particular  attention  has  been 
paid  to  tiie  necessity  of  removing  the  obstruc- 
tions in  the  river  and  reclaiming  the  lands  laid 
waste  by  mining  debris. 

In  1884-'85  the  board  favored  the  proposed 
State  poor  law  which  has  since  been  enacted. 

Iti  1885-'S6  the  approaching  completion  of 
the  California  &  Oregon  Railroad,  connecting 
Sacramento  directly  by  rail  with  Portland,  Ore- 
gon, and  the  great  Northwest,  induced  the  board 
to  memorialize  Congress  against  the  forfeiture 
of  the  land  that  had  been  granted  in  aid  of  the 
enterprise.  Their  efforts  were  not  unsuccessful, 
and  it  may  be  said  that  to  this  movement,  as 
much  as  to  anything  else,  Sacramento  owes  her 
railroad  connection  with  that  rapidly  developing 
portion  of  the  Union. 

During  this  year  the  board  began  the  iiivesti 
gation  of  the  much  discussed  city  bond  ques- 
tion, and  by  the  appointment  of  committees  and 
identifying  itself  generally  with  this  comi)li- 
cated  subject,  has  done  as  much  perhaps  as  all 
other  influences  combined  to  put  this  ve.xed 
question  in  a  fair  way  to  a  speedy  and  satisfac- 
tory settlement. 

In  this  year  also  the  board  took  up  the  Ne- 
vada State  law  exacting  a  heavy  license  from 


representatives  of  California  houses,  which  law 
had  for  years  oppressed  commercial  travelers. 
Vigorous  efforts  had  been  made  by  wholesale 
merchants,  both  of  Sacramento  and  San  Fran- 
cisco, to  have  the  law  repealed;  but  not  until 
the  Sacramento  Board  of  Trade  took  hold  of  the 
matter  in  earnest  was  any  result  accomplished. 
It  co-operated  with  a  few  of  the  members  of  the 
San  Francisco  Board  (that  board,  for  some  rea- 
son, having  failed  to  lend  its  entire  aid)  in  carry- 
ing up  a  case  to  test  the  constitutionality  of  the 
law,  resulting  in  a  complete  victory  for  the 
wholesale,  merchants.  California  commercial 
travelers  operating  in  Nevada  are  now  free 
from  the  payment  of  unnecessary  license  fees. 

The  members  of  the  Sacramento  Board  of 
Trade  were  among  the  earliest  to  take  measures 
for  the  holding  of  annual  citrus  fairs  in  the 
northern  part  of  the  State.  The  first  fair  of  the 
kind  was  held  in  1886,  and  since  then  they  have 
been  held  regularly  every  year. 

In  March,  1888,  the  long-talked-of  railroad 
from  Sacramento  to  Placerville  was  completed, 
thus  adding  greatly  to  the  material  welfare  of 
the  city,  as  well  as  to  that  of  Placerville  and 
other  points;  and  this  enterprise  was  aided  at 
all  times  by  the  influence  of  the  Sacramento 
Bo:u-d  of  Trade. 

These  are  but  a  few  of  the  good  works  that 
owe  their  conception  to  the  Sacramento  Board 
of  Trade.  They  sutHee  to  show,  however,  that 
in  all  matters  pertaining  to  the  welfare  of  the 
city  the  members  of  its  Buard  of  Trade  have 
been  the  foremost  workers. 

This  body  meets  annually  in  December,  and 
at  other  times  when  called;  but  the  details  of 
the  business  are  attended  to  by  the  Board  of 
Directors,  whose  meetings  are  held  on  the  sec- 
ond Tuesday  of  every  month.  Place  of  meet- 
ing, in  the  secretary's  office,  over  Wells,  Fargo 
&  Co.'s. 

The  present  officers  of  the  board  are:  Hon. 
Joseph  Steffeiis,  President;  P.  E.  Piatt,  Yice- 
President;  G.  G.  Pickett,  Secretary;  Edwin  K. 
Alsip,  Treasurer;  Directors — Joseph  Stetfens, 
P.  E.  Piatt,  Eugene  J.  Gregory,  Herman  Fisher, 


126 


HISTORY    OF    SACRAMENTO    COUNTY. 


William  Ingram,  Jr.,  D.  A.  Lindley,  L.  L. 
Lewis  and  A.  S.  Hopkins. 

A  "Business  Men's  Club"  has  also  been  re- 
cently formed  for  the  purpose  of  entertaining 
visitors  contemplating  settlement  upon  the 
coast,  and  showing  them  the  advantages  of  lo- 
cating in  this  vicinity. 

THE    IMPEOVEMBNT    ASSOCIATION 

of  the  city  and  county  of  Sacramento  was  or- 
ganized May  31, 1887,  with  about  200  members, 
for  the  purpose  of  advancing  the  interests  of 
Sacramento  and  vicinity,  and  to  prevent  private 
jobbery  with  public  funds.  W.  P.  Coleman  has 
the  credit  of  being  the  foremost  man  in  this  or- 
ganization. Atthe  preliminary  meeting  held  May 
25  preceding,  resolutions  were  passed  protesting 
against  large  land  holdings,  and  urging  assess- 


ments to  be  raised  upon  them.  Committees  were 
appointed  upon  every  subject  relating  to  the  im- 
provement of  tlie  locality.  Ordinances  have  been 
submitted  by  them,  especially  relating  to  the 
improvement  of  the  streets  and  sidewalks.  This 
association  built  and  still  maintains  that  beauti- 
ful permanent  exposition  building  near  the  de- 
pot, for  the  exhibition  of  the  products  of  North- 
ern and  Central  California,  and  J.  C.  Medley  is 
employed  to  keep  the  hall  open  every  day  from 
7  A.  M.  to  6  p.  M.,  for  the  accommodation  of  vis- 
itors. The  building,  designed  by  N.  D.  Good- 
ell,  is  an  octagon  in  form  and  of  very  attractive 
finish. 

The  present  officers  are:  Hon.  W.  H.  Beatty, 
President;  Hon.  F.  E.  Dray,  "Vice-President; 
C.  H.  Cummings,  Treasurer,  and  C.  W.  Baker, 
Secretary. 


HISTORY    OP    SACRAMENTO    COUNTY. 


CHAPTER   XVIII. 


f|S  introductory  to  tliis  subject,  it  will  be 
I  most  convenient  to  notice  here  the  epi- 
="  demies  and  indescribable  sufferinu;  at  the 
earliest  period  of  the  rush  for  gold,  which  led 
first  to  the  establishment  of  private  hospitals. 
Dr.  Morse  says: 

"At  this  time  Sacramento  was  a  nucleus  of 
attraction  to  the  world.  It  was  the  great  start- 
ing point  to  the  vast  and  glittering  gold  fields 
of  California,  with  the  tales  of  which  the  whole 
universe  became  astounded,  and  which  men  of 
every  clime  and  nation  sought  to  reach  without 
a  moment's  reflection  upon  the  cost  or  hazard 
of  such  an  adventure.  The  only  consideration 
upon  the  part  of  a  hundred  thousand  gold- 
seekers  who  were  preparing  for  emigration  to 
California,  was  dispatch.  Time  wasted  on  pru- 
dential outfits,  upon  the  acquirement  of  means 
beyond  the  passage  fee  to  San  Francisco,  and 
peradventure  a  little  spending  money  to  dissi- 
pate the  impatience  of  delay,  was  as  well  wasted 
in  any  other  way.  AVhat  were  a  few  dollars 
that  required  months  to  accumulate  in  the  At- 
lantic States,  to  the  gold-gleaming  ounces  that 
California  gave  weekly  as  compensation  for  the 
simplest  labor? 

"All  that  men  seemed  to  wish  for  was  the 
Tueans  of  setting  foot  upon  California  soil,  and 
few  were  sufficiently  provident  in  their  calcu- 
lations   to  provide  anything  beyond  the  niere 


landing  at  San  Francisco.  Out  of  the  thou- 
sands who  landed  at  the  above  place  in  the  in- 
terval referred  to,  not  one  in  a  hundred  arrived 
in  the  country  with  money  enough  to  buy  hiin 
a  decent  outfit  for  the  mines.  Such  was  the 
heedlessness  with   which   people  immigrated  to 


s  country    during  the  incipient  progress  of 


th 

the  gold-seeking  fever.  In  all  parts  of  the 
world  vessels  of  every  size  and  condition  were 
put  up  for  the  great  El  Dorado,  and  as  soon  as 
put  up  were  filled  to  overflowing  with  men  who 
had  not  the  remotest  conception  of  the  terrible 
sufferings  they  were  to  encounter.  Along  the 
entire  coast  of  the  American  continent,  in  every 
protninent  port  of  Europe,  in  nearly  every  mari- 
time point  of  Asia,  and  in  nearly  all  the  islands 
of  the  world,  were  men  struggling  with  reck- 
less determination  for  the  means  of  coming  to 
California.  The  earnings  of  years  were  in- 
stantly appropriated,  goods  and  chattels  sold  at 
ruinous  sacrifices,  homesteads  mortgaged  for 
loans  obtained  upon  destructive  rates  of  interest, 
and  jewelry,  keepsakes  and  pension  fees  pledged 
for  the  reimbursement  of  a  beggarly  steerage 
passage  for  thousands  of  miles  to  the  town  of 
San  Francisco.  These  are  facts  with  wliich  the 
world  is  now  familiar;  and  this  being  the  man- 
ner in  which  people  embarked  for  the  Eureka 
State,  it  can  be  easily  imagined  how  those 
landed  who  survived  the  untold  and  unuttera- 


HISTORY    OF    SACRAMENTO    COUNTY. 


ble  sufferings  endured  from  port  to  port.  From 
the  1st  of  August,  1849,  the  deluging  tides  of 
immigration  began  to  roll  into  the  city  of  San 
Francisco  their  hundreds  and  thousands  daily; 
not  men  made  robust  and  hearty  by  a  pleasant 
and  comfortable  sea  voyage,  but  poor,  miserable 
beings,  so  famished  and  filthy,  so  saturated  with 
scorbutic  diseases,  or  so  depressed  in  spirits  as 
to  make  them  an  easy  prey  of  disease  and 
death,  where  they  had  expected  naught  but 
health  and  fortune. 

"  Thus  did  mining  adventurers  pour  into  San 
Francisco,  nine- tenths  of  whom  for  a  few  months 
immediately  took  passage  to  Sacramento.  How- 
ever debilitated  they  might  be,  however  penni- 
less and  destitute,  still  this,  the  great  focus  of 
mining  news,  the  nearest  trading  point  for 
miners  situated  upon  a  navigable  stream,  was 
the  only  place  that  men  could  think  of  stopping 
for  recuperative  purposes.  Hence,  from  Cape 
Horn,  from  all  the  Isthmus  routes,  from  Asi- 
atic seaports,  and  from  the  islands  of  the  Pacific, 
men  in  the  most  impoverished  health  were  con- 
verging at  Sacramento.  But  these  were  not  the 
only  resources  of  difficulty  to  Sacramento  in 
1849;  for  at  the  same  time  that  the  scurvy-rid- 
den subjects  of  the  ocean  began  to  concentrate 
among  us,  there  was  another  more  terrible  train 
of  scorbutic  sufferers  coming  in  from  the  over- 
land roads,  so  exhausted  in  strength  and  so  worn 
out  with  the  calamities  of  the  journey  as  to  be 
but  barely  able  to    reach  this,  tlie  Valley  City. 

"  From  these  sources,  Sacramento  became  a 
perfect  lazar  house  of  disease,  suffering  and 
death,  months  before  anything  like  an  effective 
city  government  was  organized.  It  must  be 
recollected  that  in  proportion  as  these  scenes 
began  to  accumulate,  men  seemed  to  grow  in- 
different to  the  appeals  of  suffering  and  to  the 
dictates  of  benevolence.  The  more  urgent  and 
importunate  the  cries  and  beseeching  miseries 
of  the  sick  and  destitute,  the  more  obdurate, 
despotic  and  terrible  became  the  reign  of  cupid- 
ity. Everything  seemed  vocal  with  tiie  assur- 
ance that  men  caineto  California  to  make  money, 
not  to  devote  themselves   to  a  useless  waste  of 


time  in  procuring  bread  and  raiment  for  the  de- 
pendent, in  watching  over  and  taking  care  of 
the  sick,  or  in  the  burying  of  the  dead.  The 
common  god  (gold)  of  that  day  taught  no  such 
feminine  virtues,  and  the  king  of  the  country. 
Cupidity,  declared  it  worse  than  idle  in  his  sub- 
jects to  pay  attention  to  the  ties  of  consanguin- 
ity, or  stultify  their  minds  with  any  consider- 
ations of  affection  or  appreciation  of  human 
sympathies.  Fathers  paid  little  attention  to 
sons,  and  sons  abandoned  fathers  when  they  re- 
quired a  little  troublesjme  care.  Brothers  were 
fraternally  bound  to  each  other  as  long  as  each 
was  equally  independent  of  all  assistance.  But 
when  sickness  assailed  and  men  became  depend- 
ents upon  men,  then  it  was  that  the  channels  of 
benevolence  were  found  to  be  dry,  and  the  very 
fountains  of  human  sympathy  sealed  by  the 
most  impenetrable  selfishness. 

"  Had  this  not  been  the  condition,  such  scenes 
as  were  then  witnessed  could  not  have  been  ex- 
hibited. If  men  had  not  allowed  themselves  to 
become  the  temporary  vassals  of  cupidity,  an 
old  gray-headed  father,  nearly  famished  by  a 
tedious  Cape  Horn  voyage,  and  landing  upon 
our  levee  in  the  last  stage  of  a  disorganizing 
scurvy,  could  never  have  been  abandoned  by  a 
son  and  other  relatives  who  were  dependent  upon 
him  for  the  means  of  coming  to  the  country. 
And  yet  such  an  old  man  was  left  alone  upon 
the  unfrequented  banks  of  the  slough,  to  await 
the  coming  of  the  only  friends  that  could  give 
him  relief — death  and  the  grave!  The  grave  he 
was  not  sure  of,  but  death  was  certa'n,  and  soon 
realized. 

"  In  the  month  of  July,  1849,  these  subjects 
of  distress  and  the  appeals  of  misery  became  so 
common  that  men  could  not  escape  them;  and 
if  tliere  had  been  the  utmost  attention  paid  to 
the  exercise  of  charity  and  protection,  it  would 
have  been  impossible  to  have  met  the  demands 
of  the  de.-^titute,  sick  and  dying  as  a  commen- 
surate sympathy  would  have  dictated.  Such 
was  the  difKculty  with  which  facilities  for  the 
care  of  the  sick  could  be  procured,  that  even 
tlie'few  who  had  money  could  not  purchase  those 


HISTORY    OF    SACRAMENTO    COUNTY. 


comforts  wliicli  even  the  poorest  in  the  Atlantic 
States  can  always  enjoy.  Dr.  Craigan's  hospi- 
tal at  the  Fort  was  the  most  comfortable  place, 
but  such  were  the  necessary  demands  for  board- 
ing and  nursing  tliat  men  could  not  avail  them- 
selves of  such  care.  Soon  after  the  establish- 
ment of  this  hospital,  Drs.  Deal  and  Martin 
opened  another  hospital  in  one  of  the  bastions 
of  the  old  Fort.  This  led  to  a  reduction  of  t!ie 
cost  of  hospital  board  and  attendance,  but  still 
it  was  too  dear  a  comfort  to  be  purchased  by 
more  than  one  in  five  of  the  accumulating  in- 
valids of  the  town.  The  sick  of  the  city  were 
in  consequence  thrown  upon  the  exclusive  at- 
tention of  a  society  which  had  become  so  mam- 
mon-ridden as  to  be  almost  insensible  to  the 
voice  of  want.  Not  only  were  the  victims  of 
scurvy  evolving  a  general  distress,  but  also  those 
who  supposed  themselves  acclimated  were  be- 
ginning to  feel  the  sweeping  miasmatic  fevers 
which  were  peculiarly  severe  during  this  first 
season. 

"Under  such  circumstances  that  was  true 
benevolence  which  attempted  to  respond  to  the 
requirements  of  humanity.  And  now  let  us 
see  where  the  first  grand  response  to  these 
touching  appeals  came  from.  The  record  of  so 
much  credit  should  not  perish.  The  first  or- 
ganized efforts  to  relieve  this  suffering  were 
made  by  the  fraternity  of  Odd  Fellows.  Al- 
though denied  the  privilege  of  a  complete 
organization,  they  yet  came  together,  bound 
themselves  by  an  informal  association,  anti  like 
a  band  of  pure  Samaritans  devoted  themselves 
with  untiring  zeal  to  the  wants  of  suffering 
humanity.  General  A.  M.  Winn  was  elected 
president  of  the  association,  than  whom  no  man 
could  have  been  more  active  in  his  charity;  Mr. 
McLaren  was  elected  secretary,  and  Captain 
Gallup,  treasurer.  And  every  member  of  this 
body  became  one  orf  a  visiting  committee  whose 
duty  it  was  to  keep  the  society  constantly  ad- 
vised of  every  dependent  subject  of  distress 
coming  to  tiieir  knowledge. 

"From  this  association,  the  history  of  which 
would  fill  the  heart  of  every  lover  of  humanity. 


an  immense  amount  of  relief  was  dispensed. 
But  this  was  not  suflScient  to  dissipate  the  in- 
creasing calamity.  Men  still  sickened  and  died 
without  assistance;  men  wene  still  buried  in  the 
filth  of  an  unattended  sickness,  and  frequently 
without  the  benefit  of  being  sewed  up  in  a 
blanket  for  interment.  Rough  pine  coffins 
ranged  from  $60  to  $150,  and  it  was  not  to  be 
expected  that  in  the  midst  of  such  distress  and 
poverty  coffins  could  always  he  procured.  The 
association  of  Odd  Fellows  spent  thousands  of 
dollars  for  coffins  alone;  and  when  General 
Winn  became  the  executive  officer  of  the 
city  government,  no  man  was  refused  a  coffin 
burial." 

CHOLERA    IN    SACRAMENTO. 

The  cholera  made  its  first  appearance  in 
Sacramento  on  the  20th  of  October,  1850,  when 
an  immigrant  by  sea  was  found  on  the  levee,  in 
the  collapsing  stage  of  the  disease.  The  infec- 
tion was  brought  to  San  Francisco  on  the  same 
steamer  which  conveyed  the  intelligence  of  Cali- 
fornia's admission  to  the  Union,  and  reached 
Sacramento  before  the  city  had  recovered  from 
the  demoralizing  efl"ects  of  the  Squatter  Eiots. 
As  usual  in  such  cases,  the  local  papers  en- 
deavored to  conceal  the  extent  of  mortality,  and 
their  files  of  that  date  give  no  adequate  idea  of 
the  fearful  scourge.  On  the  21st  of  October 
the  city  physician  reported  seven  cases  of  cholera 
to  the  council,  five  of  which  were  fatal.  Some 
of  the  doctors  attempted  to  quiet  public  appre- 
hension by  the  opinion  that  the  malady  was 
only  a  violent  form  of  the  cholera  morbus,  and 


the  Times  "felt  confident  that  tl 


lere  was  very 


little  danger,  and  had  not  heard  of  a  single  case 
where  the  patient  had  not  been  previously  re- 
duced by  diarrhea."  On  the  27th  six  cases 
were  reported,  and  the  Times  "  hoped  that  some 
precautionary  measures  would  be  taken,"  etc. 
On  the  29th  twelve  cases  appeared;  on  the  30th, 
nineteen,  and  it  was  no  longer  possible  to  con- 
ceal the  i)resence  of  the  ghastly  destroyer.  A 
Sacramento  correspondent  of  the  Alta,  Novem- 
ber 4,  says:  "This  city  presents  an  aspect 
truly  terrible.     Three  of  the    large   gambling 


BISTORT    OF    SACRAMENTO    COUNTY. 


reeorts  have  been  closed.  The  streets  are  de- 
serted, and  frequented  only  by  the  hearse, 
i^early  all  business  is  at  a  stand-still.  There 
seems  to  be  a  deep  sense  of  expectancy,  mingled 
with  fear,  perrading  all  classes.  There  is  an 
expression  of  anxiety  in  every  eye,  and  all  sense 
of  pecuniary  loss  is  mei'ged  in  a  greater  appre- 
iiension  of  personal  danger.  The  daily  mortal- 
ity is  about  sixty.  Many  deaths  are  concealed, 
and  many  others  are  not  reported.  Deaths 
during  the  past  week,  so  far  as  known,  188." 

On  the  lith  of  November  the  daily  mortality 
had  decreased  to  twelve,  and  on  the  17th  the 
plague  was  reported  as  having  entirely  disap 
peared. 

The  precise  number  of  deaths  resulting  froin 
cholera  can  never  be  known,  as  many  were  re- 
turned as  having  died  of  dysentery,  fevers,  etc., 
for  the  purpose  of  quieting  public  apprehension, 
and  no-exact  records  of  the  event  are  accessible. 
The  only  reliable  account  extant  was  written  by 
Di\  John  F.  Morse,  ten  years  afterward,  for 
Colville's  Directory.  Dr.  Morse  was  one  of  the 
most  active  and  humane  physicians  during  the 
prevalence  of  the  calamity,  and  parts  of  his 
narrative  are  almost  too  shocking  for  transcrip- 
tion here;  but  no  one  who  ever  knew  that  good 
man  will  think  of  calling  in  question  his  credi- 
bility, now  that  he,  too,  has  passed  away. 
Having  referred  to  the  general  rejoicing  on  the 
admission  of  California  to  the  Union,  Dr.  Morse 
continues: 

"But,  alas!  the  exuberance  of  spirit  thus 
enkindled,  the  joyous  and  buoyant  feeling  thus 
excited,  were  but  the  illusive  precedents  of  one 
of  the  most  appalling  calamities  that  had  ever 
yet  set  its  seal  of  distress  upon  tlie  destiny  of 
the  Valley  City. 

"Every  successive  day  iirought  intelligence 
from  the  bay  that  the  newly  arrived  passengers 
were  still  dying  with  cholera.  In  the  feverish 
state  of  mind  that  existed  in  the  community, 
there  was  no  liope  of  escape.  This  alone,  with 
the  direction  then  given  to  fears,  was  sufficient 
to  coerce  the  disease  into  a  terriiic  development. 
It  scarcely  required  an   imported  case  to  estab- 


lish a  panic  more  to  be  dreaded  than  its  cause. 
But  the  first  case  that  occurred  was  a  steerage 
passenger  of  the  steamer  which  brought  the  dis- 
ease. Early  in  the  morning  of  the  20th  of  Oc- 
tober, a  person  was  found  on  the  levee  in  the 
collapsing  stage  of  the  malady.  Medical  aid 
was  administered,  but  the  disease  had  taken  too 
deep  a  hold  of  its  victim.  I  saw  him  at  sun- 
rise; he  was  then  expiring  from  the  effects  of 
the  disease.  The  indications  presented  by  his 
death  were  not  calculated  to  abridge  the  de- 
pressing fear  in  the  community.  The  cholera 
was  now  indeed  in  our  city,  and  from  mouth  to 
mouth  the  story  was  communicated,  so  im- 
proved in  all  the  features  of  a  horrible  descrip- 
tion as  to  darken  the  city  with  the  very  pall  of 
death  in  a  few  hours.  The  next  day  several 
fatal  cases  were  reported,  and  as  duly  circulated 
through  the  magnifying  minds  of  thousands, 
whose  fear  of  the  disease  made  them  the  almost 
certain  subjects  of  it. 

"In  six  days  from  the  time  of  its  inception 
it  was  making  such  progress  that  regular  burials 
were  but  slightly  attended  to,  and  nursing  and 
attention  were  not  unfrequently  entirely  over- 
looked. Money  could  scarcely  buy  the  offices 
of  common  kindness,  and  affections  were  so 
neutralized  by  the  conflicting  elements  of  selfish- 
ness, that  but  little  could  be  done  to  arrest  the 
course  of  the  disease. 

"The  victims  of  the  malady  did  not  seem  to 
be  confined  so  much  to  those  of  intemperate 
and  irregular  habits,  as  had  been  the  case  in 
almost  all  previous  manifestations  of  the  dis- 
ease. People  of  the  most  industrious,  careful 
and  regular  habits  seemed  alike  vulnerable  to 
the  dreadful  enen)y.  In  a  few  days  many  of 
our   most   substantial   citizens   were   numbered 


among  the  victims  of  the 


idemic. 


It  was  reported  tiiat  150  cases  occurred  in  a 
single  day;  but  such  was  the  confusion  and 
positive  delirium  of  the  community  that  no 
proper  records  were  made,  nor  can  any  accurate 
data  now  be  found  in  respect  to  the  epidemic  of 
1850.  As  soon  as  the  daily  mortality  became 
so  great  as  to  keep  men  constantly  employed  in 


HISTOnr    OF    SACRAMENTO    COUNTY. 


carrying  away  the  dead,  tlie  citizens  began  to 
leave  the  town  in  every  direction,  and  in 
such  numbers  as  to  soon  diminish  the  popula- 
tion to  not  more  than  one-fifth  of  its  ordinary 
standard. 

"In  this  pestilential  reign  of  terror  and  dis- 
may, the  most  dreadful  abandonments  of  rela- 
tives and  friends  took  place.  Those  who  were 
willing  to  forget  self  and  become  the  visitants 
of  mercy,  constituted  but  a  small  and  meagre 
proportion  of  the  many,  who,  following  the 
instincts  of  nature,  sought  only  to  preserve 
themselves.  There  were  a  few  men,  as  there 
always  will  be,  whose  warm  hearts  throbbed 
with  an  uncontrollable  an.\iety  to  convey  relief 
to  the  disti-essed  and  the  dying,  and  who  lin- 
gered around  the  death  scenes  of  the  epidemic, 
so  spell-bound  by  sympathy,  that  they  endured 
anything  and  everything  as  long  as  there  re- 
mained a  solitary  hope  of  even  palliating  the 
agony  of  dissolving  nature.  These  men  are 
found  by  and  are  known  to  those  who  constitute 
the  heroes  of  epidemics.  They  consisted  of  an 
occasional  brother,  whose  inwrought  feelings  of 
fraternity  were  sustained  by  a  maternal  bias  that 
made  them  as  enduring  as  life.  I  will  mention 
one  name,  my  motive  for  which  will  be  readily 
acknowledged  more  as  the  extortion  of  truth 
than  the  result  of  partisan  partiality — that  of 
John  Bigler,  the  present  Governor  of  California. 
This  man,  with  strong  impulses  of  sympathy, 
could  be  seen  in  every  refuge  of  distress  that 
concealed  the  miseries  of  the  dying  and  the  des- 
titute. With  a  lump  of  gum-camphor  now  in 
his  pocket  and  anon  at  his  nostrils,  he  braved 
every  scene  of  danger  that  presented,  and  with 
his  own  hands  administered  relief  to  iiis  suffer- 
ing and  uncared-for  fellow-beings. 

"  The  rapid  spreading  of  the  epidemic  gave 
to  the  physicians  of  the  city  no  rest,  day  or 
night.  As  might  be  expected,  they  were  falling 
like  the  foremost  soldiers  of  a  desperate  charge, 
and  ere  the  cholera  had  subsided,  seventeen  of 
their  number  were  deposited  in  the  Sandhill 
Cemetery  of  our  city — a  professional  mortality 
never  before  known;   an    inroad   of   death  from 


which  but  a  fraction  more  than  two  in  three 
escaped  with  life,  and  not  one  in  three  from  the 
disease!  And  yet,  not  a  single  educated  phy- 
sician turned  his  back  upon  the  city  in  its  dis- 
tress and  threatened  destruction. 

"This  awful  calamity  lasted  in  its  malignant 
form  only  about  twenty  days;  but,  by  the  un- 
systematic records  of  the  times,  the  number  of 
deaths  cannot  be  ascertained.  Besides  those  who 
died  in  the  city,  many  were  overtaken  by  death 
in  other  places,  and  upon  the  road,  in  their  des- 
perate efforts  to  escape  bv  i-unning  from  the 
enemy.  In  the  latter  part  of  the  epidemic  the 
authorities  procured  the  use  of  a  large  frame 
building  on  L  street,  where  the  destitute  cholera 
subjects  we:e  taken  and  provided  for.  The 
abatement  of  the  disease  was  much  longer  than 
the  period  of  its  inception  and  increase,  and 
commenced  just  as  soon  as  the  frequency  of 
death  had  familiarized  people  with  the  frightful 
scenes  around  them,  and  rendered  them  less 
defenseless  from  a  paralyzing  fear.  By  the  time 
the  disease  had  almost  disappeared  the  city  was 
nearly  depopulated,  and  there  were  not  a  few 
who  thought  the  Levee  City  was  dead  beyond 
the  possibility  of  resurrection. 

"  But  those  who  supposed  that  Sacramento 
and  Sacramentans  could  be  so  easily  crushed  had 
not  learned  their  character.  The  very  moment 
that  mortality  began  an  obvious  retreat  from 
thfc  premises,  that  moment  those  who  survived 
their  flight  returned.  Those  who  abided  by  the 
city  in  its  distress,  reacted  upon  the  calamities 
of  the  town  with  sucli  an  elastic  and  vigorous 
energy  as  to  completely  transform  the  appear- 
ance of  the  place  in  a  few  days.  The  confidence 
of  the  people  in  the  health  of  the  city  was  almost 
immediately  restored,  and  business  communica- 
tions were  reopened  with  the  mines  under  the 
most  encouraging  circumstances.  For  a  few 
weeks  a  good  business  was  realized,  and  the 
broken  and  beautiful  winter  that  followed  im- 
parted a  vitality  to  the  town  that  could  not  have 
been  anticipated  by  one  who  had  contemplated 
its  destiny  through  the  gloomy  scenes  of  Oc- 
tober." 


HISTORY    OF    SACRAMENTO    COUNTY. 


In  April,  1850,  the  Freemasons  and  Odd 
Fellows  together  established  a  hospital,  the 
Board  of  Trustees  being  elected  by  both  orders. 
A  series  of  concerts  was  given  for  the  benefit 
of  the  hospital,  which  were  liberally  patronized. 
The  managers  of  the  Tehama  Theatre  and  Rowe's 
Olympic  Circus  also  gave  benefits  for  the  same 
object. 

Dr.  Dow  had  a  "  Thom])Sonian  Hospital  and 
Botanic  Medicine  Store"  on  K  street,  between 
Second  and  Third.  Price  of  admission  per  day, 
$5  to  $25,  "according  to  trouble  and  expense." 

Drs.  T.  J.  White  and  C.  D.  Cleveland  had  an 
extensive  hospital  that  would  accommodate  100 
patients,  on  the  comer  of  Ninth  and  L  streets. 

Drs.  James  S.  Martin  and  B.  R.  Carman  con- 
ducted the  "  Sutter's  Fort  Hospital,"  inside  the 
fort.  Drs.  Morse  and  Stillman  also  had  a  hos- 
pital at  the  corner  of  Third  and  Iv  streets. 

THE  COUNTY  HOSl'ITAL. 

Several  physicians,  first  at  Sutter's  Fort  and 
afterward  in  the  city,  received  boardiijg  pa- 
tients; but  very  few  of  the  sick  had  the  means 
to  pay  the  prices  asked.  Very  early,  therefore, 
were  the  people  led  to  establish  a  ])ublic  hos- 
pital. The  first  was  established  aliout  1851-'52, 
in  the  business  part  of  the  city,  and  among  the 
early  physicians  to  the  institution  were  Drs.  J. 

F.   Montgomery,  Johnson    Price, Procter 

and  George  W.  Williams.  In  the  jCity  Direc- 
tory of  1853  is  the  following  entry:  "  Drs- 
Johnson  Price  and  George  W.  Williams,  Phy- 
sicians to  the  County  Hospital,  corner  of  I  and 
Seventh  streets."  About  the  same  time  or 
shortly  afterward.  Price  &  Procter  established 
a  hospital  on  Second  street,  between  I  and  J, 
with  seventy -five  or  eighty  beds.  They  entered 
into  contract  with  the  county  for  keeping  the 
poor,  of  whom  they  had  about  fifty,  charging 
very  high  fees.  Within  three  or  fonr  years  the 
county  endeavored  to  break  tiie  contract,  in  the 
meantime  establisliing  a  liospital  on  the  corner 
of  Tenth  and  L   streets.     Price  &  Procter   sued 


the  county  and  obtained  judgment.  This  county 
building  was  on  the  northwest  corner  of  the 
present  Capitol  Park,  and  was  torn  down  and 
removed  soon  after  it  was  vacated,  some  time 
after  the  war. 

In  1857  Dr.  Montgomery  was  again  the  county 
physician;  1858-'59,  Dr.  G.  L.  Simmons;  1859- 
'60,  Dr.  Montgomery;  1861,  from  November, 
Dr.  J.  G.  Phelan ;  1869,  from  September,  Dr. 
Montgomery;  1870,  Dr.  A.  C.  Donaldson,  with 
Dr.  G.  A.  White  as  assistant. 

About  this  time  the  county  purciiased  from 
James  Lansing  sixty  acres  of  land  on  the  upper 
Stockton  road,  about  three  miles  southeast  of 
the  business  center  of  the  city,  at  a  cost  of  about 
$11,000,  and  erected  upon  it  a  very  fine  build- 
ing, and  moved  into  it  the  seventy-five  patients 
that  were  in  the  old  building.  October  5, 1878, 
this  new  building  was  accidentally  burned,  and 
the  patients  were  temporarily  cared  for  in  the 
"old  Pavilion,"  at  the  corner  of  Sixth  and  M 
streets,  until  the  present  structures  were  com- 
pleted, in  the  summer  of  1879.  The  Board  of 
Supervisors  called  for  plans  for  a  new  building 
or  buildings,  and  adopted  those  furnished  by  JS'. 
D.  Goodell,  of  this  city,  which  were  offered  in 
competition  with  a  number  of  others.  The  de- 
sign is  what  is  called  the  "  pavilion  plan,"  con- 
sisting of  a  central  or  main  building,  with  four 
separated  wings  like  the  rays  of  a  star,  the  set 
constituting  a  half  circle.  Thus  arranged,  a 
better  protection  against  fire  is  provided  for,  as 
well  as  a  greater  abundance  of  air  and  light  and 
a  superior  aspect  of  cheerfulness.  These  build- 
ings cost  between  $60,000  and  $65,000.  All 
the  appointments  in  the  various  departments 
are  superior  in  respect  to  convenience  and  neat- 
ness, and  all  the  surrounding  premises  are  at- 
tractive. The  sewage  system  is  that  of  Shone, 
which  is  operated  upon  the  pneumatic  principle, 
and  the  sewage  is  all  utilized  upon  the  grounds. 
Of  these  grounds  there  are  four  acres  in  vine- 
yard, five  or  six  acres  in  garden,  ten  in  pasture 
and  the  remainder  in  orchard,  meadow  and 
building  site.  There  is  now  an  average  of  150 
to  160  inmates,  each  costing  the  county  about 


HISTORY    OP    SACRAMENTO    COUNTY. 


$14.50  a  month.     Monthly  reports  of  the  insti- 
tution arc  published  in  the  city  papers. 

In  the  spring  of  1879  the  medical  superin- 
tendence of  tlie  county  hospital  fell  into  the 
hands  of  the  homeopathists,  and  for  the  first 
three  months  of  this  year  Dr.  George  Pyburn 
was  the  county  physician,  and  for  tlie  succeeding 
four  Dr.  George  M.  Dixon;  and  then  Dr.  J.  R- 
Laine,  regular,  served  out  the  unexpired  term. 
With  the  exception  of  this  period,  Dr.  G.  A. 
White  has  been  the  county  physician  ever  since 
March,  1872. 

CENTRAL    PACIFIC    EAILROAD    HOSl'ITAL. 

Between  the  years  1864  (when  the  first  train 
was  run  on  the  road)  and  1868  most  of  the  em- 
ployes were  strangers,  and  new  arrivals  in  Cali- 
fornia, and  as  the  road  passed  for  the  most  part 
through  a  country  very  sparsely  inhabited,  where 
little  or  no  accommodations  could  be  furnished 
for  those  who,  by  the  vicissitudes  of  climate, 
exposure  or  accident,  became  sick  and  helpless, 
much  suffering  to  the  men  on  the  line  was 
caused;  added  to  this,  as  a  rule,  very  few  of  the 
employes  had  relatives  or  friends  to  care  for 
them,  or  money  to  carry  them  through  a  period 
of  sickness,  which  necessitated  a  call  for  dona- 
tions from  their  comrades  and  tlie  company. 
These  calls  became  so  fref_[uent  and  onerous  that 
the  company  concluded  the  wisest  and  most  hu- 
mane proceeding  would  be  to  build  a  hospital 
in  Saeramento.  where  all  the  employes  might 
be  taken  care  of  and  restored  to  health  as  soon 
as  practicable,  whether  the  patient  Iiad  means 
or  not.  Before  building,  however,  an  old  resi- 
dence was  leased  and  put  to  use. 

The  Central  Pacific  Railroad  Hospital  was 
built  by  the  company  at  Sacramento  in  1869,  at 
a  cost  of  S64,000.  It  consists  of  a  main  build- 
ing 60  X  35  feet,  four  stories  and  basement,  witli 
a  wide  verandah  at  each  story,  two  wings  35  x  52 
feet,  and  a  kitchen  twenty-four  feet  square,  re- 
moved a  few  feet  from  the  main  building.  The 
hospital  has  six  wards,  besides  eight  private 
rooms  for  patients,  a  library  of  some  1,500  vol- 
umes,  well    appointed    executive    and    medical 


rooms,  and  will  accommodate  125  patients. 
Every  oiBcer  and  employe  of  the  company  con- 
tributes monthy  50  cents  from  his  pay  as 
"hospital  dues,"  which  constitutes  a  fund  to 
pay  the  current  expenses  of  the  institution.  The 
payment  of  this  50  cen-s,  monthly,  entitles 
the  employe  to  free  admission  and  medical  at- 
tendance at  the  hospit  d  in  case  of  sickness  or 
injury  while  in  the  service  of  the  company. 
The  fund  from  this  source  has  been  sufficient  to 
defray  the  current  expenses  of  the  hospital  and 
pay  the  interest  on  its  cost.  It  is  gratifying  to 
know  that  the  hospital  is  fully  appreciated  by 
the  employes  of  the  company,  who,  by  casualty 
or  sickness,  have  been  inmates.  No  employe 
is  entitled  to  medical  treatment  here  whose  sick- 
ness has  been  caused  by  any  form  of  venereal 
infection,  intemperance,  bad  habits,  vicious  act 
or.  hereditary,  constitutional  or  previous  in- 
firmity. There  are  now  (April,  1889)  forty-two 
patients  in  the  hospital — a  lower  number  than 
they  have  had  for  a  long  time. 

Dr.  S.  P.  Thomas  was  the  first  physician 
Dr.  A.  B.  Nixon  had  tlie  medical  charge  from 
February  1,  1870,  when  the  new  building  was 
opened,  until  recently.  The  present  officers  are-. 
F.  J.  Huse,  of  San  Francisco,  Superintendent; 
T.  W.  Huntington,  Physician  and  Surgeon;  G. 
B.  Soraers,  Assistant  Physician;  R.  Forbes, 
Dispenser  and  Steward;  J.  F.  Daul,  Clerk. 

PEOTESTANT    ORPHAN    ASYLUM. 

An  association  for  the  care  of  orphans  was 
organized  as  early  as  1858,  but  it  proved  short- 
lived. In  1867  Mrs.  Elvira  Baldwin  interested 
a  number  of  citizens,  including  the  Governor,  in 
the  care  of  a  family  of  seven  children  left  or- 
phans by  the  death  of  their  mother,  a  poor 
woman;  and  this  movement  dii-ectly  resulted  in 
the  organization  of  a  society  for  the  care  of  or- 
phans and  destitute  children  throughout  the 
county,  and  even  the  State.  Mrs.  I.  E.  Dwinell 
was  the  first  president.  The  society  immedi- 
ately rented  and  furnished  a  building  on  the 
corner  of  Seventh  and  I)  streets,  where  tiiey 
placed  fourteen  or  fifteen  children  in  the  care  of 


HISTORY    OF  -  SACRAMENTO    COUNTY. 


Mrs.  Cole,  the  tirst  matron.  The  next  year  the 
association  erected  a  building  on  the  site  of  the 
present  establishment  on  K  street,  between 
Eighteenth  and  Nineteenth  streets.  It  was  con- 
siderably damaged  by  lire  December  7,  1878, 
but  it  was  soon  repaired,  and  another  and  a  su- 
perior building  added.  Also,  1877,  a  neat 
school-house  was  built  on  the  premises,  where 
the  school  is  made  one  of  the  "  public  schools  " 
of  the  city,  in  the  care  of  the  City  Board  of 
Education.  No  child,  however,  but  the  proper 
inmates  of  the  asylum,  is  admitted  into  this 
school. 

xVmung  tie  many  noble  women  who  have  sac- 
rihced  much  of  their  time  and  money  in  sus- 
taining this  institution,  special  mention  maybe 
made  of  Mrs.  S.  E.  Clayton,  who  during  the  last 
tifteen  years  has  traveled  at  least  4,500  miles, 
visited  110  children — some  of  them  sevefal 
times — and  taken  fifteen  orphans  and  destitute 
children,  who  were  afterward  furnished  homes 
under  the  management  of  the  association.  She 
WHS  president  of  the  society  in  1887-'88. 

There  are  at  present  about  150  children  cared 
for  at  the  asylum.  The  otticers  of  the  associa- 
tion this  year  are:  Mrs.  N.  D.  Rideout,  Presi- 
dent; Mrs.  0.  P.  Goodhue,  Vice-President; 
Mrs.  C.  E.  Paine,  Treasurer;  Mrs.  W.  H.  Hobby, 
Secretary.  The  remaining  members  of  the 
Board  of  Management  are:  Mrs.  T.  B.  McFar- 
land,  Mrs.  Edward  Twitchell,  Mrs.  C.  P.  Massey, 
Jr.,  Ptichard  Irvine,  E.  A.  Barr,  A.  C.  Tufts,  J. 
Frank  Clark,  T.  D.  Scriver.  Mrs.  A.  E.  Peck- 
ham  is  Matron;  Mrs.  Maggie  Warr,  Assistant 
Matron,  and  Dr.  W.  A.  Ilughson,  Physician. 

MAEGUEEITE    HOME. 

This  home  for  aged  women  is  situated  upon 
the  one-half  block  of  land.  Seventh  and  Eighth 
P  and  Q  streets,  in  the  City  of  Sacramento.  The 
main  building  and  handsome  grounds  had  for- 
merly been  the  residence  property  of  Captain 
William  Whitney,  and  the  addition  of  another 
equally  well-constructed  building  alongside, 
36  X  78  feet  in  size,  was  made,  in  order  to  pro- 
cure twenty-eight  large  bed-rooms,  with  parlor, 


reception  room,  office,  kitchen,  laundry  and 
dining  room.  The  bed-rooms  are  all  well  lighted, 
perfectly  ventilated  and  handsomely  furnished, 
thus  insuring  the  greatest  possible  comfort  of 
the  inmates.  There  is  also  a  system  of  hot-air 
pipes  throughout  the  house,  and  an  abundance 
of  ho.-u  and  hydrants  for  tire  purposes. 

The  pleasing  and  substantial  character  of  the 
building  and  the  spacious  grounds,  shaded  by 
large  trees  and  filled  with  choice  shrubbery 
combine  to  make  the  place  home-like  and  at- 
tractive. 

On  February  25,  1884,  the  sixtieth  anniver- 
sary of  the  birthday  of  the  founder,  the  Mar- 
guerite Home  was  dedicated.  The  occasion  was 
celebrated  by  a  reception  at  the  Home  to  the 
older  citizens  of  the' city.  After  the  congratu- 
lations were  over,  Mrs.  Margaret  E.  Crocker 
formally  presented  the  institution  to  the  Board 
of  Trustees,  with  the  following  remarks: 
"  Frank   Miller,   Albert    Gallatin,   John   II. 

Carroll,   Gustavus  L.  Simmons  and  Charles 

McCreary: 

"  Gentlemen — Herewith  I  deliver  into  your 
possession  a  deed  in  trust  for  certain  money, 
real  and  personal  property,  by  means  of  which 
I  propose  to  establish  a  home  for  aged  and  in- 
digent women  in  Sacramento,  to  be  known  as 
the  'Marguerite  Home.'  I  have  the  honor, 
gentlemen,  to  solicit  your  acceptance  of  this 
trust.  Tiie  deed  expresses  my  intentions  with- 
out placing  restrictions  upon  your  mode  of 
management. 

"  Knowing  your  intelligence  and  ability,  and 
having  full  faith  in  your  character  and  in  your 
disposition  to  aid  in  all  benevolent  purposes,  and 
believing  you  to  be  in  full  accord  with  my  views 
in  respect  to  the  especial  objects  of  ray  regard 
in  this  gift,  I  have  left,  as  you  will  see  upon  a 
careful  examination  of  the  deed,  to  your  discre- 
tion and  superior  knowledge  and  to  your  kind 
and  earnest  efforts,  which  1  most  heartily  in- 
voke, the  success  of  this  trust." 

Appropriate  responses  were  made  by  Dr.  G. 
L.  Simmons,  Hon.  Joseph  Steffens  and  Hon. 
John  Q.  Brown,  the  mayor. 


CALIFORNIA  STATE  PRINTING  OFFICE. 


MARGUERITE  HOME,  FOR  AGED   WOMEN. 


HISTORY    OF    SACRAMENrO    COUXTT. 


135 


In  addition  to  the  property  purchased  for  the 
Home,  the  deed  above  referred  to  bequeaths 
also  the  sum  of  $50,000  as  an  eudowinent  fund, 
and  the  further  sum  of  812,000  as  additional 
aid. 

While  the  income  from  Mrs.  Crocker's  large 
donation  has  already  been  apportioned  for  the 
support  of  the  present  inmates,  thetrnstees,  anx- 
ious to  give  the  benefits  of  the  institution  to  such 
worthy  and  respectable  aged  women  as  may  de- 
sire to  enter,  have  arranged  to  take  for  life  such 
as  may  be  able  to  pay  the  expenses  incident  to 
their  maintenance.  At  present  there  are  twelve 
to  fifteen  women  cared  for  at  the  Home. 

The  Board  of  Trustees  now  consists  of  Dr. 
G.  L.  Simmons,  Frank  Miller,  Charles  Mc- 
Creary,  Ludwig  Mebius  and  Ciiarles  F.  Dill- 
man;  and  the  Directresses  are  Mrs.  Frank  Mil- 
ler, Mrs.  G.L.  Simmons,  Mrs.  Charles  McCreary, 
Mrs.  Charles  F.  Dillman,  Mrs.  L.  Mebius  and 
Mrs.  Frank  L.  Orcott.  Mrs.  Fanny  Safford  is 
matron  and  Wallace  A.  Briggs,  M.  D.,  the  phy- 
sician. 

A  brief  histoi'y  of  this  beautiful  hoirie,  acopy 
of  the  deed  of  trust,  by-laws  of  the  Board  of 
Trustees,  forms  of  application,  contract,  bequest, 
etc.,  are  published  in  a  magnificent  pamphlet, 
which  can  bs  obtained  of  any  of  the  ofiicers 
above  mentioned. 

WATEK    OURKS. 

Although  private  hospitals,  strictly  speaking 
are  not  charitable  institutions,  yet,  as  they  are 
truly  hospitals,  it  seems  most  appropriate  to 
place  our  mention  of  them  here. 

All  "  water-cures  "  and  "  health  institutes  " 
are  hospitals;  and  it  appears  almost  wonderful 
Low  soon  all  Eastern  institutions  were  repre- 
sented here,  though  generally  in  a  small  way  of 
course,  after  the  first  tide  of  immigration  dur- 
ing the  gold  excitement.  How  early  the  first 
water-cure  was  established  in  Sacramento  we 
have  not  been  able  to  learn,  but  it  was  probably 
earlyjin  the  '50s.  In  1857  Dr.  T.  P.  Zander  ad- 
'vertised  in  glowing  terms  a  hydropathic  insti- 
tution on  the  southwest  corner  of  Fifth  and  Iv 


streets,  Sacramento.  Afterward  a  Dr.  Burns 
established  a  similar  institution,  which  is  now 
the 

PACIFIC    WATER    CURE    AND    ECLECTIC     HEALTH    IX- 
STITUTK. 

AVith  SO  much  that  is  semi-tropical  around  it, 
Sacramento  would  not  be  complete  unless  fur- 
nished for  all  the  luxury  of  the  bath.  The  Pa. 
cific  Water  Cure  and  Eclectic  Health  Institute, 
on  the  northwest  corner  of  Seventh  and  L  streets, 
under  the  direction  of  Dr.  M.  F.  Clayton,  pro- 
vides all  the  requisites  of  the  bath,  and  much 
more,  in  that  it  offers  all  the  comforts  and  con- 
veniences of  a  well-equipped  sanitarium.  The 
building  is  large  and  commodious,  centrally  lo- 
cated, while  yet  somewhat  removed  from  the 
noise  and  bustle  of  the  crowded  thoroughfares 
of  the  city;  is  surrounded  by  beautiful  shade 
trees,  and  suggestive  in  every  way  of  a  pleasant 
and  refined  home.  A  portion  of  the  building 
has  recently  been  raised,  and  the  departments 
entirely  remodeled.  There  are  luxurious  par- 
lors, rich  and  elegant  in  all  their  appointments, 
for  the  exclusive  use  of  the  ladies  patronizing 
this  famous  establishment. 

The  institution  is  provided  with  all  the  neces- 
sary appliances  for  Turkish,  Russian,  electric  or 
medicated  water  or  vapor  baths,  which  may  be 
enjoyed  at  any  time  as  a  luxury  or  as  a  neces- 
sary means  of  medical  treatment.  On  the  second 
floor  are  comfortable,  home-like  rooms,  full  of 
sunshine,  for  the  use  of  those  who  either  require 
rest  after  bathing,  or  for  ]>atients  coming  fron: 
a  distance  in  search  of  relief  and  cure.  Even 
stables  with  horses  and  vehicles  for  their  use 
are  a  part  of  the  establishment. 

The  whole  is  under  the  direction  and  super- 
vision of  Dr.  M.  F.  Clayton,  a  graduate  of  the 
Eclectic  Medical  Institute  of  Cincinnati,  Ohio, 
who  has  been  in  the  present  location  thirteen 
years,  and  whose  large  experience  as  a  prac- 
titioner for  thirty-three  years  renders  him  es- 
pecially fitted  for  such  a  charge. 

M.  F.  Clayton,  M.  D.,  Proprietor  of  the 
"  Pacific  Water  Cure  and  Home  for  the  Sick," 
northwest    corner    (.if   Seventh    and    L    streets, 


HISTORY    OF    SACRAMENTO    COUNTY. 


Sacramento,  was  born  in  Knox  County,  Ohio,  in 
1826,  and  brought  up  in  Crawford  County,  that 
State.  Graduating  in  medicine  at  the  Eclectic 
Medical  Institute,  Cincinnati,  Ohio,  in  1855,  lie 
practiced  his  proiession  in  the  northeastern  por- 
tion of  Indiana  four  years,  and  then,  in  1859, 
came  overland  to  California,  with  ox  and  horse 
teams,  being  five  and  a  half  months  on  the  way. 
Practicing  medicine  on  the  route  made  the  jour- 
ney more  tedious,  but  multiplied  his  experiences 
in  such  a  maimer  as  apparently  to  fill  up  a  whole 
life-time,  and  furnish  matter  for  endless  anec- 
dote. That  magnificent  painting  at  t)ie  head  of 
the  north  stairway  in  the  Capitol- -the  most 
interesting  in  all  the  West  to  early  immigrants 
to  this  coast — fitly  represents  many  a  scene 
through  which  the  Doctor  passed  on  that  long 
and  indescribable  journey.  He  saw  his  last 
hort^e  die  200  miles  from  human  habitation! 
Arriving  at  Placerville,  September  15,  barefoot 
and  almost  trouserless,  he  rolled  up  his  sleeves 
and  went  to  work  in  caring  for  the  sick.  His 
first  task  was  the  care  of  a  man  who  had  been 
shot,  and  who,  under  the  Doctor's  management, 
fully  recovered.  After  practicing  in  Placerville 
eight  years,  Dr.  Clayton  moved  to  Sacramento 
and  opened  an  office  on  J  street,  between  Fifth 
and  Sixth,  remaining  there  two  years.  About 
that  time  his  family,  consisting  of  a  wife  and 
four  children,  came  and  joined  him.  After  hav- 
ing an  office  on  K  street,  between  Fifth  and 
Sixth,  a  year  or  so,  the  Doctor,  in  1876,  pur- 
chased his  present  institution,  fully  described 
under  the  head  of  Hospitals  in  this  work.  He 
also  owns  a  tract  of  partly  improved  land  about 
sixty-five  miles  east  and  a  little  north  of  Sacra- 
mento, and  in  El  Dorado  County. 

The  Doctor  is  one  of  the  organizers  of  the 
State  Eclectic  Medical  Society,  of  which  he  was 
vice-president  the  first  term  and  president  two 
terms;  also  a  member  of  the  State  Eclectic 
Board  of  Medical  Examiners  three  years,  and 
chairman  two  years.  In  politics  he  is  a  zealous 
Prohibitionist.  During  the  campaign  of  1888 
he  was  a  member  of  the  State  Executive  Com- 
mittee of  the  Prohibition  party.      He  is  an  aft'a- 


ble  gentleman,  well  calculated  to  inspire  hope 
and  a  cheerful  spirit  in  all  his  patients,  and  a 
jolly  mood  in  all  persons  around  him. 

Mes.  Saeaii  E.  Clayton,  Matron  of  the  Pa- 
cific Water-Cure,  was  born  in  December,  1826, 
in  Delaware.  Her  father.  Rev.  John  Davis, 
was  of  Welah  descent,  and  her  mother's  ances- 
tors were  from  England.  The  family  emigrated 
from  Maryland  to  Ohio  in  1830,  and  after  a 
brief  stay  at  Mansfield  and  Plymouth,  they  set- 
tled in  Bucyrus,  Crawford  County,  Ohio,  at 
which  place  Mrs.  Clayton  taught  in  the  public 
schools  from  1846  to  1851.  She  then  married 
Dr.  M.  F.  Clayton.  During  the  war  of  the  Re- 
bellion they  lived  in  Fostoria,  that  State;  and 
while  referring  to  that  period  we  may  mention 
that  a  brother  of  Mrs.  Clayton,  Dr.  W.  H. 
Davis,  went  out  as  Surgeon  in  one  of  the  Iowa 
regiments,  and  died  at  Pittsburg  Landing  in 
1862.  Mrs.  Clayton  was  secretary  of  the  Sani- 
tary Commission  five  years  at  Fostoria,  and  the 
work  which  she  did  during  that  period  she  con- 
siders the  most  important  of  her  life.  It  was, 
indeed,  as  important  a  duty  as  any  on  the  field 
of  battle,  to  be  performed  either  by  a  private 
soldier  or  a  General  commanding  armies.  She 
came  to  California  in  1870  with  four  children, 
the  eldest  of  whom  died  in  London,  England, 
in  1881.  Her  husband  had  preceded  her  to 
this  State  a  number  of  years.  On  going  to  the 
county  hospital,  then  at  Tenth  and  L  streets,  to 
visit  the  sick  men,  she  found  that  the  inmates 
were  poorly  supplied  with  reading  matter.  She 
asked  the  citizens  to  donate  such  books  as  they 
did  not  need  for  their  own  use,  to  the  patients 
for  their  entertainment,  and  her  anticipations 
were  more  than  realized,  and  they  had  a  valua- 
ble library  to  put  in  the  new  building  when  that 
was  completed.  Among  the  books  was  an  old 
relic,  a  Greek  Bible  200  years  old.  But,  alas! 
they  had  the  privilege  of  using  that  library  but 
a  short  time,  when  it,  with  the  nice,  new  build- 
ing, was  burned. 

Probably  the  next  in  importance  of  the  works 
of  her  life  is  the  part  which  she  has  taken  in 
behalf  of  the  orphans  of  that  State.     She  was 


HISTORY    OF    SACRAMENTO    COUNTY. 


elected  one  of  the  managers  of  the  Protestant 
Orphan  Asylum  of  this  city  in  .1873,  where  her 
lirst  duty  was  to  look  after  the  interests  of  the 
children  who  had  been  sent  out  of  the  asylum 
ou  trial,  to  procure  permanent  homes.  It  proved 
to  be  a  duty  of  embarrassing  responsibility,  and 
she  had  many  difficulties  to  encounter  until  she 
had  a  thorough  system  established,  so  that  when 
a  family  took  a  child  she  knew  its  interests 
would  be  looked  after.  She  went  before  the 
Legislature  and  asked  for  a  law  by  which  the 


managers  could  be  governed  in  placing  children 
out  for  adoption  in  families  who  wished  for 
thera;  and  the  law  was  adopted  without  a  dis- 
senting voice.  (See  also  our  account  of  the 
Protestant  Orphan  Asylum,  elsewhere  in  this 
volume.) 

The  children  of  Dr.  and  Mrs.  Clayton  are: 
Ilattie,  wife  of  A.  J.  Gardner,  residing  in  Sacra- 
mento; Mrs.  Clara  M.  Byrne,  residing  with  her 
parents;  Frank  W.,  in  Sun  Francisco,  and  Wil- 
lis M.,  deceased. 


HI  STOUT    OF'  SACRAMENTO    COUNTY. 


i^iiS^ 


SACEAMENTO  CITY. 


CHAPTEK    XIX. 


PIONEEK    BUSINESS    MEN. 

N  addition  to  the  business  men  alluded  to  in 

our  chapter  on  the  founding  of  Sacramento, 

we    mention  the  following    who    were   here 

during  the  first  three   or  four  years  after  that 

event. 

History  states  that  in  May,  1849,  there  were 
about  thirty  buildings  occupied  by  stores,  and 
that  on  June  26  there  were  100  houses  in  Sacra- 
mento. The  following  business  and  professional 
men  are  named  about  in  the  order  in  which  we 
find  their  advertisements  in  the  Placer  Times: 

Whitlock  &  Gibson,  auction  and  commission. 

Burnett  &  Rogers  (Peter  H.  and  John  P.), 
exchange  brokers  and  agents  for  the  collection 
of  debts.  Burnett  was  afterward  Governor  of 
the  State. 

Drs.  L.  P.  &  S.  S.  Crane,  physicians  and 
druggists. 

Dr.  C.  P).  Zabriskie,  physician. 

Orlando  McKnight,  proprietor  of  the  Ameri- 
can House  and  Restaurant. 

Murray  &  Lappeus. 

Pickett  &  Co. 

Saget  &  Co. 

T.  McDowell  &  Co.,  auction  and  commission. 

Gillespie,  Gerald  &  Co.,  wholesale  and  retail 
grocers,  provisions  and  mining  goods. 

Brannan  &  Co.  (Samuel  Prannan,  William 
Stout,  and  Melius,  Howard  &  Co.),  general  mer- 


chandise. In  August,  1849,  Mr.  Brannan  was 
again  alone.  Brannan  died  May  5,  1889,  at 
Escondido,  San  Diego  County,  California. 

Dr.  B.  Bryant,  a  graduate  of  the  Botanico- 
Medical  College  of  Memphis,  established  in  Au- 
gust a  hospital  on  L  street;  also  sold  medicines. 

Dr.  W.  H.  I'Anson,  "late  Surgeon  of  the 
United  States  Army,"  opened  out  in  August, 
1849,  "opposite  Prof.  Sheppard's  store." 

John  Codlin,  butcher  and  provision  merchant. 

H.  P.  Merrifield,  auction  and  real  estate. 

James  C.  Zabriskie,  law,  conveyancing  and 
surveying. 

Morse,  Dunning  &  Co.  (Charles  E.  G.  Morse, 
of  St.  Louis,  Missouri,  and  John  Dunning,  of 
New  York  City),  provisions. 

J.  P.  Rittenhouse  &  Co.  (Thomas  C.  D.  01m- 
stead  and  W.  E.  Keyes). 

Peyton,  Cornet  &  McCarver. 

Dr.  F.  M.  Rodrigues,  from  New  Orleans. 

B.  E.  Watson,  groceries. 

Dr.  M.  B.  Angle. 

Massett  &  Brewster  (Stephen  C.  and  Charles 
O.),  auction  and  commission. 

Dring,  store  at  the  Fort. 

Thomas  A.  Warbass,  real  estate. 

Robertson  &  Co.  (G.  M.  R.,  Theodore  Van 
Cott  and  Thomas  King),  meat  market. 

Dr.  W.  G.  Deal. 

Dr.  Robert  AVilson. 


UISTOUT    OF    SACRAMENTO    COUNTY. 


C.  G.  «fe  K.  G.  Cornell,  meat  market. 

Drs.  McKenzie  &  Ames  (J.  M.  and  F.  W.). 

James  N.  Harding,  law  and  real  estate. 

Elislia  W.  McKinstry,  law. 

Jones,  Prettyman,  Barroll  &  Co.  (Dr.  W.  G. 
Deal),  commission,  real  estate  and  drugs.  After- 
ward Prettyman,  Barroll  &  Gwynn. 

Charles  Liudley,  lawyer  and  commissioner  of 
deeds. 

Bailey,  Mon-isun  &  Co.,  loercliaiits. 

Pearson  &  Baker  (James  P.  and  W.  A.  B.), 
real  estate. 

Plume,  Trnman  &  Co. 

Cardwell,  Brown  &  Co.  (IT.  C.  C,  E.  L. 
Brown,  John  Harris  and  John  S.  Fowler),  after- 
ward Harris,  Brown  &  Co. 

Drs.  J.  L.  Wydown  and  T.  J.  White. 

J.  B.  Starr  &  Co.  (H.  L.  Barney),  auction. 

McNulty  &  Co.  (A.  G.  Hedrick),  hardware. 

Dr.  Benjamin  E.  Carman  boui^ht  Dr.  Deal's 
interest  in  the  Martin  &  Deal  hospital  at  the 
Fort,  in  December,  1849. 

Dr.  Hardenstein,  homeopathic. 

Barney,  Brewster  &  Co.  (B.  B.  Barney,  P.  E. 
Brewster,  Fred  Ogden,  J.  H.  Blossom  and  J.  P. 
Hurley),  afterward  Barney,  Blossom  &,  Co. 

Suydam,  Fletcher  &  Co.  (John  Suydam,War- 
ren  Fletcher  and  J.  E.  Galloway),  then  Suydam 
&  Galloway,  auction  and  commission. 

Drs.  K.  M.  Stanbury  and  J.  W.  II.  Stettinius 
and  Mr.  Charles  E.  Abbott  bought  the  hospital 
of  Dr.  Craigan  and  Mr.  Abell  at  tlie  Fort, 
during  the  winter  of  1849-'50. 

Dr.  S.  P.  Thomas. 

B.  F.  Hastings  &  Co.,  exchange  brokers,  bank- 
ers and  commission  merchants. 

James  Tate  &  Co.,  general  merchandise. 

C.  F.  McClure  &  Co.  (P.  R.  Slater). 
Covilland,  Fajard  &  Co.,  general  merchandise. 
R.  Gelston  &  Co.  (Simmons,    Hutchinson  & 

Co.),  general  iTierchandise. 

Meconnekin  &Co.  (E.  Meconnekin,  A.  Hadley 
and  James  A.  Myer),  auction  and  commission. 

William  Montgomery,  auction  and  commis- 
sion, groceries,  etc. 

Andrew  J.  Binncy,  civil  engineerandsurvcyor. 


Fowler  &  Fry,  proprietors  of  the  City  Hotel. 

E.  M.  Hayes,  jeweler. 

Offutt,  AVales  &  Co.  (M.  II.  Offutt,  C.  P. 
Wales,  Jacob  P.  Dunn  and  George  Dunn),  auc- 
tion and  commission. 

Hensley  &  Redding  (Samuel  J.  Ilensley,  Peir- 
son  B.  Redding  and  Jacob  R.  Snyder),  general 
merchants.  Dissolved  partnership  February  10, 
1850. 

Middlebrook  &  Christy  (Charles  M.  and  John 
M.  C). 

Steele  &  Grummun  (Seymour  G.  S.  and 
Caleb  G.). 

William  R.  Prince  &  Co.,  sheet  iron,  zinc, 
miners'  supplies,  etc. 

Demas  Strong,  dry  goods.  This  man  is  a 
brother  of  AV.  R.  Strong,  and  is  still  living,  in 
the  East. 

M.  G.  Leonard  &  Co.  (Sheldon,  Kibbe  & 
Almy),  groceries  and  miners'  supplies. 

Gillespie  &  Monson  (Eugenio  G.  and  Alonzo 
M.),  land  agents. 

L.  Bartlett,  Jr.,  bank  and  real-estate. 

E.  D.  Byrne  &  Co.,  dry  goods. 

G.  M.  Robertson,  commission  agent  and  real- 
estate  broker. 

Henley  McKnight  &  Co.  (S.  C.  Hastings),  bank . 

Dr.  Bryarly,  in  partnership  with  Dr.  Deal. 

Wetzlar  &  Co.  (Gustavus  W.,  Julius  Wetz- 
lar,  Benj.  Fenner,  Cornelius  Schermerhorn  and 
Francis  Stratton).  Some  of  these  afterward  sold 
out  to  John  A.  Sutter,  Jr.,  and  C.  Brandes. 

A.  P.  Petit,  contractor  and  builder. 

Dr.  C.  Morrill  and  Mr.  C.  T.  AVhittier,  drugs. 

Joseph  Clough,  real  estate. 

John  H.  Dickerson,  civil  engineer  and  sur- 
veyor. 

Moran  &  Clark. 

J.  Neely  Johnson,  lawyer,  and  afterwai-d  Gov- 
ernor, elected  by  the  American  party. 

Bailey,  Morrison  &  Co.  (Major  !>.,  John  C. 
and  E.  M.  Hayes). 

Smith,  Keith  &  Co.  (J.  E.  S.,  Matthew  K.  and 
Henry  M.  Spotswood). 

Lewis  &  Bailey  (John  II.  L.  and  John  T.  !!.), 
general  commission  and  merchandise. 


BISTORT    OF    SACRAMENTO    COUNTY. 


Warbass  &  Co.  (Tliomas  A.  W.,  William  S. 
Heyl  and  John  F.  Morse),  bankers  and  real 
estate. 

Barton  Lee,  successor  to  Priest,  Lee  &  Co. 

G.  B.  Stevens,  wholesale  auction  and  commis- 
sion. 

Chenery  &  Hubbard,  proprietors  of  the  Globe 
Hotel. 

Ferris  Fortnan,  law. 

Hoope  &  L'Amoureux,  general  merchants. 

G.  H.  Johnson,  daguerrean  artist. 

John  H.  Spies,  notions. 

Burnell,  Stout  &  Co.,  wholesale  auction  and 
commission. 

Spalding  &  McKinney  (Volney  S.,  M.  D.  and 
Joseph  McK.),  saloon. 

A.  M.  Winn,  agent  for  Sutter. 

Dr.  B.  T.  Kruse. 

J.  D.  B.  Stillman,  M.  D.     Left  in  1862. 

L.  A.  Birdsall,  M.  D. 

J.  A.  Wadswortli,  M.  D.,  from  Providence, 
Rhode  Island,  had  the  "K  Street  Hospital." 

Boyd  &  Davis,  real  estate,  now  in  San  Fran- 
cisco, wealthy. 

Earl,  Mcintosh  &  Co  ,  forwarding.  Earl  is 
now  in  San  Francisco. 

John  Hatch,  jeweler,  resided  here  in  Sacra- 
mento until  his  death. 

Simmons,  Hutchinson  &  Co.,  general  mer- 
chandise.    Simmons  also  dealt  in  real  estate. 

J.  L.  F.  Warren  established  the  store  now 
owned  by  Baker  &  Hamilton.  For  the  last 
thirty  years  Warren  has  been  conducting  an  ag- 
ricultural paper  in  San  Francisco. 

D.  O.  Mills,  dealer  in  gold  dust  and  founder 
of  the  bank  still  known  by  his  name.  He  is  a 
resident  of  New  York  City. 

Brown,  Henry  &  Co.,  wholesale  clothing. 

James  Lee  kept  the  "  Stinking  Tent,"  the 
chief  gaming  establishment  for  a  time.  Z.  Hub- 
bard soon  started  a  large,  neat  gambling   tent. 

Jacob  Binninger  built  the  first  hotel  in  Sac- 
ramento. 

James  King  of  William,  various. 

Dr.  Charles  H.  Craigan,  from  Washington 
City,  established  a  hospital  at  the  Fort  in  1849; 


rates  of  board  and  treatment,  .$16  to  $50  per 
day. 

H.  Arents  &  Co.,  general  merchandise. 

Bnrge  &  Ratcliffe  (Robert  K.  and  Wm.  M.), 
manufacturers  of  iron  shutters  and  doors. 

M.  T.  McClellan,  speculator  in  gold  and  sil- 
ver; "coin  exchanged  for  dust,  at  $15  per 
ounce." 

Sagat  &  Southard  (L.  T.  &  Charles  C),  gen- 
eral merchandise  and  miners'  supplies. 

Marshall  &  Santry,  general  merchandise. 

Von  Pfister  &  Vaughan  (Edward  and  William), 
general  merchandise. 

H.  A.  Schoolcraft,  real  estate  and  magis- 
trate. 

Drs.  Wm.  M.  Carpenter  and  T.  L.  Chapman. 

Dr.  T.  M.  Ames,  at  Sutterville. 

Nevett  &  Co.,  hardware.  Youmans  was  the 
"Co." 

C.  C.  Sackett,  notary  public  and  conveyancer. 

R.  Chenery,  flour. 

George  H.  Pettibone,  proprietor  of  the  El 
Dorado  House. 

Yates  Ferguson,  general  store. 

Haines,  Webster  &  Co.,  hotel. 

Richard  Berry,  auction. 

Barton  &  Grim,  real  estate. 

Watson  &  Bern,  hardware. 

C.  P.  Huntington  &  Co.,  hardware. 

J.  B.  Blanchard  &  Co.,  hardware. 

Bowstead  &  Woods,  iron  and  brass  foundry. 

Wesley  Merritt,  Moran  &  Clark,  H.  E.  Rob- 
inson &  Co.,  George  H.  Johnson,  Thompson  & 
Taylor,  Cochran,  Peifer,  Samuel  Gregg,  S.  C. 
Bruce,  Montgomery  &  Co.,  Captain  Gallop,  A. 
C.  Latson,  John  Yan  Houghton,  Ames  &  Mc- 
Kenzie,  Jesse  Haycock,  Dearbower,  Caswell, 
Ingalls  &  Co.,  Ilanna,  Jennings  &  Co.,  Captain 
Northam,  Geise  &  Son,  J.  J.  Bnrge,  Harden- 
bergh  &  Co.,  Morrill  i%  Hamlin,  Coats  &  Rivett, 
Cheeks,  Pinkard,  Prince,  Scranton  &  Smith,  T. 
S.  Mitchell  &  Co.,  Reynolds  &  Co.,  P.  B.  Corn- 
wall, Paul,  White  &  Co.,  etc. 

There  were  also  numerous  express  companies, 
stage  lines,  etc.,  too  tedious  to  mention  in  all 
their  changes. 


U I  STORY    OF    SAGRAUENTU    COUNTY. 


GEOCEEIES    AND    PROVISIONS. 

The  principal  grocers  in  1850  and  following 
years  were  the  following: 

The  most  extensive  in  operations  were  Poine- 
roy  &  Peebles,  whose  establishment  was  famil- 
iarly known  as  the  "  Missouri  Store."  Botii 
those  men  are  dead. 

Haynes  &  Co.  were  almost  exclusively  an 
importing  house. 

Bullard,  Figg  &  Co.  did  a  large  business. 
The  former  is  deceased,  and  Mr.  Figg  is  still 
living,  in  Sacramento. 

Cavert  &  Hill  also  had  a  large  trade,  in  a 
large  frame  building  on  Front  street,  where  the 
McCreary  flouring-mill  now  stands. 

Forshee,  Booth  &  Co.  enjoyed  an  extensive 
patronage.  The  members  were  John  Forshee, 
Lucius  A.  Booth  and  Job  F.  Dye.  Booth  lives 
now  at  Pit  diuont,  and  Forshee  is  dead.  Dye 
came  to  California  as  early  as  1840. 

E.  D.  &  W.  T.  Kennedy  were  Philadelphia 
men.  who  in  the  grocery  trade  accumulated  a 
little  fortune.  The  first  mentioned  resides  in 
Philadelphia,  and  the  other  is  deceased. 

J.  W.  Foard  &  Co.  (George  Cadwallader)  are 
both  dead.  The  latter  became  an  eminent  at- 
torney here. 

W.  T.  Grissim  &  Cu.  (Snyder)  are  also  de- 
ceased. 

Curry  &  Co.  and  P.  J.  Brown  &  Co.  were 
burned  out  in  the  great  fire  of  1852,  re-estab- 
lished themselves  and  finally  went  out  of  business 
in  1855. 

The  "Lady  Adams  Company,"  named  after 
the  ship  that  brought  them  to  the  coast,  was 
one  of  the  oldest  firms  in  Sacramento,  who 
brought  a  cargo  of  goods  with  them.  Mebius 
&  Co.  are  now  their  successors. 

Stanford  Bros,  (three  brothers  of  Leland  Stan 
ford)  were  not  burned  out  in  1S52,  although 
their  building  was  not  so  fire-proof  as  many 
others  that  were  consumed.  All  other  build- 
ings in  their  block  were  burned. 

Hermance  it  Burton  never  resumed  business 
after  the  fire  of  1^52. 

J.  IL  Trowbridge  vk:  Co.  and  Carroll  &  Stearin 


soon  after  the  fire  succeeded  the  old  house  of 
Birdsall  &  Co.,  taking  the  name  of  Scudder, 
Carroll  &  Co. 

Taylor  &  Van  Sickle  were  successful  business 
men  before  the  fire;  after  that  event  Van  Sickle 
never  resumed  business. 

Louis  Sloss  had  a  successful  trade  here  until 
about  1854;  is  now  with  the  Alaska  Fur  Com- 
pany in   San  Francisco. 

Chamberlain  &  Patrick  did  business  upon  the 
Plaza.  Chamberlain,  now  nearly  ninety  years 
of  age,  is  still  in  active  employment,  in  the 
banking  house  of  D.  O.  Mills  &  Co.  Dr.  Pat- 
rick is  deceased. 

Wilcoxson  &  Co.  enjoyed  a  large  trade  up  to 
1852,  then  closed.  Jackson  Wilcoxson  is  dead; 
but  JeflFerson,  his  brother,  is  still  living  here, 
and  is  now  a  capitalist. 

Maddux  &.  Co.  were  from  Aikansas.  They 
built  the  present  Maddux  Block,  corner  of 
Third  and  K  streets. 

Mills  &  Co.  (James  and  D.  O.  Mills)  retired 
from  the  grocery  business  probably  in  1851. 
The  latter  established  the  bank  which  is  still 
known  by  his  name,  and  now  resides  in  Xew 
York  City. 

Bushnell  &  Co.'s  establishment  was  one  of 
the  very  few  houses  that  were  not  buj'ned  out 
in  the  fire  of  1852. 

Sneath  &  Arnold  established  a  business  here 
about  1851.  The  former  is  now  a  resident  of 
San  Francisco,  having  a  large  dairy  in  the 
country,  and  John  Arnold  died  in  Connecticut 
about  1864.  Their  successors  are  Adams,  Mc- 
Neill &  Co. 

Fry,  Hoopes  &  Co.  comprised  J.  D.  Fry 
and  Thomas  Hoopes.  Fry  is  in  San  Francisco 
and  Hoopes  is  dead.  Their  successors  are 
Lindley  &  Co. 

Hopkins  &  Miller.  The  former,  Mark  Hop- 
kins, died  at  Yuma,  March  29,  1878,  and  the 
latter,  Ed.  Miller,  is  now  connected  with  the 
Central  Pacific  Railroad. 

W.   R.  McCaull  &  Co.  ( Moore)  did  a 

large  business.  McCaull  is  dead,  and  Moore  is 
in  Louisville,  Kentucky. 


HISTORY    OF  -SACRAMENTO    COUNT F. 


Smith  &  Booth,  predecessors  of  the  present 
firm  of  Booth  &  Co.  Charles  Smith  died  in 
New  York,  and  the  other  partner  is  ex-United 
States  Senator  Newton  Booth,  the  senior  mem- 
ber of  the  present  firm.  By  the  index,  find  in 
this  volume  a  biographical  sketch  of  the  latter. 

Hull  &  Lohman  were  also  successful  grocers. 
Hull  is  living  in  San  Francisco,  and  Lohman 
died  in  that  city  five  or  six  years  ago. 

Lindley,  Booth  &  Co.  (T.  M.  Lindley,  L.  A. 
Booth)  began  in  September,  184-9.  The  next 
year  Booth  retired  from  the  firm.  After  a  time 
Lindley  dropped  that  trade  here  and  was  in 
business  elsewhere.  February  1,  1833,  he  be- 
came a  member  of  Fry,  Hoopes  &  Co.,  on  the 
corner  of  Seventh  and  J  streets;  a  year  after- 
ward the  name  of  the  firm  was  Lindley  & 
Hoopes,  and  in  1855  Mr.  Lindley  was  alone. 
The  firm  is  now  Lindley  &  Co.  (T.  M.  and  D. 
A.  Lindley),  214-218  K  street. 

Other  early  grocery  firms  were:  Birdsall  & 
Co.;  Ahrents  &  Tolger;  Meeker  &  Co.  (S.  H. 
and  David  Meeker);  Burton  &  McCarty;  Wood 
&  Keriyon;  Kramer  &  Quivey;  Loveland  &  Co.; 
Kibbe,  Almy  &Co. ;  Thomas  Bannister;  Burton, 
Fibh  &  Culver;  Peter  Slater,  etc. 

EAKLT    BANKERS. 

(From  Old  Directories.) 

1851— Hensley  &  Merrill  (Samuel  J.  and 
Robert  D.),  47  Second  street  between  J  and  K; 
Sacramento  City  Bank  (Rhodes,  Sturges  &  Co.), 
53  Second  street,  between  J  and  K;  B.  F.  Has- 
tings &  Co.,  51  J  street,  between  Second  and 
Third. 

1853 — Adams  &  Co.,  Granite  Building,  Sec- 
ond street  between  Orleans  Hotel  and  J  sti-eet; 
Grim  &  Rumler  (A.  K.  and  Fr.),  3  J  street; 
D.  O.  Mills  &  Co.,  58  J  street;  Francis  W. 
Page,  agent  of  Page,  Bacon  &  Co.,  of  St.  Louis, 
Missouri. 

1856— Wells,  Fargo  &  Co.;  John  M.  Rhodes, 
Second  street  between  J  and  K. 

1868 ^Sacramento  Savings  Bank,  89  J  street. 

1871 — Capital  Savings  Bank,  southwest  cor- 
ner Fourth  and  J  streets;  Julius  Wetzlar,  Presi- 


dent; R.  C.  Wool  worth,  Secretary;  Odd  Fel- 
lows' Bank  of  Savings,  St.  George  Building, 
Fourth  and  J  streets. 

FLOURING    MILLS. 

Lamlard  Flouring  Mills. — In  1853  these 
mills  were  established  on  the  north  side  of  I 
street,  at  the  head  of  Second  street,  and  for 
about  two  years  were  run  in  connection  with 
the  Sacramento  Iron  Works.  The  original 
building  was  of  brick,  and  only  20x40  feet  in 
size.  In  1856  it  was  enlarged,  and  a  most 
substantial  foundation  placed  under  it,  by  James 
Kerr,  a  superior  millwright  from  Boston.  This 
man  afterward  lost  his  life  on  the  ill-fated 
steamship  Central  America.  Additions  were 
made  to  the  building,  and  the  capacity  increased 
to  five  run  of  stone.  But  this  mill  has  long 
since  been  discontinued,  and  the  Iniilding  has 
for  some  years  been  used  as  a  warehouse. 

Sacramento  Flouring  Mills. — In  1858  Dr. 
Carpenter,  at  that  time  a  well-known  and 
wealthy  citizen  of  Sacramento,  commenced  the 
erection  of  the  large  brick  building  on  P^ront 
street,  between  L  and  M,  for  the  purpose  of 
having  it  made  the  State  Capitol.  The  latter 
"institution,"  however,  was  never  located  there. 
After  its  completion  the  first  floor  was  occupied 
as  grain  stores,  etc.,  by  C.  II.  Swift,  Campbell 
&  Sweeney,  and  others.  In  1856-'57  it  bore 
the  dignity  of  being  the  county  court-house. 
From  Dr.  Cai-penter  the  property  passed  to  C. 
K.  Garrison,  and  in  1869  Charles  and  Byron 
McCreary  bought  the  building  and  turned  it 
into  the  Sacramento  Flouring  Mills.  See  sketch 
of  these  gentlemen  in  the  biographical  depart- 
iTaent  of  this  work. 

Pioneer  Flouring  Mills. — R.  D.  Cary,  in 
1854,  transformed  what  is  known  as  the  Boston 
Ice  House  into  the  Pioneer  Flour  Mills,  situ- 
ated on  First  street,  between  Sacramento  and 
broad,  that  is,  in  the  vicinity  of  what  is  now 
known  as  "Jib- Boom  ''  street.  Carey  failed  in 
business  and  the  property  passed  into  the  hands 
of  E.  P.  Figg.  Carey,  it  was  said,  afterward 
went  to  Philadelphia  and  accumulated  consider- 


HISTORY    OF    SACRAMENTO    COUNTY. 


able  wealth.  In  1858  Setli  Garfield  and  Aleck- 
Dyer  purchased  the  mill  from  b'igg  and  thor- 
oughly remodeled  it.  In  October,  1863,  the 
property  was  destroyed  by  fire,  the  proprietors 
losing  about  $10,000  above  insurance  Up  to 
the  time  of  tlie  fire  the  mill  was  running  day 
and  night,  turning  out  200  barrels  of  flour  a 
day,  at  a  net  profit  of  $75. 

Dyer  left  the  city,  and  Garfield  and  A.  C. 
Bidwell  went  into  partnership,  and  within  four 
months  the  present  Pioneer  Mills  were  erected 
and  in  running  order.  Three  days  after  the  re- 
newal of  business,  Bidwell  sold  out  to  H.  G. 
Smith,  who,  together  with  Garfield,  ran  the 
mill  till  the  close  of  1864.  Then  J.  II.  Carroll 
came  in  as  a  third  partner,  and  the  capacity  of 
the  mill  was  increased  to  500  barrels  a  day, 
the  sum  of  $70,000  having  been  expended  for 
that  purpose.  These  three  partners  conducted 
the  mill  for  five  years,  and  then  Carroll  and 
Garfield  sold  put  their  interests  to  Smith  and 
G.  W.  Mowe.  The  "  Pioneer  Milling  Company" 
now  comprises  H.  G.  Smith,  President;  L. 
Williams,  Vice-President;  and  F.  B.  Smith, 
Secretary. 

For  tlie  Phffinix  Mills,  see  sketch  of  George 
Schrodt,  in  the  latter  part  of  this  work. 

OTHER  EXTERI'KISES. 

The  first  lumher  yard  for  the  sale  of  Califor- 
nia mountain  lumber  was  established  in  the 
early  part  of  1852,  by  C.  C.  Ilayden,  at  the 
northeast  corner  of  Fourth  and  L  streets,  where 
the  Figg  residence  now  stands,  and  occupying 
nearly  half  of  the  block  south  of  the  alley  and 
the  lot  opposite.  The  lumber  was  obtained 
principally  from  Nevada  County  and  Grass  Val- 
ley, and  hauled  by  teams.  The  cost  of  this 
transportation  was  from.  $15  to  $20  per  thousand 
feet,  the  lumber  selling  at  that  time  at  the  rate 
of  $80  per  thousand.  The  reason  the  freight 
charges  were  so  low  was  the  fact  that  tlie  teams 
were  principally  engaged  in  hauling  supi)lius  to 
the  mines,  and  the  drivers  would  rather  haul 
back  lumber  at  those  rates  than  return  empty. 


For  several  months  after  the  great  fire  of  No- 
vember, 1852,  this  mountain  lumber  sold  for 
$300  a  thousand,  the  freight  having  advanced 
to  $100. 

In  the  summer  of  1858,  while  the  Figg  house 
was  in  process  of  construction,  Ilayden  closed 
his  lumber  business  and  turned  his  attention  to 
conveyancing.  He  was  a  native  of  Boston, 
Massachusetts,  where  he  was  a  member  of  the 
firm  of  Hayden  &  Whipple,  booksellers  and 
publishers.  He  arrived  in  California  in  Sep- 
tember, 1849,  on  the  brig  Eodolph. 

Pottery. — The  first  pottery  ever  made  in 
Sacramento  was  by  Jacob  Knauth,  of  the  Sutter 
Floral  Gardens,  who,  being  in  need  of  flower- 
pots that  he  could  not  otherwise  supply,  made 
them  so  successfully  himself  that  in  1853  he 
established  a  small  pottery.  In  1857  Clark  & 
Mahoney  started  the  Sacramento  Pottery,  then 
on  the  north  side  of  J  street,  near  Twenty-sixth. 
They  made  only  Rockingham  ware,  the  dark- 
brown  glazed  earthenware,  and  soon  failed  for 
want  of  patronage.  After  the  war  period  two 
Swede  brothers,  John  and  Martin  Bergman,  ex- 
pert potters,  bought  the  property,  then  on  the 
east  side  of  Thirtieth  street,  between  M  and  N. 
They  first  wisely  prospected  for  the  best  clay  in 
this  part  of  the  State,  and,  after  an  expenditure 
of  $7,000,  found  at  Cook's  and  Michigan  bars, 
in  this  county,  beds  of  clay  equal  in  quality  to 
the  best  in  the  world,  thus  enabling  themselves 
to  produce  yellow  ware  and  terra  cotta  of  the 
best  quality. 

The  Sacraineiito  Sineltiixj  Company  was 
incorporated  February  18,  1874,  with  a  capital 
stock  of  $50,000.  The  stock  was  held  by  promi- 
nent capitalists  here,  anc'  the  works,  located 
north  of  the  nortii  levee  at  Twelfth  street,  were 
immediately  erected  and  put  in  operation.  The 
enterprise  proved  unprofitable  at  the  end  of 
about  three  years  and  operations  suspended. 
The  building  remained  idle,  and  w;is  destroyed 
by  fire  January  21,  1879,  at  7:15  a.  m 

The  first  oflicers  were:  Julius  AVetzlar, 
President;  Samuel  Poorman,  Secretary;  R.  C. 
Woolworth,    Treasurer;    and    G.    N.    Gerrish 


HISTORY    OP.  SACRAMENTO    COUNTT. 


Superintendent.      The    principal    building  was 
60  X  200  feet. 

Capital  Packing  Com.pany. — In  the  fall  of 
1881  two  practical   men  came  here   from   San 
Francisco,  for  the  purpose  of  looking    up  the 
establishment   of    the   fruit-packing   interests. 
Thej  enlisted  the  sympathies  of  John  H.  Carroll, 
now  deceased,  and  in  the  spring  of  1882  matters 
had  progressed  so  far  that  operations  commenced 
in  two  small  stores  on   Front  street,  between  K 
and  L.     Mr.  Carroll  was  an  enterprising  man, 
had  just  been   president  of  the   Pacific  Mutual 
Insurance  Company,  and  he  saw  that  there  might 
be    a    prosperous    future   to   the  fruit  business 
here.     In    1883    they    secured    two    additional 
stores    adjoining   and  enlarged    their  business, 
and  continued  there  until  the  fall  of  1886.    Thus 
far,  however,  it  proved  unprofitable;  and  it  was 
seen  also  that  more  room   was   needed  to  carry 
ou  the  business,  and  it  was  decided  to  move  out 
of    their    present    location   on    the    corner   of 
Eleventh  and  B  streets.     They  established  them- 
selves there  that  fall.     The  next  year  Mr.  Car- 
roll   died,  and    the    business  management  was 
thrown  upon  Edgar  B.  Carroll.     It  is  now  on  a 
profitable    and    solid  basis,  the  season  of  1888 
demonstrating  that  fact.    A  market  for  the  prod- 
ucts is  found  all  over  the  United  States,  Eng 
land,  Australia  and  China.     When  the  cannery 
was  started  it  was  found   that  Sacramento  was 
the  best  point  in  the  State,  and  that  fruit  could 
be  obtained  by  buying  direct  from  the  orchards. 
It  was  also  learned    later   from   experience  that 
as    San    Francisco    was   a   larger    market,  fruit 
drifted  that  way;  and  they  found  that  they  could 
buy  in  San  Francisco  and  transport  to  this  point 
cheaper  than   they  could    buy  direct  from   the 
producers;  hence  the  packers  of  San    Francisco 
had  the  advantage,  and,  besides,  the  best  fruits 
for  their  purpose  are  not  grown  in  this  vicinity. 
They  have,  however,  now  learned    the  localities 
where  best  to  buy.     They    make   a  specialty  of 
packing  the  best  brands  of  fruit.     Four  hundred 
hands  are   employed  during  the  busy  season, 
when  labor  is  scarce,  too;  and  this  fact  in  1888 
prevented  the  filling  of  some  orders.    In  addition    I 


to  the  buildings  originally  on  the  site,  they 
erected  one  60x160,  and  afterward  two  others 
50x160.  They  now  occupy  these  buildings, 
with  the  adjacent  yard  160  feet  square,  and  also 
a  fire-proof  warehouse  150  feet  square. 

Edgar  B.  Caeroll,  the  manager  of  this  in- 
stitution, was  born  in  Sacramento,  September 
15,  1862,  commenced  his  school  education  at 
the  age  of  six  years  in  private  schools,  continu- 
ing the  next  ten  years  at  Ferry's  Seminary,  and 
afterward  the  grammar  department  of  the  city 
schools  and  the  High  School,  graduating  in  1880. 
His  fatiier  desired'him  to  go  to  the  University, 
but  he  felt  that  the  experience  in  business  which 
he  had  determined  to  follow  would  be  of  more 
benefit  than  university  education,  having  de- 
cided at  the  same  time  to  study,  which  he  did 
for  two  years.  In  business  he  started  out  in  the 
wholesale  liquor  business  for  James  I.  Felter  & 
Co.  At  the  end  of  three  years  he  was  at  the 
head  of  the  institution.  In  1884  his  fatlier  de- 
sired him  to  enter  the  fruit-packing  business 
with  him;  but,  having  served  an  apprenticeship 
in  a  business  entirely  different,  he  knew  what  it 
would  be  to  start  in  again  where  he  would 
require  considerable  time  to  reach  the  higher 
positions.  His  father  was  urgent,  and  he  finally 
consented.  Thus,  he  left  a  position  of  $125  a 
month  to  accept  a  foremanship  in  his  father'? 
establishment  at  $2  a  day.  He  passed  through 
the  difierent  departments,  working  six  months 
in  the  can  shop,  perfecting  the  workings  of  the 
different  departments  as  he  went  along;  and  in 
the  spring  of  1887  he  became  assistant  manager 
of  the  institution.  In  the  meantime,  when  he 
went  into  business  they  wished  him  to  imme- 
diately enter  the  office;  he  refused,  but  it  was 
fortunate  that  it  came  along  at  that  time;  for 
before  his  father's  death  business  became  un- 
profitable and  all  were  discouraged.  Great 
pecuniary  losses  hastened  his  father's  deatn. 
Edgar,  however,  thought  he  foresaw  a  fortune 
in  the  fruit-canning  business,  and  he  concluded 
to  give  it  another  year's  trial,  which  indeed 
proved  a  success. 

Mr.  Carroll  is  a  member  of  Concord   Lodge, 


insrOIiY    OF    SACRAMENTO    COUNTY. 


F  &  A.  M.,  of  the  Sacramento  Chapter,  R.  A.  M. ; 
Sacramento  Council,  and  Sacramento  Comman- 
derj;  at  present  he  is  Senior  Warden  of  Concord 
Lodge.  He  lias  been  a  member  of  Grand  Lodge 
of  the  State,  and  refused  the  position  of  Master 
of  that  lodge  on  account  of  the  pressure  of  busi- 
ness. He  is  also  a  member  of  Sunset  Parlor, 
N.  S.  G.  W.,  having  held  the  different  chairs  in 
that  body.  In  1882  he  was  a  private  in  the 
State  militia,  and  since  then  has  been  promoted 
through  the  different  positions,  until  in  1884 
he  was  elected  Junior  Second  Lieutenant  of 
Company  B,  and  afterward  Senior  First  Lieuten- 
ant; but  in  1888  his  business  was  so  pressing 
■  that  he  had  to  leave  the  service.  In  his  political 
principles  he  is  a  Republican,  and  takes  con- 
siderable interest  in  the  questions  of  the  day. 

The  first  street  cars  in  this  city  were  stai'ted 
in  August,  1870.  The  cars,  only  two  in  num- 
ber, were  built  by  the  Kimball  Manufacturing 
Company,  of  San  Francisco.  Electric  motor 
(strong  battery)  was  first  applied  to  the  running 
of  street  cars  here  in  1888,  but  was  soon  tem- 
porarily suspended. 

BUSINESS    COLLEGES. 

E.  C.  Atkinson^s  Business  College  is  a  fully 
equipped  institution  in  Hale's  Block,  corner  of 
Ninth  and  K  streets.  It  was  founded  in  1873, 
and  has  graduated  many  competent  pupils. 

Bdinbridge  Business  College  and  Normal 
School. — If  the  test  of  worth  is  to  be  found  in 
genuine  success,  then  truly  the  college  whose 
name  stands  at  the  head  of  this  article  is  one  of 
the  best.  Founded  October  3,  1887,  less  than 
two  years  ago  at  date  of  writing,  it  has  grown 
from  a  beginning  of  only  five  scholars  to  an 
average  attendance  of  about  140,  and  whereas  the 
principal.  Prof  J.  C.  Bainbridge,  with  his  wife, 
Mrs.  Belle  C.  Bainbridge,  were  the  only  teach- 
ers, now  there  are  si.x  regular  teachers  and 
several  specialists.  This  is  but  the  beginning, 
too,  of  still  further  extensions,  as  will  be  noted 
further  along.  The  situation  of  the  college  is 
good,  being  located  in  a  spacious  building  on 
J  street,  in  the  heart  of  the  city,  where  the  fit- 


tings and  arrangements  are  made  with  special 
reference  to  the  requirements  of  such  an  insti- 
tution. As  we  learn  from  the  last  catalogue, 
the  courses  of  study  are  so  arranged  and  graded 
as  to  forward  the  student  at  the  greatest  speed 
commensurate  with  good  work,  and  are  of  the 
modern  and  practical  nature  that  commend 
themselves  to  the  business  feelings  of  this  age. 
In  fact,  after  a  careful  examination  of  the  meth- 
ods adopted  by  the  Bainbridge  Business  College, 
we  are  led  to  conclude  that  it  is  one  of  the  best 
representatives  of  that  most  popular  modern  in- 
stitution, the  business  or  commercial  college. 
It  goes  farther  than  most,  however,  in  supply- 
ing to  it«  pupils  the  branches  ordinarily  taught 
in  a  normal  school,  in  such  a  simple  and  practi- 
cal manner  as  to  make  them  most  serviceable. 
From  the  catalogue  already  referred  to  we 
learn  that  the  names  of  the  faculty  are  as  fol- 
lows: 

Principal,  J.  C.  Bainbridge,  Teacher  of  Busi- 
ness Penmanship,  Book-keeping,  Commercial 
Law,  Actual  Business  and  General  Superintend- 
ent of  Courses  of  Study;  G.  E.  Riley,  Ph.  D., 
Principal  of  Normal  Department  and  Professor 
of  Languages;  M.  N.  Kimball,  Assistant  in 
Business  and  Normal  Departments,  and  Teacher 
of  Arithmetic  and  Business  Penmanship;  Mrs. 
Clara  E.  Bartholomew,  Assistant  in  the  Normal 
Department;  Prof.  Christian  Dahl  (late  Di- 
rector of  St.  Thomas  Governmental  College), 
Teacher  of  French,  German,  Spanish  and  the 
Ancient  Languages;  Miss  Emma  C.  Ervin  (late 
of  Central  College  of  Eclectic  Short-Hand,  Chi- 
cago), Teacher  of  Short-Hand,  Type-writing 
and  Correspondence;  Mrs.  J.  C.  Bainbridge, 
Teacher  of  Voice  and  Piano;  Prof.  Chas.  Iley- 
wood,  late  of  King's  College,  England,  Vocal 
Music;  F.  O.  Young,  Expert  Teacher  of  Plain 
and  Ornamental  Penmanship,  Lettering  and  En- 
grossing; C.  A.  Neale,  Teacher  of  Flute  and 
Piccolo;  Miss  Louise  Kaibel,  Teacher  of  Violin, 
and  Miss  Mamie  AV.  Bainbridge,  Teacher  of 
Elocution. 

The  Business  Course  includes  book-keeping, 
commercial  arithmetic,  commercial    law,  busi- 


BISTORT    Ot    SACRAMENTO    COUNTY. 


ness  writing,  grammar,  letter  writing,  spell- 
ing and  defining,  thus  conbining  both  theory 
and  practice.  Then  there  is  a  course  in  actual 
business,  in  which  one  is  carried  through  all  the 
details  and  formalities  of  actual  business  life, 
to  facilitate  which  elegant  offices  are  placed  in 
the  department,  each  being  furnished  with  a 
complete  and  costly  set  of  books.  These  include 
real  estate  and  insurance  office,  transportation 
office,  bank,  etc. 

In  the  Normal  Department  there  is  a  two- 
years'  course  in  the  English  branches  and  also  a 
teachers'  review  course,  to  aid  teachers  in  the 
preparation  for  their  examinations.  The  Short- 
Ilaiid  Department  is  very  complete,  the  system 
adopted— namely.  Eclectic  short-hand — being 
considered  the  best.  A  Telegraphy  Depart- 
ment, under  a  competent  instructor,  has  been 
recently  added.  The  Musical  Department  is 
one  of  peculiar  excellence.  It  is  under  the  di- 
rect management  and  control  of  Mrs.  Bain- 
bridge,  assisted  in  tiie  culture  of  the  voice  by 
Frof.  Chas.  Hey  wood,  who  is  well  known  as  one 
of  the  most  distinguislied  vocalists  and  musi- 
cians on  tiie  continent.  This  department  is  about 
to  develop,  in  the  hands  of  Mrs.  Bainbridge, 
into  the  Bainbridge  Conservatory  of  Music, 
modeled  somewhat  after  the  type  of  the  cele- 
brated Boston  Conservatory  of  Music. 

To  conclude,  we  may  say  that  the  rates  of 
tuition  are  very  reasonable,  and  all  the  arrange- 
ments are  carefully  made. 

THE    CALIFOENIA    MUSEUM    ASSOCIATION,    THE   E.   B. 

CKOCKEE  ART    GALLEKY,  AND    THE    LADIEs' 

MUSEUM  ASSOCIATION. 

Judge  E.  B.  Crocker,  who  died  in  Sacramento, 
June,  1875,  was  one  of  the  pioneers  of  Califor- 
nia; coming  from  the  East  in  1852,  he  located  in 
Sacramento  and  entered  upon  the  practice  of 
the  law.  He  became  eminent  in  his  profession, 
and  was  appointed  to  the  chief  justiceship  of 
the  Supreme  Bench,  where  he  served  with  dis- 
tinction. There  were  born  to  him  in  Sacramento 
a  large  family  of  daughters. 

After  his  retiracy  from  the  bench  he  became 


attorney  for  the  Central  Pacific  Railroad  Com- 
pany. On  giving  up  active  work  in  his  profes- 
sion, he,  with  his  family,  made  a  tour  of  Europe. 
Possessed  of  artistic  tastes  and  intense  love  of 
the  beautiful,  he  had  not  the  opportunities  in 
California,  of  course,  to  cultivate  them  by  ob- 
servation of  the  best  masters  of  the  established 
schools  of  art.  Having  amassed  a  fortune,  he 
resolved  to  expend  a  goodly  portion  of  it  in 
works  of  art.  He  therefore  purchased,  while  in 
Europe,  a  large  collection  of  paintings,  mainly 
of  the  German  schools.  Some,  however,  were 
of  the  Italian,  and  some  of  great  value  because 
of  their  age  and  tlie  eminence  of  the  artists. 

On  his  return  to  California  he  also  patronized 
local  artists  liberally — both  landsca])e  and  por- 
trait painters.  He  then  proceeded,  at  the  corner 
of  Second  and  O  streets,  adjoining  his  beautiful 
residence,  to  erect  an  art  gallery,  whicli  was 
completed  after  several  years'  labor  and  the  ex- 
penditure of  a  very  large  sum  of  money.  Just 
what  the  building  cost,  no  one  knows;  but  the 
lowest  estimates  place  the  expenditure — by  the 
Judge,  and  after  his  death  by  his  widow — at  not 
less  than  $200,000.  The  building  is  fire-proof, 
splendidly  lighted,  and  finished  in  the  best  style 
of  modern  architecture  and  embellishment.  It 
occupies  spacious  grounds,  terraced  and  set  with 
semi-tropical  plants  and  rare  shrubs  and  flowers. 
It  is  a  massive  building,  122  feet  in  length  by 
sixty-two  feet  in  width.  It  has  three  floors. 
The  basement  was  originally  intended  as  a  rec- 
reation room  and  hall;  the  second  floor  for 
offices,  museum  and  library;  and  the  third  for 
the  art  gallery.  The  second  and  third  floors  are 
finished  in  the  highest  style  of  architecture,  and 
frescoed  with  an  elaborateness  not  to  be  found 
anywhere  else  in  the  State.  All  the  wood-work 
is  heavy,  richly  carved  and  French  polished, 
while  the  glass  is  all  cut,  and  delicately  etched 
in  tine  designs;  and  the  floors  are  laid  in  Roman 
tiling.  That  of  the  museum  his  widow  subse- 
quently laid  in  fancy  woods  in  ornamental  de- 
signs. The  art  gallery  consists  of  a  vestibule,  a 
main  hall,  and  the  east,  west  and  south  halls. 
In  these  halls  are  hung  the  collection  of  virtu, 


E.  U.  IKIHJKKI;  ART  GALLERY. 


HISTORY    OF    SACRAMENTO    COUNTY. 


consisting  of  over  700  oil  pastel  paintings, 
including  in  their  number  Thomas  Hill's  cele- 
brated landscape  of  Yosemite,  the  largest  ever 
executed,  and  works  from  those  of  Tintoretto, 
Gruido,  Vandyke,  etc.,  down  to  the  floral  color- 
ing of  Charles  Nahl.  In  the  library,  on  the 
second  floor.  Judge  Crocker  collected  3,000 
studies,  from  eminent  artists  in  all  parts  of  the 
world,  and  some  of  the  finest  examples  of  litho- 
graphic work  and  of  the  engraver's  art.  One 
great  value  of  this  gallery  is  its  magnificent 
collection  of  portraits  of  men  of  California. 

By  the  death  of  Judge  Crocker  the  property 
passed  to  his  widow,  Mrs.  Margaret  E.  Crocker, 
who  for  many  years  held  it  as  a  sacred  trust  and 
a  monutnent  to  his  memory.  It  was  the  inten- 
tion of  the  Judge  not  to  have  sequestered  his 
valuable  collection  of  paintings,  which  is  esti- 
mated to  be  worth  not  less  than  $400,000,  but 
to  have  made  it  a  means  of  cultivating  the  art 
tastes  of  iiis  fellow  citizens.  His  widow  con- 
ceived it  to  be  her  duty  to  promote  the  same 
object.  It  was  always  open,  therefore,  at  proper 
hours,  to  proper  persons  for  inspection,  and  was 
very  often  thrown  open  to  the  general  public 
for  charitable  purposes. 

On  December  5, 1884,  a  number  of  gentlemen 
met  and  formed  an  association  of  a  scientific 
character,  naming  it  "  The  California  Museum 
Association,"  its  purpdses  being  to  foster  art, 
science,  mechanics,  literature,  the  development 
of  the  resources  of  the  State  and  the  encourage- 
ment of  social  intercourse  among  the  patrons; 
also  to  establish  a  repository  for  the  collection 
and  exhibition  of  natural  curiosities,  scientific 
objects,  antiquities,  etc.  The  association  was 
very  modest  in  its  beginning,  having  about 
twenty  members  and  holding  private  meetings, 
at  which  papers  were  read  for  a  kvf  weeks. 

In  January  it  had  attained  such  courage  and 
favor  that  it  resolved  to  erect  a  hall  for  its  own 
and  public  uses.  To  secure  a  fund  as  a  nucleus, 
it  proposed  an  art  loan  exhibition,  and  called  a 
meeting  of  ladies  to  aid  it  to  that  end.  Mrs. 
Margaret  E.  Crocker,  the  widow  of  Judge 
Crocker,  learninff  of  the  association  and  of  its 


endeavors,  and  being  foremost  in  all  good  works 
and  charities  in  Sacramento — known  indeed  as 
"  Sacramento's  Lady  Bountiful,"  her  money  be- 
ing represented  in  nearly  every  church,  charity 
and  local  good  work  of  the  city — sent  word  to 
the  association  that,  if  it  pleased,  the  E.  B. 
Crocker  Art  Gallery  was  at  its  disposal  for  the 
purpose  of  holding  the  said  exhibition.  The 
profi'er  was  accepted,  and  in  March,  1885,  the 
immense  building  was  filled  with  the  strangest 
collection  of  curiosities  of  the  pioneer  era,  of 
art,  science,  antiquity,  discovery  and  of  handi- 
work, contributed  by  the  citizens  of  Sacramento 
and  of  San  Francisco.  From  the  latter  place, 
contributions  were  made  by  the  Alaska  Fur 
Company,  Mr.  Irving  M.  Scott,  Alexander  Bad- 
lam,  and  many  ladies  of  the  city.  The  exhibi- 
tion continued  fur  more  than  two  weeks,  and 
was,  from  the  outset,  a  financial  and  social  suc- 
cess, attracting  attention  from  all  parts  of  the 
State.  In  its  midst  Mrs.  Crocker  called  the 
president  of  the  association,  David  Lubin,  and 
stated  that  it  was  her  desire  to  present  the  gal- 
lery and  all  its  collection  of  paintings,  furniture, 
etc.,  to  the  association.  When  the  announce- 
ment was  made  to  the  public,  it  was  received 
with  universal  expressions  of  gratitude  and  love 
toward  the  donor.  The  association,  however, 
deemed  it  wise  to  accept  the  property  only  upon 
the  self-imposed  condition  that  the  citizens 
would  raise  a  fund  of  $100,000  to  be  perma- 
nently invested  for  the  maintenance  of  the  gal- 
lery. While  tills  fund  was  being  gathered,  it 
was  found  to  bediflicult  to  accumulate  the  entire 
amount  in  so  small  a  community,  on  short  notice. 
The  society  therefore  proposed  to  Mrs.  Crocker 
that  if  she  would  transfer  the  property  to  the 
City  of  Sacramento  and  make  the  association  a 
co-tenant  with  the  city,  it  would  not  be  neces- 
sary to  raise  the  $100,000.  To  this  she  kindly 
acceded.  The  pulse  of  the  people  was  felt,  and 
they  were  found  willing  to  accept  the  trust. 
The  association  thereupon  incorporated,  March 
20,  1885,  and  Mrs.  Crocker  made  a  deed  of  the 
valinible  property  to  the  city,  stipulating  that  it 
should   bo  managed   anil   controlled   by  a  joint 


HISTORY    OF    SACRAMENTO    COUNTY. 


board  of  the  city  and  the  association — the  mayor 
representing  the  city,  and  the  Board  of  Directors 
representing  the  association,  eacli  corporation 
having  but  one  vote.  It  was  provided,  also, 
that  the  association  might  forever  use  the  prop- 
erty for  the  purposes  of  its  work  as  heretofore 
outlined. 

The  inuniticence  of  this  gift  and  its  unselfish 
character,  together  with  the  previous  establish- 
ment of  an  Old  Ladies'  Home  and  its  generous 
endowment  by  Mrs.  Crocker,  and  her  acts  of 
benevolence  in  the  community,  led  the  people 
as  by  spontaneity  to  proffer  her  a  testimonial. 
It  took  the  form  of  a  grand  Floral  Festival,  held 
in  May,  1885,  sit  which  3,000  school  children 
made  floral  offerings  to  Mrs.  Crocker,  and  the 
great  Pavilion  of  the  State  Agricultural  Society 
— the  largest  public  building  in  the  State  of 
California — was  almost  tilled  upon  its  lower 
floor  with  magnificent  floral  tributes.  These 
ranged  from  a  modest  bouquet  to  spacious 
churches  and  towers  and  enormous  allegorical 
designs,  constructed  entirely  of  flowers.  Some 
of  these  structures  cost  as  high  as  $500.  The 
floral  offerings  came  from  all  parts  of  the  State, 
as  far  suuth  as  Los  Angeles,  and  as  far  north  as 
Shasta.  Rich  and  poor,  all  churches,  fraterni- 
ties and  societies,  all  classes  of  people  and  of  all 
creeds,  thronged  the  hali;  and  on  the  evening 
of  the  festival  the  lowest  estimate  placed  the 
number  present  at  15,000  people,  who  witnessed 
the  ceremony  of  delivering  the  keys  of  the  gal- 
lery and  of  acceptance  of  the  trust.  To  no  other 
female  citizen  in  American  history  has  such  a 
rich  tribute  ever  been  paid. 

On  that  evening,  after  the  mayor  had  received 
the  keys  of  the  Art  Gallery,  the  citizens  of 
Sacramento  presented  to  Mrs.  Crocker  a  beauti- 
ful oaken  casket,  made  from  timber  taken  from 
that  historical  relic,  Sutter's  Fort.  Within  it 
were  two  volumes,  one  bound  in  velvet  and 
gold,  and  one  in  silver  and  velvet.  The  first 
contained  pages  reciting  the  histoi'y  of  her 
benefactions,  the  gift  of  the  art  gallery  and  the 
floral  festival,  executed  in  the  finest  style  of 
fanciful  typographic  art.    Each  page  was  illumi- 


nated by  hand  decoration  in  water  colors  by 
various  artists  and  amateurs.  The  second  volume 
contained  a  full  account  of  all  the  matters  lead- 
ing up  to  the  event,  with  copies  and  extracts  of 
press  expression,  from  journals  all  the  way  from 
New  York  to  San  Francisco. 

The  Museum  Association  immediately  entered 
upon  its  work  in  the  Art  Gallery.  Its  first  step 
was  to  organize  the  Sacramento  School  of  De- 
sign, Messrs.  AVeinstock  ct  Lubin  contributing 
$1,000  for  the  purchase  of  the  necessary  casts 
and  paraphernalia.  The  school  was  opened  in 
January,  1886,  and  has  ever  since  continued. 
It  is  at  once  the  pride  of  the  city  and  a  means 
of  cultivating  art  and  ^esthetic  taste,  and  of  de- 
veloping art  genius.  In  the  three  years  of  its 
existence  it  has  taught  over  200  pupils.  Its 
sessions  continue  during  eight  months  of  the 
year,  and  it  draws  its  pupils  from  Northern  and 
Central  California  and  from  Oregon.  Of  course 
such  an  institution  could  not  be  expected  at  first 
to  be  put  upon  a  paying  basis.  All  such  efforts 
grow  to  maturity  and  do  not  spring  into  ex- 
istence. The  measure  of  success  with  which 
the  School  of  Design  has  met  has  fully  realized 
expectation. 

The  Museum  Association,  during  the  Loan 
Exhibition  referred  to,  secured  in  Sacramento  a 
large  number  of  life  members.  Subsequently 
in  San  Francisco  it  secured  a  still  larger  num- 
ber. The  revenue  derived  from  these  two 
sources  and  from  the  dues  of  a  small  number  of 
dues-paying  members,  and  from  admission  fees 
to  the  gallery  on  those  days  when  a  fee  is  re- 
quired, and  voluntary  contributions  by  the  gen- 
erous and  public-spirited,  constitute  the  means 
of  its  support;  but  they  have  been  inadequate, 
simply  because  the  purposes  of  the  association 
are  so  varied  and  far-reaching,  and  in  its  infancy 
su  much  needed  to  be  done.  The  most  of  its 
activity  has  been  absorbed  by  the  School  of  De- 
sign. It  has,  however,  not  neglected  its  other 
purposes.  It  has  given  to  the  people  several 
lecture  courses,  art  exhibitions  and  general  en- 
tertainments. It  has  made  the  beginning  of  a 
collection   in  natural  history,  and  has  already  a 


HISTORY    OF    SACRAMENTO    COUNTY. 


very  valuable  herbarium.  Its  present  purpose 
is  to  actively  push  the  scientific  and  natural 
history  branches  of  its  work.  It  has  received 
some  very  valuable  gifts  of  minerals  and  natural 
curiosities  from  Californians  and  from  citizens 
of  other  States.  It  has  spent  nearly  $1,000  in 
support  of  its  School  of  Design  in  excess  of  the 
income  of  the  school,  and  has  now  advanced  it 
to  a  paying  basis. 

In  connection  with  the  Board  of  Trustees  of 
the  City  of  Sacramento,  it  applied  to  the  Legis- 
lature of  1887  for  the  custody  of  the  State's 
Mineral  Cabinet,  heretofore  located  in  the  State 
Capitol.  The  Legislature  passed  an  act  author- 
izing the  Governor  to  appoint  three  trustees  to 
take  possession  of  said  cabinet  and  locate  it  in 
the  E.  B.  Crocker  Art  Gallery,  without  expense 
to  the  State,  that  it  might  be  more  readily 
viewed  by  the  people.  Governor  Bartlett  ap- 
pointed three  directors  of  the  Museum  Associa- 
tion for  that  purpose.  The  cabinet,  in  1887, 
was  therefore  removed  to  the  lower  floor  of  the 
gallery.  The  State  Mineralogist,  Mr.  Irelan, 
consented  to  his  assistant,  Dr.  Schneider,  being 
detailed  to  re-classify  the  cabinet.  When  that 
was  done,  its  trustees,  through  their  secretary, 
Dr.  George  Pyburn,  began  its  arrangement  in 
the  cases,  and  the  work  was  completed  December 
26,  1888,  and  thrown  open  to  the  public  on 
Thursday,  December  27.  The  State  retains  its 
property  title  in  the  cabinet,  but  its  custody  is 
as  stated,  and  makes  a  valuable  addition  to  the 
E.  B.  Crocker  Art  Gallery.  The  valuable  col- 
lection of  minerals  and  natural  history  exhibits 
and  curiosities  of  an  earlier  association,  known 
as  the  Agassiz  Institute,  has  been  given  to  the 
Museum  Association,  and  is  now  in  the  Gallery. 

The  School  of  Design  occupies  the  middle 
floor  of  the  building  and  the  library  room,  and 
unquestionably  its  situation  is  the  finest  in  the 
world  devoted  to  such  a  purpose.  The  rooms 
are  most  richly  embellished,  and  architecturally 
are  a  delight  to  the  eye,  while  the  outlook  from 
the  windows  is  upon  beautiful  foliage  and  flowers 
and  grassy  lawns  and  other  pleasant  views.  The 
pupils  also  enjoy  all  the  advantage  of  study  and 


comparison  afforded  by  the  beautiful  gallery 
above  them. 

In  September,  1888,  the  association  was  the 
happy  recipient  of  five  exquisite  works  in  stat- 
uary purchased  in  Italy  by  Mr.  David  Lubin, 
and  by  him  presented  to  the  association.  It 
will  thus  be  seen  that  the  society  is  gradually 
accumulating  and  progressing  in  the  direction 
of  its  original  purpose. 

The  gallery  is  open  to  the  public  free  on 
Wednesdays,  Saturday  afternoons  and  Sunday 
afternoons.  On  all  other  days  an  admission  fee 
of  ten  cents  is  charged,  but  to  the  Mineral  Cab- 
inet Department  there  is  no  admission  fee.  The 
city  pays  the  cost  of  the  necessary  repairs,  the 
watchman,  the  gardener  and  the  custodian;  but 
for  the  first  two  Mrs.  Crocker,  whose  property 
adjoins,  pays  half  the  charge — another  evidence 
of  that  lady's  generosity. 

In  October,  1888,  the  association  conceived 
the  idea — since  it  had  never  called  upon  the 
citizens  of  Sacramento  to  contribute  to  its  aid, 
except  in  the  exhibition  of  1885 — of  giving  a 
second  loan  exhibition.  The  ladies  of  the  city, 
prominent  among  whom  were  the  wives  and 
daughters  of  members  of  the  association,  re- 
solved to  aid  it.  They  therefore  organized  what 
is  known  as — 

The  Ladies'  Ifuseimi  Association  of  Sacra- 
mento.— In  two  months'  time  the  association, 
with  Mrs.  Mayor  Gregory  at  its  head,  Mrs. 
William  Ingram,  Jr.,  Secretary,  and  Mrs.  A. 
Bonheim  as  Treasurer,  numbered  138  members, 
and  oflered  to  take  hold  of  the  enterprise  for 
another  loan  exhibition,  and  this  is  now  (Janu- 
ary, 1889,)  under  way.  This  auxiliary  associa- 
tion is  intended  to  be  a  permanent  society,  to 
interest  the  ladies  in  the  work  of  the  parent  as- 
sociation, and  also  to  foster  social  intercourse 
between  the  members  and  encourage  such  edu- 
cational work  as  comes  within  their  scope. 

Tiie  officers  of  the  California  Museum  Asso- 
ciation, at  this  writing  (January,  1889),  are: 
Hon.  Christopher  Green,  President;  J.  A. 
Woodson,  Vice-President;  Fred  E.  Ray,  Secre- 
tary; James  I.  l''elter,  Treasurer.      Directors — 


UISTORY    Oir    SACRAMENTO    COUNTY. 


Mrs.  Margaret  E.  Crocker  (life),  Hon.  Newton 
Booth,  C.  E.  Grunskj,  Dr.  George  Pjbiirn, 
Josepli  Stetfeiis,  David  Liibin,  with  tlie  above- 
named  officers.  The  Board  of  Joint  Control 
consists  of  the  above  named  and  His  Honor, 
Eugene  J.  Gregory,  the  mayor,  representing  the 
innnicipality  of  Sacramento.  The  Board  of 
Trustees  of  the  State's  Mineral  Cabinet  referred 
to  are:  Mayor  Gregory,  Chairman;  Dr.  George 
Pjburn,  Secretary,  and  J.  A.  Woodson;  these 
are  appointed  by  the  State.  The  former  presi- 
dents of  the  association  have  been  David 
Lubin  and  Hon.  Newton  Booth.  The  custodian 
of  tlie  gallery  and  the  chief  art  instructor  in 
the  School  of  Design  is  W.  F.  Jackson. 

THE    STATE    LIBRARY. 

The  first  active  step  toward  the  formation  of 
a  State  library  was  taken  by  the  Legislature  of 
1850,  in  directing  that  the  scattered  books  be- 
longing to  the  State  be  collected  and  placed  in 
the  custody  of  the  Secretary  of  State,  who 
should  also  serve  as  State  Librarian.  No  very 
considerable  additions  were  made  to  this  collec- 
tion until  1856,  when  3,500  standard  law  books 
were  purchased,  at  a  cost  of  about  $17,000;  in 
1860  the  library  comprised  20,000  volumes;  in 
1870,  25,000;  in  1880,  50,000,  and  now  there 
are  about  70,000. 

The  library  consists  of  two  departments,  law 
and  miscellaneous.  The  law  library-room,  30x35 
feet  and  20  feet  high,  is  chock-full  of  books 
from  floor  to  ceiling,  and  much  more  space  is 
needed.  Complete  sets  of  law  reports,  and 
almost  complete  sets  of  the  statutes  of  England, 
Ireland  and  Scotland,  and  nearly  all  the  colonial 
possessions  of  Great  Britain,  and  also  of  the 
States  and  Territories  of  our  own  country,  cover- 
ing a  period  of  six  centuries,  are  in  this  collec- 
tion. Thevolumes  in  this  department  now  num- 
ber about  20,000. 

The  main  room,  for  miscellaneous  books,  is 
circular  in  form,  being  about  sixty  feet  in  diam- 
eter and  two  stories  high.  Many  magnificent 
paintings  are  to  be  seen  in  this  department.  It 
is    almost    completely    surrounded    by   alcoves. 


There  is  here  also  a  medical  library  of  consider- 
able proportions. 

Although  this  is  not  a  circulating  library, 
books  may  be  taken  from  it  by  the  members  of 
the  Legislature  during  session,  and  by  State 
officers  at  any  time;  and  this  privilege  has 
u»aally  been  extended  by  the  trustees  also  to  the 
medical   profession   and    the  clergy   in  the  city. 

The  State  library  is  supported  from  two 
sources:  P^irst,  a  system  of  exchanges  with 
other  libraries;  and,  secondly,  the  fees  paid  to 
the  Secretary  of  State*  amounting  to  several 
hundred  dollars  per  month.  It  is  under  the 
control  of  a  board  of  five  trustees,  elected  by  the 
Legislature  in  joint  convention,  and  holding 
their  office  for  a  term  of  four  years,  serving 
without  pay.  They  appoint  a  librarian  who 
serves  at  a  salary  of  $3,000  per  annum,  and  is 
ex  officio  secretary  of  the  board.  He  in  turn 
may  appoint  two  deputies.  The  State  Libra- 
rians have  been:  W.  C.  Stratton,  R.  O.  Cravens, 
twelve  years,  and  Talbot  H.  Wallis  since  1882; 
and  the  present  deputies  are  G.  T.  Clark  and 
F.  F.  Freeman. 

THE    FREE    PUBLIC    LIBRARY. 

As  early  as  1857  the  Sacramento  Library 
Association  was  organized,  and  under  their 
auspices  a  good  library  was  formed,  which,  not- 
withstanding losses  by  fire,  increased  in  size. 
In  1872  a  building  on  I  street,  between  Seventh 
and  Eighth,  was  erected  and  furnished  at  a  total 
cost  of  about  $17,500.  Of  this  amount  $11,- 
500  was  raised  by  a  gift  enterprise,  and  $6,000 
borrowed  on  a  mortgage. 

Notwithstanding  the  advantages  offered  by 
the  association,  its  subsequent  career  was  not  as 
prosperous  as  was  desirable,  and  in  1879  the 
directors  ofi'ered  the  property  to  the  city,  to  be 
maintained  as  a  free  library,  the  city  assuming 
the  debt.  The  question  was  submitted  to  the 
citizens  at  the  March  election,  and  was  carried. 
As  soon  as  possible  the  library  was  re-catalogued 
and  arranged,  and  on  June  15  following  was 
opened  as  a  free  public  library,  with  6,067  vol- 
umes on  its  shelves.      It  now  contains  over  14,- 


HISTORY    OF    SACRAMENTO    COUNTY 


000  volumes,  including  many  valuable  and  costly 
works.  On  the  tables  of  the  reading-rooms  are 
to  be  found  the  leading  papers  of  the  State  and  of 
the  Union,  besides  representative  foreign  jour- 
nals and  periodicals,  the  whole  number  taken 
being  over  200. 

Books  may  be  drawn  free  for  home  use  by 
any  resident  of  the  city,  upon  obtaining  the  re- 
quired permit. 

Since  the  library  becauie  the  property  of  the 
city  it  has  been  supported  by  public  tax,  and 
been  under  the  control  of  a  Board  of  Trustees 
elected  by  the  people.  The  following  have 
served  as  Library  Trustees:  Judge  S.  C.  Den- 
son,  William  H.  Mills,  William  C.  Fitch,  Sam- 
uel Howard  Gerrish,  Add.  C.  Hinkson,  Mrs.  G. 
W.  Hancock,  Miis  Georgiana  Brewster,  Albert 
Dart,  Kirke  White  Brier,  Francis  Le  Noir,  A. 
S.  Hopkins  and  L.  E.  Smith.  Mrs.  Hancock 
and  Mr.  Brier  died  while  holding  the  ofhce,  and 
Messrs.  Mills,  Dart  and  Le  Noir  resigned  while 
serving.  The  present  board  is  composed  of 
William  C.  Fitch,  President;  Add.  C.  Hinkson, 
Vice-President;  A.  S.  Hopkins,  L.  E.  Smith 
and  S.  H.  Gerrish,  Secretaries.  The  last  two 
mentioned  have  served  continuously  from  the 
date  of  the  establishment  of  the  Free  Library  to 
the  present  time.  The  executive  staff  consists 
of  the  librarian  and  the  assistant  librarian,  who 
at  preseut  are  Miss  Caroline  G.  Hancock  and 
Mr.  Lauren  W.  Ripley. 

THE  ODD  fellows'  LIBKARY, 

in  their  temple  at  Ninth  and  K  streets,  now 
containsabout  5,000  volumes.  It  is  a  circulating 
library  for  all  members  of  the  order  in  good 
standing  and  their  families,  and  is  open  from  7 
to  9  o'clock  every  evening  during  the  week,  and 
from  2  to  4  p.  m.  every  Sunday.  On  the  ledger 
are  enrolled  559  names,  and  an  average  of  about 
500  books  are  taken  out  per  month.  The  library 
is  supported  from  the  proceeds  of  picnics,  espe- 
cially the  annual  picnic,  and  by  donations  from 
most  of  the  lodges. 

The  room  and  alcoves  are  conveniently  ar- 
ranged, and    the  spare   places  are  adt)rned  with 


appropriate  paintings  and  photographs  of  past 
officers.  Helen  A.  Benteen  has  been  the  libra- 
rian since  September,  1883. 


During  tlie  month  of  July,  1S49,  the  first 
movement  was  made  toward  the  organization  of 
a  municipal  government  for  Sacramento.  Of 
the  movements  in  Territorial  days  looking  to 
the  formation  of  a  city  government,  Dr.  Morse, 
in  his  history  of  Sacramento — the  first  work  of 
the  kind  written — gives  the  following  account: 

PEIMAKT  GOVERNMENTAL  ORGANIZATION. 

"  The  population  was  rapidly  increasing,  and 
a  desire  for  some  more  familiar  or  Americanized 
government  began  to  receive  considerable  favor. 
Accordingly,  in  the  latter  part  of  July,  1849, 
an  election  for  town  councihnen  was  held  at  the 
St.  Louis  Exchange,  on  Second  street,  between 
I  and  J.  The  result  was  the  election  of  John 
P.  Rodgers,  H.  E.  Robinson,  P.  B.  Cornwall, 
William  Stout,  E.  F.  Gillespie,  Thomas  F.  Chap- 
man, M.  T.  McClelland,  A.  M.  Winn  and  B. 
Jennings.  On  the  2d  day  of  August  following, 
the  first  six  gentlemen  on  the  list  met  at  the 
same  place  and  organized  by  making  William 
Stout,  President,  and  J.  H.  Harper,  Clerk.  The 
first  business  coming  before  the  council  was  the 
preparation  of,  a  constitution  defining  the  duties 
of  the  council  and  for  the  general  government 
of  the  city.  On  August  25,  A.  M.  Winn  was 
elected  president  of  the  body  in  place  of  Stout, 
who  was  absent. 

"On  the  20th  of  September  an  election  was 
held  at  the  St.  Louis  Exchange,  for  the  adoption 
or  rejection  of  a  city  charter,  which  had  been 
prepared  by  the  forementioned  counciL  Prior 
to  the  election  of  these  councihnen,  there  was  no 
law  or  government  which  was  not  merely  nomi- 
nal in  its  character.  The  only  tribunal  was  an 
alcalde's  court,  in  which  justice  was  dispensed 
with  such  dispatch  and  enormous  costs  that 
little  attention  was  paid  to  litigation.  Under 
this  regime  the  jieople  became  eminently  given 
to    minding    their  own    business  and   avoiding 


UISTORY    OF    SACRAMENTO    COUNTY. 


tliose  legal  collisicms  that  are  so  geiierallj  un- 
satisfying in  their  resElts.  Consequently,  when 
this  movement  was  made  to  organize  a  city 
government,  a  i-pirit  of  opposition  began  to 
manliest  itself  among  those  who  took  a  little 
leisure  lo  think  of  matters  that  were  not  directly 
connected  with  their  business.  The  oppobition 
principally  emanated  from  the  votaries  ol  gam- 
ing. Hence,  when  the  election  came  on,  the 
result  was  much  different  from  what  was  antici- 
pated by  the  officials  of  the  city.  Upon  can- 
vassing the  votes  it  was  discovered  that  the 
charter  had  been  defeated  by  a  majority  of  146 

VdttS. 

"  To  the  president  of  the  council,  who  took 
a  deep  and  lively  interest  in  the  new  dispen- 
sation of  things,  this  defeat  was  both  unexpected 
and  mortifying.  He  had  exerted  himself  with 
a  martyr's  zeal  to  imbue  the  people  with  a  proper 
conception  of  their  wants  and  the  prospective 
beneiit  of  a  city  government,  and  while  reposing 
u]jon  a  platform  of  conjectured  success,  he  could 
not  seem  to  understand  the  capricious  and  sin- 
gular phenomenon  which  this  election  evolved. 
In  demonstration  of  this  we  invite  the  attention 
of  our  readers  to  the  following  proclamation, 
which,  emanating  from  the  president  of  the 
council,  makes  a  most  pathetic  yet  most  com- 
promising appeal  to  the  sovereign  people  as  to 
'  what  they  desire  the  council  to  do:' 

"  Proclmuation  to  thepeople  of  Sacramento  City 
hy  order  of  the  Pr^esident  and  Council: 
"  On  the  1st  day  of  August,  1849,  we  were 
elected  councilmen  of  this  city,  and  our  powers 
or  duties  were  not  defined.  On  the  13th  of 
September  following  we  presented  to  you  a 
charter  for  your  consideration,  which  you  have 
seen  lit  to  reject  by  a  majority  of  146  votes. 
Since  then  we  have  been  unable  to  determine 
what  the  good  people  of  this  city  desire  us  to 
do,  and  being  Republicans  in  principle,  and 
having  every  confidence  in  the  ability  of  the 
people  to  govern  themselves,  we  again  request 
the  residents  of  Sacramento  City  to  meet  at  the  St. 
Louis  Exchange,  at  7:30  o'clock,  on  Wednesday 
evening,  October  10,  1849,  then  and  tiiere  to 
declare  what  they  wish  the  council  to  do.  If 
you  wish  us  to  act  under  the  Mexican  laws  now 


in  force,  however  inapplicable  they  ma}'  be  to 
our  condition,  then  we  must  do  the  best  we  can; 
if  you  have  objection  to  particular  features  of 
the  charter,  then  strike  out  the  objectionable 
features,  and  insert  such  as  you  desire.  The 
health  and  safety  of  our  city  demHud  immediate 
action  on  jour  part,  for  in  our  primitive  con- 
dition, and  in  the  absence  of  legislative  authority, 
we  can  in  fact  be  of  no  service  to  you  without 
yoiir  confidence  and  consent. 

"  Signed  by  A.  M.  Winn,  President,  and  six 
councilmen." 

This  proclamation  stirred  up  tlie  people,  and 
an  organization  in  favor  of  a  charter  was  effected. 
At  a  subsequent  election  the  charter  party  won 
by  296  majority.  The  charter  adopted  was 
slightly  different  from  the  one  originally  sub- 
mitted, but  still  it  was  not  altogether  satisfac- 
tory. In  December  a  public  meeting  was  held 
at  the  horse- market,  and  a  committee  appointed 
to  draft  amendments.  The  amended  charter 
was  afterward  adopted  by  the  people,  and,  with 
slight  changes,  was  passed  into  a  law  by  the 
first  Legislature. 

THE  CHARTER  BY  THE  FIRST  LEGISLATURE. 

On  February  27,  1850,  the  first  Legislature 
passed  an  act  to  incorporate  Sacramento  City, 
the  boundaries  of  which  were  defined  as  follows: 

All  that  tract  of  land  lying  within  the  follow- 
ing boundaries:  Beginning  at  the  junction  of 
the  American  Fork  with  the  Sacramento  Eiver; 
thence  down  said  Sacramento  River  to  Y  street, 
as  designated  on  the  map  or  plan  of  Sacramento 
City  on  file  in  the  Recorder's  office  in  said  city; 
thence  along  said  Y  street  east  to  the  point 
where  said  Y  street  intersects  Thirty-first  street 
as  designated  on  said  map;  thence  along  the  said 
Thirty-first  street  until  the  same  intersects  the 
American  Fork;  thence  along  the  American 
Fork  to  the  place  of  beginning,  the  said  bound- 
aries extending  to  the  middle  of  Sacramento 
River  and  American  Fork. 

The  act  provided  that  for  the  government  of 
the  city  there  should  be  a  mayor,  a  recorder  and 
a  council  of  nine  members,  one  of  whom  should 
be  elected  president.      It  further  provided  that 


IIISrOUT    OF    SACRAMENTO    COUNTY. 


on  the  30tli  day  after  the  passage  of  the  act  a 
city  election  should  he  held  for  the  selection  of 
the  first  officers,  to  wit:  A  mayor,  recorder,  nine 
councilnien,  city  marshal,  city  attorney,  assessor 
and  treasurer.  After  the  first  election  the  offi- 
cers mentioned  were  to  be  elected  on  the  first 
Monday  in  May  in  each  year,  and  in  case  of  a 
vacancy  a  special  election  should  be  ordered  by 
the  council  to  fill  the  same.  The  mayor  was 
clothed  with  coinplete  executive  power;  the  re- 
corder performed  the  duties  now  incumbent  on 
the  police  judge,  and  the  marshal  those  now 
performed  by  the  chief  of  police  and  city  col- 
lector. The  common  council  was  given  power 
to  create  the  offices  of  city  collector,  harbor- 
master, and  such  other  offices  as  might  become 
necessary. 

On  March  13,  1850,  the  same  Legislature 
passed  an  amendatory  act  providing  that,  on  the 
first  Monday  of  April  following,  a  city  election 
should  be  held  to  fill  the  offices  created  by  the 
charter,  making  it  fall  on  the  same  day  with  the 
first  county  election.  The  officers  then  chosen 
were  to  hold  until  the  first  Monday  of  May, 
1851.  This  amendment  did  not  affect  any  ex- 
cept the  first  election.  On  April  10,  1850,  an 
act  was  passed  providing  for  the  appointment 
by  the  Governor  of  a  port  warden  tor  the  port 
of  Sacramento. 

THK  OOVERNOE  DISAGREES  WITH  THE  LEGISLATURE. 


The  second  Legislature  passed  a  new  charter 
for  Sacramento  City,  and  it  became  a  law  on 
March  26,  1851,  by  operation  of  the  time,  and 
without  the  approval  of  the  Executive. 

Governor  McDougal  said  of  it:  "  The  within 
bill  is  regarded  as  oppressive  and  extraordinary 
in  many  of  its  features,  but  not  regarding  it  as 
infringing  any  pai'ticular  principle  of  the  con- 
stitution, and  as  it  is  the  act  of  the  representa- 
tives of  Sacramento  County,  and  presuming  it 
to  be  the  wish  of  the  people  of  Sacramento  City, 
I  permit  it  to  become  a  law,  by  the  operation  of  j 
time,  without  approving  or  returning  it  to  the 
body  in  which  it  originated." 

This  act  provided  that  the  thun  existing  gov- 


ernment should  continue  in  office  until  the  elec- 
tion of  the  officers  provided  for  in  the  new 
charter.  The  council  was  to  divide  the  city 
into  three  wards,  from  each  of  which  three 
councilmen  were  to  be  elected.  It  provided,  in 
addition  to  officers  then  existing,  for  the  election 
by  the  people  of  a  harbormaster.  Vacancies 
were  to  be  filled  by  special  election,  unless  one 
should  occur  within  sixty  days  of  a  regular  an- 
nual election,  when  it  was  to  be  filled  by  the 
council.  The  first  election  under  the  act  was 
to  take  place  on  the  first  Monday  of  May  follow- 
ing, for  officers  to  hold  until  the  first  Monday 
of  April,  1852.  All  subsequent  city  elections 
were  to  be  held  on  the  first  Monday  of  April  in 
each  year.  The  matter  of  salaries  was  left  with 
the  council,  but  they  were  not  permitted  to  fix 
the  salary  of  any  officer  over  $3,000,  except  the 
mayor  or  recorder,  where  the  limit  was  placed 
at  $5,000. 

April  26,  1853,  a  law  was  passed  providing 
for  the  levy  of  a  special  tax  of  one-fourth  of  one 
per  cent.,  for  the  support  of  the  free  common 
schools,  to  be  expended  under  the  direction  of  a 
Board  of  Trustees,  consisting  of  one  from  each 
ward,  to  be  annually  appointed  by  the  council. 
On  March  31,  1855,  a  law  was  passed  striking 
the  harbormaster  from  the  list  of  elective  offi- 
cers. The  salaries  were  fixed  as  follows:  Mayor, 
$2,000;  recorder,  $4,000;  marshal,  $3,000;  dep- 
uty city  marshal,  $1,500;  city  attorney,  $2,000; 
treasurer,  $1,500;  superintendent  of  the  water- 
works, $2,000;  assessor,  $1,500;  recorder's  clerk, 
$1,500;  each  policeman,  $125  per  month.  In 
case  of  death,  sickness  or  absence  of  the  re- 
corder, the  mayor  was  to  attend  to  the  duties 
of  that  office  also.  It  was  provided  that  at 
the  next  subsequent  election  there  should  be 
chosen  a  superintendent  of  coininon  schools, 
and  two  school  commissioners  from  each  ward, 
who,  with  the  superintendent,  should  constitute 
the  School  Board. 

April  2,  1856,  an  act  was  passed  to  regulate 
the  fire  department.  It  provided  for  the  elec- 
tion of  officers  and  the  regulation  of  the  depart- 
ment generally. 


UISrORY    OF    SACUAMENTO    COUNTY. 


CONSOLIDATION    OF     THE     CITY     AND    COUNTY    GOV- 
ERNMENTS. 

On  April  24,  1858,  a  law  was  enacted  to  con- 
solidate the  government  of  the  city  and  county. 
The  Board  of  Supervisors  was  given  the  power 
which  had  been  vested  in  the  council.  On  the 
first  Monday  of  May  following  five  supervisors 
were  to  be  elected,  to  hold  oflice  until  October 
5,  1858.  Tliere  was  also,  at  the  same  time,  to 
be  elected  a  president  of  the  board,  to  continue 
in  office  until  the  general  election  in  1859,  the 
term  of  office  to  be  thereafter  two  years.  After 
the  first  Monday  of  October,  1858,  the  board 
was  to  consist  of  a  president  and  eight  members, 
and  the  members  were  to  be  elected  at  the  gen- 
eral election  in  that  year — four  to  hold  office 
for  two  years  and  four  for  one  year.  After  the 
first  election  the  term  was  to  be  for  two  years. 
At  the  general  election  in  1859,  and  every  two 
years  thereafter,  there  were  to  be  elected  the 
other  officers,  who  were  to  perform  duty  both 
for  the  county  and  city.  The  president  of  the 
board  was  to  be  ex  officio  mayor  of  the  city,  and 
superintendent  of  the  streets  and  water- works. 
The  then  county  officers  were  required  to  per- 
form such  city  duties  as  miglit  be  imposed  upon 
them  by  the  board,  and  the  board  was  empow- 
ered to  create  and  till  by  appointment  the  minor 
city  offices.  Some  changes  were  also  made  in  the 
government  of  the  fire  and  school  departments. 

PASSAGE    OF    THE    PRESENT    CITY    CHARTER. 

On  April  25, 1863,  the  Consolidation  Act  was 
repealed,  and  a  new  city  charter  passed.  It 
provided  that  the  government  should  be  vested 
in  a  board  of  three  trustees.  The  first  trustee 
was  to  be  ex  officio  mayor;  the  second,  street 
commissioner,  and  the  third,  superintendent  of 
the  water-works.  There  should  also  be  an  au- 
ditor, assessor,  collector,  police  judge,  and  such 
other  officers  as  might  be  appointed  by  the  boar.d. 
The  term  of  office  of  the  trustees  was  made 
three  years,  and  that  of  the  other  officers  two 
years.  It  was  provided  that  on  the  tenth  day 
after  the  passage  of  the  acta  city  election  should 
be  held,  at   which   the  offices   above  designated 


should  be  filled;  and  that  annually  thereafter, 
on  the  second  Tuesday  in  March,  city  elections 
should  be  held.  At  the  election  in  1864  there 
should  be  elected  a  third  trustee,  in  1865  a 
second  trustee,  assessor,  collector,  auditor  and 
judge,  and  in  1866  a  first  trustee,  to  hold  for 
the  term  indicated.  A  vacancy  in  the  board 
was  to  be  filled  by  a  special  election,  and  a  va- 
cancy in  any  other  office  was  to  be  filled  by  ap- 
pointment by  the  board.  Provision  was  also 
made  for  the  fire  and  school  departments. 

With  the  exception  of  a  slight  change  in  the 
boundaries  of  the  city,  and  as  to  the  time  of 
election  of  officers  other  than  members  of  the 
board,  no  change  has  since  been  made  in  the 
city  charter.  In  1872  a  bill  was  passed  creat- 
ing a  paid  fire  department;  another  to  provide 
a  new  system  of  water- works,  and  a  third  to  re- 
organize tiie  police  force. 

THE    FIRST    MAYOR    ELECTED. 

The  first  city  election  undei-  the  new  State 
Government  was  held  April  1,  1850.  In  the 
issue  of  the  Placer  Times  of  March  16,  A.  M. 
Winn  announced  himself  as  a  candidate  for 
mayor,  but  on  the  30th  he  published  his  with- 
drawal. One  Joseph  Grant  was  a  candidate  for 
mayor  on  the  "Hancho"  ticket,  the  advertise- 
ment of  which  in  tlie  newspapers  ran  as  follows: 

Rancheros,  to  the  Rescue!  The  enemy  is  in 
the  field.  Our  bills  have  been  mutilated  and, 
in  some  instances,  destroyed;  but  let  not  your 
"  angry  passions  rise  "  in  consequence  of  the 
indignity.  Imitate,  as  far  as  in  your  power 
lies,  the  example  of  your  leader.  Keep  cool, 
work  hard  and  vote  early.  Remember  that 
abuses  and  curses,  like  young  chickens,  "  come 
home  to  roost."  When  once  the  votes  are  in 
the  ballot-box,  no  appeal  can  be  taken. 

HoMEBRES. 
KANCUO    TICKET. 

Through  by  Daylight! 
[Then  followed  the  city  ticket.] 

RANCHO    TICKET FOR    THE    COUNTY. 

"  All's  Well  that  Ends  Well." 
[Here  followed  the  county  ticket,  on  which 
Judge  W.  C.  Wallace  was  elected  District  Attor- 
ney, and  the  late  Presley  Duiilap,  County  Clerk.] 


HISTOBT    OF    SACRAMENTO    COUNTY. 


In  speaking  of  the  first  city  and  county  elec- 
tion, the  Placer  Times  of  April  6,  1850,  said: 

"  Last  Monday  was  a  great  day  for  Sacramento, 
so  far  as  excitement  and  fun  were  concerned. 
Notwithstanding  the  conflicting  interests  and 
the  multiplicity  of  candidates,  there  was  little 
else  manifested  but  good  humor,  and  a  disposi- 
tion to  have  a  good  time,  whatever  the  result. 
Mr.  Biglow  was  elected  mayor  by  a  handsome 
majority,  considering  the  many  organizations 
with  which  he  had  to  contend.  "Without  wish- 
ing to  say  anything  detrimental  to  others,  we 
must  be  allowed  to  express  the  opinion  that  Mr. 
B.  will  make  an  excellent  officer.  His  interests 
are  identified  with  those  of  Sacramento,  and  to 
promote  her  advancement  toward  that  impor- 
tance and  greatness  which  she  is  destined  to 
reach  will  be  his  constant  aim.  "We  should  not 
speak  so  confidently  did  not  our  personal  knowl- 
edge of  the  new  mayor  warrant  us  in  so  doing. 
The  other  city  and  county  officers,  we  believe, 
are  all  good  men,  and  we  doubt  not  will  attend 
to  the  duties  of  their  respective  offices  with 
promptness  and  fidelity." 

The  number  of  votes  cast  tor  mayor  was  2,576, 
of  which  Hardin  Biglow  had  1,521,  Joseph 
Grant  432,  Thomas  J.  Henley  511,  P.  R.  Haight 
112,  and  forty-si.x  scattering.  On  the  3d  Grant 
filed  a  protest  against  the  officers  qualifying, 
upon  the  ground  that  fraud  and  irregularity  had 
entered  into  the  election,  but  it  does  not  appear 
that  any  action  was  taken  on  his  protest.  Big- 
low  immediately  assumed  office,  and  sent  in  an 
able  message  to  the  council.  In  the  Squatter 
Riots  of  that  year  he  was  severely  wounded,  and 
before  recovering  was  seized  with  cholera,  and 
died  at  San  Francisco,  Novenaber  27,  1850,  at 
the  age  of  forty-one.  He  was  a  native  of  Michi- 
gan, and  was  a  man  of  exceeding  courage  and 
line  executive  ability.  After  his  death,  the 
jiresident  of  the  council  temporarily  acted  as 
mayor. 

■IHK    MAVOHS. 

A  special  election  was  held  Decemiicr  ll 
1850,  to  chouse  a  mayor.  In  the  early  part  of 
the  day  of  election  there  was  no  excitement,  but 


as  the  day  advanced,  although  the  rain  fell  in 
torrents,  the  excitement  became  intense.  Bands 
of  music  paraded  the  streets,  and  every  effort 
was  used  by  both  parties  to  secure  the  success 
of  their  candidate.  Horace  Smith  ("Whig)  was 
elected  by  a  vote  of  933,  to  865  for  J.  R.  Ilar- 
denbergh  (Democrat),  183  for  James  McClatchy, 
25  for  "Wesley  Merritt  and  19  for  Joseph  Grant, 
independent  candidates. 

On  May  5,  1851,  J.  R.  Hardenbergh  (Demo- 
crat) was  elected  mayor  by  a  vote  of  1,264,  to 
1,224  for  Joseph  H.  Nevett  (Whig).  On  the 
day  of  election  an  extensive  fire  broke .  out 
in  San  Francisco,  which  destroyed  §7,000,000 
worth  of  property.  The  excitement  consequent 
on  the  reception  of  this  intelligence  somewhat 
dampened  the  ardor  of  the  voters. 

On  April  5,  1852,  C.  I.  Hutchinson  (Whig) 
defeated  Hardenbergh  (D.)  by  a  vote  of  1,450, 
to  1,234.  This  election  was  particularly  excit- 
ing. Mass  meetings  were  held  at  different  points 
in  the  city,  and  there  was  no  end  to  the  mud- 
throwing. 

Hardenbergh  was  again  successful,  however, 
at  the  election  on  April  4,  1853,  defeating  his 
Whig  opponent,  W.  H.  McGrew,  by  a  vote  of 
2,046  to  1,382.  On  March  28  the  Whig  Con- 
vention had  nominated  Dr.  Volney  Spaulding 
for  the  office,  but  he  declined,  and  on  the  30th 
the  nomination  was  given  to  McGrew. 

On  April  3,  1854,  R.  P.  Johnson  (Whig)  was 
elected  by  a  vote  of  1,798  over  Colonel  John  P. 
Hall  (Dem.),  who  received  1,693. 

James  L.  English  (American)  was  elected 
mayor  on  April  2,  1855,  by  a  vote  of  1,523,  to 
504  for  Hiram  Arentz  (xinti-American)  and  78 
for  R.  P.  Johnson  (Whig).  The  latter,  a  few 
days  before  the  election,  published  a  card  of 
withdrawal. 

On  April  7,  1856,  B.  B.  Redding  (Democrat) 
was  chosen  mayor  by  a  vote  of  1,743,  to  1,654 
for  L.  B.  Harris  (American). 

J.  P.  Dyer  (Democrat)  was  elected  to  the  of- 
fice April  6,  1857,  by  a  vote  of  1,955,  to  788 
for  Dr.  R.  B.  Ellis  (People's  Independent)  and 
501   for  George   Rowland  (Republican).      Dyer 


HISTORT    OF    SACMAMENTO    COUNTY. 


held  the  office  until  the  succession  by  the  presi- 
dent of  the  Board  of  Supervisors,  under  the 
Consolidation  Act. 

On  May  3,  1858,  Dr.  H.  L.  Nichols  (People's 
Independent)  was  elected  president  of  the  Board 
of  Supervisors,  by  a  vote  of  3,584,  to  1,877  for 
J.  L.  Grain;  (Democrat). 

William  Sliattuck  (Lecompton  Democrat)  was 
elected  president,  September  7,  1859,  by  a  vote 
of  3,238,  to  2,802  for  B.  B.  Redding  (A.  L- 
Democrat),  and  5  for  George  Rowland  (Repub- 
lican). 

On  September  4, 1861,  Shattiick  was  re-elected 
on  the  Douglas  Democratic  and  Settlers'  tickets? 
by  a  vote  of  3,633,  to  3,258  for  C.  II.  Grimm 
(Republican),  14  for  E.  P.  Figg  (Breckenridge 
Democrat). 

Since  the  adoption  of  the  present  city  charter, 
mayors  have  been  elected  as  follows: 

May  5,  1863,  Charles  H.  Swift  (Union)  by  a 
voleof  1,640, over AYilliamShattuck  (Democrat), 
who  received  742. 

March  13,  1866,  Charles  H.  Swift  (Union)  by 
a  vote  of  1,321,  to  915  for  William  F.  Knox 
(Democrat). 

March  9,  1869,  Charles  H.  Swift  (Republi- 
can), by  a  vote  of  1,232,  to  749  for  Archibald 
Henley  (Independent),  and  71  for  P.  H.  Russell 
(Democrat).  The  latter  withdrew  on  the  morn- 
ing of  election  in  favor  of  Henley. 

March  12,  1872,  Christopher  Green  (Repub- 
lican), by  a  vote  of  1,629,  to  1,245  for  John  Q. 
Brown  (Democrat). 

March  9,  1875,  Christopher  Green  (Republi- 
can), by  a  vote  of  1,815,  to  1,271  for  John  Q. 
Brown  (Democrat  and  Independent). 

March  12,  1878,  Jabez  E.  Turner  (Working 
man),  by  a  vote  of  1,203,  to  1,063  for  James  I. 
Felter  (Republican),  1,056  for  Hugh  M.  LaRne 
(Democrat),  and  726  for  Ezra  Pearson  (Work- 
ingnian). 

March  8,  1881,  John  Q.  Brown  (Democrat), 
by  a  vote  of  1,925,  to  1,704  for  Christopher 
Green  (Republican). 

March  11,  1884,  John  Q.  Brown  (Democrat), 
by  a  vote  of  1,912,  to  1,871  for  Joseph  Steffens 


(Republican),  and  344  for  Dr.  A.  B.  Nixon 
(Prohibition). 

March  8,  1887,  Eugene  J.  Gregory  (Republi- 
can), by  a  vote  of  3,202,  to  1,283  for  John  Q. 
Brown  (Democrat),  and  39  for  F.  II.  L.  Weber 
(Prohibition). 

The  total  number  of  votes  cast  in  the  city  at 
elections  where  mayors  have  been  chosen  is  as 
follows:  1850,2,576;  1850  (December  special), 
2,032;  1851,2,488;  1852,2,684;  1853,3,428; 
1854,  3,549;  1855,  2,095;  1856,  3,397;  1857, 
3,242;  1858,3,344;  1859,3,702;  1861,4,150; 
1863,  2,426;  1866,  2,240;  1869,  2,439;  1872, 
2,960;  1875,  3,138;  1878,  4,060;  1881,  3,695; 
1884,  4,143-;  1887,  4,527. 

DEAD    AND    LIVING    CHIEF    MAGISTRATES. 

Most  of  the  men  who  have  filled  the  office  of 
chief  magistrate  of  the  city  are  dead.  General 
Winn  was  prominently  identified  with  the  Odd 
Fellows,  and  afterward  founded  the  Order  of 
Native  Sons  of  the  Golden  West.  He  died  in 
Sonoma  County,  August  26, 1883.  Biglow  died 
of  cholera,  as  stated  above.  Smith  died  at  Yir- 
ginia  City,  Nevada,  December  4,  1863.  'Hard- 
enbergh  afterward  removed  to  San  Francisco, 
and  filled  several  Federal  offices.  He  died  at 
I^ast  Oakland,  May  30, 1885.  Hutchinson  was 
for  many  years  a  member  of  the  insurance  firm 
of  Hutchinson  &  Mann,  of  San  Francisco,  and 
died  there  September  22,  1884.  Johnson  died 
at  the  Bay,  May  1,  1886.  Redding  was  after- 
ward Secretary  of  State,  and  for  many  years 
land  agent  of  the  railroad  company.  He  died 
at  San  Francisco,  August  21,  1882.  Shattuck 
died  at  Newcastle,  October  10,  1885.  Swift 
was  for  years  president  of  the  Sacramento  Bank, 
and  died  at  San  Francisco,  July  15, 1885.  With 
the  exception  of  Dyer  all  of  the  balance  are  now 
residents  of  Sacramento. 

CITY   OFFICERS. 

Following  is  a  list  of  the  officers  of  the  city 
of  Sacramento,  from  1849  to  1881,  inclusive: 

1849.^A.  M.  Winn,  Mayor;  the  Alcalde,  Re- 
corder;  N.  C.  Cunningham,  Marshal;  William 


niSTORT    OF    SACRAMENTO    COUNTY. 


Glaskin,  City  Clerk  and  Auditor;  J.  A.  Tutt, 
Assessor;  S.  C.  Hastings,  Treasurer;  B.  Brown, 
Collector;  Murray  Morrison,  City  Attorney; 
K.  J.  Watson,  Harbormaster. 

1850. — *  Hardin  Biglovv,  Mayor;  -j- Horace 
Smith,  Mayor;  B.  F.  Washington,  Recorder;  . 
JST.  C.  Cunningham,  Marshal;  J.  B.  Mitchell, 
City  Clerk  and  Auditor;  J.  W.  Woodland,  As- 
sessor; Barton  Lee,  Treasurer;  E.  B.  Pratt, 
Collector;  J.  JNeely  Johnson,  City  Attorney; 
Georn;e  W.  Haraniersley,  Harbormaster. 

1851. — James  R.  Hardenbergh,  Mayor;  W. 
H.  McGrew,  Recorder;  VV.  S.  White,  Marshal; 
L.  Curtis,  Clerk  and  Auditor;  Samuel  McKee, 
Assessor;  W.  R.  McCracken,  Treasurer;  W.  S. 
White,  Collector;  J.  Neely  Johnson,  City  Attor- 
ney; John  Requa,  Harbormaster. 

1852.— C.  I.  Hutchinson,  Mayor;  W.  H.  Mc- 
Grew, Recorder;  David  McDowell,  Marshal; 
Washington  Meeks,  City  Clerk  and  Auditor; 
William  Lewis,  Assessor;  R.  Chenery,  Treas- 
urer; D.  McDowell,  Collector;  John  G.  Hyer, 
City  Attorney;  John  Requa,  Harbormaster; 
W.  A.  Selkirk,  Superintendent  of  Schools. 

1853. — J.  R.  Hardenbergh,  Mayor;  N.Greene 
Curtis,  Recorder;  W.S.White,  Marshal;  John 
A.  Fowler,  City  Clerk  and  Auditor;  Samuel  T. 
Clymer,  Assessor;  C.  J.  Torbert,  Treasurer; 
W.  S.  AVhite,  Collector;  L.  Landus,  Jr.,  City 
Attorney;  Gordon  Backus,  Harbormaster;  H. 
J.  Bidleman,  Superintendent  of  Schools. 

1854. — R.  P.  Johnson,  Mayor;  N.  Greene 
Curtis,  Recorder;  W.  S.  White,  Marshal;  T.  A. 
Thomas,  City  Clerk  and  Auditor;  E.  C.  Win- 
chell,  Assessor;  W.  E.  Chamberlain,  Treasurer; 
N.  A.  H.  Ball,  Collector;  AY.  Cyrus  Wallace, 
City  Attorney;  Frank  Harney,  Harbormaster; 
H.  W.  Harkness,  Superintendent  of  Schools. 

1855. — James  L.  English,  Mayor;  N.  Greene 
Curtis,  Recorder;  James  W.  Maines,  Marshal; 
W.  E.  Chamberlain,  City  Clerk  and  Auditor; 
Prescott  Robinson,  Assessor;  John  C.  Barr, 
Treasurer;  J.  T.  Kno.x,  Collector;  Horace  Smith, 
City  Attorney;  James  W.  Haines,  Ilarborinas- 

»  Wounded  in  the  Squatter  Riote,  and  died  of  cholera  before  he  re- 
covered from  his  injuries. 
t  Elected  to  till  vacancy. 


ter;  Frank  Tukey  (resigned),  Superintendent  of 
Schools;  F.  W.  Hatch  (to  fill  vacancy).  Super- 
intendent of  Schools. 

1856.— B.  B.  Redding,  Mayor;  W.W.Price, 
Recorder;  Thomas  McAlpin,  Marshal;  John  F. 
Madden,  City  Clerk  and  Auditor;  W.  C.  Felch, 
Assessor;  W.  M.  Brainard,  Treasui-o- ;  John  H. 
Houseman,  Collector;  Henry  Starr,  City  Attor- 
ney; George  C.  Haswell,  Harbormaster;  F.  W. 
Hatch,  Superintendent  of  Schools. 

1857. — J.  P.  Dyer,  Mayor;  Presley  Dunlap, 
Recorder;  James  Lansing,  Marshal;  John  F. 
Madden,  City  Clerk  and  Auditor;  Ale.x.  Mont- 
gomery, Assessor;  James  H.  Sullivan,  Treas- 
urer; John  H.  Houseman,  Collector;  George  R. 
Moore,  City  Attorney;  George  C.  Haswell,  Har- 
bormaster; J.  G.  Lawton,  Superintendent  of 
Schools. 

1858.— H.  L.  Nichols,  President  of  the  Board; 
*Justice  of  the  Peace,  Police  Judge;  J.P.Hardy, 
Marshal;  J.  B.  Dayton,  City  Clerk  and  Auditor; 
E.  B.  Ryan,  Assessor;  Morg.  Miller,  Treasurer; 
W.  S.  Manlove,  Collector;  R.  F.  Morrison,  City 
Attorney;  Dau.  H.  Whepley,  Harbormaster;  G. 
L.  Simmons,  Superintendent  of  Schools. 

1859. — W.  Shattuck,  President  of  the  Board; 
Justice  of  the  Peace,  Police  Judge;  J.  J.  Wat- 
son, Marshal;  J.  B.  Dayton,  City  Clerk  and 
Auditor;  E.  B.  Ryan,  Assessor;  Morg.  Miller, 
Treasurer;  W.  S.  Manlove,  Collector;  R.  F. 
Morrison,  City  Attorney;  Dan.  H.  Whepley, 
Harbormaster;  G.  L.  Simmons,  Superintendent 
of  Schools. 

I860.— W.  Shattuck,  President  of  the  Board; 
Justice  of  the  Peace,  Police  Judge;  J.  J.  Wat- 
son, Marshal;  Thomas  Letson,  City  Clerk  and 
Auditor;  E.  B.  Ryan,  Assessor;  C.  L.  Bird, 
Treasurer;  Sylvester  Marshall,  Collector;  Cor- 
nelius Cole,  City  Attorney;  Dan.  H.  Whepley, 
Harbormaster;  F.  W.  Hatch,  Superintendent  of 
Schools. 

1861.— W.  Shattuck,  President  of  the  Board; 
Justice  of  the  Peace,  Police  Judge;  J.  J.  Wat- 
son, Marshal;    Thomas  Letson,  City  Clerk  and 

"•From  IS-WlolKfi-^thc  city  and  ( 
aged  l»y  a  Hoard  of  Siipervinore,  o 
board.     Durinp:  thi«  period  the  three  city  jupticce  of 
in  rotation  of  a  weeli  each,  police  judge. 


BISTORT    OF    SACRAMENTO    COUNT T. 


Auditor;  E.  B.  Ryan,  Assessor;  C.  L.  Bird, 
Treasurer;  Sylvester  Marshall,  Collector;  Cor- 
nelius Cole,  City  Attorney;  G.  W.  Whitney, 
Harbormaster;  G.  Taylor,  Superintendent  of 
Schools. 

1862.— W.  Shattuck,  President  of  the  Board; 
Thomas  W.  Gilmer,  Police  Judge;  J.  J.  Wat- 
son, Marshal;  Josiah  Howell,  City  Clerk  and 
Auditor;  E.  B.  Ilyan,  Assessor,;  C.  L.  Bird, 
Treasurer;  *James  McDonald,  Treasurer;  B. 
N.  Bugbey, Collector;  *Samuel  Smith, Collector; 
W.  W.  Upton,  City  Attorney;  G.  W.  Whitney, 
Harbormaster;  G.  Taylor,  Superintendent  of 
Schools. 

1863.— C.  H.  Swift,  First  Trustee  and  Mayor; 
H.  T.  Holmes,  Second  Trustee;  Josiah  Johnson, 
Third  Trustee;  S.  S.  Holl,  Police  Judge;  f  J.  T. 
Clark,  Chief  of  Police;  Benjamin  Peart,  City 
Auditor  and  Clerk;  James  E.  Smith,  Assessor; 
W.  E.  Chamberlain,  Treasurer;  James  E.  Smith, 
Collector;  E.  H.  Heacock,  City  Attorney;  N.  A. 
Kidder,  Harbormaster;  G.Taylor,  Superintend- 
ent of  Schools. 

1864.— C.  H.  Swift,  First  Trustee  and  Mayor; 
H.  T.  Holmes,  Second  Trustee;  Josiah  Johnson, 
Third  Trustee;  S.  S.  Holl,  Police  Judge;  F.  T. 
Burke,  Chief  of  Police;  Benjamin  Peart,  City 
Auditor  and  Clerk;  James  E.  Smith,  Assessor; 
W.  E.  Chamberlain,  Treasurer;  James  E.  Smith, 
Collector;  E.  H.  Heacock,  City  Attorney;  N. 
A.  Kidder,  Harbormaster;  W.  H.  Hill,  Super- 
intendent of  Schools. 

1865.— C.  H.  Swift,  First  Trustee  and  Mayor; 
S.  D.  Smith,  Second  Trustee;  Josiah  Johnson, 
Third  Trustee;  S.  S.  Holl,  Police  Judge;  F.  T. 
Burke,  Chief  of  Police;  C.  C.  Jenks,  City  Au- 
ditor and  Clerk;  John  C.  Halley,  Assessor;  Har- 
vey Caswell,  Treasurer;  D.  A.  De  Merrit,  Col- 
lector; E.  H.  Heacock,  City  Attorney;  S.  C. 
Hall,  Harbormaster;  W.  H.  Hi'l,  Superintend- 
ent of  Schools. 


Note.— The  city  government  was  chanfred  on  the  anth  of  April, 
16b3;  the  new  hoard  met  and  held  their  first  session  on  the  let  of 
May,  IRH.i,  th.'  city  ev.r  since  bein?  governed  hy  three  trustees— the 
Brst  tnl^l-  I'  ni/  ]ii. -Ill,  lit  of  the  board  and  mayor;  the  second 
trusti'v,  Ml     :        i;ii:      iiTicr;  and  the  third  trustee,  superintendent 


h  Renin 


,  and  1 


Lowry  appointed. 


1866.— C.  H.  Swift,  First  Trustee  and  Mayor; 
S.  D..  Smith,  Second  Trustee;  Josiah  Johnson, 
Third  Trustee;  L.  H.  Foote.  Police  Judge;  F. 
T.  Burke,  Chief  of  Police;  C.  C.  Jenks,  City 
Auditor  and  Clerk;  John  C.  Halley,  Assessor; 
Harvey  Caswell,  Treasurer;  D.  A.  De  Merrit, 
Collector;  E.  H.  Heacock,  City  Attorney;  N. 
A.  Kidder,  Harbormaster;  W.  PI.  Hill,  Super- 
intendent of  Schools. 

1867.— C..H.  Swift,  First  Trustee  and  Mayor; 
S.  D.  Smith,  Second  Trustee;  David  Kendall, 
Third  Trustee;  L.  H.  Foote,  Police  Judge;  F. 
T.  Burke,  Chief  of  Police;  John  McClintock, 
City  Auditor  and  Clerk;  E.  R.  Hamilton,  As- 
sessor; W.  E.  Chamberlain,  Treasurer;  D.  A. 
De  Merrit,  Collector;  M.  C.  Tilden,  City  At- 
torney; N.  A.  Kidder,  Harbormaster;  W.  H. 
Hill,  Superintendent  of  Schools. 

1868.— C.  H.  Swift,  First  Trustee  and  Mayoi  , 
John  Rider,  Second  Trustee;  David  Kendall, 
Third  Trustee;  L.  H.  Foote,  Police  Judge;  B. 
W.  Martz,  Chief  of  Police;  John  McClintock, 
City  Auditor  and  Clerk;  E.  R.  Hamilton,  As- 
sessor; W.  E.  Chamberlain,  Treasurer;  D.  A. 
De  Merrit,  Collector;  M.  C.  Tilden,  City  At- 
torney; William  Young,  Harbormaster;  W.  H. 
Hill,  Superintendent  of  Schools. 

1869.— C.  H.  Swift,  First  Trustee  and  Mayor; 
John  Rider,  Second  Trustee;  *David  Kendall, 
Third  Trustee;  L.  H.  Foote,  Police  Judge;  B. 
AV.  Martz,  Chief  of  Police;  John  McClintock, 
City  Auditor  and  Clerk;  W.  T.  Crowell,  As- 
sessor; W.  E.  Chamberlain,  Treasurer;  A.Leon- 
ard, Collector;  S.  S.  Holl,  City  Attorney; 
William  Young,  Harbormaster;  W.  H.  Hill, 
Superintendent  of  Schools. 

1870.— C.  H.  Swift,  First  Trustee  and  Mayor; 
John  Rider,  Second  Trustee;  James  McCleery, 
Third  Trustee;  A.  Henley,  Police  Judge;  George 
Smith,  Chief  of  Police;  John  McClintock,  City 
Auditor  and  Clerk;  W.  T.  Crowell,  Assessor; 
W.  E.  Chamberlain,  Treasurer;  A.  Leonard, 
Collector;  J.  K.  Alexander,  City  Attorney; 
William  Young,  Harbormaster;  W.  H.  Hill, 
Superintendent  of  Schools. 

•Died  before  the  expiration  of  his  term. 


IlfsrORT    OF    SACRAMENTO    COUNTY. 


159 


1871.— C.H.Swift,  First  Trustee  and  Mayor; 
John  Ilider,  Second  Trustee;  James  McCleery, 
Third  Trustee;  A.  Henley,  Police  Judge;  George 
Smith,  Chief  of  Police;  John  McClintock,  City 
Auditor  and  Clerk;  S.  S.  Greenwood,  Assessor; 
W.  E.  Chamberlain,  Treasurer;  H.  Montfort, 
Collector;  Charles  T.  Jones,  City  Attorney; 
"William  Young,  Harbormaster;  W.  H.  Hill, 
Superintendent  of  Schools. 

1872. — Christopher  Gri en,  First  Trustee  and 
Mayor;  John  Rider,  Second  Trustee;  James 
McCleery,  Third  Trustee;  T.  W.  Gilmer,  Police 
Judge;  Matt  Karcher,  Chief  of  Police;  E.  M. 
Stevens,  Captain  of  Police;  John  McClintock, 
City  Auditor  and  Clerk;  S.  S.  Greenwood,  As- 
sessor; "W.  E.  Chamberlain,  Treasurer;  H.  Mont- 
fort, Collector;  M.  C.  Tilden,  City  Attorney; 
William  Young,  Harbormaster;  S.  C.  Denson, 
Superintendent  of  Schools. 

1873. — Christopher  Green,  First  Trustee  and 
Mayor;  John  Rider,  Second  Trustee;  Horace 
Adams,  Third  Trustee;  T.  W.  Gilmer,  Police 
Judge;  Matt  Karcher,  Chief  of  Police;  E.  M. 
Stevens,  Captain  of  Police;  John  McClintock, 
City  Auditor  and  Clerk;  Fred.  A.  Shepherd, 
Assessor;  W.  T.  Crowell,  Collector;  Samuel 
Poorman,  Treasurer;  M.  C.  Tilden,  City  At- 
torney; William  Young,  Harbormaster;  S.  C. 
Denson,  Superintendent  of  Schools. 

1874. — Ciiristopher  Green,  First  Trustee  and 
Mayor;  W.  F.  Knox,  Second  Trustee;  Horace 
Adams,  Third  Trustee;  W.  R.  Cantwell,  Police 
Judge;  Matt  Karcher,  Chief  of  Police;  E.  M. 
Stevens,  Captain  of  Police;  John  McClintock, 
City  Auditor  and  Clerk;  Fred.  A.  Shepherd, 
Assessor;  W.  T.  Crowell,  Collector;  Samuel 
Poorman,  Treasurer;  W.  R.  Hinkson,  City  At- 
torney; AVilliam  Young,  Ilarborniaster  and 
Health  Officer;  Add.  C.  Hinkson,  Superintend- 
ent of  Schools. 

1875.— Christopher  Green,  First  Trustee  and 
Mayor;  W.  F.  Knox,  Second  Trustee;  James 
McCleery,  Third  Trustee;  M.  S.  Horan,  Police 
Judge;  E.  M.  Stevens,  Chief  of  Police;  P.  L. 
Hickman,  City  Auditor  and  Clerk;  Fred.  A. 
Shepherd,  Assessor;   W.  T.  Crowell,  Collector; 


Samuel  Poorman,  Treasurer;  W.  A.  Anderson, 
City  Attorney;  William  Young,  Harbormaster 
and  Health  Officer;  A.  C.  Hinkson,  Superin- 
tendent of  Schools. 

1876. — Christopher  Green,  First  Trustee  and 
Mayor;  W.  F.  Knox,  Second  Trustee;  James 
McCleery,  Third  Trustee:  M.  S.  ilur-.m,  Police 
Judge;  E.  M.  Stevens,  Chief  of  Police;  P.  L. 
Hickman,  City  Auditor  and  Clerk;  Fred.  A. 
Shepherd,  Assessor;  AV.  T.  Crowell,  Collector; 
J.  N.  Porter,  Treasurer;  W.  A.  Anderson,  City 
Attorney;  A.  Brewer,  Harbormaster;  A.  C. 
Hinkson,  Superintendent  of  Schools. 

1877. — Christopher  Green,  First  Trustee  and 
Mayor;  W.  F.  Knox,  Second  Trustee;  James 
McCleery,  Third  Trustee;  Thomas  Conger,  Po- 
lice Judge;  E.  M.  Stevens,  Chief  of  Police;  E. 
H.  McKee,  City  Auditor  and  Clerk;  Fred.  A. 
Shepherd,  Assessor;  G.  A.  Putnam,  Collector; 
J.  N.  Porter,  Treasurer;  W.  A.  Anderson,  City 
Attorney;  N.  A.  Kidder,  Harbormaster;  W.  H. 
Baldwin,  Health  Officer;  A.  C.  Hinkson,  Super- 
intendent of  Schools. 

1878. — Jabez  Turner,  First  Trustee  and 
Mayor;  W.  F.  Knox,  Second  Trustee;  James 
McCleery,'  Third  Trustee;  Thomas  Conger,  Po- 
lice Judge;  E.  M.  Stevens,  Chief  of  Police;  E. 
H.  McKee,  City  Auditor  and  Clerk;  Fred.  A. 
Shepherd,  Assessor;  G.  A.  Putnam,  Collector; 
J.  N.  Porter,  Treasurer;  H.  L.  Buckley,  City 
Attorney;  N.  A.  Kidder,  Harbormaster;  A.  C. 
Hinkson,  Superintendent  of  Schools. 

1879.— Jabez  Turner,  First  Trustee;  W.  F. 
Knox,  Second  Trustee;  Josiah  Johnson,  Third 
Trustee;  W.  A.  Henry,  Police  Judge;  E.  M. 
Stevens,  Chief  of  Police;  E.  H.  McKee,  City 
Auditor  and  Clerk;  Fred.  A.  Shepherd,  Assessor; 
George  A.  Putnam,  Collector:  J.  N.  Porter, 
Treasurer;  H.  L.  Buckley,  City  Attorney;  N. 
A.  Kidder,  Harbormaster;  William  Young, 
Health  Officer;  F.  L.  Landes,  Superintendent 
of  Schools. 

1880. — .Jabez  Turner,  First  Trustee  and 
Mayor;  Jerome  C.  Davis,  Second  Trustee; 
Josiah  Johnson,  Tiiird  Trustee;  W.  A.  Henry, 
Police  Judge;  Matt   Karcher,  Chief  of  Police; 


HI  STOUT    OF    SACRAMENTO    COUNTY. 


E.  H.  McKee,  City  Auditor  and  Clerk;  Fred. 
A.  Shepherd,  Assessor;  George  A.  Putnam,  Col- 
lector; "W.  E.  Chamberlain,  Treasurer;  "W".  A. 
Anderson,  City  Attorney;  N.  A.  Kidder,  Har- 
bormaster; F.  T.  Phillips,  Health  Officer;  F.  L. 
Landes,  Superintendent  of  Schools. 

1881. — John  Q.  Brown,  First  Trustee  and 
Mayor;  *Jerome  C.  Davis,  Second  Trustee;  Jo- 
siah  Johnson,  Third  Trustee;  W.  A.  Henry,  Po- 
lice Judge;  Matt  Karcher,  Chief  of  Police;  E. 
H.  McKee,  City  Auditor  and  Clerk;  Fred.  A. 
Shepherd,  Assessor;  George  A.  Putnam,  Col- 
lector; W.  E.  Chamberlain,  Treasurer;  W.  A. 
Anderson,  City  Attorney;  N.  A.  Kidder,  Har- 
bormaster; George   R.  Martin,  Health  Officer; 

F.  L.  Landes,  Superintendent  of  Schools. 
1882.— John   Q.    Brown,   First    Trustee  and 

Mayor;  John  Pyan,  Second  Trustee;  William 
Gutenberger,  Third  Trustee;  W.  A.  Henry,  Po- 
lice Judge;  E.  H.  McKee,  City  Auditor  and 
Clerk;  Fred  A.  Shepherd,  Assessor;  George  A. 
Putnam,  Collector;  W.  A.  Anderson,  Attorney; 
J.  11.  Laine,  Superintendent  of  Schools. 

1883.— John  Q.  Brown,  First  Trustee  and 
Mayor;  John  Ryan,  Second  Trustee;  William 
Gutenberger,  Third  Trustee;  W.  A.  Henry,  Po- 
lice Judge;  E.  H.  McKee,  City  Auditor  and 
Clerk;  Fred  A.  Shepherd,  Assessor;  George  A. 
Putnam,  Collector;  Matthew  Karcher,  Chief  of 
Police;  W.  A.  Anderson,  Attorney;  J.  R.  Laine, 
Superintendent  of  Schools. 

1884. — Same  except  that  H.  B.  Neilson  was 
Second  Trustee  and  J.  J.  Buckley  was  Assessor. 

1885.— John  Q.  Brown,  First  Trustee  and 
Mayor;  Wni.  Gutenberger,  Third  Trustee;  E. 
H.  McKee,  City  Auditor  and  Clerk;  J.  J.  Buck- 
ley, Assessor;  George  A.  Putnam,  Collector;  W. 
A.  Henry,  Police  Judge;  O.  C.  Jackson,  Chief 
of  Police;  W.  A.  Anderson,  City  Attorney;  J. 
R.  Laine,  Superintendent  of  Schools. 

1886. — John  Q.  Brown,  First  Trustee  and 
Mayor;  H.  B.  Neilson,  Second  Trustee;  W.  R. 
Jones,  Third  Trustee;  E.  H.  McKee,  City  Au- 
ditor and  Clerk;  J.  J.  Buckley,  Assessor;  Geo. 
A.  Putnam,  Collector;  W.    A.   Henry,    Police 


Judge;  O.  C.  Jackson,  Chief  of  Police;  E.  C. 
Hart,  City  Attorney;  M.  R.  Beard,  Superin- 
tendent of  Schools. 

1887. — Eugene  J.  Gregory,  First  Trustee  and 
Mayor;  John  Ryan,  Second  Trustee;  W.  R. 
Jones,  Third  Trustee;  E.  H.  McKee,  Auditor 
and  Clerk;  J.  J.  Buckley,  Assessor;  George  A. 
Putnam,  Collector;  Henry  S.  Buckley,  Police 
Judge;  H.  F.  Dillman,  Chief  of  Police;  E.  C. 
Hart,  Attorney;  M.  R.  Beard,  Superintendent 
of  Schools. 

1888. — Eugene  J.  Gregory,  First  Trustee  and 
Mayor;  John  Ryan,  Second  Trustee;  H.  C.  Wolf, 
Third  Trustee;  E.  H.  McKee,  City  Auditor  and 
Clerk;  J.  J.  Buckley,  Assessor;  George  A.  Put- 
nam, Collector;  Henry  S.  Buckley,  Police  Judge; 
Timothy  Lee,  Chief  of  Police;  W.  S.  Church, 
City  Attorney;  M.  R.  Beard,  Superintendent  of 
Schools. 

1889. — Eugene  J.  Gregory,  First  Trustee  and 
Mayor;  William  McLaughlin,  Second  Trustee; 
H.  C.  Wolf,  Third  Trustee;  E.  H.  McKee,  Au- 
ditor and  Clerk;  J.  J.  Buckley,  Assessor;  Geo. 
A.  Putnam,  Collector;  Henry  S.  Buckley,  Po- 
lice Judge;  Timothy  Lee,  Chief  of  Police;  M. 
R.  Beard,  Superintendent  of  Schools. 

FIRES    AND    FIRE    DEPARTMENT. 

The  lirst  lire  of  any  considerable  extent  oc- 
curring in  the  city  of  Sacramento  was  on  the 
morning  of  April  4,  1850,  on  Front  street,  be- 
tween J  and  K  streets,  when  eight  or  ten  build 
ings  were  destroyed,  with  their  contents,  within 
the  short  space  of  thirty  minutes.  The  loss  was 
about  $100,000.  Immediately  a  fire  depart- 
ment was  organized.  November  9,  following, 
a  fire  destroyed  the  New  York,  Eagle,  St.  Fran- 
cis and  the  Galena  hotels,  Home  of  the  Badger, 
Rowe's  provision  store  and  other  buildings. 
The  Tehama  Theatre  was  burned  August  IB, 
1851. 

On  November  2,  1852,  occurred  the  greatest 
fire  that  has  ever  afflicted  this  city,  when  fully 
seven-eighths  of  the  place  was  destroyed  and  a 
good  many  lives  were  supposed  to  be  lost.  The 
total  amount  of  loss  was  estimated  at  $10,000,- 


HISTORY    OF    SACRAMENTO    COUNTY. 


161 


000.  The  Congregational  Chiirclion  Sixth  street, 
although  a  frame  structure,  was  the  only  one  of 
many  churches  saved.  Tlie  fire  did  not  extend 
east  of  Ninth  street  or  north  of  I  street.  A 
strong  wind  prevailing  at  the  time  of  the  out- 
break of  the  fire  was  doubtless  the  cause  of  tlie 
conflagration  becoming  so  general. 

The  second  general  conflagration  in  Sacra- 
mento's history  took  place  on  the  afternoon  of 
July  13,  1854,  starting  in  a  small  frame  build- 
ing in  the  rear  of  Newcomb's  furniture  store, 
near  the  center  of  the  block  bounded  by  J,  K, 
Third  and  Fourth  streets.  It  was  caused  by  the 
upsetting  of  a  spirit  lamp  used  to  warm  a  glue- 
pot.  The  flames  almost  immediately  reached 
the  Sacramento  Hotel,  and  directly  there  was  an 
overawing  blaze.  Although  the  day  was  very 
hot,  the  thermometer  being  100°  in  the  coolest 
shade,  the  firemen  turned  out  in  force;  but  in 
spite  of  the  most  heroic  efforts  the  terrible  ele- 
ment proceeded  to  destroy  the  Oriental  Hotel, 
American  House,  old  Court-House,  New  Eng- 
land House,  State  House,  Congregational  Church, 
Sewanee  House,  Crescent  City  Hotel  and  No. 
4's  Engine  House.  The  water-works  had  just 
got  into  operation,  and  were  found  very  effi 
cient,  else  the  loss  would  have  been  much  greater. 
When  the  fire  threatened  the  State  Capitol 
with  destruction,  Governor  Bigler,  who  had  been 
working  from  the  beginning  of  the  fire  wherever 
an  efficient  hand  was  most  needed,  asked  several 
by-standers  to  assist  him  in  saving  the  furniture. 
They  objected  to  this  on  the  ground  that  private 
parties  could  not  afford  to  lose  their  property  so 
well  as  the  State.  A  full-length  portrait  of 
Washington  was  standing  against  the  southern 
wall,  and  pointing  to  it  IJiglersaid,  "See!  there 
is  the  portrait  of  the  father  of  your  country; 
will  you  permit  it  to  be  destroyed? "  A  general 
rush  was  made  atid  the  picture  was  saved. 

The  Golden  Eagle  Hotel,  a  substantial  brick 
structure,  checked  the  tire  until  it  was  controlled. 
The  Monumental  Engine  Company  of  San  Fran- 
cisco did  their  utmost  to  reach  Sacramento  in 
time,  but  could  not  arrive  until  the  next  morn- 
ing.    The  citizens  thanked  them  cirdially. 


The  next  fire  of  importance  occurred  July  3, 
1855,  clearing  the  whole  triangle  between  the 
levee,  I  and  Sixth  streets;  but  the  buildings 
were  generally  old  rookeries,  occupied  mostly  by 
Chinese. 

During  the  following  nineteen  years  several 
fires  occurred,  each  occasioning  the  loss  of  $10,- 
000  to  $20,000. 

September  15,  1874,  about  5:30  o'clock  a.m. 
the  Capital  Woolen  Mills  caught  fire  and  were 
destroyed,  the  loss  being  between  §75,000  and 
$100,000.  Contracts  were  immediately  let  for 
a  new  building. 

On  January  9,  1875,  in  the  afternoon,  a  fire 
started  in  the  lamp-room  of  the  Western  Hotel, 
and  spread  with  fearful  rapidity.  The  fire  de- 
partment was  promptly  on  hand  and  succeeded 
in  confining  the  fire  to  the  hotel  building,  which 
was  totally  destroyed.  Three  lives  were  lost; 
two  of  the  ill-fated  were  compositors  in  the 
Union  office.     Money  loss,  about  $90,000. 

Sacramento  claims  the  honor  of  having  or- 
ganized the  first  fire  company  in  California. 
This  was  the  Mutual  Hookand  Ladder  Company, 
No.  1.  The  primary  steps  toward  organizing 
were  taken  on  February  5, 1850.  The  following 
officers  were  elected:  Demas  Strong,  Foreman; 
J.  S.  Fowler,  First  Assistant;  M.  D.  Eyre,  Sec- 
ond Assistant;  T.  A.  Warbass,  Treasurer;  H. 
G.  Langley,  Secretary;  J.  O.  Derby,  Steward. 
This  company  turned  out  to  the  fire  of  April  4, 
1850,  using  the  fire  engine  belonging  to  Lewis 
&  Bailey.  They  continued  in  active  existence 
until  October  30,  1859,  when  they  were  dis- 
banded by  mutual  consent,  and  their  apparatus 
was  turned  over  to  the  fire  department.  Com- 
panies 1  and  2  were  supplied  with  hooks  and 
ladders  in  the  early  part  of  1853.  The  Mutuals 
occupied  the  same  building  with  Confidence 
Engine  Company,  No.  1,  and  had  twenty-six 
members  when  they  disbanded. 

The  Alert  Hook  and  Ladder  Company,  No.  2, 
was  organized  September  27,  1852,  by  electing 
Thomas  W.  Noyes,  Foreman;  Charles  W.  Cook, 
Assistant  Foreman;  Alexander  C.  Folger,  Sec- 
retary;   W.    B.   H.    Dodson,  Trustee;   John    L. 


HISTORY    OF    SACRAMENTO    COUNTY. 


Polhemus  and  Joseph  F.  Cloutman,  Delegates. 
The  building  of  this  company  was  located  on 
Eighth  street,  between  J  and  K,  and  was  a  two- 
story  brick.  Like  the  Mutuals,  they  received  a 
new  outfit  of  hooks  and  ladders  in  1853.  In 
1860  they  had  twenty-nine  members,  with  M. 
McMamis,  Foreman. 

Confidence  Engine  Company,  No.  1,  was  or- 
ganized March  6,  1851,  with  these  officers:  W. 
H.  Eakins,  Foreman;  William  B.  Hunt,  First 
Assistant;  John  J.  Balentine,  Second  Assistant; 
H.  E.  Urner,  Secretary;  and  Leander  Culver, 
Treasurer.  Their  building  was  erected  on  the 
east  side  of  Third  street,  between  I  and  J.  It 
is  two  stories  high.  The  company  maintained 
its  organization  until  the  introduction  of  the 
paid  fire  department,  when  its  membership  was 
sixty-five. 

Protection  Engine  Company,  No.  2,  was  or- 
ganized on  March  22,  1851,  by  the  election  of 
the  following  officers:  William  Arents,  Fore- 
man; Francis  R.  Folger,  Assistant;  and  H. 
Biirdick,  Secretary.  They  had  sixty-five  mem- 
bers, and  their  house  was  located  on  the  west 
side  of  Eighth  street,  between  J  and  K,  and  the 
building  is  now  the  Exempt   Firemen's  Hall. 

Sacramento  Engine  Company,  No.  3,  was 
organized  March  27,  1851,  by  the  election  of  J. 
R.  Beard,  Foreman;  H.  J.  Beams,  Assistant 
Foreman;  F.  McGilveryi  Secretary;  J.  C.  Free- 
man, Assistant  Secretary.  Two  years  subse- 
quently,afine  house  was  erected  for  this  company 
on  the  west  side  of  Second  street,  between  K 
and  L.  In  1860  they  had  a  membership  of 
fifty-nine. 

Eureka  Engine  Company,  No.  4,  was  organized 
August  15,  1853,  with  W.  H.  Jones,  Foreman; 
John  H.  Burgess,  Assistant;  Jacob  Greenebanm, 
Secretary:  11.  P.  Osborn,  Treasurer.  Their 
building  was  also  a  two-story  brick,  on  Fifth 
street,  between  J  and  K.  In  1860  they  were 
rated  at  sixty-five  members. 

Knickerbocker  Engine  Company,  No.  5,  was 
organized  July  21, 1854,  by  electing  H.  Polley, 
Foreman;    James  H.  Calvyn,  First  Assistant; 


P.  Holland,  Second  Assistant;  John  F.  Hall, 
Secretary,  and  John  C.  Keenan,  Treasurer. 
Their  building,  also  a  two-story  brick,  was  on 
the  east  side  of  Fourth  street,  between  K  and 
L.     They  numbered  fifty-eight  members. 

Young  America,  No.  6,  organized  by  residents 
of  the  Third  Ward,  June  21,  1855,  with  Robert 
Robinson,  Foreman;  E.Kimball,  First  Assist- 
ant ;  Sylvester  Marshall,  Second  Assistant ;  An- 
son Perry,  Secretary;  Charles  S.  White,  Treas- 
urer. Their  house,  a  two-story  brick  structure, 
located  on  the  east  side  of  Tenth  street,  between 
I  and  J,  is  now  used  by  the  paid  fire  depart- 
ment. 

Tehama  Hose  Company,  No.  1,  the  first  hose 
company  in  this  city,  was  organized  April  21, 
1853,  but  disbanded  November  24,  1855. 

Neptune  Hose  Company,  an  independent  or- 
ganization, was  formed  October  6,  1856,  with 
C.  T.  Ingham,  President;  P.  Holland,  Fore- 
man; Thomas  Bartlett,  Assistant  Foreman;  A. 
P.  Norton,  Treasurer;  Alexander  Badlam,  Sec- 
retary. After  considerable  trouble,  this  com- 
pany was  admitted  into  the  department,  and  the 
city  erected  a  building  for  it  on  the  north  side 
of  I  street,  fronting  Fourth  street.  Member- 
ship, twenty-five. 

Broderick  Engine  Company,  No.  7,  was  or- 
ganized June  1,  1860,  by  electing  Matthias 
Ault,  Foreman;  R.  B.  Bishop,  First  Assistant; 
Bernard  Riley,  Second  Assistant;  D.  O.  Brown, 
Secretary,  and  W.  S.  Higgins,  Treasurer.  Mem- 
bership, sixty-five.  This  company,  named  after 
United  States  Senator  Broderick,  was  a  faithful 
company,  attending  all  the  fires;  but  it  was  not 
admitted  into  the  department,  and  was  disbanded 
immediately  after  the  flood  of  1861.  Their 
house,  a  story-and-a-half  building,  was  at  the 
corner  of  Third  and  R  streets,  but  it  has  since 
been  removed  to  another  place  and  converted 
into  a  dwelling.  The  engine,  hose,  etc.,  reverted 
to  the  department. 

Several  other  companies,  of  less  note,  were 
organized  during  the  volunteer  period. 

The  following  is  a  list  of  the   chief  engineers 


IILsrOKV    OF    .SACUA.UENTO    COUNTY. 


of  tli3  voliintear  tira   deparhnent,    from   its    in- 
ception to  the  date  of  its  dissolution: 

Hiram  Arents from  .lao.  25,  1851,  to  Oct.  1,1851 

David  McDowell....   "  Nov.  5,  1851,  "  Aug.  2.  1853 

R.  M.  Polger "  Aug.  2,  1852,  "  Aug.  1,  1853 

I.M.Hubbard "  Aug.  1,  1853,  "  Aug.  7,  18-54 

J.  H.  Houseman* "  Aug.  7,  1854,  "  Nov.  1,  1854 

J.  B.  Blancbardf "  Nov.  1,  18.54,  "  Dec.  15,  1854 

Henry  Polley "  Dec.  15,  1854,  "  Aug.  7,  1855 

Hiram  Arents "  Aug.  7,  1855,  "  Aug.  4,  1857 

Joseph  S.  Friend "  Aug.  4,  1857,  "  Aug.  3,    1853 

George  H.  Brickman  "  Aug.  8,  1858,  "  Aug.  7,  18B0 

R.J.Graham "  Aug  6,  1860,  "  Aug.  3,  18B3 

Hugh  Kelly* "  Aug.  3,  1863,  "  Dec.  1,1863 

George  Schmeiser. . .  "  Dec.  14,  1863,  "  Aug.  1.  1864 

D,Hvid  C.  Wilson "  Aug.  1,  1864,  "  Aug.  6,  1866 

John  Donnellan "  Aug.  6,  1868,  "  Aug.  5,  1867 

W.  Gillan "  Aug.  5,  1867,  "  Aug.  ..  1868 

Frank  Johnson "  Aug.  ..  1868,  "  Aug.  ..   1«69 

A.  H.  Hapeman "  Aug.  ..  1869,  "  Aug.  ..  1870 

William  D.  Farrell..  "  Aug.  ..   1870,  "  Aug.  ..  1871 

George  Schmeiser...  "  Aug.  ..  1871,  "  Aug.  ..   1872 

Many  interesting  incidents,  both  pleasant  and 
unpleasant,  we  would  relate  had  we  space. 
Tournaments,  races,  presentations  of  banners, 
gossip,  etc.,  were  numerous  enough  to  till  a 
large  volume.  As  one  amusing  feature  we 
refer  to  the  time  when  a  great  complaint  was 
made  against  the  lire  department  for  some 
years  by  the  papers,  called  forth  mainly  by 
the  rivalry  of  the  companies.  Some  of  their 
members  were  accused  of  laying  plans  for  get- 
ting ahead  of  their  rivals  by  ringing  a  false 
alarm,  having  previously  warned  enough  of 
their  own  company  to  secure  their  engine  get- 
ting to  the  place  of  the  fire  first,  and  of  course 
obtaining  credit  therefor  the  next  morning  in 
the  papers! 

April  1,  1872,  the  Legislature  created  a  paid 
fire  department  in  Sacramento,  consisting  of  a 
board  of  three  fire  commissioners,  the  first 
members  to  be  appointed  by  the  Governor  and 
their  successors  to  be  elected  by  the  people  of 
the  city,  one  each  year  at  the  regular  city  elec- 
tion. The  city  was  authorized  to  issue  bonds 
for  §50,000,  payable  twenty  years  after  date, 
with  interest  at  eight  per  cent,  per  annum. 
The  first  commissioners  were  Sylvester  Tryon, 
George  Rowland  and  W.  C.  Felch,  the  latter  of 
whom  was  elected  president  of  tlie  board.  Un- 
der the  provisions  of  this  law  there  are  at  pres- 

•  Repignod.    t  Firct  assistant  acting  as  cliief  during  vacancy. 


eiit  three  engine  companies,  and  one  hoo!<  and 
ladder  company. 

Engine  Company  No.  1  was  organized  Sep- 
tember 15,  1872,  with  H.  Burnham,  Foreman, 
and  O.  Collier,  Engineer,  and  twelve  other  men; 
but  only  the  engineer,  firemen  and  drivers  were 
permanently  eiuploj'ed.  Their  house  is  situated 
on  Second  street,  between  K  and  L,  and  their 
apparatus  comprises  a  second-class  steam  fire- 
engine  of  tlie  Amoskeag  manufacture,  one  hose 
cart  with  1,000  feet  of  carbonized  hose,  and  one 
extra  hose  cart  with  1,000  feet  of  hose. 

Engine  Company  No.  2  was  organized  at  the 
same  time  as  the  preceding,  with  J.  W.  Thomp- 
son as  Foreman  and  E.  H.  Williams  as  Engi- 
neer. Their  house  is  on  Tenth  street,  between  I 
and  J,  and  equipments  about  the  same  as  those 
of  No.  1. 

Engine  Company  No.  3  was  organized  and 
placed  in  service  x\pril  1,  1888,  at  Nineteenth 
and  L  streets,  with  a  new  Clapp  &  Jones  en- 
gine and  a  new  hose  cart.  Hose  Company  No. 
1,  organized  June  11,  1884,  had  previously 
been  located  at  that  place  and  disbanded. 

Hook  and  Ladder  Company  No.  1  was  organ- 
ized September  28,  1872,  and  at  first  employed 
four  truckmen,  who  did  duty  only  in  case  of 
fire.  It  now  consists  of  a  foreman,  driver, 
steward  and  five  e.xtra  men.  The  driver  and 
steward  are  permanently  employed.  This  com- 
pany occupies  a  new  house,  constructed  for 
their  purpose,  on  Sixth  street,  between  K  and  L. 
The  present  13oard  of  Fire  Commissioners 
cotn  prises  Messrs.  W.  D.  Comstock,  John  Weil 
and  J.  F.  Slater;  and  the  oflacers  of  the  fire 
department  are:  W.  D.  Comstock,  President; 
H.  L  Seymour,  Secretary;  M.  O'Meara,  Chief 
Engineer;  H.  A.  Guthrie,  Assistant  Engineer. 
The  chief  engineers  of  the  paid  fire  depart- 
ment since  its  organization  have  been: 

William  B.  Hunt 1872-71. 

William   11.  II.  Lee 1874-'76. 

IJarry  Burnham 1876-'78. 

Win.  H.  H.  Lee,  four  months 1878. 

Cornelius  Sullivan 1878-87. 

M.  O'Meara,  July,  1887,  to  the  present. 


HISTORY    OF.  SAGMAMENTO    COUNTY. 


EXEMPT    FIREMEN  S    ASSOCIATION. 

The  first  organization  of  this  kind  was  efifected 
on  August  14,  1865.  At  a  meeting  held  on 
that  day,  twenty-two  members  of  the  association 
being  present,  the  following ofBcers  were  chosen: 
George  Rowland,  President;  J.  H.  Houseman, 
"Vice-President;  J.  J.  Smith,  Secretary;  J.  F. 
Crawford,  Treasurer.  This  association  had  only 
a  membership  of  sixty-five  in  1871,  in  which 
year  it  was  abolished.  This  society  was  a  chari- 
table one,  but  its  charities  were  neither  sys- 
tematic nor  compulsory.  The  fund  was  under 
the  control  of  the  "  Board  of  Delegates,"  which 
had  been  incorporated  June  10,  1868,  and  had 
a  treasury  of  about  $38,000  in  1872,  which  it 
turned  over  to  the  new  association. 

The  latter,  which  is  the  present  society,  was 


organ 


ized   in    accordance   with    an    act   of    the 


Legislature,  approved  in  April,  1872,  the  exact 
date  of  its  institution  being  December  4,  1872. 
The  first  oflicers  were:  W.  L.  Herndon,  Presi- 
dent; A.  H.  Cummings,  First  Vice-President; 
Joseph  Davis,  Second  Vice-President;  John  F. 
Crawford,  Secretary;  George  A.  Putnam,  Treas- 
urer, besides  a  board  of  general  trustees  and  of 
trustees  of  the  charitable  fund. 

Although  there  were  but  sixty-five  members 
in  the  old  association  in  1871,  the  new  organi- 
zation began  in  1872  with  324  members,  and 
many  others  joined  afterward.  The  objects  of 
this  organization  are  social  and  fraternal  aid  and 
pecuniary  benefit.  The  sum  of  %S  per  week,  in 
case  of  sickness  or  disability,  $10  a  month  to 
widows  of  deceased  members  in  case  they  are 
in  need  of  it,  and  $100  for  funeral  expenses,  are 
the  pecuniary  benefits  given;  and  all  additional 
friendly  aid  that  the  fraternity  can  bestow  in 
case  of  sickness  or  distress  is  also  cheerfully 
given.  No  one  can  obtain  these  benefits,  how- 
ever, if  his  distress  is  the  result  of  gross  dissi- 
pation. By  deaths  and  removals  the  number  of 
members  is  now  reduced  to  151 — less  than  half 
the  original  number.  The  present  ofiicers  are: 
James  H.  Crone,  President;  N.  L.  Drew,  First 
Vice-President;    C.    II.    Krebs,    Second    Vice- 


President;  George  A.  Putnam,  Treasurer;  Will- 
iam Avery,  Secretary;  Frank  Swift,  Janitor. 

The  act  creating  the  paid  fire  department  of 
Sacramento  provided  that  the  Exempt  Firemen's 
Association  should  have  the  privilege  of  select- 
ing one  of  the  engine  houses  of  the  old  volunteer 
department  for  its  use.  Accordingly,  the  old 
engine  house  on  the  west  side  of  Eighth  street, 
between  J  and  K,  was  selected,  and  the  property 
put  up  at  auction,  it  being  necessary  that  it 
should  be  sold.  Of  course  no  one  would  bid 
against  the  "Exempts,"  and  the  property  was 
purchased  by  them  for  the  sum  of  $100.  The 
building  was  remodeled  with  suitable  halls  and 
stores,  which  have  been  advantageously  rented. 
This  change  cost  about  $7,000,  and  the  build- 
ing was  occupied  for  the  first  time  July  12, 
1875.      . 


WATER  WORKS. 


The  first  institution  in  Sacramento  that  coula 
be  called  water-works  was  the  five  horse-power 
pile-driver  engine  of  William  P.  Henry,  which, 
near  the  loot  of  I  street,  pumped  water  by  suc- 
tion up  into  a  reservoir.  From  this  carts  were 
loaded  and  the  water  peddled  out  by  the  gallon. 
Soon  after  this  was  started,  "  Uncle  Billy"  An- 
derson began  a  similar  enterprise  at  the  junction 
of  Second  street  with  the  slough. 

These  parties  in  competition  ran  a  profitable 
business  until  they  formed  a  combination  with 
A.  A.  Bennett,  and  erected  more  elaborate  works 
just  south  of  Henry's  engine.  Their  tank  was 
much  higher  and  more  carefully  constructed. 

In  the  fall  of  1852,  George  Gordon  and  the 
"  Sacramento  Water  Company"  each  presented 
plans  for  a  system  of  water-works,  both  of  which, 
in  December,  were  rejected  by  a  popular  vote; 
but  at  the  same  time  the  people  voted  a  tax  of 
three-fourths  of  one  per  cent,  for  works  of  some 
kind,  to  be  thereafter  determined.  The  City 
Council  advertised  for  plans  and  specifications, 
and  those  adopted  were  presented  by  Mr.  Kirk. 
The  specifications  called  for  a  brick  building, 
127x  50feetontheground,andthetopof  the  wall 
thirty-six  and  a  half  feet  above  the  present  grade 


niSTORY    OF    SACRAMENTO    COUNTY. 


of  J  and  Front  streets.  The  floor  of  tlie  second 
story  was  to  be  sixteen  feet  above  said  grade  of 
J  and  Front  streets.  The  reservoir  was  to  be 
128 .\ 50  feet,  and  six  and  a  lialf  feet  high;  tlie 
greatest  depth  of  water,  five  feet.  Tlie  pumping 
engine  was  to  have  a  capacity  of  20,000  gallons 
per  hour.  The  price  was  to  be  §120,000,  pay- 
able in  city  bonds,  bearing  ten  per  cent,  interest 
per  annum,  payable  in  five,  seven,  ten  and  twelve 
years  from  January  1,  1854.  "Work  commenced 
October  27,  1853;  the  building  was  completed, 
and  the  tank  filled  April  1, 1854.  The  occasion 
was  celebrated  by  the  citizens  on  the  6th  of 
April.  This  building  is  the  same  now  known 
as  the  old  water-works  building. 

On  August  12,  1853,  the  first  bonds  of  the 
water  loan  were  issued,  the  total  issue  under 
this  loan  being  $284,495.  The  first  superin- 
tendent of  the  new  works  was,  appropriately 
enough,  William  P.  Henry,  the  first  man  to 
introduce  anything  like  pumping-works  into 
the  city.  The  first  parties  to  take  water  from 
the  new  works  were  Adams  &  Co.,  who  paid  for 
fifteen  days'  supply  at  the  rate  of  §12.22  per 
month.  In  April,  1854,  there  were  seventy- 
eight  customers;  May,  155;  June,  260;  and  by 
November,  403. 

During  the  year  1855  there  were  laid  two  and 
one-fourth  miles  of  water-pipes,  which,  with  fifty 
hydrants  and  twenty-one  stop-gates,  cost  $23,- 
600.  The  capacity  of  reservoirs  was  200,000 
gallons;  the  pump  capacity,  39,100  gallons  per 
hour.  The  total  lengtii  of  pipe,  March  1,  1850, 
was  eight  and  one-fourth  miles.  A  Worthing- 
ton  pump  was  added  to  the  works  a  few  years 
later.  As  the  system  of  pipes  was  extended, 
the  pressure  was  decreased,  until  finally,  during 
the  summer  season,  the  complaints  from  the  citi- 
zens of  the  more  remote  portions  of  the  city 
became  both  loud  and  deep  of  the  scarcity  of 
water.  On  April  0,  1870,  the  works  suffered  a 
bad  break-down,  shutting  off  for  some  time  the 
supply  of  water.  It  now  became  evident  that 
something  must  l)e  done  to  better  the  condition 
of  tlie  works.  On  June  6,  Superintendent  A[c- 
Clecry  presented    to   the  I'oard  of  Trustees  the 


plan  of  A.  A.  Bennett,  architect,  to  raise  the 
old  buildings  at  a  cost  of  $10,000.  On  Jnne  22, 
1870,  Turton  &  Knox  commenced  to  raise  the 
tanks  fifteen  feet;  a  new  stand  pipe  was  also  put 
up  at  a  cost  of  $250.  The  remedy  was  but 
temporary,  though  for  a  time  it  silenced  the 
more  clamorous  of  the  complainants;  but  they 
soon  recovered,  and,  finally,  so  much  was  said 
concerning  the  invlequacy  of  the  old  works, 
that  it  became  evident  that  nothing  but  a  new 
set  of  works,  or  system,  with  greatly  increased 
capacity,  would  satisfy  their  demands. 

From  1858  to  1872  several  schemes  were  pro- 
posed and  abandoned,  among  them  the  Holly 
system.  Also,  water  from  the  various  wells  and 
the  river  was  analyzed.  An  analysis  of  the  Sac- 
ramento River  water  gave  the  following  result: 
One  hundred  and  twenty  ounces  of  water  taken 
from  the  April  freshet  of  1870,  and  evaporated  to 
dryness,  by  James  Bell,  of  San  Francisco,  left  a 
residuum  of  2.59  grains,  composed  as  follows: 
Gypsum,  1.27  grains;  epsom  salts,  0.70;  salt, 
0.21;silicateof  potash,  0.13;  silica,  0.25;  iron,  a 
suspicion  only;  loss,.03grains.  A  special  election 
was  held  July  20, 1872,  by  which  it  was  decided  to 
adopt  one  of  the  three  plans  offered  by  the  Holly 
Company,  namely,  the  one  which  would  demand 
an  outlay  of  $58,000.  Then  the  west  fifty  feet 
of  lot  4,  between  II  and  I  streets,  and  First  and 
Second  streets,  were  purchased  by  the  Capital 
Savings  Bank  and  the  National  Gold  Bank  of 
D.  O.  Mills  &  Co.,  and  the  deed  therefor  pre- 
sented to  the  city.  The  trustees,  on  receiving 
this  deed,  passed  a  resolution  to  accept  it,  and 
to  reserve  from  the  bonds  authorized  to  be  issued 
$20,000,  subject  to  such  further  legislation  as 
might  be  had,  for  the  purpose  of  paying  said 
banks  the  money  advanced  by  them,  of  which 
sum  the  Capital  Savings  Bank  had  advanced 
$8,000,  and  the  National  Gold  Bank  $7,000. 
Work  on  the  new  building  and  works  com- 
menced forthwith  and  was  pushed  with  vigor, 
notwithstanding  wdiich  the  machinery  was  not 
in  shape  to  receive  its  trial  or  test  of  capacity 
until  July  17,  1873.  The  capacity  was  tested 
thoroughly,  and  proved  to  bo  fully  up  to  the  call 


HISTORY    OF    SACRAMENTO    COUNTY. 


of  the  specifications,  and,  on  the  28th,  the  works 
were  accepted  bj  the  trustees. 

Tlie  amount  of  bonds  authorized  by  the  act, 
approved  March  30,  1872,  for  the  purpose  of 
erecting  these  works  was  §191,307,50.  The 
amount  actually  issued,  $189,993.15. 

Time  sliowed  that  the  Holly  rotary  pumps 
were  nearly,  or  quite,  worthless,  and  about  nine 
years  ago  were  taken  out.  The  gang  pumps 
put  in  by  the  Holly  Company,  but  not  claimed 
by  them  to  be  original,  have  done  good  service 
so  far,  and  during  the  winter  months  supply  the 
town  with  water.  Early  in  1878  a  pump  was 
built  at  the  machine  shops  of  the  Central  Pacific 
Railroad  Company,  and  put  into  the  Water- 
Works  Building,  on  the  west  side.  This  pump 
is  a  double-acting  piston  pump,  with  large  air 
chamber  thirty-six  inches  in  diameter  by  twenty- 
nine  feet  high,  and,  like  the  other  pumps,  con- 
nects directly  with  the  main,  or  water  pipe. 
The  engine  is  aliigh  pressure,  condensing,  steam 
cylinder  thirty-six  inches  in  diameter,  water 
cylinders  twenty-four  inches  in  diameter,  each 
having  a  stroke  of  eighty  inches.  The  capacity 
of  this  pump  alone  is  estimated  to  be  over 
6,000,000  gallons  of  water  per  twenty-four  hours, 
and  cost,  completed,  $30,004.48.  This  is  now 
paid  for,  and  the  whole  debt  against  the  water- 
works was  extinguished  in  August,  1880.  Up 
to  January  1,  1880,  the  water-works  of  Sacra- 
mento cost,  exclusive  of  repairs  and  interest, 
$514,492. 

Since  1880  there  has  been  no  material  change 
made  in  the  works,  which  are  still  of  sufficient 
capacity  for  the  city  were  there  no  waste  of  the 
water  by  citizens. 

GAS-WORKS. 

Early  in  1854  a  Scotchman  named  William 
Glen  obtained  the  franchise  to  establish  and 
manage  gas-works  in  the  city  of  Sacramento. 
He  did  not  attempt  to  build  the  works,  but  sold 
his  right  to  a  joint-stock  association,  which  or- 
ganized as  tlie  "Sacramento  Gas  Company,"  on 
the  18tii  of  August,  1854,  by  the  election  of 
Angus  Frierson,  President,  and  N.  AV.  Chit- 
tendon,    Secretary.     Tiie    capital    stock  of    the 


company  amounted  to  $500,000,  and,  by  May, 
1856,  $220,000  had  been  expended.  The  ini- 
tial step  in  the  construction  of  the  gas-w^orks 
was  taken  by  Mayor  R.  P.Johnson,  who  on  the 
20th  of  October,  1854,  turned  the  first  soil  for 
the  excavation  in  which  was  to  be  placed  the 
gasometer  tank.  The  construction  was  prose- 
cuted with  energy  till  the  7th  of  March,  1855, 
when  they  were  necessarily  abandoned  because 
of  the  rise  of  the  American  River  and  the  con- 
sequent submerging  of  that  part  of  the  city, 
Slater's  Addition.  On  the  4th  of  A  ugust,  1855, 
work  was  resumed  and  prosecuted  with  vigor  to 
a  successful  issue.  The  city  was  lighted  with 
gas,  for  the  first  time,  on  the  evening  of  De- 
cember 17  in  the  same  year.  At  that  time  the 
officers  of  the  company  were:  R.  P.  Johnson, 
President  and  Superintendent;  R.  B.  Norman, 
Engineer;  W.  H.  Watson,  Secretary;  D.  O. 
Mills,  Treasurer;  James  Murray,  W.  F.  Bab- 
cock,  L.  McLean,  Jr.,  R.  P.  Johnson  and  W. 
H.  Watson.  Directors.  The  retort-house  was 
fifty-four  feet  long,  fifty-one  feet  wide  and 
twenty-one  feet  high  to  tiie  eaves,  being  cov- 
ered by  an  iron  roof.  The  purifying-house, 
which  adjoined  the  retort-house,  was  thirty-five 
feet  long,  twenty-five  feet  wide  and  eighteen 
feet  high,  in  the  clear,  with  a  water-tight  cellar, 
built  on  an  arch.  The  lime-house  was  in  size 
25x14  feet  and  eighteen  feet  high.  The  meter, 
governor  and  offices  occupied  a  building  thirty- 
seven  feet  long,  twenty-five  feet  wide  and  two 
stories  high,  the  lower  story  being  fourteen  and 
the  up))er  twelve  feet  high,  in  the  clear.  The 
chimney  was  eighty-five  feet  high  from  the  toj) 
of  the  foundation  courses. 

In  1857  this  company  sold  out,  but  most  of 
the  stock  being  bought  by  original  stockholders, 
but  few  changes  were  made  In  December, 
1867,  high  water  washed  away  so  much  of  the 
land  west  of  the  works  that  it  was  feared  that 
the  structure  would  be  undermined.  Quantities 
of  cobbles  were  thrown  into  the  river  against 
the  walls,  and  in  that  way  was  the  invader  efiect- 
ually  checked.  A  special  train  engaged  in 
bringing  stone  from  Piocklin  for  the  above  pur- 


niSTORY    OF    SACRAMENTO    COUNTY. 


167 


pose,  while  on  its  return  trip,  collided  with  a 
wood-train  near  Antelope  Station,  severely  in- 
juring the  engineer,  Roderick  McRae,  and 
Joseph  Bryan,  the  collector  of  the  Gas  Com- 
pany. Tliis  accident  claims  the  notoriety  of 
havin<>;  been  tlie  first  collision  on  the  Central 
Pacific  Railroad. 

In  1872  there  were  filed  the  articles  of  incor- 
poration of  the  "Citizens  Gas  Light  Company 
of  Sacramento,"  with  a  capital  stock  of  $200,- 
000.  The  trustees  were:  Joseph  W.  Stow,  H. 
B.  Williams,  W.  H.  Montague,  C.  T.  Hopkins, 
E  B.  Mott,  Jr.,  G.  W.  Mowe,  Julius  Wetzlar, 
G.  Cadwalader  and  J.  F.  Houghton.  It  was 
stated  in  the  articles  of  incorporation  that  its 
term  of  existence  was  to  be  twenty-five  years, 
but  it  does  not  appear  to  have  e.xisted  that  num- 
ber of  days. 

Early  in  October,  1872,  there  was  organized, 
in  Sacramento,  the  "Pacific  Pneumatic  Gas 
Company,"  whose  purpose  was  to  manufacture 
gas  from  petroleum.  For  $5,000  this  company 
purchased  from  the  Johnston  Brandy  and  Wine 
Manufacturing  Company  a  lot  of  land,  in  what 
is  called  Brannan's  Addition,  just  south  of  the 
south  line  of  S  street,  running  back  to  Front 
street,  and  iiaving  a  wharfage  privilege  of  120 
feet.  About  the  10th  of  December  last  the 
property  was  sold  to  W.  D.  Kniglits. 

The  articles  of  incorporation  of  the  "Citizens 
Gas  Light  and  Heat  Company"  were  filed  Jan- 
uary 8, 1872,  the  capital  stock  being  $1,000,000, 
in  shares  of  $50  each.  The  trustees  were:  W. 
E.  Brown,  J.  R.  Watson,  R.  C.  Terry,  R.  C. 
Clark,  A.  Gallatin,  W.  E.  Perry,  H.  C.  Kirk,  C. 
H.  Cummiugs,  and  James  McClatchy.  The 
first  officers  were:  W.  E.  Rrown,  President;  Rob- 
ert C.  Clark,  Yice-President;  A.  Galatin,  Treas- 
urer; and  J.  W.  Pew,  Secretary. 

On  the  Ist  of  January,  1875,  the  "  Sacramento 
Gas  Company  "  and  the  "  Citizen's  Gas  Light 
Heat  Company"  consolidated,  under  the  name 
of  the  "Capital  Gas  Company;  "  capital  stock 
$2,000,000,  in  40,000  shares  of  $50  each.  The 
works  of  this  company  stand  on  that  portion  of 
lirannaTi's  .\(ldition    which  lies    between  T  ami 


U  streets,  and  the  river  front  and  Front  street, 
and  is  500  feet  deep  by  240  wide.  Lots  Nos. 
1  to  4,  in  the  block  between  S,  T,  Front  and 
Second  streets,  also  belong  to  this  company. 
Their  retort-house  is  of  brick,  in  size  50x150 
feet.  Each  of  the  three  gasometers  will  hold 
60,000  feet  of  gas.  The  office  is  a  brick  struct- 
ure, forty  feet  square,  having  two  stories  and 
a  basement.  All  the  brick  used  in  construction 
of  these  buildings  are  of  first-class  quality. 
Tlie  coal-shed  is  a  substantial  wooden  structure, 
120  feet  square,  while  the  coke-shed,  which  is 
also  of  wood,  is  seventy  feet  long  by  forty  wide. 
The  election  of  oflicers  takes  place  in  January 
of  each  year. 

In  1878  Smith  &  Co.,  of  the  Pioneer  MHls, 
bought  the  retort-house  of  the  Sacramento  Gas 
Company,  and  made  of  it  a  warehouse,  capable 
of  holding  4,000  tons  of  grain.  The  railroad 
company  bought  the  gasometer  and  the  land  on 
which  it  stood,  and  sold  the  former  for  old  iron. 

The  capital  stock  now  consists  of  10,000 
shares,  at  $50  a  share,  the  stock  being  reduced 
when  the  present  State  Constitution  was  adopted. 
The  present  officers  are:  B.  U.  Steinman,  Pres- 
ident; Oliver  Eldridge,  Vice-President;  C.  H. 
Cummings,  Secretary  and  Treasurer;  and  J.  C. 
Pierson,  Superintendent.  Directors  :  James 
Forbes,  Frank  Miller,  B.  U.  Steinman,  C.  H. 
Cummings,  of  Sacramento,  and  Oliver  Eldridge, 
John  McKee  and  William  Alvord,  of  San  Fran- 
cisco. 

YOI.O    BRIDGK. 

By  an  act  approved  April  3,  1857,  the  Sacra- 
mento and  Yolo  Bridge  Company  was  incor- 
porated, composed  of  Johnson  Price,  V.  E. 
Geiger  and  George  P.  Gillis.  The  company 
was  granted  a  charter,  to  run  for  twenty  years, 
to  erect  a  toll-bridge  across  the  Sacramento 
River  from  Broad  street,  in  Sacramento  County, 
to  Ann  street,  in  AVashington,  Yolo  County.  The 
draw  was  not  to  be  less  than  sixty  feet  wide  for 
passage  of  vessels,  and  the  bridge  must  be  com- 
pleted in  two  years. 

At  12  M.,  September  18,  1857,  the  first  pile 
was  driven  fortius  lirid<re.     The  oriirinal  bridge 


HISTORY    0^    SACRAMENTO    COUNTY. 


was  800  feet  long,  built  on  live  piers,  supported 
by  600  piles,  at  least  twelve  inches  in  diameter, 
and  driven  thirty  feet  to  solid  river  bed.  The 
bridge  was  of  Leonard's  patent,  four  spans  of 
135  feet  each,  the  draw  opening  two  spaces  of 
seventy-tive  feet  each.  Tlie  bridge  was  com- 
pleted June  27,  1858,  at  a  cost  of  $60,000. 

October  2,  1801),  the  California  Pacific  com- 
menced a  new  structure  on  the  Howe  Truss 
pattern.  The  draw  to  this  bridge  was  200  feet 
long,  making  the  opening  on  each  side  clear 
seventy-five  feet.  Tlie  steamer  Belle  ran  as  a 
ferryboat  in  the  interim  while  the  draw  was  be- 
ing built.  The  bridge  was  completed  and  the 
engine  Sacramento,  William  Howan,  Engineer, 
rafl  across  it  January  15,  1870.  This  bridge 
was  again  rebuilt  by  the  Central  Pacific  Rail- 
road Company  in  1878.  The  draw  was  swung 
into  place,  December  5,  1878,  and  the  bridge 
was  open  for  travel  the  next  day.  The  railroad 
company  had  purchased  the  bridge  of  the  Sac- 
ramento and  Yolo  Bridge  Company  in  June, 
1878. 

CEMETEEIES. 

The  oldest  burying-ground  for  Sacramento  is 
the  New  Helvetia  Cemetery,  which  lies  directly 
south  of  and  adjoining  East  Park,  just  east  of 
the  city  limits,  and  embraces  tlie  original  plat  of 
Sutter's  Fort.  The  first  burial  here  was  that  of 
Major  Cloud,  a  paymaster  in  the  United  States 
Army,  who  was  killed  in  1847  southeast  of  the 
Fort  some  distance,  by  being  thrown  from  a 
horse;  the  second  person  whose  remains  were 
buried  here  was  Miss  Susanna  Hitchcock,  who 
died  early  in  1849  at  the  new  diggings  on  the 
Stanislaus,  and  the  tliird  was  James  McDowell, 
who  was  shot  in  Washington,  just  across  the 
river. 

Ten  acres  here  were  donated  by  Captain  John 
A.  Sutter  to  the  city  about  the  first  of  Decem- 
ber, 1849,  for  burial  purposes. 

The  present  City  Cemetery  was  located  in 
1850,  on  thesouthern  boundary  of  tiie  city  limits, 
on  Tenth  street,  and  comprises  about  twenty 
acres,  beautifully  ornamented  with  flowering 
plants,  trees  and  shrubs.    Tiic  Free  Masons,  Odd 


Fellows,  Red  Men,  Firemen,  Printers,  Pioneers, 
Veterans  of  the  Mexican  War,  and  the  State 
have  plats  within  the  enclosure.  The  cemetery 
is  owned  by  the  city,  and  controlled  by  a  super- 
intendent elected  by  the  Board  of  Trustees. 

The  Hebrew  Cemetery  is  under  the  control  of 
the  Congrogatiou  B'nai  Israel,  but  owned  by  the 
Hebrew  Benevolent  Societj'.  A  chapel  has  been 
erected  on  the  grounds  which  are  well  enclosed. 
The  New  Helvetia  Cemetery  was  established  in 
1849  as  a  place  for  the  interment  of  the  dead, 
and  was  the  first  used  for  that  purpose  in  Sac- 
ramento. It  is  situated  near  the  Hebrew  Ceme- 
tery, in  the  eastern  part  of  the  city,  and  is  a 
private  burial  place. 

The  St.  Joseph's  Cemetery  belongs  to  the 
congregation  of  St.  Rose's  Church.  It  was  con- 
secrated by  Archbishop  Alemany  in  1865,  and 
is  located  on  Y  and  Twenty-first  streets. 

THK    CHURCHES. 

St.  Rose's  Church  [Catholic). — August  7, 
1850,  Rev.  Augustine  P.  Anderson,  O.  S.  D.,  a 
native  of  New  Jersey,  and  for  several  years  on 
the  missions  in  Ohio,  arrived  in  this  city  and 
commenced  the  organization  of  the  Catholics. 
A  buildiug  was  procured  on  L  street,  between 
Filth  and  Sixth,  which  answered  as  a  temporary 
chapel  until  the  church,  corner  of  K  and  Seventh 
streets,  was  built.  On  October  28, 1850,  a  deed 
was  executed  by  ex-Governor  Peter  H.  Burnett 
to  Anthony  Lauglois,  in  trust  for  the  use  uf  the 
Roman  Catholic  Bishop  of  California,  for  lot 
8,  between  J  and  K,  and  Seventh  and  Eighth 
streets,  and  on  August  17, 1867,  Governor  Bur- 
nett deeded  lot  7  in  the  same  block  to  Arch- 
bishop Alemany.  During  the  memorable  season 
of  cholera,  Father  Anderson  labored  unceasingly. 
He  visited  the  cholera  hospital  several  times 
daily,  sought  out  the  poor  and  afflicted  in  their 
uncomfortable  tents,  administered  all  the  con- 
solation and  relief  within  his  power,  and  pro- 
cured medical  aid  for  such  as  had  no  one  to  care 
for  them.  Overcome  and  exhausted  by  excessive 
labors,  he  contracted  typhoid  fever  and  fell  a 
victim    to  liis  self-sacrificing  charity  and  zeal. 


CATHEDRAL     OF      THK     HOI.Y     SACRAMF:Nr,     SACKAMF:N'n 


HISTORY    OF    SACRAMENTO    COUNTY. 


He  died  November  26,  1850.  At  tliis  time  the 
frame  of  tlie  new  cliurch  had  been  raised  and 
the  roof  partially  completed,  but  during  a  severe 
gale  the  building  was  blown  down  and  many  of 
the  timbers  broken  into  fragments.  Rev.  John 
Ingoldsby  succeeded  Rev.  A.  P.  Anderson  in 
the  pastoral  ciiarge  of  Sacramento,  and  com- 
pleted the  church,  which  was  burnt  in  the  great 
fire  of  November  2,  1852.  This  church  was 
25  X  75  feet,  and  neatly  lined  and  papered  inside. 
After  the  fire,  the  frame  building  on  the  corner 
of  Seventh  street  and  Oak  avenue  was  built  and 
used  as  a  place  of  worship,  until  the  completion 
of  tiie  basement  story  of  the  brick  church.  Rev. 
John  Quinn  succeeded  Rev.  J.  Ingoldsby  in 
April,  1853.  The  corner-stone  of  the  brick 
churcli  was  laid  by  Archbishop  Alemany,  Octo- 
ber 18,  1854,  and  service  was  performed  in  the 
basement,  on  the  Christmas  following.  The 
dimensions  were  60x100  feet;  basement,  nine 
and  one-half  feet  in  the  clear,  and  cost  §10,500. 
This  building  was  completed  in  1861,  at  a  cost 
of  nearly  $50,000.  The  bell,  weighing  2,079 
pounds,  arrived  July  13,  1859,  and  is  now  in 
the  cathedral  tower. 

During  the  pastorate  of  Rev.  James  S.  Cutter, 
in  1866,  who  was  assisted  first  by  Rev.  M.  Mc- 
Grath  and  afterward  (in  1868)  by  Rev.  Patrick 
Scanlan,  some  improvements  were  made  upon 
and  in  that  building,  to  the  extent  of  over 
$15,000.  Cotter,  who  was  a  favorite  among 
all  classes,  died  in  Sacramento,  June  18,  1868. 
Rev.  Thomas  Crimmin,  another  priest  over  this 
charge,  died  also  in  tliis  city,  January  20,  1867, 
with  paralysis,  within  a  few  hours  after  the  at- 
tack. 

Rev.  James  Cassin  was  the  pastor  in  i861-'62, 
assisted  by  Rev.  N.  Gallaglier.  He  was  suc- 
ceeded by  Rev.  Thomas  Gibney,  1868-'70.  From 
that  time  Rev.  Patrick  Scanlan  was  rector,  as- 
sisted by  Rev.  J.  McSweeny.  Since  July,  1881, 
Father  Thomas  Grace,  from  Marysville,  Califor- 
nia, lias  l)een  the  pastor,  assisted  by  Father 
"William  Walshe  until  1886,  and  .since  tliat  tiii.e 
by  Father  Leonard  IIau])ts. 

In   Sacramento  and   vicinity  there  are  about 


5,000  Catholics.  The  Sunday-school,  which  is 
conducted  by  the  Sisters  of  Mercy  and  the 
Christian  Brothers,  numbers  about  300  pupils. 

In  1887  the  lot  occupied  by  the  church  was 
sold  to  the  Federal  Government  for  a  site  for 
the  new  postotiice  building,  the  church  torn 
down,  and  the  congregation  has  since  worshiped 
in  a  temporary  building  on  Twelfth  street,  be- 
tween J  and  K,  while  the  magnificent  cathedral, 
now  to  be  described,  is  in  process  of  erection. 

This  most  commanding  structure.  Eleventh 
and  K  streets,  was  commenced  in  May,  1886, 
very  shortly  after  the  erection  of  Sacramento 
City  into  an  episcopal  see.  It  had  formerly 
been  in  the  arch-diocese  of  San  Francisco,  and 
in  that  year  it  was  definitely  united  with  the 
former  diocese  of  Grass  Valley,  of  which  it  be- 
came the  ecclesiastical  center.  The  Right-Rev. 
Bishop  Manozue  (see  sketch  of  his  life  else- 
where) proceeded  to  erect  a  chnrch  more  suitable 
to  the  Capital  City  than  the  one  then  existing. 
The  general  form  of  the  cathedral  is  that  of  a 
Latin  cross,  with  an  octagonal  dome  at  the  in- 
tersection of.  the  arms.  The  vestibule  in  the 
front  forms  a  solid  mass  extending  beyond  the 
sides  nearly  as  much  as  the  transepts,  and  thus 
changing  somewhat  the  general  shape  of  the 
cross.  This  is  further  modified  by  the  aisles, 
which  are  carried  with  lower  roofs  i'rom  the 
vestibule  to  the  transepts  and  beyond  the  latter 
to  the  end  of  the  main  building.  On  the  front 
is  a  central  tower  twenty-six  feet  square  at  the 
bottom,  and  extended  to  a  height  of  220  feet. 
This  is  flanked  by  two  masses  of  brick  work 
three  stories  in  height  to  the  main  cornice  of 
the  church.  Two  smaller  towers,  sixteen  feet 
square  and  130  feet  high,  stand  beyond  and 
complete  the  front,  which  has  a  total  width  of 
108  feet.  The  length  of  the  building  is  206 
leet;  its  width  across  the  transepts  116  feet, 
and  across  the  nave  and  aisles  100  feet. 

The  interior  dome  is  circular  in  plan,  and 
lighted  from  the  top  by  a  skylight  twenty-one 
feet  in  diameter,  and  filled  with  stained  glass  112 
feet  above  the  floor.  The  walls  are  arcaded  all 
around. 


HISTORY    OF    SACRAMENTO    COUNTY. 


Tlie  general  style  of  the  church  is  Italian. 
The  material  is  brick,  covered  with  stone  imita- 
tion.    Total  cost,  about  $250,000. 

The  laying  of  the  corner-stone  was  attended 
by  imposing  ceremonies,  in  the  presence  of  many 
thousands  of  people,  whose  local  pride  was 
aroused  to  the  highest  pitch  by  enthusiastic  ad- 
dresses from  citizens,  both  Catholic  and  non- 
Catholic.  It  was  dedicated  June  30,  1889,  in  a 
most  magnificent  manner,  in  the  presence  of  vis- 
itors from  all  parts  of  the  surrounding  country. 

There  are  two  large  Catholic  schools  in  Sac- 
ramento, which  may  be  mentioned  in  this  con- 
nection. 

At  the  "  boys'  school,"  or  Sacramento  Insti- 
tute, corner  of  Twelfth  and  K  streets,  are  340 
pupils  in  attendance,  under  the  supervision  of 
Bro.  Cianan. 

The  "  girls'  school,"  of  St.  Joseph's  Academy, 
Eighth  and  G  streets,  is  conducted  as  a  convent 
by  the  Sisters  of  Mercy.  Mary  Vincent,  Superior. 
Here  there  are  300  pupils.  The  building  is  not 
yet  complete,  but  is  a  large,  commanding  struc- 
ture.    The  ground  comprises  an  entire  square. 

St.  Paul's  Protestant  Episcopal  Church. — 
In  order  to  gain  a  connected  knowledge  of  the 
history  of  this  church  it  will  be  necessary  first 
to  glance  at  that  of  Grace  Protestant  Episcopal 
Church,  which  preceded  it  and,  in  one  sense, 
was  the  basis  from  which  St.  Paul's  sprang.  As 
already  stated,  Grace  Church  was  the  first  church 
organization  in  Sacramento.  The  Rev.  Flavel 
S.  Mines,  D.  D.,  of  San  Francisco,  visited  Sac- 
ramento about  the  middle  of  August,  1849,  and 
held  the  service  of  the  Protestant  Episcopal 
Church  of  the  United  States,  for  the  first  time 
in  the  city,  the  place  of  service  being  the  black- 
smith shop  on  Third  street,  between  J  and  K, 
which,  from  the  fact  of  its  connection  with  these 
earliest  religious  meetings,  has  acquired  a  his- 
torical reputation. 

On  the  following  day,  at  the  store  of  Eugene 
F.  Gillespie,  the  parish  was  organized  under  the 
name  of  "  Grace  Church,  Sacramento,"  by  the 
election  of  the  following  ofiicers:  A.  M.  Winn 
(then   mayor  of  the   city,  and    who  presided  at 


the  meeting),  Senior  "Warden;  F.  W.  Moore, 
Junior  Warden;  and  Eugene  F.  Gillespie, 
Henry  E.  Robinson,  E.  J.  Barrell,  P.  B.  Corn- 
wall, J.  M.  McKenzie,  William  Prettiman  and 
J.  F.  Morse,  Vestrymen. 

In  the  early  part  of  September  following,  the 
Rev.  K.  F.  Burnhatn,of  New  Jersey,  visited  the 
place  and  preached,  and  was  called  to  the  rec- 
torship of  the  parish.  His  health  soon  became 
delicate,  and,  after  a  lingering  illness,  he  died 
in  April,  1850.  The  parish  was  then  placed  un- 
der the  charge  of  the  Rev.  Samuel  P.  More- 
house, who  held  occasional  services  until  about 
the  middle  of  September,  or  the  1st  of  October, 
1850. 

In  October,  1850,  the  Rev.  Orlando  Harri- 
man,  of  New  York,  assumed  the  care  of  the 
parish,  but  as  he  had  an  attack  of  typhoid  fever, 
and  was  left  for  some  time  in  a  debilitated  con- 
dition, he  was  able  to  ofliciate  on  a  few  occasions 
only.  During  his  disability,  the  Rev.  Mr.  Pin- 
nell,  a  clergyman   of  the  Church   of  England, 

and   the  Rev.   Augustus ,  of  New  York, 

held  services  a  few  times.  The  Rev.  Mr.  Har- 
riman  left  in  March,  1851,  and  returned  to  his 
former  home  in  the  East.  From  this  on  there 
was  an  interregnum  lasting  until  tlie  year  1854, 
the  causes  being,  first,  the  terrible  tire  of  1852, 
in  which  the  church  records  were  destroyed, 
and  later  the  flood  that  covered  the  city  for 
many  months. 

In  February,  1854,  Right- Rev.  Bishop  Will- 
iam Ingraham  Kip  paid  his  first  visit  to  Sacra- 
mento and  ])reached  morning  and  evening  in  the 
house  of  worship  of  the  Methodist  Church, 
South. 

On  the  29th  day  of  July,  1854,  the  parish 
was  legally  incorporated  under  the  name  of 
"  Grace  Protestant  Episcopal  Church,  of  Sacra- 
mento." The  following  day  the  vestry  resolved 
to  call  the  Rev.  H.  L.  E.  Pratt,  of  Perth  Am- 
boy.  New  Jersey,  to  the  rectorship  of  the  parish, 
at  a  salary  of  $250  a  month,  who,  having  ac- 
cepted the  call,  arrived  in  Sacramento,  and  held 
services  for  the  first  time  on  Monday,  the  19th 
day  of  November,  following. 


U  J  STORY    OF    SACRAMENTO    COUNTY. 


On  the  24th  of  September,  1854,  the  bishop 
again  preached  morning  and  evening  in  the  same 
Methodist  Church  and  administered,  at  the  morn- ' 
ing  service,  the  Holj  Communion  to  twenty-one 
communicants,  it  heingthe  tirst  time  that  sacra- 
ment had  ever  been  administered  in  the  city. 

There  hnd  been  no  church  building  erected 
at  the  time  of  Mr.  Pratt's  arrival,  but  just  pre- 
vious thereto  Hamilton  Hall,  on  K  street,  be- 
tween Fourth  and  Fifth,  was  rented  by  the  ves- 
try and  conveniently  furnished  as  a  temporary 
place  of  worship.  After  holding  service  in  that 
hall  for  about  twelve  months,  the  place  of  wor- 
ship was  changed  to  Pioneer  Hall,  on  J  street, 
between  Front  aud  Second.  "While  still  occu- 
pying that  place,  in  the  spring  of  1856,  the 
rector  resigned  his  rectorship,  when  the  Rev. 
William  H.  Hill,  then  of  Nevada  City,  Cali- 
fornia, was  called  to  succeed  him.  Accepting 
the  call,  his  connection  with  the  parish  began  in 
ilay  of  that  year,and  continued  tillJune  1,1870. 

During  the  summer  of  1856,  a  brick  edifice 
was  built  on  the  lot  at  the  corner  of  I  and 
Eighth  streets,  capable  of  seating  300  people,  at 
a  cost  of  about  $15,000.  The  opening  services 
in  this  liouse  were  held  on  September  7,  1856, 
the  sermon  for  the  occasion  being  preached  by 
tiie  Rev.  Mr.  Hill,  Rector. 

In  May,  1870,  the  Rev.  J.  H.  C.  Bonte  was 
called  to  succeed  Mr.  Hill,  whose  resignation, 
previously  tendered,  was  to  take  effect  in  June. 
Mr.  Bonte,  accepting  the  call,  began  his  ser- 
vice as  rector  of  the  parish,  Juno  15,  1870. 
After  the  first  Sunday  in  March,  1871,  the 
church  edifice  spoken  of  was  abandoned  on  ac- 
count of  the  settling  of  the  walls,  and  on  April 
18,  1871,  the  corner-stone  of  the  present  build- 
ing was  laid  by  Bishop  Kip. 

At  the  timeof  building  thenewGrace  Church 
edifice,  in  1871,  wliicli  cost  over  $26,000,  ex- 
clusive of  the  lot,  the  property  was  mortgaged 
to  the  Odd  Fellows'  Bank  of  Savings  for  a  loan 
of  §10,000.  The  interest  on  that  loan  was  regu- 
larly paid  for  several  years,  and  §1,000  of  the 
principal  was  discharged.  But,  in  1874,  owing 
to  the  removal   from    the  city  of  some   of  the 


wealthiest  parishioners,  the  virtual  closure  of 
the  church  for  four  or  five  months,  on  account 
of  the  absence  of  the  rector,  and  the  gradual 
lessening  or  falling  off"  of  the  congregation,  and 
the  revenues  of  the  church,  without  any  corre- 
sponding lessening  of  the  expenses,  the  debt 
began  to  increase,  and  had  so  far  accumulated  by 
1877  that  the  parish  then  became  bankrupt,  the 
mortgage  was  foreclosed,  every  species  of  its 
property  was  disposed  of  to  satisfy  creditors  with- 
out fully  accomplishing  the  purpose,  and  thus  its 
name  and  organization  became  extinct. 

Seeing  that  such  was  the  case,  by  means  of  a 
number  of  prominent  laymen  enough  money 
was  collected  to  buy  in  the  church  from  the 
bank.  As  a  result  of  this  the  new  parish  of  St. 
Paul's  was  organized  March  23,  1877,  and  May 
20,  following,  the  Rev.  E.  H.  Ward,  then  of 
Marysville,  was  called  to  take  charge.  On  Jan- 
uary 1,  1882,  Rev.  Carroll  M.  Davis  succeeded 
him,  and  in  turn  was  followed,  January  15, 1888, 
by  the  Rev.  John  F.  von  Herrlich,  the  present 
popular  and  successful  young  pastor.  Under 
his  charge  the  church  has  renewed  its  life  and 
vigor,  the  membership  has  increased,  and  the 
church  has  been  almost  rebuilt.  Already  §1,300 
has  been  spent  on  improving  and  completely 
refitting  and  refinishing  the  basement,  and  the 
general  ])ainting  in  progress  at  time  of  writing 
will  cost  §900.  The  church  is  to  be  frescoed, 
at  a  cost  of  probably  §1,500,  from  designs  exe- 
cuted liy  the  celebrated  Moretti,  of  San  Fran- 
cisco, and  four  stained-glass  windows  will  be 
put  in.  One,  the  chancel  window,  is  being  made 
for  Mrs.  Charles  Crocker,  of  San  Francisco,  as 
a  memorial  to  Mrs.  Colonel  Fred.  Crocker,  and 
the  large  side  window  is  being  made  for  Colonel 
Creed  Hayinond.  These  will  cost  over  §1,000 
apiece,  and  are  being  made  by  the  Pacific  Art 
Glass  Works  of  San  Francisco,  and  will  perhaps 
exceed  any  stained-glass  windows  now  in  Cali- 
fornia in  beauty  of  design  and  artistic  taste.  It 
is  the  intention  of  the  present  rector  to  have  all 
the  windows  of  the  church  of  this  character, 
having  the  promise  of  assistance  in  this  direc- 
tion from  wealthy  friends. 


BISTORT    OF    SACRAMENTO    COUNTY. 


The  present  Vestrymen  are:  A.  A.  Van  Voor- 
hies,  Senior  Warden;  J.  J.  Brown,  Junior  War- 
den; George  W.  Railton,  Treasurer;  F.  A. 
Crambbitt,  Secretary;  J.  H.  Parkinson,  Fred. 
Cox,  Harry  W.  Carroll,  R.  O.  Cravens,  A.  A. 
Redington,  C.  C.  Bonte,  George  A.  Blanchard. 

First  Church  of  Christ  in  Sacramento  (Con- 
gregational).— The  first  preliminary  meeting  was 
held  September  16,  1849,  in  the  original  school- 
house,  which  stood  nea:'  the  northwest  corner  of 
Third  and  I  streets.  Rev.  J.  A.  Benton  was 
Chairman,  and  Rev.  S.  P.  Blakeslee,  Secretary. 
A  number  present  being  Presbyterians,  the 
question  of  organizing  a  Presbyterian  Church 
was  raised,  when  the  chairman  announced  that 
as  he  was  not  a  Presbyterian  he  had  no  authority 
to  organize  such  a  church.  They  therefore 
organized  the  "  First  Church  of  Christ  in  Sacra- 
mento," purposely  omitting  the  word  "  Con- 
gregational." Thus  absorbing  about  all  the 
Presbyterian  element  there  was  in  the  city,  the 
latter  did  not  organize  separately  until  1856. 
October  1,  1849,  a  confession  of  faith  and  a 
covenant  were  adopted,  and  temporary  officers 
elected.  Early  the  following  year  a  manual  was 
adopted  and  permanent  officers  chosen.  May  5, 
that  year,  an  "  ecclesiastical  society"  was  formed 
in  connection  with  the  church,  when  they  be- 
came able  to  build  a  church  on  Sixth  street, 
between  J  and  K.  Here,  on  the  6th  of  October 
following,  a  frame  church  building  was  dedi- 
cated. The  laying  of  the  corner-stone,  Septem- 
ber 4,  was  said  to  be  the  first  public  ceremony 
of  the  kind  in  this  State.  But  the  great  fire  of 
July  13,  1854,  swept  the  devoted  structure 
away.  The  lot  was  sold  for  $1,300,  and  the 
present  brick  building  was  erected,  directly 
across  the  street.  The  church  and  society  were 
so  popular  that  public  sympathy  aided  them 
materially.  Within  the  last  i'evf  years  about 
$3,000  have  been  expended  upon  the  building 
in  repairs.  The  church  property  is  now  esti- 
mated at  about  $20,000. 

It  is  remarkable  that  only  three  pastors  have 
served  this  church  from  the  organization  until 
the  present   time,  in  continuous  service — Revs. 


J.  A.  Benton,  I.  E.  Dwinell  and  W.  C.  Mer- 
rill—the latter  since  1884. 

The  first  officers  of  the  church  were:  Rev.  J. 
A.  Benton,  Pastor;  James  Gallup,  J.  W.  Hinks, 
John  McKee,  Z.  W.  Davidson,  A.  C.  Sweetser, 
Deacons;  W.  C.  Waters,  Treasurer;  and  J.  C. 
Zabriskie,  Clerk.  The  present  officers  are:  A. 
C.  Sweetser,  Moder.ator  and  Treasurer;  E.  B. 
Hussey,  Secretary;  Trustees — Sparrow  Smith, 
President,  Llewellyn  Williams,  Frank  Miller,  S. 
E.  Carrington,  E.  B.  Hussey,  J.  M.  Milliken 
and  William  Geary.  Mr.  Carrington  is  also 
Superintendent  of  the  Sunday-school,  which 
numbers  about  800  pupils.  It  was  organized 
August  26, 1849,  and  thus  was  the  first  Sunday- 
school  established  in  Sacramento.  Charles 
Cooley  superintends  the  Mission  school,  and 
Mrs.  S.  E.  Carrington  the  Chinese  school.  The 
church  membership  at  present  is  275. 

First  Baptist  Church. — The  first  Baptist 
minister  in  Sacramento  was  Rev.  J.  Cook,  who 
kept  a  boarding-house  on  I  street  and  preached 
occasionally  in  the  grove,  in  1849.  September 
9,  1850.  Rev.  O.  C.  Wheeler,  of  San  Francisco, 
came  and  organized  the  First  Baptist  Church, 
assisted  probably  by  Rev.  Cook,  at  the  resi- 
dence of  Judge  E.  J.  Willis,  on  H  street,  be- 
tween Sixth  and  Seventh.  Judge  Willis  and 
John  A.  Wadsworth  were  elected  Deacons; 
Madison  Walthall,  Treasurer;  Leonard  Loomis, 
Clerk;  and  Rev.  J.  W.  Capen,  Pastor.  On  the 
following  day,  the  first  public  services  were  held 
in  the  court-house,  on  I  street,  between  Fourth 
and  Fifth.  In  the  spring  of  1851  a  house  of 
worship,  costing  $4,000,  was  erected  on  the  cor- 
ner of  L  and  Seventh  streets.  This  building 
perished  in  the  flames  of  November  2,  1852. 
In  1854,  what  was  said  to  be  the  finest  chnrch 
building  in  the  State  was  erected  on  Fourth 
street,  between  K  and  L,  on  the  west  side.  The 
main  building  was  35  x  85  feet  in  area,  with  a 
vestry  in  the  rear  15  x  82  feet.  It  was  a  mag- 
nificent structure  for  the  price,  $8,000.  At  the 
time  of  the  great  fire  of  July  13,  1854,  it  was 
only  by  the  greatest  exertions  of  the  citizens  that 
it  was    sav'cd  from    destruction.     In    1877   this 


intiTORT    OF    SACRAMENTO    COUNTY. 


structure  was  sold  for  the  suui  of  83,000,  and 
was  subsequently  removed  to  the  corner  of 
Fourteenth  and  K  streets,  where  it  is  now  used 
by  the  United  Brethren  in  Christ  as  a  place  of 
worship. 

The  present  beautiful  frame  building,  situated 
on  Ninth  street,  between  L  and  M,  was  erected 
in  1877-78,  at  a  total  cost,  including  that  of 
the  lot,  of  §18,230.48.  The  opening  services 
were  held  on  March  10,  1878,  the  corner-stone 
having  been  laid  with  Masonic  ceremonies, 
August  20,  1877. 

September  2,  1855,  Ah  Mooey,  a  Chinaman, 
was  admitted  into  the  church  and  afterward 
licensed  to  preach.  This  was  during  the  min- 
istry of  Rev.  J.  L.  Shuck,  who  was  an  accredited 
missionary  to  the  Chinese  here,  and  Ah  Mooej-'s 
baptism  was  supposed  to  be  the  first  of  that 
nationality  in  the  State.  Mi".  Shuck  died  in 
1863,  in  South  Carolina. 

The  following  is  a  list  of  the  successive  Pa:s- 
tors  to  date:  J.  W.  Capen,  1850-'51;  JB.  Brierly, 
1851;  O.  C.  Wheeler,  1852-'54;  J.  L.  Shuck, 
1854-00;  Frederick  Charlton,  1860-'72;  Harry 
Taylor,  1872-'76;  H.  B.  Foskett,  1876-'78;  A. 
L.'Cole,  1878-'79;  A.  J.  Frost,  D.  D.;  J.  E. 
Hopper,  1887  to  the^present.  The  present  Dea- 
cons are:  F.  H.  L.  Weber,  Thomas  Sayles,  S.  L. 
W.  Coimer,  C.  B.  Conley,  John  Minford;  Clerk, 
Ji)hn  Kidder;  Sunday-school  Superintendent, 
i)r.  C.  Mealand.  At  present  there  are  250 
members,  lorty-nine  of  whom  were  received 
into  the  church  by  Rev.  Hopper. 

Calvary  Baptist  Churchy  a  Mission  Sunday- 
school,  was  organized  October  17,  1869,  at  the 
residence  of  R.  PI.  Withington,  by  Rev.  Fred- 
erick Charlton,  Pastor  of  the  First  Clinrcli. 
This  school  was  held  at  a  school-house  until  the 
necessity  arose  of  having  a  building  of  their 
own,  which  they  soon  erected  on  1  street,  be- 
tween Twelfth  and  Thirteenth,  40x160  feet,  at 
a  cost  of  $1,000.  Another  building,  38.\65 
feet,  costing  $2,000,  was  erected  in  1870.  This 
led  to  organizing  a  new  cliurcii  for  that  part  of 
tiie  city,  of  members  from  the  parent  cliurcli. 
The  first   Deacons  were:  W.  R.  Strong,  R.  AV. 


Megowan,  A.   J.   Barnes,   R.  H.  Withington; 
Clerk,  A.  A.  Byron. 

The  present  officers  are:  Deacons — W.  R. 
Strong,  R.  H.  Withington  and  G.  O.  Haylord; 
President  of  the  Board  of  Truttees,  P.  E.  Piatt; 
Sunday-school  Superintendent,  John  Boden. 
Present  membership,  230. 

The  Pastors  have  been:  Revs.  J.  P.  Ludlow, 
R.  F.  Parshall,  H.  W.  Read,  *  *  *  S.  B. 
Gregory,  J.  Q.  A.  Henry,  1881-'84;  S.  A.  Mc- 
Kay, 1884;  A.  C.  Herrick,  from  Missouri,  De- 
cember, 1884,  to  the  present. 

The  Siloam  Baptist  Church  (colored)  existed 
from  1856  to  a  recent  period. 

Westminster  Presbyterian  Church.  —  The 
Presbyterians  were  the  first  to  introduce  the 
gospel  into  Sacramento.  Revs.  J.  W.  Douglas, 
A.  Williams  and  S.  Woodbridge  held  religious 
meetings  here  as  early  as  March  and  April, 
1849;  but,  as  before  stated,  the  first  Pi-esby- 
terian  Church  in  this  city  was  not  organized 
until  1856,  the  members  having  previously 
affiliated  with  the  Congregationalists.  This  ■ 
organization  was  called  the  "First  Presbyterian 
Church  of  Sacramento  "  In  an  effort  to  raise 
funds  for  the  purchase  of  Philharmonic  Hall 
for  a  place  of  worship  (1860-'63)  the  church 
failed,  and  disbanded;  but  the  Sunday-school 
was  kept  alive,  under  the  zealous  supervision  of 
W.  S.  Hunt.  January  21,  1866,  the  present 
church  was  organized,  under  the  name  given  at 
the  head  of  this  paragraph.  This  church  has 
grown  until  it  has  attained  a  membership  of 
230,  and  they  have  a  large  Sunday-school,  a 
Chinese  mission  school,  a  young  people's 
society,  mite  society,  etc. 

The  present  Elders  are:  A.  Aitken,  James  H. 
Johnson  and  Thomas  S.  Knight.  Deacons — A. 
Aitken,  James  Neilson  and  James  H.  Johnson. 
Ciiarles  M.  Campbell,  Sunday-school  Superin- 
tendent. 

The  Pastors  have  been:  Revs.  William  E. 
Baker,  P.  V.  Veeder,  A.  Fairbairn,  N.  B.  Clink, 
Joshua  Phelps,  J.  S.  McDonald,  1800-'69; 
Frank  L.  Nash,  1869-72;  Charles  Schelling, 
1872-'74;   James  S.  McCay,  1874-'75;  Henry 


BISTORT    OF    SACRAMENTO    COUNTY. 


H.  Rice,  1875-'86;  J.  E.  Wheeler,  D.  D.,  from 
St.  Louis,  Missouri,  1886  to  the  present.  The 
first  five  served  during  the  first  organization. 

The  present  house  of  worship,  on  the  north- 
east corner  of  Sixth  and  L  streets,  was  built  in 
1866,  at  a  cost  of  about  $18,000.  It  was  dedi- 
cated March  24,  1867,  Rev.  Mr.  Wadsworth,  of 
San  Francisco,  preaching  the  sermon. 

Fourteenth  Street  Presbyterian  Churoh. — 
The  Suudaj-school  organized  in  July,  1868,  by 
the  Westminster  Church,  and  maintained  by  it, 
under  the  name  of  the  "  Bethel  Mission  School," 
on  Fourteenth  street,  between  0  and  P,  grew 
into  a  church  in  March,  1882,  wliich  now  num- 
bers forty-eight  members,  and  is  self-sustaining 
and  out  of  debt.  It  was  instituted  by  Rev.  Dr. 
Thomas  Fraser,  of  San  Francisco,  assisted  by 
Revs.  H.  H.  Rice  and  Nelson  Slater,  and  An- 
drew Aitken,  of  Sacramento.  Rev.  A.  H. 
Croco  was  pastor  until  July,  1883,  when  he  re- 
signed, and  Rev.  George  R.  Bird,  the  present 
pastor,  was  called.  The  latter  was  serving  the 
■  Hamilton  Square  Presbyterian  Church  in  San 
Francisco,  and  before  that  had  charge  of  the 
First  Presbyterian  Church  in  Seattle,  Washing- 
ton Territory.  Ilis  residence  is  at  1609  P 
street. 

The  Elders  are:  Felix  Tracy,  William  Ingram, 
Jr.,  Alexander  Ingram  and  Scott  Ingram;  Dea- 
con, William  Ingram,  Sr.  William  Ingram,  Jr., 
has  been  Superintendent  of  the  Sunday-school 
for  the  past  sixteen  years. 

Sixth  Street  Methodist  Episcopal  Church. — 
This  was  first  organized  under  another  local 
name,  October  28,  1849,  at  Dr.  Miller's  store, 
by  Rev.  Isaac  Owen,  familiarly  called  "Father 
Owen."  Seventy-two  persons  enrolled  their 
names.  Father  Owen  was  the  first  missionary 
appointed  by  his  church  to  California,  and  after 
Buttering  many  hardships  in  crossing  the  plains 
with  an  ox  team,  was  very  nearly  drowned  by 
the  carelessness  of  a  drunken  crew  in  capsizing 
a  schooner  in  Suisun  Bay.  Escaping  with  only 
the  clothes  he  wore,  which  were  very  rusty  from 
constant  use  in  crossing  the  plains,  he  came  on 
to  Sacramento,  and   preached  October  23,  1849, 


under  an  oak  near  the  corner  of  Third  and  L 
streets,  and  organized  the  church. 

Material  for  a  house  of  worship,  24x36  feet 
in  size,  having  been  shipped  from  Baltimore,  all 
the  way  round  Cape  Horn,  by  the  Conference, 
it  was  promptly  put  up  and  the  church  finished 
for  use.  Although  plain,  it  was  the  first  church 
building  in  Sacramento  and  therefore  seemed 
fairly  elegant.  It  was  situated  upon  a  beautiful 
lot  donated  for  the  purpose  by  General  Sutter, 
on  the  southeast  corner  of  Seventh  and  L  streets. 
As  the  building  fronted  the  former,  it  was  called 
the  Seventh  Street  Methodist  Church,  and  the 
society  by  the  same  name.  Soon  a  comfortable 
parsonage  was  built  hy  Mr.  Owen.  In  the  fall 
of  1850  he  was  succeeded  in  the  pastorate  by 
Rev.  M.  C.  Briggs,  who  had  the  building  en- 
larged, to  accommodate  the  rapidly  increasing 
congregation.  In  1852  a  neat  brick  structure 
52x80  feet,  costing  about  $18,000,  was  erected. 
Directly  after  dedication,  November  2,  1852,  it 
was  destroyed  by  the  great  fire.  The  society, 
however,  pluckily  hurried  up  a  cheap  structure, 
which  they  occupied  until  they  could  build  a 
frame  church,  which  they  did  on  the  site  of  the 
Baltimore  House.  In  January,  1859,  it  was 
sold  to  the  Jewish  Congregation  for  about  $3,500, 
and  then  the  society  worshiped  in  a  hall  over 
the  postottice  until  they,  within  a  few  months, 
erected  their  present  chnrch,  on  Sixth  street, 
between  K  and  L.  The  name  has  since  been 
the  "Sixth  Street  Methodist  Episcopal  Church." 
This  building  is  52x100  feet  in  ground  area, 
and  originally  cost  from  $23,000  to  $26,000.  It 
was  not  finished  till  1874,  when  it  was  raised  to 
a  higher  grade,  and  a  tower  and  steeple  built,  at 
an  additional  cost  of  about  $15,000. 

Pastors — Isaac  Owen,  1849-'50;  M.  C.  Briggs, 
1850-'51;  Royal  B.  Strattou,  1851-'53;  Warren 
Oliver  and  R.  Merchant,  1853-'55;  N.  P.  Heath, 
1855;  Georges.  Phillips,  1855-'57;  J.  W.  Ross, 
1857-'59;  J.  D.  Plain,  1859-'61;  Jesse  T.  Peck, 
1861-'68;  M.  i).  Briggs,  1863-65;  J.  W.  Ross, 
1865-'68;  J.  II.  Wythe,  1868-'70;  H.  B.  Hea- 
ock,  1870-'73;  A.  M.  Hough,  1873-'75;  M.  C. 
Briggs,  lS75-'78;  R.  Bentley,  1878-'81;  T.  S. 


HISTORY    OF    SACRAMENTO    COUNTY. 


Dunn,  1881-'84;  E.  R.  Dille,  1884-'87;  Arnold 
T.  Needhani,  1887  to  the  present  time. 

Stewards — C.  A.  Maydwell,  Secretary  and 
Treasurer;  P.  Bohl,  L.  S.  Taylor,  J.  L.  Huntoon, 
L.  C.  Jordan,  G.  M.  Hayton,  L.  Anderson,  C. 
11.  Dunn,  B.  N.  Bugbey,  J.  W.  Reeves,  Joseph 
Ough  and  Thomas  A.  Lander.  Trustees — J.  L. 
Huntoon,  President;  Peter  Bohl,  Treasurer;  S. 
M.  Kiefer,  E.  M.  Leitch,  J.  E.  Camp. 

The  present  membership  is  322;  probationers, 
twenty.  The  Sunday-school, which  was  organized 
March  29,  1850,  has  an  average  attendance  of 
175,  under  the  superintendency  of  Chauncey  H. 
Dunn.  A  recent  donation  of  a  lot  on  the  rear 
of  the  church,  by  P.  Bohl,  has  enabled  the  so- 
ciety to  build  an  addition  to  the  church  in  which 
will  be  an  alcove  ibr  the  new  pipe  organ,  a 
study  for  the  pastor,  and  an  infant-class  room 
for  the  Sunday-school. 

Central  Methodist  Episcopal  Church. — The 
society  was  organized  with  seven  members  as 
the  H  Street  Metliodist  Episcopal  Church,  De- 
cember 9,  1855,  by  Rev.  N.  R.  Peck,  Rev.  JSI. 
P.  Heath,  Presiding  Elder.  The  first  Official 
Board  comprised  Martin  Grier,  J.  L.  Thomp- 
son, A.  Fowler,  H.  Cronkite,  L.  Pelton  and  B. 
Ward.  During  the  first  year  of  its  history  a 
church  building  was  erected  and  paid  for  at  a 
cost  of  $2,000,  and  dedicated  June  29, 1856,  by 
Bishop  Kavanaugh,  of  the  Metliodist  Episcopal 
Church,  South.  Rev.  N.  R.  Peck  continued 
pastor  until  1857,  reporting  thirty-nine  mem- 
bers, and  was  succeeded  by  Rev.  David  Deal, 
who  continued  in  charge  two  years  and  also 
afterward  served  the  church  a  second  term. 

During  Rev.  Deal's  pastorate  a  parsonage 
was  erected  at  a  cost  of  §1,500,  and  a  goodly 
degree  of  prosperity  was  enjoyed.  Rev.  H. 
Baker  was  the  next  pastor  and  was  succeeded 
by  Rev.  W.  ^S.  Urmy.  During  J5ro.  Urmy's 
pastorate  occurred  the  great  flood  or  floods  of 
1801-'62 — two  inundations  in  the  same  winter; 
water  rose  in  the  church  eighteen  inciies  above 
the  pews,  and  the  pastor  and  his  family  were 
rescued  from  the  parsonage  in  boats.  No  serv- 
ice was  held  for  several  weeks.      From  the  busi- 


ness depression  that  followed  the  flood  and  the 
exodus  of  people  from  the  city  the  church  suf- 
fered severely.  At  the  Conference  in  1863,  it 
was  proposed  to  unite  the  two  charges  of  the 
city,  but  disapproved,  and  Rev.  N.  R.  Peck  was 
returned  as  pastor.  Mr.  Peck  had  a  good  year 
and  repoi  ted  an  increase  of  eighteen  members. 
Rev.  J.  A.  Bruner  was  next  appointed  and 
served  for  one  year.  During  1865  and  1866, 
n  Street  and  Sixth  Street  were  under  a  single 
pastorate.  This  arrangement  nearly  destroyed 
the  identity  of  the  church  and  sadly  decimated 
its  membership.  In  1867  H  Street  received  its 
separate  pastor  again.  Rev.  J.  M.  Hinman,  a 
supply,  being  assigned  to  the  work.  This  was 
a  pastorate  of  some  prosperity.  In  1869  Rev. 
George  Newton  was  appointed  to  the  charge  and 
served  it  three  years.  Radical  changes  occurred 
during  this  administration.  A  success  realized 
early  in  the  pastorate  seeming  at  the  time  to 
justify  the  action,  the  old  church  lot  on  H  street 
and  the  parsonage  were  sold  and  the  old  church 
building  moved  to  the  lot  corner  Eleventh  and 
I  streets,  of  which  the  present  church  site  is  a 
part.  The  building  was  cut  in  two  and  fitted 
up  for  dwellings,  an  old  building  situated  upon 
the  property  was  remodeled  and  improved  for  a 
parsonage,  and  plans  were  laid  for  the  erection 
of  a  large  church  building,  as  a  "Memorial 
Church"  for  Bishop  Kingsley,  who  had  died  in 
that  year  in  Beyrout,  Syria.  The  plans  included 
the  erection  of  a  chapel  first.  This  only  was 
erected  and  called  "Kingsley,  Chapel."  At  the 
close  of  Mr.  Newton's  pastorate  the  property 
was  found  to  be  so  much  involved  that  further 
procedure  was  impossible;  the  debt  was  about 
$8,500.  The  years  immediately  following  were 
years  of  varying  success  and  depression.  The^' 
are  full  of  records  of  heroic  endeavor  and  sacri- 
fice by  the  members  to  maintain  the  church  and 
dispose  of  the  indebtedness.  Many  times  they 
faltered,  but  despite  an  increasing  debt  and  a 
decreasing  membership,  and  a  decaying  and 
dingy  church  building  they  persevered.  There 
were  some  gleams  of  light.  A  revival  under 
Mrs.  Van  Cott  augmented  the  membersliipdur- 


HISTORY    OF .  SACRAMENTO    COUNTY. 


ing  the  pastorate  of  Rev.  J.  L.  Trefreti,  but  be- 
cause of  the  adverse  conditions  obtaining  most  of 
these  afterward  went  out  to  join  other  chui'ches. 
Eevs.  Wells,  Wickes  and  Deal  were  successively 
pastors  of  the  church  during  this  period  and 
have  left  precious  records  of  devotion  and  sacri- 
fice for  the  church  in  its  darker  hours.  In  1882 
Rev.  McKelvey  was  appointed  to  the  charge. 
During  his  pastorate,  by  indomitable  persever- 
ance and  etibrt,  the  burdening  debt  was  wiped 
out,  but  by  the  loss  of  all  the  property  except 
the  church  building  and  the  lot  upon  which  it 
stands;  and  the  old  building,  now  dingy  and 
out  of  repair,  was  remodeled  and  improved  at  a 
cost  of  $3,500,  most  of  which  was  raised  by 
Rev.  McKelvey  outside  of  the  membership.  The 
name  of  the  church  was  changed  from  Kingsley 
Chapel  to  Central.  The  re-opening  by  Bishop 
Fowler  showed  a  neat  attractive  church  build- 
ing, well  appointed  and  without  debt.  Rev. 
McKelvey  was  removed  by  limitation  before  en- 
joying the  fruit  of  his  laboi',  and  the  present 
pastor  appointed. 

There  has  been  a  steady  and  healthy  growth 
in  all  lines  in  the  present  pastorate.  During 
the  last  year  a  line  pipe  organ  has  been  pur- 
chased and  paid  for,  completing  the  equipment 
of  the  church. 

The  present  Official  Board  comprises:  Local 
Preacher,  Loyal  T.  Smith;  Sunday-school  Su- 
perintendent, D.  W.  Hoffman;  Trustees — M. 
K.  Barrett,  W.  F.  Cronemiller,  E.  F.  Pike; 
Stewards— L.  P.  Smith,  Charles  Co.x,  W.  F. 
Cronemiller,  Albert  Jones,  L.  E.  Smith,  M.  K. 
Barrett,  D.  W.  Hoffinan,  S.  E.  Ilesser,  D.  C. 
Smith,  B.  F.  Pike,  J.  R.  HiUhouse,  R.  F. 
Rooney;  Class-leaders — B.  F.  Pike,  L.  T.  Smith, 
Mrs.  S.  E.  Hesser.  Rev.  Thomas  Filben,  the 
Pastor,  is  ex  officio  the  Chairman  of  the  Official 
Board,  L.  E.  Smith  is  Secretary,  M.  K.  Barrett, 
Treasurer,  and  Charles  Co.k,  Collector. 

A  German  Methodist  Church  was  organized 
in  Sacramento  in  185G,  but  a  debt  finally,  in 
1866-'67,  caused  it  to  be  broken  up. 

St.  Andrew's  Church,  African  Methodist 
Episcopal,  was  organized  in  the  fall  of  1850,  by 


Rev.  Isaac  Owen,  formei-ly  mentioned,  at  the 
residence  of  "Uncle  Daniel  Blue,''  on  I  street, 
between  Fourth  and  Fifth.  A  house  of  worship 
was  soon  erected,  on  the  site  of  the  present  build- 
ing, on  the  east  side  of  Seventh  street,  between 
G  and  H.  The  latter,  of  brick,  is  a  large  build- 
ing, erected  in  the  fall  of  1867. 

The  first  officers  were  Daniel  Blue,  P.  Jones 
and  John  Wilson.  The  first  Pastor  was  James 
Fitzgerald,  who  occupied  that  position  in  1851 
-'52.  The  successive  Pastors  to  date  have  been: 
George  Fletcher,  1852-'53;  Barney  Fletcher, 
1853-'54;  Darius  Stokes,  1855-'56;  T.  M.  D. 

Ward,  1857-'64;  John  J.Jenifer, ;  James 

H.  Hubbard,  1870-'71;  J.  C.  Hamilton,  1873 
-'74;  J.  F.  Jordan,  1874-'75;  James  R.  Dor- 
sey,  1875-'78;  1.  N.  Triplett,  1878-'80;  James 
R.  Dorsey,  1880-'85;  Jordan  Allen,  1885-'87; 
O.  Summers,  from  September,  1887,  to  the 
present.  There  are  forty-si.x  members.  The 
Stewards  are:  A.  Giles,  Albert  Buchanan,  J. 
Crosby,  Jesse  Slaughter  and  Isaiah  Dunlap; 
Mr.  Giles  is  also  the  Class- Leader,  and  Mrs.  J. 
R.  Dorsey  the  Sunday-school    Superintendent. 

Methodist  Episco])al  Church,  South,  was 
organized  in  April,  1850,  by  Rev.  W.  D.  Pol- 
lock, who  also  was  the  principal  man  in  the 
building  of  a  frame  church  directly  afterward, 
on  the  site  of  the  present  large  brick  structure, 
on  the  east  side  of  Seventh  street,  between  J 
and  K.  The  latter  was  dedicated  by  Bishop 
Pierce,  July  10, 1859.  Cost  of  building,  $4,000. 
The  first  building  was  burned  November  2, 
1852.  During  the  last  year,  1888,  $500  has 
been  expended  in  repairs  and  improvements; 
but  since  the  advent  of  the  present  pastor,  Rev. 
A.  C.  J5ane,  October,  1888,  the  congregation 
has  so  increased  that  the  church  has  decided  to 
sell  the  building  and  erect  a  more  commodious 
structure. 

In  the  fall  of  1850,  Mr.  Pollock,  on  account 
of  ill-health,  returned  to  Alabama,  where  he 
died  in  the  following  year.  His  successor,  at 
Sacramento,  was  a  Rev.  Mr.  Penman,  who  re- 
mained only  a  short  time,  when  he  abandoned 
the    ministry  and    engaged    in   other    pursuits. 


IILsroJO'    OF    SACHAMBNTO    COUNTY. 


Since  then  the  successive  Pastors  to  date  have 
been  as  follows: 

W.  R.  Goher,  lS51-'52;  John  Matthews,  of 
Tennessee,  from  August,  1852-April,  l.SoS;  P>. 
V.  Crouch,  appointed  by  Bishop  Souie,  1853- 
April,  1855;  A.  Graham,  April,  1855-October, 
1856;  W.  R.  Gober,  October,  1856-October, 
1858;  Morris  Evans,  1858-'60;  J.  C.  Simmons, 
1861-'62;  S.  Brown,  1862-'63;  George  Sim, 
1803-'65;  E.  K.  Miller,  1865-'66;  T.  H.  B. 
Anderson,  1866-'68;  George  Sim,  1868-'69; 
W.  R.  Gober,  186y-'72;  T.  L.  Moody,  1872-'73; 
C.  Chamberlain,  1878-'75;  B.  F.  Page,  1875, 
to  fill  ont  Mr.  Chamberlain's  time;  R.  Pratt, 
1875-'76;  M.  C.  Fields,  1876-78;  C.  Y.  Ran- 
kin, 1878-'79;  T.  H.  B.  Anderson.  1879-'82; 
F.  Walter  Featherstone,  1882-'83;  li.  C.  Chris- 
tian, 1883-'87;  George  B.  Winton,  1887-'88; 
A.  C.  Bane,  October,  1888,  to  the  present. 

The  present  membership  is  168.  The  Stew- 
ards are:  T.  A.  Snider,  George  Wait,  P.  II. 
Russell,  George  D.  Irvine,  U.  C.  Billingsly,  J. 
H.  Wolf  and  J.  R.  Martyr.  Local  Preachers, 
W.  M.  Armstrong  and  F.  M.  Odom.  The  spir- 
itual life  of  the  church  has  been  greatly  (quick- 
ened since  Mr.  Bane  has  become  the  pastor,  and 
the  membership  increased  by  about  fifty. 

Ebenezer  Church,  Evangelical  Association 
[German). — This  was  organized  in  1881,  and 
has  now  thirty  six  members.  The  present 
church  building,  on  Tenth  street,  between  O 
and  P,  is  about  30  x  60  feet  in  size,  and  was 
built  in  1882.  The  old  building,  owned  by  the 
"Trinity  Church,"  Evangelical  Association,  was 
sold  in  1887.  That  society  was  disbanded  a 
number  of  years  ago. 

The  Pastors  of  the  present  church  have  been 
Rev.  F.  W.  Fischer,  who  has  gone  to  Japan, 
and  Rev.  August  ITeinhaus,  since  June  1,  1886, 
who  is  from  Milwaukee,  Wisconsin.  lie  is  also 
the  Class-leader  and  the  Sunday-school  Super- 
intendent, being  assisted  in  these  relations  by 
John  Bachofen.  A  fine  parsonage  is  on  the  lot 
adjoining  that  of  the  church. 

United  Brethren  in  Christ. — The  first  steps 
toward  the  formation  of  a  church  of  this  denom- 


ination in  Sacramento  were  taken  by  the  Rev. 
Alexander  Musselman,  in  the  years  1875-'76. 
The  result  of  his  preliminary'  prospecting  was  a 
series  of  meetings  held  in  the  Calvary  Baptist 
Church  on  I  street,  between  Twelfth  and  Thir- 
teenth, b}'  Reverends  J.  II.  Becker  and  Mr. 
Field.  This  was  sometime  in  1876.  In  the 
fall  of  that  year  the  present  organization  was 
efl'ected,  and  the  old  church  building  belonging 
to  the  Baptists,  and  known  as  the  Fourth  Street 
Baptist  Church,  was  purchased  for  .§3,000.  For 
some  reason  the  matter  was  delayed,  and  posses- 
sion of  the  property  was  not  obtained  until 
November,  1877.  In  September,  1878,  the 
house  was  removed  to  the  corner  of  Fourteenth 
and  K  streets,  when  it  was  raised  six  feet,  re- 
paired, painted,  and  furnished,  at  a  cost  of  about 
§2,800.  On  the  lot  adjoining  west  a  parsonage 
was  erected  in  1884,  at  a  cost  of  §1,600.  The 
membership  this  year  (1889)  is  sixty,  of  whom 
Mrs.  S.  E.  Thompson  is  Class-leader,  and  Mr. 
Hagenbaugh,  Steward.  M.  Moyer  is  the  Sun- 
day-school Superintendent. 

Pastors — Revs.  H.  J.  Becker,  September, 
1877,  to  September,  1878;  D.  D.  Hart,  1878  to 
1881,  when  he  died,  in  the  pulpit;  H.  J.  Becker, 
for  different  periods;  Revs.  Field,  Demondrum 
to  1883;  Francis  Fisher,  two  years;  T.  J.  Ban- 
der, to  September,  1888,  and  J.  W.  Baumgard- 
ner  to  date. 

German  Lutheran  Church. — In  1805-'67  Rev. 
Mr.  Bnehler,  of  San  Francisco,  and  Rev.  Mr. 
Elbert  ]ireached  here  a  few  times  and  endeav- 
ored to  establish  a  church,  but  without  success. 
Then  Rev.  Matthias  Goethe,  formerly  of  Aus- 
tralia, began  work  in  this  city,  organized  the 
church  January  19,  1868,  and  purchased  the 
old  German  Methodist  Church  building  on  the 
corner  of  Ninth  and  K  streets,  for  $2,400.  F. 
Klotz,  H.  Winters,  II.  W.  Schacht,  F.  Hopie 
and  A.  Grafmiller  were  elected  Trustees.  This 
building  was  afterward  sold,  and  the  present 
frame  structure,  160  feet  square,  on  the  corner 
of  Twelfth  and  K  streets,  was  erected,  in  1872- 
'73,  at  a  cost,  including  the  three  bells,  of  about 
815.000.     The  congregation   has  flourished  un- 


HISTOnr    OF    SACRAMENTO    COUNTY. 


til  it  has  reached  a  membership  of  about  400. 
Attendance  at  Sunday-school,  200.  In  the  pas- 
toral relation  Mr.  Goethe  was  succeeded  by 
Eevs.T.  Laugehecker,  Dr.C.  Taubner,  1876-'87, 
and  John  Jatho,  from  Nebraska,  since  Novem- 
ber of  the  latter  year. 

Christian  Church,  or  Disciples  of  Christ. — 
On  the  13th  of  October,  1855,  Elders  J..N. 
Pendegast  and  Thomas  Thompson  conducted  the 
lirst  religious  services  of  this  denomination  ever 
held  in  tliis  city.  The  place  of  meeting  was  in 
the  Methodist  brick  church,  which  still  stands 
on  the  east  side  of  Seventh  street,  between  J 
and  K  streets.  The  officers  then  appointed 
were:  John  O.  Garrett  and  K  B.  Ellis,  Elders; 
Eufus  Rigdun  and  A.  M.  C.  Depue,  Deacons. 
The  present  neat  chapel  on  Eighth  street,  be- 
tween N  and  O,  was  erected  in  1877,  at  an  ex- 
pense of  §4,500,  including  lot.  For  this  en- 
terprise the  church  is  mainly  indebted  to  Elder 
J..N.  Pendegast.  The  building  has  recently 
been  greatly  improved.  There  are  now  about 
150  members  in  the  church  fellowship.  The 
present  Elders  are  T.  P.  Taylor  and  Jerry  Bur- 
ton; Deacons,  W.  Z.  Clark,  Hiram  Garrett,  J.  O. 
March  and  Henry  Garrett.  Mr.  Marcli  is  also  act- 
ing Clerk  and  the  Sunday-school  Superintendent. 

The  Pastors  have  been:  John  G.  Parrish, 

Stevenson  (who  published  a  paper  here),  J.  N. 
Pendegast  (editing  the  same  paper),  Peter  Bur- 
nett, P.  H.  Cutter,  Ale.x.  Johnson,  E.  B.  Ware 
(now  in  Oakland),  R.  L.  McHatton  (now  at  Eu- 
reka, California),  and  since  July,  1888,  L.  N. 
Early. 

Seventh-Day  Adventist  Church, — This  body 
was  first  organized  in  Sacramento,  February  6, 
1885,  with  ten  members,  by  Elder  E.  A.  Briggs, 
at  that  time  a  resident  of  Oakland.  In  Octo- 
ber, 1887,  the  name  was  changed  from  Pleasant 
Grove  to  Sacramento,  etc.,  it  having  first  been 
oro-anized  at  Pleasant  Grove,  Sutter  County. 
E.  Banta  is  Leader  and  Deacon ;  Mrs.  E.  Banta  is 
Church  Clerk.  Membership,  twenty-seven.  T. 
W.  Clark,  Superintendent  of  Sunday-school. 
Stated  meetings  are  held  at  the  United  Brethren 
Church,  and   prayei'-meeting  Wednesday  even- 


ings at  the  residence  of  Mr.  Clark.  The  mem- 
bers of  this  church  keep  Saturday  as  the  Sabbath. 
In  March,  1872,  a  "Second  Advent  Church," 
who  kept  Sunday  as  the  Sabbatli,  was  organized 
by  Elder  Miles  Grant,  had  at  one  time  as  many 
as  thirty  members,  but  went  down  in  about  four 
years. 

Reorganized  Church  of  Jesus  Christ,  of  Lat- 
ter-Day Saints. — Tins  body  (anti-polygamist) 
was  organized  in  Sacramento  in  1865;  met  for 
a  time  in  the  Chinese  Chapel  on  Sixth  street, 
between  .1  and  H,  then  in  Graham's  Hall,  then 
in  the  lower  hall  of  the  Masonic  Building,  and 
finally,  in  1884,  built  a  neat  frame  church  34x44 
feet  in  dimensions,  on  the  corner  of  Twenty- 
fourth  and  K  streets,  at  an  outlay  of  $2,100. 
The  society,  now  comprising  130  members,  is 
entirely  out  of  debt.  These  people  have  been 
in  a  position  to  accomplisli  more  toward  the  de- 
struction of  polygamy  than  any  other  Christian 
body  in  proportion  to  tlieir  numbers,  and  have 
improved  their  opportunity.  Victory  is  coming 
as  fast  as  the  laws  of  human  nature  will  admit. 
The  head  of  this  church  is  Joseph  Smith,  Jr., 
now  of  Limoui,  Iowa. 

The  Elders  who  have  served  the  society  here 
in  the  pastoral  relation  have  been:  E.H.Webb, 
G.  W.  Harlow,  J.  H.  Parr,  since  1884,  and  per- 
haps others.  The  church  is  not  yettuUy  organ- 
ized, but  at  present  J.  R.  Cook  is  Traveling 
Elder;  Owen  Dinsdale,  Local  Elder;  Mrs.  Chris- 
tina Blair,  Clerk.  A  Sunday-school  of  about 
thirty  pupils  is  maintained.  Elder  George  W. 
Harlow,  of  Brighton,  is  President  of  this  district. 
Preaching  at  11  o'clock  a.  m.  every  Sunday. 

A  small  society  of  "Brighamite"  (polygamy) 
Mormons  existed  in  Sacramento  from  1872  for 
a  few  years. 

Unitarian  Church. — Rev.  Brown,  from  New 
England,  preached  the  first  Unitarian  sermon 
in  Sacramento,  December  29,  1867,  in  the  Met- 
ropolitan Tiieatre.  The  following  spring  the 
"First  Unitarian  Church  of  Sacramento"  was 
formed,  and  increased  to  100  members  in  a  short 
time,  but  in  1873  went  down.  In  1887  it  was 
reorganized,  and  it  now  has  about  fifty  members, 


HISTOHY    OF    SACRAMENTO    COUNTY. 


who  worship  in  Pioneer  Ilali.  A  lot  oti  Sixteentli 
street,  between  K  and  L,  lias  been  purchaser! 
wliereon  to  erect  a  house  of  worsliip.  Rev.  C. 
P.  Massey,  the  Pastor,  preaches  occasionally,  and 
superintends  the  Sunday-sciiool,  which  is  in  a 
flourishing  condition.  J.  M.  Avery  is  Assistant 
Superintendent. 

Congregation  B^ nai  Israel. — Previous  to  the 
formation  of  the  present  society  in  1852,  there 
had  been  another  organization,  whose  meetings 
were  held  at  the  residence  of  Mr.  M.  Hyman, 
who  kept  a  jewelry  store  on  Front  street.  The 
officiating  minister  was  Rev.  Mr.  Wolf.  Tlie 
first  synagogue  owned  in  tliis  city  was  a  small 
frame  building  which  stood  on  Fifth  street,  be- 
tween N  and  O.  It  was  afterward  sold  to  the 
colored  Baptists,  and  used  by  them  as  a  house 
of  worsliip  until  its  destruction  by  fire  in  1861. 
After  thit^,  the  frame  house  on  Seventh  street, 
near  L,  was  purchased  of  the  Methodist  Episco- 
pal Church  for  $3,500,  and  converted  into  a 
synagogue.  This,  too,  was  destroyed  by  tire  in 
1861,  in  October.  In  the  early  part  of  1864, 
the  congregation  purchased  tlieir  present  build- 
ing on  Sixth  street,  between  J  and  K,  previously 
occupied  by  the  First  Presbyterian  Church,  and 
since  then  greatly  remodeled.  Here  they  meet 
every  Saturday  and  Sunday,  maintain  a  school 
of  children  and  religious  services  generally.  Of 
the  congregation,  L.  Elkus  is  President;  Max 
Levy,  Vice-President;  S.  Morris,  Secretary;  J. 
Ginsberg,  Treasurer.  They  also  own  a  neat 
burying-ground.  It  is  a  strong  society  and  in 
excellent  financial  condition. 

The  Rabbis  have  been:  Revs.  Mr.  Wolf;  Z. 
Ncustadter,  1857-'59;  R.  Rosenthal,  1859-'60; 
S.  Peck,  1860-'61;  R.  M.  Cohen,  1861-'62;  M. 

Silverstein,  1862-'65 ; Stamper,  1865-'68 ; 

II.  P.  Lowenthal,  1868-'79;  S.  Gerstman  (who 
led  in  changing  the  society  from  "orthodox"  to 
"reformed"),  1879-'81;  J.  Bloch,  1882-'83; 
G.  Taubenhaus,  1884   to  July,  1888.     At  tiiis 


TUK  SOCIETIES. 


All   Masonic  and   Odd  Fellows   and  Knights 
of   Pythius    societies   meet   in    their    respective 


halls  mentioned  in  the  following  list,  unless 
otherwise  indicated,  wliile  the  places  of  meeting 
of  all  the  other  societies  are  mentioned  in  the 
respective  sketches.  The  following  is  a  list  of 
the  principal  halls: 

Masonic  Temple,  southwest   corner  of  Sixth 
and  Iv. 

Odd  Fellows'  Temple,  corner  of  Ninth  and  K. 
Red  Men's  Hall,  in  Masonic  Temple. 
Grangers'  Hall,  corner  of  Tenth  and  K. 
Pioneer  Hall,  east  of  Seventh  street,  between 
J  and  K. 

Union  Hall,  corner  of  Twentieth  and  O  streets. 
Firemen's  Hall,  west  side   of   Eighth   street, 
between  J  and  K. 

Armory  Hall,  southwest  corner  of  Sixth  and 
L  streets. 

Y.  M.  I.  (Young  Men's  Institute)  Hall,  east 
side  of  Seventh  street,  between  K  and  L. 

Knights  of  Pythias  Temple,  northwest  corner 
of  Ninth  and  I  streets. 

Sacramento  Commandery,  No.  2,  K.  T. — 
The  commandery  was  organized  July  5,  1853, 
with  the  following  charter  members  and  first 
officers:  Isaac  Davis,  Commander;  Jesse  Mer- 
rill, Generalissimo;  T.  A.  Thomas,  Captain 
General.  Other  charter  members  were:  C.  T. 
Hutchinson,  A.  B.  Hoy,  John  L.  Thompson, 
Charles  Duncombe,  J.  P.  Gouch  and  James 
M.  Stockley.  The  membership  is  now  190. 
Stated  meetings,  the  first  Saturday  of  each 
month.  The  officers  are:  William  B.  Davis, 
Eminent  Commander;  William  D.  Knight, 
Generalissimo;  John  E.  T.  Pike,  Captain  Gen- 
eral; John  W.  Rock,  Prelate;  Ricliard  P.  Burr, 
S.  W.,  Joseph  Davey,  J,  W.;  A.  A.  Van  Voor- 
hies.  Treasurer;  A.  A.  Redington,  Recorder; 
William  R.  Jones,  Standard- Bearer;  James  E. 
Mills,  Sword-Bearer;  V.  Dresher,  Warder; 
Richard  Vaughn,  Harry  Ingham  and  diaries  G. 
Woodburn,  Captains  of  the  Guard;  George  F. 
Brenner,  Sentinel. 

Sacramento  Chapter,  No.  3,  H.  A.  M.,  was 
instituted  October  5,  1852,  with  the  following 
charter  members  and  first  officers:  Isaac  Davis, 
II.  P.;  J.  II.  P.ullard,  K.;  Joel  Noah,  S.;  T.  A. 


HISTORY    OF    SACRAMENTO    COUNTY. 


Thomas,  C.  of  H.;  Cliarles  Duncombe,  P.  S.;  J. 
Ball,  R.  A.  C;  J.  P.  Gouch,  M.  3d  Vice;  G. 
Haines,  M.  2d  Vice;  J.  Wilcoxsen,  M.  let  Yice. 
Others  who  -were  charier  members:  A.  B.  Hoy, 
T.  W.  Thayer,  Johi)  L.  Thompson,  Jesse  Mor- 
rill, "William  Reynolds,  I.  N.  Bricelaiid,  A. 
Hiillub,  Cyrus  Rowe.  The  chapter  has  at 
present  274  members.  Present  officers:  Rufus 
B.  Harmon,  H.  P.;  John  W.  Rock,  King; 
Richard  P.  Burr,  Scribe;  Edward  Lyon,  Treasu- 
rer; William  B.  Davis,  Secretary ;  Jacob  Hyman, 
Jr.,  Captain  of  the  Host;  William  E.  Oughton, 
Prin.  Soj.;  Lewis  B.  Littlefield,  R.  A.  C;  John 
Hurley,  M.  3d  V.;  Preston  L.  Lykins,  M.  2d 
v.;  James  E.  Mills,  M.  1st  V.;  George  E. 
Bronner,  Guard.  Meet  the  first  Tuesday  of  the 
month. 

St.  John  Chapter, R.  A.M.  (colored),  was  or- 
ganized in  1875,  and  at  present  numbers  twenty 
members.  R.J.  Fletcher,  H.  P. ;  L  Dnnlap, 
King;  Frank  Butler,  Scribe;  Rev.  J.  R.  Dor- 
sey.  Secretary:  William  S.  Lee,  Treasurer.  This 
chapter  meets  the  second  Monday  of  each  month, 
over  Armory  Hall. 

Sacramento  Council,  No.  1.,  li.  cfc  *S'.  M., 
was  organized  April  10,  1858,  with  the  follow- 
ing first  officers  and  charter  members:  Isaac 
Davis,  T.  L  M.;  John  A.  Tutt,  D.  L  M.;  Geo. 
I.  N.  Monell,  P.  C.  of  W.;  G.  E.  Montgomery, 
Recorder;  N.  Greene  Curtis,  Treasurer.  Gthers 
who  were  also  charter  membeis:  Jesse  Morrill, 
T.  A.  Thomas,  G.  Haiues,  H.  H.  Hartley,  O.  H. 
Dibble,  A.  G.  Richardson  and  J.  Wilco.^sen, 
none  of  whom  ;ire  now  active  members.  There 
are  at  present  207  members,  who  meet  the  last 
Monday  of  each  month.  Officers:  John  Hur- 
ley, Thrice  Illustrious  Master;  William  H. 
Davis,  Deputy  Illustrious  Master;  Valentine 
Dresher,  Principal  Conductoi-  of  the  Work; 
William  R.Miller, Treasurer;  William  B.Davis, 
Recorder;  Harry  Ingham,  Captain  of  the  Guard, 
William  E.  Oughton,  Conductor;  Richard 
Vaughan,  Steward;  George  F.  Bronner, Sentinel. 

Palestine  Lodge  of  Perfection,  No.  3,  Scot- 
tish-Rite Masonry.— This  system  of  Masonry 
was  first  introduced  in  Sacramento  in  1869,  but 


not  in  a  proper  manner,  and  the  lodge  was  per- 
mitted to  go  down  about  1873.  The  present 
lodge  was  organized  February  9,  1884,  and  now 
has  about  eighty  members  in  good  standing. 
The  society  includes  the  Council  of  Princes  of 
Jerusalem,  Chapter  of  Rose  Croix  and  Council 
of  the  Knights  of  Kadosh,  all  of  which  confer 
certain  degrees,  numbering  twenty-nine  in  all; 
that  is,  commencing  with  the  third  degree,  that 
of  Master  Mason,  they  confer  twenty-nine  more, 
making  a  total  of  thirty-two.  The  officers  are: 
C.  H.  Denton,  Thrice  Potent;  C.  W.  Wallace, 
Senior  Warden;  A.  F.  Robinson,  Junior  War- 
den, and  Alexander  Dunn,  Secretary.  Of  the 
Council  of  Princes,  H.  A.  Burnett  is  S.  P.  G. 
M. ;  of  the  Chapter  of  Rose  Croix,  Joseph 
Davey  is  M.  W.;  and  of  the  Council  of  Kadosh, 
Powell  S.  Lawson  is  Illustrious  Commander. 
The  meetings  are  held  in  Red  Men's  HaU. 

Tehama  Lodge,  No.  3,  F.  cfc  A.  M.,  was  first 
opened  under  the  name  of  Connecticut  Lodge, 
No.  75,  January  8,  1850,  by  Caleb  Fenner,  un- 
der the  authority  of  the  Connecticut  Grand 
Lodge.  In  April  following  the  Grand  Lodge 
of  California  was  organized,  and  the  Sacramento 
blue  lodge  was  given  its  present  name;  and  it 
might  have  been  numbered  1  with  as  much  pro- 
priety as  the  first  San  Francisco  lodge  was  so 
numbered.  In  November  the  Past  Masters  and 
Masters  were  numbered  twenty-nine.  This  lodge 
being  the  oldest  in  Sacramento,  if  not  in  the 
State,  has  had  a  long  and  interesting  history, 
which  we  would  like  to  give  did  space  permit. 
The  present  membership  is  102,  and  the  officers 
are:  Clarence  M.  Nelson,  Worshipful  Master; 
Theodore  G.  Eilers,  Senior  Warden ;  John  E.  T. 
Pike,  Junior  Warden;  Alonzo  Conklin,  Ti'eas- 
urer;  William  B.  Davis,  Secretary;  William  II. 
Davis,  S.  D.;  William  A.  Gett,  Jr.,  J.  D.; 
George  M.  Woodburn  and  Charles  G.  Wood- 
burn,  Stewards;  Peter  Durno,  Marshal;  and 
George  F.  Broimer,  Tiler. 

The  lodge  meets  the  first  Monday  of  each 
month. 

Washington  Lodge,  No.  '20,  F.  c6  A.  M.,  was 
chartered    May  5,    1852,   the   first   preliminary 


UISrORY   OF  sacramehto   gounty. 


181 


meeting  having  been  held  February  19  preced- 
ing. Under  the  dispensation  granted  February 
21,  1852,  the  following  were  elected  officers,  on 
the  26th.  Charles  Duncoinbe,  Worshipful  Mas- 
ter; Jesse  Morrill,  Senior  Warden;  J.  L.  Thomp- 
son, Junior  Warden;  George  I.  N.  Morrill, 
Treasurer;  John  K.  Atkins,  Secretary;  James 
A.  Bullard,  S.  D.;  Joel  Ball,  J.  D.;  G.  Haines 
and  N.  Greene  Curtis,  Stewards;  H.  Thiel, 
Tiler.  In  May  Mr.  Curtis  was  elected  Worship- 
ful Master. 

To-day  there  are  sixty-three  members  of  this 
lodge,  who  meet  the  first  Thursday  of  the  month. 
Officers:  W.  A.  Potter,  Worshipful  Master;   C. 

E.  Burnham,  Senior  Warden;  R.  U.  Gay,  Junior 
Warden;  W.  C.  Felch,  Treasurer;  E.  Glover, 
Secretary;  C.  E.  Flye,  S.  D.;  F.  T.  Johnson,  J. 
D.;  W.  W.  Marvin,  Jr.,  Marshal;  C.  E.  Wright, 
and  C.  R.   Hayford,  Stewards;  E.   Roth,  Tiler. 

Sacramento  Lodge,  No.  Ji.0,  F  c&  A.  M. — A 
dispensation  was  granted  July  20,  1853;  the 
lodge  was  organized  July  26,  1853,  and  the 
charter  granted  May  6, 1854.  The  first  officers 
and  other  charter  members  were:  James  L. 
English,  W.  M.;  John  A.  Tutt,  S.  W.;  John 
11.  Goss,  J.  W.;  John  Q.  Brown,  S.;  J.  Wil- 
coxsen,  T.;  D.  St.  0.  Stevens,  S.  D.;  O.  D. 
Chaffee,  J.  D.;  A.  F.  Rodgers,  B.  F.  Crouch, 
Jr.,  F.  Edwards,  R.  B.  Ellis,  J.  F.  Montgomery, 
A.  Asher,  Isaac  Davis,  James  H.  Bullard,  John 
Heard,  W.  W.  Stovall,  Jacob  Kohlmann,  John 

F.  Morse,  O.  C.  Wiieeler,  James  Anthony,  W. 
P.  Henry  and  H.  Greenbaum.  The  present 
officers  are:  Jay  R.  Brown,  W.  M.;  Rufus  B. 
Harmon,  S.  W.;  William  F.  George,  J.  W.; 
William  M.  Petrie,  Treas. ;  Frank  E.  Lambert, 
Sec;  Marshall  Hale,  Jr.,  S.  D.;  L.  P.  Scott,  J. 
D.;  Charles  H.  Denton,  Marshal;  J.  W.  Reeves 
and  Adam  Andrews,  Stewards.  The  lodge 
meets  the  first  Friday  of  each  month.  It  com- 
prises 146  members. 

Union  Lodge,  No.  58,  F.  cfe  A.  if.— The 
organization  was  effected  May  4,  1854,  and  the 
charter  granted  May  15,  1855.  The  charter 
members  and  officers  were:  J.  H.  Ralston,  AV. 
M.;  G.  Haines,  S.  W.;  A.  Waters,  i.\Y.;   A. 


Andrews,  T.;  E.  Block,  Jr.,  S.;  S.  Kohlmann, 
S.  D.;  L.  Keller,  J.  D. ;  H.  G.  Thiel,  Tiler; 
William  Agar,  George  Chorpening,  F.  Dattelz- 
weig,  M.  Einstein,  John  Fitz  Patrick,  M.  Gold- 
stein, D.  S.  Grahau),  Joseph  Harris,  Thomas 
Hutchinson,  Marcus  Kohu,  Morris  Kohn,  S. 
Kyburg,  L.  Lehmann,  L.  Lewis,  Julius  Lyon, 
A.  Mayer,  P.  Mayerby,  F.  Maiidlebauin,  M. 
Marks,  L.  Openheim,  S.  Opeuheim,  J.  Wal- 
doner,  Ed.  Wise  and  E.  J.  Willis.  None  of 
these  are  now  active  members  of  this  lodge. 
There  are  at  present  153  members,  and  their 
time  of  meeting  is  the  first  Wednesday  of  each 
month.  Lodge  prosperous  and  enjoying  the 
best  of  feeling  fraternally.  Officers  at  present: 
W.  H.  Baldwin,  W.  M.;  James  Edgar  Mills,  S. 
W.;  B.  W.  Flye,  J.  W.;  A.  Meister,  Treas.; 
John  McArthur,  Sec;   Harry   Ingham,  S.   D.; 

A.  W.  Edwards,  J.  D.;  John  R.  Watson,  Mar- 
shal; Alphonse  Dennery  and  Aaron  Garlick, 
Stewards;  J.  O.  Wilder,  Tiler. 

Concord  JLodge,  No.  117,  F.  cfc  A.  M.,  was 
organized  May  15,  1857,  with  the  following 
charter  members  and  first  officers:  J.  L.  Thomp- 
son, W.  M.;  J.  L.  Polhemns,  S.  W.;  Levi 
Hermance,  J.  W.;  J.  Friederichs,  T. ;  William 
Sinclair,  S.;  David  Deal,  C;  L.  H.  Frazelle,  S. 
D.;  AV.  El.  Ba.xter,  J.  D.;  E.  Jacobs  and  John 
Reny,  Stewards;  N.  A.  Kidder,  Tiler.  Other 
charter  members:  C.  S.  White,  S.  Friederichs, 
J.  P.  Thompson,  P.  L.  Buddivent.  The  officers 
last  January  were:  Joseph  Davey,  W.  M.;  E. 

B.  Carroll,  S.  W.;  J.  W.  Guthrie,  J.  W.;  John 
Gruhler,  Treas.;  W.  II.  Hevener,  Sec;  L.  C. 
Schindler,  S.  D.;  Richard  Watkins,  J.  D.;  M. 
Stine  and  H.  Longton,  Stewards;  H.  A.  Heil- 
bron.  Marshal;  N.  A.  Kidder,  Tiler.  Stated 
meetings,  the  second  Tuesday  of  each  month. 
Seventy-seven  members. 

Jennings  Lodge,  No.  4,  and  Sutter  Lodge, 
No.  6,  F.  &  A.  M.,  organized  in  1849-'50,  sur- 
rendered their  charters  in  1853. 

rhiloniathean  Lodge,  No.  2,  F.  cfe  A.  M. 
(colored),  working  under  a  charter  obtained  from 
England,  was  organized  November  6,  1853,  has 
at  present  about  thirty  membL-rs,  and  meets  the 


HISTORY    OF    SAGRAMENTO    COUNTY. 


lirst  and  third  Mondays  of  every  inonth,  over 
Armory  Hall.  The  officers  at  this  time  are: 
Isaiah  Dunlap,  W.  M.;  Carter  Jackson,  S.  W.; 
Rev.  J.  JK.  Dorsey,  Sec;  F.  M.  Kay,  Treas. 

Naomi  Chapter,  No.  36,  0.  E.  S.,  was  in- 
stituted May  3,  1879,  with  the  following  charter 
members  and  officers:  Mrs.  E.  M.  Frost,  W. 
M.;  J.  N.  Young,  W.  P.;  Mrs.  M.  J.  Cravens, 
A.  M.;  E.  C.  Atkinson,  Sec;  W.  H.  Hevener 
T.;  Mrs.  A.J.  Atkinson,  Chap.;  Miss  H.  a! 
Palmer,  C;  Miss  M.  A.  Stanton,  A.  C. ;  Mrs. 
A.  Coglau,  Adah;  Mrs.  G.  Yan  Voorhies,  Ruth; 
Mrs.  M.  E.  Parsons,  Esther;  Mrs.  E.  M.  Hart- 
ley, Martha;  Mrs.  C.  P.  Huntoon,  Electra; 
Mrs.  M.  F.  McLaughlin,  W.;  J.  T.  Griffitts, 
Sentinel.  Within  a  few  weeks  there  were  forty 
members,  but  thei-e  are  now  110  members, 
working  in  harmony  and  with  satisfactory  re- 
sults. The  lodge  meets  the  second  and  fourth 
Wednesdays  of  each  month,  in  Masonic  Hall. 
The  officers  are:  Mrs.  Hannah  Wright,  Worthy 
Matron;  William  B.  Miller,  Worthy  Patron; 
Mrs.  Ella  Hatch,  Associate  Matron ;  Mrs.  M.J. 
Craven,  Sec;  Mrs.  Rachel  Adams,  Treasurer; 
Mrs.  Sallie  White,  Cond.;  Mrs.  Minnie  Kolli- 
ker.  Associate  Conductress;  Mrs.  Mattie  Hunt, 
AVarden;  Mrs.  Hannah  Harper,  Sentinel. 

Ada  Chupier,  No.  3,  0.  E.  S.  (colored),  was 
established  in  1871,  with  twenty-nine  members; 
now  there  are  thirty-five,  who  meet  the  first  and 
third  Tuesdays  of  each  month,  over  Armory 
Hall.  The  officers  are:  Mrs.  Lillie  Peck,  W. 
M.;  Rev.  J.  R.  Dorsey,  W.  P.;  Mrs.  R.  T. 
Johnson,  A.  M.;  Mrs.  Ella  Dorsey,  Sec;  Mrs. 
H.  Small,  Treas.;  Mrs.  Jennie  Lee,  C;  Mrs.  E. 
Jackson,  A.  C;  Mrs.  A.  Jackson,  Warder;  Mrs. 
C.  Jackson,  Sentinel;  of  the  Central  Star,  Miss 
S.  M.  Jones  is  Ada;  Mrs.  E.  Penney,  Ruth; 
Mrs.  Jennie  Emory,  Queen  Esther;  Mrs.  Jen- 
kins, Martha;  Mrs.  H.  G.  Murrals,  Electra. 

In  this  connection  it  may  be  mentioned  that 
Dr.  R.  J.  Fletcher,  who  has  been  the  founder 
and  chief  spirit  of  Freemasonry  among  the 
colored  people  of  Sacramento,  and  founder  of 
the  order  on  the  Pacific  Coast,  was  instrumental 
in  the  establishment  of  the  Grand  Chapter,  O. 


E.  S.  (colored),  which  was  organized    December 

27,  1882.  Many  of  the  details  of  its  history 
must  be  omitted  here,  for  want  of  space.  The 
present  officers  residing  in  Sacramento  are; 
Peter  Powers,  1st  G.  P.;  Mrs.  Virginia  John- 
son, G.  M.;  Mrs.  Lillie  Peck,  G.  T. ;  Mrs.  Rachel 
Johnson,  G.  S. 

The  Chinese  have  a  sign  out  at  the  street  door 
on  Second  street,  near  I,  in  English  letters, 
"Freemasons;"  but  as  we  did  not  understand 
Chinese,  nor  they  Volapiik,  we  were  unable  to 
learn  anything  concerning  their  institution  here. 
It  is  rumored  that  they  have  a  few  things  in 
common  with  the  secret  service  of  occidental 
Masonry. 

Masonic  Hall  Association. — To  accommodate 
the  many  lodges  in  Sacramento  with  a  good  and 
well-furnished  hall,  steps  were  taken  as  early  as 
1864  to  erect  an  appropriate  building.  Sep- 
tember 17,  that  year,  an  association  for  the 
purpose  was  formally  incorporated,  with  a  capi- 
tal stock  of  $30,000.  The  building  was  com- 
pleted within  a  year,  on  the  southwest  corner  of 
Sixth  and  K  streets.  It  is  60  x  90  feet  in  di- 
mensions, having  a  basement  and  three  stories. 
An  addition  was  subsequently  made  to  this,  and 
the  present  structure  is  a  substantial  and  im- 
posing one.  These  are  the  present  officers: 
Trustees— William  B.  Davis,  S.  W.  Butler,  C. 
N.  Snell,  J.  R.  Watson,  William  R.  Jones, 
William  M.  Petrie,  William  E.  Oughton,  Will- 
iam B.  Miller,  John  W.  Rock.  The  board 
organized  by  the  election  of  J.  R.  Watson,  Pres- 
ident; C.  N.  Snell,  Vice-President;  William  B. 
Davis,  Secretary,  and  William  M.  Petrie,  Treas- 
urer. The  association  is  now  free  of  debt. 
Regular  meetings  the  second  Monday  of  every 
month. 

Sacramento  Lodge,  No.  2,  I.  0.  0.  E'. — Gen- 
eral A.  M.  Winn  has  the  credit  of  introducing 
Oddfellowship  in  Sacramento  as  early  as  Au- 
gust, 1849;  but  the  complete  organization  of 
the  first  lodge  was  not  eft'ected   until  January 

28,  1851,  when  the  following  became  the  char- 
ter members:  Horatio  E.  Roberts,  George  H. 
Peterson,  George  G.  Wright,  Lucius  A.  Booth, 


HISTORY    OP    SACRAMENTO    COUNTY. 


183 


Samuel  Deal,  M.  Kaliski,  Robert  Robinson,  N. 
C.  Cuntiingliam,  M.  C.  Collins  and  William 
Childs.  Tiie  following  were  installed  as  offi- 
cers: Horatio  E.  Roberts,  N.  G.;  G.  H.  Peter- 
son, Y.  G. ;  George  G.  Wright,  Secretary;  La-' 
cins  A.  Booth,  Treasurer.  Meetings  were  at 
first  held  in  the  lodge-room  of  the  Freemasons. 

Of  this,  the  oldest  lodge,  there  are  now  235 
members,  and  the  officers  are:  J.  G.  Cox,  N.G.; 
M.  C.  Doherty,  V.  G.;  N.  W.  Robbins,  R.  S.; 

E.  Hadix,  P.  S.;   Joseph  Bories,  Treasurer;  P. 

F.  Herenger,  J.  P.  G. 

The  lodge  meets  every  Saturday  evening. 

Eurel-a  Lodge,  No.  ^,  /.  0.  0.  F.—On  Janu- 
ary 7,  1852.  Eureka  Lodge,  No.  4,  was  organ- 
ized, with  the  following  charter  members  and 
first  officers:  George  I.  N.  Monell,  N.  G.; 
Thomas  Sunderland,  Y.  G.;  A.  P.  Andrews, 
R.  S.;  William  H.  Watson,  Treasurer;  John 
Turner,  R.  S.  N.  G.;  R.  Porter,  L.  S.  N.  G.; 
W.  H.  Tilley,  R.  S.  Y.  G.;  W.  H.  Hall,  L.  S. 
Y.  G.;  Thomas  M.  Davis,  Warden;  A.  J. 
Lucas,  Conductor;  also  David  Hall  and  Jesse 
Morrill.  At  present  the  membership  is  153, 
and  the  principal  officers  are:  B.  C.  Brier,  N. 
G.;  W.  L.  Gilford,  Y.  G.;  E.  Glover,  Secretary; 
M.  Miller,  Treasurer.  Meetings  every  Wednes- 
day evening. 

El  Dorado  Lodge,  JSfo.  S,  I.  O.  0.  F.,  was 
organized  September  24,  1852,  with  the  follow- 
ing charter  members  and  officers:  J.  F.  Clout- 
man,  N.  G.;  J.  L.  Polhemus,  Y.  G.;  L.  D. 
Kelly,  R.  S.;  George  W.  Chedic,  Treasurer;  A. 
B.  Armstrong,  L.  Korn,  James  Levi,  Thomas 
B.  Moore,  Joseph  S.  Korn,  James  S.  Scott  and 
W.  Prosser,  in  all  eleven.  There  are  now  190 
members,  with  the  following  officers:  Andrew 
Carlaw,  J.  P.  G.;  James  McCaw,  N.  G.;  George 
P.  Boyne,  Y.  G.;  B.  Shields,  Recording  Secre- 
tary; L.  Salomon,  Permanent  Secretary;  M.  A. 
Howard,  Treasurer.  Stated  meetings  every 
Monday  evening. 

Schiller  Lodge,  No.  105,  I.  0.  0.  F.—On 
June  26,  1862,  this  lodge  was  organized  with 
the  following  officers  and  charter  members:  S. 
J.  Nathan,  N.G.;  Joseph  Schawb,  Y.(;.;  Charles 


Schwartz,  Secretary ;  Charles  Dohn,  P.  S.;  L.  C 
Mendelson,  Treasurer;  Lewis  Korn,  H.  Thiel- 
bahrt,  Anton  Wagner,  A.  Meier,  George  Ochs, 
F.  Gotthold,  Jacob  Klippell,  Louis  Gruenebaum, 
Peter  Kunz  and  George  Guth.  There  are  now 
172  members.  Present  officers:  Charles  G. 
Noack,  N.  G.;  John  Rohr,  Y.  G.;  P.  Peikert, 
Recording  Secretary;  Emil  Schmitt,  Permanent 
Secretary;  F.  Mackfessel,  Treasurer.  The  meet- 
ings are  Thursday  evenings. 

Capitol  Lodge,  No.  87,  L.  0.  0.  F.,  has 
elected  officers  for  the  ensuing  term  as  follows: 
O.  A.  Lovdal,  l<i.  G.;  E.  G.  Messner,  Y.  G.; 
W.  A.  Stephenson,  Recording  Secretary;  L.  B. 
Yan  Denberg,  Permanent  Secretary;  R.  Davis, 
Treasurer;  W.  D.  Stalker,  Trustee. 

Industrial  Lodge,  No.  157, 1.  0.  0.  F.~T\ns 
lodge  was  organized  April  24,  1869.  The  fol- 
lowing were  the  first  officers  and  charter  mem- 
bers: G.  W.  Carroll,  N.  G.;  J.  M.  Ripley,  Y. 
G. ;  J.  A.  Seaipan,  Recording  Secretary;  G.  A. 
Stoddard,  Permanent  Secretary;  John  Rippon, 
Treasurer.  The  charter  members  were:  G.  B. 
Dean,  T.  P.  Ford,  I.  C.  Shaw,  Charles  Noyes, 
C.  C.  Ault,  H.  C.  Wolf,  J.  M.  Anderson,  M. 
Phelan,  B.  F.  Huntley,  S.  H.  Gerrish,  Royal 
Preston,  W.  F.  Eramerson,  R.  McRae,  J.  L. 
Gerrish,  P.  Bolger,  G.  F.  Pattison,  W.  D.  Ham- 
mond, J.  S.  Phill brick,  George  Landon,  M. 
Favero,  E.  E.  Masters,  W.  C.  Gent,  John 
Thomas,  Add.  Craudall,  J.  C.  Carroll  and  F. 
Woodward.  Twelve  of  these  are  still  active 
members.  At  the  present  time  the  lodge  has 
just  celebrated  its  twentieth  anniversary,  and 
tlie  active  members  number  240.  The  value  of 
property  and  funds  of  the  lodge  is  $12,000. 
For  the  year  ending  December  31,  1888,  §;976 
was  paid  for  benefits;  $480  to  widows,  $129.20 
for  charity;  total  amount  of  disbursements  for 
the  year,  $2,500.  The  average  age  of  members 
is  thirty-four  years. 

The  lodge  meets  on  Saturday  evenings  in  Fra- 
ternity Hall,  L  O.  O.  F.  Temple,  Ninth  and  K 
streets.  It  has  a  fine  degree  staff,  and  the  evi- 
dence of  its  prosperity  is  indicated  in  the  inter- 
est manifested  by  the  members  of  this  toiim. 


HISTORY    OP    SA0RA31BNT0    COUNTY. 


The  officers  of  the  first  term  of  the  year  1889 
are:  C.  M.  Hanison,  N.  G.;  A.  Felt,  V.G.;  J. 
L.  Robinette,  Recording  Secretary;  J.  H.  Fer- 
guson, Permanent  Secretary;  James  Stewart, 
Treasurer. 

Pacific  E ihcainpment,  No.  2,  I.  0.  0.  F., 
was  organized  July  29,  1858,  with  eight  char- 
ter members.  These  were:  Matthew  Parden,  P. 
C.  P.;  C.  C.  Hayden,  P.  C.  P.;  Thomas  W. 
Davis,  P.  H.  P.;  W.  H.  Watson,  P.  H.  P;  John 
F.  Morse,  P.  Robinson,  A.  J.  Lucas  and  Walter 
Prosser.  The  chief  officers  this  year  are:  P.  S. 
Watson,  C.  P.;  H.  G.  Hays,  H;  P.;  A.  Carlaw, 
S.  \V.;  E.  Glover,  Scribe;  S.  B.  Smith,  Treas- 
urer. The  members  now  number  116,  and  their 
times  of  meeting  the  first  and  third  Tuesdays 
of  the  month. 

Occidental  Kncampment,  No.  Ji.3, 1.  0.  0.  F., 
was  instituted  November  14,  1871.  S.  S.  Nixon, 
P.  L.  Hickman,  J.  F.  Clark,  F.  H.  McCormick, 
R.  Davis,  Nelson  Wilcox  and  W.  M.  Reese 
were  the  charter  members.  Death  has  removed 
one  of  the  number;  the  remaining  six  are  still 
members.  Encampment  numbers  100  members 
and  its  assets  amount  to  $3,500.  Nights  of 
meeting,  second  and  fourth  Tuesdays  in  each 
month.  Present  elective  officers  are:  H.  F.  G. 
Wum;  C.  P.;  W.  W.  Wrlght,  H.  P.;  J.  H.  Fer- 
guson, S.  W.;  E.  B.  Hussey,  Scribe;  Nelson 
Wilcox,  Treasurer;  and  W.  L.  Brunson,  J.  W. 
Capital  Lodge,  No.  S7,  I.  0.  0.  i^".— This 
was  instituted  June  10,  1859,  by  D.  D.  G.  M. 
Samuel  Cross,  with  the  following  first  officers 
and  charter  members:  E.  F.  White,  N.  G.;  C. 
M.  Mason,  V.  G.;  John  McClintock,  S.;  Amos 
Woods,  T.  Other  charter  members:  E.  M. 
lleuston,  G.  A.  Basler,  C.  B.  Steane,  Lewis 
Shuck,  Thomas  B.  Byrne,  James  Bowstead,  M. 
M.  Estee  and  F.  K.  Krauth.  C.  B.  Steane  and 
E.  F.  White  are  still  active   members 

The  earlier  records  having  been  lost,  we  are 
indebted  to  the  published  notices  of  the  lodge 
in  the  newspapers  of  tiiat  time  for  these  facts 
and  names  concerning  its  institution.  The  pres- 
ent number  of  members  is  306.  The  value  of 
the  property  of  the  lodge  at  the  present  time  is 


estimated  to  be  about  $20,000.  About  $3,500 
are'expended  annually  for  charitable  purposes 
and  in  benefits,  and  since  it  was  organized  it 
has  paid  out  over  $100,000.  Four  grand  mas- 
ters have  been  elected  from  Capital  Lodge. 

As  for  its  standing  and  intellect  it  is  classed 
one  ot  the  leading  lodges  of  the  State.  Its  repre- 
sentatives to  the  Grand  and  Sovereign  Grand 
lodges  have  always  been  men  well  versed  with 
the  laws  of  ihe  order  and  outside  world. 

The  officers  for  the  first  term,  1889,  are:  O. 
A.  Lordal,  N.  G.;  E.  G.  Meesner,  V.  G.;  Wm. 
A.  Stephenson,  Recording  Secretary;  L.  B.  Van 
Denberg,  Permanent  Secretary;  Richmond  Da- 
vis, Treasurer.  Trustees:  W.  D.  Stalker,  Daniel 
Flint  and  P.  E.  Piatt. 

Grand  Canton  Sacramento,  No.  1,  Patri- 
archs Militant,  I.  0.  0.  i^.— June  14,  1875, 
fifty  Odd  Fellows  organized  Sacramento  Battal- 
ion, Company  A,  nearly  all  of  whom  are  still  con- 
nected with  the  organization.  The  first  officers 
were:  A.  H.  Powers,  Commander;  H.  A.  Bur- 
nett, First  Lieutenant;  A.  Menke,  Second  Lieu- 
tenant; J.  A.  Hutchings,  Secretary;  G.  M.  Mott, 
Treasurer;  F.  Hogeboom,  First  Sergeant;  J  as. 
S.  Scott,  Second  Sergeant;  J.  H.  Miller,  Stand- 
ard Bearer;  P.  E.  Piatt  and  J.  H.  Stebbins, 
Color  Bearers. 

At  a  regular  session,  the  Sovereign  Grand 
Lodge,  in  September,  1882,  made  a  provision  for 
the  uniformed  bodies  of  Odd  Fellows  and  inau- 
gurated laws  and  regulations  for  the  same  to  be 
known  as  Degree  Camp  of  Oniforined  Patri- 
archs. On  January  30,  1883,  Sacramento  De- 
gree Camp,  No.  1,  Uniformed  Patriarchs,  was 
organized  with  forty-three  members  and  elected 
the  following  officers  for  tiie  first  term:  Ed.  M. 
Martin,  Commander;  Frank  Hogaboom,  Vice- 
Commander;  Wm.  A.  Stephenson,  Secretary; 
Nelson  Wilcox,  Treasurer;  H.  A.  Burnett,  Offi- 
cer of  the  Guard;  W.  E.  Piatt,  Picket;  F.  P. 
Lowell,  Banner;  Charles  Cooley,  Guard  of  Tent. 

The  first  two  initiates  in  the  State  were  W. 
F.  Norcross  and  J.  Carlaw. 

In  September,  1885,  the  Sovereign  Grand 
Lodge,   I.   O.   O.   F.,  re-organized  the  military 


HISTORY    OF    8  AC  BAM  EN  TO    COUNTY. 


185 


brancli  and  changed  its  name  to  "Cantons  of 
Patriarchs  Militant,  I.  O.  O.  F.,"  and  also 
adopted  a  complete  set  of  organic  laws,  with  a 
complete  set  of  military  officers,  to  be  under  the 
Sovereign  Grand  Lodge. 

On  March  8,  1886,  Grand  Canton  Sacramento, 
No.  1,  Patriarchs  Militant,  I.  O.  0.  F.,  was 
organized  by  General  C.  W.  Breyfogle,  with 
eighty  charter  members,  and  organized  by  elect- 
ing the  following  otticers:  W.  N.  Sherburnj 
Commander;  Elwood  Bruner,  Lieutenant;  S.  A- 
Wolfe,  Ensign  for  Canton  No.  1;  O.  W.  Erie- 
wine,  Captain;  Ciiarles  Cooley,  Lieutenant;  and 
C.  T.  Noyes,  Ensign  for  Canton  No.  18,  both 
cantons  to  compose  Grand  Canton  No.  1,  who 
elected  W.  A.  Stephenson,  Clerk;  Nelson  "Wil- 
cox, Accountant. 

The  canton  is  now  in  a  prosperous  condition, 
and  with  money  in  its  treasury.  It  can  also 
boast  of  representative  members,  men  of  good 
standing  in  the  society. 

Rising  Star  Lodge,  No.  8,  Rehekah  Degree, 
I.  0.  0.  F.,  was  organized  December  22,  1871, 
with  seventy-one  charter  members.  The  first 
officers  were:  P.G.William  S.  Hunt,  N.  G.: 
Mrs.  Ellen  Gllman,  V.G.;  Mar. ha  A.  Hunt,  R. 
S.;  Mrs.  W.  Roth,  P.  S.;  Julia  Patterson,  T. 
Of  the  charter  members,  ibur  have  died,  namely, 
William  Patterson,  P.  G. ;  Theodore  Mass,  P. 
G.;  T  C.  Benteen,  P.  G.;  and  Peter  Zacharias. 
There  are  now  190  members,  with  the  following 
officers:  Mrs.  Delia  D.  Pettit,  N.  G.;  Mrs. 
Emma  Dodge,  V.  G.;  George  T.  Boyd,  Record- 
ing Secretary;  Mrs.  Julia  Patterson,  Treasurer. 
Meetings  the  first  Tuesday  of  the  month. 

Ger mania  Lodge,  No.  31,  Rehekah  Degree, 
/.  0.  0.  i^'.^The  organization  of  this  lodge  was 
effected  April  27,  1876.  It  meets  every  third 
Tuesday  in  each  month,  in  Temple  Hall,  Odd 
Fellows'  Temple,  corner  of  Ninth  and  K  streets. 
The  charter  officers  were:  A.  Ileilbron  (P.  G.), 
N.  G.;  Mrs.  Anna  C.  Griesel,  V.  G.;  Mrs.  Julie 
Fisher,  R.  S.;  Mrs.  Fredericke  Neuman,  F.  S. ; 
Mrs.  Amilie  Meckfessel,T.;  also,  C.  F.G.  S^lle, 
P.  G.;  F.  Fisher,  S.  Morris,  P.  G.;  Mrs.  Dora 
Morris,  John    Bolze,    P.  G.     The  membership 


has  increased  from  forty-nine  to  ninety.  The 
officers  now  are:  Mrs.  Kate  Futterar,  N.  G.; 
Mrs.  Elisabeth  Kromer,  V.  G. ;  Oscar  Hartig, 
Recording  Secretary;  Mrs.  Emilia  Johnson,  Per- 
manent Secretary;  Mrs.  Philippina  Schmidt, 
Treasurer. 

Union  Degree  Lodge,  No.  3,  /.  0.  0.  F., 
was  organized  October  7, 1853,  with  a  respecta- 
ble number  of  members,  but  it  was  discontinued 
a  few  years  ago. 

The  Veteran  Odd  Fellows'  Association  of 
Sacramento  was  organized  in  1833,  by  a  call  of 
several  veteran  Odd  Fellows  in  the  city.  To 
be  eligible  to  membership  in  this  organization, 
one  must  have  been  an  Odd  Fellow  for  twenty 
years,  and  be  at  the  time  a  member  of  good 
standing  in  some  subordinate  lodge.  An  organi- 
zation of  about  forty  signed  the  roll;  the  present 
membership  is  about  150.  They  hold  annually 
a  banquet,  when  they  enjoy  a  hearty  reunion 
and  present  to  the  retiring  president  a  gilt 
badge,  making  liim  a  "  Past  President,"  The 
Past  Presidents  are:  W,  B.  Davis,  Ezra  Pearson, 
S.  B.  Smith,  T.  C.  Jones,  H.  B.  Neilson  and  A. 
S.  Hopkins.  The  present  officers  are:  W.  B. 
Stalker,  President;  George  B.  Dean,  Vice-Pres- 
ident; E.  J.  Clark,  Secretary;  John  Weil, 
Treasurer. 

Odd  Fellows'  General  Relief  Committee,  con- 
sisting of  three  members  from  each  lodge, 
attends  to  the  wants  of  transient  members  of  the 
order  who  may  be  in  need.  They  meet  every 
alternate  Sunday  morning,  at  10  o'clock,  in  Odd 
Fellows'  Temple.  C.  W.  Baker,  President; 
Benjamin  Wilson,  Secretary;  II.  1>.  Neilson, 
Treasurer.  There  are  now  twenty-two  regular 
and  twenty-five  honorary  members,  comprising 
three  from  each  lodge  and  the  encampment. 
During  the  past  year  they  have  disbursed  about 
$3,000.  The  fund  is  kept  up  by  contributions 
from  the  lodges  and  encampment. 

Odd  Fellows'  Temple  Association. — This  was 
preceded  by  the  "  Hall  Association,"  wliich  was 
incor])orated  June  25, 1862,  with  a  capital  stock 
of  $40,000-  raised  afterward  to  $80,000— and 
purchased    the  St.    George    Hotel    buikling   on 


UISTORT    OF    SACRAMENTO    COUNTY. 


the  corner  of  Fourth  and  J  streets,  fittiag  up 
and  keeping  it  for  a  number  of  years  as  an  Odd 
Fellows  lodge  and  business  block.  July  26, 
1869,  the  trustees  of  the  several  lodges  and 
encampment  of  the  order  in  the  city  met  and 
resolved  to  organize  the  present  temple  associa- 
tion, who  should  purchase  a  lot  and  erect  a  fine 
building.  This  structure,  on  the  northeast 
corner  of  Ninth  and  K  streets,  was  completed 
September  23,  1870,  and  dedicated  May  10, 
1871.  It  has'  four  floors.  During  the  season 
of  1888,  a  $10,000  addition  was  made  to  the 
building. 

This  association  is  composed  of  eleven  direct- 
ors, elected  annually  by  the  trustees  of  the 
several  lodges  holding  stock  in  the  enterprise. 
These  directors  elect  their  own  ofiicers,  who  this 
year  are:  W.  D.  Stalker,  President;  S.  B.  Smith, 
Secretary  and  Agent;  H.  B.  Neilson,  Treasurer. 
The  board  meets  monthly.  The  stock,  $100,000, 
is  divided  into  1,000  shares,  and  is  held  as  fol- 
lows: 

Sacramento  Lodge,    No.     2 300 

Eureka  "  "       4 90 

El  Dorado        "  "       8 170 

Capital  "  "     87 200 

Schiller  "  "105 75 

Industrial        "  "  157 60 

Pacific  Encampment,    "        2 100 

Occidental       "  "     42 5 

The  association  also  owns  a  large  plat  in  a 
fine  section  of  the  City  Cemetery. 

Sacramento  Lodge,  No.  £,189,  G.  U.  0.  ofO. 
F.  (colored),  was  organized  July  14,  1881,  with 
thirty-one  members.  The  first  officers  were: 
F.  T.  Bowers,  P  N.  F.;  E.  Brown,  N.  F.;  D.  A. 
Johnson,  P.  N.  G.;  B.  A.  Johnson,  N.  G.;  K. 
J.  Fletcher,  V.  G.;  H.  H.  Williams,  E.  S.;  R. 
H.  Small,  P.  S.;  W.  H.  Guinn,  W.  T.;  R.  C. 
Ferguson,  W.  C.  There  are  now  twenty-three 
members,  of  whom  the  officers  are:  E.  A.  Small, 
N.  F.;  I.  T.  Sanks,  P.  N.  G.;  F.  Butler,  N.  G.; 
Rev.  J.  R.  Dorsey,  V.  G.;  B.  A.  Johnson,  P. 
S.;  W.  H.  Guinn,  W.  T. 

This  lodge  meets  the  second  and  fourth  Thurs- 
days of  every  month,  in  Pioneer  Hall.  The 
executive  authority   of  this  order  proceed   from 


the  national  body,  under  a  sub-committee  of 
management  located  at  Philadelphia,  and  acting 
in  harmony  with  the  order  in  England. 

Sacramento  Division,  JVo.  7,  Uniform  Rank, 
K.  of  P.,  was  instituted  in  October,  1882,  with 
fifty-four  charter  members,  and  the  following 
officers:  James  A.  Davis,  Commander;  John 
W.  Guthrie,  Lieutenant-Commander;  Theodore 
Schumacher,  Herald;  George  H.  Smith,  Treas- 
urer; Frank  H.  Kiefer,  Recorder;  George  B. 
Katzenstein,  Sentinel;  Joseph  T.Keepers,Gnard; 
Charles  E.  Leonard,  Standard  Bearer.  There 
are  now  forty-seven  members,  and  these  officers: 
T.  W.  Stevens,  Captain;  J.  J.  Thackham,  Lieu- 
tenant Captain;  J.  F.  Deitrich,  Herald;  W.  B. 
Oldfield,  Recorder;  Samuel  Katzenstein,  Treas- 
urer; A.  B.  Syme,  Guard;  Max  Hornlein,  Sen- 
tinel. The  staff  officers  are:  A.  B.  Cheney, 
Colonel;  J.  M.  Wallace,  Adjutant;  Ira  Ells- 
worth, Sergeant;  Theodore  Schumacher,  Major; 
Samuel  Katzenstein,  Surgeon,  with  the  rank  of 
Major.  The  division  meets  the  second  and 
fourth  Wednesdays  of  each  month. 

The  Knights  have  just  erected  a  fine  build- 
ing on  the  northwest  corner  of  Ninth  and  I 
streets,  which  was  dedicated  on  the  4th  of  July. 
It  is  40  X  90  feet  in  ground  area,  four  stories 
high  in  front  and  three  in  the  rear  portion.  The 
first  story  is  the  drill  and  band  room ;  the  second, 
concert  and  lecture  room;  the  third  comprises 
the  lodge,  reception  and  ante  rooms;  and  the 
fourth  the  banquet  hall.  It  is  an  elegant  build- 
ing, located  in  a  neat,  quiet  locality,  at  the 
northwest  corner  of  the  beautiful  Plaza. 

Sacramento  Lodge,  No.  11,  K.  of  P.,  was 
organized  December  2, 1869,  with  a  large  num- 
ber of  charter  members,  the  following  being  the 
ofiicers:  G.  W.  Wallace,  C.  C;  J.  H.  Sullivan, 
V.  C;  S.  Pearl,  Prelate;  Frank  W.  Marvin,  K. 
of  R.  and  S.;  R.  W.  Jackson,  M.  of  F.;  J.  E. 
Goods,  M.  of  E.  This  has  always  been  a  very 
strong  society,  the  membership  being  now  250. 
Present  ofiicers:  F.T.Garrett,  P.  C.  C;  W. 
H.  Weeks,  C.  C;  J.  Wilson,  V.  C;  H.  G. 
Click,  Prelate;  A.  E.  Coppin,  K.  of  R.  and  S.; 
C.  Wilke,  M.  at  A. 


UlSTORT    OF    SACRAMENTO    COUNTY. 


Cohimhla  Lodge,  No.  ^2,  K.  of  I'. — Tliis 
lodge  was  organized  April  21,  1877,  with  J.W. 
Guthrie,  P.  C;  A.  J.  Vermilya,  C.  C;  P.  J. 
Spacher,  V.  C. ;  S.  A.  Wolfe,  P. ;  John  McFet- 
rish,  K.  of  R.  and  S.;  O.  H.  P.  Sheets,  Jr.,  M. 
of  F.;  Robert  Pettit,  M.  of  E.;  W.  E.  Lugg, 
I.  G.;  and  W.  E.  Oughton,  O.  G.;  also  J. 
Stubbe,  M.  Odell,  J.  Goddard,  William  Neid- 
liart,  and  W.  Kay.  The  present  officers  are:  L. 
M.  Schwoerer,  P.  C:  H.  A.  Stober,  C.  C;  M. 
Q.    Meeban,   V.  C;  John    Lyman,  Prelate;  C. 

E.  Kleinsorge,  K.  of  R.  and  S.;  A.  Wulff,  M. 
of  E.;  T.  H.  Waterland,  M.  of  F.;  A.  J.  Lloyd, 
M.  at  A.  There  are  118  members.  Time  of 
meeting,  Friday  night. 

Conjidence  Lodge,  No.  78,  L<l.  of  P.,  was 
instituted  August  18,  1882,  with  the  following 
officers:  J.  F.  Lucas,  P.  C;  J.  A.  Baker,  CO. 
A.  V.  Boyne,  V.  C;  F.  l\.  Kiefer,  Prelate;  A 
J.  Plant,  M.  at  A.;  W.  B.  Rogers,  K.ofR.  and 
S.;  J.  H.  Smith,  M.  of  E.  Present  officers:  G 
n.  Tenbrook,   P.O.;   W.   H.  Hamilton,  C.  C. 

F.  A.  Reeves,  V.  C;  J.  A.  Haynie,  Prelate;  G 

G.  Bertschi,  M.  at  A.;  W.  H.  Greenlaw,  K.  of 
R.  and  S.;  Isaac  Christie,  M.  of  E.;  W.  D, 
Powers,  M.  of  F.;  F.  Eisenninger,  L  G.;  L.  E, 
Vandercook,  O.  G.  There  are  now  137  members 
Time  of  meeting,  Tuesday  night. 

Union  Lodge,  No.  21,  A.  0.  U.  IF.— This 
lodge  was  instituted  February  9,  1878.  There 
were  eighty -eight  charter  members.  The  first 
officers  were:  M.  T.  Brewer,  P.  M.  W.;  0.  B. 
Kellogg,  M.  W.;  T.  W.  Shehan,  F.;  George  T. 
Bush,  O.;  E.  J.  Gregory,  R.;  Felix  Tracy, 
Receiver;  John  F.  Farnsworth,  Fin.;  Robert 
Frazee,  Guard.  There  are  at  present  304  mem- 
bers, and  the  officers  are:  H.  Bennett,  P.  M. 
W.;  H.  M.  Burnett,  M.  W.;  W.  J.  Bryson, 
Foreman;  E.  F.  Ashworth,  Overseer;  C.  W. 
Baker,  Recorder;  11.  J.  Norton,  Financier;  J. 
G.  Davis,  Ileceiver;  S.  J.  von  Hirsch,  Guide; 
W.  B.  Van  Gilder,  L  W.;  Denis  Urckey,  O.  W.; 
W.  A.  Briggs,  M.  D.,  Med.  Ex. 

Sacramento  Lodge,  No.  80,  A.  0.  U.  W.,  was 
instituted  February  8,  1879.  There  was  a  large 
list  of  charter  mcml)ers.    Tiie  first  otHccrs  were: 


John  F.  Farnsworth,  P.  M.W.;  James  M.  Hen- 
derson, M.  W.;  Edward  I.  Robinson,  O.;  Geo. 
B.  Katzenstein,  R.;  M.  R.  Beard,  Fin.;  C.  H. 
Stevens,  RecV.;  John  W.  Guthrie,  G.;  W.  H. 
IL  Willey,  L  W.;  W.  1.  Wallace,  O.  W.  The 
lodge  has  a  menjbership  of  180.  The  officers 
installed  January  4,  1889.  are  as  follows:  T.  W. 
McAlpine,  P.  M.  W.;  L.  M.  Landsborough,  M. 
W.;  P.  Genis,  F.;  J.  H.  Shorrock,  O.;  George 
B.  Katzenstein,  Rec;  M.  R.  Beard,  Fin.;  O.  F. 
Washburn,  Rec'v. ;  W.  A.  Briggs,  M.  D.,  Med. 
Ex.  The  lodge  meets  every  Tuesday  evening, 
at  Grangers'  Hall. 

Lily  of  the  Valley  Lodge,  No.  11,  Degree  of 
Honor,  A.  0.  U.  IF.,  was  organized  in  1882, 
with  thirty-three  charter  members;  there  are 
now  sixty-nine,  and  the  officers  are:  Miss  Lizzie 
Smiddy,  Past  Chief  of  Honor;  Mrs.  John  Brad- 
ley, Chief  of  Honor;  Mrs.  Mary  Scroggs,  Lady 
of  Honor;  Mrs.  Jordan,  Chief  of  Ceremonies; 
Miss  O'Donnal,  Usher;  Mrs.  George  Guthrie, 
Recorder;  Mr.  Goethe,  Financier;  Mr.  Roth, 
Receiver;  Mr.  Walker,  Watchman.  Meets  the 
first  Saturday  of  each  month,  at  Grangers'  Hall. 

The  Ancient  Order  of  United  Workmen  was 
organized  for  the  purpose  of  paying  !g2,000  to 
the  heirs  or  legatees  of  each  member  at  death. 
In  the  State  of  California  the  order  numbers 
18,000,  and  in  Sacramento  500.  Over  $2,000,- 
000  lias  thus  been  paid  in  the  State,  and  over 
$100,000  in  this  city. 

Pioneer  Assembly,  No.  855,  K.  of  L.,  the 
first  in  the  State,  was  organized  in  this  city  ten 
years  ago,  and  is  still  in  existence. 

Sacramento  Typographical  Union,  No  ^6, 
was  organized  in  June,  1880,  with  only  thirteen 
members,  and  already  there  are  ninety-five  mem- 
bers. The  Union  is  respected  by  all  the  print- 
ing offices  in  the  city.  The  present  officers  are: 
E.  I.  Woodman,  Pres.;  E.  R.  Tiel,  V.  P.;  J.  L. 
Robinette,  Sec.  (address  1520,  Ninth  street); C. 
A.  Dorsey,  Treas. ;  II.  P.  Reece,  Sergeant-at- 
Arms;  Ex.  Com. — W.  II.  Davis,  J.  D.  Laing, 
P.  T.  January,  Union  meets  last  Sunday  in 
the  month,  at  2  p.m.,  in  Fireman's  Hall,  Eigiith 
I    street,  between  J  and  \\. 


BISTORT    OP     SACRAMENTO    COUNTY. 


Walhalla  Grove,  J^o.  6,  U.  A.  0.  £>.,  was  or- 
ganized August  10,  1866,  and  incorporated  June 
13,  1874.  The  charter  members  and  officers 
were:  Anton  Menke,  N.  A.;  C.  H.  Krebs,  V. 
A.;  Theodore  Even,  Sec;  Jacob  Keeber,  Treas. ; 
C.  C.  Hayden,  M.  Kestler  and  J.  Acker.  The 
officers  at  this  writing  are:  J.  L.  Gomez,  N. 
A.;  N.  McArthur,  V.  A.;  M.Wetzel,  Treas.; 
H.  Mejer,  Sec;  M.  Wilson,  Cond.;  A.  Gonnet, 
I.  G.;  J.  Lewis,  O.  G.  There  are  seventy-five 
members,  and  the  finances  of  the  grove  are 
an:  pie. 

Union  Grove,  No.  61,  U.  A.  0.  D.,  organ- 
ized in  1885,  has  about  sixty  to  sixty-five  mem- 
bers, and  is  very  prosperous.  It  meets  every 
Monday,  in  Union  Hall,  corner  of  Twentieth 
and  O  streets.  George  Lemkee,  Past  Arch; 
W.  L.  Benning,  N.  A.;  M.  S.  Neves,  Treas.; 
N.  Harvie,  Sec;  Gus.  Peterson,  Cond.;  D.  G. 
Mannix,  I.  G.;  M.  Meshado,  O.  G. 

Capital  City  Grove,  No.  66,  U.  A.  0.  D.. 
■was  organized  April  14,  1887.  with  thirty-six 
in  membership.  Present  oflicers:  S.  F.  Gou- 
lert.  Noble  Arch;  Charles  Sears,  Vice  Arch; 
William  Schaller,  Sec;  J.  J.  Nagele,  Treas.; 
John  H.  Measure,  Cond.;  Antoine  Patralie,  I. 
G.;  Sam  Versacko,  O.  G.  The  other  Past 
Arches  are  James  McCaw,  John  Svetnich,  J.  J. 
Buckley  and  Harvey  Moore.  The  Grove  meets 
every  Thursday  night  in  Red  Men's  Hall. 

Fidelity  Grove,  No.  31,  U.  A.  O.  D.,  organ- 
ized in  1878,  was  consolidated  with  Walhalla 
Grove,  May  1,  1888. 

Sacramento  Druidic  Circle,  No.  1,  was  a  so- 
ciety for  women,  instituted  April  7,  1872,  but 
was  soon  permitted  to  dissolve. 

Cosumnes  Tribe,  No.  llf.,  I.  0.  R.  M.,  was 
organized  October  19, 1867.  The  present  mem- 
bership is  103,  and  the  officers  are:  A.  M.  Gault, 
Sachem;  J.  P.  Counts,  Sen.  Sag.;  C.  F.  Leigh- 
ton,  Jun.  Sag.;  L.  Faure,  Prophet;  E.  H. 
Eivett,  C.  of  R.;  George  Boyne,  F.  C;  H. 
Winters,  K.  of  W.  The  tribe  meets  every 
Thursday  evening,  in  the  Masonic  Building. 

Red  Jacket  Tribe,  No.  38,  I.  0.  R.  M.,  was 
organized   October  7,  1869,   with  the  following 


officers:  S.  Pearl,  Sachem;  M.  T.  Brewer,  S. 
Sag.;  F.  Gushing,  J.  Sag.;  W.  T.  Crowell,  C.  of 
R. ;  George  A.  Putnam,  K.  of  W.  There  were 
altogether  nearly  100  charter  members.  At  the 
present  time  there  are  170  members.  Place  and 
time  of  meeting.  Red  Men's  Hall,  every  Friday 
evening.  Official  Board:  Martin  White.  Sachetn; 
E.  C.  Roeder,  Sen.  Sag.;  W.  A.  Eizler,  Jun. 
Sag.;  Jacob  Murbach,  Prophet;  A.  Dunbar,  C 
of  R. ;  James  McCaw,  F.  C;  J.  J.  Nagele, 
Keeper  of  Wampum;  James  McKay,  IstSanap; 
Fred  Myrick,  2d  Sanap;  F.  F.  Briggs,  1st  War- 
rior; George  Nichols,  2d  Warrior;  R.  P.  Car- 
rington,  3d  Warrior;  J.  Haberkorn,  4th  War- 
rior; E.  G.  Palmer,  1st  Brave;  S.  Napper,  2d 
Brave;  J.  C.  Sutherland,  G.  of  W.;  J.  Wilson, 
G.  of  F. 

Owosso  Tribe,  No.  39,  I.  0.  R.  M.,  was  or- 
ganized March  25,  1871,  with  sixty-six  charter 
members.  The  first  officers  were:  Matthew  E. 
Johnson,  Sachem;  Ed.  M.  Martin,  Sju.  Sag.; 
A.  C.  Freeman,  Jun.  Sag.;  Will  J.  Beatty,  C. 
of  R.;  Daniel  E.  Ale.xander,  K.  of  W.;  George 
W.  Yount,  Fin.  C;  George  A.  White,  Prophet. 
Tiiere  are  ninety-eight  members  at  present,  and 
the  officers  for  the  present  term  are:  L.  G. 
Nixon,  Sachem;  George  W.  Nichols,  Sen.  Sag.; 
Stephen  J.  Fitzgerald,  Jun.  Sag.;  Benj.  F. 
Howard,  Fin.  Chief;  John  J.  Buckley,  C.  of  R.; 
J.  Henry  Runckel,  K.  of  W.;  A.'c.  Klenk, 
Prophet.  The  tribe  meets  every  evening,  at 
Red  Men's  Hall,  in  Masonic  Building. 

Red  Cloud  Tribe,  No.  1^1,  I.  0.  R.  M.,  was 
instituted  November  13  and  18,1871,  with  over 
seventy  names  on  the  charter  list.  The  officers 
were:  Thomas  Sullivan,  Sachem;  R.  A.  Ren- 
wick,  Sen.  Sag.;  W.  Harper,  Jun.  Sag.;  J.  J. 
Carter,  C.  of  R.;  William  Huller,  K.  of  W.;  W. 
A.  McNaughton,  F.  C.  There  are  now  about 
eighty  members,  who  meet  every  Tuesday  even- 
ing. The  finances  of  their  treasury  are  in  good 
condition.  At  present,  L.  W.  Grothen  is  the 
Sachem;  George  W.  Whitlock,  Sen.  Sag. ;  James 
Fletcher,  Jun.  Sag.;  Thomas  J.  Fames,  K.  of 
R.;  B.  F.Johnson,  K.  of  W. 

Wenonah  Council,  No.  2,  Degree  of  Poea- 


HISTORY    OF    SACRAMENTO    COUNTY. 


hontas,  I.  0.  R.  M.,  was  organized  in  October, 
1887,  with  forty-one  members.  There  are  now 
sixty-five  members,  and  the  following  are  the 
otficeis:  Mrs.  Nora  Klenk,  Pocahontas;  Mrs. 
Minnie  Spencer,  Wenonah;  Mrs.  G.  H.  Smith, 
Prophetess;  Mrs.  Charles  Redman,  K.  of  R. ; 
L.  W.  Grothen,  Powhattan;  Mrs.  L.  W.-Gro- 
then,  K.  of  W. 

Juniata  Covucil,  No.  5,  Daughters  of  Poca- 
hontas, I.  0.  R.  J/.,  was  organized  July  9, 1888, 
with  twenty-nine  members,  and  is  at  this  time 
flourishing. 

Saeraviento  Stamm,  No.  12^,  U.  0.  R.  M., 
was  organized  October  18,  1868,  with  the  fol- 
lowing charter  members  and  oflScers:  K.  F. 
Wienieyer,  O.  Ch.;  F.  Engelhardt,  U.  Ch.;  C. 
Schmitt,  B.Ch.;  R.Nobel,  Secretary;  J.  Siiver- 
krup,  Treasurer;  George  W.  Dermann,  A.  Hil- 
lebrandt,  W.  Kuhnle,  Charles  Sold,  George 
Schmeiser,  Charles  Boettcher,  W.  Braun.  This 
year  (1889)  tlie  membership  is  about  eighty- 
eight,  and  Unancially  the  society  is  in  excellent 
condition.  The  officers  now  are:  August  Wall, 
Over-Chief;     G.     Beatbing,     Under-Chief;     F. 

Glueck,  B.  C;  D.  Wilkens, Secretary;  J. 

Gruhler, Secretary;  J.  Grieeel,  Treasurer. 

California  Lodge,  No.  1,580,  K.  of  H.,  was 
organized  by  Harmon  Gregg,  April  28,  1879, 
with  forty  charter  members,  of  whom  the  fol- 
lowing were  elected  officers  for  the  first  term: 
Grove  L.  Johnson,  P.  D.;  Edward  F.  Aiken,  D.; 
Norman  S.  Nichols,  V.  D.;  John  N.  Larkin,  A. 
D.;  Israel  Luce,  C;  James  M.  Henderson,  G.; 
P.  L.  Hickman,  R. ;  Harrison  Bennett,  F.  R. ; 
George  W.  Callahan,  T.;  P.  F.  Dolan,  Guard- 
ian; Frank  Swift,  Sentinel;  Dr.  George  M. 
Dixon,  Medical  Examiner.  At  the  present  time 
there  are  160  members,  and  the  officers  are:  C. 
H.  Stephenson,  Past  Dictator;  L.  A.  Kidder, 
Dictator;  Joseph  Davey,  Vice-Dictator;  J.  C. 
Carroll,  Assistant  Dictator;  L.  Bell,  Cliaplain; 
Carl  Strobel,  Guide;  J.  F.  Carter,  Financial 
Reporter;  J.  C.  Medley,  Reporter;  F.  W.  Dunne, 
Guardian;  Frank  Swift,  Sentinel;  C.  E.  Adams, 
Treasurer;  Dr.  W.  A.  Hughson,  Medical  Ex- 
aminer; C.  E.  Adams,  Representative  to  Grand 


Lodge.  The  lodge  meets  the  first  and  third 
Mondays  of  the  month. 

Unity  Lodge,  No.  2,088,  E.  of  II.,  was  insti- 
tuted March  1,  1880,  with  thirty-nine  charter 
members,  and  the  following  officers:  W.  C.  Van 
Fleet,  P.  D.;  A.  H.  Powers,  D.;  D.  O.  Cook,  V. 
D.;  G.  F.  Lyon,  A.  D.;  Frank  Avery,  R.;  S.  A. 
Palmer,  F.  S.;  J.  T.  Carey,  T.;  E.  M.  Martin,  C; 
J.  F.  Stephenson,  Guide;  A.  F.  Turner,  Guard- 
ian; N.  J.  Toll,  S.  Tue  present  officers  are:  C. 
Tietjen,  Past  Dictator;  E.  S.  Rego,  Dictator;  C. 
H.  Oester,  Vice-Dictator;  Charles  Lenoir,  As- 
sistant Dictator;  "W.  D.  Crowe,  Reporter;  T.  A. 
Atwood,  Financial  Reporter;  L.  B.  Sutlitf, 
Treasurer;  J.  H.  Humphrey,  Guide;  J.  L.  Orr, 
Cliaplain;  P.  Brannon,  Guardian;  W.  Woods, 
Sentinel;  C.  Mealand,  Medical  Examiner.  The 
society  meets  at  Grangers'  Hall  the  second  and 
fourth  Mondays  of  each  month.  Present  num- 
ber of  members,  101. 

Harmony  Lodge,  No.  399,  K.  &  L.  of  //., 
has  thirty-eight  members,  who  meet  the  second 
and  fourth  Fridays  of  each  month,  at  Grangers' 
Hall.  Officers:  Mrs.  J.  C.  Brown,  Past  Pro- 
tector; Mrs.  C.  May,  Protector;  Mrs.  M.  E. 
Grant,  Vice-Protector;  P.  S.  Lawson,  Chaplain; 
Mrs.  M.  L.  Jones,  Secretary;  Mrs.  M.  Keller, 
Fin.;  J.  C.  Pierson,  Treasurer;  John  Barrett, 
Guide;  Frank  Swift,  Guardian;  E.  L.  Greene, 
Sentinel. 

Kquity  Lodge,  No.  1,219,  Iv.  tfc  L.  of  II., 
has  115  members,  whose  place  and  time  of 
stated  meetings  are  Grangers'  Hall,  every 
Wednesday.  Officers:  O.  W.  Erlewine,  P.  P.; 
J.  P.  Counts,  P.;  Mrs.  L.  W.  Grothen,  V.  P.; 
Mrs.  Ida  M.  Russell,  Sec;  J.  C.  Medley,  Fin. 
Sec;  T.  A.  Lauder,  Treas.;  Mrs.  E.  F.  Aiken, 
Chaplain;  Mrs.  L.  A.  Kidder,  Guide;  Mrs.  T. 
A.  Lauder,  Inside  Guard;  Miss  Lizzie  I>.  Aiken, 
Outside  Guard. 

Olii^e  'Branch  Lodge,  K.  cfe  L.  of  II.— Prc&eut 
Sfficers:  Mrs.  A.  Stunner,  Pres.;  Mrs.  M.  Wil- 
son, V.  P.;  Mrs.  Flora  Knox,  Rec  Sec;  Miss 
Berck,  Financier;   Mrs.  Aimie  Gill,   Treasurer. 

Pioneer  Council,  No.  5Jf.,  American  Legion 
of  Honor,   was  instituted    December  18,  1879, 


HISTORY-  OF    SACRAMENTO    COUNT T. 


witli  thirty-eight  charter  members,  the  first 
council  instituted  in  the  State.  The  first  offi- 
cers were:  J.  M.  Henderson,  Commander;  Mrs. 
N.  S.  Butterfield,  Vice-Commander;  D.  E.  Al- 
exander, Orator;  M.  R.  Beard,  Sec;  P.  L.  Hick- 
man, Collector;  F.  Y.  Williams,  Treas.;  W.  R. 
Strong,  Chap.;  E.  F.  Woodward,  Guide;  J.  C. 
Tubbs,  Warden;  W.  T.  Crowell,  Sentry;  and 
W.  M.  Haynie,  P.  Commander.  The  present 
membership  is  fifty-four,   and   the  officers  are: 

C.  H.  Wattles,  Commander;  Wm.  B.  Miller, 
Vice  Com.;  M.  R.  Beard,  Sec;  J.  C.  Tubbs, 
Collector;  W.  R.  Strong,  Treas.;  F.  H;  L. 
Weber,  Chap.;  N.  Harvie,  Guide;  H.  Fisher, 
Warden;  J.  F.  Cooper,  Sentinel. 

Court  Capital,  No.  6,7^2,  A.  0.  F.,  was  or- 
ganized Januaryl7,  1881,  with  forty-three  mem- 
bers, and  the  following  officers:  Henry  Long- 
ton,  C.  R.;  R.  B.  Ha^rmon,  S.  C.  R.;  O.  N. 
Cronkite,  Rec.  Sec;  Arnold  Schulze,  Fin.  Sec; 
Thomas  Bromley,  Treas.;  J.  Lyman,  S.  W.;  J. 
Backrath,  J.  W.;  F.  H.  Joy,  S.  B.;  M.  Lamb, 
J.  B. ;  Dr.  A.  E.  Brune,  Physician.  There  are 
now  125  members,  and  the  following  officers: 

D.  M.  Cronkite,  P.  C.  R.;  Ed.  Morris,  C.  R.; 
W.  M.  Thomas,  S.  C.  R.;  G.  G.  Ogg,  Treas.; 
H.  W.  M.  Ogg,  Fin.  Sec;  G.  C.  Campbell,  Rec 

Sec; •  Schrader,  S.  W.;  J.  J.  Vance,  J.  W.; 

E.O.Walker,  S.  B.;  A.  Hubert,  J.  B.  The 
court  meets  every  Monday  evening  in  the  Odd 
Fellows'  Building. 

Court  Sacramento,  No.  6,861,  A.  0.  F.,  was 
organized  June  30,  1882,  and  has  at  present 
about  190  members,  with  the  following  as  offi- 
cers: L.  W.  Nickell,  P.  C.  R.;  B.  F^.  Parsons, 
C.  R.;  L.  W.  Smith,  S.  C.  R.;  C.  B.  Strong, 
Treas.;  F.  W.  Geiger,  Fin.  Sec;  John  Morris, 
Rec  Sec;  C.  B.  Hall,  S.  W.;  L.  A.  Simmons, 
J.  W.;  Walter  Shiells,  S.  B.;  W.  H.  Stone,  J. 
B.;  F.  G.  Fay,  Physician.  Tiiis  court  meets 
every  Thursday  evening  in  Odd  Fellows'  Hall. 

Court  Sutter,  No.  7,34.6,  A.  0.  F.,  has  forty- 
three  members  and  the  following  officers:  Fred 
Colgrove,  Jr.,  Past  Chief  Ranger;  W.  S.  Church, 
Chief  Ranger;  B.  F.  Nutting,  Substitute  Chief 
Ranger;   M.   L.   Perkins,  Treas.;   O.   A.   Hoitt, 


Rec.  and  Fin.  Sec;  W.  J.  Terry,  Senior  Wood- 
ward; W.  W.  Robinson,  Junior  Woodward;  J. 
Doherty,  Senior  Beadle;  E.  S.  Wilkerson,  Junior 
Beadle;  ¥.  G.  Fay,  Physician. 

Friendship  Council,  No.  65,  0.  C.  F.,  was 
organized  February  21, 1882,  with  about  twenty- 
five  .members  and  the  following  as  officers: 
Julius  Asher,  Councilor;  F.  H.  Keifer,  Sec; 
Theodore  Schumacher,  Treas.  There  are  now 
about  100  members,  and  the  following  consti- 
tute the  Official  Board:  C.  C.  Olney,  Councilor; 
Mrs.  S.  E.  Glover,  Vice-Councilor;  F.  H.  Kie- 
fer.  Sec;  John  Watt,  Treas.;  Mrs.  L.  D.  Olney, 
Prelate;  Mrs.  F.  H.  Kiefer,  Marshal;  Mrs.  A. 
M.  Tiel,  Warden;  F.  H.  Schardin,  Guard;  Miss 
G.  D.  Jurgens,  Sentry;  Dr.  G.  B.  Clow,  Med. 
Ex.  The  council  meets  every  Thursday  even- 
ing at  Firemen's  Hall. 

Sacramento  Council,  No.  96,  0.  C.  F.,  was 
instituted  September  4,  1882,  with  about  fifty 
members;  there  are  now  165.  Present  officers: 
Charles  H.  Denton,  P.  C;  William  Longton, 
W.  C;  Mrs.  George  Howard,  V.  C;  George 
D.  Irvine,  Sec;  J.  E,  Parker,  Treas.;  Mrs.  Le- 
land  Howe,  Prel.;  Mrs.  Irene  Marsh,  M.;  Ed. 
G.  Ostendorf,  W.;  Mrs.  Annie  Servoss,  G.;  S. 
B.  Lusk,  Sentry;  Drs.  Brune  and  Clow,  Med. 
Ex'rs.  The  Past  Chief  Councilors  are  Jacob 
Griswold,  Fred  W.  Day,  A.  Sanborn,  M.  A. 
Howard,  George  A.  Stuart,  George  Howard, 
William  Longton  and  J.  E.  Parker,  all  of  whom 
are  still  members  of  this  council.  Stated  meet- 
ings every  Wednesday  evening,  at  Firemen's 
Hall. 

Division  No.  1,  Ancient  Order  of  Hibernians, 
comprises  fifty-five  members,  with  the  following 
as  officers:  John  Miller,  Pres.;  J.  P.  McGin- 
nis,  V.  P.;  S.  Dwyer,  Treas.;  W.  J.  Hamm, 
Sec.  The  division  meets  once  a  month,  in  Pio- 
neer Hall.  It  was  first  organized  January  31, 
1870,  and  reorganized.  The  officers  for  1870 
were:  P.  A.  Murphy,  Pres.;  P.  F.  Mohun,  V. 
P.;  D.  C.  Nealon,  Rec  Sec;  Matthew  Bannon, 
Cor.  Sec;  James  McGu ire, Treas.;  G.  G.  Mor- 
gan, Physician,  and  Charles  Brady,  Sergeant-at- 
Arms. 


HISTORY    OF    SACRAMENTO    COUNTY. 


Division  No.  2  of  this  order  was  organized  a 
few  years  ago,  but  was  discontinued. 

The  Sacramento  Turnverein  established  it- 
self June  2,  1854,  with  Theodore  Steudenian, 
Pres.;  George  Meyer,  V.  P.;  J.  W.  Lehmann, 
Sec;  Phil.  Kitz,  Treas.;  11.  Lux,  1st  Turn 
Leader;  J.  Knauth,  2d  Turn  Leader;  R.  Nobel, 
Steward,  and  twenty-three  other  members.  In 
1859  the  society  erected  a  brick  building  on  the 
south  side  of  K  street,  between  Ninth  and 
Tenth,  52 .\  112  feet,  at  a  cost  of  $14,000.  This 
is  called  Turner  Hall,  and  is  so  planned  and 
furnished  as  to  afford  accommodations  for 
socials,  gymnastic  exhibitions,  etc.  The  follow- 
ing are  the  present  officers:  Fred.  Biewener, 
Pres.;  August  Mayer,  Rec.  Sec;  F.  Brensting, 
Cor.  Sec;  J.  Lang,  Treas.;  0.  Iser,  Collector; 
H.  Fisher,  1st  Turnfnaster;  E.  Belger,  2d  Turn- 
master;  R.  Mangold,  Property  Man;  P.  Fischer, 
Librarian;  Charles  Schmidt,  Trustee;  Oscar 
Hartig,  Turnwath. 

Benlow  Lod<je,  No.  229,  Sons  of  St.  George, 
was  organized  in  March,  1887,  to  take  the  place 
of  the  old  "  British  Mutual  Benefit  and  Social 
Society,"  that  went  down  about  six  months  pre- 
viously, and  which  had  been  organized  iu  1877. 
This  society  admits  into  its  membership  English- 
men and  the  st)ns  and  grandsons  of  English- 
men. The  present  membership  is  eighty- three, 
and  is  steadily  increasing.  They  have  about 
§600  in  their  treasury.  Officers:  T.  W.  L.  Ce 
cil,  P.  P.;  W.  H.  Wright,  P.;  Thomas  Harris, 
V.  P.;  Rupert  Miller,  Sec;  R.  S.  Foizey,  Treas.; 
J.  II.  Stocker,  M<.ss.;  William  Blackburn,  A.  S.; 
R.  P.  Webber,  A.  M.;  John  Skelton,  Chap.;  Ed. 
Griffitts,  I.  S.;  Tliomas- Swift,  O.  S.;  Trustees — 
James  Knowles,  N.  J.  Nathan,  James  Parsons. 

Victoria  Lodge,  No.  1,  Daughters  of  St. 
George,  is  flourishing.  Maggie  Wilson,  Pres.; 
Annie  Barrett,  Sec 

The  Caledonian  Association  of  Sacramento 
was  incorporated  in  November,  1888,  as  the 
successor  of  the  "  Robert  Burns  Scottish  Be- 
nevolent Association,"  which  had  beeti  organized 
in  November,  1871,  for  the  purpose  of  assisting 
natives  of  Scotland  who  may  be  in  need.    There 


are  now  nearly  ninety  members.  Stated  meet- 
ings the  third  Tuesday  of  each  month,  at  Pio- 
neer Hall.  The  present  society  admits  to  its 
care  native  Scotchmen  and  the  sons  and  grand- 
sons of  Scotclimen.  The  officers  are:  Dr.  A. 
M.  McCollum,  Chief;  W.  A.  Gctt,  Jr.,  1st 
Chieftain;  James  Stewart,  2d  Chieflain;  Will- 
iam Wardlaw,  3d  Chieftain;  J.  D.  Warrack,  4th 
Chieftain;  Directors — Tom  Scott,  John  Morri- 
son, Peter  Durno,  James  A.  Stewart  and  W.  E. 
Sims. 

Independent  Order  of  Good  Templars. — A 
multitude  of  organizations  liave  attempted,  at 
various  times,  to  unite  all  the  virtues  of  society 
as  a  barrier  against  the  spread  of  the  evils  of  in- 
temperance. Many  of  these,  after  a  short  period 
of  success,  have  failed  through  some  defect  in 
their  organization.  Still,  mankind  felt  the  need 
of  a  stronger  power  to  cope  with  the  evil,  and 
in  1851  the  order  of  Good  Templars  arose  in 
Central  New  York.  Profiting  by  the  errors  of 
the  past,  and  crystallizing  the  best  features  of 
former  organizations,  it  was  welcomed  for  its 
systematic  effort  and  thorough  discipline,  and 
thousands  fell  rapidly  into  its  ranks.  It  now 
exists  in  every  State  and  Territory  of  the  Union, 
and  has  crossed  the  seas  and  floats  its  banners 
throughout  Europe.  Its  membership  exceeds  a 
half  million. 

The  order  found  its  way  to  California  by  the 
organization  of  a  lodge  at  Santa  Cruz  on  tlie 
22d  of  February,  1855,  wliich  was  known  as 
Pacific  Lodge,  No.  1.  The  next  lodge  organized 
was  Siloam,  No.  2,  which  was  instituted  Sep- 
tember 16,  1856,  in  the  city  of  Sacramento, 
where  it  lias  met  weekly  and  uninterruptedly  ' 
since  the  date  mentioned. 

In  1860  a  sufficient  number  of  lodges  were 
in  existence  (ten)  to  permit  the  formation  of  a 
Grand  Lodge.  A  convention  was  called  to 
assemble  for  that  purpose,  in  the  city  of  Sacra- 
mento. May  20,  1860,  the  meeting  was  iield 
and  the  Grand  Lodge  of  California  was  then 
and  there  formally  instituted. 

From  the  organization  of  the  Grand  Lodge 
the  order  in  this  State  grew  apace.    The  central 


193 


BISTORT    OF    SACRAMENTO    COUNTY. 


office  and  headr|aarters  of  the  order  were  estab- 
lished at  Sacramento,  and  have  remained  here 
ever  since.  The  succeeding  ten  annual  sessions 
of  the  Grand  Lodge  were  also  held  in  Sacra- 
mento. The  official  organ  of  the  order,  the 
Resciie,  is  also  published  in  Sacramento,  George 
B.  Katzenstein,  Editor,  and  is  now  in  the  twenty- 
first  year  of  publication. 

The  twenty-ninth  annual  session  of  the  Grand 
Lodge,  L  O.  G.  T.,  was  held  October  2-5,  1888, 
at  Santa  Kosa,  when  the  membership  was  re- 
ported to  be,  in  this  State,  11,480,  contained  in 
230  subordinate  lodges.  The  officers  chosen 
were:  O.  C.  Wheeler,  D.  D.,  LL.  D.,  P.  G.  C. 
T.,  No.  1653  Grove  street,  Oakland;  Hon.  J. 
■M.  Walling,  G.  C.  T.,  Nevada  City;  Rev.  L.  C. 
Renfro,  G.  Counselor,  Modesto;  Miss  J.  S. 
Naismith,  G.  V.  T.,  Oakland;  George  B.  Kat- 
zenstein, Grand  Secretary,  No.  328  J  street, 
Sacramento;  Dr.  Isaac  S.  Halsey,  G.  Treasurer, 
Vallejo;  Julius  Lyons,  G.  A.  S.,  Los  Angeles; 
E.  Wood  Culver,  G.  Messenger,  Newcastle;  By- 
ron Seeber,  G.  Marshal,  Oakdale;  Mrs.  Susie 
Fowler,  G.  D.  M.,  Merced;  Rev.  E.  B.  Hatch, 
G.  Chaplain,  Salinas;  Mrs.  S.  J.  B.  Richardson, 
G.  Guard,  Woodland;  J.  C.  Smith,  G.  Sentinel, 
Kingsburg;  Mrs.  M.  E.  Richardson,  General  Su- 
perintendent Juvenile  Work,  East  Oakland. 

The  order  in  1869  erected  an  orphanage 
known  as  the  Good  Templars'  Home  for  Or- 
phans, which  stands  upon  an  eminence,  sur- 
rounded by  twenty  acres  of  land,  near  the  city 
of  Vallejo.  Over  $100,000  has  been  expended 
in  the  erection  and  support  of  this  institution, 
which  has  sheltered  and  cared  for  upward  of 
500  children  in  its  ten  years  of  history,  ranging 
from  infancy  to  the  age  of  fourteen  years.  The 
title  of  the  institution  is  not  meant  to  convey 
any  idea  of  exclusiveness,  but,  on  the  contrary, 
its  portals  are  open  to  all  orphan  children. 

There  are  two  subordinate  lodges  of  the  order 
in  the  city  of  Sacramento,  and  eight  in  the 
county  of  Sacramento. 

Silaam  Lodge  No.  2, 1.  0.  G.  Z— This  lodge 
meets  every  Monday  evening  in  Unity  Hall, 
Odd   Fellows'  Temple,   Ninth   street,   corner  of 


K.  It  was  organized  September  16,  1856,  and 
has  held  uninterrupted  weekly  meetings  since 
that  date. 

The  charter  members  were:  Edwin  II. 
Bishop,  J.  D.  Carlton,  A.  C.  Manning,  Philo 
L.  H.  Duston,  F.  King,  E.G.  Maguire,  George 
W.  Bohner,  George  AYaterson,  S.  B.  Eiwell, 
George  Wiseman,  Robert  Phillips,  S.  Rippon, 
W.  H.  Robinson,  Mrs.  Elvira  Baldwin,  Lizzie 
J.  Walton,  Esther  A.  Walton,  Sarah  C.  Walton, 
Anna  C.  Fountain,  Anna  E.  Roberts,  Caroline 
Robinson,  L.  C.  Guinand  and  Sarah  Sidgreaves. 
The  only  surviving  and  remaining  charter  mem- 
ber is  Mrs.  Elvira  Baldwin,  who  still  continues 
in  active  membership. 

The  present  officers  of  the  lodge,  installed 
November  1,  1888,  are:  Fred.  U.  Swift,  P.  C. 
T.;  D.  O.  Parmeter,  C.T.;  Kate  H.  Russell,  V. 
T.;  D.  A.  Davis,  Recording  Secretary;  L.  E. 
Vandercook,  Financial  Secretary;  George  B. 
Katzenstein,  Treasurer;  Rev.  H.  A.  Mayhew, 
Chaplain;  11.  A.  Parmeter,  M.;  Mrs.  Ida  M. 
Katzenstein,  D.  M.;  Mrs.  Estella  Rawles,  Guard; 
Albert  W.  Katzenstein,  Sentinel;  Mrs.  M.  J. 
Mayhew,  L.  D. 

Though  not  a  beneficial  institution,  it  has 
always  cared  for  its  sick  and  indigent  members, 
and  its  charitable  contributions  aggregate  thou- 
sands of  dollars. 

Siloam  Lodge  is  now  the  pioneer  and  oldest 
lodge  of  the  I.  O.  G.  T.  upon  the  Pacific  Coast, 
and,  indeed,  having  been  organized  early  in  the 
history  of  the  order,  it  may  be  said  there  are 
few  okier  lodges  of  the  order  in  existence  any- 
where. 

Capital  Lodge,  No.  51,  I.  0.  G.  T.—On  De- 
cember 12,  1861,  D.  S.  Cutter  organized  a  lodge 
of  Good  Templars,  which  was  called  Capital 
Lodge,  No.  51,  with  the  following  charter  mem- 
bers: W.  V.  Frazier,  D.  B.  Stewart,  T.  A.  Stew- 
art, G.  W.  Brentner,  Isaac  Bradwell,  William 
H.  Sharp,  S.  S.  Nichols,  C.  G.  Erwin,  C.  D. 
Smith  and  Thomas  Fallen;  Mesdames  E.  W. 
Frazier,  J.  H.  Stewart,  A.  M.  Pierce,  H.  C. 
Nichols  and  J.  M.  Erwin,  also  Misses  L.  Pierce 
and   A.  Coombs. 


HISTORY    OF    SACltAMENTO    COUNTY. 


Tliis  lodge  became  extinct  in  1876,  and,  on 
April  2,  1879,  an  entire  new  organization,  with 
a  new  charter  and  ditlereiit  iiieiiibers,  was 
formed,  which,  iiowevor,  assumed  the  same  name 
and  number. 

The  present  officers  are:  A.  M.  Aubertus,  C. 
T.;  Mrs.  M.  Brown,  V.  T.;  Charles  E.  Brown, 
Secretary;  Delia  Sullivan,  Financial  Secretary; 
C.  JB.  Huntoon,  Treasurer;  Mrs.  L.  Howe,  Chap- 
lain; Mrs.  C.  P.  Huntoon,  L.  D. 

/.  0.  G.  T.  Bands  of  IIoj)e.— Besides  the 
foregoing,  there  are  juvenile  organizations  under 
the  fostering  care  and  patronage  of  the  I.  O.  G. 
T.,  which  are  known  as  "  Bands  of  Hope."  Of 
tiiese  there  are  in  the  State  over  250  brandies 
or  bauds,  with  an  enrolled  membership  of  over 
17,000,  Mrs.  M.  E.  Iliciiardson,  No.  1035  Ches- 
ter street,  Oakland,  being  General  Superintend- 
ent of  all.  In  Sacramento  City  there  are  three 
bands — Sacramento,  No.  56,  Mrs.  F.  E.  Stinson, 
No.  902  N  street,  Superintendent;  Capital,  No. 
91,  Mrs.  H.  M.  Smith,  No.  1317  Seventh  street. 
Superintendent;  and  California,  No.  163,  M.  W. 
Sullivan,  No.  1330  F  street,  Superintendent. 

Several  divisions  of  the  Sons  of  Temperance 
and  a  Father  Mathew  Total  Abstinence  and 
Benevolent  Society  flourished  here  for  a  number 
of  years,  but  they  have  been  absorbed  by  other 
temperance  organizations. 

Sumner  Pvst,  JS^o.  3,  G.  A.  12.,  was  organized 
May  26,  1S67,  witii  tlie  following  first  officers 
and  charter  members:  W.  L.  Campbell,  C;  W. 
C.  Guirey,  J.  V.  C;  and  J.  F.  Sheehan,  Adju- 
tant. Other  charter  members:  D.  A.  DeMerrett, 
E.  Ingram,  E.  S.  Granger,  T.  J.  Blakeney,  W. 
L.  Ustick,  S.  H.  Robinson,  George  Lyons, 
Tliomas  Anderson,  J.  J.  Cropping,  J.  V.  Gil- 
bert, George  Gillpatrick,  R.  H.  Harris,  W.  E. 
Cliesfey,  A.  D.  Hawley,  W.  H.  Gardner,  E.  D. 
Shirland,  Porter  Hayden,  S.  T.  Witiiam,  II.  L. 
Street  and  Horace  Welch.  The  present  officers 
are:  J.  W.  Reeves,  P.  C;  C.  H.  Steplienson,  S. 
V.  C;  G.  W.  Railton,  J.  V.  C;  J.  R.  Laine, 
Surg.;  H.  Bennett,  Q.  M.;  A.  T.  Needham, 
Chap.;  J.  C.  Medley,  O.  D.;  R.  S.  Frazee,  O. 
G.;  W.  W.  Coons,  Adj.     Council  of  Adminis- 


tration—C.  H.  Stephenson,  G.  W.  Railton,  J. 
C.  Medley.  Stated  meetings,  the  first  and  third 
Thursdays  of  each  month,  at  Grangers'  Hall. 
The  membership  now  numbers  130  in  good 
standing. 

Wa>-ren  Post,  JVo.  54.,  G.  A.  R.,  has  about 
twenty-three  members  in  good  standing,  and 
financially  is  strong.  It  meets  the  second  and 
fourth  Thursdays  of  every  month,  at  Grangers' 
Hall.  Officers:  L.  AY.  Groghan,  P.  C;  John 
W.  Jackson,  S.  V.  C;  Francis  Ritchie,  J.  V. 
C;  William  Madden,  Surgeon ;  George  W.  Herr, 
Q.  M.;  S.  O.  Hulbcrt,  O.  D.;  E.  D.  Miller,  O. 
G. ;  John  Williams,  Chap. 

Veterans  of  the  Mexican  War. — This  society 
was  organized  at  the  Orleans  House,  in  Sacra- 
mento City,  on  June  5,  1876.  A  committee 
on  by-laws  was  appointed,  and,  on  the  13tli  of 
the  same  month,  the  by-laws  were  reported  and 
adopted.  On  the  same  evening  the  association 
elected  as  officers,  for  one  year,  John  Domingos, 
Pres.;  Fred.  Chamberjin,  Y.  P.;  Peter  Mc- 
Graw,  Treas.;  Joseph  Sims,  Sec.  The  present 
officers  and  members  are:  E.  D.  Shirland,  Pres.; 
J.  S.  Cook,  V.  P.;  John  Domingos,  Sec.  and 
Treas.;  Peter  McGraw,  Marshal;  G.  J.  Cross, 
Color  Bearer;  A.  R.  Abbott,  W.  L.  Crane,  J. 
N.  Fuller,  John  Maguire,  J.  W.  S.  Hamilton, 
R.  B.  Hall,  N.  Hawk,  F.  Holzhauer,  J.  Hanson, 
John  Jacobs,  J.  Kelley,  Charles  Miller,  Antoin 
Mink,  L.  Preston,  Wm.  M.  Siddons,  V.  Shane, 
H.  Wittenbrock,  A.  Whitaker,  C.  A.  Parson 
and  P.  Keough. 

Fair  Oaks  Post,  Xo.  120,  G.  A.  It.,  was  or- 
ganized in  May,  18S6.  There  are  at  j>resent 
thirty-one  members,  and  the  officers  are:  H.  P. 
Winchell,  P.  C;  J.  Ilandlin,  S.  V.  C;  J.  H. 
Cooley,  J.  V.  C;  J.  McMnrray,  Chap.;  J.  J. 
Trarbach,  Treas.;  W.  H.  Ennis,  Adj.;  W.  II. 
Richards,  O.  D.;  George  G.  Voglegesang.  O. 
G.  Stated  meetings,  the  second  and  fourth 
Tuesdays  of  each  month,  at  Y.  M.  I.  Hall. 

Sumner  Relief  Corps,  JVo.  11,  organized  in 
March,  1884,  meets  the  first  and  third  Thurs- 
day evenings,  also  the  second  and  fourth  Thurs- 
day   afternoons,  of  each    month,   at   Grangers' 


HISTORY    OF    SAORAJHENTO    COUNTY. 


Hall.  The  present  officers  are:  M.  Alice  Ste- 
phenson, Pres.;  Lucretia  Olney,  S.  V.  P.;  Jennie 
Bell,  J.  V.  P.;  Miss  Carrie  G.  Hancock,  Sec; 
Eachel  Adams,  Cor.  Sec;  Margaret  Keller, 
Treas. ;  Mary  Flemming,  Cond.;  Louise  Gouet, 
Ass'tCond.;  Kate  Mills,  Guard;  Maria  Hussey, 
Ass't  Guard.  There  are  eighty-four  members. 
Fah-  Oaks  Belief  Corjps,  No.  13,  was  estab- 
lished in  May,  1884,  and  has  about  125  mem- 
bers, who  meet  every  Tuesday  in  Grangers' 
Hall.  Officers:  Mrs.  Florence  Miller,  Pres.; 
Mrs.  Inez  Picks,  S.  V.  P.;  Mrs.  Cunningham, 
J.  V.  P.;  Mrs.  Yoglegesang,  Chap.;  Mrs.  Emma 
Bidwell,  Sec;  Miss  Manning,  Treas.;  Miss 
Ella  Tubbs,  Cond.;  Mr.  Teal,  Ass't  Cond.; 
Mrs.  Bums,  Guard. 

Clara  Barton  Circle,  No.  11,  Ladies  of  the 
G.  A.  B.,  was  organized  May  26,  1886,  with 
about  twenty-three  members;  there  are  thirty- 
three  at  present.     Officers:  Mrs.  C.  E.  Shirland, 

Pres.;    Mrs. ,  S.  V.  P.;  Mrs.  Hannah 

Lindler,  J.  V.  P.;  Mrs.  Caroline  Vaughan, 
Treas.;  Mrs.  Belle  Herr,  Sec;  Mrs.  Leland 
Howe,  Cond.;  Mrs.  Anna  Paulk,  Chap.;  Mrs. 
Eliza  Grothen,  Guard.  Regular  meetings,  the 
second  and  fourth  Thursdays  of  the  month,  at 
Grangers'  Hall. 

Governor  Leland  Stanford  (Jump,  No.  11,  S. 
of  v.,  was  organized  July  11,  1887,  with  eight- 
een members;  at  present  there  are  thirty-eight 
members.  Among  the  first  officers,  P.  H.  Dodge 
was  Captain;  Wm.  Kellogg,  1st  Lieut.;  and 
AVm.  H.  Larkin,  2d  Lieut.  The  present  officers, 
elected  December  10, 1888,  are:  Wm.  H.  Larkin, 
Capt.;  Fred.  Van  Horn,  1st  Lieut.;  George 
Burnett,  2d  Lieut.;  P.  H.  Dodge,  J.  L.  Robi- 
nette  and  Wm.  Matlock,  Camp  Council.  The 
members  are  uniformed.  Regular  meetings,  the 
second  and  fourth  Mondays  of  each  month,  in 
Exempt  Firemen's  Hall. 

Native  Sons  of  the  Golden  West. — This  order 
was  originated  in  San  Francisco,  in  1875,  by 
General  A.  M.  Winn,  who  had  thought,  while 
acting  as  marshal  of  a  procession  on  the  4th  of 
July,  1869,  that  it  would  be  an  interesting  part 
of  the  procession  to  have  an  e.xliibition  of  young 


Californians.  The  idea  was  what  the  times  de- 
manded, as  the  rapid  growth  of  the  order  proved 
soon  after  its  establishment.  It  soon  became 
an  important  fraternal  and  beneficial  society. 
The  name  "parlor"  for  eacl)  local  organization 
indicates  its  social  and  refined  character.  They 
celebrate  the  anniversary  of  the  admission  of 
California  into  the  Union.  General  Winn  was 
the  first  mayor  of  Sacramento,  and  his  remains 
were  buried  in  the  Sacramento  City  Cemetery, 
where  on  Thanksgiving  Day,  1887,  a  monument 
to  his  memory  was  unveiled. 

Sacramento  Parlor  No.  3,  N.  S.  G.  W.,  was 
organized  March  22,  1878,  with  the  following 
first  officers  and  charter  members:  Benjamin 
O'Niel,  Pres.;  John  C.  Luce,  1st.  V.  P.;  Ed- 
ward B.  Carson,  2d  V.  P.;  James  P.  McGinnis, 
3d  V.  P.;  Edward  R.  Knox,R.  S.;  William  Ri- 
der, F.  S.;  Clarence  E.  Parker,  Treas.;  David 
M.  Maddux,  Marshal;  Henry  Steiumiller, 
Thomas  W.  O'Niel  and  Martin  Coffey,  Executive 
Committee.  Other  charter  members:  H.  C. 
Chipman,  Joseph  Maddux,  George  Steinmiller, 
Thomas  O'Brien,  William  O'Brien,  Joseph  J. 
Maguire,  Fred.  Kidder,  George  Adams  and  John 
Feeney.  There  are  now  120  menjbers,  and  the 
officers  are:  W.  A.  Gett,  P.  Pres  ;  Charles  A. 
Root,  Pres.;  Charles  Meir,  1st  V.  P.;  J.  M. 
Henderson,  Jr.,  2d  V.  P. ;  James  P.  Leonard, 
3d  Y.  P.;  Ed.  H.  Kraus,  Fin.  Sec;  John  F. 
Bronner,  Rec.  Sec;  Henry  Nichoiaus,  Jr., 
Marshal;  T.  G.  Filers,  Treas.;  W.  A.  Briggs, 
Surgeon;  W.  B.  Kurz,  O.  S.;  J.  B.  Grammell, 
I.  S.  The  parlor  meets  every  Friday  evening, 
at  Grangers'  Hall. 

Sunset  Parlor,  No.  26,  N.  S.  G.  W.,  was  in- 
stituted January  24,  1884,  with  forty  members. 
The  memliership  is  now  eighty-one,  and  the 
officers  are:  C.  E.  Giunsky,  Past  President;  A. 
G.  Folger,  Pres. ;  J.  Breuner,  Jr.,  1st  Y.  P. ;  W. 
C.  Reith,  2d  Y.  P.;  F.  A.  Cramblitt,  3d  Y.  P.; 
J.  A.  Rutherford,  Rec.  Sec;  George  B.  Cosby, 
Jr.,  Fin.  Sec;  F.  E.  Ray,  Treas.;  Yictor  Hart- 
ley, Marshall;  W.  W.  Marvin,  C.  H.  Oatmaii, 
W.  W.  Cassett,  Trustees.  Meetings,  evory  Sat- 
urday, at  Pioneer  Hall. 


IIISrOHY    OF    SAVllAMENTO    COUNTY. 


California  Parlor,  No.  22,  JSf.  D.  G.  TF.,  was 
organized  in  November,  1887,  witli  109  mem- 
bers; there  are  now  (January,  1889,)  about  100 
members.  Following  are  the  officers:  Mrs. 
Mattie  K.  Grunsky,  Past  President;  Mrs.  Mary 
Breckenfeldt,  Pres. ;  Mrs.  Frankie  Greer,  1st  V. 
P.;  Miss  Regina  Hassett,  2d  V.  P.;  Miss  Mc- 
Cleary,  3d  V.  P.;  Miss  Nettie  K.  Leake,  Fin. 
Sec;  Miss  Mollie  B.  Johnson,  Rec.  Sec;  Miss 
Mana  Drake,  Marshal. 

Etham  Lodge,  No.  37,  I.  O.  B.  B.,  was  in- 
stituted June  23,  1859,  by  R.  W.  Grand  Lodge 
Deputy  Jacob  Vogelsdorff,  with  the  following 
officers:  Joseph  Davis,  Pres.;  J.  Greenbaum, 
V.  P.;  M.  Waterman,  S.;  Louis  Gerstle,  F.  S.; 
M.  Marks,  T.;  Z.  Newstadt,  M.;  A.  Bamber- 
ger, A.  M.;  S.  A.  Levy,  W.;  C.  Klapstock,  G. 
The  first  organization  of  the  "  Hebrew  Benevo- 
lent Association  "  was  in  December,  1851,  which 
was  incorporated  February  10,  1854.  There 
are  at  present  122  members.  Stated  meetings, 
every  Thursday,  at  Unity  Hall,  in  the  Odd  Fel- 
lows' Building.  Officers  this  year:  R.  Stein- 
man,  Pres.;  S.  Sinay,  V.  P.;  S.  Dombrower, 
Rec.  Sec;  L.  Salomon,  Fin.  Sec;  L.  B.  Buck, 
Treas.;  B.  Wilson,  Monitor;  M.  Hirsch,  Assist- 
ant Monitor;  I.  Lesser,  Inside  Guard;  M.  Wil- 
son, Outside  Guard.     In  treasury,  $8,000. 

Sacramento  Grange,  No.  12,  P.  of  II,,  was 
organized  December  4,  1867,  with  the  following 
charter  members  and  officers:  W.  S.  Manlove, 
Worthy  Master;  I.  N.  Hoag,  W.  Overseer;  E. 
F.Aiken,  W.  Lecturer;  J.  Holland,  Steward; 
G.  F.  Rich,  A.  Steward;  R.  Williamson,  Chap.; 
A.  S.  Greenlaw,  Treas.;  Wm.  Haynie,  Sec;  R. 
S.  Lockett,  G.  K.;  Mrs.  W.  S.  Manlove,  Ceres; 
Mrs.  I.  N.  Hoag,  Pomona;  Mrs.  E.  F.  Aiken, 
Flora;  Mrs.  J.  Holland,  Lady  Assistiit  Stew 
ard.  Other  charter  members:  Amos  Adams 
and  wife,  T.  K.  Stewart,  William  Kendall  and 
A.  P.  Smith.  There  are  at  present  148  mem- 
bers, and  the  officers  are:  Joseph  Sims,  Mas- 
ter; M.  L.  Rich,  Overseer;  M.  McMullen,  Lect- 
urer; M.  Sprague,  Steward;  W.  W.  Greer, 
Ass't  Steward;  W.  Davenport,  Chaplain;  John 
Reith,   Treas.;  Alice    Greenlaw,    Sec;   II.    M. 


Sims,  Lady  Ass't  Steward;  Mrs.  Joseph  Sims, 
Ceres;  Sophie Christman,  Pomona;  Kate  Aiken, 
Flora;  Lulu  Rich,  Organist.  Regular  meet- 
ings, the  second  and  tourtli  Saturdays  of  each 
month,  at  Grangers'   Hall. 

Howard  Benevolent   Association  of  Sacra- 
mento.— Of  all  the  organizations  formed  in  Sac- 
ramento for  benevolent  or  charitable  purposes, 
none  has  been  more  purely  unselfish,  more  really 
effectual,  or  more  worthy  of  commendation  and 
public  patronage  than  the  Howard    Benevolent 
Association.      Its    history,  covering,  as  it  does, 
some  thirty-two  or  three  years,  would  fill  a  vol- 
ume with  the  record  of  noble  deeds  done  in  the 
name  of  humanity,  and  for  no  other  recompense 
than  the  consciousness  of  having  alleviated  pain 
and  given  succor  to  the  unfortunate.     Tlie  first 
meeting  looking   toward  this   orgitiization   was 
held  as  early  as    December   21,  1857,  when    N. 
A.  H.  Ball  led  otf  in  this   purely  philanthropic 
enterprise.     The    officers    elected    for  tlie   first 
year   were:     George    W.    Mowe,    Pres.;   L.  A. 
Booth,  James  P.  Robinson,  John  McNiell,  R. 
A.  Pearis,  James  E.  Perkins  and  N.  A.  li.  Ball 
were    elected    Directors;  James    M.    Kennedy, 
Sec;  and  John  S.  Bien,  Treas.     The  income  of 
the  society  is  derived   from    membership   fees, 
voluntary  contributions,  donations    by  the  Leg- 
islature, and  miscellaneous  sources.     No  officer 
of  the  association,  of  course,  receives  any    sal- 
ary, except  the  Steward,  who  has  to  be  the  prac- 
tical disburser  at  the  depot,  from   10  a.    m.  to   2 
p.  M.  every  Tuesday  and  Friday.     The  depot  is 
on  the  east  side  of   Seventh    street,  first  door 
north    of  L.     They    average    a    distribution   of 
about  $4,000  per  year,  relieving  about  130  in- 
dividuals per  month.     The   Board  of  Directors, 
elected  by  the  thirty  active  members,  meet  once 
a  month  and  canvass  the  applications  for  relief. 
The  officers  this  year  are:  Richard  Dale,  Pres.; 
A.  Abbott,  Treas.;  A.  S.   Hopkins,  Sec;  John 
C.   Medley,  Steward;  John  McNiell,  P.  II.  Rus- 
sell, G.  W.  Ch-jsley,  P.  E.  Piatt,  W.  H.  Bjatty 
and  C.  H.  Hubbard,  Directors. 

Catholic   Lv  lies'  Relief  Societij,   No.    1. — • 
Emma  Hughes,    Pres.;   Louise  J.  Conrad,  Sec. 


HISTORY    OF    SACRAMENTO    COUNTY. 


Sacramento  Society  for  Medical  Im/prove- 
ment. — This  society  was  organized  March  17, 
1868,  and  incorporated  June  29,  1878.  The 
first  officers  and  members  were:  F.  W.  Hatch, 
M.  D.,  Pres.;  G.  L.  Simmons,  M.  D.,  Sec; 
Drs.  W.  E.  Cluness.  I.  E.  Oatman,  J.  M.  Frey, 
H.  W.  Harkness,  T.  M.  Logan,  J.  F.  Mont- 
gomery, A.  B.  Nixon,  G.  J.  PLelaii,  G.  G.  Tyr- 
rell,   Hofl'iuan  and  H.  L.  Nichols.  The  ob- 
ject of  the  society,  as  its  name  indicates,  is  "the 
promotion  of  medical  science  and  of  good  feeling 
among  practitioners  of  medicine  and  surgery." 

The  present  officers  are:  Dr.  J.  R.  Laine,  Pres.; 
Dr.  F.  L.  Atkinson,  Sec.  and  Treas.  Meetings 
are  held  at  the  offices  of  the  city  members,  alter- 
nately, on  the  third  Tuesday  of  each  month. 

The  number  of  members  at  present  is  twenty- 
two,  namely:  F.  L.  Atkinson,  W.  H.  Baldwin, 
W.  EUery  Briggs,  W.  A.  Briggs,  A.  E.  Brune, 
W.  R.  Cluness,  T.  W.  Huntington,  J.  R.  Laine, 
M.  J.  Magill,  Z.  T.  Magill,  James  PL  Parkinson, 
G.  C.  Simmons,  G.  L.  Simmons,  F.  B.  Sutliif, 
T.  A.  Snider,  C.  B.  Nichols,  H.  L.  Nichols,  G. 
G.  Tyrrell,  W.  F.  Wiard,  G.  A.  White,  J.  A. 
McKee,  H.  Voeller. 

The  past  members  who  have  died,  moved 
away  or  withdrawn  are:  Thomas  M.  Logan, 
Joseph  T.  Montgomery,  F.  W.  Hatch,  A.  B. 
Nixon,  Gregory  J.  Phelan,  Edward  R.  Taylor, 
Joseph  M.  Frey,  PI.  W.  Plarkness,  Samuel  W. 
Blackwood,  Augiistus  Trofton,  Charles  S.  Has- 
well,  S.  P.  Thomas,  E.  L.  Poorman,  W.  T. 
Wythe,  Joseph  PI.  Wythe,  H.  W.  Nelson,  Alvis 
Graeltinger,  J.  IP.  Urich,  F.  M.  Curtis,  Na- 
thaniel Williams,  J.  W.  B.  Reynolds,  E.  B. 
Harris,  C.  H.  Fisher,  Lucius  McGuire,  F.  W. 
Hatch,  Jr.,  S.  A.  Deuel,  M.  Gardner,  G.  W. 
Davis,  S.  D.  Ploward,  A.  PI.  Snider,  E.  R.  Mer- 
rill, W.  F.  Finnie,  A.  B.  McKee,  Thomas  01m- 
stead,  Ira  E.  Oatman. 

Altho.igh  not  composing  a  society,  we  may 
make  a  brief  mention  of  the  physicians  of  the 
"  schools,"  as  they  are  some  times  termed. 

The  present  homeopathic  practitioners  are 
George  Pyburn,  Charles  E.  Pinkham,  W.  A. 
Hughson,  George  M.  Dixon,  Elliot  D.  Curtis, 


George  Dart,  H.  C.  Jessen  and  Charles  H. 
Powers.  Of  these.  Dr.  Hughson  has  been  in 
Sacramento  since  1873,  thus  being  a  resident 
here  a  greater  length  of  time  than  any  of  the 
others.  His  predecessor  was  H.  H.  Ingerson, 
who  practiced  here  1862-'73,  and  located  in 
San  Francisco,  where  he  died  about  1881.  J. 
K.  Clark  was  here  for  a  time,  and  also  removed 
to  San  Francisco,  where  he  died.  Drs.  Pyburn 
and  Dixon  have  been  county  physicians,  and 
when  Jabez  Turner  was  mayor  the  homeopa- 
thists  constituted  the  controlling  element  in  the 
City  Board  of  Plealth. 

The  eclectic  physicians  now  practicing  in 
Sacramento  City  (none  in  the  county  outside  of 
the  city)  are:  M.  F.  Clayton  (ever  since  1858),  B. 
¥.  Pendery,  C.  Mealand  and  F.  G.  Fay.  N.  S. 
Pendery  came  here  with  his  brother,  just  men- 
tioned, about  1874,  but  after  a  time  returned 
East  and  has  since  died.  Dr.  Summers  prac- 
ticed in  Sacramento  for  a  while,  removed  to 
Walnut  Grove  and  was  killed  there.  C.  P.  V. 
Watson,  here  for  a  period,  is  now  practicing  in 
the  southern  part  of' the  State.  Dr.  Huntsinger, 
here  in  1870-'71,  returned  to  Michigan.  Dr. 
Wheeler  was  still  another  physician  of  this 
school  who  was  located  here  for  a  time;  and 
there  have  been  several  others. 

Dr.  Joshua  A.  Burns,  hydropathist,  conducted 
for  a  number  of  years  the  Water  Cure  now 
owned  by  Dr.  Clayton,  sold  it  to  him,  and  in 
1876  removed  to  Sonoma  County. 

A  number  of  other  independent  or  "irregu- 
lar" physicians  are  practicing  the  profession  in 
Sacramento.  Those  not  mentioned  in  the  fore- 
going lists  are :  G.  B.  Clow,  George  Dart,  G.  Y.  and 
Elizabeth  Ewing,  J.  C.  P'ord,  Kelsay  &  Swanson, 
Mrs.  A.  V.  Lower,  J.  H.  Shirley  and  T.  A.  Suider. 

Young  3Ie)is  Christian  Association. — This 
association  was  organized  October  3,  1866,  by 
the  election  of  the  following  officers:  N.  N. 
Denton,  Pres.;  H.  B.  Eddy,  Sec.,  and  M.  L. 
Templeton,  Treas.  Twenty-six  names  were  en- 
rolled at  that  time,  and  $212  contributed. 

At  a  subsequent  meeting,  held  in  the  Con- 
gregational Church,  October  22,  1866,  the  per- 


HISTORY    OF    SACRAMENTO    COUNTY. 


inanent  organization  was  completed.  Besides 
the  officers  named  above  (who  retained  their 
positions),  the  following  gentlemen  were  elected: 
Sparrow  Smith,  Cor.  Sec;  George  Wick,  Libra- 
rian; H.  W.  Earl,  Registrar;  G.  W.Brnff,  Seth 
Babson,  A.  Aitken,  J.  M.  Ripley,  G.  W.  Bonner, 
Board  of  Managers;  and  the  following  were 
made  Vice-Presidents:  Frank  Miller  (Congre- 
gational Church),  G.  R.  P^orshee  (Sixth  Street 
Methodist  Episcopal  Church),  A.  Aitken  (Pres- 
byterian Chnrch),  C.  Emery  (Baptist  Church), 
and  Henry  Garrett  (Christian  Church). 

The  association  died  in  1877  or  1878,  and 
shortly  afterward  revived.  It  is  now  a  very 
strong  and  influential  societj',  having  on  an 
average  about  200  members.  They  have  occu- 
])ied  their  present  neat  and  commodious  rooms 
on  the  lirst  floor,  west  side  of  Sixth  street,  be- 
tween K  and  L,  near  the  Sixth  Street  Methodist 
Episcopal  Church,  since  January,  1885.  Previ- 
ous to  that  date  they  were  in  the  St.  George 
Building  two  years,  and  prior  to  that  at  309  J 
street;  but  they  have  recently  purchased  a  fine 
business  lot,  526  K  street,  for  810,000,  which  is 
only  two-thirds  its  real  value,  whereon  they  are 
erecting  this  year  a  splendid  business  block,  and 
in  this  most  convenient  place  they  will  hereafter 
have  their  lieadijnarters.  The  estimated  cost  of 
this  building  is  835,000,  and  the  furnishing 
will  cost  §5,000. 

The  present  officers  are:  Directors — C.  M. 
Campbell,  C.  A.  Maydwell,  W.  S.  Bassett, 
George  O.  Hayford,  Chauncey  H.  Dunn,  C.  A. 
Beasley,  W.  C.  McNeely,  Benjamin  L.  Edwards, 
Walter  Wylie  and  Alexander  Ingram;  C.  M. 
Campbell,  Pres.;  W.  S.  Bassett,  V.  P.;  Walter 
Wylie,  Clerk;  C.  A.  Maydwell,  Treas.;  C.  H. 
Dunn,  Auditor;  A.  C.  Lovekin,  Gen.  Sec.  The 
other  Presidents  have  been:  R.  H.  Hart  and  C. 
E.  Parker.  The  first  paid  Secretary  was  S.  D. 
Fuller,  tiien  Moore  Hesketh,  F.  Z.  Wilcox,  A. 
C.  Lovekin. 

Bath-room,  gymnastic  apparatus,  books,  news- 
papers, magazines,  appliances  for  parlor  plays, 
lectures,  etc.,  are  furnished  by  this  philanthropic 
society. 


Young  Mens  Institute^  Branch  JVo.  11,  was 
one  of  the  first  institutes  to  organize  in  the 
State,  and  that  event  occurred  on  the  evening  of 
August  8,  1885,  in  old  St.  Rose's  Hall,  which 
lias  since  been  torn  down  to  make  way  for  tlie 
new  Governmetit  building.  There  were  fifty 
charter  members,  and  it  was  not  long  before  the 
membership  increased  to  100.  The  Institute  at 
present  numbers  145,  and  is  still  increasing. 
Much  money  has  been  expended  in  benefits  to 
sick  and  disabled  members. 

The  first  officers  were:  D.  J.  Long,  Pres.; 
R.  E.  Murray,  1st  V.  P.;  Joseph  McGuire,  3d 
V.  P.;  T.  T.  Wiseman,  Rec.  Sec;  M.  J.  O'Reilly, 
Cor.  Sec;  Benjamin  Neary,  Fin.  Sec;  James 
O'Reilly,  Treas.;  J.Genshlea,  Marshal;  Execu- 
tive Committee — J.  McBride,  A.  E.  Coolot,  J. 
J.  Hefi^ernan,  C.  Trainor  and  J.  McGinnis.  The 
present  officers  are:  M.  J.  Burke,  Past  Pres.; 
J.  G.  Genshlea,  Pres.;  M.  Nelis,  1st  V.  P.; 
James  Longshore,  Jr.,  2d  V.  P.;  D.  McLaugh- 
lin, Rec  Sec;  W.  F.  Gormley,  Fin.  Sec;  T.  J. 
Pennish,  Treas.;  W.  E.  Kent,  Marshal. 

This  society  is  organized  for  intellectual  im- 
provement, social  enjoj'ment  and  the  main- 
tenance of  a  beneficiary  fund,  giving  $7  a  week 
in  cases  of  sickness,  and  $500  to  the  legatee  in 
case  of  death.  Regular  meetings  are  held  at 
the  Y.  M.  I.  Hall,  east  side  of  Seventh  street, 
between  K  and  L,  the  first  and  third  Thursdays 
of  each  month. 

Branch  No.  27,  Y  M.  I.,  was  organized  in 
the  Y.  M.  I.  Hall,  on  Sunday,  May  7,  1886. 
Thirty-one  charter  members  were  enrolled.  To- 
day the  membership  numbers  115,  and  is  stead- 
ily increasing.  It  prides  itself,  as  Branch  No. 
11  does,  in  having  as  members  some  of  the  beat 
and  most  prominent  young  men  in  the  city. 
The  first  officers  were  as  follows:  T.  W.  O'Neil, 
Pres.;  J.  F.  Doody,  1st  V.  P.;  E.  P.  Byrne, 
2d  V.  P.;  A.  S.  Cohen,  Rec  Sec;  R.  E  Mont- 
gomery, Fin.  Sec;  J.  L.  Ryan,  Cor.  Sec;  J. 
Miller,  Treas.;  F.  F.  Mai-tin,  Marshal;  Execu- 
tive Committee— James  C.  Kelly,  J.  T.  McNifl!", 
W.  Scanlan,  Charles  Farran,  J.  Fitzgerald.  The 
present  officers  are:    J.  F.  Doody,  Pres.;  J.  F. 


HISTORY    OF    SACRAMENTO    COUNTY. 


McQueenej,  1st  V.  P.;  Adolph  Kaufman,  2d 
V.  P.;  W.  E.  Connolly,  Kec.  Sec;  E.  Kraus, 
Fin.  Sec;  Thomas  Carolan,  Cor.  Sec;  John 
Miller,  Treas.;  Frank  Gall igan,  Marshal.  The 
Institute  meets  every  Tuesday  evening  at  Fire- 
men's Hall. 

Toimg  L'lrli.es'  Institute,  JS'o.  17,  has  the  fol- 
lowing offiuers:  Josie  J.  Regan,  Pres.;  Mrs.  J. 
AV.  Willem,  1st  V.  P.;  Miss  Lizzie  O'Brien,  2d 
V.  P.;  Miss  Miinie  Whyte,  Fin.  Sec;  Mrs.  M. 
A.  Nagle,  Cor.  Sec ;  Miss  Nellie  Boy  Ian,  Treas. ; 
Miss  Mollie  Brown,  Marshal;  Miss  Ida  Des- 
mond, Sentinel;  James  Parkinson,  Physician. 

Pro  Culto  Literary  and  Social  C^i<5,  limited 
to  a  membership  of  lifty,  has  at  present  forty- 
live  members,  who  meet  on  alternate  Fridays  at 
Y.  M.  I.  Hall.  Officers:  Warren  Floberg, 
Pres.;  William  Kellogg,  1st  V.  P.;  Ralph 
Lowry,  2d  V.  P.;  George  Clark,  Sec;  William 
Larkin,  Fin.  Sec;  Charles  Richardson,  Marshal. 
The  club  was  organized  April  26,  1887. 

Vincent  Circle,  C.  L.  S.  C,  was  started 
about  six  or  eight  years  ago,  and  grew  to  such 
an  extent  that  in  1884  a  division  was  made,  as 
noticed  below.  Officers  this  year:  M.  K.  Bar- 
rett, Pres.;  George  Hesser,  V.  P.;  Miss  Mollie 
Johnson,  Sec;  Miss  Anderson,  Treas.  There 
are  now  about  fifteen  pursuing  the  course. 
Many  have  graduated. 

Westminster  Circle,  C.  L.  S.  C,  was  organ- 
ized in  1884,  by  members  from  the  older  society 
just  noticed,  and  have  at  present  a  membership 
of  about  thirty-five  S.  G.  Smith,  Pres.;  Mrs. 
C.  N.  Post,  Sec;   Mrs.  J.  L.  Chadderdon,  Treas. 

The  Sacramento  Scientific  Association  and 
the  Ladies'  Museum  Association  are  connected 
with  the  Crocker  Art  Gallery. 

The  Sacramento  Society  of  California  Pio- 
neers.— In  pursuance  of  a  previous  notice,  about 
seventy  persons  met  at  Jones's  Hotel,  on  J  street, 
between  I^'ront  and  Second  streets,  on  Wednes- 
day evening,  January  25,  1854,  for  the  purpose 
of  organizing  a  Pioneer  Association  in  Sacra- 
mento. Jos.  W.  Winans  was  Chairman,  and 
Samuel  Colville,  Secretary  of  the  meeting.  A 
committee,  consisting  of  R.  P.  Johnson,  Samuel 


Colville,  J.  W.  Winans,  and  R.  M.  Folger,  was 
selected,  who,  on  the  27th  of  the  same  month, 
reported  a  constitution,  which  was  adopted,  and, 
with  some  alterations,  is  the  one  by  which  the 
association  is  now  governed.  On  the  31st  of 
the  same  month  it  was  decided  that  all  who 
came  to  the  State  prior  to  1852  should  be  eligi- 
ble to  membership,  and,  having  signed  the  con- 
stitution, should  have  the  right  to  assist  in  the 
election  of  officers.  The  original  intention  was 
to  limit  the  membership  to  those  who  had  come 
to  California  previous  to  1850.  On  the  3d  of 
February,  1854,  the  association  met  for  the 
election  of  officers,  to  serve  until  September  9, 
1854.  The  following  persons  were  elected: 
Joseph  W.  Winans,  Pres.;  J.  B.  Starr,  J.  N. 
Nevett,  D.  J.  Lisle,  Richard  Rust,  J.  B.  Mitch- 
ell and  William  M.  Carpenter,  V.  P's.;  Samuel 
Colville,  Rec  Sec;  N.  A.  H.  Ball,  Cor.  Sec; 
B.  F.  Hastings,  Treas.;  H.  E.  Robinson,  Volney 
Spalding,  C.  C.  Sackett,  R.  P.  Johnson,  W.  C. 
Waters,  James  Haworth,  and  George  Rowland, 
Directors. 

The  following  is  a  complete  list  of  the  Presi- 
dents of  the  society  and  dates  of  their  terms  of 
service,  respectively:  Joseph  W.  Winans,  1854 
-'56;  A.  C.  Monson,  1856-'57;  John  F.  Morse, 
1857-'58-'59;  James  Queen,  1859-'60;  A.  C. 
Monson,  1860-'61;  John  H.  Carroll,  1861-'62; 
N.  L.  Drew,  l862-'68;  Gregory  J.  Phelan, 
1863-'64;  R.  H.  McDonald,  1864-'65;  Justin 
Gates,  1865-'66;  William  F.  Knox,  1866-67; 
Isaac  N.  Hoag,  1867-'68;  James  McClatcliy, 
1868-'69-'70 ;  Charles  N.  Ross,  1870-'71  ; 
Isaac  Lohman,  1871-'72;  Albert  Leonard,  1872 
-'73;  Edward  F.  vViken,  1873-'74;  Asa  P.  An- 
drews, 1874-'75;  G.  K.  Van  Heusen,  1875-'76; 
N.  D.  Goodell,  1876-'77;  George  A.  Putnam, 
1877-'78;  John  S.  Miller,  1878-'79;  W.  C. 
Felch,  1880;  James  McGuire,  1881-'82;  A.  H. 
Powers,  1882-'83;  J.  H.  McKune,  1883-'84; 
George  W.  Chesley,  1884-'87;  Powell  S.  Law- 
son,  1887  to -the  present. 

The  oflicers  at  present  are:  P.  S.  Lawson, 
Pres.;  John  S.  Miller,  Sec;  A.  C.  Sweetser, 
Treas.;  S.  Callisch,  Janitor.     At  the  first  the 


HISTORY    OF    8ACRAMBNT0    COUNTY. 


members  were  over  200  in  number;  there  ai'e 
now  126,  besides  fourteen  honorary  members. 
The  association  meets  tlie  last  Saturday  of  each 
month,  in  l^ioneer  Hall.  This  hall  is  in  a  build- 
ing erected  bj  the  association  in  1868,  on  the 
east  side  of  Seventh  street,  between  J  and  K. 
liecently  a  building  adjoining  on  the  south  has 
been  purchased  and  neatly  fitted  up, — the  first 
floor  for  a  banquet  hall,  and  the  second  for  a 
parlor.  The  museum,  although  yet  small,  is  a 
collection  of  rare  merit. 

Capital  Lodge,  Wo.  6 Jj.,  of  the  United  Endow- 
ment Associates,  a  mutual  benevolent  associa- 
tion, was  instituted  November  9,  1888,  with 
nineteen  charter  members,  by  D.  D.  G.  C.  Mrs. 
J.  H.  Struckmeyer.  The  officers  are:  Dr.  E. 
A.  Brune,  P.  C;  Louis  M.  Schwoerer,  C. ;  Mrs. 
E.  Bryan,  Y.  C;  Mrs.  Yuhre,  A.  C;  Mrs.  C. 
G.  Aukener,  R.  S.;  Mrs.  E.  Schwoerer,  F.  S.; 
Mrs.  I.  Hillebrand,  F.;  Mrs.  A.  Labhard,  G.; 
J.  F.  C.  Knauer,  Jr.,  I.  G.;  Charles  Schneider, 
S. ;  Dr.  E.  A.  Brune,  Examining  Physician. 
Stated  meetings,  alternate  Thursdays,  at  Ein- 
tracht  Hall. 

Pilgrim,  Lodge  No.  6,  Independent  Order  of 
Good  Samaritans  and  Daughters  of  Samaria 
(colored),  was  organized  October  10,  1887,  with 
twenty-eight  members;  the  number  is  now  in- 
creased to  forty.  E.  A.  Clark,  Past  Chief;  Mrs. 
E.  A.  Fletcher,  Past  Presiding  Daughter;  A. 
L.  Cady,  Vice  Chief;  Mrs.  Elizabeth  Jackson, 
Daughter  of  Fount;  R.  D.  Reid,  Rec.  Sec!; 
Mrs.  C.  Williams,  Fin.  Sec;  Rev.  J.  R.  Dorsey, 
Chap.  Regular  meetings,  the  first  Wednesday 
of  each  month,  over  Armory  Hall. 

There  is  a  "  Degree  Lodge  "  of  the  above,  of 
which  R.  J.  Fletcher  is  Grand  Master;  Mrs. 
Ella  Dorsey,  Sec;  Rev.  J.  R.  Dorsey,  Treas.  Of 
this  there  are  eighteen   graduates  or  members. 

The  "  Champions  of  the  Red  Cross,"  "  Kes- 
her  shel  Barsel,"  "  Caucasians,"  "  Janissaries 
of  Light,"  and  many  other  influential  societies 
of  former  times  have  been   discontinued. 

Company  JVo.  3,  Italian  Sharpshooters'  So- 
ciety of  Mutual  Aid,  was  founded  in  Sacra- 
mento, October   30,  1887.     A.    Mazzini,  Pres.; 


A.  Simoni  and  G.  Delucchi,  V.  P.;  P.  Gabrielli, 
Treas.;  D.  Malatesta,  Sec;  G.  C.  Simmons, 
Phj^s.  The  membership  is  about  105  at  pres- 
ent, and  is  constantly  increasing.  The  present 
officers  are:  Pier  Antonio  Galgani,  Pres.;  V. 
Caselli  and  A.  Simoni,  V.  Pres.;  P.  Gabrielli, 
Treas.;  J.  Morelli,  Sec;  G.  C.  Simmons,  Phys. 
The  society  meets  the  first  Sunday  of  every 
month,  in  Y.  M.  I.  Hall,  on  Seventh  street,  be- 
tween K  and  L. 

The  forester  Gun  Cluh,  named  after  "  Frank 
Forester,"  one  of  theearliest  sportsmen  in  Amer- 
ica and  the  celebrated  author,  was  organized  in 
1879,  with  some  twenty  members,  for  the  pur- 
pose of  encouraging  field  sports,  protecting 
game,  and  renting  lakes  for  shooting  grounds. 
During  the  season  in  which  game  is  protected, 
the  club  has  a  series  of  trap  shoots.  At  pres- 
ent they  have  leased  Gourley's  and  Clark's 
Lakes,  about  twelve  miles  below  Sacramento. 
They  change  the  scene  of  their  play  from  time 
to  time,  and  of  course  will  have  other  lakes  and 
resorts  hereafter.  The  first  officers  were:  Hora- 
tio Hurd,  now  deceased,  Pres.;  Captain  J.  D. 
Young,  now  Superintendent  of  State  Printing, 
V.  P.;  John  Hotz,  since  deceased,  Sec;  and 
Henry  Gerber,  Cap.  Since  that  time  one  other 
member  of  the  club  has  also  died.  The  present 
officers  are:  Edward  C.  Chapman,  Pres.;  Dr. 
F.  F.  Tebbets,  Y.  P.;  H.  J.  Kilgarif,  Sec;  and 
H.  Eckhardt,  Treas.  The  stated  meetings  of 
the  club  occur  the  first  Monday  of  every  month. 
Present  number  of  members,  about  twenty-five. 

The  Pacific  Spo?'tsmen's  Cluh  was  organized 
April  1,  1881,  with  twenty  members,  and  the 
following  officers:  T.  D.  Hopper,  Pres.;  Frank 
Kunz,  Y.  P.;  and  Charles  Flohr,  Sec.  and  Treas. 
The  club  now  numbers  thirty-eight  members, 
and  the  officers  are:  J.  M.  Morrison,  Pres.; 
Grank  Kunz,  Y.  P.;  Fred  George,  Sec;  Adam 
Damm,  Treas.;  Charles  Flohr,  Capt.;  George 
Chapman,  Asst.  Capt.  At  present  the  club  has 
the  use  of  Miller's  Lake,  below  Freeport,  for 
the  winter,  and  during  the  warmer  portion  of 
the   year    they   have    regular    monthly    shoots. 


HISTORY    OF    SACRAMENTO    COTJNTT. 


CHAPTER    XX 


rtlSTOFFICES. 

Direction  aud  Distaucft  from  Sacramento. 


Antelope 

Clay 

C'onley 

Cosumnes 

Courtland 

ElkGruve 

Florin 

Folsom  City 

Franklin 

Freeport 

<ialt 

Hicksville 

Islelon 

Michigan  Bar.. 
Mormon  Island. 

Natoma 

Perkins  

Routier  Station. 

Russell 

Sacramento  . .  .  . 
State  Prison. . . . 
Union  House. . . 
Walnut  Grove. . . 
Walsh  Station... 


N.  E. 

S.  E. 

S. 


OTIiER    POINTS. 

Alder  Creek  Station,  three  miles  below  Folsom . 

Arcade,  five  miles  northeast  of  Sacramento. 

Ashland,  opposite  Folsom. 

Brighton,  four  miles  sotitheast  of  Sacramento. 

Buckeye,  nine  and  a  half  miles  southeast  of 
Cosnmnes. 

Emmaton,  fifty  iniles  lielow  Sacramento,  on 
the  river. 

Live  Oak,  five  miles  south  of  east  of  Cosumnes. 


McConnell's,  three  and  a  half  miles  southeast 
of  Elk  Grove. 

Onisbo,  one  mile  below  Courtland. 

Salisbury,  fifteen  miles  east  of  Sacramento. 

Sheldon,  four  miles  northeast  of  Elk   Grove. 

Sebastopol,  four  miles  southeast  of  Cosnmnes. 

Sutterville,  three  miles  below  Sacramento,  on 
the  river. 

White  Rock,  six  miles   southeast  of  Folsom. 

Wilson's,  near  Cosnmnes. 

(See  chapter  on  Nomenclature.) 

COUNTY    NOMENCLATUEE. 

The  report  of  General  Vallejo,  made  to  the  first 
Legislature — and  an  accepted  authority  on  the 
subject  of  the  derivation  and  definition  of  the 
names  of  the  counties  created  by  that  Legisla- 
ture— gives  the  following  with  regard  to  Sacra- 
mento: 

"  Sacramento  signifies  Sacrament,  or  Lord's 
Supper.  The  streams  known  as  Feather  and 
Sacramento  rivers  were  first  respectively  named 
by  Lieutenant  Moraga  '  Sacramento  '  and  Jesus 
Maria;  but  the  latter  now  assumes  the  name  of 
Sacramento,  whilst  the  former  is  called  Feather. 
Sacramento  is  the  principal  river  in  all  that  sec- 
tion of  country,  and  gives  the  name  to  the 
county.  Several  towns  are  springing  up,  but 
the  chief  one  of  the  county  is  Sacramento  City, 
situated  on  the  eastern  bank  of  the  Sacramento. 


HISTORY    OF    SACRAMENTO    COUNTY. 


201 


This  rapidly  growing  and  flourishing  town,  con- 
taining a  permaTient  population  of  12,000  in- 
iiabitants,  has  sprung  up  in  the  short  space  of  a 
year.  It  contains,  besides,  multitudes  of  tran- 
sient residents,  constantly  going  to  and  coming 
from  the  'placers;'  steamboats  and  vessels  of 
light  and  Iieavy  draught  are  safely  moored  im- 
mediately aljreast  of  the  town." 

The  name  of, Gait  was  suggested  for  that 
town,  when  it  was  laid  out,  by  John  McFarland, 
a  pioneer  resident  of  that  locality,  to  the  late 
E.  B.  Crocker,  the  land  on  which  it  is  located 
then  belonging  to  the  railroad  company.  Mc- 
Farland, when  quite  a  young  man,  lived  in  the 
town  of  Gait,  in  Upper  Canada,  and  there  served 
his  apprenticeship  as  a  joiner.  The  Canadian 
Gait  was  named  after  a  man  by  that  name. 

Folsom  was  named  after  Joseph  L.  Folsom, 
who  in  early  days  was  a  prominent  man  in  the 
State,  and  who  had  large  landed  interests  about 
the  town  which  bears  his  name.  He  died  at  the 
Mission  San  Jose,  Alameda  County,  on  July 
19,  1855.  Folsom  was  for  many  years  from 
1855  the  terminus  of  the  Sacramento  Valley 
Railroad,  extending  from  Sacramento  up,  and 
the  pioneer  railroad  of  the  State.  As  most  of 
the  supplies  for  and  travel  to  and  from  the  mines 
passed  over  that  road,  the  town  was  very  flour- 
ishing. Afterward,  when  the  Central  Pacific 
was  built,  followed  a  time  of  great  depression, 
and  many  of  the  large  buildings  fell  into  disuse 
and  decay.  Of  late  years,  however,  somewhat 
of  a  boom  has  been  experienced,  and  prosperity 
again  reigns. 

Mormon  Island  was  so  named  from  the  fact 
that  a  party  of  Mormons,  who  came  to  this 
country  in  the  ship  Brooklyn,  in  1846,  under 
the  leadership  of  Samuel  Braunan,  settled  there 
afterward,  and  engaged  in  mining.  It  has  been 
claimed — and  with  some  show  of  plausibility — 
that  the  discovery  of  gold  was  made  there  by 
tlie  Mormons  before  the  Marshall  discovei-y.  In 
1854  George  M.  Evans  published  an  article  in 
the  Portland  (Oregon)  Times,  in  which  he  said: 

"  When  the  Moi'inon  battalion  was  disbanded 
in   1847,  a  number  of  Mormons  came  to   San 


Francisco,  and  among  them  was  one  Hender- 
son Cox  and  one  Beardsley,  who  boarded  in  the 
same  house  with  me.  They,  having  worked  in 
the  Georgia  mines,  told  me,  in  conversation, 
that  as  they  were  about  prospecting  for  a  road 
(since  called  the  Mormon  Pass)  for  the  Mor- 
mons to  return  to  Salt  Lake,  in  so  doing,  they 
would  prospect  the  streams  in  their  route  (this 
was  in  the  end  of  September  or  first  of  August, 
1847).  In  the  following  January,  I  returned 
to  San  Francisco,  when  1  received  an  invitation 
to  go  to  Mormon  Island,  so  named  afterward  by 
Henderson  Cox.  On  the  19th  of  January,  1848, 
1  went  there,  and  with  the  bounty  they  gave  me, 
and  what  I  worked  out  myself,  I  had  $19,000 
on  the  8tli  day  of  February,  1848.  *  *  * 
The  Mormons,  wishing  to  keep  their  discoveries 
a  secret  from  people  not  Mormons,  worked  out 
the  gold  and  said  nothing  more." 

Natoma  is  an  Indian  word,  meaning  "  clear 
water,"  and  was  the  aboriginal  name  for  that 
section  of  the  country.  A.  P.  Catlin  first  gave 
the  name  to  a  mining  and  water  company. 
Afterward,  in  1850,  an  agent  of  the  Postoffice 
Department  visited  Mormon  Island  for  the  pur- 
pose of  establishing  a  postotfice  there,  and  he 
requested  Mr.  Catlin  to  furnish  a  name  for  the 
oflice,  and  the  name  "Natoma"  was  adopted  on 
his  suggestion.  Afterward  the  township  took 
the  name  also. 

American  River  was  so  named  from  the  fact 
that  a  company  of  Western  trappers  lived  on  its 
banks  for  several  years  between  1822  and  1830. 

The  Mokelumne  River  derives  its  name  from 
a  numerous  tribe  of  Indians,  the  Mo-kel-kos, 
who  formerly  inhabited  its  lower  banks  and  the 
adjacent  country.  The  Spaniards  spelled  the 
word  variously.  Cosumne  is  also  an  Indian 
word. 

Hicksville  was  named  from  William  Hicks,  a 
pioneer  resident,  who  died  there  June  29,  1884; 
and  Howell's  from  Sid  Howell,  who  still  lives 
there. 

Sutterville  was  named  from  General  John  A. 
Sutter,  who,  with  others,  in  1844,  made  an  ef- 
fort to  build  a  town  there.     A  survey  was  made 


HISTORY    OF    SACRAMENTO    COUNTY. 


and  a  village  commenced.  The  first  house  was 
erected  by  Sutter,  the  second  by  one  Iladel,  and 
the  third  by  the  late  George  Zins.  The  last  was 
a  brick  building,  and  is  said  to  have  been  the 
first  that  was  put  up  in  California.  The  new 
town  lagged,  and  in  1853  a  party  of  capitalists 
endeavored  to  boom  it  up,  and  many  costly 
buildings  were  erected,  but  the  effect  was  but 
temporary,  and  the  town  died  down. 

The  name  Florin  was  given  to  the  locality 
about  1864  by  the  late  Judge  E.  B.  Crocker, 
owing  to  the  great  number  of  wild  flowers  which 
grew  in  the  vicinity,  and  in  1875  the  name  was 
given  to  the  town  when  it  was  commenced. 

In  1850  James  Hall  and  a  family  opened  the 
Elk  Grove  Hotel  on  the  original  site  of  Old  Elk 
Grove,  and  gave  it  that  designation  on  account 
of  having  found  elk  horns  in  the  grove  nearby. 
Mr.  Hall  was  from  Galena,  Illinois,  and  died  in 
Vallejo  in  1876.  The  original  Old  Elk  Grove 
Hotel  burned  down  in  1857. 

The  original  name  of  Ashland  was  Big  Gitlch. 
In  1857  it  was  changed  to  Russville,  in  honor  o* 
Colonel  Russ.  It  was  also  sometimes  called' 
Bowlesville,  from  an  old  resident  named  Bowles 
who  claimed  title  to  the  land.  In  1860  it  was 
christened  Ashland. 

In  1852  a  companj'  was  formed,  known  as 
the  Alabama  Bar  Mining  Company, composed  of 
twelve  men.  They  located  the  bar  which  took 
that  name,  from  the  fact  that  most  of  the  com- 
pany were  from  the  State  of  Alabama. 
'  Andrus  Island  was  named  from  George  An- 
drus,  who  settled  there  in  1852. 

Onisbo  was  the  name  of  a  chief  of  the  Dig- 
ger Indians. 

Georgetown  was  settled  in  1856  by  Andrew 
George,  who  opened  a  hotel  there  called  the 
Franklin  House.  The  place  goes  by  both  the 
names  of  Georgetown  and  Franklin. 

Sebastopol,  a  mining  camp,  was  established 
in  1854,  and  the  name  was  chosen  by  a  vote  of 
the  miners,  the  Crimean  War  being  then  in  prog- 
ress. 

Cook's  Bar  was  named  after  Dennis  Cook, 
who  settled  there  in  1849. 


Michigan  Bar  was  so  named  from  the  fact 
that  the  first  settlers  were  two  men  from  Michi- 
gan, who  made  the  first  discovery  of  gold  there 
in  1849. 

Walsh's  Station  was  named  after  J.  M.Walsh, 
who  opened  a  store  there  in  1873,  and  Routier's 
is  called  in  honor  of  Senator  Joseph  Routier. 
who  settled  there  in  June,  1853. 

Rancho  del  Paso  signifies  Ranch  of  the  Pass, 
Its  other  name — Norris  Grant — is  from  Samuel 
Norris,  who  at  one  time  owned  it. 


1850.      1860.      1870.      1880. 

City *  12,800   16,288   21,420 

County.   9.087   24,142   26,830   34,390 
State...  91,635  323,127  499,424  864,694 

COURT-HOUSE. 

The  first  court-house  that  was  erected  at 
Seventh  and  I  streets  in  Sacramento  City,  and 
in  which  the  sessions  of  1852  and  1854  were 
held,  was  commenced  in  June,  1850,  and  com- 
pleted on  December  24, 1851.  It  was  destroyed 
in  the  great  fire  of  July  13,  1854,  which  con- 
sumed a  large  portion  of  the  business  part  of 
the  city. 

Itn mediately  after  the  fire  a  contract  was  en- 
tered into  between  Joseph  Nougus  and  the 
county  officers  for  the  erection  of  the  present 
court  house.  As  originally  arranged  the  build- 
inganswered  the  following  description:  Extreme 
height,  sixty-one  feet ;  dimensions,  80  x  120 
feet;  with  a  portico  supported  by  ten  pillars, 
three  feet  six  inches  in  diameter  by  thirty-one 
feet  six  inches  in  height.  The  ground  floor 
was  devoted  to  a  county  prison.  On  the  same 
floor  were  two  separate  offices  containing  fire- 
proof vaults  and  occupied  by  the  State  Control- 
ler and  State  Treasurer.  The  second  floor  was 
devoted  to  a  Senate  Chamber,  37  x  30  feet,  and 
an  Assembly  room,  72.8x41.4  feet,  together 
with  nine  rooms  for  clerks  and  officers  of  the 
Legislature.  The  style  of  architecture  is  Ionic. 
The  original  contract  price  was  $100,600,  and 

♦April  1, 1849,  lose  than  150;  October  1  following,  1,800  votes. 


HISTORY    OF    SACRAMENTO    COUNTY. 


the  subsequent  contracts  made  the  total  cost  of 
the  building  to  the  county  $240,000.  The  cor- 
ner-stone was  laid  September  27,  1854,  with. 
Masonic  honors,  and  the  brick  work  was  com- 
pleted November  9  following.  The  entire  build- 
ing was  finished  January  1, 1855.  It  was  rented 
to  the  State  for  Capitol  purposes  at  an  annual 
rent  of  $12,000,  and  was  used  for  that  purpose 
from  1855  until  the  completion  of  the  present 
Capitol.  In  April,  1870,  the  building  was 
raised  to  the  high  grade,  400  jackscrews  being 
used  in  the  job.  The  original  corner-stone  was 
opened  on  the  22d  and  its  contents  transferred 
by  the  Board  of  Supervisors  into  a  new  box. 
On  that  day  the  stone  was  relaid  without  public 
ceremony. 

THE    STATE    CAPITAL. 

The  first  State  Constitutional  Convention  met 
at  Monterey,  September  1,  1849,  and  during 
the  session  fixed  the  seat  of  the  State  Govern- 
ment at  San  Jose.  December  15  following  the 
first  Legislature  accordingly  met  at  that  place, 
but,  finding  tlie  accommodations  too  limited, 
resolved  to  accept  a  proposition  from  General 
M.  G.  Vallejo,  removing  the  capital  to  his 
place.  Meeting  there  January  5,  1852,  they 
fared  even  worse  than  they  had  at  San  Jose  as 
the  General  had  undertaken  to  do  more  than  he 
could,  and  was  far  behind  with  his  contract. 
The  Sacramentans  then  stirred  themselves,  and 
indorsed  the  Court  of  Sessions  in  oflering  the 
use  of  the  new  court-house  to  the  Legislature, 
which  body  accepted  the  oiFer  January  12, 1852, 
and  the  very  next  day  arrived  here,  on  the 
steamer  Empire.  The  citizens  welcomed  the 
members  by  a  grand  ball,  tickets  to  which  were 
sold  at  $20.  During  this  session  the  contest 
between  the  rival  points  contending  for  the  lo- 
cation of  the  capital  naturally  grew  hotter,  and 
all  sorts  of  legal  technicalities  were  brought  to 
bear  in  favor  and  against  the  competing  places. 
During  all  this  time  the  State  records  were  at 
San  Jose,  and  doubts  were  entertained  as  to  the 
legality  of  removing  them  to  Vallejo,  where 
there  was  no  safe  place  for  keeping  them,  or  to 


Sacramento,  which  was  not  yet  made  the  seat  of 
Government. 

April  30,  1852,  the  Legislature  passed  a  bill 
declaring  Vallejo  to  be  the  seat  of  Government, 
and  ordering  the  Governor  to  remove  the  State 
records  to  that  place.  Next,  General  Vallejo 
procured  a  cancellation  of  his  contract;  then 
the  following  Legislature,  meeting  in  January, 
1853,  in  Vallejo,  soon  adjourned  to  meet  at 
Benicia,  declaring  it  to  be  the  capital.  January 
2,  1854,  the  Legislature  again  met  there.  Gov- 
ernor Bigler  submitted  to  them  a  communication 
from  the  mayor  and  council  of  Sacramento, 
tendering  the  free  use  of  the  court-house,  with 
safes,  vaults,  etc.,  to  the  State,  together  with  a 
deed  to  the  block  of  land  between  I  and  J  and 
Ninth  and  Tenth  streets.  On  the  9th  of  Feb- 
ruary, A.  P.  Catlin  introduced  a  bill  in  the 
Senate,  fixing  the  permanent  seat  of  govern- 
ment at  Sacramento  and  accepting  the  block  of 
land.  The  Legislature  then  adjourned  to  this 
city.  The  members  and  State  officers  were  re- 
ceived with  a  great  demonstration. 

March  1,  1854,  the  Legislature  met  in  the 
new  court-house.  On  the  24th  of  this  month 
they  passed  a  law  compelling  the  Supreme  Court 
to  hold  its  sessions  here;  but  that  body  an- 
nounced their  opinion  that  San  Jose  was  the 
constitutional  and  legal  capital.  Subsequently, 
however,  by  a  change  of  judges  of  the  Supreme 
Court,  Sacramento  was  decided  to  be  the  legal 
capital.  Accordingly,  with  the  exception  of  the 
flood  year,  1862,  all  sessions  of  the  Legislature 
since  1854  have  been  held  in  Sacramento. 

April  18,  1856,  the  Legislature  provided  for 
the  issue  of  bonds  to  the  amount  of  $300,000 
for  the  erection  of  a  State  House  where  is  now 
the  beautiful  Plaza.  The  Board  of  Commission- 
ers, appointed  to  superintend  the  building, 
approved  the  plans  of  Reuben  Clark  for  the 
structure,  let  the  contract  to  Joseph  Nougues, 
for  $200,000,  and  broke  ground  for  building 
December  4.  But  on  the  15th  of  that  month 
the  commissioners  refused  to  issue  the  bonds, 
because  the  Supreme  Court  had  decided  that 
the  State  had  no  authority  to  contract  a  debt  so 


EISTOBT    OF    SACRAMENTO    COUNTY. 


large.  The  contractor  brought  suit  to  compel 
tlie  issuance  of  the  bonds,  but  was  beaten,  and 
work  was  stopped  and  never  resumed  on  that 
building.  The  land  was  deeded  back  to  the 
city  and  has  been  made  a  beautiful  park. 

The  building  of  a  Capitol  did  not  again  re- 
ceive much  attention  until  1860,  when  the 
supervisors  deeded  to  the  State  the  tract  of 
land  bounded  by  L  and  N  and  Tenth  and 
Twelfth  streets,  and  the  Legislature  appropri- 
ated 8500,000  for  the  building.  The  plans  of 
M.  F.  Butler  were  adopted,  and  Michael  Fen- 
nell,  of  San  Francisco,  obtained  the  contract  for 
furnishing  the  material  and  building  the  base- 
ment for  $80,000.  The  corner-stone  was  laid 
May  15,  1861.  Fennell,  however,  had  dropped 
the  contract  April  1,  and  it  was  afterward  let  to 
G.  W.  Blake  and  P.  E.  Conner,  who  in  turn 
dropped  the  task,  having  suffered  severe  losses 
in  the  great  flood.  The  work  was  then  placed 
in  the  hands  of  the  commissioners,  who  had  to 
"  plod  their  weary  way  "  along  for  several  years, 
while  the  various  Legislatures  could  not  agree 
upon  the  amount  of  appropriations  to  be  made. 
Indeed,  the  question  of  the  location  of  the  Cap- 
itol was  mooted  until  1867,  when  it  was  decided 
to  discontinue  the  use  of  granite,  and  hurry  the 
building  on  to  completion,  with  brick.  Thus 
the  basement  story  only  is  built  of  granite. 
The  brick,  however,  is  of  good  quality,  and  the 
Capitol  Building,  which  is  modeled  somewhat 
after  the  pattern  of  the  national  Capitol  at 
Washington,  is  substantially  constructed,  and 
is  modestly  beautiful  in  its  exterior.  Cost, 
about  §1,44:7,000;  with  grounds  (ten  blocks), 
§2,590,460.19.  Height,  from  first  floor  to  the 
lantern,  240  feet.  From  this  point  can  be  seen 
a  magnificent  city  and  rural  landscape,  bounded 
by  mountains  fifty  to  a  hundred  miles  distant. 
See  topographical  chapter  for  a  description  of 
the  objects  visible.  At  the  center  of  the  first 
floor  is  a  large  piece  of  statuary,  cut  from  Italian 
marble  by  Larkin  G.  Meade,  and  representing 
Columbus  before  Isabella.  It  was  purchased 
by  1).  ().  Mills,  at  an  expense  of  $30,000,  and 
liy  liiin  presented  to  the  State. 


The  completion  of  the  Capitol  in  the  fall  of 
1869  was  celebrated  by  a  grand  ball  given  by 
the  citizens  of  Sacramento,  and  the  rooms,  as 
they  were  finished,  were  occupied  during  the 
months  of  November  and  December.  The 
present  constitution  provides  that  the  seat  of 
the  State  Government  shall  not  be  removed 
without  a  popular  vote. 


Like  the  Lower  Mississippi,  the  lower  portion 
of  Sacramento  River  is,  when  the  waters  are 
high,  above  the  level  of  the  adjoining  country. 
Hence  floods,  inundating  many  thousand  acres 
of  good  land,  sometimes  occurred,  until  the 
levee  was  completed.  The  principal  ones  have 
occurred  on  the  following  dates: 

1805. — The  inundation  was  so  great  this  year 
that  the  Indians  still  reckon  from  it  as  an  epoch. 

1825 -'26. — This  was  a  very  wet  winter 
throui^hout  the  State,  and  some  of  the  oldest 
inhabitants  still  remember  it. 

1846-'47. — High  waters,  but  as  yet  there 
were  scarcely  any  settlers  here  with  property  to 
be  destroyed. 

1850. — By  tills  time  ^acramento  was  a  lively 
little  town,  and  the  flood  well  nigh  carried  it 
away.  The  people  continued  to  hope  that  the 
water  had  about  reached  its  highest  point  until 
it  was  too  late  to  save  their  property.  They 
were  unprepared  when  the  rush  came  upon 
them,  and  some  were  even  drowned  in  their 
beds!  Women,  children  and  feeble  persons 
were  found  floating  about  upon  loose  material, 
and  crying  for  help.  The  inmates  of  the  city 
hospital,  twelve  to  twen'y  in  number,  narrowly 
escaped  drowning.  Only  two  of  thetn  ulti- 
mately recovered!  It  was  during  this  flood 
that  a  Dutchman,  employed  to  take  corpses  out 
in  boats  for  burial,  met  with  an  accident,  and 
on  endeavoring  to  swim  ashore  with  $2,000  in 
gold  in  his  pocket,  sank  several  times  and  was 
drowned.  Many  of  the  rougher  class  of  men 
became  horribly  reckless,  drinking,  laughing, 
hurrahing  and  carousing  generally,  without 
turning  a  hand  to  save  life  or  property.    Of  the 


HISTORY    OF    SAGRAMENTO    COUNTY. 


300  or  more  men  who  were  doing  business  in 
Sacramento,  not  more  than  a  halt"  dozen  had 
second  stories  to  their  buildings,  in  which  goods 
might  be  stored,  or  persons  saved. 

After  this  flood  subsided  the  weather  was 
fine  and  exhilarating  for  several  weeks,  and  the 
people  almost  forgot  that  they  had  met  with 
losses,  when  in  March  another  freshet  arrived, 
and  would  have  swept  them  away  had  it  not 
been  for  the  determined  efforts  of  Hardin  Eig- 
low  in  leveeing  the  city,  despite  the  sculling  of 
the  multitude. 

1852. — March  7,  at  1  a.  m.,  there  came  a  mad 
rush  of  waters  from  the  American  River,  break- 
ing through  the  levee.  The  mayor  summoned 
the  citizens  to  the  rescue,  but  in  vain;  it  was 
too  late  to  cast  up  levees.  Qy  daylight  nothing 
could  be  seen  upon  the  surrounding  landscape 
but  Sutter's  Fort  and  the  Ridge.  The  head  of 
I  street,  near  the  Plaza,  being  the  highest 
ground  in  the  city,  was  densely  covered  with 
human  beings.  This  terrible  distress  continued 
four  days. 

1853. — January  1,  the  city  was  again  com- 
pletely flooded,  the  water  rising  two  feet  higher 
than  in  1850;  but  the  water  retired  so  rapidly 
that  but  little  damage  was  done,  and  even  the 
improvised  boats  and  other  craft  were,  many  of 
them,  left  upon  the  ground. 

1861. — March  28,  there  was  a  sudden  dash 
from  the  American  River,  inundating  the  city, 
but  the  subsidence  was  so  rapid  that  compara- 
tively little  damage  was  done;  but  December  9 
following  occurred  the  most  destructive  flood  of 
all.  The  first  alarm  was  given  at  8  a.  m.,  and 
within  one  hour  many  persons  living  east  of 
Eleventh  street  were  surrounded,  in  imminent 
danger  of  their  lives,  and  appealing  for  help 
with  the  most  heart-rending  cries.  Many  were 
indeed  drowned  during  this  siege,  and  many  a 
harrowing  story  is  told  of  pitiful  cries  for  help 
which  were  unheeded  by  passing  boatmen  who 
could  have  rescued  the  sufferers,  but  would  not 
because  money  to  the  extent  of  §10  to  $75  was 
not  forthcoming! 

J3y  the  11th  the  waters   had   so  far   subsided 


that  traffic  was  resumed.  On  the  23d  the  city 
was  again  partially  inundated. 

1862. — January  9-13  occurred  a  destructive 
deluge,  carrying  away  all  or  nearly  all  the  prop- 
erty of  many  farmers,  as  well  as  drowning  some 
persons  and  destroying  much  property  in  the 
city.  The  Legislature  was  in  session,  and  upon 
the  third  day  of  the  flood  the  Senate  adopted  a 
resolution  for  the  adjournment  of  the  Legisla- 
ture to  San  Francisco  for  the  remainder  of  the 
session.  The  House,  however,  did  not  concur 
until  the  23d  day  of  the  month,  and  the  next 
day  they  all  embarked  for  San  Francisco. 

1878. — February  1  came  the  last  destructive 
freshet,  as  since  then  the  levees  have  been 
strong  enough  to  confine  the  waters  to  the  chan- 
nel ;  but  the  loss  of  property  was  not  so  great 
as  in  1862. 

LEVEES. 

The  history  of  the  levees  around  Sacramento 
is  one  of  great  interest,  involving,  as  it  does, 
not  only  the  past  but  the  present  and  future 
safety  of  the  city.  Previous  to  the  fiood  of 
January,  1850,  nothing  had  been  attempted  in 
the  matter  of  protection  from  flood  or  high 
water.  True,  the  subject  had  been  discussed 
pro  and  con,  one  party  holding  that  something 
should  be  done,  and^  the  other  that  nothing 
could  be  done  that  would  be  of  any  real  value, 
for,  they  argued,  "suppose  we  do  build  a  bank 
around  the  town,  how  long  will  the  water  stay 
outside?  Granting  that  it  cannot  run  over  the 
top  or  break  through  the  levee,  it  will,  in  a 
short  time,  find  its  level  by  percolating  through 
the  soil."  This  latter  class,  however,  were 
suddenly  converted  by  the  fiood  of  1850,  and 
became  as  ardent  supporters  of  the  levee  move- 
ment as  any  of  their  former  opponents. 

The  waters  had  scarcely  begun  to  recede  from 
the  city,  when  surveyors  were  employed  to  sur- 
vey lines  for  and  make  a  location  of  the  pro- 
posed levee.  On  the  morning  of  January  29, 
1850,  a  meeting  of  citizens  was  held  in  the 
oflice  of  Priest,  Lee  &  Co.,  for  the  purpose  of 
providing  means  to  protect  the  city  from  floods. 
Recommendations  were  made  to  the  city  coun- 


HISTORY    OF    SACRAMENTO    COUNTY. 


cil,  which,  through  committees,  arranged  for 
building  a  levee  around  the  city.  For  this  pur- 
pose they  proposed  a  tax  of  $250,000,  which 
was  accepted  by  a  popular  vote  of  543  against 
15.  Accordingly,  a  levee  was  built  that  year, 
but  not  sufficient  to  withstand  extraordinary 
floods;  for  the  very  next  freshet,  that  of  1852, 
broke  over  it  in  several  places  and  inundated 
the  city. 

Under  the  supervision  of  the  city  council,  a 
levee  was  then  built  on  I  street  to  Sixth,  and 
thence  to  the  "  Eidge."  This  again  was  found 
inadequate,  as  the  subsequent  winter,  1852-*53, 


proved.  The  next  year,  at  an  expense  of  $50,- 
000,  borrowed  on  scrip,  the  levee  was  widened 
and  made  higher,  so  that  it  extended  up  twenty- 
two  and  a  half  feet  above  low-water  mark. 

With  occasional  repairs  of  breaches  and 
strengthening  weak  places,  this  levee  has  since 
stood,  while  that  portion  bounding  the  east  and 
south  sides  of  the  city  has  been  superseded  by 
the  river  levee  generally,  built  by  the  respective 
reclamation  districts.  The  Y  street  levee,  a 
comparatively  new  one,  is  a  public  drive-way  for 
most  of  its  extent. 


HIHTOBT    OF    SACRAMENTO    COUNTY. 


chaptp:k  XXI. 


fOR  the  school  statistics  of  each,  see  table 
at  the  close  of  Chapter  XIY. 

ALABAMA. 

This  township  was  established  October  20, 
1856,  and  includes  township  6  north,  ranges  7 
and  8  east,  and  those  portions  of  township  5 
north,  ranges  7  and  8  east,  which  lie  north  of 
Dry  Creek,  and  also  a  strip  from  the  west  side 
of  townships  5  and  6  north,  range  9  east,  nearly 
a  mile  wide,  iu  Sacramento  County.  It  is 
bounded  on  the  north  by  Lee  and  Cosumnes 
townships,  on  the  west  by  Dry  Creek  Township, 
and  on  the  south  and  east  by  the  county  line, 
and  was  originally  a  part  of  Cosumnes  Town- 
ship. 

The  early  settlers  in  this  township  were:  John 
Southerland,   who    canie  into    the    township  in 

1850,  and  was  largely  engaged  in  stock-raising. 
Hoberts  &  Chaplin  settled  on  a  ranch  near  the 
Southerland  place  in  1850.  They  were  the  iirst 
men  who  raised  barley  in  this  township,  and 
were  engaged  principally  in  raising  grain. 
Joshua  and  William  Ileweld,  on  an  adjoining 
ranch  to  Roberts  &  Chaplin's,  raised  barley  and 
hay.  Captain  Ed.  Thompson,  an  old  sea  cap- 
tain, settled  with  his  family  in   the  township  in 

1851,  and  sold  a  year  or  two  later  to  the  Good- 
win Brothers.  Soon  after  selling  his  farm,  he 
had  a  dispute  with  a  laborer,  and  afterward 
called  him  out  of  the  house  and  shot  him,  kill- 


ing him  instantly.  Thompson  left  the  country 
and  was  never  found.  Dr.  George  Elliott  set- 
tled, some  time  in  1851,  at  the  crossing  of  the 
Stockton  Road  and  Dry  Creek.  He  kept  the 
stage  station  and  hotel,  and  also  owned  the  stage 
line,  which  he  leased  to  a  man  named  Kelley. 
This  place  was  known  as  Elliott's  Station.  A 
postoffice  was  established  here  in  1852,  Elliott 
being  appointed  postmaster.  "When  he  sold  out, 
in  1858,  Mr.  Mitchell  was  appointed,  who  served 
until  the  stage  route  was  changed  and  office  dis- 
continued. Martin  Scott  purchased  Elliott's 
establishment  and  moved  the  hotel  across  the 
creek  into  San  Joaquin  County.  James  M.  Short 
settled  in  the  township  ill  July,  1852.  W.  Lords 
moved  into  the  township  in  the  spring  of  1852, 
and  bought  aranch  on  the  Laguna.  S.  B.  Lemon, 
a  bachelor,  settled  on  the  Laguna,  near  the  cen- 
ter of  the  township,  in  1853.  In  1854  he 
opened  a  hotel  and  bar,  which  he  sold  in  1858  to 
James  Crocker,  who,  in  1859,  sold  to  Thomas 
II.  Fowler.  Mr.  Fowler  closed  the  hotel  in 
1861-62.  He  did  not  keep  a  bar.  E.  H.  Pres- 
bnry  settled  on  Dry  Creek  in  1854.  Goodman 
Brothers,  of  whom  there  were  three,  farmed 
quite  extensively  for  about  six  years.  L.  C. 
Goodman  died  about  1860,  and  the  other  broth- 
ers sold  out  and  returned  to  Texas.  William 
Mitchell,  a  large  sheep-raiser,  Richard  White, 
William  H.  Young,  William  Gallon,  John 
Bowen  and  Joshua  Bailey  are  among  the  settlers 


HISTORY    OF    SACRAMENTO    COUNTY. 


prior  to  1855.  In  1858  Tlioinas  Steele  settled 
at  the  place  now  known  as  Clay  Station,  on  the 
lone  and  Amador  Branch  of  the  Central  Pacific 
Railroad.  A  postoffice  was  established  at  this 
point  July  26,  1878,  Mr.  Steele  being  apj^ointed 
postmaster.  He  also  started  a  store  in  October, 
1878,  and  a  blacksmith  shop  in  1879. 

The  soil  of  the  bottom  lands  is  a  black  loam ; 
the  upland  is  gravelly,  with  some  adobe,  and 
considerable  red  loam  and  sandy  soil.  There  is 
very  little  timber  in  the  township,  a  few  scat- 
tering oaks,  a  small  patch  of  black  oak  in  a  ra- 
vine near  Dry  Creek,  and  willow,  oak,  with  an 
occasional  ash  tree,  on  the  Dry  Creek  bottom. 
The  mining  debris  seriously  affected  the  value 
of  the  bottom  lands. 

The  chief  industry  in  this  township  was 
stock-raising  until  the  ])assage  of  the  no-fence 
law,  since  whicli  time  the  farmers  liave  found 
it  more  profitable  to  cultivate  the  land  than  to 
use  it  for  grazing.  In  the  spring  of  1853  several 
herds  of  cattle  were  brought  into  the  township 
by  Thompson  &  James.  They  continued  in  the 
business  until  1860.  Mr.  Hicks,  of  Hicks ville, 
also  had  alai;go  number  of  cattle  here.  In  1858 
sheep-raising  began  in  the  township,  and  grad- 
ually increased  until  it  became  the  largest  in- 
terest in  the  township.  Until  1877  barley  and 
hay  were  the  principal  crops,  it  having  been 
supposed  that  wheat  could  not  be  grown  with 
success;  this  has  been  proved  to  be  a  mistake, 
and  it  now  forms  one  of  the  principal  crops. 
Very  little  fruit  is  raised  in  the  township,  the 
prevailing  high  winds  and  the  necessity  for  con- 
stant irrigation  making  it  unprofitable.  The 
Central  Pacific  Pailroad  formerly  owned  large 
tracts  of  land  in  this  township,  which  they  have 
sold. 

The  first  settlers  established  themselves  on  the 
water  courses,  which  are  the  Laguna,  dry  in  the 
summer,  and  Dry  Creek,  on  the  south  boundary 
of  the  township,  which  also  has  little  or  no  water 
in  it  during  the  summer  months.  During  the 
rainy  season  the  Laguna  rises  and  falls  very 
rapidly,  in  some  places  spreading  nearly  half  a 
mile  wide.      In  1862  the  waters  from  the  Ama- 


dor hills  caused  considerable  damage,  sweeping 
away  fences  and  stock,  but  compared  with  the 
major  portion  of  the  county,  Alabama  Town- 
ship sufl'ered  very  little  from  the  great  flood. 
During  the  rainy  season  the  Laguna  furnishes 
ample  water  for  stock;  in  the  summer  the  farm- 
ers depend  on  wells,  which  furnish  water  at 
depths-varying  from  twenty-five  to  eighty  feet, 
according  to  the  locality. 

The  Sacramento  and  Stockton  stages  ran 
through  this  township,  station  and  hotel  on  Dry 
Creek  kept  by  Dr.  George  Elliott.  The  For- 
rest Line  Stage  Company  began  running  in  June, 
1869,  and  was  taken  oft"  in  1876.  George  Brusie 
kept  station  and  public  house.  This  line  ran 
from  Gait  to  Mokeliimni  Hill,  in  Calaveras 
County. 

In  addition  to  the  two  hotels  mentioned  above 
there  were  two  others;  one  opened  in  1854,  by 
S.  B.  Lemon,  near  center  of  township;  closed  in 
1861  or  1862.  The  other  opened  in  1863,  by 
Calvin  Bates,  on  what  was  then  known  as  the 
Michigan  Bar  or  Laguna  road;  closed  in  1866. 

The  first  school  held  in  the  township  was  in 
1857,  a  private  school,  kept  by  George  H.  String- 
field,  and  only  lasted  one  term.  In  1858  the 
first  public  school  building  was  erected  by  pri- 
vate parties;  the  first  teacher  was  Miss  Mai'y 
McConnell. 

AMERICAN. 

The  first  division  of  Sacramento  County  into 
minor  political  divisions  was  made  by  the  Court 
of  Sessions,  on  the  24th  day  of  February,  1851. 
There  were  eight  townships  established,  known 
as  Sacramento,  Sutter,  San -Joaquin,  Cosumnes, 
Brighton,  Center,  Mississippi  and  Naloma.  On 
July  80,  of  the  same  year,  the  Court  of  Sessions 
cut  off  from  Sacramento  Township  all  that  por- 
tion north  of  the  American  River,  creating  the 
latter  into  an  independent  division,  by  the  name 
of  American  Township.  The  north  and  west 
boundaries  were  the  county  line  and  the  Sacra- 
mento River,  south  the  American  River,  and 
east  the  roads  to  Auburn,  as  far  as  its  junction 
with  the  road  to  Muldrow's  Ferry,  to  Nevada 
City,  and  the  latter  road  to  the  county  line.    On 


HISTORY    OF    SACRAMENTO    COUNTY. 


the  20th  day  of  October,  1856,  the  Board  of 
Supervisors  of  Sacramento  County  established 
the  boundary  line  of  the  diflerent  townships  in 
the  county  as  they  now  exist.  The  eastern  line 
of  American  Township  was  established  on  the 
center  line  of  townships  9  and  10  north,  range 
5  east  of  Mount  Diablo  base  and  meridian,  from 
the  intersection  of  said  line  with  the  north  line 
of  the  county  to  the  American  River.  In  1874 
the  boundaries  of  Sacramento  City  were  changed 
as  follows:  Commencing  on  the  line  of  Thirty- 
first  street  at  the  intersection  of  the  extension 
of  A  street;  thence  westerly  along  the  north 
line  of  A  street  to  the  east  line  of  Twenty- 
second  street;  thence  along  the  east  line  of 
Twenty-second  street  to  the  north  line  of  B 
street  north;  thence  westerly  along  the  north 
line  of  B  street  north,  to  the  center  of  the  bed 
or  channel  of  the  American  River.  The  land 
ihrown  out  of  Sacramento  Township  by  this  act 
was  attached  to  American  Township.  This  town- 
ship is  nearly  all  swamp  and  overflowed  land, 
comprised  in  Old  Swamp  Land  District,  No.  1. 
The  Central  Pacitic  Railroad  touches  the  south- 
east corner  of  the  township,  with  a  station  at 
Arcade,  nearly  on  the  line  between  American 
and  Center  townships. 

The  Six-Mile  House  was  on  the  old  road  to 
Marysville,  about  six  miles  from  Sacramento. 
It  was  built  by  Mr.  Holmes  in  1852  or  1853. 
He  mortgaged  his  place,  including.160  acres  of 
land,  to  Mr.  Hughes,  who  was  obliged  to  fore- 
close the  mortgage  in  1857.  At  this  sale  it  was 
bought  by  H.  C.  Harvey.  It  had  not  been  used 
as  a  hotel  for  some  time  previous  to  this.  Har- 
vey, who  was  at  this  time  interested  in  a  stage 
line  from  Sacramento  to  Marysville,  kept  it  as  a 
hotel  and  farm-house.  The  Star  House  was  on 
the  Nevada  road,  on  the  Morris  grant.  It  was 
the  favorite  stopping  place  for  teamsters.  It 
was  owned  by  a  Mr.  Pitcher  in  1857.  The 
Twelve-Mile  House  was  a  stage  station  on  the 
Nevada  road.  The  Arcade  House  was  about 
two  miles  from  the  bridge. 

The  land  in  the  township  is  very  rich,  being 
for  the  most  part  deposit  from  the  rivers.     Dry 


Creek  runs  through  the  township.  This  has 
been  filled  with  mining  sediment,  so  that  now 
it  has  no  channel,  but  spreads  all  over  the  low 
grounds.  There  is  no  reclaimed  land  in  the 
township,  and  a  large  portion  of  it  is  exposed 
to  inundation  each  year  of  high  water.  When 
the  land  is  safe  it  is  very  valuable,  being  held 
as  high  as  $100  per  acre,  and  renting  at  $15  to 
$25  per  acre.  The  indications  in  this  township 
are  that  at  some  previous  time  the  water  has 
been  much  higher  than  at  any  time  since  the 
American  occupation.  The  flood  of  1862  nearly 
ruined  all  of  the  farms  that  were  overflowed,  carry- 
ing away  barns,  houses,  tools,  and  covering  all 
up  with  sediment  from  two  inches  to  two  feet 
deep. 

On  Thursday,  March  9, 1854,  the  community 
of  Sacramento  was  more  tlian  ordinarily  excited 
by  reason  of  a  report  that  a  duel  was  on  the 
tapis,  and  would  take  place  on  the  afternoun  of 
that  day.      Such  an  atiair  did   really  occur,  and 


under  the  following  circumstances 


Phil 


W. 


Thomas,  District  Attorney  of  Placer  County, 
had  made  some  remarks  concerning  and  deroga- 
tory to  the  character  of  J.  P.  Rutland,  a  clerk 
in  the  oflice  of  Dr.  S.  A.  McMeans,  State  Treas- 
urer, which  led  Rutland  to  send  Thomas  a  chal- 
lenge, which  the  latter  refused  to  accept,  alleging 
as  a  reason  that  he  did  not  recognize  the  chal- 
lenger as  a  gentleman.  Dr.  Dickson,  one  of  the 
physicians  of  tiie  State  Marine  Hospital  at  San 
Francisco,  appropriating  the  insult  to  himself, 
repeated  the  challenge  in  his  own  proper  name 
and  person,  which  was  accepted  by  Thomas,  and 
a  hostile  meeting  was  appointed  for  4  p.  m.  on 
the  day  above  mentioned.  The  parties  left  the 
city  at  2:30  p.  m.,  and  had  gained  a  point  two 
miles  beyond  Lisle's  bridge,  on  their  way  to  Oak 
Orove,  when  they  found  themselves  pursued  by 
a  deputy  sheriff  of  the  county.  When  that 
officer  was  discovered,  it  was  arranged  between 
the  friends  of  the  parties  that  a  mock  duel 
should  be  fought  to  mislead  suspicion.  Ac- 
cordingly, H.  O.  Ryerson  and  Hamilton  Bowie 
took  positions  and  exchanged  shots.  Ryerson 
was  immediately  arrested   by  the  deputy  sherifl' 


uisTonr  OF  sacramento  county. 


and   brought  back  to  the  city,  wliere  he  gave 
bonds  for  liis  appearance. 

The  real  combatants  then  proceeded  on  their 
way  to  the  appointed  place  of  meeting,  which 
was  in  American  Township,  not  more  than  200 
yards  from  the  residence  of  H.  M.  La  Rue. 
Hamilton  Bowie  acted  as  the  second  of  Thomas, 
and  Judge  McGowan  officiated  in  like  character 
for  Dickson,  who  had  the  choice  of  the  ground 
and  the  word.  The  distance  originally  fixed 
upon  was  ten  paces,  but  by  subsequent  arrange- 
ments it  was  increased  to  fifteen,  in  the  hope  of 
saving  the  lives  of  the  parties.  The  weapons 
used  were  dueling  pistols.  At  the  word  given 
by  JVIcGowan  both  fired  promptly,  but  Thomas 
an  instant  ahead.  Dickson's  hesitation  for  an 
instant,  in  all  probability,  saved  Thomas'  life,  as 
his  opponent's  ball  was  in  line,  and  went  into 
the  ground  at  the  feet  of  his  adversary.  At  the 
first  fire  Dickson  fell,  and  was  then  brouglit  to 
the  city.  The  bearing  of  Thomas  was  that  of 
one  cool  and  collected,  while  his  adversary  be- 
trayed some  excitement.  The  surgeons,  Drs. 
Ogden  and  Williams,  expressedthe  opinion  that 
the  patient  would  die,  having  found  that  the 
ball  had  entered  two  inches  anteriur  to  the  angle 
of  the  fifth  rib  of  the  right  side,  passing  forwai-d 
of  the  spinal  column,  and  resting  immediately 
under  the  skin  and  over  the  angle  of  the  sixth 
rib  on  the  left  side.  That  night,  at  twenty 
minutes  past  midnight,  Dr.  Dickson  died,  being 
perfectly  conscious  of  his  approaching  end.  He 
was  a  native  of  Tennessee,  thirty  years  of  age, 
and  had  been  in  California  about  four  years.  On 
the  10th  of  March,  the  day  after  the  duel,  the 
funeral  of  the  unfortunate  and  lamented  Dr. 
Dickson  took  place,  at  4  o'clock,  from  Jones's 
Hotel  (now  Tremont),  on"  J  street,  between  Front 
and  Second.  A  very  large  number  of  persons 
attended,  including  members  of  the  Masonic 
fraternity,  members  of  the  Senate  and  Assembly, 
State  oflicers,  and  many  personal  friends.  A 
band  of  music  headed  the  procession;  tiie  pall- 
bearers were  J.  W.  Cuffroth,  Charles  A.  Leake, 
Charles  S.  Fairfax,  B.  F.  Myers,  A.  C.  Bradford 


and  Captain  Nye;  and  the  body  was  laid  to  rest 
in  the  City  Cemetery. 

The  remaining  participants  were  indicted. 
James  H.  Hardy  was  then  district  attorney,  but 
through  the  exertions  of  Colonel  P.  L.  Edwards, 
counsel  for  the  defendants,  the  indictments  were 
quashed.  After  the  duel  Thomas  was  twice  re- 
elected district  attorney  of  Placer,  and  in  1860 
he  was  elected  to  the  State  Senate,  which  posi- 
tion he  resigned  before  the  expiration  of  his 
term.  He  made  an  unfortunate  marriage,  be- 
caine  dissipated,  and  died  in  Auburn  about 
1874  or  1875. 

BRIGHTON. 

This  township  as  originally  established  by  tlie 
Court  of  Sessions,  February  24,  1851,  was  de- 
scribed as  follows:  Beginning  at  the  southeast 
corner  of  Sacramento  Township;  thence  along 
the  eastern  line  of  said  township  to  the  county 
line  of  Sutter  County;  thence  easterly  along 
said  line  three  miles;  thence  in  a  southeasterly 
direction  to  Murray's  Ranch  and  including  the 
same;  thence  in  the  same  direction  to  the  in- 
tersection of  San  Joaquin,  Sutter  and  Cosumues 
townships;  thence  along  the  northern  line  of 
Sutter  Township  to  beginning.  This  includes 
a  part  of  what  is  now  known  as  Center  Town- 
ship. The  Board  of  Supervisors,  October  20, 
1856,  established  the  lines  of  the  township  as 
follows:  Beginning  at  the  northeastern  corner 
of  Sutter  TJownship;  thence  south  along  the 
eastern  boundary  of  said  Sutter  Township,  be- 
ing also  the  center  line  of  township  8  north, 
range  5  east,  of  Mt.  Diablo  base  and  meridian, 
to  the  township  line  between  townships  7  and 
8  north,  range  5  east;  thence  east  along  said 
township  line  to  the  range  line  between  ranges 
6  and  7  east;  thence  north  along  said  range  line 
to  the  American  River;  thence  southerly  and 
westerly  along  said  American  River  to  the  point 
of  beginning. 

The  town  of  Brighton  was  started  in  1849  by 
a  party  of  Sacramento  speculators;  the  town 
plat  was  made,  lots  staked  off,  a  race  track,  and 
the  Pavilion  Hotel,  built  by  the  originators  of 


HISTORY    OF    SACRAMENTO    COUNTY. 


the  enterprise.  It  was  located  on  tlie  south 
bank  of  the  American  River,  nearly  one  mile 
north  of  the  location  of  the  present  point  called 
Brighton.  During  the  years  1849-'51  the  vil- 
lage was  a  lively  place.  In  1851  the  Pavilion 
Hotel  burned  down;  another  hotel  was  started, 
known  as  the  Five-Mile  House,  John  and 
George  Berry  being  proprietors ;  this  house  was 
closed  in  1856.  There  were  two  stores  and 
several  dwellings  in  the  town.  In  1852  the 
town  was  abandoned,  on  account  of  land  trouble, 
defective  title,  etc. 

The  present  Brighton  is  located  on  sections  10 
and  15,  township  8  north,  of  range,  5  east,  at 
the  crossing  of  the  Sacramento  Valley  and  the 
Central  Pacific  railroads.  The  "  town  "  was 
commenced  in  1861,  but  now  there  is  not  even 
a  postoffice  directly  at  that  point.  T.  C.  Perkins 
kept  the  first  store,  which  opened  in  1861  and 
closed  in  1866;  and  was  also  the  first  postmas- 
ter, a  postoffice  having  been  established  here  in 
1861. 

The  Washington  Hotel,  Mr.  Pugh,  proprie- 
tor, was  built  in  1874:.  S.  H.  Pugh  started  the 
first  blacksmith  shop  in  the  village  the  same 
year. 

The  Brighton  Distillery  Company,  originally 
owned  by  Marcus  Lowell,  was  established  in 
1875.  It  was  subsequently  purchased  by  the 
above-named  company.  There  are  probably 
twenty  shareholders.  R.  S.  Lockett  is  Presi- 
dent and  T.  C.  Perkins,  Secretary  and  Treas 
urer.  They  manufacture  brandy  principally, 
turning  out  about  10,000  gallons  annually. 
They  expect  to  increase  this  amount  next  year. 
The  grapes  are  purchased  mostly  from  the  farm- 
ers of  Brighton  Township,  though  some  are 
bought  from  the  vicinity  of  Elk  Grove. 

Hoboken,  or  Norristown,  was  laid  off  by 
Samuel  Norris,  in  February,  1850.  (See  chapter 
on  the  founding  of  Sacramento.)  It  was  situ- 
ated on  the  south  bank  of  the  American  River, 
about  five  miles  from  Sacramento,  and  the  ad- 
vertisement in  the  Placer  Times  of  that  date 
states  that  the  location  cannot  be  surpassed  for 
health  or  business.     A   map  of  the  town   was 


left  in  the  office  of  H.  A.  Schoolcraft,  of  Sacra- 
mento. 

There  seems  to  have  been  very  little  done  to 
or  heard  of  the  town  from  this  time  until  the 
high  water  of  1852,  when,  all  teaming  commu- 
nication having  been  practically  cut  off  between 
Sacramento  and  the  mining  districts,  the  mer- 
chants of  Sacramento  were  forced  to  tempo- 
rarily establish  branches  of  their  business  on  high 
ground  so  that  their  customers  could  get  to  them. 
This  high  ground  was  found  at  or  near  the  site 
of  Norristown,  which  was  re-christened  Hobo- 
ken. Previous  to  this  time  there  was  only  one 
house  there — a  roadside  inn,  known  as  the  Four- 
Mile  House.  On  January  10,  1853,  there  were 
from  thirty  to  fifty  houses  and  "tents  of  business, 
with  a  population  of  several  hundred,  including 
among  their  number  nearly  all  the  prominent 
business  houses  of  Sacramento.  January  15, 
1853,  the  first  election  was  held  for  city  officers. 
The  candidates  for  mayor  were,  Judge  E.  L. 
Brown,  J.  B.  Starr  and  Samuel  JMorris. 

The  newspaper  reports  of  the  election  state 
that  the  candidates,  especially  for  mayor,  were 
early  in  the  field,  and  "  the  sovereigns  were 
treated  to  the  best  of  cheer."  The  vote  for 
Mayor  was:  E.  L.  Brown,  613;  Samuel  Norria, 
546;  J.  B.  Starr,  598.  Mayor  Brown  made  an 
inaugural  address  to  the  citizens  of  Hoboken 
through  the  medium  of  "  the  very  common 
council,"  in  which  several  suggestions  were 
made  as  to  necessary  improvements,  and  prom- 
ising to  execute  the  law  faithfully  "provided  I 
am  paid  for  it."  On  the  subsidence  of  the 
waters,  later  on  in  the  season,  Hoboken  was  de- 
serted, and  has  since  been  used  as  farm  land. 

Rentier  postoffice  is  situated  on  the  Placer- 
ville  Railroad,  a  trifle  more  than  ten  miles  dis- 
tant from  the  Sacramento  postoffice.  The  name 
was  given  to  it  in  honor  of  Joseph  Routier, 
who,  with  his  family,  settled  on  the  place  as  the 
agent  of  Captain  Folsom,  in  June,  1853,  occu- 
pying the  adobe  house  built  by  Leidesdorff  in 
1846.  On  the  death  of  Captain  Folsom,  in  1855, 
the  executors  of  his  estate  retained  Mr.  Routier, 
and  when  the  land  was  sold,  in  1863,  he  pur' 


HISTORY    OF    SACUAMBNTO    COUNTY. 


chased  100  acres,  and  has  planted  it  in  fruit- 
trees  and  grape-vines.  After  spending  much 
time  and  money  experimenting  on  wine,  Mr. 
"Routier  succeeded  in  making  a  wine,  which, 
among  coniioiseiirs,  is  considered  superior. 

The  iirst  railroad  station  in  this  vicinity  was 
at  the  American  Fork  House,  or  Patterson's.  A 
few  years  later  the  station  was  moved  nearer 
town,  and  called  Mayhew  Station,  from  the 
agent's  name.  In  1866  Mr.  Routier's  fruit 
business  had  appreciated  so  much  that  the  fail- 
road  company  built  a  platform  fur  him.  In 
1871  Patterson  lost  his  new  house  by  fire,  and 
was  induced  to  rebuild  and  make  a  station  at 
lloutier's,  which  proved  to  be  a  good  invest- 
ment. In  1872  Mrs.  Mayhew,  then  postmis- 
tress at  Mayhew,  resigned,  and,  on  petition  of 
.the  farmers  in  that  vicinity,  the  office  was  re- 
moved to  Routier's,  and  called  Routier  postof- 
fice;  A.  D.  Patterson  was  appointed  postmaster. 

Walsh  Station  is  situated  on  the  Jackson  road, 
near  the  center  of  the  township.  The  postqffice 
was  established  in  1873,  J.  Walsh,  Postmaster; 
he  also  opened  a  store  the  same  year.  A  black- 
smith shop  and  the  Enterprise  Grange  Hall  were 
also  started  the  same  year;  the  latter  was  built 
by  the  business  association,  composed  of  mem- 
bers of  the  Enterprise  Grange. 

Of  the  earlest  settlers  we  have  the  following 
reminiscences: 

A.    D.    Patterson    came   to    the    township  in 

1849,  and  started  what  is  known  as  the  Ameri- 
can Fork  or  Ten-Mile  House,  on  the  Coloina 
road,  where  he  remained  until  1871.  'N.  J. 
Stevens  settled  near  Patterson's  place  April  1, 

1850,  with  his  family.  He  died  about  1873. 
Charles  Malby  settled  here  in  1849,  and  kept 
the  Nine-Mile  House  on  the  Coloina  road,  ne.xt 
to  Stevens's.  James  T.  Day  came  in  1849.  James 
Bowles  settled  in  the  township  with  his  family 
in  1849  on  the  place  adjoining  Stevens's  on  the 
west.  He  died  many  years  ago.  Israel  Luce 
came  in  the  spring  of  1850;  was  in  partner- 
ship with  Charles  Malby.  Mr.  Luce  now  lives  in 
Sacramento.  James  Allen  settled  with  his 
family  on  the  American  River.     He  was  driven 


out  during  the  Squatter  riots,  an  adopted  son 
of  his  being  killed  during  the  riot.  Allen  after- 
waid  returned  and  took  possession  of  the  land, 
sold  out  and  moved  away  about  1861.  W.  B. 
Whitesides  settled  in  the  township  in  January, 
1850,  joining  ranches  with  Kipp  and  Petit.  He 
died  in  1864.  A.  B.  Hawkins  settled  here  in 
1849;  moved  away  many  years  ago.  Mr. 
Crytes  came  in  1850,  and  moved  away.  A. 
Kipp  and  Charles  Petit  settled  on  the  Allen 
place  in  1851.  When  Allen  returned,  they  gave 
possession.  John  Rooney  settled  in  1851,  in  an 
old  adobe  house,  formerly  a  sheep  ranch.  He 
is  now  living  at  Whitesides'  place.  Dr.  Kel- 
logg settled  in  1849  on  the  place  north  of  Bowles's ; 
sold  out  in  1853  to  James  Riley,  who  died  in 
1869.  W.  S.  Manlove  settled  in  1849  about 
one  mile  and  one-half  south  of  Day's  ranch, 
where  he  still  resides.  Mr.  Rush  opened  the 
Fourteen-Mile  House  on  the  Coloma  road  in 
1850.  It  was  quite  a  large  building.  In  1854 
he  sold  to  John  Taylor,  who  has  since  carried  on 
farming  on  the  place. 

The  American  Fork  House  was  established  in 
December,  1849,  by  A.  D.  Patterson.  The  house 
was  constructed  principally  of  cloth,  and  was 
situated  about  ten  miles  from  the  city.  The 
house  soon  became  popular,  and  so  flourished 
that  in  1850  a  wooden  house  was  built,  costing, 
it  is  said,  §40,000,  owing  to  its  being  the  cholera 
season.  On  Christmas  eve,  1850,  a  ball  was 
given  at  the  house,  the  receipts  amounting  to 
$1,500,  $250  of  which  Patterson  paid  to  Lo- 
thian's Band  for  furnishing  the  music. 

In  1853  the  celebrated  "  Plank  Road,"  built 
on  the  continuation  of  J  street,  reached  Patter- 
son's Hotel,  which  was  its  eastern  terminus,  and 
the  house  immediately  became  a  great  place  of 
resort.     Patterson  sold  the  property  in  1872. 

The  Magnolia,  sometimes  known  as  the  Five- 
Mile  House,  was  originally  built  in  1849.  It 
was  situated  on  the  old  Placerville  and  Jackson 
stage  road,  and  was  a  place  of  considerable  note 
in  its  day.  The  building  was  burned  twice  in 
1863,  and  was  rebuilt  the  second  time.  The 
Twelve-Mile  House  was  built  in  1853  by  a  man 


HISTOUT    OF    SACRAMENTO    COUNTY. 


named  Cadwell,  aud  called  at  that  time  the  An- 
telope Raiicli. 

The  Fourteen-Mile  House,  situated  on  the 
Coloma  road,  was  built  iu  1850,  and  sold  to 
John  Taylor  in  1854. 

Enterprise  Grange^  No.  129,  was  organized 
December  12,  1873.  The  charter  members 
were:  J.  M.  Bell,  Master;  A.  A.  Nordyke,  Over- 
seer; S.  W.  Haynie,  Steward;  George  Wilson, 
Lecturer;  H.  A.  Parker,  Treasurer;  M.  Tooiny, 
Secretary;  R.  S.  Jamison,  Assistant  Steward; 
J.  Campbell,  Gate  Keeper;  G.  I.  Martin,  Chap- 
lain ;  J.  R.  Gilliland,  J.  D.  J3ennett,  R.  J.  Brown, 
A.  M.  Gunter,  T.  L.  "Williams,  J.  D.  Morrison, 
Nelson  Shaver,  Al.  Root,  Ada  M.  Shaver,  May 
M.  Gunter,  Mrs.  Mary  G.  Nordyke,  Ceres; 
Effunia  Bell,  Margaret  A.  Haynie,  Lady  Assist- 
ant Steward;  Sarah  Martin,  Flora;  Mrs.  M. 
Parker,  Pomona;  and  Mary  M.  Brown. 

This  grange  has  had  as  many  as  100  members. 

CENTER. 

The  original  boundaries  of  Center  Township, 
as  established  by  the  Court  of  Sessions,  Febru- 
ary 24,  1851,  contained,  as  near  as  we  can  ascer- 
tain, the  eastern  half  ot*  the  present  Center 
Township,  and  portions  of  the  present  townships 
of  Brighton,  Granite,  and  possibly  Lee.  On 
March  1, 1853,  the  Board  of  Supervisors  changed 
the  boundaries  of  Brighton  and  Center  town- 
ships, forming  one  township  out  of  the  portions 
of  botli  lying  north  of  the  American  River,  this 
township  to  be  called  Center  Township.  The 
eastern  line  of  the  township  ran  a  southeasterly 
course,  striking  the  American  River  east  of 
Folsoin;  this  included  the  westerly  four-fifths  of 
the  present  Mississippi  Township. 

October  20,  1856,  the  Board  of  Supervisors 
established  the  present  boundaries  of  Center 
Township  as  follows:  beginning  at  the  north- 
east corner  of  American  Township,  and  run 
thence  easterly  along  the  northern  boundary 
line  of  the  county  of  Sacramento,  to  the  range 
line  between  ranges  6  and  7,  east  of  Mount 
Diablo  meridian;  thence  south  along  said  range 
line  to   the   American    River;  thonce  southerly 


and  westerly  along  said  American  River  to  the 
eastern  boundary  line  of  American  Township; 
thence  north  along  said  eastern  line  of  Ameri- 
can Township  to  the  beginning. 

Center  Township  is  mostly  all  occupied  by 
Spanish  grants.  The  Rancho  del  Paso,  com- 
monly known  as  the  Norris  grant,  is  mostly  in 
this  township,  or  about  30,000  acres  of  it.  The 
Rancho  San  Juan  has  about  8,000  acres  in 
Center  Township.  The  latter  ranph  is,  how- 
ever, now  being  sold  in  small  parcels,  and,  for 
the  benefit  of  the  township,  it  is  to  be  hoped  the 
Norris  grant  may  soon  do  likewise. 

The  character  of  the  land  is  essentially  agri- 
cultural, and,  where  opportunity  has  been  had 
to  try  its  fertility,  it  has  proved  of  good  quality. 
The  land  lying  around  the  edge  of  the  Norris 
grant  is  nearly  all  under  cultivation,  or  consti- 
tutes part  of  improved  farms. 

The  proprietors  of  the  Norris  grant  have  made 
three  separate  attempts  to  reach  artesian  water, 
or  to  find  a  flowing  well,  without,  however, 
meeting  with  any  success.  The  depth  of  the 
wells  were,  respectively,  900  feet,  640  feet,  and 
2,147  feet.  The  last  well  was  abandoned  in 
1879. 

The  Auburn  road  ran  diagonally  through  the 
township,  as  it  now  is,  from  southwest  to  north- 
east, and  along  this  road,  at  short  intervals,  were 
located  houses  for  the  refreshment  of  man  and 
beast.  The  most  prominent  of  these  houses  was 
the  Oak  Grove  House,  located  on  the  Auburn 
road,  about  seven  miles  from  the  city  of  Sacra- 
mento. This  house  was  quite  a  resort  at  one 
time — notably  in  1851-'52,  its  situation  being 
about  the  right  distance  from  Sacramento  to 
make  the  drive  and  return  a  pleasant  trip.  The 
house  was  kept  by  D.  B.  Groat  in  early  times. 
This  house  is  also  noted  for  being  the  one  in 
which  the  parties  to  the  Denver-Gilbert  duel 
took  breakfast,  the  duel  itself  having  taken  place 
but  a  few  yards  from  the  house.  This  house 
has  long  since  disappeared.  There  weVe  several 
other  houses  along  the  road,  none  of  which  ap- 
pear to  have  been  of  any  particular  note.  Most 
of  the  public  houses   were  built   in  1850,  and 


214 


HISTORY    OF    SACRAMENTO    COUNTY. 


were  abandoned  soon  after  the  completion  of 
the  Sacramento  Valley  Kailroad  to  Folsom  in 
1856. 

,  Antelope  is  a  small  settlement,  located  on  the 
Central  Pacific  Eailroad,  near  the  center  of  sec- 
tion 21,  township  10  north,  of  range  6  east- 
The  town  was  regularly  surveyed  in  1878.  In 
1876  a  large  brick  warehouse,  40  x  100  feet  in 
size,  was  built  by  J.  F.  Cross  at  a  cost  of  $3,000. 
This  was  the  first  building  erected.  The  first 
store  was  started  in  May,  1877,  by  the  Antelope 
Business  Association,  an  incorporated  company. 
The  associatioTi  sold  out  in  the  fall  of  1878  to 
John  Berry.  The  second  store  was  started  in 
1879,  in  the  hotel  building,  by  R.  iVstile.  The 
postotfice  of  Antelope  was  established  in  1877; 
Joel  Gardiner,  Postmaster.  In  1878  he  was 
succeeded  by  John  Berry.  This  is  the  only 
postoffice  in  the  township.  Antelope  is  the 
shipping  point  for  large  quantities  of  grain, 
both  to  Sacramento  and  the  mountains. 

Arcade  is  a  flag  station  on  the  Central  Pacific 
Railroad,  situated  nearly  on  the  dividing  line  of 
American  and  Center  townships.  There  are  no 
buildings  here  or  settlement;  simply  a  section- 
house,  owned  by  the  railroad  company. 

The  floods  of  1861-'62  brought  down  a  large 
number  of  pine  trees,  stumps  and  roots  and  de- 
posited them  on  the  banks  of  the  river  on  the 
"grant,"  and  the  following  summer  five  or  six 
men  did  a  profitable  business  by  extracting  the 
tar  and  resin  from  these  trees  and  supplying 
the  Sacramento  market.  This,  so  far  as  we 
know,  has  been  the  only  work  of  tiie  kind  done 
in  any  part  of  Sacramento  County. 

The  Gilbert-Denver  duel  was  one  of  the  most 
noted  that  has  ever  occurred  in  the  State.  It 
originated  primarily  in  a  newspaper  controversy. 
At  this  time,  1852,  Denver  was  in  charge  of 
the  supplies  for  overland  immigration,  and  Gil- 
bert in  his  capacity  as  editor  saw  fit  to  comment 
very  severely  on  the  conduct  of  the  expedition, 
accused  members  of  the  party  of  dishonesty,  and 
finally  sent  Denver  a  challenge  to  figlit,  which 
was  promptly  accepted  by  the  latter.  Denver, 
being   the   challenged    party,   chose   rifles;    the 


distance  was  thirty  paces.  On- the  evening  pre- 
ceding the  duel  Mr.  Gilbert  dined  at  the  resi- 
dence of  R.  N.  Berry,  in  Sacramento.  At 
sunrise  on  the  following  morning,  August  2, 
1852,  the  parties  were  promptly  on  the  ground, 
which  was  a  few  yards  above  the  Oak  Grove 
House,  on  the  Auburn  road,  in  Center  Town- 
ship, some  seven  or  eight  miles  from  Sacramento. 
Both  parties  appeared  calm  and  collected  when 
on  the  ground.  Gilbert  wore  a  small  green 
surtout  coat,  buttoned  tightly  across  his  chest. 
Denver  had  on  a  large  cloak,  which  he  threw 
off  before  taking  his  position.  In  the  clmice  of 
positions  Denver  secured  the  toss  and  placed 
his  back  to  the  rising  sun.  Ex-Mayor  Tesche- 
macher  was  the  second  for  Gilbert  and  V.  E. 
Geiger  acted  for  Denver.  Dr.  Wake  Briarly 
was  surgeon  for  both  combatants.  Just  as  the 
sun  was  rising  the  word  "fire  "  was  given.  Gil- 
bert fired  at  the  word  "two"  and  Denver  at  the 
word  "three."  The  ball  from  Gilbert's  weapon 
plowed  the  ground  in  an  almost  direct  line  with 
the  body  of  his  antagonist.  The  same  remark 
will  apply  to  Denver's  shot.  Before  the  next 
attempt  was  made  Gilbert  called  a  friend  to  him 
and  told  him  if  he  was  killed  at  the  next  shot  to 
ask  his  partner,  Kemble,  to  write  to  his  mother, 
informing  her  of  the  circumstances  of  his  death. 
Immediately  after  the  firing  of  the  second  shot, 
Gilbert  dropped  into  the  arms  of  his  friends 
and  expired  almost  without  a  struggle.  He  was 
shot  through  the  bowels.  The  body  was  at  once 
taken  in  a  wagon  to  the  Oak  Grove  House,  where 
the  party  breakfasted. 

Edward  Gilbert  was  born  in  Troy,  New  York; 
he  was  emphatically  a  self-made  man,  ard 
worked  himself  up  from  the  printer's  case  to  a 
seat  in  Congress.  He  came  to  California  with 
Stevenson's  regiment  in  1847.  Before  coming 
to  California  he  was  associate  editor  of  the  Al- 
bany Argus,  though  at  the  time  of  his  death  lie 
was  only  thirty  years  of  age.  Gilbert  early 
in  1849  combined  the  California  Star  and  the 
old  Californian,  from  which  sprung  the  Alta 
California.  He  was  regularly  elected  delegate 
to  the  convention  to  form  a  constitution  for  t 


HISTORY    OF    SACRAMENTO    COUNTY. 


State  of  California,  and  was  the  first  man  to 
take  a  seat  in  Congress  from  the  Pacilic  Coast. 
The  body  of  Mr.  Gilbert  was  conveyed  from  the 
dueling  ground  to  the  residence  of  J.  H.  Nev- 
ett,  of  Sacramento.  Impressive  funeral  services 
were  held  by  the  liev.  O.  C.  Wheeler  at  the 
Baptist  Church.  The  procession  was  headed  by 
a  battalion  of  cavalry,  commanded  by  Captain 
Fry.  Tiie  body  was  taken  to  San  Francisco, 
where  the  final  ceremonies  were  held  at  Rev.  T. 
Dwight  Hunt's  church;  every  newspaper  editor 
and   reporter  in  town    attended  the  ceremonies. 

COSUMNES. 

Cosumnes  Township,  as  established  by  the 
Court  of  Sessions,  February  24,  1851,  included 
all  of  Alabama  Township,  and  parts  of  Lee, 
Dry  Creek  and  San  Joaquin  townships  The 
present  boundaries  were  established  October  20, 
1856,  by  the  Board  of  Supervisors,  and  are  as 
follows:  Beginning  at  the  southwest  corner  of 
Natoma  Township;  thence  east  along  the  south- 
ern boundary  of  said  Natoma  Township  to  the 
eastern  boundary  of  the  county;  thence  south- 
erly along  the  eastern  boundary  line  of  the 
county  to  the  township  line  between  townships 
6  and  7  north,  range  9  east;  thence  west  and 
along  said  township  line  to  the  southeast  corner 
of  Lee  Township;  thence  nortii  along  the  said 
eastern  boundary  to  the  beginning;  embraced 
within  the  present  limits  of  Cosumnes  Town- 
ship are  Michigan  Bar,  Sebastopol,  Live  Oak 
and  Buckeye. 

Michigan  Bar  is  so  named  from  the  fact  that 
the  first  settlers  were  from  Michigan.  Gold  was 
discovered  here  in  the  latter  part  of  1849;  this 
is,  at  least,  the  first  discovery  that  was  made 
public.  The  founders  of  Michigan  Bar  were  two 
men  from  Michigan,  who  probably  made  the 
first  discovery  of  gold  there.  In  the  following 
spring  some  of  their  friends  and  acquaintances, 
formerly  from  Michigan,  who  had  been  mining 
at  Placerville,  and  others  direct  from  that  State, 
joined  them,  and  commenced  mining  on  the  bar, 
and  in  the  vicinity,  and  the  town  began  to  grow. 
This  was  the  largest   mining  camp  in  the  town- 


ship. The  first  claims  were  small,  each  man 
being  allowed  only  sixteen  feet;  they  were  en- 
larged, by  several  men  uniting  tlieir  claims, 
and  when  hydraulic  mining  began,  the  rule  was 
changed,  tlie  miners  here,  as  elsewhere,  making 
their  own  laws  on  the  subject  of  claims. 

In  the  autumn  of  1851  the  miners  commenced 
working  the  gulclies,  hauling  the  dirt  in  carts 
to  the  river.  This  was  the  first  dry  miningdone  in 
this  locality.  In  the  summer  the  mining  was 
nearly  all  on  the  river  and  bars;  in  the  winter 
the  miners  worked  in  the  gulches  with  sluices, 
running  from  six  to  eight  inches  to  a  sluice. 
The  Knightsomer  Ditch  was  the  first  ditch 
built,  in  1851;  the  Davidson  Ditch,  built  in 
1854,  both  on  north  side  of  river.  A  small 
ditch  was  builton  south  side  of  river,  by  O'Brien, 
Dayton  and  others,  in  1853.  Hydraulic  min- 
ing began  in  1858;  the  gulch  mining  gradually 
decreased  until,  in  1862,  it  was  practically  aban- 
doned. This  district  was  originally  one  of  the 
best  for  placer-mining  in  California.  Some  200 
or  300  acres  have  often  been  denuded  to  a  depth 
of  over  twenty  feet. 

Michigan  Bar  at  one  time  had  from  1,000  to 
1,500  population,  and  by  some  it  is  estimated 
that  there  were  over  2,000.  In  the  '50's  it 
polled  over  500  votes;  there  are  now  only  about 
fifty  voters  in  the  precinct. 

The  new  iron  bridge,  362  feet  in  length, 
costing  $3,300,  was  finished  April  9,  1887.  A 
toll  bridge,  built  by  Samuel  Putnam,  existed 
here  from  1853  to  1879  or  1880,  when  it  was 
bought  by  the  county  and  made  free.  Arkan- 
sas Creek,  rising  in  Amador  County,  runs  for 
about  four  miles  through  Cosumnes  Township, 
emptying  into  the  Cosumnes  River  at  Flint  & 
Raymond's.  The  old  Amador  &  Sacramento 
Canal  extends  about  sixteen  miles  from  its 
source  in  the  Cosumnes  to  Michigan  Bar. 

The  Michigan  Bar  Pottery  was  built  in  1859 
by  J.  W.  Orr  and  moved  to  a  point  about  two  and 
a  half  miles  southeast  of  the  village  in  1862, 
where  Mr.  Orr  discovered  a  bank  of  potter's 
clay  supposed  to  be  the  best  in  the  State  for 
stoneware,  and  still   known  as  Orr's  bank.      At 


HISTORY    OP    SACRAMENTO    COUNTY. 


present  the  San  Francisco  Sewer- Pipe  Associa- 
tion leases  the  sewer- pipe  department.  A.  M. 
Addington  owned  it  from  1865  to  1884,  and  J. 
M.  Williams,  who  had  leased  it  in  1881,  from 
1884  to  the  present  time.  He  lias  discovered  a 
deposit  of  "croll  "  (fire-sand)  in  the  adjoining 
land  of  N.  B.  Gill,  and  has  purchased  forty-five 
acres  of  him.  A  measure  of  silicions  sand  also 
exists  in  it.  In  the  autumn  of  1888  he  sent 
specimens  of  this  sand  to  England,  where  tlie 
chemists  pronounced  it  the  best  known  for  the 
purpose.  Twenty-five  acres  of  the  new  pur- 
chase has  this  sand  on  the  surface.  English 
capitalists  are  making  overtures  to  Mr.  Orr  for 
a  purchase.  This  material  is  specially  well 
adapted  to  the  manufacture  of  stoneware,  fire- 
brick, sewer-pipes  and  white  and  yellow  ware. 
Among  the  early  settlers  of  Michigan  Bar 
were  the  following:  A  man  Ly  the  name  of 
Frothro  was  the  first  settler,  who  brought  his 
family  with  him.  The  family  consisted  of  four 
sons  and  two  daughters.  Prothro  afterward 
moved  to  Mendocino  County.  Larkin  Lamb 
and  wife  settled  at  Michigan  Bar  in  January, 
1851. 

Gold  was  discovered  at  Cook's  Bar  almost 
simultaneously  with  Michigan  Bar.  It  received 
its  name  from  Dennis  Cook,  who  settled  here  in 
the  latter  part  of  1S49.  He  remained  here  until 
1855  or  '56.  He  kept  a  trading-post,  and  also 
followed  mining.  Cook's  Bar  was  located  about 
a  mile  and  three-fourths  below  Michigan  Bar, 
on  the  Cosumnes  iliver.  Quite  a  town  was 
built  up  here  at  one  time,  having  a  large  hotel, 
stores,  saloons,  and  about  500  inhabitants.  The 
town,  as  such,  ceased  to  exist  about  the  year  1860. 
Sebastopol,  a  mining  camp,  established  in 
1854,  is  located  on  the  northwest  quarter  of  sec- 
tion 16,  township  7  north,  range  8  east.  Tiie  name 
"Sebastopol"  was  chosen  by  a  vote  of  the 
miners,  tlie  Crimean  "War  being  then  in  prog- 
ress, and  its  famous  namesake  being  very  prom- 
inent in  the  daily  papers  of  that  date.  From 
1854  to  1858  the  camp  thrived  and  the  popula- 
tion and  buildings  increased.  Mining,  however, 
being  the  main    industry,  witii  its   decline  the 


town  gradually  became  deserted,  till  at  the 
present  time  there  are  but  four  houses  standing. 
During  the  lively  times,  from  three  to  four  hun- 
dred ounces  of  gold  dust  were  sold  weekly  at 
this  place.  Since  1859  there  have  been  no 
white  men  at  work  mining  here.  Some  Ciiina- 
men,  however,  worked  until  1876. 

At  one  time  Sebastopol  contained  one  hotel, 
one  general  merchandise  store,  one  dry-goods 
store,  one  saloon  and  bowling  alley,  one  cigar 
store,  butcher  shop,  blacksmith  shop,  shoe  store, 
and  dwelling-liouses  and  miners' cabins  contain- 
ing about  200  inhabitants. 

Among    some    of    the     early    settlers    were 

Michael  Davis,  McEntire,  T.  P.  Horn,  Dr. 

Bowman, Lyon, McCabeand  Francis 

Mitchell.  The  latter  came  when  the  town  was 
established.  There  is  some  good  agricultural 
land  in  the  vicinity. 

Katesville  was  a  mining  camp.  The  limits 
of  the  district  were  defined  in  1855,  and  ex- 
tended three  miles  south  of  Arkansas  Creek  and 
three  miles  east  and  west  from  tlie  foot  of  Big 
Ravine;  it  also  embraced  the  strip  of  Mr.  Dar- 
med's  ground,  between  Arkansas  Creek  and 
Cook's  Bar  District;  was  established  in  1854, 
though  there  was  some  mining  done  as  early  as 
1852.  This  place  was  never  incorporated  as  a 
town,  and  in  1S62  was  deserted.  At  one  time 
there  was  a  hotel,  boarding-house,  store,  black- 
smith shop,  and  several  saloons  and  dwelling- 
houses. 

Live  Oak  i.<  located  on  section  10,  in  town- 
ship 7  north,  range  8  east;  was  established  in 
1854,  though  there  had  been  some  little  mining 
done  in  the  vicinity  previous  to  that  time. 
Times  were  quite  lively  here  for  a  few  years, 
gold  dust  to  the  amount  of  §2,000  or  $3,000 
per  week  being  sold  for  several  years.  Wells, 
Fargo  &  Co.  had  an  office  here  from  1858  to 
1861.  The  Hamilton  Line  of  stages  ran  tiirough 
Live  Oak  on  the  route  from  Sacramento  to 
Michigan  Bar.  At  one  time  there  were  three 
stores,  two  hotels,  one  livery  stable,  a  blacksmith 
shop,  butcher  shop  and  four  saloons  in  the  town. 
The  place    went   down  in    1861.     Among    the 


HISTORY    OF    8AGBAMENT0    COUNTY. 


early  settlers  were  B.  R.  Robinson,  Henry  Lan- 
caster, "W.  S.  Crayton,  Thomas  Olive,  J.  C. 
Dunn,  Patrick  Gaffney,  John  Gaifney,  George 
Freeman,  R.  D.  Reed,  Alfred  Ball  and  V.  Perry. 
The  early  mining  was  entirely  placer  and 
gulch  digging?,  on  the  river  and  bars  in  sum- 
mer time  and  in  gulches  during  the  rainy  sea- 
son. The  tirst  water  ditch  constructed  in  Co- 
sumnes  Township  was  the  Knightsomer  Ditch, 
about  1851,  and  was  the  oldest  water  right  on 
the  Cosumnes  River.  The  miners  used  to  cart 
the  dirt  to  the  river  and  use  the  waters  of  the 
ditch  to  work  the  "Toms."  This  ditch  was 
abandoned  in  1862,  owing  to  the  flood  filling  it 
up.  It  was  located  on  the  north  side  of  the 
river.  Of  the  new  irrigating  ditch,  about  eight 
miles  are  in  tliis  township.  The  cost  of  "four 
inches  "  of  water  is  5  cents  a  day  per  acre,  which 
would  be  $4.50  for  a  season  o'f  ninety  days. 

George  McKinstry  came  to  the  State  in  1847; 
opened  a  store  and  trading-post  on  the  Co- 
sumnes River  in  1849.  He  owned  part  of  what 
was  called  the  Sacayac  grant  (now  called  Pratt 
grant)  on  the  Cosuuines  River.  He  sold  in 
1850  ranch  and  store  to  Emanuel  Pratt,  who 
ran  the  store  until  1855,  when  he  closed  out 
the  business.     Pratt  died  in  1870. 

J.  O.  Sherwood  settled  on  the  south  side  of 
Cosumnes  River  in  1851. 

Jacob  A.  Hutchinson,  Sr.,  crossed  the  plains 
with  his  family  in  1846;  settled  in  Cosumnes 
Township  in  1849,  on  the  Cosumnes  River.  He 
soon  after  started  on  a  prospecting  trip  to  the 
northern  mines,  and  has  never  been  heard  of 
since. 

James  Pollock  came  to  the  State  with  his 
family  in  1846,  and  settled  in  Cosumnes  Town- 
ship in  1853,  on  the  river. 

Jared  Sheldon,  the  owner  of  what  is  com- 
monly known  as  the  Sheldon  grant,  bought  a 
piece  of  land  about  one-half  mile  above  the 
present  site  of  McCabe's  bridge,  in  1851,  and 
proceeded  to  erect  a  costly  dam  and  dig  a  race 
about  three-fourths  of  a  mile  long.  The  dam 
was  built  of  square  timbers,  tied  together  with 
oak  ties  and  filled  in  with  rock;   the  height  was 


about  sixteen  feet.  The  miners,  learning  of  his 
intention,  sent  him  a  written  protest  against 
the  construction  of  the  dam,  stating  that  great 
damage  would  be  done  to  them  by  the  overflow 
of  their  claims.  Sheldon  disregarded  this  pro- 
test and  completed  the  dam.  When  the  water 
began  to  reach  the  mining  claims  several  meet- 
ings were  held,  both  sides  being  represented. 
Sheldon  built  a  fort  on  a  point  of  rocks  which 
commanded  the  dam,  and  placed  a  cannon  in  it; 
he  then  employed  a  large  number  of  men  to 
protect  the  works  at  all  hazards.  On  July  12, 
1851,  tlie  sentries  were  surprised  and  the  fort 
taken,  Sheldon  at  the  time  being  absent.  He 
was  sent  for  to  come  and  let  the  water  off,  being 
told  that  he  could  do  it  with  as  little  injury  as 
possible  to  the  dam.  He  arrived  soon  after 
with  about  a  dozen  men,  and  refused  to  let  the 
water  off.  An  ineflfectual  attempt  was  made  to 
blow  up  the  dam  with  gunpowder.  On  the 
failure  becoming  evident,  one  of  the  miners,  of 
whom  there  were  about  150  present,  seized  an 
ax,  and,  calling  on  the  others  to  protect  him, 
walked  out  on  the  edge  of  the  structure  and  be- 
gan chopping.  Our  informants  difler  as  to 
which  party  fired  the  first  shot,  one  account 
stating  that  Sheldon  ordered  one  of  his  men  to 
shoot  the  axman;  the  man  and  one  other  of  his 
party  immediately  obeyed,  whereupon  the  min- 
ers fired  on  them,  instantly  killing  Sheldon  and 
the  two  Toen,  Johnson  and  Cody,  who  had  fired. 
From  the  fact  that  the  only  miner  who  was  in- 
jured, out  ot  the  whole  number  present,  was  the 
one  on  the  dam,  he  being  slightly  wounded,  it 
is  very  probable  that  this  account  is  the  correct 
one.  The  dam  was  opened  enough  to  let  the 
water  off,  and  entirely  swept  away  by  the  high 
water  of  1851-'52. 

Jordan  H.  Lowry  settled  at  Michigan  Bar  in 
1854,  where  he  still  resides. 

This  township  seems  to  have  been  well  sup- 
plied with  hotels  from  1850  to  1862.  The 
Public  House,  built  in  1849,  on  the  Dry  Town 
and  Sacramento  road,  at  Coats's  Ferry,  on  the 
south  side  of  the  river,  Lewis  &  Travers,  pro- 
prietors, closed  in  1858.     There    was    another 


218 


EISTOBT    OF    SACRAMENTO    COUNTY. 


hotel  on  the  north  side  of  the  river,  at  the 
place,  started  bj  Coats.     He  rented  the 
to  Harvey  Alvord.     Both  house  and  ferry  were 
discontinued  in  1857. 

The  Hamilton  House,  started  by  Orville  Ham- 
ilton in  1850,  on  the  Sacramento  and  Dry  Town 
road,  near  the  river,  on  the  land  now  owned  by 
Oliver  Plummer.  It  was  destroyed  by  fire  in 
1853  and  i.ever  rebuilt. 

The  Gold  Spring  House,  on  the  Dry  Town 
road,  on  the  Gold  Spring  Eanch,  built  in  1849 
by  Boyle  and  Page,  afterward  sold  to  J.  O. 
Sherwood  and  J.  A.  Tread  way,  closed  as  a  pub- 
lic house  in  June,  1853. 

The  Mountain  House,  twenty-eight  miles 
from  Sacramento,  on  the  Dry  Town  road,  was 
started  in  1850  by  James  Gordon,  who  sold  out 
to  Johnson,  Warner  and  Dake  in  1852.  Gor- 
don's wife  gave  birth  to  twin  boys  in  1850; 
these  were  probably  the  first  white  children 
born  in  Cosumnes  Township. 

The  Wilbur  Hotel,  built  by  Y.  S.  Wilbur  in 
1850.  Wilbur  sold  to  Larkin  Lamb  in  1851, 
who  closed  the  house  in  1858;  located  on  the 
Dry  Town  road. 

The  Ohio  House,  built  by  a  company  from 
Ohio  in  1855.  Dr.  Woodford  had  the  manage- 
ment; sold  in  1856  or  1857  to  James  Cum- 
mings,  who  changed  the  name  to  Cumraings' 
Hotel.  It  burned  down  in  1864,  and  was  not 
rebuilt;  located  at  Sebastopol. 

The  Hamilton  Hotel,  at  Sebastopol,  opened 
in  1867  by  J.  H.  Hamilton. 

Tlie  Prairie  Cottage,  situated  about  one  and 
one-half  miles  above  Sebastopol,  on  the  Sacra- 
mento and  lone  road,  was  built  in  1851,  closed 
in  1864. 

The  Blue  Tent  House,  on  wliat  is  now  known 
as  the  Buckeye  Ranch,  built  in  1849  by  Sage  & 
Co.,  from  Ohio;  it  was  closed  as  a  iiotel  in 
1870. 

Niagara  House,  opened  in  1849,  located  on 
Willow  Springs  Creek,  near  the  Amador  County 
line,  was  built  by  Moore  and  Ball;  closed  as  a 
hotel  in  1856. 

Cook's  Bar   House,  opened   by  Chenault  and 


Hall  in  1854,  at  Cook's  Bar.  They  did  a  good 
business  for  several  years;  business  was  discon- 
tinued about  1870. 

There  is  very  little  agricultural  land  in  Co- 
sumnes Township.  Along  the  Cosumnes  River 
the  greater  portion  of  the  township  can  be 
classed  among  the  mineral  lands,  most,  if  not 
all,  being  gold-bearing  gravel  hills. 

The  first  school  in  this  township  was  organ- 


ized  in    May,  1853,  the  district   includi 
whole  township  as  then  located. 


the 


DRY  CREEK. 


Dry  Creek  Township  was  originally  included 
in  San  Joaquin  Township,  and  was  set  oft'  as  an 
independent  township  in  August.  1853,  by  the 
Court  of  Sessions,  the  order  reading  that  "All 
that  part  of  San  Joaquin  lying  southeast  of  the 
Cosumnes  Iliver  be  erected  into  a  township,  to 
be  called  Dry  Creek."  The  Board  ot  Super- 
visors modified  the  boundaries,  October  20, 
1856,  giving  it  the  lines  as  they  now  stand, 
which  are  as  follows:  Commencing  at  the  junc- 
tion of  the  Cosumnes  and  Mokelumne  rivers, 
thence  northeasterly,  following  the  course  of  the 
Cosumnes  River  to  its  intersection  with  the 
range  line  between  ranges  6  and  7  east.  United 
States  Government  survey;  thence  south  and 
along  said  range  line  to  its  intersection  with 
Dry  Creek;  thence  westerly  along  said  Dry 
Creek  and  the  Mokelumne  River  to  the  be- 
ginning. 

This  township  is  mostly  included  within  the 
original  lines  of  the  San  Jon  de  los  Moque- 
lumnes,  or  Chabolla  grant. 

Dr.  W.  L.  Mclntyre  came  to  the  county  in 
1849,  with  his  family,  and  settled  in  Dry  Creek 
Township  in  January,  1851.  Mclntyre  built 
the  first  frame  building  in  the  township,  in 
April,  1851,  near  Gait.  Mrs.  Rosanna  Mcln- 
*tyre  died  at  Gait,  at  the  residence  of  Ephraim 
Ray,  February  20,  1889,  in  her  sevent^'-ninth 
year. 

Calvin  T.  Briggs,  an  old  mountaineer,  and 
John  Burroughs  were  engaged  in  the  stock- 
raising    business   as   early  as   1850;    they    had 


BISTORT    OF    SACRAMENTO    COUNTY. 


large  herds  of  cattle  on  both  sides  of  the  river; 
they  dissolved  partnership  in  1857,  Burroughs 
returning  East.  Briggs  built  the  second  frame 
house  in  the  township,  in  1851;  previous  to 
this  time  the  family  and  Burroughs  had  lived 
in  an  adobe  hut. 

liev.  N.  Slater  and  family  moved  into  the 
township  in  1851,  engaged  in  the  stock  and 
dairy  business.  He  removed  to  Sacramento  in 
1867;  sold  his  ranch,  an  undivided  500  acres  of 
the  Chabolla  grant,  in  1869. 

Grant  I.  Taggart  and  the  Ringgold  brotliers 
took  up  a  claim  about  one-half  mile  west  of 
Mclntyre,  in  1852;  they  remained  only  a  few 
months.  Taggart  was  subsequently  clerk  of 
the  Supreme  Court  of  the  State  of  California. 

Willis  Wright  purchased  part  of  their  claim 
in  1853. 

Thomas  Armstrong,  a  widower  with  two 
daughters,  came  into  possession  of  a  part  of  the 
Ringgold  place  in  the  fall  of  1852,  and  engaged 
in  the  dairy  business;  removed  to  San  Francisco 
some  years  later,  and  his  son-in-law  carried  on 
the  dairy  business. 

Dr.  Russell  came  to  the  township  in  1850; 
owned  a  ranch  about  four  miles  west  from  Gait; 
was  engaged  in  the  cattle  business  until  his 
death  in  1861. 

William  II.  Young  and  family  were  among 
the  earliest  settlers  in  the  vicinity  of  Gait;  he 
is  a  large  land-owner  in  the  township  now. 

S.  Fugitt  and  family  settled  on  Dry  Creek  in 
1852;  he  built  the  fourth  house  in  the  town- 
ship. He  kept  a  hotel  for  some  years;  was  also 
engaged  in  stock  business. 

Iliram  Chase  came  to  the  township  in  1852; 
returned  to  the  East  in  1856,  coming  back  to 
Dry  Creek  Township  in  1869. 

George  M.  Gray  settled  in  the  township  in 
1850,  James  Short  in  18§3,  Andrew  Whitaker 
in  1852,  and  John  McFarland  in  1851. 

Evan  Evans  settled  in  Dry  Creek  Township 
in  1851,  in  that  portion  near  Dry  Creek  known 
as  tlie  pocket;  he  bought  out  parties  by  the 
name  of  Donaldson,  and  William  and  L.  Mc- 
Alta. 


Henry  D.  Cantrell  came  to  the  township  'u\ 
1853,  Thomas  McConnell  in  1855,  Thomas 
Lorin  in  1851,  George  Need  in  1852,  Peter 
Planet  in  1852,  H.  Putney  in  1853,  Peter 
Williamson  in  1852,  and  David  Davis  in  1853. 

P.  Green  and  wife  came  to  the  township  in 
1852  or  1853;  Green  died  about  1859,  and  his 
wife  returned  to  the  East.  Peter  Riley  came 
to  the  township  in  1852;  he  died  about  three 
years  ago;  his  children  now  live  in  the  town- 
ship. Samuel  Wriston  settled  in  tiie  township 
in  1852.  Ephraim  Ray  came  to  California  in 
1852;  settled  in  Dry  Creek  Township  in  1854, 
where  he  now  resides,  engaged  in  farming. 

The  first  death  that  occurred  among  the  early 
settlers  in  the  township  was  that  of  Mrs.  Jack- 
son, who  with  her  husband  had  been  visiting  at 
Dr.  Russell's  house.  This  death  occurred  Feb- 
ruary 14,  1851.  The  funeral  took  place  next 
day.  There  was  only  one  white  woman  present 
at  the  funeral,  Mrs.  Mclntyre;  most  of  the 
people  who  attended  were  Indians.  In  the 
procession  Mr.  Jackson  followed  the  coffin,  lead- 
ing by  the  hand  a  little  son,  who  had  a  white 
handkerchief  tied  round  his  head;  he  was  fol- 
lowed by  his  three  other  children,  his  wife's 
brother,  a  cousin,  Mrs.  Mclntyre  and  two  In- 
dian women,  wives  of  white  men,  a  few  white 
men  and  the  rest  a  number  of  Indians  of  both 
sexes.  At  the  grave  the  Indians  squatted 
around  on  the  ground  in  different  places,  making 
a  strange  picture,  that  can  be  better  imagined 
than  described. 

In  1853  a  Fourth  of  July  celebration  was 
held  at  Mclntyre's  place.  Men  were  dispatched 
to  notify  the  settlers  through  the  county,  and 
people  came  from  all  parts  of  the  county,  and 
also  from  San  Joaquin  County.  The  celebra- 
tion was  a  success  and  passed  olf  in  good  style. 
A  flag  was  made  for  the  occasion  by  four  of  the 
ladies;  it  was  composed  of  such  material  as 
they  could  obtain,  the  stripes  being  manufact- 
ured from  red  window  curtains,  and  the  center 
of  a  blue  sliawl  formed  tlie  Union  Jack.  A  Mr. 
Jewell  read  the  Declaration  of  Independence, 
several  national  songs  were   sung  by  the  choir, 


HISTORY    OF    SACRAMENTO    COUNTY. 


composed  of  Dr.  Russell,  Hiram  Chase,  Mrs. 
Green,  Mrs.  Mitchell  and  Mrs.  Slater.  The 
dinner  was  furnished  bj  the  people,  bringing 
their  food  in  basket-picnic  style.  This  was 
probably  the  tirst  Fourth  of  July  celebration 
held  in  the  county  outside  of  Sacramento. 

In  the  early  history  of  the  township,  stock- 
raising  and  dairying  were  the  principal,  if  not 
the  only,  industries;  these  interests  gradually 
decreased  until  at  present  there  is  very  little 
doing  with  either.  The  township  is  all  agri- 
cultural, there  being  no  mineral  land.  The 
principal  grain  grown  is  wheat;  the  amount  of 
acreage  sown  each  year  is  increasing  very 
rapidly. 

Galt. — The  town  of  Gait  was  laid  out  by 
Obed  Harvey  and  the  "Western  Pacific  Kailroad 
Company,  in  1869,  on  the  southeast  quarter  of 
section  27,  on  what  is  known  as  the  Troy  place. 

The  Gait  House  was  opened  in  1869,  George 
Bubaker,  proprietor.  The  building  was  an  old 
one,  built  by  S.  Fugitt,  and  used  as  a  hotel,  and 
was  moved  to  Gait  when  the  place  was  started. 
This  house  changed  hands  several  times,  until 
it  was  discontinued,  in  1872. 

The  principal  hotel  of  Gait  is  the  Devins' 
Exchange,  kept  by  Prouty  &  Devins.  It  is  a 
large,  substantial  frame  building,  situated  on 
Front  street,  opposite  the  depot,  and  of  easy  ac- 
cess for  the  traveling  public.  The  commercial 
trade  of  Gait  is  of  considerable  importance, 
situated  as  it  is  in  the  heart  of  a  large  and  pro- 
lific grain-growing  country,  and  on  the  line 
of  the  Central  Pacific  overland  route  running 
north  asd  south,  which  makes  it  one  of  the 
principal  local  points  on  the  line  of  the  railroad. 
Here  the  weary  traveler  and  pleasure-seeker  can 
find  a  comfortable  place  to  stop,  the  Exchange 
being  run  in  a  first-class  maimer  and  under  the 
personal  care  of  the  proprietors,  who  are  social 
and  accommodating  gentlemen.  The  house  is 
supplied  with  good  sleeping  apartments,  which 
are  kept  cosy  and  clean,  while  the  table  is  sup- 
plied witii  tiie  best  that  the  market  affords, 
much  of  this  material  being  shipped  here  from 
the  larger  cities.  A  good  bar  is  run  in  connection 


with  the  house,  while  quiet  and  well  regu- 
lated order  prevails  everywhere. 

The  history  of  the  hotel  is  quite  a  varied 
one,  it  being  first  built  at  Old  Liberty,  by  C.  C. 
Fugitt,  in  1859,  the  contractor  and  builder  be- 
ing J.  H.  Sawyer,  now  a  prominent  resident  of 
Gait.  After  the  town  of  Liberty  went  down 
and  Gait  was  established,  in  the  spring  of  1869, 
the  building  was  moved  to  its  present  location. 
It  was  there  owned  by  Calvin  Briggs,  and  was 
leased  to  John  L.  Fifield  for  about  one  year, 
after  which  other  parties  ran  it  for  awhile. 
Among  them  was  Thomas  Briggs,  the  son  of 
Calvin  Briggs,  who  carried  on  the  business  and 
finally  sold  the  property  to  C.  W.  Harvey.  This 
latter  gentleman  was  proprietor  of  the  house  for 
eleven  years  and  did  ranch  toward  improving  it, 
he,  in  turn,  selling  out  to  Patton  &  Prouty. 

Patton's  interest  was  then  sold  to  William  B. 
Devin,  and  the  firm  became  Prouty  it  Devin, 
as  it  now  stands. 

Simon  Peouty,  a  prominent  business  man  of 
Gait,  was  born  in  Knox  County,  Ohio,  Septem- 
ber 9,  1834.  His  father,  Anson  Prouty,  was  a 
native  of  New  York  State,  and  his  wife,  nee 
Elizabeth  Helms,  was  a  native  of  Pennsylvania. 
The  family  resided  in  Ohio  until  the  fall  of 
1846,  when  they  moved  to  Jasper  County,  Iowa, 
and  lived  there  until  the  spring  of  1852.  An- 
son Prouty  and  his  son  Simon  received  a  sub- 
contract for  carrying  the  first  United  States  mail 
from  Iowa  City  to  Fort  Des  Moines,  a  distance 
of  120  miles,  which  they  did  on  horseback, 
taking  just  a  week  to  make  a  round  trip.  In 
the  spring  of  1852  the  family  started  overland 
with  ox  teams  for  California.  May  9  they 
crossed  the  Missouri  River  where  Omaha  now 
is.  On  reaching  the  Sweetwater,  June  19, 
1852,  Mr.  Prouty  was  attacked  with  Asiatic 
cholera,  which  was  so#bad  that  year  in  certain 
districts.  He  was  driving  a  team  up  to  about 
10  o'clock  in  the  morning,  and  at  4  he  was  a 
corpse!  His  death  occurred  near  Independence 
Rock,  at  the  base  of  the  Rocky  Mountains.  Tne 
next  day  after  he  was  bnried  five  in  one  train 
ahead  of  them  died  of  that  scourge;  many  also 


HISTORY    OF    SACRAMENTO    COUNTY. 


died  in  trains  coming  after;  but  in  this  train 
the  death  just  mentioned  was  the  only  one. 
The  family  then  consisted  of  the  mother,  two 
daughters  and  live  sons,  wiio  landed  in  Volcano, 
August  24,  1852,  and  for  a  year  afterward  were 
located  near  lone,  AmadorCounty.  Mrs.  Prouty 
remained  there  until  her  death.  May  6,  1878,  at 
the  age  of  seventy-  nine  years.  Mr.  Simon  Prouty, 
whose  name  heads  this  article,  has  remained 
there  and  been  actively  identified  w^ith  the 
progress  of  that  section.  All  the  family  had 
possession  of  land  upon  a  Spanish  grant,  and 
afterward  were  compelled  to  leave  it,  not  know- 
ing it  was  upon  a  grant.  The  men  of  the  grant 
had  the  State  order  troops  there  to  drive  off  the 
settlers.  The  soldiers,  300  in  number,  came 
and  surrounded  the  place,  and  politely  began 
ejecting  them  and  their  household  goods.  This 
of  course  made  the  settlers  very  angry,  as  they 
had  bought  the  laud  and  paid  money  for  it,  be- 
lieving that  the  purchase  was  a  bona  Jj.de  one; 
and  then  to  be  turned  out  and  driven  oif  at  the 
point  of  the  musket  was  something  that  many 
of  them  resisted.  Mr.  Prouty  has  been  a  suc- 
cessful business  man,  having  always  exhibited 
good  judgment  in  his  financial  dealings.  He 
has  speculated  considerably  in  land  and  cattle; 
also  has  followed  agricultural  pursuits  most  of 
the  time.  For  about  fifteen  3'ears  he  was  a 
resident  of  San  Joaquin  County,  and  came  to 
Gait  in  June,  1884,  when  he  purchased  the 
hotel  wtiich  he  now  owns.  Besides  this  prop- 
erty he  has  about  300  acres  in  Amador,  San 
Joaquin  and  Sacramento  counties.  He  was 
married  in  1852  to  Louisa  J.  Newton,  a  native 
of  Indiana,  who  died  October  16,  1888,  at  the 
age  of  fifty-three  years.  She  was  the  mother  of 
four  children:  Hattie,  wife  of  A.  "VVhitaker,  of 
Gait;  William  H.,  residing  at  Truckee;  Josie, 
wife  of  George  Connor,  of  Tulare  City;  and 
E.  M.  is  on  the  ranch  in  San  Joaquin  County. 
Mr.  Prouty  is  a  member  of  the  Masonic  order 
at  lone,  and  of  the  Golden  Shore  and  the 
Knights  of  Pythias  at  Gait. 

Whitaker    &    Ray,    general     merchants    at 
Gait,  have  been  conducting  their  business  here 


ever  since  1869.  Andrew  Whitaker  and  Don 
Kay  started  in  business  in  a  small  frame  build- 
ing on  Front  street,  which  was  one  of  the  first, 
if  not  the  very  first,  building  erected  in  the 
town.  It  was  located  where  Mr.  Brewster's 
store  now  is,  it  being  removed  by  him  when  he 
rebuilt.  In  1871  the  firm  erected  their  present 
building,  of  brick,  on  the  corner  of  Front  and 
C  streets.  It  cost  over  $20,000,  and  is  the  best 
building  in  town.  They  have  a  large  assort- 
ment of  goods  for  a  general  store,  and  plenty  of 
capital  to  run  it.  Don  Ray  was  born  Septem- 
ber 2,  1848,  in  Marion  County,  Kentucky,  son 
of  F.  G.  and  Elizabeth  Ray,  both  natives  also 
of  that  State.  In  1851  they  came  to  California. 
About  1862  they  moved  to  the  little  place  called 
Mokelumne  City,  at  the  head  of  navigation  of 
the  Mokelumne  River.  During  the  flood  of 
that  year  their  little  house  was  completely 
washed  away,  never  afterward  being  seen.  They 
then  moved  up  to  Liberty,  a  little  town  in  San 
Joaquin  County,  a  mile  and  a  half  south  of 
Gait.  Here  the  senior  Ray  practiced  medicine, 
and  Don  in  1865  obtained  a  position  as  clerk  in 
the  general  store  of  William  Allport,  which  he 
retained  for  nearly  three  years.  In  1868  he 
married  and  spent  about  half  a  year  in  Nevada, 
first  going  to  Utah  with  a  surveying  party  under 
John  F.  Kidder,  driving  stakes  in  the  survey  of 
tho  Virginia  City  &  Truckee  Railroad.  Kid- 
der's division  started  for  Reno,  toward  Empire 
City,  through  Carson  City  and  Washoe.  At 
Empire  City  they  met  the  other  division.  It 
required  about  three  months  to  accomplish  the 
task.  Kidder  then  took  Mr.  Ray  to  a  Mr.  Yer- 
rington,  now  one  of  the  proprietors  of  the  Glen- 
brook  House,  a  fashionable  resort  on  the  east 
side  of  Lake  Tahoe,  and  he  employed  him 
about  three  months  at  the  bar.  He  resigned 
because  he  received  news  of  his  mother's  death, 
and  he  came  to  Liberty.  At  this  beautiful  place 
he  shortly  afterward  started  a  saloon  and  drug- 
store, the  railroad  being  in  process  of  construc- 
tion at  that  time.  Nine  months  afterward  he 
associated  himself  with  Andrew  Whitaker  and 
started  their  little  business  in  the  store  already 


HISTORY    OF    8A0BAMENT0    COUNTY. 


spoken  of,  which  was  built  by  John  F.  McFar- 
land.  A  sketch  of  what  should  follow  here  has 
already  been  given  at  the  head  of  this  article. 
Mr.  Eay  had  no  capital  when  he  lirst  came 
here,  but  by  his  business  and  land  investments 
he  has  made  a  great  deal  of  money.  He  and 
Mr.  Whitaker  now  have  over  8,000  acres  of 
land,  and  their  trade  extends  to  a  distance  of 
fifteen  miles  in  every  direction.  They  also  do 
a  large  business  in  wheat,  buying,  selling  and 
storage,  having  a  warehouse  with  a  capacity  of 
300  tons.  Mr.  Ray  is  the  postmaster  at  Gait, 
having  received  his  appointment  in  1873.  Mrs. 
Eay's  maiden  name  was  Alice  Fugitt.  She  is 
a  native  of  Iowa,  and  was  brought  to  California 
when  a  child  by  her  parents.  There  are  four 
children  in  this  family:  Clyde,  Charles,  Kittie 
and  Whitaker. 

The  "  Railroad  House"  ran  in  1870-73.  A 
school-house  was  built  in  1869,  but  the  growth 
of  the  town  demanded  a  larger  structure  in  a 
few  years,  and  in  1878  it  was  erected  at  a  cost  of 
$3,000.  Whitaker  &  Ray  opened  the  first  store, 
in  a  building  belonging  to  John  McFarland, 
some  time  in  1869.  The  next  yeir  tiiey  built 
a  brick  store,  on  Front  street,  where  they  are 
still  conducting  a  substantial  trade.  The  other 
principal  business  establishments  are  the  general 
store  and  grain  warehouse  of  Brewster  &  Co., 
the  general  store  of  Wright,  Need  &  Co.,  the 
grocery  of  Brewster  &  Smith,  the  Gait  Lumber 
Company  (a  branch  of  the  Friend  &  Terry  Lum- 
ber Company  of  Sacramento),  under  the  man- 
agement of  S.  W.  Palin,  the  real-estate  office  of 
L  M.  Smith  &  Co.,  and  the  livery  stable  of  J. 
K.  McKinstry. 

The  postotfice  was  established  here  in  1869, 
with  the  starting  of  the  town,  and  John  Brew- 
ster was  the  first  postmaster. 

The  First  Congregational  Church  of  Gait, 
California,  was  organized  October  13,  1877. 
The  first  services  were  held  in  the  old  public 
school-house.  Rev.  William  C.  Stewart,  Pastor, 
some  time  in  June  of  1877.  The  first  officers 
were  James  Ferguson  and  E.  C.  Morse.  Pre- 
vious to  the  organization  of  this  church,  religious 


services  had  been  held  in  the  school-house,  at 
irregular  intervals,  by  different  denominations, 
from  1869.  In  1884  they  erected  a  handsome 
frame  church  building,  under  the  energetic 
auspices  of  Dr.  Harvey  and  John  McFarland. 

The  Methodists,  in  1879,  took  a  school-house, 
built  in  1872,  and  converted  it  into  a  church. 

The  Christian  Church,  organized  about  a  year 
ago,  hold  their  services  in  Brewster's  Hall;  they 
intend  building  soon.  Brewster's  building, 
erected  in  1881,  has  for  its  second  story  a  very 
fine  hall. 

Tlie  Catholics  laid  the  corner-stone  for  their 
church  October  12,  1885,  that  day  being  the 
393d  anniversary  of  the  discovery  of  America 
by  Columbus,  and  the  congregation  is  corre- 
spondingly named  St.  Christopher's  Church. 
On  the  above  occasion  the  officiating  minister 
was  Rev.  P.  W.  Riordan,  Archbishop  of  San 
Francisco. 

Fhna'ix  Lodge,  No.  239,  I.  0.  O.F.,  was  or- 
ganized December  29,  1875,  with  the  following 
officers  and  members:  W.  O.  Holmes,  P.  G.;  S. 

D.  Johnson,  N.  G.;  G.  Norton,  Y.  G.;  O.  J. 
Atchinson,  Sec;  D.  Ray,  Treas.;  T.  H.  Fowler, 
A.  S.  Hamilton,  P.  Miller,  A.  Clough,  J.  McFar- 
land and  H.  Chase.  This  order  is  the  strongest 
of  all  in  Gait,  the  membership  being  now  about 
ninety.  Gait  Encampment,  No.  65,1.  0.  0.  F., 
was  organized  May  13,  1881.  Rei  Rebehah, 
No.  132,  was  organized  March  29, 1888.  These 
lodges  all  meet  in  a  hall  of  their  own,  iif  Whita- 
ker &  Ray's  Block. 

The  Freemasons  established  a  lodge  here  in 
the  fall  of  1882,  and  meet  in  Brewster's  Hall. 

The  Knights  of  Pythias,  meeting  in  the  same 
hall,  were  organized  February  12,  1883. 

Gait  Lodge,  No.  113,  A.  O.  U  W.,  was  or- 
ganized June  21,  1879.  Charter  members  and 
first  officers  were:  J.  H.  Sawyer,  P.  M.  W.; 
John  Ih-ewster,  M.  W.;  G.  W.  Noble,  Foreman; 
A.  E.  Brewster,  O.;  C.  C.  Clements,  R'd'r; 
James  Ferguson,  Fin'r;  J.  C.  Sawyer,  Rec'r;  N. 

E.  Freeman,  Guide;  George  Rhodes,  I.  W.;  I. 
M.Smith,  O.  AV.;  Oliver  Bartlett.  The  lodge 
now  meets  in  Brewster's  Hall. 


UISrORT    OF    SACRAMENTO    COUNTY. 


223 


The  Order  of  Chosen  Friends  organized  liere 
May  22,  1882. 

The  Golden  Shore  Lodge,  in  May,  1889,  and 
meet  in  Brewster's  Hall. 

The  Grand  Army  Post,  July  12,  1888. 

The  "Order  of  the  Iron  Hall"  established  ar 
society  here  last  year,  is  a  flourishing  lodge  and 
meets  in  Odd  Fellows  Hall.  This  new  order  is 
an  incorporated  fraternity,  first  organized  March 
28,  1881,  to  pay  to  its  members  $5  to  $25  a 
week  in  case  of  sickness,  and  $100  to  $500  in 
case  of  total  disability. 

HicKSviLLE,  another  village  in  Dry  Creek 
Township,  was  named  after  William  Hicks,  one 
of  the  oldest  settlers  in  the  township.  He  came 
in  1847,  and  engaged  in  stock-raising.  In  1854 
a  postofiice  was  established  at  his  place,  and  was 
removed  to  the  present  site  of  Hicksville  in 
1857.  There  is  a  Presbyterian  Church  building 
here  and  a  good  school.  The  town  was  started 
in  1863  by  Patterson  &  Smith,  who  built  a 
store  in  the  same  year;  this  store  changed  hands 
several  times,  and  was  finally  closed  in  1877. 
A  hotel  was  opened  in  1864  by  Patterson  & 
Smith. 

FRANKLIN. 

Franklin  Township  was  formed  out  of  the 
original  Sutter  Township,  by  order  of  the  Board 
of  Supervisors,  of  October  20,  1856.  The 
boundaries  are  as  follows:  Beginning  at  the 
southeast  corner  of  Sutter  Township,  running 
thence  south  through  the  centers  of  towusbips 
7  and  6  north,  range  5  east  of  Mount  Diablo 
base  and  meridian,  to  the  township  line  between 
townships  5  and  6  north;  thence  east  to  the 
Cosunines  Kiver;  thence  south,  following  the 
course  of  said  river,  to  its  junction  with  the 
Mokelumne  River;  thence  in  a  westerly  direc- 
tion along  said  river  to  the  range  line  between 
ranges  4  and  5  east;  thence  north  to  the  center 
line  of  township  5  north,  range  4  east;  thence 
west  on  said  line  to  Merritt's  Slough;  thence 
northerly  along  said  slough  to  the  Sacramento 
River;  thence  along  said  Sacramento  River  to 
the  southern    boundary   of  Sutter   Township; 


thence  east  along  said  southern  boundary  of 
Sutter  Township  to  the  beginning. 

The  lands  of  Franklin  Township  are  all  agri- 
cultural or  marsh  lands. 

There  are  large  quantities  of  wheat  raised  in 
the  township;  also  of  fruit,  of  all  sorts.  The 
fruit  is  grown  principally  along  the  river,  and 
consists  of  apples,  pears,  peaches,  plums,  cher- 
ries, and  all  sorts  of  small  fruits.  There  are 
also  a  few  small  vineyards  in  the  township. 

The  titles  are  derived  from  the  United  States, 
there  being  no  Spanish  or  Mexican  grants  in 
the  township. 

The  largest  business  enterprise  in  Franklin 
Township  is  the  brick  manufactory  of  Davis  & 
Roberts,  near  the  river. 

Joseph  Sims  came  to  the  State  in  1847,  with 
Stevenson's  regiment;  settled  in  Franklin  Town- 
ship in  1849;  J.  B.  Green,  in  1849;  J.  C.  Beach, 
iu  1850;  Wm.  H.  Fry,  in  1852;  Joseph  Green, 
in  1851;  Truuuin  N.  Farsett.  in  1852;  George 
W.  Heck,  in  1855;  R.  Kercheval,  in  1850;  David 
T.  Lufkin,  in  1850;  Jacob  Miller,  in  1853; 
John  Reith,  in  1855;  Solomon  Runyon,  in  1850; 
Myron  Smith,  in  1853;  Adam  Warner,  in  1853. 

Union  House  was  established  in  1852,  by 
Amos  Butler.  The  house  has  changed  hands 
several  times;  is  now  owned  by  Jacob  Korn. 
There  is  a  postoffice  at  this  place,  known  as 
Union  House. 

The  Six-Mile  House  is  the  first  house  in 
Franklin  Township  from  Sacramento;  was  com- 
menced by  one  Prewitt,  in  1853-'54. 

The  Twelve-Mile  House  was  built  about  1850, 
by  McHesser;  it  was  located  ou  the  lower  Stock- 
ton road,  and  until  Georgetown  was  established 
was  a  favorite  stopping  place.  The  building 
was  torn  down   many  years  ago. 

Freefort  is  a  point  eight  miles  south  of  Sac- 
ramento, on  the  bank  of  the  river,  at  a  good 
landing. 

The  Freeport  Railroad  Company  was  formed 
in  1862  or  '63,  for  the  purpose  of  building  a 
road  from  Freeport,  connecting  with  the  Sacra- 
mento Valley  Railroad  at  a  point  midway  be- 
tween Sacramento  and   Folsom,  the  idea  being 


HISTORY    OF    SACRAMENTO    COUNTY. 


to  divert  the  northern  trade  around  Sacramento. 
Nine  miles  of  this  road  were  constructed  in  1863. 
Freeport  was  laid  out,  lots  staked  out  and  sold, 
and  the  town  began  growing  rapidly.  At  the 
end  of  the  first  year  there  were  300  or  400 
people  in  the  place.  Most  of  the  railroad  em- 
ployes lived  here.  For  three  or  more  years  the 
place  was  quite  a  shipping  point.  Goods  for 
the  mines  and  other  localities  were  landed  here, 
and  produce  was  shipped  from  the  point.  The 
first  store  was  opened  by  A.  J.  Eunip,  in  1863, 
changed  hands  several  times,  and  is  now  owned 
by  P.  G.  Riehl.  The  first  hotel  was  started  by 
E.  Grier,  also  in  1863.  He  sold  to  Thomas 
O'Toole,  but  the  establishment  was  closed  many 
years  ago.  The  railroad  was  bought  by  the 
Central  Pacific  Railroad  Company  and  discon- 
tinued, and  Freeport  rapidly  decreased  to  its 
present  proportions. 

Free2)ort  Lodge,  No.  261,  I.  0.  G.  T.,  was 
instituted  in  January,  1884,  under  the  leader- 
ship of  J.  W.  Lee,  since  deceased,  J.  H.  Beach, 
Thomas  Kirtlan,  Mrs.  E.  F.  Fitch,  Joseph  Gos- 
ling, Mrs.  Gosling  and  others,  struggling  against 
a  formidable  opposition.  The  order  erected  a 
two-story  building,  which  with  the  grounds  is 
valued  at  $1,200  or  $1,500.  Ouly  those  who 
were  friendly  to  the  temperance  cause  were 
allowed  to  contribute.  The  first  fioor  is  devoted 
to  miscellaneous  gatherings,  while  the  up])er 
story  is  the  lodge-room.  Tiie  society  meets 
every  Saturday  evening.  Tliere  aro  now  about 
thirty  members,  and  the  ofiicers  are:  J.  T.  Plack, 
C.  T.;  Nellie  Bayles,  V.  C.  T.;  F.  L.  Paum- 
gartle,  P.  C.  T.;  J.  H.  Beach,  Deputy  and  Kec. 
Sec.  ;  Miss  Nellie  Beach,  Fin.  Sec;  Frank 
Kirtlan,  Treas.;  Fred.  Kirtlan,  Marshal;  Mrs. 
E.  F.  Fitch,  Guard;  E.  Greer,  Sentinel. 

The  Methodists  have  preaching  at  Freeport 
every  two  weeks. 

Franklin,  formerly  Georgetown,  is  situated 
on  the  lower  Stockton  road,  fifteen  miles  from 
Sacramento.  It  was  settled  in  1856  by  Andrew 
George,  who  the  same  year  opened  a  hotel  at 
the  place,  called  the  Franklin  House.  It  was 
torn  down  in  187'J. 


A  school  building  was  erected  here  in  1876, 
at  a  cost  of  $3,500,  for  the  maintenance  of  a 
High  School,  and  was  kept  up  as  such  for  two 
years;  it  was  then  abandoned,  as  too  expensive. 
Most  of  the  stock  was  signed  over  to  the  dis- 
trict, and  tlie  building  has  since  been  used  by 
the  district. 

Franklin  Grange,  P.  of  R.,  was  organized 
January  9,  1874,  with  the  following  charter 
members:  Amos  Adams,  Master;  P.  R.  Beck- 
ley,  Secretary;  J.  F.  Freeman,  William  Johns- 
ton, J.  M.  Stephenson,  J.  W.  Moore,  Troy  Dye, 
Thomas  Anderson,  Eben  Owen,  George  "W. 
Morse;  Ladies — Mrs.  W.  Johnston,  Mrs.  Troy 
Dye  and  Mrs.  Miller.  The  present  membership 
is  thirty-four.  They  meet  on  the  second  Satur- 
day of  each  month. 

Franklin  Council,  No.  71,  Order  of  Chosen 
Friends,  has  twenty-six  members. 

Bryan's  Landing  is  a  point  on  the  river 
which  each  year  is  quite  busy  during  the  season 
for  shipping  produce.  There  never  has  been  a 
town  here. 

Richland,  established  in  1860  as  a  landing, 
comprises  a  large  warehouse,  a  school-house  and 
a  few  residences.  The  Richland  Methodist 
Episcopal  Church  is  a  short  distance  above  this 
point.      Rev.  Mr.   Crowe  is  the  present  pastor. 

CouRTLAND  is  situatcd  ou  the  lower  end  of 
Randall  "  Island,"  and  is  a  landing  place  for  all 
steamers.  It  was  established  in  1870,  by  James 
v.  Sims.  There  are  now  a  postoftice,  telegraph 
oflice,  a  Wells-Fargo  express  office  and  a  store 
in  the  town.  The  wharf  was  built  by  Captain 
Albert  Foster;  it  is  now  owned  by  Louis  Win- 
ters. December  24,  1879,  a  fire  broke  out  in 
that  portion  of  Courtland  known  as  Chinatown, 
and  temporarily  destroyed  the  whole  settlement. 

Onisbo  was  first  settled  by  A.  Runyou  in 
1849.  A  postoftice  was  established  here  in 
1853,  which  was  moved  to  Courtland  in  1857. 
A  good  school-house,  costing,  with  the  Masonic 
Hall  over  the  school-room,  $2,200,  was  erected 
here  in  1860.  The  town  was  named  after  a 
chief  of  the  Digger  Indians,  named  Onisbo. 

Franklin  Lodge,  No.  U3,  F.  c&  A.  M.,  was 


UISVOBY    OF    SACRAMENTO    COUNTY. 


organized  in  February,  1861,  with  the  following 
officers  and  charter  members:  George  A.  Blakes- 
lee,  Master;  Stephen  T.  Morse,  S.  W.;  Reuben 
Kerchevai,  J.  W.;  J.  Runyon,  Treas. ;  Simon 
L.  Reed,  Sec;  A.  H.  Hustler,  Senior  Deacon; 
Malachi  Kanady,  Tyler.  The  lodge  meets  in 
their  hall,  referred  to  in  the  preceding  para- 
graph, on  the  Saturday  on  or  before  each  full 
moon. 

GEORGIANA. 

Georgiana  Township  was  originally  a  part  of 
Sutter  Township,  as  tirst  established.  On  Au- 
gust 14, 1854,  the  Court  of  Sessions  ordered  that, 
"So  much  of  Sutter  Township  as  lies  south  of 
a  line  commencing  at  a  point  about  opposite  the 
head  of  Steamboat  Slough,  on  the  line  dividing 
the  ranches  of  Messrs.  Robb  &  Runyon,  and 
running  thence' due  east  to  the  eastern  line  of 
Sutter  Township,  be,  and  the  same  is  hereby 
organized  into  a  nyw  township,  by  the  name  of 
Georgiana." 

October  20,  1856,  the  Board  of  Supervisors 
established  the  present  boundaries,  which  areas 
follows:  Beginning  on  the  Sacramento  River,  at 
the  southwestern  corner  of  Franklin  Township 
(the  notes  of  Franklin  Township  call  for  the 
southwest  corner  to  be  on  Merritt's  Slough); 
thence  east,  and  along  the  southern  boundary  of 
Franklin  Township,  to  the  range  line  between 
ranges  4  and  5  east  of  Mount  Dial)lo  meridan; 
thence  south,  and  along  said  range  line  to  the 
southern  boundary  of  Sacramento  County; 
thence  southerly  and  northerly,  along  the  south- 
ern and  western  lines  of  said  county  to  the  be- 

Georgiana  Township  is  almost  entirely  com- 
posed of  what  are  commonly  spoken  of  as  the 
Sacramento  Islands,  and  includes  the  southern 
portion  of  Sutter  Island,  almost  all  of  Grand 
Island,  all  of  Andrus,  Tyler,  Twitchell,  Bran- 
nan,  Sherman  and  Wood  islands.  There  are 
about  110  miles  of  levee  in  the  township.  A 
considerable  portion  of  the  bank  land  is  now  in 
a  high  state  of  cultivation.  Tiie  present  levee 
improvements,  which  are  being  rapidly  pushed 
forward,  wall  make  Grand  Island  one  of  the  gar- 


den spots  of  the  earth.  It  is  the  home  of  fruits 
and  vegetables,  and  lies  bstween  two  great  home 
markets  and  shipping  pjrts,  Sacramento  and 
San  Francisco,  accessible  to  each  by  a  good  water 
route.  Fruit  raisers  combine  and  furnish  their 
own  steamboats.  Good  water  for  do!nestic  use 
is  obtained  by  boring  down  125  feet.  The  river 
abounds  in  salmon,  codtish,  sturgeon,  etc. 

There  are  about  8,000  acres  on  Brannan  Isl- 
and, nearly  all  under  cultivation.  The  levees 
are  in  good  condition.  The  island  was  all  settled 
in  1852.  The  ranches  vary  in  size  from  100  to 
1,000  acres,  the  average  being  about  200  acres. 
There  is  a  wharf  ou  this  island.  Sherman  Isl- 
and isthe  southern  most  pointof  Sacramen  to 
County.  It  was  Urst  settled  by  Robert  E.Beas- 
ley  about  1855.  Tlie  island  was  all  reclaimed  in 
1873,  and  for  some  years  the  real  estate  was 
very  high.  The  crops  were  good  each  year,  and 
everything  seemed  prosperous.  Theliigii  waters 
of  1878  dispelled  the  golden  dreams  of  the  in- 
habitants by  overtopping  and  destroying  the 
levees,  thereby  swamping  the  whole  island. 
Since  that  time  some  efforts  have  been  made  to 
rebuild  the  levees.  There  are  two  wharves  on 
the  island.  Emmaton  is  the  name  of  a  small 
place  about  the  middle  of  the  Sacramento  River 
side  of  the  island.  Twitchell  Island  is  in  a 
thoroughly  demoralized  condition,  the  levees  be- 
ing destroyed  and  the  island  practically  unre- 
claimed land.  In  1869  it  was  purchased  by  the 
Tide  Land  Reclamation  Company,  and  re- 
claimed by  them  in  1870.  Andrus  Island  was 
named  after  George  Andrus,  who  settled  on  the 
upper  end  of  the  island  in  1852.  The  island 
contains  about  7,000  acres,  all  of  which  is  re- 
claimed. 

IsLETON,  on  this  island,  is  forty-one  miles 
from  Sacramento  and  seventy  from  San  Fran- 
cisco. The  town  was  established  by  Josiah 
Pool  in  1874,  and  is  now  a  thriving  place,  with 
better  prospects  for  the  future.  The  wharf  was 
built  in  1875.  The  principal  local  industry 
here  for  a  time  was  the  manufacture  of  beet  su- 
gar, but  it  was  discontinued  about  five  years 
ago.      It  may  be  revived  again. 


BISTOllY    OP    SACRAMENTO    COUNTY, 


A  lodge  of  Good  Templars  and  one  of  the 
Patrons  of  Husbandry  formerly  flourished  here, 
but  at  present  are  dormant. 

Tyler  Island  is  situated  east  of  Andrus  Isl- 
and and  was  settled  in  1852.  The  upper  end 
only  is  leveed,  the  lower  end  being  unreclaimed 
land.  There  are  only  a  few  cnltivatea  ranches 
on  this  island.  Sutter  Island  is  in  process  of 
reclamation,  and  some  of  it  is  now  under  culti- 
vation. 

Walnut  Gkote  was  first  settled  by  John  W. 
Sharp,  in  the  fall  of  1851.  There  has  been  a 
postoffice  here  for  about  thirty-three  years. 
Walnut  Grove  is  situated  on  the  main  land,  at 
the  junction  of  the  Sacramento  River  and  Geor- 
giana  Slough,  and  is  the  shipping  point  for  a 
large  extent  of  country.  There  is  a  wharf,  at 
which  the  steamers  stop  going  each  way,  a 
school-house,  a  small  hall,  and  a  hotel. 

THE    rEAKSON    RECLAMATION    DISTRICT. 

Of  the  famous  thirty-five  miles  of  orchard 
along  the  left  banks  of  the  Sacramento  River, 
extending  from  a  point  a  few  miles  below  Free- 
port  to  six  miles  below  Isleton,  there  is  no 
part  that  has  attracted  more  attention  than  the 
stretch  of  nine  miles  from  the  Hollister  to  the 
Eastman  ranch.  It  has  been  the  subject  of  fre- 
quent favorable  comment  by  the  press  atid  the 
people.  But  few,  however,  are  aware  how  much 
of  its  beauty  and  productive  value  and  conse- 
quent fame  is  due  to  a  remarkable  work  of 
reclamation  quietly  done.  The  irregular  curve 
in  front  is  subtended  at  an  average  distance  of 
about  three  and  a  half  miles,  by  an  immense 
levee  about  nine  miles  long,  twenty-three  feet 
high  and  twelve  feet  wide  at  the  top,  enclosing 
with  the  levee  in  front  about  9,000  acres  of  land, 
including  the  orchards  in  front,  which  seldom 
exceed  half  a  mile  in  depth.  In  1878,  the  old 
levee,  which  was  obviously  inadequate,  but 
which  had  been  weakly  relied  upon,  gave  way 
before  the  rush  of  waters  which  soon  turned  the 
back  land  into  an  inland  lake  and  seriously  dam- 
aged the  fruit  ranches   in    front.     Through   the 


financial  disaster  ensuing,  the  San  Francisco 
Savings  Union  soon  became  owners  of  about 
4,000  acres  of  these  overflowed  lands. 

With  a  courage  unusual  in  moneyed  institu- 
tions, inspired  perhaps  by  the  far-seeing  judg- 
"inent  of  some  sapient  director,  and  carried  to  a 
successful  issue  by  the  management  of  Mr.  P. 
J.  Van  Loben  Sels,  the  Union  proceeded  to  re- 
claim the  land  by  the  construction  of  the  levee 
just  described.  The  cost  Las  been  about 
$180,000,  of  which  nearly  one-half  fell  on  the 
Union  for  its  comparatively  worthless  back 
lands.  But  they  builded  wiser  than  they  knew, 
as  every  acre  has  been  made  available  for  culti- 
vation, and  some  small  portions  bring  an  annual 
rental  of  $14  an  acre,  and  highly  favored  spots 
as  much  as  $20.  The  erection  of  the  levee  was 
a  necessary  beginning,  which  was  quickly  fol- 
lowed by  an  outlay  of  $130,000  for  pumping 
works,  with  a  capacity  of  120,000  gallons  a 
minute,  and  a  system  of  drainage  twenty-four 
miles  in  length.  The  central  low-lying  dis- 
trict, which  in  winter  is  a  shallow  lake,  becomes 
in  June  a  field  of  beans,  yielding  forty  sacks  to 
the  acre  in  September.  In  1887  Mr.  Alexander 
Brown,  of  Walnut  Grove,  the  lessee  of  the  whole 
3,830  acres  now  remaining  in  the  ownership  of 
the  Union,  raised  two  crops  of  barley  on  part  of 
this  land  which  but  a  few  years  si  nee  was  a  mere 
waste  of  waters.  Probably  two-thirds  of  the 
Pearson  District  is  capable  of  producing  two 
crops.  Eleven  thousand  five  liundred  and 
eighty  sacks  of  potatoes  have  been  raised 
on  a  thirty-two  and  a  quarter  acre  piece  of 
this  no  lunger  dismal  swamp.  Fifty-two 
sacks  of  barley,  300  sacks  of  onions  and  one 
and  a  half  tons  of  beans  are  normal  products  of 
this  new  land  of  Goshen.  There  are  three  or- 
chards already  planted,  one  of  ninety  acres  and 
two  snialler  ones.  Very  neat,  substantial  im- 
provements in  the  way  of  barns  and  residences 
for  workmen  and  sub-tenants  are  being  put  up 
by  the  Union,  and  the  Pearson  District  is  an 
excellent  example  of  what  may  be  done  for  the 
overflowed  lands  of  Sacramento  County,  by  in- 
telligent and  efiicient  reclamation. 


HISTOIIY    OF    SACRAMENTO    COUNTY. 


227 


GRANITE, 
Granite  Township  was  created  bj  the  Board 
of  Supervisors  on  October  20,  1856,  and  for- 
merly was  included  in  the  boundaries  of  Missis- 
sippi Township.  The  boundary  line  runs  as 
follows:  Beginning  at  the  southwestern  corner 
of  Mississippi  Township,  and  running  thence 
eastwardly  and  iiorthwardly  along  the  southern 
and  eastern  side  of  Mississippi  Township,  which 
line  is  the  American  River,  to  the  intersection 
with  the  range  line  between  ranges  7  and  8  east, 
in  township  10  north  of  Mount  Diablo  base; 
thence  south  and  along  said  range  line  to  the 
township  line  between  townships  8  and  9  north; 
thence  west  and  along  said  township  line  to  the 
range  line  between  ranges  6  and  7  east;  thence 
north  and  along  said  range  line  to  the  begin- 
ning. 

The  land  in  Granite  Township  is  partly  agri- 
cultural and  partly  mineral,  being  probably  two- 
thirds  mineral  and  one-third  agricultural.  The 
Natoma  Water  and  Mining  Company  owns  a 
large  amonnt  of  land  in  the  township,  wliicli 
they  are  working  according  to  the  quality  of  the 
land,  the  mineral  claims  being  leased,  the  com- 
pany furnishing  the  water.  They  also  have  ex- 
tensive orchards  and  vineyards,  and  manufacture 
wine. 

Nearly  all  of  the  land  in  this  township  is  in- 
cluded in  the  Leidesdortf  grant.  The  grant  was 
given  to  Leidesdorff  by  Micheltoreiia  in  1844. 
James  L.  Folsom  bought  the  interest  of  the 
heirs  of  Leidesdorff,  and  by  his  executors  secured 
its  confirmation  in  1855.  This  grant  runs 
from  the  Sutter  grant  up  the  American  River, 
which  forms  its  northern  boundary;  the  sontheru 
boundary  is  nearly  parallel  to  the  river  and  dis- 
tant therefrom  four  to  live  miles,  and  includes 
Folsom.  The  land  was  pretty  well  taken  up  by 
squatters,  who  were  compelled  to  buy  the  title 
to  their  possession  or  vacate. 


The  history  of  Folsom  properly  includes  that 
of  Negro  Bar,  which  was  the  pioneer  of  the 
former  place,  and  it  is  more  than  probable  that 


had  it  not  been  for  the  fact  that  there  was  a 
mining  camp  of  large  proportions  at  Negro  Bar, 
Folsom  would  have  been  located  farther  down 
the  American  Fork.  Negro  Bar  received  its  name 
from  the  circumstance  of  negroes  being  the 
first  men  to  do  any  mining  at  that  point.  This 
was  in  1849.  The  Bar  commences  at  Folsom, 
on  the  same  side  of  the  river,  and  runs  nine- 
tenths  of  a  mile  down  stream.  Miners  came 
flocking  from  all  quarters,  and  iti  1851  there 
were  700  people  here.  In  the  summer  of  1850 
the  Virginia  Mining  Company  was  formed  for 
draining  the  river  at  this  point;  this  company 
was  composed  of  240  members,  with  John  Mc- 
Cormick  for  president.  It  took  them  two  years 
to  build  the  canal,  which  was  intended  to  leave 
the  old  river-bed  clear  for  mining.  The  com- 
pany did  not  pay  very  well,  but  the  canal  was 
used  for  mining  the  Bar,  by  using"  Long  Toms." 
The  Long  Island  Company  was  composed  of 
thirty-eight  men,  Robert  Reeves,  President. 
The  Tennessee  Company,  thirty  members,  Will- 
iam Gwaltney,  President.  The  Bar  was  splendid 
mining  ground,  and  large  quantities  of  gold 
have  been  taken  out;  there  is  still  some  mining 
going  on  here  now.  The  product  now  is  about 
$17,000  per  month. 

J.  S.  Meredith  opened  the  tirst  hotel  and 
store  at  Negro  Bar,  both  being  in  the  same 
building,  in  April,  1850.  William  A.  Davidson 
opened  the  second  store,  but  was  shortly  after 
bought  out  by  A.  A.  Durfee  &  Brother.  A  few 
months  later  Rowley  &,  Richardson  opened  a 
third  store.  These  were  the  principal  bnsiness 
houses  until  Folsom  was  started. 

Among  some  of  the  physicians  living  at  the 
Bar  at  that  time  were  Dr.  S.  Lyon,  now  living 
in  Folsom;  Dr.  Caldwell,  who  returned  to  Ten- 
nessee, and  died;  Dr.  Palmer,  still  a  resident  of 
the  State;  A.  A.  Durfee  &  Brother,  both  of 
whom  have  gone  East,  and  Dr.  Cline. 

Folsom  was  laid  ont  by  Theodore  D.  Judah, 
Richmond  Chenery  and  Samuel  C.  Bruce,  for 
Captain  J.  L.  Folsom,  in  1855.  The  lots  were 
then  sold  on  the  17th  of  January,  1856,  at  public 
auction,  in  the  city  of  Sacramento,  Colonel  J.  B. 


HISTOHY    OF    SACRAMENTO    COUNTY. 


StaiT,  auctioneer.  The  lots  were  all  sold  at  this 
Bale.  Purchasers  commenced  bui]dinf>;,  and  the 
town  grew  rapidly.  On  the  22d  day  of  Febru- 
ary following,  the  Sacramento  Valley  Railroad 
was  finished  to  Folsoin,  and  opened  with  free  ex- 
cursion trains  and  a  grand  jubilee.  This  was  the 
first  railroad  operated  in  the  State.  One  of  the 
operatives  who  assisted  in  taking  out  the  first 
train  is  still  in  charge  of  the  station  at  Folsom. 
Mr.  Joe  Kinney,  the  station  master,  has  been 
continuously  in  the  employ  of  the  railroad  com- 
pany for  twenty-seven  years.  At  first  he  sold 
tickets  under  tiees  here.  Then  large  brick 
buildings  were  put  up,  machine  shops  opened, 
and  800  men  at  one  time  at  work  in  them.  The 
shops  were  afterward  closed,  and  the  work  is 
now  done  at  Sacramento.  The  company  has 
just  completed  a  small  frame  station  house,  neat 
and  convenient,  and  supplying  a  want  felt  for 
some  time. 

In  1857  a  road  was  projected  to  run  from 
Folsom  to  Marysville,  by  a  company  called  the 
California  Central,  of  which  Colonel  Charles  L. 
Wilson,  now  of  Nord,  was  the  principal  mem- 
ber. In  1861  trains  ran  from  Folsom  to  Lin- 
coln. Afterward  the  road  was  absorbed  by  the 
Central  Pacific  Company,  and  the  track  be- 
tween Folsom  and  Roseville  was  taken  up. 
That  portion  of  the  road  from  Roseville  to 
Lincoln  is  now  a  part  of  the  California  &  Ore- 
gon Railroad. 

The  Sacramento  Valley  Railroad  built  its  car 
and  machine  shops  at  Folsom  in  1861.  The 
buildings  consisted  of  a  brick  machine  shop, 
60  X  110  feet;  a  car  shop,  also  built  of  brick, 
40x80  feet,  and  a  foundry— in  all,  employing 
about  1,500  men.  The  shops  were  closed  and 
the  machinery  moved  to  Sacramento,  December 
26,  1869. 

In  early  mining  days,  and  especially  during 
the  Washoe  excitement,  Folsom  was  a  busy 
place;  then  it  was  almost  stationary  for  a  num- 
ber of  years;  but  now  it  has  entered  upon  an 
era  of  substantial  prosperity.  The  population 
is  about  1,000. 
Colonel   Folsom,  the  projector   of  the    town. 


died  at  the    mission   of  San   Jose, 
County,  July   10,1855. 


Patterson  &  Waters'  Hotel,  afterward  the 
Patterson  House,  was  built  in  1856.  Patterson 
&  Waters  ran  the  house  for  about  ten  years; 
they  were  succeeded  by  Charles  Watts;  he,  in 
turn,  by  Mrs.  H.  B.  Waddilove,  and  the  last 
managei'  was  M.  Doll,  who  was  in  charge  at  the 
time  of  the  fire  of  1871. 

The  Olive  Branch  was  built  in  1856  by  Mr. 
Heaton,  who  kept  the  house  until  it  was  burned 
down. 

The  Mansion  House  was  built  in  1857.  J. 
Holmes  was  the  proprietor;  he  was  succeeded 
hy  L.  M.  Dennisoti,  who  kept  the  house  until 
the  fire,  in  May,  1864. 

The  Tromont  House  was  built  in  1860  by 
Mrs.  LucindM  Smart;  she  sold  to  Ira  Sanders, 
who  managtd  the  business  until  1868,  when 
the  house  was  destroyed  by  fire. 

The  Granite  Hotel  was  built  in  1858  by  Cap- 
tain Hughes;  he  was  succeeded  by  Martin 
Wetzlar.     The  house  was  burned  in  1866. 

The  Central  Hotel  was  built  by  George  Well- 
ington in  1859.  This  house  changed  hands 
several  times,  until,  in  the  spring  of  1879,  Mr. 
Rand  assumed  the  management.  In  the  tire  of 
August  13,  1886,  it  was  burned  down,  and  a 
better  building  replaced  it. 

The  American  Exchange  Hotel  was  tirst 
erected  by  Mr.  Dresser,  and  used  as  a  livery 
stable;  next  it  was  converted  into  two  store- 
rooms. David  Woldenberg,  the  first  merchant 
in  this  building,  returned  to  Germany,  his  na- 
tive land.  The  store  was  next  conducted  by 
Hyman  &  Alexander.  In  1877  tlie  biiildiui/ 
was  purchased  by  W.  C.  Crosett  and  converted 
into  a  hotel.  Up  to  that  date  the  building  was 
a  one-story  concrete  structure;  then  a  frame 
second  story  was  added.  The  proprietors  have 
been  Mrs.  Kate  Hamilton  six  or  seven  years, 
Mrs.  Jane  Williamson  three  years,  and  since 
then  James  A.  Graham,  who  holds  a  ten-year 
lease.     The  property  still  belongs  to  the  heir 


HISTORY     OF    SACRAMENTO    COUNTY. 


of  Mr.  Crosett,  Mrs.  W.  C.  Caples,  who  intends 
to  build  an  addition  39x40  feet  and  two-stories 
high,  on  aseoiint  of  the  increasing  patronage  of 
the  house. 

The  business  of  the  New  Western  Hotel  was 
started  in  1875,  by  Cliarles  Zimmerman,  who 
has  ever  since  been  the  proprietor.  He  pur- 
chased the  property  of  Dr.  B.  F.  Bates.  It 
consisted  of  two  buildings,  one  for  a  hotel  and 
one  for  a  shoe  shop,  at  the  corner  of  Sutter  and 
Wood  streets.  Mr.  Zimmerman  added  about 
$800  in  improvements;  but  the  lire  of  August 
13,  1886,  utterly  consumed  it.  The  insurance 
was  $2,800.  Mr.  Zimmerman  immediately  re- 
built what  is  now  known  as  the  "  New  Western 
Hotel,"  liaving  a  frontage  of  ninety-iive  feet, 
and  costing  $7,000,  including  furniture  and 
fixtures.  The  main  building  is  40  x  60  feet  and 
two  and  three-quarter  stories  high. 

NATOMA  WATER  AND  MINING  COMPANY. 

This  company,  the  largest  owner  of  water 
rights  in  the  county,  was  organized  in  1851,  and 
was  originated  by  A.  P.  Catlin,  now  living  in 
Sacramento,  and  still  the  attorney  of  the  com- 
pany. A.  T.  Arrowsmith,  a  civil  engineer  now 
residing  at  Oakland,  was  associated  with  him. 
Dr.  John  H.  Veatch,  long  since  deceased,  was 
tiie  lirst  secretary;  T.  L.  Craig,  treasurer.  The 
main  canal  was  commenced  in  1851,  taking  its 
water  from  the  south  fork  of  the  American,  two 
miles  above  Salmon  Falls.  The  length  of  this 
canal  is  sixteen  miles.  For  many  years  the 
water  was  used  to  a  great  extent  for  mining 
purposes,  but  it  is  all  now  used  to  render  a  tract 
of  8,454  acres,  otherwise  netrly  valueless,  as 
good  as  any  in  the  county.  There  are  now  300 
acres  in  orchard,  and  about  2,000  in  vines. 

In  the  superintendency  of  the  company's  in- 
terests here  Henry  Sluisler  has  recently  been 
succeeded  by  Horatio  Livermore,  of  San  Fran- 
cisco. 

The  company  purpose  the  division  of  the 
large  tract  into  smaller  tracts  of  ten  or  fifteen 
acres  each,  to  be  disposed  of  to  actual  settlers. 
The  land  is  fertile,  water  is   abundant,  much  is 


already  producing,  railroad  communication  with 
market  is  complete  and  effective.  Under  such 
circumstances  the  stnall  tracts  present  induce- 
ments offered  by  little  property  now  upon  the 
market.  There  are  no  problems  to  solve  by  ex- 
periment as  to  the  productiveness  of  the  land, 
and  upon  the  erection  of  a  house  the  home  is 
complete,  and  an  immediate  income  secured. 
Its  settlement  by  a  number  of  small  farmers 
would  raise  its  value  very  high,  and  improve 
the  whole  surrounding  country,  towns  and  all. 

THE  FOLSOM  WATER-POWER  COMPANY'S  CANAL. 

No  enterprise  in  the  State  is  at  present  at- 
tracting more  public  attention  than  the  effort  to 
utilize  the  water-power  of  the  American  River 
at  Folsom.  The  scheme  is  not  a  new  one,  having 
been  broached  about  twenty-two  years  ago  by 
Mr.  H.  G.  Livermore,  then  president  of  the 
JMatoma  Water  and  Mining  Company.  Con- 
siderable work  in  building  the  necessary  dam 
and  canal  has  been  done  by  both  the  Natoma 
Water  and  Mining  Company  and  the  Folsom 
Water-Power  Company.  Two  contracts  were 
made  between  the  first  company  and  the  State, 
looking  to  the  performance  of  the  necessary 
work  by  convict  labor,  in  return  for  land  deeded 
to  the  State,  and  for  a  part  of  the  water-power, 
and  some  work  was  done  under  these  contracts. 
Serious  disagreements  arose  as  to  the  tenor  of 
the  contracts,  and  much  litigation  followed,  re- 
sulting in  a  practical  abandonment  of  the  under- 
taking by  the  Natoma  Water  and  Mining 
Company,  without  power  on  the  part  of  the 
State  to  compel  its  completion. 

The-  property  and  water  rights  were  there- 
after transferred  to  the  Folsom  Water  Power 
Company  (a  corporation  of  $600,000  capital, 
divided  into  6,000  shares  of  $100  each),  which 
now  owns  the  land  on  both  banks  of  the  Ameri- 
can River,  and  the  mining  patent  covering  the 
bed  of  the  stream,  for  the  whole  distance  to  be 
traversed  by  the  canal  and  for  some  distance 
above  the  dam. 

The  first  work  toward  the  construction  of  the 
dam  was  done   in    the  fall  of  1866,  but   it  was 


HISTORY    OF    SACRAMENTO    COUNTY. 


discontinued  when  the  dara  had  been  completed 
up  to  low-water  mark  of  the  river.  The  results 
at  the  beginning  of  this  year,  1888,  had  been 
the  acquirement  by  the  State  of  483  acres  of 
land,  comprising  the  tract  now  used  by  the  State 
Prison,  upon  one  edge  of  which,  close  by  the 
river  bank,  the  prison  buildings  stand  (upon 
which  the  State  had  only  paid  11,000  days' 
labor  of  convicts),  and  the  laying  of  a  part  of 
the  necessary  foundation  of  a  dam,  upon  which 
about  $42,000  in  money  had  been  expended  by 
the  companies,  and  about  11,000  days'  work  of 
convict  labor  used,  whicli  was  i'urnished  by  the 
State  as  part  of  the  consideration  mentioned  in 
the  deeds  for  the  land  comprising  the  prison 
tract. 

About  $100,000  was  also  expended  in  the 
work  upon  the  canal  and  otherwise  necessary  to 
the  enterprise,  but  not  directly  upon  the  dam. 
Such  was  the  condition  of  affairs  when  Captain 
Charles  Aull,  the  present  warden  at  the  Folsom 
prison,  took  charge  in  January,  1888.  But 
many  of  tlie  conditions  had  changed. 

Under  the  management  of  General  McComb, 
the  preceding  warden,  the  buildings  and  grounds 
had  been  so  nearly  completed  that  it  was  no 
longer  necessary  to  use  the  whole  force  upon 
them;  and  the  nnmber  of  prisoners  being 
larger,  the  amount  of  labor  available  for  such 
work  as  the  dam  and  canal  required  was  much 
greater  than  before. 

Captain  Aull  was  perfectly  familiar  with  the 
events  incident  to  the  location  of  the  prison  at 
its  present  site,  and  of  its  selection  because  a 
water-power  could  be  constructed  there.  He 
was  acquainted  with  all  the  efforts  to  render  it 
available,  their  failure,  and  the  various  questions 
which  had  arisen  in  connection  therewith,  and 
fully  appreciated  how  valuable  it  would  be  to 
the  State  and  to  the  community  when  fully  de- 
i?eloped.  These  facts  were  submitted  to  Gov- 
ernor Waterman,  who  immediately  gave  the 
matter  earnest  and  serious  attention. 

In  com])any  with  Secretary  of  State  Hen- 
dricks, and  Mr.  Joseph  Steffens,  President  of 
the  Sacramento  Board  of  Trade,  he  visited  Fol- 


som in  April  last,  for  the  special  purpose  of 
investigating  the  practicability  of  at  last  ac- 
complishing the  plans  of  those  who  had  studied 
the  qiiestion  of  the  American  River  water-power 
for  thirty  years  back. 

The  advantages  that  would  accrue  to  the  State 
were  pointed  out,  and  the  present  agreement  is 
that  the  State  is  to  furnish  all  the  labor  to  com- 
plete the  dam,  and  the  canal  as  far  as  the  Rob- 
bers' Ravine  Mud  Sink,  about  2,000  yards  below 
the  dam,  and  the  company  is  to  furnish  all  the 
free  labor  necessary,  such  as  engineers,  foreman, 
etc.,  and  all  the  material  and  machinery.  The 
work  is  already  nearly  completed.  The  dam  is 
forty-live  feet  high,  and  forty-five  feet  thick  at 
the  bottom  and  twenty-five  feet  at  the  top. 
There  are  upward  of  3,000  cubic  yards  of 
masonry,  of  the  heaviest  kind,  laid  in  the  best 
Portland  cement.  During  the  progress  of  the 
work  tiie  river  is  turned  by  a  temporary  wooden 
flume.  The  work  is  under  the  direction  of  P. 
A.  Humbert,  civil  engineer.  See  a  sketch  of 
his  life's  career  elsewhere  in  this  volume. 

OTUEK    INTERESTS. 

Coners'  Flouring  Mill  was  built  in  1866,  on 
the  corner  of  Wool  street  and  the  railroad ;  the 
mill  was  operated  about  two  years,  when  it  was 
closed.  The  building,  a  three-story  brick,  was 
purchased  by  B.  N.  Bugby,  and  used  by  him  as 
a  wine  cellar,  the  third  floor  being  rented  as  a 
hall  to  the  societies  at  Folsom.  The  building 
was  burned  about  1871. 

Natoma  Mills  were  built  by  Edward  Stock- 
ton, in  June,  1866,  using  the  three-story  brick 
building  formerly  occupied  by  the  Wheeler 
House.  The  power  was  taken  from  the  Natoma 
ditch,  and  using  two  runs  o<:'  stone.  Discon- 
tinued. 

The  first  brewery  in  Folsom  was  built  by 
Chris.  Hciler  in  1857,  and  was  run  for  several 
years  by  Raber  ct  Heiier.  This  was  destroyed 
by  fire  in  1868. 

In  1872  Peter  Yager  erected  a  brewery  on 
the  foundation  of  a  large  store  which  was  de- 
stroved  in   the   destructive   fire   of  1870.  •  The 


IIISTORT    OF    SACRAMENTO    COUNTY. 


building  was  a  substantial  brick  structure,  had 
a  daily  capacity  of  about  ten  barrels,  and  the 
sales  auiouiited  to  about  450  barrels.  This 
brewery  was  burned  in  the  conflag»ation  of  1886. 

The  railroad  bridge  across  the  American 
Eiver  was  commenced  on  May  31,  1858.  This 
bridge  was  on'the  line  of  the  California  Central 
Hailroad,  was  ninety-two  feet  above  the  water, 
with  a  span  of  216  feet,  cost  $100,000,  and 
was  the  only  bridge  left  on  the  American  River 
by  the  flood  of  1862,  caused  by  the  elevation 
being  fifty  feet  greater  than  the  suspension 
bridge.  The  bridge  was  condemned  in  1866,  it 
having  sunk  in  the  center  and  been  considered 
unsafe  for  some  time.  It  was  subsequently  sold 
and  taken  down  some  time  after  1868. 

In  1851  a  wooden  bridge  was  built  across  the 
American  River  at  Folsom.  It  was  washed  away 
by  high  water  a  few  years  later. 

Thompson  &  Kinsey  then  obtained  a  charter 
for  building  a  bridge  across  the  American  River 
at  Folsom  in  1861.  This  was  a  wire  suspension 
bridge.  The  flood  of  1862  carried  this  bridge 
away  on  January  10.  On  March  7,  1862,  the 
work  of  rebuilding  commenced.  This  is  the 
present  structure;  it  connects  Folsom  with  Ash- 
land, a  little  town  across  the  river,  and  is  called 
"The  Folsom  and  Ashland  Suspension  Bridge;" 
is  of  the  Halliday  patent;  length  of  span,  350 
feet  between  towers;  has  two  cables,  800  feet 
long,  and  four  towers;  weight  of  bridge,  seventy- 
five  tons.  Kinsey&  Whitely  were  the  builders. 
C.  L.  Ecklow  purchased  the  bridge  and  franchise 
in  1871. 

Folsom  has  sufi^ered  heavily  by  fires  at  difi'er- 
ent  times.  May  8, 1866,  a  fire  burned  "  Whisky 
Row,"  t*nd  a  number  of  buildings  on  Sutter  and 
Decatur  streets,  including  the  otiice  of  the  Fol- 
som Telegraph.  August  31,  1866,  the  Hotel 
de  France  and  a  number  of  contiguous  buildings 
were  burned. 

The  Folsom  Theatre  was  destroyed  by  fire, 
June  27,  1871.  In  1871  a  fire  destroyed  all  of 
Chinatown,  Patterson's  Hotel,  and  part  of  Ad- 
dison's lumber  yard.  May  6,  1872,  a  tire  broke 
out  in  Smith,  Campbell  vfc  Jolly's  store,  and  de- 


stroyed all  the  buildings  in  the  block,  with  the 
exception  of  the  otiice  of  the  Folsom  Telegraph. 
Among  these  buildings  were  Meredith's  drug 
store  and  Farmer's  blacksmith  shop.  The  loss 
was  about  $130,000. 

August  13,  1886,  at  3  p.  m.,  occurred  a  fire 
occasioning  a  loss  of  about  $150,000.  Of  the 
business  property  only  three  buildings  were  left 
standing!  In  Chinatown  they  say  that  fires 
happen  on  an  average  about  every  two  years. 

Young  A?nerica,  ]Vo.  1,  was  a  tire  company, 
organized  in  September,  1861.  The  company 
bought  a  hand  engine,  costing  $1,800,  and  dis- 
played some  activity  for  a  year  or  so,  but  the  en- 
thusiasm dying  out,  it  was  disbanded  in  1863. 

The  Folsom  Hook  and  Ladder  Company  was 
organized  March  3,  1857.  The  first  officers 
were:  H.  B.  Waddilove,  Foreman:  Charles 
Plannett,  First  Assistant;  Frank  Wheeler,  Sec- 
ond Assistant;  J.  M.  Arbuckle,  Secretary;  H. 
D.  Rowley,  Treasurer.  The  company  owns  the 
building  known  as  Firemen's  Hall,  which  was 
built  in  1870,  located  on  Sutter  street.  The 
average  membership  has  been  about  thirty-five. 
Their  hall  is  used  for  all  public  meetings  and 
theatrical  performances. 

In  all  Sacramento  County  there  is  probably  no 
institution  to  the  examination  of  which  a  day 
could  be  devoted  with  tnore  pleasure  and  profit 
than  the  State  Prison,  two  miles   from  Folsom. 

The  first  act  of  the  Legislature  concerning  a 
branch  prison  was  passed  in  1858,  and  author- 
ized the  Board  of  Prison  Directors  to  select  a 
site  for  the  Branch  State  Prison.  Much  discus- 
sion was  had,  but  nothing  done  until  1868,  when 
an  act  of  the  Legislature  was  passed  requiring 
the  Board  of  Prison  Directors  to  determine  be- 
tween a  proposed  site  at  Rocklin  and  the  pres- 
ent one  of  Folsom,  before  the  1st  of  July  of  that 
year.  The  present  site  was  selected  chiefly  on 
account  of  the  available  water-power,  the  value 
of  which  was  even  then  fully  recognized.  In 
1868  the  State  secured  350  acres  of  land,  and 
in  1874  obtained  153  acres  more,  together  com- 
prising the  present  prison  tract.  In  1874  the 
State  approjiriated  $175,000  fur  the  construction 


IIISTORT    OF    SACRAMENTO    COUNTY. 


ofa  prison,  and  in  the  fall  of  that  year  the  work 
began.  In  1878  a  further  sniii  was  appropriated, 
and  in  1880  it  was  ready  for  occupancy.  During 
all  this  time  the  key-note  of  all  operations  was 
the  utilization  of  the  water-power,  though  the 
schemes  directed  to  that  end  all  failed.  The 
present  contracts  and  agreements  between  the 
State  and  the  Folsom  Water-Power  Company 
will  doubtless  accomplish  the  long-sought  re- 
sults. 

The  prison  is  in  many  respects  a  model  one. 
The  prison  building  is  exceedingly  well  lighted 
and  ventilated,  though  the  cells  are  not  quite  so 
large  as  should  be  to  conform  to  the  sanitary 
laws  regarding  cubic  feet  of  air  per  person  en- 
closed. There  is  cell-room  enough  now  for  650 
prisoners.  The  drainage  and  sewerage  is  per- 
fect, and  all  the  cells  are  perfectly  dry.  Every 
spot  about  the  prison  building  is  most  scrupu- 
lously clean.  Thus  in  clean,  dry  cells,  with 
good  light  and  ventilation,  and  the  air  of  the 
building  kept  pure  by  good  sewerage  and  the 
tree  play  of  the  sunlight  all  the  day  long,  are 
lound  the  main  elements  of  health  well  pro- 
vided for.  The  Eecord  representatives  saw 
three  meals  prepared  for  the  prisoners,  going 
into  every  department  of  the  kitchen,  bakery 
and  refectory. 

A  sketch  of  the  Folsom  Telegraph  is  given 
in  our  chapter  on  the  Press  of  the  county. 

The  first  public  school  in  Folsom  was  estab- 
lished in  1857,  the  tirst  teacher  being  I.  M.Sib- 
ley. The  first  trustees  were:  E.  P.  Willard, 
Dr.  S.  Palmer  and  J.  S.  Meredith.  A  school, 
however,  had  been  previously  taught  at  Prairie 
City.  The  Folsom  Institute  was  a  fine  private 
school  which  flourished  from  1857  to  1869. 

Granite  Lodge,  No.  6^,  I.  0.  0.  F.,  was  or- 
ganized September  19,  1856,  at  the  residence  of 
Eli  Nichols,  by  David  Kendall,  D.  D.  G.  M., 
assisted  by  Brothers  C.  C.  Hayden,  Samuel 
Cross,  W.  B.  H.  Dodson,  George  I.  N.  Monell, 
G.  K.  Van  lleusen  and  George  Nelson.  The 
first  officers  were:  J.  E.  Clark,  N.  G.;  A. 
Mears,  Y.  G.;  W.  A.  McClure,  Rec.  Sec;  II. 
A.  Hill,  Treas.     The  charter  members,  in  addi- 


tion to  the  above,  were  S.  F.  Marquis,  A.  W. 
Beals,  B.  Kozminsky,  L.  Sampson,  J.  Crumber- 
ger,  G.  B.  Hornish  and  E.  A.  Turner. 

FoUom  Ei\campm.ent,  No.  24,  I-  O.  0.  F., 
was  formed  June  28,  1864,  with  A.  C.  Davis, 
Edward  Christy,  S.  Zekind,  S.  M.  Seely,  John 
Eofi',  John  H.  Seymour  and  E.  O.  Dana  as 
charter  members. 

Natoma  Lodge,  No.  64.,  F.  cG  A.  M^,  was 
organized  in  October,  1854,  at  Mormon  Island, 
with  M.  Wallace,  A.  Spinks,  A.  O.  Carr,  L. 
Bates,  G.  W.  Corey,  S.  Logan,  II.  A.  Holeomb, 
D.  McCall,  B.  H.  Conroy,  J.  H.  Berry,  W. 
Sheldon,  C.  S.  Bogar,  W.  K.  Spencer,  D.  M.  K. 
Campbell,  J.  Clark  and  M.  Hati'li  as  charter 
members.  The  tirst  ofiicers  were:  M.  Wallace, 
W.  M.;  L.  Bates,  S.  W.;  A.  O.  Carr,  J.  W.  It 
was  chartered  in  1855.  and  the  ne.xt  year  trans- 
ierred  to  Folsom.  The  records  of  the  lodge 
were  destroyed  by  the  fire  in  1871. 

Fxcelsior  Council,  0.  C.  F.,  No.  64,  was  in- 
stituted February  20,  1882. 

Folsom  Lodge,  No.  109,  A.  0.  U.  W.,  was 
established  June  6,  1879. 

Granite  Parlor,  No.  83,  N.  S.  G.  W.,  was 
established  April  9,  1886. 

Social  Lodge,  No.  54,  Order  of  the  Golden 
Shore,  was  organized  February  18,  1889. 

The  Young  Ifeii's  Institute,  No.  69,  was 
organized  in  January,  1888. 

The  first  church  services  were  held  in  the 
Hook  and  Ladder  Company's  hail  in  1856  by 
the  Rev.  Dr.  Hatch,  an  Episcopal  divine,  of 
Sacramento.  About  this  time  Father  Quinn, 
of  the  Catholic  Church,  held  services  at  the 
house  of  P.  J.  O'Neil,  about  two  miles  from 
Folsom. 

St.  John's  Church  (Catholic)  was  organized 
in  1856.  The  church  edifice  was  erected  in 
1857;  in  the  meantime  the  society  held  its 
meetings  in  the  darken  College,  Rev.  Father 
Quinn,  pastor.  The  original  cost  of  the  build- 
ing was  $1,600.  It  was  enlarged  in  1859  at 
an  additional  outlay  of  $900.  The  earlier  pas- 
tors have  been  the  Revs.  John  Quinn  (now  de- 
ceased),    James     Gallagher,     Neal    Gallagher 


HI8T0BT    OF    SACRAMENTO    COUNTY. 


(deceased),  Francis  Kelley  (deceased),  and  John 
Leahy. 

Trinity  CJnireh  [Ejoiscopal)  was  organized 
July  18,  1862;  the  church  building  was  erected 
the  same  year,  at  a  cost  of  about  $4,000,  and 
is  a  fine  frame  structure.  The  first  officers  were: 
Vestrymen,  William  Timson,  H.  B.  Waddilove, 
J.  S.  Meredith,  Dr.  A.  C.  Donaldson  and  George 
Bromley,  Senior  Warden,  Dr.  A.  C.  Donald- 
son; Junior  Warden,  William  Moore;  Clerk  of 
the  Parish,  J.  S.  Meredith. 

The  Congregational  Church  was  organized 
in  1860;  a  chnrch  building  of  brick,  36x60 
feet  in  size,  was  erected  the  same  year.  J.  E. 
Benton  was  the  first  pastor.  The  church  ceased 
to  exist  many  years  ago. 

Peairie  City  is  located  two  miles  south  of 
Folsom,  in  Granite  Township,  on  the  hills  on  or 
near  Alder  Creek.  Mining  commenced  here  in 
1853,  on  the  completion  of  the  Natoma  Water 
and  Mining  Company's  ditch  to  this  point. 
The  water  reached  Rhodes'  Diggings,  about  one 
mile  farther  up  the  creek,  early  in  June,  1853. 
The  miners  came  flocking  in  from  all  directions, 
and  Pi-airie  City  began  to  assume  the  impor- 
tance of  a  city  in  fact  as  well  as  in  name.  This 
was  the  business  town  for  several  raining  camps, 
Rhodes'  Diggings,  Willow  Spring  Hill  Dig- 
gings and  Alder  Creek.  Rhodes'  Diggings 
laid  some  pretensions  to  having  a  town  of  its 
own;  John  H.  G ass  and  Colonel  Z.  llagan  built 
a  steam  quartz  mill  in  1855,  and  a  French 
company  built  a  large  quartz  mill  in  1857, 
costing  $50,000;  this  mill  paid  wonderfully 
well  for  a  time,  and  the  stock  could  not  be  pur- 
chased for  any  reasonable  price;  this,  however, 
did  not  last  long;  the  stock  ceased  to  pay  divi- 
dends, went  down,  and  finally  became  worthless. 

At  Prairie  City,  in  1853,   Jesse   Dresser,  E. 

A.  Piatt,  Eisner  J.  Chapman, Rosenthal  and 

Meers  kept  stores;  Dr.  Rutherford,  a  drug 

store;  Dr.  White;  "Marble  Hall  Hotel,"  kept 
by  Michael  Conothy.  In  1854  J.  &  J.  Spru- 
ance  opened  a  store  here,  the  largest  in  town. 
Elisha  Waterman,  carpenter  and  builder,  erected 
most   of    the    buildings.      In    July,    1853,    the 


town  contained  about  100  buildings,  fifteen 
stores,  ten  boarding  houses  and  hotels,  and 
about  thirty  families;  emigrants  arriving  daily; 
two  lines  of  stages  running  daily. 

Early  in  1854  the  inhabitants  numbered  over 
1,000,  and  the  miners  were  reported  as  doing 
well,  making  from  $5  to  $20  per  diem  in  one 
case,  three  men  are  reported  to  have  taken  out 
eighty-five  ounces  in  one  day.  The  town  began 
to  die  out  in  1860,  and  finally  became  entirely 
non  est. 

The  Willow  Springs  Hill  Diggings  were  on 
the  hill  or  ridge  between  Alder  and  Willow 
creeks;  this  hill  was  about  a  mile  long.  Mining 
commenced  along  Willow  Creek  as  early  as 
1851.  When  the  gulches  were  worked  back  to 
the  ridge  it  was  found  that  the  dirt  still  con- 
tinued good  pay,  and  claims  were  continued  on 
the  hill.  Most  of  the  mining  was  done  on  the 
north  side  of  the  ridge,  there  being  a  better  flow 
of  water  there;  by  this  time,  1853,  the  Natoma 
Ditch  was  furnishing  water  at  this  point.  In 
the  palmy  days  of  this  region  there  were  twelve 
companies  or  claims,  employing  sixty  men.  It 
is  not  known  what  amount  of  gold  has  been 
taken  out  of  this  region,  comprising  about  2,000 
acres,  but  it  is  estimated  to  have  been  millions 
of  dollars,  the  eastern  end  of  Willow  Springs 
Hill  being  extraordinarily  rich. 

Texas  Hill  was  a  mining  camp  just  below 
Negro  Bar,  on  the  American  River,  and  exten- 
sive operations  were  carried  on  there  until  1855, 
under  the  superintendence  of  John  A.  Watson, 
afterward  purchasing  agent  of  the  railroad  com- 
pany. 

Beam's  Bar,  named  after  Jerry  Beam,  is  half 
a  mile  below  Alabama  Bar,  on  the  south  side  of 
the  American  River.  It  was  at  first  exceed- 
ingly rich,  but  all  attempts  to  work  it  since 
1857  have  proved  unremunerative.  In  1863 
[  Alfred  Spinks,  with  a  force  of  Chinamen,  went 
to  bed-rock,  sixty  feet  down,  but  found  no 
bonanza. 

In  the  summer  of  1879  a  man  leased  from  the 
Natoma  Company  all  the  land  lying  between 
Folsom  and  Alder  Creek  north  of  the  railroad. 


HISTORY    OF    SACRAMENTO    COUNTY. 


The  old  miners  had  dug  down  to  what  they  con- 
sidered bed-rock  and  then  stopped.  This  party 
bored  through  this  crust,  and  found  good  pay- 
ing gravel  underneath.  The  crust  was  composed 
of  what  appeared  to  have  been  black  slime  or 
deposit  at  the  bottom  of  a  lake,  solidified;  it  was 
full  of  shells. 

LEE. 

Lee  Township  was  formed  by  the  Board  of 
Supervisors,  October  20,  1856,  and  contains 
townships  7  and  8  north,  range  7  east  of  Mount 
Diablo  base  and  meridian,  both  townships  be- 
ing full,  and  is  bounded  on  the  north  by  Granite 
Township,  on  the  east  by  Natoma  and  Co- 
suinnes,  south  by  Alabama,  west  by  San  Joaquin 
and  Brighton  townships.  Of  the  original  town- 
ships it  contains  part  of  what  was  San  Joaquin 
Township,  a  large  portion  of  the  original  Co- 
sumnes  Township.  The  soil  is  what  is  known 
as  red  plains,  agricultural  land.  All  that  por- 
tion south  of  the  Cosumnes  River  is  included 
within  what  is  known  as  the  Hartnell  grant. 
North  of  the  Cosnmnes  and  to  a  line  parallel 
with  the  general  course  of  the  same,  distant 
therefrom  about  two  and  one  half  miles,  lies  the 
Sheldon  grant.  In  the  northern  portion  of  the 
township  the  Leidesdorff  grant  occupies  about 
3,800  acres.  There  were  about  18,000  acres  of 
Government  land  in  the  township,  all  of  which 
is  now  owned  by  private  parties.  These  grants 
are  all  sub-divided  into  small  farms,  most  of 
which  are  under  a  high  state  of  cultivation. 
Away  from  the  Cosumnes  River  the  soil  is  not 
so  good  for  agricultural  purposes,  and  is  prin- 
cipally used  for  grazing,  probably  about  twenty- 
five  to  thirty  per  cent,  of  the  whole  area  being 
under  cultivation. 

EARLY    SETTLEMENT. 

One  summer  evening,  in  1840,  William  Bay- 
lor, then  in  the  employ  of  Captain  John  A. 
Sutter,  while  on  a  cattle  hunt,  rode  to  the  bluff, 
or  high  hill,  which  overlooks  the  valley  of  the 
Cosumnes  River,  at  a  point  near  which  now 
stands  the  residence  of  Digory  Ilobbs.  The 
valley  at  that  time  was  thickly  populated   with 


Indians,  and  Daylor  not  being  desirous  of  making 
any  closer  acquaintance  at  that  time,  did  not 
descend  into  the  valley,  but  rode  back  to  Sut- 
ter's Fort.  He  reported  his  discovery  to  his 
friend  Jared  Sheldon,  who  was  at  that  time  em- 
ployed by  Sutter  as  a  carpenter.  Sheldon  was 
a  naturalized  citizen  of  Mexico,  and  had  certain 
claims  against  the  Mexican  Government  for 
services  in  building  a  custom  house  at  Mon- 
terey. He  made  an  arrangement  with  Daylor, 
by  which  he  (Sheldon),  through  his  friend  W. 
E.  P.  Hartnell  (then  Secretary  of  State  and 
Government  Interpreter  for  California  under 
the  Mexican  Government),  should  obtain  a 
grant  of  the  recently  discovered  valley  in  liqui- 
dation of  his  unsettled  claim.  Daylor,  with 
two  or  three  companions,  wast)  settle  on  the 
land,  while  Sheldon  was  to  provide  a  number 
of  cattle  to  stock  the  raricho,  and  the  two  were 
to  become  equal  partners  in  the  land  and  cattle. 
Sheldon,  after  taking  the  preliminary  steps  to 
secure  the  grant,  purchased  300  head  of  cattle 
from  Dr.  Marsh,  of  Marsh's  Landing,  now  An- 
tioch,  for  which  he  was  to  pay  in  carpenter 
work,  upon  which  he  at  once  entered,  sending 
the  cattle  through  the  then  unknown  country 
lying  between  the  residence  of  Dr.  Marsh  and 
the  Cosumnes  Valley.  These  cattle  reatked 
their  destination  in  due  time,  and  the  drovers 
found  a  corral  for  the  cattle  and  a  tent  for  the 
men,  which  improvements  had  been  laade  by 
Daylor,  assisted  by  Ned  Robinson  and  a  force 
of  Indians.  These  latter  were  found  to  be  as 
gentle  and  docile  as  the  aborigines  who  wel- 
comed Columbus  to  the  shores  of  Guanahani 
and  Hayti.  They  were  always  ready,  and  even 
anxious,  to  perform  any  labor,  considering  a 
yard  of  "manta"  (unbleached  cotton  cloth), 
with  the  game,  deer,  elk  and  antelope  which 
the  new-comers  provided,  as  full  payment  for  a 
week's  work.  By  the  aid  of  these  Indians,  a 
field  of  100  acres  was  inclosed  with  a  ditch  and 
sown  with  wheat,  the  seed  being  obtained  from 
Captain  Sutter.  For  the  first  yeai-,  the  diet  of 
the  new  settlers  consisted  solely  of  venison. 
After  the  first  crop  of  wheat    was    harvested, 


HISTORY    OF    SACRAMENTO    COUNTY. 


boiled  wheat  was  added  to  the  bill  of  fare.  This 
was  the  unvarying  7nenu  until  1847. 

The  new  proprietors  iiad  found  a  fine  mill 
site  on  the  river,  near  where  McCraken's  bridge 
now  stands,  and  in  1847  they  constructed  a  dam 
and  built  a  grist-mill,  which  continued  in  suc- 
cessful operation  until  the  stampede  of  1848 
that  caused  every  industry  of  the  kind  to  be 
temporarily  abandoned. 

After  the  discovery  of  gold  in  1848,  Sheldon, 
Daylor  and  McCoon,  taking  a  number  of  In- 
dians, established  a  mining  camp  at  a  point 
where  the  road  to  Placerville  now  crosses  the 
Weber  Creek,  and  remained  there  until  the 
autumn  rains  set  in,  the  result  of  their  sum- 
mer's work  being  §20,000  for  each  partner. 

Daylor  married  in  the  autumn  of  1846;  Shel- 
don married  in  the  spring  of  1847,  their  wives 
being  daughters  of  Thomas  Rhoads,  of  San 
Joaquin  County.  Sheldon,  not  satisfied  with 
the  tine  mill  site  on  his  land,  which  afforded 
him  every  needed  facility  for  irrigation,  bought 
a  piece  of  land  about  four  miles  higher  up  the 
river,  where  he  became  involved  in  a  quarrel 
with  the  miners  along  the  river,  and  lost  his 
life.  An  account  of  the  circumstances  will  be 
found  in  the  history  of  Cosumnes  Township. 

William  Daylor,  a  native  of  London,  England 
came  to  Sutter's  Fort  in  1840.  He  died  of 
cholera  at  Daylor's  Ranch,  October  30,  1850. 

Jared  Sheldon,  a  native  of  Underhill,  Ver- 
mont, caijge  to  the  State  overland  from  New 
Mexico  in  1832.  He  was  killed  in  a  fight  with 
miners  in  Cosumnes  Township,  July  10,  1851. 

Sebastian  Kayser,  a  native  of  the  Austrian 
Tyrol,  for  many  years  of  his  life  a  Rocky  Mount- 
ain trapper,  was  iialf  owner  of  the  Johnson 
grant,  at  Johnson's  crossing  of  Bear  Creek.  He 
was  drowned  in  the  Cosumnes  River,  January, 
1850. 

Perry  McCoon,  a  native  of  England,  came  to 
California  about  the  year  1843.  He  was  killed 
by  falling  from  a  liorse  near  Cook's  Bar,  in 
January,  1851. 

W.  R.  Grimshaw,  a  native  of  New  York  City, 
a  seafaring  man,  arrived    at   Montere}'  in  June, 


1848,  sailed  in  a  coasting  vessel,  anji  came  to 
Sutter's  Fort  in  October,  1848.  He  opened  a 
store  and  Indian  trading  post  in  partnership 
with  W.  M.  Daylor,  at  Daylor's  Ranch,  No- 
vember 15,  1849.  He  now  resides  at  Daylor's 
Ranch. 

W.  D.  Wilson  came  to  California  in  1848,  and 
settled  on  the  Cosumnes  River,  opposite  Day- 
lor's Ranch;  he  died  in  Santa  Clara  County,  in 
1875. 

John  R.  T.  Mahone  was  a  soldier  in  Doni- 
phan's regiment  during  the  Mexican  War.  He 
married  the  widow  of  Jared  Sheldon,  and  set- 
tled at  the  Slough  House  in  1852;  is  now 
deceased. 

HOTELS. 

Wilson's  Exchange  was  built  on  the  south 
side  of  the  Cosumnes  River,  in  1850,  by  W.  D. 
Wilson.  In  1851  Wilson  built  a  bridge  across 
the  Cosumnes  at  the  same  point.  This  bridge 
was  swept  away  by  the  high  water  of  1852;  it 
was  rebuilt  in  the  same  year,  was  again  washed 
away  in  1862,  and  has  not  been  rebuilt. 

The  Slough  House  was  built  by  Jared  Shel- 
don in  the  spring  of  1850,  and  occupied  as  a 
residence  by  himself  and  family  until  his  death. 

BRIDGES. 

The  Slough  House  bridge  was  built  by  John 
Mahone,  in  1850,  across  Deer  Creek;  this  bridge 
was  washed  away  in  1862,  and  rebuilt. 

In  1862  J.  C.  Austin  built  a  wire  bridge 
across  the  Cosumnes  River,  located  on  the  lower 
half  of  Division  Thirteen  of  the  Hartnell 
grant.  In  1868  Austin  sold  to  James  D.  Mc- 
Craken,  ex-Governor  Booth  and  Colonel  James. 
The  bridge  is  generally  known  as  the  wire 
bridge. 

EARLY  INCIDENTS. 

In  the  spring  of  1850  the  justiceof  the  peace 
at  the  Daylor  Ranch  was  an  old  fellow  that 
went  by  the  name  of  "  Uncle  Ben."  His  judi- 
cial career  terminated  very  abruptly,  in  the 
following  manner: 

A  half-witted  Hoosier  had  been  caught  in  the 
act  of  driving   off  some    tame  American  oxen. 


HISTORY    OF    SACRAMENTO    COUNTY. 


and  was  ^brought  before  the  justice  for  trial. 
The  accused  was  all  but  paralyzed  with  fear,  and 
loudly  declared  his  innocence  of  any  wrongful 
intent,  stating  that  he  had  been  employed  to 
drive  the  cattle  to  Sacramento.  When  the  trial 
was  ready  to  begin  the  prisoner  was  missing, 
and  a  party  of  men  sallied  out  in  search  of  him. 
He  was  found  about  200  yards  from  the  house, 
up  to  his  neck  in  water,  with  his  head  under  a 
projecting  bush.  He  was  brought  back  to  the 
house,  if  possible  worse  frightened  than  before. 
On  being  interrogated  as  to  how  he  got  away, 
he  stated  that  lie  had  given  the  justice  his  purse, 
with  what  gold  dust  it  contained,  who  had 
allowed  him  to  slip  out  of  the  house  the  back 
way.  This  statement  the  justice  strenuously 
denied.  The  accused  then  described  his  pui'se 
and  the  contents  thereof,  and,  on  searching  the 
judge,  a  purse  answering  to  the  description, 
with  contents  as  stated,  was  found  on  his  per- 
son. The  purse  and  contents  were  returned  to 
the  original  owner,  and  he  was  allowed  to  go 
on  his  way  rejoicing.  The  judge  was  then 
triced  up  to  the  columns  that  supported  the 
roof  of  the  portico,  and  given  twenty-five 
lashes  on  his  bare  back  with  a  lasso,  the  substi- 
tute for  a  "cat-o-nine  tails,"  an  Indian  officiat- 
ing as  "  Bo'sen's  Mate."  He  was  then  taken 
down  and  ordered  to  leave  the  place  at  once. 
He  left. 

In  1850-'51  the  inhabitants  of  Cosumnesand 
San  Juaquin  townships,  which  included  Lee 
Township,  were  harrassed  by  horse  and  cattle 
thieves  to  such  an  extent  that  they  proceeded  in 
several  cases  to  take  the  law  into  their  own 
hands  and  execute  justice,  as  it  was  then  consid- 
ered, very  summarily. 

In  the  early  part  of  1851  one  Orville  Ham- 
ilton was  accused  of  being  an  accessory  in 
several  cases  of  horse-stealing.  A  number  of 
citizens  assembled  at  Hamilton's  place,  took 
him  into  custody,  organized  a  court,  and  pro- 
ceeded to  try  him  on  the  charge.  Among  the 
members  of  the  court  were:  Jared  Sheldon, 
William  Ilicks,  Charles  Lewis,  W.  D.  Wilson, 
S.  P.  Gage,  Atwood,  Tryce  and  Allmoiid.     The 


defendant  was  found  guilty,  sentenced  to  be 
hung,  and  a  committee  appointed  to  execute  the 
sentence.  The  committee  proceeded  to  the 
room  where  the  prisoner  had  been  confined,  but 
found  the  bird  had  flown. 

This  fact  being  communicated  to  the  crowd 
caused  great  excitement,  which  was  in  no  wise 
allayed  on  the  discovery  of  a  man  wearing  the 
defendant's  hat.  This  man  proved  to  be  one 
Sage,  a  merchant  of  Sacramento  and  an  inti- 
mate friend  and  former  schoolmate  of  Hamilton 
in  the  State  of  Connecticut.  It  was  immedi- 
ately proposed  that  Sage  be  hung  as  a  substi- 
tute for  Hamilton.  This  was  voted  down,  after 
a  heated  discussion,  and  the  punishment  com- 
muted to  a  whipping,  and  he  was  ordered  to  be 
tied  up.  No  one  appeared  to  be  willing  to  tie 
him,  until  Slieldon,  exclaiming,  "  Some  one  has 
got  to  see  to  this  thing,"  tied  Sage  to  a  tree, 
and  an  Indian  administered  several  lashes  on 
his  bare  back  with  a  lasso.  Sage  returned  to 
Sacramento  and  employed  C.  A.  Tweed  to  com- 
mence suit  against  Sheldon,  Hicks  and  others, 
but  was  nonsuited.  Hy  the  time  all  of  the  above 
proceedings  had  been  had  it  was  some  time 
after  dark,  and  the  crowd  dispersed  to  return  to 
their  homes. 

Gage  and  AUmond  occupied  a  cabin  a  mile 
and  a  half  belnw  the  Daylor  Ranch,  on  the  south 
side  of  the  river,  where  they  were  engaged  in 
herding  horses.  On  their  return  home  the 
night  in  question,  they  were  infmjmed  by  a 
teamster,  who  had  stopped  at  their  cabin,  that 
two  men  were  endeavoring  to  drive  a  herd  of 
horses  across  the  river  at  the  ford  one-quarter  of 
a  mile  below  the  cabin.  This  being  an  unusual 
proceeding  at  that  hour  of  the  night,  the  three 
men  went  to  the  bank  overlooking  the  ford  and 
discovered  the  horses  to  be  their  own  band, 
which  two  thieves  were  trying  to  drive  off  in 
the  absence  of  the  owners.  This  attempt  would 
undoubtedly  have  been  successful  if  the  horses 
had  not  been  unwilling  to  leave  their  range  in 
the  night.  Gage,  Allmond  and  the  teamster 
jumped  down  the  bank  and  pulling  the  thieves 
from  tiieir  horses,  disarmed  them  and  compelled 


HISTORY    OF    SACRAMENTO    COUNTY. 


them  to  return   to   tlie  cabin,  where  they  were 
Tlie  band   of  horses,  as 


prov 


ided  with  su 


pper 


soon  at  they  found  themselves  at  liberty,  ran 
into  the  corral  at  the  cabin.  After  supper.  Gage, 
leavini^  his  companions  to  guard  the  prisoners, 
started  out  to  summon  certain  of  the  neighbors 
to  assemble  and  give  the  prisoners  a  trial  on  the 
ensuing  day.  Hicks,  Sheldon  and  Grirashaw, 
at  the  Daylor  Hanch,  had  gone  to  bed  when  Gage 
came  with  his  summons.  Gage  rode  on,  and 
the  three  men,  after  consulting  a  few  moments, 
thought  it  would  be  well  to  attend  to  the  mat- 
ter tliat  night.  About  the  time  their  horses 
were  saddled.  Gage  returned,  accompanied  by 
some  of  the  neighbors,  who  had  reached  the 
same  conclusion  as  the  Daylor  Kanch  men. 
When  this  party  arrived  at  the  cabin,  they  found 
awaiting  them   John    T.    Rhoads,    William    B. 

Khoads,  John  Parker  and Ford.      It  was 

proposed  to  organize  a  court  at  once  and  pro- 
ceed to  trial.  Jared  Sheldon  was  appointed 
judge,  when  it  was  discovered  that  there  were 
not  men  enough  present  to  form  the  jury.  Here 
was  a  quandary.  At  length  one  of  the  party 
arose,  and  after  a  short  speech  on  the  utter 
futility  of  regular  trials  to  stop  the  fearful  evil 
of  horse-stealing,  offered  to  be  one  of  a  crowd 
to  take  the  prisoners  out  and  hang  them  forth- 
with. This  was  at  once  assented  to  by  those 
present.  Candles  were  lighted,  and  the  hoi'ses 
in  the  corral  closely  examined  to  avoid  the  pos- 
sibility of  making  any  mistake.  The  prisoners 
were  led  %ider  a  tree,  lassoes  placed  around 
their  necks  and  over  a  limb  of  the  tree,  and  the 
men  informed  that  they  had  one-half  hour  to 
live,  and,  when  the  time  expired,  they  were 
drawn  up  and  left  hanging  all  night. 

In  the  morning,  one  of  the  party,  with  two 
Indians,  went  to  the  tree  and  dug  a  grave. 
Some  money  which  was  found  in  their  pockets 
was  given  to  the  Indians,  and  their  bodies 
lowered  into  the  grave.  This  action  of  the  citi- 
zens put  an  effectual  stop  to  horse  and  cattle 
stealing  along  the  banks  of  the  Cosumnes 
River. 

In  this  township  occurred  the  mob  execution 


of  William  Lomax,  May  14,  1855.  He  was 
hanged  for  the  murder  of  PVederick  Kohle,  who 
was  killed  on  the  7th  of  that  month.  It  seems 
that  Eohle  was  a  stock-raiser  and  occupied  a 
cabin  about  a  mile  above  the  old  Daylor  Ranch. 
Some  parties,  who  desired  to  buy  cattle,  sought 
Bohle  and  found  him  dead.  He  had  been  cut 
with  a  knife  and  cliopped  with  an  ax,  and  the 
indications  were  that  he  had  made  a  desperate 
struggle  for  life.  Tiiey  gave  the  alarm  at 
Grimshaw's  house.  W.  R.  Grimshaw  and  Oli- 
ver Sanders  went  out  and  secured  the  body. 
Lomax  had*  been  seen  about  the  premises,  and 
suspicion  fastened  upon  him.  He  was  arrested 
in  the  city  of  Sacramento  and  taken  to  the  scene 
of  the  murder.  A  popular  court  was  organized 
in  front  of  the  old  Daylor  house,  and  Lomax  put 
upon  trial,  lie  asked  for  time  to  produce  a  man 
named  Van  Trees,  with  whom  he  said  he  had 
passed  the  night  before  the  murder,  at  a  ranch 
on  the  American  River.  Time  was  granted, 
but  the  people  of  Michigan  Bar  and  Cook's  Bar 
took  the  accused,  fearing  that  he  might  escape. 
They  promised  to  bring  him  back  when  Van 
Trees  would  be  produced.  They  fulfilled  their 
promise.  On  the  resumption  of  the  trial  Van 
Trees  stated  that  Lomax  had  been  with  him  at 
his  place,  but  that  when  he  left  he  had  stolen  a 
mule.  Lomax  w.iS  convicted  and  hanged  on  a 
tree  in  front  of  Grimshaw's  place.  This  tree 
was  cut  down  about  three  or  four  years  ago. 
This  was  one  of  the  earliest  mob  executions  in 
the  county  outside  of  Sacramento  City. 

MISSISSIPPI. 

Mississippi  Township,  as  originally  estab- 
lished by  the  Court  of  Sessions,  on  the  24th  of 
February,  1851,  included  nearly  the  whole  of 
the  present  township  of  that  name,  and  also  all 
of  "what  is  now  Granite  Township.  There  were 
very  few  changes  made  until  the  present  lines 
were  established,  except  in  the  south  line,  which 
was  subsequently  made  to  be  the  Coloma  road. 
October  20,  1856,  the  Board  of  Supervisors 
established  the  present  boundaries,  as  follows: 
Beginning  at   the   northeast  corner  of  Center 


BISTORT    OP    SACRAMENTO    COUNTY. 


Township,  running  thence  easterly  along  the 
northern  boundary  of  the  county  to  the  Ameri- 
can River;  thence  soutlierly  and  westerly  along 
the  said  American  River  to  the  eastern  bound- 
ary of  Center  Townsliip;  thence  north  along 
the  said  eastern  boundary  line  of  Center  Town- 
ship to  the  beginning. 

The  greater  portion  of  the  land  is  mineral, 
though  the  people  are  now  turning  their  atten- 
tion to  agriculture,  the  better  part  of  the  min- 
eral lands  having  been  pretty  well  worked  out. 
The  soil  is  not  well  adapted  for  the  growth  of 
wheat,  but  for  grapes  and  other  stjiall  fruits  it 
is  as  good  as  any  other  portion  of  the  county. 
The  North  Fork  Company's  ditch,  running 
through  the  entire  length  of  the  township,  afi'ords 
facilities  for  irrigation  during  the  whole  year. 

The  San  Juan  grant  includes  the  greater  por- 
tion of  this  township,  there  being  but  about 
5.000  acres  outside  of  its  lines.  The  lands  in 
the  grant  are  being  sold  off,  thus  affording  an 
opportunity  for  settlers.  The  largest  land- 
owners are  Glark  &  Cox,  and  S.  C.  Hastings. 


Gold 


discovered    in    Mi 


ippi 


Towi 


sliip,  along  the  banks  of  the  American  River, 
in  1849,  about  the  same  time  as  at  Mormon 
Island  and  Negro  Bar.  Mining  along  the  river 
was  vigorously  prosecuted  for  several  years, 
and  abandoned  only  on  account  of  the  bars 
being  worked  out.  Gold  having  been  found  in 
paying  quantities  on  the  higher  benches,  a 
company  was  formed  to  build  a  ditch  to  bring 
the  water  from  the  north  fork  of  the  American- 
River,  from  a  point  nearly  opposite  the  town  of 
Auburn,  Placer  County.  This  company  brought 
water  into  the  township  in  1855,  the  ditch 
being  twenty  miles  long.  Frum  this  time  to 
the  present  there  has  been  more  or  less  mining 
going  on,  but  the  most  vigor  was  shown  be- 
tween the  years  1855  and  1870.  At  the  present 
time  there  are  very  few  people  making  any  at- 
tempt at  mining,  those  that  are  being  mostly 
Portuguese  and  Chinese. 

The  Alabama  Bar  was  situated  in  the  northeast 
corner  of  the  township,  in  the  middleof  the  Amer- 
ican River.     It  was  originally  located   in  1850. 


In  1852  a  company  was  formed  known  as  the 
Alabama  Bar  Mining  Company,  composed  of 
twelve  men,  with  John  Smith  as  president,  and 
Alfred  Spiuks,  superintendent.  The  name  was 
given  on  account  of  the  fact  that  most  of  the 
company  were  from  the  State  of  Alabama. 
They  located  the  bar  and  proceeded  to  work  it, 
but  were  shortly  after  apprised  of  the  fact  of 
the  previous  location;  they,  however,  retained 
the  possession,  and  bought  out  the  adverse 
claimants,  where  the}'  could  be  found.  The 
gold  gave  out  in  1856,  and  the  bar  was  aban- 
doned. This  company  employed  about  sixty 
men  c'uring  the  summers,  and  it  is  estimated 
took  out  about  $75,000  altogether. 

The  Slate  Bar  was  located  just  below  the 
present  site  of  the  Branch  State  Prison,  on  the 
opposite  side  of  the  river.  This  was  never  a 
large  camp.  The  mining,  being  of  the  variety 
called  '-crevice  mining,"  did  not  offer  the  in- 
ducement that  other  bars  did. 

The  American  River  Ditch  Company  was 
incorporated  November  27,  1854.  The  first 
trustees  were:  A.  P.  Catlin,A.  T.  Arrowsmith, 
A.  G.  Kinsey,  Lucien  B.  Brooks,  S.  Palmer, 
John  L.Craig  and  Eleazer  Rulison.  Work  com- 
menced on  the  ditch  September  18,  1854;  it 
was  completed  to  Big  Gulch,  the  end  of  the 
uiain  ditch,  January  1,  1857.  The  ditch  is  six 
feet  wide  on  the  bottom  and  four  feet  deep. 
The  first  dam  was  built  to  Tamaroo  Bar,  from 
which  point  to  Big  Gulch  is  twenty-four  miles. 
The  portion  of  the  canal  extending  from  Big 
Gulch  to  Mississippi  Bar  runs  througli  a 
country  known  as  Orange  Vale. 

The  iirst  dairi  was  taken  out  by  flood  in  March, 
1855;  the  second  dam,,  costing  $5,000,  was 
washed  out  in  1857;  the  third  dam  cost  $11,000, 
and  was  destroyed  by  flood,  1862;  the  cost  of 
rebuilding  the  dam  and  repairing  the  ditch  was 
$29,000.  This  dam  was  taken  out  in  1871  or 
1872;  was  rebuilt  and  washed  out  the  following 
winter.  The  present  dam  was  completed  Janu- 
ary, 1876.  The  water  is  used  both  for  mining 
and  irrigation,  mostly  the  latter." 

Tiie   Orange  Vale  Colonization  Company  has 


BISTORT    OF    SACRAMENTO    COUNTY. 


3,200  acres  of  good  land,  well  fenced  and  provided 
with  water,  one  mile  from  Folsom  and  on  the 
north  side  of  the  river.  A  number  of  neat  cot- 
tages have  been  built.  A.  village  is  started, 
named  Orange  Vale.  Ten-acre  tracts,  with  eight 
acres  of  trees  or  vines,  are  offered  to  actual  set- 
tlers on  easy  terms. 

The  California  Central  Railroad  Company 
built  a  road  through  this  township,  running 
from  Folsom  to  Lincoln.  A  second  road  was 
commenced,  with  Auburn  as  its  northern  ter- 
minus. This  road  never  was  tiiiished  farther 
than  Wildwood  Station,  a  distance  often  miles. 
Both  of  these  roads  coininginto  possession  of  the 
Central  Paciiic  Company  the  tracks  were  taken 
up  and  the  road  abandoned. 

Ashland. — The  original  name  of  Ashland  was 
Big  Gulch.  This  was  changed  to  liussville  in 
1857,  in  honor  of  Colonel  Buss.  It  was  also 
sometimes  called  Bowlesville,  from  an  old  resi- 
dent named  Bowles,  who  had,  or  claimed  to 
have,  a  title  to  the  land.  It  was  christened  Ash 
land  in  1860.  There  are  now  about  a  dozen 
houses  in  the  town.  In  early  times  there  were 
a  large  number  of  cabins  and  a  few  saloons,  but 
no  hotels. 

In  connection  with  the  liistory  of  Ashland,  a 
sketch  of  Colonel  Buss  may  prove  interesting, 
he  having  been  for  a  time  the  central  figure 
around  which  all  others  in  Ashland  appeared  to 
revolve.  We  insert  the  following  extract  from 
the  Folsom  Telegraph  of  August  12,  1864: 

"  In  1857  or  1858  the  name  of  the  village 
was  changed  from  Big  Gulch  to  Russville,  in 
honor  of  Colonel  Buss,  whose  advent  was  an 
era  in  the  history  of  this  quiet  place.  The  Colo- 
nel was  a  man  of  remarkable  traits  in  more  re- 
spects than  one.  Being  a  speculative  genius, 
he  induced  a  number  of  San  Francisco  capital- 
ists to  form  a  company  for  the  purpose  of  min- 
ing the  quartz  rock  for  the  gold  it  never  had 
contained,  and  granite  for  building,  and  for  these 
purposes  a  splendid  mill  was  erected.  For  some 
time  the  Colonel  endeavored  to  plane  granite, 
but  his  machine  failed  to  reduce  the  obdurate 
rock  to  the  necessary  form  and  shape,  and  it  was 


cast  aside.  Then  tons  of  quartz  were  crushed, 
but,  unfortunately  for  the  Colonel  and  the  stock- 
holders, the  mill  failed  to  produce  the  'color,' 
for  the  very  good  reason  that  the  color  was  not 
in  the  quartz.  During  this  period  the  Colonel 
erected  a  neat  cottage  on  the  summit  of  the 
highest  hill  in  the  neighborhood,  which  was 
crowned  with  a  flag  staff. 

"The  Colonel  turning  his  attention  to  poli- 
tics, was  elected  justice  of  the  peace  of  Missis- 
sippi Township.  Whenever  a  case  was  to  be 
tried,  up  went  the  '  Stars  and  Stripes  '  on  the 
ilag  staff",  and  the  Colonel  mounted  the  seat  of 
justice,  which  was  elevated  about  six  feet. 

"There  the  Colonel  sat,  invested  himself  with 
the  majesty  of  the  law,  and  dispensed  justice  ac- 
cording to  a  code  of  his  own;  the  statutes  were 
of  no  use  to  him.  From  his  court  there  was  no 
appeal,  and  any  one  mentioning  an  appeal  in 
that  court  was  liable  to  b%  immediately  lined 
for  contempt.  The  Colonel's  term  expired,  the 
quartz  company  exploded,  the  granite  would  not 
work,  the  Colonel's  cash  ran  out,  and  he  de- 
parted from  Russville.  Shortly  after,  the  vil- 
lage was  christened  Ashland,  and  the  only 
monument  now  remaining  near  Ashland  of  the 
Colonel's  genius  and  enterprit^e,  is  a  mining 
shaft  250  feet  deep,  sunk  to  find  the  bed-rock, 
which  some  of  those  interested  in  the  company 
succeeded  in  doing,  though  not  in  the  shaft." 

Granite  Mills. — The  first  mill  run  by  water- 
power  in  the  county  of  Sacramento  was  built 
by  James  Smith,  a  native  of  Denmark;  this  was 
a  saw-mill,  erected  in  1851.  In  1852  Smith 
built  a  small  grist-mill,  being  his  own  carpenter 
and  millwright,  aiid  on  the  completion  of  the 
mill  became  his  own  miller.  In  1854  Edward 
Stockton,  of  Sacramento,  observing  the  great 
possibilities  of  this  water-power,  purchased  a  half 
interestin  the  mill  and  power.  The  mill  was  then 
enlarged  to  three  run  of  stone,  with  a  capacity 
of  100  barrels  a  day.  A  flourishing  business 
was  established,  and  in  1861  the  mill,  then 
owned  by  Coover  &  Stockton,  was  enlarged  to 
nine  run  of  stone,  the  tail  race  being  500  feet 
lung,  equal  in  effect  to  4,000  horse-power.    The 


HISTORY    OF    SAGBAMENTO    COUNTT. 


December  floods  of  1861  damaged  the  mill  and 
power  to  the  extent  of  $12,000.  The  third 
flood,  January  10,  1862,  carried  nway  the  three 
buildings  composing  the  mill,  causing  their  to- 
tal destruction.  Mr.  Stockton  soon  afterward 
formed  a  partnership  with  Carroll  &  Moore,  of 
Sacramento,  and  they  erected  a  mill  which  was 
fifteen  feet  higher  and  250  feet  farther  from  the 
river.  The  new  building  was  60x80  on  the 
ground  and  four  stories  high,  and  contained  nine 
run  of  stone,  with  a  capacity  of  700  barrels  of 
flour  per  day.  It  was  built  of  granite,  and  cost 
§140,000.  In  1869  Stockton  built  a  switch 
track  to  the  mills.  January  26,  1867,  the  build- 
ing was  destroyed  by  fire,  and  has  not  since  been 
rebuilt,  This  magnificent  water-power  is  now 
lying  idle. 

Granite  quarries,  of  a  very  superior  quality, 
have  been  in  successful  operation  since  1856. 
The  pioneer  in  this  business  was  Griflith  Grif- 
fiths. Prior  to  1860,  Colonel  Russ  erected  a 
mill,  at  large  cost,  importing  the  machinery 
from  the  East  fordressing  the  granite,  the  power 
being  furnished  by  water  from  the  North  Fork 
Company's  ditch;  but  his  enterprise  proved  a 
failure.  The  blue  granite  for  the  earlier  build- 
ings in  Sacramento  was  obtained  from  the  quar- 
ries above  Folsom,  where  the  State  Prison  now 
is,  while  the  light-colored  granite  is  from  Rocklin. 

James  Smith  started  the  first  store  at  Slate 
Bar,  in  1850.  Since  then  there  have  been  sev- 
eral small  stores  there. 

NATOMA. 

This  was  one  of  the  nine  original  townships 
established  by  the  Court  of  Sessions,  February 
21,  1851,  and  included  nearly  all  of  the  present 
township,  and  a  portion  of  the  present  township 
of  Cosunmes. 

In  August,  1853,  the  Court  of  Sessions  di- 
vided the  tuwnshi])  into  two  parts,  all  that  portion 
south  of  the  Coloma  road  being  called  Prairie 
Township.  The  present  boundaries  were  estab- 
lished by  the  Board  of  Supervisors,  October  20, 
1856,  and  are  as  follows:  Beginning  at  the  south- 
east corner  of  Granite  Township;  thence  running 


north  along  the  eastern  line  of  said  Granite 
Township  to  the  northern  boundary  of  Sacra- 
mento County;  thence  easterly  and  southerly 
along  the  northern  and  eastern  boundaries  of 
the  county  to  the  center  line  of  township  8 
north,  of  range  8  east  of  Mount  Diablo  base 
and  meridian;  thence  west  on  the  said  center 
line  of  said  township  to  the  eastern  boundary  of 
Lee  Township;  thence  north  and  along' said  line 
to  the  beginning. 

The  township  is  principally  devoted  to  agri- 
culture and  dairying,  though  there  are  still  some 
few  mining  claims  which  are  being  worked. 

It  was  thought  in  early  times  that  a  farmer 
had  a  poor  prospect  of  making  a  living,  the  soil 
not  being  considered  productive.  This  idea 
has  proved  erroneous,  the  farmers  generally 
having  been  fairly  prosperous  in  their  business. 

The  southern  portion  of  the  township  is  de- 
voted to  dairying  and  grain-growing,  wheat  and 
barley  being  the  principal  grains;  the  northern 
part  of  the  township,  hay  and  grain. 

The  first  prominent  settlement,  aside  from 
Mormon  Island,  began  in  1852.  Previous  to 
this  time,  the  only  settlers  were  located  along 
the  public  roads,  and  kept  public  houses. 
Among  the  first  to  commence  farming  in  the 
township  were  Jacob  Broder,  who  came  in 
1852;  Oswald  Broder,  brother  to  Jacob,  still  a 
resident;  Samuel  Rieker  and  family,  now  living 
in  the  Eastern  States;  Charles  Shead,  John  Mc- 
Comber,  Charles  Bishop  and  George  Peacock; 
all  settled  in  the  same  year  within  a  few  miles 
of  Mormon  Island.  William  Jarvis  and  family 
opened  the  Valley  House  in  the  fall  of  1852,  on 
the  Coloma  and  Sacramento  road.  Peter  Hous- 
ton settled  on  a  ranch  on  the  Coloma  road  in 
1852,  where  he  was  joined  by  his  brother  in 
1854.     The  former  returned  to  the  East  in  1857. 

E.  B.  Townsend  settled  near  Mormon  Island 
in  1852,  engaged  in  the  dairy  and  butcher  busi- 
ness, and  is  still  living  there.  R.  K.  Berry 
settled  in  the  northwestern  portion  of  the  town- 
ship in  the  summer  of  1852;  he  died  in  1859. 
Dr.  Morse  settled  on  the  ranch  now  owned  by 
Charles  W.  Porter,  in  1852. 


HISTORY    OF    SACRAMENTO    OOUNTT. 


H.  E.  Barton  and  brother  came  about  the 
same  time.  Joseph  Woodward  settled  in  the 
township  in  1853  on  what  was  known  as  the 
Illiuois  ranch,  now  known  as  the  Gould  farm. 
Jonn  Wielde  settled  near  Mormon  Island  in 
1851.  W.  H.  Williams  settled  on  section  5,  in 
1852;  the  place  was  formerly  owned  by  Walter 
Wall,  who  subsequently  located  Wall's  Dig- 
gings. Wall  settled  in  the  township  in  1850. 
Joseph  Wilson  came  to  the  township  in  1853; 

his  ranch  joined  south  of  Van  Triece.    In- 

gersoll, Van  Triece,  J.  Caples,  J.  F.  Duval, 

W.  J.  Milgate,  G.  K.  Nye,  William  Sales, 
Charles  Saul,  A.  W.  Topper,  A.  H.  Thomassen 
and  Mrs.  Elizabeth  Wilson  were  all  early  set- 
tlers. George  Lester  settled  in  the  southern 
portion  of  the  township  in  1852.  His  brother, 
A.  J.  Lester,  came  in  1850. 

Mormon  Island. — In  the  spring  of  1848  two 
Mormons,  one  of  whom  was  Wilford  Woodruff, 
being  on  their  waj'  from  Sutter's  Mill,  now  Co- 
loma,  to  the  Fort,  fonnd  themselves  near  sunset, 
at  the  spot  now  known  as  Willow  Springs,  in 
Sacramento  County.  Concluding  to  go  no  far- 
ther that  night,  they  shot  a  deer  and  made  their 
way  to  the  nearest  point  on  the  South  Fork  of 
the  American  River,  where  they  could  procure 
water  for  themselves  and  their  horses.  They 
descended  tiie  bluff  bank  of  the  river  to  a  flat 
covered  with  underbrush,  and  then  cooked  and 
ate  their  supper.  After  this  was  accomplished, 
it  being  still  light,  one  of  the  men  remarked : 
"  They  are  taking  out  gold  above  us  on  the  river. 
Let  us  see  if  we  can  And  some  at  this  place." 
They  scraped  off  the  top  soil,  took  a  tin  pan 
which  they  carried  with  them  for  cooking  pur- 
poses, panned  out  some  dirt  and  obtained  a 
"  line  prospect."  Being  satisfied  that  gold 
abounded  in  this  vicinity,  they  went  to  the  Fort 
the  next  day  and  communicated  the  news  to 
Samuel  Biannan,  then  of  tlie  tirni  of  C.  C.  Smith 
&  Co.,  proprietors  of  a  small  trading-post,  where 
goods  were  bartered  for  hides,  tallow  and  wheat. 
Brannan  at  that  time  was  spiritual  guide  and 
director  for  the  Mormon  population  of  the  New 
Helvetia  and  other  districts  of  California.     He 


proceeded  to  the  spot  indicated  by  Woodruff  and 
his  companion,  set  up  a  pre-emption  claim  and 
demanded  a  royalty  of  thirty-three  and  one- third 
per  cent,  on  all  the  gold  taken  out  on  the  Bar. 
So  long  as  the  Mormons  were  largely  in  the 
majority  of  those  engaged  in  mining  on  the  Bar, 
this  royalty  was  rigidly  exacted.  In  course  of 
time,  however,  unbelievers  flocked  into  the 
mines  and  refused  to  pay  tribute  to  the  pretended 
owner  of  the  land,  who  was  compelled  to  give 
up  the  collection.  In  the  meantime,  however, 
Brannan  had  accumulated  several  thousand  dol- 
lars, with  which  he  formed  a  partnership  with 
Melius,  Howard  &  Co.,  of  San  Francisco,  under 
the  name  of  S.  Brannan  &  Co.;  and  this  laid  the 
foundation  of  the  large  fortune  acquired  by  him 
subsequently.  This  was  the  origin  of  Mormon 
Island.  The  extent  of  the  village  proper  is  now 
about  eighty  acres.  As  the  news  of  the  gold 
discoveries  spread  through  the  State,  miners 
came  flocking  in  from  all  quarters,  till,  in  1853, 
the  town  had  a  population  of  about  2,500  peo- 
ple, 900  of  whom  were  voters. 

The  first  hotel,  called  the  Blue  Tent,  kept  by 
S.  R.  Caldwell,  was  opened  soon  after  the  Island 
began  to  be  populated;  was  moved  to  another 
part  of  the  town  and  name  changed  to  Caldwell 
Hotel, in  1852,  andentirelydiscontinuedinl854. 
Samuel  Brannan  opened  the  first  store  in  184S. 
He  sold  to  James  Queen,  one  of  Sacramento's 
pioneers;  he,  in  turn,  sold  to  Captain  Pool,  and 
he  to  Dewitt  C.  Stanford,  a  brother  of  ex-Gov- 
ernor Stanford,  who  died  in  Australia  while  there 
on  business;  the  business  is  now  in  tlie  hands  of 
Thomas  Stephenson.  J.  P.  Markham  opened  a 
hotel  and  store  in' 1850;  hotel  closed  in  1854. 

There  were  two  stage  lines  running  to  Mor- 
mon Island,  established  in  1850;  one  of  the  lines 
ran  from  Sacramento  to  Coloma,  passing  through 
Mormon  Island;  the  other  ran  from  Sacramento 
to  the  Island  and  return.  These  lines  were  both 
taken  oft"  in  1856;  during  the  same  year  a  line 
was  started  running  from  Folsotn  to  Coloma, 
passing  through  Mormon  Island.  The  postoflice 
was  estal)lished  in  1851;  J.  W.  Shaw  was  proba-  ■ 
bly  the  first  postmaster. 


HISTORY    OF    SACRAMENTO    COUNTY. 


The  Miners'  Hotel  was  opened  in  1851,  by 
Dallis  &  Kneass;  the  building  was  burned  in 
1856,  and  was  never  rebuilt.  Tiie  Mansion 
House  was  kept  by  Thomas  Stephenson  from 
1853  to  1856,  when  it  was  closed.  Tlie  tire  of 
1856  destroyed  the  southwest  portion  of  the 
village,  which  has  never  been  rebuilt.  At  one 
time  there  were  four  hotels,  three  dry-goods  and 
live  general  merchandise  stores,  two  blacksmith 
shops,  Adams  &  Co.'s  Express  Office,  carpenter 
shop,  butcher  shop,  bakery,  a  livery  stable  and 
seven  saloons  in  Mormon  Island.  The  total 
population  at  the  present  time  is  about  100. 
The  decadence  of  Mormon  Island  began  with 
the  completion  of  the  railroad  to  Folsom.  A 
school  was  opened  here  in  1851;  there  is  now  a 
good  school  building  at  the  place. 

Among  the  earlier  settlers  of  Mormon  Island 
not  already  noted  were  A.  G.  Kinsey,  who 
came  in  1849;  A.  P.  Catlin,  who  came  in  1849, 
resided  there  until  1856;  he  removed  to  Fol- 
som, and  finally  to  Sacramento,  where  he  is  now 
practicing  law. 

The  principal  bridge  in  the  township  is  known 
as  the  Mormon  Island  Bridge.  The  first  struc- 
ture was  built  in  1851,  by  J.  W.  Shaw;  this 
was  a  wooden  bridge,  which  was  washed  away 
by  higli  water  in  1854.  A  new  bridge  was 
built  the  following  summer  by  the  same  party. 
This  was  a  wire  suspension  bridge,  and  was 
also  washed  away  by  the  flood  of  1862,  and 
at'ain  rebuilt  by  Shaw;  this  bridge  is  still  stand- 
ing. 

The  first  ball  in  Sacramento  County  was 
given  at  Mormon  Island  in  the  "jolly  old  days 
of  1849."  A  very  long  and  humorous  descrip- 
tion of  it  was  published  in  the  Record- Union 
of  June  21,  1873. 

A  large  number  of  public  houses  existed  in 
early  years  along  the  main- traveled  roads.  It 
has  been  impossible  to  get  full  accounts  of  all  of 
them,  though  they  would  undoubtedly  prove  of 
interest,  more  especially  to  those  who  were  the 
early  pioneers  of  the  county. 

Tiie  Smith  Exchange,  located  on  the  Sacra- 
mento and  Coloma  road,  near  Mormon   Island, 


was  built  by  a  man  named  Smith,  in  the  sum- 
mer of  1853.  This  was  the  largest  public  house 
in  the  township  at  the  time.  Smith  sold  out  in 
the  fall  of  1855  to  Cox  ik  Hamilton.  They  sold 
to  William  Jarvis  in  1858.  Jarvis  afterward 
sold  to  a  man  by  the  name  of  Lee.  The  hotel 
business  was  discontinued  for  one  year,  when 
Freeman  McComber  became  the  proprietor. 
He  refitted  the  house  and  conducted  the  business 
until   1864,  when   the  house  was  finally  closed. 

The  Union  Tavern  was  probably  started  as 
early  as  1850  by  Mr.  Turle.  The  house  was 
closed  in  1855. 

The  Half-Way  House  was  built  by  Briggs  & 
Hoffman  in  1852.  They  kept  the  house  about 
one  year  and  then  sold  to  a  man  named  Martin, 
who  in  turn  sold  to  John  E.  Butler.  This  house 
is  located  on  the  Placerville  road. 

SAN  JOAQUIN. 

San  Joaquin  was  one  of  the  original  town- 
ships, and  included  Dry  Creek  and  parts  of 
Alabama,  Franklin,  Brighton  and  Lee  town- 
ships. Dry  Creek  Township  was  set  off  in 
1853,  and  October  20,  1856,  the  Board  of  Su- 
pervisors established  the  boundaries  as  they  at 
present  exist.  They  are  as  follows:  Commenc- 
ing at  the  southwest  corner  of  Brighton  Town- 
ship, and  running  thence  east  along  the  southern 
boundary  of  said  Brighton  Township  to  the 
range  line  between  ranges  6  and  7  east  of  Mount 
Diablo  meridian;  thence  south  along  said  range 
line  to  the  Cosumnes  River;  thence  southerly' 
and  westerly  along  the  Cosumnes  River  to  the 
township  line  between  townships  5  and  6  north, 
range  5  east  of  Mount  Diablo  base  and  meridian; 
thence  west  along  said  line  to  the  eastern  boun- 
dary of  Franklin  Townsiiip,  being  a  line  drawn 
through  the  middle  of  range  5;  thence  north 
along  said  eastern  boundary  of  Franklin  Town- 
ship to  the  beginning. 

The  land  in  tiiis  township  is  entirely  agri- 
cultural. The  titles,  with  the  exception  of  that 
portion  in  the  southern  part  of  the  township 
included  in  the  Hartnell  grant,  amounting  to 
about    10,000    acres,    come    from    tiie    United 


IIISTOKT    OF    SACRAMENTO    COUNTY. 


States.  At  the  lirst  settlement  of  this  township 
there  was  considerable  timber  growing.  This 
has  been  gradually  cut  off,  till  now  there  is  but 
little  left,  the  largest  grove  being  on  the  Graham 
farm. 

KARLY    SETTLERS. 

Martin  Murphy,  Jr.,  and  wife  settled  on  the 
Cosumnes  River  in  1844;  the  place  was  called 
the  Murphy  grant;  Thomas  McConnell  now 
owns  the  farm,  and  his  house  is  within  a  few 
rods  of  where  Murphy  lived.  Murphy  died  in 
1854,  and  his  wife  returned  to  Ireland.  Ed- 
ward Perrin  and  family  settled  on  part  of  the 
present  McConnell  place  in  1849. 

The  Wilder  Brothers,  Asa,  Benjamin  and 
John,  came  to  the  township  in  1849,  and  were 
largely  engaged  in  stock-raising.  Asa  and  John 
died  many  years  ago.  Benjamin  Wilder  mar- 
ried one  of  the  Donner  girls.  T.  Keno,  one  of 
the  Donner  relief  party,  came  to  the  State  about 
1846,  and  took  up  a  claim  subsequently  on  the 
Cosumnes  Kiver,  in  San  Joaquin  Township. 
He  subsequently  removed  to  Stockton. 

Gabriel  Gunn  settled  on  the  place  since  owned 
by  A.  Woodward,  on  the  Cosumnes  River,  in 
1850;  he  died  several  years  ago. 

John  Whittick  settled  in  the  township  in 
1850.  David  P.  Crook  settled  on  the  Cosumnes 
River  in  1851;  he  moved  to  Nevada  some  years 
ago.  P.  Hull  and  family  settled  on  the  Co- 
sumnes in  the  fall  of  1851;  they  moved  to  Ne- 
vada in  1866  or  '67.  Enoch  Madder  settled 
about  three  miles  northwest  of  Elk  Grove,  on 
the  Wilder  Ranch.  Jacob  Marshall  and  family 
came  to  the  township  in  1852,  and  located  on 
the  river;  they  moved  to  Latrobe  some  years 
later,  where  he  died.  Jacob  Swigert  and  family 
settled  on  land  adjoining  that  of  Marshall,  in 
1853,  and  died  some  years  ago.  Albion  Clark 
settled  on  the  upper  Stockton  road,  near  Old 
Elk  Grove,  in  1850;  he  was  one  of  the  iirst  men 
to  raise  grain  in  San  Joaquin  Township,  and 
was  also  engaged  in  stock-raising,  principally 
horses  and  hogs.  In  1857  he  sold  out  and 
moved  to  Mendocino  County,  where  he  died 
shortly  after.     Johnson  Little  came  to  the  town- 


ship in  1852,  and  settled  near  Old  Elk  Grove; 
he  returned  to  Pennsylvania  in  1855.  Robert 
Parrot  opened  a  hotel,  in  1852,  on  a  farm  ad- 
joining Old  Elk  Grove;  he  continued  in  the 
business  five  or  six  years,  and  then  returned  to 
tlie  mines;  hedied  twenty  years  ago.  Norman 
I.  Stewart  came  to  the  State  in  1852,  and  set- 
tled on  his  present  place  in  1854,  near  Old  Elk 
Grove.  G.  Harvey  Kerr,  a  well-known  fruit- 
grower and  wine-manufacturer,  settled  in  the 
township,  near  Elk  Grove  Station,  in  January, 
1854.  He  reports  but  a  small  portion  of  the 
land  under  cultivation  at  that  time,  and  this 
was  mostly  all  bottom  lands  along  the  Cosumnes 
River.  In  San  Joaquin,  as  in  other  parts  of 
the  county,  it  was  supposed  that  wheat  could 
not  be  successfully  grown;  that  this  was  an 
error  is  shown  by  the  fact  that  at  one  time  the 
yield  of  wheat  averaged  twenty-five  to  thirty 
bushels  pei-  acre,  the  barley  crop  at  the  same 
time  amounting  to  thirty  or  forty  bushels  per 
acre.  Along  the  river-bottoms  used  to  grow  a 
fine  quality  of  grass,  which  made  good  hay;  this 
has  all  disappeared,  killed  by  the  mining  debris. 

Old  Elk  Grove. — The  place  of  this  name 
was  originally  located  on  the  Graham  ranch, 
being  subsequently  moved  to  Buckner's  ranch, 
the  two  locations  being  about  one  mile  apart. 

James  Hall  and  family  came  to  California  in 
1850,  and  opened  a  hotel  on  the  original  site  of 
Old  Elk  Grove.  He  gave  it  its  name,  on  ac- 
count of  having  lived  in  Missouri  in  a  town  of 
the  same  name.  Mr.  Hall  died  in  Yallejo  in 
1876.  Major  James  B.  Buckner  built  a  hotel 
in  1850,  called  the  Buckner  Hotel.  He  sold  to 
Phineas  Woodward;  he  ran  the  business  for  a 
time,  and  sold  to  Mrs.  J.  Erwin,  widow  of 
Jared  Erwin;  she  kept  the  house  three  years, 
and  sold  to  Nicholas  Christophel.  The  original 
Old  Elk  Grove  Hotel  burned  down  in  1857. 
Buckner  and  Woodward  both  returned  East. 
This  was  the  first  postoffice  established  in  San 
Joaquin  Township,  James  Buckner,  Postmaster. 
James  Hall  was  the  first  justice  of  the  peace. 

Elk  Grove. — This  is  a  live  town  of  about 
400  inhabitants,  on  the  line  of  the  Central  Pa- 


HISTORY    OF    SACRAMENTO    COUNTY. 


cific  Railroad,  sixteen  miles  from  Sacramento. 
In  1876  J.  Everson,  a  practical  farmer,  came  to 
the  conclusion  that  there  was  a  large  business 
which  had  heretofore  gone  elsewhere,  that  could 
be  stopped  at  Elk  Grove.  Not  being  possessed 
of  sufficient  capital  to  establish  such  a  business 
as  he  thought  the  place  would  support,  he 
agitated  the  idea  of  forming  a  building  associa- 
tion. The  company  was  incorporated  in  Janu- 
ary, 1876,  under  the  name  of  the  Elk  Grove 
BuildingCompany,and  immediately  commenced 
work  on  the  lirst  building,  which  was  thirty  feet 
in  front  by  sixty  feet  deep.  In  August  of  the 
same  year  it  was  occupied  by  Chittenden  & 
Everson,  who  opened  with  a  large  stock  of 
general  merchandise,  and  in  the  lirst  sixteen 
months  reported  their  sales  as  amounting  to 
over  $52,000. 

There  are  two  hotels  at  Elk  Grove,  the  Rail- 
road House,  built  by  M.  H.  Davis,  in  1876, 
William  Ilicks  the  present  proprietor,  and  the 
Elk  Grove  Hotel,  built  by  the  Building  Com- 
pany in  1876,  bought  subsequently  by  J.  W. 
Martin,  the  present  proprietor. 

The  Elk  Grove  I'louring  Mills  were  built  in 
1876,  by  H.  S.  Hill.  It  has  three  run  of  stone, 
with  a  capacity  of  eighty  barrels  of  flour  per 
day.  It  is  run  by  steam-power,  and  is  now 
leased  to  Beaty  &  Leslie,  of  Sacramento.  There 
are  two  general  merchandise  stores,  one  of  which 
we  have  already  mentioned;  the  second  is  in 
the  depot  building,  J.  N.  Andrews,  proprietor. 
Mr.  Andrews  is  also  agent  for  the  Central  Pa- 
cific Railroad  Company,  Wells,  Fargo  &  Co.'s 
Express  and  the  Telegraph  Company;  one 
hardware  and  tin  store,  opened  in  1877,  A.  J. 
Longenecker,  proprietor;  one  meat  market,  J. 
W.  Martin,  proprietor;  one  furniture  manu- 
factory, D.  J.  Nelson,  proprietor;  two  drug 
stores,  Dr.  C.  S.  Bradford  and  A.  W.  Vance  the 
respective  proprietors;  one  harness  shop,  Clar- 
ence Parker,  proprietor;  one  variety  store,  W. 
II.  Talmadge,  proprietor;  one  warehouse,  a 
frame  building,  80x100  feet,  fitted  to  receive 
grain  and  hay,  built  by  Lewis  Bower  in  1877, 
at  a  cost  oF  $5,500;   it  has  a  storage  capacity 


of  2,000  tons  of  grain  and  600  tons  of  hay; 
one  dress-making  establishment,  Mrs.  A.  J. 
Longenecker,  proprietress;  two  millinery  stores, 
Mrs.  F.  M.  Jones  and  Mrs.  Marr  respectively, 
proprietors;  one  boot  and  shoe  store;  one 
carriage  and  wagon  manufactory,  John  D.  Hill, 
proprietor;  one  blacksmith  shop,  James  T.  Chin- 
nick,  proprietor. 

.Elk  Grove  District  Methodist  .Episcopal 
Church. — This  church  was  organized  by  A.  M. 
Hurlburt,  in  1858  or  1859.  The  church  build- 
ing and  parsonage  were  erected  in  1876,  at  a 
cost  of  $3,000.  This  society  is  still  in  a  flour- 
ishing condition. 

Elk  Grove  Presbyterian  Church.  —  This 
church  was  organized  February  12,  1876.  The 
first  services  were  held  as  early  as  1856,  in  the 
Old  Elk  Grove  school-house,  on  the  Sacramento 
road,  by  the  Rev.  J.  C.  Herron,  and  in  the 
present  Elk  Grove  school-house,  by  the  Rev.  J. 
S.  McDonijld,  during  1875  and  1876.  The 
church  building  was  erected  in  1876,  at  a  cost 
of  $2,700.  George  H.  Kerr  was  elected  ruling 
elder  at  the  time  the  church  was  organized,  and 
now  holds  the  office.  The  flrst  pastor  was  Rev. 
William  H.  Talmadge,  who  supplied  the  pulpit 
from  1874  to  April,  1879.  The  church  is  still 
sustained. 

Elk  Grove  Lodge,  Wo.  173,  F.  c6  A.  M.,  was 
organized  at  Old  Elk  Grove,  August  6,  1864, 
the  first  meetings  being  held  at  the  house  of  O. 
S.  Freeman.  The  charter  members  were:  A.  S. 
Ferris,  James  B.  Hogle,  A.  J.  Painter,  O.  S. 
Freeman,  G.  W.  Chaplin,  Thomas  McConnell, 
B.  F.  Weathers  and  W.  B.  Sullivan. 

Elk  Grove  Lodge,  No.  27 If.,  L.  0.  0.  F.,  was 
organized  May  2,  1878,  with  the  following 
charter  members:  John  Wittich,  Henry  Hill, 
J.  D.  Hill,  E.  W.  Walton,  W.  E.  Everson,  W. 
T.  Wilson,  A.  Coff'man,  I.  Iliggins  and  N.  W. 
Rollins,  all  of  whom  are  now  active  members. 
The  first  officers  were:  Henry  Hill,  N.  G. ;  John 
Wittich,  V.  G.;  W.  E.  Everson.  Sec;  A.  Coff- 
man,  Treas.;  J.  D.  Hill,  Warden;  E.  W.  Wal- 
ton, Con.;  N.  W.  Rollins,  I.  G  ;  L  Higgius, 
O.  G. 


HIHTORY    Of    SACHAME.STO    COUNTY. 


Elk  Grove  Lodge,  JSfo.  110,  A.  0.  U.  W.,  was 
organized  June  16, 1879,  with  W.  E.  Everson,  J. 
Everson,  L.Foiter,  N.  W.  Rollins,  J.  C.  Tarley, 
K.  J.  Ferguson,  W  E.  Ulman,A.  Ross,C.  S.  Brad- 
ford, C.  F.  Bartholomew,  F.  M.  Shultz,  as  char- 
ter members.  The  first  officers  were:  W.  E 
Everson,  M.  W.;  C.  S.  Bradford,  G.  F.;  Alex- 
ander Eoss,  O.;  R.  J.  Ferguson,  G.;  F.  M. 
Shultz,  Rec;  J.  C.  Turley,  Financier;  N.  W. 
Rollins,  Recorder;  W.  E.  Ulman,  I.  W.;  L. 
Foster,  O.  W.;  J.  Everson,  P.  M.  W.  This  so- 
ciety has  been  discontinued. 

Elk  Grove  Lodge,  No.  U9,  I.  0.  G.  T.,  was 
organized  November  9,  1872,  W.  E.  Carothers, 
M.  A.  Sherwood,  G.  W.  Fox,  H.  B.  Ulman, 
Lizzie  Babcock,  J.  H.  Kent,  L.  H.  Green,  G.L. 
Babcock,  Susie  Fox,  W.  S.  Corwin,  L.  Ilowland, 
S.  B.  Green,  Ed.  Corwin,  M.  A.  Kent  and  Miss 
L.  C.  Nelmes  being  the  charter  members.  The 
first  officers  were:  W.  E.  Carothers,  W.  C.  T.; 
M.  A.  Sherwood,  V.  C.  T.;  W.  S.  Corwin,  W. 
Chai)lain;  G.  W.  Fox,  W.  S.;  Lizzie  Babcock, 
W.  O.  S.;  H.  B.  Ulrcan,  W.  F.  S.;  J.  H.  Kent, 
W.  Treas.;  G.  H.  Green,  W.  M.;  E.  A.  Corwin, 
W.  D.  M.;  Lizzie  Fox,  W.  I.  G.;  G.  S.  Babcock, 
W.  O.  G. ;  Lizzie  C.  Nelmes,  W.  R.  H.  S. ;  S.  B. 
Thompson,  W.  L.  H.  S.;  R.  S.  Greer,  P.  W.  C. 
T.     This  lodge  has  been  suffered  to  go  down. 

Florin. — This  is  a  small  town  on  the  Central 
Pacific  Railroad,  about  eight  miles  from  the 
Sacramento  postoffice,  and  on  the  dividing  line 
between  Brighton  and  San  Joaquin  townships. 
The  name  of  Florin  was  given  to  the  locality 
about  1864,  by  Judge  E.  B.  Crocker,  owing  to 
the  great  number  of  wild  flowers  which  grew  in 
the  vicinity,  and  the  name  was  given  to  the  vil- 
lage in  1875,  when  it  was  commenced.  The 
railroad  station  was  established  in  1875;  a  post 
office  was  also  established  the  same  year,  F.  Sug- 
den,  Postmaster.  Johnson  ife  Sugden  opened 
the  first  store,  general  merchandise,  in  1875; 
Fred  Sugden,  successor,  in  October,  1879.  A 
school-house  was  built  here  in  1877.  Theonly 
hotel  in  Florin  was  opened  by  Leonard  Goddard 
in  1875. 

The  soil  in  and  around  Florin,  for  about  four 


miles  wide  and  ten  miles  long,  lies  upon  a  for- 
mation of  hard  pan,  averaging  from  four  to  five 
feet  in  depth.  It  is  well  adapted  for  the  raising  of 
small  fruits,  but  it  is  necessary  to  irrigate  them. 

Florin  Grange,  No.  130,  P.  of  ZT.— This 
grange  was  organized  December  17,  1874,  with 
the  following  officers  and  charter  members: 
Caleb  Arnold,  M.;  J.  J.  Bates,  0.;  W.  A.  Smith, 
L.;  David  Reese,  S.;  Charles  Lee,  A.  S.;  W. 
H.  Starr,  C;  L  Lea,  T.;  W.  Schoiefield,  Sec; 
G.  H.  Jones,  G.  K.;  Mrs.  M.  J.  Castle,  Ceres; 
C.  A.  Taylor,  Pomona;  T.  A.  Buell,  Flora;  C. 
A.  Starr,  L.  A.  T.;  Mrs.  E.  Reese,  D.  H.  Buell, 
Daniel  Buell,  Mrs.  P.  Arnold,  Charles  Jackson, 
C.  A.  Phillips  and  E.  J.  Taylor.  This  grange 
still  flourishes. 

Elk  Grove  Parlor,  No.  J^l,  N.  S.  G.  TF.,  was 
organized  in  September,  1884.  The  following 
are  the  officers:  P.  Williams,  Past  P.;  W.  J. 
Elder,  Pres.;  C.  C.  Bass,  1st  V.  P.;  Frank 
Wardrobe,  2d  V.  P. ;  George  McConnell,  3d  V. 
P.;  P.Williams,  Treas.;  William  Sims,  Sec; 
L.  Freeman,  Marshal;  Charles  Kelly,  L  S. ;  C. 
Bandy,  O.  S. ;   Dr.  Charles  Powers,  Surgeon. 

"Sheluox,"  as  a  town, never  existed;  a  black- 
smith shop,  the  inevitable  saloon,  and  two  or 
three  houses  were  the  extent  of  its  being  in  its 
most  palmy  days.     It  is  now  deserted. 

MoConnkll's  is  a  station  on  the  Central  Pa- 
cific Railroad.  At  the  present  time  there  is 
nothing  there  but  a  station  house. 

The  first  scliool  district  in  San  Joaquin  Town- 
ship includes  nearly  all  of  Dry  Creek  Township, 
as  well  as  San  Joaquin,  it  all  being  known  at 
that  time  as  San  Joaquin  Township.  The  school 
was  established  in  1853.  The  first  teacher  for 
the  term  of  1853  and  1854  was  a  Mr.  Sullivan; 
the  second  term,  1854  and  1855,  was  taught  by 
Harvey  Kerr.  But  the  first  school  in  Sacra- 
mento County  was  taught  by  Mr.  O'Brien,  at 
the  house  of  Martin  Murphy. 

SUTTER. 

The  original  boundaries  of  this  township,  as 
established  in  1851,  were  as  follows:  Beginning 
at  the  southwest  CDnierof  Sacramento  City, and 


HISTORY    OP    SACRAMENTO    COUNTY. 


thence  running  east  along  the  southern  line  of 
said  city  to  the  southeast  corner  thereof;  thence 
easterly  to  the  road  from  Brighton  to  Daylor's 
Eanch;  thence  along  said  road  in  a  southeast- 
erly direction  three  miles;  thence  in  a  southerly 
and  southwesterly  direction  to  the  intersection 
of  Cosuniues  and  San  Joaquin  rivers,  excluding 
all  ranches  and  settlements  on  the  banks  of  the 
Cosumnes  River;  thence  down  the  San  Joaquin 
Eiver  to  its  junction  with  the  Sacramento 
Kiver;  thence  along  said  river  or  western 
boundary  of  the  county  to  the  beginning. 

On  August  14,  1854,  Georgiana  Township 
was  set  oft"  from  the  southern  portion,  and  Oc- 
tober 20,  1856,  the  Board  of  Supervisors  estab- 
lished the  present  boundaries,  as  follows:  Be- 
ginning on  the  Sacramento  River,  at  the  south- 
western corner  of  Sacramento  City;  thence 
southerly  along  the  Sacramento  River  to  the 
line  between  townships  7  and  8  north;  thence 
east  and  along  said  township  line  to  the  south- 
east corner  of  section  33  and  southwest  corner 
of  section  34,  township  8  north,  range  5  east  of 
Mount  Diablo  base  and  meridian;  thence  north 
and  through  the  center  of  said  township  8  north, 
ranges  east,  to  the  American  River;  thence  north-' 
erly  and  westerly  along  the  American  River  to 
the  northeastern  corner  of  Sacramento  Town- 
ship; thence  southerly  and  westerly  along  the 
eastern  and  southern  boundaries  of  said  Sacra- 
mento Township  to  the  beginning. 

Sutter  Township  is  situated  so  directly  around 
Sacramento  that  it  is  difficult  to  separate  their 
histories.  The  township  is  almost  all  under 
cultivation,  having  many  tine  places  and  farms. 
There  are  many  vineyards,  some  of  them  of 
good  size,  and  the  number  is  increasing  yearly. 
Growing  hops  is  also  a  source  of  revenue  to  the 
inhabitants  of  Sutter  Township. 

For  an  account  of  Sutterville,  see  clia])ter  on 
the  Founding  of  Sacramento. 

Smith's  Gardens. — A.  P.  Smith,  in  December, 
1849,  purchased  from  John  A.  Sutter  tifty  acres  of 
landon  the  south  bank  of  American  River,  about 
three  miles  from  Sacramento,  and  immediately 
proceeded  to  improve  the  same.     At  the  time  of 


the  location  the  ground  was  considered  high,  and 
was  open,  the  only  timber  being  a  few  oaks  and 
cottonwoods  on  the  batiks  of  the  American. 

Smith  commenced  hy  raising  vegetables, 
planting  at  the  same  time  such  fruit  trees  and 
seeds  as  he  could  procure.  As  fast  as  possible 
he  imported  other  and  choice  varieties  of  fruit 
and  shade  trees,  ornamental  plants  and  flowers 
of  all  kinds.  The  grounds  were  laid  out  with 
about  two  miles  of  walk,  the  entire  length  be- 
ing filled  in  with  shell  brought  from  San  Fran- 
cisco.    This  shell    walk  can  now  be  found  by 


igging 


down  from  one  to  three  feet. 


Four  acres  were  laid  out  into  a  flower  garden, 
which  were  soon  filled  with  rare  plants. 

The  rest  of  the  ground  was  planted  with  fruit 
trees  of  all  sorts.  It  is  said  that  there  were 
nearly  1,000  varieties  growing  at  one  time.  The 
approach  to  the  residence  was  reached  by  a 
winding  avenue,  nearly  a  mile  in  length  and 
shaded  by  trees  on  each  side.  There  was  also 
a  drive  through  and  about  the  grounds. 

Mr.  Smith  discovered  very  early  that  irriga- 
tion would  be  necessary,  and  imported  a  Wortli- 
ington  steam  pump,  throwing  about  300  gallons 
per  minute  and  capable  of  irrigating  150  acres. 
Pipes  were  laid  down  and  hydrants  put  in  at 
such  intervals  that  the  whole  garden  could  be 
irrigated   with  hose. 

The  flood  of  1861-'62  spread  devastation  over 
this  beautiful  place;  the  American  River  cut  in 
on  its  southern  bank,  encroached  500  feet  on 
the  gardens,  swept  away  the  family  residence^ 
and  left  a  deposit  of  sediment  over  the  whole 
grounds  of  from  one  to  six  feet  in  depth.  The 
proprietor  estimated  his  loss  by  that  flood  at 
$100,000.  In  1862,  when  the  new  levee  system 
was  adopted.  Smith  made  strenuous  endeavors  to 
have  his  place  included,  but  failed.  High  water 
has  visited  the  place  several  times  since  then,  and 
though  the  gardens  are  still  there,  they  are 
only    the   wreck  of  their  former   magnificence. 

OTHER    POINTS. 

The  Tivoli  House  is  situated  about  where  the 
railroad  turns  to  the  north  to  cross  the  Americna 


UIsrOHY    OF    SACRAMENTO    COUNTY. 


247 


Eiver.  The  Tivoli  is  a  pioneer  institution, 
where  the  meetings  of  the  Swiss  Rifle  Club,  the 
Turners,  Sharpshooters,  etc.,  were  held  in  early 
years.  The  place  is  still  frequented,  though  not 
the  resort  it  was  in  former  years. 

East  Park  is  a  suburban  place  of  resort,  situ- 
ated just  outside  of  the  city  limits,  having  its 
frontage  on  tlie  east  line  of  Thirty-first  street, 
the  whole  park  containing  thirty  acres.  The 
land  was  purchased  in  the  fall  of  1871,  and  has 
been  improved  with  'buildings  and  drives,  trees 
and  shrubbery,  and  is  a  popular  place  of  resort 
for  picnics  and  pleasure  parties  generally.  The 
street  railroad  cars  run  to  the  gates,  thus  afford- 
ing cheap  and  easy  transit  to  and  from  the 
grounds. 

Riverside  is  situated  on  the    east   side  of  the 


Sacramento  River  below  the  city,  distant  by 
water  seven  or  eight  miles  from  the  landing,  and 
by  the  turnpike  about  five  miles  from  the  court- 
house. It  was  formerly  known  as  Hooker's 
Ranch,  and  was  a  favorite  place  of  resort  for 
boating  p^ies  in  early  times.  The  tract  of 
eighty-five  acres  was  purchased  in  1872  by  the 
Riverside  Hotel  and  Turnpike  Company.  The 
company  had  an  act  passed  by  the  Legislature 
in  1872,  authorizing  it  to  establish  a  toll-road, 
tlie  rates  of  toll  to  be  regulated  by  the  Board  of 
Supervisors  of  Sacramento  County.  Grading 
began  in  April,  1872.  There  are  along  the  line 
of  road  five  tanks,  holding  about  4,000  gallons 
each,  used  for  furnishing  a  supply  of  water, 
with  which  the  road  is  sprinkled  during  the 
summer  months. 


HISTonV    OK    S.WHAMBNTO    COUNTY 


-     „^„„__   __._  ■'^>t3»:;::g;^*r"3l§/^^"?»gj<:::f>i-   -  „ 


I  BIOGRAPHICAL  SKETCHES.  % 


fe-fr 


tP.  CATLIN Since  die  pioneer  days  of 
Sacramento  County  no  name  has  been 
®  more  closely  identified  with  its  history 
than  tliat  with  which  this  sketch  c'lmmences; 
thus  it  is,  tliat  supplementary  to  the  chapter  on 
the  bench  and  bar  of  the  county,  this  article, 
giving  a  brief  outline  of  his  life  and  labors,  be- 
came necessary.  He  was  born  on  the  Livlngs- 
ton  Manor,  Dutchess  County,  New  York,  at 
Tivoli,  then  known  as  Red  Hook,  January  25, 
1823.  The  founder  of  the  family  in  America, 
Thomas  Catlin,  came  from  Kent,  England,  in 
1643,  and  located  at  Hartford,  Connecticut; 
Litchfield,  in  the  same  State,  finally  became  the 
family  seat,  and  five  generations  of  the  family 
were  born  there,  down  to  and  including  the 
father  of  the  subject.  His  grandfather,  David, 
was  a  captain  in  the  Connecticut  militia  during 
the  Revolutionary  War,  and  was  at  Danbury 
when  General  Wooster  lost  his  life  resisting  the 
attack  of  the  Jjritish  General  Tryon.  He  lived 
to  pass  his  ninety -third  birthday.  The  parents 
of  the  subject  were  Pierce  and  Annie  (Wine- 
gar)  Catlin.  The  father  was  in  early  life  a 
school-teacher,  afterward  a  wagon-maker,  and 
finally  a  farmer.  In  1826  the  family  removed 
to  Kingston,  New  York,  where  A.  P.  Catlin 
grew  up,  and  attended  the  Kingston  Academy, 
where  he  was  graduated.     He  had  also  attended 


school  fur  a  time  at  Litchfield,  Connecticut, 
making  his  home  during  that  time  with  his 
grandfather.  Captain  Catlin.  When  in  his 
eighteenth  year  he  entered  the  ottice  of  the  law 
firm  composed  of  Judges  James  C.  Forsyth  and 
James  O.  Linderman,  both  of  whom  were  in 
the  front  rank  of  the  legal  profession  of  eastern 
New  York.  On  the  12th  of  January,  1844,  he 
was  admitted  to  the  bar  of  the  Supreme  Court 
of  New  York,  at  Albany,  and  four  days  later  to 
the  Court  of  Chancery.  He  practiced  law  four 
years  in  Ulster  County,  frequently  meeting  in 
forensic  battle  such  antagonists  as  John  Currey, 
afterward  Chief  Justice  of  the  Supreme  Court; 
William  Fullerton,  the  Judge  Fullerton  after- 
ward distinguished  as  counsel  in  the  Beecher 
trial;  and  T.  R.  Westbrook,  later  one  of  the 
judges  of  the  Supreme  Court  of  New  York. 
While  practicing  in  Ulster  County,  he  success- 
fully conducted  an  important  litigation  in  which 
he  had  for  his  client  the  Spanish  Consul,  resi- 
dent at  New  York.  He  pleaded  the  consular 
privilege  of  answering  only  in  a  federal  court,  a 
privilege  which  was  vigorously  disputed,  but  he 
succeeded  in  ousting  the  State  court  of  juris- 
diction. In  1848  he  removed  to  New  York 
city,  and  formed  a  partnership  with  his  cousin, 
George  Catlin,  with  office  at  No.  14  Pine  street. 
On  the  8th  of  January,  1849,  he  sailed  in  the 


HISTORY    OF    8AGRAMENT0    COUNTY. 


brig  David  Henshaw  for  San  Francisco,  arriving 
at  that  port  on  the  8th  of  the  following  July. 
He  had  brought  with  him  a  costly  outfit  of 
mining  machinery,  and  after  a  month  at  San 
Francisco,  proceeded  to  Mormon  Island,  where 
he  was  soon  engaged  in  mining.  He  passed  the 
winter  at  that  occupation,  also  practicing  law 
before  the  alcalde  of  that  district.  In  May, 
1850,  he  formed  a  law  partnership  with  John 
Currey  and  opened  an  office  in  Sacramento. 
They  were  associated  but  a  short  time,  Mr. 
Currey  being  compelled  to  retire  to  San  Fran- 
cisco on  account  of  his  health.  Mr.  Catliu  was 
a  witness  to  the  squatter  riots,  and  took  a  deep 
interest  in  the  matters  then  in  controversy.  In 
the  fall  of  1850  he  closed  his  Sacramento  office 
and  went  again  to  Mormon  Island  to  attend  to  his 
own  mining  interests,  and  to  settle  up  the  aifairs 
of  the  Connecticut  Mining  and  Trading  Com- 
pany, successors  to  Samuel  Brannan.  AVhile 
there,  William  L.  Goggin,  agent  of  the  post- 
office  department  for  the  coast,  visited  Mormon 
Island  for  the  purpose  of  establishing  a  post- 
office,  and  Mr.  Catlin  was  requested  by  him  to 
furnish  a  name.  He  suggested  Natoma,  the 
name  he  had  already  given  to  the  mining  com- 
pany he  had  organized  and  signifying  "  clear 
water."  Goggin  adopted  the  name  and  that 
section  of  Sacramento  County  was  officially 
named  "  Natoma  Township."  In  1851  he  was 
nominated  by  the  Whigs  for  the  Assembly,  but 
was,  with  the  whole  ticket,  defeated.  In  the 
following  year  he  was  nominated  for  State  Sen- 
ator, and  was  elected  on  the  ticket  when  General 
Scott  was  a  candidate  for  President.  He  served 
in  that  capacity  for  two  years,  in  the  sessions  at 
Vallejo,  Benicia,  and  Sacramento.  He  was  the 
author  of  the  homestead  bill,  the  same  as  that 
afterward  adopted,  but  defeated  at  the  time  by 
the  casting  vote  of  the  lieutenant-governor.  The 
location  of  the  seat  of  government  at  Sacra- 
mento was  accomplished  by  Mr.  Catlin,  after 
that  result  had  been  given  up  by  all  others,  by 
a  remarkable  piece  of  parliamentary  strategy, 
invented  by  himself  and  referred  to  more  fully 
in  the  proper  chapter  of  this  work.     During  the 


session  of  1853  he  rendered  important  service 
to  the  city  of  San  Francisco,  in  contributing 
largely  to  the  defeat  of  the  scheme  to  extend  the 
water-front  of  that  city  600  feet  further  into 
the  bay.  He  wrote  the  report  of  the  select 
committee  having  the  matter  in  charge  in  such 
a  forcible  manner  as  to  virtually  kill  all  chance 
of  the  project.  This  powerful  argument  is  to 
be  found  in  the  published  journals  of  the  fourth 
session  of  the  Legislature.  He  had  meantime 
continued  his  mining  operations,  and  on  Christ- 
mas day,  1851,  located  a  mining  canal,  starting 
two  and  a  half  miles  above  Salmon  Falls,  and 
carrying  the  water  of  the  south  fork  of  the 
American  River  to  Mormon  Island  and  Folsom. 
This  undertaking  was  completed  early  in  1853. 
It  was  then  a  very  important  work,  as  indeed 
it  is  now,  though  used  for  a  diffisrent  purpose — 
that  of  irrigation.  He  continued  mining  until 
1865,  when  he  permanently  moved  to  Sacra- 
mento. During  the  interim,  however,  he  had 
taken  an  important  part  in  other  affairs  than 
those  of  mining.  In  1854  he  was  tendered  the 
nomination  for  Congress  on  the  Whig  ticket, 
but  declined.  During  the  height  of  the  success 
of  the  Know-Nothing  movement,  in  1855-'56, 
he  was  practically  retired  from  politics.  In  the 
summer  of  1856  he  and  Robert  C.  Clark  (after- 
ward county  judge  and  later  superior  judge) 
were  nominated  by  a  convention  of  some  forty 
persons,  composed  of  old-line  Whigs  and  ex- 
Know-Nothings,  as  candidates  for  the  Legisla- 
ture, and  having  been  prevailed  upon  to  ruu 
against  apparently  strong  odds,  both  were  elected. 
John  H.  McKune'  was  also  elected  at  the  same 
time  on  the  Democratic  ticket.  That  session  of 
the  Legislature,  which  commenced  January  1, 
1857,  was  a  very  important  one.  During  this 
session  Henry  Bates,  State  Treasurer,  was  im- 
peached, and  it  was  through  Mr.  Catlin  that 
this  result  was  brought  about,  and  the  gigantic 
raids  upon  the  treasury  of  the  State  were  brought 
to  light.  In  March,  1872,  Mr.  Catlin  was  ap- 
pointed one  of  three  members  of  the  State 
ijoard  of  Equalization,  and  served  as  such  until 
April,   1876.     The   most  effective  powers  con- 


HISTORY    OF    SACRAMENTO    COUNTY. 


251 


I'errud  on  the  board  by  tlie  Legislature  were, 
after  a  long  contest,  declared  unconstitutional 
by  three  of  the  five  judges  of  the  Supreme 
Court,  and  this  led  to  the  abolition  of  the  board. 
In  1875  he  was  brought  forward  as  a  candidate 
for  Governor  before  the  Independent  State  Con- 
vention, but  was  defeated  by  the  combined 
votes  of  the  supporters  of  John  Bidwell  and 
M.  M.  Estee,  which  on  the  final  ballot  were  cast 
for  General  Bidwell.  In  1878  he  was  nomi- 
nated by  the  joint  convention  of  the  liepublicans 
and  Democrats  of  Sacramento  as  delegate  to 
the  constitutional  convention,  but  declined.  In 
1879  he  was  one  of  the  nominees  of  the  Repub- 
lican party  for  one  of  the  seven  judgeships  of 
the  re-organized  Supreme  Court,  but  was  de- 
feated with  all  but  one  on  his  ticket.  Mr.  Cat- 
lin  has  had  an  extensive  and  varied  practice  in 
the  United  States  Circuit  and  District  Courts  in 
this  State,  in  the  courts  of  San  B'rancisco,  in 
Sacramento  and  other  counties,  and  in  the  Su- 
preme Court  of  California.  He  was  also,  in 
times  past,  for  considerable  periods,  at  intervals, 
editor  of  the  old  Sacramento  Union.  He  was 
thus  employed  from  September,  1864,  at  the 
commencement  of  Lincoln's  second  campaign, 
until  April,  1865.  His  political  articles  were 
generally  recognized  as  fair  by  the  opponents  of 
the  war,  against  whom  they  were  aimed.  His 
editorial  on  the  execution  of  Maximilian,  headed 
"  The  End  of  a  Tyrant,"  attracted  wide  atten- 
tion and  was  copied  in  Spanish  in  the  leading 
Mexican  papers.  During  ten  years  he  success- 
fully defended  the  Union  in  eight  different  ac- 
tions for  libel.  His  successful  prosecution  of 
the  celebrated  Leidesdorff  ranch  case,  was  one 
of  liis  most  brilliant  legal  victories.  When  the 
Government  eventually  appealed  the  case  to  the 
highest  legal  tribunal  in  the  land,  and  it  came 
up  for  argument  before  the  United  States  Su- 
preme Court,  in  December,  1863,  Mr.  Catliu 
proceeded  to  Washington  and  was  admitted  to 
the  Supreme  Court  on  motion  of  Judge  Jere. 
Black.  He  was  heard  for  the  greater  part  of 
two  days,  and  his  argument  won  six  of  the  nine 
iudges,  and  carried  the  case.      His  further  con 


nection  with  events  in  Sacramento  County  is 
omitted  here  to  avoid  repetition  of  matters  else- 
where mentioned  in  this  volume.  His  partners 
in  law  practice  since  John  Currey,  have  been: — 
Judge  T.  B.  McFarland,  David  A.  Hamburger, 
Lincoln  White  and  his  present  associate,  Judge 
George  A.  Blanchard.  Mr.  Catlin  was  married 
May  1,  1860,  to  Miss  Ruth  A.  C.  Donaldson,  a 
native  of  Iowa.  She  died  in  February,  1878, 
leaving  four  children,  viz:  Alexander  Donald- 
son, John  C,  Ruth  B.,  and  Harry  C.  Mr.  Cat- 
lin is  a  member  of  the  Sacramento  Society  of 
California  Pioneers,  of  the  San  Francisco  His- 
torical Society,  and  of  the  Bar  Association  of 
San  Francisco.  No  man  who  has  figured  in  the 
history  of  Sacramento  has  a  more  honorable 
record  than  has  Mr.  Catlin. 


►9^1- 


tT.  REV.  PATRICK  MANOGUE,  Bishop 
of  the  Diocese  of  Sacramento,  Catholic. 
The  great  spiritual  see  over  which  this 
gentleman  presides  embraces  the  twenty-five 
northern  and  central  counties  of  California  and 
the  whole  of  the  western  and  most  populous 
portion  of  the  State  of  Nevada,  and  was  practi- 
cally created  for  him  in  the  year  1886,  as  will 
be  more  fully  seen  later  on.  For  the  laborious 
duties  entailed  upon  the  Bishop  of  a  field  so 
extensive  and  including  the  wild  mining  regions 
of  the  Sierra  Nevadas,  probably  no  one  could 
be  better  fitted  than  the  affable  Bishop  Manogue, 
on  account  of  his  life  and  training  and  his  sin- 
gularly clear  judgment  of  human  nature.  He 
was  born  in  the  County  of  Kilkenny,  Ireland, 
in  1831.  At  the  city  of  Callan,  Kilkenny,  he 
pursued  his  early  studies,  and  there  resided 
until  in  1849  he  came  to  America.  After  a  few 
years  spent  in  the  Eastern  States,  he  continued 
his  studies  at  the  University  of  St.  Mary's  of 
the  Lake  at  Chicago.  During  the  cholera  sea- 
son of  1854  in  that  city  he  wore  out  his  health 
in  the  arduous  labors  of  the  time,  and  for  the 
purpose  of  recuperating  he  for  fourteen  months 
lived  tiic  hard  life  of  a  miner  in  Nevada  County, 


BISTORT    OP    SACRAMENTO    COUNTY. 


California,  learning  by  actual  experience  the 
privations  and  hardy  pleasures  of  this  rougher 
but  sturdy  phase  of  human  life.  In  his  own 
words,  copying  a  report  of  an  address  delivered 
by  him  at  the  time  of  the  laying  of  the  corner- 
stone of  the  grand  Cathedral  of  the  Holy  Sac- 
rament in  this  city,  he  •'  held  a  drill  when  at 
every  stroke  of  the  hammer  the  fire  ilew  from 
the  flinty  quartz.  Whenever  hard  work  was  to 
be  done  he  referred  to  his  associates  (who  had 
been  his  partners  in  the  mines)  to  prove  that  he 
was  ready  to  take  a  hand  in  its  perfurmance." 
But  those  were  the  days  when  the  thrift,  the 
brawn  of  the  State,  was  in  the  mountains.  In 
all,  he  lived  for  three  years  at  the  mines,  and 
then  proceeded  to  Paris,  where  at.  the  grand 
Seminary  of  St.  Sulpice  he  completed  his  studies 
by  a  course  extending  over  four  years,  and  in 
1861  was  ordained  as  a  priest  by  Cardinal  Mor- 
lot,  especially  for  work  in  the  archdiocese  here. 
Passing  through  Virginia  City,  Nevada,  on  his 
way  to  this  State,  he  was  appointed  to  his  first 
mission  there,  and  for  twenty  years  occupied 
that  field.  For  fifteen  years  previously  to  his 
being  appointed  Coadjutor  Bishop  of  the  dio- 
cese, he  was  Yicar-general  of  the  whole  diocese. 
Sharon,  Mackay  and  Fair  were  personal  friends, 
who  left  monuments  there  which  will  not  equal 
those  left  by  the  Bishop.  He  had  erected  the 
first  Gothic  building  in  Virginia  City,  costing 
$80,000.  During  his'  priesthood  at  Virginia 
City,  he  built  three  churches,  a  convent,  and  a 
hospital,  at  a  total  cost  of  about  $300,000,  all 
of  which  large  sum  was  collected  by  himself, 
and  paid  for.  His  residence  there  is  remem- 
bered with  the  veneration,  love  and  aifection  of 
every  one  in  that  section  irrespective  of  church, 
the  kindness  of  heart  and  ready  hand  of  Father 
Manogue  aiding  multitudes  through  seasons  of 
distress.  In  1880  he  was  appointed  Coadjutor 
to  Bishop  O'Connell,  of  the  Grass  Valley  Dio- 
cese. In  1884  he  was  appointed  to  succeed 
Bishop  O'Connell,  who,  by  reason  of  advancing 
years  and  long  labor  in  the  vineyard  of  the 
Church,  was  permitted  to  retire.  In  1886,  ow- 
ing to  Bishop  Manogue's  representations  of  the 


decadence  of  Grass  Valley  in  its  importance  as 
a  center,  due  to  the  slackening  of  mining  mat- 
ters, and  the  growing  consequence  of  Sacra- 
mento as  the  political  head  of  the  State  and  a 
distributing  point  for  trade.  Pope  Leo  XIII  de- 
creed that  hereafter  what  had  befure  been  known 
and  recognized  as  the  Catholic  Diocese  of  Grass 
Valley  should  be  styled  and  acknowledged  as 
the  Diocese  of  Sacramento,  with  the  seat  of  the 
episcopate  in  Sacramento  city.  At  once  he  set 
personally  at  work,  utilizing  to  the  fullest  that 
rare  combination  of  business  qualifications  and 
theological  attainments  by  which  IJishop  Man- 
ogue is  characterized,  to  better  the  state  of  the 
diocese.  Recognizing  the  necessity  for  a  more 
representative  house  of  worship  than  then  ex- 
isted, he  bent  his  energies  to  the  task  of  another 
edifice.  The  result  is  the  grand  "  Cathedral  of 
the  Holy  Sacrament,"  located  at  the  corner  of  K 
and  Eleventh  streets,  completed  and  dedicated 
in  the  summer  of  1889.  On  another  page  is 
presented  an  engraving  of  this  splendid  struct- 
ure, which  is  fully  described  elsewhere.  For 
grandeur,  architectural  magnificence,  and  ar- 
tistic finish,  it  has  no  equal  in  the  West,  and  is 
a  noble  addition  to  the  attractions  of  California 
from  a  scenic  standpoint.  Further,  it  should 
be  stated  that  under  the  vigorous  hand  of  Bishop 
Manogue  new  life  has  been  infused  into  the 
veins  of  what  has  been  heretofore  the  somewhat 
sluggish  city  of  Sacramento.  Yet  not  alone  in 
a  business  and  material  sense  has  the  episcopate 
of  Bishop  Manogue  aroused  life  and  activity. 
Every  branch  of  faith  has  likewise  stirred  at 
sight  of  the  vigor  of  the  Church.  Other  church 
edifices  are  projected,  the  cause  of  charity  meets 
a  ready  response,  and  cognate  organizations  are 
moving  with  renewed  eff"ort.  Such  in  brief  and 
imperfect  form  is  a  sketch  of  one  of  whom  (to 
copy  from  a  local  paper)  "  little  can  be  said  that 
is  not  known  wide  and  well  the  broad  Pacific 
Coast  over,  throughout  its  hills  and  valleys,  its 
mountains  and  plains,  wherever  pioneer  Chris- 
tian labor  was  to  be  performed.  Nor  has  an 
abiding  love  and  veneration  for  him  found  lodg- 
ment alone  in  the  Catholic  heart;  for  if  current 


HISTORY    OF    SACRAMENTO    COUNTY. 


history  be  reliable  he  numbers  among  his  most 
ardent  admirers  and  dearest  friends  men  of  all 
creeds  and  countries,^Protestant,  Jew,  Gentile, 
pagan  and  heathen;  moneyed  men  and  traveling 
tramps  alike  revering  the  Bishop  for  his  quali- 
ties of  head  and  heart." 


tON.  WILLIAM  MONROE  PETRIE  has 
been  a  resident  in  this  city  for  over  thirty 
years.  He  was  born  at  Warren,  Herki- 
mer County,  New  York,  November  24,  1833. 
lu  1845  the  family  removed  to  Illinois,  where 
his  father  located  upon  a  farm  in  Lake  County 
not  far  from  Waukegan  and  no  very  great  dis- 
tance from  Chicago,  which  was  then  but  a 
petty  village.  Mr.  Petrie  gained  a  thorough 
fundamental  education  in  all  the  branches  taught 
in  the  common  schools  of  his  neighborhood,  but 
had  early  to  push  for  himself  and  make  his  own 
way.  When  fourteen  years  of  age  he  became  a 
clerk  in  a  dry-goods  store  in  Waukegan.  This 
was  in  1849.  He  continued  it  steadily  for  ten 
years,  or  until  the  spring  of  1859,  when  he 
came  with  his  wife  to  California,  reaching  Sac- 
ramento, Septeml)er  7.  The  journey  was  made 
via  Salt  Lake  City,  and  that  far  in  safety. 
Upon  starting  out  in  the  morning,  they  had 
barely  rounded  the  point  when  they  met  a  band 
of  Indians  hastily  driving  stock  before  them 
and  carrying  plunder.  They  pushed  out  to 
"  City  of  Rocks,"  where  they  were  met  by  other 
emigrants  and  learned  that  the  Indians  they 
had  seen  had  robbed  a  train  of  emigrants  in  a 
deep  ravine  in  Sublette's  cut-off  to  the  north, 
and  made  their  way  for  safety  into  the  timber 
west  of  Salt  Lake.  This  train  was  from  Mis- 
souri, and  its  fate  was  one  of  the  sad  incidents  in 
the  history  of  the  Indian  troubles  on  the  plains. 
This  circumstance  caused  the  trains  on  the 
road  to  join  together,  and  when  they  finally 
crossed  the  dangerous  portions  of  the  way  they 
formed  a  train  no  less  than  six  miles  long.  The 
tragic  incidents  of  these  times  were  related  to 
the  writer  by  'Mr.  Petrie  in  a  most  vivid  manner 


and  showed  strikingly  the  dangers  of  those  early 
days.  Upon  reaching  Sacramento,  Mr.  Petrie 
shortly  entered  into  business  for  himself,  open- 
ing a  clothing  and  furnishing  store.  In  this 
Itusiness  he  has  remained  almost  constantly  ever 
since,  the  last  ten  years  having  been  at  his  well- 
known  stand.  No.  622  J  street.  He  is  the 
owner  of  the  property,  which  presents  upon 
the  lower  floor  an  unusally  well  stocked  and 
furnished  store,  and  on  the  upper  floor  the  resi- 
dence of  Mr.  Petrie  and  family,  an  improvement 
consummated  during  the  past  season.  In  1883 
he  was  appointed  one  of  the  school  directors  of 
this  city  to  till  an  unexpired  term,  and  at  the 
two  following  elections  was  chosen  by  the  peo- 
ple for  the  same  position.  In  the  fall  of  1888 
he  was  brought  forward  by  his  party  as  their 
candidate  in  the  Eighteenth  District  for  the 
State  Legislature.  He  was  elected  by  a  major- 
ity of  over  700,  being  well  in  advance  of  the 
ticket  and  displaying  fully  the  contidence  re- 
posed in  him  and  his  great  personal  popularity. 
Of  course  it  goes  without  saying  that  he  is  a 
Republican,  being  staunch  and  unreserved  in  his 
views,  yet  broad  and  liberal.  Since  he  has  been 
a  memijer  of  the  House,  Mr.  Petrie  has  taken  a 
prominent  part  in  the  practical  and  profitable 
legislation  of  the  session.  He  is  a  member  of 
the  Committees  on  Education,  Retrenchment, 
and  Water  Rights  and  Drainage,  all  of  great  im- 
portance. He  was  prominent  in  securing  an  appro- 
priation of  funds  for  the  grading  and  improve- 
ment of  the  Capitol  Park  and  Fifteenth  street,  in 
this  city,  something  that  has  long  been  needed, 
and  also  in  several  other  important  measures. 
Mr.  Petrie  is  a  member  in  very  high  stand- 
ing of  the  Masonic  order,  having  tilled  all  of  the 
subordinate  offices  and  many  of  the  most  ele- 
vated; has  been  a  prominent  delegate  to  grand 
lodges.  He  is  Past  Grand  Commander  of  the 
Grand  Commandery  of  California,  having  tilled 
the  high  post  of  Grand  Commander  in  1884. 
He  was  also  Grand  Master  of  the  Grand  Coun- 
cil of  Royal  and  Select  Masters  in  1878.  In 
1882  he  was  Grand  High  Priest  of  the  Grand 
Chapter  of  Royal  Arch  Masons;  and  is  a  mem- 


HISTORY    OF    SACRAMENTO    COUNTY. 


ber  of  the  Tliirty-third  Degree  Scottisli  Rites, 
Southern  Jurisdiction.  Of  course  he  has  passed 
all  chairs  in  subordinate  lodges.  In  1880  at 
Chicago,  again  in  1883  at  San  Francisco, 
1886  at  St.  Louis,  and  in  October,  1889,  at 
Washington,  Mr.  Petrie  attended  the  National 
Conlaves  of  the  order.  Mr.  Petrie  was  mar- 
ried in  1855  to  Miss  A.  L.  Leigh,  who  is  a 
native  of  Steuben  County,  New  York.  They 
have  but  one  daughter,  born  in  California. 


I^ON.  FINDLEY  R.  DRAY,  State  Senator, 
was  born  in  Bedford  County,  Pennsylvania, 
October  23,  1833.  His  father,  Moses 
was  a  carpenter  and  millwright,  and 
having  lost  his  health,  came  overland  to  Cali- 
fornia in  1850,  accompanied  bj  his  son,  Findley 
R.,  the  subject  of  this  sketch,  then  a  youth  of 
seventeen  years,  who  has  from  that  time  made 
this  "Golden  State"  his  home,  although  his 
father  returned  in  1853,  and  has  since  died. 
Hangtown  (now  Placerville)  was  the  first  point 
struck,  July  17,  where  for  a  little  time  mining 
was  carried  on.  From  there  he  went  to  Dry- 
town,  iu  Amador  County,  and  in  September  of 
the  same  year  came  to  Sacramento.  He  next 
went  to  Laporte,  Sierra  County,  in  the  Rabbit 
Creek  mines,  being  one  of  the  first  to  go  to  that 
camp,  and  finding  snow  fully  three  feet  deep  to 
welcome  him..  In  1852  he  returned  to  this 
city,  and  after  remaining  a  short  time  went  in 
the  fall  of  1852  to  the  mines  at  Shasta.  The 
next  spring  he  returned  again  to  Sacramento, 
and  found  it  under  water.  For  about  twelve 
months  he  was  employed  in  a  store  carried  on 
by  Joseph  Pratt,  at  McCourtney's  Crossing,  on 
Bear  River,  and  afterwards  by  McCourtney. 
He  continued  this  until  1855,  when  he  came 
down  and  went  to  farming  about  five  miles  below 
this  city.  In  1858  he  returned  again  and  en- 
gaged in  clerking  for  William  Hendrie.  In 
1803  he  went  to  the  Reese  River  mines,  Nevada, 
but  in  tlie  fall  of  tliatyear  again  came  back,  and 
accepted  a  position  in  the   sheriff's  office  under   | 


the  late  James  McClatchy,  who  had  just  been 
elected  to  that  position.  After  the  close  of  Mr. 
McClatch3''8  term  he  was  public  administrator 
one  term,  and  then  county  assessor,  a  position 
which  he  held  to  the  complete  satisfaction  of  all 
for  a  period  of  no  less  than  eight  years.  Next 
he  was  appointed  by  Judge  Clark  as  a  supervisor 
to  complete  the  unexpired  term  of  H.  O.  Sey- 
mour, deceased.  After  this  he  went  into  the 
real  estate  and  insurance  business,  continuing 
this  successfully  until,  in  1875,  he  became  con- 
nected with  the  Sacramento  Bank.  From  that 
time  until  the  present  he  has  been  a  director, 
and  as  surveyor  has  had  charge  of  all  the  outside 
business  of  the  bank  in  connection  with  its  loans, 
etc.  It  is  not  saying  too  much  to  state  that  his 
indefatigable  zeal  and  watchfulness  has  aided 
materially  in  advancing  the  welfare  and  pros- 
perity of  that  leading  financial  institution  of 
this  city.  Two  years  ago  he  was  elected  by  the 
votes  of  the  people  to  i-epresent  this  city  and 
county  in  the  State  Senate,  and  again  this  year 
(1888)  was  re-elected  for  another  terra,  so 
highly  were  his  eflbrts  in  behalf  of  this  section 
appreciated.  Mr.  Dray  was  married  January  1, 
1861.  to  Miss  Mary  F.  Orrick.  Eight  children 
have  been  born  to  tliem,  of  whom  seven  are  still 
living.  Their  names  are  as  follows:  Laura  E., 
now  the  wife  of  George  H.  Perry,  Esq.,  of  San 
Francisco;  Carrie  E.,  now  the  wife  of  W.  O. 
Terrill,  Esq.,  also  of  San  Francisco;  Mary  F., 
since  deceased;  Annie  B.;  Alice  M.;  Arthur  F.; 
Frank  R.,  and  Bruce  L.,  the  latter  five  being  all 
at  home. 


|P,ON.  H.  O.  BEATTY,  Sacramento,  has  been 
^M\  a  resident  here  since  1852,  with  the  ex- 
•sli  ception  of  one  short  period.  He  was  born 
in  Kentucky,  May  31,  1812;  resided  many 
years  in  Ohio,  where  he  was  admitted  to  the 
bar;  and,  arriving  in  Sacramento  in  February, 
1852,  immediately  began  the  practice  of  his 
profession.  In  1863  he  moved  to  Virginia 
City,  Nevada,  where  he  was  soon  elected  Chief 


HISTORY    OF    SACRAMENTO    COUNTY. 


Justice  of  the  State  Supreme  Court,  and  his 
son,  W.  H.,  chosen  at  the  same  election  to  be 
the  District  Jndge  of  that  State.  The  latter  is 
now  Chief  Justice  of  the  Supreme  Court  of 
of  the  State  of  California.  At  the  end  of  his 
terra  the  former  returned  to  Sacramento, 
where  he  has  been  prominently  identified  with 
its  public  interests.  In  1872  he  prepared  a 
bill,  which  was  passed  by  the  Legislature,  estab- 
lishing the  Board  of  Funded  Debt  Commis- 
sioners— of  which  he  has  been  a  member  from 
the  first — whose  duty  is  to  aid  in  the  relief  of 
the  city  of  Sacramento  from  its  enormous  debt. 
They  have  collected  $212,000,  with  which  they 
have  bought  up  about  $1,400,000  of  the  out- 
standing obligations,  leaving  only  about  $1,- 
700,000  of  indebtedness,  including  coupons  not 
yet  due.  At  the  present  rate  the  debt  will  be 
entirely  extinguished  in  ten  years.  Judge 
Beatty  was  also  director  and  manager  of  the 
smelting  works  from  1874  to  1876,  when  they 
were  discontinued.  He  has  also  owned  a  vast 
amount  of  city  property.  He  was  married  in 
Ohio,  in  1836,  to  Miss  Eunyon.  Their  chil- 
dren are:  "W.  H.,  whose  sketch  appears  else- 
where; and  Mesdames  Judge  Denson  and 
Willis,  in  Sacramento,  and  Mrs.  George  E. 
Bates,  in  San  Francisco. 

— ■^•4^^^^^'^ — 


fll.  CUMMINGS,  one  of  the  pioneers  of 
California,  and  an  honored  citizen  of 
*  Sacramento,  is  a  native  of  Massachusetts, 
born  in  Palmer,  Hampshire  County,  on  the 
15th  of  May,  1823.  His  father,  Benjamin 
Cummings,  was  also  a  native  of  Massachusetts. 
He  was  a  farmer  until  middle  life,  and  after- 
ward a  manufacturer  of  cloth.  The  Cummings 
family  is  an  old  one  in  the  old  Bay  State,  the 
grandfather  of  the  subject  of  this  sketch  hav- 
ing been  a  Eevolutionary  soldier,  and  at  the 
surrender  of  Burgoyne.  The  paternal  great- 
grandfather was  also  a  native  of  that  State.  The 
mother  of  our  subject,  whose  maiden  name  was 
Lucy  Paige,  was  also   born    in  Massachusetts. 


C.  H.  Cummings  was  reared  on  his  father's 
farm  to  the  age  of  nineteen  years,  then  went  to 
Boston  to  take  a  situation  in  a  mercantile  estab- 
lishment. He  afterward  went  into  business  at 
Charlestown,  and  was  so  engaged  there  and  at 
Cambridge  until  the  fall  of  1849.  On  the  12th 
of  November  of  that  year  he  sailed  from  New- 
buryport,  on  the  bark  Domingo  (Captain  Bray), 
bound  for  California.  The  vessel  put  into  port 
twice  on  the  voyage,  once  at  St.  Catherines, 
where  she  was  in  harbor  eight  days,  and  again 
at  Juan  Fernandez,  where  she  stopped  for  three 
days.  The  vessel  landed  at  San  Francisco-  on 
the  7th  of  April,  1850.  Mr.  Cummings  re- 
mained in  the  city  until  October,  then  came  to 
Sacramento,  where  he  has  resided  ever  since. 
He  was  acquainted  with  Mr.  Mace,  of  the  firm 
of  Mace,  Loveland  &  Co.,  who  were  then  in  the 
wholesale  grocery  trade  on  J  street,  between 
Second  and  Third,  and  he  soon  made  an  en- 
gagement with  the  firm.  He  remained  with 
them  until  they  discontinued  business,  and  then 
went  with  Meeker  &  Co.,  who  were  doing  busi- 
ness at  the  present  site  of  Hammer's  drug 
store.  Fourth  and  K.  He  was  employed  by 
them  from  1853  until  1856,  and  then  became  a 
member  of  the  firm,  the  membership  of  which 
was  thereafter  David  Meeker,  A.  W.  Bell  and 
C.  H.  Cummings.  The  firm  closed  out  by  limi- 
tation March  1,  1858,  and  tlien  Mr.  Cummings 
went  with  the  firm  of  Stanford  Bros.  &  Meeker, 
composed  of  Josiah  and  Leland  Stanford  and 
David  Meeker.  Within  a  year  thereafter  Mr. 
Meeker  sold  out  his  interest  in  the  business, 
but  the  firm  continued  until  the  election  of  Le- 
land Stanford  as  governor  in  1861.  After  his  in- 
auguration, Mr.  Cummings  was  appointed  stamp 
clerk  in  the  Secretary  of  State's  office,  the  date 
being  January  10,  1862.  Upon  the  death  of 
the  then  Secretary  of  State  W.  H.  Weeks,  A. 
H.  Tuttle  took  the  oftice,  and  Mr.  Cumminors 
became  Deputy  Secretary  of  State.  He  held 
this  position  until  the  election  of  B.  B.  Redding 
as  Secretary  of  State,  and  for  three  months 
thereafter  he  was  clerk  in  the  ofiice.  He  was 
then  in  the  Sacramento  postoffice  a  year  and  a 


HISTORY    OF    SAOBAMENTO    OOUNTT. 


half,  and  in  August,  1865,  became  cashier  of 
the  Sacramento  &  Placerville  Railroad.  This 
ofBce  he  held  until  the  consolidation  of  that 
railroad  with  the  Central  Pacific  system,  and 
since  then  he  has  been  assistant  paymaster  of 
the  Central  Pacific.  He  has  been  secretary  and 
treasurer  of  the  Capitol  Gas  Company  since 
1876.  Mr.  Cummings  was  married  in  Massa- 
chusetts to  Miss  Mary  Ann  Cole,  a  native  of 
Maine,  and  daughter  of  Hiram  and  Lois  (Young) 
Cole,  both  of  whose  parents  were  born  in  the 
State  of  Maine.  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Cummings  have 
had  three  children,  of  whom  one,  Charles  Au- 
gustus, died  in  September,  1852.  Those  living 
are:  Quincy  Cole,  who  was  born  at  East  Cam- 
bridge, Massachusetts,  in  1849,  and  is  now  with 
the  Central  Pacific  Railroad  at  San  Francisco; 
and  Henry  A.,  who  was  born  in  Sacramento  in 
May,  1854,  and  is  in  the  office  of  the  treasurer 
of  the  Central  Pacific  at  San  Francisco.  Mr. 
Cummings  is  an  honorary  member  of  the  Sac- 
ramento Society,  California  Pioneers.  He  served 
four  years  as  a  member  of  the  Board  of  Educa- 
tion, having  been  elected  in  1872.  In  politics 
he  is  a  Republican.  Mr.  Cummings  has  been 
identified  with  Sacramento  since  her  early  days, 
and  has  always  ranked  among  her  best  citizens. 

'^■^■^ 


^ON.  L.  L.  LEWIS  was  born  in  Genesee 
fM)  ^*'^^"''y>  ^^'^  York,  in  1831,  about  thirty 
T^  miles  from  Buffalo,  although  the  family 
soon  afterward  removed  to  Arcade,  in  Wyoming 
County,  adjoining.  His  father  was  a  farmer, 
and  it  was  from  the  rough  but  beneficial  train- 
ing that  falls  to  the  lot  of  a  farmer's  son  tiiat 
Mr.  Lewis  has  drawn  the  diligent  and  indepen- 
dent elements  in  his  character  that  have  helped 
to  make  him  so  successful  in  after  life.  In 
1844  the  family  removed  to  Belvidere,  Illinois, 
and  thence  in  1848  Mr.  Lewis  went  to  Iowa, 
where  his  father,  being  still  alive,  at  an  ad- 
vanced age,  still  resides.  From  here  Mr.  Lewis 
returned  to  Arcade  to  learn  his  trade  as  a  tin- 
smitli  and  plumber,  and   there    he  worked  at  it 


until  in  1859  he  came  to  California  via  Pana- 
ma, arriving  in  this  city  in  the  fall.  He  was 
preceded  here  by  his  brother,  Mr.  S.  G.  Lewis, 
now  a  loading  fruit-grower  and  ranchman  of 
Nevada  County,  and  formerly  a  journalist  of 
standing  and  success,  who  started  the  Foot-Hill 
Tidings  of  Grass  Valley,  and  has  occupied 
many  prominent  positions.  As  soon  as  he 
reached  Sacramento,  Mr.  L.  L.  Lewis  took  a 
position  in  the  same  establishment  of  which  he 
is  now  the  head  and  sole  proprietor,  acting  first 
as  a  tinner,  and  gradually  working  himself  up 
until  in  1872  he  became  proprietor,  and  extend- 
ing the  business  until  it  is  now  the  chief  house 
in  its  line  in  this  portion  of  the  State.  Mr. 
Lewis  also  became  interested  in  mining  proper- 
ties in  the  foot-hills  and  elsewhere,  engaging 
quite  extensively  in  this  business  and  spending 
a  considerable  portion  of  his  time  there.  He 
was  there  during  tiie  period  of  the  war  of  the 
Rebellion,  and  as  he  was  a  firm  Union  man,  he 
had  most  interesting  experiences.  However, 
in  1872  he  finally  came  down  from  the  mines, 
and  has  since  been  actively  engaged  in  business 
here.  Among  the  enterprises  with  which  the 
name  of  Mr.  Lewis  has  been  identified  should 
be  mentioned  at  some  length  the  building  and 
loan  societies  of  this  city.  He  is  now  the  presi- 
dent of  the  Occidental  Building  and  Loaning 
Association,  and  a  director  of  the  Union  Build- 
ing and  Loaning  Association.  Two  series  of 
shares  issued  by  these  companies  have  already 
been  wound  up,  and  there  are  ten  series  in  all, 
a  sliowing  of  great  success  and  a  vast  benefit  to 
the  city  in  the  way  of  assisting  people  to  ob- 
tain homes.  In  October,  1887,  Mr.  Lewis  be- 
gan to  move,  in  connection  with  otliers,  in  the 
matter  of  electric  street  railroads.  The  result 
of  the  action  taken  is  the  successful  completion 
of  a  line  that  runs  from  the  depot  to  J  street, 
and  thence  to  the  Oak  Park  addition  to  Sacra- 
mento, which  lies  to  the  southeast,  and  which 
comprises  300  acres  of  the  highest  ground  ad- 
joining the  city,  and  has  unexceptionable  drain- 
age, tiie  best  of  water,  etc.  As  a  natural 
consetjuence    it    is   attracting    the   attention   of 


IIISTOliY    OF    SACliAMENTO    COUNTY. 


home-seekers  and  investors,  and  is  being  rapidly 
disposed  of,  now  that  it  has  ready  communica- 
tion with  the  city  IT7  the  electric  road.  The 
franchise  of  this  road  comprises  some  twelve 
miles  in  the  city,  of  which  four  miles  are  built. 
The  system  adopted  is  that  of  "  storage,"  and 
was  proving  an  admirable  success,  with  the  ex- 
ception of  one  feature  of  the  machinery,  the 
cars  being  trim,  handsome  and  easily  handled. 
Until  the  above  difhculty  can  be  overcome,  the 
company  will  use  horse  power.  This  road  has 
already  given  a  marked  impetus  to  the  exten- 
sion of  the  city,  and  has  proven  a  great  boon 
to  the  citizens.  The  gentlemen  associated  with 
Mr.  Lewis  in  this  matter  are  Messrs.  E.  K. 
Alsip,  Solomon  Kunyon  and  Robert  T.  Devlin, 
of  this  city,  and  Mr.  W.  J.  Landers,  of  San 
Francisco.  Mr.  Lewis  is  also  a  director  of  the 
Board  of  Trade  of  this  city,  one  of  the  most 
efficient  bodies  of  its  kind  in  the  State,  and  a 
director  and  charter  member  of  the  Sacramento 
Improvement  Association,  which  has  done  so 
good  work  for  the  city.  His  standing  in  the 
community  is  the  highest,  and  he  commands 
the  respect,  confidence  and  esteem  of  every  one. ' 
Mr.  Lewis  was  married  in  1866  to  Miss  Lerisa 
Corriger,  of  Sonoma,  and  they  have  three  chil- 
dren, whose  names  are  Mabel,  Edna  and  Alice. 

^.^-^^-MJ^V- 


I^ON.  GEORGE  C.  McMULLEN,  who  owes 
^^  more  to  the  capital  embraced  in  a  line 
^M  physical  organization  and  a  well-poised 
brain  than  to  the  inherited  wealth  of  a  line  of 
ancient  ancestors,  was  born  in  Perry  County, 
Ohio,  January  27,  1838,  his  father  being  a 
prosperous  farmer  in  that  section.  In  1855  his 
parents  removed  to  Missouri  and  thence,  two 
years  later,  set  out  for  California,  making  the 
trip  by  ox  teams  without  serious  mishap.  Mr. 
McMullen  resided  first  in  Solano  County,  until 
the  fall  of  1874,  when  he  came  to  Sacramento 
County  and  purchased  a  fine  ranch  of  240  acres 
known  as  "Lizzie's  Vineyard,"  situated  within 
a  short  distance  of  Brighton,   which  he   con- 


ducted for  a  number  of  years  and  brought  to  a 
high  state  of  perfection.  Of  late  Mr.  McMul- 
len has  been  trading  and  dealing  extensively  in 
laud,  and  devoting  himself  to  the  breeding  and 
raising  of  the  finer  grades  of  horses  and  stock.  He 
at  present  farms  a  snug  place  of  some  seventj'- 
six  acres  near  Brighton,  and  situated  about  five 
miles  east  of  the  city  For  four  years,  begin- 
ning in  1884,  Mr.  McMullen  represented  the 
Fourth  Supervisors'  District  of  this  county,  and 
at  the  election  of  November,  1888,  was  chosen 
to  the  most  responsible  position  of  sheriff  of  the 
count}';  an  office  he  is  peculiarly  well  fitted  to 
fill  efficiently  on  account  of  his  wide  acquaint- 
ance in  this  section,  his  quick  and  ready  judg- 
ment, his  unhesitating  determination.  The 
Board  of  Supervisors,  of  which  he  was  a  mem- 
ber, has  made  an  honorable  record  for  itself  in 
the  great  amount  of  public  improvements  it 
has  accomplished,  in  the  way  of  laying  out  and 
improving  roads,  the  building  of  bridges,  etc., 
etc., — more  than  was  effected  in  the  twenty 
years  previously;  and  what  is  still  more  credit- 
able, the  rate  of  taxation  has  been  at  the  same 
time  materially  lowered.  Mr.  McMullen  is  a 
Republican  of  decided  convictions.  For  many 
years  he  has  been  an  active  Patron  of  Hus- 
bandry. Mr.  McMullen  was  married  Septem- 
ber 25,  1859,  to  Miss  Rhoda  E.  White.  They 
have  five  children:  George  Ebner,  Irvine  H., 
Lida  A.,  Winfield  E.,  and  Edith,  tbe  youngest, 
all  residing  at  home. 

^-^-^ 

fHARLES  MEALAND,  M.  D.  Although 
a  resident  in  this  city  but  a  comparatively 
short  time,  having  arrived  in  Sacramento 
but  a  little  over  three  years  ago,  Dr.  Mealand 
presents  a  capital  instance  of  what  may  be  ac- 
complished by  skill  and  attention  to  business,  as 
he  has  already  stepped  well  to  the  front  in  his 
profession  and  has  won  a  practice  of  most  re- 
spectable dimensions.  Dr.  Mealand  is  a  native 
of  Coventry,  Warwickshire,  England,  where  lie 
was  born  February  3,  1846.    In  his  native  town 


HISTORY    OF    SACRAMENTO    000 NTT. 


lie  received  a  thorough  scholastic  training  and 
a  fitting  for  the  general  business  of  life,  though 
without  proceeding  to  the  study  of  a  profession. 
Upon  arriving  at  his  majority  in  1867,  he  de- 
termined to  come  to  America,  making  his  way 
lirectly  to  the  State  of  Illinois.  Having  always 
had  a  taste  for  the  study  of  medicine,  he  began  at 
once  to  prepare  himself  for  the  duties  of  a  phy- 
sician, graduating  at  Bennett  Medical  College, 
Chicago, and  locating  at  Elgin,  Illinois,  where  he 
remained  until  he  decided  in  1886  to  come  to  this 
State.  As  has  already  been  stated,  he  has  built 
up  a  good  practice,  having  had  excellent  success 
in  its  course.  Dr.  Mealand  is  an  active  member 
of  the  Baptist  Church,  holding  a  place  upon  the 
executive  committee  of  the  Sacramento  Bap- 
tist Union,  and  is  an  enthusiastic  worker  in  the 
Sabbath-school.  He  has  been  deeply  interested 
in  both  church  and  Sunday-school  matters  since 
he  was  seventeen  years  of  age.  During  his 
residence  of  twenty  years  in  Elgin,  he  was 
always  busily  employed  and  for  several  years 
acted  as  superintendent  and  chorister  of  the 
Sunday-school  in  connection  witb  the  Baptist 
Church  there.  He  also  acted  as  superintendent 
here  in  the  Ninth  Street  Church,  of  which  he 
is  a  member  until  the  calls  of  a  laborious  pro- 
fession compelled  him  to  give  it  up.  He  is  a 
member  of  the  Ancient  Order  of  Foresters,  of 
the  I.  O.  O.  F.,  and  of  the  Sons  of  St.  George, 
having  acted  for  some  time  as  examining 
physician  for  Benbow  Lodge  of  the  latter  body 
for  some  time,  as  also  of  the  Knights  of  Honor. 
He  possesses  a  snug  ranch  of  twenty-fonr  acres 
at  Looinis,  not  far  above  this  city,  which  is  set 
out  in  pear,  apricot,  cherry,  peach  and  other 
truit  trees.  He  also  owns  a  section  of  timber 
land  near  Visalia  in  this  State.  Dr.  Mealand 
was  married  September  9,  1866,  in  Coventry, 
England,  to  Miss  Jane  Baxter  of  that  place. 
They  have  four  children,  two  sons  and  two 
daughters,  whose  names  are  as  follows:  Charles 
Baxter,  Clarence  Herman,  Grace  Elizabeth  and 
Gertrude  Beatrice.  His  mother  is  still  alive  at 
the  good  old  age  of  seventy-nine,  and  still  resides 
at  Coventry.     Dr.  Mealand  has  the  peculiar  for- 


tune to  be  a  seventh  sou,  a  fact  that  perhaps 
contributes  to  his  great  success  as  a  physician. 
He  has  one  brother  in  the  sheep  business  in 
Australia;  another  an  artist  in  Massachusetts, 
and  a  third  retired  from  active  business  in 
England. 

— '^^M^'m^ — 

fRANKLIN  G.  FAY,  M.  D.,  who  is  ranked 
as  one  of  the  most  successful  of  our  younger 
physicians,  has  been  a  resident  of  this  city 
for  the  past  three  years,  during  which  time  he 
has  gained  an  enviable  reputation  for  skill  and 
success  in  his  practice.  He  was  born  in  Elgin, 
Illinois,  March  22, 1865.  He  received  a  thorough 
preliminary  education  in  the  schools  of  his  native 
place,  graduating  at  the  Elgin  Academy  in  1881. 
He  immediately  began  the  study  of  medicine  at 
Bennett  Medical  College,  Chicago,  graduating 
tbere  in  March,  1886,  having  taking  the  Eclectic 
course,  and  fitting  himself  for  the  best  practical 
work  by  choosing  the  best  methods  of  all  schools 
of  physicians.  Immediately  upon  graduation. 
Dr.  Fay  came  to  Sacramento,  and  has  had  good 
success  from  the  first.  His  office  is  central, 
being  located  at  No.  627  J  street,  being  the 
northwest  corner  of  Seventh  and  J  streets,  and 
his  residence  is  at  No.  1714  M  street,  in  the 
heart  of  the  residence  portion.  He  is  an  active 
member  of  the  Ancient  Order  of  Foresters, 
being  court  surgeon  of  courts  Sacramento, 
Capital  and  Sutter,  of  that  order. 


-S-S"^-^"- 


.^ON.  ADD.  C.  HINKSON  was  born  De- 
^m\  cember  19,  1837,  in  Potosi,  Washington 
^5  County,  Missouri.  The  family  removed 
to  this  State  in  1852,  arriving  in  Sacramento 
September  2,  immediately  after  the  occurrence 
of  one  of  the  disastrous  fires  that  swept  the  city 
in  the  early  days.  Shortly  afterward  they  went 
to  Feather  River,  where  young  Hinkson  en- 
gaged in  mining.  Later  he  went  to  Amador 
County,  and  followed  several  vocations,  becom- 


lII.sTUUy    OF    .SACHAMENTO    COUA'TV. 


ing  one  of  the  best  known  and  most  popular 
men  of  the  county.  In  1865  he  was  elected  to 
the  position  of  auditor  and  recorder  of  the 
county,  holding  the  ofHce  for  two  years.  He 
was  then  elected  county  clerk,  continuing  to 
occupy  that  post  until  in  the  early  part  of  1870, 
when  he  removed  to  this  city.  During  the  lat- 
ter part  of  his  last  term  as  county  clerk  of 
Amador  County  he  had  prosecuted  the  diligent 
study  of  law,  and  was  admitted  to  practice  in 
January,  1870.  lie  immediately  opened  an 
office  here  in  partnership  with  Judge  Armstrong, 
now  Superior  Judge  of  this  county.  Mr.  Hink- 
son  has  filled  a  large  place  in  the  history  of  the 
public  schools  of  this  city  at  a  period  of  critical 
importance.  He  was  at  one  time  urged  by  his 
friends  to  accept  the  nomination  for  superin- 
tendent of  schools,  but  having  an  agreement 
with  his  partner.  Judge  Armstrong,  not  to  enter 
into  politics,  he  declined.  The  people  pressed 
the  matter,  and  finally  persuaded  Judge  Arm- 
strong to  urge  it  also,  when  Mr.  Hinkson  con- 
sented and  was  elected  by  a  large  majority, 
although  on  the  Democratic  ticket,  and  tiie  city 
was  decidedly  Republican.  Tiiis  was  in  1873. 
In  1875  and  in  1877  he  was  elected  again,  thus 
serving  in  all  three  terms.  After  that  he  posi- 
tively refused  the  position  again,  as  he  desired 
to  devote  his  attention  to  private  business.  At 
this  time  feeling  ran  very  strongly  upon  the 
subject  of  the  admission  of  colored  children  to 
the  public  schools.  The  law,  as  it  stood,  for- 
bade the  admixture,  but  notwithstanding  this 
fact  the  Board  of  Education  allowed  their  en- 
trance. The  sentiment  of  the  people  was  de- 
cidedly opposed  to  this,  and  hence  when  Mr. 
Hinkson  carried  out  tne  law  he  was  warmly 
upheld  by  them.  There  was  a  very  troubled 
state  of  affairs  for  a  time,  the  Board  of  Educa- 
tion pulling  illegally  for  an  indefensible  idea, 
while  Mr.  Hinkson,  as  superintendent,  firmly 
acted  according  to  the  law.  Suffice  it  to  say, 
that  in  the  end  he  won  his  side  completely,  and 
even  his  bitterest  opponents  at  the  time  admit- 
ted the  correctness  of  his  actions,  and  became 
his  warmest  teachers.      At  the    time  of  the  oc- 


currences public  attention  was  called  to  the 
matter  all  over  the  country,  and  a  great  deal  of 
interest  excited.  Mr.  Hinkson  was  much  liked 
by  the  teachers  over  whom  he  had  the  direction. 
At  the  close  of  his  last  term  in  1879,  they  com- 
pletely surprised  him  by  presenting  him  with  a 
magnificent  gold  watch,  suitably  engraved,  and 
this  is  the  time-piece  Mr.  Hinkson  now  carries. 
They  had  previously  presented  him  a  petition, 
signed  by  every  one,  to  allow  his  name  to  be 
brought  forward  for  the  fourth  time.  Upon  the 
establishment  of  the  Free  Public  Library  in 
1881,  he  was  chosen  one  <jf  the  trustees  of  that 
institution,  and  still  holds  that  office.  He  has 
labored  indefatigably  for  its  welfare,  and  the 
result  of  his  efforts  is  plainly  shown  in  tiie 
admirable  selection  of  books  and  in  its  general 
popularity.  Mr.  Hinkson  was  married  in  Ne- 
vada City  on  September  13, 1871,  to  Miss  Hunt, 
the  daughter  of  Dr.  Hunt,  a  well  known  profes- 
sional gentleman  of  that  part.  They  have  one 
son.  Add.  C,  Jr.,  a  promising  young  man  now 
in  attendance  at  the  Military  Academy  in  Oak- 
land. He  has  one  sister,  now  the  wife  of  Judge 
Armstrong,  and  another,  the  wife  of  M.  T. 
Littlefield,  Esq.,  of  Amador  County.  He  has 
also  two  cousins.  Misses  Mary  Hinkson  and 
Lucy  Hinkson,  engaged  in  tiie  teaching  profes- 
sion in  tills  county,  while  an  uncle,  Mr.  M.  A. 
Hinkson,  is  a  prominent  resident  of  Modesto. 
Both  Mr.  Hinkson's  parents  died  in  this  State, 
after  a  life  of  active  and  worthy  accomplish- 
ment. 

~--|-^*^f-|-- 

fROF.  J.  C.  BAINBRIDGE,  though  little 
over  twenty-seven  years  of  age,  is  at  tlie 
iiead  of  one  of  the  most  prosperous  com- 
mercial colleges  in  America.  A  description  of 
tiie  college  appears  at  another  page  of  this 
volume.  It  is  but  just  to  say,  however,  that 
Prof.  Bainbridge  owes  somewhat  of  liis  success 
to  the  unusual  energy  and  abilities  of  his  wife, 
a  sketch  of  whose  life  follows  this  article. 
Prof.  Bainbridge  was  born  November  23,  18G1, 
in   Lincoln   County,  Missouri,  but  when  young 


lIlt<TORY    OF    SACRAMENTO    COUNTI. 


removed  with  his  parents  to  the  city  of  St. 
Louis,  in  that  State.  When  he  was  twelve 
years  of  age  the  family  came  to  California,  set- 
tling in  San  Joaquin  County,  where  his  father, 
Dr.  J.  A.  Bail) bridge,  a  well-known  physician 
of  those  parts,  still  resides.  Young  Bainbrid^e 
received  his  education  in  the  schools  of  Oak- 
land and  Berkeley,  and  took  a  business  course 
in  the  Stockton  Business  College.  After  re- 
turning from  the  University  he  accepted  a  posi- 
tion in  the  Stockton  Business  College,  Mr.  Clark 
being  then  the  proprietor,  which  he  held  for 
three  years.  At  the  end  of  that  time  he  bought 
Mr.  Clark  out,  and  conducted  the  school  him- 
self until  in  the  fall  of  1887  he  sold  out,  came 
to  Sacramento  and  founded  the  Bainbridge 
Business  College  and  Normal  School.  Its  really 
wonderful  success  has  proved  Mr.  Bainbridge's 
peculiar  fitness  for  the  work  he  has  undertaken, 
and  mark  him  deservedly  one  of  Sacramento's 
prominent  citizens.  He  was  married  in  July, 
1885,  to  Miss  Belle  C.  Rogers,  of  Stockton. 
They  have  no  children.  Since  taking  iip  her 
residence  in  Sacramento,  Mrs.  Bainbridge  has 
taken  a  leading  position  among  musical  people 
of  this  city,  and  as  a  teacher,  whether  of  voice 
or  piano,  she  is  singularly  successful,  a  result 
due  not  less,  perhaps,  to  her  wonderful  vitality 
and  inexhaustible  energy  than  to  her  splendid 
training  and  practical  methods  of  imparting 
knowledge.  She  is  a  native  of  Cleveland,  Ohio, 
her  father  being  still  a  resident  of  Akron  in 
that  State,  but  lived  in  New  York  State  during 
most  of  her  childhood  and  youth,  beginning 
her  musical  education  in  the  city  of  New  York 
under  Prof.  Taylor.  Later  she  went  to  Boston, 
and  continued  the  study  of  music  under  Prof. 
J.  D.  Parker,  now  a  teacher  in  the  Boston  Con- 
servatory of  Music.  In  1881  she  accepted  the 
position  of  teacher  of  music  in  the  Stockton 
Business  College  in  this  State,  and  came  out 
immediately  to  fill  it.  There  she  met  Prof. 
Bainbridge,  and  the  acquaintance  ripening  into 
love,  they  were  married  in  July,  1885.  While 
in  Stockton  Mrs.  Bainbridge  was  organist  and 
leader  of  a  choir  of  forty  voices  at   St.  John's 


Episcopal  Church  in  that  city,  and  occupied 
there  the  same  leading  position  in  all  matters 
musical  that  she  possesses  here.  Not  satislied 
with  her  knowledge  of  harmony  or  of  music, 
whether  vocal  or  instrumental,  Mrs.  Bainbridge 
took  courses  of  lessons,  including  the  very 
severest  work,  with  Ugo  Talbo,  the  distinguished 
tenor  of  San  Francisco,  and  also  with  Prof. 
Hugo  Mansfeldt,  of  the  same  city,  who  is  ac- 
knowledged to  be  the  best  instrumentalist  on 
the  coast.  Upon  coming  to  Sacramento,  Mrs. 
Bainbridge  was  not  content  to  follow  the  ordi- 
nary hum-drum  of  a  professional  life,  but  at 
once  set  to  casting  about  for  some  suitable  per- 
son who  could  aid  her  in  the  establishment  of 
an  institution  of  greater  pretensions  than  any 
existing  in  this  city,  or  indeed  upon  this  coast. 
In  Prof.  Charles  Heywood,  now  well  known  in 
this  city,  she  found  the  required  ability,  and  in 
the  popular  St.  Cecilia  Club  we  see  the  be- 
ginning of  the  institution  referred  to.  This 
club  began  with  about  twenty  pupils,  gotten 
together  by  Mrs.  Bainbridge's  indefatigable 
efforts.  Prof.  Heywood  is  the  leader,  and  Mrs. 
Bainbridge  the  accompanist.  Now  the  club 
has  fifty  members.  Miss  Mary  W.  Bainbridge, 
or  more  familiarly  known  by  her  many  friends 
as  Mamie,  the  teacher  of  Elocution  in  the  Bain- 
bridge Business  College,  is  the  sister  of  the 
principal,  and  a  young  lady  of  very  superior 
talent.  She  is  a  graduate  of  the  California 
School  of  Oratory,  her  diploma  dating  May  11, 
1888.  She  has  acquired  considerable  reputa- 
tion as  a  skiilt'iil  reader  and  reciter,  and  is  not 
only  a  popular  young  lady  when  such  talents 
are  in  demand,  but  is  also  a  great  favorite  in 
social  circles  generally  throughout  the  city. 

tON.  LEROY  S.  TAYLOR  was  born  July 
23,  1827,  in  Delaware  County,  Ohio.  In 
1835  his  parents  removed  to  Illinois, 
where  the  son  resided  for  the  succeeding  fifteen 
years.  At  Chicago  he  spent  ajiiiiiiber  of  his 
younger  years,  having  published  a  directory  of 


HlaroRY    OP    SACRAMENTO    COUNTY. 


that  city  in  1847,  when  it  had  a  population,  all 
told,  of  only  20,023,  and  the.-e  he  also  entered 
upon  the  study  of  law  with  Horn  &  Skinner. 
Next  he  became  a  member  of  a  party  who  called 
themselves  the  "  Illinois  Company,"  and  set  out 
for  the  long  journey  across  the  plains.  When 
approaching  Salt  Lake  City,  some  of  the  boys 
found  an  old  wagon  and  utilized  a  portion  of  a 
wheel  for  making  pack  saddles.  The  noted 
Perley  P.  Pratt,  of  Mormon  notoriety,  happened 
along,  and  seeing  the  opportunity  for  extortion, 
seized  quickly  upon  it.  He  claimed  the  owner- 
ship of  the  wagon  and  demanded  heavy  damages 
for  the  broken  wheel.  They  refused  his  claim  and 
he  brought  suit  against  them  at  Salt  Lake  City. 
Mr.  Taylor  was  chosen  to  defend;  but,  seeing 
there  was  no  hope  of  a  fair  trial  they  paid  $40 
to  settle  the  matter.  Fortunately  they  had  no 
other  serious  trouble  on  the  journey,  except  se- 
vere suffering  from  the  alkali  upon  the  desert. 
Finding  a  stray  Mexican  steer,  they  killed  it 
for  food.  Eating  of  this  caused  the  most  viru- 
lent diarrhoea.  This  clung  to  Mr.  Taylor  for 
years,  and  at  one  time  threatened  to  cause  his 
death.  They  reached  the  "  classic  "  shades  of 
Hangtown  August  19,  1850.  Mr.  Taylor  was 
glad  to  take  the  first  thing  that  came  to  hand, 
and  agreed  to  work  for  a  man  who  was  digging 
a  prospect  hole,  to  be  paid  according  to  the  re- 
sults. At  the  end  of  one  day,  however,  the  man 
threw  up  the  undertaking,*  paid  one  dollar  only 
for  the  work  done  and  sent  Mr.  Taylor  off. 
"With  two  others  he  then  went  to  Coloma  and 
washed  for  gold,  taking  out  about  $4  a  day  for 
a  little  time.  From  there  he  went  to  George- 
town, and  thence  to  Canon  Creek,  where  he  did 
well,  but  was  so  reduced  by  the  diarrhoea,  already 
spoken  of,  that  he  gave  entirely  out  and  was 
carried  by  conveyance  to  Coloma,  and  lay  sick 
for  a  long  time.  Upon  becoming  able  to  go 
around  again,  he  went  to  Secret  Kavine,  and 
from  there  to  Ox-bow  Tunnel,  near  Grey  Eagle, 
where,  after  long  and  arduous  toil  in  damming 
the  river,  etc.,  got  nothing  at  all.  Afterward 
he  mined  at  various  other  points,  with  varying 
success,   having  spent  in   all  about  three  years 


mining  in  El  Dorado  County.  After  this  he 
went  to  Solano  County,  engaged  in  merchandis- 
ing, and  for  about  a  year  held  the  position  of 
deputy  district  attorney.  He  then  went  to 
Santa  Cruz  County,  where,  in  the  red-woods,  he 
was  engaged  for  some  time  in  superintending 
the  construction  of  mills.  Finally,  in  1857,  Mr. 
Taylor  returned  to  Sacramento,  where  he  has 
resided  ever  since.  He  first  became  a  clerk  in 
a  general  store,  but  soon  began  the  study  of  law. 
In  July,  1858,  he  was  admitted  to  practice,  and 
has  ever  since  that  time  been  in  the  successful 
pursuit  of  his  profession.  Mr.  Taylor  is  a  man 
who  makes  no  display  of  his  powers.  His  high 
character  and  his  uniform  success  has  proved 
the  value  of  his  services  to  his  clients.  It  is 
not  alone  as  a  lawyer,  however,  that  he  has  made 
his  influence  felt  in  this  community.  For  a 
long  time  he  was  county  commissioner  in  this 
county,  and  during  the  term  ending  in  1889, 
represented  the  Nineteenth  Assembly  District 
in  the  Legislature.  During  the  last  session  he 
was  chairman  of  the  Ways  and  Means  Comtnit- 
tee,  probably  the  most  important  of  all  the 
committees  in  the  House.  He  is  a  stanch  Re- 
publican. Mr.  Taylor  is  a  married  man,  and 
has  two  children,  a  son  and  a  daughter.  The 
son,  E.  D.  Taylor,  is  a  leading  searcher  of  rec- 
ords, having  his  office  in  the  same  building  as  his 
father.  Mr.  Taylor  is  Past  Grand  Master  in 
the  Odd  Fellows  order. 


<'><'> 


J^ON.  J.  L.  HUNTOON,  Treasurer  of  Sa- 
IHI  craraento  County  for  the  second  term,  is 
^i  one  of  the  best  known  and  most  esteemed 
officials  of  the  county,  having  resided  in  this 
city  since  the  spring  of  1855,  and  been  pro- 
prietor of  prosperous  hotels  since  that  time.  He 
was  born  in  Groton,  Vermont,  in  1822,  where 
his  father  was  a  farmer,  but  removed  with  his 
parents  to  Craftsbury  when  only  a  lad  of  six  or 
seven  years.  Until  he  reached  the  age  of  nine- 
teen he  resided  at  home,  working  hard  upon  the 
farm  during  the  summer  and   attending  school 


BISTORT    OF    SACRAMENTO    COUNTY. 


during  the  winter.     In  1843  lie  went  to  Ports- 
mouth, JSew  Hampshire,  and  obtained  employ- 
ment as  driver  of   a  baker's   wagon.     This  he 
continued  for  three  years  aiid   then   engaged   in 
traveling  for  tlie  iirm  of  H.  S.  Doane  &  Co.,  of 
Boston,  Massachusetts,   in  the  sale  of  brushes 
througliout  the   State  of  Maine.     Later  he  was 
employed  in  tlie  sale  of  confectionery  and  cigars, 
and  later  still  he  traveled  over  the  New  England 
States   for   the   New   York   house  of  Curtis  it; 
Perkins,  the  agents  for  the  sale  of  Mrs.  AVins- 
low's  popular  soothing  syruji.     Those  were  the 
days  beibre  railroads  went  to  every  little  town. 
He  was  given  a  team  and  a  light  wagon,  and  he 
drove  over  the  country  roads  from  town  to  town, 
living  hard  and  working  laboriously,  as  it  often 
happened,  and  exposed   to  all  sorts  of  weather. 
Tiring  ot   this  at   last,  in  the  fall  of   1855,  Mr. 
Huntoon  set  out   for  this   State,  proceeding  to 
Panama    by  the    steamer  George  Law,  which 
carried  so  n:any  Californiahs,  and  finally  reach- 
ing this  city   in   the   spring  of    the   following 
year.      First  he   purchased    and    conducted  the 
Telegraph  Hotel   on   J  street,  between  Twelfth 
and  Thirteenth  streets,  long  a  popular  hostelry. 
After  three  years  he  leased  the  house,  bought  a 
band  of  sheep  and  drove  them  down   to  Solano 
County.     Selling  these  out  two  years   later,  he 
returned  to  Sacramento  and  took  the  Fountain 
House  on  J  street,    above  Tenth,  and  carried  it 
on  successfully  until  1865.     He  tlien  went  east 
for  a  visit,  making  the  journey  again  via  Pana- 
ma.    Upon  this  trip  lie  was  absent  from  Febru- 
ary to  September,  and  had   an    enjoyable  time. 
Upon  his  return  he   engaged    in    the    furniture 
business,  and  also   carried  on   the   manufacture 
of  mattresses,  upholstering,  etc.,  continuing  in 
this  until    1883.     From    that    time    until    his 
election    as  treasurer  of  the  county,  Mr.  Hun- 
toon acted   as   an  administrator,  being  engaged 
in  the  settlement  of  estates,  etc.    He  has  always 
taken  an  active  and  intelligent  interest  in  poli- 
tics, and  is  well  known  as  a  stanch  Republican. 
Mr.  Huntoon    was  married    in    1851  to    Miss 
Charlotte  P.  Cunningham,  at  the  town  of  Wasli- 
ington,  near  Augusta,  Maine.     They  have  had 


four  children,  of  wliora  one,  a  daughter,  is  de- 
ceased. The  nanies  of  the  others  are  as  follows: 
William  F.,  the  cashier  of  the  Peoples'  Savings 
Bank,  of  this  city;  Eva  May  and  Joseph  Edgar. 
Mr.  Huntoon  has  also  two  brothers  living,  who 
reside  in  the  State  of  Massachusetts. 


l^^EY.   A.  C.  HERKICK,  pastor  of  Calvary 
ffM^   Baptist  Church,  has,  with   one  exception, 
^^  been  settled  in  chai-ge    of  this  influential 
society  a  longer  time  than  any  other  Baptist 
minister  in  California,  his  charge  beginning  in 
1884.     He  was   born   at   Sedgwick.  Maine,  in 
May,  1834,  his  father  being  a   sea  captain  who 
was  lost  at  sea  when  the  subject  of  this  sketch 
was    but    twelve    years  of  age.      By    this    sad 
calamity  he  was   left   an  orphan,  as  his  mother 
'  had  died  some  time  previously.      He  was  pre- 
pared  for  college   at   Hebron,  Maine,   where  is 
the  oldest  Baptist  Academy  in  that  State,  and 
in    1857   was    graduated  at  Colby    College  in 
Waterville,  Maine.      For  one  year  Mr.  Herrick 
acted  as  principal  of  Orono   High  School,  and 
then  for  two  years  occupied   the   same  position 
at  East  Corinth  Academy.     In   1860   he  went 
to  Europe,  visiting  not  only  the  points  of  usual  in- 
terest to  the  tourist,  but  also  spending  some  time 
in  the  Holy  Land,  Egypt,  etc.     Returning  from 
this  journey,  Mr.  Herrick  was  principal  of  He- 
bron Academy  ten  years.      During  this  time  he 
took   a   course  of  three    years'  duration    at  the 
Union    Theological    Seminary    in     New    York, 
graduating  in    1866.     This  he   was   enabled  to 
accomplish  by  the  kindness  of  a  friend  to  whom 
he  entrusted    the  management  of  the  academy 
while    his   studies   necessitated  his    absence    in 
New  York.     AYas  pastor  of  the  Hebron  Baptist 
Church  one  year.     In  1871  he    was  settled  in 
charge  of  the  Baptist  Church  at  Canton,  Maine, 
holding  the  charge  until  1876,  when  he  became 
pastor  of  the  Freeport  Baptist  Church.     While 
at  Canton  he  was  ordained  to  the  Baptist  min- 
istry, in  October,  1872.     In   the  same  year  he 
made  a  short  trip  to  Europe,  visiting  St.  Peters- 


HlsrORT    OF    SACRAMENTO    COUNTY. 


burg,  Russia,  and  other  parts  of  the  less  cus- 
tomary routes  of  travel.  It  was  in  this  way 
that  Mr.  Herrick  gained  the  material  for  the 
illustrated  lectures  on  the  Holy  Land,  Europe, 
the  Uiiated  States,  etc.,  that  have  made  his 
name  well  known  in  the  lecture  field.  Mr. 
Herrick  was  married  in  1867  to  Miss  Kate 
Powers,  of  Amenia,  New  York.  She  is  one  of 
a  family  that  has  made  itself  felt  in  more  than 
one  direction  in  this  conntrj^.  One  of  her 
brothers  is  the  Rev.  H.  N.  Powers,  D.  D.,  an 
eminent  and  popular  Episcopal  clergyman  on 
the  Hudson,  New  York.  Another  brother  is 
Dr.  Fred.  Powers,  a  prominent  pliysician  of 
Connecticut;  while  other  brothers  occupj'  lead- 
ing positions  as  lawyers  and  civil  engineers. 
Mrs.  Herrick  is  herself  a  lady  of  high  artistic 
talent,  conducting  a  large  and  successful  class 
in  art  in  this  city.  They  have  two  daughters, 
Jennie,  aged  fifteen,  and  Katie,  aged  fourteen — 
both  attending  the  High  School  here.  Since 
Mr.  Herrick  was  settled  in  charge  of  Calvary 
Church  in  1884,  it  has  known  a  period  of  en- 
largement and  progress.  In  1886  a  vestry  was 
built,  at  a  cost  of  $1,200.  Again,  in  1887,  a 
mission  was  opened  in  Washington  that  has 
now  100  members,  and  of  which  Mr.  Herrick 
has  charge.  During  his  pastorate  of  Calvary 
Church  no  fewer  than  127  persons  have  united 
with  the  church,  and  now  active  steps  are  being 
taken  to  erect  a  new  church  edifice  on  the  cor- 
ner of  Sixteenth  and  I  streets,  at  a  cost  of 
$20,000,  thus  keeping  pace  with  the  growth  of 
spiritual  interests.  Calvary  Church  also  opened 
■  the  Sabbath-school  at  the  Orphans'  Home,  and 
has  now  a  young  man  preparing  for  the  minis- 
try at  the  Rochester,  New  York,  University; 
another,  of  Mexican  birth,  studying  here  with 
a  view  to  teaching  in  Mexico,  while  a  young 
lady  is  diligently  preparing  herself  for  mission- 
ary labor  on  the  Congo.  Mr.  Herrick  is  a  pas- 
tor beloved  by  his  people,  and  a  minister 
esteemed  by  the  people  at  large.  He  is  an 
orator;  sound,  clear  and  deep  in  his  arguments. 
There  is  no  more  active  and  energetic  worker 
than  he,  in  all  causes  that  tend  to  the  moral  and 


spiritual  good  of  man.  Finally,  he  is  personally 
a  hearty,  whole-souled  man  of  engaging  pres- 
ence. He  has  also  had  some  experience  in 
political  life,  as  he  represented  in  the  Legisla- 
ture during  one  term  (1867)  the  Oxford  Dis- 
trict in  Maine. 


^'■^'V^'^ 


^ON.  SYLVESTER  TRYON,  well  known 
1^^  as  the  chief  mover  in  the  manufacture  of 
^^  woolen  goods  in  Sacramento,  is  worthy  of 
special  mention.  The  Capitol  Woolen  Mills 
were  built  and  the  company  incorporated  in 
1868,  with  a  capital  of  $100,000,  Mr.  Leonard 
Goss  being  the  first  president,  and  Mr.  Tryon 
one  of  the  heavy  stockholders.  A  man  named 
Tatterson,  supposed  to  be  experienced,  was  im- 
ported from  the  East  to  act  as  superintendent. 
He  inaugurated  a  period  of  great  extravagance, 
and  consequently  the  mills  did  not  pay.  Finally 
in  1870  the  superintendence  of  the  mill  was 
turned  over  to  R.  T.  Brown,  who  held  that 
position  until  1872,  but  also  without  satisfac- 
tory results.  In  that  year,  at  the  request  of 
his  fellow-stockholders,  Mr.  Tryon,  who  was 
president  at  the  time,  also  assumed  the  man- 
agement and  devoted  the  whole  of  his  attention 
to  the  mills.  He  started  wisely  by  starting 
slowly  and  allowing  the  business  to  suggest  its 
own  extensions,  and  as  a  result  succeeded  in 
making  a  paying  concern  of  it.  The  ground 
occupied  comprises  two  entire  blocks,  situated 
in  the  northern  portion  of  the  city,  adjoining 
the  line  of  the  Central  Pacific.  A  fire  had  con- 
sumed the  mill  in  1875.  Immediately  there- 
after the  buildings  were  reconstructed,  with  all 
the  improvements  that  Mr.  Tryon 's  long  experi- 
ence could  suggest,  and  as  a  consequence  the 
establishment  was  in  tip-top  shape  and  running 
nicely  with  a  force  of  employes  ranging  from 
fifty  to  seventy-five  men,  when  the  last  fire  of 
1886  caught  them  without  insurance.  Though 
by  no  means  a  crippled  man,  Mr.  Tryon  felt 
himself  so  discouraged  that  he  has  not  as  yet 
rebuilt,  but  contemplates  doing  so  at  an  early 


BISTORT    OF    SACRAMENTO    COUNTY. 


date.  In  connection  with  the  niilib  he  always 
conducted  a  tailoring  and  sales  department  at 
No.  822  J  street.  This  is  still  continued, 
although  now  of  necessity  from  goods  other 
than  his  own  u.anufacture,  and  enjoys  a  fair 
share  of  the  business  in  that  line  in  the  city. 
It  should  be  stated  before  leaving  this  portion 
of  the  subject  that  after  the  first  fire  the  com- 
pany was  reincorporated  with  a  capital  stock  of 
$200,000,  and  the  new  factory  comprised  a 
complete  four-set  mill.  The  life  of  Mr.  Tryon 
has  been  one  of  great  variety  and  incident,  and 
presents  an  apt  illustration  of  what  may  be 
accomplished  by  energy,  ajiplication  and  the 
following  of  right  principles.  He  was  born  in 
1827,  in  the  State  of  Ohio.  Upon  the  dis- 
covery of  gold  in  California  he  set  out  for  the 
trip  across  the  plains.  The  journey,  lasting  six 
months,  proved  a  very  long  and  tedious  as  well 
as  perilous  one,  although  happily  made  without 
cerious  accident.  He  reached  Sacramento  Au- 
gust 22,  1850,  bringing  with  him  a  band  of 
horses  and  mules  for  trading  purposes.  Dis- 
]-osing  of  his  stock,  he  went  to  El  Dorado 
County,  and  during  two  years  was  busily  and 
successfully  engaged  in  mining.  He  returned 
to  this  city  July  1,  1852,  and  immediately 
entered  into  business  on  his  own  account  as 
keeper  of  a  livery  stable  and  dealer  in  grain  and 
hay.  He  had  taken  up  a  ranch  on  the  Cosumnes 
River,  where  he  cut  several  hundred  tons  of 
hay.  As  it  chanced,  in  the  great  fire  that  swept 
the  city  in  November,  1852,  almost  the  entire 
stock  was  consumed  excepting  that  of  Mr. 
Tryon,  and  the  result  was  that  he  coined  a 
great  deal  of  money  out  of  his  happy  venture. 
Tryon's  stable  was  one  of  the  well-known  estab- 
lishments of  the  early  days,  being  situated  on 
Tenth  street,  not  far  from  the  Plaza,  and  where 
the  brick  portion  still  remains,  being  still  a 
prosperous  undertaking,  although  rented  out  to 
others.  A  fire,  to  be  noticed  later,  destroyed 
the  wooden  buildings  which  were  necessary  to 
meet  the  large  business  demands  of  the  days 
when  Mr.  Tryon  conducted  it  in  person.  In 
relating  the  circumstances  of  the  flood  of  1862, 


Mr.  Tryon  recounts  some  thrilling  instances  of 
the  excitements  and  troubles  of  the  times  that 
appear  in  our  history  of  that  period.  He  has 
always  been  an  active  Republican  end  Unionist. 
During  the  days  of  the  Rebellion  he  "was  ap- 
rointed  enrolling  ofiicer  lor  Sacramento  by 
President  Lincoln,  and  necessarily  incurred  the 
hatred  of  the  rebels,  who  were  numerous  in 
California  in  those  days.  Not  content  with 
bravado,  they  set  fire  to  his  stables,  burning  the 
wooden  buildings  to  the  ground,  with  great  loss 
to  Mr.  Tryon.  During  all  these  years  he  was  a 
most  pronounced  worker  for  the  good  of  his 
country,  taking  an  active  interest  also  in  poli- 
tics and  aiding  more  than  a  little  in  keeping 
California  in  the  Union.  "When  he  became 
president  of  the  Woolen  Mills  Company  he 
found  it  necessary  to  devote  bimself  chiefly  to 
iis  interests,  and  has  since  that  time  ceased  to 
busy  himself  so  actively  with  politics.  He  was 
one  of  the  old  volunteer  Fire  Depaitment,  and 
was  one  of  the  organizers  of  the  present  efficient 
department,  and  is  a  member  of  the  Exempt 
Firemen  of  this  city,  an  account  of  whose  or- 
ganization will  be  found  elsewhere.  It  will 
thus  be  seen  that  Mr.  Tryon  has  been  one  of 
the  active  movers  in  all  good  causes  in  this 
city,  of  which  he  has  always  been  a  citizen  of 
prominence  and  importance,  taking  a  part  in 
every  undertaking  thai  promised  to  be  of  gen- 
eral benefit.  He  is  a  large  property-holder  and 
a  heavy  tax-payer  in  the  city,  and  has  been  such 
from  the  first,  and  as  a  public-spirited  and  valu- 
able member  of  the  community  ranks  as  high 
as  any.  Mr.  Tryjn  was  married  to  Miss  Mary 
Merrill,  a  native  of  Massachusetts,  in  1869. 
They  ha.'e  two  children,  named  respectively 
Arthur  Lincoln  and  Willia.i;. 


■'£-J"fS" 


fG.  TRYON  was  born  February  4,  1825, 
at  Middletown,  Coimecticut,  his  father 
**  being  a  well-to-do  and  highly  respected 
citizen  of  that  place.  The  family  has  had  an 
honored  history  of  importance.     Mr.  Tryon  re- 


UISTORY    OP    SACRAMENTO    COUNTY. 


ceived  a  good  practical  education  in  the  schools 
of  his  native  city,  but,  being  naturally  of  a 
business  turn  of  mind,  he  went  when  but  four- 
teen years  of  age  to  Lancaster  village.  South 
Carolina,  whore  he  assisted  a  brother-in-law  in 
a  store.  The  climate  proved  injurious  to  him, 
and  four  years  later  he  returned  again  to  his 
native  State,  at  that  time  a  tall  and  delicate 
stripling  of  a  youth.  In  1846,  however,  he 
went  again  to  South  Carolina  and  spent  two  years 
at  Camden  in  that  State.  In  1849,  together  with 
his  younger  brother,  Mr.  A.  S.  Tryon,  he  joined 
a  company  of  sixteen  men  all  told,  in  the  pur- 
chase of  a  schooner  called  the  "Julius  Priugle," 
of  which  they  owned  one-eighth.  They  set 
sail  August  28,  1849,  from  New  London  and 
finally  reached  San  Francisco,  February  14, 
1850.  Of  the  company  the  other  fourteen  were 
all  old  sailors  and  navigated  the  vessel.  The 
voyage  was  made  without  mishap,  although  off 
tlie  Rio  de  la  Plata  they  encountered  a  six  days' 
storm,  and  undertaking  tlie  passage  through 
the  Straits  of  Magellan  they  experienced  head 
winds  that  delayed  them  eighteen  days  in  it. 
On  January  1  they  were  at  Valparaiso,  where 
they  stopped  for  water  and  provisions.  The 
voyage  up  irom  there  was  made  in  forty  days, 
reaching  the  Golden  Gate  on  the  date  men- 
tioned. They  immediately  came  up  the  river 
to  Sacramento,  arriving  here  in  the  latter  part 
of  the  month  of  February,  1850.  The  two 
brothers  then  purchased  an  additional  interest 
in  the  schooner,  and  in  company  with  some  of 
the  others  traded  on  the  river  for  the  course  of 
two  months,  running  her  in  connection  with 
Starr,  Benson  &  Co.,  a  well-known  firm  of  early 
days.  They  then  sold  out  and  went  up  to 
Coloma,  where  they  mined  for  a  little  while, 
but  soon  started  a  store,  where  they  kept  on 
hand  a  stock  of  general  miners'  supplies.  This 
business  was  continued  for  five  years,  A.  S.  sell- 
ing the  goods  at  Coloma  and  attending  to  the 
store,  while  A.  G.  came  to  this  city,  did  the 
buying,  and  freighted  them  to  his  brother  at 
Coloma.  By  this  time,  however,  from  being  a 
delicate  young  man   he   had  grown    to   be    very 


strong  and  robust.  In  1856  the  brothers  dis- 
continued the  business  at  Coloma.  A.  S.  re- 
turned to  the  East  and  now  resides  at  Leroy, 
New  York.  The  subject  of  this  sketch,  how- 
ever, came  to  Sacramento  city  and  has  lived 
here  constantly  ever  since,  with  the  exception 
only  of  the  numerous  pleasure  trips  which  the 
gentleman  has  made  and  is  still  making  to  dif- 
ferent parts  of  the  world.  Since  he  has  resided 
here  Mr.  Tryon  has  engaged  extensively  in  the 
buying  and  selling  of  real  estate  and  in  lend- 
ing money.  He  has  been  one  of  our  most  pub- 
lic-spirited and  energetic  citizens,  and  his  large 
means  has  enabled  him  to  accomplish  a  great 
deal.  As  an  example  of  his  character,  one  in- 
stance may  be  cited.  At  the  time  of  the  raising 
of  the  grade  of  I  street  from  Seventh  to  Tenth, 
the  amount  levied  for  the  work  was  the  enor- 
mous sum  of  35  per  cent,  of  the  assessed  valu- 
ation. Every  one  of  tiie  property-owners 
interested,  with  the  exception  of  Mr.  Tryon,  by 
taking  ad«vantage  of  a  technicality,  escaped  pay- 
ing, although  they  were  the  very  parties  who 
had  petitioned  to  have  the  work  done,  wliile  Mr. 
Tryon  paid  up  promptly  and  fnlly.  Tiie  levee 
tax  has  always  been  the  great  burden  of  the 
city,  amounting  in  1862  to  7^  per  cent.  Mr. 
Tryon  was  a  member  of  the  old  Tehama  Hose 
Company  in  the  early  '50s.  While  on  a  visit 
to  the  East  in  1855,  however,  the  company  dis- 
banded. He  was  married  March  12,  1863,  in 
San  Francisco,  to  Mrs.  Amanda  Eugenia  Gris- 
sim.  She  died  in  1879.  They  had  no  children. 
Her  two  children  by  a  former  marriage  reside 
with  Mr.  Tryon.  The  Tryon  family  is  one  of 
the  oldest  Connecticut  families,  tracing  its 
pedigree  back  to  ancestors  wlio sailed  from  Eng- 
land before  the  Revolutionary  days,  and  going 
still  further  back  to  an  honorable  origin  in 
Flanders.  When  they  first  arrived  in  America 
they  settled  at  Glastonbury,  on  the  Connecticut 
River,  where  portions  still  reside.  It  is  a  very 
long-lived  family,  as  is  shown  by  the  great  age 
of  Mr.  Tryon's  immediate  relatives.  He  has 
two  sisters  now  residing  in  Connecticut,  at  the 
ages  respectively  of  eighty-four  and  seventy-six 


HISTORY    OF    SACRAMENTO    OOUNTT. 


years;  and  one  at  Leroy,  New  York,  now 
eighty-two.  Of  his  brothers,  two  are  now  aged 
seventy  and  sixty-eight,  in  Middletown.  His 
mother  reached  the  age  of  eighty-four  before 
her  death.  Personally  Mr.  Tryon  is  as  active 
and  young  in  appearance  as  most  men  at  fifty, 
and  bids  fair  to  live  to  be  as  old  as  any  of  his 
kin.  He  has  been  a  great  traveler.  In  1862 
he  visited  Europe,  spending  considerable  time 
in  making  a  complete  tour  of  England,  Scut- 
land,  Wales,  France,  etc.  There  is  hardly  a 
portion  of  our  continent  that  he  has  not  visited 
and  of  which  he  is  not  able  to  give  an  accurate 
description,  from  Alaska  and  the  Yellowstone 
National  Park  to  the  large  cities  of  the  East  or 
the  picturesque  wilderness  of  Mexico.  Indeed 
he  is,  at  date  of  this  writing,  about  to  start  on 
a  trip  to  the  city  of  Mexico,  in  which  doubtless 
there  will  be  much  hunting  and  an  enjoyable 
time.  The  last  time  he  was  East  was  in  1882. 
The  comfortable  home  of  Mr.  Tryon  is  situated 
at  iS'o.  912  Sixth  street,  in  this  city. 


;R.  W.  A.  HUGHSON  has  resided  here  for 
over  fifteen  years,  during  which  time  he 
has  won  the  confidence  and  esteem  of  all 
classes  and  enjoys  a  high  reputation  for  success 
and  careful  attention  to  patients.  He  was  born 
January  18,  1845,  near  London,  Canada,  his 
father  being  Rev.  W.  D.  Hughson,  one  of  the 
most  revered  and  prominent  clergymen  of  the 
Methodist  Episcopal  Church  in  that  Province. 
The  family  is  one  of  the  older  families  of  West- 
ern Canada,  and  is  of  high  standing.  Dr.  Hugh- 
son's  grandfather  was  one  of  the  first  settlers 
upon  the  site  of  the  flourishing  city  of  Hamil- 
ton, one  of  the  most  important  manufacturing 
centres  of  the  Dominion.  Several  of  the  prin- 
cipal streets  ai'C  named  after  the  family,  as 
Hughson  street,  John  street,  James  street,  etc. 
Dr.  Hughson  was  brought  up  in  his  native 
town,  gaining  his  preliminary  education  there 
and  living  the  active  life  of  boyhood  and  youth, 
lie   attended    the   medical    department    of  the 


University  of  Victoria  College,  and  graduated 
in  1868,  after  a  three  years'  course,  and  at  once 
began  the  active  practice  of  the  profession  in 
the  town  of  Dresden.  Canada.  Two  years  later 
he  removed  to  Delavan,  Wisconsin,  where  he 
built  up  a  practice  of  considerable  dimensions. 
Desiring  to  seek  a  milder  climate.  Dr.  Hughson 
determined  to  come  to  California,  and  accord- 
ingly, in  1873,  removed  to  this  State.  For  six 
months  he  practiced  in  Marysville,  but  not  be- 
ing satisfied  with  the  prospects  of  that  city, 
came  to  Sacramento,  where  he  has  resided  since. 
Dr.  Hughson  is  a  leading  homeopathist.  He 
was  president  of  the  Sacramento  Board  of 
Health  during  the  term  of  Mayor  Turner.  Dr. 
Hughson  was  married  in  1869  to  Miss  Libbie 
McGeCj  a  native  of  Canada.  They  have  three 
daughters,  all  living  at  home,  and  named  re- 
spectively Edith,  Ira  and  Beth.  Dr.  Hughson 
owns  a  ranch  of  160  acres  just  east  of  Florin, 
upon  which  he  has  set  out  100  acres  in  grapes, 
fruits,  berries,  etc.  It  is  one  of  the  most  com- 
plete ranches  in  Sacramento  County,  being 
fitted  and  supplied  with  steam  engine,  pumps, 
and  all  modern  conveniences. 

^  ,    .       -^  .•^,.t.,r^.  e         •    .„ 


fOLONEL  E.  R.  HAMILTON,  who  has 
been  the  cashier  of  the  Sacratnento  Bank 
since  its  foundation  in  1875,  and  has  held 
many  other  positions  of  trust,  was  born  in  1832, 
in  Meadville,  Pennsylvania,  and  there  spent  his 
childhood  and  early  youth.  In  1848,  when 
sixteen  years  old,  he  went  to  Pittsburg,  and  be- 
came an  apprentice  to  the  trade  of  steamboat 
coppersmith.  He  served  the  full  term  of  four 
years,  perfecting  himself  in  the  trade,  receiving 
during  that  period  the  wretched  pittance  of  only 
fifty  cents  a  week  and  board,  and  yet  having  to 
clothe  himself  !  Having  finished  his  appren- 
ticeship, he  followed  his  trade  until  April,  1853, 
when  he  crossed  the  plains,  making  most  of  the 
distance  on  foot  behind  an  ox  team.  At  last, 
September  23,  1853,  he  reached  Sacramento, 
footsore  and  weary,  a  strange  boy   in  a  strange 


HISTORY    OF    SACRAMENTO    COUNTY. 


land,  with  only  two  bits  in  money  in  his  pocket, 
but  with  a  stout  heart  and  honest  purpose  in  his 
breast.  He  got  a  job  at  once  to  shovel  dirt  into 
China  Slough  for  a  contractor  who  was  then 
grading  K  street.  Having  no  money  wherewith 
to  buy  blankets  he  slept  in  a  pile  of  straw.  For 
two  weeks  he  kept  at  this,  when  he  rose  a  step 
on  the  ladder,  securing  employment  as  a  porter 
in  the  store  of  Mr.  E.  Ayres.  There  he  worked 
until  January,  1854,  when  he  went  to  San  Fran- 
cisco and  resumed  his  trade  of  coppersmith, 
receiving  as  wages  $6  a  day.  Mr.  Hamilton 
continued  there  until  the  iall  of  1855,  when  he 
set  out  in  business  for  himself  in  the  stove  and 
ironware  trade  at  Placervilie,  in  partnership 
with  Mr.  J.  L.  Smith.  In  1857  he  sold  out 
and  came  to  Sacramento,  forming  a  partnei-ship 
with  a  Mr.  Purdin,  continuing  in  the  stove  busi- 
ness until  1866.  In  that  3'ear  he  was  elected 
city  assessor  upon  the  liepublican  ticket.  Col- 
onel Hamilton  having  been  all  his  life  a  con- 
sistent and  hard-working  member  of  that  party. 
In  1867  he  was  proffered  the  appointment  of 
cashier  of  the  Sacramento  Savings  Bank.  Ac- 
cepting this,  he  has  continuously  since  that  date 
been  connected  with  that  institution,  receiving 
the  like  appointment  of  cashier  of  the  Sacra- 
mento Bank  upon  the  liquidation  of  the  former 
and  the  founding  of  the  latter  bank.  Colonel 
Hamilton  has  honorably  earned  the  title  he 
wears.  At  the  commencement  of  the  M-ar  he 
organized  a  company  of  sharp-shooters,  and  was 
afterward  chosen  Colonel  of  the  Fourtli  Regi- 
ment of  Infantry,  National  Guards,  of  Cali- 
fornia. He  has  been  twice  married,  and  has  a 
son  and  a  daughter.  The  son,  E.  G.,  is  learning 
a  trade. 

— -^^^^W^ — 

tON.  EDAVARD  M.  MARTIN.— This  gen- 
tleman was  born  at  Muscatine,  State  of 
Iowa,  in  the  year  1845.  Seven  years  later 
the  family  removed  to  California,  crossing  the 
plains  by  ox  teams,  and  finally  arriving  in  this 
city  September   24,  1852,  after  a  tedious  trip, 


but  fortunately  without  serious  mishap.  Mr. 
Martin  was  educated  first  in  the  public  schools 
of  this  city,  and  afterwards  proceeded  to  take  an 
academic  course  at  Napa  College,  but  he  was 
compelled  to  abandon  this  before  graduation, 
owing  to  a  lack  of  funds  to  complete  both  it  and 
his  legal  studies,  upon  which  he  had  deter- 
mined. Accordingly  he  became  a  student  in 
the  office  of  Messrs.  Coffroth  &  Spaulding,  the 
eminent  attorneys  of  former  days  in  this  city. 
On  October  21,  1867,  he  was  admitted  to  prac- 
tice before  the  Supreme  Court  of  this  State, 
immediately  hung  out  his  shingle  and  began 
the  successful  practice  of  law  in  this  city.  Mr. 
Martin  has  always  taken  an  active  interest  in 
politics, —  as  a  worker,  however,  rather  than 
as  an  office-seeker, — and  is  a  stanch  Repub- 
lican of  broad  and  liberal  views.  For  a  time 
he  held  the  position  of  court  commissioner, 
and  is  now  and  has  been  for  several  years 
a  member  of  the  Board  of  Education.  He 
is  an  active  worker  in  all  good  causes  that  aim 
to  promote  the  general  good,  and  has  thus 
naturally  taken  a  prominent  part  in  social  and 
beneficiary  orders.  He  is  a  Past  Noble  Grand  qi" 
Capital  Lodge,  No.  87,  I.  O.  O.  F.,  a  Past  Chief 
Patriarch  of  Pacific  Encampment,  No.  2,  First 
Past  Commander  of  the  Patriarchs  Militant, 
Canton  1,  Sacramento,  is  a  Past  Sachem  of 
Owosso  Lodge,  Imp.  O.  E.  M.,  No.  39,  and  is 
also  a  member  in  good  standing  of  the  A.  O. 
U.  W.,  and  of  the  Knights  of  Honor.  Mr.  Mar- 
tin comes  of  a  long-lived  family,  his  father,  Mr. 
George  W.  Martin,  the  well-known  builder  and 
contractor  of  this  city,  being  still  a  hale  and 
hearty  business  man,  although  of  the  advanced 
age  of  seventy-two  years.  In  another  place  will 
be  found  a  sketch  of  the  latter's  life.  Three 
brothers  and  a  sister  reside  at  Moscow,  Idaho 
Territory,  while  two  younger  half-brothers  live 
with  their  father  in  Sacramento.  Mr.  Martin 
was  married  to  Miss  Emily  E.  Jones,  sister  of 
Hon.  C.  T.  Jones,  of  this  city,  reference  to  whom 
is  made  elsewhere.  She  died  about  four  years 
ago.  Of  their  three  children  l)ut  one,  a  son 
named  Albert  Baker,  is   now   living.     Such   in 


HISTORY    OF    SACRAMENTO    COUNTY. 


brief  is  a  sketch  of  the  life  of  one  who  holds  a 
position  of  no  little  importance  in  the  legal  pro- 
fession of  Sacraineuto.  He  is  a  public-spirited 
citizen  of  this  place,  of  which  he  has  been  a 
resident  since  boyiiood,  and  it  is  not  the  less  to 
his  credit  that  his  present  position  of  promi- 
nence has  not  come  to  him  by  chance  or  fortune, 
but  is  the  result  of  great  natural  ability  coupled 
with  indefatigable  diligence  and  a  close  atten- 
tion to  business. 


fUSTAYUS  LINCOLN  SIMMONS,  M.  U. 
Dr.  Simmons  was  born  in  Ilingham, 
Plymouth  County,  Massachusetts,  March 
13,  1832.  His  paternal  ancestor  in  America  was 
Moyses  Simmons,  one  of  the  Pilgrim  colony  of 
English  that  sailed  in  the  ship  Fortune;  the 
vessel  which  followed  the  Mayflower,  and  wliich 
reached  Plymouth  in  1621.  His  maternal  an- 
cestor was  a  Lincoln,  who  went  from  Hingham 
in  England,  and  founded  Hingham  in  America, 
and  whose  descendants  have  furnished  to  the 
Roiintry  numerous  examples  of  ability  and 
patriotism.  Young  Gustavus  received  his  pre- 
liminary education  in  the  schools  and  Derby 
Academy  of  his  native  town,  and  when  but  a 
boy  of  seventeen  years  old,  in  1849,  sailed  from 
Boston,  iu  the  brig  Curagoa,  and  rounded  Cape 
Horn  to  join  a  brother-in-law,  the  late  Dr. 
Henry  B.  May,  in  San  Francisco.  After  a 
lenthy  passage  of  nearly  nine  months  he  reached 
California,  while  the  State  was  yet  in  its  Terri- 
torial condition;  and  after  a  few  montlis'  stay 
in  San  Francisco  he  removed  to  Sacramento, 
during  the  terrible  epidemic  of  cholera,  and 
while  the  excitement  incident  to  the  squatter 
riots  was  still  intense.  Here  he  engaged  him- 
self with  his  medical  relative  in  the  business  of 
the  old  Boston  drug  store,  which  was  then 
located  on  the  north  side  of  J  street,  between 
Front  and  Second  streets,  at  that  early  period, 
owing  to  want  of  accommodations  elsewhere  in 
town.  A  large  number  of  the  prominent  physi- 
cians examined  their  office  patients  in  the  little 


cloth  ante-rooms  attached  to  the  establishment, 
and  as  the  location  was  quite  near  all  the  large 
gambling  houses  and  hotels,  it  was  a  common 
sight  at  that  pioneer  period  to  see  here  not  only 
victims  of  cholera  and  kindred  diseases,  but  also 
those  who  had  been  shot  or  stabbed,  and  who 
needed  surgical  treatment.  In  this  kind  of  a 
practical  school  young  Simmons  began  his  in- 
terest in  the  profession  of  medicine,  and  for 
several  years  did  a  large  amount  of  work  in  con- 
nection with  the  care  of  the  sick  and  wounded. 
He  afterward  returned  to  the  East  and  entered 
the  Tremont  Street  Preparatory  Medical  School 
in  Boston,  and  subsequently  the  medical  de- 
partment of  Harvard  University,  receiving  his 
degree  of  Doctor  in  Medicine  and  Surgery  from 
that  famous  institution  in  1856.  Soon  after 
graduating  he  returned  to  Sacramento,  where  he 
has  since  been  successfully  engaged  in  the  prac- 
tice of  his  profession,  excepting  only  the  time 
spent  in  two  extended  trips  to  Europe,  taken 
with  a  view  to  observing  the  hospital  practice 
of  the  Old  World.  Dr.  Simmons  is  a  member 
of  the  American  Medical  Association  and  served 
on  the  committee  of  arrangements  at  the  great 
gathering  of  that  body  in  San  Francisco  in 
1871.  He  is  also  a  member  of  the  California 
State  Medical  Society;  of  the  Massachusetts 
State  Medical  Society,  and  one  of  the  charter 
members  of  the  Sacramento  Society  for  Medi- 
cal Improvement.  For  over  twenty  years  he 
served  as  a  commissioner  in  lunacy  and  as  a 
member  of  the  Board  of  Health;  also  for  a 
term  as  County  Hospital  physician  and  as 
United  States  Pension  Surgeon,  and  was  the  first 
secretary  of  the  City  Board  of  Education  that 
acted  as  school  superintendent.  He  is  now  the 
president  of  the  board  of  trustees  of  the  Mar- 
guerite Home  lor  old  ladies,  founded  by  the 
munificent  charity  of  Margaret  E.  Crocker. 
Dr.  Simmons  was  married  in  1862  to  Ceiia, 
daughter  of  the  Rev.  Peter  Crocker,  formerly 
of  Richmond,  Indiana,  and  Barnstable,  Massa- 
chusetts. They  have  three  living  children: 
Gustavus  Crocker,  Celia  May  and  Samuel  Ewer. 
The  eldest  son,  Gustavus,  is  a  graduate,  like  his 


HISTORY    OP    SACRAMENTO    COUNTY. 


father,  of  Harvard  University,  receiving  his 
medical  degree  in  1885.  He  is  now  in  Europe 
taking  a  post-graduate  course  in  the  Yienna 
hospitals. 

fLIJAH  CAESON  HART.— The  legal 
fraternity  is  well  represented  in  Sacra- 
mento; and  among  its  members  are 
some  of  the  most  intelligent  men  and  most 
effective  workers  for  the  city's  advancement  to 
be  found  among  her  citizens.  Commuuities,  as 
individuals,  may  possess  great  material  wealth, 
the  accumulated  prolits  of  shrewd,  keen,  com- 
mercial transactions  of  years,  and  still  have  but 
poorly  developed  the  best  impulser  of  the  heart, 
— the  greatest  powers  of  the  mind,  the  deep 
appreciation  of  the  true,  the  beautiful,  or  the 
good,  or  the  ambition  which  aspires  to  them. 
The  subject  of  this  sketch,  Hon.  Elijah  Carson 
Hart,  was  born  in  1856,  and  first  saw  the  light 
of  day  in  an  emigrant  wagon  on  the  banks  of 
Carson  River,  while  father  and  mother  were  cross- 
ing the  plains,  after  which  place  he  was  named. 
His  parents  were  from  Indiana,  whore  his  father 
had  been  a  practicing  attorney.  After  the  birth 
of  you"ng  Hart,  the  family  proceeded  to  Nico- 
laus,  in  Sutter  County,  where  his  father  engaged 
in  various  pursuits  and  where  Elijah  received 
his  earliest  education.  At  the  age  of  twelve,  the 
family  removed  to  Colusa  County,  Elijah  secur- 
ing employment  in  the  office  of  the  Colusa  Sun, 
where  he  learned  the  printer's  trade.  In  1878  he 
was  elected  city  clerk  of  Colusa,  but  refused  the 
office  for  the  reason  that  he  had  been  oftered 
editorial  control  of  the  Oroville  Mercury  at 
about  the  same  time  he  desired  to  accept.  He 
controlled  the  editorial  chair  of  the  Mercury 
from  May,  1878,  to  December,  1878,  after  which 
he  purchased  the  Willows  Journal  and  ran  it 
until  1884.  He  then  came  to  Sacramento  and 
commenced  the  gtudy  of  law  with  his  brother, 
e.x-Attorney-General  A.  L.  Hart.  He  was  ad- 
mitted to  the  bar  in  1885  by  the  Supreme 
Court  of  the  State.     He  was  elected  city  attor- 


ney in  March,  1886.  In  November,  1888,  he 
was  elected  to  the  Assembly,  receiving  the 
largest  Republican  majority  ever  given  a  Re 
publican  in  the  Nineteenth  Assembly  District. 
At  the  session  of  1889,  just  passed,  he  introduced 
the  celebrated  Glenn  County  bill  and  advocated 
its  passage  in  a  most  persistent  manner.  In 
making  his  speech  on  the  introduction  of  the 
bill  he  was  heartily  applauded  and  his  brilliant 
speech  was  a  feature  of  the  occasion.  Mr.  Hart 
was  married  in  Colusa,  May  20,  1878,  on  the 
same  day  he  left  to  take  control  of  the  Oroville 
Mercury.  His  wife's  maiden  name  was  Miss 
Addie  Virian,  a  grand  niece  of  the  celebrated 
Kit  Carson.  A  remarkable  coincidence  is  that 
he  married  the  grand  niece  of  the  man  after 
whom  the  Carson  River  was  named,  the  river 
on  whose  banks  he  was  born  and  after  which  he 
was  given  his  middle  name.  Mr.  Hart  is  en- 
gaged in  the  practice  of  law  in  Sacramento  and 
has  as  his  associate  Judge  G.  G.  Davis.  In 
conclusion  we  would  state  that  to  all  who  have 
had  the  pleasure  of  his  society  he  is  a  most 
pleasant  companion,  and  to  those  admitted  to 
his  friendship  he  is  a  wise  counsellor  and  a  firm 
friend. 


tON.  ELWOOD  BKUNER,  District  Attor- 
ney, was  born  September  27,  1854,  iu 
Zanesville,  Ohio,  his  father  being  the  Rev. 
J.  A.  Bruner,  a  minister  of  the  Methodist 
Church,  now  one  of  the  oldest,  as  he  is  one  of 
the  most  venerated  and  beloved,  of  the  clergy- 
men of  that  church  upon  this  coast.  His  father 
is  still  living,  at  a  good  old  age,  at  West  Berke- 
ley, California.  Rev.  Mr.  Bruner,  although  now 
sixty-eight  years  old,  is  carrying  on  his  ministe- 
rial labors  at  that  point.  In  1856  the  family 
removed  to  this  State,  arriving  here  in  October 
of  that  year.  From  1860  to  1865  they  were 
settled  in  Sacramento,  at  which  time  they  were 
transferred  to  other  parts.  Young  Elwood  pur- 
sued his  higher  academic  studies  at  the  Univer- 
sity of  the  Pacific  at  San  Jose,  graduating  there 


HISTORY    OF    SACMAMENTO    COUm'T. 


in  the  class  of  1874,  and  inunediately  began  the 
study  of  law  in  the  office  of  Messrs.  Moore, 
Laine,  Delinas  &  Leib,  all  names  distinguished 
in  legal  circles  upon  this  coast.  April  10, 1877, 
Mr.  Bruner  was  admitted  to  practice  before  the 
Supreme  Court  of  this  State,  and  at  once  opened 
an  office.  From  the  first  he  has  been  considered 
one  of  the  most  brilliant  of  the  young  lawyers 
of  this  section  of  the  State.  In  1881  he  was  a 
partner  of  Judge  W.  A.  Cheney,  the  eminent 
jurist,  now  of  Los  Angeles.  In  1879  he  was 
elected  a  member  of  the  Legislature  from  this 
county,  this  being  the  first  chosen  under  the  new 
constitution  of  the  State.  In  1883  he  was 
elected  a  public  school  director  of  this  city,  and 
finally  in  1886  was  chosen  by  the  suffrages  of 
his  fellow  citizens  to  fill  the  important  office  of 
district  attorney;  and  this  he  has  filled  with 
such  general  satisfaction  that  at  the  late  election 
in  1888  he  was  sent  back  to  the  same  position. 
He  has  always  been  an  active  worker  for  Re- 
publican principles.  During  the  late  election 
he  canvassed  the  county  for  the  ticket,  contribu- 
ting not  a  little  to  the  general  result.  Mr. 
Eruner  is  a  member  in  high  standing  of  the 
order  of  Odd  Fellows,  being  elected  in  May, 
1887,  the  Grand  Master  of  that  order  in  Cali- 
fornia. During  liis  year  of  ofiice  he  personally 
visited  a  large  number  of  lodges,  and  has  the 
satisfaction  of  looking  back  upon  a  most  suc- 
cessful year  in  the  growth  of  the  order.  Mr. 
Bruner  was  married  to  Miss  Lillian  J.  Flint,  of 
this  city,  in  March,  1880.  They  have  three 
children,  ail  girls.  Heference  has  already  been 
made  to  his  parents.  He  has  also  four  brothers 
and  one  sister  living.  Of  the  brotiiers,  two  are 
practicing  attorneys  in  Alturas  County,  Idalio. 
The  one,  P.  M.,  has  been  district  attorney  of 
that  county,  and  the  other,  J.  Allison,  is  a  lead- 
ing member  of  the  Idaho  Legislature,  being 
chairman  of  some  of  the  most  important  com- 
mittees. Personally,  Mr.  Bruner  is  a  gentleman 
of  literary  and  scholarly  tastes,  a  most  effective 
and  eloquent  public  speaker,  as  is  emphasized 
by  his  selection  to  represent  this  city  on  many 
public  occasions,  notably  upon  the  completion  of 


the  Oregon  &  California  Eailroad  and  of  the 
extension  of  the  railroad  to  Piacerville,  and  is 
one  of  tiie  best  known  and  most  popular  men  in 
the  city. 


fD.  GOODELL,  one  of  the  best  known 
and  highly  esteemed  citizens  of  Sacra- 
®  inento,  has  been  a  resident  here  ever 
since  August,  1849,  when  he  went  into  camp 
under  a  great  oak  tree  where  the  car  shops  now 
are.  He  was  born  April  18,  1814,  in  Belcher- 
town,  Massachusetts,  where  his  father  was  a 
well-to-do  farmer.  At  the  age  of  eighteen  years 
he  went  to  Amherst,  near  by,  to  learn  the  trade 
of  carpenter  and  joiner;  after  practicing  there 
awhile  he  spent  a  year  in  the  same  business  at 
Springfield.  Keturning  to  Belchertown,  he 
entered  the  business  for  himself,  with  signal 
success,  erecting  some  of  the  finest  buildings  in 
the  place,  among  others  the  town  hall.  After 
liis  marriage  there  he  built  for  himself  one  of 
the  finest  residences  in  town.  He  tlien  began 
the  systematic  study  of  architecture,  perfecting 
himself  in  the  art.  As  a  large  part  ot  his 
business  lay  at  Ware  village,  adjoining  Belcher- 
town, he  removed  there.  Next  he  took  a  large 
contract  for  building  three  large  factories  and 
several  hundred  houses  for  a  large  cotton  manu- 
facturing firm,  and  did  his  -vork  so  well  that  he 
was  retained  by  them  for  five  years.  Setting 
out  from  New  York,  in  company  with-  eleven 
others,  he  being  president  of  the  company, 
March  29,  1849,  on  the  brig  Everett,  he  ar- 
rived at  Panama,  April  23;  was  delayed  there 
nearly  a  month,  and  then  came  on  to  San  Fran- 
cisco, on  the  little  brig  Copiaco,  arriving  here 
after  a  tedious  voyage  of  ninety-five  days.  At 
first  he  tried  his  hand  at  mining  and  prospect- 
ing around  Mormon  Island,  Hangtown  and  other 
places,  but,  meeting  with  small  success,  he  re- 
turned to  Sacramento,  March  29,  1850,  to  pur- 
sue his  favorite  calling;  and  since  that  date  he 
has  been  identified  with  the  city's  best  interests. 
He  then  found  business  livolv,  buildings  going 


HISTORY    OF    SACRAMENTO    COUNTT. 


up  rapidly,  and  he  obtained  work  at  $16  a  day, 
tbougii  not  as  an  arcliitect,  for  at  that  time  the 
demand  was  only  for  cheap  and  hastily  bnilt 
houses.  By  the  years  1862-'63  the  city  had  so 
far  advanced  that  a  higher  order  of  architecture 
be^an  to  be  demanded;  and  Mr.  Goodell  built 
the  fine  jewelry  store  of  Mr.  Wachhorst  on  J 
street,  from  plans  of  his  own  design.  From 
that  time  orders  poured  in,  and  a  mere  list  of 
the  many  structures  put  up  by  him  would  alone 
fill  many  pages.  Among  them  are  such  fine 
residences  as  those  of  James  Carolan,  John 
Carroll,  Frank  Ebner,  Theodore  Milliken,  Gen- 
eral Eeddington,  Albert  Gallatin,  Charles  Scud- 
tier  and  others,  at  costs  ranging  from  $15,000 
to  $-40,000;  also  the  county  hospital,  his  plans 
being  selected  where  there  was  considerable  com- 
petition. Several  hundred  of  the  buildings  of 
this  city  and  vicinity,  great  and  small,  are  also 
•  Mr.  Goodell's  work,  as  also  some  of  the  more 
elegant  and  complete  business  blocks,  such  as 
that  of  Waterhouse  &  Lester,  the  Grangers' 
Hall,  Mrs.  Gregory's  building  on  Second  street. 
Green  &  Trainer's  warehouse  on  Second  street, 
the  grammar-school  buildings,  etc.,  etc.  Mr. 
Goodell  has  been  a  member  of  the  Pioneer 
Association  from  the  first,  a  director  for  twenty 
years,  and  its  president  in  1877-'78  when  he 
secured  fo,  the  society  the  commodious  build- 
ing on  Seventh  street,  which  they  now  occupy 
an  J  where  he  has  his  ottices.  He  is  a  true  type 
of  an  American,  a  champion  of  free  thought 
and  modern  reform  and  is  highly  esteemed  by 
all  classes.  He  was  married  May  2,  1838,  to 
Miss  Sarah  Pease,  at  Granby,  Massachusetts, 
and  they  have  two  daughters.  At  their  golden 
wedding  in  1888,  an  immense  throng  of  citizens 
turned  out  to  do  honor  to  the  worthy  couple. 


fR.  WILLIAM  W.  LIGHT,  of  Sacramento, 
was  born  July  29, 1819,  upon  a  farm  about 
two  and  a  half  miles  from  the  little  town 
of  Bethel,  Claremont  County,  Ohio.  It  was  in 
this  same  county  and  only  si.x   miles  away  that 


the  illustrious  General  Grant  was  born.  They 
were  boys  together,  attended  the  same  school  at 
Bethel,  and  when  Grant  received  the  appoint- 
ment to  West  Point,  young  Light  was  there  to 
congratulate  him.  When  eighteen  years  of  age 
he  began  the  study  of  medicine  in  Cincinnati, 
and  at  the  same  time  carried  on  a  chemical 
laboratory  in  that  city,  in  company  with  his 
brother  George,  the  firm  name  being  G.  &  W. 
W.  Light.  Although  never  proceeding  to  a  de- 
gree, Dr.  Light  became  in  this  way  a  physician 
and  surgeon  of  practice  and  experience.  In  1840 
he  began  also  the  study  of  dentistry,  fitting  him- 
self thoroughly  for  the  profession,  which  he  now 
carries  on  quietly  but  feuccessfuUy.  He  was 
associated  in  Cincinnati  with  Dr.  J.  S.  Liggett, 
a  well-known  dentist  at  that  time.  Dr.  John 
Morehead,  his  preceptor,  manifested  so  great 
interest  in  young  Light  that  he  willed  him  the 
whole  of  his  valuable  medical  library.  January 
1,  1849,  Dr.  Light  started  for  California,  com- 
ing by  way  of  New  Orleans  and  the  Isthmus, 
having  to  wait  two  months  at  Panama  for  a  ves- 
sel. Two  of  the  party  became  impatient  and 
returned  to  the  States.  During  tiiis  time,  how- 
ever, the  Doctor  was  kept  busily  employed  as  a 
physician  to  the  many  poor  wretches  that  he 
found  sick  at  Panama.  Finally  he  obtained 
passage  on  the  old  whaler  Humboldt,  with  362 
other  passengers,  and  they  lived  on  jerked  beef, 
hard  tack  and  water  contained  in  old  whale-oil- 
soaked  barrels  during  a  voyage  of  102  days  to 
San  Francisco.  They  reached  the  Golden  Gate 
August  30,  the  Doctor  being  eight  months  on 
the  journey  from  Cincinnati.  But  the  remark- 
able part  of  the  life  of  Dr.  Light  begins  with 
his  residence  in  California.  He  came  directly 
up  to  Sacramento  and  found  employment  almost 
immediately  with  the  Ormsbys,  who  had  set  up 
a  mint  and  were  coining  gold.  Not  knowing 
how  to  do  the  annealing,  however,  they  were 
making  bad  work  of  it  and  were  glad  to  employ 
the  Doctor  at  $50  a  day  to  superintend  the 
works;  but"he  shortly  afterward  quit  that  situ- 
ation and  tried  mining  at  Weaverville,  near 
Hangtown,  with  but  trifling  success.     He  went 


HISTORY    OF    SACRAMENTO    COUNTY. 


thence  to  Shingle  Springs,  where  he  made 
money,  and  there  he  met  a  Spaniard  who  in- 
duced him  with  others  to  go  to  Dark  Gulch, 
near  Sonora,  where  he  reported  that  gold  was 
very  plentiful.  On  arriving  there,  however,  the 
Spaniard  skipped  out  and  they  discovered,  when 
too  late,  that  it  was  all  a  game  gotten  up  by  a 
storekeeper  of  that  part  to  sell  his  goods  to  the 
men  who  should  flock  to  the  gulch.  Dr.  Light 
then  went  to  the  Stanislaus  River,  and  in  1851 
returned  to  Sacramento.  In  partnership  with 
Drs.  Ames  and  McKenzie,  he  conducted  an  ex- 
tensive medical  practice,  continuing  it  during 
the  terrible  cholera  visitation  in  1852.  One  of 
the  most  effective  remedies  of  the  time  was 
"  Light's  Cholera  Remedy."  After  the  flood  of 
1852  he  began  the  practice  of  dentistry,  con- 
tinuing until  1863,  and  having  as  partner  for  a 
while  a  Dr.  Pearson.  In  1861  Dr.  Light  had 
become  interested  in  mining  properties  in  the 
State  of  Sunora,  Mexico.  James  Roundtree,  a 
relative  of  his  wife,  had  located  the  Deus  Padre 
mine  at  Alamos,  Sonora,  making  Dr.  Light  a 
part  owner.  He  wfnt  there  to  inspect  the 
property  for  himself  and  the  others  interested, 
and  in  1863  he  was  sent  there  by  his  associates 
to  act  as  metallurgist  at  the  mine.  Contrary  to 
his  judgment  and  strongly  expressed  opinion, 
they  sent  down  expensive  mills  and  other  ma- 
chinery before  developments  would  justify  it; 
and  when  tlie  results  proved  Dr.  Light  correct 
in  his  views  they  determined  to  sell  out  in  San 
Francisco  at  a  fictitious  value,  and  to  do  so 
wished  the  Doctor  to  prepare  bogus  assays  for 
them.  This  he  refused,  whereupon  they  de- 
clared him  mistaken  and  proceeded  to  make  tlie 
sale  at  all  hazards.  He  was  induced  to  give  a 
power  of  attorney  of  his  share  that  the  sale  in 
San  Francisco  might  be  completed.  The  sale 
was  carried  out  and  Dr.  Light's  share,  $55,000, 
placed  in  the  hands  of  the  agent,  who  immedi- 
ately departed  for  Germany  between  the  night 
and  morning,  and  has  not  since  been  heard  of. 
The  Maximilian  catastrophe  took  pkce  during 
these  years,  and  Dr.  Light  acted  as  surgeon  for 
tlie  soldiery,  who  were  numerous  in  that  part  of 


.  Sonora,  and  thus  won  their  friendship.  One 
day  a  soldier  came  to  him  with  a  piece  of  rock, 
asking  what  it  was.  It  proved  to  be  ore  of  al- 
most fabulous  richness.  Guided  by  the  soldier, 
he  went  to  the  spot  and  saw  that  it  was  truly 
rich  as  a  dream.  Later  he  located  the  mine, 
calling  it  the  Dos  Hermanos,  erected  smelting 
works  and  began  operations.  The  mine  was 
equal  to  its  promise  and  he  made  money,  carry- 
ing his  bullion  to  Hermosillo,  where  it  was 
turned  into  coin.  Of  course,  it  was  necessary 
in  that  lawless  country  to  exercise  the  greatest 
caution  lest  a  band  of  roving  Yaqui  Indians  or 
bandits  should  find  out  he  had  money  and  raid 
him.  All  went  well,  however,  until  one  day  the 
Doctor  befriended  two  deserters  from  the  Amer- 
ican army.  They  must  have  leagued  themselves 
with  the  Taquis;  for  one  afternoon  when  A.  A. 
Light,  the  Doctor's  brother,  had  gone  to  a  dis- 
tant stream  to  bathe  and  the  Doctor  was  seated 
at  his  door  with  liis  nephew,  a  band  of  Indians 
appeared  and  began  to  speak  to  him.  Suddenly 
he  was  seized  from  behind  and  at  the  same  time 
felt  the  sting  of  a  bullet  wound.  A  tussel  be- 
gan, for  the  Doctor  is  a  man  of  nerve  and  sinew 
like  steel.  Again  and  again  he  was  wounded, 
when  he  made  his  way  to  the  door,  thrust  it 
open  against  the  eflforts  of  the  deserters  inside, 
and  found  that  his  weapons  had  been  thrown 
upon  the  floor  from  the  wall  where  tiiey  had 
hung.  Groping  for  them  with  eyes  half  blinded 
by  blood,  he  fortunately  found  a  rifle  and  car- 
tridges, and  then  began  a  terribly  unequal  bat- 
tle. The  roof  of  the  adobe  was  set  on  fire 
and  other  damage  done,  but  in  the  end  victory 
remained  with  the  Doctor,  though  he  was 
wounded  in  five  places  and  was  there  alone.  His 
nephew  had  been  stretched  dead  at  the  first  vol- 
ley, and  the  brother  had  been  killed  at  the 
river;  but  five  of  the  Yaquis  fell  to  the  Doctor's 
unerring  aim,  and  his  fame  as  a  marksman  de- 
terred the  wretches  from  another  attack.  The 
burned  roof  fell  in  upon  the  house,  covering  up 
money  and  all  other  valuables,  and  a  rain  next 
day  converted  all  to  ruins.  Undaunted,  Doctor 
Light  stayed  by  the  place,  although  suflfering 


i^^^c^-e^ 


cn^^^^^^     0>     .p/^^c/^ 


IIISTUUT    OF    SACRAMENTO    COUNTY 


painfully  from  his  wounds  and  having  to  keep 
his  gun  beside  him  night  and  day  and  be  inces- 
santly watchful.  lie  had  an  Indian  l)oy,  who 
alone  remained  witli  him,  gather  up  the  rubbish 
in  the  house  which  contained  his  money  and 
valuables,  and  wash  away  the  dirt;  and  even  hiui 
he  had  to  threaten  with  death  and  make  him 
strip  naked  to  keep  him  from  stealing.  Dr. 
Light  linally  left  the  mine  to  be  worked  by 
others  on  commission,  who  remained  however 
but  a  short  time.  He  came  to  Sacramento  to 
form  a  company  of  trusty  people  and  return  to 
his  mine;  but,  failing  to  tind  men  he  wanted, 
he  abandoned  the  enterprise.  He  was  the  more 
readily  induced  to  do  this  as  our  Government 
was  then  preferring  claims  against  Sonora  which 
it  was  thought  would  lead  to  the  annexation  of 
that  State.  Amongst  these  is  Dr.  Light's 
claim,  reckoned  at  $500,000.  Dr.  Light  was 
married  to  Mrs.  C.M.Weber,  a  lady  of  unusual 
talent  as  a  writer,  artist  and  botanist.  Unfor- 
tunately, a  considerable  portion  of  the  fruits  of 
the  labors  both  of  the  Doctor  and  his  lady  were 
destroyed  by  the  fire  of  1852.  She  died  in 
Mexico.  Dr.  Light  is  a  man  of  peculiar  and 
independent  views,  a  true  friend  to  the  suf- 
fering and  the  poor,  for  whom  many  an  act  of 
charity  has  been  performed,  quietly  and  unosten- 
tatiously. He  is  a  capital  story  teller.  His 
snug  home  on  I  street  is  a  museum  of  curious 
and  instructive  things.  He  is  a  member  of  the 
Masonic  order,  and  holds  pronounced  views 
against  the  use  of  tobacco  and  liquors,  and  is  a 
belieyer  in  "  free-thought." 


JP^OWELL  CLARK,  a  prominent  member  of 
|fflp\  the  Sacramento  Society  of  California  Pio- 
^Bl  neers  and  an  eminent  citizen  of  the  Capi- 
tal City,  was  born  in  Genesee  County,  New 
•York,  June  3,  1811.  His  father  was  a  farmer 
and  when  the  subject  of  this  sketch  was  but  two 
years  old  the  family  removed  to  Ohio,  and  two 
or  three  years  afterward  to  Wood  County,  in 
West  Virginia,  on  the  Ohio  River,  where  they  | 


lived  four  years.  Subsequently  they  moved  to 
Fountain  County,  Indiana,  among  the  earliest 
settlers  on  Osborn's  Prairie,  at  the  same  time 
that  Jesse  Osborn  first  settled  there.  Later 
they  removed  into  Yigo  County,  near  Terre 
Haute.  Young  Clark,  the  second  son,  contin- 
ued to  work  on  the  farm  and  in  a  saw  and  grist 
mill  until  he  became  of  age.  About  this  time 
his  uncle,  Chester  Clark,  of  Philadelphia,  started 
extensivel}'  in  the  mercantile  business,  having 
at  one  time  seven  stores  along  the  Wabash 
River;  and  in  one  of  these  he  gave  his  nephew 
a  position  as  clerk  and  soon  afterward  the  entire 
management  of  the  business  of  that  house.  Two 
years  afterward  he  and  a  man  named  Asa  Geer 
bought  an  interest  in  one  of  these  stores,  and  fin- 
ally Mr.  Geer  retired  from  the  business.  Mr. 
Clark  then  continued  the  store  alone,  and  also 
shipped  produce,  principally  corn,  on  flat-boats  to 
the  New  Orleans  market.  These  and  otiier  enter- 
prises occupied  his  attention  during  the  years 
1846-'48,  when,  his  health  becoming  impaired, 
he  secured  his  brother,  Jere  Clark,  to  take 
charge  of  his  business  affairs,  and  started  for 
California,  hoping  to  improve  his  health.  The 
party  which  he  joined  was  made  up  in  Clark 
County,  Illinois,  consisting  of  fifteen  persons, 
with  rive  wagons  and  two  yoke  of  oxen  to  each 
wagon;  and  they  left  Darwin,  that  county, 
April  2,  1849,  for  the  golden  West.  At  St. 
Louis  they  purchased  their  provisions,  and  also 
at  the  United  States  Arsenal  at  that  city  car- 
bines and  holster  pistols  for  their  five  horses,  fit- 
ting themselves  out  as  dragoons,  for  defense  in 
case  of  emergency.  They  journeyed  up  the  Platte 
River  and  through  the  South  Pass  to  the  north 
of  Salt  Lake  by  what  was  called  the  Sublette 
cut-oif,  thence  by  the  head-waters  of  Snake 
River  to  those  of  the  Humboldt  and  down  the 
latter  to  the  Lassen  cut-off,  which  led  to  the  head- 
waters of  Pit  River,  near  the  Oregon  line.  Thus 
far  they  had  no  serious  trouble  with  the  Indians; 
but  here,  after  getting  over  the  backbone  of  the 
mountains,  the  Indians  one  dark  night  stole  or 
killed  about  half  of  their  oxen.  To  this  point 
they  had   hauled   a   good   supply  of  side  bacon. 


uisTonr  OF  saohamento  county. 


coffee,  flour,  etc.,  which  they  could  take  no 
further  in  its  entirety.  They  therefore  took 
what  they  conveniently  could  and  stacked  up 
the  rest  by  the  side  of  the  road,  putting  a  notice 
upon  it  for  all  persons  to  help  themselves.  The 
company  had  from  the  start  a  captain  and  a 
treasurer — oflices  held  by  the  subject  of  this 
sketch — and  their  general  method  was  to  stop 
each  day  early  enough  to  give  their  cattle  time 
to  eat  before  dark.  They  formed  their  wagons 
in  a  circle  around  their  camp,  and  at  dusk  they 
brought  their  oxen  in  and  tied  them  to  the  out- 
side wheels  of  the  wagons.  One  man  would 
guard  the  cattle  until  midnight,  another  until 
morning,  and  then  a  third  while  they  were  feed- 
ing. Two  men  did  all  the  cooking  for  one  week, 
and  two  others  the  next,  and  so  on.  After  their 
loss  on  Pit  River  they  proceeded  southward  by 
the  foot  of  Lassen's  Peak,  emerging  from  the 
mountains  at  Deer  Creek  near  Peter  Lassen's, 
in  the  Sacramento  Valley,  October  13,  1849, 
after  having  been  six  months  on  the  journey. 
After  resting  and  feasting  a  few  days  on  tender 
beef,  etc.,  at  $1  a  meal,  the  company  dissolved. 
Mr.  Clark  with  one  or  two  others  went  to 
Long's  Bar,  a  short  distatjce  above  where  Oro- 
ville  now  is,  on  the  Feather  Eiver,  where  they 
stopped  during  the  winter  and  spring  of  1849- 
'50,  following  mining  along  the  banks  of  the 
river.  In  the  spring  Mr.  Clark  went  seventy- 
iive  or  100  miles  up  into  the  mountains,  near 
the  middle  Ibrk  of  Feather  River,  and  estab- 
lished a  trading  post  and  herding  ranch  in 
American  Valley,  where  now  is  located  Quincy, 
the  county  seat  of  Plumas  County.  In  this  en- 
terprise a  partner  from  Missouri  named  Tiiomas 
Thing  took  what  money  Mr.  Clark  had  and  a 
horse,  and  went  down  the  Sacramento  to  pur- 
chase supplies, — which  was  the  last  ever  known 
of  him  or  the  horse.  Mr.  Clark  had  paid  $200 
for  the  horse.  lie  conducted  the  business  alone, 
and  in  two  or  three  months  cleared  about  $1,000. 
He  was  the  tirst  and  only  resident  of  that  valley 
in  1850.  Returning  to  Long's  Bar  on  tiie 
Feather  River,  he  entered  mercantile  business 
with  one  J.   T.   Elliott  for  that  winter.     The 


next  spring  he  formed  a  copartnership  with  a 
cousin,  Lewis  Clark,  from  Beloit,  Wisconsin, 
and  established  a  store  at  Gray  Eagle,  on  the 
middle  fork  of  tlie  American  River,  in  El  Do- 
rado County,  and  later  at  Battle  Hill,  near 
Georgetown,  same  county.  They  purchased 
considerable  real  estate  in  and  near  Sacramento, 
and  in  1856  they  closed  business  and  returned 
East  by  the  Isthmus  of  Panama  to  New  York. 
A  year  and  a  half  afterward  Mr.  Clark  came 
again  to  Calilbrnia,  and  has  made  his  home  here 
ever  since.  He  has  been  twice  married,  tirst  to 
Miss  Marietta  Parsons,  in  1844,  and  again  to 
Anna  E.  Galloup,  a  native  of  Rhode  Island,  and 
brought  up  in  Leominster,  Massachusetts.  His 
elegant  house  was  built  six  years  ago  on  ground 
which  he  has  occupied  ever  since  1856.  Thirty 
years  ago  he  set  out  with  his  own  hands  a  mag- 
niticent  vineyard  here,  mostly  of  Mission  grapes, 
which  is  still  in  its  prime.  He  is  now  seventy- 
eight  years  of  age,  and  though  his  life  has  been 
a  checkered  one,  he  is  as  well  preserved  and 
active  as  most  men  who  are  twenty  years 
younger.  Since  he  came  to  California  he  has 
held  inany  positions  of  trust,  although  never  a 
politician.  He  has  been  a  deputy  United  States 
Marshal  and  a  member  of  the  commission  to 
secure  lands  for  the  building  of  the  railroad 
shops.  On  his  father's  side  his  genealogy  can 
be  traced  six  generations  back,  to  one  Edmund 
Clark,  who  came  from  London  in  1635,  in  the 
ship  Speedwell  (mate  of  the  Mayflower,  Joe 
Chapell,  master),  and  settled  in  Lynn,  Massa- 
chusetts. 


tON.  JOHN  W.  ARMSTRONG,  Judge  of 
the  Superior  Court  of  Sacramento  County, 
was  born  in  1884,  in  Fountain  County, 
Indiana,  and  his  parents  moved  to  Missouri  in 
1839.  Llis  schooling  was  obtained  during  the 
short  sessions  of  a  country  school  and  from  the 
careful  training  of  good  paients.  Having  in- 
herited a  somewhat  rheumatic  tendency  in  his 
right   leg,   he   soon   perceived   that  a  farmer's 


IIISTUHY    OP    tiACRAMENTO    COUNTY. 


life,  which  was  that  of  his  father,  could  never 
serve  him  as  a  calling,  and  accordingly,  when 
twelve  years  of  age,  he  bound  himself  as  an 
apprentice  to  a  blacksmith  in  the  neighbor- 
hood, his  father  having  died  in  the  meantime 
without  leaving  much  property.  His  master  in 
the  shop  proved  to  be  an  unpleasant  one  and 
pici<ed  a  quarrel  with  young  Armstrong;  and 
the  latter  was  too  independent  and  self-reliant 
to  submit  to  such  an  ill-nature.  On  the  follow- 
ing morning  his  mother  gave  him  a  lunch  and 
lie  started  afoot  for  St.  Joseph,  the  nearest  large 
town.  Reaching  there,  ho  seated  himself  upon 
the  railing  of  the  public  fountain,  ate  his  lunch, 
washing  down  with  a  basin  of  water,  and,  hear- 
ing the  ring  of  a  blacksmith's  anvil  near  by, 
sought  out  the  shop  and  in  an  hour  had  his  apron 
on  and  was  at  work.  Later  he  learned  plow- 
making  at  another  sliop,  was  engaged  at  iron- 
ing wagons  at  a  third  place,  and  in  the  summer 
of  1851  was  employe  1  at  mill  work  at  Colum- 
bus. He  then  determined  to  come  to  Cali- 
fornia, altliough  he  had  but  $10  money  besides 
what  he  had  packed  upon  his  back,  and  started 
afoot.  Reaching  the  mouth  of  the  Piatt  River, 
he  found  a  drove  of  some  500  head  of  cattle 
belo  iging  to  Martin  Pomery  &  Co.,  waiting  to 
cross.  Drivers  being  wanted,  he  was  employed 
to  drivii  loose  cattle.  Reaching  the  North  Platte 
it  was  necessary  to  cross  that  river  by  making 
the  cattle  swim;  but  they  would  not  enter. 
Young  Armstrong  then  proposed  that  he  should 
be  given  a  yoke  of  oxen  with  whicii  to  swim 
the  river  first,  when  the  rest  of  the  cattle  would 
follow.  The  plan  was  successful,  young  Arm- 
strong swimming  the  cold  river  no  less  than 
twenty-one  times!  That  night  he  lay  out  on  an 
island,  and  in  the  morning  woke  witli  a  dis- 
abled right  leg.  He  was  therefore  carried  in  a 
wagon  or  rode  upon  a  mule  until  they  came  to 
Truckee,  where  most  of  the  men,  including  Mr. 
Armstrong,  were  discharged,  without  provisions 
or  means  to  buy  any.  Mr.  Armstrong's  leg  had 
swollen  to  a  great  size,  and  to  ease  the  continual 
pain  he  opened  it  with  iiis  knife,  while  on  the 
Mary's  river  (now  the  Hnml)oldt),  letting  out  a 


great  volume  of  morbid  matter.  Desperate,  he 
set  out  with  two  companions,  John  Scott  and 
John  Hannan,  over  what  they  understood  was  a 
short  cut  to  Marysville.  After  two  days'  travel- 
ing, without  meeting  any  one,  he  was  so  exhausted 
and  the  pain  so  unbearable  that  lie  threw  him- 
self on  the  ground  and  begged  the  others  to 
leave  him!  They  manfully  refused,  declaring 
they  would  carry  him  first.  Nerved  by  this,  he 
started  again,  and  to  their  joy  soon  after  they 
saw  a  flag  appearing  over  the  trees,  and  were 
soon  at  the  hotel  at  Rough  and  Ready  camp, 
kept  by  John  Magruder.  He  was  generous 
and  took  care  of  the  penniless  wayfarer  until  he 
was  able  to  go  out.  He  first  secured  a  job  as 
dishwasher  in  a  mine  boarding  house,  but  in  a 
short  time  was  promoted  to  be  blacksmith, 
taking  the  place  of  a  man  who  had  gone  otf  on 
a  drunken  spree.  With  $40  earned  there,  he 
came  by  way  of  Marysville  to  Sacramento,  ar- 
riving in  the  fall  of  1852.  After  a  time  he 
obtained  employment  at  his  trade  of  plow- 
making,  at  a  shop  at  the  corner  of  Sixth  and  K ' 
streets;  but  the  flood  of  that  year  drove  him 
both  out  of  work  and  out  of  the  city.  He  then 
worked  at  his  trade  in  San  Francisco  for  a  time. 
Tlie  disadvantages  of  his  imperfect  early  educa- 
tion were  very  manifest  to  him,  and,  like  Elihu 
Burritt,  he  had  set  himself  to  study  while  an  ap- 
prentice boy  by  his  forge,  perfecting  himself  in 
English  branches  and  gaining  a  fair  amount  of 
Latin.  Having  fortunately  discovered  his  elder 
sister  in  San  Francisco,  who  had  preceded  him 
to  California  in  1844,  with  the  famous  Murphy 
party,  and  was  happily  married,  by  her  assist- 
ance he  was  enabled  to  go  to  Santa  Clara  and 
take  a  course  of  study  at  the  University  of  the 
Pacific.  The  name  of  his  sister  appears  in  the 
first  census  ever  taken  of  San  Francisco,  in 
1846.  She  was  married  first  to  a  Mr.  Mont- 
gomery in  Missouri  and  later  to  Senator  Wallis, 
of  Santa  Clara.  Her  son,  T.  H.  Wallis,  is 
now  State  Librarian  at  Sacramento.  Return- 
ing to  San  Francisco,  Mr.  Armstrong  began  the 
study  of  law,  spending  portions  of  his  time  in 
difterent  ottices,   amcjng   others   tliose   of  F.   A. 


HISTORY    OF    SACRAMENTO    COUNTY. 


Fabeus  and  Oscar  L.  Sliafter,  a  former  Judge  of 
the  Supreme  Court.  In  1855  he  was  admitted 
to  practice  before  the  Supreme  Court  of  this 
State  and  for  a  time  practiced  with  some  success 
in  San  Francisco.  He  then  followed  his  rofes- 
sion  for  over  eleven  years  in  Jackson,  Amador 
County,  with  signal  success,  for  a  portion  of  the 
time  with  the  late  Senator  Farley;  and  finally, 
in  the  fall  of  1868.  he  came  to  Sacramento 
where  he  has  since  resided,  building  up  a  good 
practice,  establishing  himself  firmly  in  the 
esteem  and  confidence  of  the  people.  He  was 
first  appointed  judge  in  1883  by  Governor 
Stoneman  to  till  an  unexpired  term,  and  in 
1886  he  was  appointed  to  fill  the  tame  po- 
sition It  is  a  coincidence  worthy  of  notice  that 
he  was  first  appointed  by  the  first  ofiicial  act  of 
Governor  Stoneman  and  the  second  time  by  his 
last  official  act.  The  Governor  then  remarked, 
"  The  first  shall  be  last  and  the  last  shall  be  first." 
At  the  last  election  Judge  Armstrong  was  chosen 
by  the  people  for  the  same  position.  As  a 
judge  he  is  dispassionate  and  irreproachable. 
Politically  he  has  always  been  a  consistent 
Democrat;  but  to  his  present  position  lie  was 
practically  elected  by  Kepublican  votes,  as  the 
county  has  a  Republican  majority  of  1,500, 
thus  showing,  his  great  popularity.  He  was, 
first  married  August  29,  1863,  but  during  the 
succeeding  year  his  wife  died.  September  29 
1866,  he  married  Miss  Annie  E.  Hinkson,  a 
native  of  Missouri.  They  have  no  children.  It 
should  be  further  stated  that  Judge  Armstrong 
served  for  twelve  years  as  trustee  of  the  State 
library,  which  institution  he  was  chiefly  instru- 
mental in  building  up. 


^^ 


fEOPtGE  WASHINGTON  HACK  is  a  na- 
tive of  the  State  of  New  York,  born  April 
25,  1846,  his  parents  being  George  and 
Mary,  (Jenkinson)  Ilitck.  His  parents  emi- 
grated from  England  immediately  after  their 
marriage  in  1844,  and  were  residents  of  New 
York  State  for  about  four  years.      In  1849  they 


moved  to  Calhoun  County,  Michigan,  where 
Mr.  Hack  bought  eighty  acres  of  land  which  he 
cultivated  until  1852,  when  he  came  to  Califor- 
nia, leaving  his  family  behind  until  he  should 
have  tried  his  fortune  here.  He  followed  min- 
ing for  two  years,  and  then  went  to  making 
shingles  in  the  redwood  country  one  year.  In 
1855  he  bought  forty  acres  of  fruit  lard  on  the 
Sacramento  below  Freeport,  and  brought  out 
his  wife  and  three  children.  Four  children  were 
born  to  them  in  this  county.  The  mother  died 
in  1882,  aged  sixty-two  years;  the  father,  born 
in  1818,  is  still  living.  George  W.  Hack  re- 
ceived a  rather  limited  education  in  the  district 
school,  as  he  began  to  assist  upon  the  farm  at  an 
early  age.  He  has  plowed  more  or  less  from 
the  age  of  eleven.  At  twenty-one  he  was 
placed  by  his  father  in  charge  of  160  acres 
bought  in  1865,  near  the  Six-mile  House  on  the 
Lower  Stockton  road,  which  he  has  since  paid 
for  and  enlarged  by  other  purchases  to  515 
acres,  to  which  he  has  given  the  name  of  Pleas- 
ant Farm,  and  on  which  he  has  erected  a  hand- 
some two-story  brick  residence.  He  does  a 
general  farming  business,  in  which  wheat  is  the 
chief  product.  Mr.  Hack  was  married  in  No- 
vember, 1869,  to  Miss  Berdenia  Frances  Keys, 
a  native  of  this  county,  daughter  of  William 
and  Harriet  (Beach)  Keys,  both  families  beiug 
American  for  several  generations.  Her  father 
died  in  1870,  aged  forty-nine;  the  mother,  born 
in  1827,  is  still  living.  Grandfather  Beach 
lived  to  the  age  of  eighty-one,  and  grandmother 
Beach  was  about  eighty  when  she  died.  Mr. 
and  Mrs.  Hack  are  the  parents  of  one  daughter, 
Clara  E.,  born  in  1870.  She  has  received  a  dis- 
trict school  education,  and  private  lessons  in 
music.  Instead  of  a  higher  school  education 
she  prefers  the  quiet'but  effective  tutelage  of  her 
parents .  in  the  calm  seclusion  of  her  happy 
home.  Mr.  Hack  has  more  than  supplied  the 
deficiency  of  his  early  education  by  private 
study  and  extensive  reading,  and  is  to-day  a 
well  educated  man  much  above  the  average. 
He  is  a  Tnember  of  Sacramento  Grange,  No.  12, 
meeting  in  Grangers'    Hall,    Sacramento;  also 


IIISTORT    OF    SACltAMENTO    COLTATY. 


of  Sacramento  County  Pomona  Grange,  No.  2, 
which  meets  in  the  same  hall.  In  the  former 
he  has  held  four  offices  ranging  from  the  lowest 
to  the  higliest,  having  been  master  in  1886,  and 
district  lecturer  in  1888;  and  has  also  been  dis- 
trict lecturer  of  Pomona  Grange.  He  is  now  a 
director  of  the  Co-operative  Business  Associa- 
tion of  Sacramento  Valley,  which  has  its  head- 
quarters at  Tenth  and  K  streets,  Sacramento, 
having  been  elected  to  that  office  in  January, 
1889,  for  three  years;  and  of  the  Farmers'  Mu- 
tual Fire  Association  of  Sacramento  County, 
serving  his  second  term.  The  family  are  mem- 
bers of  the  Methodist  Episcopal  Church,  which 
meets  every  Sabbath  in  the  Pacific  School  build- 
ing, live  miles  south  of  Sacramento  on  the 
Lower  Stockton  road;  and  in  its  Sabbath- 
school   Mr.  and  Mrs.  Hack  are  zealous  teachers. 


iRS.  PRISCILLA  POLLOCK,  ranch- 
owner,  in  Cosumnes Township,  was  born 
in  Pennsylvania,  June  22,  1828,  her 
parents  being  David  and  Mary  (McMillan)  Mc- 
Kee — Scotch-Irish  by  birth  or  descent.  Both 
grandmothers  of  Mrs.  Pollock  were  quite  old 
when  they  died.  In  1833  the  family  moved  to 
Illinois,  and  in  1835  to  Iowa,  where  they  settled 
on  a  farm  near  Montrose.  In  1845  they  moved 
to  Council  Blutfs,  where  both  parents  are  buried. 
The  subject  of  this  sketch  was  married  at  Coun- 
cil Bluffs,  December  3,  1846,  to  James  Pollock, 
born  in  Ireland  about  1810,  his  parents  being 
Thomas  and  Eebecca  (Simpson)  Pollock.  The 
father  died  in  County  Tyrone,  Ireland,  and  the 
mother,  in  Stark  County,  Illinois,  in  1841. 
James  Pollock  has  been  twice  married  and  had 
one  surviving  child  by  each  wife.  Mr.  and 
Mrs.  Pollock  remained  one  winter  in  Council 
Bluffs,  and  in  1847  set  out  for  California,  but 
spent  some  months  in  Salt  Lake  City,  where 
their  first  child,  John,  was  born,  December  4 
1847.  When  the  babe  was  two  months  old 
they  resumed  their  journey  and  spent  the  win- 
ter of  1848-'49  at  what  is  now  Placerville.     In 


1849  they  went  to  Mormon  Island,  where  Mr. 
Pollock  was  engaged  with  others  in  digging  the 
race  or  new  channel  for  the  American  Eiver. 
The  winter  of  1849-'50  was  spent  at  the  new 
diggings  in  Amador  County.  He  had  by  this 
time  accumulated  $16,000  in  gold  dust,  which 
he  loaned  to  Mayor  Bigelow  with  Barton  Lee 
as  security.  By  the  untimely  death  of  tho  for- 
mer and  the  failure  of  the  latter,  Mr.  Pollock 
lost  his  money.  He  tried  mining  again  on 
Mormon  Island  without  success,  and  in  1851 
went  to  farming  on  a  portion  of  the  Sheldon 
grant,  where  he  remained  about  four  years.  In 
1855  he  bought  the  ranch,  200  acres  of  whicii 
are  still  owned  by  Mrs.  Pollock,  on  the  Ply- 
mouth road,  twenty-three  miles  from  Sacra- 
mento, extending  back  to  the  Cosumnes.  In 
1858  he  built  near  the  river  a  two-story  stone 
residence  of  nine  rooms,  and  a  large  barn  with 
stone  basement,  used  at  present  by  tiie  renter 
of  the  ranch.  There  are  abOut  ten  acres  of 
orchard,  and  the  rest  is  devoted  to  grain  and 
alfalfa.  The  family  resides  in  a  modern  two- 
story  frame  house  of  nine  rooms,  built  by  Mrs. 
Pollock  in  1886,  and  surrounded  by  a  nice 
flower,  fruit  and  vegetable  garden.  Mr.  Pol- 
lock died  February  28,  1875,  leaving  five  chil- 
dren by  this  marriage;  and  their  mother,  whose 
oldest  child,  John,  had  died  January  13, 1868. 
The  surviving  children,  all  born  in  this  State, 
are:  Mary  Jane,  born  March  14,  1849,  now 
Mrs.  Philip  Waggoner,  of  this  township,  has 
two  children,  Elizabeth,  born  June  25,  1879, 
and  Piiilip,  born  December  20,  1883;  Kobert, 
born  May  13,  1851,  was  married  to  Miss  Alice 
Goodwin,  a  native  of  Oregon,  and  has  one  child 
living,  Frank,  born  December  25,  1878,  now 
living  with  his  grandmother;  Rebecca  M.,  born 
February  10,  1854,  now  Mrs.  William  Frank 
McFadden,  of  Sacramento,  has  one  child,  Mabel, 
born  April  14,  1877;  William  Henry,  born 
February  20,  1856,  died  unmarried  January  26, 
1884;  Priscilla  Ann,  born  July  13,  1862,  lives 
at  home,  a  very  special  help  and  comfort  to  her 
mother  in  her  declining  years;  Ilughjene,  born 
January   16,    1866,  also    makes   his   home  with 


HISTORY    OV    SACRAMENTO    COUNTY. 


bis  mother,  varied  with  occasional  employment 
elsewhere.  One  child,  Samuel,  born  January 
30,  1861,  died  in  his  infancy,  February  15, 1861. 


f  LIVER  SANDERS  was  born  in  Wood- 
stock, Connecticut,  December  25,  1825, 
his  parents  being  Oliver  and  Nancy 
(Paine)  Sanders.  His  grandfather  Sanders  was 
also  named  Oliver,  and  a  native  of  Rhode 
Island,  where  his  father  also  was  born,  in  Glou- 
cester. His  maternal  great-grandfather  fought 
in  the  Revolutionary  war,  and  his  grandfather, 
Amos,- was  known  as  Major  Paine.  He  died 
about  1842,  aged  eighty-two.  His  father  was 
a  farmer  in  Connecticut,  and  the  subject  of  this 
sketch  lived  on  it,  with  occasional  absences  on 
coasting  voyages,  until  1849.  He  received  a 
common-school  education,  supplemented  by  a 
course  in  the  local  academy.  February  17, 
1849,  he  left  New  York  city  for  California,  by 
way  of  Cape  Horn,  in  the  ship  Henry  Lee,  of 
the  Hartford  Union  Mining  and  Trading  Com- 
pany, and  arrived  in  San  Francisco  on  Septem- 
ber 17,  being  seven  months,  less  four  days,  at 
sea.  He  mined  only  one  month,  when,  being  in 
what  is  now  Sacramento,  on  an  errand,  he  was 
offered  by  Charles  Ilowlett,  a  comrade  of  the 
late  voyage,  $300  a  month  to  join  him  in  the 
butchering  business  for  Robinson,  Van  Cott  & 
King.  Robinson  aftei  ward  died  Supreme  Judge, 
at  Honolulu,  Sandwich  Islands.  The  flood  of 
that  winter  closed  the  deal,  and  he  then  joined 
two  others,  one  being  John  Gilbert,  another 
comrade  of  the  voyage,  all  three  engaging  in 
the  business  of  draying,  with  two  or  three 
teams,  according  to  the  pressure  of  business. 
They  hauled  more  lumber  and  other  building 
material  than  any  concern  in  that  line.  He 
went  through  the  cholera  of  1850  in  safety,  but 
not  being  very  well  he  was  advised  to  go  to  the 
Napa  Valley  Mountains  for  the  benefit  of  his 
health.  He  went,  accompanied  by  seven  others, 
of  whom  one,  George  Davis,  died  of  cholera, 
and  brought  back  a  lot  of  venison  for  Thanks- 


giving, November  29,  1850,  besides  a  slaugh- 
tered bear,  for  which  they  received  $375,  and 
$8  apiece  for  the  four  quarters  of  the  skin, 
which  were  bought  at  that  price,  merely  to  or- 
uament  the  harnesses  of  some  opulent  draymen. 
Once  they  brought  in  a  load  of  nineteen  deer, 
most  of  which  was  thrown  into  the  Jack  River, 
there  being  no  sale  on  account  of  cholera,  the 
city  being  deserted.  Money  was  so  flush  that 
on  July  4  of  that  year  he  and  one  of  his  part- 
ners were  paid  $50  for  the  forenoon's  work  in 
unloading  and  hauling  for  Webster  &  Co.  It 
was  said  that  the  cashier  of  that  firm  was  paid 
$1,200  a  month  for  his  services.  Mr.  Sanders 
and  his  brother  were  paid  $100  for  playing 
their  violins  for  one  night  for  a  dancing  party 
at  "Buckner's."  In  1851  Mr.  Sanders  sold 
out  his  interest  in  the  teaming  business,  and 
came  out  to  the  Cosumnes,  expecting  to  go  into 
partnership  with  Reynolds,  a  rancher,  in  the 
hay-cutting  business.  That  arrangement  having 
fallen  through,  he  went  to  work  for  $150  per 
month  wages,  and  received  a  possessory  title  to 
160  acres  for  his  jiay.  The  title  was  contested 
and  he  sold  out  to  the  owner  of  the  land-grant 
title,  Emanuel  Pratt,  being  promised  $1,000, 
but  actually  receiving  only  $600.  In  1853  he 
went  to  butchering  at  Michigan  Bar,  where  he 
remained  until  1857.  He  w^as  a  member  of  the 
police  force  of  Sacramento  for  about  two  years. 
He  had  bought  a  squatter's  possessory  right  to 
160  acres  in  the  Hartnell  grant,  and  in  1858  he 
bought  of  Hartnell's  agent,  for  $1,000,  one-half 
mile  by  four  miles  (more  or  less)  frontage  on 
the  Cosumnes,  and  four  miles  deep,  covering 
the  ICO  acres  already  bought.  His  father  having 
died  in  May,  1858,  he  went  East  in  April,  1859, 
and  returned  by  way  of  the  Isthmus,  leaving 
New  York  about  February  5, 1860,  and  arriving 
in  Sacramento  in  March,  1860.  Mr.  Sanders 
was  married  in  December,  1862,  to  Miss  Emma 
Sau^e,  a  native  of  London,  her  father  being 
French  and  her  mother  English.  They  had 
emigrated  to  Salt  Lake  City  in  1854,  Mrs.  San- 
ders being  then  only  seven  years  of  age.  Find- 
ing themselves  deceived,  the  father  stole  away, 


HISTORY     OF    SACRAMENTO    COUNTY. 


and  the  mother  and  children  followed  in  1855, 
under  the  protection  of  Colonel  Steptoe,  of  the 
United  States  army.  Mr.  Sanders  farmed  on 
his  place  nntil  about  1882,  when  he  sold  1,310 
acres  at  $30  per  acre,  and  purchased  an  adjoin- 
ing ranch  of  over  2,000  acres,  which  he  still 
holds.  In  1878  he  bought,  near  the  wire  bridge, 
a  small  tract  of  live  acres,  on  which  were  a 
number  of  buildings,  where  he  lives,  working 
his  ranch,  at  some  inconvenience,  from  there. 
He  lived  in  Sacramento  from  November,  1878, 
to  March,  1880,  in  order  to  give  his  children  a 
better  schooling.  He  has  been  constable  for 
twenty-five  years,  with  brief  interruptions. 
Mr.  and  Mrs.  Sanders  are  the  parents  of  six 
living  children:  Amos  Anthony,  born  in  Octo- 
ber, 1863;  Theodore  Nelson,  in  April,  1865; 
Edward  Stebbins,  in  March,  1871;  Harry  Bras- 
tow,  in  May,  1873;  Oliver,  in  February,  1876; 
and  William,  in  April,  1879. 


tEVI  PAINTER  was  born  in  Lawrence 
County,  Indiana,  January  14,  1833,  his 
parents  being  Aaron  and  Rebecca  (Hick- 
son)  Painter,  natives  of  Tennessee,  and  there 
married.  They  first  moved  into  Indiana,  and 
after  several  years'  residence  moved  to  Mis- 
souri, where  the  father  became  owner  of  160 
acres.  Both  parents  were  brought  to  this  coast 
in  1873  by  their  son.  The  father  died  in  1876, 
aged  seventy  four,  and  the  mother  survived  him 
five  years,  dying  at  the  home  of  her  daughter 
in  Indiana,  in  1881,  aged  seventy.  Grand- 
mother Painter  was  eighty  when  she  died.  Levi 
Painter  came  to  California  in  1853,  leaving  St. 
Joseph,  Missouri,  April  18,  and  arriving  at 
Placerville,  A^ugust  23,  a  member  of  a  small 
party  of  twenty  men,  two  women  and  two  chil- 
dren. Of  the  outfit  he  owned  two  horses.  He 
mined  during  the  winter  of  1853-'5-4,  and  came 
down  to  the  Sacramento  Eiver  April  14,  1854, 
going  to  work  for  $50  a  month  and  board  on 
the  ranch  he  now  owns.  Five  months  later  he 
went  across  the  river  and  chopped  wood  for  four 


months,  making  $75  a  month.  In  1855  he  re- 
turned to  ranch  work  on  Sutter  Island,  and  in 
December  of  that  year  he  settled  on  his  ranch 
of  123  acres,  bought  a  few  months  before,  at 
what  has  since  become  known  from  his  name  as 
Paintersville,  about  twenty-two  miles  below 
Sacramento,  on  the  river.  For  ten  years  he 
raised  but  little  of  anything  excejit  vegetables, 
but  since  1865  he  has  given  attention  to  fruit- 
growing, gradually  increasing  in  that  direction 
until  he  now  has  about  thirty  acres  in  orchard 
and  ten  in  vineyard.  He  has  not,  however, 
entirely  relinquished  the  raising  of  vegetables, 
and  has  varied  his  interests  in  other  directions. 
About  1877  he  built  a  large  two-story  building 
which  was  first  used  as  a  boarding-house  for  the 
employes  of  the  salmon-canning  establishment 
then  in  operation  at  that  point,  and  afterwards 
as  a  dance  hall  for  some  years.  This  he  has  re- 
cently removed  and  raised  on  a  brick  founda- 
tion, at  the  lower  end  of  the  village,  near  his 
warehouse,  refitting  it  for  his  own  residence. 
In  1879  he  divided  three  and  three-quarter 
acres  into  building  lots,  on  which  the  hamlet  of 
Paintersville  has  since  arisen.  About  1880  he 
began  to  breed  horses  and  mules,  and  is  still 
actively  engaged  in  that  line.  In  earlier  years 
he  gave  some  attention  to  cattle  and  hogs,  but 
in  the  flood  of  1862  he  lost  some  200  head  of 
these,  of  which  about  eighty  were  ready  for  the 
market,  and  he  has  never  since  taken  any  in- 
terest in  hogs.  Cattle-raising  he  has  also  dis- 
continued, keeping  only  one  cow  for  family 
use.  Levi  Painter  was  married  in  1860,  near 
Roseville,  in  this  county,  to  Miss  Marj^  McDer- 
mott.  She  died  in  June,  1867,  leaving  three 
children:  Louisa,  born  May  2,  1861,  now  Mrs. 
Victor  Falkenberg,  of  San  Francisco;  Mary 
Jane,  born  August  2,  1862,  died  of  pneumonia, 
aged  seventeen;  William,  born  August  29, 
1865,  is  employed  on  the  steamer  Modoc,  in  the 
engineer's  department.  Mr.  Painter  was  again 
married  on  Thanksgiving  day,  November  24, 
1887,  in  Sacramento,  to  Maggie  Van  Auken, 
born  in  Parma,  Monroe  County,  New  York, 
March   18,  1833,  daughter  of   Louis   and    Jane 


aeo 


HISTORY    OF    SACR^IMENTO    GOUNTT. 


(Westfall)  Van  Aiiken,  both  now  deceased,  the 
mother  in  1870,  aged  eighty-one,  and  the  father 
in  1880,  aged  ninety-three,  living  together  in 
married  life  sixty-five  years,  lacking  two  weeks. 
The  father  was  a  native  of  Pennsylvania,  and 
the  mother  of  New  York.  Of  their  children 
six  sons  and  one  danghter,  besides  Mrs.  Painter, 
are  still  living:  Anthony  G.,  James  M.,  Elmer 
and  Edwin  B.,  all  four  farmers  in  Shiawassee 
Connty,  Michigan;  Edmund  B.,  twin  brother  cf 
Edwin  B.,  is  living  at  Salmon  City,  Idaho;  and 
Andrew  Jackson,  now  in  the  employ  of  his 
brother-in-law,  Mr.  Painter.  Jane,  the  only 
livi'.-'g  sister  of  Mrs.  Painter,  is  the  wife  of 
George  W.  Gale,  a  farmer  residing  near  Ypsi- 
lanti,  Washtenaw  County,  Michigan. 


tLFPvED  SPOON  EPt,  rancher  of  Cosumnes 
Township,  was  born  in  Adrian,  Michigan, 
September  23,'  1837,  his  parents  being 
Jonathan  Warner  and  Elizabeth  (Knapp) 
Spooner.  The  father,  a  native  of  Vermont,  of 
the  well-known  and  widespread  New  England 
family  of  that  name,  died  July  7,  1877,  aged 
seventy- two,  near  Mendon,  Michigan,  where  the 
mother,  born  in  Wayne  County,  New  York,  in 
1816,  is  still  living.  Grandfather  Abram  Knapp 
was  seventy-live  at  his  death  in  1863,  in  Lena- 
wee County,  Michigan.  Grandfather  Alfred 
Spc  oner  died  about  1834,  aged  fifty-four.  He 
was  the  son  of  Eliakim,  the  son  of  Daniel,  the 
son  of  Samnel,  the  son  of  William,  the  English 
emigrant  to  Plymouth  Colony  in  1687.  Elia- 
kim, the  great-grandson  of  William  and  great- 
grandfather of  the  subject  of  this  sketch,  was  in 
the  military  service  of  the  colonies  in  1757,  and 
in  1780  settled  in  what  is  now  Vermont,  was  a 
member  of  the  Legislature,  and  was  widely 
known  as  "  a  man  of  marked  mind  and  charac- 
ter." "  Warner  "  Spooner,  a  tanner  by  trade, 
moved  to  Michigan  in  1534,  and  built  the  first 
frame  house  in  Adrian.  In  1835  he  was  mar- 
ried to  Miss  Elizabeth,  daughter  of  Abi-am  and 
Elizabeth  Knapp,  both   natives  of   New   York. 


Mr.  and  Mrs.  Warner  Spooner  became  the  par- 
ents of  nine  children,  of  whom  eight  are  living 
in  1889,  all  residing  in  the  East,  mostly  in 
Michigan,  except  the  subject  of  this  sketch,  who 
is  the  oldest.  The  father  carried  on  a  tannery 
in  Adrian  about  six  years,  when  he  exchanged 
it  for  land  in  De  Kalb  County,  Indiana,  where 
the  family  resided  four  years.  Selling  out  in 
Indiana,  he  bought  100  acres  near  Hillsdale, 
Michigan,  and  lived  there  seven  years.  Finally, 
in  December,  1858,  the  family  settled  near 
Mendon,  Michigan.  Alfred  Spooner  received 
the  usual  district  school  education  supplemented 
by  one  or  two  terms  at  a  local  academy;  worked 
on  his  father's  farms,  and  being  handy  with 
tools  picked  up  the  trade  of  carpenter.  He 
came  to  California  by  the  Isthmus  route,  arriv- 
ing in  San  Francisco  October  16,  1859.  He 
first  worked  on  a  dairy  farm  on  Dry  Creek,  in 
Sacramento  County,  nearly  one  year;  then  ti-ied 
mining  about  two  years,  sinking  all  he  had  made 
in  the  American  Falls  Mining  Company,  the 
great  flood  leaving  him  worse  otf  than  when  he 
arrived  on  the  coast.  He  then  turned  to  the 
business  of  teaching,  being  trained  at  the  Nor- 
mal school  in  San  Francisco,  where  he  received 
a  certificate  of  qualification.  He  first  taught 
near  Roseville,  in  Placer  County,  and  then  in 
this  county,  his  career  as  teacher  covering  about 
twenty-six  years,  mostly  in  Sacramento  County. 
In  1869  Mr.  Spooner  was  married  to  Miss  Addie 
E.  Lamb,  born  in  Chicago,  a  daughter  of  Larkin 
and  Arabella  (Ellis)  Lamb,  who  had  come  to 
California  in  1851.  She  died  in  February,  1879, 
leaving  one  surviving  child,  Alfred  Lawton, 
born  June  10,  1878.  They  had  lost  three  chil- 
dren by  diphtheria,  in  January,  1878,  which  was 
too  severe  a  shock  to  her  nervous  system  and 
occasioned  her  premature  death.  Mr.  Spooner 
was  married  September  3,  1888,  at  Malta  Bend, 
Missouri,  to  Mrs.  Sally  Kesler,  a  native  of  High- 
land County,  Ohio,  the  widow  of  Benjamin  F. 
Kesler,  witli  three  children,  of  whom  two  are 
now  members  of  the  Spooner  family:  Lulu 
Blanche,  aged  thirteen,  and  Ina  May,  aged  five 
years.      Claytonia,    the   oldest    child    of    Mrs. 


BISTORT    OP    SACRAMENTO    COUNTY. 


Spooner,  is  the  wife  of  John  Miller,  residing 
near  Wichita,  Kansas.  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Spooner 
have  one  child,  a  son,  born  October  4,  1888. 
Mr.  Spooner  has  been  a  justice  of  the  peace  in 
Cosumnes  Township  for  fifteen  years,  and  was 
one  of  the  parties  to  the  remarkable  contest  for 
that  office  in  1888-'89,  when  at  the  general  and 
special  elections  his  opponent  and  he  received 
an  equal  number  of  votes  and  finally  withdrew 
their  names  by  mutual  agreement.  He  has  now 
settled  down  to  work  on  his  350-acre  ranch 
about  two  miles  south  of  Michigan  Bar,  where 
he  has  had  for  some  years  a  small  orchard  and 
vineyard,  both  of  which  he  intends  to  enlarge 
considerably.  He  also  raises  grain,  hay  and 
stock.  His  land  borders  on  Arkansas  Creek,  and 
the  higher  portion  is  accessible  to  the  waters  of 
the  new  irrigating  ditch. 

fOHN  SHIELDS,  an  orchardist,  etc.,  of 
Brighton  Township,  was  born  in  Ireland 
April  26,  1835,  the  son  of  Patrick  and 
Mary  Shields.  In  1843  the  family  came  to  the 
United  States  and  settled  in  Kendall  County, 
Illinois,  where  the  father,  a  farmer  by  occupa- 
tion, died,  in  November,  1856,  aged  sixty-five 
years;  and  Mrs.  Shields  survived  him  several 
years.  They  had  a  well-improved  farm  there  of 
210  acres,  stocked  with  100  head  of  cattle,  etc. 
They  had  three  children:  Frederick,  John  and 
Ueimis;  Frederick  and  Dennis  reside  in  Min- 
nesota. John  was  at  home  with  his  parents 
until  he  was  twenty-one  years  of  age,  engaged 
exclusively  in  farming;  and  then  came  to  Cali- 
fornia, by  way  of  New  York  and  Panama,  leav- 
ing home  May  4,  1886,  and  landing  in  San 
Francisco  June  14.  First  he  ran  a  threshing- 
machine  three  months  for  the  owner,  from  San 
Pablo  through  all  the  valley  to  San  Lorenzo. 
In  this  business  he  saved  up  a  little  money. 
Then  he  mined  on  Farmer's  Diggings  and  else- 
where along  the  American  River,  for  $3  a  day, 
for  eight  or  ten  mouths,  and  then  bought  the 
squatter's    title  to  the  ranch  where  he  now  lives 


This  at  first  contained  324  acres,  covered  with 
brush  and  timber.  The  first  year  he  put  in 
fifteen  acres,  and  all  the  improvements  there 
are  now  on  the  premises  he  has  made  himself. 
About  1879  he  purchased  100  acres  additional, 
making  a  total  of  424  acres;  100  acres  or  more 
are  in  orchard,  consisting  of  peaches,  pears, 
plums,  French  prunes,  and  a  general  variety  of 
fine  shipping  fruits.  The  first  trees  were  set 
out  about  nine  years  ago,  and  the  youngest 
about  three  years  ago.  There  are  twenty  acres 
in  vines,  one-half  of  which  are  five  years  old, 
and  the  rest  three.  Last  year  there  were  about 
twenty-four  tons  of  grapes  on  three  acres.  The 
soil  is  a  black  and  sandy  loam,  very  productive. 
This  place  is  on  the  old  Coloma  road,  thirteen 
miles  from  Sacramento,  bordering  the  American 
Eiver,  which  bounds  the  ranch  on  the  north. 
November  18,  1859,  Mr.  Shields  was  married 
to  Mrs.  Elizabeth  {nee  Bow)  Lynch.  She  is  a 
native  of  Ireland  and  came  to  California  in 
1855.  They  have  five  daughters  and  two  sons: 
Mary,  wife  of  Charles  Deterding;  Lizzie  A., 
wife  of  M.  C.  Pike;  Alice,  Hannah,  Emily, 
Peter  J.  and  liobert  E.  Hannah  is  an  accom- 
plished musician,  making  music,  both  instru- 
mental and  vocal,  a  profession.  Peter  J.  is  an 
attorney  at  law  in  Sacramento. 

-«.  :=5-.^->j-~^':      :    ■>-. 

fORNELIUS  KELLOGG,  dealer  in  stoves, 
tin  and  hardware,  Nos.  819  and  821  J 
street,  was  born  in  East  Hartford,  Connec- 
ticut, December  14,  1840;  attended  the  public 
schools  of  his  native  town  and  Hartford  until 
eleven  years  old,  when  he  entered  Colt's  Pistol 
Factory  as  an  apprentice,  where  he  remained 
about  four  years.  Determining  to  go  to  sea,  he 
went  to  New  York,  where  he  shipped  for  Ant- 
werp, Belgium,  thence  to  New  Orleans,  and 
returning  to  New  York,  '.he  trip  occupying 
about  a  year.  In  1857  he  determined  to  seek 
liis  fortune  in  California.  Taking  steamer  from 
New  York,  by  way  of  the  Isthmus,  he  arrived 
at  San  Francisco  in  due  time  and  came  to  Sac- 


HISTORY    OF    SACRAMENTO    COUNTY. 


ramento,  where  his  brother  Leonard  was  already 
established  in  business,  and  entered  his  employ. 
On  the  breaking  out  of  the  war  in  1861  he 
enlisted  in  Company  E,  First  Infantry  Califor- 
nia Yolunteers,  for  a  period  of  three  years,  ex- 
pecting to  be  sent  to  the  front,  instead  of  which, 
however,  the  regiment  was  ordered  to  Arizona 
and  New  Mexico  to  look  after  the  Indians.  He 
held  the  rank  of  first  sergeant  in  his  company. 
At  the  expiration  of  his  term  of  enlistment,  he 
was  discharged,  with  his  regiment  at  Los  Pinos, 
New  Mexico,  in  August,  1864.  Returning  to 
Hartford,  Connecticut,  he  entered  the  employ 
of  the  hardware  firm  of  Terry  &  Cone,  where  he 
remained  until  1868,  when  he  was  again  seized 
with  the  California  fever.  Coming  direct  to 
Sacramento,  he  associated  himself  with  his 
brother  Leonard  in  the  stove  and  hardware  busi- 
ness. During  his  residence  in  Hartford  he  took 
an  active  interest  in  the  local  militia,  and  hav- 
ing lost  none  of  his  military  zeal,  he  immedi- 
ately, on  becoming  settled  in  Sacramento, 
identified  himself  with  the  National  Guard  of 
California  by  becoming  a  member  of  the  Sars- 
field  Guards,  then  attached  to  the  Fourth  Infan- 
try Eegiment.  In  1872  he  was  elected  Colonel 
of  the  Regiment,  which  position  he  held  for 
four  years.  Mr.  Kellogg  has  been  a  prominent 
member  of  the  Grand  Army  of  the  Republic 
since  1866,  having  joined  L^'ons  Post,  No.  2,  at 
Hartford,  Connecticut,  in  that  year.  Soon  after 
his  arrival  in  Sacramento  he  was  transferred 
from  Lyons  Post  of  Hartford  and  connected 
himself  with  Sumner  Post,  No.  3,  Sacramento, 
of  which  organization  he  is  still  a  member.  He 
has  filled  all  important  offices  in  the  Post, 
including  that  of  Commander.  He  also  held 
various  appointments  on  the  staff  of  the  Depart- 
ment Commander  of  California  and  the  Com- 
mander-in-Chief. He  is  also  an  enthusiastic 
member  of  the  Masonic  order,  having  taken  all 
the  degrees  and  held  the  position  of  presiding 
officer  in  all  the  various  branches.  He  also 
belongs  to  the  A.  O.  U.  W.  and  the  K.  of  H. 
In  1869  Mr.  Kellogg  married  Miss  Alice  Vor- 
rey,  of  Hartford,  Connecticut.    They  have  three 


children.  The  two  sous  are  both  prominent  in 
the  order  of  the  Sons  of  Veterans.  In  politics 
he  is  a  Republican,  and  although  declining  all 
public  honors,  has  always  taken  a  lively  interest 
in  local  affairs  as  well  as  national.  Since  the 
death  of  his  brother  Leonard,  which  occurred  in 
1884,  Cornelius  has  conducted  the  business,  and 
has  the  reputation  of  being  a  shrewd,  careful 
business  man.  He  has  met  with  marked  suc- 
cess, which  has  placed  him  in  easy  circumstan- 
ces. 

'^-^■^ 

tICHARD  T.  SCOTT,  a  prominent  rancher 
of  Alabama  Township,  was  born  in  Cum- 
berland County,  Kentucky,  September  5, 
1837.  He  came  to  California  with  a  jolly  party 
of  seventy-five,  across  the  plains  with  ox  teams, 
and  had  some  trouljle  with  the  Indians.  At 
Salt  Lake  City  the  party  divided,  one  section  of 
which  were  all  afterward  killed  b}'  the  Indians, 
including  some  of  Mr.  Scott's  relatives.  At 
times  they  were  certain  that  they  would  never 
reach  California,  so  discouraged  did  they  be- 
come on  account    of    misfortunes;    they    were 


seven   months    on   the   route.     An 


>g 


the 


long-looked-for  land  of  gold,  Mr.  Scott  imme- 
diately began  work  by  the  month  for  John  Mc- 
Gee;  indeed,  he  and  his  wife  conducted  the 
entire  place  for  Mr.  McGee  for  eighteen  months. 
For  the  next  fourteen  months  Mr.  Scott  fol- 
lowed teaming  in  Stockton,  at  $75  a  month; 
then  he  purchased  a  team  and  began  work  for 
himself,  following  the  business  of  hauling  over 
the  Sierra  Nevada  Mountains  for  ten  years.  He 
sold  his  outfit  in  1867,  and  the  next  year  bought 
a  ranch  in  San  Joaquin  County,  five  miles  from 
Stockton,  and  followed  farming  there  until 
1880,  when  he  bought  his  present  ranch  of  480 
acres,  which  is  devoted  principally  to  wheat  and 
barley.  It  is  seven  miles  from  Gait,  on  the 
road  to  lone.  Mr.  Scott  chose  for  his  wife 
Susan  Ferguson,  who  was  born  in  Bradley, 
Alabama,  January  25,  1888.  Eleven  of  their 
thirteen   children  are  living.     They  have   had 


HISTORY    OF    SACRAMENTO    COUNTY. 


thirteen  children,  as  follows:  Malinda  S.,  Sarah 
A.  (died  in  1860),  Henry  D.,  Richard  T.  (died 
in  1865),  Seth  A.,  William  P.,  Joe  H.,  Samuel 
F.,  Cliarles  L.,  George  W.,  Martha  E.,  Sarah  A. 
and  John  W. 

-O'  : ^ -•^-1— {^ ;==:  ■<»- 


5AZZINI  BROTHERS,  proprietors  of  the 
Bacchus  Winery,  are  among  the  rising 
firms  of  Sacramento,  and  the  firm  is 
A.  and  S.  Mazzini.  They  commenced  busi- 
ness on  a  small  scale  April  25, 1881,  and  on  the 
15th  of  August,  1887,  removed  to  their  present 
location,  where  they  have  frontage  on  Third 
street  and  also  on  K  street.  Here  no  expense 
has  been  spared  in  fully  equipping  for  the  wine 
business,  and  a  trip  through  the  establishment 
discloses  everything  in  the  best  of  order.  The 
cellars  are  splendidly  adapted  for  the  purposes 
for  which  they  are  designed,  and  afford  a  cool, 
dry  place  for  the  storage  of  wines.  They  have 
twelve  large  fermenting  tanks,  and  storage 
cooperage  for  35,000  gallons.  They  buy  the 
best  grapes  to  be  obtained,  and  use  the  most 
care  in  the  manufacture  of  their  wines.  Among 
those  turned  out  by  them  may  be  mentioned 
Port,  Angelica,  white  wines  and  Clarets.  They 
make  a  f)ractice  of  storing  wines  of  each  year, 
and  now  have  wines  from  1884  up.  The  office 
of  the  winery  is  at  the  Third  street  entrance,  but 
the  public  entrance  to  their  retail  department, 
where  they  keep  all  kinds  of  wines,  liquors, 
cigars,  etc.,  is  at  No.  228  K  street.  A.  Maz- 
ziui,  senior  member  of  the  Mazzini  Brothers, 
and  the  active  head  of  the  business,  is  a  native 
of  Italy,  born  in  the  Province  of  Massa-Carrara, 
August  10,  1849,  his  parents  being  Louis  and 
Adelaide  (Reali)  Mazzini.  He  was  educated  at 
his  native  place,  and  for  five  years  attended  the 
College  of  Pontremoli,  where  he  took  the  regu- 
lar course  in  Latin,  belles-lettres,  philosophy 
and  higher  mathematics.  He  then  went  to 
live  with  an  uncle,  and  for  four  years  cared  for 
tlie  latter's  property  and  managed  his  business, 
attending  to  the  cultivation  of  the  vines,  making 


and  selling  of  wines,  etc.  He  then  received  the 
appointment  to  the  clerkship  of  the  construc- 
tion of  the  railroad  Irora  Spezia  to  Genoa,  and 
was  so  engaged  for  six  months.  He  then  re- 
turned home,  and  in  1876  came  to  the  United 
States,  landing  at  New  York  on  the  6th  of 
March,  and  reaching  San  Francisco  on  the  21st. 
On  the  1st  of  May  he  came  to  the  Embarcadero, 
and  on  the  17th  of  October  returned  to  San 
Francisco.  From  there  he  went  to  Newcastle, 
and  worked  in  the  Julian  mines  seven  days; 
and  thence  he  went  up  into  Shasta  County,  and 
worked  eighteen  months  in  placer  mining. 
Fortune  did  not  follow  him  during  all  this 
time,  and  at  the  end  of  five  years  he  did  not 
have  $500  in  his  pocket.  He  was  not  familiar 
with  the  English  language,  and  had  to  work 
against  great  odds.  Returning  to  Sacramento, 
May  4,  1880,  he  worked  six  months  for  wages, 
and  then  bought  out  his  employer;  and  from 
that  start  he  has  attained  his  present  situation. 
His  business  has  already  outgrown  his  cellar 
room,  and  next  year  he  will  open  a  larger  estab- 
lishment. He  now  understands  not  only  his 
native  tongue,  but  also  Latin,  French,  Spanish 
and  English.  He  was  the  founder  of  the  Com- 
pagnia  Bersaglieri  Italiani,  No.  3,  and  was  its 
first  president. 

• ^-'-^B--^^ 

fM.  OVERMEYER,  of  Alabama  Township, 
was  born  in  Pickaway  County,  Ohio,  in 
"  1834.  Arriving  in  California  in  1854  he 
lost  no  time  in  earning  for  himself  a  permanent 
home.  For  the  first  four  years  he  labored  on  a 
farm  for  monthly  wages,  and  by  the  accumula- 
tions he  thus  made  he  was  able  to  buy  some 
cattle  and  afterward  other  property.  Three 
years  subsequently  he  sold  his  stock  and  pur- 
chased a  team  of  horses  and  followed  teaming 
four  years  over  the  Sierra  Nevada  Mountains. 
He  then  married  and  went  to  "  ranching"  again 
for  himself,  in  El  Dorado  County.  Two  years 
afterward  he  came  into  Sacramento  County,  and 
two  years  after  that  again   he  went  to  Watson- 


UISTORT    OF    SACRAMENTO    COUNTY. 


ville,  where  he  remained  five  years.  Returning 
to  this  county,  he  purchased  an  interest  in  the 
De  los  Moquelemos  grant,  where  he  remained 
about  five  years,  and  finally  bought  the  place 
where  he  is  now  living,  7^  miles  from  Gait, 
on  the  Gait  and  lone  road.  It  contains  360 
acres,  and  his  principal  products  are  grain  and 
hay.  Mr.  Overmejer's  wife  was  formerly  Sarah 
Martha  Douglas.  She  was  born  in  Missouri, 
and  died  at  their  residence  April  16,  1889.  She 
was  a  noble  and  kind-hearted  woman.  Mr. 
Overmeyer's  father  was  born  in  Pennsylvania 
in  1806,  and  died  in  1874,  in  Santa  Cruz 
County,  California.  Mr.  J.  M.  Overmeyer  has 
six  children:  George  E.,  Frank  E.,  Emma  A., 
Edgar  L.,  CoraE.  and  Timothy  G. 

'^■^■^ ' 

igjON.  IRA  G.  HOITT.  In  the  history  of  a 
\ml  ^^^^^  '^''  "E^tion  there  can  be  no  more  im- 
^M  portant  subject  than  that  of  education,  as 
real  progress  is  always  dependent  on  the  de- 
velopment of  that  all-powerful  agent,  so  that  no 
apology  is  necessary  for  the  introduction  here 
of  a  brief  sketch  of  the  present  principal  guard- 
ian of  the  educational  interests  of  California, 
more  especially  as  he  has  taken  a  peculiarly 
active  part  in  their  advancement.  Ira  G.  Hoitt, 
Superintendent  of  Public  Instruction  for  the 
State  of  California,  became  associated  with  the 
public  schools  of  this  commonwealth  over  a 
quarter  of  a  century  ago.  He  is  a  native  of 
Stafford  County,  New  Hampshire,  born  in  the 
town  of  Lee,  July  23,  1833,  his  parents  being 
Gorham  W.  and  Abigail  P.  (Locke)  Hoitt,  who 
were  also  natives  of  New  Hampshire,  while  his 
father,  a  farmer  by  vocation,  served  his  county 
as  sheriff  and  also  represented  her  in  both 
branches  of  the  General  Assembly  of  the  State. 
The  subject  of  this  sketch  was  prepared  for 
college  at  Phillips  Academy,  Exeter,  after  which 
he  entered  Dartmouth  College,  and  was  gradu- 
ated at  that  celebrated  seat  of  learning  in  the 
class  of  1860.  He  made  his  own  way  through 
college,  dividing  his  labors  (while  providing  the 


funds)  between  farming  and  school-teaching. 
After  completing  his  education  he  took  charge 
of  the  high  school  at  Holliston,  Massachusetts, 
as  principal,  and  after  completing  his  engage- 
ment there,  assumed  a  similar  position  in  the 
high  school  at  Stoneham.  He  was  next  em- 
ployed in  a  similar  capacity  at  Marlboro,  and 
succeeding  this  was  chosen  associate  teacher  of 
the  Boys'  High  School  at  Boston.  He  resigned 
the  latter  position  in  1864,  for  the  purpose  of 
removing  to  California.  He  left  Boston  on  the 
steamer  Ariel,  for  Panama,  and  crossing  the 
Isthmus  resumed  his  journey  on  the  steamer 
Golden  City,  from  wliicii  he  landed  at  San  Fran- 
cisco at  midnight  of  the  18th  of  May  of  that 
year.  He  became  vice-principal  of  the  Denman 
Grammar  School,  and  a  short  time  thereafter 
principal  of  the  Rincon  Grammar  School.  In 
1865,  when  the  building  of  the  Lincoln  School 
was  completed,  he  was  elected  principal.  In 
1867  he  was  nominated  by  the  Republican  Con- 
vention for  the  office  of  City  Superintendent  of 
Schools,  but,  with  his  ticket,  was  defeated. 
Soon  after  that  time  he  retired  from  his  educa- 
tional labors,  and  thereafter,  until  1881,  was 
engaged  in  the  vocation  of  life  insurance, 
stock  brokerage  and  real  estate.  In  1880  he 
was  elected  to  the  General  Assembly  of  Cali- 
fornia, serving  during  1881  and  1882,  and  hold- 
ing the  chairmanship  of  the  Committee  on 
Education,  and  membership,  respectively,  in 
those  on  Ways  and  Means  and  on  Public  Mor- 
als. He  next  assumed  the  business  manage- 
ment of  Bancroft's  "Commerce  and  Industries 
of  the  Pacific  Coast,"  which  he  made  highly 
successful.  He  published  the  Knights  Templar 
edition  of  the  Pacific  Coast  Guide,  as  well  as 
the  edition  devoted  to  the  National  G.  A.  R. 
encampment.  In  1883  he  became  organizer 
and  manager  of  Palmer  &  Rey's  Advertising 
Bureau  and  Newspaper  Union.  In  1884  he 
was  elected  as  a  member  of  the  Board  of  Edu- 
cation of  San  Francisco,  and  in  1885  and  1886 
was  unanimously  elected  by  the  members  presi- 
dent of  the  board.  In  1886  he  was  nominated 
by  the  State  Convention  of  the  Republican  party 


HISTOKT    OF    SAC  HAM  EN  TO    COUNTY. 


for  his  present  position,  and  elected  after  a  sharp 
contest.  The  position  was  well  merited,  as  Mr. 
Hoitt  had  devoted  great  energy  toward  the 
building  up  of  the  educational  sentiment  of  the 
State,  and  as  a  member  of  the  General  Assem- 
bly had  been  particularly  ardejit  in  the  cause 
"While  in  the  house  he  pushed  to  passage  the 
bill  for  the  establishment  of  a  Normal  School 
at  Los  Angeles,  and  identified  himself  thor- 
oughly with  any  good  pertaining  to  the  cause. 
Since  assuming  the  duties  of  his  present  office 
he  has  fathered  the  introduction  of  most  of  the 
text-books  now  in  use  in  the  State  schools,  and 
their  high  character  (and  even  the  fact  that 
some  of  them  are  now  in  existence  at  all)  is  due 
in  no  small  degree  to  the  interest  displayed  by 
Mr.  Hoitt,  and  to  his  personal  labors.  Mr. 
Hoitt  is  a  man  of  determined  character,  enthu- 
siastic in  his  profession,  never  tiring  of  its 
work,  and  this  influence  of  his  labors  has  been 
felt  throughout  the  length  and  breadth  of  the 
State,  wherever  there  is  a  school-house.  He 
has  found  a  ready  helper  in  his  wife,  whose  life 
has  also  been  devoted  to  the  cause  of  education, 
and  who  is  at  the  present  time  his  most  efficient 
deputy.  The  Professor  emphasizes  the  fact 
that  much  of  his  success  in  life  is  due  to  his 
wife's  competent  effort.  Her  maiden  name  was 
Julia  B.  Burrell.  Her  father,  Captain  B.  H. 
Burrell,  came  to  California  in  1849,  but  being 
taken  sick,  he  started  to  return  home,  died  on 
ship  board,  and  was  buried  in  San  Diego.  Mr. 
Hoitt,  a  cultured  man  himself,  believes  in  the 
inculcation  into  the  minds  of  children  of  habits 
of  courtesy  which  will  cling  to  them  through 
life,  and  his  example  is  no  small  factor  in  im- 
pressing such  habits  on  those  with  whom  he 
comes  in  contact.  In  the  preparations  for  the 
reception  of  the  visiting  teachers  of  the  National 
Educational  Association,  as  well  as  in  the  actual 
business  of  the  convention  of  1888,  he  took  a 
most  prominent  part,  having  been  president  of 
the  local  executive  committee  for  California,  and 
untiring  in  the  managetiient  of  that  afl'air,  so 
successful  and  so  creditable  to  the  State.  No 
superintendent  has  been  so  active  in  educational 


matters  and  institute  work.  Prof,  and  Mrs. 
Hoitt  have  two  children,  one  son  and  daughter: 
Ralph  H.,  seventeen  years  of  age,  just  graduated 
from  the  Sacramento  High  School;  and  the 
daughter,  Gladys,  who  is  twelve  years  old,  and 
in  the  Sacramento  Grammar  School. 

"*'   • **%^'*}"'^"* ^    '"^ 

tj.  RHOADS.  Among  the  long  resident 
citizens  of  Sacramento  who  still  take  an 
'  active  interest  in  her  affairs,  is  the  one 
with  whose  name  this  sketch  is  commenced. 
A.  J.  Rhoads  is  a  native  of  Philadelphia,  born 
in  August,  1830,  his  parents  being  Andrew  D. 
and  Rebecca  (Denby)  Rhoads.  His  mother 
was  a  native  of  North  Carolina.  His  father 
was  born  in  Maryland,  and  came  of  an  old 
family  of  that  State.  He  removed  to  Philadel- 
phia, where  he  followed  the  profession  of  an 
architect,  and  during  the  years  before  the  con- 
solidation of  the  city  was  one  of  the  commis- 
sioners of  Spring  Garden,  and  later  a  member 
of  the  Select  Council  of  the  city.  He  resided 
in  Philadelphia  until  his  death.  The  subject  of 
this  sketch  spent  his  boyhood  days  in  his  native 
city,  and  in  her  public  schools  received  his  edu- 
cation. In  1850  he  came  to  California,  leaving 
New  York  September  11,  on  the  steamer  Geor- 
gia, and  after  crossing  the  Isthmus  of  Panama, 
resumed  his  sea  voyage  in  the  steamer  Repub- 
lic (Captain  Hudson),  landing  at  San  Francisco 
in  November.  Pie  came  at  once  to  Sacramento, 
and  was  soon  on  his  way  to  the  mines.  He 
went  to  the  diggings  at  Red  Dog,  Nevada 
County,  but  after  mining  a  short  time  returned 
to  Sacramento,  and  engaged  in  the  draying 
business.  He  was  so  employed  about  ten  years, 
and  at  the  expiration  of  that  time  opened  the 
old  Sacramento  Tiieater  on  Third  street,  and 
ran  it  about  one  year,  and  in  the  occupation  of 
liotel  and  exchange  keeper.  He  is  now  retired 
from  active  business  pursuits,  though  yet  re- 
taining a  lively  interest  in  public  affairs.  Mr. 
Rhoads  holds  a  prominent  position  in  tlie  coun- 
cils of   the    Republican    party,  and    has   been 


BISTORT    OF    SACRAMENTO    COUNTY. 


constantly  a  working  member  in  the  party  or- 
ganization, serving  in  the  city,  county  and  State 
committees,  etc.,  and  having  great  influence  in 
the  direction  of  aifairs.  In  the  days  of  the  old 
volunteer  fire  department,  when  the  leading 
business  and  professional  men  "ran  with  the 
machine,"  Mr.  Ehoads  has  acted  in  the  ranks 
and  served  as  foreman  for  a  number  of  years  of 
Confidence  Engine,  No.  1.  He  is  now  a  mem- 
ber of  the  Exempt  Firemen.  In  1871-'72  he 
was  Sergeant-at-arms  of  the  House  of  Repre- 
sentatives, General  Assembly  of  California.  Mr 
Rlioads  was  married  in  Sacramento  to  Miss  Til- 
lie  Tuill,  a  native  of  Portland,  Maine.  They 
have  one  son  living  of  their  children,  viz.,  Frank- 
lin M.  Mr.  Rhoads  is  an  enterprising  man,  and 
has  figured  in  Sacramento  history  since  the  early 
days.  He  has  been  an  eye-witness  to  the  growth 
of  Sacramento  to  its  present  position  as  a  city, 
and  the  complete  transformation  it  has  under- 
gone from  the  days  when  "Gold  was  King." 


fUDGE  SAMUEL  C.  DENSON.  The  sub- 
ject of  this  sketch,  although  still  in  the 
prime  of  life,  has  been  so  prominently 
identified  with  the  social,  material  and  profes- 
sional interests  of  Sacramento  County — so  well 
known,  not  only  for  pre-eminent  legal  acumen 
as  a  jurist  and  a  member  of  one  of  the  most 
widely-known  legal  firms  on  the  Pacific  Coast, 
but  also  for  the  close,  never- failing  personal  inter- 
est which  he  has  ever  manifested  in  all  measures 
having  for  their  object  the  advancement  of  the 
community  in  which  he  has  had  his  home  for 
more  than  twenty  years — that  a  brief  page 
from  his  life's  history  cannot  but  be  interesting 
to  his  many  friends  and  acquaintances,  as  well 
as  to  the  student  of  history  who  in  after  years 
shall  by  this  means  be  enabled  to  "  point  a 
moral  and  adorn  a  tale."  In  both  the  mental 
and  physical  characteristics  of  Judge  Denson 
one  can  trace  the  rich  warm  blood  of  Southern 
"  chivalry  "  which  flows  through  his  veins,  tem- 
pered and  broadened,  it   is   true,  by  the  "vim" 


and  energy  of  the  early  "pioneer,"  who  held 
the  plow  and  sowed  the  seed,  and  made  fruitful 
the  broad  prairie  lands  of  Illinois.  Judge 
Denson's  father  was  a  farmer,  a  native  and 
scion  of  one  of  the  old  families  of  North  Caro- 
lina, who  emigrated  to  southern  Illinois  in  the 
early  days,  was  there  married  to  a  Miss  Craw- 
ford— a  Virginian.  They  settled  in  Adams 
County,  near  Quincy,  and  there  the  subject  of 
this  sketch  was  born  on  the  23d  of  September, 
1839.  He  was  educated  at  the  well-known 
Abingdon  College,  and  at  an  early  age  deter- 
mined to  enter  the  legal  profession,  but,  like 
many  another  ambitious  youth,  his  close  appli- 
cation to  study  impaired  his  health  to  such  an 
extent  that  it  was  deemed  necessary,  for  a  time 
at  least,  that  he  should  seek  "  other  fields  and 
pastures  new."  He  joined  an  emigrant  party 
then  just  being  made  up  to  cross  the  plains  with 
teams  to  the  new  "  El  Dorado,"  hoping  in  this 
way  not  only  to  lind  the  "  promised  land,"  but 
also  the  golden  boon  of  health,  without  which 
all  else  is  naught.  Upon  his  arrival  in  Butte 
County,  and  after  a  brief  experience  in  the 
mines,  he  engaged  in  teaching  school  and  re- 
sumed his  legal  studies  in  the  office  of  Judge 
Thomas  Wells  at  Oroville.  Three  years  later, 
in  March,  1864,  he  went  to  Carson  City,  Ne- 
vada, where  he  commenced  the  practice  of  law, 
having  been  admitted  to  the  bar  of  the  Supreme 
Court  of  Nevada  soon  after  his  arrival  in  that 
Territory.  In  November  of  that  year  he  took 
his  seat  in  the  Assembly  of  the  first  State  Legis- 
lature of  Nevada,  serving  as  chairman  on  the 
judiciary  committee  of  that  body,  Two  years 
later,  November,  1866,  he  was  elected  district 
attorney  of  Ormsby  County,  and  was  re-elected 
to  that  office  upon  the  expiration  of  the  term; 
but,  feeling  the  importance  of  a  wider  field  of 
usefulness,  he  soon  afterward  resigned  the 
office,  removed  to  the  capital  city,  and  entered 
into  a  law  partnership  with  Judge  H.  O.  Beatty, 
a  native  of  Kentucky,  whose  daughter  Mary  M. 
became  his  wife.  In  1875  Mr.  Denson  was  ad- 
mitted to  the  bar  of  the  Supreme  Court  of  the 
United  States,  and  on  January  1,  1876,  he  took 


HISTORY    OP    SACRAMENTO    COUNTY. 


his  seat  as  Judge  of  the  Sixth  Judicial  District 
of  California,  composed  of  the  counties  of  Sac- 
ramento and  Yolo,  defeating  Judge  Louis  Ram- 
age  and  Judge  A.  P.  Catlin  in  the  contest  for 
that  office — a  position  which  he  held  until  1879, 
-when  under  the  new  constitution  it  was  abol- 
ished. He  was  immediately  elected  Superior 
Judge  under  the  new  constitution,  for  a  term 
of  five  years,  but  resigned  his  position  three 
years  later  to  form  a  partnership  with  Judge  W. 
H.  Beatty,  which  continued  until  the  elevation 
of  the  latter  to  the  office  of  Chief  Justice  of 
the  Supreme  Court  of  California  in  1888.  Eut 
prior  to  this,  in  December,  1871,  Judge  Denson 
was  elected  City  Superintendent  of  Public 
Schools  of  Sacramento,  holding  this  office  for 
two  years,  and  when  in  1879  the  Sacramento 
Free  Library  was  established  he  was  selected  by 
the  city  officials  as  one  of  its  directors  and  was 
elected  president  of  the  board  by  his  fellow  mem- 
bers. Ever  ready  to  extend  a  helping  hand  in  any 
good  work,  Jndge  Denson  has  become  one  of 
the  best  known  members  of  the  Masonic  frater- 
nity in  the  State;  has  passed  the  chair  of  Union 
Lodge,  No.  58,  F.  &  A.  M.,  has  held  the  dis- 
tinguished office  of  Deputy  Grand  Master,  and 
Grand  Master  of  the  Grand  Lodge  of  California; 
is  a  member  of  Sacramento  Chapter,  No.  3, 
Royal  Arch  Masons,  and  of  Sacramento  Coun- 
cil, No.  1,  and  Sacramento  Commandery  No.  2, 
Knights  Templar.  He  is  recognized  everywhere 
among  his  associates  as  a  man  of  public  spirit. 


fOHN  WALSH,  rancher,  four  miles  from 
Gait,  was  born  in  L-eland,  February  20, 
1840,  and  left  his  native  country  for  Bos- 
ton, Massachusetts,  June  16,  1863,  and  arrived 
there  July  29,  following.  In  1868  he  came  to 
California  on  the  steamer  Montana.  After  re- 
maining in  San  Francisco  a  short  time,  he  spent 
two  years  in  San  Jose;  1870-'74  he  was  in 
Stockton,  and  then  settled  upon  his  present 
place,  known  as  the  old  King  ranch.  It  com- 
prises 160  acres  of  tine  land,   which  is  devoted 


to  hay  and  grain.  Richard  "Walsh,  the  father  of 
John,  was  born  in  Ireland  in  1816,  and  died  in 
that  country  in  1856.  Mr.  John  "Walsh  mar- 
ried, at  Stockton,  March,  1878,  Mary  Flaherty, 
who  was  born  in  Ireland.  Their  four  children 
are:  William,  Abbie,  Maggie  and  John  P. 


fOE  TASH,  a  gardener  on  the  river  road, 
about  seven  miles  from  Sacramento,  on  a 
fine  ranch  of  thirty-six  acres,  was  born  on 
one  of  the  Azores  Islands  in  1846,  and  came  to 
California  in  the  fall  of  1865,  by  way  of  the 
Isthmus  of  Panama,  and  settled  where  he  now 
resides.  His  wife,  Lucina,  is  also  a  native  ot 
the  Azores.  They  were  married  in  Sacramento. 
Their  children  are  four  in  number,  namely: 
Marcell,  Frank,  Francis  and  Merian. 

■ '^-^^-^ 

tON.  NEWTON  BOOTH.— Among  those 
who  came  to  Sacramento  in  1850  was 
Newton  Booth,  who  afterward  filled  so 
important  a  place  in  the  business,  political  and 
social  history  of  Sacramento  and  of  California. 
The  firm  of  Booth  &  Co.  (composed,  at  this 
writing,  of  Senator  Booth  and  C.  T.  Wheeler), 
has  been  in  -existence  since  the  pioneer  days  of 
California;  and  though  its  membership  has  on 
several  occasions  been  changed,  it  has  at  all 
times  ranked  among  the  leading  houses  of  the 
city  and  State.  In  July,  1849,  T.  M.  Lindley 
and  L.  A.  Booth  organized  the  grocery  firm  of 
Lindley  &  Booth,  doing  business  at  the  old  num- 
ber, 38  K  street.  In  May  of  the  following  year 
they  were  succeeded  by  Forshee,  Booth  &  Co., 
composed  of  John  Forshee,  L.  A.  Booth  and  Job 
Dye.  The  two  latter  gentlemen  retired  from 
the  firm  in  the  spring  of  1851.  About  that 
time  Charles  Smith  and  Newton  Booth  com- 
menced business  on  J  street,  in  the  grocery 
trade,  under  the  name  of  Smith  &  Booth.  Sac- 
ramento, though  then  a  small  place,  was  yet  a 
very  busy  one  and  was  looked  to  as  almost  the 


BISTORT    OF    SACRAMENTO    COUNTY. 


sole  source  of  supplies  for  the  many  mining 
camps  already  at  work,  as  well  as  those  which 
were  being  continually  opened  np.  Her  mer- 
chants generally  did  a  jobbing  business.  Smith 
&  Booth  were  essentially  a  wholesale  house, 
though  through  the  necessities  of  the  trade  at 
that  day  they  did  not  refuse  retail  customers. 
The  fire  of  1852  left  Sacramento  almost  where 
she  had  started,  and  the  firm  suflTered  with  the 
rest.  Shortly  afterward  L.  A.  Booth,  one  of  the 
organizers  of  Lindley  &  Booth,  became  a  part- 
ner, and  the  firm  assumed  the  name  of  Booth 
&  Co.  Thus  the  house  continued  until  1856. 
In  that  year  Newton  Booth  retired  and  returned 
to  Indiana,  while  the  firm  consolidated  with 
Kleinhans  &Co.  (who  had  commenced  business 
in  1852),  but  the  name  was  not  changed.  C. 
T.  Wheeler  and  T.  L.  Barker  also  became  part- 
ners in  1856.  In  1860  Newton  Booth  again 
became  a  citizen  of  Sacramento,  and  rejoined 
his  old  firm.  There  were  no  more  changes  until 
1863,  when  L.  A.  Booth  and  Mr.  Barker  retired 
and  J.  T.  Glover  became  a  member,  continuing 
until  his  death,  which  occurred  in  1885.  This 
left  the  firm  as  at  present  constituted — Newton 
Booth  and  C.  T.  Wheeler.  Senator  Booth  is  a 
native  of  Washington  County,  Indiana,  born 
December  30,  1825.  His  father,  Beebe  Booth^ 
a  native  of  Connecticut,  was  a  son  of  one  of  the 
lieroes  of  the  American  Revolution.  At  an 
early  age  he  went  to  what  was  then  the  far  West, 
locating  at  Salem,  Washington  County,  Indiana, 
in  1816.  There  he  engaged  in  merchandising, 
and  afterward  published  there  the  first  news- 
paper issued  in  Indiana.  He  was  married  there 
to  Hannah  Pitts,  a  native  of  Chatham  County, 
North  Carolina.  Her  father,  Andrew  Pitts, 
emigrated  from  Nortli  Carolina  to  Washington 
County,  Indiana,  in  1809,  being  one  of  the  pio 
neers  of  the  State.  Newton  Booth  was  reared 
to  the  age  of  sixteen  at  his  native  place,  and  in 
1841  his  father  removed  the  family  to  Terre 
Haute,  the  new  scene  of  his  business  enterprise. 
Newton  Booth  was  sent  to  Asbury  (now  De 
Pauw)  University,  at  Greencastle,  to  complete 
his    education.      Tliis    institution     now    ranks 


ara_ong  the'  leading  educational  seats  of  this 
country.  At  that  time,  with  Bishop  Simpson 
as  president,  its  standing  was  at  least  as*  high  as 
at  present.  It  was  the  leading  university  of  the 
West,  and  its  faculty  had  been  happily  chosen 
from  the  most  learned  men  of  the  day.  Mr. 
Booth  completed  the  course  before  he  had 
reached  his  majority,  and  was  graduated  in  the 
class  of  1846.  A  mercantile  career  had  beeti 
marked  out  for  him,  but  after  an  engagement 
of  two  years  in  one  of  his  father's  stores  at  Tei-re 
Haute,  he  commenced  reading  law  in  the  office 
of  W.  D.  Griswold,  with  whom  he  became  asso- 
ciated as  partner  after  his  admission  to  the  bar 
in  1849.  The  story  of  the  golden  wealth  of 
California,  however,  had  for  him  the  usual 
charm,  and  he  determined  to  try  his  fortune 
there.  In  company  with  a  young  Terre  Haute 
business  man,  Walter  W.  Reynolds,  he  started 
on  the  long  journey.  They  were  among  the 
passengers  of  the  steamer  "  Cherokee,"  which 
early  in  1850  made  the  trip  from  New  York  to 
Chagres.  From  Panama  to  San  Francisco  they 
were  passengers  on  the  "  Oregon,"  which 
steamed  through  the  Golden  Gate  on  the  18th 
of  October,  bearing  the  glad  tidings  of  the  ad- 
mission of  California  as  a  State  of  the  Union. 
They  came  at  once  to  Sacramento,  and  both  be- 
came business  men  here.  Mr.  Reynolds  after- 
ward went  to  Placerville,  where  his  death  sub- 
sequently occurred.  When  Mr.  Booth  arrived 
in  Sacramento,  the  first  great  cholera  epidemic 
was  raging  here,  and  he  went  to  Amador  County, 
where  he  was  sick  for  some  time.  In  February, 
1851,  he  returned  to  Sacramento,  and  was  soon 
engrossed  in  business.  In  1862  he  entered 
public  life  for  the  first  time,  being  in  that  year 
chosen  to  the  State  Senate.  On  the  6th  of 
September,  1871,  he  was  elected  Governor  of 
California,  assuming  the  duties  of  the  oflSce 
December  8  of  that  year.  While  in  the  guber- 
natorial chair  he  was  elected,  December  20, 
1873,  by  the  independent  legislature  of  that 
year,  to  the  Senate  of  the  United  States.  On 
the  27th  of  February,  1875,  he  resigned  the 
otiice  of  Governor  to  assume  the   duties  of  his 


BISTORT    OF    SACRAMENTO    COUNTY. 


new  position,  and  on  the  4th  of  March  following 
took  his  seat  in  the  Senate.  He  served  as  an 
honored  member  of  that  body,  and  with  credit 
to  the  State  until  the  expiration  of  his  term,  in 
1881.  He  was  one  of  the  working  members  of 
the  Senate,  and  was  particularly  active  in  ac- 
complishing the  adoption  of  the  silver  certificate, 
and  redemption  of  subsidiary  coins — measures 
which  were  especially  grateful  to  the  Pacific 
Coast,  though  of  national  importance  as  shaping 
the  financial  policy  of  the  country.  He  also 
pushed  to  passage  a  bill  for  the  settlement  of 
land  titles  in  California.  He  was  placed  on  the 
committee  on  public  lands,  committee  on  pat- 
ents, c-jmmittees  on  manufactures  and  on  ap- 
propriations, and  during  a  portion  of  his  term 
was  chairman  of  the  two  latter.  Since  retiring 
from  the  Senate  he  has  given  his  personal  atten- 
tion to  his  extensive  wholesale  business.  Senator 
Booth  has  always  been  inclined  to  literature, 
and  in  times  past  his  lectures  on  scientific  and 
other  topics  have  been  the  source  of  much 
pleasure  and  profit  to  citizens  of  Sacramento,  as 
well  as  an  incentive  to  study  in  many  directions. 
A  noteworthy  feature  of  the  political  preferment 
of  Senator  Booth  is,  that  it  has  come  to  him  on 
his  merits,  as  an  independent,  and  not  as  a  re- 
ward for  party  service  or  through  party  machi- 
nations. 


fAMES  O'NEIL  is  well  known  throughout 
this  and  adjacent  counties  and  in  the  city 
of  San  Francisco  as  the  manager  of  the 
Riverside  Brickyard.  He  was  born  in  Ireland 
in  1831,  and  came  to  California  in  March,  1856. 
At  first  he  engaged  in  the  trade  of  plastering  in 
the  city  of  Sacramento  during  the  year  1856, 
and  he  continued  to  carrj'  on  this  business  ex- 
tensively until  1874.  About  the  same  time  lie 
entered  into  brick  manufacture  for  himself,  lon- 
tinuing  ten  years.  Selling  out  then,  he  took 
his  present  situation  as  superintendent  of  the 
yard.  The  works  here  are  run  by  steam  power. 
Tiie  clay  is  liaulod  over  a  short  railroad  of  their 


own.  Most  of  the  time  175  hands  are  em- 
ployed. The  capacity  of  the  works  is  about 
18,000,000  a  year.  The  brick  manufactured 
here  are  all  shipped  to  San  Francisco  by  boat. 
The  kilns  are  of  the  modern  kind,  a  patent 
method  called  the  continuous-burning  kilns,  as 
they  are  kept  running  night  and  day.  Mr. 
O'Neil  has  three  grown  children:  Frank,  Nellie 
and  "Willie. 


^l-^-f-l- 


tADFORD  B.  RUSSELL,  a  fanner  of  Ala- 
bama Township,  is  a  native  of  this  county, 
born  in  1800,  and  has  spent  nearly  all  his 
life  here.  After  marriage  he  settled  down  upon 
a  fine  ranch  of  160  acres,  devoted  principally  to 
grain  and  hay,  four  and  a  half  miles  from  Gait, 
on  the  road  to  lone.  Mr.  Russell  married  Miss 
Mattie  Emerson,  who  was  born  in  San  Joaquin 
County,  tins  State,  in  1867.  William  Russell, 
the  father  of  Radford  B.,  was  born  in  Kentucky 
in  1818,  and  his  wife,  Malinda,  was  born  in 
Arkansas  in  1827,  and  both  are  still  living, 
making  their  liome  with  the  subject  of  this 
paragraph. 

— ^€®:li)l-^¥ — 

D.  COMSTOCK.— Among  the  deserv- 
edly popular  business  men  of  the  Capi- 
tal City,  the  genial  proprietor  of  the 
Comstock  Furniture  Warehouse  takes  prece- 
dence; and  a  brief  mention  of  his  antecedents 
and  his  business  career  will  be  read  with  inter- 
est by  his  many  friends.  We  offer  no  apology 
in  according  to  him  so  prominent  a  place  in  the 
historical  volume  of  this  county,  in  connection 
with  the  representative  business  men  of  to-day. 
Twenty-one  years  ago  he  began  business  for 
himself  in  a  very  small  way,  opening  a  store  for 
the  sale  of  household  furniture  on  the  northeast 
corner  of  K  and  Fifth  streets.  His  business 
has  grown  with  the  growtii  of  the  Capital  City, 
fostered  by  the  careful,  conservative,  yet  ener- 
getic management  of  athorougly  practical  bnsi- 


HISTORY    OF    SACRAMENTO    COUNTY. 


iiess  man,  whose  constant  aim  has  been  to  keep 
well  abreast  of  the  times,  and  whose  business 
motto  of  "  Quick  sales  and  small  profits,"  whose 
urbane  manner,  strict  integrity,  and  desire  to 
please  all  who  have  the  good  fortune  to  deal 
with  him,  has  brouglit  him  hosts  of  friends  and 
a  gratifying  success,  which  fact  is  fully  shown 
by  even  a  casual  visit  to  his  spacious  and  well- 
btocked  warerooms,  still  at  the  old  stand,  Fifth 
and  K  streets,  but  now  covering  four  times 
the  original  space,  and  where  to-day  is  conducted 
a  business,  both  wholesale  and  retail,  which  is 
perhaps  exceeded  by  no  other  house  in  his  line  in 
tlie  Capital  City.  William  Button  Comstock, 
like  so  many  of  the  successful  men  of  this  gen- 
eration, is  a  typical  Yankee,  by  birtli  and  edu- 
cation as  well  as  ancestry.  He  was  born  May  19, 
1839,  in  Jeffrey,  Cheshire  County,  JSTew  Hamp- 
shire, the  son  of  Jonathan  J.  and  Roaiicy  (Dut- 
ton)  Comstock,  and  spent  his  early  years  among 
the  everlasting  hills  of  his  native  State,  and 
grew  to  manhood  upon  his  father's  farm.  Filled 
with  an  ambition  for  a  larger  sphei-e  of  useful- 
ness tlian  was  possible  within  the  environments 
^f  his  country  home,  at  the  early  of  twenty  years 
ne  started  out  to  begin  the  battle  of  life  on  his 
own  account,  going  directly  to  the  "Hub,"  where 
for  four  years  he  satisfactorily  filled  the  position 
of  a  clerk,  and  in  this  way  laying  the  broad 
foundation  of  practical  experience  upon  which 
in  after  years  the  structure  of  his  fortune  should 
be  builded.  In  the  spring  of  1864,  he  was  one 
of  the  passengers  upon  the  steamer  "Champion" 
bound  for  the  "  Land  of  Golden  Promise."  He 
crossed  the  Isthmus,  and  wlien  on  the  27tli  of 
March,  the  "Golden  Age,"  with  her  precious 
cargo,  passed  through  the  Golden  Gate  and 
landed  at  "  Frisco,"  young  Comstock  was  one 
of  those  who,  for  the  first  time  gazed  upon  the 
future  metropolis  of  the  western  civilization. 
On  the  10th  of  April  following  he  came  to  Sac- 
ramento, with  the  intention  of  going  to  the 
mines,  but,  receiving  the  offer  of  a  clerkship  in 
the  variety  store  of  George  W.  Badger  &  Co., 
he  wisely  decided  to  cast  his  lot  with  the  for- 
tunes of  the  capital  of  this  great  commonwealth. 


Three  years  later  he  was  united  in  marriage  to 
Miss  Susan  F.  Gregory,  a  native  of  St.  Louis, 
Missouri,  and  shortly  after  that  event,  began  as 
above  stated  the  real  business  of  his  life.  Mr. 
Comstock  has  taken  an  active  personal  interest 
in  public  affairs,  and  at  the  present  time  he 
holds  the  position  of  president  of  the  Board  of 
of  Fire  Commissioners,  and  it  is  hoped  that  the 
increasing  cares  of  an  extensive  business  will 
not  in  the  future  prevent  his  acceptaiice  of  other 
offices  of  trust  and  responsibility  in  city,  county 
and  State.  He  is  an  active  member  of  several 
prominent  societies. 


fHAUKCEY  H.  DUNN.  Among  the  best 
representatives  of  the  Sacramento  bar  is 
the  gentleman  whose  name  heads  this 
sketch.  He  is  a  native  of  Hamilton  County, 
Ohio,  born  at  the  village  of  Laurel,  September 
25,  1856,  and  son  of  Kev.  Thomas  S.  and  F.  M. 
(Conkling)  Dunn.  Both  parents  were  born  in 
Ohio,  and  there  the  father  was  educated  for  the 
ministry,  and  ordained  a  minister  of  the  Meth- 
odist faith.  In  1860  the  family  came  to  Cali- 
fornia, via  Panama,  and  located  temporarily  in 
San  Francisco.  Eev.  T.  S.  Dunn  attended  the 
conference  shortly  afterward  held  in  Santa 
Clara,  and  was  appointed  to  a  charge  in  San 
Jose.  He  officiated  two  years  there,  and  a  life 
term  each  at  Placerville  and  Virginia  City,  Ne- 
vada; then  three  years  at  San  Jose  again,  when 
he  was  called  to  Oakland.  After  he  had  pre- 
sided for  three  years  in  the  pulpit  there,  his 
health  had  so  failed  him  that  he  was  impelled 
to  ask  for  the  Napa  charge,  which  request  was 
granted,  and  he  remained  at  Napa  one  year.  His 
next  charge  was  the  Central,  Mission  street, 
San  Francisco,  where  he  officiated  two  years; 
after  a  pastorate  of  one  year  at  Grass  Valley,  he 
went  East,  and  there  visited  relatives  and  at- 
tended tlie  Centennial.  Returning  to  Califor- 
nia, he  was  installed  for  three 
Stockton  charge,  and  followed 
years  at  Alameda,  three  years   at  Sacramento, 


years   over  a 
this   with    two 


HISTORY    OF    SACRAMENTO    COUNTY. 


and  three  years  at  San  Jose.  In  September, 
1887,  he  assumed  the  superannuated  relation, 
and  made  his  home  on  his  ranch  near  Ev- 
ergreen, Santa  Clara  County,  until  February  24, 
1889,  when  he  quietly  passed  away.  Chauncey 
H.  Dunn,  subject  of  this  sketch,  was  reared  to 
manhood  principally  in  tliis  State.  He  tinished 
his  education  at  the  University  of  the  Pacific, 
San  Jose,  but  taught  school  a  portion  of  the 
time  after  commencing  attendance  there  in 
order  to  pay  his  own  way  through  college.  He 
made  up  for  lost  time,  however,  by  night  study- 
ing, and  each  year  passed  his  examination  with 
his  class.  After  completing  his  education,  he 
taught  school  regularly  three  and  a  half  years, 
and  during  a  portion  of  that  time  read  law  by 
night.  During  vacation  he  read  with  Judge 
Patterson  (now  one  of  the  Justices  of  the  Su- 
preme Court),  and  for  a  year  afterward  bor- 
rowed books  from  the  judge's  library  while 
residing  at  Stockton.  In  August,  1881,  he 
commenced  attendance  at  Hastings'  Law  School. 
By  May,  1882,  he  had  completed  the  entire  two 
years'  course  of  lectures,  and  read  the  whole 
course.  He  came  to  Sacramento  in  May,  1882, 
and  continued  his  reading  in  the  office  of  L.  S. 
Taylor.  On  the  13th  of  July,  1882,  he  was 
admitted  to  practice  in  the  Superior  Court,  and 
on  the  20th  of  November  following  began 
practicing  in  the  Supretne  Court.  About  the 
1st  of  September,  1882,  he  commenced  work  on 
"American  Decisions,"  as  associate  editor  with 
A.  C.  Freeman.  In  July,  1883,  he  formed  a 
partnership  with  Hon.  J.  N.  Young,  which  he 
continued  until  Mr.  Young  removed  to  San 
Francisco  in  December,  1886.  About  the 
first  of  January,  1884,  he  completed  his 
labor  on  the  "  American  Decisions."  Mr. 
Dunn  has  always  been  an  active  champion  of 
temperance  principles,  and  in  November,  1883, 
when  a  Prohibiti.in  paper  was  founded  here,  he 
identified  himself  with  the  Prohibition  party. 
He  was  candidate  for  city  attorney  on  the  party's 
first  regular  ticket  in  1884,  and  his  name  has 
been  on  the  ticket  in  each  succeeding  election. 
He  has  also   been  secretary  of  the  central  com- 


mittee of  the  party  for  this  county  since  1884. 
Since  1886  he  has  been  superintendent  of  the 
Sunday-school  of  the  Sixth  Street  Methodist 
Episcopal  Church.  Mr.  Dunn  was  married  in 
September,  1884,  to  Miss  Merrium  V.  Bias- 
del,  a  native  of  Indiana,  daughter  of  Captain 
E.  W.  Blasdel,  and  niece  of  ex-Governor  Bias- 
del,  of  Nevada.  Mr.  Dunn  is  one  of  the  most 
respected  young  men  of  Sacramento,  and  is  a 
credit  to  his  profession,  on  account  of  his  fine 
character  and  abilities. 

^-3-^^ 

AJOR  W.  A.  ANDERSON,  one  of  the 
leading  lawyers  of  the  Sacramento  bar, 
is  a  native  of  Wisconsin,  born  at  Min- 
eral Point,  February  25,  1845.  His  paternal 
grandfather,  an  Edinburg  Scotchman,  came  to 
America  prior  to  the  Revolution,  and  located  in 
Pennsylvania.  When  the  struggle  for  inde- 
])endence  with  the  mother  country  came  on,  he 
joined  the  patriot  army,  and  served  with  honor 
throughout  the  war.  Hartford  Anderson,  father 
of  the  subject  of  this  sketch,  was  reared  in 
Pennsylvania,  his  native  State.  He  subse- 
quently went  to  Missouri,  locating  in  Scott 
County,  where  he  was  married  to  Miss  Susan 
Atkins,  a  native  of  Kentucky,  born  near  the 
Ohio  River.  In  1843  the  family  removed  to 
Mineral  Point,  Wisconsin,  where  he  opened  a 
large  carriage  manufactory.  He  was  among 
the  first  to  move  in  the  matter  of  going  to 
California  after  gold  was  discovered  there,  and 
in  the  latter  part  of  1848  he  started  with  his 
family  by  wagon  and  ox  team  for  this  far-away 
land.  At  Council  Bluffs  they  fell  in  with  other 
outfits,  and  together  they  took  up  their  journey 
across  the  plains.  They  spent  the  winter  on  the 
plains  and  of  course  endured  many  hardships. 
They  lost  their  way,  and  when  the  Anderson 
family  learned  their  location,  they  were  up  near 
the  Oregon  line.  They  proceeded  through  the 
Leiaesdorfi  cut-off,  and  made  their  first  stop  at  a 
settlement  at  Lassen's.  Mr.  Anderson  bought 
flour  of  Peter  Lassen   at  $1  a  pound.     They 


HISTORY    OF    SACRAMENTO    COUNTY. 


proceeded  down  through  Truckee  Valley,  and 
brought  up  at  Sacramento,  camping  the  tirst 
night  where  the  Bee  office  now  is,  and  in  close 
proximity  to  a  large  sycamore  tree.  Mr.  An- 
dersoon  soon  went  with  his  family  to  George- 
town. He  kept  a  provision  store  there  until 
the  latter  part  of  1850,  and  then  removed  to 
Willow  Creek,  near  Folsom.  He  has  been  jus- 
tice of  the  peace  ever  since  the  organization  of 
the  State  except  one  term.  Mr.  Anderson's 
mother  died  with  cholera  in  the  epidemic  of 
1852.  Major  ^Y.  A.  Anderson,  subject  of  this 
sketch,  was  but  four- years  of  age  when  the 
family  came  to  California,  and  he  grew  to  man- 
hood in  this  State.  He  commenced  his  educa- 
tion at  Folsom  Institute,  at  that  time  a 
flourishing  institution,  and  continued  his  stud- 
ies at  Santa  Clara  College.  After  completing 
his  studies  he  taught  school  for  a  time,  then 
commenced  attendance  at  the  Law  College  at 
Eenicia  and  was  there  graduated.  He  was  ad- 
mitted to  the  bar  of  the  Supreme  Court  of  Cal- 
ifornia, April  4,  1865,  while  a  minor.  Just 
after  that  he  was  elected  county  auditor,  taking 
the  office  only  four  days  after  he  had  reached 
his  majority.  He  was  also  ex-officio  clerk  of  the 
Board  of  Supervisors,  of  the  Board  of  Equaliza- 
tion, and  of  the  Swamp  Land  Commission.  He 
held  the  office  of  auditor  until  March^  1868,  and 
then  entered  into  the  active  practice  of  the  "law. 
He  was  associated  with  George  Cadwalader  for 
eight  years,  forming  one  of  the  strongest  lirms 
in  the  history  of  the  Sacramento  bar.  Cadwala- 
der attracted  wide  attention  during  this  time 
by  his  conduct  of  the  Powelson  case,  wherein 
he  established  the  doctrine  that  abuse  of  a  wife 
should  constitute  grounds  for  divorce,  and  in 
the  celebrated  "  soldier  vote  "  case.  Mr.  An- 
derson was  associated  in  the  following  cases: 
Eio  de  los  Moquelemos  (otherwise  "  McCauley," 
or  Hicks)  grant  case;  the  famous  litigation  be- 
tween the  California  Pacific  and  Central  Pacilic 
llailroad  companies;  Atlantic  and  Pacific  Bail- 
road  versus  Western  Union  Telegraph  Company, 
etc.  Mr.  Anderson  left  Mr.  Cadwalader  in 
1876  to  accept  the  office  of  city  attorney,  which 


ho  held  until  March,  1878,  when  he  once  more 
entered  private  practice.  He  has  since  filled  the 
office  of  city  attorney,  during  the  term  from 
1880  to  1886.  From  1867  to  1875  he  was  As- 
sistant Adjutant-General  of  the  Fourth  Brigade, 
N.  G.  C,  with  rank  of  major.  Major  Ander- 
son has  always  been  one  of  the  most  popular 
men,  and  has  the  happy  faculty  of  drawing  to 
him  close  personal  friends.  He  is  an  eloquent 
and  able  public  speaker,  and  this  quality,  be- 
sides standing  him  in  good  stead  in  his  profes- 
sion, has  often  been  of  the  greatest  service  in 
the  campaigns  of  the  Bepublican  party,  to 
whose  interests  he  is  devoted,  and  he  has  many 
times  been  called  upon  to  stump  the  district  and 
the  State.  What  is  quite  unusual,  however,  he 
is  equally  ready  with  the  pen,  and  his  pub- 
lished reminiscences  of  the  early  bar,  among 
others,  are  entertaining  to  the  highest  degree, 
aside  from  their  historic  value.  Withal  he  is  a 
genial,  courteous  gentleman,  open-hearted  and 
generous  to  a  fault. 


fARTIN  DANIEL,  one  of  the  well-known 
farmers  of  Alabama  Township,  was  born 
in  Fayette  County,  Illinois,  February  11, 
1835.  June  20,  1859,  he  started  on  his  long 
journey  overland  for  California.  He  stopped 
at  Honey  Lake  a  few  days;  from  there  he  went 
to  Marysville,  where  he  cut  wood  until  he  ac- 
cumulated a  little  money;  then  after  visiting 
Stockton  a  short  time  he  came  to  within  two 
and  a  half  miles  of  where  he  is  now  living  and 
worked  for  five  months  at  $25  a  month;  then 
went  up  Dry  Creek  two  miles  further,  and  was 
employed  by  Mr.  McTucker  one  year  at  $35  a 
month;  next  he  was  engaged  by  Lew  Mitchell 
one  year,  two  miles  still  further  up  the  creek,  for 
$400;  then  returned  to  McTucker's  and  worked 
two  years  at  $30  a  month;  then  renting  a  ranch 
of  200  acres,  he  worked  for  himself  a  year, 
raising  wheat  principally;  next  he  rented  for  a 
year  another  ranch,  owned  by  E.  H.  Presbury, 
and   then    returned    to  the  McTucker  place  for 


HISTOUY    OF    SACliAMENTO    COUNTY. 


the  third  time,  renting  the  ranch  for  two  years; 
and  linaliy,  in  1868,  becoming  weary  of  labor- 
ing for  others,  he  entered  the  place  he  now  oc- 
cupies, 160  acres,  six  miles  from  Gait,  on  the 
lone  road,  where  he  raises  hay  and  grain.  Mr. 
Daniel  married  in  California  Mary  McTucker, 
who  was  born  in  Philadelphia,  Pennsylvania, 
May  20,  1828.  William  Daniel,  father  of  Ear- 
tin,  was  born  in  North  Carolina.  He  emigrated 
to  Illinois  in  an  early  day,  where  he  died  in 
1866,  at  the  age  of  ninety-two  years.  His  wife, 
Sarah  Daniel,  died  at  the  age  of  ninety-three. 
Bartin  Daniel  and  Mary  McTucker  were  mar- 
ried September  22,  1866. 

fDWARD  H.  WILLIAMS,  chief  engineer 
of  the  city  water-works,  Sacramento,  is  a 
native  of  Essex  County,  New  York,  born 
December  19,  1830,  his  parents  being  Elijah 
and  Phebe  (Greeley)  AVilliams.  His  father  was 
born  in  Sudbury,  Vermont,  and  was  a  vessel- 
owner,  having  three  schooners  in  the  Lake 
Champlain  trade.  His  mother  was  a  native  of 
New  York  State,  and  a  cousin  of  Horace 
Greeley.  E.  H.  Williams  was  reared  in  his 
native  place,  and  as  a  boy  followed  boating 
a  great  deal  on  Lake  Champlain  after  his 
eighteenth  birthday,  giving  especial  attention 
to  machinery.  A  schoolmate  of  Mr.  Williams, 
named  George  T.  Newell,  had  come  to  Cali- 
fornia in  1851,  and  he  returned  with  splendid 
accounts  of  the  country,  his  description  creating 
great  interest  and  excitement.  In  1852  he  went 
out  again,  and  Mr.  Williams  accompanied  him. 
They  proceeded  in  the  Empire  City  to  Havana, 
thence  to  Navy  Bay  on  the  same  steamer.  On 
the  Pacific  side  they  took  the  steamer  Tennes- 
see, and  arrived  at  San  Francisco  May  10, 1852. 
O  1  the  next  day  he  started  for  Placer  County, 
and  arriving  there,  went  to  prospecting  at  Yan- 
kee Jim's.  Not  being  successful,  he  left  after 
one  month,  and  went  to  Big  Bar,  on  the  Middle 
Fork  of  the  American  River,  and  got  a  situation 
at   mining  work  with  Livermore,  at  $100  per 


inontli  and  board.  He  worked  there  about  four 
months,  then  found  a  claim  that  looked  favor- 
able in  Todd's  Yalley,  and  went  there  to  work 
it.  During  that  winter  (1852-'53)  water  in  the 
river  was  very  high,  and  provisions  were  scarce 
and  expensive,  flour  going  up  to  §1  a  pound. 
In  March,  1853,  he  left  there  and  went  to  Ne- 
gro Bar,  below  Folsom,  and  engaged  in  mining. 
They  were  there  building  the  North  Fork  Canal 
to  Mississippi  Bar  for  mining  purposes,  and,  in 
connection  with  two  other  men,  Mr.  Williams 
took  a  contract  to  dig  three  miles  of  the  ditch. 
When  that  job  was  completed  he  gave  up 
mining  work,  and  opened  a  book  and  sign  store 
at  Folsom.  A  year  later  he  went  into  the  busi- 
ness of  manufacturing  soda,ale,  porter  and  Ore- 
gon cider.  His  next  employment  was  that  of 
running  a  stationary  engine  in  the  machine 
shops  of  the  Sacramento  Valley  Eailroad,  at 
Folsom.  He  remained  with  the  company  until 
his  health  failed  hira,  sometimes  in  the  shops, 
sometimes  on  the  i-oad.  He  then  went  to  Lake 
Tahoe,  and  finding  that  a  steamer  had  been 
sunk  there  the  year  before  by  the  parties  who 
ran  her,  he  raised  the  steamer  and  ran  it  that 
summer.  He  was  also  at  Forest  Hill,  Placer 
County,  and  while  there  quite  an  excitement 
arose  in  regard  to  blue  cement  mining,  and  five 
mills  were  soon  in  operation.  It  becoming 
known  that  Mr.  Williams  was  acquainted  with 
machinery,  he  was  at  onc^  offered  the  charge  of 
one  of  the  mills,  which  he  accepted.  He  re- 
mained with  the  company  two  years.  Tuen  they 
went  under,  and  he  was  out  $400.  He  remained 
on  the  Divide  about  six  months,  but  things  be- 
coming dull,  he  came  down  to  Sacramento  and 
went  to  work  for  the  Central  Pacific  Railroad 
in  the  round-house.  Seven  years  later  he  was 
sent  to  Paterson,  New  Jersey,  for  two  locomc- 
tives,  but  while  he  was  there  the  boiler-makers 
went  on  a  strike,  and  tlie  boilers  for  the  locomo- 
tives could  not  be  turned  out.  Mr.  Hunting- 
ton then  sent  him  back  to  Sacramento.  A 
couple  of  months  after  his  return  the  paid  fire 
commissioners  requested  him  to  take  charge  of 
the  Tenth   street  engine,  which  he  did,  and  so 


HISTORY    OF    SACRAMENTO    COUNTY. 


continued  for  six  years.  He  was  employed  in 
the  Central  Pacific  machine  shops  for  eight 
mouths,  then  became  connected  with  the  water- 
works. Ill  1886  he  was  appointed  chief  en- 
gineer, and  has  since  held  that  position,  with 
great  satisfaction  to  all  interested  in  the  etiiciency 
of  the  water-works  machinery.  Mr.  Williams 
was  married  in  March,  1858,  to  Miss  Mattie 
Hartsough,  a  native  of  Jo  Daviess  County,  Illi- 
nois, who  came  across  the  plains  with  her  par- 
ents in  1854.  They  have  live  children,  viz.: 
William  E.,  of  Los  Angeles;  Carrie,  Charles, 
Harry  and  Everett.  Mr.  Williams  is  a  member 
of  Sacramento  Lodge,  No.  2,  I.  O.  O.  F.  He 
joined  the  order  at  Essex,  New  Jersey,  in  1851, 
and  is  a  veteran  Odd  Fellow;  is  a  member  of 
the  order  of  Chosen  Friends.  The  water-works 
machinery  has  been  very  efficiently  handled 
under  Mr.  Williams'  supervision,  which  has 
given  great  satisfaction  to  citizens  generally. 

fOHN  J.  BUCKLEY,  searcher  of  records 
and  city  assessor  of  .Sacramento,  is  a  native 
of  Boston,  born  October  1,  1853,  his  par- 
ents being  P.  J.  and  Mary  M.  Buckley.  His 
father  came  to  California  in  1859,  and  after  a 
brief  experience  in  the  mining  regions,  located 
in  Sacramento.  John  J.  Buckley,  the  subject 
of  this  sketch,  was  reared  to  manliood  in  this 
city,  and  educated  in  the  grammar  and  high 
schools.  In  1865  he  went  to  Europe,  and  after 
six  years'  traveling,  came  back  to  Sacramento 
and  became  an  employe  of  the  Central  Pacific 
Railroad  Company  as  locomotive  fireman,  and 
was  so  engaged  five  years.  He  then  commenced 
the  study  of  law  with  A.  C.  Freeman,  now  of 
the  firm  of  Freeman  &  Bates,  San  Francisco, 
member  of  the  New  Constitution  Convention, 
and  author  of  many  valuable  law  treatises.  He 
remained  with  him  until  1880,  and  during  that 
time  learned  the  business  of  searching  records. 
In  1880  he  engaged  permanently  in  that  busi- 
ness for  himself  at  606  I  street.  In  March, 
1883,  he  was  elected  city  assessor,  and  has  held 


the  office  ever  since  by  virtue  of  re-election,  his 
present  term  expiring  in  April,  1891.  Mr. 
Buckley  is  a  Past  Great  Sachem  of  the  Im- 
proved Order  of  Red  Men  of  California;  Pay- 
master of  Knights  of  Sherwood  Forest,  A.  O.  F.; 
Past  Arch  U.  A.  O.  D.;  member  of  Sacramento 
Turn  Verein,  and  of  Concord  Lodge,  No.  116, 
F.  &  A.  M.  Mr.  Buckley  is  an  active  man,  and 
has  as  many  friends  in  Sacramento  as  perhaps 
any  other  citizen. 

^-3-^¥ 

fDWARD  MINOR  LEITCH,  one  of  the 
prominent  citizens  of  Sacramento,  is  a 
native  of  Pntnam  County,  New  York, 
born  April  27,  1835.  His  father,  George 
Leitch,  was  a  native  of  Scotland,  wlio,  when  a 
child  accompanied  his  parents  to  America,  lo- 
cating in  New  York  State.  The  mother  of  the 
subject,  whose  maiden  name  was  Sarah  Jenkin- 
son,  was  born  in  England,  and  also  came  to  this 
country  when  a  child.  George  Leitch  was  a  tin 
and  copper  smith  by  trade,  and  he  carried  on 
business  in  these  lines  in  New  York  city  pre- 
vious to  1836.  He  then  removed  liis  family  to 
Elkhart  County,  Indiana,  when  that  country  was 
very  new  and  wild,  the  wild  grass  being  as  high 
as  a  man's  head  all  about  them  in  their  new 
location.  A  log  cabin  was  built  and  tliere  the 
family  lived,  while  George  Leitch  tilled  the 
land,  and  also  gave  his  attention  to  the  education 
of  his  children.  He,  however,  died  within  a 
year  and  a  half  after  reaching  Indiana.  His 
wife,  remaining  a  widow,  continued  to  live  on 
the  old  homestead  until  her  death,  which  oc- 
curred in  1874.  E.  M.  Leitch  was  one  of  a 
family  of  thirteen  children,  of  whom  he  was  tlie 
twelfth  in  order  of  age.  He  was  reared  there 
to  the  age  of  nineteen  years,  and  learned  the 
moulder's  trade  in  Jackson  &  Wiley's  foundry, 
Detroit,  Michigan.  In  1858  he  went  to  New 
York,  and  took  passage  there  on  the  steamer 
Star  of  the  West,  for  Cliagres,  on  his  way  to 
California.  On  the  Pacific  side  he  took  the 
steamer  Golden  Gate,  and  landed  at  San  Fran- 


lIISrORT    OF    SACRAMENTO    COUNTY. 


Cisco  July  14,  1858.  He  had  four  brothers  in 
the  mountains  of  Sierra  County,  and  his  lirst 
move  was  to  make  a  visit  to  them.  After  that 
he  came  to  Sacramento  and  entered  the  employ 
of  the  Sacramento  Valley  Railroad  as  brakesman, 
in  which  capacity  he  served  for  some  time,  then 
as  baojgage-master,  and  again  as  conductor,  his 
entire  period  of  employment  on  the  road  being 
thirteen  years.  He  then  voluntarily  resigned 
his  position  with  the  railroad,  having  bought 
out  the  business  of  his  brother,  who  liad  one 
truck  and  two  horses  engaged  in  the  transfer 
business.  Mr.  Leitch  has  by  sobriety  and  in- 
dustry gradually  worked  up  a  large  business 
from  that  small  beginning,  and  now  employs 
seventeen  horses  in  his  business,  while  six  or 
seven  men  are  constantly  engaged;  this  has 
been  accomplished  by  strict  attention  to  busi- 
ness, and  by  scrupulous  fairness  and  honesty  in 
all  business  transactions.  Mr.  Leitch  was  mar- 
ried December  27,  1868,  to  Miss  Olive  A.  An- 
nis,  a  native  of  Camden,  Maine,  who  by  the  way 
is  a  loving  wife  and  a  devoted  mother,  and 
daughter  of  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Thomas  Annis.  When 
she  was  yet  a  babe  her  mother  died,  and  in  1866 
her  father  came  with  his  family  to  California. 
He  died  in  Sacramento  in  1884.  Mr.  and  Mrs. 
Leitch  have  had  seven  children,  all  boys,  of  whom 
one — William  Thomson — is  deceased,  having 
been  drowned  in  Sacramento  River  on  the  29th 
of  July,  1886,  at  the  age  of  twelve  years  and 
ten  months.  Those  living  are:  George  Thomas, 
Edward  Everett,  Samuel  Walter,  Albert  Edgar, 
James  A.  Garfield  and  T.  Dewitt  Talmage.  Mr. 
Leitch,  who  had  always  been  a  Republican,  was 
one  of  the  pioneers  in  the  prohibition  movement 
in  Sacramento,  and  has  been  at  the  front  in  all 
the  work  of  the  party.  At  one  election,  on  the 
prohibition  ticket,  he  received  638  votes  for 
chief  of  police.  He  afterward  made  the  race 
for  sheriff,  and  in  1888  for  supervisor  of  the 
second  district.  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Leitch  are  mem- 
bers of  the  Sixth  Street  Methodist  Church,  and 
Mr.  Leitch  is  one  of  the  trustees  and  also  a 
member  of  the  Law  and  Order  League.  He  is 
also  an  active  member  of  the  Y.  M.  C.  A.,  and 


was  sent  as  a  delegate  to  the  Sunday  rest-day 
convention.  In  fact,  in  anything  pertaining  to 
charity  and  humanity  he  is  always  found  at  the 
front. 


fD.  YOUNG,  State  Printer  of  California, 
is  a  native  of  Ogdensburg,  New  York, 
*  born  January  16,  1841,  his  parents  being 
John  and  Caroline  (Fielding)  Young.  He  was 
left  an  orphan  at  an  early  age,  and  commenced 
life  for  himself  as  cabin  boy  on  lake  steamers, 
being  thus  engaged  for  three  years.  He  then 
went  into  the  office  of  the  Buffalo  Republic  and 
served  an  apprenticeship  to  the  printer's  trade 
under  Welch,  afterward  Controller  of  New  York 
State.  In  1861  he  came  to  California  via  Pan- 
ama, locating  at  Sacramento  in  May.  He  se- 
cured employment  in  the  Union  office,  and 
remained  after  the  consolidation  of  that  paper 
with  the  Record.  In  1868  the  city  editorship 
of  the  Union  was  placed  in  his  hands,  and  he 
lield  the  same  post  with  the  Record-  Union 
until  called  to  the  office  which  he  now  holds  by 
Governor  Perkins.  At  the  conclusion  of  Gov- 
ernor Perkins'  term  he  returned  to  the  Record- 
Union,  but  was  reappointed  State  Printer  by 
Governor  Waterman.  Under  the  administra- 
tion of  Mr.  Young  the  State  printing-office  of 
California  is  one  of  the  most  orderly  conducted 
offices  in  the  world. 

fORYDON  M.  WEST,  proprietor  of  one 
of  the  largest  and  best  conducted  farms 
in  Alabama  Township,  was  born  in  Penn- 
sylvania in  1831.  In  1838  his  parents  re- 
moved with  him  to  Pike  County,  Illinois,  where 
they  remained  until  1852,  when  he  came  to 
California.  Mr.  West  first  followed  mining  two 
years  near  lone;  next,  opened  and  conducted 
for  several  years  a  grocery  and  meat  market 
called  the  Miners'  Store,  two  miles  from  Dry- 
town.     The  next  nine  years  he  was  in  the  cat- 


HISTORY    OF    SACRAMENTO    COUNTY. 


tie  trade,  in  which  he  had  moderate  success,  and 
finally,  in  1867,  he  purchased  his  present  place 
of  600  acres,  eight  miles  from  Gait,  on  the  Gait 
and  lone  road.  There  he  lias  a  fine  residence, 
with  tasteful  surroundings.  Grain  and  cattle 
are  his  specialties.  JeflFerson  West,  father  of 
Gorjdon,  was  born  near  Concord,  New  Hamp- 
shire; came  to  California  in  1853,  and"  died  a 
year  afterward.  Mr.  "West,  the  subject  of  this 
sketch,  was  married  in  this  State,  to  America 
Baker,  a  native  of  Illinois.  Their  living  chil- 
dren are:  Chester  F.,  Alice  E.,  Ilattie  A.,  Win- 
nie M.,  Clara  E.,  and  Rachel  E.;  and  the  de- 
ceased are:  Charles  E.  and  Mary  E. 


fDWARD  H.  PRESBURY,  one  of  the  old 
settlers  of  Alabama  Township,  was  born 
in  Harford  County,  Maryland,  in  1801, 
and  emigrated  to  Jefferson  Coi;nty,  Ohio,  where 
he  lived  twenty-seven  years,  following  the  trade 
of  miller.  In  1849  he  lost  his  wife,  nee  Martha 
Bayless,  and  he  then  sold  out,  bought  500  head 
of  cattle,  and  came  with  them  to  California, 
losing  but  very  few.  Selling  them  after  his 
arrival  here,  he  bought  the  ranch  upon  which 
he  is  now  living,  containing  123  acres,  five 
miles  from  Gait,  on  the  lone  road.  His  prin- 
cipal crops  are  grain  and  hay.  Mr.  Presbury 
has  one  son,  William,  who  is  living  with  him. 


^■ 


W^^- 


flCTOR  LEMAY,  general  foreman.  Car 
Department,  Central  Pacific  Railroad 
Shops,  Sacramento,  is  a  native  of  St. 
Emilie,  County  of  Lotbiniere,  Quebec,  Canada, 
born  July  6,  1888,  his  parents  being  Joiin  B. 
and  Clair  (LeClair)  Lemay.  Both  parents  were 
of  Canadian  birth  and  French  ancestry,  and  his 
father  was  a  carpenter  and  blacksmith  by  trade, 
was  extensively  engaged  in  business,  having  a 
tract  of  land  which  he  farmed,  and  a  grist-mill, 
saw-mill  and  fulling-mill.  He  was  also  a  ship 
owner,  and  would  send  lumber  to  Quebec  for 


shipment  to  London.  Victor  Lemay  spent  his 
boyhood  days  at  his  native  place  and  received 
his  education  there  and  at  college  at  Quebec. 
When  yet  a  mere  child  he  exhibited  a  taste  and 
natural  genius  for  mechanical  work,  and  as  a 
mere  boy  constructed  some  quite  intricate  and 
original  contrivances  in  wood-work.  He  also 
labored  one  or  two  years  at  blacksmith  work  in 
his  brother's  shop.  He  left  college  when  six- 
teen years  of  age,  and  worked  as  a  brick-maker 
during  the  succeeding  summer.  In  the  fall  of 
that  year  he  went  to  St.  Paul,  Minnesota,  and 
about  three  weeks  later  secured  employment 
with  a  gunsmith  and  carriage  maker,  named 
Chatelle,  who  did  a  great  deal  of  work  for  the 
Sioux  and  Winnebago  Indians.  He  worked  for 
him  about  a  year,  repairing  guns  and  at  general 
mechanical  work,  and  then  went  to  Hudson 
City,  Wisconsin,  on  the  St.  Croix  River,  where 
he  went  to  work  for  a  farmer  named  James 
Murphy,  building  corn-cribs,  sheds  and  barns. 
In  the  latter  part  of  1860  he  went  back  to  his 
old  honje  in  Canada.  He  first  engaged  in  farm- 
ing and  afterward  went  to  work  in  a  Quebec 
shipyard.  Then  he  went  home  ;.nd  started  a 
cabinet  shop,  and  he  was  connected  with  that 
for  a  time,  then  started  a  shipyard  and  black- 
smith shop  of  his  own.  In  1865  he  sold  out, 
and,  going  to  East  Douglas,  Massachusetts,  en- 
gaged with  the  Hunt  Axe  Manufactory,  cabinet- 
making  being  dull  at  that  time.  He  ground 
hatchets  and  axes  properly  at  the  first  trial.  He 
had  been  employed  by  tlie  company  at  this  work 
for  nine  months,  and  then  they  commenced  the 
erection  of  a  large  cotton  mill.  He  went  home  for 
his  tools,  and  went  to  work  on  the  construction 
as  a  carpenter.  He  worked  until  the  building 
was  completed,  about  four  months,  then  went  to 
Ashton  and  engaged  with  the  Lonsdale  Com- 
pany, who  were  putting  up  a  big  cotton  factory. 
After  he  had  been  there  three  months  he  was 
promoted  foreman  of  the  joiners,  and  had  charge 
of  the  work  of  putting  up  machines,  looms, 
floor- work,  etc.  He  was  employed  by  the  Lons- 
dale Company  about  twenty-three  months,  and 
for  a  year  of  that  time  he  kept  boarding-house. 


^  ^^--^ 


HISTORY    OF    SACRAMENTO    COUNTY. 


having  been  induced  to  do  so  by  Superintendent 
E.  Kilbourn  and  Architect  John  Hull.  He 
decided  to  go  to  California,  and  on  the  1st  of 
January,  1868,  gave  notice  to  his  employers  of 
his  intention  to  leave.  By  the  4th  of  the 
month  he  had  sold  his  household  effects  and  was 
in  New  York  all  ready  for  the  trip.  He  took  the 
steamer  Arago,  which  left  New  York  for  Aspin- 
wall  on  the  5th  of  January.  He  crossed  the 
Isthmus  of  Panama,  and  took  the  old  steamer 
America  for  San  Francisco,  landing  there  Jan- 
uary 28,  1868.  It  was  two  or  three  weeks  be- 
fore he  could  find  satisfactory  employment,  and 
he  then  went  to  work  on  the  residence  of  Mr. 
McColliiin,  builder  of  the  Mint.  That  job  was 
completed  in  less  than  two  months,  and  he  then 
worked  for  contractor  Pratt  about  a  mouth.  He 
and  a  foreman  were  then  sent  by  Pratt  to  the 
firm  of  Cautrall  &  Dell,  and  after  he  had  been 
with  them  a  short  time  he  was  given  charge  of 
their  window-frame  and  sash  works.  In  the  fall 
of  1868  he  came  to  Sacramento,  and  was  here 
introduced  to  A.  J.  Simmons,  then  general  fore- 
man at  the  railroad  shops,  and  Mr.  Lemay  was 
given  assurance  of  work  if  he  would  come  here. 
So  he  went  back  to  San  Francisco,  made  ar- 
rangements accordingly,  removed  to  Sacramento, 
and  on  the  11th  of  November  went  to  work  as 
a  carpenter.  In  1871  he  was  promoted  fore- 
man of  the  cabinet  department,  in  which,  at  that 
time  only  five  or  six  men  were  employed.  This 
number  had  increased  to  from  100  to  150  men  by 
1885,  and  on  the  5th  of  July  of  the  latter  year 
he  was  promoted  assistant  foreman  of  the  car 
department  under  Mr.  Turner.  On  the  6th  of 
January,  1889,  he  was  introduced  as  general 
foreman  of  the  car  department.  Mr.  Lemay 
was  married  in  Canada  to  Miss  Marie  Anna 
Marcotte,  a  native  of  Portneuf,  Canada.  They 
have  five  children,  viz.:  Joseph  Alphonse,  John 
B.,  Raisen,  Joseph  and  Mary.  The  first  three 
were  born  in  Canada,  the  fourth  in  Rhode 
Island,  and  the  last  in  California.  Mr.  Lemay 
is  a  member  of  Columbia  Lodge,  K.  of  P.,  and 
of  Owosso  Tribe,  Improved  Order  of  Red  Men. 
He  is  a  great  field  sportsman,  and  was  a  member 


of  the  first  gun  club  organized  in  Sacramento, 
generally  known  as  the  California  Gun  Club. 
Mr.  Lemay,  besides  being  a  master  of  his  busi- 
ness, is  a  most  popular  man  with  those  in  his 
departments,  and  the  community  generally. 


j^ON.  GEORGE  A.  JOHNSON.  —  [This 
^m\  sketch  is  from  the  History  of  Sonoma 
"^i  County,  published  in  1889.]  In  every 
great  department  of  activelife  there  are  a  few 
who,  by  innate  superiority  of  mind  and  breadth 
of  culture,  tower  above  the  mass  of  their  fel- 
lows, as  the  head  above  the  body  directing 
and  controlling  its  movements,  and  giving 
to  it  power  and  character.  In  such  a  relation 
stands  Attorney-General  G.  A.  Johnson  to  the 
bar  of  California  as  one  of  its  most  eminent 
and  honored  members.  He  was  born  in  Salis- 
bury, Maryland,  in  1829.  His  mother  dying 
in  his  early  childhood,  he  was  reared  in  the 
home  and  family  of  his  maternal  grandfather, 
Mr.  Rider.  His  father,  Joshua  Johnson,  moved 
soon  after  Mrs.  Johnson's  death  to  New  Castle, 
Indiana.  Grandfather  Rider  was  a  zealous  mem- 
ber of  the  Methodist  Episcopal  Church,  and  his 
house  was  the  headquarters  of  Methodism  in 
the  town  of  Salisbury.  Thus  the  grandson  was 
surrounded  by  those  moral  influences  which 
made  a  permanent  impression  upon  his  plastic 
young  mind,  and  stamped  themselves  upon  his 
subsequent  character.  His  early  scholastic  train- 
ing was  in  the  schools  and  academy  of  his  native 
town,  and  at  the  age  of  nineteen  he  went  West 
to  his  father's  home  and  began  the  study  of  law 
in  New  Castle,  Henry  County,  Indiana;  but, 
soon  realizing  the  necessity  of  a  more  thorough 
education,  he  prepared  himself  and  entered 
Yale  College,  from  which  he  graduated  in  the 
class  of  1853.  Among  his  associates  were  Hon. 
Wayne  McVeigh,  President  Andrew  D.  White, 
District  Attorney  Phelps,  and  others  distin- 
guished iu  letters  and  statesmanship.  During 
his  college  course  Mr.  Johnson  won  several 
class  prizes,  and  was  elected  and  served  as  pres- 


n I  STORY    OF    SACRAMENTO    COUNTY. 


ident  of  the  board  of  editors  of  the  Yale  Lite 
vary  Magazine.  After  his  graduation  he  was 
tendered  and  accepted  the  professorship  of  Latin 
and  Greek  in  the  Western  Military  Institute,  at 
Drennon  Springs,  Kentucky,  of  which  General 
Bushrod  Johnson  was  president.  Remaining 
there  but  a  few  months,  owing  to  an  epidemic 
of  typhoid  fever,  wliich  closed  the  school,  Mr. 
Johnson  returned  to  New  Castle  and  resumed 
his  law  studies  with  Jehu  T.  Elliott,  subse- 
quently Judge  of  the  Supreme  Court  of  Indi- 
ana. After  completing  his  course  of  reading 
and  attending  a  term  in  the  law  department  of 
the  State  University,  he  commenced  legal  prac- 
tice in  1855  in  Cambridge  City,  Indiana,  and 
the  same  year  was  joined  in  marriage  with  Miss 
Juliet  M.  Wayman,  of  that  city.  Pursuing  a 
successful  legal  business  until  1873,  and  attain- 
ing a  high  rank  in  his  profession,  he  was  that 
year  appointed  Circuit  Judge  of  the  Seventeenth 
Judicial  Circuit  by  Governor  Hendricks.  The 
following  year,  1874,  owing  partly  to  the  ill- 
health  of  his  wife,  Judge  Johnson  immigrated 
to  California,  settled  in  Santa  Rosa,  aad  fortned 
a  law  partnership  with  Hon.  Barclay  Henley. 
In  the  spring  of  1878  he  was  elected  mayor  of 
Santa  Rosa  on  the  Democratic  ticket  over  the 
Workingmen's  candidate.  Upon  the  passage  of 
the  act  that  year  submitting  to  the  vote  of  the 
people  the  question  of  calling  a  convention  to 
frame  a  new  State  Constitution  (a  measure 
which  Judge  Johnson  zealously  advocated  and 
worked  for,  which  was  carried  in  the  State,  and 
in  Sonoma  County  by  about  1,000  votes),  he 
was  chosen  one  of  the  delegates  to  the  conven- 
tion, and  resigned  the  mayoralty.  The  Consti- 
tutional Convention  met  in  September,  1878, 
and  was  in  session  five  months.  Judge  John- 
son was  at  once  recognized  as  one  of  the  leaders 
in  that  distinguished  body,  and  was  chosen  to 
compile  and  arrange  the  address  to  the  people, 
a  copy  of  which,  together  with  a  copy  of  the 
new  constitution,  was  sent  to  every  voter.  He 
was  also  selected  to  deliver  the  presentation 
speech  on  the  occasion  of  presenting    President 


Hoge  with  100  volumes  of  choice  literature  by 
the  members  of  the  convention  as  a  testimonial 
of  their  esteem  for  him  as  their  presiding 
officer.  The  address  was  a  very  appropriate 
and  happy  effort.  The  labors  of  the  convention 
were  endorsed  by  the  people  in  the  adoption  of 
the  constitution  by  a  majority  of  11,000  votes, 
and  it  went  into  effect  January  1,  1880.  In 
1879  Judge  Johnson  received  the  unanimous 
nomination  of  the  Workingmen's  Convention 
for  Supreme  Judge,  but  declined  to  be  their 
candidate.  In  1882  he  was  elected  to  the  State 
Senate,  and  re-elected  in  1884.  Both  terms  he 
was  chairman  of  the  committue  on  city  and 
towns,  and  reported  a  bill  for  establishing  a 
uniform  system  for  municipal  governments, 
which  became  a  law  in  1883  and  HUs  about  150 
pages  of  the  statute  book.  During  the  legisla- 
tive session  of  1884-'85  he  was  also  chairman 
of  the  committee  on  education.  In  1886  he 
was  elected  Attorney-General  of  California  for 
four  years,  and  assumed  tiie  office  the  1st  of 
January,  1887.  In  January,  1888,  he  went  to 
Washington  city  to  argue  the  celebrated  rail- 
road tax  cases  in  the  United  States  Supreme 
Court  against  some  of  the  most  eminent  lawyers 
in  this  country,  among  them  Senators  Edmunds 
and  Evarts. 

Socially,  Judge  Johnson  is  pre-eminently  a 
polished,  companionable  gentleman,  qualities 
which  led  him  years  ago  to  become  a  member 
of  the  order  of  Freemasons  and  a  Knight  Tem- 
plar. He  has  taken  thirty-two  degrees  in  the 
order.  He  served  as  Worshipful  Master  in  the 
lodge,  and  as  High  Priest  and  Eminent  Com- 
mander of  the  Cominandery  in  Cambridge  City, 
Indiana.  In  1878  he  secured  a  dispensation 
and  organized  Santa  RosaCommandery,  No.  14, 
which  has  become  one  of  the  most  prosperous 
in  the  State.  He  was  chosen  its  first  Eminent 
Commander,  and  served  four  successive  years 
by  re-elections.  He  has  filled  the  office  of 
Grand  Senior  Warden  two  years  in  the  Grand 
Commandery  of  Indiana,  is  now  Grand  Captain 
General  of  the  Grand  Commandery  of  the  State 


HISTORY    OF    SACRAMENTO    COUNTY. 


of  California,  and  in  that  capacity  will  attend 
the  Triennial  Conclave  to  be  liolden  in  the  city 
of  "Washington  in  October.  1889. 

Judge  Johnson's  estimable  wife,  and  the 
mother  of  his  five  children — fonr  sons  and  one 
daughter— passed  from  earth  in  October,  1888, 
leaving  a  large  circle  of  mourning  friends  who 
knew  lier  only  to  love  her. 

The  Legislature  of  1889  employed  the  At- 
torney-General, John  F.  Swift  and  Stephen  M. 
White  to  go  to  Washington  and  argue  before 
the  Supreme  Court  of  the  United  States  ex 
parte  Chae  Chan  Ping,  a  habeas-corpus  case  on 
appeal  from  that  circuit.  The  idea  was  to  assist 
the  Attorney-General  of  the  United  States,  who 
is  opposed  by  ex-Governor  Hoadley  and  other 
eminent  counsel  for  the  Chinaman,  in  the  solu- 
tion of  the  question  as  to  the  constitutionality 
of  the  Exclusion  Act  which  took  effect  October 
1,  1888,  in  excluding  a  Chinese  laborer  who 
has  a  return  certificate,  from  returning  here 
after  this  act  took  effect.  The  importance  of 
this  case  cannot  be  overestimated.  It  is  to  be 
hoped  that  the  State's  counsel  will  succeed,  that 
the  constitutionality  of  the  Exclusion  Act  will 
be  upheld,  and  that  the  Supreme  Court  will 
have  this  Chinaman  remanded  to  his  ship,  to  be 
carried  back  to  China,  thus  settling  forever  the 
doctrine  that  a  later  act  of  Congress  mast  pre- 
vail over  a  treaty. 

As  an  orator  Judge  Johnson  has  few  equals 
on  the  Pacific  coast;  and  this  fact  being  recog- 
nized, his  services  are  in  frequent  demand  to 
deliver  public  addresses  on  various  themes  and 
occasions.  Among  his  latest  efforts  are  an  ora- 
tion delivered  on  the  Fourth  of  July,  1888,  at 
Sacramento,  and  an  address  opening  the  Sonoma 
County  Fair  in  August  of  the  same  year.  As 
.a  sample  of  his  style  of  eloquence  and  his  lofty 
patriotism,  the  following  extract  is  given  from 
the  former;  and  both  for  its  oratorical  and  his- 
torical merit — dealing  as  it  does  with  Sonoma 
County. 

TUE    OKATION. 

Attorney-General    George   A.   Johnson    was 
then  introduced  and  delivered  an  elo(]uent  ora- 


tion. He  spoke  in  an  earnest,  impressive  man- 
ner, and  his  patriotic  sentiments  were  heartily 
applauded.     He  said: 

"Of  all  the  days  in  the  American  calendar, 
this  is  the  most  patriotic.  It  belongs  to  no 
party,  no  clique;  it  belongs  to  all  the  people. 

"We  have  other  auiversaries,  the  birth  of  our 
children,  of  our  mothers  and  sires,  the  plighted 
vow  to  some  tender  being.  These  wc  celebrate 
around  the  home  altar,  and  bind  each  year  with 
the  circlet  of  our  hopes,  our  fears,  our  smiles 
and  our  tears. 

"But  to-day  we  celebrate  the  birth  of  a 
nation,  the  fairest  and  bravest,  whose  home  is 
on  the  land  and  on  the  sea,  on  the  mountain 
and  in  the  valley,  wherever  waves  the  freeman's 
flag.  It  has  given  to  us  all  the  other  holidays 
which  we  usually  celebrate. 

***** 

"  It  is  meet  that  this  day  should  be  celebrated 
amid  the  salvos  of  artillery,  industrial  displays, 
the  music  of  instruments,  the  waving  of  ban- 
ners, the  smiles  of  beauty,  and  the  glad  voices 
of  children.  So  long  as  American  liberty  is  of 
any  worth  this  day  will  be  welcomed. 

"We  have  given  to  the  world  a  new  dispen- 
sation, that  all  men  are  and  of  right  ought  to 
be  free,  that  the  people  are  the  source  of  all 
power,  that  sovereign  rights  are  inherent  in 
them,  and  not  the  gift  of  any  purple-clad 
CiBsar. 

"We  have  thrown  aside  the  hoary  conceits  of 
centuries,  and  installed  in  their  place  new  ideas, 
ideas  which  have  unfettered  the  human  mind, 
educated  the  public  conscience,  taught  men  to 
think  and  act  for  themselves,  inspired  the  hopes 
of  the  masses,  made  life  worth  living  for,  and 
sublimated  all  human  endeavor. 

"We  have  crowned  with  flowers  civil  and  re- 
ligious liberty,  raised  the  down-trodden,  sup- 
pressed the  fagot  and  the  stake,  and  illustrated 
history  with  the  grandest  achievements  of  war 
and  peace.  We  have  added  to  the  civilization 
of  the  age,  contributed  to  the  general  well- 
being,  made  home  happy,  government  secure, 
and  taught  a  lesson  to  all  tyrants. 


HISTORY    OF    SACRAMENTO    COUNTY. 


"To  perpetuate  these  blessings,  we  need  no 
standing  army,  only  eternal  vigilance,  which  is 
the  price  of  all  liberty,  only  heroic  effort  at  all 
times  to  do  right,  only  self-discipline,  self- 
illumination,  and  if  need  be  millions  of  swords 
will  leap  from  their  scabbards  to  hand  these 
cherished  blessings  down  to  our  descendants. 
*  *  *  *  * 

"When  we  recall  to  mind  the  struggles  and 
privations  of  the  Eevolution,  our  own  undisci- 
plined soldiery  essaying  to  cope  with  the  tirst 
power  in  Eurojie,  with  troops  whicii  had  seen 
service  under  Amherst  at  Montreal,  and  Wolfe 
on  the  Heights  of  Abraham;  when  we  recollect 
the  bloody  feet  which  stained  the  soil  at  Yalley 
Forge,  and  hope  deferred  that  made  the  heart 
sick,  except  the  great  heart  of  our  Washington, 
and  even  he  was  thinking  of  a  dernier  resort 
across  the  AUeghanies — when  we  think  of  all 
this,  before  Saratoga  and  Yorktown  were  won, 
and  the  liberty  bells  rang  out  their  glad  clarion, 
we  realize  that  it  costs  something  to  achieve 
liberty,  and  that  our  free  institutions,  thus  ac- 
quired, necessitate  the  most  vigilant  care  to 
be  handed  down  unimpaired  to  our  posterity. 
When  we  recollect  that  our  now  commonest 
rights  were  denied  before  Washington  fought 
and  La  Fayette  bled  for  liberty,  the  heritage 
that  we  now  enjoy  becomes  precious  and  inesti- 
mable. When  we  go  further  back  to  the  days 
when  Brutus  drove  out  the  Tarquin,  and  an- 
other Brutus  called  aloud  on  Tally's  name  'and 
shook  aloft  his  crimsoned  steel;'  when,  again, 
all  was  lost  at  Philippi  and  the  imperial  pur- 
ple was  restored;  when,  again,  another  Csesar 
lorded  it  over  the  Roman  world  and  the  Christ 
had  not  where  to  lay  his  head — we  must  prize 
the  heroic  achievements  of  the  men  of  '76. 

"When  we  go  further  back  to  the  days  when 
the  Persians  swarmed  over  Greece,  and  were 
held  at  bay  by  the  three  hundred  in  the  passes 
of  Thermopylje;  when  Athens  was  abandoned, 
and  their  academic  groves  deserted;  'where 
the  attic  bird  trilled  its  thick-warbled  notes  the 
summer  long,'  and  old  and  young  took  refuge 
within   the    wooden    walls    at    Salamis;    when 


Miltiades  led  at  Marathon — Marathon,  blessed 
name!  which  still  sheds  around  the  world  the 
aroma  of  liberty,  and  which  twenty-two  centu- 
ries  later   led   the  English  bard  to  sing,  when 
thinking  of  freedom  for  modern  Greece: 
"'The  raouniains  look  on  Marathon, 
And  Marathon  looks  on  the  sea; 
And  musing  there  an  hour  alone, 

I  dream'd  that  Greece  might  still  be  free;' — 
"When  we  recall  to  mind  all  this,  we  cannot 
forget  to  love,  cherish  and  perpetuate  our  free 
institutions. 

"Here  the  General  Government  moves  in  its 
orbit,  and  the  States  move  in  theirs,  without 
any  collision  or  impingement;  the  one  exer- 
cising its  granted  powers  for  national  purposes, 
including  the  preservation  of  its  autonomy;  the 
other  retaining  and  exercising  the  grand  re- 
siduum of  popular  rights  to  effectuate  local 
purposes  and  local  amelioration,  which  may  bo 
denominated  home  rule.  Siich  was  the  wise 
forethought  of  our  fathers  in  distributing  the 
powers  of  the  National  Government.  They 
builded  not  for  a  generation,  but  for  all  time, 
and  left  their  ineffaceable  impress  upon  the 
ages. 

"With  their  success  in  establishing  free  in 
stitutions  afterward  came  the  success  of  other 
countries,  notably  that  of  France. 

***** 

"Thus  we  have  paid  the  debt  we  owed  to 
France  for  giving  La  Fayette  as  a  co-laborer  to 
Washington,  and  for  her  assistance  in  the  Revo- 
lutionary war,  by  placing  before  her  a  Republi- 
can example  to  imitate,  instead  of  the  iron  rule 
of  her  Merovingian,  Carlovingian  and  Capetian 
Kings,  the  house  of  Yalois,  of  Bourbon,  and 
the  imperial  monarchy. 

"First  the  struggling  democracies  of  Athens 
and  Rome;  then  tlie  gradual  acquisition  of  the 
great  common-law  rights;  then  a  general  gov- 
ernment and  local  governments,  each  preserving 
its  respective  autonomy;  then  other  free  States, 
or  countries  essaying  freedom  at  great  odds. 


HISTORT    OF    SACRAMENTO    COUNTY. 


"  Never  can  we  suiBciently  repay  the  debt  of 
gratitude  wliich  we  owe  to  the  fathers  of  '76, 
and  to  the  framers  of  the  Constitution  of  the 
United  States. 

*  *  -x-  *  * 

"  It  will  remain  a  standing  inonninent  for  all 
time,  how  these  men,  in  days  of  great  responsi- 
bility and  peril,  without  chart  or  compass,  amid 
a  new-born  nation  convulsed  with  excitement 
and  discussion,  and  full  of  the  gravest  appre- 
hensions, built  up  the  sacred  edifice  of  our  lib- 
erties, laid  deep  and  broad  its  foundations,  and 
made  enduring  its  superstructure,  until  its 
grand  proportions  stand  forth  to-day  unrivaled 
by  modern  art,  the  hope  of  the  country  and  the 
despair  of  all  emulators.  It  could  not  have 
been  done  without  the  aid  of  Divine  Providence, 
who  makes  the  nothingness  of  man  to  praise 
Him,  who  before  had  made  distraught  the  ad- 
visers of  a  senile  king,  and  who,  now  that  the 
fairest  flower  of  George  the  Third's  colonial 
possessions  had  been  plucked  from  his  grasp, 
would  not  permit  old-world  ideas  to  dominate 
the  chosen  seat  of  a  better,  more  humane  and 
more  enlightened  civilization. 

"The  great  central  character  of  the  times  was 
our  George,  the  leader  of  the  American  armies, 
the  President  of  the  Constitutional  Convention, 
at  all  times  patient,  thoughtful,  hopeful,  prayer- 
ful; whom  Thackeray,  with  all  his  British  in- 
stincts, has  characterized  as  the  greatest,  wisest 
and  best  of  the  Anglo-Saxon  race. 

***** 

"  Had  not  the  American  Kevolution  succeed- 
ed, civilization  would  have  stood  still  on  the 
dial-plate  of  time;  history  would  have  to  be  re- 
written, and  those  grand,  heroic  ciiaracters  which 
now  leap  forth  into  ruddy  life  on  its  pictured 
pages  would  not  be  so  much  as  a  name  or  a 
mercory.  We  could  only  muse,  thinking  of 
what  might  have  been. 

"'Some  mute,  inarlorious  Milton  here  may  rest, 
Some  Crom%vell,  guiltless  of  bis  country's  blood.' 

"  Had  not  the  American  Revolution  succeed- 
ed, the  courses  of  English  thought  would  have 


continued  to  run  along  the  narrow  channels  of 
old  England,  instead  of  the  majestic  rivers  and 
lakes  of  America. 

"George  Washington  would  have  lived  and 
died  a  quiet,  self-possessed,  well-to-do  country 
gentleman,  given  to  hunting  and  hospitality,  on 
the  banks  of  the  Potomac;  Jackson  would  never 
have  built  his  entrenchments  of  sand- bags  at 
New  Orleans,  nor  Lincoln  have  issued  his 
Emancipation  Proclamation.  This  country  would 
still  have  been  under  the  Mexican  domination; 
its  untold  mineral  wealth,  its  cereals  and  its 
fruits  would  have  existed  nowhere  except  in  the 
imagination  of  some  dreamer. 

"  But  with  American  success  came  the  bound- 
less American  endeavor  and  American  enter- 
prise, until  now  we  are  the  most  numerous,  the 
most  cultured,  the  most  flourishing,  and  the 
freest  of  the  great  English-speaking  race. 

"And  here  will  be  written  by-and-by  the 
classics  of  our  mother  tongue,  as  already  here 
is  spoken  the  English  language  in  greater 
purity,  elegance  and  force  than  anywliere  on 
the  lace  of  the  globe. 

"  Small  causes  apparently  very  often  precipi- 
tate momentous  events.  As  the  wrath  of 
Achilles  caused  the  Trojan  war;  as  a  hasty 
plate  of  soup  spoiled  General  Scott's  Presiden- 
tial prospects;  as  the  noise  and  confusion  which 
prevailed  once  upon  a  time,  when  General  Cass 
was  attempting  to  explain  his  views,  affected 
his  political  aspirations;  so  the  refusal  of  our 
forefathers  to  drink  the  English  tea  has  given 
us  a  free  and  independent  country,  and  added 
immeasurably  to  the  world's  civilization. 

"  Now,  we  can  get  along  in  the  happiest  ac- 
cord with  our  English  brethren.  They  appre- 
ciate us  and  we  appreciate  them,  for  we  are  all 
of  one  blood  and  lineage.  We  claim  kinship 
with  their  Sliakespeare.  their  Milton,  and  their 
Gladstone,  and  they  are  entitled  to  share  in  the 
world-fame  of  our  AVashington,  our  Marshall 
and  our  Webster. 

"  In  perjietuating  these  blessings  derived  from 
our   Revolutionary  forefathers,  we  need 


HISTORY    OF    SACRAMENTO    COUNTY. 


men  at  the  helm  of  State.  We  need  thought- 
ful men,  men  whose  sympathies  are  as  broad  as 
the  protecting  shield  of  the  Republic.  The 
civil  service  of  the  country  should  be  placed  on 
a  liigh  plane,  and  should  be  the  reward  only  of 
a  conscientious  and  faithful  discharge  of  duty, 
and  cotnpetency  for  its  performance.  Men 
should  be  taught  to  regard  the  national  honor 
as  their  own,  and  unscrupulous  money-changers 
and  their  patrons  driven  from  the  place  where 
enthroned  duty  should  sit.  Strong  moral  forces 
should  lend  a  helping  hand  to  the  government 
ot  State,  and  these  must  be  backed  by  educa- 
tion and  an  enlightenment  of  the  public  con- 
science. 

"We  salute,  therefore,  this  one  hundred  and 
twelfth  anniversary  of  American  Independence, 
this  great  country  which  is  the  recognized  liome 
of  liberty  the  world  over;  we  salute  her  hon- 
ored past,  her  prosperous  present,  her  prom- 
ising future,  the  destined  abiding  place  of  the 
millions  to  come  who  will  blend  with  and  add 
to  the  greatest  of  the  English-speaking  race; 
whose  drum  beat  and  martial  tread  will  be 
heard  whenever  the  rights  of  the  humblest  of 
her  citizens  are  trampled  upon  by  any  foreign 
power,  or  when  any  one  of  the  increasing  stars 
on  her  flag  is  sougiit  to  be  dimmed. 

"We  salute  this  anniversary,  in  this  great 
Valley  of  the  Sacramento,  where  nature  has 
done  so  much  and  art  so  little;  where  there  is 
room,  and  plenty  of  room,  for  the  thousands,  I 
might  say  the  millions,  to  come;  where  on  the 
one  side  may  be  seen  an  almost  treeless  expanse 
of  waving  grain,  on  the  other  the  semi-tropical 
fruits  mellowing  into  more  than  Eastern  luscious- 
ness,  all  around  a  climate 

Where  summer  first  her  robe  unfui-ls, 
And  where  she  longest  tarries, 

with  a  people  as  generous  and  hospitable  as  the 
tempered  airs  which  have  grown  them. 

"And  from  this  great  valley  we  can  point 
with  pride  to  the  unnumbered  valleys  scattered 
beyond,  and  to  the  hills  as  prolific  as  the  val- 
leys, with    their  grain   belts,  their  fruit   belts, 


their  mineral  belts,  their  sanitary  belts,  all  of 
which  tend  to  reward  industry,  prolong  life  and 
make  it  enjoyable;  to  our  colleges  and  admira- 
ble common-school  system;  to  a  free  and  en- 
lightened press;  to  a  reading  and  thinking- 
poople;  whether  amid  urban  splendors  or  rural 
homes;  to  a  fearless  atid  incorruptible  judiciary, 
and  to  the  mass  of  our  population,  healthy, 
happy  and  contented. 

"California  has  an  area  three  times  as  great 
as  that  of  the  State  of  New  York,  and  larger 
than  that  of  Great  Britain  and  Ireland,  with 
Portugal  added  as  a  make- weight. 

"While,  however,  she  has  only  about  seven 
inhabitants  to  the  square  mile,  Rhode  Island 
has  300  and  Belgium  has  more  than  500.  Thus 
it  will  be  apparent  what  advantages  this  State 
has  for  supporting  a  greatly  increased  popula- 
tion. She  is  among  the  greatest  of  the  wheat - 
producing  States,  far  ahead  of  any  other  in  the 
production  and  value  of  her  mines,  and  was  at 
one  time  the  greatest  gold  and  silver  producer 
in  the  Union. 

"To  this  is  to  be  added,  among  other  re- 
sources, the  unrivaled  wealth  of  her  fruits,  her 
lumber  interests,  her  wool,  most  of  which  are 
constantly  increasing. 

"From  so  much  of  retrospect  let  us  now  look 
forward  to  the  coming  years,  when  the  great 
Valley  of  the  Sacramento  will  enrich  and  be 
enriched  by  the  thousands  who  will  settle  here; 
when  every  valley  will  begin  to  smile  like  a 
Vaca  or  a  Capay;  when  California  will,  appar- 
ently, have  arrived  at  the  acme  of  her  material 
development;  when  from  the  dome  of  the  State 
Capitol  shall  float  the  same  flag  which  flies 
there  to-day,  and  the  same  songs  be  sung  to  tire 
the  patriot's  heart;  when  all  over  this  great 
nation  will  be  seen  tlie  same  patriotic  display, 
the  arts  and  sciences  prevailing,  labor  receiving 
an  adequate  requital,  and  fraternal  ties  binding 
the  States  and  people  together  stronger  than 
with  ribs  of  steel;  still  even  then  will  we  look 
hopefully  forward  to  a  still  greater  future,  to  a 


UISTORY    OF    SACRAMENTO    COUNTY. 


still    more    rhythmical   development,    until    we 
finally  sink  to  rest  beneath  the  sods  of  the  great 

valley." 

'^■^■^ 

fEORGE  SERMONET,  wholesale  and  re- 
tail grocer,  No.  700  Eighth  street,  Sacra- 
mento, is  a  native  of  France,  born  at 
Dam  bach,  Alsace,  on  the  24th  of  April,  1838, 
his  parents  being  Joseph  (a  vineyardist)  and 
Catharine  (Schaechtel)  Sermonet.  He  was 
reared  at  his  native  place  and  attended  school 
from  the  age  of  six  until  he  was  fourteen.  Then 
he  worked  on  his  father's  place.  When  he 
reached  the  age  of  twenty-one  years  he  entered 
the  army,  joining  the  First  Artillery  Regiment 
at  Grenoble.  After  he  had  been  there  nine 
months  he  went  with  his  regiment  to  Algiers, 
Africa,  where  he  remained  from  the  12th  of 
June,  1860,  until  November  24,  1864.  There 
he  saw  much  active  service,  and  was  promoted 
sergeant,  and  given  charge  of  the  artillery  at 
the  fortress  of  Tiaret.  He  commanded  the 
guns  there  during  the  Arab  rebellion  of  1864. 
He  returned  to  France  with  his  regiment  in  the 
fall  of  1864,  and  was  located  at  Rennes,  depart- 
ment Ille-et-Yilaine,  the  capital  of  Frencli 
Britany.  They  embarked  at  Toulon,  November 
26,  1864,  and  marched  to  Rennes,  reaching 
there  January  20,  1865.  He  left  there  August 
8,  1865,  on  partial  discharge,  and  on  the  31st 
received  his  full  discharge.  After  remaining 
home  some  months  he  came  to  America,  sailing 
from  Havre  on  the  2d  of  September,  1867, 
and  landing  at  New  York  September  21  from 
the  steamer  Bellona.  At  New  York  he  took  a 
steamer  bound  for  California,  and  crossing  the 
Isthmus  resumed  his  sea  voyage  on  the  steamer 
Constitution,  landing  at  San  Francisco  October 
25,  1867.  He  came  to  Sacramento  on  the  27th 
and  engaged  with  L.  Kreuzberger  in  his  coffee 
and  spice  mills.  He  was  euipioyed  there  until 
1872,  when  he  embarked  in  the  grocery  business 
on  the  corner  of  Tenth  and  E  streets.  Two 
years  later  he  removed  to  tlie  corner  of  Seventh 


and  G  streets.  In  1877  he  commenced  the  con- 
struction of  his  present  business  house  at  No. 
700  Eighth  street,  and  finished  and  moved  into 
it  on  the  27th  of  April,  1878.  He  does  an  ex- 
tensive retail  business,  whilst  his  wholesale  trade 
is  constantly  increasing,  and  he  handles  large 
quantities  of  California  wines.  His  store  is 
heavily  stocked,  giving  his  customers  a  large 
range  of  goods  to  select  from.  Mr.  Sermonet 
was  married  in  this  city  July  6,  1872,  to  Miss 
Hildebrand,  a  native  of  Germany,  who  came  to 
this  country  when  a  child.  They  have  five 
children,  viz.:  Felix,  Edward,  Annie  Frances, 
Clorinda  Grace  and  Victor  Peter.  Mr.  Sermo- 
net is  a  member  of  the  A.  O.  D.,  and  is  treas- 
urer of  the  Catholic  Knights  of  America.  He 
is  an  enterprising,  wide-awake  business  man. 


►>^ 


[rOSEPH  W.  CLARKE,  foreman  of  the  round 
houses  of  the  Central  Pacific  Railroad  Com- 


pany, 


at  Sacramento,  is  a  native  of  Madison 


County,  New  York,  born  at  Brookfield,  February 
26,  1836,  his  parents  being  Ethan  and  Amy 
(Crandall)  Clarke.  His  father,  who  was  pro- 
prietor of  a  machine  shop,  came  of  one  of  the 
oldest  families  in  that  part  of  New  York,  and 
was  a  son  of  a  Revolutionary  veteran.  When 
the  subject  of  this  sketch  was  nine  years  old, 
the  family  removed  to  Rockford,  Illinois.  There 
he  learned  the  machinist's  trade  with  his -father 
and  brother.  Afterward,  during  an  interval  of 
eight  years,  he  worked  ofi"  and  on  in  the  shops 
of  the  Illinois  Central  Railroad  at  Chicago,  the 
remainder  of  the  time  for  that  period,  at  Rock- 
ford.  For  one  year  (during  1864  and  1865) 
he  was  in  the  service  of  the  Government  about 
Chattanooga.  In  1868  Mr.  Clarke  came  to 
California,  via  Nicaragua  route.  He  left  New 
York  on  the  steamer  Guiding  Star,  and  landed 
at  San  Francisco  from  the  steamer  Moses 
Taylor,  May  3,  1868.  He  proceeded  to  Butte 
County,  and  mined  at  Oregon  City  about 
a  year.  He  then  came  to  Sacramento,  and 
on   the  3d  of  May,  1869,   entered    the   employ 


BISTORT    OF    SACRAMENTO    COUNTY. 


of  the  Central  Pacific  Railroad  Company,  as 
a  machinist  in  the  shops.  In  1874  he  was 
promoted  to  his  present  position;  there  are 
from  125  to  150  men  in  his  department, 
independent  of  engineers  and  firemen.  Mr. 
Clarke  was  married  in  Illinois,  March  31,  1868 
(the  day  he  started  for  California),  to  Miss  H. 
A.  Stevens,  a  native  of  Mount  Desert  Island, 
Maine.  They  have  two  children,  viz.:  Joseph 
Hermann  and  Amy.  Mr.  Clarke  is  a  member 
of  Columbia  Lodge,  K.  of  P.,  and  of  Red  Cloud 
Tribe,  Red  Men.  He  has  been  identified  with 
the  shops  since  the  early  days,  and  enjoys  the 
respect  and  esteem  of  all  in  his  department,  as, 
indeed,  of  the  community  generally. 


tAUREN  UPSON,  deceased,  a  once  promi- 
nent, but  now  silent,  figure  in  Sacramento 
history,  was  a  native  of  Connecticut,  and 
son  of  Asahel  and  Lydia  (Webster)  Upson. 
Both  the  Websters  and  the  Upsons  were  among 
the  earlier  and  prominent  families  of  New 
England.  Lauren  Upson  was  born  at  Oxford, 
New  Haven  County,  Connecticut,  but  reared 
across  the  line  in  Hartford  County,  at  Marion, 
Southington  Townsliip,  where  his  parents  re- 
moved when  he  was  a  mere  child.  He  was  a 
twin  brother  with  Warren  Upson,  who  died  in 
1855.  He  and  Warren  were  the  oldest  of  nine 
brothai-s,  and  it  fell  to  his  lot  to  do  the  farm 
work.  He  remained  on  the  farm  until  twenty 
years  of  age.  He  was  also  engaged  more  or  less 
on  the  construction  of  the  Hartford  and  New 
Haven  Canal.  He  was  given  a  year's  time  be- 
fore reaching  his  majority,  and  so  left  home  at 
the  age  of  twenty  years,  and  went  South  trav- 
eling overland,  finally  bringing  up  at  Marion, 
Perry  County,  Alabama.  After  a  few  years  he 
returned  to  Connecticut,  and  was  there  married 
to  Seliiia  Chatiield,  a  native  of  Oxford,  Con- 
necticut, and  a  relative  of  the  Goodyears,  the 
great  rubber  manufacturers.  After  his  mar- 
riage he  went  back  to  Alabama  with  his  bride, 
and  embarked  in  the  mercantile  trade  at  Marion^ 


in  which  he  met  with  great  success.  But  the 
financial  crash  of  1837  fell  heavily  upon  him, 
as  he  was  endorser  for  large  amounts  on  the 
paper  of  men  who  went  under  at  that  time. 
Meantime,  however,  he  had  been  a  great  stu- 
dent, studying  law  and  reading  up  on  the  politi- 
cal situation,  so  that  when  he  was  admitted  to 
the  bar  at  Marion  he  was  already  one  of  the 
best  posted  men  politically  in  Alabama.  He 
practiced  his  profession  more  or  less,  but  his 
taste  lay  more  in  tiie  line  of  writing,  and  he 
adopted  the  profession  of  editor  as  his  future 
life  work.  He  was  given  charge  of  the  leading 
Whig  paper,  and  with  such  eflFect  did  he  wield 
his  pen  in  behalf  of  that  great  party's  princi- 
ples that  he  changed  Perry  County  from  a 
Democratic  to  a  Whig  county,  and  held  it  in 
line  as  long  as  he  was  at  the  helm  of  the  paper. 
In  1847  Charles  Langdon,  editor  and  proprietor 
of  the  Mobile  Advertiser,  was  elected  mayor  of 
Mobile,  and  he  asked  Mr.  Upson  to  go  to  that 
city  and  take  charge  of  the  editorial  department 
of  the  paper.  He  did  so  and  remained  in  charge 
until  1851,  when  he  started  for  California.  The 
journey  was  made  via  New  Orleans  and  Panama, 
and  he  landed  in  San  Francisco  in  January, 
1852.  He  proceeded  to  El  Dorado  County, 
where  he  remained  a  short  time,  and  was  then 
called  upon  to  come  to  Sacramento  and  take 
charge  of  the  Union,  then  in  its  infancy,  with 
which  he  remained  until  1864.  Tiie  history  of 
the  United  States  does  not  present  a  more 
marked  example  of  a  newspaper  controlling 
public  sentiment  throughout  a  vast  extent  of 
territory  than  that  of  the  Union,  throughout 
the  Pacific  Coast  during  that  period.  At  times 
his  pen  seemed  almost  inspired,  and  a  tremen- 
dous influence  for  good  was  wielded  by  the 
paper  at  a  time  when  the  future  destiny  of  the 
United  States  was  being  wrought.  The  build- 
ing of  the  Pacific  Railroad,  which  supplies  what 
was  necessary  to  forever  bind  and  cement  the 
American  Union,  could  never  have  been  accom- 
plished when  it  was,  without  the  great  eflForts 
in  its  behalf  by  Lauren  Upson.  In  fact  its  very 
conception    at    the    time    would    have    seemed 


HLSTOJO'    OF    SACRAMENTO    COUNTY. 


almost  ridiculous  witliout  the  causes  sliown  and 
tiie  help  given  by  \\\m  in  tiie    Union.      Besides 
being  the  guiding  star  of  the  Whigs,  the  paper, 
under  his  editorship,  had   great  influence  even 
withthe  Democrats,  as  a  legislative  party,  because 
thej  feared  his  pen.     Though  a  strong,  forcible 
writer,  he  never  descended  to  personalities,  and 
had  but  one  instance  of  trouble.     Mr.  Bell,  then 
Controller  of  State,  took  exceptions  to  an  article 
of  Mr.  Upson's  criticising  his  official  acts,  and 
one  morning  as  the  latter  was  coming  out  of  the 
Senate  chamber,  he   met  Bell,  who   at  once  as- 
saulted   iiim.       Mr.     Upson    never    preferred 
charges  against  his  assailant.      Years  atterward, 
liowever,  Mr.  Bell  called  upon  Mr.  Upson  at  San 
Francisco  and  manfully  apologized  for  his   act. 
He  finally  broke    down   under  the  great  strain 
placed  upon  him  by  his  literary  work,  and  he  was 
compelled  to  seek  rest.      In  1864  he  had  a  para- 
lytic stroke  of  the  tongue.   About  tiiat  time  one  of 
his  intimate  friends,  high  in  Government  coun- 
cils,   secured     for    him     the     appointment    of 
Quartermaster  of  the   Division;  but   as  the  re- 
muneration, while  great,  was  largely  in  the  form 
of  commissions  on  purchases,   etc.,  he  did   not 
accept  the   office  with  its  emoluments,  on  ac- 
count of  conscientious  scruples.     He  was  after- 
ward tendered  and  accepted  the  appointment  to 
the    office  of  United  States   Surveyor-Grenoral, 
which  he  held  for   six   years,  under    Presidents 
Lincoln     and     Johnson.       He    was    again     ap- 
pointed but   not   confirmed   by    the  Senate,  and 
finally  Mr.   Day,    a   relative   of  Senator  Evarts, 
was  nominated  and   confirmed.     Returning  to 
Sacramento,  he  retired  to  his  farm  (on  the  cross- 
roads between   the   Upper  and  Lower  Stockton 
roads),  which  he  had  bought  while  editor  of  the 
Union.     While  living  there  he  was  nominated 
for  the    position  of  county   clerk   and    elected. 
He    was    re-nominated    for    another    term,   but 
there  was  a  split  in  the  Republican  ranks  tluit 
time,  and  Ham.  C.   Harrison,  wlio  received   the   j 
Democratic  and    Independent  nominations,   was 
elected.     He  afterward  accepted   the    manage- 
ment of  the  interests  of  the  company  operating 
at  Riverside,  San  Bernardino  County,  and  while 


there  was  interested  also  in  the  San  Jacinto  tin 
mine.  About  the  1st  of  May,  1877,  while  he 
was  attending  the  meeting  of  the  board  of  direc- 
tors of  the  company  at.  San  Francisco,  he  was 
stricken  with  something  l;ke  paralysis  of  the 
brain.  His  son  Lauren  A.  went  there  and 
brought  him  to  Sacramento.  He  never  recov- 
ered the  use  of  his  faculties,  but  died  iS^ovem- 
ber  20^  1885.  His  faithful  and  devoted  wife 
died  on  the  1st  of  May,  1887.  To  them  were 
born  six  children,  of  whom  the  first  child  died. 
The  other  children  were  as  follows:  Warren  F. 
(a  resident  of  this  Sta^e);  Lauren  Asaliel  (of 
Sacramento);  Lucy  L.  (wife  of  John  Arnold); 
Charles  W.  (who  met  with  an  accidental  death 
in  this  city);  and  Cornelia  Salina  (wife  of  General 
George  B.  Williams,  of  Washington,  who  is  now 
attorney  for  the  Southern  Pacific  Railroad  at 
Washington,  District  of  Columbia. 


AUREN  A.  UPSON,  second  son  of  Lauren 
deceased,  was  born  at  Marion, 
Perry  County,  Alabama,  July  1,  1837. 
He  was  educated  there  and  at  the  high  school 
at  Mobile  until  his  sixteenth  year,  in  1853, 
after  his  father  had  gone  to  California,  his 
mother  and  four  children,  including  our  sub- 
ject, went  to  Connecticut.  Then  he  attended 
Lewis'  Academy  at  Southington,  preparing  for 
Yale  College,  but  in  1855  his  father  sent  for 
the  family,  and  they  then  came  out  to  California. 
Our  subject,  who  was  then  eighteen  years  of 
age,  became  a  newsboy  on  the  Union  at  §75  a 
month.  He  carried  papers  one  year,  and  then 
went  into  the  employ  of  the  Pacific  Express 
Company.  When  twenty  years  old  he  entered 
the  employ  of  Sneath  &  Arnold.  After  a  short 
time  he  bought  the  interest  of  Mr.  Kramer  in 
the  firm  of  P.  H.  Kramer  &  Co.,  and  the  new 
firm  of  Purdy  &  Upson  was  formed,  coi^jposed 
of  Mr.  Upson  and  J.  E.  Purdy,  and  doing  busi- 
ness at  Woolsey's  Flat,  Nevada  County.  After 
two  years  in  that  firm,  he  left  there  and  went  to 
Placerville.     The  firm   of  L.  A.  Upson  &  Co. 


HISTORY    OF    SACRAMENTO    COUNTY. 


did  business  then  until  1860,  when  the  store 
was  sold,  and  Mr.  Upson  came  to  Sacramento 
again  and  took  the  position,  of  liookkeeper  for 
the  tirm  of  Sneatli  &  Acnold.  After  the  flood 
of  1862  the  firm  established  a  house  in  San 
Francisco,  and  Mr.  Upson  took  charge  of  the 
office  there.  In  1863  the  firm  was  dissolved, 
Mr.  Upson  representing  Mr.  Arnold  in  the  dis- 
solution, and  W.  J.  Tilly  acting  for  Mr.  Sneatli. 
Mr.  Upson  returned  to  Sacramento,  and  the  tirm 
of  John  Arnold  &  Co.  was  organized,  composed 
of  John  Arnold,  John  McNeill  and  L.  A.  Up- 
son. A  little  later  L.  S.  Adams  became  a  mem- 
ber of  the  firm.  The  house  finally  became 
Adams,  McNeill  &  Co.,  composed  of  L.  S. 
Adams,  John  McNeill  and  L.  A.  Upson.  Mr. 
Upson  remained  a  member  of  the  firm  until 
1868,  when  lie  sold  his  interest  to  L.  S.  Adams. 
He  has  ever  since  been  connected  with  the 
house  as  salesman,  and  now  I'epresents  them  as 
traveling  salesman.  Mr.  Upson  is  a  charter 
member  of  Sacramento  Lodge,  A.  0.  U.  W. ; 
-neraber  of  Sacramento  Lodge,  K.  of  IL,  and 
member  of  K.  &,  L.  of  H.  In  the  days  of  the 
volunteer  fire  department  he  was  a  member  of 
Touiig  American  Engine  Company,  No.  6,  and 
is  now  an  exempt  fireman.  Mr.  Upson  is  an 
active  Republican  politically,  and  has  held  the 
position  of  chairman  of  the  City  Central  Com- 
mittee. He  was  the  first  secretary  of  the  Sacra- 
mento paid  fire  department,  and  has  been  for 
many  years  treasurer  of  the  State  Agricultural 
Society,  which  ofiice  he  now  holds.  Mr.  Upson 
.vas  married  in  this  city  to  Miss  Adelaide  L. 
Hubbard,  eldest  daughter  of  I.  M.  and  Sarah 
Buckley  (Wilcox)  Hubbard,  and  a  native  of 
Utica,  New  York.  To  them  have  been  born 
ten  children,  of  whom  seven  are  living,  viz.: 
Lauren  Stuart,  Lucy,  Adelaide,  Nellie,  Miller, 
Ijurchell  and  Gertrude. 


^ANUEL  CASTEO,  one    of   the    active 
business  men  of  Sacramento,  is  a  native 
of  Lower  California,  born   in   the  State 
of  Loretta,   June   12,  1837,   liis   parents   being 


Francis  and  Joanna  (Canisares)  Castro.  His 
father  was  born  near  the  fi-ontier  between  Up- 
per and  Lower  California  about  1801,  and  was 
an  officer  in  the  army  of  Mexico  from  the  age 
of  twenty  years,  and  the  Government  gave  him 
the  San  Fernando  grant.  When  Manuel  Castro 
was  but  twelve  years  of  age  he  went  to  sea  as 
cabin  boy  on  the  John  Anderson,  which  plied 
between  Mexican  and  Californian  ports.  He 
was  with  that  vessel  about  three  months,  then 
remained  in  San  Francisco  about  two  weekf, 
when  he  went  on  the  schooner  Sixth  of  June, 
also  in  the  coast  trade.  He  remained  with  her 
about  seven  months,  after  which  he  was  on  the 
Two  Brothers  for  nine  months.  He  got  away 
from  her  at  San  Francisco  and  went  to  the 
mines  with  a  party  of  young  men.  When  they 
got  at  the  Cosumnes  Creek  it  was  raining  hard, 
and  tiiey  crossed  in  an  oil-cloth  boat,  riveted. 
Getting  to  the  other  side  they  went  into  camp, 
and  some  of  the  bo\s  went  out  and  killed  a 
deer.  They  then  went  on  to  Dobler's  Springs, 
between  Stockton  and  Mokelumne  Bar.  At  the 
latter  place  they  went  to  mining,  after  a  few 
days.  Mr.  Castro  had  no  money  but  could  get 
trusted  for  anything  he  wanted.  Flour  was  $3 
a  pound,  bacon  $1.50  a  pound,  yellow  sugar 
$1.50  per  pound.  Mr.  Castro,  however,  was 
making  from  $16  to  $20  a  day.  He  fell  in  with 
a  young  fellow  he  had  known  in  Mexico,  and  the 
two  boys  worked  together  five  months,  making 
$1,300  apiece.  All  kinds  of  utensils  were  ex- 
pensive. A  tin  dipper  cost  $1.50;  a  bucket 
cost  $6,  and  a  tight  half-barrel  to  make  a  cradle 
cost  $100.  After  five  months  Mr.  Castro 
went  back  to  Lower  California,  but  after  visit- 
ing there  about  six  weeks,  he  returned  and  went 
to  the  Sonora  mines.  Three  weeks  later  he 
went  to  San  Antonio,  and  alter  a  few  days  pro- 
ceeded to  Jesus  Maria.  There  he  remained  for 
some  time,  then  went  to  Sutter  Creek,  and 
mined  between  Volcano  and  Sutter.  There  he 
mined  for  a  long  time,  and  became  one  of  the 
best  known  young  men  in  that  region,  and  very 
popular  with  every  one.  In  1857  he  came  to 
Sacramento,  and  after  five  months  went  to  boat- 


UISTOHY    OF    SACRAMENTO    COUNTY. 


ing  on  the  river  for  Fred  Milleo  and  Anton 
Brewer.  Two  years  later  he  bought  them  out. 
Afterward  he  sold  his  boat,  and  built  two  others. 
He  carried  on  that  business  until  about  1863, 
but  in  1879  he  opened  a  large  wood-yard  in 
Sacramento,  and  has  carried  on  that  business 
since.  He  has  two  yards,  one  between  P  and  Q 
streets,  the  other  on  the  corner  of  Fourth  and 
L  streets,  and  does  an  extensive  business,  hav- 
ing a  very  large  number  of  customers.  Mr. 
Castro  was  married  in  Sacramento  March  19, 
1861,  to  Miss  Gustella  'Paz,  a  native  of  Lower 
California.  They  have  three  children,  viz.:  Ko- 
dolfo,  Golfida  (wife  of  Gus  Gonnett)  and  Mar- 
shall. Mr.  Castro  is  a  member  of  the  Walhalla 
Grove,  No.  6,  A.  O.  D.,  of  Lodge  No.  11,  K. 
of  P.,  and  of  Tribe  No.  14,  Red  Men.  In  the 
days  of  the  volunteer  lire  department  he  was  a 
member  of  Eureka  Company,  No.  4,  and  is  now 
an  exempt  fireman.  Mr.  Castro  has  a  good 
memory,  and  has  many  interesting  and  enter- 
taining recollections  of  the  early   mining  days. 


ffllLIP  DOUGLAS,  master  car  repairer, 
Central  Pacilic  Railroad  Company,  is  a 
native  of  the  Isle  of  Man,  born  February 
28,  1843,  his  parents  being  Philip,  Sr.,  and 
Jane  (McDowell)  Douglas.  When  he  was  eight 
years  old  his  parents  came  to  the  United  States, 
landing  at  New  Orleans,  and  located  in  New 
York,  where  his  father  resided  some  eighteen 
years*  before,  and  four  years  later  returned  to 
England.  There  he  remained  until  twenty-two 
years  of  age,  and  learned  the  trade  of  carpenter 
in  the  shops  of  the  London  &  Northwestern 
Railway  at  Lancashire.  In  1865  he  again  came 
to  the  United  States,  and  was  engaged  until 
1868  working  in  the  shops  of  the  New  \  ork 
Central  Railroad  and  those  of  the  Hudson  River 
Railroad,  before  these  two  systems  were  con- 
solidated. In  1868  he  came  to  California,  and 
locating  in  Sacramento,  entered  the  employ  uf 
the  Central  Pacific   Railroad   as  a  carpenter   in 


the  car  and  locomotive  departments  of  the 
shops,  under  Benjamin  Welch.  His  work  at 
that  time  was  principally  in  the  round-house. 
He  worked  two  years  at  the  bench  as  a  carpen- 


ter, then   as   foreman  of  the   runnin 


g-gear  de- 


partment in  car  shops.  In  October,  1876,  he 
was  promoted  to  master  car  repairer,  having  his 
jurisdiction  over  all  the  lines  of  which  J.  B. 
Wright  is  superintendent.  The  number  em- 
ployed in  his  department  averages  about  135, 
though  it  sometimes  reaches  175.  Mr.  Douglas 
was  married  at  Albany,  New  York,  June  4, 
1868,  to  Miss  Caroline  Foreman,  a  native  of 
Great  Yarmouth,  England,  but  was  reared  in 
this  country.  They  have  three  children,  viz.: 
Jennie  M.,  Ilattie  C.  and  Harry  W.  Mr. 
Douglas  is  a  member  of  Union  Lodge,  A.  F.  & 
A.  M.,  and  of  Sacramento  Lodge,  K.  of  P.  He 
was  one  of  the  organizers  of  the  Union  Build- 
ing and  Loan  Association,  and  is  now  director. 
He  has  two  brothers,  also  in  the  shops,  viz.: 
Robert  C,  machinist,  and  James  A.,  a  moulder. 
Mr.  Douglas  is  an  active,  energetic  man  of 
business,  and  performs  with  great  credit  the 
supervision  of  his  department,  in  which  he 
is  popular  with  the  employes,  and  whose  respect 
and  confidence  he  commands. 


fTEPHEN  UREN,  general  foreman  of  the 
blacksmith  and  rolling-mill  department  of 
the  Central  Pacific  Railroad  shops,  Sacra- 
mento, is  a  native  of  Cornwall,  England,  born 
September  10,  1837,  his  parents  being  William 
and  Bethsheba  (Sincock)  Uren,  the  father  a 
blacksmith  and  machinist  by  trade.  He  was 
reared  and  educated  at  his  native  place,  and 
learned  his  trade  in  the  shop  of  which  his  father 
was  foreman.  In  1857  he  came  to  the  United 
States,  and  spent  a  year  in  the  copper  mining 
district  of  Ontonagon  County,  Michigan.  Hav- 
ing decided  to  go  to  California,  in  1858  he  pro- 
ceeded to  New  York,  and  there  took  passage  on 
the  steamer  Constitution  for  Aspinwall.  Cross- 
ing the  Isthmus,  he  resumed  his  sea  voyage  on 


HIsrORT    OF    SACRAMENTO    COUNTY. 


the  steamer  Golden  Gate,  and  arrived  at  San 
Francisco,  October  15,  1858.  He  came  on  to 
Sacramento  County,  and  worked  at  his  trade 
about  Folsoin  about  two  j-ears;  thence  he  went 
to  El  Dorado  County,  where  he  mined  about  a 
year.  After  this  he  spent  three  m<mths  in  Vir- 
ginia City,  Nevada,  and  from  there  came  to 
Sacramento,  where  he  became  engaged  in  the 
construction  of  the  State  Capitol  building.  In 
1869  he  obtained  employment  in  the  railroad 
shops  as  a  blacksmith,  and  four  years  later  he 
was  promoted  to  the  post  of  assistant  foreman, 
under  A.  F.  La  Shalles,  foreman.  In  1875  Mr. 
Uren  was  promoted  foreman  of  the  blacksmith 
shop,  succeeding  George  Genshlea,  who  had 
occupied  the  position  about  fourteen  months. 
When  the  rolling-mills  were  added  to  the  shops 
that  department  was  also  placed  under  Mr. 
Uren's  authority,  and  the  tirst  bar  was  rolled 
out  under  his  supervision,  in  July,  1881.  The 
mill  turned  out  11,000  tons  of  material  in 
1888.  In  November  of  that  year  500  men 
were  employed  in  the  rolling-mill  and  black- 
smith departments,  but  the  number  is  less  at 
this  writing.  The  heaviest  steamboat  forgings 
ever  made  on  the  Pacitic  coast  have  been  con- 
structed in  this  shop.  All  the  forgings  for  the 
steamer  Piedmont  were  made  here.  Mr.  Uren 
has  added  in  a  vast  degree  to  the  efficiency  of 
his  departments  through  the  introduction  of 
his  own  inventions.  There  are  many  of  these 
applied  here  and  in  such  shops  generally,  tliough 
he  has  only  had  a  limited  number  of  their  pat- 
ented. Among  these  may  be  enumerated  the 
following:  Device  for  forming  car-links,  pat- 
ented April  27,  1880.  Previous  to  the  intro- 
duction of  this  device,  links  were  made  by  hand. 
The  cost  of  manufacture  has  been  reduced  one- 
third.  Process  of  utilizing  scrap  for  the  manu- 
facture of  nuts,  etc.,  patented  October  6,  1885. 
Scrap  was  never  used  for  the  manufacture  of 
nuts  before.  Large  bridge-nuts  have  heretofore 
been  hand-made.  This  machine  produces  them 
at  the  rate  of  one  per  minute.  The  ordinary 
metliod  requires  a  half  hour  for  each  nut. 
Wrought-iron   brake-shoe,   patented    December 


1,  1885.  This  invention  is  used  on  the  cars  of 
nearly  all  roads  on  the  Pacific  coast,  and  is  in 
great  demand.  Mr.  Uren  manufactures  about 
500  tons  of  them  annually  in  the  railroad  shops. 
The  advantage  over  the  cast-iron  shoe  is  in  the 
ratio  of  5  to  1.  A  patent  on  a  method  of  util- 
izing scrap  cast-steel.  By  this  invention  it  is 
composed  into  ingots,  and  rolled  down  into  bar 
steel.  His  latest  patent  is  on  a  slotting  attach- 
ment for  a  bolt-heading  machine.  It  is  the 
only  machine  in  existence  that  will  head  a  bolt 
and  slot  the  key-way  at  the  same  time.  This 
machine,  or  even  the  idea,  had  never  been 
thought  of  before,  and  Mr.  Uren  considers  it 
one  of  his  most  valuable  inventions.  It  was 
patented  May  28,  1889,— No.  404,235.  Mr. 
Uren  was  married  in  this  city  on  the  9th  of 
September,  1865,  to  Miss  Mary  Welch,  a  native 
of  Ireland.  They  have  seven  children,  viz.: 
William,  Edward,  Minnie,  Stephen,  Walter, 
Grare  and  Nellie.  Mr.  Uren  is  a  member  of 
Union  Lodge,  A.  F.  &  A.  M.  In  politics  he  is 
a  Republican.  He  has  made  his  own  way  in 
the  world  by  attention  to  details  of  his  chosen 
trade.  He  was  always  of  an  inventive  turn  of 
mind,  Mnd  some  of  his  inventions  have  already 
revolutionized  methods  always  before  used  in 
the  best  shops  in  the  world.  As  the  head  of 
one  of  the  other  departments  expressed  it  to  the 
writer  of  tliis  article,  "Stephen  Uren  is  one  of 
the  most  useful  men  the  Southern  Pacitic  Rail- 
road Company  ever  employed." 


fLAUS  FELDHUSEN,  one  of  the  well- 
known  business  men  of  Sacramento,  is  a 
native  of  Germany,  born  at  Meyenburg, 
Hanover,  May  5,  1886,  his  parents  being  John 
Henry  and  Margaretha  (Brauer)  Feldhusen. 
He  was  reared  at  his  native  place  and  received 
his  education  at  the  public  schools  between  the 
age  of  six  and  fourteen  years.  After  that  he 
farmed  with  his  father  during  the  day.  in  the 
meantime  attending  night  school.  At  the  age 
of  twenty  years   he   entered    the   military,  and 


JIlSTUUr    OF    SACRAMENTO    COUNTY. 


served  steadily  in  the  Fifth  Hanover  Infantry 
Regiment  for  two  years.  After  that  he  served 
one  month  each  year  until  he  was  twenty-seven 
years  old.  He  had  been  educated  in  the  raising 
of  forests,  and  he  made  the  forestry  business  his 
occupation.  In  1869  he  came  to  the  United 
States,  sailing  from  Breitien  to  New  York. 
From  the  latter  city  he  came  directly  to  Cali- 
fornia, and  located  in  Sacramento.  He  went 
into  business  the  same  year  on  the  corner  of 
Eighth  and  L  streets,  in  partnership  with  Fred 
Koster,  buying  out  the  interests  of  D.  Dierssen 
in  the  business.  After  two  or  three  years  Mr. 
Feldhusen  bought  his  partner  out  and  has  since 
carried  on  the  business  alone.  He  has  built  up 
an  extensive  trade,  and  has  a  large  and  well 
selected  stock  of  goods.  His  local  trade  is  very 
large,  and  he  does  quite  a  jobbing  business  with 
the  surrounding  country.  Mr.  Feldhusen  was 
married  in  his  native  country  to  Miss  Charlotte 
Mertens.  They  have  five  children,  viz.:  Meta 
(wife  of  John  C.  Schaden,  of  Sacramento),  Ben, 
Henry,  Nicholas  and  Annie;  the  latter  four  be- 
ing with  their  father  in  the  store.  Mr.  Feld- 
husen is  a  courteous,  genial-mannered  gentleman 
and   is  popular  with  his  many  customers. 

• '^■^-^ 

C.  FITCH,  fjreman  of  the  painting 
department,  Central  Pacific  Railroad 
*  shops,  Sacramento,  is  a  native  of  New 
York  State,  born  at  Sidney,  Delaware  County, 
December  3, 1840,  and  son  of  Cyrus  and  Evelyn 
(Eels)  Fitch,  both  of  whom  were  natives  of 
Connecticut,  and  the  father  a  farmer.  W.  C. 
Fitch  spent  his  early  boyhi  od  days  at  his  native 
place,  and  at  the  age  of  fifteen  years  went  to 
Otsego  County  to  learn  the  carriage-painting 
trade  with  the  firm  of  D.  Hanford  &  Co.,  at 
Unadilla.  He  remained  with  them  five  years, 
and  then  decided  to  go  to  California.  Proceed- 
ing to  New  York  city,  he  took  passage  thej-e, 
March  21,  18G1,  on  the  steamer  North  Star. 
He  landed  on  the  Ist  of  April,  and  crossing  the 
Isthmus  of  Panama  by   rail,    resumed    his    sea 


voyag3  on  the  steamer  Golden  Age,  landing  at 
San  Francisco  on  the  13th  of  April.  After 
working  three  weeks  in  San  Francisco,  he  went 
to  Marysville,  where  he  obtained  employment 
with  the  California  Stage  Company,  and  had 
charge  of  their  painting  for  over  four  years,  or 
until  the  stage  company  closed  up  business  on 
account  of  the  railroad  competition.  He  then 
established  a  carriage  painting  shop  at  Marys- 
ville, and  conducted  it  for  two  years.  He  was 
then  offered  his  present  position  at  the  head  of 
the  painting  department  of  the  Central  Pacific 
Railroad  Company  at  Sacramento,  and  accepted 
the  offer,  and  has  tilled  that  position  since 
March  28,  1868.  Mr.  Fitch  was  married  at 
Marysville,  May  28,  1865,  to  Miss  Roscelia  M. 
Graham,  a  native  of  Indiana,  but  reared  at 
New  Boston,  Mercer  County,  Illinois.  Five 
children  have  been  i)orn  to  them,  viz.:  Adah, 
wife  of  Nelson  II.  Shaver,  Jr.,  of  this  county; 
Beatrice  G.,  William  L.  and  Irma  R.  The  one 
deceased  was  named  Frank  Laurence.  Mr. 
Fitch  is  a  member  of  Union  Lodge,  A.  F.  & 
A.  M.,  and  of  Union  Lodge,  A.  O.  U.  W.  Be- 
fore his  marriage  he  belonged  to  the  Marysville 
Rifles,  in  which  command  he  rose  through  the 
grades  of  Third  and  Second  Lieutenant  to  that 
of  First  Lieutenant.  This  company  sent  two 
of  its  captains  (Gibson  and  iiandall),  with  com- 
panies which  they  had  organized,  to  the  war  of 
the  Rebellion.  Mr.  Fitch  is  a  master  of  his 
business,  and  is  very  popular  with  the  large 
number  of  men  under  him,  in  the  employ  of 
the  railroad  company.  His  long  tenure  of  his 
important  position  is  an  index  to  the  ojiinion 
held  of  hira  by  the  company. 


fHRISTIAN  WILLIAM  THEODOR 
BENEDIX  has  resided  in  this  count}' 
since  1868.  He  was  born  August  10,  in 
the  year  1839,  in  the  city  of  Plan,  Mecklenburg- 
Schwerin,  Germany.  In  1852  he  came  with 
his  parents  to  America  via  Hamburg,  crossing 
the  Atlantic  in  the  Eno-lish    sailin!;  vessel  Gib- 


HISTORY    OF    SACRAMENTO    COUNTY. 


raltar,  Captain  Jordan.  It  was  a  slow  and  tedi- 
ous voyage,  and  came  very  near  being  a  very 
hot  one,  the  ship  taking  tire  twice.  Alter  a 
short  stay  in  New  York  the  family  moved  on  to 
Scott  County,  Iowa,  and  settled  on  a  farm  four 
miles  from  the  town  of  Le  Claire,  fifteen  miles 
north  of  Davenport.  They  sold  this  in  the  Ikll 
ot  1864  or  1865,  and  then  bought  a  highly-im- 
proved farm  of  eighty-two  acres,  very  near  Rock 
Island,  Illinois,  paying  $100  per  acre.  There 
is  their  present  home.  The  grandparents  of  the 
subject  of  this  sketch,  on  both  sides,  were  well 
advanced  in  years  when  they  died.  His  parents, 
Frederick  John  Christian  Benedix,  born  Octo- 
ber 9,  1812,  and  Frederika  {iiee  Eibke),  born 
September  30,  1815,  had  three  sons  and  five 
daughters,  of  whom  the  subject  of  this  sketch 
is  the  oldest.  The  next,  a  brother,  Henry,  died 
at  their  German  home,  aged  seven  or  eight 
years.  The  third,  Mary,  at  the  age  of  seventeen 
years,  married  John  Hoist,  at  Le  Claire,  Iowa, 
and  died  four  years  later,  having  had  two  daugh- 
ters, of  whom  the  younger  died  a  short  time 
before  her  mother.  The  older  daughter,  Sadie 
H.,  is  at  present  living  in  western  Iowa,  near 
the  town  ot  Glidden.  Her  husband  is  Fred. 
Hebbel,  and  they  have  three  children,  all  girls. 
The  fourth  is  his  brother  Frederick,  who  is  now 
living  near  Pierson,  Woodbury  County,  Iowa, 
where  he  is  the  owner  of  a  large  farm.  He  is 
also  the  happy  father  of  nine  healthy  children, 
two  sons  and  seven  daughters.  The  fifth,  Dora, 
married  Henry  Mumm,  at  Moline,  Illinois, 
where  she  now  resides.  They  have  six  children, 
one  son  and  five  daughters.  The  sixth  and 
seventh  sisters  died  quite  young,  while  yet  in 
Germany.  The  eighth  and  youngest — also  a 
sister — died  at  the  age  of  about  two  years,  near 
Kockfurd,  Illinois,  while  on  the  journey  from 
New  York  to  Iowa.  Mr.  Christian  W.  T.  Ben- 
edix during  his  boyhood  worked  mostly  on  the 
Iowa  farm  of  his  father.  In  the  summers  of 
1859  and  1860  he  engaged  in  the  prairie-break- 
ing business,  "  breaking  up"  many  an  acre  of 
wild  prairie  and  brush  land  in  the  counties  of 
Scott,  Cedar  and  Clinton;  and  at  the  same  time 


"breaking  in"  many  a  wild  steer.  He  was 
the  first  to  enlist  in  his  township  during  the 
last  war,  April  20,  1861,  in  Company  G,  First 
Regiment  Iowa  Infantry  Volunteers.  He  was 
mustered  into  United  States  service  May  14,  at 
Camp  Kirkwood,  near  Keokuk,  Iowa,  and  was 
honorably  discharged  from  the  service  August 
21,  1861,  at  the  St.  Louis  Arsenal, Missouri,  by 
reason  of  expiration  of  term  of  fervice.  He 
served  under  Generals  Lyon,  Sweeny  and  Franz 
Sigel.  He  was  with  General  Sweeny  on  that 
tiresome  march  from  Springfield,  Missouri, 
across  the  Ozark  Mountains,  and  at  the  storm- 
ing and  capture  of  the  city  of  Forsjth,  near  the 
Arkansas  line.  Mr.  Benedix  was  never  reported 
on  the  "sick  list,"  and  participated  in  all  the 
engagements  and  hardships  of  his  command. 
Having  enlisted  against  the  wishes  of  his  par- 
ents, he  had  pledged  himself  to  his  mother  that 
if  he  returned  in  safety  he  would  not  re-en- 
list, and  very  much  against  his  will,  was  held 
to  that  obligation.  In  1862-'63,  on  his  father's 
farm  in  Iowa,  he  went  into  the  experiment  of 
manufacturing  sugar  from  sorghum,  only  to 
find  it  a  losing  business.  In  the  winter  of 
1863-'64  he  again  went  to  St.  Louis,  Missouri, 
and  for  some  three  montlis  was  in  employment 
of  the  United  States  at  Benton  Barracks,  but  his 
health  perceptibly  failing,  he  concluded  to  re- 
turn to  Iowa,  and  thence  go  overland  to  the 
lands  of  the  Pacific.  In  the  spring  of  1864  he 
left  the  grain-fields  of  Iowa  for  the  gold-fields 
of  Idaho — Boise  Basin  mines.  Here  he  mined 
nearly  two  years,  working,  not  very  successfully, 
but  successively,  on  Moore's  Creek,  Bnena 
Yista  Bar,  Willow  Creek,  Grimes'  Creek,  and 
in  the  celebrated  Apple  Jack  Gulch.  In  the 
summer  of  1866  he  prospected  for  gold  in  Ore- 
gon, without  finding  much.  In  the  fall  of 
1866  he  settled  on  a  farm  near  Rio  Vista, 
Solano  County,  this  State.  In  the  spring  of 
1868  he  sold  this  land,  and  soon  afterward 
bought  the  160  acres  which  he  now  occupies  in 
Franklin  Township,  eighteen  miles  south  of 
Sacramento.  In  San  Francisco,  October  15, 
1870,  Mr.  Benedix  married  Miss  Emily   Weis- 


in  STORY    OF    SACRAMENTO    COUNTY. 


mann,  a  native  of  Crailsheim,  Wiirternberg, 
Germany.  They  are  the  parents  of  five  sons: 
Fraderick  Jolin,  born  September  15,  1871;  Al- 
bert, born  June  8,  1873;  Christian  William, 
born  July  8,  1875;  Frank  Weisman,  born  May 
30,  1877;  and  Henry  Charles,  born  February 
2,  1881.  In  the  spring  of  1888  Mr.  and  Mrs. 
Benedix,  with  their  son  Henry  C,  made  a  visit 
to  their  aged  parents  in  Illinois.  At  the  residence 
of  their  son-in-law  and  daughter  Dora  in  Mo- 
line,  the  parents  of  Mr.  Benedix,  on  the  18th 
day  of  May,  1888,  celebrated  their  golden  wed- 
ding. Here  at  his  California  home  Mr.  Bene- 
dix's  business  is  farming,  raising  mostly  wheat 
and  barley,  but  at  times  he  has  also  been  rais- 
ing some  cattle,  hogs  and  horses.  About  six 
acres  of  his  farm  are  planted  to  grapevines. 
However,  he  makes  but  little  wine,  selling  most 
of  the  grapes  to  commission  houses  in  San 
Francisco,  or  to  the  wineries  of  Sacramento. 
For  fourteen  years  Mr.  Benedix  has  been  a 
member  of  the  Board  of  Trustees  of  Point 
Pleasant  School  District.  He  is  a  member  of 
flie  Grand  Army  of  the  Republic;  and  also 
corresponding  member  of  the  Davenport  (Iowa) 
Academy  of  Natural   Sciences. 


fSUTEIi.  manufacturer,  Sacramento,  is  a 
native  of  Switzerland,  born  in  Canton 
"*  Aargan  on  the  15th  of  August,  1845,  his 
parents  being  Caspar  and  Susannah  Suter,  the 
father  a  foreman  in  a  paper  mill.  He  was  reared 
and  educated  at  his  native  place,  and  when 
seventeen  years  of  age  went  to  Zurich,  and  there 
learned  the  cabinet-maker's  trade  in  Kuhri's 
large  establishment.  In  1865  he  came  to  the 
United  States,  sailing  from  Bremen  in  June,  on 
tlie  sailing  vessel  Doretta,  and  landing  at  New 
York  after  a  voyage  of  forty-seven  days.  A 
week  or  so  later  he  proceeded  to  St.  Louis, 
where  he  worked  at  his  trade  tiiree  years.  He 
then  went  to  Kansas  City,  where  he  worked  one 
year  manufacturing  show-cases;  and  then  for 
seven  years  he  conducted    a  furniture  store  and 


a  furniture  and  coffin  factory  at  Olatlie,  Kansas. 
In  February,  1876,  he  came  out  to  California, 
and,  locating  at  Sacramento,  opened  a  cabinet 
shop  across  the  street  from  the  Record-  Union 
office.  A  couple  months  later  he  removed  to 
the  corner  of  Fifth  and  L  streets,  where  he  put 
in  machinery,  and  commenced  the  manufacture 
of  cabinet  work.  Six  months  later  he  started  a 
shop  at  the  Telegraph  Mill,  which  he  operated 
fur  about  a  year,  then  removed  again  to  Fifth 
and  L  streets.  About  five  months  later  the 
mill  burned  down,  and  he  lost  nearly  $400.  He 
next  started  up  on  the  corner  of  Ninth  and  K 
streets,  but  a  year  and  a  half  later  sold  out  and 
took  charge  of  the  furniture  factory  of  Camp- 
bell, Spanier  &  Bartless,  on  U  street,  between 
Tenth  and  Eleventh  streets,  in  the  interests  of 
the  creditors.  Mr.  Suter  looked  the  matter 
over  and  told  the  creditors  that  if  they  would 
give  him  a  show  to  straighten  things  out,  he 
would  paj'  their  claims  dollar  for  dollar.  In 
two  years'  time  he  had  paid  ofi  every  dollar  of 
indebtedness,  with  interest.  About  that  time 
he  sold  out  there,  and  commenced  again  in  a 
little  place  across  the  street  from  his  present 
office,  at  Thirteenth  and  J.  At  that  time  he 
employed  two  men.  Since  that  time  he  has 
been  constantly  spreading  out  and  enlarging  his 
quarters,  and  employs  nineteen  men,  with  plenty 
of  business  for  ten  more  if  he  had  the  room.  He 
employs  only  experienced  workmen,  and  gives 
his  own  personal  supervision  to  all  work  turned 
out  of  his  shops.  He  does  all  kind  of  furniture 
and  variety  work,  and  his  goods  are  engaged 
much  faster  than  he  can  turn  them  out.  He 
has  built  up  an  immense  summer  trade  on 
screens  for  windows  and  doors.  Among  the 
places  to  which  he  ships  are:  Carson,  Nevada, 
Plymouth,  Folsom,  Red  Blufi",  Chico,  Willows, 
Stockton,  Nevada  City,  Auburn,  Anderson 
(Shasta  City),  and  many  others.  Mr.  Suter  was 
married  at  St.  Louis,  October  10,  1871,  to  Miss 
Sophia  Bollinger,  a  native  of  Missouri.  They 
have  two  children,  viz.:  Oscar  and  Ida.  Mr. 
Suter  is  a  member  of  the  K.  of  H.  His 
mother  died  when  he  was  but  eleven  years  old. 


HISTORY    OF    SACRAMENTO    COUNTY. 


but  liis  fatlier  is  still  living,  leading  a  retired 
life,  at  the  age  of  seventy- three  years.  Mr. 
Suter  is  one  of  the  most  active,  pushing  men  of 
Sacramento.  He  has  been  unusiiallj  successful 
ill  business,  and  his  success  has  been  won  by 
indefatigable  energy  and  the  closest  attention  to 
business,  coupled  with  the  exercise  of  fair  and 
honest  methods  in  all  matters,  large  or  small. 


fOHN  HAUU,  of  Sacrainento,  has  been  a 
resident  of  the  Pacific  Coast  since  1857, 
and  commenced  business  in  tiie  city  in 
1885.  He  is  a  native  of  Germany,  born  at 
!Niederweise],  Hesse- Darmstadt,  on  the  8th 
day  of  September,  1845;  his  j^arents  being 
Philip  and  Catharine  Haub.  His  father,  who 
was  foreman  in  a  large  wholesale  house,  died  in 
1850.  John  Haub  spent  his  early  boyhood  days 
at  his  native  place,  and  there  attended  school 
several  years.  In  1857,  in  company  with  his 
mother  and  his  brother  George,  he  came  to  the 
United  States,  landing  at  New  York,  and  thence 
proceeding  by  steamer,  via  Panama,  to  San 
Francisco.  A  month  later  they  went  to  Marys- 
ville,  when  the  oldest  boy  of  the  family,  Conrad, 
was  cook  at  the  St.  Nicholas  Hotel.  John 
Haub  finished  liis  education  at  Marysville.  In 
1860  the  family  removed  to  Gold  Ilill,  Nevada, 
and  there  the  mother  died  later,  in  the  year 
1870.  The  subject  of  this  sketch  remained  with 
his  brother  Conrad  (who  still  keeps  hotel  at 
Gold  Hill),  until  1865,  when  he  went  to  Vir- 
ginia City,  and  engaged  with  Thomas  Taylor  & 
Co.,  wholesale  liquor  dealers,  with  whom  he  re- 
mained until  1874.  He  then  embarked  in  the 
grocery  business,  and  conducted  a  store  for  four 
years.  For  the  two  years  preceding  1880  he 
was  watchman  for  the  Bullion  Mining  Com- 
pany. In  1880  he  went  to  White  Plains, 
Nevada,  where  he  was  engaged  in  boring  ar- 
tesian wells  for  the  Central  Pacific  Railroad 
Company  for  four  years.  After  that  he  con- 
ducted the  Golden  Gate  restaurant,  at  No. 
267    Third  street,   about  eleven   months,  then 


sold  out  on  account  of  sickness  and  came 
to  Sacramento.  In  1885  he  bought  out  the 
restaurant  business  of  Messrs.  H.  Fisher  &  Co., 
and  removed  to  his  present  location,  No.  612  J 
street,  in  February,  1888.  He  has  greatly  in- 
creased the  scope  of  his  business  since  starting, 
and  now,  besides  a  first-class  restaurant,  he  has 
well  equipped  coniectionery,  ice  cream  and  lancy 
bakery  departments,  with  a  large  and  growing 
trade.  Mr.  Haub  was  married  in  Nevada,  in 
1868,  to  Miss  Catharine  Eger,  a  native  of  Ger- 
many. They  have  three  children,  viz.:  John  G., 
W.  C.  and  Lizzie  Augusta.  Mr.  Haub  is  a 
member  of  Tehama  Lodge,  No.  3,  A.  F.  &  A. 
M  ,  of  Capitol  Lodge,  No.  87,  I.  O.  G.  F.,  Sac- 
ramento; of  Ivanhoe  Lodge,  No.  5,  K.  of  P., 
San  Francisco;  of  Sacramento  Turn- Verein,  and 
a  charter  member  of  Nevada  Lodge,  No.  3020, 
K.  of  II.,  Keno,  Nevada.  Mr.  Haub  is  a  man 
of  excellent  business  qualifications,  and  is 
making  a  gratifying  success  of  his  enterprise  in 
this  city. 


fOHN  J.  BAUER,  water  tax  collector,  Sacra- 
mento, is  a  native  of  Alsace,  born  four  miles 
from  Bellefort,  on  the  Stli  day  of  August, 
1837,  his  parents  being  Michael  and  Maria 
(Weir)  Bauer.  In  1846  the  family  came  to  the 
United  States,  and  after  six  months  in  Texas,  lo- 
cated at  St.  Louis,  Missouri,  where  both  parents 
lived  until  they  died.  The  father  died  July  5, 
1864,  the  mother  in  1858.  John  J.  Bsuier,  the 
subject  of  this  sketch,  was  reared  and  educated 
at  St.  Louis,  receiving  also  a  first-class  musical 
training.  In  1854  he  came  to  California  with 
an  older  brother,  J>ancis  X.,  who  had  been  in 
San  Francisco,  in  1852,  engaged  at  his  profes- 
sion, that  of  a  musician.  They  went  down  the 
Mississippi  River  to  New  Orleans,  and  from 
there  went  on  the  steamer  United  States  to  As- 
pinwall,  crossing  the  Isthmus  by  rail  and  on 
mule  back.  From  Panama  to  San  Francisco 
they  proceeded  on  the  steamer  John  L.  Stej)hen6, 
landing  on  the  2d  of  April,  1854.     Mr.  Bauer 


HISTORY    OF    SACRAMENTO    COUNTY 


obtained  a  situation  as  a  copying  clerk  for  a 
lawyer  named  Fowler,  on  Montgomery  street,  and 
after  two  months' work  got  a  $50  "slug"  in 
payment.  On  the  12th  of  July  he  came  to  Sac- 
ramento, and  in  partnership  with  Jacob  and 
George  Herget,  engaged  in  tishing  on  the  river 
until  1859.  In  the  fall  of  that  year  he  became 
a  partner  with  J.  T.  Mier,  in  the  grocery  busi- 
ness, starting  a  store  on  Front  street,  between 
I  and  J.  They  were  in  partnership  until  1872, 
after  which  Mr.  Bauer  conducted  the  business 
alone  for  one  year,  when  he  sold  out  to  Fred 
Uhl,  and  remained  out  of  business  for  a  year  on 
account  of  ill  health.  In  the  fall  of  1873  he 
ran  for  supervisor  on  the  Independent  ticket, 
and  was  elected  serving  one  year,  he  drawing 
the  short  term.  In  the  fall  of  1876  he  went  to 
Carson  on  a  musical  trip  with  Church,  Jones 
and  Beebe,  remaining  five  months.  In  the  fall 
of  1877  he  was  again  elected  supervisor,  on  the 
Eepublican  ticket,  serving  three  years,  or  until 
the  1st  of  January,  1881.  He  next  went  into 
the  employ  of  Louis  Schloss  &  Co.,  in  the  hide 
and  pelt  business,  with  the  intention  of  familiar- 
izing himself  with  the  business,  so  as  to  become 
a  commercial  buyer.  He  worked  up  in  the 
business  from  the  lowest  grade,  and  on  the  1st 
of  May,  1882,  he  went  on  the  road  as  purchasing 
agent  for  the  firm,  throughout  California.  He 
remained  with  the  firm  until  September,  1884, 
when  they  closed  their  house  in  this  city.  In 
connection  with  E.  Hammond,  he  embarked  in 
the  same  business,  and  they  did  business  under 
the  firm  name  of  E.  Hammond  &  Co.,  until 
December,  1886,  when  they  withdrew  from  the 
trade.  Mr.  Bauer  was  appointed  City  AVater 
"Works  Collector,  and  has  held  that  position 
since  April  1,  1887.  Mr.  Bauer  was  married 
in  this  city  on  the  17th  of  February,  1862,  to 
Miss  Jane  France,  a  native  of  Lancashire,  Eng- 
land. They  have  six  cliildren,  viz:  Alice  Maria, 
Charles  E.,  Annie  F.,  Emile  F.,  Jennie  E.  and 
John  J.,  Jr.  Mr.  Bauer  is  a  member  of  Sacra- 
mento Lodge,  I.  O.  0.  F.  (in  which  he  has  passed 
the  chairs),  of  the  Veteran  Odd  Fellows,  and  of 
Union  Lodge,  A.  O.  U.  W.     In  the  days  of  the 


volunteer  fire  department,  he  was  a  member  of 
Neptune  Hose  Company  five  years,  served  as 
its  secretary  four  years  and  a  half,  acted  as  a 
member  of  the  board  of  delegates,  and  is  now 
an  exempt  fireman.  Mr.  Bauer  has  always 
taken  an  active  part  in  politics,  and  is  a  pushing, 
influential  man,  with  a  very  large  circle  of 
friends. 


►4«f^ 


fOSEPH  BAUQUIER,  one  of  the  old-time 
Californians,  residing  in  Sacramento,  is  a 
native  of  France,  born  in  the  Department 
of  Haut-Saone,  March  5, 1814,  his  parents  being 
Antoine  and  Catharine  (Vivier)  Bauquier,  the 
father  a  farmer.  He  was  reared  at  his  native 
place,  and  in  1882  came  to  America,  sailing 
from  Havre  to  New  Orleans  on  the  ship  Con- 
cordiere,  and  landing  at  the  last  named  city  on 
the  18th  of  July.  He  obtained  a  situation 
driving  a  cart  for  the  mayor  of  the  city,  but  in 
fourteen  months  went  back  to  France  on  the 
French  vessel  Josephine  Bordeaux.  After  two 
months  in  France  he  started  on  his  return  for 
New  Orleans,  and  arrived  there  in  September. 
He  engaged  as  a  fireman  on  a  steamboat  to  St. 
Louis,  and  soon  afterward  went  to  St.  Clair 
County,  Illinois,  where  he  was  engaged  in  the 
coal  business  and  in  farming,  having  three  fine 
farms  there.  In  1853  he  crossed  the  plains  to 
California,  with  three  teams  of  cattle,  and  three 
teams  of  horses.  He  outfitted  at  St.  Louis,  and 
proceeded  via  Fort  Leavenworth,  Fort  Kearney, 
Fort  Laramie  and  Sublette's  cut-off.  He  located 
at  Sacramento,  and  built  where  he  now  resides. 
He  made  five  trips  back  to  the  East  by  water, 
and  each  time  returned  to  California  overland, 
and  every  time  by  way  of  St.  Joseph  except  the 
first.  Three  times  he  brought  cattle,  and  three 
times  horses.  He  never  had  more  than  fifteen 
men  with  him,  yet  never  had  any  trouble  with 
the  Indians  or  stock-thieves,  and  never  lost  any- 
thing to  speak  of  in  crossing  the  plains  except 
$2,500  worth  of  fine  horses.  He  farmed  about 
twelve    miles   from    the   city  a  short    time  after 


UISTOBY    OF    SACRAMENTO    COUNTY. 


coming  here,  but  most  of  the  time  has  followed 
contracting,  grading,  etc.  He  has  considerable 
land  outside  the  city,  besides  retaining  a  quarter 
ot  a  block  where  he  lives,  and  has  a  horse  ranch 
outside  of  .Sacramento.  Mr.  Bauquier  was 
married  in  St.  Clair  County,  Illinois,  on  the  1st 
of  August,  1840,  to  Miss  Catharine  Granjean, 
who  was  born  in  the  same  neighborhood  that  he 
was.  She  died  on  the  15th  of  December,  1888, 
aged  seventy-one  years  and  six  months.  By 
this  marria'^e  there  are  four  children,  viz.: 
Peter,  Frank  (who  resides  at  Roseville),  Mary 
(wife  of  H.  D.  Rode,  merchant),  and  Joseph,  Jr., 
who  was  born  in  Sacramento,  June  18,  1857, 
wiiile  Mr.  Bauquier  was  crossing  the  plains. 
Mr.  Bauquier  is  a  member  of  Tehama  Lodge, 
A.  F.  &  A.  M.,  which  he  joined  in  1865,  and  of 
the  Cliapter,  Council  and  Commandery.  He  is  a 
Democrat  politically.  Mr.  Bauquier  practically 
knows  every  foot  of  the  route  across  the  plains, 
having  gone  over  it  six  times  before  the  days  of 
railroads.  He  came  near  coining  out  when 
General  Sutter  came  and  also  with  Fremont. 
He  has  had  a  life  full  of  incident,  and  his  fund 
of  reminiscences  and  experience  is  inexhaustible. 
He  was  living  at  his  residence  in  Sacramento, 
when  the  great  flood  of  December,  1861,  came 
on.  He  had  just  taken  sixty-two  head  of 
good  horses  (brought  out  from  Cincinnati)  out 
to  his  ranch,  and  when  he  returned  he  found  the 
water  up  to  the  roof  of  the  one-story  part  of  the 
house,  while  the  family  was  in  the  second-story. 
He  had  an  awful  time  getting  into  his  house, 
but  Anally  did  so.  The  family  paid  $10  to  be 
taken  in  a  boat  to  "  Whisky  Hill." 


tOPPENHEIM,  one  of  the  well-known 
retired  business  men  at  Sacramento,  is  a 
**  native  of  Prussia,  born  at  Wollstein, 
June  20,  1822,  his  parents  being  E.  and  P. 
Oppenheim,  his  father  a  merchant  in  the  gen- 
eral trade.  He  was  reared  at  his  native  place, 
and  between  the  age  of  six  and  fourteen  years 
attended  tlie  public  schools,  after  that  receiving 


instruction  at  private  schools.  In  1840  he  ac- 
companied a  brother  to  England,  and  from  there, 
in  company  with  another  brother,  came  to  New 
York.  After  a  short  time  there,  they  proceeded 
southward  to  Charleston,  South  Carolina,  in  a 
brig.  They  were  traveling  for  pleasure,  and 
from  Charleston  proceeded  to  Augusta  and  Sa- 
vannah, Georgia,  having  their  private  convey- 
ance in  which  to  make  their  interesting  trip 
across  the  mountains.  They  crossed  the  Tennes- 
seee  River  and  traveled  across  the  Raccoon  and 
Lookout  Mountains,  to  Columbus,  Georgia,  and 
from  there  went  to  Nashville,  where  they  sold 
the  horse  and  buggy,  and  took  a  steamer  for 
St.  Louis.  In  March,  1847,  Mr.  Oppenheim 
went  back  to  Europe,  but  in  August  of  the 
•same  year,  returned  to  the  United  States.  He 
went  to  Kentucky  and  engaged  in  business  at 
Uniontown,  Union  County.  On  Tuesday,  Jan- 
uary 16,  1849,  at  Morganfield,  six  miles  from 
Uniontown,  he  was  married  to  Miss  Louisa 
Gaugh,  a  native  of  Kentucky  and  a  represent- 
ative of  one  of  the  old  southern  families.  In 
1851,  Mr.  Oppenheim  went  to  New  York  (having 
decided  to  go  to  California)  and  there  took  pas- 
sage on  the  steamer  Ohio.  He  crossed  the  Isth- 
mus to  Panama,  and,  resuming  his  sea  voyage  on 
the  steamer  Tennessee,  landed  at  San  Francisco, 
having  left  New  York  on  the  5th  of  March. 
He  came  at  once  to  Sacramento  and  opened  a 
general  merchandise  store  at  No.  6,  J  Street, 
where  W.  R.  Strong  &  Co.  now  are.  The 
building  was  then  a  frame  shanty,  and  was 
leased  by  its  owner,  Sam  Brannan,  through  his 
agent,  a  Mr.  Wetzel.  The  building  was  destroyed 
in  the  big  lire  of  1852,  and  as  Mr.  Oppenheim's 
business  demanded  better  accommodations  than 
the  old  building  afforded,  Mr.  Brannan  erected 
for  him  a  brick  structure,  25x60  feet  in  ground 
area.  Mr.  Oppenheim  took  a  lease  of  the  build- 
ing for  four  years  at  $400  per  month,  while  his 
stock  consisted  of  about  $2,100  worth  of  goods. 
Rents  soon  came  down  generally,  and  though 
Mr.  Oppenheim  paid  $400  the  tirst  year,  Mr. 
Wetzel  began  coming  down  $25  at  a  time  until 
the  price  was  only  $200  a  month.    Finally  after 


HISTORY    OF    SACRAMENTO    COUNTY. 


he  had  occupied  the  place  three  years,  Mr.  Op- 
penheim  told  Mr.  Wetzel  that  if  he  did  not  place 
the  rent  at  $100  he  would  move  when  his  lease 
ran  out,  and  Mr.  Wetzel  came  to  his  terms.  In 
1859  he  went  to  New  York  for  the  purpose  of 
importing  goods,  and  returning,  his  customers 
being  uptown,  he  removed  to  where  Mr.  Petrie 
is  now,  on  J  street,  between  Sixth  and  Seventh, 
and  remained  in  business  there  until  September, 
1865,  when  he  closed  out.  Party  feeling  was 
running  high  at  that  time,  and  as  he  was  a 
Democrat  and  his  customers  Republican,  thej 
boycotted  him,  which  caused  him  to  go  out  of 
business.  He  advertised  that  what  goods  were 
not  sold  by  Saturday  night  would  be  disposed 
of  at  auction  in  San  Francisco,  and  by  the  close 
of  the  appointed  day  everything  he  had  in  the 
store  was  closed  out  excepting  100  dozen  belts. 
Mr.  Oppenheim  commenced  thg  laying  of  the 
foundation  of  his  large  residence  on  the  iirst 
Friday  in  April,  1866,  and  moved  into  the 
house  on  the  6th  of  December.  He  has,  since 
his  retirement  froiij  business  made  several  trips 
to  Europe.  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Oppenheim  have  three 
children,  viz.:  their  oldest  son,  Philip,  was  edu- 
cated in  Sacramento,  and  at  a  business  college  at 
San  Francisco,  and  is  now  secretary  of  the 
Pacitic  Cable  Construction  Company,  of  San 
Francisco.  He  was  married  in  this  city,  June 
24,  1871,  to  Miss  Mary  Cantrell  of  this  county. 
E.  Oppenheim,  the  younger  son,  lives  a  half- 
mile  above  Florin.  He  married  Miss  Laugen- 
baugh,  daughter  of  John  Laugenbaugh.  Califor- 
nia, the  only  daughter  of  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Oppen- 
heim, was  born  in  this  city.  She  is  the  wife  of 
J.  M.  Thompson,  president  of  the  Cable  Com- 
pany, at  Seattle. 


fACOB  SCHMITT,  who  is  in  business  in 
Sacramento,  on  H  street,  opposite  the 
Driving  Park,  is  a  native  of  Prussia,  born 
at  Daubacli,  June  12,  1844:.  He  was  reared  to 
farm  life  and  received  his  education  between  tne 
ages  of    six   and    fourteen    years.      In    1866  he 


came  to  the  United  States,  sailing  from  Ham- 
burg and  landing  at  New  York.  He  was  there 
and  at  Williamsburgh  and  Brooklyn  until  1868, 
when  he  came  to  California,  leaving  New  York 
March  20,  on  the  steamer  Nebraska  and  coming 
by  the  way  of  Panama.  He  landed  at  San 
Francisco  April  13,  1868.  He  went  to  San 
Jose  and  from  there  came  to  Sacramento,  and 
obtained  employment  across  the  river  in  Sacra- 
mento County.  He  afterward  went  to  Butte 
County  where  he  worked  for  three  years,  and 
then  came  to  Sacran  ento.  In  1873  he  started 
in  the  saloon  business  on  K  street,  between 
Seventh  and  Eighth,  where  he  built  up  a  large 
trade.  In  1885  he  erected  his  handsome  build- 
ing at  2012  n  street,  and  moved  into  it  on  the 
14th  of  July.  He  is  a  member  of  Schiller 
Lodge,  No.  105,  I.  O.  O.  F.  Mr.  Schmitt  has 
prospered  since  coming  to  Sacramento,  and  has 
a  good  patronage  and  many  friends. 

■ ^-^3-*^^ 

fOLAN  &  MIDDLEMASS,  wholesale  and 
retail  grocers,  northwest  corner  of  Seventh 
and  N  streets,  Sacramento.  This  firm 
commenced  business  March  17,  1884,  succeed- 
ing Leon  Salomon,  and  is  composed  of  John  H. 
Dolan  and  Joseph  H.  Middlemass.  In  the  few 
years  elapsing  since  their  commencement  here, 
they  have  built  up  a  business  which  has  already 
placed  them  among  the  principal  firms  of  Sa- 
cramento, and  which  is  steadily  increasing  in 
volume.  Their  wagons  deliver  goods  in  all 
parts  of  the  city,  and  their  outside  trade  with 
country  towns  has  become  an  important  fea- 
ture of  this  business.  John  H.  Dolan,  of  this 
firm,  is  a  native  of  Northfield,  AVashington 
County,  Vermont,  born  April  20,  1857,  his 
parents  being  Michael  and  Mary  (Dooley)  Do- 
lan. His  early  boyhood  days  were  passed  at  his 
native  village,  and  in  1869  he  accompanied  his 
father  to  California,  locating  in  Sacramento.  He 
obtained  employment  at  theCentral  Pacific  Rail- 
road shops,  carrying  messages  for  E.  F.  Perkins, 
then   superintendent  of  the    motive  power  and 


HISTORY    OF    SACRAMENTO    COUNTY. 


machinery.  After  two  years  there  he  went  to 
Terrace,  Utah,  and  engaged  in  the  machinist's 
trade  in  the  shops  there,  continuing  for  two 
years.  He  then  went  back  to  Vermont  and 
obtained  employment  under  Sessions,  in  the 
shops  of  the  Vermont  Central  Railroad  at  St. 
Albans.  After  two  years  there  he  again  com- 
menced attendance  at  the  scliools,  tliis  time 
near  Moretown,  Vermont,  where  his  father  had 
purchased  a  farm.  After  spending  a  year  and 
a  half  at  school  be  went  to  Salem,  Massachu- 
setts, and  engaged  as  clerk  in  the  grocery  store 
of  John  Hurley,  a  relative  by  marriage.  Two 
years  later  he  returned  to  Sacramento,  and  went 
into  the  foundry  of  the  Central  Pacific  shops 
under  Allen,  foreman,  and  was  engaged  there  three 
years  as  core-maker.  He  then  went  to  Wads- 
worth,  Nevada,  and  engaged  in  braking  on  the 
Central  Pacific  under  Frank  Free.  Three  years 
later  he  was  promoted  conductor,  and  served  in 
that  capacity  for  three  years  on  the  Trutfkee 
Division.  He  then  came  to  Sacramento  to  en- 
gage in  business.  Mr.  Dolan  was  married  in  this 
city  May  30,  1881,  to  Miss  Maria  Foizey,  daugh 
ter  of  Richard  P'oizey,  foreman  of  the  Central  Pa- 
cific tank  department.  Mr.  Dolan  is  a  member 
of  Union  Lodge,  A.  O.  U.  W.,  having  joined  the 
order  at  Truckee.  He  also  belongs  to  Califor- 
nia Lodge,  K.  of  H.,  and  to  Capital  City  Grove, 
No.  66,  A.  O.  D.,  of  which  he  was  secretary  two 
years.  Mr.  Dolan  is  a  popular  man,  genial  and 
courteous  in  his  manners,  and  is  an  active,  push- 
ing man  of  business,  wlio  knows  no  such  word 
as  "  fail." 


fOSEPH  H.  MIDDLEMASS,  of  the  firm  of 
Dolan  &  Middlemass,  was  born  in  Nova 
Scotia,  at  Pope's  Harbor,  near  the  city  of 
Halifax,  February  12,  1853,  his  parents  being 
Edward  and  Abigail  (Keeler)  Middlemass,  the 
former  a  native  of  England  and  the  latter  of 
Pennsylvania.  When  he  was  but  two  years 
old  his  parents  removed  to  Salt  Lake  City,  Utah, 
where  he  was  reared  to  manhood.     In  1874  he 


came  to  Sacramento,  and  became  engaged  at  the 
Central  Pacific  Railroad  shops,  where  he  was 
employed  until  entering  into  partnership  with 
Mr.  Dolan,  in  March,  1884.  Mr.  Middlemass 
was  married  in  this  city  December  9,  1876,  to 
Mrs.  Alice  Watts,  a  native  of  New  York  State, 
but  reared  in  Sacramento.  Mr.  Middlemass  is 
a  member  of  Industrial  Lodge,  I.  O.  O.  F. ;  of 
Pacific  Encampment,  of  Rising  Star  (Rebekah) 
Lodge,  and  of  the  Grand  Canton.  Since  the 
firm  of  Dolan  &  Middlemass  was  formed  he  has 
given  his  entire  attention  to  the  care  of  the 
trade  which  has  been  built  up  by  the  house,  and 
which  has  assumed  such  large  proportions. 

-.4^.->.5^.^o^ 


fOHN  B.  CAVE.  Among  the  representa- 
tive men  of  Sacramento,  who  have  passed 
through  the  vicissitudes  of  pioneer  life 
with  honor  and  credit  to  themselves,  is  the  gen- 
tleman whose  name  heads  this  sketch.  Mr. 
Cave  is  a  native  of  Boone  County,  Missouri, 
born  April  12, 1819.  His  parents,  Reuben  and 
Catherine  (Hayden)  Cave,  were  natives  of  Vir- 
ginia, who  removed  from  there  to  Woodford 
County,  Kentucky,  and  afterward  to  Boone 
County,  Missouri,  where  they  were  pioneers, 
having  located  there  at  a  time  when  their  only 
neighbors  were  Indians,  yet  wild  and  numerous, 
bear  being  plentiful.  John  B.  Cave  was  reared 
near  Columbia,  Boone  County,  and  when  he 
had  arrived  at  a  suitable  age  to  go  to  school,  it 
was  necessary  to  walk  three  or  four  miles  to  a 
school-house.  When  he  was  a  mere  child  his 
father  died,  leaving  nine  children.  Only  three 
yet  survive,  viz.:  William  J.,  aged  seventy- 
six,  who  lives  in  Yolo  County;  John  B.,  aged 
seventy;  and  Jesse  H.,  aged  sixty-seven.  In 
1833  tiie  family  removed  to  Van  Buren  County, 
Iowa,  then  also  an  Indian  country,  and  shortly 
afterward  the  children  lost  their  mother  by 
death,  and  were  then  thrown  entirely  upon  their 
own  resources.  Our  subject  grew  to  manhood  in 
tiie  vicinity  of  Bonaparte,  Van  Buren  County, 
and  there  followed  agricultural  pursuits.      Hav- 


HISTORY    OF    SACRAMENTO    COUNTY. 


ing  been  reared  in  a  wild  country,  and  accus- 
tomed to  the  scenes  and  incidents  attending  tlie 
settling  up  of  a  new  country,  the  trip  across 
the  plains  to  California  had  no  terrors  for  him, 
and  in  1850  he  started  for  that  far  westward 
land,  at  the  head  of  live  men,  having  four  two- 
horse  wagons,  all  belonging  to  him,  having  out- 
iitted  at  Bonaparte.  They  went  to  Salt  Lake, 
etc.,  then  proceeded  down  the  Humboldt  and 
through  Carson  Valley  to  Hangtown.  After  a 
brief  stop  there  Mr.  Cave  came  on  to  Sacra- 
mento, and  soon  afterward  went  to  Downieville 
and  engaged  in  mining  at  Goodyear's  Bar.  He 
and  his  oldest  brother  hewed  o-ut  lumber  for  a 
flume,  whip-sawed  it,  built  a  flume  400  feet 
long,  sixteen  feet  wide,  and  three  feet  deep, 
dammed  the  river  and  run  the  water  through  the 
flume.  They  then  commenced  mining  in  the 
river  bed,  but  found  the  enterprise  only  a  mod- 
erately paying  one,  though  people  just  below 
thein  were  inaking  "  lots  "  of  money.  They  were 
taking  out  about  $6  per  day  apiece  when  the 
high  water  came  on,  and  Mr.  Cave,  after  selling 
out  to  Theodore  Winters,  went  back  to  Iowa. 
He  remained  in  Van  Buren  County  until  1852, 
when  he  started  to  drive  out  about  200  head  of 
cattle  and  some  twenty-five  horses  across  the 
plains  to  California.  This  having  been  accom- 
plished, he  returned  to  Iowa.  In  1853  he  re- 
turned to  California  with  cattle  and  horses,  worth 
about  $10,000,  tweiity-iive  or  thirty  common 
horses,  and  300  head  of  cattle.  After  selling  these 
along  the  Sacramento  River,  he  made  the  return 
trip  to  Iowa.  There  he  remained  until  1858, 
when  he  again  started  for  California,  this  time 
with  350  cattle  and  18  or  20  horses  and  mules. 
The  Mormon  troubles  were  then  on,  and  he  was 
advised  to  make  the  journey  through  Mexico, 
via  Santa  Fe.  He  had  proceeded  as  far  as  Al- 
buquerque, when  he  met  Lieutenant  Beal  re- 
turning from  California.  He  advised  Mr.  Cave 
to  turn  off  from  his  course  and  go  the  northern 
route,  and  the  latter  was  persuaded  to  do  so,  and 
secured  a  guide  for  that  ])urpose.  At  Peach 
Springs  (where  they  found  peach-trees  growing) 
they  had  their  first  trouble  with  Indians,  who 


commenced  to  steal  stock  and  to  shoot  at  the 
members  of  the  party.  One  night  the  camp  was 
startled  by  the  loud  barking  of  dogs,  and  but 
for  this  all  of  them  would  have  been  massacred. 
The  Indians  succeeded  in  running  off  over  200 
head  of  cattle  that  night,  and  kept  making 
rushes  and  shooting,  having  no  trouble  in  driv- 
ing away  the  cattle  though  Mr.  Cave  had  out  a 
double  picket  guard.  lie  himself  was  wounded 
at  the  first  attack  with  an  arrow,  and  his  mule 
was  shot  three  times,  while  one  of  his  men  was 
hit  with  a  rifle  ball.  This  sort  of  thing  contin- 
ued until  Mr.  Cave  got  to  a  large  spring  about 
twelve  miles  from  the  Colorado  River.  There 
he  met  L.  J.  Rose,  from  the  same  county  and 
now  of  Los  Angeles,  who  had  got  that  far,  but 
the  Indians  had  killed  one  of  his  men,  and  had 
taken  eight  or  nine  tine  wagons,  and  all  of  his 
stock  except  thirteen  head  of  old  oxen  hitched 
to  a  wagon,  a  couple  of  mules  and  a  pony.  He 
asked  Mr.  Cave  to  help  him,  and  the  latter  re- 
plied, "  I  have  plenty,  and  you  can  share  with 
me  as  long  as  anything  is  left."  They  decided 
to  go  back  to  Albuquerque,  and  on  the  way  met 
two  brothers  named  Smith,  from  Texas.  Dur- 
the  conversation  that  followed  one  of  the  Smith 
brothers  announced  his  determination  of  going 
on  to  California,  and  tried  to  persuade  Mr.  Cave 
to  do  the  same.  The  latter  answered  that  he 
had  enough  of  making  that  attempt.  Finally 
he  traded  cattle  for  some  of  Smith's  mules,  and 
Mr.  Cave  fitted  up  mule  teams  to  go  to  Albu- 
querque, intending  to  proceed  from  there  to 
Iowa.  When  they  reached  Las  Vegas  they 
were  snowed  in,  and  it  became  necessary  to 
camp  there  that  winter.  Corn  was  purchased 
and  a  house  and  corral  rented.  His  men  ob- 
tained employment  from  the  United  States  Gov- 
ernment, Major  Rucker  turning  off" peons  to  put 
them  at  work.  Along  about  the  last  of  Janu- 
ary the  weather  became  favorable  for  travel! n<', 
and  Mr.  Cave  said  to  his  wife  one  night, 
"  Which  would  you  rather  do — go  to  California, 
or  back  to  the  States?"  The  brave  woman, 
companion  of  his  misfortunes,  replied  that  she 
would  never  be  in  favor  of  going  back  to  Iowa 


HISTORY    OF    SACRAMENTO    COUNTY. 


broke,  and  Mr.  Cave  then  said,  "  It  is  Califor- 
nia." He  sent  word  to  his  men  tliat  such  of 
them  as  wished  to  go  to  California  would 
accompany  hiin,  and  they  refitted  and  started  on 
the  1st  of  February.  They  followed  the  Rio 
Grande  until  they  struck  the  old  overland  St. 
Louis  and  San  Francisco  road,  thence  proceeded 
by  Tucson,  Ft.  Ynma,  and  Los  Angeles  to  Sac- 
ramento. There  Mr.  Cave  arrived  with  three 
wagons  and  some  twenty  mules  and  horses,  his 
entire  band  of  350  cattle  having  been  lost  on 
the  Colorado  River.  He  traded  100  cattle  to 
Smith  for  mules.  He  at  once  went  to  the 
ranch  of  his  brother,  who  lived  ten  miles  down 
the  Sacramento  River,  in  Yolo  County.  Mr. 
Cave  left  his  family  there,  and  then  proceeded 
with  one  of  his  nephews  up  above  Yreka,  where 
another  brother  had  a  hydraulic  mine.  Mr. 
Cave  borrowed  enough  money  from  his  brother 
to  buy  300  head  of  cattle,  which  he  purchased 
rigiit  there.  He  paid  for  the  cattle  and  branded 
them,  then  came  to  Sacramento  to  rent  some 
land  to  put  the  cattle  on.  While  he  was  on 
this  mission  a  terrible  accident  happened  at  the 
place  he  had  just  lefc.  The  brother  from  whom 
he  had  borrowed  the  money  had  three  sons  liv- 
ing at  Sawyer's  Bar,  who  had  a  large  pack  train, 
and  in  their  possession  was  considerable  money 
belonging  to  their  father.  The  father  went  over 
to  the  Bar  to  visit  his  sons,  and  while  there  they 
said  to  their  father,  we  will  send  the  money  by 
express.  They  provided  him  with  a  mule  and 
a  new  saddle  to  ride  back.  On  the  way  home 
he  was  shot  by  some  one  who  knew  he  had  the 
money,  and  killed.  The  murderers  got  but 
little  money.  The  miners  turned  out  to  search 
for  him,  and  found  the  body,  but  not  tiie  perpe- 
trators of  the  foul  deed.  When  Mr.  Cave  got 
back  there,  he  at  once  told  the  boys  to  take  the 
cattle,  and  they  did  so,  but  gave  him  fourteen 
head.  He  then  came  back  here,  l)ought  a  ranch, 
and  commenced  farming  seven  miles  below  Sac- 
ramento. When  the  Nevada  mining  excite- 
ment broke  out  he  went  to  teaming,  and  drove 
forty  mules  over  tiie  mountains  out  of  Sacra- 
mento, in  four  ten-mule  teams.      When  the  Pa- 


cific Railroad  was  building,  a  serious  dispute 
arose  between  the  railroad  people  and  the  Team- 
sters' Association  as  to  whether  the  latter  should 
take  freight  from  Sacramento,  or  at  Colfax.  Mr. 
Cave  was  sent  for,  and  at  1214  K  street  he  met 
Messrs.  Stanford,  Crocker,  Hopkins  and  Earl  to 
discuss  the  situation.  Mr.  Stanford  said,  "We 
have  a  favor  to  ask.  We  want  you  to  go  to 
Colfax  and  haul  a  quartz-mill  to  Austin."  He 
offered  to  haul  the  teams  to  Colfax  free,  but 
Mr.  Cave  drove  them.  He  continued  teaming 
until  that  division  of  the  road  was  built,  and 
then  sold  his  teams  to  a  man  named  Yeager,  of 
Ft.  Yuma,  who  engaged  Mr.  Cave  to  go  and 
haul  quartz  for  the  Yulture  Mining  Company, 
up  the  Colorado  River  about  150  miles  above 
Ft.  Yuma.  Yeager  borrowed  $2,000  above  the 
price  of  the  team,  Mr.  Cave  went  to  Sacra- 
mento, where  he  was  to  get  the  money,  but 
Yeager  did  not  show  up  with  it.  Mr.  Cave 
went  to  San  Francisco  and,  meeting  Yeager  at 
the  Russ  House,  '•  tackled  "  him  for  a  settlement, 
and  a  promise  of  payment  was  there  made.  Mr. 
Cave  afterward  met  a  man  who  told  him  the  teams 
had  been  attacked,  and  he  proceeded  to  look 
Yeager  up.  He  made  a  trip  to  the  scene  of 
Yeager's  workings,  and  after  much  trouble  and 
discouragement  found  he  would  never  realize  a 
dollar  from  him.  so  that  he  was  out  more  than 
$14,000  in  the  operation,  and  all  by  accommo- 
dating a  man.  Mr.  Cave  has  since  devoted  his 
attention  to  farming.  He  and  George  L.  Clark 
purchased  1,100  acres  of  land  in  Yolo  County, 
sixteen  miles  from  Sacramento,  and  have  started 
in"  the  business  of  raising  alfalfa  on  a  large 
scale.  They  have  made  many  improvements, 
and  have  built  a  levee  a  mile  and  three-quarters 
long,  fifty  feet  wide  at  the  base  and  six  feet 
high.  They  have  some  10,000  cords  of  wood 
on  the  place.  Mr.  Cave  was  married  in  Van 
Buren  County,  Iowa,  on  the  8th  of  April,  1842, 
to  Miss  Delilah  Donaldson,  a  native  of  Ohio. 
They  have  four  children,  viz.:  Reuben,  David 
and  Hugh,  who  reside  in  Yolo  County;  and 
Miss  Ella.  Mr.  Cave  is  a  member  of  Bona- 
parte Lodge,  No.  73,  A.    F.  &  A.  M.,  which  he 


UltiTORT    OF    SACEAMBNTO    COUNTY. 


joined  away  back  in  1856.  Politically  he  is  a 
Democrat.  He  has  led  an  active  life,  more 
than  ordinarily  mixed  with  adventure,  and  is  at 
the  present  time  a  pushing  man  of  business. 


fllARLES  SCHWARTZ,  retail  butcher, 
Sacran)ento,  is  a  native  of  Germany,  born 
at  Neekar-Gemund,  Baden,  his  parents 
being  August  and  Caroline  (Wentzel)  Schwartz. 
His  father  was  at  the  head  of  the  Gens-d'Aruies 
in  that  district,  and  was  a  military  man  all  his 
life.  When  Charles  Schwartz  was  but  nine 
years  of  age  his  father  died,  and  his  mother  re- 
moved to  Adelsheim,  and  there  he  was  reared, 
and  attended  school  until  the  age  of  fourteen 
years.  In  1853  he  came  to  the  United  States, 
sailing  from  Bremen  on  the  two-masted  schooner 
Figaro.  At  2  o'clock  on  Friday  morning,  after 
they  had  been  three  or  four  days  out  of  port, 
they  were  shipwrecked  in  the  English  Channel, 
but  picked  up  and  transported  on  a  barge  to 
Ramsgate.  Fifteen  days  passed  by,  the  schooner 
was  repaired  and  made  ready  again,  and  they 
proceeded  on  their  way  to  America.  On  the 
voyage  the  captain  became  sick,  and  they  landed 
at  Bermuda  for  medicines.  From  there  they 
proceeded  to  New  York,  where  they  landed  the 
latter  part  of  May,  or  the  first  of  June.  Mr. 
Schwartz  had  two  tisters  at  Albany,  and  he  went 
up  to  see  them.  After  his  visit  he  returned  to 
New  York  city,  and  learned  the  butcher  trade 
with  John  Mittler,  No.  504  Houbton  street.  In 
1855  he  came  to  California  via  Nicaragua, 
leaving  New  York  on  the  steamer  Star  of  the 
West,  and  landing  at  San  Francisco  about  the 
15th  of  September,  from  the  steamer  Uncle  Sam. 
On  the  latter  vessel  cholera  played  sad  havoc, 
and  nearly  200  out  of  those  on  board  died.  Mr. 
Schjvartz  came  on  up  to  Sacramento,  and  went 
to  work  for  Louis  and  Jacob  Korn,  who  kept 
the  St.  Louis  Market,  on  K  street,  near' Sixth. 
Six  months  later  he  went  to  work  for  Schwartz 
&  Bosler,  at  the  City  Market,  where  Wilson's 
livery  stable  now  is.     He  remained  there  about 


a  year,  then  engaged  with  Charles  Lehman, 
where  the  water  works  are  now  located.  He 
remained  there  until  February  22,  1859,  then 
started  in  business  for  himself,  on  the  corner  of 
Seventh  and  L  streets,  in  'partnership  with 
Charles  A.  Yoerk,  of  the  National  Market. 
That  partnership  continued  until  the  flood  of 
1862,  when  Mr.  Yoerk  retired  from  the  firm. 
Mr.  Schwartz  has  continued  in  business  at  that 
location  ever  since,  and  the  business  of  the  L 
street  market  is  now  managed  by  his  son  Clem- 
ens. In  1880  Mr.  Schartz  started,  in  addition, 
the  P  street  market,  on  the  corner  of  Seventh 
and  P  streets,  and  now  an  extensive  business  is 
carried  on  at  both  places.  Mr.  Schwartz  was 
married  in  this  city  May  28,  1864,  to  Miss  Mary 
Neidhardt,  a  native  of  Hamburg,  Germany. 
They  have  six  children,  viz.:  Clemens,  Edward, 
Louis,  Charles,  Alice  and  Fred.  Two  have  died, 
viz.:  Carl  and  Caroline.  Mr.  Schwartz  is  a 
member  of  Schiller  Lodge,  No.  105,  I.  O.  O.  F., 
and  held  the  presiding  chair  in  1863.  He  is 
also  a  member  of  Saci-amento  Lodge,  No.  80, 
A.  O.  U.  W.  Mr.  Schwartz  has  made  his  start 
in  Sacramento,  having  come  here  with  but  $10 
in  his  pockets,  while  now  he  ranks  among  the 
substantial  men  of  the  city.  He  is  enterprising 
and  pushing  in  business,  and  is,  withal,  a  popu- 
lar man  with  a  very  large  circle  of  friends. 


fEORGE  NEUMANN,  one  of  the  best 
posted  of  the  old-time  residents  of  Sacra 
mento,  is  a  native  of  Baltimore,  Maryland, 
born  May  27,  1837,  his  parents  being  Andrew 
and  Elizabeth  (Straw)  Neumann.  His  parents 
were  natives  of  Germany.  His  father  was  born 
about  thirty-five  miles  from  Bremen,  and  reared 
there.  He  came  to  the  United  States,  locating 
at  Baltimore.  In  1839  the  family  removed  to 
Van  Buren  County,  Iowa,  and  there  the  father 
])urchased  about  200  acres  of  land  and  afterward 
purchased  Missouri  school-land.  In  1853  the  sen- 
ior Neumann  and  two  partners  purchased  cattle 
and  drove  them  across  the  plains  to  California, 


HISTORY    OF    SACRAMENTO    COUNTY. 


the  subject  of  this  sketch  accompanying  them. 
Their  route  took  them  by  Forts  Kearney 'and  Lar- 
amie and  on  to  Sweetwater,  wliich  they  ferried, 
constructing  their  own  ferry  for  the  purpose. 
They  were  successful  in  getting  tlieir  stock 
through  safely,  though  they  saw  a  great  many 
cattle  which  had  been  shot  by  the  Indians.  Tliey 
came  into  California  by  the  Beckwitli  route,  and 
brought  up  in  American  Valley  on  the  28th  of 
July.  That  being  a  good  stock  country  they 
stopped  there  to  let  their  cattle  recruit,  remaining 
until  about  the  middle  of  November.  They  then 
proceeded  to  the  Buttes,  back  of  Marysvilie, 
where  they  sold  out  and  the  father  then  went 
back  to  Iowa.  George  Neumann,  the  subject  of 
this  sketch,  did  not  return  to  Iowa  with  his  father 
but  decided  to  remain  in  California.  He  went 
from  MarysvilletoGrass  Valley, and  mined  there 
and  at  Nevada  City  until  1856,  when  he  sold  out 
his  interests  there.  He  then  came  to  Sacra- 
mento, from  here  proceeded  to  San  Francisco, 
and  from  here  took  a  steamer  for  home,  going  by 
way  of  Panama  and  New  Orleans.  In  1858  his 
father  made  another  trip  across  the  plains  witii 
about  100  head  of  cows,  and  he  again  accompa- 
nied him.  There  was  considerable  talk  of  emi- 
grants being  killed  who  came  by  the  old  emigrant 
route  that  year,  so  they  came  by  way  of  Salt 
Lake,  and  camped  adjoining  them  during  the 
height  of  the  Mormon  troubles.  When  they 
reached  Carson  Valley,  the  great  Washoe  min- 
ing excitement  was  on.  They  remained  there 
three  or  four  months,  until  the  cows  had  reached 
a  marketable  condition,  then  proceeded  to  Hang- 
town,  and  from  there  to  Clarksbury,  El  Dorado 
Countj',  where  tlie  remainder  of  the  cows  were 
fold  out.  They  tlien  returned  to  Iowa,  where 
the  elder  Neumann  died  in  1865,  aged  sixty- 
four  years.  George  Neumann  again  crossed  the 
plains  to  Pike's  Peak  in  1859.  He  was  in  the 
mines  there,  and  on  Blue  River,  and  in  Utah 
Territory  during  that  trip.  In  October  he  left 
Denver  for  the  East,  going  to  St.  Joseph,  thence 
to  Plattsmouth,  from  there  to  St.  Louis  and 
tiience  to  New  York.  There  he  took  passage 
on  a  steamer  for  Pananui.  crossed    the    Isthmus 


and  proceeded  to  San  Francisco,  where  he  landed 
from  the  steamer  Sonora.  He  came  to  Sacra- 
mento on  the  6tii  of  November  1859,  and  en- 
gaged with  his  brother,  at  the  What  Cheer 
House,  on  Front  and  K  streets.  About  a  year 
and  a  lialf  later  he  secured  for  himself  the  cigar 
depai-tment  of  the  business,  and  on  his  brother's 
death,  March  8,  1868,  he  succeeded  to  the  entire 
►business.  He  was  there  when  the  water  came 
through  the  levees  at  Rable's  tannery,  Decem- 
ber 9,  1861,  and  reinembers  that  three-quartei's 
of  an  hour  after  the  alarm  was  given  the  cellars 
commenced  filling  up.  It  was  soon  up  even  with 
the  tops  of  the  counters.  It  was  the  same  during 
the  flood  commencing  .lanuary  9,  1862,  and  on 
botii  occasions  they  did  business  on  the  second 
floor,  customers  coming  up  in  boats.  Mr.  Neu- 
mann was  married  in  Sacramento,  May  29, 1873, 
to  Miss  Mollie  E.  Crump,  a  native  of  Virginia. 
They  have  four  children,  viz.:  Harry,  Walter, 
Edith  and  Emma.  In  the  days  of  the  old  vol- 
unteer tire  department,  Mr.  Neumann  was  a 
member  of  No.  3  company  for  twelve  or  thir- 
teen years.  He  belongs  to  the  K.  of  P.  (was  a 
charter  member),  and  to  Cosumnes  Tribe,  Red 
Men.  He  was  formerly  a  member  of  the  Sars- 
tield  Guards.  In  politics  Mr.  Neuman  is  a 
Republican.  He  has  a  splendid  memory  on 
matters  of  historic  interest,  and  is  one  of  the 
most  entertaining  conversationalists  on  those 
subjects  to  be  met  with  in  the  city. 


►>tf.. 


fACOBGRUHLER,  proprietor  of  the  Butch- 
ers' Home,  Sacramento,  is  a  member  of  the 
prominent  Gruhler  family,  e.xtended  men- 
tion of  whom  is  made  in  several  places  in  this 
volume.  He  is  a  native  of  Germany,  born  at 
Aldingen,  AVurtemberg,  on  the  2d  of  August, 
1861,  his  parents  being  Frederick  and  Christina 
(Glazer)  Gruhler.  He  was  reared  at  his  native 
place  to  farm  work,  and  received  his  education 
between  tiieages  of  six  and  fourteen  years.  He 
came  to  the  United  States  in  1880,  locating  in  Sac- 
ramento on  the  5th  of  May.      For  the  first  three 


lIL^ruliY    OF    SACRAMENTO    COUNTY. 


years  in  this  city  he  was  engaged  at  the  Cohim- 
bus  Brewery,  and  for  the  succeeding  three  years 
with  his  brother  John  on  J  street.  He  then 
started  in  business  for  himself  in  his  present 
location,  No.  1020  J  street,  where  he  has  built 
up  an  extensive  trade.  Mr.  Gruhler  is  L.  S.  to 
N.  G.  in  Schiller  Lodge,  No.  105,  I.  O.  O.  F. 
He  is  also  a  member  of  Sacramento  Staram, 
No.  124,  Eed  Men;  of  the  Verein  Eintracht;  of 
Sacramento  Turn-Verein,  and  of  the  Sacramento 
Rifle  Club.  Mr.  Gruhler  is  an  active,  energetic 
young  man,  of  excellent  business  qualiiications, 
and  for  the  comparatively  siiort  space  of  time 
tliat  he  has  been  in  business  for  himself  in  Sac- 
ramento, has  done  remarkably  well  indeed.  He 
is  popular  and  has  a  host  of  friends. 


->«- 


fUSTAV  WAHL,  of  Sacramento,  is  a  na- 
tive of  Germany,  born  at  Neuffen,  Wur- 
temberg,  on  the  11th  of  August,  1858, 
his  parents  being  William  and  Catharine  (Lad- 
ner)  Wahl.  His  father  kept  a  bakery  and  pub- 
lic house.  Gustav  Wahl  spent  his  boyliood 
days  at  his  native  place,  and  there  attended  the 
public  schools  between  the  age  of  six  and  four- 
teen years.  He  tiien  commenced  attending  the 
Loury  Polytechnic  School,  at  Stuttgart,  where 
he  also  learned  the  trade  of  stone  cutter.  When 
seventeen  year.s  of  age  lie  went  to  Zurich, 
Switzerland,  to  Berne  and  throughout  Wurtem- 
berg.  When  he  arrived  at  the  age  of  twenty 
years  he  went  into  the  army,  and  served  in  the 
Scventii  Wurtemberg  Infantry  Regiment,  No. 
125,  Third.Company,  with  headquarters  at  Stutt- 
gart. At  the  expiration  of  three  years  he  was 
discharged  with  the  rank  of  corporal.  In  1882 
lie  came  to  New  York,  thence  to  Omaha,  from 
there  to  San  Francisco,  and  finally  to  Sacra- 
mento. He  was  for  some  time  with  his  brother 
in  the  Columbus  Brewery,  then  commenced 
business  for  himself  at  1023  Third  street,  his 
present  location.  Mr.  Wahl  was  married  in 
this  city,  in  April,  1883,  to  Miss  Frederika 
Bertsch,  a  native  of  tlie  same  town  as  himself. 


They  have  three  children,  viz.:  Annie,  Edward, 
and  Walter  Otto.  Mr.  Wahl  is  a  member  of 
Schiller  Lodge,  No.  105,  I.  O.  O.  F.;  of  Sacra- 
mento Stamm,  No.  124,  Red  Men  (in  which  he 
has  been  twice  chief);  of  Sacramento  Lodge,  No. 
11,  Hermann's   Sons,  and  of  the    Verein-Ein- 


tracht.     Mr.  Wah 


a  popular 


man  and  has 


very  large  number  of  personal   friends. 


I^ON.  P^RANK  D.  RYAN.— Although  but 
iM\  young  in  year^,  Mr.  Ryan  has  already 
^M  shown  himself  to  be  possessed  of  abilities 
that  have  giben  him  a  prominence  that  is  only 
tilled  by  worth,  and  that  promise  to  lead  him 
to  positions  of  higher  honor  and  preferment  in 
the  future.  He  is  a  native  of  the  city  of  Sacra- 
mento, having  been  born  here  May  11,  1859. 
His  father  is  Hon.  John  Ryan,  Commissioner  of 
Streets  and  Second  Trustee  of  this  city,  a  gen- 
tleman who  has  held  representative  positions 
for  many  years.  Mr.  F.  D.  Ryan,  our  sub- 
ject, received  his  academic  education  in  this 
city,  completing  it  by  a  scholastic  course  at 
St.  Mary's  College  in  San  Francisco,  where 
he  graduated  in  the  year  1878.  Returning  to 
Sacramento,  he  began  the  study  of  law  in  the 
office  of  Judge  R.  C.  Clark  in  this  city,  and 
was  admitted  to  practice  before  the  Supreme 
Court,  November  9, 1880.  He  opened  an  office 
at  once,  and  has  from  the  first  commanded  a 
practice  of  important  and  growing  dimensions. 
Mr.  Ryan  has  always  taken  an  active  interest 
in  politics,  in  its  bearings  upon  the  live  ques- 
tions of  the  day,  supporting  from  convictions 
fhe  principles  upon  which  the  Republican  party 
rests  its  cause.  His  abilities  and  powers,  both 
as  a  speaker  and  worker,  have  been  frequently 
employed,  and  he  has  personally  been  called 
upon  by  the  suffrages  of  tiie  people  to  accept 
the  duties  of  responsible  offices.  In  the  State 
election  held  in  1882  he  was  chosen  to  repre- 
sent this  county  in  the  Legislature,  and  was 
nominated  and  would  have  been  elected  for  the 
succeeding  term  as  well,  but  for  the  fact  that  a 


HISTORY    OF    SAGBAMENTO    COUNTY. 


change  of  residence  made  liim  ineligible.  He 
was  the  youngest  member  of  the  House  at  the 
time,  but  not  the  least  active  and  etEcient 
worker.  In  1885  he  was  appointed  Chief  Clerk 
of  the  House,  holding  that  post  until  1887. 
Mr.  Eyan  has,  however,  filled  even  a  larger 
place  in  the  ejes  of  the  people,  and  performed 
a  still  more  important  work  as  a  member  of  the 
order  of  Native  Sons  of  the  Golden  West,  of 
which  he  was  one  of  the  incorporators.  In 
1880  he  was  Grand  Vice-President,  and  in 
April,  1889,  he  was  elected  Grand  President  of 
the  Native  Sons,  and  now  holds  that  position, 
the  highest  honor  in  the  gift  of  the  order.  He 
has  been  prominently  identified  with  the  almost 
unexampled  growth  and  prosperity  of  the  Native 
Sons,  who  now  have  the  satisiaction  of  seeing 
no  less  than  twenty  of  their  number  occupying 
seats  in  the  Legislature,  one  of  them,  Hon. 
Stephen  M.  White,  being  chairman  of  the  Sen- 
ate. On  the  occasion  of  the  unveiling  of  the 
handsome  monument  to  General  Winn,  the 
founder  of  the  order,  in  Sacramento  lately,  a 
notice  of  which  will  be  found  in  another  place, 
Mr.  Kyari  took  a  leading  part.  Mr.  Ryan  was 
married  November  25, 1884,  to  Miss  Ella  Bont- 
well,  herself  also  a  native  of  Sacramento,  and 
thus  a  Native  Daughter,  the  iamily  thus  being 
thoroughly  Californian.  They  have  two  chil- 
dren. 


^g-f. 


fATHANIEL  DINGLEY,  proprietor  of  the 
Star  Coffee  and  Spice  Mills,  is  a  native  of 
Maine,  born  at  Winslow,  Kennebec  County, 
February  14,  1824,  his  father  being  Nathaniel' 
B.  Dingley.  His  mother  was  also  a  native  of 
Maine  and  daughter  of  an  old  soldier  and  Revo- 
lutionai-y  veteran,  who  came  to  this  coiintry 
with  Lafayette,  settling  in  Maine  after  peace 
was  declared.  On  his  father's  side  the  family 
were  principally  engaged  in  ship  building,  his 
grandfather  and  father  both  following  that  trade, 
and  also  that  of  shipping  lumber  to  the  West 
Indies.      Nathaniel    Dingley,    subject    of   this 


sketch,  spent  his  early  boyhood  days  at  his  na- 
tive place,  but  was  quite  young  when  he  went 
to  sea,  his  first  experience  away  from  home  and 
without  leave,  at  that.  He  landed  at  Boston 
"  dead  broke,"  but  soon  obtained  employment 
with  the  firm  of  Hill,  Capen  &  Co.,  who  were 
engaged  in  English  dry-goods  trade.  When  the 
first  named  member  of  the  firm  disposed  of  his 
interest  in  the  business  Mr.  Dingley  left  there 
and  went  with  Hill,  Capen  &  Nicholas,  corner 
of  West  and  Washington  streets.  After  he  had 
been  in  Boston  eight  years  he  went  to  a  brancli 
house  of  the  firm  at  Portland,  Maine,  where  he 
remained  a  year.  He  then  returned  to  Boston 
and  became  one  of  a  party  of  100  organized  to 
go  to  California  on  the  "  Harriet  Kockwell." 
Among  the  party  were  Charles  Tucker,  Jr.,  and 
Theodore  Hastings,  who  for  the  past  seventeen 
years  has  been  a  salesman  and  bookkeeper  for 
Mr.  Dingley.  They  left  Boston  on  the  18th  of 
September,  1849,  and  landed  at  San  Francisco 
about  the  middle  of  February,  1850.  On  the 
voyage  the  ship  put  into  port  at  St.  Catharine 
(just  at  the  time  of  the  riots  there)  at  the  Faulk- 
land  Islands,  and  at  Valparaiso,  where  they 
stopped  two  weeks.  Their  only  serious  trouble 
on  the  trip  was  off'  the  mouth  of  the  Platte 
River,  where  they  were  storm-tossed  for  three 
days,  and  were  in  danger  all  of  that  time.  Mr. 
Dingley  remained  in  San  Francisco  about  two 
mouths  after  his  arrival  there,  waiting  for  re- 
turns from  the  sale  of  effects  jointly  owned  by 
the  company,  and  received  $65  as  his  share.  He 
then  went  up  to  Marysville,  and  from  there  went 
up  to  Shasta  by  ox-team.  On  the  way  he  got 
ahead  of  the  party,  and  going  to  one. side  went 
to  sleep.  When  he  awoke  his  companions  were 
far  ahead.  He  wer»t  up  to  Cottonwood  Creek, 
and  ran  into  a  band  of  lava-bed  Indians,  who 
took  him  prisoner  and  kept  him  over  night. 
His  life  would  not  have  been  worth  much  were 
it  not  that  he  had  in  his  possession  a  lot  of 
pipes,  which  he  presented  to  the  Indians.  An- 
other fact  in  his  favor  was  that  Boston  Charley, 
one  of  his  captors,  was  the  son  of  a  Boston 
man,  and    as    Mr.    Dingley    was   from    Boston 


niSTOHY    OF    SACRAMENTO    GOUNTT. 


Charley  interceded  in  his  favor.  At  daybreak 
next  morning  they  placed  Mr.  Dingley  astrad- 
dle the  tallest  Ind ian,  and  with  two  otliers  braci  ng 
him  they  carried  him  across  the  stream  so  that 
he  did  not  get  wet.  They  then  provided  him 
with  an  escort,  who  accompanied  him  until  he 
joined  his  friends.  He  went  up  Clear  Creek  to 
the  foot-hills,  and  engaged  in  mining  at  One- 
liorse  Town.  He  was  there  six  months  and  in 
that  time  had  cleared  §2,000.  They  then  pur- 
chased an  ox-team  and  undertook  the  long  jour- 
ney to  Union  Valley.  There  Mr.  Dingley  en- 
gaged again  in  mining,  and  also  started  a  grocery 
store,  with  a  partner.  Three  months  later,  when 
the  cold  weather  came  on,  Mr.  Dingley  became 
sick,  and  left  the  concern  with  his  partner  while 
he  went  to  Marysville  to  receive  medical  atten- 
tio.i.  A  couple  of  months  later  his  partner,  who 
had  disposed  of  the  business,  came  down  and 
settled  up.  Mr.  Dingley  went  to  work  drawing 
a  wagon  for  the  Boston  Bakery,  on  Webb  street 
above  Montgomery,  and  some  time  later,  about 
the  time  a  sale  of  the  bakery  was  being  made,  Mr. 
Dingley  expressed  a  desire  to  purchase  a  half 
interest,  saying  that  he  had  $1,000  and  could 
be  of  much  service  in  drumming  up  trade. 
The  deal  was  consummated  and  a  partnership 
formed,  and  they  were  doing  a  tine  business 
when  the  great  fire  came  and  cleared  them  out, 
Mr.  Dingley  losing  between  $8,000  and  $10,000. 
He  borrowed  $9  and  came  to  Sacramento.  He 
obtainedemployraent  in  the  coffee  business  with 
Charles  Tucker,  on  Front  street,  between  1  and 
J.  Three  months  later  Mr.  Tucker  went  under 
financially,  and  his  stock  was  sold  at  auction. 
Mr.  Dingley  bought  it  in,  added  the  manufact- 
ure of  syrups  to  the  business,  and  has  added  to 
it  until  the  trade  has  assumed  very  large  pro- 
portions indeed,  extending  throughout  Califor- 
nia and  Nevada.  After  the  fire  on  Front  street, 
Mr.  Dingley  removed  to  his  present  location, 
on  I  street,  where  he  has  ever  since  continued. 
The  products  of  the  factory  enjoy  a  reputation 
second  to  none,  and  the  business  has  met  with  a 
well  deserved  and  jiermanent  success.  Mr. 
Dingley  has  been  a  resident  of  California  ever 


since  the  pioneer  days,  and  has  been  an  eye 
witness  to  the  State's  great  progress  in  reaching 
her  present  proud  position.  He  commenced  in 
Sacramento  with  no  capital  save  willing  hands 
and  a  determined  head,  and  is  in  every  sense  of 
the  word  a  self-made  man. 


fETER  NEWMAN,  proprietor  of  the  El 
Dorado  House,  Sacramento,  is  a  native  of 
Germany,  born  at  Alsheim,  Hesse-Darm- 
stadt, October  24,  1843,  his  parents  being  Ru- 
dolph and  Catharina  (Lang)  Newman.  The 
father  was  a  cabiuet-tnaker  by  occupation. 
Peter  Newman  was  reared  at  his  native  place, 
and  there  educated  from  the  time  lie  was  six 
years  of  age  until  he  was  fourteen.  He  then 
learned  the  barbers'  trade.  In  1864  he  went  to 
Mainz,  and  thence  to  Hamburg,  where,  on  the 
3d  of  August,  he  took  passage  on  the  steamer 
Titonia  to  New  York,  where  he  arrived  on  the 
17th  of  August.  From  there  he  started  for 
California,  and  landed  at  San  Francisco  from  the 
steamer  Constitution.  He  proceeded  to  Sacra- 
mento, arriving  here  on  the  8th  of  February, 
1865.  On  the  28th  of  the  month  he  went  to 
work  at  the  barber  trade  with  Jacob  Heintz 
(now  a  fanner)  in  the  City  Hotel  barber  shop, 
and  was  so  engaged  for  thirteen  years.  He  then 
succeeded  Mr.  Drijen  in  the  proprietorship  of 
the  Philadelphia  House,  which  he  conducted 
until  October  13,  1887,  when  he  bought  out  the 
El  Dorado  House  and  has  since  conducted  the 
business  there.  Mr.  Newman  was  married  in 
this  city,  October  4,  1868,  to  Miss  Frederika 
Stober,  a  native  of  Baden,  Germany,  whose 
father  died  there,  the  family  afterward  locating 
at  Rochester.  Her  mother  afterward  died  in. 
Sacramento.  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Newman  have  six 
children,  viz.:  Albert  J.,  Frederick  William, 
Minnie  Frederika,  Henry  Peter,  Frank  Ridge- 
ley  and  Peter  Blaine.  Mr.  Newman  is  now 
trustee  of  Schiller  Lodge,  No.  105, 1.  O.  O.  F., 
in  which  he   has  passed   the  chairs.     He  was 


HISTORY    OF    SACRAMENTO    COUNTY. 


District  Deputy  Grand  Master  of  the  order 
under  M.  W.  G.  M.  Ezra  Pearson,  from  May  15, 
1880,  to  May  15,  1882.  He  is  also  a  member 
of  Occidental  Encampment,  and  of  the  Canton. 
He  is  a  member  of  Union  Lodge,  No.  58,  A.  F. 
&  A.  M.;  of  Sacramento  Stainm,  Red  Men,  and 
of  the  Sacramento  Turn-Verein.  Politically  he 
is  a  stanch  Eepublican.  Mr.  Newman  has  made 
his  start  in  Sacramento,  commencing  work  here 
at  .§50  a  month,  and  becoming  a  partner  in  the 
business  March  10,  1868.  Now  he  is  one  of 
the  solid  men  of  the  city,  and  a  large  property 
owner.  Mr.  Newman  is  a  whole-souled,  genial 
gentleman,  and  enjoys  the  confidence  and 
esteem  of  a  host  of  friends. 


fAPTAIN  FKANK  RUHSTALLEK,  pro- 
prietor of  the  City  Brewery,  and  one  of 
the  prominent  business  men  of  Sacra- 
mento, is  a  native  of  Switzerland,  born  at  En- 
siedeln,  November  8,  1847,  his  parents  being 
Frank,  Sr.,  and  Jusepha  (Ochsner)  Ruhstaller. 
His  father  was  a  hat-maker  by  trade  in  early 
life,  but  afterward  a  farmer  and  dairyman.  The 
subject  of  this  sketch  attended  the  public 
schools  between  the  ages  of  six  and  thirteen  years 
and  learned  the  brewers'  trade  at  Canton  Berne. 
In  1862  he  came  to  the  United  States,  taking 
])assage  on  a  steamer  at  Havre,  in  July,  and 
landing  at  New  York.  Proceeding  to  Louis- 
ville, Kentucky,  he  obtained  employment  in 
the  Falls  City  Brewery  for  a  short  time,  then 
■went  across  the  river  to  St.  Albany,  Indiana, 
where  he  became  foreman  in  Paul  Raising's 
brewery,  before  he  was  eighteen  years  old.  He 
went  back  to  Louisville  again  and  from  there 
came  to  California  in  1865,  via  New  York  and 
Panama,  landing  at  San  Francisco  about  the 
24th  of  August.  He  came  to  Sacramento  and 
went  to  work  in  the  City  Brewery,  and  on  the 
3d  of  September,  six  weeks  later,  became  fore- 
man, and  held  that  position  for  one  year.  He 
then  went  to  the  Pacific  Brewery,  and  brewed 
for  George  Ochs,  off  and    on,   for  three  years. 


He  next  bought  an  interest  in  the  Sutterville 
Brewery,  and  was  in  partnership  there  with 
Jose])h  Bechler  for  seven  or  eight  months. 
The  high  water  then  stopped  work  and  he  went 
back  to  the  Pacific  Brewery.  He  remained 
with  Ochs  until  he  sold  ont  to  Mr.  Louis 
Knauer,  and  then  worked  for  the  latter  two 
years  driving  wagon.  Then  he  bought  into  the 
St.  Louis  Brewery,  and,  in  partnership  with 
Fritz  Futterer  and  Henry  Altpeter,  conducted 
that  brewery  for  six  or  seven  months.  He  then 
went  back  to  the  Pacific  Brewery,  where  he 
drove  wagon  for  the  succeeding  two  years. 
Then  he  became  foreman.  Soon  afterward  he 
received  word  that  his  fatlier  was  sick  m  Swit- 
zerland, and  he  at  once  went  back  there,  but  his 
father  had  died  before  he  reached  home.  That 
was  in  1873.  In  Angiist  of  that  year  he  again 
left  there  for  California,  and  returning  to  Sacra- 
mento opened  a  place  opposite  the  Metropolitan 
Theatre.  He  continued  in  business  there  until 
November,  1881,  when  he  bought  the  City 
Brewery  and  has  since  carried  on  the  business. 
The  City  Brewery  was  originated  by  William 
Borchers  and  a  man  named  Hilbert,  about  1859. 
Hilbert  died  in  March,  1865,  and  Chai-les 
Schwartz  took  his  interest  in  the  business.  In 
1887  the  latter  retired  from  the  firm,  and  Mr. 
Borchers  carried  on  the  business  alone  until  the 
brewery  was  purchased  by  Mr.  Ruhstaller. 
Since  the  last  named  gentleman  took  control^ 
he  has  made  so  many  improvements  that  he  has 
practically  a  new  brewery.  "When  lie  bought 
the  place  it  was  operated  by  horse-power  and 
had  a  capacity«of  fifteen  barr&ls  a  day.  Now 
he  has  a  tine  plant,  operated  by  steam,  which 
turns  out  sixty-five  barrels  per  day.  The  beer 
brewed  in  this  brewery  has  a  tine  reputation  and 
a  splendid  trade.  Mr.  Ruhstaller  was  married 
in  Sacramento  on  Christmas  day,  1870,  to  Miss 
Charlotte  Oeste,  a  native  of  Germany,  but 
reared  at  Milwaukee.  They  have  had  eight 
children,  of  whom  five  are  living,  viz.:  Anna, 
Frank  J.,  Minnie,  David  and  August.  Mr. 
and  Mrs.  Ruhstaller  have  been  bereaved  by  the 
loss  of  four  beloved  children,  viz.:  Otto,  Wilhel- 


IIISTORr    OF    SACRAMENTO    COUNTY. 


mina,  Otto  and  Charlotte.  Mr.  Ruhstaller  be- 
came a  member  of  the  Sacramento  Hussars  in 
1867.  From  1878  up  to  1882  he  was  Captain 
of  tlie  Hussars,  after  Fritz  Heilbronn.  He  lias 
been  a  member  of  Schiller  Lodge,  No.  105, 
I.  O.  O.  F.,  since  1868.  He  is  a  member  of 
Tehama  Lodge,  A.  F.  &  A.  M.;  of  the  Sacra- 
mento Turn-Verein;  of  Hermann's  Sons,  and 
of  the  Verein-Eintracht.  He  is  a  member  of 
the  Foresters'  Gun  Club,  and  won  the  gold 
medal  at  tli^  April  shoot,  1889.  He  is  an  hon- 
orary member  of  the  Sacramento  Rifle  Club, 
and  gave  to  the  club  the  cannon  presented  bj' 
General  Sutter  to  the  Swiss  Rifle  Club.  While 
tiring  a  salute  with  the  cannon  the  arm  of  A. 
Klebe  was  blown  off,  and  the  cannon  was  buried 
and  $1,800  collected  for  Klebe.  Captain  Ruii- 
staller  has  in  his  possession  the  flag  presented 
to  the  Swiss  Rifle  Club,  in  1854,  by  the  mem- 
bers of  the  Schiitzen  Club,  of  Canton  Zurich, 
Switzerland,  the  presentation  being  by  Gover- 
nor Bigler.  Mr.  Ruhstaller  made  his  start  in 
business  in  Sacramento,  and  by  good  judgment 
and  good  management  in  business,  coupled  with 
liberality  and  enterprise,  has  built  himself  up 
until  he  now  ranks  among  the  solid  men  of  the 
city. 


tERMAN  LAGES.— Among  the  enterpris- 
ing class  of  young  business  men,  now 
such  an  important  factor  in  commercial 
circles  of  Sacramento,  is  the  gentleman  with 
whose  name  this  sketch  commences.  He  was 
born  in  New  York  city,  August  20,  1862,  his 
parents  being  John  and  Matilda  (Haesloop) 
Lages.  Both  parents  were  natives  of  Germany, 
and  his  father  was  a  merchant  in  New  York 
city  after  coming  to  America.  Herman  Lages 
was  reared  and  educated  in  the  American  me- 
tropolis. In  1881  he  came  to  California,  locat- 
ing in  this  city,  and  entered  the  employ  of  W. 
A.  Butterfield,  grocer,  Tenth  and  J  streets.  Ten 
months  later  he  commenced  business  for  iiim- 
self  at  his    present  location,  No.  1430  Second 


street.  Here  he  has  built  up  an  extensive  trade, 
and  besides  his  business  in  the  locality  does  a 
large  order  trade  with  the  people  of  the  country 
surrounding  Sacramento.  He  was  married  in 
this  city  November  8,  1886,  to  Miss  Annie  Ue- 
valle,  a  native  of  Santa  Clara  County.  Tiiey 
have  one  son,  John.  Mr.  Lages  is  a  member  of 
Capital  Lodge,  I.  O.  O.  F.,  and  of  Court  Sac- 
ramento, A.  O.  F.  He  was  for  three  years  a 
member  of  the  City  Guard,  of  Sacramento. 
Mr.  Lages  is  an  active,  enterprising  young  man, 
with  plenty  of  pluck  and  energy,  and  is  meet- 
ing with  a  success  in  business  which  must  ever 
attend  upright,  fair  and  honorable  dealings, 
supplemented  with  such  personal  attention  as 
he  gives  his  business. 

I^ETER  FUCHS.— Among  the  Avell-known 
IK^  business  men  of  Sacramento  who  have 
^k  made  their  start  in  this  city  is  the  gentle- 
man whose  name  heads  this  sketch.  He  is  a 
native  of  Germany,  born  at  Bingen-on-the- 
Rhine,  June  20,  1839,  his  parents  being  Carl 
and  Christina  (Bradner)  Fuchs.  His  father  fol- 
lowed the  occupation  of  nail  and  bellows  making 
by  hand.  Peter  was  left  an  orphan  at  the  early 
age  of  three  and  a  half  years,  and  his  mother 
died  when  he  was  twelve.  He  lived  for  one 
year  thereafter,  with  his  sister,  and  upon  her 
inarriage  he  went  to  live  with  another  family, 
with  whom  he  remained  until  he  completed  his 
education.  At  the  age  of  fourteen  years  he 
went  to  Wies-Baden,  where  he  worked  for  three 
years,  in  a  cigar  factory  part  of  the  time,  at 
other  times  in  a  drug  store,  and  at  various  occu- 
pations. He  next  obtained  employment  on  one 
of  the  vessels  navigating  the  Rhine,  and  after 
three  or  four  months  engaged  in  seafaring  life 
on  the  high  seas.  His  first  vessel  was  the 
Ralphino  Casino  to  Rika,  Russia,  and  the  sec- 
ond was  the  Adriana  Peternella,  on  which  he 
made  a  voyage  to  the  East  Indies.  He  followed 
the  sea  about  four  years  and  a  half,  going  all 
around    the    world    under    llollandish,  German, 


HISTOliT    OF    SACRAMENTO    COUNTY. 


EDglish,  Russian  and  American  flags,  and  on 
the  1st  of  December,  1860,  sailed  from  New 
York  on  tlie  Belle  of  the  Sea,  around  Cape  Horn 
to  San  Francisco,  where  he  arrived  on  the  17th 
of  April,  1861.  On  the  21st  he  came  to  Sac- 
ramento, arriving  at  4  a.  m.,  and  at  6  p.  m.  he 
was  at  work  for  John  Spring  at  the  Crescent 
City  Hotel.  He  remained  there  until  August 
and  then  went  to  work  for  Dr.  W.  W.  Light,  at 
general  work  about  the  house  and  place,  on  No- 
vember 25.  He  also  obtained  a  job  with  Charles 
Langenbach,  408  J  street,  learning  to  make  cigars 
and  smoking  tobacco;  and  would  get  up  at  5 
A.  M.,  work  for  Dr.  Light  till  9  o'clock,  then  go 
down  to  Langenbach  and  do  his  day's  work 
there.  When  the  first  flood  came  on,  Decem- 
ber, 1861,  he  had  to  give  up  either  his  job  at 
the  house  or  at  the  factory,  and  decided  to  leave 
the  former,  leaving  December  20.  In  June, 
1862,  Mr.  Langenbach  sold  out,  and  Mr.  Fuchs 
went  into  business  for  himself,  upstairs  at  the 
corner  of  Third  and  J  streets.  Two  months 
later  he  removed  next  to  D.  O.  Mills'  bank 
building.  In  June,  1865,  he  removed  into  the 
Metropolitan  Theatre  building.  September  1, 
1868,  he  started  at  his  present  locality,  405  K 
street.  He  has  built  up  an  extensive  cigar 
business,  his  principal  brands  being  "  Carl  and 
Ernst,"  "  Two  Brothers,"  '■  My  Boy's  Best," 
"  Peter  Fuchs,"  and  "  Beter  Fuchs'  Best,"  and 
also  carries  on  the  manufacture  of  smoking 
tobacco,  making  the  well-known  brands  "  Old 
Sport,"  "  Champion,"  and  "  Havana."  These 
are  splendid  tobaccos  and  have. a  high  reputa- 
tion among  smokers.  Mr.  Fuchs  has  always 
been  strongly  in  favor  of  white  labor.  He  was 
married  in  San  Francisco  October  28,  1866,  to 
Miss  Clara  Gallwitz,  a  native  of  Berlin.  They 
have  six  children,  viz.:  Clara,  Carl,  Ernst, 
Anna,  Adolph  and  Frederick.  Adolph  was 
drowned  August  8,  1889,  at  the  age  of  eleven 
years,  ten  months  and  twenty-two  days.  Mr. 
Fuchs  is  a  member  of  Sacramento  Lodge,  No. 
2,  I.  O.  O.  F.;  of  Pacific  Encampment,  No.  2, 
L  O.  O.  F.;  Canton  No.  1,  P.  M.,  L  O.  O.  F.; 
of  Union   Lodge,  No.  21,  A.  O.  U.   W.,  and  of 


Unity  Lodge,  No.  2,088,  K.  of  H.  He  is  a 
self-made  man  and  has  built  himself  up  to  his 
present  position  from  the  smallest  beginnings 
by  indomitable  will  and  energy.  He  is  a  popu- 
lar man,  and  well  deserves  the  success  which 
has  attended  his  eflforts. 

-^€il^®?#-^3 — 

tMEISTER,  builder  of  carriages,  etc.,  Sac- 
ramento, ranks  among  th^  prominent 
*  manufacturers  of  the  Capital  City,  and 
is  one  of  those  men  who  have  done  their  full 
share  toward  the  building  up  of  Sacramento. 
He  is  a  native  of  Germany,  born  at  the  village 
of  Riichen,  Hesse-Cassel,  on  the  14th  of  May, 
1837,  his  parents  being  Stephen  and  Elizabeth 
(Engelliart)  Meister.  A.  Meister,  subject  of 
this  sketch,  spent  his  early  boyhood  days  at  his 
native  place,  and  was  there  educated  at  the  pub- 
lic schools  between  the  ages  of  six  and  fourteen 
years.  He  then  went  to  learn  the  trade  of  black- 
smithing  and  carriage-making  at  the  village  of 
Bischhausen,  serving  an  apprenticeship  of  three 
years.  In  1854,  in  company  with  his  brother 
Reinhart,  he  came  to  America,  sailing  from 
Bremen  on  the  ship  Blucher,  a  sailing  vessel 
bound  for  Baltimore,  where  they  arrived  in  June. 
They  proceeded  to  Pittsburg,  and  there  Mr. 
Meister  finished  his  trade  with  C.  West,  on 
Benn  street.  In  the  spring  of  1857  he  went  to 
Chicago,  and  after  working  there  two  weeks, 
proceeded  to  Michigan  City,  Indiana,  where  he 
worked  about  a  year  in  the  car  shops.  He  then 
went  to  Mishawaka,  Indiana,  and  worked  there 
a  year.  In  1859  he  went  to  Pike's  Peak,  dur- 
ing the  gold  excitement.  A  party  was  formed 
at  St.  Joseph,  Missouri,  among  whom  were  Mr. 
Meister  and  his  brother-in  law,  John  Beard. 
They  proceeded  to  California  via  Salt  Lake, 
bringing  up  at  Placer ville,  where  they  remained 
about  two  weeks:  Mr.  Meister  mined  for  two 
days,  a  mile  and  a  half  above  Placerville,  in  the 
meantime,  He  came  on  from  there  to  Sacra- 
mento, and  obtained  work  from  J.  A.  Mason,  who 
was  then  located  near  where  George  Blue's  shop 


HI  STOUT    OF    SACRAMENTO    COUNTY. 


now  is.  In  1862  he  went  back  to  Misliawaka, 
Indiana,  and  was  there  married,  on  the  15th  of 
February,  1863,  to  Miss  Maggie  Beard.  Mr. 
Meister  again  returned  to  California,  locating 
in  Sacramento,  and  on  the  1st  of  September, 
1870,  in  partnership  with  Thomas  Fargher, 
originated  the  firm  of  Meister  &  Co.  Four 
years  later  the  partnership  was  dissolved  and 
since  that  time  Mr.  Meister  has  been  alone.  In 
1877  he  removed  to  where  Mr.  Moon  is  now 
situated,  and  in  1882  established  himself  at  his 
present  location.  His  shop  has  a  frontage  of 
sixty-one  feet  on  Ninth  street,  and  extends  back 
160  feet,  being  four  stories  in  height.  Mr. 
Meister  has  made  all  the  substantial  improve- 
ments now  existing  there.  When  he  com- 
menced business  only  himself  and  partner  were 
employed;  now  he  gives  employment  to  from 
eighteen  to  tweuty  skilled  workmen,  and  turns 
out  buggies,  carriages,  phaetons,  etc.,  equal  to 
the  best  in  California.  His  work  carried  off 
live  premiums  at  th3  Stat;  Fair  of  1888,  and 
six  in  1889.  Mr.  Meister  is  a  Knight  Tem- 
plar in  Masonry,  and  belongs  to  Union  Lodge 
aid  Sicramento  Cliapterand  Commandery.  He 
was  for  seventeen  years  trustee  of  the  German 
Lutheran  Church.  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Meister  have 
had  nine  chilJren,  of  whom  six  are  living,  viz.: 
George,  Charles,  Frauk,  Edward,  Albert,  and 
Flora.  The  three  oldest  boys  are  in  the  shop. 
Tlie  deceased  children  are:  Gussie,  Lizzie,  and 
Emma.  Mr.  Meister  is  deserving  of  much 
credit  for  the  enterprise  he  has  shown  in  giving 
to  Sacramento  a  manufactory  such  as  he  con- 
ducts, and  has  well  earned  the  success  with 
which  he  has  met  in  business.  The  product  of 
his  shop  holds  a  high  rank  in  the  trade,  and  in 
addition  he  does  a  great  amount  of  manufact- 
uring to  private  orders. 


fACOB  GRIESEL,  manufacturer  of  harness, 
etc.,  Sacramento,  is  a  native  of  Germany, 
born  at  Obervorschutz,  Kreis  Fritzlar,  Kur- 
hessen,  July  30,  1825,  his  parents  being  Adam 


and  Angelica  (Scherp)  Grie^el,  the  father  a 
carpenter  by  occupation.  He  was  reared  at  his 
native  place,  educated  there  to  the  age  of  four- 
teen years,  then  went  to  learn  the  trade  of  har- 
ness-maker at  Hesse-Cassel.  He  served  an 
apprenticeship  of  three  years  with  Just  Rippel, 
and  then  traveled  throughout  Germany  to  per- 
fect his  trade.  He  came  to  America  in  the 
spring  of  1848,  sailing  from  Bremen  and  land- 
ing in  New  York  in  May.  He  worked  six 
months  in  New  York  citj',  then  went,  succes- 
sively, to  Philadelphia,  Harrisburg,  Cincinnati, 
Indianapolis,  Louisville  and  St.  Louis.  From 
there  he  went  to  Jefferson  City,  where  he 
worked  for  a  man  named  Scherp  from  1848  to 
1852.  In  the  spring  of  the  latter  year  he  and 
his  brother  Adam,  now  deceased,  accompanied 
by  William  Miller,  came  to  California.  They 
outfitted  at  Jefferson  City,  and  bought  iive  yoke 
of  oxen  and  a  horse.  They  came  out  via  Ft.  Kear- 
ney, the  Black  Hills,  Sublette's  cut-off,  etc., 
and  crossed  the  desert  to  Ragtown.  They  then 
rested  a  couple  of  days,  and  came  into  Califor- 
nia via  the  Carson  route,  bringing  up  at  Hang- 
town  about  the  middle  of  August,  after  a  rather 
pleasant  trip,  except  that  sometimes  they  ran 
short  of  water  and  wood.  They  sold  their  teams 
at  Hangtown,  and  Mr.  Griesel  went  to  Cold 
Springs  and  engaged  in  mining  for  a  couple  of 
weeks  with  an  old  friend,  then  came  to  Sacra- 
mento in  a  wagon,  arriving  the  early  part  of 
September.  He  obtained  work  at  once  with  a 
man  named  Philip  Megerle,  with  whom  he  re- 
mained two  years.  He  then  went  to  Nevada 
City  and  started  a  shop,  which  he  conducted 
until  November,  1858,  when  he  sold  out  and 
returned  to  Sacramento.  He  went  to  work  for 
his  brother,  but  four  months  later  quit  and 
went  to  New  York  by  steamer.  Two  or  three 
weeks  later  he  went  to  England,  thence  to  Ger- 
many. He  again  came  back  to  America  from 
there,  and  after  traveling  throughout  the  United 
States,  brought  up  at  Jefferson  City.  There  he 
belonged  to  the  militia.  In  April,  1863,  he 
came  back  to  California  by  water,  and  started 
work  in  Sacramento  at  his  present  location.  No. 


HISTORY    OF    SACRAMENTO    COUNT T. 


1022  J  street.  His  brother  died  in  July  of 
that  year,  and  lie  has  run  tlie  place  ever  since. 
He  manufactures  nearly  everything  he  handles, 
from  the  lightest  to  the  heaviest  harness,  and 
has  a  line  trade,  as  his  goods  enjoy  an  excellent 
reputation.  Mr.  Griesel  was  married  in  Ger- 
many to  Miss  Anna  C.  Hiedmann  on  March  13, 
1859.  His  wife  is  a  native  of  Germany,  born 
near  Obervorschutz.  They  have  two  children, 
viz.:  Adolph  H.  and  Ottilie.  Mr.  Griesel  is  a 
member  of  Schiller  Lodge,  I.  O.  O.  F.,  since 
1864,  having  joined  the  order  at  Nevada  City  in 
1856,  and  he  has  passed  through  all  the  chairs 
of  Schiller  Lodge.  He  has  passed  the  chairs 
of  Tribe  No.  124,  Red  Men,  and  has  been  its 
treasurer  ibr  tlie  last  fourteen  years.  In  the 
days  of  the  volunteer  tire  department  he  was  in 
Young  America  Engine  Company,  No.  6,  and 
remained  with  it  from  1866  until  the  paid  lire 
department  came  in.  He  has  passed  the  chairs 
in  the  Cliosen  Friends.  Mr.  Griesel  has  passed 
through  many  of  the  vicissitudes  of  early  life 
in  California.  In  Nevada  City,  in  1856,  his 
building  and  stock  were  destroyed  by  fire,  and 
he  had  to  commence  anew.  But  his  credit  was 
first-class,  and  he  had  no  trouble  in  getting  any- 
thing he  wanted  from  dealers,  and  to  any 
amount.  He  was  stopping  at  the  Illinois  House 
when  it  burned  down,  the  night  of  Pierce's  elec- 
tion, and  he  slept  that  night  in  the  Plaza.  Mr. 
Griesel  is  an  active,  enterprising  man  of  strict 
honesty  and  integrity  in  his  business  dealings, 
and  these  facts  account  for  his  success. 


fOHN  FRITSCH,  one  of  the  old-time  Sac- 
ramentans,  now  retired  from  active  busi- 
ness, is  a  native  of  Alsace,  born  near 
Strasbourg,  on  the  10th  of  June,  1815,  his 
parents  being  Valentine  and  Caroline  (Zwilling) 
Fritsch.  Their  family  history  is  traceable  back  to 


the  si.xteenth   centur 


His  father  and  grand 


father  Fritsch  were  wagon-makers  by  trade,  and 
on  his  mother's  side  his  ancestors  were  school 
teachers  and  professional  people.    Being  Luther- 


ans by  faith,  tbey  were  driven  out  by  the  Roman 
Catholics,  and  settled  in  various  countries.  John 
Fritsch  spent  his  early  boyhood  days  at  his  na- 
tive place,  and  there  received  his  education.  In 
1832  the  family  came  to  America,  sailing  from 
Havre  on  the  three-masted  vessel  Martha. 
Their  destination  was  Charleston,  South  Caro- 
lina, but  on  account  of  the  trouble  then  existing 
there,  they  were  not  allowed  to  land.  A  second 
attempt  was  made  at  Norfolk,  Virginia,  but 
with  no  better  success,  this  time  on  account  of 
the  cholera  quarantine.  They  then  put  into 
port  at  Baltimore,  and  from  there  proceeded  to 
Washington  City.  There  they  saw  the  cele- 
brated Indian  chief.  Black  Hawk,  who  was  then 
on  his  famous  trip  to  the  seat  of  Government. 
Work  was  plentiful  at  the  National  Capital,  and 
they  settled  there.  In  1834  the  mother  died, 
and  the  family  soon  afterward  broke  up.  The 
subject  of  this  sketch  went  with  his  father  and 
brother  to  Berlin,  Somerset  County,  Pennsyl- 
vania, where  the  father  worked  at  his  trade,  and 
our  subject  worked  with  him.  In  1836  they 
went  to  Cincinnati,  and  a  couple  of  mouths 
later  to  St.  Louis.  Soon  afterward  they  went 
to  New  Orleans,  arriving  there  about  the  time 
the  Rangers  were  returning  from  Texas,  and  the 
soldiers  returning  from  the  Seminole  AVar  in 
Florida.  They  resided  in  Joseph  street,  in  La- 
fayette district.  Parish  of  Jefferson.  The  father 
died  in  1841.  On  the  4th  of  June,  1842,  John 
Fritsch  became  a  citizen  of  the  United  States 
before  Judge  Francis  Joseph  Emil  Dugui  Li- 
vandais.  He  remained  in  New  Orleans  until 
the  lOtli  of  February,  1852,  when  in  company 
with  his  brother  Jacob  (now  a  resident  of  Marys- 
ville)  he  took  passage  on  the  steamer  Philadel- 
phia for  Chagres.  They  crossed  the  Isthmus  of 
Panama,  part  of  the  way  by  boat  and  part  on 
foot,  and  continued  their  voyage  to  California 
on  the  steamer  Wintield  Scott,  landing  at  San 
Francisco.  Mr.  Fritsch  remained  in  the  city  a 
short  time,  but  some  of  his  friends  made  him  a 
present  of  a  pick  and  shovel,  and  he  started  for 
the  mines.  He  packed  the  implements,  and 
with   a   blanket  on   his  shoulders,   all    the  way 


HISTORY    OF    SACRAMENTO    COUNTY. 


from  Colusa  to  Shasta.  He  went  to  M-ork  on 
Clear  Creek,  aud  mined  there  until  the  follow- 
ing spring.  He  then  returned  to  San  Fran- 
cisco, and  there  met  his  wife  and  children  who 
had  come  out  to  join  him.  He  worked  there 
at  his  trade  until  1855,  when  he  came  to  Sacra- 
mento, and  went  to  work  for  George  Duden,  on 
Ninth  and  K  streets.  Alter  this  he  worked  at 
ditierent  shops  and  also  in  the  Central  Pacific 
liailroad  shops,  where  he  was  engaged  for  a  long 
time.  He  has  been  retired  since  about  1879. 
Mr.  Fritsch  was  married  in  JNew  Orleans  on  the 
15th  of  May,  1842,  to  Elizabeth  Lorch,  a  native 
of  Bavaria,  her  parents  being  Simon  and  Mar- 
garet (Stauter)  Lorch.  Her  father  died  in  Ba- 
varia, and  her  mother  in  JSIew  Orleans  in  1854. 
She  came  to  San  Francisco  via  Panama,  on  the 
steamers  Falcon  and  Golden  Gate.  Mr.  and 
Mrs.  Fritsch  were  the  parents  of  eleven  children, 
of  whom  five  are  now  living.  The  eldest  son, 
John,  Jr.,  who  was  a  prominent  young  man, 
died  on  the  24th  of  March,  when  about  thirty- 
four  years  of  age.  Their  oldest  daughter,  Phil- 
lipina,  has  been  twice  married.  By  her  first 
husband,  Louis  Koenii^  now  deceased,  there  is 
one  child  living,  Charles  King,  employed  in  a 
commercial  house.  She  is  now  the  wife  of 
William  Hoti'man.  The  other  living  childi-en 
of  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Fritsch  are:  Henry,  Lizzie, 
Emma  and  Margaret  (widow  of  William  Keller). 
Mr.  Fritsch  joined  Howard  Lodge,  No.  6,  A.  F. 
&  A.  M.,  New  Orleans,  in  1848,  and  in  1857 
he  affiliated  with  Concord  Lodge,  Sacramento, 
of  which  he  is  now  a  member.  He  is  a  Repub- 
lican politically.  His  father,  who  was  born  in 
1781,  was  a  soldier  under  the  great  Napoleon. 


tUGUST  SIMONI,  proprietor  of  the  La 
Croce  Federal  Hotel,  Sacramento,  is  a 
native  of  Italy,  born  near  Lucca,  Tuscany, 
in  1826.  He  was  reared  at  Coreglia,  and  there 
received  his  education.  He  went  from  his  na- 
tive country  to  France  in  1853,  and  was  there 
engaged    in   the    manufacture  of  art  work  from 


plaster  of  Paris.  In  1855  he  came  to  America, 
sailing  from  Havre  to  New  Orleans.  Eight 
months  later  he  proceeded  to  Mexico,  and  from 
there  to  California,  arriving  in  San  Francisco 
early  in  1857.  After  a  time  he  went  to  Placer- 
ville,  and  mined  seven  or  eight  years.  From 
there  he  went  to  Tutter's  Valley,  Placer  County, 
and  from  there  to  Sacramento  in  1866.  He 
engaged  with  Mr.  Gregory,  by  whom  he  was 
employed  for  six  years.  He  then  came  to  the 
present  hotel,  and  went  to  work  for  D.  Grainger. 
He  afterward  became  a  partner  with  T.  Magi- 
netti,  and  since  1881  has  been  sole  proprietor, 
and  has  a  large  business.  Mr.  Simoni  was  mar- 
ried in  this  city  to  Miss  Hester  Mahany,  a  na- 
tive of  Ireland.  Mr.  Simoni  was  one  of  the 
first  vice-presidents  of  the  Bersaglia,  and  now 
holds  that  position.  He  is  a  member  of  Union 
Lodge,  No.  2,  A.  O.  U.  W.,  and  of  Sacramento 
Lodge,  No.  11,  K.  of  P.,  of  the  Division  No.  7, 
and  of  Cosumnes  Tribe  No.  14,  Red  Men.  He 
was  formerly  a  member  of  Neptune  Hose  Com- 
pany No.  1,  and  is  an  exempt  fiieman.  His 
parents,  Ferdinand  and  Marguerita  (Mattel) 
Simoni,  are  both  deceased. 


fAMES  POPERT,  merchant,  corner  of 
Twenty-first  and  H  streets,  Sacramento,  is 
a  native  of  Hamburg,  Germany,  born 
March  17,  1839,  his  parents  being  Martin  H. 
aud  Hannah  (Tentler)  Popert,  the  father  a  man- 
ufacturer of  cigars  and  tobacco.  He  was  reared 
and  educated  at  his  native  place,  and  commenced 
the  trade  of  cabinet-maker,  at  which  he  served 
a  couple  of  years.  In  1858  he  went  to  sea  as  a 
carpenter,  and  followed  that  occupation  for 
eight  years,  in  the  trade  between  Hamburg, 
South  America,  East  Indies,  Calcutta,  etc.  In 
1867  he  sailed  from  New  York  to  San  Fran- 
cisco on  the  ship  Nightingale,  Captain  Sparrow, 
landing  in  the  latter  part  of  March.  He  came 
to  Sacramento  and,  going  to  an  employment 
office,  applied  for  work.  He  soon  found  work 
as  a  carpenter,  and  afterward  followed  contract- 


BISTORT    OF    SACRAMENTO    COUNTY. 


ing  and  building  until  1878,  when  he  engaged 
in  mercantile  business  on  the  corner  of  Fourth 
and  P  streets,  succeeding  Charles  Chambers  at 
that  location.  He  commenced  there  on  the  Ist 
of  September,  and  two  years  later  bailt  and 
commenced  business  where  he  now  is.  He  en- 
joys an  extensive  trade,  which  is  constantly 
increasing.  Mr.  Popert  was  married  in  Sacra- 
mento on  the  14th  of  August,  1870,  to  Miss 
Margaret  Heisch,  whose  brothers  keep  the  Pio- 
neer Coffee  Mills.  She  died  in  this  city.  Mr. 
Popert's  present  wife,  to  whom  he  was  married 
November  4,  1875,  was  formerly  Miss  Greorgina 
Hoff,  a  native  of  Philadelphia.  They  have  four 
children,  viz.:  William,  Gertie,  James,  and 
George.  Mr.  Popert  is  a  member  of  Capital 
Lodge,  No.  87,  I.  O.  0.  F.;  of  Occidental  En- 
campment and  Uniform  Eank,  of  Union  Lodge, 
No.  21,  A.  O.  U.  W.,  and  of  Cosumnes  Tribe 
of  Ked  Men,  in  which  he  has  passed  the  chairs. 
He  was  one  of  the  originators  and  for  a  while 
the  chairman  of  the  building  committee  of  the 
German  Lutheran  Church,  and  is  now  trustee. 


3gEN.  STEINAUER,  proprietor  of  the  New 
llR  William  Tell  House,  is  one  of  the  most 
^?  pushing  and  successful  hotel  men  of  Sacra- 
mento. He  is  a  native  of  Switzerland,  born  at 
Einsiedeln  on  the  21st  of  March,  1847,  his 
parents  being  L.  and  Eliza  (Fuchs)  Steinauer, 
the  father  a  farmer  by  occupation.  Ben.  Stei- 
nauer spent  his  boyhood  days  at  liis  native 
place,  and  received  his  education  between  the 
ages  of  six  and  fourteen  years.  In  1866  he 
went  to  France,  and  for  a  time  followed  farm- 
ing near  Paris,  until  1868,  when  he  came  to 
New  York.  He  traveled  extensively  thi-ough- 
out  this  country,  visiting,  among  other  places, 
Louisville,  St.  Louis,  New  Orleans,  thence  back 
again  to  St.  Louis,  where  he  had  a  saloon.  In 
1874  he  came  to  California,  and  for  a  time  kept 
bar  in  Sacramento,  and  afterward  conducted  a 
saloon.  On  the  1st  of  January,  1876,  he 
leased    the   William    Tell     House.     The    New 


William  Tell  House  occupies  the  site  of  the  old 
St.  Charles  Hotel,  and  takes  the  place  of  the 
old  William  Tell  House,  corner  of  Ninth  and  J 
streets.  Mr.  Steinauer  has  made  a  great  suc- 
cess of  his  hotel,  and  it  is  the  intention  at  this 
writing  to  so  add  to  the  building  during  1889 
that  120  guests  can  be  accommodated.  Mr. 
Steinauer  was  married  February  15,  1876,  to 
Miss  Theresa  Kern,  a  native  of  Pennsylvania. 
They  have  one  child — Matilda.  Mr.  Steinauer 
is  a  member  of  the  Red  Men,  and  of  the  Verein- 
Eintracht.  He  is  a  pushing  man,  and  he  has 
certainly  achieved  great  success  and  great  popu- 
larity as  a  hotel  keeper. 


^S-^-^ 


fRED  GEHRING,  manufacturer  of  harness, 
all  kinds  of  saddlery,  etc.,  912  J  street, 
Sacramento,  is  a  native  of  Baden,  Ger- 
many, born  on  the  18th  of  June,  1841,  his  par- 
ents being  John  Baptist  and  Agatha  (Schilling) 
Gehring.  He  was  reared  and  educated  at  his 
native  place.  The  year  he  was  twenty-one  he 
came  to  America,  landing  at  New  York,  and 
thence  via  Panama  to  California.  He  took  the 
steamer  Northern  Light  on  the  Atlantic  side, 
and  landed  at  San  Francisco  on  the  6th  of 
April,  1862.  He  came  at  once  to  Sacramento 
and  engaged  in  work  for  his  brother,  F.  J.,  one 
of  the  old-time  harness-makers  of  Sacramento, 
who  was  then  located  next  to  where  Turner  Hall 
stands.  He  was  with  him  about  three  years, 
then  commenced  following  up  the  railroad, 
which  was  then  building,  and  established  a  shop 
at  Newcastle.  He  followed  the  construction  of 
the  road  to  Colfax,  and  then  came  to  Sacra- 
mento again,  and  established  a  shop  on  the 
north  side  of  the  Plaza.  He  ran  that  shop 
about  a  year,  then  sold  out  to  his  brother,  and 
worked  for  him  about  a  year.  He  then  engaged 
with  Simon  Roth,  and  worked  for  him  until 
1872,  when  he  again  established  himself  in 
business,  this  time  at  his  present  location.  He 
has  built  up  an  extensive  business  and  enjoys  a 
very  high  reputation    in   trade.     He  manufac- 


BISTORT    OF    SACRAMENTO    COUNTY. 


tnres  nearly  all  liis  harness  stock,  bis  trade  be- 
ing principally  in  light  harness  and  farmers' 
work.  Mr.  Gehring  was  married  in  Sacra- 
mento September  19,  1868,  to  Mies  Margaret 
Stabl,  a  native  of  Schleswig-Holstein.  They 
have  had  seven  children,  of  whom  one,  Freder- 
erick  William,  is  deceased.  The  living  are: 
Frank  PaiiJ,  Wilhelmina,  Emma,  Theresa,  Ame- 
lia, and  Charlotte.  Mr.  Gehring  is  a  member 
of  the  Chosen  Friends.  He  is  a  popular  man 
and  enjoys  the  confidence  and  esteem  of  the 
community. 


W.  FILERS  is  one  of  the  well-known 
business  men  of   Sacramento.     He  was 

'  born  in  Hanover,  Germany,  May  2, 1826, 
his  parents  being  Fred  and  Adelheit  (Kattman) 
Filers,  the  father  a  farmer.  D.  W.  Filers  spent 
his  boyhood  days  at  his  native  place,  and  was 
educated  from  six  to  fourteen  years  of  age.  In 
1845  he  came  to  America,  sailing  from  Bremen 
in  August,  and  landing  at  New  York  after  a 
voyage  of  six  weeks.  The  same  evening  he 
took  a  steamer  for  Albany,  thence  by  canal  to 
Buffalo,  and  from  there  proceeded  by  steamer 
to  Chicago.  He  worked  three  months  on  the 
construction  of  the  Illinois  and  Michigan  Canal, 
then  went  to  St.  Louis,  and,  obtaining  a  job 
six  miles  below  Carondolet,  worked  there  for 
eighteen  months.  The  next  seven  months  he 
worked  at  Springfield,  Illinois,  then  obtained 
employment  at  the  survey  of  the  Sangamon  and 
Morgan  Railroad,  between  Naples  and  Spring- 
field. He  worked  with  a  team  on  the  construc- 
tion, and  then  on  the  repairs  between  Berlin 
and  Jacksonville.  After  he  had  been  there  four 
years  he  determined  to  go  to  California.  Pro- 
ceeding to  New  Orleans,  he  took  a  sailing  ves- 
sel for  Chagres,  crossed  the  Isthmus  on  foot, 
and  came  to  San  Francisco  on  the  steamer  Win- 
field  Scott,  landing  April  29,  1852.  He  pro- 
ceeded to  Sacramento,  and  a  few  days  later  to 
Jackson,  Ainador  County.  Not  being  pleased 
with  the  prospects  there,  he  went  to  the  Trinity 


mines,  and  worked  there  three  or  four  months. 
He  then  returned  to  Sacramento,  and  from  there 
proceeded  to  Gooch's  Bar,  below  Downieville, 
where  he  mined  until  the  snow  drove  him  out. 
He  then  went  to  Lone  Rancheria,  on  the  other 
side  of  Drytown,  worked  there  three  or  four 
months,  then  to  Gooch's  Bar.  He  mined  there, 
at  Nevada  City  and  at  Gold  Flat  until  August 
10,  1854,  when  he  came  to  Sacramento  and  en- 
gaged in  trucking.  He  followed  that  business 
fifteen  years,  then  opened  a  store  at  the  corner 
of  Fourth  and  O  streets.  After  two  years  there 
he  removed  to  his  present  location,  1501  Tenth 
street,  where  he  has  a  large  trade.  He  was 
married  on  the  5th  of  December,  1854,  to  Miss 
Juliana  Gabel,and  they  have  five  children,  viz.: 
Theodore  George,  Paulina  M.,  Sophia  L.,  Fred- 
die H.  and  Christian  H.  Mr.  Eiler  is  a  mem- 
ber of  Sacramento  Lodge,  No.  2,  I.  O.  O.  F., 
which  he  joined  in  1859,  and  of  the  Pacific  En- 
campment. Mrs.  Eiler  was  born  in  the  village 
of  Kaisten,  Bavaria,  her  parents  being  Killian 
and  Gertrude  Gabel,  her  father  being  a  farmer. 
She  was  reared  there  until  eleven  years  of  age, 
attending  school,  and  there  was  taught  English, 
which  became  of  great  value  when  the  family 
came  to  America,  as  they  did  in  1848.  They 
sailed  from  Havre  on  the  17th  of  April,  on  the 
sailship  Cheshire,  and  landed  at  New  York. 
Two  days  later  they  went  to  Philadelphia  by 
steamer.  From  there  they  went  by  rail  and 
canal  to  Pittsburg,  through  the  Alleghany 
Mountains.  They  had  intended  to  locate  there, 
but  changed  their  purpose,  and  one  week  later 
took  a  steamer  for  Cincinnati,  and  they  located 
there,  and  afterward  at  Newport.  In  1854 
Mrs.  Eiler,  then  a  young  lady  in  her  "teens," 
came  to  California,  where  her  sister,  Mrs.  Deick- 
mann,  lived.  She  went  to  Cleveland,  thence  by 
Bufliilo  and  Albany,  to  New  York,  and  there 
took  passage  on  the  steamer  Illinois,  which  left 
New  York  July  5,  1854,  for  Aspinwall.  The 
Panama  Railroad  had  got  started  for  part  of  the 
distance,  and  she  rode  ten  miles  on  it.  then  pro- 
ceeded on  mule-back  to  Panama.  Then  she 
took  the  steamer  Golden  Gate,  and   landed  at 


HISTORY    OF    SACRAMENTO    COUNTY. 


San  Francisco  on  the  SOth  of  Jnly.  One  week 
later  her  brotlier-in-law  came  for  her,  and  she 
proceeded  to  Sacramento. 


|ETER  KUNZ,  proprietor  of  the  Empire 
'^  Nurseries,  is  one  of  the  best  known  of  the 
old  residents  of  Sacramento.  He  is  a 
native  of  Germany,  born  at  Zeiskau,  Bavaria, 
on  the  11th  of  April,  1885,  his  parents  being 
George  Henry  and  Christina  (Weigand)  Kunz, 
the  father  a  farmer  and  land  owner.  Peter  Kunz 
spent  his  boyhood  days  at  his  native  place,  and 
received  his  education  in  the  public  schools  be- 
tween the  ages  of  six  and  fourteen  years,  and  in 
1851,  in  company  with  his  brother  John,  he 
came  to  America.  They  sailed  from  Havre  in 
the  sailship  Germany,  and  landed  in  New  York 
May  6,  1851.  They  remained  in  New  York 
city  eleven  months,  and  then  our  subject  went 
to  learn  the  nursery  business  with  Peter  Hen- 
derson &  Bros.,  of  Jersey  City.  He  worked  in 
the  floral  department  and  became  expert  in  the 
care  and  handling  of  flowers.  In  1854  Mr. 
Kunz  and  Chris  Martin,  a  fellow-workman, 
came  to  California,  leaving  New  York  on  the 
steamer  Sonora,  July  20,  crossing  the  Isthmus 
by  rail,  and  proceeding  by  sea  on  the  steamer 
Empire,  from  which  they  landed  at  San  Fran- 
cisco twenty-six  days  out  from  New  York.  Mr. 
Kunz  obtained  work  in  San  Francisco  with  a 
man  named  Thomas  Hayes,  with  whom  he  re- 
mained two  and  a  half  years.  He  then  came 
to  Sacramento,  arriving  here  in  August,  1856. 
He  rented  a  place  on  Third  street,  between  S 
and  T,  in  partnership  with  Charles  Shiminger, 
and  they  set  about  improving  it.  They  got 
their  stock  from  the  Eastern  States,  and  by  the 
fall  of  1861  they  had  made  such  progress  that 
they  had  a  splendid  place,  and  were  worth  $50,- 
000.  That  was  the  condition  in  which  the 
floods  of  1861-'62  found  them.  But  when  the 
deadly  elements  had  tinished  their  destructive 
work,  it  was  seen  that  the  result  of  the  labor  of 
years  had  been  swept  away  at  one  fell  blow,  and 


either  partner  would  have  sold  out  to  the  other 
for  $25!  During  the  flood  time,  after  he  had 
put  in  the  day,  Mr.  Kunz  would  row  in  a  boat 
to  the  second  story  of  the  house  where  he  slept, 
and  there  pass  the  night.  Mr.  Kunz  had  $700 
in  cash  in  his  pockets,  which,  of  course,  the 
flood  had  left  him,  and  about  two  months  later 
he  went  to  San  Francisco  and  was  married; 
when  he  returned  with  his  bride  he  had  $60  in 
his  pocket.  It  cost  him  $300  to  clear  away  the 
drift  wood  which  was  all  over  the  place,  to  get 
started  again,  but  that  summer  he  cleared 
$2,000.  This  was  not  all  done  on  this  place 
here  by  any  means.  He  first  raised  $500,  then 
went  to  San  Francisco,  bought  plants,  shipped 
them  to  different  parts  of  the  State,  and  then 
auctioned  them  ofl".  While  Mr.  Kunz  keeps  a 
few  varieties  of  flowers,  to  cut  for  bouquets,  he 
makes  a  specialty  of  small  fruits  and  rhubarb. 
He  purchased  his  present  location,  corner  of 
Third  and  R  streets,  iti  1863,  moved  into  it  in 
1864,  and  has  since  made  all  the  improvements. 
He  was  much  damaged  in  this  place  by  the 
flood  of  1878,  which  was  very  destructive.  He 
was  married  in  San  Francisco  on  the  9th  of 
February,  1862,  to  Miss  Louisa  Ochs,  a  native  of 
Spesert,  Baden-Baden,  and  kept  a  public  house. 
Her  father  died  in  1849,  and  she  came  to 
America  with  her  mother  in  1854,  locating  in 
Jersey  City.  She  came  to  California  from  there, 
landing  at  San  Francisco  January  13,  1860. 
Mr.  and  Mrs.  Kunz  have  six  children,  viz.: 
George,  Annie,  Rose,  Louis,  Lillie,  and  Chris- 
tina. Mr.  Kunz  is  one  of  the  oldest  members 
of  the  Tehama  Lodge,  No.  3,  A.  F.  &  A.  M., 
having  joined  in  1858.  He  is  a  Republican  on 
national  issues,  but  in  local  matters  is  non- 
partisan. Mr.  Kunz's  parents  both  died  in 
Jersey  City — his  father  in  1865,  and  his  mother 
in  1854.  He  had  a  brother  named  George 
Henry  Kunz,  who  came  to  California  with  Gen- 
eral Sutter,  but  our  subject  has  lost  trace  of 
him  since  1849,  when  he  heard  of  his  going  to 
Valparaiso.  He  has  a  brother  now  living  back 
East.  Mrs.  Kunz's  mother  died  in  Jersey  City 
in  1867.     Mrs.  Kunz  has  a  sister  living  in  Ger- 


IirsTOMY    OF    SAGliAMKNTO    COUNTY. 


many,  another  is  widow  of  Mr.  Shiminger,  and 
a  third  sister  is  the  wife  of  Frank  Kiinz,  of 
Union  Nursery. 


4-^ 


^IRAM  GKIBBLE,  one  of  the  well-known 
^^  capitalists  of  Sacramento,  is  a  native  of 
^11  Pennsylvania,  born  at  Pine  Grove,  Cum- 
berland County,  November  25, 1825,  his  parents 
being  Abner  and  Catharine  (Bumbaugh)  Grib- 
ble.  In  Pennsylvania  the  father  had  charge  of 
the  wcod-choppinuj  for  an  iron-smelting  estab- 
lishment. When  Hiram  Gribble  was  in  his 
sixth  year  the  family  removed  to  Logan  County, 
Ohio,  and  located  on  a  farm.  The  subject  of 
this  sketch  learned  the  saddler's  trade  at  West 
Liberty,  Logan  County,  Ohio,  and  followed  it 
there  until  1852.  In  that  year  he  went  to  St. 
Louis  (having  determined  to  go  to  California), 
and  there  met  a  party  of  eleven  from  Michigan 
who  were  also  bound  for  the  new  El  Dorado, 
and  joined  them.  Proceeding  to  St.  Joseph, 
they  outtitted  there,  and  started  with  o.x  teams, 
one  team  of  horses,  an  extra  horse  and  three 
wagons.  They  crossed  the  Missouri  River  at  a 
point  four  miles  above  St.  Joseph,  and  went 
into  camp  for  the  night  on  the  west  side  of  the 
river,  on  the  night  of  the  23d  of  April.  One 
man  was  taken  sick  there.  They  traveled  all 
the  next  day,  and  at  night  encamped  at  an  In- 
dian mission,  and  two  men  were  taken  down 
with  sickness  on  the  way.  A  doctor  at  the 
mission  said  that  the  disease  was  small-pox,  and 
the  whole  party  except  Mr.  Gribble  and  the 
captain  were  vaccinated.  Tiie  next  night  their 
camp  was  pitched  on  the  Nemaha  Creek,  and 
the  first  sick  man,  named  Cox,  sat  in  one  corner 
of  the  tent.  They  remained  there  eight  or  nine 
days  nursing  him,  and  finally  concluded  to  re- 
sume the  journey,  and  leave  two  men  to  care 
for  the  sick  one.  This  was  done,  and  eight 
days  later  Cox  died,  and  his  two  nurses  came 
on  with  the  remaining  team.  Wlien  they  came 
up  with  their  comrades  they  had  nothing  but 
their  team  and  the  running  gear  of  the   wagon. 


the  remainder  having  been  thrown  away.  Other 
teams  passing  by  would  not  allow  them  to  travel 
with  them  on  account  ot  their  having  had  small- 
pox aboard.  The  party  made  good  time,  and 
when  they  reached  the  Humboldt,  passed  wagons 
that  had  gone  by  them  on  the  Big  and  Little 
Blue.  Their  route  was  by  Sublette's  cut-off, 
Soda  Springs,  Steamboat  Springs,  AVadsworth 
and  Truckee.  From  Reno  they  went  to  Sierra 
Valley  (then  Beckwith's  Valley),  and  thence  to 
Nelson's  Creek  in  Plumas  County.  They  went 
to  mining  in  Little  IVIeadow  Valley,  below 
Spanish  Ranch,  and  remained  there  until  the 
middle  of  September,  when  they  proceeded  to 
Marysville.  Mr.  Gribble  came  to  Sacramento, 
arriving  the  latter  part  of  September.  He  re- 
mained there  until  the  fire  of  November,  1852, 
and  a  few  days  later  went  to  what  is  now  Cen- 
terville.  El  Dorado  County,  and  remained  there, 
mining.  He  remained  but  a  few  days,  then  re- 
turned to  Sacramento,  and  went  Ho  work  at 
Madison's  harness  and  hardware  store,  corner  of 
Sixth  and  J  streets,  the  only  place  left  standing 
by  the  fire.  He  remained  there  until  Septem- 
ber, 1853,  when  he  went  to  Sau  Francisco, 
boarded  a  steamer  and  went  back  to  Ohio,  via 
Panama  and  New  York.  In  the  spring  of 
1854  he  went  to  Westport,  Missouri,  and  re- 
mained there  that  summer,  again  returning  to 
Ohio.  In  the  spring  of  1858  he  again  went  to 
New  York,  and  on  the  6th  of  March  left  for 
California  on  the  steamer  St.  Louis.  He  crossed 
Panama  and  came  on  to  San  Francisco  o'li  the 
steamer  John  L.  Stephens.  He  came  to  Sacra- 
mento and  resumed  work  at  the  old  place,  which 
was  then  run  by  Smith  &  Wagonblast.  He 
eventually  bought  out  the  business,  and  con- 
ducted it  for  four  years;  then  in  ]iartnership 
with  William  Joseph  embarked  in  the  grocery 
business  on  the  corner  of  Twelfth  and  E  streets. 
Eleven  months  later  they  built  on  the  corner  of 
Front  and  I  streets,  and  went  into  business 
there.  The  firm  carried  on  the  business  there 
from  May,  1869,  to  1880,  then  built  farther  up 
on  I  street.  In  June,  1883,  they  went  out  of 
the  business,  having    rented  out    both    places. 


HISTORY    OF    SACRAMENTO    COUNTY. 


Mr.  Joseph  died  in  1888.  Mr.  Gribble  has 
been  associated  with  business  circles  in  Sacra- 
mento for  many  years,  and  though  not  actively 
engaged  in  trade  at  this  time,  yet  has  important 
interests  here  which  require  his  attention. 
Many  changes  have  occurred  since  he  first  set 
foot  in  Sacramento;  in  fact  there  is  nothing 
here  now  to  remind  one  of  those  times  except 
the  topography  of  the  land  and  water  courses, 
and  even  in  this  respect  there  have  been  great 
changes.  Mr.  Gribble's  mother  is  still  living 
at  West  Liberty,  Ohio,  aged  eighty-four.  His 
fiither  died  about  1860.  Of  their  nine  children 
the  subject  of  this  sketch  was  the  second  in 
order  of  age,  and  all  are  yet  living  but  one. 


^>  B.  NIELSEN,  one  of  the  prominent  citi- 
|mJ  zens  of  Sacramento,  was  born  at  Sonder- 
^M'^  burg,  Schleswig-Holstein,  August  27, 
1828.  His  father,  who  was  a  merchant,  died 
when  the  subject  of  this  sketch  was  only  four- 
teen years  of  age,  about  the  time  he  had  com- 
pleted his  course  in  the  jiublic  schools.  H.  B. 
Nielsen  entered  upon  a  seafaring  life  in  1844, 
making  his  first  voyage  to  the  West  Indies  on 
the  ship  Australia.  During  the  next  two  years 
he  made  a  trip  around  the  world  on  the  Skiold. 
Twice  she  went  from  Valparaiso  to  Mexican  ports, 
thence  to  China,  thence  via  the  Cape  of  Good 
Hope  to  New  York,  where  she  arrived  in  184-8. 
He  then  shipped  as  a  sailor  on  the  American 
ship  "  Express,"  and  with  her  made  several 
trips  to  the  West  Indies.  At  Buenos  Ayres  he 
shipped  on  the  German  brig  "  Henry  von 
Gagern,"  and  went  around  Cape  Horn  to  San 
Francisco,  where  he  arrived  on  the  14th  of  Au- 
gust, 1850.  He  proceeded  to  San  Diego,  where 
he  was  for  a  time  engaged  as  a  boatman,  and, 
going  out  in  a  boat  to  meet  the  steamer  Oregon, 
he  was  the  first  person  in  California  to  receive 
the  news  of  her  admission  as  a  State  into  the 
Union.  In  January,  1851,  he  returned  to  San 
Francisco,  and  was  for  several  months  in  the 
revenue  service  on  the  brig  Lawrence.    He  then 


started  for  the  mines,  and  on  the  5th  of  July, 
1851,  reached  Sacramento.  As  one  of  a  party 
of  seven  he  went  to  El  Dorado  County,  mined 
that  summer  at  Long  Bar,  and  toward  winter 
went  over  below  Auburn,  where  he  was  located 
for  some  time.  In  1852  he  took  a  trip  East  for 
pleasure,  returning  in  1853  to  Auburn,  where 
he  learned  that  his  old  companions  were  up  on 
the  Yuba,  at  Washington,  Nevada  County,  and 
went  up  there.  He  remained  there  and  at  Mis- 
souri Bar,  engaged  in  river  and  surface  mining 
until  1857,  then  went  to  Coloma,  where  he  and 
some  of  his  friends  again  engaged  in  mining. 
In  the  spring  of  1858  he  and  two  of  his  com- 
panions, John  Stahl  and  Tennis  Scholl,  embarked 
in  general  mercantile  trade  at  Louisville.  In 
1859  Mr.  Nielsen  sold  out  to  his  partners,  and 
took  another  trip  East,  returning  in  the  spring 
of  1860.  He  resumed  business  with  his  old 
partners  and  Theodore  Maass,  at  the  Half- Way 
House  between  Greenwood  and  Georgetown, 
and  there  remained  until  1865,  when  he  came 
to  Sacramento.  Mr.  Nielsen,  in  partnership 
with  Mr.  Maass,  engaged  in  business  at  the  cor- 
ner of  Seventh  and  N  streets.  The  latter  died 
in  1879  and  Mr.  Nielsen  carried  on  the  business 
until  1881,  when  he  removed  to  Eighteenth  and 
I,  and  there  went  out  of  business  in  1884,  on 
account  of  his  health.  He  was  married  in  this 
city  in  1885.  His  wife's  maiden  name  was 
Sarah  C.  Atterbury,  and  she  is  a  native  of  Mis- 
souri. He  has  two  children,  viz.:  Henry  Har- 
rold  and  George  Washington.  His  wife's 
children  by  her  first  husband  are:  Ellis  and 
Louisa.  Mr.  Nielsen  is  a  Democrat  politically. 
He  was  elected  second  trustee  in  1883,  and 
served  one  term  in  that  capacity  and  was  ex 
officio  street  commissioner.  Mr.  Nielsen  has 
been  an  ofiicer  in  the  Odd  Fellows  for  about  thirty 
years.  He  joined  in  Spanish  Flat,  and  passed 
the  chairs  of  the  Georgetown  Lodge.  He  is  a 
trustee  of  the  El  Dorado  Lodge,  Sacramento, 
and  is  a  director  and  treasurer  of  the  Odd  Fel- 
lows' Temple.  He  is  a  member  of  the  Encamp- 
ment, Canton,  and  Rebekah  Lodge,  and  a 
member  of  the  General  Relief  Committee.    Mr. 


HISTORY    OF    SACRAMENTO    COUNTY. 


335 


Nielsen  is  an  active,  influential  man,  and  enjoys, 
in  a  high  degree,  the  confidence  of  the  com- 
munity. 


A.  CASWELL,  proprietor  of  the  Inter- 
national  Hotel,  is  to-day  one  of  the 

*  representative  hotel  men  of  Sacra- 
mento, though  lie  has  been  in  the  business  but 
a  comparatively  short  length  of  time.  Mr.  Cas- 
well is  a  native  of  Kingstown,  Ontario,  born 
December  29,  1842,  his  parents  being  Henry 
and  Catharine  (Miller)  Caswell,  both  of  whom 
were  natives  of  Limerick,  Ireland.  On  coming 
to  America  the  father  located  on  a  farm  near 
Kingstown,  and  there  the  subject  of  this  sketch 
was  reared  and  educated.  In  1864  W.  A.  Cas- 
well came  to  California,  taking  the  steamer 
Ariel  from  New  York  on  the  23d  of  February, 
crossing  the  Isthmus  of  Panama,  and  landing  at 
San  Francisco  from  the  steamer  Constitution, 
March  18,  1864.  He  came  at  once  to  Sacra- 
mento and  worked  at  anything  at  which  he 
could  obtain  employment,  but  principally  under 
B.  R.  Crocker,  on  the  railroad  work  just  com- 
mencing. After  about  a  year  of  this  employ- 
ment he  went  with  Dr.  Cluuess,  with  whom  he 
remained  about  two  and  a  half  years.  His  next 
occupation  was  bill-posting,  and  he  obtained  the 
ownership  of  the  bill-boards  and  privileges.  His 
business  prospered  and  he  kept  adding  to  its 
scope.  He  started  the  transfer  bus  and  ran  it 
three  or  four  years.  For  some  years  he  had  the 
agency  for  the  Chronicle,  and  all  northern  news- 
papers, which  paid  well.  He  was  also  manager 
of  the  Metropolitan  Theater.  So  that  when  he 
decided  to  give  up  his  other  business  and  em- 
bark in  that  of  hotel-keeping,  in  1885,  he  was 
leaving  a  prosperous  business  behind  him. 
With  characteristic  energy  he  at  once  set  about 
the  improvement  of  the  International  Hotel, 
upon  taking  its  proprietorship,  and  now  has  a 
house  of  great  beauty  in  its  finish,  fittings  and 
appointments.  Doubtless  most  of  the  citizens 
of  Sacramento  would  be  astonished  upon  enter- 


ing the  hotel  to  observe  the  wonderful  change 
which  has  come  over  the  house.  It  requires,  of 
course,  some  time  to  build  upa  trade  for  a  hotel, 
even  with  the  best  of  management,  but  such  a 
hotel  as  the  International  now  is,  is  certain  to 
succeed  and  will  repay  the  liberality  with  which 
it  has  been  fitted  up,  regardless  of  expense,  but 
mindful  only  of  the  comfort  and  convenience  of 
the  guests.  The  hotel  is  conducted  on  the  Eu- 
ropean plan,  and  the  spacious  restaurant  is  open 
day  and  night.  Mr.  Caswell  was  married  in 
Sacramento  in  October,  1870,  to  Miss  Susan 
Gibbs,  who  came  to  the  State  from  Illinois  with 
her  parents  when  a  mere  child.  Their  children 
are:  Maude,  William  Henry,  and  Edison  W. 
The  parents  of  Mr.  Caswell  came  to  Sacranjento 
in  1870,  and  here  his  father  died  in  1876.  His 
mother,  who  is  now  seventy-six  years  old,  and 
makes  her  home  with  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Caswell,  as 
does  the  latter's  mother,  who  is  aged  seventy- 
five.  Mr.  Caswell  is  a  member  of  Concord 
Lodge,  No.  117,  A.  F.  &  A.  M.;  of  the  Royal 
Arch  Chapter,  No.  3,  and  of  Sacramento  Com- 
mandery.  He  is  a  member  of  Capital  Lodge, 
No.  87,  I.  O.  O.  F.,  and  of  Red  Jacket  Tribe, 
No.  28,  Red  Men.  In  politics  he  is  a  Republi- 
can. Mr.  Caswell  has  made  his  start  in  this 
city,  and  his  success  has  been  won  by  close  at- 
tention to  business,  and  indomitable  pluck  and 
energy. 

^3"^-g - 


«H.  MEIERDIERKS,  merchant,  of  Sacra- 
mento, is  a  native  of  Vegesack,  a  sister 
®  State  of  Bremen,  Germany,  born  De- 
cember 12,  1841,  his  parents  being  Bernard 
and  Annie  Meierdierks.  His  father  was  a  cook 
by  profession,  and  followed  that  vocation  on  the 
sea.  C.  H.  Meierdierks  attended  the  public 
schools  from  the  age  of  six  to  fourteen,  and 
then  studied  navigation,  after  following  the  sea, 
to  "be  admitted  in  the  Bremen  Navigation 
School.  He  had  not  passed  his  fifteenth  birth- 
day when  he  entered  upon  liis  nautical  career 
on   the   sailship  Clio,  Captain   Frohling,  which 


HISTORY    OF    SACRAMENTO    COUNTY. 


was  in  the  New  York  and  East  India  trade. 
He  was  on  this  vessel  five  years,  and  wliile  with 
her  became  a  full  seaman.  His  next  vessel  was 
the  Isabella,  a  passenger  ship  whicli  ran  to  New 
York,  and  after  her  the  Bernard,  on  which  he 
was  a  portion  of  the  time  first  mate.  Some  of 
his  other  vessels  were  the  Emma  and  the  Coii- 
stantia  (formerly  the  Susan  Faring).  During 
his  seafaring  career  he  traveled  all  over  the 
globe,  and  was  in  the  China  trade  six  years. 
His  last  vessel  was  the  Frederick  Hardvvick, 
Captain  Kohlmann,  and  he  left  her  at  Bremen 
in  1871.  In  1872  he  came  to  California  via 
Panama,  and  arrived  at  Sacramento  on  the  13th 
of  April.  He  engaged  first  alung  shore,  after- 
ward with  Millikin  Bros.,  next  with  C.  Lages 
&  Co.,  and  finally  with  T.  H.  Cook  &  Co.  In 
1876  he  started  in  business  for  himself  on  the 
northwest  corner  of  Twelfth  and  O  streets, 
where  he  has  since  continued,  and  where  he  has 
built  up  an  extensive  trade.  Mr.  Meierdierks 
was  married  in  Germany  to  Miss  Metha  Eliza- 
betli  Toengis,  a  native  of  that  country.  They 
have  five  children,  viz.:  Willie,  born  in  Ger- 
many, who  commenced  the  study  of  medicine 
with  Dr.  Simmons,  of  Sacramento,  and  is  now 
in  the  State  University  at  Berkeley;  Charles, 
Ben,  Annie  and  George.  One  died,  viz.:  Eddie. 
Mr.  Meierdierks  is  a  well-known  and  respected 
citizen,  and  enjoys  the  confidence  of  a  large 
circle  of  friends. 


5ARTIN  KESTLER.— Amongthe  manu- 
facturers of  the  Capital  City  is  the 
above  named  gentleman.  Mr.  Kestier 
was  born  at  Hartsville,  Loi'aine,  in  April,  1832, 
his  parents  being  Martin,  Sr.,  and  Maiy  (Mom- 
ber)  Kestier,  the  father  a  looking-glass  manu- 
facturer. The  subject  of  this  sketch  was  but 
one  year  old  when  his  father  died,  and  in  1845 
the  family  took  passage  on  the  sailship  Swans- 
down,  at  Havre,  for  America.  They  landed  at 
New  Orleans  in  the  fall,  and  in  the  spring  of 
1846  went  to  St.  Luuis,  all  except   the  bruther, 


who  remained  in  New  Orleans.  At  St.  Louis 
our  subject  engaged  first  at  the  occupation  of 
peddling  vegetables,  and  when  he  became  strong 
enough  went  to  Stendaman's  shop  to  learn  the 
wagon-maker's  trade.  He  worked  at  several 
other  shops,  among  them  that  of  Jacob  Bersch. 
In  1852  a  party  of  four  was  formed  to  go  to 
California,  composed  as  follows:  Mr.  Kestier, 
subject  of  this  sketch,  Henry  Fisher,  who  after- 
ward died  at  Marysville;  John  Tsa,  who  in 
after  years  ran  a  ferry  on  Sacramento  River; 
and  a  blacksmith,  whose  given  name  was  Henry, 
and  who  was  afterward  killed  by  the  caving  in 
of  a  mine  near  Diamond  Spring.  They  bought 
a  wagon  and  five  yoke  of  cattle,  laid  in  a  stock 
of  provisions,  and  started  on  the  28th  of  Febru- 
ary. Going  to  St.  Joseph,  they  crossed  the 
Missouri  River  there  on  the  1st  of  May.  Their 
routes  were  by  Forts  Kearney  and  Laramie, 
thence  by  Sublette's  cut-off,  Trnckee  and  the 
Sierra  Valley  into  California.  Part  of  the 
journey  was  made  with  one  of  the  trains  cross- 
ing that  year,  but  the  latter  part  of  the  way 
they  had  as  company  only  one  wagon  and  its 
owners,  who  were  from  St.  Charles,  Missouri. 
They  sold  their  team  at  Sierra  Villa,  and  trav- 
eled afoot  thirty  miles  to  Downieville,  where 
they  arrived  about  the  23d  of  September.  The 
next  day  Mr.  Kestier  packed  out  with  a  mule, 
got  down  to  Foster's  Bar,  and  thence  took  the 
stage  to  Marysville,  and  from  there  proceeded 
in  the  same  manner  to  Sacramento.  He  went 
to  work  for  Gouge  &  Bauman,  who  had  a  shop 
on  Sixth  street,  between  J  and  K,  where  the 
Belvidere  Hotel  now  stands.  He  was  with  them 
until  they  were  burned  out  in  the  fire  of  No- 
vember, 1852,  then  went  to  work  as  a  carpenter 
for  contractor  Fidler,  who  erected  a  number  of 
substantial  buildings.  The  fiood,  later  in  the 
year,  stopped  tjiat  work,  and  Mr.  Kestier  went 
to  work  on  a  farm  opposite  the  Sacramento 
brewery.  A  couple  of  months  later  he  obtained 
employment  in  the  brewery,  and  in  September, 
1853,  he  started  a  blacksmith  and  wagon-making 
shop  on  Ninth  street,  between  I  and  J,  in  part- 
nership with  Henry  Geisel,  now  deceased.    The 


niSTORT    OF    SACRAMENTO    COUNTY. 


latter  retired  from  the  firm  in  about  three  years, 
and  Mr.  Kestler  continued  the  business  at  that 
place  until  1859,  when  he  built  at  his  present 
location  on  Ninth  street,  between  J  and  K.  He 
now  has  large  and  well  equipped  buildings  with 
a  frontage  of  eighty  feet  on  Ninth  street,  eighty 
feet  on  an  alley,  and  an  L  extending  to  J 
street,  where  he  also  has  twenty  feet  frontage. 
The  flood  of  1862  did  little  damage  to  him  on 
account  of  his  buildings  being  substantially  con- 
structed of  brick,  though  but  little  work  was 
done  for  a  couple  of  months.  He  has  built  up 
a  large  trade,  employs  a  number  of  skilled 
workmen,  and  manufactures  anything  that  runs 
on  wheels.  Being  a  highly  skilled  workman 
liifuself,  he  knows  how  to  set  his  work  correctly, 
and  thereby'  receives  the  work  of  some  firms 
who  will  not  employ  any  one  else.  Mr.  Kestler 
was  married  in  Sacramento  June  7,  1855,  to 
Miss  Phillipina  Darber,  a  native  of  Nassau, 
Germany,  who  came  here  in  an  early  day  from 
Galena,  Illinois,  with  her  motlier,  her  father 
having  previously  died.  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Kestler 
have  four  children  living,  viz.:  Gustav  A'dolph, 
who  resides  at  Willows;  Amelia,  Kittie,  Elnora 
and  Frederick  Henry.  Mr.  Kestler  has  passed 
the  chairs  of  Schiller  Lodge,  I.  O.  O.  F.,  and  is 
now  a  trustee  of  the  lodge.  He  is  also  an  oflicer 
of  the  Sacramento  Turn-Verein,  which  he  joined 
shortly  after  its  organization.  He  became  a 
member  of  Protection  Engine  Company,  No.  2, 
ill  1854,  and  was  connected  with  it  most  of  the 
time  until  the  paid  tire  department  came  into 
vogue.  He  is  now  an  exempt  fireman.  Mr. 
Kestler  has  made  his  start  in  Sacramento,  hav- 
ing lost  even  all  his  extra  clothing  at  Maiysville. 
He  ranks  among  the  best  citizens  of  this  city, 
and  enjoys  the  respect  and  esteem  of  the  com- 
munity. 


JLLIAM  EBERHAKDT, of  Sacramento, 
is  one   ot    the  most  popular  manufact- 
urers of,  and  dealers  in,  sporting  goods 
California.       He    was    born    at    Tluiringen, 


Saxony,  Germany,  June  27,  1838,  and  his  full 
name,  as  given  in  his  "papers,"  is  Andreas 
Friedrich  Wilhelm  Eberhardt.  Those  papers 
form  an  interesting  relic,  and  show  the  names 
of  those  who  "stood  up"  for  him  when  he  was 
baptized,  as  follows:  Andreas  Hell  man,  mer- 
chant; William  Pfamestiel,  farmer  and  butcher; 
and  Friedrich  Peter,  an  extensive  miller.  These 
papers  give  his  parents'  names  as  Johann  Fried- 
rich Wilhelm  and  Magdalena  Engel  (von  Brot- 
terode)  Eberhardt.  Mr.  Eberhardt  has  his 
father's  papers  and  all  of  his  own  papers  from 
that  time  until  he  left  Europe,  and  they  give  a 
correct  record  of  his  movements.  By  them  it 
is  seen  that  the  maiden  name  of  his  father's 
first  wife  was  Katherine  Elizabeth  Reisch;  tliat 
his  second  wife  died  December  13,  1846,  at  6 
o'clock  p.  M.;  and  that  the  father  of  the  subject 
of  this  sketch  died  at  10  o'clock,  a.  m.,  on  the 
2d  of  May,  1844.  There  were  six  children  in 
the  family,  and  our  subject  was  the  youngest. 
His  eldest  brother  was  in  the  army,  and  his 
second  brother,  who  possessed  great  strength, 
died  from  the  bursting  of  a  blood-vessel.  The 
father,  a  hard-working  man,  had  a  small  brew 
ery,  a  butcher  shop  and  a  hotel,  and  had  land  ot 
his  own.  There  was  much  travel  past  the  place, 
of  teams  hauling  between  the  farming  districts 
and  the  manufacturing  centers,  and  the  team- 
sters would  stop  and  take  their  meals  as  many 
as  a  hundred  in  a  day,  and  drink  at  the  Eber- 
hardt place,  while  the  teams  going  over  the 
mountains  would  buy  three  days'  provisions 
here  before  proceeding  on  their  journey.  Of 
course  a  great  deal  of  credit  business  was  done, 
and  Mr.  Eberhardt  would  keep  the  accounts  in 
his  memory.  One  evening  at  the  supper  table 
he  remarked  that  he  felt  bad,  and  twelve  min- 
utes afterward  he  was  dead!  The  event  cast  a 
gloom  over  the  family  and  the  community,  and 
incidentally  a  great  trouble  came  on.  Those 
indebted  to  the  deceased  father  repudiated  the 
debts,  and  they  were  lost,  and  the  family  placed 
in  a  bad  way.  Then  the  neighbors,  for  twenty 
German  miles  around,  signed  a  petition  to  the 
Government  asking  the  authorities  to  discharge 


HISTORY    OF    SACRAMENTO    COUNTY. 


tlie  eldest  son  from  the  army,  that  he  might  come 
home  and  help  out  with  the  management  of  the 
property.  The  petition  was  granted  and  the  son 
returned  and  took  charge.  Nevertheless,  the 
family  lost  between  S7,000  and  $8,000.  The 
place  had  been  in  the  family  for  over  200  years, 
and  they  did  not  want  to  lose  it.  William 
Eberhardt,  subject  of  the  sketch,  spent  his  boy- 
hood days  at  his  native  place,  and  there  received 
his  education.  The  Government  rnle  which 
required  children  to  attend  school  between  the 
ages  of  six  and  fourteen  had  this  modification, 
that  the  time  was  considered  at  an  end  when  the 
child  c^uld  pass  the  necessary  examinations. 
Thus  it  was  that  our  subject  was  but  thirteen 
years  old  when  he  had  fulfilled  the  requirements 
and  left  school.  He  then  commenced  to  learn 
the  manufacture  of  mathematical  and  astro- 
nomical instruments,  but  his  brother,  who 
already  had  that  trade,  told  him  he  would  have 
to  learn  something  else.  He,  however,  found  a 
place  with  a  prominent  engineer,  and  an  ar- 
rangement was  effected  with  the  latter  by  which 
young  Eberhardt  was  to  pay  him  $300  and  serve 
an  apprenticeship  of  three  years  at  his  chosen 
trade.  He  had  been  working  then  nearly  two 
and  a  half  years,  when  one  day  his  employer 
said  to  him,  "William,  next  month  the  Profes- 
sor will  hold  the  Government  examinations,  and 
if  you  can  pass  I  will  give  you  the  remaining 
half  year  of  your  time."  Of  course  the  lad 
gladly  accepted  the  offer.  On  the  appointed 
day  there  were  twenty-three  young  men  who 
]iresented  themselves  for  the  test,  seven  of  whom 
had  been  at  the  previous  examinations,  and  Mr. 
Eberhardt  was  the  youngest  one  in  the  lot.  His 
turn  came  last,  and  when  he  was  called  up,  some 
of  the  bosses  whose  sons  had  failed  tried  to  make 
him,  but  this  they  could  not  do.  At  last  Pro- 
fessor Miller  said:  "Gentlemen,  I  can  give 
this  last  boy  the  first  chance;  he  is  the  best 
prepared  of  all."  And  all  the  professors  coin- 
cided, and  signed  the  report  made  out  to  that 
effect.  The  report  of  the  affair  was  wide-spread, 
and  was  announced  in  the  papers,  and  the  suc- 
cessful boy  received   the  congratulations  of  his 


friends.  He  remained  with  his  employer  three 
months  longer  than  was  necessary,  and  then 
traveled  to  improve  himself  in  his  trade.  He 
was  hut  a  boy  sixteen  years  of  age  when  one 
day  he  appeared  before  the  old  gentleman 
Krupp,  at  Essen,  and  applied  for  work.  Herr 
Krupp  looked  him  over  and  said,  "My  boy,  you 
are  very  young,  but  I  believe  you  are  a  skillful 
workman;  where  are  your  papers?"  He  showed 
his  papers,  Mr.  Krupp  was  well  pleased,  and  the 
boy  was  put  at  work,  at  the  highest  wages,  the 
same  as  men  who  had  been  twelve  years  in  the 
works.  One  day  Mr.  Krupp  asked  him  to  make 
two  screws  of  the  kind  used  in  elevating  cannon, 
to  be  placed  on  exhibition  in  the  Government 
arsenal.  Young  Eberhardt  undertook  the  job, 
all  went  well,  and  when  the  delicate  details  were 
finished  and  the  work  highly  polished,  they  were 
placed  on  exhibition.  The  Crown  Prince  Fred- 
erick noticed  the  work,  and  when  he  asked  who 
did  it  was  told  that  the  artisan  was  a  boy.  He 
and  his  father,  the  King  of  Prussia,  went  to  see 
the  boy  at  work,  and  King  William  said,  "Did 
you,  so  young,  do  that  work?  I  only  hope,  my 
son,  that  you  will  never  be  spoiled  by  bad  asso- 
ciates." The  screws  were  of  steel,  and  the  work, 
when  finished,  with  the  brass  settings,  looked 
like  polished  silver  and  gold.  He  remained  at 
the  Krupp  works  a  year  and  a  half,  then  re- 
sumed his  travels.  While  working  for  a  Breton 
firm  he  was  sent  to  do  some  work  in  the  Par- 
liament buildings,  and  was  there  seen  by  the 
king  and  recognized  as  the  boy  whom  he  had 
so  highly  recommended  at  Essen.  He  had  gone 
to  llussia  for  nine  months  when  he  lett  Essen, 
and  Mr.  Krupp  was  very  much  disappointed  to 
have  him  leave.  While  in  Russia  he  worked  at 
St.  Petersburg,  Cronstadt,  Moscow  and  Odessa. 
He  had  to  lay  ott'  two  days  on  account  of  work- 
ing so  rapidly,  and  got  a  German  paper  which 
contained  news  of  the  convocation  of  monarchs 
at  Warsaw.  He  concluded  to  go  there,  and 
hurrying  up,  reached  there  three  days  before 
the  conference  met.  He  remained  three  weeks 
and  witnessed  and  enjoyed  the  events  of  the 
great  occasion.     He  then  traveled  through  Eu- 


HISTOKT    OF    SACRAMENTO    COUNTY. 


rope  and  brought  up  at  Breslau,  where  he  worked 
three  and  one-half  years.  Mr.  Krupp  found  out 
where  he  was  and  sent  for  him  to  go  to  Con- 
stantinople and  take  charge  of  the  work  on 
compasses  for  the  Turkish  fleet.  Mr.  Krupp 
said,  "  The  Turkish  Government  calls  upon  you 
to  undertake  this,  and  will  take  your  belongings 
to  Constantinople  free,  and  give  you  tickets," 
etc.  He  went  to  the  Turkish  capital,  and  held 
the  position  two  and  a  half  years.  Then  he 
grew  homesick  arid  announced  his  intention  of 
leaving.  The  Turkish  admiral  tried  to  dissuade 
him  from  his  purpose,  but  Mr.  Eberhardt  in- 
sisted, saying  that  there  must  be  something 
wrong  at  home,  as  he  could  think  of  nothing 
else  day  or  night.  He  procured  return  passes 
and  promised  to  go  back.  At  Vienna  he  met 
old  Berlin  shop-mates  and  had  a  good  time. 
One  of  them  tried  to  persuade  him  to  go  to 
America,  and  he  finally  consented  to  do  so,  and 
agreed  to  meet  him  in  Hamburg  in  three  weeks, 
after  he  had  made  his  visit  home.  He  went 
home,  remained  nearly  three  weeks,  and  then, 
accompanied  by  a  boy  who  had  a  brother  in 
Pennsylvania,  he  went  to  Hamburg.  While 
there  he  would  have  been  detained  for  service 
in  the  army  had  it  not  been  for  the  papers  he 
carried,  which  would  have  taken  him  any  place 
in  the  world.  His  friend  had  gone  by  a  steamer 
two  days  before;  so  Mr.  Eberhardt  decided  to 
see  England  and  Ireland  before  sailing,  which 
he  did.  He  took  passage  at  Queenstown  for 
the  United  States,  landing  at  Boston,  after  a 
stormy  passage  of  six  weeks  and  three  days.  At 
Boston  the  captain  called  him  into  his  office  and 
paid  him  $30  for  work  done  on  the  vessel.  The 
next  night  he  went  to  New  York,  arriving  there 
next  morning.  He  went  to  the  banking-house 
of  Julius  &  Muttus  Hachner  on  Broadway,  and 
delivered  to  one  of  the  firm  a  package  contain- 
ing four  letters,  which  he  had  conveyed  to  him 
from  a  mutual  friend  in  Austria.  Tlie  banker 
took  Mr,  Eberhardt  home  with  him  in  his  car- 
riage and  presenting  him  to  his  wife  said,  "  Here 
is  a  young  man  who  has  brought  yon  some  jew- 
elry from  your  Ijrotiierin  Austria."     Mr.  Eber- 


hardt remained  with  them  at  their  city  home 
and  at  their  villa  in  New  Jersey  for  two  weeks. 
Then  he  went  to  Hazelton,  Pennsylvania,  and 
began  work  for  Sharp  &  Wise.  He  did  not 
speak  English,  but  soon  attracted  attention  by 
the  skill  and  celerity  with  which  iiis  work  was 
accomplished.  One  night  lie  worked  overtime 
to  accomplish  an  important  job  that  required 
immediate  attention.  When  the  boss  came  in 
at  7  o'clock  next  morning,  and  found  the  job 
finished,  he  was  astonislied  and  credited  him 
with  three  days  work,  besides  giving  him  a  half 
holiday.  He  finally  decided  to  go  to  California, 
and  drew  $600,  his  balance,  from  tlie  firm.  One 
of  the  proprietors  rode  witii  him  in  the  train 
as  far  as  Easton  to  induce  him  to  return,  but 
he  would  not.  He  ]^roceeded  to  New  York, 
took  steamer  for  Panama,  and  landed  at  San 
Fiancisco  May  7,  1868.  Two  months  later  he 
came  to  Sacramento,  having  been  promised  a 
job  by  Master  Mechanic  Stevens,  but  he  came  at 
a  time  when  work  was  slack,  as  the  machinery 
was  being  moved.  Mr.  Stevens  saw  his  papers, 
asked  him  where  he  was  stopping  and  if  he  could 
remain  a  week  or  two.  But  in  the  meantime 
he  obtained  employment  turning  wood-work  for 
the  new  Capitol  building.  The  work  previously 
done  was  not  accepted  and  Mr.  Eberhardt  was 
given  charge  of  that  part  of  the  work,  at  the 
architect's  suggestion.  He  did  work  at  odd 
times  at  the  Capitol  foundry,  and  made  his  lathe 
there.  He  was  tlie  first  man  to  make  an  oval 
lathe,  or  turn  oval  lathes,  in  California.  Some 
of  his  work  at  his  trade  was  placed  ou  exhibition 
at  the  State  Fair,  and  he  was  awarded  the  di- 
ploma. He  had  never,  however,  given  up  the 
idea  of  going  back  to  Turkey.  When  he  got 
his  lathe  done  he  had  §2.50  left.  Then  orders 
commenced  to  come  in,  and  his  present  exten- 
sive business  is  the  result  of  that  start.  One  of 
his  first  jobs  was  turning  a  set  of  billiard  balls 
to  fill  an  order.  Then  Mr.  Stevens  called  and 
wanted  him  to  go  to  woiTc,  but  he  refused.  His 
business  covers  a  large  territory,  and  Mr.  Eber- 
hardt is  one  of  the  most  popular  dealers  in 
Califoinia.      He  is  a  true  sportsman,  as  well  as 


HISTORY    OF    SACRAMENTO    COUNTY. 


manufacturer  and  dealer  in  sportsmen's  goods, 
and,  being  a  mechanic  whose  trade  in  his  case  is 
nothing  less  than  an  art,  it  is  needless  to  say 
that  whatever  passes  through  his  liands  can  be 
recommended.  Mr.  Eberhardt  was  married  to 
Miss  Louisa  Scharp,  a  native  of  Basle,  Switzer- 
land. They  have  six  children,  viz. :  Lillie,  Min- 
nie, Willie,  Frankie,  Amelia  and  Frederick 
William. 

^.      ■ H  .•^,.t.,|-^.  IT  •      ,» 

• *•'§-'  •{•'-a-*'* ■      "^ 

J^ENRY  ECKHARDT,  proprietor  of  whole- 
fM\  sale  and  retail  sportsmen's  supply  house, 
*^Mi  Sacramento,  is  a  native  of  Hoff-Geismar, 
Hesse-Cassel,  Germany,  born  September  6, 
1833,  and  son  of  Henry  and  Wilhelmina 
(Leger)  Eckhardt.  His  father  was  a  restaurant 
and  hotel  keeper.  Henry  Eckhardt  was  edu- 
c  ited  at  his  native  place  from  the  age  of  six 
until  he  was  fourteen,  then  went  to  Cassel  to 
learn  the  gunsmith's  trade,  and  served  an  ap- 
prenticeship four  years.  He  then  traveled 
throughout  the  South  German  countries,  and 
on  arriving  at  the  proper  age  was  notified  to 
come  home  to  enter  the  military  service.  He 
was  too  short  of  stature  at  the  time  to  fulfil  the 
qualifications,  and  was  put  off  until  next  year. 
In  the  meantime,  however,  he  decided  to  emi- 
grate to  America,  and  on  tiie  10th  of  June, 
1854,  he  sailed  from  Bremen  on  the  sailship 
Von  Stein,  and  landed  at  New  York  after  an 
ocean  voyage  of  fifty-two  days.  After  a  brief 
stop  at  the  metropolis,  lie  went  to  Columbus, 
Ohio,  and  was  then  compelled  to  be  laid  up  by 
sickness.  He  went  to  work  when  able,  some- 
times at  his  trade,  and  again  at  fanning  in  the 
country.  He  was  married  while  in  Ohio,  in 
1859,  to  Miss  Sarah  Zangmeister,  who  died  in 
the  early  part  of  1862.  Mr.  Eckhardt  went  to 
New  York  city  and  obtained  employment  at 
government  work  witli  Moore  &  Bona,  303 
Broadway,  and  he  and  his  brother  William 
were  employed  there  two  years  thereafter.  All 
the  work  done  at  this  shop  was  performed  by 
hand,  and  when  the  government  got  to  making 


everything  by  machinery,  the  rush  stopped,  and 
Mr.  Eckhardt  went  West,  bringing  up  at  St. 
Joseph,  Missouri,  where  he  and  his  brother 
started  in  business.  While  there  he  served 
about  six  months  in  the  Home  Guards.  The 
business  in  St.  Joseph  was  continued  until 
1870,  when  Mr.  Eckhardt  came  to  California 
and  opened  a  shop  and  store  in  Sacramento. 
He  has  built  up  an  extensive  trade,  wholesale 
and  retail,  and  it  has  come  to  be  known  far  and 
near  that  every  purchaser  can  depend  exactly 
on  what  Mr.  Eckhardt  tells  them  in  regard  to 
his  goods.  Such  a  course  cannot  do  otherwise 
than  lead  to  success,  and  he  has  been  successful. 
His  second  wife,  whom  he  married  in  St.  Joseph, 
was  formerly  Miss  Wilhelmina  Huber,  a  native 
of  Germany,  born  at  Kaiserslautern,  on  the 
Rhine,  and  who  cauie  to  this  country  when  a 
young  lady.  She  died  in  1875,  at  Sacramento. 
His  present  wife  was  formerly  Miss  Frederika 
Huber,  a  sister  of  his  second  wife.  Of  the  first 
marriage  there  are  two  children,  viz:  William, 
in  the  gun  business  at  Spokane  Falls,  and  Katie. 
By  the  present  marriage  there  is  one  child — 
Harry.  Mr.  Eckhardt  is  a  member  of  Schiller 
Lodge,  L  O.  O.  F.,  and  of  Lodge  No.  81,  A.  O. 
U.  W.  Mr.  Eckhardt  has  made  his  principal 
business  success  in  Sacramento,  and  the  fact 
that  his  trade  extends  way  up  into  Oregon  and 
Washington  Territory  is  a  sufficient  testimonial 
to  his  business  qualifications. 


fRED  WERNER,  proprietor  of  the  Tre- 
mont  Hotel,  is  one  of  the  enterprising 
young  business  men  of  Sacramento.  He 
was  born  in  Le  Claire,  Scott  County,  Iowa, 
March  25,  1857,  and  is  a  son  of  Charles  and 
Minnie  (Muller)  Werner.  His  mother  is  a  na- 
tive of  a  large  manufacturing  town  in  Westpha- 
lia, and  his  father  was  born  at  Kaiserslautern, 
Bavaria.  The  latter  is  a  shoemaker  by  trade 
and  lived  in  Chicago  when  it  was  a  small  town. 
He  removed  to  Le  Claire,  Iowa,  in  an  early  day, 
and  was  in  the  boot  and  shoe  business  there  for 


HISTOUY    OP    SACRAMENTO    COUNTY. 


341 


many  years.  Both  parents  are  now  residents  of 
Le  Claire.  Fred  Werner,  the  subject  of  this 
sketch,  was  reared  and  educated  at  Le  Claire, 
and  there  learned  photography  and  ink  work. 
In  1882  he  came  to  California,  and  from  here 
went  to  Durango,  Mexico,  where  his  uncle,  Fred 
Werner,  Sr.,  a  well-known  man  on  this  coast, 
was  interested  in  mining.  He  came  back  to 
Sacramento,  and  having,  when  he  first  came  out 
here,  worked  three  montlis  at  the  Tremont 
Hotel,  resumed  work  there  for  Mr.  Bryding. 
In  January,  1888,  Mr.  Werner  assumed  the  pro- 
prietorship of  the  hotel,  and  has  since  carried 
on  the  business.  The  house  under  his  manage- 
ment his  giinai  largely  in  pjpularity,  sothat 
sometimes  it  is  quite  impossible  to  accommo- 
date all  the  guests.  About  sixty  people  can  be 
comfortably  quartered  at  the  Tremont  House. 
This  hotel  was  built  by  Sam  Braunan,  and  was 
called  the  Brannan  House.  In  early  days  it  was 
the  leading  hotel  in  Sacramento,  and  jnany  men 
whose  names  are  prominent  in  State  and  Na- 
tional history  were  the  guests  of  the  hotel  at 
that  time.  Mr.  AVerner  was  married  in  Sacra- 
mento, to  Miss  Ida  Preston,  a  native  of  Yolo 
County.  They  have  one  child,  an  infant.  Mr. 
Werner  is  member  of  the  Druids,  and  in  politics 
is  a  Republican.  He  is  one  of  the  active,  ener- 
getic young  men  of  Sacramento,  and  the  success 
with  which  he  is  meeting  is  well  deserved. 


J.  IRVINE,  the  popular  proprietor  of 
the   Pacific   Stables,   Sacramento,  is  a 

"  native  of  the  County  Down,  Ireland, 
born  near  the  city  of  Belfast,  April  1,  1850,  his 
parents  being  John  and  Mary  Jane  (Gardner) 
Irvine.  His  boyhood's  days  were  spent  at  his 
nati  /e  place,  and  there  he  received  his  education. 
In  1868  he  came  to  the  United  States,  and  in 
the  September  of  the  following  year  he  located 
at  Sacramento.  He  obtained  employment  at  the 
Pacific  Stables,  and  has  ever  since  been  identi- 
fied with  them.  In  1881  he  leased  the  stables, 
sucjeedinir  McGee  Bros.     Since  he  has  been  in 


charge  he  has  built  up  a  very  extensive  busi- 
ness, and  his  place  is  splendidly  equipped.  He 
runs  thirty  head  of  good  traveling  livery  horses, 
besides  having  a  boarding  and  sale  department, 
and  in  the  line  of  vehicles  he  has  a  stock  which  in 
number  and  variety  is  astonishing.  There  are 
over  eighty  rigs,  including  everything  that  could 
possibly  be  called  for  at  a  livery  stable,  and  they 
are  good  ones  too.  Mr.  Irvine  was  married  in 
San  Jose,  October  1, 1883,  to  Miss  Mary  Aber- 
nathy,  also  a  native  of  County  Down.  They 
have  two  children,  viz.:  Willie  Gardner,  and 
Robert  Warren.  Mr.  Irvine  is  a  member  of 
Concord  Lodge,  No.  117,  A.  F.  &  A.  M.,  and 
of  Sacramento  R.  A.  Chapter,  No.  3.  He  is  a 
member  of  the  Presbyterian  Church.  Mr. 
Irvine  is  one  of  the  most  active  business  men 
in  Sacramento  to-day,  and  by  his  strict  attention 
to  business,  as  well  as  his  uniform  courtesy  of 
maimer,  is  rapidly  achieving  the  success  which 
such  methods  always  produce. 

^-^--^ 


tHERTZEL,  cigar  manufacturer  and  deal- 
er, 510  K  street,  is  one  of  the  enterpris- 
®  ing  young  business  men  of  Sacramento. 
He  is  a  native  of  Berks  County,  Pennsylvania, 
born  at  the  town  of  Wonielsdorf,  fourteen 
miles  from  Reading,  December  8,  1860.  His 
father,  William  Hertzel,  was  originally  an  iron- 
ladle  maker  by  trade,  but  later  a  merchant  and 
farmer.  His  mother's  maiden  name  was  Lydia 
Ibach.  Both  parents  were  of  Pennsylvania 
families,  and  were  natives  of  Allentown,  Lehigh 
County.  A.  Hertzel,  the  subject  of  this  sketch, 
was  reared  and  educated  in  his  native  town,  and 
learned  the  trade  of  cigar-making  with  the  firm 
of  A.  S.  Valentine  &  Son.  He  afterward  went 
to  Reading,  where  he  worked  as  a  journeyman. 
From  boyhood  he  had  taken  a  natural  liking  for 
music,  and  at  an  early  age  became  a  proficient 
performer  on  the  B-flat  cornet.  He  went  to 
Atlantic  City  as  a  musician,  playing  during  the 
summer  season  at  that  far-famed  watering  place. 
He  traveled  throughout  the  Eastern  States,  work- 


JIISTORT    OF    SACRAMENTO    COUNTY. 


ing  at  liis  trade  in  the  cities  and  keeping  np  his 
])ractice  on  his  favorite  instrument,  and  in  the 
summer  of  1885  came  west  and  located  for  a 
time  at  Canton,  Illinois,  where  he  became  a 
member  of  the  band.  In  March,  1887,  he  came 
to  San  Jose,  California,  and  in  July  of  the  same 
year  to  Sacramento.  He  obtained  employment 
with  the  firm  of  J.  Baptiste  &  Co.,  with  whom 
he  was  engaged  until  late  in  December,  1887, 
when  he  purchased  the  busines.s  of  Michael  Les- 
ser, at  his  present  location.  When  lie  started  in 
business  for  himself  it  was  on  a  small  scale,  and 
he  was  the  only  workman  in  the  shop.  Now  he 
employs  four  skilled  workmen,  and  his  business 
extends  throughout  the  city  and  also  the  terri- 
tory tributary  to  it.  He  employs  only  white 
labor,  uses  the  best  of  material,  and  his  manu- 
factured goods  have  a  high  reputation.  Mr. 
Hertzel  was  married  in  Canton,  Illinois,  to  Miss 
Sarah  Brown,  a  native  of  that  city,  whose  par- 
ents came  from  New  York  State.  They  have 
one  child,  a  boy,  named  Charles.  Mr.  Ilertzel 
plays  the  B-flat  cornet  in  the  celebrated  First 
Artillery  Kegiment  Bar.d.  He  is  a  member  of 
Industrial  Lodge,  I.  O.  O.  F.,  Sacramento,  and 
Camp  67,  Patriotic  Order  Sons  of  America,  at 
Womelt-dorf,  Pennsylvania.  Mr.  Hertzel  is  a 
genial,  courteous  gentleman,  and  enjoys  the  re- 
spect of  a  large  circle  of  friends. 

'^■^■^ 

flMON  ROTH,  the  pioneer  manufacturer 
of  harness  and  saddles  in  Sacramento,  is  a 
native  of  Germany,  born  at  Achern,  Ba- 
den, October  28,  1829,  his  parents  being  Stephen 
and  Elizabeth  (Beck)  Roth.  When  he  was  but 
seven  years  of  age  his  family  emigrated  from 
their  native  land  to  the  United  States,  and 
located  in  St.  Clair  County,  Illinois,  four  miles 
from  St.  Louis.  He  was  left  an  orphan  at  the 
early  age  of  ten  years,  and  was  thus,  when  but 
pon   his   own  resources. 


a  mere   child,  thrown  u 

About  six  months  after  he  had  passed  his  four- 
teenth birthday  he  went  to  St.  Louis,  and  on  the 
20th   of  June,  1844,   commenced    to  learn  the 


trade  of  harness  maker  with  a  man  named 
Heinepeter,  on  Second  street,  near  the  Catholic 
Cathedral.  He  served  an  apprenticeship  of 
three  years  there,  then  went  to  work  for  a  man 
named  Walters,  and  in  1847  went  down  the 
Mississippi  to  New  Orleans.  He  came  back  to 
St.  Louis  the  following  year,  and  in  the  fall  went 
to  Belleville,  Illinois,  where  he  worked  until 
1849,  then  started  for  California.  He  went  to 
Westport,  seeking  a  chance  to  go  overland,  and 
the  spring  of  1850  found  him  still  there.  In 
March,  however,  he  fell  in  with  the  firm  of  Bul- 
lard.  Waddle  &  Russell,  who  had  twenty-five  ox 
teams,  each  team  consisting  of  five  yoke, 
besides  two  mules,  and  he  started  from  Lexing- 
ton to  drive  a  team  for  these  men,  who  were 
haiiling  stores  to  Salt  Lake.  Out  of  thirty-nine 
men  who  started  with  the  expedition,  ten  died 
on  the  road,  nine  of  them  from  cholera  and  one 
with  mountain  fevei-,  and  the  latter  belonged  to 
Mr.  Roth's  mess;  but  as  far  as  he  was  concerned, 
he  never  had  a  day's  sickness  on  the  trip.  The 
boys  would  often  say,  however,  during  the  first 
of  the  journey,  that  Mr.  Roth  would  be  the  first 
to  die,  as  he  was  the  smallest;  but  no  one  stood 
it  better  than  he.  The  outfit  remained  at  Salt 
Lake,  with  the  exception  of  two  mule  teams, 
and  these  with  twenty-five  men,  including  Mr. 
Roth,  came  through  to  California.  They  came 
by  the  Carson  route  and  brought  up  at  Hang- 
town,  where  Mr.  Roth  remained  three  days, 
working  in  the  mines;  but  this  occupation  did 
not  agree  with  him,  as  he  was  not  strong,  and 
he  proceeded  on  to  Sacramento  with  a  team. 
He  happened  to  meet  three  boys  with  whom  he 
had  been  intimate  at  Belleville,  and  they  camped 
under  an  oak  tree,  back  of  the  present  site  of  the 
International  Hotel.  Supposing  the  northern 
mines  to  be  worked  out,  they  proceeded  to  Ama- 
dor County,  and  six  weeks  were  put  in  on  Dry 
Creek,  three  miles  below  Dry  town.  The  next 
move  was  to  Jackson,  but  mining  in  that  vicin- 
ity, on  account  of  the  scarcity  of  water,  was  not 
successful.  Mr.  Roth  had  spent  what  little 
money  he  had,  and  giving  his  tools  to  his  com- 
panions, he  once  more  turned  his  steps  toward 


HISTORY     OF    SACRAMENTO    COUNTY. 


343 


Sacramento.  Arriving  here,  he  went  to  work 
for  Albrecht,  B.  Ely  &  Houstel,  corner  of  Fifth 
and  J  streets.  In  the  following  spring  he  was 
employed  by  Mr.  Madison,  and  in  the  fall  went 
into  business  for  himself,  in  partnership  with 
John  Tschumi.  They  carried  on  business  on  J 
street,  where  O'Brien's  store  now  is,  and  were, 
like  the  rest,  heavy  sufferers  from  the  fire  of 
1852,  losing  what  they  could  not  haul  off  in  a 
wagon,  which  had  been  standing  near  by.  After 
the  fire  they  rebuilt  and  started  up  again.  In 
1853  Mr.  Roth  bought  his  partner  out,  and  in 
1854:  he  was  again  burnt  out,  the  tire  occurring 
on  the  20th  of  July,  which,  Mr.  Roth  says,  was 
the  hottest  day  he  ever  experienced  in  Sacra- 
mento. The  fire  broke  out  while  he  was  at 
dinner,  and  he  lost  a  good  deal  of  stock,  and  the 
building,  which  he  had  not  fully  paid  for.  He 
rebuilt  with  brick,  and  continued  in  business 
prosperously  until  the  flood  of  1861-'62,  in 
which  he  was  a  heavy  loser.  During  this  pe- 
riod Mr.  Roth,  like  all  others,  had  strange  expe- 
riences, and  it  was  with  great  difficulty  that  he 
had  his  family  removed  from  their  perilous  situ- 
ation to  higher  and  drier  quarters.  After  the 
flood  the  grade  was  raised,  and  in  1868  Mr. 
Roth  purchased  the  adjoining  building  and 
moved  into  it,  where  he  continued  business 
until  1878,  when  he  moved  next  to  the  Golden 
Eagle  Hotel,  on  K  street,  and  from  there  moved 
to  liis  present  location,  817  J  street,  where  he 
has  been  since  the  1st  of  February,  1888.  His 
business  has  grown  to  large  proportions,  and 
extends  as  far  as  Colorado,  east,  and  into  south- 
ern California.  He  keeps  only  the  best  goods 
in  his  lines,  and  manufactures  from  one-half  to 
two-thirds  of  his  stock.  He  was  married  in 
Sacramento,  August  27,  1857,  to  Miss  Wilhel- 
mina  Kii'chner,  a  native  of  New  Orleans,  who 
came  to  California  in  1856.  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Roth 
have  six  diildren  living,  viz.:  Katie  H.,  wife  of 
Tiioraas  W.  Smith,  resides  in  Chicago;  Fred  A., 
a  resident  of  southern  California;  Willia  .;  E., 
who  is  with  A.  A.  Van  Voorhees  &  Co.,  Sacra-' 
mento;  Frank  Lewis,  a  blacksmith,  in  the  em- 
ploy of  the  Central  Pacific  Railroad  Company; 


Miss  Minnie  and  Miss  Hattie.  Mr.  Roth  is  a 
member  of  El  Dorado  Lodge,  No.  8, 1.  O.  O.  F., 
which  he  joined  in  1855,  and  in  which  he  has 
passed  through  all  the  chairs,  and  has  taken  a 
Rebekah  degree.  He  belongs  to  California 
Lodge,  No.  1,580,  K.  of  H.,  and  to  Union 
Lodge,  No.  21,  A.  O.  U.  W.  In  the  days  of 
the  old  volunteer  tire  department,  Mr.  Roth  ran 
with  the  machine.  He  joined  Hook  and  Lad- 
der Company,  No.  2,  in  1853;  was  an  officer  in 
it  a  couple  of  years,  and  in  1856  became  araein- 
bar  of  Engine  Company  No.  6,  of  which  he 
served  as  treasurer,  and  with  which  he  was  asso- 
ciated until  the  paid  tire  department  was  estab- 
lished. He  is  now  an  exempt  fireman.  Mr. 
Roth  is  one  of  the  b.=^3t  known  of  S.icrament  j's 
old-time  business  men,  and  enjoys  a  wide  ac- 
quaintance, and  a  large  degree  of  popularity. 


^♦^"f^ 


J^ORNLEIN  BROS.— The  history  of  Gali- 
|MJ  fornia  for  the  past  forty  years  brings  into 
"^M  prominence  the  careers  of  many  men  whose 
fortunes  have  been  entirely  built  up  in  a  brief 
period  of  tiras  within  her  borders,  yet  tha  state- 
ment applies  particularly  to  the  time  immedi- 
ately following  the  discovery  of  gold,  and  the 
building  of  the  Pacific  Railroad.  However, 
more  recent  years  furnish  some  rjmarkabb  ex- 
amples of  a  similar  character,  with  the  exception 
that  now  business  sagacity  and  foresight,  and 
not  luck  or  chance,  are  the  most  important  fac- 
tors. A  case  in  point  is  that  of  tlie  Hornlein 
Bros.,  of  Sacramento.  Max  Edward  and  Hugo 
A.  Hornlein,  twin  brothers,  were  born  in  Mil- 
waukee, Wisconsin,  December  12,  1859,  their 
parents  being  Emil  G.  and  Amelia  (Price)  Horn- 
lein, both  of  whom  were  natives  of  Saxony,  who 
came  to  America  at  the  age  of  seventeen  and 
sixteen  years  respectively,  and  were  married  at 
Milwaukee.  Emil  G.  Hornlein  commenced  the 
carriage-painting  trade  there.  In  1869  he  came 
to  California.  In  1870,  one  year  after  the  trans- 
continental railroad  was  completed,  he  went  to 
Harry   Bernard,  of  S  icramento,  and    tiiere  dis- 


IIISTORT    OF    SACRAMENTO    COUNTY. 


played  his  wonderful  mastery  of  his  trade  (with 
him  an  art).  He  painted  the  representation  of 
the  battle  of  Bunker  Hill  on  the  cannon  "Union 
Boy,"  which  captured  the  prize  at  the  State  fair. 
The  gun  is  now  an  object  of  ninch  interest  at 
the  Mare  Island  Navy  Yard.  Of  course  such 
proficiency  was  not  required  in  his  carriage- 
painting  business,  but,  added  to  being  a  natural 
artist,  he  had  cultivated  his  tastes  in  that  direc- 
tion in  his  native  land.  He  went  from  Sacra- 
mento to  Wcodland  and  started  in  business  for 
himself,  and  with  such  success  that  his  trade 
required  the  employment  of  from  ten  to  twenty- 
five  men  ihe  year  round.  He  is  now  a  resident 
of  the  v.cinity  of  Santa  Cruz,  where  he  is  a  fruit- 
gi-ower.  Of  his  twenty  children  (of  whom  six 
were  twins)  eleven  are  yet  living.  When  Max 
E.  and  Hugo  A.  Hornlein  liad  reached  the  age 
of  fourteen  yeais,  they  went  to  work  in  a  hotel, 
but  at  the  same  time  carried  on  their  education 
by  attending  nigiit  school.  M.  E.  was  night 
clerk  and  H.  A.  on  the  day  watch,  but  both  did 
duty  in  the  dining-room.  In  1880  they  came 
to  Sacramento,  went  lo  work  in  the  Central 
Hotel,  and  were  there  and  at  the  State  House 
Hotel  about  two  years.  M.  E.  then  went  to 
Woodland  to  learn  the  carriage-painting  trade, 
his  brother  finding  another  place  at  the  Pacific 
Oyster  House.  Three  weeks  later  Mrs.  Sharp, 
the  lessee  of  the  Central  House,  went  to  W^ood- 
land  to  persuade  M.  E.  to  come  back  to  Sacra- 
mento and  take  the  dining-room  and  bar  of  the 
hotel,  offering  the  privilege  for  a  $100  a  month, 
rent  to  be  free  the  first  month  if  enough  was 
not  taken  in  to  justify  the  payment  of  the  agreed 
amount.  After  a  conference  between  the 
brothers  they  agreed  to  give  the  proposition  a 
trial.  They  had  by  this  time  saved  up  $500 
apiece  from  their  work.  When  they  took  charge 
the  house  had  but  a  small  business,  yet  within 
a  month  it  had  100  boarders,  and  was  full  to  its 
utmost  capacity,  and  it  is  needless  to  say  Mrs. 
Sharp  got  her  first  month's  rent.  Her  lease 
ran  out  within  a  year.  No  o'le  had  ever  made 
money  there,  and  the  last  lessees  had  lost  $4,000 
in  trying   to   make   the   house  profitable.     The 


proprietor  of  the  building,  Mr.  Watt,  came  to 
the  Hornlein  Bros,  three  months  before  the  ex- 
piration of  the  lease  to  have  a  talk  with  them. 
They  wanted  to  lease  the  house  for  five  years, 
but  Mr.  Watt  told  them  he  did  not  wish  to  make 
a  further  lease.  He  said,  as  they  were  the  only 
parties  who  had  ever  made  money  there,  he 
would  make  them  a  proposition.  This  was,  that 
they  should  purchase  the  property  for  $18,000. 
Mr.  Watt  said  they  could  pay  him  $4,000  in 
cash,  and  the  balance  in  payments  extending 
over  seven  years,  without  interest.  They  ac- 
cepted, and  writings  were  drawn  up  by  which 
they  were  to  pay  him  $166.67  per  month  for 
seven  years.  They  continued  to  make  such 
payments  until  the  fall  of  1888,  when  they  took 
a  clear  bill  to  the  house,  with  a  mortgage  of 
$4,000  on  it.  The  bargain  was  made  March 
10,  1882,  and  in  the  meantime  they  had  started 
in  the  land  business.  They  filed  on  some  land 
in  Fresno  and  Tulare  counties,  and  bought  a 
section  of  land  at  the  town  of  Traver,  paying 
$6,400  cash  for  it,  or  $10  an  acre.  They  kept 
that  section  a  year  and  three  months,  then  sold 
it  to  McCall  &  Co.  for  $27.50  an  acre,  clearing 
$13,000  on  the  transaction,  and  investing  the 
profits  in  Lassen  County.  Hornlein  Bros,  now 
own  five- sixteenths  of  a  tract  of  land  in  that 
county  consisting  of  14,000  acres,  their  partner 
in  that  tract  being  ex- Surveyor  General  J.  W. 
Shanklin,  and  their  investment  in  it,  with  im- 
provements, now  amounting  to  $17,000.  It  is 
devoted  to  stock-raising.  They  keep  a  complete 
set  of  books  in  which  they  can  tell  their  finan- 
cial position  at  any  moment,  and  every  year  a 
balance  shoet  is  drawn  up,  each  year  showing  a 
wonderful  advancement  over  the  last,  so  that 
they  now  have  close  to  $100,000  on  their  side 
of  the  ledger.  Wlien  the  short  space  of  time  in 
which  this  result  has  been  accomplished  is  con- 
sidered, the  fact  seems  little  short  of  marvelous. 
Max  E.  Hornlein  was  married  April  28,  1884, 
to  Miss  Jennie  E.  Pulaski,  a  native  of  Sacra- 
mento, and  daughter  of  August  and  Louisa 
Pulaski.  He  is  a  member  of  the  Knights  of 
Pythias  Lodge  and  of  the  Division,  in  which  he 


/^cf  .^ 


-ey)^^L^ 


HISTORr    OP    SACRAMENTO    COUNTY. 


is  Sentinel.  He  is  a  member  of  the  Central 
Committee  of  the  Ivepnblicaii  party  for  Sacra- 
mento County.  H.  A.  Hornlein  is  a  Democrat 
politically.  He  is  a  member  of  the  Knights  of 
Pythias  also. 


►>«* 


fHE  FRIEND  &  TEKRY  LUMBER 
COMPANY,  Sacramento.  Directly  after 
the  discovery  of  gold  at  Sutter's  Mill  in 
1848,  the  valley  of  Sacramento  became  in  con- 
sequence the  scene  of  greatest  activity,  and  the 
lumber  interest  became  important.  In  the  early 
'50's  among  the  most  prominent  lumber  lirms 
here  were  those  of  L.  P.  Simpson,  David  In- 
galls,  Z.  Gardner,  Bell  &  St.  John,  Randall  & 
Peckham,  and  Samuel  Perkins.  Mr.  Simpson's 
yard  was  located  on  the  northeasf  corner  of 
Second  and  M  streets,  and  there  in  1852  were 
two  young  men  at  work  as  employes  who  after- 
ward became  the  most  prominent  lumber  firm 
in  the  city, — Wallace  E.  Terry  and  Joseph  S. 
Friend.  Mr.  Friend  came  from  Gloucester, 
Massachusetts,  but  had  a  keen  eye  to  business 
in  New  York  city  before  coming  to  the  coast, 
while  Mr.  Terry  came  from  the  Empire  State. 
Upon  becoming  acquainted  with  each  other  in 
working  together,  these  two  talented  and  enter- 
prising young  men  determined  to  start  into 
business  on  their  own  account.  Accordingly, 
in  1858  they  i-ented  sutticient  ground  opposite 
the  Simpson  yard,  and  established  business 
there,  under  the  firm  name  which  they  have 
ever  since  had.  Seven  years  afterward  they 
bought  ground  on  the  south  side  of  M  street, 
between  Front  and  Second,  and  moved  upon  it. 
Their  business  proved  to  be  a  success  from  the 
start,  and  incidentally  led  to  a  number  of  opera- 
tions in  other  departments  of  trade.  In  1855 
they  were  commissioned  by  parties  in  San  Fran- 
cisco to  buy  hides,  tallow  and  wool  for  export 
to  New  York,  and  during  the  next  four  years  a 
large  amount  of  money  passed  through  the 
hands  of  this  firm  for  that  purpose  alone.  Men 
were  sent  out  in  every  direction  to  gather  up 


and  purchase  these  commodities  which  had  re- 
ceived very  little  attention  in  the  past,  in  fact 
had  often  been  cast  aside  in  mining  camps  as 
being  practically  worthless.  Later,  deer  and 
bear  skins,  horns,  old  copper  and  lead  and  wild 
mustard  seed  were  added  to  the  first  articles 
thus  collected  for  shipment  "the  Horn  around," 
and  nearlj'  every  "prairie  schooner"  returning 
from  the  mountains  brought  in  more  or  less  of 
them,  with  perhaps  enough  lumber  to  make 
up  a  full  return  freight.  At  first  the  sum  of 
$1  each  measured  the  value  of  dry  hides,  but  in 
a  year  or  two  English  buyers  entered  the  field 
and  a  lively  competition  carried  the  price  up  to 
$6  and  $8  apiece,  at  which  figures  there  was  no 
profit  for  the  New  York  house,  and  the  busi- 
ness languished.  In  the  meantime  lumber  busi- 
ness was  steadily  increasing  in  importance  and 
volume.  When  the  Central  Pacific  Railroad 
was  in  process  of  construction  (1861-'68),  this 
firm  furnished  most  of  the  material  used.  Many 
million  feet  of  Oregon  and  redwood  lumber, 
timber,  piles,  ties  and  telegraph  poles  were 
brought  up  the  river  by  sailing  vessels,  and  with 
the  powerful  aid  of  steam  derricks  quickly 
transferred  to  waiting  cars  for  the  busy,  hungry 
"front."  Some  of  these  vessels  were  of  the 
deep-water  class,  in  which  Friend  &  Terry  were 
interested,  and  often  brought  full  cargoes  fro-n 
Puget  Sound  and  Coast  Mills  through  to  Sacra- 
mento direct,  without  any  halt  at  San  Francisco. 
At  this  day,  with  the  river  bottom  on  top,  such 
a  thing  would  be  impossible,  and  such  "white- 
winged"  crafts  are  now  chiefly  and  painfully 
conspicuous  by  their  entire  absence  from  the 
once  "port"  of  Sacramento.  In  1868  Friend 
&  Terry  acquired  a  leading  interest  in  the  Boca 
Saw-mill,  with  a  large  acreage  of  timber  lands 
in  Nevada  and  Sierra  counties,  Mr.  L.  E.  Doan 
holding  the  remaining  interest.  Boca  (Spanish, 
mouth)  is  located  at  the  mouth  of  Little  Truckee 
River,  at  an  elevation  of  5,530  feet  above  sea 
level.  In  winter  it  was  noticed  that  ice  formed 
upon  the  pond,  which  had  been  made  to  furnish 
water-power  for  the  mill,  to  a  thickness  of  twelve 
to  twenty  inches,  and   in  the  following  year  an 


HISTORY    OF    SACRAMENTO    COUNTY. 


ice-house  of  8,000  tons  capacity  was  erected 
and  filled  with  the  finest  quality  of  natural  ice. 
This  was  the  first  regular  crop  of  merchantable 
ice  harvested  in  the  State  of  California,  and  the 
genesis  of  a  complete  revelution  which  was  soon 
to  follow  in  the  trade.  The  entire  product  of 
this  first  year  and  the  following  three  years  was 
sold  to  the  American-Russian  Commercial  Com- 
pany, J.  Mora  Moss,  president,  which  had  exer- 
cised an  absolute  monopoly  of  the  business  for 
years,  bringing  ice  from  Sitka  and  perhaps  one 
or  two  other  points  in  Alaska,  and  retailing  it 
at  from  5  to  12  cents  per  pound,  where  a  better 
quality  is  now  furnished  to  consumers  at  from 
\  to  1^  cents  a  pound.  The  ice  works  at  Boca 
have  been  added  to  from  time  to  time,  and  have 
assumed  large  proportions.  Other  companies 
have  established  plants  in  that  vicinity,  but  ten 
to  fifteen  miles  either  west  or  east  from  Boca 
takes  one  beyond  the  limits  of  the  peculiar  belt 
in  which  ice  can  be  profitably  cultivated  or 
successfully  harvested.  Importations  from  the 
north  ceased  years  ago,  and  railroads  have  taken 
the  transportation  of  ice  from  ships — probably 
forever.  For  fifteen  years  they  imported  East- 
ern pine,  which  was  largely  used  in  pattern- 
making,  etc.,  and  also  Eastern  oak  and  other 
hard  wood,  which  was  used  in  construction  and 
repairs  upon  river  steamboats,  etc.  They  also 
imported  sash,  doors  and  blinds.  This  necessity 
is  now  superseded,  as  Oregon  pine  and  native 
woods  have  taken  the  place  of  Eastern  lumber. 
Upon  the  death  of  Mr.  Friend  in  1871,  the 
business  was  conducted  by  Mr.  Terry  alone  for 
several  years,  during  which  time  he  took  an 
active  part,  financially  and  otherwise,  in  the 
establishment  of  new  gas  works,  woolen  mills, 
box  factories,  street  railways,  insurance  com- 
panies, and  other  enterprises  of  more  or  less  im- 
portance to  the  city  and  to  the  county  at  large. 
In  November,  1879,  a  part  of  his  business  was 
incorporated  into  a  joint  stock  association  under 
State  law,  as  the  Friend  &  Terry  Lumber  Com- 
pany, with  Mr.  Terry  as  president.  The  main 
office  and  yards  continue  to  be  on  Second  street, 
between  M  and  N,  under  the  personal  manage- 


ment of  E.  J.  Holt.  They  have  also  an  exten- 
sive yard  at  Twelfth  and  J  streets,  and  are 
largely  interested  in  Oregon  redwood  and  sugar- 
pine  mills.  Mr.  Terry  was  born  in  1832,  in 
Cortland  County,  New  York.  His  father.  Dr. 
Marsena  Terry, — who  is  still  living,  at  the  ad- 
vanced age  of  eighty-seven  years, — was  for  a 
long  period  a  prominent  physician  of  Steuben 
County,  New  York.  In  1836  or  1837  he  settled 
at  Sheridan,  Chautauqua  County,  that  State, 
and  later  moved  to  the  vicinity  of  Bath,  Steuben 
County,  where  the  subject  of  this  sketch  grew  up. 
He  attended  the  academy  at  Prattsbura  and  the 


3  my 


rg 


Wesleyan  Seminary  at  Lima,  New  York,  taught 
three  terms  of  school  at  Campbell,  and  read  law 
in  the  office  of  Barnes  &  Bonham,  at  Bath.  In 
January,  1852,  while  he  was  in  Judge  Barnes' 
office,  his  brotherin-law,  E.  C.  Thompson,  re- 
turned from  California,  with  favorable  reports; 
and  as  he  was  organizing  a  small  party  to  come 
again  to  this  State,  Mr.  Terry  concluded  to  come 
with  them.  One  of  the  company  was  DeWitt 
C.  Alden,  a  merchant  of  Bath.  They  sailed  on 
the  new  steamer  Sierra  Nevada,  on  her  first  trip 
to  the  Isthmus,  where  they  were  detained  eleven 
days,  and  thence  to  San  Francisco,  being  forty- 
two  days  on  the  way.  From  Panama  they 
came  on  the  old  steamer  New  Orleans,  with  a 
thousand  on  board, — twice  as  many  as  there  was 
properly  room  for.  The  party  proceeeded  on 
through  Sacramento  to  Coloma  and  Georgetown, 
near  which  latter  place  they  engaged  in  mining 
for  six  months.  The  experience  here  was  very 
rough  for  a  young  man  brought  up  as  a  stu- 
dent in  the  luxurious  East.  In  September  the 
company  dissolved.  Thompson  returned  East, 
where  he  has  since  amassed  a  fortune  in  dealing 
in  mining  lands,  and  Mr.  Terry  came  to  Sac- 
ramento. After  recovering  from  an  attack  of 
typhoid  fever,  he  started  a  school  at  Washing- 
ton, across  the  river,  where  he  soon  collected 
some  thirty  pupils;  but  the  great  fire  of  Novem- 
ber, which  for  a  time  absolutely  ruined  Sacra- 
mento, broke  up  the  school,  as  about  half  the 
number  of  his  pupils  resided  in  Sacramento. 
He  next  became  clerk  in  the  office  of  L.  P.  Simp- 


HISTORY    OP    SACRAMENTO    COUNTY. 


son,  the  lumberman  on  Second  street,  and  there 
he  met  Mr.  Friend,  as  before  stated.  Mr.  Terry 
became  interested  in  the  New  England  saw- 
mill about  nine  miles  above  Anburn,  a  mill 
which  cut  3,000,000  or  4,000,000  feet  of  lum- 
ber per  year;  and  it  was  this  fact  that  induced 
him  and  Mr.  Friend  to  form  a  partnership  in 
the  lumber  business,  although  they  had  virtu- 
ally no  cash  capital.  In  1879  A.  M.  Simpson, 
of  San  Francisco,  an  early  and  very  successful 
lumber  merchant,  mill  and  ship  owner,  and 
Messrs.  Holt  &  Son  of  Humboldt  County,  with 
extensive  holdings  in  Redwood  district,  became 
interested  with  Mr.  Terry  in  the  lumber  branch 
of  his  business,  and  the  present  joint  stock  com- 
pany was  formed.  Reference  should  here  be 
made  to  the  Pioneer  Box  Company  of  which  Mr. 
Terry  is  also  president,  with  Mr.  H.  P.  Martin 
as  superintendent.  The  business  was  origini- 
nally  started  in  1874  by  Mr.  Matthew  Cooke' 
the'  distinguished  etymologist,  and  ten  years 
later  was  incorporated  by  the  present  owners,  who 
have  just  erected  new  and  additional  works  of 
large  capacity  on  the  river  front  near  T  street, 
an  indication  of  growth  and  prosperity.  Enor- 
mous quantities  of  sugar-pine  and  firlumber  are 
here  converted  into  crates,  fruit  baskets,  boxes 
and  packing  cases  of  every  description.  The 
very  latest  machinery  and  appliances  are  used 
for  this  purpose,  and  spur  railroad  tracks  are 
employed  at  both  factories  and  warehouses  to 
facilitate  operations.  The  subject  of  this  sketch 
seems  to  regard  his  twenty  years'  experience  in 
the  ice  business  as  being  fairly  conspicuous 
above  successes  in  any  of  the  other  industries 
with  which  he  has  been  prominently  identified, 
probably  because  in  that  line  much  greater  ob- 
stacles and  more  determined  opposition  have 
been  encountered.  As  president  of  the  Boca 
Ice  Company  he  was  largely  instrumental  in 
forming  the  present  Union  Ice  Company,  which 
incorporated  in  1882  and  selected  Lloyd  Tevis 
and  W.  E.  Terry  as  president  and  vice-president 
respectively.  The  organization  was  really  a  con- 
solidation of  the  six  principal  ice  companies  in 
California,  and  the  fact  that  during  a  prolonged 


and  bitter  war  for  supremacy,  strong  animosity 
had  arisen,  made  the  task  of  uniting  them  very 
difficult  of  accomplishment.  Mr.  Terry  has 
never  sought  political  preferment;  and  the  only 
occasion  when  he  consented  to  hold  office  was  in 
1857,  as  alderman.  Formerly  he  was  a  Doug- 
las Democrat,  but  for  many  years  he  has  been  a 
Republican.  He  is  a  thorough  business  man,  a 
genial  companion  and  an  affectionate  husband 
and  parent.  He  is  respected  and  honored  by 
all  who  have  the  pleasure  of  his  acquaintance. 
Mr.  Terry  was  married  at  San  Francisco  in  1860, 
by  Rev.  Starr  King,  to  Miss  Laura  A.  Morrill, 
a  native  of  Maine.  Their  children  are:  Mae 
A.,  Laura  E.,  Joseph  E.  and  Wallace  Irving. 
The  last  mentioned  is  now  attending  the  State 
University  at  Berkeley,  senior  class,  while  the 
elder  son  has  recently  been  promoted  to  the 
position  of  manager  for  the  Friend  &  Terry 
Lumber  Company. 

S-3"fS 


,ETER  FLAHERTY,  of  the  firm  of  Neary 
Flaiierty,  proprietors  of  the  Windsor 
Hotel,  Sacramento,  is  a  native  of  County 
Galway,  Ireland,  born  May  21, 1847,  his  parents 
being  Timothy  and  Bridget  (Donahue)  Fla- 
iierty. When  he  was  but  a  mere  child  of  three 
months,  the  family  came  to  America,  and  located 
at  Bangor,  Maine,  where  he  was  reared.  His 
first  employment  was  as  bell-boy  in  a  hotel,  and 
after  a  year  at  that  occupation  he  went  on  a 
steamboat  in  the  coast  trade.  During  the  last 
year  of  the  war,  while  aboard  a  Government 
transport,  he  was  at  nearly  every  harbor  from 
Maine  to  Galveston.  In  1868  he  came  to  Cali- 
fornia, leaving  New  York  January  15,  on  the 
steamer  San  Francisco,  and  after  crossing  Nica- 
ragua, took  passage  on  the  Moses  Taylor  for 
San  Francisco,  where  he  arrived  February  15, 
1868.  He  commenced  steamboating  on  the  Sac- 
ramento as  office  boy  on  the  steamer  Capital, 
and  so  continued  for  a  year  and  a  half.  He 
then  accepted  einployme;it  on  the  street  railway 
system   of  San    Francisco,  and   was  so  engaged 


348 


IIISrORT    OF    SACRAMENTO    COUNTY. 


for  nearly  two  years.  He  then  came  to  Sacra- 
mento and  became  shipping  clerk  for  Henry 
Fisher,  continuing  in  that  employ  until  1876. 
He  then  engaged  in  the  liquor  business  on  Sixth 
street,  between  J  and  K  streets.  A  year  later 
he  opened  another  place  at  614  J  street,  and  was 
in  that  block  until  the  fall  of  1887.  On  the  6th 
of  November  of  that  year,  in  connection  with 
Fred  Feary,  he  enter  into  the  hotel  business  in 
the  Windsor  Hotel.  This  house  was  remod- 
eled in  1884  by  its  owner,  John  Q.  Brown,  and 
was  conducted  by  William  F.  McFadden  until 
the  present  proprietor  took  control.  The  Wind- 
sor is  a  successful  house  under  the  present  man- 
agement, and  reflects  credit  on  the  gentlemen 
who  have  built  it  up  to  its  present  standing. 
Mr.  Flaherty  gives  his  personal  attention  to  the 
house.  He  was  married  in  Sacramento  July  1, 
1877,  to  Miss  Mary  Doyle,  a  native  of  Mobile, 
Alabama,  who  came  to  Sacramento  when  an  in- 
fant of  three  months.  They  have  two  living 
children,  viz.:  Mary  Ethel  and  Coleman.  Mr. 
Flaherty  joined  Company  G  (Sarsfield  Guards) 
as  a  private,  and  rose  through  the  grades  of 
Corporal,  Sergeant  and  Lieutenant,  which  latter 
he  held  for  years.  He  is  still  a  member  of  the 
company,  though  his  business  does  not  allow 
him  to  hold  official  positions  for  lack  of  time. 
He  is  also  a  member  Owosso  Tribe,  Order  of 
Eed  Men,  and  of  the  Young  Men's  Institute. 
In  politics  he  takes  an  active  interest.  Mr. 
Flaherty  is  a  genial  landlord  and  a  popular  man. 


fRED  NEARY,  of  the  firm  of  Neary  & 
Flaherty,  was  born  in  County  Roscommon, 
Ireland,  August  4,  1855,  and  is  a  son  of 
John  and  Hattie  Neary.  He  spent  his  boyhood 
days  at  his  native  place,  and  in  1873  came  to 
America,  locating  at  Lowell,  Massachusetts. 
From  there  he  came  to  Sacramento,  and  learned 
the  trade  of  boot  and  shoemaking  with  James 
Parsons.  Afterward  he  was  in  business  for  him- 
self about  two  years,  then  commenced  clerking 
in  the  Red  House,  where  he  was  engaged  about 


five  years,  or  until  he  embarked  in  the  hotel 
business.  In  1875  he  became  a  member  of 
Company  G  (Sarsfield  Guards),  in  which  he  held 
all  the  non-commissioned  ofiices  and  rose  as  high 
as  Lieutenant.  He  became  Adjutant  of  the  First 
Artillery  Regiment  in  1882,  and  held  that  posi- 
tion until  1887,  when  he  was  elected  Major  of 
the  regiment,  his  present  position.  His  stand- 
ing in  the  military  is  a  measure  of  the 
in  which  he  is  held  by  his  friends. 


^ENRY  WEIN REICH,  one  of  the  well- 
^mi  known  and  long-time  residents  of  Sacra- 
^11  mento,  is  a  native  of  Bavaria,  now  in  the 
empire  of  Germany,  born  near  Kaiserslautern, 
on  the  10th  day  of  December,  1823,  his  parents 
being  Charles  and  Henrietta  (Silverman)  Wein- 
reich,  the  father  a  comb  manufacturer  by  occu- 
pation. Henry  Weinreich  spent  his  boyhood 
days  at  the  place  of  his  birth,  receiving  his  edu- 
cation in  the  Government  schools,  between  the 
ages  of  six  and  fourteen  years,  receiving  con- 
siderable knowledge  of  business  also,  while  en- 
gaged with  an  uncle,  a  wholesale  merchant.  He 
was  but  a  boy  when  he  determined  to  come  to 
America,  and  in  January,  1839,  he  sailed  from 
Havre  in  the  American  sailing  vessel  Creole, 
bound  for  New  Orleans,  which  port  he  reached  on 
the  14th  of  April,  having  worked  his  passage 
across  the  Atlantic.  He  remained  in  New  Or- 
leans for  some  time,  and  there  met  some  people 
with  whom  he  was  acquainted.  He  went  up 
the  rivers  to  Cincinnati,  and  thence  into  the 
country  in  Hamilton  County,  Ohio,  where  he 
worked  for  some  time.  He  next  went  to  Colum- 
bus, and  there  worked  for  a  firm  named  Corn- 
stock  &  Clark,  who  were  extensively  engaged  in 
the  patent-medicine  business.  In  May,  1842, 
he  went  to  Van  Buren  County,  Iowa,  where  he 
obtained  employment  with  a  man  named  Phil- 
lips, agent  for  the  Sac  and  Fox  Indians,  who 
were  then  being  moved  to  the  Raccoon  Forks, 
and  Mr.  Weinreich  went  there  on  that  business, 
afterward  returning  to  Van  Buren  County.    He 


HISTORT    OF    SACRAMENTO    COUNTY. 


made  several  trips  between  the  two  localities, 
being  engaged  with  iiis  employer  in  all  five  or 
six  months.  His  next  employment  was  cutting 
walnut  logs  on  Fox  Island,  and  running  them 
down  the  river  to  St.  Louis,  this  being  the  com- 
mencement of  that  enterprise.  He  next  went 
to  the  pineries  of  Wisconsin,  and  had  an  ex- 
tended experience.  He  was  the  first  man  to 
strike  an  axe  into  the  timber  at  the  present  site 
of  Eau  Claire.  Chippewa  Falls  and  other  local- 
ities well  known  now  in  the  lumber  industry 
were  visited  by  him  when  in  their  infancy.  In 
connection  with  another  man  he  built  a  saw- 
mill, and  did  a  large  business  in  the  manufact- 
ure of  lumber.  That  region,  however,  was  not 
well  suited  to  his  health,  and  in  1850  he  went 
to  St.  Augustine,  Texas,  where  he  kept  a  res- 
taurant. In  the  latter  part  of  1851,  in  company 
with  thirteen  others,  he  started  for  California. 
They  went  to  New  Orleans,  thence  to  the  city 
of  Mexico  (by  team  and  on  horseback)  and  from 
there  to  Aeapulco.  They  there  took  passage  on 
the  schooner  Guadaloupe  No.  1  for  San  Fran- 
cisco, paying  their  fares  to  the  captain  before  the 
vessel  started,  that  official  saying  he  would  take 
on  provisions  at  Mazatlan.  When  they  touched 
there  it  was  found  that  the  captain  had  got  rid 
of  all  the  passage  money,  and  the  representa- 
tives of  the  company  owning  tlie  boat  held  her, 
and  would  furnish  no  supplies.  The  American 
consul  was  applied  to  by  the  passengers,  but 
could  not  help  them  out  of  their  dilemma.  They 
then  concluded  to  take  the  matter  in  their  own 
hands,  and,  running  the  vessel  out  of  the  harbor 
without  a  clearance,  they  put  into  Cape  St. 
Lucas,  where  they  bought  and  killed  cattle  and 
dried  the  meat  in  the  sun,  also  taking  some  live 
animals  on  board.  They  obtained  other  sup- 
plies at  San  Jose,  Mexico,  and  then  proceeded  to 
San  Francisco,  which  port  they  reached  after  a 
voyage  of  sixty-four  days,  and  there  turned  the 
vessel  over  to  the  captain.  Mr.  Weinreich  went 
to  Tuolumne  County,  where  he  engaged  in 
manufacturingshingles,  and  also  took  a  contract 
for  making  100,000  shingles.  In  the  fall  of 
1852  he  went  out  of  that  business,  and  putting 


up  a  building  in  Sonora  went  into  the  mercan- 
tile trade.  In  the  fall  of  1854  he  came  to  Sac- 
ramento, and  engaged  in  the  cigar  and  patent 
medicine  business,  which  engaged  his  attention 
until  the  fall  of  1856,  three  wagons  being  em- 
ployed by  him  at  that  time,  as  his  trade  was 
wide-spread  throughout  the  mining  camps.  His 
next  occupation  was  keeping  a  billiard  hall,  and 
in  1858  he  embarked  in  cattle-ranching  on  a 
tract  of  land  adjoining  the  Haggin  grant,  and 
shortly  afterward  drove  up  here  from  Los  An- 
geles County  220  head  of  horses.  He  traveled 
nearly  eight  years  for  a  San  Francisco  firm  and 
also  carried  on  business  at  Markleeville  for  a 
time.  In  1868  he  established  his  present  busi- 
ness next  door  to  the  number  now  occupied  by 
him,  into  which  he  moved  in  1878,  though  he 
is  the  owner  also  of  buildings  adjoining.  Mr. 
Weinreich  was  married  in  Sonora,  in  February, 
1853,  to  Miss  Anna  Weber,  a  native  of  Hanover. 
They  have  four  children,  viz.:  Lsura,  Addie, 
wife  of  H.  C.  Oiipman,  member  of  the  Board 
of  Education;  Charles  and  Katie.  Mr.  Wein- 
reich is  one  of  the  old-time  members  of  Tehama 
'Lodge,  A.  F.  &  A.  M.,  having  joined  in  1856. 
He  is  also  a  member  of  the  Red  Men,  and  of 
the  Sacramento  Turn-Verein. 


fOHN  SKELTON,  one  of  the  prominent 
citizens  of  Sacramento,  was  born  at  North 
Shields,  Northumberland,  England,  April 
19, 1837,  and  is  a  son  of  Thomas  Skelton.  His 
mother's  maiden  name  was  Reed.  His. father 
was  a  draughtsman  of  marked  skill  and  abih'ty, 
as  well  as  a  thorough  and  practical  ship  carpen- 
ter and  joiner.  John  Skelton  was  reared  at 
his  native  place,  and  there  received  his  educa- 
tion in  the  private  schools.  At  the  age  of  six- 
teen years  he  was  bound  out  to  a  foundryman, 
and  learned  the  moulder'^  trade.  His  parents 
having  died,  however,  he  determined  to  leave 
the  country  of  his  birth  and  seek  his  fortune  in 
foreign  lauds.  In  accordance  with  this  decision 
he  sailed  from   Liverpool,  January  6,  1857,  on 


HISTORY    OF    SACRAMENTO    COUNTY. 


the  sailship  The  Protector,  of  Bath,  his  destina- 
tion being  California.  The  voyage  proved  a 
memorable  one,  and  will  never  be  forgotten  by 
those  who  participated.  When  off  Cape  Horn 
they  were  caught  in  a  terrible  storm,  and  so 
imminent  was  the  danger  of  going  to  the  bot- 
tom that  the  captain  ordered  the  mate  to  cut 
away  the  masts.  The  mate  answered,  "No, 
sir!  If  we  live  this  storm  out,  we  will  need 
those  masts."  So  they  were  let  stand.  Although 
all  hands  had  given  up  hope,  the  storm  was 
ridden  out  safely.  No  port  was  touched  at  by 
the  vessel  on  the  entire  voyage,  though  an  un- 
successful attempt  was  once  made.  Water  for 
drinking  purposes  gave  out,  aud  it  became 
necessary  to  spread  the  sails  to  catch  rain.  They 
tried  to  make  the  harbor  of  San  Francisco  on 
the  3d  of  July,  but  before  they  had  entered  the 
Golden  Gate  a  heavy  fog  obtcured  vision,  and 
the  vessel  drifted  about  for  over  two  days  wait- 
ing for  a  chance  to  get  in.  Burning  barrels 
were  cast  overboard,  and  fog-horns  were  con- 
stantly blown,  but  neither  answer  nor  pilot 
came.  When  the  fog  cleared  so  that  objects 
could  be  seen,  it  was  discovered  that  the  ship- 
was  on  the  point  of  running  into  a  bank,  there 
being  just  time  to  avoid  it.  They  landed  on 
the  6th  of  July.  Mr.  Skeltou  then  came  to 
Sacramento  by  boat,  and  was  soon  engaged  in 
the  wood  business  at  the  corner  of  Front  and  N 
streets.  Two  years  later  he  secured  a  contract 
from  the  Steam  Navigation  Company  to  move 
the  freight  brought  by  the  company's  steamers 
for  the  Folsom  Railroad,  using  a  two-horse 
truck  in  the  work,  and  receiving  $250  per 
month  in  payment.  He  then  re-entered  the 
wood  business  on  J  street,  between  Second  and 
Third.  Two  and  a  half  years  later  he  removed 
to  his  present  location,  on  Fifth  and  I  streets. 
Mr.  Skelton  was  married  in  England,  to  Miss 
Elizabeth  Ann  Hunter,  a  native  of  North 
Shields,  England.  They  have  three  children, 
viz.:  Eliplialet,  John  Thomas,  a  clerk  in  the 
Southern  Pacific  Railroad  office,  and  Mabel. 
Mr.  Skelton,  a  Republican  politically,  is  a 
member  of   the    School    Board  of  Sacramento, 


and  takes  an  active  interest  in  everything  per- 
taining to  the  advancement  of  the  cause  of  edu- 
cation. He  is  a  member  of  Tehama  Lodge, 
No.  3,  A.  F.  &  A.  M.;  Capital  Lodge,  No.  87, 
I.  O.  O.  F. ;  is  Chaplain  of  Ben  Bow  Lodge, 
Sons  of  St.  George,  and  for  1889  representative 
in  Grand  Lodge  from  the  local  lodge  of  Chosen 
Friends,  and  was  elected  one  of  the  Grand 
Trustees,  also  Treasurer  of  Lodge  96,  Chosen 
Friends,  of  Sacramento. 


fHILlP  SCHELD.— Among  the  solid,  sub- 
stantial citizens  of  Sacramento  is  the  gen- 
tleman whose  natue  heads  this  sketch.  He 
is  a  native  of  Germany,  born  in  the  town  of 
Giessen,  Grand  Duchy  of  Hesse-Darmstadt, 
October  13,  1827,  his  parents  being  John  and 
Kate  (Bellow)  Scheld.  His  father  was  a  wheel- 
wright by  trade,  that  having  been  the  occupa- 
tion of  the  family  for  several  generations.  Philip 
Scheld  was  reared  at  his  native  place,  and  re- 
ceived his  education  at  the  Government  schools 
between  the  ages  of  six  and  fourteen  years,  and 
assisting  his  father  in  the  labors  of  the  farm  on 
which  the  family  made  their  home.  In  1845 
he  came  to  America  in  company  with  his  broth- 
er Henry,  sailing  from  Bremen  June  4,  on  the 
sailing  vessel  Neptune,  and  landing  at  Philadel- 
phia July  11.  He  engaged  at  the  baker's  trade 
at  Philadelphia,  and  remained  there  two  years, 
his  place  of  employment  being  located  on  Cal- 
lowhill  street,  between  Eighth  and  Ninth.  His 
brother  remained  in  that  city,  at  the  cabinet- 
making  trade,  until  1849,  when,  in  company 
with  twenty-four  others,  he  went  to  New  Or- 
leans, and  thence  by  way  of  Monterey,  Durango 
and  Mazatlan,  to  the  Pacific  coast,  where  they 
took  a  sailing  vessel  to  San  Francisco.  He  be- 
came a  miner  and  is  still  a  resident  of  Califor- 
nia, living  at  Yreka,  where  he  is  a  prominent 
man  and  the  owner  of  the  water-works  system, 
which  he  constructed.  Philip  Scneld  received 
a  letter  from  this  brother,  advising  him  to  come 
to  California,  and  he  decided  to  leave  Baltimore, 


HISTORY    OF    SACRAMENTO    COUNTY. 


where  he  had  been  for  a  year  and  a  half,  and 
try  his  fortune  in  the  "land  of  gold."  He  left 
Baltimore  on  the  steamer  Philadelphia,  Febru- 
ary 4,  1850,  went  to  Panama,  crossed  the  Isth- 
mus by  boat  and  afoot,  his  effects  being  packed 
across  by  mule.  On  the  Pacific  side  he  took 
passage  on  the  steamer  California,  for  San 
Francisco,  where  he  arrived  on  the  24th  of 
March.  He  paid  $16  for  his  passage  to  Sacra- 
mento on  the  steamer  Hartford,  being  a  day 
and  a  half  on  the  way.  He  proceeded  on  to 
Coloma,  El  Dorado  County,  taking  a  four-ox 
team.  When  he  arrived  there  he  learned  his 
brother  had  departed.  The  latter  had  gone  to 
Volcano,  but  Mr.  Scheld  did  not  know  his 
whereabouts,  although  tliey  met  several  weeks 
later  at  Volcano,  where  a  company  was  trying 
to  flume  the  river  at  Volcano  Bar.  Mr.  Scheld, 
with  a  partner,  Daniel  Troy,  started  in  baking 
for  a  hotel;  eventually  it  was  found  tliat  the 
landlord  could  not  pay  them,  and  they  had  to 
take  the  property.  Their  quarters  were  too 
small,  however,  and  they  built  a  larger  house, 
and  they  also  built  the  Sierra  Nevada  Hotel, 
which  is  still  running.  They  continued  that 
business  until  the  fall  of  1852,  and  Mr.  Scheld 
was  in  Sacramento  with  a  team  obtaining  sup- 
plies on  the  day  of  the  great  Are.  It  had  not 
commenced  when  he  left,  however,  and  he  was 
informed  of  it  next  day,  on  the  road  to  Coloma. 
He  closed  out  his  business  at  the  mines,  and  he 
and  his  brother  sold  out  between  400  and  500 
hogs  which  they  had  accumulated,  at  Sacra- 
mento, and  they  were  here  when  the  flood  of 
1852  came  on.  Mr.  Scheld  and  brother  became 
engaged  in  teaming  ijetween  Sacramento  and 
the  mines,  and  continued  in  that  business  for 
years.  Then  he  rented  the  brewery  on  East  M 
street,  and  a  month  later  bought  it.  No  one 
could  recognize  the  slightest  resemblance  be- 
tween the  small  plant  of  that  day  and  the  large 
establishment  of  the  present,  known  as  the 
Sacramento;  yet  comparison  is  easy,  as  the 
old  building,  with  shingles  off,  now  stands  un- 
used on  the  premises.  On  the  22d  of  Febru- 
ary, 1856,  the  next  day  after  the  completion  of 


the  Folsom  Railroad,  he  shipped  beer  to  Fol- 
som,  getting  $21  per  barrel,  the  price  now 
being  from  $6  to  $9.  By  the  flood  of  1862  he 
had  considerable  malt  and  barley  damaged,  and 
also  lost  about  twenty  casks  of  wine  which  he 
had  made  on  the  Norris  grant.  He  has  rebuilt 
the  Sacramento  Brewery  with  modern  improve- 
ments, and  it  now  ranks  with  the  best.  Mr. 
Scheld  was  married  in  Sacramento,  April  7, 
1858,  to  Miss  Margaret  Fritz,  a  native  of  Ger- 
many, born  near  Mayence,  on  the  Rhine,  who 
came  to  Sacramento  in  1857.  They  have  one 
son,  Adolph,  who  is  now  traveling  in  Europe, 
and  who  has  been  trained  to  the  banking  busi- 
ness. Mr.  Scheld  has  been  a  director  in  the 
Sacramento  Savings  Bank  for  about  twelve 
years.  He  has  large  interests  in  this  locality, 
and  considerable  land  in  Southern  California, 
principally  in  Los  Angeles  County.  Mr.  Scheld 
joined  Contidence  Company,  No.  2,  Volunteer 
Fire  Department,  in  1863,  and  is  now  a  mem- 
ber of  the  Exempt  Firemen.  He  joined  the 
Sacramento  Tnrn-Verein  in  1857,  and  is  yet  an 
active  member.  Mr.  Scheld  is  an  enterprising 
man,  and  does  his  share  in  the  matter  of  public 
improvements. 


fj.  SENATZ,  proprietor  of  the  Mississippi 
Kitchen,  Sacramento,  was  born  March  1, 
®  1830,  in  Philadelphia,  his  parents  being 
Frederick  and  Maria  (Lingg)  Senatz.  His 
father,  a  native  of  Berlin,  Prussia,  was  a  soldier 
for  the  first  Napoleon,  being  on  that  fateful  in- 
vasion of  Russia  and  at  the  burning  of  Moscow. 
At  the  age  of  fourteen  years  young  Senatz 
started  out  in  the  world  for  himself  and  was 
first  employed  as  third  cook  on  an  Ohio  River 
steamboat,  and  then  in  a  similar  capacity  on  the 
Mississippi  River,  all  the  way  from  the  Falls  of 
St.  Anthony  to  New  Orleans.  His  boat  also 
made  trips  up  the  Yazoo  and  Arkansas  Rivers. 
In  1849-'50  he  aided  in  the  transportation  of 
Indians  to  their  territory  for  the  United  States 
Government.     In  1852  he  came  witii   a  party 


BISTORT    OF    SACRAMENTO    COUNTY. 


made  up  from  the  boat,  the  Banner  State,  over- 
land to  California,  with  ox  teams.  On  the  way 
they  ascertained  that  they  were  in  the  middle 
of  the  great  stream  of  immigration  to  this  State 
that  year,  15,000  wagons  having  gone  ahead  of 
them.  The  true  cause  of  this  great  rush,  not 
generally  known  or  remembered  at  the  present 
day,  was  the  fact  that  Congress  had  extended 
into  that  year  the  privilege  of  every  man  and 
his  wife  entering  a  quarter-section  of  land  in 
Oregon,  besides  eighty  acres  more  for  every 
child.  They  avoided  coming  by  way  of  Salt 
Lake  on  account  of  their  taking  with  them  from 
Fort  Laramie  Colonel  Deadman,  who  had  been 
active  in  driving  out  the  Mormons  from  Mis- 
souri; for  if  he  should  be  found  with  a  train  he 
said  the  Mormons  would  kill  every  one  of  them! 
With  shrewd  and  energetic  management  they 
got  through  with  their  journey  with  the  loss  of 
but  one  of  the  cattle.  One  of  the  party  on  the 
route  slyly  drank  up  their  gallon  of  brandy,  the 
only  liquor  they  had  for  cases  of  sickness,  and 
had  substituted  in  the  demijohn  a  pomade  con- 
sisting of  alchohol  and  cotfee;  and  when  they 
administered  this  to  a  sick  man,  thinking  it  was 
the  brandy,  it  was  the  last  drink  that  man  ever 
took.  On  the  way  they  picked  up  an  abandoned 
cow  with  her  calf,  and  took  good  care  of  them 
as  they  brought  them  along;  and  when  they 
reached  the  Sink  of  the  Humboldt,  they  over- 
took parties  who  claimed  them.  The  decision 
of  the  matter  being  left  to  other  parties,  it  was 
determined  that  the  claimant  might  have  them 
if  they  would  pay  $50  for  the  care  that  had  been 
taken  of  them;  but  it  was  doubtful  whether  they 
ever  had  been  the  owners,  and  even  if  they  had 
been,  it  is  certain  they  would  have  never  seen 
them  again  had  it  not  been  for  the  energy  of 
others.  The  experiences  of  Mr.  Senatz  and  his 
party  were  exciting,  and  would  be  interesting 
to  relate  had  we  space  here.  At  Bear  Valley  a 
Jiian  bought  all  their  horses,  cattle  and  wagons, 
to  be  delivered  at  Little  York,  fifteen  miles  fur- 
ther on;  and  there  they  saw  the  first  house  since 
leaving  the  Missouri  River  excepting  those  at 
Forts  Kearney  and    Laramie.     Each  party  had 


paid  in  $105  at  St.  Joseph  for  the  expenses  of 
the  trip,  and  now,  on  the  sale  of  their  outfit, 
each  drew  $125.  Putting  up  a  shake  house  at 
Little  York,  they  bought  a  $100  claim  and  be- 
gan mining,  but  with  poor  results.  Then  they 
came  on  to  Sacramento,  arriving  here  October 
14,  1852.  Mr.  Senatz  was  first  employed  as 
cook  in  the  Golden  Eagle  Hotel  by  D.  E.  Cal- 
lahan, at  $300  a  month.  The  great  fire  of  No- 
vember 2,  1852,  destroyed  the  hotel,  but  Mr. 
Callahan  hurried  up  a  shanty  and  continued 
business.  In  the  spring  he  put  up  a  brick  hotel. 
But  Mr.  Senatz,  after  making  several  attempts 
for  an  independent  business  here,  went  to  Pin's 
Grove,  at  Sears"  diggings,  and  opened  a  hotel 
which  he  named  the  Mountain  Cottage.  This 
proving  a  poor  investment,  he  returned  to  Sa- 
cramento and  re-engaged  with  Mr.  Callahan. 
In  May,  1855,  he  went  back  to  Philadelphia,  by 
way  of  Panama,  and  in  Januarj',  1856,  returned 
to  Sacramento  and  again  entered  Mr. Callahan's 
employ.  In  June,  1868,  he  went  to  Victoria, 
during  the  gold  excitement  on  Eraser  River, 
leaving  his  family  in  San  Francisco.  He  fur- 
nished a  hotel  there,  on  ground  he  had  leased 
for  a  year,  and  made  money;  but  the  proprietors 
then  ofi'ered  for  sale  their  lots  on  condition  that 
the  purchasers  should  become  British  subjects 
within  three  years;  and  this  was  the  occasion  of 
Mr.  Senatz's  quitting  that  country.  Going 
again  to  Philadelphia,  in  1859,  he  commenced 
business  there;  but  the  next  year  he  returned 
here  to  Sacramento  and  went  to  work  for  Tubbs 
&  Patten,  who  had  leased  the  Golden  Eagle  Ho- 
tel; and  a  few  months  later  he  bought  a  half 
interest  in  the  City  Hotel,  and  in  partnership 
with  James  Schoonmaker,  ran  that  establish- 
ment. The  next  year  he  purchased  the  latter's 
interest.  At  the  expiration  of  the  lease  he 
bought  the  What- Cheer  House,  now  the  Grand 
Hotel,  foot  of  Clay  street.  The  raising  of  K 
street  cost  him  so  much  that  he  had  to  quit  the 
place  in  1868.  Then  he  kept  a  restaurant  in 
San  Francisco  and  then  hotel  at  Gilroy.  In 
1878  lie  returned  to  Sacramento  an  i  again  took 
the  City  Hotel,  and   conducted    it   until   1881; 


hisTonr   of  sacramento  counts. 


since  the  12th  of  March  of  that  year  he  has  had 
his  present  situation,  where  he  is  enjoying  great 
successs.  September,  1856,  lie  married  Miss 
Annie  L.  Johnson,  a  native  of  Philadelpliia,  and 
they  have  one  daughter,  Mary  E.  Although 
Mr.  Senatz  has  had  a  life  so  wonderfully  varied, 
he  yet  appears  young  and  is  jovial  and  genial 
in  his  nature.  He  is  one  of  the  organizers  of 
the  Sacramento  Light  Artillery,  is  a  Veteran 
Odd  Fellow,  joining  El  Dorado  Lodge,  No.  8, 
in  1862,  and  passing  all  tiie  chairs;  also  a  mem- 
ber of  Council  No.  65,  O.  C.  F.  He  is  r.  stanch 
Republican  and  is  a  member  of  the  Board  of 
Education. 


ip>^  C.  CHIPMAN. — Among  the  enterpris- 
ing ingyo""g  ™^'i  o^"  Sacramento,  who,  while 
*^((®  making  a  success  of  the  lines  of  trade 
represented  by  them,  yet  take  an  active  interest 
in  the  affairs  of  the  day,  is  the  gentleman  A-ith 
whose  name  this  article  commences.  He  is  a 
native  of  this  city,  born  January  1,  1853,  his 
parents  being  Seth  and  Margaret  E.  (Brown) 
Chipman,  a  native  of  South  Carolina.  Seth 
Chipmau,  a  native  of  South  Carolina,  was  reared 
in  Schuyler  County,  Illinois,  and  was  there 
married  to  Margaret  E.  Brown,  daughter  of 
Daniel  Brown,  who  came  to  California  across 
the  plains  in  1850.  Daniel  Brown  was  con- 
nected with  the  Pioneer  Mills  as  a  millwrigiit 
in  the  early  days.  He  also  assisted  in  the  con- 
struction of  the  Stockton  Water  Mills  at  Fol- 
so'u,  the  Sacramento  Mills  and  the  Starr  Bros. 
Mill  at  South  Vallejo.  His  positions  were  those 
of  foreman  and  contractor  on  the  work  men- 
tioned. Sacramento  was  for  many  years  his 
headquarters,  and  he  has  a  wide  acquaintance 
here,  but  is  now  a"  I'esident  of  Monterey.  Seth 
Chipman  came  across  the  plains  to  California 
with  his  family  in  1851,  accompanying  an  Illi- 
nois [larty  and  locating  in  Sacramento.  A  few 
years  later  he  removed  to  Yolo  County,  and 
followed  stock-ranching  there  until  1858,  when 
a  farm  was  purchased  from  F.  R.  Dray,  located 


in  Sacramento  County,  about  six  miles  below 
the  city.  There  he  continued  his  business  ot 
stock-raising.  His  death  occurred  in  San  Fran- 
cisco, from  cancer.  He  had  been  a  Whig  in  the 
days  of  that  party,  but,  with  the  majority  of 
its  members,  afterward  joined  the  Republican 
party.  The  family  continued  to  live  on  the 
ranch  until  February,  1866,  when  they  removed 
to  Sacramento.  H.  C.  Chipman  was  educated 
in  the  public  schools  of  this  city.  On  the  2d 
of  July,  1868,  he  went  to  work  at  the  trade  of 
sign  and  ornamental  painting,  with  James  M. 
Calvyu,  a  pioneer,  and  remained  with  him  until 
February  19,  1883,  the  first  four  years  as  an 
apprentice  and  workman,  and  after  that  as  a 
partner.  His  work  has  been  in  this  city  and 
tributary  territory,  with  headquarters  at  Sacra- 
mento. Mr.  Chipman  was  married  August  8, 
1878,  to  Miss  Adelaide  Weinreich,  a  native  of 
Sacramento,  and  a  daughter  of  Henry  Wein- 
reich, whose  sketch  appears  elsewhere.  They 
have  two  children,  viz.-:  Henry  W.  and  Loretta 
A.  Mr.  Chipman  was  a  charter  member  of 
Sacramento  Parlor,  No.  3,  N.  S.  G.  W.,  of  which 
he  was  twice  president,  as  well  as  president  of 
the  Grand  Parlor.  He  is  an  active  working 
Republican,  and  a  prominent  factor  in  the 
party  organization.  He  was  elected  a  member 
of  the  School  Board  in  November,  1886,  and 
re-elected  in  1888.  He  is  an  artist  in  his  busi- 
ness, and  a  man  generally  respected  for  his 
many  excellent  qualities. 

-^^^^ 

fLARENOE  N.  NELSON.— It  is  uni- 
versally conceded  by  those  conversant 
with  the  facts  that  Sacramento  has  a 
trade  with  the  outside  world  quite  unusual  for 
a  city  of  her  population,  and  figures  can  readily 
be  given  in  support  of  this  statement;  yet  it  is 
true  that  the  total  amount  is  materially  swelled 
by  including  the  business  of  sotne  houses  gen- 
erally overlooked  in  estimates  of  this  kind.  The 
establishment  of  Clarence  N.  Nelson,  at  327  K 
street,  is  a  case  in   point.     One   might   pass  it 


HISTORY    OF    SACRAMENTO    COUNTY. 


every  day  in  tlie  year  and  yet  have  no  idea  of 
its  importance.  Yet  from  the  most  remote 
points  of  the  Pacific  Coast  orders  are  daily 
coming  to  Mr.  Nelson  for  large  bills  of  goods, 
the  amounts  of  which  would  be  surprising  to 
the  uninitiated.  He  manufactures  and  handles 
nothing  but  saddles  and  their  belongings,  prin- 
cipally for  stockmen's  use,  and  has  the  only  ex- 
clusive saddlery  house  on  the  coast,  which  has 
been  built  up  entirely  by  his  own  energetic 
efforts.  As  Mr.  Nelson  is  the  representative  of 
one  of  the  old  I'amilies  of  the  city,  a  brief  per- 
sonal sketch  of  himself  and  family  has  a  fitting 
place  in  this  connecti  in.  He  is  a  native  of 
New  Haven,  Connecticut,  born  January  9, 
ISiS,  and  son  of  A.  T.  and  Harriet  (Robinson) 
Nelson.  A.  T.  Nelson  was  born  at  Johnsburgh, 
New  York,  and  came  of  an  old  family  of  the 
Empire  State.  He  was  reared  at  Schaghticoke, 
and  after  his  marriage  at  Glens  Falls,  went  to 
Mc-mphis,  Tennessee,  thence  to  Norwich,  Con- 
necticut, and  thence  to  New  Haven.  In  1852 
he  came  to  California  via  Nicaragua,  but  had 
the  misfortune  to  be  a  passenger  on  a  steamer 
that  was  wrecked,  thus  necessitating  a  stay  on 
the  Isthmus  that  extended  six  months,  and  the 
journey  to  San  Francisco  being  eventually  made 
on  a  sailing  vessel.  He  came  at  once  to  Sacra- 
mento, and  opened  two  establishments  in  the 
harness-making  line,  one  on  the  corner  of 
Fourth  and  K,  and  the  other  on  J,  between 
Sixth  and  Seventh.  The  fire  of  1852  reduced 
both  places  to  ashes.  The  fire  of  1854  de- 
stroyed a  building  he  had  just  constructed  at 
327  K  street  (present  number).  He  rebuilt 
soon  afterward,  however,  and  thereafter  carried 
on  "business  at  that  location.  His  family  came 
out  to  join  him  in  1855*  leaving  New  York  on 
the  2d  of  February,  on  the  steamer  North  Star, 
crossing  the  Isthmus  of  Panama  on  mules  and 
by  team,  and  coming  to  San  Francisco  on  the 
steamer  George  Law,  which  was  afterward  de- 
stroyed by  fire,  its  name  having  been  changed 
to  Central  America.  A.  T.  Nelson  was  an 
active  bu.'-iness  man  till  the  time  of  iiis  death, 
which  occurred  December  23,  1876.     He  was  a 


pronounced  Republican  politically,  and  held 
posts  of  honor  and  trust  in  this  city.  He  con- 
tracted pneumonia  (his  fatal  illness)  while 
serving  as  chairman  of  the  building  committee 
of  the  Board  of  Education,  at  the  time  of  the 
construction  of  the  High  School.  He  was  at 
tlie  same  time  superintendent  of  the  city  ceme- 
teries. He  was  a  prominent  and  active  mem- 
ber of  the  Masonic  order,  and  for  seven  years 
was  Master  of  Tehama  Lodge.  He  had  also 
been  presiding  officer  of  Sacramento  Council, 
and  a  member  of  Sacramento  Commandery  and 
Knight  Templar.  A  beautiful  gold  medal,  the 
gift  of  liis  lodge,  is  now  in  the  hands  of  his 
son,  Clarei.ce  N.  It  bears  the  following  in- 
scription: "Presented  to  P.  M.  A.  T.  Nelson, 
by  members  of  Tehama  Lodge,  No.  3,  A.  F.  & 
A.  M.,  for  fnithful  service  as  W.  M.  of  said 
lodge  for  Masonic  years  of  5856,  5857  and 
5858."  He  had  a  legion  of  friends,  and  his 
deatli  was  universally  regretted.  Clarence  N. 
Nelson,  whose  name  heads  this  article,  was  but 
a  child  when  his  family  came  to  Sacramento, 
and  he  received  his  education  in  the  public 
schools  of  this  city  and  in  a  commercial  college. 
He  commenced  the  saddle  and  harness-making 
trade  with  his  father  in  1865,  and  in  April, 
1875,  became  a  partner  in  the  business,  buying 
out  the  interest  of  J.  P.  Mason  in  the  firm, 
which  then  became  A.  T.  Nelson  &  Son.  He 
succeeded  to  the  entire  business  after  his  father's 
death.  He  sold  out  the  harness  business  in 
1886,  for  the  pwrpose  of  handling  saddles  ex- 
clusively. Mr.  Nelson  was  married  at  Santa 
Clara,  to  Miss  Maggie  Prior,  a  native  of  New 
York,  who  came  to  California  in  1862.  They 
have  three  cliildren,  viz.:  Hattie,  Lillian  and 
Alton  P.,  all  of  whom  are  completing  their 
education  at  the  University  of  the  Pacific,  San 
Jose.  Mr.  Nelson  is  serving  his  second  term 
as  Master  of  Tehama  Lodge,  A.  F.  &  A.  M. 
He  is  a  member  of  Sacramento  Chapter,  No.  3, 
and  of  Sacramento  Council,  also  of  Capital 
Lodge,  I.  O.  O.  F.  He  is  an  active  and  influ- 
ential Republican.  Mr.  Nelson  is  an  enter- 
prising man,  and  certainly  deserves  credit  for 


HISTORY    OF    SACRAMENTO    COUNTY. 


his  success   in   adding  another    to  the    list  of 
Sacramento  industries. 

-^igO'T-g..^ ■ 


fICilOLAS  SCIIADT,  one  of  the  early 
'comers  to  this  country,  now  a  resident  of 
Sacramento,  is  a  native  of  Prussia,  born 
December  16,  1835,  his  parents  being  Peter 
and  Susan  Schadt,  the  father  a  farmer  by  occu- 
pation. Nicholas  Schadt  was  but  a  year  old 
when  the  family  came  to  America,  choosing  the 
neighborhood  of  Tiffin,  Ohio,  for  residence. 
In  1851  they  came  to  California  via  New  York 
and  Panama.  The  trip  across  the  Isthmus  was 
an  eventful  one,  six  days  having  been  spent 
navigating  the  Chagres  River  by  means  of  a 
slow  barge,  pushed  by  poles,  while  a  two  days' 
journey  on  foot  and  by  mule-back  completed 
the  undertaking.  At  Aspinwall  the  family 
took  passage  on  the  steamer  Constitution,  for 
San  Francisco,  the  voyage  occupying  twenty- 
seven  days.  A  few  days  later  they  came  to 
Sacramento,  and  after  three  or  four  weeks  in 
the  city  they  removed  to  the  Yolo  side  of  the 
Sacramento  River.  The  next  year  they  located 
on  a  dairy  ranch  two  miles  up  the  river.  In 
1853  Peter  Schadt  lost  his  wife  by  death,  and 
in  1855  he  sold  out  his  place  to  his  sons,  Nicho- 
las and  Louis,  and  his  son-in-law,  M.  Bryte,  and 
went  East,  where  he  was  again  married,  and 
afterward  took  up  his  residence  in  San  Fran- 
cisco. There  his  death  occurred  in  1873. 
Nicholas  Schadt  received  his  schooling  in  Ohio, 
and  grew  to  manhood  on  the  farm  iu  Yolo 
County.  This  farm  contained  1,400  acres,  and 
the  dairy  interest  thereon  was  quite  extensive. 
In  1876  he  sold  out  his  interests  there  and  re- 
moved to  Sacramento.  In  1878  he  built  the 
large  and  snbstantial  brick  building  on  K  street, 
between  Seventh  and  Eighth,  which  has  a  front- 
age of  forty  feet  on  K,  with  a  depth  of  140  feet, 
while  an  L  forty  feet  in  width  extends  to  Eighth 
street.  This  building  is  well  adapted  to  busi- 
ness and  residence  use,  and  the  family  make 
their  residence  on  the  second  floor.     Mr.  Schadt 


is  a  member  of  Union  Lodge,  No.  21,  A.  O.  U. 
W.  He  is  an  honored  and  respected  citizen, 
and  withal  an  eye-witness  to  much  of  the  change 
that  has  taken  place  in  this  region,  and  to  many 
interesting  incidents  of  history.  Mr.  Schadt 
was  married  in  New  Brunswick,  to  Miss  Georgi- 
ana  Stewart,  granddaughter  of  General  Stewart. 
They  had  ten  children,  eight  of  whom  are 
living,  viz.:  Anna  Elizabeth  May,  Frederick 
William,  Edwin  Nicholas,  Alice  Josephine, 
George  Franklin,  Delia  Florence,  Norman 
Ste.vart,  Lillian  Yiola,  James  Lester  and  Edna 
Alma. 


tREND  SGHADEN.— Among  the  enter- 
prising merchants  who  have  commenced 
their  business  career  in  Sacramento  is  the 
gentlera  m  with  whose  name  this  sketch  com- 
mences. He  is  a  native  of  Hanover,  Germany, 
born  on  the  9th  day  of  October,  1845,  and  is  a 
son  of  Henry  anJ  Anna  (Winters)  Schaden. 
His  father  followed  a  seafaring  life,  and  for 
years  was  a  cook  on  trans- Atlantic  passenger 
vessels.  Arend  Schaden  spent  his  boyhood  days 
at  his  native  place,  and  attended  school  from  the 
age  of  six  to  fourteen.  During  the  next  five 
years  he  was  at  sea  most  of  the  time,  his  first 
voyage  having  been  from  Bremenhaven  to  New 
Orleans.  This  was  at  the  opening  of  the 
American  civil  war,  and  the  vessel  he  was  on 
having  been  detained  on  a  bar  for  ninety-five 
days,  was  the  last  to  leave  the  Crescent  City 
afte  the  blockade  had  been  established  by  the 
Union  fleet.  The  vessel  returned  to  Bremen, 
thence  went  to  Guttenburg,  from  there  to  Cape 
Town,  and  next  to  Rangoon,  India.  From  there 
the  vessel  returned  to  Bremen,  stopping  at  St. 
Helena.  He  was  next  promoted  to  the  position 
of  steward,  and  in  that  capacity  made  another 
trip  to  the  East  Indies,  this  time  to  Akyab,  on 
the  Bay  of  Bengal.  On  his  return  to  Bremen 
he  entered  the  service  of  another  vessel,  com- 
manded by  Captain  Thiernau,  this  time  a  light 
sailor,  with  nearly  a  first-class  seaman's  wages. 


HISTOUY    OF    SACRAMENTO    COUNTY. 


"While  at  New  York  lie  left  the  vessel  and  de- 
termined to  locate  in  the  United  States.  He 
obtained  employment  in  the  grocery  store  of  J. 
Brummerhop,  on  the  corner  of  East  Broadway 
and  Rutgers  street,  in  the  capacity  of  clerk,  and 
was  so  employed  until  he  came  to  California. 
He  left  New  York  November  28,  1868,  and 
came  to  San  Francisco  via  Panama,  completing 
the  trip  on  Christmas  day.  On  the  following 
day  lie  came  to  Sacramento,  and  on  the  1st  of 
January  lie  entered  the  employ  of  his  uncle, 
Herman  Winters.  He  was  thus  occupied  until 
October,  1870,  at  which  time  he  formed  a  part- 
nership with  S.  D.  Fuller  in  the  grocery  busi- 
ness under  the  firm  name  of  Schaden  &  Fuller, 
which  continued  for  five  years.  He  then  pur- 
chased his  partner's  interest,  and  five  years  later 
moved  across  the  street  to  his  present  location 
in  1880.  Mr.  Schaden  was  married  in  Sacra- 
mento, March  8,  1874,  to  Miss  Meta  Sanders,  a 
native  of  Bremen.  They  have  two  children,  viz.: 
Alfred  and  Anna  Gesme.  Two  have  died, 
named  Arend  Otto  and  Johnson  Henry.  Mr. 
Schaden  has  made  his  start  in  Sacramento,  and 
now  holds  a  high  place  among  business  men  of  the 
city,  which  he  has  reached  by  his  own  business 
ability  and  integrity.  He  is  a  member  of  the 
Knights  of  Honor,  as  also  of  Capital  Lodge,  I. 
O.  O.  F.,  and  has  passed  the  chairs  in  Cosumnes 
Tribe  of  Red  Men. 

• ''-^  'i  ^'  ^ •    "^ 

fOHN  AUGUST  LAUFKOTTER,  a  pioneer 
of  Sacramento,  was  born  in  the  town  of 
Weinenburg,  Province  of  Westphalia,  Ger- 
many, July  19,  1812.  His  parents  were  Frans 
and  Sophia  (Kalthoff)  Laufkotter.  His  father 
was  mayor  of  the  town,  had  a  tanyard,  with  a 
tract  of  land  adjoining,  a  pottery  and  a  hotel. 
The  subject  of  this  biographical  outline,  the 
youngest  of  his  eight  children,  was  reared  in  his 
native  town  to  the  age  of  ten  years,  attending 
gymnasium  from  the  age  of  ten  to  fourteen.  At 
the  age  of  eighteen  j'ears  he  volunteered  in  a 
rifle  company  in  the  Government  service,  in  the 


Volunteer  Rifle  Corps,  and  served  one  year. 
October  2,  1834,  he  sailed  from  Bremen,  and 
November  28  arrived  in  Baltimore,  on  the 
Johannes.  Having  a  letter  of  recommendation 
to  a  nobleman  in  Baltimore,  with  whose  sister 
he  was  acquainted,  he  went  to  Wheeling,  West 
Virginia,  being  one  of  four  private  passengers. 
He  brought  with  him  money,  clothes  and  tools, 
such  as  saws  of  all  kinds  and  chains,  etc.,  and 
remained  in  Wheeling  for  a  few  days,  or  until 
the  steamboat  was  ready,  and  he  sailed  on  down 
to  Louisville,  Kentucky,  and  a  few  days  later 
proceeded  on  his  way  to  St.  Louis,  with  four 
persons,  two  brothers  and  another  man  and  his 
wife,  who  had  been  put  in  the  second  cabin. 
No  city  in  the  United  States  where  so  many 
educated  Germans  as  in  St.  Louis.  Some  of 
his  fellow-countrymen  met  him  on  the  wharf, 
and  afterward,  as  they  were  standing  in  the 
Swiss  Hotel,  John  A.  Sutter  came  up  and  said 
to  Mr.  Laufkotter  that  he  wanted  to  start  a 
colony,  and  asked  him  whether  he  had  tools,  etc. 
The  latter  replied.  Yes.  There  were  many 
Swiss  in  St.  Louis  then,  among  them  captains, 
professors,  etc.,  who  were  spending  a  great  deal 
of  money  in  that  city.  Twice  a  week  they  at- 
tended the  German  club.  From  two  men  who 
had  been  in  tiie  Rocky  Mountain  region  Mr. 
Laufkotter  heard  of  a  company  going  to  Santa 
Fe  to  form  a  colony.  Before  arrangements  were 
perfected,  Sutter  went  to  St.  Charles  to  reside, 
not  far  from  St.  Louis,  as  living  was  consider- 
ably cheaper  there,  and  in  the  meantime  some 
parties  lost  confidence  in  him.  Friends  per- 
suaded Mr.  Laufkotter  to  go  into  business.  Ac- 
cordingly he  engaged  a  partner  and  rented  a 
building;  but  before  starting  in  trade  he  went  to 
Belleville,  Illinois,  Peoria,  etc.,  hunting  a  good 
location;  but,  not  being  satisfied,  he  returned  to 
St.  Louis,  where  a  friend  met  him  and  proposed 
to  go  into  business  with  him  at  St.  Charles,  run- 
ning a  grocery  and  saloon.  This  ofl'er  was  ac- 
cepted, and  they  made  money  "  baud  over  fist." 
Sutter,  residing  there,  would  visit  him  every 
day.  One  day  he  told  Sutter  there  was  a  chance 
then  for  him  to  get  oft",  there  being  Frenchmen 


HlHToIiY    OF    SAORAMEiiTO    COUNTY. 


in  St.  Louis  who  could  tell  him  about  Santa  Fe- 
Accordingly,  Sutter  went  to  work  and  by  spring 
got  together  seventeen  men,  with  a  few  mules 
*nd  equipments.  They  met  and  appointed 
Lanfkotter,  Sutter  and  Mr.  Keiser  a  committee 
to  go  to  St.  Louis  and  buy  goods.  Repairing 
there,  they  lived  in  high  style  and  ran  in  debt 
$6,000,  the  company  signing  a  mutual  note  for 
the  amount.  The  goods  were  insured  and  sent 
on  the  steamboat  to  Independence.  The  com- 
mittee returned  to  St.  Charles  and  got  every- 
thing ready  for  starting,  and  Mr.  Laufkotter 
went  to  St.  Louis  again  to  say  Good  by;  and 
while  there  had  a  social  time  with  the  wholesale 
merchant,  and  the  Russian  consul,  etc.  From 
a  man  who  had  just  arrived  from  New  Orleans 
to  join  the  party,  Sutter  obtained  $1,300  as  his 
share  in  the  enterprise.  But  when  all  seemed 
ready  to  start  there  was  no  money  in  the  treas- 
ury. Sutter  hustled  around  in  St.  Charles  and 
obtained  $100  from  a  miller,  other  money  from 
other  men,  and  a  doctor  gave  him  a  medicine 
chest  worth  $80.  Most  of  the  party  went  by 
steamer  to  Independence,  and  eight  or  ten  went 
by  land  with  wagons;  but  Laufkotter  and  Sut- 
ter by  can-iage.  This  they  smashed  to  pieces  in 
going  down  a  rough  hill.  Sutter  got  together 
$200  more;  but  Laufkotter  endeavored  to  have 
him  deposed  as  captain,  as  lighting  was  expected 
on  the  plains.  He  sold  his  interest  in  the  com- 
pany, $400,  to  Sutter,  for  35  per  cent.  The 
faction  following  Laufkotter  had  plenty  of  beef, 
with  mint  sauce,  while  Sutter  and  his  men  had 
only  bacon.  The  latter  returned  to  the  States, 
while  Mr.  Laufkotter,  with  a  number  of  picked 
men  and  furnished  with  tools,  went  to  the  mines 
at  Rio  del  Dolores,  where  the  Alcalde  measured 
off  a  place  for  them;  but  for  the  first  ten  daj's' 
work  they  obtained  only  $5  worth  of  gold.  Mr. 
Laufkotter  then  kept  a  saloon  on  the  Plaza  in 
Santa  Fe,  and  afterward  added  the  dry-goods 
trade  and  then  a  billiard  hall.  Was  laid  up 
with  sickness,  having  to  lie  four  weeks  on  the 
floor,  when  the  only  one  to  attend  to  him  was  a 
Frenchman  who  had  been  a  body-guard  to  Na- 
poleon.    On  recovery  he  joined  the  Americans 


who  were  going  out  to  meet  the  Apaches  in 
Arizona,  on  a  trading  expedition.  During  this 
journey  he  experienced  many  a  memorable  scene 
of  privation,  narrow  escape  and  romantic  passage 
of  life.  From  this  trip  he  returned  to  the  States, 
and  in  1837-'38  made  another  journey  into 
northern  Mexico,  also  full  of  exciting  adven- 
ture. One  morning  they  killed  seven  grizzly 
bears  before  breakfast!  During  this  expedition 
they  found  the  Apaches  hostile  to  the  Ameri- 
cans, and  it  required  several  days  to  convince 
them  that  he  was  not  an  American.  He  made 
peace  with  them,  giving  them  peace  papers. 
For  a  number  of  years  after  this  he  was  a  resi- 
dent of  Missouri,  where  he  was  in  partnership 
with  a  man  in  a  drug-store.  On  the  breaking 
out  of  the  gold  excitement  he  came  across  the 
plains  with  an  ox  team  in  1849,  arriving  in  Sac- 
ramento October  10  with  his  family.  On  arriv- 
ing here  he  first  erected  a  simple  dwelling, 
18  X  30  feet,  near  where  the  present  city  ceme- 
tery is,  sawing  out,  with  the  aid  of  another  man, 
a  ijreat  portion  of  the  lumber  with  a  whip-saw. 
For  the  lumber  sheeting  he  paid  $1,400.  After- 
ward he  moved  into  a  house  which  he  had  to 
vacate  upon  the  location  of  the  present  capitol 
grounds;  and  then  he  bought  his  present  tine 
property,  20x80  feet,  being  the  southeast  cor- 
ner of  Tenth  and  J  streets.  It  was  then  only  a 
one  story  structure,  but  he  has  since  added  a 
second  storj',  and  an  expensive  double  portico, 
and  he  has  always  kept  the  building  in  a  fine 
condition.  He  now  occupies  the  second  story 
as  a  dwelling,  while  the  first  story  yields  him  a 
good  permanent  income.  Mr.  Laufkotter  mar- 
ried in  the  old  country  Miss  Jasper,  and  came 
with  her  in  1843  to  this  country,  landing  at 
New  Orleans.  Settling  upon  a  farm  in  Jersey 
County,  Illinois,  he  followed  agriculture  there 
for  five  or  six  years,  and  then  went  to  St.  Louis, 
as  already  mentioned.  lie  has  four  children 
living,  all  residents  of  Sacramento:  William, 
Clement  and  Charles  are  engaged  in  boring 
wells,  and  in  other  mechanical  enterprises;  and 
Emma  is  keeping  house  for  her  father.  Mr. 
Laufkotter  has  led  a  remarkable  life.      He  is  a 


BISTORT    OF    SACRAMENTO    COUNTY. 


well-preserved,  iine-looking  old  gentleman,  cour- 
teous, aflable  and  vivacious.  His  romantic  ca- 
reer is  referred  to  in  a  large  German  work 
entitled,  "  in  der  neuen  Heimatli,"  which  is  a 
collection  of  historical  miscellanies  concerning 
prominent  Germans  in  this  country;  and  Mr. 
Laufkotter  has  ready  for  the  press  a  very  large 
work  written  by  ijimself. 

fC.  PIERSON,  superintendent  of  the  Capi- 
tal Gas  Company  of  Sacramento,  is  a  na- 
*  tive  of  Connecticut,  born  in  Fairfield 
County,  May  3,  1852.  Both  parents  were 
natives  of  New  York  State.  In  the  latter  part 
of  1851  the  father  started  for  California  via 
Panama,  arriving  early  in  1852.  He  was  for 
many  years  engaged  in  mining  in  the  northern 
part  of  the  State,  but  in  1883  came  to  Sacra- 
mento to  locate.  J.  C.  Pierson,  the  subject  of 
this  sketch,  was  reared  in  New  York  State,  and 
educated  at  Huntington,  Long  Island.  He 
studied  engineering  with  William  H.  Debe- 
voice,  in  New  Y'^ork.  He  became  connected 
witii  the  James  F.  Joy  corporation,  operating 
in  the  West,  and  was  for  some  time  engaged  in 
e.xploration  and  preliminary  railroad  work  for 
them  in  Kansas  and  Nebraska.  He  was  there 
employed  in  the  Atchison  &  Nebraska,  and 
Atchison,  Topeka  &  Santa  Fe  lines.  In  1872 
he  came  to  Nevada,  and  in  the  following  year 
to  California,  being  connected  with  the  Colfa.x 
&  Grass  Valley  and  the  Central  Pacific  Pail- 
roads.  In  1878  he  was  appointed  engineer  in 
charge  of  the  work  done  by  the  Sacramento 
River  Drainage  District,  and  conducted  the 
work  done  by  the  State  ou  Bear  River.  In 
1879  lie  was  elected  county  surveyor,  taking  the 
office  in  1880,  and  held  it  by  virtue  of  re- 
election to  1888,  inclusive.  In  January,  1888, 
he  became  superintendent  of  tlie  Capital  Gas 
Com|)any  of  Sacramento.  Mr.  Pierson  is  a 
metnber  of  the  K.  of  II.,  and  of  the  K.  and  L.  of 
11.  He  is  a  iriember  of  the  Technical  Society 
of  the  Pacific  Coast.     He  was  married  in  1877 


to  Miss  Susie  Boyd,  of  San  Francisco,  a  native 
of  California.  Mr.  Pierson  is  an  active,  able 
man,  and  is  a  valuable  addition  to  the  citizen-- 
ship  of  Sacramento.  , 


fEUBOURG  &  LAGES,  wholesale  dealers 
in  brewers'  supplies  and  manutaciurers  of 
malt,  are  one  of  the  representative  firms 
of  Sacramento.  The  house  commenced  business 
as  Bachmann,  Lages  &  Co., 'in  1866,  the  merr]- 
bers  at  that  time  being  C.  F.  Bachmann,  C. 
Lages  and  L  Neubourg.  In  1869  they  bought 
out  the  interest  of  C.  Weil,  in  the  grocery  busi- 
ness, corner  of  Eleventh  and  J  street^:,  in  con- 
nection with  F.  H.  Rusch,  and  that  business 
was  thereafter  continued  under  the  name  of  La- 
ges &  Rusch,  until  the  death  of  Mr.  Ruscii  in 
1870.  They  carried  on  trade  there  under  the 
name  of  Lages  &  Co,,  from  the  time  of  Mr. 
Rusch's  death  till  1875,  when  they  sold  out  the 
grocery  business.  On  the  1st  of  January,  1876, 
the  firm  became,  by  the  retirementof  Mr.  Bach- 
mann, as  at  present  constituted, — Neubourg  & 
Lages.  Their  extensive  building  on  Fifth 
street  has  a  frontage  of  sixty  feet,  by  eighty 
feet  in  depth,  and  is  two  stories  in  height  with 
basement,  the  latter  being  used  in  the  manufact- 
ure of  malt.  They  also  have  a  mill  in  operation 
for  the  manufacture  of  all  kinds  of  meal.  Their 
trade  extends  throughout  Northern  and  Eastern 
California,  Nevada  and  Utah,  and  is  of  very 
large  proportions.  They  also  do  a  heavy  busi- 
ness in  the  exportation  of  hops  throughout  the 
entire  United  States  and  Europe.  Leonard 
Neubourg  of  this  firm  is  a  native  of  the  princi- 
pality of  Lippe-Detmold,  Northern  Germany, 
born  October  31,  1828,  his  parents  being  Rev. 
Carl  (a  minister  of  tiie  Reformed  Church),  and 
Johanna  (Curtius)  Neubourg.  He  attended  pri- 
vate school  to  the  age  of  sixteen  years,  then 
entered  the  mercantile  trade  as  an  apprentice, 
afterward  .being  advanced  to  the  position  of 
clerk.  He  came  to  America  in  1854,  sailing 
from  Bremenhaven   on  the  31st  of  August,  on 


UrSTOHY    OF    SACRAMENTO    COUNT 7. 


the  steamer  Gerinania,  afterward  used  as  a  trans- 
port during  tlie  Crimean  war.  He  landed  at 
New  York  September  20,  and  a  couple  of  weeks 
later  went  to  Butler  County,  and  Cincinnati, 
Ohio.  A  year  later  he  went  to  Sheboygan, 
Wisconsin,  where  he  clerked  and  kept  books  in 
a  brewery.  He  came  to  California  in  1S59, 
leaving  New  York  on  the  steamer  Western  Star, 
crossing  the  Isthmus  of  Panama,  and  landing  at 
San  Francisco  from  the  steamer  Golden  Age, 
October  16.  He  came  to  Sacramento  and 
clerked  for  Weil  &  Co.,  until  the  firm  of  Bach- 
raann,  Lages  &  Co.  was  formed  in  1866,  with 
him  as  a  member.  Mr.  Neubourg  was  married 
in  1869  to  Miss  Dora  Kerssenbrock,  a  native 
of  Germany.  They  have  six  children,  viz.: 
Clara,  Annie,  Lottie,  Ida,  Carl  and  George.  He 
is  a  member  of  Walhalla  Grove,  U.  A.  O.  D., 
in  which  he  passed  the  chairs.  He  is  president 
of  the  Germania  Loan  &  Building  Association, 
and  has  been  one  of  its  directors  for  nine  years, 
and  president  since  May,  1887.  He  is  a  pleas- 
ant, affable  gentleman,  and  a  good  business  man. 

• *  •'i-' T '-§"  *^ • 

fHRISTOPHER  LAGES,  of  the  firm  of 
Neubourg  &  Lages,  was  l)orn  atVegeseck, 
near  Bremen,  Germany,  March  16,  1838, 
the  house  in  which  he  was  born  being  directly 
across  the  street  from  the  residence  of  the  cele- 
brated German  explorer  liohlfs.  His  parents 
were  Hermann  and  Meta  (Fortman)  Lages.  He 
was  educated  in  the  Government  schools,  and  at 
the  age  of  fourteen  years  engaged  in  a  seafaring 
life,  going  on  the  sailing  vessel  J.  F.  Wichel- 
hausen.  He  followed  the  sea  about  one  year, 
making  voyages  from  Bremerhaven  to  Balti- 
more and  Holland.  His  next  voj'age  was  in 
1853  from  Bremenhaven  to  New  York,  where 
he  severed  his  connection  with  the  ship.  He 
engaged  as  clerk  in  the  grocery  store  of  Henry 
Brandt,  on  Ann  street,  and  afterward  with 
Henry  Hahn,  on  Frankfort  street.  In  1854  Mr. 
Lages  came  to  California,  leaving  New  York  by 
the  steamer  North  Star  on  the  5th  of  August, 


and  after  crossing  the  Isthmus  of  Panama,  came 
to  San  Francisco  on  the  Yankee  Blade,  landing 
on  the  31st  of  August.  He  became  a  clerk  for 
John  Evers,  corner  of  Montgomery  and  Vallejo 
streets,  and  remained  in  his  employ  until  1858, 
when  he  followed  the  stream  of  navigation  to 
the  scene  of  the  Eraser  River  mining  excite- 
ment. He  went  on  the  Orizaba  to  Victoria,  and 
was  soon  engaged  in  trading  in  provisions  for 
the  mining  camp  on  Fraser  River,  getting  his 
supplies  from  San  Francisco.  His  capital  was 
only  moderate,  but  he  followed  the  business 
successfully  for  nine  months,  then  returned  to 
San  Francisco  in  the  latter  part  of  February, 
1859.  He  came  to  Sacramento  about  March  25 
of  that  year,  and  became  clerk  for  August  Evers, 
on  L  street,  between  Seventh  and  Eighth,  and 
so  continuing  until  the  floods  of  1861-'62.  He 
next  engaged  with  C.  Weil  &  Co.,  with  whom 
he  remained  until  the  firm  of  Bachmann,  Lages 
&  Co.  was  formed  in  1866.  Mr.  Lages  was 
married  December  23,  1868,  to  Miss  Annie 
Bergmann,  who  came  here  with  her  father, 
Adam  Bergmann,  when  a  child.  She  died 
March  30,  1883,  leaving  one  child,  Christopher 
Columbus  Lages,  who  was  born  October  5,  1870. 
Mr.  Lages  married  his  present  wife  June  14,  * 
1884.  Her  maiden  name  was  Matilda  Neuhaus, 
and  she  is  a  native  of  Oldenburg,  Germany.' 
They  have  three  children,  viz.:  Albert  Henry, 
Meta  and  Helena.  Mr.  Lages  is  one  of  the 
early  members  of  Schiller  LoJge,  No.  105, 1.  O. 
O.  F., having  been  initiated  in  1862.  He  is  essen- 
tially a  business  man,  having  been  schooled  from 
boyhood  to  a  mercantile  career,  and  ranks,  with 
his  partner,  among  the  leading  merchants  of 
Sacramento. 


«2.. 


tlCHARD  H.  WITHINGTON,  of  the 
Capital  Soap  Works,  Sacramento,  is  a 
native  of  Genoa,  Seneca  County,  New 
York,  born  July  21,  1818,  his  parents  being 
Daniel  and  Sarah  (Hall)  Withington.  both  of 
whom  were  natives  of  Alleghany  County,  Penn- 


HISTORY    OF    SACRAMENTO    COUNTY. 


sjlvania.  When  he  was  a  young  man  he  ac- 
companied the  family  to  Monroe,  Michigan, 
where  they  settled.  There  he  farmed  for  a 
time,  and  then  carried  on  business  across  the 
State  line,  in  the  northwest  county  of  Ohio. 
In  1850  he  came  to  California.  Going  to  New 
York  he  took  passage  on  the  steamer  Georgia 
to  New  Orleans,  tlience  to  Matagorda  Bay,  and 
from  there  he  accompanied  Captain  French 
through  El  Paso,  and  thence  proceeded  to  San 
Diego.  There  he  took  passage  on  a  Boston 
brig  for  San  Francisco,  where  he  arrived  after 
a.  voyage  of  twenty-three  days,  November  12, 
1850.  He  came  up  to  Sacramento  on  the 
steamer  New  World,  and  from  here  proceeded 
to  the  mines  on  Bear  River.  He  mined  about 
live  miles  above  McCourtney's  for  a  year,  then 
went  to  farming  in  lone  Valley,  where  he  re- 
mained from  1852  to  1862.  He  then  went  to 
Gold  Hill,  Nevada,  and  kept  public  house  there 
for  a  year  and  a  half.  The  succeeding  year  he 
was  so  engaged  at  Meadow  Lake.  From  there 
he  came  to  Sacramento  in  1865,  and  engaged  in 
the  manufacture  of  soap  on  J  street.  In  1866 
he  took  in  a  partner,  and  the  firm  became 
AVithington  &  Bagley.  In  1871  C.  F.  Williams 
bought  out  Mr.  Bagley,  and  the  firm  remained 
Withington  &  Williams  until  October,  1886, 
when  Sparrow  Smith  came  into  partnership, 
since  which  time  the  institution  has  been  known 
as  the  Capital  Soap  Works.  There  has  been  a 
constant  advancement  in  tlie  character  of  ma- 
chinery and  appliances  used  in  the  processes  of 
manufacture,  and  the  factory  is  now  equipped 
to  successfully  compete  for  trade  in  the  markets 
of  the  world.  Their  business,  constantly  in- 
creasing and  spreading  its  limits,  already  ex- 
tends over  a  vast  scope  of  territory.  Some  of 
their  markets  are  here  given;  California, Wash- 
ington, Oi'Sgon,  Nevada,  Colorado,  Utah,  Ari- 
zona, New  Mexico,  and  the  Eastern  States, 
especially  Michigan  and  Wisconsin.  Their 
soaps  have  an  unsurpassed  reputation,  and  sell 
readily  on  their  merits  wherever  introduced. 
Mr.  Withington  gives  his  entire  personal  atten- 
tion to  the  details  of  manufacture  and  the  man- 


agement of  the  plant.  Mr.  Withington  was 
married  in  Michigan  in  1842,  to  Miss  Hannali 
Clark,  a  native  of  Ireland,  who  came  to  this 
country  when  a  child  with  her  parents.  They 
have  two  children,  viz.:  Sarah,  wife  of  Calvin 
Williams,  merchant.  Eleventh  and  J  streets,  and 
Millard  C,  who  is  one  of  the  firm  of  the  Capi- 
tal Soap  Works.  Mr.  Withington  is  a  member 
of  the  Sacramento  Lodge,  A.  F.  &  A.  M.  He 
formerly  belonged  at  lone,  and  was  Past  Master 
of  the  lodge  there.  He  is  also  a  member  of  the 
Legion  of  Honor.  Mr.  Withington  was  a 
Whig  in  the  days  of  that  party,  and  has  been 
a  Eepublican  since  the  party  was  organized. 
His  first  Presidential  vote  was  for  William 
Henry  Harrison  in  1840, and  his  last  for  Benja- 
min Harrison  in  1888.  He  was  one  of  the 
organizers  of  the  Calvary  Baptist  Church,  and 
has  been  deacon  ever  since  its  organization. 
Mr.  Withington  is  a  caretul,  conscientious  busi- 
ness man,  and  well  deserves  the  success  that  his 
enterprise  has  met  with. 

"    -       •  ''^  T  '^•"-       •    "  ■ 

fHILIP  HERZOG,  one  of  the  prominent 
citizens  of  Sacramento,  was  born  October 
4,  1834,  in  Cincinnati,  Ohio,  where  his 
father,  Frederick  Herzog,  a  native  of  Germany, 
had  located  in  1817.  At  that  early  day  Cin- 
cinnati was  a  mere  village,  and  the  elder  Her- 
zog had  abundant  opportunity  to  purchase  any 
amount  of  land,  now  in  the  most  valuable  part 
of  the  city,  for  little  or  nothing.  He  did  ac- 
quire possession  of  a  piece  of  land  there,  on 
which  he  followed  gardening  for  a  while,  though 
he  afterward  gave  up  that  occupation  for  that  of 
butchering.  He  died  in  Cincinnati  in  1858, 
having  witnessed  its  progress  from  a  backwoods 
village  to  the  proud  rank  which  it  then  enjoyed, 
of  the  "Queen  City  of  the  West."  His  wife, 
also  a  native  of  Germany,  likewise  died  in  Cin- 
cinnati. Her  maiden  name  was  Hall.  Philip 
Herzog,  with  whose  name  this  sketch  com- 
mences, was  reared  at  Cincinnati,  where  he  was 
educated  in   the  public  schools,   and   afterward 


HISTORY    OF    SACRAMENTO    COUNTY. 


went  to  work  for  a  brother.  In  1854  he  came 
to  Calitbrnia,  accompanying  his  sister,  Mrs. 
Todhunter,  whose  husband  kept  the  City  Mar- 
ket in  Sacramento,  or  J  street,  between  Front 
and  Second.  He  came  by  way  of  New  York, 
leaving  there  October  4,  on  the  steamer  Star  of 
the  West,  and  crossing  Nicaragua  came  to  San 
Francisco  on  the  old  steamer  Cortez,  landing 
on  tlie  31st  of  October.  Jle  came  to  Sacra- 
mento next  day,  and  at  once  obtained  employ- 
ment with  Treat  &  Stanwood,  the  latter  a 
brother-in-law  of  James  G.  Blaine,  who  kept 
the  Boston  Market.  He  remained  in  their  em- 
ployment eighteen  months,  and  then  he  and 
Fred  AVastier  succeeded  Treat  &  Stanwood  by 
purchase,  and  the  firm  became  Herzog  &  Was- 
tier.  The  lirm  continued  some  four  or  live 
years,  doing  businass  on  Second  street,  between 
K  and  L.  Fliilip  Hartraan  then  succeeded 
Wastier,  but  Mr.  Herzog  soon  bought  out 
Hartman's  interest,  and  continued  alone  for  a 
short  time,  when  he  again  took  in  a  partner, 
Henry  Shulmeyer.  They  were  associated  about 
four  years,  when  Mr.  Shulmeyer's  interest  was 
purchased  by  M.  M.  Odell.  A  year  later  the 
latter  purchased  Mr.  Ilerzog's  interest.  He 
then  went  back  to  Ohio  to  visit  old  scenes, 
friends  and  relatives.  He  returned  to  Sacra- 
mento in  1872,  and  bought  in  with  Alex. 
Burns  in  what  is  now  the  City  Market.  About 
two  years  later  Mr.  Burns  was  thrown  from  a 
horse  and  killed,  and  Mr.  Herzog  continued 
the  business  alone  until  1882,  when  he  sold  out 
to  A.  &.  A.  Heilbron,  and  retired  from  business. 
In  1885  he  again  went  East.  In  1886,  having 
returned  to  Sacramento  again,  he  bought  in 
with  M  F.  Odell,  in  the  New  York  Market. 
They  do  a  heavy  wholesale,  retail  and  packing 
business.  Mr.  Herzog  was  married  in  this  city 
in  1857,  to  Miss  Mary  Todhunter,  a  native  of 
Cincinnati.  They  have  three  children  living, 
viz.:  Ida,  wife  of  George  P.  Curtis;  Charles 
and  Susie  Flora.  Mr.  Herzog  is  a  Itepublican 
politically,  and  was  formerly  a  Whig,  having 
cast  his  first  vote  for  Millard  Fillmore.  He  has 
served    with    credit   on    the    School    Board    of 


Sacramento.  He  has  been  associated  with  Con- 
cord Lodge,  No.  117,  A.  F.  &  A.  M.,  since 
1858.  He  is  also  a  member  of  the  Chapter, 
Council  and  Coinmandery.  Mr.  Herzog  has 
passed  through  all  the  vicissitudes  of  Sacra- 
mento, and  was  ruined  by  the  flood  of  1802. 
He  persevered,  however,  and  now  ranks  among 
the  leading  citizens  of  Sacramento  in  all  re- 
spects. 

--^^M^W^ — 

tC.  CHANDLER,  one  of  the  prominent 
Sacramentans  entitled  to  the  distinction 
^  of  being  a  California  pioneer,  is  a  native 
of  New  York  State,  born  at  Columbus,  Chenan- 
go County,  on  the  15th  of  August,  1826,  his 
parents  being  Elijah  and  Mary  (AVhitney) 
Chandler.  His  father,  who  was  a  farmer,  was  a 
native  of  Vermont.  The  Whitneys  were  an 
old  Connecticut  family.  L.  C.  Chandler,  the 
subject  of  this  sketch,  was  reared  at  his  native 
place  to  the  age  of  sixteen,  and  there  he  re- 
ceived his  school  training.  In  1842  he  went  to 
Boston,  and  commenced  the  printer's  trade  in 
the  office  of  the  Boston  Journal.  He  served  a 
regular  apprenticeship  there,  and  worked  as  a 
journeyman  in  Boston  and  other  eastern  cities. 
When  the  news  of  the  discovery  of  gold  in  Cali- 
fornia, in  1848,  electrified  the  country,  he  was 
working  in  a  book  and  job  office  in  New  York 
city,  and  he  was  not  slow  in  making  up  his 
mind  to  try  his  fortunes  in  the  new  El  Dorado. 
He  interested  himself  with  others  in  foi'ming  a 
party  for  that  purpose,  and  an  organization  was 
effected  under  the  leadership  of  a  physician, 
who,  however,  finally  backed  out,  and  did  not 
go.  There  were  141  in  the  company,  each  of 
whom  put  §21.50  in  a  common  fund  for  ex- 
penses. They  chartered  the  bark  Mara  (Cap- 
tain Parks),  and  on  the  30th  of  January,  1849, 
left  New  York  harbor.  They  sailed  to  Vera 
Cruz,  and  thence  proceeded  by  the  National 
road  through  Jalapa,  Pueblo,  City  of  Mexico 
and  Guadalajara,  to  Mazatlan.  It  had  been 
their  intention  to  take  shipping  at  that  port  for 


BISTORT    OF    SACRAMENTO    COUNTY. 


California,  and  most  of  them  did  so,  but  Mr. 
Chandler  was  one  of  twenty  who  decided  to 
take  the  trip  by  land,  and,  as  he  expressed  it, 
they  "took  the  hurricane  deck  of  a  mule." 
While  in  Sonora  the  party  divided,  and  Mr. 
Chandler  continued  his  journey  via  Herinosillo, 
Tucson,  Los  Angeles,  San  Buenaventura  and 
Pacheco  Pass,  up  into  Mariposa  mines.  He 
afterward  went  to  Stockton,  and  from  there 
down  Livermore  Valley.  In  the  spring  of 
1850  he  went  back  to  Stockton,  thence  to 
Calaveras  mines,  and  worked  along  the  Stan- 
islaus River,  at  Mormon  Gulch  and  Angel's 
Creek.  The  next  scene  of  his  mining  efforts 
was  at  Ohio  Bar,  on  the  Yuba.  When  the 
Smith  Kiver  excitement  came  on,  he  went  to 
Crescent  City.  From  there  he  went  to  San 
Francisco,  and  thence  to  Marysville.  His 
finances  were  then  at  a  low  ebb,  and  he  ob- 
tained employment  driving  mules  from  Marys- 
ville to  American  Valley,  in  Plumas  County. 
In  the  fall  of  1853  he  went  to  work  on  tlie 
Marysville  Herald.  He  afterward  went  up 
into  the  mountains  and  worked  for  some  time 
on  the  Mountain  Messenger.  In  that  country 
he  also  carried  express  on  snow-shoes  for  Adams 
&  Co.  In  1855  he  came  to  Sacramento,  and 
went  to  work  at  th^  case  on  the  Union.  He 
was  one  of  the  live  men  that  started  the  Bee, 
and  followed  the  fortunes  of  the  paper  for 
nearly  a  year,  then  went  to  work  on  the  Union 
again.  He  followed  the  printing  trade  until 
1864,  and  since  that  time  has  been  engaged  in 
the  real  estate  business,  which  he  has  made  a 
success.  Mr.  Chandler  has  always  been  a 
champion  for  the  cause  of  temperance,  and  has 
been  for  twenty  years  Treasurer  of  Siloam 
(Good  Templars')  Lodge.  He  was  a  charter 
member  of  Cosumnes  Tribe,  Eed  Men.  He  is 
now  the  only  living  representative  of  his  family. 
A  brother,  Bradley  Chandler,  was  a  soldier  in 
the  Mexican  war,  and  was  at  the  battle  of  Palo 
Alto,  a  private  in  Company  B,  First  Illinois 
Infantry  Regiment.  He  was  honorably  dis- 
charged on  expiration  of  service,  at  Camary, 
Mexico,  June  17,  1847.     Since  that  time  trace 


of  him  has  been  lost.  Mr.  Chandler  has  been 
actively  associated  with  Sacramento  for  over  a 
third  of  a  century,  and  has  been  an  eye-witness 
to  the  vast  change  which  has  taken  place  here 
in  that  time.  He  is  a  good  representative  of 
the  better  type  of  the  early  comers  to  this 
State.  He  has  been  for  many  years  a  mem- 
ber of  the  Sacramento  Society  of  California 
Pioneers. 


^-^■'#-- 


J^  P.  FIGG,  one  of  the  pioneers  of  Califor- 
^L  nia,  who  has  resided  in  Sacramento  since 
^'®  the  early  days,  is  a  native  of  Mercer  (now 
Boyle)  County,  Kentucky,  born  in  the  suburbs 
of  Danville,  April  24,  1819,  his  parents  being 
William  and  Elizabeth  (Roe)  Figg.  His  mother 
was  born  in  Greene  County,  Virginia,  and 
was  of  Scotch  ancestry.  Ifis  father  was  a 
native  of  Virginia,  of  English  ancestry,  and 
died  when  the  subject  of  this  sketch  was  a 
a  inere  boy  in  years.  Before  he  had  reached 
his  majority,  E.  P.  Figg  went  to  St.  Louis, 
and  embarked  in  the  fur  business  on  quite 
an  extensive  scale,  getting  his  furs  in  the  in- 
terior, and  marketing  them  in  St.  Louis  and 
Cincinnati.  In  1844  he  located  at  Lexington, 
Missouri,  and  carried  on  mercantile  business 
there  nearly  five  years.  In  1844  he  shipped  a 
lot  of  goods,  mostly  furs  and  hatters'  articles, 
from  Cincinnati  to  St.  Louis,  on  the  steamer 
Lancet  (Captain  Hicks),  and  he  boarded  a  boat 
at  Louisville.  By  some  mischance  he  had  failed 
to  get  a  shipping  receipt.  On  arriving  at  St. 
Louis  he  applied  to  a  commission  merchant  to 
look  after  the  goods.  The  boat  was  burned  up 
and  he  lost  his  goods,  but  whether  they  were 
consumed  by  fire  or  not,  he  could  never  learn. 
In  the  spring  of  1849  a  party  was  made  up  at 
Lexington  for  the  purpose  of  going  to  California, 
and  Mr.  Figg  joined  the  party,  making  sixteen 
wagons  in  all.  They  traveled  together  nearly  a 
month,  when  Mr.  Figg  and  the  occupants  of 
another  wagon  left  the  party,  and  proceeded 
alone.     They  traveled  all   night  a  good   deal  of 


IITSTORT    OF    SACRAMENTO    COUNTY. 


the  time,  and  made  the  trip  from  Lexington  to 
California  in  seventy-one  days,  the  fastest  time 
ever  made  with  ox  teams.  With  Mr.  Figg  there 
were  Messrs.  Culver,  Phipps  and  Spencer,  and 
the  lattter's  two  sons;  when  they  arrived  at  the 
Sink  of  the  Humboldt,  Mr.  Figg  let  Mr.  Spencer 
take  his  wagon  to  proceed  with  it  by  the  Carson 
route,  whilehehimself  prepared  tostrike  straight 
for  the  Sacramento  River  on  horseback.  He 
took  some  hard  bread,  a  piece  of  bacon  and  some 
blankets,  and  started.  On  the  journey  he  saw 
a  duck  fly  into  St.  Mary's  River,  and  he  went 
into  a  clump  of  willows  to  try  and  get  a  shot  at 
the  duck;  he  was  startled  however,  to  see  five 
Indians  rise  from  the  ground  and  surround  him, 
with  bows  drawn  on  him.  He  was  in  a  bad 
predicament  and  supposed  that  his  hour  had 
come.  Just  at  that  moment,  however,  some 
emigrants  appeared  in  view  on  an  elevated  piece 
of  ground  across  the  river,  so  that  they  could 
see  Mr.  Figg  and  Indians  over  the  willows.  One 
of  them  hailed  Mr.  Figg  and  asked  him  if  the 
Indians  held  him  captive.  He  answered  that 
he  did  not  know  how  to  get  away,  and  the  man 
who  had  hailed  him  then  headed  his  horse  for 
the  river,  crossed  and  joined  Mr.  Figg.  When 
the  situation  was  explained,  it  was  agreed  that 
on  a  given  signal  they  were  to  level  their  guns 
on  the  Indians,  motion  for  them  to  go,  and  if 
they  did  not  do  so,  Mr.  Figg,  who  was  on  one 
side  was  to  shoot  from  right  to  centre,  and  the 
other  man,  who  was  on  the  other  side,  was  to 
shoot  from  left  to  center.  When  the  guns  were 
leveled  and  the  signal  given,  the  Indians  con- 
cluded it  was  best  not  to  bring  on  a  fight  and 
left.  In  company  with  two  men,  named  Cable 
and  Walsh,  Mr.  Figg  arrived  at  what  were 
known  as  Hot  Springs,  which  Mr.  Figg  knew 
about  from  reading  a  Mormon  guide  book. 
Walsh  was  in  advance  and  reached  the  spring 
first.  His  dog  lapped  some  of  the  water  and  at 
once  set  up  a  yell.  Walsh's  mule  next  stuck 
his  nose  in  the  water  but  withdrew  it  in  a,  hurry 


and  came  near  throwi 


rider.     Walsh  then 


dipped   his    hand   in   the  water,  and  turning  to 
Mr.  Figg,  who  was  just  coming   up,  shouted, 


"  Hello,  Figg!  hell  ain't  a  half  mile  from  here." 
The  latter  requested  Messrs.  Walsh  and  Cable 
not  to  drink  any  of  the  water,  but  Walsh  allowed 
some  to  cool  and  drank  it.  After  resting  awhile, 
they  proceeded  on  to  what  is  now  Wadsworth, 
where  they  found  plenty  of  grass  and  water,  and 
went  into  camp  for  the  first  time,  soon  after 
crossing  Truckee  River.  The  next  morning  Mr. 
Walsh  was  sick  and  could  not  travel,  and  Cable 
insisted  upon  Mr.  Figg  remaining  with  him. 
As  the  latter  had  the  least  food,  he  said  he  could 
not,  and  started  on.  He  proceeded  on  to  Sacra- 
mento, arriving  here  early  in  September,  1849, 
and  put  np  under  some  big  trees  where  the 
Golden  Eagle  Hotel  now  stands,  at  what  was 
then  the  horse  market.  His  team  reached  him 
soon  afterward.  Mr.  Figg  engaged  as  a  clerk 
for  Henry  E.  Robinson,  who  had  a  store  where 
the  Tremont  House  now  stands,  and  received 
$13  a  day  for  thirteen  days.  On  the  16th  Sep- 
tember, he  commenced  clerking  for  Alexander 
Sibley,  who  had  been  a  sutler  with  Stephenson's 
regiment.  He  left  the  item  of  salary  entirely 
with  Mr.  Sibley,  and  the  latter  paid  him  $19  a 
day  and  board.  Mr.  Figg  remained  with  him 
until  he  had  accumulated  $5,000,  when  Mr. 
Sibley  sold  out  the  ground  and  the  building  at 
auction.  Mr.  Figg  bid  it  in  at  $8,200,  and  still 
owns  the  property,  which  fronts  on  J  street,  be- 
tween Second  and  Third,  and  adjoins  D.  O. 
Mills'  Bank.  Mr.  Figg  at  once  embarked  in 
the  wholesale  trade  in  provisions  and  miners' 
supplies,  and  did  a  very  large  and  successful 
business.  In  the  great  fire  of  November,  1852, 
he  lost  $61,000.  At  that  time  the  firm  was 
Bullard,  Figg  &  Co.,  composed  of  E.  P.  Figg, 
John  G.  Bray  and  James  Bullard.  They  rebuilt 
with  a  brick  structure,  and  continued  the  busi- 
ness as  a  firm  until  a  year  later,  when  Mr.  Figg 
purchased  the  interest  of  his  partners.  He 
afterward  took  in  a  nephew,  and  the  firm  be- 
came Figg  &  Wand,  Mr.  Figg  also  bought  out 
this  partner  afterward,  and  again  carried  on  the 
business  alone.  He  carried  on  a  wholesale  mer- 
chandise business  many  years,  and  also  dealt 
extensively   in    flour,  where   the    Pioneer  Mills 


HISTORY    OP    SACRAMENTO    COUNTY. 


are  now.  Mr.  Figg  has  since  given  his  atten- 
tion largely  to  general  trading  and  to  the  fruit 
business.  He  and  J.  Green  had  320  acres  in 
fruit  in  partnership,  but  the  rancii  (which  is  on 
Grand  Island),  has  been  divided,  and  Mr.  Figg 
has  160  acres,  which  is  principally  planted  in 
tine  peaches  and  Bartlett  pears.  He  ships  frnit 
to  Chicago  and  San  Francisco.  He  has  been  for 
years  engaged  iu  the  salt  business,  to  a  greater 
or  less  extent,  and  now  has  a  large  wholesale 
trade  iij  that  staple,  handling  exclusively  the 
celebrated  Mexican  and  Liverpool  salt.  Mr. 
Figg  was  married  in  1855  to  Mrs.  Hattie  Mc- 
Corraack,  a  widow,  whose  maiden  name  was 
Potter,  a  native  of  Deerlield,  Ohio.  There  is 
one  son  by  her  first  marriage:  Frank  H.  Mc- 
Corinack.  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Figg  have  two  chil- 
dren, viz.:  Edward  F.  and  George  L.  They  have 
also  reared  two  adopted  children,  viz.:  Susie  L. 
and  Alvin  P.  Mr.  Figg  ranks  among  the  per- 
manent men  of  Sacramento.  He  is  a  member 
of  the  Sacramento  Society  of  California  Pioneers, 
and  a  life  member  of  the  State  Agricultural 
Society.  He  is  also  a  life  member  of  the  Cali- 
fornia Museum  Association  of  Sacramento,  Cali- 
fornia. He  was  a  Past  Grand  in  Odd  Fellowship 
before  coming  to  California.  Mr.  Figg  has  been 
a  Democrat  since  the  days  of  Henry  Clay,  but 
has  never  been  a  seeker  for  office. 

fO  H  N  M  c  JN  E I L  L  .—Among  the  old  ti  me 
business  men,  yet  active  and  prominent  in 
commercial  circles  here,  is  the  gentleman 
whose  name  heads  this  sketch,  and  who  came 
to  Sacramento  in  1853.  Mr.  McNeill  is  a  native 
of  New  Hampshire,  born  at  Antrim,  his  parents 
being  Abraham  and  Margaret  (McMaster)  Mc- 
Neill, both  of  whom  came  of  old  New  England 
families,  and  of  Scotch  and  English  ancestry. 
When  the  subject  of  this  sketch  was  twelve 
years  of  age,  his  parents  moved  to  Lowell,  Mas- 
sachusetts, and  there  learned  the  machinist's 
trade  wi  h  Aldrich,  Tyng  &  Co.  The  latter 
part  of  1851  found  him  still  employed  with  that 


firm,  but  about  that  time  a  party  was  organized 
among  his  acquaintances  for  the  purpose  of 
going  to  California.  Among  them  were  John 
Carter  (now  of  San  Jose),  William  McCall 
(formerly  a  commission  merchant  of  San  Fran- 
cisco, now  deceased),  and  others  who  became 
well  known  in  California  afterward.  The  party 
left  New  York  on  the  6th  of  January,  1852,  on 
the  steamer  Ohio,  crossed  the  Isthmus,  and 
landed  in  San  Francisco  February  10,  1852, 
from  the  steamer  Oregon.  Mr.  McNeill  ob- 
tained employment  with  the  commission  house 
of  Hamin  &  Flonrnoy,  corner  of  Front  and 
Washington  streets,  where  the  same  building 
stands  to  this  day.  In  the  following  year  he 
came  to  Sacramento,  and  in  1S54  he  entered  into 
partnership  with  W.  F.  Benchlay,  under  the  firm 
name  of  Benchlay  &,  Co.  Mr.  Benchlay  sold  out 
in  1859,  and  returned  to  the  East,  and  the  firm 
was  thus  dissolved.  Mr,  McNeill  then  com- 
menced clerking  for  Sneath  &  Arnold,  corner  of 
Seventh  and  J  streets.  (The  firm  had  succeeded 
Boyd  &  Co.  in  1851).  One  year  later  Mr. 
Sneath  went  to  San  Francisco  to  attend  to  the 
interest  of  the  firm  there,  Mr.  Arnold  taking 
charge  of  the  firm  business  in  Sacramento.  A 
short  time  subsequeitly,  L.  S.  Adams  bought 
into  the  business,  and  the  firm  became  John 
Arnold  &  Co.,  the  membership  after  this  being 
John  Arnold,  L.  S.  Adams,  John  McNeill  and 
L.  A.  Upson.  In  1865  the  interest  of  John 
Arnold  was  purchased  by  the  other  partners, 
and  the  style  of  the  firm  became  as  at  present — 
Adams,  iVlcNeill  &  Co.  (In  1870  Mr.  Upson's 
interest  was  purchased  by  the  other  partners, 
but  no  other  changes  have  been  made.)  The 
firm  was  located  at  the  present  quarters  in  1863. 
During  the  floods  of  1861-'62,  Mr.  McNeill  was 
conducting  a  branch  house  at  Folsom.  The 
firm  does  a  heavy  business  throughout  the  Pa- 
cific Coast.  Mr.  McNeill  was  married  in  Sa- 
cramento, March  24,  1858,  to  Miss  Mary  Tozer, 
a  native  of  New  York  State.  They  have  one 
son,  Goodwin,  who  died  in  October,  1884,  in  his 
twenty-seventh  year;  and  one  daughter — Mary 
Margaret,  born  in  1861,  and  died  in  1871.     Mr. 


IIISTORT    OF    SACRAMENTO    COUNTY. 


McNeill  has  been  a  Republican  since  the  organi- 
zation of  the  party.  Previous  to  that  time  he 
had  been  a  Whig,  and  cast  his  first  pi-esidential 
vote  for  Winfield  Scott  in  1852.  He  was  one 
of  the  founders  of  the  Howard  Benevolent  So- 
ciety, has  alway  taken  an  active  interest  in  its 
work,  and  is  now  a  trustee.  He  is  an  exempt 
fireman,  and  in  the  days  of  the  volunteers  was  a 
member  of  Alert  Hook  &  Ladder  Company. 
Mr.  McNeill  has  always  taken  an  active  interest 
in  matters  musical,  and  was  one  of  the  organ- 
izers of  the  Philharmonic  Society  back  in  1854. 
The  celebrated  McNeill  Club  of  Sacramento  was 
named  in  his  honor.  He  is  an  active  man  and 
takes  a  live  interest  in  everything  tending  to  the 
advancement  of  Sacramento.  Since  the  above 
was  written  Mr.  McNeill  died,  October  28, 1889. 


fHARLES  F.  GARDNER,  son  of  Zebulon 
and  Mary  (Reddish)  Gardner,  was  born  in 
Sacramento,  November  13, 1857.  He  was 
left  an  orphan  at  an  early  age.  His  oldest 
brother  sent  him  to  San  Francisco  to  live  with 
Mrs.  David  Meeker,  and  he  remained  with  them 
some  years,  meanwhile  commencing  attendance 
at  the  public  schools.  In  1865  his  brother  sent 
him  East,  where  he  remained  several  years 
under  the  care  of  Rev.  G.  F.  Tewksbnry,  at  Ox- 
ford, Maine,  and  Gorham,  New  Hampshire,  and 
while  there  he  attended  the  Oxford  Normal  In- 
stitute at  Paris,  Maine.  When  he  had  reached 
the  age  of  fifteen  years  he  returned  to  Califor- 
nia, and  took  a  position  in  the  office  of  his 
brother  Robert,  who  was  State  Surveyor-Gen- 
eral. Two  years  later  he  went  back  East  and 
commenced  attendance  at  Phillips'  College, 
Andover,  Massachusetts,  where  he  was  gradu- 
ated in  the  centennial  year  of  1878.  After 
vacation  he  entered  Dartsmouth  College,  but  a 
short  time  later  changed  to  Yale,  but  was  com- 
pelled to  give  up  his  studies,  owing  to  the  fact 
that  he  had  used  up  the  money  he  had  saved 
while  in  the  employ  of  his  brother  Robert.  In 
December,  1879,  he  again  returned  to  Califor- 


nia, and  took  a  position  with  James  W.  Shank- 
lin,  Surveyoi -General.  Three  years  later,  at 
the  expiration  of  Mr.  Shanklin's  term,  lie  ac- 
cepted a  position  in  the  Land  Department  of 
the  Northern  Pacific  Railroad,  at  Portland, 
Oregon.  While  in  the  employ  of  the  Northern 
Pacific  Railroad  Company,  in  July,  1883,  he 
received  the  appointment  from  President  Arthur 
of  Receiver  of  Public  Money  for  the  Sacra- 
mento Land  Office,  and  served  in  that  capacity 
until  April,  1888,  when  he  was  succeeded  by  a 
Democratic  appointee  of  President  Cleveland, 
since  which  time  he  has  been  practicing  as  a 
land  attorney  at  Sacramento.  Mr.  Gardner  is 
a  member  of  Sacramento  Parlor,  No.  3,  N.  S. 
G.  W.,  and  of  Court  Sacramento,  A.  O.  F.  He 
is  a  member  of  Washington  Lodge,  A.  F.  &  A. 
M.,  and  a  Scottish  Rite  Mason  under  the  juris- 
diction of  the  United  States,  Territories  and  de- 
pendencies. Politically  he  is  a  Republican. 
Mr.  Gardner  was  married  in  this  city,  Novem- 
ber 12,  1881,  to  Miss  Alice  L.,  daughter  of 
Richard  Parker,  who  came  to  Sacramento  in 
1853,  and  for  many  years  kept  the  Parker 
House,  corner  of  Tenth  and  K  sti-eets.  Mr. 
and  Mrs.  Gardner  have  two  children,  viz  : 
Alice  Mary  and  Bertha  Reddish.  Mr.  Gardner 
is  a  young  man  of  unusual  attainments  and 
business  ability,  and  has  already  made  a  highly 
creditable  record  in  life. 


fEBULON  GARDNER,  deceased,  was  for 
years  one  of  the  most  prominent  men  in 
Sacramento  business  circles,  and  a  man  of 
enterprise  and  integrity,  universally  esteemed 
and  rospected.  He  was  a  native  of  Exeter, 
Rhode  Island,  and  the  old  homestead  where  he 
was  born  July  10,  1810,  has  been  in  the  family 
name  for  150  years,  and  is  now  owned  by  Sena- 
tor Herbert  Gardner,  of  Rhode  Island.  He 
spent  his  early  boyhood  days  on  the  old  home- 
stead, but  the  day  he  was  twenty-one  years  old 
he  ran  away  from  home  with  but  50  cents  in 
his  pocket,  given  him  by  his  mother,  determined 


HISTORY    OP    SAOMAMENTO    COUNTY. 


without  friends  or  money  to  fight  fortune  for 
himself  and  on  his  own  responsibilitj.  At  Fall 
Eiver,  Massachusetts,  he  obtained  employment 
as  laborer  in  Cook,  Borden  &  Co.'s  box  factory 
and  planing-miil,  and  worked  his  way  up,  step 
hy  step,  to  the  position  of  superintendent.  He 
was  with  this  firm  sixteen  years.  The  discovery 
of  gold  in  California  turned  his  attention  in  that 
direction,  and  in  1849  he  left  New  York  for 
Panama  on  a  steamer,  taking  with  him  two  men, 
whose  fares  he  paid.  Crossing  the  Isthmus  they 
learned  that  the  steamer  that  was  to  take  them 
had  broken  down.  A  number  of  them  chartered 
an  old  sailing  vessel,  the  bark  Clarissa  (Captain 
Lamence),  in  which  they  resumed  the  voyage. 
The  craft  drifted  about  on  the  Pacific  for  sixty- 
eight  days,  forty  days  on  short  rations,  and  on 
July  2,  1850,  they  landed  in  San  Francisco. 
Mr.  Gardner  went  at  once  to  the  mines  near 
Auburn,  witii  those  whose  passage  he  had  paid. 
Finding,  however,  that  there  were  other  voca- 
tions more  profitable  than  mining,  he  came  to 
Sacramento  and  bought  out  the  St.  John  lum- 
ber yard,  which  he  thereafter  conducted.  He 
extended  his  business  interests  beyond  this 
limit,  however,  and  built  a  flour  mill  at  Knight's 
Landing,  Yolo  County..  While  on  a  trip  up 
there  on  the  steamer  George  B.  McClellan,  Au- 
gust 25,  1861,  with  coin  and  checks  to  pay  ofi" 
grain  bills,  he  was  killed  by  the  explosion  of 
the  steamer,  when  within  two  miles  of  the 
landing.  The  incidents  attending  the  case  were 
peculiarly  affecting.  It  was  the  custom  for  in- 
tending passeiigers  to  book  their  names  with  the 
clerk  the  day  before  the  day  of  leaving,  and  if 
any  were  missing,  a  whistle  would  be  blown  as 
a  signal  for  tliem  to  hasten.  On  the  day  ap- 
pointed Mrs.  Gardner  was  sick,  and  begged  h 


lusband  not  to 


go- 


But  after  the  steamer  had 


blown  her  whistle  twice,  he  kissed  his  wife  and 
hastened  to  the  landing,  just  being  able  to  board 
the  vessel  befoie  her  plank  was  taken  up.  His 
remains  only  were  found,  ten  days  after  the  ex- 
plosion. -Mrs.  Gardner's  death  followed  as  the 
result  of  the  sad  accident.  Mr.  Gardner  was  a 
prominent  man  in  many  directions  in  this  city. 


He  was  a  cliarter  member  of  Union  Lodge,  L  O. 
O.  F.,  the  first  lodge  of  the  order  in  this  city. 
In  politics  he  was  a  Republican.  He  was  at  all 
times  active  in  church  work.  He  was  identified 
with  the  Baptist  Church,  aiid  gave  the  lumber 
for  the  old  church  of  that  denomination. 

fUD  C.  BRUSIE,  a  prominent  though  young 
representative  of  the  Sacramento  bar,  is  a 
native  of  La  Porte,  Indiana,  born  March 
28,  1864,  his  parents  being  Luther  and  Mar- 
garet (Coffin)  Brusie.  Luther  Brusie,  father  of 
the  subject,  was  born  at  Winsted,  Litchfield 
County,  Connecticut,  January  21,  1822,  and 
was  a  son  of  a  soldier  of  the  war  of  1812,  and 
grandson  of  a  Revolutionary  veteran,  while  his 
great-grandfather  served  in  the  Colonial  forces 
in  the  French  and  Indian  wars.  lie  came  to 
Indiana  when  young  with  his  parents.  After 
finishing  his  common-school  education  he  began 
the  study  of  medicine,  and  on  the  27th  of  Feb- 
ruary, 1847,  was  graduated  at  Indiana  Medical 
College,  Indianapolis.  In  the  fall  of  1850  he 
came  out  to  California  across  the  plains,  and 
engaged  in  merchandise  at  Pult'sBar,  in  Ama- 
dor County.  In  1854  he  went  back  to  Indiana, 
and  gave  his  attention  to  the  practice  of  his 
profession  until  the  breaking  out  of  the  civil 
war.  He  offered  his  services  in  behalf  of  his 
country,  and  on  the  22d  of  October,  1861,  was 
commissioned  by  Governor  Oliver  P.  Morton 
as  Assistant  Surgeon  of  the  Forty-fifth  Regi- 
ment (Third  Cavalry)  Indiana  Volunteers.  He 
served  his  country  faithfully  and  with  credit 
and  honor  to  himself,  and  was  wounded  and 
disabled  in  action.  In  consequence  of  his  in- 
jnrits  he  was  honorably  discharged  from  the 
service.  In  1869  he  again  came  to  California, 
bringing  his  family,  via  Panama.  He  located 
in  Amador  County,  where  he  was  a  physician  of 
high  standing  and  a  prominent  citizen  until  his 
death,  which  occurred  in  May,  1887.  He  was 
a  stalwart  Republican,  and  devoted  to  the  in- 
terests of  his  party.      He    represented    the  dis- 


HISTORY    OF    SACRAMENTO    COUNTY. 


trict  in  which  he  resided  in  the  State  Legislature 
of  1880.  He  was  an  active  member  of  the 
State  Medical  Society,  and  of  the  Grand  Army 
of  the  Eepublic.  Jud  C.  Brusie,  with  whose 
name  this  sketch  commences,  was  reared  in 
Amador  Count}-,  and  educated  there  and  at  the 
University  of  the  Faciiic,  in  which  institution 
he  took  the  Latin  and  Scientific  course.  He 
commenced  reading  law  with  Judge  A.  P.  Cat- 
lin,  and  continued  his  legal  studies  in  the  office 
of  Clunie  &  Knight,  San  Francisco.  He  then 
returned  to  Amador  County,  and  was  there  ad- 
mitted to  the  bar  in  1885.  In  1887  he  formed 
a  legal  partnership  with  Frank  D.  Ryan,  which 
continued  one  year,  since  which  time  he  has 
been  alone.  Mr.  Brusie  represented  Amador 
County  in  the  Legislature  of  1887-'88,  of 
which  he  was  the  youngest  member,  and  served 
on  the  Committee  on  Education,  on  Mining,  on 
Federal  Relations,  on  Judiciary,  and  on  Elec- 
tions. He  is  a  member  of  the  Leland  Stanford 
Camp,  Sons  of  Veterans.  In  politics  ho  is 
strongly  Republican,  and  last  year  he  made  a 
canvass  of  the  State  for  Harrison.  Mr.  Brusie 
is  a  young  man  of  unusual  attainments,  and  is 
popular  in  and  out  of  his  chosen  profession. 
He  is  now  of  the  tirm  of  Brusie  &  Taylor,  at- 
torneys and  searchers  of  records,  Ed.  D.  being 
a  son  of  L.  S.  Taylor,  of  Taylor  &  Holl. 


fR.  WILLIAM  ELLERY  BRIGGS,  promi- 
nent in  the  medical  fraternity  of  Sacra- 
mento, is  a  native  of  "Wadsworth,  Medina 
County,  Ohio,  born  March  31,  1853,  his  parents 
being  Abiel  and  Harriet  C.  (Dinsmore)  Briggs. 
His  father,  a  fruit-grower,  was  a  native  of  New 
York  State,  and  came  to  Ohio  with  his  parents 
when  a  child.  lie  died  in  Yolo  County,  Cali- 
fornia, in  1878,  having  come  to  the  State  in 
1876.  His  mother  was  a  native  of  Maine;  she 
is  now  a  resident  of  Oakland.  Dr.  Briggs  was 
reared  at  Wadsworth  and  educated  there  and  at 
Buchtel  College,  Akron,  Ohio.  He  commenced 
the  study  of   medicine  with  his    brother,   Di'. 


Wallou  A.  Briggs  (now  of  Sacramento),  and  took 
his  first  course  of  lectures  at  the  medical  de- 
partment of  Ann  Arbor  (Michigan)  University. 
He  was  graduated  at  Wooster  Medical  College, 
Cleveland,  Ohio,  and  also  took  a  degree  from  the 
medical  department  of  the  Western  Reserve 
Medical  College.  In  1877  he  went  to  Europe, 
and  attended  London  Hospital  and  Moorefield's 
Eye  Hospital.  He  then  attended  the  general 
hospital  for  a  further  period  before  resuming 
his  specialties.  From  Loudon  he  went  to  Paris 
and  thence  to  Vienna,  taking  special  courses  on 
the  eye,  ear  and  throat.  In  1879  he  established 
himself  in  practice  in  Sacramento,  and  it  is  only 
what  is  due  to  the  accuracy  and  completeness  of 
this  volume  to  say  that  his  success  has  been  as 
remarkable  as  it  is  gratifying  to  his  professional 
friends.  Mr.  Briggs  is  an  active  member  of  the 
Sacramento  Society  for  Medical  Improvement, 
and  has  been  its  president.  He  is  a  member  of 
Sacramento  Lodge,  A.  F.  &  A.  M.,  and  is  a 
Knight  Templar. 

'^'--^-^ • 

f  FRANK  CLARK,  Coroner  of  Sacramento 
County,  and  one  of  the  best  known  citi- 
**  zens  of  Sacramento,  is  a  native  of  Yates 
County,  New  York,  born  July  7,  1829,  his  par- 
ents being  Stillman  and  Lucinda  (Thayer)  Clark, 
the  former  a  native  of  New  Hampshire,  and  the 
latter  born  in  Vermont.  J.  Frank  Clark  was 
educated  at  Middlesex,  Yates  County,  New 
York,  his  native  place,  and  at  Whitesburgh  Sem- 
inary, near  Utica.  He  learned  the  carpenters' 
trade  in  Oneida  County,  and  followed  it  nearly 
six  years.  Then  he  went  to  Detroit,  Michigan, 
and  there  attended  Gregory's  Business  College, 
where  he  was  graduated  about  1853,  and  then 
went  into  the  State  Land  Office  at  Lansing. 
After  that  he  was  for  a  year  on  the  Lakes,  and 
then  went  into  tiie  banking  house  of  Andrews, 
Waterman  &  Co.,  Detroit.  He  remained  with 
them  two  years,  then  went  to  Buchanan  County, 
Iowa.  About  the  1st  of  April  he  started  for 
California  overland  via  Salt  Lake.  Some  twenty 


HISTORY    OF    SACRAMENTO    COUNTY. 


miles  east  of  South  Pass  City  he  sold  oat  his 
outfit,  and  completed  his  journey  by  stage, 
bringing  up  in  Sacramento,  August  7,  1861. 
He  engaged  as  bookkeeper  for  Houston,  Hast- 
ings &  Co.,  and  remained  with  thein  until  the 
fall  ot  1862,  when  he  went  upon  a  ranch.  Two 
years  later  he  went  into  the  office  of  State  Treas- 
urer Pacheco,  with  whom  he  continued  one  year. 
Then  Mr.  Cornell  was  elected  and  he  continued 
with  hiin  eighteen  months.  He  next  engaged 
in  the  grocery  business,  as  a  member  of  the 
firm  of  Bronner  &  Clark,  and  so  continued  for  a 
little  more  than  a  year,  when  he  engaged  in  the 
undertaking  business  with  K.  K.  Wick.  The 
undertaking  establishment  of  Wick  &  Clark  was 
opened  in  February,  1872,  that  lirm  continuing 
two  years.  Then  Richmond  Davis  succeeded 
R.  K.  Wick,  and  the  firm  became  Clark  &  Davis. 
Two  years  later  Mr.  Clark  bought  out  his  part- 
ner's interest  in  the  business.  Mr.  Clark  has 
held  the  office  of  Coroner  since  January,  1883, 
and  is  now  serving  his  fourth  term.  He  was 
married  in  Detroit  to  Miss  Rosella  Lowell,  a 
native  of  New  York  State.  They  have  three 
children,  viz.:  George  H.,  who  is  associated 
with  his  father  as  tuneral  director;  and  two 
daughters,  Effie  R.  and  Dillie  A.  Mr.  Clark  is 
a  member  of  Union  Lodge,  No.  58,  A.  F.  &  A. 
M. ;  of  Sacramento  Chapter  and  Commandery; 
of  Sacramento  Lodge,  No.  2,  L  Q.  O.  F. ;  of 
Occidental  Encampment,  aud  of  Sacramento 
Lodge,  No.  11,  K.  of  P.  He  is  a  past  presiding 
officer  of  the  Odd  Fellows'  Lodges.  Mr.  Clark 
is  an  active  Republican,  and  has  always  taken  a 
leading  part  in  the  party  organization.  He  is  a 
very  popular  man,  and  has  a  large  coterie  of 
friends. 


fUDGE  HENRY  STARR,  or  "Colonel" 
Starr,  as  he  is  generally  known  on  account 
of  his  military  rank,  is  a  native  of  Nova 
Scotia,  born  at  Starr's  Point,  Cornwallis  Valley, 
on  the  24th  of  September,  1819.  The  Starrs 
are  an  old   American  family,  and  those  on   this 


continent  sprang  from  Dr.  Comfort  Starr,  who 
landed  at  Boston  from  England  in  1635,  and 
whose  descendants  now  number  nearly  8,000 
Among  his  children  was  Dr.  Thomas  Starr,  and 
he  had  three  sons, — Josiah,  Comfort  and  Sam- 
uel,— who  emigrated  to  Connecticut.  Josiah 
(the  ancestor  of  the  Starrs  of  Yallejo  and  Oak- 
land) settled  at  Danbury;  Comfort  settled  at 
Middleton,  and  Samuel  located  at  New  London. 
The  latter  was  the  direct  ancestor  of  Judge 
Starr.  Wlien  the  French  Acadians  were  driven 
out  of  Nova  Scotia  the  English  Government 
held  out  inducements  to  new  settlers,  and  they 
came  in  by  the  ship-load.  A  large  proportion 
of  them  were  from  the  American  colonies,  espe- 
cially Connecticut,  and  Massachusetts  (at  that 
time  including  Maine"),  and  the  great-grand- 
father of  Judge  Starr  headed  a  party  that  went 
to  Nova  Scotia  from  Norwich,  Counecticut,  in 
1759.  They  selected  their  land  in  Cornwallis 
Yalley,  at  the  head  of  the  Bay  ofMinas,  which  is 
at  the  head  of  the  Bay  of  Fundy.  Thus  the  Starr 
family  was  established  in  Nova  Scotia.  Joseph 
Starr,  grandfather  of  the  Judge,  while  born  in 
Connecticut,  was  yet  a  mere  child  when  the 
family  removed  to  Nova  Scotia.  When  he  arrived 
at  a  suitable  age  he  was  sent  back  to  Norwich, 
Connecticut,  to  be  educated,  and  was  at  school 
there  when  the  Revolutionary  War  came  on.  He 
joined  the  Patriot  forces,  aud  served  gallantly 
throughout  the  wai".  After  peace  was  declared 
he  married  a.  Miss  Starr,  a  cousin,  and  located 
in  Connecticut.  As  his  father  advanced  in  age, 
however,  he  was  called  upon  to  go  back  to  Nova 
Scotia,  and  run  the  farm,  which  he  did.  Charles 
Starr,  father  of  the  subject  of  this  sketch,  was 
born  in  Connecticut,  prior  to  the  return  of  his 
family  to  Nova  Scotia,  and  was  the  oldest  child 
of  the  family.  According  to  the  habit  of  the 
family  he  was  sent  back  to  Norwich,  Connecti- 
cut, to  be  educated,  and  while  he  was  there  the 
war  of  1812  broke  out,  and  he  joined  the  army 
of  the  United  States.  After  the  close  of  the 
war  he  went  back  to  Nova  Scotia,  and  took  pos- 
session of  the  family  homestead.  He  married 
Paulina,  daughter  of  Henry  Cox,  who   went  to 


X 


/ 


insrORY     OF    SACRAMENTO    COUNTY. 


Nova  Scotia  from  wliat  is  now  Portland,  Maine. 
Henry  Starr,  subject  of  this  sicetch,  was  the  first 
born  of  his  parents'  children.  He  commenced 
his  education  at  Starr's  Point,  his  native  place, 
and  finished  at  the  Maine  Wesleyan  Seminary, 
in  ISiO.  During  the  winter  of  184:0-'41  he 
taught  school  at  Turner,  Oxford  County,  Maine, 
on  the  Androscoggin  River,  and  among  his 
pupils  was  Eugene  Hale,  now  United  States 
Senator  from  Maine.  In  1841  he  went  to  the 
old  family  home  in  Connecticut,  and  clerked  in 
a  boot  and  shoe  store  about  a  year.  He  then 
joined  his  parents  at  Boston,  and  they  proceeded 
to  Chicago.  There  he  read  law  with  John  J. 
Brown,  and  was  admitted  to  tlie  bar  of  the  Su 
preme  Court  in  May,  1844.  He  went  to  Mor- 
ris, Grundy  County,  Hlinois,  where  he  was 
successful  in  practice,  and  in  1849  was  elected 
county  judge.  He  held  the  office  until  1852, 
wlien  he  resigned  in  order  to  come  to  California. 
In  January  of  tliat  year  a  large  number  liad 
mutually  agreed  to  go  to  California  when  the 
weather  opened  up.  About  April  they  com- 
menced backing  out  of  the  bargain,  and  finally 
Judge  Starr  found  himself  alone.  He  went  co 
St.  Louis,  thence  took  a  steamer  to  St.  Joseph, 
and  joined  a  party  of  Missourians  bound  for 
California.  He  accompanied  them  as  far  as 
Fort  Laramie,  and  there  changed  to  a  Wiscon- 
sin company,  witii  wliom  he  went  as  far  as  Salt 
Lake.  From  there  he  packed  to  California,  ar- 
riving at  Phicerville  on  the  6th  of  August.  He 
mined  for  six  months  at  French  Hollow,  then 
came  to  Sacramento,  where  he  has  ever  sincere- 
sided.  He  was  elected  city  attorney  in  1856, 
and  served  two  years.  In  1859  he  was  elected 
to  the  Legislature,  and  served  in  the  sessions  of 
1859-60.  In  1871  he  was  elected  distrif^t  at- 
torney, and  served  one  term  in  that  capacity. 
Judge  Starr  has  ranked  as  a  prominent  lawyer 
ever  since  his  advent  to  Sacramento.  He  be- 
came connected  with  the  National  Guard  of 
California  in  1861,  first  as  Lieutenant  and  after 
as  Captain  of  the  City  Guard.  He  was  afterward 
chosen  Major,  and  finally  Colonel,  commanding 
all    the   companies  of  Sacramento.      He    is   not 


now,  however,  connected  with  the  military. 
Judge  Sta'r  was  married  in  Iroquois  County, 
Illinois,  July  20, 1845,  to  Miss  Sarah  Ann  Ship- 
ley, a  native  of  Burgettstown,  Washington 
County,  Pennsylvania.  They  have  three  living 
children,  viz.:  Albert  (now  inspector  of  build- 
ings, and  sanitary  inspector  of  Sacramento); 
Clara  (wife  of  Seneca  B.  Wt)od),  and  Charles,  a 
resident  of  this  city.  Judge  Starr  takes  an  act- 
ive interest  in  politics.  From  1840  to  1860  he 
was  a  Democrat,  and  was  elected  to  the  Legis- 
lature as  a  Douglas  Democrat,  being  the  only 
one  elected  on  the  Legislative  ticket.  Since 
that  time,  however,  he  has  been  a  strong  and 
active  Republican.  Judge  Starr  is  an  able, 
forcible  writer,  and  many  of  his  newspaper  ar- 
ticles have  attracted  wide-spread  attention,  nota- 
bly one  on  the  subject  of  the  annexation  of 
Canada  to  the  United  States,  which  brought  out 
some  salient  points  which  had  been  entirely 
overlooked,  in  favor  of  the  position,  and  a  copy 
of  the  article  was  called  for  by  a  leading  East- 
ern member  of  Congress  who  is  agitating  the 
question. 


fOL.  PERRIE  KEWEN,  Assistant  Adju- 
tant General  of  California,  is  a  native  of  St. 
Louis,  Missouri,  born  October  10,  1857,  liis 
parents  being  Col.  E.J.  C.  and  Frances  (White) 
Keweh.  The  Whites  were  one  of  the  oldest 
families  of  Virginia.  The  mother  of  the  ma- 
ternal grandfather  of  the  subject  of  this  sketch, 
was  an  aunt  to  President  Jefferson.  Dr.  Thomas 
Jefferson  White,  father  of  our  subject's  mother, 
was  one  of  the  most  eminent  and  distinguished 
surgeons  of  his  time,  and  a  prominent  public 
man.  He  had  two  brothers,  Joseph  M.  White, 
Congressman  from  Georgia  and  honorary  mem- 
ber of  tlie  Georgia  Historical  Society,  who  was 
appointed  by  President  Jefferson  to  compile  the 
laws  for  the  government  of  the  Mexican  terri- 
tories subservient  to  the  laws  of  the  United 
States;   the  other   brother,  Philip  White,  repre- 


HISTORY    OF    SACRAMENTO    COUNTY. 


seiited  Florida  in  Congress  for  seventeen  years, 
consecutively,  and  died  in  his  seat  in  the  House 
of  Representatives.  Dr.  Thomas  Jefferson 
White  was  one  of  the  founders  of  the  medical 
department  of  Jefferson  (now  Lee)  College,  and 
was  the  first  surgeon  to  successfully  transplant 
flesh.  He  came  to  California  with  the  troops 
in  1849,  and  was  in  Sacramento  in  December 
of  that  year.  He  was  a  member  of  the  first 
constitutional  convention,  and  was  Speaker  of 
the  House  in  the  first  Legislature.  His  wife 
was  Frances  Jane  Perry,  of  Richmond,  Vir- 
ginia, a  daughter  of  John  Perry.  Dr.  White 
died  at  Los  Angeles,  December  17,  1859.  Col- 
onel E.  J.  C.  Kewen,  father  of  our  subject,  was 
a  son  of  Captain  Edward  Xewen,  of  the  Royal 
English  Navy,  who  served  in  the  Irish  depart- 
ment of  the  channel  squadron.  ETe  came  to  this 
country  and  was  appointed  on  the  staff"  of  Gen- 
eral Andrew  Jackson.  He  served  with  distinc- 
tion under  that  commander  in  the  war  with 
England,  and  was  decorated  for  gallantry  at  the 
battle  of  JSew  Orleans.  He  afterward  became 
an  Indian  merchant,  and  later,  was  killed  in  a 
duel  in  Tennessee.  He  left  three  sons,  the  old- 
est of  whom  was  the  father  of  our  subject. 
Colonel  Edward  J.  C.  Kewen,  father  of  our  sub- 
ject, was  born  at  Columbus,  Mississippi,  No- 
vember 2,  1825.  At  thirteen  years  of  age  he 
became  a  student  in  the  Wesleyan  University, 
located  at  Middletown,  Connecticut.  He  had 
been  there  some  three  years  when  the  untoward 
speculations  of  liis  guardian  hurried  him  to  his 
Mississippihome;  and  onhisarrival  there  to  learn 
that  his  once  princely  inheritance  had  dwindled 
down  to  a  mere  pittance.  Thus  recuced  from 
affluence  to  comparative  poverty,  with  his  two 
younger  brothers  dependent  upon  his  exertions 
for  subsistence,  he  resolved  upon  the  profession 
of  tlie  law.  He  betook  himself  to  solitary  study, 
witli  a  persistence  and  assiduity  almost  unpre- 
cedented in  those  of  his  extreme  youth.  He 
had  reached  the  age  of  nineteen,  with  but  few 
acquaintances  and  associations  in  his  native 
town.  This  was  in  IS-li,  in  the  middle  of  a 
most  exciting  puiitieal  contest.   By  some  means 


he  was  selected  to  deliver  the  opening  address 
before  what  was  then  styled  a  "Clay  Club." 
His  primal  efforts  on  that  occasion  acquired  for 
him  at  once  an  extraordinary  reputatiou  for  ora- 
tory. His  extreme  youth,  peculiarity  of  style, 
copiousness  of  diction,  earnestness  and  polish  of 
manner,  gave  him  sudden  and  unwonted  fame. 
He  was  seized  upon  by  the  leading  spirits  of 
the  party  to  which  he  belonged,  in  a  section  of 
country  distinguished  for  its  eloquent  meTi,  as 
one  of  their  most  efficient  speakers,  and  dis- 
patched to  remote  sections.  The  writer  of  the 
present  notice  has  heard  an  incident  illustrative 
of  yo.ing  Kewen's  daring  and  fervid  elocu- 
tion. At  a  prominent  point  in  his  native  State 
the  people  of  both  parties  had  massed  together 
to  enjoy  barbacued  provisions  and  the  attrac- 
tion of  oratory.  Two  whole  days  had  passed 
away  in  social  and  political  revel,  but  very  much 
to  the  discomfiture  of  Whig  doctrines.  Such 
giants  as  George  R.  Clayton,  and  H.  L.  Harris, 
and  John  B.  Cobb,  from  unaccountable  reasons, 
had  failed  to  present  themselves  to  efl'ulge  upon 
the  beauties  and  strength  of  a  protective  tariff 
and  other  germane  Whig  topics.  Li  de- 
spair, and  at  the  very  finale  of  the  meet- 
ing the  young  stranger  Kewen,  a  beardless  boy, 
was  reiuctlantly  thrown  before  them.  He  had 
now  some  experience,  it  is  true,  in  public  dec- 
lamation; and  youth  has  its  magnetism  and 
sympathies;  yet,  they  say,  astonishment  soon 
melted  into  earnest  admiration,  and  the  com- 
parative boy  ran  away  with  the  hearts  and  the 
judgments  of  the  serried  crowd.  Regardless  of 
party  discrimination,  they  did  a  strange  thing 
fur  that  region.  They  seized  hold  of  the  juve- 
nile orator  as  he  finished  his  glowing  peroration, 
and  bore  him  around  upon  their  shoulders,  and 
would  not  be  content  until  he  had  given  tliem 
another  specimen  of  his  eloijuence  the  same 
night,  in  a  neighboring  court-house.  Sucii  tri- 
umphs are  very  rare.  After  the  election  of 
1844,  Mr.  Kewen  became  the  editor  of  the 
Columbus  Whig,  and  remained  in  that  occupa- 
tion for  two  years.  Removing  to  St.  Louis, 
Missouri,  for  the  purpose  of  practicing  law,  and 


IIISToUl'    OF    SACHAHKATO    COUNTY. 


meeting  with  peculiar  success,  we  find  liiin  again 
upon  the  hustiugi  after  tlie  nomination  of  Zach- 
ary  Taylor  for  the  Presidency.  The  papers  of 
that  day  teem  with  the  moit  extravaa in t  en- 
comiums upon  his  oratorical  abilities.  In  com 
mendation  of  his  forensic  efforts,  pirtisanship 
lost  its  rancor,  for  praise  flew  equally  from  his 
opponents  and  his  friends.  In  his  fervid  pil- 
grimage he  traversed  several  of  the  Middle  and 
Southern  States.  The  reader  of  this  sketch  has 
already  detected  in  its  subject  a  peculiar  restless- 
ness so  characteristic  of  men  of  his  ardent  tem- 
perament, and  will  not  be  surprised  to  learn 
that  he  became  one  of  the  innumerable  throng 
that  hurried  to  this  western  El  Dorado  forty 
years  ago.  Perhaps  the  blind  boy,  Dan  Cupid, 
was  one  of  the  impelling  causes  of  his  sudden 
migration.  It  is  very  certain  that  he  fell  in 
with  the'caravan  of  Dr.  Thomas  Jetferson  White 
and  family,  and  meandered  across  the  "  plains" 
iti  their  companionship  and  became  the  fortu- 
nate husband  of  the  Doctor's  accomplished 
daughter  upon  tlaeir  arrival  at  Sacramento,  De- 
cember 10,  1849, — this  being  the  first  Ameri- 
can wedding  in  California.  It  seems  that  his 
fame  as  an  orator  had  anteceded  him.  Some 
occasion  prompting  it,  he  was  summoned  to  the 
rostrum  the  very  day  his  weary  footsteps  first 
traversed  the  then  primitive  city  of  Sacramento; 
and  his  instantaneous  popularity  was  evinced  by 
his  election  to  the  responsible  office  of  Attorney' 
General,  by  the  State  Legislature  soon  after  his 
advent  upon  our  coast.  This  office  he"  resigned, 
as  it  compelled  his  residence  at  a  distance  from 
his  adopted  city,  in  which  he  had  sprung  into 
a  lucrative  practice  in  his  profession.  If  other 
evidence  of  moral  and  physical  courage  were 
wanting,  his  character  in  this  respect  was  espe- 
cially manifest  in  his  enlistment  against  the 
squatters,  who,  at  that  early  period  of  our  his- 
tory had  banded  in  murderous  clans.  Under 
threats  of  assassination  he  boldly  repaired  to 
one  of  their  convocations  on  the  levee  and  suc- 
ceeded by  the  audacity  of  his  tongue  in  dis- 
persing the  threatening  and  insurrectiotiary 
crowd.      In  May,  1851,  he  was   nominated  as  a 


candidate  on  the  Whig  ticket  for  Congress,  and 
it  was  in  that  canvass  tint  he  displayed  the  full 
maturity  and  strength  of  his  peculiar  powers. 
Often  speaking  several  times  during  the  same 
day,  he  seemed  exhanstless  in  mind  and  body; 
though  successful,  the  small  majority  obtained 
by  his  opponent  was  a  high  compliment  to  the 
zeal  and  eloquence  of  Colonel  Kewen  in  a  State 
Democratic  at  the  time  by  many  thousand. 
Leaving  Sacramento  in  the  summer  of  1852  for 
San  Francisco,  he  practiced  his  profession  in  the 
latter  city  with  eminent  success,  until  his  I'est- 
less  and  daring  mind  drove  him  into  a  new 
career.  His  brother,  A.  L.  Kewen,  second  in 
command  to  General  William  Walker,  was  shot 
and  killed  in  the  first  battle  of  Uivas,  Nicara- 
gua, in  June,  1855.  Thomas,  the  youngest  of 
the  three,  had  died  the  preceding  year  on  the 
island  of  Tobago,  in  the  Province  of  Panama. 
Alone  in  the  world,  and  we  may  naturally  sup- 
pose brooding  in  deepest  melancholy  over  the 
early  death  of  his  only  and  loved  kindred,  it  is 
not  surprising  that  one  of  his  ardent  and  gener- 
ous impulses  would  seek  relief  in  the  first  dar- 
ing enterprise  that  offered.  He  was  an  intimate 
friend  of  General  Walker,  and  had  hitherto  re- 
sisted his  earnest  importunities  to  embark  in  his 
wild  adventure.  Walker,  now  the  military  head 
of  the  new  government,  welcomed  him  with  open 
arms,  and  at  once  commissioned  him  as  the 
financial  agent  of  the  republic  as  well  as  judge 
advocate  general  on  his  staff;  and  it  was 
not  long  before  he  became  a  member  of  a  judi- 
cial tribunal  organized  to  adjust  the  rival  claims 
of  Vanderbilt  and  Garrison  &  Morgan.  The 
result  of  the  deliberations  of  that  body  was  that 
Vanderbilt  was  indebted  to  the  Rivas- Walker 
government  to  the  amount  of  one-half  million 
of  dollars.  Pending  the  decision,  were  fought 
the  Tnemorable  battles  of  Uivas,  Massaya  and 
Granada,  in  each  of  which  Colonel  Kewen  took 
an  active  part  as  aid  to  General  Walker. 
Tliough  disapproving  the  measure,  Colonel 
Kewen  was  instructed  to  take  possession  of  the 
steamers  belonging  to  Commodore  Vanderbilt, 
plying  in  Lake  Xicaragua.     That  arbitrary  and 


BISTORT    OF    SACRAMENTO    COUNTY. 


impolitic  act,  in  which  he  was  made  the  un- 
willing agent,  resulted  in  the  disastrous  conse- 
quences that  he  predicted  to  his  superior.  It 
drove  the  powerful  capitalist  to  collide  with  the 
authorities  ot  Costa  Hica,  and  eventually  caused 
the  ruin  of  the  "Walker  dynasty.  The  Colonel 
was  now  dispatched  upon  an  embassy  to  the 
Southern  States  of  our  Union  for  additional 
means  and  forces.  Establishing  his  headquar- 
ters at  Augusta,  Georgia,  he  soon  succeeded  in 
rallying  about  him  a  force  of  eighty  men,  com- 
pletely equipped,  with  ample  supplies  of  pro- 
visions. The  enthusiasm  with  which  he  was 
greeted  and  the  ready  response  made  to  his  per- 
suasive appeals,  are  part  of  the  history  of  our 
country.  He  had  just  negotiated  with  his 
former  friends.  Garrison  and  Morgan,  the  con- 
veyance to  their  destination  of  his  forces  and 
implements,  when  the  news  reached  him  of  the 
capture  of  Walker  by  Commodore  Paulding, 
under  instructions  from  Washington,  and  so 
terminated  the  Rivas-Walker  government,  and 
with  it  were  dashed  the  hopes  of  its  most 
efficient  and  brilliant  supporter.  In  December, 
1857,  tiie  Colonel  returned  to  San  Francisco, 
and  in  January  of  the  succeeding  year  became 
a  citizen  of  Los  Angeles,  where  he  resided  up 
to  the  time  of  his  death.  In  his  new  abode  the 
people  have  once  elected  him  to  the  office  of 
District  Attorney,  and  have  twice  dispatched 
him  to  the  lower  branch  of  our  State  Legisla- 
ture. In  the  Presidential  campaign  of  1868 
he  was  complimented  with  the  highest  number 
of  votes  as  an  elector  on  the  Democratic  ticket. 
We  have  thus  sketched  in  brief  the  leading  in- 
cidents in  the  life  of  one  of  our  most  prominent 
citizens.  Perhaps  no  man  is  so  thoroughly 
known  within  our  State  limits  as  Colonel  £.  J. 
C.  Kewen.  Of  manners  peculiarly  geaial,  and 
a  temperament  ardent,  enthusiastic  and  restless, 
and  impulses  generous  and  noble,  and  a  tested 
courage  more  otten  mettlesome  than  discreet, 
charitable  to  prolusion,  he  is  essentially  the 
finest  type  of  his  con)bined  Celtic  and  Missis- 
sippi origin.      Such    men    often    provoke  enmi- 


ties, but  only  melt  into  enduring  friends.  His 
oratorical  abilities,  so  eminently  peculiar,  have 
often  been  condemned  by  those  most  fascinated 
b}'  their  display.  Criticism  has  always  been 
launched  at  eccentricity.  The  scholar,  while  he 
wonders,  condemns  the  strange  affluence  of  dic- 
tion that  floats  before  him  in  such  luxuriant 
profusion.  Seldom  before  did  man  have  such 
command  of  language.  It  is  as  exuberant  as 
the  monthly  growth  of  the  tropics,  as  gushing 
as  the  warble  of  the  wild  bird.  Under  proper 
control,  and  with  the  woof  of  logic,  it  is  the 
richest  gift  of  intelligence.  Those  that  heard 
the  Colonel  some  years  since,  wondered  at  and 
deplored  this  wild  luxuriance,  did  in  later  years 
admire  how  he  had  subjected  this  verbal  wealth 
to  logical  control.  Had  Colonel  Kewen  con- 
fined himself,  without  political  and  otl  er  devia- 
tion, to  liis  profession,  there  is  no  d«ubt  he 
would  have  attained  in  it  the  rarest  eminence. 
He  had  not  reached  the  full  fruition  of  his 
powers,  though  he  had  the  reputation  un- 
equaled  upon  our  coast  as  an  advocate  and  a 
public  declaimer.  The  storms  ot  his  life  are 
over.  Colonel  Kewen  died  of  paralysis,  on  the 
26th  of  November,  1879,  at  his  beautiful  home 
'•  El  Molino,"  Los  Angeles  County,  surrounded 
by  his  family.  His  accomplished  wife  survived 
him  biit  a  few  months.  Mrs.  Kewen  was  a 
woman  of  the  rarest  qualities  of  mind  and  in- 
tellect, who  endeared  herseU'  to  ail  with  whom 
she  came  in  contact.  She  merited  and  received 
the  highest  tributes  that  loving  friends  could 
bestow  upon  one  of  the  noblest  works  of  God, 
'•a  perfect  woman."  Two  children,  a  son  and 
daughter,  are  all  the  family  tliat  survived  them. 
Colonel  Perrie  Kewen,  with  whose  name  this 
sketch  commences,  was  but  four  months  old 
when  he  accompanied  his  mother  to  California. 
He  attended  college  at  Santa  Clara,  and  after- 
ward at  St.  Augustine  Military  Academy,  but 
in  1876  he  returned  home,  on  account  of  his 
father's  illness,  to  take  charge  of  El  Eancho  del 
Molino.  After  his  father's  death  he  removed 
to  San  Francisco  for  tiie  jnirpose  of  earning  iiis 


UISTORY    Of    SACIIAMENTO    COUNTY. 


own  livelihood  and  tliat  of  his  baby  sister,  and 
also  to  pursue  the  study  of  law.  In  the  settle- 
ment of  his  father's  estate,  which  was  heavily 
encumbered  with  debt,  and  owing  to  the  de- 
pression in  real  estate  and  the  number  of  fail- 
ures at  tiie  time,  he  realized  nothing  from  wliat 
was  supposed  to  have  been  a  ricli  inheritance. 
Shoi'tly  after  his  arrival  in  San  Francisco  he 
accepted  the  position  of  bailiflF  of  the  Supreme 
Court,  which  he  held  but  a  sliort  time,  having 
been  appointed  private  secretary  to  Chief  Jus- 
tice R.  F.  Morrison.  He  held  this  position 
five  years,  and  resigned  it  in  1886.  In  the 
meantime,  and  in  conjunction  with  that  posi- 
tion, he  had  studied  law  and  was  admitted  to 
practice  by  the  Supreme  Court  of  California,  on 
the  24th  "day  of  July,  1881,  and  in  1883  was 
appointed  Registrar  and  acting  Dean  of  the  law 
department.  University  of  California,  which 
post  he  resigned  November  27,  1886.  His 
military  career  is  quite  extended.  He  enlisted 
as  a  private  in  Battery  A,  Second  Regiment  of 
Artillery,  March  13,  1882;  promoted  Corporal 
May  1,  1882;  First  Lieutenant,  June  26,  1882; 
promoted  Captain  and  Aid-de-Carap,  staff  of 
General  W.  H.  Diniond,  Second  Brigade,  Feb- 
ruary 24,  1883;  promoted  Colonel  and  Assist- 
ant Adjutant-General  of  California,  May  12, 
1886.  He  has  served  on  the  staffs  of  General 
Stoneman,  of  Governor  Bartlett,  and  of  Gov- 
ernor Waterman,  and  has  also  served  as  Acting 
Adjutant-General  at  various  times  since  1886. 
Colonel  Perrie  Kewen  has  inherited  many  of 
the  traits  and  characteristics  of  his  father. 
Perhaps  no  3'oung  man  is  so  well  known  within 
our  State,  possessing  as  he  does  the  secret  of 
popularity,  whereby  he  makes  friends  easily  and 
retains  them.  Of  manners  polished  and  refined, 
peculiarly  genial,  a  temperament  ardent,  enthu- 
siastic, with  impulses  generous  and  noble,  he  is 
ever  found  the  amiable  and  hospitable  gentle- 
man. Colonel  Kewen  is  a  member  of  the  San 
Francisco  Society,  California  Pioneers.  In  Sac- 
ramento he  is  a  uiember  of  Eureka  Lodge,  No. 
4,  I.  O.  0.  F.,  Union  Degree  Lodge,  No.  2,  and 
Pacific  Encampment,   No.  1.     Colonel    Kewen 


comes  of  a  historic  family,  many  of  whose  mem- 
bers have  figured  prominently  and  with  honor 
in  State  and  National  affairs. 


f  JOHNSTON,  one  of  the  well-known  old 
Californians  now  and  for  many  years 
®  resident  in  Sacramento,  is  a  native  of 
Kittanning,  Pennsylvania,  born  June  30,  1827. 
His  father,  J.  R.  Johnston,  was  a  native  of 
Armstrong  County,  Pennsylvania,  a  farmer  and 
a  tanner  by  trade.  His  mother,  whose  maiden 
name  was  Isabella  Matthews,  was  also  a  native 
of  Pennsylvania.  David  Johnston,  the  subject 
of  this  sketch,  was  reared  at  Kittanning,  there 
read  law,  and  for  a  time  served  as  clerk  of  the 
Orphans'  Court  of  the  county.  On  the  14th  of 
October,  1852,  he  was  married,  and  on  the  same 
day  started  for  California.  The  next  week  he 
was  in  New  York  city,  and  on  the  21st  they 
left  there  on  the  steamer  Cortez.  He  was  de- 
tained at  Panama  a  week,  waiting  for  the 
steamer  on  the  Pacific  side,  and  landed  at  San 
Francisco  November  23,  1852.  The  great  fire 
had  occurred  at  Sacramento  while  they  were  on 
their  way,  and  in  December  came  the  great 
flood  here.  Mr.  Johnston  remained  in  San 
Francisco  that  winter,  and  the  following  spring 
came  to  Sacramento.  From  here  he  proceeded 
to  Bear  River,  in  Nevada  Couuty,  fourteen 
miles  below  Grass  Valley.  As  the  children 
grew  up  it  was  thought  proper  to  remove  the 
family  to  the  vicinity  of  educational  institu- 
tions, and  in  1868  they  came  to  Sacramento, 
where  they  have  since  resided,  and  where  Mr. 
Johnston  has  his  headquarters  for  the  transac- 
tion of  his  business  as  a  mining  and  United 
States  land  claim  attorney.  The  field  of  his 
operations  covers  this  land  district,  including 
Amador,  Placer,  El  Dorado,  Calaveras  and  Ne- 
vada counties.  Mrs.  Johnston  was,  before  her 
marriage.  Miss  Nancy  S.  Glass,  a  native  of 
Pennsylvania.  Her  father  was  a  prominent 
man  and  had  been  treasurer  of  Alleghain' 
County,    Pennsylvania.      Her    second     brother. 


HISTORY    OF    SACRAMENTO    COUNTY. 


J.  P.  Glass,  was  a  Colonel  in  Sickles'  celebrated 
corps  during  the  war  of  the  Rebellion.  Both 
of  her  parents  died  in  Pennsj-lvania.  Mr.  and 
Mrs.  Jolmston  have  three  living  children,  viz.: 
Robert  G.,  who  is  with  Wells-Fargo  Expi-ess 
Company,  Sacramento;  A.  J.,  of  the  large 
printing  house  of  A.  J.  Johnston  &  Co.,  Sacra- 
mento, and  Belle,  wife  of  W.  H.  Prontj',  of 
Trnckee.  Mr.  Johnston  had  a  brother  among 
the  pioneers  of  California, — J.  R.  Johnston, 
who  came  here  in  1849,  and  died  in  Placer 
County,  January  6,  1888.  His  parents  also 
came  to  this  State,  and  his  father  died  in  Ne- 
vada County,  August  12,  1860.  His  mother  is 
yet  living.  She  was  born  in  the  summer  of 
1809.  Mr.  Johnston  has  passed  the  chairs  in 
Eureka  Lodge,  I.  O.  O.  F.,  and  Pacific  Encamp- 
ment, jSTo.  2;  is  a  veteran  Odd  Fellow,  and  has 
been  a  member  of  the  (-rrand  Lodge.  He  has  a 
tract  of  land  about  three  miles  from  Auburn, 
embracing  700  acres,  and  there  pays  considera- 
ble attention  to  fruit-growing.  He  has  7,000 
fruit  trees,  among  them  1,000  olives  and  pears, 
the  remainder  being  peaches,  cherries,  oranges, 
etc.  He  also  has  about  12,000  vines  of  table 
grapes,  among  them  White  Muscat,  Rose  of 
Pern,  Flaming  Tokay,  and  Black  Morocco. 
Mr.  Johnston  was  elected  a  member  of  the 
Board  of  Education  of  Sacramento  city,  and 
served  for  two  years. 

— .-.g^->^>-~ 


fUDGE  GEORGE  A.  BLANCHARD.— 
Among  the  representative  members  of  the 
bar  of  Sacramento  to-day  is  the  gentleman 
with  whose  name  this  sketch  commences.  He 
is  a  native  of  Erie  County,  New  York,  born 
April  15,  1848,  and  son  of  George  G.  and  Phi- 
linda  (Keycs)  Blanchard.  The  latter  was  a 
native  of  New  Hampshire,  and  hci-  grandfatlier, 
an  Irish  Presbyterian,  settled  in  the  town  of 
Derry  in  that  State.  The  Blanchardg  are  an 
old  New  England  family.  The  paternal  grand- 
father of  the  subject  of  this  sketch,  a  Massachu- 
setts man,  removed,  after  his  marriage,  to  Antrim, 


New  Hampshire,  thence  afterward  to  Aurora, 
New  York,  and  finally  to  Jamestown,  Cliautau- 
qua  County,  New  York,  where  he  bought  from 
Mr.  Seward,  agent,  a  farm  of  the  Holland  Pur- 
chase, early  in  the  '50's.  He  still  lives  at  the 
farm,  at  an  advanced  age.  George  G.  Blanch- 
ard, father  of  the  subject  of  this  sketch,  was 
educated  at  Jamestown  Academy,  but  his 
brothers  were  all  Dartmoutli  graduates.  He 
was  married  at  Jamestown,  and  moved  to  Erie 
County,  where  he  taught  school.  Plis  wife  died 
while  he  was  there,  and  soon  after  he  left  there 
and  went  South,  where  he  resumed  teaching. 
He  afterward  migrated  to  Wisconsin,  and  from 
there  came  to  California  across  the  plains.  Ar- 
riving in  this  State,  he  first  engaged  in  mining 
in  Nevada  County,  and  afterward  removed  to 
El  Dorado  County,  where  he  mined  and  followed 
saw-milling  and  lumbering.  He  finally  em- 
barked in  the  legal  profession,  made  his  mark 
as  a  lawyer,  and  is  now  one  of  the  leading  mem- 
bers in  the  profession.  George  A.  Blanchard, 
subject  of  this  mention,  was  reared  at  James- 
town, New  York,  to  the  age  of  twelve  years, 
when  he  came  to  California  via  Panama,  taking 
passage  at  New  York  on  the  Northern  Light, 
and  landing  at  San  Francisco  from  the  Golden 
Gate  in  May,  1861,  just  after  the  breaking  out 
of  the  civil  war.  He  went  to  the  town  of  El 
Dorado  and  was  there  prepareql  for  college  by 
sundry  learned  college  men  from  Yale,  Am- 
herst, and  other  celebrated  institutions  of  learn- 
ing, all  of  which  contributed  their  quota  to  the 
personnel  of  the  California  mining  camps.  At 
the  age  of  si.xteen  years  he  went  to  Dartmouth 
College,  was  matriculated,  went  through  the 
fonr  years'  academic  course,  and  was  graduated 
in  the  class  of  1868.  He  then  went  to  Buffalo, 
New  York,  and  there  studied  law  with  Amos 
A.  Blanchard,  who  had  studied  law  with  Millard 
Fillmore,  in  the  firm  of  Fillmore,  Hall  & 
Haven.  During  this  time  he  was  deputy  clerk 
of  the  Superior  Court  of  Buffalo,  in  which 
Grover  Cleveland  had  practiced.  He  was  ad- 
mitted to  the  bar  on  examination,  in  the  eighth 
judicial  circuit  of  the   Supreme  Court  of  New 


HISTOllY    OF    HAOUAMENTO    COUNTY. 


York,  Judge  Richard  P.  Marvin,  presiding 
judge,  in  November,  1869.  The  next  spring 
he  came  back  to  California,  and  in  1871  he 
came  to  Sacramento  by  invitation  of  Attorney- 
General  Jolin  Lord  Love,  to  take  the  position 
of  Assistant  Attorney-General  in  his  office.  He 
so  continued  during  four  years,  and  for  a  con- 
siderable portion  of  the  time  was  acting  Attor- 
ney-General. At  the  expiration  of  General 
Love's  term  of  office,  and  after  one  month  with 
his  successor,  Jo.  Hamilton,  Mr.  Blanchard 
opened  an  office  on  the  corner  of  Second  and  K 
streets,  Sacramento,  and  soon  afterward  formed 
a  partnership  with  W.  C.  Van  Fleet  (now 
judge),  and  the  firm  of  Blanchard  &  Van  Fleet 
moved  into  the  office  vacated  by  Henry  Edger- 
ton,  corner  of  Sixth  and  I  streets.  That  was  in 
1875.  Mr.  Blanchard  was  elected  District  At- 
torney in  1878,  and  Mr.  Van  Fleet  conducted 
the  civil  business  of  the  firm  until  1880,  when 
the  partnership  was  dissolved.  At  the  expira- 
tion of  his  term  as  District  Attorney  Mr. 
Blanchard  was  appointed  Assistant  Attorney- 
General  by  General  A.  L.  Hart,  and  served  first 
in  this  capacity  under  the  new  constitution. 
About  a  year  and  a  half  later  he  was  appointed 
by  Governor  Perkins  to  fill  the  vacancy  on  the 
Superior  bench  of  Colusa  County,  caused  by 
the  deatli  of  Judge  Hatch.  He  served  out  the 
unexpired  term,  was  nominated  for  the  position 
by  the  Republican  convention,  and  at  the  en- 
suing election  failed  of  being  chosen  for  the 
position  by  140  votes,  though  there  was  a 
Democratic  majority  in  the  county  of  1,000, 
and  this  tliough  he  had  never  been  in  the  county 
previous  to  his  appointment  as  judge.  He 
practiced  law  there  until  January  1,  1888, 
when  he  came  to  Sacramento  and  formed  the 
present  partnership  with  Judge  Amos  P.  Cat- 
lin.  Judge  Blanchard  was  married  to  Miss 
Annie  L.  Hatch,  daughter  of  Dr.  F.  W.  Hatch, 
deceased,  mention  of  whom  appears  elsewhere 
in  this  volume.  Judge  Blanchard  has  always 
taken  an  active  part  in  public  affairs  and  in  the 
Republican  party  organization.  He  was  a  mem- 
ber of  the  State  Central  Committee  for  Colusa 


County,  and  was  a  member  of  the  State  Con- 
vention of  1886.  It  is  generally  conceded  that 
he  could  have  had  the  nomination  for  Attorney- 
General  had  he  so  desired.  His  record  on  the 
bench  and  at  the  bar  place  him  in  the  front 
rank  of  the  legal  profession. 

^-3-^ 

fDWIN  H.  McKEE,  auditor  of  the  city  of 
Sacramento,  has  been  a  resident  of  the 
city  since  1855.  He  is  a  native  of  Ver- 
mont, born  at  Essex,  Chittenden  County,  on 
the  16th  of  May,  1847.  His  father,  George 
McKee,  a  native  of  Ireland,  came  to  America 
with  his  parents  when  a  mere  child.  He  was 
reared  in  New  York  State,  and  in  Vermont, 
and  in  the  latter  State  was  married  to  Miss 
Mary  M.  Curtis.  In  1852  he  joined  the 
throng  of  emigration  to  California,  making  the 
journey  via  Panama,  and  landing  at  San  Fran- 
cisco. He  was  soon  engaged  in  mining,  and 
followed  that  occupation  at  Mokelumne  Hill, 
Hangtown,  Michigan  Bar,  and  other  places.  In 
1855  he  was  joined  at  Sacramento  by  his  wife 
and  two  sons.  Homer  L.  and  Edwin  H.  Ed- 
win H.  McKee  was  reared  to  manhood  in 
Sacramento,  and  was  educated  in  her  schools. 
At  the  age  of  seventeen  years  lie  commenced 
the  moulder's  trade  in  the  shops  of  the  Cen- 
tral Pacific  Railroad,  and  when  he  had  reached 
his  majority,  was  a  journeyman.  He  con- 
tinued the  prosecution  of  his  trade  until  March, 
1877,  when  he  was  elected  to  the  position  he  now 
holds.  In  his  office  he  has  given  entire  satis- 
faction to  the  people  of  Sacramento,  and  his  rec- 
ord has  been  one  of  integrity  and  conscientious 
work.  Mr.  McKee  has  been  for  many  years  ac- 
tively identified  with  the  National  Guard  of  Sac- 
ramento, having  first  joined  the  old  company  A 
as  private,  and  from  that  position  progressing 
through  the  ranks  of  Fourth  Sergeant,  First  Ser- 
geant, and  Lieutenant.  When  he  attached  him- 
self to  the  artillery  regiment,  he  was  chosen  its 
Major,  and  is  now  Lieutenant  Colonel  of  the  regi- 
ment.    He  was  married  in  Sacramento  to  Miss 


HISTORY    OF    SACRAMENTO    COUNTY. 


Emeline  L.  McKee,  u  native  of  Philadelphia, 
ile  is  Past  Sachem  of  Owusso  Tribe  No.  39, 
Improved  Order  of  Eed  Men.  He  is  Past 
Cliief  Ranger  of  Court  Sacramento,  A.  O.  F., 
and  has  been  commander  in  the  Uniform  Rank 
of  Knights  of  Sherwood  Forest;  he  is  Past 
Chancellor  Commander  of  Columbia  Lodge, 
K.  of  P„  and  is  a  member  of  Washington 
Lodge,  A.  F.  &  A.  M.,  and  Sacramento  R.  A. 
C,  No.  '6.  He  has  been  intimately  connected 
with  the  city  fire  department,  and  at  the  time 
of  his  election  to  bis  present  post  was  foreman 
of  Engine  Co.  No.  1.  It  thus  happened  that 
liis  iirst  duty  as  auditor  proved  to  be  the  sign- 
ing of  a  warrant  for  himself  as  foreman — a 
singular  coincidence.  Mr.  McKee  has  grown 
up  among  the  people  of  Sacramento,  was  edu- 
cated in  her  schools,  learned  his  trade  amid  her 
artisans,  and  in  all  capacities  in  which  he  has 
served  he  has  remained  the  same  modest  gentle- 
man and  enjoys  the  confidence  and  respect  of 
the  people  of  Sacramento. 


;ILLIAM  S.  CHURCH,  City  Attorney 
of  Sacramento,  is  a  native  of  Woodford 
County,  Kentucky,  born  near  Versailles, 
May  19,  1851.  His  father,  James  C.  Church, 
was  a  native  of  Indiana,  but  located  in  Ken- 
tucky, where  he  studied  surveying, .and  where 
lie  was  married  to  Miss  Fannie  Smithers,  a 
native  of  Kentucky.  In  1852  he  removed  with 
his  family  to  Kansas  City,  Missouri,  and  the 
following  year  came  out  across  the  plains  to 
California,  locating  in  American  Valley,  Plu- 
mas County,  where  he  bought  a  ranch.  He 
afterward  removed  to  Indian  Valley,  where  he 
died  in  1886.  His  widow  yet  resides  there. 
He  followed  his  profession  of  surveyor  for  some 
time  after  coming  to  the  State,  and  held  the 
office  of  county  surveyor  for  one  term;  but  his 
line  set  of  instruments  were  destroyed  by  fire, 
and  thereafter  he  devoted  his  attention  to  ranch- 
ing. William  S.  Church,  subject  of  this  sketcii, 
was  but  two  years  old  when  tlie  family  removed 


to  -this  State,  and  he  was  reared  in  Plumas 
County.  He  was  educated  in  the  public  schools, 
and  in  the  winter  of  1867  commenced  attend- 
ance at  Heald's  College,  San  Francibco,  where 
he  was  graduated  in  May,  1868.  He  then  came 
to  Sacramento  and  obtained  employment  ou 
Whitcomb's  ranch,  in  the  southern  part  of  the 
county.  He  worked  there  some  time  and  then 
went  home  on  a  visit.  In  1870  he  went  to 
Yolo  County,  and  clerked  in  a  store  in  Capay 
Valley  for  a  year  and  a  half.  He  next  engaged 
in  teaching  school  at  Fairview.  In  1873  he 
went  to  Nevada,  and  tanght  writing  school  at 
Virginia  City  and  at  Reno.  Later  in  the  same 
year  he  returned  to  California,  and  while  in 
Solano  County,  was  elected  superintendent  of 
schools  of  Plumas  County,  and  by  virtue  of  re- 
election, served  from  1874  to  1878.  He  then 
began  to  think  of  some  permanent  profession 
other  than  teaching,  and  turned  to  the  law,  for 
which  he  tiien  began  reading.  In  1880  he  was 
nominated  on  the  Democratic  ticket  for  district 
attorney,  in  the  county  of  Sierra,  but  of  course 
was  unsuccessful,  as  the  county  was  hopelessly 
Republican.  In  1881  he  received  his  life  di- 
ploma as  a  teacher.  Early  in  that  year  he  came 
to  Sacramento  and  read  law  with  Colonel  Creed 
Haymond  and  W.  A.  Cheney  (now  Superior 
Judge  of  Los  Angeles  Couuty).  Ou  the  7th  of 
May,  1881,  he  was  admitted  to  practice  before 
the  Supreme  Court  of  California.  After  his 
admission  he  went  to  La  Porte,  Plumas  County, 
and  there  practiced  law  for  two  years.  He  was 
a  candidate  for  county  clerk  on  the  "  New  Con- 
stitution "  ticket,  in  1881,  but  was  defeated. 
On  account  of  the  stoppage  of  hydraulic  min- 
ing, evei-ything  was  dull  in  Plumas  County,  and 
Mr.  Church  came  to  Sacramento  and  engaged 
in  law  writing.  He  wrote  a  book  entitled 
"  Habeas  Corpus "  for  Bancroft  &  Co.,  San 
Francisco.  In  tiie  Legislature  of  1884  he  was 
clerk  of  the  Committee  on  Constitutioiuil 
Amendments.  In  1885  he  went  to  Gait,  and 
practiced  there  a  couple  of  months,  and  then 
went  north  to  Washington  Territory  and  Brit- 
ish Columbia.      Two  or  three   weeks  later  he 


HlSTOnr    OF    SACRAMENTO    COUNTY. 


returned  to  Sacramento,  and  was  engaged  on 
the  "  American  Decisions  "  for  Bancroft  &  Co., 
and  continued  his  writing  on  this  work  until 
elected  city  attorney,  in  1888.  In  1886  he 
made  the  race  for  district  attorney  of  Sacra- 
mento County  unsuccessfully.  Mr.  Church  was 
married  in  Sacramento.  April  11,  1886,  to  Miss 
Tiilie  Beauchamp,  a  native  of  Chicago,  and 
daughter  of  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Joseph  Beauchamp. 
Mr.  Church  is  a  member  of  Tehama  Lodge,  F. 
&  A.  M.;  Sacramento  E.  A.  Chapter  No.  3; 
Sacramento  Council,  No.  1,  K.  &  S.  M,  and  of 
Court  Sutter.  No.  7,246,  A.  O.  F.  In  the  latter 
he  was,  at  one  time,  chief  ranger,  lie  is  a  man 
of  broad  attainments,  and  although  already  con- 
siderably experienced  in  professional  and  official 
life,  may  be  said  to  have  just  commenced  his 
career,  being  yet  a  young  man. 


fK.  ALEXANDER  MONTAGUE,  one  of 
the  eminent  practicing  physicians  of  this 
State,  and  a  resident  of  Gait,  was  born  in 
Wake  County,  near  Raleigh,  North  Carolina, 
September  16,  1845,  son  of  Dr.  W.  11.  Mon- 
tague, a  prominent  physician.  In  the  family 
were  six  sons  and  six  daughters,  one  of  whom, 
besides  the  subject  of  this  sketch,  is  a  physician, 
in  Winston,  North  Carolina.  Dr.  Montague 
received  his  early  education  at  the  AVake  Forest 
College,  and  in  1865  graduated  at  the  State 
University  at  Chapel  Hill,  formerly  one  of  the 
largest  institutions  in  the  South.  While  pur- 
suing his  collegiate  course  he  was  gradually 
drifting  into  medical  studies,  and  afterward  he 
read  in  the  office  of  his  father  two  years,  and  re- 
ceived his  diploma  in  18G8  from  the  University 
of  the  City  of  New  York,  after  attending  the 
required  course  of  lectures  there.  •Until  1877 
he  practiced  his  profession  in  his  native  State, 
and  then  came  to  California,  locating  at  Shasta 
City,  where  his  competency  soon  became  known 
and  he  was  appointed  surgeon  to  the  County 
Hospital.  He  remained  at  that  place  nine 
moliths.     In  1878  he  came  to  Gait,  where  he 


has  since  resided  and  had  a  large  practice,  ex- 
cepting the  three  years  1885-'88,  when  he  was 
in  New  York  city,  prosecuting  special  studies. 
Thus  the  peojile  of  Gait  and  vicinity  have  the 
satisfaction  of  knowing  one  physician  at  least 
among  them  who  is  probably  as  well  qualified 
ti-  treat  them  as  any  other  general  practitioner 
in  the  State. 

fAMUEL  E.  WRISTON,  a  resident  of  this 
county  since  1852,  was  born  in  Morgan 
County,  Illinoif,  March  19,  1834.  His 
father,  James,  a  native  of  South  Carolina,  emi- 
grated to  Illinois  when  a  young  man.  In  Mor- 
gan County  he  married  Miss  Catharine  P.  Sage, 
a  native  of  Terre  Haute,  Indiana,  had  three 
children,  and  died  in  1839  at  the  age  of  thirty- 
four  years.  Samuel,  our  subject,  is  the  only 
one  now  living.  The  eldest  son,  William  B., 
came  to  this  State  in  1849,  and  was  accidentally 
killed  in  "Russell  Pocket,"  four  miles  from 
Gait,  July  7,  1856.  The  other  son,  Elihu  R., 
came  to  California  in  1859,  and  died  in  Wood- 
bridge,  San  Joaquin  County,  June  27,  1877. 
In  after  years  Mrs.  Wriston  married  John  Raf- 
fety,  who  also  is  now  deceased.  The  widow  is 
now  living  in  Fella,  Jasper  County,  Iowa,  at 
the  age  ot  sixty-nine  years.  By  the  last  mar- 
riage there  were  six  children,  of  whom  four  are 
still  living.  Mr.  Samuel  E.  Wriston,  the  sub- 
ject of  this  sketch,  was  brought  up  on  a  farm. 
In  April,  1852,  when  seventeen  years  of  age,  he 
came  to  California  overland  with  mule  teams, 
ill  company  with  three  families  and  twenty- 
seven  men,  consuming  exactly  three  months  on 
.the  trip  from  the  Missouri  River.  When  he 
arrived  in  Sacramento  his  brother  William  was 
living  in  the  "Pocket."  He  intended  to  go 
over  the  mountains  to  Carson  Valley,  but  ciiills 
and  fever  attacked  him  and  pi-evented  him  from 
going.  After  recovery  he  began  to  work  on 
ranches,  meanwhile  owning  some  live  stock  in 
company  with  his  brother.  After  the  death  of 
t!ie  latter  he   took  charge  of  all   tiie  stock  for 


HISTORY    OF    8AGBAMENT0    COUNTY. 


awhile,  and  then  disposed  of  it.  In  November, 
1857,  he  returned  East  on  a  visit.  Arrived  in 
Sacramento  again  June  1,  1859,  and  again 
entered  the  live-stock  business,  buying  and  sell- 
ing and  dairying,  and  followed  this  business  for 
nine  years  in  partnership  with  C.  W.  Harvey, 
in  the  meantime  owning  some  land  which  he 
had  bought  before  going  East.  Up  to  about 
three  years  ago  his  business  was  mainly  stock- 
raising,  but  lately  he  has  paid  more  attention  to 
general  agricultui-e.  His  farm  consists  of  422 
acres,  on  the  Laguna,  iive  miles  east  and  north 
of  Gait.  He  has  made  his  residence  in  this 
village  since  it  was  started  in  1869.  Mr.  Wris- 
ton  is  a  member  of  the  Odd  Fellows'  order,  and 
of  the  A.  O.  U.  W.  of  Gait.  Politically  he  is 
a  R  publican,  although  his  first  Presidential 
vote  in  1856  was  cast  for  Buchanan.  In  1860 
he  was  a  Douglas  Democrat,  and  since  then  he 
has  been  a  Republican.  He  was  united  in  mar- 
riage, June  14,  1870,  to  Jennie  V.  Ferguson,  a 
native  of  Illinois,  and  reared  in  the  city  of 
Chicago.  They  have  had  three  children,  as  fol- 
lows: Carrie  F.,  born  May  13,  1872,  and  died 
December  24,  1880;  Charles  R.,  born  October 
3,  1874;  and  Samuel  C,  born  September  3, 
1877,  and  died  February  17,  1878. 

--^^M^m^^ — 

fOLOMON  KREEGER,  farmer.  Dry  Creek 
Township,  was  born  December  17,  1829, 
in  Mt.  Pleasant,  Forsythe  County,  North 
Carolina,  son  of  Jacob  and  Mary  (Fulps)  Kree- 
ger,  natives  also  of  that  State.  Both  the  grand- 
fathers of  Mr.  Kreeger  were  in  the  Revolu- 
tionary War  seven  years,  and  they  lived  to 
be  respectively  108  and  105.  Jacob  Kree- 
ger was  a  farmer  all  his  life  and  died  in 
his  native  State,  at  the  age  of  sixty-eight 
years,  in.  1846.  He  had  five  sons  and  six 
daughters;  the  sons  were  George  W.,  Jacob, 
John,  Henry  and  Solomon;  and  of  these  only 
three  are  now  living.  Some  of  the  family  still 
remain  in  North  Carolina,  and  some  are  in 
Ohio,    Indiana,   and    Missouri.       Solomon    was 


raised  on  a  farm  in  his  native  State,  graduated 
at  Trinity  College,  North  Carolina,  when  twenty- 
one  years  old,  and  then  he  started  for  California, 
but  stopped  near  Independence,  Missouri,  and 
taught  school  there  a  year  in  Jackson  County. 
In  1851  he  started  again  for  the  Golden  State, 
with  others,  coming  overland  with  ox  teams. 
Had  some  trouble  with  the  Indians,  who  en- 
deavored to  bteal  their  cattle.  By  such  delays 
their  trip  was  extended  five  months  and  live 
days.  Stopping  tir.st  at  Diamond  Spring,  El 
Dorado  County,  Mr.  Kreeger  rained  about  two 
months,  and  then  followed  the  same  occupation 
at  Michigan  Bar,  Sacramento  County,  about  four 
years,  with  moderate  success.  Then  he  located 
upon  his  present  property  in  Dry  Creek  Town- 
ship; but  subsequently  removed  to  Sicramento, 
opened  a  hay  and  grain  store  on  the  corner  of 
Eleventh  and  J  streets,  known  as  the  Elephant 
Feed  Store,  and  ran  it  about  five  years,  then  re- 
turned to  his  ranch.  Here  he  has  splendid  im- 
provements, rendering  the  place  exceedingly  at- 
tractive. He  has  two  farms,  the  home  ranch  of 
451  acres,  and  the  Briggs  ranch  of  468  acres,  on 
which  he  has  about  200  acres  of  alfalfa.  He 
has  been  a  member  of  the  Masonic  order  0ver 
since  he  was  twenty-one  years  of  age.  He  is  a 
charter  member  of  Nebraska  Lodge,  No.  71, 
and  of  Gait  Lodge,  No.  267,  and  in  1886  was  a 
member  of  the  Grand  Lodge  of  the  State  of  Cali- 
fornia. He  is  also  a  member  of  the  Lodge  of 
the  Golden  Shore  and  of  the  Chose  i  Friends. 
In  1863  he  married  Jane  Cunningham,  a  native 
of  Illinois,  and  they  have  seven  children  living, 
three  deceased.  Their  names  are  Virgil,  Lillie, 
Lettie,  Zena,  TuUy  B.,  Creed  H.,  and  Saul 
Cleveland. 


*i- 


fF.  PHELPS,  the  jeweler,  stationer  and 
music  dealer  of  Gait,  has  been  a  resident 
**  of  that  place  since  1878.  He  was  born 
in  Burlington,  Vermont,  May  31,  1833,  son  of 
Francis  and  Helen  Phelps,  both  natives  also  of 
that  State,  who  resided  there  until   their  death. 


HISTORy    OF    SACRAMENTO    COUNTY. 


Eeing  a  natural  tnusician,  and  having  an  excel- 
lent training  from  the  best  teachers,  Mr.  Phelps 
was  set  to  the  s^-stematic  study  of  music  at  the 
age  <>f  fire  years.  Among  his  teachers  was  the 
noted  Lowell  Mason.  After  leaving  home,  at 
the  age  of  twelve  years  he  continued  his  favorite 
study,  mostly  by  himself,  adapting  himself  to 
almost  any  kind  of  musical  instrument.  In 
the  early  '50's  he  spent  a  winter  in  Chicago, 
where  he  played  violin  in  the  amphitheater,  and 
traveled  with  a  circus  during  the  summer.  He 
continued  this  mode  of  life  up  to  the  age  of 
twenty-two  years,  when  he  began  learning  a 
trade  in  Cleveland,  Ohio.  He  entered  a  store 
there  kept  by  a  German  named  Iveselmyer,  who 
had  a  small  business,  pi-inci pally  in  the  way  of 
repairing,  and  worked  with  him  two  years  He 
then  traveled,  repairing  musical  instruments 
and  soliciting  his  own  work  until  he  came  to 
California  in  1857.  He  came  from  New  York 
by  way  of  Panama,  landing  in  San  Francisco 
in  March.  He  mined  in  Calaveras  County  ten 
years,  in  the  meantime  prospecting  considera- 
bly, and  when  short  of  money  would  resort  to 
his  old  trade.  At  length  he  abandoned  mining 
and  prospecting,  and  devoted  himself  exclusively 
to  the  repairing  business  again,  until  he  located 
in  "Woodbridge,  September  1,  1868,  with  no 
means  but  his  kit  of  tools;  and  he  also  taught 
music  some.  Much  can  be  credited  to  Mr. 
Phelps  for  what  he  did  for  Woodbridge  and' 
that  section  of  the  country  in  the  way  of 
creating  a  taste  for  music  and  raising  its  stand- 
ard. He  taught  in  the  public  schools  and  led 
societies  free  of  charge,  receiving  pay  for  in- 
sirnmental  instruction  only.  As  the  place  ad- 
vanced in  population,  wealth,  and  in  other 
respects,  his  classes  in  music  increased,  and  his 
reputation  widened,  bringing  pupils  from  greater 
and  greater  distances.  The  people  of  Wood- 
bridge,  acknowledging  their  indebtedness  to 
Prof.  Phelps,  presented  him  a  beautiful  gold- 
headed  cane,  appropriately  engraved  with  the 
inscription  and  date,  and  the  head  embellished 
with  a  beautiful  setting  of  gold  quartz.  In  his 
business  he   naturally  collected   around   him  a 


considerable  stock  of  jewelry  and  musical 
goods.  For  business  reasons  he  came  to  Gait, 
in  June,  1878,  and  opened  a  store  in  his  line, 
where  he  has  deservedly  prospered.  He  was 
married  in  1863  to  Julia  A.  Carter,  a  native  of 
Wisconsin,  and  they  have  three  children:  Cora 
A.,  Carry  L.  and  Alton  D. 

^ENRY  S.  PUTNEY,  farmer,  Dry  Creek 
|M|  Township,  was  born  May  13, 1828,  in  Yates 
'«¥  County,  New  York,  a  son  of  Jedediah  and 
Caroline  S.  (Gartwell)  Putney,  of  English  de- 
descent.  His  father,  who  was  also  a  farmer, 
died  in  Yates  County  in  1850,  at  the  age  of 
forty-five  years.  In  his  family  we?'e  four  sons 
and  four  daughters;  the  sons  were  Decastro  A., 
Henry  S.,  George  S.,  and  Lyman  D.  Decastro 
died  on  shipboard,  on  the  Pacific  Ocean,  in  1853, 
of  pneumonia.  Mr.  Putney  was  reared  upon 
the  farm  in  New  York  State  until  he  was  of  age, 
in  1849,  when  he  sailed  from  New  York  city, 
February  14,  for  California,  on  the  Crescent 
City  to  Panama,  and  on  the  whaling  ship  Sylph 
for  San  Francisco,  landing  at  that  city  July  28. 
Coming  to  Sacramento  by  sail-boat,  he  went 
directly  to  the  mines  near  Auburn,  and  mined 
for  gold  about  a  year,  with  moderate  success. 
In  the  fall  of  1850  he  went  to  San  Jose  and  en- 
tered a  tract  of  Government  land,  which  he 
afterward  exchanged  for  a  claim  in  this  county 
where  he  now  resides,  twenty  miles  from  Sacra- 
mento. It  contains  530  acres,  well  adapted  to 
grain,  hay  and  live  stock.  All  the  improve- 
ments now  seen  there  he  has  made  himself, 
having  lived  there  since  1851.  A  good  orchard 
and  vineyard  are  on  the  jiremises.  He  came 
with  nothing  and  was  $16  in  debt,  and  he  has 
made  all  his  property  by  his  own  honest  earn- 
ings. He  was  the  first  man  to  run  a  Separator 
threshing  machine  in  Sacramento  County.  Mr. 
Putney,  December  27,  1862,  married  Miss 
Rhoda  A.,  daughter  of  Calvin  and  Eliza  W. 
(Bixby)  Bates, — her  father  a  native  of  Vermont 
and  mother  of  New  York.      Mr.  and  Mrs.  Put- 


HISTORY    OV    SACRAMENTO    COUNTY. 


ney  have  five  children:  Melvina  E.,  born  Sep- 
tember 13,  1863;  George  S.,  January  5,  1865, 
and  aied  June  12,  1887;  Julia  M.,  born  Janu- 
ary 28,  1866;  Eliza  C,  October  24,  1873;  and 
Frankie  M.,  May  11,  1879.  Melvina  is  the  wife 
of  Frank  S.  Wardrobe,  of  this  county;  the  other 
children  are  still  at  their  paternal  home.  Mrs. 
Putney  crossed  the  plains  in  1859  to  this  State 
with  her  brother  George  O.  Bates  and  family, 
who  now  reside  in  Sacramento  city;  they  were 
si.x  months  on  the  route.  She  and  her  daughter 
Julia  are  members  of  the  Rebekah  Degree 
Lodge,  No.  36,  of  wliich  Miss  Julia  is  Noble 
Grand.  Mr.  Putney  is  a  member  of  Elk  Grove 
Lodiie,  No.  274,  I.  O.  O.  F. 


^m 


m^^-' 


mm{P^&.  JANE  MAUIN,  of  Dry  Creek 
/  \/  V.  Township,  is  a  daughter  of  Henry  Mur- 
"  ,  ~^  ray,  and  was  born  in  Cedar  County, 
Iowa.  Her  father,  a  farmer,  was  a  native  of 
Ireland,  and  his  genealogy  can  be  traced  back  to 
the  Scotch-Irish.  He  was  raised  on  a  farm  in 
his  native  country.  He  was  born  May  3, 1812, 
and  married  Miss  Jane  Adair,  in  Ireland.  Emi- 
grating to  America,  he  located  near  Point  Pleas- 
ant, Ohio;  subsequently  he  moved  to  Iowa, 
where  Mrs.  Mahin  was  born,  and  still  lives  there, 
at  the  age  of  seventy-seven  years.  His  wife 
died  in  1872,  at  the  age  of  sixty-four  years.  In 
their  family  were  eleven  children,  six  daughters 
and  five  sons;  three  daughters  are  in  this  State. 
Besides  Mrs.  Mahin,  there  are  Mrs.  William 
Frazer  and  Mrs.  D.  L.  Davis,  both  in  this 
county.  Mrs.  Mahin  came  across  the  plains  and 
mountaiTis  to  California  in  1864,  and  purchased 
the  property  which  she  now  occupies,  twenty- 
two  miles  from  Sacramento  and  one  mile  east  of 
the  upper  Stockton  road.  It  now  contains  423 
acres,  and  is  in  a  very  line  state  of  cultivation, 
the  soil  being  well  adapted  to  general  farming; 
and  the  improvements  are  good.  There  are  also 
a  number  of  magnificent  oak  shade  trees  on  the 
place.  Mrs.  Mahin  has  two  sons  and  two  daugh- 
ters, namely:  Jennie,  wife  of  E.  M.  Curl,  of  Los 


Angeles;  John  R.,  who  lives  in  this  county; 
Nelita,  wife  of  William  Stuart,  of  Los  Angeles; 
and  William,  a  resident  of  Sacramento.  Mrs. 
Mahin  visited  her  old  home  in  1870,  but  says 
she  is  willing  to  make  her  home  in  California 
during  the  reiriainder  of  her  life. 


ILLIS  WRIGHT,  a  pioneer  and  success- 
ful farmer  of  Dry  Creek  Township,  was 
born  in  Rutland  County,  Vermont, 
February  2,  1823.  His  father,  Elihu  Wright, 
was  also  a  native  of  that  State;  and  his  grand- 
father, also  named  Elihu,  was  born  in  Connecti- 
cut and  emigrated  to  Vermont  when  about 
twenty-one  years  old.  His  only  son,  the  father 
of  Willis,  married  Minerva  McArthur,  a  native 
also  of  the  Green  Mountain  State.  Her  father, 
Charles  McArthur,  was  from  the  Highlands  of 
Scotland,  and  married  a  Vermont  lady  after 
coming  to  this  country.  In  1836  Elihu  Wright, 
Jr.,  and  family  emigrated  to  Illinois  when  the 
tide  of  immigration  was  to  the  Western  States, 
and  he  located  thirty  miles  west  of  Chicago,  on 
the  line  between  Conk  and  Kane  counties;  but 
that  part  of  the  country  was  afterward  taken 
from  these  counties  and  organized  into  Du  Page 
Count}'.  Mr.  Wright  made  his  home  there  un- 
til his  death,  about  1851;  his  wife  died  in  the 
spring  of  1850.  Of  their  three  sons  the  subject 
of  this  sketch  was  the  youngest.  He  remained 
at  home  with  his  parents  until  he  was  twenty- 
four  years  of  age,  by  which  time  he  had  land  of 
his  own.  He  then  went  upon  his  land  and 
worked  it,  at  the  same  time  assisting  the  family, 
which  then  consisted  of  four  members.  In  1853 
be  came  overland  to  California,  arriving  at 
Hangtown  October  12,  being  six  months  on  the 
road;  and  six  weeks  later  he  went  down  into 
Dry  Creek  Township  with  a  band  of  cattle 
which  he  had  brought  across  the  plains;  with 
this  stock  he  went  into  the  cattle  business  and 
general  farming,  which  he  continued  up  to 
1862,  in  "  Russell  Pocket."  During  this  time 
he   kept   a    team   on   the  road  hauling  hay  and 


n I  STORY    OF    SACRAMENTO    COUNTY. 


Itiiiiber  to  and  from  the  mountains.  In  1862 
he  took  some  of  the  stock  into  the  mountains, 
and  during  the  summer  months  for  eighteen 
years  ran  a  dairy  and  raised  cattle.  He  has 
been  a  resident  of  Gait  for  about  seven  years, 
living  a  more  retired  life  and  enjoying  what  he 
has  worked  so  hard  to  attain  for  so  many  years. 
His  marriage  occurred  December  22,  1846, 
when  ho  wedded  Marietta  Angel^ne  Yan  Em- 
burgh,  who  was  born  in  Rutland  County,  Yer- 
mont,  November  6,  1824.  She  became  the 
mother  of  seven  children:  Frederick,  born  Sep- 
tember 25,  1847;  Albert  W.,  born  April  25, 
1849;  James  C,  May  20,  1852;  Eva,  born  Oc- 
tober 2,  1854,  and  died  October  12,  1884,  the 
wife  of  Edward  Humphreys,  of  Sacramento; 
Frank  M.,  April  12,  1857,  and  died  June  13, 
1862;  Edward  E.,  born  May  26,  1859;  and 
Hattie  M.,  August  1,  1867.  Mr.  Wright  was 
again  married  December  24, 1882,  to  Mrs.  Eliza 
A.  Summers,  nee  x\rnold,  also  a  native  of  Rut- 
land County,  Yermont.  Her  marriage  to  Dan- 
iel B.  Summers  took  place  October  14,  1845; 
and  they  came  to  California  by  way  of  Panama, 
landing  in  San  Francisco,  and  then  at  Sacra- 
mento May  22,  1852.  Mr.  Summers  died  July 
13,  1878,  an  old  resident  of  this  county.  By 
this  marriage  there  were  eight  children,  of 
whom  five  are  now  living,  four  daughters  and 
one  son,  all  married. 

^-^--^ • 

f^EORGE  XEED,  a  general  farmer  in  Dry 
P  Creek  Township,  was  born  September  27, 
^  1836,  in  Germany,  and  emigrated  to 
America  in  1840  with  his  parents,  Francis  and 
Dorothy  Need,  landing  at  Baltimore  and  set- 
tlirg  near  Lawrenceburg,  Dearborn  County,  In- 
di-ana.  There  they  were  on  a  farm  until  the 
father's  death  in  1874,  at  the  age  of  seventy-two 
years;  the  mother  died  in  1849.  In  their  family 
were  four  sons  and  one  daughter,  viz.:  Michel, 
George,  Yalentine,  Ciiristopher,  and  Laney,  wife 
of  Louis  Lehr,  of  Indianapolis.  Michel  came 
to  California  in  1852,  and  died  in  1868;  Chris- 


topher was  killed  in  the  Civil  War;  Yalentine 
also  served  in  the  war  and  now  lives  in  Indiana, 
George  remained  with  his  father  on  the  tarm 
until  he  was  twenty  years  of  age,  and  then,  in 
1857,  embarked  at  New  York  and  came  by  way 
of  the  Isthmus  to  the  Golden  State,  and  at  once 
located  where  he  has  ever  since  resided,  except 
a  short  time  in  Fresno  County,  when  he  was 
in  the  stock  business.  In  1867  he  purchased 
his  present  fine  property  of  775  acres,  five 
miles  from  Gait,  and  where  he  has  made  all  the 
improvements  now  on  the  place.  In  1867  he 
married  Miss  Sarah  J.  Ehler,  a  native  of  Indi- 
ana, and  they  have  had  six  children,  two  of 
whom  are  deceased,  namely:  Eflie  R.,  born  Oc- 
tober 18,  1868,  died  November  25  following; 
Louisa  J.,  born  March  15,  1871;  George  C, 
July  2,  1873;  Isabel  E.,  June  24,  1874;  Fran- 
cis, born  December  6,  1876,  died  April  19, 
1877;  and  Henry  J.,  born  September  27,  1878. 
Mr.  Need  is  a  gentleman  of  kindly  disposition, 
industrious  habits  and  sincere  in  his  morals. 
Politically  he  is  a  Republican;  his  first  Repub- 
lican  vote  was  cast  for  Ben  Harrison. 


fAMES  K.  McKINSTRY,  of  Gait,  was  born 
in  Rochester,  New  York,  February  9,  1835. 
His  father,  John,  and  his  mother,  Jane 
(Kelso)  McKinstry,  were  both  natives  of  the 
North  of  Ireland.  About  1834  they  emigrated 
to  the  United  States,  having  at  that  time  two 
children,  one  of  whom  died  while  crossing  the 
ocean,  and  the  other  died  in  Sacramento,  in 
Miiy,  1853.  Both  were  daughters.  On  arrival 
in  this  country,  John  McKinstry  first  located  in 
New  York  State,  where  the  family  resided  until 
1837,  in  Chicago  till  1840,  and  from  1840  to 
1850  in  Galena,  Illinois.  The  mother  is  now 
living  with  her  son  James,  in  Gait.  On  coming 
to  this  State  about  the  middle  of  August,  1850, 
they  stopped  first  in  Sacramento.  In  May,  1851, 
James  McKinstry  (our  subject)  went  to  the 
mines,  and  for  about  four  years  was  engaged 
among  them  in  El  Dorado  and  Placer  counties. 


HISTOBT    OF    SACRAMENTO    COUNTY. 


He  then  came  to  the  vicinity  of  Gait,  where  he 
has  since  been  an  honored  resident.  There  he 
followed  the  dairy  business  for  about  fourteen 
years,  driving  cows  to  the  mountains,  making 
butter  and  raising  stock.  From  1872  to  1879, 
with  the  exception  of  one  year,  he  was  salesman 
in  Whitaker  &  Ray's  store.  In  the  meantime 
he  started  a  livery  stable  in  Gait,  and  for  the 
last  ten  years  he  lias  given  his  personal  atten- 
tion to  the  business.  His  stable  was  first 
erected  in  Old  Liberty  by  Robert  Brown.  After 
a  time  it  fell  inco  the  hands  of  Calvin  Briggs, 
along  with  the  Devins  E.xchange  Hotel,  and  was 
moved  to  Gait  and  set  on  the  corner  of  Fifth 
and  C  streets,  where  it  now  stands.  Thomas 
Briggs  was  the  first  to  run  it  as  a  livery  stable. 
He  sold  to  William  F.  Brewster  and  Benjamin 
F.  Howard,  about  1873.  After  awhile  Brews 
ter  sold  his  interest  to  Mr.  Mclvinstry,  and  the 
firm  of  Howard  &  McKinstry  continued  until 
Mr.  floward  disposed  of  his  interest  to  his 
brother  Caarles  B.,  the  firm  name  remaining  the 
same.  In  1879  or  1880  Mr.  McKinstry  bought 
out  his  partner's  interest,  and  since  then  has 
been  the  sole  proprietor.  He  is  a  pleasant, 
genial  gentleman,  thoroughly  understanding 
business  principles.  He  has  been  moderately 
successful  in  life,  and  he  now  has  the  finest 
livery  stable  in  the  place.  He  is  a  member  of 
Phoenix  Lodge,  No.  239,  I.  O.  O.  F.,  and  of  the 
Gait  Encampment,  No.  65,  both  of  Gait.  He 
has  a  ranch  of  160  acres  two  miles  from  Gait, 
and  another  of  the  same  size  eight  miles  from 
town,  devoted  to  general  farming.  July  19, 
1858,  is  the  date  of  his  marriage  to  Faimy, 
daughter  of  Thomas  Armstrong,  one  of  the  early 
artists  and  engravers  on  this  coast,  who  did  a 
great  deal  of  work  in  San  Francisco  and  Sacra- 
mento; indeed,  nearly  all  the  illustrated  works 
issued  on  the  coast  at  that  lime  were  executed 
by  him.  Mr.  and  Mrs.  McKinstry  have  brought 
up  a  family  of  five  children,  viz.:  Clara,  wife  of 
C.  C.  Clement,  justice  of  the  peace  at  Gait; 
Lizzie,  wife  of  W.  R.  Cole,  residing  near  Cen- 
terville,  Alameda  County;  Edgar,  assistant  j 
agentof  the  Southern  Pacific  Railroad  Compatiy 


at  Lorenzo;  Charles  W.,  who  manages  the 
business  of  the  stable;  and  Tom,  the  South- 
ern Pacific  Railroad  agent  at  Stege,  in  Ala- 
meda County;  he  was  appointed  at  the  age 
of  fifteen  years,  being  given  the  entire  charge 
of  all  the  departments, — the  business  of  the 
railroad  company,  of  Wells  &  Fargo's  Express 
and  the  Western  Union  Telegraph,  being  the 
youngest  agent  in  the  employ  of  the  com- 
pany. In  political  matters  Mr.  McKinstry  has 
always  been  a  Republican,  and  takes  an  active 
part  in  the  public  afl^airs  of  the  county.  He 
has  served  the  people  of  Dry  Creek  Township  as 
justice  of  the  peace  and  notary  public  for  two 
years. 


fOHN  H.  SAWYER  was  born  February  4, 
1830,  in  Strafford  County,  New  Hampshire, 
in  that  portion  which  has  since  been  set  oft' 
as  Carroll  County.  His  parents,  Joseph  H.  and 
Abigail  B.  (Hall)  Sawyer,  were  also  natives  of 
the  same  locality.  All  the  four  children  of  the 
family  of  Joseph  H.  Sawyer  are  now  residents 
of  California,  viz.:  Mrs.  Addie  S.  Gi'ant,  of  Sac- 
ramento; John  H.,  the  subject  of  this  sketch; 
James  C,  of  Gait;  and  Mrs.  Susan  Hughes,  of 
Oakland.  The  boyhood  days  of  John  H.  were 
"  pretty  tough."  One  year  was  all  he  had  in 
school;  he  had  to  work  hard  and  constantly. 
When  he  was  fifteen  years  old  the  father  died, 
and  he  had  the  responsibilities  of  caring  for  the 
family.  From  his  father,  who  was  a  carpenter, 
he  partly  learned  the  same  trade,  and  he  fol- 
lowed it  most  of  the  time  until  he  was  of  age. 
He  then  spent  a  year  in  New  York,  then  a  win- 
ter at  Bristol,  Kenosha  County,  Wisconsin,  and 
in  the  spring  of  1853,  in  company  with  his 
brother  J.  C,  started  with  horse  teams  overland 
for  the  Golden  State.  Setting  out  alone,  he  fell 
in  afterward  with  company.  The  journey  was 
comparatively  pleasant  and  the  party  arrived  at 
Placerville,  August  7.  That  was  then  a  lively 
camp.  After  remaining  there  about  a  month, 
they  went  down   into    Dry  Creek  Township   to 


HISTORY    OP    SACRAMENTO    COUNTY. 


build  a  house  for  Dr.  Selan  Russell,  a  large  cat- 
tle dealer,  who  with  ethers  have  taken  up  a  large 
tract  of  land  in  what  was  called  '•  Russell's 
.pocket."  Since  that  time,  with  the  exception 
of  three  years,  Mr.  Sawjer  has  been  a  resident 
of  that  neighborhood.  One  year  he  passed  in 
San  Francisco.  In  the  fall  of  1856  he  returned 
to  Wisconsin  and  was  married,  and  remained 
there  two  years.  In  the  spring  of  1859  he  came 
again  to  California,  bringing  with  him  his  wile, 
mother,  and  two  sisters.  His  mother  died  in 
1880,  at  the  age  of  seventy-seven  years.  After 
his  arrival  here  he  worked  steadily  at  his  trade 
for  four  years.  He  then  turned  his  attention  to 
dairying  for  eighteen  years,  during  which  time 
it  was  a  profitable  industry.  The  first  land  he 
purchased  was  in  1878,  when  the  town  of  Gait 
was  started,  his  selection  being  a  tract  of  400 
acres  on  Dry  Creek  just  a  half  mile  south  of 
town.  He  also  purchased  680  acres,  the  west 
boundary  line  of  which  was  two  miles  east  of 
town.  Since  that  time  he  has  been  a  resident 
of  Gait,  farming,  raising  cattle  and  horses,  and 
building  houses.  He  has  built,  or  assisted  in 
building,  all  the  houses  in  the  place.  In  1859 
he  erected  the  Devins  Exchange  Hotel,  which 
was  afterward  moved  to  Gait  when  this  town 
was  started.  He  also  built  the  mercantile 
house  of  Whitaker  &  Ray,  the  school-house  and 
two  of  the  churches.  One  of  these,  the  Method- 
ist, was  first  erected  for  a  school-house.  Proba- 
bly the  first  upland  orchard  in  this  section  was 
set  out  by  Mr.  Russell  on  his  place,  and  Mr. 
Sawyer  built  a  windmill  to  irrigate  it.  This 
was  the  first  windmill  erected  in  the  county. 
Mr.  Sawyer  belongs  to  Phoenix  Lodge,  No. 
•232,  I.  O.  O.  F.,  to  Gait  Encampment,  No.  65, 
Rei  Rabekah  Degree  Lodge,  and  to  Gait  Lodge, 
A.  O.  U.  W.;  he  is  a  charter  member  of  all 
these.  The  date  of  Mr.  Sawyer's  marriage  was 
November  4,  1856,  when  he  wedded  Miss  Jennie 
C.  Newcomb,  a  native  of  Rochester,  New  York, 
and  a  daughter  of  Samuel  E.  Newcomb,  who  is 
now  making  his  home  with  her;  he  is  eighty- 
five  years  of  age.  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Sawyer  have 
four  children:  Frank  N.,  Wallace  B.,  Jean  and 


Thoirtas.     The  eldest   was  born    in    Wisconsin, 
and  the  others  are  natives  of  this  State. 


^€ 


^•^- 


PENJAMIN  FRANKLIN  BATES,  dentist 
at  Folsom,an  honored  and  old-time  citizen 
of  California  and  Folsom,  is  a  native  of 
the  district  of  Greenville,  South  Carolina,  born 
November  24,  1829.  John  Bates,  his  father, 
was  also  a  native  of  that  State,  and  passed  all 
his  life  there.  His  mother,  whose  maiden  name 
was  Sarah  Elizabeth  Springfield,  was  also  a 
native  of  the  Palmetto  State,  and  died  in  1846 
or  1847.  She  had  twenty-one  children,  most  of 
whom  grew  to  years  of  maturity,  settling  prin- 
cipally in  South  Carolina.  Dr.  Bates  passed 
his  boyhood  on  a  farm,  depj'ived  of  school  edu- 
cation, but  acquired  a  good  practical  one.  At 
the  age  of  seventeen  he  worked  at  the  carpen- 
ter's trade  and  commenced  the  study  of  den- 
tistry in  North  Carolina.  He  followed  the 
business  of  carpentering  for  a  short  time  in 
Georgia;  then  came  to  California,  sailing  from 
Charleston  on  the  brig  Emily,  to  Havana,  and 
thence  on  the  steamer  Isthmus.  The  steamer 
came  near  sinking  on  that  voyage;  indeed  this 
was  the  last  trip  she  made.  He  arrived  in  San 
Francisco  April  15,  1852,  and  went  immediately 
to  the  mines  on  Weaver  Creek,  El  Dorado 
County,  remaining  in  that  county  nearly  two 
years;  then  went  to  Yuba  County,  where  he 
bought  a  mining  claim  near  Camplonville. 
After  working  this  claim  about  one  year,  he 
sold  out  and  returned  to  El  Dorado  County, 
where  he  invested  money  accumulated  from 
mining,  in  a  ranch.  After  improving  this  cun- 
siderably,  he  sold  at  a  sacrifice;  then  in  1855 
came  to  Sacramento  Count}',  stopping  at  Fol- 
som, where,  with  G.  W.  Gaylord,  he  resumed 
the  study  and  commenced  the  practice  of  den- 
tistry, subsequently  practicing  with  Dr.  Esterly 
at  Sacramento.  Since  that  time  he  has  been  a 
resident  practitioner  of  his  chosen  profession  at 
Folsom.  During  the  many  years  resident  of 
this    State    he    has    been  successful    m  ahuost 


HISTORY    OF    SACRAMENTO    COUNTY. 


every  undertaking.  The  most  of  his  property 
and  means  has  been  acquired  by  thrift  and  en- 
terprise in  his  profession.  He  has,  since  re- 
siding at  Folsom,  taken  a  great  interest  in  its 
growth  and  prosperity.  He  has  been  a  member 
of  the  Masonic  order  since  he  was  twenty- one 
years  of  age;  at  present  is  a  member  of  jSTato- 
ma  Lodge,  No.  64.  In  political  matters  he  has 
always  been  Democratic.  From  1857  to  1864 
he  made  regular  annual  trips  into  Amador,  El 
Dorado  and  Calaveras  counties,  takitig  about 
six  months  to  each  trip.  There  being  at  that 
time  very  few  dentists  in  the  country,  his  visits 
were  always  hailed  with  delight.  In  1864  he 
married  Mrs.  Jennie  S.  Bates.  Their  only 
child,  Jennie  E.,  died  April  21,  1881,  in  her 
eighteenth  year. 


W.  BRISOX,  guard  at  the  State  Prison, 
Folsom,  was  born  in  Wheeling,  "West 
I^^^^o  Virginia,  December  20,  1828,  a  son  of 
Oliver  and  Mary  (Wiley)  Brison,  the  former  of 
Pennsylvania  and  the  latter  of  Ohio.  The 
parents  emigrated  from  West  Virginia  to  Mis- 
souri in  1838,  and  resided  there  in  Marion 
County  until  1850.  In  the  spring  of  the  latter 
year  father  and  son  started  across  the  plains  to 
California,'  leaving  Independence  May  9.  At 
Devil's  Gate,  on  the  Sweetwater,  about  150 
miles  west  of  Fort  Laramie,  they  stopped  eight 
days,  and  at  Salt  Lake  two  weeks,  being  there 
on  the  24th  of  July,  which  is  the  Mormons' 
principal  holiday.  Striking  northward  from 
tills  point,  they  came  to  the  old  Fort  Hall  road, 
and  onward  until  they  arrived  at  the  head  of 
the  Humboldt,  and  thence  down  that  river  to 
the  sink.  Soon  they  struck  the  forty-mile 
desert,  which  they  crossed  during  the  nigiit. 
They  reached  the  Carson  Kiver  at  a  point  called 
Ragtown,  and  went  up  to  the  town  of  Genoa, 
in  the  Carson  Valley,  at  the  foot  of  the  Sierras. 
After  crossing  the  summit  they  came  down  the 
old  slippery  Fort  road,  an  old  emigrant  trail,  to 
lug    there   August    19.     They 


Placerville, 


commenced  mining  on  the  south  fork  of  the 
American  River,  near  Sutter's  Mill,  where  Mr. 
Brison  saw  the  iirst  gold  in  California.  In  the 
fall  the  river  rose  so  that  they  had  to  abandon 
that  place,  and  they  went  over  to  Diamond 
Spring,  El  Dorado  County,  and  wintered  there. 
In  the  spring  Mr.  Brison,  senior,  "took  up"  a 
quarter  section  of  land,  forty  acres  of  which  he 
fenced,  and  twenty-five  he  plowed,  assisted  by 
his  son.  It  was  their  intention  to  use  it  for 
garden  purposes;  but  after  working  it  awhile, 
and  finding  that  they  could  do  nothing  with  it 
during  the  dry  spring  of  1851,  they  abandoned 
it.  The  land  was  afterward  found  to  be  in  the 
Sutter  grant,  and  the  Brisons  lost  it.  A  part 
of  it  is  now  in  Sacramento  city.  They  then 
purchased  a  couple  of  teams  and  started  to 
Vacaville  in  Solano  County,  cut  wild  hay  and 
hauled  it  to  Cache  Creek  Slough,  about  fifteen 
miles  distant,  shipping  it  by  a  little  boat  called 
the  Ohio,  to  Sacramento,  where  they  sold  it. 
During  the  winter  of  1851-''52  they  mined  at 
Kelsup  Diggings,  near  Georgetown,  El  Dorado 
County.  In  the  spring  the  elder  Brison  went 
down  to  Cache  Creek  in  Yolo  County,  and 
entered  160  acres,  and  about  a  month  afterward 
the  junior  Brison  also  entered  another  quarter 
section.  They  fenced  in  about  ten  or  fifteen 
acres,  and  tried  to  buy  it  of  the  grant  (the  Ber- 
ryesa  grant),  but  the  owners  would  not  give  it 
up.  The  settlers  on  the  grant  then  clubbed  to- 
gether and  hired  a  good  lawyer  to  fight  the  case 
in  the  courts  at  Washington,  but  they  lost  their 
suit.  In  the  spring  of  1853  Oliver  Brison  re- 
turned home  by  water,  while  W.  W.  Brison 
went  back  to  the  Diamong  Spring  mines  in 
1854,  where  he  continued  until  1858.  He  was 
then  employed  by  the  Eureka  Canal  Company 
as  agent  to  collect  the  water  rents.  In  1861 
he  came  to  Sacramento  and  took  charge  of  the 
Western  Ditch,  which  was  leased  by  that  com- 
pany, they  giving  Mr,  Brison  full  control.  The 
next  year  he  was  employed  by  the  Eureka  and 
Natoma  Water  Companies  together  to  sell  water 
at  Farmer's  Diggings  on  the  American  River. 
In  1865  he  returned  and   took  charge  again   of 


HISTORY    OF    SACRAMENTO    COUNTY 


the  Western  Ditch  in  this  comity  until  1867, 
and  the  next  year  bought  a  ranch  on  tlie  Folsoni 
grant,  sixteen  miles  from  Sacramento,  on  the 
Sacramento  Valley  Railroad.  This  farm  he  con- 
ducted until  1877,  when  he  purchased  a  half 
interest  in  a  wholesale  and  retail  grocery  store 
on  the  corner  of  Tenth  and  K  streets,  a  store 
which  was  formerly  owned  by  Cox  &  Jones. 
Running  that  business  until  1880,  he  sold  out 
his  interest  to  his  partner,  John  Lambert,  and 
May  16,  1881,  he  left  for  Arizona  on  a  mining 
excursion.  In  September,  1886,  he  returned 
to  this  county,  and  May  21,  next  year,  was  ap- 
pointed as  guard  at  the  Folsom  State  Prison, 
which  position  he  has  successfully  tilled  to  the 
present  time.  Politically  Mr.  Brison  is  a  Demo- 
crat, and  in  former  times  was  very  active  in 
public  affairs.  At  one  time  he  was  treasurer  of 
the  Democratic  County  Central  Committee. 
March  8,  1866,  he  married  Miss  Carrie,  daugh- 
ter of  Newell  Kane,  Sr.  They  have  two  sons, 
Oliver  O.  and  William  William,  the  latter 
named  after  his  fatlier. 


fRAINARD  F.  SMITH  was  born  in  Madi- 
son, Indiana,  July  4,  1849.  His  father) 
Samuel  F.  Smith,  a  native  of  England, 
came  to  the  United  States  when  he  was  eighteen 
years  of  age,  in  1824,  locating  in  Cincinnati, 
and  engaging  in  the  wholesale  boot  and  shoe 
business  there,  being  one  of  the  pioneer  mer- 
chants of  that  city.  He  moved  to  Madison, 
Indiana,  on  the  Ohio  river,  where  he  carried  on 
the  boot  and  shoe  trade,  and  also  a  tannery.  In 
1857  he  moved  to  Indianapolis,  and  there  had  a 
large  factory  for  the  manufacture  of  wagon  and 
carriage  material,  which  was  finally  merged 
into  the  manufacture  of  the  Sarven  wheel,  Mr. 
Smith  having  introduced  it.  He  employed 
about  1,200  men,  and  the  establishment  was  at 
that  time  the  largest  manufactory  in  the  West. 
He  also  had  a  large  store  in  St.  Louis,  where  he 
had  a  partner,  making  it  a  depot  for  the  wheels 
and  for  the  wagon  and  carriaere  material  which 


he  manufactured.  About  1871,  after  he  had 
accumulated  a  large  fortune,  he  sold  out  to  his 
partner  and  traveled  in  Europe,  enjoying  the 
fruits  he  had  so  faithfully  earned  by  a  life  of 
toil.  He  died  in  1878,  of  paralysis.  He  was 
married  in  Madison,  Indiana,  to  Belvidere  Rob- 
erts, a  Yanke3  school  teacher  from  Vermont. 
She  died  in  1866.  Of  that  family  there  are 
four  children,  of  whom  the  subject  of  this  sketch 
is  the  eldest.  He  obtained  one  year  of  his  pre- 
paratory education  at  Knox  College,  Galesburg) 
Illinois,  of  which  his  uncle.  Rev.  Henry  Curtis, 
was  president.  His  second  collegiate  year  was 
taken  at  Wabash  College,  Crawfordsville,  Indi- 
ana. He  entered  the  freshman  class  at  Yale 
College  in  1866,  and  upon  the  death  of  his 
mother  he  returned  home  and  afterward  fin- 
ished his  collegiate  course  at  Wabash  College, 
graduating  in, 1870.  During  his  college  vaca- 
tion he  tool^^  business  course  at  Indianapolis. 
After  graduating  he  entered  the  office  of  his 
father's  factory  and  remained  there  until  the 
ensuing  autumn.  Hearing  a  great  deal  of  Cali- 
fornia, his  curiosity  was  excited  to  spend  a  win- 
ter here.  Carrying  out  his  contemplated  pro- 
gramme, he  liked  the  climate  so  well  that  he 
has  ever  since  remained  iiere.  In  1871  he  came 
to  Sacramento  with  E.  E.  Ames,  who  was  agent 
for  the  Studebaker  wagons  and  for  his_  father's 
patent  wheels,  and  remained  with  him  first  as 
commercial  traveler  and  afterward  as  business 
manager  until  1879,  when  he  went  to  San  Fran- 
cisco to  assume  the  management  of  a  large  agri- 
cultural house  there.  .  Filling  that  position 
until  1883,  he  returned  to  Sacramento  and 
opened  a  house  of  his  own,  under  the  firm  name 
of  Brainard  F.  Smith  &  Co.,  the  partner  being 
George  A.  Davis,  of  San  Francisco.  The  fail- 
ure of  Mr.  Davis  in  San  Francisco,  in  1885, 
caused  Mr.  Smith  to  close  business.  Since  that 
time  he  has  devoted  his  attention  principally  to 
the  collection  and  settlement  of  his  old  ac- 
counts. Since  August  1,  1888,  he  has  been 
secretary  of  the  Folsom  State  Prison,  and  May 
2,  1889,  he  was  elected  the  secretary  of  the 
Preston   School    of  Industry,  to  be  located   in 


HISTORY    OF    SACRAMENTO    COUNTY. 


Amador  County.  Ever  since  he  became  a  resi- 
dent of  this  county  he  has  taken  an  active  in- 
terest in  politics  as  a  Republican,  having 
identified  himself  with  almost  every  political 
movement. 

?.;.  it.*^ 


fHARLES  AULL,  Warden  of  the  State 
Prison  at  Folsom,  was  born  in  Clay 
County,  Missouri,  May  23,  1849.  His 
father,  Dr.  T.  M.  Anil,  a  native  of  Kentucky, 
in  1832  joined  the  first  regiment  of  United 
States  dragoons  enlisting  from  that  State;  they 
went  to  the  Rocky  Mountains,  and  afterward 
were  stationed  at  Fort  Leavenworth.  The  Doc- 
tor was  in  the  Government  service  three  years, 
and  then  went  to  St.  Louis,  attended  medical 
lectures  at  the  State  University  .and  graduated, 
and  settled  in  northwestern  Missouri,  where  he 
practiced  his  profession.  For  two  terms  he  re- 
presented Atchison  County  in  the  State  Legis- 
lature. In  1852  he  came  overland  with  a  large 
train  to  this  State,  arriving  in  November  at 
Marysville,  but  was  soon  driven  out  of  that 
])lace  by  a  flood,  the  same  year.  He  next  re- 
sided in  Martinez,  Contra  Costa  County,  two 
years,  and  then,  in  1854,  located  about  on  the 
line  between  Dry  Creek  Townsiiip,  this  county, 
and  San  Joaquin  County,  when  the  settlers 
were  few  and  scattered.  There  were  only  two 
or  three  families  at  llicksville,  and  one  or  two 
at  Elk  Grove.  Dr.  Aull  pre-empted  a  tract  of 
land,  and  resided  on  it  for  seventeen  years.  In 
1856  he  was  elected  to  the  Legislature  from  San 
Joaquin  County,  and  served  one  term.  In  1872 
he  removed  to  Modesto,  Stanislaus  County,  and 
died  there  in  1873,  at  the  age  of  sixty-seven 
years.  In  Missouri  he  married  Clara  Fugitt, 
a  native  of  that  State,  and  she  died  in  Sacra- 
mento city,  in  July,  1888.  Of  the  ten  children 
in  this  family  five  are  living.  The  first  business 
in  which  Mr.  Charles  Aull  engaged  was  the 
mercantile,  at  Liberty,  near  Gait.  In  1870  he 
went  to  Modesto  and  was  employed  in  a  store 
tliere  for  nearly  a  year,  and  then,  after  assisting 


his  father  to  move  to  Modesto,  he  fitted  up  a 
drug  store  for  him  there.  He  himself  also  had 
considerable  experience  as  a  druggist.  In 
March,  1872,  a  bitter  fight  arose  between  two 
factions  of  the  Democratic  party  in  respect  to 
under-sherifi".  The  sheriflT,  John  Rodgers,  fin- 
ally solved  the  problem  by  tendering  Mr.  Aull 
the  appointment,  although  he  had  never  been  an 
applicant  or  in  any  way  connected  with  the  mat- 
ter. He  accepted  the  appointment,  and  in  that 
office  he  obtained  his  first  knowledge  of  crim- 
inal business.  This  branch  of  the  public  serv- 
ice of  the  county  fell  into  his  hands,  and  at  that 
time  it  was  very  voluminous.  Having  got 
through  with  some  pretty  hard  cases  success- 
fully, he  evinced  that  he  was  an  ingenious  and 
energetic  officer.  He  held  that  position  three 
and  a  half  years.  In  1875  he  was  appointed 
turnkey  of  the  San  Quentin  prison,  under  Lieu- 
tenant-Governor Johnson,  who  was  at  that  time 
ex-officio  warden  of  the  prison;  and  during  his 
administration  of  four  years  Mr.  Aull  held 
nearly  every  position  under  him,  which  gave 
him  a  practical  idea  of  the  minutest  details  of 
prison  management.  During  Ames'  adminis- 
tration as  warden  of  the  prison,  a  clean  sweep 
was  made  of  all  the  officials  in  1880,  for  politi- 
cal reasons.  For  the  succeeding  three  and  a  half 
years  Mr.  Aull  was  employed  most  of  the  time 
by  the  Wells-Fargo  Express  Company,  looking 
after  criminals.  He  had  charge  of  several 
cases,  having  to  travel  over  the  Pacific  Coast 
several  times.  One  of  the  most  noted  ot  these 
cases  was  tlie  capture  and  conviction  of  the 
murderers  of  Eanker  Cummings,  of  Nevada 
County,  who  was  captured  in  the  East  four 
years  after  the  commission  of  the  crime.  The 
details  of  the  pursuit  and  capture  and  trial 
would  fill  a  large  volume,  and  are  fresh  in  the 
minds  of  many  in  this  State.  Many  important 
circumstances  of  the  case  were  in  Sacramento 
city.  Mr.  Aull  was  appointed  deputy  warden 
of  the  San  Quentin  prison  by  Hon.  Paul  Shir- 
ley, in  November,  1883,  and  served  four  years, 
resigning  November,  1887;  and  thirty  days  later 
he    was  elected  warden  of  the   Folsom   prison. 


HISTOHY    OF    SACRAMENTO    COUNTY. 


which  position  he  now  fills.  He  was  married 
in  December,  in  1887,  to  Miss  Maggie  Anglon, 
of  San  Francisco.  Politically  Mr.  Anil  is  a 
Democrat,  and  he  has  always  taken  considerable 
interest  in  the  political  affairs  of  the  State,  hav- 
ing often  been  a  delegate  to  the  State  con- 
ventions. 


V^ 


fACOB  AND  OSWALD  BRODER.— Chris- 
tian Broder,  the  father  of  these  gentlemen, 
was  a  fanner  and  a  stock-raiser  in  Switzer- 
land, owning  the  property  he  occupied,  and  was 
a  man  of  energy  and  good  business  qualities. 
He  was  born  in  1792,  married  Ceophe  Roupe, 
and  died  in  1879;  his  wife  died  in  May,  1844. 
They  had  eight  sons  and  one  daughter:  Chris- 
tian, Anton  J.,  Oswald  (deceased),  Oswald  (liv- 
ing), John,  who  died  in  Sacramento  in  1850. 
Bena  Hilvica,  Elizabeth  (deceased),  Frank  Bro- 
der, who  died  in  August,  1868,  and  was  buried 
at  Mormon  Island.  Jacob  Broder  was  born 
February  22,  1833,  in  Sargans,  Switzerland,  and 
was  reared  on  a  farm.  In  September,  1848,  he 
and  his  brother  left  home  and  sailed  from  Havre 
de  Grace  for  America,  landing  in  New  Orleans. 
In  that  vicinity  they  worked  on  sugar  planta- 
tions and  in  vegetable  gardens  for  about  two 
months.  In  December,  1848,  he  left  New 
Orleans  for  St.  Louis,  Missouri,  on  the  steamer 
Great  Missouri,  which  is  long  to  be  remembered 
as  the  boat  that  first  conveyed  the  Asiatic 
cholera  to  St.  Louis.  Half  of  the  ship's  crew, 
mostly  negroes,  died  of  this  disease.  Landing 
at  St.  Louis  New  Year's  Eve,  the  brothers  went 
into  Madison  County,  Illinois,  and  remained 
there  until  April  11,  1850,  employed  on  a  farm; 
and  while  there  thej  saw  whole  families  dying 
of  that  dread  scourge,  cholera.  On  the  date 
mentioned  they  started  for  California  across  the 
plains,  there  being  now  three  brothers  in  the 
party, — Jacob,  Oswald  and  John.  Tliey  had  a 
very  pleasant  trip,  and  halted  first  in  Sacra- 
mento, September  7,  remaining  there  about  two 
months,  during  which  time  John  died  for  want 


of  medical  attendance.  Jacob  and  Oswald  were 
obliged  to  sleep  beside  their  dead  brother  in  the 
tent,  and  the  following  day  dug  his  grave  and 
begged  the  use  of  a  wagon,  paying  $10  for  it, 
to  haul  the  corpse  to  its  final  resting  place. 
Those  distressing  times  here  are  described  else- 
where in  this  volume.  The  surviving  brothers 
then  went  to  Marysville  and  mined  for  a  month, 
and  from  thereto  the  North  Fork  of  the  Salmon 
River,  in  Klamath  County,  where  they  had  to 
pay  $2.50  a  pound  for  flour;  900  pounds  were 
dealt  ont  at  that  price  within  three  hours.  They 
mined  there  for  about  two  years,  at  a  profit  of 
$10  a  day,  the  cost  of  living  being  about  $2  a 
day.  Meat  averaged  about  60  cents  a  pound, 
potatoes  75  cents,  and  butter  was  often  as  high 
as  $4  a  pound.  In  1853  Jacob  came  to  Sacra- 
mento County,  and  purchased  his  present  ranch 
three  miles  from  Folsom,  containing  160  acres, 
and  at  present  1,100  acres,  well  adapted  to  or- 
chard and  vineyard  as  well  as  grain,  hay  and 
live  stock,  being  well  supplied  with  running 
water.  It  is  as  good  for  irrigation  as  any  valley 
in  the  world.  Mr.  Broder  has  a  fine  house, 
built  in  1878,  of  granite,  on  the  side  of  a  hill, 
whence  a  most  beautiful  view  of  the  ranch  and 
surrounding  country  is  to  be  had.  He  made  all 
the  improvements  here  himself,  and  the  ranch 
is  one  of  the  best  in  the  county.  When  he  first 
came  here  he  was  told  that  he  would  starve  to 
death  on  such  land.  Although  he  has  seen 
some  sad  experiences  in  early  life,  he  is  now 
well  circumstanced.  Be  is  a  man  of  courage, 
foresight,  business  ability  and  integrity.  He 
was  married  November  16,  1869,  to  Miss  Mary, 
daughter  of  John  and  Mary  Studarus,  of  Brigh- 
ton Township,  this  county,  and  they  iiave  seven 
children:  Mamie  J.,  born  November  3,  1870; 
Frances,  October  31, 1873;  Jacob,  July  9, 1875; 
Joseph,  December  17,  1877;  Irene,  September 
23,  1880;  Walter,  June  7,  1883;  and  Edith, 
September  20,  1885.  Mr.  Broder  is  a  member 
of  the  Masonic  fraternity,  holding  his  member- 
ship in  Natoma  Lodge,  No.  64.  Oswald  Bro- 
der was  born  April  26,  1826,  and  in  1864 
married   Miss  Frances  Bainbridge,  a  native  of 


HISTORY    OF    SACRAMENTO    COUNTY 


Eiiuland.  When  be  was  on  the  Salmon  River 
he  was  stricken  with  a  fever  and  started  for 
Sacramento  for  medical  aid,  and  while  on  the 
way  was  attacked  by  a  highwayman.  By  a  mere 
chance  he  escaped  by  jumping  down  into  the 
brush  about  one  hundred  feet.  While  lying 
quietly  on  the  ground  lie  could  hear  their  re- 
marks to  the  effect  that  the}'  intended  to  kill 
him.  Wh.ile  lying  there  quiet  for  two  days, 
sick,  he  heard  the  shooting  of  guns  and  the 
cries  of  people,  but  supposed  they  were  of  the 
enemy.  Many  other  narrow  escapes  with  his 
life  has  he  had.  To-day  he  is  surrounded  with 
all  the  comforts  of  civilization,  his  farm  adjoin- 
ing that  of  his  brother,  just  described. 


fHARLES  M.  SLAYBACK,  M.  D.,  Fol- 
som,  was  born  July  19,  1845,  at  Hills- 
boro,  Montgomery  County,  Illinois.  His 
parents,  Crosier  and  Minerva  Slayback,  came  to 
Folsom  in  1875.  His  father  died  October  13, 
1889.  They  have  had  seven  children,  namely: 
Mrs.  S.  E.  Yarrick,  at  Dunnigan  Station,  Yolo 
County;  Charles  M.,  the  subject  of  this  sketch; 
Olive,  in  Folsom;  Mrs.  Amelia  A.  Lillie,  at 
Dunnigan  Station;  Byron  A.,  who  died  in  Illi- 
nois before  the  family  came  to  this  State;  W. 
L.,  residing  at  Knight's  Landing,  Yolo  County; 
and  Mrs.  E.  L.  Wilkinson,  living  in  Orange 
Vale,  this  county.  Dr.  Slayback  was  brought 
up  in  his  native  town;. graduated  at  Hillsboro 
Academy  in  1863;  commenced  the  study  of 
medicine  in  1866,  continuing  two  years  in  the 
ofKce  of  Drs.  Owen  &  Stratton  at  Hillsboro; 
and  attended  a  medical  lecture  course  at  Cin- 
cinnati, 1869 -'71,  graduating;  the  next  two 
and  a  half  years  he  practiced  his  profession  at 
Butler,  near  Hillsboro;  attended  a  winter  term 
of  the  American  Medical  College  at  St.  Louis, 
Missouri,  and  in  the  fall  of  1874  came  to  Cali- 
fornia. The  first  year  here  he  spent  traveling 
thronghont  the  State,  and  then  located  at 
Placerville,  where  lie  practiced  over  two  years, 
and  the  remainder  of  the  third  year  he  was  at 


the  town  of  El  Dorado.  In  February,  1882,  he 
came  to  Folsom,  where  he  has  since  resided; 
and  since  that  date  he  has  been  a  member  of 
the  order  of  Odd  Fellows,  holding  his  member- 
ship in  Diamond  Spring  Lodge.  January  1, 
1882,  the  Doctor  married  Miss  Ella  M.  Dono- 
van, daughter  of  Michael  Donovan,  an  old  Cali- 
fornian,  and  a  resident  of  Sacramento. 


1^  B.  TOWXSEND,  rancher,  near  Folsom, 
Wl  '^^^  ^*^''°  Ji^iii^ry  28,  1823,  in  West- 
^-  brook,  Maine.  His  parents  were  George 
and  Hannah  (Baker)  Townsend,  both  natives 
also  of  that  State.  His  father  was  a  tanner 
by  trade,  most  of  his  life  spent  in  Maine,  and 
died  at  the  age  of  seventy-tive  years.  In 
the  family  were  four  sons  and  six  daughters. 
The  subject  of  this  sketch  was  brought  up  in 
the  village  of  Derring's  Point  until  he  was 
twelve  years  of  age,  when  he  started  out  for 
himself,  commencing  in  a  stoneware  factory  and 
then  in  a  mill.  He  next  visited  Georgia  a 
short  time,  and  returning  was  engaged  by  Levi 
Morrill,  a  great  politician  and  elector  from 
Portland  for  President  Polk.  Mr.  Townsend 
remained  with  him  ten  years.  In  1846  lie  mar- 
ried Miss  Rachel  Ilodskins,  a  native  of  Maine, 
and  in  1853  sailed  from  Xew  York  to  California, 
by  way  of  the  Isthmus,  on  the  John  L.  Stephens, 
and  by  steamer  to  San  Francisco.  The  first  six 
months  here  he  followed  mining  at  Jennie  Lind 
Flat;  he  then  purchased  a  milk  ranch,  two  and 
a  half  miles  east  of  Folsom,  where  he  has  since 
remained.  When  he  began  here  the  dairy  con- 
sisted of  seventeen  cows,  and  he  had  two  horses; 
but  there  were  no  buildings  on  the  premises. 
The  ranch  now  comprises  about  350  acres,  and 
is  particularly  well  adapted  to  dairying  and 
stock- raisirlg.  Mr.  Townsend  has  also  followed 
butchering  to  some  extent.  In  1855  he  visited 
the  East,  going  and  returning  by  water,_  and 
bringing  his  family  with  him.  He  is  a  member 
of  the  order  of  Chosen  Friends.  He  has  one 
child   by   his   first    marriage    and    four    by   his 


in  STORY    OF    SACliAMENTO    COUNTY. 


second,  whicli  was  in  1874,  when  he  wedded 
Miss  Mary  S.  Powderly,  of  Sacramento,  who 
died  in  1886.  The  living  children  are  Lillian 
F.,  wife  of  George  Strong;  George  Williain, 
Dora  and  Lydia;  and  tiiere  are  four  step-chil- 
dren— Monroe,  Mary,  Ella  and  Ida. 

'^■^■^ 

fETER  HAASE,  farmer  and  stock-raiser, 
was  born  January  18,  1830,  in  Hanover, 
Germany.  When  eighteen  years  of  age 
he  went  to  England  and  remained  there  five 
years.  Then  he  emigrated  to  America,  arriving 
in  New  York  city  March  4,  1853.  After  re- 
maining there  a  year  he  came  to  San  Francisco, 
by  the  steamer  Yankee  Blade.  First  he  worked 
in  the  Bntte  County  mines  two  years,  after- 
ward he  bought  the  ranch  of  1,400  acres  where 
he  now  resides,  and  is  a  prosperous  farmer. 
For  his  wife  he  married,  September  22,  1868, 
Miss  Gertrude  Bassen,  who  was  also  born  in 
Hanover,  Germany,  October,  29,  1844.  They 
have  six  children,  whose  names  are  Charles 
H.,  Katie  G.,  Rosa  A.,  Peter  B.,  Mary  A.  and 
John  B.,  all  residing  upon  the  home  ranch. 


fAMES  H.  BURN  HAM,  banker  at  Folsom, 
was  horn  in  Galveston,  Texas,  November 
1,  1846.  His  father,  James  G.  Burnham, 
was  a  native  of  Kennebunk  Port,  Maine,  where 
he  was  reared,  and  attained  a  commercial  edu- 
cation and  learned  the  art  of  civil  engineering. 
He  went  to  Texas  when  it  was  a  republic  un- 
der the  rule  of  Sam  Houston.  He  was  sailing 
as  supercargo  of  his  father's  vessel  from  Ports- 
mouth, New  Hampshire,  to  Vera  Cruz,  Mex- 
ico, and  during  a  gale  the  vessel  was  blown 
ashore  on  Galveston  Island,  where  the  city  now 
stands.  His  father  returned  to  New  Hamp- 
shire after  material  and  apparatus  to  get  the 
vessel  off  the  beach  leaving  him  in  charge  of 
the  vessel  and  cargo.  During  his  absence  the 
tide  of  immigration   began  coming  in   to  that 


point,  and  he  decided  to  remain  there.  He  was 
first  employed  to  survey  the  city  plat,  and  was 
afterward  appointed  collector  of  the  port.  He 
next  engiged  in  the  wholesale  grocery  business 
until  1850,  when  he  came  to  California,  and 
continued  in  the  same  business  in  San  Fran- 
cisco until  1855.  In  December  of  that  year  he 
located  in  Folsom,  becoming  thus  a  pioneer  of 
that  place.  When  the  Folsom  estate  was  sold 
off  he  bought  largely  and  erected  the  first  build- 
ing there.  He  engaged  in  various  pursuits  un- 
til 1870,  when  he  returfied  to  Galveston  and 
served  as  United  States  Census  Marshal  for  the 
Eastern  District  of  Texas,  and  was  elected 
treasurer  of  that  city.  Coming  again  to  Cali- 
fornia in  1878,  he  engaged  in  business  in  San 
Francisco,  and  died  there  February  26,  1878,  at 
the  age  of  sixty-seven  years.  His  wife  was  a 
daughter  of  Captain  Henry  Parker,  also  a  ship 
owner  and  master.  She  was  a  native  of  Charles- 
ton, South  Carolina.  Their  marriage  occurred 
in  1844,  in  Galveston,  Texas;  she  died  in  1859, 
in  Folsom,  leaving  three  sons  and  one  daughter; 
the  daughter  has  since  deceased.  The  sons  are 
all  residing  in  this  county,  viz.:  Charles  E.,  teller 
in  the  California  State  Bank  at  Sacramento; 
Fred  P.  and  James  H.,  residing  at  Folsom. 
James  H.  Burnham,  the  subject  of  this  sketch, 
was  educated  in  the  public  schools  of  Folsom 
and  San  Francisco.  In  1864  he  engaged  in 
business  pursuits,  purchasing  an  interest  in  the 
drug  store  of  Alfred  Spinks,  a  pioneer  of  this 
city,  and  a  prominent  Democratic  politician, 
and  since  then  has  carried  on  this  business.  In 
1878  he  succeeded  to  the  banking  business  and 
the  Wells,  Fargo  &,  Co.  express  agency,  formerly 
conducted  by  C.  T.  H.  Palmer,  once  a  promi- 
nent factor  of  Folsom,  and  now  of  Oakland.  Mr. 
Burnham  has  been  very  successful  in  business, 
becoming  one  of  the  substantial  men  of  the 
place.  Republican  in  politics,  he  has  always 
taken  an  active  interest  in  political  matters, 
although  never  a  candidate  for  office.  He  has 
been  a  member  of  the  Masonic  order  since 
1874,  and  for  eight  years  he  has  been  master  of 
Natoma  Lodge,  No.  64,  F.  &  A.  M.,  at  Folsom. 


HISTORY    OF    SACRAMENTO    COUNTY. 


In  1866  he  married  Mary  A.,  daughter  of  Reu- 
ben Clark,  architect  of  the  State  capitol  at  Sa- 
cramento. They  have  two  sons  and  one  daugh- 
ter: Clark  J.,  a  graduate  of  the  Sacramento 
High  School,  and  now  a  stndent  in  the  Toland 
Medical  College  in  San  Francisco;  William  P., 
engaged  in  business  with  his  father;  and  Emma 
M.,  the  daughter,  residing  with  her  parents 
in  Folsom. 


fEORGE  LITTLE  was  born  October  21, 
1819,  in  Scotland;  was  married  there  to 
Elizabeth  Williamson,  and  soon  afterward 
made  a  voyage  to  Australia.  In  a  short  time 
he  sailed  for  San  Francisco,  on  the  sailing  ves- 
sel Robert  Bowen,  and  came  to  Sacramento  and 
directly  proceeded  on  to  Negro  Bar,  where  he 
followed  mining  for  twenty  years.  He  then 
bought  a  claim,  on  which  he  resided  nine  years; 
then  selling  out,  he  bought  where  he  is  now  liv- 
ing, and  where  he  raises  grapes  and  some  hay 
and  cattle.  This  farm  of  135  acres  is  all  in 
good  cultivation.  Mr.  Little's  children  are 
Maggie,  William  and  John  E.  George  Little, 
the  father  of  the  gentleman  whose  name  heads 
this  sketch,  was  married  in  1808,  followed 
teaming  and  farming,  and  died  in  1847. 


)RS.  M.  BENNETT,  residing  at  Mormon 
Island,  was  born  December  15,  1820, 
in  Lancashire,  England,  daughter  of 
James  and  Mary  Nnttel;  her  father  was  a  car- 
penter and  joiner.  November  1,  1849,  she 
married  Mr.  Bennett,  a  native  of  England,  who 
came  to  America  in  1847,  and  resided  in  Mas- 
sachusetts, where  most  of  the  time  he  was  a 
manufacturer.  He  came  by  way  of  the  Isthmus 
to  California  in  1852.  Leaving  his  wife  in 
Sacramento,  he  went  at  once  to  Mormon  Island, 
where  he  followed  mining  three  years.  At  the 
end  of  the  first  month  he  sent  for  his  wife.  In 
1852-'53  he  located    his   j)resent  home  and  set- 


tled upon  it;  and  when  it  came  into  the  market 
he  purchased  it.  There  he  followed  farming 
and  fruit-raising  until  his  death,  October  23, 
1879,  when  he  was  sixty-two  and  a  half  years 
of  age.  He  was  a  man  of  great  energy  and 
ability.  He  and  his  wife  obtained  their  start  in 
California  by  working  out  for  wages,  and  to-day 
she  enjoys  the  luxury  of  a  nice  home,  surrounded 
by  a  great  number  of  old-tiine  friends.  The 
property,  comprising  twelve  acres,  is  mostly 
devoted  to  choice  fruit.  Mr.  Bennett  was  at 
one  time  a  prominent  Freemason  and  Vice  Pres- 
ident of  the  Natoma  Water  and  Mining  Com- 
pany. Mrs.  Bennett  has  an  adopted  daughter, 
named  Martha  E.  Bradbury,  who  is  the  sole 
companion  of  her  declining  years. 


fHRISTIAN  L.  ECKLON,  butcher  at  Fol- 
som, was  born  in  Augustinburg,  Den- 
mark, now  under  the  German  government, 
March  17,  1832.  His  father  was  a  farmer  and 
butcher,  as  also  were  all  the  sons.  In  1852  Mr. 
Ecklon  came  to  America,  landing  at  Boston 
and  ren:aining  four  years  in  or  near  that  city. 
At  Brighton,  near  Boston,  he  was  engaged  in 
the  butcher  business.  In  1856  he  came  to 
California,  by  the  Nicaragua  route,  landing  at 
San  Francisco  the  middle  of  August.  First  he 
followed  mining  at  Negro  Bar  two  years,  with 
no  success;  and  ever  since  1858  he  has  fol- 
lowed his  favorite  calling,  butchering  and  the 
supply  of  the  meat  market.  In  the  earlier 
days  he  had  two  shops, — one  in  Folsom  and  one 
at  Mormon  Island;  and  he  had  considerable 
business  in  adjoining  towns.  Since  the  mining 
excitement  died  away  the  area  of  his  trade  has 
become  confined  to  Folsom.  In  1872  he  bought 
the  suspension  bridge  of  Kinsey  &  Whitely,  of 
San  Francisco,  and  lived  on  the  bridge  collect- 
ing toll  for  ten  years;  he  then  sold  it  to  the 
county  for  $8,000.  In  1878  or  1879,  Colonel 
Greely  came  from  New  York  and  introduced 
the  signal  service  on  the  bridge.  Interesting 
Mr.  Ecklon  in  the  matter,  he  turned   it  over  to 


HISTORY    OF    SACRAMENTO    COUNTY. 


him,  and  be  kept  it  until  he  sold  the  bridge, 
and  then  it  was  carried  on  bj  J.  H.  Stiirges  un- 
til it  was  discontinued  in  1887.  Mr.  Ecklon  is 
a  Republican,  casting  his  first  vote  for  J.  C. 
Fremont,  and  lie  has  been  a  local  leader  in  his 
party.  Mr.  Ecklon  was  married  in  1860  to 
Marv  Keffe,  a  native  of  Ireland,  and  tbej  have 
three  sons, — Charles  Henry,  Lorenz  Gottfried, 
and  Christian  Frederick.  Tiie  two  eldest  are 
engaged  with  tiieir  father  in  his  business. 


fHOMAS  G.  CASEY,  a  San  Joaqnin 
Township  farmer,  was  born  May  3,  1824, 
in  the  State  of  New  York,  near  Auburn, 
Cayuga  County.  His  fatlier,  Jesse  D.  Casey, 
was  a  native  of  New  York,  a  farmer  by  occupa- 
tion, and  died  in  Yates  County,  New  York. 
The  maiden  name  of  Thomas'  mother  was  Bet- 
sey Brown.  In  their  family  were  four  sons  and 
four  daughters:  William  J.,  Charles  H.,  Sarah 
J.,  T.  G.,  Edward  M.,  Emeiine,  Eliza  and  Mar- 
garet. Mr.  Thomas  G.  Casey  was  on  a  farm 
until  he  had  passed  twenty  years  of  age,  when 
he  began  to  learn  the  harness-making  trade  in 
Potter,  Yates  County,  New  York,  and  for  a 
number  of  years,  with  interruptions  at  farming, 
he  followed  his  trade  at  Branchport,  same 
county,  on  the  west  branch  of  Crooked  Lake. 
November  10,  1849,  he  married  Rebecca  A. 
Putney,  daughter  of  Jedediah  Putney.  She 
died  August  3,  1860,  in  this  county.  May  1, 
1864,  Mr.  Casey  married  again,  this  time  Mrs. 
Imogene  A.  Mitchell,  a  native  of  New  Hamp- 
shire, and  daughter  of  Milton  Aldrich,  who 
came  to  this  county  in  1862,  and  died  here 
March  7,  1871,  at  the  age  of  seventy-three 
years  and  three  months.  His  wife,  Eunice, 
born  in  1806,  still  survives  him.  By  the  first 
marriage  there  were  four  children:  Henry  P., 
born  August  9,  1851;  George  T.,  March  28, 
1854;  John  T.,  July  21,  1855,  and  died  two 
days  after;  and  Arthur  B.,  born  August  20, 
1856.  All  the  living  are  in  this  county.  By 
the  second   marriage  there  are  three  children. 


viz.:  Milton  A.,  born  October  23,  1865;  Jesse 
E.,  June  21,  1870,  and  Lily  A.,  August  14, 
1871.  Mr.  Casey  came  to  California  in  1859, 
by  way  of  the  Isthmus,  from  New  York,  em- 
barking on  the  4th  of  July  and  landing  here 
the  30th.  Spent  the  first  year  on  the  Putney 
ranch,  on  the  Cosumnes.  He  then  went  out 
upon  the  grant  and  struggled  along  until  he 
accumulated  a  small  amount  of  means,  and  then 
bouglit  a  claim  of  160  acres  at  $3  an  acre,  and 
when  in  1874  it  came  into  market,  he  sold  it 
for  $2,000.  Then  he  came  on  the  north  side  of 
the  line  into  Brighton  Township,  and  occupied 
rented  property  until  1880,  when  he  purchased 
his  present  ranch  of  a  quarter  section  in  San 
Joaquin  Township,  for  $8,000.  It  is  twelve 
miles  from  Sacramento  and  three  from  Florin. 
Here  he  has  made  some  valuable  improvements, 
especially  in  fencing,  out- buildings,  etc.  He 
carries  on  general  fanning,  but  has  also  fifteen 
acres  in  vineyard  and  orchard;  has  an  interest- 
ing variety  of  trees  and  a  great  number  of 
beautiful  shrubs.  He  is  a  Republican  in  hit 
political  sympathies,  having  cast  his  first  vote 
for  W.  H.  Harrison,  while  by  coincidence  hia 
son  Milton  A.  first  voted  for  Benjamin  Harri- 
son. Mrs.  Casey  came  to  California  with  hei- 
sister  and  husband,  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Sharp,  in 
1859.  She  married  Mr.  W.  P.  Mitchell,  May 
12,  1861,  and  he  died  December  24  following, 
during  the  tinae  of  the  flood,  with  small-pox, 
four  miles  north  of  the  American  River,  on  the 
Norris  grant.  She  then  taught  school  and  did 
house  work.  Their  daughter,  Waltermine,  was 
born  April  9,  1862,  and  died  September  2, 
1862. 


tLBERT  COLEBAKER,  farmer,  was  born 
January  5,  1842,  in  Ohio,  to  which  State 
his  parents  had  emigrated.  In  1851  they 
came  to  California,  being  two  years  on  the  road, 
getting  through  8,000  head  of  sheep,  but  had 
some  trouble  with  the  Pawnee  Indians.  They 
wintered  in  Salt    Lake  City.      On  arriving  in 


HISTORY    OF    SAGBAMENTO    COUNTY. 


this  State  they  stopped  first  at  Placerville, 
where  the  citizens  gave  them  a  big  dinner,  in 
the  middle  of  the  road.  They  then  proceeded 
on  to  the  Plat-top  House,  and  to  the  lower  end 
of  the  iNorris  grant,  and  finally  a  little  further 
up  they  entered  a  piece  of  land  which  they  sup- 
posed belonged  to  the  Government.  In  1861 
they  were  ousted  by  the  sheriff  and  other  citi- 
zens. Pie  then  bought  a  ranch  back  of  Rocklin 
and  remained  there  nine  years,  when  he  broke 
his  leg,  causing  him  a  loss  of  about  $8,000.  He 
then  sold  that  place  for  $500,  and  located  where 
he  is  now  making  his  home.  The  present 
ranch  contains  302  acres,  where  he  raises  hay, 
grain,  cattle,  hogs  and  sheep.  His  wife,  whose 
maiden  name  was  Jane  Jelly,  was  born  in  Xew 
Jersey  about  twenty  years  ago,  who  left  Jersey 
City  in  1861.  They  have  two  daughters,  Rosa 
Ella  and  Emma  Jane. 


fAVlD  COONS,  rancher,  San  Joaquin 
Township.  This  gentleman's  father, 
George  W.  Coons,  was  a  native  of  Ken- 
tucky, and  his  father,  David  Coons,  was  Ger- 
man, but  whether  born  in  Germany  or  not 
is  not  certainly  known.  In  early  day  he  was 
a  resident  of  Kentucky.  He  afterward  moved 
to  St.  Louis,  Missouri,  and  kept  store  at  the 
old  Market  Ferry,  and  it  was  kept  for  many 
years  after  his  death  by  his  son  George  W. 
David  Coons'  grandfather  was  married  twice, 
and  George  W.  was  the  son  of  his  first  vvife. 
He  afterward  married  a  French  lady,  by  whom 
he  had  two  daughters  and  one  son — Mary  A.nn, 
Frank  and  Virginia;  these  three  are  living  in 
the  East.  After  his  death  he  was  succeeded  in 
business  by  his  son  George  W.,  who  was  born 
January  28,  1817,  in  Kentucky,  and  moved  to 
St.  Louis  with  his  father.  In  1849  he  came 
across  the  plains  to  this  State,  with  mule  teams, 
locating  first  in  Sacramento,  where  he  opened 
a  general  store.  lie  also  established  a  store  at 
Mud  Springs,  El  Dorado  County.  He  carried 
on  this  l)usiiiess  for  two   or   thiee  years,  in   the 


meantime  erecting  for  himself  the  first  quartz 
mills  ever  built  in  California,  on  Mathenus 
Creek,  a  mile  and  a  half  from  Mud  Springs.  In 
1852  he  returned  to  Missouri,  leaving  the  mill 
in  the  care  of  two  uncles,  who  allowed  it  to  go 
down  and  be  finally  sold  by  the  sheriff,  during 
the  absence  of  the  owner.  In  returning  East 
he  went  by  water,  and  the  steamer  was  wrecked 
and  lost,  and  he  completed  his  journey  on 
another  vessel,  reaching  St.  Louis  in  safety.  In 
the  spring  of  1853  he  again  crossed  the  plains, 
with  his  wife  and  four  children,  being  six  months 
on  the  way.  After  spending  a  year  in  San  Fran- 
cisco, without  prosecuting  any  particular  busi- 
ness, he  located  in  the  Sheldon-  grant  in  this 
county,  on  the  Cosutnnes  River,  and  remained 
there  about  two  years.  He  then  bought  a 
squatter's  title  to  M'liat  was  supposed  to  be 
Government  land,  at  $500,  but  this  was  proved 
to  be  on  that  grant  and  he  had  to  vacate.  He 
had  the  place  all  fenced,  house  and  stables  up, 
etc.,  but  he  had  to  leave.  He  finally  took  up  360 
acres  of  Government  land,  upon  which  he  re- 
mained until  his  death,  which  occurred  Sep- 
tember 14,  1875.  He  was  married  in  St.  Louis 
January  29,  1839,  to  Sempronia  H.  Lauham,  a 
native  of  Maryland,  where  she  was  born  January 
8,  1828,  but  was  reared  in  St.  Louis  County, 
Missouri,  about  sixteen  miles  from  the  city. 
Her  father's  name  was  Horatio  Lanham,  and 
her  mother's  maiden  name  Sempronia.  By 
that  marriage  there  were  thirteen  children,  viz.: 
David,  born  May  1,  1840;  William  C.  L.,  April 
10,  1842;  Thaddeus  Eugene,  April  4,  1844; 
Benjamin  Franklin,  February  15, 1846;  Edward 
L.,  April  10,  1847;  Harry,  November  18,  1848; 
Benjamin  Franklin,  October  14,  1852;  Ninion, 
January  9,  1855;  Collins  G.,  January  2,  1857; 
Lily,  September  14,  1858;  Frank  M.,  August  1, 
1860;  Benjamin  F.  P.,  April  5,  1862;  Charles- 
B.,  October  30,  1863.  Thaddeus  Eugene  ,died 
July  18,  1845;  the  first  Benjamin  F.  died  Sep- 
tember 25,  1851;  and  the  second  Benjamin  F. 
died  November  7,  1858.  Tiiose  who  are  living 
are  residing  in  this  State.  David  Coons,  whose 
name  heads  this  sketch,  was   thirteen   years  old 


yj^^L^^     LAJui^t.^&^^-y^ 


UISTORT    OF    SACRAMENTO    COUNTY. 


when  he  came  to  this  coast  with  liis  parents. 
From  1863  to  1866  he  was  engaged  in  mining 
in  Idaho,  and  farmed  one  year  there,  and  since 
that  time  lie  has  made  this  county  his  home. 
He  owns  all  the  home  place  excepting  seventy 
acres  belonging  to  the  widow,  twenty  acres 
belonging  to  his  brother  Harry.  Grain  rais- 
ing is  his  specialty.  He  also  engaged  suc- 
cessfully four  years  in  sheep  raising,  taking 
the  animals  up  into  Modoc  County,  for  free 
range.  He  lost  about  1,300  head  on  account  of 
hard  winters.  In  company  with  his  brother,  in 
1888,  he  set  out  thirty  acres  in  orchard.  In 
political  principles  he  is  a  Democrat,  as  was  his 
father  before  him.  For  nine  years  his  father 
was  justice  of  the  peace  in  San  Joaquin  Town- 
ship. - 


M^,J%-.-.~ — 


jmENJAMIN  WELCH,  General  Master  Car- 
IlK  Builder,  Southern  Pacific  Railroad,  was 
^W  born  on  "  Peck's  Island,"  Casco  Bay,  near 
Portland,  Maine,  in  August,  1827.  The  Welch 
family  emigrated  from  Yorkshire,  England,  to 
the  north  of  Ireland.  His  grandfather,  James 
Welch,  settled  in  New  England  in  the  early 
colonial  days,  and  was  in  the  Revolutionary 
army.  The  family  of  the  mother  of  Benjamin 
Welch,  Lucinda  Bracket,  was  of  Scotch  descent, 
and  settled  in  New  England  in  1636.  They 
were  nearly  related  to  George  Cleves,  tlie  pio- 
neer settler  of  the  city  of  Portland,  Maine. 
Like  so  many  of  New  England's  sons,  especially 
in  the  early  days,  the  father  of  our  subject  "fol- 
lowed the  sea,''  and,  although  a  man  of  means, 
young  Benjamin  was  not  brought  up  to  idle 
■  away  his  time.  xVt  the  age  of  sixteen  we  find 
him  working  as  a  carpenter  in  the  Portland  Lo- 
comotive and  Car  Shops,  doing  the  work  for  the 
Atlantic  &  St.  Lawrence  Railroad,  afterward  the 
Grand  Trunk  Railroad,  under  the  superintend- 
ence of  Horace  Felton  and  John  Sparrow,  where 
he  remained  for  five  years.  In  the  spring  of 
1852  he  came  to  California  via  the  Vandcrbilt 
steamer    Daniel  Webster,  to  Greytown,  on  the 


Nicaragua  River,  thence  across  to  the  Pacific, 
reaching  San  Francisco  on  the  26th  of  March, 
where  he  .resided  for  three  years.  On  the  4th 
of  March,  1855,  he  started  for  the  Xern  River 
mining  district,  and  during  this  trip  of  four 
mouths  visited  the  various  mining  operations 
in  the  San  Joaquin  and  Bear  valleys.  It  was 
during  this  trip  that  his  services  were  er.gaged 
by  the  Sacramento  Yalley  Railroad  Company 
as  a  car-builder  and  superintendent  of  their 
pattern  shops,  which  position  he  filled  for  seven 
years,  being  at  Folsom  during  a  portion  of  that 
time.  Leaving  that  point,  he  went  to  the  San 
Jose  road,  which  was  being  constructed,  makino- 
his  headquarters  at  the  "Seventeen-Mile  House," 
with  Charles  McLaughlin,  who  was  killed  in 
San  Francisco  a  few  years  ago.  He  was  also  on 
the  Mission  and  other  roads  until  1863,  when 
he  was  engaged  by  Mr.  Huntington,  in  the  in- 
terest of  the  Central  Pacific  Railroad,  T.  D. 
Judah,  Chief  Engineer  of  the  road,  being  his 
personal  friend.  He  was  engaged  as  Car  Mas- 
ter, but  to  this  duty  was  added  that  of  General 
Superintendent  of  Construction  of  the  different 
shops,  buildings,  etc.,  the  first  one  being  20x150 
feet,  on  which  only  half  a  dozen  men  were  em- 
ployed for  the  first  year.  Additions  were  made 
of  130  x  30  feet,  and  this  was  the  shop  as  occu- 
pied until  1867,  when  the  present  structure, 
60x200  feet,  was  built;  in  1868  the  building, 
90  X  230  feet,  with  an  L  90  x  40  feet,  which  was 
^oon  followed  by  another,  100x200  feet,  and 
the  Round  House.  In  1865  he  constructed  his 
first  immense  snow-plow,  which  was  in  suc- 
cessful use  for  many  years,  the  original  cost 
being  $2,400.  He  reconstructed  the  American 
River  bridge,  which  had  been  destroyed  by  fire. 
In  1869  he  invented  a  machine  known  as  a 
"Framer  and  Tenon  Machine,"  thereby  saving 
much  time  and  labor  in  the  construction  of 
cars.  In  1870  the  "Emigrant  Sleeper"  or 
"Tourist  Car"  was  constructed  upon  his  plans, 
and  has  since  been  adopted  by  the  majority  of 
the  roads  throughout  the  Union.  These  cars, 
built  by  the  Pullman  Company,  were  shown  at 
the   Railroad   Exposition  at  Chicago   in    1884, 


BISTORT    OF    SACRAMENTO    COUNTY. 


and  received  very  general  and  favorable  com- 
ment. At  this  writing  (1889)  the  department 
under  his  control  employs  1,950  workmen. 

Mr.  Welch  was  married  January  4,  1860.  to 
Mrs.  Ellen  Marsh,  nee  Barbour,  a  native  of  the 
State  of  Maine.  Their  living  children  are: 
George  Henry,  Waiter  Hatch,  Frank  Cum- 
mings  and  Benjamin  Bradford.  Mr.  Welch  is 
a  member  of  Union  Lodge,  No.  58;  F.  &  A.  M., 
Sacramento  Chapter,  No.  3;  Commandery.  No. 
2,  and  Council,  No.  1,  having  been  identified 
with  the  latter  society  over  thirty  years.  He 
has  held  many  positions  of  trust  in  connection 
with  railroad  matters,  among  which  might  be 
mentioned  his  membership  with  the  Car- 
Builders'  Association  since  1870.  He  was  ap- 
pointed as  one  of  a  committee  on  brakes, 
which  was  in  session  at  Burlington,  Iowa,  for 
thirty  days  in  1886,  and  again  in  1887.  Plain, 
unostentatious  and  unassuming,  his  thorough 
knowledge  of  every  detail,  his  fertility  of  re- 
source and  kindliness  of  nature,  has  secured  to 
him  the  happy  cognomen  of  "Uncle  Ben,"  and 
in  the  language  of  one  of  his  associates,  "What- 
ever Uncle  Ben  says,  goes."  The  friend  and 
associate  of  the  late  A.  J.  Stevens,  Master  Me- 
chanic and  Superintendent  of  Motive  Power; 
his  inherent  knowledge  of  men  and  things;  his 
practical  ability  and  inventive  genius,  brought 
him  into  intimate,  personal  relations  with  the 
master  spirits  of  this,  the  greatest  railroad  en- 
terprise of  the  present  generation,  and  no  man 
stands  higher  in  the  councils  of  the  great  cor- 
poration. His  name  will  find  a  place  side  by 
side  with  those  whose  thought  first  spanned  the 
continent;  whose  plans  and  purposes,  finding  an 
echo  in  his  breast,  were  brought  to  a  successful 
issue  by  their  energy  and  executive  ability. 

fRANK  KUNZ,  proprietor  of  the  Union 
Nursery  in  Sacramento,  came  to  this  State 
in  1861,  in  time  to  witness  the  great  flood 
of  that  year.  After  tliat  had  subsided  he  started 
in  business  on  the  south   side  of  the   cemetery- 


In  1862  he  admitted  a  partner,  Charles  Schim- 
inger,  and  they  bought  ten  acres.  His  partner 
remained  with  him  until  he  moved  to  his  present 
location  in  1877,  since  which  time  Mr.  Kunz 
has  been  alone  in  his  business.  In  1864  or 
1865,  he  gave  up  his  original  location  to  the 
city.  He  has  long  been  prosperous  in  his  busi- 
ness, doing  considerable  work  in  cut  flowers  and 
designs  in  the  cemetery  trade,  and  he  also 
propagates  and  sells  many  plants,  both  flowering 
and  non-flowering.  He  was  born  in  the  village 
ofZeiskain,  near  Landau,  in  Bavaria,  Germany, 
October  22,  1833,  his  parents  being  Philip 
Peter  and  Francesca  (Weigand)  Kunz.  His 
father  was  a  farmer,  having  land  of  his  own, 
and  marketed  the  wheat  he  raised ;  he  is  still 
living,  but  Mrs.  Kunz  is  deceased.  In  the 
family  were  two  sons  and  two  daughters,  and 
there  is  here,  in  California,  a  brotlier,  George 
H.,  and  a  sister,  who  is  the  wife  of  G.  H.  Ha- 
mann.  Mr.  Kunz  sailed  from  the  old  country 
March  12,  1852,  in  a  sail  vessel,  and  within 
nineteen  days  landed  in  New  York.  Soon  after- 
ward he  went  to  Jersey  City  and  began  work  for 
the  celebrated  Peter  Henderson,  in  his  vegetable 
garden  department;  was  there  about  two  years, 
and  then  a  little  over  a  year  m  the  same  busi- 
ness for  Mr.  Bonekamper,  then  for  a  cousin, 
Frank  Kunz,  in  Jersey  City,  and  at  Bergen 
Point,  until  he  came  to  California,  in  1856.  He 
came  by  way  of  the  Panama  Railroad,  sailing  on 
the  Ariel  on  the  Atlantic  side,  and  the  John  L. 
Stephens  on  the  Pacific  side,  and  was  twenty- 
four  days  on  the  voyage.  One  night,  when  on 
the  Atlantic  side,  the  vessel  had  a  narrow  es- 
cape from  being  dashed  to  pieces  on  a  rock. 
He  landed  in  San  Francisco  August  14  or  15, 
the  last  time  the  Vigilantes  turned  out.  He 
did  odd  jobs  in  that  city, — sold  bouquets  sent  in 
by  his  cousin  at  Hayes  Valley.  Although  he 
had  his  wife  with  him  on  his  arrival  iu  Califor- 
nia, he  had  but  $2.50  in  money;  and  both  worked 
out  by  the  month  to  obtain  a  start,  making  $50 
or  $60  a  month.  Starting  a  garden  in  Hayes 
Valley,  he  sold  vegetables.  In  1859  he  went 
to  Fraser  River,  but   remained    only    four  days 


HISTOBT    OF    8AGRAMENTU    C0UNT7. 


in  Vancouver.  There  were  too  many  there. 
Returning  to  Hayes  Valley,  where  the  big 
church  now  is,  he  resumed  the  raising  of  vege- 
tables. Since  then  he  has  been  for  three  years 
State  gardener,  under  Governor  Perkins.  He 
is  a  member  of  the  H.  O.  R.  M.;  of  the  K.  of 
H.;  has  belonged  to  Sacramento  Stamm,  No.  124, 
U.  O.  R.  M.,  going  throngii  all  the  chairs,  and 
was  also  a  member  of  Company  G,  Sarsfield 
Guards  for  nine  years,  and  is  also  a  charter 
member  of  the  Pacific  Sportsmens'  Club,  organ- 
ized April  1,  1881,  winning  the  second, gold 
medal,  for  which  the  club  contested.  He  has 
not  taken  any  active  part  in  politics.  He  was 
married  in  New  York  July  20,  1856,  to  Miss 
Antonio  Ochs,  and  they  have  five  children  now 
living,  all  in  Sacramento,  viz.:  Charles  F.,  Katie, 
Frank  (who  married  Katie  Clark),  Emma  and 
Hattie.  They  have  lost  four  children,  the  three 
eldest  in  San  Francisco  and  one  in  Sacramento. 


fOHN  LAWTON,  merchant,  Ashland,  was 
born  December  9,  1827,  in  Dover,  Maine, 
a  son  of  Seth  and  Lucy  (Wood)  Lawton, 
whose  ancestry  were  of  English  origin.  His 
father,  who  was  born  in  October,  1800,  has  been 
a  farmer  and  butcher  by  trade,  and  is  still 
living.  He  had  six  brothers  and  two  sisters. 
His  mother  lived  to  the  age  of  102.  Mr.  Law- 
ton,  the  subject  of  this  sketch,  was  engaged 
upon  the  farm  until  he  was  of  age.  In  the 
spring  of  1851  he  sailed  from  New  Ygrk  on  the 
steamer  Prometheus  for  the  Isthmus  of  Pana- 
ma, crossed  the  Isthmus  upon  a  mule,  and 
sailed  thence  on  the  steamer  Gold  Hunter  for 
San  Francisco.  He  landed  in  Sacramento  June 
12,  being  about  two  months  on  the  journey. 
He  proceeded  at  once  to  Beale's  Bar  in  Placer 
County,  and  mined  there  about  two  months, 
and  then  a  short  time  on  the  Pinkham  claim, 
and  then  at  the  Khoades  mine  six  months,  and 
back  to  tlie  old  place  again,  and  so  on  until 
1859,  when  he  purchased  a  half  interest  of  W. 
W.  Latham,  making  the  firm  of  Latham  &  Law- 


ton,  general  merchants,  at  a  point  known  as  Big 
Gulch.  Their  trade  was  good,  amounting  from 
$125,000  to  $150,000  a  year.  Since  1867  Mr. 
Lawton  has  been  sole  proprietor.  Across  the 
street  he  has  also  a  very  pretty  cottage  with 
seventeen  acres  of  land;  in  fact  there  are  two 
houses  on  that  place.  He  has  made  all  his 
property  since  coming  to  California,  and  has 
the  wisdom  to  be  content  with  his  lot  in  life. 
He  has  made  three  trips  to  the  East  to  visit  liis 
old  home,— 1862,  1866  and  1887.  During  bis 
second  visit  he  was  gone  one  and  a  half  years. 
He  is  a  member  of  Granite  Lodge,  No.  62,  I. 
O.  O.  F. ;  of  Folsom  Encampment,  No.  24,  and 
of  Grand  Canton,  No.  1,  P.  M.,  of  Sacramento. 
He  was  married  in  1868  to  Miss  Mary  Kit- 
tredge,  a  native  of  Dover,  Maine.  They  have 
no  children. 


WACHTEL,  agriculturist,  was  born 
February  6,  1829,  in  Hesse-Darmstadt, 
Germany.  His  parents  were  John  and 
Caroline  Wachtel.  His  father  was  a  farmer  by 
occupation,  and  died  when  he,  the  son,  was  only 
four  years  of  age;  and  his  mother  afterward 
married  again,  and  she  and  her  husband  came 
to  America  in  1839,  landing  at  New  Orleans; 
proceeding  on  to  St.  Louis  by  steamboat,  they 
remained  in  that  city  about  four  months.  In 
the  spring  of  1852  Mr.  Wachtel  started  with  a 
train  overland  to  California,  leaving  all  his  peo- 
ple in  St.  Louis,  and  reached  Sacramento  after 
a  six  months'  journey,  marked  with  serious 
mishaps.  For  the  first  twenty-one  days  here  he 
worked  on  the  streets  of  Sacramento,  when  his 
.eyes  became  diseased,  and  for  twenty-five  years 
afterward  he  spent  money  on  various  physicians 
and  in  trying  various  methods  and  experiments, 
losing  time  and  suffering  pain.  He  obtained 
relief  only  two  years  ago,  through  Dr.  Cookley, 
of  Sacramento;  he  is  now  "his  old  self"  again. 
After  his  first  sojourn  at  Sacramento,  already 
referred  to,  he  worked  six  months  at  mining 
near  Placerville,  going  there  with  $50  and   re- 


HISTOBT    OF    SACRAMENTO    GOUNTY. 


turning  to  Sacramento  with  $7!  N"ext  he  worked 
on  the  Yolo  side  of  the  Sacramento  about  five 
months,  and  then  rented  a  piece  of  land  on  the 
Eaggin  grant.  At  the  end  of  two  years  he  was 
obliged  to  leave  this  farm,  and  he  settled  on  the 
grant  line,  supposing  he  was  beyond  it.  At  the 
end  of  a  year  he  had  to  leave  this  place  also,  and 
lie  located  upon  a  quarter  section  of  Govern- 
ment land  in  Sutter  Township,  where  he  lived 
fifteen  years.  Then  selling  out,  he  came  and 
purchased  his  present  property  of  320  acres  in 
Mississippi  Township,  si.x  miles  from  Folsom 
and  fifteen  from  Sacramento,  where  he  does 
most  of  his  trading.  He  has  made  most  of  the 
improvements  that  exist  on  this  place.  His 
specialties  are  grain  and  hay.  Has  made  all 
his  money  in  California. 


..>^|-. 


fOSEPH  HASMAi^  was  born  March  19, 
1850,  in  Bohemia,  son  of  Jose|)h  and  Kate 
(Ulch)  Hasman,  both  natives  of  Bohemia. 
The  family  emigrated  to  the  United  States  in 
1854,  locating  in  Tama  County,  Iowa,  in  1858. 
The  old  gentleman  followed  farming  till  his 
death,  which  occurred  in  1865.  The  widow  is 
still  living,  and  makes  her  home  most  of  the 
time  in  Belle  Plain,  that  State.  There  were  four 
daughters  and  two  sons,  as  follows:  Blazek,  Mrs. 
Mary  Weaver,  Joseph,  Mrs.  Kate  Kilberger, 
Mrs.  Josie  Kilberger,  Mrs.  Anna  Ulch.  All 
but  the  subject  of  this  sketch  reside  in  Iowa. 
Joseph  remained  with  his  parents  until  he  was 
about  eighteen  years  of  age.  At  the  age  of 
twelve  years  he  commenced  to  learn  the  harness- 
making  trade,  at  which  he  worked  about  seven 
years;  he  then  abandoned  that  and  went  into, 
the  Chicago  &  ISTorth western  Railroad  shops  in 
order  to  learn  the  machinist's  trade.  While 
working  for  this  company,  he  met  with"  a  serio- 
comical  accident.  Undertaking  to  wheel  loose 
rocks  and  dirt  out  upon  a  plank  track  and  dump- 
ing the  material  into  a  whirlpool  where  the  Iowa 
River  sinks  to  pass  under  a  blutf,  he  did  not 
think  to  notice  that  the  further  end  of  the  last 


plank  was  unsupported,  and  both  he  and  his 
load  went  down  into  the  raging  waters;  and  it 
was  by  the  hardest  swimming  that  he  saved  his 
life,  wliich  he  accomplished  with  the  loss  of  hat 
and  wheelbarrow!  During  the  total  eclipse  of 
the  sun  August  7,  1869,  he  was  thrown  thirty 
feet  by  a  locomotive  and  knocked  senseless,  but 
not  seriously  injured.  In  1870  he  was  employed 
as  a  brakeman  on  the  Chicago,  Rock  Island  & 
Pacific  Railroad,  and  while  thus  engaged  was 
caught  in  a  railroad  accident  east  of  Des  Moines, 
when,  the  engine  struck  a  bridge,  telescoping 
some  cars  and  killing  one  man  and  mashing  Mr. 
Hasman's  fingers.  The  next  year  he  was  obliged 
to  obtain  other  work.  Hoeing  broom-corn  one 
iiot  Fourth  of  July,  three  miles  south  of  St. 
Joseph,  he  suffered  sunstroke.  After  recovery, 
he  was  next  employed  by  the  St.  Joseph  & 
Council  Bluffs  Railroad  Company,  as  an  ap- 
prentice in  the  machine  shops.  After  the  ex- 
piration of  his  time,  he  began  as  fireman  for 
the  company  on  a  locomotive,  and  while  serv- 
ing in  that  capacity  his  engine  fled  the  track 
upon  an  embankment,  precipitating  him  into  a 
pond  of  water,  near  Marysville,  Missouri.  For 
eighteen  months  he  was  under  the  doctor's  care. 
He  had  been  promoted  engineer.  In  1874  he 
was  employed  in  the  shops  of  the  Kansas  City, 
St.  Joseph  &  Council  Bluffs  Railroad  Company. 
After  a  time  he  resigned,  and  January  19, 1876, 
he  went  with  a  party  to  the  Black  Hills,  having 
a  very  tedious  time  getting  through  the  snow. 
After  prospecting  in  that  region  for  a  while, 
amid  mai^y  difficulties  and  privations,  having  a 
fight  with  the  Indians  and  losing  a  man,  he  at 
length  reached  Cheyenne;  and  he  came  tiience  to 
Nevada,  and  at  Reno  and  other  points  in  that 
State  he  had  various  responsible  positions  in 
engineering,  superintending  large  mechanical 
jobs,  etc.  In  October,  1884,  he  came  to  Cali- 
fornia, and  bought  out  the  harness  shop  of  J. 
A.  Lowe,  at  Elk  Grove,  this  county,  where  he 
is  now  doing  a  profitable  business.  He  is  a 
member  of  Rebekah  Lodge,  No.  136, 1.  O.  O.  F. 
at  Elk  Grove,  and  No.  274  of  the  subordinate 
lodge   at   the  same   place.      He  was   married  in 


HISTORT    OF    SACRAMENTO    COUlfTT. 


TH.  St.  Joseph,  Missouri,  in  1872,  to  Mary  Xo- 
work,  a  native  of  Bohemia,  and  brought  up  in 
this  country.  They  have  three  children, — 
Joseph  Louis,  Charles  Joseph,  and  George 
Joseph. 


fELSON  SHAVER,  farmer,  was  born  in 
Onondaga  County,  New  York,  May  10, 
1826,  son  of  Jolm  and  Marietta  (Dowd) 
Shaver.  His  father,  a  native  of  Germany,  came 
to  New  York  when  a  small  boy,  married  there 
and  emigrated  to  Sheboygan  County,  AViscon- 
sin,  bordering  on  Lake  Michigan,  in  1848 
where  he  made  his  home  until  his  deatii  in  1886, 
at  the  age  of  seventy  years.  Nelson  was  about 
eight  years  old  when  his  mother  died,  and  after 
that  his  fatJier  married  Alzina  Church,  of  New 
Y'ork,  before  moving  to  Wisconsin.  In  the 
first  family  were  five  children:  Louisa,  Nelson, 
Lovina,  John  and  Maria.  Three  of  these  are 
now  living:  Joiin  resides  in  Wisconsin;  Louisa 
married  a  Mr.  Poole  and  also  lives  in  Wiscon- 
sin, and  the  other  is  the  subject  of  this  sketch. 
Bj  the  last  marriage  there  were  also  five  chil- 
dren. Nelson  was  brought  up  in  Onondaga 
County,  New  York,  on  a  farm,  and  in  1852 
came  to  California,  overland,  with  tliree  other 
young  men,  leaving  Wisconsin  about  the  mid- 
dle of  March.  At  Carson  Valley  they  sold 
their  ox  teams  and  came  the  rest  of  the  way 
with  pack  horses.  On  reaching  Placerville  they 
separated..  Nelson  went  to  surface  mining  and 
met  with  good  success  for  a  while,  but  had  to 
be  in  the  snow  and  water  so  much  during  the 
winter  that  he  contracted  rheumatism,  which 
disabled  him  from  further  mining.  During  the 
next  summer,  1853,  he  came  into  Sacramento 
County,  and  worked  for  G.  W.  Colby,  farming, 
and  at  length  the  rheumatism  left  him.  He 
afterward  rented  the  farm  lor  two  years.  Then 
lie  went  south  a  little  way  and  entered  two  sec- 
tions of  land  where  afterward  the  Sargent  ranch 
was,  on  the  Stockton  road.  He  afterward  sold 
to   Sargent  and  took   another  place.     He  had, 


besides  the  Sargent  place,  four  otliers.  He  came 
to  his  present  place,  on  the  Folsom  grant, about 
1858.  Here  there  are  621  acres,  devoted  to 
general  farming.  In  1857  he  married  Adeline 
Gunter,  a  native  of  Iowa,  and  they  have  six 
children,  namely:  Mary,  wife  of  John  Todd; 
Nelson  H.,  who  married  Ada  E.  Fitch;  Adeline, 
now  the  wife  of  Frederick  Sanders;  Caroline, 
now  Mrs.  Joseph  Beresford;  Rosa  and  John. 


iARTIN  LEONARD  SMITH  was  born 
May  13,  1828,  in  Montgomery  County, 
Ohio,  his  parents  being  John  (born  and 
raised  in  Boston)  and  Catharine  (Mowery,  a 
native  of  Hagerstown,  Maryland)  Smith.  The 
family  moved  to  Dayton,  Montgomery  County, 
Ohio,  then  to  Chillicothe,  thence  to  Cincinnati 
and  back  to  Dayton  again.  In  1835  they  went 
to  South  Bend,  Indiana,  and  lived  there  three 
years,  then  went  to  Elkhart,  where  the  family 
made  their  home  for  many  years.  Mrs.  Smith 
died  there  in  1885,  at  the  age  of  eiglity-four 
years.  Mr.  Smith  died  in  Plymouth,  Indiana, 
forty  miles  southwest  of  Elkhart,  in  1854. 
They  had  a  family  of  five  children,  who  all  lived 
to  be  grown:  Elizabeth  Hazelton,  resident  in 
Elkhart,  Indiana;  John  R.,  Martin  L.,  James, 
resident  in  Elkhart,  and  William  Henry.  The 
two  latter  were  in  the  war;  Johndied  soon  after, 
and  William  Henry  is  supposed  to  be  dead.  The 
subject  of  this  sketch  lived  in  Elkhart  till  1852. 
When  he  was  but  sixteen  years  of  age  he  com- 
menced to  learn  the  shoe-making  trade,  and 
worked  about  four  years  in  his  father's  shop, 
the  same  which  he  afterward  conducted  himself. 
He  left  for  California  in  the  spring  of  1852, 
transferring  his  business  to  his  brother-in-law, 
John  Hazelton.  There  were  three  of  them  in 
the  party,  all  young  fellows;  a  man  agreed  to 
bring  them  out  overland  for  §100  apiece.  They 
had  the  privilege  of  paying  that  in  money  or 
wagons  or  anything  to  make  out  the  outfit. 
Martin  Smith  had  a  wagon  made  and  put  it  in 
for  his  share.     After  they  reached   Chicago  the 


nnsTour  OF  sacramento  county. 


guide  began  to  act  ugly;  but  thej  sta_yed  with 
him,  not  being  very  well  able  to  help  them- 
selves, till  they  reached  Gainesville  on  tiie  Mis- 
souri; then  they  concluded  to  quit  him.  They 
had  a  trial  of  the  matter,  conducted  by  impar- 
tial parties  and  determined  to  allow  him  $25  for 
bringing  them  that  far,  and  he  had  to  refund 
the  balance  of  the  money  and  property.  They 
then  engaged  another  man  at  the  same  price, 
but  he  turned  out  to  be  meaner  than  the  first 
man,  and  consequently,  they  had  another  law- 
suit on  the  plains,  and  the  result  was  that  they 
took  his  team  away  from  him  and  kept  it  uutil 
they  reached  Placerville.  While  traveling  on 
the  plains  they  saw  many  things  that  would 
surprise  an  ordinary  mortal,  in  these  days;  they 
would  in  themselves  form  a  small  volume  and 
be  most  interesting,  but  the  scope  of  this  work 
will  not  allow  of  their  repetition.  After  reach- 
ing California  he  visited  many  points  of  inter- 
est, wandering  from  one  place  to  another  until 
1855,  then  followed  mining,  and  at  last,  not 
being  very  successful  at  mining,  bought  a  ranch 
and  settled  down  on  it;  the  purchase  money 
was  a  part  of  that  made  at  Teats'  diggings, 
about  three  miles  from  his  present  place.  The 
ranch  contains  about  164  acres  and  is  situated 
on  the  old  Coloma  road  about  thirteen  miles 
from  Sacramento.  Mr.  Smith  was  married 
in  1855  to  Miss  Sarah  Flanigan,  a  native  of 
County  Clare,  Ireland;  she  was  very  young 
when  she  left  the  old  country  for  Fall  River, 
Massachusetts.  In  1852  she  came  to  California, 
via  Cape  Horn.  They  had  ten  children,  of 
whom  nine  are  living:  James,  Henry,  who  died 
on  this  ranch  at  the  age  of  nine  years,  Benja- 
min Franklin,  Mrs.  Mary  Ann  Burk,  Lizzie, 
John,  Agnes,  Sallie,  Katie,  Lora,  Gracie.  Mrs. 
Smith  died  in  December,  1882.  Mr.  Smith 
married  again,  November  19,  1884,  Miss  Ellen 
Donavan,  of  Sacramento,  a  native  of  Newport, 
Monmouthshire,  Wales.  Her  parents  were  na- 
tives of  Ireland  and  she  came  with  them  to  IIo- 
boken,  New  Jersey,  and  thence  to  Sacramento, 
where  she  had  been  resident  for  thirteen  years. 
After  an    absence   of     thirty-eight   years    Mr. 


Smith,  with  his  wife  and  youngest  daughter,  re- 
turned to  the  home  of  his  boyhood  on  a  visit. 


fOHN  DUFFY  was  born  January  30,  1842, 
a  son  of  John  and  Mary  Duffy  (the  latter 
a  native  of  Ireland).  The  father,  a  native 
of  England,  came  to  America  when  a  boy, 
learned  the  carpenter  trade,  and  worked  at  it  in 
Syracuse,  New  York;  afterward  in  Livings- 
ton County,  Michigan,  where  he  purchased  land, 
on  which  he  resided  until  his  death,  which  oc- 
curred December  3,  1865.  He  was  the  father 
of  seven  children.  John,  the  subject  of  this 
sketch,  learned  the  saddle  and  harness  trade,  and 
worked  at  it  four  years  in  Michigan.  In  1863 
he  came  to  California  via  the  Isthmus,  sailing 
from  New  York  on  the  steamer  Champion  to 
the  Isthmus,  thence  on  the  steamer  St.  Louis  to 
San  Francisco,  where  he  arrived  on  Christmas 
day,  1863.  He  obtained  employment  immedi- 
ately on  a  farm,  and  afterward  purchased  an 
eighty-acre  tract  of  land  in  San  Joaquin  Town- 
ship, near  old  Elk  Grove.  Later  he  sold  the 
same  and  purchased  his  present  property  in 
1877.  It  is  the  northeast  quarter  of  section  36, 
township  7.  Mr.  Duffy  made  a  visit  to  the  East 
in  1876  and  brought  back  with  him  his  young- 
est brother.  He  was  married  November  5,  1868, 
to  Miss  Mary  M.  Thompson.  They  have  three 
children,  namely:  William  C,  born  December 
15,  1871;  Mary  M.,  May  24,  1875,  died  May  5, 
1876;  and  Effie  M.,  born  April  17,  1878.  Mr. 
Duffy  is  a  member  of  the  1.  O.  O.  F.,  of  Elk 
Grove,  No.  274,  and  his  wife  is  a  member  of  the 
Rebekahs. 


f  ON  AT  HAN  OGDEN  SHERWOOD, 
Brighton  Township.  Among  the  well- 
known  pioneers  of  California,  who  have 
been  identified  with  Sacramento  County  since 
the  early  days,  is  the  gentleman  with  whose 
name  this  sketch  commences.      He  is  a  native 


mSTORT    OF    SACRAMENTO    COUNTY. 


of  New  York  State,  born  at  South  Eichland, 
Oswego  County,  on  the  3d  of  JanTjarj',  1825. 
His  mother,  whose  maiden  name  was  Sarah 
Meigs,  was  born  in  Derby  County,  Connecticut, 
and  came  of  an  old  family  of  that  State.  Her 
father  was  a  Revolutionary  soldier,  who  joined 
the  colonial  army  at  the  age  of  sixteen,  taking 
the  place  of  a  neighbor,  who  could  not  well 
leave  his  family.  Her  mother,  whose  maiden 
name  was  Pritchard,  had  a  brother,  a  captain  in 
the  patriot  army  in  the  iievolutionary  War,  who 
was  captured  by  the  British  and  had  his  throat 
cut  on  board  of  one  of  their  prison  ships.  The 
father  of  our  subject  was  Jonathan  Sherwood, 
son  of  a  sea  captain  named  Zalmon  Sherwood. 
When  he  was  about  sixteen  years  old  the  father 
died  and  the  family  removed  to  Oswego  County, 
New  York.  He  was  in  the  War  of  1812,  and 
was  called  out  at  the  time  of  the  invasion  of 
Oswego,  and  served  till  the  war  was  over  under 
General  Gillespie,  a  neighbor  of  the  family. 
He  furnished  the  general  a  horse,  which  the  lat- 
ter used  throughout  the  war.  His  wife  died  in 
1869  and  he  followed  her  to  the  land  beyond  the 
grave  in  1871.  tTonathan  O.  Sherwood,  subject 
of  this  sketch,  was  one  of  a  family  of  ten  chil- 
dren, six  sons  and  four  daughters,  and  he  now  has 
two  brothers  residing  in  California,  and  one 
living  in  Colorado.  He  received  a  common- 
school  education  and  in  his  seventeenth  year 
commenced  teaching  winters,  while  he  attended 
the  spring  terms  at  Mexico  Academy.  In  the 
spring  of  1846  he  went  to  New  York  city  and 
engaged  as  clerk  with  R.  G.  Williams,  at  84 
Pearl  street.  A  short  time  later  he  changed  his 
place  of  employment  and  went  with  J.  O.  &  D. 
S.  Bennett,  commission  merchants,  at  33  Water 
street.  J.  O.  Beimett,  an  active  member  of  the 
firm,  was  a  shrewd  business  man,  and  had  that 
great  faculty  of  being  able  to  see  in  advance 
where  great  business  opportunities  lay.  One 
day,  in  1847,  when  the  war  with  Mexico  was 
pretty  well  advanced,  he  astonished  Mr.  Sher- 
wood by  asking  him  if  he  doubted  his  ability  of 
taking  care  of  himself  in  business  under  any 
and  all  circumstances.     Mr.  Siierwood  said  he 


never  doubted  it  because  he  knew  he  could.  Mr. 
Bennett  then  spread  out  a  map  before  him  and 
pointing  to  Yerba  Buena,  on  the  bay  of  San 
Francisco,  said,  "  There  is  a  point  which  in  fifty 
years  will  rival  New  York.  My  plan  is  for  you 
to  go  there  and  get  possession  of  all  the  land 
you  can  get  hold  of,"  etc.  Mr.  Sherwood  fell 
in  with  the  idea  and  agreed  to  go.  The  scheme 
was  then  broached  to  D.  S.  Bennett,  who  pooh- 
poohed  the  idea,  and  this  plan,  which  would  have 
resulted  in  a  fortune  for  those  concerned,  fell 
through.  In  the  fall  of  1848  Mr.  Sherwood  left 
New  York  and  went  out  to  Wisconsin,  where 
two  brothers  then  resided.  Two  of  his  brothers 
were  anxious  to  go  to  Willamette  settleaient, 
in  Oregon,  and  lie  joined  with  them  in  prepar- 
ing. When  they  were  nearly  ready  to  go  their 
eldest  brother  persuaded  them  to  give  up  the 
project.  In  1849  Mr.  Sherwood  was  in  Mani- 
towoc, Wisconsin,  and  he  fell  in  with  a  move- 
ment being  made  in  the  southern  part  of  the 
State  to  organize  a  party  for  the  purpose  of 
going  to  California  (among  whom  was  a  gentle- 
man named  Durgan),  and  onr  subject  fitted  out 
an  ox  team  for  tliat  purpose.  Spring  opened 
up  late  and  Mr.  Sherwood  was  to  join  the  party 
in  three  or  four  weeks.  In  the  meantime,  how- 
ever, he  received  a  letter  from  Mr.  Duigan  say- 
ing he  was  the  only  one  who  had  not  backed 
out,  and  for  Mr.  Sherwood  to  join  him  at  New 
York,  and  they  would  go  via  Panama.  Mr. 
Sherwood  wonld  not  consent  to  that,  however, 
and  decided  to  go  across  the  plains.  He  had  a 
friend  named  John  Irish,  who  wanted  to  go 
with  him  and  was  accepted.  Mr.  Sherwood  then 
commenced  bidding  good -by  to  his  friends,  and 
one  of  them,  John  A.  Tredway,  decided  at  once 
to  go  along.  On  the  16th  of  April,  1850,  they 
started,  mounted  on  Indian  ponies.  They  pro- 
cured their  wagons  and  outfits  near  Fort  Des 
Moines,  Iowa,  and  there  fell  in  with  a  party, 
which,  with  themselves,  numbered  sixteen  peo- 
ple. They  went  to  Kanesville,  laid  in  provis- 
ions, and  then  ferried  themselves  across  the 
river.  They  proceeded  on  the  north  side  of  the 
Platte  to   Laramie,   and   by   way   of  the    Black 


BISTORT    OF    SACRAMENTO    COUNTY. 


Hills.  They  were  the  first  to  take  that  route, 
and  had  to  have  some  one  ahead  exploring  all 
the  time.  Tiiey  struck  the  main  line  of  travel 
again  at  the  second  crossing  of  North  Platte. 
From  South  Pass  they  proceeded  by  the  Bear 
River  route,  and  from  Soda  Springs  took  the 
Sublette's  cut-oif.  They  came  on  to  California 
by  wayo  f  Sink  of  Humboldt  and  Sink  of  Car- 
son. Mr.  Sherwood  first  struck  the  mines  at 
Weaverville,  El  Dorado  County.  He  and  Mr. 
Tredway  remained  there  until  October,  when, 
both  being  sick,  they  were  advised  to  go  to  a 
warmer  climate,  and  left,  coming  to  Sacramento. 
From  here  he  went  to  Stockton,  and  at  the  hotel 
there  fell  in  with  a  carpenter.  Though  he  had 
never  worked  at  that  trade  Mr.  Sherwood  was 
very  handy  with  his  tools.  He  was  told  by  the 
landlord  of  a  man  who  wanted  to  hire  soirie 
workmen  in  this  line,  and  he  and  the  carpenter 
decided  to  apply  for  work.  The  contractor 
looked  them  over  and  selected  Mr.  Sherwood, 
though  the  other  man  was  a  skilled  carpenter, 
or  claimed  to  be.  Mr.  Sherwood  was  placed 
with  others  on  a  frame  store  that  was  being 
erected,  and  went  to  work,  though,  indeed,  he 
did  not  even  know  how  he  was  to  commence. 
He  had  his  wits  about  him,  however,  and  suc- 
ceeded in  getting  along  nicely  without  any  of 
the  workmen  finding  out  that  he  was  not  a  car- 
penter. When  he  came  to  construct  a  door 
frame,  however,  there  was  one  point  he  did  not 
understand,  but  he  asked  a  question  of  one  of 
the  other  men  in  such  a  diplomatic  way,  that 
the  other  did  not  observe  his  object.  He  got 
his  answer,  and  was  then  all  right.  He  pushed 
his  work  and  attracted  the  attention  of  his  em- 
ployer by  his  speed.  When  tiie  contractor  re- 
ceived the  job  of  putting  up  a  number  of 
out-houses,  extending  out  over  the  slough,  for 
a  hotel,  he  gave  Mr.  Sherwood  charge  of  the 
jol),  and  sent  the  other  workmen  to  him  to  be 
put  to  work.  He  commenced  on  one  in  the 
morning,  studying  out  his  work  as  he  went,  and 
in  the  evening  his  employer  was  surprised  to 
find  that  he  had  one  already  finisiied.  He  was 
getting  812  a  day  as  a  workman.     It  was  rather 


a  surprising  thing,  as  well  as  laughal)le,  that  he 
should  be  placed  as  foreman  over  experinced 
workmen,  while  up  to  a  few  days  before  he  had 
never  worked  at  this  trade.  So  much  for  self- 
confidence.  Mr.  Sherwood  returned  to  Sacra- 
mento County,  and  in  February,  1851,  bought 
land  at  what  is  now  Gold  Spring  ranch,  and  en- 
gaged in  farming.  He  was  very  successful,  and 
added  to  his  possessions  until  he  had  a  place  of 
about  1,000  acres.  Part  of  this  was  State  school 
land,  at]d  a  portion  was  purchased  from  the 
railroad  company.  In  1855-'56  he  set  out  an 
orchard  of  over  2,000  trees,  and  by  1861  had  a 
handsomely  improved  place.  But  the  work  of 
years  was  destroyed  by  the  flood  that  came  on 
in  December  of  that  year,  when  the  place  was 
overflowed,  and  the  land  in  front  of  the  house 
filled  up  fifty  feet.  The  loss  to  Mr.  Sherwood 
was  very  severe  and  required  a  hard  struggle 
for  several  years  to  right  the  damage.  He  had 
a  splendid  ranch  there,  but  sold  it  in  1884  to 
Daniel  Flint,  of  Sacramento,  and  in  November 
of  that  year  removed  to  his  present  location  in 
Brighton  Township,  where  he  has  a  farm  of  160 
acres.  Mr.  Sherwood  has  always  taken  an  act- 
ive interest  in  educational  matters,  and  organ- 
ized the  first  public  school  district  in  Sacramento 
County.  That  district  includes  all  Cosumnes 
Township,  and  was  organized  in  1853.  He 
built  ti)e  school-house  and  presented  it  to  the 
district,  and  hired  the  first  teacher,  whom  he 
afterward  married.  Mr.  Sherwood  was  a  Demo- 
crat in  early  life  and  voted  it  until  Lincoln's 
second  campaign.  He  supported  the  Eepubli- 
can  party  then,  and  afterward  became  o{)posed 
to  the  dismemberment  of  the  Union,  but  only 
for  that  reason.  He  is  a  member  of  the  Ma- 
sonic order.  Mr.  Sherwood  has  been  twice  mar- 
ried. First,  on  the  13th  of  November,  1854, 
to  Miss  Kate  Virginia  Beall,  who  came  from 
Scott  County,  Illinois.  She  died  in  November, 
186G.  By  that  marriage  there  were  five  chil- 
dren, viz.:  Eva  Augusta,  born  October  25, 1855, 
wife  of  Thomas  Gaftney,  San  Francisco;  Alfred 
Wilbur,  born  March  24,  1858;  Anna,  born  in 
February,   1862,  died    in   April,  1863;  Harry, 


HISroHY    OF    SACRAMENTO    COUNTY. 


born  October  18,  1865;  and  Jessie,  born  Octo- 
ber 13,  1866.  Mr.  Slierwood  married  his  pres- 
ent wife  July  5,  1869.  Her  maiden  name  was 
Susan  Emeline  Woods.  Slie  is  a  native  ofMer- 
.  cer  County,  Pennsylvania,  and  daughter  of  John 
and  Mary  (Hazen)  Wood.  Her  parents  were 
both  born  in  the  same  county.  In  1844  they 
removed  to  Barry,  Pike  County,  Illinois,  and 
there  both  parents  died.  Mrs.  Sherwood  left 
home  for  California,  ]iroceeding  first  to  New 
York.  She  sailed  from  there  April  10,  on  the 
steamer  Ocean  Queen,  and  landed  at  San  Fran- 
cisco May  15,  1868.  From  there  she  came  to 
Sacramento.  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Sherwood  are  the 
parents  of  two  children,  viz.:  Ella  May,  born 
November  5,  1872,  and  Etta,  born  February  23, 
1874.  Mr.  Sherwood  is  a  splendid  type  of  the 
open-hearted,  hospitable  Californian,  who  in 
times  past,  made  this  State  famous  the  world 
over.  He  pushed  his  way  to  the  front  by  indus- 
try and  enterprise,  and,  while  successful  in  life 
himself  has  always  taken  an  active  interest  and 
lent  a  helping  hand  toward  the  general  public 
welfare.  Such  is  but  a  mere  outline  of  the  life 
of  J.  O.  Sherwood,  one  of  Sacrapnento  County's 
most  I'espected  citizens. 


■^^ 


fHARLES  C.  BONTE,  chief  clerk  of  the 
shops  of  the  Southern  Pacific  Railroad, 
was  born  in  the  city  of  Cincinnati,  Ohio, 
in  1857.  He  is  the  son  of  the  Rev.  J.  H.  C. 
Bonte,  Professor  of  Legal  Ethics  in  the  Law 
Department  of  the  University,  and  Secretary  of 
the  Board  of  Regents  of  the  University  of  Cali- 
fornia. When  he  was  a  child  his  parents 
moved  to  Washington  city.  District  of  Colum- 
bia. His  preliminary  schooling  was  obtained 
in  the  District  of  Columbia;  his  preparatory 
courses  were  taken  in  the  city  of  Oswego,  New 
York,  and  coming  to  California  in  1870  he 
completed  his  course  of  study  at  St.  Augustine 
College,  Benicia,  from  which  institution  he 
graduated  in  1884.  He  came  to  Sacramento 
in  1875,  taking  a  position   in  the  office  of  the 


chief  clerk,  Sacramento  shops  (Mr.  Newton  II. 
Foster),  succeeding  to  that  position  in  1885. 
He  was  united  in  marriage,  in  1881,  to  Miss 
Anna  Hall  Nichols,  daughter  of  H.  L.  Nichols, 
A.  M.,  M.  D.,  the  oldest  practicing  physician  in 
the  Capital  City,  a  sketch  of  whom  will  be 
found  elsewhere  in  this  volume.  Mr.  and  Mrs. 
Bont^  have  one  son,  named  Harmon  Storer 
Bont^. 


fUDGE  W.  A.  HENRY.— Conspicuous 
among  the  local  magistrates  in  the  Capital 
City  is  W.  A.  Henry,  whose  office  at  608 
I  street,  opposite  the  Court  House,  is  in  itself 
peculiar,  as  indeed  is  the  Judge  in  his  personal 
characteristics.  Born  at  Lexington,  Kentucky, 
December  16,  1882,  he  crossed  the  plains  in 
1854,  and  settled  in  Placer  County.  His  father, 
John  Henry,  was  a  prominent  politician,  an  old- 
time  Whig,  and  later  on  a  Douglas  Democrat. 
He  removed  from  Kentucky  to  Jacksonville, 
Illinois,  wliere  he  was  a  member  of  the  Legis- 
lature, and  wlien  Colonel  E.  D.  Baker,  Con- 
gressman of  his  district,  resigned  his  position 
to  participate  in  the  Mexican  war,  Henry  was 
selected  to  fill  his  place.  Grandfather  Henry 
was  a  Virginian  by  birth,  and  a  Christian  min- 
ister, a  devoted  disciple  of  Alexander  Camp- 
bell. The  Judge's  mother,  Isabella  Wilson,  a 
native  of  Edinburg,  Scotland,  came  with  her 
father,  Robert  Wilson,  to  Lexington,  Kentucky, 
where  the  family  became  well  known.  When 
our  subject  was  a  child  the  family  moved  to 
Jacksonville,  Illinois,  and  theie  he  grew  to 
manhood,  and  learned  the  trade  of  coppersmith 
at  St.  Louis.  When  he  reached  his  majority  he 
crossed  the  plains  to  California  with  a  party  of 
young  men.  Going  into  the  mines  for  a  short 
time,  he  soon  liecame  convinced  that  mining 
was  not  to  his  liking,  so  began  teaching  school, 
and  being  interested  in  matters  political  be- 
came a  candidate  for  the  position  of  Superin- 
tendent of  Public  Instruction.  Later  on  he 
made  San  Francisco  his  home  for  several  years. 


HISTORY    OF    8ACBAMENT0    COUNTY. 


In  1864  he  went  to  "Woodland,  Yolo  County, 
and  for  two  years  was  the  editor  of  the  Yolo 
County  Democrat,  and  for  two  years  justice  of 
the  peace.  For  four  years  he  was  under-sheriff 
and  county  tax  collector.  In  1875  he  came  to 
Sacramento,  at  the  instance  of  Jefferson  Wilcox- 
son,  the  well-known  c;ipitalist,  and  remained 
with  him  some  time.  He  was  then  made  Pat- 
ent Clerk  and  Examiner  of  Titles  in  the  office 
of  the  State  Surveyor-General,  which  position 
lie  filled  for  four  years.  He  was  then  elected 
as  Police  Judge.  During  the  seven  years  he 
served  in  that  capacity  he  was  admitted  to  prac- 
tice before  the  Superior  Courts,  and  upon  the 
expiration  of  his  term  as  Police  Judge  he  went 
into  general  practice.  In  May  of  this  year 
(1889)  he  was  appointed  as  justice  of  the  peace, 
which  office  he  now  holds.  In  former  years  he 
was  prominent  in  the  different  fraternal  organi- 
zations, holding  the  office  of  Master  Workman 
in  the  A.  0.  U.  "W. ;  of  Sachem  of  the  Red  Men, 
and  Noble  Arch  and  Noble  Grand  Arch  in  the 
Ancient  Order  of  Druids.  The  Judge  was 
married  in  1876,  to  Mrs.  S.  H.  Carroll,  nee 
Noble,  a  sister  of  William  Noble,  of  Bear  Val- 
ley. The  Judge,  who  is  now  fifty-six  years  of 
age,  would  pass  for  several  years  younger.  He 
is  widely  known  and  highly  respected  by  all  his 
friends  and  acquaintances. 


^-Vs*^^'*^**-'^ 

fHE  PIONEER  MILLING  COMPANY. 
— Of  all  human  necessities  the  food  sup- 
ply outweighs  the  balance  in  the  ratio  of 
two  to  one,  and  as  a  natural  consequence  inter- 
ests connected  with  its  production  and  distri- 
bution are  of  the  most  vital  importance.  It 
would  be  interesting  to  trace  the  development 
of  the  manufacture  of  flour  from  the  hollow- 
stone  mortar,  and  its  flinty  pestle,  of  the  alio- 
rigines,  through  successive  stages,  to  the  mighty 
steam  power,  roller-process  mills  of  to-day. 
Perhaps  in  no  branch  of  industry  have  tlie  im- 
p.-ovements  been  more  marked.  Half  a  century 
ago  the  "  upper  or  nether  millstones  "  turned 


by  immense  water  wheels,  making  only  coarse 
meal,  were  the  only  ones  known.  The  first 
mill  in  this  county  to  make  "  Exti-a ''  flour  was 
the  old  "Bay  State"  mill,  located  on  M  street, 
between  First  and  Second  streets,  in  1852, 
owned  and  operated  by  Polly,  Nichols  &  Gar- 
field. This  mill,  which  had  a  capacity  of  150 
barrels,  was  burned  in  the  great  fire  of  Novem- 
ber the  3d  of  that  year.  It  was  rebuilt  and  in 
operation  within  six  weeks  after  the  fire,  and 
run  by  Polly  &  Garfield  until  1856,  when  it 
blew  up;  but  prior  to  the  explosion  Mr.  Garfield 
had  sold  out  his  interest  to  a  Mr.  Hall,  and  had 
in  connection  with  Mr.  George  AY.  Mowe, 
bought  the  Wilson  mill,  located  at  the  mouth 
of  the  American  River;  this  mill  was  called 
the  "  Eureka,"  and  built  about  the  same  time  as 
the  "Bay  State,"  in  1852.  It  was  improved  by 
Garfield  &  Mowe,  and  the  name  changed  to 
the  "Pioneer  Mill;"  subsequently  Mowe  sold 
out  to  Alexander  Dyer.  The  firm  name  re- 
mained unchanged  until  the  fall  of  1859,  when 
it  was  burned  by  an  incendiary.  In  1854  a 
man  named  Carey  had  bought  the  buildings  of 
the  "Boston  Ice  Company,"  put  in  mill  ma- 
chinery, and  called  it  the  "  Carey  Mill."  At  the 
time  the  Pioneer  was  burned  the  "Carey  Mill  " 
was  owned  by  Mr.  E.  P.  Figg,  and  in*  1861 
Garfield  &  Co.  bought  the  mill,  and  changed 
its  name  to  "The  Pioneer."  This  mill,  in  its 
turn,  was  burned  during  the  following  year, 
1862.  Mr.  Garfield  then  bought  the  "Sunny- 
side  Mill"  at  Auburn,  brought  it  down,  and 
erected  it  at  the  mouth  of  the  American  River, 
gave  it  the  name  of  the  "  Pioneer,"  and  once 
more  started  in.  It  was  subsequently  enlarged 
and  improved  at  an  outlay  of  over  $70,000,  the 
firm  being  Mowe,  Carroll,  Simpson  &  Garfield. 
The  property  was  greatly  damaged  when  the 
mouth  of  the  river  was  changed,  its  store- 
liouse,  etc.,  being  washed  away  by  the  current. 
Several  changes  having  been  made  in  the 
membership  of  the  firm,  the  name  of  the  firm 
was  changed  to  II.  G.  Smith  &  Co.  This  con- 
tinued until  18S3,  when  a  joint-stock  company 
was  organized   under  the  laws  of  the  State  of 


UlSTOUY     OF    t^AORAMENTO    VOUNTY 


4;)3 


California,  entitled  "The  Pioneer  Milling  Com- 
pany," with  H.  G.  Smith  as  president,  and 
Mr.  Llewellyn  Williams,  vice-president,  F.  B. 
Smith,  secretary,  and  S.  N.  Garfield,  general 
manager.  The  "Pioneer  Mill"  is  one  of  the 
oldest  and  largest  establishments  in  its  line  in 
Northern  California.  It  is  most  conveniently 
located  for  the  transaction  of  its  business,  being 
iipon  the  bank  of  the  Sacramento  River,  per- 
mitting the  deepest-draft  river  craft  to  discharge 
directly  into  the  mill,  and  to  receive  cargoes  of 
flour  therefrom,  while  on  its  eastern  side  a  side 
track  is  placed  which  permits  the  convenient 
and  speedy  loading  and  discharging  on  railroad 
cars.  The  mill  proper  is  a  commodious  four- 
story  building,  to  which  is  attached  a  large  two 
story  warehouse,  the  whole  covering  an  area  of 
150  .\  600  feet.  It  is  fully  equipped  witli  the 
latest  impi'oved  roller-process  mach.nery,  and 
employs  some  thirty-five  men  in  its  oper- 
ation. It  has  a  capacity  of  500  barrels  per 
day,  and  makes  an  annual  average  of  150,000 
barrels.  The  manufacturers  of  tliis  establish- 
ment occupy  the  foremost  position  in  the  mar- 
ket, and  are  regarded  with  marked  and  popular 
favor  by  merchants  and  consumers.  Besides 
manufacturing  and  handling  flour,  tliis  firm 
deals  largely  in  grain,  and  all  kinds  of  mill  feed. 
The  individual  stockholders  of  the  company' 
are  all  well  known  and  substantial  residents, 
who  have  been  identified  with  the  progress, 
prosperity  and  improvement  of  Sacramento 
in  every  way,  and  have  always  been  fore- 
most in  every  effort  to  build  up  her  com- 
mercial, industrial,  manufacturing  and  social 
prestige  and  advantages.  Mr.  H.  G.  Smitii,  the 
president  of  the  company,  is  a  native  of  the 
State  of  New  York,  having  been  born  at  Ithaca, 
at  the  head  of  Caynga  Lake,  in  1832,  the  son 
of  Franklin  Smith,  a  farmer.  At  the  age  of 
seventeen  he  entered  the  drug  house  of  Dr. 
Hawley,  of  Ithaca,  and  for  two  years  remained 
there,  learning  the  business,  but  with  the  aspi- 
rations of  an  energetic  mind.  Desiring  a  larger 
field,  he  early  determined  to  migrate  to  the  far 
West,    and    in    company    with    two    friends  — 


Joseph  Trueman  and  John  Thompson — he  left 
New  York  on  the  7th  of  December,  1850,  for 
California,  coming  via  the  Nicaragua  route, 
landing  in  San  Francisco  on  the  9th  January, 
1851,  having  made  a  remarkably  quick  passage. 
After  spending  a  short  time  in  the  mines  at 
"  Negro  Bar,"  o!i  the  American  River,  and  be- 
coming convinced  that  the  life  of  a  miner 
would  not  suit  him,  he  came  to  Sacramento, 
and  was  engaged  in  various  enterprises;  among 
them,  in  1856,  was  draying,  having  bought  two 
drays,  one  of  which  he  himself  drove  for  a  time, 
hauling  chiefly  for  the  old  "Bay  State  Mill." 
He  continued  in  this  business  for  seven  years. 
In  this  and  similar  enterprises  he  accumulated 
money,  and  upon  the  failure  of  the  "Odd  Fel- 
lows' Bank,  in  18 — ,  he  became  the  receiver  of 
that  defunct  institution,  and  later  on,  when  the 
"Peoples'  Bank"  was  organized,  he  became  a 
large  stockholder  and  a  director.  As  early  as 
1863  he  had  bought  an  interest  in  the  "  Pioneer 
Mill,"  and  when  the  joint  stock  company  was 
formed  he  became  its  president,  which  position 
he  still  retains,  taking  an  active  personal  part 
in  the  direction  of  the  afiairs  of  the  great  insti- 
tution. Coming  to  Sacramento,  as  he  did  in  his 
early  youth,  he  may  be  said  to  have  grown  up 
with  the  city,  having  been  closely  identifled 
with  her  social  and  materia]  interests  for  up- 
wards of  thirty-seven  years.  He  stands  to-day 
foremost  among  her  repiesentative  men. 


fHARLES  A.  JENKINS,  proprietor  of  the 
State  House  Hotel. — Perhaps  in  uocountry 
in  the  world  do  so  large  a"  proportion  of 
the  people  live  at  hotels  as  in  America;  cer- 
tainly in  no  country  do  so  large  a  proportion  of 
the  population  spend  their  time  in  traveling 
from  place  to  place  for  business  and  pleasure; 
men  and  women  of  all  classes  travel;  and  the 
necessity  for  ample,  commodious  hotel  accom- 
modations is  yearly  increasing;  nor  are  the 
travelers  of  to-day  satisfied  with  such  accommo- 
dations as  were  furnished  in  the  past;  the  cle- 


HISTORY    OF    8AGRAMEMV    COUNTY. 


gant  structures  which  are  being  erected  in  every 
town  for  tlie  acconnnodation  of  lier  transient 
guests  testify  to  this  fact,  and  men  of  large 
means  and  ample  experience  are  found  at  the 
head  of  establishments  of  this  character.  It 
has  been  truly  said  that  liotel  men  "  are  born, 
Dot  made;"  the  meaning  being,  that  no  matter 
how  elegant  a  structure,  or  the  appointments  or 
surroundings  of  a  hotel  may  be,  to  make  a  suc- 
cess, requires  a  man  of  peculiar  characteristics; 
he  must  have  all  the  qnalilications  of  a  thorough 
business  man,  including  a  ready  tact,  a  thorough 
intuitive  knowledge  of  human  nature,  united 
with  great  urbanity  of  manners,  and  a  never 
failing  supply  of  patience  and  goodfellowship. 
If,  with  these  characteristics,  he  has  at  his  com- 
mand a  commodious  and  pleasantly  located 
hoiise,  success  becomes  assured,  and  the  reputa- 
tion of  his  hostelry  established.  In  the  hotel 
known  as  the  State  House,  in  tiiis  city,  located  on 
the  corner  of  Tenth  and  K  streets,  it  would 
seem,  the  qualities  above  referred  to,  are  care- 
fully considered.  The  house  was  established  in 
1868  by  one  Barton,  who  was  its  first  proprie- 
tor, and  it  then  had  fifty-six  rooms;  additions 
were  however  made  from  time  to  time  until  in 
1882  it  had  112  rooms,  thys  taking  rank  as  the 
second  largest  liotel  in  the  city.  It  was  at  this 
time  owned  by  Hod.  Eldred,  Esq.  In  1886  it 
came  into  the  possession  of  its  present  proprie- 
tor, and  for  three  years  past  it  has  been  under 
the  popular  management  of  Mr.  B.  B.  Brown. 
At  this  writing,  the  entire  premises  are  being 
remodeled  and  enlarged  by  an  addition  of 
twenty-four  rooms,  besides  a  large  dining-room, 
store-room,  kitchen,  etc.,  at  an  expenditure  of 
from  $30,000  to  $40,000;  no  expense  will  be 
spared  to  make  it  the  largest  and  finest  hotel  in 
the  city;  its  location,  one  square  from  tiie  Capi- 
tol, the  center  of  the  up-town  traffic,  its  patron- 
age equaled  only  by  one  other  house  in  the 
city,  and  tiie  personal  popularity  of  its  present 
owner  and  proprietor  can  warrant  us  in  saying 
that  when  'inished,  the  new  State  House  will  be 
second  to  none  in  Sacramento,  and  equaled  by 
few  on  tiie  coast.     A  short  sketch  of  the  owner 


and  propriet-or  of  this  well-known  house  cannot 
but  be  interesting  to  his  many  friends  and  ac- 
quaintances. Charles  Asbery  Jenkins  is  prac- 
tically a  native  of  Sacramento  County,  for, 
although  born  in  the  city  of  Cincinnati,  in  1848, 
he  came  to  this  county  when  but  ten  years  old, 
being  brought  up  by  his  maternal  uncle,  Charles 
Warner  Pierce,  a  prominent  rancher  of  the  Co- 
sumnes  River,  and  later  a  resident  of  this  city, 
where  he  died  in  October,  1887.  Young  Jen- 
kins was  raised  under  the  fostering  care  of  this 
uncle,  to  whose  example  and  precept  he  is  in- 
debted, largely,  for  the  qualities  of  head  and 
heart  which  so  distinguish  him;  his  education, 
began  at  the  public  schools  in  this  city,  was 
acquired  partly  at  Yacaville  College,  in  Solano 
County  (since  destroyed)  and  partly  at  the  busi- 
ness and  commercial  college  of  San  Francisco. 
A  part  of  his  uncle's  teaching  was  of  self-reli- 
ance, to  depend  upon  himself,  and  before  lie 
reached  his  majority  he  was  encouraged  to  en- 
gage in  stock-raising,  and  other  enterprises;  aiid 
such  was  his  uncle's  confidence  in  his  integrity 
and  ability,  that  when  he  cauieto  embark  on  his 
journey  to  the  "Great  Beyond"  he  left  the 
Tuanagement  of  his  affairs  in  the  hands  of  his 
favorite  nephew,  who  was  appointed  sole  execu- 
tor without  bonds,  of  an  estate  valued  at  $187,- 
500.  Mr.  Jenkins  was  a  Presidential  elector  for 
Mr.  Cleveland,  and  has  ever  been  an  interested 
student  of  political  economy,  a  straight-out 
Deuiocrat,  as  was  his  uncle;  he  has  yet  always 
been  an  "independent,"  upholding  and  support- 
ing the  best  uian,  and  averse  to  "  boss-ism  "  and 
party  chicanery,  out-spoken  in.his  preferments, 
and  firm  in  his  convictions.  A  practical  farmer, 
for  four  years  an  active  and  influential  member 
of  the  "  Patrons  of  Husbandry,"  he  is  the  owner 
of  one  of  the  finest  ranches  on  the  Cosumnes 
River,  eighteen  miles  southeast  of  Sacramento, 
where  he  takes  ])ride  in  raising  the  finest  stock. 
The  value  of  tiiis  farm  of  800  acres  has  been 
greatly  enhanced  by  the  erection  of  commodi- 
ous buildings  and  other  improvements  at  an  out- 
lay of  not  less  than  $20,000,  and  is  considered 
a  model  farm.     Mr.  Jenkins  is  a  member  of  tiie 


IIISrORY    OF    SACMAMENTO    COUNTY. 


Masonic  fraternity,  a  Kniojht  Templar,  a  mem- 
ber of  Sacratnento  Lodge,  No.  40,  F.  &  A.  M. 
His  estimable  wife,  whom  he  married  in  1876, 
is  a  daughter  of  James  A.  Elder,  a  well-known 
rancher  and  a  prominent  Democrat.  The  family 
consists  of  three  girls.  In  concluding  this  brief 
mention  of  one  of  the  representative  men  of  the 
Capital  City,  it  is  safe  to  predict  that  the  new 
State  House,  under  its  present  management  will 
exceed  in  popularity  its  record  of  the  past;  and 
that  as  a  Boniface  our  subject  will  be  a  success. 


fEORGE  M.  DIXON,  M.  D.— Within  the 
shadows  of  the  White  Mountains  on  the 
East,  and  the  shores  of  Lake  Champlain  on 
the  West,  lies  Chittenden  County,  one  of  the 
finest  portions  of  the  State  of  Vermont;  here, 
in  1848,  was  born  George  M.  Dixon,  the  sub- 
ject of  this  sketch.  He  is  the  son  of  Rev.  H. 
H.  Dixon,  a  Presbyterian  minister,  who  emi- 
grated with  his  family  to  Wisconsin  in  1852, 
and  was  one  of  the  pioneer  preachers  there.  The 
Doctor's  boyhood  was  passed  principally  in  the 
southern  and  eastern  parts  of  that  State,  and  at 
the  age  of  sixteen  he  entered  Ripon  College,  in 
Ripon,  Wisconsin,  for  tiie  scientific  course,  and 
later  on  he  was  matriculated  at  the  New  York 
Homeopathic  Medical  College,  New  lork  city, 
where  he  graduated  with  honor  in  1871.  Tiiat 
institution,  wliose  presidential  chair  was  filled 
by  one  of  Nature's  noblemen,  William  Cullen 
Bryant,  and  whose  faculty  was  composed  of  such 
men  as  William  Todd  llellmuth,  Timothy  F. 
Allen,  J.  W.  Dowling  and  Carroll  Dunham,  had 
much  to  do  with  shaping  the  Doctor's  after  life. 
For  two  years  he  was  in  the  New  York  Oph- 
thalmic Hospital,  when  lie  returned  to  Ripon, 
and  during  the  next  four  years  was  engaged  in 
general  practice  in  Wisconsin.  There  he  was 
married  to  Miss  Sadie  A.  Johnson,  daughter  of 
H.  E.  Johnson,  Esq.,  an  elder  in  the  Presbyte- 
rian Church.  The  failing  health  of  his  wife 
induced  him  to  seek  a  milder  climate,  and  he 
came  to  California,  landing   in  Sacramento  on 


the  5th  of  November,  1876.  Tuoroughly  im- 
bued with  the  advantages  of  the  Hahnemann 
school  of  practice,  full  of  pluck  and  vim,  he  set 
himself  to  work  to  see  that  he  and  his  fellow 
practitioners  of  that  school  should  receive  their 
due  recognition.  He  was  instrumental  in  secur- 
ing for  the  homeopathists  the  Sacramento 
Hospital  and  the  City  Dispensary.  He  became 
a  member  of  the  City  Board  of  Health,  a  rep- 
resentative to  the  State  Board  of  Health,  and 
president  of  the  California  Homeopathic  Medi- 
cal Society.  In  1881,  business  matters  requir- 
ing his  attention,  he  returned  to  the  East,  where 
he  remained  until  1886,  when  he  again  came  to 
California  and  once  more  located  in  Sacramento, 
content  to  live  here  all  his  life  long,  engaged  in 
the  practice  of  his  loved  profession,  making  a 
specialty  of  surgery  and  the  afl:ections  of  the 
eye  and  ear. 


►^w^ 


^R.  J.  H.  SHIRLEY,  cancer  specialist,  Sac- 
ramento, was  born  in  St.  Louis,  Missouri, 
March  28, 1838.  When  fourteen  years  of 
age  he  crossed  the  plains  with  his  parents  to 
Sacramento,  arriving  here  in  August,  1852;  but 
he  went  to  Stockton,  where  he  had  an  uncle, 
'Robert  Simmons.  He  was  married  in  James- 
town, Tuolumne  County,  California,  to  Miss 
Sarali  E.,  daughter  of  George  W.  Fleming,  who 
had  come  to  this  State  in  1852.  In  1868  the 
Doctor  went  to  Alameda  County,  engaging  in 
the  live-stock  business;  and  it  was  not  until 
1884  that  he  became  interested  in  the  specialty 
for  which  he  has  now  become  so  well  known. 
It  was  during  that  year  tiiat  he  made  the  ac- 
quaintance of  Dr.  W.  W.  McCoy,  of  Stockton, 
proprietor  of  "  McCoy's  Tonic  and  Blood  Puri- 
fier," and  cancer  specialist.  After  two  years  of 
successful  practice  with  him  there,  he  removed 
tu  this  city,  estal)lishing  himself  (m  Fourth 
street.  He  now  has  his  office  on  K  street,  and 
is  enjoying  remarkable  success  in  the  treatment 
of  his  cases,  who  come  to  him  from  all  parts  of 
tiie  country.       Hoth   his  parents  were  from   the 


HISTORY    OF    SACRAMENTO    COUNTY. 


Soutli.  His  father,  Thomas  Jefferson  Shirley, 
was  a  native  of  Richmond,  Virginia,  and  his 
inotlier,  Mary,  nee  Simmons,  uf  East  Tennessee. 
He  has  four  children:  Lewella,  now  Mrs.  W.  J. 
Tannehill;  Panl,  Lucy  and  Emma  Dale. 


■^^ 


fE.  B.  F.  PENDERY,  eclectic  physician, 
Sacramento,  was  born  in  Hamilton  County, 
Ohio,  August  11, 1846.  His  father,Will- 
iam  D.  Pendery,  was  also  a  native  of  that  State, 
and  a  farmer  by  occupation.  His  mother,  who 
was  a  Ludlow,  was  the  first  wliite  female  child 
born  in  the  city  of  Cincinnati.  The  doctor  is 
tlie  seventh  son  in  a  I'amily  of  ten  children,  nine 
sons  and  one  daughter.  It  is  a  remarkable  fact 
that  no  less  than  live  of  these  sons  became  phy- 
sicians, inheriting  their  talent  from  their  father, 
who,  although  a  farmer,  was  known  for  miles 
around  as  an  expert  in  medical  treatment.  Tlie 
early  years  of  the  subject  of  this  sketch  were 
spent  on  the  farm.  At  the  age  of  seventeen 
years  he  began  the  study  of  medicine  at  the 
Cincinnati  Eclectic  College,  under  tlie  tutelage 
of  Dr.  K.  S.  Newton,  and  was  in  every  way 
fitted  fur  rapid  advancement.  Three  years  later, 
in  1868,  he  began  the  practice  of  his  chosen 
profession  at  Dayton,  Ohio,  and  continued  there 
two  years.  In  1872  he  removed  to  Farmer 
City,  De  Witt  County,  Illinois,  and  remained 
there  until  1875.  In  December  of  that  year  he 
came  to  California,  locating  in  Sacramento,  his 
office  being  on  the  corner  of  Fifth  and  J  streets; 
he  is  now  on  K  street  near  Fourth.  September, 
11,1876,  he  was  elected  a  member  of  the  Eclec- 
tic Medical  Society  of  California.  The  Doctoris 
of  a  most  genial  disposition,  esteeming  his 
friends  highly  and  being  also  a  great  admirer  of 
a  good  horse.  His  judgment  in  respect  to  horses 
is  sought  by  many,  and  every  one  knows  his 
dapple  gray.  The  Doctor  has  been  married 
twice,  first  at  Indianapolis,  March  20,  1869,  to 
Miss  Lucy  A.  Brown,a  native  of  Jackson  County, 
Illinois,  who  died  iu  1881;  secondly,  to  Miss 
Edith  S.  Dickson,  a  native  of  the  Golden  West 


and  a  daughter  of  John  F.  Dickson,  a  pioneer 
from  Salem,  Massachusetts. 


fELSON  CHAMPLIN  was  born  at  LePoy, 
Genesee  County,  New  York,  in  1827,  and 
when  ten  years  of  age  the  family  removed 
to  Jackson  County,  Michigan,  where  his  father 
died  two  years  later.  He  learned  the  cabinet 
trade  in  the  town  of  Albion,  Michigan,  and 
afterward  went  to  Oyer's  Corner  in  Jackson 
County,  where  he  was  engaged  in  farming.  In 
the  spring  of  1852  he,  with  five  other  young 
men,  started  for  California,  Hiram  Oyer,  Will- 
iam and  Major  Porter  being  members  of  the 
company.  Starting  from  Springport,  they  came 
overland,  crossing  the  river  at  St.  Joseph,  Mis- 
souri, taking  the  Salt  Lake  route,  and  coming 
into  the  State  via  Sublette's  cut-off,  and  arrived 
in  Hangtown  August  22,  having  been  on  the 
journey  five  and  a  half  months.  When  they 
reached  Salt  Lake  he  was  ill  with  mountain 
fever,  and  has  a  very  vivid  recollection  of  the 
care  and  attention  bestowed  upon  him  by  two 
women,  the  wives  of  a  Mormon  elder,  to  whom 
he  owes  his  recovery.  From  Hangtown  the 
party  went  to  join  Philip  Oyer,  a  brother  of 
one  of  the  party,  who  had  come  to  the  coast  in 
1851    and    located   on    the   middle   fork  of  the 

and 


American  River.    Thej  en. 


ing 


in  the  fall  of  that  year  went  to  Diamond  Spring, 
El  Dorado  County,  where  he  remained  for  eight 
or  nine  years.  In  1861  he  went  to  Virginia 
City,  Nevada,  and  engaged  in  wood  hauling, 
Hiram  Oyer  having  the  contract  to  furnish  the 
Golden  Curry  mines  with  wood,  and  for  two 
seasons  he  was  engaged  in  that  business.  In 
1870  he  came  to  Sacramento  and  built  his  pres- 
ent residence  on  I  street,  but  continued  his  in- 
terest in  the  wood  business,  having  succeeded 
Mr.  Oyer,  until  1878,  when  he  went  to  Mexico, 
where  he  was  engaged  in  silver  mining;  his 
family  remained  in  Sacramento.  During  the 
succeeding  seven  years  he  returned  home  but 
twice.     The  Vaca  and  San  Marcus  mines  were, 


HIsrOBr    OF    SACMAMENTU    COUNTY. 


407 


at  that  time,  considered  to  be  marvelously  rich, 
but  tliey  were  almost  inaccessible,  lumber,  tim- 
ber, machinery  and  supplies  having  to  be  packed 
across  the  State  of  Durango  on  mules  and  bur- 
ros. In  1888  he  sold  out  his  interest  there  and 
returned  to  kSacramento,  which,  notwithstand- 
ing his  protracted  absence,  he  iiad  continued  to 
claim  as  his  home.  He  is  a  member  of  Tehama 
Lodge,  E.  &  A.  M.,  the  oldest  lodge  in  the 
State.  Mr.  Chaniplin  was  married  in  1870  to 
Miss  Sarah  J.  James,  a  native  of  Wales,  who 
came  to  the  State  of  New  York  with  her  parents 
when  a  child.  They  have  no  children,  if  we  ex- 
cept the  two  children  of  his  brother-in-law, 
John  W.  James,  above  referred  to  as  his  busi- 
ness jjartner  in  the  Me.\;ican  mines;  he  died 
leaving  two  bright  pretty  children,  who  are  now 
members  of  Mr.  Champlin's  family. 


4-^-f-l- 


[K.  IRA.  G.  SHAW,  dentist.  The  science 
of  dental  surgery  is  being  rapidly  devel- 
oped, and  every  year  brings  into  the  field 
new  men  fitted  by  earnest  study  of  the  most  ap- 
proved methods,  to  secure  the  best  results.  Such 
men  must  necessarily  take  the  lead;  and  among 
these  Ira  G.  Shaw  holds  a  prominent  position. 
He  was  born  in  Middleboro,  Plymouth  County, 
Massachusetts,  in  June,  1857.  He  came  to  this 
coast  when  a  child  and  resumed  his  education 
in  the  public  schools  of  Sacramento.  In  1874 
he  entered  the  office  of  Dr.  W.  W.  Light,  the 
pioneer  dentist  of  this  county,  and  for  eleven 
years  was  a  practitioner  with  him.  In  1885  he 
started  business  for  himself,  and  his  dental 
parlors  on  the  corner  of  Tenth  and  J  streets  are 
amply  supplied  with  all  the  most  improved  ap- 
pliances known  to  the  art;  and  it  is  safe  to  say 
that  there  is  no  more  pains-taking  operator  on 
this  coast,  nor  one  more  fully  learned  in  the  de- 
tails of  his  profession.  The  Doctor  comes  from 
an  old  New  England  family,  and  his  wife, 
Phoebe  Shaw,  nee  Chiles,  is  a  native  daughter 
of  the  Golden  West.  She  is  a  granddaughter 
of  Colonel  Joseph  Chiles,  of  Napa  County.   The 


Doctor,  while  not  a  native  son,  has  been  in  this 
county  since  boyhood  and  has  identified  himself 
with  the  interests  of  the  county  during  all  the 
years  of  early  manhood.  He  is  essentially  a 
Sacramento  man,  thoroughly  believing  in  her 
future,  and  ready  and  willing  at  all  times  to  ad- 
vance her  interests  in  public  and  private.  He 
is  peculiarly  domestic  in  his  characteristics,  but, 
notwithstanding  this,  is  popular  among  the 
"  boys,"  a  liberal  patron  of  all  legitimate  sports 
and  pastimes,  and  socially  ranks  among  the 
foremost  in  the  citv. 


C.  FELCH,a  pioneer,  was  born  in  the 
little  village  of  Midway  in  the  eastern 
part  of  Massachusetts,  May  24,1816. 
His  father,  Dr.  Walton  Felch,  was  a  prominent 
physician  of  Boston,  while  his  father's  brother, 
Rev.  Cheever  Felch,  was  an  Episcopal  clergy- 
man and  Chaplain  in  the  United  States  N"avy. 
The  family  is  of  Welsh  origin.  The  subject  of 
this  sketch  was  educated  in  Boston,  learned  the 
printers'  trade  there  and  worked  as  a  journey- 
man in  various  offices  of  that  city,  and  later 
conducted  a  job  office  of  his  own.  In  the  spring 
of  1849  a  company  was  formed  to  come  to  Cali- 
fornia known  as  the  Boston  &  Newtown  Com- 
pany. Brackett  Lord  of  Newtown,  was  president 
and  W.  C.  Felch  vice-president.  The  company 
came  overland  to  the  State, byway  of  Independ- 
ence and  Carson  Valley,  arriving  safely  in  San 
Francisco  September  27.  For  the  first  year  Mr. 
Felch  followed  mining  on  the  forks  of  the 
American  River;  but  not  succeeding  as  he  had 
anticipated  he  came  to  Sacramento  and  estab- 
lished himself  on  Fifth  street  between  J  and  K, 
as  a  sign  and  ornamental  painter,  an  art  lie  had 
also  acquired  in  Boston.  He  can  still  show, 
after  the  lapse  of  all  these  years,  a  specimen  of 
his  handiwork,  in  the  engine  house  on  Tenth 
street  between  I  and  J,  an  oil  painting  which  is 
preserved  with  much  care  by  the  company.  In 
early  days  he  was  a  staunch  Democrat  in  poli- 
tics, but  Iiecame  a  Re])ui)li(.'an  when  Ft.  Sumt  r 


HISTORY    OF    SACMAMENTO    COUNTY. 


was  tired  upon,  and  has  been  so  ever  since.  In 
early  days  he  was  one  of  the  city  assessors  and 
lield  the  office  of  Assistant  United  States  As- 
sessor under  John  M.  Avery,  during  Lincoln's 
administration,  and  he  was  a  member  of  the 
commission  appointed  by  the  Governor  to  ap- 
praise the  land  condemned  for  the  State  capitol 
purposes.  After  he  left  the  revenue  office  he 
enter  the  real-estate  business  in  which  he  is 
still  engaged.  He  is  a  member  of  the  Scra- 
ineiito  Society  of  California  Pioneers  and  one  of 
its  past  presidents.  Mr.  Felch  has  been  a  very 
active  member  of  several  fraternal  organizations. 
His  wife,  who  is  a  paralytic  invalid  at  this  writ- 
ing, is  a  daughter  of  Mr.  Benjamin  Ferris,  of 
Horsehead,  New  York,  who  lived  to  the  patri- 
archal age  of  100  years. 


IAN  VILLE  BARBER,  a  prominent 
rancher  residing  in  Sacramento,  has  had 
a  life  which  forcibly  illustrates  what 
may  be  accomplished  by  definite  aim  and  con- 
centrated energy.  He  was  born  on  the  3d  of 
June,  1829,  in  St.  Lawrence  County,  in  the' 
northern  part  of  the  State  of  New  York.  He 
was  the  eldest  son  of  Otis  and  Laura  (Welsh) 
Barber,  both  natives  of  the  En)pire  State,  and 
engaged  in  farm  life.  During  his  childhood  his 
parents  removed  to  Avon,  Lorain  County,  Ohio, 
near  Lake  Erie  and  not  far  from  Oberlin ;  but, 
although  living  almost  within  the  shadow  of  the 
famous  college  at  that  place,  young  Barber 
could  not  avail  himself  of  its  advantages,  as  he 
was  obliged  to  labor  upon  his  father's  farm  ex- 
cept during  the  winter  months,  when  he  at- 
tended the  district  school,  at  a  considerable 
distance  from  home.  At  the  age  of  nineteen 
he  had  an  idea  of  becoming  a  ship-builder;  but 
as  the  prospect  in  that  direction  did  not  brighten 
up,  he  went  to  Sheffield,  Ohio,  to  learn  the  trade 
of  carpenter  and  joiner,  and  then  to  Wellington, 
sanie  State,  where  he  learned  the  trade  of  car- 
riage-builder and  became  proficient.  Ne.\t  he 
was  clerk  in  a  mercantile  house,  and    then   hud 


charge  of  the  Wadsworth  House  for  a  season. 
This  was  the  finest  hotel  in  Wellington.  While 
there,  and  while  yet  but  twenty-two  years  of 
age,  he  fell  in  with  a  party  of  railroad  surveyors 
who  were  on  their  way  to  Tehuantepec,  Mexico. 
Thus,  in  a  company  of  strangers,  he  ventured  to 
a  strange  land.  Going  to  New  Orleans  by  rail, 
and  to  Vera  Cruz  by  ship  across  the  Gulf, 
he  began  work  in  the  new  position;  but  six 
months  of  that  kind  of  life  satisfied  him,  and  in 
the  spring  of  1852  he  returned  home.  The 
spirit  of  adventure,  however,  still  tired  his  blood, 
and  in  January,  1853,  he  again  turned  his  face 
westward,  the  land  of  gold  and  sunshine  being 
this  time  the  objective  point.  Coming  by  way 
of  the  Nicaragua  route,  he  was  one  "f  the  400 
passengers  who  were  wrecked  on  the  steamer 
Independence  on  the  island  of  San  Margarita, 
February  16,  1858,  when  200  lives  were  lost. 
Here  were  apparent  the  advantages  of  the  skill 
he  had  obtained  in  early  life  on  the  banks  of  a 
great  inland  sea;  for  he  was  an  expert  swimmer, 
and  this  ability  alone  saved  his  life.  Forced  by 
the  devouring  flames  to  trust  himself  to  the 
deep,  he  was  tossed  by  wind  and  wave  and  suf- 
fered almost  incredible  hardships  until  he  at 
length  reached  the  shore.  What  then?  San 
Margarita  is  a  barren  island  oif  the  coast  of 
Lower  California,  a  mere  roL-k,  uninhabited  and 
desolate.  Here  for  three  days,  without  shelter 
or  food  and  almost  without  hope,  were  huddled 
together  200  human  beings!  Fortunately  they 
we're  able  to  attract  the  attention  of  those  on 
board  a  fleet  of  small  whale-ships,  and  they  came 
to  the  rescue.  One  of  these  vessels,  containing 
the  subject  of  this  article,  four  weeks  later 
reached  San  Francifco,  and  with  $100  in  his 
belt,  the  savings  of  many  a  hard  day's  toil,  Mr. 
Barber  stepped  ashore  upon  the  land  of  pron)ise. 
To  see  this  strange  world,  and  to  obtain  a  fortune 
in  its  gold-flelds,  was  his  dream  but  alas!  which 
so  few  realize,  yet  which  happily  came  to  him, 
"  after  many  days."  Coming  to  Sacramento, 
the  starting-point  for  all  gold-seekers  in  this 
State  at  that  early  day,  he  went  successively  to 
Folsotn,  Mormon  Island,  Auburn,  Red  Dog  and 


HISTORY    OF    SACRAMENTO    COUNTY. 


Marysville.  "  Dead  broke,"  he  returned  to  Sac- 
ramento and  became  a  disliwasher  at  one  of  the 
hotels,  and  next  at  Mineral  Point  for  an  old 
man  named  Harvey,  and  then  at  the  Dawson 
House  on  Fourth  street,  where  the  St.  George 
building  now  stands.  Soon  after  this  he  obtained 
emploj'nient  from  Kippon  iz  Hill,  wagon-makers 
on  J  street,  at  $75  a  month.  A  bone  felon, 
which  developed  at  this  time,  compelled  him  to 
give  up  this  position,  and,  as  soon  as  he  was 
able,  he  began  teaming  for  George  Elder,  who 
was  engaged  in  the  "China  trade,"  that  is, 
hauling  Chinese  laborers  to  and  from  the  mines. 
He  soon  saw  there  was  money  in  this,  and  in 
1854-'55  he  started  in  lor  himself  and  continued 
it  for  four  years.  In  1859  he  made  a  visit  to 
the  East,  returning  in  the  summer  of  1861  with 
a  drove  of  horses,  which  he  had  purchased  in 
Ohio,  and  which  were  driven  across  the  plains 
and  sold  here  in  Sacramento  at  a  profit.  It  had 
long  been  his  desire  to  become  a  merchant,  and 
in  the  fall  of  1862  an  opportunity  offered,  and 
he  went  to  Woodland,  Yolo  County,  and  entered 
into  partnership  with  F.  S.  Freeman,  who  has 
since  become  noted  as  a  buyer  of  wheat  and  as 
a  prominent  business  man.  After  four  years 
operations  in  Woodland,  Mr.  Barber  returned  to 
Sacramento,  and,  in  connection  with  John  Real, 
bought  the  Phoeni.x  Mill,  and  for  six  years  had 
charge  of  the  same.  In  1884  he  purchased  the 
Capay  Valley  ranch  of  1,500  acres  in  Yolo 
County,  and  afterward  other  ranch  property  ad- 
jacent to  the  townof  Williams  in  Colusa  County; 
and  in  1888  he  purchased  the  River  ranch  in 
Yolo  County,  nine  milSs  from  this  city,  where 
he  is  now  engaged  in  raising  alfalfa  and  fine 
stock.  His  home  on  H  street,  which  he 
bnilt  in  1873,  combines  the  comforts  and  ele- 
gance which  affluence  alone  can  give;  and  here, 
in  the  autumn  of  his  days,  lie  is  able  to  enjoy 
the  material  results  of  a  well-spent  life.  In  his 
political  principles,  Mr.  Barber  is  an  outspoken 
Republican,  and  has  twice  been  honored  by  his 
party  with  a  nomination  for  County  Treasurer. 
He  is  a  veteran  Odd  Fellow,  being  a  member  of 
Sacramento  Lodge,  No.  2,  and  is  also  a  member 


of  the  Order  of  Patrons  of  Husbandry.  He  was 
married  September  3,  1863,  to  Mrs.  Julia  A., 
daughter  of  Peter  Gallup,  a  native  of  Connect- 
icut. By  her  previous  marriage  she  had  one 
daughter,  Ella  A.,  who  is  now  the  wife  of  A.  G. 
Folger,  of  Sacramento.  Mr.  Barber  has  one 
daughter,  Laura  R.,  now  the  wife  of  Frank 
Hickman,  of  this  city. 


IF^gpEXDALL  KERTH,  capitalist.  Among 
Wwll  ^^'^^^^  who,  coming  to  the  United  States 

l^J^  from  a  foreign  land,  have  achieved  af- 
iluence  under  our  benign  institutions,  may  be 
Hjentioned  the  subject  of  this  sketch, — Weudall 
Kerth,  of  Sacramento,  a  native  of  Bavaria.  The 
story  of  his  early  struggles  and  his  later  tri- 
umphs carries  with  it  a  lesson  which  many  of 
the  present  generation  might  do  well  to  heed. 
He  was  born  at  Gravenhausen,  on  the  Rhine, 
March  15, 1819,  his  parents  being  Henry  Kerth 
and  Mary  (Hauk)  Kerth,  the  father,  by  occupa- 
tion, a  small  Bavarian  farmer.  Compulsory 
education  was  the  law  in  his  native  country 
then,  as  now,  and  also  a  term  of  service  in  the 
Landwehr  (the  German  army).  At  the  ex- 
piration of  his  term  of  service  his  parents  were 
both  dead,  and  he  determined  to  emigrate  to 
America.  He  set  ^ail  from  Havre  on  the  15tli 
of  January,  1847,  and,  after  a  voyage  of  lifty- 
tive  days,  landed  at  New  Orleans,  where  he  had 
a  relative,  Mr.  Henry  Sibel,  a  butcher  of  that 
city.  There  he  remained  two  years.  The 
trials  of  a  foreigner  in  a  strange  land  are 
graphically  described  by  Mr.  Kerth.  He  was 
determined  to  "  get  on ; "  lie  picked  black- 
berries, drove  a  cart,  worked  for  Sibel  at  $10  a 
month,  and,  after  a  time,  made  suflicient  money 
to  buy  a  stand  in  the  market.  When  the  Cali- 
fornia gold  fever  broke  out  in  1849,  he  was 
making  $70  to  $80  per  month.  lie  sold  out  to 
Sibel,  however,  and  came  to  California  via  Pa- 
nama, paying  $175  passage  ujoney  from  Cha- 
gres  to  San  Francisco.  During  the  voyage  the 
captain  was  drunk,  they  ran  short  of  water  and 


BISTORT    OF    SACRAMENTO    COUNTY. 


were  nearly  wrecked,  but  finally,  after  a  trip 
which  will  not  soon  be  forgotten,  they  reached 
San  Francisco.  There  he  met  an  old  acquaint- 
ance, Gerald  Spone,  and  together  they  went  to 
Nevada  City  and  the  Grass  Valley  mining  dis- 
tricts, and  began  mining.  He  was  not  very  suc- 
cessful, but  at  length,  after  many  vicissitudes, 
made  a  little  money  at  Cook's  Bar.  He  was 
glad  to  leave  the  place,  however,  and  return  to 
Marysville  and  Sacramento,  where,  little  by 
little,  he  gained  headway  and  made  money.  In 
1862  he  went  to  Europe,  and  visited  the  scenes 
of  his  boyhood,  being  gone  three  years  in 
all.  Returning  to  California  in  1865  he  made 
two  investments,  one  being  a  seventeeTi-statnp 
quartz  mill  in  Amador  County,  the  other  a 
rancli  on  the  Cosumnes  River  of  2,000  acres. 
In  1872  he  made  a  second  trip  to  Europe,  and 
was  absent  about  eight  months.  He  has  since 
acquired  an  interest  in  another  large  ranch  on 
the  Cosumnes  River.  Mr.  Kerth  was  never 
married,  but  makes  his  home  with  his  sister, 
Mrs.  Louis  Nicholaus,  of  this  city. 

^-m-^ 

tATHANlEL  JEROME  BRUNDAGE, 
retired  farmer  of  Sacramento,  was  born  in 
Erie  County,  New  York,  in  Pendleton 
Township,  near  Niagara  Falls,  five  miles  from 
Lockport,  April  9,  1823.  "When  he  was  a  small 
boy  his  parents  removed  to  Genesee  County, 
that  State,  where  he  received  his  education,  at- 
tending the  common  schools  during  the  winter, 
and  working  on  the  farm  during  the  summer, 
until  he  became  of  age.  Going  then  to  Alex- 
andria, same  county,  he  was  employed  by  J.  C. 
Farnham,  a  marble  dealer,  and  learned  the  trade 
of  stone-dressing  and  lettering,  working  for  his 
board.  In  1845  he  went  to  Leroy,  that  county, 
and  worked  for  five  years  for  Orrin  Starr,  of  the 
firm  of  Starr  &  Gordton,  proprietors  of  marble 
works.  September  6,  1849,  he  married  Miss 
Mary  Cannon,  a  native  of  England.  In  1850  he 
moved  to  Fond  du  Lac,  Wisconsin,  with  his 
family,    "took   up"   a  quarter-section  of    land. 


built  a  log  cabin  and  began  clearing  the  place 
for  cultivation;  but  he  soon  rented  it  and 
worked  at  his  trade  for  a  year  and  a  half  in 
Milwaukee,  while  his  family  remained  on  the 
farm.  On  this  homestead  his  three  children, 
Mary  Jane,  Virginia  and  Nelson  W.,  were 
born.  On  quitting  Milwaukee  Mr.  Brundage 
went  to  Sheboygan,  Wisconsin,  and  for  a  time 
was  engaged  in  the  marble  business.  He 
moved  his  family  to  Oshkosh,  that  State,  for  a 
season,  and  then  returned  to  the  farm,  and  for 
several  years  alternated  between  that  place  and 
Sheboygan.  His  wife  died  at  Sheboygan  in 
1856.  He  then  moved  to  Fond  du  Lac  County 
and  entered  into  partnership  with  Michael 
McNeal  in  a  stone  quarry,  and  in  lime  works. 
In  the  autumn  of  1857  he  married  Mrs.  Phebe 
Riley,  a  daughter  of  James  Meader,  who  was  a 
farmer  of  Canada  East.  At  the  time  of  this 
marriage  she  had  four  children:  Ann,  who  af- 
terward died  at  the  age  of  sixteen  years;  Emma, 
now  the  wife  of  Charles  Pinkerton,  of  Iowa; 
John,  who  died  at  the  age  of  ten  years;  and 
Addie,  now  the  wife  of  James  Wood,  of  Iowa. 
By  the  present  marriage  there  have  also  been 
four  children:  Frank,  Leroy,  Ella  and  Warren; 
the  last  named  died  at  the  age  of  six  years.  Mr. 
Brundage  continued  to  reside  in  Fond  du  Lac 
County,  working  at  his  trade  in  marble  and 
granite,  and  also  conducting  his  farm  until  the 
fall  of  1872.  His  wife's  sister,  Mrs.  William 
Daniels,  then  residing  in  California,  wrote  to 
them  of  the  glories  of  this  State,  and  Mrs. 
Brundage  came  and  visited  her.  She  was  so 
well  pleased  with  the  ccfuntry  that  she  desired 
to  make  it  her  permanent  home.  Accordingly 
Mr.  Brundage  came  and  bought  200  acres  of 
land  near  by,  in  Franklin  Township,  about  six- 
teen miles  south  of  Sacramento,  this  county, 
where  they  lived  seven  years.  Then  he  bought 
property  on  M  street,  in  the  city,  where  he  has 
since  resided,  enjoying  the  well  earned  comforts 
of  an  industrious  life.  In  his  political  sym- 
pathies he  is  a  Republican,  but  does  not  take  a 
public  part  in  civil  affairs,  lie  is  a  member  of 
Metonien    Lodge,  Wisconsin,   I.   O.   O.   F.,  and 


UISTORY    OF    SACRAMENTO    COUNTY. 


Mrs.  Brundage   is  a  member    of   the  order  of 
Daughters  of  Rebekah. 


^R.  E.  J.  SWAN  SON,  specialist,  Sacra- 
mento, was  born  in  the  city  of  New  York,, 
in  1854.  His  early  education  was  ob- 
tained at  the  public  schools  of  that  city,  at  Clin- 
ton College,  at  Philadelphia  and  at  Charleston, 
South  Carolina.  He  has  practiced  his  profes- 
sion in  New  York,  St.  Louis,  Chicago  and  New 
Orleans,  and  came  to  the  Pacific  Coast,  in  Aiig- 
ust,  1887,  locating  in  Sacran.ento,  corner  of 
Tenth  and  I  streets,  making  a  specialty  of 
chronic  diseases,  and  has  over  2,500  patients. 
His  laboratory  and  parlors  are  commodious  and 
elegant,  and  the  Doctor  is  a  man  of  remarkable 
perceptive  powers.  His  business  is  rapidly  in- 
creasing here  and  throughout  the  United  States. 


►>Hf- 


fNNE  A.  KRULL. — Among  Sacramento's 
worthy  citizens  who  have  amassed  a  for- 
tune by  the  cultivation  of  the  soil,  the 
gentleman  whose  name  heads  this  sketch  stands 
at  the  front  in  results  attained.  He  was  born 
December  6,  1834,  in  Holland.  His  father, 
Ayelts  Krull,  a  native  of  Hanover,  died  when 
the  subject  of  tliis  article  was  but  one  year  old. 
During  those  times  Holland  was  a  scene  of 
turbulence,  and  Mr.  Krull's  maternal  uncle, 
Klaas  Swart,  who  was  a  Liberal  and  opposed  to 
a  monarchial  government,  came  to  America  in 
1844,  and  traveled  over  a  considerable  portion 
of  the  United  States,  and  determined  that  at 
some  future  time  he  would  return  here  and 
make  this  country  his  permanent  home.  Re- 
turning to  his  native  country,  however,  it  was 
some  years  before  he  could  satisfactorily  dispose 
of  his  large  and  landed  interests  and  personal 
property;  but  after  completing  his  business  he 
came  to  the  land  of  opportunity,  in  company 
with  an  elder  brother,  Folkert  by  name,  and 
his   mother,  ncc  Catharine   Swart.     They  came 


by  the  United  States  mail  steamer  xVrctic,  and 
after  many  delays  they  reached  New  Y'ork  city 
about  the  1st  of  June,  1854.  His  uncle  went 
directly  to  Elkhart,  Indiana,  and  bought  a  sec- 
tion (640  acres)  ot  land.  The  two  younger 
Krulls  purchased  a  small  farm  of  forty  acres 
near  by,  on  time  for  the  larger  portion  of  the 
purchase,  and  began  working  by  the  month  for 
the  means  whereby  to  pay  the  balance.  After 
four  years  of  hard  labor  and  economical  man- 
agement, they  had  not  only  paid  this  debt,  but 
had  $700  in  cash,  with  which  they  determined 
to  come  to  California.  Accordingly,  they  went 
to  Chicago,  then  down  the  Mississippi  River  to 
New  Orleans,  crossed  the  Gulf  of  Mexico  and 
the  Isthmus  of  Tehuantepec,  and  thence  to 
Acapulco,  connecting  there  with  the  steamer 
Pacific,  of  the  Panama  line,  and  arriving  at 
San  Francisco  December  28,  1858.  About  the 
1st  of  Januaiy  following  they  came  to  Sacra- 
mento, went  down  the  river  fourteen  miles  and 
found  employment  on  the  ranch  where  Lewis 
Winter  lives.  Afterward  they  purchased  a 
ranch  on  Merritl's  Island,  and  engaged  in  the 
raising  of  potatoes  and  garden  products,  haul- 
ing their  produce  to  Placerville  and  other 
mining  districts,  where  excellent  prices  were 
obtained.  Thus  they  continued  for  six  years, 
when  Mr.  Krull's  brother  returned  to  Indiana. 
In  the  meantime,  in  1866,  Mr.  Krull  Ixtught 
336  acres  additional  on  Merritt's  Island,  paying 
for  it  $1,500.  This  tract  he  afterward  sold  for 
$30,000!  In  1868  he  exchanged  property  for 
480  acres  in  Lee  Township,  and  subsequently 
acquired  property  in  other  localities.  In  1881 
he  bought  his  present  350-acre  farm  near  Florin, 
and  resided  there  five  years.  In  the  meantime, 
in  the  fall  of  1886,  he  purchased  a  residence  on 
the  corner  of  Nineteenth  and  M  streets,  and 
moved  his  family  into  town.  In  1887  he  sold 
this  property  and  purchased  his  present  place  of 
residence,  2201  O  street.  Of  later  years  Mr. 
Krull  has  been  largely  interested  in  live  stock 
and  the  growing  of  alfalfa,  making  a  specialty 
of  alfalfa  seed.  His  crop  of  the  latter  for  1887 
alone  was  valued    at   $3,300.      In    his   religious 


HISrORT    OF    8AGBAMENTU    COUNTY. 


relations  Mr.  Krull  is  a  member  of  the  Presby- 
terian Church,  and  in  politics  a  Prohibitionist. 
In  1888  he  was  a  candidate  on  the  Prohibition 
ticket  for  supervisor  of  the  county,  and  he  ex- 
pects to  live  to  see  his  principles  vindicated  at 
tlie  polls.  He  was  first  married  in  1872,  to 
Miss  Rebecca  Schlater,  a  native  of  Holstein, 
Germany,  who  died  in  1875.  January  1,  1879, 
he  married  Marietta  Savage,  a  native  of  New 
Brunswick,  Canada.  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Krull  have 
two  children,  Delia  and  Albert. 

f\  M.  LUCKETT,  general  foreman  of  the 
L  locomotive  department  of  the  Southern 
^®  Pacific  Railroad  shops,  Sacramento,  came 
here  in  1873,  went  to  work  in  the  machine  de- 
partment as  a  machinist,  was  appointed  foreman 
of  the  machine  shops  at  Terrace,  Utah,  re- 
mained there  two  years  and  eleven  months,  and 
returned  to  the  Sacramento  shops  and  served  as 
gang  foreman  for  eleven  months.  Then  he  left 
the  company  and  entered  the  employ  of  the 
Virginia  &  Truckee  Railroad,  and  was  foreman 
of  the  shops  at  Carson  for  two  years;  next  he 
went  to  Bodie,  where  he  became  master  me- 
chanic for  the  Bodie  &  Benton  Railroad  about 
a  year.  Leaving  Bodie  on  account  of  his  health, 
he  returned  to  Sacramento  and  re-entered  the 
employ  of  the  Central  Pacific  as  gang  foreman, 
in  1882.  Two  years  later  he  was  promoted  to 
the  position  of  foreman  of  the  machine  shops, 
and  since  that  time  has  been  general  foreman. 
He  is  a  native  of  Maryland,  born  in  Frederick 
County,  October  1,  1849,  was  reared  there  and 
learned  the  machinist's  trade  in  the  Baltimore 
&  Ohio  shops  at  Grafton,  being  there  four  years 
all  together.  Next  he  was  employed  for  a  time 
in  the  Mt.  Clare  shops  at  Baltimore;  then  en- 
tered the  Pittsburg  Locomotive  Works,  and 
later  the  shops  at  Louisville  for  the  Louisville 
&  Nashville  Railroad  Company;  was  gang  fore- 
man there  two  years.  In  1873  he  came  to 
California  and  entered  the  railroad  shops  as 
mentioned.     His  parents   were  J.  C.  and  Mary 


A.  (Graham)  Luckett,  his  father  a  native  of 
Maryland,  and  mother,  of  Virginia.  They  now 
live  in  Hamilton,  Loudoun  County,  Virginia. 
Mr.  Luckett  has  evinced  a  great  capacity  for 
heavy  responsibilities,  being  energetic  and 
thoroughly   competent. 


I^ENRY  EHRHARDT  was  born  in  Germany 
|M\  in  October,  1835,  his  pari  nts  being  John 
■^11  and  Theresa  Dorothy  (Gehrholdt)  Elir- 
hardt.  The  mother  was  born  November  4, 
1800,  and  died  on  the  same  day  in  1847.  The 
father  died  in  June,  1887,  in  his  seventy-seventh 
year.  Henry  lived  with  his  grandfather  Ehr- 
hardt,  for  whom  he  had  been  named,  from  the 
age  of  eight  to  fourteen.  The  father  and  step- 
mother with  five  children  came  to  America  in 
1850,  landing  at  Baltimore  on  the  20th  of  Aug- 
ust. They  went  thence  to  Chariton  County, 
Missouri,  where  three  brothers  of  John  Ehrhardt 
were  already  settled;  and  it  took  two  months  to 
get  there  by  railroad  and  the  canal  boat  on  the 
Ohio,  Mississippi  and  Missouri  Rivers.  After 
two  years  the  father  came  to  Utah,  and  in  1853 
to  California,  where  he  went  to  mining  for  a 
short  time  near  Folsom,  but  with  little  success. 
Henry  Ehrhardt  came  to  California  also  in  1853, 
direct  from  Missouri,  with  400  head  of  cattle. 
In  passing  along  Blue  River — all  except  six  of 
the  twenty  men  and  two  women  were  sick  with 
mumps.  Mr.  Ehrhardt,  being  one  of  the  well 
ones,  stood  guard  night  and  day  for  the  cattle 
during  four  weeks.  After  arriving  here  he 
mined  about  two  months,  in  the  spring  of  1854, 
for  $30  a  month  and  expenses,  in  the  employ  of 
James  M.  Stephenson,  for  whom  he  worked  in 
all  nearly  three  years.  He  then  went  to  herding 
sheep  at  $40  a  month  for  about  eighteen  months. 
He  had  some  knowledge  of  the  business  from 
boyhood,  his  grandfather  having  been  engaged 
in  sheep  business  in  Hesse  Cassel,  where  he 
lived.  In  1857  his  brother  John  and  he  in- 
vested $1,750  in  sheep,  for  which  they  Ibund 
free   range  on    Government    and  school    lands. 


UISTURY    OF    SACRAMENTO    COUNTY. 


After  three  years  and  ten  montlis  tliey  sold  out 
for  $14,500  in  cash.  In  1860  Henry  Ehrhardt 
made  his  lirst  investment  in  land,  buying  320 
acres;  he  has  been  buying  land  at  intervals  ever 
since,  and  now  owns  about  4,000  acres.  He 
raises  wheat,  barley,  oats  and  alfalfa;  keeps 
three  to  four  hundred  head  of  cattle  and  eighty 
to  100  cows  for  dairy  pur])oses.  Mr.  Ehrhardt 
has  been  School  Trustee  about  twelve  years;  is 
a  member  of  the  "  Christian"  Church,  and  of 
the  order  of  Chosen  Friends.  He  was  married 
April  12,  1863,  to  Miss  Elvesta  George,  a  na- 
tive of  Iowa,  and  daughter  of  Andrew  and  Mary 
E.  (Johnson)  George,  who  came  to  California  in 
1852,  settling  first  at  Diamond  Spring.  In 
1854  Mr.  George  came  to  this  township,  and 
kept  the  Twelve-Mile  House  on  the  Lower 
Stockton  road  for  a  time.  In  1856  he  bought 
a  ranch  three  miles  farther  south,  and  built  a 
tavern  and  other  buildings,  the  place  becoming 
known  as  Georgetown,  from  the  name  of  its 
founder.  He  died  in  1869,  aged  forty-eight, 
and  Mrs.  George  died  in  1886,  aged  about  fifty- 
six.     Georgetown  is  now  Franklin. 


fDWIN  ALLYK  BUHR  was  born  in  the 
city  of  Hartford,  Connecticut.  October  12, 
1822,  and  is  a  descendant  of  parents  whose 
history  dates  back  to  Revolutionary  times.  His 
father,  Chauncy  Burr,  died  when  Edwin  was  a 
boy,  but  his  mother,  Sarepta  A.,  daughter  of 
Ethan  Allen,  lived  to  an  advanced  age.  ■  Mr. 
Burr  was  the  eldest  of  six  children, — educated 
at  the  public  schools  of  his  native  city,  and  like 
other  Xew  England  boys  was  taught  a  trade, — 
that  of  saddler  and  harness  maker.  He  served 
five  years  as  an  apprentice,  two  years  more  as  a 
journeyman  in  the  shop  of  Smith  &  Bowen,  the 
now  celebrated  (inn  of  Hartford.  At  the  age 
of  twenty-two  he  married  Elizabeth  O.  Alcott. 
She  was  born  in  Middletown,  Connecticut,  the 
granddaughter  of  Jonathan  Alcott,  of  Hartford, 
Connecticut,  who  died  when  he  was  over  100 
years  old.     At  the  age  of  twenty-three,  he  with 


his  young  wife  emigrated  to  the  wilds  of  Wis- 
consin, and  settled  at  Beloit,  where  for  six  or 
seven  years  he  carried  on  his  trade.  In  1851 
Colonel  Darius  Fargo,  then  a  resident  of  Cali- 
fornia, went  to  Beloit  on  a  visit,  and  on  his  re- 
turn to  the  Golden  State  induced  young  Burr 
to  join  him,  which  he  did,  lea^•ing  his  wife  be- 
hind; indeed,  a  large  party  was  n)ade  up  by  the 
Colonel,  who  came  direct  to  Sacramento.  To 
save  expense,  for  living  was  expensive  in  those 
days,  young  Burr  began  at  once  to  work,  receiv- 
ing only  his  board  at  first,  then  for  monthly 
wages,  in  the  confectionery  store  of  George 
jSTagle.  In  the  fall  of  1851  he  bought  out  a 
bake-shop  on  Sixth  street,  between  I  and  J,  and 
after  about  six  months  he  returned  East  for  his 
wife,  determined  to  make  California  his  future 
home;  he  intended  to  return  at  once  but  found 
it  impossible  to  obtain  passage,  so  great  was  the 
rush,  and  so  limited  the  accommodations.  He 
waited  three  months,  and  then  paid  $640  for 
two  tickets.  Upon  his  return  to  Sacramento, 
he  engaged  in  the  restaurant  business  on  J 
street,  still,  however,  retaining  an  interest  in  the 
bakery.  The  great  fire  of  1852,  which  swept 
the  city  from  Eighth  street  to  the  Levee, 
"cleaned  him  out;"  but  with  characteristic  New 
England  pluck  he  started  again  before  the  ashes 
were  cold.  Six  or  eight  months  later  he  started 
a  confectionery  business  on  J  street,  between 
Tiiird  and  Fourth,  and  here  he  was  burned  out 
for  the  second  time,  in  the  fire  of  1854,  his 
bakery^also  being  burned  the  same  time.  It  was 
about  this  time  that  he  went  to  Folsom,  in  this 
county,  where  he  built  the  postofiice  building 
and  a  bakery.  There  was  no  railroad  to  that 
point  at  that  time,  and  he  was  compelled  to  get 
off  at  xilder  Creek,  on  the  Yalley  Road,  and 
walk  the  rest  of  the  way.  In  less  than  one  year 
he  returned  again  to  Sacramento,  and  opened  a 
second-hand  furniture  store,  corner  of  Third  and 
K;  and  less  than  a  year  after  he,  reciuiring 
larger  accommodations  for  his  increased  busi- 
ness, rented  the  corner  lot.  Fifth  and  K,  for 
$150  per  month,  and  built  a  one-story  brick 
store  house.     His  excessive  losses  however  had 


HltiTOltY    OF    SACRAMENTO    COUNTY. 


crippled  his  means,  and  he  gas'e  it  up  finally 
and  engaged  for  a  year  as  clerk  with  Millikin 
Brothers,  on  J  street,  and  afterward  they  sent 
him  to  Grizzly  Flat,  El  Dorado  County,  to 
take  charge  of  the  store  at  that  place,  where 
he  remained  for  another  year.  About  this  time 
the  Goss  &  Lambert  Company  began  putting  up 
a  ten-stamp  quartz  mill,  and  Mr.  Burr  was  en- 
gaged to  take  charge  of  the  work  as  superin- 
tendent. When  this  was  completed  he  again 
returned  to  Sacramento,  and  engaged  in  the 
livery  business  on  Ninth  street,  and  later  in  the 
feed  business  on  J  street,  where  he  was  once 
more  burned  out  he,  however,  started  further 
c'own  the  street;  but  in  the  meantime  he  inter- 
ested himself  in  teaming,  soon  after  the  second 
tire,  and  ran  three  teams  to  Nevada  City,  Aurora 
and  Silver  Mountain,  mining  towns,  and  re- 
ceived 12^  cents  per  pound  for  freight.  He  was 
in  the  feed  business  until  1884,  when  he  retired. 
In  1876  he  made  a  trip  East  with  his  wife, 
visiting  the  Centennial  Exhibition  at  Philadel- 
phia, and  revisiting  the  old  New  England  home. 
He  was  absent  over  three  months,  and  returned 
fully  convinced  that,  although  there  doubtless 
are  other  tine  and  desirable  places  in  the  world, 
still  California  has  no  equal  under  the  sun. 
For  two  and  twenty  years  Mr.  Burr  and  family 
have  resided  at  their  home  on  O  street,  in  this 
city;  there  their  two  sons,  Charles  C.  and  Rich- 
ard P.,  were  born;  there  they  lived  during  the 
trying  times  of  the  floods  of  1862-'63,  when  for 
three  months  the  only  approach  to  the  residence 
was  by  boat.  Dreadlul  tiines,  indeed!  but  they 
survived,  and  the  aftiuence  of  to-day  testities  to 
the  pluck  and  perseverance  with  which  his  many 
trials  and  disapiiointments  have  been  met. 


M 


RS.  C.  H.  SCHAPER,  residing  near 
Uoseville,  was  born  April  27,  182G,  in 
Germany,  came  to  America  in  1848,  and 
married  J.  C.  H.  Schaper  April  23,  1850,  at  St. 
Louis,  Missouii.  Mr.  Schaper  was  born  in  Ger- 
many November  24,  1820,  son  of  Andrew  Scha- 


per, and  was  a  carpenter  by  trade,  which  busi- 
ness he  learned  in  Germany.  He  also  came  to 
America  in  1848,  landing  at  Baltimore.  The 
tirst  five  years  in  this  country  he  spent  at  St. 
Louis,  working  at  his  trade.  April  6,  1854,  he 
started  across  the  plains  for  California,  and 
reached  Sacramento  October  1.  As  there  was 
but  little  demand  for  work  in  his  line  in  the  city 
at  that  time,  he  went  to  the  mines  at  State's  Flat, 
and  followed  mining  eighteen  months,  except- 
ing four  months,  when  he  was  in  Sacramento. 
September  16,  1857,  he  purchased  160  acres, 
where  he  now  resides  and  where  he  has  built  a 
house  and  made  all  the  improvements  there  are 
on  the  premises,  and  added  eighty  acres  to  his 
real  estate  by  purchase  from  the  railroad  com- 
pany. June  29,  1885,  he  was  burned  out  with 
great  loss;  but  he  soon  afterward  rebuilt.  The 
place  is  sixteen  miles  from  Sacramento  and  three 
miles  from  Roseville.  Mr.  Schaper  died  Janu- 
ary 31,  1889,  at  the  age  of  sixty-eight  years, 
two  months  and  six  days,  leaving  a  wife  and 
four  daughters  to  mourn  his  loss,  which  indeed 
is  a  severe  one,  for  he  was  a  kind  husband  and 
father.  He  was  a  member  of  Roseville  Grange, 
No.  161;  also  a  member  of  the  United  Ancient 
Order  of  Druids,  No.  6.  The  children  are: 
Augusta  Louie,  and  Willie,  deceased;  Caroline, 
wife  of  William  Harms,  of  Yolo  County;  Will- 
helmina,  wife  of  Edward  Palm,  of  Yolo  County; 
Doretta  and  Lutzina.  The  two  latter  are  twins, 
and  are  at  home  to  lighten  the  burdens  and  sor- 
rows of  tlieir  mother.  The  farm,  which  is  in 
a  good  state  of  cultivation,  is  devoted  to  grain 
and  hay. 


►^«^'^ 


ICHAEL  O'MEARA,  Chief  of  the  Fire 
Department  of  Sacramento  city,  was 
born  in  St.  Louis,  Missouri,  October  10, 
1850.  Two  years  later  his  father,  Michael  M., 
Sr.,  left  home  and  came  to  California,  where  the 
family  joined  him  two  years  afterward.  Early 
in  life,  "Mike,"  as  he  was  called,  began  to  make 
his  own  way  in  the  world,  selling  papers  on  the 


uisTonr  OF  sacramento  county. 


streets  of  Sacramento,  outside  of  school  hours. 
During  tliis  time  he  took  special  interest  in  all 
that  pertained  to  Confidence  Hose,  No.  l,of  the 
old  volunteer  tire  department,  of  which  his 
father  was  at  that  time  steward.  For  this  he 
acted  as  "torch  boy"  when  only  twelve  years 
old.  At  eighteen  he  became  "extra  man"  for 
that  company,  and  afterward  treasurer  and  fore- 
man. At  the  age  of  twenty-one  he  became  a 
full  member  of  the  engine  compauy.  This  was 
before  the  organization  of  the  paid  department, 
in  March,  1873.  But  Mr.  O'Meara  had  some- 
thing else  to  do  besides  running  to  the  fires 
with  the  bovs,  for  under  the  superintendence 
of  Josepii  Bailey  he  was  learning  the  trade  of 
bricklayer,  working  upon  the  Capitol  building, 
which  was  in  process  of  construction  at  that 
time.  In  this  occupation  he  was  etnployed 
until  1881.  Upon  the  formation  of  the  paid 
tire  department  he  was  appointed  Assistant 
Ciiief  Engineer,  which  position  he  held,  until 
July,  1887,  when  he  was  made  Chief  of  the  de- 
partment. Mr.  O'Meara  is  one  of  the  self-made 
men  of  the  city.  To  his  native  sense  and  energy 
are  due  the  self-reliance  and  prompt  decision  so 
peremptorily  necessary  in  the  trying  position 
which  lie  occupies.  Notwithstanding  his  busy 
life,  he  has  found  time  to  devote  to  several  fra- 
ternal and  benevolent  societies,  among  which 
may  be  mentioned  Capital  Ledge,  No.  87,  I.  O. 
O.  F.;  Columbia  Lodge,  No.  42,  K.of  P.;  Red 
Cloud  Tribe,  No.  41,  L  O.  R.  M.,  and  the  Coven- 
ant Mutual.  He  was  married  in  May,  1874,  to 
Miss  Margaret,  daughter  of  T.  Foley,  of  this 
city. 


;1LLIAM  GUTENBEKGER,  prominent 
among  the  enterprising  manufacturers 
of  Sacramento,  was  born  August  25, 
1828,  on  the  river  Rhine,  in  Western  Prussia. 
He  is  a  descendant  of  the  celebrated  Johann 
Gutenberg,  who  invented  the  art  of  printing  in 
1438.  His  father's  name  was  Philip.  His 
mother,    whose    maiden    name     was    Catherin 


Klump,  was  a  native  of  the  town  of  Ellern 
Kohlener,  Germany.  When  fourteen  years  old, 
AVilliam  was  sent  to  Coblentz,  where  he  served 
his  time  learning  the  trade  of  molder  in  one  of 
the  factories  on  Stephane  Strasse,  one  of  the 
principal  streets  of  the  city.  Here  he  was  em- 
ployed for  seven  years,  and  then  took  a  contract 
for  manufacturing  stoves;  afterward  he  went  to 
Bremen  and  engaged  in  tiie  same  business.  In 
1852  a  party  of  tive  young  men  from  the  Bre- 
men shops,  among  whom  was  our  subject  and 
William  Klump,  a  relative,  embarked  on  the 
German  ship  Republic  for  America,  the  land  of 
opportunity.  Storm- tossed  and  nearly  wrecked 
for  forty-five  days  on  the  ocean,  they  landed  in 
New  York  November  1, 1852.  Soon  afterward 
Mr.  Gutenberger  was  engaged  by  Mr.  D.  D. 
Reid,  of  Hampton,  Connecticut,  and  began 
working  in  the  malleable-iron  shops,  and  con- 
tinued there  two  years,  receiving  as  wages  the 
first  year  |1  a  day,' boarding  himself,  and  the 
next  year  did  contract  work.  Subsequently  he 
was  employed  at  Waterbury,  Mei'iden  and  Hart- 
ford, until  the  spring  of  1855,  when  he  embarked 
for  California,  on  the  Northern  Light  from  New 
York  to  the  Isthmus,  and  thence  by  the  steamer 
Sierra  Nevada  for  San  Francisco,  arriving  May 
28.  His  first  employment  in  the  Golden  State 
was  in  Shasta  County,  on  what  is  known  as  the 
Middletown  Ditch;  then  he  came  to  Sacramento 
and  for  seventeen  consecutive  years  was  em- 
ployed in  the  Sacramento  Iron  Works,  and  now 
in  the  G.  &  N.  Foundry.  Commencing  here 
as  a  journeyman,  in  less  than  two  yea^s  he  was 
promoted  as  foreman,  which  position  he  held 
during  all  the  fifteen  years  following.  Then  he 
started  in  business  for  himself,  in  company 
with  Julius  Leeman,  a  "  Switzer,"  in  the  old 
Wigwam  on  Front  street,  between  L  and  M, 
and  was  there  two  years  and  nine  months,  and 
then  the  boiler  was  blown  up  by  an  Italian 
named  Garibaldi.  He  then  bought  out  his 
partners  and  started  alone;  after  that  he  bouglit 
the  property  where  now  located,  and  since  then 
carried  on  the  business  alone.  Within  three 
years   he    had   bought  the   entire  business,  and 


HISTORY    OF    SACRAMENTO    COUNTY. 


also  the  property,  85  x  180  feet  on  Front  street, 
for  which  he  paid  $8,000;  and  in  1871-'72  he 
erected  on  this  the  buildings  which  were  burned 
July  17,  1882,  by  which  he  lost  $60,000,  and 
thirty  men  were  thrown  out  ot  employment. 
He  rebuilt  and  was  burnt  out  again,  October  7, 
1887;  he  again  rebuilt  during  the  succeeding 
winter.  Mr.  Gutenberger  was  elected  City 
Trustee  in  1881,  when,  although  a  Democrat,  he 
received  the  support  of  many  Republican  friends. 
He  was  married  in  1857  to  Catharine  Schweit- 
zer, a  Bavarian  lady  who  came  to  California  in 
1856.  She  was  a  niece  of  George  Nuhss.  Mr. 
and  Mrs.  Gutenberger  have  two  children,  viz.: 
Julia,  now  Mrs.  Kunken,  and  "Willielmina.  Mr. 
Gutenberger  is  a  member  of  El  Dorado  Lodge, 
No.  8,  I.  O.  O.  F.,  in  which  order  he  has  held 
all  the  offices  except  that  of  ISToble  Grand;  he  is 
also  a  prominent  member  of  the  orders  of 
Knights  of  Pythias  and  Knights  of  Honor. 


tNTON  MENKE,  hop-raiser,  Brighton 
Township,  was  born  in  Dalhausen,  prov- 
ince of  Westphalia,  Prussia,  now  in  the 
empire  of  Germany,  May  22,  1822,  a  son  of 
Carl  and  Alary  Menke.  His  mother  died  in  1844, 
at  the  age  of  sixty-four  years,  and  his  father  in 
1854,  at  the  age  of  seventy-two.  They  had  one 
son,  Anton,  and  one  daughter  Christine,  who 
was  married  and  died  in  the  old  country,  the 
mother  of  several  children.  Mary  Menke,  how- 
ever, by^  former  husband,  Dierkes,  had  two 
sons:  Frank,  who  died  in  Xew  Orleans  in  1852, 
after  living  there  one  year;  and  Charles,  who 
died  in  Europe.  Mr.  Menke,  the  subject  of  this 
sketch,  was  brought  up  on  his  father's  farm  until 
he  was  nineteen  years  of  age,  when,  with  the 
consent  of  his  father,  he  went  to  work  for 
Anton  Dierkes,  from  whom  he  learned  the  trade 
ot  basket-making,  remaining  with  him  a  year; 
then  he  was  salesman  a  year  for  Carl  Koecker; 
the  next  year  he  spent  with  Harry  Spindler,  and 
then,  in  September,  1843,  he  sailed  for  America 
on  the  ship  Agnes  from  Bremen,  commanded  by 


Captain  Bosso.  After  a  voyage  of  fifty-two 
days  he  landed  in  New  Orleans,  June  12.  1844. 
There  he  worked  at  his  trade  for  different  parties 
until  May,  1846,  when  he  enlisted  in  the  Mexi- 
can War,  in  the  Fourth  Louisiana  Regiment, 
with  the  six-months  men.  They  were  stationed 
at  Matamoras  until  their  time  expired.  Mr. 
Menke  then  followed  his  trade  at  the  Crescent 
City.  May  18,  1848,  he  married  Mary  Wolker, 
a  native  of  Oldenburg.  In  September,  1851, 
he  moved  to  St.  Louis,  Missouri,  with  three 
children,  one  of  whom  was  born  on  the  way. 
He  worked  at  his  trade  in  St.  Louis  for  a  short 
time,  with  a  man  named  Taylor,  and  in  1852 
he  started  out  in  the  furniture  business  for  him- 
self. April  6,  1854,  he  left  for  California,  over- 
land, with  a  party  consisting  of  eighty-two  men, 
women  and  children,  arriving  in  Sacramento 
October  2.  Here  he  commenced  work  at  his 
trade,  making  baskets,  cutting  his  willows  on 
the  American  River.  In  the  spring  of  1855  he 
opened  a  fruit  and  confectionery  store  in  a  rented 
building  on  the  Plaza,  meanwhile  continuing 
the  manufacture  of  baskets.  In  1856  he  sold 
out,  rented  a  farm  five  miles  north  of  Sacra- 
mento on  the  road  to  Marysville,  where  he  fol- 
lowed agriculture  and  the  rearing  of  live-stock 
until  1860.  Returning  then  to  Sacramento,  he 
purchased  a  lot  on  J  street  between  Ninth  and 
Tenth,  erected  upon  it  the  two-story  building 
now  occupied  by  Martin's  hardware  store,  and 
lived  there  a  snort  time.  Then  he  followed 
farming  again  until  the  fall  of  1862,  on  the 
outskirts  of  Sacramento,  on  the  Nevada  road. 
Returning  again  to  the  city,  he  opened  a  store 
on  J  street,  between  Fifth  and  Sixth,  and  dealt 
in  music  and  fancy  goods  uniil  the  fall  of  1876, 
when  he  sold  to  John  F.  Cooper.  In  the  spring 
of  1875  he  rented  a  farm  near  Routier  Station 
for  the  purpose  of  raising  hogs,  in  which  busi- 
ness he  has  ever  since  been  engaged.  In  1880 
he  purchased  the  place,  consisting  of  114  acres. 
In  1883  he  bought  the  place  where  he  resides, 
comprising  113  acres,  and  a  short  tinie  previ- 
ously 215  acres.  All  these  places  are  in  Brighton 
Township,  on  the    American    River.      One   sea- 


/^ 


^2^^<^<^   //'^/^^^^c^ 


HISTOnr    OF    SACUAMENTO    COUNTT. 


son,  1885,  he  made  an  exhibition  of  hops  at 
New  Orleans  and  Louisville,  Kentncky,  receiv- 
ing a  diploma  at  each  place.  He  has  200  acres 
devoted  to  this  crop.  For  the  last  five  years  he 
has  raised  more  hops  than  any  other  man  in  the 
world.  During  the  years  1887-'88  he  raised 
2,200  bales  each  year.  In  1883,  when  bops 
were  scarce,  he  sold  his  crop  of  over  78,000 
bales  at  a  net  profit  of  $60,000,  which  would 
have  been  still  larger  if  he  had  lield  on  a  little 
while!  In  fruit  he  has  eighty  acres, — 20,000 
trees.  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Menke  have  four  children: 
Josie,  born  July  13,  1853,  in  St.  Louis,  Mis- 
souri, and  now  the  wife  of  John  J.  Glocken,  of 
Sacramento;  A.  R.,  born  April  7,  1855,  in  Sac- 
ramento; Henry  George,  born  April  28,  1861; 
and  F.  W.,  February  13,  1863.  They  huve  lost 
four  daughters  and  three  sons,  all  dying  young. 
What  remains  to  be  told  is  the  credit,  so  cheer- 
fully accorded  by  him  to  Sarah,  his  wife,  the  co- 
builder  of  his  fortune,  the  companion  of  his 
years;  for  to  her  industry, /),«;■  foresight,  the  ever 
vigilant,  constant  care  of  every  detail,  to  her  ac- 
tivity, business  enterprise  and  what  is  called 
thrift,  is  due  to  a  great  extent  the  remarkable 
success  which  has  been  attained.  Her  name 
and  her  fame  has  gone  abroad,  and  wherever  in 
all  this  broad  land  the  raising  of  hops  is  known, 
there  the  name  of  "  Mary  Meuke,  the  hop-wo- 
man of  Sacramento "  has  become  a  household 
word.  She  has  stood  well  by  her  husband  in  his 
life-work,  and,  possessed  of  a  discriminating 
mind,  has  ever  been  a  ready  counselor  and  a 
helpiug  hand.  jSTot  content  with  the  ordinary 
methods  in  vogue,  they  have  sought  out  and 
adopted  new  methods  and  new  appliances. 
Their  buildings,  kiln-dryers,  presses  and  ajjpur- 
teiiances  are  marvels  of  completeness,  and  mod- 
els of  their  kind.  They  spend  large  sums  of 
money  every  year  in  these  improvements.  The 
Menkes  find  their  chief  market  for  their  pro- 
duct in  the  great  cities  of  the  East,  and  with 
characteristic  attention  to  detail  they  give  also 
to  this  matter  their  personal  attention,  making 
frequent  journeys  to  the  Eastern  markets,  so 
that  in  all  the  great  business  centers   not  only 

en  •' 


are  their  names  but  their  faces  are  known.  Only 
fourteen  years  ago  (1875)  they  "  rented  a  small 
farm  for  the  purpose  of  raising  hops."  That 
was  the  beginning;  to-day  they  are  known  in 
every  business  center  of  the  United  States  and 
Europe  as  the  most  extensive  growers  and  deal- 
ers in  the  world.  A  few  short  years  ago  they 
were  making  baskets  with  their  own  hands, 
from  willows  cut  from  beside  the  softly  flowing 
river;  to-day  they  stand  foremost  among  the 
most  highly  respected  and  honored  of  Sacra- 
mento. 


fAMES  WEIR,  deceased,  .vas  born  Novem- 
ber 21,  1827,  in  Shieldmains,  Ayrshire, 
Scotland,  his  parents  being  John  and  Eliza- 
beth Weir,  who  were  farmers  in  Scotland,  where 
they  lived  and  died.  They  had  a  family  of  five 
children:  Elizabeth,  Jane,  John,  Jeanette  and 
James.  James  was  raised  in  Scotland.  He  had 
access  to  the  public  scliool,  and  received  a  good 
education  in  the  higher  branches.  He  wa'^  em- 
ployed as  clerk  in  a  grocery  store,  learned  the 
trade,  and  followed  it  till  he  grew  tired  of  it, 
and  determined  to  come  to  America  and  try  his 
fortune  in  this  country.  In  1853  he  left  Scot- 
land and  landed  in  Canada,  where  he  remained 
a  short  time,  then  went  to  Ohio  and  was  there 
engaged  a  year  at  farming.  In  1854  he  started 
for  California,  coming  via  New  York  and  Pana- 
ma. While  crossing  the  Isthmus  he  was  robbed 
of  his  baggage,  consisting  of  his  clothes  and 
some  valuable  books  which  he  prized  highly,  so 
that  on  landing  in  San  Francisco  he  had  noth- 
ing but  the  clothing  on  his  back.  He  came 
immediately  to  Sacratnento  and  went  to  the 
mines  at  Coloma,  where  he  remained  a  year, 
but  was  not  very  successful.  Abandoning  it  at 
last,  he  came  to  Sacramento  County  and  ob- 
tained employment  with  John  B.  Taylor  and 
Mr.  Criies,  but  remained  with  neither  very 
long.  He  then  took  up  some  land  in  Brighton 
Township,  at  tliat  time  a  part  of  the  Folsom 
grant,  and   had    to   pay  the  price  of   it  several 


BlIsrOUY    OF    SACRAMENTO    COUNTy. 


limes  over  before  tlie  grant  was  confirmed.  In 
1862  he  sold  that  place,  which  is  now  owned  by 
C.  M.  Boyce.  He  had  an  intention  of  return- 
ing to  Scotland,  but  changed  his  mind  and 
bought  a  place  from  Robert  Patterson,  on  which 
he  lived  until  1875,  when  he  bought  the  place 
adjoining,  from  Newell  Kane.  It  contains  700 
acres  of  fine  land,  and  has  all  the  best  improve- 
ments. Mr.  Weir  was  married  to  Mrs.  Ellen 
Sullivan,  widow  of  Cornelius  Sullivan,  by  whom 
she  had  one  child,  in  April,  1863.  Her  maiden 
name  was  Kennelly.  She  was  born  in  Ireland, 
and  emigrated  to  this  country  in  1853,  settling 
in  Ontario  County,  New  Yor-k.  She  was  there 
married  to  her  first  husband,  who  died  in  1858, 
and  came  to  California  by  water  in  September, 
1851.  Mr.  and  Mrs.  "Weir  had  five  children, 
all  of  whom  are  living.  Mr.  Weir  died  De- 
cember 12,  1888,  after  an  illness  of  about  three 
weeks.  He  was  a  man  of  strong  convictions, 
and  once  forming  an  opinion  generally  abided 
by  it.  He  took  an  active  interest  in  farming, 
at  which  he  was  very  successful,  and  gave  most 
of  his  attention  to  it.  To  his  family  he  was 
kind  and  good,  taking  pleasure  in  supplying  all 
the  wants  of  his  children.  He  was  a  highly 
respected  citizen  in  the  community  in  which  he 
lived,  and  his  death  caused  the  loss  of  a  much 
lionored  neighbor  and  friend  as  well  as  a  good 
husband  and  father.  He  was  raised  a  Presby- 
terian from  childhood,  and  lived  up  to  the  doc- 
trines of  his  religion  to  within  a  week  of  his 
death,  when  he  embraced  the  Catholic  faith. 
He  left  five  children:  Mary  Elizabeth,  Catharine 
Jane,  Jeannette,  Margaret  Ellen  and  James  M. 


^ADAME  ALMA  von  TILLOW.— The 
lady  whose  name  appears  at  the  head  of 
this  biographical  notice  is  one  who  has 
endeared  herself  to  the  hearts  and  homes  of  the 
people  of  Sacramento,  and  we  offer  no  apology 
in  according  to  her  this  space  in  the  histoi'ical 
work  of  the  county,  believing  that  too  much 
cannot   be  said    in    praise  of  the  work   that  she 


has  set  herself  to  do,  or  of  the  results  which  are 
being  accomplished  by  her  now  popular  method. 
A  brief  mention  of  her  career  cannot  but  be  in- 
teresting to  the  hundreds  of  people  whose  little 
ones  will  some  time  need  the  fostering  care  of 
just  such  a  teacher  to  guide  their  youthful  foot- 
stops  along  the  rugged  pathway  to  knowledge. 
The  Madame  is  a  native  of  the  State  of  New 
York;  was  brought  up  amid  the  refinements  of 
the  most  highly  cultured  society  in  the  Empire 
State.  AVhen  by  the  death  of  her  husband  in 
1879,  in  Wadsworth,  Nevada,  the  duty  of  pro- 
viding for  her  boy  devolved  upon  her  unaided 
eflbrts,  she  bravely  but  quietly  proceeded  to 
make  the  most  of  whatever  opportunities  lay 
nearest  at  hand.  She  at  once  began  teaching 
vocal  and  instrumental  music,  traveling  from 
Eeno  to  Battle  Mountain  each  week,  to  reach 
her. pupils,  who  resided  in  all  the  larger  towns 
between  the  above  mentioned  places.  This 
proving  too  arduous,  in  the  spring  of  1881  she 
accepted  an  engagement  with  a  conservatory  of 
music  in  San  Francisco.  Always  a  lover  of 
little  children,  and  peculiarly  fitted  by  nature  to 
have  the  care  of  them,  she  became  interested  in 
the  study  of  the  system  of  kindergarten  as 
taught  by  Miss  Emma  Marwedel,  of  San  Fran- 
cisco; and  very  soon  became  an  assistant  at  the 
pioneer  kindergarten  of  that  city.  In  March, 
1883,  she  came  to  Sacramento  and  started  a 
small  class  on  G  street,  beginning  with  but  five 
pupils;  but  she  was  thoroughly  imbued  with 
the  spirit  of  her  work,  and  accomplished  re- 
sults which  eventually  brought  the  patronage 
and  the  support  of  the  leading  people  of  the 
Capital  City.  She  advocates  principles  for  all 
departments  of  school  life,  and  claims  for  this 
application  the  fact  that  her  school  so  much  re- 
sembles a  large,  busy  family  aifectioiiately  in- 
terested in  each  other's  work  and  play,  though 
widely  separated  as  to  age.  The  day  pupils, 
numbering  over  forty,  are  conveyed  to  and 
from  the  school  in  a  handsome  wagonette,  being 
always  accompanied  by  a  teacher.  Among 
them  may  have  been  noticed  the  children  of  the 
Governor  of  the  Stale,  Secretary   of  State   Hen- 


HlSTOliV    OF    i^AunAMENTO    CUUl^TY. 


dricks,  Chief  Justice  Beatty,  Judges  Van  Fleet 
and  Blancbard,  Prof.  E.  C.  Atkinson,  A.  L. 
Hai-t,  L.  L.  Lewis,  Frank  Miller,  Preutis 
Smitii,  and  most  of  the  leading  professional  and 
business  men  of  the  city.  The  system  of 
kindergarten  and  object-teaching  for  younger 
chUdren,  and  the  oral  method  for  more  advanced 
scholars,  is  becoming  more  and  more  popular 
wherever  it  is  properly  introduced;  and  it  is  to 
the  lasting  credit  of  Sacramento  that  such 
schools  are  receiving  the  patronage  of  her  best 
citizens.  Nor  can  too  much  credit  be  given  to 
Madame  von  Tillow,  through  whose  instru- 
mentality this  system  of  teaching  was  lirst 
made   a  success! 


fOHN  EIIPtHARDT  was  born  in  Germany, 
October  8,  1837,  his  parents  being  John 
and  Theresa  Dorothy  (Gehrholdt)  Ehr- 
hardt.  The  mother  died  in  1847,  aged  forty- 
seven;  the  father  survived  her  forty  years.  The 
subject  of  this  sketch  received  about  live  years' 
schooling,  and  then  became  a  helper  to  his 
father  in  his  occupation  of  shepherd.  The 
father,  stepmother,  and  five  children  came  to 
America  in  1850,  landing  in  Baltimore,  Mary- 
land, August  20.  Thence  they  proceeded  to 
Missouri,  by  railroad  for  about  two  hours  from 
Baltimore  to  tlie  canal,  then  by  the  canal  to 
Pittsburg,  by  the  Ohio  to  Cairo,  by  tiie  Mis- 
sissippi to  the  mouth  of  the  Missouri,  and  by  the 
Missouri  toward  their  destination  in  Chariton 
County,  Missouri,  where  three  brothers  of  the 
elder  Ehrhardt  were  already  settled.  It  took 
about  two  mouths  to  make  the  trip,  owing 
chiefly  to  low  water  in  the  Ohio  and  Missouri. 
Arrived  at  the  farm  of  one  of  his  uncles,  who 
owned  about  a  section  of  land,  John  went  to 
work  as  a  sheplierd.  In  1852  his  father  and  he 
were  hired  to  drive  7,000  sheep  across  the 
plains.  They  wintered  near  Salt  Lake,  and  the 
herd  was  reduced  to  2,400  when  they  reached 
Placerville,    California.     They   arrived    on    the 


Cosumnes,  within  the  borders  of  this  county, 
June  20,  1853,  fourteen  months  after  they  had 
set  out  from  Missouri.  The  subject  of  this 
sketch  soon  afterward  went  to  work  as  a  shep- 
herd for  Long  Bros.,  in  Yaca  Valley,  Solano 
County,  at  $50  a  month,  remaining  two  years, 
and  then  for  Mr.  Ilucker  about  fifteen  months. 
In  1855,  in  partnership  with  his  brother 
Henry,  he  bought  §1,750  worth  of  sheep.  Af- 
ter ten  months  they  were  sold  at  Colusa  at  $14 
a  head,  and  the  proceeds  invested  in  another  lot, 
which  they  sold  three  years  later  for  $14,500. 
In  1860,  being  in  poor  health,  Mr.  Ehrhardt 
went  East,  being  absent  from  March  to  Septem- 
ber, and  on  his  return  traveled  to  various  points 
on  the  coast  for  about  three  years.  In  1863  he 
bought  1,240  acres  on  the  Mokelumne  for 
$4,000.  There  he  raised  cattle  and  horses  and 
hay  for  feed,  and  for  a  time  did  a  dairy  busi- 
ness, milking  eighty  to  100  cows.  In  1871  he 
drove  some  cattle  to  Modoc,  where  he  bought  a 
ranch,  which  he  kept  ten  years.  In  1876,  find- 
ing his  ranch  on  the  Mokelumne  too  much  sub- 
ject to  overflow  he  sold  it  for  $10,000;  and  iu 
May,  1876,  he  bought  his  present  location,  two 
miles  north  of  Franklin,  805  acres,  where  he 
has  since  made  his  home.  He  has  settled  down 
to  raising  wheat  mostly,  but  has  not  entifelj 
abandoned  his  life-long  interest  in  the  gentle 
sheep,  of  which  he  keeps  about  200.  He  also 
raises  some  horses  for  his  own  needs,  and  a  few 
to  sell.  He  tried  cattle-raising,  but  did  not 
find  it  profitable.  He,  however,  owns  a  ranch 
of  440  acres  in  Modoc,  bought  in  1887,  which 
is  devoted  to  cattle- raising,  under  the  care  of 
his  eldest  son.  In  1865  Mr.  Ehrhardt  was 
married  to  Miss  Caroline  Hollman  (see  below). 
They  are  the  parents  of  six  sons  and  one  daugh- 
ter: George  Edward,  born  February  5,  1867; 
Frederick  William,  July  25,  1869;  Henry  Les- 
ter, July  25,  1872;  William  Gardner,  January 
18,  1876;  John  Amos,  February  23,  1880;  El- 
vesta,  November  19,  1882;  -Newton  Julian,  Oc- 
tober 9,  1885.  Besides  the  usual  district-school 
education  George  E.  took  an  academic  course  in 
Sacramento,    and    Frederick    W.   spent    three 


BISTORT    OF    SACRAMENTO    COUHTT. 


terms  at  Washington   College,  in  Irving,  Ala- 
meda County. 

Mrs.  Caroline  (Llollman)  Elirliardt,  wife  of 
Jolin  Ebrhardt  (see  above),  was  born  in  Chili, 
July  28,  1847.  Her  father,  William  Holl- 
inan,  a  native  of  the  State  of  New  York,  a 
millwright  and  miller  by  trade,  had  gone  to 
Chili  to  do  some  work  in  his  line,  and  was  there 
married  to  Miss  Ellen  Mar  McAra,  born  in 
Scotland  in  1826,  daughter  of  Thomas  and 
Jeanett  (Jackson)  McAra,  who  afterward  emi- 
grated to  Chili.  Mr.  McAra  was  an  architect, 
and  was  killed  by  a  fall  from  a  building.  In 
1849  Mr.  Hollraan  left  Chili  for  California 
with  his  wife  and  family,  including  the  aged 
grandmother,  Mrs.  MeAra,  but  died  soon  after 
his  arrival  in  San  Francisco,  leaving  four  chil- 
dren: Frederick  William,  born  March  12,  1843, 
was  drowned  in  the  overflow  of  the  Mokelumne 
in  1862;  John,  born  in  1845,  now  rents  350 
acres  of  the  Fay  ranch,  near  the  Ehrhardt 
place.  He  married  Miss  Emma  Chapman. 
They  are  the  parents  of  four  daughters  and  one 
sou;  Robert,  born  in  1877;  Caroline,  now  Mrs. 
John  Ehrhardt;  Theresa,  born  in  July,  1848, 
now  Mrs.  George  W.  Fountain,  living  below 
Courtland.  They  are  the  parents  of  two  daugh- 
ters and  one  son.  For  Mrs.  Ellen  Mar  Holluian, 
by  her  second  marriage  Mrs.  Marcus  Lowell, 
see  sketch  of  Amos  M.  Lowell.  In  her  child- 
hood Mrs.  Ehrhardt,  with  her  brothers  and  sis- 
ter, attended  the  first  Sunday-school  in  San 
Francisco,  founded  by  Rev.  William  Taylor,  of 
the  Methodist  Episcopal  Church,  in  1850.  Her 
grandmother,  Mrs.  McAra,  is  thought  to  have 
been  the  first  white  grandmother  in  San  Fran- 
cisco; she  certainly  was  the  first  that  went  to 
the  Sunday-school.  The  Hollman  family  has 
been  settled  since  about  1827  near  Feekskill, 
New  York,  the  present  representatives  of  the 
homestead  being  Garduer,  Hannah  and  Caro- 
line, all  well  advanced  in  years  and  unmarried. 
The  house  is  a  historic  landmark,  having  been 
the  resting  place  of  Major  Andre  for  one  night 
on  his  way  to  Albany  after  his  capture.  Mrs. 
Elirliardt,  on  a  v'sit  there  in  1888,  accompanied 


by  her  third  son,  Henry  L.,  slept  soundly  in  the 
historic  chamber,  but  was  much  more  interested 
in  revisiting  the  scenes  of  her  father's  boyhood. 
Her  grandfather,  Frederick  William  Hollman, 
a  native  of  Berlin,  Germany,  was  at  one  time 
owner  of  the  Croton  Mills,  which  were  removed 
in  the  construction  of  the  Croton  Aqueduct, 
and  it  was  he  who  purchased  the  present  home- 
stead of  the  family.  There  are  two  other 
sisters:  Louisa  and  Mary;  Louisa  was  never  mar- 
ried, and  makes  her  home  with  her  married 
sister.  Mary  Hollman  is  the  wife  of  William 
O'Donnell,  a  music-dealer  in  New  York  city. 
They  are  the  parents  of  four  children:  William, 
Marcus,  Gardner  and  Annie.  The  two  oldest 
are  writers  on  the  metropolitan  press;  Annie  is 
the  wife  of  Walter  Hamilton,  a  business  man  of 
that  city,  and  Gardner  is  still  engaged  in  per- 
fecting his  education. 


tEGRAND  R.  DAVIS,  of  Sutter  Township, 
was  born  May  16, 1824,  in  Prince  William 
County,  Virginia,  son  of  Isaac  Davis,  a 
native  of  Kentucky,  and  a  farmer,  and  Malinda 
Davis.  His  father  had  four  brothers:  Jilson, 
James,  Travis  and  Harrison.  Travis  was  stabbed 
and  killed  by  a  negro  who  was  endeavoring  to 
escape.  Isaac  Davis  returned  to  Louisville, 
Kentucky,  and  remained  there  the  rest  of  his 
life,  dying  at  the  age  of  fifty  years;  his  wife 
died  at  the  age  of  thirty-five  years.  In  their 
family  were  three  sons  and  three  daughters: 
Mary  J.,  Julia,  Lyman  R.,  Legrand  R.,  Maria 
N.,  wife  of  L.  R.  Figg,  of  Louisville,  Ken- 
tucky; and  William,  deceased.  The  subject 
of  this  sketch  was  raised  on  the  farm.  Wiien 
young  he  worked  at  painting  with  the  intention 
of  learning  tlie  trade,  but  he  abandoned  that 
project  and  resorted  to  farming.  Starting  for 
California  in  1849,  he  proceeded  as  far  as  St. 
Louis  and  there  his  funds  gave  out,  and  he 
heard  of  so  much  sickness  on  the  Isthmus  that 
winter  that  he  was  persuaded  by  his  friends  to 
remain.      He  then  engaged    in  brickuiaking  for 


HISroRT    OP    SACRAMENTO    COUNTT. 


11.  W.  Williams,  and  the  next  spring  started 
again  for  California  overland,  leaving  the  Mis- 
souri River  at  the  point  where  Kansas  City  now 
is;  was  four  montlis  making  the  trip,  and  had 
but  little  trouble  with  the  Indians  or  with  sick- 
ness. At  one  place  they  were  halted  by  the  In- 
dians, and  one  of  the  company  exchanged  horses 
with  them.  They  overtook  the  whites  and  de^ 
manded  020,  which  was  given  them.  Near  Ft. 
Laramie,  Mr.  Williams  was  placed  in  command 
of  this  train,  to  succeed  the  previous  captain^ 
who  had  died;  atid  Williams  was  afterward 
killed  by  a  man  named  Hunter,  at  or  near  Salt 
Lake.  The  train  halted,  and  the  lawyers  and 
judges  which  were  in  it  conducted  a  formal  trial 
of  Hunter  and  discharged  him.  After  that  there 
was  no  trouble.  They  arrived  at  Sacramento 
August  20.  Mr.  Davis'  lirst  night's  sleep  here 
was  where  the  Plaza  now  is.  Until  February 
10  he  worked  in  the  Southern  mines,  and  then 
one  summer  season  on  Feather  River,  being 
moderately  successful.  In  the  fail  oi"  1851  he 
went  to  Benicia  and  burned  brick  for  Timothy 
Sage  two  months.  Next  he  purchased  a  tract 
of  land  four  miles  below  G-eorgiana  Slough,  con- 
sisting of  three-fourths  of  a  mile  or  more.  On 
that  he  chopped  wool  for  about  two  years  and 
sold  it.  In  1853  he  sold  that  land,  went  to  San 
Quentin  and  made  brick  for  a  season,  for  Gen- 
eral Taylor.  At  that  place  he  lost  about  $600. 
During  the  next  fall  (185.3)  he  purchased  the 
sloop  Bianca,  of  sixty  tons  register,  said  at  that 
time  to  be  the  fastest  boat  on  the  river;  and  he 
used  it  for  floating  and  hauling  wood  to  San 
Francisco,  in  which  business  lie  made  money. 
In  the  fall  of  1854  he  sold  it,  and  it  was  after- 
ward sunk  on  the  Sacramento.  He  had  to  take 
it  back,  at  considerable  loss,  raise  it,  repair  it, 
and  he  sold  it  again.  About  that  time  he  pur- 
chased the  place  where  he  still  resides,  four  miles 
from  Sacramento,  off  the  lower  Stockton  road. 
At  that  time  it  was  a  claim  of  about  200  acres, 
and  he  commenced  at  once  to  fence  and  improve 
it.  He  followed  teaming  over  the  inou  itaiusto 
Virginia  City,  his  ranch  being  kept  up  mean- 
time.    Since  then  he  has  given  his  whole  atten- 


tion to  agricultural  pursuits.  At  present  there 
are  200  acres  of  the  home  place,  on  which  he 
mostly  raises  wheat,  with  remarkable  success. 
He  has  also  other  land  in  crops.  Altogether  he 
has  500  acres  in  wheat,  140  in  barley  and  100 
in  oats.  Besides,  he  has  about  2,000  vines  and 
plenty  of  other  fruit  for  family  use.  He  is  a 
member  of  the  K.  of  P.,  and  of  Sacramento 
Grange,  No.  12.  Politics,  Republican.  He  has 
made  three  visits  to  his  home  in  Kentucky,  and 
has  crossed  the  Isthmus  five  times.  He  was 
married  in  1870  to  Emma  L.  Lennon,  a  native 
of  Kentucky,  and  they  have  eight  children: 
Newton  B.,  Legrand  R.,  Jr.,  George  W.,  Ljdia 
N.,  Florence  M.,  Benjamin  C,  Raymond  I.  and 
Nellie  P. 


ENRY  FREDERICK  WILLIAM  DET- 
ERDING,  deceased,  was  born  in  Han- 
Germany,  June  11,  1818.  At  the 
age  of  fourteen  years  he  was  apprenticed  to  the 
wagon-maker's  trade,  at  which  he  served  three 
years;  then,  according  to  the  custom  of  his  na- 
tive country,  he  was  sent  out  to  spend  five  years 
in  traveling  and  to  learn  the  ways  of  the  people 
and  earn  his  own  living,  which  was  to  serve  as 
a  part  of  his  education.  At  the  expiration  of 
this  time  ho  returned  to  Hanover  and  opened  a 
carriage  and  wagon  shop,  where  he  prosecuted 
the  business  until  1845,  when  he  emigrated  to 
the  United  States,  landing  in  New  York.  Pro- 
ceeding on  to  St.  Louis,  he  established  himself 
there  in  his  trade  until  1851.  In  March  of  this 
year  he  started  with  two  yokes  of  cattle  and 
came  overland  to  California,  arriving  in  Sacra- 
mento September  24,  1851.  The  train  con- 
sisted of  five  wagons,  and  they  did  not  separate 
until  they  arrived  at  Shingle  Springs,  El  Do- 
rado County.  On  arriving  in  Sacramento  Mr. 
Deterding  opened  a  shop  on  thecorner  of  Ninth 
and  J  streets,  where  he  carried  on  his  trade  with 
prosperity  until  April,  1853.  Selling  out,  he 
removed  to  Diamond  Spring,  El  Dorado  County, 
where  he    opened    a  general    store,  which    was 


4?2 


HfSTOST    OF    8AGRAMENT0    COUNTY. 


managed  by  his  wife  while  he  turned  his  at- 
tention to  mining.  This  he  continued  nntil 
some  time  in  October  following,  when  he  sold 
out  liis  store  and  took  a  contract  for  hauling  logs 
to  a  saw- mill  at  Mud  Springs,  now  the  city  of 
El  Dorado.  In  the  spring  of  1854  he  moved 
to  Logtown,  and  again  engaged  in  merchandis- 
ing. The  next  fall  he  moved  his  stock  to  Griz- 
zly Flat,  same  county,  and  carried  on  the 
business  there  until  May,  1857.  He  then  bought 
520  acres  of  land  in  Sacramento  County,  which 
still  remains  the  same  and  belongs  to  two  of 
his  daughters.  In  the-  fall  of  1857  he  built  a 
quai-tz-nnill  and  dam  about  sixteen  miles  from 
Carbon,  Xevada,  and  did  quartz-crushing  there 
two  years,  his  family  meanwhile  remaining  on 
the  tarm  here.  The  quartz  business,  however, 
proved  to  be  an  unsuccessful  venture,  as  he  lost 
the  $30,000  which  he  had  put  into  it.  Alter 
that  he  returned  to  the  iarm.  On  this  place 
was  a  hotel  which  he  conducted,  it  being  on  the 
main  thoroughlare  for  all  the  teaming  and  travel 
between  Sacramento  and  Virginia  City  and 
that  section  of  country.  In  1879  business  was 
entirely  suspended  and  the  hotel  did  not  pay  so 
well;  but  it  was  still  kept  open.  The  liouse  is 
still  standing.  Mr.  Deterding  was  successful  in 
almost  all  his  business  pursuits,  being  a  good 
manager  and  financier.  In  his  political  sympa- 
thies he  was  a  Democrat.  He  died  August  26, 
1879,  and  his  wife  June  18,  1885.  Their  mar- 
riage occurred  in  the  old  country,  in  1845;  she 
was  a  native  of  Germany  and  her  maiden  name 
was  Wilhelmina  Rosenberg.  They  brought  up 
ten  children,  six  daughters  and  four  sons,  as  fol- 
lows: Mary,  who  died  while  crossing  the  plains; 
Louis,  who  died  at  the  age  of  seventeen  years, 
June  18,  1867;  Christina,  who  died  December 
14,  1885,  at  the  age  of  thirty-three  years;  Julia, 
who  died  October  25,  1888,  also  at  the  age  of 
thirty-three  years;  Charles  William,  Matilda, 
Isabella,  Wilhelmina,  William,  who  died  in 
1869,  aged  five  years;  and  Fi-ederick,  who  died 
June  25,  1875,  aged  only  one  month.  Charles 
William  Deterding  was  born  at  Grizzly  Flat, 
El  Dorado  County,  May  19,1857,  and  made  his 


home  with  his  parents  until  after  the  death  of 
his  father.  His  present  place  of  290  acres  was 
purchased  November  14,1883,  since  which  time 
he  has  been  employed  there.  Previously  for 
six  years  he  also  worked  the  home  place.  He 
has  had  from  800  to  1,800  acres  in  cultivation 
at  one  time.  His  orchard  of  140  acres  com- 
prises peaches,  apricots,  pears,  plums,  French 
prunes,  tigs,  walnuts,  almonds,  oranges,  lemons 
and  limes,  all  of  which  are  bearing.  The  vine- 
jard  of  twenty-live  acres  has  Tokays,  Muscats 
and  a  variety  of  wine  grapes.  Fine  buildings 
adorn  the  premises.  October  1,  1884,  Mr.  Det- 
eiding  married  Miss  Mary,  daughter  of  John 
Shields,  whose  sketch  appears  elsewhere,  and 
they  have  had  two  children:  Charles,  born  De- 
cember 10,  1885;  and  Mary,  born  February  27, 
1886.      • 


•^l5 


r^ 


flEAM  RIPLEY  BECKLEY  was  born  in 
Athens  County,  Ohio,  March  2,  1835,  his 
parents  being  Lucius  Ripley  and  Mary  Ann 
(Gorsline)  Beckley.  The  father  was  a  native  of 
Ohio,  and  the  mother  of  Indiana,  her  parents 
living  near  Fort  Wayne.  Grandfather  Daniel 
Beckley  married  a  Miss  Camp,  and  both  lived 
to  a  good  old  age,  perhaps  sixty  years.  In  1844 
the  parents,  with  three  sons  and  a  daughter, 
moved  to  Van  Buren  County,  Iowa,  where  the 
father  was  engaged  for  a  time  selling  the  product 
of  a  local  pottery,  chietly  to  dealers.  He  after- 
ward moved  to  Lee  County  and  went  to  farming 
near  Montrose  for  two  years,  when  he  returned 
to  his  previous  pursuit  in  Van  Buren  County. 
The  grandparents  also  spent  a  few  years  with 
him  in  Iowa,  but  afterward  went  back  to  Ohio. 
In  1850  L.  R.  Beckley,  with  his  wife  and  chil- 
dren, crossed  the  plains  to  California  with  three 
ox  teams  and  some  cows,  forming  part  of  a  com- 
pany of  over  100  persons  and  a  train  of  thirty- 
eight  wagons.  The  Beckleys  left  Bonaparte, 
Iowa,  April  5,  but  did  not  cross  the  Missouri 
until  about  May  1,  not  daring  to  venture  into 
the  interior  because  of  the  backward   condition 


HISTORY    OF    SACILUIENrO    COUNT T. 


of  the  grass  tliat  season.    They  arrived  in  Hang 
town,    now    Placerville,    September    20,   1850, 
whence  the  father  soon  went  forward   to  Sacra- 
mento to  buy  flour  and  other  supplies  with  which 
he  started  a  bakery  at   Diamond   Spring  for  a 
few  months.     In    December,  1850,  they  moved 
to  Sacramento,  where  the  father  built  tlie  Wash- 
ington Hotel,  corner  of  Fifteenth  and  J  streets. 
After  a  few   months    he    I'ented    it  to  another 
party,  and  he  conducted  the  Prairie  House  on 
the  Placerville  road.     There  the  mother  died, 
June  5,  1851,  and   the  family  returned  to  the 
"Washington  Hotel  in  Sacramento.   In  the  spring 
of   1852  he  was  again  married  to  Mrs.  Phoebe 
Shaefter,   a  widow    having    one    son.     He   was 
burnt  out  in  tiie  great  lire  of  November,  1852, 
and   soon   afterward  bought  the  Monte  Cristo 
House  on  the  Coloma  road,  which  lie  carried  on 
about    three   years.     In    1855    he  moved  into 
Franklin    Township,  and    the    fortunes  of   the 
family  have  been  connected  with  this  township 
ever  since.     He  first  took   up  320  acres  about 
two  and    a  half  miles  west  of   where   Franklin 
now  stands,  with  a  frontage  of  one  mile  on  tlie 
road  to  the  Sacramento  River.     Soon  afterward 
he  bought  about  1,000  acres  five  miles  north  of 
Franklin.     He  was  elected   Supervisor  for   the 
3'ears  1855  and  1850,  and  was  afterward  Public 
Administrator  for  one  term.     He  died  M^y  15, 
1859,  after  two  or  three  years  of  broken  health, 
leaving  three  sons  and  a  daughter  born  of  his 
first    marriage:  Benson  D.,  born    about  1833, 
now  a  rancher  of   Calaveras    County,   and   the 
father  of   four  children;    Edmund  J.,   born   in 
1836  or  1837,  a  hotel-keeper  in   Portland,  Ore- 
gon, and  the  father  of  one  child;    Mary  Maria, 
born    in    1838,    by   first   marriage,   Mrs.    Isaac 
Allen,  and  by  second,  Mrs.  S.  F.  Wheeler,  who 
lived   in    this  county   from   1850  to  1883,  and 
died  in  Nevada  County  in  1885.    P.  R.  Beckiey, 
the  subject  of  this  sketch,  worked  with  his  father, 
and  afterward  for  a  time  in  charge  of  his  ranches, 
almost    continuously    from    boyliood    until   the 
deatii  of  the  latter  in  1859.      Meanwhile  he  had 
bought  160  acres  adjoining  his  father's  place  on 
the  road  from  Franklin  to  the   Sacramento,  and 


about  320  acres  of  low  land  near  the  river.  Mr. 
Beckiey  was  married  December   30,   1858,  to 
Miss   Sarah  Clark  Walton,  born  in    Delaware, 
January  3,   1838,  a  daughter  of  William  and 
Maria  (Fountain)  Walton,  both  now  deceased, — 
the   father,  May   27,  1877,  aged    seventy-eight; 
the   mother,  December  25,  1885,  aged  seventy- 
six.     The  father  was  of  English,  and  the  mother 
of   French  descent.     Their    son,  John    Henry, 
died    in    Franklin,  November    24,  1888,    aged 
forty-two,  of  blood-poisoning,  from  what  seemed 
at  first  a  trifling  wound  in  the  hand.     Another 
son,  William  J.,  died  in  Iowa,  in  1854,  at  the 
age  of  nineteen.     A  daughter,  Elizabeth  J.,  was 
married    to   Dr.  B.  H.  Pierson,  one  of  the  first 
residents  of  Woodland,  Yolo  County,  and   pre- 
viously for  fifteen  years  a  practicing  physician 
in  S.»cramento.     He  died  in  Franklin,  January 
10,   1883,   leaving   three    children,   now  living 
with  their  mother  in   Auburn,  Placer  County. 
Another  daughter,  Esther  Ann,  was  married  to 
T.  J.  Holloway,    a   rancher  of  Santa    Barbara. 
They  are  the  parents  of  four  daughters  and  two 
sons.     Mr.   Walton    with   his    family  came  to 
Sacramento  in   May,  1856,  from   Iowa,  where 
they  had  settled   in   1849,  at  Farrington,  Van 
Buren    County.      In    1857    they    moved    from 
Sacramento   to   the  Twelve-Mile  House  on   the 
Lower   Stockton    Road,  which   Mr.  Walton  car- 
ried on  about  three  years.     Early  in  1859  Mr. 
Beckiey  built  a  new  house  on  his  place,  which, 
however,  he    soon    sold,  being   invited    by  his 
father  to  live  near  him  on  his  upper  ranch.    The 
father's    death   in    May   threw   the    estate   into 
court   for  distribution.     In   1860   Mr.  Beckiey 
took  charge  of  the   Twelve-Mile  House    previ- 
ously run    by  his    father-in-law.     In   1861  he 
bought  the  ranch  of   320  acres  now  owned  by 
Weller  Freeman,  about  two  miles  east  of  Frank- 
lin.    In  1864  he  was  elected  County  Assessor 
for  two  years.     In  December,  1866,  he  sold  his 
ranch  and  settled  in  Greorgetown,  now  Franklin, 
of    which   he  has   been  a  second  founder.     He 
bought  four  acres  along   the  west  side  of  the 
road,  on  which   he  has  since  erected   the  most 
substantial   buildin.(S   in   the    valley.      He  first 


HISTORT    OF    SACRAMENTO    COUNTT. 


put  up  a  store  and  dwelling,  the  former  being 
now  used  as  a  saloon,  having  been  replaced  as  a 
store  in  1881  by  the  lai'ge  two-story  brick,  a 
consp  cuous  landmark  for  miles  around,  of  which 
the  upper-story  is  used  as  a  public  hall.  The 
dwelling  of  1867  is  embodied  in  the  two-story 
building  known  as  the  Franklin  Hotel,  begun 
in  1885  an'd  finished  in  1887.  In  February, 
1867,  Mr.  Becklej  opened  his  place  for  business 
as  a  general  store  which  he  conducted  until 
1875,  at  the  same  time  carrying  on  general 
fanning  on  the  McCraken  ranch  of  400  acres 
adjoining  the  village  plat  at  its  southwest  cor- 
ner, which  he  continued  until  1885.  Being 
elected  Supervisor  in  1875  he  sold  out  his  stock 
of  goods  and  rented  the  sto.e.  He  entered  on 
tiie  duties  of  his  office  on  the  first  Monday  in 
October  of  that  year,  and  retained  it  by  re-elec- 
tion until  1882.  After  an  intermission  of  seven 
years  in  official  life  he  was  appointed  after  the 
election  of  1888  to  the  position  of  sub-sherifl", 
and  entered  on  the  discharge  of  its  duties  on  the 
first  Monday  in  January,  1889.  He  has  been 
postmaster  continuously  since  1868.  Mr.  Beck- 
ley  is  a  member  of  the  Masonic  brotherhood, 
and  is  a  highly  esteemed  and  public-spirited 
citizen  of  Franklin  Township--a  sort  of  genial 
head-center  of  all  local  interests.  Mr.  and  Mrs. 
Beckley  are  the  parents  of  ten  children,  the 
crown  and  glory  of  tlieir  useful,  industrious  and 
unpretentious  lives:  Lucius  Ripley,  boru  No- 
vember 23, 1859 ;  William  Walton.  June  3, 1861 ; 
Mary  Maria,  January  8,  1864;  John  Augustus, 
December  26,  1865;  George  Irville,  December 
16,  1867;  Lizzie  May,  May  1,  1871;  Isaac 
Freeman,  May  25,  1873;  Sarah  Esther,  March 
11,  1876;  Laura  Alice,  January  14,  1877;  and 
Ora  Edna,  July  17,  1883.  .Of  these,  the  oldest 
daughter,  Mary  Maria,  was  married  June  29, 
1882,  to  John  W.  Hall,  a  native  of  Canada,  son 
of  John  E.  and  Jane  Elizabeth  (Benjamin)  Hall, 
then  residing  in  this  township  and  now  in  Yolo 
County.  John  W.  Hall  had  taught  school  in 
Georgiana  Township  nearly  four  years,  when, 
at  the  age  of  twenty-six,  he  was  accidentally 
drowned,  April  1,  1884,  while  iiunting  on   the 


Whitcomb  place,  leaving  two  children:  Elmer 
Ernest,  born  April  25,  1883,  and  a  posthumous 
child.  Myrtle  Gertrude,  born  September4, 1884. 
The  children  and  their  mother  are  members  of 
the  Beckley  household.  Lucius  R.,  the  oldest 
son  of  P.  R.  Beckley,  owns  160  acres  in  Jenny 
Lind  Township,  Calaveras  County;  and  William 
W..  the  second  son,  owns  an  adjoining  quarter 
section. 


--»*§*iMf^-- 

ILLIAM  CURTIS,  rancher,  was  born  in 
Watertown,  Middlesex  County,  Massa- 
chusetts, August  11,  1831.  His  par- 
ents, John  Thomas  and  Mary  (Bailey)  Curtis, 
natives  of  Lincolnsliire,  England,  came  two 
years  previously  to  America.  His  father  died 
May  1,  1850,  and  his  mother,  now  nearly 
ninety-one  years  of  age,  is  living  with  him,  the 
subject  of  this  sketch.  She  has  made  three 
trips  from  Massachusetts  to  California,  twice 
by  water  and  once  by  land.  Of  her  family  of 
five  children,  only  two  sons  are  living.  At  the 
age  of  sixteen  years  young  William  commenced 
driving  a  milk  wagon  into  Boston,  and  con- 
linued  in  that  business  until  he  left  for  Cali- 
fornia. February  5,  1852,  on  the  steamer 
Prometheus,  he  left  New  York  city,  and  came 
by  the  Nicaragua  route.  Embarking  on  the 
steamer  North  America  for  San  Francisco,  the 
vessel  was  wrecked  when  four  days  out,  near 
land,  at  night.  She  ran  ashore  about  ninety 
miles  below  Acapulco.  Mr.  Curtis  then  traveled 
to  Acapulco  on  Mexican  ponies.  Many  of  the 
passengers,  however,  had  to  walk,  as  there  were 
1,100  of  them.  No  lives  were  lost  by  the 
wreck.  From  Acapulco  Mr.  Curtis  came  in.  a 
sailing  vessel  to  San  Francisco,  arriving  May 
10.  Where  he  now  resides  his  brother  was 
then  living.  After  stopping  with  him  a  few 
days,  he  went  to  Beale's  Bar,  on  the  North 
Fork  of  the  American  River,  and  tried  gold- 
mining  for  two  weeks,  quitting  then  for  want  of 
water.  His  brotlier  was  taken  sick  and  after 
his  recovery  returned  to  Massachusetts,  and  re- 


UI6T0RT    OF    SAGBAMENTO    GOUNTY. 


maiiied  there  until  December,  1888.  In  his 
absence  William  took  charge  of  the  place,  and 
in  the  course  of  two  years  became  the  owner. 
Up  to  three  years  ago  he  kept  a  large  dairy  of 
eighty  to  100  cows.  During  the  past  twelve 
years  he  has  been  engaged  extensively  in  thresh- 
ing, and  during  the  past  seven  years  he  has  had 
many  cattle  in  Arizona;  has  1,200  head  thereat 
present.  He  makes  annual  trips  to  that  coun- 
try to  look  after  his  interests.  On  his  property 
in  this  county  he  has  about  ninety  head  of 
horses,  young  and  old,  and  about  forty  head  of 
cattle.  He  has  1,500  acres  of  land  in  cultiva- 
tion on  the  Haggin  grant,  which  he  has  been 
conducting  for  the  past  six  years.  Of  the 
homestead  tract,  on  the  lower  Stockton  road, 
there  are  200  acres.  In  the  flood  of  1852  he 
lost  heavily  in  stock.  W  ith  that  exception  he 
has  been  fortunate,  and  his  management  has 
been  attended  with  great  success.  January  1, 
1862,  is  the  date  of  Mr.  Curtis'  marriage  to 
Susan  W.  Potter,  of  lone  Valley,  this  State. 
Tiiey  have  two  sons  and  three  daughters,  but 
the  sons  are  deceased.  William  Roland  died 
at  the  age  of  seventeen  years,  and  Frederick  P. 
at  the  age  of  four  years  and  four  months.  The 
daughters  are  Carrie  M.,  Alice  Louisa  and 
Edna.  Politically  Mr.  Curtis  has  been  a  fle- 
publican  ever  since  the  party  was  organized, 
and  has  been  an  active  worker  for  the  advance- 
ment of  its  principles,  participating  in  the  con- 
ventions, etc.;  but  he  has  never  aspired  to  auy 
oifice.  He  has-  always  thought  that  his  own 
business,  well  attended  to,  would  pay  as  well"  as 
any  other  he  could  ever  hope  to  reach. 


^5-1- 


E.  CPIAMBERLAIN,  one  of  the  Cali- 
fornia pioneers,  associated   with   Sac- 

"  ramento  since  the  early  days,  is  a 
native  of  Dunstable  (now  Kasiiua),  New  Hamp- 
shire, born  October  31,  1801,  his  parents  being 
Elijah  and  Elizabeth  (Kidder)  Cliamberlain. 
The  Chamberlains  are  one  of  the  early  New 
England  families.     Three  brothers  of  that  name 


came  from  England  in  the  early  colonial  days, 
one  of  whom  settled  in  Massachusetts.  From 
him  the  subject  of  this  sketch  is  directly  de- 
scended. His  father  was  au  extensive  Boston 
merchant,  who  had  business  interests  at  other 
places.  The  mother  of  the  subject  of  tliis 
sketch  was  a  native  of  Dunstable,  New  Hamp- 
shire, and  her  father  was  a  minister  there  for 
many  years.  When  W.  E.  Chamberlain,  our 
subject,  was  an  infant,  she  resided  at  Boston, 
but  on  account  of  her  health  she  went  to  Dan- 
stable  to  live.  Daniel  Webster,  that  great 
figure  in  American  history,  was  a  relative,  and 
sometimes  made  his  home  there,  so  that  our 
subject  was  as  intimately  acquainted  with  him 
as  with  a  brotiier.  W.  E.  Chamberlain  went  to 
Hopkinton  to  pursue  his  education,  and  while 
there  lived  with  an  aunt,  Mrs.  Webster's 
mother.  He  attended  bchool  there  and  at  Pel- 
ham  and  Hopkinton.  While  at  Bradford  he 
was  compelled  to  quit  school  on  account  of 
being  attacked  with  rheumatism.  He  wanted 
to  go  to  West  Point  Military  Academy,  but  his 
mother  was  unwilling.  He  entered  a  store  at 
Andover,  and  in  1822  became  a  silent  partner 
with  Joel  Carter  in  Boston.  In  1824-  the  firm 
of  Simpkins  &  Chamberlain,  Boston,  was 
founded.  In  1827  Mr.  Chamberlain  went  to 
Cincinnati,  where  he  engaged  as  clerk  in  a 
store.  He  next  went  to  Oxford,  Ohio,  where 
he  engaged  in  business.  In  1844  he  went  to 
Terre  Haute,  Indiana,  where  he  was  in  business 
five  years  as  a  member  of  the  extensive  firm  of 
Craft  &  Chamberlain.  On  the  morning  of  the 
1st  of  January,  1849,  he  started  for  his  place  of 
business,  when  he  met  some  one  who  told  him 
his  extensive  lard  works  were  burned  down. 
He  proceeded  to  the  scene  and  saw  that  the  re- 
port was  only  too  true,  and  tliat  everything  was 
destroyed.  At  10  A.  M.  he  returned  to  his 
home.  When  asked  by  his  wife  what  he  in- 
tended to  do,  he  said  he  was  going  to  California. 
In  connection  with  three  or  four  others  a  party 
was  formed  for  that  purpose,  but  the  others  left 
Mr.  Chamberlain  out  of  the  arrmgements,  con- 
cluding he  was  too  old.     He,  however,  not  dis- 


HISTORY    OF    SACRAMENTO    COUNTY. 


coiiraged,  arranged  with  two  other  men,  and 
tliej  outfitted  and  started,  proceeding  to  St. 
Joseph,  Missouri.  They  found  it  difficult  to 
cross  the  river,  and  after  that  was  accotnplislied 
many  obstacles  appeared  ahead.  There  was  a 
vast  emigration  ahead  of  them,  and  the  grass 
was  short;  so  they  sold  their  wagons,  having 
concluded  to  pack  across.  Before  they  got  to 
Big  Blue  (two  or  three  days  after  leaving  the 
Miss&uri  River),  the  signs  of  cholera  became  so 
numerous  that  Mr.  Chamberlain's  partners, 
Messrs.  Ketcluim  and  Barber,  became  alarmed. 
In  the  morning,  after  a  very  stormy  night,  they 
came  to  Mr.  Chamberlain  and  proposed  to  go 
back.  He  told  them  he  would  not,  but  would 
give  them  $100,  and  take  two  mules  and  part 
of  the  supplies,  and  go  ahead.  Two  of  the  party 
that  had  left  Mr.  Chamberlain  out  on  account 
of  his  age,  Mr.  Crawfoi'd  and  Colonel  Hook 
(afterward  sheriff  of  San  Joaquin  County),  were 
overtaken,  and  he  joined  with  them.  The  three 
proceeded  on  to  Little  Blue  River,  and  there 
Colonel  Hook  was  taken  sick.  Crawford  then 
insisted  on  going  back,  but  Mr.  Chamberlain 
would  not  have  it  that  way,  and  proposed  in- 
stead to  wait  until  a  train  came  along,  and  put 
Colonel  Hook  aboard.  This  was  done,  and  tiie 
two  others  proceeded  on  their  way.  After 
making  the  last  crossing  of  the  Platte,  and  after 
they  had  proceeded  out  of  sight  of  it,  Mr. 
Chamberlain  became  very  sick  with  the  dysen- 
tery. He  said,  "  I  will  have  to  stop  and  rest;" 
but  the  Indian  encampment  could  be  seen  in 
the  distance,  and  Mr.  Crawford  refused  to  wait, 
as  he  said  they  would  be  killed  by  Indians. 
Mr.  Chamberlain  put  up  his  little  tent,  and  they 
finished  their  work  of  separating.  Mr.  Craw- 
ford was  about  leaving,  when  a  train  appeared 
over  the  hills,  approaching  them.  The  first 
wagon  was  that  of  a  young  Virginian,  named 
Wilson.  He  put  one  of  Mr.  Chamberlain's 
mules  into  his  team,  and  they  proceeded  to- 
gether. Mr.  Chamberlain  reached  Sacramento 
August  23,  1849.  A  few  days  later  he  went 
with  a  young  man  from  New  York,  to  a  point 
on  the  Mokelumne  River,  five  miles  from  lone. 


and  went  to  mining;  but  their  efforts  proved 
futile.  He  then  went  up  on  the  Cosumnes 
River,  and  remained  at  Cook's  Bar  until  spring, 
when  he  returned  to  Sacramento  and  purchased 
a  little  store  from  Lindley  &  Booth.  Mr.  Dye 
built  a  store  on  the  Plaza  to  rent  to  him,  and 
after  renting  it  about  a  year,  Mr.  Chamberlain 
purchased  it.  He  carried  on  business  there 
until  burned  out  by  the  great  fire  of  Novembei-, 
1852.  He  was  elected  city  treasurer,  taking 
the  office  in  1854,  and  serving  one  year.  The 
next  year  he  was  elected  city  clerk  and  auditor. 
In  the  spring  of  1856  he  became  connected 
with  the  bank  of  D.  O.  Mills  &  Co.,  and  has  so 
remained  ever  since.  For  a  time  he  held  the 
position  of  vice-president  and  director.  He 
has  been  city  treasurer  also  in  1863,  1864, 1867, 
1868-'72,and  two  years  since  the  last-mentioned 
date.  Mr.  Chamberlain  was  married  in  Sears- 
port,  Maine,  while  a  resident  of  Cincinnati,  to 
Miss  Charlotte  A.  Kidder,  a  native  of  Sears- 
port.  She  was  a  daughter  of  Nathaniel  and 
Sarah  (Averton)  Kidder,  and  granddaughter  of 
Dr.  Averton,  of  Massachusetts,  a  celebrated 
physician.  Her  father  was  a  Boston  merchant, 
who,  on  giving  up  business,  retired  to  a  farm. 
Mrs.  Chamberlain  came  to  California  to  join  her 
husband  in  1853,  via"  the  Nicaragua  route.  The 
children  did  not  come  until  two  or  three  years 
later,  having  remained  in  Indiana,  under  the 
tuition  of  Dr.  Scott,  Mrs.  President  Harrison's 
father.  Three  children  have  been  born  to  them, 
viz.:  Edward  (deceased),  Florence  L.  and  Will- 
iam- Edwin.  Mrs.  Chamberlain  departed  this 
life  June  1,  1888.  Edward,  the  oldest  son  of 
W.  E.  Chamberlain,  completed  his  education  in 
Sacramento.  He  studied  medicine  with  Dr. 
Moss,  of  this  city,  and  assaying  with  Henry 
Hawks,  of  San  Francisco.  He  became  con- 
nected with  smelting  works,  and  went  from  there 
to  Arizona  to  look  at  some  mines.  He  prac- 
ticed medicine  there,  and  was  hospital  steward 
at  Fort  Yuma.  He  afterward  went  to  Mexico, 
where  he  contracted  yellow  fever,  and  died  in 
1884,  aged  forty-three  years,  leaving  two  chil- 
dren.     Florence  L.  is  the  oldest  living  child  uf 


HISTORY    OF    SACRAMENTO    COUNTY. 


Mr.  and  Mrs.  W.  E.  Chamberlain,  and  was  born 
in  Maine.  She  is  the  wife  of  Benton  Julian,  a 
native  of  Indiana,  and  they  have  three  children, 
viz.:  Edwin  Benton,  Harvey  Hartley  and  Wal- 
do Emerson.  Mr.  Julian  has  been  intimately 
associated  with  educational  matters  in  Sacra- 
mento in  the  past,  having  commenced  teaching 
in  the  public  schools  in  a  business  college  in  San 
Francisco  in  1856.  William  Edward,  the  third 
child  of  W.  E.  Chamberlain,  and  a  native  of 
Oxford,  Ohio,  was  educated  at  Phillips  Academy 
and  at  Harvard,  where  he  took  the  full  course. 
He  has  been  connected  with  a  business  college 
in  San  P^rancisco,  and  is  a  resident  of  Oakland, 
with  business  in  San  Francisco.  He  is  married 
and  has  two  children,  viz.:  William  Edward  and 
Florence  Gladys. 


ILLI AM  HENRY  FRYE  was  born  in 
\JM\  Bourbon  County,  Kentucky,  May  28, 
"S/^  ]  813,  his  parents  being  James  and  Eliza 
beth  (Baxter)  Frye.  The  father  died  July  23, 
1822,  at  about  tlie  age  of  foi'ty-five,  the  mother 
surviving  until  April  24,  1847,  then  in  her  six- 
tieth year.  Grandfather  James  Frye  was  the 
first  of  the  family  to  settle  in  Kentucky,  having 
moved  thither  from  Virginia.  Soon  after  the 
birth  of  W.  H.  Frye  his  parents  moved  to  Mis- 
souri, settling  in  Pike  County.  His  formal  edu- 
cation consisted  of  three  months'  schooling,  but 
on  this  scant  foundation  his  thirst  for  knowl- 
edge, aided  by  exceptional  natural  ability  and 
great  industry,  has  reared  a  superstructure  of 
wide  and  varied  information  of  which  a  college 
graduate  need  not  be  ashamed.  He  made  such 
progress  by  private  study  that  while  yet  a  young 
man  he  taught  school  with  success,  occasionally 
referring  to  an  older  teacher  in  difficult  cases. 
As  his  judgment  and  power  of  reflection  grew 
with  his  years  and  experience  he  came  to  be  rec- 
ognized as  an  exceptionally  well  informed  man, 
and  now,  at  seventy-six,  though  physically  aged 
his  intellectual  powers  retain  their  wonted  vigor, 
enhanced  by  special  acuteness  of  perception,  the 


ripened  fruit  of  his  many  years  of  independent 
thought  and  close  observation.  In  early  years 
Mr.  Frye  worked  on  his  father's  farm,  and  in 
young  manhood  had  the  courage  to  buy  out  the 
interest  of  the  other  heirs,  but  the  panic  of 
1837  made  the  burden  too  heavy  and  eventually 
compelled  the  sale  of  the  place.  He  afterward 
traded  for  some  two  years,  chiefly  in  pork 
and  tobacco.  In  March,  1849,  he  started  across 
the  plains  and  reached  Weaverville  September 
6.  He  had  a  pleasant  journey.  He  started  in 
a  large  train,  but  two  wagons  separated  from 
the  train  and  came  through  by  themselves.  In 
1852  he  commenced  buying  and  selling  cattle; 
and  in  1853  raised  his  first  crop  of  barley  on 
what  is  now  his  homestead  ranch,  sixteen  miles 
south  of  Sacramento,  on  the  lower  Stockton 
road.  He  first  took  up  160  acres,  then  unsur- 
veyed,  to  which  he  has  since  added  by  purchase 
three  other  quarters  of  as  many  adjoining  sec- 
tions, thus  becoming  the  owner  of  640  acres  in 
one  body.  He  also  owns  170  acres  five  miles 
north  on  the  same  road,  now  occupied  by  his 
oldest  son.  Mr.  Frye  raises  wheat  and  barley, 
and  until  recently  raised  considerable  stock. 
For  some  years  he  also  carried  on  a  dairy  busi- 
ness, but  now  gives  his  chief  attention  to  wheat, 
raising  only  such  stock  as  he  needs  on  his 
ranches.  Mr.  Frye  was  married  January  7,  1854, 
to  Mrs.  Sarah  Hough,  born  in  Cortland  County, 
New  York,  October  20,  1823,  the  daughter  of 
Rodney  and  Sophia  (Watts)  Sanfoitl.  The 
father,  a  native  of  New  York  State,  born  March 
16,  1793,  died  in  Ohio,  March  18,  1840.  The 
mother,  a  native  of  New  York,  also  died  in 
Ohio,  under  the  age  of  tift}'.  Her  grandfather 
Sanford  reached  a  good  old  age,  and  grandfather 
Isaac  Watts  was  over  eighty  when  he  died. 
Mrs.  W.  H.  Frye  has  had  four  brothers,  all  born 
in  the  State  of  New  York:  Arthur  W.,  born 
February  15,  1816,  became  a  Presbyterian  min- 
ister in  Ohio,  served  as  Captain  in  an  Indiana 
regiment  in  the  Civil  War,  and  died  in  Detroit, 
Michigan,  in  March,  1887;  Whitfield,  born 
April  30,  1818,  a  lawyer  by  profession,  has  re- 
sided   for   some   years    at    Wahoo,    Nebraska; 


BISTORT    OF    SACRAMENTO    COUNTY. 


Philo  Watts,  born  January  14,  1821,  is  a  farmer 
in  Palo  Alto  County,  Iowa;  DeWitt  Clinton, 
born  October  14,  1827,  is  a  farmer  in  Ohio,  and 
served  in  the  Civil  War.  All  liave  reared  fami- 
lies. Mrs.  Frye  is  a  lady  of  a  high  order  of 
intellect  who  also  takes  a  deep  interest  in  the 
welfare  of  humanity.  Though  well  advanced  in 
years  she  still  presides  over  the  local  Sunday- 
school,  a  labor  of  love  for  the  rising  generation. 
She  is  not  only  a  loving  wife  and  devoted  mother 
but  her  maternal  solicitude  embraces  all  chil- 
dren within  reach  o\'  her  influence.  Pier  four 
sons  have  grown  to  intelligent  and  upright  man- 
hood under  her  loving  care  and  watchful  over- 
sight, and  her  heart  still  reaches  out  toward  the 
young  for  whose  moral  welfare  she  labors  with 
unflagging  zeal  and  earnest  sympathy.  The 
home  is  a  large,  handsome  structure,  containing 
all  the  comforts  and  luxuries  necessary  to  a  ra- 
tional enjoyment  of  life,  and  thoroughly  per- 
meate! with  wholesome  intellectual  and  kindly 
spirit  of  both  parents.  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Frye  are 
the  parents  of  four  sons:  Edward  William,  born 
January  21,  1856;  Charles  Thomas,  June  13, 
1858;  Eugene  Hough,  January  1,  1861;  Jacob 
Henry,  September  28,  1863.  Each  went  to 
school  from  about  the  age  of  seven  to  eighteen, 
and  all  have  inherited  and  cultivated  a  love  of 
reading.  Edward  William  was  married  Sep- 
tember 7,  1881,  to  Miss  Mary  Hustler,  born  at 
Marysville,  California,  October  11,  1856,  daugh- 
ter of  Asbury  B.  and  Martha  J.  (Humfreville) 
Hustler,  both  now  living  in  this  county  below 
Courtland.  The  father  is  a  native  of  Maryland 
and  the  mother  of  Ohio.  Both  have  been  in 
California  since  1854,  the  father  having  made 
bis  first  visit  to  the  State  in  1852.  Grandfather 
William  Hustler,  also  a  native  of  Maryland,  died 
at  the  age  of  about  eighty  at  Carlisle,  Ohio. 
Grandmother  Fanny  (Burke)  Hustler,  born  in 
Wilmington,  Delaware,  died  at  Carlisle,  Ohio, 
of  cholera,  contracted  while  nursing  the  sick  in 
the  epidemic  ot  1882.  Grandfather  Jason  Hum- 
freville, born  near  Cincinnati,  Ohio,  in  1804, 
died  near  Courtland,  California,  in  1875. 
Giandmother   Mary  Ann  (Ellsworth)  Humfre- 


ville, born  in  Springfield,  Massachusetts,  in 
1811.  died  near  Courtland,  California,  Septem- 
ber 21,  1881.  Mrs.  E.  W.  Frye  was  educated 
in  the  district  schools,  and  afterward  taught 
school  for  some  years  before  her  marriage.  Mr. 
and  Mrs.  Frye  are  the  parents  of  two  sons:  Har- 
bert  Henry,  born  June  25,  1883,  and  an  infant 
son,  born  August  1,  1889.  Charles  F.  Frye  was 
married  October  12,  1886,  to  Mrs.  Mary  (Day) 
Bascom.     The  other  sons  are  unmarried. 


l^ERMAN  HUBER,  deceased.  The  subject 
IIM)  °^  ''^'^  sketch  was  born  in  Switzerland  in 
^If  1835,  and  came  to  this  country  with  his 
parents  in  1844.  They  were  people  of  means, 
and  settled  in  St.  Louis  with  their  nine  chil- 
dren. The  father,  Henry,  first  came  out  with  a 
colony  of  Swiss,  most  of  whom  settled  in  St. 
Louis.  Both  parents  died  young,  the  father  at 
the  age  of  forty-eight,  and  the  mother  still 
younger.  Mr.  Herman  Huber  came  to  Califor- 
nia in  1851  and  went  to  mining  in  Hamburg 
Cafion,  Placer  County,  and  continued  In  that 
business  until  1869.  He  made  a  good  deal  of 
money,  but  sunk  a  considerable  part  of  it  in  un- 
profitable ventures.  On  leaving  the  mines  he 
first  came  to  Sacramento,  but  soon  moved  to 
Colusa,  where  he  went  into  business  as  a  money 
broker.  In  October,  1867,  he  was  married  to 
Miss  Augusta  J.  Faulkner,  a  native  of  this 
county,  born  on  Mormon  Island,  daughter  of 
Charles  Dix  and  Elizabeth  (Binninger)  Faulk- 
ner. His  father  was  a  native  of  Petersburg, 
Virginia,  of  Scotch  descent;  the  mother  was 
born  in  New  York  city,  December  25,  1826,  of 
German  parentage.  They  were  married  in  Sac- 
ramento January  15,  1850.  On  the  evening  of 
their  wedding  they  attended  a  largo  ball  at  Sut- 
ter's Fort.  They  had  to  go  in  a  skift'  from  the 
Pioneer  Hotel,  ivhich  was  kept  by  Mrs.  Huber's 
grandfather.  This  hotel  was  the  first  brick 
house  in  Sacramento.  During  the  floods  in 
1850  they  lived  for  several  days  on  the  table, 
and  had  to  have  the  stove    up  there  to  do  their 


HISTORY    OF    SACRAMENTO    COUNTY. 


cooking.  The  father,  Jacob  Binninger,  lived  to 
the  age  of  seventy-four.  Mrs.  Huber  was  edu- 
cated at  the  Franklin  giammar-school  in  Sacra- 
mento. Her  parents  came  to  California  in 
1849  and  settled  in  Sacramento.  The  father 
died  in  March,  1857.  The  mother  survived  him 
twenty-seven  j'ears,  and  was  married  to  Louis 
Binninger.  They  kept  the  Pioneer  Hotel  for 
many  years.  She  survived  her  second  husband 
eight  years,  dying  in  1884,  and  leaving  two 
daughters:  Maggie,  now  Mrs.  Henry  Ward 
Watkins,  of  Oakland,  who  has  a  son  born  in 
July,  1884,  and  a  daughter  born  in  February, 
1888;  the  second  daughter,  Lena  M.  Binninger, 
lives  with  her  half-sister,  Mrs.  Huber.  In  1870 
Mr.  Huber  bought  a  ranch  in  Yolo  County, 
about  sixteen  miles  south  of  Sacramento,  on  the 
river,  to  which  he  added  by  further  purchase 
until  he  owned  645  acres  in  that  legion.  He 
did  a  large  dairy  business,  milking  from  140  to 
200  cows  in  two  places  not  far  apart.  In  1877 
be  bought  400  acres  on  the  north  line  of  Frank- 
lin Township,  six  miles  south  of  Sacramento, 
increased  by  purchase  iii  1883  to  645  acres,  de- 
voted to  general  farming,  chiefly  wheat,  barley 
and  alfalfa,  besides  some  horses  ior  ranch  use. 
Mr.  Huber  was  killed  by  a  fall  from  his  horse 
within  a  few  miles  of  his  home  in  Franklin 
Township,  February  3,  1889,  leaving  two  sons: 
Charles  Henry,  born  December  11,  1869,  in 
Todd's  Valley;  Herman  Louis,  in  Sacramento 
city,  January  30,  1873.  Charles  H.  was  gradu- 
ated at  Sacramento  Business  College,  and  Her- 
man L.  is  now  taking  a  course  in  the  same 
institution.  Mrs.  Augusta  J.  Huber  has  been 
for  six  years  a  member  of  the  order  of  Chosen 
Friends,  Merritt  Council,  No.  141,  which  meets 
at  Clarksburg,  in  Yolo  County. 


fLE  O.  GOODIilCH,  nursery  man  and 
orcliardist,  Sutter  Township,  was  born 
February  22,  1840,  in  Norway,  son  of  Ole 
and  Ida  Goodrich.  His  father,  a  fanner,  came 
with  the  family  to  America  in  1852,  purchasing 


land,  and  locating  in  Dane  County,  Wisconsin, 
and  died  there  in  1854;  his  widow  survived  un- 
til 1859.  They  had  eight  children,  named 
Christian,  Ida,  John,  Julia,  Butler,  Isabel,  Ole 
and  Eliza.  All  except  John  are  living.  Olo 
was  twelve  years  of  age  when  he  came  to 
America,  landing  in  New  York  city.  Proceed- 
ing at  once  to  Wisconsin,  he  there  learned  the 
photographer's  art,  and  worked  at  it  until  1863, 
when  he  sailed  from  New  York  on  the  steamer 
Ariel,  and  came  by  the  Isthmus  to  California, 
lauding  at  San  Francisco  in  December,  on  the 
steamer  St.  Louis.  For  a  while  he  was  em- 
ployed in  a  restaurant  at  Benicia,  then  he  was 
cook  on  a  ranch,  which  has  since  been  included 
within  the  city  of  Oakland;  next  he  herded 
sheep  for  a  short  time;  next  trii.veled  among  the 
mountains  taking  photographic  views;  then 
was  employed  by  Flint  &  Olsen,  here  in  Sacra- 
mento, as  foreman  in  their  hop  yards,  remain- 
ing with  them  five  years;  then  worked  awhile 
for  Mr.  Williams  in  the  nursery  business;  next 
was  in  partnership  with  J.  S.  Harberson  for 
eleven  years,  and  then  during  the  two  floods  he 
lost  heavily  each  time.  In  1883  he  went  out 
and  purchased  thirty-four  acres  of  J  Burke,  and 
commenced  to  set  out  a  nursery  and  orchard.  In 
1888  he  purchased  seventeen  acres  more  of  D. 
llocca,  and  he  now  has  altogether  fifty-one 
acres,  all  of  which  is  devoted  to  nursery  and 
fruit.  The  place  is  three  miles  south  of  Sacra- 
mento, and  a  half  mile  east  of  Sutterville.  He 
has  been  experimenting  with  fruit  for  thirteen 
years,  and  has  introduced  several  new  kinds  into 
the  market,  among  them  two  very  excellent 
varieties  of  peach  named  by  Mr.  Hoyt  the 
"Goodrich"  and  "Sacramento,"  which  comes 
in  after  all  the  other  good  varieties  are  gone; 
also  a  very  early  apricot;  they  are  gaining  inpop- 
ularity ,  and  Mr.  Goodrich  has  no  trouble  in  dis- 
posing of  all  his  young  trees,  as  well  as  the  fruit. 
He  propagates  and  sells  all  varieties  of  fruit  trees. 
He  is  a  very  energetic  man,  a  hard  worker,  hon- 
est in  all  his  dealings,  and  therefore  reliable  as 
a  nurseryman  and  horticulturist.  Mr.  Good- 
rich was  married  January  1, 1876,  to  Miss  Mary 


HISrOKY    OF    SACRAMENTO    COUNTY. 


Grandon,  of  English  ancestry.     Thej  have  three 
children:   William,  Elizabeth  and  Minerva. 


f^(RSKIN  GREER,  orchardist,  Sutter  Town- 
L  ship,  was  born  in  County  Tyrone,  Ireland, 
^  June  12,  1832,  son  of  Robert  and  Catha- 
rine Greer.  In  1834  his  father  died,  and  in  1836 
liis  mother,  with  a  family  of  twelve  children, 
sailed  from  Londonderry  for  America,  landing 
at  Philadelphia,  where  they  resided  five  or  Six 
years,  and  then  emigrated  further  West,  settling 
in  Schuyler  County,  Illinois,  in  what  was  known 
as  the  Military  Tract.  Mrs.  Greer  lived  there 
until  her  death,  in  1856.  Ten  of  her  children 
are  still  living,  viz.:  George,  Joseph,  John  and 
Alexander,  i!i  Schuyler  County;  Mrs.  Lucy 
McClintock  and  Mrs.  Jane  Williams  in  Adams 
County.  Illinois;  Mrs.  Charles  Miller,  Mrs.  El- 
len Hamilton,  Andrew  and  Erskin  Greer  in  this 
county.  Mr.  Greer,  the  subject  of  this  bio- 
graphical sketch,  has  earned  his  own  livelihood 
ever  since  he  was  six  years  of  age,  never  having 
a  dollar  given  to  him  during  his  youth;  and  be- 
sides, he  has  aided  in  the  support  of  his  mother 
and  sisters  until  he  was  twenty  five  yeai's  of  age. 
From  the  time  the  family  located  in  Illinois,  in 
1842,  he  lived  in  Schuyler  County  until  1850, 
during  which  time  he  was  employed  in  his 
brother's  store  as  a  clerk.  Afterward  he  learned 
the  cooper's  trade,  and  carried  on  that  business 
on  a  large  scale,  employing  a  number  of  men, 
until  he  came  to  California  on  account  of  ill- 
health.  March  18,  1850,  he  left  Illinois  with 
three  others,  and  after  arriving  at  Independence, 
Missouri,  a  party  of  thirty  or  forty  was  organ- 
ized to  cross  the  plains  with  ox  teams.  They 
had  no  trouble  until  they  reached  the  Big  Blue 
River,  where  the  Sioux  and  Pawnees  were  at 
war,  and  they  captured  a  number  of  emigrants, 
not  knowing  whether  they  were  friends  or 
enemies,  but  as  soon  as  they  became  satisfied 
they  were  friends  would  release  them.  These 
were  the  first  hostile  Indians  Mr.  Greer  had  ever 
seen.     At  Pacific  Springs,  near  the  summit  of 


the  Rocky  Mouiitains,  they  met  with  Asiatic 
cholera.  They  arrived  at  that  point  about  two 
o'clock  in  the  afternoon,  and  before  night  they 
helped  to  bury  a  number  of  people  of  other 
trains  who  had  died  of  that  fearful  scourge. 
The  next  morning  Mr.  Greer  and  his  party  left 
that  place  to  avoid  the  epidemic.  After  passing 
Fort  Hall  they  ran  short  of  provisions,  and  a  de- 
tachment hastened  on  to  this  State  to  procure 
some  of  the  necessaries  of  life.  At  this  time 
there  were  ten  or  fifteeu  men  in  the  train,  with 
whom  Mr.  Greer  remained,  taking  charge  of 
the  cattle.  Had  they  not  found  a  sack  of  corn 
in  one  of  the  wagons  the  party  would  probably 
have  starved  to  death.  At  the  head-waters  of 
the  Humboldt  their  supplies  were  so  reduced 
that  they  ventured  to  kill  one  of  their  cattle; 
but  the  flesh  proved  to  be  so  alkaline  that  they 
could  not  eat  it  in  any  shape.  In  that  part  of 
the  route  they  also  found  the  cholera  prevailing 
in  other  trains,  and  the  grave  of  William  Burn- 
side,  brother-in-law  to  Mr.  Greer,  a  member  of 
their  own  party,  who  had  started  in  advance  to 
this  State  for  provisions,  and  who  had  died  of 
that  epidemic.  Along  the  Humboldt,  too,  the 
Indians  were  troublesome.  In  two  localities 
not  far  distant  they  had  attacked  trains  and 
committed  murdei'.  Provender  was  also  scarce, 
and  their  horses  and  cattle  suffered.  The  first 
supplies  they  received  were  at  the  sink  of  the 
Humboldt,  from  a  relief  train  sent  out  by  Rals- 
ton and  others.  Thence  forward  they  could  buy 
what  provisions  they  wanted,  if  they  could  only 
aff'ord  to  pay  at  the  rate  of  a  dollar  a  pint,  which 
was  the  price  of  every  commodity!  In  crossing 
the  forty-mile  desert  Mr.  Greer  saw,  in  both 
man  and  beast,  more  sufi"ering  than  he  has  ever 
witnessed  in  liis  life  before  or  since.  At  the 
old  Mormon  station  they  found  a  plenty,  but 
the  prices  of  course  were  exorbitant.  The  route 
over  the  Sierra  Nevada  was  exceedingly  rough. 
They  arrived  at  Hangtown,  September  6,  1850, 
disposed  of  their  cattle  and  went  to  mining, 
wiiich  they  followed  until  spring.  Then  they 
began  prospecting  toward  the  south,  going  be- 
low Fort  John  to  a  place  called  South  Grass 


HISTORY    OF    SACRAMENTO    COUNTY. 


Valley;  but  after  incurring  heavy  expenses  in 
reacliiiig  tlie  place,  they  found  the  reports  they 
had  heard  concerning  the  region  were  all  hoax. 
There  being  a  heavy  snow  on  the  ground,  they 
were  compelled  to  remain  awhile,  and  even  feed 
their  oxen  with  flour  to  keep  them  from  starv- 
ing, thus  limiting  their  own  bread  supply.  Dis- 
posing again  of  their  cattle  and  wagon  upon 
their  return  to  Hangtown,  they  took  their  blank- 
ets upon  their  backs  and  started  out  again  pros- 
pecting. Mr.  Greer  was  compelled  to  give  up 
miner's  life  on  account  of  ill-health,  although 
while  actually  employed  in  mining  he  had  good 
success.  Working  in  water  and  exposure  in 
camping  out  brought  on  rheumatic  troubles, 
from  which  he  never  has  entirely  recovered. 
Coming  into  tlie  Sacramento  Valley  he  engaged 
himself  upon  the  ranch  of  Jerotne  C.  Da /is,  and 
cut  a  large  amount  of  hay  during  the  summer; 
and  next  l)egan  hauling  goods  to  the  mines.  In 
1853  he  settled  upon  a  rancli  within  five  miles 
of  Sacramento,  almost  due  west  from  his  pres- 
ent place,  and  began  stock-raising  and  fanning. 
In  1855  he  visited  his  old  iiome  in  tlie  East, 
returning  to  California  well  pleased  with  the 
visit,  but  disgusted  with  the  country  there.  He 
was  very  successful  in  his  pastoral  and  agri- 
cultural pursuits  until  1861-'62,  when  the  great 
flood  carried  away  every  tiling  he  had;  but,  un- 
daunted, he  continued  in  the  good  work  of 
recuperation.  In  1803  he  entered  the  employ 
of  the  Sacramento  Valley  Railroad  Company, 
J.  P.  Robinson,  superintendent.  His  particular 
station  was  to  superintend  and  cultivate  a  large 
tract  of  land  belonging  to  tlie  railroad  company 
in  the  neighborhood  of  Freeport,  which  position 
he  filled  about  four  years.  During  this  time, 
September  22,  1864,  he  married  Miss  Harriet 
Ellis,  a  native  of  Rushville,  Schuyler  County, 
Illinois,  and  a  daughter  of  Hon.  William  Ellis, 
for  many  years  judge  of  the  Circuit  Court 
there.  In  1868  he  became  part  owner  of  the 
railroad  tract  just  referred  to,  buying  out  the 
entire  town  site.  His  position  was  one  of  re- 
sponsibility. A  great  deal  of  business  of  the 
town  of   Freeport  was  under    his  supervision. 


His  erection  of  a  hotel  on  the  property  in  1864 
was  the  beginning  of  the  town.  Business  here 
was  lively  until  the  railroad  was  bought  up  by 
the  Central  Pacific  Company,  and  the  track 
taken  up.  Mr.  Greer  remained  in  the  employ 
of  the  company,  and  as  proprietor  of  the  town 
site  up  to  the  time  of  this  transfer.  In  1874  he 
sold  his  property  and  removed  to  Sacramento, 
where  he  bought  other  property  at  812  K  street, 
and  also  at  the  corner  of  Ninth  and  K,  where  the 
Hale  block  now  stands,  and  engaged  in  the 
grocery  trade  for  about  ten  years.  In  1882  he 
bought  his  present  ranch  of  100  acres,  when  it 
was  entirely  devoid  of  trees  and  devoted  to  the 
raising  of  grain ;  but  it  is  now  one  of  the  pretti- 
est places  in  Sacramento  County,  and  the  right 
distance  from  the  city  to  have  all  the  advantages 
of  both  city  and  country,  and  the  disadvantages 
of  neither.  It  is  situated  three  and  a  half  miles 
from  the  city,  between  the  upper  and  lower 
Stockton  roads.  It  is  called  Fruit  Ridge  Home. 
The  state  of  everything  on  the  premises  exhibits 
the  ambitious  and  well-cultivated  designs  of  the 
owner.  For  the  past  two  years  Mr.  Greer  has 
also  had  the  snperintendency  of  what  was 
formerly  known  as  the  Winters  ranch,  or 
Rancho  del  Rio.  In  political  affairs  Mr.  Greer 
has  always  been  a  consistent  Democrat,  versed 
in  the  principles  and  baptized  with  the  spirit  of 
Democracy.  He  was  an  ardent  admirer  of 
Douglas  in  his  da}',  and  still  believes  in  the 
doctrines  of  that  great  statesman.  For  two 
years  he  served  as  justice  of  the  peace  of  Frank- 
lin Township,  and  while  in  ofiice  he  was  gener- 
ally able  to  settle  about  four  out  of  every  five 
cases  without  bringing  them  to  formal  trial.  In 
1854  he  drew  up  the  subscription  paper  for 
building  the  first  school-house  in  the  Freeport 
district,  then  called  the  West  Union  school  dis- 
trict. That  building  is  still  used  as  a  school- 
house,  but  has  been  moved  four  or  five  times  to 
suit  the  convenience  of  the  people.  Mr.  Greer 
has  also  served  as  School  Director  in  West 
Union,  and  also  in  Capital  school  districts. 
During  his  residence  in  Sacramento  city  he 
served   on   the  Board  of  Education    two  years 


HISTORY    OF    SACRAMENTO    COUNTT. 


with  marked  efficiency;  and  since  November, 
1888,  he  has  been  a  member  of  the  Board  of 
County  Supervisors.  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Greer  have 
two  chikiren:  W.  "Walter  and  Robert  E. 


IJ^ETER  A.  MILLER,  retired  contractor,  Sac- 
^^  ramento,  was  bom  in  Christianstadt,  Swe- 
^^  den,  in  July,  1827.  His  father  was  a 
merchant  fanner,  who  diedwhen  he,  the  subject 
of  this  sketch,  was  twenty-two  years  old,  and  for 
the  next  six  years  he  had  charge  of  the  business 
of  the  estate.  In  1855,  however,  he  determined 
to  emigrate  to  the  United  States,  sailing  from 
Hamburg  on  the  1st  of  May,  in  the  ship 
"  Howard."  It  proved  an  eventful  voyage  for 
them.  While  in  the  English  Channel  they  col- 
lided with  a  French  transport  bringing  troops 
to  Sebastopol,  and  in  consequence  were  detained 
for  six  weeks  at  Dover,  England,  for  repairs. 
However,  they  were  eventually  landed  in  New 
York,  and  Mr.  Miller  went  direct  to  Galesbnrg, 
Illinois,  which  place  was  his  home  for  some 
time.  There  he  learned  the  trade  of  brick- 
layer, becoming  an  expert.  He  afterward  lived 
in  Knoxville,  Illinois,  for  about  five  years,  and 
in  1860  left  for  Califomia.  Having  a  friend  at 
Napa,  Peter  Littengre,  whose  brother  made  one 
of  the  party,  he  went  directly  there  and  obtained 
work  on  the  stone  bridge,  then  in  process  of 
buildi.ig,  and  reinained  there  until  the  fall  of 
that  year,  1861.  He  then  came  to  Sacramento, 
stopped  at  the  What  Ciieer  House,  and  ob- 
tained employment  at  his  trade.  When,  in 
1862,  the  City  of  Sacramento  bought  and  pre- 
sented to  the  State  Agricultural  Society  the 
grounds  for  its  exhibitions,  he  got  the  contract 
for  the  brick  work  on  the  walls,  etc.  He  also 
had  the  building  of  a  stone  residence  at  Putter 
Creek  Canon,  Solano  County,  for  John  Wolf 
skill,  a  ])ioneer  of  1845.  The  stone  from 
which  this  dwelling  was  constructed,  and  which 
was  taken  from  the  Putter  Creek  Caiion,  was 
so  t^ott  and  so  free  from  grit  that  it  could  be 
readilv  cut  with  a  common    saw.      It   hardened 


by  exposure,  and  tlie  old  '•  Wolfskill  House  " 
still  stands,  in  a  perfect  state  of  preservation. 
In  1865  he  was  engaged  in  laying  the  brick 
in  the  erection  of  many  buildings  in  the  city, 
among  them  the  St.  George  Building,  D.  O. 
Mills'  Bank,  Hastings  Building,  the  Gregory 
Building,  Pioneer  Bakery,  and  the  El  Dorado 
Bank,  where  Wells,  Fargo  &  Co.  now  are.  In 
1866,  he  built  the  Washington  School-house, 
corner  of  G  and  Thirteenth  streets,  and  later  on 
engaged  iu  brick-making  at  the  Graj)e-vine 
brick-yards,  on  the  Yolo  side  of  the  river.  These 
brick  took  the  first  prize  in  San  Francisco.  In 
1880,  he  had  the  contract  on  the  Washington 
levee,  and  in  1881  was  engaged  in  similar  work 
nnder  Le  Roy  &,  Pierson,  and  in  the  reclama- 
tion district,  near  Courtlaud,  and  at  other  points. 
Mr.  Miller  has  always  been  a  Republican  in 
politics,  and  in  social  relations  an  Odd  Fellow 
since  1862,  a  member  of  Sacramento  Lodge, 
No.  2,  also  of  Sacramento  Lodge,  No.  40,  F.  & 
A.  M.,  and  of  Chapter  No.  3,  and  is  also  mem- 
ber of  the  State  Agricultural  Society.  He  is  a 
man  of  domestic  habits,  married  in  1857,  to 
Johanna  Johnson,  a  native  of  Sweden,  who 
came  to  California  in  1854,  with  her  brother. 
They  have  five  sons  and  one  daughter,  and  they 
are  all  living  at  their  pleasant  residence,  situated 
on  M  street. 


^ON.  EUGENE  J.  GREGORY  is  not  only 
|H\  the  Mayor  of  the  city  of  Sacramento,  but 
-iBi  also  occupies  a  leading  and  representative 
position  as  a  young  business  man;  is  in  fact  one 
of  the  best  examples  that  can  be  cited  of  what 
the  younger  generation  of  business  men  ought 
to  be.  The  firm  of  (xregory  Bros.  Company,  of 
which  he  is  the  head,  has  a  reputation  and  a 
trade  coincident  only  with  the  borders  of  the 
United  States,  and  has  aided  no  little  in  placing 
our  California  products  before  the  world.  The 
house  was  established  in  the  year  1852  by  Mr. 
Julius  Gregory,  a  native  of  France,  but  a  resi- 
dent of  California  since  the   days   of  '49.     The 


HISTORY    OF    SACRAMENTO    COUNTY. 


members  of  the  present  firm  are  Messrs.  Eugene 
J.  and  Frank  Gregory,  sons  of  Julius  Gregory, 
who  died  in  May,  1871,  after  a  life  of  activity'  in 
more  than  onedirection  that  proved  beneficial  not 
alone  to  this  city  and  its  growing  trade  interests, 
but  as  well  to  the  community  in  general.  Eu- 
gene J.  Gregory  was  born  in  San  Francisco  on 
the  15th  day  of  August,  1854,  and  is  therefore 
a  "  native  son,"  both  by  birth  and  connection 
with  the  order  of  Native  Sons  of  the  Golden 
"West.  He  has  grown  up  in  this  State,  obtaining 
a  thorough  preparatory  business  and  academical 
education  in  the  schools  of  California.  Ten 
years  ago  ho  assumed  the  management  of  the 
business  of  the  firm  of  which  he  is  the  head, 
and  has  since  that  time  been  actively  identified 
with  the  introduction  of  California  products  to 
other  portions  of  the  country.  It  is  rather, 
however,  in  his  public  capacity  as  Mayor  of  this 
city,  that  we  wish  to  speak  of  Mr.  Gregory. 
He  became  a  candidate  for  that  ottice  at  the 
earnest  and  repeated  solicitation  of  his  friends, 
although  contrary  to  his  own  private  wishes  in 
the  matter,  on  the  occasion  of  the  municipal 
election  in  1887.  The  party  lines  are  usually 
drawn  pretty  close  in  Sacramento,  and  the  party 
forces  are  also  pretty  evenly  divided,  majorities 
usually  being  very  small.  Mr.  Gregory,  although 
a  Repui)lican  of  decided  yet  liberal  principles, 
was  neverthelass  elected  to  the  position  of  Mayor 
by  a  majority  of  no  less  than  1,919  votes,  the 
largest  plurality  ever  secured  in  the  city.  His 
great  popularity  and  the  entire  confidence  re- 
posed in  him  by  the  citizens  of  every  class  is 
the  secret  of  this  gratifying  vote.  His  course 
as  Mayor  has  justified  the  confidence  of  the  peo- 
ple in  the  choice  they  made,  as  since  his  elec- 
tion to  that  post,  the  purity  of  subsequent 
elections,  the  rectifying  of  abuses  in  various  de- 
partments, and  the  careful  oversight  of  appoint- 
ments to  minoroffices,  have  been  in  every  instance 
secured.  This  is  no  wonder,  for,  as  he  himself 
stated  to  the  writer,  he  believes  in  running  the 
city  upon  the  same  principles  he  adopts  in  car- 
rying on  his  private  business.  His  prompt  and 
decisive  action  has  in  more  than  one  direction 


been  the  cause  of  saving  large  sums  to  the  city. 
Mr.  Gregory  is  looked  upon  generally  as  a  "com- 
ing man,"  and  if  the  feeling  of  tnis  community, 
which  knows  him  best,  is  any  test,  he  will  ere 
long  be  called  upon  to  fill  other  posts  of  a  more 
honorable,  if  not  more  responsible,  nature.  He 
is  an  active  member  of  the  Masonic  order,  in 
which  he  is  a  Past  Master,  and  also  of  the  Odd 
Fellows,  as  well  as  others  of  the  leading  orders. 
Personally,  he  is  a  man  of  captivating  presence; 
to  meet  him  is  to  be  his  friend;  possesses  in  the 
fullest  degree  the  esteem  and  confidence  of 
every  one  irrespectiveof  sect  or  party,  is  an  ora- 
tor of  no  mean  merit,  is  favored  in  social  circles, 
and  worthily  wears  his  honors  as  Chief  Execu- 
tive of  the  Capital  City.  He  was  married  July 
3,  1874,  to  Miss  Emma  Crump,  a  native  of  Sac- 
ramento. They  have  one  son,  Julius,  now 
nearly  tliirteeii  years  of  age. 


ILLIAM  STARK  MANLOYE,  M.  D. 
Doctor  Manlove's  ancestors  were  origi- 
nally from  Yorkshire,  England.  Grand- 
father Christophei:  Manlove  was  commissioned 
Surgeon  or  "  Apothecary's  Mate,"  to  his  Majes 
ty's  Hospital  in  North  America,  August  5, 
1761,  during  the  reign  of  George  III,  King  of 
England,  by  General  Amherst.  Commander-in- 
chief  of  the  British  troops  in  this  country. 
This  was  before  the  Declaration  of  Independ- 
ence. He  settled  first  in  New  Jersey  for  a  few 
years,  and  then  moved  into  Virginia;  was  mar- 
ried in  Petersburg,  and  resided  tliere  until  his 
death.  He  had  five  sons  and  five  daughters. 
His  third  child,  John  Manlove,  was  born  in 
Dinwiddie  County,  that  State,  on  a  plantation 
adjoining  the  city  of  Petersburg.  There  he 
grew  up  to  manhood,  studied  medicine  under 
the  tutelage  of  his  father,  and  was  a  prominent 
physician  of  that  county  for  eighteen  or  twentv 
years — until  his  death,  which  occurred  in  1825. 
He  married  Miss  Ann  King,  a  Virginian,  who 
survived  him  for  about  thirty-five  years,  and 
died  in  1857.  They  had  one  son  and  one  daugh- 


HISTORY    OF    SACRAMENTO    COUNTT. 


ter.  This  son,  the  subject  of  this  sketch,  was 
born  December  9,  1824,  at  the  old  Virginia 
honestead  in  Dinwiddie  County.  His  prelimi- 
nary education  was  had  at  private  schools,  he 
then  attended  an  academy,  and  then  the  Univer- 
sity of  Virginia  at  Charlottesville,  and  subse- 
quently he  attended  medical  lectures,  and  after- 
ward a  course  in  the  medical  department  of  the 
"University  of  Pennsylvania,"  at  Philadelphia, 
graduating  there  in  1847.  He  practiced  his  pro- 
fession in  his  native  State  until  1849  when  a  stock 
company  of  about  125,  then  organizing  in  Rich- 
mond, Va., for  atrip  to  California  during  the  gold 
excitement,  Dr.  Manlove  became  a  shareholder. 
They  sent  a  committee  to  New  York,  who  pur- 
chased the  ship  "  Mary  Ann,"  brought  it  to 
Richmond,  loaded  it  with  supplies,  and  in  March 
embarked  on  their  long  journey  around  Cape 
Horn.  Four  days  out  the  vessel  sprang  a  leak, 
and  from  that  until  they  reached  Rio  Janeiro 
they  had  to  keep  a  gang  of  men  pumping,  pas- 
sengers alternating  with  the  sailors  at  this  labo- 
rious task.  At  Rio  Janeiro  they  spent  an 
enjoyable  month,  repairing  the  ship  and  recruit- 
ing. They  celebrated  the  Fourth  of  July  at  the 
Faulkland  Islands.  The  weather  was  cold  and 
rough  as  they  rounded  Cape  Horn,  but  the  eight 
days  which  they  passed  at  Port  Conception, 
Chili,  were  delightful;  they  arrived  at  San 
Francisco  on  the  last  day  of  September.  The 
company  then  disbanded,  sold  the  vessel  and 
effects,  and  scattered  to  various  points  in  the 
State.  After  remaining  some  six  weeks  in  San 
Francisco,  Dr.  Manlove  went  to  the  Southern 
mines  in  Amador  County,  and  wa.<  there  until 
the  spring  of  1851,  mining,  trading  and  practic- 
ing medicine.  Then  selling  his  interest,  he 
went  to  Nevada  City,  and  mined  and  prospected 
through  the  mining  regions  in  the  northern 
part  of  the  State.  Not  meeting  with  success, 
and  tired  of  roaming,  he  selected  this  county 
for  a  permanent  residence,  purchasing  his  pres- 
ent place,  consisting  of  half  a  section  of  land, 
and  here  he  has  since  remained,  farming  and 
practicing  his  profession,  with  the  exception  of 
two  years,  when   he  was   sheriff  of  Sacramento 


County,  1857-'59.  Among  the  very  tirst  to  re- 
alize the  future  of  grape  culture  in  this  favored 
locality,  as  early  as  1858,  he  began  planting  the 
Mission  variety,  which  was  at  that  time  thought 
to  be  the  best;  out  of  his  abundant  experience 
he  now  favors  the  "  Bnrgundy,"  and  the  liner 
varieties  of  table  grapes,  Tokays,  Muskats,  Cor- 
nichons,  etc.,  of  these  having  fifty  acres,  or 
about  one-half  his  vineyard.  The  Doctor  is  the 
standard  authority  in  his  section  on  all  questions 
pertaining  to  fruit  culture,  and  he  thinks  cher- 
ries the  best  paying  crop;  he  has  half  a  hun- 
dred acres  devoted  to  them,  and  to  plums, 
apricots  and  peaches  of  the  best  varieties.  The 
Seedling  orange  does  well, — trees  seventeen 
years  old,  well  filled  with  luscious  fruit.  He 
has  more  orange  trees  than  any  other  man 
in  this  section,  including  a  considerable  plant- 
ing of  trees  obtained  from  Florida  direct.  He 
also  has  pecans,  butternuts,  Eastern  and  English 
walnuts,  Japanese  persimmons,  dates,  etc.,  all 
fruiting.  Politically  the  Doctor  has  always  been 
a  Democrat,  and  has  filled  many  positions  of 
trust  and  i-esponsibility,  beside  that  of  sheriff 
for  two  years,  to  which  reference  has  already 
been  made.  In  1887  he  was  appointed  by  Gov- 
ernor Bartlett  a  member  of  the  State  Board  of 
Viticulture,  a  position  which  he  fills  with  credit, 
but  perhaps  his  greatest  public  work  has  been 
his  connection  with  the  "  Patrons  of  Hus- 
bandry;" sixteen  years  ago  he  was  chairman  of 
the  Farmers'  Association,  which  was  merged 
into  the  "  Grangers',"  or  "  Patrons',"  movement. 
He  was  chosen  the  first  master  of  the  new  or- 
ganization in  this  county,  and  was  organizing 
"  deputy "  for  the  district  composing  El  Do- 
rado, Amador  and  Sacramento  counties  lor  the 
three  first  years,  during  which  time  he  organ- 
ized and  put  into  successful  operation  no  less 
than  fourteen  local  granges.  Of  bis  home  life 
we  need  say  but  little.  His  wife,  to  whom  he 
was  united  in  September,  1859,  is  a  daughter  of 
the  late  Hon.  Sliubel  N.  Baker,  who  came  to 
California  from  Coldwater,  Michigan,  at  an  early 
day,  was  a  merchant  in  the  city  of  Sacramento, 
and  associate  county  judge   under  the  old  Con- 


UlarOHY    OF    SACRAMENTO    COUNTY. 


stitution;  he  was  afterward  a  rancher  in  this 
county,  where  he  died  some  fifteen  years  ago. 
Tiie  family  comprises  an  only  son,  J.  Edward, 
who  takes  charge  of  the  various  fanning  opera- 
tions, and  a  daughter,  Catherine  A.  The  home- 
stead is  situated  on  the  old  "  Jackson  road," 
seven  miles  east  of  the  Capital  City;  the  Placer- 
ville  railroad  cuts  it  in  twain,  and  affords  them 
a  convenient  station  almost  at  their  gates.  The 
house  a  commodious  modern  structure,  shel- 
tered by  gigantic  "black"  oaks,  and  surrounded 
by  beautiful  flowers,  tended  evidently  by  some 
loving  hand,  is  a  picture  of  home  comfort  and 
genial  hospitality.  Here  then  we  see  resting 
from  his  labors  a  man  whose  life  has  been  one 
of  more  than  usual  activity,  truly  a  representa- 
tive man,  one  who  has  done  much  to  advance 
the  agricultural  and  fruit-growing  interests  in 
this  favored  section  of  the  State,  and  we  gladly 
accord  to  him  a  prominent  place  in  the  annals 
of  this  county. 

J||LIVER  PLUMMER,  a  rancher  of  Cosum- 
AvIfJ  "®®  Township,  wa>  bom  in  Yates  County, 
•M  New  York,  November  26,  1829,  his  par- 
ents being  William  and  Delilah  (Fitzsimmons) 
Plummer.  The  family  moved  to  Illinois  in 
1844.  The  father,  a  native  of  Pennsylvania, 
lived  to  be  seveuty-si.K,  and  the  mother  to  be 
seventy-four.  Grandfather  George  Plummer,  a 
native  of  New  Jersey  and  a  Revolutionary  sol- 
dier, lived  to  the  age  of  ninety-one,  and  his 
wife,  Hannah  McMurtrie,  reached  ninety.  Re- 
ceiving a  limited  education  in  the  district 
sc'iools,  Oliver  worked  on  his  father's  farm  until 
he  set  out  for  California.  Crossing  the  plains, 
he  arrived  in  Sacramento,  September  20,  1852, 
and  went  to  teimingwith  the  two  horses  he  had 
driven  from  Illinois.  After  eight  months  he 
opened  a  miners'  store  on  Dry  Creek,  near  Dry- 
town  in  Amador  County,  which  he  carried  on 
about  three  years.  Mr.  Plummer  was  married 
at  Cosnmnes,  May  18,  1856,  to  Miss  Mary  L. 
Wilson,  born  in  South  Bend,    Indiana,  Septem- 


ber 8,  1839,  her  parents  being  William  D.  and 
Elizabeth  (Garver)  Wilson,  both  natives  ot  Ohio. 
The  father  was  born  April  3,  1810,  and  the 
mother  in  1813.  They  left  Indiana  for  Cali- 
fornia in  1847,  but  wintered  in  Missouri,  and  in 
1848  resumed  their  journey.  The  father  was 
captain  of  the  emigrant  train.  On  the  way  they 
heard  from  returning  Mormons  of  the  discovery 
of  gold  in  California.  Mr.  Wilson  and  part  of 
the  company  concluded  to  seek  the  land  of  gold, 
while  others  kept  to  the  original  design  of  go- 
ing to  Oregon.  On  his  arrival  Mr.  Wilson 
mined  for  a  short  time  on  Mormon  Island  and 
then  moved  to  Hangtown,  now  Placerville, where, 
in  the  winter  of  1848-'49  he  built  the  first  house 
erected  in  that  place.  The  family  then  com- 
prised six  children;  five  more  were  born  in 
California;  nine  grew  to  maturity  and  seven  are 
living  in  1889.  In  the  spring  of  1850  he  moved 
down  on  the  Cosnmnes  and  purchased  6,000 acres 
of  the  Hartnell  Grant,  and  built  a  tavern,  long 
known  as  Wilson's  Exchange,  across  the  river 
from  what  is  now  the  Cosumnes  postoffice.  He 
was  postmaster  from  the  establishment  of  that 
otlice  until  1868.  He  was  by  trade  a  millwright 
and  built  the  first  suspension  bridge  on  the  Co- 
sumnes. In  1868  he  sold  0!.t  his  ranch  and 
hotel  and  moved  to  Gilroy,  Santa  Clara  County, 
where  he  died  November  22, 1869.  His  widow, 
by  her  second  marriage,  Mrs.  W.  A.  Angel,  died 
at  Los  Angeles,  July  13,  1877.  Meanwhile 
Mr.  and  Mrs.  Oliver  Plummer  rented  Wilson's 
Exchange  in  1857  and  carried  on  the  tavern 
business  for  three  years.  Mr.  Plummer  also 
rented  some  600  acres  from  his  father-in-law  and 
went  into  cat  le-raising  and  general  farming,  in 
which  he  continued  until  1870,  after  the  place 
had  been  sold  by  Mr.  Wilson.  In  1871  he 
bought  230  acres  about  three  miles  higher  up 
on  the  Cosumnes,  where  he  still  resides,  and  of 
which  about  100  acres  are  bottom  land.  He 
does  general  farming,  and  makes  a  specialty  of 
corn  and  alfalfa  on  the  home  place.  He  also 
owns  280  acres  below  Sebastopol  and  rents  2,000 
acres,  as  sheep  range,  of  which  he  usually  keeps 
about  2,500  head.  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Plummer  have 


BISTORT    OP    SACRAMENTO    COUNTY. 


two  daughters  and  one  son:  Mary  Emma,  born 
November  13,  1857,  and  Alma  May,  born  De- 
cember 24,  1862.  These  fondly  cling  to  tiie 
homestead,  a  help  and  comfort  to  their  parents. 
The  son,  Harry  William,  born  April  3,  1860, 
was  married  at  San  Jose,  January  1,  1884,  to 
Miss  Annie  Fischer,  born  in  New  York,  a 
daughter  of  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Fischer.  They  have 
two  children:  Oliver  Christian,  born  September 
28,  1884,  and  Gertrude,  born  July  28,  1886, 
who  are  equally  at  home  with  their  grandpar- 
ents on  the  Cosnmnes  or  their  parents  in  Sacra- 
mento. 


tRNOLD  D.  PATTERSON,  deceased,  was 
born  February  25, 1804,  in  Carlisle,  Penn- 
sylvania. His  father,  Robert  Patterson, 
was  one  of  seven  brothers,  and  born  in  Virginia. 
He  and  a  younger  brother,  Benjamin,  were  both 
Indian  scouts  in  the  employ  of  the  Government 
during  the  war  of  1812.  At  the  battle  of 
Black  Rock,  where  the  city  of  Bnifalo  now 
stands,  he  was  wounded.  He  was  in  all  that 
frontier  war,  serving  with  distinction.  He 
piloted  Colonel  Williamson,  who  was  sent  over 
by  the  Earl  of  Pultney  with  300  emigrants  to 
settle  the  estate  in  Steuben  County,  New  York. 
He  and  Uri  Stephens  acted  as  pilots  for  those 
emigrants,  taking  them  through  about  200 
miles,  to  the  estate,  before  the  war  of  1812. 
A.  D.  Patterson  came  from  Pittsburg,  Pennsyl- 
vania, to  California  in  1849,  leaving  in  March, 
and  reaching  AVeaver  Creek.  El  Dorado  County, 
in  August.  He  opened  a  store  at  Ringgold 
Coming  to  Sacramento  for  supplies,  his  wagon 
broke  down  near  Joseph  Routier's  place,  and  he 
turned  out  his  cattle  that  night,  and  they  were 
stolen.  This  event  incidentally  led  to  his  .set- 
tling in  this  county.  He  located  on  what  was 
then  the  northeast  corner  of  Sutter's  grant, 
taking  up  160  acres;  and  his  partner,  Charles 
Tiiorn,  took  up  the  same  amount  adjoining. 
About  a  year  afterward,  in  1852,  Mr.  Patterson 
bought  out  Mr.  Thorn,  who  went  down  into  the 


redwoods  of  San  Mateo  County.  During  this 
year  Mr.  Patterson's  family  arrived  from  New 
Tork,  leaving  there  July  10,  and  coming  by 
way  of  Panama,  landing  at  Sacramento  August 
20.  The  family  then  consisted  of  Mrs.  Patter- 
son and  five  children:  James  G.,  Mrs.  John  E. 
Plater,  of  Los  Angeles;  Mrs.  C.  H.  Watt,  of 
Sun  Francisco;  Mrs.  J.  C.  Foster,  of  Sacra- 
mento, and  Francis,  married  and  living  in  Can- 
ada. They  lost  one  daughter.  Mr.  Patterson 
was  married  in  Steuben  County,  New  York,  in 
1836,  to  Mary  Starkweather,  a  native  of  Scho- 
harie County,  New  York.  Her  father  was  agent 
for  the  estates  of  Rutgers  and  Livingston,  and 
Livingston  and  Van  Rensselaer.  The  latter 
covered  almost  three  counties,  during  the  time 
of  the  a  iti-rent  riots.  Mr.  Patterson  lived  on 
his  farm  until  1856,  wlien  he  moved  to  Folsom 
and  built  and  ran  the  Patterson  House,  in  part- 
nership with  J.  M.  Waters,  until  1865.  Waters 
took  the  farm  here,  and  Patterson  the  Fol:^OIn 
property.  In  1865  Waters  was  accidentally 
killed,  and  in  1868  Mr.  Patterson  leased  out 
the  hotel  and  moved  back  upon  the  ranch  to 
settle  the  Waters  estate.  He  built  a  station  on 
the  railroad  three-fourths  of  a  mile  below  Rout- 
ier  station;  in  the  fall  of  1870  the  building 
was  burned,  he  moved  further  up,  and  duriig 
the  following  winter  built  the  present  station- 
house  at  Routier.  He  died  December  4,  1884. 
He  was  postmaster  over  twelve  years.  The 
postoflice  was  first  t  stablished  in  1869,  at  May- 
hew's  station ;  in  1872  it  was  changed  to  Rout- 
ier, and  Mr.  Patterson  appointed  postmaster. 
In  September,  1851,  he  was  elected  sherifi"  of 
Sacramento  County,  and  held  that  office  in 
1852-'53,  and  during  his  term  three  men  were 
executed  by  hanging  in  Sacramento,  the  first 
men  hanged  by  the  authorities  in  this  county. 
James  G.  Patterson  was  born  in  Steuben 
County,  New  York,  August  21,  1837,  and  came 
to  California  in  1852.  In  1860  he  went  over 
to  Carson  and  Virginia  City  with  a  wagon, 
crossing  the  summit  of  the  mountains  May  10, 
and  spent  a  year  tliere  in  mining;  then  he  was 
a  year  at  Austin,  Nevada;   tl: 


len   a  year  anc 


UISTOllT    OP    SAGUAMENrO    COUNTY. 


half  in  this  county',  and  then  was  in  Nevada 
till  1870.  jSText  he  mined  at  Salt  Lake  until 
1872;  spent  eight  months  in  Lower  California, 
to  trace  up  a  copper  mine  which  he  had  heard 
of  at  Salt  Lake;  traced  the  mine  for  five  miles, 
sunk  a  shaft  forty  feet  deep  and  took  out  sixty 
tons  of  ore,  which  proved  to  contain  twenty- 
eight  per  cent,  of  copper  by  an  assay  of  100 
pounds  made  in  San  Francisco.  This  was  the 
last  of  his  mining,  with  the  exception  of  acting 
as  foreman  of  the  smelting  works  in  Sacra- 
mento about  a  year.  He  is  a  mining  expert. 
He  came  to  his  present  place  in  1875,  which 
comprises  thirty-three  acres,  all  in  a  vineyard 
of  choice  grapes.  December  8,  1884,  he  was 
appointed  postmaster,  and  was  appointed  ex- 
press agent  February  4,  1885.  He  was  mar- 
ried in  Njvember,  1878,  to  Mary  Crew,  adopted 
daughter  of  Dr.  W.  S.  Manlove.  They  have 
one  son — Arnold  D. 


fOLOMON  RCNYON  was  born  in  Wilt 
County,  Illinois,  in  ]S"()vember,  1827,  his 
parents  being  Armstead  and  Anna  (Harn- 
backer)  Eunyon.  The  father  was  a  native  of 
Kentucky  and  of  American  descent  for  some 
generations,  but  the  more  remote  ancestry  was 
probably  French.  The  mother  was  a  native  of 
Ohio,  of  German  or  "Pennsylvania  Dutch" 
parentage.  Grandparents  Michael  Runyon  and 
wife,  the  latter  an  American  lady  by  birth,  but 
of  English  parentage,  lived  to  a  good  old  age. 
Grandparents  Harnbacker  were  also  quite  old 
wlien  they  died.  The  father,  Armstead  Run- 
yon, first  moved  to  Preble  County,  Ohio,  and 
afterward  to  Will  County,  Illinois,  nf  which  he 
was  one  of  the  early  settlers,  locating  near  Lock- 
port.  The  subject  of  this  sketch  had  but  scant 
opportunities  for  education  in  his  youth,  just 
enough  to  learn  to  read,  write,  and  keep  accounts 
in  his  own  way.  He  worked  on  his  father's 
farm  until  he  was  twenty-one,  and  since  the'h 
lie  has  labored  to  some  advantage,  as  is  pretty 
generally  known,  on    his  own   account.      With 


his  father  and  brothers,  O.  R.  and  A.  N.,  the 
latter  now  a  resident  of  Michigan,  he  came  to 
California  in  1849,  arriving  in  Sacramento 
about  the  middle  of  September.  He  went  into 
mining  for  two  years  or  more,  and  in  1852  he 
returned  to  farming,  taking  up  160  acres  of 
State  land  near  Schoolcraft,  Solano  County, 
which  he  improved  and  occupied  until  1858, 
raising  vegetables  chiefly.  September  15, 1859, 
he  bought  the  well  known  ranch  on  which  he 
still  resides,  about  twenty-four  miles  below 
Sacramento,  on  the  river.  Tliere  were  four  or 
five  acres  of  orchard  when  he  bought  thirty 
years  ago,  which  he  has  increased  to  eight}'. 
Mr.  Runyon  was  married  July  23,  1863,  to 
Miss  Adaline  Bloom,  born  in  Missouri,  Decem- 
ber 3,  1846,  daughter  of  William  H.  Harrison 
and  Delilah  D.  (Dye)  Bloom.  She  arrived  in 
this  State  with  her  parents  September  12, 1850, 
and  has  been  a  resident  of  this  township  since 
1855.  In  1868  the  old  home  was  replaced  by 
a  comfortable  mansion,  which  for  many  years 
was  the  finest  on  the  river.  December  13, 1871, 
Mr.  Runyon  bought  155  acres  at  the  head  of 
Andrus  Island,  five  miles  lower  down  on  the 
river,  and  on  August  21,  1881,  he  bought  the 
286  acres  adjoining,  making  441  acres  in  one 
body.  Of  these  about  200  acres  are  orchard, 
which  with  the  eighty  on  the  home  place  make 
Mr.  Runyon  one  of  the  largest  orchardists  in 
the  county.  He  also  owns  considerable  realty 
in  Sacramento  and  San  Francisco,  is  a  heavy 
stockholder  and  director  in  the  California  Trans- 
portation Company,  of  which  he  was  one  of  the 
incorporators.  He  owns  a  sixth  of  the  stock 
and  is  a  director  of  the  Central  Street  Railway 
of  Sacramento.  He  is  also  a  member  of  the 
State  Board  of  Horticulture,  and  its  treasurer. 
He  is  a  Knight  Templar,  and  has  taken  the 
thirty-second  degree,  and,  as  may  be  judged,  is 
kept  pretty  busy  superintending  his  various  in- 
terests, but  what  is  still  better  is,  that  lie  is  uni- 
versally regarded  by  his  neighbors  as  au  en- 
tirely reliable,  upright  man,  a  public-spirited 
citizen,  kindly  and  obliging  in  his  relations  with 
his  neighbors.      Mr.  and   Mrs.  Runyon  are  the 


HISTOMT    OF    SACRAMENTO    COUNTY. 


parents  of  one  child,  Ora,  born  January  18, 
1875,  who  is  now  being  educated  in  Mills  Semi- 
nary, near  Oakland. 


JPHOMAS  GALLEY  PERKINS,  merchant 
Wpf  at  Perkins,  was  born  in  Marblehead,  Mas- 
W^  sachusetts,  January  24, 1830.  His  father, 
Thomas  Perkins,  was  born  in  JSIew  Hampshire, 
January  20,  1803,  and  "ran  away"  from  home 
at  tho  age  of  fourteen  years.  Going  to  Marble- 
head,  he  fell  in  with  Captain  Galley,  a  sea  cap- 
tain, with  whom  he  went  to  sea.  He  continued 
the  life  of  a.  sailor  until  at  length  he  became  the 
njaster  of  the  vessel;  and  lie  followed  the  sea 
until  1836.  During  that  time  he  married  a 
daughter  of  Gaptain  Galley,  Miss  Mary,  who 
was  born  July  13,  1809.  In  1836  they  moved 
from  Marblehead  to  Illinois,  locating  in  Han- 
cock Gounty,  where  he  bought  a  quarter-section 
of  land  and  entered  into  agricultural  pursuits, 
and  resided  there  until  his  death,  October  2, 
1844.  His  wife  had  died  March  15,  1843.  They 
brought  up  two  children  to  the  years  cf  maturity, 
Thomas  G.  and  Elizabeth;  the  latter  was  born 
September  9,  1837,  in  Illinois,  and  is  now  the 
wife  of  Mr.  Savage,  residing  in  Humboldt 
County.  Mr.  Perkins,  the  subject  of  this  sketch, 
was  six  years  old  when  his  parents  removed  to 
Illinois,  leaving  Boston  on  the  first  railroad 
built  in  the  Unittd  States.  Leaving  the  rail- 
road, he  came  into  New  York  city  on  a  sailing 
vessel,  thence  went  to  Philadelphia  and  thence 
across  the  Alleghany  Mountains  b}'  stage  to 
Pittsburg,  down  the  Ohio  River  by  boat,  up  the 
Mississippi  River  to  Quincy,  and  settling  north 
of  that  place,  on  the  trontier,  on  tiie  "  raw  " 
prairie.  In  those  primitive  times  Mr.  Perkins 
had  to  obtain  his  education  mostly  by  home 
study,  at  which  he  was  naturally  industrious 
When  he  was  fourteen  years  of  age  his  parents 
died,  and  he  chose  a  guardian,  by  whom  he  was 
employed  for  a  time,  and  then  he  went  to  work 
in  a  store  at  PontooMic,  Illinois,  where  he  re- 
mained a  year.      Then  he  went  upon   the  rivers 


Ohio,  Mississippi,  Cumberland  and  Missouri  for 
about  two  years.  Returning  then  to  his  guard- 
ian, he  worked  for  him  on  a  salary  of  $100  a 
year;  but  as  his  labors  there  were  too  severe, 
he  remained  with  him  only  ten  months.  Leav- 
ing Carthage,  Hancock  Gounty,  Illinois,  March 
18,  1850,  he  came  overland  to  California,  with 
four  others,  taking  five  yoke  of  oxen  and  one 
wagon,  independent  of  any  train.  Mr.  Perkins 
walked  all  the  way,  from  a  point  three  miles 
north  of  Caithage,  to  Placerville,  California, 
with  the  exception  of  half  a  day.  At  the  head 
of  the  Humboldt  their  provisions  gave  out,  and 
at  the  sink  of  the  Humboldt  they  had  nothing 
to  eat  but  beef  and  coffee;  and  the  longer  they 
boiled  the  beef  in  the  alkaline  water  the  tougher 
it  became.  Upon  reaching  Ragtown  on  this 
side  the  desert,  ihey  found  plenty  of  flour,  at 
$2  a  pound!  and  thenceforward  they  had  a 
plenty  to  eat.  They  reached  Placerville  about 
the  middle  of  August,  and  on  the  1st  of  Octo- 
ber they  came  into  Sacramento  Gounty.  The 
first  work  in  which  Mr.  Perkins  engaged  here 
was  to  haul  hay  from  some  place  west  of  the 
Sacramento  River  to  this  city,  buying  it  at  $20 
a  ton  and  selling  it  at  $40.  Soon  he  had  a  two- 
weeks'  spell  of  sickness,  during  which  time  he 
lay  in  a  tent  near  the  present  corner  of  Eighth 
and  M  streets.  The  Asiatic  cholera  then  break- 
ing out  here,  he  took  liis  team  and  went  to 
Rough  and  Ready,  Nevada  Gounty,  to  escape 
that  fearful  scourge.  The  next  spring  he  le- 
turned  and  located  in  Brighton  Township.  Dur- 
ing the  summer  of  1851  he  was  employed  on  a 
farm  on  the  American  River,  and  in  the  fall  lo- 
cated a  piece  of  ground  where  Routier  Station 
now  is,  took  up  his  residence  in  a  hut  and  com- 
menced cutting  wood;  but  was  soon  taken  sick 
again,  and  until  the  following  spring  he  lay  in 
the  Eour-Mile  House  at  Hoboken,  on  the 
American  River;  was  there  during  the  fall  of 
1852.  During  the  summer  of  1853  he  was  em- 
ployed by  a  Mr.  Jones,  at  $75  per  month,  at  a 
hotel  eight  miles  south  of  Shasta.  In  the  win- 
ter of  1854  he  was  married,  in  Brighton,  and 
he  followed  farming  near  Routier  Station.    Dur- 


niSTOBT    OF    SACBAMMNTO    COUNTY. 


ing  the  summer  of  1855  he  resided  at  Forest 
Hill,  Placer  County,  teaming;  aud  in  the  fall  of 
1856  he  settled  upon  his  present  property,  where 
he  has  ever  since  resided.  He  followed  farming 
and  teaming  until  1863;  after  this  date  the  lat- 
ter vocation  was  not  profitable.  In  1864  he 
opened  a  st  ire  and  ran  it  two  years  only,  and  in 
the  spring  of  1881  he  established  his  present 
business.  His  farm  comprises  250  acres,  de- 
voted principally  to  grain  and  hay;  two  acres 
are  in  vines.  In  early  years  Mr.  Perkins  was 
constable  for  a  number  of  terms;  and  during 
the  war  aud  some  time  afterward  justice  of  the 
Peace.  Up  to  1884  he  was  a  Democrat,  and 
since  that  time  a  stanch  Republican.  For  a 
number  of  years  he  has  been  a  member  of  Capi- 
tal Lodge,  I.  O.  O.  F.,aud  for  several  years  also 
of  Sacramento  Lodge,  F.  &  K.  M.  The  post- 
office  was  established  at  this  place  in  1864,  and 
a  short  time  afterward  he  was  appointed  post- 
master, in  which  office  he  served  "until  he  was 
removed  about  four  years  ago,  for  political  rea- 
sons. He  was  married  June  4,  1854,  to  Rebecca 
Frances  Young,  a  native  of  New  York,  who 
came  to  this  State  in  the  fall  of  1852,  crossing 
the  plains  from  Galena,  Illinois.  They  have  two 
cliildren:  Harriet  Adel,  who  was  born  August 
27,  1859,  and  is  now  the  wife  of  H.  S.  Small, 
of  Oakland;  and  Charles  Galley,  born  August 
30,  1862.  They  have  also  lost  five  children,  all 
sons,  who  died  young. 


^-^--^^ 

fEORGE  THOMAS  RICH.— Five  brothers 
in  England,  of  a  preceding  generation, 
scattered  into  different  parts  of  that  coun- 
try, but  only  one,  Samuel,  who  was  born  in 
1805,  came  to  the  United  States,  emigrating 
hither  at  the  age  of  twenty-one  years,  and  locat- 
ing in  Michigan.  There  he  carried  on  the  lum- 
ber business  two  or  three  years,  cutting  logs  in 
the  pineries  and  rafting  them  down  the  streain^s 
to  the  mills.  The  country  there  being  malarial 
•  he  moved  on  to  Iowa  County,  Wisconsin,  about 
forty  miles  from  Galena,  Illinois,  and  followed 


lead  mining  there  for  seven  or  eight  years.  In 
1848  he  began  to  think  of  coming  to  Oregon,  as 
the  climate  of  Wisconsin  was  too  harsh;  ard 
while  studying  over  this  matter  the  gold  excite- 
ment of  this  State  arose,  which  determined  him 
to  come  here  first  and  then  go  to  Oregon  and 
settle  down  at  gardening  and  farming.  Leav- 
ing Wisconsin,  'April  9,  1849,  with  wife  and 
one  son, — the  subject  of  this  sketch, — he  passed 
through  Iowa  and  arrived  at  Gainesville,  Mis- 
souri, on  the  Missouri  River,  where  he  found 
twenty-one  wagons  drawn  by  horses  and  mules. 
They  all  came  along  together  on  the  north  side 
of  the  Platte  River,  through  the  buffalo  re- 
gions, by  Fort  Laramie,  and  then  through  the 
Black  Hills,  and  so  on  by  the  old  stage  route  to 
Salt  Lake  City,  where  they  stopped  for  three 
days.  Then  they  came  on  by  way  of  the  Hum- 
boldt and  Truckee  rivers,  crossing  the  latter 
twenty-seven  times,  in  some  places  where  it  was 
deep  and  dangerous,  there  being  many  boulders 
along  the  bottom.  They  also  came  by  the  place 
where  the  Donner  party  met  their  ill-fate.  The 
cabins  were  still  standing,  and  many  evidences 
of  terrible  suffering  were  yet  visible.  This 
party,  too,  suffered  considerably.  After  cross- 
ing the  mountains  their  first  stopping  place  was 
Deer  Creek,  in  Nevada  County,  August'  3. 
Here  they  remained  three  weeks,  and  tried  their 
hand  at  mining,  washing  out  two  or  three 
ounces  of  gold  per  day.  Coming  on  down  into 
the  plains,  they  first  struck  them  at  Johnson's 
ranch,  on  Bear  River.  Beef  was  then  in  fine 
condition,  and  here  they  had  their  first  good 
feast  on  that  article  since  they  left  the  States. 
They  forded  the  American  River  near  where  the 
railroad  bridge  now  is,  and  pitched  their  tent 
about  where  the  State  Capitol  stands,  under  a 
large  oak  tree.  The  following  winter  Mr.  Rich 
kept  boarding-house  on  L  street,  between  Fifth 
and  Sixth.  Among  his  boarders  were  Judge 
Searles,  of  Nevada;  Charles  Mulford,  a  prom- 
inent banker  of  Grass  Valley  in  early  days; 
George  W.  Wallace,  a  carpenter,  now  deceased, 
and  Israel  Luce,  engaged  in  a  marble  quarry  in 
Inyo  County.     The  flood  of  that  winter  being 


BISTORT    OF    SACRAMENTO    COUNTY. 


eleven  feet  deep  in  bis  vicinity,  so  damaged 
everything  that  he  liad  to  quit  the  business  of 
keeping  boarders.  During  the  high  water  the 
family  sought  refuge  in  the  upper  story,  and 
were  rescued  from  the  windows  by  boats.  The 
preceding  fall  Mr.  Rich  had  purchased  a  lot  on 
J  street,  between  Sixth  and  Seventh,  froui  Sam- 
uel Brannan,  which  is  now  in  the  possession  of 
George  T.  In  the  spring  of  1850,  while  lum- 
ber was  selling  at  vei  j  high  prices,  he  cut  down 
some  sycamore  trees  and  made  the  frame  for  a 
house  on  his  lot,  and  covered  it  with  canvas. 
Here  he  began  again  to  keep  boarders,  being 
patron iz  d  by  miners  and  by  many  in  town  tak- 
ing their  meals  there.  Bunks  were  arranged 
for  sleeping  purposes.  This  establishment  was 
called  the  Miners'  Home.  The  business  of  the 
city  was  then  carried  on  mainly  on  Front  street, 
and  on  J  and  K  up  to  Third,  while  this  board- 
ing-house was  amid  the  brush  and  trees,  with 
only  a  house  here  and  there  tn  the  neighborhood. 
The  first  steamer  that  came  up  from  San  Fian- 
cisco  was  the  McKim,  with  a  band  of  music  on 
board,  playing  all  the  way.  Business  was  lively 
and  crowds  of  people  congregated  in  Sacra- 
mento from  every  point.  The  miners  paid  all 
their  bills  in  gold  dust,  and  at  one  time  Mr. 
Rich  had  thousands  of  dollars  scattered  about  in 
the  house.  One  of  the  principal  amusements 
on  Sunday  was  racing  up  and  down  J  street  in 
front  of  the  hotel.  All  kinds  of  plugs  and  old 
horses,  etc.,  were  put  upon  this  track;  and  this 
might  be  called  the  first  race-track  in  Sacra- 
mento County.  Along  the  American  River, 
and  especiallyalong  the  Sutter  Lake  or  ''slough," 
wild  fruit  and  berries  grew  in  great  abundance, 
which  were  gathered  and  sold  to  the  baker  by 
the  quart.  Mr.  George  T.  Rich  made  several 
hundred  dollars  in  this  way,  with  which  money 
he  bought  a  tine  piano.  This  instrument  is 
still  in  his  possession.  During  1851  business 
rapidly  inci eased,  and  buildings  were  numer- 
ously erected.  Business  houses  then  extended 
up  to  P'ourth  street  on  both  J  and  K  streets. 
During  this  year  Mr.  Rich,  father  of  George  T., 


abandoned    the    hotel    b 


and    opened 


wholesale  store  at  the  same  place,  under  the  firm 
name  of  Rich  &  Tilley.  Up  to  that  time  the 
family  residence  was  in  the  upper  story  of  this 
building;  but  now  Mr.  Rich  bought  a  lot  on  L 
street,  between  Sixth  and  Seventh,  and  erected 
a  dwelling-house  upon  it,  where  they  resided 
some  time.  That  property  is  still  in  George's 
possession.  The  fire  of  1852  destroyed  eleven 
blocks  of  the  business  part  of  the  city,  includ- 
ing the  front  part  of  Mr.  Rich's  store,  as  it  was 
built  of  wood.  The  rear  portion  was  built  of 
brick.  Afterward  the  front  part  was  rebuilt 
with  brick,  two  stories  high,  and  this  property, 
too,  is  still  in  the  possession  of  George  T.  It 
is  now  occupied  by  the  Miss  Brothers'  millinery 
store.  The  firm  of  Rich  &  Tilley  continued  up 
to  1855,  and  Mr.  Rich  then  entered  a  quarter- 
section  of  land  from  the  Government  at  $1.25 
an  acre,  on  the  upper  Stockton  road,  about  six 
miles  from  Sacramento,  and  settled  upon  it. 
This  was  then  nearly  all  a  naked  plain,  and  ap- 
peared to  most  people  to  be  worth  nothing. 
That  little  hill  between  the  ranch  and  the  city 
was  in  early  days  known  as  Prospect  Hill.  The 
soldiers  from  Sutter's  Fort  would  ride  out  to 
that  point  to  obtain  a  commanding  view  of  the 
country,  watching  for  troops  from  Mexico. 
This  country,  too,  was  the  natural  home  of  a 
large  variety  of  wild  anin)als, — coyotes,  bears, 
wolves,  deers,  etc.,  in  great  abundance.  This 
place  now  is  a  well-improved  farm,  devoted  to 
hay,  grain  and  fruit.  The  owner  has  just 
planted  two  acres  with  table  grapes.  Seven  or 
eight  acres  are  in  different  varieties  of  fruit 
trees,  mostly  French  prunes  and  peaches.  Also 
there  are  two  acres  of  strawberries  and  three 
acres  in  blackberries,  be iring;  ornamental  trees, 
some  of  them  twenty  years  old,  grace  the  prem- 
ises. Among  them  are  oranges  and  lemons, 
bearing,  and  arbor-vitaj  and  mountain  pine. 
Samuel  Rich  made  this  his  home  from  1855  to 
the  time  of  his  death,  December  6,  1868.  His 
widow  is  still  residing  here,  eighty-five  years  of 
age.  Her  maiden  name  w-as  Rosina  De  Motte, 
and  on  her  father's  side  she  is  of  French  de- 
scent.    Her  fither,  John   De  Motte,  was  a  sol- 


^T^'^-iu^^i^^^/.c^  ^ypt  ^^^^'-"'^-^^^  ^ 


HISTORr    OF    SACRAMENTO    COUNTY. 


dier  in  tbe  Revolutiouary  War.  She  was  born 
at  Hempstead,  Long  Island,  in  1804.  George 
Thomas  Rich,  whose  name  heads  this  history, 
the  only  son  of  Samnel  Rich,  was  born  in  Mil- 
ford,  Pike  Cunnty,  Pennsylvania,  on  the  Dela- 
ware, February  17,  1838.  His  parents  moved 
to  Wisconsin  and  thence  to  California,  this  last 
removal  being  made  when  he  was  about  ten 
years  of  age.  He  remained  with  his  father  till 
the  time  of  his  death,  and  took  possession  of  the 
country  property  while  the  city  property  was  re- 
tained in  his  mother's  name.  He  was  united  in 
marriage,  December  23,  1861,  in  Santa  Clara, 
California,  with  Miss  Maria  Louisa,  daughter  of 
Morgan  Fine,  an  old  '49er,  who  settled  in  that 
county  with  his  family.  Mrs.  Rich  is  a  native 
of  Lafayette  County,  Missouri,  and  was  born 
April  13,  1844.  Until  she  came  to  California 
she  lived  v\ith  her  parents.  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Rich 
have  five  children,  viz.:  Nellie  F.,  born  May  31, 
1864;  Carrie  Rosina,  November  6,  1866;  Lulu, 
June  18,  1869;  Edgar  George,  October  14j 
1873;  Edna  May,  November  18,  1878.  Two 
of  these  are  deceased:  Nellie  F.  died  February 
8,  1882,  and  Edgar  George,  April  9,  1876. 
Carrie  Rosina  is  the  wife  of  Joseph  Holmes, 
and  they  have  an  infant  daughter  who  has  two 
great-grandmothers  still  living.  Thus  there  are 
four  generations  residing  at  one  time  in  the 
same  house.  Mr.  Rich  lias  taken  considerable 
interest  in  political  matters.  His  first  Presi- 
dential vote  was  cast  for  Stephen  A.  Douglas,  in 
1860;  since  then  he  has  generally  voted  the  Re- 
publican ticket,  but  is  discriminating  in  his 
choice  of  candidates.  He  has  been  an  active 
worker  and  a  member  of  a  number  of  county 
conventions.  One  year  he  was  justice  of  the 
peace  of  Sutter  Township.  He  is  a  member  of 
the  Pioneer  Society  of  this  county,  and  of  the 
Methodist  Episcopal  Church  a^:  Pacific  School 
Sacramento  district.  Has  been  superintendent 
of  the  Sunday-school,  and  in  many  ways  he  has 
been-  efficient  in  measures  for  the  public  welfare. 
He  has  been  successful  in  business,  contributing 
largely  to  the  agricultural  and  horticultural  in- 
terests of  his  locality.     For  a  year  he  was  editor 


of  the  Sacramento  Valley  Agriculturist^  and 
was  also  special  correspondent  of  the  Riiral 
Press  and  California  Patron  for  Sacramento 
County  for  a  number  of  years.  Six  years  he 
was  a  member  of  the  board  of  directors  of  the 
G.  B.  C.  A.,  during  which  time  he  was  secre- 
tary. In  1881  he  was  appointed  by  the  State 
Master  of  the  order  of  Patrons  of  Husbandry,  to 
the  office  of  Lecturer  for  the  Grangers  in  this 
county,  which  position  he  filled  two  years.  At 
one  time  he  was  also  Master  of  a  Sacramento 
grange,  and  tilled  different  chairs  in  that  society 
at  various  Jimes.  Postoflice  address,  1008  K 
street,  Sacramento. 


tYSANDER  MAKEPEACE  LINCOLN, 
one  of  the  most  prominent  pioneers  of 
Sacramento  County,  was  born  in  Taunton, 
Bristol  County,  Massachusetts,  January  13, 
1824,  a  son  of  Benjamin  Lincoln.  There  were 
Benjamin  Lincolns  for  tive  generations  born  in 
the  same  house  where  L.  M.  was  born.  His 
mother,  nee  Sophia  Makepeace,  was  born  iu 
Norton,  Massachusetts,  December  17, 1795,  and 
died  in  June,  1853.  His  father  was  a  cotton 
manufacturer,  and  built  and  ran  a  factory  in 
Wareham,  Massachusetts,  where  the  family 
moved  in  1824.  After  following  that  business 
a  number  of  years,  the  hard  times  of  1837 
came  on.  He  died  in  that  place  December  25, 
1841;  he  was  born  December  11,  1789.  He 
had  seven  sons  and  two  daughters,  of  whom  six 
are  now  living.  One  is  Mrs.  Sarah  W.  Edwards, 
an  old  resident  of  this  county,  and  the  widow  of 
Thomas  Edwards,  an  old  Californian,  who  came 
here  in  1850,  and  brought  his  family  in  1852. 
He  died  June  7,  1877,  in  his  sixty-third  year. 
James  L.,  the  eldest  son,  is  an  old  sea  captain, 
who  has  recently  come  to  California.  Mr.  Lin- 
coln, whose  name  heads  this  sketch,  went  to  sea 
when  he  was  fifteen  years  old,  in  a  whaling 
vessel,  and  followed  ocean  life  for  nine  years, 
making  voyages  to  the  principal  ports  of  the 
world.      Leaving    New    Bedford    in    the    latter 


HISTORY    OP    SACRAMENTO    COUNTY. 


part  of  1839,  he  went  to  Cape  Verde  Islands, 
spent  a  season  in  the  southern  part  of  the 
Indian  Ocean,  and  then  went  to  the  Sunda 
Islands,  where  he  witnessed  a  curious  sight, 
namely,  the  suttee,  which  consists  in  burning 
the  body  of  a  living  widow  with  the  corpse  of 
her  deceased  husband!  Then  he  went  to  Cocos 
Islands;  next  passed  a  season  again  in  the 
Southern  Indian  Ocean,  and  thence  came  home 
by  way  of  Madagascar,  the  Cape  of  Good  Hope, 
the  Island  of  St.  Helena,  etc.  Afterward  he 
visited  the  Azores,  or  Western  Islands,  and 
various  other  places  along  the  west^n  coast  of 
Africa,  South  America  and  the  West  Indies, 
Gulf  of  Mexico,  etc.  For  his  fourth  voyage  he 
started  in  December,  1845,  and  came  around 
Cape  Horn,  and  passed  three  seasons  on  the 
upper  northwest  coast  and  on  the  Japan  Sea. 
In  the  meantime  he,  with  the  crew  of  his  vessel, 
saved  the  crews  of  two  other  wrecked  ships,  one 
French  and  one  German,  and  never  received 
any  reward.  Ou  arriving  at  the  Sandwich 
Islands,  they  found  the  people  frantic  in  coming 
on  board  to  buy  every  article  of  merchandise 
they  had,  even  paying  exorbitant  prices  for 
them.  On  inquiry  as  to  the  cause,  it  was  found 
that  they  had  received  news  of  the  gold  dis- 
covery in  California,  and  they  were  preparing 
to  come  hither  as  soon  as  possible  to  supply  the 
market  in  the  mining  camps.  Here  Mr.  Lin- 
coln left  his  ship,  which  was  homeward  bound, 
drew  his  $200  and  took  the  schooner  Honolulu 
for  San  Francisco,  arriving  in  October,  1848. 
With  a  party  of  five  others,  mates  and  second 
mates,  they  rushed  on  to  the  mines  at  Placer- 
ville,  where  they  spent  the  ensuing  winter. 
While  there,  Mr.  Lincoln  saw  three  robbers 
hung,  by  lynch  law,  the  execution  giving  the 
name  of  Hangtown  to  the  place;  it  has  long 
been  called  Placerville.  In  the  spring  he  sent 
to  his  old  home  in  Massachusetts  the  iirst  Cali- 
fornia gold  ever  sent  to  that  neighborhood,  and 
it  created  great  excitement.  He  wrote  to  the 
people  there  that  if  they  could  prove  that  that 
specimen  was  not  gold,  then  California  was  a 
humbug.     He  mined  at  points  between  Placer- 


ville and  the  several  forks  of  the  American 
Kiver  until  July,  1852.  At  this  time  Thomas 
Edwards  and  fainily  arrived,  and  Mr.  Lincoln 
came  down  to  the  valley  and  engaged  with  Mr. 
Edwards  in  a  dairy.  They  first  leased  Mr.  Brock- 
way's  ranch  for  a  year  and  then  bought  a  set- 
tler's claim  for  the  Edwards  property  on  the 
Freeport  road,  a  mile  and  a  quarter  below  the 
city  limits.  In  two  or  three  years  Mr.  Lincoln 
sold  his  interest  to  Mr.  Edwards  and  became 
one  of  about  thirty  to  buy  settlers'  titles  to  land 
in  the  Sutter  grant,  his  being  near  Sutterville. 
Twenty-one  years  elapsed  before  the  lawsuits 
over  these  matters  were  finally  settled,  and  Mr. 
Lincoln  came  out  with  about  150  acres  of  land. 
Since  that  time  he  has  sold  ofii' a  portion  of  this 
tract,  leaving  him  about  ninety  acres  of  the  best 
land  in  the  valley.  As  a  Republican  and  public- 
spirited  citizen,  Mr.  Lincoln  has  taken  active 
part  in  various  county,  congressional  and  State 
conventions.  For  twelve  or  fifteen  years  he  has 
been  justice  of  the  peace  and  school  trustee  for 
Sutter  Township.  He  is  a  life  member  of  the 
Sacramento  Society  of  California  Pioneers,  hav- 
ing two  shares  of  stock  in  their  property  and 
franchises.  Mrs.  Edwards  has  four  children 
living, — three  sons:  Eustes  R.  went  to  Massa- 
chusetts and  learned  the  trade  of  machinist  and 
now  is  engaged  in  farming  and  fruit-raising; 
Benjamin  Lincoln,  on  home  farm;  George,  a 
graduate  of  the  State  University,  and  now  em- 
ployed by  the  Bancroft  Publishing  Company; 
Sophia  E.,  now  Mrs.  Gay,  at  home.  Mr.  Gay 
is  in  the  freight  office  of  the  Southern  Pacific 
Railroad.  The  home  place  consists  of  279  acres, 
and   there   is   also  a  farm    of  105  acres  on  the 


►>^f^ 


fM.  REESE,  contractor  and  builder,  Sac- 
ramento, was  born  in  Dausville,  New 
"^  York,  June  14,  1826,  the  third  of  a 
family  of  five  children,  four  of  whom  were  sons. 
His  father,  John  Reese,  was  a  native  of  Penn- 
sylvania,   and   was   reared    in   his   native   State. 


HISTORY    OF    SACRAMENTO    COUNTY. 


After  reaching  manhood  he  enlisted  and  served 
in  the  War  of  1812.  After  his  return  he  emi- 
grated to  New  York  State.  The  subject  of  this 
sketch  received  a  common-school  education,  and 
learned  the  trade  of  carpenter  and  joiner  with 
his  two  older  brothers,  and  afterward  worked  at 
his  trade  in  Rochester,  New  York,  and  also  in 
the  city  of  Buffalo.  On  the  24th  of  February, 
1852,  he  went  to  ISTew  York  and  embarked  for 
California,  on  the  ship  Georgia,  which  was  dis- 
abled and  put  back.  lie  was  transferred  to  the 
Ohio  at  Havana,  and  finally  arrived  at  San 
Francisco  on  the  1st  of  April,  1852.  He  went 
to  Stockton,  and  from  there  on  foot  to  the 
southern  mines,  and  returned  to  Sacramento  in 
the  same  manner,  and  went  to  work  at  his  trade 
for  George  Wallace,  the  builder.  In  1860  he 
went  to  Virginia  City,  Nevada,  and  was  there 
during  the  Indian  war,  in  which  General  Mere- 
dith and  Mrjor  Ormsby  were  killed.  In  June, 
1864,  Mr.  Reese  was  married  to  Miss  Carrie  E. 
Trimble,  daughter  of  John  Trimble,  of  New 
York,  and  they  have  one  son  living,  Charles  E. 
Reese,  engaged  in  mercantile  business  on  J 
street,  in  this  city.  Mr.  Reese  returned  to  Sac- 
ramento in  1868  and  engaged  in  contracting, 
and  since  then  for  the  past  twenty  years  has 
been  prominently  identified  with  building  in- 
terests in  this  section  of  the  State.  He  has 
erected  a  lar^/e  share  of  the  finest  buildings  in 
the  Capital  City.  He  is  a  member  of  Capital 
Lodge,  No.  87,  I.  O.  0.  F.,  also  a  member  of 
Occidental  Encampment,  and  amember  of  Patri- 
archs Militant,  and  served  as  District  Deputy 
Grand  Patriarch.  For  the  past  fourteen  years 
he  has  resided  at  his  present  comfortable,  at- 
tractive home  on  H  street. 


fAMES  RUTTER  was  l)oni  in  August,  1827, 
in  Cornwall,  England,  his  parents  being 
James  and  Elizabeth  (Barrett)  Rutter.  He 
was  educated  and  learned  his  trade  (at  wliich  he 
worked  two  years)  in  his  native  town,  llaylo 
Copperhouse.     In  this  town  the  engine  used  to 


ptimp  the  water  out  of  Harlem  Lake,  in  Hol- 
land, was  built.  He  came  to  America  in  1849 
and  settled  in  New  York,  where  he  worked  at 
his  trade  for  a  year  as  journeyman;  then  left 
New  York  for  the  West,  going  up  the  Missis- 
sippi River  to  Churchville,  then  down  the  river 
to  Quincy,  Illinois.  He  stayed  there  until  1851, 
working  at  his  trade.  In  January  of  that  year 
he  started  for  Galena,  Illinois,  leaving  his  tools 
at  Quinc}-,  as  there  was  no  mode  of  conveyance 
till  the  navigation  opened  up  in  the  spring.  He 
traveled  parallel  with  the  Mississippi  till  he 
struck  Rock  Island,  then  took  the  stage.  He 
found  Galena  very  dull  but  managed  to  make  a 
living  at  his  trade  until  spring;  and  when  spring 
arrived  commenced  working  regularly.  In  the 
fall  of  1851  he  married  Tomsiue  Penberthy,  a 
native  of  Cornwall,  England,  located  about  six 
or  seven  miles  from  where  he  was  born.  In 
April,  1852,  he  and  his  wite  came  across  the 
plains  by  means  of  ox  teams  with  a  train  of 
twenty  wagons  and  sixty  persons.  They  reached 
the  Sink  of  the  Humboldt  without  having  en- 
countered many  thrilling  events.  From  there 
they  started  to  cross  the  desert  at  about  nine 
o'clock  in  the  morning;  had  dinner  at  one 
o'clock  at  a  place  where  the  ground  was  literally 
covered  with  the  accumulations  of  the  iron 
works  from  the  wagons  that  had  been  burned 
there  to  cook  food.  After  resting  about  an  hour 
they  continued  their  journey  to  Carson  Valley. 
The  last  ten  miles  of  the  journey  was  the  hard- 
est on  account  of  the  sandy  roads.  They  noted 
that  the  sand  was  springy,  which  was  caused  by 
the  accumulation  of  the  carcasses  of  animals 
that  had  died  there  and  over  which  the  sand  had 
drifted;  they  traveled  over  these  bodies  for  a 
distance  of  ten  miles!  About  the  5th  of  Au- 
gust they  reached  Diamond  Spring  and  stop- 
ped there.  Mr.  Rutter  worked  at  his  trade  at 
Hangtown  for  awhile,  but  soon  went  to  Sacra- 
mento city,  where  he  worked  at  his  trade  in  the 
Overton  Block  on  Third  and  J  streets.  During 
the  fire  of  1852  his  tools  were  destroyed  and  he 
also  lost  his  wages;  after  that  he  was  occupied 
in  helping  to   rebuild   the  city,   at  $10  a  day. 


UISTORT    OF    SACRAMENTO    COUNTY. 


January  1,  1858,  he  moved  upon  his  present 
ranch  at  Florin.  He  first  pre-empted  it  and 
afterward  located  it  under  the  laws  of  the  State. 
The  place  is  beautifully  situated  about  eight 
miles  fi-om  Sacramento,  and  is  the  dividing  line 
between  Brighton  and  San  Joaquin  townships. 
The  ranch  is  what  is  called  plains  land;  the 
formation  is  of  a  bed  rock  three  feet  from  sur- 
face, commonly  called  "  hard  pan,"  and  the 
water  is  eight  feet  from  the  surface  and  of  first 
quality.  The  soil  will  grow  anything  that  can 
be  raised  iu  California.  The  land  was  unim- 
proved, and  there  was  Spanish  cattle  running  on 
it  when  he  first  went  there  to  live.  The  first 
year  he  planted  600  peach-trees,  which  grew  up 
nicely,  but  the  grasshoppers  came  and  destroyed 
all  but  158  of  them;  he  renewed  them  and  got 
a  fine  growth.  In  1864,  on  account  of  the 
drought,  he  had  to  improvise  seme  method  of 
watering  them;  he  did  so  and  obtained  a  fine 
growth;  this  was  the  commencement  of  irriga- 
tion. There  was  very  little  fruit  in  the  market 
that  year,  and  he  could  command  almost  any 
price  for  his;  one-half  the  proceeds  from  the 
first  crop  paid  off  the  mortgage  on  his  farm. 
The  first  year  he  also  planted  a  small  vineyard, 
principally  fine  Muscats;  they  fetched  from  25 
to  50  cents  per  pound  for  the  first  lots.  He 
kept  increasing  his  vineyard  yearly.  He  sent 
the  first  grapes  on  the  railroad,  when  it  was 
completed  to  Chicago,  and  realized  a  large  figure 
at  that  market.  His  vineyard  now  consists  of 
100  acres  in  bearing.  He  has  been  shipping  to 
Martin  &  Co.,  of  Denver,  for  the  past  seven  years. 
He  produces  a  great  many  wine  grapes  which 
are  consumed  here.  Iu  1872  he  was  awarded 
the  diploma  at  the  xlmerican  Institute  at  New 
York  city  for  the  display  of  Muscats,  Alexandria 
and  Flaming  Tokay.  In  1873  he  was  awarded 
the  silver  medal  by  the  American  Pomological 
Society  in  Boston  for  the  best  collection  of 
grapes  grown  west  of  the  Rocky  Mountains.  In 
1874  he  sent  a  fine  collection  to  Nebraska  and 
was  awarded  the  medal  by  the  Horticultural 
Society  of  that  State.  Some  of  the  clusters  of 
fruit  were  selected  and  sent  to  other  fairs.     For 


the  last  twelve  years  he  has  held  a  regular  ex- 
hibition at  the  California  State  Fair,  and  has  re 
ceived  hundreds  of  dollars  in  premiums.  At 
the  California  Fair  held  in  1879  he  was  awarded 
the  golden  prize  by  the  California  State  Agri- 
cultural Association  for  wine  grapes,  table 
grapes  and  raisins.  He  is  a  member  of  the 
California  Fruit  Union  and  the  Dried  Fruit 
Association  (a  new  society  started  last  fall).  Mr. 
Rutter  has  one  daughter,  Agnes,  wife  of  L.  M. 
Landsborough,  resident  in  Sacramento. 


ILLIAM  H.  ROBINSON,  farmer  and 
fruit-raiser,  Brighton  Township,  was 
born  in  Conneaut,  Ashtabula  County, 
Ohio,  April  6,  1832.  His  father,  Israel  An- 
thony Robinson,  was  of  English  descent,  and  his 
mother,  nee  Delia  Lake,  of  Dutch,  and  proba- 
bly born  in  New  York,  and  they,  with  one  or 
two  other  families,  were  among  the  very  first 
settlers  in  the  neighborhood  of  Conneaut.  They 
reared  nine  children,  all  born  in  the  same  log 
house,  six  sons  and  three  daughters,  to  the  years 
of  maturity.  Their  father  died  there  about 
1836,  and  their  mother  in  1840  emigrated  to 
Aurora,  Kane  County,  Illinois,  where  she  passed 
the  remainder  of  her  days,  leaving  the  scenes  of 
earth  in  1873.  Their  children  were:  Henry,  who 
died  in  1869  in  Sacramento;  Robert,  who  resides 
in  San  Francisco;  Henrietta,  who  resides  in  this 
county;  Charles,  died  in  Placerville  in  1850, 
and  Sally  died  in  this  county  about  1876;  Will- 
iam H.,  whose  name  heads  this  sketch;  Frank, 
who  died  in  the  interior  of  Oregon  while  on  a 
mining  expedition.  The  boyhood  days  of  Mr. 
William  H.  Robinson,  our  subject,  were  spent 
at  home  in  Ohio  and  Illinois  till  he  was  about 
fourteen  years  of  age,  when  he  went  to  the  lead 
mines  in  Wisconsin  and  spent  two  years  with  a 
surveying  party  in  Minnesota,  when  the  settlers 
were  few.  He  was  kept  on  the  frontier  so 
steadily  in  his  younger  days  that  he  never  saw 
even  a  railroad  until  1853,  when  he  took  his 
first    ride  from   Madison,   Wisconsin,   to    New 


HISTOHT    OF    SAGliAMENTO    COUNTY. 


York  city,  on  the  way  to  California.  On  arriv- 
injf  at  New  York  he  took  passage  on  the  steanner 
Ohio  to  Panama,  and  cauie  thence  on  the  steamer 
John  L.  Stephens.  Leaving  New  York  some 
time  in  December,  he  landed  in  San  Francisco 
in  January,  1854.  First  lie  prospected  about 
Ilangtown  a  year.  The  ne.xt  spring  he  went 
upon  the  police  force  at  Sacramento,  which  posi- 
tion he  retained  a  year.  March  12,  1857,  he 
located  upon  his  present  place  at  Florin.  The 
land  was  perfectly  barren,  and  he  raised  his  first 
two  crops  without  a  fence,  and  herded  the  stock 
off  the  place  night  and  day.  He  has  made  this 
farm  his  home  ever  since,  with  the  exception  of 
two  years  when  he  was  deputy  sheriff  under  E. 
F.  White,  1869-'71.  His  farm  contains  100* 
acres,  devoted  to  fruit  and  grain.  Has  thirty- 
five  acres  in  trees  and  vines,  mostly  the  latter, 
and  the  remainder  in  grain.  In  the  first  place 
he  set  out  100  orange  trees  eleven  years  ago, 
but  the  frost  has  killed  them  all  out  except 
six,  four  of  which  are  in  bearing.  Politically 
Mr.  Robinson,  as  well  as  his  father,  was  a  Whig, 
and  has  been  a  Republican  ever  since  that  party 
was  organized.  He  has  been  a  delegate  to  every 
Republican  county  convention  except  one  since 
1871.  He  was  married  January  24,  1860,  to 
Lydia  E.  Smith,  daughter  of  Thomas  M.  Smith. 
She  came  with  her  parents  to  California,  arriving 
December  1,  1854.  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Robinson 
have  one  son,  Frank  T.,  born  April  8,  180(3. 


fOHN  B.  STUDARUS,  orchardist,  etc., 
Brighton  Township,  was  born  in  St.  Gall, 
Switzerland,  December  10,  1824,  brought 
up  on  a  farm,  and  when  seventeen  years  old 
learned  the  trade  of  baker,  following  it  five 
years  in  one  locality.  In  1847  he  sailed  from 
Havre  to  the  United  States  in  a  sailing  vessel, 
landing  at  New  York  after  a  voyage  of  forty- 
two  days.  Witli  him  came  an  old  schoolmate 
named  Nokear  Stahele,  who  remained  with  him 
two  years  before  separating.  It  was  Mr.  Stud- 
arus'  intention  to  go  to  Cincinnati;  but  on  reach- 


ing Pittsburg  he  found  the  Ohio  River  so  low 
that  it  was  impossible  to  go  down  on  the  boat. 
He  remained  at  Alleghany  City,  adjoining  Pitts- 
burg, until  1850,  engaged  in  gardening,  etc.,  for 
other  parties,  and  then  with  his  friend  rented  a 
dairy  farm.  He  drove  a  milk  wagon  for  his 
friend  until  iiis  brother  arrived  from  Switzer- 
land; then  he  worked  for  another  dairyman  until 
the  fall  of  1848,  when  he  went  down  the  Mis- 
sissippi to  New  Orleans;  was  there  about  three 
weeks  without  finding  any  work  that  suited  him; 
and  he  left  there,  the  Asiatic  cholera  breaking 
out  in  the  city  at  the  same  time.  Going  to  Cin- 
cinnati, he  found' employment.  For  the  first 
three  weeks  he  was  engaged  on  the  packet  steamer 
running  between  Cincinnati  and  Madison,  Indi- 
ana, in  1849.  Became  sick  and  lay  up  at  a 
boarding  house  in  Cincinnati  for  a  few  days. 
Being  also  out  of  money,  he  was  obliged  to  ac- 
cept the  first  offer  of  work  that  was  made,  and 
he  drove  a  milk  wagon  in  that  city  seven  months, 
during  the  time  the  cholera  was  raging.  Over 
5,500  people  died  there  in  three  months.  In 
August  he  went  to  Pittsburg,  sick.  His  old 
comrade  took  him  to  his  house  until  he  recov- 
ered ;  and  while  there  he  met  a  young  lady  whom 
he  had  known  in  Europe,  Mary  Reach  by  name, 
and  married  her,  in  Alleghany  City,  rented  a 
couple  of  rooms  and  worked  at  whatever  he 
could  find  to  do  until  he  heard  of  a  family  near 
Wellsville,  West  Virginia,  named  Arbuckle, 
who  wanted  a  farmer  to  take  charge,  preferably 
a  German.  He  and  his  wife  went  there  and 
worked  for  wages  six  months,  and  then  took 
part  of  the  place  on  shares.  Remained  there 
until  March,  1853,  when  with  two  children  they 
came  overland  to  California.  They  were  delayed 
two  weeks  at  Weston,  Missouri,  twenty-eight 
miles  below  St.  Joseph,  by  sickness  of  children. 
They  arrived  at  Diamond  Spring,  El  Dorado 
County,  about  the  first  of  September;  and  a 
few  miles  from  there,  at  a  place  called  Logtovvii, 
Mr.  Studarus  commenced  mining,  being  there 
somewhat  over  a  year;  then  he  came  down  into 
the  Sacramento  Valley,  near  where  Brighton 
now  is,   and    rented  a  farm   on   the  American 


HISrOBY    OF    SAGMAMENTO    COUNTY. 


River  for  six  years.  He  then,  in  1857,  bought 
the  squatters'  title  to  the  place  where  lie  now 
lives,  a  part  of  the  old  Folsom  grant.  The 
place  comprises  338  acres,  all  in  one  body,  most 
of  it  being  river  bottom.  For  several  years  his 
principal  crop  was  barley ;  afterward  broom-corn, 
Indian  corn  and  melons.  After  the  Central 
Pacific  liailroad  was  completed  the  demand  for 
fruit  increased,  and  he  commenced  setting  out 
trees  and  vines,  until  he  now  has  120  acres  cov- 
ered, nearly  all  in  bearing  condition.  Mr.  Stud- 
arus  is  one  of  the  charter  members,  and  at 
present  a  director,  of  the  Sacramento  Cannery, 
which  was  established  in  the*  summer  of  1888, 
and  he  is  also  a  charter  member  of  the  American 
Kiver  Grange.  In  his  political  sympathies  he 
was  a  Republican  during  the  war,  but  recently 
he  has  been  Democratic.  His  wife  died  in  Oc- 
tober, 1872,  the  mother  of  fourteen  children,  of 
whom  nine  are  now  living,  three  sons  and  six 
daughters.  The  following  year  he  married  Bar- 
bara Bollenbacher,  who  died  December  10,  1884, 
the  inotlier  of  three  children:  a  son,  Joseph  and 
a  daughter,  are  twins. 


^ON.  JOSEPH  STEFFENS.— California  is 
^m^  a  wonderful  land;  its  inhabitants  have 
=S¥  become  renowned  the  world  over  for  a 
spirit  of  energy,  enterprise,  pluck  and  perse- 
verance, that  has  never  been  seen  elsewhere;  it 
is  a  land  of  gigantic  undertakings,  and  grand 
achievements,  even  in  this  country  of  great  at- 
tainments, its  success  is  unparralleled.  Here,  as 
elsewhere,  the  moral  is  true,  that  a  steady  and 
j)ersistent  following  of  right  courses,  diligent 
attendance  to  business,  and  the  adoption  of  cor- 
rect methods,  is  the  truest  source  of  successful 
advancement.  It  is  a  pleasure  to  write  the  his- 
tory of  the  lives  of  Californians;  there  is  always 
variety,  instruction  and  interest;  yet  never  in 
the  recollection  of  the  writer  has  he  undertaken 
a  sketch  more  full  of  all  that  is  valuable  fur  the 
purpose  of  either  private  reading,  or  of  public 
study,  than  the  life  of  the  Hon.  Joseph  Steffens. 


No  man   in    this  part    of  California  occupies  a 
position  of  more  prominence  as  a  public-spirited 
and  far-seeing  citizen  than  he.     In  his  office  of 
President  of  the  Board  of  Trade  of  this  city,  he 
has  accomplished  a  great  work  for  the  develop- 
ment, not  only  of  Sacramento,  but  also  of  Cen- 
tral and  Northern  California.      It  is  impossible 
to  do  full  justice  to  this   subject,  yet  facts   and 
particulars  can  be  given,  which   will  enable  one 
to  form  as  close  an  acquaintance  as  can  be  had, 
without  a  personal  meeting.   He  was  born  Janu- 
ary 15,  1837,  in  the  township   of  York,  Upper 
Canada.     In  1840  the  family  removed  to  Car- 
roll   County,  Illinois,  where    they  resided   for 
many  years.     As  with   so   many  others   of  our 
prominent    men,   the  early  life  of  Mr.  Steffens 
was  passed  upon  afarm,  the  summer  being  spent 
in  work,  and  the  winters  at   school;  and  it  was 
there  that  he  laid  the  foundation  from  which  he 
has  reached  his  present  height.     Not  being  of 
a  very  robust  nature,  his  parents  feared  that  he 
could  not    endure    the    severe    labor  of  regular 
farm  employment:   accordingly,  when   nineteen 
years  of  age,  he  entered  the  Rock  Island  Semi- 
nary, where  he  took  an  academic  course;  later 
he  entered  "  Bell's  Commercial   College,"  Chi- 
cago, as  a  student  of  mercantile  branches;  upon 
completingacourse,  he  taught  school  for  several 
terms;  but,  being  anxious  to  devote  himself  to 
commercial    life,   he    became  a  clerk  for  G.   M. 
Clayton,  dealer  in  paints   and  oils,  at   Freepprt, 
Illinois,  in  1859.     He  remained  with  this  firm 
three  years;  and  there  perfected  himself  in  the 
line  of  trade  in   which    he   has  been   constantly 
engaged  ever  since.     Desiring  to  test   for  him- 
self the  truth  of  the  stories  current  in  the  Mid- 
dle States,  and  to  take   advantage  of  the  oppor- 
tunities aflbrded   an   ambitious  young  man   in 
this  glorious  State,  he  decided  to  come   hither. 
In  the  summer  of  1862   he  crossed   the  plains 
with  Levi  Carter  of  Stockton,  passing  through 
Sacramento  on  his  way,  and  arrived  at  San  Fran- 
cisco,   September    9,  of  that  year.     He  found 
employment    almost    immediately    with   Fuller 
&  Heather,  dealers  in  paints  and  oils,  as    book- 
keeper, the  salary  being  but  $50  a  month.   His 


HISTORY    OF    SACRAMENTO    COUNTY. 


abilities  in  this  line  of  trade,  his  knowledge  of 
the  business,  and  his  active  attention  to  the  in- 
terests of  his  employers,  won  their  confidence, 
and  he  was  soon  promoted  to  better  positions. 
He  remained  with  this  house  until  its  consoli- 
dation with  that  of  Cameron,  Whittier  &  Co., 
under  the  name  of  Whittier,  Fuller  &  Co.,  now 
so  well  known  in  the  paint  and  oil  trade;  it  be- 
ing the  leading  firm  on  this  coast.  Fuller  & 
Heather  had  had  two  houses,  one  in  San  Fran- 
cisco and  the  other  in  Sacramento.  Upon  the 
consolidation,  the  stores  of  the  two  firms  were 
merged  into  one,  located  on  the  corner  of  Fourth 
and  Pine  streets,  where  Mr.  Stefiiens  continued 
for  a  year;  at  the  end  of  this  time,  in  1869,  he 
was  sent  to  Sacramento,  to  take  charge  of  the  busi- 
ness here.  He  continued  to  act  as  manager  of 
the  Sacramento  house  until  1874,  at  which  date 
he  was  admitted  a  member  of  the  firm;  and  has 
since  that  time  been  a  resident  partner,  controll- 
ing the  financial  affairs  of  the  house  in  this  part 
of  the  State.  He  is  director  of  the  California 
State  Bank.  Such  in  brief,  is  a  record  of  the  life 
of  the  Hon.  Joseph  Steffens;  but  to  give  a  fair  un- 
derstanding of  the  importantpart  performed  by 
him,  in  the  history  of  this  section,  would  be  to 
almost  write  the  history  of  this  period;  so  ac- 
tive a  part  has  he  taken  in  all  public  matters. 
He  has  been  President  of  the  Board  of  Trade 
since  December,  1882,  and  is  the  most  active 
and  responsible  member  of  that  valuable  board; 
the  annual  reviews  issued  by  the  Board  of  Trade 
are  documents  of  great  value.  We  shall  not, 
however,  in  this  place,  refer  to  this  subject  at 
greater  length,  as  in  another  portion  of  this  vol- 
ume the  matter  is  treated  fully,  with  the  as- 
sistance of  both  president  and  secretary  of  the 
board  Mr.  Steffens  is  also  an  active  member 
of  the  Sacramento  Improvement  Association, 
and  is  President  of  the  California  Museum  As- 
sociation, and  takes  a  most  lively  interest  in  it. 
He  is  distinctively  a  business  man,  but  interests 
himself  intelligently,  in  local  and  national  poli- 
tics, as  they  effect  the  well-being  of  the  nation, 
and  the  community  in  which  he  resides,  and 
where  he  has  so  much  at  stake;  he  is  not  a  poli- 


tician, howeyer,  although  frequently  importuned 
to  enter  political  life.  In  1884  he  was  induced 
to  permit  his  name  to  be  used  in  the  city  elec- 
tion as  a  candidate  for  mayor  on  the  Republican 
ticket.  So  close  was  the  election  that  after  one 
week's  canvass,  out  of  4,000  votes  polled,  he 
lacked  but  thirty-one  of  being  elected, — a  high 
tribute  to  the  esteem  and  popularity  of  a  busi- 
ness man,  whose  hold  on  the  hearts  of  his  fel- 
low-citizens had  been  gained  by  a  life  of  intel- 
ligent devotion  to  their  common  welfare.  Mr. 
Steffens  is  a  gentleman  of  quiet  and  pleasant 
manners,  captivating  address,' and  of  social  and 
cultured  tastes;  ho  is  an  eloquent  and  effective 
speaker,  and  a  graceful  writer.  His  speeches 
are  full  of  matter  worthy  of  preservation;  being 
sound,  thoughtful,  and  argumentative;  grace- 
fully and  clearly  expressed,  and  interspersed 
with  wit  and  happy  humor;  noteworthy  among 
them,  may  be  mentioned  the  address  at  the 
opening  of  the  Exposition  of  the  Citrus  Fair 
at  Ashland,  on  the  completion  of  the  California 
and  Oregon  Railway,  where  he  appeared  as  a 
representative  of  this  city;  at  Placerville, vvhere 
he  likewise  represented  Sacramento, on  the  com- 
pletion of  the  railroad  to  that  point,  and  his 
letters  and  address  at  the  time  of  the  Margaret 
E.  Crocker  flower  festival.  These  are  not  only 
interesting  and  valuable  for  their  referrence  to 
important  events  and  persons  connected  with 
the  history  of  Sacramento,  but  they  reflect  the 
highest  credit  upon  their  author,  for  ability, 
culture  and  taste.  The  letters  written  by  Mr. 
Steffens  to  i\\e.Reeord-  Union,  im-'ing  the  course 
of  a  journey  made  through  the  East  in  1881,  in 
company  with|Mr.  Albert  Gallatin,  during  which 
they  traveled  some  12,000  miles,  are  of  peculiar 
interest,  and  contain  thonghts  and  suggestions 
of  great  value;  and  a  noteworthy  feature  about 
them  is  the  correctness  of  the  forecast,  and  pre- 
dictions as  to  what  the  future  would  bring  forth 
in  this  happy  land.  Mr.  Steffens  is  the  owner 
of  much  property  in' this  city,  his  palatial  resi- 
dence at  No.  1224  H  street,  being  one  of  the 
most  notable  structures  in  the  city,  and  is 
pointed  out  to  strangers  with  pride  by  our  citi- 


HISTORT    OF    SACRAMENTO    COUNTY. 


zens.  Mr.  StefFens  was  married  -January  15, 
1865,  in  San  Francisco,  to  Miss  E.  Louise  Symes, 
of  Hoboken,  New  Jersey;  they  have  four  chil- 
dren, whose  names  are  Joseph  Lincohi,  Luln, 
Laura  and  Lottie. 

^-^^■%'¥ • 

tLEXANDER  STEVENSON  was  born 
in  November,  1831,  in  Poughkeepsie, 
Dutchess  County,  New  York,  his  parents 
being  Alexander  and  Letitia  (Wallace)  Steven- 
son. His  grandparents  on  both  his  father's  and 
mother's  side  came  originally  from  Scotland. 
Those  on  the  paternal  side  emigrated  to  the 
United  States  prior  to  the  Revolutionary  war, 
and  located  in  Virginia.  Some  time  after, 
while  they  were  making  a  tour  through  Ireland, 
Alexander,  the  father  of  the  subject  of  this 
sketch,  was  b  )rn.  The  grandfather  was  a 
soldier  in  the  war,  and  his  wife  was  a  nurse 
and  helped  to  care  for  the  wounded  soldiers. 
His  mother's  grandfather  Wallace  came  to  the 
United  States,  remained  awhile,  then  returned 
to  Scotland,  where  he  died.  Two  of  his  sons 
located  in  Maryland,  where  the  mother  of  our 
subject  was  born.  Alexander  Stevenson,  Sr., 
with  his  wife  and  family  moved  in  1839  or  1840 
from  Dutchess  County,  New  York,  to  Michi- 
gan, locating  in  Oakland  County.  Mr.  Steven- 
sou  died  there  August  15,  1848.  By  trade  he 
was  a  miller,  which  business  he  followed  till  he 
went  to  Michigan,  after  which  he  engaged  in 
farming.  Mrs.  Stevenson  died  February,  1849, 
after  the  death  of  her  husband.  They  had 
eight  children,  six  sons  and  two  daughters. 
Alexander  is  the  only  member  of  the  family 
who  came  to  California.  He  was  quite  a  child 
when  taken  to  Michigan,  where  he  attended 
school  for  a  short  time,  but  most  of  his  educa- 
tion was  obtaitied  by  practical  experience. 
After  the  death  of  his  parents  he  ran  the  home 
farm  and  cared  for  the  younger  members  of  the 
tHmily.  Finally,  being  somewhat  ran  down  in 
health,  he  determined  to  seek  a  change  of 
climate    and    of   scenery;    accordingly,   on    the 


25th  of  March,  1852,  he  set  out  for  California. 
The  members  of  the  party  with  which  he  went 
were  all  strangers  to  him,  with  the  exception  of 
one  person;  but,  notwithstanding  that,  they  all 
became  the  best  of  friends  and  made  the  whole 
of  the  journey  together, — cooked  their  meals 
together  and  slept  together.  He  had  not  a 
quarrel  or  difference  among  them.  They  trav- 
eled through  the  States,  and  on  the  5th  of  May 
crossed  the  Missouri  River  at  Council  Bluffs, 
and  went  into  camp  two  miles  out.  They  trav- 
eled from  Fort  Laramie  to  Green  River;  at  this 
place  they  were  overcharged  by  the  man  who 
ferried  them  across.  A  trial  was  given  him  at 
Salt  Lake  City,  which  resulted  in  their  getting 
back  the  money  paid  for  ferrying.  They  stayed 
at  Salt  Lake  fourteen  days;  left  there  July  10. 
On  reaching  the  borders  of  the  desert  they  en- 
camped for  the  night,  and  the  next  evening  at 
4  o'clock  started  acn^ss,  arriving  in  Carson  Val- 
ley next  morning.  They  struck  Carson  River, 
reached  Hangtown  on  the  25th  of  September, 
all  healthy,  hearty,  and  feeling  line.  They  had 
no  trouble  whatever  on  the  journey.  Once  they 
came  near  having  trouble  with  the  Pawnee  In- 
dians, but  by  taking  the  advice  of  Mr.  Steven- 
son to  treat  them  kindly,  got  through  the 
difficulty  all  right.  On  the  evening  of  the  day 
of  their  arrival,  the}'  bought  picks,  pans,  rock- 
ers, and  everything  necessary  to  commence 
mining  the  next  morning,  the  whole  seven  of 
them  being  in  partnership.  They  worked  fifteen 
days,  and  at  the  end  of  that  time  had  an  auction, 
took  the  gold  dust  to  Hangtown  and  sold  it, 
then  divided  the  proceeds  ($16,000)  among 
them.  Then  they  separated,  each  going  his 
own  way.  Mr.  Stevenson  sold  his  wagon  and 
team  of  four  horses,  and  continued  mining  until 
November  5,  when  he  was  taken  sick  and  had 
to  go  to  Sacramento.  He  was  there  during  the 
tire  of  1852,  and  remained  there  until  1853, 
when  he  went  back  to  mining.  In  March  he 
came  to  this  valley  and  located  on  a  place  a 
little  south  of  where  he  now  lives.  From  that 
time  he  has  been  engaged  in  farming,  inter- 
spersed with  mining  at  odd  times.     In  1860  he 


HISTORY    OF    SACRAMENTO    COUNTY. 


bonglit  his  present  place  of  330  aures,  situated 
in  San  Joaqnin  Township,  nine  miles  from 
Sacramento,  on  the  upper  Stockton  road.  He 
lias  been  a  land-owner  since  March,  1853.  He 
has  been  operating  in  the  mines  to  a  considei- 
able  extent  up  to  within  the  past  three  years. 
As  long  as  he  was  mining  in  Placerviile  he 
made  inoney.  In  Virginia  City,  Nevada,  he 
was  operating  in  both  mining  and  milling, 
.and  claims  with  good  success.  Tn  Arizona, 
however,  he  met  with  reverses,  having  put  in 
about  §20,000  from  time  to  time.  He  has  some 
mining  interests  tiiere  now,  but  according  to 
Mr.  Stevenson's  own  views  there  is  not  a  very 
flattering  prospect.  In  1859  he  was  married 
to  Miss  Louisa  Foulks,  a  native  of  Mansfield, 
Richland  County,  Ohio.  They  have  two  chil- 
dren: Josephine  F.,  born  December  11,  1862, 
and  Alfred,  born  January  26,  1863.  Politically 
Mr.  Stevenson  has  never  taken  an  active  part, 
but  is  Democratic  in  his  views. 


fOHN  B.TAYLOR, farmer,  Brighton  Town- 
ship. Benjamin  Taylor,  the  father  of  John 
B.,  of  English  descent,  married  Margaret 
Brown,  of  German  ancestry;  both,  however, 
were  natives  of  Baltimore  County,  Maryland. 
In  1844,  with  five  children,  they  moved  to 
Ohio,  settling  in  Seneca  County,  of  which  Tiffin 
is  the  county  seat.  There  Mr.  Taylor  followed 
farming  until  his  death  in  1865.  Several  years 
afterward  his  widow  moved  to  Me.\ico,  Audrain 
County,  Missouri,  where  she  lived  with  a  mar- 
ried daughter  until  her  death  in  1873.  She 
was  born  in  1796,  and  her  husband  in  1792. 
The  children  are:  Edward,  in  Sun  City,  Barber 
County,  Kansas;  John  B.,  the  subject  of  this 
sketcii;  Benjamin  Franklin,  in  Brown  County, 
Nebraska;  Mrs.  Margaret  A.  S.  Farah,  in  Aud- 
rain County,  Missouri,  and  David  W.,  in  this 
county.  Mr.  J.  B.  Taylor  was  born  August  30, 
1826,  in  Baltimore  County,  Maryland,  and  was 
eighteen  years  old  when  lie  removed  to  Ohio. 
He  worked   at  the   carpenter's   trade    until    he 


joined  a  party  of  fifteen  young  men  at  Tiflin, 
some  of  them  married,  for  coming  overland 
with  mule  teams  to  California.  They  went  to 
Cincinnati  by  rail,  thence  to  Independence, 
Missouri,  by  river,  where  they  bought  tlieir  out- 
tit  of  teams,  wagons  and  provisions,  making  a 
good  preparation  for  a  long  and  tedious  journey 
through  plain,  mountain  and  desert.  Leaving 
Independence  May  2,  1849,  they  crossed  the 
backbone  of  the  continent  at  South  Pass,  and 
went  into  camp  at  Fort  Hall,  in  what  is  now 
Idaho,  600  miles  from  Sacramento,  beino-  in 
doubt  whether  there  was  any  gold  in  California; 
and  while  there  a  p^rty  of  Mormons  came  along 
on  horseback  from  California,  on  their  way  to 
Salt  Lake,  who  e.xhibited  their  bags  of  gold  dust 
which  they  had  picked  up  in  California.  The 
ne.xt  fears  of  the  party  were  that  the  gold  would 
be  all  gone  before  they  got  here!  They  took  a 
vote  whether  they  should  abandon  their  wagons 
and  proceed  on  pack  mules,  one  German  jier- 
sisting  in  favor  of  keeping  the  wagons.  On 
their  mules  they  came,  making  about  forty 
miles  a  day,  and  arrived  in  Sacramento  August 
15.  This  city  then  consisted  of  but  one  frame 
building  and  a  large  number  of  tents  and  cloth 
houses.  The  party  then  divided  into  small 
companies  and  went  to  the  mines.  One  com- 
pany of  ten,  including  Mr.  Taylor,  went  to 
Beale's  Bar,  on  the  north  fork  of  the  American 
River,  engaged  in  mining  awhile,  and  then 
went  to  Kelsey's,  El  Dorado  County,  and  win- 
tered there.  In  the  spring  of  1850  Mr.  Taylor 
went  to  Yuba,  in  Nevada  County,  and  took 
some  mining  claims;  but  being  sick  he  was  not 
able  to  attend  to  them,  and  in  about  two  months 
he  sold  them  and  came  to  Sacramento,  with  the 
intention  of  returning  East.  Here  he  met 
John  N.  Goetschius,  a  merchant  from  Cold 
Springs,  El  Dorado  County,  who  wanted  him 
for  a  partner;  and  he  accepted  the  oflPer,  re- 
maining with  him  until  the  fall  of  1852;  then 
selling  out  his  interest  there,  he  returned  to 
Tiffin,  Oiiio.  The  next  February  he  went  to 
Missouri  and  bought  a  herd  of  horses  and 
cattle,  returned  to  Tiffin   and    married   Miss  A. 


450 


HISTORY    OF    SACRAMENTO    COUNTY. 


E.  Goetschius,  March  17,  1853.  Shortl}'  after- 
ward, witli  liis  wife,  he  took  the  train  for  Cin-  | 
cinnati,  a  steamer  up  to  St.  Joseph.  Missouri, 
completed  his  outfit  with  the  cattle  and  horses  j 
lie  had  purchased,  and  May  3  started  again 
across  the  plains  and  mountains  for  the  far  dis- 
tant West,  arriving  in  Placerville  in  120  days, 
and  settling  on  the  place  where  he  now  is, — 
on  the  Colonia  road  and  bordering  on  the 
American  River,  fourteen  miles  from  Sacra- 
mento, September  20,  1S53.  There  he  con- 
ducted a  hotel  until  1838,  and  since  then  has 
followed  agriculture.  In  1857-'58  he  engaged 
also  in  mining  on  his  own  place,  on  "the  border 
of  the  river,  and  found  it  a  paying  business. 
During  that  time  he  also  was  a  member  of  the 
County  Board  of  Supervisors.  His  farm  is 
488  acres  in  extent;  ten  atres  are  in  vineyard, 
and  twenty  in  larger  fruit  of  various  kinds. 
The  soil  is  a  sandy  loam,  rich  and  productive, 
and  the  place  is  well  clothed  with  fine  build- 
ings, etc.,  all  of  which  are  the  product  of  Mr. 
Taylor's  industry.  He  is  a  member  of  a  Pio- 
neer Society,  and  of  the  Masonic  fraternity.  He 
has  three  daughters:  Alice  Amelia,  wife  of  M. 
L.  AVise,  of  Sacramento;  Anna  Florence,  wife 
of  Charles  Studarus,  and  Margaret  Isabelle,  re- 
siding at  home.     Postoflice,  Routier. 


— - ^'i>'i'^,r^ — 

A.  WHITE,  M.  D.,  County  Physician, 
*i;>:T'  was  born  in  Howard  County,  Missouri, 
v-'i^  December  20,  1848;  came  to  California 
ill  1864;  attended  school  in  Sacramento,  and 
here  also  studied  medicine  in  the  otfice  of  Dr, 
G.  L.  Simmons,  in  this  city,  and  continued  his 
studies  in  the  oflice  of  Dr.  H.  L.  Nichols; 
graduated  at  the  Long  Island  Medical  College 
in  the  class  of  1869,  and  at  the  Jeiferson  Medi- 
cal College  at  Philadelphia,  in  the  class  of  1870. 
Returning  to  California  he  first  practiced  his 
profession  at  Davisville  for  three  or  four 
months,  and  then  removed  to  Sacramento  and 
became  an  assistant  to  Dr.  A.  C.  Donaldson,  the 
county    ])hy8ician,    who    had     partially    retired 


from  practice.  The  County  Hospital  was  then 
at  the  corner  of  Tenth  and  L  streets,  in  Sacra- 
mento. The  next  year  the  patients  were  re- 
moved to  the  new  building,  and  the  Doctor 
changed  residence  accordingly.  Owing  to  the 
increasing  infirmities  of  Dr.  Donaldson,  Dr. 
White  was  appointed  to  succeed  him  in  office  in 
March,  1872;  and  since  that  date,  with  the  ex- 
ception of  one  term  of  two  years  (1879-'80),  he 
has  held  that  position.  (See  history  of  the , 
hospital  elsewhere  in  this  volume.)  In  1868 
Dr.  White  married  Miss  Cora  J.  Smith,  of 
Butte  County,  who  had  emigrated  from  that 
part  of  Missouri  where  the  Doctor  had  passed 
his  boyliood,  and  even  during  the  same  year 
that  he  came  West.  They  have  two  sons  and 
two  daughters  living.  Their  eldest  daughter 
and  youngest  son  are  deceased.  The  Doctor  is 
a  member  of  the  orders  of  Freemasons,  Red 
Men  and  United  Workmen,  and  in  politics  is 
Democratic.  Is  also  a  member  of  the  national 
and  the  county  medical  associations. 


tON.  WILLIAM  GARY  VAN  FLEET, 
Judge  of  the  Superior  Court  of  Sacra- 
mento, California,  was  born  March  24, 
1852,  in  Maumee  City,  Ohio,  near  which  place 
his  father  still  resides,  now  at  an  advanced  age. 
Upon  the  father's  side  he  is  of  an  old  family 
that  emigrated  from  Holland,  while  on  the 
mother's  side  he  is  connected  with  the  liistt)ri- 
cal  American  families  of  Boone  and  Lincoln, 
his  grandmother's  father  being  a  Boone,  while 
her  mother  was  of  the  family  from  which  sprang 
Abraham  Lincoln.  He  was  brought  up  and  edu- 
cated to  the  point  of  leaving  school,  in  his  native 
town,  and  in  the  city  of  Toledo.  In  1869  he 
came  to  California,  remaining  in  Sacramento, 
where  he  immediately  began  the  study  of  law 
in  the  office  of  Messrs.  Beatty  &  Denson,  the 
former  of  whom  (his  uncle  by  marriage),  the 
well-known  and  universally  esteemed  Judge  H. 
O.  Beatty,  was  formerly  Chief  Justice  of  the 
State  of  Nevada,  but  has    now  retired  from  ac- 


HISTOHY    OF    SACRAMENTO    COUNTY. 


tive  practice.  Judge  Denson,  the  other  mem- 
ber of  tlie  firm,  former)}'  occupied  a  seat  upon 
the  bench  as  Judge  uf  tlie  District  and  Superior 
Courts  of  tliis  count}'.  In  1873  Judge  Van 
Fleet  was  admitted  to  the  bar*  and  in  tlie  fol- 
lowing year  commenced  to  practice  at  Elko, 
Nevada.  He  remained  there  only  two  years, 
however,  returning  to  Sacramento  in  1876,  and 
has  since  that  time  been  actively  identified  with 
the  history  of  this  city.  In  1880  he  was 
elected  a  member  of  the  State  Assembly  from 
Sacramento,  upon  the  Republican  ticket,  in 
which  party  Judge  Van  Fleet  has  always  taken 
an  active  and  intelligent  part.  During  his 
term  he  held  the  chairmanship  of  the  Military 
Committee,  and  also  of  that  of  the  Committee 
on  the  Yosemite  Valley  and  Big  Trees,  being 
tiie  only  member  who  was  chairman  of  two 
committees.  In  1883  Judge  Van  Fleet  was 
appointed  by  Governor  Stoneman  one  of  the 
Board  of  State  Prison  Directors,  which  position 
he  resigned  on  his  election  to  the  bench.  He 
was  elected  to  his  present  position  upon  the 
bench  of  the  Superior  Court  in  the  year  1884, 
holding  ottice  for  the  long  term.  Judge  Van 
Fleet  is  an  active  member  in  higli  standing  of 
the  Knights  of  Honor,  the  order  of  Odd  Fel- 
lows, ot  the  Masons,  and  of  the  Knights  Tem- 
plar. In  1882  he  went  East  to  Baltimore  as 
Grand  Representative  of  the  Knights  of  Honor. 
Judge  Van  Fleet  has  the  reputation  of  being  a 
good  lawyer,  sound  in  practice,  active  and  dili- 
gent in  his  attention  to  the  interests  of  clients, 
and  deeply  read  in  ail  branches  of  the  law.  As 
a  judge  he  is  fair  and  impartial,  firm  and  fear- 
less in  his  determinations,  bringing  to  bear  upon 
all  points  an  accurate  knowledge  of  the  minuter 
technicalities,  as  well  as  tiie  broader  principles 
of  the  science  of  law.  Personally  he  is  a  highly 
popular  man,  commanding  the  esteem  and  con- 
fidence of  all  circles  to  the  fullest  extent,  and  is 
regarded  as  a  man  who  has  open  before  him  the 
highest  walks  of  judicial  life,  being  fitted  by 
birth  and  personal  characteristics  to  fill  any 
position  to  which  he  may  be  called.  He  has 
been  married  twice,  the  first  time  in  1877,  to 


Mary  Isabella  Carey,  the  daughter  of  Hon.  R. 
S.  Carey,  of  Sacramento;  iiis  wife  died,  how- 
ever, during  the  first  year  of  their  marriage, 
leaving  an  infant  son.  He  was  married  the 
second*  time  in  January,  1887,  to  Miss  Lizzie 
Eldridge  Crocker,  daughter  of  Clark  W.  Crocker, 
of  San  Francisco,  by  wiiom  he  also  has  a  son. 

»,     ■  -^  .^,.t..r-S>;  ,r  ■     „ 

• •''^  V  ^  '■ — ■ 

ILLIAM  J.  SCHULZE,son  of  Frederick 
Scliulze.  was  born  near  Berlin,  Germany, 
February  4,  1835,  and  was  nine  years 
of  age  when  his  parents  emigrated  with  their 
cliildren  to  America,  landing  at  New  York. 
They  first  located  at  AVatertown,  New  York, 
and  there  William  learned  the  blacksmith's 
trade  and  followed  it  about  twenty  years.  His 
father  is  still  a  resident  of  that  State;  his 
mother  died  when  he  was  ten  years  old.  He 
came  to  California  in  1857,  by  way  of  New 
Orleans  and  the  Isthmus,  being  twenty-one  days 
from  New  Orleans  to  San  Francisco.  He  fol- 
lowed his  trade  five  months  in  the  latter  city, 
visited  Stockton  and  Sacramento,  and  then  went 
to  the  mines  at  Gold  Hill,  etc.,  traveling  around 
until  his  money  gave  out.  Then  he  started 
back  to  his  shop  at  the  Eleven-Mile  House,  on 
the  Jackson  road,  and  pursued  his  vocation 
there  a  year;  then  he  established  a  shop  on  the 
Andy  Kelley  ranch,  on  the  grant  line,  near 
Sheldon.  After  running  that  a  year  he  went  to 
Richland  and  built  a  shop,  but  the  flood  de- 
stroyed it  and  drove  out  the  residents,  and  he 
returned  and  bought  back  his  old  siiop  on  the 
grant  line  and  conducted  it  five  years  longer. 
Sheldon  was  quite  a  town  then,  but  after  the 
railroaa  was  built  to  Elk  Grove  the  business  of 
Sheldon  was  moved  there.  In  1864,  owing  to 
ill-health,  he  quit  the  shop,  according  to  the 
advice  of  physicians,  and  purchased  his  present 
ranch,  the  west  half  of  the  northwest  quarter  of 
section  27,  and  the  southeast  quarter  of  section 
32  of  township  —  north,  of  range  —  east, 
which  is  five  miles  from  Elk  Grove  and  si.xteen 
from  Sacramento.     At  the  time  of  the  purchase 


BISTORT    OF    SACRAMENTO    COUNTY. 


this  land  was  a  desert-like  plain,  with  the  ex- 
ception of  a  small  amount  of  timber.  All  the 
improvements,  therefore,  that  are  seen  upon  it 
to-day  are  the  work  uf  Mr.  Schulze's  hands, 
and  it  is  one  of  the  best  farms  in  Sacramento 
County.  Mr.  Schulze  is  one  of  the  county's 
best  citizens.  He  was  married  April  10,  1863, 
to  Miss  Louisa  Milens,  whose  people  were 
natives  of  Germany.  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Schulze 
have  nine  children,  viz.:  W.  M.,  born  January 
13,  1864;  Frank  A.,  July  12,  1865;  Louisa  S., 
November  10,  1866;  John  L.,  March  10, 1868; 
Edmond  G.,  December  7,  1870;  Clara  E.,  Au- 
gust 12,  1872;  Minnie  B.,  December  28,  1873; 
Herman  P.,  December  5,  1879;  Lena  S.,  No- 
vember 4,  1883.  Herman  P.  died  July  20, 
1885,  aged  five  years,  seven  months  and  five 
days. 

fOHN  TPvYON,  a  resident  of  the  city  of 
Sacramento,  was  born  in  the  Province  of 
Quebec,  Canada,  in  February,  1824.  His 
father,  David  Tryon,  was  a  boy  at  the  time  of 
the  Revolutionary  War,  grandfather  Tryon  at 
that  time  living  in  Vermont,  United  States,  but 
his  sympathies  were  with  his  mother  country, 
and  he  with  his  family  moved  across  the  line, 
going  200  miles  by  o.x  teams  into  the  timber 
and  settling  on  "  rent  lands,"  at  Clarenceville, 
Province  of  Quebec.  David  Tryon  grew  up 
there  and  married  Jennie  Crawford,  a  native  of 
Scotland;  the  subject  of  this  sketch  was  their 
oidy  son.  He  grew  to  raanliood,  and  at  the  age 
of  twenty-three  was  married  to  Adelia  A.  Bil- 
lings. She  having  died  in  1861,  he  was  again 
married,  to  Miranda  R.  Billings,  a  Canadian,  her 
father  being  a  Vermonter,  but  not  near  related 
to  his  first  wife.  By  this  second  marriage  there 
were  four  children.  In  1869,  he  with  his  family 
removed  to  Atchison  County,  Kansas.  After 
six  years  they  took  up  a  homestead  in  Pottawa- 
tomie County,  living  thereon  seven  years,  then 
removed  to  the  southern  part  of  the  State, 
witliin  Kfty  miles  of  Indian  Territory.      Failing 


heir  to  the  estate  of  Ephraim  L.  Billings,  who 
had  come  to  California  in  the  early  day  and  set- 
tled in  Sacramento,  and  died  in  January,  1883, 
they  removed  to  this  city,  where  they  have  made 
their  home  ever  since. 


■^■&- 


FAY,  the  genial  proprietor  of  the 
Eldred  House,  was  born  in  County 
Galway,  Ireland,  in  1830,  son  of 
Michael  Fay,  a  farmer  and  stone-mason.  The 
family  consisted  of  eleven  childi-en,  three  of 
whom  were  sons.  When  a  Tiiere  boy,  our  sub- 
ject's elder  brother  Patrick  had  gone  to  Lincoln- 
shire, England,  and  when  Michael  grew  up  he 
joined  him  there,  and  after  a  year  or  two  they 
came  to  America  together,  in  the  ship  Alice 
Wilson.  After  a  voyage  of  nine  weeks  and 
three  days  they  landed  in  New  York,  July, 
1847.  He  went  to  Montgomery  County,  New 
York,  for  a  year,  where  he  was  engaged  in 
driving  a  team;  then  went  to  Wayne  County, 
in  the  same  State,  lor  a  time.  In  the  spring  of 
1852  he  left  New  York  for  California.  He 
sailed  to  the  Isthmus  on  the  steamer  Prome- 
theus, crossed  the  Isthmus,  and  came  up  the 
coast  on  the  steamer  Independence.  His  brother, 
who  had  come  to  tlie  coast  in  1851,  was  mining 
at  Cook's  Bar,  on  the  Cosumnes  River,  and  our 
subject  joined  him  there.  He  was  quite  suc- 
cessful in  mining;  working  with  a  common 
"rocker,"  he  made  ^16  a  day.  In  1858  he 
purchased  a  ranch  in  this  county,  where  he  en- 
gaged in  farming  until  1873,  when  he  moved 
his  family  to  Sacramento.  He  purchased  the 
Eldred  House  of  Sid  Eldred,  of  which  he  has 
been  proprietor  for  five  years.  Always  taking 
an  active  interest  in  politics  and  afiiliating  with 
the  Democratic  party,  he  was  brought  forward 
by  tiiem  as  their  candidate  for  county  treasurer 
in  1881.  For  thirteen  years  he  has  been  a 
member  of  the  order  of  Odd  Fellows.  For 
several  years  he  has  traveled  extensively  over 
the  State,  and  after  a  careful  investigation  of 
the  advantaijes  o''  the  different  cities,  ffives  it  as 


HISTOUY    OF    SAGllAMENTO    COUNTY. 


his  opinion  that  Sacramento  is  not  excelled  by 
any  portion  of  the  Golden  State.  He  was  mar- 
ried in  October,  1863,  to  Mrs.  Minerva  (Tat- 
rnan)  Perry,  widow  of  M.  Perry,  a  native  of 
Illinois.     They  have  two  daughters. 

■ ^-^3--:^^ 

tENRY  TRIECHLER,  a  pioneer,  was  born 
in  Staffa,  Canton  Zurich,  Switzerland,  in 
1821,  his  parents  being  Henry  and  Eliza- 
beth (Bramweldt)  Triechler  both  natives  of 
Switzerland.  From  the  tender  age  of  twelve 
years  our  subject  was  compelled  by  circum- 
stances to  face  the  world  alone.  First  he  worked 
in  a  cotton  factory,  then  as  a  tailor's  apprentice, 
spent  two  years  in  traveling  and  later  on  worked 
as  a  tailor,  all  before  he  was  twenty-two  years  of 
age.  [le  then  emigrated  to  America,  sailing 
from  Havre,  France,  September,  1844,  in  a 
niercli..nt  vessel  for  New  Orleans,  being  forty- 
eight  days  on  the  voyage.  At  New  Orleans  he 
readily  found  employment  at  his  trade,  but  in 
1845,  during  the  yellow  fever  epidemic  in  New 
Orleans,  he  went  to  Mempliis,  Tennessee,  and 
early  in  the  spring  of  1846,  went  to  San  Antonio, 
Texas,  but  returned  again  to  New  Orleans  and 
later  on  went  to  Baton  Rouge,  Mississippi, 
where  he  carried  on  business  on  his  own  account. 
During  the  summer  of  1849,  having  heard  ac- 
counts of  General  Fremont's  exploits  in  Califor- 
nia, and  of  the  discovery  of  gold  here,  he,  with 
characteristic  promptness  of  action,  obtained 
passage  on  the  steamer  Falcon.  Among  others 
who  came  at  that  time  was  Mr.  W.  R.  Strong,  a 
merchant  of  this  city,  whose  sketch  appears 
elsewhere  in  this  volume.  They  arrived  in 
Sacramento  January  6,  1850,  having  spent  a 
month  in  a  sailing  vessel  coming  from  San  Fran- 
cisco: fare  $36.00.  Our  subject  was  suffering 
from  an  attack  of  Panama  fever,  but,  undeterred 
by  this  circumstance,  he  went  almost  immedi- 
ately to  Nicholas,  on  the  Feather  River,  remain- 
ing there  for  a  few  weeks  only  and  then  going 
to  the  Auburn  mining  district.  His  mining 
experience    not   proving   a  success,  he  returned 


again  to  Nicholas  and  spent  some  time  in  the 
hay  fields  of  the  valley,  subsequently  returning 
to  Sacramento  and  purchasing  a  ranch  on  the 
river,  seven  miles  south  of  the  city,  where  for 
three  years  he  experimented  in  farming.  Re- 
turning to  Sacramento  in  1853,  he  started  the 
Mechanics'  Exchange  on  I  street,  between  Front 
and  Second  streets,  where  he  afterward  built  a 
hotel,  which  he  kept  for  fifteen  years,  when  de- 
clining health  compelled  him  to  retire  from 
active  business.  He  sold  the  furniture  and  fix- 
tures and  leased  the  property.  He  then  built 
his  brick  residence  on  H  street,  corner  of  Twen- 
tieth, where  he  had  owned  a  lot  for  some  time. 
Mr.  Triechler  is  an  active  member  of  the  Sacra- 
mento Lodge  of  California  Pioneers.  Of  his 
home  life  a  passing  notice  will  suffice.  He  was 
married  January  31,  1863,  to  the  oldest  daugh- 
ter of  Bezirkrichter  Marcus  and  Anna  B.  Zim- 
mermann,  of  Trasedingen,  Canton  Shaffhausen, 
Switzerland.  They  have  seven  children:  Al- 
bert, Amy,  Marcus,  who  died  in  infancy;  Henry, 
the  oldest  sou,  born  January  9,  1864;  Hattie, 
the  oldest  daughter,  born  April  1,  1869;  Alber- 
tina,  born  January  19,  1872,  and  George  Mar- 
shall, the  youngest,  named  -in  honor  of  the 
discoverer  of  gold,  James  Marshall,  was  born 
November  17, 1876.  The  family  were  intimate 
friends  of  General  Sutter  and  James  Wilson 
Marshall. 


fEORGE  W.  CALLAHAN  was  born  in 
Lycoming  County,  Pennsylvania,  in  Feb- 
ruary, 1845,  the  son  of  Daniel  E.  and  Re- 
becca (Sebring)  Callahan,  who  crossed  the  plains 
from  Wisconsin  in  1849,  and  settled  in  Sacra- 
mento, where  for  many  years  they  kept  what  is 
known  as  the  Golden  Eagle  Hotel,  the  first  in 
the  Capital  City.  The  story  of  Daniel  Callahan 
and  his  wife,  in  connection  with  the  early  days, 
would  fill  a  volume.  A  few  brief  items,  which 
is  all  the  scope  which  this  work  permits,  will  be 
found  interesting  to  the  many  friends  and  ac- 
quaintances who  still  remember  the  genial  host 


HISTORY    OF    SACRAMENTO    COUNTY. 


of  the  Golden  Eagle.  He  crossed  the  plains 
with  ox  teams,  bringing  with  him  his  wife  and 
two  children, — William  H.,  his  ^-ounger  son, 
was  born  in  Sacramento, — arriving  iiere  in  Sep- 
tember, 1849,  having  been  six  months  on  the 
tedious  journey;  they  camped  on  the  corner  of 
Pifth  and  M  streets,  and  during  the  flood  of  the 
following  year  lost  everything.  Procuring  a 
team  he  began  teaming  to  the  mines,  the  mother 
tfking  in  washing  and  having  a  few  boarders. 
In  the  spring  of  1851  he  bought  a  lot  on  K 
street,  near  the  corner  of  Seventh,  and  erected 
thereon  a  frame  building,  which  in  its  turn  was 
destroyed  by  the  great  fire  of  that  year.  Hotel 
accommodations  there  were  none,  and  lodging 
almost  impossible  to  obtain.  He  erected  a 
large  canvas  tent  with  bunks  similar  to  those 
found  on  river  steamers,  and  later  on  traded  a 
span  of  horses  for  a  small  frame  building  which 
was  erected  beside  the  canvas  tent.  This  hotel 
soon  became  headquarters  for  all  the  speculators 
and  horsemen  in  the  city,  drawn  thither  by  its 
proximity  to  the  horse  market,  which  was  lo- 
cated on  the  same  square  and  carried  on  by  Toll, 
Captain  Smith,  Wrightmire,  and  other  celebri- 
ties of  those  days.  Toll's  livery  stable  was 
across  the  way,  and  this  was  the  busiest  corner 
of  the  city.  One  day  Wrightmire,  with  a  piece 
of  chalk,  drew  upon  the  canvas  tent  the  picture 
of  an  eagle,  and  from  that  day  Callahan's  place 
was  known  as  the  Golden  Eagle.  After  the  fire 
the  corner  lot  was  purchased  and  a  more  com- 
modious building  was  erected,  which  eventually 
grew  into  the  imposing  edifice  of  the  present 
day  and  was  kept  by  Callahan  u.itil  1874.  He 
was  a  man  of  many  friends,  generous  to  a  fault, 
fond  of  sport ;  his  ■'  pack  of  hounds  "  were  known 
by  all,  and  many  a  good  story  is  related  of  mine 
host  of  the  Golden  Eagle.  A  politician,  a 
Democrat,  but  numbering  among  his  friends 
men  of  all  parties,  when  iu  1876,  he  was  brought 
forward  as  the  candidate  for  the  ofiice  of  County 
Treasurer,  an  ofiice  which  he  filled  for  seven 
years;  he  was  elected  by  the  handsome  majority 
of  2,000  votes,  in  a  district  clearly  Republican 
by  at  least  1,880  majority.      He  died  iu   1883; 


his  wife  at  this  writing  still  survives  him.  His 
son,  George  W.  Callahan,  received  his  prelimi- 
nary education  in  the  Sacramento  schools,  and 
was  brought  up  in  his  father's  hotel.  He  was 
united  in  marriage  to  Miss  Minnie  A.  Howell, 
daughter  of  L.  V.  H.  Howell,  of  San  Francisco. 
He  left  the  hotel  in  1874  to  become  Deputy 
Sheriff  under  the  administration  of  Hon.  H.  M. 
I  LaKue,  after  which  he  was  connected  with  tiie 
Sacramento  Bank.  In  1881,  he  went  to  Deming, 
New  Mexico,  where  for  a  year  he  kept  an 
"  eating  house."  Later  on  he  went  East  and 
traveled  extensively  throughout  the  States. 
Returning,  he  became  interested  in  silver  min- 
ing in  Chawanda  in  the  Dolores  mining  district 
for  a  time,  returning  again  to  California;  was  at 
the  time  of  his  father's  demise,  in  charge  of  his 
extensive  ranch  in  Placer  County,  an  occupa- 
tion which  he  still  follows.  His  address  is 
Diamond  Spring,  El  Dorado  County. 

~— ^^^^-l*-*^ 


fOHN  SCHELL,  a  Sutter  Township  farmer, 
was  born  in  Christiania,  the  capital  of  Nor- 
way, April  15,  1852,  the  son  of  John  and 
Jennie  Schell,  in  whose  fatnily  were  two  sons 
and  four  daughters.  Four  of  these  came  to 
America,  namely:  Jacob,  who  is  now  residing 
in  this  county;  Carrie,  residing  in  Jamestown, 
Dakota;  Antonia,  in  St.  Peters,  Minnesota,  and 
John,  our  subject.  At  the  age  of  twenty  years, 
in  1872,  Mr.  Schell,  after  having  learned  the 
trade  of  blacksmith,  came  to  the  United  States, 
landing  at  Portland,  Maine.  He  worked  at  his 
trade  nearly  three  years  in  Chicago,  and  then 
came  to  California;  stopped  six  months  in  San 
Francisco;  then  four  years  was  engaged  at  his 
trade  at  New  liope,  San  Joaquin  County,  on 
the  Mokelumne  River,  and  since  then  has  fol- 
lowed agricultural  pursuits.  Renting  a  piece  of 
land  near  the  same  locality,  he  worked  into 
farming  and  out  of  blacksmithing  gradually. 
After  raising  eight  crops  there,  in  the  fall  of 
1883  he  purchased  his  present  place  on  the 
upper  Stockton  road,  five  miles  from  the  Capitol 


HISTORY    OF    SACRAMENTO    COUNTY. 


building.  The  230  acres  he  has  here  are  devoted 
to  fruit  and  grain.  The  orchard  consists  prin- 
cipally of  peaciies.  The  vines  are  mostly  of 
wine  grapes.  Half  the  peach-trees  are  bearing, 
and  all  the  vi  leyard.  The  residence  is  on  a 
high  knoll,  giving  a  tine,  commanding  view  of 
a  large  extent  of  country.  Shade  and  ornamen- 
tal trees  are  gracefully  set  around,  among  them 
a  few  orange  and  lemon  trees.  The  soil  is  a 
reddish,  sandy  loam,  peculiarly  well  adapted  to 
fruit.  Mr.  Schell  began  in  California  with 
almost  nothing,  and  the  present  comfortable 
home  attests  his  industry,  economy  and  good 
judgment.  In  San  Joaquin  County,  his  farm 
was  among  the  tules,  and  the  high  waters  caused 
him  a  loss  of  $5,000  one  year  and  $3,000 
another;  and  it  is  indeed  wonderful  how  well  he 
has  succeeded  in  getting  ahead.  He  used  to 
raise  a  good  deal  of  live-stock.  He  is  a  member 
of  Industrial  Lodge,  No.  157,  of  Sacramento,  I. 
O.  O.  F.  He  was  married  in  1872  to  Laura 
Hansen,  a  native  of  Norway,  who  came  to  this 
country  about  the  same  tim  i  that  he  did. 

'^■^"^ 

irailA^NCIS  A.  BURKE,  a  farmer  of  Sutter 
fB  Township,  was  born  in  April,  1848,  in 
^"  Boston,  Massachusetts,  a  son  of  John  A. 
and  Sarah  (Chandler)  Burke,  the  father  a  na- 
tive of  Ireland  and  mother  of  Massachusetts. 
His  father  came  to  America  at  the  age  of  ten 
years,  was  a  farmer  by  occupation,  married  in 
Boston  and  came  to  California  in  the  fall  of 
1850,  from  Boston,  by  way  of  Cape  Horn,  the 
trip  occupying  about  six  months;  mined  at 
Mormon  Island  two  years,  with  moderate  suc- 
cess; and  in  1852  his  wife  and  one  child  (the 
subject  of  this  sketch)  came  to  California  by 
way  of  the  Isthmus.  He  then  started  a  board- 
ing-house and  conducted  it  until  1854;  then 
settled  in  the  country  on  the  Sutter  grant,  made 
several  changes  of  residence,  but  linally  located 
on  the  Freeport  road  three  and  a  half  miles 
from  town,  on  a  place  now  consisting  of  260 
acres.  He'died  in  Sacramento,  in  January,  1884, 


at  the  age  of  fifty-seven  years,  and  his  wife  is 
still  living  in  Sacramento.  In  their  family 
there  were  only  one  son  and  one  daughter.  The 
daughter,  Sarah,  died  at  the  age  of  twenty-two 
and  a  half  years,  in  1857.  The  son,  the  subject 
of  this  sketch,  was  reired  on  a  farna,  and  still 
has  the  old  home-place  as  above  described.  He 
has  been  a  resident  of  Sacramento  ever  since  he 
was  four  years  old.  The  floods  of  1861-'62 
almost  covered  his  farm  with  water,  and  he  lost 
most  of  the  fencing  and  some  of  the  farm  ani- 
mals. A  great  abundance  of  furniture  lumber 
and  other  goods  was  lodged  upon  his  farm  by  the 
flood  and  afterward  identified  by  the  owners.  He 
remembers  many  amusing  incidents  connected 
with  those  times,  one  of  which  was  this:  A  pair 
of  pantaloons  was  recognized  by  one  who  said  he 
thought  he  ought  to  know  them,  as  he  was  mar- 
ried in  them  three  times!  The  Fourth  and  Fifth 
Regiment  were  encamped  at  that  time  on  what 
is  now  his  ranch.  Mr.  Burke  came  to  this  place 
when  it  was  utterly  wild,  but  by  getting  a  start  in 
the  world  by  the  dairy  business  he  has  improved 
the  ranch  so  that  it  is  now  one  of  the  best  in  the 
country.  At  present  he  conducts  a  general  farm- 
ing business.  As  to  society  relations,  he  is  a 
member  of  the  Y.  M.  I.  of  Sacramento.  He 
was  married  in  1871  to  Miss  Lottie,  daughter 
of  John  G.  and  Margaret  Hoft'man,  father  a 
native  of  Pennsylvania,  and  mother  of  Ireland. 
They  liave  three  sons:  George,  born  June  27, 
1872;  Howard  B.,  Decemiier  17,  1874;  and 
William   A.,  July  9,  1882. 


frilO  SHAW  GRIM,  rancher  of  Lee  Town- 
ship, was  born  in  Ohio  January  20,  1833, 
his  parents  being  Andrew  and  Polly  (Mor- 
rison) Grim,  both  deceased,  the  mother  several 
years  ago,  in  Iowa,  and  the  father,  in  Nebraska, 
about  1883,  aged  seventy-six.  O.  S.  Grim  was 
reared  on  his  father's  farm,  first  in  Ohio  and 
afterward  in  Iowa,  and  in  1852  came  across  the 
plains  to  California.  In  the  same  party  when 
made   up  at  Council    Blufts  was  the   Timmons 


HISTORY    OF    SACRAMENTO    COUNTY. 


family  of  four  sons  and  two  daughters  with  their 
father,  the  mother  having  died  in  Iowa.  With 
the  help  of  a  minister  whose  station  they  reached 
on  the  way,  O.  S.  Grim  was  married  August  10, 
1852,  to  Miss  Sarah  Frances  Timmons,  born  in 
Illinois,  February  3,  1886,  daughter  of  Henry 
and  Elizabeth  (Caldwell)  Timmons,  and  reared 
in  Lee  Conuty,  Iowa,  whither  her  parents  moved 
in  1837,  being  among  the  iirst  settlers  of  that 
county.  The  fatlier  died  near  Eichland,  on  tlie 
Sacramento,  in  1858.  On  their  arrival  in 
California,  in  the  fall  of  1852,  Mr.  and  Mrs. 
Grim  went  to  work  to  make  their  first  "stake," 
siie  in  domestic  work  and  he  as  a  miner  in 
Plnnket's  Ravine.  After  three  months  they 
rented  a  small  place  on  the  Sacramento  River, 
near  Richland,  where  Mr.  Grim  went  to  raising 
vegetables.  In  1854  he  became  owner  and  con- 
tinued the  same  business  until  1866,  when  he 
sold  out,  and  moved  to  Placer  County,  near 
Auburn,  afterward  to  Modes  to  in  1875,  to 
Stockton  in  1877,  near  Stockton  in  1881,  and 
in  1883  to  the  place  they  now  occupy  in  Lee 
Township,  then  owned  by  William  Edward  Tim- 
mons, the  brother  of  Mrs.  Grim,  who  needed 
her  care,  being  in  broken  health.  He  had  al- 
ways been  rather  weakly  and  had  never  married, 
and  at  his  death,  September  11,  1884,  Mrs.  Grim 
inherited  his  ranch  of  160  acres,  where  the  fam- 
ily has  since  remained.  It  is  well  adapted  to 
general  fanning  in  all  kinds  of  grain,  and  Mr. 
Timmons  had  some  success  in  fruit-growing, 
but  the  orchard  has  not  been  renewed.  Mr.  and 
Mrs.  Grim  are  the  parents  of  seven  living  chil- 
dren, all  born  in  this  State:  William  Ira,  born 
February  16,  1855,  married  in  Stockton,  Janu- 
ary 2,  1878,  to  Miss  Nancy  Elizabeth  Tew,  born 
in  California  December  27,  1860,  and  now  liv- 
ing in  Woodland,  Yolo  County;  has  two  chil- 
dren— Laura  Emily,  born  December  6,  1878, 
and  Walter,  born  October,  1880;  Mary  Ann, 
born  April' 28,  1858,  was  married  in  Modesto, 
October  3,  1874,  to  Bergen  Brocaw  Halsey,  now 
of  Clipper  Gap,  Placer  County:  has  one  child — 
Earl,  born  June  16,  1883;  John  Henry,  born 
October  28,  1860;  Charles  Augustus,  November 


10,  1867;  George  Andrew,  May  10,  1869; 
Frank  Edward,  April  10,1875;  Albert,  June 
16,  1880.  All  the  children  have  received  a 
district-school  education. 

S-i"i-g 


pBEN  RICHTER  PARVIN   was  born  in 
|L    Donegal  Township,Westinoreland County, 


Pennsylvania,  October  17,  1815,   his 


par- 


ents being  Arthur  Davis  and  Catherine  (Knab) 
Parvin,  both  natives  of  that  State.  The  Parvins 
were  of  the  William  Penn  immigration;  were 
Quakers  then  and  as  far  as  known  are  Quakers 
now,  followers  of  the  golden  rule,  laying  more 
stress  on  moral  conduct  than  on  religious  dog- 
mas. The  father  was  a  farmer  and  miller  as 
was  his  father  before  hiin,  and  both  lived  to  be 
about  seventy-eight.  The  mother  of  E.  R.  Par- 
vin lived  tobeeighty-four,  and  the  known  mem- 
bers of  both  families  have  been  long-lived  peo- 
ple. The  formal  education  of  the  subject  of 
this  sketch  was  limited  to  about  three  months' 
schooling,  but  he  learned  farming  and  milling 
in  the  school  of  experience.  He  also  did  some 
work  on  steamboats,  and  picked  up  carpentering, 
and  learned  to  distil  liquor  but  not  to  drink  it. 
In  1849  he  came  to  California  and  mined  four 
months,  but  did  not  take  kindly  to  it,  and  soon 
went  into  teaming,  which  suited  hitn  better. 
Has  always  been  fond  of  a  good  team ;  had  one 
when  young  on  his  father's  farm  and  has  one 
now  at  the  age  of  seventy-four.  He  carried  on 
the  freighting  business  from  Stockton  south- 
ward to  .the  mines  about  six  years.  In  1855  he 
sold  hio  team  to  the  United  States  and  came  on 
the  Sacramento  River  where  he  engaged  in  chop- 
ping wood,  grubbing  and  clearing  lands,  often 
receiving  payment  in  mortgages.  In  1859  he 
tirst  bought  land  on  Grand  Island,  where  he  now 
resides,  about  four  miles  below  Courtland.  He 
lost  heavily  by  the  flood  of  1862,  the  mortgaged 
lands  losing  a  great  part  of  their  value,  and 
l>urchasers  being  few  at  any  price.  Original 
surveys  and  records  were  so  inaccurate  and 
poorly  kept  tliat  lie  has  had  to  buy  a  part  of  the 


IIIHTOBr    OB'    SACRAMENTO    COUNTY. 


650  acres  he  now  owns,  three  times,  first  from 
an  alleged  owner,  then  Irom  the  State  and  lastly 
from  the  General  Government.  But  he  has  out- 
lived all  those  annoyances,  has  made  his  title 
clear,  and  now  has  ninety  acres  in  orchard,  with 
a  fine  home,  one  of  the  most  substantial  and  im- 
posing on  the  river,  planned  by  himself  and 
built  with  a  view  to  firmness  and  durability,  un- 
der his  personal  supervision  with  careful  atten- 
tion to  every  detail.  It  was  erected  in  1882  at 
a  cost  of  $15,000  and  supplemented  in  1885  by 
the  erection  of  a  large  tank,  a  warehouse  and 
storehouse,  at  a  cost  of  several  thousand  more. 
Mr.  Parvin  was  married  in  San  Francisco  in 
1861  to  Mrs.  Eliza  (Kelly)  Henderson,  a  native, 
of  Ireland,  where  her  father,  William  Thomas 
Kelly,  fought  in  the  Rebellion  of  1798.  She 
came  to  San  Francisco  in  1859,  and  was  there 
married  to  her  first  husband,  Henderson,  who 
died  without  issue.  She  has  a  brother  residing 
in  Brooklyn,  Xew  York,  named  Joseph  Kelly, 
and  a  nephew  on  this  coast  named  Joseph  Ab- 
bott. 

— W-C®:®*-^^ — 

fAMUEL  HOWARD  GERRISH,  for  many 
years  a  foreman  in  the  railroad  shops  of 
the  Central  Pacific  Railroad  Company,  in 
this  city,  was  born  December  27,  1834,  at  Ports- 
mouth, New  Hampshire,  The  family  is  one  of 
the  oldest  in  New  England.  His  father,  Will- 
iam Gerrish,  was  born  at  Lebanon,  Maine,  one 
of  a  family  of  thirteen  children,  twelve  of 
whom  were  sons.  He  was  a  clock  manufact- 
urer and  a  merchant.  He  died  in  1837.  The 
founder  of  the  family  in  America  was  Captain 
William  Gerrish,  of  the  British  army,  born  in 
Bristol,  England,  who  emigrated  to  America 
during  Cromwell's  time,  in  1638.  On  his 
mother's  side  he  is  a  descendant  of  the  well- 
known  Hartford  family  of  New  England;  his 
grandfather  Hartford  was  a  New  Hampshire 
farmer  and  a  soldier  of  the  War  of  1812,  in 
which  war  he  died;  Samuel  Howard,  for  whom 
he  was  named,  was  his  maternal  grandmother's 


father  and  was  a  Revolutionary  soldier.  When 
in  1837  his  father  died,  our  subject  was  two  and 
a  half  years  old.  Although  later  on  bis  mother 
removed  to  Boston,  he  remained  in  Dover  to 
attend  school.  His  brother-in-law,  John  B. 
Wood,  was  editing  a  newspaper  at  Great  Falls, 
and  at  the  age  of  fifteen  years  young  Gerrish 
proceeded  to  that  village  to  learn  the  trade  of 
printer.  After  about  one  and  a  half  years  he 
went  to  Boston  and  worked  at  his  trade  in  a  job 
office  on  Washington  street.  After  a  year  had 
passed  he  concluded  to  learn  the  trade  of  machin- 
ist and  went  to  Northampton,  Massachusetts, 
where  he  worked  for  Dimock  Bros,  six  months; 
then  went  to  Holyoke,  where  he  worked  for  the 
Hadley  Falls  Company  one  and  a  half  years. 
Leaving  there,  he  worked  for  a  time  in  Boston 
and  New  York.  His  brother-in-law,  R.  M. 
Whitehouse,  was  foreman  of  the  Connecticut 
River  Railroad  repair  shops  located  at  North- 
ampton, Massachusetts,  and  he  went  there  and 
worked  seven  years.  In  1860  he  came  to  Cali- 
fornia, with  George  A.  Stoddard,  leaving  New 
York  June  5,  coming  by  the  Panama  route  and 
arriving  in  San  Francisco  on  the  28th.  He  be- 
gan working  for  E.  T.  Steen  and  continued  with 
him  for  a  year  and  a  half.  For  the  next  four 
years  he  was  engineer  on  the  United  States  dry 
dock  in  the  Mare  Island  Navy  Yard.  Then  he 
came  to  Sacramento  and  was  employed  by  Goss 
&  Lambard,  proprietors  of  the  Sacramento  Iron 
Works.  In  May,  1866,  he  was  employed  for 
the  railroad  company  and  ran  the  first  engine  for 
the  Central  Pacific  shops,  where  he  worked  and 
made  the  first  tools  used.  His  brother,  J.  L. 
Gerrish.  now  of  Oakland,  was  also  employed  at 
the  time  in  the  same  shops.  He  has  held  many 
positions  of  trust, — among  them  that  of  trustee 
of  the  City  Library  and  secretary  of  the  board. 
He  has  been  a  Freemason  since  1863,  when  he 
joined  Naval  Lodge,  No.  87,  of  Vallejo;  he  is 
now  a  member  of  Concord  Lodge,  No.  117,  of 
Sacramento,  and  has  been  a  Master  of  that  lodge 
during  three  years.  He  is  also  a  member  of 
Industrial  Lodge,  No.  157,  I.  O.  O.  F.,  of  which 
he  is  a  charter  member.      He  was  also  a  mem- 


EI8T0BT    OF    SACRAMENTO    COUNTY. 


ber  in  1866-'67  of  the  California  National 
Guards,  Company  D,  lufantrj',  Captain  Dason- 
ville.  Being  of  a  scientific  and  statistical  turn 
of  mind,  he  has  kept  a  record  of  the  rainfall  and 
temperature  in  his  experiments  in  acclimating 
tropical  trees  ever  since  he  came  to  Sacramento, 
making,  as  a  voluntary  observer  of  the  United 
States  Signal  Service,  monthly  reports  to  AVash- 
ingtou.  Of  his  home  life  we  need  say  but  little. 
He  was  married  September  4,  1855,  to  Sarah  J. 
Rogers,  a  native  of  Northampton,  Massachu- 
setts, whose  ancestors  came  over  on  the  May- 
flower in  1620.  Her  father,  Thomas  Rogers, 
was  a  carpenter,  builder  and  contractor.  Mr. 
Gerrish  has  four  daughters  and  one  son.  Their 
home  is  on  G  street,  where  they  have  lived  for 
twenty-one  years. 

-^€@n»-^^ — 

aLLIAM  E.  DIXOX  was  born  October 
22,  1857,  son  of  Alfred  and  Martha 
(Biggot)  Dixon;  the  former  a  native  of 
New  Brunswick  and  the  latter  of  Ohio.  Allred, 
the  father,  was  raised  on  a  farm  and  went  with 
his  parents  to  Ohio  in  1837,  where  he  resided 
until  1843,  when  he  went  to  Quincy,  Illinois. 
There  he  began  the  study  of  law  with  the  firm 
ot  Browning  &  Bushnell,  remaining  with  them 
for  two  years,  and  he  was  there  admitted  to  the 
bar.  He  removed  to  Porter  County,  Indiana, 
and  engaged  in  the  prar'.tice  of  law,  farming  as 
well,  which  he  continued  until  1860,  when  he 
came  to  California,  crossing  the  plains.  They 
brought  horses  with  them,  which  they  sold  on 
reaching  California.  Their  journey  lasted  six 
months,  the  first  halt  being  made  in  Sacramento 
County.  He  soon  pnrcliased  a  farm  in  this 
county,  northwest  quarter  of  section  30  and 
southwest  quarter  of  section  19,  to  .vnship  6. 
The  farm  is  one  of  those  through  which  the  old 
overland  road  used  to  pass.  He  gave  up  his 
practice  of  law  to  a  great  extent  and  engaged  in 
farming  and  stock-raising.  In  1880  he  went 
East  on  a  visit,  and  while  in  New  York  city  he 
was  out   in  the   wet,  and  the   result  was  pneii 


raouia,  which  resulted  in  his  death,  September 
19,  1880.  His  wife  was  with  him  during  his 
last  hours.  He  was  a  very  ambitious  man,  de- 
termined and  persevering  in  all  his  undertak- 
ings. He  will  be  long  remembered  by  his  many 
friends  in  this  county.  "William  E.  Dixon,  the 
subject  of  this  notice,  was  raised  on  a  farm  and 
came  to  California  with  his  parents.  He  was 
married  April  26, 1882,  to  Miss  Julia  I.  Barnes, 
a  native  of  New  Brunswick.  They  have  five 
children :  Edna  B.,  Anna  M.,  Alfred  C,  Aubrey 
E.  and  Jennie  H.  Mr.  Dixon  is  one  of  the  best 
farmers  in  this  county;  one  among  the  largest 
grain-raisers. 


PF.  BEANS  lives  one  mile  from  Elk  Grove, 
which  is  his  postofiice,  and  sixteen  miles 
*  from  Sacramento.  He  was  born  in  Bucks 
County,  Pennsylvania,  in  1839,  and  lived  there 
until  1856.  At  the  age  of  sixteen  years  he 
came  to  California  across  the  plains,  first  set- 
tling in  El  Dorado  County,  where  he  remained 
until  1863;  he  then  settled  in  this  connty,  on 
his  present  farm.  Mr.  Beans  was  married  in 
1870  to  Mrs.  Mary  E.  McFall,  a  native  of  Rome, 
New  York. 

- — '^■m-^ — 

fORMAN  I.  STEWART  was  born  Febru- 
ary 25,  1833,  in  Oswego  County,  New 
York,  son  of  Samuel  and  Fannie  (Cronk) 
Stewart;  the  father,  a  farmer  by  occupation,  is  a 
native  of  Massachusetts,  and  died  in  Oswego 
County,  New  York.  In  his  family  were  eight 
children,  six  of  whom  are  still  living,  three  in 
California.  Norman  was  raised  on  a  farm  and 
remained  at  home  until  1852,  when  he  came  to 
California,  sailing  from  New  York  October  12 
on  the  steamer  Pacific  to  the  Isthmus,  which  he 
crossed  by  going  up  the  Chagres  river,  then 
having  his  choice  of  locomotion  for  the  remain- 
der of  the  distance  (twenty-five  miles)  walking 
or  riding  on  mule-back.       After  a  close  inspec- 


HISrOHY    OF    SACRAMENTO    COUNTT. 


tion  of  the  mules  he  decided  to  walk.  It  was 
during  the  rainy  season  and  his  journey  can  be 
better  imagined  than  described.  On  reaching 
the  coast  he  took  passage  on  the  steamer  Cor- 
tez  for  San  Francisco,  where  he  rei-'.ained  but 
eight  days,  then  came  to  Sacramento  by  boat, 
remaining  here  during  1852-'53,  engaged  in 
the  wood  business  with  his  brother,  Henry 
Stewart.  He  was  here  during  tlie  flood  and  re- 
members it  well;  they  used  their  ox  team  and 
wagon  as  a  ferry-boat  to  transfer  people,  as  well 
as  merchandise,  about  the  city.  In  the  spring 
his  brother  purchased  a  ranch  and  employed 
him  lor  the  following  year  at  $675.  In  January, 
1854,  he  took  up  320  acres  of  land,  where  he 
now  lives,  fourteen  miles  from  Sacramento,  on 
the  upper  Stockton  road,  which  at  that  time  was 
a  vast  plain  covered  with  the  roving  herds  of 
Spanish  cattle.  After  being  in  California 
twenty-one  years  lie  returned  East  on  a  visit  to 
his  old  father  and  mother,  seeing  them  for  the 
last  time,  as  he  has  never  been  back  since.  His 
ranch  is  now  one  of  the  best  ranches  in  the 
county.  He  does  a  general  farming  business 
and  has  five  acres  in  vineyard.  He  was  married 
November  4,  1858,  to  Miss  Jane  E.  Thompson, 
daughter  of  Thomas  J.  Thompson,  whose  sketch 
appears  elsewhere  in  this  book.  Mr.  and  Mrs. 
Stewart  have  seven  children,  viz.:  Mary,  born 
October  28,  1860;  Henry  C,  February  2,  1865, 
and  died  July  23,  1884;  Samuel  P.,  born  De- 
cember 1,  1867;  Fannie,  born  May  30,1869, 
died  February  11,  1888;  Jennie,  October  14, 
1873;  Norman  I.,  April  9,  1877;  and  John  H., 
October  30,1884. 


fH.  STEWART  was  born  in  the  town  of 
Williamstown,  Massachusetts,  April  28, 
*  1823,  of  Scotch  parents.  He  learned  the 
carpenter's  trade  at  Oswego,  New  York.  In 
early  manhood  he  married  Miss  Charlotte 
Woodworth,  and  made  his  home  at  Rockford, 
Illinois,  until  1850,  when  he  came  to  California. 
After  remaining  two  years  in  the  upper  part  of 


the  State  he  went  East  for  his  family,  and  re- 
turned with  them  to  his  new  home.  Subse- 
quently he  removed  to  Cloverdale,  Sonoma 
County,  where  his  wife  died,  leaving  him  two 
sons,  Clarence  and  Richard,  who  are  now  citi- 
zens of  this  county.  In  1858  he  married  Miss 
Martha  D.  Kenfield,  the  good  wife  who  for 
twenty-nine  years,  with  incessant  affection,  has 
ministered  to  his  every  want  during  his  abiding 
affliction, — paralysis  of  the  lower  limbs,  render- 
ing him  a  cripple  for  life,  unable  to  walk  with- 
out aid, — which  came  upon  him  in  1859,  the 
effect  of  hardships  endured  in  early  manhood. 
In  1865  he  came  to  San  Bernardino  and  pur- 
chased a  valuable  property,  and  from  that  time 
has  been  one  of  the  foremost  workers  in  the  ad- 
vancement of  the  material  interests  of  that  county. 
He  was  one  of  the  projectors  of  the  Silk  Center 
Association,  by  which  the  water  of  Santa  Ana 
River  was  diverted  upon  the  then  barren  plains 
of  Jurupa  at  Riverside,  where  are  now  nestled 
among  the  orange  groves  thousands  of  happy 
homes.  While  acquiring  for  himself  that  com- 
petence he  has  enjoyed  and  now  leaves  to  his 
family,  he  has  at  the  same  time  enabled  others 
to  do  that  tending  to  their  prosperity.  As  a 
friend  he  was  steadfast  and  true  in  fair  weather 
and  foul;  as  he  was  tender  in  sympathy  for  the 
misfortunes  of  his  neighbors,  so  was  he  cheerful 
in  their  prosperity.  With  him,  in  all  the  rela- 
tions of  husband,  father  and  friend  and  brother, 
the  whole  flow  of  years  has  borne  a  uniform  flow 
of  affectionate  regard  and  unseltish  love. 

-^^€(i:g@-# — 

fOHN  B.  WILLIAMS,  proprietor  of  the 
Michigan  Bar  Pottery,  was  born  in  Eng. 
land  April  7,  1844,  his  parents  being  J.  S. 
B.  and  Hannah  Elizabeth  (Pawsey)  Williams. 
The  father  was  a  physician,  and  the  family  is 
well  connected,  more  especially  on  the  mother's 
side,  several  of  her  immediate  relatives  ranking 
pretty  high  in  the  East  India  Company.  One 
of  Mr.  Williams'  cousins,  a  certain  Mr.  Simp- 
son, who  was  in  California  in  1847,  and  went 


BISTORT    OF    SACRAMENTO    COUNTY. 


from  here  to  Australia,  is  now  the  owner  of 
many  millions  in  England.  J.  B.  Williams  ran 
away  from  home  in  1854,  and  went  to  sea  in  a 
vessel  bound  for  St.  John's,  New  Brunswick, 
and  went  back  in  April  or  May,  1856.  He  was 
then  apprenticed  to  an  uncle,  George  J.  Pawsey, 
a  brick-mason  and  builder.  Early  in  1858  he 
again  ran  away  and  went  to  New  Zealand.  Re- 
turning to  England  and  his  trade,  he  became  a 
skilled  workman  in  that  line.  Yielding  once 
again  to  his  roving  disposition,  he  came  to  this 
country  in  1861,  but  with  no  intention  of  mak- 
ing his  home  here,  and  after  some  wanderings 
went  back  to  his  home  and  settled  down  to 
work.  Mr.  Williams  was  married  in  England, 
August  21,  1866,  to  Miss  Susannah  Sach,  a 
daughter  of  John  and  Mary  Ann  (Bowtell) 
Sach.  The  father  is  still  living  in  England, 
aged  sixty-four,  and  the  mother  died  there  at  the 
age  of  forty-seven.  The  only  child  of  Mr.  and 
Mrs.  Williams,  Emma  L.,  was  born  in  England 
May  2,  1867.  She  is  now  doing  business  as 
dressmaker  on  her  own  account  in  San  Fran- 
cisco. Mr.  Williams  set  out  for  America  with 
a  view  to  make  it  his  permanent  home  in  1869, 
arriving  in  New  York  the  day  after  Christmas, 
and  getting  to  Chicago,  January  2,  1870.  He 
worked  at  his  trade  in  that  city,  and  was  there 
joined  by  his  wife  and  child  in  June,  1870.  He 
grew  with  Chicago,  and  took  contracts  of  vari- 
ous kinds  in  brick-work.  The  rebuilding  of 
that  city  after  the  great  tire  of  October  9,  1871, 
increased  his  opportunities,  and  he  profited  by 
them.'  In  August,  1874,  lie  left  Chicago  for 
California,  and  went  into  business  in  San  Fran- 
cisco in  1875  as  contractor  for  sewer  pipe  and 
brick-work,  and  agent  for  supplies  in  those 
lines.  Among  other  interests  he  became  agent 
for  the  sale  of  the  products  of  the  Michigan  Bar 
pottery  and  sewer-pipe  manufactory,  then  owned 
by  Mr.  Addington.  He  leased  the  work  in 
1881,  and  bought  them  toward  the  close  of 
1884,  coming  to  Michigan  Bar  as  owner  thereof 
on  January  1,  1885.  In  April  of  that  year  he 
was  seriously  hurt  in  his  left  arm,  which  is  still 
somewhat  weak,  and  he  occupies  himself  chiefly 


with  the  sale  of  the  stoneware  product  of  the 
pottery  in  the  cities  and  villages  of  this  section. 
The  sewer  pipe  department  he  has  leased  to  the 
San  Francisco  Sewer-Pipe  Association.  In  1888 
he  discovered  a  valuable  surface  deposit  of  fire- 
sand  on  an  adjoining  piece  of  land,  and  bought 
forty-five  acres,  of  which  twenty-five  acres  are 
covered  with  the  deposit.  He  also  owns  ninety- 
five  acres,  including  the  Orr  bank,  which  is 
thought  to  be  the  best  clay  in  the  State  for  the 
manufacture  of  stoneware.  With  his  recent 
acquisition  of  fire-sand  he  is  well  equipped  as  to 
materials  for  sewer  pipe,  stoneware,  fire-brick, 
as  well  as  white  and  yellow  ware.  He  will 
probably  form  a  corporation  for  the  more  ex- 
tensive production  of  those  commodities  in  the 
near  f  .ture.  He  owns  twenty-two  acres  ad- 
joining his  other  realty,  but  situated  in  Ama- 
dor County;  Of  the  162  acres  about  eighty  are 
devoted  to  general  farming,  a  little  fruit  and  the 
raising  of  some  cattle  and  horses. 


J.    SMALL,    superintendent    of    motive 
power    and    machinery    at    the    railroad 


th 


IS  city. 


born  at  Coboun 


Canada,  in  1848.  His  father,  Benjamin  Small, 
was  the  superintendent  of  the  rolling  mills  at 
Toronto,  and  prominently  connected  with  the 
building  of  the  Grand  Trunk  Railroad  of  Can- 
ada. He  grew  up  in  the  city  of  his  nativity, 
and  was  taught  "pattern-making"  in  the  shops 
under  the  supervision  of  his  father.  He  be- 
came an  iron-worker  in  the  shops  of  William 
Hamilton  &  Sous,  where  he  also  acquired  the 
machinists'  trade.  He  spent  three  years  in  the 
shops  of  the  Chicago  &  Northwestern  Railroad 
at  Chicago,  and  afterward  went  to  Wyandotte, 
Kansas,  with  the  "Kansas  Pacific  Road"  (now 
part  of  the  Union  Pacific).  After  staying  with 
that  com})any  two  years  he  received  the  appoint- 
ment of  chief  draughtsman  of  motive  power  in 
the  shops  of  the  Northern  Pacific  at  St.  Paul, 
Minnesota.  After  two  years  he  was  called  to 
the  Wabash   road   as  chief  draughtsman.     Two 


HISTORY    OF    SACRAMENTO    COUNTY. 


years  later  his  services  were  transferred  to  the 
International  &  Great  Northern  Railroad,  and 
he  was  with  them  when  their  shops  were  re- 
moved to  Palestine,  Texas,  and  when  the  Galves- 
ton, Houston  &  Henderson  was  absorbed  hy 
the  International  &  Great  Northern,  he  was 
made  master  mechanic  by  General  H.  M.  Iloxie 
(since  deceased)  at  the  time  when  the  gauge 
of  that  road  was  changed  to  standard.  Two 
years  later  he  was  offered  the  position  of  gen- 
eral master  mechanic  of  the  Texas  Pacific  road, 
with  headquarters  at  Marshall,  Texas,  filling 
that  position  for  three  years.  For  five  years  he 
was  assistant  superintendent  of  machinery  at 
Brainerd,  Minnesota,  for  the  Northern  Pacific 
system,  and  in  1887  held  a  similar  position  with 
the  Piiiladelphia  &  Reading  Railroad  at  Read- 
ing, Pennsylvania.  He  left  that  position  one 
year  later  to  accept  the  position  which  he  now 
holds  with  the  Southern  Pacific.  Mr.  Small  was 
united  in  marriage,  in  1880,  at  Marshall,  Texas, 
to  Miss  Mary  Blanch,  daughter  of  Major  E.  A. 
Blanch,  who  for  years  was  the  chief  engineer  of 
the  original  Southern  Pacific  Railroad.  Their 
family  consists  of  four  children,  three  of  whom 
are  y-irls. 


tLFRED  GREENE  McMANUS  was  born 
April  28,  1828,  in  Murray  County,  Ten- 
nessee, his  parents  being  Jonathan  and 
Susan  (McCaslin)  McManus,  both  natives  of  the 
same  State.  The  subject's  great-grandfather 
was  an  Irishman  from  the  norlh  of  Ireland,  and 
his  grandmother  on  his  father's  side  was  a 
Scotchwoman,  and  a  cousin  of  General  Greene,  of 
Revolutionary  fame.  When  the  subject  of  this 
sketch  was  four  years  old  his  parents  removed 
from  Tennessee  to  Illinois,  locating  in  Madison 
County,  where  his  mother  died  in  1836,  leaving 
four  children,  one  son  and  three  daughters.  His 
father  was  married  again,  to  Elizabeth  Kell. 
They  moved  to  Texas,  locating  on  Trinity 
River,  where  the  father  died  in  1862.  By  his 
second   marriage  there  were  four  children,  one 


son  and  three  daughters.  Alfred  G.  McManus 
remained  with  his  parents  in  Illinois  till  he  was 
twenty-two  years  of  age,  then  worked  in  various 
places  in  that  neighborhood.  When  twenty- 
one  years  old  he  bought  eighty  acres  of  Govern- 
ment land  in  Madison  County,  borrowing  the 
money  for  that  purpose,  and  giving  a  mortgage 
on  the  property  as  security,  which  he  paid  by 
hard  work  at  §12  a  mouth.  He  made  improve- 
ments on  it  and  rented  it.  October  6,  1853,  he 
was  married  to  Claiissa  Clementine  Best,  a  na- 
tive of  Madison  County,  Illinois.  In  the  spring 
of  1854  they  moved  upon  his  farm,  and  lived 
there  until  August  22,  1875,  when  they  started 
for  California,  renting  the  farm  for  the  next  two 
years;  they  afterward  sold  it.  They  arrived  in 
Sacramento  on  the  5th  of  September,  entire 
strangers  in  a  strange  land.  He  rented  the 
Van  Trees  ranch  on  Deer  Creek  for  one  year, 
and  in  April  bought  his  present  ranch  of  320 
acres  in  Brighton  Township,  on  the  Jackson 
road,  twelve  miles  from  Sacramento,  which  is 
chiefly  devoted  to  general  farming.  Politically 
lie  is  a  Democrat.  Mr.  and  Mrs.  McManus 
have  two  children:  John  Franklin,  born  Oc- 
tober 26,  1861;  and  Albert  Greene,  born  Janu- 
ary 16,  1858,  who  married  Emily  Lee  April  22, 
1880,  a  native  of  Sacramento  County,  California, 
daughter  of  Dr.  Richard  Henry  Lee.  Albert 
Greene  married  Emily  McManus,  and  they  have 
one  son,  born  December  31,  1880,  named  Albert 
Wesley. 

— ^€@:i)*>'^^ — 

fOEL  D.  BAILEY.— Joshua  T.  Bailey,  the 
father  of  the  subject  of  this  sketch,  was  a 
native  of  Virginia.  For  a  time  he  resided 
in  Ohio,  and  in  1832  emigrated  to  Wisconsin, 
where  he  carried  on  the  business  of  smelting 
for  six  or  seven  years.  He  was  married  at  Fort 
Mineral  Point,  Ohio  County  (now  Fayette 
County),  January  13,  1838,  to  Miss  Susan 
Hughes,  daughter  of  David  and  Sarah  (Pense) 
Hughes,  who  born  February  28,  1815,  in 
Licking  County,  Ohio.     Her  father  emigrated 


HISTORY    OF    SACRAMENTO    COUNT y. 


from  Ohio  to  Illinois  in  1818.  He  served 
under  General  Harrison  in  the  war  of  1812,  and 
died  in  Illinois  in  1823.  In  1828  Mrs.  Bailej 
went  to  Wisconsin  with  her  mother  and  step- 
father, Samuel  Townsend,  who  has  been  dead 
several  years.  Her  mother  is  still  living  in 
Grant  County,  Wisconsin,  at  the  age  of  ninety 
years,  where  she  was  a  pioneer.  She  has  had 
many  experiences  in  pioneer  life;  she  has  gone 
out  into  the  harvest  field  with  the  men  and  held 
lier  own,  cutting  grain  with  sickles,  although  a 
small  woman,  for  she  had  a  strong  constitution 
and  great  strength.  Mr.  Bailey,  with"  his  son 
Joel,  came  to  California  in  1849.  In  1853  he 
went  back  to  AVisconsin  after  his  family.  His 
wife  and  two  daughters,  and  Mrs.  Bailey's 
sister-in-law,  Susan  Hughes,  came  with  a  party 
of  twenty-two  men,  bringing  with  them  some 
large  heavy  stock,  such  as  horses,  oxen,  mules 
and  cattle,  also  seven  wagons  to  hold  provisions; 
as  soon  as  one  wagon  was  emptied  they  dis- 
carded it.  They  were  seven  months  in  coming 
across,  having  to  stop  in  order  to  allow  their 
cattle  to  feed  by  the  way.  On  arriving,  Mr. 
Bailey  bought  land  on  the  little  dry  hill  close  to 
where  the  family  residence  now  is.  The  house 
was  put  up  in  1854;  it  was  built  by  degrees,  a 
small  portion  being  put  up  fiirst  in  order  that 
they  might  occupy  it.  He  set  out  a  fine  vine- 
yard of  wine  grapes  in  1862.  He  died  June 
11,  1886.  Mrs.  Bailey  is  still  living  and  enjoy- 
ing good  health  at  the  present  writing.  She  is 
seventy-two  years  old.  They  had  eleven  chil- 
dren, viz.:  Mrs.  Belle  Plumer,  resident  in  Lee 
Township,  Sacramento  Co\inty;  Rachel  Ann 
(deceased),  wife  of  Mr.  Koss,  of  this  county; 
Joel  D.  Bailey,  Joseph  James  (deceased),  George 
W.,  resident  in  Templeton,  San  Luis  Obispo 
County;  Frank,  resident  in  Arizona;  William 
Henry  (deceased);  Mrs.  jS^ellie  Blair,  wile  of 
Albert  Blair,  of  Sacramento;  Charles  H.,  resi- 
dent near  Hicksville,  Sacramento  County ;  Joshua 
T.,  resident  in  Brighton  Township;  and  Edwin, 
who  died  young.  Mrs.  Bailey,  in  her  girlhood, 
was  in  Wisconsin  during  the  Indian  troubles, 
and  had  to  go  to    Fort   Funk   for   protection    in 


the  month  of  April,  and  did  not  get  out  until 
the  following  October.  She  and  another  girl 
made  cartridges  for  the  garrison  when  the  am- 
munition was  exhausted.  Joel  D.  Bailey,  the 
subject  of  this  sketch,  came  to  this  State  in 
1849  with  his  father,  landing  in  Placerville  the 
10th  of  September.  From  that  time  he  wan- 
dered about  from  place  to  place  in  the  northern 
part  of  the  State.  When  his  father  located  on 
White  Rock  Spring,  in  Sacramento  County,  he 
was  with  him  and  remained  there  for  about  six 
months.  Then  ho  went  to  Yreka.  In  the 
winter  of  1851-'52  he  started  for  Wisconsin 
via  Panama,  stopping  at  Tehama  on  the  Sacra- 
mento River.  In  1853  he  returned  to  Califor- 
nia, crossing  the  plains  with  cattle  and  bringing 
them  to  this  county.  In  1857  he  took  up  160 
acres  adjoining  his  father's  ranch.  He  was 
married  September  27,  1871,  to  Nancy  New- 
ingliam,  a  native  of  Hancock  County,  Illinois, 
born  January  18,  1844.  In  1852  she  crossed 
the  plains  with  her  parents,  Absalom  and  Mary 
Newingham,  one  sister  and  a  brother.  On  the 
journey  her  father  died  of  cholera.  Arriving 
at  Portland,  Oregon,  the  family  stopped  there  a 
short  time,,  then  came  to  Sacramento  County  in 
December,  1852.  Her  mother  is  now  the  wife 
of  R.  H.  Lee,  and  resides  in  Brighton  Town- 
ship. Sh'=!  started  for  the  East  in  1854,  on  the 
Yankee  Blade,  and  when  twenty-four  hours  out 
the  steamer  struck  a  rock  and  was  wrecked; 
thirty  lives  were  lost,  but  Mrs.  Newingham  and 
her  family  were  saved.  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Bailey 
have  two  sons:  William  Francis,  born  Septem- 
ber 27,  1872,  and  Charles  Augustus,  born  Octo- 
ber 17,  1874. 

— ^€(i:©%.^— 

tARON  DOTY  OAKLEY,  a  rancher  of 
Natoma  Township,  Sacramento  County, 
about  eight  miles  from  Folsom,  was  born 
in  Essex  County,  New  Jersey,  June  25,  1817, 
his  parents  being  Aaron  and  Sarah  (Doty)  Oak- 
ley, both  natives  of  that  State.  The  father, 
born    August  5,  1783,    died    in    1858,    and    the 


HISTORY    OF    SACRAMENTO    COUNTY. 


mother,  born  August  20,  1788,  died  in  1863. 
The  grandfather,  Joseph  Doty,  born  in  1751, 
was  a  soldier  of  the  Revolution,  a  member  of 
the  "Washington  Life-gnard  cavalry,  and  lived 
to  be  ninety-three.  His  wife,  Martha  (Allen) 
Doty,  also  born  in  New  Jersey,  in  1755,  lived 
to  be  seventy-seven.  They  had  been  over  fifty 
years  married  at  her  death.  Grandfather  Thomas 
Oakley  had  come  from  England  with  his  father, 
and  was  married  to  Nancy  Clark,  a  native  of  Hol- 
land. He  owned  a  sawmill  on  the  Passaic  and 
was  drowned  in  his  own  mill-pond  about  1812, 
but  his  wife  lived  to  the  age  of  ninety-three, 
dying  in  1838.  The  great-grandfather,  also 
Thomas  Oakley,  of  Oakley  Hall,  England,  was 
twice  a  widower,  with  children  by  both  wives, 
when  he  emigrated  to  America  some  time  before 
the  Kevolution  and  settled  at  Huntington  har- 
bor on  Long  Island.  A.  D.  Oakley  learned 
bricklaying  and  plastering  fi-om  1834  to  1837, 
earning  two  dollars  a  day  as  early  as  1837.  He 
located  in  Brooklyn  in  1837,  and  there  worked 
at  his  trade,  but  after  the  great  fire  in  Charleston, 
South  Carolina,  in  1838,  he  worked  at  the  re- 
building of  that  city  for  about  three  years. 
Meanwhile  he  was  married  in  Brooklyn,  July 
16,  1839,  to  Miss  Sarah  J.  Housey,  born  in 
Brooklyn,  April  16,  1819,  daughter  of  John  and 
Maria  (Ackerman)  Housey,  the  former  a  native 
of  England,  and  the  latter  of  New  Jersey,  of 
Dutch  descent.  Returning  to  Brooklyn  in  1841, 
he,  continued  his  business  of  brick-laying  and 
plastering  in  that  city  for  seven  years.  Having 
lost  his  first  wife,  December  16,  1842,  he  was 
again  married  in  Brooklyn,  July  14,  1847,  to 
Miss  Sarah  A.  Minich,  born  in  Lancaster  County, 
Pennsylvania,  April  20,  1827,  daughter  of  Jacob 
and  Anna  (Gamber)  Minich.  The  mother  died  at 
the  age  of  forty  nine  years,  and  the  father  at 
sixty-six.     Mr.  Oakley   moved  to  St.  Louis  in 

1849,  and   left  there  for  California  April  20, 

1850.  Taking  141  days  to  cross  the  plains,  he 
arrived  in  Sacramento  September  13,  1850.  He 
first  followed  the  dairy  business  in  a  small  way 
for  one  year,  working  occasionally  at  his  trade 
at  twelve  dollars  a  day,  and  acting  as  policeman 


for  six  months.  He  then  went  into  the  team- 
ing business  between  Sacramento  and  "Hang- 
town,"  keeping  at  one  time  seventeen  teams  on 
the  road,  and  running  a  general  store  at  Placer- 
ville  in  1852  and  1853.  His  teamsters  took 
orders  and  delivered  goods  all  along  the  route. 
May  10,  1854,  Mr.  Oakley  "squatted  "  on  the 
place  he  now  owns,  which  was  not  then  sur- 
veyed. It  was  not  in  the  market  until  eight 
years  later.  P'rom  1864  to  1885  he  has  been 
acquiring  land  and  now  owns  880  acres.  Mr. 
Oakley  has  been  a  school  trustee  and  clerk  of 
the  board  twenty-eight  years,  and  justice  of  the 
peace  from  1868  to  1884,  except  one  terra  of 
two  years.  Mrs.  Oakley  died  May  29,  1880, 
leaving  four  children,  all  born  in  California: 
Engene  Minich,  born  November  16, 1850,  was 
married  December  20,  1883,  to  Miss  Eveline 
Saul,  a  native  of  this  State,  and  daughter  of 
Charles  Saul,  of  Natoma Township,  and  has  two 
children,  a  boy  and  a  girl;  Henry  Louis,  born 
January  1,  1857,  superintends  the  cattle  and 
farming  interests  on  his  father's  place;  Carrie 
Belle  superintends  his  household  and  cares  for 
his  personal  comfort.  His  youngest  child.  Miss 
Bonnie,  is  a  school  teacher  by  profession,  hav- 
ing received  her  diploma  or  certificate  from  the 
Normal  School  at  San  Jose  in  1886.  Besides 
these  there  is  his  oldest  son,  the  only  child  of 
his  first  wife,  A.  D.  Oakley,  of  San  Francisco. 
He  was  born  in  Brooklyn,  April  29,  1840,  was 
married  in  this  county  in  1873  to  Miss  Marion 
Van  Trees,  born  in  California  in  1854.  They 
have  four  children — two  sons  and  two  daughters. 


fOHN  A.  GILMORE  was  born  in  November, 
1825,  in  Mifflin  County,  Pennsylvania,  a 
son  of  Samuel  and  Rebecca  (Wilze)  Gil- 
more;  the  father  a  native  of  Irelaid  and  the 
mother  of  Pennsylvania.  As  a  boy  John  was 
raised  on  a  farm.  In  1861  he  went  to  Ashland 
County,  Ohio,  where  he  remained  eighteen 
months,  then,  in  1863,  started  for  California, 
crossing  the  plains  and  bringing  horses,  which 


HfSTORT    OF    SACRAMENTO    COUNTY. 


were  sold  at  San  Francisco.  He  reached  Sacra- 
mento July  10,  1863.  and  remained  tliere  two 
years,  working  at  the  blacksmiths'  trade.  In 
1864  he  crossed  the  monntains  to  Carson  City, 
where  he  was  engaged  at  his  trade;  he  after- 
ward sold  out  and  went  to  Belcher  Orchard.  He 
next  ran  a  threshing-machine,  witli  success,  for 
about  twenty  years.  He  then  ])urchased  160 
acres  of  land  in  San  Joaquin  Township,  May  6, 
1876,  and  in  March,  1879,  210  more  acres,  the 
whole  situated  twelve  miles  from  Sacramento 
on  the  upper  Stockton  road.  As  a  farmer  he  is 
very  successful.  He  has  been  a  member  of  Elk 
Grove  I.  O.  O.  F.,  No.  274,  for  seventeen  years. 


fAMES  O.  COLEMAN  was  born  at  Hop- 
kinsville.  Christian  County,  Kentucky,  in 
1845,  the  sun  of  H.  H.,  a  brother  of  W. 
P.  Coleman,  pioneer  banker  of  this  city,  and 
Barbara  A.  (Hopper)  Coleman.  Her  father 
migrated  from  Kentucky  during  the  early  days 
to  Illinois,  and  settled  in  Warren  County. 
When  in  1863,  through  the  advice  of  his  physi- 
cian, young  Coleman  was  compelled  to  seek  a 
milder  climate  and  a  change  of  scene,  he  lirst 
went  to  Washington  Territory,  but  soon  came  to 
Sacramento.  Securing  a  clerkship  in  a  mercan- 
tile house,  he  remained  here  until  1866,  then  he 
returned  to  his  native  town  on  a  visit  and  was 
induced  to  remain,  which  he  did  for  seven  years, 
engaging  in  the  hardware  business;  but  the  de- 
lightful climate  and  pleasant  associations  finally 
induced  him  to  return,  when,  with  a  view  to 
permanently  locating,  he  traveled  extensively 
throngliout  the  Golden  State,  and  after  thorough 
investigation  decided  to  settle  in  the  Capital 
City.  He  opened  an  exchange  and  brokers' 
office  on  J  street,  where  he  has  been  since  en- 
gaged ill  business.  He  is  a  man  of  marked 
tinancial  and  executive  ability,  enterprising  and 
public-spirited.  It  was  he  who  first  proposed 
the  plan  of  the  "  P'estival  of  Flowers,"  which  in 
May,  1885,  was  tendered  to  Margaret  E.  Crocker, 
in   recognition  of  her  magnificent  gifts  to  the 


city.  He  it  was,  in  connection  with  William 
Ormsby,  who  eight  years  ago  organized  the 
open-air  concerts  which  have  been  so  po])ular, 
and  continue  to  be  a  distingnishing  feature  of 
the  city.  It  was  he  who  was  largely  instru- 
mental in  organizing  the  Sacramento  Improve- 
ment Association,  of  which  he  was  the  first 
secretary,  and  Dr.  Simmons  the  first  president. 
When  in  1886,  at  the  grand  banquet  held  at  the 
pavilion  in  honor  of  the  meeting  of  the  G.  A.  R., 
when  1,800  people  were  seated,  he,  being  on  the 
executive  committee,  did  much  to  make  the 
occasion  the  success  that  it  was.  These  in- 
stances are  well  known,  and  others  might  be 
cited,  for  so  fully  has  he  established  a  reputa- 
tion in  this  direction  that  no  occurrence  of  this 
character  would  be  considered  complete  without 
his  aid  and  counsel.  His  friends  feel  assured 
that  if  called  to  the  broader  field  of  public  use- 
fulness, his  ability  to  organize,  originate  and 
control  will  be  brought  forward  to  the  lasting 
benefit  of  the  department  under  his  control,  and 
to  the  material  advantage  and  advancement  of 
the  interests  of  his  friends  and  constituents. 


fllARLES  AUGUST  AVICKSTROM  was 
born  in  Sweden,  in  1855,  his  parents  being 
Zacris  and  Katrina  (Klaus)  Wickstrom. 
They  came  to  America  in  1878,  and  are  now 
living  in  Clay  (bounty,  Dakota,  being  owners, of 
480  acres  in  that  State.  They  have  four  sons 
there  and  one  daughter  in  Sweden.  Grand- 
parents Wickstrom  lived  to  a  good  old  age,  the 
the  husband  being  over  eighty  and  the  wife 
being  over  seventy  when  they  died.  Charles  A. 
preceded  the  other  members  of  his  family,  ar- 
riving in  California  in  1875.  He  first  went  to 
mining  near  Gibsonville,  Sierra  County,  and 
afterward  in  Nevada  County.  He  spent  about 
five  years  in  mining,  and  at  one  time  had  accu- 
mulated quite  a  sum,  but  lost  it  again.  In  1881 
he  came  down  to  San  Francisco  and  went  into 
the  theatrical  business,  running  the  Coliseum 
with  its  accessories,  in  which  he  has  been  sue- 


2^^y 


HISTORY    OF    SACRAMENTO    COUNTY. 


He  exchanged  tlie  Coliseum  theatre 
fur  other  property  in  1884,  and  on  September  9, 
1885,  lie  bought  100  acres  on  Grand  Island, 
about  five  miles  above  Isleton.  He  has  six  acres 
in  fruit  and  raises  some  vegetables,  chietiy 
beans.  He  has  a  comfortable  home  on  the  place, 
and  enjoys  a  country  life,  buoying  himself  with 
various  improvements,  and  spending  on  his 
place  all  the  time  he  can  without  prejudice  to  his 
business  interests  in  San  Francisco.  Mr.  Wick- 
strora  was  married  in  1881  to  Miss  Liesetta 
Huth,  born  in  Germany  1861,  daugliterof  Johan- 
nes and  Ann  Margareta  (Rudolph)  Huth,  now  of 
San  Francisco,  where  tliey  have  three  sons  and 
three  daughters  besides  Mrs.  Wickstrom.  Mr. 
and  Mrs.  Wickstrom  are  the  parents  of  two 
children:  Charles  Gottfried,  born  June  12, 
1882;  Lillie,  September  22,  1887.  Mr.  Wick- 
strom is  a  member  of  Druid  Grove  No.  15,  in 
San  Francisco,  and  of  the  Swedish  Society  of 
that  city. 


.^ 


fAPTAIN  ALBERT  FOSTER,  one  of  tlie 
best  known  residents  of  Sacramento  city, 
was  born  in  Kennebec  County,  in  the  town 
of  Waterville,  Maine,  October  16,  1826.  His 
parents  were  Samuel  S.  and  Mary  (Smith)  Fos- 
ter. His  father,  a  millwright,  was  a  native  of 
Sumner,  that  State,  and  his  grandfather  was 
also  a  native  of  Maine.  His  mother  was  a  na- 
tive of  Steuben,  Maine.  Captain  Foster  was 
reared  at  Waterville,  and  when  he  arrived  at  the 
age  of  fourteen  years  his  parents  removed  to 
Clinton,  that  State.  He  served  an  apprehtice- 
ship  at  edge-tool  a!id  mill  work  in  Maine.  The 
man  he  worked  for,  Noah  Boothby,  moved  to 
Waterville,  and  after  learning  the  trade  youno- 
Foster  worked  a  year  at  Fairfield.  He  came  to 
California  with  a  party  of  eight,  one  of  whom 
was  Captain  Greenleaf  T.  Page,  now  deceased; 
also  Dr.  Guptel  and  liufus  JvendalJ,  Gardner 
and  Charles  Waters,  Henry  Gullifer  and  Will- 
iam H.  Hudson.  They  sailed  from  Newbury- 
port   on   the  brig  Ciiarlotte,  Captain   Bartlett,   | 


January  22,  1849,  rounded  Cape  Horn,  were 
driven  off  in  a  gale,  going  below  62°  south. 
They  stopped  at  Port  Cojicepcion,  Chili,  where 
thej  lay  ten  days.  That  was  the  only  port  they 
made  on  the  voyage.  July  22  they  arrived  at 
San  Francisco,  where  they  stopped  long  enough 
to  get  together  a  bateau,  on  which  they  loaded 
their  material  that  they  had  brought  with  them. 
They  came  to  Sacramento,  and  then  proceeded 
to  Park's  Bar  on  the  Yuba  River,  on  their  boat. 
They  mined  there  for  some  time  and  then.  Cap- 
tain Foster,  in  company  with  Gullifer  and  John 
Lawrence,  of  New  York,  and  Robinson,  set  out 
to  find  winter  diggings,  having  heard  good  re- 
ports from  Trinity  River  district.  They  started 
with  their  boat,  went  down  the  Yuba  and 
Feather  rivers  and  up  the  Sacramento  to  a  point 
nearly  opposite  Chico,  and  there  ran  out  of 
provisions.  When  they  landed  at  Potter's 
ranch  at  Chico,  they  had  seen  only  one  white 
man,  and  he  had  then  lost  his  way.  Indians 
were  plentiful  enough,  and  they  followed  them, 
at  one  time  there  being  about  400  in  the  party. 
There  was  an  island  just  below  which  is  now 
Butte  City.  The  Indians  had  a  fish  dam,  sub- 
stantial enough  to  serve  as  a  foot  bridge;  and 
our  party  could  not  get  over  this  with  their 
boat.  The  Indians  lifted  it  over.  They  saw 
the  lost  man,  who  called  to  them,  and  they  gave 
him  something  to  eat,  having  killed  a  deer  a  few 
days  previously.  He  told  them  where  they  could 
get  some  flour — at  Potter's  ranch.  Robinson 
and  Captain  Foster  went  to  Redding  Springs, 
where  Shasta  is  now,  when  there  was  no  one 
there  except  some  parties  from  Oregon  who  bad 
some  Oregon  flour,  as  black  as  a  hat.  They  paid 
$2  a  pound  for  the  flour.  On  prospecting 
around  there  they  found  among  the  dirt  which 
some  laborers  were  shoveling  a  quantity  of 
shining  material;  and  even  the  poorest  of  that 
yielded  50  cents-  to  $1  per  pan.  It  was  a  rich 
"  find,"  and  the  field  was  what  was  termed  "  dry 
diggings."  Captain  Foster  saw  a  man  with  a 
pint  cup  half  full  of  gold  dust  which  he  had 
picked  up  that  day!  He  and  his  partner  were 
looking  around  for  better  diggings,  intending 


IIISTOKY    OF    SACUAMENTO    COUNTY. 


to  go  to  Triuity  River,  but  finally  concluded  to 
return  to  the  Yuba  Eiver.  The  second  day 
after  they  arrived  there  Mr.  Kendall  died  and 
Captain  Foster  was  taken  sick;  and  Captain 
Page  was  so  ill,  indeed,  that  fears  were  enter- 
tained of  his  death.  They  placed  him  upon  a 
bed  with  an  awning  rigged  over  liiin.  Captain 
Foster,  though  ill,  crawled  upon  his  hands  and 
knees,  made  some  milk  gruel  and  gave  it  to 
Page,  which  revived  him  and  saved  his  life. 
The  Montague  party  buried  twelve  out  of  the 
thirty-six  uf  its  metiibers.  On  the  10th  of  Oc- 
tober they  were  camped  opposite  Sacramento; 
and  thence  they  went  to  San  Francisco.  In  the 
party  were  Captain  Page,  Foster  and  Gullifer. 
At  San  Francisco  they  found  an  old  captain, 
with  the  brig  North  Bend,  who  insisted  upon 
their  going  to  Oregon;  which  they  did,  and 
spent  the  winter  there.  In  the  spring  of  1850 
Captain  Foster  made  a  trip  with  Banks  and 
others  on  a  bateau  up  Honcut  Creek.  Securing 
teams,  they  proceeded  on  up  to  Stringtown  and 
mined  there  awhile.  They  undertook  to  turn 
the  river,  co-operating  with  others;  but  even 
after  that  should  be  done  it  was  ascertained  that 
they  could  not  woik  the  grounds.  After  re- 
maining there  some  four  or  five,  months,  they 
went  down  the  river  early  in  the  fall  to  what  is 
now  Jackson,  and  a  week  later  Captain  Foster, 
being  still  an  invalid,  came  to  Sacramento. 
Johnson,  the  second  mate,  was  at  this  time  the 
captain  of  the  old  schooner,  E.  A.  Slicer.  Fos- 
ter saw  him  leaving  tlie  levee  at  Sacramento,  and 
in  a  brief  conversation  he  asked  him  what  he 
was  doing;  and  he  said,  "Jump  on."  Page 
came  through  from  Oregon  with  the  Governor 
Joe  Lane  party  and  found  Mr.  Foster  on  the 
schooner;  they  went  up  to  Shasta  together  and 
followed  mining  there  eiglit  or  nine  mouths', 
and  then,  with  a  view  of  finding  a  more  profit- 
able business  in  steamboating,  they  posted  them- 
selves on  the  amount  of  freight  going  north.  In 
September,  1851,  tiiey  started  at  a  point  not  200 
yards  from  the  present  Middle  Creek  Station  on 
the  California  &  Oregon  Railroad,  and  canoed 
down    the   Sacramento,  sounding  all    the    way. 


Foster  selected  Red  Bluff  as  the  head  of  navi- 
gation, which  was  soon  proved  to  be  correct. 
He  bought  an  interest  in  the  steamer  Orient, 
whicli  was  running  to  Colusa  at  the  time,  hav- 
ing made  a  few  trips.  They  bought  this  vessel 
with  the  understanding  that  when  the  water 
arose  it  was  to  goto  Red  Blufl^;  and  it  was  the 
first  to  go  there,  in  November,  1851,  Mr.  Fos- 
ter being  the  second  pilot.  On  coming  down 
the  river,  the  water  fell  quickly  and  they  were 
caught  on  a  bar  at  the  Lassen  place,  now  Gov- 
ernor Stanford's  Vina  ranch.  Digging  a  canal 
through  the  bar  to  deep  water  they  got  away. 
January  3,  1852,  they  left  Sacramento  with  a 
half  load  of  freight  for  Red  Blufi".  On  that  trip 
Mr.  Foster  was  the  first  pilot.  The  journey 
there  and  back  this  time  was  made  in  five  days, 
and  they  never  scratched  bottom.  After  this 
the  captain  made  regular  trips  to  that  point 
during  high  water,  and  as  far  as  Colusa  during 
low  water.  The  rate  of  freight  at  that  time  be- 
tween Sacramento  and  Red  Bluff  was  $100  a 
ton;  and  they  had  more  than  they  could  carry 
even  at  that  high  rate,  one  or  two  trips  ahead 
being  always  pre-engaged,  until  the  Marysvilie 
boats  comujenced  running  and  brought  the 
freight  down  to  $70  a  ton;  but  the  Orient  re. 
tained  a  plenty  of  trade,  on  account  of  its  repu- 
tation. (In  low  water  they  used  to  run  as  far 
as  Colusa,  and  in  high  water  they  went  all  the 
way  through.)  When  the  Steam  Navigation 
Company  was  formed,  March  1,  1854,  the  Ori- 
ent was  turned  in  with  the  rest  of  the  vessels. 
This  arrangement  continued  three  or  four  years, 
and  finally  they  got  to  running  steamers  with 
barges  all  the  way  up  to  Red  Blulf.  Captain 
Foster  sold  out  his  interest  in  the  Orient  in 
1853,  and  purchased  an  interest  in  the  Cleo- 
patra, with  which  he  made  his  first  trip  Decem- 
ber 12,  that  year.  He  went  into  the  Navigation 
Company  on  its  formation,  and  continued  in  the 
same  trade.  He  made  the  pioneer  trip  up  the 
American  River,  during  the  flood,  to  Patterson's 
ranch,  about  eighteen  miles  u]>.  He  had  to  go 
out  to  where  they  could  connect  with  teams. 
He  went  on  routes  where  they  could  get  no  one 


lU.STonr    OF    .SACIiAMENTO    COUNTY. 


else  to  go;  ran  on  the  Napa  route  a  short  time. 
In  1865  lie  went  on  the  steamer  Chrysopolis 
from  Sacramento  to  San  Francisco,  and  was  with 
that  vessel  until  1872,  when  he  was  taken  off 
to  straighten  things  out  on  the  San  Joaquin 
River.  When  thej  built  the  wharf  at  Knight's 
Landing  they  sent  hiin  there  to  inaugurate  the 
business:  then,  in  May,  1873.  they  gave  him 
charge  of  all  the  lighr-ivater  boats,  with  Sacra- 
mento for  headquarters,  until  1882,  and  then  was 
made  superintendent  of  river  steamers,  and  since 
then  has  held  that  position.  Captain  Foster  was 
married  in  Oakland,  December  12, 1853,  to  Miss 
Charlotte  Brown,  a  native  of  Maine,  born  at 
Clinton.  She  came  to  California  in  1852,  with 
her  mother.  Of  the  four  children  in  the  family 
of  Captain  Foster,  only  one  is  now  living, 
namely,  Frank  L.,  who  was  born  June  27, 1864, 
and  is  now  a  pilot  on  the  river.  Those  who 
died  were:  Ericsson,  born  J  une  3,  1855,  and  died 
July  16,  1863;  Annie  K,  born  December  27, 
1857,  died  July  21,  1863;  Albert  C,  born  De- 
cember 26,  1861,  died  August  20,  1864.  The 
father  of  Captain  Foster,  Samuel  C,  was  born 
August  6,  1798,  and  died  in  1885.  His  mother, 
whose  maiden  name  was  Mary  Smith,  was  born 
March  28,  1801,  and  died  in  April,  1887.  Cap- 
tain Foster,  being  one  of  the  most  prominent  citi- 
zens of  Sacramento,  deserves  more  than  ordinary 
mention  in  the  history  of  this  community;  and 
we  have  given  considerable  space  to  his  early 
life  on  the  Sacramento  River  because  it  consti- 
tutes the  most  important  pari  of  the  history  of 
navigation  in  this  part  of  the  State. 


^ANIEL  H.  BUELL,  fruit-raiser,  was  born 
May  7,  1882,  in  Groton,  Grafton  County, 
New  Hampshire.  His  father,  also  named 
Daniel,  was  a  native  of  the  same  State,  but  his 
forefathers  were  Welsh.  In  1844  he  located  in 
Kirtland,  Lake  County,  Ohio,  for  tive  year#,  and 
then  was  seven  years  in  Avon,  Lake  County, 
Illinois,  and  until  1864  at  New  Hampton, 
Chickasaw  County,    Iowa,   tlien   until   1871  in 


Nemaha  County,  Nebraska,  and  finally  he  came 
to  California.  Since  his  residence  in  Illinois  he 
lived  with  his  son,  the  subject  of  this  sketch, 
until  his  death,  January  7,  1887,  at  the  age  of 
eighty-lour  years.  He  was  a  memiier  of  the 
Grange,  and  in  politics  a  Democrat.  In  his 
family  were  one  son  and  two  daughters;  both 
the  girls  died  when  young.  Daniel  II. 's  mother, 
whose  maiden  name  was  Abigail  Anable,  was  a 
native  of  New  Hampshire,  and  died  in  Illinois 
in  1853,  at  the  age  of  fifty  years.  Mr.  Buell, 
our  subject,  was  married  in  1854  to  Miss  Susan 
D.  Arnold,  of  Illinois,  born  June  10,  1832,  of 
Vermont  parents.  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Buell  have  had 
six  children,  in  the  following  order:  Edwin  A., 
born  July  17,  1855,  and  died  January  7,  1881; 
Charles  L.,  born  March  15,  1859;  Frank  H., 
October  9,  1860,  died  December  31, 1880;Celia 
v.,  born  April  5,  1864,  and  now  the  wife  of 
George  W.  Carlisle;  Julius  II.,  September  11, 
1867;  Daniel  S.,  October  26,  1873.  The  living 
are  all  residents  of  California.  Mr.  Buell  came 
to  California  in  1871,  settling  immediately  upou 
his  present  property  of  160  acres,  which  he 
ptirchased  of  Calvin  Siddall,  twelve  miles  from 
Sacramento,  four  miles  from  Elk  Grove  and 
three  and  a  half  from  Florin;  here  he  devotes 
his  attention  principally  to  the  production  of 
fruits.  He  has  fifteen  acres  in  a  vineyard  of 
table  grapes.  For  a  time  he  raised  many  straw- 
berries. Si.vty  acres  of  his  place  has  been  di- 
vided up  among  his  three  children.  All  he 
possesses  he  has  made  by  hard  labor  and  econo- 
my, and  he  has  had  many  drawbacks.  He  is  a 
member  of  the  Grange  at  Florin.  In  politics 
he  is  a  Republican. 


L.  DAVIS,  farmer,  was  born  M^rch  28, 
1827,  in  Dayton,  Ohio.  His  parents 
®  were  Jacob  and  Mary  (Humphreyville) 
Davis,  the  former  a  native  of  Virginia,  who 
emigrated  to  Ohio  in  early  day  with  his  father, 
and  followed  the  blacksmith  business  most  of 
the  time.     He  removed   to   Iowa   while  it  was 


HlSTOUr    OF    HAGRAMENTO    COUNTY 


yet  a  Territory,  and  was  engaged  in  agriculture 
near  Tipton,  Cedar  County,  until  liis  death,  at 
the  age  of  seventy-one  years;  his  wife  died  in 
the  same  county  at  the  age  of  sixty-live  years. 
They  had  six  daughters  and  four  sons.  The 
names  of  the  latter  were:  Charles  D.,  D.  L., 
Jaton  H.  and  Jacob.  Charles  was  in  both  the 
Mexican  war  and  the  war  of  the  Rebellion,  and 
died  at  Baker  City,  Oregon,  in  1875.  Jason 
H.  is  also  deceased;  and  Jacob  is  in  Nebraska. 
Mr.  Davis,  our  subject,  left  Iowa  in  1851  for 
California,  sailing  from  New  Orleans  to  the 
Isthmus  and  landing  at  San  Francisco  March  8, 
1852.  On  the  same  evenin;^  he  took  a  boat  to 
Sacramento,  landing  here  at  the  time  of  the  flood 
and  was  taken  by  boat  to  the  old  fort.  He  im- 
mediately started  for  the  mines  near  Hangtown, 
where  he  followed  mining  until  the  fall  of  1853, 
with  moderate  success.  Heturning  to  the  Sac- 
ramento Valley,  he  located  on  what  is  now 
known  as  the  Jane  Mahan  ranch,  plowed  the 
land  with  ox  teams  and  raised  a  crop  of  gi'ain. 
He  continued  there  seven  years,  being  very  suc- 
cessful in  agricultural  pursuits.  In  1860  he 
returned  to  Iowa  by  water,  by  way  of  the  Isth- 
mus and  New  York  city,  and  the  next  year 
came  again  to  California,  this  time  overland, 
arx-iving  here  in  July,  the  trip  hither  occupying 
about  four  months.  The  greater  portion  of  this 
journey  was  made  by  himself  and  family,  con- 
sisting of  wife  and  four  children.  He  located 
upon  his  present  ranch  in  1861,  the  only  man 
on  that  plain  at  the  time;  t<j-day  he  has  one  of 
the  finest  ranches  in  this  locality,  well  furnished 
with  a  good  residence,  beautiful  yard  and  taste- 
ful arrangements  throughout.  Although  he 
came  to  this  State  without  means,  he  now  has  a 
splendid  ranch  of  1,120  acres,  all  in  a  state  of 
good  cultivation.  His  politics  may  be  known 
by  the  fact  that  he  cast  his  first  vote  for  Taylor 
and  last  vote  for  Harrison.  In  1849  Mr.  Davis 
married  Miss  Elizabeth  Murray,  and  they  have 
six  sons  and  three  daughters  living;  three  chil- 
dren are  deceased.  The  living  are:  John  J.,  in 
Oregon;  Mary,  wife  of  D.  Watkins,  of  Nevada; 
Henrietta,  wife  of   C.  Cantrell;    Lizzie,  wife  of 


Ed.  Riley;  D".  L.,  Jr.;  Alexander,  at  home;  Jason 
H.,  Thomas  N.  and  Charles  D. 

fRANCIS  EDWARD  CONNOR,  a  rancher 
of  Cosumnes  Township,  was  born  in  Lis- 
more.  County  Waterford,  Ireland,  January 
1, 1815,  his  parents  being  John  and  Kate  (Geary) 
Connor,  both  now  deceased,  the  father  at  the 
age  of  seventy-three  and  the  mother  at  sixty- 
five.  Grandfather  David  Connor  was  quite  old 
at  his  death.  The  grandparents  Geary  were 
'also  well  advanced  in  years  when  they  died. 
One  of  Mr.  Connor's  fondest  recollections  of  his 
boyhood  is  having  seen  printed  and  manuscript 
books  in  tlie  Irish  language,  the  property  of  his 
uncle  Edward  Geary,  who  was  not  only  an  adept 
in  the  lore  of  ids  people,  but  was  also  a  good 
English  and  classical  scholar  and  made  a  busi- 
ness of  preparing  young  men  for  the  univer- 
sities. Mr.  Connor  received  an  elementary 
education  and  was  brought  up  on  a  farm.  His 
people  on  both  sides  were  of  the  class  of  small 
farmers.  He  came  to  America  in  1847,  and 
was  for  some  years  variously  employed  in  the 
East,  one  of  his  most  pleasant  occupations  being 
that  of  companion  and  nurse  for  sixteen  months 
to  a  Mr.  Halsey,  of  Providence,  a  wealthy  gentle- 
n.an  who  traveled  much  in  the  eastern  section 
of  the  country.  xVbout  1850  he  went  South, 
and  January  22.  1854,  he  left  New  Orleans  for 
California,  by  the  Panama  route,  arriving  in  San 
Francisco  on  Washington's  birthday.  Had  his 
share  of  the  gains  and  losses  of  a  miner's  life  for 
seven  years,  and  in  1861  bought  the  420  acres 
which  he  still  owns  and  occupies  about  two  miles 
from  Michigan  Bar.  F.  E.  Connor  was  married 
in  New  Orleans  in  August,  1853,  to  Miss  Mar- 
garet Ilassett,  also  a  native  of  Ireland,  born  near 
Tralee,  County  Kerry,  March  22, 1827,  her  par- 
ents being  James  and  Catherine  (Ready)  Ilassett. 
She  came  to  America  at  the  age  of  twenty,  and  to 
California  about  six  months  after  her  marriage. 
Mr.  and  Mrs.  Connor  are  the  parents  uf  the  fol- 
lowing named  children :     James  Blennerhassett, 


IIISTOHr    OF    SACRAMENTO    COUlsTT. 


born  June  9,  1854,  was  married  May  17, 1887, 
to  Miss  Margaret  Roach,  a  native  of  tliis  county, 
daughter  of  Michael  and  Mary  (Dalton)  Roach; 
Kate,  born  May  6,  1856,  now  Mrs.  John  Weizel, 
of  Sacramento,  has  one  child,  John  Edward, 
born  November  22, 1886;  Arthur,  born  January 
17,1859;  Richard  Albert,  December  6,  1863; 
Margaret  Ellen,  January  19,  1867. 


aLLIAM  FLOYD  NEELY  was  born 
November  18, 1821,  in  Maury  CountV) 
Tennessee,  son  of  John  and  Margaret 
(Stewart)  Neely,  the  former  a  native  of  Virginia, 
and  the  latter  of  Tennessee.  When  eighteen 
years  old  he  went  into  the  hotel  at  Pontotoc, 
Mississippi,  owned  by  W.  L.  Dogan,  where  he 
remained  five  years,  having  sole  charge  and  man- 
agement of  same.  During  the  latter  part  of 
his  stay  the  proprietors  of  the  lintel,  who  were 
owners  of  keel-boats,  proposed  that  he  should 
take  charge  of  one  of  the  boats,  which  lay  at 
the  head  waters  of  the  Yazoo  River.  He  fol- 
lowed this  business  for  several  years  in  different 
boats,  connected  in  all  cases  with  cotton  ship- 
ments. One  of  his  vessels  was  destroyed  by 
tire  and  the  men  had  to  swim  or  float  ashore. 
He  met  all  such  trying  incidents  with  courage 
and  a  cool  head.  In  1852  he  and  eight  other 
young  men,  all  chums,  started  for  California 
via  Memphis  and  Greytown,  where  the  party 
hired  live  of  the  natives  to  take  them  across 
Nicaragua  Lake  in  a  sailing  smack,  at  a  cost  of 
$10  apiece.  They  arrived  in  San  Francisco 
after  a  journey  of  seventy-six  days.  Going  to 
Sacramento,  Mr.  Neely  obtained  work  in  a  hotel 
as  waiter  at  $60  a  month,  which  was  soon  I'aised 
to  S75;  at  the  end  of  two  weeks  he  was  offered 
SlOO  a  month  if  he  would  only  stay,  but  he  re- 
fused. The  autumn  of  1852  found  him  at  the 
mines,  where  he  remained  six  months.  He 
next  went  to  teaming,  receiving  $100  a  month. 
At  the  end  of  two  raontiis  he  opened  a  store  in 
a  mining  district,  where  he  remained  a  year. 
Next  he  purchased  teams  and  commenced  freight- 


ing, following  the  same  for  nearly  fourteen 
years  at  Virginia  City  and  other  places.  This 
was  the  beginning  of  his  success.  In  August, 
1867,  he  purchased  his  present  ranch.  He  was 
married,  August  27, 1867,  to  Miss  Martha  Whit- 
ten,  a  native  of  Washington,  Maine,  and  on  the 
27th  they  took  their  supper  in  the  log  cabin 
erected  on  the  ranch,  and  from  that  time  till  the 
present  have  been  constant  residents  of  Sacra- 
mento County.  They  have  built  and  improved 
their  home  till  it  is  now  one  of  the  nicest  in  the 
county;  and  in  this  home  you  will  meet  with 
that  hospitality  rarely  met  with  except  with  the 
old  Californians.  Their  farm  is  principally 
planted  in  orchards  and  vineyards.  Oranges 
were  eaten  by  the  writer  of  this  biographical 
sketch  at  lunch,  which  were  the  fruit  of  trees 
planted  by  William  Neely  -when  they  first  set- 
tled on  the  ranch.  Mr.  Neely  was  a  Democrat, 
politically,  until  Fort  Sumter  was  tired  on,  when 
he  changed  and  has  been  a  Republican  from  that 
time  to  the  present. 


tLFRED  COFFMAN,  farmer  of  Sacra- 
mento County,  was  born  in  Hamilton 
County,  Illinois,  June  12,  1823,  son  of 
Jacob  and  Ayre  (Fowler)  Coffman.  The  father, 
Jacob,  a  native  of  Germany,  came  to  this 
country  when  four  years  old  and  settled  in 
Kentucky,  where  they  subsisted  by  digging  the 
ginseng  and  selling  it,  and  hunting  deer  and 
dressing  their  skins.  He  was  well  acquainted 
with  Daniel  Boone.  He  moved  to  Illinois,  and 
was  there  during  the  Black  Hawk  war,  in 
which  he  took  part.  He  was  the  first  man  to 
settle  in  Burlington,  Iowa,  which  place  he 
found  while  swimming  the  Mississippi  River 
after  Indians  for  whom  he  had  a  deadly  hatred. 
When  sixty-two  years  of  age  he  moved  to 
Missouri,  to  a  town  called  Jamestown,  five 
miles  from  St.  Joseph.  He  became  so  fond  of 
frontier  life  that  he  followed  it  until  his  death, 
which  occurred  in  Illinois,  at  the  age  of  seventy- 
two  years.     He  shot  his   last  deer   in    Illinois, 


BISTORT    OF    SACRAMENTO    COUNTY. 


while  01)  liorseback,  shortly  before  his  death. 
His  son  Alfred  has  the  old  rifle  with  which  he 
killed  the  deer.  Alfred,  the  subject  of  this 
sketch,  followed  fanning  and  cattle-raising  in 
Illinois,  for  fifteen  years.  In  1875  he  came  to 
Sacramento  County,  and  he  and  his  brother-in-law 
rented  the  Cnrtis  ranch,  which  he  worked  four 
years.  In  1879  he  bought  a  farm  of  320  acres, 
thirteen  miles  from  Sacramento  on  the  upper 
Stockton  road  one  mile  from  Elk  Grove.  He 
was  married  in  1844,  to  Miss  Sarah  Pemberton, 
a  native  of  Kentucky,  who  died  in  1865,  leav- 
ing sixteen  children,  three  sets  of  twins,  iive 
living  to  become  twenty-one  years  of  age.  He 
was  married  again  in  1866,  to  Miss  Elsie 
Howard,  a  native  of  Iowa,  by  whom  he  had 
three  children,  two  of  whom  lived  to  become 
of  age.  Seven  of  the  children  of  Jacob  Coff- 
man  are  living,  the  youngest  being  sixty-six 
years  of  age.  The  subject  of  this  sketch  carries 
on  a  general  farming  business.  He  was  at  one 
time  f>ne  of  the  greatest  grain-raisers  in  this 
county,  having  had  as  high  as  7,000  sacks  of 
wheat  from  one  year's  crop.  In  the  State  lair 
of  1887-'88  he  look  a  premium  on  wheat.  He 
raises  his  own  vegetables,  fruit  and  grapes.  He 
has  an  orange  tree  from  which  he  sold  $10 
worth  of  fruit  in  1888.  He  is  a  member  of 
Elk  Grove  I.  O.  O.  F.,  No   274. 


SRAEL  LUCE  was  born  in  the  village  of 
Newfield,  near  Ithaca,  Tompkins  County. 
New  York,  the  eon  of  James  and  Mary 
(Barber)  Luce,  both  natives  of  New  Jersey. 
Grandmother  Barber  was  a  sister  to  John  Ab- 
bott, a  scion  of  the  Tompkins  County  family  of 
that  name.  The  Luce  family  is  a  numerous 
one  throughout  New  England,  and  the  family 
traditions  show  them  to  have  been  of  Englisli 
ancestry.  Three  brothers  emigrated  to  America 
in  the  colonial  days;  one  settled  in  New  Jersey, 
one  in  Massachusetts,  and  one  in  Kentucky. 
When  Israel  was  nine  years  old  his  family 
mo\ed  to  Elniira,  where   he   grew  to   manhood. 


At  the  age  of  twenty  he  went  to  "West  Troy, 
New  York,  to  learn  the  marble-cutters' trade; 
monumental  work  he  learned  at  Pittslield,  Massa- 
chusetts, and  was  employed  at  Woonsocket, 
Rhode  Island,  where  he  carried  on  the  marble 
business  for  three  years.  Returning  to  Pitts- 
field,  he  went  into  partnership  with  Charles 
Rule.  From  Pittsfield  he  went  to  Worcester, 
Massachusetts,  where  he  caught  the  gold  fever 
and  started  for  California,  sailing  on  the  John 
Castner  for  the  mouth  of  the  Rio  Grande.  He 
left  New  York  January  29,  and  arrived  at  San 
Francisco  on  the  25th  of  May,  1849.  He  came 
directly  to  Sacramento,  on  his  way  to  the  Colo- 
ma  mining  districts.  In  September  he  returned 
to  Sacramento,  clerked  in  a  store  till  March, 
1850,  when  he  w-ent  up  the  American  River 
nine  miles  and  built  the  Nine-Mile  House,  of 
which  he  was  part  proprietor  for  a  time;  but  as 
selling  rum  was  not  agreeable  to  his  conscience, 
he  sold  out  and  came  again  to  Sacramento; 
mined  at  Cape  Horn,  beyond  Colfax,  in  1851. 
In  December,  1850,  he  bought  a  lot  of  marble 
on  the  wharf  at  San  Francisco,  brought  it  to 
Sacramento,  and  established  the  first  marble 
yards,  February,  1851,  on  the  east  side  of 
Seventh,  between  J  and  K  streets.  In  1853  he 
formed  a  co-partnership  with  Mr.  A.  Aitken, 
and  they  established  themselves  on  K  street, 
near  the  Golden  Eagle  Hotel.  P'or  twenty- five 
years  this  firm  carried  on  the  business,  dis- 
solving in  1878.  During  the  following  year 
Mr.  Luce  again  started  business  near  the  old 
stand,  where  his  son  is  at  pj-esent  located.  For 
eighteen  of  the  twenty-five  years.  Luce  &  Aitken 
worked  the  quarry  at  Indians'  Diggings,  El- 
Dorado  County.  In  1872  Mr.  Luce  prospected 
on  the  McLeod  River,  and  spent  six  months  at 
Tehachapi  in  1877.  In  September,  1885,  he 
located  the  Inyo  marble  quarries,  of  which  so 
much  has  been  said  of  late,  and  of  which  he  is 
the  superintendent.  This  stone  is  of  pure 
white  dolomite,  susceptible  of  a  high  degree  of 
polish,  very  beautiful,  and  more  durable  than 
granite.  Mr.  Luce  is  one  of  tlie  oldest  Odd 
Fellows  in  the  State,  having  been  initiated  into 


UISTURY    OF    SACRAMENTO    COUNTY. 


the  order  at  Berkshire  Lodge,  No.  57,  Massa- 
chusetts, in  May,  1848,  and  joined  Eureka,  No. 
4,  by  card.  In  the  early  days  he  was  especially 
devoted  to  politics,  was  a  Democrat  up  to  the 
time  of  the  late  war,  and  since  then  a  Republi- 
can. Business  cares  and  advancing  years  have 
made  it  impossible  for  him  tu  take  an  active 
jiart  in  matters  political,  but  he  takes  an  inter- 
est in  all  public  matters,  especially  those  per- 
taining to  the  welfare  of  Sacramento.  Mr. 
Luce  has  been  twice  married.  His  first  wife, 
to  whom  he  was  married  in  1848,  was  Mary 
Adeline  Nichols,  of  Worcester,  Massachusetts. 
She  died  in  1861,  leaving  two  sons  and  one 
daughter,  as  follows:  Mary  R.  Marsh,  John  C. 
and  G.  W.,  the  former  in  business  here  in  the 
Capital  City,  and  the  latter  in  San  Francisco. 
In  1863  he  was  united  in  marriage  to  Mrs 
Eliza  Elliott,  by  whom  he  has  had  two  children, 
viz.:  Fannie,  now  Mrs.  W.  W.  Clary,  and 
Charles  S.,  who  is  employed  in  the  money  order 
department  of  the  Sacramento  postoffice.  The 
Luce  homestead  on  M  street  is  one  of  the  old- 
time  land-marks,  the  abiding  place  of  generous, 
old-time  hospitality. 


fAMES  HARKINS  was  born  May  12, 1827, 
in  North  Ireland,  son  of  Cornelius  and 
Catherine  (Shields)  Ilarkins;  the  father 
died  in  Ireland  in  1836,  and  the  mother  came 
to  America  in  1840,  bringing  with  her  her  son 
James.  They  landed  in  New  Orleans  Ma}'  2, 
1840.  From  there  they  proceeded  to  St.  Louis 
where  the  mother  was  married  again,  to  Walter 
Cummiiigs.  James  served  four  years  at  the 
blacksmith  trade  with  Mr.  DriscoU,  and  after- 
ward worked  at  his  trade  until  1852.  April 
17  that  year  he  started  for  California,  crossing 
the  plains  with  cattle  and  mules  via  North 
Platte  and  Fort  Laramie.  After  a  trip  of  four 
months  they  arrived  in  Hangtown,  August  27, 
1852,  and  went  to  work  at  once  in  the  black- 
smithing  shop  of  Joseph  Hinds.  From  there 
he  came  to  Sacramento  city  in  1854:  started  in 


blacksmithing  for  himself.  In  1877  he  came 
to  his  ranch,  which  he  had  located  in  1858, 
situated  about  eight  miles  from  Sacramento. 
He  does  a  good  farming  business,  has  been  very 
successful  as  a  farmer  and  stock-raiser.  His 
new  and  elegant  residence  was  erected  in  1884; 
all  the  surroundings  denote  neatness  and  order. 
He  was  married  February  2,  1851,  to  Cecilia 
Quinii,  a  native  of  Ireland.  They  have  had 
seven  children,  viz.:  Cornelius  J.,  born  March 
29, 1852;  Mary  A.,  October  15, 1856,  and  died  in 
December,  18S0;  John  F.,  born  August  28, 
1858,  drowned  during  the  flood  at  Sacramento; 
Hugh  AV.,  born  July  4,  1860,  died  December 
16,  1861;  Eliza,  born  July  18,  1865,  died  in 
April,  1871;  Catherine  T.,  November  14, 1861, 
and  Matilda  Y.,  July  28,  1870. 


fOHN  MAHON,  an  honest  and  enterprising 
citizen  of  this  county,  and  one  of  its  ex- 
tensive hop-growers,  was  born  March  1, 
1849,  in  Ontario,  Wentwortb  County,  Canada, 
his  parents  being  William  and  Catharine  (Ash- 
berry)  Mahon, — the  former  born  in  County 
Tyrone,  Ireland,  and  the  latter  in  County  Tip- 
perary.  Both  were  small  when  they  emigrated 
to  Canada,  where  they  were  afterward  married. 
William  Mahon  was  a  blacksmith  by  trade  un- 
til so  advanced  in  years  that  age  required  a 
cessation  from  toil.  He  and  his  faithful  wife 
are  now.  living  in  Wentwcrth  County.  They 
have  two  children:  James,  resident  in  Cajiada, 
and  John.  John  Mahon,  our  subject,  was 
raised  in  a  small  village,  and  was  brought  up  to 
work.  The  advantages  of  an  education  in  early 
life  were  somewhat  slighted  by  himself,  and 
since  then  have  been  mostly  self-acquired.  He 
remained  with  his  parents  until  thirteen  years 
of  age,  since  which  time  he  has  made  his  own 
way  in  the  world.  He  worked  si.K  years  for  a 
man  named  George  Abrey,  who  had  a  farm  and 
saw-mill  together.  In  1870  he  came  to  Cali- 
fornia, and  commenced  life  in  the  golden  West; 
he  lauded  in  Sicramento  with  $30  in  his  pocket. 


HISTOBT    OF    SACRAMENTO    COUNTY. 


liired  out  to  a  man  named  Haynie,  just  east  of 
the  city,  and  remained  five  years  until  be  failed 
in  business.  He  owed  Mah.on  $935,  of  wbieh 
be  paid  bim  tbirty  cents  on  tbe  dollar.  Tbis 
was  a  rougb  experience  for  a  young  man,  but, 
undaunted,  be  determined  to  go  into  business 
for  bimself.  He  leased  fifteen  acres  on  tbe 
Haggin  grant,  on  tbe  American  River,  and  put 
it  in  hops;  to  tbis  suiall  beginning  be  added  by 
degrees.  In  1882  he  came  down  to  tbe  Cos- 
unines  River  and  leased  about  fifty  acres  of  C. 
H.  Cantrell,  and  put  tbirty  acres  of  it  in  bops. 
He  was  so  successful  that  in  1884  be  bought 
tbe  place,  which  contains  500  acres.  Tbis  is 
part  upland  and  part  bottom-land,  very  rich  and 
productive,  and  will  raise  anything.  He  has 
now  fifty  acres  in  hops,  and  is  one  of  the  largest 
bop-growers  in  tbis  county.  Besides  this,  he 
is  doing  a  general  farming  and  stock-raising 
business,  and  payiag  considerable  attention  to 
tbe  raising  of  fruit,  for  which  be  has  the  soil, 
climate,  and  all  that  is  necessary,  without  irri- 
gation. He  has  about  tliirty  acres  in  orciiard, 
principally  almonds,  just  coming  into  bearing; 
it  is  the  largest  orchard  in  tbis  part  of  tbe  coun- 
try, and  as  fine  as  one  wishes  to  see.  He  is  a 
member  of  tbe  order  of  Odd  Fellows,  which  he 
joined  in  1874;  he  also  belongs  to  Elk  Grove 
Lodge,  No.  274.  He  was  married  in  1871  to 
Olive  Chalmers,  a  native  of  Canada,  daughter 
of  Peter  and  Harriet  Chalmers.  Siie  came  to 
tbis  State  in  1871.  They  have  four  children, 
viz.:  Katie,  born  March  18,  1880;  John  Will- 
iam, June  29,  1882;  Olive,  November  18, 
1884;  and  Nellie,  November  19,  1886. 


^ERMAN  LEIMBACH,  farmer,  San  Joa- 
|M]|  quin  Township,  was  born  in  Hesse-Cassel^ 
*^  Germany,  December  25,  1816,  a  son  of 
Justus  and  Mary  E.  Lei  m bach.  There  were 
8i.\  children  in  the  family,  and  neither  parents 
nor  children  came  to  America  excepting  the 
subject  of  tbis  sketch  and  one  brother  who 
lived  in  P>altimore;  and  in  tbe  old  country  only 


one  is  now  living.  Herman  was  raised  on  bis 
father's  farm,  and  at  the  age  of  twenty -seven  or 
twenty-eight  years,  in  March,  1845,  he  sailed 
from  Bremen  on  tbe  brig  Eberhardt,  and  in 
forty-nine  days  landed  at  Baltimore.  First  he 
was  employed  by  Rotbermacber  at  Baltimore  at 
wagon-making,- for  $4  a  month,  and  at  tbe  end 
of  the  first  month  be  went  to  Lancaster  to  work 
in  a  brick-yard,  but  remained  there  only  two 
weeks.  Then  be  was  employed  in  a  brewery  at 
$6  a  month.  Next  be  obtained  a  situation  in  a 
hotel,  which  was  an  easier  position  than  any  he 
bad  ever  bad  in  bis  life.  At  the  end  of  four 
years  the  gold  excitement  of  this  State  brought 
bim  hither.  He  came  by  way  of  Cape  Horn, 
with  Frank  Russell,  of  Sacramento,  on  tbe  brig 
Osceola,  from  Philadelphia.  There  were  sixty- 
five  passengers  on  board.  They  stopped  at  Rio 
Janeiro  and  at  Tocobona,  Cbili.  Tbe  weather 
was  very  rougb,  and  they  were  twenty-seven 
days  rounding  Cape  Horn,  having  nothing  to 
eat  but  hard- tack  soaked  in  water.  They  landed 
in  San  Francisco  August  7,  after  a  voyage  of 
207  days.  Mr.  Leimbach  came  to  Sacramento 
by  boat,  paying  $13  or  $15  fare,  taking  over  a 
week  to  make  the  trip.  Going  above  Marys- 
ville  with  two  others,  he  followed  gold-mining, 
using  a  cradle  made  from  the  rotten  base  ot  a 
tree.  The  three  made  about  $5  apiece  on  their 
own  claim.  At  the  end  of  about  two  months 
Mr.  Leimbach  returned  to  Sacramento,  bought 
three  yoke  of  cattle  for  $300,  and  in  a  few  hours 
sold  them  for  $1,500!  Then  be  bought  another 
team  for  $900  and  went  to  freighting,  many 
times  having  to  unload  and  carry  tbe  freight 
for  a  quarter  of  a  mile  on  bis  back.  After  tbe 
first  trip  be  was  taken  sick,  brought  tlie  team  to 
Sacramento  and  turned  them  out.  Tbe  flood 
soon  came,  and  be  never  saw  the  oxen  afterward. 
The  wagon,  being  in  a  house,  was  saved.  Tbe 
flood  coming  on  in  tbe  night,  he  went  to  the 
building  and  found  it  full  of  mules  that  bad 
come  in  for  shelter.  He  made  a  raft  out  of 
drift-wood,  and  went  to  the  hills  for  safety.  He 
bad  tbe  ague  for  some  time.  On  recovering  be 
worked   for  Charles  Henry  two  weeks,  for   bis 


U I  STOUT    OF    SACRAMENTO    COUNTY. 


board.  Atter  the  flood  subsided  he  bought  a 
inule  for  §10,  and  weut  upon  a  piece  of  land 
owned  by  another  party,  and  began  making  hay, 
selling  it  for  §75  a  load  in  Sacramento.  He  also 
cut  wood  and  sold  it  to  steamboats  for  §16  a 
cord.  He  remained  on  this  place  about  three 
months.  About  six  weeks  afterward  the  cholera 
broke  out,  tiie  owner  of  the  property  became 
friglitened,  and  offered  to  sell  out  his  interest 
for  §300.  Mr.Leimbach  bought  it,  and  in  a 
short  time  sold  it  for  §1,100, — §500  cash,  and 
tiie  bahiiice  on  a  note.  Then  he  settled  on  the 
Miller  ranch,  about  a  mile  distant.  In  the 
spring  the  old  gentleman  and  one  son  died  of 
small-pox,  and  Mr.  Leimbach  lost  his  §600 
note.  Ne.xt  he  went  upon  a  stock  ranch  with 
thirty-four  head  of  hogs,  which  he  had  pur- 
chased for  §900.  He  sold  seven  head  of  fat 
specimens  on  foot,  weighing  about  300  pounds 
each,  for  25  cents  a  pound.  In  1855  he  pur- 
chased his  present  farm  of  320  acres  at  §12  an 
acre,  paying  §500  cash  and  promising  the  bal- 
ance at  2  per  cent,  interest.  He  made  hay  and 
sold  it  in  Sacramento  at  §27.50  per  ton  in  the 
hay  yards.  Before  his  note  was  due  the  holder 
offered  to  throw  off  the  interest  if  Mr.  Leim- 
bach would  pay  the  principal,  which  offer  he 
accepted,  putting  in  a  watch  and  an  old  cow  to 
make  up  the  balance.  P'rom  these  transactions 
dates  the  beginning  of  Mr.  Leimbach's  pros- 
perity in  Sacramento.  Of  land  he  has  had  as 
much  as  1,440  acres  at  one  time.  At  present 
lie  has  1,280  acres.  Besides  farming  he  has 
kept  a  dairy,  in  1856-'57  leasing  thirty-three 
cows  of  Mr.  Robinson,  for  §400  a  year.  In 
that  enterprise  he  made  $1,100  the  flrst  year. 
On  the  e.xpiration  of  the  lease  he  had  sixteen 
young  cows,  which  enabled  him  to  keep  on  in 
the  business  until  the  latter  part  of  1867.  Then 
he  made  money  in  the  sheep  business  for  ten 
years,  and  since  that  time  he  has  been  a  suc- 
cessful farmer.  He  has  five  shares  in  the 
Grangers'  Bank  in  iSan  Francisco.  In  his  social 
relations  he  is  a  member  of  the  Pioneer  Society. 
He  fully  knows  by  experience  what  are  many  of 
the  bitter  trials  and  privations  of  pioneering  in 


California.  He  has  a  fine  house  on  the  upper 
Stockton  road,  upon  a  well-improved  farm.  Mr. 
Leimbach  was  married  April  19,  1854,  to  Miss 
Catharine  M.  Bullivant,  a  native  of  London, 
England,  and  they  have  eight  children:  Albert 
E.,  Amy,  Elizabetii,  Edith,  Maria,  Mabel,  Justus 
and  John,  all  living  in  this  county. 


tP.  AND  SIDNEY  SMITH  are  the  sons 
of  Anthony  Smith,  a  farmer  of  Caniijo- 
®  harie,  Montgomery  County,  Xew  York. 
Their  mother  was  of  an  old  Connecticut  family 
remarkable  for  its  longevity,  their  maternal 
grandmother  attaining  the  age  of  ninety-seven 
years,  and  her  sister,  Mrs.  King,  of  Hartford, 
Connecticut,  lived  to  be  103  years  old.  When 
Sidney,  the  elder  brother,  was  a  child,  the  family 
removed  from  Canajoharie  to  Rome,  New  York, 
and  here  on  the  6th  of  January,  1812,  A.  P. 
Smith  was  born.  In  1816  the  family  removed 
across  the  State  line  into  Vermont,  settling  at 
Whiting,  opposite  Fort  Ticonderoga.  At  that 
time  A.  P.  Smith  was  about  four  years  old,  but 
Sidney,  the  elder,  a  lad  of  thirteen  or  fourteen, 
was  already  engaged  in  a  country  store,  and 
when  eighteen  he  went  to  Troy,  New  York, 
and  entered  the  store  of  Daniel  Marvin,  and  he, 
being  somewhat  of  an  invalid,  very  soon  became 
the  buyer  for  the  firm,  making  trips  to  New- 
York  city  for  that  purpose;  he  remained  in  this 
responsible  position  until  1827,  when  he  went 
to  New  York  and  engaged  in  the  business  firm  of 
Plenry  Sheldon  &  Co.  In  1830,  in  connection 
with  Daniel  Peck,  who  was  a  fellow-clerk,  estab- 
lished the  dry-goods,  house  of  Smith,  Peck  & 
Co.,  of  Troy,  wiiich  later  on  became  Smith, 
Redtield  &  Co.  In  1835,  A.  P.  Smith  entered 
the  store  as  a  clerk,  but  his  early  training  and 
natural  bent  of  mind  toward  horticultural  and 
agricultural  pursuits,  induced  him  in  a  few 
years  to  withdraw,  and  he  engaged  in  the  ex- 
periment of  silk-worm  culture,  lie  being  among 
the  first  to  open  a  "cocoonery,"  and  to  engage 
in    raising    the    Morus    Multicaulis,    in    1844. 


HISTORY    OF    SACRAMENTO    COUNTY. 


During  the  wonderful  excitement  consequent 
upon  the  discovery  of  gold  in  California,  Mr. 
A.  F.  Smith  became  one  of  a  partj  of  thirty 
who  purchased  the  barge  William  Ivy  and  came 
to  California  via  Cape  Horn;  as  stated,  the 
original  ownership  of  the  vessel  and  cargo  was 
vested  in  about  thirty  persons,  but  through 
gambling,  buying,  selling  and  trading,  during 
the  long  voyage,  by  the  time  they  arrived  in 
San  Francisco  in  July  there  were  a  half  dozen 
who  owned  both.  Arriving  at  Sacramento,  Mr. 
Smith  at  once  bought  of  Captain  Sutter  fifty 
acres  of  land  on  the  American  River,  paying 
for  it  $100  per  acre,  and  the  firm  of  Smith, 
Baker  &,  Barber,  nurserymen  and  gardeners, 
was  established.  A  full  description  of  the  land 
titles  in  1849  having  already  appeared  in  this 
volume,  it  is  unnecessary  to  repeat  them  here, 
or  go  into  detail  in  regard  to  the  floods  which 
again  and  again  destroyed  the  labor  of  many 
months.  But,  to  go  back  to  the  other  brother 
whorti  we  left  in  the  dry-goods  store  at  Troy, 
where  he  remained  until  1844,  in  1850  he  went 
to  the  old  farm  in  Vermont,  and  remained  there 
until  1853,  when,  his  brother  having  returned 
from  California  on  a  visit,  he  was  induced  to 
join  him  and  come  to  Sacramento  in  the  fall  of 
the  year.  They  opened  a  store  on  J  street 
where  Dr.  Simmons'  office  now  is,  Sidney  at- 
tending to  that  part  of  the  business,  while  A. 
P.  gave  his  attention  to  the  gardens,  which 
grew  and,  "like  a  thing  of  beauty,"  bid  fair  to 
become  a  "joy  forever."  No  expense  was  spared 
in  its  adornment;  peaches,  pears  and  grapes 
from  the  East  vied  with  the  fruits  and  flowers 
of  the  tropics,  and  grew  side  by  side.  The 
property  advanced  in  value  rapidly  and  in  1855 
one  of  the  partners  of  the  house  of  Booth  & 
Co.  offered  $75,000  for  it,  but  was  refused,  and 
it  was  estimated  to  be  worth  fully  $100,000. 
But  alas,  for  human  expectations!  how  true  it 
is  that  "  best  laid  plans  of  mice  and  man  gang 
aft  agley!"  The  floods  of  1861,  followed  by  the 
still  greater  floods  of  1862,  caused  tlie  levee, 
which  had  been  built  along  the  bank  of  the 
American  River,  to  burot  above  the  gardens  and 


then  the  labor  of  years,  the  beautiful  Smith's 
Gardens,  the  popular  pleasure  resort  of  Sacra- 
mento, were  swept  away.  In  the  meantime 
Sidney  had  returned  home  in  1856,  on  a  visit, 
and  in  1858  his  wife,  Almira  Smith  {iiee  Town- 
send)  daughter  of  Henry  Townsend,  a  merchant 
and  mill  man  of  Troy,  New  York,  whom  he 
had  married  in  1838,  joined  him  and  here  they 
made  their  home,  and  here  their  only  daughter, 
wife  of  Major  Hubbard,  died.  Sidney  Smith 
scill  survives;  the  younger  brother,  A.  P.  Smith, 
died  in  18 — .  At  this  writing  the  health  of 
Sidney  Smith,  considering  his  eighty-six  years, 
is  quite  remarkable. 


tARON  FOSTER  CORE  was  born  in  Ross 
County,  Ohio,  in  1830,  his  parents  being 
Isaac  and  Sarah  (Heims)  Core.  The  father 
was  a  native  of  Ohio  and  of  "Maryland- Dutch" 
parentage.  His  grandfather  Heims  lived  to  a 
good  old  age.  The  father  of  A.  F.  Core  owned 
a  farm  and  the  son  was  reared  on  it,  receiving 
the  usual  common-school  education  of  the 
period.  In  1850  the  father  made  a  trip  to  Iowa 
and  bought  a  fractional  quarter-section  of  about 
150  acres  in  Marion  County.  In  1852  the  son 
bought  a  similar  quarter- section  adjoining  the 
previous  purchase  and  put  in  a  crop.  The 
mother  had  died  a  few  years  before,  leaving  five 
sons  and  four  daughters.  In  1854  the  family 
moved  to  Iowa  and  the  holding  was  increased  by 
later  purchases  to  850  acres.  The  father  died 
there  in  1875,  agel  seventy-three.  In  1859  A.  F. 
Core  came  to  California,  and  went  to  mining  in 
Shasta  County,  but  with  poor  success.  In  1861 
he  came  into  what  is  now  Franklin  Township, 
and  took  up  a  quarter-section  and  worked  with 
a  partner,  who  also  had  taken  up  a  quarter-sec- 
tion, raising  grain  on  both  for  two  years.  In 
1863  they  divided  interests.  Afterward  Mr- 
Core  sold  out  his  right  in  that  land,  and  in  1875, 
bought  160  acres,  and  four  years  later  another 
160,  "  adjoining  by  corners,"  both  of  which  he 
still  owns,  tills  and  occupies.      He  raises  wheat 


HISTORY    OF    SACRAMENTO    COUNTY. 


chiefly,  but  has  also  a  sinalKvineyard  and  a  still 
smaller  orchard,  besides  growing  a  little  hay 
and  barley.  It  is  excellent  land  for  wheat  and 
vines.  In  1863  Mr.  Core  was  married  to  Miss 
Elizabeth  L.  Carroll,  a  native  of  Iowa,  daughter 
of  Mordeeai  and  Lydia  (Taflinger)  Carroll.  Mr. 
Carroll  lived  to  a  good  age,  and  Mrs.  Carroll  is 
now  about  seventy-eight.  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Core 
are  the  parents  of  five  children:  Isaac  N.,  born 
in  1865;  Edward  liiley,  in  1867;  Lydia  Ann, 
in  1869;  Ella,  in  1871;  and  Nathaniel,  in  1876. 


fACRAMENTO  HOME  SCHOOL,  1321 
H  street,  is  a  home  for  young  children, 
not  only  in  name  but  also  in  fact.  Such 
is  evident  from  the  records,  as  well  as  the  kindly 
face  of  the  teacher,  Mrs.  Frances  M.  Ross,  who 
has  had  ehai'ge  of  the  school  ever  since  she  es- 
tablished it  in  1870.  Mrs.  Ross,  a  native  of 
Rochester,  Massachusetts,  is  a  daughter  of  Clif- 
ton Wing,  a  sea  captain  and  in  later  life  a  mer- 
chant. Her  mother,  Anne  Maria  Freeman,  was 
a  native  of  Sandwich,  Cape  Cod,  where,  in  sight 
of  old  ocean,  the  family  spent  their  summer 
holidays.  She  is  the  eldest  of  five  children. 
Those  who  have  been  so  fortunate  as  to  visit 
Cape  Cod  remember  what  are  known  as  the 
Wing  scliools  there,  three  of  them  being  under 
tiie  auspices  of  the  Society  of  Friends,  or 
Quakers.  At  one  of  these  Miss  Wing  was  edu- 
cated; and  not  only  that,  but  her  proficiency  led 
to  her  engagement  as  a  teacher  for  a  time  after 
her  graduation.  After  that  she  removed  to  Bos- 
ton with  her  parents.  In  1852  she  emigrated 
to  California  with  her  husband,  David  S.  Ross, 
who  had  come  as  a  pioneer  of  1849.  She  came 
around  Cape  Horn,  in  the  bark  Saxonville,  Cap- 
tain Hutcliins,  with  her  husband  and  son  and 
sister  and  daughter,  was  158  days  on  the  voy- 
age, and  landed  at  San  Francisco  May  7,  1853. 
After  arriving  ia  Sacramento,  she  saw  the  neces- 
sity for  better  school  facilities  for  her  youngest 
son  than  were  obtainable  here,  and  in  May,  1870, 
she  began   teaching  iiim.     The  fact  becoming 


known,  Mrs.  Charles  Crocker,  Mrs.  E.  B. 
Crocker,  Judge  Sanderson,  Rev.  W.  H.  Brown 
and  James  Anthony,  of  the  old  Union,  sent 
their  children  also,  and  before  the  expiration  of 
the  tirst  year  she  ha5  a  school  of  respectable 
proportions.  Every  patron  feels  assured  that 
his  child  receives  as  much  attention  there  as 
if  there  were  but  one  pupil  in  attendance. 
Mrs.  Ross  is  a  lady  of  pleasing  address,  refine- 
ment and  culture,  enjoying  to  the  fullest  extent 
the  confidence  and  esteem  of  her  patrons  and 
of  those  who  are  so  fortunate  as  to  be  admitted 
to  the  circle  of  her  acquaintance. 

•^-^-•^ 

fR.  W.  R.  CLUNESS.— There  is  no  mem-' 
ber  of  the  medical  profession  in  Sacra- 
mento, or,  indeed,  in  Central  California, 
who  stands  higher  in  the  esteem  and  confidence 
alike  of  his  brother  practitioners  and  of  the 
public  in  general  than  does  Dr.  Cluness.  Dur- 
ing his  long  residence  here  of  now  over  twenty- 
six  years  he  has  at  all  times  enjoyed  a  practice 
of  as  large  dimensions  as  he  has  cared  to  manage, 
and  has  been  and  is  frequently  called  in  consulta- 
tion by  the  physicians  not  alone  of  Sacramento, 
but  also  of  San  Francisco  and  other  sections  of 
the  Pacific  coast.  Dr.  Cluness  was  born  Decem- 
ber 29,  1835,  in  the  city  of  London,  Canada, 
his  father's  name  being  David  Cluness.  The 
father  is  now  deceased,  but  his  mother  is  still 
alive  at  a  good  old  age  and  dwells  with  a  j^ounger 
son  in  Ontario.  Three  brothers  and  four  sisters, 
the  remainder  of  the  family,  all  reside  in  Canada. 
In  the  schools  of  London  Dr.  Cluness  received 
his  preliminary  education  and  prepared  himself 
for  entry  atQueen's College  in  the  old  "  limestone 
city  "  of  Kingston  at  the  foot  of  Lake  Ontario, 
one  of  the  best  known  and  most  prosperous 
universities  in  Canada.  Here  Dr.  Cluness  grad- 
uated as  B.  A.  in  1855,  and  immediately  be- 
gan a  course  in  medicine,  receiving  the  degree 
of  M.  D.,  and  at  the  same  time  that  of  M.  A., 
also,  in  1859,  and  finally,  in  1871,  was  elected  a 
Fellow  of  the  Royal   College  of  Physicians  and 


niSrOBT    OF    SACRAMENTO    COUNTY. 


Surgeons,  Kingston.  Removing  to  California  in 
1859  lie  settled  in  July  of  that  year  at  Petaluina. 
Although  enjoying  a  good,  practice  in  that  town 
he  soon  perceived  that  a  city  of  greater  promise 
was  better  suited  to  one  of  ambition,  and  accord- 
ingly came  to  Sacramento  July  1,  1863,  since 
which  time  he  has  been  identified  with  this 
city.  Shortly  after  coming  here  he  was  appointed 
a  member  of  the  Sacramento  Board  of  Health,  a 
position  he  held  for  twenty-four  years,  or  until 
1887,  when  he  voluntarily  resigned  on  account 
of  private  reasons.  He  is  now  and  has  been  since 
1873  a  member  of  the  State  Board  of  Health. 
Dr.  Cluness  was  one  of  the  organizers  of  the 
PacificJVIutual  Life  Insurance  Company  in  1868, 
and  was  appointed  Medical -Director,  holding 
the  position  still,  appointing  all  medical  ex- 
aminers and  deciding  upon  all  applications  for 
insurance.  This  company  has  proved  the 
strongest  and  most  successful  of  all  formed  on 
this  coast,  and  is  now  doing  business  in  twenty- 
three  States  and  Territories.  Of  the  most  note- 
worthy undertakings,  with  which  he  has  been 
connected,  outside  of  the  strict  lines  of  the  pro- 
fession, is  the  celebrated  "Oak  Shade  Orchard," 
in  Yolo  County.  With  Mr.  C.  W.  Reed,  he 
purchased  the  350  acres  of  which  it  is  composed, 
in  1868,  and  planted  it  in  mulberry  trees,  sev- 
eral thousand  of  which  were  set  out.  They 
built  two  large  cocooneries,  each  150  feet  in 
length,  and  made  preparations  on  a  very  exten- 
sive scale  for  silk-raising,  having  by  far  the 
largest  establishment  in  the  State.  For  several 
years  it  was  carried  on,  several  million  cocoons 
were  produced,  eggs  hatched,  etc.,  but  it  was  at 
last  discoveied  to  be  a  premature  enterprise 
and  was  consequently  abandoned.  This  experi- 
ment was  watched  with  very  great  interest  gen- 
erally throughout  the  State  and  great  regret 
was  felt  at  its  want  of  success.  The  land  was 
afterward  planted  to  fruit  trees  of  the  following 
varieties:  pears,  almonds,  plums,  peaches,  apri- 
cots, nectarines  and  tigs,  as  also  a  fifty-acre  vine- 
yard, chiefly  of  Muscat  grapes..  Some  of  the 
pear  trees  are  now  twenty  years  old.  Tiiis 
ranch    is    situated    near    Davisville    and    about 


twelve  miles  from  Sacramento.  Messrs.  W.  E. 
Brown,  L.  A.  Garnett,  and  John  Rosenfeldt,  all 
of  San  Francisco,  were  associated  with  Dr. 
Cluness  and  Mr.  Reed  in  the  silk  company, 
which  still  owns  the  ranch,  but  Mr.  Reed  has 
since  dropped  out.  Dr.  Cluness  was  married  in 
September,  1863,  at  Petaluma,  to  Miss  Mary 
Laird.  They  have  three  children,  two  of  whom 
are  daughters  at  home  with  their  parents.  The 
son.  Dr.  W.  R.  Cluness,  jr.,  is  a  graduate  of  the 
medical  department  of  the  State  University  at 
San  Francisco.  He  is  now  attending  a  course 
of  lectures  in  the  College  of  Physicians  and 
Surgeons  in  New  York  city.  After  its  com- 
pletion he  will  proceed  to  Europe,  and  at  London 
and  elsewhere  take  a  further  course  of  advanced 
studies.  Such  is  an  epitome  of  the  life  of  Dr. 
W.  R.  Cluness,  a  physician  who  has  known 
unusual  success  in  his  practice,  a  result  due  no 
doubt  to  careful  study  of  each  case  and  a  prompt 
adoption  of  the  suitable  remedies,  as  well  as  long 
experience  and  a  thorough  initial  grounding. 
Personally,  he  is  a  gentleman  of  pleasant  and 
genial  manners,  courteous  and  affable  to  all. 


«  APT  A  IN  THOMAS  LITTLEFIELD 
chief  engineer  on  the  steamer  Dover,  was 
born  in  Brunswick,  Maine,  August  10, 
1826,  his  parents  being  James  and  Hannah 
(Higgins)  Littletield,  both  natives  of  the  State 
of  Maine,  the  father  a  farmer.  He  is  the  third 
of  a  family  of  seven  children,  of  which  family 
his  brother  and  himself  are  the  only  survivors 
at  the  time  of  this  writing.  Thomas,  as  a  boy, 
attended  the  common  district  schools,  but  when 
only  fourteen  years  of  age  he  went  to  sea,  going 
out  on  the  merchant  ship  United  States,  of  Bath, 
Maine,  Captain  Svvarton,  for  three  years,  and 
then  for  two  years  on  the  Trenton.  About  this 
time  his  brother,  second  mate  of  the  ship  New 
Jersey,  died  at  Havre,  France,  and  Thomas  de- 
cided to  abandon  the  sea  forever.  He  entered 
the  emplyof  the  Waterman  machine  shop,  near 
Providence,  Rhode  Island,  becoming  a  thorough 


nisrOHY    OF    SACRAMENTO    COUNTY. 


machinist.  He  was  afterward  employed  on  the 
steam  frigate  Saranac,  making  and  putting  in 
her  machinery.  On  the  1st  of  May,  1849,  he 
left  Boston  harbor  for  California,  in  the  bark 
Susan  Jane,  Captain  Prior,  being  one  of  the  nine 
passengers.  The  ship  New  Jersey,  which  sailed 
half  an  hour  before  the  Susan  Jane,  and  which 
was  not  sighted  during  the  entire  voyage,  came 
through  the  Golden  Gate  and  anchored  beside 
them  at  San  Francisco,  within  half  an  hour  of 
their  casting  anchor.  The  Susan  Jane  was 
laden  with  a  cargo  of  lumber,  one-half  of  which 
was  owned  by  the  captain;  this  sold  readily  lor 
$350  per  1000,  and  realized  quite  a  little  for- 
tune. When  Mr.  Littlefield  landed  at  six 
o'clock  on  the  6th  of  October,  his  sole  acquaint- 
ance on  shore  was  Jesse  Merrill,  but  he  soon 
secured  employinent  in  a  blacksmith's  shop,  and 
later,  in  company  with  his  friend  Merrill,  he 
came  to  Sacramento  and  went  to  the  mines  at 
Salmon  Falls,  on  the  American  River.  Here 
they  realized  about  $100  a  day;  but  the  ex.ig- 
gerated  reports  of  other  greater  finds  in  other 
localities  induced  them  to  leave  and  go  to  El 
Dorado  Canon  on  the  north  fork  of  the  Anieri- 
can  River,  where  they  built  a  flume  which 
jjroved  to  be  an  utter  failure.  It  is  worthy  of 
note  here  that  the  [>arties  who  took  tiieir  claim 
at  Salmon  Falls  realized  in  a  very  short  time 
over  §45,000.  He  then  gave  up  mining,  went 
to  San  Francisco,  November  1,  1850,  and  se- 
cured a  position,  first  as  fireman,  then  engineer 
on  the  steamer  II.  T.  Clay,  a  side  wheeler  run- 
ning to  Sacramento  fronj  San  Francisco.  He 
has  been  on  tiie  river  and  bay  continually  as  en- 
gineer since  that  date.  In  1855  he  was  on  the 
Nevada,  running  from  San  Francisco  to  Peta- 
luma  in  opposition  to  the  steamer  Secretary, 
when  she  exploded  her  boiler,  killing  forty-five 
people.  For  several  years  he  was  employed  by 
the  Steamship  Navigation  Company.  During 
all  the  later  years  he  has  been  employed  by  the 
Sacramento  Transportation  Company,  and  at 
this  writing  is  the  chief  engineer  on  the  Dover, 
belonging  to  that  company.  The  Captain  has 
been  twice  married,  first  in  1857  to  Mrs.  Henri- 


etta Rodfern.  They  had  three  children:  Thomas 
Decatur,  George  Lyons  and  Martha  W.  (de- 
ceased). On  the  2d  of  Septembej,  1874,  he 
was  married  to  Maria  Antonette  Newton,  daugh- 
ter of  Judge  Newton,  of  Woodbridge,  New 
Jersey.  The  Captain  is  a  Knight  Templar,  an 
Odd  Fellow,  and  also  a  member  of  the  Legion 
of  Honor  and  Chosen  Friends.  In  politics  he  is 
a  Republican. 


1^  L.  NICHOLS,  A.  M.,  M.  D.— The  oldest 
IHl  p''acticing  physician  in  Sacramento  is 
Jsll®  Dr.  Nichols,  the  subject  of  this  sketch; 
born  in  the  city  of  Augusta,  Maine,  his  parents 
being  Asaph  R.  and  Lucy  (Lambard)  Nichols. 
His  father,  a  prominent  attorney  at  law  holding 
many  positionsof  responsibility  and  trust, having 
been  clerk  of  the  Supreme  Court  for  many  years 
and  Secretary  of  State,  also  postmaster;  he  died 
in  1860,  at  the  age  of  sixty-five  years,  while  his 
mother  reached  the  advanced  age  of  eighty-one. 
Both  families  were  prominent  in  the  annals  of 
New  England,  going  from  Massachussetts  to 
Maine  about  the  year  1800.  The  Doctor's  pre- 
liminary education  was  had  in  his  native  city, 
and  he  graduated  from  the  medical  department 
of  the  celebrated  Bowdoin  College,  in  the  class 
of  '45,  subsequently  taking  a  post-graduate 
course  at  the  Jefferson  Medical  College  at  Phil- 
adelphia; he  returned  to  his  native  city  and  at 
once  commenced  upon  the  practice  of  his  pro- 
fession. In  the  meantime  his  maternal  uncle, 
Allen  Lambard,  had  emigrated  to  Sacramento, 
in  1852,  and  had,  in  connection  with  General 
Redington,  established  the  Lambard  Flouring 
Mills,  located  on  the  corner  of  Second  and  I 
streets,  and  also  the  Sacramento  Iron  AVorks, 
where  the  driving  wheels  of  the  first  locomotive 
ever  used  on  a  California  railway  were  turned. 
And  it  was  owing  to  Uncle  Lambard's  enthusi- 
astic description  of  the  opportunities  to  be  had 
in  California,  that  the  Doctor  concluded  to  mi- 
grate to  the  Golden  State,  which  he  did  in  1853, 
landing  in  Sacramento  in  January  of  that  year, 


UI8T0RT    OF    SACliAMENTO    COUNTY. 


and,  opening  an  office  at  Second  and  I  streets, 
began  the  practice  of  his  profession,  which  has 
been  continued  without  interruption,  except  by 
official  duties  as  will  appear  further  on,  for  over 
thirty-six  years.  Earnestly  anxious  for  the  ad- 
vancement of  his  adopted  city,  the  Doctor  early 
became  interested  in  political  matters,  and  in 
the  campaign  of  1858  was  chosen  president  of 
the  board  of  county  supervisors,  and  under  the 
bill  known  as  the  Consolidation  Act,  was,  as 
president  of  the  board  ex-officio  mayor  of  the 
city.  In  1867  he  was  elected  Secretary  of  State, 
holding  that  position  for  four  years,  and  ex- 
officio  member  of  the  Capitol  Commission  and 
the  Board  of  State  Prison  directors.  He  was 
appointed  by  Governor  Ilaight  one  of  the  Trus- 
tees of  the  State  Library,  filling  the  unexpired 
term  of  Governor  Bigler.  For  six  years  he  has 
been  a  member  oT  the  State  Board  of  Health, 
and  secretary  of  that  association;  he  is  also  the 
health  officer  of  the  Capital  City.  The  Doctor 
was  married  in  1847,  prior  to  his  coming  to 
California,  to  Miss  Cole,  daughter  of  Samuel 
Cole,  a  merchant  of  Augusta,  Maine,  and  a  scion 
of  an  old  New  England  family.  They  have 
one  son  and  two  daughters.  It  will  readily  be 
seen  that  the  Doctor's  life  has  been  an  unu.-ually 
busy  one,  strictly  devoted  to  the  advancement 
and  well-being  of  the  cause  of  humanity.  In 
politics  he  has  been  a  life-long  Democrat,  cast- 
ing his  first  vote  for  President  James  K.  Polk, 
but  never  a  partisan  in  the  offensive  sense  of 
the  term;  he  was  on  the  reception  committee  at 
the  time  of  the  visit  of  Horace  Greeley  to  Sacra- 
mento in  1859,  and  presided  at  the  mass  meet- 
ing held  at  the  St.  George  building  upon  tliat 
occasion,  and  also  at  the  meeting  held  at  the 
celebration  of  the  laying  of  the  Atlantic  cable  in 
1859. 


-^^^^ 


tANS    PEDER    CORNELIUS,   a    Sutter 
Township  farmer,   was   born    iu    Zealand, 
Denmark,  February  20,  1846,  son  of  Ras- 
mus and  Chirsten  Coi'nelius.      Rasmus   died    in 


November,  1888,  and  Chirsten  is  still  living  in 
the  old  country.  They  brought  up  six  children, 
four  of  whom  are  now  living:  Hans,  Frederick 
(a  merchant  in  Ringsted,  Zealand),  Anna,  So- 
phia, in  Copenhagen,  and  Marion  Christina,  in 
Sacramento.  Mr.  Cornelius  remained  with  his 
parents  until  he  was  twenty-two  years  of  age, 
obtaining  a  good  education  and  learning  the 
carpenter's  trade,  and  also  working  some  in  the 
woolen  mills  where  his  father  was  superintend- 
ent. He  was  then  in  the  Government  service 
six  months;  next  he  went  to  Greenland,  where 
he  was  employed  in  making  shafts  and  other 
equipments  for  mining  camps  for  one  summer. 
October  15,  1869,  he  left  for  the  United  States 
and  landed  at  Philadelphia  December  4,  unable 
to  speak  a  word  of  English.  Accordingly  he 
found  it  difficult  to  obtain  eiiiployment.  He 
went  through  New  York  State  and  Michigan  to 
Chicago,  where  he  obtained  a  situation,  through 
an  employment  agency,  away  down  in  the  State 
of  Mississippi,  sixty  miles  below  Memphis,  at 
Friar's  Point,  on  the  bank  of  the  Mississippi 
River.  He  was  there  employed,  with  interrup- 
tions, for  five  years,  running  a  saw-mill  there 
four  years.  Life  in  this  depressing  climate  was 
to  him  quite  a  contr<jst  to  "  Greenland's  icy 
mountains,"  and  he  found  it  to  be  advantageous 
to  his  health  and  his  spirits  to  drift  northward. 
During  this  period  he  was  married,  in  May, 
1871,  in  Chicago,  to  Anna  Tromena  Johnson. 
He  was  a  carpenter  in  Chicago,  a  part  ot  the 
time  in  the  shops  of  the  Chicago  &  Northwest- 
ern Railroad  Company.  He  came  to  California 
in  1875,  locating  in  Sacramento  and  engaging 
for  the  railroad.  A  year  afterward  a  siege  of 
sickness  compelled  liim  to  give  up  his  place 
there.  After  his  recovery  he  entered  upon  his 
present  place,  where  he  has  since  resided;  it 
contains  ninety  acres,  and  is  located  on  the  up- 
per Stockton  road  three  and  a  half  miles  from 
the  city  limits.  He  started  in  here  raising  hay 
and  grain,  but  for  the  last  three  or  four  years  he 
has  turned  his  attention  more  to  fruit-raising. 
His  wife  died  January  3,  1886,  the  mother  of 
four  children,  as  fallows:  Lizzie,  l)orn  July  29, 


HISTORY    OF    SACHAMENrO    COUNTY. 


1873;  Mary,  November  24,  1876;  Robert,  Jan- 
uary 25,  1879;  and  Johnnie,  March  9,  1882. 
Mr.  Cornelius  married  his  present  wife  April 
24,  1889,  wedding  Mrs.  Margaret  Sparrow,  of 
this  county. 


«YRUSTOWLE,  farmer,  was  born  in  Co- 
hasset,  i^orfolk  County,  Massachusetts, 
October  2,  1829;  his  parents,  Ezra  and 
Sybil  (Barnes)  Towle,  were  native.^  respectively 
of  Cohasset  and  New  Hampshire.  His  father, 
whose  principal  vocation  in  early  days  was  that 
of  a  sailor,  was  about  eighteen  years  of  age  when 
he  went  into  Massachusetts,  and  commenced  a 
seafaring  life,  which  he  kept  up  for  about  thirty 
years.  The  summer  season  was  devoted  to 
mackerel  fishing,  and  the  winter  to  the  coast 
trade  of  the  Southern  States,  chiefly  New  York, 
Baltimore,  and  so  on  southward.  He  was  en- 
gaged in  the  business  of  carrying  oysters  from 
Baltimore  to  Boston,  and  corn  and  other  products 
from  the  different  Southern  ports  to  New  York 
and  Boston.  From  the  time  he  was  twentj'-one 
he  was  master  of  a  ship  until  he  quit  the  sea. 
He  then  followed  farming  for  a  while  in  Massa- 
chusetts, and  ran  a  stage  line  from  Cohasset  to 
Hingliam.  to  connect  with  the  steamer  May- 
flower, running  from  Hingham  to  Boston  in 
opposition  to  a  railroad  company.  This  business 
he  followed  until  he  died.  His  widow  survived 
him  a  number  of  years.  They  had  six  children: 
Cyrus;  Joanna  Maria  residing  in  Cohasset; 
Sybil  Barnes,  in  Chester,  Vermont;  Mary  Eliza- 
beth, in  Cohasset;  Ezra,  who  died  in  1805,  in 
Cohasset;  and  Benjamin  Barnes,  who  died  some- 
time in  the  '60's.  Cyrus  Towle  was  reared  in 
Cohasset,  Massachusetts,  and  lived  there  until 
1852.  During  the  summer. he  followed  mack- 
erel fishing  from  the  age  of  sixteen  to  twenty- 
one,  and  during  the  winter  he  worked  at  shoe- 
making.  After  he  was  of  age  he  entered  the  dry 
goods  business  in  Cohassjt,  continuing  tiierein 
until  1852.  May  3d,  that  year,  he  left  home, 
went  to  New  York  city  and  bought  a  ticket  for 


California,  embarking  May  5  on  the  steamer 
Northern  Light,  which  took  him  safely  to  Grey- 
town,  then  called  San  Juan  del  Norte,  at  the 
mouth  of  the  San  Juan  River;  was  a  week 
going  up  that  river  and  crossing  Lake  Nicara- 
gua to  the  Pacific  Coast;  remained  at  San  Juan 
del  Sud  twenty-six  days,  being  in  all  thirty-two 
days  on  the  Isthmus;  left  there  on  the  steamer 
S.  S.  Lewis  and  arrived  at  San  Francisco  July 
5,  and  at  Sacramento  two  days  afterward.  In  a 
few  days  he  reached  Baker's  ranch  in  Placer 
County,  and  hired  out  as  a  mule-packer.  He 
worked  at  that  four  or  five  months,  at  $100  a 
month  and  boarding  and  lodging  furnished. 
This  work  consisted  in  conveying  goods  and 
provisions  from  the  store  at  Baker's  ranch  to 
the  mining  camps,  along  a  mule  trail  on  tlie 
sides  of  the  hills,  by  ranle  train,  there  being  no 
wagon  road  at  that  time.  One  of  the  amusing 
incidents  occurring  on  (me  of  these  journeys 
happened  as  follows:  A  keg  of  butter  was 
knocked  off  the  pack  in  passing  a  rock,  and 
rolled  down  a  hill  at  a  declination  of  about  forty 
degrees  and  traveled  about  a  mile  before  it 
landed  at  the  bottom.  Only  a  "grease  spot" 
was  left!  That  winter,  after  quitting  business, 
he  engaged  in  placer  mining  for  a  short  time, 
with  varying  success,  making  from  25  cents  to 
$16  a  day;  some  days  he  worked  hard  and  ob- 
tained but  25  cents,  and  on  one  day,  by  working 
only  three  hours,  he  obtained  $16.  He  worked 
at  mining  until  his  health  failed,  and  he  liad  to 
quit  when  he  was  making  $4  a  day.  During 
the  last  of  February  he  bought  a  mule  team  and 
engaged  in  hauling  freight  from  Sacramento  to 
Bird's  Valley,  near  Michigan  Bluff,  till  about 
the  1st  of  December,  1854.  Then,  exchanging 
his  team  for  lumber  and  hay,  he  started  a  hay 
yard  on  the  comer  of  Ninth  and  K  streets, 
Sacramento.  The  next  spring  he  sold  out  this 
business  and  engaged  in  teaming  again.  Lo- 
cating his  present  ranch  during  that  summer, 
1  he  put  in  his  firstcrop,  in  tiie  winter  of  1855-'56, 
and  continued  teaming  meanwhile.  He  cooked 
his  first  meal,  a  supper,  on  this  ranch,  August 
1,  1856,  and  since  that  time  that  place  has  been 


HISTORY    OF    SACRAMENTO    COUNTY 


his  home.  It  first  comprised  160  acres;  in 
1867  he  sold  half  of  it.  At  first  he  raised  hay 
and  grain,  and  for  the  last  twenty  years  he  has 
been  principally  engaged  in  fruit-raising.  When 
the  postofiice  was  first  started  at  Florin,  in  Jnne, 
1869,  he  was  appointed  postmaster,  which  po- 
sition he  filled  until  January  1,  1876.  In  po- 
litical matters  he  has  always  been  a  strong 
Republican.  He  is  a  member  of  the  Grange, 
joining  at  Sacramento  in  1873.  Mr.  Towle  was 
married  January  1,  1874,  to  Anna  Maria  Ames, 
who  was  born  in  Lunenburg,  Essex  County, 
Vermont,  February  27, 1832,  and  came  to  Cali- 
fornia in  1873,  arriving  at  Sacramento  April  12. 
They  have  no  children. 

fEORGE  THISBY,  deceased.  The  subject 
of  this  sketch  was  born  in  Scarborough, 
England,  May  15,  1828,  his  parents  being 
William  and  Mary  (Trattles)  Thisby.  At  about 
the  age  of  twenty-one  George  Thisby  came  to 
the  United  States  and  among  his  earliest  occu- 
pations in  this  country  was  that  of  night-watch- 
man on  a  Mississippi  steamer  for  two  or  three 
years.  In  1852  he  came  to  California,  being 
employed  to  drive  cattle  across  the  plains  by  the 
southern  route  to  Los  Angeles.  He  afterward 
went  to  mining  for  a  year  or  two  in  the  neigh- 
borhood of  Nevada  City,  with  such  ill  success 
that  he  came  down  on  the  Sacramento  in  the 
spring  of  1854,  having  only  10  cents  in  his 
]>ocket.  He  was  employed  by  Mr.  Madge  at  $40 
a  month,  aiid  in  the  autumn  of  that  year  he  be- 
came liis  partner,  the  arrangement  continuing 
two  years.  He  then  bought  fifty  acres  on 
Georgiana  Slough,  about  tiiirty-two  miles  south 
of  Sacramento,  with  a  cabin  of  10  x  12  feet  upon 
it,  and  only  two  or  three  acres  cleared,  paying 
$350  cash  and  3  per  cent,  per  month  interest  on 
an  equal  amount,  and  proceeded  to  clear  it.  He 
also  rented  twenty  acres  on  Grand  Island,  pay- 
ing one-third  of  the  proceeds.  In  1859  he  ran 
a  trading  boat  of  five  tons'  burden  from  Walnut 
Grove    to   Sacramento   and    Stockton.      In    the 


flood  of  1862  he  lost  all  his  stock  except  a  span 
of  horses  and  one  cow.  In  November,  1862, 
he  paid  a  visit  to  his  old  home  in  England,  re- 
turning in  June,  1863.  In  the  autumn  of  1864 
he  bought  the  sloop  Franklin,  of  thirty-five  tons, 
and  was  her  captain  for  three  years  in  the  San 
Francisco  trade.  In  1868  he  planted  an  orchard 
of  about  ten  acres  on  his  slough  ranch,  now  in- 
creased to  about  thirty  acres  by  liis  widow.  In 
1867  he  bought  for  $5,000  the  place  of  222 
acres,  on  the  river,'  still  occupied  by  the  family, 
thirty-two  miles  south  of  Sacramento,  having 
rented  it  for  the  preceding  year,  and  put  it  in 
charge  of  Henry  Hebb.  From  1868  onward  he 
gave  his  undivided  attention  to  farming.  It  had 
only  three  or  four  acres  of  orchard  when  pur- 
chased, which  he  increased  to  about  fifteen.  He 
was  a  director  of  the  California  Transportation 
Company  from  its  organization,  being  the  first 
man  to  pay  $1,000  cash  for  stock  in  the  new 
concern,  and  was  vice-president  of  the  company 
at  the  time  of  his  death.  Mr.  Thisby  was  mar- 
ried August  8,  1869,  to  Miss  Rebecca  Elliott,  a 
native  of  Ireland,  born  in  Enniskillen,  March  26, 
1848,  daughter  of  Henry  and  Sarah  Elliott,  both 
of  the  same  name  but  not  related  within  any 
known  degree  of  kinship.  The  widowed  mother 
came  to  America  in  1865,  and  to  California  in 
1870.  She  died  February  21,  1885,  aged  eighty, 
at  the  home  of  another  daughter,  Mrs.  Anna 
Sidwell,  of  Rio  Yista.  Mrs.  Thisby  came  to 
America  in  1861,  accompanied  by  her  oldest 
sister.  She  found  employment  in  New  York 
city  for  five  years,  first  as  a  nurse-girl,  and 
afterward  as  seamstress,  and  in  1866  came  to 
California,  arriving  at  Rio  Yista  on  Thanksgiv- 
ing Day.  Here  she  worked  chiefly  as  seam- 
ti-ess  and  milliner,  and  at  general  housework  for 
one  month,  for  which  she  received  $45.  She 
has  one  brother  and.  two  sisters  living:  John,  a 
farn)er  in  Sullivan  County,  New  York;  Ellen, 
now  Mrs.  J.  M.  Gleason,  of  this  (Andrus)  ishind; 
Mrs.  Anna  Sidwell,  of  Rio  Vista.  Mr.  Thisby 
was  accidentally  killed  on  his  own  ranch  by  fall- 
ing from  a  wagon  loaded  with  hay  and  being 
dragged  along  by  his  team,  September  24,  1880, 


nisrORY    OF    SACRAMENTO    COUNTY. 


dying  twenty-four  hours  later,  without  having 
recovered  siifBcieutly  to  exphiin  the  ciroum- 
stances.  The  surviving  children  of  Mr.  and 
Mrs.  Thisby  are:  Philip  Henry,  born  June  1, 
1870;  Mary  J.,  December  28,  1871;  George, 
September  24,  1873;  William  John,  October 
15,  1875;  Robert  Francis,  June  4,  1877;  Leon- 
ard Charles,  October  2,  1878.  Philip  H.  has 
taken  a  course  at  a  business  college  in  San  Fran- 
cisco; Mary  J.  was  educated  at  Mills'  Seminary 
in  Oakland,  and  afterward  at  Irving  Institute 
in  San  Francisco;  and  the  other  children  are  at- 
tending the  district  school.  Since  the  death  of 
her  husband  Mrs.  Thisby  has  added  eighty-one 
acres  of  the  adjoining  'Westfall  ranch  to  her 
place  on  Georgiana  Slough,  has  increased  the 
acreage  in  fruit,  cleared  up  some  more  land,  and 
improved  tiie  home  place  very  materially  by  the 
erection  of  a  new  barn  at  a  cost  of  about  §2,000, 
and  the  expenditure  of  about  $4,000  on  tiie 
house,  making  it  a  very  comfortable  home  for 
tlie  family. 

fULLlVAN  TREAT,  deceased,  in  his  life- 
time here  a  prosperous  farmer  and  exem- 
plary citizen,  was  born  in  Aurora,  Erie 
County,  New  York,  January  18,  1811.  His 
father,  Timothy  Treat,  was  born  in  Rutland 
County,  Vermont,  and  when  a  young  man 
moved  into  New  York  State  and  married  there 
his  first  wife.  The  only  child  by  this  marriage 
was  the  subject  of  this  sketch.  Mrs.  Treat  died, 
and  Mr.  Treat  afterward  married  again  and 
brought  up  a  family  of  eleven  children.  One 
son  died  in  the  late  war,  and  a  daughter  died  at 
the  age  of  three  years.  Two  sons  and  three 
daughters  are  in  this  State.  Timothy  Treat 
served  with  distinction  in  the  war  of  1812,  and 
in  1839  he  moved  from  New  York  State  to  Cass 
County,  Michigan,  when  the  primitive  condi- 
tion of  that  country  occasioned  him  many  hard 
ships  and  monotonous  periods  of  privation.  Ht 
lived  there  until  18G5,  vvlien  he  came  to  Cali- 
fornia and  made  his  home  with  his  son,  Sullivan 


Treat,  until  his  death,  which  occurred  March  3, 
1875,  when  he  was  eighty- nine  years  of  age. 
He  was  a  very  healthy,  stout  man,  and  did  as 
much  work  as  two  ordinary  men  should  do.  He 
was  very  strong  and  in  good  spirits  up  to  within 
a  few  days  of  his  death,  and,  like  John  Wesley, 
"  ceased  at  once  to  work  and  live."  For  his 
second  wife  he  married  Miss  Bentley,  who  died 
in  Michigan.  The  subject  of  this  sketch  was 
brought  up  in  Erie  County,  N(^  York.  When 
of  age  he  started  out  with  no  means  but  his 
brain  and  muscle,  to  make  his  own  way  in  the 
world.  After  working  some  time  in  his  native 
county,  he  went  to  Berrien  County,  Michigan, 
in  1836,  three  years  before  his  parents  moved 
to  that  State.  Two  years  afterward  he  went  to 
Cass  County,  Michigan,  settling  in  Silver  Creek 
Township,  where  he  entered  240  acres  of  Gov- 
ernment land;  200  acres  of  this  was  in  heavy 
timber,  which  he  cleared  excepting  a  small 
grove  reserved  for  wood.  He  resided  there  until 
he  came  to  California;  and  while  living  there, 
December  25,  1843,  he  married  Miss  Caroline 
M.,  daughter  of  Cyrus  and  Mahala  (Wiltsey) 
Gage,  who  was  born  in  Ledyard  Township,  Ca- 
yuga County,  New  York,  March  11,  1824,  and 
in  her  sixteenth  year  came  witli  her  parents  to 
Wayne  Township,  Cass  County,  Michigan. 
They  have  one  daughter,  Alvira  H.,  now  the 
wife  of  Julius  Everson,  a  sketch  of  whom  ap- 
pears in  this  volume.  On  account  of  Mr.  Treat's 
poor  health  there,  he  and  his  family  left  Michi- 
gan for  California  May  10,  1859 — eleven  of 
them  altogether  in  the  party — coming  overland, 
with  three  wagons,  three  tine  horses  and  twenty- 
two  head  of  pure-bred  cattle,  some  of  them 
fresh  cows;  but  all  were  yoked  together  and 
used  as  teams.  All  the  cattle  but  one  died  on 
the  way  by  the  use  of  alkaline  water!  On  ar- 
rival here,  Mr.  Treat  rented  a  place  the  firSt  year 
within  four  miles  of  Elk  Grove,  and  the  follow- 
ing season  bought  160  acres  about  a  quarter  of 
a  mile  east  of  the  upper  Stockton  road,  and  east 
of  old  Elk  Grove.  At  that  time  the  plains  were 
bare  of  improvements.  There  he  followed  farm- 
ing, and  also  raised    some  fine  sheep  and  iiad 


HISTORY    OF    SACRAMENTO    COUNTY. 


many  fruit  trees.  He  was  the  first  to  raise 
much  fruit  successfully  in  this  section.  He  also 
introduced  the  custom  of  deep  plowing  and 
summer-fallowing,  with  signally  good  results. 
He  had  also  other  land, — 640  acres  elsewhere  in 
this  county  and  176  acres  in  Yolo  County.  At 
the  time  of  his  death  he  owned  976  acres,  which, 
with  the  exception  of  that  in  Yolo  County,  is 
still  in  the  possession  of  his  widow.  His  death 
occurred  Janu*y  21,  1880,  after  he  had  just 
passed  his  sixty-ninth  birthday.  He  never  saw 
a  sick  day  after  coming  to  California  until  his 
last  illness;  nor  has  Mrs.  Treat  yet  seen  a  sick 
day  since  coming  here.  He  was  a  quiet  man  in 
his  manner,  attending  to  his  own  business,  and 
was  a  good  neighbor  and  citizen,  greatly  assist- 
ing all  public  local  institutions  and  bestowing 
many  charitable  contributions  known  only  by 
the  beiieiiciaries  themselves.  In  his  political 
sympathies  he  was  a  Republican. 

'^^^ 

tC.  TEAIKOR,  prominent  in  the  live- 
stock trade,  is  a  resident  of  Sacramento. 
*  He  was  born  in  New  York  city,  June  1, 
1830,  and  while  yet  small  he  was  a  "fly  boy" 
in  i\\k  Herald  oftice,  of  that  great  .metropolis. 
Tiiat  was  the  day  of  old-fashioned  presses.  Ar- 
riving at  the  age  of  fifteen  years,  he  was  em- 
ployed by  his  uncle,  iiobert  McKinnin,  in  the 
old  Catharine  Market  in  tliat  city.  Seven  years 
later,  namely,  in  January,  1852,  he  came  to 
California  in  the  ship  Ohio,  Captain  Wliitney, 
by  way  of  Panama,  arriving  at  San  Francisco 
April  8.  His  first  work  there  was  in  the  em- 
ployment of  William  Montgomery.  Subse- 
quently, being  acquainted  with  Bishop  Goodrich, 
of  Sacramento,  who  kept  the  Queen  City  Mar- 
ket, corner  of  Seventh  and  J  streets,  he  came 
here  in  June,  1852,  and  was  employed  by  him 
until  November,  when  the  market  was  burned 
out.  They  at  once  bought  a  ready-made  house, 
and  in  ten  or  twelve  days  resumed  business  at 
tiie  old  stand.  Mr.  Trainor  afterward  associated 
himself  witli  Andrew  Weston  and   Cliristopher 


Green  (whose  sketch  as  one  of  the  mayors  of 
Sacramento  appears  in  this  volume  elsewiiere), 
in  a  little  shop  on  J  street,  between  Front  and 
Second,  where  the  Tremont  House  now  stands, 
ai.'d  where  they  were  at  the  time  of  the  great 
flood.  In  September,  1853,  in  company  with 
Mr.  Goodrich,  he  went  first  to  Shasta,  and  Jan- 
uary 1,  to  Yreka,  near  the  Oregon  line,  and  in 
May  returned  to  Sacramento.  Mr.  Trainor  then 
began  in  business  for  Rolla  e%  Werner,  for  wlioin 
Mr.  Green  was  then  book-keeper.  In  1856  he 
formed  a  partnership  with  Mr.  Green,  pur- 
ciiasing  the  interest  of  Rolla  &  Werner,  and 
this  business  they  continued  for  many  years. 
About  1860  they  inquired  ranch  property  in 
Yolo  County,  eight  miles  northeast  of  Dixon, 
in  what  was  called  "the  pocket,"  and  there  they 
had  at  one  time  as  many  as  5,000  sheep.  The 
native  breeds  were  crossed  with  the  Spanish  and 
French  Merinos.  The  firm  continued  in  sheep- 
raising,  in  connection  with  the  market,  until 
about  1874-'75;  but  in  the  meantime,  in  1869 
or  1870,  they  bought  a  ranch  in  Placer  County, 
where  they  had  5,000  sheep,  and  also  had  some 
1,600  acres  of  land  in  grain,  Mr.  Trainor  being 
the  active  outside  business  man  of  the  firm, 
while  Mr.  Green  attended  more  particularly  to 
the  interests  of  the  market.  They  are  still  en- 
gaged in  the  live-stock  business  in  Arizona, 
where  they  now  have  5,000  head  of  sheep  and 
2,000  head  of  cattle.  In  1867  Mr.  Trainor 
built  a  house  on  H  street,  where  R.  S.  Carey 
now  resides,  and  lived  there  many  years.  He 
now  resides  at  1222  Tenth  street.  He  is  a 
prominent  member  of  El  Dorado  L'odge,  No.  8, 
I.  O.  O.  F.  Being  one  of  the  "boys,"  he  took 
an  active  interest  in  the  volunteer  tire  depart- 
ment; became  a  member  of  the  Exempt  Fire- 
men's Association.  He  was  also  the  chief  or- 
ganizer of  the  Washington  Guards,  a  Yolo 
County  organization,  Captain  Mathews,  which 
in  1862  was  attached  to  the  Sacramento  Battal- 
ion, and  served  during  the  war.  Mr.  Trainor 
was  early  an  active  Democrat,  a  member  of  the 
Countv  Central  Committee,  and  chairman  of 
the  same;  but  ho  was  never  an  oftice-seeker  or 


HISrORT    OF    SACRAMENTO    COUNT T. 


an  office-holder.  His  fatlier,  Charles  Traiiior, 
was  a  native  of  Donegal,  Ireland;  was  a  "free- 
lander,"  and  compelled  to  emigrate  to  the  "land 
of  the  free,"  America.  The  maiden  name  of 
the  mother  of  the  snbject  of  the  foregoing 
sketch  was  Mary  McKinnin,  and  she  •  was  a 
native  of  the  city  of  New  i'ork.  His  grand- 
mother was  a  Quakeress,  a  native  of  Dublin, 
who  came  to  New  York  in  tlie  year  1799.  In 
1858  Mr.  Trainor  was  married  to  Rose  Toland, 
daughter  of  George  Toland,  of  Sacramento. 
Their  children  are  named  Daniel,  Isaac,  Charles, 
Frank,  Alfred  and  Walter. 


fHARLES  EDWARD  ADAMS,  proprie- 
ter  of  the  hay  and  feed  store  at  1108  and 
1110  J  Street,  Sacramento,  was  born  in 
Randolph  Connty,  Illinois,  March  28,  1841. 
When  seven  years  old  his  parents  moved  to 
New  Orleans.  In  1853  he  took  steamer  for 
California,  coming  to  Sacramento;  spent  about 
two  years  in  the  State,  during  which  time  he  at- 
tended school.  In  1855  he  returned  East,  going 
to  Massachusetts,  for  the  purpose  of  completing 
his  education  After  graduating  he  went  to 
St.  Louis  and  entered  the  office  of  the  Missouri 
liepuhllcan  with  a  view  of  learning  the  printing 
business;  he  went  to  New  Orleans  in  1859,  stay- 
ing about  six  months.  In  the  fall  of  the  year 
he  determined  to  come  to  California;  taking 
steamer,  he  arrived  in  San  Francisco  early  in 
1860  and  came  directly  to  Sacramento.  Shortly 
after  his  arrival  he  entered  the  grocery  store  of 
James  I.  Felter,  remaining  till  the  breaking 
out  of  the  war  in  1861,  when  he  enlisted  in  Com- 
pany F,  Second  California  Cavalry,  for  the  period 
of  three  years,  holding  the  position  of  Quarter- 
master Sergeant.  Part  of  his  company  was 
assigned  to  provost  duty,  with  headquarters  in 
San  Francisco,  where  it  remained  until  the  ex- 
piration of  term  of  service,  when  he  was  mus- 
tered out.  In  February,  1865,  he  went  to 
Mazatlan,  Mexico,  and  opened  a  hoel;  this 
place  was  then  occupied   by   the  French.      Mr. 


Adams,  however,  being  a  loyal  citizen  of  the 
United  States,  had  his  wife  make  an  American 
flag,  which  he  flung  to  the  breeze  July  4,  1865. 
This  was  the  only  emblem  of  the  Republic  dis- 
played, and  his  courage  and  patriotism  were 
amply  repaid  by  the  iiniversal  respect  it  com- 
manded. In  December  of  this  year  Mr.  Adams 
thought  to  improve  his  circumstances  by  going 
to  the  mines.  Accordingly,  he  sold  his  hotel 
and  went  to  a  mining  camp  near  Dnrango.  He 
remained  here  about  a  year  with  varying 
fortunes,  when  the  clamor  of  war  raised  his  war- 
like spirit,  and,  believing  himself  safer  in  the 
Mexican  army  than  the  disturbed  condition 
of  the  country  would  warrant  as  a  civilian,  he 
dropped  the  pick  and  shovel,  and,  going  to  the 
city  of  Durango,  where  Americans  were  at  a 
premium,  he  was  given  a  commission  as  Cap- 
tain of  Engineers.  At  this  time  the  campaign 
against  the  French  under  Maximilian  was  being 
vigorously  pushed.  Shortly  after  his  commis- 
sion was  received,  orders  were  given  to  lay  siege 
to  the  city  of  Queretaro.  After  some  bombard- 
ments and  numerous  engagements,  which  lasted 
about  two  and  a  half  months,  Maximilian 
surrendered  the  city  unconditionally  May  15, 
1867.  The  next  move  was  upon  the  city  of 
Mexico,  and  thither  the  army  went,  under  com- 
mand of  General  I'orliro  Diaz,  the  present  pres- 
ident of  the  Republic  of  Mexico,  and  had  the 
satisfaction,  on  June  21,  1867,  of  forcing  the 
city  to  capitulate.  In  his  capacity  of  Captain 
of  Engineers,  Mr.  Adams  was  very  close  to 
General  Diaz,  and  speaks  of  him  in  the  highest 
terms.  He  remained  with  Diaz  until  the  end 
of  the  year,  when  he  went  to  the  State  of  Zaca- 
tecas,  determined  to  make  his  fortune  or  "bust," 
by  again  engaging  in  mining.  He  returned  to 
California  in  February,  1875,  making  a  "  bee 
line"  for  Sacramento.  In  1876,  Mr.  Adams 
opened  a  hay  and  feed  store,  which  he  has  car- 
ried on  ever  since,  meeting  with  good  success. 
In  1864  Mr.  Adams  married  Miss  R.  D.  Hite, 
of  Sacramento  County,  who  accompanied  him  to 
Mexico,  sharing  all  the  hardships  and  privations 
of  a  soldier's  life,  as  well  as  the  dangers.     They 


HISTORY    OF    SACRAMENTO    COUNTY. 


have  been  blessed  with  three  cliildren,  two  sous 
and  one  daughter.  In  politics  Mr.  Adatns  is  a 
stanch  Republican,  and  in  1860  took  a  very 
active  part  in  tlie  Lincoln  campaign,  though  not 
old  enough  to  vote.  He  takes  a  great  interest 
in  the  local  government,  and  though  he  has 
done  his  party  gi'eat  service,  has  never  been  an 
aspirant  for  political  honors.  Mr.  Adams  is  a 
prominent  member  of  the  G.  A.  R.,  having 
joined  Sumner  Post,  jSTo.  3,  of  this  city,  in  1867. 
He  has  creditably  filled  all  the  offices  in  the 
Post,  including  that  of  Commander.  Is  also  a 
member  of  tiie  Masonic  fraternity  and  of  the 
Knights  of  Honor.  In  the  latter  order  he  has 
been  Assistant  Grand  Dictator  and  for  a  number 
of  terms  has  held  the  office  of  treasurer  in  the 
local  lodge  of  which  he  is  a  member.  Mr. 
Adams'  success  in  business  is  due  to  his  strict 
integrity  and  careful  attention  to  the  wants  of 
his  patrons.  He  is  devotedly  attached  to  Sacra- 
mento, and  althougli  he  has  seen  much  ot  the 
world,  has  found  no  place  so  attractive  as  the 
city  he  has  chosen  for  his  home,  and  where — 
his  wanderings  having  ceased — he  is  willing  to 
end  his  days. 

-^€®ni)l^-^ — 

fAMES  THOMAS  CHIN  NICK  was  born 
February  19, 1843,  in  Devonshire,  England, 
son  of  Robert  and  Sarah  (Wooland)  Chin- 
nick,  who  came  to  the  United  States  in  1874, 
locating  in  Philadelphia.  The  former  died  Feb- 
ruary, 1877,  and  the  latter  in  February,  1876. 
There  were  nine  children  in  the  family,  of  whom* 
five — two  sons  and  three  daughtcs — are  dead. 
Four  died  in  the  old  country,  and  one,  Eliza- 
beth, in  New  York  city,  at  the  age  of  thirty- 
two  years,  the  mother  of  one  child,  who  is  also 
dead.  The  living  are  William  John,  resident 
near  Trenton,  New  Jersey,  a  florist  and  farmer 
who  grows  a  great  many  tiowers  for  the  New 
York  markets;  Robert  Henry,  blacksmith  and 
machinist,  resident  in  Erie,  Pennsylvania;  Ed- 
win, carriage  blacksmith  and  spring-maker, 
resident   in    Philadelphia.     James  Thomas,  the 


subject  of  tills  sketch,  was  raised  in  Devonshire 
to  the  age  of  fourteen  years,  then  went  to  Bris- 
tol, where  he  commenced  learning  his  trade  of 
carriage  blacksmith  and  spring-making,  I'emain- 
ing  there  until  he  was  past  seventeen  years  old; 
then  he  went  to  London,  and  continued  in  the 
same  business  until  1872.  In  July  of  that  year 
lie  sailed  for  New  York,  landing  there  July  2, 
1872;  thence  to  Trenton,  New  York,  where  he 
made  a  short  visit  to  his  brother.  Going  to 
Railway,  New  Jersey,  he  worked  at  his  trade  for 
a  man  named  Pennoyer.  In  the  fall  of  1872 
his  employer  shut  down,  and  he  went  to  work 
for  Hatfield  &  Jackson.  In  the  fall  of  1873  he 
went  to  Philadelphia,  and  worked  there  for 
Petrie,  Grizel  &  Co.,  large  carriage  manu- 
facturers. In  the  fall  of  1875  he  left  there  for 
Ravenna,  near  Cleveland,  Ohio,  where  he  en- 
gaged with  Merts  &  Riddle,  remaining  there 
until  April,  1876.  During  all  this  time  he  was 
working  at  piece  work,  as  it  paid  better  than 
day  work.  Next  he  went  to  Camden,  New  Jer- 
sey, where  he  worked  for  Charles  Coffisry,  a 
large  carriage-builder,  and  remained  with  him 
till  September,  1876,  when  he  met  a  man  named 
Schreb,  who  was  in  partnership  with  Dolan. 
They  were  patentees  of  carriage  springs,  which 
were  being  manufactured  by  William  Pritchard, 
corner  of  Eighth  and  K  streets.  Mr.  Schreb 
urged  him  to  come  here  and  work  for  Pritchard 
by  the  piece,  which  he  did.  In  1879  he  went 
into  business  lor  himself  at  Elk  Grove.  He  has 
been  very  successful,  and  is  doing  a  good  deal 
of  machine  work,  carriage  work  and  general 
jobbing.  He  is  a  natural  mechanic.  Early  in 
life,  when  a  mere  boy,  he  evinced  a  strong  de- 
sire for  and  interest  in  mechanical  arts.  lie 
entered  upon  the  duties  of  acquiring  the  pro- 
fession of  his  choice,  and  in  due  course  of  time 
was  able  to  master  its  many  intricate  difficul- 
ties. He  is  possessed  of  a  strong  inventive 
faculty,  and  his  business  has  been  built  up  by 
the  first-class  work  he  turns  out.  He  was  mar- 
ried August  17,  1878,  to  Benicia  Walton, 
daughter  of  Elijah  Walton,  an  old  pioneer  of 
this  State.      Mrs.  Chinnick  was  born   in   Sacra- 


UJSTOHY    OF    SACRAMENTO    COUNTY. 


meiito  County,  January  25,  1855.  They  have 
one  daughter,  Etiiel  Blanch,  born  August  17, 
1882.  One  child  died  in  infancy.  Mr.  Chin- 
nick  is  a  member  of  the  Masonic  order  of  Elk 
Grove,  Lodge  No.  173. 


flMOTHY  LEE.— About  a  year  prior  to 
the  beginning  of  this  century,  there  was 
born  in  County  Kerry,  in  the  south  of 
Ireland,  Timothy  Lee,  who  grew  up  to  be  a 
plasterer  by  trade,  and  was  married  to  Louisa 
Ivoach,  a  native  of  London,  England,  but  of  Irish 
parentage.  He  emigrated  to  the  New  World  in 
1847  or  1848.  settled  in  New  York  city,  and, 
in  1849,  sent  for  his  family  to  join  him  there. 
He  was  the  father  of  thirteen  children;  he  is  at 
this  writing  ninety  j'ears  of  age  and  still  enjoys 
life  in  the  City  of  Churches.  When  the  younger 
Timothy,  subject  of  our  sketch,  joined  his  father 
in  New  York  he  was  about  fourteen  years  old. 
He  was  educated  there  and  learned  his  father's 
trade.  In  1855  he  removed  to  Madison,  Wis- 
consin, where  for  some  years  he  carried  on  his 
tiade.  In  May,  1858,  a  party  for  California 
was  made  up,  which  our  subject  joined.  They 
crossed  the  Missouri  River  at  Council  Bluffs, 
went  north  of  Salt  Lake,  through  Sublette's  cut- 
off and  located  at  Bear  Creek  in  Shasta  County. 
They  were  engaged  in  mining  until  1862  on 
Middle  Creek,  and  then  went  to  the  Nez  Perce 
mining  district.  In  1863  he  built  a  bridge 
across  the  Spokane  River,  getting  a  charter 
from  Idaho  to  do  so.  Tliis  bridge  was  located 
about  si.xteen  miles  below  Cordalaine  Lake  and 
twenty  miles  above  Spokane  Falls  and  near  the 
scene  of  Colonel  Wright's  battle  with  the  Nez 
Perce  Indians,  at  which  time  960  head -of  ponies 
were  destroyed.  In  the  year  1868  he  sold  out 
his  bridge  and  made  a  trip  East,  going  to  New 
York  and  Wisconsin,  where,  in  November,  he 
was  married  to  Miss  Minnie  Helm,  and  upon 
his  return  to  the  coast  he  came  to  Sacramento; 
since  that  time  he  has  made  it  his  home.  In 
1876  he  held    tlie  office  of  deputy  sheriff  for 


four  years,  in  the  year  1880  was  a  member  of 
the  police  department,  and  later  was  under- 
sheriff  during  the  administration  of  Sheriff 
Estell.  At  the  expiration  of  Estell's  term,  he 
was  employed  by  the  Central  Pacific  R  lilroad  as 
one  of  their  special  officers.  In  1888  he  was 
elected  chief  of  the  Sacramento  force,  which 
position  he  holds  at  this  writing.  He  well 
deserves  the  respect  of  his  fellow-citizens. 


tOBEllT  ALLEN  was  born  iti  Muskingum 
County,  Ohio,  about  eight  miles  from 
Zanesville,  October  25,  1825.  His  father, 
Jacob  Allen,  a  farmer  from  New  Jersey,  fol- 
lowed teaming  during  the  war  of  1812,  and  in 
Ohio  followed  farming  during  the  summer,  and 
during  the  winter  drove  horses  east  of  the 
mountains.  The  maiden  name  of  Robert's 
mother  was  Fisher:  she  died  when  he  was  nine 
years  old,  and  his  father  then  discontinued 
housekeeping.  Mr.  Allen,  the  subject  of  this 
sketch,  went  to  Farmington,  Van  Buren  County, 
Ohio,  where  he  learned  the  blacksmiths'  trade. 
This  he  followed,  in  partnership  with  another 
man,  and  a  year  later  opened  a  shop  in  company 
with  his  brother  Charles.  When  the  California 
gold  fever  broke  out  they  started  for  this  State. 
Leaving  Farmington,  they  attached  themselves 
to  a  party  of  forty,  crossed  the  Missouri  River 
May  10,  and  came  by  way  of  Fort  Kearney, 
Fort  Hall  and  the  Lassen  route,  with  ox  teams. 
They  divided  their  train  into  caravansaries  of 
fifteen  wagons  each  at  Independence  Rock,  and 
Mr.  Allen  and  his  brother  came  on  in  company 
with  one  other  man.  They  struck  the  Sacra- 
mento River  at  what  is  now  Stanford's  Vina 
ranch.  For  the  first  three  weeks  they  followed 
mining  at  Salt  Springs,  near  Shasta;  then  with 
teams  they  came  to  Sacramento,  arriving  No- 
vember 15,  1849.  Here  the  subject  of  this 
sketch  began  teaming.  On  his  first  trip  he 
took  1,600  pounds  of  whisky  and  flour  to 
Auburn,  at  $1  a  pound,  being  eleven  'days  on 
the  way.     Next   he  made  a    trip  up    to    Blue 


ErSTORT    OF    SACRAMENTO    COUNTY. 


Banks,  above  Mormon  Island,  and  moved  a  fam- 
ily to  Mild  Springs.  Returning  to  Sacramento 
lie  turned  his  cattle  out;  then  rented  a  bar  in 
the  old  Kentucky  House  on  J  street,  between 
Fifth  and  Sixth,  and  ran  it  until  the  fall  of  1850. 
Before  the  water  had  fully  receded  he  went  to 
Marysville,  and  thence  to  Cox's  Bar,  where  he 
followed  mining  during  the  ensuing  summer. 
In  the  fall  he  came  down  to  Sacramento,  and  at- 
tended bar  in  the  old  Sutter  Hotel  on  Front 
street  for  two  months  or  more.  In  1851  he  en- 
gaged in  teaming  from  here  to  Nevada,  buying 
goods  here  and  selling  them  on  the  streets 
there.  He  had  a  fine  four-horse  team  and  two 
ox  teams.  This  business  he  followed  during 
the  fall  and  winter  of  1851-'52.  Then  he  was 
at  Shasta  for  a  while,  but  did  no  mining  there. 
In  two  or  three  weeks  he  bought  an  interest  in 
a  blacksmith-shop  on  J  street,  in  Sacramento,  in 
partnership  with  Mr.  Woods;  six  months  after- 
ward he  bought  out  his  partner's  interest  and 
conducted  the  shop  alone  until  the  latter  part  of 
1852,  when  he  injured  his  back  and  was  laid  up 
for  two  months.  Quitting  blacksmithing  he 
worked  for  L.  R.  Beckley  on  the  Coloma  i-oad, 
at  the  Monte  Cristo  Exchange.  Then  he  and 
Mr..  Sullivan  entered  the  grain  and  feed  busi- 
ness on  J  street,  the  firm  name  being  Sullivan 
&  Allen.  Continuing  thus  until  the  spring  of 
1854  Mr.  x\lleu  went  to  Placer  County,  to  a 
place  called  Carlton,  tliis  side  of  Auburn,  where 
they  followed  merchandising  until  1859.  Mr. 
Allen  then  came  to  Sacramento  and  went  into  a 
barley  speculation,  in  which  he  lost  $11,000!  In 
1861  Mr.  Beckley's  place,  on  which  he  had  a 
lien  tor  services,  fell  into  his  hands.  He 
bought  some  young  cattle  and  worked  with 
them  until  1864,  in  the  meantime  engaging  to 
some  extent  in  the  cattle  trade.  .lune  24,  1862, 
he  married  and  began  keeping  house  at  the 
Monte  Cristo^  Exchange.  From  1863  to  1866 
he  was  employed  in  the  cattle  and  dairy  busi- 
ness in  Yolo  County.  Returning  to  Sacramento, 
he  engaged  in  the  saloon  business,  keeping  the 
Norfolk  saloon  on  K  street,  between  Fifth  and 
Sixth,  until  January,  1868,  when  he  rented  the 


fair-ground  for  the  years  1868-'70.  In  1871 
he  with  his  family  made  a  visit  to  the  East,  the 
greater  part  of  tli£  year,  retnrning  in  August- 
In  January,  1872,  he  rented  the  fair-ground 
again,  and  left  it  January  1,  1873.  He  was 
then  engaged  in  the  clothing  trade  until  the  lat- 
ter part  of  1877,  on  J  street,  between  Fifth  and 
Sixth.  In  1878  he  obtained  the  fair-grounds 
for  the  third  time,  holding  the  lease  during  the 
years  1878-'80.  In  1881  he  engaged  in  con- 
tracting for  street  improvements.  From  1883 
to  1885  he  had  the  Agricultural  Park  for  the 
fourth  time.  Mr.  Allen  is  a  Democrat  in  his 
politics;  is  a  member  of  the  Pioneer  Associa- 
tion of  Sacramento  Lodge,  No.  40,  F.  &.  A.  M., 
and  also  of  the  Chapter  and  the  Commandery, 
and  is  a  veteran  Odd  Fellow.  His  wife's  maiden 
name  was  Catharine  Elizabeth  Davis;  she  was 
born  seven  miles  from  Shawneetown,  Illinois, 
November  5,  1844;  her  father,  James  A.  Davis, 
was  a  sea-captain,  and  her  mother  was  formerly 
Miss  Jane  O'Neal.  After  the  death  of  her 
father  she  came  with  her  mother  across  the 
plains  to  California,  locating  in  Sacramento,  and 
resided  here  and  at  Alder  Creek.  Her  mother 
died  in  February,  1887.  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Allen 
have  two  children:  Edward  P.  and  Jennie,  and 
another  son,  Robert,  who  died  at  the  age  of 
twenty-two   months. 


Ig^ARVEY  ALVORD,  a  representative 
^Pj  farmer  of  Lee  Township,  was  born  in  Sep- 
"5s¥  tember,  1816,  in  Syracuse,  New  York, 
being  a  son  of  Ashael  and  Eva  Regine  (Mang) 
Alvord.  The  Alvords  are  American  for  more 
than  one  hundred  years,  the  ancestry  being 
Welsh.  Miss  Mang  was  a  German  by  birth. 
The  grandfather  Alvord,  and  one  son,  fought 
in  the  Revolutionary  War.  Ashael  Alvord  was 
a  farmer,  and  his  son,  Harvey,  having  received 
the  usual  district-school  education  of  sixty  years 
ago,  afterward  helped  on  his  father's  farm.  At 
twenty-one  he  went  to  farming  on  his  own  ac- 
count, and  in  1845  removed  to  Missouri,  where 


umrouY  OF  hagrambnto  count y. 


he  bouglit  a  farm  in  Caldwell  County.  In  1849 
he  sold  out  and  came  to  California,  first  going 
to  ujining  in  Placer  County,  where  liis  father, 
who  had  accompanied  him,  died  soon  after  their 
arrival,  in  Xovember,  1849,  aged  about  sixty- 
iive.  Mr.  Alvord.  worked  at  mining  some  seven 
or  eight  months,  and  in  the  spring  of  1850 
went  to  ranching  on  Coats'  ranch,  and  ferrying 
across  the  Cosumnes.  He  carried  on  the  ferry 
business  for  about  three  years,  and  farming  un- 
til 1857,  having  become  owner  in  1852.  In 
1858  he  sold  out  and  went  East,  but  in  1860 
moved  West  again,  settling  in  Nevada,  Color- 
ado, where  he  again  followed  mining  until  1863. 
He  then  went  to  Montana,  where  he  engaged  in 
building  and  running  quartz  mills,  having 
learned  the  business  while  in  Colorado.  He 
remained  in  Montana  about  eighteen  years;  and 
in  1882  moved  into  Wyoming.  His  health 
breaking,  he  returned  to  the  Cosumnes  in  1884, 
and  bought  a  small  portion  of  the  old  Daylor 
ranch  from  the  Grimshaw  estate,  containing 
only  about  twenty  acres,  but  with  an  excellent 
house  upon  it,  where  he  is  tranquilly  spending 
his  declining  years.  In  1844  he  was  tnarried 
to  Miss  Mary  A.  Alger,  a  daughter  of  Elijah 
and  Penelope  (Rector)  Alger,  of  Syracuse,  New 
York.  The  father  was  a  salt  manufacturer,  and 
lived  to  the  age  of  seventy-two.  The  mother  is 
still  alive,  is  eighty  years  of  age,  and  makes  her 
home  with  Mrs.  Alvord.  The  Algers  are 
American  for  some  generations.  Mr.  and  Mrs. 
Alvord  are  the  parents  of  two  daughters:  Mary 
Penelope,  born  in  New  York  State,  now  Mrs. 
Orlando  North,  whose  husband  owns  and  super- 
intends large  stock-ranches  in  Nevada  and 
Wyoming;  and  Frances  Lulu,  born  on  the  Cos- 
umnes, now  Mrs.  Lewis  C.  Rockwell,  whose 
husband  is  a  lawyer  in  Denver,  Colorado.  Mrs. 
Rockwell  has  seven  living  children:  Harvey 
E.,  born  in  1873;  Clinton  Alvord,  in  1877; 
Lewis  Orlando,  in  1878;  Mary  Frances,  in  1881; 
Emerson  Everett,  in  1883;  Annie  Lulu,  born 
November  20,  1884,  in  Denver,  Colorado;  and 
Paul  Nellis,  in  1887.  During  the  absence  of 
Mr.  Alvord  in  Montana,  Mrs.  Alvord  conducted 


the  Alvord  House  at  Idaho  Springs,  two  and 
one-half  years;  at  Golden  City  about  eighteen 
months,  and  from  1876  to  1879  in  Denver. 
When  the  Windsor  was  put  up  in  that  city  in 
1879  she  felt  that  it  would  overshadow  the  Al- 
vord, and  not  only  being  willing  to  run  a  sec- 
ond-class hotel  she  sold  out  and  retired  from 
the  business.  She  was  married  when  quite 
young,  and  is  still  hale,  hearty  and  cheerful. 


tBSALOM  MORGAN  ADDINGTON,  a 
potter  by  trade,  and  at  one  time  owner  of 
the  Michigan  Bar  pottery,  was  born  in 
Wayne  County,  Indiana,  September  28,  1824, 
his  parents  being  Morgan  and  Jane  (Mendeu- 
hallj  Addington.  His  great-grandfather  Ad- 
dington  was  an  English  emigrant  to  Virginia 
in  1776,  probably  then  in  middle  age.  A  great- 
grandmother,  known  in  later  life  as  Mrs.  Town- 
send,  whether  his  wife  or  not  is  not  known,  died 
in  Wayne  County,  Indiana,  in  1837,  at  the 
remarkable  age  of  104  years.  A  b:-other  of  the 
Virginia  immigrant  settled  in  the  State  of  New 
York,  and  from  these  two  it  is  thought  the 
American  Addingtons  are  descended.  John 
Addington,  the  grandfather  of  the  subject  of 
this  sketch,  died  in  Wayne  County,  Indiana, 
man}'  years  ago,  aged  sixty-four.  The  grand- 
parents, Mr.  and  Mrs.  Absalom  Mendenhall,  cf 
Fountain  County,  Indiana,  were  both  about  ths.t 
age  when  they  died.  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Morgaii 
Addington  moved  to  Fountain  County  in  1830, 
and  the  father  was  a  farmer  there  until  liis 
death  in  1837.  A.  M.  Addington  began  to 
learn  the  trade  of  potter  in  Green  County,  Wis- 
consin, in  1840,  spending  two  years  there.  He 
afterward  spent  two  years  at  a  pottery  in  Foun- 
tain County,  Indiana,  going  to  school  both 
winters.  He  then  worked  at  his  trade  for  six 
years  at  different  points  in  the  East.  In  1850 
he  came  to  California  and  went  to  mining  eight 
years.  In  1859  J.  AV.  Orr  erected  the  Michigan 
Bar  pottery,  Mr.  Addington  helping  to  build 
and  afterward  working  for  him  as  potter.     The 


HI8T0BT    OF    SAGJtAMENrO    COUNTY. 


works  were  moved  to  tlie  present  location  at 
Orr's  clay-bank  in  1862,  Mr.  Addington  still 
remaining  connected  with  the  manutactiire  of 
the  goods.  He  tiled  pre  emption  papers  to  160 
acres.  In  1865  he  bought  the  land  and  pottery 
of  Mr.  Ori',  and  continued  the  manufacture 
until  he  sold  out  to  the  present  proprietor,  J.  B. 
AVilliams,  in  1884.  He  still  works  there,  but 
his  family  residence  is  in  Oakland.  Mr.  Ad- 
dington was  married  in  Knoxville,  Illinois,  in 
1852,  to  Miss  Martha  Boyd,  born  in  Ohio,  July 
3,  1830,  lier  parents  being  Robert  and  Jane 
(McKibben)  Boyd,  both  deceased.  The  father 
was  born  in  Kentucky,  the  son  of  a  Scotchman, 
and  the  mother  in  Pennsylvania,  of  Scotch-Irish 
parentage.  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Addington  are  the 
parents  of  four  Jiving  children,  born  in  this 
State:  David  Morgan,  February  9,  1853,  now  a 
physician  at  Upper  Lake  in  Lake  County,  and 
the  father  of  three  children:  their  mother,  before 
marriage  was  Miss  Abbie  Yates,  being  also  a 
native  of  this  State;  Anna,  born  July  19,  1859, 
now  Mrs.  William  Beaugner,  of  Oakland,  has 
one  child;  Thomas  M.,  born  February  15,  1862, 
is  now  living  in  Felton,  California;  Charlie 
Boyd,  born  November  20,  1870,  is  learning  the 
potter's  trade  from  his  father. 

I^ENRY  ALLTUCKER,  of  San  Joaquin 
|n^  Township,  was  born  June  6,  184:4:,  in 
tS(|  Germany,  a  son  of  George  and  Maggie 
(Swick)  Alltucker,  farmers,  who  never  came  to 
this  country,  and  are  both  deceased.  Henry 
was  reared  on  a  farm  in  the  old  country,  came 
to  America  in  1866,  landing  in  New  York  city, 
resided  one  year  in  Pennsylvania,  working  at 
odd  jobs,  and  in  1867  came  to  California,  by  way 
of  the  Isthmus,  being  three  weeks  on  the  voy- 
age. The  first  year  here  lie  was  fireman  at  the 
Pioneer  Flouring  Mill  and  two  years  at  the 
Lambart  Mill;  next  he  was  one  year  on  a  por- 
tion of  Jack  Korn  ranch;  from  there  he  went 
to   Owen's   place,  on    which  he   remained   eight 


years,    and    finally    he    purchased 


pr( 


property  of  846  acres;  he  also  has  320  acres 
neai-  Sheldon.  He  raises  mostly  wheat  and 
live-stock.  All  his  present  wealth  he  himself 
has  accumulated  by  his  own  industry  and  shrewd 
judgment.  He  has  one  of  the  best  of  ranches. 
It  is  located  six  miles  from  Elk  Grove  and 
twenty  miles  from  Sacramento,  and  only  two 
miles  from  the  railroad  station;  it  is  part  bottom 
land,  bounded  on  the  south  by  the  Cosuinnes 
River.  A  small  but  good  vineyard  is  on  the 
place.  Mr.  Alltucker  i^a  member  of  the  orders 
of  L  O.  O.  F.,  F.  &  A.  M.,  and  K.  T.  In  1874 
he  married  Miss  Christina  Olson,  a  native  of 
Sweden,  who  died  in  1885,  leaving  two  children, 
Emma  C.  and  George  H. 


fLEXANDER  BROWN  was  born  in  Ports- 
mouth, New  Hampshire,  March  10,  1849, 
his  parents  being  John  and  Agnes  (Rob- 
ertson) Brown,  who  had  emigrated  from  Scot- 
land about  1839.  They  moved  to  Lawrence, 
Massachusetts,  in  1851,  where  the  father  died 
in  1858.  The  mother  came  to  California  in 
1861  with  three  children,  John,  Christina  and 
Alexander,  of  whom  the  two  last  went  East  in 
1862,  but  returned  to  California  in  1866.  The 
mother,  who  was  born  in  1821,  is  living  with 
her  daughter,  Mrs.  S.  F.  Drury,  of  Newcastle, 
California.  Grandfather  Alexander  Brown  was 
eighty  when  he  died.  The  maternal  grandpar- 
ents were  also  long-lived  and  died  in  Canada, 
whither  they  had  emigrated  from  Scotland.  The 
subject  of  this  sketch  received  the  usual  educa- 
tion till  the  age  of  twelve,  but  when  he  went 
East  in  1862  he  became  a  clerk  in  a  grocery 
store  for  four  years.  On  his  return  to  Califor- 
nia in  1866  he  went  to  work  in  the  pork -packing 
business  in  San  Francisco  for  some  years,  and 
then  to  butchering  on  his  own  account  for  a 
year  or  two,  and  afterward  into  the  Iruit  and 
produce  business  for  wages  for  five  or  six  years. 
February  11,  1879,  he  came  to  Walnut  Grove 
and  helped  his  mother  in  the  hotel  business  for 
two  years,  and  then  bought  and    sold    fruit  for 


<:^^^<i^^~ 


HISTORY    OF    SACRAMENTO    COUNTY. 


iibout  two  years.  April  23,  1883,  he  opened  a 
general  store,  and  on  June  1,  1886,  he  suc- 
ceeded his  mother  in  the  hotel  business.  Mean- 
while, in  1884,  he  had  rented  300  acres  in  the 
Pearson  district,  since  increasing  it  to  3,830 
acres.  On  this  he  raises  barley  and  all  kinds  of 
vegetables,  making  a  specialty  of  beans.  In 
1887  he  raised  two  crops  of  barley  on  a  portion 
of  it,  and  fully  2,000  acres  in  the  district  are 
capable  of  yielding  two  crops  every  year,  but 
labor  cannot  always  be  economically  used  to 
produce  that  result.  Besides  his  hotel,  store 
and  ranch  business,  Mr.  Brown  is  agent  for  the 
Southern  Pacific  Eailroad's  line  of  steamers, 
Wells,  Fargo  &  Co.'s  E.xpress,  the  Western 
Union  Telegraph  Company,  is  assistant  post- 
master, owns  and  conducts  the  warehouse,  and 
as  can  readily  be  imagined  is  very  busy  iudeed. 
But  this  list  does  not  quite  exhaust  the  cata- 
logue of  his  industries.  In  September,  1887, 
he  bought  a  ranch  of  4,385  acres  in  Colusa 
County,  and  entered  into  possession  of  the  same 
on  April  23,  1888.  This  is  devoted  chiefly  to 
stock-raising.  Mr.  Brown  was  married  Febru- 
ary 14,  1871,  to  Miss  Kate  Stanford,  born  in 
this  State,  April  21, 1854,  daughter  of  C.  P.  and 
Helen  (Emmons)  Stanford,  of  San  Francisco. 
Mrs.  Brown's  parents  and  maternal  grandparents 
are  still  living.  Her  paternal  grandparents  died 
some  ten  or  twelve  years  ago,  about  two  years 
apart,  aged  about  eighty.  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Brown 
are  the  parents  of  five  living  children:  John 
Stanford,  born  October  14,  1873;  Arthur  Alex- 
ander, July  6,  1878;  Frank  Emmons,  February 
1,  1883;  Agnes  Helen,  April  27,  1884;  Alex- 
ander, Jr.,  September  2,  1888. 

— '^^®m'¥^ — 

tON.  DWIGHT  HOLLISTER.— On  the 
east  bank  of  the  Sacramento  River,  six- 
teen miles  south  of  the  Capital  City,  in 
Sacramento  County,  we  find  the  home  of  the 
lion.  Dwight  Ilollister.  To  say  that  he  is  a 
representative  man,  while  it  is  true,  does  not 
express  the  position  which  has  been  attained  by 


him  ill  the  State,  in  the  county,  and  in  the 
neighborhood;  for  in  all  these  he  has  been 
prominent  for  many  years.  The  historical  vol- 
ume of  Sacramento  County  would  indeed  be  in- 
complete without  at  least  a  brief  page  from  the 
story  of  his  life,  and  a  glance  at  his  ancestry, 
which  will  be  read  with  interest  by  the  many 
friends  and  acquaintances  which  his  public 
service,  his  well-known  hospitality,  the  pre- 
eminent qualities  of  head  and  heart,  have  gath- 
ered into  his  life.  Born  September  27,  1824, 
near  Marietta,  Ohio,  his  parents  being  Sereno 
and  Mary  A.  (Ryan)  Hollister.  His  mother 
was  a  native  of  the  Emerald  Isle,  but  brought 
up  in  the  Buckeye  State  from  a  child.  His 
father,  a  native  of  Connecticut,  moved  to  Wash- 
ington County,  Ohio,  near  Marietta,  in  1820, 
and  was  married  there  February  22,  1823.  He 
died  September  2,  1880,  aged  eighty-three 
years.  Grandfather  Roger  Hollister  was  born 
in  Connecticut,  May  23,  1771,  and  was  there 
married  to  Miss  Hannah  Stratton,  October  11, 
1792.  He  was  the  fifth  in  descent  from  Lieu- 
tenant John  Hollister,  who  was  born  in  England 
in  1612,  and  emigrated  to  Connecticut  in  1642. 
The  Strattons  are  also  American  for  several 
generations.  Dwight  Hollister  was  educated  in 
the  district  schools,  and  afterward  took  an 
academic  course  in  Marietta.  At  the  age  of 
twenty  he  began  to  work  on  his  own  account. 
He  clerked  in  a  dry  goods  store  about  three 
years,  and  did  some  flat-boat  trading  down  on 
the  Ohio  and  Mississippi.  His  health  not 
being  of  the  best,  he  came  to  California  by  way 
of  New  York  and  Cape  Horn  in  1849,  mainly 
with  the  view  of  receiving  some  benefit  from 
the  long  voyage.  Learning  in  one  of  the  South 
American  ports  that  the  discovery  of  gold  in 
California  was  an  assured  fact,  he  went  to 
mining  for  one  year  in  Placer  County.  His 
success  was  not  phenomenal,  and  he  went  to 
trading  among  the  miners.  In  company  with 
a  comrade  he  conducted  a  trading  post  and 
tavern  for  another  year.  A  third  year  was 
spent  in  the  position  of  a  hotel  clerk  in  Sacra- 


mento.     In    1852    he    went    into    th 


nursery 


490 


HISTORY    OF    SACRAMENTO    COUNTY. 


business  as  joint  partner  in  the  firm  of  White 
&  Hollister,  in  which  he  held  an  interest  for 
twelve  years.  Meanwhile,  in  1857,  he  went 
back  to  Marietta,  where  he  was  married  on  De- 
cember 8,  to  Miss  Nannie  li.  Alcock,  a  native 
of  that  place,  born  of  an  English  father  and  a 
Virginia  mother.  Returning  to  California,  he 
bought  the  ranch  on  which  he  still  resides,  two 
miles  north  of  Courtland,  on  the  Sacramento 
River.  The  ranch  contains  over  600  acres,  all 
bottom  land,  but  some  of  it  is  too  low  for  culti- 
vation. He  uses  a  part  for  dairy  purposes, 
keeping  about  100  cows,  and  raises  all  the  pro- 
duce necessary  to  their  sustenance.  But  the 
great  work  of  his  life  has  been  the  growing  of 
California  fruits.  He  is  widely  known  and 
esteemed  as  the  "pioneer  fruit-grower"  of  this 
section  of  the  State.  As  early  as  1852  he  first 
engaged  in  the  nursery  business,  and  it  was 
this  foresight  into  the  undeveloped  possibilities 
of  California  as  the  fruit-raising  center  of  the 
world  which  has  brought  affluence  and  opu- 
lence to  the  subject  of  our  sketch.  Mr.  Hollis- 
ter has  been  for  many  years  closely  identified 
with  the  Masonic  fraternity  as  a  Knight  Tem- 
plar, and  in  political  matters  has  taken  a  promi- 
nent part,  affiliating  with  the  Republican  party 
since  its  organization.  He  has  been  called  upon 
to  fill  many  offices  of  trust  and  responsibility,  a 
duty  which  he  has  not  shirked  because  of  the 
many  personal  inconveniences  to  which  it  has 
necessarily  subjected  him.  He  was  chosen  to 
represent  his  constituents  in  the  Legislature  of 
his  State  in  the  sessions  of  1865,  and  again  in 
1884.  He  was  known  among  his  associates  as 
one  true  to  the  interests  of  his  section,  fearless 
in  the  expression  of  what  he  believed  to  be 
right,  and  tireless  in  his  eflfbrts  in  the  direction 
of  wise  legislation.  Of  his  home  life  we  need 
say  but  little,  although  much  might  be  said 
with  propriety  of  the  individual  members  of  his 
Iiousehold,  which  is  composed  of  Mr.  and  Mrs. 
Hollister,  two  sons,  Charles  Edwin  and  Frank 
E.,  and  one  daughter,  Blanche,  all  of  whom 
liave  received  superior  educational  advantages. 
Both  sons  have  attained  to  the  decree  of  M.  A., 


and  the  younger  qualifying  himself  for  business 
life  by  extended  experience  in  a  commercial 
house  at  San  Francisco.  They  are  both  inter- 
ested with  their  father  in  his  extensive  farming 
and  fruit-growing  interests.  Here,  then,  we 
see  the  picture  of  one  of  the  fair  homes  which 
industry  and  thrift  has  built  up  beside  the 
softly-flowing  Sac.amento,  in  this  land  of  golden 
sunshine.  Looking  backward  we  see  the  turbid 
tide,  the  trials  and  hardships  incident  to  tlie 
pioneer  days.  Looking  forward  we  see  a  land 
flowing  with  milk  and  honey,  a  fair  domain  rich 
in  the  development  of  the  bounteous  resources 
of  nature,  while  for  the  present  we  see  the  con- 
spicuous land-mark  of  a  happy  home,  not  built, 
it  is  true,  in  a  da}',  but  the  outcome  of  years  of 
painstaking  labor,  a  monument  to  a  successful 
life. 


ILLIAM  BREEDING,  rancher  of  Co- 
sumnes  Township,  was  born  in  Virginia, 
January  8,  1826,  his  parents  being 
Squire  H.  and  Sally  (Burton)  Breeding,  both 
natives  of  Virginia  and  of  long-lived  parentage. 
The  father,  born  in  1801,  and  the  mother,  about 
1807,  died  in  1862,  being  separated  in  death 
only  fifteen  minutes.  Grandfather  Jeremiah 
Breeding,  born  and  brought  up  in  Shenandoah 
County,  Virginia,  lived  to  be  sixty,  and  his 
wife,  a  Miss  Husk  before  marriage,  was  about 
seventy  at  her  death  seven  years  later,  about 
1845.  William  was  reared  on  his  father's 
farm,  learned  farming  chiefly  and  worked  at 
home  until  jiis  removal  to  Missouri  in  1851, 
where  lie  worked  for  others  in  the  same  line. 
He  arrived  in  Sacramento  September  26,  1853, 
and  was  engaged  in  mining  fifteen  years.  In 
1868  he  bought  his  ranch  of  120  acres,  two  miles 
south  of  Michigan  Bar,  and  has  been  farmingever 
since,  raising  chiefly  cattle  and  hay.  In  May, 
1866,  he  was  married  to  Mary  Ann  Thornburgh, 
born  in  Virginia,  August  19,  1833,  daughter  of 
William  and  Catherine  (Rickey)  Thornburgh. 
They  moved  to  Mis.^(juri  in  1837.     The   father, 


nisrOHY    OF    SACRAMENTO    COUNTY. 


a  native  of  North  Carolina,  died  in  liis  sixtj- 
ninth  year,  in  February,  1846;  and  the  mother 
was  eight-four  wlien  she  died  March  18,  1886. 
Grandmother  Elizabeth  (Hoffnion)  Rickey,  born 
in  Pennsylvania,  saw  her  ninety-ninth  birthday. 
Tiie  Rickeys  were  of  French  and  the  Hoffmons 
of  Dutch  origin.  Grandmother  Thoriibnrgh 
was  a  Miss  Martha  Ballinger  before  her  mar- 
riage. Mr.  Breeding's  education  was  also  rather 
limited  but  sufficient  for  all  ordinary  purposes. 
Mr.  and  Mrs.  Breeding  are  the  parents  of  four 
living  children:  Emmett,  born  May  20.1867; 
Martha  Alamo,  January  10,  1870;  Una  Catha- 
rine, July  1,  1872;  William  Walter,  April  18, 
1876.  All  have  had  or  are  receiving  a  good 
education. 

^..^..^^^^^--^ 


fA.  BRANSCOMBE,  a  farmer,  was  born 
September  30,  1850,  in  Canada,  son  of 
*  John  and  Elizabeth  (Clark)  Branscombe, 
natives  also  of  that  province,  both  of  whom 
also  died  in  that  country,  the  father  September 
28, 1882,  and  the  mother  January  21,  1889.  In 
their  family  were  four  daughters  and  five  sons, 
as  follows:  Katie,  Sallie,  Hannah  J.,  Sophia, 
William,  Samuel,  Robert,  Arthur  and  Samuel; 
si.x  are  still  living.  Mr.  Branscombe,  our  sub- 
ject, was  reared  on  a  farm  in  Prince  Edward 
County,  Canada,  and  came  to  California  in  1870, 
and  for  a  while  worked  for  wages.  Three  years 
afterward  be  returned  to  Canada  with  the  in- 
tention of  remaining  there;  but  before  lie 
crossed  the  Sierras  he  was  homesick,  and  when 
he  reached  the  cold  climate  of  Canada  he  de- 
termined to  settle  in  California  for  the  remainder 
of  his  life.  Although  he  was  offered  good  in- 
ducements by  his  father  to  stay  there,  he  refused 
them  and  returned  here  in  1874.  He  rented 
land  until  1881,  when  he  purchased  his  present 
farm  of  half  a  section,  which  appeared  to  most 
people  at  that  time  to  be  very  poor;  but  the 
very  first  crop  paid  for  the  land.  He  is  a  good 
manager  of  his  ranch,  following  general  agricul- 
ture and  having  a  small   vineyard  and  orchanl. 


Indeed,  he  has  been  more  than  successful,  as  his 
premises  demonstrate.  He  is  a  man  of  untiring 
energy  and  undiminished  ability.  Although  lie 
has  suffered  several  severe  accidents,  by  runa- 
ways and  by  being  run  over  by  the  cars,  etc.,  he 
is  still  in  good  health.  December  29,  1880,  he 
married  Miss  P.  A.  Tice,  daughter  of  George 
and  Vashti  (Woodward)  Tice,  herfather  a  native 
of  New  York  and  her  mother  of  Indiana.  They 
have  no  children. 


-^-^ 


tOBERT  BARNETT,  Revenue  Collector 
for  the  Fourth  District,  United  States  of 
America,  just  entering  the  prime  of  life 
and  the  zenith  of  his  popularity,  was  born  at 
the  St.  Charles  Hotel.  New  Orleans,  on  the  29th 
of  May,  1847.  His  father,  Robert  Barnett,  M. 
D.,  a  practicing  physician  of  the  Crescent  City, 
migrated  to  the  shores  of  California  in  1849^ 
when  the  younger  Robert  was  but  three  years 
of  age,  and  died  at  Colusa  in  1857.  In  1862 
young  Barnett  left  school  to  make  a  start  in  life 
for  himself,  and  became  a  cattle  herder,  follow- 
ing a  band  to  the  mountain  pastures;  this  oc- 
cupation he  followed  until  1868,  when  he  began 
clerking  in  a  hotel  in  the  town  of  Colusa.  He 
was  so  popular  that  in  the  following  year  he  was 
chosen  by  the  Democratic  party  for  the  position 
of  town  treasurer,  which  office  he  held  two  terms, 
and  afterward  was  returned  as  one  of  the  "city 
fathers,"  as  the  trustees  were  termed.  Was  elected 
countytreasurerof  Colusa  County,  and  re-elected, 
serving  in  all  seven  years.  In  1884  he  was 
elected  to  a  seat  in  the  State  Legislature  and 
served  in  the  session  of  1884  and  1885,  and 
then  resigned  to  accept  the  position  he  now 
holds,  the  Collectorship  of  Internal  Revenue, 
taking  possession  of  his  oflSce  August  1,  1885. 
In  the  session  of  the  Legislature  of  1884  and 
1885,  he  was  one  of  the  twenty  Democrats,  the 
Republicans  that  year  being  in  large  majority. 
He  interested  himself  especially  in  the  irriga- 
tion bill,  and  others  of  minor  imjrortance. 
Speaking  of  his  having  held   the  oHice  of  treas- 


HISTORY    OF    SACRAMENTO    COUNTY. 


wrer  of  Colusa  County,  a  singular  fact  is  recorded 
of  his  wife's  family.  This  lady,  Mary  (Vincent) 
Barnett,  a  daughter  of  Williaui  Vincent,  who 
was  treasurer  of  Colusa  for  two  terms,  was  the 
widow  of  J.  Hop.  Woods,  who  was  treasurer 
for  ten  years;  and  her  uncle,  John  Dunlap,  also 
held  the  office,  as  the  genial  ex-treasurer  remarks» 
"quite  a  family  affair."  Mr.  Barnett  was  prom- 
inent in  organizing  the  order  of  Knights  of 
Pythias,  in  Colusa  County,  being  a  charter 
member  and  was  also  a  prominent  Odd  Fellow 
there.  He  is  a  member  of  the  Chapter  and  of 
Colusa  Lodge,  No.  2-1:0,  F.  &  A.  M. 

^t^t-^^ 

fOHN  T.  BARRY,  proprietor  of  the  Valley 
Press  Printing  House,  Sacramento,  was 
born  in  Louisburg,  County  Mayo,  Ireland, 
in  1840,  emigrating  to  the  United  States  in 
April,  1848;  was  partially  educated  at  St. 
John's  College,  Worcester,  Massachusetts;  spent 
some  months  in  New  York  city.  In  1857  he 
joined  the  army  that  was  sent  to  Utah  to  sub- 
due the  rebellious  Mormons  and  establish  the 
supi-emacy  of  the  General  Government.  He 
resigned  his  commission  in  1858,  and  came 
westward,  arriving  in  Sacramento  in  November 
following.  Within  a  few  days  he  went  to  San 
Francisco  and  obtained  employment  in  a  news- 
paper office,  where  he  remained  until  1860. 
Thence,  going  to  Virginia  City,  Nevada,  he  be- 
came part  owner  of  the  Territorial  Enterprise, 
then  a  weekly  paper.  In  1862  he  was  com- 
missioned by  Governor  Nye  as  First  Lieutenant 
of  a  company  of  Nevada  volunteers,  and  was 
placed  in  command  of  the  infantry  at  Fort 
Churchill,  Major  McDermit  being  in  command 
of  the  fort.  He  resigned  in  1864,  returned  to 
Virginia  City,  and  in  connection  with  Hon. 
William  Woodburn  and  others,  started  the 
Daily  Constitution,  which,  after  a  short  time, 
was  abandoned.  He  then  returned  to  California 
and  was  commissioned  Major  in  the  Mexican 
army  by  President  Benito  Juarez,  and  in  con- 
junction with  General  Williams  and  Colonel  D. 


E.  Hungerford  (father  of  the  now  celebrated 
Mrs.  John  W.  Mackay),  organized  an  expedi- 
tion to  help  drive  the  Maximilians  out  of 
Mexico.  Among  his  officers  weie  the  now 
celebrated  Henry  George  and  the  Hon.  J.  F. 
Linthicum,  Receiver  of  the  United  States  Land 
Office  at  Sacramento.  The  expedition  proved 
a  failure,  and  in  November,  1865,  in  conjunction 
with  a  gentleman  named  Lyons,  he  purchased 
The  Monitor,  a  weekly  newspaper  of  large  cir- 
culation, then  and  now  printed  in  San  Fran- 
cisco. This  paper  he  published  until  1877. 
Having  soon  after  lost  most  of  his  jneans  in 
raining  stocks,  he  resumed  his  business  as  a 
printer,  and  worked  in  various  offices  until  the 
inauguration  of  Governor  Stoneman,  when  he 
came  to  Sacramento  and  worked  in  the  State 
printing  office  until  after  the  election  of  Gov- 
ernor Bartlett.  He  then  went  to  San  Diego, 
where  he  owns  considerable  property;  finally 
returned  to  Sacramento,  and  in  August,  1887, 
bought  the  interest  of  Rev.  C.  M.  Davis  in  the 
Valley  Press  Printing  House,  associating  him- 
self with  Charles  D.  Monagan,  whose  interest 
he  also  purchased  in  February,  1888,  becoming 
the  sole  proprietor  of  the  establishment.  The 
Valley  Press  is  one  of  the  best  equipped  book 
and  job  offices  in  Sacramento.  In  politics  Mr. 
Barry  is  a  Democrat,  and  was  nominated  for 
State  Printer  in  1871,  but  with  his  whole  party 
was  defeated.  August  15,  1868,  he  married 
Miss  Kate  E.  Fenton,  of  Santa  Clara.  They 
have  had  three  children,  two  of  whom  are 
living,  a  daughter  and  a  son.  The  son,  Charles 
J.,  graduated  last  year  first  in  the  first  class  of 
the  Sacramento  Institute;  and  the  daughter, 
Marcella  J.,  graduated  from  the  State  Normal 
School  at  San  Jose,  in  July,  1889. 


fOSHUA  JAMES  BAILEY  was  born  in 
Adams  County,  Ohio,  March  27,  1828,  his 
parents  being  Isaac  E.  and  Polly  (McNeil) 
Bailey.  He  was  reared  on  his  father's  farm, 
and  was  educated   in  the  district  schools.     The 


lIISTOliY    OF    SACRAMENTO    COUNTY. 


family  removed  to  Wisconsin  in  1840,  and  in 
1849  he  began  to  work  for  himself,  but  still  on 
his  father's  farm.  In  1850,  with  his  father  and 
brother,  he  came  to  California  and  went  to 
mining,  chiefly  in  the  foot-hills  of  the  Nevada, 
where  he  remained  until  1855,  with  little  actual 
net  results.  He  then  came  down  into  the  valley 
of  the  Sacramento,  where  he  went  to  work  on 
ranches  and  at  teaming.  In  1861  he  rented 
about  160  acres  from  H.  C.  Ross,  remaining  on 
that  place  fourteen  years.  In  1875  he  bought 
627  acres  of  Mr.  Wolcott,  which  he  still  holds. 
Only  twelve  acres  are  bottom  land,  on  which  he 
raises  corn,  alfalfa  and  fruit.  On  the  uplands 
he  raises  wheat,  barley,  oats  and  grapes,  besides 
cattle,  of  which  he  sells  a  few  hundred  dollars' 
worth  every  year.  The  Bailey  family  to  which 
he  belongs  are  of  old  Virginia  stock.  J.  J.'s 
grandfather,  Joel,  whose  wife,  a  Perkins,  was  of 
English  descent,  moved  into  Ohio.  In  1878  he 
was  married  to  Mrs.  Louisa  D.  (Joiner)  Benton. 
They  are  the  parents  of  live  living  children: 
Mary  Lauretta,  born  February  24,  1879;  Isaac 
JSTewton,  May  13,  1880;  James  William,  May 
22,  1884;  Alice  Josephine  and  Alfred  Willis 
(twins),  May  29, 1886.  Mr.  Bailey  is  a  worthy 
and  respected  citizen,  and  has  been  twice  elected 
a  school  trustee.  He  was  reared  a  Baptist, 
while  his  wife  is  a  Methodist,  but  church 
opportunities  of  any  kind  are  few  on  the 
Cosumnes.  • 

■^^♦*'^'= 

jRS.  MARY  E.  McmTYRE,  the  widow 
of  Bernard  Mclntyre,  was  born  in  this 
county,  April  6,  1853.  Her  husband, 
a  native  of  Ireland,  came  to  California  in  1852, 
and  for  two  years  labored  as  a  gardener  along 
the  river  for  a  Mr.  Kelley,  who  ran  away  owing 
Mr.  Mclntyre  a  large  sum.  Then  he  worked 
for  Mr.  Aiken  a  year,  and  finally  in  1861, 
bought  the  present  homestead  of  fifty- four 
acres,  where  his  family  now  resides.  Being  an 
industrious  and  economical  man,  he  converted 
the  original  wild  tract  of  land   into  a  jn-ofitable 


ranch.  He  died  January  9,  1887,  and  is  re- 
membered by  the  community  as  having  always 
been  an  honest  and  npright  gentleman.  The 
children  are  Mary  L.,  Bernard  P.,  William  J., 
Sarah  A.,  Philip  A.,  Francis  A.,  Cecelia  D.  and 
Robert  E. 


ILLIAM  A.  BIRCH,  farmer,  San  Joa- 
-  r™iuM  1"^^"^  Township,  was  born  June  13, 1836, 
l^^^  and  was  a  son  of  George  and  Frances  L. 
(Wright)  Birch,  father  a  native  of  Scotland  and 
mother  of  Long  Island.  His  father,  a  farmer, 
came  to  this  country  about  1820,  landing  at 
New  York,  was  married  about  1830,  on  Long 
Island,  and  in  1835  settled  in  Livingston  County, 
Michigan.  They  had  two  children:  Jane  E., 
who  is  the  wife  of  John  McCullongh  and  lives 
in  Amador  County,  this  State;  and  William  A. 
The  parents  catne  to  California  in  1854,  with 
ox  teams,  and  located  near  Diamond  Spring, 
where  the  father  followed  mining  for  some  time. 
They  are  both  now  deceased,  the  father  dying  in 
July,  1870,  and  mother  June  4,  1864.  The 
subject  of  this  sketch  came  with  his  parents  to 
this  State  in  1854.  In  1864  he  married  Miss 
Razelo  Jane  Campbell,  who  afterward  died, 
March  9,  1881.  By  the  first  marriage  there 
were  three  daughters  and  one  son:  Frances  R., 
born  July  25,  1870;  Polly  J.,  June  13,  1873; 
Augusta,  November  28,  1874;  and  William  G., 
August  8,  1877.  The  second  time  Mr.  Birch 
married  Mrs.  Fanny  Jones,  who  was  born  in 
Brockton,  Massachusetts,  and  by  this  marriage 
there  were  two  children:  Frank,  born  June  24, 
1886,  and  died  June  26,  1888;  and  Martin,  born 
May  4,  1888.  After  arriving  in  California,  Mr. 
Birch  followed  mining,  both  here  and  in  Idaho, 
with  varying  success;  and  since  1857  he  has 
been  farming  in  San  Joaquin  Township,  fifteen 
miles  from  Sacramento  and  eight  miles  from  Elk 
Grove.  There  he  has  480  acres  of  land  and 
devotes  special  attention  to  the  rearing  of  horses. 
He  commenced  liis  struggles  in  this  county 
witliout  any  means,  and  all  he  has  in  possession 


HISTORY    OF    SACRAMENTO    COUNT Y. 


he  has  made  by  his  own  unaided  efforts.  His 
ranch  is  well  improved.  Is  a  kind  and  generons- 
hearted  man.  His  first  vote  was  cast  for  Doug- 
las; but  he  has  long  been  a  stanch  Republican. 
He  still  carefully  preserves  in  a  scrap-book  a 
specimen  of  the  ticket  which  he  first  voted. 


fRS.  G.  VERNON  EWING  KED  ELIZA- 
BETH W.  EWING.— Dr.  G.  Vernon 
Ewing  was  born  in  Hayesville,  Ashland 
County,  Ohio,  P'ebruary  12,  1831,  and  was  edu- 
cated at  Vermillion  Collegiate  Institute.  He 
began  the  study  of  medicine  and  surgery  at  the 
age  of  eighteen  years  as  a  student  of  the  cele- 
brated Drs.  Armstriiig  and  Glass,  of  Haj'esville. 
After  pursuing  his  studies  one  year  under  these 
popular  physicians,  he  entered  the  Cleveland 
Medical  College,  of  which  the  late  Prof.  H.  A. 
Ackiey,  tlie  celebrated  surgeon,  was  a  professor. 
He  graduated  in  the  class  of  1852,  of  which  the 
late  distinguished  Dr.  Bliss  was  a  member. 
After  graduating  he  returned  to  Hayesville  and 
immediately  entered  upon  the  practice  of  ins 
profession,  devoting  specal  attention  to  surgery 
and  diseases  of  females.  In  1853  he  was  mar- 
ried to  Martha  S.  Kuhn,  daughter  of  Rev.  J. 
Kuhn,  professor  of  languages  in  Vermillion 
Collegiate  Institute  of  Hayesville.  She  died  in 
1867,  leaving  five  children,  four  of  whom  are 
still  living.  In  1854  he  settled  at  Rock  Run, 
Stephenson  County,  Illinois,  where  lie  continued 
in  practice  for  fourteen  years,  when  in  1869  lie 
removed  to  Chenoa,  Illinois,  where  he  practiced 
till  1880,  when  he  opened  an  office  for  practice 
in  Chicago  and  at  the  same  time  took  a  special 
course  of  one  year  in  Rush  Medical  College,  in 
surgery,  under  the  late  Prof.  Moses  Gunn,  and 
diseases  of  females  under  Prof.  Byford.  In 
1883  he  came  to  Amador  City,  California,  for 
the  benefit  of  his  health,  and  in  a  few  months 
removed  and  settled  permanently  in  Sacramento, 
where  he  continues  to  devote  his  time  prin- 
cipally to  the  practice  of  surgery  and  the  dis- 
eases of   females.      In    tiiese   branches  of   prac- 


tice he  has  had  very  extensive  experience  and  is 
a  successful  operator,  having  performed  many 
of  the  most  important  and  critical  operations. 
The  Doctor  was  married  the  second  time  in 
1870,  to  Elizabeth  Wilson,  a  native  of  Lexing 
ton,  Ohio;  her  father  was  a  native  of  Pennsyl- 
vania, and  emigrated  to  Oiiio  in  early  days, 
settling  at  Lexington;  her  mother  was  Isabel 
McCoy,  who  was  of  Scotch-Irish  descent.  She 
was  born  in  1839,  educated  at  Lexington  Semin- 
ary, Ohio,  under  the  care  of  Prof.  Richards 
Gailey,  and  graduated  at  Washington  Female 
Seminary,  Washington,  Pennsylvania,  and  was 
engaged  in  teaching  for  several  years  and  was  a 
successful  educator.  When  she  married  the 
Doctor  in  1870,  she  engaged  in  the  study  of 
medicine  and  graduated  in  1884  at  "  The  Wo- 
man's Hospital  Medical  College  of  Chicago;" 
soon  after  she  joined  her  husband  at  Sacramento 
and  entered  with  hiin  in  practice.  She  has 
devoted  special  time  and  attention  to  female  dis- 
eases, and  is  doing  a  very  large  practice  in  these 
diseases  in  connectioT  witii  a  general  practice. 


fOHN  B.  BROWN,  vineyardist,  was  born  in 
Harrisburg,  Virginia,  March  10,  1844. 
His  father,  Fleming  T.  Brown,  also  a 
native  of  that  State,  was  a  millwright.  In 
1851  he  purchased  property  in  Iowa,  and  lived 
there  six  years.  Selling  out  then,  he  came  to 
California  across  the  jilains  with  ox  teams, 
being  five  months  and  four  days  on  the  way, 
and  having  no  considerable  difliculties.  One 
night  there  were  four  shots  fired  into  their 
camp,  but  without  damage.  The  first  two 
years  here  Mr.  Fleming  T.  Brown  spent  at  a 
ranch.  (His  wife,  nee  Jane  Southern,  also  a 
native  of  the  Old  Dominion,  died  December 
21,  1857.)  Next  he  followed  teaming  a  year, 
and  then  in  1859  he  located  upon  a  ranch  in 
San  Joaquin  Township,  where  he  resided  nine 
years.  This  he  sold  in  1868.  In  1870  he 
went  to  Oregon  and  remained  two  years.  He 
has  made  one  or  two  otlier  trii)S   to  that    State. 


HISTORY    OF    SACRAMENTO    COUNTY. 


He  is  Still  living.  He  has  had  one  daughter 
and  two  sons,  as  follows:  Mary  A.,  born  June 
5, 1839,  and  is  now  the  widow  of  Albert  Fraser, 
of  San  Francisco;  George  M.,  born  April  30, 
1841,  and  died  February  14,  1888;  and  John 
B.,  born  March  10,  1844.  The  latter  was  mar- 
ried December  9, 1868,  to  Miss  Catharine  Reese, 
a  daughter  of  John  Keese.  Their  children  are: 
Mary  F.,  born  September  29,  1869;  John  F., 
April  29,  1872,  and  diea  June  4,  1874;  George 
D.,  May  19,  1874;  Lloyd  E.,  April  24,  1876; 
Fred  E.,  September*12,  1880,  and  Jessie  J., 
December  29,  1883.  Two,  unnamed,  died  in 
infancy.  Mr.  John  B.  Brown  purchased  his 
present  property,  forty  acres,  in  January,  1883, 
ten  miles  from  Sacramento  and  one  and  a  half 
from  Florin;  and  on  this  p!ace  he  devotes  his 
attented  to  the  raising  of  toble  fruits.  He  has 
also  210  acres  of  land  in  Placer  County,  excel- 
lent for  general  farming.  He  is  a  member  of 
Elk  Grove  Lodge,  IS^o.  274,  T.  O.  O.  F.,  and  in 
his  politics  is  a  Republican. 


^a    ^'   '    e) 

tMOS  MARCUS  LGWELL  was  born  in 
San  Francisco,  January  25,  1852,  being  a 
son  of  Marcus  and  Ellen  Mar  (McAra) 
Lowell.  The  father,  a  native  of  New  York 
State,  came  to  California  in  1849,  and  fallowed 
mining  for  two  years.  In  1851  he  went  to 
making  brick  in  San  Francisco,  and  was  there 
married  in  1851  to  Mrs.  Ellen  Mar  (McAra) 
HoUman.  See  sketch  of  Caroline  (Hollman) 
Eiirhardt.  After  two  years  at  brick-making 
Mr.  Lowell  moved  to  Sacramento  with  his 
family,  including  the  four  children  of  Mrs. 
Lowell,  by  her  former  marriage.  He  conducted 
an  academy  fi>r  young  ladies  for  about  two 
years  in  that  city,  and  was  afterward  engaged  in 
the  freighting  business  for  some  years.  Li 
1858  he  took  up  160  acres  on  the  Mukelumne, 
and  afterward  became  owner  of  2,500  acres 
there,  a  large  portion  of  wiiich  was  overflowed 
or  swamp  land.  In  the  great  flood  of  1862  he 
lost  iieavily,  and,  becoming  disgusted  with  such 


lands,  he  sold  out  and  returned  to  Sacramento, 
and  resumed  the  freighting  business.  In  1864 
he  was  again  in  San  Francisco  engaged  in  con- 
structing a  macadamized  road  toward  the  Cliff 
House,  on  which  he  again  lost  a  considerable 
amount  through  damage  by  heavy  rains,  re- 
quiring the  reconstruction  of  the  road.  Back 
again  to  Sacramento  County,  he  went  into  the 
business  of  distilling  at  Brighton  for  three 
years,  and  lost  about  $20,000  in  that  venture. 
Since  1867  he  has  been  engaged  in  various 
trading  ventures,  even  to  Honolulu  once  or 
twice,  but  has  never  recovered  fully  from  past 
disasters.  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Marcus  Lowell  are  the 
parents  of  the  following  children:  Amos  M. 
(see  above);  William  Harrison,  born  June  12, 
1853;  Charles  Henry,  February  22,  1859;  Isa- 
bel Mary,  October  12,  1860,  now  the  wife  of 
Charles  Summermacher,  a  native  of  Sacramento; 
Ira  Nehemiah,  born  February  28,  1862,  and 
Emma  Matilda,  born  in  1864.  The  subject  of 
this  sketch  left  home  at  the  age  of  thirteen,  and 
went  to  work  on  a  farm  for  Mr.  Henry  Ehr- 
hardt.  In  1870,  with  his  brother  William  H., 
he  rented  a  dairy  of  seventy-five  cows  from  Mr. 
Ehrhardt,  which  they  carried  on  for  two  years 
He  then  rented,  with  his  brother-in-law,  George 
W.  Fountain,  the  John  Julian  ranch  of  216 
acres,  where  they  carried  on  a  dairy  business  of 
sixty  cows,  besides  raising  some  fruit  and  hay. 
In  1878,  again  with  his  brother  William  H., 
he  carried  on  a  milk  business  at  Winnemucca, 
Nevada,  for  two  years,  returning  to  this  coutity 
in  1875.  In  1876  the  two  brothers  rented 
6,000 acres  at  Fremont,  on  the  Sacramento,  where 
they  milked  350  cows,  and  had  1,100  head  of 
cattle  all  told.  There  they  engaged  in  making 
cheese,  and  did  very  well,  but  by  the  floods  of 
1878,  1880  and  1881,  they  lost  all  they  had 
made,  and  withdrew  from  the  business.  In 
1881' the  subject  of  this  sketch  went  into  the 
brick-making  business  for  one  year  at  Mountain 
View,  in  Santa  Clara  County.  He  then  rented 
the  Freeman  rancii  of  400  acres,  eleven  miles 
south  of  Sacramento,  on  the  lower  Stockton 
road,  for  two  years.      In  1885  he  superinteifded 


BISTORT    OF    SACRAMENTO    COUNTY. 


the  construction  of  the  levee  in  the  Pearson  dis- 
trict, and  afterward  went  to  work  in  the  railroad 
shops  in  Sacramento,  in  the  carpentering  de- 
partment, for  two  years.  In  November,  1887, 
he  went  to  work  for  the  Sacramento  Transporta- 
tion Company  as  superintendent  of  their  brick- 
makingbnsiness,  just  below  Freeport,  where  heis 
still  employed.  In  1881  Mr.  Lowell  was  married 
to  Miss  Ida  M.  Davis,  born  in  Illinois,  daughter 
of  J.  Y.  and  Mildred  (Butler)  Davis,  now  of 
San  Francisco.  They  are  the  parents  of  two 
children:  Amos  Marcus,  Jr.,  born  May  IG, 
1882,  and  Mildred  Ellen,  born  August  24, 1884. 


RS.  MARY  LEE  was  born  in  Spring- 
field, Bradford  County,  Pennsylvania, 
January  4,  1820,  her  parents  being 
Austin  and  Nancy  (Harkness)  Pennock,  both 
natives  of  the  New  England  States.  They  were 
married  in  Salem,  New  York,  and  afterward 
moved  to  Pennsylvania,  where  they  made  their 
home  from  1809  to  1833,  when  they  moved  to 
Carthage,  Hancock  County,  Illinois,  where  they 
farmed  until  1867,  thence  moved  to  Beloit, 
Wisconsin,  where  Mr.  Pennock  died  in  October, 
1868,  in  his  eighty-iifth  year;  his  wife  died  in 
November,  1871,  in  her  eigthy-ninth  year,  near 
Osage  Mission,  Kansas,  where  she  had  moved 
after  her  bereavement.  They  had  seven  chil- 
dren, of  whom  four  are  now  living,  viz.:  Silas, 
resident  in  Minnesota;  Daniel,  resident  in  Be- 
loit, Wisconsin;  John,  resident  in  Sacramento 
County,  California;  and  Mrs.  Lee,  the  subject 
of  this  sketch.  Mrs.  Lee  was  in  her  fourteenth 
year  when  her  father  moved  from  Pennsylvania 
to  Illinois,  where  she  was  married  in  1840  to 
Absalom  Newnham,  a  native  of  Ohio.  In  April, 
1852,  a  party  of  thirty  families,  called  Callison's 
Company,  was  organized  to  go  to  Oregon. 
They  all  met  at  the  Missouri  River,  where  they 
separated  again  into  smaller  companies.  They 
had  no  trouble  with  Indians  on  the  way,  but 
many  of  the  children  were  sick  with  the 
measles,  and   cholera  was  raging  on   the  plains, 


and  three  of  their  party  died  with  it,  viz.:  Mr. 
Newnham,  who  died  about  seventy  miles  below 
Fort  Laramie,  on  the  north  side  of  the  Platte 
River,  on  the  1st  of  June;  Mrs.  Briston  two 
days  later;  and  Mrs.  Browning,  who  died  this 
side  of  the  Snake  River,  near  Fort  Hall,  about 
the  1st  of  August;  she  had  contracted  the  dis- 
ease by  eating  salmon  bought  of  the  Indians. 
They  crossed  the  mountains  about  the  7th  of 
September,  traveled  up  the  Willamette  River 
about  100  miles  until  they  reached  Mount 
Pleasant,  in  six  months  and  seven  days  from 
the  time  they  started.  They  stayed  there  till 
the  1st  of  December,  then  went  down  to  Oregon 
Citj',  remained  thece  three  weeks  waiting  for  the 
steamer.  Mrs.  Lee  came  by  water  to  Sacra- 
mento; the  voyage  was  very  rough  and  stormy, 
lasting  seven  or  nine  days.  They  arrived  in 
Sacramento  a  few  days  before  Christmas,  1852. 
In  the  fall  of  1854  Mrs.  Lee  (then  Mrs.  Newn- 
ham), with  her  family  of  four  children,  started 
for  the  East  with  the  intention  of  remaining 
there.  About  the  middle  of  October  they  left 
San  Francisco  on  the  steamer  Yankee  Blade, 
which  was  then  considered  to  be  a  good  steamer, 
and  had  been  previously  sold  to  other  parties, 
and  was  then  making  her  last  trip  for  the  old 
company.  After  she  had  been  out  twenty-four 
hours  she  struck  a  rock  and  beat  a  hole  in  her. 
The  crew  could  do  nothing,  and  she  finally 
sunk.  There  were  about  1,400  passengers  on 
board,  of  whom,  as  far  as  could  be  ascertained, 
thirty-seven  were  washed  ashore  during  the 
night.  They  were  buried  the  next  day.  Mrs. 
Lee,  with  two  children,  were  taken  on  a  small 
boat,  in  order  that  they  might  be  taken  to  land; 
but  when  she  saw  that  two  of  her  children  yet 
remained  on  the  boat  she  insisted  on  returning, 
saying  that  all  should  die  or  be  saved  together. 
About  nine  o'clock  she  and  the  children  were 
taken  to  shore  in  one  of  the  small  boats.  They 
lay  in  the  sand,  with  others  of  the  passengers, 
a  week  before  they  were  taken  back  to  San 
Francisco.  Their  food  consisted  of  mussel  soup, 
with  a  few  crackers  washed  ashore  from  the 
wreck.     They  used  the  cans  to  make   the  soup 


HI  STOUT    OF    SACRAMENTO    COUA'TT. 


in,  pearl  oyster  shells  for  spoons,  and  life-pre- 
servers for  buckets  to  carry  water,  wliicli  had  to 
be  brought  about  a  mile.  As  it  was  consider- 
able trouble  to  get  the  oysters,  and  crackers 
were  scarce,  they  had  only  one  meal  a  day,  and 
that  about  noon.  On  the  last  day  of  their  so- 
journ there,  just  as  they  were  about  to  partake 
of  their  soup,  the  joyful  news  came  that  a 
steamer  was  waiting  seven  miles  down  the  coast 
for  thei]^.  They  drank  a  little  soup  and  started, 
having  to  make  tiieir  way  through  the  trackless 
sage-brush  and  sand.  It  was  a  weary  walk,  but 
tiiey  were  very  thankful  for  the  opportunity  to 
get  away  from  the  desolate  place.  They  all  got 
safely  on  the  boat  before  dark,  and  were  kindly 
received,  and  a  bountiful  supper  was  prepared 
for  all.  They  arrived  at  San  Francisco  tlie  next 
day,  about  ten  o'clock,  and  Mrs.  Lee  returned  to 
Sacramento.  After  this  event  Mrs.  Lee  re- 
mained here  until  1869,  when  she  made  a  trip 
East,  witii  no  intentions  of  remaining  there, 
however.  She  met  with  a  stormy  voyage, 
which,  howes'er,  did  not  }>rove  fatal  to  any  one. 
The  children  of  her  first  marriage  are:  Mary 
J.,  wife  of  George  Cirby,  resident  near  Rose- 
ville,  Placer  County;  Nancy  A.,  wife  of  Joel  D. 
Bailey,  of  this  county;  James,  resident  in  this 
county,  and  Alice  E.,  wife  of  James  Patton,  of 
Sacramento  County.  Mrs.  Lee  was  married  to 
Iliehard  H.  Lee  in  October,  1856,  by  which 
marriage  there  is  one  child:  Einilj',  wife  of  Al- 
beit G.  McManus,  of  Sacramento  County.  Mrs. 
Lee  is  now  making  her  home  with  lier  son, 
James  Newnhain. 


►^^.f^f. 


fAMES  McCLEERY,  a  pioneer  of  1849,  was 
born  in  Beaver  County,  in  the  western  part 
of  Pennsylvania,  January  11,  1817.  The 
McClecry  iamily  are  all  of  Scotch  origin.  Tiie 
grandfather  of  the  subject  of  this  sketch  came 
to  Boston  in  the  early  days.  His  mother,  nee 
Sarah  Welch,  was  a  Pennsylvania  Quakeress,  a 
native  of  Westchester  County,  that  State.  After 
a  limited    schooling,  Mr.  McCleery  learned   the 


trade  of   wagon-maker,  at    the    manufactory  of 
James  Wilson,  at  jSTew  Brighton,  Pennsylvania. 


At  the  end  of  tli 


ree  year 


he   went  to  Warren 


Ohio,  and  started  in  luisiness  there  for  himself 
in  1855,  in  company  with  an  older  brother. 
Moving  thence  to  Galena,  Illino  s,  he  followed 
his  trade  there  for  eleven  years,  under  the  firm 
name  of  McCleery  &  Pitts.  Li  the  s[)ring  of 
1847  he  married  Miss  Sidney,  daughter  of  Cap- 
tain George  Garritt,  of  Philadelphia,  who  had 
moved  to  St.  Louis,  Missouri,  and  died  there  in 
1840.  In  February,  1849,  Mr.  McCleery  started 
with  a  party  for  California,  and  crossed  the 
plains  with  ox  teams,  by  way  of  tiie  Truckee 
route  and  Sublette's  cut-off,  arriving  in  this  State 
August  17.  His  first  business  enterprise  was 
the  manufacture  of  shingles,  getting  his  stock 
from  the  redwood  timber  back  of  and  near  where 
the  city  of  Oakland  now  is.  Shingles  were  then 
worth  $40  per  thousand.  But  the  news  spread 
abroad,  and  one  day  in  February,  1850,  there 
arrived  in  San  Francisco  twenty-one  ships  laden 
with  shingles  and  lumber,  and  the  price  went 
down  to  $0  per  thousand!  and  this  ended  the 
enterprise.  Tlien  Mr.  McCleery  came  to  Sacra- 
mento, and  proceeded  to  the  (3roville  mining 
district,  thence  to  Big  Bar,  on  the  American 
River,  thence  to  Todd's  Yalley,  and  afterward, 
in  company  with  the  late  Charles  E.  Green,  of 
Davisville,  he  went  to  Sliirt-tail  Canon,  in  Pla- 
cer County;  thence  he  went  to  Nevada  City, 
being  attracted  by  reports  of  the  Gold  Lake  dis- 
coveries, which  were  a  humbug.  In  1851  he 
returned  to  Sacramento,  arriving  on  the  day  of 
tlie  first  case  of  cholera  here.  He  soon  formed 
a  partnership  with  Charles  Fitcli  in  the  furniture 
trade,  on  Fourth  street.  At  this  time  he  was 
in  very  poor  healtli,  owing  to  exposure  in  the 
mines,  and  the  doctors  advised  him  to  return 
East  if  he  wished  ever  to  see  his  kinsfolk.  He 
made  the  trip,  joined  his  family  at  Philadelphia, 
and  soon  afterward  left  for  St.  Joseph,  Missouri, 
expecting  to  locate  tliere;  but  the  severity  of  the 
climate  induced  him  to  locate  in  St.  Louis, 
which  he  did  in  1852;  but  he  could  not  be 
satisfied  there,  and  on  Christmas  day  started  for 


BISTORT    OP    SACMAMENTO    COUNTY. 


California.  Coming  direct  to  Sacramento,  lie 
engaged  in  the  ■wagon-manufacturing  business 
in  partnersliip  with  Ed.  Kimball,  a  brother  of 
the  famous  wagon-manufacturer  of  San  Fran- 
cico.  Continuing  in  this  business  until  1865, 
he  was  elected  by  the  Republican  party  to  the 
ofKce  of  third  trustee  for  the  unexpired  term 
of  David  Kendall,  and  was  re-elected  for  the 
next  full  term.  Subsequently  he  was  Deputy 
Assessor  for  three  years,  and  again  held  the 
ofhce  of  third  trustee.  Still  [plater  he  acted  as 
Deputy  State  Census  Marshal,  and  School  Cen- 
sus Marshal.  In  1838  he  became  connected 
with  the  Odd  Fellows,  and  is  now  the  oldest 
member  of  Sacramento  Lodge,  No.  2,  of  which 
he  was  Director  and  Secretary  for  over  ten  years. 
He  has  also  passed  all  the  chairs  of  the  subor- 
dinate lodge  and  encampment,  and  \Yas  a  mem- 
ber of  the  Grand  Lodge  of  California  for  ten 
years.  He  is  a  member  of  the  Exempt  Fire- 
men's Association,  of  which  society  he  has  been 
president;  and  was  also  secretary  of  the  Pioneer 
Association  1883-^84. 


:ILLIAM  H.  LUTHER,  a  prominent 
fruit-grower  who  resides  in  Sacramento, 
was  born  in  Salina,  now  a  part  of  Syra- 
cuse, New  York,  April  4,  1827.  His  parents, 
Constant  and  Aurilla  (Williams)  Luther,  were 
natives  of  Rhode  Island.  His  father  emigrated 
from  that  State  to  New  York  in  early  day  and 
engaged  in  the  manufacture  of  salt  and  in  farm- 
ing, and  died  when  our  subject  was  a  lad.  The 
latter  graduated  at  the  Monroe  Institute  at  El- 
bridge,  Onondaga  County,  New  Y'^ork,  in  1839. 
For  four  years  he  was  clerk  in  the  store  of  Noali 
"Wood,  in  his  native  town;  next  he  spent  a  year 
with  Alfred  Haydin,  learning  the  carpenter's 
trade;  then  for  two  years  he  had  charge  of  the 
grain  department  of  the  mercantile  house  of 
Daniel  Dana;  and  tlience  until  1849  he  was  in 
the  service  of  Kingsley  &  Hollister,  wholesale 
grocers.  February  14, 1849,  in  company  with  an 
elder  brother,  he  left  New  York  city  on  the  ship 


Elizabeth  Ellen,  Captain  Truman,  and  came  by 
way  of  Cape  Horn  to  California,  arriving  at 
San  Francisco  September  18.  Here  his  first 
venture  in  a  business  way  was  to  secure  passen- 
gers for  arriving  ships  which  were  bound  for 
Sacramento  and  the  mining  districts.  In  this 
capacity  he  operated  for  Captain  Vale,  of  the 
schooner  Yalasco,  and  was  quite  successful,  as 
he  secured  400  passengers,  in  addition  to  a  cargo 
of  freight.  On  arriving  at  Sacramento  he  and 
his  brother  had  but  little  cash  on  hand'  never- 
theless, they  pushed  on  to  Placerville,  then 
called  "  Hangtown,"  and  camped  out  at  the 
diggings  near  by  their  friend-  James  Alvord, 
who  had  previously  located  there.  Not  being 
successful,  they  became  discouraged  and  were 
about  to  return  to  Sacramento,  when  one  daj' 
William  took  a  stroll  over  to  Cedar  Ravine  and 
found  a  vein  of  gold,  or  rather  of  slate  laden 
with  gold.  From  the  first  panful  he  obtained 
about  $50  worth  of  the  shining  metal.  Com- 
municating the  all-important  discovery  to  his 
brother,  they  went  to  work  together  and  at  the 
expiration  of  the  first  month  they  had  "  a  large 
pickle-jar  full  of  gold!"  A  fitting  illustration 
of  the  ups  and  downs  of  mining  fortune  may 
here  be  given  in  Mr.  Luther's  own  words:  "  It 
was  growing  late  in  the  season,  and  nearby  our 
claim  was  the  ca'bin  of  two  miners  who  had 
been  uniformly  unsuccessful.  Having  no  pro- 
visions, we  bought  their  supply  at  an  outlay  of 
about  $600.  This  afterward  proved  a  valuable 
find ;  for  the  roads  were  well-nigh  impassable, 
provisions  advanced  in  price,  and  at  times  were 
not  to  be  had  at  any  price.  Here  we  remained 
until  spring,  when,  lured  by  stories  of  opportu- 
nities in  El  Dorado  Canon,  we  sold  our  claim 
and  went  there  in  April,  locating  between  the 
North  and  the  Middle  Fork  of  the  American 
River.  The  snow  was  very  deep  and  we  re- 
mained there  until  July,  but  never  'struck  the 
color,'  and  we  then  learned  that  the  parties  to 
whom  we  had  sold  our  claim  for  $600  had  in 
the  meantime  cleared  $15,000.  In  1851  we  put 
in  a  flume  above  Spanish  Bar,  on  the  Middle 
Fork  of  the  American.     We  called  it  the  Indi- 


HISTORY    OF    SACRAMENTO    COUNTY. 


ana  Ripple.  After  weeks  of  toil  we  found  that 
it  was  useless,  because  of  another  fiume  below 
us.  We  then  stacked  our  flume  and  material 
on  the  river  bank;  but  before  it  could  be  trans- 
ferred to  another  location  it  was  all  swept  away 
by  the  floods.  Nothing  daunted,  however,  we 
secured  300  feet  below  the  other  flume  and  went 
to  work.  Here  we  found  a  crevice  which  pan- 
ned out  |100  to  the  foot.  In  the  spring  of  1852 
we  formed  the  Empire  Company,  and  by  unit- 
ing our  forces  succeeded  in  turning  the  river 
from  its  channel.  On  Monday  morning,  after 
this  work  had  been  going  on  for  some  time,  1 
arose  very  early  and  found  that  Indiana  Ripple 
had  gone  dry  in  the  night,  and,  unaided,  I  took 
out  over  fifty  pounds  of  gold  during  that  morn- 
ing, and  the  company  realized  over  $165,000 
during  the  following  six  weeks."  In  October, 
that  year,  Mr.  Luther  went  to  his  New  York 
home  on  a  visit.  Returning  the  next  April,  by 
way  of  the  Isthmus,  he  joined  his  brother  in 
this  State,  who  in  the  meantime  had  bought  a 
ranch  in  Amador  County.  Here  he  remained 
■  until  1857,  when  he  made  another  trip  to  New 
York  State  and  married  Miss  Sarah  J.,  daughter 
of  D.  Alvord,  and  a  native  of  Farmington,  Cou- 
necticut.  Returning  almost  immediately  with 
his  bride,  he  settled  on  his  ranch  in  lone  Val- 
ley, where  he  made  a  specialty  of  vegetables  and 
fruit.  In  1879  he  came  to  Sacramento  lo  reside. 
In  1863  he  joined  the  Pioneer  Association,  in 
which  society  lie  bas  been  a  director  for  ten 
years.  His  family  comp  ises  a  wife  and  three 
daughters. 


fEORGE  ALEXANDER  McDONELL, 
farmer,  was  born  April  23,  1829,  four 
miles  east  of  Cornwall,  Canada,  and  went 
to  Brighton,  on  Lake  Ontario,  about  eighty 
miles  from  East  Toronto,  when  eight  years  uf 
age.  His  parents  were  Duncan  McDonell,  mer- 
chant, born  in  Canada,  of  Scotch  parents,  who 
was  in  the  war  of  1812  and  was  a  half- pay 
officer  at   the   time  of  his   death,  in   1852,  and 


Mary  (Chisolm)  McDonell,  also  a  native  of 
Canada,  daughter  of  Colonel  Chisolm,  who  was 
at  one  time  a  Member  of  Parliament.  She  died 
February,  1877.  In  1859  G.  A.  McDonell  was 
in  Kansas  freighting  goods  by  wagon  across  the 
plains  from  Atchison  and  Fort  Leavenworth  to 
Pike's  Peak,  where  he  was  at  the  time  of  the 
excitement  there  and  witnessed  some  strange 
things.  Returning  to  Canada,  he  went  to  the 
Cariboo  mines  in  British  Colnmbia,  going  by 
steamer  to  St.  Thomas  and  to  Victoria,  and 
there  took  river  boats  up  the  Eraser  River  to 
Fort  Douglas;  thence  he  packed  across  the 
"mountains,  following  the  river,  crossing  two  or 
three  small  lakes  on  the  way,  and  arriving  at 
the  mines  about  the  middle  of  July.  Finding 
there  that  the  cost  of  a  square  meal  was  $3.50 
and  everything  else  proportionately  dear,  and 
not  having  much  money,  he  concluded  not  to 
remain;  September  5,  1862,  he  reached  San 
Francisco  with  $1.50  in  his  pocket.  He  found 
that  city  full  of  discontented  men  seeking  for 
work.  He  went  to  ati  employment  office  for  a 
job  and  was  sent  to  Alviso,  above  Red  Wood 
City,  where  he  went  to  work  bailing  hay;  then 
cooked  for  awhile  for  $40  a  month;  next  went 
to  pitching  hay.  After  finishing  there  he  re- 
turned to  San  Francisco, , saw  an  advertisement 
in  the  paper  for  a  wood-chopper,  obtained  a  let- 
ter of  introduction  from  a  friend  in  this  city 
and  came  to  Sacramento.  He  took  a  contract  for 
chopping  wood  along  the  line  of  the  Valley 
railroad,  from  Mr.  Robinson.  That  winter  he 
cut  800  cords  of  wood,  and  the  next  hauled 
1,600  to  the  railroad  track  for  shipment.  Next 
he  followed  teaming  over  the  mountains  for 
several  years,  until  the  railroad  was  built  past 
Reno,  Nevada.  In  1869  he  purchased  his  pres- 
ent farm,  which  is  about  eleven  miles  east  of 
Sacramento.  He  has  160  acres  devoted  to  grain 
and  ten  acres  in  vineyard  and  orchard.  He  was 
married  April  23,  1873,  to  Eliza  Fisher,  daugh- 
ter of  Philip  Fisher,  who  was  born  in  Sacra- 
mento County,  April  4,  1856.  They  have  six 
children,  three  sons  and  three  daughters:  Mary, 
born    March    15,    1874;    Ida,   May    15,    1876; 


HISTORY    OF    SACRAMENTO    COUNTY. 


George,  July  8,  1881;  Archie,  July  22,  1882; 
Grace,  February  7,  1885;  and  Eddie,  July  2, 
1887. 


fREDERICK  METERS  was  born  in  Han- 
over, Germany,  June  8,  1822,  his  parents 
being  Henry  and  Sophia  (Klingenberg) 
Meyer,  by  American  usage  Myers  or  Meyers, 
the  latter  spelling  being  preferred  by  this  branch 
of  the  family.  The  father  died  in  1847,  aged 
lifty-two.  Grandfather  William  Meyer  reached 
the  age  of  103  and  his  wife  was  nearly  eighty. 
Frederick  Meyers  received  the  usual  common- 
school  education  of  his  country  and  was  brought 
up  to  farm  work.  In  1857  he  came  to  Cincin- 
nati, Ohio,  and  there  worked  for  two  years  in  a 
starch  factory,  and  afterward  in  various  pur- 
suits for  two  years.  In  1859  Mr.  Meyers  was 
married  in  Cincinnati  to  Miss  Katrina  Verbarg, 
also  a  native  of  Hanover,  born  October  21, 1840, 
daughter  of  Diedrich  and  Margareta  (Kattuni) 
Yerbarg.  Her  father  died  in  September,  1888, 
in  his  eightieth  year;  the  mother,  born  in  1813, 
is  now  living  with  another  daughter,  at  North 
Vernon,  Indiana.  Mr.  Meyers,  who  had  been  a 
soldier  in  his  native  land  from  the  eighteenth  to, 
the  twenty-eighth  year  of  his  age,  serving  against 
Denmark  in  1848,  he  entered  the  Union  army  in 
1861,  enlisting  in  the  Fourth  Ohio  Cavalry,  and 
became  a  corporal,  in  Company  F,  his  imperfect 
knowledgeof  English  alone  preventing  bisfurther 
advancement.  He  served  under  General  Mitchell, 
and  was  discharged  for  wounds  received  in  the 
service.  On  his  recovery,  he  worked  in  different 
lines  for  a  few  years,  and  in  186(5,  with  his  wife 
and  two  children,  accompanied  his  brother,  H. 
W.  Meyers,  on  his  return  to  California.  Arrived 
on  Grand  Island,  he  bought  seventy-two  acres 
of  liis  brother.  The  land  was  mostly  in  willows 
and  tules  then,  but  he  has  now  twenty  acres  in 
orchard,  besides  raising  other  marketable  prod- 
ucts. He  has  a  comfortable  home,  and  expects 
to  become  rich  by  the  thorough  reclamation  of 
Grand   Island.      In  August,  1883,  he  bought  a 


fruit  farm  of  twenty  acres  on  Schoolcraft  Island, 
Solano  County,  now  occupied  by  his  son.  Mr. 
and  Mrs.  Meyers  lost  their  oldest  child,  Caro- 
line, at  the  age  of  seventeen,  and  have  two 
children  living:  Henry  Frederick,  born  in  Ohio, 
December  19,  1865,  and  Anna  Aurelia,  born  in 
California,  January  2,  1870.  Miss  Meyers  was 
educated  in  St.  Gertrude's  Academy  at  Rio 
Vista,  and  besides  the  usual  aci;^uireraents  has 
attained  special  proficiency  in  music.  She  is 
also  an  artist  in  crayon  work  of  more  than  ordi- 
nary ability,  and  has  embellished  her  home  with 
many  fine  pieces  of  work  from  her  own  pencil, 
as  well  as  with  some  artistic  needlework. 


fOSTER  N.  MOTT,  the  pioneer  peach- 
grower  of  the  State  of  California,  was  born 
in  1819  in  the  city  of  New  York,  educated 
at  Rockaway  on  Long  Island,  attending  the 
common  schools  during  the  winter  and  laboring 
on  his  father's  farm  during  the  summer,  and 
learned  the  trade  of  smithing  in  New  York, 
after  which  he  worked  as  a  journeyman  for 
several  years.  In  1848  he  married  Miss 
Frances  L.  Wood,  daughter  of  Captain  Thomas 
Wood,  of  the  New  York  and  Savannah  Steam- 
ship Line.  He  became  one  of  a  company  of 
young  business  men  who  expended  $20,000  for 
machinery  and  traps  and  came  to  California 
around  Cape  Horn,  in  the  ship  Daniel  Webster, 
being  156  days  on  the  voyage.  The  ship  was 
laden  with  two  years'  provisions,  a  saw-mill, 
machinery  and  lumber  for  building  a  scow,  and 
with  the  latest  inventions  for  gold-washing. 
The  latter,  on  their  ai-rival  in  California,  were 
found  to  be  useless.  Tlie  party  arrived  in  San 
Francisco  July  21,  and  proceeded  to  build  a 
stern-wheel  steamer  or  scow,  20x40  feet.  This 
took  two  months'  time.  This  steamer  was  the 
first  to  leave  San  Francisco  and  arrive  at  Sacra- 
mento without  accident  or  delay;  but  running 
up  the  American  River  they  stuck  on  a  bar, 
and  after  several  fruitless  attempts  to  free  the 
vessel,   they   abandoned    it   forever.      Mr.   Mott 


inSTUUr    OF    SAURAMENTO    COUNTY. 


tlien  pi\)ceeded  to  Cigar  Bar,  on  tlie  Yalta  River, 
with  a  party  made  up  of  nine  of  the  original 
company;  but  becotiiing  severely  afflicted  with 
the  malarial  element  of  that  section,  their  num- 
ber was  soon  reduced  to  four,  and  in  September, 
1850,  Mr.  Mott  gave  up  mining  altogether. 
Going  to  Marysville,  he  bought  an  interest  in  a 
bakery  there.  During  the  summer  of  1853  he 
returned  to  New  York,  where  he  remained  two 
3'ears.  Returning  with  his  family  in  1855,  he 
located  upon  a  ranch  in  Yolo  County,  and  en- 
gaged in  stock-raising  and  fruit-growing.  Dried 
peaches  from  Chili  were  being  brought  here  in 
large  quantities  for  consumption,  and  from  the 
stones  of  these  he  raised  the  first  peach  seed- 
lings ever  grown  in  the  State.  These  trees 
started  the  celebrated  G.  G.  Briggs  fruit  ranch 
in  Yuba  County,  from  which,  in  1857,  $70,000 
worth  of  peaches  was  sold  in  San  Francisco 
that  season.  In  1874  Mr.  Mott  purchased 
2,700  acres  of  land  in  Sacramento  County,  and 
for  the  next  ten  years  he  devoted  himself  to 
sheep-raising.  He  moved  to  Sacramento  in 
1875,  where  he  still  resides.  In  1885  he  bought 
and  planted  a  raisin  vineyard  at  Fresno,  from 
which,  at  its  second  year,  he  marketed  seven 
tons  of  raisins;  the  third  year,  forty-five  tons. 
Mr.  Mott,  in  his  political  principles,  is  a  Re- 
publican. He  voted  at  the  first  election  in 
1849,  for  Americans,  but  has  never  been  a 
politician  or  aspired  to  office.  He  is  a  director 
in  the  Pioneer  Association  at  Sacramento. 


--^^^ 


a^-^- 


fAMES  B.  McGTJIRE,  pioneer  manufacturer 
of  iron  doors,  520  K  street,  Sacramento, 
was  born  August  13,  1824.  His  parents, 
Lawrence  and  Mary  (Highland)  McGuire,  came 
from  County  Kings,  Ireland,  and  settled  in 
Connecticut  in  1827.  Here  he  attended  school 
taught  by  a  brother  of  the  celebrated  Lorenzo 
Dow.  In  1832  the  family  removed  to  Cincin- 
nati, where  he  remained  until  1849,  when  he 
joined  the  Dr.  "Woodruff  train  and  came  to  Cali- 
fornia across  the   plains;   but,  as  with  so  many 


who  came  in  that  manner,  dissatisfaction  arose 
and  the  party  was  broken  up.  Mr.  McGuire 
joined  James  Huff  and  Henry  Greathouse,  and 
proceeded  westward.  At  Fort  Hall  they  left 
their  wagons  and  packed  their  effects  upon  their 
horses.  They  came  by  way  of  the  sink  of  the 
Humboldt,  crossed  the  valley  and  came  into 
Sacramento  August  21,  110  days  after  leaving 
St.  Joseph.  Mr.  McGuire  made  a  prospecting 
tour  to  the  Spanish  Bar,  on  the  American  River, 
and  those  two  weeks  were  the  first  and  last  of 
his  mining  experience.  In  the  fall  of  that  year 
(1849)  he  started  in  business  in  Sacramento, 
locating  on  Third  street,  between  J  and  K,  but 
varying  his  occupations  during  the  winter 
months  by  making  trips  to  Marysville  on 
trading  expeditions  in  a  whale-boat.  Later  he 
built  a  shop  on  Sixth  and  J  streets,  where  for 
many  years  he  conducted  his  business,  in 
1860  he  located  on  J  street,  where  he  still  car- 
ries on  the  business.  Mr.  McGuire  was  married 
September  1,  1856,  to  Miss  Mary,  daughter  of 
John  Coffee,  who  came  to  California  in  1849 
from  Boston,  and  kept  a  hotel  on  Fifth  street, 
between  J  and  K.  Mrs.  McGuire  died  in  1879. 
The  children  are:  Joseph,  Belle,  Agnes,  Lillian 
jnd  William.  The  subject  of  this  sketch  has 
never  been  in  any  sense  a  politician,  but  has 
always  been  interested  in  the  affairs  of  the  city. 
He  early  became  identified  with  the  volunteer 
fire  department;  was  foreman  of  Hook  and 
ladder  Company  No.  2,  and  is  a  member  of  the 
society  of  Exempt  Firemen.  He  is  also  a  mem- 
ber of  the  Pioneer  Association,  and  has  Ijeen 
both  a  director  and  president  of  that  society. 


►^f- 


fTEPHEN  TURNER  MORSE,  deceased, 
was  born  in  Canandaigua,  Ontario  County, 
New  York,  May  15,  1820,  his  parents  be- 
ing Stephen  and  Sarah  (Turner)  Morse.  Stephen 
Morse  was  born  in  Connecticut,  went  to  Florida, 
at  the  age  of  twenty-one,  as  one  to  form  a  colony, 
and  was  compelled  to  leave  on  account  of  the 
Indians.     From  there  he  went  to  CJanada;  cleared 


HISTORY    OF    SACRAMENTO    GOdNTT. 


a  farm  and  was  prosperous;  but  was  compelled 
to  either  lose  his  farm  or  enter  the  king's  serv- 
ice; he  chose  the  former,  and  went  to  New  York 
State,  where,  for  a  long  time,  he  drove  a  stage 
between  Buflalo  and  Albany.  There,  when  he 
was  forty  years  of  age,  he  married  Sarah  Tiirnei-. 
To  them  were  born  ten  children,  seven  sons  and 
three  daugliters.  Of  these,  one  son  and  (jtie 
daughter  died  there.  In  1847,  with  his  family, 
he  removed  to  Lockport,  Illinois,  where,  a  few 
months  later,  he  died  of  dropsy  of  the  heart,  at 
the  age  of  sixty-seven.  Sarah  Morse,  his  wife, 
was  a  native  of  Erie  County,  New  York;  was 
married  at  the  age  of  twenty,  and  died  at  Plain- 
field,  Illinois,  aged  seventy- six  years.  The  sub- 
ject oi  this  sketch  was  brought  up  to  work  on  a 
farm,  but  afterward  learned  the  trade  of  black- 
smith at  Warsaw,  Wyoming  County,  New  York, 
and  in  his  early  manhood  worked  at  it  at  vari- 
ous points  in  Missouri,  Mississippi  and  Alabama. 
In  1844  he  went  to  Lockport,  Illinois,  working 
at  his  trade  there  until  1849,  when  he  came  to 
California  and  engaged  in  mining,  off  and  on, 
for  three  years  or  more.  About  1853  he  came 
down  to  the  Sacramento  River  and  worked  at 
his  trade  for  some  years  at  Onisbo,  two  miles 
below  Courtland.  About  1854  he  bought  a 
ranch  on  Miner  Slough  in  Solano  County,  an# 
afterward  a  second  one  in  that  neighborhood. 
In  October,  1858,  he  bought  the  156  acres  at 
the  head  of  Sutter  Island,  on  which  his  family 
still  reside.  For  many  years  he  devoted  his 
attention  chiefly  to  alfalfa,  but  in  later  years  he 
turned  towards  fruit-growing.  There  are  now 
over  thirty -five  acres  in  orchard  along  the  river, 
and  alfalfa  is  still  grown  in  large  quantities  in 
the  rear.  They  also  own  200  acres  of  the  old  pur- 
chase on  Miner  Slough,  a  part  having  been  sold 
by  Mr.  Morse  some  years  ago.  Mr.  Morse  was 
married  in  October,  1859,  to  Miss  Martha  A.  Bur- 
son,  born  in  Ohio,  November  12,  1839,  daughter 
of  John  and  Eliza  (Massy)  Burson,  both  Ameri- 
can and  both  now  deceased,  the  father  reaching 
the  age  of  seventy.  Grandfather  Thomas  Massy 
was  a  native  of  Virginia  and  a  soldier  of  the 
Revolution.      His  wife,  Elizabeth,  lived   to    be 


eighty-eight.  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Moise  are  the 
parents  of  four  living  children:  Sarah  Eliza, 
born  April  30,  1861;  Annie  Leona,  October  18, 
1867;  Henry  Hare,  November  27,  1872;  Edith 
Martha,  July  18,  1877;  William  Turner,  born 
June  9,  1863,  died  August  17, 1865.  Sarah  Eliza 
was  married,  December  21,  1881,  to  John  C. 
Smith,  a  rancher  of  Yolo  County,  about  nineteen 
miles  below  Sacramento,  on  the  river.  They 
are  the  parents  of  three  children.  Early  in  1S89 
a  great  calamity  befel  this  happy  family  by  the 
sudden  death  of  the  husband  and  father.  While 
loading  hay  from  his  barn,  on  January  10,  he 
slipped  and  fell  upon  his  head,  breaking  his 
neck  and  dislocating  both  wrists.  Death  was 
instantaneous  and  in  that  res]  ect  a  merciful  dis- 
pensation to  him.  To  the  children,  and  especi- 
ally to  the  wife,  the  shock  was  something  awful, 
the  recollection  of  which  is  still  almost  as  pain- 
ful as  the  actual  experience.  Mr.  Morse  had  been 
a  Mason  for  over  thirty  years  and  was  buried 
witii  the  honors  of  the  order,  January  13,  in 
their  cemetery  at  Sacramento.  By  his  neigh- 
bors he  was  regarded  as  an  honest,  reliable  man, 
whose  word  was  as  good  as  his  bond,  and  his 
death  was  universally  regretted. 


J^ENRY  O.  MORGAN,  a  farmer  and  fruit- 
IK)  ™^^^'''  ^'^^  born  in  Essex  County,  New 
-^fSlf  Jersey,  January  16, 1828,  son  of  John  and 
Elizabeth  Morgan.  When  of  age  he  left  his 
parental  home  to  take  care  of  himself.  In  1845 
he  emigrated  to  Brown  County,  Illinois,  and 
was  a  resident  there  most  of  the  eight  years  he 
was  in  that  State.  April  11,  1853,  he  staited 
for  California,  with  a  small  party  who  were 
coming  with  o\  teams,  and  arrived  at  Sacra- 
mento September  7  or  8.  His  first  work  here 
was  to  assist  in  threshing  grain,  then  was  em- 
ployed two  months  on  the  R  street  levee,  and 
ever  since  that  time  he  has  been  engaged  in 
farming,  excepting  the  three  months  he  spent  in 
mining  in  Sonora.  His  present  farm  he  pre- 
empted from  the  Government.     At  first  it  com- 


UISTOllT    OF    SACUAMENTO    COUl^TY. 


503 


prised  a  quarter  of  a  sectiuii,  but  he  has  since 
sold  half  of  it.  It  is  devoted  to  fruit  and  grain, 
is  situated  on  the  Fruit  Ridge,  in  Sutter  Town- 
ship, two  and  a  half  miles  from  the  citj  limits, 
between  the  upper  and  lower  Stockton  roads, 
and  the  soil  is  well  adapted  to  fruits  of  all  kinds. 
Mr.  Morgan  was  married  in  1860  to  Elizabeth 
Young,  a  native  of  Germany,  and  they  have  one 
son  and  fonr  daughters,  named  Jennie,  George, 
Lottie,  Katie  (deceased)  and  Sallie. 


ILLIAM  McLaughlin,  who  has  been 
'/M/||  recently  elected  to  the  office  of  Second 
_j<=ij  Trustee  of  this  city,  was  born  in  County 
Donegal,  in  the  extreme  north  of  L-eland,  in 
1842.  His  father,  a  small  farmer,  having  died 
wlien  he  arrived  at  the  age  of  eighteen,  he  emi- 
grated to  America,  where  he  had  two  brothers 
and  two  sisters  living.  He  came  in  a  sailing 
vessel  from  Londonderry,  at  the  mouth  of  the 
river  Foyle,  and,  after  a  long  but  uneventful 
voyage,  landed  in  tiie  city  of  JSIew  York,  going 
directly  to  Philadelphia  to  join  his  relatives, 
where  he  lived  for  nine  3'ears,  acting  as  a  private 
watchman  in  a  mercantile  house.  In  the  mean- 
time his  two  sisters  had  become  residents  of 
Sacramento,  and  were  delighted  with  the  place 
and  the  prospects  here.  They  nrged  him  to 
join  them,  which  he  finally  did,  leaving  New 
York  on  the  Colorado,  August  16,  1865,  cross- 
ing the  Isthmus  and  steaming  tlirough  the 
Golden  Gate  on  the  9th  of  September.  He 
came  soon  afterward  to  the  Capital  City,  engaged 
in  the  drayiug  business  on  his  own  account, 
and,  it  is  needless  to  say,  has  prospered.  Always 
a  Democrat  in  politics,  his  personal  popularity 
induced  his  party  to  bring  him  forward  in  1880 
MS  their  candidate  for  County  Supervisor,  but 
he  was  defeated,  it  being  a  bad  year  for  Demo- 
crats. In  1883  he  was  again  nominated  for  the 
same  office  and  elected  by  a  handsome  majority. 
In  1886  he  was  put  forward  as  the  regular 
nominee  for  the  office  of  trustee,  and  failed  of 
being  elected  by  only  250  votes,   notwithstand- 


ing that  a  branch  of  his  own  party  had  put 
another  candidate  in  the  field.  In  1889  he 
came  up  again  as  the  choice  of  his  party  and  re- 
ceived the  endorsement  of  a  handsotne  majority 
of  his  fellow-citizens,  being  elected  to  the  office 
of  second  trustee  and  supervisor  of  streets.  He 
is  a  typical  gentleman,  full  of  energy,  yet  court- 
eous and  affable  in  manner,  an  efficient  officer 
and  a  warm  personal  friend.  He  is  a  member 
of  Concord  Lodge  No.  117,  and  also  an  active 
member  of  Chapter  No.  3,  Council  No.  1,  and 
Commandery  No.  2,  F.  &  A.  M.  Mr.  Mc- 
Laughlin has  been  twice  married,  first  in  1864, 
at  Philadelphia:  wife  died  leaving  one  son;. and 
in  1876  he  was  married  for  'the  second  time,  to 
Mios  Mary  Ferrell,  a  native  of  Philadelphia,  a 
daughter  of  Thomas  Ferrell,  who  came  to  Sacra- 
mento in  the  early  days.  They  have  had  two 
children,  only  one  of  whom  is  living. 


fAMUEL  H.MEKWIN,  a  Sutter  Township 
farmer.  The  Merwin  family  are  of  Welsh 
origin.  About  two  and  a  half  centuries 
ago,  three  brothers  came  from  Wales  to  this 
countr}',  one  of  whom  settled  in  Connecticut, 
and  afterward  became  connected  with  Enorlish 
and  Irish  families  by  marriage.  Daniel  Mer- 
win, grandfather  of  Samuel  H.,  was  a  native  of 
Connecticut,  and  died  in  1820.  In  his  family 
were  four  sons  and  one  daughter  who  grew  up^ 
all  born  also  in  Connecticut.  Two  sons,  Sam- 
uel and  Lewis,  were  Methodist  ministers.  Dan- 
iel moved  to  New  York  State  when  all  his 
children  were  very  young,  and  they  passed  their 
lives  there.  Lewis,  a  farmer  and  local  preacher, 
and  the  father  of  Samuel  H.,  married  Ruth  Rey- 
nolds, a  native  of  New  York  State.  Her  grand- 
father, Eli  Reynolds,  was  born  in  Ireland.  In 
Lewis  Merwin's  fatnily  were  three  sons  and  six 
daughters,  all  born  in  the  Empire  State.  One 
of  the  daughters  now  resides  in  that  State,  and 
the  others  in  Los  Gatos,  California.  Satnuel  H. 
Merwin  was  born  in  Delaware  County,  New 
York,  May  1,  1826;  was  six  years  old  wlieii  his 


BISTORT    OF    SACRAMENTO    COUNTY. 


mother  died,  and  he  was  then  taken  care  of  by 
relatives.  In  184-7,  during  the  Mexican  War, 
he  went  to  JMew  York  city  for  a  year,  and  then 
was  employed  upon  various  farms  until  1856, 
when  he  came  to  this  State.  He  sailed  from 
New  York  on  the  steamer  George  Law  to  the 
Isthmus  and  thence  to  San  Francisco  on  the 
Golden  Age,  arriving  during  the  last  of  May, 
when  tlie  vigilance  committee  were  hanging 
two  men,  Casey  and  Cora,  who  had  killed  the 
editor  of  the  San  Francisco  Bulletin.  The  voy- 
age was  unusually  long  and  tedious.  Com- 
ing to  Sacramento,  Mr.  Merwin  entered  the  hard- 
ware store  of  Massol,  Merwin  &  Co.,  as  a  clerk, 
un  J  street  between' Third  and  Fourth.  That 
Merwin  was  his  brother.  lie  remained  with 
them  until  they  closed  business  in  1869.  He 
then  purchased  his  present  place,  five  miles  from 
the  State  House.  It  comprises  160  acres,  and 
is  devoted  to  general  farming,  in  which  Mr. 
Merwin  is  signally  successful.  He  is  a  member 
of  the  Grange  at  Sacramento  and  of  the  Method- 
ist Church.  Was  a  Republican  until  recently, 
being  now  a  Prohibitionist.  He  was  married 
February  26, 1863,  to  Sarah  P.  Young,  a  native 
of  Cumberland  County,  Maine,  as  were  also  her 
parents  and  grandparents.  Her  grandfather, 
Nathaniel  Young,  was  one  of  General  Wash- 
ington's aides  in  the  Revolutionary  War.  She 
came  to  California  in  January,  1862.  Mr.  and 
Mrs.  Merwin  have  three  sons  and  three  daugh- 
ters, as  follows:  Ruth  H.,  born  February  7, 
1864;  Charles  L.,  June  1,  1866,  and  died  July 
21,  1867;  Henry,  born  May  25,  1870;  Ella  F., 
April  8,  1872;  Willie  C,  August  4,  1875,  and 
died  March  22,  1886;  Mary  E.,  born  February 
28,  1877,  and  died  May  19,  1877. 


l^ENRY  WATSON  (in  German,  Watzen) 
iw\  was  born  in  Hanover,  near  Bremen,  Sep 
^Si(i  tember  5,  1836,  his  parents  being  Albert 
and  Mary  (Bohrman)  Watson.  The  father  died 
in  1877,  and  the  mother  in  1879,  in  Germany, 
at  about  the  age   of  seventy;  and  grandmother 


Mary  Watson  lived  to  be  over  seventy.  Henry 
Watson  received  the  usual  schooling  of  his 
country  from  his  si.xth  to  his  fourteenth  year. 
Before  he  was  quite  fourteen  he  went  to  sea,  and 
suffered  much  abuse  in  that  service.  In  1851, 
on  a  voyage  from  Nicaragua  to  New  Orleans,  a 
German- American  passenger  of  St.  Louis,  prom- 
ised his  protection,  and  young  Watson  availing 
hinjself  of  the  kind  offer,  fled  from  his  persecu- 
tors, accompanying  his  friend  to  St.  Louis,  and 
going  to  work  for  him.  In  1852,  still  in  his 
employ,  he  helped  to  drive  cattle  across  the 
plains,  arriving  in  Sacramento  August  12,  1852. 
After  working  a  short  time  on  a  farm  he  went 
to  mining  that  winter  in  Amador  County,  and 
continued  at  that  work  for  over  eight  years.  In 
1861  he  went  to  teaming  from  Sacrainento 
across  the  mountains  to  Nevada,  and  followed 
that  business  for  three  seasons.  In  1864,  wit!i 
a  partner,  he  rented  the  260  acres  on  which  he 
still  resides,  and  in  1865  they  bought  it,  and  in 

1871,  the  adjoining  240  acres.     In    December, 

1872,  Mr.  Watson  bought  his  partner's  interest 
in  the  500  acres,  and  in  1887  he  purchased  the 
480  acres  adjoining  on  the  west,  making  a  ranch 
of  980  acres  in  one  body.  He  raises  wheat  and 
cattle,  and  does  a  dairy  business  of  between 
twenty  and  thirty  cows.  November  28,  1872, 
Mr.  Watson  was  married  in  Sacramento  to  Miss 
Christina  Hashagen,  born  in  Hanover,  near 
Bremen,  February  14,  1844,  a  daughter  of 
Diedrich  and  Meta  (Brugemanu)  Hashagen, 
both  deceased,  in  Germany,  aged  about  seventy. 
They  are  the  parents  of  four  children:  Meta  C, 
born  October  15,  1873;  Albert  H.,  April  17, 
1875;  George  F.,  August  30,  1878;  Katy  M., 
October  25,  1885.  Mrs.  Watson  came  to  Sac- 
ramento direct  from  Germany,  in  1869,  where 
she  worked  until  her  marriage.  «Mr.  and  Mrs. 
Watson  are  members  of  Sacramento  Grange, 
No.  12;  and  usually  attend  the  meetings  of  the 
Methodist  Episcopal  Church  held  in  the  Paciffc 
school-house,  on  the  lower  Stockton  road,  where 
their  children  also  attend  school  and  Sabbath- 
school.  They  now  occupy  a  good,  substantial, 
handsome  and  convenieift  home,   replacing  the 


HISTORY    OF    SACRAMENTO    COUNTY. 


505 


"cabin"  which  so  long  constituted  tlie  resi- 
dence of  the  thrifty  Mr.  Watson  in  his  bachelor 
daj-s. 

^-^->¥ 

fEORGE  WILSON,  ranciier,  Brighton 
Township,  was  born  in  Greenup  County, 
Kentucky,  four  miles  from  the  Big  Sandy 
River,  the  dividing  line  between  Kentucky  and 
Virginia,  December  8,  1815.  His  father, 
Thomas  Wilson,  was  born  on  James  River, 
Dinwiddle  County,  Virginia,  and  died  about 
1845,  at  the  age  of  sixty-three  years.  He  en- 
tered the  war  of  1812  as  Orderly  Sergeant,  and 
was  mnstered  out  as  Captain.  George's  mother, 
whose  maiden  name  was  Mary  Isabelle  Pogue, 
was  a  native  also  of  Greennp  Connty,  Ken- 
tucky, and  was  one  of  thirteen  sons  and  daugh 
ters.  His  grandfather,  Stephen  Wilson,  a 
native  of  Virginia,  had  seven  sons  and  si.x 
daughters,  the  most  of  whom  passed  their  lives 
in  their  native  State.  The  eldest  of  these  was 
Thomas,  who  in  1828  emigrated  to  Illinois,  lo- 
cating in  Vermilion  County,  and  in  1836  to 
Iowa  County,  Wisconsin,  and  afterward,  in 
September,  1837,  to  Lee  County,  Iowa,  where 
he  died.  His  wife  died  in  Illinois  in  1829.  In 
their  family  were  four  sons  and  two  daughters, 
viz.:  Robert,  who  has  resided  in  Iowa  County, 
Wisconsin,  ever  since  1832;  George,  Mary 
Isabelle,  in  Benton  County,  Oregon;  James  P., 
in  Lane  County,  Oregon;  Elizabeth,  who  died 
in  Iowa  County,  Wisconsin ;  and  Stephen  H., 
who  died  on  the  plains  during  the  Pike's  Peak 
excitement.  George  Wilson,  our  subject,  at 
about  the  age  of  nineteen  years,  in  company 
with  four  others,  made  an  exploring  expedition 
into  Illinois,  examining  the  Rock  River  region, 
and  then  Iowa.  He  located  Government  land 
in  Cedar  County,  in  the  latter  State.  In  1836 
he  made  a  trip  into  Wisconsin.  Returning  to 
his  home  in  Vermillion  County,  he  voted  for 
General  Harrison  for  President  in  1836,  and  he 
iias  never  missed  a  vote  since,  not  even  at  minor 
elections.      He    then   sold   his    Iowa  chiim    and 


bought  a  quarter-section  in  Vermillion  County, 
and  the  following  March  sold  it,  took  teams  up 
into  Wisconsin,  and  engaged  in  lianling  lead 
and  breaking  prairie  until  the  fall,  when  he  went 
to  Lee  County,  Iowa,  where  he  took  up  land, 
improved  it  and  lived  until  1850;  and  during 
his  residence  there,  February  9,  1838,  he  mar- 
ried Rhoda  C.  Kilgore.  In  1844,  during  the 
agitation  that  existed'  between  the  States  of 
Iowa  and  Missouri  concerning  their  boundary 
line,  he  responded  to  the  call  for  troops  for  ten 
days,  raising  tiie  first  battalion  company  nnder 
the  call,  and  was  on  the  frontier.  No  blood  was 
shed  in  that  affair,  however.  At  the  first, elec- 
tion held  in  his  township  he  was  elected  town- 
ship clerk;  shortly  afterward  he  was  elected 
county  assessor  for  two  years,  and  still  subse- 
quently school  inspector  also  for  two  years.  He 
was  also  postmaster  of  Van  Buren  postoffice,  in 
Lee  County,  for  about  seven  years.  In  1847  he 
raised  a  company  of  cavalry  for  the  Mexican 
war,  but  it  was  never  called  into  service,  as  the 
war  was  soon  closed.  In  1850,  after  selling  out 
there,  he  bought  three  quarter-sections  of  land 
in  Appanoose  County,  and  made  his  home  there 
until  he  came  to  California.  It  was  in  that 
county,  one  year  before  starting  to  this  State, 
that  his  wife  died,  April  28,  1851.  December 
31,  that  year,  he  married  again,  that  time  Leaner 
Fliun.  Leaving  his  farm  May  5,  1852,  he  ar- 
rived in  this  State,  October  10,  coming  overland 
with  eight  families  and  a  hundred  head  of  stock. 
After  passing  a  month  in  San  Joaquin  County 
he  came  to  this  county,  where  he  has  since  re- 
sided excepting  one  year,  from  November  1, 
1854,  to  about  the  1st  of  November,  1855,  in 
Santa  Clara  County.  In  the  latter  year  he 
bought  a  place  on  the  Sacramento  River,  and 
about  the  same  time  took  np  160  acres,  where 
he  now  lives.  The  former  place  he  sold  in  1859. 
For  five  years  he  also  owned  1,250  acres  on 
Staten  Island.  He  has  since  purchased  240 
acres  more,  of  which  a  part  has  since  been  dis- 
posed of.  At  present  he  has  240  acres.  By 
his  first  marriage  Mr.  Wilson  had  five  children: 
Mary  Isabelle,  Elizabeth  E.,  Cyrus  P.,  Amanda 


BISTORT    OF    SACRAMENTO    COUNTY. 


M.  and  Mattliew  K.,  all  born  in  Iowa.  The 
youngest  died  there;  the  four  others  came  to 
this  State.  By  the  second  marriage  were  born 
Sarah  Ann,  at  Carson  Valley;  Edwin  A.,  Julia 
F.,  Dexter  T.,  Hayden  F.,  Ida  May,  Georgia 
Ivy,  Ulysses  Grant  and  Cerita  Alice,  all  of 
whom  are  now  living  in  this  State. 


^>^f^ 


fOSEPIi  WISE  was  born  in  Missouri,  April 
1,  1830,  his  parents  being  Philip  and 
Nancy  (Jf^mes)  Wise.  The  father  was 
born  in  1802,  in  North  Carolina,  whence  his 
parents  moved  in  1807  to  Missouri.  He  was 
three  times  married.  Miss  James  being  his  sec- 
ond wife,  by  whom  he  had  five  children.  Of 
these  three  are  still  living,  the  subject  of  this 
sketch  being  the  oldest.  Philip  Wise  lived  to 
be  sixty-four,  and  his  mother  readied  the  age  of 
seventy-five.  Joseph  Wise  came  to  California 
in  1852,  accompanied  by  his  half-brother, 
David,  now  living  near  Corning,  Tehama  County, 
aged  sixty-five.  They  mined  five  or  six  months 
in  El  Dorado  County,  with  no  great  profit.  In 
1853  Joseph  Wise  came  down  to  the  Sacra- 
mento and  worked  on  the  place  he  now  owns, 
less  than  a  mile  north  of  Walnut  Grove.  In 
1856  he  bought  out  the  owner's  right,  and 
eventually  perfected  title  to  304  acres.  He  had 
an  orchard  for  fifteen  years,  but  of  late  years  his 
principal  industry  has  been  raising  beans.  He 
is  now  preparing  to  plant  a  new  orchard  of 
about  twenty-five  acres  along  the  river  front, 
continuing  to  raise  vegetables  on  the  back  land. 
Mr.  Wise  was  married  October  22, 1856,  to  Miss 
Nancy  Jane  Phipps,  a  native  of  Indiana,  born 
October  22,  1840,  daughter  of  George  W.  and 
Nancy  (Hall)  Phipps.  The  father  was  a  native 
of  North  Carolina,  and  the  mother  of  Pennsyl- 
vania. The  father  came  to  California  in  1849, 
and  in  1851  went  back  to  Iowa,  and  returned 
with  his  family.  The  mother  died  in  1854,  and 
the  father  in  1860.  Grandfather  Phipps  died 
in  Missouri  at  a  very  advanced  age,  believed  to 
liave  been  105  years,  though  a  newspaper  stated 


it  to  be  115,  perhaps  through  a  typographical 
error.  Mr.  and  Mrs  Wise  are  the  parents  of 
seven  living  children:  Philip,  born  October  18, 
1857,  married  Miss  Mary  Lncilia  Peach,  born 
near  Freeport,  on  the  Sacramento.  They  have 
two  children:  Joseph  Clinton,  born  August  20, 
1886,  and  a  girl  baby,  born  in  May,  1888.  They 
reside  about  a  mile  north  of  Walnut  Grove- 
Louisa  Jane,  their  second  child,  is  the  wife  of 
H.  T.  Lufkin,  merchant.  Walnut  Grove.  Nancy 
Cordelia,  born  March  27,  1861,  is  still  a  faith- 
ful helper  to  her  mother  in  her  household  cares. 
Joseph  Lincoln,  born  October  5,  1863,  has  pre- 
empted 160  acres  about  four  miles  from  Brad- 
ley, Monterey  County;  William  Francis,  born 
November  19,  1865,  has  bought  160  acres  near 
his  brother,  Jessie,  born  July  16,  1869;  and 
David  Daniel,  July  12,  1876.  Mr.  Joseph 
Wise  has  been  a  school  trustee  twenty  years,  but 
has  filled  no  other  oflice,  being  fully  occupied 
with  the  care  of  his  farm  and  family. 


,RS.  MARY  NICHOLS,  a  ranch-owner 
in  Cosumnes  Township,  was  born  in 
Illinois  in  1841,  her  parents  being 
Hosea  and  Freelove  (Hawkes)  Armstrong.  The 
father  was  a  native  of  Kentucky,  and  the  mother 
was  born  in  Missouri,  in  1813,  of  New  England 
parentage.  The  latter  died  August  27,  1867; 
the  former,  November  27,  1870,  aged  sixty-one. 
Grandfather  Joshua  Armstrongdied  in  Kentucky 
at  an  advanced  age,  and  his  father  is  said  to  have 
reached  nearly  100  years.  The  subject  of  this 
sketch  came  to  California  with  her  parents  in 
1850.  The  family  lived  at  Ne/ada  City,  in  this 
State,  for  a  short  time,  and  settled  in  Amador 
County  in  1852.  She  was  married  April  22, 
1855,  to  Edwin  Nichols,  a  native  of  New  York 
State,  born  in  1830,  son  of  Willard  and  Elizabeth 
(Jewell)  Nichols,  both  being  of  New  England 
parentage.  The  father  died  in  Ohio  in  1876, 
aged  about  seventy;  and  tiie  mother,  born  about 
1808,  is  now  living  with  her  son  Willard,  in 
Kansas.      Epwin    Nichols  came  to  California  in 


HISTORY    OF    SACRAMENTO    COUNTY. 


1850;  followed  mining  for  about  four  years,  and 
then  went  to  fanning  in  Amador  County.  In 
December,  1860,  Mr.  Nichols  bought  240  acres 
on  Willow  Springs  Creek,  in  the  southeast 
corner  of  the  township,  200  of  which  are  still 
in  the  possession  of  the  family.  The  land  is 
adapted  to  the  raising  of  any  kind  of  crop  known 
to  north  California  husbandry,  Mr.  Nichols 
died  in  September,  1875,  leaving  seven  children. 
Charles  E.,  the  oldest,  died  in  1876,  aged  nine- 
teen. The  six  children  living  in  1889  are: 
Albert  F.,  born  in  December,  1859,  married 
Miss  Lizzie  Kneiss  May  29,  1889,  and  is  now 
in  business  as  a  blacksmith  at  lone,  California; 
Nellie,  April  16,  1862;  Clara  Belle,  August  19, 
1864,  now  the  wife  of  William  G.  Lyn,  an 
orchardist  of  San  Bernardino,  has  one  boy,  born 
February  7,  1888;  Grant,  November  5,1868; 
Emma  Lenora,  February  17,  1872;  Walter  Roy, 
April  18,  1873. 


fl|  F.  WOODWARD,  a  pioneer,  was  born 
'■  December  30,  1827,  on  the  island  of 
"'®  Ceylon  in  the  East  Tndies,  where  his 
father,  William  Henry  Woodward,  a  native  of 
New  Hampshire,  had  been  sent  as  a  missionary 
by  the  Board  oi'  American  Missions.  His  mother's 
maiden  name  was  Clarissa  Emerson.  He  was 
the  oldest  of  four  children,  and  at  the  death  of 
his  father  was  sent  to  Chestei-,  New  Hampshire, 
and  was  cared  for  and  educated  by  his  uncle, 
Nathaniel  French  Emerson,  and  principal  of  the 
High  School  at  Chester.  At  the  age  of  seven- 
teen he  left  school  to  learn  the  trade  of  brick- 
layer; he  served  for  one  year  only,  and  as  he 
was  troubled  with  asthma,  he  went  into  a  store 
in  South  Boston,  Massachusetts.  Then  he  started 
on  the  long  voyage  around  Cape  Horn  to  Cali- 
fornia in  1849,  on  Sunday,  April  1,  on  the  brig 
Crononicus.  He  had  but  a  vague  notion  of 
what  lay  before  him,  for  it  proved  a  tempestu- 
ous trip,  and  it  was  on  the  2nd  of  November 
before  they  entered  the  Golden  Gate  and  set 
foot  on   the  sand  dunes  of  San  Francisco;  but 


the  worst  feature  was  that  he  was  entirely  out 
of  money  and  a  stranger.  He  found  employ- 
ment with  a  brick  mason  at  $6  per  day,  but  not 
being  satisfied  with  this  and  having  made  three 
acquaintances,  he  started  for  the  mines,  via 
Sacramento.  They  first  went  to  Larkin's  Store, 
sixteen  miles  south  of  Nevada  City,  in  the  Deer 
Creek  mining  district,  but  soon  started  for  Gold 
Lake.  They  packed  across  the  mountains,  but 
were  driven  back  by  a  snow-storm  in  June;  the 
history  of  these  eventful  days  in  the  mountains 
would  alone  fill  a  volume,  but  the  scope  of  this 
work  forbids  their  repetition;  suffice  it  to  say 
that  at  letgth,  weary  of  that  kind  of  life,  he  re- 
turned to  Sacramento  and  resumed  work  at  his 
old  trade.  In  1855  he  began  taking  contracts 
on  his  own  account,  being  largely  interested  in 
bricking  up  buildings  raised  to  thejiew  grade. 
In  the  fall  of  1861  he  enlisted  in  Captain  De 
Merrit's  company  of  Sacramento  Rangers,  Com- 
pany F,  Second  Cavalry,  and  did  garrison  duty 
at  San  Francisco,  being  in  active  service  for  over 
one  year.  Mr.  Woodward  has  been  twice  mar- 
ried;  first  in  1858  to  Mary  F.  De  Puy,  adopted 
daughter  of  S.  F.  De  Puy,  of  San  Francisco;  she 
died  in  1858,  and  in  1868  he  was  again  married, 
to  Jane  Maria  Leet;  their  children  are:  Florence 
Annette,  Edward  Clarence  and  Blanche  Myrtle. 


fAMES  B.  WELTY,  a  prominent  citizen  of 
Sacramento  County,  was  born  in  William- 
son County,  Illinois,  April  15,  1832.  His 
father,  Jacob  Welty,  was  born  near  Pittsburgh, 
Pennsylvania,  and  was  but  a  child  when  his 
parents  emigrated  with  him  down  the  Ohio 
Kiver  into  Kentucky.  In  1818  tliey  removed 
to  Franklin  County,  Illinois,  into  that  portion 
which  was  subsequently  set  off  as  Williamson 
County,  with  Marion  as  the  county  seat.  It 
was  in  that  county  that  he  married  Mary  Ann 
Keaster,  whose  acquaintance  he  made  in  that 
State.  They  made  that  their  home  until  they 
came  to  California,  in  1869,  and  they  are  now 
living  in    Lake   County.     They    have   six    sons 


HISTORY    OF    SACRAMENTO    COUNTY. 


and  four  daughters,  of  whom  four  are  now  living, 
viz.:  William  Bradford,  deceased;  John  Frank- 
lin, who  died  in  infancj';  Nancy  Eineline,  who 
resides  at  Creal  Springs,  Williamson  County, 
Illinois;  Haehel  Parmelia,  deceased;  James  B.; 
Madison  Warren,  deceased;  Lewis  Alexander, 
residing  near  Lakeport,  Lake  County,  California; 
Levi,  who  died  in  childhood;  Martha  Jane,  re- 
siding at  Creal  Springs;  and  Mary  Elizabeth, 
who  died  in  infancy.  Jacob  Welty  is  now 
eighty-nine  years  of  ago,  and  his  wife  four  years 
younger.  Mr.  James  B.  Welty,  our  subject,  in 
his  younger  days  worked  on  his  father's  farm, 
and  just  before  he  was  of  age  lie  started,  with 
his  father's  permission,  for  California.     Engag- 


ing 


driver  of   horses  and   cattle  across   th 


plains  for  Darris  &  Huston,  of  Platte  County, 
Missouri,  he  left  Fort  Leavenworth,  May  6, 
1853,  and  arrived  in  this  State  September  15. 
In  his  party  were  fifty  persons  and  fourteen 
wagons.  Tiie  journey  was  comparatively  a 
pleasant  one.  Only  one  of  the  party  lost  his 
life,  and  he  was  drowned  in  Green  River.  On 
arriving  here,  Mr.  Welty  began  work  on  the  R 
street  levee,  at  $50  a  month  and  board;  but  two 
weeks  afterward  he  went  down  below  Sutterville 
and  chopped  wood  all  winter  for  Clarkson  C. 
Freeman.  In  the  spring  he  came  to  the  city 
and  engaged  in  brick-making  for  the  same  man. 
The  next  winter  and  for  a  year  longer  he  cut 
wood  again,  opposite  Sutterville,  and  then  went 
into  the  wood  business  with  a  team  and  wagon, 
hiring  others  to  cut  the  wood  and  taking  a  part- 
ner, James  Ilaworth,  and  opening  a  wood-yard 
in  Sacramento.  Finding  this  business  rather 
unprofitable  in  the  course  of  a  few  months,  they 
in  company  with  Michael  Shields,  purchased  the 
brick-yard  ranch,  of  120  acres,  located  below 
Sutterville  on  the  west  side  of  the  river.  At 
the  end  of  the  first  year,  Welty  &  Haworth 
bought  out  Shields'  interest,  and  two  years 
later  Mr.  Welty  bought  out  Haworth  and  be- 
came the  sole  proprietor,  remaining  so  until 
October,  1876.  During  his  residence  there  he 
was  the  witness  of  many  pleasant  and  some  very 
sad  scenes.     During  the  floods  of  1861-'62  his 


brother  Madison  Warren  was  drowned.  On 
this  ranch  Mr.  Welty  raised  a  considerable 
quantity  of  fruit  and  vegetables.  While  a  resi- 
dent there,  May  2,  1871,  he  married  Mary  A. 
Bader,  in  Sacramento  city.  She  was  born  near 
Cape  Girardeau,  Missouri.  After  selling  out 
that  ranch,  in  1876,  he  bought  liis  present  place 
a  quarter  of  a  section,  in  Sutter  Township, 
about  five  miles  from  Sacramento,  between  the 
upper  and  lower  Stockton  roads,  where  he  is  en- 
gaged in  general  farming.  He  is  a  member  of 
Sacramento  Grange,  No.  12,  and  also  of  Cali- 
fornia Lodge,  K.  of  H.,  and  of  Harmony  Lodge 
K.  &  L.  of  H.,  all  of  Sacramento.  He  has 
always  been  an  industrious,  economical,  and 
honest  citizen  and  a  judicious  philanthropist. 
His  children  are:  Mary  May,  born  March  22 
1872;  Eugene  Edwin,  "October  8,  1874;  and 
James  William,  February  2,  1883. 


fEORGE  S.  WILLIAMSON,  farmer,  was 
born  July  22, 1845,  in  St.  Louis,  Missouri, 
a  son  of  Peter  Thomas  and  Ruth  (Shaw) 
Williamson.  His  father  was  born  February 
26,  1818,  in  Dauphin  County,  Pennsylvania, 
and  his  mother  January  27,  1820,  in  Lucerne 
County,  that  State.  Parents  were  married  April 
1,  1841,  in  St.  Louis,  Missouri,  whither  Mr. 
Williamson  had  emigrated  at  the  age  of  seven- 
teen years.  He  there  learned  the  carpenter  and 
joiner's  trade  and  was  employed  for  a  number 
of  years  by  Captain  Case,  a  noted  contractor 
and  steamboat  builder.  In  1849  he  crossed  the 
plains  to  California,  leaving  his  wife  in  St.  Louis. 
Making  his  first  stop  at  Nevada  City,  he  opened 
tnere  a  ten-pin  alle}'.  The  next  year  he  returned 
East  by  way  of  New  Mexico,  and  in  1851  he 
came  again  to  this  State  with  his  family,  over- 
land. He  first  settled  on  the  Norris  Grant  and 
followed  teaming.  In  the  meantime  he  resided 
at  several  points  on  the  grant.  During  the  fiood 
of  1852,  while  living  in  what  is  now  the  eastern 
part  of  Sacramento  city,  their  family  were  res- 
cued  from   their  liouse   by  a  boat.     Tlie   water 


BISTORT    OF    SACRAMENTO    COUNTY. 


rose  to  the  second-story  windows.  Their  daugh- 
ter Joscaline  was  born  there.  The  winter  of 
1853  tliey  passed  on  the  property  now  owned 
by  D.  Cantrell;  and  the  next  spring  he  settled 
upon  the  tract  where  he  spent  the  remainder  of 
his  life,  dying  there  September  6,  1884;  his 
wife  died  October  14, 1875.  When  he  first  set- 
tled here  the  country  was  a  bare  plain,  with 
scarcely  a  resident  upon  it.  Pie  was  an  ingeni- 
ous and  industrious  man,  deliberate  in  his  judg- 
ments, kind  in  his  disposition,  and  remembered 
with  the  higbe.st  respect  by  all  who  were  ac- 
quainted with  him.  In  his  family  were  five 
children:  Delia,  born  December  21,  1841,  died 
December  31,  1845;  Luzette,  born  Septeinber 
12,  1843,  died,  September  6,  1846;  the  next 
was  George  S.,  whose  name  heads  this  article; 
Payne,  born  October  3,  1848,  and  died  March 
11,  1882;  and  Joscaline,  now  the  wife  of  James 
Sales,  of  Sacramento.  George  S.  still  conducts 
the  old  homestead,  which  comprises  181  acres. 
The  farm  of  his  sister  Joscaline  consists  of  258 
acres.  His  farm  is  choice  bottom  land  and  in 
good  cultivation.  Has  three  acres  of  fine  fruits. 
He  is  a  practical  mechanic  and  engineer.  Mr. 
Williamson  was  married  December  11, 1872,  to 
Miss  Ellen  Hanley,  a  native  of  Massachussetts. 
He  is  a  member  of  Elk  Grove  Lodge,  No.  274, 
I.  O.  O.  R,  and  of  Elk  Grove  Lodge,  JS'o.  173, 
F.  &  A.  M. 


:ILLIAM    ELWELL    EASTMAN    was 

born  in  Vermont  in  1828,  liis  parents 
being  William  Elwell  and  Mary 
(Walker)  Eastman.  He  is  of  the  Concord 
(New  Ilampsiiire)  branch  of  the  Eastman 
family,  his  great-grandfather  being  the  first 
male  child  born  iti  Concord.  He  lived  to  a 
good  old  age,  being  over  eighty  when  he  died. 
Grandfather  Phineas  Eastman,  a  blacksmith  by 
trade,  moved  into  Orange  County,  Vermont, 
and  lived  to  be  eighty;  his  wife,  Lucy  Cogs- 
well, was  about  sixty-five.  William  E.  East- 
man's maternal  crrandfather.  Lieutenant  Walker, 


of  Vermont,  was  a  hero  of  the  Revolution,  and 
lived  to  be  seventy-five,  dying  at  the  home  of 
Mr.  Eastman.  Grandmother  Walker  survived 
him  ten  or  twelve  years,  and  was  over  eighty 
when  she  died.  The  mother  of  the  subject  of 
this  sketch  was  sixty-five  at  her  death,  and  the 
father,  who  kept  a  grocery  store  for  many  years 
at  Manchester,  reached  the  age  of  seventy-nine. 
William  E.,  Jr.,  spent  three  or  four  terms  at 
the  Canaan  Academy,  and  at  the  age  of  nine- 
teen went  into  his  father's  store,  where  he  re- 
mained until  1857.  He  then  entered  the  flour 
and  grain  business  on  his  own  account,  running 
a  mill  and  dealing  in  flour  at  wholesale.  In 
1865  he  moved  to  Chicago,  where  he  went  into 
the  retail  grocery  business,  and  was  burned  out 
six  years  later  in  the  great  fire,  recovering  only 
four  and  a  half  per  cent,  of  his  insurance.  He 
lost  everything,  house  and  store,  stock  and  fur- 
niture. Resuming  business,  he  found  himself 
crippled  through  want  of  adequate  capital,  and 
in  1875  he  came  to  California  and  settled  at  his 
present  place,  about  two  miles  north  of  Walnut 
Grove,  on  the  Sacramento.  Here  he  bought 
200  acres  at  $15  an  acre,  now  assessed  at  $80. 
He  suflTered  from  overflow  for  some  four  years. 
In  1888  he  added  to  his  ranch,  which  is  now 
about  250  acres.  His  orchard  of  ten  acres  has 
been  increased  sevenfold,  and  off  his  back  land 
he  sold  1,000  tons  of  alfalfa  in  1888.  He  raises 
some  horses,  having  usually  between  thirty  and 
forty,  and  also  pastures  a  good  many  for  others. 
In  1866  Mr.  Eastman  was  married,  in  Concord, 
New  Hampshire,  to  Miss  Lucy  Carter,  a  native 
of  that  city,  daughter  of  Simeon  and  Eliza  (Ab- 
bott) Carter.  Her  father,  who  was  a  native  of 
New  Hampshire,  died  comparatively  young,  in 
1850;  but  her  mother,  also  a  native  of  Concord, 
is  now  living  at  Hopkins,  New  Hampshire, 
aged  eighty-two,  having  a  sister,  Mrs.  Mendel 
Sampson,  who  is  eighty-eight,  both  remarkably 
well  preserved  in  mind  and  body.  Her  grand- 
mother Carter  lived  to  be  eighty-eight.  Mr. 
and  Mrs.  Eastnan  are  the  parents  of  tsvo  chil- 
dren, both  born  in  Chicago:  Arthur  Carter, 
April  17,  1869;  Ella  Gibson,  August  30,  1874. 


UISTOBT    OF    SACBAMENTO    COUNTY. 


Both  children  received  the  usual  district-school 
education,  and  the  son  is  a  willing  helper  on  the 
farm. 

'^-&-^ — 

fOHN  BLACK,  the  father  of  Andrew  Black, 
Supervisor  of  Sacramento,  has  had  an  event- 
ful and  interesting  history,  a  brief  outline 
of  which  is  given  below.  He  was  born  in 
County  Sligo,  Ireland,  about  the  year  1836.  lie 
emigrated  with  his  parents  to  Toronto,  Canada, 
when  a  boy,  and  in  1850  we  find  him  a  cabin 
boy  on  one  of  the  lake  vessels;  later  on,  before 
the  mast  in  a  voyage  of  six  or  seven  months  to 
the  Bermudas.  He  then  came  to  San  P'rancisco 
and  obtained  employment  as  a  clerk  at  $150  per 
month.  In  July,  1851,  he  came  to  Sacramento 
and  was  employed  as  roustabout  in  unloading  a 
cargo  of  flour.  Whether  this  early  dealing  with 
the  staff  of  life  had  any  connection  with  his 
after  occupation,  we  leave  for  some  other 
chronicler  to  i-ecord;  suffice  it  to  say  that  very 
soon  after  we  tind  him  engaged  with  William 
Crowley,  the  joint  owner  of  a  lunch  stand  on 
Front  street,  between  J  and  K,  and  doing  a 
lucrative  business.  They  called  this  place  the 
Union  House,  and  after  eight  months  of  pros- 
perity, sold  out  just  before  the  great  fire  of 
1852.  Then,  securing  a  contract  for  furnish- 
ing the  Navigation  Company,  he  bought  the 
property  on  L  street  and  started  a  bakery,  and 
for  twenty-five  years  he  continued  in  the  busi- 
ness. In  order  to  supply  his  trade  he  bought  a 
cracker  machine  and  began  the  manufacture  of 
crackers.  In  1862  he  moved  to  his  present 
quarters,  No.  1119  Front  street,  putting  in  the 
most  approved  machinery,  Ruger's  Centennial 
Self-Scrapper  and  Hall  Bros.'  Reel  Oven.  His 
trade  now  extends  over  the  entire  coast.  In 
1856  Mr.  Black  was  married  to  Rosa  Leavy,  a 
native  of  Ireland,  who  died  in  1883,  leaving 
two  sons  and  two  daughters,  the  eldest  of  whom, 
Andrew  Black,  is  the  youngest  member  of  the 
Board  of  Sup3rvisors  of  Sacramento  County. 
He  was  born  July  12,  1858,  in  this  city,  and  is 


a  graduate  of  the  public  schools.  He  early  be- 
came interested  in  the  business  of  his  father, 
and  in  1874,  after  his  return  from  a  visit  to 
Australia,  he  settled  down  to  business  and  was 
foreman  of  the  shop  for  several  years.  Although 
a  young  man,  he  has  already  made  his  mark  as 
a  politician,  being  on  the  County  Central  Com- 
mittee of  his  party  fr&ra  1884  to  1888,  at  which 
time  he  secured  the  endorsement  of  his  party 
for  the  office  of  Supervisor,  receiving  a  hand- 
some majority  vote  at  the  ensuing  election  over 
his  Republican  competitor,  Mr.  S.  J.  Jackson. 

fEORGE  DART,  M.  D.,  Homeopathic  Phy- 
sician, was  born  at  Brockville,  on  the 
banks  of  the  St.  Lawrence  River,  in  Leeds 
County.  Canada,  February  25,  1828.  He  re- 
ceived a  common-school  education  there  and 
learned  the  trade  of  cabinet-maker.  He  after- 
ward read  medicine  and  studied  in  the  office  of 
Dr.  I.  S.  P.  Lord,  of  Batavia,  Illinois;  took  a 
partial  course  at  Rush  Medical  College,  and  be- 
gan the  practice  of  his  profession  in  Warren- 
ville,. Illinois,  and  then  removed  to  De  Peyster, 
St.  Lawrence  County,  New  York,  where  he 
lived  three  and  a  half  years.  During  that  time 
he  attended  the  Detroit  Homeopathic  Medical 
College,  and  graduated  at  that  institution,  Feb- 
ruary 11,  1875. _  He  became  a  member  of  the 
American  Homeopathic  Institute  in  June  of 
that  year.  For  many  years  the  severe  northern 
climate  of  New  York  had  materially  affijcted 
his  health,  which  at  length  became  so  much  im- 
paired that  he  was  obliged  to  seek  a  milder 
climate.  Accordingly,  in  the  fall  of  1879  he 
came  to  Sacramento  to  visit  his  daughter,  Mrs. 
P.  F.  Pierson,  of  this  city,  and  was  so  much 
pleased  with  the  salutary  climate  here  that  he 
determined  to  remain,  and  opened  an  office  on 
J  street,  where  he  remained  five  years.  In  the 
spring  of  1881  he  made  a  trip  East,  and  return- 
ing in  the  fall  of  that  year,  decided  to  locate  on 
the  Bay.  He  went  direct  to  San  Francisco,  but 
the  humidity  of  the  atmosphere  brought  on  his 


HISTORY    OF    SACHAMBNTO    COUNTY. 


511 


old  trouble,  bronchitis,  and  after  spending  a 
year  and  a  half  there  he  was  compelled  to  aban- 
don a  rapidly  growing  practice  and  return  to 
Sacramento.  Here  he  has  had  the  good  fortune 
to  regain  his  health,  and  speaks  highly  of  the 
advantages  of  the  climate  here.  The  Doctor 
was  married  in  Canada,  when  twenty-three 
years  old,  to  Miss  Orilla  Able,  whose  father  was 
a  Yankee  Quaker.  They  have  three  daughters 
and  one  son.  The  Doctor  has  been  a  careful, 
painstaking  student  all  his  life,  and  well  de- 
serves the  confidence  which  his  friends  repose 
in  him.  He  is  a  gentleman  of  culture  and  of 
great  urbanity  of  manner. 


fLISHA  DALY,  an  agriculturist  of  Center 
Township,  was  born  November  23,  1823, 
in  Carlisle,  Pennsylvania,  son  of  John  R. 
and  Hannah  (Doyle)  Daly,  the  father  also  a 
native  of  that  State,  and  the  mother  of  Delaware; 
both  lived  and  died  in  Harrisburg,  Pennsylva- 
nia's capital,  and  both  at  the  age  of  about  thirty- 
two  years.  There  were  five  children  in  the 
family:  John  R.,Elisha,  Mary  S.,  Elizabeth,  and 
William,  who  died  in  Placerville.  Mr.  Daly, 
whose  name  heads  this  sketch,  is  a  carpenter  by 
trade.  He  worked  in  a  woolen  factory  when  a 
boy.  In  1844  he  went  to  Rock  Island,  Hlinois, 
and  worked  at  his  trade  there  ten  years,  in  com- 
pany with  his  brother  John  R.  In  1854  he 
came  to  this  State,  being  four  months  on  the 
way  and  stopping  first  at  Placerville.  He  spent 
six  months  on  Schofield's  ranch  on  Dry  Creek; 
then  he  purchased  property  on  Thirteenth  and 
K  streets,  Sacramento,  and   resided    there  until 


1859,  teami 


md  then  lie  moved 


his 


present  property  in  Center  Township,  fourteen 
miles  northeast  of  Sacramento  and  eight  miles 
from  Folsom.  There  are  472  acres  in  the  ranch, 
which  is  in  the  best  farming  district  in  the 
township.  He  has  been  justice  of  the  peace  in 
this  township.  He  is  a  member  of  Roseville 
Grange,  No.  161,  and  politically  is  a  Republi- 
can.     In  1853  he  married    Miss  Eliza  Ramsey, 


of  Davenport,  Iowa,  and  a  native  of  Ireland,  and 
they  have  thirteen  children,  viz.:  Elisha  R., 
Jane  E.,  wife  of  Charles  W.  Summers,  of  Sacra- 
mento; Hannah,  wife  of  Jonathan  Churchman, 
of  Sacramento;  Louis  S.,  Josephine  E.,  Mar- 
garet P.,  wife  of  Charles  Johnston ;  George  W. ; 
Mary  R.,  a  school  teacher;  Eugene  M.,  Emma 
H.,  John  S.,  Arabella  C.  and  Minerva  C.  George 
and  Louis  are  proprietors  of  a  general  store  in 
Antelope,  where  they  have  also  the  postotfice, 
telegraph  oflice,  and  the  express  business  of  the 
Wells-Fargo  Company.  Mr.  Daly,  who  is  quite 
feeble,  still  manages  his  own  affairs.  Mrs.  Daly's 
father  still  lives  in  Rock  Island,  at  the  age  of 
ninety  years.  She  visited  her  Eastern  home  in 
June,  1885,  but  says  she  is  content  to  remain 
in  California  the  rest  of  her  life.  Captain  J. 
Daly,  grandfather  of  Elisha,  was  a  native  of 
Ireland,  a  sea  captain,  and  died  at  New  Orleans. 
He  was  the  owner  of  sea  vessels  in  1812,  during 
the  war  with  Great  Britain. 


fOHN  C.  DOLSON,  a  San  Joaquin  Town- 
ship rancher,  was  born  in  Orange  County, 
New  York,  April  7,  1823,  a  son  of  Freder- 
ick and  Margaret  (Moore)  Dolson.  His  father 
was  a  native  of  Germany  and  a  fanner  by  occu- 
pation, and  in  his  family  were  five  sons  and  four 
daughters.  He  died  at  the  age  of  fifty-one  years, 
and  his  wife  at  the  age  of  si.xty  years,  in  Orange 
County,  New  York.  Mr.  Dolson,  of  this  sketch, 
was  brought  up  on  the  farm  and  came  to  Cali- 
fornia in  1850,  by  way  of  Panama,  being  three 
months  on  the  route.  He  followed  mining  four 
years  at  Pilot  Hill,  near  Georgetown,  but  he  did 
not  make  much  money,  although  the  mines  had 
been  very  rich.  In  1854  he  returned  to  Orange 
County,  New  York,  again  by  way  of  the  Isth- 
mus; and  during  this  year  he  was  married  to 
Hannah  O'Conor,  a  native  of  Ireland.  In  1855 
he  came  again  to  this  State  and  resumed  mining 
for  two  years  on  the  American  River,  with 
rather  poor  success.  In  1857  he  settled  on  his 
present  ranch,  a  half  mile  from   Elk  Grove,  and 


HISTORY    OF    SACRAMENTO    COUNTY. 


Iiere  he  lias  prospered  as  a  general  farmer,  as  he 
has  well  deserved  to  do.  He  has  eight  cliiidren, 
in  the  following  order:  Oscar  J.,  born  October 
1,  1855;  John  J.,  November  17,  1857;  David 
P.,  January  4,  1861;  Maggie  M.,  May  4,  1863; 
Willie,  May  22,  1865;  Mary  E.,  August  23, 
1869;  Alice  E.,  December  31, 1871;  and  Joseph 
H.,  October  23,  1874. 


fEORGE  HARVEY  KERR  was  born  Oc- 
tober 1,  1829,  in  "Washington  County, 
Pennsylvania.  (For  his  ancestry,  see  sketch 
of  Joseph  Hampton  Kerr,  elswbere  in  this  work.) 
He  had  the  advantage  of  the  public  schools  of 
Mercer  County,  where  his  parents  moved  when 
he  was  three  years  old,  and  also  of  the  academy 
at  West  Greenville,  county  seat.  From  there 
he  went  to  Jefferson  College,  located  at  Can- 
nonsburg,  which  was  afterward  removed  to 
Washington  and  consolidated  with  the  college 
there.  At  intervals  between  his  schooling  and 
after  leaving  school  he  learned  the  carriage- 
making  trade,  serving  an  apprenticeship  and 
following  the  business  three  years.  April  15, 
1852,  he  determined  to  come  to  California,  and 
accordingly  made  his  way  to  New  York,  where 
he  took  the  steamer  Illinois  to  Panama,  and 
from  there  to  San  Francisco  the  ill-fated  vessel 
Golden  Gate.  He  was  taken  sick  on  the  way; 
lay  in  Sacramento  State  Hospital  for  thirteen 
weeks,  a  private  patient,  paying  $3  a  day.  He 
spent  the  summer  of  18o3-'54  teaching  school 
at  Diamond  Spring,  El  Dorado  County.  He 
came  to  Elk  Grove  and  took  up  a  quarter-sec- 
tion of  Government  land  in  1854.  In  1857  he 
started  a  fruit-growing  business,  and  in  con- 
nection with  that  farming.  Believing  that  fruit 
cannot  be  grown  successfully  without  irrigation, 
he  has  in  general  used  that  method  except  for 
grapes,  and  been  successful.  He  has  ten  acres 
devoted  to  orchards  of  various  kinds  of  fruits, 
and  fifty  acres  are  devoted  to  vineyard, — two- 
thirds  table  and  raisin  grapes  and  the  remain- 
der wine  grapes.     Has  cured  his  own  grapes  for 


the  past  twelve  years,  and  the  best  judges  say 
that  there  are  no  better  raisins  produced  in  the 
State  of  California  than  the  Elk  Grove.  Mr. 
Kerr  is  a  member  of  the  First  Presbyterian 
Church  at  Elk  Grove,  having  tirst  joined  the 
church  in  Mercer  County,  Pennsylvania,  in 
1845.  He  took  an  active  interest  in  building 
the  church  property  and  the  Grange  Hall.  One 
of  the  first  things  he  was  interested  in  on  com- 
ing to  Elk  Grove  was  establishing  Sunday- 
schools  at  San  Joaquin.  Politically  he  is  a 
Republican,  and  has  voted  for  every  Republican 
Presidential  candidate  since  that  party  has 
been  established.  He  was  married  in  1864  to 
Mrs.  Mary  Springsted,  a  native  of  Aylmer, 
Canada.  She  was  a  widow  with  two  children, 
both  of  whom  are  married  and  residing  at  Elk 
Grove. 


^^ 


fAMES  M.  FRALEY  was  born  in  Maryland, 
November  24,  1827,  his  parents  being 
Frederick  and  Ellen  (McHenry)  Fraley, 
both  natives  of  Frederick  County,  Maryland. 
They  were  the  parents  of  nine  children,  all  now 
deceased  except  the  subject  of  this  sketch  and  a 
younger  sister,  Mrs.  Dr.  Evart,  of  Baltimore. 
The  father  had  learned  the  trade  of  wagon-maker, 
at  which  he  worked  for  some  years  in  Frederick 
and  Cumberland.  About  1840  he  moved  into 
Alleghan}'  County,  Maryland,  where  he  owned 
a  farm  and  kept  a  public  house.  He  had  been 
reared  on  a  farm  until  the  age  of  eighteen. 
James  M.  was  educated  in  the  district  schools  to 
the  age  of  fifteen,  supplemented  by  a  two  years' 
course  in  a  high  school.  At  the  age  of  seven- 
teen lie  was  employed  in  driving  his  father's 
team,  usually  from  Cumberland  to  Brownsville, 
and  sometimes  to  AVheeling,  besides  helping 
occasionally  in  farm  work.  In  1849  his  mother 
died,  and  the  family  was  soon  scittered  into  four 
or  five  States.  James  M.  went  peddling  with  a 
team,  dealing  mostly  in  copper  kettles,  for  a 
manufacturer  in  Cumberland,  and  remained  in 
that  business  until  February  1,  1852.      Ho  then 


HISTORY    OF    SACRAMENTO    COUNTY. 


went  to  Wliiteliall,  Greene  County,  Illinois, 
where  he  had  three  married  sisters,  and  spent  a 
year  there.  On  March  29,  1S53,  in  company 
with  Dr.  Bojse,  of  Whitehall,  and  some  others, 
lie  set  out  for  California.  The  party  comprised 
ten  men  and  six  women,  with  four  wagons 
drawn  by  ox  teams.  At  St.  Joe,  Missouri,  they 
joined  a  larger  party,  but  soon  separated  and 
proceeded  by  themselves,  suffering  no  special 
inconvenience  They  caiue  by  the  old  emigrant 
route  to  Carson  Valley,  and  then  by  Johnson's 
cut-off  into  California.  Tliey  arrived  at  Ris- 
tine's  ranch,  just  eight  miles  below  Sacramento, 
having  been  six  months  in  making  the  journey. 
For  a  month  or  two  he  drove  a  team  for  $75  a 
month,  but  was  taken  sick  with  typhoid  fever, 
and  for  four  months  was  unable  to  work.  Early 
in  1854  he  went  to  work  for  the  California 
Stage  Company,  taking  care  of  their  horses,  at 
which  he  was  employed  for  nine  months,  when 
he  was  again  taken  sick.  In  1855  he  engaged 
in  farming  on  the  shares,  putting  about  165  acres 
in  grain  which  was  destroyed  by  the  grasshop- 
pers, involving  a  loss  of  quite  a  sum  of  money 
and  his  time.  In  1856  he  went  to  work  for  A. 
M.  Plummer,  who  kept  a  public-house  on  the 
old  Jackson  road,  about  thirteen  miles  from 
Sacramento,  remaining  with  him  about  three 
and  one-half  years.  In  1860  he  purchased  an 
outfit  and  went  to  teaming,  chiefly  over  the 
mountains  into  ^Nevada.  [\\  1865  he  bought  a 
farm  of  320  acres,  near  the  Twelve-Mile  House, 
but  continued  teaming  until  1869,  after  which 
he  gave  undivided  attention  to  his  ranch  until 
he  soM  it  in  1879.  He  kept  the  Twelve-Mile 
House  two  years,  when  he  sold  out  and  moved 
into  Sacramento,  where  he  kept  a  saloon  for 
nearly  two  years.  November  1, 1882,  he  rented 
the  Slough  House,  about  eighteen  miles  from 
that  city,  which  he  still  conducts.  Mr.  Fraley 
was  first  married,  in  1848.  to  Miss  Sarah  Ellen 
Lawson,  a  native  of  Maryland,  and  daughter  of 
a  farmer  on  the  Potomac.  She  died  ten  months 
later  of  childbirth,  the  ciiild  also  dying.  In 
December,  1881,  lie  was  again  married,  to  Miss 
Addie    Laurell,   a    native   of    Portland,    Maine. 


She  died  in  March,  1885,  without  issue,  leaving 
him  again  alone  in  the  world. 


tEWELL  KANE  was  born  July  1,  1842,  in 
St.  Joseph  County,  Indiana,  his  parents 
being  Newell  and  Arminda  (Stiles)  Kane. 
His  father  spent  his  boyhood  days,  up  to  Octo- 
ber 4,  1826,  in  Raleigh,  North  Carolina,  where 
he  was  born  April  27,  1802,  and  there  learned 
the  millwright's  trade;  then  moved  to  Detroit, 
where  he  was  married  February  16,  1832; 
thence  went  to  Jonesville,  ninety  miles  from 
Detroit,  and  bought  a  farm,  which  he  cultivated, 
at  the  same  time  working  at  his  trade.  He 
built  a  mill  in  Homer  and  lived  there  a  short 
time,  then  moved  to  Marshall,  and  in  1840  went 
to  St.  Joseph  County,  Indiana.  He  bought  land 
in  Noble  County  a?  a  speculation.  From  Indi- 
ana he  returned  to 'Michigan  and  resided  on  his 
farm  of  320  acres  until  the  winter  of  1851-'52, 
when,  having  caught  the  gold  fever,  he  sold  out 
and  started  for  California,  January  1.  He  sailed 
from  New  York  via  Panama,  on  the  steamer 
Pioneer,  and  landed  in  San  Francisco  on  the  6th 
of  March  from  the  steamer  Golden  Gate.  He 
went  immediately  to  Sacramento,  thence  to  Mor- 
mon Island,  where  he  kept  liotel  through  the  sum- 
mer. In  1853  he  returned  to  Sacramento  for 
the  purpose  of  going  into  business,  but  the 
flood  prevented  him  from  so  doing.  Going  to 
Brighton  Township,  he  bought  205  acres  of 
land,  the  locality  then  being  called  the  Tiiirty- 
mile  Desert,  owing  to  the  scarcity  of  water  from 
Sacramento  to  the  foot-hills  some  thirty  miles 
distant.  The  land  was  covered  with  brush  and 
trees,  mostly  white  oak,  and  wild  animals  were 
ple;itiful,  the  California  lion  and  wild  cattle 
causing  at  times  great  fear  among  the  settlers. 
He  worked  upon  tlie  place,  cultivating  and  im- 
proving it  to  what  it  now  is.  August  28,  1887,  at 
the  age  of  eighty-six  years,  he  died.  Mrs.  Kane, 
his  wife,  was  born  in  Palmyra,  New  York,  April 
2,  1813,  and  came  with  iier  parents,  David  and 
Elizabeth  (who  was  of  Scotch  descent,  daughter 


HISTORY    OF    SACRAMENTO    COUNTY. 


of  John  Ciimmings,  who  was  at  one  time  sheriff 
of  New  York)  Stiles,  to  Michigan.  She  is  of  a 
hardy  race;  her  gi'eat-grandfather  Stiles  came 
over  in  the  Mayflower;  her  grandfather  lived  to 
the  age  of  115  years;  and  her  father,  David 
Stiles,  lived  to  the  age  of  107  years,  and  the 
year  before  he  died  could  put  his  hand  on  a 
seven-rail  fence  and  jump  over  it!  Other  mem- 
bers of  the  family  also  lived  to  a  good  old  age. 
She  died  July  8,  1889,  gangrene  having  set  in 
in  her  right  foot,  and  alter  sutifering  great  pain 
for  months,  her  foot  decaying  by  inches  until 
amputation  became  necessary,  after  which  she 
survived  but  a  short  time.  The  children  of 
Mr.  and  Mrs.  Kane  are:  Maria  Louise,  who,  a 
few  days  before  her  death  and  while  she  was 
then  confined  to  her  deathbed,  wrote  the  follow- 


poei] 


MY    BDEIAL. 


igb, 


Where  shall  the  dead  and  the  beautiful  sleep? 
In  the  vale  where  the  willow  and  cypress  weep; 
Where  the  wind  of  the  west  breathes  its  softest 
Where  the  silvery  stream  is  floating  nigh, 
And  the  pure  clear  drops  of  the  rising  spray 
Glitter  like  gems  in  the  bright  noon's  rays; 
Where  the  sun's  warm  smile  may  never  dispel 
Night's  tears  o'er  the  form  they  loved  so  well ; 
In  the  vale  where  the  sparkling  waters  flow; 
Where  the  fairest,  earliest  violets  grow. 
Bury  me  where  my  sister  lies, 
Bury  me  there  beneath  the  skies. 

Where  shall  the  dead  and  the  beautiful  sleep? 
Where  the  wild  flowers  bloom  in  the  valley  deep ; 
Where  the  sweet  robes  of  spring  may  softly  rest 
In  purity  o'er  the  sleeper's  breast; 
Where  is  heard  the  voice  of  the  sinless  dove. 
Murmuring  gently  its  soft  note  of  love; 
Where  no  column  proud  in  the  sun  may  glow. 
To  mock  the  heart  that  is  resting  below ; 
Where  pure  hearts  are  sleeping  forever  blest; 
Where  the  wandering  Peri  love  to  rest; 
Where  the  sky  and  the  earth  are  softly  fair,— 
Bury  me  there,  bury  me  tliere 

Sylvina  Josephine,  born  March  8,  1835,  and  died 
February  17,  1853,  in  Sacramento;  Edward, 
born  March  2,  1837,  died  February  5,  1853,  in 
Sacramento;  Delia  Caroline,  born  July  14, 
1839,  died  August  8,  1841;  Theodore  F.,  born 
June  4,  1845,  and  now  resident  in  Portland, 
Oregon:  Alfred,  born  December  13,  1847,  died 


September  12,  1862,  on  the  farm;  Maria  Caro- 
line, born  October  15,  1849,  wife  of  W.  W. 
Brison,  of  Sacramento.  Newell  Kane,  Jr.,  com- 
menced to  earn  his  own  way  in  the  world  when 
eighteen  years  of  age.  He  took  300  acres  of 
land,  in  1860,  adjoining  the  home  place,  and 
afterward  bought  500  more,  east  of  the  hoitie 
place,  called  the  Oak  Tree  Farm.  In  1878  he 
disposed  of  it  and  moved  to  Sacramento,  where 
he  bought  property  on  the  corner  of  Seven- 
teenth and  J  streets,  and  lived  there  till  the 
summer  of  1879.  Then  he  moved  to  Oakland 
and  resided  there  about  three  years.  Next  he 
took  a  trip  to  Washington  Territory,  up  the 
Skagit  River,  during  the  gold  excitement  at 
that  place.  From  there  he  wandered  to  Port- 
land, Oregon;  stopped  there  a  short  time  and 
then  returned  to  Oakland,  where  he  kept  hotel 
about  two  years.  Then  he  sold  out  his  business 
and  removed  to  Idaho,  where  he  speculated 
somewhat  in  town  and  mining  property.  He 
made  his  home  there  about  one  year,  when  he 
returned  to  California,  and  has  made  Sacramento 
County  his  home  ever  since.  He  has  been  at 
the  home  farm  since  his  father's  death.  He  was 
married  on  April  16,  1865,  to  Miss  Francelia 
Ann  Eatch,  daughter  of  N.  V.  Hatch,  of  Sacra- 
mento city.  They  have  three  children:  Joseph- 
ine Eunice,  born  October  21,  1868,  now  the 
wife  of  Montgomery  Pike,  of  Santa  Maria, 
Santa  Barbara  County;  Arthur  Edward,  born 
October  16,  1869;  May  Louise,  born  February 
19,  1872. 


tON.  REUBEN  KERCHEVAL,  deceased, 
the  subject  of  this  sketch,  was  born  in 
Ohio,  in  December,  1820,  his  parents  be- 
ing Louis  and  Mary  (Runyon)  Kercheval.  The 
father  was  born  in  Virginia  about  1796,  and 
rendered  some  service  in  the  war  of  1812.  The 
mother  was  a  Ke.ituckian.  Grandfather  James 
Kerciieval,  by  birth  a  Virginian,  moved  with 
his  family  into  Kentucky,  and  his  son,  Louis, 
was    there    married.       The    Kerchevals    are    of 


HTsrOIlY    OF    .SACRAMENTO    COUNTY 


Huguenot  extraction,  their  ancestor,  Louis, 
leavin^^  France  upon  the  revocation  of  the  edict 
of  Nantes.  He  found  refuge  in  Switzerland, 
then  in  England,  aid  finally  in  America.  He 
was  of  Dijon  family,  whose  castle  on  the  Rhine 
was  in  existence  as  late  as  1854.  The  name 
denotes  horse-lover,  the  initial  C  being  changed 
to  K  for  euphony.  The  parents  of  Reuben 
Kercheval  moved  from  Kentucky  to  Ohio  about 
1818,  and  thence  to  Will  County,  Illinois,  in 
1830.  The  ron's  formal  education  consisted  of 
a  single  term  in  a  district  school,  but  being  fond 
of  reading  he  became  a  well-informed  man  on 
general  topics  and  public  affairs.  He  came  to 
California  in  1850,  and  tried  mining  for  six 
weeks.  Reared  on  a  farm  he  discarded  the 
uncongenial  business  of  mining,  and  with  his 
brother,  Albert  F.,  now  of  Los  Angeles,  settled 
on  Ryer  Island,  on  the  Sacramento,  before  the 
close  of  1850.  After  a  few  years  he  and  his 
father  bought  the  place  on  Grand  Island,  and 
subseque  itly  he  bought  out  his  brother's  inter- 
est, and  became  owner  of  334  acres,  in  one  body, 
at  the  head  of  Grand  Island.  In  1856  he  vis- 
ited his  old  home  in  Will  County,  Illinois,  re- 
maining several  months.  In  June,  1857,  Mr. 
Kercheval  was  there  married  tu  Miss  Margaret 
Brodie,  born  ii\  Ohio,  daughter  of  Clement  and 
Sarah(  White)  Brodie,  who  afterward  settled  in 
Will  County,  Illinois.  They  were  the  parents  of 
five  daughters  and  one  son:  the  latter,  Robert 
John,  of  New  Lenox,  Illinois,  died  in  Decem- 
ber, 1872,  leaving  three  children:  E-ther,  John 
Clement  and  Sadie.  One  daughter  is  also  de- 
ceased, leaving  three  sisters  of  Mrs.  Kercheval 
still  living  in  1889:  Sirah  E.,  now  Mrs.  A. 
Smith,  of  New  Lenox;  Mrs.  Maria  Page,  of 
Joliet;  and  Mrs.  Louisa  Stevens,  of  St.  Paul 
Minnesota.  Grandfather  Robert  Brodie  was  a 
Scotch  emigrant,  and  the  father  of  four  sons: 
Clement,  the  father  of  Mrs.  Kercheval;  James, 
an  exp3rt  in  diving,  lost  his  life  in  the  exercise 
of  his  calling;  Joseph,  who  died  young  in  the 
fifties;  John,  who  died  at  Lafayette,  Indiana,  in 
1885,  aged  eighty-two.  Thomas,  the  youngest 
son  of  John,  served   in   the  Union  army,  in   the 


Civil  War  of  the  Republic,  is  now  a  member  of 
the  Grand  Army,  and  lives  with  his  family 
near  Williamsport,  Indiana.  Grandfather  John 
White,  who  died  in  the  girlhood  of  his  daugh- 
ter Sarah,  was  the  son  of  an  English  emigrant. 
Another  son,  known  as  Judge  White,  lived  near 
Whiteleysburg,  Delaware,  where  also  one  or  two 
of  the  older  sisters  of  Mrs.  Kercheval  were  born, 
her  only  brother  being  born  in  Columbus,  Ohio, 
herself  at  [Jrbana,  in  that  State,  and  the  younger 
sisters  in  Wells  County,  Indiana.  Soon  after 
the  marriage  of  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Reuben  Kerche- 
val they  set  out  for  California,  arriving  on 
Grand  Island,  in  August,  1857,  where  they  con- 
tinued to  reside  together  for  nearly  twenty-four 
years.  Later  on  public  duties  shared  in  Mr. 
Kercheval's  time  and  attention,  with  his  busi- 
ness of  fruit-grower  and  the  cares  of  his  family. 
He  was  elected  to  the  Legislature  for  two 
terms,  1872-'73  and  1877-78.  He  was  also  a 
Mason,  and  at  one  time  Master  of  Franklin 
Lodge,  as  well  as  fourth  officer,  and  a  thirty- 
second  degree  member  of  the  Scottish  Rite 
Consistory  of  California.  Mr.  Kercheval  died 
in  May,  1881,  leaving  four  cliildren,  born  on 
Grand  Island:  James  Louis,  in  1858;  Howard 
Douglas,  in  1860;  Josephine,  in  1865;  Hartley, 
in  1868.  Besides  the  usual  local  schooling,  all 
the  children  have  been  given  the  opportuuity  of 
a  higher  education:  James  L.  at  the  California 
Military  Academy;  Howard  D.  at  the  Cali- 
fornia Military  Academy,  then  at  the  Berkeley 
Gymnasium,  and  finally  in  the  University  of 
California;  Josephine  at  the  Irving  Institute, 
then  as  pupil  of  Professor  Michelson,  then  in 
crayon  portraiture  and  music,  as  pupil  of  Pro- 
fessor Hartmann,  and  in  1889  as  a  raembdr  of 
the  class  of  Mrs.  Fish, — all  of  San  Francisco; 
Hartley,  at  Sackett's  Academy  in  Oakland. 
James  L.  wa^  mirried  in  1885  to  Miss  Nellie 
Kelly,  of  San  Francisco,  where  he  is  employed 
as  freight  clerk  of  the  steamer  J.  D.  Peters. 
Howard  D.  was  married  in  1882  to  Miss  Mattie 
Stewart  Barkley,  of  Sacramento.  They  have 
three  boys:  Reuben,  born  in  1883;  Elbert,  in 
1885;    and    Howard    (xholdsen,    February    12, 


UISrORT    OF    SACRAMENTO    COUNTY. 


1S88.  Mr.  H.  D.  Kercheval  was  for  some  years 
in  the  service  of  tlie  California  Transportation 
Company,  and  iu  1889  is  deputy  assessor  of 
Sacramento  County,  and  trustee  of  Grand  Island 
Reclamation  District  No.  3.  llartley  was 
married  to  Miss  Mamie  Hall,  of  Grand  Island, 
in  May,  1889.  Since  the  death  of  Mr.  Reuben 
Kercheval  the  estate  has  been  enlarged  under 
the  able  management  ol:  his  widow,  Mrs.  Mar- 
garet B.  Kercheval.  She  has  purchased  eighty 
acres  three  miles  below,  and  si.xty-eight  two 
miles  farther.  She  has  erected  a  handsome 
two-story  residence,  now  occupied  hy  Howard 
D.,  about  a  mile  below  the  family  mansion  at 
the  head  of  the  Island,  and  more  recently  a  less 
pretentious,  but  scarcely  less  elegant,  one-stoi-y 
and  basement  cottage,  on  the  eighty-two  acre 
place,  now  occupied  by  Hartley.  The  new  pur- 
chase, live  miles  below,  is  being  cleared  of  tim- 
ber, and  will  be  all  planted  before  the  close  of 
1889.  There  are  now  about  seventy  acres  of 
orchard  on  the  other  ranches.  The  year  1889 
is  also  signalized  by  a  combined  effort  to  fully 
reclaim  the  whole  island,  in  which  work  Mrs. 
Kercheval  is  actively  interested.  With  untir- 
ing industry  and  a  business  ability  truly  re- 
markable in  a  lady,  Mrs.  Kercheval  is  ever 
busily  engaged  in  enlarging,  improving  and 
beautifying  her  landed  possessions. 


;"W^-1('HAEL  KEEFE,  an  extensive  farmer 
uiykyi  '''^  mile*  south  of  Sacramento,  was  born 
^^^  in  Fort  Carrington  Township,  Franklin 
County,  New  York,  October  4,  1841.  His 
parents  were  John  and  Margaret  (Murphy) 
Keefe,  natives  of  Ireland.  Three  weeks  after 
their  marriage  in  1835,  they  came  to  America, 
landing  at  Quebec.  Thence  they  went  to  New 
York  State  by  way  of  Montreal  and  Lachine. 
Mr.  Keefe  had  a  brother  in  Franklin  County, 
New  York,  and  after  sojourning  with  him  f.ir  a 
while  settled  upon  a  place  of  his  own.  He  died 
in  1868,  at  the  age  of  sixty-seven  years.  His 
widow  is  still  living  there,  at  tlie  age  of  seventy- 


six  years.  In  John's  father's  family  were  six 
children:  David,  John,  Daniel,  Michael,  Mat- 
thew, and  Mary,  all  of  whom  are  now  dead. 
John  Keefe  had  twelve  children:  two  died  in 
infancy,  and  those  who  grew  np  are  David, 
Johanna,  Bridget,  Michael,  Mary,  Margaret, 
Abigail,  Daniel,  Katie  and  John.  All  these  are 
living  excepting  Bridget,  wlio  died  in  Wiscon- 
sin. The  others  are  scattered  over  the  United 
States,  two  of  them — John  and  Mieliael — being 
in  this  county.  Mr.  Michael  Keefe,  whose 
name  heads  this  notice,  has  made  his  own  way 
in  the  world  since  he  became  of  age  without  a 
dollar  of  help  from  anybody.  He  packed  pork 
four  months  in  Chicago;  worked  for  Isaiah 
Strong,  a  cattle-dealer  in  La  Salle  County,  Illi- 
nois, ten  months;  then  he  visited  a  point  above 
Green  Bay,  AVisconsin,  where  his  sister  had  just 
died;  then  in  Chicago  again  for  a  short  time 
during  the  cold  storm  of  the  winter  of  1864; 
then  worked  a  short  time  for  Abner  Strong, 
brother  of  Isaiah,  La  Salle  County;  then,  on 
account  of  the  sickness  of  his  fatheV,  he  returned 
to  New  York  and  remained  there  with  his  par- 
ents until  May  19,  1864,  when  he  started  for 
California.  He  sailed  upon  the  steamer  Illinois 
to  Panama,  having  some  trouble  to  effect  a 
landing,  as  it  was  during  the  war;  and  on  the 
steamer  America  to  San  Francisco,  landing  there 
June  27.  For  a  short  time  he  worked  for 
Colonel  McNasser,  in  Franklin  Township,  this 
county,  and  then  for  Silas  Carle,  Mr.  West, 
William  Curtis  in  Sacramento,  H.  Wittenbrock, 
and  then  Mr.  Curtis  again  until  1871.  He  then 
married  Nora  Egan,  and  continued  to  make  his 
home  there  for  two  years.  His  eldest  son, 
John,  was  born  there,  February  3,  1874.  He 
next  moved  upon  the  place  owned  by  Oliver  C. 
Carroll  and  lived  there  a  year  and  a  half;  then, 
in  1875,  he  moved  into  Sacramento  for  four 
months.  His  second  son,  George  Michael,  was 
born  there,  October  8,  1875.  He  then  bought 
a  half  interest  in  the  Hayne  &  Cheney  ranch 
and  moved  upon  it  December  4,  that  year. 
There  his  third  son,  Daniel  Stanislaus,  was  born, 
September  1,  1877,  and   his  fourth   child.  Mar- 


UlSTOliY    UF    SACRAMENTO    UUUJS'TY. 


-.17 


gai-et  Ann,  July  13,  1881.  December  22  of  the 
latter  year  he  moved  upon  his  present  place, 
wliich  lie  bought  in  January,  1881,  and  which 
contains  200  acres.  It  is  bounded  by  both  the 
upper  and  tlie  lower  Stockton  roads,  a  .d  is  six- 
miles  from  the  city  limits.  His  fine  residence 
there  was  completed  in  March,  1883.  His 
interest  in  the  Hayne  &  Cheney  ranch  consists 
of  402^  acres;  and  he  began  life  here  with 
nothing.  He  devotes  his  attention  to  general 
farming  and  stock-raising,  ('specially  horses, — 
work  horses  and  roadsters. 


H*-^ 


fOSEPH  HAMPTOIs^  KERR.  This  gentle- 
man's father,  Samuel  Kerr,  was  born  in 
New  Jersey,  probably  in  Newark.  When 
he  was  a  boy  his  father's  family  moved  to 
Washington  County,  Pennsylvania,  and  in 
Cannonsburg,  tiiat  county,  he,  Samuel,  learned 
the  blacksmiths'  trade.  The  ancestry  of  the 
Kerr  "family  are  from  Scotland.  His  great- 
grandfather, Nevin,  came  from  County  Antrim, 
Ireland,  to  America  when  his  (Samuel's)  grand- 
father was  a  boy.  He  was  of  Scotch  descent. 
Samuel  Kerr,  who  was  born  in  1785,  moved 
from  AVashington  County  to  Mercer  County, 
same  State,  and  died  there  September  12,  1844, 
and  his  wife  survived  several  years.  He  first 
married  October  6,  1814,  Margaret  McGregor, 
who  died  October  21,  1820,  and  had  three  chil- 
dren, namely:  Margaret,  born  October  15, 1815, 
and  still  living,  in  Missouri:  Lewis  Hampton, 
born  April  3,  1818,  and  now  deceased;  and 
Samuel,  born  December  27,  1819,  also  now 
deceased.  Mr.  Kerr's  second  wife,  nee  Jane 
Nevin,  was  born  February  10,  1799,  and  died 
January  12,  1867.  By  the  second  marriage 
there  were  ten  children,  namely:  John  Nevin, 
born  July  22,  1822;  Joseph  Hampton,  March 
18,  1824;  Mary  Jane,  Novetnber  1,  1825,  and 
died  December  12,  1886;  Andrew  Wiley,  born 
July  12,  1827;  A.  W.  Kerr  has  taught  in  the 
public  school  of  California  thirty-two  years; 
George  Harvey,  October  1,  1829;   Martlia  M., 


P'ebruary  5,  1882;  Sarah  Elizabeth,  February 
27,  1834;  Charlotte  Isabel,  October  27,  1836; 
Samuel  M.,  February  8,  1839;  Robert  Alex- 
ander, October  14,  1841.  All  these  except  one 
are  still  living,  and  four  of  them  residing  in 
California.  The  subject  of  this  sketch  resided 
in  Pennsylvania  until  the  spring  of  1852,  when 
he  came  to  California,  leaving  New  York  April 
27,  on  the  steamer  Ilias,  in  company  with  his 
brother,  George  H.,  a  sketch  of  whom  is  given 
in  this  volume.  At  Panama  he  took  the  steamer 
Golden  Gate  and  reached  San  Francisco  May  27, 
and  Sacramento  the  next  day.  He  followed  his 
trade,  blacksmithing,  in  Nevada  County,  until 
1856,  in  September  of  wliich  year  he  located  at 
old  Elk  Grove,  which  was  then  a  postoffice  and 
stage  station.  There  he  bought  a  squatter's 
title  to  a  quarter-section  of  Itnd,  and  afterward 
he  purchased  the  tract.  A  wa.-rant  was  depos- 
ited in  the  general  land  office  in  favor  of  Lieu- 
tenant John  McDowell,  a  veteran  of  the  Mexican 
war,  who  in  turn  assigned  the  land  to  Joseph 
H.  Kerr.  On  this  place  Mr.  Kerr  has  been  en- 
gaged principally  in  raising  hay  and  fruit.  Has 
had  two  orchards  His  present  young  orchard 
of  four  acres  is  an  unusually  promising  one.  In 
the  vineyard  are  about  twelve  acres;  and  on  the 
premises  are  many  tine  shade  and  ornamental 
trees,  among  them  some  orange  trees  nine  to 
ten  years  old,  the  varieties  being  the  Navel  and 
Mediterranean  Sweet.  One,  a  seedling,  was  set. 
out  twenty  years  ago.  A  thrifty  palm,  nine  and 
a  half  feet  round  and  twenty-tive  feet  high, 
flourishes  in  the  front  yard,  set  out  in  the  spring 
of  1878.  The  handsome  residence  was  erected 
in  1877,  at  a  cost  of  $3,000.  Mr.  Kerr's  ambi- 
tion leads  him  to  excel  in  the  care  of  his  prem- 
ises, and  indeed  to  success  in  all  his  undertak- 
ings. He  is  fond  of  the  chase,  and  sometimes 
takes  trips  to  the  mountains  to  fish,  hunt,  and 
recreate  generally.  Both  hiinself  and  wife  are 
leading  stockholders  in  the  Elk  Grove  Building 
Association.  Politically  Mr.  Kerr  has  always 
been  a  Republican.  His  first  Presidential  vote  was 
cast  for  Zachary  Taylor,  and  lie  has  lost  only  two 
Presidential  votes.      He  was  married  December 


UIBTOItY    OF    SACMAMENTO    VOUNTT. 


28,  1858,  to  Angeline  Worthington,  a  native  of 
Jackson  County,  Iowa,  and  they  have  two  chil- 
dren:   James  Harry  and  Eva. 

fAMES  W.  KILGOKE,  fanner,  Brighton 
Township,  was  born  in  Lee  County,  Iowa, 
_  May  30, 18iO,  a  son  of  JVlattliew  and  Massa 
(McGuire)  Kilgore,  the  former  a  native  of  Ross 
County,  Ohio,  the  latter  also  a  native  of  Ohio. 
Hannah  Gilgore,  aunt  of  James  W.,  was  the 
second  white  child  born  in  that  county,  namely, 
where  Chillicothe  now  is,  January  18,  1799. 
Matthew  resided  in  that  county  until  1827,  when 
he  moved  to  Tippecanoe  County,  Indiana;  in 
1837  he  removed  to  Lee  County,  Iowa,  and  in 
1852  he  came  to  California,  by  way  of  Council 
Bluffs,  crossing  the  Missouri  River  on  the  23d 
of  May  and  arriving  here  October  10.  He 
brought  his  family  here  in  1852,  making  both 
trips  across  the  plains.  The  second  time  he  was 
with  a  large  train,  starting  with  thirteen  wagons, 
aud  they  were  six  months  on  the  journey,  but 
had  no  special  trouble.  Among  the  party  were 
George  and  James  Wilson,  of  Oregon.  The 
family  then  consisted  of  five  cliildren:  George, 
since  deceased;  Teresa,  who  married  James 
Wilson  and   has   since   died;    Elizabeth,  David 


and  James.     The  eldest  son,  William,  had 


pre- 


ceded them  to  this  State  in  1850,  with  his  father. 
They  first  located  in  Yolo  County,  on  the  Sacra- 
mento River,  fifteen  miles  below  Sacramento; 
in  the  spring  of  1853  they  moved  to  Santa  Clara 
County,  and  in  1855  returned  to  this  county. 
From  18'58  to  1864  they  were  residents  again  in 
Yolo  County,  and  then  finally  settled  in  this 
county.  Matthew  Kilgore  died  March  16, 1882, 
at  the  age  of  eighty-one  years.  His  wife  died 
April  8,  1875,  at  the  age  of  seventy-seven  years. 
Of  the  family  three  are  now  living — David, 
Elizabeth  and  James.  The  latter  was  twelve 
years  old  when  he  came  to  this  State,  and  re- 
mained with  his  parents  until  their  death.  The 
home  place  originally  contained  324  acres,  of 
which  seventy-seven  acres  now  belong  to  James 


in  Brighton  Township,  and  eighty  acres  in  Lee 
Township.  Elizabeth  married  Archibald  Cris- 
well,  and  they  have  four  children:  Alice,  wife 
of  W.  F.  Biyau;  Martha,  William  and  George, 
all  residents  of  this  county. 

fOHN  A.  GRAHAM,  the  genial  host  of  the 
American  E.xchange  Hotel,  in  Folsom,  is  a 
native  of  Tippecanoe,  Harrison  County, 
Ohio,  being  born  there  March  23,  1849.  His 
father,  John  Graham,  a  pioneer  of  this  State, 
was  a  native  of  Pittsburg,  Pennsylvania,  edu- 
cated there,  and  moved  into  Ohio  about  1842, 
where  he  married  Sarah  J.  Dicks,  a  native  of 
that  State,  whose  parents  se'tled  there  when  it 
was  a  wilderness.  John  Graham  was  a  justice 
of  the  peace  in  Tippecanoe,  and  made  his  home 
there  until  1849,  when  he  came  overland  to  Cali- 
fornia. He  mined  on  Feather  River,  near  Oro- 
ville,  accumulated  a  little  fortune,  returned  to 
Ohio  in  the  fall  of  1850,  and  in  1853  brought 
his  family  hero  by  water,  landing  in  San  Fran- 
cisco December  17.  He  went  to  the  mines  in 
El  Dorado  County,  where  he  owned  some  valu- 
able ditch  property,  and  engaged  in  keeping 
hotel,  conducting  it  as  long  as  the  mining  canip 
continued  there — four  years.  Then  he  pur- 
chased the  hotel  called  the  White  Plouse,  on  the 
Wire  Bridge  and  Placerville  Road,  and  kept 
that  hostelry  twelve  years,  or  up  to  within  a 
short  time  of  his  death,  which  occurred  April  5, 
1873,  when  he  was  aged  fifty-eight  years,  and 
engaged  in  the  live-stock  business.  His  wife 
died  in  1869.  In  John  Graham's  family  were 
nine  children,  of  whom  seven  are  now  living,  all 
residents  of  this  State.  John  A.  Graham,  our 
subject,  was  four  years  old  when  brought  by  his 
parents  to  this  State  in  1853.  When  of  age  he 
attended  the  San  Jose  Institute,  thei;  clerked 
in  a  dry-goods  and  grocery  store  in  Yountville, 
Napa  County,  for  R.  K.  Berry,  two  years.  Upon 
the  death  of  his  father  he  returned  home  and 
took  charge  of  the  estate.  For  the  ensuing 
thirteen  years  he  conducted  the  hotel  at  Shingle 


HISTORY    OF    SACRAMENTO    COUNTY. 


Spi-ings,  El  Dorado  County.  ISText  he  went  to 
Lake  Tahoe  and  invested  in  a  resort  there,  which 
proved  unprodtable,  and  he  came  to  Folsom  and 
leased  the  American  Exchange  Hotel,  the  lead- 
ing commercial  and  family  hotel  in  the  place. 
He  is  a  whole-souled,  accommodating  and  kind 
host,  thoroughly  understanding  how  to  make 
his  guests  comfortable  and  contented.  His  pat- 
ronage is  steadily  increasing.  As  to  tlie  frater- 
nities, he  is  an  Odd  Fellow  often  years'  standing, 
being  now  a  member  of  Cosumnes  Lodge,  No. 
63,  of  Latrobe,  El  Dorado  County;  and  at  the 
last  session  of  the  Grand  Lodge  held  at  San 
Francisco  he  represented  his  lodge.  He  was 
married  in  1877  to  Miss  Amelia  Meyer,  a  native 
of  Shingle  Springs,  and  they  have  four  children: 
Albert  Herman,  Edwin  Laurin,  Ira  Morrill  and 
Hazel  liae. 


fOHN  WESLEY  HEATH,  merchant  and 
postmaster  at  Michigan  Bar,  Cosumnes 
Township,  was  born  in  Adams  County,  In- 
diana, November  18,  1846,  his  father  being 
George  W.  Heath  (see  sketch).  John  W. 
Heath  came  to  California  in  1854,  aid  received 
a  fair  education  in  the  district  schools.  He  did 
some  mining  for  wages  when  a  young  man,  but 
was  chiefly  employed  as  clerk.  In  1877  he  be- 
came junior  partner  in  the  Arm  of  West  & 
Heath,  dealers  in  general  merchandise,  and  was 
appointed  postmaster  in  October  of  that  year. 
Since  1885  he  has  been  sole  proprietor  of  the 
business,  and  is  owner  of  the  store  and  some 
other  buildings  with  the  acre  and  a  half  on  which 
thej'  stand,  besides  forty-four  acres  outside  the 
village.  Mr.  Heath  was  married  in  1873  to 
Miss  Elizabeth  C.  Brown,  a  native  of  Arkansas, 
daughter  of  James  M.  and  Felicia  (Carter)  Brown. 
The  family  came  to  California  in  1854;  the 
mother  died  in  1887;  the  father  is  still  living  on 
his  place  about  two  miles  from  Michigan  Bar, 
aged  sixty-three.  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Heath  are  the  par- 
ents of  six  living  children:  Nettie  I'ernice,  born 
December   25,    1877;    Lena    Maud,   April    19, 


1879;  Myrtle  Elizabeth,  December  17,  1881; 
Edna  Alice,  December  25,  1883;  George  Mon- 
roe, October  12,  1885;  John  Edward,  February' 
13,  1887;  Bertha  Felicia,  October  11, 1888,  died 
June  21,  1889. 


Jg<^  J.  JACKSON,  deceased,  formerly  a  rancher 
|m\  in  San  Joaquin  Township,  was  born  Feb- 
-^31'^  ruary  12,  1819,  on  the  sea,  being  the  son 
of  a  sea  captain,  and  was  brought  up  in  Penn- 
sylvania near  the  Susquehanna  River.  When 
he  was  about  sixteen  j'ears  of  age  his  parents 
removed  with  him  to  Upper  Canada,  where  they 
resided  about  four  years.  July  12,  1840,  he 
married  Catharine  Kennedy,  a  native  of  Maine. 
After  a  residence  on  the  Detroit  River,  near 
Detroit,  Michigan,  three  years,  he  moved  in 
October,  to  Iowa,  settling  in  Jackson  County, 
near  the  Mississippi  River.  April  16, 1861,  he 
started  overland  for  this  coast,  and  arrived  in 
Sacramento  September  15.  He  located  almost 
immediately  upon  the  ranch  in  San  Joaquin 
Township  where  he  spent  the  remainder  of  his 
days,  dying  July  27,  1866.  He  had  five  sons 
and  four  daughters:  James  Thomas,  Mallet 
Case,  Henry  William,  Hattie,  wife  of  Wesley 
Simons,  1708  N  street,  Sacramento,  Mary  Ann, 
wife  of  L.  S.  Dart,  Joseph  Edward,  Kate,  wife 
of  William  Johnston,  Nannie,  wife  of  Fred 
French,  and  Jack  Lincoln, — all  residing  in  this 
county. 

-       ■.■,.g.i..;.|,.^_ 


fOSEPH  HULL  was  born  January  24,  1813, 
in  Steubenville,  Jefferson  County,  Ohio. 
His  grandfather  Hull  was  a  native  of  New 
York  State;  after  his  marriage  he  removed  to 
Ohio,  settliiig  where  Steubenville  now  is  before 
Ohio  was  even  a  part  of  the  Northwest  Terri- 
tory. He  had  seven  children,  of  whom  Joseph, 
the  father  of  our  subject,  was  the  third;  he 
was  born  in  1792;  married  Jane  Luckey,  also  a 
native  of  Steubenville.      When   the  subject   of 


HI  STOUT    OF    SACRAMENTO    COUNTY. 


our  sketch  was  two  years  old  liis  father  removed 
to  Zanesville,  Ohio;  thence,  ir  1825  to  Cler- 
mont County,  eighteen  miles  east  of  East  Cin- 
cinnati. Jose,  h  Hull,  our  subject,  here  learned 
his  father's  trade,  saddle-making,  but  as  it  did 
not  suit  him  he  began  teaching  school,  which, 
as  he  says,  did  not  require  much  education  at 
that  time.  He  was  examined  by  the  school 
board  and  was  given  a  certificate  to  teach,  which 
he  did  for  five  years.  Upon  leaving  Ohio  he 
was  given  the  following  endorsement,  dated 
Perin's  Mills,  Clermont  County,  Ohio: 

"To  wlwm  it  may  concern: — We,  the  un- 
dersigned, citizens  of  Clermont  County,  take 
pleasure  in  recommending  the  bearer,  Joseph 
Hull,  Jr.,  to  their  attention  as  an  honest,  sober, 
industrious  and  worthy  man,  worthy  of  the  con- 
fidence of  any  community,  having  proved  him- 
self as  such  to  our  entire  satisfaction  after  an 
aecjuaintance  of  more  than  twenty  years. 

"Harvey  Perin. 

•'John  Williams. 

"John  Hall. 

"CoLTON  Spence,  M.  D."' 
About  1840  he  became  a  member  of  a  rifle 
company,  and  occupied  the  position  three  or 
four  years.  August  21,  1844,  he  received  a 
commission  from  M.  Bartley,  then  Governor  of 
Ohio,  as  Major  of  the  First  Rifle  Regiment, 
Third  Brigade,  and  Eighth  Division  of  the  State 
Militia  for  the  term  of  six  years;  he  took  the 
oathof  office,  but  resigned  his  commission  thefol- 
lowing  year  when  he  left  the  State.  April,  1845, 
he  determined  to  go  to  Oregoli,  his  health  being 
somewhat  impaired;  accordingly,  he  went  to 
Independence,  Missouri,  and  joined  a  large  train, 
consisting  of  600  wagons  and  a  large  number  of 
cattle.  On  the  5th  day  of  May,  of  that  year, 
the  train,  well  organized  and  equipped,  started 
for  Oregon.  At  Malheur  l^iver,  which  empties 
into  Snake  River,  the  party  was  divided  by  an 
old  trapper  who  represented  that  he  knew  of  a 
short  cut  to  Willamette  Valley.  About  fifty 
or  sixty  persons  joined  him.  They  reached 
Oregon  City,  December  8,  1845,  two  months 
-ater  than  the  party  who  came  by  the  old  trail. 


Mr.  Hull  immediately  took  up  a  claim  about 
fifteen  miles  east  of  Oregon  City,  of  640  acres, 
set  out  an  orchard,  made  improvements,  built  a 
house  and  inclosed  some  ground;  remained  un- 
til 1848,  when,  having  heard  of  the  gold  dis- 
covery here,  he  determined  to  come  to  California. 
He  joined  a  train  of  furty-two  wagons  with  Peter 
PI.  Burnett,  who  was  afteru^ard  the  flrst  Gov- 
ernor of  California,  as  captain,  and  started  on 
the  12th  of  September.  They  came  through 
that  portion  of  the  Klamath  region  where  the 
lava  beds  are  located,  and  struck  Pit  River, 
which  they  followed  into  the  heart  of  the  Sierra 
Nevadas.  There  they  found  old  Peter  Lassen 
with  a  train  of  Eastern  emigrants,  whom  he 
was  taking  to  his  ranch  on  the  upper  Sacramento 
River.  Their  wagons  were  disabled  and  they 
had  been  there  a  month;  their  stock  of  groceries 
were  exhausted.  Mr.  Hull's  party  took  them 
through  to  the  valley.  They  reached  Park's 
Bar  on  the  Yuba  River,  October  5.  Mr.  Hull 
remained  there  mining  until  January  3,  1849, 
when  he  started  to  return  to  Oregon,  by  water, 
going  to  San  Francisco  via  Fort  Sutter.  He 
was  forced  to  wait  several  days  in  that  city  for 
a  vessel,  but  finally  took  passage  on  the  Jeanet, 
on  board  which  was  old  General  Joseph  Lane, 
who  had  been  appointed  Governor  of  Oregon 
Territory.  They  reached  Oregon  City  in  due 
time.  Mr.  Hull  remained  there  until  April, 
when  he  again  came  to  California,  bringing  his 
family  with  him.  He  mined  on  the  Mokelumne 
River  until  October  of  that  year,  when  he 
moved  to  Benicia  and  entered  into  the  business 
of  making  lime,  which  then  commanded  as 
high  a  price  as  $15  a  barrel,  with  two  Eastern 
men  who  pretended  to  understand  the  business 
thoroughly.  They  made  a  failure  of  it  because 
of  heavy  importations  of  lime  from  the  East  as 
ballast.  In  1851  he  came  to  Sacramento,  where 
he  followed  teaming  until  ihe  fall  of  1852; 
then  moved  upon  his  ranch  near  Brighton, 
where  he  has  remained  ever  since.  In  1863 
he  was  elected  supervisor  of  this  county;  he 
was  president  of  the  board  two  years  of  that 
time  and  went  out  of  office  in  1867.     Politically 


lIIsroUY    OF    SACRAMENTO    COUNTY. 


he  has  been  a  Ilepublican  since  the  birth  of 
that  party  in  tliis  State,  hut  of  late  years  has 
seen  much  in  the  deahngs  of  tiiat  party  which 
has  greatly  lessened  his  enthusiasm,  although 
lie  nsnally  votes  the  party  ticket.  He  has 
always  paid  considerable  attention  to  edu- 
cational matters  and  started  the  first  district 
school  in  this  part  of  the  township,  contributing 
a  large  amount  of  his  time  and  means  in  order 
to  do  this.  He  followed  surveying  while  in 
Oregon.  He  surveyed  the  claim  where  East 
Portland  now  is.  He  has  done  considerable 
of  it  in  this  county.  Mr.  Hull  has  been  twice 
married.  His  first  wife  was  Sarah  Ann  James, 
a  native  of  Ohio.  SBe  died  leaving  one  daugh- 
ter, Margaret,  who  is  now  the  wife  of  Ethan 
A.  Grant  of  this  county.  The  second  wife  was 
Susannah  Cazel,  also  a  native  of  Ohio.  She 
died  in  Sacran.ento  County,  in  1858,  the  mother 
of  five  children,  four  of  whom  are  still  living: 
Thomas,  George,  Joseph,  and  Mary.  The  three 
sons  are  living  in  Los  Angeles  County,  and  the 
daughter,  Mrs.  Hasley,  resides  in  Solano  County. 


fENNlS  ROCKWELL  HUNT  was  born 
in  Vermont,  April  23,  1820,  his  parents 
being  Albinus  and  Hannah  (Robins)  Hunt, 
both  of  New  England  descent  for  some  gener- 
ations, and  both  now  deceased,  at  about  the  age 
of  seventy.  The  family  moved  inlo  the  State 
of  New  York  when  D.  R.  was  about  two  years 
old.  In  youth  he  got  a  limited  education  in 
the  district  schools  for  four  or  five  years,  and  at 
the  age  of  twelve  hired  out  on  a  farm.  From 
that  time  on  he  worked  for  wages  in  different 
lines  until  1848,  when  he  bought,  in  partner- 
ship with  his  brother,  150  acres,  which  he 
helped  to  till  one  year.  In  1850,  leaving  the 
farm  in  charge  of  his  brother,  he  set  out  from 
New  y ork  by  the  Isthmus  route  for  California, 
where  he  hoped  to  reap  a  golden  harvest.  Ar- 
riving in  due  time  in  San  Francisco  he  made 
his  way  to  the  El  Dorado,  on  the  south  fork  of 
the    American    River,   above    Mormon    Island. 


After  spending  about  eight  months  in  the  mines 
with  no  large  results  he  went  to  work  for  W. 
R.  Grimshaw,  on  the  Daylor  ranch  on  the  Co- 
sumnes.  After  three  months  he  was  hired  at 
$8  a  day  to  go  to  mining,  but  the  enterprise 
not  proving  profitable  he  returned  to  work  on 
the  same  ranch.  Before  the  close  of  that 
changeful  year,  1851,  he  filed  his  claim  for  160 
acres  on  Deer  Creek,  now  owned  by  S.  B. 
Moore,  of  Lee  Township,  and  in  1852  raised  hay 
and  barley  on  his  own  place.  But  the  fortune 
of  life  was  still  adverse,  and  his  whole  crop  of 
hay  and  barley,  in  stacks,  to  the  value  of  over 
$12,000,  was  destroyed  by  fire.  It  took  many 
years  to  recover  from  this  heavy  loss,  but  he 
held  on  to  the  land,  raised  twelve  more  crops, 
and  sold  out  in  the  autumn  of  1863,  being  then 
worth  over  $16,000.  Mr.  Hunt  went  into  the 
gi-ocery  business  in  Sacramento  for  six  or  eight 
months,  and  in  1865  returned  to  New  York, 
where  he  bought  a  farm  in  Madison  County, 
and  stocked  it  with  the  expectation  of  making 
it  his  permanent  home.  He,  however,  soon 
found  farming  in  New  York  was  no  longer  con- 
genial, and  he  sold  out  the  following  year.  Re- 
turning to  Sacramento  he  purchased  a  livery 
and  sale  stable,  which  he  kept  about  two  years. 
In  the  autumn  of  1868  he  bought  the  500  acres 
he  still  owns  near  Freeport,  on  the  Sacramento. 
He  carries  on  a  dairy  business  of  about  eighty 
cows,  which  is  his  chief  industry,  supplemented 
by  minor  farming  activities.  In  August,  1855, 
Mr.  Hunt  M'as  married  to  Mrs.  Nancy  A.  (Tum- 
walt)  Cotton,  the  mother  of  two  sons,  Albert  T. 
and  Joel  S.  Cotton.  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Hunt  are 
the  parents  of  five  sons:  Major  Clarence,  born 
on  the  Deer  Creek  ranch  in  September,  1859; 
Frank  Linn,  in  October,  1862,  at  the  same  place; 
Mark  Twain,  in  Sacramento,  in  November, 
1865;  D.  R.,  Jr.,  also  in  Sacramento,  February 
3,  1868;  George  Grant,  at  Freeport,  in  Decem- 
ber, 1870.  Major  C.  has  been  twice  married, 
having  one  daughter  by  his  first  ivife,  Anna 
Thorne.  The  second  wife  bore  the  name  of 
Maud  Hetherington  until  her  marriage.  They 
are  living  at  Tulare,  where    Mr.  Hunt  fills   the 


HISTORY    OF    SACRAMENTO    COUNTY. 


position  of  book-keeper,  having  the  reputation 
of  being  an  expert  in  that  line.  Mark  T.  is 
married  to  Miss  Susie  Hubbell,  a  native  of  Marin 
County,  California.  They  are  the  parents  of 
one  son,  born  in  1889.  In  1885  Mr.  Hunt 
moved  his  family  to  Napa  for  the  better  edu- 
cation of  the  children.  He  tliere  owns  a  resi- 
dence, and  the  half  block  on  vphich  it  stands. 
All  the  sons  have  been  entered  at  Napa  College 
at  different  times.  Major  C.  won  distinction 
in  the  business  course;  and  D.  R.,  Jr.,  who  is 
now  following  a  full  college  course  of  four  years, 
will  graduate  in  the  class  of  1890.  The  young- 
est son  is  also  a  student  there  in  1889.  Mr. 
Hunt  is  a  member  of  Sacramento  Grange,  No. 
16;  and  has  been  a  school  trustee  about  twenty 
years. 

^-3-^^^ 

^ALLET  CASE  JACKSON  was  born  in 
Jackson  County,  Iowa,  March  7,  1845, 
son  of  Harry  J.  and  Catharine  (Ken- 
nedy) Jackson.  He  made  his  home  witii  his 
parents  in  Iowa  nntil  1861,  when  he  came  with 
them  to  California.  The  trip  was  accomplished 
in  exactly  five  months.  They  located  in  Sacra- 
mento. He  followed  farming  the  first  ten  years. 
In  1872  he  bought  a  farm  of  200  acres  about  a 
mile  and  a  quarter  west  of  Florin,  and  seven 
miles  from  Sacramento,  just  east  of  the  upper 
Stockton  road.  For  the  next  five  years  lie  ran 
a  windmill  and  box  factory,  since  which  time 
he  has  been  building  windmills,  and  also  a  con- 
tractor and  farmer.  In  the  winter  of  1877  his 
factory  burned  down.  Before  tliat  lie  seldom 
had  less  than  eight  or  ten  men  employed,  and 
averaged  about  $5,000  worth  of  work  a  year, 
sometimes  ranging  as  high  as  $7,000.  He  still 
manufactures  windmills,  making  the  Jackson 
mill,  his  own  invention,  patented  April,  1879. 
He  has  put  up  about  400  of  them  in  this  county, 
it  being  about  the  only  one  used  about  Florin, 
where  he  lives.     It  is  a  good  mill,  docs  excel- 


lent  work,  and 


He 


has  been  at  tiiat  business  for  the  past  sixteen  or 


seventeen  years.  Pie  also  does  all  kinds  of 
manufacturing  work,  and  can  make  almost  any- 
thing that  a  person  could  want.  Mr.  Jackson 
was  married  January  9,  1880,  to  Mary  E.  Quinn, 
a  native  of  New  York  State.  She  died  Decem- 
ber 6,  1880,  the  mother  of  one  child,  Annie 
Maiy,  born  November  20,  1880.  He  was  again 
married  March  6,  1882,  to  Laura  E.  Dodson, 
his  present  wife.  They  have  had  one  child, 
Marion  Raymond,  l)orn  March  9,  1886.  Mrs. 
Jackson  was  born  in  Missouri,  March  24,  1860, 
ar.d  is  the  daughter  of  Marcus  H.  and  Mary 
Dodson.  When  she  was  two  years  old  the 
family  came  to  California,  and  settled  in  El  Do- 
rado County,  where  she  v^s  principally  raised. 
Mr.  ffackson  is  a  member  of  Florin  Lodge,  Ng. 
130,  F.  of  H.,  and  of  the  Elk  Grove  Lodge,  No. 
274,  I.  O.  O.  F.,  having  joined  the  lodge  in 
1887. 

tDWARD  HE  ALE  Y,  rancher,  was  born  in 
England,  July  28,  1826,  son  of  John  and 
Betsy  (Kershaw)  Healey,  cloth  manufac- 
turers. Young  Edward  learned  the  trade  of  a 
carder,  tiien  became  time-keeper  on  a  railroad. 
In  1851  he  emigrated  to  America,  landing  at 
Boston,  where  lie  was  again  railroad  time- 
keeper, employed  by  an  uncle  for  about  eleven 
months.  In  the  fall  of  1851  he  came  to  Cali- 
fornia by  way  of  Cape  Horn  and  the  Sandwich 
Islands,  being  six  months  on  the  journey,  and 
arriving  in  San  Francisco  in  November.  The 
first  three  months  he  followed  gold-mining  in 
the  Big  Ravine  near  Auburn;  the  next  two 
years  he  was  mining  on  Johnstown  Creek,  El 
Dorado  County,  with  moderate  success,  say 
about  $5  a  day;  thence  he  went  to  Ford's  Bar, 
where  he  was  engaged  when  the  rise  of  the  river 
drove  them  out.  His  company  took  out  $10,000 
in  four  months.  Then  he  came  down  into  Sac- 
ramento County  and  purchased  a  tract  of  land 
at  $3.50  an  acre,  on  the  Daylor's  portion  of  the 
Sheldon  grant,  and  commenced  buying  fine 
cows,  with  reference  to  stock-raising,  etc.      By 


HISTORY    OF    8ACUAMENT0    COUNTY. 


the  great  flood  of  1856  he  lost  ninety  head  of 
cattle,  besides  fences  and  30,000  feet  of  lumber. 
The  grown  cows  had  cost  hiui  on  an  average 
about  §50  a  head.  He  continued  ranching  until 
1863,  when  he  went  into  the  mercantile  busi- 
ness at  Sheldon,  where  lie  still  has  a  nice  little 
store.  In  1869  he  sold  one  ranch,  and  the  last 
one,  which  he  had  greatly  improved,  he  sold  to 
Mr.  Kelley  in  1878.  He  purchased  his  present 
property  in  1882.  It  is  located  on  the  line  of 
tiie  Sheldon  grant,  eighteen  miles  from  Sacra- 
mento. In  1853  Mr.  Healey  returned  to 
Georgia  and  married  Emilina  Killingsworth,  a 
native  of  Atlanta,  that  State.  They  have  six 
children,  four  of  whom  are  living:  John  E., 
born  in  1854;  Mary,  born  in  1857,  and  died 
while  an  infant;  Mary  A.,  M'ife  of  James  Peer- 
less (deceased),  of  Sacramento;  Jennie,  now 
Mrs.  George  Stillson,  of  Florin;  Joseph,  at  Elk 
Grove;  Emma,  who  was  born  June  5, 1866,  and 
is  her  father's  main  support, — housekeeper, 
business  agent,  etc.  Her  mother  died  in  1868, 
at  the  age  of  forty-four  years. 


fOHX  HERINGA  was  born  March  16, 1819, 
in  the  province  of  Groningen,  Holland,  his 
parents  being  Peter  and  Geertje.  The  latter 
(Jied  when  John  was  but  seven  years  of  age,  and 
the  for  ner  died  two  years  later,  in  1829.  In 
the  family  which  survived  them  were  two  chil- 
dren, one  son  and  one  daughter.  They  both 
lived  with  their  grandmother,  but  when  John 
was  twelve  years  of  age  he  was  bound  out  to 
farm  work  for  six  months  in  the  adjoining 
county  of  Birum,  at  the  expiration  of  which 
time  he  went  to  live  with  an  uncle  in  Appinge- 
dam,  and  kept  a  dry-goods  store  and  manufac- 
tured woolen  goods.  He  remained  with  him 
nine  years,  and  learned  his  trade  (weaving),  at 
which  he  worked  part  of  the  time,  and  part  of 
the  time  at  farming.  The  following  nine  years 
he  served  in  the  army,  then  in  1855  he  was  en- 
gaged on  the  police  force  in  the  town  of  Oppen- 
huezen.     While  there  he  met  Geertje   Joustra, 


a  native  of  Oppenhuezen,  in  Friesland,  born 
January  29,  1885,  whom  he  married  in  1857. 
During  the  time  they  lived  there  they  saved 
81,100.  July  19, 1868,  they  started  for  America, 
sailing  from  Liverpool  and  landing  in  Boston; 
thence  to  New  York,  where  they  arrived  after  a 
voyage  of  fourteen  days.  After  stopping  in 
New  York  three  days,  they  took  the  steamer 
for  Panama,  thence  to  San  Francisco,  landing 
September  1-1,  1868.  The  next  day  they  came 
to  Sacramento,  where  a  friend  and  countryman 
of  theirs  sold  them  a  small  ranch  of  thirty  acres 
for  $600.  They  also  invested  $300  in  cows  and 
started  in  the  dairy  business.  Mrs.  Heringa, 
having  been  reared  on  a  dairy,  understood  the 
business  thoroughly.  They  lived  there  three 
years,  then  sold  the  place  for  §1,000  and  bought 
their  present  place,  which  consists  of  160  acres, 
and  is  devoted  to  general  farming.  They  con- 
tinued the  dairy  business  there  and  do  so  still, 
always  having  some  good  milch  cows  on  the 
ranch.  They  have  made  a  success  of  their 
business,  having  been  industrious  and  economi- 
cal. They  own  a  ranch  of  160  acres  in  Lee 
Township,  which  is  run  by  their  son.  They 
have  had  six  children,  viz.:  Peter,  born  Sep- 
tember 27,  1859; 'Joseph,  October  6,  1861; 
John,  June  12,  1863;  Jennie,  March  9,  1866, 
and  Charles,  December  4,  1877. 


^-.^- 


3^HILIP  HOGATE  GARDINER  was  born 
ift^  in  New  Jersey,  August  29,  1846,  son  of 
— ae  John  W.  and  Sarah  (Hogate)  Gardiner,  of 
the  New  Jersey  families  of  those  names.  Grand- 
father Andrew  Gardiner  died  at  about  the  age 
of  seventy,  and  grandmother  Uphan  (Dubois) 
Gardiner,  at  eighty.  Grandfather  Hogate  lived 
to  be  ninety-three.  The  mother  of  P.  H.  Gar- 
diner died  in  1853,  but  the  father,  born  in  Au- 
gust, 1818,  is  still  living  in  his  old  home.  He 
paid  a  visit  to  his  son  in  1884,  staying  about 
three  months.  The  subject  of  this  sketch  arrived 
in  San  Francisco  January  1,  1868,  and  worked 
al)out  a  year  on  a  farm  in  Contra  Costa  County. 


524 


HISTORY    OF    SACRAMENTO    COUNTY. 


In  1869  he  went  to  Nevada  and  spent  two  years 
prospecting  iu  the  White  Pine  Mountains,  but 
did  not  strike  anything  rich  enough  to  induce 
Jaim  to  stay.  In  the  spring  of  1871  he  returned 
tu  he  Sacramento  Valley  and  worked  a  year  on 
a  farm  near  Rio  Vista.  June  17,  1872,  he  went 
to  farming  on  iiis  own  account,  renting  250 
acres  on  Brannan  Island,  raising  grain  and  veg- 
etables. Early  in  1875,  in  partnership  with  J. 
F.  Wilcox,  he  built  the  store  he  .now  occupies, 
and  on  March  5  opened  it  for  trade  with  a  stock 
of  general  merchandise,  under  the  style  of  Gar- 
diner &  Wilco.'^.  January  9,  1878,  he  bought 
out  his  partner  and  has  since  done  business  as 
P.  H.  Gardiner.  He  has  been  in  charge  of  the 
postoffice  since  its  establishment,  March  13, 
1879;  was  the  agent  of  the  California  Trans- 
portation Company  for  twelve  years  to  January 
1, 1887,  and  is  agent  for  Wells,  Fargo  &  Co.'s 
Express.  He  was  instrumental  in  establishing 
a  school  district  for  this  seclion,  and  has  been  a 
trustee  thereof  a  good  part  of  the  time.  He 
rents  a  considerable  tract  of  land  across  the 
river,  on  Grand  Island,  on  which  he  raises 
horses  and  cattle.  Mr.  Gardiner  was  married 
July  3,  1878,  to  Miss  Ida  Pool,  a  native  of 
Isleton,  daughter  of  Josiah  and  Sarah  (Free- 
man) Pool.  The  father  owned  600  acres  includ- 
ing the  village  site,  until  the  spring  of  1881, 
when  he  lo.-t  his  property  by  the  floods.  He  is 
now  living  in  Arizona,  aged  lifty-nine.  Thomas 
Freeman  is  still  living,  at  Linden,  San  Joaquin 
County,  aged  sixty-nine.  His  brother.  Dr. 
Hugh  Freeman,  died  March  17,  1889,  aged 
seventy-two.  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Gardiner  are  the 
parents  of  three  children:  Lucretia  Garfield, 
born  July  5,  1881;  John  Wilbur,  February  15, 
1884;  P.  H.,  Jr.,   February  8,  1886. 


fEYTONRUSSELL,  farmer,  Brighton 
Township,  was  born  December  28,  1818, 
in  Ross  County,  Ohio,  his  parents  being 
Lawrence  and  Mary  (Huff)  Russell.  His  father, 
also  a  farmer,  was  a  native  of  Greenbrier  County, 


Virginia,  and  his  mother  was  born  in  Salem, 
Highland  County,  Ohio.  Lawrence  Russell, 
after  his  niari-iage,  moved  to  Ross  County, 
Ohio;  next  to  Warren  County,  Indiana;  and 
twelve  years  afterward  removed  to  De  Kalb 
County,  Illinois,  where  he  resided  from  1841 
to  1856,  when  he  died,  aged  about  seventy-one 
years.  His  wife  died  in  1865,  at  the  age  of 
about  seventy-two.  They  had  thirteen  children, 
six  of  whom  were  sons.  Twelve  grew  up.  The 
name  of  the  deceased  were:  Matilda,  Susan, 
William,  Sarah,  Eliza  and  Rebecca  Jane.  The 
living  are:  John,  a  prominent  farmer  in  De 
Kalb  County,  Illinois;  Mary  Ann,  wife  of  Rob- 
ert Robb,  in  Kansas;  Peyton,  subject  of  this 
sketch;  Milton,  in  Kansas;  Harriet,  wife  of  Mr. 
Luce,  in  Belvidere,  Illinois,  and  Sanford,  also  in 
Kansas.  Peyton  remained  at  his  paternal  home 
until  he  was  of  age,  the  last  three  years  of  this 
period  being  the  chief  assistant  of  his  father. 
He  then  went  to  farming  on  his  own  account, 
on  his  sister's  place  near  by.  The  next  year  he 
went  to  Mercer  County,  Ohio,  for  three  months; 
then  worked  four  months  on  the  farm  of  Wil- 
hoyt  &  Orr,  in  Morgan  County,  Illinois;  next, 
returning  to  his  father's  place  in  Indiana,  he  ac- 
companied his  father  and  some  other  members 
of  the  family  to  De  KalbCountj',  Illinois,  where 
his  father  had  ])urchased  a  farm,  and  worked  it 
for  two  years.  While  engaged  there,  in  1842, 
he  married  Elizabeth  Carnes,  a  native  of  Penn- 
sylvania, who  died  in  1844.  He  then  went  to 
Linn  County,  Iowa,  near  Cedar  Rapids,  remain- 
ing about  three  months  with  his  mother-in-law; 
was  next  a  short  time  in  Illinois,  eight  months 
in  Tennessee,  five  months  in  Georgia,  four  in 
South  Carolina,  at  a  point  about  twenty-five 
miles  above  Savannah, — at  all  these  places  en- 
gaged in  farm  work,  usually  as  overseer;  was 
then  two  years  in  Florida,  and  returned  by  way 
of  New  Orleans  to  Illinois,  where  he  was  en- 
gaged five  months  on  his  father's  farm.;  was 
next  six  weeks  iu  Donaldsonville,  Louisiana, 
leaving  there  on  account  of  sickness  (bilious 
fever);  then  in  Texas  five  months,  and  finally, 
by  way  of  New  Orleans,   leaving  there  July   7, 


UISTORT    OF    SACRAMENTO    COUNTY. 


he  came  to  California  by  tlie  Nicaragua  route, 
arriving  at  San  Francisco  July  31.  After  look- 
itig  around  tin-ough  several  counties  here  for 
three  months  he  took  a  ranch  of  160  acres  thir- 
teen miles  east  of  Sacramento,  cultivated  it  two 
and  a  half  years  and  sold  it.  Next  he  followed 
butchering  three  months  in  Sacramento,  sold 
out,  followed  the  auction  business  live  months, 
was  in  Oroville,  Butte  County,  in  1856,  three 
months;  in  Spanish  Town,  in  the  same  county, 
four  months;  in  Oroville  again  four  or  live 
months,  and  followed  mining  in  that  county  in 
1867-'68.  Marrying  Margaret  O'Shea  at  Oro- 
ville, he  left  the  same  day  for  Santa  Cruz,  and 
was  there  three  months;  returning  then  to  this 
county,  he  settled  upon  his  old  ranch,  which  he 
rented  from  tJie  owner.  A  year  afterward  he 
rented  another  ranch,  on  which  he  remained  a 
year.  In  1860  he  bought  a  quarter-section  of 
land  from  Dason  ville  in  Brighton  Township.  In 
1874  he  purchased  his  present  ranch  of  150 
acres,  upon  which  he  has  remained  since  1876. 
For  twelve  years  he  had  seven  acres  in  orchard, 
chiefly  peaches.  He  has  one  child,  Mary,  by 
his  first  wife,  and  she  married  William  Baker, 
and  resides  in  Placer  County. 


fHARLES  AUGUSTUS  RUMAN,orchard- 
ist  at  ]\[ichigan  Bar,  was  born  in  Hanover, 
Germany,  April  3,  1839,  his  parents  be- 
ing Frederick  iVugustiis  and  Louisa  (Romer) 
Ruman.  The  father  was  by  business  a  miller; 
and  of  the  grandfather,  William  Ruman,  the 
grandson  only  remembers  that  he  was  quite  old. 
Charles  A.  Ruman  arrived  in  San  Francisco, 
California,  November  15,  1853,  direct  from 
Hamburg,  the  voyage  taking  seven  months,  of 
which,  however,  about  six  weeks  were  spent  in 
repairing  the  ship  at  Valparaiso.  For  tiie  iirst 
fifteen  years  he  was  occupied  in  mining  and 
prospecting,  the  former  mostly  at  Michigan  Bar, 
and  the  latter  over  a  wide  range,  even  as  far  as 
Idaho.  For  the  last  twenty  years  he  has  been 
variously  engaged.      He  has  raiser)   cattle  more 


or  less  since  1867;  peddled  beer  for  a  time; 
kept  a  saloon  from  1876  to  1888;  a  toll-bridge 
from  1877  to  1879,  when  he  sold  out  to  the 
county  for  $1,500;  was  road  overseer  and  con- 
stable from  1877  to  1880;  established  his  home 
on  about  twelve  acres  at  the  village  end  of  the 
bridge;  planted  an  orchard  of  about  five  acres 
across  the  river;  and*  rented  some  land  for  pas- 
ture of  his  cattle,  of  which  he  keeps  forty  to* 
fifty  head.  Mr.  Ruman  was  married  in  1868 
to  Miss  Mary  Louisa  Yager,  born  in  Ohio, 
June  30,  1849,  daughter  of  Peter  and  Elizabeth 
(Silent)  Yager.  The  father  was  a  baker  and 
confectioner  at  Delaware,  Ohio,  and  came  to 
California  with  his  family  in  1853.  The  mother 
died  in  March,  1885,  aged  sixty-two;  the  father, 
born  in  February,  1826,  is  still  living  in  this 
State.  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Ruman  are  the  parents 
of  four  sons:  Edward  Theodore,  born  January 
25,  1869;  Louis  Augustus  and  Peter  Francis, 
twins,  October  24,  1875;  Ciiarles  Blaine,  Octo- 
ber 81,  1884.^ 


|p:riLLIAM  F.  PARKER,  deceased,  form- 
ll  erly  a  farmer,  was  born  in  the  city  of 
Murfreesborough,  Hertford  County, 
North  Carolina,  February  10,  1826.  From 
1838  to  1849  he  followed  the  sea,  being  steward 
of  a  ship  in  tlie  West  India  trade;  also  made  a 
few  trips  to  foreign  countries.  During  one  of 
these  journeys  he  came  into  the  port  of  San 
Francisco  in  1849,  stopped  here  and  became 
cook  at  Mormon  Island  for  the  miners.  A  year 
afterward  he  went  upon  the  old  Patterson  place, 
on  the  American  River,  and  began  farming. 
Although  it  was  a  new  industry  to  him,  he  soon 
found  that  he  liked  it,  became  enthusiastic  in 
the  calling  and  therefore  successful.  He  pur- 
chased the  present  homestead  of  820  acres  in 
1857,  and  lived  there  until  his  death,  April  9, 
1887.  His  marriage  to  Margaret  Lindsay  was 
celebrated  March  26,  1862.  The  widow  is  now 
conducting  tlie  farm.  They  had  four  children: 
Fanny,  wife  of   C.   V.    Osborne,   a    prominent 


HISTORY    OF    SACRAMENTO    COUNTl. 


teacher  in  this  locality;  Alice  M.,  also  a  teacher 
here;  Dorsey  W.  and  Benjamin  J.  They  lost 
one  daughter,  Annie  L.,  at  the  age  of  nineteen! 
in  1883.  She  was  a  well  educated  young  lady, 
having  a  first-grade  certificate  for  teaching. 
Mr.  Parker  was  an  active  member  of  the  Baptist 
Church,  being  several  years  deacon.  The  church 
building  where  he  worshipped  is  situated  on  his 
'  farm.  The  society  here  was  once  a  strong  one- 
He  also  took  great  interest  in  educational  mat- 
ters. Although  he  was  in  early  life  left  an 
orphan  and  was  deprived  of  a  school  education, 
he  saw  tlie  necessity  of  such  education  and  did 
all  he  could  for  the  cause.  He  was  a  jovial  and 
good-natured  man,  and  kind  and  indulgent  in 
his  family.  ]{e  gave  his  wife's  mother  a  home 
to  enjoy  in  her  declining  years;  they  were  very 
considerate  of  each  other's  welfare.  For  the 
last  three  years  of  his  life  he  was  an  invalid, 
afflicted  with  consumption.  Mrs.  Parker  was 
born  in  Dearborn  County,  Indiana,  and  when 
she  was  fifteen  years  old  her  father,  V.  D.  Lind- 
say, died  in  1854.  In  1861  she  came  to  Cali- 
fornia with  her  mother,  who  died  in  December, 
1872. 


m^. 


fOHN  N.  ANDREWS,  merchant,  post- 
master, etc.,  at  Elk  Grove,  was  born  in 
Athol,  Worcester  County,  Massachusetts, 
September  28,  1829.  His  father,  Collins  An- 
drews, a  cabinet-maker  by  trade,  and  also  a  ibl- 
lower  of  other  pursuits,  died  in  Petersham,  in 
his  native  county,  in  1886.  He,  the  father, 
was  born  in  Pittsford,  Rutland  County,  Yer- 
mont,  married  in  Massachusetts,  and  a  few  years 
later  returned  to  Vermont,  where  he  lived 
twelve  years,  and  then  spent  the  remainder  of 
his  life  in  Massachusetts.  Just  before  the  last 
war  an  Episcopalian  minister,  Rev.  Charles  West- 
ley  Andrews,  D.  D.,  an  uncle  of  Mr.  Andrews, 
who  was  a  graduate  of  Middlebury  College, 
Vermont,  in  1827,  began  to  admire  a  Southern 
lady  of  Armfield,  Clark  County,  Virginia, 
named  Sarah  Walker  Page,  who  was  in  the  pos- 


session of  $30,000  worth  of  slaves.  They  were 
married  on  condition  that  she  should  liberate 
these  slaves.  Some  years  afterward  the  direct 
heirs  of  the  estate  brought  suit  to  recover  dam- 
ages on  account  of  such  emancipation.  At  this 
time  tlie  minister  was  in  charge  of  his  church 
at  Shepherdstown,  Virginia;  he  was  also  an 
author.  The  suit  was  at  length  carried  up  to 
the  Supreme  Court  of  the  United  States,  which 
decided  against  the  claimants.  This  event  is  said 
to  have  been  the  exciting  cause  of  the  great  Re- 
bellion. Collin  Andrews  was  born  July  31, 
1807,  at  Pittsford,  Vermont.  His  father  was 
Zelotes  Andrews,  of  Brimfield,  Massachusetts, 
who  was  born  November  25,  1768,  and  the 
father  of  three  sons  and  two  daughters.  Col- 
lins resided  at  Petersham,  Massachusetts,  where 
he  was  a  magistrate  and  mechanic.  He  had 
five  sons:  Alonzo,  Lorenzo,  John  Nichols, 
Charles  Herman  and  James  Curran.  Alonzo 
and  James  Curran  are  not  living.  Lorenzo  is 
now  secretary  of  the  State  Board  of  Health  of 
Iowa,  and  residing  at  Des  Moines;  Charles  is 
living  on  the  home  place  in  Massachusetts. 
The  ancestry  of  the  Andrews  family  is  a  noted 
one,  and  traces  its  history  back  to  England.  The 
earliest  ancestor  now  known  was  William  An- 
drews, a  native  of  Hampsworth,  England,  and 
shipped  about  the  6th  of  April,  1635,  from 
Hampton,  England,  with  some  fifty-three  others, 
many  of  whom  had  wives  and  children  with 
them.  From  1643  he  had  a  family  of  eight 
persons,  not  including  servants.  In  1639  he 
was  chosen  one  of  twelve  to  select  the  seven  pil- 
lars of  the  church  to  order  its  foundation.  He 
was  one  of  the  sixty-three  who  met  in  Elder 
Robert  Newinan's  barn,  which  stood  on  the  site 
of  Noah  AYebster's  place,  and  who  formed  the 
constitution  of  Qninnipac,  or  New  Haven  col- 
ony. In  1643  his  estate  was  valued  at  £150. 
He  was  a  carpenter  by  trade,  and  in  1664  he 
contracted  to  build  a  brick  meeting-house  for 
the  New  Haven  colony,  and  furnish  the  brick. 
Some  of  the  tools  brought  from  England  were 
in  1871,  and  are  possibly  yet,  in  the  possession 
of  some  of  his  descendants  at  East  Haven,  Con- 


HIISTOBT    OP    SACRAMENTO    COUNTY. 


necticnt.  William  Andrews  was  the  progen- 
itor of  a  numerous  race  of  industrious  and 
respectable  people,  some  of  whom  are  liiglily 
distinguished.  John  Nichols  Andrews,  at  the 
age  of  nineteen  years,  left  home  for  California. 
Leaving  New  York  city  April  17,  on  the  steamer 
Crescent  City,  within  eight  days  he  reached 
Chagres;  waited  on  the  Isthmus  nearly  a  month, 
and  arrived  in  San  Francisco  June  13,  1849,  on 
the  steamer  Oregon,  on  her  second  trip.  Going 
to  Smith's  Ear,  on  the  American  River,  he  fol- 
lowed mining  tiiere  for  a  short  time,  when  the 
scurvy  and  Panama  fever  seized  him  with  con- 
siderable violence,  and  he  came  to  this  city  and 
for  about  two  months  lay  under  a  tree  at  the 
foot  of  K  street,  with  no  relative  or  acquaint- 
ance to  attend  upon  him.  On  recovery  he  re- 
sumed his  trade  here, — that  of  tinsmith.  Late 
in  the  fall  he  became  sick  again,  and  while  con- 
fined to  his  bed  the  flood  came,  and  he  exerted 
himself  sufficiently  to  get  on  board  the  steamer 
Senator  and  go  to  San  Francisco,  the  passage 
fare  being  $32;  he  had  but  $30.  Friends  took 
care  of  liim  there,  and  in  a  few  days  he  was 
well.  Trying  his  luck  again  at  mining,  oil  the 
South  Yuba  River,  he  had  a  little  success,  and 
he  returned  to  Sacramento  and  remained  here 
until  1872,  engaged  in  engraving  and  other 
mechanical  pursuits.  He  lost  more  or  less  in 
all  the  tires  and  floods  occurring  during  that 
]ieriod:  in  1853  he  lost  everything  by  flood  and 
fire.  In  1872  he  obtained  an  appointment  as 
agent  for  the  Sontiiern  Pacific  Railroad  Com- 
pany at  Elk  Grove,  and  also  as  postmaster  and 
as  agent  for  the  Wells-Fargo  Express  Company. 
He  has  been  here  ever  since,  engaged  in  general 
merchandise,  and  still  holding  official  positions, 
notwithstanding  the  special  efforts  of  the 
Democrats  against  "ofi"ensive  partisans:"  he  is 
a  Republican.  In  1861  or  1862,  during  the 
war,  a  company  of  sharpshooters  was  organized 
at  Sacramento  by  Colonel  Ed  R.  Hamilton,  who 
was  then  elected  captain,  and  William  M.  Sid- 
dons,  First  Lieutenant,  and  J.  N.  Andrews, 
Second  Lieutenant.  Mr.  Andrews  was  married 
ii   Sacramento,    May  8,   1867,  to    Miss  Jennie, 


daughter  o*'  Findley  McClelland,  of  Scotch  de- 
scent, and  they  have  had  three  children,  daugh- 
ters, of  whom  only  one  is  living — Nellie  Melita, 
born  July  2,  1868.  The  others  were  May  Eliza- 
beth, who  died  in  Elk  Grove  at  the  age  of  seven 
years,  and  one  died  in  infancy. 


^HMt^ 


tMARI  AH  JOHNSON  was  born  about  nine 
miles  from  Paris,  Illinois,  in  1823,  the 
third  son  of  his  father,  Isaac  Johnson, 
who,  thirteen  years  later,  moved  with  his  family 
to  Iowa,  where  he  was  a  farmer.  When  Auia- 
riah  grew  to  manhood,  he  learned  the  trade  of 
carpenter  and  builder  with  his  two  elder  brothers 
at  Fort  Madison,  Iowa.  In  1844  he  began 
business  for  himself  at  Fort  Madison.  He  went 
to  St.  Louis  a  year  later  and  worked  with  Messrs. 
Whitehall  &  Weston  and  with  H.  H.  Wright, 
remaining  in  that  city  till  January,  1850.  When 
Fremont  came  to  California  in  1845,  our  sub- 
ject tried  to  get  into  bis  party,  but  was  too  late, 
every  place  being  filled.  In  December,  1849, 
his  father  and  younger  brother  came  on  to  St. 
Louis  with  a  party  of  nine  others,  all  bound  for 
California.  He  joined  them,  leaving  St.  Louis 
on  the  4th  of  January,  1850.  They  were  unable 
to  get  tickets  but  secured  passage  to  the  mouth 
of  the  Rio  Grande,  on  the  steamer  Globe.  They 
then  came  via  Fort  Brown  (now  Brownsville); 
then,  following  the  route  taken  by  General  Tay- 
lor up  the  Rio  Grande,  they  packed  1,300  miles 
across  to  the  coast;  there  they  engaged  a  sailing 
vessel  and  came  up  the  coast,  landing  at  San 
Francisco  on  the  28th  of  March.  Our  subject 
came  on  to  Sacramento,  thence  to  Marysville, 
and  finally  to  the  mines  on  the  Yuba.  After 
a  varied  mining  experience  there  and  on  the 
Feather  River,  he  took  a  contract  to  erect  a 
hospital  building  at  Nevada  City  and  then  came 
to  Sacramento,  arriving  just  after  the  squatter 
riots,  and  secured  employment  on  the  Orleans 
building,  then  in  course  of  construction.  He, 
however,  soon  started  business  on  his  own  ac- 
count, locating  his  siiops  on  the  site  now  occu- 


HI8T0BT    OF    SACRAMENTO    COUNTY. 


pied  by  the  yards  of  the  Sacramento  Lumber 
Company,  on  Second  street,  where  he  was  caught 
by  the  great  tire  of  1852,  by  which  he  lost  about 
$5,000.  He  soon  started  again,  however,  this 
time  on  Fourth  street,  between  K  and  L,  and, 
taking  in  William  Shumaker  as  partner,  con- 
tinued in  the  business  for  many  years.  In  1857 
he  made  a  trip  borne  to  Fort  Madison,  Iowa, 
and  was  there  married,  June,  1858,  to  Miss 
Eliza  Jane,  daughter  of  John  S.  Kennedy;  im- 
mediately afterward  he  started  with  his  bride 
for  the  far  West.  He  bought  property  on  N 
street  and  built  his  family  residence,  twenty- 
two  years *ago,  where  he  has  resided  ever  since. 
He  has  one  son,  Howard;  and  one  daughter, 
Kate  E.,  wife  of  Dr.  Reid. 


fOHN  W.  RICHMOND,  a  pioneer  dairy- 
man, and  the  proprietor  of  Richmond 
Grove,  one  of  the  pleasantest  resorts  of 
Sacramento,  was  born  at  Churchville,  about 
fourteen  miles  from  Rochester,  New  York, 
August  24,  1818.  His  father,  Billings  Rich- 
mond, was  a  native  of  Woodstock,  Connecticut, 
and  when  a  young  man  went  to  Monroe  County 
New  York,  for  the  purpose  of  teaching  school. 
There  he  bonglit  fifty  acres  of  land.  Returning 
home  the  following  year,  he  married  Miss  Susan 
Willey,  a  native  of  Massachusetts,  and  became 
one  of  the  first  settlers  of  the  village  of  Ciuirch- 
ville,  Monroe  County.  He  was  a  stock  and 
wheat  raiser,  and  dealer  in  cattle,  and  also  a 
woolen-mill  owner.  John  W.,  the  subject  of 
this  sketch,  learned  the  trade  of  wool-carding 
and  cloth-dressing;  and  when  he  became  of  age 
his  father  gave  him  and  his  older  brother  an  in- 
terest in  the  mill.  He  afterward  ran  a  woolen 
mill  at  Blonmfield,  a  half  interest  in  which  was 
owned  by  his  uncle.  This  mill  was  burned  in 
1847;  and  in  1848  he  went  to  Illinois  for  a 
drove  of  cattle,  and  took  them  to  Boston  for 
sale.  In  the  spring  of  1850,  in  company  with 
his  brother  Henry,  he  started  for  California,  by 
way  of  the   Isthmus,  in   the  steamer  Ohio       At 


Panama  they  were  compelled  to  wait  four  weeks 
for  the  arrival  of  the  steamer  Northerner,  Captain 
Bob  Waterman,  who  had  come  around  Cape 
Horn;  and  upon  board  of  that  vessel  they  ar- 
rived at  San  Francisco,  August  16,  1850.  The 
brother,  who  was  a  blacksmith  by  trade,  re- 
mained in  San  Francisco,  while  he,  John,  came 
on  to  Sacramento  and  obtained  employment  in 
a  livery  stable  at  $5  a  day.  He  and  his  brother 
had  brought  eighty  pairs  of  kip  boots  with 
them  to  California,  and  the  latter  made  a  trip 
to  the  Shasta  mines,  where  he  worked  at  min- 
ing during  the  week,  and  selling  out  the  stock 
during  Sundays  at  $16  a  pair.  He  returned  to 
Sacramento,  bringing  $600  as  the  proceeds.  In 
the  meantime  he  had  saved  up  some  money, 
and  he  and  his  brother  concluded  to  invest 
their  means  in  a  dairy.  Buying  three  poor 
"immigrant"  cows  at  $100  apiece,  they  fur- 
nished hotels,  ete.,  with  milk,  for  which  they 
received  $3  per  gallon.  Their  stock  increased, 
as  did  also  the  price  of  the  milk,  for  which  they 
at  one  time  received  not  less  than  $1  a  quart. 
They  sold  eggs  at  the  i"ate  of  $3  per  dozen.  In 
1851  Mr.  Richmond,  the  subject  of  this  sketch, 
bought  a  pre-emption  claim  and  fourteen  cows, 
of  Smith  &  Bradley.  This  bind  was  within 
what  is  now  the  city  limits,  and  included  the 
Richmond  Grove  property.  In  the  fall  of  1853 
he"  went  East,  and  during  the  month  of  May 
following  married  Miss  Julia  A.,  daughter  of 
Merritt  Moore,  a  merchant,  and  the  next  spring- 
came  with  his  wife  to  California.  Purchasing 
his  brother's  interest  in  the  pre-emption  claim, 
and  in  the  stock,  etc.,  he  continued  in  the  dairy 
business.  His  present  tine  residence  at  1818  P 
street  was  built  in  the  summer  of  1884.  Mr. 
Richmond  was  a  Democrat  up  to  the  day  that 
Fort  Sumter  was  fired  upon,  since  which  time 
he  has  been  an  ardent  Republican.  In  his  so- 
ciety relations  he  has  helped  to  build  several 
churches;  been  both  a  Freemason  and  an  Odd 
Fellow,  but  he  has  not  afliliated  with  these 
orders  since  coming  to  the  coast.  His  only  liv- 
ing child,  a  daughter,  is  now  the  wife  of  A.  K. 
Tower,  of  Buffalo,  New  York.      His   first  wife 


HISTonr    OF    SACRAMENTO    VOUNTY. 


died  in  1857;  and  in  1864  he  married  Elizabeth 
A.  Cornwell,  of  Warsaw,  New  York.  They 
had  one  child,  Ilattie,  who  died  when  only  two 
years  old. 


fETER  TIETJENS,  of  Sacramento,  was 
born  in  Hamburg,  Germany,  in  1823.  His 
father,  a  ship  carpenter  in  the  English  serv- 
ice, died  in  1841.  His  mother's  maiden  name 
was  Maria  Schroder.  They  had  seven  children, 
two  of  whom  were  boys.  One  of  these,  George, 
was  a  seafaring  man.  One  of  the  daughters, 
Teresa,  is  an  eminent  musician,  well  known  as 
a  singer  in  the  great  operas,  as  Lucretia  Borgia, 
etc.  Another  daughter  was  a  resident  of  New 
Orleans  when  Peter  came  to  this  country,  land- 
ing at  that  point  to  join  her.  He  left  Hamburg 
April  27,  1846,  and  reached  New  Orleans  in 
sixty-three  days.  Having  learned  the  trade  of 
cigar-maker  in  Hamburg  and  Bavaria,  he  re- 
sumed that  business  in  the  Crescent  City  for 
three  years.  During  the  cholera  siege  there  he 
went  to  Louisville,  Kentucky,  and  Cincinnati, 
Ohio.  Returning  to  the  old  country  lie  married 
in  December,  1852,  Miss  Maria  Schlink,  a  na- 
tive of  Gutenberg,  South  Germany.  In  the  fall 
of  1854  he  started  again  for  the  land  of  golden 
opportunity,  and,  sailing  from  Bremen,  landed 
at  San  Francisco  in  October,  1855.  Coming  on 
immediately  to  Sacramento,  where  his  sister, 
Mrs.  John  Bell,  was  residing,  he  established  a 
saloon  on  K  street,  between  Fourth  and  Fifth, 
which  he  conducted  until  1870:  Mrs.  Tietjens 
died  in  1887.  Their  daughter  Marie  is  a  mu- 
sician, who  has  spent  several  years  in  Europe  in 
pursuit  of  her  musical  studies. 


fEORGE  THOMAS  CARR  was  born  in 
Merriinac  County,  New  Hampshire,  June 
18,  1837,  his  parents  being  Thomas  Tyler 
and  Caroline  (Connor)  Carr,  both  of  the  same 
county  and  State.     Thomas  Tyler  Carr  was  the 


son  of  John  Carr,  and  was  the  youngest  of  liis 
family  of  live  children,  viz.:  Samuel,  Abigail, 
Almira,  Emma  and  Thomas  Tyler.  He  grew 
up  on  the  old  homestead  and  made  his  home 
there  before  and  after  his  father  died,  living  to 
see  his  children  g.  ow  up  to  manhood  and  woman- 
hood. He  died  at  the  home  of  his  son  Frank, 
February,  1889,  and  his  wife  died  there  in  the 
fall  of  1876.  They  had  six  sons  and  two  daugh- 
ters, viz.:  Philip  A.,  born  August  15,  1833, 
died  March  22,  1844;  John  A.,  born  May  30, 
1835,  resident  in  Boston,  Massachusetts;  George, 
born  June  18,  1837;  Thomas  T.,  born  April  2, 
1839,  resident  in  Texas;  Frank  H.,  born  Feb- 
ruary 4,  1841,  resident  in  New  Hampshire,  near 
the  old  homestead  ;  Charles,  born  J  uly  10,  1845, 
who  was  wounded  in  the  Shenandoah  Valley, 
and  died  from  the  effects  of  it  November  24, 
1864;  Caroline  E.,  born  January  27,  1849, 
resident  in  Concoid,  New  Hampshire;  and 
Helen  B.,  born  June  27, 1851,  died  about  1878. 
George  T.  Carr,  subject  of  this  sketch,  was 
raised  on  a  farm.  He  lived  with  his  parents 
until  he  was  twenty-one  years  of  age,  then  went 
to  work  on  a  neighboring  farm;  he  was  after- 
ward engaged  at  a  sash,  door  and  blind  factory, 
at  North  Ware,  till  the  war  broke  out  in  1861. 
In  April  of  that  year,  he  enlisted  in  the  United 
States  Navy  as  a  landsman  on  the  receiving  ves- 
sel Vermont,  subject  to  a  draft  to  supply  crew 
for  different  vessels  in  the  service.  He  re- 
mained there  but  a  short  time  and  was  then 
drafted  and  placed  on  the  United  States  sailing 
vessel  Supply,  which  was  iltted  out  with  an  arm- 
anent  similar  to  that  of  any  other  man-of-war. 
Their  business  duty  was  to  carry  provisions  and 
necessaries  to  other  vessels  stationed  on  block- 
ade. He  served  one  year  when  he  was  dis- 
charged, his  time  being  up.  He  returned  home, 
where  he  stayed  until  the  next  April,  when  he 
started  for  California.  He  left  New  York  on 
the  1st,  came  via  Panama  and  arrived  in  San 
Francisco  after  a  voyage  of  twenty-eight  days. 
He  went  to  work  on  a  farm  in  Marin  County, 
remaining  there  until  June;  thence  to  Austin, 
Nevada,  and  worked  at  farming  there  about  two 


maTOJiV    OF    SACRAMENTO    COUNTY. 


years.  He  then  went  to  wort  in  the  mines, 
still  working  for  wages,  and  ibllowed  tiiat  pur- 
fnit  for  nearly  a  year.  He  next  came  to  Sacra- 
mento County  and  bonght  680  acres  on  the 
Lagooi),  just  Lelow  Buckeye  Valley.  In  1875 
he  sold  that  place  and  purchaeed  a  ranch  of  700 
acres  on  the  Cosumnes  River,  three  miles  south 
of  Elk  Grove;  he  afteiwaid  told  500  acres,  and 
the  remaining  200  form  the  ranch  on  M-hich  he 
makes  his  home.  He  has  improved  it  greatly, 
and  the  fine  appearance  which  it  ofi'ers  to  all 
pasfers  by  is  eiitirely  due  to  his  tkill  and  indus- 
try. His  fine  new  residence  was  erected  at  a 
cost  of  $3,000.  Mr.  Cair  cast  his  first  presi- 
dential vote  lor  Abraham  Lincoln,  in  the  fall  of 
1860,  and  since  that  time  has  always  acted  with 
the  Eepnblican  party.  He  was  united  in  mar- 
liage  on  the  14th  day  of  February,  1872,  to 
Eliza  (.'oppin,  a  native  of  Canada;  they  have  six 
children,  viz.:  Charles  C,  Caroline  E.,  George, 
Eliza,  John  and  Gracie. 


fllAELES  FREDEEICK  TRASK,  an 
orchardist  and  rancher  of  Franklin  Town- 
ship, on  the  Sacramento  River,  about 
twenty-six  miles  below  the  city,  was  born  in 
Mobile,  Alabama,  February  24, 1847,  his  parents 
being  Charles  Frederick  and  Jane  C.  (French) 
Trask.  The  father  was  a  native  of  Massachu- 
etts  of  the  early- settled  New  England  family  of 
that  name.  Gi'andiather  Manasseh  Trask  died 
at  Beverly,  Massachusetts,  in  1863,  aged  eighty- 
one,  and  his  mother  reached  the  remarkable  age 
of  101.  Her  husband,  the  father  of  Manasseh, 
fought  in  the  Revolution.  George  Trask,  a 
brother  of  the  elder  C.  F.  Trask,  was  a  well- 
known  temperance  lecturer  and  writer  who  died 
in  Cambridge,  Massachusetts,  in  1879.  C.  F. 
Trask,  Sr„  was  a  captain  in  the  merchant  marine 
service,  his  vessel  being  owned  in  Boston. 
Among  the  experiences  of  bis  career  as  sea- 
captain  was  the  barbarous  treatment  by  pirates 
on  the  southeasteiTi  coast  of  Africa,  who  cut  oif 
h's  ears  in  the  vain  effort  to  wrest  from  him  the 


knowledge  of  where  the  ship's  money  was  con- 
cealed. He  went  into  business  in  New  Orleans 
for  a  short  time,  and  in  1841  he  moved  to  Mobile, 
where  he  kept  a  hotel  and  was  also  engaged  in 
the  business  of  unloading  vessels.  In  1843  he 
was  married  to  Miss  Jane  C.  French,  who  was 
English  by  birth,  but  had  been  reared  in  Canada. 
Being  lelt  a  widow  by  the  death  of  Mr.  Trask, 
September  15,  1847,  she  conducted  the  hotel 
for  one  year.  Being  beaten  in  a  legal  contest 
with  an  insurance  company,  she  took  her  orphan 
children  to  Beverly,  Massachusetts,  the  home 
of  their  father,  and  set  out  for  California  by  the 
way  of  Cape  Horn.  After  being  delayed  by 
shipwreck  and  consequent  return  to  Valparaiso, 
she  did  not  reach  San  Francisco  until  some  time 
in  1850.  Proceeding  to  the  mining  regions  in 
Tuolumne  County,  she  hired  out  as  cook  at  100 
dollars  a  month,  and  accumulated  quite  a  sum 
of  money.  Removing  to  Sacramento,  she  was 
induced  to  invest  her  money  in  mining  property 
and  lost.  In  1855  she  was  married,  at  Iowa 
Hill,  to   J.   M.    Hawley,   who  kept   a  store  and 

.  saw-mill  at  Monona  Flat.  In  1863  Mr.  and 
Mrs.  Hawley  moved  to  this  county  and  bought 
a220-acre  ranch  about  three  miles  above  Walnut 
Grove.  Meanwhile  Mr.  C.  F.  Tiask  had  been 
brought  up  by  his  uncle  William  Woodbuiy  of 
Beverly,  Massachusetts.  After  the  marriage 
of  his  mother  to  Mr.  Hawley  he  came  to  Cali- 
fornia in  1855,  but  soon  returned  to  Beverly 
to  be  educated.  After  eight  years  schooling, 
the  last  hidf  year  at  an  academy,  he  again  came 
to  California  and  lived  with  his  mother  and  step- 
father on  their  ranch.  In  1867  he  went  to  San 
Francisco  and  learned  the  trade  of  ship-carpen- 
ter. His  mother  died  November  8,  1868,  leav- 
ing two  children,  himself  and  sister,  Mary  Trask, 
now  Mrs.  Elijah  Billington,  of  Santa  Barbara. 
In  1869  Mr.  Trask  was  induced  by  his  stepfather 
to  return  and  take  charge  of  the  ranch,  and  he 
has  been  ever  since  engaged  continuously  in  that 

j  business.  C.  F.  Trask  was  married  February 
13,  1873,  to  Miss  Adelia  A.  Rice,  born  near 
Galena,  Illinois,  in  1S49,  a  daughter  of  Oliver 
and  BeataCalvarine  (Adkins)  Rice.      Her  father 


HISTORY    OP    SACRAMENTO     COUNTY. 


died  December  22,  1888,  aged  seventy-six;  her 
inotlier,  born  in  1828,  and  her  grandfather, 
Abner  Adkins,  born  in  1803,  are  both  living  in 
1889.  Mrs.  Trask  was  educated  as  a  sciiool 
teacher  in  the  normal  school  at  Plattville  and 
tanght  for  two  years  in  East  Dubuque,  Illinois, 
and  for  some  time  in  Wisconsin.  She  came  to 
California  in  1872.  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Trask  are 
the  parents  of  three  children:  Alice  Maud,  born 
May  25,  1874;  Oliver  Frederick,  November  23, 
1875;  Charles  Raymond,  December  22,  1877. 
They  own  eighty  acres,  of  which  liftj  are  in 
orchard ;  and  rent  252  acres  devoted  to  general 
farmincr. 


prop 
mento. 


rietors  of  the   Pioneer  Bakery,   S;icn 


native   of  Ger 


nany, 


bor 


Hesse-Darmstadt,  near  Heidelberg,  on  the  8th 
of  January,  1864,  his  parents  being  John,  Sr., 
and  Margaretha  (Schmidt)  Rohr.  He  was  reared 
at  his  native  place  and  there  received  his  educii- 
tion  between  the  ages  of  six  and  fourteen  years. 
He  tiien  went  to  learn  the  baker's  trade  at 
Kreuz  Steinacii,  and  served  an  apprenticeship 
of  two  years  with  a  man  named  Imhoff.  He 
then  went  to  Manheim,  where  he  worked  one 
year.  He  then  came  to  the  United  States, 
working  in  different  establishments  in  New 
York  for  a  year  and  a  half.  From  there  lie  came 
out  to  Portland,  Oregon,  and  three  months  later 
came  to  Sacramento  and  went  to  work  in  the 
Empire  Bakery.  After  six  months  there  he 
went  in  business  for  himself  in  connection  with 
Mr.  Brown.  This  partnership  continued  until 
January,  1887,  when  the  firm  of  Ruhr  &  Loch 
was  formed.  July  1,  1889,  Loch  sold  his  interest 
to  Mr.  Rohr.  The  Pioneer  Bakery  is  the  oldest 
establishment  of  the  kind  in  Sacramento.  It 
was  originated  by  George  Schoth  in  the  early 
tlays  of  the  city,  and  he  carried  on  the  business 
until  1882,  when  he  sold  out  to  Joseph  Gernscli. 
The  latter  continued  the  business  alone  until 
Mr.  Rohr  came  into  the  firm,  since  which  time 


IfOIIN    ROHR,  of  the  firm  of  Rohr  &  Loch, 


changes  have  occurred  as  before  enunerated. 
Mr.  Rohr  is  a  Noble  Grand  of  the  Schiller  Lodge 
No.  105,  I.  O.  O.  F.,  and  is  a  member  of  the 
Union  Visiting  Committee  of  the  Hermann 
Sons.  Mr.  Rohr  is  a  genial  and  courteous  gen- 
tleman with  a  host  of  friends  and  withal  a  push- 
ing, successful  business  man. 


fOHN  AMOS  SIMONS,  rancher,  of  Brighton 
Township,   Sacramento   County,    was    born 
March  15,  1836,  in  Ava,  at  that  time  the 
capital  of   Burmah,   being   tiie   second   son   of 
Rev.  Thomas  Simons,  a   Baptist   missionary  to 
Burmah.     The  father  was  born  at  Dofarnbach, 
Cardiganshire,    Wales,    July    15,    1801.     Con- 
verted at  the  age  of  fifteen,    he  forthwith    evi- 
denced a  strong   purpose  to  devote  himself  to 
the  service  of  religion.     At  twenty  he  came  to 
the  United  States,  landing  in  Charleston,  South 
Carolina.     Becoming  connected  with  the  Bap- 
tist Church,  he  was  sent  as  teacher  to  the  Creek 
Indians  at   Eaton,  Georgia,  in  1823.     Desirino- 
to   Itecome   a   preacher,   he  first  studied  for  the 
ministry  at  Edgelield,  South  Carolina,  and  after- 
ward  at  the    Newton   Theological    Institute    in 
Massachusetts,  which  he  entered  in  1829.    Two 
years  later  he  was  appointed  missionary  to  Bur- 
mah, and   was  ordained   at   Augusta,  Georgia, 
December  18,  1831.     He    reached    Maulmain, 
Burmah,  January  1,  1833.      Here  he  was  mar- 
ried by  Rev.  Dr.  Judson  to  Miss  Caroline  Jenks 
Harrington,  of  East  Brooktield,  Massachusetts, 
I  June  23,  1833.     About  the  close  of  1835   he 
removed   to  Ava,  but  after  a  few    months'  resi- 
j   dence  he  was  obliged   by  political  disturbances 
{    to  leave  that  city  and  return  to  Maulmain.     In 
j   1843  Mrs.  Simons  died,  leaving  four  children, 
j    witn  whom  two  years  later  the  father  returned 
I   to  America.      Having   made   provision    for  the 
education'  of  his  children,  he  went  back  to  Bur- 
mah in  1847  to  resume  his  missionary  labors. 
j   In   1851   he   married   Miss   Lydia  Lillybridge, 
I   and  they  had  two  children,  of  whom  one  sur- 
i    vives.   In  1854  he  removed  to  Prome,  on  tlielrra- 


HISTORY    OF    SACRAMENTO    COUNTT. 


waddi,  where  he  labored  for  twenty-two  years, 
dying  there  February  19,  1876,  after  thirteen 
days'  ilhiess,  of  cholera,  or  rather  of  the  ex- 
haustion which  followed  it.  The  older  brother 
of  the  subject  of  this  sketch  was  born  in  De- 
cember, 1834,  at  Maulmain,  Burmah;  and  on 
the  return  to  America,  already  mentioned,  be 
was  placed  at  school  at  AVest  Eoylston,  Massa- 
chusetts. After  completing  his  course  of  studies, 
graduating  at  Brown  University,  Providence, 
liiiode  Island,  he  went  to  Georgia,  among  the 
early  friends  of  his  father,  and  taught  school 
tliere  for  a  time.  He  soon  came  North,  liow- 
ever,  and  entered  the  law  school  at  Albany, 
New  York,  and  afterward  the  office  of  tlie  law 
tirm  of  Courtney  &  Cassidy.  After  a  few  years 
in  Albany,  through  the  influence  of  Mr  Court- 
ney, he  became  assistant  in  the  United  States 
District  Court  in  New  York,  under  Daniel 
Dickinson,  and  subsequently  under  Pierpont; 
and  when  the  latter  became  the  Attorney-Gen- 
eral of  the  United  States,  he  was  given  the  office 
of  Assistant  Attorney-General  in  the  Court  of 
Claims,  and  retained  that  position  under  suc- 
cessive administrations.  Upon  the  inaugura- 
tion of  President  Cleveland  he  voluntarily 
resigned,  and  in  September,  1885,  formed  the 
law  tirm  of  McDonald,  Simons  &  Bright,  at 
Washington,  District  of  Columbia.  He  died 
June  19,  1886,  probably  of  overwork.  The 
only  daughter  of  the  first  Mrs.  Simons,  named 
Jane  Olivia,  returned  to  Burmah,  married  there, 
and  there  died  of  cholera.  The  younger  brother, 
Charles  Jenks  Simons,  is  a  physician  in  Chicago. 
The  subject  of  this  sketch,  as  before  stated,  came 
to  America  in  1845,  at  the  age  of  nine.  Sent 
to  school  with  his  brother  Thomas  at  West 
Boylston,  he  did  not  exhibit  a  desire  to  study, 
and  after  a  few  months  returned  to  his  maternal 
relatives  at  East  Brooktield.  Here,  with  an 
uncle  for  a  time,  later  with  his  grandparents, 
and  afterward  with  a  cousin  who  was  a  shoe 
manufacturer,  he  spent  about  six  years.  From 
the  cousin  he  learned  some  little  of  the  shoe- 
making  trade.  Meanwhile  he  ran  away  twice 
ti>  Boston  to  go  to  sea,  but  was   rejected  as  too 


young.  At  the  age  of  fifteen  he  was  induced 
by  his  older  brother  to  take  an  academic  course, 
which  he  proceeded  to  do,  at  Middleboro,  Massa- 
chusetts; but  he  did  not  quite  complete  his 
course  of  four  years,  as  an  opportunity  arose  to 
satisfy  his  longing  for  going  to  sea.  His 
imagination  had  been  fired  by  his  six  months' 
voyage  from  Burmah  at  the  age  of  nine,  while 
his  judgment  was  not  mature  enough  to  dis- 
criminate between  the  position  on  shipboard  of 
a  boy  passenger  in  the  cabin  and  a  "boy"  be- 
fore the  mast.  His  illusion  was  now  about  to 
be  dispelled.  Taking  leave  of  his  relatives  at 
East  Brooktield,  he  went  to  Boston  and  shipped 
on  the  Challenger,  under  Captain  Burgess,  for 
a  voyage  around  the  world.  The  voyage  to  San 
Francisco  was  not  specially  evei.tful,  they 
having  encountered  only  one  severe  storm,  in 
which,  however,  one  man  was  lost  and  the  sails 
were  torn  to  shreds.  He  found  the  captain  and 
second  mate  friendly,  while  he  formed  an  aver- 
sion to  the  tirst  Tuate.  The  voyage  lasted  four 
months  and  a  half,  and  when  he  received  his 
wages  as  a  ship's  boy,  amounting  only  to  $21, 
he  went  ashore  to  try  his  fortune.  This  was  in 
1855,  and  he  was  nineteen.  An  ill-fortune  he 
found  it,  both  at  that  port  and  at  Sacramento 
Mining,  in  which  his  imagination  had  pictured 
millions,  was  hopeless.  His  money  was  soon 
exhausted  and  his  spirits  sank  fathoms  deep, 
finding  himself  penniless  and  without  work. 
He  haunted  an  employment  office  in  Sacramento, 
and  finally  obtained  a  job,  only  to  find  himself 
defrauded  of  half  the  promised  wages,  receiving 
at  the  end  of  two  weeks  $10  instead  of  $20. 
With  a  heroic  integrity  that  deserved  good  foi-- 
tune,  he  paid  $4  of  that  amount  to  the  em- 
ployment  office  as  fees  for  the  old  job  and  a 
prospective  one.  Despairing  of  getting  this,  he 
struck  out  in  search  of  a  job.  This  he  secured 
on  the  river,  about  ten  miles  below  Sacramento, 
where  he  spent  nearl}'  two  years  in  vain  at- 
tempts at  making  a  "raise"  hy  manual  labor. 
His  discomfort  was  aggravated  by  an  attack  of 
fever  and  ague.  Shortly  after  this  he  began  a 
career  as  teacher,  amounting  to  fifteen  years  and 


IIISTOUY    OF    SACRAMENrO    COUNTT. 


extending  over  a  period  of  twenty  years,  1858 
to  1878,  iiis  last  sciiool  closing  at  Gait,  in  this 
county,  on  May  17,  1878  The  live  years  in- 
terruption to  his  career  as  teacher  was  the 
period  from  1864  to  1869,  which  he  spent  in 
Albany,  New  .York,  where  lie  was  identiiied 
with  the  bar  after  a  course  in  the  law  school, 
and  where  he  practiced  for  a  few  years.  But 
the  glorious  climate  of  California  lured  hira 
back,  and  he  resumed  his  career  as  school- 
teacher, becoming  also  owner  of  a  ranch  of  160 
acres,  which  has  since  been  enlarged  by  recent 
purchase  to  355  acres.  June  15,  1876,  Mr. 
Siinons  married  Miss  Fanny  Prior,  a  native  of 
El  Dorado  County,  this  State.  She  is  the  daugh- 
ter of  Harlow  Prior,  who  was  born  in  Hartford, 
Connecticut.  They  have  one  child,  Jennie  Belle, 
born  June  8,  1879. 


■f-4^'^ 


fETER  HANSON  was  born  in  1838,  about 
fourteen  miles  from  Christiaiistadt,  Swe- 
den, iiis  parents  being  Andrew  and  Charsta 
(Peterson)  Hanson,  both  now  deceased,  the 
mother  in  1855,  aged  fifty,  the  father  in  1881, 
aged  ninety-one.  They  had  two  sons  and  two 
daughters.  Andrew  Hanson's  father  lived  to  be 
eighty-live  and  Andrew's  sister,  Mrs.  Lawson, 
was  106  when  she  died.  The  subject  of  this 
sketch  came  to  America  in  1856,  with  some 
knowledge  of  farm  work  and  carpentry  and  pos- 
sessed of  a  fair  education.  He  first  went  to  the 
Swedish  settlements  in  Minnesota,  but,  being 
too  young  to  enter  Government  land  and  not 
liking  the  chances  of  labor  presented  there,  he 
proceeded  southward  as  far  as  Moliiie,  Illinois, 
where  he  worked  in  a  saw-mill  for  a  year  or  more. 
He  next  went  to  farming  in  that  neighborhood 
for  two  years.  le  1859  Mr.  Hanson  came  to 
California,  landing  in  San  Francisco.  He  then 
proceeded  to  Sacramento,  and  thence  to  the 
mountains,  but  not  being  suited  he  returned  to 
tlie  city  and  soon  afterward  found  work  on  a 
ranch  near  Clarksburg  on  the  Sacramento  River. 
There  he  remained   one  year,  and   then   worked 


near  Rio  Vista  two  years.  In  March,  1862,  he 
bought  the  ranch  of  121  acres  which  he  still 
occupies  on  Grand  Island  about  thirty-seven 
miles  below  Sacramento.  He  has  about  twenty 
acres  in  orchard,  fruit  being  the  chief  market- 
able product.  In  1886  he  built  a  comfortable 
house  of  ten  rooms  on  his  place;  and  in  1888  he 
bought  eighty  acres  near  Clements  in  San  Joa- 
quin County.-  Mr.  Hanson  is  unmarried.  Miss 
Tilda  Neilson,  a  granddaughter  of  his  sister, 
Mrs.  Peterson,  of  Princeton,  Illinois,  has  charge 
of  his  household. 


I^ODOLPHUS  BUKEY  HALL  was  born 
1^  in  Kentucky,  September  7,  1825,  his  par- 
^^  ents  being  Shadrac  and  Mary  (Greathouse) 
Hall.  The  father  was  born  in  Virginia,  Jan- 
nary  19,  1789,  of  American  parentage  but  of 
Scotch  descent  on  the  paternal,  and  English  on 
the  maternal  side.  The  mother,  a  native  of 
Kentucky,  was  of  German  or  Pennsylvania- 
Dutch  descent  on  both  sides.  Her  father,  Her- 
man Greathouse,  was  a  native  of  Pennsylvania 
and  a  soldier  of  the  Revolution.  He  lived  to 
be  over  eighty  and  his  wife,  by  birth  Massey 
Ann  Bnkey,  was  seventy-five  at  her  death. 
Grandfather  Shadrac  Hall,  a  Virginian,  was  a 
Presbyterian  minister  and  his  wife,  liy  birth  a 
Miss  Walker,  was  also  a  Virginian.  The  par- 
ents of  R.  B.  Hall  were  married  in  Kentucky 
about  the  close  of  1814,  and  a  large  portion  c-f 
their  children  were  born  in  that  State.  Tliej 
afterward  moved  to  Spencer  County,  Indiana, 
where  Mr.  Hall  was  elected  sheriff  for  four 
ternis,  eight  years,  and  afterward  coroner.  He 
had  previously  been  a  tanner,  but  had  retired 
from  that  business.  He  died  February  28, 
1856,  eleven  years  after  his  wife,  who  died  No- 
vember 21,  1844.  They  were  the  parents  of  a 
large  family:  Mary  Ann  R.,  born  October  9, 
1815;  America  G.,  October  29,  1816;  Eliza  B., 
March  30,  1818,  by  marriage  Mrs.  Wright,  died 
October  17,  1844;  John  W.,  June  28,  1819; 
liaiulolph  H.,  April  7,  1S21,  died    Xovembcr  5, 


HISTORY    OF    SACRAMENTO    COUNTY. 


1873;  Harmon  G.,  September  30,  1822;  Mas- 
sey  Ann  G.,  Jaimary  23.  1824,  by  marriage 
Mrs.  Pierce,  died  September  27,  1846,  Ro- 
dolphiis  Bukey,  the  subject  of  tliis  sketch,  was 
born  September  7,  1825,  in  Spencer  County, 
Indiana;  Jemima  G.,  March  11,  1827;  Isaac  G. 
(see  sketch);  Elizabeth  O.,  September  28,  1830, 
hy  marriage  Mrs.  Mattingly,  died  July  8, 
1869;  Luther  G.,  January  8,  1832,  a  resident 
of  Fresno,  Caliiornia,  since  November,  1888, 
when  he  came  out  trom  Kentucky;  Nathan  F., 
November  17,  1888;  Jonathan  P.,  August  22, 
1835;  Shadrac,  December  28,  1837,  died  Feb- 
ruary 4,  1888;  Joseph  W.,  July  29,  1888; 
James  Wellington,  July  24,  1840,  became  a 
physician  and  came  to  California  in  1878,  re- 
mained here  through  the  winter  of  1878-'79, 
went  to  Oregon  in  March,  1879,  returned  here 
toward  the  close  of  1880  and  died  at  San  Diego, 
January  12,  1881;  Virginia  F.,  December  5, 
1843.  The  subject  of  this  sketch  served  in  the 
Mexican  war  in  the  Fourth  Indiana  Infantry 
from  April  8,  1847,  to  August  25,  1848,  was 
Sergeant  of  Company  E,  and  is  a  pensioner  of 
that  war.  He  came  to  California  across  the 
plains  in  1852,  arriving  in  August  at  Placer- 
ville,  where  he  went  to  mining.  For  many 
years,  at  various  points,  but  chiefly  at  Michigan 
Bluffs  and  Forest  Hill,  he  continued  in  that 
business,  making  and  losing  money,  with  but 
little  final  gain.  September  9,  1861,  he  arrived 
on  Grand  Island  by  invitation  of  his  brother, 
Isaac  G.  (see  sketch),  and  was  half  owner  of  the 
ranch  until  the  return  of  his  brother  in  1880, 
when  he  sold  out  to  him  and  removed  to  Santa 
Rosa  for  the  better  education  of  his  children. 
He  rents  200  acres  on  Andrus  Island,  just  be- 
low Isleton,  on  which  he  raises  alfalfa  chiefly. 
R.  B.  Hall  was  married  March  4,  1864,  at  San 
Jose,  to  Miss  Ellen  D.  Hawkins,  a  native  of 
Vermont,  a  daughter  of  A.  M.  and  Candace 
(Rising)  Hawkins.  The  mother,  born  in  Al- 
bany, New  York,  died  June  7,  1845.  The 
father,  born  in  Georgia,  Vermont,  in  1809,  a 
lawyer  by  profession,  was  appointed  postmaster 
at  Starksboro,   Vermont,    under   Jackson,   over 


fifty  years  ago,  and  held  the  office  until  Cleve- 
land's administration.  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Hall  are 
the  pai-ents  of  six  children:  Hattie  Virginia, 
born  June  27,  1866,  has  learned  the  business  of 
telegraphy  and  is  employed  in  San  Jose;  Josie 
Elizabeth,  born  March  10,  1870;  Rosie  Grace, 
May  27,  1872;  Carrie  Elmira,  November  24, 
1874;  Lyman  Bukey.  December  25,  1875;  Nel- 
lie America,  February  23,  1877,  and  died  of 
heart  disease  at  Santa  Rosa,  June  1,  1889. 


fACOB  SCHULTZ  was  born  in  Holstein, 
Germany,  in  1851,  his  parents  being  Henry 
and  Gesche  (Wobcke)  Schultz,  both  of  whom 
are  still  living  in  Germany.  Grandfather  Schultz 
was  about  seventy  at  his  death;  and  grandmother 
Eliza  Schultz  survived  him  many  years,  dying 
in  1859,  aged  eighty-two.  Jacob  Schultz  re- 
ceived the  usual  education  of  his  country  be- 
tween the  ages  of  six  and  sixteen,  working  in 
the  summer  months  when  old  enough,  chiefly 
at  farm  work,  which  he  continued  until  he  came 
to  America  in  his  eighteenth  year.  He  came 
direct  to  San  Francisco,  arriving  in  July,  1869, 
and  thence  to  Sacramento,  where  he  worked  in  a 
brick-yard  two  months.  In  October  he  went  to 
work  for  a  farmer  in  Sutter  County  at  $1  a  day 
for  some  months  when  he  returned  to  the  brick- 
yard for  a  season.  In  1871  he  came  into  Frank- 
lin Townsiiip  where  he  worked  on  Mr.  Kerth's 
ranch  at  $26  a  month  for  five  years.  In  1876 
he  rented  the  place  he  now  owns  from  Mr. 
Korn,  carrying  on  a  dairy  business  with  about 
forty  cows  and  raising  some  cattle.  In  1880 
he  rented  the  Stone  place  of  over  1,100  acres, 
dairying  with  about  eighty  cows;  about  ten 
years  in  both  places.  In  1887  lie  bought  the 
Korn  ranch  of  800  acres,  just  before  the  boom 
in  farm  lands.  He  runs  a  dairy  as  before,  of 
about  thirty  cows,  raises  a  iew  cattle  for  the 
market  every  year,  and  sows  a  few  acres  to  bar- 
ley. Mr.  Schultz  was  married  in  Sacramento, 
April  6,  1883,  to  Miss  Eliza  Zarnig,  who  is 
also  a  native  of  Holstein,  a  daughter  of  Wilhelm 


UlSTORV    Of    SACllAMBNTO    COUXTY 


and  Anna  (Kurtz)  Zirnig,  both  deceased,  the 
father  at  tlie  age  of  forty-eight  and  t.ie  mother 
at  fifty-seven.  They  are  the  parents  of  Annie 
and  Katie,  twin  sisters,  born  July  8,  188G. 


fROFESSCH^  E.  P.  H0V7E,  of  the  Sacra- 
mento Normal  Institute,  most  favorably 
known  as  a  prominent  educator,  was  born 
near  Marietta,  in  Ohio,  183S,  but  removed  when 
a  child  with  his  parents  to  Mount  Pleasant,  a 
small  town  in  Iowa  Territory.  Here  his  father,  a 
celebrated  teacherof  that  time,  opened  an  insti- 
tution of  learning,  in  which  young  Howe  was 
thoroughly  drilled  for  the  profession  of  teaching. 
At  the  agi  of  fifceen  he  commenced  his  life- 
work,  and,  with  the  exception  of  a  few  years, 
during  which  he  finished  his  course,  he  has  been 
continuously  engaged  in  the  cause  of  education. 
Attheageof  twenty  hewas  placed  in  charge  of  the 
Mount  Pleasant  Union  High  School,  the  number 
of  pupils  in  attendance  baing  over  200.  At  the 
close  of  this  enga/emant  he  was  chosen  Princi- 
pal of  the  Normal  S'.hool  of  this  place,  over 
which  he  presided  mmy  yeirs.  Farmington 
High  School  and  Bonaparte  Cjllege  was  organ- 
ized and  put  in  successful  operation  by  the 
subject  of  this  sketch.  Subsequently  he  was 
connected  with  the  public  schools  of  New  York 
and  Michigan.  It  was  whilst  he  was  superin- 
tending the  schools  of  BonapaFte,  Iowa,  that  he 
was  induced  by  friends  and  relatives  to  visit 
California,  and  in  1872  was  elected  Principal 
of  Sacramento  Union  High  School.  In  1873 
he  established  Howe's  Higii  School  and  Normal 
Institute,  which  is  to-day  the  leading  private 
Normal  School  of  the  State.  The  best  and  most 
intelligent  families  of  Sacramento  patronize  this 
institutioti.  More  than  fifty  teachers,  drilled 
and  disciplined  by  Professor  Howe,  and  who 
received  their  certificates  to  teach  whilst  under 
his  care,  have  been,  since  the  establishment  of 
his  institute,  connected  with  the  public  schools 
of  Sacramento.  Some  have  married,  others  have 
resigned  to  take  positions  elsewhere,  and   a  few 


have  gone  to  that  "  undiscovered  country  fr.)m 
whose  bourne  no  traveler  returns."'  At  the 
present  writing  more  than  half  of  that  number 
still  hold  their  positions  and  are  doing  good 
work.  Since  the  establishment  of  this  institu- 
tion in  1873,  suffiaient  time  has  elapsed  to 
ascertain  the  etfict  of  its  training  on  the  minds 
and  characters  of  its  inmates.  The  thorough 
and  practical  scientific  knowledge  it  imparts, 
the  complete  system  of  mental  discipline  it  pur- 
sues, the  moulding  of  the  mind  to  intelligence, 
and  the  heart  to  virtue,  the  energy  and  zeal  it 
inspires  in  the  pupils,  are  more  and  more  felt 
and  appreciated.  From  no  private  institution 
are  so  many  able  teachers  supplied  to  the  State, 
and  from  none  are  they  so  eagerly  sought. 

— •^^mmr^^ — 

tDOLPH  SCHUCH,  wood  turner  and  scroll 
sawyer,  Twenty-first  street  between  J  and 
I  streets,  was  born  in  the  city  of  Berlin 
in  1827;  his  father,  Ernest  Seliuch,  was  a  dep- 
uty of  that  city  for  many  years.  The  subject 
of  this  sketch  showed  an  aptitude  in  early  life 
for  mechanical  pursuits,  and  learned  the  trade 
of  scroll  sawing  and  turning,  in  which  he  be- 
came an  expert.  One  of  his  uncles  had  come 
to  America  and  settled  on  a  farm  in  Ohio,  and 
in  1850  Adolph  determined  to  join  him.  Upon 
arriving  in  New  York  and  hearing  of  the  won- 
derful opportunities  to  advance  in  the  rapidly 
developing  new  country,  he  determined  to  come 
to  California.  He  landed  in  San  Francisco  in 
November,  1850,  and  at  once  obtained  employ- 
ment, and  three  years  later  started  in  business 
for  himself  on  Market  street  in  that  city.  Later 
on  he  came  to  Sacramento,  where  he  has  re 
sided  ever  since,  accumulating  a  competence  by 
industry.  In  1871  he  bought  the  corner  lot  (J3 
Twenty-first  street,  between  H  and  I,  and  heia 
he  has  his  residence,  work-shops,  etc.  It  wa^ 
here  that  he  perfected  liis  winding-twist  turning 
machine,  a  marvel  of  simplicity  and  ingenuity, 
upon  which  he  was  granted  a  patent  June  21, 
1887.    Mr.Schuch  married  Miss  Eva  Aschenau'jr, 


536 


HISTOET    OF    SACRAMENTO    COUNTY. 


a  native  of  Bavaria,  in  ]  860,  and  their  only 
daughter  is  now  the  wife  of  Mr.  Otto  Willlieim 
of  this  city.  Mr.  Schiich  lias  had  too  busy  a 
life  to  devote  any  amount  of  time  to  the  frater- 
nal organizations,  but  he  early  became  identified 
with  the  Ked  Men,  as  a  member  of  the  Sacra- 
mento Wigwam,  ]So.  124.  Such,  in  brief,  is 
the  history  of  one  of  onr  German-American 
citizens,  showing  what  industry  and  intelligent 
enterprise  will  do. 


fNCIL  FAY  KAYMOND,  of  Flint  &  Ray- 
mond, ranchers  in  Cosumnes  Township, 
was  born  near  Prattsbnrg,  Steuben  County, 
JSew  York,  April  12,  1852,  his  parents  being 
John  C.  and  Sarah  Ann  (Corey)  Raymond.  The 
father,  born  March  24,  1826,  died  January  22, 
1879;  the  mother,  born  Ai  gust  24,  1828,  is 
now  Mrs.  Truman  C.  Corey,  of  Linneus,  Linn 
Coimty,  Missouri,  where  the  Raymond  family 
settled  in  1868,  on  a  sixty-acre  farm  adjoining 
the  town.  A.  F.  Raymond  came  to  California 
in  April,  1874,  and  worked  on  a  farm.  He  was 
married  ISovember  25,  1874,  to  Miss  Nettie 
Harriet  Flint,  born  in  New  York  city,  December 
1,  1856,  of  Swayne  S.  and  Ellen  M.  (Nelson) 
Flint.  Mrs.  Kaymond  had  preceded  him  to 
California,  arriving  in  June,  1873.  After  mar- 
riage Mr.  Raymond  spent  about  two  and  one- 
half  years  in  Missouri,  engaged  in  stock-raising. 
In  1878  lie  returned  to  California.  February 
22,  1881,  he  rented  29.55  acres  of  the  Haggin 
grant  for  hop-raising.  In  1882  he  raised  on  it 
90,000  pounds  of  hops,  a  result  never  excelled 
in  this  State.  In  1883,  after  his  third  crop,  he 
surrendered  his  lease  and  made  a  visit  East,  re- 
maining until  March,  1884.  Soon  after  his 
return  he  bought  one-third  interest,  which  he 
still  owns  in  the  Flint  &  Raymond  ranch  of 
1,312  acres  on  the  Cosumnes,  near  McCabe 
bridge,  Mr.  Daniel  Flint,  of  Sacramento,  the 
uncle  of  Mrs.  Raymond,  being  the  senior  mem- 
ber of  the  firm  and  owner  of  a  two-thirds  inter- 
est.    The  ranch  is  devoted  to  raising  hops,  hay 


and  cattle.  There  are  about  thirty-three  acres 
in  hops  and  about  200  in  alfalfa.  Of  cattle, 
mostly  Durhains,  there  are  200  head,  and  of 
horses  about  twenty.  Perhaps  300  acres  are 
bottom  land.  The  new  irrigating  ditch  runs 
through  the  i-anch  for  about  one  and  a  half 
miles.  There  is  a  small  orange  grove  of  about 
250  trees.  Mr.  Raymond  is  a  member  of  Sac- 
ramento Grange,  No.  12;  was  its  secretary  in 
1881,  overseer  in  1882,  and  master  in  1883.  He 
is  also  a  member  of  -Capital  Lodge,  No.  87,  I. 
0.  O.  F. ;  has  been  conductor,  warden,  etc.  He 
was  elected  justice  of  the  peace  in  1886,  and  in 
1888,  in  the  general  election  and  special  election 
which  followed,  he  and  his  competitor  on  both 
occasions  received  an  ecjual  number  of  votes, 
wlien  both  agreed  to  withdraw. 


)»'^- 


fEORGE  MAURICE  COLTON,  farmer, 
was  born  in  Stephenson  County,  Illinois, 
March  16,  1845,  a  son  of  Lewis  and  Maria 
A.  (Orton)  Colton,  the  former  a  native  of  New 
York,  and  the  latter  of  Erie  County,  Pennsyl- 
vania, who  emigrated  to  Illinois  about  1843. 
Lewis  Colton  bought  land  there  and  remained 
until  1854,  when  he  came  with  his  family  to 
California,  with  ox  teams,  having  a  compara- 
tively safe  journey.  He  arrived  in  this  State  in 
October,  locating  first  in  Nevada  County,  about 
seventy  miles  north  of  Sacramento.  He  bought 
160  acres  of  land  there,  in  Penn's  Valley,  about 
twelve  miles  from  Nevada  City,  toward  Marys- 
ville.  During  the  two  years  he  remained  there, 
he  owned  a  rich  surface  mine  near  Rough  and 
Ready,  and  took  out  |116,000  or  $18,000,  and 
built  a  toll-road  from  Penn  Valley  to  Rough 
and  Ready,  a  distance  of  two  miles.  Then  he 
lived  over  two  years  at  Washoe,  1861-'63.  The 
first  winter  there  was  a  hard  one,  on  account  of 
floods.  Putting  up  a  quartz  mill  at  Washoe, 
he  ran  it  abont  a  year.  He  had  a  partner  in 
this  enterprise,  named  David  Smith.  Meeting 
with  reverses  in  business  there,  he  exchanged 
his  interest  in  the  mill   for  160  acres  of  land  in 


lIISrORY    OF    SACHAMENTO    COUNTY. 


this  county,  on  the  upper  Stockton  road  near  the 
Lake  House.  A  year  afterward  he  sold  it  and 
went  to  Idaho  and  followed  mining  there  about 
three  years.  Ever  since  then  he  has  made  this 
county  his  home.  There  were  six  children  in 
his  family,  of  whom  five  are  now  living:  George 
M.,  Mrs.  Elizabeth  Bader,  Amanda,  the  widow 
of  Andrew  K.  Wackman,  who  died  in  1884; 
Benjamin  F.,  California,  wife  of  Willia..: 
Clough,  of  San  Francisco,  and  Judson,  who  re- 
sides at  Martinez.  Mr.  Colton,  whose  name 
heads  this  sketch,  was  eight  years  old  when  he 
came  to  this  State.  In  the  autumn  of  1876  he 
went  into  business  for  himself.  That  year  he 
lived  with  Mr.  Bader,  his  brother-in-law,  and 
the  next  year  got  down  to  business.  In  part- 
nership with  B.  F.  Colton  he  rented  the  widow 
Bayless  ■  farm  and  conducted  it  three  years. 
Next  he  rented  the  old  Harrison  "Wackman 
place,  of  500  acres,  for  four  years;  then  he 
bought  the  place  of  the  heirs.  George  Colton 
and  his  brother  now  own  1,229  acres  of  land- 
They  not  only  cultivate  and  pasture  this  land, 
but  also  run  a  threshing  machine,  in  which  the 
cleaner  used  is  invented  by  Mr.  Colton  but  not 
yet  patented.  It  is  the  most  successful  cleaner 
yet  introduced.  Mr.  Co. ton  is  now  making 
preparations  for  running  a  large  dairy  and  rais- 
ing more  cattle.  He  was  married  February  16, 
1881,  to  Miss  Louisa  Poston,  a  native  of  Illi- 
nois, but  brought  up  in  Davenport,  Iowa,  whither 
her  parents  had  emigrated.  She  came  to  Cali- 
fornia in  the  fall  of  1876  and  kept  house  for 
her  uncle,  Harrison  Wackman,  as  long  as  he 
farmed  here.  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Colton  have  three 
children,  viz.:  Blanche  Oston,  born  July  6, 
1882;  Chester  Leland,  November  16,  1884,  and 
Grace  Poston,  March  27,  1885.  Mrs.  Colton 
was  born  in  Rock  Island  County,  Illinois,  Au- 
gust 20,  1850.  Her  parents,  William  and 
Mary  Poston,  moved  across  the  Mississippi 
River  into  Scott  County,  Iowa,  settling  six  miles 
from  Davenport,  where  her  father  is  still  a  resi- 
dent. Her  mother  died  February  28,  1858.  In 
their  family  were  two  sons  and  three  daughters. 
Only   two   are    now    living — Mrs.    Colton    and 


Elias  Poston,  the  latter  in  Cook  County,  Illi- 
nois. William  Poston  for  his  second  wife  mar- 
ried Anna  Carroll,  who  is  still  living.  By  this 
marriage  there  were  nine  children,  of  whom 
iive  daughters  and  three  sons  are  still  living,  all 
in  Scott  County,  Iowa. 


-^^>*^— 


RS.  JULIA  ARMSTRONG,  ranch- 
owner  of  Cosumnes  Township,  residing 
about  twenty-four  miles  from  Sacra- 
mento, was  born  in  Ireland,  January  19,  1836, 
her  parents  being  Michael  and  Mary  (Maher) 
Doheny.  The  mother  died  in  1857,  aged  sixty- 
two,  and  the  father,  January  24,  1866,  aged 
eighty-nine  years  and  eight  months.  The  par- 
ents emigrated  to  America  in  1847,  accompanied 
by  their  four  daughters:  Julia,  the  subject  of 
this  sketch;  Nellie,  by  marriage  Mrs.  Patrick 
Cahill,  deceased  in  San  Francisco,  in  November, 
1884;  and  Annie,  now  Mrs.  James  Nolan,  of 
that  city,  and  Kate,  now  Mrs.  James  J.  De 
Bony,  now  living  in  Baltimore,  Maryland. 
Miss  Julia  Doheny  was  married  October  30, 
1862,  to  Mr.  William  Armstrong,  born  in  Ire- 
land in  1828,  son  of  John  and  Nora  Lawlor 
Armstrong.  The  father  died  while  William  was 
quite  young,  and  several  years  later,  in  1849, 
the  mother  came  to  America  with  her  two  chil- 
dren, Mary  Ann,  afterward  Mrs.  Patrick  Mur- 
phy, and  William,  and  settled  at  AVaukegan, 
Illinois.  AVilliam  came  to  California  in  1852, 
and  went  into  business  as  a  butcher  at  Placer- 
ville,  which  he  carried  on  for  several  years. 
About  1854  he  began  to  pasture  cattle  on  the 
open  lands,  where  he  afterward  located,  and  in 
1863  he  quit  butchering  and  settled  near  where 
his  family  now  resides,  buying  some  from  the 
Government  and  still  more  from  individuals, 
until  he  owned  1,060  acres  in  one  body.  Since 
his  death.  May  1,  1873,  Mrs.  Armstrong  has 
bought  120  acres  adjoining.  The  whole  ranch 
is  adapted  to  cattle-raising  and  general  farming. 
Mrs.  Nora  Armstrong,  for  many  years  a  resident 
of    this    township,   survived    her  son,  dying  in 


HISTORY    OF    SACRAMENTO    COUNTY. 


December,  1886,  aged  ninety-two.  The  cliil- 
dren  of  William  and  Julia  Armstroncr  were 
seven,  four  dying  young,  one  before  the  father 
and  three  since.  The  three  living  are — Jefler- 
son,  born  April  14,  1864,  was  elected  justice  of 
the  peace  November  6,  1888;  James,  born  Au- 
gust 28,  1865;  Mary  Agnes,' born  February  9, 
1867.  Miss  Armstrong  has  received  an  aca- 
demic education  in  San  Francisco.  The  three 
children  live  with  their  mother  in  a  neat  and 
pleasant  home  recently  erected. 


4->«*S^ 


fAMES  BITCH  ELL,  1117  L  street.— A  few 
more  years  and  the  men  who  came  as  pio- 
neers to  Sacramento,  men  who  endured  the 
liardships  and  privations  of  early  days,  trials  by 
floods  and  tires  and  all  the  troublous  times  inci- 
dent to  frontier  life,  will  be  gathered  to  their 
fathers!  Who  shall  tell  their  story  so  full  of 
stirring  incident,  and  lessons  which  it  were  well 
indeed  for  future  generations  to  heed,  if  not  told 
by  the  biographer  of  to-day?  Our  only  regret 
is  that  the  scope  of  this  volume  does  not  permit 
ns  to  give  that  detail  which  the  subject  would 
warrant,  but  a  brief  page  even  of  the  man 
whose  name  heads  this  sketch  will  be  found 
both  interesting  and  instructive.  Born  in  the 
city  of  New  York,  in  1827,  his  preliminary  edu- 
cation was  had  at  the  public  schools  of  that 
city.  He  early  entered  the  publishing  house  of 
Mark  H.  Newham,  and  there  acquired  the 
thorough  knowledge  of  the  business  which  as 
his  life-work  he  has  made  so  marked  a  success. 
The  stirring  events  of  California  in  1849, — the 
discovery  of  gold,  the  influx  of  population  from 
all  over  the  world,  the  building  up  of  populous 
cities,  as  if  by  magic, — offered  indncements  to 
ambitious  young  men  to  seek  their  fortune  in 
the  "land  of  golden  promise."  They  came, 
drawn  from  widely  divergent  conditions  of  life. 
The  farmer  left  his  plow,  the  merchant  his 
counting-house,  the  artisan  his  work-shop,  to 
stand  side  by  side  and  shoulder  to  shoulder  be- 
side the  softly  flowing  waters  of  the  Sacramento, 


whose  auriferous  sands  brought  to  many  a 
golden  harvest,  and  to  many  more  "  a  burden 
of  barren  regrets."  It  is  not  to  be  supposed, 
however,  tliat  all  came  with  the  idea  of  going 
into  the  mines.  Many  were  attracted  by  op- 
portunities to  go  into  commercial  enterprise, 
men  with  "  long  heads,"  endowed  with  foresight 
into  the  dim  and  misty  future,  to  whose  pre- 
scient minds  "coming  events  cast  their  shad- 
ows before."  To  this  class  belongs  the  subject 
of  this  sketch.  When  a  friend  in  whose  busi- 
ness integrity  he  had  the  utmost  faith,  offered 
to  launch  out  into  the  "  swirl  of  the  seething 
tide,"  he  readily  lent  his  aid  and  encourage- 
ment to  the  enterprise,  assured  that  if  properly 
managed  it  could  but  succeed;  but  it  was  not 
properly  managed,  and  the  consignment  of 
goods  into  which  he  had  put  his  confidence  and 
his  money,  brought  him  no  returns.  Hoping 
to  save  at  least  a  remnant,  he  hurried  to  the 
coast,  but  too  late  to  avert  the  disaster.  Having 
in  mind  the  old-time  adage,  "That  the  place  to 
look  for  your  money  is  where  you  lost  it,"  he 
courageously  ordered  a  second  consignment  of 
goods  from  the  East,  and  while  awaiting  the 
arrival  engaged  in  the  grocery  business  in  a 
small  vffij.  U|)on  the  arrival  of  the  merchan- 
dise in  June,  1851,  he  at  once  opened  a  book 
store  on  J  street,  adjacent  to  the  lot  on  which 
he  afterward  erected  a  fire-proof  building,  and 
which  is  now  occupied  by  "  Sam  "  Morris,  the 
bookseller.  His  business  flourished  here  until 
the  fire  which  occurred  on  the  night  after  the 
Presidential  election  in  November,  1852,  when, 
with  others,  he  was  burned  out.  After  this  fire 
he  went  to  San  Francisco  and  bought  one  of 
those  ready-made  Yankee  frames  for  a  build- 
ing which  was  warranted  to  "  fit,"  and  would 
indeed  have  fitted  some  other  lot  much  larger 
than  the  one  of  which  he  was  possessed.  Find- 
ing that  either  the  frame  was  too  large  or  the 
lot  too  small,  and  furthermore  being  a  "  person 
of  fashion  "  he  followed  the  prevailing  fashion 
and  erected  a  canvas  building,  which  corre- 
sponded in  every  essential  detail  with  those  of 
his   neighbors,  and  his  frame  was   carefully  laid 


IIISTORT    OF    SACRAMENTO    COUNTY. 


539 


away  to  rest  until  liis  lot  should  "grow."  Two 
years  later  he  had  purchased  tlie  lot  adjoining, 
and  proceeded  to  erect  thereon  a  lire-proof  brick 
building,  having  iron  shutters  and  doors,  fore- 
seeing that  at  no  distant  day  tlie  inflammable 
character  of  the  structures  in  the  neighborhood 
would  result  in  fire.  This  building  was  nearly 
completed,  when,  one  hot  day  in  July,  1854,  his 
fears  were  realized.  A  fire  started  hirtherdown 
the  street,  and,  summoning  what  assistance  he 
could  command,  he  began  moving  his  stock  into 
the  new  building,  which,  although  not  com- 
pleted, was  sufKciently  so  to  be  deemed  fire- 
proof. In  tlie  excitement  and  turmoil,  he  soon 
saw  that  his  neighbors  were  taking  advantage 
of  his  foresight,  and  stocks  of  every  description 
were  being  flnng  pell-mell  into  his  building  for 
safety  from  the  advancing  flames,  crowding  out 
his  own  goods,  and  even  tilling  up  the  gang- 
ways, which  were  with  difticulty  closed  against 
the  encroachments  of  the  devouring  element. 
When  the  morning  dawned  and  the  tire  had 
burned  out,  histire-proof  building  alone  stood, 
black  and  bleak,  amid  .the  ruins  of  so  many 
cherished  hopes;  a  monument  to  the  qualities  of 
foresight  which  was  then,  and  still  is,  with  him  so 
marked  a  characteristic.  For  twenty  years  he 
continued  to  occupy  the  same  building,  con- 
ducting successlully  a  business  which  grew  with 
the  growth  of  the  Capital  City,  and  under  his 
fostering  care  brought  a  harvest  of  golden 
shekels.  lie  has  been  twice  married;  his  first 
wife,  to  whom  he  was  united  in  1846  when  he 
was  but  nineteen,  survived  but  a  few  years, 
leaving  a  son  "Zach,"  who  is  now  a  farmer  in 
Solano  County.  His  second  marriage  was  made 
in  New  York,  in  1855,  to  Mrs.  Mary  E.  Gray. 
Mr.  Bitchell  has  never  been  in  any  sense  a  poli- 
tician, while  steadily  and  earnestly  interesting 
himself  in  all  the  affairs  appertaining  to  the 
advancement  of  the  city,  and  could  doubtless, 
had  he  desired  to  do  so,  have  held  many  offices 
of  trust.  He  laughingly  refers  to  Ihe  one  cam- 
paign of  his  life,  when  as  he  says,  "Abraham  Lin- 
coln was  at  the  head  of  the  ticket  and  he  1 
(liitchell)    at    the   foot,    lieing    a    muninee    for 


school  director;"  he  says  he  got  more  votes  in 
his  district  than  Lincoln,  and  that  the  board  to 
which  he  was  elected,  consisting  of  Henry  Mil- 
ler, John  Millikin,  Dr.  Simmons,  John  Craw- 
ford, A.  C.  Sweetzer,  and  others,  was  a  very 
respectable  crowd. 

^.^^.^ 

fAMES  H.  STURGES,  watches  and  jewelry, 
Folsom,  an  honored  and  old-time  citizen  of 
this  county,  and  of  the  town  of  Folsom, 
where  he  occupies  important  positions,  was  born 
in  the  town  of  Wallkill,  Orange  County,  New 
York,  December  27,  1828.  His  father,  Will- 
iam L.  Sturges,  was  also  a  native  of  the  same 
place,  as  was  also  his  grandfather.  William 
L.  Sturges  married  Miss  E.  Price,  a  native  of 
Orange  County,  New  York;  her  grandfather 
was  a  Welshman,  and  this  is  the  only  point  in 
the  history  of  the  Sturges  family  that  is  trace- 
able to  a  foreign  country.  When  the  subject  of 
this  sketch  was  five  years  old  his  parents  moved 
with  him  to  the  city  of  New  York,  and  lived 
there  five  years.  His  mother  then  died,  and  lie 
returned  to  Orange  (Jounty,  and  remained  there 
three  years;  then  he  resided  in  New  York  again 
until  he  came  to  California  in  1851.  At  the  age 
of  fifteen  years  he  entered  a  jewelry  store,  and 
continued  there  until  he  came  West.  February 
28,  1851,  he  sailed  from  New  York  and  came 
by  the  Panama  route  to  this  State,  arriving  in 
San  Francisco  April  2,  1851.  He  went  to  the 
mines  on  Yuba  River  for  a  short  time,  and  then 
was  on  Horse-Shoe  Bar,  on  the  American,  until 
1854;  then  one  year  in  the  neighborhood  of 
Coloma,  and  then  three  years  in  the  neighbor- 
hood of  Negro  Hill,  opposite  Mormon  Island, 
and  finally  concluded  to  fall  back  upon  his  old 
trade,  in  watches  and  jewelry;  but  before  get- 
ting a  start  in  this,  and  after  he  had  obtained 
his  outfit  of  tools,  he  acted  as  water  agent  for  the 
Negro  Hill  Ditch  Company  for  a  time.  He 
opened  his  present  business  in  Folsom  in  De- 
cember, 1860,  and  since  that  time  he  has  un- 
interruptedly    and    faitlifullv    prosecuted     this 


HISTORY    OF    SACRAMENTO    COUNTY. 


confining  business.  In  political  matters  he  has 
been  a  Republican  ever  since  the  party  was 
organized;  prior  to  that  he  was  a  Whig.  His 
first  vote  for  the  Presidency  was  cast  for  Gen- 
eral Wintield  Scott,  in  1852,  and  the  second  for 
John  C.  Fremont  in  1856,  with  the  majority  of 
the  Northern  Whigs.  In  1881  he  was  ap- 
pointed justice  of  the  peace  for  Granite  Town- 
ship, and  at  the  succeeding  election  elected  to 
the  same  office,  which  position  he  has  ever  since 
held.  In  educational  matters  he  has  always 
taken  a  great  interest.  Has  been  school  trustee 
five  successive  terms  of  three  years  each.  He 
has  been  a  member  of  the  Masonic  order  for 
thirty  years,  and  for  the  past  five  years  secretary 
of  Natoma  Lodge,  No.  64.  Is  also  a  member  of 
the  O.  C.  F.,  and  secretary  for  seven  years,  each 
time  unanimously  elected;  and  he  also  belongs 
to  the  order  of  the  Golden  Shore.  His  marriage 
was  celebrated  May  1,  1861,  when  he  wedded 
Miss  Henrietta  C.  Wadleigh,  and  they  have  had 
two  sons  and  one  daughter:  Charles  H.,  Mary 
Louetta  and  James  H.  The  daughter  was  mar- 
ried January  5,  1881,  to  General  J.  G.  Marti ne, 
of  Sacramento,  and  died  July  30,  1888,  the 
mother  of  two  children.  The  elder  son  is  resid- 
ing at  Folsom,  in  the  employ  of  his  father  as 
assistant  postmaster,  J.  H.  Sturges.  now  having 
charge  of  the  postoffiee  under  C.  L.  Ecklon, 
postmaster,  and  the  younger  son  is  at  New 
Castle,  in  the  employ  of  the  New  Castle  Fruit 
Company. 


fOAH  BISHOP  GILL,  a  rancher  of  Co- 
sum  nes  Township,  was  born  in  Kentucky, 
January  16,  1836,  his  parents  being  Rev. 
James  William  and  Susannah  (Bishop)  Gill. 
The  father  was  born  in  Yirginia  in  1808,  and 
became  a  preacher  of  the  "Christian"  or 
Campbellite  Church.  He  was  married  in  Pu- 
laski County,  Kentucky,  moved  to  Delaware 
County,  Ohio,  thence  lo  Indiana,  and  from  that 
State  to  Iowa.  In  1852  he  came  to  California, 
and   returned  to  Iowa  on  Christmas  day,  1853. 


In  1854  he  bought  a  larm  in  Marion  County, 
Iowa,  which  he  sold  three  3'ears  later.  In  1857 
he  again  came  to  California,  and  died  in  1869. 
The  mother,  Susannah  Gill,  was  a  daughter  of 
Joseph  Bishop,  a  Kentucky  farmer,  and  died 
comparatively  young.  Grandfather  Thomas 
Gill,  a  native  of  Ireland,  was  a  soldier  in  tiie 
wai-  of  1812,  and  afterward  worked  at  his  trade 
of  blacksmith  in  Virginia,  where  he  died  in 
1855,  aged  si.xty-five.  His  wife,  Grace  Ellen, 
was  of  German  descent.  N.  B.  Gill  came  to 
California  with  his  father  and  stepmother, 
across  the  plains,  arriving  in  Stockton,  October 
6,  1857,  after  a  journey  of  163  days  from 
Omaha.  He  soon  went  into  the  teaming  busi- 
ness, his  first  job  being  the  driving  of  a  twelve- 
mule  team  for  two  months.  He  afterward 
became  .a  cattle-herder,  his  occupation  taking 
him  into  Nevada,  Utah,  Montana  and  Idaho, 
spending  three  years  on  the  frontiers,  during 
two  of  which  he  saw  no  whites  except  his  com- 
rades of  the  same  calling,  and  was  frequently  in 
danger  from  hostile  Indians.  An  unpleasant 
experience  of  that  period  was  traveling  on  one 
occasion  with  four  companions  for  five  days 
without  food,  and  the  difficulty  of  restraining 
his  comrades, — he  being  the  oldest  and  captain 
of  the  band, — from  a  too  free  use  of  food  when 
they  reached  plenty.  He  afterward  worked  in 
the  Michigan  Bar  pottery  in  various  capacities 
ten  or  twelve  years,  and  in  the  copper  works  on 
Copper  Hill  two  years.  He  entered  160  acres 
at  his  place,  about  three  miles  south  of  Michi- 
gan Bar,  in  1871,  filed  pre-emption  and  home- 
stead papers,  and  has  but  recently  secured  a 
patent  from  the  general  Government.  He  has 
sold  a  portion  to  the  owner  of  the  neighboring 
pottery,  and  retains  the  title  to  about  eighty- 
four  acres,  well  adapted  to  general  farming,  and 
with  irrigation  capable  of  raising  fruit.  In  1882 
he  was  taken  sick  with  pneumonia,  and  was  in 
feeble  health  for  three  years,  losing  the  use  of 
one  eye,  with 'the  other  somewhat  impaired.  Mr. 
Gill  was  married  May  20,  1860,  to  Miss  Mar- 
garet Lorinda  Baker,  born  in  Indiana,  in  May, 
1841,    her    parents   being    Regnal    Prather  and 


HISTORY    OF    SACRAMENTO    COUNTY. 


Mary  (Holmes)  Baker,  both  deceased,  the  mother 
in  1873,  aged  sixty-two,  and  the  fatlier  in  1883, 
aged  seventy-two.  Grandfather  William  Holmes, 
a  native  of  Kentucky,  died  in  Missouri  in  1843, 
aged  eighty-seven;  his  wife,  by  birth  Margaret 
Quinn,  was  eighteen  months  younger,  and  sur- 
vived him  eighteen  months.  Great-grandfather 
Holmes,  whose  name  was  also  William,  was  an 
English  emigrant,  and  lived  100  years,  lacking 
one  month.  Grandfather  William  Baker  died 
comparatively  young,  but  his  wife,  by  birth 
Helen  Prather,  the  daughter  of  a  German 
father  and  English  mother,  lived  to  be  sixty- 
iive.  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Baker,  with  their  three 
children,  came  to  California  in  1853,  and  located 
at  first  in  San  Jose  Valley.  Mr.  Baker  put  in 
a  crop,  but  it  was  almost  destroyed  by  squirrels. 
In  1854  he  came  to  Michigan  Bar  and  went  to 
mining.  He  filed  pre-emption  papers  on  160 
acres,  about  one  and  a  half  miles  south  of  the 
village,  which  is  still  occupied  by  some  of  his 
heirs.  Mr.  and  Mrs.  N.  B.  Gill  have  had  four 
sons  and  one  daughter,  of  whom  only  one,  Al- 
fred Allen,  born  June   18,  1869,  is  now  living. 


fETER  B.  GREEN  was  born  in  Bretzen- 
heim,  in  the  Rhein  province  of  Prussia, 
his  parents  being  Philip  and  Christina 
(Yaeger)  Green.  His  grandfather,  JosepliGreen, 
was  over  seventy  when  he  died,  and  his  grand- 
mother Green  was  well  advanced  in  years  when 
she  died,  through  an  accident.  P.  B.  Green 
was  educated  in  Prussia.  He  left  home  direct 
for  California  in  1858,  on  the  ship  Triton,  via 
Cape  Horn,  and  arrived  in  San  Francisco  in 
1859,  whence  he  came  to  a  point  on  the  Sacra- 
mento River  near  where  Courtland  now  is,  and 
went  to  work  on  a  farm.  In  1862  lie  went  to 
school  at  Walnut  Grove,  to  perfect  himself  in 
the  English  language.  In  1864  he  tried  mining 
in  Inyo  and  Mono  counties,  and  also  did  some 
mining  at  A\irora,  in  the  State  of  Nevada.  He 
helped  to  form  the  county  of  Inyo,  was  ap- 
puinteJ  jubtice  of  the  peace  at    Inyo,  and  was 


afterward  elected  his  own  successor  in  1867. 
He  studied  law  for  a  time,  and  also  took  a 
course  of  instruction  at  E.  P.  Heald's  Business 
College  in  San  Francisco,  and  worked  for  a 
commission    house    in    that    city  in   1869  and 

1870.  Mr.  Green  settled  permanently  on  the 
Sacramento  River  in  18.71,  and  by  different 
purchases  he  became  the  owner  of  the  place  he 
now  occupies  on  "Randall  Island,"  which  is  no 
longer  an  island,  though  when  first  he  saw  it  in 
1859  there  were  perhaps  twenty  feet  of  water 
in  the  slough  which  formed  its  southern  water 
front.  His  land  is  well  adapted  for  fruit  culture, 
and  that  is  his  chief  industry.  He  has  erected 
on  his  place  a  handsome  residence  of  fourteen 
rooms,  making  a  very  comfortable  and  elegant 
home.     Mr.  Green    was    married    October   17, 

1871,  to  Cynthia  L.,  daughter  of  Austin  and 
Mai-y  Ann  Sims,  and  a  native  of  Greene  County, 
Illinois.  Her  (Mrs.  Green's)  parents  reside  at 
Courtland.  Both  were  born  in  Kentucky  in 
1805,  and  are  well  preserved  both  mentally  and 
physically.  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Green  are  the  par- 
ents of  six  children,  of  whom  five  are  living, 
viz.:  Delma,  Ulmer,  Bernice,  Boyd  and  Les- 
tenna.  Both  parents,  with  their  children,  at- 
tenil  the  services  of  the  Richland  Methodist 
Episcopal  Church. 


-=^'^ 


fBEiS^  OWEN  was  born  in  in  Portland, 
Maine,  November  26,  1812,  his  parents 
being  Eben  and  Sarah  (Bartlett)  Owen. 
The  grandfather  was  also  named  Eben  or  Eben- 
ezer.  Father  and  grandlather  both  lived  to  a 
good  old  age,  longevity  being,  as  far  as  known, 
a  hereditary  trait  in  tlie  family.  Grandmother 
Owen  was  a  Mi..s  Cotton,  and  the  Cottons  and 
Bartletts  are  of  New  England  stock  for  inany 
generations,  the  former  of  New  Hampshire  and 
tiie  latter  of  Maine,  from  whicli  they  iiave  spread 
in  various  directions  throughout  the  country 
but  are  still  most  numerous  in  the  East.  The 
father  of  tiie  subject  of  this  sketch  kept  a  gro- 
cery store  for  many  years   in    Portland,  and  the 


HISTORY    OF    SACRAMENTO    GOUNTT. 


son  helped  in  the  store  in  boyhood.  Was  edu- 
cated in  the  city  schools,  and  when  working  in 
the  store,  he  attended  night  school.  In  1838 
he  went  to  New  Orleans  with  a  view  of  getting 
a  clerkship,  in  which  he  was  disappointed. 
Learning  of  a  chance  at  Jackson,  Louisiana,  he 
went  there  and  remained  ten  years,  filling  difler- 
ent  situations.  In  the  fall  of  1849  he  set  out 
for  California  by  way  of  New  Orleans  and  the 
Isthmus  and  arrived  at  San  Francisco,  February 
22,  1850,  sixty-nine  days  being  spent  in  the 
voyage  on  the  Pacific.  His  comrade  was  Harvey 
D.  Smith  who  with  himself  and  three  others 
formed  a  small  party  of  five.  When  in  San 
Francisco,  they  hired  a  I'coui  about  ten  feet 
square,  for  which  they  paid  $50  a  month,  and  the 
landlord  complained  bitterly  of  the  heavy  de- 
cline in  rents.  In  March  they  went  in  a  small 
sail-boat  to  Stockton,  paying  %20  each.  After 
a  trip  uf  five  days  on  the  river,  they  camped  on 
tlie  peninsula,  and  there  remained  several  weeks, 
the  roads  being  too  bad  to  travel.  They  then 
lett  for  the  Stanislaus  River,  paying  $20  a  hun- 
dred weight  to  a  teamster. for  freight  on  their 
mining  outfit,  with  the  privilege  of  riding  occa- 
sionally on  the  ox  team.  They  walked  a  good 
part  of  the  way,  the  roads  being  still  in  bad 
condition.  Stopped  short  of  their  destination 
and  went  to  mining  on  a  branch  of  the  Cala- 
veras, where  they  spent  the  summer  of  1850. 
Afterward  mined  at  different  points — Moke- 
lumne  Bar,  Jackson  Creek  and  Indian  Dig- 
gings, in  all  about  two  years;  net  result  to  Mr. 
Owen  only  about  $1,200.  He  then  came  to 
Sacramento  and  went  to  clerking  for  Mr.  Briggs, 
a  stock  buyer,  grocer  and  speculator,  to  whom 
his  friend  Smith  had  loaned  a  considerable 
amount,  and  himself  a  few  hundreds.  Mr. 
Briggs  becoming  embarrassed  through  over 
speculation  and  ruinous  rales  of  interest,  Mr. 
Smith  became  owner  of  the  grocery  business  in 
partial  settlement  of  his  claim,  Mr.  Owen  con- 
tinuing as  partner.  In  the  fall  of  1852  Mr. 
Smith  died  of  sporadic  cholera,  leaving  his  estate 
in  charge  of  Mr.  Owen,  with  directions  to  send 
§1,000  to  a  crippled  brother  and  the  rest  to  his 


father,  in  New  York,  which  was  done.  The 
firm  of  Smith  &  Owen  lasted  but  two  or  three 
months.  Needing  a  reliable  assistant,  he  sold 
Mr.  Smith's  interest  to  a  Mr.  Haskell,  but  only 
for  about  three  months,  when  Mr.  Haskell,  urged 
by  his  wife  to  return  to  his  home.in  Michigan, 
settled  with  Mr.  Owen  on  the  basis  of  wages  for 
the  time  he  had  been  in  the  firm,  pleading  that 
"domestic  happiness  is  worth  more  than  money." 
The  firm  then  became  Owen  &  Estes,  for  a  year 
or  more;  then  Owen  &.  Chamberlain  for  about 
the  same  length  of  time.  In  1854,  Mr.  ()wen 
bought  the  Central  Hay-yard  on  Tenth,  Eleventh 
and  T  streets,  which  he  rented  for  more  than  ten 
years.  It,  when  purchased,  rented  for  $3,000, 
and  when  sold  was  renting  for  $300  a  year.  In 
1855  he  sold  out  his  old  business  to  Charles  S. 
White  and  went  back  to  Portland,  Maine,  where 
he  was  married  to  Miss  Mary  W.  Dole,  a  native 
of  that  State,  of  an  old  and  respected  family. 
In  1857,  after  eighteen  months  sojourn  in  Port- 
land, during  which  he  was  chiefly  occupied  in 
erecting  and  fitting  up  a  homeand  some  income 
buildings  for  his  parents,  he  returned  to  Califor- 
nia. -In  1866  he  bought  the  ranch  he  still  owns 
on  theCosumnes  in  Franklin  Township,  contain- 
ing about  1,250  acres  of  good  average  land, 
chiefly  cultivated  for  wheat,  but  on  a  part  of 
which  he  has  now  a  young  orchard.  He  at  one 
time  owned  a  ranch  in  Solano  County,  on  which 
he  raised  sheep  and  grain,  but  losing  nearly 
2,000  sheep  in  one  dry  season  he  gave  up  tlie 
business  there  and  sold  the  place.  In  1866 
Mrs.  Owen  died  at  the  early  age  of  about  twenty- 
eight  years,  leaving  two  boys:  Eben  Bartlett, 
born  October  25,  1861,  and  Harry  Dole,  born 
December  26,  1868.  In  1868  he  moved  on  the 
ranch,  but  returned  to  Sacramento  some  years 
afterward  for  the  better  education  of  his  sons. 
In  the  country,  they  rode  five  miles  to  the  dis- 
trict school.  Besides  the  usual  education  there 
and  in  the  city  each  took  a  course  in  the  Atkin- 
son Business  College.  Both  are  now  engaged 
on  the  ranch,  each  having  charge  of  a  definite 
portion  of  the  estate.  The  father  usually  resides 
in  tlie  city  where  he  retains  ^his    old  home,  and 


HISTORY     OF    SACRAMENTO    COUNTY. 


visits  the  ranch  occasionally.  He  is  an  earnest 
spiritualist  and  linds  much  comfort  in  that  faith, 
in  which  he  has  believed  for  thirty  years.  He 
is  possessed  of  niediumistic  powers  and  is  con- 
trolled by  spirits  other  than  his  own,  as  he  be- 
lieves. Harry  Dole  Owen,  the  younger  son, 
was  married  December  15, 1885,  to  Miss  Maggie 
Utter,  a  native  of  Franklin  Township,  daughter 
of  Uowty  and  Amanda  (Hall)  Utter.  The  father 
was  originally  a  book-keeper,  and  afterward  a 
rancher  two  and  a  half  miles  south  of  Franklin 
on  the  lower  Stockton  road.  He  died  in  1869, 
at  the  early  age  of  tliirty-two;  the  mother  is  now 
Mrs.  J.  W.  Moore,  of  the  same  place.  Mr.  and 
Mrs.  Harry  D.  Owen  are  the  parents  of  two 
children:  William  Eben,  born  November  15, 
1887,  and  May  Gladys,  born   May  31,  1889. 

■ILLIAM  MILGATE,  a  rancher  of  Na- 
toma  Township,  about  eleven  miles 
from  Folsom,  was  born  in  England, 
December  24,  1812,  his  parents  being  William 
and  Hannah  Margaret  (Pyles)  Milgate.  The 
mother  died  near  Newham,  and  the  father  emi- 
grated to  America  in  1824,  with  seven  daugh- 
ters and  two  sons.  James,  the  only  brother  of 
the  subject  of  this  sketch,  is  living  in  Cleve- 
land, Ohio.  The  grandfather,  also  named  Will- 
iam, lived  to  the  age  of  eighty.  The  father 
first  settled  in  Lyons,  New  York,  but  afterward 
moved  to  Darien  in  that  State,  where  he  died. 
The  subject  of  this  sketch  was  apprenticed  to  a 
shoemaker  in  Geneva,  New  York,  in  1829,  and 
learned  his  trade  partly  there  and  partly  in 
Canada,  where  he  spent  most  of  the  year  1831. 
He  was  married  in  Buffalo,  in  March,  1832,  be- 
fore he  was  twenty,  to  Miss  Hannah  Gilkey, 
born  in  Cayuga  County,  New  York,  in  1813, 
daughter  of  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Carey  Gilkey.  Mr. 
Milgate  worked  at  his  trade  in  and  near  Buffalo 
for  about  five  years,  and  afterward  traveled  to 
more  distant  points,  still  working  at  his  trade. 
In  1849  he  established  a  shoe  store  in  Savannah, 
Missouri,   which   he  sold    out  two   years   later. 


when  he  moved  to  Council  Bluffs.  In  1853  he 
crossed  the  plains  with  his  wife  and  children, 
two  sons  and  a  daughter,  and  worked  at  his 
trade  one  winter  in  Salt  Lake,  where  another 
daughter  was  born.  In  May,  1854  they  pro- 
ceeded on  their  way  until  they  reached  Buckeye 
Flats,  where  Mr.  Milgate  mined  that  season. 
In  1855  he  moved  to  Sacramento,  where  he 
kept  the  Globe  Hotel  on  K  street,  but  only  for 
a  season.  In  the  fall  of  1855,  with  his  two 
sons,  he  came  to  what  was  then  known  as  Wall's 
Diggings,  where  they  mined  with  fair  success, 
and  in  1856  the  wife  and  daughters  joined  them 
at  "Walltown,"  which  has  ever  since  been  the 
home  of  the  family,  though  the  town  has  grad- 
ually faded  from  the  landscape.  It  had  at  one 
time  a  population  of  over  200,  besides  being  a 
trading  center  for  an  e.xtensive  mining  district, 
with  three  general  stores,  two  taverns,  two 
butcher  shops,  two  billiard  saloons,  a  clothing 
store  and  a  bakery.  In  1858  Mr.  Milgate 
opened  a  saloon,  and  in  1859  bought  one  of  the 
general  stores,  carrying  on  business  in  Wall- 
town  almost  to  the  end.  He  did  not  see  its 
rise,  but  he  has  witnessed  its  decline  and  fall. 
Meanwhile  he  had  tiled  the  necessary  papers 
and  received  a  United  States  patent  to  160  acres, 
dated  October  20,  1875,  and  eighty  acres  June 
4,  1887,  which  he  uses  chiefly  as  cattle  pasture. 
He  has  also  done  some  quartz  mining  in  later 
years,  but  has  done  little  of  anything  since 
1886.  He  had  a  stroke  of  paralysis  in  that 
year,  from  which  he  partially  recovered  after 
sixteen  months,  only  to  be  again  stricken  down 
June  14,  1888.  He  is  still  bedridden,  a  year 
later,  but  is  otherwise  in  fair  health  and  spirits. 
Mrs.  Milgate  died  August  22,  1866,  leaving 
four  children:  George  Carey,  born  in  Buffalo, 
April  19,  1833.  He  learned  the  trade  of 
plumber  and  tinner,  and  in  1871  went  into 
bu.-iuess  in  that  line  at  Council  Bluffs,  Iowa. 
He  was  there  married  in  1874  to  Miss  Eliza 
Caffle,  born  in  England,  a  daughter  of  James 
and  Eliza  Caffle,  both  now  living  in  Council 
Bluffs.  Tiiey  have  four  children:  Eveline,  born 
May  24,  1874;  Grace,  April  28,  1879,  both  in 


HISTORY    OF    SACRAMENTO    COUNTY. 


Conncil  Bluffs;  Frank,  born  in  Sacramento, 
January  2,  1884;  Annie  Olive,  born  in  "Wall- 
town,"  April  11,  1888.  George  C.  Milgate, 
having  returned  to  California  with  his  family 
in  1882,  settled  on  his  father's  place  in  that 
year.  William  James,  also  born  in  New  York 
in  1837,  is  now  proprietor  of  the  Fountain 
Stables  in  Sacramento.  He  also  owns  about 
1,200  acres  in  Natoma  Township.  Aurelia, 
born  in  New  York  State  in  1841,  became  the 
wife  of  James  Burrows,  a  native  of  Wisconsin, 
and  died  November  23,  1876,  leaving  three 
daughters  and  one  son.  Her  youngest  daugh- 
ter, Marion,  born  February  4,  1876,  was  taken 
into  the  family  of  her  grandfather,  the  subject 
of  this  sketch,  and  there  reared.  Marion  Mil- 
gate,  born  in  Salt  Lake  C\\.y,  April  16,  1854, 
now  Mrs.  Charles  Haines,  also  of  Walltown, 
has  two  children,  a  boy  and  a  girl.  Mr.  William 
Milgate  was  married  June  22,  1867,  to  Miss 
Hannah  Wardle,  born  in  England,  May  31, 
1833,  a  daughter  of  Ralph  and  Harriet  (Chals- 
worth)  Wardle.  The  parents  emigrated  to 
America  in  1862,  and  settled  in  Salt  Lake  City, 
whence  they  moved  to  Reese  River  in  1864, 
and  after  eighteen  months  came  to  Sacramento, 
where  tiie  father  died  July  17,  1886,  aged 
seventy-four  years,  four  months  and  one  day. 
Mrs.  Wardle,  born  June  7,  1S07,  is  still  living 
in  1889,  and  residing  with  her  daughter,  Mrs. 
William  Milgate. 

fEORGE  L.  CLARKE,  capitalist,  Sacramen- 
to. About  the  beginning  of  the  present  cen- 
tury, or  a  year  or  two  later.  James  Clarke, 
a  native  of  the  New  England  States,  came  to 
Allegheny  County,  Pennsylvania,  bought  a  farm 
near  Pittsburg,  married  Miss  Sarah  Cooper,  and 
became  a  farmer;  and  here  in  April,  1833,  was 
born  George  L.,  the  subject  of  this  biographical 
notice.  For  many  years  prior  to  1847  there 
had  been  a  Mormon  settlement  in  Hancock 
County,  Illinois,  and  when  in  1847  or  1848 
tiiev  moved  to  Salt  Lake,  James  Clarke  bousht 


600  or  700  acres  of  Mormon  land,  and  removed 
his  family  there.  At  the  age  of  eighteen  years 
young  Clarke  entered  a  store  at  Rushville,  the 
county  seat  of  Schuyler  County,  Illinois,  as  a 
clerk,  where  he  remained  until  March,  1852. 
Even  as  a  boy  the  tales  of  adventure  in  the  far 
West,  and  such  books  as  "  Hastings'  Traveler's 
Guide,"  had  instilled  into  his  mind  a  firm  de- 
termination to  "go  West"  at  the  first  oppor- 
tunity; and  when,  in  1852,  a  party  was  made 
up  at  Rushville  to  cross  the  plains  with  ox 
teams,  he  gladly  became  one  of  the  number. 
The  party  followed  up  the  north  side  of  the 
Platte  River,  crossed  the  Sweetwater,  came  over 
the  Rocky  Mountains  at  tlie  South  Pass, 
entered  tliis  State  through  Beekwith  Pass,  and 
stopped  at  Hopkins  Creek  (at  that  time  in 
Butte  County)  for  a  month  to  recruit,  and  then 
journeyed  on  to  Marysville.  Not  liking  the 
outlook  for  mining  operations,  he  crossed  the 
American  River  at  Lile's  Bridge,  and  entered 
the  city  of  Sacramento  on  the  8th  of  Septem- 
ber. Very  soon  he  purchased  an  interest  in  a 
ranch  near  Freeport,  San  Joaquin  Township, 
and  began  farming.  It  was  on  this  farm, 
owned  jointly  by  him  and  Mr.  Dillworth,  that 
he  first  met  Mr.  F.  R.  Dray,  who  subsequently 
became  prominent  in  the  county.  He  con- 
tinued on  this  ranch  of  480  acres  until  the  fall 
of  1858,  when  he  sold  out  and  bought  a  farm 
near  Elk  Grove,  and  resided  there  until  18G6, 
when  he  removed  to  town.  During  that  year 
he  went  to  Oregon  and  bought  2,600  head  of 
sheep,  and  drove  them  across  the  country  to 
Sacramento.  In  1870  he  went  to  San  Luis 
Obispo  County,  and  engaged  in  raising,  buying 
and  selling  sheep,  frequently  driving  flocks  to 
Sacramento  in  order  to  reach  the  mining  market 
in  Nevada.  In  1873  he  once  more  returned  to 
the  Capital  City,  where  for  three  years  he  con- 
tinued to  reside,  retaining  his  interests  in  the 
sheep-raising  and  stock  business.  During  the 
Centennial  year  he  made  a  trip  East,  visiting 
Chicago,  Niagara  Falls,  New  York,  Philadel- 
phia, Washington,  and  on  his  return  stopped  at 
his  old    home   in    Illinois,  and   also  visited   his 


<^^ 


:^^?^i^ 


HISTUJiY    OF    tiACRAMEN'rO    COUNT T. 


younger  brother,  James  P.. Clarke,  in  Kansas. 
His  brother  has  since  that  time  returned  to 
E.nshville,  and  has  become  a  merchant,  and  is 
also  a  supervisor  of  Schuyler  County.  After 
being  gone  over  four  months,  Mr.  Clarke  re- 
turned to  this  State.  Since  that  time  he  has 
bought  and  improved  several  pieces  of  city 
property,  and  last  year  (1888)  he  and  an  old 
neighbor  and  friend,  Mr.  Cave,  of  Sacramento, 
bought  1,100  acres  of  Yolo  County  land,  which 
they  are  improving,  intending  to  make  a  stock 
ranch  of  it.  Mr.  Clarke  is  an  active,  energetic, 
go-ahead  man.  He  was  never  married.  His  home 
is  at  the  State  House  Hotel,  where  he  is  ever 
ready  to  greet  his  friends  in  a  cordial  manner. 


tON.  A.  L.  FEOST.— This  gentleman  occu- 
pies the  responsible  office  of  county  assess- 
or, having  been  elected  thereto  in  the  fall 
of  1886.  Like  so  many  of  the  old  Californians, 
his  life  has  been  one  full  of  incident,  varietj' 
and  adventure,  ending  now  happily  in  comfort 
and  the  esteem  and  confidence  of  his  fellow- 
citizens.  Mr.  Frost  was  born  April  18,  1828, 
in  Rockingham  County,  New  Hampshire,  and 
there  in  the  country  schools  he  made  acquaint- 
ance with  books,  although  he  owes  the  better 
part  of  his  education  to  the  rougher  but  most 
valuable  schooling  of  experience  and  the  rubs 
and  chances   of   an    active   life.     When    but   a 


you 


th  he  went  to  work  in 


id  door  fac- 


tory in  Lawrence,  Massachusetts.  In  1845, 
still  only  in  his  'teens,  he  made  his  way  to 
Maine,  where  he  remained  until  1852,  when  he 
determined  to  come  to  California  and  test  for 
himself  the  truth  of  the  stories  of  gold  that 
came  from  this  western  land.  The  trip  was 
made  by  way  of  the  Isthmus  of  Panama,  and 
was  nnattended  by  any  serious  mishaps.  On 
the  22d  of  September  of  that  year  Mr.  Frost 
arrived  in  this  State,  and  immediately  engaged 
in  mining  in  El  Dorado  County.  There  he  re- 
sided   continuously,    meeting  with   the  varying 


success  of  the  miner,  until  May  20,  1873,  when 
he  was  appointed  Collector  of  Internal  Revenue 
for  the  Fourth  District  of  California,  with  office 
and  headquarters  in  Sacramento.  This  office 
Mr.  Frost  held  until  August,  1885.  In  the  fol- 
lowing year  he  received  the  nomination  for 
county  assessor  upon  the  Republican  ticket,  was 
elected,  and  is  still  the  incumbent  of  the  office. 
He  is  a  director  and  the  vice-president  of  the 
Sacramento  Glass  and  Crockery  Company.  Mr. 
Frost  is  a  zealous  believer  in  the  principles  of 
the  Republican  party,  and  an  effective  worker 
for  all  interests  which  he  is  persuaded  conduce 
to  the  public  good.  He  is  a  member  in  high 
standing  of  the  Masonic  order,  belonging  both 
to  Council  and  Chapter,  and  is  also  a  member 
of  the  Knights  Templar,  Commandery  Xo.  2. 
He  was  married  in  California,  to  Miss  Elizabeth 
Lum,  of  El  Dorado  County.  They  have  a  son 
and  a  daughter.  In  conclusion  it  should  be 
stated  that  Mr.  Frost  is  both  a  popular  and  an 
efficient  officer,  a  gentleman  of  genial  bearing, 
and  one  who  tills  a  place  of  acknowledged  im- 
portance in  the  community. 


I^EV.  JOHN  F.  VON  HERRLICH,  B.  D., 
f^  LL.  E.,  the  rector  of  St.  Paul's  Church, 
-^  Sacrafliento,  whether  as  a  pulpit  orator  of 
power  and  acceptance,  an  active  and  efficient 
head  of  his  jiarish,  or  as  a  beloved  and  popular 
pastor,  has  won  a  position  of  deserved  promi- 
nence among  the  clergy  of  this  coast  since  his 
arrival  here.  Called  from  a  similar  position  in 
one  of  the  most  important  cities  of  central  New 
York  to  accept  a  post  of  labor  and  responsibil- 
ity in  a  church  that  had  suffered  almost  from 
the  first  from  a  series  of  the  most  untoward  cir- 
cumstances, that  had  militated  seriously  against 
all  its  best  interests,  he  has  in  the  short  space  of 
one  year  made  a  compact  and  enthusiastic  body 
of  his  parishoners,  has  infused  new  life  into 
both  the  spiritual  and  temporal  status  of  the 
church,  and  has  now  under  way  a  series  of  ma- 


HISTORY    OF    SACRAMENTO    COUNTY. 


terial  improvements  that  will  make  St.  Paul's 
one  of  the  most  worthy  and  beautiful  '•  Houses 
of  God"  in  California.  Mr.  Yon  Herrlich  was 
born  in  the  State  of  Ohio,  although  this  was  by 
one  of  those  curious  haps  of  fortune  that  seldom 
occur,  as  his  parents  were  residents  of  New 
York,  and  there  Mr.  You  Herrlich  spent  his 
childhood  and  youth.  His  father  was  Mr.  Louis 
Yon  Herrlich,  of  New  York  city,  in  regard  to 
whom  we  cannot  do  better  than  transcribe  a  por- 
tion of  an  article  published  in  the  city  papers  at 
the  time  of  his  death,  a  short  time  since.  '•  Louis 
Yun  Herrlich  was  seventy-two  years  of  age,  and 
up  to  a  few  months  before  his  death  was  strong 
and  vigorous.  He  was  highly  educated  at  Ger- 
man universities,  a  thinker  and  philosopher,  one 
of  a  distinguished  family  that  has  given  to  the 
German  Empire  some  of  its  most  distinguished 
lawyers,  doctors  and  statesmen,  Ludwig  von 
Herrlich,  the  uncle  after  whom  the  deceased  was 
named,  having  been  at  one  time  the  friend  and 
confidant  of  the  German  Emperor.  Louis  von 
Herrlich  was  one  of  three  brothers  who  came  to 
America  about  18-44,  the  deceased  being  the  last 
of  his  generation  in  the  family.  He  was  identi- 
fied, socially  and  politically,  with  a  well-known 
coterie  of  New  York  Germans, — the  Gilseys, 
Gunthers,  Oulds,  Ottendorfers  and  others — now 
nearly  all  passed  away,  but  for  the  past  ten  or 
twelve  years  having  retired  from  all  active 
business  life,  he  spent  his  time  in*  quiet  and 
travel,"  for  which,  we  may  add,  his  ample  means 
gave  fullest  opportunity.  He  left  two  children, 
tue  one  being  the  subject  of  this  sketch,  and  the 
other,  Frances  E  ,  the  wife  of  James  C.  Elliott, 
of  Cleveland,  Ohio,  nephew  of  Bishop  Elliott,  of 
South  Carolina,  and  cousin  of  Dr.  John  Elliott, 
rector  of  the  Church  of  the  Ascension,  Washing- 
ton, D.  C.  Mr.  Yon  Herrlich  is  a  university 
graduate,  and  an  LL.  B.  of  Columbia,  as  also  a 
graduate  from  the  law  college  of  Coluinbia,  in 
the  class  of  1878,  and  of  the  General  Theologi- 
cal Seminary  of  New  York  city.  His  Urst  par- 
ish was  the  Irving  Memorial  Church  (St. 
Mark's)  at  Tarrytown,  on  the  Hudson.  In  1883 
he  accepted   a  call  to  Elmira,  New  York,  where 


he  became  rector  of  Grace  Church  and  Chapel. 
After  a  residence  there  of  four  years  he  re- 
moved to  Sacramento,  and  assumed  the  rector- 
ship of  St.  Paul's  Church,  January  15,  1888. 
At  the  time  of  his  departure  the  following  ap- 
preciative notice  appeared  in  the  New  York 
World:  "Rev.  John  F.  von  Herrlich,  at  one 
time  rector  of  the  Irving  Memorial  Church  at 
Tarrytown-on-Hudson,  has  for  the  past  four 
years  been  at  the  head  of  Giace  Church,  Elmira, 
New  York.  He  has  just  accepted  a  call  to  St. 
Paul's  Church,  Sacramento,  California.  Mr. 
Yon  Herrlich  has  been  one  of  the  most  success- 
ful clergymen  of  the  Protestant  Episcopal 
Church  in  this  country.  He  cleared  off  a  debt 
of  $25,000  which  hung  over  the  Irving  Me- 
morial Church,  and  bis  rectorship  at  Elmira 
has  been  highly  acceptable."  Such,  in  barest 
outline,  is  a  sketch  of  the  life  of  Pev.  John  F. 
von  Herrlich.  He  is  a  young  man  of  learning, 
energy  and  power,  such  as  is  met  with  only  oc- 
casionally among  the  clergy.  His  discourses, 
especially  upon  the  more  abstruse  and  recondite 
themes  of  Christianity,  have  aroused  consider- 
able attention,  and  both  as  a  writer  and  speaker 
his  services  are  in  demand.  Sacramento  is  to 
be  congratulated  in  his  coming  to  assume  his 
present  charge,  as  to  do  so  he  declined  most  at- 
tractive calls  to  larger  eastern  cities.  Since  he 
has  been  here  he  has  thrown  himself  heart  and 
soul  into  the  work  of  building  up  St.  Paul's, 
and  in  this  has  had  signal  success,  his  own  con- 
siderable personal  means  enabling  him  to  ac- 
complish things  that  others  might  not  have 
attempted.  His  popularity  is  very  great,  a 
circumstance  not  to  be  wondered  at  by  one  who 
has  met  him;  and  he  has  proven  himself  a  true 
pastor  of  his  people.  In  its  pro]ier  place  will 
be  found  a  description  of  the  material  improve- 
ments effected  through  his  instrumentality 
upon  St.  Paul's  Church.  He  is  an  unmarried 
man.  We  should  be  neglecting  a  matter  of  in- 
terest and  importance  did  we  fail  to  state  the 
fact  that  as  a  writer  and  a  poet  Rev.  Mr.  von 
Herrlich  lias  taken  a  forward  place  among  the 
molders  of  thought  of  this  country.     His  poems 


HIHTORY    OF    SAURAMENTO    COUNTT. 


are  beautiful  in  thought,  strong  in  purpose, 
rhythmical  in  flow,  his  prose  teachinj^s, — for 
all  his  writings  are  teachings,  —  are  terse, 
pointed,  cogent  and  epigrainniatic. 


-|->^J-|- 


fEORGE  NESCHE,  a  farmer  of   San  Joa- 
quin   Township,    was    born    in    Hanover, 
Germany,  August  1,  1829.     His  parents, 
Henry   and   Joanna   (Bich)    Nesche,    came    to 
America  in  1886,  landing  at  New  York  city. 
Having  learned    the   miller's  trade  in   the  old 
country,  Mr.  Xesche,  the  father,  worked  about 
six  months  for   a   man    by  the  name  of  Moore, 
in   a  flour-mill   at   Little  Beaver,  on   the   Ohio 
River,  in  the  State  of  Ohio.     In  April,  1837, 
he   proceeded   on   to   Hermann,    Missouri,    and 
there  worked  for  diS"erent   parties  nntil   1849, 
when  he  purchased  land   in   Gasconade  County, 
that  State,  and  lived  there  until  the  time  of  his 
death    in    1851.     He   had    four   sons   and   four 
daughters.     Only  two  are  now  living,  namely: 
Elizabeth  Mahone,  of  this  county,  and  the  sub- 
ject of  this  sketch.     The  latter,  as  he  grew  up, 
worked  at  the  tanner's  trade  and  in  a  flouring- 
mill.     In  April,  1852,  he  left   Hermann,  Mis- 
souri, with  a  company  of  flfty  men  and  families, 
and  came  overland  to  this   State  with  ox  teams, 
having  no  trouble  with   tiie    Indians.      In    Sep- 
tember,   after    a    journey    of    six    months,    ho 
reached    White    Ruck,  six   miles   above    Hang- 
town.      He   followed    mining    about    bix    years 
with  moderate  success,  working  on  the   ranches 
during  the  summer.     At  the  end  of  this  time 
(in  1858)  he    returned    to    Missouri    by  way  of 
the  Isthmus  of  Panama  and  New  York.     Visit- 
ing there  for  six   months,   he  returned  again  to 
this    State    by  way  of    New   Orleans  and    the 
Isthmus.     In  1859  he  purchased  240  acres  near 
Sheldon,  in   partnership  with  Mrs.  Bader.      In 
1869  he  sold  his  share  of  this  land,  and  in  Octo- 
ber returned  to  Hermann,  Missouri,  by  railway, 
and   married    Miss  Julia   HuflTman,  a  native  of 


Hermann,    Missour 


rents    both  died 


there.   He  returned  again  to  California  in  March, 


1870,  by  overland  railway.  After  renting  three 
years,  he  purchased  his  present  property  of  160 
acres  in  San  Joaquin  Township,  twelve  miles 
from  Sacramento  city,  four  miles  from  Elk 
Grove,  and  three  miles  from  Florin.  He  found 
his  place  comparatively  unimproved,  but  he  has 
brought  it  up  to  a  tine  condition.  The  vine- 
yard comprises  seven  acres,  and  orchard  three 
acres,  consisting  of  paaches,  pears,  plums  and 
apricots.  This  paoperty  is  one  of  the  best  in 
this  locality.  In  his  political  views  Mr.  Nesche 
is  a  Republican.  His  children  are:  Caroline, 
born  November  26,  1870;  George  H.,  January 
7,  1872;  Johanna,  April  25,  1876,  and  Celia  L., 
February  12,  1880. 

^>3-^¥ 

fAMES  EDWARD  ENOS  was  born  Angus 
16,1841,  in  Chicago,  Illinois,  his  parents  be- 
ino-  James  Myron  and  Jane  Eliza  (Foote) 
Enos;  the  former  was  born  March  21,  1813,  in 
the  town  of  Lester,  Addison  County,  Vermont, 
the  sou  of  Sessions  and  Mehitable  (Lyon)  Enos. 
Sessions  Enos  was  a  native  of  Scotland,  who 
emigrated  to  Vermont,  thence  to  Chicago,  Illi- 
nois, in  1836,  and  died  October  10, 1838,  in  his 
tifty-seventh  year;  his  wife  died  August  23, 
1839,  in  her  tifty-eighth  year;  they  had  tive  chil- 
dren,viz.:  Minerva,  Benjamin,James,  Martha  and 
Sessions  M.,  of  whom  Martiia  is  the  only  one  now 
living.  James  married  Jane  Eliza  Foote,  whose 
family  came  originally  from  England;  there 
were  three  brothers  who  came  in  the  Mayflower; 
one  of  them,  Nathaniel  Foote,  settled  in  Con- 
necticut, and  the  third  generation  from  iiim  was 
Elisha  Foote,  whose  daughter  Jane  Eliza  was 
born  in  New  York  State,  in  1816,  and  became 
the  wife  of  James  Enos.  James  was  raised  in 
New  York  city;  in  1852  he  came  to  California, 
across  the  plains;  two  years  later  he  returned 
East  on  a  visit.  In  1855  he  again  crossed  the 
plains,  with  his  family,  and  came  to  Sacramento, 
I  settling  at  Florin.  He  died  October  10,  1886; 
1  and  his  wife  died  April  25, 1887.  They  had  six 
children,  of  whom  three  are  still  living.     James 


HI  STOUT    OF    SACRAMENTO    COUNTY. 


Edward  Eiios,  the  subject  of  this  sketch,  was 
raised  in  Chicago  to  the  age  of  fifteen,  when  he 
came  to  California  with  his  parents  in  1855. 
In  1860  he  began  learning  the  carpenters'  trade. 
In  18C9  he  went  to  San  Francisco  and  there 
attended  Heald's  Business  College,  from  which 
he  graduated  in  August  of  that  year,  and  is  now 
a  life  member  of  that  institution.  He  then 
went  to  Lakeville,  Sonoma  County,  and  there 
carried  on  building  and  contracting  for  fourteen 
years.  At  the  end  of  that  time,  in  1885,  he  re- 
moved to  Gait,  remaining  there  two  years  in 
the  capacity  of  manager  of  the  Gait  lumber 
yards  of  the  Friend  &  Terry  Company,  of  Sacra- 
mento; he  put  in  their  lumber  yard  for  them, 
and  made  various  other  improvements  while 
there.  lie  owns  considerable  property  in  Gait. 
At  present  he  lives  on  the  home  property,  con- 
sisting of  eighty  acres  in  Brighton  Township, 
Mr.  Enos  has  been  a  member  of  the  order  of 
Odd  Fellows  since  he  was  twenty  one  years  old. 


ALMER  CLARK  was  born  in  the  State  of 
M«.  Kew  York.  At  the  age  of  twelve  he  was 
^  one  year  on  the  Erie  Canal,  between 
Schenectady  and  Albany.  In  1840  iiis  father, 
who  was  a  farmer,  sold  out  and  the  family  mi- 
grated to  Elgin,  Illinois,  where  our  subject 
found  employment  on  the  farm  owned  by  his 
father  until  he  was  twenty-four  years  old.  On 
tiie  10th  of  May,  1852,  a  party  composed  of 
our  subject,  his  cousin  01i<-er  Flutnmer,  and 
many  others,  started  overland  by  horse  train  for 
California.  They  crossed  the  Missouri  River 
at  Council  Bluffs  and  saw  no  habitation  until 
they  reached  the  Mormon  settlement  in  the  Car- 
son Valley.  They  went  to  the  north  of  Salt 
Lake,  via  Sublette's  cut-off;  George  Masters,  a 
friend,  fell  in  with  them  on  Flatte  River,  Ne- 
braska, and  together  they  arrived  safely  at  Soda 
Springs,  Idaho.  Masters  went  to  Oregon  about 
tiie  7th  of  October,  and  Clark  got  to  liangtown 
on  the  8th  of  October,  1852.  Our  subject  was 
a. young  man  of  rescjurces   and    quite    ready    to 


take  advantage  of  circumstances.  He  "had  not 
come  for  his  health,"  and  when  one  morning  a 
man  offered  him  $2.50  per  day  to  catch  fish 
with  hook  and  line  in  the  softly  flowing  Sacra- 
mento, he  closed  the  bargain  forthwith,  and  is 
proud  to  state  that  success  attended  his  efforts 
and  his  wages  increased  to  $3.00  after  the  first 
day.  Shortly  after  he  began  teaming  and  for 
the  succeeding  seven  months  was  liauling  goods 
to  the  mines.  Then  for  a  time  he  drove  a  stage. 
Subsequently  he  kept  the  Eureka  stables  on  K 
street  fur  a  year,  and  later  on  the  Fountain 
House  on  the  road  to  Grass  Valley,  sixty-five 
miles  from  the  capital.  Then  went  to  Tehama 
County  and  engaged  in  teaming,  and  after  two 
years  once  more  returned  to  Sacramento  and 
engaged  in  stock  dealing  at  the  Horse  Market 
on  K  street.  He  left  California  for  his  old 
liome  in  tiie  winter  of  1859,  going  via  New 
York.  His  father  died  in  March  following. 
He  purchased  a  band  of  horses  and  drove  them 
across  the  plains;  his  mother,  two  sisters,  two 
brothers,  two  cousins  and  Mr.  J.  Soverign,  now 
of  Woodland,  being  of  the  party.  By  this  en- 
terprise he  made  money;  horses  which  cost  $56 
readily  brought  $300  in  the  Sacramento  markets. 
Having  disposed  of  his  stock  he  again  returned 
to  Illinois:  crossed  the  plains  in  1861,  1862  and 
1864.  On  the  last  trip,  when  sixty-five  miles 
from  Fort  Laramie,  tlie  Indians  succeeded  in 
getting  away  with  his  horses;  he  returned  to 
the  fort  for  assistance,  and  six  mounted  men 
started  in  pursuit,  but,  after  going  some  thirty 
miles,  became  frightened  and  returned.  Clark 
then  continued  on  his  way  on  foot,  a  journey  of 
about  300  miles,  during  which  he  was  obliged 
to  swim  rivers  and  resort  to  all  sorts  of  expedi- 
ents to  avoid  the  Indians.  Arriving  at  Salt  Lake 
he  met  N.  C.  Alexander,  of  whom  he  borrowed 
$1,300;  he  spent  six  weeks  in  trading,  after 
which  Alexander  employed  him  to  come  to  Cal- 
ifornia and  bring  seventeen  mules  and  three 
trotting  horses,  and  to  conduct  all  the  ladies  of 
the  party  to  Clear  Creek;  thirty-five  days  later 
they  n»et  again  at  Sacramento.  In  1865  he 
brought  another  train  for  Alexander  from  Atchi- 


IIISTOUY    OF    .SACliAMENTO    COUMY. 


549 


son,  Kansas,  to  Salt  Lake,  and  had  exciting  times 
with  the  Indians.  During  the  following  year 
he  made  two  trips,  making  eight  in  all.  In 
August  of  the  following  year  he  started  for 
Chicago  with  a  medicine  company,  and  was 
with  them  for  eighteen  years,  traveling  during 
that  time  over  the  greater  portion  of  the  United 
States.  In  1871  Dr.  William  A.  Johnson,  of 
Chicago,  compounded  a  medicinal  remedy  under 
the  name  of  "Vigor  of  Life,''  purely  vegetable 
and  possessing  wonderful  curative  qualities. 
Our  subject  came  into  possession  of  the  copy- 
right a  few  years  later,  and,  removing  to  the 
Capital  City,  established  his  headquarters  here 
in  August,  1887,  making  this  the  distributing 
point  for  an  extensive  trade,  extending  over  the 
entire  coast.  Ee  sells  direct  to  the  trade  both 
here  and  in  the  Eastern  cities,  where  the  Vigor 
of  Life  has  already  an  established  reputation. 
Besides  employing  many  men  to  travel  through 
different  sections,  selling  and  advertising  ex- 
tensively, Mr.  Clark  gives  his  personal  attention 
to  the  business,  making  extended  trips  and 
necessarily  being  absent  from  his  office  a  con- 
siderable portion  of  the  time.  During  these 
trips  the  office  remains  in  charge  of  his  wife, 
an  estimable  lady  of  great  business  ability.  To 
any  one  who  has  the  happiness  to  meet  Mr.  and 
Mrs.  Clark  under  their  own  roof-tree  will  be 
opened  up  to  a  most  delightful  view  of  genuine 
California  hospitality. 


:ILLIAM  HENRY  ELLIS,  of  Brigiiton 
Township,  was  born  in  Kentucky,  Au- 
gust 10,  1824,  son  of  William  and 
Rachel  (McCauU)  Ellis,  the  former  a  native  of 
Kentucky  and  the  latter  of  Tennessee.  They 
were  married  in  Kentucky,  and  in  1826  moved 
to  Eugene,  Vermillion  Count}',  Indiana,  where 
the  mother  died,  in  1828.  The  great-grand- 
father of  the  subject  of  this  sketch  was  James 
Ellis,  who  had  as  brothers  John  and  William; 
his  grandfather  John  had  as  brothers  James 
and  William;  and  his  father  as   brothers  John 


I  and  James;  and  tiie  stibject  himself  had  John 
and  James  as  brothers;  and  these  were  ail  the 
male  descendants  in  the  line  mentioned.  When 
William  H.,  our  subject,  was  six  years  old  the 
family  moved  to  Parke  County,  Indiana,  across 
the  AVabash ;  and  when  he  was  eight  years  of  age 
he  was  bound  out  to  William  Brockway,  who 
lived  in  the  northern  part  of  Parke  County,  and 
was  to  give  young  Ellis  nine  months'  schooling, 
a  good  suit  of  cl(^thes  and  a  good  horse,  saddle 
and  bridle, — a  common  condition  in  those  days 
in  the  matter  of  indenture  of  orphan  children. 
The  boy  remained  with  him  until  twenty-two 
years  old,  a  rarity;  and  Mr.  Brockway  gave  him 
two  years'  schooling,  the  horse,  saddle  and  bri- 
dle and  two  or  three  suits  of  clothes.  Mr.  Ellis 
followed  the  river  several  years,  making  nine 
trips  to  New  Orleans  in  eight  years.  On  the 
second  trip  he  made  $100  net,  by  steering  the 
boat.  From  1852  to  1854  he  ran  canal  boats. 
The  first  locomotive  after  the  iirst  railroad  built 
into  Terre  Haute,  was  brought  down  by  the 
canal,  and  Mr.  Ellis  took  it  from  Lafayette  to 
Terre  Haute,  and  rode  on  it  during  the  first  trip 
it  made  from  the  latter.  The  railroad  was  then 
completed  to  a  point  only  five  miles  east  of  the 
place.  It  was  the  first  railroad  ride  Mr  Ellis 
ever  had.  He  also  boated  coal  from  Coal  Creek 
to  Lafayette  and  did  carpenter  and  joiner  work, 
which  he  learned  from  Mr.  Brockway.  He  in- 
herited a  mechanical  genius  and  also  made 
wagons  and  cabinet  furniture.  About  1848  he 
was  taken  sick  and  lost  about  §5,000  in  gold, 
and  at  the  end  of  five  years  he  was  §10  in  del)t. 
He  next  lived  in  Ottumwa,  Iowa,  two  years, 
and  then  in  Oskaloosa,  tliat  State,  until  1853. 
A  man  named  Joseph  Batton  intending  to  come 
to  California,  with  his  family,  wanted  three 
men  to  come  with  him,  and  Mr.  Ellis  joined 
him.  May  8th  they  started,  and  came  by  way 
of  Salt  Lake,  the  Humboldt,  Carson  Cailon,  and 
reached  the  summit  of  the  Sierras  October  8. 
They  proceeded  to  Grizzly  Flat,  and  there  Mr. 
Ellis  remained  until  Mr.  Batton  went  down  to 
Tuolumne  River.  He  made  shingles,  while 
another   man    took   char^re  of  the   stock.      Next 


HISTORY    OF    SACRAMENTO     COUNTY. 


be  went  to  mining  six  miles  above  Diamond 
Spring  and  followed  that  employment  tliiee 
years,  within  ten  miles  from  the  place  he  com- 
menced; sticking  to  the  old  place  proved  his 
wisdom.  He  had  good  success  in  the  winter 
time,  making  !g;2,000  to  $3,000  every  winter  and 
sinking  it  in  the  river  during  the  summer.  At 
one  time  they  were  $4,000  in  debt.  They  tore 
lip  their  flume  and  carried  it  down  the  river  a 
mile  and  got  about  $80.  They  collected  gold 
at  the  rate  of  only  fifty  to  seventy-five  cents  a 
day;  but  they  obtained  $4,080  one  day,  and  Mr. 
Elllis  at  once  went  to  Flacerville  and  secured 
the  coin,  and  returned  and  paid  off  his  debts, 
and  then  they  had  $8  apiece.  After  accumulat- 
ing $200  or  $300  he  came  into  the  Sacramento 
Valley  and  entered  160  acres  of  land,  put  in 
a  crop  and  began  improving  the  place.  When 
he  came  there  it  was  a  wild  place.  There  was 
no  house  within  a  mile,  and  there  was  not  200 
acres  of  land  fenced  within  four  miles.  Mr. 
Ellis  worked  at  carpentering  a  great  deal  and  at 
repairing  wagons,  etc.,  at  which  he  made  $5  to 
$12  a  day.  On  the  night  of  July  7,  1880,  he 
went  to  Sacramento  with  a  load  of  hay,  return- 
ing home  about  eight  o'clock  in  the  evening. 
Just  as  he  opened  the  bars  a  tramp  stepped  out 
of  a  place  of  concealment,  the  horses  became 
frightened  and  ran  away,  dragging  the  wagon 
over  Mr.  Ellis  and  knockin;:  him  senseless.  His 
wife  was  not  at  home,  and  he  lay  there  all  night. 
Although  it  was  four  days  before  he  became  fully 
sensible,  the  next  morning  he  arose,  went  into 
the  lionse  and  told  the  parties  there  to  go  to  work. 
He  suffered  no  pain  for  a  month,  but  he  has  not 
seen  a  well  day  since.  His  splendid  constitution 
enabled  hitn  to  recover  so  far  as  he  has,  although 
the  doctors  thought  he  would  die.  He  received 
no  injury  below  his  shoulders.  He  possesses  re- 
markable good  judgment,  as  his  career  shows. 
His  memory  is  good  and. he  relates  many  in- 
teresting anecdotes.  July  8,  1858,  he  married 
Miss  Nancy  Elizabeth  Pressley,  a  native  of 
Tennessee,  and  reared  in  Missouri.  Her  father 
died  when  she  was  an  infant,  and  she  also  lost 
her  mother  when  young  and  was  bound  out  with 


her  brother  to  a  man  named  Neal  in  Missouri. 
She  lived  with  him  until  she  was  nearly  twenty 
years  of  age.  In  1857  she  came  with  some 
triends  overland  to  California.  They  lived  with 
Mr.  Bell  until  October  27,  1858,  when  they 
moved  to  the  present  place,  where  they  have 
ever  since  resided.  When  Mr.  Ellis'  first  child 
was  an  infant  his  wife  was  taken  sick,  and  she 
has  been  an  invalid  ever  since.  Tliey  have  five 
children:  Urania  Ann,  born  April  12,  1859, 
now  the  wife  of  George  Casey,  and  living  in 
Sacramento;  Sarah  Louisa,  born  November  29, 
1860,  now  the  wife  of  Arthur  B.  Casey,  and 
living  in  Brighton  Township;  James  Franklin, 
born  October  14,  1862;  John  Grant,  born  Feb- 
ruary 20,  1865;  and  William  Sherman,  born 
February  7,  1867.  Urania  Ann  has  four  chil- 
dren, namely:  William  George,  Elfie  Amber, 
Bertha  and  Frank;  and  Louisa  also  has  four; 
Ainanda  Elizabeth,  Jesse  Sylvester,  Vina  May 
and  Nora. 

'^^^®W^ 

tON.  WILLIAM  EVERMONT  BRYAN 
was  born  in  Kentucky  October  29,  1821; 
resided  in  Campbell  County  until  thirty- 
two  years  old,  except  one  winter  he  spent  in 
Indiana,  when  he  emigrated  to  California  with 
ox  teams.  After  a  long  and  tedious  trip  of 
seven  months  he  ai'rived  in  El  Dorado  County  in 
September,  1853.  After  a  few  days  of  non- 
success  at  mining,  he  turned  his  attention  to 
freighting  to  the  mines  and  mining  towns,  first 
with  horse  teams  and  later  with  ox  teams  and 
lastly  with  mules  and  horse  teams,  which  busi- 
ness he  continued  during  the  gold  and  silver 
excitement  of  Nevada,  and  until  the  railroad 
crossed  the  Sierras,  in  1867,  when  he  sold  most 
of  his  teams  and  turned  his  attention  to  farm- 
ing and  sheep-raising.  In  the  meantime  he 
located  on  the  Folsom  grant,  thirteen  miles 
from  Sacramento,  and  purchased  4,200  acres. 
Continued  in  the  sheep  business  with  the 
sons  until  1876,  when  he  divided  the  land 
among    his     four    children.      Mr.     Bryan    was 


HISTORY    UF    SACRAMENTO    COUNTY. 


married  October  21,  1845,  to  Miss  Mary  Gregg 
Herndon,  also  a  native  of  Kentucky.  There 
were  five  children:  Mrs.  Maggie  C.  Morris,  a 
native  of  Kentucky,  born  August  21,  1846, 
Alonzo  W.,  a  native  of  Kentucky,  born  Sep- 
tember 30,  1848;  Elijah  H.,  also  a  native  of 
Kentucky,  born  December  20,  1850;  Mary  D., 
born  also  in  Kentucky,  and  William  Y.  Bryan, 
a  native  of  California,  born  August  3,  1855. 
Mr.  Bryan  in  early  life  was  a  Whig,  but  has 
since  inclined  to  the  Independent  party,  which, 
in  1873,  elected  him  a  member  of  the  Assem- 
bly, where  he  served  one  term  with  distinction. 
He  lias  always  taken  an  active  part  in  public 
affairs.  In  September,  1880,  he  removed  to 
Alameda,  where  he  has  since  made  his  home. 
During  his  residence  in  that  city  he  was  twice 
elected  a  member  of  the  board  of  city  trustees, 
and  was  sought  after  to  again  take  a  seat,  but 
owing  to  pressure  of  business  and  other  arrange- 
ments declined. 


fEORGE  ALLEN  STOUDAKD,  mechani- 
cal engineer  and  draughtsman  at  the  shops 
of  the  Southern  Pacific  Company  at  Sac- 
ramento, who  has  been  intimately  connected 
with  the  development  of  the  mechanical  depart- 
ment of  the  company  from  its  infancy,  was  born 
at  Brattleboro,  Vermont,  in  November,  1833. 
His  father  was  a  well-to-do  farmer,  of  Scotch 
ancestry,  his  mother  being  of  English  descent. 
He  graduated  at  the  high  school  in  his  sixteenth 
year,  and  after  one  season  on  a  farm  and  a  term 
in  the  academy,  he,  in  the  fall  of  1850,  entered 
a  machine  shop  at  Hinsdale,  New  Hampshire; 
but  when  only  a  few  months  at  work  he  received 
an  injury  that  disabled  him  for  manual  labor. 
He  at  once  went  to  teaching  school  until  he  was 
able  to  return  to  the  shop  and  finish  his  first 
year,  for  which  the  wages  were  $5  a  month  and 
board.  He  then  entered  a  shop  at  Brattelboro, 
as  he  could  see  a  wider  range  for  improvement. 
Here  he  remained  for  fifteen  months,  and  then 
turned  his  attetition  to  railroad  work,  in  Febrn- 


arj',  1853,  entering  the  shops  of  the  Connecticut 
River  Railroad  at  Northampton,  Massachusetts, 
under  Master  Mechanic  John  Mulligan,  at  $1  a 
day,  which,  during  the  following  year  was  in- 
creased •'o  $1.50,  the  full  wages  for  journeymen. 
Mr.  Mulligan  seeing  that  young  Stoddard  was 
ambitious  and  willing  to  work,  and  finding  him 
good  at  figures  and  general  mechanics,  took 
great  interest  in  him.  The  shop  had  no  draughts- 
man, but  needed  one.  Mr.  Mulligan,  to  test 
the  young  man's  ability,  requested  him  to  make 
designs  for  changes  in  the  engine  SpringSeld, 
which  it  was  desired  to  rebuild.  This  he  did  at 
his  home  evenings,  and  the  plans  were  submitted 
to  the  president  of  the  road,  which  after  thor- 
ough examination  he  returned  approved.  Stod- 
dard was  at  once  installed  as  draughtsman,  a 
position  he  retained  and  tilled  satisfactorily  until 
1860,  going  on  the  road  for  a  while,  in  order  to 
study  practically  the  workings,  of  the  "great 
iron  horse."  He  had  been  making  the  working 
plans  for  the  company  for  about  a  year  before 
ever  having  any  instruction  in  drawing,  when 
by  the  advice  of  the  master  mechanic  he  attended 
night  school,  under  a  most  excellent  designer. 
In  June,  1860,  he  decided  to  come  to  California, 
influenced  mostly  by  the  rigorous  climate  of 
New  England.  Accordingly,  in  company  with 
S.  H.  Gerrish,  one  of  his  shop-mates,  he  sailed 
from  New  York  on  the  steamer  Northern  Light, 
crossed  the  Isthmus  on  the  railroad,  came  up 
the  coast  on  the  Sonora,  landing  in  San  Fran- 
cisco on  the  28th  of  June,  and  on  the  30th  went 
to  work  for  E.  T.  Steen  in  a  machine  shop,  who 
induced  him  after  a  time  to  accept  a  position  ai 
engineer  in  charge  of  the  machinery  for  a  quartz 
mill  in  which  he  was  interested,  to  be  erected 
near  Virginia  city,  Nevada.  After  seeing  this 
in  working  order  he  engaged  in  a  similar 
capacity  for  a  mill  company  at  Gold  Hill, 
where  he  remained  until  the  summer  of  1865, 
when  he  became  interested  in  a  ranch  and  min- 
ing operation  in  Calaveras  County,  California. 
Learning  that  an  old  friend  of  his — I.  H. 
Graves — was  master  mechanic  of  the  Central 
Pacific    Railroad  Works   at    Sacramento,  he  on 


HISTORY    OF    SACRAMENTO    COUNTY. 


tlie  9tli  of  June,  1866,  engaged  at  the  company's 
shops,  which  at  that  time  comprised  only  a  few 
rough  shed-like  buildings,  with  no  machinery. 
His  first  work  was  to  put  up  an  engine  and 
shafting  and  get  machine  tools  at  work,  wliich 
the  company  had  then  lying  at  the  wharf.  He 
worked  in  the  machinery  department  for  about 
two  years,  setting  up  and  running  the  various 
tools  required  in  the  work.  Then  he  became 
draughtsman,  when  A.  J.  Stevens,  in  1870, 
took  the  position  and  was  for  several  years  alone 
ill  the  office  doing  the  entire  work;  but  tlie  de- 
mands so  increased  as  to  require  at  times  from 
one  to  three  assistants.  There  have  been  con- 
structed at  the  works,  all  from  original  designs 
under  his  su]iervision,  ten  or  twelve  different 
types  of  locomotives  complete,  besides  a  large 
portion  of  the  working  apparatus  in  the  shops 
here.  The  boilers  and  entire  machinery  for  the 
two  river  boats 'Modoc  and  Apache,  also  for  the 
ferry  boat  Piedmont,  running  between  Oakland 
and  San  Francisco,  having  cylinders  57  inches 
diameter  and  14  feet  stroke,  nearly  horizontal, 
being  so  placed  to  leave  deck  clear  of  machinery. 
New  boilers  have  been  designed  for  nearly  all 
of  the  boats  used  by  Mie  company.  Another 
branch  of  the  business  has  required  and  received 
a  great  deal  of  attention,  that  is,  the  rolling- 
mill.  In  the  spring  of  1876  Mr.  Stevens  strongly 
urged  the  construction  of  a  mill,  and  was  finally 
allowed  to  have  a  small  experimental  one  de- 
signed and  put  in  operation.  It  was  located  in 
the  blacksmith  shop,  in  charge  of  Stephen  Uren, 
and  proved  a  great  success,  saving  the  company 
many  thousands  of  dollars.  In  1879  a  more 
complete  plant  was  designed,  the  one  now  in 
operation,  the  entire  designs  being  executed 
personally  by  Mr.  Stoddard,  his  own  hand 
making  every  figure  and  line.  One  singular 
fact  connected  therewith  may  be  noted,  namely, 
this  was  the  first  rolling-mill  machinery  ever 
seen  by  him,  he  working  out  the  plans  on  gen- 
eral mechanical  principles,  advising  with  Ste- 
vens and  Uren,  neither  of  whom,  however,  had 
had  any  practical  experience  in  that  direction. 
It  may  well    be   considered  a  success,  as  it  has 


been  steadily  at  work,  a  great  portion  of  the 
time  night  and  day,  since  erected,  turning  out 
more  than  10,000  tons  a  year.  In  his  political 
views  Mr.  Stoddard  is  a  Republican,  and  he  is 
a  Mason  and  Odd  Fellow  of  long  standing,  an 
amateur  photograper,  and  something  of  a  tele- 
graph operator.  He  has,  of  course,  like  most 
Californians,  been  more  or  less  interested  in 
mining  operations  and  "  has  bought  a  farm.'" 
He  was  married  in  1879  to  Mrs.  Lucy  C  H. 
Noyes,  nee  Hazelton,  a  native  of  Strafford,  Ver- 
mont, and  daughter  of  Deacon  Thomas  and 
Sylvia  (Kibling)  Plazelton.  The  Hazeltons 
emigrated  from  England.  Her  grandmother 
Kibling  was  Sarah  Cooledge  (before  marriage), 
a  native  of  xAshbnrnham,  Massachusetts,  a  re- 
lation to  the  well  known  Cooledge  family  of 
Boston,  Massachusetts.  She  lived  to  be  ninety- 
eight  years  old.  She  lived  to  see  the  fifth  gen- 
eration, and  at  her  death  had  103  descendants. 
Mrs.  Stoddard's  father's  family  consisted  of  six 
sons  and  six  daughters.  She  has  three  sisters 
and  two  brothers  residing  in  Stafford,  Vermont; 
one  sister  married  Amos  Morrill,  brother  to 
Senator  Morrill,  of  Vermont.  Two  l)rothers 
and  one  sister  live  in  Barnett,  Vermont.  H.  J. 
Hazelton,  M.  D.,  a  brother,  has  been  a  practicing 
physician  there  over  twenty  years.  The  sister 
married  John  S.  T.  Wallace,  a  merchant  at  that 
place.  The  youngest  brother,  Walter  S.  Hazel- 
ton, is  a  merchant  at  Elkhart,  Indiana.  She 
has  two  children  living  by  her  former  marriage. 
Charles  T.  Noyes,  the  eldest,  is  a  mechanical 
engineer,  at  work  in  the  office  with  Mr.  Stod . 
dard.  The  youngest,  Frederick  B.  JVoyes,  re- 
sides in  Nicolaus,  California.  Mrs.  Stoddard 
came  to  California  in  1875.  In  1876  she  called 
a  meeting  and  helped  to  organize  the  first 
"Christian  Temperance  Union"  on  the  Pacific 
coast.  In  1879  she  was  elected  on  the  Board  of 
Managers  of  the  Protestant  Orphan  Asylum; 
was  one  of  the  charter  members  of  the  i'air  Oaks 
Relief  Corps,  and  is  an  earnest  worker  in  mis- 
sionary work.  She  was  secretary  of  the  Woman's 
Board  of  Missions  (Sacramento  auxiliary),  for 
eight  years;  in    1888   was   elected   president  of 


II I  STOUT    OF    SACRAMENTO    VOUh'TT. 


the  same;  also  president  of  the  "Central  Com- 
mittee" (auxiliary  to  the  Young  Men's  Chris- 
tian Association);  to  the  Woman's  Christian 
Temperance  Union,  and  the  "  Woman's  Aid 
Society," — all  the  same  year.  She  has  been  a 
member  of  the  Congregational  Church  nearly 
thirty  years,  a  teacher  in  the  Sunday-school 
twenty-tive  years,  where  she  still  remains  an 
earnest  worker.  Truly  it  can  be  said  of  her, 
'•  She  hath  done  what  she  could." 

"* '  "^^^^  *'i^'  *;*"^*  «==j— "»- 

liOSES  SPRAGUE,  a  farmer  of  Sutter 
Township,  was  born  in  Batavia,  Gene- 
County,  New  York,  February  19, 
1820,  a  son  of  Jeremiah  and  Martha  (nee 
Sprague)  Sprague.  His  father  was  born  in 
Greenfield,  Saratoga  County,  New  York,  in 
1793.  Starting  with  his  wife  and  children,  on 
February  15,  1830,  after  a  wearisome  journey 
they  reached  the  town  of  Westfield,  Medina 
County,  Ohio,  locating  on  land  on  the  West- 
ern Reserve.  Snbsequently  he  settled  near 
Huntington,  Lorain  County,  where  he  remained 
until  April  6,  1886,  the  date  of  his  death.  His 
wife's  deatli  occurred  April  14,  1865.  During 
their  residence  in  Ohio  five  children  were  born 
to  them,  making  a  total  of  twelve,  namely:  Lucy, 
Moses,  Charles,  Ruth,  A.  J.,  Minerva,  Alonzo, 
F.  A.,  William  B.,  Louisa,  Sophia  and  Lamira. 
Of  this  number,  three  daughters  are  dead,  and 
the  remainder  of  the  family  are  scattered  in 
Ohio,  Michigan  and  California.  Mr.  Sprague, 
whose  name  heads  this  sketch,  was  brought  up 
on  a  farm;  when  eighteen  years  of  age  he  went 
to  Huron  County,  Michigan;  thence  he  traveled 
through  the  Maumee  Swamp  to  the  railroad  at 
Sylvania,  where  he  took  the  cars  for  Adrian, 
that  being  the  first  train  of  cars  he  had  ever 
seen,  except  at  a  distance.  He  remained  in 
Michigan  until  1841,  employed  in  farm  work; 
and  (one  season)  as  carpenter  and  joiner  in 
Adrian.  He  next  purchased  fifty  acres  of  land 
in  Hillsdale,  Michigan.  In  August,  1841,  he 
went    to    Steuben   County,    Indiana,    where    he 


followed  the  trade  of  carpenter  nntil  he  started 
for  California  March  18,  1852.  He  went  from 
St.  Louis  to  Council  Bluffs  on  the  steamer 
"  Robert  Campbell,"  being  eleven  days  on  the 
trip.  May  9,  1852,  the  train  crossed  the  Mis- 
souri River,  the  first  movement  on  its  long 
journey  "across  the  plains,"  arriving  in  Hang- 
town  August  27.  From  there  he  went  to  Stock- 
ton, and  after  visiting  several  points  came  to 
Sacramento  the  day  before  the  election  of  Frank- 
lin Pierce  as  President  of  the  United  States.  He 
was  permitted  to  vote  at  the  election.  He  was 
married  February  17,  1846,  to  Miss  Nancy  M. 
Smith,  who  was  born  in  Otsego  County,  New 
York,  April  14,  1821,  of  New  York  parents. 
In  March,  1854,  she  came  by  way  of  the  Nica- 
ragua route  to  California,  reaching  Sacramento 
May  6.  Until  August  following  Mr.  and  Mrs. 
Sprague  were  in  Colusa  County;  they  then 
located  upon  the  place  where  they  now  reside. 
It  contains  135  acres,  and  has  been  improved 
until  it  is  equipped  with  all  that  is  necessary 
to  make  life  comfortable.  In  1876  Mr.  Sprague 
visited  in  the  East,  meeting  his  father  and  his 
brothers  and  sisters,  but  was  willing  to  return 
to  California  to  spend  the  remainder  of  his  life. 
He  is  a  member  of  Sacramento  Grange,  No.  12, 
Patrons  of  Husbandry,  and  is  still  an  active  and 
busy  man,  prospering  in  the  vocation  of  farm- 
ing and  dairying.  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Sprague  have 
a  family  of  three  children,  namely:  Helen  L, 
now  Mrs.  E.  W.  Brainard,  of  Sacramento 
County,  California;  Frederick  D.,  of  Seattle, 
Washington,  and  Hattie  S.,  widow  of  Hugh 
C.  Jones,  of  Sutter  County,  California. 


->^f) 


fEORGE  G.  DAVIS,  attorney  atlaw,  of  the 
firm  of  Hart  &  Davis,  Sacramento,  was 
born  in  Nevada  County,  California,  Janu- 
ary 21,  1858.  His  father,  Aaron  Davis,  crossed 
the  plains  from  Wisconsin,  in  1849,  and  was 
engaged  in  tnining  at  Park  Bar,  Yuba  County; 
and  in  connection  with  his  partner.  Captain 
Richardson,  is  said   to  have  hail  the  largest  find 


HISTORY    OP    SACRAMENTO    COUNTY. 


of  gold  that  was  ever  discovered  iu  one  pocket, 
it  being  sixty-three  pounds.  When  George  G. 
was  nine  years  old,  his  parents  moved  to  Sierra 
Valley,  Sierra  County,  where  they  still  live. 
Here  he  was  educated,  graduating  at  the  gram- 
mar schools,  then  the  highest  grade  in  the 
county.  For  two  years  after  graduating  he 
taught  school  in  Sierra  Yalley,  Sierra  County. 
Being  desirous,  however,  of  entering  one  of  the 
professions,  and  his  predilection  being  toward 
thai  of  the  law,  he  gave  up  teaching,  and,  com- 
ing to  Sacramento,  entered  the  law  office  of 
Armstrong  &  Hinkson,  then  one  of  the  most 
prominent  firms  of  tlie  city.  Here  he  prose- 
cuted his  studies  with  energy  and  determina- 
tion, and  in  1885  was  admitted  to  practice 
before  the  Supreme  Court  of  California.  In 
1886  he  received  the  nomination  for  justice  of 
the  peace  on  the  Republican  ticket,  and  was 
elected  by  a  handsome  majority.  On  the  ex- 
piration of  his  term  of  office  in  1888,  he  formed 
a  partnership  with  E.  C.  Hart,  ex-city  attorney. 
Mr.  Davis  is  one  of  the  rising  lawyers  of  Sac- 
ramento, and  he  and  his  partner  enjoy  the  con- 
fidence and  esteem  of  the  public;  and  his  friends 
confidently  predict  that  at  no  distant  day  he  will 
be  one  of  the  shining  lights  of  the  Sacramento 
bar.  Mr.  Davis  has  been  prominently  connected 
with  the  Sacramento  Hussars,  and  has  enjoyed 
the  distinction  of  having  been  First  Lieutenant 
and  Captain  of  that  company  of  soldiers;  is 
also  a  member  of  the  Sunset  Parlor  of  the  Na- 
tive Sons  of  the  Golde  i  West,  and  of  Eureka 
Lodge,  No.  4,  of  Odd  Fellows. 


^«®"i)^'^-- 


fAMES  U.  SULLIVAN  was  born  in  Mon- 
treal, Canada,  in  1830,  but  of  an  American 
family.  When  but  a  little  shaver  his 
father  removed  to  New  Jersey,  and  in  New 
York  city,  adjoining,  Mr.  Sullivan  learned  the 
cooper  trade.  Upon  hearing  the  electrifying 
news  of  the  gold  discoveries  in  California  he 
took  passage  for  the  voyage  round  Cape  Horn, 
on   the  ship  "Balance,"  of  which  John  L.  Dur- 


kee,  a  well-known  resident  in  San  Francisco, 
was  mate.  The  passengers  numbered  thirty 
persons,  one  of  them  being  W.  K.  Hopping, 
sheriff"  of  Shasta  County,  and  a  leading  man  of 
the  northern  part  of  the  State.  The  voyage 
was  made  without  serious  mishap,  and  the 
Golden  Gate  was  reached  September  4,  1849. 
Mr.  Sullivan  started  at  boat-repairing,  at  the 
prevailing  high  rate  of  wages,  and  a  month 
later  went  at  his  trade  of  coopering.  He  was 
succeeding  well,  owning  a  considerable  piece  of 
land  on  Montgomery  street,  between  Sacra- 
mento and  California  streets,  with  houses  upon 
it  that  were  bringing  in  very  comfortable  rent- 
als. The  big  fire  of  May,  1850,  burned  bim  out, 
however,  and,  discouraged  by  the  disaster,  he 
sold  the  land  for  $1,200,  which  to-day  is  very 
valuable.  He  then  went  to  the  mines,  and  at 
Coloma  succeeded  well,  so  well,  in  fact,  that  after 
three  months' time,  thinking  he  had  made  enough 
to  satisfy  himself  for  the  remainder  of  his  days, 
he  decided  to  return  East  and  enjoy  life.  The 
route  chosen  was  by  way  of  Panama.  On  the 
voyage,  however,  the  vessel  was  disabled  npon 
the  coast  of  Mexico,  and  taken  in  this  condition 
to  Acapulco.  Here  Mr.  Sullivan  fell  in  with 
other  adventurous  spirits,  and  with  them  went 
to  Nicaragua,  then  a  very  favorite  route  for 
passengers.  Having  plenty  of  means  at  their 
command  they  secured  a  monopoly  of  the  trans- 
portation of  passengers,  and  also  dealt  extens- 
ively in  horses  and  cattle.  During  the  year 
they  spent  at  this  they  made  money  very  fast, 
and  seemed  in  a  fair  way  of  "heeling"  them- 
selves for  life.  One  of  the  party  was  a  rogue, 
however.  By  knavery  he  managed  to  get  hold 
of  all  the  money  belonging  to  the  company,  and 
got  away  with  it.  This  left  them  almost  bank- 
rupt, and  when  just  after  this  time  the  Pacific 
Mail  Company,  which  was  running  to  Panama, 
managed  to  buy  off"  Vanderbilt,  who  was  run- 
ning to  Nicaragua,  this  capped  the  climax. 
With  $500,  which  was  all  Mr.  Sullivan  saved 
from  the  wreck,  he  turned  his  face  again  Cali- 
fornia-ward, came  at  once  to  Sacramento,  and 
has  been  since  that  time  prominently  identified 


HISTORY    OF    SACllAMENTO    COUNTY. 


with  tlie  city's  best  interests.  This  was  in  1851. 
He  opened  a  cooper  shop  at  once,  and  continued 
in  this  business  until  1856,  when  he  was  elected 
city  treasurer.  Two  years  later  he  was  appointed 
Deputy  State  Comptroller,  holding  this  office 
until  lie  resigned,  to  resume  coopering.  In 
1866  he  befame  deputy  sheriff;  in  1868  was 
chosen  under-sheriff,  and  from  1870  to  1872 
was  manager  of  the  sheriff's  ofiice.  After  that 
he  made  contracts  for  public  improvements, 
performing  much  of  the  work  done  in  raising 
the  grade  of  the  streets  between  that  time  and 
1882.  In  that  year  he  opened  his  well-known 
and  leading  real  estate  and  insurance  office,  first 
at  the  northwest  corner  of  Fourth  and  J  streets, 
and  afterward  at  1007  Fourth  street,  where  he 
has  since  conducted  a  large  business.  Mr.  Sul- 
livan^ was  married  in  Sacramento  August  9, 
1859,  to  Miss  Emma  Anderson.  They  have 
five  children,  four  girls  and  one  boy.  Their 
names  are  as  follows:  Julia  C,  Sophie  E.,  Alice 
F.,  Lizzie  J.  and  Robert  W.  His  handsome 
residence  on  the  southwest  corner  of  Fifteenth 
and  H  streets,  in  the  heart  of  the  best  residence 
quarter  of  the  city,  is  one  of  the  linest  and  most 
comfortal)le  to  be  found  anywhere. 

— "^^^WP^ — 

i^^)  i--  WISE.— Among  the  self-made  men 
/  7  V  now  prominent  in  business  and  manu- 
^¥i;3,^^'  facturing  circles  of  Sacramento  is  the 
gentleman  whose  name  lieads  this  sketch,  who 
was  born  in  Richland  County,  Ohio,  April  26, 
1846.  His  father,  Hon.  Jacob  Wise,  was  born 
in  Cumberland  County,  Pennsylvania,  and  was 
the  son  of  a  gentleman  whose  father  had  come 
from  Germany  and  located  there.  He  learned 
the  carpenter's  trade.  He  removed  to  Ohio, 
and  then  followed  farming.  He  was  an  active 
man,  and  figured  largely  in  political  history 
there.  The  mother  of  the  subject,  whose 
maiden  name  was  Lydia  Hibbard,  was  born  in 
Berks  County,  Pennsylvania.  M.  L.  Wise  was 
but  eighteen  months  old  when  his  parents  re- 
moved to  Fayette,  Fulton  County,  Ohio,  where 


he  spent  his  boyhood  days.  The  breaking  out 
of  the  civil  war  roused  in  the  youth  the  patriotic 
ardor,  and  in  the  spring  of  1861,  though  a  mere 
boy  in  years,  he  enlisted  in  the  service  of  the 
United  States.  Going  to  Camp  Chase,  Colum- 
bus, he  was  assigned  to  Company  K,  Thirty- 
eighth  Ohio  Volunteer  Infantry.  After  organi- 
zation they  proceeded  to  Camp  Dennison,  thence 
to  St.  Louis,  and  from  there  marched  to  Crab 
Orchard  and  Corinth.  His  first  battle  was  at 
Perryville,  Kentucky,  and  he  took  part  in  the 
engagements  of  Corinth,  Triune  and  Murfrees- 
boro,  the  latter  on  the  22d  of  July.  He  was 
engaged  at  Chickamauga,  and  after  the  rendez- 
vous at  Ringgold,  Georgia,  proceeded  on  the 
inarch  to  Atlanta,  and  was  engaged,  among 
others,  at  the  battles  of  Dalton,  Atlanta,  Jones- 
boro.  Buzzard's  Roost  and  TuUahoma.  He  was 
wounded  three  times  at  Jonesboro,  in  the  left 
arm,  left  breast  and  head,  and  was  taken  from 
the  field  to  Atlanta.  He  was  next  sent  to 
Nashville,  and  from  there  to  Jeffersonville,  In- 
diana, where  he  lay  in  hospital  for  three  weeks. 
He  was  after  this  sent  to  Camp  Dennison,  and 
was  there  discharged  on  the  18th  of  June,  1865, 
having  served  honorably  throughout  the  entire 
war.  He  was  in  the  Third  Brigade,  Third  Di- 
vision of  the  celebrated  Fourteenth  Army  Corps, 
under  General  George  H.  Thomas.  He  went 
to  Cincinnati  after  his  discharge,  and  from  there 
home.  There  he  remained  until  September  12, 
1868,  when  he  started  for  California  via  New 
York  and  Panama.  He  left  New  York  on  the 
iHst  opposition  steamer,  October  5,  1868,  and 
crossing  the  Isthmus,  took  passage  on  the 
steamer  Santiago  de  Cuba,  for  San  Francisco, 
where  he  landed  October  30,  1868.  He  came 
to  Sacramento  and  went  to  work  for  his  brother, 
W.  E.  Wise,  on  the  following  Monday  morning, 
to  learn  the  blacksmith's  trade.  He  remained 
with  his  brother  nine  years  and  a  half,  then  en- 
gaged in  business  for  himself  at  the  Telegraph 
Shops,  on  J  street,  between  Thirteenth  and 
Fourteenth.  On  the  1st  of  October,  1877,  he 
purchased  a  lease  on  the  property  on  the  corner 
of  Eleventh  and  J  streets,  and  the  linn  of  Wise 


HISTORY    OF    SAGHAMENTO    COUNTY. 


&  McNair  was  organized  and  commenced  busi- 
ness tliere.  In  the  fall  of  1879  Mr.  Wise  bought 
his  partner's  interest,  and  has  since  carried  on 
the  business  alone.  He  has  made  many  im- 
provements on  this  property,  the  latest  being 
a  large  painting  department,  40  x  40  feet  in 
ground  area,  and  two  stories  in  heiglit.  He  has 
a  frontage  of  forty  feet  on  J  street,  and  160  feet 
on  Eleventh  street.  He  has  built  up  an  exten- 
sive trade  in  the  lines  of  blacksmithing,  carriage 
and  wagon-making  and  carriage  painting,  and 
gives  constant  employment  to  from  twelve  to 
fifteen  skilled  workmen.  Mr.  Wise  was  married 
in  Sacramento  County,  on  the  20th  of  October, 
1875,  to  Miss  Alice  P.  Taylor,  who  was  born  in 
this  county,  and  is  a  daughter  of  J.  B.  and  Ann 
E.  Taylor,  a  sketch  of  whom  appears  in  ex- 
tended detail  in  another  portion  of  this  work. 
Mr.  and  Mrs.  Wise  have  one  child.  Miss  Me- 
linda  Belle.  Mr.  Wise  is  a  member  of  Sumner 
Post,  ISTo.  3.  (t.  a.  R.  He  is  one  of  the  active, 
pushing  men  of  Sacramento,  and  is  deserving 
of  much  credit  for  the  fine  showing  he  has 
made  in  a  business  way  in  this  city. 


i.>^^. 


fEORGE  PYBURN,  M.  D.,  Eleventh  and 
H  streets,  Sacramento,  has  been  a  practic- 
ing physician  here  since  1878,  at  which 
time  he  first  came  to  California  from  the  State 
of  Colorado,  where  he  had  been  located  for  some 
time.  He  was  born  in  Newcastle-on-Tyne, 
England,  March  31,  1831.  His  father  died 
while  he  was  still  young,  and  he  had  to  "go  to 
work  "  early,  in  order  to  earn  at  least  a  part  of 
his  living.  At  the  age  of  fourteen  he  entered 
the  ofiice  of  John  and  Benjamin  Green,  archi- 
tects and  civil  enginieers,  and  at  eighteen  was 
"articled,"  or  apprenticed,  to  them  for  three 
years  to  learn  the  "  art  and  mysteries  "  of  that 
profession.  After  the  completion  of  his  seven 
years  of  actual  apprenticeship,  he  worked  for 
other  firms  as  clerk  and  draughtsman,  ulti- 
mately going  to  Reading,  in  the  south  of  Eng- 
land.     Being    desirous,    however,    of   studying 


medicine,  he  came,  in  1854,  to  Toronto,  Canada, 
where  he  had  the  opportunity  of  a  favorable 
situation,  in  which  he  could  earn  something 
whereby  to  defray  his  expenses  while  studying. 
The  situation  was  that  of  assistant  in  the  otfice 
of  Cumberland  &  Storm,  architects  and  design- 
ers of  the  beautilul  Toronto  University,  in 
Queen's  Park.  Saving  up  meanwhile  sufficient 
means  to  pay  his  fees,  etc.,  he  went  to  the  West- 
ern College  of  Homeopathy  at  Cleveland,  Ohio, 
where  he  graduated  in  1859.  Previous  to  this, 
however,  he  had  practiced  some  in  Port  Hope, 
Canada,  where,  to  quote  the  words  of  an  ably 
written  notice  in  a  record  of  prominent  homeo- 
pathic physicians,  he  had  the  honor,  if  not  the 
profit,  of  introducing  homeopathy,  in  1857-'58. 
After  receiving  the  degree  of  M.  D.  at  Cleve- 
land, he  traveled — or  as  he  prefers  to  say, 
"  roamed"-— through  the  United  States,  sojourn- 
ing in  various  cities  for  periods  of  various 
length.  Besides  others,  he  was  in  Indianapo- 
lis, Cincinnati,  Louisville,  Nashville,  New  York 
and  Washington,  engaged  perhaps  quite  as 
much  in  literary  labor  as  in  the  practice  of 
njed'cine.  While  in  Cincinnati,  besides  con- 
tributing to  the  daily  press,  he  became  associate 
editor  of  the  Scientific  Artisan,  a  weekly  jour- 
nal published  by  the  American  Patent  Company 
and  occupying  a  similar  position  in  the  West 
to  that  of  the  Scientific  American  in  the  East. 
In  1864  he  settled  in  Indiana,  first  at  Shellby- 
ville  and  later  at  Logansport,  where  he  remained 
for  over  six  years  and  built  up  a  large  practice, 
establishing  a  reputation  for  ability  and  success. 
He  then  became  interested  in  the  Union  Col- 
ony, founded  by  the  late  Father  Meeker;  and 
in  1870  he  went  to  Colorado.  There,  besides 
endeavoring  to  lay  a  practical  foundation  for  a  * 
treatise  supplementary  to  Horace  Greeley's 
"What  I  Know  About  Farming,"  by  raising 
potatoes  for  the  Doryphora  decernlineata  and 
other  "  truck  "  for  the  Caloptenns  spretus  and 
two  per  cent,  a  month  for  the  gold-bugs,  he  laid 
out  irrigation  ditches,  hunted  "  Government 
corners"  and  antelopes,  felt  pulses,  ordered 
pills  and  set  bones,  seciindeni  artem.      Remov- 


IIISTOMV    OF    SACRAMENTO    COUNTT. 


ing,  in  1875,  from  Greeley  to  Georgetown,  a 
prosperous  mining  camp  in  the  Rockies  at  an 
altitude  of  over  8.000  feet,  he  devoted  himself 
entirely  to  the  practice  of  his  profession  and  the 
study  of  botany,  that  region  being  peculiarly 
rich  in  its  flora.  From  that  point,  in  1878,  he 
came  to  Sacramento,  as  already  stated.  From 
youth  the  Doctor  has  been  a  rigorous  investiga- 
tor into  the  secrets  of  nature,  and  is  known 
among  his  acquaintances  as  an  assiduous  culti- 
vator of  science  and  a  successful  physician. 
While  living  in  Toronto  he  was  made,  when 
only  twenty-four  years  old,  a  member  of  the 
Canadian  Institute,  a  body  composed  of  the 
leading  scientific  and  literary  minds  of  that 
country.  In  1872  he  was  elected  a  member  of 
the  Indiana  Institute  of  Homeopathy;  he  is  also 
a  member  of  the  American  Society  ofMicros- 
copists.  As  a  writer,  the  Doctor  is  an  author 
of  merit,  being  a  contributor  to  the  Popular 
Science  Monthly  and  other  journals,  medical 
and  scientific.  His  article  a  short  time  since  in 
the  Popular  Science  Morthly,  on  "Home- 
made Telescopes,"  attracted  great  attention  on 
account  of  its  practical  value.  He  has  also  pub- 
lished a  number  of  minor  brochures  o'n  various 
medical  and  scientific  subjects,  which  have  had 
wide  circulation  and  marked  popular  eflPect, 
nutaljjy  his  publications  on  homeopathy.  As  a 
botanist,  he  is  an  indefatigable  collector.  As 
such,  his  labors  at  present  are  mainly  directed 
to  the  formation  of  an  herbarium  for  the  Cali- 
fornia Museum  Association  of  Sacramento,  of 
which  body  he  is  one  of  the  founders  and 
directors.  Being  also  an  enthusiastic  mineralo- 
gist, he  was  employed  to  prepare  the  catalogue 
of  the  State  mineral  cabinet,  now  in  tiie  lecture- 
room  of  the  E.  B.  Crocker  Art  Gallery,  and  is 
one  of  the  three  truitees  of  that  treasure.  The 
Doctor  also  takes  much  pleasure  in  microscopes, 
telescopes  and  other  optical  instriitnants.  Lastly, 
he  is  p.  theoretical  musician,  and,  as  he  says,  he 
'•  extracts  much  honey  from  harmony,  and  mel- 
lifluous ineloJiej  incite  medicating  motions  in 
the  atoms  which  go  to  make  up  his  be(e)ing!" 
In  conclusion,  it  should  be  said  that  Dr.  Pyburn 


is  a  self-made  man,  in  the  typical  and  American 
sense  of  tiie  term.  He  has  made  his  way  and  a 
name  for  himself  against  odds  that  would  have 
discouraged  most  men.  As  a  physician  he  has 
had  quite  flattering  success,  and  wherever  he 
has  been  he  has  alwa3'8  had  as  large  a  practice 
as  he  cared  to  attend  to.  About  a  year  after 
his  arrival  in  Sacramento  he  was  appointed 
physician  and  superintendent  of  the  county 
hospital,  and  held  that  oflice  until  the  wheel  of 
politics  and  "other  things"  "let  him  out!" 
For  two  years,  from  1879  to  1881,  he  was  also 
a  member  of  the  city  board  of  health,  being 
secretary  of  that  body  during  the  latter  year. 

1^  D.  STEPHENS,  Posttnaster,  Sacramento, 
fM\  and  one  of  the  best  known  citizens  of 
^Cv  Central  California,  is  a  native  of  Fulton 
County,  Illinois,  born  April  14,  1837.  Nathan 
Stephens,  father  of  the  subject  of  this  sketch, 
was  born  in  Steuben  County,  New  York,  and 
came  of  an  old  Eastern  family.  He  was  married 
in  New  York  State,  to  Miss  Alba  C.  Bostwick, 
and  they  afterward  removed  to  the  neighbor- 
hood of  Canton,  Illinois.  They  removed  to 
Peoria  County,  Illinois,  and  there  in  1841  his 
wife  died.  In  April,  1849,  the  family  started 
for  California  with  two  teams.  They  crossed 
the  Missouri  River  at  St.  Joseph,  continued  the 
trip  by  the  old  overland  trail,  by  Sublette's  cut- 
off", and  by  the  Carson  route  into  California, 
arriving  at  Weaverville  on  the  16th  of  October, 
1849.  They  wintered  a  mile  and  a  half  from 
there,  on  Weaver  Creek,  and  that  winter  en- 
gaged in  surface  mining.  In  February,  1850, 
they  started  for  the  valley  country  for  the  pur- 
pose of  locating  land,  stopping  three  weeks  at 
Rliodes'  Diggings  (more  recently  Prairie  City). 
On  the  1st  of  April  they  located  nine  miles 
from  Sacramento,  in  Brighton  Township,  on  the 
Anierican  River,  and  this  location  proved  to  be 
a  very  valuable  one.  There  the  elder  Stephens 
put  up  a  hotel  and  conducted  it  until  the  time 
of  his  death,  which  occurred  January  25,  1875. 


HISTORY    OF    8AGRAMENT0    COUNT y. 


He  was  a  Democrat  politically,  and  always  took 
an  active  interest  in  public  affairs.  Of  his 
children,  five  are  living,  viz.:  Mrs.  Jane  E. 
Eooker,  of  Fresno;  Mrs.  Hebecca  Yandersloot, 
of  Farinington,  Illinois;  Jerome,  of  Fresno; 
Mrs.  A.  M.  Hood,  of  Sacramento,  and  E.  D. 
Stepliens,  subject  of  this  sketch.  Nathan 
Stephens  was  a  member  of  the  society  of  Cali- 
fornia Pioneers,  and  was  a  prominent  Mason. 
R.  D.  Stephens,  with  whose  name  this  sketch 
commences,  crossed  the  plains  with  his  father 
at  the  age  of  twelve  years,  and  is  therefore  a 
pioneer.  He  was  reared  to  manhood  in  this 
county,  and  his  first  schooling  in  California  was 
received  at  Brighton,  which  was  three  miles 
from  his  home.  Later,  however,  he  had  the 
opportunity  to  attend  school  nearer  home.  He 
is,  to  a  large  extent,  however,  a  self-educated 
man.  He  was  reared  to  farm  life,  and  when  he 
was  twenty  engaged  in  running  a  threshing- 
machine.  After  about  four  or  five  years  he 
bought  one  of  his  own,  and  carried  on  business 
with  it  successfully.  In  the  fall  of  1859  he 
made  his  first  entree  into  politics,  and  was  then 
elected  constable  for  Brighton  Township.  In 
1869  he  was  elected  to  the  Legislature  of  Cali- 
fornia, and  served  in  the  session  of  1869-'70. 
He  was  warrant  clerk  in  the  State  Controller's 
oflace  from  1875  to  1880,  and  in  1882  was  a 
candidate  before  the  convention  of  the  Demo- 
cratic party  fur  the  office  of  Controller  of  State. 
He  was  elected  to  the  State  Constitutional  Con- 
vention of  1879,  and  took  an  active  part  in  the 
work  of  that  important  body.  On  the  21st  of 
September,  1885,  he  was  appointed  by  Presi- 
dent Cleveland  to  the  ottice  of  postmaster  of 
Sacramento,  and  assumed  his  new  duties  on  the 
lit  of  November.  It  is  due  Mr.  Stephens  to 
say  that  lie  has  made  a  splendid  record  in  this 
otfice,  which  has  attracted  wide-spread  attentioti 
under  his  management,  and  many  times  elicited 
the  compliments  of  the  Department,  whose 
officials  say  that  there  is  not  a  better  conducted 
ofiice  in  the  United  States  than  that  of  Sacra- 
mento, under  Mr.  Stephens.  He  has  intro- 
duced   several    innovations    in    the    methods  of 


handling  and  distributing  mails,  which  have 
been  to  the  great  advantage  of  the  business 
men  and  public  generally.  Mr.  Stephens  is 
one  of  the  best  known  fruit-growers  in  Central 
California,  and  he  has  achieved  great  success  in 
this  line.  On  his  place  of  about  100  acres  he 
has  seventy  acres  in  orchard,  and  twenty  acres 
in  vineyard.  His  grapes  are  of  the  finest  varie- 
ties and  are  splendidly  cared  for,  the  result 
being  that  they  bring  prices  ranging  from  30 
to  40  per  cent,  higher  than  any  grapes  shipped 
from  California.  The  orchard  is  composed  of 
carefully  selected  4;rees,  and  no  trouble  or  ex- 
pense is  spared  in  obtaining  the  best  possible 
results.  As  a  result  the  yield  of  the  various 
fruits  is  far  above  the  average,  while  the  prices 
brought  are  the  highest,  and  the  goods  are 
always  in  demand,  even  on  a  full  market.  One 
of  the  most  important  features  about  this  in- 
teresting place  is  the  irrigating  plant,  which  is 
a  wonderful  affair  for  a  private  ranch.  This 
can  be  understood  when  it  is  stated  that  the 
plant  has  a  maximum  capacity  for  throwing 
17,000  gallons  of  water  per  minute.  Mr. 
Stephens  is  generally  recognized  as  the  wheel- 
horse  of  the  Democratic  organization  in  this 
portion  of  the  State,  and  certainly  no  man  has 
done  more  toward  contributing  to  its  success. 
An  active,  pushing  man,  he  enjoys  an  extensive 
acquaintance  and  great  personal  popularity  with 
the  masses,  and  withal  possesses  powers  of 
leadership  and  organization  which  render  his 
services  of  inestimable  benefit  to  his  party. 


JgiON.  WILLIAM  B.  HAMILTON  is  county 
^m\  clerk  now  for  the  third  term,  having  been 
tSiI  elected  to  that  ottice  for  the  first  time  in 
1885,  re-elected  in  1887  and  now  again  in  1889, 
on  the  two  latter  occasions  being  nominated  by 
acclamation  by  the  Republican  party,  and  each 
time  elected  by  majorities  running  away  ahead 
of  the  rest  of  the  ticket.  Mr.  Hamilton  was 
born  in  England  in  18-48,  of  mingled  Scotch  and 
English  parentage,  his  father  being  a  native  of 


HISTORY    OF    SAORAMENrO    COUNTY. 


tlie  "Land  o'  Heather  and  Thistle"  and  his 
mother  an  Enjrlishwoman,  but  before  he  had 
reached  the  mature  age  of  one  year,  the  family 
removed  to  America,  landing  at  New  Orleans. 
The  father  came  on  the  following  year  to  Cali- 
fornia, being  thus  an  "  Argonaut."  This  oc- 
curred in  1853,  when  Mrs.  Hamilton,  after  stay- 
ing with  friends  for  a  short  time  in  Kentucky 
and  Ohio,  rejoined  her  husband,  making  the 
journey  hy  way  of  the  Nicaragua  River.  Am- 
erican Flat,  El  Dorado  County,  was  where  the 
elder  Hamilton  was  working  and  at  that  point 
young  "  Billy,"  for  so  his  intimate  friends  know 
liim  best,  spent  the  three  years  until  1856,  when 
he  came  to  Sacramento  and  has  resided  here 
ever  since.  In  this  city  Mr.  Hamilton  received 
his  education  in  the  schools  of  the  place,  and 
tinally  became  a  student  of  law  in  the  office  of 
Coffroth  &,  Spaulding,  the  eminent  attorneys  of 
former  days.  Unfortunately  Mr.  Coffrotli's 
death  occurred  in  1874,  and  as  young  Hamilton 
was  without  means,  he  was  forced  to  take  hold 
of  the  first  thing  that  presented  itself.  He  was 
appointed  clerk  of  the  police  court  under  Judge 
W.  R.  Cantwell.  Upon  the  expiration  of  his 
term  in  1876,  he  received  the  appointment  of 
deputy  county  clerk  under  A.  A.  Wood,  and 
lield  it  under  the  succeeding  terms  of  Col.  T.  H. 
Berkey  and  C.  M.  Coglan.  At  the  expiration 
of  the  latter  gentleman's  term  in  1884,  Mr. 
Hamilton  received  the  nomination  upon  the  Re- 
publican ticket,  and  was  elected  by  the  handsome 
majority  of  1,301  votes.  Again,  in  1886  he  was 
the  unanimous  choice  of  his  party  and  was 
elected  by  a  plurality  of  3,000;  and  now  at  the 
last  election  he  was  also  the  Republican  candi- 
date without  opposition  and  received  the  rous- 
ing majority  of  2,104.  Of  course,  he  is  a  true- 
hearted  Republican  to  the  backbone,  and  an 
enthusiastic  worker  for  the  principles  of  the 
"grand  old  party;"  but  that  does  not  hinder  liis 
great  popularity  among  men  of  the  other  faith 
as  well  as  iiis  own,  as  is  shown  by  his  enormous 
vote.  Mr.  Hamilton  is  a  member  of  the  Masons' 
order  in  high  standing,  tiie  Red  Men,  tiie  A.  O. 
U.  W.,  and  is  an  ardent  lover  of  field  sports,  at 


present  occupying  the  presidency  of  the  Forester 
Gun  Club.  Mr.  Hamilton  is  an  unmarried 
man,  but  takes  a  pleasure  in  caring  for  the 
wants  of  his  aged  parents,  both  of  whom  are 
still  alive,  and  are  now,  in  the  decline  of  life, 
enjoying  the  comforts  that  their  years  demand 
at  their  sou's  home.  As  an  indication  of  the 
kind  of  man  he  is,  we  can  relate  only  one  inci- 
dent out  of  many. 

Every  year  there  comes  to  Sacramento,  a 
bowed  and  decrepit  old  Indian.  He  was  once 
of  gigantic  frame  and  of  strength  and  energy 
corresponding,  but  the  hand  of  time  has  touched 
him,  gently  it  is  true,  yet  inefiaceably.  It  is  the 
old  chief,  Coppa-hembo  (the  name  means  bear- 
slayer),  once  the  head  of  a  powerful  tribe  that 
dwelt  in  the  foot-hills  of  the  Sierras.  Like  the 
race  in  general,  this  tribe  has  almost  disappeared, 
vice,  indolence,  fire-water  and  the  heavy  hand 
of  the  white  man  having  worked  their  ruin. 
Coppa-hembo,  an  exception  among  them  all, 
was  sober,  temperate  and  careful  and  still  lives 
in  humble  style  with  his  squaw  among  his  na- 
tive canons.  In  1854  Indians  were  numerous 
about  American  Flat,  and  among  them  several 
tribes  and  chiefs, theone  named  heading  one  tribe. 
At  that  early  day  white  boys  were  very  scarce 
in  the  mining  regions,  and  hence  little  Billy 
Hamilton,  then  a  sturdy,  independent  urchin  of 
six  years  of  age,  was  a  favorite  with  every  one, 
Indians  as  well  as  miners.  One  day  Coppa- 
hembo's  tribe  of  Indians  and  another  tribe  had 
a  dispute  over  some  cause  and  came  to  blows. 
They  were  ranged  on  opposite  sides  of  the 
mountains  near  American  Flat,  and  arrows  and 
bullets  were  flying  thick  and  fast.  Little  Billy 
heard  the  shots  and,  boy-like,  heedlessly  ran  to 
the  spot,  and  although  warned  away  by  the  In- 
dians, who  all  knew  and  liked  him,  and  who  cried 
out  "  Wheelland,  come  away,"  stayed  watching 
the  fray.  Presently  there  was  a  lull,  and  Coppa- 
hembo,  taking  advantage  of  it,  sprang  upon  a 
pine  stump  and  began  an  oration,  striving  to 
pacify  the  opposing  bands.  In  the  midst  of  the 
pacific  effort,  an  arrow  suddenly  whistled  across 
the    gulch    and    pierced  Coppa-hembo's    thigh. 


HISTORY    OF    SACRAMENTO    COUNTY. 


bringing  him  to  the  ground.  Thoughtlessly 
and  overcome  with  grief  at  the  fall  of  his  friend' 
little  Billy  dashed  to  him  and  strove  to  help 
him,  in  immiment  danger  of  his  own  life.  This 
put  an  end  to  the  battle,  for  the  Indians  knew 
that  the  result  of  any  hurt  to  Billy  would  mean 
a  terrible  revenge  on  the  part  of  the  miners. 
Old  Coppa-hembo  remembers  this,  and  so  every 
year  is  witnessed  the  touching  spectacle  of  this 
feeble  old  man  making  his  way  to  this  swarm- 
ing city  from  his  lonely  wigwam  to  renew  old 
memories  with  "Billy,"  now  our  honored  county 
clerk.  They  go  down  to  a  restaurant  together, 
have  a  salmon  broiled  in  a  peculiar  way,  a  spe- 
cial treat  to  an  Indian,  and  sit  long  over  the 
rustic  feast. 

iARKUS  GRxiF,  one  of  the  old-time 
residents  of  Sacramento,  is  a  native  of 
— j^siF^  Germany,  born  at  Mnhlliausen,  Baden, 
on  the  24th  of  April,  1830,  his  parents  being 
John  and  Helen  (Rehm)  Graf,  the  father  a 
grocer.  Markus  Graf  was  reared  at  his  native 
place,  and  there  received  his  education,  attend- 
ing the  public  schools  from  the  age  of  six  until 
lie  was  fourteen,  and  the  Sunday-school  to  the 
age  of  eighteen.  When  he  had  reached  the 
age  of  fifteen  years  he  commenced  the  tanner's 
trade  with  a  man  named  Handlosser,  and  served 
an  apprenticeship  of  tiiree  years.  He  then 
traveled  as  a  journeyman  throughout  Wurteni- 
berg,  Bavaria,  Saxony,  Switzerland,  etc.,  in  all 
about  four  years.  He  then  went  iiome  and  at- 
tempted to  start  in  business,  but  not  finding 
prospects  good,  concluded  to  go  to  America.  In 
October,  1851,  he  sailed  from  Rotterdam  on  tiie 
sail  sliip  "Rhine,"  and  proceeded  on  his  way  to 
the  United  States.  The  vessel  encountered 
heavy  weather  oflF  the  Atlantic  coast,  and  at  a 
point  nearer  Philadelphia  than  ISTew  York  she 
was  beached  on  the  sand.  They  cut  tiie  masts 
down  and  filled  the  hold  with  water  to  keep  the 
vessel  from  drifting  and  toppling  over,  and 
waited  for  day  to  come.    The  next  day  the  wind 


was  moderate.  The  next  day  two  men  got 
away  from  the  vessel,  and,  proceeding  to  New 
York,  secured  a  steamer  to  come  down  and  res- 
cue the  people  on  board.  The  passengers,  who 
had  remained  all  this  time  on  the  upper  deck 
exposed  to  the  weather,  were  taken  off  on  boats 
and  landed,  then  taken  to  hotels  and  houses. 
After  two  or  three  days  there  they  were  taken 
to  New  York  by  the  steamer.  The  exposures 
to  which  they  were  subjected  from  the  weather 
may  be  appreciated  when  it  is  stated  that  they 
were  stranded  on  the  6th  of  January.  After  Mr. 
Graf  and  others  of  the  rescued  passengers  had 
been  in  a  boarding  house  in  New  York  two  or 
three  days,  their  landlord  was  informed  that 
their  baggage  had  arrived,  and  it  was  then 
brought  to  them.  The  voyage  had  lasted  sixty- 
seven  days,  and  as  he  had  not  had  enough  to  eat 
or  drink  for  some  time,  Mr.  Graf  was  taken 
down  with  sickness  and  lay  in  hospital  a  couple 
of  weeks.  After  recovering  he  obtained  work 
with  a  man  named  Keifer.  After  this  he  en- 
gaged with  a  Mr.  Hoft'man,  and  finally  at  a  fac- 
tory on  Emma  street,  with  a  man  named 
Golding.  He  worked  for  Golding  then,  and  in 
his  factory,  near  Albany,  also,  until  the  latter 
part  of  1853.  In  December  of  that  year  he 
took  passage  on  a  steamer  at  New  York  for 
Acapulco,  then  crossed  the  Isthmus  of  Panama, 
and  proceeded  to  San  Francisco  on  the  steamer 
"Golden  Age,"  landing  in  January,  1854.  A 
couple  of  days  later  lie  proceeded  to  Coloma  by 
way  of  Sacramento  and  Marysville,  and  went  to 
work  miaing  on  Sutter  Creek.  After  this  he 
worked  two  months •ibr  a  farmer,  and  in  1855 
came  to  Sacramento,  and  worked  a  year  in  Pen- 
nock's  brewery.  He  then  bought  a  turning 
lathe,  and  opened  a  shop  in  Sacramento,  and  in 
partnership  with  P.  Gossner  manufactured  bill- 
iard outfits  until  1861.  The  business  was  quite 
extensive,  and  gave  employment  to  five  or  six 
workmen.  Since  that  time  Mr.  Graf  has  been 
in  business  at  his  present  location.  He  was 
married  in  Sacramento  in  1874,  to  Miss  Matilda 
Metzer,  a  native  of  Wurtemberg.  Mr.  Graf  has 
been  a   member  of  Schiller   Lodge,  I.  O.  O.  F., 


HItiTUltY    OF    SACRAMENTO    COUNTY. 


561 


since  its  organization,  in  1862;  has  been  secre- 
tary and  treasurer  of  the  lodge;  and  is  a  veteran 
Odd  Fellow.  He  is  a  member  of  the  Sacra- 
mento Hnssars.  and  has  held  the  rank  of  cor- 
poral in  that  oro;anization.  Mr.  Graf  has  been 
identified  with  Sacramento  for  over  a  third  of  a 
century,  and  has  seen  many  changes  in  the  city 
and  surrounding  country  since  that  time.  He 
is  a  popular  man,  and  has  a  large  circle  of 
friends. 


fEXERAL  E.  H.  ORTON.— Since  the 
great  importance  of  the  National  Guards 
of  the  various  States  of  the  Republic  has 
come  to  be  so  generally  recognized,  California 
has  not  been  backward  in  the  military  spirit, 
and  has  been  unusually  fortunate  in  the  class  of 
men  who  have  given  their  personal  efforts  to- 
ward the  advancement  of  the  condition  of  her 
State  service.  In  the  office  of  Adjutant-Genera 
she  now  has  General  R.  H.  Ort9n,  whose  name 
heads  this  sketch,  and  who  is  peculiarly  quali- 
fied for  that  important  position  by  nature  and 
by  training.  General  Orton  is  a  native  of 
Oneida  County,  New  York,  born  August  23, 
1838,  his  parents  being  James  M.  and  Rudy 
Hart  (Gillett)  Orton.  Both  parents  were  natives 
of  Windsor,  Connecticut,  his  father's  ancestors 
having  settled  there  in  1638.  His  father  was  a 
furniture  manufacturer,  and  had  learned  the 
cabinet-making  trade  with  Mr.  Cheney,  fatlier- 
in-law  of  Horace  Greeley.  R.  H.  Orton,  sub- 
ject of  this  sketch,  was  reared  in  his  native 
county,  and  there  received  his  education.  He 
came  to  California  in  1858,  taking  the  steamer 
"  Philadelphia"  to  Havana,  the  "Grenada"  to 
Aspinwall,  and  the  "John  L.  Stephens"  to  San 
Francisco,  where  he  arrived  on  the  15th  of  May. 
He  engaged  in  the  business  of  manufacturing 
furniture,  which  engaged  his  attention  until 
March,  1863.  He  was  a  strong  Union  man  in 
his  sympathies,  and  had  only  abstained  before 
from  entering  the  Goveiiinient  service  as  a 
soldier  on  account  of  the  great  distance  from  the 


seat  of  war.  In  March,  1863,  however,  he  of- 
fered his  services  in  behalf  of  his  country's  flag, 
and  was  mustered  in  as  Second  Lieutenant  of 
Company  F.,  First  California  Cavalry.  The 
company  was  ordered  to  New  Mexico,  and  on 
arrival  in  the  field  of  operations.  Lieutenant  Or- 
ton was  detached  and  made  Quartermaster  and 
Commissary  of  the  camp  on  the  Miembres  River. 
After  being  stationed  there  three  months  he  was 
ordered  to  take  command  of  Company  C,  and 
extend  the  outposts  of  the  lines  in  Texas  to^San 
Elizario,  the  next  post  being  occupied  by  Con- 
federate troops.  He  was  in  command  then 
about  eight  months,  and  during  that  time  saw 
much  acti.'e  service  in  the  field.  He  made  live 
raids  into  old  Mexico  after  deserters  and  stock 
thieves,  being  each  time  successful.  He  partici- 
pated in  the  pursuit  of  Comanche  Indians  as 
Adjutant  under  Kit  Carson,  commanding  the 
First  New  Mexico  Cavalry.  He  was  promoted 
to  the  Captaincy  of  Company  M  during  the  lat- 
ter part  of  the  summer  of  1865,  and  assumed 
his  command  in  November.  He  commanded 
the  expedition  that  went  to  the  relief  of  the 
town  of  Harness,  in  old  Mexico,  300  miles  over 
the  border,  which  was  beleaguered  by  Apache 
Indians,  and  as  a  result  the  town  was  relieved 
when  nearly  ready  to  succumb.  He  was  next 
stationed  at  Fort  Sill,  and  while  there  his  men 
were  consolidated  with  another  company,  and 
he  was  placed  in  command  of  an  expedition, 
also  acting  as  quartermaster.  In  the  fall  of  1866 
all  California  volunteers  were  ordered  back  to 
the  State,  and  he  started  with  his  men  on  the 
17th  of  September,  reaching  San  Francisco  on 
the  28th  of  December,  losing  only  one  horse  and 
one  wagon,  a  really  remarkable  record  for  such 
a  journey.  All  the  troops  were  mustered  out 
on  December  31  except  the  subject  of  this  sketch, 
who  severed  his  connection  with  the  army  on 
the  4th  of  January,  1867,  being  the  last  Cali- 
fornia volunteer  in  the  United  States  service. 
He  went  back  to  his  old  home  in  New  York, 
visiting  there  from  February  to  Thank-giving 
day,  and  returning  to  California  in  December. 
He  then  re-engaged  in  furniture  manufacturing, 


5G2 


UI STORY    OF    SACRAMENTO    COUNTY. 


but  afterward  eniLarked  in  the  insurance  busi- 
ness, which  engaged  his  attention  until  tlietime 
of  his  appointment  to  the  office  of  Adjutant- 
General  of  California,  in  1887.  He  was,  how- 
ever, identified  with  the  National  Guard  of 
California  from  its  organization,  in  1861.  He 
commenced  at  that  time  as  Lieutenant,  and 
promotion  has  ever  since  marked  his  connection 
with  the  military.  The  Civil  War  transferred 
him  to  active  service  in  the  field.  In  1875  he 
became  Captain  of  Company  D,  First  Infantry. 
Four  years  later  he  was  made  Major  of  the  Cav- 
alry Battalion,  which  included  all  the  mounted 
companies  in  the  State  at  that  time.  After  his 
incumbency  of  that  position  he  was  on  the  re- 
tired list  four  years,  and  resumed  his  connection 
with  the  military  as  Major  of  the  First  In- 
fantry. He  was  promoted  Lieutenant  Colonel 
a  month  later,  and  served  in  that  capacity  until 
called  to  his  present  position.  General  Orton 
was  married  at  San  Francisco  in  1874,  to  Miss 
Dora  Canoll,  a  native  of  Oneida  County,  New 
York,  born  in  the  same  neighborhood  as  him- 
self. At  a  point  100  yards  from  her  birthplace 
the  tirst  American  flag  was  hoisted.  The  siege 
of  Fort  Steinwich  (the  scene  of  this  incident) 
commenced  June  27,  1777,  and  on  the  17th  of 
August  the  flag  flying  under  tire  on  this  occa- 
sion was  adopted  as  the -National  colors.  Gen- 
eral Orton  brings  to  his  office  unusual  quali- 
fications in  his  ioug  military  training,  and  his 
zeal  in  the  effort  to  place  the  National  Guard  of 
California  in  the  first  lank  of  similar  organiza- 
tions in  this  country. 


fOWELL  S.  LAWSON,  President  of  the 
Sacramento  Society,  California  Pioneers, 
■  is  a  native  of  New  York  City,  born  Au- 
gust 17,  1829.  His  father,  Martin  I.  Lawson, 
was  a  ship  carpenter  by  trade,  and  his  ances- 
tors in  this  country,  who  were  from  Holland, 
were  among  the  first  settlers  of  New  Amster- 
dam. He  spent  the  latter  years  of  his  life  on  a 
farm   in  Ulster  County,   where   he  died,  about 


185G,  aged  106  years  and  7  months.  His  mother, 
whose  maiden  name  was  Hannah  Linas,  was  a 
native  of  Ulster  County,  and  was  also  from  one 
of  the  oldest  families  of  the  Empire  State.  She 
died  in  December,  1849,  in  her  fifty-ninth  year. 
Powell  S.  Lawson,  the  subject  of  this  sketch, 
was  reared  in  New  York  city,  and  in  her  public 
schools  received  his  education.  He  served  his 
time  as  tinsmith,  coppersmith  and  sheet  iron 
worker  with  Charles  Zimmerman,  at  No.  232 
Hudson  street,  remaining  with  him  till  he  had 
reached  the  age  of  nineteen  years,  and  then 
worked  at  his  trade  as  a  journeyman.  When  the 
discovery  of  gold  in  California  was  made,  he  was 
like  every  one  else,  excited  thereby,  and  his  mind 
was  soon  made  up  to  go  in  person  to  the  scene. 
Early  in  1849  a  party  was  organized  for  this 
purpose.  They  purchased  the  bark  "  Galindo," 
and  left  New  York  April  7,  under  the  command 
of  Captain  Macy,  there  being  seventy  in  the 
party.  The  voyage  was  a  pleasant  one  until  utF 
the  mouth  of  the  Amazon  River,  when  their 
first  rough  wea_ther  was  experienced.  Off  Cape 
Horn  they  lay  for  thirty-two  days  under  close- 
reefed  sails,  whilst  the  vessel  was  one  mass  of 
ice.  During  two  weeks  of  this  time  they  had 
no  fire  even  to  cook  their  food  with.  At  the 
conclusion  of  the  storin  they  started  to  resume 
their  voyage,  but  the  rudder-head  was  bursted, 
and  they  had  to  steer  by  a  spar  over  the  stern 
of  the  vessel.  When  they  got  to  Valparaiso 
they  refitted,  and  thenceforward  had  a  pleasant 
trip  to  California.  They  arrived  at  San  Fran- 
cisco November  22,  1849,  and  Mr.  Lawson  ob- 
tained work  at  his  trade  with  Thomas  H.  Selby 
&  Co.,  in  the  alley  between  Sacramento  and 
California,  Kearney  and  Dupont  streets.  He 
remained  there  until  March,  1850,  and  when 
working  piece-work  on  stoves,  would  make  from 
$30  to  $45  per  day.  He  then  came  to  Sacra- 
mento on  the  propeller  McKim,  and  a  few  days 
later  proceeded  to  Marysville,  being  introduced 
on  the  way  to  General  Sutter,  at  the  hitter's 
farm.  At  Marysville  he  engaged  an  ox  team, 
and  with  John  Kehoe  and  John  Lawrence  went 
to  the    South    Fork  of  the   Feather   River,  and 


HISTORy    OF    SACRAMENTO    COUNTT. 


took  up  a  mining  claim  two  miles  below  String- 
town.  Tiiey  dug  a  lona;  ditch,  and  commenced 
mining.  Mr.  Lawson  liere  took  out  liis  tirst 
gold,  his  "  find  "  weighing  73  cents.  The  party 
mining  ne.\t-below  them  backed  the  water  upon 
them,  and  they  were  thus  unsuccessful.  On 
the  3d  of  July  he  started  for  Nelson's  Creek, 
and  remained  there  with  better  success,  until 
August  20,  when  he  went  to  Orion  Valley. 
The  first  night  he  camped  there  was  the  most 
memorable  one  of  his  life.  A  terrible  storm 
came  up,  the  night  was  bitter  cold,  and  in  the 
morning  there  was  eighteen  inches  of  snow  all 
about  him.  He  left  there  and  went  to  Long 
Bar,  on  Feather  River,  and  thence  to  Smith's 
Bar,  where  he  mined  till  February.  Then,  with 
ills  companions,  he  went  to  Rich  Bar,  on  the 
Xorth  Fork  of  Feather  River.  Soon  after  their 
arrival  they  were  snowed  in,  and  being  out  of 
flour,  they  made  an  attempt  to  go  over  to  Las- 
sen's ranch  to  lay  in  a  supply  of  that  article. 
Starting  early  in  the  morning,  they  reached  the 
top  of  the  mountain  that  night,  and  there  en- 
camped. The  next  morning  the  journey  was 
resumed.  There  was  a  heavy  crust  on  the  snow, 
and  it  was  necessary  to  cut  a  trail  down  the 
mountain  for  the  mules.  Only  a  portion  of 
them  were  taken  at  first,  and  when  a  bench  of 
the  mountain  was  reached,  a  halt  was  made,  and 
the  animals  tied  for  safe-keeping,  while  a  trip 
back  was  made  for  those  left  behind  at  the  camp. 
On  arriving  there  it  was  found  that  one  was 
missing,  and  a  search  revealed  the  fact  that  she 
was  lying  on  the  side  of  a  mountain  against  a 
log.  In  order  to  release  her  it  was  found  neces- 
sary to  cut  down  a  sapling  and  let  the  log  roll 
away.  This  was  done,  Mr.  Lawson  having  hold 
of  a  rope  to  keep  the  mule  from  going  down. 
When  the  log  started  the  mule  tried  to  get  up, 
but  slipped  and  started  to  roll,  the  skin  being 
torn  from  Mr.  Lawson's  hands.  The  mule 
rolled  down  and  down  for  fifty  yards,  and  was 
finally  stopped  with  feet  in  the  air  by  the  two 
pack  saddles  which  she  carried.  Mr.  Lawson 
went  down  and  shoved  her  over,  remarking  that  j 
she  was   "  all  right."     It  was  a  lauofhable  inci-    \ 


dent,  but  it  was  nearly  night  when  they  got 
back  to  the  bench  on  the  mountain  to  camp  for 
the  night.  The  next  morning  the  trip  was  re- 
sumed. But  when  they  got  to  the  North  Fork 
of  the  North  Fork  of  Feather  River,  it  was 
found  that  the  bridges  were  gone,  and  they  could 
not  get  across.  So  they  went  back  to  Rich 
Bar,  and  a  few  days  later  to  Long  Bar.  Mr. 
Lawson  went  from  there  to  Marysville,  thence 
to  Sacramento,  next  to  Stockton,  and  from  there 
to  Smith's  Ferry,  on  Merced  River.  After 
mining  there  a  couple  of  weeks,  he  went  to  Fly- 
away Gulch,  seven  miles  from  Coulterville,  and 
then  he  and  his  companions  struck  a  claim  which 
they  worked  a  month  by  means  of  a  rocker. 
There  they  averaged  §22  a  day  to  the  man.  The 
Kern  River  excitement  then  came  on,  and  in 
June,  1851,  he  started  for  the  wqw  fields.  After 
prospecting  on  Kern  River  for  a  time,  he  left 
there,  and  on  the  1st  of  August  got  back  to 
Pleasant  Valley,  on  the  Merced  River.  He 
worked  off  and  on  in  the  river  and  gulches  until 
September,  1852,  and  then  went  to  San  Fran- 
cisco, and  entered  into  partnership  with  Joseph 
Vaile  in  the  rooting  business,  which  continued 
until  February,  1854.  He  then  went  East,  but 
returned  in  June,  via  Panama,  and  went  in 
business  for  himself  in  San  Francisco.  On  the 
1st  of  January,  1855, 'he  went  to  Mariposa.  In 
July  he  came  to  Sacramento,  and  from  here  went 
again  to  San  Francisco.  In  August  he  pro- 
ceeded to  Shasta,  and  mined  about  two  miles 
above  Redding  until  April,  1859.  He  then 
came  to  Sacramento,  took  up  his  permanenf 
residence  here,  and  went  in  partnership  with 
George  Boeh me  in  the  metal-roofing  business. 
Alter  eleven  years  this  partnership  was  dissolved, 
and  Mr.  Lawson  has  since  carried  on  business 
alone.  He  was  married  on  the  5th  day  of  Oc- 
tober, 1862,  to  Miss  Alice  Carrington,  who  died 
in  1882.  Two  children  were  born  to  this  mar- 
riage— May  Frances,  wlio  died  at  the  age  of  six 
years,  and  Miss  Alice  Belle.  Mr.  Lawson  was 
again  married,  his  present  wife  having  been 
Miss  Hannah  A.  Towner.  Mr.  Lawson  is  an 
old-tiine     Mason,    having    joined     Sacramento 


HISTORY    OF    SACRAMENTO    COUNTY. 


Lodge  in  December,  1859.  He  joined  Sacra- 
mento Royal  Arch  Chapter  in  1860;  Sacramento 
Council,  the  same  year;  Sacramento  Command- 
ery  No.  2,  in  1865;  and  the  Scottish  Rite,  and 
Grand  Council  in  1868.  He  is  a  member  of 
Sacramento  Lod.cre,  No.  2,  I.  O.  O.  F.,  and  of 
Occidental  Encampment,  No.  42.  In  the  days 
ot  the  volunteer  lire  department  he  was  a  mem- 
ber of  Knickerbocker  Company,  No.  5,  and  was 
its  [iresident  five  years.  He  is  past  president 
of  the  E.xempt  Firemen.  He  joined  the  Society 
of  California  Pioneers  in  December,  1859,  and 
has  ever  since  taken  an  active  interest  in  the 
welfare  of  the  society.  He  was  elected  presi- 
dent of  the  local  body  in  1888,  and  re-elected  in 
1889.  He  is  also  a  member  of  Union  Lodge, 
No.  21,  A.  O.  U.  W.,  and  was  a  charter  member 
of  the  first  lodge  of  Xnights  of  Honor  organ- 
ized here.  He  has  been  a  Republican  in  poli- 
tics since  1861,  though  he  was  previously  a 
Democrat.  Mr.  Lawson  is  one  of  the  most  re- 
spected and  honored  citizens  of  Sacramento,  and 
his  open-hearted  ways  have  won  for  him  the 
respect  and  esteem  of  all  with  whom  he  has 
come  in  contact.  Having  been  a  resident  of 
California  since  the  early  mining  days,  he  has 
been  an  eye-witness  to  the  great  changes  and 
progress  made  since  that  time,  and  has  an  ex- 
tended acquaintance  throughout  the  length  and 
l)readth  of  the  State. 


^■^- 


R.  STRONG.— Among  the  promi- 
nent citizens  of  California  and  repre- 
*  sentative  business  men  of  Sacramento, 
is  t!ie  gentleman  with  whose  name  this  sketch 
commences.  W.  R.  Strong  is  a  native  of  Cay- 
uga County,  New  York,  born  May  12,  1817, 
his  parents  being  Ezra  and  Betsey  (Dunning) 
Strong.  His  father,  a  physician,  plicated  in 
Connecticut  and  a  native  of  that  State,  was  a 
descendant  of  Elder  John  Strong,  who  landed 
in  Massachussetts  shortly  after  the  settlement 
of  Plymouth  Rock.  The  Dunnings  were  also 
an  old  Connecticut  fainilv.     In  1821  Dr.  Strons 


and  family  removed  from  Scipio  to  Rochester, 
and  ihere  the  Doctor  practiced  his  profession 
for  years,  and  afterward  lived  a  retired  life  until 
the  time  of  his  death.  W.  R.  Strong  was  reared 
in  Rochester,  and  educated  in  her  public  schools. 
He  commenced  work  as  a  clerk  in  a  dry-goods 
store,  but  after  the  firm  went  out  of  business,  he 
engaged  in  the  manufacture  of  gloves,  and  after- 
ward in  the  manufacture  of  whips.  The  latter 
business  still  continues,  and  is  now  carried  on 
by  the  extensive  firm  of  Strong  &  Woodbury, 
the  first  named  member  of  the  firm  being  a 
nephew  of  our  subject.  Another  nephew,  Dr. 
A.  H.  Strong,  is  president  of  the  Rochester 
Theological  Seminary.  In  1849  a  party  of  sev- 
enteen was  organized  in  Rochester  for  the  pur- 
pose of  going  to  California,  Mr.  Strong  among 
the  number,  and  on  the  2ud  of  October  of  that 
year  they  sailed  out  of  New  York  harbor  on  the 
steamer  Ocean  Queen.  The  trip  was  made  via 
Panama,  where  they  lay  for  three  weeks  after 
having  spent  four  days  crossing  the  Isthmus. 
A  body  of  170  people  chartered  a  sailing  vessel, 
the  bark  Eliza  Ann,  for  the  purpose  of  contin- 
uing the  journey  to  San  Francisco,  and  Mr. 
Strong  was  one  of  the  number.  They  were 
sixty-seven  days  on  board  the  vessel,  being  de- 
layed outside  the  Heads  by  adverse  winds,  and 
passed  through  the  Golden  Gate  into  the  harbor 
on  the  12th  of  January,  1850.  Mr.  Strong  re- 
mained in  the  city  about  a  week,  then  proceeded 
via  Stockton  to  the  Southern  mines,  locating  on 
Wood's  Creek,  below  Sonora.  He  remained 
there  but  a  short  time,  and  was  soon  going  from 
place  to  place,  following  the  untrue  stories  of 
others,  who  claimed  to  have  made  great  gold 
discoveries  at  different  places.  In  the  fall  he 
engaged  for  a  time  at  a  hotel  seven  miles  this 
side  of  Drytown,  but  soon  afterward  went  to 
Nevada  City.  In  July,  1852,  having  prospected 
throughout  the  Northern  mines,  he  reached 
Sacramento.  Here  he  engaged,  in  company 
with  Edward  Fay  (now  of  Buffalo,  New  York), 
•n  mercantile  trade  on  the  site  of  the  present 
Red  House.  In  November,  while  Mr.  Fay  was 
in  San    Francisco,  buying  goods,  the  great  tire 


UIHTUHT    UF    SACUAMENTO    VUUJS'l'y. 


occurred,  and  their  store  and  stock  were  swept 
away.  Mr.  Strung  succeeded  in  removing  a  few 
traps  upon  a  vacant  lot,  and,  paying  8500  per 
thousand  feet  for  lumber,  proceeded  to  put  up  a 
shed.  This  was  done,  when,  on  the  9th  of  No- 
vember, occurred  the  great  flood,  which  devas- 
tated tlie  city,  and  tlie  water  reached  up  over 
tlie  counter  of  his  store.  He  rigged  up  a  raft 
and  floated  a  few  goods  out  to  the  place  where 
Hoboken  was  started.  He  sold  goods  there 
eight  weeks,  then  returned  to  Sacramento,  and 
started  again  in  tlie  old  place.  The  ground  was 
very  soft,  and  uiud  boats,  hauled  by  oxen,  were 
used  to  convey  goods  to  the  store.  Goods  were 
delivered  in  the  same  way,  the  oxen  going  down 
to  their  bellies  at  nearly  every  step.  In  the 
following  year  the  business  was  closed  out  on 
account  of  disasters  and  independent  specula- 
tions, and  the  partnership  theretofore  existing 
between  Messrs.  Strong  and  Fay  was  dissolved. 
Mr.  Strong  then  engaged  in  trading  in  cattle 
or  anything  he  could  get  to  handle,  but  finally, 
soon  engaged  in  partnership  with  a  Mr.  Gordon, 
he  re-established  himself  in  mercantile  business 
where  the  California  State  Bank  now  stands. 
July  13,  1854,  the  store  was  burned  down. 
The  thermometer  at  the  time  registered  110  in 
the  shade,  making  it  difficult  to  prevent  the  j 
spreading  of  the  flames.  Mr.  Strong  got  a  few 
goods  out  into  the  street,  but  they  were  burned 
there.  About  $100  worth  were  taken  down  on  j 
Fourth  street  below  K,  and  there  were  saved.  | 
Mr.  Strong  was  overcome  by  exhaustion  and  the  I 
intense  heat,  and  lay  insensible  until  between 
eight  and  nine  o'cfock  that  night  on  the  steps 
of  a  church.  He  then  went  inside,  and  made 
his  bed  that  night  on  a  seat.  Two  days  later 
he  had  re-commenced  business  on  the  corner  of 
Second  and  K  streets.  He  occupied  that  location 
about  two  years,  and  was  then  induceil  to  take 
a  partnership  in  a  candle  factory  on  M  street, 
opposite  the  old  Pavilion.  It  was  an  unfortu- 
nate partnership,  and  the  business  proved  un- 
successful for  him.  In  1857  he  went  back  to 
the  old  place  where  the  Red  House  now  is,  and 
i-eniaim  d    in    business    there    until    1865,  when 


Booth  &  Co.  removed  to  the  present  location, 
and  Mr.  Strong  moved  down  and  rented  the 
building  where  he  is  now  located.  For  a  long 
time  he  carried  on  the  business  alone,  then  Mr. 
Robert  Williamson  came  into  the  firm,  and  later 
Mr.  Philemon  E.  Piatt,  forming  the  firm  of  AV. 
R.  Strong  &  Co.  The  business  of  this  house  is 
now  very  extensive,  and  they  are  known  through- 
out the  United  States,  which  is  the  Held  of  their 
business.  Besides  this  great  commission  busi- 
ness, they  have  their  own  oi-chards  and  nurseries, 
which  are  almost  equally  noted.  Mr.  Strong 
has  been  twice  married;  lii'st  in  New  York  State 
to  Miss  Elsa  J.  Brewster,  who  died  at  Rochester. 
His  present  wife,  to  whom  he  was  married  in 
1854,  was  formerly  Airs.  Eliza  J.  Martin.  Her 
maiden  name  was  Davis,  and  she  was  a  native 
of  New  Brunswick,  New  Jersey.  By  this  mar- 
riage there  are  two  children,  viz.:  Ella  J.,  wife 
of  Ellery  J.  Turner;  and  Charles  B.,  who  is  in 
his  father's  store.  Mr.  Strong  became  associ- 
ated with  the  First  Baptist  Church  of  Rochester, 
New  York,  when  but  fourteen  years  of  age,  and 
has  been  a  church  member  ever  since.  He  be- 
came associated  with  the  thirst  ^aptist  Church 
of  Sacramento  in  1852.  He  was  one  of  tlie 
organizers  of  the  Calvary  Baptist  Church,  has 
been  an  officer  nearly  ever  since,  and  is  now 
deacon.  While  a  Republican  politically,  he  has 
never  been  in  public  life,  preferring  to  leave  that 
to  others,  though  he  was  a  candidate  for  the 
office  of  public  administrator  in  1857.  He  was 
a  Whig  in  the  days  of  that  party,  but  when  tlie 
Republican  party  was  organized  he  was  -me  of 
the  first  to  join  the  new  movement,  and  helped 
organize  the  party  in  Sacramento.  He  has  been 
treasurer  of  Pioneer  Council,  Legion  of  Honor, 
from  its  organization.  Mr.  Strong  has  always 
been  recognized  as  one  of  the  most  honorable, 
active,  pushing  men  in  the  business  career  of 
Sacramento,  and  made  a  success  even  in  the  face 
of  untoward  obstacles.  No  citizen  has  ever  en- 
joyed in  a  greater  degree  the  confidence  and  es- 
teem of  the  community  than  he.  Coming  here 
among  the  pioneers,  he  has  seen  and  taken  an 
active  part  in   the  great  growth  of  California, 


HISTORY    OF    SACRAMENTO    COUNTY. 


and  Las  alwaj-s  been  in  tlie  van  in  all  movements 
calculated  to  advance  the  true  welfare  and  in- 
terests of  the  State  and  city  of  his  adoption. 


tC.  SWEETSER,  one  of  the  old-time  resi- 
dents of  Sacramento,  and  a  California 
®  pioneer,  is  a  native  of  Waterville,  Maine, 
born  November  3, 1819,  his  parents  being  Rich- 
ard and  Sarah  A.  (Low)  Sweetser.  Richard 
Sweetser,  a  shipbuilder,  died  at  the  age  of 
fortj-seven;  he  was  a  son  of  a  Revolutionary 
veteran,  who  lived  to  be  ninety-four  yei^rs  of 
age.  The  mother  of  the  subject  of  this  sketch 
was  a  native  of  Maine,  and  was  a  daughter  of 
Rev.  Robert  Low.  A.  C.  Sweetser  was  in  his 
seventh  year  when  the  family  removed  to  Bel- 
fast, Maine,  and  there  he  was  reared  and  educated 
in  public  and  private  schools,  and  also  in  tlie 
schools  of  Winterport.  Maine.  He  was  but  a 
mere  ad  when  his  father's  death  occurred,  and 
on  arriving  at  suitable  age  he  went  to  learn  the 
trade  of  house  and  ship  joiner.  He  followed 
that  business  jn  all  its  branches  at  Belfast  and 
Frankfort  until  1847,  when  he  engaged  in  the 
shoe  trade  at  Cambridgeport,  Massachusetts,  but 
was  induced  to  leave  there  to  go  into  business 
at  Boston.  The  latter  part  of  the  plan  was  not 
carried  out,  however,  and  instead  he  embarked 
in  contracting.  In  the  fall  of  1848  he  became 
interested  in  the  talk  of  California,  then  agitat- 
ing the  country,  and  became  associated  with  one 
of  the  companies  being  organized  to  go  to  the 
new  El  Dorado.  The  movement  resulted  in. 
the  formation  of  the  Boston  and  !Newton  Joint 
Stock  Association,  consisting  of  twenty-five 
men.  One  year's  provisions  were  purchased, 
and  sent  to  California  around  Cape  Horn,  while 
the  party  left  Boston  April  16,  1849,  proceed- 
ing to  Buffalo,  thence  by  lake  to  Sandusky,  by 
rail  to  Cincinnati,  and  by  steamer  to  St.  Louis. 
Thence  they  went  by  steamer  to  Independence, 
where  they  completed  their  outfit.  Saddles  and 
harness  they  brought  from  Boston.  The  next 
stopping  point,   Mr.    Sweetser   went    on   to  St. 


to  look  after  provisions,  and  returned 
with  supplies  to  Independence.  From  the  lat- 
ter place  the  party  started  on  the  16th  of  May. 
They  followed  the  regular  route  to  Salt  Lake 
City,  and  there  sold  their  wagons  and  harness, 
purchasing  pack-saddles  instead.  After  a  rest 
of  ten  days  at  the  Mormon  capital,  they  re- 
sumed their  journey  to  California,  making  their 
first  stop  in  this  State  near  Placerville,  and  pro- 
ceeding next  day  to  Sacramento,  where  they  ar- 
rived on  the  27th  of  September.  Sending  to 
San  Francisco  for  their  provisions,  they  sold 
their  horses,  mules  and  trappings,  divided  out 
the  provisions,  and  the  party  broke  up.  They 
had  had  a  rather  enjoyable  trip,  and  most  of 
thefn  had  got  in  the  habit  of  walking  a  great 
deal.  Their  last  provisions  were  eaten  at  Shingle 
Springs,  where  they  lodged  the  last  night  be- 
fore reaching  Sacramento.  Mr.  SAcetser  and 
two  others  camped  the  first  night  at  Sacramento 
north  of  the  ridge,  and  the  first  they  had  to  eat 
for  that  entire  day  was  a  loaf  of  bread  and  some 
syrup  that  one  of  the  party  brought  out  there. 
The  next  day  they  came  down  to  what  is  now 
the  State  Capitol  grounds,  and  there  they  sold 
for  $400  a  large  military  tent  which  cost  them 
$60.  Mr.  Sweetser  had  to  wait  for  his  tools, 
which  had  gone  around  Cape  Horn,  and  then 
he  took  charge  of  a  company  of  men  engaged 
in  clearing  oil"  lots.  He  next  took  charge  of  a 
gang  of  men  unloading  the  brig  "  Belfast,"  at 
$10  per  da}'.  He  next  proceeded,  with  five 
others,  tu  the  North  Fork  of  the  American 
River,  four  miles  north  of  Real's  Bar.  A  few 
days  later  he  came  back  to  Sacramento  with  a 
team  to  get  provisions  to  sell  to  the  miners. 
The  roads  were  bad  and  it  took  two  days  to  get 
to  Sacramento.  The  rain  came  down  in  torrents 
while  they  were  here,  and  Mr.  Sweetser  told 
one  of  his  companions  that  he  "guessed  he 
would  take  his  chances  in  Sacramento,"  at  the 
same  time  ofl'ering  to  sell  his  interest  for  $100. 
The  offer  was  accepted,  and  he  remained.  He 
made  $16  to  $20  a  day,  and  in  company  with  a 
school-mate  bought  a  lot  where  Campbell's 
furniture  store  now  stands,  for  the  purpose  of 


IIISTOUY    Of    SACRAMENTO    COUNTY. 


putting  lip  a  building.  Willow  poles  were  util- 
ized for  posts,  and  Mr.  Sweetser  paid  $20  for  a 
board,  which  he  carried  up  to  the  building  on 
his  back.  The  structure  was  covered  over  with 
canvas,  and  tarred,  and  when  it  was  completed 
a  building  for  a  residence  was  put  up  on  the 
alley.  One  side  of  the  roof  was  completed 
when  the  weather  cleared  up,  and  the  north 
wind  caused  a  rise  in  the  river.  About  four 
o'clock  in  the  afternoon  the  water  was  running 
down  the  alley  like  a  river.  They  were  living 
in  a  tent,  but  they  put  down  a'  floor  three  feet 
above  ground,  and  on  this  put  their  little  cook- 
stove  and  their  bedding.  Before  morning  the 
water  was  above  their  floor,  and  they  had  to  pack 
up  and  move.  They  hired  a  boatman  to  take 
them  down  on  the  levee,  where  they  boarded  a 
brig.  A  friend  of  Mr.  Sweetser  had  charge  of 
the  brig,  and  kept  it  as  a  boarding-house,  and 
as  the  berths  were  wide  Mr.  Sweetser  was  taken 
into  that  of  his  friend.  Board  was  $30  a  week, 
and  there  was  plenty  to  eat,  although  there  was 
no  batter.  Mr.  Sweetser  got  some  lumber  at 
$400  per  thousand,  and  with  tlie  assistance  of 
another  man,  built  a  boat,  for  which,  on  com- 
pletion, he  was  offered  $100.  One  evening,  on 
one  trip,  he  took  in  $7  with  the  boat.  On  a 
pile  of  lumber,  with  water  all  around,  he  made 
from  $10  to  $20  per  day,  making  boats  and  oars. 
He  made  a  lot  of  bath  tubs,  and  built  a  bath 
house  for  a  man,  at  $20  per  day.  AVhen  the 
waters  receded,  he  went  up  to  his  own  building, 
fitted  it  up,  and  engaged  in  contracting,  fitting 
up  stores,  etc.,  which  he  followed  until  the  tire 
of  1852.  After  this  he  turned  his  attention  to 
architecture  and  the  superintending  of  build- 
ings. He  also  embarked  in  mining  to  some 
extent,  but  without  success.  In  1860  he  com- 
menced in  the  real  estate  and  insurance  busi- 
ness, which  has  ever  since  been  his  vocation, 
and  in  which  he  has  met  with  deserved  success. 
Mr.  Sweetser  was  married  in  Sacramento,  in 
December,  1853,  to  Miss  Sarah  S.  Pratt,  a  na- 
tive of  Portland,  Maine,  who  came  out  here 
from  Oambridgeport,  Massachusetts,  in  1852. 
They  have   had   one   child,   Sarah    Kmma.  who 


died  in  November,  1857.  Mr.  Sweetser  is  a 
member  of  the  Sacramento  Society  of  California 
Pioneers.  He  is  the  only  one  of  the  organizers 
of  the  Congregational   Church  now  among  its 

I    members  or  living  here.     The  next    year  after 
organization    he    was    elected    deacon,   and  has 

I  tilled  that  ])ost  for  a  long  time.  He  is  also 
treasurer  of  the  congregation.  He  was  also 
for  four  years  superintendent  of  the  Sunday- 
school.  He  was  one  of  the  organizers  of 
the  First  Division,  Sons  of  Temperance,  and 
has  always  taken  a  lively  interest  in  temper- 
ance and  church  work.  In  the  days  of  the 
volunteer  tire  department  Mr.  Sweetser  was 
a  member,  and  for  some  time  assistant  fore- 
man of  Hook  and  Ladder  Company,  No.  1. 
During  the  last  year,  however,  he  was  a 
member  of  Young  America  Company,  No.  6. 
He  is  a  member  of  Eureka  Lodge,  I.  O.  O.  F., 
and  Pacific  Encampment,  and  has  passed  the 
chairs  in  both,  and  is  a  veteran  Odd  Fellow. 
He  was  a  Whig  in  the  days  of  that  party,  but 
later  a  Republican.  He  has  been  a  member  of 
he  '))irl  of  education,  secretary  of  that  body, 
and  ex-officio  city  superintendent.  He  is  at 
this  time  a  notary  public.  Mr.  Sweetser  has 
been  at  all  times  an  active  and  influential  citi- 
zen, and  holds  a  high  place  in  the  esteem  of  the 
community.  The  various  events  in  the  history 
of  Sacramento  have  passed  as  a  panorama  be 
fore  his  vision,  and  he  has  witnessed  the  growth 
of  the  city  from  a  frontier  outpost  to  its  pres- 
ent proud  position. 


fOHN  GRUHLER.— In  1847  three  brothers, 
Elias,  Christian  and  Jacob  Grruhler,  came 
to  this  country  from  Germany,  and  settled 
in  Cincinnati,  where  they  built  up  a  business  of 
some  magnitude.  In  1852  the  two  tirst  named 
came  out  to  California,  located  in  Sacramento, 
and  established  what  was  among  the  first  brew- 
eries in  the  city,  and  in  fact,  in  this  portion  of 
the  State.  It  was  situated  on  the  corner  of 
Second  and    1^  streets.      Later  they  established 


HISTORT    OF    SACRAMENTO    COUNTY. 


the  well-known  and  extensive  Columbus  Brew- 
ery, at  Sixteenth  and  K  streets,  building  up  a 
large  business.  Christian  died  in  1878,  and 
Elias  about  two  years  later,  being  counted  at  the 
time  among  our  representative  men.  In  1856, 
the  third  brother,  Jacob,  came  also  to  Sacramento. 
Jacob  was  a  remarkable  man,  and  a  man  of  won- 
derful enterprise.  He  made  during  his  life-time 
more  than  one  fortune,  the  first  being  in  the  to- 
bacco business  in  Cincinnati,  and  the  last  in  the 
mines  here.  He  opened  a  saloon  on  Sixth  street, 
between  J  and  K,  which  became  at  once  the 
habitual  resort  of  the  best  element  in  the  city, 
and  only  them,  for  he,  like  his  successor,  Mr. 
John  Gruhler,  seemed  to  have  the  faculty  of 
attracting  about  him  only  gentlemanly  and  con- 
genial spirits.  Later  he  opened  the  present 
popular  place  at  No.  522  J  street.  Here  he  died 
suddenly,  in  November,  1877,  wearing  still  at  the 
last  the  smile  that  always  wreathed  his  features. 
Upon  his  death  the  business  devolved  upon  the 
present  popular  proprietor.  John  Gruhler  was 
born  July  22,  1850,  inWurteraberg,  Germany. 
His  father's  name  is  Frederick.  He  is  still 
alive  in  Germany,  at  the  good  old  age  of  sixty- 
seven  years.  He  was  not  related  to  the  three 
brothers  already  mentioned,  although,  strangely 
enough,  he  married  their  sister,  who  is  the 
mother  of  the  subject  of  this  sketch,  and  is  still 
alive.  She  has  had  fourteen  children,  of  whom 
ten  are  still  living.  Mr.  John  Gruhler  came  to 
America  from  Germany  in  1870,  going  first  to 
Cincinnati.  From  there  he  came  to  California 
in  1873,  proceeding  at  once  to  Sacramento.  For 
the^first  nine  mouths  he  worked  in  a  candy  store  I 
and  dining-room  combined  on  J  street.  Finally, 
in  April,  1874,  he  started  in  with  his  uncle 
Jacob  at  No.  522  J  street,  and  upon  his  death 
in  the  November  following,  assumed  the  busi- 
ness, and  has,  if  possible,  still  further  increased 
its  popularity.  He  was  married  July  22,  1878, 
to  his  cousin,  Miss  Pauline  Gruhler,  the  daugh- 
ter of  Jacob.  They  have  no  children.  Mr. 
Gruhler  has  three  brothers  and  three  sisters  re- 
siding in  the  city.  The  brothers,  E.,  F.  and 
Jacob,   are    in    business   here.     The  sisters  are 


married,  and  their  names  are  as  follows:  Mrs. 
Katie  Shaunloffel,  Mrs.  Annie  Bernhardt,  and 
Mrs.  Gertie  Hauser.  Mr.  Gruhler  is  a  Repub- 
lican, and  a  gentleman. 


fEORGE  SCHROTH,of  the  Phoenix  Mills, 
is  one  of  the  most  active  business  men  of 
Sacramento.  He  purchased  the  Plioenix 
Mill  property  in  1880,  and  at  once  set  about 
rebuilding  on  a  far  more  extensive  scale.  About 
the  same  titne  F.  Kohler  and  J.  H.  Arnold 
came  into  the  firm,  which  then  assumed  the 
present  name — George  Schroth  &  Co.  The 
Phoenix  Mills  are  unexcelled  in  equipment,  and 
in  the  quality  of  their  manufactiired  product 
enjoys  a  reputation  at  once  creditable  to  the 
city  and  lucrative  to  the  proprietors.  George 
Schroth,  the  head  of  the  firm,  is  a  native  of 
"Wurtemberg,  Germany,  born  July  22,  1829, 
his  parents  being  John  and  Regina  (Miller) 
Schroth,  the  father  a  farmer.  He  was  educated 
in  the  Government  schools  from  the  age  of  six 
to  fourteen  years,  after  which  he  served  an  ap- 
prenticeship to  the  baker's  trade  with  a  man 
named  Schwimb.  In  May,  1846,  he  came  to 
America,  sailing  from  Havre  to  New  York. 
He  went  to  Newark,  New  Jersey,  and  went  to 
work  for  a  man  named  Liebhauser,  by  whom 
he  was  employed  until  1849.  In  that  year  he 
went  to  Texas,  and  engaged  as  teamster  between 
Port  La  Vaca  and  El  Paso,  hauling  supplies  for 
the  soldiers.  He  afterward  engaged  as  baker 
for  the  troops  at  El  Paso,  being  thus  employed 
until  1851.  In  February  of  that  year  he  started 
for  California  in  company  with  six  others.  The 
route  chosen  by  them  was  that  via  Tucson,  and 
it  was  this  party  which  rescued  those  left  from 
ihe  Oatman  family  massacre,  and  escorted  them 
safely  to  Fort  Yuma,  a  deed  which  won  for 
them  an  honorable  and  a  lasting  place  in  the 
history  of  that  region.  Their  way  was  beset 
by  the  greatest  danger  from  the  hostile  and 
murderous  savages.  At  San  Diego  he  waited 
for  a  train  before  continuing  his  journey  to  the 


HISTORY    OF    SACRAMENTO    COUNTY. 


northward,  and  while  there  engaged  in  driving 
an  ox  team,  lianling  wood,  and  in  the  work  of 
boring  an  artesian  well.  At  length,  res-uniing 
the  jonrne3%  lie  proceeded  np  to  Stockton,  fol- 
lowing the  coast  route  ranch  of  the  way,  and 
driving  horses.  The  journey  to  Sacramento  was 
accomplished  afoot,  Mr.  Sehroth  carrying  his 
blanljet  on  his  slioulders  to  this  city,  where  he 
arrived  in  June.  He  obtained  employment  at 
the  Pioneer  Bakery  (then  known  as  Henry 
Winkel's  bakery),  on  K  street,  between  Front 
and  Second.  After  the  big  tire  of  1852,  in 
which  the  building  was  destroyed,  business  was 
resumed  in  the  alley  bounded  by  J  and  K, 
Front  and  Second  streets.  In  1853  Winkel 
sold  out  to  J.  W.  Lehman  and  Louis  Elmer. 
In  January,  1854,  Mr.  Sehroth  bought  Elmer's 
interest  in  the  business,  and  in  1855  the  tirm 
bought  property  on  J  street,  between  Front  and 
Second,  and  put  up  a  building,  the  lower  floor 
of  which  was  utilized  by  the  Pioneer  Bakery, 
and  the  second  story  by  the  Pioneer  Hall.  In 
1869  Mr.  Lehman  died,  and  his  widow  retained 
an  interest  in  the  Inisiness  two  or  three  years, 
after  which  Mr.  Sehroth  carried  on  the  business 
alone  until  1882,  when  he  sold  out  the  bakery 
business,  though  he  still  retains  tlie  ownership 
of  the  property,  and  has  since  given  his  atten- 
tion to  his  large  milling  interests.  On  the  18th 
of  August,  1857,  Mr.  Sehroth  was  married  to 
Miss  Amelia  Fuchs,  a  native  of  Germany,  who 
came  to  Sacramento  in  1856.  She  crossed 
Nicaragua  during  the  time  Walker  held  pos- 
session, and  was  detained  on  the  Isthmus  for 
four  weeks.  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Sehroth  have  five 
children,  viz.:  John  George,  William  C,  Carrie, 
Emily  and  Clara.  Mr.  Sehroth  joined  the  Sac- 
ramento Hussars  in  1861,  being  with  the  organ- 
ization while  it  was  in  the  State  militia,  and 
held  the  post  of  standard-bearer  three  or  four 
years.  He  is  the  only  charter  member  of  the  | 
Sacramento  Turn-Verein  who  has  remained  with 
that  body  since  its  organization  in  1854.  and  I 
was  the  fifth  member  to  sign  the  roll.  He  is 
one  of  the  original  members  of  Schiller  Lodge,  I 
No.  105,  I.  O.  ().  F.     He  has  been  a  director  in    ' 


the  Germania  Building  and  Loan  Association 
since  its  organization.  In  the  days  of  the  vol- 
unteer fire  department  he  "ran  with  the  ma- 
chine," having  been  one  of  the  organizers  of 
"Knickerbocker  No.  5."  Mr.  Schroth's  record 
is  one  of  which  any  man  might  be  proud.  He 
made  his  start  in  Sacramento  by  his  own  labor; 
by  the  great  fire-of  1852  he  lost  $1,300  of  ac- 
cumulated wages;  during  the  flood  of  1853  he 
remained  at  his  post,  working  in  the  water, 
which  reached  the  ovens  before  the  bread  was 
got  in.  He  has  borne  his  share  of  the  brunt  of 
all  public  disasters,  as  well  as  of  all  public  im- 
provements, yet  to-day  ranks  among  the  solid 
business  men  of  Sacramento,  as  well  as  araoug 
the  most  entei'prising. 

"^-^-^ ■ 

tON.  W.  P.  COLEMAN.— Mr.  Coleman  is 
one  of  the  "  Argonauts,"  and  very  few, 
even  among  those  men  of  history  and  ad- 
venture, have  had  a  life  more  full  of  incident 
and  interest  than  he.  He  was  born  in  Hopkins- 
ville.  Christian  County,  Kentucky,  in  1826,  and 
there  spent  his  younger  days.  When  seventeen 
years  of  age  he  went  to  St.  Louis,  Missouri, 
where  he  attetided  college  for  one  year  and  was 
then  apprenticed  to  the  tobacco  business.  The 
conclusion  of  his  apprenticeship  occurred  in  the 
eventful  period  about  1849.  Eager  to  test  for 
himself  the  truth  of  the  glowing  reports  that 
were  Hying  over  the  land,  young  Coleman  deter- 
mined to  set  out  for  California.  He  made  the 
trip  overland  in  the  uncommonlly  short  space  of 
ninety  days,  an  unusually  rapid  and  })rosperous 
journey.  The  train  by  which  became  was  com- 
posed entirely  of  horse  and  mule  teams,  and 
thus  made  good  headway.  It  was  called  the 
"Telegraph  Train,"  on  account  of  the  speed  it 
made.  Mr.  Brolaski  was  the  captain,  and  Mr. 
Coleman  one  of  the  teamsters.  It  happened  that 
Senator  Boggs  was  on  his  way  at  the  same  time 
with  ox  teams.  A  friendship  sprang  up  between 
the  companies,  and  the  Senator  was  the  means 
of   renderinor  the  others  great  assistance   when 


HISrORT    OF    SACRAMENTO    COUNTY. 


at  Carson  River,  as  a  portion  of  the  mnles  broke 
down  and  were  tliere  converted  into  pack  trains. 
Mr.  Coleman  went  mining  at  first  of  course.  Bj 
1850,  however,  he  had  become  tired  of  this,  and 
opened  a  store  at  the  junction  of  Greenwood 
Creek  and  American  River,  where  Magnolia  now 
is.  His  partner  in  the  business  was  a  gentleman 
named  Smith,  who  sold  the  goods  wiiile  young 
Coleman  did  the  buying  in  Sacramento  and  team- 
ing thence  to  the  store.  In  1851  Mr.  Coleman 
came  to  Sacramento,  where  he  has  since  re- 
mained and  of  which  he  has  long  been  one  of 
the  most  solid  and  reliable  citizens.  It  is  a 
noteworthy  and  honorable  thing  for  California 
that  of  her  richest  and  leading  citizens  of  to-day 
the  vast  majority  began  with  nothing  but  brains 
and  grit.  Mr.  Coleman  is  no  exception.  He 
opened  a  little  outfitting  business  on  a  very 
small  scale  on  the  very  site  which  has  since  be- 
come thoroughly  identified  with  his  name,  and 
where  his  representative  real-estate  office  is 
situated,  namely.  No.  325  J  street.  The  great 
fire  of  November,  1852,  swept  his  establishment 
out  of  existence.  Mr.  Coleman  happened  to  be 
in  San  Francisco  at  the  time,  purchasing  goods. 
With  the  indomitable  pluck  born  in  the  true 
American,  he  came  back  at  once;  succeeded  in 
renting  one-half  of  a  store  two  doors  above  his 
old  stand,  opened  out  his  goods,  and  by  his 
energy  gained  quitearich  harvest  for  his  enter- 
prise, having  his  goods  on  sale  by  the  12th  of 
November.  A  month  later  he  had  obtained  a 
new  store,  at  a  rental  of  $500  a  month,  fitted  it 
up  with  lumber  that  cost  him  thirty-five  cents  a 
foot,  and  was  soon  "in  fujl  blast"  again  on  a 
larger  scale  than  ever.  It  speaks  volumes  for 
the  strength  of  Mr.  Coleman's  frame  that  he 
slept  in  the  damp,  new  building  while  complet- 
ing his  arrangements,  without  suffering  any  ill 
effects  from  the  exposure.  At  length,  in  1860, 
having  reaped  the  reward  due  to  his  energy, 
perseverance  and  the  correctness  of  bis  business 
principles,  Mr.  Coleman  decided  to  retire  in 
order  that  he  might  enjoy  at  leisure,  in  the  com- 
forts of  life,  the  ample  means  he  had  succeeded 
in  accumulating.      He  decided  to  visit  Europe; 


crossed  the  Atlantic,  and  was  in  Italy,  after  a 
tour  of  England  and  France,  when  he  was  noti- 
fied by  his  banker  in  Paris  tliat,  on  account  of 
the  civil  war  then  raging,  the  transfer  of  funds 
between  America  and  Europe  was  entirely 
stopped.  He  hastened  hack  to  Paris,  and  al- 
though the  reputation  for  promptness  and  reli- 
ability he  had  made  in  California,  and"  the 
knowledge  of  his  ample  means,  procured  him 
every  attention  at  the  hands  of  the  bankers,  he 
nevertheless  abandoned  the  trip,  returned  to 
America,  and  after  a  visit  of  some  six  months' 
duration  among  his  relatives  in  Kentucky,  was 
back  again  in  Sacramento,  the  home  of  his 
choice.  The  promise  of  retiring  from  business 
life  is  easier  said  tlian  jierformed  by  one  of  so 
active  and  industrious  a  nature  as  is  Mr.  Cole- 
man; and  so  it  is  not  surprising  that  shortly  after 
his  return  he  was  busy  as  a  volunteer  worker 
for  the.  interests  of  the  city,  which  was  then  rais- 
ing the  grade.  He  steadily  refused  all  ofiicial 
honors.  However,  the  office  of  corresponding 
secretary  of  the  Pioneers'  Association  was  thrust 
upon  him;  and  his  frequent  contributions  of 
letters  to  the  society  are  thoroughly  appreciated 
and  are  of  great  value  to  that  organization.  In 
1867  he  finally  opened  his  well-known  real- 
estate  office  on  J  street,  on  tiie  very  lot  where 
he  had  known  the  misfortunes  and  triumphs  of 
his  early  days  in  this  city.  He  no  longer  pays 
active  attention  to  the  business  there,  having 
turned  it  over  to  his  juniors  in  the  office,  Messrs. 
E.  A.  Crouch  and  P.  Bohl.  It  was  in  a  portion 
of  that  office  where  the  Sacramento  Bank  was 
first  established,  Mr.  Coleman  being  one  of  the 
prominent  stockholders  and  an  original  incor- 
porator. Its  correct  methods  of  business,  how- 
ever, and  careful  management  have  given  it 
great  prosperity,  and  it  is  now  established  in  its 
fine  building  on  the  corner  of  Fifth  and  J  streets. 
Mr.  Coleman  has  been  its  president  since  1880, 
devoting  t.ie  whole  of  his  valuable  experience 
in  business  and  accurate  knowledge  of  mankind 
to  the  interests  of  the  institution.  Under  the 
management  of  himself  and  his  associates  the 
bank  has  grown  to  be  one  of  our  powerful  finan- 


HISTORY    OF    SACRAMENTO    COUNTT. 


cial  institutions  and  conducts  a  business  of  great 
magnitude.  He  is  a  public-spirited  citizen,  of 
generous  impulses,  taking  a  practical  and  lead- 
ing part  in  all  matters  conducive  to  the  public 
welfare,  and  a  large  contributor  to  all  worthy 
and  deserving  causes.  Personally  he  is  one  of 
tlie  most  large-hearted,  jovial  and  companion- 
al)le  of  men,  a  favorite  with  all  classes  of  the 
community,  ranking  justly  as  one  of  our  most 
worthy  as  well  as  most  representative  men.  Mr. 
Coleman  is  a  married  man,  but  withonr  children. 
Unfortunately,  his  wife  has  been  an  invalid 
almost  from  the  first,  but  by  his  devoted  atten- 
tion and  watchful  care  of  her  every  want,  her 
life  has  been  prolonged  until  the  present.  It  is 
but  proper  to  state  that  this  article  is  very  in- 
complete, as  Mr.  Coleman  could  not  be  induced 
to  give  more  than  mere  dates,  and  the  balance  of 
the  article  is  compiled  from  other  sourcess. 


J^OIST.  W.  H.  BEATTY,  Chief  Justice  of  the 
|mJ  Supreme  Court  of  California,  is  one  of 
^S<(s  those  who  have  attained  a  deserved  pre- 
eminence both  as  a  pleader  and  as  a  counselor, 
and  is  worthily  considered  to  stand  at  the  head 
of  his  profession.  He  is  a  native  of  the  State 
of  Ohio,  but  removed  with  his  fatl^er,  Hon.  II. 
O.  Beatty,  a  sketch  of  whose  life  appears  on 
another  page,  to  Sacramento  in  February,  1853. 
He  was  born  in  the  year  1838,  and  hence  is 
practically  a  Californian  in  every  sense,  having 
been  but  fifteen  years  of  age  when  he  came  to 
these  shores.  Two  years  later,  or  in  1855,  he 
returned  again  to  the  East  for  the  purpose  of  pur- 
suing his  academic  studies.  In  September,  1858, 
he  came  back  to  this  State  and  in  the  ottice  of 
his  father  in  this  city  completed  his  legal  studies, 
being  admitted  to  practice  at  the  bar  of  the  Su- 
preme and  other  courts  of  this  State,  in  Jan- 
uary', 1861.  After  practicing  here  until  March, 
1863,  he  went  to  the  then  "booming"  country 
of  Reese  River,  Nevada,  and  at  Austin  opened 
an  office,  and  b.'gan  a  residence  in  Nevada  which 
lasted  for  eighteen  years.    Upon  the  organization 


of  Nevada  as  a  State,  in  1864,  and  the  adoption 
of  a  State  Constitution,  Mr.  Beatty  was  elected 
District  Judge,  it  being  a  peculiar  and  interest- 
ing fact  that  at  the  same  time  his  father,  who 
had  also  gone  to  Nevada,  was  elected  a  Justice 
of  the  Supreme  Court.  Justice  Beatty  held 
the  position  of  District  Judge  until  1874,  or 
lor  a  term  of  ten  years,  when  he  was  elected 
Chief  Justice  of  the  Supreme  Court  of  that 
State,  a  position  tilled  by  him  during  the  balance 
of  his  residence  there.  Finally,  in  January, 
1881,  he  returned  to  Sacramento,  since  which 
time  he  has  been  a  constant  resident  of  this  city. 
In  the  fall  of  1888  he  became  a  candidate  upon 

!  the  Republican  ticket  for  the  Chief  Justiceship 
of  the  Supreme  Court  of  California,  and  although 
opposed  by  a  deservedly  popular  candidate  on 
the  Democratic  ticket,  was  elected  by  a  large 
majority,  and  assumed  the  duties  of  his  olfice 
at  the  tirst  of  the  year.  To  the  accomplish- 
ment of  this  result,  the  known  high  character 
of  the  Justice,  both  as  a  lawyer  and  a  citizen,  as 
well  as  his  personal  popularity  and  the  confidence 
reposed  in  him  by  all  whether  in  political  accord 
or  not,  contributed  chiefly.  But  it  is  not  alone 
in  matters  connected  with  his  profession  or  the 
judiciary  that  Justice  Beatty  has  taken  a  promi- 
nent part.  He  is  now  the  president,  and  a  lead- 
ing member  of  the  voluntary  organization 
formed  for  the  purpose  of  discussing,  maturing 
and  advocating  plans  for  the  improvement  of 
the  city,  which  have  already  had  a  material 
effect  toward  the  betterment  of  the  place,  and 
is  one  of  the  most  useful  organizations  formed 
here.  He  has  also  taken  an  active  interest 
in  all  matters  that  tend  to  the  public  benefit, 
contributing  liberally  of  time,  counsel  and  meanfe 
to  their  advancement.  In  conclusion  it  may  be 
stated  that  Justice  Beatty  is  a  man  of  large- 
hearted  and  generous  instincts,  and  is  possessed 

I  of  great  force  of  character  and  the  quick  de- 
cision so  necessary  to  the  legal  man.  As  an  ad- 
vocate he  is  trenchant  and  eifective,  and  as  a 
judge  he  is  fearless  and  impartial,  his  rulings 
being  founded  on  justice  and  a  deep  knowledge 
of  the  law.     In  each  department  of  his  duties. 


HISTORY    OF    SACRAMENTO    COUNTY. 


he  is  an  indefatio^able  student,  and  in  the  higher 
walks  has  merited  tlie  confidence  and  esteem 
reposed  in  hitn  alike  by  client  and  people.  He 
was  married  in  1874,  to  Miss  Elizabeth  M. 
Love,  of  North  Carolina.  They  have  two  chil- 
dren, a  son  and  a  daughter,  both  at  home. 


fOIIN  OCHSNER,  the  extensive  cooperage 
manufacturer  of  Sacramento,  is  a  native  of 
Switzerland,  bora  in  Canton  Chafoosa,  De- 
cember 29,  1839,  and  is  a  son  of  Michael  and 
Elizabeth  Ochsner.  When  he  was  a  mere  child, 
his  parents  came  to  the  United  States,  and  lo- 
cated in  Hancock  County,  Illinois,  on  a  farm 
about  four  miles  south  and  three  miles  east  of 
Nauvoo.  There  he  grew  to  the  age  of  nine 
years,  at  that  time  removing  to  the  vicinity  of 
Fort  Madison,  Iowa,  where  he  attended  school. 
He  followed  farm  work  until  he  was  seventeen 
years  of  age,  when  he  started  to  learn  the  coop- 
er's trade  in  the  establishment  of  his  brother 
Samuel,  at  Tioga.  In  1857  he  formed  one  of  a 
party  of  seven  who  went  to  Pike's  Peak  by  team, 
but  after  two  weeks  there,  finding  nothing  profit- 
able to  do,  and  being  out  of  money,  he  started 
back,  making  his  way  afoot  to  Tioga.  From 
there  he  went  to  St.  Louis,  thence  up  the  Mis- 
souri Hiver  to  St.  Joe,  and  in  the  following  fall 
to  New  Orleans.  He  was  there  when  the  bat- 
tle of  Bull  Run  was  fought,  and  shortly  there- 
after he  went  back  to  Tioga,  Illinois.  About 
seven  months  later  he  went  to  Keokuk,  Iowa, 
and  in  1862  to  Chicago,  from  which  city  he 
went  to  London,  Canada.  In  all  of  these  places 
he  worked  at  his  trade,  thus  mastering  its  vari- 
ous departments.  He  next  proceeded  to  New 
York,  where  he  worked  until  June,  1863,  when 
he  took  passage  on  the  steamer  Moses  Taylor 
bound  for  California.  He  came  via  Panama, 
and  landed  at  San  Francisco  July  12,  1863, 
having  been  tiventy-eight  days  on  the  journey 
from  New  York.  At  San  Francisco  he  obtained 
employment  with  Scheppert,  in  the  cooperage 
department  of  the  California  Brewery.      From 


there  he  came  to  Sacramento,  and  started  in  t'le 
cooperage  business  with  Mr.  C.  Schaefer.  He 
bought  Schaefer  out  in  1864,  his  place  of  busi- 
ness being  where  the  Eagle  Cracker  Bakery 
now  stands,  and  directly  across  K  street  from 
his  present  establishment,  moving  to  his  present 
quarters  in  1865,  and  putting  up  the  necessary 
improvements.  His  business  has  grown  to  large 
proportions,  and  he  now  employs  from  five  to 
eight  men  the  year  round.  He  manufactures 
chiefly  tanks  and  casks,  and  ships  the  product 
of  his  factory  throughout  California,  Nevada, 
etc.,  and  as  far  east  as  Salt  Lake.  .  He  also  does 
a  heavy  local  business,  and  never  fails  to  keep 
trade  in  a  locality  where  he  once  finds  a  footing. 
Mr.  Ochsner  was  married  in  Sacramento,  April 
27,  1867,  to  Miss  Mary  Stillinger.  They  have 
five  children,  viz.:  Ma'ry  Luella,  John  Madison, 
Fred  Alonzo,  George  Walter,  and  Richard  Leon. 
Mr.  Ochsner  is  a  member  of  Washington  Lodge, 
A.  F.  &  A.  M.;  of  Sacramento  Chapter,  No.  3; 
Sacramento  Council,  No.  1,  and  Sacramento 
Commandery,  No.  2;  also  of  the  Knights  of 
Honor,  and  of  Sacramento  Lodge,  A.  O.  U.  W. 
Mr.  Ochsner  has  made  his  business  start  in 
Sacramento,  and  has  lieen  successful  in  an  un- 
usual degree. 

fHILIP  GEORGE  RHEIL  was  born  in  Illi- 
nois, in  1838,  son  of  Philip  George  Rlieil- 
who  emigrated  to  Chicago  about  1836, 
when  what  is  now  the  palatial  city  consisted  of 
but  fourteen  houses.  His  parents  having  died 
of  cholera  in  the  epidemic  of  1851,  our  subject 
received  but  a  limited  education,  being  brought 
up  on  a  farm  and  having  to  go  five  or  six  miles 
to  a  school.  He  continued  to  live  upon  a  farm 
for  a  year  or  two  after  the  death  of  his  parents, 
but,  in  January,  1853,  he  determined  to  strike 
out  for  California,  where  he  felt  the  opportu- 
nity, at  least,  would  not  be  wanting,  to  achieve 
success.  Going  to  New  York  he  set  sail  on  the 
steamer  George  Law,  crossed  the  Isthmus,  and 
came    up   the  coast    on    the    steamer    John    L. 


HISTORY    OF    SACUAMENTO    COUNTY. 


Stephens,  landed  at  "  Frisco  "  in  February,  and, 
coining  direct  to  Sacramento,  began  working  for 
Sam  Norris,  and  tiien  for  a  jear  or  two  at  tiie 
Columbus  Brewery.  He  went  to  Jackson  and 
worked  for  two  years  in  the  mines,  then  in  a 
saw-mill,  was  employed  by  "  Si  "  Wheeler,  and 
was  foreman  of  the  Whitcorab  ranch  for  four- 
teen years.  In  these  difi'erent  vocations  he 
gradually  accumulated  money,  and  in  1877  was 
enabled  to  buy  out  the  interest  of  Mr.  D.  G. 
Webber,  general  merchant  at  Freeport,  in  this 
county;  here  lie  establisiied  himself,  and  for 
twelve  years  he  conducted  a  very  prosperous 
business.  He  has  interested  himself  in  public 
affairs  to  a  considerable  extent,  and  now  owns  a 
controlling  interest  in  the  River  Telephone  lines, 
and  other  enterprises.  In  1855  he  married 
Mrs.  Hannah  M.  Bodge,  nee  Webber,  a  nrtive  of 
Bangor,  Maine,  a  scion  of  an  old  New  England 
family.  Their  son  George,  a  young  man  of 
great  promise,  died  at  the  age  of  twenty-six 
years.  Their  daughter  Lilly  is  the  wife  of  John 
G.  Hight,  and  is  the  mother  of  three  children: 
Love,  Wave,  and  one  unnamed,  the  Joy  of 
their  grandparents'  hearts,  in  whose  young  lives 
they  can  renew  their  own  youth,  and  live  over 
again  the  days  of  their  childish  years. 

-^€@"li%-'¥ — 

fAMES  M.  HENDERSON,  retired  farmer, 
and  one  of  the  best-known  citizens  of  the 
city  of  Sacramento,  was  born  March  24, 
1830,  ill  Harrison  County,  Ohio,  on  the  bank  of 
Short  Creek.  His  father,  Andrew  Henderson, 
of  Allegheny  County,  Pennsylvania,  was  one  of 
eight  brothers  wlio  with  only  one  exception  be- 
came farmers.  He  moved  to  Ohio  at  an  early 
day,  married  Mi.-s  Mary  Saudis  Mitchell,  daugh- 
ter of  Jerome  Mitchell,  a  jirominent  farmer  of 
Belmont  County,  Ohio;  William  Mitchell,  an- 
other brother,  came  to  California  in  1849,  and 
hud  a  stock  ranch  near  where  Gait  is  now. 
After  a  few  years  he  returned  to  <  )liio,  and  from 
liim  James  derived  his  ideas  of  the  Golden 
State.      In  the  spring  of  1854,  in  company  with 


Andrew  Whitaker  and  Edward  Presbury,  he 
came  with  a  stock  train  across  the  plains;  the 
train,  with  300  head  of  cattle  and  horses  and 
twenty  men,  had  been  made  up  near  Alton, 
Illinois.  They  crossed  the  Missouri  River  at 
St.  Joseph,  and  came  west  by  the  North  Platte 
and  Truckee  rivers  and  Marysville,  this  State, 
and  stopped  near  Gait,  in  September.  Mr. 
Henderson  went  to  Stockton  and  bought  a  quar- 
ter-section of  land  in  San  Joaquin  County,  and 
began  farming.  In  Stockton,  December  25, 
1850,  he  mariied  Margaret  A.  Elliott,  nee 
Sweasey,  daughter  of  W.  J.  Svveasey,  of  Eureka, 
Humboldt  County,  where  he  still  lives  enjoying 
a  hale  old  age.  Mrs.  Henderson  was  the  second 
white  woman  married  in  Stockton.    In  October, 

1850,  on  the  Mokehunne  River,  Mrs.  Hender- 
son and  her  sister  and  children  were  left  in  a 
wagon,  and  a  grizzly  bear  was  around  the  wagon 
all  night,  until  Mr.  Sweasey  and  son  returned 
in  the  morning.  They,  too,  had  been  treed  by 
a  grizzly  bear  and  cub  and  kept  there  all  night; 
and  they  were  very  joyous  to  find  theirfamily  safe. 
In  the  spring  of  1852  Mrs.  Henderson  and  Mrs. 
Henry  Loring  were  the  first  white  women  to 
ride  up  into  the  mines  to  her  husband's  camp; 
and  it  was  so  unusual  to  see  women  come  up 
alone  that  all  the  miners  turned  out,  made  great 
demonstrations,  cheering  them,  and  in  the  eve- 
ning held  a  great  celebration.  These  women  re- 
ceived   attentions  from    every  one  while  they 

!   remained  in  that  camp.      When,  in   the  fall  of 

1851,  Mrs.  Henderson  and  her  father  rode  to 
San  Francisco  from  what  is  now  Redwood,  they 
were  cheered  there  by  the  business  men.  Mr. 
Sweasey  was  born  in  London,  England,  and 
came  to  America  when  his  daughter  was  twelve 
years  old,  settling  near  Evansville,  Indiana,  and 
came  to  California  in  1850,  being  one  of  the 
first  settlers  of  Humboldt  County.  He  has  been 
a  member  of  the  Legislature  from  San  Fran- 
cisco, and  also  a  member  of  a  constitutional 
convention.  He  is  now  manager  and  principal 
owner  of  the  the  steamer  Humboldt,  plying  be- 
tween San  Francisco  and  Eureka.  In  his  city 
he  has  a   grocery    store,    and  also  owns  several 


HISTORY    OF    SACRAMENTO    COUNTY. 


sailing  vessels.  Mr.  Henderson  continued  to 
live  upon  tlie  ranch  until  1868,  devoting  him- 
self to  stock-raising  largely,  when  he  bought  a 
residence  in  Sacramento  city.  He  built  a  com- 
modious dwelling  the  following  year,  but  for 
six  years  longer  he  continued  actively  engaged 
in  farming.  While  living  upon  the  ranch  he 
was  justice  of  the  peace  two  years,  and  it  was 
said  of  him  tliat  he  was  the  only  justice  from 
whom  tlie  county  actually  derived  a  revenue, 
through  his  care  in  compelling  all  litigants  to 
secure  the  costs  before  bringing  an  action.  He 
was  usually  an  inspector  of  elections,  and  wliile 
justice  of  the  pence  he  prepared  the  poll-lists, 
and  was  prominent  in  local  conventions.  He 
is  a  member  of  Woodbridge  Lodge,  No.  131, 
F.  &  A.  M.;  an  Odd  Fellow  of  long  standing; 
was  the  first  master  of  the  A.  O.  U.  W.  Lodge 
first  organized  in  San  Joaquin  County;  passed 
all  the  chairs  of  the  American  Legion  of  Honor, 
and  was  the  first  presiding  officer  of  this  or- 
ganization. Mr.  Henderson's  family  consists 
of  his  wife  and  three  sons  and  two  daughters. 
The  children  are:  William,  who  is  married  and 
resides  in  this  city;  Henry,  deceased;  Mary, 
deceased;  James,  with  W.  P.  Coleman  &  Co., 
and  Margaret  Svveasey. 

^-^^#-%# 

:ILLIAM  MITCHELL,  a  prominent  pio- 
neer,  was  born  September  12,  1829,  in 
Rochester,  New  York;  he  was  left  an 
orphan  at  the  age  of  four  years,  and  at  the  age 
of  eight  years  he  began  life  as  a  newsboy. 
During  the  Mexican  war  he  was  occupying  a 
position  in  the  custom  house  at  New  Orleans, 
where  he  enlisted  in  a  company  called  the  Louis- 
iana Mounted  Volunteers,  of  which  the  captain 
was  George  Carr,  son  of  the  collector  of  the  port. 
They  were  attached  to  General  Scott's  army  at 
Vera  Cruz  and  served  for  eighteen  months.  Mr. 
Mitchell  attained  the  rank  of  brevet  Captain  of 
Company  C.  After  he  was  mustered  out  of 
service  he  was  again  employed  in  the  New  Or- 
leans custom-house,  remaining  there   until   the 


close  of  President  Polk's  administration.  In 
1849  he  came  to  California  on  the  old  famous 
steamer  McKim,  Captain  Fulton,  being  nine 
months  on  the  -voyage.  This  was  the  first 
steamer  that  ever  came  up  the  river  as  far  as 
Sacramento.  He  went  to  the  Fremont  diggings 
in  Mariposa  County,  having  for  his  business 
partner  Edward  Shaw,  son  of  Dr.  Shaw,  an  emi- 
nent physician  in  New  Orleans.  He,  however, 
soon  became  ill  and  returned  home.  During 
the  winter  and  spring  of  1849-'50,  he  was  on 
the  Yuba  River.  He  next  returned  to  New 
Orleans,  by  way  of  the  Isthmus,  securing  a  po- 
sition on  the  police  force  and  remained  there 
until  1853.  In  April,  that  year,  having  been 
married  to  Miss  Mary  St.  John,  he  with  his  wife 
came  to  California,  determined  to  make  this 
country  his  home.  Purchasing  land  on  what  is 
called  the  Laguna,  in  the  southern  part  of  this 
county,  he  engaged  in  stock-raising  there  and 
farming  until  1887,  when  he  removed  with  his 
family  to  this  city,  locating  on  J  street,  above 
Twenty-second,  where  he  has  built  and  occupies 
a  beautiful  residence. 


fACOB  MILLER,  manufacturer  of  furniture 
and  undertaking  materials,  Folsom,  was 
born  in  Germany,  March  1,  1835,  a  son  of 
Jacob  Miller.  His  mother  died  when  he  was 
about  four  years  old.  A  little  before  he  was 
twenty  years  of  age  he  emigrated  to  the  United 
States,  landing  in  New  York.  Going  to  Bos- 
ton, he  apprenticed  himself  to  the  cabinet-mak- 
ing trade  and  served  three  and  a  half  years.  He 
continued  as  a  journeyman  in  that  city  until  the 
commencement  of  the  war  of  the  Rebellion, 
when  he  came  to  California  by  steamer  from 
New  York,  by  way  of  Panama,  and  landed  in 
San  Francisco.  Coming  to  Sacramento,  he  hired 
out  at  his  trade  to  J.  J.  Clark,  who  at  that  time 
was  the  only  one  who  imported  goods  from  the 
East.  After  about  three  years'  service  he  was 
promoted  to  be  foreman  and  salesman  in  the 
warehouse.     He   continued    in    the    employ  of 


HISTORY    OF    SACRAMENTO    COUNTT. 


this  house  about  eiglit  years,  during  which  time 
the  firm  changed  hands  a  few  times.  In  1869 
lie  came  to  Folsom  and  started  in  business  for 
himself.  At  that  time  Folsom  was  a  lively 
place;  the  railroad  was  running,  the  overland 
route  was  just  completed,  a  great  deal  of  min- 
ing was  in  progress  and  everything  had  the  air 
of  briskness.  Mr.  Miller  bought  property  here 
and  commenced  the  manufacture  of  furniture 
and  undertaking  goods,  which  business  he  has 
now  followed  in  this  place  for  twenty  years.  By 
economy  and  deliberate  judgment  he  has  accu- 
mulated some  property.  He  is  zealously  inter- 
ested in  Folsoin's  prosperity,  and  sincerely 
believes  that  at  no  distant  day  the  town  will  be 
a  city.  In  political  matters  he  is  a  Republican, 
but  will  vote  for  a  good  Democrat  in  preference 
to  a  bad  Republican.  He  is  a  member  of  the 
Odd  Fellows'  order  of  nineteen  years'  standing, 
belonging  to  Granite  Lodge,  No.  62;  also  be- 
longs to  the  Folsom  Encampment,  No.  24;  has 
been  a  member  of  the  Masonic  order  for  fifteen 
years,  being  a  member  of  Natoma  Lodge,  No. 
64,  and  is  also  a  member  of  Folsom  Lodge,  No. 
109,  A.  O.  U.  W.,  and  E.xcelsior  Council, O.  C.  F. 
Mr.  Miller  was  united  in  marriage,  in  1860,  with 
Louisa  Cling,  a  native  of  Baden,  Germany;  she 
died  in  1865,  the  mother  of  two  children:  Emil 
and  Mrs.  Louisa  Klumpf.  Mr.  Miller  was  again 
married,  this  time  to  Mahdalena  Hauser,  a  na- 
tive of  Switzerland,  and  by  this  marriage  there 
are  five  children,  whose  names  are:  Emma,  Hat- 
tie,  Mollie,  Alma  and  Oscar  Jacob.  The  eldest 
daughter  by  the  first  marriage  was  born  in  Bos- 
ton, and  all  the  other  children  are  natives  of 
Sacramento  County. 


fREDERICK  COX,  of  the  widely  known 
firm  of  Clarke  &  Cox,  extensive  ranchers, 
capitalists,  etc.,  was  born  in  Somersetshire, 
England,  in  1828,  and  was  only  a  boy  when  the 
family  emigrated  to  the  United  States.  After 
spending  about  six  months  in  New  York  city 
they  removed   to  Milwaukee,  Wisconsin,  where 


the  father  was  a  book-keeper  and  buyer  for  a 
firm  carrying  on  a  wholesale  and  retail  meat 
business.  In  1849  Frederick  was  seized  with 
the  California  fever,  but  owing  to  a  lack  of  means 
was  unable  to  start  until  the  following  year, 
when  he  joined  a  party  of  six  to  cross  the  plains. 
Crossing  the  Missouri  River  about  the  pi-esent 
site  of  Omaha, — then  called  Winter  Quarters, 
because  the  Mormons  had  spent  a  winter  there 
on  their  way  to  Utah, — they  obtained  there 
guide-books  published  by  the  Mormons,  which 
contained  full  particulars  as  to  the  route  and 
camping  grounds,  and  which  was  found  reliable. 
They  arrived  at  Salt  Lake  without  having  en- 
countered any  difficulties.  At  that  point  they 
procured  another  book  which  was  to  guide  them 
to  California,  but  this  publication  led  them  into 
many  troubles.  In  spite  of  these,  however,  the 
party  arrived  at  Ringgold,  El  Dorado  County, 
in  the  fall  of  the  year.  Soon  after  leaving  Salt 
Lake  the  funds  of  the  party,  with  the  exception 
of  Mr.  Cox,  became  exhausted,  so  that  from  that 
time  until  they  reached  Ringgold  he  footed  all 
bills.  Pitching  their  tent  in  the  middle  of  the 
street,  the  entire  capital  of  the  company,  §7, 
was  invested  in  beefsteak,  molasses  and  flour. 
After  regaling  themselves  with  this  sumptuous 
fare,  Mr.  Cox  made  his  fir^t  attempt  as  an  ora- 
tor and  addressed  his  comrades  very  briefly  but 
to  the  point,  saying  that  it  was  now  "  Every  one 
for. himself  and  the  devil  for  the  hindmost."  In 
the  fall  of  1850  he  met  Lloyd  Tevis  in  Ring- 
gold, of  the  firm  of  Haggin  &  Tevis,  trading  in 
horses  and  buying  immigrant  stock;  and  ever 
since  then  they  have  been  firm  friends.  Six  of 
the  party  betook  themselves  to  the  store  of 
Sargent  Bros.,  and  being  granted  a  limited 
credit  procured  the  necessary  tools  and  started 
out  in  search  of  gold.  Mr.  Cox,  however,  hired 
himself  out  to  a  butcher  in  the  town,  for  whom 
he  worked  two  months,  receiving  for  his  services 
$250  per  month.  Flis  employer  being  desirous 
of  going  away,  Mr.  Cox  purchased  the  business 
and  conducted  it  for  about  nine  months,  when 
he  sold  out,  went  to  Carson  River,  Nevada,  in 
company  with  a  young  man  named  Frakes,  and 


HISTORY    OF    SACRAMENTO    COUNTY. 


engaged  in  the  purchase  of  horses  and  cattle 
from  immigrants.  After  fattening  them,  they 
drove  them  over  the  mountains  into  California, 
and  disposed  of  them  at  a  good  protit.  In  the 
fall  of  1851  Mr.  Cox  started  a  butcher's  shop  at 
Salmon  Falls,  El  Dorado  County,  which  at  that 
time  was  one  of  the  liveliest  mining  camps  in 
the  State.  He  formed  a  partnership  with  Charles 
Bonstell,  which  lasted  until  the  spring  of  1852, 
when  Mr.  Cox  moved  to  Shingle  Springs,  same 
county,  and  purchased  an  already  established 
meat  market.  After  continuing  alone  for  a 
short  time  he  sold  an  interest  to  C.  W.  Clarke. 
This  partnership  still  exists,  and  nothing  has  yet 
occurred  to  disturb  their  amicable  relations. 
At  the  end  of  two  years  the  business  was  dis- 
posed of,  and  both  partners  made  a  trip  to  the 
Eastern  States,  where  they  spent  about  six 
months.  Returning  in  the  fall  of  1854,  they 
opened  a  butcher's  shop  in  Grass  Valley,  Nevada 
County,  where,  besides  carrying  on  the  retail 
trade,  they  engaged  largely  in  the  buying  and 
selling  of  cattle.  Finding  the  latter  business 
uery  profitable  and  growing  to  large  proportions, 
they  sold  out  the  meat  market,  and,  removing 
to  Sacramento,  confined  themselves  to  the  cattle 
trade.  As  their  bands  increased  and  lands  in 
the  neighborhood  of,  Sacramento  became  scarce 
they  found  themselves  compelled  to  seek  loca- 
tions elsewhere,  and  bought  extensive  cattle 
ranges  in  the  counties  of  Sutter,  Yuba,  Tulare, 
Kern  and  San  Luis  Obispo,  which  they  still  hold 
for  their  large  herds.  Mr.  Cox  is  a  self-made 
man.  As  a  business  manager  he  is  very  clear 
headed  and  persevering,  never  having  failed  in 
any  venture  he  has  made,  and  consequently  has 
amassed  a  suflSciency  for  the  autumn  of  his  life, 
which  he  is  enjoying  to  the  fullest  extent.  His 
home  he  has  made  for  himself,  where  he  intends 
to  spend  the  remainder  of  his  days,  and  where 
his  friends  are  welcomed  with  unliniited  hospi- 
tality. In  politics  he  is  a  Democrat.  He  was 
elected  State  Senator  in  1882,  and  served  through 
two  regular  and  two  extra  sessions.  He  was 
the  clioice  of  his  party  again  in  1886,  but  he 
declined   to  run.      He    has    been    appointed   on 


three  ocaasions  by  the  Governor  of  the  State  as 
a  member  of  the  State  Boai'd  of  Agriculture, 
the  last  being  in  1887,  which  term  is  unexpired. 
In  November,  1857,  he  married  Miss  Jennie 
A.  Holdridge,  of  El  Dorado  County,  and  they 
have  had  two  sons  and  three  daughters;  one  son 
and  two  daughters  are  living. 


ILLIAM  JOHNSTON,  an  eminent 
farmer  residing  a  few  miles  south  of 
Sacramento,  was  born  at  Wilkinsburg, 
Allegheny  County,  Pennsylvania,  eight  miles 
from  Pittsburg;  came  to  California  in  1849 
with  a  party  of  BOO,  who  engaged  in  mining. 
After  engaging  himself  in  the  same  business 
in  El  Dorado  County  for  about  a  year,  with 
varying  results,  he  bought  a  squatter's  title  to  a 
quarter  section  of  land,  where  he  has  since  re- 
sided, a  prosperous  farmer.  He  is  eminent  as  a 
Granger,  having  held  the  chief  oflSces  in  the 
State  in  that  order,  and  been  twice  a  delegate  to 
the  National  Grange.  For  the  past  five  years 
he  has  been  president  of  the  Grangers'  Co-opera- 
tive Business  Association,  a  director  and  vice- 
president  of  the  People's  Savings  Bank  in  Sac- 
ramento since  its  organization,  and  recently 
Junior  Warden  of  the  Masonic  Grand  Lodge. 
He  was  a  member  of  the  Legislative  Assembly 
in  1871-'72,  and  of  the  Senate  in  1880-'81,  of 
which  body  he  was  president  pro  tern.,  and  in 
1883  was  a  member  of  the  State  Board  of 
Equalization.  In  all  his  public  positions  he 
has  given  good  satisfaction.  He  acts  with  the 
Republican  party. 


R.  G.  B.  CLOW,  of  Sacramento,  was  born 
in  Morris,  Grundy  County,  Illinois,  Octo- 
ber 3,  1856.  The  family  removed  to 
Pottawatomie  County,  near  Louisville,  Kansas, 
and  there  at  the  age  of  eighteen  he  became  en- 
gaged on  his  father's  farm.  Subsequently  he 
taiiijht  in  the  district  school,  and  studied  medi- 


^   ^o/^  Qfu^ 


IHSTOBT    OF    SACRAMENTO    COUNTY. 


cine  under  Dr.  Taylor,  and  completed  a  four 
years'  coarse  at  the  College  of  Physicians  and 
Surgeons  at  Keokuk,  Iowa,  under  Dr.  J.  C. 
Hughes,  Surgeon  and  Dean  of  the  institution, 
Dr.  J.  M.  Angear,  wlio  afterward  removed  to 
Chicago,  and  Prof.  A.  M.  Carpenter.  He  gradu- 
ated with  honors  at  that  institution  in  the  class 
of  1880,  and  began  the  practice  of  his  profession 
at  Delaware,  Ripley  County,  Indiana,  thirty- 
eight  miles  from  Cincinnati,  Ohio.  To  find  a 
wider  field  he  came  to  the  Pacific  coast,  locating 
lirst  at  Downieville,  Sierra  County,  and  then  at 
Colfax,  .taking  the  place  of  Dr.  Runey.  There 
in  February,  1882,  he  married  Miss  Julia  Stose, 
a  native  daugliter,  and  a  niece  of  George  Koch, 
of  San  P'rancisco.  Her  grandfather  many  years 
ago  was  a  resident  of  this  city,  owning  the 
property  now  occupied  by  A.  A.  Van  Voorhies. 
Immediately  after  his  marriage,  Dr.  Clow  re- 
turned to  Chicago  to  take  a  special  course  at 
the  Rush  Medical  College,  and  graduated  there 
February  20,  1883.  He  then  came  to  Los 
Angeles,  this  State,  but  in  September,  having 
purchased  the  business  of  D\:  Grindle,  he  re- 
moved with  his  family  to  the  Capital  City.  Here 
he  has  just  completed  a  tine  residence  on  the 
corner  of  Twelfth  and  L  streets,  opposite  the 
Capitol,  and  therefore  in  one  of  the  most  eligi- 
ble locations  in  the  city. 

..^^%^^^^%,^ 


iRS.  M.  E.  MAXFIELD  was  born  March 
2,  1824,  in  Garrard  County,  Kentucky, 
a  daughter  of  John  and  Dorcas  (McLin) 
Banks,  both  natives  of  Virginia.  The  family 
moved  to  Kentucky  in  an  early  day,  thence  to 
La  Fayette  County,  Missouri,  where  the  mother 
died.  In  the  spring  of  the  same  year  the  father 
came  to  California,  returning  in  the  fall.  He 
died  shortly  after,  at  the  age  of  seventy  years. 
The  subject  of  this  sketch  was  married  Septem- 
ber 21,  1837,  to  George  AV.  Ma.\lield,  a  saddler 
by  trade,  and  a  native  of  Kentucky.  They  came 
to  California  \\\  1859,  crossing  the  plains  and 
stopping  a  year  at  Salt  Lake  City.    On  arriving 


in  California  they  put  up  at  the  Fifteen-Mile 
House.  They  went  to  Liberty,  remaining  a 
year:  thence  to  Elk  Grove,  where  they  lived 
three  years  on  the  Charley  Price  place.  From 
there  they  came  to  their  present  home,  where 
Mr.  Maxfield  died  October  14,  1872.  With 
the  assistance  of  her  older  sons,  Mrs.  Maxfield 
has  made  her  home  one  of  the  most  attractive 
and  fruitful  places  in  this  county.  There  is 
always  to  be  found  at  her  home  that  generosity 
and  hospitality  which  is  seldom  found  save  in 
the  houses  of  people  of  lier  nativity.  She 
always  has  a  welcome  and  a  kind  word  for  the 
needy  stranger  asking  alms,  and  none  who  are 
thought  to  be  lionest  go  from  her  door  hungry. 
She  has  had  twelve  children,  five  girls  and  seven 
boys,  nine  of  whom  are  living,  viz.:  Robert  B., 
Margaret  J.,  Gershoni  B.,  George  W.,  Samuel 
P.,  Louisa,  John  C,  Clara,  Richmond  G., 
Charles  F.,  Mary  M.  and  Anna  O. 


^-*3 


^UGH  McELROY  LA  RUE,  a  leader  among 
^mX  the  representative  business  men  of  Sacra- 
^fii  mento,  was  born  August  12,  1830,  in  Har- 
din County,  Kentucky,  north  of  and  adjacent 
to  the  county  which  bears  his  family  name.  At 
that  early  day  the  State  of  Missouri  was  being 
rapidly  settled  up,  in  great  part  by  some  of  the 
best  Keiitncky  families.  About  the  year  1839 
the  family  removed  to  Lewis  County,  Missouri, 
when  the  Indians,  even  if  nothing  else,  were 
plentiful.  Mr.  La  Rue  early  evinced  a  desire 
to  extend  his  travels  to  the  far  West,  and  as 
early  as  1845,  when  he  was  but  fifteen  years  of 
age,  he  began  talking  about  his  intention  to 
cross  the  plains.  It  is  not,  therefore,  surpris- 
ing that  the  excitement  resulting  from  the  dis- 
covery of  gold  should  lead  him  to  become  a 
member  of  a  party  in  V.  A.  Sublette  and  Dr. 
Conduitt's  expedition  across  the  plains.  This 
party,  however,  had  been  formed  before  the  news 
of  the  gold  discovery  had  reached  there.  They 
crossed  the  Missouri  River  at  Booneville,  and 
April   2'J,    1849,   left   Independence,  that  State, 


HISTORY    OF    SACRAMENTO    COUNTY. 


which  was  their  last  point  within  the  limits  of 
civilization.  They  came  by  way  of  tlie  Platte 
River,  and  the  South  Pass,  by  Sublette's  cut- 
off and  Fort  Hall  (the  Oregon  trail),  and  came 
into  this  State,  crossing  the  Truckee  River 
about  twenty-seven  times  in  thirty  miles;  and 
about  August  12  reached  the  Bear  River  mines 
at  Steep  Hollow.  Near  this  place,  during  the 
foUovfing  six  weeks,  Mr.  La  Rue  had  his  first 
mining  experience.  After  visiting  Grass  Val- 
ley, Nevada,  and  Deer  Creek,  he  located  at  Fid- 
dletown,  Amador  County,  now  called  Oleta, 
being  one  of  the  first  party  of  white  men  to 
build  a  cabin  at  that  point,  and  discovered  and 
worked  the  first  mines  there.  The  name  "  Fid- 
dletown  thus  originated:  Soon  after  the  arrival 
of  Mr.  La  Rue  and  his  party  al  that  point,  a 
number  of  men  from  Arkansas,  among  whom 
were  several  violin  players,  settled  near  them, 
and,  the  winter  being  rather  too  wet  to  permit 
of  mining  comfortably,  they  passed  their  time 
largely  in  violin  playing,  card  playing  and  danc- 
ing. In  this  Arkansas  party  were  the  Gentrys, 
Logans,  Rubottoms  and  Bettis.  Mr.  La  Rue 
next  went  to  Willow  Springs,  four  miles  west 
of  Drytown,  bought  out  a  small  eating-house 
there  and  conducted  it  until  about  the  1st  of 
March.  From  there  he  went  to  Marysville, 
and  thence  made,  in  the  spring  of  1850,  a  trad- 
incr  expedition  to  Shasta  with  a  stock  of  grocer- 
ies and  provisions,  which  he  sold  directly  from 
the  wagon  at  that  place  to  the  merchants  and 
miners  at  very  remunerative  prices,  as  his  goods 
were  the  first  to  arrive  there.  His  flour  he  sold 
at  40  cents  a  pound;  pork,  ham,  sugar,  coffee 
and  rice,  $1  to  $1.25  a  pound;  whiskies  and 
brandies,  about  $8  a  gallon;  and  other  articles 
in  proportion.  After  making  one  more  trip  to 
that  point,  he  came  to  Sacramento,  in  June, 
1850,  and  engaged  in  blacksmithingand  wagon- 
making.  The  cholera  epidemic  of  that  year 
broke  up  the  business  and  he  went  out  upon  the 
Norris  grant  (Rancho  del  Paso),  rented  a  piece 
of  land  and  began  the  cultivation  of  vegetables, 
and  afterward  grain,  and  thus  employed  himself 
until    1857,    when    he    planted    an    orchard  of 


seventy-five  acres,  principally  in  peach  trees, — 
the  most  extensive  orchard  in  this  vicinity.-  In 
this  enterprise  he  was  doing  well  until  the  floods 
of  1861-'62  damaged  his  orchards.  Norris 
failed  that  year,  and  Mr.  La  Rue  bought  the 
property;  but  the  floods  of  1868  utterly  de- 
stroyed this  tract  and  ended  the  venture.  In 
1866,  however,  Mr.  La  Rue  purchased  800  or 
900  acres  of  land  in  Yolo  County;  but  after 
a  while  he  felt  the  necessity  of  moving  his 
family  into  town,  for  the  sake  of  schooling  his 
children,  and  also  for  the  sake  of  being  nearer 
to  the  Yolo  ranch,  to  which  he  had  added  by 
purchase  from  time  to  time  until  it  reached 
2,000  acres.  After  the  floods  of  1868  he  sold 
his  interest  in  the  Rancho  del  Paso  tract  and 
gave  his  undivided  attention  to  the  Yolo  ranch. 
He  now  has  about  100  acres  of  vineyard,  sixty 
acres  of  almonds,  grain  of  different  kinds,  250 
mules  and  horses,  and  about  100  head  of  cattle, 
Heiefords  and  Durhams;  and  is  making  a 
specialty  of  mules,  importing  jacks  from  Ken- 
tucky. This  interest  is  now  in  charge  of  and 
managed  by  his  son,  J.  E.  La  Rue.  In  1885  he 
bought  a  vineyard  of  ninety  acres — in  a  liO-acre 
tract — at  Yountville,  nine  miles  above  Napa;  it 
is  now  all  in  vines.  This  place  was  settled  in 
1846  by  Charles  Hopper.  It  is  remarkable  for 
its  fertility,  and  is  in  charge  of  another  son,  C. 
L.  La  Rue.  Of  his  political  and  public  career, 
it  may  be  mentioned  that  in  1857  the  subject 
of  this  sketch  made  a  canvass  for  sheriff  of  Sac- 
rament County  on  the  Democratic  ticket,  was 
elected  by  a  small  majority  of  seven  or  eight 
votes,  but,  the  case  being  contested  in  the 
courts,  he  lost  the  office.  In  1873  he  was  again 
a  candidate  for  the  same  office  and  was  elected 
by  a  handsome  majority.  In  1879  he  was  a 
member  of  the  State  Constitutional  Convention, 
elected  from  the  Second  Congressional  District. 
In  1863-'64  he  was  a  member  of  the  Assembly, 
and  was  speaker  during  both  sessions.  He  was 
a  prominent  actor  in  the  movement  for  the 
erection  of  the  exposition  building  of  the  State 
Agricultural  Society;  also  in  the  revision  of 
the  general    railroad   laws,    in   the  county  gov- 


HISTORY    OF    SACRAMENTO    COUNTY. 


eniinent  act,  the  bill  reorganizing  the  Senato- 
rial and  Assembly  districts,  the  laws  relating  to 
taxes,  etc.  He  was  the  Democratic  candidate 
for  Senator  in  1888,  in  whicli  canvass  he  ran 
ahead  of  his  ticket.  He  lias  been  a  member  of 
the  State  Agricultural  Society  since  1867,  was 
its  president  in  1879,  1880  and  1882,  and  has 
been  a  director  since  that  time,  and  superin- 
tendent of  the  pavilion  during  the  exhibitions. 
While  Speaker  of  the  Assembly  and  President 
of  the  State  Board  of  Agriculture,  he  was  ex 
officio  member  of  tliQ  Board  of  llegents  of  the 
State  University,  and  he  has  held,  and  is  hold- 
ing, many  official  positions  of  less  notoriety. 
He  has  been  a  member  of  Sacramento  Lodge, 
No.  40,  F.  &  A.  M.,  for  thirty. one  years;  and 
is  also  a  member  of  the  Royal  Arch  Chapter. 
In  1856  he  became  a  member  of  the  Sacramento 
Society  of  California  Pioneers,  in  which  body 
he  is  a  member  of  the  board  of  trustees;  he  is 
also  a  member  of  the  Sacramento  Grange,  of 
which  he  is  the  present  master.  Mr.  La  Rue 
was  married  in  Colusa  County,  this  State,  in 
1858,  to  Miss  E.  M.  Lizenby,  daughter  of 
Thomas  Lizenby,  formerly  of  Lewis  Countv, 
Missouri,  and  a  half-sister  of  the  Rev.  Dr. 
William  M.  Rush,  of  the  Missouri  Conference 
o^he  Methodist  Episcopal  Church,  and  of  Judge 
John  A.  Rush,  formerly  of  Colusa,  and  now  At- 
torney-G-eneral  of  Arizona.  They  have  four  sons : 
Jacob  Eugene,  Calhoun  Lee,  Hugh  McElroy, 
Jr.,  and  John  Rush.  Their  only  daughter, 
Marie  Virginia,  died  in  1888, — an  inexpressible 
loss. 


fDWAKD  F.  AIKEN,  a  pioneer  of  Sacra, 
raento.  In  the  little  village  of  Hallowell, 
Kennebec  County,  Maine,  August  22, 
1827,  the  subject  of  this  sketch  was  born, 
destined  to  become  at  length  one  of  California's 
pioneer  settlers  and  a  prominent  fruit-grower  of 
Sacramento  County.  His  father,  Jesse  Aiken, 
was  a  merchant  and  ship-owner  well  known 
throughout    New    England,   while   his    mother, 


nee  Mary  A.  Fuller,  daughter  of  Judge  Fuller, 
was  a  descendant  of  the  Weymouths,  a  Puritan 
family  of  Plymouth.  Edward  received  his  early 
education  at  the  Hallowell  Academy,  after  which 
he  attended  Bowdoin  College.  At  the  age  of 
sixteen  years  he  started  on  a  trip  around  the 
world,  in  the  whale-ship  General  Pike,  Captain 
Pierce,  of  New  Bedford,  and  visited  Portugal, 
the  Western  Islands,  the  Cape  of  Good  Hope, 
the  Island  of  Desolation,  Auckland,  New  Zea- 
land (at  that  time  a  town  with  about  800  in- 
habitants), the  Feejee  Islands,  Wallace's  Island, 
Samoa,  Tongatoboo,  the  Society  Islands,  ana 
Moai,  a  port  of  the  Sandwich  Islands,  where  the 
vessel  lay  up  two  months,  and  where  Mr.  Aiken 
received  letters  from  home  and  met  friends. 
John  Ladd,  who  was  the  American  Consul  at 
the  port,  was  a  relative  of  his.  Thence  they 
crossed  to  the  Japan  Islands,  the  Seas  of  Kam- 
tchatka  and  Okotsk,  and  after  seven  months 
returned  to  the  Sandwich  Islands,  and  on  to 
California  in  the  fall  of  1845,  in  pursuit  of 
sperm  whales  along  the  coast.  They  landed  at 
Monterey,  which  was  then  only  a  whaling 
station,  consisting  of  about  a  dozen  adobe 
houses.  While  there  he  learned  that  gold  had 
been  discovered  by  Antoni,  a  Portuguese  sailor. 
After  this  voyage  of  nearly  three  years  he  re- 
turned home,  spent  six  months  in  his  father's 
store,  and  then  started  on  another  voyage, 
going  before  the  mast  in  the  new  ship  Italia, 
Captain  Baker.  This  was  a  vessel  of  900  tons, 
a  large  ship  for  those  days,  and  with  it  they 
sailed  for  Charleston,  South  Carolina,  Liverpool, 
and  thence  with  500  passengers  to  New  Orleans. 
Mr.  Aiken  was  promoted  second  mate.  They 
returned  to  Liverpool  with  a  cargo  of  cotton, 
tobacco  and  rice;  thence  to  Cadiz  for  salt,  and 
returned  to  Bath,  Maine,  after  an  absence  of 
over  a  year.  Afterward  he  sailed  again  to 
Charleston  for  a  cargo  of  rice,  going  out  as 
second  inate  with  Captain  Warren;  thence  to 
London,  and  returned  to  Boston  with  railroad 
iron.  During  the  year  of  the  great  famine  in 
Ireland  he  made  three  trips  to  Liverpool,  as 
mate  on  the   ship   Requa.     Next  he  made  two 


HISTORY    OF    SACRAMENTO    COUNTY. 


voyages  as  mate  in  the  packet  ship  Mary  Ann, 
Captain  Patten,  and  liore  all  the  responsibility 
during  the  return  trip.  During  one  storm  he 
was  on  deck  for  sixty-five  hours  without  inter- 
ruption, when  it  was  covered  with  ice.  Keturn- 
ing  to  Boston,  his  attention  was  called  to  the 
discovery  of  gold  in  California  by  Marshall, 
and  he  then  recalled  the  story  which  he  had 
iieard  of  the  Portuguese  sailor,  Antoni,  at  Mon- 
terey. A  stock  company  was  in  process  of 
formation,  and  he  and  his  friend  D.  H.  Has- 
kell, an  old  classmate,  became  shareholders  in 
the  enterprise.  Of  those  who  joined  the  com- 
pany, nine  liad  been  before  the  mast,  and  six 
had  been  ship  captains,  and  among  the  others 
was  the  genius,  llev.  Ferdinand  C.  Ewer,  who 
afterward  had  charge  of  St.  Paul's  Episcopal 
Church  at  Sacramento,  and  was  editor,  author, 
etc.  The  company  secured  the  ship  York,  and 
as  cargo  brought  to  California  material  for 
several  houses,  ready  to  be  put  up,  also  for  a 
small  steamboat,  tools,  seeds,  provisions,  etc. 
Leaving  Boston  April  1,  1849,  and  coming  by 
way  of  Cape  Horn,  they  arrived  at  San  Fran- 
cisco September  12.  There,  on  account  of  dis- 
agreement, they  disorganized,  and  most  of  them 
sacrificed  the  largest  proportion  of  their  original 
investment.  Captain  Aiken  improved  the  time 
in  superintending  the  removal  of  a  small  build- 
ing, receiving  $16,  which  was  the  first  money 
he  'earned  in  this  State.  Coming  to  Sacra- 
mento the  second  week  in  October,  with  five 
others,  they  camped  out  on  the  banks  of  the 
American  River,  about  where  the  railroad  shops 
now  are.  The  river  then  was  a  clear  stream 
and  deep,  and  a  ship  of  600  tons  could  safely 
ride  at  anchor  ofi'  Third  street,  with  eleven  feet 
of  water  under  her  keel.  For  five  years  he  was 
employed  witli  others  in  conducting  the  wood 
station,  twenty-two  miles  south  of  town.  In 
October,  1853,  he  went  East  and  married  Miss 
Mary  Wright  Lee,  daughter  of  Thomas  Lee. 
His  father  being  opposed  to  his  returning  West, 
he  came  here  to  dispose  of  his  interests;  but 
not  being  able  to  do  this  in  a  satisfactory  man- 
ner,   he    concluded    to    remain,    and    the    ne.\t 


spring  his  wife  arrived.  They  lived  on  the 
river  until  the  fall  of  1861  or  1862,  when  he 
bought  the  Ralston  tract;  but  he  had  become 
interested  in  horticulture  seven  or  eight  years 
previously,  starting  the  first  nursery  on  the 
river,  and  obtaining  his  stock  from  Oregon  and 
elsewhere.  By  the  year  1861,  when  he  sold 
out,  he  had  over  7,000  bearing  trees.  In 
1863-'64  he  changed  his  location  to  Sutter 
Township,  east  of  the  city  limits,  where  he  re- 
mained until  recently,  devoting  his  attention 
almost  exclusively  to  fruit-growing  and  intro- 
ducing many  new  varieties  from  abroad.  Lately 
he  has  purchased  property  on  G  street  in  Sacra- 
mento, where  he  expects  to  spend  his  declining 
years.  In  his  political  views  Mr.  Aiken  is  an 
independent  Republican.  Was  instrumental  in 
organizing  the  first.  Union  League  at  Richland, 
of  which  Mr.  Nathan  Williams  was  the  first 
president,  and  Senator  William  Johnston  and 
J.  B.  Green  were  prominent  members.  He  was 
for  many  years  an  active  member  of  the  Masonic 
fraternity,  and  also  of  the  A.  O.  U.  W.;  was  a 
charter  member  of  Lodge  No.  1580,  K.  of  H., 
being  organizing  deputy  of  this  order  for  the 
State  and  also  for  the  K.  &  L.  of  H. ;  organized 
the  first  farmers'  club,  which  three  years  later 
was  merged  into  the  Patrons  of  Husbandry,^f 
which  order  he  was  lecturer  for  three  years. 
He  was  Supreme  Representative  of  the  Knights 
and  Ladies  of  Honor  to  the  convention  in 
Cleveland,  in  September,  1889. 


fOHN  T.  GRIFFITTS,  capitalist,  Sacra- 
mento, was  born  in  Burlington  County, 
New  Jersey,  in  December,  1885.  His 
father,  Samuel  Powell  Griffitts,  was  engaged  in 
mercantile  pursuits  and  farming,  but  in  1849 
he  removed,  with  his  family,  to  Mishawaka,  St. 
Joseph  County,  Indiana,  the  former  home  of 
Charles  Crocker.  Indeed,  when  Mr.  Gritfitts, 
our  subject,  came  to  California  ten  years  later 
to  reside,  it  was  under  an  engagement  to  Mr. 
Crocker.       Landing    in    Sacramento    in    April, 


U I  STOUT    OF    SACRAMENTO    COUNTY. 


1856,  he  at  onee  entered   Crocker's  store.      In 
Maj,  1863,  he  bought  ont  Mr.  Crocker's  inter- 
est.    The  store  was  then   located   on  J  street, 
lietween   Eighth  and   Ninth,  and  the  iirm  was 
Duell,  Gritiitts  &  Co.     During  that  year,  1863, 
the  Sacramento  Light   Artillery  was  organized, 
composed    of    professional    and    business    men. 
Edgar  Mills  was  the  first  caj)tain,  and   the  sec- 
ond   was  S.  S.  Montague,  chief  engineer  of  the 
Central  Pacific  Railroad.     Mr.  GrifHtts  became 
corporal,    and    served    with    the    organization 
several  years.     In  1872  he  bought  out  iiis  re- 
maining partners  in    the  store,  and   continued 
alone  until  February,  1877.      In  the  fall  of  that 
year  he  embarked  in   the  real   estate  and   insur- 
ance business,  and   a  year  afterward   became  a 
member  of  the   firm  of  E.   H.   Stevens  &  Co. 
Mr.  Grifiitts  has  held  many  positions  of  trust. 
In  1878  he  was  a  member  of  the  board  of  edu- 
cation, and  was  president  of  the  same  two  years, 
and  during  his  term  Jarvis  Johnson  established 
the  School  of  Technology,  the  Capital  Grammar 
School  building  was  erected,  and  other  improve- 
ments made;  he  was  also  a  fire  commissioner 
for  six  years,  and  diiring  his  term  as  such  the 
department  acquired   the  property  on  Seventh 
street,  between  K  and  L;  and  for  four  years  he 
was  county  assessor.    Of  late  he  has  in  some  de- 
gree retired  from   the  more   active   duties,  be- 
coming interested    in  fruit  culture  at  Courtland 
since  1884.     He  has  also  located  many  tracts  of 
State  land  for  settlers,  having  much  experience 
and  a  thorough  knowledge  of  the  topography  of 
the  State.     He  has  at  all  times  taken  an  active 
interest  in  politics.      He  voted  for  John  C.  Fre- 
mont in  1856,  and  has  ever  since  then  been  a 
loyal    Republican;  has  been  a  member  of  the 
City  Central   Committee,  and   of  various   con- 
ventions.    At    Laporte,  Indiana,    in    1860,   he 
married  Miss  Georgiana  Root,  a  native  of  New 
York  State,  and  daughter  of  Colonel  Root,  well 
known  as  a  colonel  of  militia  in  this  State.    Mr. 
and   Mrs.  Grifiitts  have  a  son  and   a  daughter. 
The  family  with  which  Mr.  Griffitts  is  connected 
is   a  very  prominent  one    in   the  city  of  Phila- 
delphia.     His  father  was  a  native  of  that   city,   j 


born  in  1794;  and  the  latter's  father  was  also  a 
native  of  the  same  city.  His  grandfather,  Wil- 
liam Griffitts,  was  born  in  "Wales  in  1724,  emi- 
grated to  Philadelphia,  and  married  Abigail 
Powell,  daughter  of  Samuel  Powell,  both  fami- 
lies being  "  Friends."  Powell's  avenue  in  Phila- 
delphia was  named  foi-  them,  and  Dr.  Samuel 
Powell,  a  near  relative,  was  a  very  prominent 
physician  there. 


;EINST0CK,  LUBIN  &  CO.— The  his- 
tory of  Sacramento  would  be  incom- 
H  plete  without  some  description  of  its 
greatest  retail  dry-goods  establishment.  It  is  a 
modern  institution,  and  its  growth  has  been 
phenomenal.  The  store  building,  which  is  on 
the  southeast  corner  of  Fourth  and  K  streets, 
is  120x160  feet  in  dimensions.  Tiie  proprie- 
tors, who  are  half  brothers,  began  here  in  1874, 
in  a  small  way,  in  a  building  16  x  24  feet,  on 
the  corner  where  they  are  at  present,  and  they 
have  so  increased  their  business  that  at  least  for 
a  large  portion  of  each  year,  250  to  320  em- 
ployes are  required  to  do  the  work.  As  their 
patronage  extends  throughout  the  coast  much 
of  their  business  is  transacted  by  mail,  and  for 
this  alone  many  hands  arc  employed.  They 
have  offices  and  buyers  in  New  York  city,  San 
Francisco  and  other  large  cities.  They  liave 
added  to  their  business  the  feature  of  co-oper- 
ation, and  named  their  magnificent  establish- 
ment the  Mechanics'  Store.  The  method  adopted 
in  the  sharing  of  profits  is  as  follows:  The  em- 
ployes are  divided  into  four  grades, — the  first, 
who  are  permitted  to  be  stockholders,  beino-  a 
few  of  the  most  trusted  hands;  the  second,  the 
heads  of  departments,  who  hold  executive  and 
important  positions;  third,  the  juniors,  who 
hold  subordinate  positions,  and  have  served  a 
certain  length  of  time;  fourth,  the  remainder  of 
the  employes.  As  promotion  is  strictly  accord- 
ing to  merit,  a  book  account  is  kept  of  the  con- 
duct of  each  employe,  and  small  tines  are 
impnsed  for  shortcomings.  The  fund  thus  arisiti"- 


HISTORY    OF    SACRAMENTO    COUNTY. 


is  divided  j9ro  rata  among  the  class  from  which 
it  had  arisen.  The  proprietors  take  an  active  in- 
terest in  the  welfare  of  their  employes,  adopt- 
ing means  for  interesting  them  outside  of 
business  hours.  An  educational  department 
has  been  created,  and  teachers  employed  for  the 
diflFerent  branches.  All  persons  under  seventeen 
years  of  age  in  the  employ  of  the  honse  have  the 
benefit  of  this  instruction.  The  firm  name  was 
Weinstock  &  Lubin  until  the  beginning  of  1888, 
when  the  association  was  incorporated  under  the 
name  of  Weinstock,  Lubin  &  Co.  The  officers 
are  now:  H.  Weinstock,  president;  D.  Lubin, 
vice-president;  Albert  Bonheim,  secretary  and 
treasurer.  The  board  of  directors  consists  of 
the  above-named  officers,  together  with  Wil- 
liam Skeels  and  Charles  Fhipps.  The  proprie- 
tors are  public-spirited  gentlemen,  and  have  done 
much  for  the  improvement  of  the  city  of 
Sacramento. 


^ON.  ROBERT  WHITNEY  WATERMAN, 
IB)  Grovernor  of  the  State  of  California.  Per- 
"^M  haps  no  study  is  of  either  a  deeper  interest 
or  a  greater  value,  more  especially  to  the  young, 
than  that  of  personal  history  and  the  deline- 
ation of  character.  In  material  of  this  nature 
the  records  of  American  citizenship  are  peculiarly 
rich,  furnishing  us  some  of  the  most  striking 
instances  possible  of  what  can  be  achieved,  even 
under  the  most  untoward  circumstances,  by 
force  of  diligence,  determination,  and,  strict  in- 
tegrity. Moreover,  while  such  examples  can  be 
culled  from  the  annals  of  almost  every  section, 
no  State  fif  the  Union  presents  so  rich  a  field 
for  the  biographer  and  historian  as  does  Cali- 
fornia. Her  population  lias  no  equal  in  any 
other  portion  of  the  world  either  in  independ- 
ence of  character,  in  strong  virtues  of  manhood 
or  the  accomplishment  of  great  success.  For 
these  reasons  it  is,  that  no  apology  is  necessary 
when  the  name  of  a  true  Californian  is  men- 
tioned. Especially  is  this  the  case  when  the 
subject  chosen  is  one  who  stands  deservedly  and 


honorably  so,  a  type  and  representative  at  once 
of  the  large  manhood  of  the  West,  and  as  well 
the  civic  head  of  the  great  State  of  California, 
Governor  R.  W.  Waterman,  one  who  owes  more 
to  the  capital  embraced  in  a  splendid  physical 
organization  and  a  well  poised  brain  than  to  the 
wealth  inherited  from  a  line  of  ancient  ancestry. 
Robert  Whitney  Waterman,  seventeenth  Gov- 
ernor of  California'  was  l)orn  in  Fairfield,  Herki- 
mer County,  New  York,  December  15,  1826. 
His  father  died  when  the  son  was  ten  years  old, 
and  in  very  moderate  circumstances.  Two  years 
later  the  son  removed  to  the  West  and  located 
at  Sycamore,  Illinois,  and  later  acted  as  clerk  in 
a  country  store  until  his  twentieth  year,  in  Bel- 
videre,  Illinois,  where  he  engaged  in  business 
for  himself  as  a  general  merchant  in  1846.  In 
1848  M.V.  Waterman  removed  to  Genoa,  IJlinois, 
where  he  engaged  in  mercantile  business,  and 
in  1849  became  postmaster  under  President 
Taylor,  but,  carried  away  with  the  early  tide  of 
the  gold-seeking  emigration,  he  crossed  the 
plains  in  the  following  year  to  California. 
During  the  years  1850  and  1851  Mr.  Waterman 
engaged  extensively  in  mining  on  the  Feather 
River,  and  paid  frequent  visits  to  Sacramento  to 
purchase  goods,  hauling  them  thence  to  the 
scene  of  his  mining  operations,  little  dreaming 
at  that  time  that  he  should  return  again  to 
Sacramento  nearly  forty  years  later  to  fill  the 
gubernatorial  chair  of  a  State  with  over  a  mil- 
lion inhabitants.  In  1852  Mr.  Waterman  re- 
turned to  Illinois,  locating  at  Wilmington,  and 
engaging  in  an  extensive  general  mercantile 
business,  at  the  same  time  giving  considerable 
attention  to  agricultural  pursuits.  In  the  fol- 
lowing year  he  entered  the  fields  of  journalism, 
and  published  the  Wilmington  Independent. 
He  was  a  delegate  to  the  now  historical  con- 
vention, held  at  Bloomington,  Illinois,  in  1854, 
that  gave  form  and  name  to  the  Republican 
party.  At  this  convention  he  was  associated 
with  such  men  as  Abraham  Lincoln,  Lyman 
Trumbull,  Richard  Yates,  David  Davis,  Owen 
Lovejoy,  Richard  J.  Oglesby,  S.  A.  Hurlbut 
and   Allen  C.  Fuller,  all  of  whom   he  counted 


HISTORY    OF    SACRAMENTO    COUNTY. 


among  his  valued  and  intimate  friends.  While 
Governor  AYaterman  has  never  been  known  as 
a  politician,  he  lias  always  taken  a  lively  and 
clear-sighted  interest  in  the  affairs  of  the  nation. 
Although  not  a  voter  he  did  effective  work  dur- 
ing the  campaign  of  Henry  Clay,  for  whose 
character  he  has  always  had  an  ardent  admira- 
tion. He  was  instrumental  in  raising  the  first 
brass  band  outside  of  Chicago.  He  took  a  very 
active  part  in  Fremont's  campaign,  and  also  in 
the  Senatorial  contest  between  Lincoln  and 
Douglas.  Under  President  Lincoln  he  took  the 
office  of  postmaster  of  Wilmington,  Illinois. 
There  were  thirteen  applicants  for  the  position, 
all  of  whom  wanted  it  for  the  money  there  was 
in  it.  Mr.  Waterman  took  it,  however,  not  for 
the  sake  of  office,  but  to  turn  it  over  to  the  first 
one  of-  the  "boys  in  blue"  who  came  home 
wounded.  A  man  with  only  one  leg  got  it.  Not- 
withstanding numerous  and  important  duties 
and  interests  at  home,  on  the  outbreak  of  the 
war  he  enlisted  more  than  1,000  men,  and  also 
rendered  valuable  services  as  bearer  of  dis- 
patches for  Governor  Yates,  making  several 
trips  to  the  front  in  1861,  and  afterward  actively 
taking  part  in  the  reorganization  of  the  hospital 
service  at  Cairo,  Bird's  Point,-and  Mound  City, 
Illinois,  and  Fort  Holt  and  Pad ucah,  Kentucky. 
In  1873  he  returned  to  California  and  estab- 
lished his  home  at  San  Rernardino  the  following 
year.  He  had  already  acquired  a  practical  and  val- 
uable mining  experience, and  soon  started  out  asa 
prospector.  After  undergoing  many  hardships 
and  meeting  obstacles  that  would  have  dis- 
couraged most  other  men,  he  and  J.  L.  Porter 
were  finally  successful  in  discovering  a  series  of 
silver  mines  in  a  locality  which  has  since  become 
famous  as  the  Calico  Mining  District  in  San 
Bernardino  County,  and  has  added  materially 
to  the  wealth  of  the  State  while  giving  profit- 
able employment  to  very  many  me.i.  He  had 
always  retained  his  fondness  for  agricultural 
pursuits,  and  with  the  increased  means  thus 
placed  at  his  command,  he  soon  made  his  Hot 
Springs  ranch,  on  the  mountain  side  near  the 
city  of  San  Bernardino,  one  of  the  most  charm- 


ing and  beautiful  homes  in  the  State.  This 
place,  with  its  picturesque  surrounding-i,  is  tiie 
admiration  of  thousands  of  visitors  every  yeir. 
During  the  presidential  campaign  of  1884  he 
and  Richard  Gird  were  the  principal  projectors 
and  builders  of  a  large  "wigwam"  or  pavilion 
in  San  Bernardino  for  the  use  of  political  meet- 
ings. At  the  Republican  StUe  Convention 
held  at  Los  Angeles  August  27,  1886,  Mr.  Wa- 
terman was  nominated  for  Lieutenant  Governor, 
and  in  the  following  November  he  was  elected 
by  a  plurality  of  2,500  votes,  the  Democratic 
State  ticket  being  successful  with  but  two  other 
exceptions.  He  came  to  the  chair  of  the  Senate 
without  previous  experience  as  a  presiding 
officer,  but  acquitted  himself  in  a  manner  that 
commanded  the  respect  and  inspired  the  con- 
fidence of  that  body  and  of  the  people,  and  suc- 
ceeded in  winning  over  his  severest  critics  of 
opposite  political  faitii.  Upon  the  death  of 
Governor  Washington  Bartlett,  September  12, 
1887,  Lieutenant  Governor  Waterman  was  called 
to  the  duties  of  Chief  Executive  and  was  in- 
augurated the  following  day  in  San  Francisco, 
where  the  oath  of  office  was  administered  hy 
Justice  McFarland,  of  the  Supreme  Court. 
The  course  pursued  by  Governor  Waterman 
since  his  election  to  this  position  has  been  sub- 
jected to  the  severest  hostile  criticism  by  per- 
sons of  the  other  party,  yet  so  equitable,  firm 
and  fair  has  it  been,  and  so  manifestly  and 
honestly  watchful  has  been  the  guardianship  of 
the  State's  best  interests,  both  in  the  exercise 
of  patronage  and  of  the  prerogatives  of  office, 
that  Governor  Waterman  stands  to-day  as  per- 
haps the  most  generally  popular,  as  he  is  one  of 
the  best,  governors  California  has  ever  known. 
During  recent  years  he  has  engaged  in  numerous 
business  enterprises  in  various  parts  of  the  State. 
He  is  owner  of  the  famous  Stonewall  gold  mine 
in  San  Diego  County,  and  has  extensive  ranch 
properties  in  Southern  California.  He  is  presi- 
dent of  the  San  Diego,  Cuyamaca  &  Eastern 
Railway,  and  is  prominently  connected  with 
many  other  enterprises  tending  to  the  develop- 
ment of   the  State.     Governor  'Waterman   was 


584 


HISTORY    OF    SACRAMENTO    COJINTT. 


married  in  1847,  at  Belvidere,  Illinois,  to  Miss 
Jane  Gardner,  she  being  a  native  of  that  place 
They  have  bad  seven  children,  of  whom  six  are 
living,  two  being  sons  and  four  daughters. 
Their  names  are  as  follows:  James  S.,  Mary  P., 
Helen  J.,  Waldo  S.,  Anna  C,  and  Lon  A. 


f^AMES  E.  CAMP  was  born  in  Bennington 
County,  Vermont,  January  28,  1840,  his 
parents  being  James  and  Betsy  (Jepson) 
Camp.  His  father  was  of  German  descent,  his 
ancestors  having  come  to  this  country  from  Ger- 
many and  settled  in  Vermont;  he  lived  in  Ver- 
mont until  about  thirty-five  years  ago,  when  he 
and  his  family  removed  to  Henry  County,  Illi- 
nois,where  he  died  in  1876,  at  the  age  of  sixty-four 
.years.  His  mother,  Betsy  Camp,  was  a  native 
of  Vermont;  she  died  in  1887.  There  were  nine 
children  in  the  family,  five  sons  and  four 
daughters:  Dexter,  resident  in  Pawnee  County, 
Kansas;  Swasey,  in  Nebraska;  David,  in  Sacra- 
mento County,  California;  Charles,  deceased; 
James  E.;  Eliza,  in  Nebraska;  Betsy,  in  Ne- 
braska; and  Adeline,  who  died  in  Iowa.  The 
subject  of  this  sketch  was  raised  and  educated  in 
Vermont  to  the  age  of  sixteen  years,  when  he 
went  with  his  parents  to  Illinois,  continuing  his 
schooling  there  for  three  years.  At  the  age  of 
twenty  he  commenced  iarming  for  himself  in 
Knox  County  about  seven  miles  from  his  father 
in  Henry  County.  September,  1865,  at  the  age 
of  twenty-five  he  was  married  to  Miss  Ardell 
Burnason,  a  native  of  Otsego  County,  New  York, 
who  died  in  California  in  1876,  leaving  three 
children:  Charles,  born  May  15, 1867;  Clarence, 
June  15,  1869;  and  Lottie,  November  6,  1873. 
Mr.  Camp  resided  in  Knox  County  for  six  or 
seven  years,  then  moved  to  Benton  County, 
Iowa.  Most  of  the  time  he  followed  farming 
and  for  three  years  ran  a  livery  stable  in  Belle 
Plaine,  Iowa.  Then  he  emigrated  to  California, 
stopping  six  months  in  Missouri.  Arriving  in 
this  State  he  located  in  Sacramento  County,  on 
the  llaggin  grant  in  American  Township;  then 


he  went  to  Sacramento  City  for  the  purpose  of 
educating  his  children.  In  1882  he  bought  his 
present  farm  of  270  acres,  bordering  on  the 
American  River  in  Brighton  Township,  moving 
upon  it  in  1885.  The  land  is  a  sandy  loam,  rich 
and  productive.  Ho  has  about  ten  acres  in  or- 
chard and  raises  peaches,  pears,  and  plums;  but 
the  principal  crop  is  hops,  which  average  2,500 
to  3,000  pounds  per  acre.  In  1882  the  price 
of  hops  was  §1  a  pound,  and  has  fluctuated  from 
that  price  ever  since.  Mr.  Camp  is  thoronghly 
posted  in  the  art  of  raising  them.  He  also  raises 
stock  and  is  well  known  as  being  a  successful 
man  in  this  business.  His  stock  is  as  fine  as 
any  in  tne  county  and  consists  of  beef  for  the 
the  market,  besides  some  thoroughbred  stock. 
His  thoroughbred  stock  consists  of  Durhams 
imported  from  Kentucky,  which  ranks  the  best 
in  the  United  States;  and  the  Aberdeen  Angus, 
imported  from  Scotland.  Most  of  the  improve- 
ments on  his  place  he  has  put  there  himself,  and 
it  is  one  of  the  finest  ranches  in  the  country, 
everything  being  kept  ifl  first-class  order.  Mr. 
Camp  has  been  a  member  of  the  Odd  Fellows 
for  about  eleven  years,  and  belongs  to  the  Sacra- 
mento Lodge.  He  was  married  to  his  present 
wife,  Nettie  M.  Taylor,  daughter  of  Henry 
Taylor  of  Clinton  County,  New  York,  March  17, 
1880.  They  have  one  son,  Edgar  J.,  who  was 
born  December  18,  1885. 


tNDREW  ROSS,  one  of  the  liest  known  of 
Sacramento's  business  men,  is  a  native  of 
Germany,  born  at  Aschbach,  Bavaria, 
October  20,  1830,  a  son  of  George  Ross,  a  hotel 
keeper  and  butcher  of  that  place.  His  mother 
died  when  he  was  a  child  of  two  years  old. 
Andrew  attended  the  public  schools  from  the 
age  of  six  until  he  was  fourteen,  and  then 
learned  the  butcher's  trade.  In  June,  1849,  he 
embarked  at  Havre-de-Grace  on  a  sailing  vessel 
for  New  York,  the  voyage  occupying  twenty- 
eight  days,  then  the  fastest  time  on  record. 
He  went  to  Milwaukee,  Wisconsin,  and  obtained 


HJSTOUr    OF    SACRAMENTO    COUNTY. 


work  at  his  trade,  remaining  a  year  and  a  half' 
then  proceeded  to  St.  Lonis,  where  he  remained, 
with  the  exception  of  seven  months,  until  the 
spring  of  1853.  Then  he  and  three  companions 
decided  to  come  to  California,  and  in  May,  1853, 
they  started.  They  proceeded  to  St.  Joseph, 
thence  by  Ft.  Leavenworth,  Kearney  and  Lara- 
mie to  Salt  Lake,  wliere  Mr.  Ross  stopped  tor 
two  weeks.  He  purchased  a  couple  of  ponies 
and  resumed  the  journey,  which  he  made  there- 
after all  alone  to  California.  He  brought  up  at 
Hangtown  in  August  and  went  to  mining,  which 
occupation  he  followed  there,  at  Georgetown, 
Coloma,  Kelsey,  etc.,  until  the  early  summer  of 
1854,  when  he  came  to  Sacramento.  Here  he 
obtained  employment  at  his  trade  with  Bennett 
&  Eamsey,  at  the  Queen  City  Market.  Six 
months  later  they  sold  the  business  to  Fred 
Cross,  Mr.  Koss  remaining  with  him  until  1855. 
He  then  started  in  business  on  his  own  account, 
on  Seventh  sti-eet,  between  H  and  L  The  pres- 
ent firm  of  Ross  &  Ankener  was  formed  in  1880. 
Mr.  Ross  was  married  in  this  city,  on  the  family 
place  where  they  now  reside,  April  15,  1858,  to 
Miss  Catherine  Faber,  a  native  of  Wurtemburg, 
Germany.  They  have  four  living  children,  viz.: 
Caroline,  Pauline,  William  and  Katie.  Mr. 
Ross  was  one  of  the  charter  members  of  Schiller 
Lodge,  L  O.  O.  F.  and  has  always  remained  an 
active  member.  He  was  one  of  the  organizers 
of  the  Sacramento  Hussars,  was  First  Orderly 
Sergeant,  and  afterward  elected  P''irst  Lieutenant. 
He  is  a  Republican  politically.  No  man  in 
Sacramento  has  a  higher  repntation  for  honesty 
and  integrity  than  Mr.  Ross,  and  he  enjoys  the 
confidence  and  esteem  of  the  community. 

^^  >:?-£^^^ 

^  ^:ILLLVM  RITTER,  deceased.  The  sub- 
ject of  this  sketch  was  born  in  Phila- 
delphia, Pennsylvania,  in  1831,  his 
parents  being  William  and  Margaret  Ritter. 
The  father  was  in  prosperous  circumstances, 
and  the  son  had  the  advantage  of  a  good  educa- 
tion.     With  two  or  three  young  companions  he 


struck  out  to  try  his  fortune  in  California,  and 
was  remarkably  successful.  With  his  experience 
in  actual  mining  came  larger  plans,  in  which  he 
was  also  prosperous.  Being  one  of  the  dis- 
coverers of  the  Manzanita  mine  at  Nevada  City, 
he  sold  out  his  interest  therein  and  embarked 
in  the  business  of  constructing  mining  ditches. 
He  had  mining  interests  at  Michigan  Bar  as 
early  as  1855,  having  been  then  five  years  in 
the  business.  Mr.  Ritter  was  married  in  Sac- 
ramento, to  Miss  Jennie  Byam,  daughter  of 
Seth  and  Leath  (Pettie)  Byam.  She  had  come 
to  California  with  her  widowed  mother  in  1853, 
being  brought  out  by  her  brother,  H.  S.  Byam, 
who  had  come  here  in  1849.  The  mother  died 
in  1880,  aged  seventy-six.  She  was  of  the  Pet- 
tie  family  of  Vermont.  The  Byams  are  of  the 
early  settlers  of  Massachusetts,  tlie  first  immi- 
grant of  that  name  having  settled  in  Plymouth 
Colony  about  1640.  In  1857  Mr.  Ritter  laid 
the  solid  foundation  of  a  dam  and  "sea-wall" 
on  the  South  Fork  of  the  Cosumnes,  in  Music- 
dale  Canon,  and  thus  began  the  construction  of 
the  Prairie  Ditch,  extending  about  twenty-one 
miles  to  Michigan  Bar,  completed  aboivt  1858. 
He  afterward  bought  some  of  the  smaller 
ditches  that  had  been  excavated  by  different 
parties  from  time  to  time  since  1851.  His 
outlay  is  estimated  at  $300,000  between  1857 
and  1865.  In  July,  1865,  during  the  absence 
of  his  wife  and  child  on  a  visit  to  Philadelphia, 
Mr.  Ritter  was  killed  by  robbers.  While  driving 
with  some  friends  from  Michigan  Bar  to  his 
home  at  Sebastopol,  he  was  recognized  bj'  the 
freebooters  as  a  richer  prey  than  the  country 
store  they  were  plundering.  Being  high-spirited 
and  impetuous,  he  tried  to  beat  them  off,  when 
he  was  shot  by  one  of  them  and  died  twenty-four 
hours  later.  He  is  buried  in  Sacramento.  His 
unresisting  companions  escaped  with  the  loss  of 
what  little  nione}'  and  valuables  they  had  in 
their  possession.  '  In  1865  the  ditch  properties 
of  the  Ritter  estate  were  combined  under  the 
title  of  the  Amador  and  Sacramento  Canal 
Company,  incorporated  under  the  laws  of  Cali- 
fornia.    The  active  superintendence  of  this  cor- 


HISTORY    OF    SACRAMENTO    COUNT y. 


poration  has  been  for  sixteen  years  in  charge  of 
Mr.  Henry  S.  Byam,  the  brother  of  Mrs.  Ritter. 
Meanwhile  Miss  Eugenie  Ritter  finished  her 
education  at  Madam  Mears'  Academy  in  New 
Tork  in  1874,  and  accompanied  her  mother  to 
Europe,  where  she  attracted  much  attention  by 
her  grace  and  beauty.  She  was  married  in 
Paris  to  Viscount  Henry  Houssaye,  an  officer 
in  the  French  army,  and  more  recently  a  writer 
of  distinction,  the  son  of  Arsene  Houssaye,  an 
autlior  of  international  reputation.  Mrs.  Ritter 
has  ]iaid  repeated  visits  to  their  beautiful  home 
in  Paris.  From  a  comfortable  but  unpreten- 
tious house  at  Miciiigan  Bar,  far  removed  from 
the  great  centers  of  luxury  and  refinement,  to 
a  grand  mansion  in  a  fasliiouable  quarter  of  the 
brilliant  metropolis  of  modern  civilization,  is 
quite  a  change;  but  Mrs.  Ritter,  a  true  type  of 
American  adaptivity,  is  equally  at  home  in  the 
Parisian  palace  and  the  California  cottage.  A 
new  and  valuable  use  of  the  water  facilities  of 
the  Amador  and  Sacramento  Canal  Company 
has  been  devised,  and  put  in  operation  in  1889. 
This  consists  of, an  irrigating  ditch  extending 
from  the  old  canal,  by  a  winding  course  of 
twenty-two  miles,  into  Dry  Creek  Township, 
near  Gait.  A  great  enhancement  in  vaUie  of 
the  back  lands  of  the  Cosunmes  is  anticipated 
from  this  enterprise,  more  beneficent  and  far- 
reaching  in  its  results  than  all  the  gold- washing 
of  the  canal  in  the  days  of  its  greatest  useful- 
ness. The  stock  of  the  company  is  owned  by 
Viscountess  Eugenie  Houssaye  and  Mrs.  Jennie 
B^'am  Ritter. 


fOHN  McFARLAN  D,  one  of  the  most  noted 
farmers  of  Sacramento  County,  was  born 
March  4,  1824,  in  Starlingshire,  Scotland, 
son  of  John  and  Jeanette  (Sands)  McFarland. 
His  father  was  a  cooper  by  trade,  but  also  car- 
ried on  the  mercantile  business  in  Canada.  He 
came  to  tiie  United  States  in  1834  and  returned 
to  Canada,  where  he  died  in  1847.  The  mother 
died  August  10,  1834.     They  had  eleven  chil- 


dren. The  subject  of  this  sketch  was  raised  on 
a  farm  until  he  was  fifteen  years  old,  when  he 
started  out  for  himself,  learning  the  carpenter 
and  joiner's  trade,  and  also  the  vocation  of  a 
machinist.  In  1884  he  came  to  the  United 
States,  and  worked  in  Buffalo,  Chicago  and 
Cleveland,  and  in  1850  came  from  La  Salle, 
Ulinois,  overland  to  California,  with  horse 
teams,  stopping  at  Placerville  only  a  few  days 
previous  to  the  squatter  riot  at  Sacramento,  and 
saw  some  come  into  his  town  for  protection. 
He  also  saw  one  of  tlie  men  who  were  shot,  and 
for  a  long  time  kept  as  a  relic  a  piece  of  bone 
that  came  out  of  the  arm  of  the  wounded  man. 
Starting  from  the  States  March  10,  Mr.  McFar- 
land was  abont  five  months  on  the  route.  He 
stopped  at  Salt  Lake,  and  helped  to  build  a  car- 
riage or  chariot  for  Brigham  Young;  he  had 
charge  of  the  work.  This  vehicle  was  built  for 
a  large  celebration  to  be  held  July  25.  It  was 
drawn  by  twenty-fonr  horses,  and  contained 
twenty-five  young  ladies,  representing  the 
twenty-fifth  anniversary  of  their  arrival  at  Salt 
Lake.  On  the  upper  deck  of  the  chariot  was  a 
band  with  twenty-five  instruments.  One  of  the 
ladies  is  jiow  Mrs.  Clark,  of  Gait.  On  this  trip 
Mr.  McFarland  rode  from  Salt  Lake  to  Carson 
City  on  four  scant  meals.  He  rode  abont  forty 
miles  a  day,  and  four  days  he  had  scarcely  any 
food.  He  had  no  trouble  with  the  Indians  to 
speak  of,  but  the  train  suffered  much  for  want 
of  provisions.  On  arrival  in  this  State  Mr. 
McFarland  went  to  mining  in  Coon  Hollow, 
and  was  the  first  man  to  bring  water  into  El 
Dorado  for  mining  purposes  in  1851,  selling  it 
at  $1  an  inch.  Being  the  originator  of  the  en- 
terprise and  the  chief  stockholder,  he  was  elected 
president  of  the  company.  He  made  some 
money,  but  afterward  lost  it  at  Mokelumne 
Hill.  In  1857  he  sold  out  and  located  upon 
his  present  place,  which  he  had  purchased  four 
years  previously.  It  then  consisted  of  640 
acres,  but  now  there  are  1,600  acres;  he  is  cul- 
tivating 1,400  acres.  This  ranch  is  one  of  the 
finest  and  best  improved  in  the  country.  There 
are  about  three  acres  in  orchard  and   vineyard. 


inSTORT    OF    SACRAMENTO    COUNTY. 


On  this  place  is  the  largest  fig  tree  in  the  State 
of  California.  Mr.  McFarland  cast  his  lirst 
Presidential  vote  for  General  William  H.  Har- 
rison, and  remembers  many  interesting  inci- 
dents connected  with  the  celebrated  hard-cider 
and  log-cabin  campaign  of  1840.  He  is  a  mem- 
ber of  Gait  Lodge,  No.  983,  I.  O.  O.  F.,  and  of 
the  Encampment.  During  the  past  ten  years 
ho  has  made  several  journeys  to  distant  points. 


;AVID  REESE  was  born  August  7,  1849, 
in  Llsaint,  Carmarthenshire,  Wales,  his 
parents  being  John,  born  in  1817,  and 
Elizabeth  (Anthony)  Reese;  they  were  both  na- 
tives of  Llsaint.  John  Reese  learned  the  shoe- 
maker's trade  when  a  mere  boy  and  worked  at 
it  until  1854.  In  February  of  that  year,  he  with 
his  wife  and  three  children,  emigi'atedto  Amer- 
ica, sailing  trom  Liverpool  and  landing  at  New 
(Orleans  after  a  voyage  of  eight  weeks.  From 
there  he  sailed  up  the  river  to  Kansas  City, 
where  he  outfitted  for  a  journey  across  the 
plains,  bringing  up  at  Utah.  He  bought  land 
here  and  followed  stock-raising  for  six  years. 
In  1860  he  sold  out  and  started  for  California, 
stopping  about  two  months  in  the  Sierra  Moun- 
tains; he  arrived  in  Sacramento  in  October.  He 
bought  land  in  San  Joaquin  Township,  and 
made  his  home  there  until  his  death,  which  oc- 
curred September  11,  1869;  his  wife  died  Feb- 
ruary 6,  1889.  They  had  five  children,  as 
follows:  Catharine,  wife  of  John  B.  Brown,  resi- 
dent in  this  neighborhood;  David,  John,  Eliza- 
beth, wife  of  W.  W.  Kilgore,  resident  in  Colusa 
County;  and  Thomas,  who  died  while  crossing 
the  plains  to  Utah.  David  Reese,  the  subject 
of  this  sketch,  made  his  home  with  his  parents 
until  his  marriage  in  October,  1879,  to  Mira 
Kilgore,  daughter  of  William  Kilgore,  who  was 
burn  in  Sacramento  County,  California,  where 
she  was  principally  raised.  In  1878  he  bought 
his  present  place  of  275  acres,  and  after  his 
marriage  moved  upon  it.  He  owns  253  acres 
in  Colusa  County,  part  of  which  belongs  to  his 


mother's  estate.  Mr.  Reese  has  been  a  success- 
ful farmer.  He  commenced  with  nothing  but 
his  own  energy,  good  judgment,  and  persever- 
ance, and  tiow  owns  one  of  the  prettiest  and 
most  valuable  pieces  of  property  in  this  county. 
His  vineyard  of  forty-three  acres  is  in  good 
bearing.  The  oldest  part  of  it  was  planted  in 
1863,  by  James  Hooker,  of  Sacramento,  who 
was  in  partnership  with  his  uncle;  one  of  them 
died,  however,  before  their  plans  were  realized 
and  the  place  was  sold.  Mr.  Reese  is  a  mem- 
ber of  the  Odd  B'ellows'  Society,  Elk  Grove 
Lodge,  No.  274,  and  of  the  Florin  Grange,  No. 
130.  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Reese  have  five  children: 
Edward  E.,  born  August  2,  1880;  Ethel  M., 
September  1,  1882;  Percy  D.,  May  31,  1884, 
John  K.,  December  30,  1886,  and"  Frank  L., 
July  14,  1889. 

--I'^-^-l-'- 


iYRON  SMALL  GREEN  was  born  in 
Richmond,  Vermont,  May  17,  1838, 
his  parents  being  Iddo  and  Louisa 
(Whitcomb)  Green.  The  mother  died  in  1887, 
aged  seventy-six;  the  father,  a  carpenter  by 
trade,  is  still  living,  aged  eighty,  on  January  9, 
1889.  Grandfather  Isaac  Green  was  over  seventy 
when  he  died.  Grandmother  (Stevens)  Whit- 
comb also  lived  to  a  good  old  age,  dying  of 
apoplexy.  M.  S,  Green  received  a  limited  edu- 
cation in  the  district  schools,  and  at  the  age  of 
fifteen  came  to  California  with  his  uncle,  James 
Whitcomb,  helping  to  drive  cattle  across  the 
plains.  The  uncle  had  come  to  California  in 
1850  with  his  brother  Silas.  They  were  the 
owners  of  a  large  part  of  the  Whitcomb  ranch, 
now  owned  by  N.  M.  Fay.  Young  Green 
helped  around  on  the  place  until  near  the  close 
of  1856.  On  December  20  of  that  year  he  left 
San  Francisco  for  Vermont,  where  he  spent  one 
year  in  an  academy  at  Underbill  Centre.  Re- 
turning in  April,  1858,  he  went  into  the  butcher- 
ing business  in  Sacramento.  He  also  bought 
and  sold  stocks,  and  of  this  he  has  done  more 
for  less  ever  since.     For  some   years  his   uncle 


588 


BISTORT    OF    8AGRAMBNT0    COUNTY. 


James  Wliitcomb,  carried  on  a  large  butcliering 
business  in  the  mining  regions,  running  live 
shops  at  as  many  points,  and  in  these  enter- 
prises Mr.  Green  was  often  an  assistant,  and  at 
other  times  did  butchering  on  his  own  account 
or  for  others.  In  1871  Mr.  Whitcomb  bought 
a  fruit  ranch  of  103  acres  on  the  Sacramento, 
about  four  miles  above  Courtland.  In  1873  he 
was  seriously  injured,  resulting  after  a  few 
njonths  in  paralysis  of  the  lower  limbs,  which 
proved  incurable.  He  had  recourse  to  various 
kinds  of  treatment  from  1873  to  1876,  but  all 
proved  ineffective.  In  1876  he  settled  down 
in  the  new  house  he  had  just  built  on  his  fruit 
ranch,  and  lived  there  ten  years,  dying  J  uly  18, 
1886,  aged  sixty-one.  Mr.  Clreen  now  occupies 
the  place,  and  is  administrator  of  the  estate. 
There  are  about  twenty  acres  of  orchard,  and 
forty  of  alfalfa,  the  other  chief  industry  being 
the  raising  of  horses  and  cattle.  In  1865  Mr. 
Green  was  married  in  Virginia  City  to  Miss 
Frances  J.  Field,  a  native  of  Keokuk,  Iowa, 
daughter  of  Edward  and  Eliza  (Moran)  Field. 
Mr.  Field  was  a  native  of  Vergennes,  Ver- 
mont. Mr.  and  Mrs.  Green  are  the  parents  of 
three  children:  Clara  Louisa,  born  in  1869; 
James  Whitcon:b,  in  1871;  and  Edward,  in 
1880. 


:ILLIAM  C.  SHELDON  was  born  Feb- 
ruary 26,  1848,  on  the  well-known 
Sheldon  ranch,  being  the  oldest  child 
and  only  son  of  Jared  D.  and  Catherine  F. 
(Rhoads)  Sheldon.  The  father  was  original 
grantee  of  what  was  then  called  the  Omochum- 
ney  Rancho,  which,  being  afterward  divided 
between  him  and  his  partner,  became  better 
known  as  the  Sheldon  and  Daylor  ranches.  "Will- 
iam C.  successively  attended  the  Rhoads  and 
Wilson  district  schools  until  he  reached  the  age 
of  fifteen.  In  1863  he  entered  Benicia  College, 
taking  a  full  course  of  three  years,  and  after- 
ward a  business  course  of  one  year  in  San  Fran- 
cisco.     At  the  age  of  nineteen   he  returned   to 


the  farm,  and  in  1873  he  received  title  to  his 
individual  share  of  the  Sheldon  estate,  on  which 
he  still  resides.  It  contained  630  acres,  to 
which  he  has  since  added  ninety.  Of  this  about 
230  acres  are  bottom  land.  On  September  26, 
1872,  he  was  married  to  Miss  Anna  V.  Cook, 
born  in  Burlington,  New  Jersey,  of  American 
parentage.  They  are  the  parents  of  six  chil- 
dren: William  Jared,  born  July  26,  1873; 
Catherine  Polly,  March  9,  1875;  George  Tru- 
man, October  18,  1877;  Jessie  Cornelia,  Oc- 
tober 14,  1879;  Laurin  Murat,  August  12, 
1882;  and  a  girl  baby,  not  yet  named,  born 
March  25,  1888. 


.-jMf. 


fARED  DIXON  SHELDON",  deceased,  was 
born  January  8,  1813,  in  Underbill  Centre, 
Vermont,  his  parents  being  Truman  and 
Polly  (Dixon)  Sheldon.  The  father  served  in 
the  War  of  1812,  and  was  engaged  in  the  battle 
on  Lake  Charaplain.  When  visited  by  their 
grandson,  William  C.  Sheldon,  in  1871,  the  old 
couple  werj  hale  and  cheerful  at  the  ages,  re- 
spectively, of  eighty-nine  and  eighty-seven,  and 
both  died  in  1876.  Truman  Sheldon  was  the 
seventh  in  descent  from  one  of  three  brothers — 
Isaac,  John  and  William — who  were  among  the 
early  arrivals  in  Boston.  Those  who  write  tiieir 
name  Shelden  are  descendants  of  William,  and 
all  of  either  form  in  the  United  States  are  de- 
scendants of  the  three,  except  one  family  in 
New  York  city  and  one  in  Buffalo,  New  York. 
Truman  Sheldon  learned  the  trade  of  tanner  and 
currier  from  his  father,  who  worked  at  that 
trade,  but  Truman  himself  spent  most  of  his 
life  on  a  farm.  Jared  D.,  and  an  older  brother, 
Orville,  had  to  work  on  the  farm  in  youth  to 
help  pay  a  debt  for  which  the  father  had  become 
security.  The  education  thus  limited  was  after- 
ward supplemented  by  special  efforts.  As  com- 
pensation for  their  sacrifice,  the  father  made 
them  a  gift  of  the  remaining  years  to  their 
majorit}'.  Both  went  West,  and  became  teach- 
ers of  district    schools,   using  the  intervals  be- 


HISTORY    OF    SACRAMENTO    COUNTY. 


tween  school  terms  in  perfecting  their  own 
education  by  attending  college  and  by  private 
study.  Jared  Sheldon  taught  school  at  Quincj, 
Illinois,  in  1832,  at  $16  a  month,  which  he 
then  regarded  as  a  line  salary.  In  1884  lie 
taught  in  the  township  of  Berne,  Indiana.  In 
May,  1835,  he  wrote  from  Dayton,  Ohio,  "a 
place  of  about  4,000  inhabitants,"  and  alluded 
to  the  fertility  of  the  Miami  Valley.  At  some 
time  in  those  years,  1831  to  1837,  he  was  mar- 
ried in  Iowa  to  Miss  Edwards,  who  died  six 
months  later.  In  1837  he  was  farming  near 
Quincy,  and  in  1838  was  the  owner  of  160 
acres  in  southern  Indiana,  the  sale  of  which  he 
entrusted  to  his  brotlier,  who  accounted  for  the 
same  to  the  heirs  in  1872,  with  interest.  In 
the  spring  of  1838  he  went  to  St.  Louis,  Mis- 
souri, where  he  engaged  as  a  guard  to  some  ex- 
pedition to  Santa  Fe.  There  he  transferred  his 
services  to  a  party — probably  a  hunting  and 
prospecting  party — bound  for  California.  The 
Lewis  and  Clark  exploring  expedition  is  thought 
to  iiave  supplied  the  incentive  to  this  marked 
change  in  his  career.  On  the  journey  he  became 
sick  and  was  necessarily  left  behind  to  follow  as 
best  he  could.  Among  the  trials  of  tiiat  lonely 
journey,  he  used  to  recall  in  after  life  as  the 
most  disagreeable,  was  the  effort  to  sustain  life 
by  eating  coyote.  He  made  his  way  to  Cali- 
fornia, and  is  known  to  have  arrived  in  1839. 
He  spent  one  season  in  sea-otter  hunting — it 
may  have  been  in  1839-''40.  His  later  educa- 
tion included  some  knowledge  of  surveying  and 
building,  and  it  is  also  assumed  that  he  was  a 
regular  carpenter,  but  this  idea  arose  from  his 
having  had  so  mnch  to  do  with  building,  while 
in  fact,  so  far  as  known,  it  was  rather  as  a  con- 
tractor or  superintendent  than  as  a  practical 
mechanic.  He  erected  the  first  saw  mill  on  the 
Pacific  slope,  at  or  near  Los  Angeles,  the  saws 
being  transported  on  pack-asses  from  Mexico, 
wrapped  in  raw-hides.  The  mill  was  put  in 
complete  working  order  in  1841,  but  the  owner 
dying  during  its  construction  and  the  widow 
not  being  required  by  Mexicans  then  to  pay  her 
husljand's  debt,    Mr.   Siieldon    was   left  in   the 


lurch.  Meanwhile  he  had  contracted  some  debts- 
in  the  prosecution  of  the  work,  and  being  un- 
able to  pay  he  was  sentenced  to  imprisonment. 
Learning  this,  lie  took  refuge  among  the  In- 
•dians,  and  became  of  such  service  to  his  new 
friends  on  their  raids  into  the  plains  that  the 
Governor  annulled  his  sentence,  and  he  returned 
to  civilized  life.  He  is  known  to  have  traded 
in  horses  between  California  and  Chihuahua  one 
year,  and  it  is  not  improbable  that  it  was  at  this 
period  of  his  eventful  life.  He  was  engaged  for 
two  years  in  building  a  custom-house  in  Mon- 
terey, for  which  he  received  from  Governor 
Micheltorena,  in  1844,  a  title  to  what  was  then 
known  as  the  Omochumney  rancho,  one  league 
wide  on  the  right  bank  of  the  Cosnmnes  and 
extending  to  the  upper  crossing  of  the  trail  to 
Stockton  from  New  Helvetia.  It  was  afterward 
called  the  Sheldon  ranch,  and,  after  the  division 
with  his  partner,  William  Daylor,  the  name  of 
each  owner  was  given  to  his  share.  About  this 
time  he  built  the  first  flour-mill  on  the  Pacific 
Coast,  in  the  Russian  settlement  at  Bodega;  and 
in  June,  1844,  he  built  one  at  San  Jose  In 
1845  Mr.  Sheldon  first  came  to  settle  perma- 
nently on  his  ranch,  which  had  been  attended 
to  by  his  partner,  William  Daylor,  and  his  as- 
sistants, to  fulfill  the  requirements  of  Mexican 
law  in  regard  to  occupation  and  improvement. 
Three  hundred  head  of  cattle  had  been  obtained 
of  Dr.  Marsh  in  exchange  for  some  job  of  build- 
ing by  Mr.  Sheldon.  Other  herds  were  re- 
ceived on  the  place  on  shares.  Altogetiier  the 
ranch  afforded  ample  occupation  for  both  part- 
ners. In  March,  1847,  Mr.  Sheldon  was  mar- 
ried by  Alcalde  Sinclair,  at  his  place  on  the 
American  River,  to  Miss  Catherine  F.  Rhoads, 
aged  fifteen,  a  daughter  of  Thomas  Rhoads,  who 
had  arrived  in  California  in  the  fall  of  1846,  and 
was  then  living  on  Dry  Creek.  In  1847  Mr. 
Sheldon's  fiour-mill  on  the  Cosumnes  was  in 
operation.  His  extensive  lands  and  immense 
herds  made  him  the  natural  prey  of  the  free- 
booters of  the  period.  His  wealth  was  great 
and  his  losses  heavy.  In  1851  Mr.  Siieldon 
erected   a  dam   near  Clark's   Bar  for  the  irriga- 


EI8T0BT    OF    SACRAMENTO    GOUNTT. 


tion  of  his  lands.  The  water  was  flowing  on 
his  grounds  in  nice  shape  when  the  miners  in 
that  region  undertook  to  tear  it  down  as  inter- 
fering by  back  water  with  their  labors.  Accom- 
panied by  his  workmen,  Mr.  Sheldon  sought  ta 
protect  it  against  an  overwhelming  force  of 
angry  miners.  He  was  threatened  with  death 
if  he  went  on  the  dam.  Perhaps  thinking  their 
threats  to  be  mere  bravado,  he  paid  no  heed  to 
their  warnings.  The  miners  fired  and  one  of 
his  men  fell  dead  and  another  was  wounded, 
Dazed  by  the  crime  or  despising  danger,  he 
made  no  effort  to  escape,  though  the  angry  mob 
was  shouting  "  Now  for  Sheldon,"  and  at  the 
next  volley  he  was  shot  dead — July  12,  1857. 
He  left  a  widow,  aged  nineteen,  and  three  chil- 
dren. Of  these  the  second  was  accidentally 
drowned  a  few  years  later;  the  oldest,  William 
C,  was  three  years  old,  and  the  youngest,  Cath- 
erine D.,  was  only  fifteen  days.  She  became  the 
wife  of  Joel  S.  Cotton,  but  died  in  1873,  leav- 
ing two  children:  Katie  Irene  and  Joel  S., 
whose  birth  the  mother  survived  but  a  few  days. 
The  father  died  in  1878. 

fELSON  WILCOX,  farmer,  Sutter  Town- 
ship, was  born  May  18,  1825,  in  Madison 
County,  New  York,  a  son  of  Sanford  E. 
and  Climena  (Hunt)  Wilcox.  Edward  Wilcox, 
his  grandfather,  was  a  native  of  Ehode  Island, 
emigrated  to  New  York,  and  lived  to  the  age  of 
ninety-nine  years.  He  had  three  sons  and  two 
daughters.  One  son,  R.  B.,  went  to  Wisconsin 
and  became  wealthy.  Sanford  11.,  a  carpenter 
by  trade,  and  one  sister,  lived  and  died  in 
Madison  County,  New  York.  Nelson's  mother 
was  a  native  of  Vermont,  and  died  in  1885.  In 
this  family  were  seven  children,  only  two  of 
whom  are  now  living:  Nelson  and  a  sister. 
Helen  M.  died  in  Hamilton.  Sophia  Clark  still 
lives  in  Madison  County.  Nelson,  the  second 
in  the  family,  has  made  his  own  way  in  the 
world  ever  since  he  was  twelve  years  of  age,  be- 
sides assisting  in   the  care  of  other  members  of 


the  family.  In  1844,  the  day  after  Polk  was 
elected  President  of  the  United  States,  he  be- 
gan to  learn  the  carpenter  and  joiner's  trade,  of 
Charles  Gardner,  in  Madison  County;  worked 
with  him  three  years  as  an  apprentice,  and  then 
bought  out  his  time  and  worked  for  him  for 
wages  three  years  longer,  and  then  was  a  con- 
tractor and  builder  until  he  came  to  California, 
October  1,  1858.  After  thirteen  months  in  Sac- 
ramento County  he  returned  East,  making  one 
of  the  quickest.trips  then  on  record,  being  only 
eighteen  days  and  twenty  hours  from  San  Fran- 
cisco to  New  York.  In  March,  1860,  he  came 
again  to  California  with  his  family,  locating 
first  on  the  Cosumnes  River  two  years;  then  he 
lived  four  years  on  a  ranch  in  Brighton  Town- 
ship; next  he  came  into  the  city  and  engaged  in 
contracting  and  building  until  1884;  worked  on 
the  State  Capitol  over  two  years.  He  purchased 
his  present  ranch  of  122  acres,  five  miles  from 
Sacramento  city,  on  the  lower  Stockton  road,  in 
1883.  Here  he  raises  grain  and  fruits;  has  many 
raspberries  and  strawberries.  Once  he  had  over 
two  tons  of  ripe  strawberries  on  the  vines.  He 
has  about  nine  acres  in  vineyard  and  eleven 
acres  in  other  fruits,  among  which  are  forty 
orange  trees,  a  very  large  number  for  a  ranch. 
With  the  aid  of  his  estimable  wife  Mr.  Wilcox 
has  been  successful  in  his  life's  work,  having 
made  a  con:fortable  home.  Flowers  and  shrub- 
bery most  tastefully  adorn  the  premises.  One 
specimen  of  the  shrubbery  is  a  rose  bush  which 
is  possibly  the  most  magnificent  one  in  the 
county,  spreading  out  as  it  does  to  an  expanse 
of  ten  feet,  and  yielding  beautifully-colored  and 
finely  perfumed  flowers.  September  11,  1847, 
is  the  date  of  Mr.  Wilcox's  marriage  to  Miss 
Abigail  Keyes,  a  native  of  New  York.  Their 
first  child  was  born,  and  died  on  the  anniversary 
of  that  day,  at  the  age  of  one  year.  They  had 
eight  children  altogether,  and  six  died  in  in- 
fancy. The  two  living  are  Gussie  N-  and 
Nelson  H.  Mrs.  Wilcox  died  December  5, 
1888,  at  the  age  of  sixty-two  years.  Mr.  Wil- 
cox is  a  veteran  Odd  Fellow,  being  a  member 
Sacramento  Lodge,   No.    2,  I.  O.  O.  F.,  and   of 


HISTORY    OF    SACRAMENTO    COUNTY. 


the  Encampment,  No.  42;  lie  is  also  a  member 
of  the  K.  of  P.,  Lodge  No.  12;  of  I.  O.  R.  M., 
Lodge  No.  14;  and  of  P.  of  LL,  No.  12.  His 
iirst  vote  for  President  of  the  United  States  was 
cast  for  a  Whig,  and  since  then  he  has  been  a 
Republican;  has  been  several  times  a  delgate  to 
county  conventions. 


fOIlN  WILD,  farmer,  near  Polsom,  was 
born  in  England,  May  1,  1810,  son  of 
Benjamin  and  Ann  (Winters)  Wild,  na- 
tives also  of  England,  and  occupants  of  the  farm 
where  tlie  subject  of  this  notice  was  reared.  At 
the  age  of  nineteen  years  he  commenced  work- 
ing away  from  home  occasionally,  and  when 
twenty-one  he  went  out  for  himself  altogether, 
learning  the  machinist's  trade  in  Rochedale, 
England,  and  followed  the  same  until  he  came 
to  America  in  1844,  sailing  from  Liverpool  to 
New  York  city.  The  first  four  years  in  this 
country  he  spent  at  Hood's  Island,  working  at 
his  trade;  next  he  was  in  Massachusetts;  in 
1850  he  came  to  California  by  way  of  the  Isth- 
mus, on  the  steamer  Philadelphia,  the  trip  oc- 
cupying six  weeks  and  three  days.  Coming  on 
to  Sacramento  he  at  once  found  employment  in 
a  blacksmith's  shop.  In  one  half-day  he  re- 
paired a  starting-bar  for  a  steamboat,  for  which 
service  he  received  $50.  Six  weeks  after  arriv- 
ing in  Sacramento  he  went  to  Mississippi  Bar 
and  mined  two  weeks  there;  the  ensuing  six 
months  he  was  at  Dolan's  Bar,  and  then  at 
Mormon  Island,  and  at  all  the  mines  in  the 
vicinity  of  Placerville,  that  of  Stony  Dam  being 
the  principal  one.  He  was  successful  in  his 
mining  career,  which  extended  over  a  period  of 
twenty  years.  In  1852  he  settled  upon  his 
propert}',  which  now  comprises  300  acres  of 
land,  all  supplied  with  water  and  well  adapted 
to  general  farming.  This  tract  he  found  in  a 
pertectly  wild  state,  and  he  has  made  all  the  im- 
provements that  now  exist  npon  it.  He  has 
been  a  member  of  I.  O.  O.  F.  for  fifty  years  or 
more,  has   been    past    officer  lor  over  fifty-one 


months  in  the  lodge.  No.  91,  of  Warrington, 
England.  In  1830,  in  England,  he  married 
Miss  Ellen  RoUinson,  and  they  have  two  sons: 
James  and  Benjamin,  both  born  in  England, 
and  both  now  residents  of  California,  and  min- 
ers by  occupation,  at  present  being  located  in  the 
Amador  mines.  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Wild  live  by 
themselves  in  their  quiet  cosy  home  half  a  mile 
from  Folsom.  He  has  been  a  man  of  great 
energy,  and  is  still  vigorous  and  of  a  happy 
disposition. 


fOE  SILVA,  one  of  the  well-known  ranching 
men  of  Sutter  Township,  was  born  in  1822 
in  the  AVestern  Islands,  and  in  1855  emi- 
grated to  California,  and  was  first  engaged  in 
mining  gold  on  Negro  Bar  near  Folsom,  in 
which  business  he  was  successful.  Soon  after- 
ward he  bought  his  present  place  of  ninety-five 
acres  six  miles  from  Sacramento  on  the  river 
road,  where  he  is  doing  well  in  raising  vege- 
tables. His  wife,  Mary,  was  also  born  on  the 
Western  Islands,  but  they  were  married  after 
coming  to  Sacramento.  Their  children  are  three 
in  number:  Joe,  Manuel  and  Mary. 


tBRAM  WOODARD,  farmer,  San  Joaquin 
Township,  was  born  in  Hoosick,  Rensse- 
laer County,  New  York,  February  9,  1822, 
a  son  of  Phineas  Woodard  (who  also  was  born 
in  that  county  near  the  east  State  line),  and 
Phebe,  nee  Phillips,  who  was  born  in  the  town- 
ship of  Grafton,  same  county.  His  grandfather 
on  his  mother's  side  was  John  Phillips,  a  Qua- 
ker who  came  from  England  and  settled  on  the 
Van  Rensselaer  grant  in  the  township  of  Graf- 
ton. His  paternal  grandfather,  Jonathan  Wood- 
ard, was  born  in  Dutchess  County,  New  York, 
of  German  descent,  and  was  a  soldier  in  the 
Revolutionary  War.  When  Burgoyne  sent  a 
detachment  of  500  English  and  100  Indians  to 
destroy   the  stores   collected  at  Bennington,   in 


HISTORY    OF    SACRAMENTO    COUNTY. 


Vermont,  he  was  under  the  command  of  Gen- 
eral Stark,  who,  with  800  Vermont  and  New 
Hampshire  militia,  killed  and  took  prisoners 
the  most  of  this  detachment;  but  Mr.  Woodard 
was  not  at  the  battle,  as  he  had  been  previously 
sent  to  Albany  with  the  provision  wagons. 
Word  had  been  circulated  that  were  the  English 
successful  the  Indians  were  to  be  allowed  to 
massacre  the  women  and  children,  which  would 
have  seemingly  been  easy,  as  all  the  men  were 
at  the  battle.  Mrs.  Woodard,  acting  upon  the 
strength  of  this  report,  collected  about  thirty 
women  and  fortified  them  in  a  log  cabin,  armed 
with  scythes,  sticks  and  other  crude  weapons  of 
defense,  and  waited  the  outcome  of  the  battle. 
The  next  day  she  went  upon  the  battle-field  to 
see  if  her  husband's  body  were  among  the  killed. 
She  turned  over  more  than  200  bodies  in  her 
search,  but,  as  stated  before,  he  was  not  at  the 
battle.  While  she  was  searching  she  came  to  a 
wounded  English  ofhcer,  who  asked  her  to  give 
him  a  drink  of  water,  and  she  politely  complied 
with  the  request.  He  was  under  the  command 
of  General  Gates  at  the  battle  of  Stillwater  and 
the  surrender  of  Burgoyne.  He  survived  during 
the  entire  war.  Mr.  Abram  Woodard's  grand- 
father, Phillips,  on  his  mother's  side,  was  a  roy- 
alist and  was  captured  while  trying  to  make  his 
way  to  Canada  and  placed  in  prison.  An  in- 
stance of  his  prison  life  was  this:  Wiien  Wash- 
ington was  reviewing  the  troops  the  royalists 
were  brought  out  of  prison  and  compelled  to 
lift  their  hats  to  him.  This  Mr.  Phillips  posi- 
tively refused  to  do,  for  which  he  was  heavily 
ironed  and  sent  back  to  the  prison,  where  he 
remained  until  the  close  of  the  war.  Phineas 
Woodard  was  a  farmer  in  New  York  State  all 
his  life,  dying  in  the  winter  of  1867,  at  the  age 
of  eighty-four  years;  and  his  wife  died  three 
years  afterward,  at  the  age  of  eighty-six  years. 
When  she  was  about  eighty  she  made  a  trip 
from  New  York  State  to  Minnesota,  and  returned 
without  an  escort,  showing  what  a  strong  and 
active  woman  she  was  at  that  age.  They  liad 
live  sons  and  five  daughters,  of  whom  three  are 
now  living,  and  only  two  even  left  the  State   of 


New  York.  Mr.  Abram  Woodard,  whose  name 
heads  this  sketch,  was  brought  up  on  his  father's 
farm  and  lived  there  until  1849,  in  the  meantime 
making  a  trip  to  Wisconsin  in  1844.  During 
the  year  1849  he  left  New  York  for  the  home 
of  his  married  sister  in  Janesville,  Wisconsin. 
During  the  following  winter  he  was  employed 
by  a  Mr.  Clark.  About  April  10,  the  following 
spring,  Mr.  Woodard  left  for  the  Golden  West. 
Going  first  to  St.  Louis,  to  buy  provisions,  he 
ascended  the  Missouri  River  to  St.  Joseph, 
where  he  joined  the  overland  train  of  three 
wagons  and  a  number  of  horses.  He  was  elected 
captain.  Crossing  the  Missouri  River  May  11, 
at  the  end  of  eighty-five  days  he  reached  Ring- 
gold, near  Diamond  Spring.  Until  1853  Mr. 
Woodard  worked  in  the  mines  there,  while  his 
partner,  David  Cook,  who  was  not  able  to  work 
in  the  mines,  remained  on  the  Sheldon  and  Day- 
lor  grant  on  the  Cosumues  River,  buying  and 
trading  in  live-stock  with  the  money  Mr.  Wood- 
ard furnished  him.  June  1,  1853,  they  left  for 
New  York  by  water  and  the  Isthmus,  landing 
there  in  twenty-three  days.  After  a  visit  home 
they  went  to  Wisconsin  and  put  up  100  tons  of 
hay,  bought  426  head  of  cattle  and  twenty-two 
horses,  and  kept  tliem  on  that  hay  during  the 
following  winter;  and  the  next  year,  1854, 
drove  them  across  the  plains  to  California,  as- 
sisted by  fourteen  men.  Arriving  here  October 
22,  they  sold  their  stock,  realizing  high  prices 
for  some  of  it.  After  a  little  war-cloud  between 
the  squatters  and  the  grant  owners  had  blown 
over,  Mr.  Woodard  and  his  partner  bought  1,000 
acres  of  land,  which  was  afterwards  divided 
equally  between  them.  Crook  sold  his  land  to 
Dr.  James  Caples,  and  Mr.  Woodard  has  ever 
since  occupied  his  first  purchase.  About  half 
of  it  is  bottom  land,  very  rich  and  productive. 
He  has  170  acres  in  wheat,  forty  in  hops,  and 
about  the  same  amount  in  alfalfa  and  corn;  the 
remainder  id  pasture.  He  has  about  seventy 
head  of  horses  and  cattle,  counting  old  and 
young.  Politically  Mr.  Woodard  was  in  early 
days  a  Douglas  Democrat,  and  since  then  has 
been  a  Republican.      He  was   married  January 


HISTORr    OF    SACRAMENTO    COUNTY. 


9,  1856,  to  Miss  Elizabeth  Sampson,  who  was 
born  in  Enghind,  August  28,  1839,  daughter  of 
Henry  Sampson,  who  was  a  farmer,  and  wlio 
came  to  this  country  in  1844;  was  a  business 
man  in  St.  Louis  a  number  of  years,  came  to 
California  in  1852,  and  died  in  February,  1863. 
Mrs.  "VYoodard  was  only  two  years  old  when  her 
mother  died.  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Woodard  have  three 
children:  Julia,  wife  of  Richard  Bilby,  of  this 
county;  Irwin,  who  married  Miss  U.  A.  Witt, 
and  resides  on  a  part  of  the  home  place;  and 
Flora,  at  home.  They  have  lost  two  children; 
one  died  in  infancy;  the  other,  Joseph,  died  in 
1878,  at  the  age  of  nineteen  years. 


fRANK  D.  SCHULER,  a  farmer  of  Sutter 
Township,  was  born  in  Switzerland,  July 
15,  1850,  a  son  of  Carl  D.  and  Regina 
(Appert)  Schuler;  was  reared  in  his  native  place, 
and  in  1872,  after  spending  eight  months  in 
France,  emigrated  to  the  United  States,  landing 
at  New  York.  He  worked  in  dairies  three 
years  near  St.  Louis,  Missouri,  then,  coming  to 
California,  he  resided  in  San  Francisco  four 
years,  on  a  dairj'.  Coming  then  to  Sacramento, 
he  opened  a  saloon  on  K  street,  between  Front 
and  Second,  and  ran  that  two  years.  In  1881 
he  purchased  his  present  place  in  Sutter  Town- 
ship, between  the  upper  and  lower  Stockton 
roads,  about  four  miles  from  the  city.  The 
ranch  contains  fifty  acres,  and  is  devoted  prin- 
cipally to  fruit-raising,  and  partly  to  hay.  There 
are  apples,  fine  grapes,  strawberries,  blackberries 
and  Bartlett  pears,  all  of  which  are  bearing.  On 
arriving  in  this  country  Mr.  Schuler  had  noth- 
ing; but  as  he  has  always  been  a  hard-working 
man  and  a  good  manager,  he  has  acquired  a  fine 
and  productive  place.  He  was  married  in  1880 
to  Babette  Stadier,  a  native  of  Switzerland,  and 
a  woman  of  excellent  wortli.  She  came  to  the 
United  States  in  1872,  worked  in  the  States 
about  six  years,  visited  the  old  country  for  half 
a  year,  and  came  to  California  about  eleven 
years    ago.      Mr.    and    Mrs.    Schuler  liaye  two 


children,  namely:  Barbara,  born  December  5, 
1883;  and  Frank  Antoine,  April  12,  1885. 

^^mANUEL  F.  SlLVEISA  was  born  on 
fffvOT  one  of  tiie  Azores  Islands  in  1851.  In 
■^4^^^  1870  he  came  to  California  and  almost 
directly  to  Sacramento.  For  the  first  five  years 
he  worked  around  at  different  places,  and  then 
purchased  the  present  residence,  a  nice  little 
ranch  of  fifty-five  acres,  where  he  raises  vege- 
tables and  a  small  quantity  of  hay.  The  maiden 
name  of  his  wife  was  Mary  Waters.  She  also 
was  born  on  the  Azores  Islands  in  1861.  They 
have  a  happy  family  of  five  children,  named 
Mary,  Manuel,  Joseph,  Caroline  and  Rosa. 

-  ^^M^'^^ — 

tNDREW  K.  WACKMAN,  farmer,  San 
Joaquin  Township,  was  born  in  Ross 
County,  Ohio,  eight  miles  south  of  Chilli- 
cothe,  on  the  Scioto  River,  December  31,  1833. 
His  grandfather,  Marcus  Wackman,  was  a  resi- 
dent of  New  York  State,  but  whether  a  native  of 
that  State  or  not  is  not  definitely  known.  His 
wife's  maiden  name  was  Maria  Cole.  Marcus 
spent  the  greater  part  of  his  life  in  that  State, 
and  when  advanced  in  years  made  his  home 
with  his  son,  John  Wackman,  in  Ohio,  where 
he  died.  In  his  family  were  four  sons  and  two 
daughters:  Abram,  John,  James,  Jacob,  Mary 
and  Lovina.  Abram,  John  and  James  moved 
to  Ohio  and  died  there;  the  two  daughters  also 
died  in  Ohio,  and  Jacob  passed  the  remainder 
of  his  days  in  New  York  State.  John  Wack- 
man moved  to  Ohio  when  a  young  man,  and 
there  married  Harriet  Kelly.  They  made  their 
home  in  Koss  County  during  their  life-tinae  and 
died  there,  he  in  1836  and  she  May  1,  1885,  at 
the  age  of  ninety  years.  She  retained  a  good 
memory  and  did  not  become  childish.  In  her 
family  were  four  sons  and  two  daughters:  Mar- 
cus, Mary  Louisa  Jane,  flarrison,  Eliza  Jane, 
John,  and  Andrew  K.     Harrison   was  the  only 


59-i 


HISTORY    OF    SACRAMENTO    COUNTY. 


one  to  come  to  California,  arriving  in  1850;  he 
died  in  tliis  county,  in  1880,  never  having  mar- 
ried. Soon  after  Mrs.  Wackman's  birth  in  Vir- 
ginia, bar  parents  moved  to  Ross  County,  Ohio, 
and  remained  there  during  their  lives.  Her 
father,  Andrew  Kelly,  died  at  the  age  of  ninety 
years,  ten  months  and  eight  days.  After  the 
death  of  his  first  wife,  Mary  Thomas,  who  was 
the  mother  of  four  children,  he  married,  in  Ohio, 
a  lady  named  Caton.  The  first  children  were 
Jchn,  Harriet,  Elizabeth  and  Harrison;  and  by 
the  second  marriage  tliere  were  Washington, 
William,  Cornelius,  Andrew,  Ripley,  Edward, 
Mary,  Malinda,  Anna  and  Jane.  Andrew  and 
Ripley  crossed  the  plains  to  California  in  1849, 
and  William  and  Cornelius  in  1851.  Andrew, 
and  Ripley  mined  together  from  1849  to  1854, 
when  Andrew  settled  on  the  Cosumnes  River; 
Ripley  was  in  Sacramento  a  number  of  years 
and  then  settled  in  Plumas  County;  he  was  at 
one  time  a  member  of  the  Legislature  from  that 
county;  Cornelius  went  to  Idaho  in  1863  and 
resided  there  fifteen  years;  William  went  to 
Idaho  with  Cornelius,  and  the  year  afterward 
returned  to  Sacramento,  where  he  resided  until 
his  death.  Mr.  Andrew  K.  Wackman,  the  sub- 
ject of  this  sketch,  is  the  youngest  of  the  family 
and  the  only  one  now  living.  He  remained  in 
Ross  County,  Ohio,  until  1852,  when  he  went 
to  Scott  County,  Iowa,  on  a  visit,  desiring  soon 
afterward  to  come  on  to  California.  He  re- 
mained in  Iowa  a  year,  and,  failing  to  persuade 
his  friends  to  come  with  him,  he  returned  to 
Ohio.  In  the  spring  of  1863,  however,  when 
the  war  of  the  Rebellion  was  in  active  progress, 
he  obtained  the  consent  of  his  mother  that  he 
might  come  to  the  Coast.  Going  to  New  York 
to  take  sail,  he  just  missed  a  steamer  starting 
for  the  Isthmus,  and  he  had  to  lie  over  eleven 
days  for  the  next  one,  the  North  Star,  on  which 
he  took  passage  April  20,  for  Panama.  On  this 
side  he  took  passage  ou  the  Moses  Taylor,  an 
old  boat  on  her  last  trip,  and  landed  in  San 
Francisco  May  15.  He  came  almost  immedi- 
ately to  this  county  and  stopjied  with  his  brothei- 
Harrison  on  the  Cosumnes  River.     He  and  his 


brother  bought  a' steam  thresher  and  they  fol- 
lowed grain-threshing  part  of  the  year  and  farm- 
ing the  remainder.  Theirs  was  the  first  thresh- 
ing-machine ever  run  in  this  valley.  Forayear 
and  a  half  they  conducted  a  store  and  saloon  at 
Sheldon;  ever  since  then  Mr.  Wackman  has  been 
a  farmer  and  stock-raiser.  In  1871  he  bought 
land  on  the  Cosumnes  River,  in  1874  another 
tract  adjoining,  and  the  total  area  now  is  600 
acres,  of  fine  land.  A  part  of  this  is  river  de- 
posit, or  what  is  commonly  called  "  bottom 
land,"  and  is  excellent  for  raising  corn  or  any- 
thing else  excepting  wheat.  He  has  nearly  100 
head  of  horses  and  cattle;  has  some  fine  speci- 
mens of  blooded  horses  specially  adapted  to 
speed.  Politically  Mr.  Wackman  is  a  Demo- 
crat, but  takes  no  particular  part  in  political 
matters.  He  was  married  in  Sacramento  Janu- 
ary 19,  1869,  to  Miss  Mary  Amanda,  daughter 
of  Louis  Colton.  The  Coltons  are  old  settlers 
in  this  State,  although  Mrs.  Wackman  was  born 
in  Illinois;  she  was  reared  mostly  in  California. 
She  died  May  30,  1884,  leaving  three  children. 
She  was  a  woman  of  excellent  worth  and  her 
death  created  a  vacancy  that  can  never  be  filled. 
The  children  are:  Etta  May,  Harry  Harold  and 
Creed  Colton,  all  born  in  this  county. 


.S^  :£(&"■. 


fe(i:®»^^- 


fRANZ  IIENRICUS  LUDWIG  WEBER, 
grocer,  1217  and  1219  L  street,  Sacramento, 
was  born  in  Hamburg,  Germany,  May  14, 
1885.  His  father,  August  Christian  Carl  Weber, 
was  a  manufacturer  in  that  city,  and  his  mother's 
maidert  name  was  Johanna  Christina  Elizabeth 
Wagenlinger.  He  was  only  eleven  years  old 
when  he  crossed  the  ocean  alone  to  join  his 
adopted  sister  and  her  husband  in  New  York, 
where  some  time  before  they  had  established  a 
drug  store.  After  remaining  with  them  about 
two  years  he  went  to  Milwaukee,  Wisconsin, 
and  worked  on  a  farm  on  Sunk  Prairie  until 
April,  1859,  when  with  a  party  of  young  men 
he  started  overland  with  ox  teams,  for  California, 
via  Landers'  cut-off.     Arriving  late  in  October 


HISTORT    OP    SACRAMENTO    COUNTY. 


that  year,  at  Honey  Lake,  he  left  the  company 
and  struck  across  to  Indian  Valley,  Plumas 
County,  where  he  engaged  in  ranching  for  two 
years.  ISTovember  30,  1861,  he  joined  the  Fifth 
California  Infantry  as  a  volunteer.  The  com- 
mand was  ordered  lo  Fort  Yuma,  and  thence 
to  Arizona,  New  Mexico  and  Texas,  and  was 
some  months  on  the  Rio  Grande.  On  Decem- 
ber 1,  1864,  he  re-enlisted  and  served  until 
January  5,  1867,  when  he  was  honorably  dis- 
charged. After  spending  some  months  in  trav- 
eling over  this  State  in  order  to  select  the  best 
location  for  business,  he  came  to  Sacramento,  in 
April,  1867,  and  started  in  the  grocery  business 
near  his  present  location.  After  two  years  he 
bought  property  and  erected  a  store  building  on 
what  is  now  part  of  the  Capitol  grounds;  and 
when,  in  1865,  the  Capitol  was  erected,  he 
bought  the  lot  directly  opposite,  on  L  street, 
Nos.  1217  to  1219,  and  erected  the  building 
which  he  now  occupies,  at  a  cost  of  $8,000,  dedi- 
cating it  the  "Capitol  Grocery."  His  business 
rapidly  increasing,  he  associated  with  himself 
L.  E.  Smith,  who  was  previously  with  W.  R. 
Strong  &  Co.,  on  Front  street.  The  firm  name 
was  then  Weber  &  Smith.  Mr.  Weber  was  a 
stanch  Republican  until  1880,  when  he  became 
identified  with  the  Prohibition  movement,  and 
was  the  first  Sacramento  candidate  for  office  in 
the  new  party.  In  1867  he  was  married  to  Miss 
Lizzie  M.  Webber,  daughter  of  Luther  Webber, 
of  Maine,  where 'she  was  born.  Slie  was  a  child 
when  her  parents  removed  with  her  to  Boston, 
Massachussetts,  where  she  was  educated.  Mr. 
and  Mrs.  Weber  have  two  children  living,  namely : 
Luther,  who  is  an  assistant  of  his  father  in  the 
store,  and  Lizzie  Etta. 


fAMES  WELCH,  a  farmer  of  Sutter  Town- 
ship, was  born  in  Ireland  in  1834,  son  of 
James  and  Mary  (Stack)  Welch.  In  their 
family  were  three  sons  and  four  daughters,  all  of 
whom  excepting  one  daughter  came  to  America. 
Two  sons  and   two  daughters   are   now   living. 


In  1847,  when  but  fourteen  years  old,  Mr.  Welch 
came  to  America,  lauding  at  New  York,  and  first 
visited  his  parents  at  Syracuse,  that  State.  The 
first  three  years  he  spent  with  his  brothers  at 
Brockford,  Monroe  County,  New  York,  and  was 
well  taken  care  of  and  educated  by  tliem.  Then, 
in  1861,  he  sailed  from  New  York  city  and 
came  by  the  Panama  route  to  San  Francisco, 
landing  March  16.  He  began  working  on  a 
farm,  first  for  a  man  on  the  lower  Stockton 
road  in  this  county.  During  the  flood  of  1862 
he  lost  some  money;  after  that  he  worked  by 
the  month  again  until  he  accumulated  a  little 
means,  and  then  he  worked  upon  rented  farms 
three  years,  and  tjien  bought  a  place  about  a 
mile  below  where  he  now  lives.  Three  years 
afterward  he  sold  out  and  rented  a  ranch  adjoin- 
ing for  one  year.  In  the  fall  of  1870  he  moved 
upon  his  present  place,  containing  fifty  acres, 
on  the  Freeport  road  and  about  six  miles  from 
Sacratnento.  For  the  six  years  ending  in  1874  he 
also  followed  teaming  and  peddling  up  in  the 
mountains.  He  has  been  moderately  successful 
in  whatever  he  has  undertaken  and  he  has  also 
met  with  some  heavy  losses.  He  was  married 
in  1878  to  Mrs.  Eliza  Flood,  widow  of  Michael 
Flood.  Her  maiden  name  was  Carpenter,  and 
she  was  a  native  of  Ireland,  and  was  ten  years 
old  when  she  came  to  this  country.  She  came 
to  California  in  1862. 


f5,LI  WELLS,  Brighton  Township,  was  born 
L  in  Jelferson  County,  Tennessee,  October 
■^i  25,  1833,  son  of  James  and  Margaret 
(Williams)  Wells;  and  when  he  was  very  young 
his  father  died,  and  afterward,  when  yet  but  six 
years  of  age,  his  mother  also  died.  There  were 
nine  children  in  the  family:  Isaac,  who  died  in 
Tennessee;  Edward,  who  died  in  Alabama,  and 
was  buried  in  the  same  grave  with  his  mother; 
Jackson,  who  died  in  Barry  County,  Missouri; 
Mrs.  Elizabeth  Reed,  who  died  in  California 
and  was  buried  in  Sacramento;  Mrs.  Nancy 
Stewart,   who  died   in   Texas;    Malinda   Cluck, 


BISTORT    OF    SACRAMENTO    COUNTY. 


who  died  in  Alabama;  Mrs.  Maiy  Milton,  who 
died  in  Barry  County,  Missouri;  and  Eli,  tlie 
subject  of  this  sketch,  the  youngest  of  tlie  fam- 
ily. He  was  brought  up  by  his  oldest  sister 
until  he  was  able  to  take  care  of  himself.  He 
had  no  opportunity  for  education.  The  first 
free  school  he  ever  saw  was  after  he  came  to 
California.  From  the  age  of  fifteen  years  to 
eighteen  he  began  to  m'ake  his  own  way  in  the 
world.  In  1844  he  went  to  Missouri  and  re- 
sided in  Barry  County  two  years,  then  one  year 
in  Lawrence  County  and  one  year  in  Dade 
County.  April  18,  1849,  he  joined  a  company 
of  300  men,  women  and  children,  with  ox 
teams  for  the  gold  fields  of  California.  After  a 
journey  of  five  months  on  the  usual  route  they 
reached  Grass  Yalley,  and  four  days  afterward 
Sacramento,  and  two  days  after  that  again  they 
arrived  at  Hangtown  for  winter  quarters.  In 
October  Mr.  Wells  and  another  man  named 
William  Wells  (from  the  same  county  but  not 
a  relative)  came  to  Sacramento  with  six  yoke  of 
oxen  and  a  wagon,  and  obtained  provisions  for 
the  winter,  coming  by  way  of  the  Darling 
ranch  on  the  Cosumnes  River,  in  order  to  get 
provender  tor  the  cattle.  One  night  they 
camped  on  the  bank  where  the  Slough  House 
now  is,  and  the  coyotes  stole  their  provision 
sack  which  had  been  leit  out  of  tlie  wagon  and 
dragged  it  entirely  away.  This  performance 
left  the  Wellses  without  anything  to  eat.  The 
day  they  started  from  Piacerville  (Hangtown)  it 
commenced  to  rain,  and  continued  for  ten  days, 
the  trip  consuming  fifteen  days;  and  during 
that  time  they  never  had  their  boots  off  their 
feet;  and  for  a  whole  day  after  the  coyotes  stole 
their  provisions  they  had  nothing  whatever  to 
eat;  nor  could  they  have  found  anything  had 
they  tried.  The  rain  continued  pouring.  They 
could  not  sit  on  the  wagons  to  drive,  for  they 
had  oxen  and  immigrant  cattle,  the  latter  being 
so  poor  they  would  not  travel  without  constant 
urging.  The  next  night  they  encamped  on  the 
bank  of  the  American  River,  about  half  a  mile 
from  the  place  where  he  now  lives,  and,  going 
to  an  adobe  house,  to  obtain   food,  succeeded  in 


getting  some  bread  and  salt  pork,  which  indeed 
was  about  all  he  had  expected.  The  next  day 
they  reached  Sacramento  and  purchased  ten  bar- 
rels of  flour,  at  $75  a  barrel,  and  some  other 
articles.  On  the  return  journey  to  Hangtown 
they  found  the  roads  so  bad  that  they  had  to 
halt  until  they  dried  up  somewhat.  It  was  still 
raining.  After  the  rain  ceased  they  took  off  the 
wagon  box,  put  poles  on  the  axles,  roped  the 
barrels  upon  them  and  proceeded.  During  the 
ensuing  winter  they  mined  at  Piacerville,  when 
the  weather  would  permit;  it  was  a  very  rainy 
season.  The  price  of  vegetables  and  almost 
everything  else  eaten  was  $1  a  pound,  and  very 
scarce  at  that.  Beef  was  fifty  to  seventy-five 
cents  a  pound.  In  the  spring  of  1850  big  sto- 
ries of  gold  finds  elsewhere  caused  a  tremendous 
stampede  from  Hangtown.  One  niglit,  in  the 
big  tent  where  gambling  was  in  progress,  fire 
was  accidentally  dropped  into  a  keg  of  powder 
and  the  explosion  killed  five  or  six  men  and 
wounded  others.  Probably  200  men  were  in 
the  tent  at  the  time.  Mr.  Wells  left  that  neigh- 
borhood June  10,  and  came  to  the  valley,  where 
he  has  remained  till  the  present,  excepting  a 
short  tiuje  in  1863  when  he  was  in  Carson  Val- 
ley, Nevada.  He  was  at  Sacramento  during  the 
riot,  and  saw  many  exciting  scenes  here.  In 
1868  he  commenced  farming  on  liis  present 
place,  which  he  had  purchased  in  1850,  on  the 
Piacerville  road  nine  miles  from  Sacramento. 
The  farm  has  110  acres.  Grapes  are  his  main 
crop,  and  alfalfa  to  a  considerable  extent.  His 
vineyard  embraces  thirty-two  acres,  comprising 
Tokays  and  Mission  grapes  three  and  four  years 
old  and  in  good  condition.  The  remainder  of 
the  farm  is  devoted  to  hay,  barley,  etc.  In 
1872  he  put  up  his  line  residence,  and  all  tlie 
buildings  on  the  premises  he  himself  has  erected 
April  23,  1873,  he  was  married  to  Mary  E. 
Gore,  who  was  born  in  Lexington,  Kentucky, 
January  17,  1849,  and  who  came  to  this  State 
in  April,  1870.  They  have  three  children,  viz.: 
Lewis  J.,  born  March  12,  1874;  Charles  E.,  born 
November  18,  1876;  and  Frank  D.,  December 
20,    1880.      In   early   times    Mr.    Wells   was   a 


UIsrOllY    OF    SACUAMtiNTO    COUNTY. 


Democrat,  l)tit  since  tliu  beginning  of  tlie   last 
war  he  has  been  a  Republican. 

fOSEPIi  TOMLINSON,  a  rancher  of  Nato- 
ma  Township,  about  four  miles  from  Fol- 
som,  was  born  April  8,  1814,  in  what  is 
now  West  Virginia,  of  same  parentage  and  de- 
scent as  his  brother  Lewis,  whose  sketch  is  sub- 
joined. The  subject  of  this  sketch  received  a 
limited  education  in  his  youth,  opportunities  in 
that  direction  being  scant.  Ee  is,  however,  a 
well  educated  man,  mainly  as  a  result  of  his 
labors  in  self-education.  He  picked  up  the 
trade  of  ship  carpenter,  and  some  light-draft 
boats  of  his  design  and  construction,  in  which 
his  father  and  brothers  were  also  engaged  with 
him,  have  plied  on  the  Ohio  over  thirty  years 
ago.  He  also  carried  on,  for  fifteen  years,  the 
saw-mill  built  by  his  grandfather  on  Grave 
Creek  in  Marshall  County,  West  Virginia,  and 
8ucc3isively  conducted  by  three  generations  of 
Tomlinsons.  Steamboating  on  the  Ohio  was 
the  last  business  followed  in  the  East  by  Mr. 
Tomliuson.  He  came  to  California  in  1850, 
and  engaged  in  mining  more  or  less  steadily  for 
a  dozen  years.  Among  his  ventures  in  other 
lines  was  the  building  of  the  sloop  Far  West,  in 
Sacramento,  and  running  her  for  about  a  year 
between  San  Francisco  and  Benicia,  and  some 
other  points  in  that  section.  Of  late  years  he 
has  been  occupied  with  raeclianical  inventions, 
one  recently  patented  by  him  being  known  as 
Tomlinson's  Chock  Wrench,  a  very  ingenious 
device  in  its  line.  In  1872  he  bought  the  160 
acres  where  he  lived  on  the  Placerville  road, 
twenty-three  miles  from  Sacramento.  Mrs. 
Elizabetii  (Tomlinson)  Biggs,  sister  of  the  pre- 
ceding, and  residing  with  him  since  1876,  was 
born  on  the  family  homestead  in  Marshall 
County,  West  Virginia,  Nov^ember  18,  1812. 
She  was  married  in  1842  to  Joseph  Biggs,  a 
native  of  Ohio,  his  parents  being  Benjamin  and 
Rebecca  (McKnight)  Biggs.  His  grandfather, 
Joseph    Biggs,    had    moved    from    V^irginia   to 


Ohio,  and  the  Biggs  family  is  said  to  have  con- 
tributed seven  sons  to  the  army  of  the  Revolu- 
tion, the  youngest  of  whom  was  this  Ohio  pio- 
neer. Mrs.  Elizabeth  (Tomlinson)  Biggs  lost 
her  husband  some  thirty  years  ago,  and  of  their 
six  children  three  are  still  living  in  1889,  and 
residing  in  this  caunty:  Theodore,  May  and 
Lewis.  Theodore  is  married  to  Annalene  Lo- 
rain, and  they  have  six  children:  Dora,  John, 
Alice,  Joseph,  Charles  and  Elizabeth.  May 
Biggs  is  the  wife  of  Samuel  Felton.  Lewis  is 
married  to  Nanny  Lorain,  and  they  have  eight 
children:  Ida,  Asa,  Annie,  Frank,  James,  Sam- 
uel, Florence,  and  a  baby  not  yet  named. 

tEWIS  TOMLINSON,  deceased.  The  sub- 
ject of  this  sketch,  for  many  years  a  resi- 
dent of  Natoma  Township,  was  born  in 
what  is  now  West  Virginia,  in  1816,  his  par- 
ents being  Samuel  and  Lovisa  (Purdy)  Tomlin- 
son. The  grandparents,  Joseph  and  Elizabetii 
(Harkness)  Tomlinson,  natives  of  Virginia,  had 
moved  westward  into  Marshall  County,  where 
among  other  enterprises  Mr.  Tomlinson  laid 
out  a  village,  and  named  it  Elizabethtown,  in 
honor  of  his  wife,  the  first  white  woman  settled 
in  those  parts.  It  is  now  known  as  Mound- 
ville,  eleven  miles  b'jlovv  Wheeling.  Both  lived 
to  be-about  eighty.  Samuel  Tomlinson  died  in 
January,  1846,  aged  sixty-six,  and  his  wife  in 
1854,  aged  sixty-live.  Grandfather  Jonathan 
Purdy,  a  native  of  New  York,  was  a  soldier  of 
the  Revolution,  and  died  about  1839,  aged 
eighty-two,  having  entered  the  service  of  his 
country,  like  so  many  others,  while  quite  young. 
Grandmother  Eunice  (Dickinson)  Purdy  died  at 
the  age  of  sixty.  Their  son  Louis  fought  in  the 
(var  of  1812.  Lewis  Tomlinson  was  raised  on 
his  father's  farm,  receiving  such  education  as 
was  accessible  in  those  days  in  a  pioneer  settle- 
ment on  the  Ohio,  and  was  fond  of  reading  and 
self-improvement.  He  came  to  California  in 
1850,  and  went  to  mining  in  Placerville,  and 
afterwards   in    Rhuads'  Diggings.      In    1854  he 


HISTORY    OF    SACRAMENTO    COUNTY. 


went  East,  and  in  December,  1855,  was  married 
to  Miss  Alta  McMillan,  born  in  Eoone  County 
Kentncky,  December  10,  1832,  daughter  of 
George  and  Ellen  (McNinch)  McMillan.  The 
father  died  at  the  age  of  titty -live;  the  mother 
died  July  28,  1852,  aged  sixty-tive.  Return- 
ing to  California  in  1856,  Mr.  Tonilinson  re- 
sumed mining,  in  which  he  continued,  more  or 
less,  almost  until  his  death.  His  judgment  in 
that  line  was  above  the  average.  In  partner- 
ship with  his  brother  Joseph  he  bought  160 
acres  also  in  1856.  He  afterward  entered  160 
acres  under  the  homestead  law,  but  of  this  he 
was  deprived  through  legal  chicanery.  He 
secured  by  pre-emption  the  160  acres  on  which 
the  family  still  resides.  Mrs.  Alta  Tomlinson, 
since  the  death  of  her  husband,  has  added 
largely  to  the  realty,  having  purchased  260 
acres,  of  the  railroad  company,  and  other  ranches 
of  private  individuals,  making  in  all  1,000  acres, 
used  mostly  for  pasturage.  Some  hay  is  raised 
in  favorable  spots,  but  the  chief  marketable 
products  of  the  ranch  are  sheep  and  turkeys, 
there  being  usually  over  1,200  of  the  former 
and  700  of  the  latter.  Some  forty  head  of  cattle, 
including  cows  for  a  small  dairy,  and  some 
horses,  mostly  for  use  on  the  ranch,  complete 
the  list  of  stock.  Mrs.  Tomlinson  has  also  a 
small  but  thrifty  orchard  of  mixed  fruits  for 
family  use.  Mr.  Tomlinson  died  May  28, 1876, 
leaving  live  children,  all  residing  with  the 
mother:  Ida,  born  March  18,  1857;  Lewis, 
July  8,  1858;  Frank,  June  8,  1860;  Joseph, 
January  28,  1862;  Samantha,  January  18, 
1864. 

^     :       :,^^.^^^,:       ;     ^ 

fD.  F.  TAYLOR,  land  and  mine  attorney, 
Sacramento,  was  born  January  25,  1836, 
at  New  Carlisle,  Clarke  County,  Ohio. 
His  father,  Jonathan  Taylor,  a  native  of  Win- 
chester, Virginia,  emigrated  to  Ohio  in  1822, 
and  his  mother,  nee  Elizabeth  Robinson,  was  a 
native  of  New  Jersey.  He  came  to  California 
in  1855,  arriving  in    San   Francisco   March  28, 


and  the  next  day  went  over  to  the  mines  in  El 
Dorado  County,  where  he  was  engaged  in  busi- 
ness until  1869.  In  the  fall  of  that  year  he  * 
came  to  Sacramento,  and  has  ever  since  been 
connected  with  the  United  States  Land  Office, 
lirst  as'  clerk;  in  1878  he  was  appointed  Regis- 
ter, and  acted  as  such  until  in  the  fall  of  1886. 
At  present,  besides  officiating  in  the  capacity  of 
land  and  mine  attorney  lor  the  district  em- 
bracing Sacramento,  Placer,  Nevada  and  Ama- 
dor counties,  and  a  portion  of  Calaveras, 
Tuolumne  and  Alpine  counties,  he  is  also  en- 
gaged in  farming  in  Butte  County.  Mr.  Tay- 
lor has  also  held  the  office  of  mining  recorder, 
justice  of  the  peace,  etc.,  and  was  a  member  of 
the  Legislature  in  1865-'66,  being  elected  on 
the  Republican  ticket.  In  public  affairs  he  has 
been  active  and  efficient.  He  was  married  in 
1859  to  Miss  Susan  Woods,  a  native  of  Ken- 
tucky, who  came  to  California  in  1855. 

fACOB  MEISTER,  a  rancher,  was  born  in 
the  canton  of  Solothurn,  Switzerland,  Au- 
gust 28,  1817,  a  son  of  George  Meister,  a 
farmer,  and  Marianna,  nee  Zeigler.  In  1854  he 
emigrated  to  America,  whither  his  brother  had 
come  two  years  previously.  He  was  six  weeks 
on  his  journey  from  Switzerland,  coming  to 
California  by  way  of  New  York  and  the  Isth- 
mus, and  arriving  at  San  Francisco  January  17, 
1854.  By  way  of  Sacramento,  he  went  directly 
to  the  Greenwood  Valley  and  mining  district, 
and  several  months  afterward  went  to  Nevada, 
where  he  found  employment  in  a  brewery.  Re- 
turning to  Sacramento,  he  started  in  the  dairy 
business,  in  1855,  in  partnership  with  his 
brother,  on  a  farm  near  Sutter's  Fort.  After- 
ward they  purchased  270  acres  of  land  across 
the  American  River,  and  from  time  to  time 
they  added  to  their  area  of  laud  until  1876, 
when  their  tract  containe'd  945  acres.  In  the 
meantime  they  had  bought  another  ranch  on 
this  side  of  the  river.  In  1876  Mr.  Jacob 
Meister  sold  out  his  interest  in  the  dairy  busi- 


IIISTOHY    OF    SACRAMENTO    COUNTY. 


ness  to  his  hrotlier,  and  the  property  was  di- 
vided, he  retaining  the  ranch  in  American 
Township.  He  had  carried  on  the  dairy  busi- 
ness for  twenty-one  consecutive  years.  In  1873 
he  removed  with  liis  family  into  the  city,  locat- 
ing on  D  street.  In  1879  he  bought  the  lot 
situated  at  the  corner  of  I  and  Seventeenth 
streets,  and  during  the  following  year  erected 
what  is  now  his  family  residence.  This  is  indeed 
a  commodious,  ornamental,  well-bnilt  and  well- 
furnished  mansion.  It  was  built  by  the  noted 
contractors.  Carle  &  Crolej,  according  to  plans 
and  specifications  drawn  up  by  N.  D.  Goodell, 
one  of  the  best  known  architects  in  the  city. 
Especially  worthy  of  this  mansion  is  Mr.  Meis- 
ter's  noble  wife,  intelligent  and  refined.  Her 
maiden  name  was  Catharine  Kopp.  She  is  a 
native  of  Baden,  Germany,  came  to  this  country 
when  a  child,  and  speaks  English  as  well  as  any 
one.  They  were  married  in  Sacramento,  May 
22,1862,  and  now  they  have  four  children  living; 
two  have  died.  Their  names  are:  Minnie,  who 
died  at  the  age  of  sixteen  years;  Kate,  Laura, 
Emma,  Willie  and  George  Jacob.  In  May,  1887, 
Mr.  Meister  started  on  a  trip  to  Europe,  for  the 
sake  of  improving  his  health;  but  exposures 
prevented  the  good  that  might  have  been  ob- 
tained. He  was  gone  sis  months  on  this  visit. 
He  is  a  Republican  in  his  political  principles, 
but  is  not  a  "politician"  or  office-seeker. 


^-r^'i 


fAPTAIN  A.  MENDIS  was  born  on  the 
AVestern  Islands,  Portuguese  possessions, 
January  13,  1888,  son  of  Jose  and  Maria 
(Loper)  Mendis.  His  father  was  a  carpenter, 
and  when  thirteen  years  of  age  young  Mendis 
went  to  sea,  and  during  his  career  as  a  sailor  he 
traveled  all  over  the  known  world, — China,  Bra- 
zil, India,  Africa,  England,  Austria,  etc.  In 
1853  he  came  to  the  Pacific  coast,  and  in  1855 
he  bought  a  sloop  from  a  clipper  ship  which 
had  come  around  Cape  Horn,  named  Leonaide. 
In  1854,  previously,  he  did  some  mining  at 
Negro  Hill,  Rattlesnake  Creek,  etc.,  at  different 


periods  alo.ig  until  1861;  and  was  so  engaged 
in  Mariposa  and  Shasta  counties,  and  at  Eraser 
River  and  other  places.  Returning  to  Califor- 
nia, he  was  employed  in  the  Bay  trade  with  the 
schooner  Rising  Sun,  between  San  Francisco 
and  all  points  inside  the  Ba}',  and  to  Sacramento, 
Stockton,  etc.  Xext  he  bought  the  vessel  Ma- 
tilda Heron,  which  he  ran  until  May,  1864, 
being  engaged  in  the  lumber  trade  from  Bodega 
Bay  and  other  inside  and  outside  ports.  He 
then  settled  down  in  Sacramento,  and  October 
18,  1864,  was  married,  and  has  remained  a  citi- 
zen of  tliis  city  ever  since.  He  has  been  inti- 
mately identified  with  river  transportation 
during  all  this  period,  owning  an  interest  in 
several  well-known  vessels, — among  them  the 
barge  Caroline,  the  Two  Brothers  and  the  May 
Elizabeth.  In  the  winter  of  1869  he  built  the 
Mary  Ellen.  In  1868  he  became  a  member  of 
the  Steam  Navigation  Company,  but  afterward 
sold  his  interest  in  it.  He  bought  the  Neponset 
No.  1,  and  afterward  built  the  Neponset  No.  2, 
in  1883-'84.  He  now  has  the  barge  Alameda 
No.  2,  with  which  he  is  engaged  in  the  wood 
trade.  In  this  business,  indeed,  he  has  been 
employed  ever  since  the  summer  of  1864,  with 
the  exception  of  seven  years,  1871  to  1878,  when 
he  was  ranching  in  Sutter  County.  Mrs.  Men' 
dis'  maiden  name  was  Elizabeth  Preston;  she 
was  born  in  County  Mayo,  Ireland.  The  chil- 
dren's names  are  Jose,  Minnie,  Antoine,  Helena 
and  Katie. 

^-^t-^ 

flMEON  S.  SLAWSQN,  a  farmer  of  Sut- 
ter Township,  was  born  in  Sussex  County 
New  Jersey,  May  13,  1841,  a  son  of  De 
Witt  and  Elizabeth  (Horton)  Slawson,  natives 
of  Orange  County,  New  York.  His  paternal 
grandparents,  Elihu  Slawson  and  wife,  were 
natives  of  New  York  State,  and  had  four  sons, — 
De  Witt,  Locke,  Milton  and  John  B.  Locke 
died  in  the  State  of  New  York;  Milton  resided 
a  number  of  years  in  New  Orleans,  returned  to 
New  York  and    died   there;   and    John    B.  was 


MIST0R7    OF    SACRAMENTO    COUNTT. 


einineut  in  the  street-car  business  in  New  Or- 
leans; he  started  the  first  sti-eet-car  line  in  that 
city,  and  is  the  patentee  of  the  cash  box  for  col- 
lecting fares  on  short  lines  now  in  use  through- 
out the  United  States.  He  was  in  New  Orleans 
during  the  war,  and  afterward  was  in  New  York 
city,  and  then  in  Europe,_where  he  introduced 
Ills  invention  and  became  wealthy.  De  Witt, 
father  of  Simeon,  went  to  New  Jersey  about 
1826,  and  continued  his  residence  there  until 
1847,  when  he  moved  to  Perry  County,  Illinois. 
He  had  seven  sons  and  four  daughters,  eight  of 
whom  are  now  living:  H.  H.,  Joseph  N.,  Mrs. 
Fanny  J.  Hoge  and  Mrs.  Mahala  Pyle,  reside  in 
Perry  County;  J.  P.,  W.  H.;  Mrs.  E.  M. 
Combs  resides  in  Jefferson  County,  Illinois; 
and  Simeon  S.  resides  bere  in  Sacramento 
County.  Their  parents  passed  the  remainder 
of  their  days  in  Perry  County,  their  father  dy- 
ing in  1872,  and  their  mother  in  1875.  Mr. 
Slawson,  the  subject  of  this  notice,  was  born 
May  13,  1841,  and  was  very  young  when  the 
family  moved  to  Illinois,  and  that  section  was 
in  its  pioneer  stage  of  development.  In  1863, 
at  the  age  of  twenty-two  years,  he  came  to  Cali- 
fornia by  way  of  New  York,  on  the  steamer 
Golden  Age  to  the  Isthmus,  and  landed  in  San 
Francisco  on  the  last  of  June,  after  a  voyage  of 
twenty-three  days.  After  visiting  Copperopolis 
and  Mokelumne,  in  Calaveras  County,  he  went 
to  Nevada,  near  Carson  City,  and  worked  there 
about  two  years,  getting  out  timber  for  the 
mines.  Coming  then  to  this  county  he  pur- 
chased, in  1867,  eighty  acres  of  land  near  the 
lower  Stockton  road,  about  four  miles  from  the 
city.  In  1878  he  liought  135  acres  adjoining, 
and  the  public  road  now  bounds  the  whole  on 
three  sides.  Here  he  is  following  agricultural 
pursuits.  Has  about  four  acres  of  vineyard,  and 
larger  fruit  enough  for  family  use.  This  prop- 
erty he  sold  in  1887  to  S.  P.  Smith;  but  he  still 
resides  upon  it.  He  has  been  successful.  Com- 
ing here  without  means,  he  has  made  all  he  has 
by  honest  industry,  and  the  place  is  well  im- 
proved. Although  he  has  sold  it,  he  has  no 
intention  of  returning  East.      Mr.  Slawson  is  a 


member  or  the  Sacramento  Grange,  No.  12. 
He  was  married  February  13,  1870,  to  Mrs. 
Anna  A.  Hite.  Tiiey  have  one  son,  George 
H.,  who  was  born  December  27,  1875.  Mrs. 
Slawson  was  born  in  Schuyler  County,  Illinois, 
January  20,  1852.  Her  parents  and  family  of 
ten  children  removed  to  California  across  the 
plains  by  ox  teams  in  1853,  being  six  months 
on  the  journey.  Upon  their  arrival  here  they 
immediately  settled  on  a  farm  in  Sacramento 
County,  where  tiiey  resided  until  the  death  of 
her  father,  Alexander  Hite,  which  occurred  De- 
cember 30,  1885.  He  was  a  native  of  Shenan- 
doah County,  Yirginia,  born  February  3,  1806. 
Her  mother,  Arrabella  (Mathews)  Hite,  was 
born  in  Licking  County,  Ohio,  January  1,  1811, 
and  is  still  livina:. 


|s||ILLlAM  H.  SLAWSON,  a  prosperous 
rancher  on  the  Sacramento  Kiver,  was 
born  in  Sussex  County,  New  Jersey, 
July  80,  1835,  a  son  of  De  Witt  and  Elizabeth 
(Horton)  Slawson.  When  he  was  twelve  years 
of  age  the  family  removed  to  Illinois,  locating 
in  Perry  County,  where  the  subject  of  this 
sketch  lived  for  about  ten  years,  employed  upon 
a  farm.  He  then  started  for  the  golden  West, 
going  to  New  Orleans  by  steamboat,  thence  by 
the  steamer  "Philadelphia"  to  Ha\ana,  the 
Granada  to  Aspinwall,  and  after  crossing  the 
Isthmus,  by  the  steamer  "Golden  Gate"  to  San 
Francisco,  arriving  March  2,  1857.  He  soon 
went  to  the  Sonora  mines,  where  he  followed 
gold-mining  for  a  short  period,  with  but  little 
taste  for  it  and  corresponding  success,  and  then 
he  resorted  to  his  favorite  calling,  that  of  agri- 
culture, which  he  has  ever  since  pursued,  and  in 
which  he  has  enjoyed  signal  prosperity.  He  was 
on  the  tract  of  land  adjoining  the  Tuolumne 
Kiver  until  1865,  when  he  located  in  this 
county.  Here  he  first  bought  a  farm  of  160 
acres  on  the  Freeport  road,  a  part  of  the  Win- 
ters ranch,  where  he  made  his  Jiome  about  three 
years,  then  he  moved  down  upon  the  Cosumnes 


UISTOHY    OB'    SACRAMENTO    COUNTY. 


River  and  bought  540  acres  near  Benson's 
Ferry.  In  1875  he  moved  upon  the  Lower 
Stockton  road,  adjoining  the  place  of  his  brother, 
S.  S.  Slawson,  and  resided  tliere  five  years;  he 
then  sold  that  place  and  moved  fnrther  np,  to 
Whisky  Hill,  and  bouu;ht  a  place  there,  occu- 
pying it  two  years;  and  in  1883  he  purchased 
his  present  place  on  the  river  road  about  four 
miles  below  the  city,  where  he  owns  156  acres 
of  land  as  fertile  as  the  valley  affords,  on  the 
banks  of  the  river.  In  1866  he  married  Mrs. 
Catharine  Kendall,  nee  Clingenpeel,  a  native  of 
Dayton,  Ohio,  and  a  daughter  of  an  old  Vir- 
ginian. She  was  but  live  years  of  age  when  her 
parents  moved  with  the  family  to  Fulton  County, 
Illinois.  She  married  William  S.  Kendall,  and 
they  came  to  California  in  1857.  After  resid- 
ing in  this  State  a  few  years  they  went  back  to 
Canton,  Fulton  County,  Illinois,  where  Mr. 
Kendall  died  in  January,  1863.  By  that  mar- 
riage there  was  one  son,  William  Smith  Ken- 
dall, now  residing  in  Sacramento.  Mr.  and 
Mrs.  Slawson  have  an  adopted  son,  named 
Charles  H.  Slawson,  who  was  born  March 
15,  1876. 


fPRENTIS  SMITH,  vice-president  of  the 
National  Bank  of  D.  O.  Mills,  was  born 
'  in  the  city  of  St.  Louis  in  1841,  the  son 
of  Saul  Smith,  the  distinguished  actor,  author 
and  scholar,  who  died  in  1869.  The  Smith 
family  are  eminently  American;  the  father  is  a 
native  of  New  York  State,  and  grandfather 
Smith,  a  New  Englander,  took  part  in  the  Re- 
volutionary War,  and  was  wounded  at  the  battle 
of  Bunker  Hill.  On  the  maternal  side  the 
family  is  almost  equally  well  known,  the  mother, 
Elizabeth  Pugstey,  was  a  native  of  Westchester 
County,  New  York,  and  a  member  of  the  fam- 
ily of  that  name,  who  for  generations  have  had 
their  home  on  the  banks  of  the  far-famed  Hud- 
son River.  Brought  up  and  educated  in  his 
native  city,  in  early  life  he  witnessed  the  dire 
sectional   feelings  and   animosity  developed   bv 


the  Civil  "War.  His  e.xperience  as  a  financier 
and  banker  has  been  both  comprehensive  and 
varied,  first  as  a  bank  clerk,  and  later  on  as 
cashier  in  the  United  States  Sub-treasury  in  his 
native  city,  and  as  a  private  banker  in  Illinois; 
in  these  and  other  enterprises  he  has  gained  en- 
viable reputation  as  a  financier  prior  to  his  com- 
ing to  San  Francisco  in  1875.  He  there  accepted 
the  position  of  executive  secretary  and  con- 
fidential factotum  to  D.  O.  Mills,  and,  when  in 
1885  Mills  withdrew  his  San  Francisco  ofiice 
to  the  city  of  New  York,  Mr.  Smith  was  invited 
to  come  to  Sacramento,  and,  in  conjunction  with 
Cashier  Miller,  assume  the  management  of  the 
Mills  bank,  having  been  appointed  to  its  vice- 
presidency.  Mr.  Smith  was  married  in  the  city 
of  St.  Louis,  in  1865,  to  Miss  Alice  Vaile,  who 
is  a  scion  of  an  old  French  family,  and  a  worthy 
representative  of  her  ancestry.  Thej  are  much 
respected  in  Sacramento,  and  move  in  the  best 
circles  of  society. 


.-^3?«l 


fVAN  MA  REN,  farmer,  was  born  in  Mer- 
ced County,  California,  August  5,  1861. 
®  His  father,  a  native  of  Holland,  died  in 
1876,  at  the  age  of  fifty-four  years.  The  son  is 
now  on  a  ranch  of  600  acres,  which  is  indeed  a 
fine  property.  It  is  divided  into  five  parts  for 
bis  children.  Mr.  Van  Maren's  wife,  now  de- 
ceased, was  born  in  Germany  and  came  to  this 
country  in  1850,  and  died  August  16,  1879. 


fOSEPH  SIMS  was  born  in  London,  Eng- 
land, in  1832.  His  father  emigrated  to 
Canada  a  few  months  before  his  birth,  and 
the  mother  followed  soon  after  that  event. 
Both  died  in  Toronto,  aged  about  sixty-two. 
When  about  thirteen  years  of  age  Mr.  Sims  first 
came  to  the  United  States,  but  soon  went  back 
and  spent  one  winter  at  school  to  supplement 
the  scant  education  of  his  earlier  years.  After- 
ward through  life  by   reading  and  private  study 


HISTORY    OF    SACRAMENTO    COUNTY. 


he  has  still  further  supplied  the  negligence  of 
his  boyhood  in  that  regard.  In  1847  Mr.  Sims 
went  to  New  York  and  enlisted  at  Fort  Hamilton 
in  the  regiirient  of  Colonel  Jonathan  Stevenson, 
now  a  resident  of  San  Francisco.  The  original 
regiment  had  left  in  1846  for  California  to  take 
part  in  the  Mexican  War  in  that  quarter,  and 
had  arrived  in  1847.  The  new  recruits,  about 
200  in  number,  reached  Monterey  in  1848,  and 
Company  D,  Henry  M.  Nagley,  Captain,  of 
which  Mr.  Sims  was  a  member,  was  sent  by  the 
same  vessel  to  Lower  California.  They  were  in 
active  service  six  months.  Company  D  was  the 
last  command  to  leave  Mexican  soil  at  the  close 
of  the  war;  left  the  field  August  31;  and  were 
mustered  out  at  Monterey  in  October,  1848. 
With  his  partner,  Charles  H.  Ross,  and  several 
others,  the  subject  of  this  sketch  went  to  mining 
at  Mokelumne  Hill  in  Calaveras  County.  They 
crossed  the  San  Joaquin  at  Stockton  by  the 
ferry,  which  was  a  mere  whaleboat,  requiring  the 
taking  to  pieces  of  a  common  cart  for  shipment. 
Dissatisfied  with  results  at  Mokelumne  Hill, 
they  remained  only  a  few  weeks,  and  on  Christ 
mas-day,  1848,  Mr.  Sims  and  Mr.  Ross  were  on 
the  Sacramento  on  their  way  to  Sutter's  Fort, 
with  a  light  snow  falling,  the  first  they  had  seen 
iu  California;  so  the  subject  of  this  sketch  ante- 
dates by  at  least  a  few  days  the  earliest  I'orty- 
niners,  and  he  has  never  since  been  absent 
from  Sacramento  County  for  over  three  months 
at  a  time.  In  April,  1849,  with  his  partner 
and  about  forty  others,  mostly  ex-soldiers  and 
Oregonians,  Mr.  Sims  went  up  the  American 
River.  They  had  a  brush  with  the  Indians,  who 
tried  to  raid  their  pack-stock,  but  the  Oregon- 
ians, who  had  a  special  hatred  of  them,  and  the 
ex-soldiers  constituted  a  very  different  party 
from  what  they  had  usually  encountered  and  a 
few  Indians  were  killed.  When  they  reached 
the  diggings  all  seemed  to  be  doing  very  well, 
some  making  eighty  dollars  a  day,  each,  but  the 
demon  of  unrest  seized  most  of  the  party  and 
after  two  or  three  weeks  they  went  off  looking 
for  richer  deposits.  Mr.  Sims  and  his  partner, 
who  was  only  two  or  three  years  older,  did  not 


feel  it  safe  to  remain  alone,  and  Mr.  Ross 
returned  to  Sacramento.  Mr.  Sims  went  forward 
toward  Shasta  with  some  others,  but  hearing  un- 
favorable reports  at  Cottonwood  Creek  he  too 
returned  to  Sacramento.  In  the  autumn  of 
1849  Mr.  Sims  and  Mr.  Ross  located  a  few  miles 
below  Freeport,  built  a  cabin,  and  cut  some 
wood,  but  the  flood  of  1849-'50  swept  all  away. 
They  concluded  that  it  was  not  the  proper  sec- 
tion for  their  purpose,  which  was  the  raising  of 
cattle,  and  they  fell  back  to  the  inten'or,  selling 
their  claim  on  the  river.  In  1850  they  took  up 
a  large  body  of  land,  east  of  what  is  now  some- 
times called  Sims  Lake,  of  which  1,100  acres 
were  finally  patented  to  them  by  the  United 
States  Government  or  the  State  of  California. 
They  were  the  first  actual  settlers  for  miles 
around,  though  some  parties  were  temporarily 
occupying  natural-grass  lands  in  the  neighbor- 
hood. The  first  year  they  too  confined  their 
labors  to  cutting  the  natural  hay  on  their  low 
lands;  but  soon  varied  tlfeir  industries  by  rais- 
ing cattle,  sowing  grain,  and  dairying.  In  1860 
Mr.  Sims  bought  his  partner's  interest,  the 
whole  having  a  frontage  of  about  one  mile  on 
the  lower  Stockton  road,  about  ten  miles  south 
of  Sacramento,  and  running  west  to  the  lake 
already  mentioned.  Besides  general  farming — 
grain,  hay, cattle  and  horses — Mr.Sims  has  thirty- 
four  acres  of  vineyard,  six  of  which  were  planted 
twenty  years  ago,  thirteen  in  1883,  and  fifteen 
in  1888.  In  1877  he  built  a  new  residence  of 
nine    rooms,   making  a  comfortable    and    well- 


)ppo 


nted  home  in  the   midst   of  his  vines  and 


fig-trees.  In  1860  Mr.  Sims  was  married  to 
Miss  Mary  L.  Moor,  April  13,  1835,  a  native  of 
Bennington,  New  York,  the  daughter  of  Thomas 
and  Mahala  D.  (Highley)  Moor.  The  latter,  a 
native  of  Connecticut,  is  still  living  in  full  pos- 
session of  all  her  faculties  at  the  age  of  eighty- 
three.  Mr.  Moor,  who  was  a  native  of  New 
York,  died  in  1864,  aged  about  sixty-five.  The 
Moor  family  crossed  the  plains  in  1854,  settling 
in  this  county.  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Sims  are  the 
parents  of  three  living  children:  Hattie  May, 
born   November  8,1862;   William   Moor,  July 


HISTORY    OF    SACRAMENTO    COUNTY . 


30,  1865;  Paul  Revere,  November  23,  1869. 
William  M.  took  a  full  business  course  of  two 
years  at  the  Napa  Collegiate  Institute,  and  Paul 
R.  is  at  present  in  the  same  institution,  where 
he  will  graduate  in  May.  Miss  Hattie  M.  re- 
ceived a  grammar-school  course  and  also  learned 
music.  The  family  lived  in  Sacramento  three 
or  four  years  some  ten  years  ago  for  the  better 
education  of  the  children.  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Sims 
and  the  two  oldest  children  are  members  of 
Sacramento  Grange,  No.  12,  Mr.  Sims  being 
master  in  1889.  He  is  a  member  of  the  Pio- 
neer Society. 


fOHN  T.  STOLL,  manufacturer  of  and  dealer 
in  saddles  and  harness.  No.  610  K  street, 
Sacramento,  came  to  this  city  a  ]ioor  boy; 
to-day  he  leads  in  his  line  of  business,  with  a 
trade  extending  throughout  the  Paciiic  coast. 
He  was  born  in  Ober-verriedeu,  Bavaria,  Ger- 
many, January  6,  1843.  His  mother's  maiden 
name  was  Margaret  Ladeo.  His  father,  Carl 
Stoll,  and  his  grandfathers  for  three  preceding 
generations,  were  saddlers  and  harness-makers. 
Even  before  he  was  six  years  of  age  he  had 
learned  to  do  some  work  in  this  line.  Visiting 
at  his  grandfather's  one  day,  the  latter,  who  also 
carried  on  a  shop,  asked  him  if  he  knew  any- 
thing about  the  business,  and  he  replied,  "Not 
much."  Being  given  the  task  of  sewing  a  buckle 
upon  a  hame- strap,  he  succeeded  so  well  as  to 
•elicit  the  praise  of  his  grandfather  and  uncle, 
who  gave  him  presents  of  money  as  testimonials. 
At  the  tender  age  of  fourteen  years  he  embarked 
from  Bremen  for  California,  on  the  sailing  ves- 
sel Laura,  with  no  money  of  his  own  but  with 
$500  in  coin  belonging  to  his  uncle,  to  meet 
him  here.  He  arrived  at  New  York,  and  thence 
came  by  way  of  the  Isthmus  to  San  Francisco, 
arriving  November  7.  He  worked  steadily  at 
his  trade  with  his  uncle  at  Stockton  until  the 
Eraser  River  gold  mining  excitement.  He  went 
there  and  worked  in  a  hotel  about  three  months 
and  then  returned  to  his  uncle  at  Stockton.    He 


soon  earned  enough  at  odd  jobs  to  pay  his  uncle 
the  $253  he  owed  him  for  passage  money.  In 
partnership  with  Charles  Wagner,  a  newly 
formed  but  intimate  acquaintance,  he  began 
buying  mustang  ponies.  Starting  to  Sacra- 
mento with  a  load  of  leather,  drawn  by  two 
mustangs,  one  of  the  animals  gave  out  as  they 
were  crossing  Dry  Creek  about  twilight  in  the 
evening;  and  Warner,  being  taller  and  stouter, 
carried  the  leather  across  the  creek  on  his  back. 
When  all  were  across  it  was  quite  dark.  That 
night  they  obtained  little  or  no  sleep,  but  in  the 
morning  they  found  they  had  been  lying  beside 
a  small  building  containing  hay.  Of  this  they 
gave  a  quanity  to  the  horses  and  then  lay  down 
on  the  hay  to  tinish  out  their  sleep.  By  noon 
they  found  a  farmer  three  miles  distant,  who 
came  with  his  team  to  their  assistance  and 
helped  them  along  until  they  were  across  the 
Cosumnes  River,  receiving  $2.50  for  his  reward. 
Arriving  at  this  city  Mr.  Stoll  liked  the  place, 
remained  here  and  was  employed  by  Wagner  & 
Gehring  in  their  saddle  and  harness  shop,  at 
$25  a  month.  Work  becoming  slack  there  in 
about  six  weeks,  he  had  to  tiud  another  place, 
which  turned  out  to  be  at  the  shop  of  Samuel 
Roth,  on  J  street,  where  he  had  great  ambition 
to  excel  in  his  calling.  The  flood  of  1861  sus- 
pended this  establishment,  and  Mr.  Stoll  went 
to  Stockton  to  visit  his  sister  who  had  a  short 
time  before  come  over  from  Germany,  and  he 
worked  for  his  uncle  again  for  two  weeks  at 
fron)  $18  to  $21  a  week.  He  was  then  per- 
suaded by  a  friend  to  try  his  luck  in  Calaveras 
County;  but  just  before  going  there  he  re- 
ceived a  letter  from  Mr.  Roth,  desiring  him  to 
return  to  him.  He  came  here,  but  only  to  set- 
tle up  with  him,  and  he  went  again  to  the  moun- 
tains to  open  up  business,  having  only  $60  in 
cash.  His  friend  Charles  Wagner  and  his 
brother  lent  him  a  stock  of  leather.  As  yet  he 
was  but  eighteen  years  of  age,  and  did  not  seem 
to  be  over  lifteen.  People  coming  in  would  ask 
him  where  the  boss  was.  This  embarrassed  him, 
but  he  made  his  headway  by  doing  good  work, 
and   in  live  montlis  he   was  worth  $600.     He 


HISTORY    OF    SACRAMENTO    COUNTY. 


went  to  Murphy,  and  soon  all  tlie  men  from 
Murphy  to  Silver  Creek  wei-e  owing  him  from 
$10  to  $40,  making  a  total  of  $800.  He  in- 
vested in  silver  and  copper  stock,  and  in  two 
years'  time  was  wortii  a  little  over  $1,500,  and 
had  spent  nearly  lialf  of  that  amount  in  mining 
speculations.  The  building  of  the  Central  Pa- 
cific Railroad  checked  his  business,  and  after 
visiting,  in  company  with  his  old  friend  Eber- 
liardt  of  Saciamento,  the  mines  of  Silver  Moun- 
tain, Carson  and  Virginia  City,  he  returned  to 
this  place.  Their  trip  through  the  mountains 
and  in  Nevada  was  filled  with  romantic  inci- 
dents. Mr.  Eberhardt  purchased  the  interest  of 
Frank  Gehring  in  the  firm  of  Wagner  &  Geli- 
ring,  and  he  wrote  to  Mr.  Stoll,  who  had  gone 
temporarily  to  Murphy's,  to  come  down  and  buy 
out  the  other  partner.  This  being  done,  the 
business  there  was  conducted  by  Eberhardt  & 
Stoll  until  1867,  when  Mr.  Stoll  bought  Mr. 
Eberhardt's  interest,  and  he  has  since  carried  on 
the  business  alone.  When  he  began  alone  here 
he  employed  but  one  workman  and  did  only  a 
retail  business;  he  now  employs  forty  men,  and 
since  1885  has  been  doing  an  extensive  wliole- 
sale  business.  He  manufactures  his  own  stock, 
making  a  specialty  of  saddles,  for  which  he  has 
gained  a  wide  reputation.  His  trade  extends 
through  California,  Oregon,  Washington  Terri- 
tory, Nevada,  Utah  and  Idaho,  in  1865,  when 
he  came  to  Sacramento,  he  had  but  $850  in  coin. 
He  paid  that  as  part  of  the  purchase  price 
($2,650),  for  Mr.  Wagner's  interest,  giving  his 
note  for  the  balance;  within  a  year  and  a  half 
after  that  he  had  paid  that  balance.  The  year 
subsequently  he  bought  out  Mr.  Eberhardt  and 
still  had  money  left.  Next  he  bought  the 
building,  and  soon  had  that  paid  for.  Mr.  Stoll 
was  married  in  February,  1867,  to  Miss  Orsillia 
Haag,  a  native  of  Germany,  wlio  came  to  Amer- 
ica when  a  child  of  three  years,  her  people  set- 
tling in  Cincinnati.  She  was  left  an  orphan  at 
an  early  age,  and  came  to  California  with  rela- 
tives. Mr.  and  Mrs.  Stoll  have  four  children, 
namely:  John  C,  Albert  G.,  Horatio  F.,  and 
Edwin  P.     Mr.  Stoll  has  long   been   connected 


with  the  Turn-Verein,  of  which  society  he  has 
been  leader  and  secretary.  He  is  also  a  mem- 
ber of  Sacramento  Lodge,  No.  2,  I.  O.  O.  F., 
having  passed  all  the  chairs. 

'^^•^ 

fAMUEL  M.  HOOVER,  deceased,  was  born 
June  5,  1828,  in  Blair  (then  Bedford) 
County,  Pennsylvania,  the  son  of  Samuel 
and  Elizabeth  (Sprecher)  Hoover.  The  former 
was  born  January  1,  1793,  and  the  latter  Octo- 
ber 21,  1798.  They  were  married  February  23, 
1819,  in  Lancaster  County,  Pennsylvania,  both 
being  natives  of  that  county.  The  term  of  their 
married  life  extended  over  forty  years.  They 
removed  from  Lancaster  County  to  Bedford,  and 
afterward  to  Martinsburg,  Blair  County,  where 
the  subject  of  this  sketch  was  born.  In  1854 
they  sold  out  and  went  to  Illinois,  locating  on  a 
farm  in  Whiteside  County,  adjoining  the  city  of 
Sterling,  where  they  made  their  home  for  the 
remainder  of  their  lives.  Mr.  Hoover  died  July 
14,  1859,  and  his  wife  August  3,  1870.  They 
were  the  parents  of  nine  children,  viz.:  Catha- 
rine, George,  Sarah,  Samuel  M.,  Louisa,  John, 
David,  Elizabeth  and  Henry.  Excepting  the 
eldest  daughter,  Catharine,  all  are  living,  and, 
with  the  exception  of  John  and  Louisa,  are  the 
heads  of  families.  Samuel,  onr  subject,  was 
raised  on  his  father's  farm.  The  country  there 
was  new,  and  the  children  were  brought  up  very 
diflPerently  from  the  children  of  to-day,  having 
to  endure  many  hardships.  Samuel  Hoover  had 
to  walk  three  miles  to  school  in  the  winters 
through  the  snow.  In  the  summer  they  could 
not  spare  him,  but  kept  him  at  home  to  work 
on  the  farm.  When  a  boy,  especially  on  wash- 
days, he  was  sent  out  into  the  fields  to  pick  up 
stones  and  pile  them  in  a  heap,  ready  to  be 
hauled  away.  Many  times  he  has  worked  at  it 
till  his  fingers  bled.  Often  his  lunch  was  sent 
out  to  him,  in  order  that  he  would  not  bother 
the  folks  at  the  house.  On  cold,  frosty  morn- 
ings he  was  sent  barefooted  after  the  cows. 
Tiiese  are  only  a  few  of  his  early  experiences. 


HISTORY    OF    SACRAMENTO    COUNTY. 


Poverty  was  not  the  cause  of  this,  as  his  parents 
were  considered  to  be  rich  and  were  prosperous 
farmers,  but  it  was  the  custom  of  the  country. 
All  the  lads  of  the  neighborhood  were  brought 
up  ill  the  same  way.  He  was  a  great  help  to 
his  father  in  many  ways  when  he  grew  older; 
he  assisted  him  in  building  their  house,  barns 
and  other  buildings.  When  he  was  twenty-one 
years  old  he  determined  to  go  West.  He  told 
his  father,  who  tried  to  dissuade  him,  telling 
him  that  if  he  wished  to  marry  and  settle  down 
he  would  give  him  a  fine  start;  but  young 
Hoover  was  determined  to  see  more  of  the 
country.  Accordingly  his  father  gave  him  $300 
and  told  him  to  go  and  see  for  himself,  and  if 
he  succeeded  in  finding  a  better  country  than 
Pennsylvania,  the  old  gentleman  might  be  in- 
duced to  sell  out  and  emigrate.  In  1850  he 
started  for  Burlington,  remaining  about  two 
weeks,  then  returned  to  Pennsylvania.  He 
traveled  all  the  way  back  by  land.  His  route 
was  to  Rock  Island,  then  across  to  Peoria; 
there  took  the  stage  for  Indianapolis,  the  stage 
route  being  over  corduroy  roads.  The  passen- 
gers stood  it  as  long  as  they  could,  then  got  out 
and  walked  into  Indianapolis.  At  Zanesville 
the}'  bought  horses,  and  Mr.  Hoover  started 
down  the  turnpike  on  horseback,  crossing  the 
Wheeling  bridge,  and  then  on  into  Pennsyl- 
vania, arriving  home  after  the  hardest  riding  he 
ever  did.  The  following  spring  he  and  his 
brother  George  started  back  for  Iowa  and  Illi- 
nois, buying  a  couple  of  fine  stallions  in  Penn- 
sylvania before  starting,  taking  them  to  Illinois. 
On  arriving  there,  George  returned  to  Pennsyl- 
vania, and  reported  to  his  father  that  it  was  a 
pretty  good  country,  which  was  the  cause  of  the 
old  gentleman  selling  out  and  moving  to  Illi- 
Tiois.  Samuel  and  George  had  arranged  to  go 
to  raising  horses  in  Illinois  before  George  re- 
turned East,  leaving  Samuel  there,  where  he 
remained  till  spring,  and  during  that  time  made 
considerable  preparations  for  going  into  that 
business.  Then  the  California  gold  fever  broke 
out,  and  he  began  making  the  arrangements 
necessary  for  a  trip  across  tiie  plains.    He  bought 


a  wagon  and  four  horses,  and  secured  three  pas- 
sengers who  paid  him  $150  each  for  their  pass- 
age through  and  board.  Early  in  the  spring  of 
1852  they  started  from  Council  Blutis,  follow- 
ing the  main  road  of  travel  via  Salt  Lake.  They 
took  in  a  few  more  passengers  on  the  road, 
among  whom  were  ex-Lieutenant-Governor 
Charlie  Fish,  and  a  man  named  Durgae.  The 
wagon  train  they  joined  was  commanded  by 
Captain  Conda,  who  had  about  forty  men  with 
him  and  a  large  band  of  horses.  Mr.  Hoover's 
and  Conda's  parties  continued  together  until 
they  neared  Salt  Lake,  where  they  separated, 
Hocver  going  via  Salt  Lake,  and  Conda  going 
by  a  northern  route;  some  of  Conda's  men 
joined  Hoover.  The  party  stopped  in  Salt  Lake 
City  a  week,  taking  in  supplies.  They  finally 
continued  their  journey,  and  arrived  in  Califor- 
nia in  August.  At  Ragtown  Mr.  Hoover  sold 
his  horses  and  wagon,  with  the  exception  of  the 
stallion  which  he  had  brought  all  the  way  from 
Pennsylvania,  and  which  was  almost  too  weak 
to  walk,  to  an  old  stage  man  named  "Bill" 
Hamilton,  for  $700.  He  received  the  payment 
in  inch  slugs,  which  he  packed  on  his  person, 
as  his  horse  was  not  able  to  carry  them.  At 
Mud  Springs  he  sold  the  horse  for  $500.  Then, 
unincumbered,  he  returned  to  Placerville,  and 
he  and  the  man  named  Durgae  took  a  contract 
for  putting  down  a  slide  or  shooWo  pass  lumber 
down  to  the  ditch  to  build  a  flume.  For  this 
thej  received  $500.  He  came  to  Sacramento 
and  at  last  decided  that  he  wanted  a  ranch.  Ac- 
cordingly he  and  a  Dutchman  who  had  come 
out  with  him  started  for  the  Debago  country,  in 
the  neighborhood  of  the  red-woods.  They  found 
the  people  there  very  much  averse  to  having 
any  new-comers  there,  on  account  of  the  trouble 
they  were  having  with  tlie  squatters'  claims, 
and  as  he  was  very  politely  but  forcibly  re- 
quested by  several  men  to  leave,  he  concluded 
he  had  better  do  so;  so,  mounting  their  horses, 
he  and  the  Dutchman  came  straight  back  to 
Sacramento.  Not  long  after  that  he  bought 
out  a  restaurant  between  J  and  K  streets,  which 
he  ran  two  or  three  davs,  and  finding  it  to  be  a 


EISTOBY    OF    SACRAMENTO    COUNTY. 


good  business,  bought  out  another  on  Front 
street.  Three  weeks  later  the  big  fire  of  1852 
came,  and  he  was  the  loser  by  about  $1,500,  to- 
gether with  the  improvements  he  had  laid  out 
on  the  place.  This  left  him  only  $400,  $200  of 
which  he  gave  to  a  man  and  commissioned  him 
to  go  to  San  Francisco  and  buy  a  stock  of  cakes, 
cherry  brandy,  etc.  When  the  goods  arrived 
from  San  Francisco  he  was  unprepared  to  re- 
ceive them,  and  as  part  of  them  were  of  such  a 
nature  that  they  had  to  be  disposed  of  immedi- 
ately, he  spread  out  his  cakes  on  the  top  of  his 
barrels,  and  sold  out  all  except  his  brandy.  He 
was  well  satisfied  with  the  results.  He  then 
decided  to  try  mining,  and  accordingly  sent  for 
his  Dutchman  and  went  to  Sonoma.  They 
worked  two  weeks  and  got  nothing.  Mr. 
Hoover  had  his  own  and  his  friend's  expenses 
to  pay,  so  when  his  funds  were  reduced  to  $20 
they  started  for  Sacramento.  Arriving  at  Stock- 
ton, he  had  but  $5,  not  enough  to  bring  them 
both  to  Sacramento;  so  he  told  his  friend  to 
work  his  way  up.  When  he  arrived  in  Sacra- 
n.ento  he  had  but  25  cents  in  his  pocket.  With 
this  he  bought  some  pie,  then  crept  into  a  hay- 
stack, where  he  spent  the  night,  the  first  and 
last  night  he  ever  spent  in  a  like  place.  Next 
morning  he  hunted  up  "Bill"  Hamilton,  the 
man  who  bought  his  horses,  told  him  he  was 
"dead  broke'"  and  wanted  a  job.  Hamilton 
took  him  to  the  Bee  House,  gave  him  his  break- 
fast, and  told  the  landlord  to  board  him  as  long 
as  was  necessary;  then  gave  him  two  horses  and 
told  him  to  go  to  work  for  himself,  and  when 
he  was  able  he  could  repay  him.  In  the  course 
of  two  weeks  he  had  made  $700,  besides  paying 
Mr.  Hamilton.  This  was  during  the  floods,  and 
the  streets  of  Sacramento  were  all  afloat.  He 
hitched  his  team  to  a  boat  and  took  passengers 
through  the  streets.  This  only  lasted  two 
weeks,  and  then  the  streets  were  once  more  tit 
for  foot  travelers.  He  then  tried  hauling  freight, 
and  continued  until  the  railroad  was  built. 
Finally  he  purchased  his  present  place  of  1,200 
acres  on  the  Cosumnes  River,  where  he  carried 
on  a  successful  business,  the  ranch  being  fertile 


and  productive.  He  was  one  of  the  largest 
hop-growers  in  the  county;  also  raised  grain 
and  cattle.  He  owned  another  ranch  of  1,600 
acres  on  the  Sacramento  River,  which  is  devoted 
to  stock-raising.  He  first  commenced  raising 
hops  some  eight  or  nine  years  ago.  The  year 
hops  commanded  such  a  high  price  he  hauled 
the  most  valuable  load  ever  hauled  through  the 
streets  of  Sacramento;  it  consisted  of  105  bales 
loaded  on  four  wagons,  and  drawn  by  nine 
mules  and  a  horse.  He  took  it  to  Front  street, 
and  delivered  part  of  it  to  Booth  &  Co.,  and 
the  rest  to  Mebius  &  Co.  It  brought  $10,000- 
The  home  place  is  one  of  the  finest  in  the  coun- 
try. The  building  is  a  handsome  structure,  and 
the  place  is  kept  in  first-class  order.  Mr. 
Hoover  was  married  April  18,  1861,  to  Marga- 
ret Van  Zandt,  daughter  of  John  and  Lydia 
Van  Zandt,  all  natives  of  Mifflin  County,  Penn- 
sylvania. She  was  born  November  25,  1838, 
and  resided  in  her  native  place  till  she  was  six- 
teen years  of  age;  then  she  went  to  Huntingdon 
County  to  school,  and  afterward  taught  school 
as  long  as  she  was  in  that  State.  From  Penn- 
sylvania she  went  to  Illinois,  thence  to  Missouri 
where  she  was  married.  She  left  there  for  Cali- 
fornia April  21,  1861.  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Hoover 
had  one  son,  Ben  Van  Zandt  Hoover,  born  No- 
vember 24,  1863. 

#'-^^-7#^ 

fOSEPH  F.  STILL.— The  parents  of  Mr. 
Still,  Joseph  W.  and  Rachel  (Fugitt)  Still, 
were  Kentuckians.  In  1807  they  moved 
into  Missouri  and  settled  in  the  Boone's  Lake 
country,  now  Ho<l'ard  (Jounty.  A  few  years 
later  Mrs.  Still  returned  to  Kentucky  on  a  visit, 
with  two  children,  ti-aveling  all  the  way  through 
Illinois  and  Indiana  into  Kentucky  on  horseback, 
in  company  with  an  old  lady  and  a  gentleman 
named  Horn.  She  picketed  the  horses  out  at 
night.  It  was  an  exceedingly  rough  and  ad- 
venturous journey  for  even  a  man  to  make  in 
those  times;  but  she  belonged  to  that  sturdy 
class  of  pioneers  who  were  inured  to  hardships 


HISTORY    OF    SACRAMENTO    COUNTY. 


and  the  wild  experiences  of  a  frontier  life. 
While  Mrs.  Still  was  in  Kentucky  Joseph  F.> 
the  subject  of  this  sketch,  was  born  November 
18, 1812.  As  soon  as  She  was  able  to  stand  the 
journey,  Mrs.  Still,  now  with  three  children, 
started  on  the  same  road  back  to  Missouri  on 
horseback.  In  Missouri  the  settlers  were  few 
and  they  all  had  to  use  special  means  to  pro- 
tect themselves  against  the  Indians.  In  the 
war  of  1812,  which  was  opening  at  this  time, 
the  Indians  were  in  sympathy  with  the  British 
and  kept  up  their  hostilities  even  after  the  war 
had  closed;  and  during  this  dangerous  period 
Joseph  W.  Still  was  killed  in  Randolph  County, 
at  a  point  to  which  he  had  followed  the  savages. 
When  the  subject  was  ten  years  old,  his  mother 
married  a  man  named  Brown,  and  then  the 
family  moved  into  Clay  County,  same  State, 
still  further  out  upon  the  frontier,  Missourian- 
like.  At  the  age  of  eighteen  Mr.  Still  started 
out  in  the  world  for  himself,  and  hired  out  to  a 
house  carpenter  to  learn  the  trade,  and  contin- 
ued with  him  until  he  was  of  age.  September 
12,  1837,  he  married  Mary  B.,  daughter  of  Rev. 
Thomas  Turner,  an  old  Baptist  minister.  Then, 
with  his  bride,  he  moved  into  the  Piatt  purchase, 
in  Missouri,  and  lived  at  difterent  places  in  that 
section,  always  keeping  as  far  westward  as  he 
could  get,  until  1849,  when  he  started  for  Cali- 
fornia, in  a  train  with  ox  teams,  crossing  the 
Missouri  River  May  6.  At  noon  the  first  day 
out  they  elected  James  Long  as  the  captain' of 
the  train.  They  traveled  up  the  Piatt  River  to 
the  vicinity  of  the  mouth  of  the  JS'orth  Piatt, 
crossed  the  South  Fork  by  way  of  Ash  Hollow, 
went  up  the  valley  of  the  North  Piatt  to  a 
point  near  the  mouth  of  Sweetwater,  crossed 
the  North  Fork  of  the  Piatt,  traveled  up  the 
Sweetwater  to  the  South  Pass  of  the  Rocky 
Mountains  and  on  to  the  Big  Sandy,  where  the 
road  divided;  one  branch,  known  as  the  Fort 
Bridger  road,  leading  to  Salt  Lake,  and  the 
other,  "Sublette's  cut-off."  Taking  the  latter, 
via  Fort  Hall  and  Snake  River,  they  came  on  to 
the  long-looked-for  point  of  destination.  On 
reaching  Bear  River,  July  4,  they  fired  a  salute 


for  American  Independence.  On  the  desert 
they  passed  two  days  and  two  nights  with  only 
a  five-pound  powder-keg  of  water.  They  reached 
Placerville  August  28, 1849,  after  a  long,  tedious 
journey.  Mr.  Still  then  began  making  rockers 
for  gold  mining,  tearing  up  his  wagon  bed  for 
this  purpose.  He  made  $6  a  day  at  this  busi- 
ness. Within  forty  steps  of  where  he  was 
at  work  they  were  taking  out  pounds  of  gold 
dust,  which  was  more  than  he  could  stand;  and 
he  commenced  mining  also,  but  without  col- 
lecting much  gold  for  several  days.  He  mined 
in  Placerville  until  February,  1850,  when  he 
went  over  to  Canon  Creek,  El  Dorado  County, 
at  a  point  called  George's  Flat  and  mined  there 
with  varied  success.  The  best  day's  work  was 
when  three  of  them  took  out  over  $2,200.  On 
the  last  day  they  took  out  $1,600.  Then  they 
sold  out  for  $4,000  and  settled  on  the  D  ranch 
in  lone  Valley,  which  point  derived  its  name 
from  a  large  brand  they  placed  on  their  cattle. 
They  arrived  here  on  the  1st  of  July,  entering 
the  live-stock  business.  In  October  following 
Mr.  Still  returned  to  the  East,  leaving  his  in- 
terests here  in  charge  of  his  partner.  Taking 
steamer  at  San  Francisco  he  reached  Panama  in 
twenty-one  days,  landed  at  New  Orleans  upon 
the  Havana  and  arrived  in  Missouri  after  a  voy- 
age of  iifty-one  days  fi'om  San  Francisco.  On 
leaving  the  Golden  Gate  he  turned  around, 
waved  his  hat  and  bade  good-by  to  California, 
feeling  perfectly  satisfied  to  return  East  and  re- 
main there;  but  after  he  had  spent  two  years 
in  Missouri  the  excitement  in  the  beautiful  land 
he  had  left  was  too  much  for  him,  and  he  and 
his  wife,  in  1852,  came  again  to  the  Golden 
State,  overland,  leaving  the  Missouri  River  May 
5  and  reaching  Sacramento  August  27,  making 
the  same  trip  he  had  made  in  1849  to  a  day. 
The  first  winter  here  he  spent  in  a  hotel  which 
he  rented  called  the  lone.  It  was  merely  a  stop- 
ping place,  situated  four  miles  east  of  Stanislaus 
River,  on  the  Stockton  and  Mariposa  road. 
.Then  he  spent  a  year  and  a  half  at  Redwood 
City.  Moving  back  into  Mariposa  County,  he 
remained  there  until   the  fall  of  1856  and  then 


HISTORY    OF    SACRAMENTO    COUNTY. 


be  located  two  and  a  half  iniles  above  Gait,  on 
Dry  Creek,  where  he  now  has  a  ranch  of  500 
acres.  Two  years  ago  he  moved  into  Gait.  In 
1887  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Still  celebrated  their  golden 
wedding,  having  all  their  children  and  grand- 
children excepting  one  with  tliera;  also  one 
great-grandchild.  In  their  own  family  were 
six  children,  two  having  died.  They  have 
twenty-four  grandchildren,  and  have  had  four 
great-grandchildren,  but  only  one  is  living. 


fAYID  W.  TAYLOR,  farmer,  was  born 
in  Frederick  County,  Maryland,  February, 
29,  1840,  and  in  1844  the  family  removed 
with  him  to  Seneca  County,  Ohio,  where  they' 
lived  thirteen  years.  Thence  they  moved  to 
Wisconsin,  and  two  years  later  came  to  Califor- 
nia, arriving  September  15,  1859,  at  San  Fran- 
cisco on  the  steamer  Boluck.  He  proceeded  to 
the  vicinity  of  Hangtown,  where  he  worked  for 
his  brother,  John  B.,  one  year  on  his  ranch  and 
then  started  out  for  himself.  He  purchased  his 
present  place  in  1881,  where  he  raises  grain,  hay, 
cattle  and  hogs.  In  1863  he  married  Emma 
Jane  Thomson,  who  was  born  September  9, 
1845.  The  children  are  Clarence  E.,  Frederick 
P.,  Budd  H.,  and  Edith  M. 


fOHN  RICHAEDS  was  born  in  Cornwall, 
England,  August  20,  1826,  his  parents  be- 
ing Charles  and  Honor  (Warner)  Richards. 
The  father  was  a  miner  of  metals — tin,  lead, 
copper  and  silver,  and  also  occupied  a  small 
farm.  John  received  due  initiation  in  both 
lines  of  work,  and  wiien  he  came  to  the  United 
States  in  1845  he  naturally  sought  the  lead 
mines  of  Wisconsin,  seventeen  miles  from 
Galena,  Illinois.  When  the  gold  fever  broke 
out  in  1848,  he  started  with  three  fellow-miners 
and  six  ox  teams  for  the  new  El  Dorado.  At 
St.  Joe  they  were  joined  by  three  other  j'onng 
adventurers,   having  each   one  ox  team.     They 


left  St.  Joe  April  7,  1849,  and  arrived  at  Dutch 
Flats  on  September  9,  of  the  same  year,  and 
went  to  mining  without  delay.  Mr.  Richards 
struck  a  good  claim,  and  took  out  $5,000  in  six 
weeks.  In  his  find  was  one  nugget  worth  $252. 
In  1851  he  went  East,  mainly  for  the  purpose 
of  getting  married,  and  having  happily  fulfilled 
that  errand  he  invested  his  money  in  cattle, 
which  he  drove  across  the  plains  with  the  help 
of  seven  men,  in  1853.  He  purchased  the 
squatter  right  of  one  McHeury  for  $1,500,  but 
afterward  relinquished  it  under  the  advice  of 
John  P.  Rhoads  rather  than  contest  the  Mexi- 
can grant  to  the  Sheldon  ranch,  in  which  it  was 
included.  The  administrator  of  the  Sheldon 
estate,  Mr.  Gunn,  obtained  judgment  against 
others,  and  he  preferred  to  save  the  cost  of  litiga- 
tion. In  1855  he  bought  nearly  500  acres  of 
the  same  estate  which  he  still  holds,  and  after- 
ward about  1,000  acres  of  Government  land. 
He  still  owns  some  quartz  mines  in  Am- 
ador County  and  has  been  from  the  first  more 
or  less  interested  in  mining  operations.  About 
250  acres  of  his  ranch  are  bottom  lands  on 
the  Cosumnes.  He  raises  various  kinds  of 
fruit,  but  mainly  for  home  use  only,  besides 
the  usual  grain  crops  and  some  cattle.  Mr. 
Richards  was  married  November  17,  1851, 
to  Miss  Elizabeth  Mitchell,  born  January  81, 
1880,  the  daughter  of  Joseph  Mitchell,  a 
farmer  of  Lafayette  County,  Wisconsin.  They 
are  the  parents  of  ten  children,  of  whom  two 
died  in  infancy  and  eight  are  living:  Ellen 
Alrena,  born  November  2, 1852,  now  the  wife  of 
Mr.  Lafayette  Miller,  teacher  of  the  school  near 
Cosumnes  postoffice;  Emily  Jane,  born  Novem- 
ber 26,  1854,  now  the  wife  of  Alexander  Milne, 
for  thirteen  years  foreman  in  the  office  of  the 
San  Francisco  Bulletin;  Annie  Sophia,  born 
Februarj  8,  1857,  now  Mrs.  Henry  Band,  of 
San  Francisco;  Lizzie  Viola,  born  March  4, 
1801,  now  Mrs.  William  A.  Johnston,  Jr.; 
Charles  Joseph,  born  May  30,  1863;  John  Lin- 
coln, August  22,  1865;  Mary  Hattie,  January 
81,  1868,  now  Mrs.  E.  A.  Piatt;  William  Free- 
man,    December    22,    1870.       Mr.     and     Mrs. 


^,a.. 


aX 


HISTORY    OF    SACRAMENTO    COUNT T. 


Richards  made  one  trip  East,  with  the  Pioneer 
Society  in  1869. 


A.  GETT,  Jr.— It  would  be  indeed 
ditiicult  to  point  to  a  better  instance 
*  of  what  may  be  accomplished  by  a 
young  man  of  pluck,  perseverance  and  principle, 
than  is  presented  in  the  life  history  of  the  gen- 
tleman whose  name  figures  at  the  head  of  this 
sketch.  Although  but  twenty-six  years  of  age, 
he  has  already  risen,  almost  unaided  and  alone, 
to  a  position  of  ease  and  prominent  rank  in  a 
profession  where  hard,  honest  work  tells  per- 
haps more  surely  than  almost  any  other  line  of 
life,  namely,  the  legal;  that,  too,  from  tiie  nar- 
rowest circumstances  of  his  early  days,  and 
against  serious  and  discouraging  obstacles.  lie 
is  a  native  of  Sacramento,  has  lived  all  his  life 
in  this  city,  and  it  would  hardly  be  saying  too 
much  to  state  that  he  has  not  an  eneni}'  upon 
earth.  A  genial,  good-hearted,  honoi'able,  lion- 
est,  hard-working  and  talented  gentleman,  in 
the  truest  sense  of  that  word,  he  deserves  every 
whit  of  his  success,  and  the  bright  future  that 
lies  before  him  is  amply  due  to  his  energy  and 
ability.  As  before  stated,  Mr.  Gett  was  born 
in  the  city  of  Sacramento,  tiie  date  being  July 
11,  1863.  His  father  is  Captain  W.  A.  Gett, 
once  a  prominent  business  man,  and  still  a  well- 
known  and,  although  reduced,  an  honorable 
resident  of  this  city.  He  is  a  veteran  of  the 
Mexican  war,  where  he  saw  much  active  service. 
He  was  a  native  of  Woodford  County,  Ken- 
tucky, and  an  intimate  friend  of  young  Clay, 
who  fell  at  the  battle  of  Buena  Vista.  The 
Gett  family  is  indeed  one  of  the  old  families  of 
Kentucky,  having  settled  there  in  the  early 
days.  Upon  his  mother's  side  Mr.  Gett  is 
sprung  from  the  old  Rogers  stock  of  Tennessee, 
a  family  well  known  and  prominent  there. 
Captain  Gett  is  a  pioneer  of  the  golden  days  of 
'49,  and  was  at  one  time  a  man  of  wealth  and 
position.  Business  reverses,  more  the  fault  of 
others  than   his  own,  overtook   him,  a  disaster 


from  which  he  never  recovered.  The  subject  of 
this  article  was  reared  and  educated  in  this  city, 
attending  diflferent  private  and  public  schools. 
For  a  time  he  devoted  his  attention  to  engineer- 
ing and  surveying,  but  being  naturally  of  a  busy 
and  aspiring  turn  of  mind,  soon  abandoned 
those  pursuits  for  the  study  of  law.  He  entered 
the  law  office  of  Jones  &  Martin,  well-known 
attorneys  of  this  city,  and  two  weeks  after  at- 
taining his  majority  passed  a  brilliant  examina- 
tion before  the  Supreme  Court  of  California 
during  its  term  in  San  Francisco,  and  was  ad- 
mitted to  practice  before  the  bar.  He  immedi- 
ately ''hung  out  his  shingle,"  and  by  his  quick- 
ness of  judgment,  legal  skill  and  careful  study 
of  his  cases,  has  won  a  position  in  his  profession 
of  which  any  lawyer  of  twice  his  age  might  be 
proud.  He  believes  firmly  in  the  dignity  of  his 
profession,  and  will  never  lower  its  standard  by 
any  act  unworthy  of  an  adviser.  He  owes  his 
great  success  quite  largely  to  the  eff'ective  course 
pursued  by  him  of  singling  out  the  most  salient 
point  of  his  ease,  letting  the  rest  go,  and  re- 
serving all  his  strength  for  that  point.  Mr. 
Gett  is  a  Democrat  of  unwavering  views.  He 
has  been  tendered  the  nomination  for  man}' 
oflices  of  responsibility  and  honoi-,  but  has 
always  declined  them,  wishing  first  to  win  the 
right  of  accepting  office  at  the  hands  of  the  peo- 
ple by  placing  himself  at  the  very  lead  in  his 
profession.  That  the  future  has  much  in  store 
for  him  we  feel  assured,  for  in  the  end  offices 
of  trust  and  responsibility  always  come  to  those 
who  are  worthy  of  them,  whether  they  seek 
them  or  not.  Mr.  Gett  has,  nevertheless,  been 
of  great  service  to  the  party  by  taking  the  field 
and  doing  eff'ective  work  as  a  speaker  and  worker 
during  several  campaigns.  As  is  natural  with 
a  gentleman  of  such  an  active  disposition  as 
Mr.  Gett,  he  is  a  member  of  many  beneficiary 
orders.  He  is  a  Past  President  of  Sacramento 
Parlor,  N".  S.  G.  W.,  and  has  been  a  delegate  to 
several  Grand  Parlors.  He  has  held  several 
important  commissions  for  the  order,  at  times 
of  great  responsibility.  He  has  been  First 
Chiel'tain   of  the  Caledonian   Association;   is  a 


HISTORY    OF    SACRAMENTO    COUNTY. 


member  of  the  Masonic  order,  holding  at  present 
an  office  in  Tehama  Lodge,  and  a  member  of 
El  Dorado  Ledge,  I.  O,  O.  F.  It  should  be 
stated  that  he  is  the  ordnance  officer  ou  the  staff 
of  the  Colonel  of  the  First  Artillery  Regiment, 
N.  G.  C.  The  subject  of  this  sketch  is  a  young 
bachelor. 

-^-^-^ 

I^ENET  HOLMES,  a  farmer  of  Sutter 
IrKi  Township,  was  born  in  Yorkshire,  Eug- 
^(1  land,  February  26,  1829.  His  father, 
William  Holmes,  was  a  manufacturer  of  woolen 
goods  in  the  old  country,  and  also  carried  on 
farming.  In  1842  he  came  to  this  country  and 
spent  a  few  months  in  Wisconsin:  but,  being 
sick  while  there  he  returned  to  England  to 
spend  the  remainder  of  his  days  there.  He 
was  born  in  1805,  and  died  in  1880;  his  wife, 
Elizabeth,  died  in  1836,  the  mother  of  four 
soiiS  and  one  daughter.  Two  of  the  family  are 
now  living, — one  son  in  England,  and  Henry, 
the  subject  of  this  notice.  The  latter  in  his 
younger  days  was  an  assistant  of  his  father, 
both  on  the  farm  and  in  the  woolen  mill.  He 
became  an  expert  in  spinning  and  dyeing,  tak- 
ing charge  of  the  business  to  a  great  extent  dur- 
ing his  father's  absence.  In  1869  he  bade 
adieu  to  his  native  land.  Coming  to  America 
he  spent  the  first  year  in  Indiana,  and  afterward 
was  in  JSew  York  State;  followed  his  trade  as 
dyer  in  both  States.  In  1878  he  came  to  Cali- 
fornia, and  soon  purchased  bis  present  place  of 
160  acres  in  Sutter  Township,  between  the  up- 
per and  lower  Stockton  roads.  He  has  also  an 
interest,  with  his  sons,  in  a  section  of  land  in 
San  Joaquin  Township.  In  his  undertakings 
here,  also,  he  is  in  partnership  with  his  sons. 
He  has  been  a  hard  worker,  industrious  and 
economical,  and  has  been  quite  successful.  He 
had  but  $500  when  he  commenced  here,  nine 
years  ago.  He  was  married  in  1852,  in  Eng- 
land, to  Mary  Woods,  a  native  of  that  country, 
who  died  in  1871,  the  mother  of  six  children, 
four  of  whom  are  now  living,  as  follows:  Emilyj 


wife  of  James  Spencer;  Eva,  wife  of  George 
Beiley;  Joseph,  who  married  Carrie  Rich;  and 
James  W.,  who  married  Flora  Canfield. 


«i^ 


fllARLES  SCHREINER  was  born  in  Ba- 
den, Germany,  in  1826,  of  Michael  and 
Katrina  (Hummel)  Schreiner.  The  pa- 
rents, with  Charles  and  two  other  sons,  came  to 
America  in  184:9.  Their  son  George  had  pre- 
ceded them  in  1845,  and  k  son  and  daughter 
remained  in  Germany.  The  family  settled  on 
a  farm  in  Jefferson  County,  Wisconsin.  George 
settled  in  Boston,  but  after  some  years  came  lo 
Wisconsin,  and  went  into  the  boot  and  shoe 
business  at  Fort  Atkinson.  Martin,  who  came 
with  the  others  in  1849,  afterward  became  a 
contractor  and  builder  in  Milwaukee,  and  was 
killed  by  a  tall  from  a  building.  The  mother 
died  in  1874,  aged  about  seventy-five,  and  the 
father  in  1879,  aged  eighty-five.  The  subject 
of  this  sketch  was  in  the  ermy  of  the  Grand 
Duke  of  Baden  from  1846  to  1849,  and  fought 
on  the  side  of  Prussia  in  the  Schleswig-Holstein 
war;  but  in  1849  Baden  was  opposed  to  Prus- 
sia. He  came  to  California  in  1852,  and  went 
to  mining  on  the  Middle  Yuba  for  the  three 
months,  doing  fairly  well,  but  losing  in  later 
ventures  all  he  had  made.  He  then  went  to 
Marys ville  and  worked  on  a  steamer,  which  was 
blown  up  three  months  later,  while  he  was  for- 
tunately on  shore  through  sickness.  After 
getting  well  he  came  to  the  place  he  now  owns, 
seven  miles  south  of  Sacramento,  on  the  Free- 
port  road,  and  went  to  work  keeping  cattle  for 
the  owner,  a  Mr.  Blanchard,  and  in  1854  he 
bought  the  ranch  comprising  160  acres.  He 
also  owns  320  acres  near  Elk  Grove.  He  raises 
wheat  and  barley,  and  keeps  a  dairy  of  about 
thirty  cows  at  the  home  place.  In  1860  Mr. 
Schreiner  was  married  in  Sacramento  to  Miss 
Christina  Klenk,  a  native  uf  Wirtemberg,  who 
died  in  August,  1887,  aged  forty-eight,  and  was 
buried  in  Sacramento.  Three  children  survive 
her:  Elizabeth;  Charles,  Jr.,  and  Henry.      Miss 


HISTORY    OF    SACRAMENTO    COUNTY. 


Sclii-einer  has  a  gjod  district-school  education; 
and  Charles  was  graduated  from  the  Sacra- 
mento Business  College.  Henry  has  taken  a 
course  in  the  California  Institute  for  the  Deaf 
and  Dumb,  receiving  his  diploma  June  8,  1886. 


T-T.^ILLIAM  ADLUM  SCOTT  was  born 
l/\/     in   Columbiana  County,  Ohio,  October 

C~\:^^i  y,  1833,  his  parents  being  James  and 
Polly  (^Davidson)  Scott.  He  was  reared  on  Ids 
father's  farm,  and  received  the  limited  education 
of  an  occasional  term  in  the  district  school. 
At  the  age  of  ten  he  hired  out,  driving  horses 
and  otherwise  helping  in  farm  wort.  In  1850 
or  1851  he  became  an  apprentice  to  a  carpenter 
in  Manstield,  and  in  1852  went  to  Sandusky 
city,  where  he  earned  high  wages  at  his  trade, 
because  of  tiie  cholera  then  prevailing,  he  Hav- 
ing escaped  the  epidemic.  March  26,  1853, 
he  left  Mansfield  for  California,  by  way  of  Cin- 
cinnati, St.  Louis,  Soda  Springs,  and  Sublette's 
cut-otf  to  the  head  of  the  Humboldt;  down  the 
river  to  its  '•sink,"  and  thence  across  the  desert 
tQ  Ragtown,  arriving  in  this  State  August  12, 
and  in  San  Jose  September  2,  1853.  He  worked 
at  his  trade  two  montht^,  but  was  taken  sick  and 
became  unable  to  work.  He  moved  to  El 
Dorado  County,  and  did  a  little  mining  and 
ranching  until  March  10,  1854:,  when  he  again 
went  to  carpentering  on  a  job  at  Shingle 
Springs.  On  its  completion  he  moved  to  the 
Cosumnes,  May  81,  1855,  and  was  engaged  in 
building  irrigating  wheels  at  intervals  for  live  or 
six  years,"  meanwhile  remaining  at  a  small  ranch 
of  about  eighty  acres,  of  J.  C.  Austin,  in  1856. 
In  June,  1857,  he  was  married  to  Miss  Zilpha 
Moore,  a  native  of  Indiana,  and  daughter  of  a 
school-teacher  of  that  name,  who  taught  for 
many  years  near  Lafayette.  Mr.  Scott  made 
his  first  purchase  of  land  in  1869,  about  160 
acres,  since  increased  by  later  purchases  to  about 
500  acres.  For  some  twelve  years  he  made  a 
specialty  of  the  fruit  business,  raising  some  and 
also  buying  of  others  to  sell   to   the   trade,  but 


general  farming  is  liis  principal  business.  He 
raises  some  horses,  cattle  and  siieep,  besides  the 
usual  grain  crops.  He  has  an  orchard  of  about 
1,000  trees,  and  has  realized  as  high  as  $3,000 
from  its  product  in  one  year,  but  for  the  last 
live  years  the  sales  have  not  reached  ten  per 
cent,  of  that  amount  in  any  one  year.  Mr.  and 
Mrs.  Scott  are  the  parents  of  two  sons,  still  liv- 
ing: George  W.,  born  in  1858,  and  Lewis  M. 
in  1860.  They  were  divorced,  and  Mrs.  Scott 
left  August  20,  1884.  She  is  now  living  at  Se- 
bastopol  with  her  two  sons.  In  November,  1885, 
Mr.  Scott  married  Mrs.  Sarah  Muse,  born  in 
Kelsey,  El  Dorado  County,  in  1860.  They  are 
the  parents  of  two  children:  William,  born 
August  10,  1886;  and  Ellen  Jane,  September 
7,  1888. 


DWIN^  F.  SMITH,  Secretary  of  the 
f  pl  State  Agricultural  Society,  and  a  resident 
'^^t  of  Sacramento,  is  a  native  of  this  city. 
He  was  born  in  February,  1853,  the  son  of 
Captain  F.  C.  Smith  and  Augusta  J.,  ?tee  Petrie. 
Captain  Smith  was  a  native  of  Pennsylvania, 
but  removed  in  early  life  to  Hopkinsville,  Ken- 
tucky, where  he  resided  for  many  years;  he  was  a 
pioneer  on  this  coast,  coming  here  in  1849.  The 
first  business  enterprise  which  engaged  the  sub- 
ject of  this  sketch  vvas  selling  papers  on  the 
streets  of  Sacramento.  Next  he  worked  on  a 
farm  in  Colusa  for  three  years.  In  1866  he  was 
sent  to  the  high  school  in  San  Jose,  and  there 
remained  for  three  years,  and  there  it  was  that 
he  obtained  the  education  which  has  so  well 
fitted  him  for  the  honorable  position  which  he 
has  since  been  called  upon  to  occupy.  Upon 
his  return  to  Sacramento  in  1869,  he  entered 
the  service  of  the  Pacific  Union  Express  Com- 
pany, and  later  on  was  with  Wells,  Fargo  & 
Company,  in  whose  employ  he  continued  for 
eight  years,  After  a  three-years  experience  in 
mercantile  pursuits  in  this  city,  he  became 
Secretary  of  the  State  Agricultural  Society  in 
1880,  and  has  held  this  position  since  that  time; 


HISTORY    OF    SACRAMENTO    COUNTY. 


but  in  1879-"80  he  was  Secretary  of  the  Con- 
stitiitioual  Convention,  of  which  body  Hon. 
Jo£e]^.h  F.  Hoge  was  President,  and  was  Secre- 
tary of  the  Senate  during  the  twenty-fifth  and 
twenty-sixth  sessions,  and  for  the  two  extra  ses- 
sions of  1884-86.  In  1876  he  married  Jeannie 
A.  Muir,  a  native  Californian.  They  have  two 
cliildren:  Halsey  Generyand  Elsie. 

'^■^^-^ — 

fHARLES  H.  JOLLY,  grocer,  Folsom,  was 
born  in  Green  County,  Pennsylvania,  June 
18,  1842,  son  of  Titus  and  Eachel  Jolly, 
the  former  of  Scotch  descent  and  the  latter  a 
native  of  Shenandoah  Yalley,  Virginia.  Mr. 
Jolly  never  saw  any  of  his  relatives,  and  does 
not  know  that  he  has  any  in  America.  He  left 
home  at  the  age  of  twelve  years,  went  into 
Monongalia  County,  Virginia,  and  obtained 
such  employment  as  he  could,  the  first  respons- 
ible position  being  that  of  salesman  and  deliv- 
ery boy  ir.  a  cabinet  and  general  furnishing 
store.  Next  he  went  to  Hancock  County,  Illi- 
nois, where  he  did  carpenter  work  about  two 
years;  then  he  wenr  into  Kansas  with  a  party 
of  trappers,  and  spent  the  summer  of  1857  in 
the  Rocky  Mountains.  In  1858  he  left  La 
Harpe,  Hancock  County,  Illinois,  and  came 
overland  to  this  State  with  three  others,  one  of 
them  being  a  bi'other.  They  crossed  the  Mis- 
touri  March  24  and  came  leisurely  along,  as  they 
were  traveling  more  for  sport  than  to  reach  a 
certain  point  as  soon  as  possible.  They  passed 
the  time  hunting,  trapping  and  tishing,  and 
reached  California  ^November  20.  Mr.  Jolly 
first  commenced  mining  at  Rattlesnake  Bar, 
continuing  in  the  business  there  and  at  other 
places  for  about  a  year;  next  he  followed  car- 
pentering at  Auburn,  Placer  County,  awhile; 
then  he  was  at  Folsom  a  short  time;  then 
clerked  five  years  in  the  store  of  Bradley  & 
Seymour;  then  he  followed  teaming  again  in 
and  around  Colfax,  Dutch  Flat,  Alta,  Gold  Run, 
etc.,  for  two  years.  Selling  out  this  interest,  he 
went  to  Virginia  City,  and   for  two  years  pros- 


pected in  the  wilds  in  that  part  of  the  country, 
in  company  with  two  others.  The  next  year 
he  was  in  this  State  not  doing  much  of  any- 
thing, until  finally  he  bought  an  interest  in  a 
grocery  store  in  Folsom,  wliere  he  carried  on 
the  business  under  the  firm  name  of  Smith, 
Bishop  &  Jolly.  The  second  year  Bishop  sold 
to  Campbell;  the  third  year  the  stoie  was  con- 
sumed by  fire,  May  6,  1872,  uninsured,  and  the 
firm  lost  about  eveiything.  Mr.  Jolly  then  re- 
mained out  of  business  for  six  or  seven  years, 
during  which  time  he  was  clerking,  speculating, 
etc.,  until  1883,  when  he  again  began  regular 
business  for  himself,  which  he  has  carried  on  to 
the  present  time.  He  is  a  member  of  Folsom 
Lodge,  No  109,  A.  O.  U.  W.,  joining  tiie  order 
in  1879.  May  24,  1869.  he  married  Miss  Eve- 
line Heaton,  a  native  of  Peoria,  Illinois,  who 
came  to  California  in  1852  with  her  parents. 
Her  father,  James  Heaton,  was  a  well-known 
pioneer  of  Folsom. 


feOMAS  J.  THOMPSON  was  born  March 
19,  1814,  in  Knox  County,  Indiana,  bis 
parents  being  Colvert  and  Jane  (Mayfield) 
Thompson.  The  father  was  a  shoemaker  by 
trade  and  went  to  Indiana  in  1822.  settling 
finally  in  Vincennes,  Ihat  State,  where  lie  died. 
He  had  eleven  children,  four  boys  and  seven 
girls.  The  subject  remained  at  home,  working 
on  his  father's  farm  until  twenty-one  years  of 
age.  April  12,  1854,  he  started  for  California, 
crossing  the  plains  with  his  family,  seven  in 
number;  he  arrived  at  Gold  Hill,  August  30, 
1854,  after  a  pleasant  trip.  He  went  at  once 
to  mining,  continuing  the  same  for  about  eight- 
een months,  bi.t  not  being  successful,  he  came 
to  Sacramento,  remained  but  a  short  time,  and 
then  went  to  harvesting  for  Joseph  Kerr.  He 
saved  $30  and  concluded  to  go  on  a  ranch,  the 
$30  being  invested  for  lumber  with  which  to 
build  their  cabin,  but  it  was  not  sutficient  and 
the  neighbors  helped  them  out.  The  first  year's 
crop  consisted  of  fifteen    acres  of  wheat,  which 


IILSVJHY     OF    SACIIAMENTO    COUNTY 


was  a  good  crap  oiisidering  tlie  dry  season. 
Thus  lie  struggled  along,  but  to-day  is  amply 
paid  for  liis  energy  and  grit,  lie  lias  one  of 
the  finest  homes  in  the  county,  lie  was  inarried) 
March  17,  1840,  to  Miss  Mary  Ann  Earls,  wli« 
died  March  16,  1872,  leaving  five  children, 
nainely:  Henry,  Melissa,  Isidore,  Theodore  and 
Alonzo.  He  was  again  in  vrried  in  1872  to  Miss 
Agnes  B.  Thornell.  He  has  sixty  acres  devoted 
to  general  farming,  seven  acres  to  vineyard  and 
about  200  peach  and  fruit  trees. 


tON.  GROVE  L.  JOHNSON,  one  of  the 
leading  members  of  the  bar  of  Sacramento 
County,  was  born  March  27,  1841,  in 
Syracuse,  New  York,  where  his  younger  days 
were  passed,  his  education  obtained,  and  where 
he  was  adtnitted  to  tlie  bar  when  but  a  little 
past  his  majority.  At  the  age  of  fifteen  years 
he  was  left  an  orphan,  without  means,  and  from 
that  time  forward  has  made  his  own  way  in  the 
world, — much  of  it  by  "fighting,"  as  he  him- 
self expresses  it;  but  his  "  fighting  "  has  been 
in  great  part  for  his  friends  and  the  city  of  his 
adoption.  He  began  the  practice  of  his  profes- 
sion in  his  native  city,  but  with  such  close  ap- 
plication that  his  physical  forces  began  to  yield, 
and  he  saw  the  necessity  of  a  change  of  climate. 
Accordingly,  in  1863,  he  came  overland  to  this 
State,  by  stage,  being  twenty-two  days  and 
nights  on  the  journey.  In  1865  he  selected 
Sacramento  for  his  residence.  The  next  year 
he  was  appointed  swamp  land  clerk  of  the  board 
of  supervisors  of  this  county,  an  office  he  held 
for  over  seven  years,  though  the  political  com- 
plexion of  the  board  was  twice  changed  during 
that  period;  and  since  May  1,  1874,  he  has  been 
busily  engaged  as  an  attorney,  and  to  some  ex- 
tent in  politics.  In  the  fall  of  1877,  with  his 
colleague,  he  was  elected  as  a  Kepnblican  mem- 
ber of  the  Assembly;  and  two  years  later  he 
was  elected  to  the  Senate.  In  1882  he  was 
again  nominated  for  the  Senate,  but  by  politi- 
cal maneuvorinu'  he  was  counted   out.      Durinar 


his  term  in  the  Legislature  he  came  prominently 
to  the  front  as  an  unyielding  opponent  of  the 
so-called  "  gag-law,"  and  contributed  signally  to 
its  final  defeat.  As  a  member  of  the  Senate  he 
was  chairman  of  the  committees  on  the  Chinese 
and  Chinese  Immigration,  on  irrigation,  water 
rights  and  drainage,  and  a  leading  member  of 
those  on  judiciary,  education,  the  State  prison 
and  the  State  library.  In  reference  to  this 
period  of  Mr.  Johnson's  life,  we  will  quote  sub- 
stantially from  the  Evening  Pout  of  San  Fran- 
cisco, published  at  the  time:  Fierce  struggles, 
deadly  conflicts,  great  indecorum,  restless  wait- 
ing, bitter  complaining,  exaltation,  defiant  toil, 
tender  feeling  have  been  that  man's  portion  in 
life,  as  one  will  see  through  his  strange  voice. 
This  characteristic  voice  accounts  for  much  of 
his  power  over  men.  Men  strike  hands  with  him 
and  swear  to  stand  by  him,  because  his  voice  tells 
them  that  he  has  lived  their  life  of  pain  and 
conflict.  But  this  same  voice  in  bitter  sarcasm 
vibrates  like  the  sting  of  a  bee.  His  intense 
nature  is  of  course  variable,  in  expression. 
While  he  is  affable  and  accessible  to  all,  whether 
friend  or  foe,  he  can  confront  harsh  natures  and 
cold-blooded  critics  with  an  icy  coldness;  his 
inner  man  hibernates  in  an  alabaster  cave.  A 
cold-blooded  calculation  might  silently  torture 
Johnson,  but  a  thousand  enemies  could  never 
move  him  from  a  position.  In  debate  he  is  ut- 
terly irresistible;  in  retort  he  surpasses  all  the 
attorneys  of  the  State;  in  fact,  in  sudden  re- 
partee he  is  terrible.  His  indnstry  is  appall- 
ing, and  he  is  evident!}'  a  man  of  destin}'.  For 
two  terms  Mr.  Johnson  was  president  of  the 
old  volunteer  fire  department,  and  took  an  act- 
ive part  in  the  founding  of  the  Exempt  Fire- 
men's Association,  in  November,  1872.  In 
1873  he  became  secretary  of  the  association  and 
served  seven  years;  since  then  he  has  been  its 
president.  In  the  Odd  Fellows'  Order  he  has 
been  grand  representative  to  the  Sovereign 
Lodge  of  America;  of  the  Red  Men,  he  has  been 
grand  sachem;  of  the  Drnids,  past  noble  arch; 
of  the  Knights  of  I'ythias,  past  chancellor;  of 
the  United  Workmen,  ])ist  mastcrworkman;   of 


HISTORY    OF    SACRAMENTO    COUNTY. 


the  Kniglits  of  Honor,  past  protector,  etc.  He 
was  married  at  Syracuse,  Kew  York,  in  1861, 
to  Miss  Anne  de  Monfridy,  a  native  of  Onon- 
daga County,  New  York,  and  Mr.  Jolinson, 
after  liis  tirst  trip  to  this  State,  returned  via 
Panama  for  her,  and  brought  her  "West  by  the 
Nicaragua  route.  Their  children  are:  Albert  M. 
and  Hiram  W.,  associated  with  their  father  in 
legal  business,  and  three  daughters. 

--"^^^^J-l--- 


fEOEGE  W.  MORSE,  a  farmer  of  San 
Joaquin  Township,  was  born  August  10, 
1838.  His  parents,^  Lyman  and  Harriet 
Morse,  were  natives  of  Vermont,  and  emigrated 
from  New  York  State  to  Eock  County,  Wis- 
consin, in  pioneer  times,  and  remained  there 
until  the  father's  death,  at  the  age  of  sixty-two 
years.  He  was  a  farmer  by  occupation,  but  was 
running  a  hotel  at  the  time  of  his  death,  having 
leased  his  land.  In  his  family  were  two  sons 
and  one  daughter:  Harriet,  deceased;  George 
W.  and  Lucien  H.  Harriet  married  Alonzo 
Bowman,  and  has  since  died.  George  W.  is 
said  to  be  the  tirst  white  child  born  in  that 
county.  He  was  reared  on  a  farm,  and  after 
the  death  of  his  father  he  went,  at  the  age  of 
eleven  years,  to  live  with  Jerome  Vaughn,  and 
remained  with  him  until  he  was  of  legal  age  for 
the  transaction  of  business  for  himself.  April 
10,  1860,  he  came  across  the  plains  and  moun- 
tains to  California  with  horse  teams,  and  arrived 
in  Sacramento  September  1.  The  journey  was 
a  verypleasent  one,  the  principal  accident  being 
a  loss  of  five  horses  in  a  stampede.  In  the  train 
M'ere  twenty  wagons  and  about  forty  men,  be- 
sides the  women  and  children.  On  arrival  here 
Mr.  Morse  at  once  began  freighting  from  Sac- 
ramento to  the  mines,  and  followed  that  business 
ten  years.  The  last  trip  was  made  from  Elko 
to  the  White  Pine  country,  where  were  tnines. 
In  1870  he  came  down  and  settled  in  San  Joa- 
quin Township,  this  county,  on  which  there  was 
not  a  stroke  of  improvement.  Now  his  place  of 
800  acres  is  one  of  the  best  in  the  county.      He 


purchased  the  land  in  1862,  about  nine  years 
prior  to  his  location  upon  it.  It  is  about  six 
miles  from  Elk  Grove,  eighteen  from  Sacra- 
mento, and  three  and  a  half  from  the  upper 
Stockton  road.  Mr.  Morse  was  married  iii  Sep- 
tember, 1870,  to  Miss  Emma  Russell,  a  native 
of  Arkansas.  Her  people  came  to  this  State  in 
1860,  locating  in  Sacramento.  Mr.  and  Mrs. 
Morse  have  two  sons  and  two  daughlers:  Eg- 
bert, born  in  April,  1877;  Maud,  June  14, 
1879;  Archie,  August  26,  1881;  and  Eva, 
July  12,  1885. 

-^€g"ii)^-^^ — 

tDOLPH  JEAN,  farmer,  Brighton  Town- 
ship, was  born  in  France,  December  29, 
St.  son  of  Frank  and  Francoice  (Goubert) 
Jean.  The  former  died  in  1854  at  the  age  of 
sixty-seven  years,  and  the  latter  a  few  years  later. 
They  had  four  sons  and  three  daughters.  One 
of  these,  Adolph  Jean,  was  brought  up  on  the 
farm,  and  in  1867-'71  he  followed  farming  on 
the  Island  of  Jersey,  near  the  coast  of  France, 
and  then  came  to  America,  landing  at  Quebec; 
he  worked  on  a  farm  near  Toronto,  Canada,  four 
months;  went  to  Detroit,  where  a  friend  helped 
him  to  obtain  employment  in  the  Saginaw  lum- 
ber camps;  but  one  winter's  experience  there 
made  him  long  for  California,  and  hither  he 
came,  stopping  first  in  San  Francisco  a  few  days 
endeavoring  to  find  work,  but  in  vain.  Coming 
on  to  this  county,  he  immediately  found  emplqy- 
ment  in  Brighton  Township,  cutting  and  putting 
up  hay,  receiving  $40  for  the  month  he  was 
employed.  The  gentleman  who  gave  him  this 
employment  was  John  Boey,  now  deceased.  The 
rest  of  the  summer  he  worked  in  a  hay  press 
for  Charles  Baker,  and  during  the  winter  worked 
upon  a  farm.  The  next  season  he  was  engaged 
by  John  Scofield,  who  bought  Mr.  Baker's  place; 
next  he  was  employed  by  Dr.  W.  S.  Manlove, 
on  his  farm,  until  March  1  1874.  During  the 
twenty-two  months  he  worked  out  he  saved 
$900  from  his  earnings,  and  this  capital  enabled 
him  at  the  date  mentioned  to  rent   the  farm   of 


llISTDUr    OF    SACRAMENTO    COUNTY. 


G15 


Charles  Baker.  He  remained  on  that  place  live 
years,  when  Mr.  Baker  was  compelled  to  vacate 
the  ranch.  Mr.  Jean  then  pnrchased  the  place 
where  he  now  resides  at  §100  per  acre,  and 
dnring  the  last  part  of  January  he  moved  upon 
it  into  a  small  house  hastily  put  up.  His  present 
handsome  residence  was  erected  three  years  ago. 
This  farm  contains  sixty-six  acres  of  as  good 
land  as  can  be  found  in  the  State.  It  borders 
the  American  River,  and  is  on  the  Ooloma  road, 
nine  miles  from  Sacramento.  There  are  thirty 
acres  in  orchard,  comprising  prunes,  plnms, 
peaches,  apricots  and  pears,  and  twenty-three 
acres  in  vineyard,  in  a  good  bearing  condition. 
In  September,  1888,  Mr.  Jean  bought  another 
ranch  of  180  acres,  on  the  Sacramento  River,  in 
Yolo  County,  above  El  Cajon.  It  is  good  pas- 
ture and  dairy  land. 


->f- 


y^DMUN  D  G.  MORTOX,  Sr.,  is  from  "  Rev- 
IML  olutionary  stock."  His  father,  William,  a 
'^^^  millwright  and  general  mechanic,  was 
born  in  Charlestown,  Massachusetts,  about  the 
time  ofthe  battle  of  Bunker  Hill.  It  is  related 
of  his  grandmother  that  during  the  battle  she 
had  to  apply  to  General  Gates  for  permission 
to  leave  the  city.  The  father,  being  a  skilled 
workman,  was  in  demand  throughout  New  Eng- 
land for  his  services  as  millwright,  which  occu- 
pation he  followed  for  many  years.  He  died  at 
Salmon  Falls,  New  Hampshire,  at  an  advanced 
age.  The  subject  of  this  sketch  was  born  in 
Portsmouth,  New  Hampshire,  July  24,  1824; 
attended  the  common  schools  of  his  native  city, 
and  graduated  at  the  Berwick  Academy  in 
Maine.  Not  inheriting  the  mechanical  genius 
of  his  father — whose  mantle  in  this  respect 
seems  to  have  fallen  upon  his  younger  l)rother, 
Albert,  now  a  resident  of  Florida — Edmund 
went  to  Boston,  where  his  uncle,  Edmund  R. 
Gritfitli,  was  a  dealer  in  paints  and  oils,  and 
with  him  served  an  apprenticeship;  afterward 
he  had  charge  of  a  portion  of  his  uncle's  work. 
In  1847  he  started  in   his  business  for  himself. 


in  the  same  line,  at  the  corner  of  Bedford  and 
Columbia  streets,  and  continued  for  six  years. 
In  May,  1852,  he  came  to  California,  in  the 
clipper  ship  "Stattbrdsliire,"  Captain  Richard- 
son, around  Cape  Horn,  being  101  days  on  the 
journey.  Captain  Richardson  was  afterward 
wrecked  on  Sable  Island,  in  1856,  losing  both 
his  ship  and  his  own  life.  After  his  arrival  in 
San  Francisco,  Mr.  Morton  suffered  from  ague 
for  a  considerable  time.  Before  the  expiration 
of  the  year  1852  he  came  to  Sacramento,  and 
after  the  lire  erected  a  building  at  the  corner  of 
Seventh  and  J  streets.  The  structure  was 
hardly  completed  when  the  floods  came  and  he 
lost  every  dollar  he  had.  Returning  to  San 
Francisco,  he  engaged  in  the  produce  business  for 
about  a  year.  Then  he  went  to  "  Indian  Gulch," 
in  Mariposa  County,  where  his  brother,  James 
A., — who  had  come  to  the  Coast  in  1849, — 
was  located  as  a  trader,  and  joined  him  in  busi- 
ness. Soon  afterward  they  engaged  together  in 
mining  on  the  Marseilles  River  and  in  assisting 
on  the  construction  of  a  cotiPer  dam  of  1,200 
feet,  which  was  destroyed  by  a  storm  about  the 
time  it  was  completed.  In  mining  their  suc- 
cess was  varied.  Tiiey  then  went  to  the  San 
Joaquin  River  and  engaged  in  quartz  mining  for 
several  years.  Ne.xt,  for  the  sake  of  better  school 
advantages,  Mr.  Morton  concluded  to  change 
his  localitv.  At  this  time  he  had  three  chil- 
dren. Accordingly  he  came  and  purchased  a 
ranch  of  300  acres  on  the  American  River,  moved 
his  family  there  and  then  engaged  in  farming 
until  1884,  when  he  sold  the  place  and  bought 
a  lanch  of  500  acres  near  Hickman,  Ave  miles 
from  Colusa.  This  ranch  is  peculiarly  situated 
with  regard  to  facilities  for  irrigation,  and  is 
devoted  to  the  culture  of  alfalfa,  which  matures 
in  about  three  weeks'  time,  b}'  irrigation,  giving 
an  average  of  ten  tons  to  the  acre  per  annum. 
Mr.  Morton's  wife,  nee  Adaline  Hicks,  was  a 
daughter  of  William  Hicks,  a  farmer  and  trader 
of  Yarmouth,  Maine.  Her  granfather  Hicks 
was  one  of  the  survivors  of  the  battle  of  Bunker 
Hill,  and  was  present  at  the  dedication  of  the 
Bunker  Hill  monument  in   1848.      Mr.  Morton 


HISTORY    OF    SAGBAMENTO    COUNTY. 


has  iive  daughters  and  two  sons.  The  second 
daughter  is  the  wife  of  B.  F.  Howard,  the 
superintendent  of  the  schools  of  Sacramento 
County.  The  youngest  daughter,  Mollie,  grad- 
uated at  the  liigh  school,  and  is  now  at  the  State 
University  at  Berkeley,  completing  her  educa- 
tion. The  eldest  son,  Edmund,  Jr.,  has  charge 
of  the  ranch. 

^-&'^ 

WILLIAM  ROBmSON  GRIMSHAW, 
deceased,  was  born  in  the  city  of  New 
York,  his  parents  being  John  and  Emma 
(Robinson)  Grimshaw.  The  father  was  Englith, 
and  of  a  family  interested  in  manufacturing  in 
Manchester.  The  mother  was  American  for  at 
least  live  generations,  being  of  the  Robinson 
family  of  Rhode  Island.  The  father  dealt  in 
cotton  or  cotton  goods  and  traveled  much. 
AVilliam  R.  was  taken  to  England  when  two 
years  old,  remaining  three  years,  and  again  at 
the  age  of  six,  when  he  remained  live  years  at 
school.  Losing  his  father  early  in  life,  he  was 
much  indebted  to  Thomas  Minturn,  an  uncle  by 
marriage,  for  his  support  and  education.  On 
his  return  from  England  lie  was  sent  to  Mobile, 
Alabama,  where  he  lived  four  years  in  some 
school  or  college.  Again  returning  to  New 
York,  he  is  known  to  have  spent  some  time  in 
Burlington,  Vermont,  and  at  some  point  in  the 
interior  of  the  State  of  New  York,  and  again  in 
New  York  city — in  all  six  years,  for  the  most 
part,  as  is  supposed,  spent  in  cbnipleting  his 
education.  He  is  also  known  to  have  been  a 
drug  clerk  for  a  time  before  he  came  of  age.  At 
the  age  of  twenty-one  he  "  shipped  before  the 
mast"  on  the  Isaac  Walton,  owned  wholly  or  in 
part  by  his  uncle  Minturn,  and  bound  for  Cali- 
fornia. Arriving  at  Monterey,  he  shipped  on 
the  Anita,  a  naval  tender,  which  he  left  in  Oc- 
tober, 1848,  to  accept  the  position  of  book- 
keeper for  S.  Braunan  &  Co.  at  Sutter's  Fort, 
at  a  salary  of  $400  a  month.  In  November, 
1849,  he  went  into  partnership  with  William 
Daylor,  and   kept  a  store   on    his    ranch  on   the 


Cosumnes.  Mr.  Daylor  died  of  cholera  in 
1850,  leaving  no  issue.  In  April,  1851,  Mr. 
Grimshaw  was  married  to  Mrs.  Sarah  P. 
(Rhoads)  Daylor,  the  widow  of  his  late  part 
ner,  to  whom  she  had  been  married  four  years 
before,  at  the  age  of  seventeen.  After  some 
years  they  lived  in  Sacramento  for  a  time, 
where  Mr.  Grimshaw  was  a  law  clerk  with 
Winans  &  Hyer  in  1857.  By  private  study  and 
from  such  experience  of  legal  business  as  he  had 
gathered  in  a  law  office  and  his  superior  general 
education  he  was  deemed  qualified  to  become  a 
lawyer,  and  was  admitted  to  the  bar  in  1868. 
He,  however,  quit  the  practice  of  law  in  the 
spring  of  1869,  not  finding  it  as  congenial  as  he 
had  anticipated.  He  was  a  justice  of  the  peace 
for  fourteen  years,  and  a  teacher  of  the  district 
school  for  six  years,  toward  the  close  of  his  life. 
In  1876  he  made  a  voyage  to  China  for  his 
health,  but  with  no  marked  improvement.  Fie 
died  September  14,  1881.  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Grim- 
shaw were  the  parents  of  twelve  children,  nine- 
sous  and  three  daughters,  of  whom  seven,  with 
their  mother,  are  now  living:  William  R.,  born 
March  31,  1852;  Emma  G.,  November  26,1853, 
now  Mrs.  William  D.  Lawton,  of  Sacramento; 
Thomas  Minturn,  August  15,  1856;  George  R., 
October  8,  1858;  John  Francis,  June  1,  1862; 
Frederick  M.,  May  9,  1866 ;  and  Walter  S..  Janu- 
ary 15,  1868.  The  mother  was  born  in  1830  in 
Edgar  County,  Illinois,  being  a  daughter  of 
Thomas  and  Elizabeth  (Foster)  Rhoads.  She 
has  been  a  resident  of  the  Cosumnes,  with  but 
little  interruption,  since  the  arrival  in  California 
of  her  parents,  with  their  fourteen  living  chil- 
dren and  two  or  three  grandchildren,  in  1846. 


ILLIAM  R.  GRIMSHAW,  oldest  child 
of  William  R.  Grimshaw,  Sr.,  was  bcrn 
in  Sacramento,  March  31,  1852.  He 
was  educated  in  the  district  school,  also  to  some 
extent  at  home  by  his  father,  and  in  no  small 
measure  by  self-education  in  later  years.  At 
the  age  of  fifteen  he  began  to  help  on  the  family 


HISTORY    OP    SACltAMBNTO    COUNTY. 


617 


raiicli,  and  lias  ever  since  been  engaged  in  farni- 
inij;.  ile  now  owns  a  very  comfortable  home 
and  a  small  farm  of  Ibrtj  acres,  to  which  he  gives 
his  nndivided  attention.  He  was  married  in 
July,  1877,  to  Miss  Alice  Bean,  a  native  of  Mis- 
soni-i,  bnt  who  was  reared  in  this  State,  and  is  a 
daughter  of  Russell  T.  Bean.  They  are  the 
parents  of  four  living  children:  Emma,  born 
February  7,  1880;  William  R.,  December  5, 
1881;  Sarah,  April  17,  1884;  Agnes,  July  11, 
1887.    They  lost  their  iirst  born  in  infancy. 


€4 


Ifll^ALTER  ABOILE  MILLER  was  born 
October  9,  1833,  in  Onondaga  County, 
New  York.  His  boyhood  was  spent  on 
the  liome  farm.  In  1846  when  he  was  thirteen 
years  of  age,  the  family  moved  to  Wisconsin 
and  located  in  Walworth  County,  in  the  south- 
ern part  of  the  State  and  adjoining  the  Illinois 
line,  where  they  remained  four  years;  thence 
to  Columbia  County  near  Ft.  Winnebago,  where 
Mr.  Miller,  father  of  Walter,  bought  260  acres 
of  land,  and  here  they  remained  until  1860. 
Tiie  tamily  emigrated  to  California  in  1863  with 
the  exception  of  one  daughter.  After  seeing 
the  family  located,  H.  D.  Miller  returned 
to  AVisconsiu,  settled  his  business  there  and 
i-eturned,  bringing  with  him  the  afore-mentioned 
daughter.  On  reaching  California,  Walter  M. 
carried  on  tlie  business  of  hauling  freight  from 
Sacramento  to  Placerville  (then  known  as  Hang- 
town)  for  two  months.  He  then  had  sufficient 
money  to  purchase  the  necessary  implements  to 
start  in  farming,  and  provide  for  the  family 
who,  during  this  time,  had  no  special  pl^ce  of 
residence  or  ready  means  to  live  on.  For  the 
first  two  months  he  rented  land  in  Brighton 
Township,  but  in  the  spring  of  1862  he  and  his 
brother,  W.  B.  Miller,  bought  a  squatter  right 
to  160  acres  of  land  and  worked  it  together  for 
two  years,  up  to  1864,  when  W.  B.  Miller  re- 
ceived a  title  to  it  from  the  Government.  W.  A. 
Miller  bought  and  moved  upon  land  adjoining 
it,  and   afterward    found    it   to   be   railroad  land 


and  received  title  from  the  railroad  company  to 
320  acres.  Of  this  Mr.  H.  D.  bought  eighty 
acres,  paying  the  same  price  for  it  as  had  been 
paid  to  the  railroad  company.  Walter  A. 
bought  160  acres  more  in  1875,  making  400  in 
all.  The  farm  is  about  one-half  bottom  land, 
of  a  dark  loamy  soil,  particularly  adapted  to 
fruit  and  grapes;  twenty  acres  are  planted  in 
orchard  consisting  of  a  general  variety  of  fruit; 
thirty  acres  with  grape,  all  in  heavy  bearing, 
there  being  oome  vines  that  have  yielded  150 
pounds  to  the  vine;  100  of  the  vines  are  twenty- 
seven  years  old.  For  about  seventeen  seasons 
Mr.  Miller  had  run  a  machine,  the  first  six  or 
seven  seasons  with  horse  power,  and  since  that 
time  steam  power  has  been  used.  He  has 
threshed  from  the  Joaquin  pretty  nearly  to  the 
Red  Bluft".  He  was  married  in  Syracuse,  New 
York,  August  22,  1871,  to  Miss  Florence  H. 
Hall,  a  native  of  Syracuse  and  daughter  of  Upson 
S.  and  Jane  C.  Hall.  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Miller 
have  two  children:  Carolina  A.,  born  May  29, 
1872,  wife  of  Frank  Dahn ;  and  Leroy  H.,  born 
October  8, 1875. 


EORGE  BUCKMAN  GREENE  was  born 
in  Leesburg,  Virginia,  March  4,  1849,  his 
irents  being  Josiah  B.  and  Caroline 
(Beale)  Greene,  natives  of  New  Hampshire. 
The  father  was  in  the  jewelry  business  in  Lees- 
burg for  some  years.  In  the  winter  of  1849-'50 
he  came  to  California,  but  returned  East  in  1852 
and  brought  out  his  wife  and  child.  In  due 
time  the  boy  attended  the  district  school  and 
afterward  a  private  school  at  Petaluma.  As  he 
approached  his  majority  he  became  familiar 
with  the  farm  work  and  dairy  interests  of  his 
father.  He  went  into  business  on  his  own  ac- 
count in  1871,  renting  his  father's  dairy  farm. 
He  owns  the  place  he  occupies,  which  he  bought 
of  his  father  in  1886,  and  of  which  he  received 
the  deed  two  years  later,  having  been  on  the 
place  since  1877.      It  contains  114  acres,  with  a 


cry 


neat  home  and   well-ket 


Sixty 


HISTORY    OP    SACRAMENTO    COUNTS. 


acres  are  orchard,  on  which  he  raises  pears, 
peaches  and  apricots,  a  few  cherries  and  plums. 
Ten  acres  are  devoted  to  vegetables,  and  the  re- 
mainder is  tule  or  swamp  land,  of  which  some 
fractional  parts  are  being  reclaimed  from  year 
to  year.  Mr.  Greene  was  married  January  1, 
1875,  to  Miss  Alice  Stanley,  a  native  of  Cali- 
fornia, daughter  of  Harvey  and  Harriet  (Hoag- 
land)  Stanley.  The  father  was  born  in  Vermont 
in  1812,  came  to  California  in  1849,  and  died 
in  1862.  The  niotlier  is  still  living.  Mr.  and 
Mrs.  Greene  are  the  parents  of  two  boys:  George 
Albert,  born  in  August,  1876;  Arthur  Edison, 
March  16,  1885.  A  pretty  and  well  designed 
two-story  house,  with  carefully  kept  grounds 
and  neatly  trimmed  hedges,  constitute  the  home 
of  the  Greene  family.  Mr.  Greene  is  a  school 
trustee  and  a  member  of  the  Board  of  Swamp 
Land  Trustees  in  District  No.  150.  He  is  a 
man  of  special  talent  in  the  line  of  mechanics 
and  engineering.  Without  any  formal  training 
or  apprenticeship  he  has  constructed  a  small 
steam  launch,  which  is  the  pride  of  this  section, 
and  of  which  he  is  the  able  commander  and 
engineer. 

^-^S^>*7^^ 

tLBERT  De  FOREST  MILLER,  farmer, 
Brighton  Township,  arrived  here  with  his 
father,  Henry  Miller,  October  12,  1860. 
He  was  born  in  Onondaga  County,  New  York, 
February  7,  1844.  His  father  was  also  a  native 
of  New  York  and  his  mother,  nee  Julia  Adams, 
was  a  native  of  Connecticut.  In  1846  his  parents 
emigrated  to  Walworth  County,  Wisconsin,  and 
in  1848  into  Columbia  County,  that  State,  in 
which  county  one  of  his  neighbors,  G.  W.  Scott, 
was  keeping  a  general  store,  and  is  now  a  promi- 
nent citizen  of  Yolo  County,  living  two  and  a 
half  miles  from  Madison,  having  come  to  this 
State  in  1851.  The  Miller  family,  numbering 
thirteen  individuals,  came  to  California  overland 
with  five  wagons.  Leaving  their  Wisconsin 
home  May  7,  1860,  they  arrived  in  this  county 
October  12  following.    In  the  party  were  W.  B. 


Miller  with  three  children,  now  living  in  Ven- 
tura County,  this  State;  and  one  married  sister, 
Mrs.  James  Powderly,  with  husband  and  three 
children.  On  his  arrival  here,  Mr.  Miller,  Sr., 
located  in  Brighton  Township,  renting  two 
years.  In  the  winter  of  1862-'63  he  re- 
turned East  for  a  year,  and  from  1864  till  his 
death  made  his  home  here.  Both  finished 
their  days  at  the  residence  of  their  son,  the 
subject  of  this  sketch.  Their  children  were: 
W.  B.,  now  of  Ventura  County,  a  farmer  and 
stabler  at  times;  Mrs.  Schaper,  whose  sketch 
appears  elsewhere;  W.  A.,  who  lives  in  Brighton 
Township;  Sophia,  who  first  married  Mr.  Pow- 
derly and  afterward  Mr.  Townsend,  and  is  now 
deceased;  Allen  De  Lorin,  of  Sacramento;  Sarah, 
who  died  in  New  York  State  between  two  and 
three  years  of  age;  the  next  in  order  of  birth 
was  the  subject  of  this  sketch;  Sanford  De 
Lorin,  who  died  in  Wisconsin,  at  the  age  of 
fifteen  years,  from  poison  given  ignorantly  by  a 
drunken  physician;  George  Alonzo,  residing 
near  Yreka,  this  State,  when  last  heai-d  of, 
about  ten  years  ago.  Frederick,  a  farmer  in 
Oregon;  Miner  Adelbert,  a  farmer  in  El  Dorado 
County;  Henry,  living  at  Salmon  Falls,  same 
county,  also  a  farmer;  Josephine  Elizabeth,  wife 
of  Henrj'  West  in  Sacramento;  and  Sarah, 
now  the  wife  of  Charles  Robinson  of  Sacra- 
mento. Wlien  his  father  went  East,  the  sub- 
ject of  this  sketch  was  left  in  charge  of  the 
family,  all  younger  than  he,  farming  on  the 
river  near  Brighton.  During  the  flood  of  1861 
-'62  he  was  on  a  piece  of  land  rented  from  Mc- 
Cloy  of  Sacramento.  A  wind  moved  the  house 
ten  or  twelve  feet,  upsetting  everything  within 
and  carrying  the  kitchen  fifty  yards  away,  but 
injuring  no  one,  although  eight  persons  were 
in  the  house.  They  were  rescued  by  boats.  Mr. 
Miller  plowed  and  sowed  between  floods  and 
raised  1,700  bushels  of  wheat  and  barley  that 
season,  hauled  it  to  Folsom  and  sold  it  at  the 
low  rate  of  seventy-five  cents  a  cental  (100  lbs.). 
In  1862  he  moved  upon  the  farm  of  A.  B. 
Davis  just  south  of  Brighton.  From  1863  to 
1867  he  followed   teaming,  using  six   horses   to 


HISrORT    OF    SACRAMENTO    COUNTY. 


619 


tlie  wagon.  In  1864  Mrs.  Bennett,  now  Mrs. 
Schaper,  came  here  a  widow  from  Wisconsin 
with  four  children,  making  the  family  to  be 
supported  about  thirteen  in  number.  That  year 
he  was  cultivating  160  acres,  and  it  proved  a 
hard  year,  the  barle}'  yielding  only  twelve 
bushels  to  the  acre  and  bringing  only  four  and 
a  half  cents  a  pound.  During  the  fall  of  that 
year  lie  worked  on  the  canal  in  Yolo  County, 
employing  two  teams;  but,  finding  it  unremu- 
nerative,  quit  it  at  the  end  of  sixty  days.      In 

1866  he  purchased  eighty  acres  of  land  in  Brighton 
Township,  built  a  house  upon  it  and  followed 
farming  and  teaming  for  others.     In  the  fall  of 

1867  his  mother  died.  Afterward  he  followed 
his  agricultural  pursuits  and  speculated  in  live- 
stock, hay,  etc.,  and  made  money, — the  founda- 
tion of  his  present  good  fortune.  In  1868  he 
rented  320  acres  in  Yolo  County,  which  he  also 
cultivated.  His  farm  in  Brighton  Township  now 
consists  of  240  acres,  largely  devoted  to  stock- 
raising.  December  28,  1868,  he  married  Mrs. 
Margaret  J.  Lea,  who  was  born  on  Prince  Ed- 
ward's Island  July  4,  1848,  reared  in  Boston, 
Massachussetts,  and  came  to  California  in  1862. 
By  her  first  husband  she  had  one  daughter,  in 
1867,  named  Annie  R.  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Miller 
have  five  children,  besides  one  who  died  in 
childhood,  namely:  Mina  Alberta,  born  JS'ovem- 
ber  13,  1869;  Arthur  Eugene,  February  27, 
1872;  Amy  Elizabeth,  July  23,  1874;  Bertha 
Belle,  September  9,  1877;  Ruby  May,  who  died 
February  19,  1885,  aged  twenty  months;  and 
Leland  Stanford,  born  January  27,  1886. 


^ENRY  WILLIAM  MYERS  was  born  in 
Hanover,  Germany,  February  22,  1834, 
parents  being  Henry  and  Josephine 
(Klingenberg)  Myers,  originally  Meyer.  The 
father  died  in  1847,  aged  fifty-two.  Grand- 
father William  Meyer  reached  the  age  of  103, 
and  his  wife  was  nearly  eighty.  II.  W.  Myers 
while  quite  young  went  to  live  with  his  father's 
brother,    Frederick.      He   received   the  compul- 


sory education  of  that  country,  and  learned 
farming  with  his  uncle.  In  1854  he  came  to 
this  country,  where  his  first  employment  was  as 
a  farm  hand  on  Long  Island.  In  1855  he  moved 
to  Ohio,  where  he  worked  two  years,  and  on 
March  10,  1857,  he  left  New  York  for  Califor- 
nia, coming  out  by  the  Panama  route.  On  his 
arrival  on  this  coast  he  tried  mining  for  one 
month,  and  on  June  15,  1857,  he  came  to  work 
on  Grand  Island  at  $45  a  month,  on  the  ranch 
he  has  now  owned  for  a  quarter  of  a  century. 
They  raised  vegetables  chiefly,  the  soil  yielding 
heavy  crops,  for  instance  11,000  sacks  of  pota- 
toes, of  140  pounds  to  the  sack,  on  forty-five 
acres.  After  eight  months  he  bought,  in  part- 
nership with  another,  a  place  on  Sutter  Island 
for  $700,  which  he  worked  three  years.  In 
1864  he  rented  the  250  acres  on  which  he  now 
lives,  and  bought  it  in  1865.  In  1866  he  paid 
a  visit  to  Cincinnati,  Ohio,  where  he  had  some 
relations,  and  was  there  married  to  Miss  Sophia 
Kruhoff,  also  a  native  of  Germany.  On  his  re- 
turn he  was  accompanied  by  his  brother  Fred- 
erick, to  whom  he  sold  seventy-eight  acres  of 
his  ranch,  reducing  his  own  holding  to  178 
acres.  Some  twenty  years  ago  he  began  to 
plant  fruit  trees,  and  has  now  about  forty  acres 
in -orchard,  besides  fifteen  acres  on  his  120-acre 
ranch  on  Miner  Slough  in  Solano  County.  The 
greater  part  of  his  home  place  has  been  over- 
flowed since  February,  1881,  but  the  levee  now 
being  erected  or  repaired  will,  it  is  to  be  hoped, 
soon  make  overflowed  lands  on  Grand  Island  a 
thing  of  the  past,  and  transform  its  whole  area 
into  one  of  the  garden  spots  of  the  earth.  Mr. 
Myers  built  the  present  house,  a  comfortable 
and    substantial    residence   of  eight   rooms,   in 

1876.  Besides  his  ranches  he  owns  considera- 
ble realty  in  San  Francisco.  Mr.  and  Mrs. 
Myers  are  the  parents  of  four  living  children: 
Louis  William,  born  October  27,  1869;  Edward 
Henry,  September  21,  1871;  Dora  Sophia, 
March  4,  1873;  Wilhelmina  Carolina,  June  12, 

1877.  The  sons  are  now  following  a  course  at 
Atkinson's  Business  College  in  Sacramento,  and 
the  elder  daughter  is  at  the  Irvinii-  Institute   in 


UISTOBT    OF    SACRAMENTO    COUNTY. 


San  Francisco.  Miss  "Minnie"  is  making  the 
inost  industrious  use  of  the  local  district  school, 
to  be  followed  in  due  time  by  a  higher  educa- 
tion. 


jICHARD  J.  MURPHY,  Captain  of  the 
jnard  at  the  Folsom  State  Prison,  was 
born  in  San  Francisco,  September  4, 1854. 
His  father,  James  Murphy,  was  a  native  of  Ire- 
land, who  emigrated  to  the  State  of  New  York 
about  1S45,  and  resided  in  Troy.  In  1854  he 
came  to  California  by  the  Nicaragua  route, 
landing  in  San  Francisco  in  February  of  that 
year.  After  remaining  there  for  nearly  a  year 
he  went  to  the  mines,  first  at  Prairie  City  for  a 
short  time,  and  then  to  "Weber  Creek,  El  Dorado 
County,  about  five  miles  from  Coloma.  He  fol- 
lowed mining  and  raising  cattle,  taking  land 
under  the  homestead  law  and  also  buying  some 
from  the  railroad  company.  He  is  still  raising 
cattle,  and  even  mining  to  some  extent.  He 
and  his  sons  are  the  owners  of  about  1,000  acres 
of  land  altogether.  He  was  married  in  1852 
to  Catharine  O'Connor,  who  was  born  in  Ire- 
land, bnt  brought  up  in  New  York.  She  died 
in  El  Dorado,  in  June,  1872,  at  the  age  of  forfey- 
three  years.  In  their  family  were  five  children, 
viz.:  Richard  J.,  George  Henry,  James,  Mary 
and  Francis.  Mary  is  the  wife  of  Henry  Kipp, 
guard  at  the  Folsom  State  Prison,  and  the  others 
are  res-dents  of  El  Dorado  County.  After  the 
death  of  his  mother,  Mr.  Richard  J.  Murphy 
was  clerk  in  a  grocery  in  this  city  about  two 
years,  and  for  the  next  iive  years  was  employed 
at  the  railroad  shops,  in  the  boiler  department, 
under  Charles  Shields,  foreman,  and  completely 
learned  the  trade.  When  work  in  the  slujps 
became  slack  he  went  to  mining  in  El  Dorado 
County  and  working  on  the  ranch,  having  an 
interest* in  two  pieces  of  land,  amounting  to  160 
acres.  In  July,  1880,  when  the  State  Prison  at 
Folsom  was  completed,  he  took  the  position  of 
guard,  and  served  in  that  relation  all  through 
Thomas  Peckman's  administration,  then  warden. 


When  McComb  had  charge  of  the  prison  he 
was  made  driver  of  the  prison  wagon  between 
Folsom  and  the  prison;  next  for  about  two 
months  he  was  gate-keeper;  then  turnkey  for 
three  or  four  months;  next  Lieutenant  of  the 
guard  two  years;  finally,  when  Charles  AuU  be- 
came warden,  he  was  promoted  to  his  present 
position  as  Captain.  He  is  a  member  of  the 
order  of  Native  Sons,  and  of  the  Young  Men's 
Institute.  Politically  he  is  a  Republican,  taking 
an  active  interest  in  public  aifairs.  He  was 
married  in  March,  1883,  to  Mrs.  Mary  Milroy, 
a  native  of  Canada,  who  has  lived  the  most  of 
her  life  in  Folsom.  She  h;id  one  son  by  her 
former  marriage,  Arthur  Milroy;  and  by  the 
present  marriage  there  is  one  danghter,_31artha. 

^-^-*5# 

fHOMAS  MOORE  TAVERNER  was  born 
in  England,  April  5,  1833,  his  parents 
being  George  and  Susan  (Moore)  Taver- 
ner.  The  father  lived  to  the  age  of  eighty-five. 
Reared  on  his  father's  farm,  Thomas  received  a 
limited  education.  In  1856  he  emigrated  to 
Canada,  and  went  to  work  on  a  farm.  In  1859 
he  came  to  California,  and  hired  out  on  a  farm 
near  Elk  Grove,  remaining  in  that  neighbor- 
hood until  1865.  In  the  spring  of  that  year  he 
engaged  in  sheep-raising,  in  partnership  with 
John  Richards.  In  1867  they  divided  the 
stock,  and  Mr.  Taverner  bought  1,100  acres  of 
the  Hartnell  grant,  and  took  his  brother  George 
into  partnership  in  the  sheep-raising  business. 
In  1871  he  purchased  1,700  acres,  also  of  the 
Hartnell  grant,  and  in  1874  they  divided  and 
traded  some  lands,  leaving  Thomas  M.  about 
2,200  acres  in  one  body,  with  about  twelve 
miles  of  outside  fencing.  Early  in  1888,  in 
partnership  with  Edward  Lyons,  he  bought  the 
Cave  place  of  544  acres,  making  him  owner  of 
about  2,500  acres.  This  partnership  still  con- 
tinues, and  he  conducts  the  sheep  industry  and 
raises  all  kinds  of  grain  crops  and  alfalfa.  He 
could  raise  frnit,  but  not  to  advantage,  through 
lack  of  railroad   facilities   to  take  them  to  mar- 


UISTORT    OF    8ACBAMENT0    COUNTT. 


ket.  Mr.  Taveiner  was  married  in  England 
in  1854,  having  by  that  marriage  one  son,  who 
afterward  came  here,  bnt  was  accidentally  killed 
in  1878,  being  run  over  by  a  loaded  truck  he 
was  driving.  On  September  26,  1874,  Mr. 
Taverner  was  married  -in  Sacramento  to  Miss 
Anne  Hirst,  a  native  of  England,  and  daughter 
of  Eobert  Hirst,  an  engineer.  Mrs.  Taverner's 
maternal  great-grandfather,  Richard  Scholfield, 
of  Burnley,  lived  to  the  age  of  101  years  and 
nine  months.  He  was  at  one  time  a  sea-cap- 
tain, and  later  in  life  a  book-collector.  She  has 
in  her  possession  one  of  those  old  treasures 
from  his  library,  Josiah  Burchett's  "Complete 
History  of  the  Most  Remarkable  Transactions 
at  Sea."  London,  1720.  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Taver- 
ner are  the  parents  of  lour  children:  John 
Thomas,  born  in  1875;  George  Moore,  in  1877; 
Mary  Ellen,  in  1879;  and  Effie  May  in  1881. 


fEORGE  TAVERNER,  a  prosperous  and 
worthy  farmer  of  Lee  Township,  was  born 
in  Devonshire,  England,  iu  1841,  being 
the  son  of  George  and  Susan  (Moore)  Taver- 
ner. He  received  but  a  limited  education,  en- 
gaging at  the  age  of  seventeen  in  the  trade  or 
business  of  a  butcher,  wiiicli  he  followed  in 
England  until  he  was  twetity-three.  In  the 
spring  of  1864  he  emigrated  to  America,  and 
went  to  Lawrence,  Massacliusetts,  where  he 
followed  his  old  line  of  business  for  one  year. 
In  1865  he  was  employed  in  the  Pacific  Mills,' 
where  he  woi-ked  at  running  a  printing  ma- 
chine for  about  two  years.  In  1867  he  came  to 
California  by  the  Isthmus  route,  and  again  re 
turned  to  his  original  business  in  Sacramento 
for  one  year.  The  next  two  years  he  tended 
sheep  for  Martin  Monsch  on  the  Laguna,  work- 
ing for  wages.  In  the  spring  of  1870  he  pur- 
chased a  half- interest  in  his  brother's  flock  of 
1,400  sheep.  They  also  bought  2,144  acres  of 
uplands  for  grazing.  In  the  fall  of  1878  he 
sold  his  share,  2,400  sheep,  and  his  half  of  the  I 
land.      Fur  eight  years  he  traded  in  mutton  and 


beef,  renting  his  present  ranch  for  the  last  half 
of  that  term.  In  1881  he  purchased  it,  being 
900  acres,  which  he  has  since  increased  to  1,600, 
all  in  one  body.  He  also  rents  three  sections 
of  land  from  Mrs.  Monsch,  and  1,100  acres 
from  Mrs.  Miser, — all  for  sheep  pasture,  having 
generally  from  3,000  to  4,000  head,  and  has 
had  twice  as  many  in  years  past,  when  the 
business  was  better.  He  also  raises  horses, 
keeping  seventeen  to  twenty  head.  In  1888  he 
sold  ofl['his  cattle,  finding  they  did  not  do  well 
with  sheep.  Of  the  home  rancb  180  acres  are 
bottom  lands  on  the  Cosumnes,  on  which  he 
raises  alfalfa  and  corn  for  feed.  He  emplovs 
five  shepherds  and  farm  help  as  needed.  In 
1883  he  went  to  England,  and  was  there  mar- 
ried, in  August,  to  Miss  Mary  Elizabeth  Berry, 
a  daughter  of  JN'athaniel  Berry,  of  Westcot 
Farm,  Devonshire.  Mr.  Berry  is  still  living,  at 
the  age  of  seventy-one,  and  has  one  sister  liv- 
ing, who  was  born  about  1815.  Mr.  and  Mrs. 
Taverner  are  the  parents  of  two  children:  Mary 
Josephine  Victoria,  born  September  30,  1884; 
and  Frances  Kate,  born  February  13,  1889. 
Ml-.  Taverner  has  been  since  1883  a  trustee  of 
the  Wilson  school  district,  in  which  he  resides, 
and  he  is  also  clerk  of  the  board  of  trustees. 

-^€t^°li»^¥ — 

ILLIAM  H.  NICHOLS,  of  Folsom, 
was  born  in  Bridgeport,  Connecticut, 
July  16, 1848.  In  1856  the  family  re- 
moved to  New  York  city,  and  lived  there  five 
years,  and  then  came  to  Placer  County,  in  this 
State,  and  soon  afterward  to  Folsom,  where 
William  H.  was  engaged  by  the  Sacramento 
Valley  Railroad  Company,  headed  by  L.  M.  and 
J.  P.  Robinson.  He  was  in  their  employ  twenty 
years.  Since  then  he  has  followed  blacksmith- 
ing  and  draying.  In  his  shop  he  employs  four 
men,  one  wagon-maker  and  three  horse-shoers. 
Eli  L.  Nichols,  father  of  William,  was  also  born 
in  Bridgeport,  Connecticut,  and  died  in  Folsom 
April  6,  1888;  and  his  mother,  Lucy  N.,  was 
fifty-six  years  of  age  when  she  died,  in  March, 


HISTORY    OF    SACRAMENTO    COUNTY. 


1881,  also  in  Folsoin.  August  21,  1869,  xUr. 
Nichols,  the  subject  of  this  paragraph,  married 
Christina  Wagner,  a  native  of  Pennsylvania. 
The  names  of  their  seven  children  are,  Lena  W., 
Willie,  Charlie,  Maud,  Lawrence,  Bertie  and 
Minnie. 


f^DWIN  C.  HOPKINS,  referred  to  in  the 
L  following  sketch,  is  a  gentleman  of  ster- 
^  ling  integrity  and  marked  business  ability. 
He  was  born  in  Cambridge,  Vermont,  where  he 
I'eceived  his  earlj'  education  in  the  common 
schools.  He  started  out  in  life  as  a  farmer,  but 
soon  afterward  became  a  clerk  in  a  general 
store.  February  22,  1869,  he  came  to  Sacra- 
mento and  joined  his  Ijrother  in  the  news  and 
book  store,  and  was  his  successor  at  the  same 
stand  until  1886,  when  the  present  partnership 
was  formed.  He  takes  a  prominent  part  in 
social  affairs,  being  a  Freemason,  a  member  of 
Sacramento  Lodge,  No.  140,  also  of  Royal  Arch 
Chapter,  No.  3,  of  Council  No.  1,  of  Cora- 
mandery  No.  2,  of  Unity  Lodge,  No.  2088,  K. 
of  H.,  of  Sacramento  Lodge,  No.  11,  K.  of  P., 
of  Capitol  Lodge,  No.  87,  I.  O.  O.  F.,  and  of 
Red  Cloud  Tribe,  No.  40,  I.  O.  R.  M. 

'^^^^W^ 

tS.  HOPKINS,  senior  member  of  the  firm 
of  Hopkins  &  Bro.,  dealers  in  wood  and 
®  willow  ware,  311-313  J  street,  Sacratnen  to, 
is  a  veritable  son  of  New  England,  possessed  of 
all  the  versatility,  energy  and  pluck  60  charac- 
teristic of  New  England  people.  He  was  born 
March  21,  1837,  at  Cambridge,  Vermont;  iiis 
father,  S.  F.  Hopkins,  was  a  merchant;  his 
mother's  maiden  name  was  Harriet  Austin.  The 
family  is  clearly  of  Welsh  origin,  and  the  direct 
line  of  ancestry  can  be  traced  back  to  the  May- 
flower. Stephen  Hopkins  was  one  of  the  sign- 
ers of  the  Declaration  of  Independence.  The 
subject  of  this  notice  was  educated  at  Georgia, 
I'ranklin  County,  Vermont.      At  the  age  of  six- 


teen years  he  began  teaching  school,  in  his  na- 
tive town,  and  later  at  Grand  Isle.  In  1854  he 
emigrated  to  Crete,  Illinois,  a  few  miles  south 
of  Chicago,  and  taught  school  there  four  years. 
Thence  he  went  to  Blackjack  and  Cottonwood, 
Kansas,  and  was  on  hand  to  participate  in  the 
Kansas  troubles  in  1856-'57,  between  the  settlers 
and  the  border  rufhans.  Returning  to  Vermont, 
he  was  employed  in  a  bookstore  at  Burlington, 
and  in  1861  enlisted  from  Burlington  as  a  pri- 
vate in  the  First  Vermont  Infantry,  going  out 
with  the  three-months  men,  to  Newport  News. 
He  participated  in  the  disastrous  battle  of  Big 
Bethel,  and  at  the  expiration  of  his  term  of  en- 
listment was  honorably  discharged  and  returned 
to  his  home  in  Vermont.  In  1862,  when  twenty- 
live  years  old,  still  unmarried  and  unsettled  in 
life,  he  determined  once  more  to  strike  out  for 
the  far  West,  and  came  to  the  Golden  State. 
Embarking  on  the  steamer  Ariel,  he  came  by 
way  of  the  Isthmus,  arriving  in  San  Francisco 
June  30,  1862.  His  first  enterprise  was  the 
management  of  a  dairy  ranch  which  he  owned 
in  Marion  Count}'.  This  he  sold  in  1863,  and 
he  went  to  the  Forest  City  mining  district  and 
engaged  in  dairying,  saw-milling  and  mining. 
After  a  time  he  quit  all  these  and  resumed 
school-teaching,  lirst  in  Solano  County  and 
afterward  in  Bloomfield,  Sonoma  County.  In 
1865  he  became  a  member  of  the  Maine  Prairie 
Rifles  in  Solano,  and  was  First  Lieutenant  of 
that  organization.  Was  justice  of  the  peace 
in  1866-'67.  February  4,  1868,  he  came  to 
Sacramento  and  started  a  news  oflice  and  book- 
store, and  continued  in  this  line  for  ten  years; 
then,  in  1878,  he  sold  out  to  W.  A.  and  C.  S. 
Houghton,  who  continued  the  business.  Soon 
afterward  he  engaged  in  the  wood  and  willow 
ware  trade,  in  company  with  U.  C.  Billings- 
by.  In  1886  his  brother,  E.  C,  succeeded  Mr. 
Billingsby.  Mr.  Hopkins  entered  public  life 
in  1876, -as  county  supervisor  for  the  unexpired 
tei'm  of  J.  A.  Mason.  Was  a  school  trustee 
until  1888,  and  a  director  of  the  Free  Library  for 
Ave  years.  Is  a  member  of  Eureka  Lodge,  No.  4, 1. 
O.    (X    F. ;  a   past   president  of    the    Society   of 


HISTOHY    OF    SACRAMENTO    COUNT T. 


Veteran  Odd  Fellows;  a  member  of  Sumner 
Post,  No.  3,  Ct.  a.  R.  ;  of  Sacramento  Lodge, 
No.  80,  A.  O.  U.  W.;  of  Unity  Lodge,  No. 
2088,  K.  of  H.;  was  president  of  the  first  Im- 
migration Society,  which  was  organized  in  1878, 
and  two  years  afterward  was  merged  into  the 
Central  and  Northern,  and  of  which  he  was 
president  for  two  years;  was  also,  in  1886,  one 
of  tiie  founders,  and  has  been  a  director  up  to 
this  time,  of  the  Sacramento  Improvement  As- 
sociation; and  also  was  one  of  the  original 
members  and  directors  of  the  Sacramento  Board 
of  Trade,  and  since  then  chosen  to  the  same 
position.  Mr.  Hopkins  was  married  April  17, 
1868,  to  Miss  Harriet  Hewes,  daughter  of  Jona- 
than Hewes,  of  Vermont,  and  a  descendant  of  Cy- 
rus Hewcs,  who  also  was  a  signer  of  the  Declara- 
tion of  Independence.  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Hopkins 
have  three  children:  Stephen  I.,  Grace  E.  and 
William.  Such,  in  brief,  is  the  outline  of  the 
busy  life  of  one  of  New  England's  sons. 


fROFESSOR  CHARLES  A.  NEAL,  leader 
of  the  First  Artillery  Band,  is  a  native  of 
London,  England,  where  he  was  educated. 
Very  early  in  life  he  exhibited  a  peculiai  fond- 
ness for  music,  and  when  at  the  age  of  fifteen 
he  came  to  America  he  was  already  a  trained 
musician.  He  spent  one  year  in  Savannah, 
Georgia,  where  he  played  in  the  local  band  of 
that  cit}',  and  later  on  spent  one  season  at  St. 
Augustine,  Florida;  then  near  Charleston, 
South  Carolina,  taught  school  and  tried  his 
hand  at  farini  ig.  In  August,  1876,  he  received 
the  appointment  of  Leader  of  tiie  Marine  Band 
on  the  flag  ship  Hartford, .of  the  South  Atlantic 
Squadron  then  lying  at  Norfolk;  and  for  three 
years  occupied  that  position.  In  1880  he  went 
to  Colorado  and  tried  mining  for  one  year;  at 
the  expiration  of  that  period  he  came  to  Sacra- 
mento, December,  1881,  and  at  once  became  the 
leader  of  the  Artillery  Band,  holding  that  po- 
sition easily  by  his  superior  attainments  as  a 
musician.     The    First    Artillery  is,  it  is    luirdly 


necessary  to  state,  as  it  is  so  well  known  in  Sac- 
ramento, attached  to  and  a  part  of  the  First 
Artillery  Regiment,  N.  G.  C;  it  was  organized 
in  1879, — the  first  leader  being  Mr.  A.  Davis, 
and  is  composed  of  twenty-one  members, — about 
one-third  of  whom  are  professional  musicians, 
while  the  balance  are  engaged  in  various  avoca- 
tions and  play  in  the  band  from  their  inherent 
love  of  the  art.  Under  the  leadership  of  Pro- 
fessor Neal,  the  band  has  attained  a  very  high 
degree  of  excellence  and  has  become  one  of  the 
attractive  features  of  the  Capital  City,  their 
summer  concerts  in  the  capital  grounds  at- 
tracting immense  crowds  of  pleasure  seekers; 
and  during  the  winter  it  is  the  custom  to  hold 
a  series  of  concerts  at  the  Opera  House,  which 
are  attended  by  the  elite  of  the  city. 

— ^^(gng)^.,^— 

•HN  NEAL,  hop-raiser,  Sutter  Township, 
was  born  in  Kennebec  County,  Maine,  Feb- 
ruary 13,  1813,  a  son  of  Nathaniel  and 
Betsy  (Baker)  Neal.  the  former  a  native  of  New 
Hampshire,  and  the  latter  of  Maine.  Both  the 
parents  died  in  Maine,  at  the  age  of  eighty 
years.  As  a  remarkable  coincidence,  both  the 
parents  of  Mrs.  Neal  also  died  at  the  age  of 
eighty  years,  and  all  four  of  these  parents  men- 
tioned died  within  five  years  of  each  other.  Mr. 
Neal,  our  subject,  was  born  in  the  township  of 
New  Portland,  "  away  up  the  woods,"  where 
he  passed  his  boyhood.  When  he  was  fifteen 
years  of  age,  the  family  removed  to  New  Sha- 
ron. Before  he  was  twenty-one  he  went  upon 
the  Penobscot  River  and  became  engaged  in 
building  mills  and  bridges,  and  "  river  driving," 
that  is,  driving  logs  from  the  camp  down  to  the 
boom  above  Oldtown,  where  a  crew  of  100  to 
300  men  were  emjjloyed  in  separating  the  logs 
and  forming  them  into  rafts.  Every  owner  of 
logs  had  to  pay  a  certain  amount  for  "  boom- 
age."  After  an  engagement  in  this  line  fur  six 
years,  in  somewhat  diiferent  capacities,  he,  in 
1838,  came  to  Illinois;  and  he  was  a  resident  of 
Dixon,  that  State,  when  General  William  Henry 


BISTORT    OF    SACRAMENTO    COUNTY. 


Harrison  was  elected  President;  but  Mr.  Neal 
was  at  that  time  a  Democrat,  and  does  not  boast 
now,  as  some  do,  of  voting  for  that  General 
when  he  did  not;  he,  however,  did  vote  for  his 
grandson  for  his  present  position  as  President  of 
the  United  States.  Mr.  Neal  took  Government 
land  in  Lee  County,  Illinois,  and  followed  agri- 
cultural pursuits  thereon  until  1848;  then  he 
resided  four  years  in  Rock  County,  Wisconsin; 
then  selling  out,  he  left  there  May  3,  1852,  for 
California,  starting  with  oxen,  thinking  they 
would  stand  the  journey  better,  but,  finding  a 
party  who  desired  a  greater  speed  of  travel,  he 
exchanged  his  oxen  for  horses.  They  took  the 
old  Fort  Hall  route,  and  after  a  quiet  and  com- 
fortable journey  arrived  in  this  county  October 
8.  Mr.  Neal  claims  to  be  a  Yankee;  at  any 
rate  he  has  the  Yankee  genius, — the  ability  to 
turn  his  hand  to  almost  anything.  He  has  made 
wagons,  followed  farming  and  hop-raising,  etc., 
and  like  every  body  else  has  liad  his  "  ups  and 
downs."  He  is  a  genial,  whole-souled  gentle- 
man, and,  notwithstanding  his  advanced  age,  is 
still  in  good  health  and  active,  able  to  make  a 
full  hand  at  manual  labor.  He  has  made  his 
home  on  his  present  place  ever  since  he  pur- 
chased it  in  1854;  it  is  now  all  in  hops.  He  had 
at  one  time  eighty  acres  in  this  crop,  and  one 
year  he  raised  eighty  tons  of  hops,  about  twelve 
or  fourteen  years  ago,  and  that  was  especially 
remarkable  for  that  time.  In  his  political  views 
lie  has  been  a  Republican  ever  since  1852.  He 
married  his  present  wife  in  1843.  They  have 
had  two  children:  Charles,  who  died  in  his  fourth 
year,  and  Edwin,  who  died  in  infancy.  They 
have  also  two  adopted  children, — William  and 
Benjamin. 


fOHN  NICHOLAS,  farmer,  has  born  iu 
Arendal,  Norway,  November  27,  1828,  a 
son  of  Terg  and  Karen  Nicholas.  In  his 
father's  family  were  four  sons  and  one  daughter, 
of  wliom  two  are  now  living:  Aaron,  a  brother, 
who   resides  in   Norway;   another  brother  came 


to  the  United  States  wheh  a  young  man  and 
died  in  Chicago  two  months  afterward,  in  1851. 
John's  father  died  in  1851,  and  his  mother  sev- 
eral years  previously.  He,  the  subject  of  this 
sketch,  lived  with  his  parents  until  he  was  four- 
teen years  old,  when  he  was  confirmed  by  the 
priest,  according  to  the  customs  of  his  country, 
and  he  struck  out  into  the  world  for  himself, 
going  to  sea  as  a  cabin  boy.  He  worked  his  way 
up  from  that  to  the  position  of  an  able-bodied 
seaman  during  the  ten  years  he  was  on  the 
ocean.  His  vessel  made  trips  to  nearly  all 
foreign  countries.  In  1849  or  1850  he  ob- 
tained from  the  authorities  of  his  native  country 
a  passport  that  would  enable  him  to  travel  in 
any  country  without  being  molested;  and  then 
he  visited  Havre,  France,  and  then  shipped  as  a 
seaman  to  New  York;  returned  to  Amsterdam, 
then  to  New  York  again,  and  Mobile.  In  the 
latter  place  he  remained  until  the  following 
spring,  when,  having  learned  of  his  brother, 
Nels  Nicholas,  being  at  New  Orleans,  he  went 
there  in  search  of  him;  but  upon  arrival  found 
that  he  had  left  there  three  days  before.  His 
brother  died  in  Chicago  that  year.  John  then 
spent  a  summer  in  Boston,  aid  visited  Phila- 
delphia, tiien  New  Orleans  again,  and  then  spent 
another  winter  at  Mobile.  Then  he  went  up 
the  Mississippi  and  Ohio  rivers  to  Cincinnati, 
thence  to  Cleveland  and  Buffalo,  and  then  to 
Chicago  to  learn  the  particulars  of  his  brother's 
death.  He  returned  to  Buffalo  and  New  York, 
and  to  Mobile  for  still  another  winter.  In  the 
summer  of  1853  he  had  a  siege  of  the  yellow 
fever.  In  1854  he  came  to  California,  by  way 
of  New  York  and  the  Isthmus,  arriving  in  San 
Francisco  in  October.  For  three  years  he  fol- 
lowed mir.ing  at  Iowa  Hill,  El  Dorado  County, 
and  around  Grass  Valley  in  Nevada  County, 
etc.;  and  ever  since  1857  he  has  followed  farm- 
ing on  a  tract  which  he  then  purchased.  All 
the  improvements  that  exist  upon  it  he  himself 
has  made.  The  place  is  well  improved  and  in 
good  condition;  contains  160  acres;  is  six  miles 
from  Sacramento  and  between  the  upper  and 
lower  Stockton   roads.       Mr.  Nicholas  is 'an  in- 


HISTORY    OF    SACRAMENTO    COUNTY. 


dustrious  and  honest  mati,  a  faithful  and  useful 
citizen.  He  was  married  first  in  1852  to  Eliza- 
beth Ourkirk,  a  native  of  Holland,  who  died  in 
1879,  the  mother  of  two  children,  both  now  de- 
ceased. In  1883  he  married  for  his  present 
wife  Louisa  Sorensen,  a  native  of  Norway,  born 
November  19,  1851,  and  came  to  California  in 
1881.  By  this  marriage  there  are  two  children; 
Elmer,  born  December  20,  1883,  and  Edwin, 
July  19,  1887.  They  also  lost  a  daughter, 
Sarah  Elizabeth,  who  died  October  13,  1886, 
aged  one  year,  eight  months  and  twenty  days. 

fj.  NAGELE  was  born  in  Rhenish  Bavaria, 
February  5, 1846,  his  parents  being  Leon- 
**  ard  and  Susannah  (Roedinger)  Nagele; 
educated  from  six  to  fourteen  in  the  town  of 
Siebeldingen,  near  Landau;  he  grew  up  to  man- 
hood there,  and  then  left  with  the  intention  of 
being  absent  but  fourteen  days  on  a  visit  to  his 
brother  near  Paris;  but  in  the  meanti^ne  decided 
to  come  to  America.  Taking  passage  at  Havre 
on  the  C.  R.  Winthrop,  after  a  voyage  of  seventy- 
one  days  he  arrived  at  New  York  December  5. 
There  he  engaged  in  the  ship-chandler  house  of 
I.  F.  Chapman.  Leaving  New  York  May  23 
of  the  following  3'ear,  embarking  at  Pier  No.  11, 
on  the  ship  I.  F.  Chapman,  he  started  for  Cali- 
fornia. The  voyage  was  somewhat  uneventful 
until  tliey  had  rounded  Cape  Horn,  when  the 
vessel  sprang  a  leak  and  they  had  to  return  to 
Rio  Janeiro  for  repairs.  They  were  there  three 
and  a  half  montlis;  and  on  starting  again  they 
encountered  foul  weather,  ran  out  of  provisions 
and  had  to  turn  into  a  Ciiilian  port  and  obtain 
supplies;  again  putting  to  sea,  they  arrived  at 
San  Francisco  May  4,  1864,  being  351  days  on 
.the  trip.  In  that  city  he  went  to  work  for  Will- 
iam B.  Cook  &  Co.,  wholesale  stationers  in 
Montgomery  Block,  remained  with  tiiem  nearly 
two  years,  and  then  started  in  business  for  him- 
self, in  partnership  witli  George  W.* Wright,  on 
Stockton  street,  between  Vallejo  and  Broadway. 
He  retired  from  this  business  and  went  into  the 

40 


employ  of  a  paper-house,  having  two  routes  on 
the  Chronicle  and  one  on  the  Bulletin,  one  of 
them  including  the  whole  of  Alameda.  For  the 
next  iive  years  he  was  brukeman  on  the  western 
division  of  the  Central  Pacific,  and  then  entered 
the  sheep  business  back  of  Ilaywards,  which  he 
prosecuted  one  year  with  loss,  on  the  Stony 
Brook  ranch.  He  then  went  to  railroading 
again  on  the  North  Pacific  Coast  road  between 
San  Francisco  and  Duncan's  Mill.  June  15, 
1877,  he  came  to  Sacramento,  engaging  with 
Mr.  Meinke;  he  then  bonght  the  Five-Mile  House 
at  Brighton,  which  took  the  name  of  Jake's 
Five-Mile  House.  He  returned  to  Sacramento 
again  in  1881,  and  opened  business  at  his  present 
location  on  J  and  Third  streets.  At  first  he 
was  alone,  then  in  partnership  with  Mr.  Steger, 
the  latter  being  succeeded  by  his  pre^^ent  part- 
ner,Svensson.  Mr.  Nagele  married  Agnes  Free, 
who  died  in  Alameda  in  1874,  leaving  two  chil- 
dren,— William  F.  and  Mamie  Agnes.  He  has 
been  a  member  of  the  I.  0.  R.  M.  since  1870, 
is  now  Past  Sachem,  and  is  Grand  Mishmana  of 
the  Grand  Council  of  California;  and  is  also 
Keeper  of  Wampum  in  Red  Jacket  Tribe,  No. 
28,  which  office  he  has  held  three  years.  He  is 
also  treasurer  of  Capital  Lodge,  No.  66,  A.  0. 
D.,  and  a  trustee  of  Council  of  Chosen  Friends, 
and  a  member  of  the  Turn-Verein.  Politically 
he  is  a  Republican.  He  has  educated  himself 
in  the  English  language,  never  having  had  any 
one  to  teacli  him  even  to  the  slightest  degree. 
He  also  taught  himself  how  to  write.  He  is  a 
genial,  popular  man,  and  his  ale  vaults  where 
he  is  emjiloyed  are  first-class. 


fARL  MUNGER,  the  well-known  deputy 
assessor  of  Sutter  Township,  was  born  in 
the  Territory  of  Utah,  July  27,  1852, 
and  was  but  nine  weeks  old  when  his  parents 
removed  with  him  to  California.  They  were  a 
portion  of  a  party  of  nine  who  came  across  the 
plains  in  wagons,  being  three  months  on  tiie 
road.     The  only  special   trouble  they  had  was 


HI^TORV    OF    8ACMAMENT0    COUNTY. 


among  the  members  of  the  party  themselves 
soon  after  starting,  resnlting  in  a  separation. 
Packing  their  mules,  the  most  of  the  family 
walked  across  the  Great  Desert.  Calvin  Mun- 
ger,  the  father  of  Carl,  was  born  at  Saratoga 
Springs,  Saratoga  County,  New  York,  in  April, 
1822,  and  died  in  July,  1875,  at  the  residence 
of  his  son  Carl,  four  miles  from  Sacramento,  on 
the  river  road.  Carl's  mother  is  a  native  of 
Massachusetts,  and  was  born  in  1822.  When 
the  family  arrived  at  their  destination  here,  near 
where  they  now  reside,  they  had  but  seventy- 
live  cents  lett  in  the  purse,  and  the  price  of  one 
meal  \vas$l.  They  immediately  began  raining, 
at  the  point  called  Golden  Hill,  and  made  money 
rapidly.  They  also  kept  the  Oak  Hall  House, 
near  their  present  residence.  This  place  now 
comprises  135  acres,  devoted  principally  to  the 
raising  of  hops  and  a  small  portion  to  hay. 
Calvin  Munger  had  three  children.  The  two 
who  are  still  living  are  Carl  and  Mary. 

-^^^^^^^ 

^E]S^RY  SEYMOUR  HILL,  miller,  Elk 
IB)  Grrove,  was  born  in  Litchfield  County, 
^(1  Connecticut,  September  11,  1825.  His 
father,  Samuel  Hill,  was  born  near  New  Orleans 
during  the  war  of  the  Revolution  and  the  strug- 
gle with  tlie  British  in  that  locality,  his  father 
being  a  soldier  in  the  British  service  at  that 
time.  The  maiden  name  of  the  mother  of  Mr. 
H.  S.  Hill  was  Laura  Pitcher.  Samuel  and  his 
family  moved  to  Pennsylvania  in  1828,  where 
he  died  about  1845;  his  w'idow  lived  until  1852. 
They  had  located  in  Susquehanna  County,  on 
the  line  between  that  and  Bradford  County. 
Mr.  Hill,  the  subject  of  this  notice,  the  youngest 
of  five  children  in  the  above  family,  was  brought 
up  in  Pennsylvania  and  lived  there  until  1851. 
September  24,  that  year,  in  company  with  a  man 
named  Brown,  a  young  physician  just  starting 
out  in  the  world,  he  left  Bradford  County  and 
took  passage  at  New  York  on  the  steamer 
Brother  Jonathan,  on  the  first  trip  ever  made  by 
that   vessel    in    the   California   trade.     She  was 


afterward  lost  on  the  Pacific  coast  while  run- 
ning between  San  Francisco  and  Oregon.  Mr. 
Hill  landed  at  Chagres,  took  a  small  boat  called 
the  Bungo  up  that  river  to  Cruces,  with  twenty- 
seven  others,  of  whom  three  were  women,  and 
eighteen  of  them  were  from  Bradford  Connty, 
Pennsylvania.  From  Cruces  they  went  to 
Panama  across  the  Isthmus.  Mr.  Hill  started 
with  a  mule,  but  shortly  afterward  gave  it  to  a 
sick  traveler,  and  he  and  Brown  footed  it  the 
rest  of  the  v/&y.  In  a  week  or  ten  days  he  took 
the  old  steamer  Panama,  one  of  the  first  steam- 
ers on  the  coast,  for  San  Francisco,  with  1,200 
passengers  aboard,  when  it  was  registered  to 
carry  only  500  or  600.  In  twenty-one  days  he 
landed  at  the  city  of  the  Golden  Gate  November 
4,  1851.  There  he  waited  for  other  passengers 
from  Bradford  County,  who  took  the  old  pro- 
peller Monumental  City,  and  were  two  weeks 
behind  the  other  vessel  reaching  San  Francisco. 
In  the  meantime  Mr.  Hill  had  been  earning 
something  in  the  city,  and  when  his  friends  ar 
rived  he  wa's  able  to  help  them  pay  their  passage 
to  the  mines,  at  Columbia  Flats,  Tuolumne 
County,  where  Mr.  Hill  and  two  others  took 
some  claims.  On  arriving  at  the  mines  they 
waited  a  month  for  water,  with  which  to  wash 
for  gold;  but  Mr.  Hill's  patience  gave  out  and 
he  sold  his  share  in  the  mines  to  two  others,  who 
remained  there  and  made  a  fortune  in  two 
months,  taking  out  about  $80,000  !  Mr.  Hill 
came  to  Sacramento  and  contracted  with  parties 
to  build  a  mill  in  Eureka,  Yuba  County,  and 
was  there. until  the  following  July;  then  stop- 
ping in  San  Francisco  until  autumn,  when,  after 
the  great  fire,  he  came  to  Sacramento  again. 
The  next  spring  he  went  to  the  mines  and  struck 
some  new  discoveries  in  Placer  County,  in  a  spot 
near  the  Bear  River  called  the  Long  Ravine. 
Then  he  kept  boarding-house  and  provision-store 
in  Eureka,  and  also  did  some  mining  there. 
Selling  out,  he  left  there  in  June,  1853.  He 
went  to  Foster's  Bar,  on  the  Yuba  River,  and  in 
the  fail  to  Marysviile.  In  the  spring  of  1854 
he  went  to  SantaClara  and  remai.ned  there  about 
a  year;  and  then  to  Santa  Cruz  until  1861,  where 


HISTORY    OF    SACRAMENTO    COUNTY. 


he  had  property  and  prosecuted  the  mill  Wright's 
trade;  then,  from  the  autumn  of  1861  to  1869 
he  was  engaged  in  the  same  business  at  Virginia 
City;  was  next  in  Sacramento  until  1871;  then 
built  a  mill  at  Lakeport,  Lake  County,  being 
there  about  two  years,  working  at  different 
points.  In  1874  he  came  to  Sacramento  again, 
and  then  to  Eed  Bluff,  where  he  was  a  member 
of  a  stock  company  who  built  a  mill  there.  Mr. 
Hill  constructed  the  whole  building  in  1875. 
In  January,  1876,  he  bought  property  in  Elk 
Grove,  and  in  March  following  his  brother  and 
his  family  came  to  this  place  with  him.  During 
the  latter  year  he  erected  a  small  feed-mill, 
which  was  run  until  1878,  when  he  enlarged  it 
and  put  in  machinery  for  makingjiour.  It  was 
rented  out  two  years,  ending  April,  1880,  since 
which  time  Mr.  Hill  has  conducted  it,  in  part- 
nership with  Louis  Bower,  who  in  fact  has  been 
interested  in  the  concern  ever  since  1878.  Mr. 
Hill  has  been  a  member  of  the  order  of  Odd 
Fellows  ever  since  1848,  and  now  belongs  to 
Elk  Grove  Lodge,  number  274,  and  to  the  Occi- 
dental Encampment  of  Sacramento,  No.  57,  and 
also  to  the  Veteran  Odd  Fellows'  Association  of 
San  Francisco.  He  was  married  in  Santa  Cruz, 
in  1856,  to  Mary  Uhden,  a  native  of  Ohio,  and 
they  have  two  children:  Eddie  and  Laura. 


[EORGE  PETERS,  rancher,  was  born  on 
one  of  the  Azores  Islands,  April  26,  1833, 
and  was  reared  upon  a  farm.  In  1848  he 
emigrated  to  the  United  States,  landing  in  New 
York;  but  he  followed  the  life  of  a  sailor  for 
four  years  on  American  vessels.  He  then  left 
Boston  on  board  the  clipper  New  Flying  Fish 
for  California,  landing  in  San  Francisco  and  ar- 
riving in  Sacramento  in  the  fall  of  1852.  Here 
he  found  employment  in  a  flour  warehouse,  at  a 
salary  of  $8  a  day,  and  remained  there  two 
months.  For  the  ensuing  fourteen  j'ears  he  fol- 
lowed mining,  with  some  success.  In  1865  he 
purchased  his  j)resent  ranch  of  140  acres  of 
choice  river  land  on   the  Sacramento,  six  miles 


south  of  the  city.  It  is  the  best  in  his  neigh- 
borhood, and  is  devoted  to  general  farming  and 
stock-raising.  He  was  married  November  12, 
1862,  to  Belle  Nevis,  and  they  have  six  children : 
Joseph,  Anton,  Manuel,  Belle,  Eliza  and  Mary. 


fHOMAS  O'TOOLE,  deceased,  was  born 
in  Ireland  in  1833,  his  parents  being 
Patrick  and  Bridget  (Burke)  O'Toole. 
The  father  was  a  tenant-farmer  in  Galway.  The 
boy  received  a  fair  education  in  his  youth.  Left 
an  orphan  by  the  death  of  both  parents,  he  was 
invited  to  this  country  by  an  older  brother, 
James,  living  in  Massachusetts,  and  came  in 
1848.  Being  acquainted  with  farm  work  he 
followed  that  line  for  some  years  after  his  ar- 
rival in  the  United  States.  He  was  married  in 
Koxbury,  Massachusetts,  February  12,  1856,  to 
Miss  Margaret  Tympany,  also  a  native  of  Ire- 
land, a  daughter  of  John  and  Mary  (Flaherty) 
Tympany,  both  now  deceased.  The  father  was 
over  seventy  when  he  died,  but  the  mother  died 
before  she  was  sixty.  Mrs.  O'Toole  came  to 
America  in  1853,  having  been  preceded  by  an 
older  sister.  Immediately  after  their  marriage 
Mr.  and  Mrs.  O'Toole  set  out  for  California  by 
the  Panama  route,  and  arrived  in  San  Fran- 
cisco on  Good  Friday,  1856,  with  just  §100. 
Both  went  to  work  in  that  city  for  six  months, 
the  wife  receiving  $5  a  month  n)ore  than  the 
husband,  owing  to  the  scarcity  of  good  female 
hel]..  The  husband  then  went  to  mining  for 
two  or  three  months  at  Drytown,  Amador 
County.  They  afterward  worked  for  two  years 
on  a  milk  ranch  in  Yolo  County.  Mr.  O'Toole 
then  rented  400  acres  of  John  Rovney,  in  Brigh- 
ton Township,  in  this  county.  He  had  two 
partners  in  that  venture,  and  they  raised  wheat 
and  barley.  The  following  year  Mr.  O'Toole 
rented  a  farm  on  his  own  account,  and  put  in  a 
crop  of  wheat  and  barley,  but  lost  it  all  by  the 
flood  of  1862.  He  then  rented  eighty  acres  and 
again  put  in  wheat  and  barley,  which  came  out 
all   right,  and   sold    for   tive  cents  a   pound   for 


HISTORT    OF    SACRAMENTO    COUNTY. 


wheat,  and  four  and  a  lialf  for  barlej.  In  1866 
he  bought  160  acres  in  the  same  township,  and 
now  owned  \>y  Kovney.  There  they  lived  seven 
years,  when  they  sold  out  and  went  to  Kansas. 
Not  liking  that  State  they  returned  to  Cali- 
fornia, and  bought  the  288  acres  now  occupied 
by  the  family  at  Freeport.  Wheat,  barley  and 
alfalfa  are  the  chief  products.  They  carried  on 
an  extensive  dairy  at  one  time,  but  now  milk 
only  ten  cows.  They  also  own  413  acres  at 
Saulsbury  Station,  devoted  chiefly  to  wheat  and 
barley,  aud  now  in  charge  of  the  oldest  son. 
Mr.  Thomas  O'Toole  died  September  15,  1885, 
much  respected  in  the  community,  and  without 
ail  enemy  anywhere.  He  was  a  model  man  in 
all  the  relations  of  life.  He  had  worked  hard 
for  a  living  from  an  early  age,  and  knew  how  to 
keep  upright  and  honorable  through  all  the 
hardships  as  well  as  the  successes  of  life.  The 
wife  and  Ave  children  survive  him.  These  are: 
John  Thomas,  born  May  4,  1860;  James  Jo- 
seph, February  17.  1866;  and  three  daughters, 
Agnes,  Maggie  and  Nellie.  Both  sons  belong 
to  the  Y.  M.  I.  of  Sacramento,  and  the  oldest  to 
the  N.  S.  G.  W.,  Parlor  No.  3.  All  the  chil- 
dren received  an  academic  education  in  college 
or  convent,  and  the  daughters  are  all  accom- 
])lished  musicians,  while  Maggie  is  an  artist  in 
painting  of  decided  ability.  John  T.  is  married 
to  Miss  Mary  Connelly,  a  niece  of  Mrs.  Cather- 
ine McAnally,  of  Courtland.  They  have  one 
child,  Francis  Joseph,  born   December  2,  1888. 


fAYID  OSBARN  was  born  in  Clark  County, 
Ohio,  September  12,  1825,  his  parents 
being  Isaac  and  Elizabeth  (Rail)  Osbarn. 
The  father  was  a  native  of  New  York  and  the 
mother  of  New  Jersey.  His  grandfather,  Jacob 
Rail,  a  native  of  New  Y''ork  city,  was  a  soldier 
of  the  Revolution,  entering  the  army,  with  his 
grandfather,  at  the  age  of  seventeen.  The  Ralls 
were  of  Dutch  origin.  After  the  war  Jacob 
Rail  owned  a  grist-mill  in  New  Jersey,  where 
his  daughter  Elizabeth  was  Ijorn  September  11, 


1805.  He  moved  to  Ohio,  while  his  daughter 
was  a  little  girl,  aud  finally  settled  on  a  farm  in 
Clark  County.  Isaac  Osbarn  died  comparatively 
young,  leaving  two  sons — the  subject  of  this 
sketch  and  his  brother,  Jacob  Rail,  born  No- 
vember 20, 1830.  After  some  years  the  mother 
was  married  at  Carlisle,  Ohio,  to  Joseph  Clip- 
pinger,  a  widower  of  that  place.  In  1876,  on 
the  occasion  of  Mr.  David  Osbarn's  visit  to  his 
home  and  the  Philadelphia  Centennial,  they 
were  induced  to  spend  the  evening  of  life  with 
him  at  Courtland.  -They  enjoyed  some  years 
of  serene  tranquillit^r  in  the  glorious  climate  of 
this  section,  and  here  they  passed  to  the  better 
land  within  a  few  months  of  each  other.  The 
mother  died  ioward  the  close  of  1885,  having 
passed  her  eightieth  birthday;  and  the  stepfather 
had  preceded  her,  aged  eighty-three.  They  lie 
buried  side  by  side  in  the  Sacramento  cemetery 
in  a  double  grave  constructed  for  their  remains 
by  the  filial  care  of  Mr.  Osbarn.  Mr.  David 
Osbarn  left  his  home  at  Carlisle,  Ohio,  with 
nine  comrades,  January  24,  1850,  and  New 
Y'ork,  February  12,  for  California,  by  the  Isth^ 
mus  route,  arriving  at  Chagres  on  February  22. 
Crossing  the  isthmus  in  those  days  was  a  pe- 
culiar experience  for  a  man  brought  w[>  amid 
the  civilized  environments  of  an  Ohio  home. 
Mr.  Osbarn  and  his  companions  ascended  the 
Chagres  River  in  canoes  "poled"  by  half-naked 
natives.  When  they  became  overheated  by 
their  laboi's  under  a  burning  sun  these  dark 
sons  of  the  soil,  often  of  mi.xed  blood,  did  not 
hesitate  to  strip  off  their  blouses,  so  that  white 
ladies  traveling  that  way  have  been  known  to 
disguise  their  sex  in  men's  clothing  to  mitigate 
their  mortification.  At  Gorgona  they  left  the 
canoes  to  make  the  remainder  of  the  journey  to 
Panama  by  mules,  along  a  narrow,  jagged  track 
with  a  dense  thicket  on  either  hand.  Arrived 
at  Panama,  this  particular  company  were  con- 
fronted by  a  serious  drawback  of  another  char- 
acter. They  were  detained  forty-eight  days 
waiting  for  the  steamer  Sarah  Sands,  a  propeller 
with  four  masts,  which  relied  on  her  sails  fully 
as  much  as  on  her  engine  for  making  headway. 


HISTOnV    Of    SACRAMENTO    COUNTY. 


Mr.  Osbarn  and  his  party  routed  a  place,  boucrht 
their  supplies  and  boarded  themselves.  Finally 
they  left  Panama,  April  9,  with  about  300  pas- 
sengers and  a  ship's  company  uf  perhaps  another 
hundred  persons.  They  were  soon  put  on  short 
rations  for  food  and  water,  the  condensed  steam 
being  utilized  and  doled  out  for  drinking.  The 
supply  of  coal  was  exhausted,  and  on  April  18 
they  put  into  San  Simeon  Bay  in  distress  for 
wood,  water  and  beef.  Passengers  volunteered 
and  the  seamen  gathered  about  tifty  cords  of 
wood.  On  the  22d  they  left,  but  the  wind  be- 
ing unfavorable  and  the  wood  inadequate  to  get. 
ting  up  the  required  amount  of  steam  power, 
it  was  found  necessary  to  put  back  into  the  bay. 
A  mounted  messenger  was  sent  forward  to 
Monterey  to  procure  coal,  and  the  passengers 
were  offered  the  alternative  of  going  by  land. 
Mr.  Osbarn,  who  had  suffered  by  Panama  fever 
and  had  been  taken  aboard  before  convalescence, 
concluded  to  try  the  land  passage  to  San  Fran- 
cisco. About  half  the  passengers,  including 
Mr.  Osbarn  and  five  of  his  special  party,  set  out 
by  land  by  way  of  San  Solidad  and  San  Jose 
missions,  and  arrived  at  San  Francisco,  June  1. 
The  hardships  of  the  land  trip  had  some  com- 
pensations in  the  hospitality  of  the  natives  and 
the  relief  from  ocean  dangers.  Mr.  Osbarn 
and  his  live  companions  paid  fifty  dollars  for  a 
ride  with  a  freighter  from  San  Jose  to  San 
Francisco.  On  June  1,  they  waded  knee-deep 
in  sand  in  the  present  nietropolis,  and  found 
but  few  good  buildings.  Aside  from  the  cus- 
tom-house and  postoffice  there  were  one  or  two 
good  hotels  and  gambling  houses,  the  remainder 
being  shanties  and  tents.  Awaiting  the  arrival 
of  their  baggage  and  comrades  by  the  steamer 
for  about  a  week,  they  bargained  with  the  op- 
position steamer  Hartford  for  a  passage  to  Sac- 
ramento at  $25  a  head  for  a  club  of  twenty-iive, 
the  fare  being  $50  each  by  the  regular  line. 
They  found  Sacramento  a  "half-dried-up  mud- 
hole"  and  largely  a  city  of  tents  and  shanties. 
The  conspicuous  exceptions  were  the  Orleans 
Hotel  and  the  El  Dorado  gambling-house.  It 
has  always  been  a  matter  of  surprise  to  thought- 


ful observers  like  the  subject  of  this  sketch, 
how  men  could  be  such  fools  as  to  stake  their 
all  against  professional  gamblers  skilled  in  all 
the  arts  of  cheating.  Before  the  close  of  June 
our  party  left  for  the  mining  region  at  George- 
town, El  Dorado  County,  by  way  of  Brighton 
and  Coloma.  After  prospecting  around,  even 
into  Nevada,  and  without  pleasure  or  prolit, 
Mr.  Osbarn  was  taken  sick.  His  tibre  was  not 
tough  enough  and  the  surroundings  of  mining 
life  were  disgusting.  Recovering  from  a  month's 
illness  he  bought  a  team,  and  making  some 
money  bought  other  teams,  kept  a  hay-yard  and 
a  blacksmith  shop  and  had  an  interest  in  a  store 
at  Michigan  Springs  After  a  time  he  super- 
intended his  business  from  Sacramento,  and  suf- 
fered heavily  with  everybody  else  from  the  fire 
and  flood  of  1852-'53.  His  judgment  prompt- 
ing him  to  return  to  the  permanent  and  secure 
pursuits  of  his  youth  in  Ohio,  he  bought  160 
acres  in  Yolo  County,  opposite  Conrtland, 
March  4,  1854,  where  he  remained  until  1859. 
Traded  his  place  for  improved  property  in  Marys- 
ville,  which  he  kept  only  a  j'ear.  In  1861  he 
bought  land  at  Conrtland,  in  this  county,  and 
has  since  become  the  owner  of  several  ranches 
in  that  neighborhood  or  within  a  radius  of  five 
miles,  developing  the  thick-brush  land  of  those 
times  into  the  fruit  farms  of  the  present.  After 
all  these  years  and  much  experience  and  obser- 
vation, Mr.  Osbarn  thinks  "there's  no  place  like 
home,"  and  that  the  valley  of  the  Sacramento 
is  the  garden  spot  of  earth.  The  subject  of 
this  sketch  is  a  gentleman  of  strong  religious 
and  moral  convictions,  inherited  from  his  Meth- 
odist parentage,  but  his  views  are  rather  evan- 
gelical than  denominational.  In  politics,  he  was 
of  the  American  party  in  1854,  and  has  since 
been  a  Republican,  while  he  would  probably  be 
a  Prohibitionist  were  he  entirely  satisfied  of  the 
wisdom  of  basing  a  political  party  on  the  tem- 
perance reform  movement.  He  recognizes  and 
regrets  the  tendency  to  moral  decadence  in  the 
organized  machinery  of  all  political  parties. 
Remaining  unmarried  through  all  these  long 
years,  Mr.  Osbarii's   kindly   nature   has   taken  a 


BISTOBY    OF    SACRAMENTO    COUNTY. 


very  special  interest  in  his  brother  and  his  family. 
Jacob  Eall  Osbarn  came  to  California  in  1855 
and  after  remaining  liere  about  a  year  returned 
to  Ohio,  where  he  was  married  November  25, 
1856,  at  Carlisle,  to  Miss  Mary  Martha  Clip- 
pinger,  a  native  of  that  State,  born  December 
10, 1834,  daughter  of  Joseph  Clippinger,  already 
mentioned.  Jacob  R,  was  a  soldier  in  the  civil 
war  and  after  filling  his  teim  of  service,  volun- 
teered again  to  repel  the  Morgan  raid  in  South- 
ern Ohio.  Some  years  later  he  moved  with  his 
family  to  this  State,  and  they  have  since  made 
tlieir  home  with  him,  in  city  and  country.  Mr. 
and  Mrs.  Jacob  R.  Osbarn  are  the  parents  ot 
three  living  children:  David  Horace,  born  in 
Ohio,  March  23, 1858 ;  D.-nna  Elizabetli, Novem- 
ber 4,  1861;  Martha  Rebecca,  "uncle's  baby," 
July  31,  1875,  now  attending  grammar-school 
in  Sacramento.  Donna  Elizabeth  is  married  to 
Henry  Elliott,  a  contractor  and  builder  of  Sacra- 
mento. They  arc  the  parents  of  Hatie  Elizabeth, 
born  October  9,  1883;  and  of  David  Osbarn 
and  Donna  Orietta,  twins,  born  June  25,  1888. 
David  H.  married  Miss  Agnes  Dashiell,  a  native 
of  this  State.    They  are  the  parents  of  two  girls. 


fHRlSTIAN  H.  RAVE  was  born  in 
Schleswig,  a  province  of  Germany,  in  the 
year  1820,  his  parents  being  Frederick,  a 
cabinet-maker,  and  Rebecca  Rave.  He  at- 
tended school  until  he  reached  the  age  of  four- 
teen years,  then  was  apprenticed  to  a  locksmith 
at  Hamburg  to  learn  the  trade,  tiien  traveled  to 
complete  his  education.  Having  become  an  ex- 
pert workman  he  desired  a  larger  field  and  bet- 
ter opportunities  for  advancement,  therefore  set 
sail  in  a  packet  ship  from  Hamburg  for  New 
York,  and  arrived  after  a  tempestuous  voyage  of 
six  weeks.  Undeterred  by  the  fact  that  he  was 
totally  unfamiliar  with  the  English  language, 
he  found  his  way  to  Philadelphia,  and  obtained 
employment  at  his  trade  on  Chestnut  street.  In 
1849  he,  with  a  party  of  nineteen  mechanics, 
determined    to  make    their  way  to   the  land  of 


gold.  They  went  to  St.  Louis  and  there  se- 
cured an  outlit  and  provisions,  and  started  to 
cross  the  plains,  but  they  were  illy  prepared  for 
such  a  journey,  and  by  the  time  they  arrived 
at  Salt  Lake  their  teams  had  given  out  and 
they  were  obliged  to  reorganize,  and  bought 
some  Indian  ponies  and  packed  the  remainder 
of  the  way.  Nor  was  this  all,  for,  taking  the 
advice  of  some  officious  parties  who  were  sup- 
posed to  know,  they  were  induced  to  take  a  new 
"cut-off"  across  the  mountains  and  the  dreary, 
pathless  desert,  only  to  find  later  that  the  cut- 
off was  in  fact  a  much  longer  route;  their  pro- 
visions and  water  gave  out,  and  they  suffered 
terrible  hardships,  losing  two  of  their  number 
in  death.  Meeting  another  party  on  the  desert  who 
still  had  a  small  supply  of  water,  our  subject 
paid  his  last  dollar  for  a  cup  of  the  precious 
fluid,  and  begged  for  more,  but  was  sternly  re- 
fused. When  he  arrived  at  Sacramento,  with- 
out money,  friends  or  even  acquaintances,  he 
was  glad  to  find  any  kind  of  employment,  such 
as  unloading  vessels  at  the  levee  and  doing  any 
odd  job  tliat  came  to  hand.  At  last  he  obtained 
employment  with  one  AVoodruff,  proprietor  of  a 
stove  store,  whose  stock  consisted  in  part  of 
stoves  which  had  been  shipped  around  the 
Horn  and  had  to  be  "set  up"  after  their  arrival 
here.  These  stoves  often  brought  $300  or  even 
$500.  Woodruff'  became  his  friend,  and  event- 
ually assisted  him  to  start  a  small  shop  of  his 
own  on  Sixth,  between  J  and  K  streets,  where 
it  may  be  seen  to  this  day,  a  relic  of  the  past. 
In  this  little  shop  was  laid  the  foundation  of  a 
successful  business,  which,  extending  through 
the  early  years,  broadened  and  grew  with  the 
growth  of  the  Capital  City.  His  business  was 
to  make  locks,  locks  for  the  people,  locks  for  the 
banks,  hotels,  and  the  jail  and  prisons,  1,400  be- 
ing made  under  contract  for  the  latter;  and  not 
only  locks  but  iron  doors,  which,  because  of 
many  fires,  became  an  important  industry,  and 
was  carried  on  subsequently  for  many  years. 
He  returned  to  Europe  in  1853  to  visit  his  old 
home,  and  his  father,  who  died  the  following 
spring,  and  to  be  married  to  Elizabetli  Riemech- 


HISTORY    OF    SAGIl.UnSNTO    COUNTY. 


neider.  Together  tliey  journeyed  from  the 
fatherland  and  took  up  their  residence  in  the 
land  of  sunshine,  and  here  they  have  lived  for 
nearly  forty  years,  having  in  the  interval  made 
three  other  trips  to  Europe.  They  are  spending 
in  well-deserved  affluence  the  latter  part  of  their 
lives  at  their  pleasant  home  on  Seventh  street, 
surrounded  by  their  children  and  their  children's 
children. 


fL  F  R  E  D  RANDOLPH,  rancher,  Dry 
Creek  Township,  was  born  July  15, 1831, 
in  McLean  County,  Illinois,  son  of  Gard- 
ner and  Elizabeth  (Stringtield)  Randolph.  His 
tather,  a  native  of  Virginia,  emigrated  in  an 
early  day  to  Tennessee  and  thence  to  Alabama, 
and  from  there  to  Illinois,  settling  in  1860  at  a 
point  he  named  Randolph  Grove.  Afterward 
he  lived  in  Riley  County,  Kansas,  and  about 
1871  came  to  California  and  died  at  the  i-esi- 
dence  of  his  son  Altred,  in  1873,  at  the  age  of 
seventy-one  years.  He  was  a  man  of  noble 
principles  and  a  sympathetic  Christian.  His 
wife  is  now  deceased.  Li  their  family  were 
seven  sons  and  si.x;  daughters,  and  all  the  chil- 
dren except  two  of  the  daughters  came  to  Cali- 
fornia. Alfred  Randolph  was  raised  on  a  farm 
in  his  native  State,  and  in  1850,  when  he  was 
I)ut  nineteen  years  of  age,  he  crossed  the  plains  to 
this  State  withox  teams,  beingabout  four  months 
on  the  vvay,  and  the  journey  was  on  the  wiiole 
quite  enjoyable.  Stopping  at  Hangtown,  he  at 
once  began  mining  and  prosecuted  that  line  of 
business  for  eight  years,  most  of  the  time  in  the 
same  district,  and  with  moderate  success.  In 
1858  he  came  to  this  county,  locating  upon  his 
present  farm  of  160  acres  at  that  time,  and  there 
he  has  ever  since  remained.  This  ranch  he  has 
enlarged  by  purchasing  additions  until  he  now 
has  250  acres.  It  is  twenty-two  miles  from 
Sacramento.  He  raises  hay,  grain  and  live- 
stock. He  was  married  in  June,  1877,  to  Miss 
Emma,  daughter  of  William  J.  McFadden,  and 
a   native   of   (Coshocton    County,    Ohio.       They 


have  three  children:  Harry  Marvin,  Estella  B. 
and  Clinton  A.  Mr.  Randolph  is  a  member  of 
the  A.  O.. IT.  W.,  of  Gait,  and  in  his  political 
principles  in  a  Republican. 


fOHN  H.  HAYDEN,  farmer,  was  born  June 
6,  1850,  near  Dayton,  Montgomery  County, 
Ohio.  His  father,  Martin  Hayden,  is  a  na- 
tive of  England,  was  a  shoemaker  by  trade,  and 
came  to  California  in  1876,  locating  in  Sacra- 
mento. July  15,  1885,  he  was  run  upon  by  the 
cars  at  the  intersection  of  Twenty-sixth  and  R 
streets,  in  the  city,  and  nearly  killed,  since  which 
time  he  has  been  unable  to  work.  His  wife, 
whose  maiden  name  was  Barbara  Wise,  is  still 
living,  and  they  are  both  residing  with  their 
son,  the  subject  of  this  article.  They  have  three 
cliildren,  viz.:  Mary  F.,  wife  of  John  W.  Chest- 
nut; Oscar  H.,  residing  in  Iowa,  and  John  H. 
The  latter  is  a  farmer  and  also  a  good  carpenter 
and  shoemaker.  He  was  two  years  old  when 
his  parents  emigrated  with  him  from  Ohio  to 
Missouri.  A  year  afterward  they  moved  to  Iowa, 
and  in  1873,  to  Kansas,  where  they  engaged  in 
farming  and  stock-raising;  were  there  during 
the  grasshopper  scourge.  Selling  out  in  1876 
they  came  and  located  in  Sacramento.  John 
and  his  wife  threw  themselves  into  hard  work 
by  the  day.  He  was  employed  by  Mr.  Todd, 
on  the  corner  of  Fifth  and  L  streets,  in  the 
lumber  yard,  and  was  there  three  months  when 
the  property  changed  hands.  From  there  he 
went  to  Nicolaus,  and  next  he  and  his  wife  went 
to  the  head  of  Feather  River  to  work  on  a  farm 
and  in  a  dairy,  remaining  only  two  months; 
then  they  were  two  months  at  Spaulding's,  and 
then  in  succession  to  his  father's  place.  Black 
Station;  and  then  for  a  man  on  the  lower  Stock- 
ton road,  and  then  they  purchased  a  half  block 
on  Twenty-eighth  and  Y  streets,  in  1878,  and 
later  the  same  year  the  other  half,  at  a  cost  of 
$350.  In  1888  they  sold  the  same  for  $950  and 
purchased  six  and  a  fourth  acres  on  Thirty-first 
and  Y,  at  a  cost  of  SlOO  per  acre;  and  in  1884 


BISTORT    OF    8AGRAMENT0    COUNTY. 


eight  acres  additional,  at  the  same  price.  In 
1888  they  sold  the  whole  for  §10,000.  During 
the  last  year  they  purchased  their  present  gar- 
den spot  of  ten  acres,  which  is  only  one  mile 
from  the  city.  On  this  they  have  a  very  fine  new 
two-story  honse,  and' the  whole  tract  they  are 
improving  by  putting  out  trees  and  planting 
vineyards,  orchards,  etc.  It  will  soon  be  one  of 
the  finest  residences  on  that  road.  There  are 
five  wells  of  excellent  water  ranging  from 
twenty-six  to  sixty-six  feet  in  depth,  with  a 
never  failing  supply.  Thus  it  is  seen  what 
might  be  accomplished  where  husband  and  wife 
are  faithful  together  with  a  single  aim  in  view, 
to  make  a  comfortable  home  in  which  thej'  can 
enjoy  their  declining  years.  In  1874  Mr.  Hay- 
den  married  Miss  Julia  A.  White,  daughter  of 
AVilliam  and  Elizabeth  White,  father  a  native  of 
Virginia,  and  the  mother  nt  New  York.  They 
have  had  three  children:  Martin  W.,  born  De- 
cember 17, 1875,  and  died  June  6,  1877;  Alson, 
a  little  boy  who  died  in  infancy,  and  John  B., 
who  was  boi-n  May  26,  1879. 

fOHN^  GEORGE  PYNE,  deceased,  was  a 
native  of  Ireland,  born  near  Fermoy,  in 
1825,  his  parents  being  J.  G.  and  Ann 
(Pyne)  Pyne.  The  Pynes  were  originally  Eng- 
lish, but  being  long  settled  in  Ireland,  they  be- 
came "more  Irish  than  the  Irish  themselves," 
entirely  identified  with  the  interests  and  aspira- 
tions of  that  land  so  favored  by  nature  and  so 
abused  by  man.  The  parents  of  Mr.  Pyne  were 
blood  relatives  some  degrees  removed,  and  were 
people  of  wealth  and  high  social  standing.  The 
grandfather,  also  named  J.  G.,  which  seems  to 
have  been  a  favorite  family  name,  was  a  prac- 
ticing physician  of  local  distinction.  The  great- 
grandfather was  Lord  Chief- Justice  Pyne  of  the 
King's  Bench.  The  Pynes  have  a  family  tradi- 
tion that  their  ancestry  can  be  traced  back  many 
hundred  years.  Be  this  as  it  may,  it  is  unques- 
tionable that  the  late  J.  G.  Pyne,  of  Courtland, 
was  a  man  of  education,  refinement  and  culture. 


He  was  a  college  graduate  and  had  studied  ar- 
chitecture and  engineering,  and  is  known  to  have 
practiced  the  latter,  being  for  some  years  in  the 
employ  of  the  Santa  Fe  Railroad  as  a  civil  en- 
gineer. In  1856  he  owned  a  farm  in  Dubuque 
County,  Iowa,  which  he  sold  before  coming  to 
California  in  1862.  With  two  brothers,  Edward 
and  William,  he  came  to  the  Sacramento  River, 
where  they  worked  together  for  a  time  on  a 
rented  ranch.  Willia.i;  afterward  went  back  to 
Ireland  and  died  unmariied.  Edward  moved  to 
Virginia  City,  where  he  engaged  in  mining. 
John  G.  worked  for  a  time  for  one  of  the  ranch- 
ers on  the  river,  and  in  1868  bought  the  ranch, 
increasing  the  acreage  by  later  purchases  to  118 
acres,  all  planted  in  fruit  trees.  In  1877  Mr. 
Pyne  made  a  visit  to  his  native  laud  and  was 
married  March  27,  1878,  in  St.  Peter's  Episco- 
pal Church,  in  the  city  of  Cork,  to  Miss  Kate 
Pyne  Brown,  a  native  of  Inchigeela,  in  the  same 
county,  daughter  of  Richard  and  Henrietta 
(Pyne)  Brown,  a  blood  relative  in  the  third  de- 
gree, both  being  great-grandchildren  of  Chief- 
Justice  Pyne,  already  mentioned.  A  grand- 
uncle  of  Mrs.  Kate  Pyne  was  celebrated  for 
military  prowess,  and  was  called  Captain  Tala- 
veras  Pyne  for  recovering  some  captured  colors 
from  the  French  in  the  battle  of  that  name. 
After  six  years  of  married  life  devoted  to  pro- 
moting the  happiness  of  his  wife,  and  the  en- 
joyment of  learned  leisure  in  the  nice  home  he 
had  erected  and  beautified,  Mr.  Pyne  died  in 
1884,  aged  fifty-nine.  Mrs.  Pyne  by  a  later 
marriage,  since  legally  dissolved  with  the  right 
of  resuming  her  former  name,  is  the  mother  of 
one  child,  Dora  Isabella,  borti  September  3, 1887. 

— ^€@:»'^^ — 

fPHRAIM  RAY,  an  old  Californian,  and 
resident  of  Sacramento  County  since  1850, 
is  a  native  of  the  north  of  Ireland;  he  was 
born  there  June  10,  1827.  His  father,  John 
Ray,  emigrated  to  the  United  States  with  his 
family  in  1836;  stopped  a  short  life  in  New 
Jersey,    and    was    naturalized    there,   and    then 


HISTORY    OF    SACRAMENTO    COUNTT. 


moved  to  Illinois,  settling  in  Clay  County;  his 
death  occun-ed  abont  a  year  and  a  half  after- 
ward. Mrs.  Kay,  whose  maiden  name  was  Jane 
Thompson,  survived  her  husband  about  three 
years.  In  their  family  were  seven  children,  six 
sons  and  one  daughter;  four  of  these  are  now 
living:  William,  Hugh  and  John  in  Clay  County, 
Illinois,  and  Ephraim  here  in  California.  The 
latter  was  brought  up  as  a  farmer's  boy,  and  has 
passed  all  his  life  in  the  same  noble  calling. 
After  the  death  of  his  father  he  and  his  twin 
brother  Robert  went  to  live  with  their  brother 
Hugh,  the  third  in  order  of  birth;  and  when 
they  were  sixteen  or  seventeen  years  old  they 
secured  teams  and  began  hauling  wheat  from 
Rock  River  to  Chicago.  After  accumulating 
some  money  they  took  some  land  in  Ogle 
County,  and  commenced  improving  it  at  such 
times  as  they  were  not  otherwise  occupied.  In 
the  fall  of  the  year  they  would  make  freighting 
trips  between  Chicago  and  Galena.  Thus  they 
were  employed  until  the  California  gold  fever 
broke  out,  and  in  the  spring  of  1850  they  came 
with  ox  teams  to  Sacramento,  arriving  in  Au- 
gust. There  they  turned  out  their  teams  upon 
a  rancli  upon  the  Cosunines  River  and  went  to 
the  mines  at  Folsom.  They  worked  at  Beale's 
Bar  at  the  junction  of  the  north  and  south  forks 
of  the  river.  After  accumulating  a  little  money 
they  returned  to  Illinois.  Robert  married  and 
remained  there  until  his  death  in  February, 
1884.  In  the  s])ring  of  1852  Ephraini  recrossed 
the  plains  with  ox  teams  to  liis  far  western 
home;  and  here  he  engaged  in  hauling  freight 
between  Sacramento,  Placerville,  Georgetown 
and  other  places  and  the  mines.  In  1854  he 
moved  down  to  the  Mclntyre  ranch  in  Dry 
Creek  Township,  and  he  has  since  been  engaged 
in  agricultural  pursuits  and  in  the  care  of  live- 
stock. In  1876  he  disposed  of  his  farm  and 
moved  into  Gait,  his  present  residence.  He 
has  always  been  a  hard-working  man,  devoting 
his  attention  principally  to  the  raising  of  cattle 
when  it  was  on  a  good  paying  basis.  When  he 
quit  the  ranch  he  let  out  on  shares  what  cattle 
he  had,   sending   them    to    Pit   River  in  Modoc 


County;  six  years  afterward  he  disposed  of  them 
altogether.  One  thing  can  be  said  of  Mr.  Ray 
that  can  be  said  of  very  few  men:  he  has  always 
conducted  his  business  in  such  a  manner  as  not 
to  run  in  debt;  and  during  the  many  years  he 
has  lived  in  California  he  has  never  owed  a  man 
a  dollar  !  Often  he  refrained  from  buying 
when  a  good  bargain  might  have  been  made  be- 
cause he  had  not  the  money  in  hand.  Mr.  Ray 
is  an  Irishman  by  birth,  a  naturalized  citizen  of 
the  United  States,  a  supporter  of  the  Union 
during  the  last  war,  and  a  Republican  in  his 
political  views.  He  is  a  charter  member  of 
Gait  Lodge  No.  88,  K.  of  P. 


fETER  HOEY,  farmer,  Brighton  Township, 
was  born  in  County  Lowth,  Ireland,  De- 
cember 23,  1839,  son  of  John  and  Mary 
Hoey,  farmers.  Of  the  family  of  nine  children 
six  sons  came  to  the  United  States.  The  iirst 
to  come  was  Patrick,  who  located  iirst  in  New 
Orleans  and  came  thence  to  California.  The 
next  was  John,  who  left  Ireland  in  1850,  and 
also  stopped  a  short  time  in  New  Orleans  and 
came  to  this  State  with  his  brother,  in  1854; 
but  the  first  to  come  to  California  was  Bridget, 
now  Mrs.  Stoner,  who  came  to  the  United  States 
early  in  1851,  and  to  California  in  1853.  Cath- 
arine Quail  came  next,  in  1866;  Mary  Carroll 
in  1867;  Peter  in  1868.  John  died  in  Novem- 
ber, 1880;  Patrick,  in  April,  1887;  Michael, 
who  never  came  to  t\ie  United  States,  died  in 
the  old  country  in  1882.  Thomas,  still  another 
brother,  inherits  the  old  home  place  in  Ireland. 
Another  sister,  Margaret,  now  Mrs.  Byrne,  also 
resides  in  Ireland.  Peter  Hoey,  the  subject  of 
this  sketch,  when  a  little  boy,  entered  the  em- 
ploy of  Sir  John  McNeal,  who  manufactured 
tile  and  brick.  After  he  learned  the  business 
he  had  the  position  of  burner,  and  for  sixteen 
years  conducted  the  whole  business  on  contract. 
Then  he  ran  a  portable  threshing-naachine  for 
live  years.  He  left  home  at  the  age  of  twenty- 
seven  years,  and  he  sai  ed   from    Dundalk,    Ire- 


HISTORY    OF    SACRAMENTO    COUNTY. 


land,  in  the  spring  of  1868,  and  landed  in 
Sacramento  June  5,  coming  by  way  of  New 
York  and  Panama.  He  first  stopped  with  his 
brother  John,  and  the  next  year  bought  a  farm 
of  163  acres  in  Brighton  Township;  and  tliis 
is  his  present  ranch.  In  1882  he  purchased 
another  ranch  of  170  acres,  on  the  Coloma  road, 
and  since  tlien  he  has  sold  half  of  it,  and  now 
owns  seventy  acres  of  the  place.  His  total  real 
estate  is  now  238  acres.  He  has  followed  agri- 
culture ever  since  his  arri.val  here.  The  large 
ranch  where  he  resides  is  devoted  to  grain,  but 
it  is  also  well  adapted  to  fruit.  On  the  smaller 
ranch  he  has  fifty-six  acres  in  vines  and  the  rest 
in  fruit  trees,  bearing.  Mr.  Hoey  was  married 
first  in  1872  to  Bridget  Dunn,  a  native  of 
Queen's  County,  Ireland,  who  died  April  15, 
1885,  the  mother  of  four  sons,  of  whom  only 
one  is  now  living,  John  J.,  born  September  19, 
1880.  la  1886  Mr.  Hoey  married  Annie  Cur- 
tis, who  was  born  in  Ireland  and  came  to  this 
State  in  1876.  They  have  two  children:  Gracie 
and  Gertrude,  t  .vins,  born  March  29,  1887. 


f5[DWARD  KELLEY,  of  Brighton  Town- 
L  ship,  was  born  in  Calais,  Maine,  March  4, 
'1  1822,  son  of  John  and  Hannah  Kelley, 
both  natives  of  Ireland.  He  was  reared  in  his 
native  State.  At  the  age  of  nineteen  years,  in 
1841,  he  married  Maria  Kern,  a  native  of  St. 
Stephens,  New  Brunswick.  In  the  mean  time  he 
learned  to  be  a  ship  carpenter  and  calker,  at 
Calais,  Bangor  and  Eastport,  Maine,  at  St.  Ste- 
phens and  in  New  York.  At  St.  Stephens  he 
worked  on  a  ship  called  Fannie,  for  Eastman  & 
Wright  Bros.,  of  Boston.  From  Eastport  they 
fetched  a  steamer  named  S.  B.  Wheeler,  and 
this  was  placed  in  the  ship  Fannie,  of  250  tons 
burden.  The  method  by  which  this  was  done 
was  the  following,  which  was  the  invention  of 
William  Hines,  of  Kennebec,  Maine,  from 
whom  Mr.  Kelley  learned  his  trade:  they  calked 
the  ship  up  to  the  gunwales,  launched  it,  took 
it  along  side  the  wliarf  and  sunk  it  into  a  cradle, 


by  the  help  of  the  tide  which  rises  forty  to  fifty 
feet  there.  Then  they  hauled  the  steamer  into 
the  ship  and  then  the  hull  hauled  upon  the 
flats.  Then  as  the  tide  ebbed  they  let  the  water 
out  through  a  1  x  8  foot  scuttle,  which  let  the 
steamer  down  in  place.  Clo-sing  the  scuttle 
enabled  the  ne.xt  flood-tide  to  set  it  afloat.  But 
the  deck  of  the  ship  was  not  put  on  till  after  it 
was  hauled  to  the  quays.  The  space  between 
the  ship's  skin  and  the  steamer  was  then  filled 
up  with  300  tons  of  coal,  and  freighted  witii 
flour  and  whisky,  etc.,  all  they  could  pack  in, 
and  then  all  was  ready.  They  then  came  around 
Cape  Horn,  landing  in  San  Francisco  May  10, 
1851.  First  they  discharged  all  the  freight  ex- 
cept the  coal,  which  they  afterward  unloaded 
into  a  hulk  that  they  bought  for  the  purpose. 
The  ship  was  then  run  up  to  Benicia  and  an- 
chored among  the  tules.  Then  they  took  the 
mizzen  and  main  masts  out  excepting  the  fore- 
mast, and  all  the  decks  but  the  forecastle.  Next, 
taking  a  six  by  ten  plank  out  of  the  ship's  side 
below  water  mark,  they  sank  it  again,  the  pres- 
sure of  the  water  being  gauged  by  a  leather 
valve  large  enough  to  cover  the  aperture  and 
guided  by  ropes  inside  and  out.  The  S.  B. 
Wheeler  was  then  taken  out  of  the  ship,  and  run 
about  two  years  between  San  Francisco  and 
Stockton,  commanded  by  Captain  Spear.  The 
engineer  who  came  with  it  to  the  coast  was  named 
Lockett.  The  steamer  was  afterward  run  to  the 
Sandwich  Islands,  whither  Mr.  Kelley  went  and 
calked  the  deck,  for  Mr.  Wright  of  the  Islands. 
In  1852  he  went  to  Madeira,  near  the  San  Quen- 
tin  State  Prison,  and  worked  six  months  in  a 
saw-mill  called  the  Baltimore,  perhaps  the  first 
saw-mill  on  the  coast,  for  a  Mr.  Morrison.  The 
next  five  months  he  was  employed  in  a  mill  at 
Bolinas,  Marin  County.  Then  he  purchased  a 
lot  of  forty  feet  front  at  the  corner  of  Dupont 
and  Washington  streets,  San  Francisco,  in  part- 
nership with  John  McCloy.  He  brought  lum- 
ber in  his  schooner  from  the  mill  where  he  was 
working  and  built  a  house  on  the  lot,  in  1853. 
His  next  move  was  to  go  with  Meggs  &  Will- 
iams, wlio  went  up  into   Mendocino  County,  to 


IIIS'jf}lir    OF    SAOIiAMENTU    COUNTY. 


put  up  a  mill,  and  worked  for  them  seven 
months,  at  $130  a  month.  Returning  to  San 
Francisco,  he  leased  a  lot  on  Clay  Street  and 
built  a  house  there  torrent;  but  two  years  after- 
ward the  extension  of  Davis  Street  prevented 
liiin  from  obtaining  what  he  had  to  pay  for  the 
ground,  and  he  had  to  surrender  the  lease  and 
the  building  with  it.  Ne.xt  he  made  the  trip  to 
the  Sandwich  Islands  already  referred  to;  and 
in  1856  he  worked  a  short  time  in  San  Fi'an- 
cisco,  and  then  bought  iiis  place  in  this  county 
from  Captain  Mace,  for  §1,100.  Thenceforward 
he  has  been  a  resident  of  this  county.  There 
are  173  acres  here,  well  improved.  Mrs.  Kelley 
died  in  1852.  They  had  five  children,  all  of 
whom  are  dead.  In  1855  Mr.  Kelley  married 
Elizabeth  McCloy,  and  by  this  marriage  there 
have  been  three  children,  two  of  whom  are  liv- 
ing; Jane,  wife  of  H.  B.  Smith;  and  Elizabetli, 
now  Mrs.  Peter  Robinson.  The  one  who  died 
was  Maggie,  who  was  burned  to  death  when 
fourteen  years  old. 

fH.  RUSSELL  is  a  pioneer  of  Sacramento, 
who  was  born  in  Lancaster,  Pennsylvania, 
®  July  11,  1825,  the  youngest  of  eleven 
children,  five  of  whom  were  boys.  His  father, 
Francis  Russell,  was  a  native  of  Chester  County, 
Pennsylvania.  When  a  little  over  thirteen  years 
old  (April  1,  1839),  he  went  to  work  as  a  clerk 
in  his  brother's  hardware  store,  and  for  nine 
years,  nine  months  and  nine  days  continued 
with  him.  His  friend  in  the  store  was  John 
Whiteside,  and  for  several  years  the  subject  of 
"going  AVest"  was  discussed  between  them.  In 
1846  he  entered  man's  estate,  and  to  celebrate 
the  event  he  received  $100  and  a  new  suit  of 
clothes,  when  he  at  once  started  off  on  a  trip  to 
"see  the  world."  He  went  to  Ohio,  to  Michi- 
gan (where  he  had  a  brother),  and  to  Chicago, 
where  he  met  a  party  of  fifteen  young  men  who 
were  making  a  pleasure  trip.  There  were  no 
railroads  out  of  Chicago  at  that  time,  but  a 
stage  line  ran  to  Galena,  198  miles,  and  the  fare 


was  $3.  On  this  stage  trip  he  first  met  (tov- 
ernor  Stonenian,  then  a  young  lieutenant  on  his 
way  from  General  Kearny.  The  stage  was  up- 
set and  Stonemanand  Russell  became  acquainted 
and  went  on  to  St.  Louis  together.  Years  after- 
ward, when  Stoneraan  had  become  Governor  of 
California,  he  met  him  again  and  the  incidents 
above  related  were  recalled.  The  trip  made,  his 
$100  spent,  he  returned  again  to  the  store  a 
"wiser  if  not  a  better  man."  He  came  to  the 
coast  in  1849,  with  two  companions,  Sam  Crist 
and  Henry  Good,  arriving  in  Sacramento  on  the 
12th  of  August.  They  camped  here  for  a 
month,  and  then  went  to  the  mines.  The  ups 
and  downs  of  mining  life  need  not  be  related 
here.  Suffice  it  to  say  that  in  February,  1854, 
he  returned  to  New  York,  via  the  Nicaragua 
route,  and  on  the  1st  of  May  was  married  to 
Justice  E.  Banner,  daughter  of  George  Danner, 
of  Lancaster,  Pennsylvania,  a  well-known  Penn- 
sylvania man,  who  owned  the  receipt  for  tlie 
noted  Hostetter's  Bitters.  Mr.  Russell  returned 
at  once  with  his  wife  and  engaged  in  the  drug 
business,  under  the  firm  name  of  Fowler  &  Rus- 
sell, afterward  Russell  &  Kirk;  this  was  in 
1860.  In  1863-'64  he  was  mining  in  Nevada, 
and  afterward  was  interested  in  land  and  was 
engaged  in  farming  in  Sutter  County.  In  1853 
he  was  elected  treasurer  of  that  county.  Re- 
turning to  Sacramento  in  1885,  he  was  elected 
public  administrator  for  two  years,  and  latterly, 
with  his  son  in-law,  F.  Y.  Williams,  he  has  been 
ranching  in  Placer  County.  His  family  consists 
of  one  son  and  three  daughters:  Margaret,  now 
Mrs.  Griffits;  Caroline  H.,  now  Mrs.  F.  Y. 
Williams;  Mary  I.,  and  B.  D.  Russell,  the 
youngest  of  tlie  family.  Their  home  is  on  H 
street. 

fO.  KANE,  a  rancher  of  Dry  Creek  Town- 
ship, was  born  January  1,  1820,  in  Lon- 
®  donderry  County,  Ireland,  son  of  John 
and  Mary  (McMaster)  Kane.  His  parents  came 
to  the  United  States  in  1830,  by  way  of  the  St. 


HISTORY    OF    SAGRMIENTO    GOUNTY. 


Lawrence  River,  landing  at  Lewiston,  Maine; 
they  lived  in  Niagara  County,  New  York,  until 
ISM,  and  then  moved  to  Kane  County,  Illinois, 
fifteen  miles  west  of  St.  Charles,  where  they  re- 
sided on  a  farm  until  their  death,  the  father  in 
1854,  at  the  age  uf  sixty-live  years,  and  the 
mother  in  1856,  at  the  age  of  fifty-six  years. 
They  had  five  daughters  and  three  sons;  the 
latter  were  Patrick,  Peter  and  J.  O.  The  two 
last  mentioned  came  to  California  together;  and 
Peter,  in  returning  home  in  1851,  died  in  St. 
Louis,  Missouri,  with  Asiatic  cholera.  Mr.  Kane, 
the  subject  of  this  sketch,  was  brought  up  on  a 
farm.  In  1850,  when  about  thirty  years  of  age, 
he  came  across  the  plains  and  mountains  to 
California,  reaching  Hangtown,  August  10,  and 
followed  mining  there  until  1854,  with  good 
success.  Then  he  came  down  to  Deer  Valley 
and  purchased  a  squatter's  title  near  Sheldon, 
and  remained  there  until  1858.  Then,  selling 
out,  he  purchased  his  present  property  in  Dry 
Creek  Township,  seven  miles  north  of  Gait  and 
one  mile  east  of  Hicksville.  All  the  improve- 
ments on  this  place  he  himself  has  made;  and 
he  has  also  met  with  some  heavy  losses.  His 
house  with  contents,  including  $500  in  paper 
money,  was  destroyed  by  fire  July  8,  1888;  but 
he  rebuilt  and  now  has  a  comfortable  home. 
His  land,  200  acres  in  extent,  is  in  a  fine  state  of 
cultivation,  devoted  to  hay,  grain  and  live-stock. 
He  has  also  some  fruitof  all  kinds,  and  three  acres 
of  raisin  grapes,  in  a  flourishing  condition.  Mr. 
Kane  is  a  hard-working,  honest  man,  is  phys- 
ically active,  and  enterprising.  He  is  a  member 
of  Gait  Lodge,  No.  239,  I.  O.  O.  F.,  and  of  the 
order  of  K  .of  P.  of  the  same  place.  From 
1863  to  1886  he  was  a  justice  of  the  peace.  In 
1850  he  participated  in  the  Indian  troubles  of 
that  year. 

'^-^-^ ^ 

fEELY     DeKAY,    farmer,     was     born     in 
Sussex  County,  New  Jersey,  in  1820.     In 
1848  he  moved  to  Republican,  Ohio,  and 
a  short  time  afterward,  in    1852,  came   to   Cali- 


fornia, overland,  being  three  months  on  the  way. 
The  Pawnee  Indians  stole  some  of  his  cattle, 
but  fortunately  he  recovered  them.  Arriving 
in  Sacramento  with  a  few  head  of  cattle,  he  sold 
them.  Was  then  employed  by  William  Mul- 
drow  for  six  months,  and  then  rented  twenty- 
five  acres  of  land  and  began  gardening.  Two 
years  afterward  he  bought  tliree  span  of  unties 
and  commenced  teaming  over  the  Sierra  Nevada 
Mountains,  and  this  business  he  followed  for 
about  twenty  years.  Finally  he  bought  the 
ranch  of  480  acres  where  he  is  now  living  and 
where  he  is  raising  all  kind  of  stock,  hay  and 
grain.  William  DeKay,  father  of  Seely,  was 
also  a  native  of  New  Jersey  and  died  in  that 
State;  and  his  wife  Rachel,  nee  Hamilton,  born 
also  in  New  Jersey,  died  in  Republican,  Ohio. 
Mr.  C.  S.  DeKay  married  Jane  Pitcher,  who 
was  born  in  London,  England,  in  1829,  and 
they  have  one  child,  Guy  P. 


--^^^ 


fRIN  RANDOLPH  RUNYON  was  born 
in  Will  County,  Illinois,  in  1833,  said  to 
be  the  first  white  child  born  in  that  county, 
his  parents  being  Armstead  and  Anna  (Horn- 
becker)  Runyon.  The  mother,  a  native  of  Ohio, 
died  in  childbirth,  in  1839.  The  father,  a  native 
of  Kentucky,  died  at  Santa  Rosa,  California, 
in  1876,  aged  about  seventy-five.  Grandfather 
Michael  Runyon  was  about  eighty  at  his  death 
in  1856.  The  father  moved  with  his  family  to 
Missouri  in  1844,  and  thence  to  California  in 
1849,  settling  soon  afterward  on  the  Sacramento 
River,  two  miles  below  Courtland.  Here  the 
elder  Mr.  Runyon  first  took  up  160  acres,  to 
which  he  added  by  later  purchase  until  he  owned 
about  a  section  of  land,  with  a  frontage  of  one 
mile  on  the  river.  O.  R.  Runyon  worked  for 
his  father  from  boyhood  imtil  1855,  and  had 
but  little  regular  schooling  in  his  youth.  In 
1855  he  returned  to  Lockport,  Illinois,  his 
birth-place,  and  went  to  school  in  Beloit,  Wis- 
consin, for  three  years.  For  several  years  he 
was  in   business  as  a  boot  and  shoe  dealer   in 


HISTORY    OF    SACRAMENTO    COUNTY. 


Lockport,  and  at  Waterloo,  Iowa.  He  was  also 
a  book-keeper  for  a  short  time  at  this  period  of 
his  life.  Mr.  Rnnyon  was  married  at  Lockport, 
December  28,  1859,  to  Miss  Martha  E.  Place, 
who  was  born  at  Oswego,  New  York,  in  1835, 
daughter  of  Joseph  and  Malora  (Wright)  Place. 
Joseph  Place  died  in  1865,  at  the  age  of  eighty- 
four,  and  Malora  Place  died  in  1847,  at  the  age 
of  fifty-one.  The  Place  family  is  American  for 
several  generations,  and  of  English  origin.  Mr. 
and  Mrs.  Runyon  are  the  parents  of  two  living 
children, both  born  in  Lockport,  Illinois:  George, 
in  1863,  and  Laura  M.,  in  1868.  One  child, 
Howard  Wright,  born  in  California,  died  at  the 
age  of  five  years.  In  1870  Mr.  Kunyon  re- 
turned to  California,  and  went  to  iruit-raising 
about  two  miles  below  Courtland,  where  he 
still  resides.  His  ranch  comprises  800  acres, 
of  which,  however,  two-thirds  is  swamp  land, 
end  100  acres  are  devoted  to  fruit  and  alfalfa. 
In  1875  his  title  was  perfected,  and  in  1878  he 
built  his  present  residence,  one  of  the  most 
beautiful  homes  on  the  river.  It  is  a  tw-o-story 
and  basement  house  of  fourteen  rooms,  well 
built  and  handsomely  furnished.  Its  dimen- 
sions are  about  50x60  feet,  and  must  have  cost 
over  $12,000  to  build  and  finish,  not  to  mention 
the  additional  outlay  for  Interior  ornamentation. 
Mr.  Runyon  has  been  school  trustee  of  the 
Onisbo  district  for  ten  years. 


SAAC  F.  FREEMAN  (-  Uncle  Isaac"),  a 
prominent  citizen  of  .Sacramento  County, 
was  born  in  Ohio,  in  the  year  1814.  As 
early  as  1836  he  made  a  trip  across  the  country 
from  Hamilton,  Oiiio,  to  the  Black  Hawk  pur- 
chase, now  Burlington,  on  the  west  side  of  the 
Mississippi,  crossing  the  river  in  a  canoe  run  by 
Indians;  and  three  years  afterward  he  settled  at 
Bcntonsport  on  the  Des  Moines  River  west  of 
Burlington.  At  that  time  the  milling  (corn- 
grinding)  for  the  immigrants  was  done  by  Meeks 
&  Sons  at  Bonaparte,  and  Dr.  O.  S.  Bailey 
dosed    out    the    quinine  to  the    inhabitants  all 


along  the  Des  Moines  River.  In  1852,  with  a 
son,  A.  C,  twelve  years  old,  he  drove  a  herd  of 
live-stock  across  the  plains,  and  walked  all  the 
wa}',  sleeping  every  night  with  no  tent  cover- 
ing. Although  the  Indians  were  numerous 
along  the  route,  they  gave  no  trouble.  After 
arriving  in  California,  Mr.  Freeman  was  en- 
gaged in  the  milk  business  for  about  a  year,  and 
then  returned  East.  In  1859  he  came  again  to 
California,  settling  at  his  present  home  near  Elk 
Grove.  The  country  at  that  time  was  wild,  and 
only  the  following  settlers  were  in  Old  Elk 
Grove,  then  known  as  the  ''  Illinois  Ranch." 
Thomas  and  Thaddeus  McConnell,  H.  Stewart, 
Judge  Hannon,  Messrs.  Beam,  Foulkes,  Buck- 
ner,  Frye  and  James  Whitcomb.  There  was  no 
farming,  stock-raising  being  the  only  industry; 
hay-raising  began  about  1861,  but  little  or  no 
wheat  till  later.  Kerr  Bros,  set  out  the  first 
grape-vines  in  that  part  of  the  county.  The 
land  grants  made  much  trouble  and  impover- 
ished many  of  the  original  settlers.  The  flood 
of  1862  caused  a  great  devastation,  and  reached 
nearly  up  to  Georgetown,  now  Franklin.  The 
plains  were  covered  with  cattle  dying  and  dead, 
and  a  man  named  Meny  was  said  to  have  made 
money  by  killing  them  and  stealing  their  hides. 
In  1869-'70  Mr.  Freeman  was  a  member  of  the 
Legislature.  He  has  been  a  school  trustee  for 
over  thirty  years,  and  he  has  filled  various  other 
positions.  He  has  now  been  a  farmer  for  sixty- 
five  years,  and  has  always  been  in  favor  of  white 
labor  and  opposed  to  Chinese  labor,  Chinese 
citizenship  and  Chinese  immigration. 


fETER  PLANALP,  farmer.  It  is  with 
pleasure  that  we  record  the  life  of  such  an 
old  Californian  as  the  subject  of  this  sec- 
tion of  our  history.  He  is  a  marked  type  of 
those  who  came  hither  in  early  day.  He  was 
born  in  Switzerland,  November  20,  1828,  a  son 
of  Peter  and  Barbara  (Stahley)  Planalp.  In 
1834  the  family  came  to  the  United  States,  lo- 
cating in  Dearborn  County,  Indiana,  where  they 


MI  STOUT    OF    SAGMAMENTO    COUNTY. 


made  their  home  for  a  number  of  jears,  during 
the  more  active  part  of  their  life.  The  old  gen- 
tleman was  a  farmer  b J  occupation,  and  when 
he  and  his  wife  were  somewhat  advanced  in 
years  they  went  to  Missouri,  where  they  remained 
with  som«  of  their  children  until  their  death. 
They  had  three  sons  and  four  daughters,  all  of 
whom  are  living.  Mr.  Planalp,  the  subject  of 
tills  sketch,  is  the  only  one  of  the  family  in  this 
State.  He  was  brought  up  a  farmer  boy  in 
pioneer  times,  at  hard  work  and  with  but  little 
schooling.  At  the  age  of  twenty-four  years,  in 
company  with  a  returned  Californian,— Mr. 
Matthews, — he  started,  April  15,  1852,  for  the 
gold  fields  of  this  State.  He  came  by  steamer 
to  St.  Louis,  and  thence  by  mule  teams,  leaving 
Independence,  Missouri,  May  10,  and  arriving 
in  Sacramento  September  16,  without  any  special 
trouble  on  the  trip,  although  the  trains  ahead 
and  behind  them  had  troubles  with  the  Indians 
and  other  accidents.  When  he  arrived  in  Sac- 
ramento he  had  poor  health.  The  friends  with 
whom  he  came  went  up  on  the  San  Juan  grant, 
on  the  American  Eiver,  and  obtained  a  ranch. 
Mr.  Planalp  obtained  work  from  a  neighbor 
living  there,  remaining  with  him  three  months. 
He  then  made  a  trip  through  the  mines  between 
Sacramento  and  Marysville,  and  up  the  Yuba 
River  and  on  to  San  Juan  and  other  places. 
Returning  to  this  county,  he  obtained  work  upon 
a  farm  about  where  he  is  now  living.  Some 
two  years  later  he  again  visited  the  mining 
region  and  worked  about  two  years  there.  Pre- 
vious to  this  he  had  taken  up  land  claims  in 
Dry  Creek  Township,  and  when  he  returned 
from  the  mines  he  went  upon  his  land,  and  since 
1858  he  has  given  his  entire  attention  to  farm- 
ing and  stock-raising.  In  1863  he  sold  his 
lands,  went  to  Fresno  County  and  entered  the 
live-stock  business  there,  remaining  until  1867'. 
Returning  then  to  this  county,  he  bought  back 
his  old  place,  which  he  now  occupies.  It  com- 
prises 874  acres,  and  240  acres  adjoining 
belongs  to  his  wife.  Mr.  Planalp  is  a  most 
successful  farmer,  beginning  here,  as  he  did,  in 
early  days  without  anything  to  help  him  except 


his  industrious  habits  and  business  tact.  In 
1879  ho  erected  his  handsome  residence  in  Gait, 
where  he  has  ever  since  resided.  In  politics  he 
has  always  been  a  Democrat,  but  not  an  active 
politician.  In  1870  he  married  Mrs.  Rosanna 
M.  Need,  widow  of  Michael  Need,  who  came  to 
this  State  in  1857.  Mrs,  Planalp  has  had  four 
children,  two  by  each  marriage.  The  names  of 
all  are,  in  order,  Sarah  E.  and  George  W.  Need, 
and  Rosanna  and  Henrietta  Planalp.  All  are 
natives  of  the  Golden  State. 


^1^ 


fOHN  G  ARM  AN  HITE  was  born  near 
Rushville,  Schuyler  County,  Illinois,  De- 
cember 28, 1848,  his  parents  being  Alexan- 
der and  Arabella  (Matthus)  Hite.  The  father, 
born  in  Virginia  in  1806,  died  on  the  place  now 
owned  by  the  son,  in  December,  1885,  lacking 
only  a  few  days  of  being  eighty  years  old.  The 
mother,  born  in  Ohio  in  1812,  and  there  married 
in  1829,  is  living  with  her  daughter  Rachel, 
now  Mrs.  C.  E.  Adams,  of  Sacramento.  The 
parents  came  to  California  by  the  northern 
route  across  the  plains  in  1853,  arriving  at 
Bear  River,  September  24,  with  six  sons  and 
six  daughters.  Their  youngest  child,  Daniel 
Oren,  born  in  Sacramento  County  in  1854,  is 
now  living  with  the  subject  of  this  sketch.  One 
daughter  died  in  1861,  aged  fifteen;  another  is 
also  deceased,  and  one  son,  Abrara  E.,  died  in 
1885.  The  father  bought  a  place  on  his  arrival, 
about  three-quarters  of  a  mile  to  the  west  of  his 
later  location,  now  owned  by  his  son,  a  quarter 
of  a  mile  west  of  the  Six-Mile  House,  on  the 
lower  Stockton  road.  This  he  settled  on  Janu- 
ary 9,  1855,  taking  up  a  quarter  section,  of 
which,  however,  only  120  acres  were  patented 
to  him.  He  put  up  a  house  the  same  year. 
From  1858  to  1864  the  family  lived  on  the 
Haggin  grant,  six  miles  above  Sacramento,  the 
two  oldest  sons  renting  the  father's  ranch.  J. 
G.  attended  the  usual  spring  and  autumn  terms 
of  the  local  schools  during  his  boyhood  and 
youth,  and  before  his  majority  had  also   picked 


HISTUHY    OF    SACRAUENTO    COUNTY. 


up  the  trades  of  carpenter  and  blacksmith.    Be- 
fore he  was  quite   twenty-oue  lie  went  into  the 


th 


mg 


business,  which  he  still  follows  now 


with  much  improved  machinerj',  and  in  winter 
and  spring  he  worked  as  carpenter.  He  also  at 
one  time  clerked  in  a  store  at  Freeport  for  two 
years.  Mr.  Hite  was  married  July  17,  1876, 
to  Miss  Lillian  Rheil,  a  native  of  California, 
her  parents  being  Philip  G.  and  Mrs.  Hannah 
(Bodge,  by  birth  Weber)  Rheil,  both  living  in 
Freeport.  January  5,  1881,  Mr.  Hite  bought 
out  his  father,  and  built  a  new  house  of  six 
good  rooms.  He  raises  grain  and  hay  chiefly. 
He  rents  400  acres  in  Sutter  Township,  across 
the  road  to  the  north  of  his  line,  mostly  sown 
to  wheat;  and  with  a  partner  rents  240  acres 
more,  devoted  mainly  to  cattle  and  hay.  For 
four  to  live  months  each  year  he  is  engaged  in 
threshing  for  various  ranchers,  in  and  out  of 
Sacramento  County.  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Hite  are 
the  parents  of  two  children:  Lovella,  born 
October  11,  1878:  AVaverly  John,  March  9, 
1880. 


fOSEPH  HANLON  was  born  in  West 
Meath,  Ireland,  in  1837,  his  parents  being 
James  and  Catherine  (Garrity)  Hanlon 
They  were  the  parents  of  four  sons  who  grew  to 
maniiood,  of  whom  three  emigrated  to  America, 
and  one  remained  at  the  old  home,  and  another 
lias  lately  returned  there.  The  maternal  grand- 
mother lived  to  the  age  of  ninety-seven,  the 
only  relative  known  whose  age  e.xtended  beyond 
seventy.  Joseph  H.Hiiion  arrived  in  New  York 
in  1854,  and  soon  afterward  went  West,  going 
to  work  near  La  Porte,  Indiana,  in  that  year. 
In  1857  he  came  to  California,  and  went  to 
mining  at  Iowa  Hill,  Placer  County,  but  with 
only  moderate  success.  In  1858  he  came  down 
into  the  plains  and  went  to  work  for  the  owner 
of  the  place  he  now  owns.  In  1859,  lie  and  his 
partner,  Timothy  McEnerney,  rented  160  acres 
of  the  same,  and  in  1862  they  bought  eighty 
acres,  to   which    they   added    by    latci'    purchase 


until  they  owned  760  acres  in  1875.  They  ran 
a  dairy  and  did  general  farming  besides  raising 
cattle  and  horses.  In  1881  Mr.  Hanlon  paid  a 
visit  to  Ireland,  returning  in  1882;  and  in  1883 
he  bought  out  his  partner's  interest,  becoming 
sole  owner  of  760  acres  of  land.  September  21, 
1884,  Mr.  Haplon  was  married,  in  San  Fran- 
cisco, to  Miss  Catherine  Callahan,  a  native  of 
Rhode  Island,  the  only  child  of  Michael  and 
Julia  (Gavegan)  Callahan.  The  father,  who  was 
an  assistant  railroad  superintendent,  was  acci- 
dentally killed  at  the  age  of  twenty-nine  years. 
The  mother,  who  was  fifty-five  years  old  in 
January,  1889,  resides  with  her  daughter  in  the 
placid  enjoyment  of  the  health  and  vigor  of 
well-preserved  womanhood,  with  a  fair  promise 
of  reaching  the  age  other  father,  who  was  ninety- 
eight  years  old  at  his  death  in  1883.  Her  ma- 
ternal grandparents,  who  were  also  named  Gave- 
gan,— Matthew  and  Ann, — died  at  the  ages  of 
eighty-one  and  seventy-seven,  the  husband  being 
two  years  older  than  the  wife  and  surviving  her 
two  years.  He  was  a  leather  merchant  in 
Strokestown,  County  Roscommon,  Ireland.  Mrs. 
Hanlon  is  an  accomplished  pianist,  and  a  singer 
of  marked  ability.  Before  her  marriage  she  was 
a  teacher  of  vocal  and  instrumental  music  in 
San  Francisco,  where  her  musical  talent  was  in 
frequent  demand  for  charity  concerts  and  enter- 
tainments, her  generosity  and  self-sacrifice  being 
widely  known  to  the  benevolent  projectors  of 
such  enterprises.  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Hanlon  are  tlie 
parents  of  two  boys:  Joseph  Aloysius,  born 
December  28,  1885,  and  James  Ignatius,  born 
August  24,  1887. 


fAMES  11.  HAMILTON,  a  rancher  of  Sut- 
ter Township,  was  born  May  9,  1832,  in 
Kentucky,  and  is  the  son  of  James  and 
Sarah  (Lewis)  Hamilton,  natives  also  of  Ken- 
tucky. Tiie  grandfather  of  James  II.,  also 
named  James,  was  a  native  of  Scotland,  came 
to  America  before  the  Revolutionary  War,  in 
which   he  served   as  a  soldier.      In    his    family 


HISTORY    OF    SACRAMENTO    COUNTY. 


were  three  children:  William  D.,  Mary  A., 
wife  of  Boone  McDonald,  and  they  resided  in 
Kentucky  until  their  death,  and  James.  In 
the  family  of  the  father  of  the  subject  of  this 
sketch  were  thirteen  children,  six  sons  and 
seven  daughters.  The  sons  were:  William, 
John,  Andrew,  McCrager,  Matthew  and  James 
H.  The  latter  was  brought  up  on  a  farm  in 
Kentucky  until  he  was  seventeen  years  of  age, 
when  he  learned  the  carpenter's  trade,  and  fol- 
lowed it  some  three  years  in  Kentucky,  and 
eleven  years  in  Callaway  County,  Missouri;  he 
and  his  wife  and  one  child,  in  1864,  came  to  Cali- 
fornia, overland,  with  mule  teams,  consuming 
ibur  and  a  half  months'  time.  Going  direct  to 
the  Cosumnes  River  he  commenced  farming  foj 
himself,  and  was  engaged  in  that  pursuit  two 
years.  He  then  tried  his  hand  at  gold-raining, 
and  found  that,  after  a  six-months  trial,  it  took 
two  dollars  to  make  one.  Quitting  that  he  went 
to  Sebastopol,  in  Sacramento  County,  and  pur- 
chased land  from  the  State,  commenced  stock- 
raising,  and  continued  that  business  until  1881, 
with  marked  success.  In  that  year  he  sold  out 
and  bought  his  present  property  of  120  acres, 
five  miles  south  of  Sacramento  and  one  mile  east 
of  the  Fj-eeport  road.  This  land  is  specially 
adapted  to  fruit.  Four  acres  are  in  straw- 
berries and  five  acres  in  choice  varieties  of 
peach,  plum,  French  prunes,  Hungarian  prunes, 
silver  prunes,  apricots,  apples,  Bartlett  pears, 
yectarines,  almonds,  persimmons,  English  and 
black  walnuts,  and  some  of  the  finest  grafted 
orange  trees  in  this  part  of  the  country.  Mr. 
and  Mrs.  Hamilton  have  made  one  visit  to  his 
old  home  in  Kentucky,  and  to  his  mother,  who 
is  still  living  in  St.  Charles,  Missouri,  at  the  age 
of  ninety-one  years.  After  making  that  visit 
he  was  glad  that  he  had  a  home  in  California^ 
to  which  he  might  return.  Mr.  Hamilton  has 
been  a  member  of  Callaway  Lodge,  No.  105,  I. 
O.  O.  F.;  is  now  a  member  of  Sacramento 
Lodge,  jSTo.  2,  of  the  same  order,  and  also  of 
Sacramento  Grange,  No.  12.  In  1856  he  mar- 
ried Miss  Rebecca  La  Rue,  a  native  of  Vir- 
ginia, born  November  11,  18-31:,  and  a  daughter 


of  Jacob  and  Elizabeth  La  Rue,  both  deceased; 
mother  died  in  1867.  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Hamilton 
have  two  children:  the  daughter,  Annie  E., 
born  in  Callaway  County,  Missouri,  June  14, 
1861,  is  the  wife  of  H.  W.  Foster;  and  the  son, 
George  L.,  born  November  13,  1871,  is  now  at- 
tending the  Sacramento  Business  College. 


,ERRITT  C.  PIKE,  of  Brighton  Town- 
ship, has  a  ranch  of  310  acres,  all 
improved;  235  acres  are  in  orchard 
the  rest  in  vineyard.  The  orchard  com- 
!s  apricots,  peaches,  French  prunes,  plums. 
Of  peach-trees  he  has  about  15,000;  of 
plums  and  prunes,  9,000;  about  ten  acres  are 
in  almonds.  Ages  of  fruit-trees,  from  four  to 
eight  years.  The  vineyard  embraces  Tokays, 
Muscats  and  other  table  varieties,  and  of  Zin- 
fandels,  Carignanes,  Materos  and  Petit  Bour- 
ger  and  other  wine  varieties,  one  to  four  years 
old.  In  1888  he  sold  24,600  boxes  of  wrapped 
fruit;  had  twenty-six  tons  of  dried  fruit,  two 
tons  of  almonds  from  four-year-old  trees,  and 
also  sold  $2,000  worth  of  undried  fruit  to  the 
cannery.  He  has  also  an  acre  and  a  half  of 
blackberries,  which  produce  500  crates  annually, 
worth  in  market  75  cents  to  $1.25  per  crate. 
There  are  about  a  1,000  trees  along  the  drive- 
way, and  bordering  the  ranch  all  around.  Dur- 
ing the  busy  season  of  wrapping  and  drying  he 
gives  employment  to  fifty-five  to  sixty  men. 
Has  a  twenty-five-horse- power  engine  to  supply 
steam  in  connection  with  the  two  steam  driers, 
costing  $884  each;  capacity,  twelve  tons  of 
fresh  fruit  every  twenty-four  iiours.  Each  drier 
has  120  trays.  The  main  building  of  the  dry 
ing  establishment  is  24x60  feet,  with  two 
wings  20  X  24  feet,  for  storing.  There  are  also 
a  packing-house  and  other  buildings.  Of  this 
place  he  purchased  190  acres  in  1877  of  G.  G. 
Briggs,  and  120  acres  of  J.  T.  Wight  in  1885. 
The  purchases  were  made  by  Montgomery 
Pike,  Sr.,  and  M.  C.  Pike,  in  1877,  who  ran  the 
business  until    January   1,    1888,    when    Mont- 


.HISTORY    OF    SACRAMENTO    COUNTY. 


gotnery  Pike,  Jr.,  bought  his  father's  interest, 
and  for  a  while  the  business  was  carried  on  un- 
der the  firm  name  of  Pike  Brothers,  until  W. 
S.  Kendall,  of  Sacramento,  bought  Montgomery 
Pike's  (Jr.)  interest.  At  first  the  land  was  all 
heavily  timbered  with  live  oak,  jack  oak  and 
willow.  There  are  two  kinds  of  soil:  the  bot- 
tom land  is  a  deep,  sandy  loam,  adapted  to 
peaches,  plums  and  apricots;  the  upland  is  the 
clay  loam,  good  for  grapes  and  almonds,  never 
baking,  and  easily  worked  at  any  time  of  the 
year.  Mr.  Pike  was  born  in  Jefl^erson  County, 
Iowa,  December  2,  1859.  His  father,  Mont- 
gomery Pike,  first  came  to  California  in  the 
spring  of  1873,  and  made  arrangements  for  the 
family;  they  came  the  next  autumn.  He  is 
now  residing  in  Santa  Barbara  County,  engaged 
in  raising  fruit.  Mrs.  Pike  died  in  1886.  The 
family  comprise  Elias,  born  in  Indiana;  Jenni- 
son,  born  also  in  Indiana,  and  is  a  minister  of 
the  Methodist  Episcopal  Church  in  Iowa;  Mary 
O.,  who  died  in  1882;  Annie  M.,  born  in  Iowa 
now  Mrs.  McEwing,  in  Santa  Barbara  County; 
M.  C,  the  subject  of  this  sketch;  and  Mont- 
gomery, born  also  in  Iowa.  The  latter  owned 
a  coal  mine  in  Kirkville,  Wapello  County,  Iowa, 
and  ran  it  about  four  years;  and  since  that  time 
has  been  engaged  here  in  the  fruit  and  vege- 
table business.  October  15,  1885,  M.  C.  Pike 
married  Lizzie  A.  Shields,  daughter  of  John 
Shields,  of  this  county. 


fOIIN  PIERCE  RHOADS,  deceased,  was 
born  in  Muhlenburg,  Kentucky,  October  5, 
1818,  being  the  third  child  of  Thomas  and 
Elizabeth  (Foster)  Rhoads.  His  parents  moved 
from  Kentucky  to  or  near  Vincennes,  Indiana; 
and  as  early  as  1830  to  Edgar  County,  Illinois, 
where  he  owned  a  farm.  John  P.  was  brought 
up  on  a  farm  and  his  educational  opportunities 
were  limited.  He  used  to  tell  of  helping  in  his 
youth,  among  other  jobs,  in  the  construction  of 
a  section  of  the  National  Road,  near  the  Wabash, 
for  which  his  father  held   a   contract.     By    pri- 


vate study  and  great  industry  he  supplied  the 
deficiency  in  his  early  education,  and  in  mature 
life  was  regarded  as  a  well  informed  man.  At 
the  age  of  eighteen  he  was  married  to  Miss 
Matilda  Fanning,  also  a  native  of  Kentucky, 
probably  on  the  eve  of  his  family's  removal  to 
Missouri,  in  1836.  He  farmed  in  Ray  County, 
in  that  State,  and  six  childi-en  were  born  to 
them  there,  of  whom  three  are  still  living: 
Thomas  F.,  now  a  resident  of  Rapid  City,  Da- 
kota; Mathew  M.,  of  Modoc  County,  California; 
and  Mary  E.,  now  Mrs.  William  H.  Taylor,  of 
Hudson,  Grant  County,  New  Mexico.  With 
the  father  and  both  families  he  came  to  Califor- 
nia in  1846.  Separating  at  the  Hastings'  cut- 
oflP  from  the  I^onner  party  and  following  the  old 
route  the  Rhoads  family  escaped  the  disasters 
that  befell  the  Donners.  When  the  news  was 
brought  by  the  "  Forlorn  Hope  "  to  Johnson's 
crossing,  on  the  Bear  River,  where  the  Rhoads 
family  were  living,  John  P.  was  the  most  active 
in  the  effort  to  rescue  the  survivors.  He  im- 
mediately extemporized  a  small  raft  on  which 
he  crossed  the  swollen  river  and  hastened  across 
the  plains  on  foot  to  carry  the  dreadful  news  to 
Sutter's  Fort.  He  was  a  member  of  the  first 
and  fourth  relief  parties,  and  among  the  heroic 
services  rendered  one  grateful  survivor,  Naomi 
L.  Pike,  then  a  child,  afterward  Mrs.  Schenck, 
since  deceased,  of  the  Dalles,  Oregon,  tells  how 
he  carried  her  over  forty  miles  upon  his  shoul- 
ders, carefully  wrapped  up  in  a  blanket.  Early 
in  1847  he  moved  to  Sonoma  County  with  his 
wife  and  children,  but  in  the  fall  of  that  year 
he  bought  land  on  the  Cosumnes,  known  as  lot 
five  of  the  Sheldon  estate.  With  the  discovery 
of  gold  in  1848  his  farming  plans  were  laid  aside 
for  a  time,  and  he  went  to  mining  in  Rhoads' 
Diggings,  near  Folsom.  During  that  year,  in 
his  absence,  twin  sous  were  born  to  him  in 
Sonoma,  Andrew  J.  and  James  K.,  who  are  now 
living  in  Tulare  County'.  Later  in  the  year 
when  the  gold  fever  had  somewhat  chilled,  he 
moved  his  family  to  his  ranch  on  the  Cosumnes, 
and  engaged  in  general  farming  and  stock-rais- 
ing.     Here  in    1850  another  child.  William  B. 


HISTORY    OF    SACRAMENTO    COUNTY. 


was  born,  but  he  was  killed  in  childhood  by 
tailing  from  the  second  floor  of  a  barn.  In 
1851  the  mother  died,  leaving  six  surviving 
children.  In  August,  1852,  Mr.  Rhoads  was 
married  to  Miss  Mary  Murray,  a  native  of  Ire- 
land. She  bore  him  eight  sons,  five  of  whom 
are  still  living:  John  M.,  in  1853;  Francis  J., 
in  1854;  Michael  M.,  in  1855;  Daniel-C,  in 
1856,  and  Rufus  H.,  in  1860.  Daniel  C.  is 
married  and  is  the  father  of  one  boy.  Novem- 
ber 18,  1884,  Rufus  H.  married  his  wife,  Mary 
A.,  a  native  of  this  State,  and  a  granddaughter 
of  S.  W.  Taylor,  a  native  of  Pennsylvania,  and 
for  some  years  a  settler  on  the  Cosumnes,  but 
now  residing,  at  the  age  of  seventy-nine,  in 
Hudson,  Grant  County,  New  Me»ico.  'He  now 
has  two  sons, — Emmet  Francis  and  John  R. 
Micliael  M.  was  married  December  26,  1887,  to 
Lizzie  Murphy,  of  Toronto,  Canada,  and  re- 
sides in  Sacramento.  In  1863  John  P.  Rhoads" 
was  elected  a  member  of  the  State  Assembly 
on  the  Republican  ticket.  He  was  a  school  trus- 
tee of  the  Riioads  district  for  twenty  years,  and 
enjoyed  the  confidence  and  respect  of  his  neigh- 
bors in  all  the  relations  of  life.  He  died  De- 
cember 20,  1866,  his  second  wife  surviving 
until  February  9,  1869.  Francis  J.  Rhoads, 
and  his  younger  brothers,  J.  M.,  M.  M.  D.  C, 
and  R.  H.  Rhoads,  besides  the  usual  district 
school  education,  took  a  course  in  St.  Mary's 
College  in  San  Francisco;  Daniel  C,  afterward 
in  the  Pacific  Business  Collegeof  San  Francisco. 

tUTHER  KURTZ  HAMMER  (deceased),  a 
pioneer  of  California  and  one  of  the  best 
known  Sacramentans  in  times  gone  by,  was 
a  native  of  Hagerstown,  Maryland,  born  Feb- 
ruary 7,  1826,  and  a  son  of  Jacob  Hammer 
AVhen  he  was  a  mere  child,  the  family  removed 
to  Mansfield,  Ohio,  and  there  he  grew  to  man- 
hood_  and  learned  the  jeweler's  trade.  From 
there  he  went  to  Illinois,  where  he  worked  at 
his  trade.  When  the  California  gold  excite- 
ment broke  out,    he  decided  to  trv  his  fortunes 


in  the  new  El  Dorado,  and  in  1849  he  joined 
one  of  the  parties  organized  to  cross  the  plains. 
The  trip  was  more  than  ordinarily  spiced  with 
adventure.  On  one  occasion,  when  attempting 
to  cross  a  river  on  horseback,  the  horse  was 
caught  in  the  current  and  swept  down  the 
stream,  while  he  himself  was  helpless.  But  a 
lasso  was  thrown  at  him  from  the  shore,  and 
catching  it,  he  was  pulled  in  and  rescued  when 
on  the  point  of  drowning.  The  horse,  however, 
was  lost.  He  was  an  expert  banjo  player,  and 
as  be  had  one  of  those  instruments  along,  tliere 
was  often  music  in  tlie  camp.  The  "Across  the 
Plains"  speaks  of  an  instance  where  a  train  had 
gone  into  camp  for  the  night,  and  among  its 
people  were  several  negroes.  Mr.  Hammer 
came  into  the  camp  witii  his  banjo,  and  greatly 
entertained  the  people  of  the  train  witli  his 
music,  while  the  negi'oes  were  rendered  frantic 
with  delight.  On  arriving  in  California  he 
engaged  in  teaming  between  Sacramento  and 
Jackson,  afterward  settling  in  the  latter  place 
and  embarking  in  the  jewelry  business  there. 
From  there  he  removed  to  Sacramento  and  en- 
gaged in  the  music  business  in  partnership  with 
J.  R.  Tolles.  A  few  years  later  Mr.  Hammer 
became  sole  proprietor  of  the  business.  He 
came  to  Sacramento  a  single  man  and  married 
in  this  city  to  Miss  Maria  L.  Tolles,  a  native  of 
Mansfield,  Ohio,  both  of  whose  parents  died  in 
Sacramento.  Her  father  was  engaged  in  the 
real-estate  business  here  up  to  the  time  of  his 
death.  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Hammer  were  tlie  parents 
of  four  children,  of  whom  only  M.  L.  survived. 
The  deceased  are:  Frank  T.,  Frederick   C.  and 


Alice  M.     L.   K.  -Hammer  was    a 


prom 


Mason.  He  joined  tiie  order  at  Sacramento,  in 
Sacramento  Lodge,  No.  40,  and  was  a  member 
of  the  Chapter,  Council  and  Commandery.  He 
was  also  a  member  of  the  Pioneer  Society. 
Since  the  organization  of  the  Republican  party 
lie  has  been  one  of  its  supporters,  and  always 
took  an  active  interest  in  public  affairs.  He 
held  the  post  of  school  director  for  two  terms, 
and  was  an  incumbent  of  the  office  at  the  time 
of   his    death,    which    occurred    November   27 


UISTOHY    OF    SACRAMENTO    COUNTY. 


1883.  Mr.  Hammer  is  remembered  as  one  of 
the  representative  business  men  of  his  time. 
He  was  virtually  the  introducer  of  the  Cliicker- 
ing  piano  in  this  market,  and  was  identified 
with  that  instrument  for  many  years.  M.  L- 
Hammer,  proprietor  of  the  wiiolesale  and  retail 
music  house  at  830  J  street,  is  the  only  surviv- 
ing child  of  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Hammer,  and  is  a 
worthy  representative  of  the  name  of  one  of  the 
California  pioneers,  as  he  ranks  to-day,  though 
a  young  man,  among  tlie  leading  business  men 
of  Sacramento.  Mr.  Hammer  was  born  in 
Sacramento,  October  25,  1864,  was  reared  here 
and  educated  in  the  city's  public  schools. 
When  his  father's  death  left  the  music  estab- 
lishment on  his  young  shoulders,  he  had  had 
but  a  year's  experience  in  the  business.  But  he 
rose  to  the  emergency,  and  instead  of  sinking 
under  the  load,  has  increased  the  trade  of  the 
house  in  every  direction,  and  now  has  a  larger 
trade  in  the  general  musical  line  than  any 
house  on  the  Pacific  Coast,  outside  of  San 
Francisco,  while  his  business  is  now  in  better 
shape  than  ever.  .  Mr.  Hammer  is  a  member 
of  Sacramento  Lodge,  A.  F.  &  A.  M,  and  of 
Sunset  Parlor,  N.  S.  G.  W.  In  politics  he  is  a 
Republican.  Mr.  Hammer  is  an  entertaining, 
pushing  young  man  of  excellent  business  quali- 
fications, and  well  deserves  the  success  with 
which  he  is  meetincr  in  business. 


^^t|l::ji 


fLFRED  MARTIN  GUNTER  was  born 
September  3,  1842,  in  La  Porte  County, 
Indiana,  his  parents  being  Jacob  and  Jane 
(Sanford)  Gunter.  His  mother  is  a  native  of 
Pennsylvania,  and  was  born  September  11, 
1818.  His  father,  Jacob  Gunter,  was  also  a 
native  of  Pennsylvania,  and  was  born  June  13, 
1814.  They  were  married  February  23,  1836, 
in  New  York  State.  They  went  to  Ohio  and 
located  near  Cleveland,  remaining  for  five  or  six 
years,  thence  to  Illinois,  then  to  Indiana,  in 
both  of  which  places  they  remained  two  or 
three    years.      Then    they    went     to    Jefferson 


County,  Iowa,  where  they  lived  about  five 
years.  In  1853,  with  others,  they  started  for 
California.  They  took  three  wagons,  drawn  by 
ox  teams,  and  about  twenty  head  of  cattle. 
They  had  no  trouble  on  the  way,  exceptinu-  one 
night  when  they  had  to  keep  watch  in  order  to 
keep  the  droves  of  .buflalo  from  causing  the 
cattle  to  stampede.  They  had  the  cattle  tied  to 
the  wagons,  there  being  no  timber  in  that  sec- 
tion. The  parties  just  ahead  of  them  and  be- 
hind were  much  annoyed  by  the  Indians.  After 
a  journey  of  six  months  they  landed  in  Pleasant 
Valley,  El  Dorado  County,  September  3.  Mr. 
Gunter  kept  hotel  for  a  time  at  Pleasant  Valley, 
but  afterward  bcTught  a  ranch,  which  he  sold 
after  working  it  a  year.  Coming  to  Sacramento 
County,  he  bought  a  ranch  in  Brighton  Town-  ' 
ship.  Twelve  years  later  he  sold  out  and 
moved  to  Inyo  County,  California.  His  home 
is  now  in  New  Monterey.  He  and  his  wife  are 
both  living;  he  is  seventy-five  years  old,  and 
his  wife  seventy.  They  raised  a  family  of  twelve 
children,  six  sons  and  six  daughters,  one  of 
whom  has  since  died.  Their  names  are  as  fol- 
lows: Eftama,  born  August  7,  1837,  wife  of  J. 
M.  Bell,  resident  in  Pleasant  Valley;  Minerva, 
born  March  2,  1839,  wife  of  Joseph  Power[ 
resident  in  Iny„  County,  California;  A.  M.; 
Adaline,  born  February  13,  1844,  wife  of  Nel- 
son Shaver,  of  Sacramento;  F.  S.  Gunter,  born 
October  23, 1846,  resident  in  Sacramento;  A.  T. 
Gunter,  born  October  18, 1848,  resident  in  New 
Mexico;  H.  N.,  born  August  29,  1850;  Eliza- 
beth N.,  born  September  26,  1853,  wife  of  Alley 
McGee,  resident  in  Inyo  County;  Caroline,  born 
October  28,  1857,  resident  in  Inyo  County,  wife 
of  John  McGee;  P.  D.,  born  October  28, 1857, 
resident  in  Sacramento;  N.  J.,  born  December 
29,  1859;  and  Marj  J.,  born  June  11,  1862, 
and  died  an  infant.  A.  M.  Gunter,  the  subject 
of  this  sketch,  has  spent  all  his  life,  excepting 
the  first  eleven  years,  in  California.  He  took 
up  a  ranch,  which  other  parties  were  striving  to 
get,  when  yet  too  young  to  hold  it  in  his  name. 
He  went  there  and  stayed  in  a  little  house  wliich 
was  built  on  the  land,  and  which  he  had  to  u-uard 


HISTORY    OF    SACIiAMENTO    COUNTY. 


night  and  day.  After  he  had  been  there  a  suffi- 
cient length  of  time,  his  father  obtained  a  title 
to  the  land  in  his  name  (his  father's).  In  1862 
he  went  to  Silver  City  with  a  load  of  freight, 
where  he  was  exposed  to  the  small-pox.  He 
returned  after  an  absence  of  twenty  days,  and 
was  taken  down  with  the  disease,  giving  it  to 
the  other  members  of  the  family.  During  his 
absence  his  father  had  sold  his  ranch  and  spent 
the  proceeds.  But  he  gave  him  two  cows,  which 
he  exchanged  for  oxen.  With  this  team  he  went 
to  baling  hay,  which  occupation  he  followed  for 
three  or  four  years.  In  this  way  he  obtained 
his  start  in  life.  In  1870  he  bought  the  place 
where  he  now  resides;  it  contains  480  acres, 
and  is  devoted  to  general  farming.  It  is  situated 
.on  the  road  four  miles  east  of  Florin,  in  Brigh- 
ton and  San  Joaquin  townships.  Mr.  Gnnter 
is  a  member  of  the  order  of  Odd  Fellows,  In- 
dustry Lodge,  No.  157,  of  Sacramento,  and  the 
F.  of  H.  He  was  married  April  10,  1872,  to 
Mary  Margaretta  Kent,  born  November  25, 
1849,  daughter  of  James  and  Martha  M.  Kent, 
who  came  to  California  in  1853  across  the 
plains,  settling  in  Sutter  County,  where  they 
lived  fifteen  years;  then  moved  to  Elk  Gi-ove, 
where  her  father  died  September  IB,  1884.  Mr. 
and  Mrs.  Gunter  have  eight  children,  six  sons 
and  two  daughters:  Alfred  Franklin,  born  Au- 
gust 17,  1873;  Wilfred  Edmund,  December  25, 
1875;  Mary  Etta  Leona,  November  19,  1877; 
James  Garfield,  December  17,  1879;  liufns 
Irving,  March  27,  1882;  Cora  Alena  Pearl, 
April  1,  1884;  Orren  Alonzo,  July  25,  1886, 
and   Larren  Elbridge,  August  31,  1888. 


fOSEPII  GRONDONA  was  born  in  Italy, 
September  6,  1819,  and  came  direct  to  Cali- 
fornia in  1852,  by  way  of  New  York  and 
tlie  Isthmus,  walking  across  ihe  latter,  and 
landing  at  San  Francisco  in  February,  1853. 
He  first  followed  mining  at  Angel's  Camp  in 
Calaveras  County,  and  then  in  Bear  Valley, 
Mariposa,  remaining  there  five  years.     Heturn- 


ing  East,  he  was  in  Boston  six  months.  Com- 
ing again  to  the  coast  by  steamer,  he  went  to 
the  Bear  Valley  mines,  where  he  remained  two 
years,  but  not  with  much  success.  In  Decem- 
ber, 1861,  he  went  to  San  Francisco  and  then 
came  to  this  county  and  rented  a  small  piece  of 
land  two  miles  south  of  Sacramento,  of  Samuel 
Lardner,  for  five  years;  afterward  he  bought 
more  land  of  Mr.  Lardner,  making  sixteen 
acres.  He  now  has  fifteen  acres  in  orchard,  and 
five  acres  in  hops.  This  place  was  a  swamp 
wiien  he  took  possession  of  it,  but  he  has  made 
it  a  "garden  of  Eden."  It  is  now  about  a  half 
mile  from  the  city  limits,  and  near  the  levee 
road.  The  land  is  of  the  finest  quality,  and  one 
can  raise  anything  upon  it  any  time  of  the  year, 
as  it  is  irrigated  from  the  river,  and  able  also  to 
stand  any  amount  of  wet  weather.  The  house 
is  picturesquely  situated  in  a  grove  of  sycamore 
and  eucalyptus,  and  fine  fruit  trees  grace  the 
surroundings.  From  the  house  the  steamers 
are  seen  daily  on  the  river.  Mr.  Grondona  is 
still  in  good  health  and  active,  speaks  good 
English,  and  is  glad  to  spend  the  remainder  of 
his  life  in  this  golden  State.  He  was  married 
in  Italy,  September  8,  1844,  to  Maria  Pendola, 
and  they  iiave  five  sons  and  one  daughter:  Kate, 
in  Italy,  born  September  14,  1845;  Nicholas, 
born  in  Italy,  April  13,1850;  John,  in  Boston, 
November  17,  1852;  Charles,  born  in  Califor- 
nia, October  24,  1863;  Frank,  June  14,  1865, 
and  Domingo,  March  30,  1868,  all  of  whom  are 
living. 


fHARLES  W.  HARVEY,  farmer,  and  one 
of  the  most  worthy  of  the  old  settlers  in 
Sacramento  County,  has  been  a  resident 
here  ever  since  1853.  He  is  a  native  of  Herki- 
mer County,  New  York,  where  he  was  boin 
August  18,  1831.  He  is  a  son  of  David  Har- 
vey, some  knowledge  of  whom  and  of  the  Har- 
vey family  may  be  obtained  from  the  sketch  of 
Obed  Harvey,  elsewhere  in  this  work.  When 
Charles  W.  was  eight  years  of  age,  the  family 


HIHTJRY    OF    HACliAMENro    COLTyTi'. 


moved  from  New  York  to  Illinois,  where  he  re- 
mained with  them  until  of  age,  a  farm  laborer. 
Beitio;  intellectually  apt,  he  obtained  a  good 
education,  even  with  the  limited  advantages  of 
the  pioneer  school.  After  his  parents  removed 
to  Elgin  he  remained  upon  the  farm  iti  Kane 
County,  till  he  left  for  California.  November 
25,  1853,  lie  sailed  from  New  York  on  the 
steamer  Prometheus  to  Nicaragua,  and  thence 
on  the  Countess  to  San  Francisco;  thence  on  a 
steamer  to  Sacramento,  and  then  he  traveled  by 
the  stage  to  Hangtown  (now  Placerville),  ar- 
riving December  24.  The  month  afterward  he 
located  upon  Dry  Creek  in  the  valley.  At  that 
time  his  motlier  and  brother  had  some  school 
lands,  upon  which  Charles  entered  and  engaged 
in  the  live-stock  business.  About  the  same 
time  he  bought  several  claims  for  himself, 
which  were  afterward  found  to  be  a  grant  that 
superseded  other  school  land.  He  continued  in 
the  stock  business,  in  connection  with  his 
brother  and  others,  for  a  number  of  years.  After 
severing  his  connection  with  them,  he  continued 
in  the  same  business  and  in  dairying  until  1873, 
when  he  purchased  the  Briggs  House  in  Gait, 
then  in  poor  condition,  fitted  it  up,  gave  it 
character,  and  conducted  it  for  eleven  years, 
with  good  patronage.  Since  he  left  the  hotel 
Mr.  Harvey  has  been  engaged  in  no  ])articular 
business.  He  is  a  charter  member  of  Phoenix 
Lodge,  No.  292,  I.  O.  O.  F.,  of  Gait,  and  also  a 
member  of  the  Encampment  of  the  same  place. 
He  is  a  gentleman  of  liberal  views,  and  has 
always  been  interested  in  the  growth  of  his 
ado[)ted  town.  He  was  married  in  1862,  in  Illi- 
nois, to  Martha  Sherwood,  a  native  of  the  State 
of  New  York.  Their  children  are:  Obed  V., 
Irvin  and  Lou. 


fOHN  ROONEY,  farmer,  Brighton  Town- 
ship, was  born  in  Ireland,  August  14,  1826, 
a  son  of  John  and  Ann  (Garland)  Rooney. 
His  parents  had  nine  children,  of  whom  six 
lived  to  be  grown  up:     I^eter  came  to  the  LTnited 


States  in  1885,  and  died  in  Alabama;  Patrick 
came  to  Alabama'  in  1850  and  to  California  in 
1858,  and  died  here;  John  was  the  third  child; 
Mary  came  in  1835  to  the  United  States,  and 
died  in  Massachusetts;  Mrs.  Katharin  Murray 
emigrated  to  America  about  1842  and  now  re- 
sides in  Peru,  Illinois;  and  Bridget  is  still  in 
old  Ireland.  Peter,  the  eldest,  made  that  part 
of  Alabama  his  home  which  the  other  members 
of  the  family  also  intended  for  their  permanent 
residence.  Mr.  John  Rooney,  the  subject  of 
this  sketch,  came  to  the  United  States  in  1847, 
when  he  was  just  twenty-one  years  old.  He  was 
very  young  when  his  father  died,  being  the 
youngest  child  at  the  time,  and  was  brought  up 
on  the  farm.  He  sailed  from  Liverpool  to  New 
York,  and  from  there  to  Boston,  near  which 
place  at  Roxbury,  his  sister,  Mrs.  Mary  Hoey 
was  living.  Two  months  afterward  he  went 
into  King  County,  Alabama,  where  Peter  was 
living.  November  20,  1849,  he  started  for 
California,  sailing  from  New  Orleans  to  Cha- 
gres,  Panama,  and  thence  to  San  Francisco, 
landing  tliere  January  27, 1850.  He  arrived  in 
Sacramento  February  2,  when  this  place  was 
"all  slough  holes."  Proceeding  to  the  mines 
at  Georgetown,  El  Dorado  County,  he  remained 
thereabout  nine  months,  and  enjoyed  good  suc- 
cess. At  this  time,  in  May  or  June,  a  friend  from 
Alabama,  John  Hopper,  obtained  from  him  and 
his  partner.  Smith,  $10,000,  without  security, 
for  speculating  purposes.  By  Ciiristmas  Hopper 
was  "  busted,"  and  Rooney  and  Smith  came 
down  and  took  up  this  land  for  security.  It 
consisted  of  160  acres,  about  one  and  a  half 
miles  from  where  he  now  lives.  They  put  in  a 
crop  of  barley  and  made  considerable  money, 
about  $5,000  net.  Mr.  Rooney  carried  on  this 
farm  and  also  the  Alabama  mine  in  EI  Dorado 
County,  both  which  paid  well,  the  mine  yield- 
ing sometimes  as  high  as  §800  a  day;  his  suc- 
cess, of  course  varied;  but  he  netted  $25,000  by 
1853,  since  which  time  he  has  been  farming. 
His  first  place  he  kept  until  about  1879,  when 
he  purchased  his  present  place,  consisting  of  610 
acres,  live    miles   from   Saeramentt),   on   the  Co- 


HISTORY    OF    SACRAMENTO    COUNTY. 


Icnia  load,  1  order  ng  the  American  Eiver.  It  is 
a  line,  productive  place.  Here  bis '  principal 
ciops  are  ali'alfa  and  bops.  His  fine  residence 
be  built  when  he  purchased  tlie  place  about  ten 
jcars  ago.  In  regard  to  political  principles 
Mr.  Eooney  was  during  the  war  a  Douglas 
Democrat;  in  1864  he  supported  Lincoln,  and 
i-ince  1868  he  has  been  a  Democrat.  In  1853 
he  visited  Alabama,  and  there  married  Mary 
Clark,  a  native  of  Ireland,  who  came  to  the 
United  States  with  her  mother  in  1850.  Mr. 
and  Mrs.  Eooney  have  had  four  sons  and  one 
daughter:  John,  the  eldest  son,  died  February 
4,  1885,  at  the  age  of  twenty-four  years;  the 
other  children  are  living:  Peter  W.  married 
Mary  Powers;  Mary  is  the  wife  of  Thomas 
O'Xeil,  of  Sacramento;  Steven  A.  married 
Mary  Tagney ;  and  James  is  the  youngest.  The 
sons  are  all  resident  upon  their  father's  farm. 


fANIEL  EODEN,  deceased,  formerly  a 
farmer  in  San  Joaquin  Township,  was 
born  in  Tennessee,  March  21,  1831,  his 
parents  being  Allen  and  Mary  Eoden,  both 
natives  also  of  Tennessee.  When  he  was  very 
young  his  ]iarents  moved  with  him  to  Laclede 
County,  Missouri,  where  he  remained  until 
about  twenty-three  years  of  age;  and  during 
that  time,  in  1852,  he  married  Elizabeth  Brid- 
ges, who  was  born  in  Union  County,  Illinois, 
September  23,  1831,  a  daughter  of  Calvin  and 
Prudy  Bridges,  both  natives  of  old  Virginia. 
In  her  father's  family  were  eight  sons  and  two 
daughters,  all  now  dead  excepting  the  two 
daughters.  Mrs.  Mary  Jones,  the  other  daugh- 
ter, resides  in  Laclede  County,  Missouri.  When 
Mrs.  Eoden  was  yet  a  child  her  father  died,  and 
afterward  her  mother  moved  with  her  family 
from  Illinois  to  Missouri,  where  she.  Mrs.  Eoden, 
was  brought  up.  In  the  spring  of  1854,  Mr. 
Eoden  and  his  family  started  for  California  with 
ox  teams,  and  arrived  in  Sacramento  County 
October  4.  It  was  a  long  and  tedious  trip.  Two 
or  three  of  Mr.  Eoden's  horses  and  two  head  of 


his  cattle  were  stolen  by  the  Indians.  The  lirst 
year  here  he  cultivated  a  piece  of  rented  land,  and 
then  entered  a  quarter  section  of  land  in  the 
northwestern  portion  of  San  Joaquin  Township, 
and  after  that  bought  another  quarter  section 
adjoining.  Here  he  made  his  home  until  the 
autumn  of  1875,  when  he  sold  and  bought  the 
present  homestead  in  the  same  township  and  on 
the  border  of  the  Cosumnes  Eiver.  The  farm 
property  is  now  owned  by  Mrs.  Maxfield  and 
Mrs.  Bates,  widows.  The  present  farm,  of  820 
acres,  is  rich  land.  Mr.  Eoden  died  March  14, 
1881,  and  since  then  the  farm  has  been  managed 
by  his  widow  and  son.  In  the  family  there 
have  been  six  children,  viz:  Isaac,  who  mar- 
ried Elmira  McLaughlin;  Daniel,  who  married 
Anna  Maxfield;  Jessie,  wife  of  James  Mitchell; 
Emeline,  Benjamin  and  John,  —  all  residing 
in  this  county.  For  many  years  prior  to  his 
death,  Mr.  Eoden  was  not  a  very  hale  man  phy- 
sically, but  his  intellect  and  disposition  were 
admired  by  all  in  the  community,  and  he  was 
faithful  and  kind  to  his  family;  was  Democratic 
in  politics,  taking  great  interest  in  the  pnblic 
welfare. 


m^ON.  OBED  HAEVEY,  M.  D.— Nothing 
^Ml  can  be  of  greater  interest  in  connection 
'^IS  with  the  historical  volume  of  a  county 
than  a  page  from  the  life  history  of  those  who, 
having  become  identified  with  the  material  and 
social  interests  in  early  days,  have  contributed 
so  largely  to  its  growth  and  development,  and 
left  the  impress  of  their  personality  upon 
their  generation.  As  grandly  illustrative  of  this 
remark  we  take  pleasure  in  noting  here  the  prin- 
cipal facts  of  the  life  of  the  subject  of  this 
sketch.  Dr.  Harvey  is  a  native  of  New 
York  State,  and  was  born  in  Wayne  County, 
near  the  shore  of  Lake  Ontario,  September  7, 
1825,  the  son  of  David  Harvey,  a  farmer,  and 
Nabby,  oiee  Ainsworth,  a  native  of  Wilbraham, 
Massachusetts.  The  latter  was  of  Welsh  an- 
cestry, while  the   Doctor's  ancestors  came  froui 


IIISTOHY    OF    SACRAMENTO    COUNTY. 


Scotland;  and  it  is  a  matter  of  family  history 
that  both  his  great-grandfather  and  one  of  his 
sons  died  on  a  prison  ship  while  serving  their 
country  during  the  Revolutionary  war.  A  por- 
tion of  Dr.  Harvey's  boyhood  was  passed  at 
Gilbertsville,  Otsego  County,  New  York,  where 
he  attended  the  academy  and  began  the  study 
of  medicine,  under  Dr.  Eoderick.  Later  on 
he  went  to  St.  Charles,  Illinois,  where  his  par- 
ents resided,  and,  continuing  his  studies  under 
Prof.  G.  "W.  Richards,  was  graduated  with  honor 
at  the  Rock  Island  Medical  Institute,  which 
■was  subsequently  merged  into  the  Universitj'  of 
Iowa,  in  1848.  After  practicing  his  profession 
for  two  years  at  Genoa  and  Elgin,  the  discovery 
of  gold  in  California  was  attracting  the  attention 
of  the  civilized  world,  and  he  became  one  of  the 
pioneers  who  braved  the  difficulties  and  dangers 
of •  a  trip  overland,  to  the  land  of  golden  prom- 
ise, arriving  with  his  party  at  Hangtow^n  (now 
Placerville),  in  El  Dorado  County,  August  3, 
1850.  Here  he  practiced  his  profession,  and  in 
conjunction  with  Dr.  Asa  Clark,  now  of 
Stockton,  had  charge  of  the  El  Dorado  County 
Hospital;  was  also  associated  with  Dr.  Keen, 
a  prominent  physician  and  politician  of  that 
county;  and  during  the  years  of  his  residence 
there  he  was  interested  in  mining  and  in  many 
enterprises  of  public  moment.  In  1859  he  was 
a  delegate  and  active  member  from  that  county 
to  the  first  railroad  convention  ever  held  in  this 
State;  it  was  held  in  San  Francisco  and  was  one 
of  the  incipient  movements  in  the  final  estab- 
lishment of  a  public  highway  across  the  conti- 
nent. On  his  way  East  in  the  fall  of  1857,  on 
the  steamer  Central  America,  he  was  wrecked, 
September  12,  at  8:00  v.  m.,  oft"  Cape  Hatteras, 
being  one  of  forty-nine  passengers  saved  out  of 
about  425;  they  were  picked  up  by  the  Nor- 
wegian bark  Ellen,  after  having  floated  on  a 
piece  of  the  wreck  about  nine  hours.  The  Doc- 
tor was  entirely  alone  during  the  most  of  this 
struggle  on  a  separate  piece  of  the  wreck; 
sighting  a  light  in  the  rigging  of  the  bark  some 
distance  away,  he  made  his  last  vigorous  effort 
in  swimming,  and  by  use  of  his  voice  attracted 


the  attention  of  the  crew  and  soon  was  along- 
side the  vessel;  and  when  a  rope  was  thrown  to 
him  grasped  it  and  was  drawn  up  to  the  gunwales 
of  the  vessel,  when  the  strength  in  his  hands 
gave  way  and  he  dropped  back  into  the  water. 
This  occurred  three  times.  Finally  a  ship's  lad- 
der was  thrown  him  and  in  some  way  he  tangled 
himself  upon  the  end  of  it  and  was  safely  drawn 
on  board,  about  four  o'clock  in  the  morning. 
Arriving  in  New  York,  the  medical  department 
of  the  University  of  New  Y'ork  conferred  upon 
him  an  honorary  degree.  Also  while  there  he 
attended  as  a  delegate  from  the  California  State 
Medical  Society  the  meeting  of  the  American 
Medical  Association  held  in  the  city  of  Wash- 
ington, District  of  Columbia,  in  1858;  this  be- 
ing the  first  or  second  occasion  the  State  Medi- 
cal Society  of  California  was  represented  at  a 
meeting  of  the  National  Association.  Loud 
applause  greeted  the  calling  of  his  name  by  the 
secretary  incident  to  his  perilous  voyage,  and 
the  Doctor  was  the  recipient  of  many  warm 
complimentary  expressions  and  congratulations 
upon  his  almost  miraculous  escape.  He  has 
made  several  other  visits  East  during  the  inter- 
vening years,  but  always  returns  with  increased 
regard  for  the  comfort  and  advantages  of  his 
adopted  State.  In  1869,  when  the  town  of 
Gait  was  started,  Dr.  Harvey  located  there; 
and  having  acquired  a  large  landed  interest  he 
laid  out  the  town,  and  since  then  has  made  his 
residence  there.  Having  relinquished  his  med- 
ical practice,  he  has  devoted  his  time  to  his 
large  and  varied  farm  interests.  He  has  about 
3,500  acres,  mostly  devoted  to  dairying,  grain 
and  stock,  with  a  small  orchard  and  vineyard  of 
choice  selected  fruits.  He  has  taken  an  active 
interest  and  leading  part  in  raising  means  for 
the  erection  of  school  buildings,  churches,  and 
the  establishment  of  other  public  improvements; 
and  it  is  in  this  connection  especially  that  we 
may  be  permitted  to  refer  to  his  remarkable 
wife,  nee  Susan  Mitchell  Hall,  to  whom  the 
Doctor  was  united  in  marriage  in  May,  1868. 
She  is  a  native  of  New  Haven,  Connecticut, 
and    brought   with  her  to  this   land  of  sunshi  nu 


HISTOltT    OF    SACRAMENTO    COVNTY. 


DOt  only  the  traditional  "steady  liabits"  of  her 
nativity  btrt  also  the  culture  and  inbred  refiue- 
inent  and  educational  acumen  for  which  the 
Elm  City  is  famous.  Their  only  son,  followino^ 
a  taste  for  scientific  pursuits,  is  completing  a 
course  of  study  at  the  Institute  of  Technology 
at  Boston,  while  their  only  daughter  is  a  pupil 
at  Ogontz,  the  celebrated  institute  for  young 
ladies  near  Philadelphia.  Thus  each  in  a  way 
is  being  fitted  to  fill  the  place  in  life  which  he 
or  she  is  destined  to  occupy.  -Politically  Dr. 
Harvey  is  a  Republican.  A  Whig  in  the  early 
days,  he  was  largely  instrumental  in  the  organ- 
ization of  that  party  in  El  Dorado  County  in 
1852,  and  during  the  first  Lincoln  compaign  he 
was  brought  forward  by  iiis  friends  and  elected 
to  the  State  Senate  and  served  in  that  capacity 
for  three  years;  and  later  served  in  the  Assem- 
bly. Was  one  of  the  prime  movers  in  the  or- 
ganization of  the  Union  party  at  the  beginning 
of  the  last  war.  He  has  been  an  active,  prominent 
director  of  the  State  Asyhim  for  the  Insane  at 
Stockton  for  the  past  twelve  years,  and  has  filled 
many  other  positions  of  honor  and  responsibility. 

fRANK  McNAMEE,  deceased,  for  many 
years  a  resident  of  this  State,  was  born  in 
1818,  in  County  Cavan,  Ireland.  In  1847 
he  emigrated  to  America  and  lived  in  the  East- 
ern States  until  about  1854,  when  he  came  to 
California.  He  was  a  farmer  by  occupation,  the 
calling  in  which  he  had  been  reared.  For  the 
first  two  or  three  years  here  he  mined  at  Prairie 
City  and  Alder  Creek.  The  first  thousand  dol- 
lars he  saved  he  put  into  the  Adams  Bank  in 
Sacramento,  and  when  that  bank  failed  he  lost 
all  his  money.  He  continued  mining,  however, 
until  he  accumulated  a  little  money  again,  when 
he  embarked  in  the  mercantile  trade,  in  Fol- 
som,  and  continued  in  that  business  till  the 
time  of  his  death,  June,  1878.  He  was  a  suc- 
cessful besiness  man  and  earned  some  property 
outside  of  his  regular  business.  His  first  wife 
was  Mrs.  Annie,   tiee   Peniiock.     They  had  two 


children;  and  she  died  in  1869.  He  married 
Anne  Hoey,  a  native  of  Ireland,  who  came  to 
California  in  1867,  and  since  that  time  has  been 
a  resident  of  Folsoin.  Since  the  death  of  her 
husband,  Mrs.  McNamee  has  carried  on  the 
business  which  her  husband  left,  and  with  that 
tact  and  enterprise  which  mark  a  successful 
business  character. 


fAMES  ROBINSON,  farmer,  was  born  in 
March,  1813,  in  the  north  of  Ireland,  son  of 
Robert  and  Rebecca  (Osboi'ii)  Robinson. 
His  father,  a  farmer,  lived  and  di%d  in  his  native 
land;  was  engaged  in  trade  a  great  deal,  and 
hired  men  to  carry  on  his  farming.  He  died  in 
1840,  at  the  age  of  eighty-five  years.  His 
widow  afterward  moved  to  Australia  with  one  of 
the  sons  and  died  there.  In  her  family  were  two 
sons  and  three  daughters:  James,  Kate,  Anna, 
Rebecca,  deceased,  and  Robert.  Anna  is  now 
Mrs.  Funston,  of  Sacramento.  James  Robinson 
emigrated  to  the  United  States  in  1882,  sailing 
from  Londonderry  and  landitig  in  Quebec, 
Canada.  Then  he  went  to  New  York  city  in 
June,  a  short  time  before  the  Asiatic  cholera 
broke  out  in  that  city  and  lived  there  three 
years.  Was  foreman  most  of  the  time  for  a 
great  contractor,  Christie  Keys.  Next  he  was 
in  Philadelphia  about  eight  montiis,  and  then 
he  came  to  St.  Louis  and  spent  a  winter,  then 
he  was  in  Galena,  Illinois,  seven  years,  and 
finally,  in  1853,  came  to  this  State.  Buying 
horses  and  wagons  in  Galena,  and  provisions  at 
St.  Joseph,  Missouri,  he  came  overland,  stop- 
ping several  places  on  the  way;  was  a  week  at 
Salt  Lake.  He  arrived  in  Sacramento  in  Au- 
gust. Within  a  short  time  his  leg  was  broken 
in  an  accident,  which  compelled  him  to  remain 
in  this  city  for  a  long  time.  As  soon  as  he  was 
able  he  entered  into  the   business  of   keeping 


ling 


milk  and   butter,  and   followed  it 


for  a  few  years.  In  1867  he  purchased  157 
acres  of  land  in  one  place  in  Brighton  Township 
and  300  in  another.     The  former  tract  is  where 


IIlaTUMr    OF    SACRAMENTO    COUNTY. 


he  now  lives,  having  dwelt  there  most  of  the 
time  since  he  bought  it.  Mr.  Robinson  was 
married  in  Philadelphia,  in  1842,  to  Ann  Virtue, 
a  native  of  Ireland,  of  Scotch  and  English  de- 
scent, as  well  as  her  husband.  They  have  two 
sons  and  four  daughters  living:  Rebecca,  Peter 
M.,  Anna,  James  V.,  Kate  and  Jennie. 


fAMES  REID,  a  pioneer,  was  born  in  Perth, 
about  forty  miles  north  of  Edinburgh, 
Scotland,  on  the  10th  of  September,  1806; 
his  parents  being  Peter  and  Jean  (Jack)  Reid, 
the  father  a  cattle  dealer,  or  drover,  of  Pei:th. 
The  subject  of  this  sketch  was  the  oldest  one  of 
a  family  of  eleven  children,  and  when  fourteen 
years  old  was  apprenticed  to  a  shoemaker,  and 
served  four  years  learning  that  trade.  When 
he  was  twenty-two  years  old  he  decided  to  go, 
with  his  brother-in-law,  who  was  preparing  to 
emigrate  to  America.  They  set  sail  from  Dun- 
dee in  the  brig  Majesty,  for  New  York,  and 
after  a  voyage  of  six  weeks'  duration,  landed 
safely  in  that  city  in  August,  1829.  He  imme- 
diately obtained  work  at  his  trade,  but  found 
that  making  shoes  in  New  York  was  very  dif- 
ferent from  making  brogans  in  Scotland.  In 
1832  (known  all  over  the  East  as  the  great 
cholera  year),  he  was  working  in  a  shop  on 
Eighth  avenue,  and  to  escape  the  dread  disease 
went  hastily  to  Connecticut.  When  the  frosts 
of  the  fall  had  allayed  the  danger  he  returned, 
and  established  a  shop  on  Eighth  avenue  and 
Nineteenth  street.  When  the  excitement  con- 
sequent upon  the  gold  discovery  in  California 
was  at  its  height,  he  made  one  of  a  party  of  forty 
who  purchased  the  brig  John  Anderson,  fitted 
her  out  with  a  cargo  of  mining  implements, 
(which  were  found  to  be  of  no  earthly  use  when 
they  arrived),  a  run  of  mill-stones,  etc,,  and 
started  merrily  to  make  their  fortunes  in  the 
land  of  gold.  Alas,  for'  human  hopes  and  ex- 
pectations! They  made  the  voyage  around  the 
Horn  in  five  and  a  half  months;  the  captain 
died,  and  storms  beset  their  pathway,    l)oth   ex- 


ternal and  internal,  for  discontent  prevailed 
among  both  passengers  and  crew;  and  when 
they  arrived  off  the  brig  at  Sacramento,  he 
was  only  too  glad  to  realize  $200,  as  his  share  of 
the  investmentof  many  hundreds  of  dollars.  He 
had  had  the  forethought  to  bring  a  stock  of  shoes 
and  brandy:  these  he  sold  and  in  this  way  gained 
a  start.  He  then  opened  a  tin  store,  a  leading 
industry  in  mining  days  when  wash-pans 
costing  "three  bits"  would  sell  for  $6,  and 
screens  costing  30  cents  would  readily  sell  for 
$5  "  in  dust  "  He  afterward  started  a  bath- 
house near  the  bridge,  and  later  on  kept  a  saloon 
on  the  present  site  of  the  water-works  build- 
ing. He  continued  in  the  saloon  business  till 
1856;  in  the  meantime  he  had  acquired  prop- 
erty, which  was  invested  in  a  ranch  on  the  op- 
posite side  of  the  American  Rivei-,  and  to  this 
ranch  he  moved  his  family  in  the  fall  of  that 
year,  1856.  The  floods  of  1867-'68  absolutely 
destroyed  his  property,  house,  buildings,  stock, 
everything,  and  he  went  into  the  railroad  shops, 
where  he  worked  in  the  boiler  department  for 
thirteen  years.  Mr.  Reid  was  married  in  Perth, 
Scotland,  in  1828,  to  Margaret  McKewen.  They 
have  three  daughters  living.  Their  only  son 
died  at  the  age  of  fifteen  years.  Mrs.  Reid  died 
in  April,  1889. 


~-^.->.j-5-.-<- 

fEORGE  WASHINGTON  HARLOW, 
farmer.  Brighton  Township,  was  born  in 
Franklin  County,  Illinois,  on  the  National 
Road,  110  miles  due  east  of  St.  Louis,  August 
12,  1828.  His  father,  Isaiah  Harlow,  was  born 
and  brought  up  in  old  Virginia,  eighteen  miles 
from  Richmond,  on  the  sea-coast.  His  mother, 
nee  Margaret  Carr,  was  born  on  the  place  called 
Burke  Garden,  Tazewell  Court-house,  West 
Virginia,  where  she  was  married,  and  where  she 
and  her  husband  resided  six  years,  moving  to 
Illinois  with  three  children  and  with  five  horses 
and  a  wagon,  and  settled  in  Franklin  County. 
Mr.  Harlow  exchanged  the  wagon  and  three 
horses   for   the   farm   claim.     The    ])lace  l>cing 


HISTORY    OF    SACRAMENTO    COUNTY. 


heavily  timbered,  much  time  and  arduous  labor 
were  required  to  clear  it  up;  but  he  persevered 
until  he  subdued  to  cultivation  a  very  large 
Held.  After  living  there  about  eighteen  years 
he  moved  to  Dane  County,  Wisconsin,  bought 
land  upon  the  main  road  from  Galena  into  the 
Wisconsin  pineries,  built  a  hotel  and  conducted 
it  about  four  years,  when  he  died.  Mrs.  Harlow 
continued  to  make  that  her  home  until  her  chil- 
dren were  all  grown  up  and  married,  and  then 
she  lived  with  them  until  her  death,  which  took 
place  February  14, 1882,  at  the  home  of  her  son 
Isaiah  Harlow,  in  Howard  County,  Iowa.  She  had 
eight  children:  John,  Cynthia,  William,  Eliza- 
beth, George  W.  (the  subject  of  this  sketch), 
Isaiah,  Susan  and  Mary.  George  W.  is  the  only  one 
of  these  now  living.  After  the  death  of  his  father 
the  farm  fell  to  him  and  his  brother  Isaiah,  who 
conducted  it  some  time.  It  was  afterwards  sold 
and  he  moved  to  Howard  County,  Iowa,  where 
his  mother  lived  with  him  until  he  came  to 
California;  she  then  went  to  live  with  Isaiah. 
Mr.  Harlow  followed  farming,  and  in  1857  or 
1858  built  a  saw-mill  and  ran  it  about  five 
years,  there  being  a  large  quantity  of  gopd  tim- 
ber in  the  vicinity.  May  2,  1863,  he  left  home 
for  visiting  friends  in  New  York  State,  prepara- 
tory to  coming  to  California.  In  the  spring  of 
1864  he  took  the  steamer  North  Star  at  New 
York  city  and  came  by  way  of  the  Isthmus  and 
the  old  steamer  Sonora  to  San  Francisco,  arriv- 
ing May  28.  Coining  to  Sacramento,  he  bought 
an  outfit  here  and  went  over  the  mountains  to 
Bodie,  Mono  County,  California,  and  worked  in 
the  mines  during  the  summer  of  1863.  Re- 
turning to  this  valley,  he  rented  a  farm  in  Yolo 
County,  three  miles  above  Sacramento,  and  lived 
there  during  the  season  of  1864.  In  the  fall 
he  went  over  to  Bodie  again  and  followed  team- 
ing, hauling  material  for  building  quartz-mills. 
In  the  fall  of  1865  he  located  upon  his  present 
place,  which  he  bought  from  the  railroad  com- 
pany and  where  he  has  resided  ever  since.  His 
farm  then  had  160  acres  with  but  very  little 
improvements.  There  was  a  small  shanty,  in 
which  he  lived  about  two  years,  and   then   built 


his  present  house  on  the  ridge.  There  were  no 
fences;  there  were  some  old  ditches,  and  now 
and  then  a  post  stuck  in  the  ground  with  a  few 
nails  in  it.  At  present  the  place  comprises  140 
acres,  under  the  best  of  improvements.  Nine 
acres  are  in  a  good  vineyard,  and  there  ai-e  about 
500  good  fruit  trees  four  years  old,  in  full  bear- 
ing. Off  of  four  acres  of  four-year-old  Zinfan- 
dels  he  sold  forty-seven  tons,  and  there  were  two 
tons  besides  wasted,  which  is  about  as  good  a 
showing  as  can  be  made  in  Sacramento  County. 
Mr.  Harlow  is  a  member  of  the  Masonic  order, 
and  of  the  Reorganized  Church  of  the  Latter- 
day  Saints  in  Sacramento;  he  has  been  a  mem- 
bec  of  this  church  thirty  years.  Since  the 
outbreak  of  the  Rebellion  he  has  been  a  Repub- 
lican. The  Republican  County  Convention  in 
1887  non:inated  him  for  the  office  of  Public 
Administrator,  and  he  was  elected  by  a  majority 
of  507,  when,  to  administer  the  duties  of  the 
office,  he  changed  his  residence  to  the  city.  He 
was  married  February  4,  1848,  to  Ann  Lee,  in 
Wisconsin;  she  is  a  native  of  Norway.  They 
have  live  children:  John  Marion,  Justus,  Jacob 
Jesse,  Frances  Matilda  and  Ida  Laodicea.  They 
lost  three — Obadiah,  Mary  Docia  and  Dora  Ann, 
all  of  whom  died  in  the  East. 


tOUIS  GERBER,  wholesale  butcher,  of 
Sutter  Township,  was  born  in  1854,  in 
Buffalo,  New  York.  His  parents,  Pan- 
talion  and  Sybil  Gerber,  were  natives  of  Ger- 
many, and  came  to  the  United  States  in  1837; 
they  lived  twenty-three  years  in  Buffalo,  where 
Mr.  Gerber  was  engaged  in  the  butcher  busi- 
ness, to  which  he  had  been  brought  up  in  the 
old  country.  In  April,  1860,  he  came  to  Cali- 
fornia, by  way  of  New  York  and  the  Isthmus, 
and  located  in  Sacramento;  and  here  he  fol- 
lowed his  favorite  calling  until  his  death  in 
1878,  in  Germany,  whither  he  had  gone  on  ac- 
count of  ill  health.  His  widow  is  still  living, 
at  the  age  of  seventy-five  years,  with  her  sons, 
on   the   ranch.      In  their  family  were    four  sons 


HISTORY    OF    SACRAMENTO    COUNTY. 


and  one  daiigliter:  John,  Henry,  William  E., 
Luuis  and  Anna  M., — all  residents  of  this 
county.  William  E.  is  a  director  in  the  Cali- 
fornia State  Bank  in  Sacramento,  where  he  is 
employed;  Henry  is  in  the  bntchering  business 
and  in  the  hop  trade;  and  John  and  Lonis  have 
their  cattle  ranch  in  Klamath  County,  Oregon. 
In  the  home  ranch  here,  two  miles  from  Sacra- 
mento, they  have  110  acres;  and  they  also  have 
800  acres  near  Florin.  It  is  all  very  fine  prop- 
erty. Mr.  Louis  Gerber  is  a  member  of  lodge 
^'o.  42,  K.  of  P.,  of  Sacramento.  He  and  his 
brothers,  John  and  Henry,  are  yet  unmarried. 


fSAAC  GREATHOUSE  HALL  wa^  born  in 
Spencer  County,  Indiana,  October  22,  1828- 
^  his  parents  being  Shadrac  and  Mary  (see 
sketch  of  R.  B.  Hall).  I.  G.  Hall  came  to  the 
Pacific  Coast  in  1852  by  the  Oregon  route,  ar- 
riving in  Portland,  September  3,  without  a 
cent.  He  first  went  to  work  in  a  saw-mill,  but 
after  one  mouth  of  that  drudgery  he  started  on 
foot  for  the  mines  in  northern  Oregon,  and 
made  the  journey  of  300  miles,  carrying  his 
blankets,  provisions  and  gun.  Counting  the 
2,700  miles,  more  or  less,  across  the  plains, 
nearly  all  of  which  was  also  made  afoot,  his  six 
months  of  almost  steady  travel,  antedating  the 
era  of  walking  matches  and  tramps,  probably 
beat  the  record,  but  as  will  be  seen  presently  it 
was  only  an  .nitial  spnrt  in  the  walking  career 
of  the  subject  of  this  sketch.  He  did  some 
mining,  but  more  prospecting,  in  Oregon, 
north,  east  and  south,  and  in  1853  crossed  into 
California.  Here  he  mined  for  four  or  five 
years  on  Scott  and  Klamath  Rivers,  aceunuilat, 
ing  about  84,000.  In  1858  he  went  into  the 
business  of  freighting  from  Crescent  City,  Del 
Norte  County,  to  the  mines,  whieii  he  followed 
two  years,  and  then  went  to  mining  in  Placer 
County  for  ten  months.  In  the  autumn  of  1861 
he  came  down  to  the  Sacramento  River  and 
bought  the  ranch  of  100  acres  which  he  now 
owns  on  Grand    Island,  about  twenty-five  miles 


below  Sacramento.  Early  in  September  of  that 
year  he  made  an  arrangement  with  his  brother, 
R.  B.,  to  take  charge  of  the  place  and  be  half 
owner,  leaving  himself  free  to  follow  his  bent 
for  traveling,  mining  and  prospecting.  Ac- 
cordingly by  the  middle  of  the  month  he  was 
ready  for  the  road,  and  was  not  again  seen  by 
his  brother  for  more  than  fourteen  years.  He 
first  went  to  Idaho,  where  he  mined  a  year  and 
"  freighted  "  several  years,  with  a  net  result  of 
losing  in  one  great  storm  all  he  had  made  in 
six  years.  He  then  went  to  mining  again,  and 
soon  again  to  freighting  in  Montana  and  Ore- 
gon, and  afterward  to  working  for  another  in 
the  same  line  for  a  few  months.  Finally,  in 
company  with  some  others,  he  set  out  for  the 
far  north.  Wintering  in  1869  on  the  head- 
waters of  the  Missouri,  they  traveled  in  the 
spring  across  the  country  to  the  head  of  the 
Columbia,  then  to  the  Eraser,  which  they  crossed 
at  the  mouth  of  the  Kanawl,  then  along  the 
Russian  telegraph  line  to  Stewart  Lake,  then  up 
the  lake  by  boat  to  Lake  Tattler,  and  again  by 
land  across  the  Rocky  Mountains  to  Peace 
River,  which  they  followed  to  Great  Slave  Lake, 
about  200  miles  short  of  the  shore  of  the  .Arc- 
tic Ocean.  Here  Mr.  Hall  spent  two  years 
prospecting,  and  then  returned  across  Alaska, 
walking  250  miles  over  the  snow  to  the  head  of 
Skene  River,  where  the  party,  then  about  fif- 
teen in  number,  built  a  boat  and  came  down 
that  river  to  Fort  Essington  at  its  mouth.  In 
the  spring  of  1872  they  came  by  a  British 
steamer  to  Victoria,  Vancouver  Island,  and 
thence  to  Puget  Sound.  Here  Mr.  Hall  re- 
mained two  years,  and  entered  160  acres,  which 
he  sold  for  $1,200,  and  returned  to  his  home  on 
Grand  Island  in  1876.  Off  again  in  1879  he 
went  to  mining  in  Montana  for  three  months, 
and  afterward  superintended  the  construction  of 
a  stage  road  from  Bonanza  City  to  Blackford 
city,  Utah,  for  ten  months,  and  once  more  re- 
turned to  Grand  Island  in  the  autumn  of  1880, 
by  way  of  Salt  Lake  City  and  Sacramento. 
Concluding  to  spend  ihe  remainder  of  his  years 
under  his  own  vine  and  fig-tree,  lie  liought   his 


UISrOHY    OF    SACRAMENTO    COUNTY. 


brother's  half-interest  in  the  ranch,  and  has  since 
devoted  his  attention  to  its  management.  He 
has  tliirty  acres  in  orchard  and  five  in  vineyard. 
He  also  raises  some  blooded  stock,  keeping 
eight  or  ten  brood-mares  and  half  as  many  short- 
horn Durhams.  Besides  the  extensive  land 
travels  already  mentioned  Mr.  Hall  Tias  made  a 
trip  to  Nevada,  and  half  a  dozen  or  more  voy- 
ages from  San  Francisco  to  Tuget  Sound,  on 
two  of  which  he  went  as  far  as  Alaska.  In  fact 
he  has  been  a  land  and  sea  rover,  with  brief  in- 
termissions, from  1852  to  1880,  and  may  be 
said  to  have  some  claim  to  be  regarded  as  the 
great  American  traveler  of  the  third  quarter  of 
this  century.  He  carries  as  a  memorial  of  his 
raining  days  a  $220  gold  watch,  the  heavy  cases 
of  which  he  had  made  in  San  Francisco  of  the 
gold  he  had  first  gathered  nearly  forty  years  ago. 


tLEXANDER^  GOLDBERG,  farmer  and 
orchardist,  near  Sacramento,  was  born  in 
Berlin,  Prussia,  March  18,  1833,  and  re- 
mained with  his  parents  until  he  was  eighteen 
years  of  age.  From  the  age  of  fourteen  he 
worked  at  the  baker's  trade.  After  visiting 
Hamburg,  London  and  Liverpool,  in  1850,  he 
sailed  for  New  York,  arriving  in  December. 
First  he  was  employed  for  four  months  in  a 
brick-yard  in  New  Jersey,  near  Washington; 
next,  was  engaged  in  a  bakery  in  Washington 
eight  months;  then  for  two  years  he  was  cook  for 
seventy-five  men  employed  in  the  brick-yard 
where  he  formerly  worked;  for  the  next  nine 
months  he  was  proprietor  of  a  bakery  on  Mont- 
rose avenue,  in  Williamsburg,  during  which 
time  he  was  married  to  Margaret  Horn;  and 
finally  he  came  to  California  by  the  Nicaragua 
route,  landing  at  San  Francisco  July  3.  For 
the  first  three  months  he  was  employed  in 
Winn's  confectionery  and  ice-cream  saloon,  on 
Kearny  street,  that  city;  next  he  was  employed 
in  mining  three  weeks  on  Gutcher's  Bar,  on  the 
Yuba  River;  then  nine  months  at  the  Metro- 
politan   Restaurant  and    ice-cream    saloon,    on 


Montgomery  street,  in  San  Francisco;  mined 
awhile  at  Omega,  Nevada  County,  where  he 
erected  a  building  for  a  hotel,  restaurant  and 
bakery.  A  year  and  a  half  afterward  he  sold 
out  this  establishment,  came  to  Sacramento  and 
kept  a  saloon  on  Third  street  for  a  time.  Sell- 
ing out  this,  he  entered  a  quarter-section  of  land 
in  Yolo  County,  near  Buckeye,  now  Winters. 
Followed  farming  there  about  ten  years,  sold 
out,  went  to  New  York  and  to  Europe  on  a  visit 
to  his  old  home.  Returned  to  Sacramento  in 
1867  and  bought  640  acres  four  miles  east  of 
Elk  Grove,  and  followed  agriculture  there  about 
eighteen  years.  In  1880  he  again  visited  Eu- 
rope. A  year  and  a  half  after  returning  he  sold 
his  farm  and  moved  into  Sacramento  and  re- 
folded here  one  year.  Then,  in  1885,  he  bought 
Swiss  Station,  on  the  upper  Stockton  road,  about 
a  mile  and  a  quarter  from  the  city  linjits,  and 
this  is  his  present  residence.  The  ranch  con- 
tains 119  acres,  and  is  devoted  to  fruit  and 
grain;  twenty  acres  are  in  grapes.  Considering 
what  little  he  had  to  start  with,  and  the  expenses 
he  has  incurred  in  visiting  distant  countries, 
etc.,  it  is  indeed  a  wonder  how  well  he  has  man- 
aged. He  is  a  member  of  Schiller  Lodge,  No. 
105,  I.  O.  O.  F.,  of  Sacramento.  His  children 
are:   Fritz,  Emma,  Amelia  and  Gustave. 


fOIlN  GOSLIN,  a  rancher,  was  born  in  Eng- 
land, September  20,  1830,  a  son  of  William 
and  Jane  (Tyler)  Goslin,  also  natives  of  that 
country,  who  left  England  about  1834  and  set- 
tled in  Oakland  County,  Michigan,  near  Pon- 
tiac,  purchasing  land  there  and  following 
agricultural  pursuits  until  their  death, — he  at 
the  age  of  about  fifty  years,  and  she  about  forty. 
John  left  the  old  home  in  1852  and  started  for 
California  with  a  party  of  twenty-one,  and  in 
five  months  reached  this  State,  after  a  compara- 
tively pleasant  journey.  Asiatic  cholera  was 
the  principal  disaster,  but  they  were  well  equip- 
ped, having  among  them  a  doctor,  a  carpenter 
and  a  blacksmith;   but  the  doctor  was  the  only 


IIISTOHY    OF    SACU^UIENTO    COUNTY. 


member  of  the  party  who  died  with  the  cholera, 
as  he  was  peculiarly  exposed.  His  death  was 
greatly  mourned.  Arriving  in  Sacramento  in 
September,  Mr.  Goslin  immediately  began  work 
for  wages,  on  Griffith's  ranch,  continuing  about 
nine  months.  Then  he  took  163  acres  of  land 
where  his  home  now  is  and  cultivated  it  ten 
years.  Leaving  it,  but  not  selling  it,  he  went  to 
teaming  in  the  mountains.  In  1861-'62  he 
lost  everything  by  the  floods  excepting  the  land 
itself;  the  loss  was  estimated  at  §10,000.  He 
resumed  work  upon  his  ranch  and  there  he  has 
since  remained,  improving  it  until  he  has  made 
it  a  model  home.  Two  and  a  half  acres  are  in 
vineyard  and  small  orchard  for  family  use.  He 
has  200  acres  of  line  land,  and  on  the  place  is 
a  good  school,  five  miles  from  the  center  of  Sac- 
ramento, on  the  lower  Stockton  road.  He  has 
seen  his  share  of  pioneer  life  in  California,  but 
feels  well  paid  for  his  endurance.  He  was  mar- 
ried in  1868  to  Miss  Cordelia,  daughter  of  La- 
fayette Sheplar,  a  resident  of  Illinois,  and  pre- 
viously of  Ohio.  She  came  to  California  about 
1858.  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Goslin  have  two  sons  and 
two  daughters:  Ida  May,  Bertha  G.,  Norman 
It.  and  Howard  L.  George  W.  died  at  the  age 
of  five  years. 


:YMAN  McMITCHELL,  son  of  John 
and  Zilpa  (Eaton)  McMitchell,  both 
natives  of  Fairfield,  Herkimer  County, 
New  York,  was  born  September  20,  1820,  at 
Little  Falls,  Herkimer  County,  New  York.  In 
1849  he  came  to  this  coast,  sailing  on  the 
brig  Empire,  Captain  Baxter,  on  Sunday,  Feb- 
ruary 16,  1849,  from  New  York  for  Vera  Cruz, 
came  across  Mexico  to  San  Bias,  from  there  by 
schooner  to  San  Francisco,  reaching  there  the 
last  day  of  May.  He  came  up  to  Sacramento 
from  San  Francisco  in  June,  1849,  and  eno-acred 
with  the  Union  line  of  steamers  in  1851-'54. 
The  river  trafiic  at  that  time  was  immense;  with 
the  C.  S.  N.  Company  might  be  mentioned  the 
steamers     Senator,     New     AYorld,    Wilson     G. 


Hunt,  the  Confidence,  and  later  the  Bragdon, 
Grilda,  which  ran  through  to  Marysville,  and 
others.  With  this  company  and  its  successors, 
the  Central  Pacific  Railroad,  he  has  been  all 
these  years,  having  charge  of  the  freight  de- 
partment. October  11,  1859,  he  was  married 
to  Harriet  Upegraff,  now  deceased,  daughter  of 
Captain  James  Upegraif,  who  came  across  the 
plains  in  1849.     He  has  one  daughter  living. 


fHE  GLANN  FAMILY.— The  given  name 
of  the  first  progenitor  of  this  family  in 
America  is  not  preserved  in  their  tradi- 
tions. About  a  generation  before  the  Eevolu- 
tion,  a  Scotch  sailor,  who  was  also  part  owner 
of  the  vessel  in  which  he  sailed,  came  to  Turk 
Island  for  a  cargo  of  rock-salt  for  the  Liverpool 
market.  He  is  said  to  have  been  al^  possessed 
of  a  title  to  an  island  named  Yincent  Island,  in 
the  ocean;  the  name  thereof  may  have  been 
changed.  Be  this  as  it  may,  the  risks  of  the 
great  deep  soon  swept  away  not  only  his  pros- 
pective lordship  of  an  island,  but  also  his  actual 
property,  which  was  all  aboard  his  vessel,  and 
seriously  jeopardized  his  life.  While  engaged 
in  shipping  the  cargo,  and  when  the  vessel  was 
almost  fully  laden,  Mr.  Glann  was  taken  sick 
with  a  fever  and  became  delirious.  Then  a 
terrific  storm  arose  which  wrenched  the  ship 
from  her  moorings,  and  compelled  the  throwing 
overboard  of  the  cargo.  Every  sail  and  mast 
and  spar  was  swept  away,  and  only  the  hull  of 
the  vessel  and  the  lives  of  the  crew  were  saved. 
They  drifted  about  for  many  weeks,  when  they 
were  finally  picked  up  by  a  vessel  bound  for 
New  York,  and  when  they  landed  in  that  city 
Mr.  Glann  found  himself  in  possession  of  a 
single  groat!  Then  and  there  he  soon  came  to 
the  conclusion  tiiat  he  had  seen  enough  of  the 
vicissitudes  of  a  seafaring  life, and  investing  his 
groat  in  biscuits  he  puslied  toward  the  country 
in  (juest  of  work.  At  Kingsbridge  he  fell  in 
with  a  Dutch  farmer  who  set  him  to  threshing, 
and    he  wielded  the  flail    with   such   enerifv  and 


mSTOMY    OF    SACRAMENTO    COUNTy. 


success  that  he  got  a  permanent  job.  After 
three  years  he  married  a  daughter  of  hid  em- 
ployer, and  continued  to  work  for  his  father-in- 
law  until  he  was  able  to  run  a  farm  on  his  own 
account.  He  lived  and  died  near  Kingsbridge. 
Of  his  offspring,  the  branch  of  his  family  with 
which  the  history  of  Sacramento  County  is  con- 
cerned, have  knowledge  only  of  two  sons, — 
James,  their  grandfather,  and  John,  his  brother. 
James  and  John  Glann  (or  Glenn,  as  the  name, 
it  is  thought,  was  then  written)  were  young 
men  when  the  war  of  the  Revolution  broke  out, 
and  both  enlisted,  serving  under  Generals 
Greene  and  Washington.  They  were  in  the 
battle  of  Long  Island,  and  there  John  was 
killed,  and  buried  in  the  sand.  James  fought 
through  the  war,  and  took  up  a  "soldier's 
right"  on  the  line  which  divides  Sussex  County, 
!New  Jersey,  from  Orange  County,  New  York, 
as  the  chiej^  market  town  of  the  district.  This 
was  the  homestead,  and  on  this  he  settled  per- 
manently after  the  war.  He  married  into  a 
German  family  named  Catlin.  It  was  he,  as  is 
thought  most  probable,  that  changed  the  name 
to  Glann,  as  the  Kingsbridge  branch  still  write 
it  Glenn.  His  son,  Nathaniel,  learned  from 
him  that  he  was  induced  by  an  old  Scotch 
schoolmaster  to  make  the  change,  as  being 
more  in  accord  with  the  old  Scotch  or  Gaelic 
tongue.  Glann  is,  in  fact,  the  exact  equivalent 
of  the  English  Glenn,  from  the  common  name 
glen,  a  narrow  defile  or  valley.  A  hero  of  the 
Revolution  would  naturally  be  glad  to  find  a 
reason  so  legitimate  for  breaking  off  all  associa- 
tion of  his  name  with  his  late  enemj'  and  the 
subjugator  of  his  race  as  well.  He  died  at 
about  the  age  of  eighty,  and  his  wife  at  about 
100.  Mr.  and  Mrs.  James  Glann  were  the 
parents  of  nine  children :  William,  James,  John, 
who  became  a  school-teacher  and  lived  to  a  good 
age;  Nathaniel  (see  below);  Vincent,  who  died 
in  1885,  aged  about  eighty-eight  years;  Nancy, 
who  married  Ralph  Van  Houten,  a  farmer  of 
Steuben  County,  New  York;  Jennie  married 
James  C.  Rowley,  a  blacksmith,  near  tlie  old 
homestead;   Hannah  married  David  Mercereaii, 


owner  of  one  of  the  largest  farms  on  the  Sus- 
quehanna, near  Oswego,  New  i'ork;  Rhoda 
married  Martin  Wilson,  a  farmer,  who  after- 
ward became  the  owner  of  the  old  soldier's 
homestead.  Nathaniel  Glann,  the  third  son  of 
James,  was  born  in  1793,  and  remained  with 
his  father  until  he  was  of  age.  He  received  a 
good  district-school  education,  partly  under  his 
brother  John.  He  then  went  to  work  on  his 
own  account,  and  at  about  the  age  of  twenty- 
two  settled  on  a  farm  adjoining  that  of  his 
brother  John,  in  Steuben  County,  near  Ham- 
mondsport,  New  York.  While  on  a  visit  to  his 
uncle,  Nathaniel  Catlin,  at  Oswego,  he  became 
acquainted  with  the  Mercereau  family,  and  in 
1817  he  was  married  to  Miss  Catherine  Merce- 
reau, daughter  of  one  of  the  well-known  New 
York  families  of  that  name.  He  was,  a  black- 
smith by  trade,  and  was  living  on  Staten  Island 
at  the  time  of  the  Revolution.  He  afterward 
moved  to  Oswego,  and  was  over  ninety  j'ears 
old  when  he  died.  His  wife,  who  was  English 
by  birth  or  descent,  lived  to  the  age  of  106 
years.  About  1832  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Nathaniel 
Glann,  with  six  children,  left  Hammondsport, 
in  the  Indian-summer  time,  with  the  accompani- 
ment of  the  first  flurry  of  snow,  for  the  great 
West,  by  way  of  Penn  Yan,  Dausville  and 
Buffalo.  There  they  engaged  passage  for  fam- 
ily and  wagon  on  the  steamer  Henry  Clay.  At 
the  moment  of  departure,  Mr.  Glann,  with  his 
horses  and  one  boy,  were  refused  passage  on  the 
claim  that  the  steamer  was  already  too  heavily 
laden.  With  the  rest  of  his  family  and  goods 
aboard,  he  and  his  boy  were  compelled  to  go  by 
land.  The  family  was'  put  ashore  at  Port 
Huron,  where  they  were  soon  rejoined  by  the 
father  and  son,  but  too  late  in  the  season  to 
reach  their  intended  destination  in  Illinois.  He 
concluded  to  proceed  to  Tiftin,  Seneca  County, 
Ohio,  where  Thomas  Baker,  formerly  of  Ham- 
mondsport, had  settled  some  time  before.  Ar- 
rived there,  he  rented  a  house  and  obtained 
work  for  himself  and  two  of  his  boys,  from  Mr. 
Baker.  In  1833  he  moved  to  one  of  Mr. 
Baker's  farms,  and   there  raised  a  crop.     Mean- 


HISTORY    OP    SAGBAMENTO    COUNTY. 


while  Mrs.  Glann's  brothers,  Henry  and  Cor- 
neille  Mercereau,  liad  inoved  from  Oswego, 
New  York,  to  Toledo,  Ohio,  where  Mr.  Glann 
visited  them,  and  being  pleased  with  the  loca- 
tion he  also  bought  land  there.  In  the  spring 
of  1834  he  moved  to  Toledo,  traveling  over  the 
forty  miles  of  black  swamp,  rendered  almost 
impassable  by  the  movements  of  the  Ohio 
militia,  then  engaged  in  the  "Ohio  and  Michi- 
gan war."  Arrived  in  Toledo,  he  iitted  up  an 
old  vacant  house  on  the  farm  of  Henry  Merce-  ' 
reau,  for  a  temporary  home,  and  put  in  a  crop 
on  his  own  farm  of  eighty  acres.  He  also  rented 
the  farm  of  Corneille  Mercereau,  who  had  gone 
into  business  in  Toledo,  which  he  kept  for  two 
years.  In  1834  he  bought  forty  acres  about  a 
mile  away,  and  160  acres  some  twenty  miles 
distant.  In  1835  he  built  a  house  on  his 
original  eighty  acres.  In  1844  he  bought  160 
acres  across  the  road  from  his  place,  and  in 
1850  he  built  a  larger  and  better  home.  Mrs. 
Glann  died  in  1858,  aged  sixty-one.  Mr.  Glann 
died  November  27, 1875,  aged  eighty-two.  Mr. 
and  Mrs.  Nathaniel  Glann  were  the  parents  of 
ten  children,  of  whom  seven  were  born  near 
Hammondsport:  James,  born  about  1818,  was 
tirst  married  to  Miss  Chloe  Ann  Lewis,  who 
died  without  issue;  his  second  wife  was  Susan 
Poseland,  a  native  of  England,  by  wiiom  he  had 
two  boys,  William  and  Archibald.  Ann  Eliza- 
beth, born  about  1820,  married  William  Cheney, 
a  carpenter  and  builder  of  Toledo;  they  were 
tiie  parents  of  Calferna  and  Elizabeth  Cheney, 
both  married.  Their  mother  died  in  1852. 
Henry,  born  about  1828,  was  married  to  Miss 
Eliza  Layburn,  an  American  of  English  parent- 
age. They  are  the  parents  of  Nathaniel  P.,  of 
the  lirm  of  Bick  &  Glann,  boot  and  shoe  deal- 
ers, of  Toledo;  and  of  Alice,  who  was  married 
to  Ferd  Haughteii,  a  farmer,  and  who  have  sons 
and  daughters.  Vincent  (see  below).  Calphur- 
nia  died  about  1830,  aged  three  years.  David, 
born  about  1829,  was  married  to  Ann  Poseland, 
a  sister  of  Mrs.  .lames  Glann.  They  are  the 
parents  of  one  son  and  one  daughter.  Daniel 
(see  below).    William,  born  in  1833,  near  Tiffin, 


Ohio,  was  accidentally  killed  with  his  owii  gun, 
while  hunting,  aged  about  twenty.  Peter  (see 
below).  Catherine,  born  about  1838,  married 
David  Upton.  They  were  for  many  years  resi- 
dents of  this  county,  but  are  now  living  in 
Monterey.  Their  children  are:  Mary,  William 
Cassius  and  Myrtle.  Mary  is  now  Mrs.  William 
Nelms,  and  the  mother  of  two  daughters;  Will- 
iam C.  is  married  to  Miss  Minnie  Garrett,  and 
they  have  one  daughter.  All  the  cliildren  of 
Nathaniel  Glann  received  the  limited  district- 
school  education  usual  in  their  school  days. 


fINCENT,  DANIEL  and  PETER 
GLANN. — These  three  sons  of  Nathaniel 
and  Catharine  (Mercereau)  Glann,  having 
been  closely  associated  in  business  in  this  county, 
their  lives  and  labors  and  the  results  will  be 
treated  conjointly  in  this  sketch.  Vincent 
Glann  was  born  July  10,  1825,  and  lived  with 
his  parents  until  1846,  working  successively  on 
the  farms  in  Hammondsport,  Tiffin  and  Toledo 
from  the  time  he  was  able  to  render  any  assist- 
ance until  he  reached  his  majority.  Promptly 
thereupon  he  demanded  wages  and  received  $1 
a  day  from  his  father  for  the  first  week  after  he 
had  arrived  at  legal  manhood.  He  then  went 
to  work  for  his  uncle,  Henry  Mercereau,  and 
a  Mr.  Ketchum.  In  1847  he  worked  on  a  sec- 
tion of  the  railroad;  in  1848  he  worked  for 
Doctor  Miner  as  a  farm  hand;  in  1849  for  Ed- 
ward Upton.  As  a  farm  laborer  he  received 
$12  a  month  and  board,  and  his  engagement 
always  closed  with  the  opening  of  the  deer- 
hunting  season,  he  being  an  expert  deer-stalker. 
From  his  youth  up  he  lias  had  a  passion  for 
hunting,  seldom  going  to  school  without  taking 
his  gun,  which  he  concealed  in  some  convenient 
thicket.  In  1850  he  and  his  brother  Henry 
rented  the  farm  of  their  uncle,  Henry  Mercer- 
eau, and  held.it  three  years  at  §300  a  year. 
They  have  ever  since  remained  closely  associated, 
"a  sort  of  moral  partnership,"  in  their  Toledo 
interests.      In    1853    they    bought    the    Doctor 


HISTORY    OF    SACRAMENTO    COUNTY. 


Minei*  farm  of  96.48  acres,  and  afterward  some 
other  farms.  Vincent  Glann  left  his  home, 
November   5,   and    New  York,   November   15, 

1855,  for  California  by  the  Panama  route,  ar- 
riving ill  San  P'rancisco,  December  10.  His 
father  had  preceded  him  in  the  spring  to  visit 
his  sons,  Daniel  and  David,  at  Elk  Grove  in 
that  county,  where  Vincent  and  his  cousin, 
Peter  Mercereau,  who  had  accompanied  him, 
spent  two  weeks  visiting  their  relatives  and 
hunting.  With  his  father  and  cousin  he  started 
for  the  American  Piver,  by  stage  from  Sacra- 
mento to  Hangtown,  afoot  to  Georgetown, 
across  the  Middle  Fork  at  Gray  Eagle  and 
thence  by  Sage  Hill  to  Michigan  Bluffs.  Stayed 
there  fourteen  days.  Father  and  .he  then  pro- 
ceeded to  Last  Chance,  and  there  he  hired  out 
as  a  miner  at  $75  a  month.  The  winter  soon 
broke  and  so  did  his  einployei-.  Mr.  Glann 
had  meanwhile  taken   up  a  claim    in   January, 

1856,  and  this  he  proceeded  to  work.  Alone 
he  dug  a  ditch  to  bring  water  to  his  claim,  and 
with  his  brother  Daniel,  who  had  preceded  him 
to  the  mines,  he  built  a  cabin.  Working  with 
his  whip-saw  he  constructed  sluices  and  took  up 
a  hydraulic  claim  of  seventy-five  feet  frontage 
and  extending  back  to  the  center  of  the  hill. 
He  added  two  other  claims  of  equal  dimensions, 
representing  the  three  by  his  own  work,  two 
days  a  week  to  each.  Then  with  two  partners 
he  tried  Miller's  Defeat  farther  up,  which  proved 
also  a  defeat  to  him,  as  on  settling  up  on  August 
1,  1856,  his  partners  reported  no  assets.  Con- 
cluding to  try  the  lower  country  for  a  season, 
he  traveled  back  to  his  cabin  where  lie  left  his 
blankets,  and  pushed  forward  in  light  marching 
order  for  the  plains  looking  for  farm-work. 
After  a  weary  tramp  he  reached  Elk  Grove  and 
went  to  work  for  Norman  Woodbeck,  on  the 
Cosumnes,  pressing  hay,  at  $55  a  month.  His 
brother  Daniel  having  also  returned  from  the 
mines  they  worked  together  pressing  hay  for 
various  parties,  and  in  building  a  dam.  This 
brought  them  to  November  1,  when  they  re- 
turned to  the  mines,  having  accumulated  enough 
ttrbuy  the  necessary  provisions  and  other  supplies 


forawinter'scampaign.  Daniel  went  to  mining  at 
Keokuk  Point,  and  Vincent  went  to  Last  Chance. 
In  tlie  spring  he  sold  two  shares  of  his  claim 
to  two  Swedes.  After  a  time,  desiring  to  find 
some  diggings  that  could  be  worked  in  summer, 
he  went  on  alone  to  Miller's  Defeat.  Here  he 
struck  a  good  spot  in  1857.  In  the  winter  of 
1857-'58  he  again  worked  with  his  partners  at 
Last  Chance.  In  the  spring  of  1858,  the  three 
partners  bought  a  half  interest  in  the  Canada- 
Hill  claim.  The  four  owners  worked  both  claims 
and  did  a  good  business;  the  fourth  partner  re- 
turned to  Sweden,  having  "made  enough." 
Mr.  Glann  sold  his  interest  to  two  Danes  who 
were  acceptable  to  his  partners,  and  came  down 
to  Sage  Hill,  where  he  bought  a  claim,  his 
brother  Daniel  being  still  at  Keokuk  Point.  In 
his  new  claim  he  took  a  partner,  L.  Morse;  and 
they  worked  it  together.  Peter  Glann  arrived 
in  the  mines  in  November,  1858,  and  worked 
with  his  brother  Daniel.  The  water  gave  out 
late  in  the  spring  of  1859,  and  Vincent  Glann 
went  on  a  sporting  tour,  while  Peter  Glann 
caine  down  to  Bird's  Valley.  Meanwhile  Vin- 
cent and  Daniel  bought  an  interest  in  the  old 
Specimen  claim,  and  the  former  went  to  work 
there,  Daniel  and  Peter  coming  down  to  the 
Sacramento  Valley,  where  the  former,  in  part- 
nership with  his  brother-in-law,  David  Upton, 
had  bought  1,130  acres  on  the  Mokelumne.  In 
December,  1859,  Vincent  bought  out  Upton's 
half  interest  in  the  ranch,  and  also  320  acres 
near  Elk  Grove.  In  1860  Vincent  and  Daniel 
went  back  to  the  mines,  and  worked  there  till 
water  failed,  when  Daniel  returned  to  the  ranch. 
Vincent  went  to  Auburn,  Placer  County,  and 
was  there  engaged  as  an  assistant  or  guide  to  a 
surveying  party,  occupied  with  laying  outa  road 
from  Auburn,  Placer  County,  to  Virginia  City, 
Nevada.  He  was  able  to  render  good  service  as 
guide,  from  his  experience  as  prospector  and 
hunter  while  enjoying  an  exceptional  chance  on 
Lake  Tahoe  and  elsewhere  on  the  road,  Xo  in- 
dulge his  love  of  hunting.  In  1861  Peter 
Glann  enlisted  as  a  volunteer,  Daniel  attended 
to  the  ranch,  atid  Vincent   still    worked    the  old 


1    — 


-yk'^.Af.J.^ltn^ 


^.^.^k.yZ^. 


HISTORY    OF    SACRAMENTO    COUNTY. 


Specimen  claim.  In  1862,  Peter  returned  after 
eighteen  months'  service  in  tiie  army,  having 
been  wounded  in  the  left  arm  and  partially  dis- 
abled. He  rejoined  his  brother  Daniel  on  the 
ranch,  while  Vincent  still  kept  on  mining  in  the 
old  Specimen  claim  until  1868,  returning  every 
summer  to  the  ranch,  when  the  water  failed  at 
the  mines.  From  the  profits  of  mine  and  farm, 
"by  slow  and  steady  accumulation,"  the  three 
brothers  continued  tn  buy  land  at  intervals  for 
nineteen  years  longer.  Seventeen  distinct  par- 
cels of  land  were  thus  united  into  one  compact 
ranch  of  5,310  acres,  making  with  ninety-eight 
acres  owned  across  the  Mokelumne  a  grand  total 
of  5,408  acres,  all  earned  by  their  joint  labor. 
It  is  devoted  to  general  farming,  to  the  raising 
of  horses  and  cattle  and  the  running  of  a  dairy 
of  150  cows  or  more.  They  also  buy  and  sell 
stock  of  others'  raising,  and  run  a  bee  ranch. 
Vincent  still  owns  land  in  Toledo,  a  farm  abut- 
ting on  Darr  street,  of  which  he  deeded  an  acre 
a  year  ago  for  a  church  site,  never  asking  by 
what  sect  of  the  Christian  name  the  church  was 
to  be  erected.  O*'  the  three  brothers,  Vincent 
and  Peter  are  bachelors.  The  former  "kept 
bach"  even  before  he  was  of  an  age  to  marry, 
hunting  in  the  winter  and  farming  in  the  sum- 
mer. He  is  by  nature  a  veritable  Nimrod — a 
mighty  hunter.  Even  now  his  eye  gleams 
brightly  as  he  tells  of  his  hunting  exploits  in 
by-gone  years;  nor  has  he  entirely  given  .up  the 
line  or  gun.  Daniel  Glann  was  married  June 
7,  1884,  to  Miss  Annie  Gertrude  Keema,  a 
daughter  of  Frederick  Karl  Keema  and  Anna 
(Koch)  Keema,  his  neighbors.  He  died  March 
14,  1887,  aged  iifty- three  years,  leaving  a  widow 
and  one  child:  Annie  Catharine  Glann,  born 
January  29,  1885. 


fUDGE  I] .  A.  MAYHEW.— The  life  of  some 
men  would,  if  properly  told,  fill  a  volume, 
and  carry  with  it  a  lesson  which  in  after 
years  would  be  of  e.Kceeding  value  and  absorb- 
ing interest.     Among  the  men  of  this  class  we 


may  mention  the  name  of  Judge  H.  A.  May- 
hew,  the  subject  of  this  sketch,  a  brief  page 
from  the  unwritten  history  of  wffose  life  finds  a 
welcome  place  in  the  history  of  this  county, 
which  he  has  selected  as  his  abiding  place  while 
resting  from  the  labors  of  a  very  active  life. 
He  was  born  in  Summerset  (afterward  Franklin) 
County,  Maine,  December  13, 1821,  son  of  James 
Mayhew,  a  New  England  farmer  and  a  deacon 
in  the  Presbyterian  Church,  a  man  who  left  the 
impress  of  sterling  characteristics  in  a  marked 
degree  as  a  heritage  to  his  son.  The  Judge  was 
educated  at  the  Farmington  Academy,  which 
was  at  that  time  in  charge  of  Jacob  Abbott,  an 
author  and  literateur  of  eminence.  He  grad- 
uated at  the  Gorham  Seminary  in  the  class  of 
'40,  read  law  in  the  office  of  Hon.  Robert  Good- 
now  (afterward  Congressman  from  the  Farm- 
ington district),  was  admitted  to  practice  before 
the  Supreme  Court  of  Maine  in  1844,  and  at 
once  began  the  practice  of  his  profession  in 
Farmington.  At  this  period  of  his  life,  No- 
vember 7, 1844,  he  was  united  in  marriage  with 
Miss  Mary  J.  Pike.  Three  years  later  he  emi- 
grated to  Hipley  County,  Indiana,  where  he  re- 
mained engrossed  in  his  professional  duties  for 
over  thirteen  years.  He  took  an  active  interest 
in  politics,  making  a  personal  canvass  of  the 
State  upon  several  different  occasions,  notably 
in  the  campaign  of  1852,  as  a  Whig;  later  on 
he  became  closely  identified  with  the  Republi- 
can party.  He  held  the  responsible  office  of 
District  Attorney  for  several  terins.  Finally, 
his  liealth  having  become  seriously  impaired, 
he,  through  the  advice  of  his  friends,  sought 
relief  in  the  highlands  of  Minnesota,  going  to 
Austin,  where  he  resided  for  four  years,  but 
without  experiencing  the  relief  which  had  been 
hoped  for.  Prior  to  that,  as  far  back  as  1858 
(at  which  time  he  became  an  active  member  of 
the  Presbyterian  Church),  he  was  deeply  in- 
terested in  ministerial  work;  and  in  1860, having 
passed  the  requisite  examination,  he  was  given 
the  charge  of  ^  church  at  Rensselaer,  Jasper 
County,  Indiana.  From  this  charge,  as  above 
stated,  he  went  to  Austin,  Minnesota,  where  he 


HISTORY    OF    SACliAMENlV    COUNTY 


continued  bis  raiuisterial  labors.  In  1871  Le 
came  to  Ked  Bluff,  Tehama  County,  California, 
as  pastor  of  the  First  Presbyterian  Church,  and 
liere  it  was  that  the  effects  of  the  balmy  atmos- 
phere of  glorious  California  brought  relief  for 
the  distressing  afHiction  of  twenty  years'  stand- 
ing. In  1875  he  was  elected  to  the  county 
judgeship  of  Tehama  County,  serving  for  four 
years  in  that  capacity,  until  January,  1880, 
when  the  new  constitution  went  into  effect.  He 
was  immediately  appointed  Superior  Judge  by 
Governor  Perkins,  and  took  Itis  seat  in  the 
spring  of  1881.  During  the  two  years  of  his 
incumbency  of  that  ofiice,  many  cases  of  im- 
portance caine  before  him  for  adjudication, 
notably  that  of  Frank  Kessler,  the  Tehama 
murderer,  now  serving  a  life  sentence  in  the 
penitentiary;  and  the  case  of  Winans  vs.  The 
Sierra  Lumber  Company,  a  lengthy  suit,  in- 
volving a  large  sum  of  inone^'.  Mrs.  Mayhew 
is  a  native' uf  Norway,  Oxford  County,  Maine, 
a  daughter  of  Charles  Pike,  and  granddaughter 
of  Grandfather  Woods,  who  was  a  Pevolution- 
ary  officer,  and  served  on  the  staff  of  General 
Washington.  With  such  a  lineal  inlieritance 
we  cannot  be  surprised  that  in  association  with 
her  husband,  the  Judge,  she  has  been  equally 
prominent,  and  that  together  they  have  stood 
side  by  side  in  all  good  works.  She,  as  well  as 
the  Judge,  has  always  been  prominent  in  church 
work.  As  an  illustration  of  her  earnestness, 
while  in  Austin,  Minnesota,  where  her  hiisband 
was  pastor  of  the  Presbyterian  Church,  her 
father  presented  her  with  §500,  with  which  to 
build  a  home.  She  not  only  gave  it  to  the 
church  for  the  purpose  of  erecting  a  suitable 
building  in  which  to  hold  services,  but  went  to 
Minneapolis,  bought  the  lumber,  and  secured 
the  money  with  which  to  pay  freight.  All  the 
lumber  that  went  into  the  church,  pulpit  and 
pews  was  purchased  by  her  with  her  money  and 
the  money  slie  raised.  Later  she  tnade  pulpit 
cushions,  and  cleaned  the  church,  with  the  aid 
of  her  boys.  She  was  one  oi  the  first  sub- 
scribers for  the  tirst  issue  of  bonds  by  the 
Goverument    at    the     beginning    of    the    war. 


Prompted  by  motives  of  patriotism,  she  carried 
her  money  to  the  First  National  Bank  of  In- 
dianapolis and  subscribed  for  the  bonds,  her 
money  being  deposited  several  months  before 
the  bonds  were  ready  for  issue.  Thirty-seven 
years  ago,  Schuyler  Colfax  (who  was  an  intimate 
personal  friend  of  Judge  and  Mrs.  Mayhew), 
widely  known  not  only  as  a  statesman  and  Vice- 
President  of  the  United  States,  but  as  author  of 
the  Rebekah  Degree  of  Oddfellowship,  conferred 
this  degree  upon  Judge  and  Mrs.  Mayhew,  and 
they  are  without  doubt  the  oldest  members  of 
this  degree  in  the  State.  The  Judge  was  made 
an  Odd  Fellow  in  1845.  He  held  the  position 
of  Grand  Master  in  1870.  Mrs.  Mayhew  is 
Past  Noble  Grand  of  the  Rebekah  Degree 
Lodge.  Both  Mrs.  Mayhew  and  the  Judge  are 
active  members  of  the  Eastern  Star  degree  of 
Masonry  (the  Judge  already  being  a  Knight 
Templar),  which  was  conferred  upon  them  by 
the  eminent  Dr.  Robert  Morris,  the  author  ot 
the  degree,  both  having  held  the  highest  offices 
in  the  Eastern  Star  chapter.  Mrs.  Mayhew  is 
Past  Associate  Grand  Matron  of  the  order,  and 
has  been  frequently  urged  to  accept  the  position 
of  Grand  Matron.  She  was  chosen  Superin- 
tendent of  Finance  of  the  State  Woman's  Chris- 
tian Temperance  Union  one  year  ago,  and  is 
prominent  in  the  deliberations  of  the  Independ- 
ent Order  of  Good_  Templars.  Mrs.  Mayhew 
has  served  as  Grand  Vice-Templar  in  two  differ- 
ent States,  and  has  also  been  a  representative  to 
the  Right  Worthy  Grand  Lodge  fronr  two  differ- 
ent States  For  five  years  she  has  been  a  mem- 
ber of  the  Board  of  Managers  of  the  Vailejo 
Orphan  Asylum,  and  was  chosen  its  president. 
For  three  years  she  was  its  financial  secretary, 
and  for  three  years  chairuran  of  the  Purchasing 
Committee,  filling  these  offices  with  distinguished 
ability.  She  was  president  of  the  Daughters  of 
Temperance,  a  co-worker  with  Mrs.  Amanda  M. 
Way  and  Miss  Eliza  Richmond,  of  Indianapolis, 
whose  reputation  has  been  world-wide.  She  is 
withal  a  lady  pre-eminently  fitted  to  shine  in 
the  domestic  circle.  Four  children,  one  daugh- 
ter and  three   sons,   have  clustered  around   the 


HISTORY    OF    SACRAMENTO    COUNTY. 


659 


family  nltai-,  and  live  to  cheer  and  comfort  their 
declining  jears,  and  to  rise  up  and  call  them 
blessed.  In  1887  they  removed  from  Red  Bhiflf 
and  purchased  property  on  P  street,  above 
Eighteenth,  in  the  city  of  Sacramento,  where 
we  fin  J  them  snrruunded  by  a  large  circle  of 
loving  friends  and  acquaintances,  enjoying  the 
repose  so  richly  merited. 


tEV.  THOMAS  GRACE,  pastor  of  St. 
Rose's  Church,  Catholic,  was  born  in 
County  Wexford,  Ireland,  about  1842; 
educated  in  the  private  schools  of  his  native 
place,  and  at  St.  Peter's,  Wexford,  under  the  in- 
struction of  Bishop  Furlong,  and  also  at  All 
Hallows  College,  Dublin;  was  ordained  to  the 
■priesthood  in  1867,  and  in  September,  that 
year,  came  to  California.  In  this  State  he  first 
had  charge  of  the  parish  at  Red  Bluff,  being  the 
first  pastor  there;  built  the  Convent  of  Mercy; 
was  subsequently  at  Grass  Valley,  Marysville, 
and  finally  came  to  Sacramento  in  July,  1881. 
His  father,  James  Grace,  was  of  Norman  ex- 
traction, being  a  descendant  of  the  famous  Ray- 
mond le  Gros  in  the  twelfth  century. 

fAVlD  McLANAHAN  was  born  in  Indi- 
ana County,  Pennsylvania,  in  1825,  his 
parents  being  James  and  Susan  (Blacley) 
McLanahan,  both  natives  of  that  section  of 
Pennsylvania.  Grandfather  John  McLanahan 
settled  there,  and  was  married  to  Miss  Nancy 
Farris,  a  native  of  that  State,  who  lived  to  the 
age  of  eighty.  The  parents  of  U.  McLanahan 
moved  to  Ohio,  near  Masillon,  about  1837,  and 
owned  a  farm  there.  The  son  received  but  little 
schooling  before  or  after  removal,  but  learned 
farming  pretty  thoroughly  for  his  age.  He 
also  learned  the  trade  of  carpenter,  and  worked 
at  it  soin  ■  years.  In  1852  he  came  to  Cali- 
fornia and  went  to  mining  in  Mosquito  caiion, 
above  Coloma,  about  nine  months,  scarcely  mak- 


ing wages.  Worked  some  at  his  trade,  getting 
six  or  seven  dollars  a  day,  but  could  not  get 
enough  work.  In  1857  he  went  into  the  busi- 
ness of  buying  and  selling  cattle  and  hordes, 
continuing  until  about  1861.  He  then  maae  a 
visit  East,  not  doing  much  of  anything  for  two 
years,  except  the  one  most  important  act  of 
life.  In  1864  Mr.  McLanahan  was  married  to 
Miss  Jennie  Harkins,  a  native  of  Wisconsin, 
daughter  of  William  and  Kate  (McAuley)  Har- 
kins, both  of  whom  are  now  deceased.  Return- 
ing to  California  Mr.  McLanahan,  in  1866, 
bought  640  acres  on  the  Mokelumne,  a  mile 
and  a  half  below  his  present  liome.  He  in- 
creased his  acreage  from  time  to  time  until  it 
reached  2.000,  in  1879.  Since  then  he  has 
been  more  occu]iied  with  building  and  beautify- 
ing a  home  and  grounds.  The  house  was 
erected  iu  1881.  On  his  ranch  he  raises  wheat, 
hay  and  barley,  cattle  and  horses, — about  thirty 
horses  and  200  head  of  cattle,  besides  a  dairy 
business  of  ninety  cows.  Mr.  McLanahan's 
mother  died  in  1882,  and  his  father  in  1886, 
aged  eighty-six  years.  Mr.  and  Mrs.  David 
McLanahan  are  the  parents  of  four  children: 
Mamie,  born  December  16,  1866,  now  Mrs. 
Thomas  Eider,  of  Tempo,  Arizo.ia;  Anna,  Oc- 
tober 14,  1870;  Katie,  September  6,  1873;  and 
James  David,  November  3,  1880. 


ILLIAM  F.  McCRAKEN  was  bor:i 
in  Waukegan,  Illinois,  August  28, 
1855,  his  parents  being  James  G.  and 
Jessie  E.  (Loveday)  McCrakeii.  His  mother 
died  in  1857,  and  he  was  reared  by  his  grand- 
parents Loveday,  who  lived  in  Chicago  many 
years,  where  the  grandmother  still  survives  at 
an  advanced  age.  His  tnother  was  English  by 
birth,  and  his  father  an  American,  of  Scotch  or 
Irish  extraction.  His  early  education  was 
chieily  at  Immanuel  Hall,  a  military  academy, 
under  Episcopalian  auspices,  its  rector  being 
Rev.  Roscoe  Park,  ^  graduate  of  West  Point. 
Meanwhile    his    father,  who  was  a   stock-raiser. 


HISTORY    OF    SACRAMENTO    COUNTY. 


with  a  special  preference  for  horses,  had  come 
to  California  about  1860.  He  owned  cattle 
ranches  at  three  different  points  before  he 
finally  settled  on  the  Cosumnes  about  1868. 
Conjointly  with  Governor  Booth  and  Colonel 
James  as  equal  partners,  he  bought  2,700  acres. 
The  ranch  had  at  one  time  been  owned  by 
General  W.  T.  Sherman,  who  had  encamped  on 
it  years  before  with  some  troops  at  a  point  on 
the  river  bank,  which  has  since  been  washed 
away.  Mr.  McCraken  eventually  bought  out 
his  partners, — first  Governor  Booth,  and  later 
Colonel  James.  The  tract  was  reduced  by 
Government  to  1,734  acres.  He  rented  his 
ranch  and  lived  in  Sacramento  for  several  years 
before  his  death,  which  occurred  in  1880.  Mean- 
while "William  F..  his  son,  was  a  clerk  in  San 
Francisco  for  several  years,  with  various  parties, 
insurance  agents  and  money-brokers,  and  among 
others  with  Hutchinson  and  Mason.  He  thus 
acquired  a  good  knowledge  of  business  affairs. 
In  1880  he  was  married  to  Miss  Mildred  Seff- 
ens,  who  was  born  April  15,  1861,  at  Dutch 
Flats,  where  her  parents  resided  for  twenty-five 
years,  and  kept  a  hotel.  The  father  settled 
there  in  1852,  and  when  lie  brought  his  wife 
home  iri  1854  she  was  the  first  white  woman  in 
the  place.  After  tiie  railroad  reached  that  point 
it  lost  much  of  its  trade  and  travel,  and  Mr.  and 
Mrs.  Seffons  removed  to  Santa  Clara  County, 
where  they  purchased  a  nice  ranch  about  two 
miles  from  San  Jose,  and  lived  there  until  their 
death,  some  eight  years  later.  Upon  the  death 
of  his  father,  in  1880,  Mr.  McCraken  came  to 
reside  on  his  half  of  the  estate,  his  sister,  Mrs. 
J.  L.  McCord,  of  Sacramento,  owning  the  other 
half.  Most  of  the  ranch  is  worked  by  renters, 
but  Mr.  McCraken  retains,  under  his  personal 
supervision,  about  200  of  his  867  acres.  He 
gives  special  attention  to  fruit  and  alfalfa,  and 
the  raising  of  iiorses.  This  last  he  recognizes 
as  a  trait  inherited  from  his  father,  and  perhaps 
reinforced  from  maternal  ancestors,  several  of 
the  Lovedays  being  distinguished  in  military 
life,  and  tlie  successful  soldier  usually  loves  a 
good  horse.      His  ranch  is  all  under  cultivation. 


and  will  grow  any  crop  without  irrigation. 
Even  oranges  can  be  raised  in  the  Cosumnes 
valley,  or  has  been  proved  by  a  few  experiments. 

^-^--^ 

fHE  McCUE  BROS,  have  two  quarries 
of  fine  foundation  and  cemetery  granite 
-^  near  Folsom,  to  which  place  they  hauled 
the  stone  by  teams  for  shipment.  As  it  is  im- 
practicable to  have  a  spur  railroad  run  to  their 
works,  they  intend  soon  to  have  a  steam  der- 
rick of  tiieir  own  to  facilitate  loading.  Frank 
McCue  was  born  in  1850,  and  Edward  in  1863, 
in  this  county,  and  are  sons  of  John  McCue, 
who  had  these  quarries  up  to  1876.  Both  are 
unmarried. 


fUDGE  JOHN  HEARD. —  Prominent 
among  those  who  early  in  the  history  of  Sac- 
ramento County  were  most  active  both  as  a 
citizen,  a  lawyer  and  a  judge,  was  John  Heard,  the 
subject  of  this  sketch,  born  in  Garrard  County, 
Kentucky,  where  iiis  father  was  a  farmer,  on  the 
15th  of  March,  1812.  -Upon  the  death  of  his 
father  in  1815  his  mother  removed  to  Howard 
County,  Missouri,  here  he  was  educated,  having 
met  with  a  rare  chance  in  the  person  of  a  teacher 
named  James  Kearney,  a  gi eat  Greek  and  Latin 
scholar,  who  kept  a  email  select  school  on  the 
edge  of  Boone  County,  Missouri,  where  he  was 
permitted  to  attend.  He  afterward  studied  law 
with  Judge  Thomas  Reynolds,  who  afterward 
became  Governor  of  Missouri;  he  was  four  years 
in  his  office,  and  was  admitted  to  the  bar  in 
December,  1833.  He  immediately  removed  to 
Paris,  Monroe  County,  Missouri,  and  began  the 
practice  of  his  profession,  where  he  continued  to 
reside  until  1841.  In  1836  he  was  appointed 
to  tlie  position  of  Circuit  Attorney,  which  office 
he  resigned  at  the  expiration  of  eighteen  months, 
and  having  been  appointed  Register  of  State 
lands  he  removed  to  Jefferson  City,  the  ca])ital, 
where  he  continued  to  reside  until   1846,  when 


UI  STOUT    OK    SAC  RAM  E^  TO    COUNTY 


lie  went  to  Independence,  and  resumed  tlie  prac- 
tice ot  his  profession.  In  1848  his  health  gave 
out,  and  he  gave  U[)  the  practice  of  law,  he  went 
to  Santa  Fe,  Chihuahua,  New  Mexico,  at  a  time 
when  General  Price,  who  was  a  personal  friend 
of  his,  was  stationed  there.  In  the  spring  of 
1849,  he  found  a  party  of  six  young  men  to 
cross  the  plains  with  teams.  They  were  live 
and  a  half  months  on  the  journey.  At  first  they 
joined  a  large  party,  but  finding  there  was  but 
little  danger  to  be  apprehended  from  hostile  In- 
dians, and  that  forage,  of  which  there  was  a 
scarcity,  could  be  more  easily  obtained  for  small 
parties  than  for  large  ones,  they  left  the  main 
train  and  struck  out  by  themselves.  They 
came  via  Salt  Lake  and  the  Carson  River,  and 
stopped  at  Weaver  Creek,  three  miles  south  of 
Flacerville,  where  some  of  the  party  remained, 
but  Heard  came  on  to  Sacramento,  and  began 
the  practice  of  law  with  Judge  William  C.  Wal- 
lace,— now  of  Auburn, — in  1853,  and  was  with 
liim  until  he  was  elected  County  Judge.  This 
office  he  held  during  the  building  of  the  court 
house,  which  was  occupied  for  a  time  as  the 
State  house,  and  it  was  largely  through  his 
personal  efforts  that  the  building  was  erected, 
and  the  capital  secured  to  this  city.  In  1858 
he  resigned  the  office  of  County  Judge,  to  re- 
sume the  practice  of  his  profession.  In  1860,  he 
became  interested  in  silver  mining  in  Chihua- 
hua, New  Mexico,  and  during  the  next  five 
years  he  was  personally  engaged  in  superintend- 
ing these  operations.  In  1806  heagain  returned 
to  Sacramento,  resumed  the  practice  of  law, 
making  a  speciality  of  land  titles,  in  which  he 
was  eminently  successful.  The  Judge  was  mar- 
ried in  1836,  at  Falmyra,  Missouri,  to  Miss  Lucy 
Thornton  Buckner,  daughter  of  Charles  Buckner, 
Esq.,  a  Virginian.  She  came  to  the  coast  in 
1854,  coming  across  the  plains.  They  have 
four  children,  all  of  whom  are  daughters.  The 
Judge  became  a  Mason  in  1S35,  is  a  member  of 
Paris  Lodge,  Missouri,  and  he  was  a  charter 
member  of  the  Sacramento  Society  of  California 
Pioneers.  The  Judge  who  at  this  writing  is  in 
his   seventy-eighth   year,  retains  his  faculties  to 


a  most  wonderful  degree,  and  his  relation  of  the 
events  of  the  early  days  of  Sacramento  are  both 
interesting  and  instructive. 

fAMUEL  H.  PUGH,  of  Brighton  Town- 
ship, was  born  in  Owen  County,  Indiana, 
August  21,1832,  son  of  James  and  Nancy 
(Sikes)  Pugh,  natives  of  Virginia;  the  father 
was  born  in  Charlotte  County,  that  State,  and  the 
mother  in  Halifax  County.  His  paternal  grand- 
father, a  native  of  France,  came  to  America  as 
a  soldier  under  Lafayette;  was  a  corporal  in  the 
Revolutionary  War,  and  remained  throughout 
the  struggle,  being  present  even  at  the  siege  and 
surrender  of  Vorktown.  His  maternal  grand- 
father also  served  in  the  same  war.  Samuel's 
mother's  first  husband  was  named  Scott,  who 
was  of  the  same  lineage  as  General  Wintield 
Scott.  He  wintered  at  Valley  Forge  and  died 
there  after  the  war  of  the  Revolution  had  closed. 
On  his  mother's  side  Mr.  Pngh's  ancestry  were 
Scotch  and  English.  James  Pugh  was  born  in 
1790,  and  in  the  War  of  1812  was  in  the  first 
regiment  that  volunteered  from  Virginia.  He 
marched  to  Norfolk  under  Captain  Carter  and 
Colonel  Henderson.  At  Fort  Norfolk  he  served 
first  in  heavy  artillery,  and  was  afterward  trans- 
ferred to  different  points  where  the  fighting  was 
in  progress.  After  the  close  of  the  war  he  con- 
tinued to  live  in  Virginia,  married  there,  moved 
to  Tennessee,  and  then  to  Indiana,  settling  on 
White  River,  seven  miles  below  Spencer,  in 
1827  or  1828,  being  one  of  the  first  settlers 
in  Owen  County.  There  were  then  ten  times 
as  many  Indians  as  white  inhabitants.  Wild 
game  was  so  plentiful  that  a  feast  of  fresh  meat 
could  be  obtained  at  any  hour  on  any  day. 
When  Samuel  was  eight  years  old  the  family 
located  three  and  a  half  miles  sontheast  of  Ne- 
osho, Missouri.  As  they  passed  through  Neosho 
the  first  log  store  was  in  process  of  erection  there. 
The  first  clerk  employed  in  Anthonj's  store 
there  was  "Jim"  Raines, afterward  General,  who 
was  killed  in  the  Rebel   army  at   Murfrecsboi-o. 


HISTORY    OF    SACRAMENTO    COUNTY. 


Mr.  Pugh  was  reared  in  Newton  County, Missouri, 
from  1839  to  1854,  learning  the  carpenters' 
trade  from  his  father,  who  was  about  the  first 
contractor  and  builder  in  that  locality.  They 
built  the  first  court-house  for  that  county,  a  log 
structure  with  one  door  and  one  or  two  windows, 
for  $143.  They  also  built  the  Masonic  Hall. 
Young  Pugh  also  worked  on  the  new  court- 
house, under  Martin  Garrison.  He  followed 
carpentering  until  he  was  seventeen  years  of  age 
and  then  learned  blacksmithing,  under  Hendrick 
&  McKee,  at  Neosho,  and  afterward  he  remained 
a  year  with  his  father,  builting  houses.  No- 
vember 4,  1854,  Mr.  Pugh  started  with  another 
man  to  Texas,  with  a  small  stock  of  dry  goods 
and  notions,  and  2,000  apple  trees,  which  they 
took  to  Austin.  They  traveled  through  thirty- 
seven  different  counties  of  Texas  that  winter  and 
forty-seven  towns.  In  January  Mr.  Pugh  re- 
turned to  Austin  and  accepted  the  superintend- 
ency  of  Judge  Sneed's  ranch,  remained  with 
him  till  June  17  and  returned  to  Missouri, 
where  he  wound  up  liis  affairs,  and  on  the  24th 
of  Septeinber  moved  with  his  family  to  Te.xas, 
locating  four  miles  south  of  Austin,  where  he 
had  100  acres  of  land.  There  he  followed  black- 
smithing  for  five  years.  In  1859  he  started  for 
Pike's  Peak  with  a  team,  passing  through  In- 
dian Territory,  Kansas  and  Nebraska,  to  find 
a  train  going  there,  and  failing,  he  abandoned 
the  trip.  He  then  settled  in  Salem,  Richardson 
County,  Nebraska,  and  worked  there  at  black- 
smithing  and  gunsmithing.  While  there  he 
held  the  ofiices  of  City  Marshal,  Deputy  Sheriff 
and  Deputy  United  States  Marshal,  and  was 
liolding  all  these  ofiices  when  he  left.  He  raised 
the  first  military  company  that  volunteered  in 
that  county,  and  was  elected  its  captain.  The 
company  was  raised  to  garrison  Western  forts. 
He  also  served  in  tlie  Home  Guards  one  and  a 
half  years,  and  was  in  the  fight  with  the  Jay- 
hawkers  at  Falls  City.  Between  thirty  and 
fifty  shots  were  fired,  two  men  killed  and  sev- 
eral wounded.  Mr.  Pugh  lost  some  blood  and 
a  small  piece  of  his  ear.  May  11,  1862,  a  train 
was  made  up,  of  which  he  was  captain,  and  each 


started  with  four  oxen  and  a  number  of  cows 
for  California.  Mr.  Pugh  came  by  mail  and 
stage  route  up  the  Platte  by  way  of  the  Big 
Blue,  Fort  Kearney  and  Fort  Laramie,  cross- 
ing the  South  Platte  at  Julesburg,  the  North 
Platte  at  Louis  Bernard's  bridge,  camped  at 
Independence  Rock  on  the  night  of  July  3,  and 
celebrated  the  Fourth  there  the  next  day.  On- 
ward he  came  by  way  of  Fort  Bridger  to  Salt 
Lake  and  the  overland  stage  i-oute  to  Reese 
River  and  the  sink  of  the  Carson  River  to  Car- 
son City,  and  by  way  of  Placerville  to  Sacra- 
mento, passing  directly  by  his  present  place  of 
residence.  When  he  reached  Placerville  he  was 
out  of  money,  and  he  sold  a  $100  rifle  at  the 
Kingsley  House  for  $10,  paid  $7.50  for  expenses 
and  $2.50  for  crossing  the  bridge  at  Sacramento! 
He  then  worked  for  Mr.  Ciocker,  superinten- 
dent of  the  Steam  Navigation  Company,  in  their 
yard,  until  he  could  earn  money  enough  to  go 
to  his  brother's  in  Sonoma  County.  There  he  re- 
mained till  March  1863;  returning  then  to  Sacra- 
mento, he  worked  in  the  ship-yard  there  until 
the  middle  of  May.  Next  he  followed  black- 
smithing  at  Carson  City,  Nevada,  about  two 
years,  and  then  bought  a  ranch  upon  Carson 
River,  fifty-five  miles  from  Carson.  He  built 
a  hotel  and  blacksmith  shop  upon  that  place, 
moulding  the  brick,  laying  them  and  doing  all 
the  carpenter  work  himself.  When  the  Central 
Pacific  Railroad  was  built  to  Wadsworth,  it 
drew  the  travel  from  his  place  and  he  had  to 
leave  it,  losing  all.  Then,  November  1,  1866, 
he  located  on  the  McCarthy  ranch,  in  this  county, 
until  1869,  following  farming  and  blacksmith- 
ing, and  also  hauling  some  for  building  the 
levee.  During  the  year  just  mentioned  he 
bought  a  piece  of  land  in  San  Joaquin  Town- 
ship, two  miles  east  of  Florin,  and  continued 
farming  and  blacksmithing  for  five  years,  and 
finally  purchased  a  half  acre  which   he  now  oc- 


cupies 


as  a  residence.     Here  he  built   a    iilack- 


smith's  shop,  house,  barn,  etc.,  all  with  his  own 
hands.  In  his  political  views  Mr.  Pugh  is  a 
Democrat.  He  has  served  many  years  as  in- 
spector of   elections,  and    one   term    as    school 


IIIsrOKY     OF    SACRAMKNro    COUNTY. 


trustee.  He  was  admitted  into  Sacramento 
Lodge,  Xo.  40.  F.  &  A.  M.  in  1868,  and  is  still 
a  member  of  that  lodge,  and  he,  as  well  as  his 
family,  are  members  of  the  Grange.  He  was 
married  in  McDonald  Connty,  Missouri,  Febru- 
ary 19,  1852,  to  Miss  Mary  Ann  Greer,  a  native 
of  Clarksville,  Pike  County,  Missouri,  and 
daughter  of  William  and  Ann  (Jones)  Greer. 
Her  father  was  of  Scotch  descent  and  the  motlier 
of  French.  She  was  a  child  when  her  parents 
moved  to  Jasper  County,  Missouri,  and  subse- 
quently thej  moved  to  McDonald  County,  two 
and  a  half  miles  from  Pierceville.  Her  mother 
died  in  Carson  City  and  her  father  in  Sonoma 
County,  California.  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Pugh  have 
nine  children,  as  follows:  L.  M.,  born  December 
15, 1852,  in  Missouri,  three  miles  from  Neosho, 
and  now  living  in  Lewis,  near  Battle  Mountain; 
he  was  made  a  Mason  at  Elk  Grove  on  the  night 
that  he  was  twenty-one  years  old,  at  the  youngest 
age  known  in  the  United  States;  Mary  Marcilla, 
now  the  wife  of  E,.  J.  Brown,  and  living  in  San 
Joaquin  Township;  Nancy  Ann,  the  wife  of 
Peter  Chrisman,  and  living  at  Gonzales,  Mon- 
terey County;  Samuel  A.,  residing  in  Lander 
County,  Nevada;  Parmelia  Belle,  now  the  wife 
of  Frank  H.  Raulet,  of  San  Francisco;  Ethan 
Franklin,  a  resident  of  El  Dorado  Connty,  near 
Shingle  Springs;  Joseph  A.,  near  Gonzales; 
Charles  Lorenzo,  who  lives  in  Lander  County, 
Nevada;  and  James  Nathan,  with  his  parents. 


fAPTAIN  THOMAS  DWYEK,  president 
of  the  Sacramento  Transportation  Com- 
pany, was  born  in  1881,  in  County  Wex- 
ford, Ireland, — next  to  the  youngest  in  a  family 
of  eight  children, — his  parents  being  Frank  and 
Ellen  (O'Neal)  Dwyer.  His  father  was  a  small 
farmer,  who  lived  and  died  a  poor  man;  his 
death  took  place  in  1885.  Nature  had  endowed 
young  Dwyer  with  a  spirit  of  enterprise,  and 
when,  in  1848,  some  acquaintances  tried  to  per- 
suade him  to  go  with  them  to  the  New  World, 
he  readily  consented.      Young,    hearty,   robust. 


he  came  to  Toronto  in  all  the  vigor  of  hisyoung 
manhood,  and  commenced  the  battle  of  life. 
He  at  once  t  ngaged  in  the  lumber  trade,  work- 
ing at  that  during  the  winter,  and  on  a  farm 
during  the  summer.  In  1852  he  came  to  the 
United  States,  going  into  Maumee  County, 
Ohio,  and  there  he  obtained  his  first  contract 
work,  which  consisted  in  the  getting  out  of  a 
certain  number  of  railroad  ties.  After  this  he 
went  to  Lake  County,  Illinois,  and  again  becatne 
a  "  farm-hand  "  in  the  summer,  going  to  the 
pine  woods  of  Wisconsin  in  the  winter,  where 
sometimes  for  six  weeks  continuously  the  sun 
never  melted  the  snow  from  the  sides  of  the 
trees  nor  from  the  roof  of  the  shanty  which 
served  as  their  only  shelter.  In  1859,  during 
the  Pike's  Peak  excitement,  in  company  with  a 
party  of  friends,  he  started  for  the  gold  dig- 
gings; on  reaching  the  Missouri  Kiver  at 
Council  Bluffs,  they  learned  that  Pike's  Peak 
was  a  humbug,  some  of  the  party  turned  back, 
but  the  subject  of  this  sketch  and  liis  partner 
struck  out  boldly  for  California,  the  land  of  gold 
and  sunshine.  They  came  with  ox  teams,  via 
Lander's  cut-off,  Raft  Creek,  and  the  Honey  Lake 
Valley  to  Susanville,  where  they  arrived  on  the 
3d  of  September,  after  a  journey  of  five  months. 
He  spent  a  year  in  the  mines  of  Shasta  County, 
and  went  to  Chieo  during  the  following  sum- 
mer and  ran  a  threshing-machine  there  and  in 
Colusa  County.  When  the  season  for  farm 
work  was  over  he  bought  some  timber  land  on 
the  Sacramento  River  in  Colusa  County,  and 
commenced  cutting  the  wood;  he  got  together 
about  2,500  cords,  taking  in  a  partner  to  share 
the  expense,  bought  a  wood  barge  and  brought 
the  wood  down  to  Sacramento,  where  he  could 
dispose  of  it  to  the  schooners  in  the  river.  This 
was  the  origin  of  what  is  to-day  known  as  the  Sac- 
ramento Transportation  Company.  He  afterward 
bought  a  small  steamer  to  tow  his  barges.  About 
this  time,  1866,  J.  H.  Roberts,  H.  L.  Miller, 
Michael  Rigney,  N.  McNear  and  C.  Clots  were 
added  to  the  firm,  which  was  then  known  as  the 
Sacramento    Wood    Company.       In    1879     the 


laine  was  changed  to  the  Sacramento  Trans 


I""- 


HISTORT    OP    SACRAMENTO    COUNTY. 


tation  Company,  and  the  firm  was  incorporated 
under  the  laws  of  the  State.  Xotwithstanding 
the  California  Steam  Navigation  Company  was 
running  in  opposition  to  them,  their  business 
grew  and  flourished.  Increased  towing  facili- 
ties being  required,  the  Verona  was  added  to 
their  fleet  in  1873;  the  San  Joaquin,  No.  2,  in 
1877;  tlie  San  Joaquin,  No.  4,  in  1882;  the 
Governor  Dana,  Dover,  and  Flora,  in  1883;  and 
they  are  now  (1889)  building  another  steamer 
which  has  not  yet  been  named.  In  addition  to 
these  steamers  they  have  a  fleet  of  twenty 
baiges.  In  1881  they  engaged  in  the  manufact- 
ure of  brick,  erecting  kilns  on  the  .Riverside 
road,  five  miles  below  Sacramento,  where  they 
now  have  the  most  approved  appliances.  In 
1888  they  introduced  the  new  patent  system 
called  the  continuous  kiln,  with  a  capacity  of 
50,000  pressed  biick  per  diem;  they  also  have 
in  operation  four  Quaker  brick  machines,  with 
a  capacity  of  140,000  daily.  The  busy  life  of 
Captain  Dwyer  has  left  him  but  scant  time  to 
devote  to  politics  or  the  fraternal  societies.  He 
was  married  in  1868  to  Ellen  Flannigan,  a  na- 
tive of  Ireland.  They  have  five  children,  viz.: 
Frances  Thomas,  Mary  Ellen,  John  JeflFrey, 
William  Patrick  and  Thomas  Edward. 


fMcNEAL,  a  California  pioneer,  was  born 
in  a  place  called  Three  Springs,  Hnnting- 
"  don  County,  Pennsylvania,  his  parents 
being  Eobert,  a  farmer,  and  Catharine  (Camp- 
bell) McNeal,  both  natives  of  Pennsylvania. 
The  family,  as  the  name  indicates,  is  of  Scotch- 
Irish  descent.  Our  subject  was  one  of  a  family 
of  seven  children,  four  of  whom  were  boys.  He 
was  born  in  May,  1815,  and  was  reared  upon 
his  father's  farm  until  lie  reached  his  majority 
in  1838,  when,  starting  out  in  life  for  himself, 
he  went  first  to  Clinton  County,  Indiana,  where 
his  brother,  Alexander,  resided,  then  to  Madi- 
son County,  AVisconsin,  and  afterward  to  Galena, 
Illinois,  where  he  learned  the  carpenter's  trade 
and    resided    until    1840;    during   that   year  he 


went  to  Mobile,  Alabama,  where  he  worked  at 
his  trade  for  seven  years;  he  then  secured  a  posi- 
tion at  the  United  States  navy  yard  at  Pensa- 
cola,  Florida,  where  he  remained  until  coming 
to  California  in  1849.  He  came  with  a  party 
on  board  the  schooner  Crescent  City  toChagres, 
crossed  the  Isthmus,  and  paid  $800  for  passage 
to  San  Francisco  in  the  brig  Solidad,  Captain 
John  Yan  Houton,  who  will  be  remembered  as 
captain  on  one  of  the  Sacramento  River  boats 
for  many  years,  and  who  afterward  kept  the 
Crescent  City  Hotel.  The  old  Solidad  was  after- 
ward brought  to  Sacramento  and  now  lies  high 
and  dry  at  the  foot  of  I  street  between  Third  and 
F(uirth.  The  party  arrived  in  San  Francisco 
August  4,  1849,  and,  coming  to  Sacramento, 
packed  to  the  mines  on  the  Yuba  River,  where 
they  remained  till  December,  when  Boyd  and 
Davis  (two  of  the  party)'  came  to  Sacramento. 
McNeal  followed  mining  for  a  greater  portion 
of  the  time  till  1852,  when  he  came  here  and 
settled  down  to  his  trade.  He  early  became  a 
member  of  the  Society  of  California  Pioneers, 
in  which  organization  he  takes  great  interest. 
Mr.  McNeal  has  been  twice  married,  first  in 
1859,  to  Mary  Alice  Alexander,  who  died  in 
I8tj2;  and  again  in  1866  to  Lucretia  Kennedy, 
a  native  of  Ft.  Madison,  Iowa,  who  died  on  the 
14th  of  June,  1868,  leaving  an  only  daughter, 
Minnie,  who  is  the  wife  of  Hiram  Z.  Johnson 
of  this  city. 


[HRISTOPHER  GREEN  was  born  in  Ire- 
land, December  25,  1830,  and  when  he 
a  little  more  than  thirteen  years  of 
age  he  left  his  native  country  and  came  on  the 
vessel  Shenandoah  to  New  York  city,  where  he 
entered  himself  as  an  apprentice  to  the  carpen- 
ters' trade,  in  which  relation  he  worked  by  the 
month.  In  1844  he  went  down  to  "Washington 
Market  and  obtained  employment  from  Joseph 
Churchill,  beginning  to  work  for  him  for  $5  a 
month,  at  his  np-town  house,  near  University 
place.      After  remaining  with  liitn  for  six  years 


HISTORY    OF    SACRAMENTO    COUNTY. 


he  went  to  Chicago,  and  for  sixt)-  days  was  in 
tlie  employment  of  Byer,  Wadsworth  &  Chapin, 
at  §2.50  a  day.  After  a  sojourn  of  twenty-three 
weeks  in  Chicaj^o  he  returned  to  Xew  York  and 
at  once  embarked  on  the  Daniel  Webster  for 
California,  January  5,  1852,  coming  by  the 
Nicaragua  route.  On  the  Pacific  side  he  took 
the  steamer  Pacific,  upon  which  he  reached 
San  Francisco.  There  he  went  to  work  at  the 
old  Pacific  Market  for  George  W.  Green.  Eight 
months  afterward  he  came  to  Sacramento  and 
passed  on  to  Nevada  City  to  observe  the 
methods  pursued  in  mining.  Keturning  to  Sac- 
ramento in  August,  1852,  he  engaged  himself 
in  the  City  Market  at  the  time  of  the  fair  of 
that  year.  During  the  autumn,  that  year,  he 
entered  the  butchering  business  on  J  street,  be- 
tween Front  and  Second.  In  1853  he  and  H. 
C.  Trainor  became  partners  in  the  Empire  Mar- 
ket, which  relation  has  ever  since  continued.  Mr. 
Green  has  always  taken  an  active  interest  in  poli- 
tics, in  public  improvements  and  in  the  public 
welfare  generally.  Was  an  old-time  Whig,  and  is 
now  a  leading  Republican,  being  a  member  and 
the  treasurer  of  the  Republican  county  central 
committee.  He  was  elected  mayor  of  the  city 
of  Sacramento  in  1872  by  a  handsome  majority, 
on  the  issue  raised  by  the  railroad  company 
concerning  the  filling  up  of  China  slough,  he 
being  in  favor  of  the  railroad  company's  propo- 
sition. In  this  oflice  he  served  two  terms  of 
three  years  each.  Next  he  was  appointed  Post- 
master, to  fill  out  the  unexpired  term  of  Mr. 
Hopping;  was  re-appointed  for  the  second  term, 
and  was  succeeded  by  the  present  incumbent, 
R.  D.  Stephens.  For  the  last  sixteen  years  Mr. 
Green  has  been  a  member  of  the  State  Board  of 
Agriculture,  being  now  a  Director,  and  he  lias 
been  Superintendent  of  the  Grounds.  Decem- 
ber 9,  1858,  Mr.  Green  married  Alice  Tolan,  a 
native  of  Ireland,  who  came  to  Massachusetts 
when  young.  They  have  six  children,  named 
Tessie,  Mamie,  Belle,  Ciiristopher,  Jr.,  Mar 
cella  and  Samuel.  In  his  social  relations  Mr. 
Green  has  been  a  member  of  the  I.  O.  O.  F. 
since  1857,— of  El    Dorado   Lodge,  No.  8,  in 


which  he   has  passed   the  chairs,  and  is  also  a 
member  of  Sacramento  Lodge,  A.  O.  U.  W. 


tSAAC  LEA,  farmer,  Brighton  Township, 
was  bonr  in  Yorkshire,  England,  April  22, 
■=^  1827,  son  of  John  and  Harriet  Lea.  In 
1847  John  Lea  died  in  New  York,  while  on  his 
way  to  the  West.  The  next  year  his  wife  died, 
in  England.  Mr.  Lea  was  a  nurseryman  all  his 
life,  on  a  large  scale,  and  became  a  man  of  com- 
fortable circumstances.  He  had  six  sons  and 
one  daughter:  Thomas  has  been  a  resident  of 
San  Francisco  for  thirty  years,  is  wealthy  and 
retired  from  business;  John  ran  a  ferry  for  nearly 
thirty  years,  and  is  now  bridge-tender  for  the 
Central  Pacific  Railroad  Company  at  Tehama, 
Tehama  County,  this  State;  Charles  is  a  farmer 
at  Florin,  this  county;  Sidney  is  a  merchant  in 
Australia,  whither  he  went  from  California  in 
1857;  and  Mrs.  Joseph  Scholfield,  who  came 
by  water  in  1863  and  is  now  living  in  Brighton 
Township.  Mr.  Isaac  Lea,  the  subject  of  this 
outline,  was  approaching  seventeen  years  of  age 
when  he  left  old  England  all  alone  in  1844,  and 
located  in  Kane  County,  Illinois;  Rhodes,  now 
deceased,  came  in  1848;  Sidney  and  John  in 
1849;  Thomas  in  1852;  Charles  in  1855.  All 
the  living  sons  except  Charles  came  to  California 
in  1852  and  made  homes  here.  On  arrival  in 
Illinois,  Isaac  worked  on  a  farm,  then  in  a 
printing-oflice  two  years  during  the  Mexican 
war,  and  then  bought  ten  acres  of  ground  and 
commenced  farming;  afterward  he  purchased 
forty  acres  more,  and  did  not  sell  the  farm  until 
1860,  several  years  after  he  came  to  California. 
On  coming  to  this  State  he  had  six  horses  and 
two  light  spring  wagons,  into  which  he  put 
everything  he  might  need;  and  when  about  half 
way  here  he  sold  one  of  the  wagons,  as  about 
one  wagon-load  of  provisions  and  provender  was 
consumed.  The  wagon-boxes  were  made  water- 
tight, so  that  they  would  float  in  crossing 
streams.  Mr.  Lea  had  an  enjoyable  trip.  On 
reaching   Carson   Valley   he    sold    four    of   the 


HISTOltY    OF    SACRAMENTO    COUNTY. 


horses,  for  more  than  tliey  cost.  Directly  after 
arriving  at  Hangtown  he  worked  for  two  months 
on. the  Hangtown  canal,  and  as  soon  as  the  rains 
set  in  he  resorted  to  mining,  working  a  year 
there.  The  next  year,  in  June,  1853,  he  came 
down  into  the  valley  and  was  employed  by  A.  D. 
Patterson,  then  sheriff,  on  his  ranch.  On  the 
17th  of  September  he  went  down  into  what  is 
called  "The  Pocket,"  between  the  Sacramento 
and  Cosnmnes  rivers,  and  bought  land, and  after 
that  time  of  the  year  cut  fifty  tons  of  hay,  haul- 
ing twenty  tons  for  Patterson  and  selling  it  to 
him  for  $20  a  ton.  November  15  he  pnt  in  a 
crop  of  vegetables;  and  on  the  first  of  May, 
1854,  he  took  a  load  of  potatoes  to  Sacramento, 
the  first  new  potatoes  brought  in  that  year,  and 
sold  them  at  twenty-five  cents  a  pound.  That 
year  he  bought  some  peach  trees  in  San  Fran- 
cisco, shipped  from  New  Jersey,  set  them  out, 
and  also  some  apple  trees  from  Oregon,  which 
were  sold  at  auction  in  San  Francisco.  He  lived 
on  that  place  two  years,  and  tlien  removed  to 
his  present  ranch,  bringing  along  with  him  a 
large  number  of  hogs,  which  class  of  animals  he 
had  commenced  raising  on  the  first  farm.  To 
his  present  place  he  has  hauled  100,000  feet  of 
lumber  in  making  the  improvements.  In  this 
county  he  now  has  720  acres  of  land,  and  1,275 
acres  at  Napa  Junction,  Napa  County,  a  stock 
farm.  On  his  Florin  place  there  are  about 
seventeen  acres  in  fruit  trees  and  six  in  vines; 
twenty  orange  trees,  some  of  them  over  thirty 
years  old;  100  bearing  olive  trees,  fonr  varieties, 
the  largest  number  in  Sacramento  County  that 
are  bearing;  also  citron  and  lemon  trees,  pome- 
granates, dates,  plums,  camphor  trees,  sweet  bay 
and  100  fig-trees,  some  of  them  twenty  years 
old  and  eighteen  inches  in  diameter.  He  was 
the  first  to  plant  fruit  trees  in  his  section,  and 
the  first  to  put  in  olives,  oranges,  etc.  In  1883 
he  erected  his  fine  residence,  which  he  and  three 
hired  men  put  up  in  ten  weeks,  from  digging 
the  cellar  to  completing  the  roof.  Mr.  Lea  has 
always  been  a  Republican.  He  was  married  in 
1866  to  Mary  Murgatroyd,  a  native  of  England, 
and  they  have  seven    children:  John  Ward,  Ida 


Mary,  Sarah   Kate,  Mabel,  Harriet,  Louisa,  and 
Isaac  Arthur. 


fHARLES  LEA  was  born  February  26, 
1833,  at  Sworby  Bridge,  ne^ir  Halifax, 
England,  son  of  John  and  Harriet  (Dyson) 
Lea.  He  left  home  at  the  age  of  twenty  years 
and  was  employed  by  the  Milne  Bros,  in  the 
manufacture  of  wines  and  liquors.  He  was 
given  charge  of  the  vaults,  packing,  keeping  up 
stores,  etc.  He  remained  with  them  until  1853, 
when  he  went  to  Manchester,  England,  and  en- 
gaged in  the  same  business.  He  stayed  there  a 
year,  having  charge  of  the  entire  business.  In 
1855  he  sailed  from  Liverpool  to  America  on 
the  steamer  John  Rutledge.  He  remained  in 
New  York  till  the  steamer  Star  of  the  West  was 
ready  to  sail,  then  took  passage  for  California, 
coming  via  Greytown  and  Nicaragua,  and  land- 
ing in  San  Francisco  July  28, 1855.  The  voyage 
was  prolonged  on  account  of  the  cholera  being 
prevalent  on  board,  they  stopping  to  bury  their 
dead  until  they  became  so  numerous  that  they 
at  last  shoved  them  overboard  wi^h  a  piece  of 
iron  grating  or  anything  that  would  keep  them 
from  floating.  In  San  Francisco  he  went  to 
work  for  his  brother  Thomas,  who  was  engaged 
in  the  manufacture  of  malt,  he  being  the  first 
man  to  start  a  malt  house  in  San  Francisco. 
Charles  remained  there  only  a  few  months,  then 
came  to  Sacramento  and  at  once  located  160 
acres  of  land  in  this  county.  He  now  owns  220 
acres  of  choice  farming  land,  under  a  fine  state 
of  cultivation.  He  himself  has  made  all  the 
improvements.  He  does  a  general  farming 
business,  raises  hay,  grain  and  stock,  and  has 
fifteen  acres  of  vineyard  in  a  most  promising 
condition.  Like  most  other  Californians,  he 
tried  mining,  at  Greenwood  and  Georgetown, 
but  was  not  successful.  He  was  married,  Nov- 
ember 6,  1860,  to  Miss  Johanna  Percell,  a  native 
of  Ireland,  who  came  to  California  in  1858,  in 
company  with  her  brother  and  sister.  After  a 
few  years  of  happy   married    life  she  was  called 


HISTORY    OF    SACRAMENTO    COUNTY. 


away,  leaving  her  Imsband  with  six  children, 
four  of  whom  are  now  living:  Harriet,  wife  of 
Fred  Smith;  Emma,  wit'eof  Charles  Biiell;  Dora 
and  Charley.  Mr.  Lea  was  again  married, 
September,  1876,  to  Miss  Anna  Digman,  a  na- 
tive of  Ireland,  who  came  to  America  in  1864, 
at  the  age  of  twenty  one. 

^^^^ 

tOUDALPH  LAUPPE,  farmer,  was  born 
in  Sacramento,  January  12,  18 — .  His 
father,  also  named  Roudalph,  was  born  in 
Germany,  and  owned  and  occupied  the  farm  upon 
whicli  the  son  is  now  residing;  he  is  now  work- 
ing for  the  Southern  Pacific  Railroad  Company. 
The  farm  is  devoted  principally  to  grain.  Four 
acres  are  in  orchard,  which  is  oije  of  the  finest 
in  this  part  of  the  country.  Mr.  Lanppe,  the 
subject  of  this  paragraph,  married  Rehina 
Shafer,  who  was  born  in  Switzerland,  and  they 
have  five  children:  Roudalph,  John  D.,  Anna, 
Edward  J.  and  Louise. 


fEORGE  EDMUXD  DUDEX,  farmer  and 
blacksmith,  Sutter  Township,  was  born  in 
Huntingdon  County,  Pennsylvania,  Sep- 
tember 26,  1832,  a  son  of  David  and  Anna 
(Barrick)  Duden,  both  natives  of  Pennsylvania, 
and  of  German  descent.  Both  his  grandfathers, 
Daniel  Duden  and  William  Barrick,  came  from 
Germany,  and  both  families  also  moved  to 
Licking  County,  Ohio,  in  1833,  and  there  passed 
the  remainder  of  their  lives.  In  Daniel  Duden's 
family  were  two  daughters  and  four  sons,  viz.: 
William,  David,  Jacob,  George,  Elizabeth  and 
Betsey.  The  only  member  of  the  family  now 
living  is  George,  of  San  P'rancisco.  In  Will- 
iam Barrick's  family  were  twelve  childre  i,  viz.: 
Henry,  James,  Samuel,  Elizabeth,  Anna,  Re- 
becca, Polly,  Samantha,  Catharine,  and  three 
others.  Of  these  there  are  three  daughters  and 
three  sons  living.  All  of  thein  lived  to  a  good 
old  age,  and  brought  up  children.    David  Duden 


lived  in  Ohio,  where  he  followed  farming  and 
blacksmithing,  and  died  there  about  fourteen 
years  ago.  His  wife,  a  native  of  Pennsylvania, 
died  in  Missouri.  In  their  family  were  nine 
children,  as  follows:  William,  who  resides  in 
Monroe  County,  Iowa;  George  E.,  the  subject 
of  this  sketch;  Adolphus  D.,  who  resides  in 
Iowa;  Daniel  D.,  in  Henry  County,  Missouri; 
James  B.,  in  Iowa;  John  Fletcher,  in  southern 
Missouri;  Charles  W.,  in  Henry  County,  Mis- 
souri; Anna,  in  Licking  County,  Ohio,  and 
Lewis,  in  Henry  County,  Missouri.  Mr.  Duden, 
our  subject,  was  brought  up  in  Licking  County, 
Ohio,  most  of  the  time  of  his  youth  near  New- 
ark, the  county  seat. ^  At  the  age  of  sixteen 
years  he  made  a  trip  West,  through  Illinois, 
etc.,  and  worked  at  his  trade  in  Canton,  Fulton 
County,  that  State.  In  1849  he  returned  to 
Ohio  and  worked  a  year  and  a  half  in  a  shop  in 
Sylvania,  Licking  County;  next,  in  partnership 
with  another  man,  he  carried  on  a  shop  at  Ga- 
lena, Delaware  County,  Ohio,  until  the  fall  of 
1852.  Starting  then  to  California,  he  stopped 
at  Booneville,  Missouri,  and  took  a  job  of  iron- 
ing a  number  of  wagons.  The  next  spring  he 
came  on,  in  a  party  of  thirty-two,  starting  from 
Howard  County,  Missouri,  with  a  drove  of  cat- 
tle and  mules,  and  coming  by  what  was  called 
the  northern  route.  After  halting  for  the  night, 
on  one  occasion,  and  hitching  their  hoi-ses,  on 
Salt  River,  they  discovered  the  remains  of  a 
portion  of  200  emigrants  who  died  there  the 
year  before,  of  cholera.  The  corpses,  although 
they  had  been  buried,  had  been  exhumed  by  the 
coyotes,  and,  being  exposed  and  in  a  slate  of  de- 
composition, constituted  such  a  sickening  and 
repulsive  sight'  that  the  party  immediately 
hitched  up  again  and  moved  on,  not  finding  a 
decent  camping-ground  until  midnight.  An- 
other incident  might  be  mentioned.  At  one 
time  they  were  surrounded  by  several  hundred 
Indians.  The  wagon  train  was  in  charge  of  an 
old  Santa  Fe  man  named  Frank  Broudar,  who 
told  his  men  that  they  must  put  on  a  bold  front 
and  not  permit  the  Indians  to  think  that  they 
were  afraid;  also  to  see  that  their  fire-arms  were 


HISTORY    UF    SACRAMENTO    COUNTY. 


in  good  order.  The  result  was,  the  Indians  left 
without  molesting  them.  In  the  train  were  some 
very  nice  race-horses,  valuable  cattle,  mules,  etc. 
The  party  arrived  at  Sacramento  August  26. 
Mr.  Duden  found  work  at  his  trade  until  Feb- 
ruary, then  until  the  1st  of  October  following 
was  engaged  at  mining  at  Clarkville,  El  Dorado 
County.  Returning  then  to  Sacramento,  he 
purchased  a  shop  on  Ninth  street,  between  J 
and  K.  In  1859  be  sold  out  this  place  and 
bought  a  shop  at  the  corner  of  Ninth  and  K, 
and  prosecuted  his  trade  there  until  1864.  In 
the  autumn  of  this  year  he  purchased  his  present 
place  in  Sutter  Township,  on  the  npper  Stock- 
tun  road,  five  miles  fron\,  Sacramento,  where  he 
has  ever  since  resided.  This  farm  contains 
eighty  acres  of  good  land,  in  a  fine  state  of  cul- 
tivation. When  he  entered  upon  it,  it  was  en- 
tirely unimproved.  The  place  is  now  well 
stocked  with  a  great  variety  of  fruit  and  orna- 
mental trees.  The  farm  generally  is  devoted  to 
hay,  grain,  etc.;  and  ever  since  he  located  there 
Mr.  Duden  has  carried  on  a  blacksmith  shop 
upon  the  premises,  also  carriage  building  and 
painting,  etc.  He  is  also  the  proprietor  of  the 
Sacramento  Thoroughbred  Poultry  Yard,  and  is 
an  importer  of  thoroughbred  poultry,  having  on 
hand  all  the  leading  varieties.  This  industry 
he  started  here  only  two  years  ago,  but  it  has 
already  proved  a  success.  Orders  are  coming 
in  faster  than  he  can  fill  them.  His  ambition 
is  soon  to  have  a  poultry  yard  second  to  none  in 
the  State.  Mr.  Duden  was  married  December 
31,  1857,  to  Emma  P.  Burke,  who  was  born  in 
St.  Louis,  Missouri,  January  6,  1842,  and  was 
brought  by  her  parents,  in  1853,  in  their  emi- 
gration, to  this  State.  They  settled  in  Sacra- 
mento city,  on  L  street,  between  Tenth  and 
Eleventh.  Her  father  was  William  W.  Burke. 
Mr.  and  Mrs.  Duden  have  brought  up  ten  chil- 
dren: William  L.,  born  August  26, 1860;  Edith 
L.,  April  4, 1862;  Ellsworth  Fred,  July  5, 1864; 
Frank  H.,  July  16,  1866;  Alice  O.,  March  25, 
1868;  Florence  A.,  May  6,  1870;  Mabel  V., 
March  3,  1872;  Lillian  L.,  July  21,  1874; 
Leona  A.,  October  31,  1877,  and  Ethel  A.,  No- 


vember 17,  1879.  Ellsworth  is  an  e.Kcellent 
stenographer  and  caligraph  operator,  in  the 
office  of  Hon.  W.  J.  Davis,  court  reporter,  Sac- 
ramento. Mr.  Duden  is  a  veteran  Odd  Fellow, 
belonging  to  Sacramento  Lodge,  No.  2. 

-^C©:®!^^^ — 

^OSES  M.  DREW.— In  New  Hampshire, 
under  the  shadows  of  Mount  Washing- 
ton on  the  east  and  nestling  close  to 
the  river  which  forms  its  western  boundary,  lies 
Grafton  County,  where  on  the  15th  of  March, 
1830,  was  born  to  Zaccheus  Drew,  a  farmer,  and 
to  Nancy  (Ivimball)  Drew,  a  son, — the  youngest 
of  five  children  in  a  good  old-fashioned  family  of 
eleven  children.  There  he  lived,  breathing  the 
free  raountaifi  air  and  developing  a  physique 
well  calculated  to  endure  the  hardships  of  a  re- 
markably active  life,  until  fifteen  years  of  age, 
when  he  with  his  parents  removed  to  Boston, 
Massachusetts.  Five  years  later,  in  the  spring 
of  1851,  he  came  to  California.  He  engaged 
in  mining  at  different  points,  notably  at  Mormon 
Island,  where  he  worked  a  claim  with  Judge  Cat- 
lin  and  others;  in  1855,  he  went  to  the  Kern 
River  district  with  Joe  Comstock,  where  they 
met  with  excellent  success.  For  two  years,  with 
Levi  D.  Leeds,  he  was  prospecting  and  mining 
in  Sierra  County;  in  1858,  during  the  Fraser 
River  excitement,  he  went  there,  and  later  on 
to  Pine  Grove  in  Placer  County.  He  finally 
came  to  Sacramento  and  bought  out  the  saloon 
on  the  corner  of  Sixth  and  K  streets,  which  was 
then,  and  afterward,  headquarters  for  the  promi- 
nent men  of  this  city.  There  he  remained  un- 
til 1875,  when  he  was  elected  sheriff,  which 
office  he  held  for  two  terms.  It  was  during  his 
administration  that  Dye,  the  public  adminis- 
trator of  this  county,  was* apprehended,  tried, 
convicted  of  murder  and  hanged.  In  1879  he 
was  a  member  of  the  State  Board  of  Equal- 
ization, which  office  he  resigned  after  two  years 
to  become  United  States  Marshal  in  1881,  under 
President  Arthur,  with  headquarters  at  San 
Francisco,  and  filled  the  important  position  four 


HISTORY    OF    SACRAMENTO    COUNTY. 


years.  Upon  returning  to  Sacramento  he  was 
once  more  taken  up  by  his  friends  as  their  can- 
didate for  sheriff,  was  elected  and  served  three 
terms.  Mr.  Drew  has  been,  and  still  is,  a  very 
prominent  man;  it  is  safe  to  say  that  no  man 
stands  higher  in  the  regard  of  all  classes  of  the 
citizens  of  Sacramento  County;  pre  eminently 
of  a  social  disposition,  he  is  the  center  of  a 
large  circle  of  friends. 


flilLAXDER  H.  DODGE,  manufacturer 
of  gloves,  1017  Ninth  street,  Sacramento, 
was  born  May  2,  1847,  at  Monroe,  "Waldo 
County,  Maine,  and  was  educated  in  the  public 
schools,  graduating  at  the  high  school.  In 
September,  1864,  being  then  only  seventeen 
years  of  age,  he  enlisted  in  Company  G,  Ninth 
Maine  Regiment  of  Infantry,  for  a  period  of 
one  year  or  during  the  war.  His  father,  who 
had  been  in  the  army  and  discharged  for  dis- 
ability, sought  to  dissuade  him  from  going,  but 
finding  him  determined  reluctantly  gave  his 
consent.  His  regiment  was  ordered  to  Chapin's 
Farm,  on  the  James  River,  in  front  of  Rich- 
mond, and  assigned  to  the  division  commanded 
by  General  B.  F.  Butler.  His  regiment  took 
part  in  an  engagement,  in  which  it  lost  about 
ninety  men.  Soon  after  the  fight  he  was 
stricken  with  rheumatic  fever  and  sent  to  the 
hospital  at  Portsmouth,  Virginia,  where  he  re 
mained  about  seven  weeks.  In  the  meantime 
his  regiment  had  been  ordered  to  Fort  Fisher, 
where  he  rejoined  it,  arriving  two  days  before 
that  battle  was  fought  aid  in  which  with  his 
regiment  he  took  part.  After  the  fight  the 
brigade  under  General  Terry  marched  to  Wil- 
mington, North  Carolina,  and  thence  to  Raleigh. 
On  the  way  it  was  learned  that  General  Schofield 
was  lighting  with  General  Joe  Johnston,  and  in 
order  to  render  him  assistance  a  forced  inarch 
of  forty-four  miles  was  made  in  one  day.  On 
arriving  at  the  scene  of  battle,  material  aid  was 
given  General  Schotield  and  victory  crowned  the 
Union  forces.    This  was  the  last  battle  in  which 


General  Johnston's  army  took  part  during  the 
war.  On  arriving  at  Raleigh,  General  Terry 
established  his  headquarters,  and  Dodge  was 
detailed  with  others  for  dnty  at  the  General's 
headquarters,  where  he  remained  until  the  sur- 
render of  Lee,  when  he  was  ordered  to  report 
to  his  regiment  to  be  mustered  out.  On  re- 
turning to  his  home  in  Maine,  he  attended 
school  for  one  term,  then  bought  an  interest  in 
the  firm  of  J.  B.  Morse  &  Co.,  manufacturers 
of  edge  tools,  located  at  Dixmont,  Maine.  But, 
not  liking  the  business,  he  remained  only  six 
months,  when  he  sold  his  interest  to  his  part- 
ners and  engaged  as  traveling  salesman  for  a 
Boston  grocery  house,  with  whom  he  stayed  till 
1868.  In  April  of  that  year,  he  started  for 
California,  coming  across  the  Isthmus  and  ar- 
riving in  San  Francisco  in  May.  At  this  time 
the  Central  Pacific  Railroad  was  in  course  of 
construction  and  the  work  in  need  of  men  and 
Mr.  Dodge  being  willing  to  do  anything  to  af- 
ford an  honest  living,  hired  as  teamster  and  was 
engaged  in  hauling  railroad  iron.  At  the  end 
of  six  weeks  an  opportunity  oli'ered  for  him  to 
go  to  Emigrant  Gap;  thither  he  went  and  for 
four  months  was  engaged  in  logging,  with  S. 
Putnam  of  that  place.  In  the  fall  of  the  year 
he  went  to  Yolo  County  and  obtained  employ- 
ment on  a  ranch,  where  he  spent  the  winter.  In 
the  spring  of  1869  he  went  to  San  Joaquin 
County,  purchased  a  lot  of  wild  horses  and  en- 
gaged in  teaming,  chiefly  in  htiuling  grain.  In 
the  autumn  he  disposed  of  the  team  and  went 
to  Roseville,  Placer  County,  where  he  took  aeon- 
tract  for  cutting  wood,  in  which  he  employed  a 
considerable  number  of  men.  In  the  spring  of 
1870  he  went  to  Colusa  County  and  engaged  in 
raising  sheep.  In  the  fall  he  sold  his  band, 
and  during  the  winter  taught  school  at  Colusa. 
In  the  spring  of  1871  he  went  to  Xevada  and 
again  bought  sheep,  spending  the  remainder  of 
the  year  in  that  State,  wintering  his  band  at 
Pueblo  Valley  near  tl;e  Oregon  line.  Early  in 
1872  he  sold  his  sheep  and  returned  to  Califor- 
nia, and  after  spending  some  time  in  the  mount 
ains  he  went  to  Red  Bluff,  Tehama  County,  and 


HISTOUY    OF    SACRAMENTO    COUNTY. 


engaged  as  foreman  for  Phillips  &  Chandler, 
the  largest  stock-raisers  in  the  county,  remain- 
ing with  them  till  December,  when  he  paid  a 
visit  to  his  heme  in  Maine,  spending  about  two 
months  there.  On  his  I'eturn  to  California  he 
went  to  Colusa,  and  during  the  season  gave  his 
time  to  shearing  sheep,  traveling  from  Colusa 
to  the  State  of  Nevada.  At  the  end  of  the 
shearing  season,  and  until  early  in  1875,  he  op- 
erated a  stage  line  and  kept  a  hotel  in  the 
mountains.  In  1875  he  came  to  Sacramento 
and  engaged  as  a  salesman  for  Horace  Briggs, 
who  was  manufacturing  a  patent  spring  bed, 
and  also  sold  furniture  for  W.  D.  Comstock 
and  others.  At  the  expiration  of  his  contract 
with  these  parties,  he  opened  a  wood-yard  in 
Sacramento,  which  he  operated  during  the  win- 
ter. In  the  spring  of  1877  he  disposed  of  this, 
and  removed  to  Butte  Meadows,  Butte  County, 
where  he  built  a  hotel,  remaining  as  "mine 
host"  for  about  four  years,  when  he  sold  out,  re- 
turned to  Sacramento  and  engaged  in  his  present 
line  of  business,  the  manufuctnre  of  gloves. 
He  has  been  very  successful,  and  has  a  repu- 
tation second  to  none  in  his  line.  His  business 
relations  are  quite  extended,  his  goods  being 
sold  not  only  in  California  but  also  in  Nevada, 
Oregon  and  most  of  the  Territories.  Mr.  Dodge's 
thorough  knowledge  of  the  requirements  of  his 
trade,  and  the  fact  that  all  skins  used  in  the 
manufacture  of  his  gloves  are  tanned  at  his  own 
tannery  and  under  his  own  personal  supervision, 
enables  him  to  place  his  goods  on  the  market 
with  the  positive  assurance  that  no  competitor 
can  excel  him.  In  the  operations  of  his  factory 
and  tannery,  he  employs  twenty  girls  and  six 
men.  In  the  business  he  is  highly  regarded, 
and  enjoys  to  the  fullest  extent  their  contiJeuce 
and  esteem.  During  his  visit  East  in  1872  he 
was  married  to  Miss  Emma  Sunderland,  a 
daughter  of  Major  Henry  Sunderland,  of  the 
British  army  at  Montreal,  Canada.  Mr.  Dodge 
is  active  in  the  Grand  Army  of  the  Republic, 
being  a  member  of  Sumner  Post,  No.  3,  also  uf 
Leland  Stanford  Camp,  No.  11,  Sons  of  Vet- 
erans.    Of  the  last  named  organization  he  has 


been  Captain.  Is  also  prominent  in  the  Odd 
Fellows  order,  being  a  member  of  Capital 
Lodge,  and  the  Occidental  Encampment  of  Pa- 
triarchs Militant.  He  also  belongs  to  the 
Knights  of  Pythias,  and  is  now  Chancellor  Com- 
mander of  Capital  Lodge.  In  politics  Mr. 
Dodge  is  a  "dyed-in-the-wool"  Republican,  and 
uses  all  his  energies  to  further  the  interests  of 
his  party  both  locally  and  nationally. 

-^^€M^W^ — 

fOSHUA  FOUNTAIN  w^as  born  in  Mary- 
land, February  27,  1811,  his  parents  being 
Andrew  and  Rebecca  (Barwick)  Fountain. 
His  maternal  grandparents  were  James  and 
Mary  (Fisher)  Barwick.  Grandmother  Barwick 
lived  to  be  over  seventy.  The  Barwicks  are 
Marylanders-  for  several  generations.  His  grand- 
father Fountain  bore  the  name  of  Andrew,  and 
lived  to  be  nearly  seventy.  Joshua  Fountain's 
great-grandfather,  who  is  believed  to  have  been 
also  named  Andrew,  was  one  of  three  brothers 
who  had  come  to  America  from  France  before 
the  middle  of  the  last  century.  One  settled  in 
Maryland,  one  in  Long  Island,  and  the  third 
went  South,  but  afterward  returned  to  France, 
where  he  died,  leaving,  it  is  said,  a  large  for- 
tune to  his  indirect  heirs  in  America.  A 
grand-uncle  was  a  Colonel  Fountain  in  the 
French-Indian  wars,  about  1760,  serving  on  the 
side  of  the  British  colonies;  and  is  said  to  have 
received  the  grant  of  one  or  two  sections  of  land 
over  which  the  city  of  Baltimore  has  since 
spread.  Whether  the  alleged  $8,000,000  of 
Fountain's  inheritance  includes  this  as  well  as 
the  foreign  claim,  or  whether  one  is  confounded 
with  the  other,  or  whether  either  is  genuine, 
Mr.  Joshua  Fountain  is  unable  to  say,  and 
meanwhile  is  little  concerned  about  the  pros- 
pective millions  which  perhaps  is  little  better 
than  a  lawyer's  lure  to  gather  a  handsome  re- 
tainer from  American  Fountains.  Joshua  Foun- 
tain was  brought  up  on  a  Maryland  farm  near 
the  Delaware  line;  and  was  married  in  1834  to 
Miss  Prudence  Rebecca,  a  daughter  of  Solomon 


UltiroBi'    OF    SACRAMENTU    COUISTY. 


and  Anvibater  Fountain,  born  June  15,  1815. 
He  rented  a  farm  for  the  first  year  after  his  mar- 
riage, and  in  1835  moved  to  Michigan,  where 
be  bought  a  farm  in  Cass  County.  In  1838  he 
moved  to  Iowa,  buying  a  farm  near  Farming- 
ton ;  aiid  then  moved  into  Lee  County,  where 
he  farmed  for  seven  years.  In  1850  he  came  to 
California,  across  the  plains,  accompanied  by  his 
oldest  son,  then  a  boy  of  fourteen.  Arriving  in 
Grass  Valley  on  September  15,  1850,  he  went 
to  mining  there  that  winter,  assisted  by  his  boy. 
In  the  spring  he  went  to  prospecting  for  three 
months,  and  again  settled  down  to  work  at  Big 
Rich  Bar,  on  the  north  fork  of  Feather  River. 
Cuming  down  to  Oregon  Gulch,  below  Oroville, 
he  there  mined  in  the  winter  of  1851  and  the 
spring  of  1852.  In  the  summer  he  came  down 
to  Sacramento  seeking  a  location,  having  ac- 
cumulated about  $3,000,  and  bought  a  place  at 
Eighth  and  O  streets.  The  son  followed  in  No- 
vember with  $1,000  which  he  had  won  from  the 
mines  at  the  age  of  sixteen.  He  went  into  his 
old  business  of  brick-making,  which  he  carried 
on  from  1852  to  1861  in  Sacramento.  August 
20,  1855,  Mr.  Fountain  returned  to  Iowa  to 
bring  out  his  wife  and  family  of  four  children, 
leaving  his  son  in  dharge  of  the  business  and 
twenty  men.  In  1857  he  bought  the  ranch  of 
240  acres  in  the  northeast  corner  of  Franklin 
Township,  which  he  still  owns,  and  on  which  he 
came  to  reside  in  1859.  During  his  brick- 
making  career  in  Sacramento  he  went  to  Grass 
Va"]ley  in  1857,  and  there  made  brick  for  the 
Catholic  Churcli  of  that  place;  and  in  1859  to 
Suisun  City,  where  he  made  brick  for  the  court- 
house and  jail.  On  his  farm  he  raises  grain, 
though  it  is  well  adapted  for  fruit-raising  with 
proper  irrigation.  Mrs.  Fountain  died  Decem- 
ber 13,  1871,  having  borne  the  following  chil- 
dren: William  Andrew,  born  June  9,  1836; 
James  Barwick,  July  11,  1838;  Ann  Eliza, 
January  13,  1841;  George  Walton,  January  19, 
1844;  Sarah  Jane,  December  17, 1847,  deceased 
in  1849;  Mary  Marion  and  an  unnamed  twin 
sister,  who  died  soon  aftei-  birth,  were  born 
March   17,  1849.     Mary  Marlon  died   in  1851. 


Of  these,  William  A.  was  born  in  Michigan,  and 
the  others  in  Iowa.  The  following  were  born 
in  Sacramento:  Joshua,  Jr.,  April  2,  1857;  an 
unnamed  child,  born  March  31,  1861,  died 
April  12,  1861;  Charles  Henry,  born  April  6, 
1862;  died  February  12,  1884.  The  two  oldest 
carry  on  a  brick  business  in  Sacramento  as 
Fountain  Brothers.  Ann  Eliza  is  the  wife  of  F. 
S.  Ilotchkiss  of  the  same  city.  George  W.  is 
in  the  dairy  business  on  the  Locke  and  Levin, 
son  place,  below  Courtland.  He  supplies  half 
the  stock,  the  firm  the  other  half  and  the  land, 
the  product  being  owned  in  equal  shares.  He 
is  married  to  Louisa  HoUman.  Joshua,  Jr.,  is 
a  traveling  salesman  for  the  hardware  house  of 
Hillburn  Brothers,  of  Sacramento,  and  is  mar- 
ried to  Clara  Hoyt.  December  30,  1874,  Mr. 
Fountain  was  married  to  Miss  Mary  Myers, 
born  in  Dade  County,  Missouri,  in  1855,  a 
daughter  of  Garrett  Laure  and  Delina  (Robert- 
son) Myers,  the  father  being  of  French  and  the 
mother  of  English  descent,  both  now  living  in 
Sacramento. 

^-^^■%# 

AVID  TILESTON  LUFKIX  was  born  in 
Cumberland  County,  Maine,  August  31, 
1817,  his  parents  being  Jacob  Butler  B. 
and  Elizabeth  (Ludden)  Lufkin.  Grandfather 
Ludden,  a  native  of  Scotland,  fought  at  Bunker 
Hill  in  the  patriot  army.  The  Lufkins  trace 
lineage  to  the  early  Puritan  stock  of  Plymouth 
colony.  David's  grandfather,  Nathaniel  Luf- 
kin, was  an  early  settler,  large  landholder,  ship- 
owner and  merchant  at  Yarmouth,  and  lost 
heavily  through  the  embargo  act,  in  the  war 
of  1812.  His  grandmother  Lufkin  was  of  a 
Butler  family,  of  Massachusetts.  The  father  of 
D.  T.,  besides  carrying  on  the  usual  routine  of 
his  farm,  bought  and  drove  cattle  and  sheep, 
selling  them  in  Portland.  The  subject  of  this 
sketch  attended  the  district  school  till  he  was 
thirteen,  when  he  went  to  driving  a  six-o.\  team 
in  a  logging  camp.  Obtained  the  gift  of  his 
time  at  sixteen  years  and   nine  months.     Spent 


UI8T0BT    OF    SACRAMENTO    COUNTY. 


three  months  in  an  academy  to  enable  him  to 
teach  a  district  school,  and  was  afterward 
teacher  and  pupil  alternatively  until  he  reached 
his  majority.  His  health  becoming  impaired 
by  over-study  he  went  West  in  1838,  by  way  of 
Boston,  Neiv  York,  Buffalo  and  Chicago  to 
Green  Bay,  Wisconsin,  where  he  spent  a  year 
and  recovered  his  health.  He  then  went  into 
the  pine-cutting  business  as  an  employe  and 
"rafted"  to  St.  Louis  in  1840,  afterward  work- 
ing during  tiie  summer  on  the  Mississippi. 
His  health  again  gave  way,  and  he  went  north 
to  Galena,  where  he  taught  school  in  1841  at 
$35  a  month  and  board.  In  the  spring  of  1842 
he  went  into  the  grocery  business,  which  he 
closed  out  two  years  later,  and  in  1844  moved 
to  Boone  County,  Illinois,  where  he  had  a  farm, 
and  built  a  saw-mill,  which  he  conducted  for 
five  years.  Benting  farm  and  mill  in  1849  he 
came  to  California  by  way  of  St.  Louis,"  New 
Orleans,  and  a  sailing  vessel  to  Chagres,  and  on 
the  Pacific  side  by  the  barque  "Palmetto,"  on 
which  he  was  employed  as  "captain  of  the 
steerage," — charged  with  the  oversight  of  116 
passengers, — to  San  Franci.«co,  arriving  in  the 
spring  of  1850.  He  was  thus  enabled  to  secure 
the  passage  of  two  sick  and  penniless  comrades 
from  Panama  to  San  Francisco.  He  went  to 
mining  in  April,  and  kept  at  it  steadily  for 
about  five  months,  his  last  field  of  operation  be- 
ing on  Feather  liiver.  He  had  turned  Nelson 
Creek  from  its  bed,  but  high  water  soon  put  an 
embargo  on  his  proceedings.  His  health,  too, 
was  none  too  good,  and  lie  concluded  to  seek  for 
a  season  some  more  congenial  climate  and  oc- 
cupation than  mining  in  the  m.oniitains,  but 
with  the  intention  of  returning  when  the  water 
subsided  on  his  claim.  He  had  made  about 
$2,000,  and  invested  in  some  cattle,  renting 
from  a  mining  comrade  a  place  on  the  Sacra- 
mento, on  which  there  was  a  rude  log-cabin. 
Here  he  proposed  to  devote  the  interval  until 
spring  to  feeding  his  cattle,  and  he  reached  the 
place  on  October  80,  1850.  After  a  few  weeks' 
residence  he  found  his  health  so  much  improved 
that  he   bought  the  place,  and    it  has   been    his 


home  ever  since.  Besides  taking  care  of  his 
stock  he  ran  the  Grapevine  Ferry  in  the  winter 
of  1851-'52,  and  found  the  climate  so  genial 
that  he  abandoned  the  idea  of  returning  to  the 
mines.  In  the  fall  of  1851  he  brought  his  fam- 
ily to  share  his  comforts  and  enhance  his  own. 
He  increased  his  ranch  by  other  purchases  to 
400  acres,  but  has  since  reduced  it  by  sale  to  100 
acres,  which  are  devoted  almost  entirely  to 
fruit-raising,  for  which  nature  has  admirably 
adapted  it.  Had  he  the  designing  of  it  and  the 
power  to  achieve  the  desired  result,  he  could 
not  have  made  it  more  suitable  for  such  pur- 
pose. He  raises  pears,  peaches,  apricots,  plums 
and  cherries,  which  he  ships  principally  to  San 
Francisco  from  a  landing  near  at  hand.  He 
shipped  2,000  boxes  East  in  1888.  Raises  some 
alfalfa  for  his  colts.  He  raised  cattle  and  ran  a 
dairy  for  some  years,  but  found  that  nature  had 
adapted  his  ranch  for  the  raising  of  stone-fruits, 
and  he  has  learned  not  to  contravene  the  de- 
cision of  that  bounteous  mother.  In  1854  he 
burned  a  kiln  of  brick,  and  built  a  residence  of 
that  material,  which  after  thirty-five  years  is 
still  in  excellent  condition,  besides  enhancing 
the  comfort  and  promoting  the  health  of  its  oc- 
cupants for  all  those  yearS;  He  continued  to 
prosper  in  his  business  for  twelve  years,  when 
the  flood  of  1862  created  discontent  with  the 
banks  of  Sacramento  as  a  permanent  home,  and 
he  offered  to  sell  cheap,  but  fortunately  could 
find  no  purchaser.  In  an  evil  hour  he  embarked 
in  what  seemed  a  promising  venture, — the  mi'll- 
ing  and  crushing  of  quartz,  near  Aurora,  Ne- 
vada, only  to  sink  the  bulk  of  his  accumulations 
and  losefourand  a-half years, — 1863  to  1867, — 
in  that  disastrous  enterprise.  Returning  to  his 
old  pursuits  on  his  unsalable  ranch  a  sadder  but 
wiser  man,  he  has  learned  to  be  content  with 
the  less  dazzling  vision  of  a  competence  from 
the  fruits  of  his  orchard,  and  is  now  enjoying  a 
serene  old  age  in  the  quiet  pursuits  of  hus- 
bandry. He  has  been  a  justice  of  the  peace  al- 
most continuously  when  living  in  Franklin 
Township.  Mr.  Lufkin  was  married  in  1843  at 
Elkhorn  Grove,  Illinois,  to   Miss    Ann    E.  Dal- 


HISTORY    OF    SACRAMENTO    COUNTT. 


ton,  a  native  of  North  Carolina.  Her  maternal 
grandfather  was  of  the  Scales  family,  of  which 
the  present  Governor  of  that  State  is  a  distin. 
tingiiished  member.  She  died  in  1876,  leaving 
four  children:  Sarah  Hortense,  now  the  widow 
of  James  S.  Moore,  with  fonr  boys  and  two 
girls;  Mary,  the  widow  of  Elijah  Giles  Downer 
witli  two  boys  and  two  girls;  Harry  Tileston^ 
in  business  at  Walnut  Grove,  and  married  to 
Louisa  Wise,  with  two  children:  Roscoe.  C, 
born  in  1882,  and  a  baby  girl ;  Clara,  now  Mrs. 
Daniel  Striker,  of  Sacramento.  Mr.  Lufkiti  was 
again  married  in  1879  to  Mrs.  Sarah  H.  (Mor- 
rison) Weber,  born  in  Maine  of  a  Scotch  father 
and  an  American  mother. 


fZRA  W.  FOSTER,  farmer,  Sutter  Town. 
ship,  was  bom  December  4, 1828,  in  Ver- 
mont. His  father,  William  T.  Foster, 
was  a  native  of  Ireland,  a  stone-cutter  by  trade, 
and  came  to  America  at  the  age  of  seventeen 
years.  His  wife,  the  mother  of  Ezra  W.,  was  a 
native  of  Vermont;  her  maiden  name  was  Char- 
lotte Chilson.  From  early  boyhood,  the  sub- 
ject of  our  sketch  has  made  his  own  way  in  the 
world.  He  lived  with  his  grand-parents  until 
about  the  age  of  seventeen  years,  when  he  found 
that  he  was  not  to  receive  under  their  care  any 
education.  He  then  resolved  to  travel  out  into 
the  world  for  himself.  He  began  to  exhibit  a 
desire  fur  an  education  at  the  age  of  fourteen, 
and  by  the  time  he  was  seventeen  he  had  re- 
ceived but  eighteen  months' schooling.  At  the 
tender  age  mentioned  he  went  to  Michigan, 
where  he  lived  most  of  the  time  in  Cass  and 
Berrien  Counties,  working  on  a  farm  and  clerk- 
ing in  various  stores.  In  April,  1850,  having 
accumulated  a  little  money  by  hard  labor  and 
rigid  economy,  he  started  for  California  over- 
land, came  by  way  of  Council  Bluffs,  Salt  Lake 
City  and  arrived  in  Weavertown,  this  State, 
July  17,  with  lifty-iive  people  in  the  train,  after 
a  live  months'  journey.  Only  one  of  tlie  party 
was  lost  on  the  way  by  sickness.     For  the  first 

48 


year  Mr.  Foster  followed  mining;  then  he 
started  a  small  grocery  with  his  uncle,  which 
arrangement  continued  but  a  shoi-t  time.  Out 
of  $5,000  invested  they  obtained  but  $50  in  re- 
turn, and  that  was  in  a  mining  claim.  The 
next  year  he  was  employed  in  a  sale  and  feed 
stable  in  Sacramento.  Selling  it,  in  February, 
1852,  he  located  a  quarter-section  of  land  in 
Franklin  Township.  The  following  spring  he 
sold  this  and  purchased  his  present  property  of 
365  acres,  six  miles  from  Sacramento,  between 
the  upper  and  lower  Stockton  roads;  and  then 
began  teaming  and  speculating  in  horses  and  cat- 
tle. In  1855  he  put  in  the  first  crop  on  the 
ranch,  and  from  that  time  he  has  improved  the 
place  until  he  has  made  it  a  fine  residence.  Hay, 
grain  and  live-stock  are  within  the  domain  of 
his  energies.  He  still  "  has  a  fancy  for  a  good 
horse;"  and  of  this  class  of  animals  he  has  a 
number.  He  also  has  a  ranch  of  237  acres  six 
miles  south  of  Sacramento.  Mr.  Foster  has 
seen  his  share  of  the  "  ups  and  downs  "  of  Cali- 
fornia life.  AugusL6,  1856,  he  married  Miss 
Letitia,  daughter  of  J.  Goslin,  and  a  native  of 
England.  She  died  January  2,  1862.  By  this 
marriage  there  were  two  sons:  Adrian,  who  died 
at  tlie  age  of  three  years  and  six  months;  and 
Harry  W.,  born  December  10,  1861. 


j^ARRY  TILESTON  LUFKIN  was  born 
IW)  October  31,  1856,  in  "the  brick  house," 
"^SAs  about  midway  between  Richland  and  Free- 
port,  on  the  Sacramento,  his  parents  being 
David  Tileston  (see  sketch)  and  Mary  Ann 
(Dalton)  Lufkin.  He  attended  high-school  and 
a  preparatory  sahool  in  Sacramento,  but  instead 
of  going  to  the  university  he  went  to  teaching 
school  in  Solano  County,  near  Vallejo,  at  the  age 
of  twenty.  He  followed  that  avocation  for 
seven  years,  and  in  1883  went  into  business  at 
Walnut  Grove,  where  he  still  conducts  a  general 
store  and  a  public  hall,  built  in  1885.  He  is  a 
member  of  the  Masonic  order,  and  of  the  Native 
Sons   of   the  Golden  West,  and    was  a   school 


HISTORY    OF    SACRAMENTO    COUNTY. 


trustee  for  three  years.  Mr.  Lufkin  was  mar- 
ried July  16,  1879,  to  Miss  Louisa  Jane  Wise, 
a  native  of  this  county,  a  daughter  of  Joseph 
(see  sketch)  and  Nancy  Jane  (Phipps)  "Wise. 
Mr.  and  Mrs.  Lufkin  are  the  parents  of  three 
living  children:  Harry  Roscoe,  born  June  3, 
1880;  Stella  Grace,  born  October  30,  1886; 
and  Irene  Tileta,  born  November  27,  1889. 

fULIUS  EVERSON,  merchant  at  Elk  Grove, 
was  born  in  Cayuga  County,  New  York, 
fourteen  miles  from  Auburn,  the  county 
seat,  and  about  two  miles  from  where  Millard 
Fillmore  was  at  the  time  working  at  tlie  black- 
smith's trade,  June  9, 1838,  son  of  William  and 
Catharine  Everson,  tlie  former  a  native  of  New 
Jersey  and  the  latter  of  New  York.  He  was 
brought  up  as  a  farmer's  son,  remaining  on  the 
farm  until  he  was  twenty  years  of  age;  at- 
tended an  academy  for  a  time.  In  1858  he  went 
to  Michigan  and  located  at  Ji^alamazoo,  entering 
the  employ  of  the  Michigan  Central  Railroad 
Company,  who  commissioned  him  to  buy  and 
cut  wood  along  the  line  of  the  road,  his  section 
being  from  Kalamazoo  to  Lake  Michigan.  He 
had  an  engine  and  machine  for  cutting  the  wood, 
and  a  gang  of  men:  occupied  this  position  for 
about  two  years.  In  1856  he  sailed  from  New 
York  for  California  on  the  old  steamer  George 
Law,  which  afterward  was  lost  at  sea.  While 
crossing  the  Isthmus  on  the  railroad,  an  accident 
happened  to  the  train  causing  the  loss  of  sixty 
lives.  His  steamer  on  this  side  the  Isthmus 
was  the  Golden  Gate,  which  also  went  down 
afterward.  He  landed  in  San  Francisco  May  23 
or  24,  1856,  the  day  Casey  and  Cora  were  hung 
by  the  Vigilance  Committee.  The  times  were 
so  e.xciting  that  Mr.  Everson  was  tempted  im- 
mediately to  return  to  the  East.  On  arriving  in 
Sacramento  he  entered  the  wood  business  on 
Ninth  and  K  streets,  and  conducted  a  wood-yard 
about  a  year;  then  he  bought  a  farm  near  Elk 
Grove  and  conducted  it  until  1875,  when  he 
originated  the  Elk   Grove   Building    Company, 


which  put  up  the  first  business  building  in  the 
place;  and  he,  in  partnership  with  W.  A.  Chit- 
tenden, under  the  firm  name  of  Chittenden  & 
Everson,  put  in  a  stock  of  goods,  the  first  in  the 
embrj'o  village;  and  ever  since  that  date  he  has 
been  in  business  at  that  point,  carrying  a  gen- 
eral stock  of  goods  for  an  agricultural  com- 
munity. In  1877,  in  company  with  H.  S.  Hill, 
he  bought  a  tract  of  land  and  erected  two  build- 
ings upon  it,  one  for  a  drng  store  and  one  for  a 
harness  shop.  Thus  was  the  business  history  of 
Elk  Grove  started.  At  the  end  of  the  first  six- 
teen months  Mr.  Everson  bought  out  Mr.  Chit- 
tenden's interest  and  admitted  into  partnership 
his  nephew,  W.  E.  Everson,  who  was  then  one 
of  the  firm  of  Everson  &  Co.  for  eight  years. 
Mr.  Everson  bought  him  out  and  since  that  time 
he  has  been  alone.  As  has  already  been  prevent 
he  is  a  public-spirited  man,  anxious  for  the 
prosperity  of  his  community,  and  successful 
both  in  business  and  in  helping  on  all  good 
local  enterprises.  He  was  married  in  1878  to 
Miss  Alvira  Treat,  a  native  of  Cass  County, 
Michigan,  and  daughter  of  Sullivan  Treat,  an 
old  settler  of  this  locality.  They  have  two 
children,  Lester  Treat  and  Walter  Terry,  both 
born  in  Elk  Grove. 


SAAC  FIEL,  merchant  and  real-estate  dealer, 
Folsom.  The  father  of  this  geutlemau,  Jo- 
seph Fiel,  was  a  native  of  Prussia,  born  in 
1822,  and  was  a  tailor  by  occupation.  In  1819, 
during  the  gold  excitement  in  California,  he 
came  direct  to  Folsom,  which  had  just  been  laid 
out,  and  bought  property.  When  the  railroad 
was  built  to  that  place,  passengers  and  freight 
were  carried  across  the  mountains  by  wagons  to 
Virginia  City,  during  the  Washoe,  Gold  Hill 
and  White  Pine  excitement.  He  commenced 
the  manufacture  of  wagon  covers  and  made 
quite  a  business  ouf  of  it.  Afterward  he  en- 
tered the  dry-goods  trade  in  Folsom,  being  one 
of  the  first  merchants,  and  followed  this  business 
about  six  years.     Subsequently  he  became    in- 


HISTORY    OF    SACRAMENTO    COUNTY. 


terested  in  two  or  three  mines  in  the  neighbor- 
hood, and  devoted  his  attention  to  that  about 
three  years.  At  the  time  of  the  completion  of 
the  railroad  to  Latrobe,  which  was  then  sup- 
posed to  be  the  terminus  of  the  route,  he  went 
there  and  erected  seven  large  stores,  which  he 
rented.  The  stores  cost  a  great  deal  of  money ; 
Latrobe  went  down,  and  he  was  otfered  only 
$200  for  the  property.  He  moved  the  buildings 
to  Folsom,  where  they  are  still  standing.  At 
one  time  he  had  considerable  property  in  the 
lower  part  of  the  town,  which  was  then  the 
principal  business  portion.  He  was  once  oifered 
$6,000  or  $7,000  for  property  which  he  after- 
ward sold  for  $300.  The  same  property  to-day 
is  worth  many  thousand  dollars.  His  next 
move  was  to  open  a  variety  store  a  few  doors 
above  where  his  son  now  is,  and  he  continued 
in  this  business  until  his  death,  October  16, 
1876.  He  always  had  the  good  of  his  chosen 
town  at  heart,  was  active  in  business  and  every 
way  a  worthy  citizen.  He  was  foremost  in 
securing  the  branch  State  Prison  at  this  point. 
He  was  married  in  Sacramento,  to  Rusa  Kirsky, 
who  became  the  mother  of  two  children,  and  is 
now  a  resident  of  Folsom.  Her  son  Irwin  is 
not  living.  Isaac  Fiel,  the  other  son,  was  born 
in  Folsom  April  22,  1861.  At  the  age  of  fif- 
teen years  he  went  to  Woodland,  but  at  the  j 
death  of  iiis  father  he  returned  to  Folsom  to  { 
take  charge  of  his  well-known  variety  store,  and 
since  then  he  has  been  prominently  identified  with 
the  thorough  business  men  of  the  place.  Four 
years  ago  lie  took  charge  of  Firemen's  Hall, 
which  had  well  nigh  run  down,  repaired  it,  and 
got  theatrical  companies  to  exhibit  there,  which 
has  been  a  great  help  to  the  town.  He  still  has 
charge  of  the  hall.  His  variety  store  is  one  of 
the  principal  attractions  of  Folsom,  being  one 
of  the  largest  outside  of  San  Francisco.  He 
has  the  agency  of  all  the  San  Franci.sco,  Sacra-  1 
inento  and  Stockton  papers,  as  well  as  the  other 
priiici|ial  papers  of  the  State.  He  and  his 
mother  own  considera!)le  real  estate  in  and 
around  Folsom,  some  of  which  is  valuable  busi-  i 
ness  property.      For  ten    months   Mr.    Fiel  was   1 


editor  and  proprietor  of  the  Folsom  WeeJdy 
Telegraph,  and  during  that  time  built  the  paper 
up  to  a  standard  tliat  places  it  among  the  lead- 
ing newspapers  of  the  State.  "When  he  sold  it 
it  was  on  a  good  paying  basis.  For  a  year  and 
a  half  he  was  Deputy  Postmaster  of  Folsom,  and 
during  that  time  was  instrumental  in  putting 
in  new  bo.xes  and  fitting  up  the  office  to  be  one 
of  the  finest  in  the  State.  During  the  skating 
rink  excitement  he  had  charge  of  three  skating 
rinks, — one  each  in  Folsom,  Elk  Grove  and 
Gait, — and  they  were  a  paying  investment.  In 
connection  with  his  variety  store  he  also  is  en- 
gaged in  the  real-estate  business.  December 
27,  1887,  is  the  date  of  Mr.  Fiel's  marriage  to 
Miss  Gertie  Sartain,  a  native  of  Missouri. 


^ON.  LEWIS  H.  FASSETT,  deceased,  was 
Iw)  *  ^'^^  °^  Truman  N.  and  Lydia  (Hyller) 
^46  Fassett.  His  father,  a  native  of  Vermont, 
emigrated  to  Ohio  when  a  small  boy,  and  his 
father,  Elias,  also  a  farmer,  emigrated  to  Ohio 
in  1810,  and  was  therefore  one  of  the  earliest 
pioneers  of  that  State.  Truman  N.  was  reared 
and  married  in  Oliio  to  an  Ohio  lady  whose 
father,  Mr.  Hyller,  made  his  home  there  until 
he  came  to  California  in  1852.  In  Ohio  he  fol- 
lowed farming  and  also  had  charge  of  mail 
routes,  stage  lines,  etc.  He  came  to  the  coast 
by  the  Nicaragua  route,  sailing  from  New  York, 
and  was  one  those  who  were  retained  at  Grey- 
town,  having  to  wait  nearly  three  months  on 
the  Isthmus  before  he  could  procure  passage  on 
the  Pacific  coast.  The  ship  that  finally  came 
along  was  the  George  Lewis.  On  arrivino-  here 
he  mined  at  Mormon  Island  and  elsewhere,  and 
also  hauled  freight  from  Marysville  to  the  min- 
ing camps.  He  mined  one  year  and  then  was 
on  a  farm  one  season,  and  then  followed  freight- 
ing again.  In  1855,  his  family,  consisting  of 
wife  and  four  children,  arrived  here,  and  they 
all  then  located  in  Sacramento.  He  afterward 
purchased  hind  and  settled  upon  it,  and  died  in 
1881,  at    the   age   of   seventy-five  years.     The 


HISTOET    OF    SACRAMENTO    COUNTY. 


widow  is  still  living,  aged  seventy-eight  years. 
The  four  children  were  Lucy  N.  Kellogg,  in 
Tnlare  City;  Henry  H.,  in  Sacramento;  L.  Ho 
our  subject,  and  Mrs.  Julia  E.  Andrews,  who 
died  June  4,  1873.  Mr.  Fassett  was  born 
March  23,  1837,  in  Ohio,  came  to  California  in 
1855  and  went  into  the  mines.  He  left  a  good 
situation  of  $100  a  month  in  Sacramento,  fol- 
lowed mining  fourteen  months  and  returned 
with  just  $14!  Then  he  was  employed  by  O. 
C.  Wheeler  half  a  year,  at  $60  a  month.  Pres- 
ently his  father  and  brother  bought  a  ranch  on 
the  Folsom  grant,  and  th^y  all  followed  farming 
there  together  for  several  years;  but  the  title 
was  found  to  be  clouded  with  a  Mexican  claim 
and  they  abandoned  the  place.  Then,  during 
1862-68,  Mr.  Fassett  followed  teaming,  and 
next  tried  mining  again  (!),  this  time  putting 
up  a  quartz  mill  on  the  Carson  River,  in  Carson 
County,  Nevada.  Unfortunately,  just  before 
Christmas  it  burned  down;  and,  not  having 
much  to  fall  back  upon,  he  came  to  this  county 
and  commenced  farming  on  the  Sacramento 
River,  near  Freeport,  remaining  there  two  years. 
He  then,  in  1867,  purchased  the  present  home- 
stead, nine  miles  from  Sacramento  and  one  and 
three-fourths  miles  from  Florin,  where  he  paid 
considerable  attention  to  fruit,  such  as  straw- 
berries, blackberries  and  grapes  for  Eastern 
shipment.  There  are  thirty  acres  in  vineyard. 
Mr.  Fassett  was  well  posted  in  the  art  of  fruit- 
o-rowing,  and  was  actively  instrumental  in  estab- 
lishing the  Fruit-Growing  Association,  and  also 
the  Grange,  the  result  of  which  has  been  a 
great  benefit  to  the  community.  He  was  a  Re 
publican;  was  a  member  of  the  Board  of  Super- 
visors, and  chairman  of  the  board  for  two  years, 
at  the  close  of  which  term  he  was  presented 
with  a  handsome  gold -headed  cane.  July  26, 
1888,  he  received  from  the  Republicans  of  the 
Twentieth  Assembly  District,  the  nomination 
for  member  of  the  Assembly  without  opposi- 
tion, and  November  4  was  elected.  During  the 
session  he  was  a  member  of  the  Committee  on 
Agriculture,  on  Swamp  and  Overflowed  Lands, 
on  the  State  Prison,  and  on  Homestead  and  Land 


Monopolies.  Lie  was  a  man  of  indomitable  en- 
ergy and  extraordinary  ability.  He  died  De- 
cember 16,  1889.  In  1861  he  married  Miss 
Ellen  A.  Anderson,  daughter  of  Andrew  and 
Harriet  A.  Anderson,  and  they  had  three  sons 
and  two  daughters:  Ada  L.,  now  the  wife  of 
Francis  A.  Tibbitts  in  San  Francisco;  Ella  M., 
now  wife  of  C.  S.  Patton ;  George  E.,  Charles 
H.,  Truman  L.,  and  Sarah  U.,  who  died  in  1878, 
at  the  age  of  two  years. 


I^ICHARD  STANLEY    LOCKETT,  de- 

ifK^  ceased,  was  bcrn  near  Soinerset,  Kentucky, 
^  February  13,  1818.  From  1839  to  1843 
he  was  a  ship  carpenter  in  Missouri,  and  thence 
until  1850  he  worked  at  his  trade  in  Louisiana, 
spending  most  of  his  time  in  New  Orleans.  For 
four  years  he  was  a  pilot  on  the  Mississippi 
River.  In  1850  he  came  to  California  by 
water,  and  worked  at  his  trade  in  San  Francisco 
a  few  weeks,  building  a  schooner.  Coming  to 
Sacramento,  he  opened  up  a  restaurant  and 
saloon  on  the  corner  of  Third  and  K  streets. 
Having  bought  the  southwest  and  southeast  cor- 
ners there  he  erected  a  building,  but  the  great 
fire  succeeding  occasioned  him  great  loss.  In 
186-  he  entered  a  quarter- section  of  Govern- 
ment land,  and  purchased  another  quarter-sec- 
tion, a  part  of  which  is  now  within  the  limits 
of  the  city  of  Sacramento.  The  estate,  now  con- 
ducted by  his  widow,  in  conjunction  with  an 
adopted  son,  is  seven  miles  from  Sacramento,  in 
Erigliton  Township,  and  consists  of  eighty  acres, 
thirty  acres  of  wliich  are  in  vines  and  other 
small  fruits.  Some  of  the  vines  are  over  twenty 
years  old.  Mr.  Lockett  was  one  of  the  ciiarter 
members  of  the  Sacramento  Grange,  and  took 
great  interest  in  the  cause  of  the  Patrons  of 
LIusbandry  during  his  life.  In  1883  he  was 
nominated  by  the  Republicans  for  tiie  Assem- 
bly, but  was  defeated,  along  with  the  whole 
ticket.  He  was  a  very  popular  man,  on  account 
of  iiis  good  qualities  of  character  and  intelligent 
understanding   of   the  principles  of  statesman- 


HJHToRr    OF    SACRAMENTO    VOUNTY. 


677 


ship,  especially  as  understood  by  his  party. 
Mr.  Lockett  was  married  in  1871  to  Mary  Lock- 
ard,  a  native  of  Columbus,  Ohio,  and  daughter 
of  John  and  Mary  McLain,  both  her  parents  of 
Scotch  descent.  She  was  a  child  when  her  par- 
ents died,  and  was  brought  up  near  Columbus 
by  persons  who  were  not  relatives.  Her  mother, 
by  her  first  husband,  Mr.  Ciiarlton,  had  had  five 
children,  and  by  her  second  husband  six  chil- 
dren, and  Mrs.  Lockett  is  the  only  member  of 
the  family  now  living  so  far  as  she  knows.  She 
came  to  California  in  1808. 


tMARINGO,  a  farmer  of  Dry  Creek  Town- 
ship, was  born  in  Italy  in  1828,  a  son  of 
'  Peter  and  Mary  Maringo,  both  of  whom 
died  in  that  classic  land.  His  father  was  a 
farmer.  Mr.  Maringo,  our  subject,  emigrated 
to  California  in  1869,  first  settling  in  Stockton. 
In  1879  he  purchased  from  the  railroad  com- 
pany the  present  property  of  624  acres,  two  and 
a  half  miles  from  Gait  and  twenty-five  miles 
from  Stockton;  and  on  this  place  he  has  made 
all  the  improvements  now  witnessed  there.  His 
barn  and  other  outbuildings  are  very  good 
structures.  On  this  ranch  he  carries  on  general 
farming,  and  has  a  small  vineyard  and  garden, 
in  fine  trim.  In  1857  he  married  Teresa  Ma- 
ringo, a  native  of  Italy,  and  they  have  four 
children,  namely:  Melita,  Mary,  Virginia  and 
Alessandria. 

— '^■m-^ — 

fLE  OLSON  LOVDAL,  a  hop-raiser  of 
Sutter  Township,  was  born  in  Gramstadt, 
Norway,  March  25, 1825,  a  son  of  George 
and  Christina  Lovdal.  At  the  age  of  fifteen 
years  he  began  to  learn  his  trade,  and  since  that 
time  he  has  made  his  own  way  in  the  w-orld. 
July  12,  1850,  he  sailed  from  Gramstadt  for  the 
United  States,  and  landed  at  New  York,  after  a 
voyage  of  ten  unpleasant  weeks.  He  finally 
j)iirchased  a  place  from   his  lirother-in-luw,  An- 


ton Olsen,  which  now  contains  about  thirty 
acres,  situated  at  Iliverside,  about  half  a  mile 
below  the  city  limits,  and  is  devoted  entirely  to 
hop-raising.  Mr.  Lovdal  has  another  ranch  of 
130  acres  about  three  miles  further  below,  de- 
voted to  hops,  fruit,  hay  and  pasture.  On  that 
place  there  is  a  young  orchard  of  twenty  acres, 
mostly  of  Bartlett  pears.  In  all  this  business 
he  has  been  very  successful.  Socially  Ive  is  a 
pleasant,  genial  gentleman. 


"     V^"%@~^ ' 


tliCHIBALD  LOGAN,  of  Sacramento,  was 
born  in  Edinburgh,  Scotland,  November 
30, 1830.  His  father,  John  Logan,  a  native 
of  Trennent,  Midlothian,  was  a  merchant  of 
Edinburgh,  and  died  when  the  subject  of  this 
sketch  was  a  child.  His  mother,  nee  Jessie 
Steele,  was  also  a  native  of  the  same  section  of 
Scotland.  Young  Logan  received  his  school 
education  in  Edinburgh.  At  the  age  of  four- 
teen years  he  shipped  as  a  cabin  boy  on  the 
bark  Elizabeth,  Captain  Gale,  for  New  York. 
Returning  to  Scotland,  he  made  a  second  trip 
to  the  American  city,  and  two  years  afterward 
he  made  a  voyage  to  Portugal  and  the  West 
Indies.  He  left  New  York  for  California  Feb- 
ruary 1,  1849,  as  a  sailor  before  the  mast,  on 
the  bark  Cornelia,  Captain  Parker,  and  arrived 
at  San  Francisco  July  18,  following.  Coming 
by  way  of  Sacramento  directly  to  the  American 
River  Bar  mining  district,  he  obtained  employ- 
ment at  a  point  called  Lacy  Bar,  at  ^16  a  day 
and  board.  In  March,  1853,  during  the  Aus- 
tralian gold  excitement,  he  sailed  to  the  Sand- 
wich Islands,  and  thence  to  Australia,  whence 
he  returned  in  the  following  year.  During  this 
absence  he  retained  his  mining  interests  at 
Lacy's  Bar,  and  also  his  mercantile  interests 
there  and  at  Dalton's  Bar.  In  1859,  during 
the  Salmon  River  gold  excitement,  he  went  to 
Idaho  and  spent  a  year.  Returning  to  Sacra- 
mento, be  again  made  a  trip  to  Scotland  to  visit 
friends  and  to  bring  his  mother  to  the  new  El 
Dorado.      Landing   again    in    this    country,    he 


678 


BISTORT    OP    SACMAMENTO    COUNTY. 


spent  the  next  two  years  or  more  at  Dalton's 
Bar,  in  business  partnership  with  G.  L.  Greeley, 
who  died  about  1869  or  1870,  while  holding  the 
office  of  collector  for  Placer  County.  Mr.  Logan 
was  elected  to  fill  the  vacancy  for  the  unexpired 
term.  July  4,  1865,  he  married  Mrs.  Lydia 
Greeley,  iiee  Morse,  a  native  of  Wisconsin-,  who 
came  to  this  State  during  the  spring  of  the  pre- 
ceding year.  They  have  had  nine  children,  six 
of  whom  are  living,  namely:  Jennie  Greeley, 
now  Mrs.  E.  Katzenstein;  Charles;  Lester;  Jes- 
sie, who  died  your.g;  Mary,  now  Mrs.  Dr.  B. 
Stoll;  Archie,  who  died  when  eight  years  of  age; 
Francis,  Jessie,  Daisy,  Robbie  and  Bessie  Clnich. 
After  marriage  Mr.  Logan  became  a  resident  of 
Sacramento,  where  he  has  been  engaged  in  dray- 
ing  for  the  last  fifteen  years.  For  many  years 
he  has  been  a  member  of  the  Pioneer  Associa- 
tion, and  Marshal  of  that  organization  for  the 
past  three  years.  lie  is  also  a  member  of  the 
Caledonian  Club,  of  which  he  has  been  Chief 
for  two  years;  and  he  is  a  member  of  Sacra- 
mento Lodge,  No.  2,  L  O.  O.  F.,  and  of  Pacific 
Encampment,  No.  2,  of  the  same  order. 

SRANK  T.  LYMAN,  of  the  firm  of  Crouch 
&  Lyman,  plumbers  and  gas-fitters,  511  J 
street,  Sacramento,  was  born  in  Sacramento 
in  January,  1857,  a  son  of  P.  H.  Lyman,  who 
will  be  remembered  by  all  the  old  settlers  in 
the  county  as  the  proprietor  of  the  Sutterville 
Brewery.  He  is  now,  however  a  resident  of 
San  Francisco.  Frank  T.  received  his  educa- 
tion in  the  public  schools  of  Sacramento  and  at 
Hunt's  Academy.  In  1873  his  parents  removed 
to  San  Francisco,  and  soon  after  apprenticed 
him  to  the  plumbing  business.  After  learning 
his  trade  he  came  to  Sacramento,  and  was  en- 
gaged as  foreman  by  George  T.  Bush,  then  one 
of  the  most  prominent  plumbers  in  Sacramento, 
with  whom  he  remained  till  Mr.  Bush  discon- 
tinued business,  when  he  went  to  work  for  Tom 
Scott  in  the  capacity  of  foreman.  In  August, 
1887,   he  formed   a   partnership  with  Harrison 


P.  Crouch,  locating  at  511  J  street.  Mr.  Ly- 
man is  recognized  as  one  of  the  most  practical 
plumbers  in  the  city,  and  on  matters  of  sanitary 
engineering  is  considered  an  authority.  To  this 
branch  of  plumbing  he  has  given  a  great  deal  of 
time  and  study.  For  a  firm  of  young  men  they 
may  Justly  feel  proud  of  tiieir  standing,  having 
been  awarded  some  very  large  contracts.  Mr. 
Lyman  was  married  to  Miss  Mary  J.  Maloy,  of 
Sacramento,  in  February,  1888.  Politically  he 
is  Democratic,  and,  like  his  pai'tner,  displays 
quite  an  ambitious  interest  in  local  matters. 


fACOB  HYMAN,  merchant  at  Folsom,  was 
born  in  Poland,  March  9,  1830.  In  1850 
he  sailed  from  Hamburg,  and  landed  at 
New  Orleans  August  10.  He  began  to  work 
for  a  farmer,  who  also  sent  him  to  school  a  little 
while.  Remaining  in  the  State  of  Mississippi 
until  1854,  he  came  to  California  by  the  Pana- 
ma route,  landing  at  San  Francisco  on  the 
steamer  John  L.  Stephens,  July  2.  After  clerk- 
ing a  year  in  the  store  of  Mr.  Levy  at  Mormon 
Island,  he  bought  him  out  and  continued  the 
business  there  four  years  longer.  He  then  came 
to  Folsom,  and  in  1860  opened  out  where  a 
blacksmith's  sh(jp  now  stands,  near  the  Ameri- 
can Exchange  Hotel.  Afterward  he  moved  into 
the  American  Exchange  Hotel  building,  before 
it  was  opened  as  a  hotel,  and  prosecuted  his 
business  there  until  1870.  Then  he  moved  fur- 
ther up  the  street  and  took  a  corner  store  now 
kept  by  Isaac  Fiel.  In  1872  he  purchased  the 
property  where  he  is  now  located,  and  has  since 
occupied  it.  He  has  made  good  use  of  the  little 
capital  he  brought  with  him  to  this  State,  by 
industry  and  perseverance.  He  is  public-spirited, 
a  Republican  since  he  voted  for  Lincoln  in  1860, 
a  member  of  the  Republican  County  Central 
Committee,  and  has  always  taken  a  great  inter- 
est in  public  education.  He  has  been  a  mem- 
ber of  the  Masonic  order  since  1860,  of  the  Odd 
Fellows  since  1872,  and  a  charter  member  of 
1878  of  the  A.  O.  U.  W.     Has   held   ofiices  iu 


UlSTOHY    OF    SACRAMENTO    COUNTY. 


some  of  tlie  lodges.  In  18B5  he  married  Bella 
Stamper,  a  native  of  New  York,  and  thej'  have 
two  sons  and  two  daughters,  viz.:  Isaac,  Rosa. 
Walter  and  Laura. 


flERRE  A.  HUMBERT,  civil  engineer  at 
Folsoin,  was  born  in  the  city  of  New  York 
in  1853,  studied  in  the  University  of  Vi- 
enna, Claiisthal,  and  graduated  at  the  University 
at  Berlin  in  ISfl,  taking  the  general  engineer- 
ing course.  He  was  engineer  two  years  for  the 
Vielle  Montague,  and  two  years  for  the  Com- 
pignie  R^al  Asturiana,  of  Belgium.  He  re- 
turned to  the  United  States  in  1876,  and  came 
to  California,  and  from  that  time  to  the  present 
has  been  engaged  in  various  pursuits  on  the 
coast,  connected  with  mining  and  civil  engineer- 
ing; and  since  May  21, 1888,  he  has  been  chief 
enorineer  of  the  Folsom  Water- Power  Company. 
In  his  chosen  profession  he  ranks  with  the  best 
civil  engineers  in  the  country.  He  was  married 
in  1881  to  Mary  A.  Anglon,  a  native  of  Rock- 
land, Maine,  and  a  sister  of  Mrs.  Charles  Aull, 
whose  husband  is  the  warden  of  the  State  Prison 
at  Folsom. 


^^  FISHER  &  CO.,  confectionery  manufact- 
f^l  urers  and  agents  for  the  American  Bis- 
^M  **  cuit  Company,  have  built  up  their  present 
immense  business  from  the  smallest  beginning. 
The  firm  is  composed  of  Henry  and  Herman 
Fisher,  father  and  son.  The  father  was  born  in 
Holstein,  Germany,  April  3,  1838,  and  at  the 
age  of  seventeen  years  entered  upon  a  seafaring 
life,  engaging  first  in  fishing  in  the  North  Sea. 
He  engaged  in  merchandise  a  little  while,  and 
the  second  year  he  was  on  a  schooner  which 
made  three  trips  to  England,  and  one  trip 
through  the  Holstein  canal  to  the  Baltic,  etc. 
The  ne.xt  year  he  went  on  the  Christina  from 
Hamburg  to  Buenos  Ayres  and  to  Java,  and  re- 
turned   to    Hamburg,    being    al)sent    fourteen 


months;  ne.xt  was  a  trip  to  the  West  Indies,  re- 
turning with  a  cargo  of  tobieso,  rics,  gum,  etc. 
Next  he  came  on  the  pissenger  vessel  Bavaria  to 
New  York,  and  after  making  a  flying  visit  by 
rail  to  Mobile  he  was  one  of  the  crew  of  the 
Ocean  Express  to  come  by  way  of  Cape  Horn  to 
this  coast,  arriving  at  San  Francisco  August  5, 
1859.  Mr.  Fisher  tried  mining  on  Weaver 
Creek,  but  with  little  success,  and  he  went  to  work 
in  the  neighborhood  for  S3  a  day;  then  he  was 
employed  at  "  Jayhawker,"  and  next  in  the  vine- 
yard of  Alhoff  at  Coloma,  until  the  latFer  part 
of  1860.  Coming  thence  to  Sacramento,  he  ob- 
tained work  as  a  threshing-machine  hand  for  a 
season.  Then  he  was  employed  by  a  farmer 
named  Gregorj'  nine  months;  next,  in  partner- 
ship with  Frederick  Harms,  he  embarked  iri 
ranching  on  a  twenty-acre  tract  along  the  river; 
but  the  floods  of  1861-'62  ruined  his  crop  and 
he  was  left  without  a  dollar  except  two  horses 
Meeting  with  a  former  shipmate,  he  went  to 
San  Francisco,  and  for  three  months  was  engaged 
in  boating  to   Sacramento,  Stockton,  Napa,  etc. 


He  was  sick  for  some  months.  From  the  ! 


ipring 


of  1863  until  the  fall  he  worked  for  James  Miller 
at  the  San  Francisco  House  on  the  Carson  road. 
Next  he  was  employed  in  Sacramento  by  Peter 
Tietjens,  brother  of  the  famous  singer.  July 
10,  1865,  he  bought  out  the  confectionery  busi- 
ness of  Henry  Schroeder,  on  K  street,  where 
now  is  the  small  candy  store,  in  the  Metropoli- 
tan Block.  After  a  time  he  took  in  Mr.  Schroe- 
der as  a  partner,  and  later  another  partner, 
Albrecht;  the  firm  name  then  became  Fisher, 
Schroeder  &  Co.  In  the  spring  of  1868  the  place 
of  business  was  changed  to  its  present  location, 
and  during  the  same  year  Mr.  Fisher  bought 
out  his  partner,  and  then  carried  on  the  business 
alone  until  he  admitted  his  son  Herman,  form- 
ing the  present  firm.  In  1874  he  bought  the 
ground  now  occupied  by  the  business  and 
erected  a  substantial  brick  building.  He  was 
married  in  this  State  to  Miss  Jeanette  Helwicr, 
and  their  children  are  Herman,  Lizzie,  Henry 
and  Nellie.  Mr.  Fisher  is  a  member  of  Con  - 
cord    Lodge,   No.   17,    F.    &  A.   M.;  of  Sacra- 


HIsrORT    OF    SACRAMENTO    COUNTY. 


inento  Lodge,  No.  2,  I.  O.  0.  F.;  of  the  Knights  | 
of  Honor;  of  tiie  American  Legion  of  Honor, 
and  of  the  A.  O.  U.  AV.  Herman  Fisher,  the 
elder  son,  was  educated  at  the  public  schools 
and  at  the  private  school  of  Professor  Goethe; 
at  the  age  of  fourteen  he  entered  his  father's 
store,  and  two  years  afterward  commenced  at- 
tending Professor  Atkinson's  Commercial  Col- 
lege, where  he  graduated  in  half  the  time  usually 
taken.  Since  then  he  has  been  a  partner  with 
his  father  and  business  manager.  He  is  a  mem- 
ber of  the  A.  O.  F.,  and  is  a  director  in  the 
Sacramento  Board  of  Trade.  He  was  married 
October  11,  1887,  to  Miss  Ida  Louisa  Bragg,  a 
native  of  this  city.  The  business  of  this  firm 
is  now  almost  altogether  wholesale,  their  trade 
extending  throughout  the  length  and  breadth  of 
the  Pacific  coast;  and  twice  a  year  their  travel- 
ing salesmen  extend  their  trips  into  Texas,  Is^ew 
Mexico,  Utah  and  Montana,  where  they  have  a 
large  trade.  In  their  manufactory  here,  from 
forty-eight  to  seventy  employes  are  kept 
steadily  at  work,  according  to  the  season.  They 
take  special  pains  to  have  all  ingredients  nsed 
absolutely  pure,  and  all  the  work  neatly  do«e. 
To  run  the  machinery  a  sixteen-horse-power 
engine  is  used.  A  novelty  introduced  by  them 
is  a  neat  little  bucket  in  which  packages  of 
mixed  candies  are  shipped  and  delivered  with- 
out change  of  position  from  the  original  ar- 
rangement. 

^-3-^^ 

t'ENRY  FREY  was  born  in  Hanover,  Ger- 
many, in  1839,  his  parents  being  Abel  and 
GeseneorGescha(Bluhm)  Frey.  The  father 
died  in  1879,  and  the  mother  in  1881,  both  hav- 
ing reached  just  about  the  allotted  three  score 
yearsacdten.  Grandmother  Antji  Frey  also  lived 
to  a  good  old  age,  having  survived  her  husband, 
Henry,  many  years.  The  subject  of  this  sketch 
went  to  school  until  fourteen,  under  the  law  of 
compulsory  education,  and  afterward  worked  on 
his  father's  farm,  and  for  others  also  after  he  was 
twenty-one.      He  came  to  California  by  w.ay  of 


New  York  and  the  Pacific  Railroad  in  1870, 
settling  in  Sacramento  County.  For  three  years 
he  worked  on  a  ranch  about  four  miles  south  of 
his  place,  and  in  1875  he  rented  540  acres  on 
the  Mokelumne.  He  bought  ibrty  cows,  did  a 
dairy  business,  raised  barley,  wheat,  and  some 
cattle,  continuing  in  that  place  five  years.  In 
1880  he  bought  his  present  place,  260  acres, 
about  one  mile  west  of  Fi  anklin,  on  the  road  to 
the  Sacramento  River;  and  in  1889,  300  acres 
one  mile  farther  towards  the  river.  He  has  100 
acres  sown  to  wheat,  which  is  his  chief  crop, 
and  to  which  he  is  inclined  to  give  almost  undi- 
vided attention  in  the  future,  as  a  staple  and 
reliable  industry.  He  has  several  acres  in  vine- 
yard, but  has  found  the  results  more  uncertain. 
Mr.  P^ey  was  married  in  1868  to  Miss  Bertha 
Sprock,  who  died  four  days  after  the  birth  of  her 
child— Bertha,  born  April  5,  1869.  Her  ma- 
ternal grandparents,  Johannes  and  Anna  (Jo- 
hanni)  Sprock,  are  living  in  this  township,  hale 
and  hearty  at  the  advanced  age  of  eighty-three, 
the  latter  having  been  born  March  9,  and  the 
former  Marcli  15,  1806.  In  1875  Mr.  Frey 
was  married  in  Sacramento  to  Miss  Elizabeth 
Herzog,  a  native  of  Germany,  a  daughter  of 
Johann  and  Julia  (Swartz)  Herzog,  both  now 
deceased.  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Frey  are  the  parents 
of  six  children:  Henry  Abel,  born  October  16, 
1878;  Frederick  John,  August  15,  1880;  Julia, 
July  31,  1882;  Elizabeth  Gesene,  September  18, 
1884;  John,  July  25,  1886;  Gesene,  March  25, 
1888. 


fHARLES  ALDEN  HULL  was  born  in 
Vermont  in  1824,  his  parents  being 
Sewell  and  Lucy  (Ray)  Hull.  The  mother 
died  at  the  age  of  forty -five;  the  father,  who 
was  born  in  1794,  is  still  living.  Grandfather 
Joseph  Hull  lived  to  be  ninety;  Grandfather 
Ray,  about  seventy,  and  both  grandmothers 
reached  a  good  old  age.  The  father  is  living  in 
Michigan  with  his  oldest  son,  George,  born  in 
1822.     There  are  two   sisters,  Sarah,    born   in 


HISTORY    OF    SACRAMENTO    COUNTY. 


1829,  aud  Samantha,  born  in  1834.  C.  A.  Hull 
received  the  usual  schooling  of  the  early  part  of 
this  century,  three  months  in  the  year,  until  he 
was  twelve.  His  parents  being  in  poor  circum- 
stances, he  hired  out  with  a  neighboring  farmer 
at  four  and  a  half  dollars  a  month.  In  1844  he 
moved  with  his  parents  to  Berrien  County, 
Michigan,  near  Niles.  He  bought  a  small  farm 
there  in  1847,  and  raised  one  crop  in  1848,  when 
the  gold  fever  struck  hiin,  and  he  sold  out  his 
place.  He  arrived  in  California,  across  the 
plains,  August  14,  1849,  and  went  to  mining 
for  nearly  one  year,  chiefly  on  Bear  River  and 
at  Goodyear's  Bar  on  the  Yuba,  the  net  result 
being  about  §2,000.  In  July,  1850,  he  came 
to  Sacramento,  where  he  worked  into  the  busi- 
ness of  teaming  besides  keeping  a  hay-yard  as 
well  as  a  grain  and  feed  stable,  employing 
drivers  for  his  teams.  He  made  a  trip  to  the 
Sandwich  Islands  and  ihere  spent  the  winter  of 
1850-'51,  but  did  not  find  it  a  promising  field 
for  business.  In  1851  he  made  his  first  pur- 
chase of  land  in  California,  being  the  160  acres 
immediately  surrounding  his  home.  In  1863 
he  bought  the  320  acres  adjoining  on  the  north, 
giving  a  frontage  of  about  three-quarters  of  a 
mile  on  the  lower  Stockton  road,  eight  miles 
south  of  Sacramento.  The  land  for  the  Prairie 
district  school-house,  on  the  southeast  corner  of 
his  ranch,  was  donated  by  him  for  that  purpose. 
A'bout  240  acres  are  meadow  land  and  240  are 
good  grain  land.  He  also  raises  an  average  of 
forty  head  of  cattle  and  twenty  horses.  In  1861 
he  was  married  in  Sacramento  to  Miss  D. 
Delany  Ridley,  born  in  Maine  in  1835,  a  daugh- 
ter of  Matthias  and  Nancy  (Pratt)  Ridley.  Her 
father,  who  had  served  in  the  war  of  1812,  lived 
to  be  eighty-eight,  and  her  mother,  eighty-seven. 
Mr.  and  Mrs.  Hull  are  the  parents  of  four  living 
children:  Minnie  L.,  born  March  5,  1862,  now 
Mrs.  Christopher  A.  Wagner,  of  Sacramento,  is 
the  mother  of  three  girls:  Rose  L.,  born  June 
20,  1863,  was  married  in  1888  to  Henry  Neu- 
haus,  also  of  Sacramento;  Charles  L.,  born  April 
30,  1864;  and  Elliott  Isaac,  April  24,  1872. 
Charles  L.  took  a  full  commercial  course  at   the 


Napa  Collegiate  Institute;  and  Elliott  I.  is  at 
present  pursuing  his  studies  at  Bainbridge's 
Business  College  in  Sacramento.  Mr.  Hull  is 
a  member  of  Sacramento  Grange,  No.  12,  and 
has  held  all  the  offices,  being  Secretary  three 
years  and  Master  one  term.  He  was  the  first 
Master  of  Sacramento  Pomona  Grange,  No.  2. 
He  owns  stock  in  the  Sacramento  Valley 
Grangers'  Business  Co-operative  Association,  of 
which  he  has  been  a  director  for  eight  years. 


ILLIAM  F.  FRAZER,the  proprietor  of 
l«MI  one  of  the  leading  lumber  yards  of  Sacra- 
mento, occupying  two. lots  on  the  cor- 
ner of  Fifth  and  L  streets,  was  born  in  Ireland 
in  1821,  came  to  New  York  in  1846,  and  to 
California  in  1851.  He  followed  mining  three 
years,  and  ever  since  then  has  been  engaged  in 
the  lumber  trade.  He  married  Frances  Reed,  a 
native  of  New  York  State,  and  they  have  one 
son — Edward,  now  book-keeper  for  his  father. 


fOHN  SOTO  FREITAS,  usually  called  John 
Soto,  was  born  in  one  of  the  Azores,  a  sub- 
ject of  Portugal,  in  January,  1823,  being 
a  son  of  Manuel  and  Vittoria  Louisa  Soto  Frei- 
tas.  At  the  age  of  nineteen  John  Soto  went  to 
sea  in  an  American  whaler,  which  arrived  in 
New  Bedford,  Massachusetts,  after  a  four  years, 
cruise.  He  went  on  a  second  whaling  voyage 
lasting  also  four  years.  After  eight  years  thus 
spent  he  was  engaged  about  a  year  in  coasting 
voyages  between  Boston  and  New  York,  and  in 
1858  sailed  from  New  York  around  the  Horn 
to  San  Francisco,  wliere  he  was  discharged.  He 
then  went  to  mining  at  Nigger  Hill  above  Fol- 
Eom,  and  continued  in  that  business  eight  years, 
with  a  net  result  in  cash  of  $2,000.  In  1862 
he  bought  a  ranch  in  Yolo  County,  which  he 
sold  in  1878;  and  in  October,  1878,  he  bought 
his  present  place  of  131  acres  about  nine  miles 
south    of    Sacramento  on   the    river    road.     He 


HISrORT    OF    SACRAMENTO    COUNTY. 


raises  vegetables  and  barley  for  the  market  and 
also  a  few  colts,  besides  frnit  and  other  necessa- 
ries, including  a  few  cows  and  poultry  for  family 
use.  In  February,  1863,  Mr.  Soto  was  married 
in  Sacramento  to  Francisca  Amelia,  also  a 
native  of  the  Azores,  a  daughter  of  Francis  and 
Margareta  Teresa  Dutra.  Her  father  is  still 
living,  aged  seventy-seven.  Mr.  Soto's  father 
died  at  the  age  of  si.\;ty-six,  but  his  mother 
lived  to  be  eighty-six.  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Soto  have 
had  sixteen  children,  of  whom  they  lost  only  the 
first  born,  at  the  age  of  twenty  months.  The 
survivors  in  the  order  of  tlieir  birth  are  as  fol. 
lows:  Mary,  John,  Amelia,  Frances,  N^ancy, 
Manuel,  Antonio,  Rosie,  Minnie,  Annie,  Vic- 
toria, Belle,  Joseph,  Gloria,  Clara.  Mary  Soto 
is  the  wife  of  Anton  Ferandes,  living  in  Yolo 
County,  and  has  three  children:  Mary,  Antonio, 
and  a  girl  baby.  Frances  Soto  is  married  to 
Joses  Pereira — "Joe  Perry  "  of  Marysville.  They 
have  one  son,  John  Joseph.  With  this  large 
family,  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Soto,  with  a  magnanimity 
truly  admirable,  extend  hospitality  to  other  de- 
pendent kindred,  of  whom  one  or  more  may 
always  be  found  on  the  Soto  ranch. 


fAMUEL  GARRETT,  rancher,  San  Joa- 
quin Township,  was  born  in  Canada 
West,  July  31,  1826.  Eis  father,  Jacob 
Garrett,  a  native  of  Schenectady  County,  New 
York,  was  a  soldier  in  the  war  of  1812,  and 
served  under  Benedict  Arnold  until  that  officer 
surrendered  his  men  to  the  British.  For  a  time 
he  resided  on  Hay  Bay,  near  Kingston,  and 
then  at  Thurlow,  where  he  cleared  a  large  farm 
and  commenced  raising  grain.  On  account  of 
becoming  security  for  a  failing  friend  he  was  so 
reduced  in  means  at  command  that  he  was 
obliged  to  sell  that  place;  and  he  moved  to 
Whigby,  about  thirty-six  miles  east  of  Toronto. 
He  afterward  removed  to  Illinois,  and  finally 
died  in  Jones  County,  Iowa,  about  1869.  His 
widow,  Catharine,  also  a  native  of  Schenectady 
County,  died  in  May,  1888,  at  the  residence  of 


her  son,  Samuel,  in  this  county,  at  the  age  of 
ninety-six  years.  In  that  family  live  children 
died  in  infancy  and  live  grew  up.  The  subject 
of  this  sketch  remained  in  Canada  with  his 
parents  nntil  he  was  twenty-one  years  of  age; 
and  about  that  time,  in  September,  1848,  he 
married  Silvia  Malinda  Gillett,  a  native  of  Can- 
ada, and  her  parents  also  from  New  York  State. 
Being  the  eldest  of  the  children,  he  had  to  con- 
tribute a  large  share  of  his  earnings  to  the  sup- 
port of  the  family.  During  the  month  of 
March  after  his  marriage  he  started  for  Illinois, 
with  only  $25,  and  on  arrival  had  but  one 
(Mexican)  dollar  left.  He  began  work  hoeing 
corn,  at  seventy-live  cents  a  day,  in  Cook  County, 
about  twenty  miles  from  Chicago.  Three  years 
afterward  he  moved  to  Livingston  County,  that 
State,  with  his  wife  and  two  children,  and  only 
two  yoke  of  oxen,  a  breaking  plow,  pitchfork, 
cradle,  hoe,  ax,  rifle  and  hog;  but  this  was  sport 
for  him,  being  hale  and  stout.  At  any  time  he 
could  go  out  and  kill  a  deer  without  consider- 
able trouble.  He  bought  a  soldier's  warrant  for 
eighty  acres,  on  which  lie  located.  There  he 
built  a  log  cabin,  with  timbers  he  cut  an^  hewed 
with  his  ax.  His  land,  heavily  covered  with 
timber,  had  to  be  cleared.  He  went  energeti- 
cally to  work,  but  at  the  end  of  fifteen  months, 
having  poor  success  in  finding  water  on  the 
premises,  he  sold  tlie  place  and  moved  upon  an- 
otlierof  eigiity-two  acres  in  the  same  county,  for 
which  he  paid  $60  an  acre.  There  he  resided 
for  ten  years,  when  he  came  to  California  by 
way  of  New  York  and  the  Isthmus,  sailing  on 
the  steamer  Ariel,  which  had  on  board  1,150 
passengers,  and  on  the  Golden  City  from  the 
Isthmus  to  San  Francisco,  landing  there  May  21, 
1864.  Purchasing  a  quarter-section  of  land  in 
San  Joaquin  Township,  he  commenced  farming 
there.  In  the  spring  of  1865  he  bought  another 
quarter-section.  His  land  is  all  of  first  quality. 
For  the  past  thirteen  years  he  has  also  been  in 
the  sheep  business,  in  which  line  he  confines  all 
his  operations  to  Martin  County,  Texas.  After 
his  arrival  here  in  California,  his  mother  and 
other  members  of  the  family  have  also  come  to 


HISTORY    OF    SAGRMIENTO    COUNTY. 


join  hiiu;  also  Mrs.  Garrett's  mother,  whose 
sons  died  in  Santa  Barbara  Coiiutj.  Her  father, 
Jeremiah  Gillett,  died  in  Blue  Earth  County, 
Minnesota.  Mr.  Garrett  has  been  a  member  of 
the  Methodist  Church  for  the  past  triirty-eight 
years,  and  his  wife  also  has  been  a  member  of 
the  same  since  her  childhood.  Mr.  and  Mrs. 
Garrett  have  had  five  sons  and  three  daughters, 
and  they  have  also  lost  three  sons  and  two 
daughters.  The  living  are  Herman  M.,  James 
JVrunroe,  Albert  D.,  Emma  M.,  Minnie  Belle, 
Ulysses  J.,  Francis  J.  and  Addie  May. 


fETH  H.  GAKFIELD,  pioneer  miller  of 
the  '>  Pioneer  Mill,"  the  man  who  has 
been  the  longest  identified  with  mills  and 
milling  interests  in  Sacramento,  came  to  Cali- 
ifornia  from  Xew  England  in  the  spring  of 
1850.  He  is  the  youngest  son  of  Colonel  Alvis 
Garfield,  a  soldier  of  the  war  of  1812,  and 
Susan  Majnard,  of  Concord,  whose  father,  Josiah 
Maynard,  was  a  soldier  in  the  JRevolutionary 
war,  fighting  in  the  battle  of  Lexington.  Born 
in  the  city  of  Waitham,  Massachusetts,  in  1831, 
he  received  a  common-school  education,  and  at 
the  age  of  nineteen  came  to  California  to  join 
his  elder  brother,  Majnard  J.  Garfield,  who 
M'as  by  trade  a  stair  builder,  and  an  expert  at 
the  business,  and  in  1845  was  sent  to  Chili, 
South  America,  to  superintend  the  erection  of 
the  grand  stair- way  in  the  Cathedral  at  Val- 
paraiso; when  that  was  completed  he  came  to 
California,  and  here  he  was  joined  by  his 
brother  Seth,  as  was  already  stated.  Seth  Gar- 
field, like  so  many  of  New  England's  sons,  was 
something  of  a  sailor,  and  upon  his  arrival  at 
San  Francisco,  and  after  a  visit  to  Benicia,  we 
find  him  engaged  as  pilot  on  the  "  Lucy  Long," 
and  receiving  twelve  dollars  per  day;  but  his 
brother  came  down  from  the  mines  and  together 
they  came  to  Sacramento;  upon  their  arrival  — 
it  was  during  the  cholera  epidemic — they 
camped  out  on  the  spot  where  tlie  St.  George 
building  now  is,  until  they  could  secure  an   ox- 


team  and  outfit  for  the  mines;  then  they  went  to 
Bear  River;  mining  district,  where  his  brother 
had  a  cabin  and  a  claim;  this  was  in  the  winter 
of  '50;  later  they  went  to  Scott's  Bar,  on  the 
Scott  River  near  the  State  line,  where  they 
traded  or  sold  merchandise,  and  when  the  high 
water  came  they  went  to  Portland  to  purchase 
goods,  and  set  out  for  Yreka;  it  was  on  this  trip 
and  while  in  the  Rouge  River  country,  that  they 
were  surrounded  by  hostile  Indians  and  only  es- 
caped by  joining  another  party  and  securing  the 
protection  of  Major  Kearny,  who  had  a  three 
days'  fight,  Captain  Stewart  being  killed.  The 
fall  of  1851  he  came  to  Sacramento,  and  soon 
after  became  identified  with  the  "  Old  Bay 
State"  mill,  located  on  M  street,  and  from  that 
to  the  present  time  he  has  been  actively  en- 
gaged in  milling  in  this  city.  Mr.  Garfield  is 
of  a  most  genial  disposition,  a  man  of  excellent 
judgment  and  great  ability,  and  authority  on  all 
mill  matters,  thoroughly  conversant  with  the 
details  of  his  business.  The  "Pioneer  Mill" 
company  are  largely  indebted  to  him  for  the 
position  which  they  occupy.  Married  in  1859 
to  Sarah  Smith,  liis  home  on  M  street  is  a 
model  of  "old-time''  hospitality. 


.;,?,. 


fHARLES  DICKSOX  was  born  July  2, 
1818,  in  Brunswick,  Germany,  a  son  of 
Anton  and  Catherine  Dickson.  He  was 
raised  on  a  farm  in  Germany,  where  he  made 
his  home  until  1850,  when  he  came  to  America, 
sailing  on  the  1st  of  July,  landing  in  Baltimore; 
he  went  to  Pittsburg,  thence  to  St.  Louis,  then 
to  Illinois,  where  he  was  engaged  in  farming' 
and  gardening  for  a  year.  He  then  came  over- 
land with  ox  teams  and  stock  to  California,  land- 
ing in  San  Joaquin  County,  where  he  remained 
eigiiteen  months.  From  there  he  came  to 
Sacramento  (bounty,  and  in  1856  purchased  his 
present  property  of  160  acres,  situated  about 
fifteen  miles  from  Stockton  and  three  miles  from 
Elk  Grove  on  the  upper  Stockton  road.  It  is 
choice  land   under   a   fine  state  of  cultivation. 


684 


HISTORY    OF    SACRAMENTO    COUNTY. 


He  is  a  practical  farniei-  and  gardener.  His 
farm  is  devoted  principally  to  wheat  and  stock. 
His  buildings  are  of  the  most  substantial.  He 
was  married  in  1850  to  Miss  Frederika  Staples, 
a  native  of  Germany.  They  have  six  children 
living,  three  deceased.  The  living  are:  George, 
Charley,  Frederika,  Henry,  Anna  and  Fred. 


|j!/^^AJOR  C.  H.  HUBBARD,  manager  for 
tiie  well-known  firm  of  Baker  &  Ham- 
ilton, established  in  Sacramento  in  the 
year  1858,  was  born  in  Mahoning  County,  Ohio, 
February  22,  1841.  His  father,  Henry  Hub- 
bard, was  a  native  of  Berlin,  Connecticut,  and 
moved  to  Ohio  in  1830,  and  was  engaged  in  the 
business  of  hardware,  manufacturer  of  tin-ware, 
stoves;  etc.  Colonel  Plubbard's  mother,  Eliza 
Ann  Robinson,  was  also  a  native  of  Connecticut 
and  belonged  tu  one  of  the  old  Connecticut 
families.  The  subject  of  this  sketch  was  reared 
in  Ohio  and  went  into  business  with  his  father, 
until  the  inauguration  of  the  civil  war,  whicii 
aroused  the  patriotism  of  all  the  young  men  in 
that  section  of  country,  when  he  enlisted  witli 
a  company  organized  in  Mahoning  County.  The 
company  reported  at  Camp  Chase  and  was  as- 
signed to  the  Twenty-third  Regiment,  under  the 
command  of  Colonel  W.  S.  Rosecrans,  after- 
ward commanded  by  Colonel  E.  P.  Seammon 
and  R.  B.  Hayes;  the  regiment  was  immediately 
ordered  to  the  front  in  the  mountains  of  West 
Virginia.  Their  first  engagement  was  at  Carn- 
ifex  Ferry,  being  then  a  part  of  Rosecrans'  com- 
mand, who  fought  General  Floyd  at  that  point 
and  caused  him  to  retreat  across  the  Gauley 
River.  He  served  in  the  battles  of  South 
Mountain,  Antietam,  Floyd  Mountain,  Lynch- 
burgh  and  the  two  battles  of  Winchester;  in  one 
battle  he  was  captured  while  on  the  skirmish 
line,  and  was  held  as  a  prisoner  of  war  some 
thirty  days,  when  he  with  two  others  escaped, 
took  to  the  mountains,  and  after  eight  days' 
struggling  over  mountain  paths  with  only  ber- 
ries to  eat  regained  our  lines  on  the  upper  Po- 


tomac; he  was  also  in  the  battles  of  Fisher  Hill 
and  Cedar  Creek.  After  four  years  and  three 
months  of  active  service  he  was  mustered  out 
in  August,  1865.  During  his  term  of  service 
he  was  promoted  several  times;  going  into  the 
lanks  as  a  private  he  was  made  Sergeant,  Or- 
derly Sergeant,  Second  and  First  Lieutenant, and 
at  one  time  was  on  the  stafi'  of  General  I.  H. 
Duvall,  and  when  the  regiment  was  discharged 
was  Quartermaster.  Immediately  after  the  close 
of  the  war  Colonel  Hubbard  came  to  California 
by  the  way  of  Panama,  and  having  relatives  in 
Sacramento  located  there,  where  he  was  first  em- 
ployed by  Holbrook;  Merrill  &  Stetson  for 
about  a  year;  since  that  time  he  has  been  with  the 
well-known  firm  of  Baker  &  Hamilton,  most 
of  the  time  as  general  manager  of  their  exten- 
sive business  in  Sacramento.  The  business  ex- 
tends throughout  the  entire  coast  and  Territories, 
it  is  prosperous  and  growing  all  the  time,  and 
Mr.  Hubbard  has  capacity  and  business  ex- 
perience sufficient  to  keep  abreast  with  it.  He 
is  a  gentleman  of  easy  manner  and  noble  nature 
whose  influence  and  co-operation  are  desired  by 
all  parties.  He  is  a  member  of  the  Masonic 
order,  Tehama  Lodge,  and  the  R  .A.  M.,  of  this 
city,  also  of  the  G.  A.  R.,  Sumner  Post,  and 
was  representative  at  the  National  Encamp- 
ment at  St.  Louis  and  Columbus  during  the 
past  two  years.  For  the  past  eight  years  lie 
has  been  connected  witli  tlie  National  Guard  of 
California,  and  at  the  present  time  is  Adjutant 
on  the  staff  of  General  T.  W.  Sheehan,  command- 
ing the  Fourth  Brigade,  previous  to  that  time 
he  served  as  staff  officer  to  Generals  Sheehan, 
Tozer  and  Carey,  commanding  the  same  Brigade. 


fHADDEUS  C.  McCONNELL,  formerly 
a  rancher  of  San  Joaquin  Township,  who 
died  April  27,  1863,  was  born  in  1833, 
in  Rutland  County,  Vermont.  A  sketch  of  his 
people  is  given  in  this  work  under  Ihe  name  of 
Thomas  McConnell,  a  brother.  At  the  age  of  nine- 
teen years  he  came  from  Vermont  to  California 


BISTORT    OF    SACRAMENTO    COUNTY. 


with  his  brother  Samuel,  across  Mexico,  in  1849; 
followed  mining  for  one  year  and  then  started  a 
garden  in  the  mining  region  at  a  place  now  called 
Garden  Valley,  and  with  his  vegetables,  so  rare 
then,  he  furnished  dollar  dinners  to  the  miners. 
In  1850,  the  next  year,  his  brother  Thomas 
joined  him.  (See  sketch  for  further  particulars.) 
Tieturning  to  Vermont  in  1856,  he  bought  the 
sheep  mentioned  in  that  sketch,  in  partnership 
with  his  brother  Thomas.  His  brother-in-law, 
Emmett  Curtis,  bought  out  Thomas  in  1858, 
the  tirm  being  McConnell  &.  Curtis,  and 
brought  them  to  California  by  steamer,  costing 
them  $85  a  head  for  freight  for  transportation. 
These  sheep  were  the  first  ever  imported  to  this 
coast  from  the  East;  and  from  these  they  began 
to  raise  high  grade  and  thoroughbred  sheep. 
He  had  a  perfect  title  to  two  quarter-sections  of 
land,  besides  a  title  to  other  large  tracts,  on 
which  they  could  range  their  sheep.  Curtis 
died  in  1861  and  the  property  was  so  divided 
that  each  party  had  700  sheep,  those  belonging 
to  Mr.  Curtis  going  to  his  heirs,  and  Mr.  Mc- 
Connell continued  the  business  to  the  end  of  his 
life  in  1863.  His  widow  then  came  in  posses- 
sion of  the  700  sheep  and  320  acres  of  land 
paid  for  and  500  acres  nut  paid  for.  She  kept 
all  this  property  in  her  possession,  finally  liqui- 
dating all  indebtedness.  She  personally  took  the 
management  of  her  husband's  business,  in- 
creased the  number  of  sheep,  keeping  about 
2,000  head  for  a  number  of  years,  until  she  found 
her  land  was  of  more  value  for  farming,  when  she 
had  the  band  of  sheep  diminished  in  number  to 
1,200;  but  the  extent  of  her  lands  she  has  even 
increased  until  she  has  7,000  acres,  the  greater 
portion  of  which  is  in  Sacramento  County.  The 
soil  is  rich  and  very  productive.  At  present 
she  is  raising  a  great  deal  of  grain,  farming  a 
portion  herself  and  renting  the  remainder.  Be- 
sides managing  all  her  household  work  she  also 
superintends  all  th-e  out-door  business,  even 
participating  in  the  manual  labor,  such  as  pump- 
ing water  when  a  windmill  fails  to  work.  She 
was  left  with  only  320  acres  of  land  and  700 
sheep  and   no   money,  and   all    these  immense 


possessions  she  has  made  out  of  the  business 
left  her  by  her  husband.  How  few  women  in  the 
world  have  so  greaf  courage  and  endurance! 
Her  maiden  name  was  Ellen  Flanegan.  She  was 
born  April  7, 1837,  in  Clarendon,  Vermont;  her 
father,  James  Flanegan,  was  a  native  of  Ireland, 
and  married  in  Ireland  Mary  Quillan,  and  about 
1834  settled  in  the  city  of  Clarendon,  Rutland 
County,  Vermont.  He  died  in  1850,  and  his 
wife  in  1882,  the  parents  of  nine  children,  of 
whom  one  died  when  a  little  girl;  the  others, 
five  sons  and  three  daughters  grew  up  to  years 
of  maturity.  The  sons  were:  Patrick,  Martin, 
Daniel,  John  and  James,  all  of  whom  are  dead 
except  John,  who  now  resides  in  Michigan. 
The  daughters  are:  Jane,  wife  of  M.  B.  Doolit- 
tle  of  Cresco,  Howard  County,  Iowa;  Hannah, 
the  wife  of  George  Hart,  Rutland  County,  Ver- 
mont; and  Ellen  the  subject  of  this  sketch. 
The  last  mentioned  married  Mr.  McConnell 
March  2,  1861,  and  they  came  by  sail  from  New 
York,  by  way  of  the  Isthmus  to  San  Francisco, 
landing  there  in  November,  that  year;  but  be- 
fore two  years  had  passed  she  was  left  a  widow. 
Her  only  son,  Thaddeus  C.  McConnell,  was 
born  November  10,  1864,  after  his  father's 
death. 


fHOMAS  McCONNELL,  sheep-raiser,  San 
Joaquin  Township,  was  b.irn  in  Pittsford, 
V-  Rutland  County,  Vermont,  January  30, 
1827,  the  son  of  Thomas  and  Clarissa  (Curtis) 
McConnell.  The  history  of  the  McConnell 
family  can  be  traced  back  to  the  Highlands  of 
Scotland,  the  earliest  reminiscence  preserved 
being  that  of  an  Orangeman  in  Prince  William's 
army,  who  participated  in  the  war  and  atterward 
settled  in  the  North  of  Ireland.  One  of  the 
sons,  probably  named  Thomas,  emigrated  to 
America  and  settled  in  New  Hampshire.  All 
his  three  sons — William,  John  and  Samuel — 
settled  in  Rutland  County,  Vermont.  Of  these 
Samuel  was  the  grandfather  of  Thomas,  whose 
name  heads  this  sketch.     This  family  consisted 


HISTORY    OF    SACRAMENTO    COUNTY. 


of  two  sons,  Thomas  and  Barnard.  The  latter 
emigrated  West,  became  a  land  speculator,  and 
died  at  Lima,  near  Quincj,  Illinois.  Thomas 
continued  to  make  his  home  in  Rutland  County, 
Yermont,  where  he  died  in  1854.  In  his  family 
were  six  sons  and  three  daughters,  who  grew 
up,  besides  two  children  who  died  in  infancy. 
After  his  death  his  widow  and  all  the  children, 
in  1863,  came  to  California,  where  she  died,  as 
also  four  of  the  sons  and  two  daughters.  Two 
of  the  sons — Samuel  and  Thaddens,  both  now 
deceased — came  li^re  in  1849;  Thomas,  our  sub- 
ject, came  in  1850;  George  in  1853,  and  has 
since  died;  Frank  was  here  in  1851,  returned 
East,  studied  law  in  Ponghkeepsie,  New  York, 
admitted  to  the  bar  in  all  the  courts  of  that 
State,  came  again  to  California,  practiced  his 
profession  in  Sacramento,  and  finally  was  killed 
by  accident  in  the  mountains  in  1864.  The 
youngeot  son,  Charles,  is  now  in  Nevada,  en- 
gaged in  the  sheep  business;  is  a  prominent 
man  there,  having  served  in  the  State  Senate, 
from  Humboldt  County,  two  terms.  The  Cur- 
tis family  were  of  English  origin,  and  moved 
from  Connecticut  tp  Vermont  in  an  early  day. 
Mrs.  McConnell  was  born  in  Rutland  County, 
the  daughter  of  Thaddeus  Curtis.  Two  daugh- 
ters— Mrs.  Clara  Curtis  and  Anna — are  deceased, 
and  Mary,  a  third  daughter,  is  living  in  the 
East.  Mr.  McConnell,  the  subject  of  this 
biography,  passed  his  boyhood  days  on  his 
father's  farm  until  he  was  of  age,  and  then  for 
two  terms  attended  a  military  school  at  Nor- 
wich, Vermont,  commanded  by  Alden  Parridge, 
a  prominent  man  in  the  history  of  this  Govern- 
ment. Young  McConneJl  had  quite  a  taste  for 
military  instruction  and  military  affairs.  In 
illustration  of  the  economy  with  which  he  was 
brought  up,  he  says  that  on  a  certain  general 
training  day  he  indulged  in  ginger-bread,  mo- 
lasses candy  and  hard  candy  to  the  extent  of  14 
cents'  worth  during  the  day,  and  on  his  return 
home  his  parents  told  him  that  he  had  been  very 
extravagant.  Tliis  he  considers  to  have  been 
his  "biggest  spree."  When  he  was  nineteen 
years  o1   age,  and    before  going  to  the  military 


school,  he  commenced  teaching  a  small  school, 
receiving  at  first  only  $11.50  per  month;  and 
after  he  left  the  military  academy  he  taught  a 
village  school  in  Rutland  and  in  Clarendon,  re- 
ceiving as  high  as  $18.  In  the  spring  of  1850 
he  sailed  from  New  York  in  the  steamer  Geor- 
gia for  the  Isthmus,  and  thence  in  the  bark 
Sarah  to  San  Francisco,  landing  there  at  the 
close  of  August,  after  a  journey  of  seventy-six 
days;  and,  strange  to  say,  the  steamer  Republic 
— the  one  which  his  original  ticket  called  for, 
and  which  he  surrendered  at  the  Isthmus  on 
hearing  that  it  had  not  then  left  New  York — 
sailed  into  the  port  of  San  Francisco,  having 
come  around  Cape  Horn!  Then  he  came  to 
Sacramento  on  the  steamer  Gold  Hunter,  paying 
S20  for  deck  passage,  leaving  $118  in  purse, 
wiiile  owing  $300  in  the  East,  money  which  he 
borrowed  to  bring  him  to  California.  He  walked 
up  to  the  mines  above  Coloraa,  to  a  place  now 
called  Garden  Valley,  where-  his  brother  Thad- 
deus was  at  that  time,  who  had  started  a  small 
garden,  and  sold  potatoes  for  30  cents  a  pound," 
and  tomatoes  for  75  cents  a  pound.  Apples 
could  not  be  had  at  any  price  until  a  little  later, 
when  they  were  brought  down  from  Oregon. 
These  two  brothers  and  Samuel  carried  on  this 
garden,  and  soon  got  into  the  grocery  and  gen- 
eral supply  trade,  from  the  small  circumstance 
of  getting  a  barrel  of  vinegar  from  San  Fran- 
cisco and  selling  it  at  half  the  price  that  another 
man  had  been  selling  it  at  previously.  The 
miners,  finding  that  he  sold  his  vinegar  so  much 


ked  him  if  he  had  other  articles;  and 


cheaper,  as 

this  led  him  to  procure  other  commodities  until 
he  became  fully  stocked  with  groceries  and  other 
mercantile  goods,  many  of  which  were  imported 
from  the  East.  Buying  a  team  of  recent  immi- 
grants, they  did  their  own  hauling  to  and  from 
Sacramento.     Thus  they  prospered   until    1857, 


ley 


were    burned    out.      In    connection 


with  the  store  they  also  ran  a  saw-mill,  where 
they  sawed  out  over  1,000,000  feet  of  lumber 
per  year.  In  1853  he  made  a  trip  to  the  East, 
carrying  safely  to  the  mint  at  Philadelphia 
§25,000  in  gold  dust.      In  1856  he  bought  his 


HISTORY    OF    SACRAMENTO    COUNTY. 


present  place,  where  he  has  ever  since  made  liig 
home.  The  same  year  he  located  here,  he,  with 
his  brother  Thaddeus,  brought  seven  Spanish 
Merino  sheep  from  Addison  County,  Vermont, 
which  were  the  first  importations  of  that  class 
of  sheep  into  the  State  of  California.  This  led 
to  other  importations  by  the  neighbors,  so  that 
the  enterprise  lias  been  worth  thousands  of  dol- 
lars to  the  people  of  this  county.  Ever  since 
then  fine  sheep  have  been  Mr.  McConnell's 
specialty.  Since  1870  this  business  has  been 
prosecuted  by  himself  and  his  brother  Charles, 
of  Nevada.  They  have  at  present  16,000  liead. 
Last  year  they  sheared  12,000  head,  obtaining 
86,000  pounds  of  wool,  which  was  shipped  to 
Boston.  Tlie  highest  shipment  they  ever  made 
was  100,000  pounds.  Mr.  McConnell  has  over 
3,000  acres  in  northeastern  Oregon,  and  his 
brother  1,400  acres  in  the  same  neighborhood, 
some  of  which  is  very  productive.  Ilis  home 
place  consists  of  about  1,500  acres,  half  of  which 
is  bottom  land  bordering  along  the  Cosumnes 
River.  He  also  has  700  acres  in  El  Dorado 
County,  about  ten  miles  from  Foisom.  Politi- 
cally Mr.  McConnell  has  been  a  Republican 
since  1860;  previously  lie  iiad  been  what  is 
called  a  Douglas  Democrat,  and  now  expresses 
his  views  earnestly  in  favor  of  '-protection"  of 
American  industries.  In  1854  he  was  a  mem- 
ber of  the  Democratic  State  Convention  held  in 
the  Baptist  Church  in  Sacramento,  of  which  an 
interesting  account  is  given  elsewhere  in  this 
volume.  He  was  in  the  Constitutional  Conven- 
tion of  1879,  in  Sacramento,  when  the  present 
constitution  was  adopted.  Besides  these,  he 
lias  served  in  other  conventions,  and  has  always 
taken  an  active  part  in  the  public  welfare.  He 
has  been  remarkably  successful  in  business,  and 
in  the  advocacy  of  measures  in  the  civil  govern- 
ment. He  is  a  director  in  the  Grangers'  Bank 
of  San  Francisco,  having  held  that  position 
since  the  organization  of  the  bank,  in  April, 
1874.  He  has  been  a  member  of  ihe  Masonic 
order  since  1854,  being  made  a  Mason  in 
(reorgetown.  El  Dorado  County.  He  is  now 
the  only  charter  member  of  Elk  Grove   Lodge, 


No.  173.  Mr.  McConnell  was  married  in  Rut- 
land, Vermont,  June  19,  1856,  to  Miss  Louisa 
Chaplin,  daughter  of  George  W.  Chaplin.  She 
was  born  in  the  same  place  (Pittsford)  in  which 
Mr.  McConnell  was,  April  29, 1827,t]iere  being 
only  a  few  months'  difference  in  their  ages. 
They  have  three  daughters  and  one  son:  Anna, 
Mary,  George  W.  and  Jennie.  Mary  is  the  wife 
of  Flomer  Bostwick,  in  New  York  city.  The 
other  members  of  the  family  are  residents  of 
this  county. 


^LIJAH  COMSTOCK,  of  Sacramento,  is  a 
^pL  descendant  from  two  well-known  families 
^^  of  Massachusetts,  the  Comstock  and  the 
Rice  families.  Hepsiba  Rice, his  mother,  born  in 
Massachusetts,  came  to  Ohio  in  the  early  days 
with  her  parents;  there  she  met  and  was  mar- 
ried to  Mr.  Comstock,  who  had  also  come  from 
Massachusetts,  and  the  subject  of  this  biographi- 
cal notice  remembers  hearing  his  father  relate 
the  many  incidents  of  the  journey  by  ox  teams 
from  Massachusetts  to  the  "far  West,"  as  Ohio 
was  then  termed.  In  1823  the  family  emigrated 
to  Wheeljng,  West  Virginia,  where  Elijah  was 
born  June  29,  1824,  the  youngest  of  five  chil- 
dren. When  he  was  two  years  old  his  mother 
returned  to  Ohio  to  live,  and  there  he  was  brought 
up.  In  the  spring  of  1850,  John  O.  Garrett, 
who  had  come  to  California  in  1849  and  returned 
to  Ohio  on  a  visit,  made  up  a  party  of  about 
200,  mostly  from  Richfield,  Summit  County, 
and  young  Comstock  was  one  of  them.  They 
crossed  the  Missouri  River  at  St.  Joseph,  and 
kept  together  until  they  reached  Fort  Kearney, 
when  they  had  a  disagreement,  and  nine  of  the 
party  broke  away  and  came  on  hy  themselves, 
by  the  northern  route  above  Salt  Lake  and  via 
Fort  Hall  to  Placerville,  where  they  arrived  on 
the  9th  of  July.  They  remained  in  that  vicinity 
for  about  a  year  and  then  went  farther  north,  to 
Fort  Hill,  where  he  engaged  in  butchering  until 
the  spring  of  1852,  and  also  in  buying  cattle 
from  immigrants  far  out    upon   the    plains  and 


HISTORY    OF    SACRAMENTO    GOUNTY. 


bringing  them  in.  Here  he  made  some  money, 
and  in  the  fall  of  1852  he  bought  a  ranch  on  the 
other  side  of  the  Sacramento  River,  eight  miles 
above  Washington,  now  known  as  the  Merch 
Place,  and  engaged  in  raising  fine  stock  and  in 
the  dairy  business.  He  raised  Durham  cattle 
and  Norman  horses.  In  1881  he  sold  his  ranch 
and  removed  his  family  to  Sacramento,  and  in- 
vested in  property  here.  Mr.  Comstock  was 
married  in  1848,  in  Cuyahoga  County,  Ohio,  to 
Catherine  Entrican,  a  most  estimable  lady,  whose 
people  came  from  New  York.  They  have  had 
one  child,  a  son,  who  died  when  he  was  one  and 
a  half  years  old.  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Comstock  are 
spending  the  evening  of  their  lives  calmly — 
enjoying  the  rest  to  which  they  are  so  justly 
entitled. 

'^■m-^ 

tR.  DEVIN  was  born  November  28,1860, 
son  of  John  O.  and  Mandy  F.  (Berry) 
'^  Devin.  The  father  was  a  native  of  Ten- 
nessee, and  went  to  Pike  County,  Missouri,  when 
a  mere  child,  with  his  parents,  who  were  among 
the  early  settlers  of  that  county.  Upon  becom- 
ing of  age  he  engaged  in  the  mercantile  busi- 
ness, and  remained  in  it  until  1856, 'when  he 
came  to  California,  overland,  bringing  his  wife 
and  five  children,  also  his  brother,  who  was 
killed  on  the  plains  by  the  Indians.  They 
reached  Sacramento  County  in  the  fall  of  1856, 
and  in  1857  went  to  Sacramento  city,  where  he 
was  employed  as  a  night  watchman.  In  1859  he 
removed  to  El  Dorado  County,  and  remained  until 
1868,  when  he  purchased  the  ranch  on  which 
his  son,  the  subject  of  this  sketch,  now  resides. 
He  died  there  December  22,  1873,  leaving  his 
wife  and  eight  children.  His  wife  died  October 
13,  1888.  The  children  are  as  follows:  William 
D.,  James  H.,  Susan  R.,  Eliza  J.,  Charles  E., 
Buena  A.,  H.  K.  and  Alvin  L.,  all  of  whom  are 
still  living  (1888).  A.  R.  Devin,  the  subject 
of  this  sketch,  still  resides  on  the  home  place, 
whicli  is  in  a  tine  state  of  cultivation.  It  is 
situated  about  three  miles  from  Elk  Grove.   Mr. 


Devin  does  a  general  farming  business,  and  the 
condition  of  everything  shows  him  to  be  an  ex- 
perienced and  practical  farmer. 

"*"  '■ — ^"'^^r'*^^'^^ — •  *^ 

fEORGE  DANIEL  CONNER  was  born 
on  the  Sandy  River,  in  Greenup  County, 
Kentucky,  December  20, 1827,  his  parents 
being  William  and  Sidney  (Davis)  Conner. 
His  grandfather  Conner,  who  was  born  in  Ire- 
laud,  built  the  first  blast  furnace  in  Kentucky, 
on  tiie  Licking  River,  in  Bath  County.  The 
father  of  George  D.  was  a  member  of  the  Legis- 
lature for  sixteen  years,  serving  successively  in 
both  branches.  A  great-grandfather  on  the 
mother's  side  was  the  Captain  Bragg,  of  Wash- 
ington's time,  who  was  married  in  the  home  of 
Washington,  and  afterward  rose  to  the  rank  of 
General  in  the  war  of  1812.  General  Bragg, 
of  the  Civil  War,  is  also  a  great-grandson  of 
the  same.  Mr.  Conner's  maternal  grandfather 
was  George  N.  Davis,  a  member  of  Congress, 
and  previously  was  sheriff  of  the  county  for 
many  years.  An  uncle,  Alfred  Davis,  was  a 
graduate  of  West  Point,  and  served  in  the  Mex- 
ican war;  another,  Colonel  J.  W.  Davis,  was 
engaged  in  the  late  war,  on  the  Confederate 
side.  He  moved  to  Virginia  after  the  war,  and 
was  there  elected  to  Congress.  The  two  broth- 
ers married  sisters  of  the  Stewart  family,  resid- 
ing near  Sulphur  Springs.  A  third  brother, 
Alexander,  was  mixed  up  in  the  Kansas  dif- 
ficulty, on  the  Southern  side.  He  afterward 
became  a  lawyer  in  St.  Louis,  and  was  elected 
to  the  Legislature  of  Missouri.  Mr.  Conner 
first  came  to  California  in  1849,  and  went  to 
mining  in  Auburn,  Placer  County,  in  the  win- 
ter of  that  year.  In  the  spring  of  1850  he  en- 
gaged in  teaming  and  trading  to  and  from  the 
mines,  and  afterward  fitted  up  teams  and  wag- 
ons, selling  the  outfits  complete.  In  less  than 
two  years  he  had  accumulated  about  $15,000. 
On  December  5,  1851,  he  sailed  from  San 
Francisco  for  New  Orleans,  and  thence  went  up 
the  Mississippi   and  Ohio   to   his  home  in  Ken- 


HISTOHT    OF    SACRAMENTO    COUNTY. 


tuck}'.  After  a  short  stay  there  he  went  to 
Missouri,  and  bought  cattle,  which  he  drove 
across  the  plains  in  1852.  He  sold  100  head 
for  $10,000  in  Sacramento,  and  though  he  suf- 
fered loss  by  fire  and  flood  in  that  city  he  sailed 
from  San  Francisco,  June  3,  1853,  with  $30,000, 
for  New  York,  whence  he  went  to  Kentucky'. 
November  22,  1853,  he  was  married  in  Liviugs- 
ton  County,  Kentuckj',  to  Miss  Sarah  J.  Welsh, 
a  daughter  of  Thomas  G.  Welsh,  proprietor  of 
the  Oakwell  Iron  Works,  situated  on  the  Cuni- 
beiland,  about  twelve  miles  from  its  mouth. 
She  was  then  in  her  twenty-first  year,  having 
been  born  in  Davidson  County,  Tennessee, 
about  twelve  miles  from  Charlotte,  and  only 
one  mile  from  where  her  parents  had  been  mar- 
ried. Her  mother,  Eliza  J.  Thomson,  was  a 
daughter  of  William  and  Jane  (Brewer)  Thom- 
son. On  her  father's  side  she  is  of  mi.xed  Eng- 
lish and  Irish  stock,  and  related  to  the  Welsh 
family  of  Philadelphia,  one  of  whom  was  our 
minister  to  England  some  years  ago.  Her 
grandmother.  Brewer,  was  a  sister  of  Sterling 
Brewer,  a  member  of  Congress  from  Tennessee,  I 
a  man  of  considerable  wealth  for  the  time  in 
whicli  he  lived.  Her  grandparents,  Thomas, 
were  also  of  the  wealthiest  families  of  Raleigh, 
North  Carolina.  Her  father  was  born  near 
Baltimore,  Maryland,  in  September,  1805.  His 
parents  afterward  lived  near  Philadelphia  for  a 
time,  and  later,  moved  into  the  iron  region  of 
Pennsylvania,  the  father  being  a  skilled  work- 
man in  some  branch  of  the  iron  industry,  and 
was  usually  engaged  as  foreman.  The  son 
learned  the  special  trade  of  hammerer.  In  time 
he  moved  to  Kentucky,  and  worked  at  a  forge 
on  the  Little  Sandy,  two  miles  from  the  Ohio. 
He  then  went  successively  to  Tennessee  and 
Alabama,  working  at  his  trade.  Returning  to 
Tennessee  he  bought  of  Neblett  Bros,  the 
Blooming  Grove  forge  on  the  Cutnberla  .d, 
about  twelve  miles  from  Clai-ksville,  with  Will- 
iam Phillips  as  partner.  He  bought  four  slaves 
and  taught  them  his  trade,  and  while  they 
manufactured  the  household  goods  for  the  local 
trade,    lie     peddled     them     around     and     made 


money.  Afterward  he  purchased  the  Rough 
and  Ready  Iron  Works,  also  on  the  Cumber- 
land, in  Stewart  County,  keeping  it  ouly  one 
year.  He  had  two  partners  in  that  enterprise, — 
Dr.  .Cobb,  of  Clarksville,  and  Captain  Sain 
Cook.  Selling  his  interest  he  moved  to  Ken- 
tucky in  the  fall  of  1852,  investing  his  money 
in  the  Hopewell  Iron  Works,  which  were  burnt 
down  in  1854,  with  heavy  loss.  He  had  in- 
vested largely  in  improvements  only  a  short 
time  before.  He  rebuilt,  and  his  son-in-law, 
George  D.  Conner,  became  partner  in  1856. 
under  the  style  of  Conner  &  Welsh;  but  iron 
had  meanwhile  fallen  from  $40  to  $22  a  ton, 
leaving  but  a  very  narrow  margin  for  the  manu- 
facturers. Having  met  a  series  of  reverses, 
coincident  with  the  depression,  they  surrendered 
the  business  to  their  creditors,  Gibbon  and 
Haynes,  in  1859,  and  both  families  started 
across  the  plains  for  California.  After  a  four 
months'  trip  they  arrived  in  the  Golden  State, 
August  3,  1859,  and  settled  on  the  Cosumnes. 
Two  years  later  they  purchased  1,000  acres  in 
the  Hartnel  Grant,  with  a  frontage  of  half  a 
mile  on  the  river.  About  1870  Mr.  Conner 
bought  out  Mr.  Welsh's  half  interest,  and  at  dif- 
ferent times  made  other  purchases,  until  he 
now  owns  about  4,000  acres,  in  one  body.  Mr 
Welsh  and  his  son,  Charles  R.,  moved  to  Hill's 
Ferry,  in  San  Joaquin  County,  investing  some 
$3,000  in  Government  land  and  improvements. 
Disheartened  by  drouths  they  abandoned  it  a 
few  years  later,  and  lost  their  time  and  invest- 
ment, being  unable  to  sell.  They  then  moved 
to  Tulare  County,  near  Visalia,  where  they  pur- 
chased 400  acres  of  good  land.  After  lour 
years  of  joint  occupancy  the  father  sold  his  half 
interest  to  Mr.  Conner,  and  came  to  reside  with 
him.  He  has  made  his  home  with  Mr.  and 
Mrs.  Conner  for  many  years,  with  the  excep- 
tion of  the  five  or  si.K  years  mentioned.  Mr. 
and  Mrs.  Conner  are  the  parents  of  the  follow- 
ing children,  of  whom  the  three  oldest  were 
born  in  Kentucky,  and  the  others  in  this  State: 
Alma,  in  1854,  now  Mrs.  L.  F.  "Ward,  of 
Fresno,  and    the    mother    of   a    boj'  and    girl; 


UISTORT    OF    SAOMAiVENTO    COUNTY. 


George  T.,  in  1857,  married  and  living  in  Tu- 
lare City,  in  tlie  real  estate  business  with  his 
uncle,  J.  B.  Welsh,  since  1886;  William  W., 
in  1859,  was  just  six  months  old  on  his  arrival 
in  California;  Kobert  Lee,  in  1861,  now  farm- 
ing in  Fresno  County,  is  married,  and  the  father 
of  one  boy;  Sallie  W.,  died  in  August,  1886, 
aged  twenty-one  years;  Alfred  S.,  in  1869; 
Eugene,  in  1875;  Pauline,  in  1878.  William 
W.  and  the  three  younger  children  are  living  at 
home. 


l^ENRY  COOK  was  born  in  Scl 
i^  Holstein,  December  15,  1822,  his  parents 
^iHl  being  Peter  and  Mary  (Stephens)  Cook. 
Receiving  an  ordinary  education  he  went  to  sea 
at  the  age  of  fifteen  and  served  in  various  capa- 
cities as  a  sailor  boy  until  the  age  of  twenty. 
He  then  learned  the  trade  of  ship-carpenter  and 
made  many  voyages  in  that  capacity  for  nine 
years,  among  others  to  India  and  China  three 
times.  In  his  earlier  seafaring  life  he  visited 
England  several  times.  In  the  fourteen  years 
that  he  spent  on  the  sea  he  has  been  in  nearly 
all  the  great  seaports  and  in  a  large  number  of 
the  minor  ones.  In  one  of  those  voyages  from 
Europe  he  came  around  Cape  Horn  to  California 
in  1854,  arriving  in  San  Francisco  on  June  10. 
He  went  to  trading  on  the  Sacramento  River 
and  around  the  bay  for  about  two  years,  being 
half-owner  of  a  trading  sloop  of  thirty-two  tons. 
In  1856  he  sold  out  his  interest  in  the  sloop  and 
went  to  Tuolumne  County,  where  he  tuok  up 
some  land,  in  partnership  with  his  brother, 
Peter,  and  there  remained  about  eighteen 
months.  October  6,  1858,  he  came  down  to 
the  Sacramento  River  and  bought  200  acres  on 
Grand  Island,  of  which  eight  or  ten  were  bank 
land  and  the  rest  tule.  He  was  flooded  out  in 
1862,  but  being  an  old  sailor  he  "  would  not 
give  up  the  ship."  In  1865  Mr.  Cook  paid  a 
visit  to  his  native  land,  remaining  four  months, 
and  was  there  married,  in  Augnst,  to  Miss 
Ciiristina    Carstensen,    a    native    of    Germany. 


Returning  with  his  wife  to  Grand  Island,  he 
had  the  great  misfortune  to  lose  her  after  a  few 
years.  She  died  Februai-y  2, 1869,  leaving  two 
children:  Peter,  born  June  6,  1866;  John  W., 
born  October  6,  1867.  The  older  boy  died  in 
1876,  leaving  Mr.  Cook  with  only  one  child. 
John  W.,  besides  the  usual  district-scbool  educa- 
tion, took  a  course  in  1886  in  Heald's  Business 
College  in  San  Francisco.  In  1872  Mr.  Cook 
sold  his  place  on  Grand  Island  and  bought  the 
ranch  of  eighty-eight  acres  he  now  owns  on 
Sutter  Island.  He  first  did  a  dairy  business 
with  fourteen  cows,  but  in  1878  he  began  to 
plant  an  orchard.  Struck  by  the  flood  of  that 
season  before  they  had  rooted,  he  went  around 
in  his  boat  and  took  up  the  1,000  trees  he  had 
just  set  out,  stored  them  away  until  the  flood 
subsided  and  replanted  them.  He  has  now  about 
fifteen  acres  in  orchard,  and  the  remainder  is 
tule  land.  October  3,  1883,  Mr.  Cook  was  again 
married,  in  San  Francisco,  to  Mrs.  Sophia  (Puis) 
Bergholt,  a  native  of  Mecklenburg-Schwerin, 
born  August  17,  1837,  daughter  of  Johann  and 
Sophia  (Peto)  Puis.  The  residence  of  Mr.  and 
Mrs.  Cook  is  a  very  neat  and  commodious  one, 
well  supplied  with  the  conveniences  and  com- 
forts of  a  home,  and  with  an  exceptionally  fine 
flower-garden  in  front,  exhibiting  internally  and 
externally  the  excellent  taste  of  Mrs.  Cook,  and 
l.er  instinctive  compliance  with  that  excellent 
commandment — make  home  beautiful. 


flMON  COHN,  senior  member  of  the  firm 
of  S.  Cohn  &  Co.,  grocers,  Folsom,  was 
born  in  Poland  in  March,  1830.  At  the 
age  of  eleven  or  twelve  years  he  left  home  and 
went  to  Prussia,  living  there  five  or  six  years  as 
journeyman  tailor.  In  1852  he  embarked  on 
the  sailing  vessel  Samuel  Lawrence  for  New 
York,  landing  in  the  fall  after  a  voyage  of  eight 
weeks.  After  working  at  his  trade  a  year, 
he  came  to  California  by  the  Nicaragua  route, 
leaving  New  York  on  the  steamer  Star  of  the 
West,   and   coming   on   the   Pacific  side  on  the 


HISTORY    OP    SAGBAMENTO    COUNTY. 


steamer  Curtis,  landing  at  San  Francisco.  He 
was  employed  by  a  man  named  Krichavski  in 
San  Francisco,  at  $50  a  month,  remaining  with 
him  until  he  had  saved  up  $1,800,  in  slugs,  and 
then,  in  company  with  a  Mr.  Fischer,  he  bought 
stock  and  was  ready  to  open  out  in  business  in 
the  old  St.  Charles  Hotel  on  Davis  Street,  when 
a  fire  during  the  night  burnt  up  all  their  goods! 
This  left  Mr.  Colin  without  anything.  He 
worked  for  his  former  employer  again  until  he 
had  saved  about  $2,000,  when  he  concluded  to 
try  his  luck  again,  this  time  in  the  country.  In 
company  with  Mr.  Frankee  he  opened  out  in 
business  at  Live  Oak  City,  near  Michigan  Bar, 
Sacramento  County,  and  was  soon  burnt  out 
again!  Although  a  second  time  completely 
broken  up,  he  undaunted  put  his  shoulder  to  the 
wheel  and  started  in  again,  at  Folsom,  in  1856, 
where  he  has  been  ever  since.  His  present 
business  is  the  trade  in  groceries  and  provisions, 
in  which  he  is  successful.  He  is  public-spirited, 
a  Republican,  but  not  radical.  Is  a  member  of 
Natoma  Lodge,  No.  64,  F.  &  A.  M.;  an  Odd 
Fellow;  A.  O.  U.  Workman;  and  B'nai  B'rith. 
In  1862  he  married  Henrietta  Alexander,  a 
native  of  Prussia,  and  they  have  two  daughters: 
Rosa,  wife  of  X.  L.  Kohn,  of  Placerville;  and 
Alice,  wife  of  Philip  C.  Cohn,  formerly  of 
Sacramento  and  now  of  Folsom,  a  partner  in  the 
firm  of  S.  Cohn  &  Co. 


H-^^ 


tOBERT  CHRISTESEN  was  born  in 
Xorth  Schleswig,  now  in  the  German 
Empire,  April  24,  1842,  his  parents  being 
Hans  and  Seenet  H.  (Wayback)  Christesen. 
Tliey  came  to  live  with  their  son,  Robert,  in  Sep- 
tember, 1877.  The  father  died  in  1882,  aged 
seventy-four,  and  the  mother  in  1884,  aged 
si.xty-eight.  Robert  Christesen  received  a  lim- 
ited education,  and  worked  on  his  father's  farm, 
from  boyhood.  He  came  to  California  in  1868, 
and  worked  first  in  Sonoma  County,  driving 
team  for  the  owner  of  a  saw-mill  there,  for  one 
year.     He  worked  six  months  in  a  butcher  shop 


and  learned  the  business,  but  did  not  follow  it 
further.  In  1870-'71  he  worked  for  Mr.  Henry 
Ehrhardt  one  year.  Mr.  Christesen  was  married 
in  Georgetown,  now  Franklin,  December  13, 
1871,  to  Miss  Paulina  Christesen,  a  daughter  of 
Paul  and  Abilena  (Boyesen)  Christesen,  to 
whom  he  had  been  engaged  for  seven  years. 
Her  father  was  a  grain  dealer  at  Flausburg  in 
Schleswig.  The  two  families,  though  bearing 
the  same  name,  are  not  relatives  by  blood  in  any 
traceable  degree  of  consanguinity.  They  were 
married  in  a  month  after  her  arrival.  In  1872 
Mr.  Christesen  rented  320  acres  for  one  year;  in 
1873,  another  820  acres,  on  both  of  which  he 
raised  cattle  chiefly.  He  also  bought  and  sold 
cattle  of  others'  raising.  In  1874  he  moved 
across  the  Cosumnes,  where  he  rented  500  acres. 
In  1875  he  bought  the  place  he  now  occupies 
in  Franklin  Township,  containing  480  acres. 
About  1877  he  bought  160  acres,  and  in  1879, 
200  acres,  which  with  280  bought  in  1884,  he 
sold  in  1889  for  $15,000.  He  traded  the  160 
acres  for  a  blacksmith  shop,  leaving  him  at  pres- 
ent the  owner  of  the  480  acres  he  bought  in 
1875.  He  raises  wheat,  horses,  cattle  and  hogs 
and  the  necessary  feed  for  his  stock.  Mr.  and 
Mrs.  Christesen  are  the  parents  of  four  sons  and 
four  daughters:  Abilena  and  Louis,  twins, 
born  October  12,  1872;  Fernando,  March  30, 
1874;  Mary,  April  19, 1876;  Tesha,  October  11, 
1877;  Emma,  January  17,  1880;  Robert,  No- 
vember 13, 1882 ;  Henry,  October  21, 1885.  Mr. 
Christesen  has  been  a  school  trustee,  and  is  a 
member  of  the  Masonic  fraternity. 


»BNER  BALDWIN  BURNS,  orchardist. 
itter  Township,  was  born  in  Randolph 
County,  North  Carolina,  January  29, 1833, 
son  of  James  and  Sarah  Burns,  both  natives  of 
that  State.  Mrs.  Burns'  father,  Silas  Cooper, 
served  seven  years  in  the  Revolutionary  War, 
being  engaged  in  one  fight  which  took  place 
precisely  on  his  home  land.  Abner  was  born 
on  the  Galpiu  battle-ground.  The  Burns  family 


UmrORY    OF    HAORAMENTO    COUNTY. 


trace  their  history  to  Scotland.  In  James 
Burns'  family  were  fifteen  children,  seven  sons 
and  eight  daughters,  all  of  whom  were  living 
and  were  at  home  just  before  the  war.  Three 
sons  entered  the  Union  army,  and  two  of  them 
were  killed  at  Arkansas  Post,  when  General 
Sherman  was  commanding  there.  In  1844  the 
family  emigrated  to  Putnam  County,  Indiana. 
At  the  age  of  seventeen  or  eighteen  years  Mr. 
Burns,  the  subject  of  this  sketch,  left  home,  and 
for  ten  or  twelve  years  followed  flatboating  on 
the  Mississippi  River,  during  which  time  he 
passed  tlirough  many  exciting  experiences,  many 
of  them  romantic  or  otherwise  pleasant.  He 
then  remained  in  Indiana  until  he  came  to  Cali- 
fornia in  1856,  sailing  from  New  York  June 
24  on  the  old  Northern  Light  to  Nicaragua. 
Was  delayed  on  the  Isthmus  by  the  fighting 
that  was  in  progress  there  during  the  revolu- 
tion in  that  country.  At  length,  obtaining  pas- 
sage on  the  Nevada,  he  landed  in  San  Francisco 
February  22.  The  first  two  months  he  worked 
at  mining  in  the  Indian  diggings,  in  company 
with  a  friend  named  McCoy.  While  there, 
Messrs.  Friuk  &  Alsip,  of  Sacramento,  offered 
him  employment,  which  he  accepted;  but  in 
two  months  was  taken  sick  and  he  passed  six 
weeks  at  Dr.  Sullivan's  Hospital.  After  recov- 
ery, he  followed  teaming  with  two  teams  be- 
tween Sacramento  and  Nevada  City,  with 
considerable  profit.  A  week  before  Christinas 
he  quit  this  and  went  up)on  a  ranch  in  Sutter 
Township  on  the  lower  Stockton  road,  about 
four  miles  from  Sacramento,  in  partnership  with 
Benjamin  Stoops.  A  year  afterward  he  went  to 
the  mountains,  and  during  his  absence  Mr. 
Stoops  sold  the  ranch  and  ran  away  with  the 
money,  leaving  Mr.  Burns  about  $1,000  in  debt. 
In  the  fall  of  1858  he  moved  upon  the  ground 
which  now  constitutes  a  portion  of  his  present 
place,  where  he  bought  of  the  State  eighty  acres 
of  school  land.  In  1861-'fi2  the  water  covered 
his  land,  and  he  was  for  a  time  engaged  in  min- 
ing in  Nevada  and  among  the  copper  mines  in 
El  Dorado  County,  which  business  proved  a 
total  loss  to  him.    He  consideis  ranching,  espe- 


cially in  Sacramento  County,  the  safest  employ- 
ment and  the  best  investment  one  can  make  in 
the  United  States.  His  land,  which  is  well 
adapted  to  fruit,  especially  grapes  and  peaches, 
is  in  a  fine  state  of  cultivation.  He  has  taken 
first  premiums  at  State  fairs  on  peaches  and 
other  fruits.  He  has  been  active  in  fruit  inter- 
ests. The  organization  of  the  Fruit  Union  in 
this  part  of  the  county  might  be  accredited  to 
him.  Mr.  Burns  has  always  been  an  active 
politician.  He  was  one  of  the  few  who  organ- 
ized the  Ilepublicau  party  in  this  county  and 
adhered  to  that  party  until  1884,  when  he  sup- 
ported the  National  Greenback  party.  His  first 
nomination  for  public  office  was  for  the  Legis- 
lature in  1883,  on  the  National  ticket.  In  1885 
he  was  nominated  by  the  same  party  for  Con- 
gress. He  is  a  National  man  in  every  good 
sense  of  that  word,  that  is,  simply  patriotic.  He 
is  now  serving  his  fifteenth  term  as  school  direc- 
tor of  Capital  district.  Mr.  Burns  was  married 
July  4,  1870,  to  Mrs.  Sarah  Slocum,  nee  Bal- 
lard, a  native  of  Shelby  County,  Indiana.  The 
three  children  are  all  dead. 


►>^^. 


m 


iSAHEL  BRADLEY  DAVIS  was  born 
January  27,  1836,  in  St.  Thomas  (county 
seat),  Elgin  County,  Canada,  his  parents 
being  Joel  and  Amy  (Lewis)  Davis.  The  former 
was  a  native  of  Montgomery  County,  New 
York,  and  the  latter  was  a  native  of  Vermont, 
born  at  a  place  not  far  from  Whitehall,  being 
near  the  New  York  State  line.  When  a  mere 
child  her  father,  Barnabas  Lewis,  emigrated  to 
Canada  with  his  family,  which  consisted  of  six 
sons  and  two  daughters;  all  of  whom  were  the 
heads  of  prominent  families  in  that  locality. 
One  son,  Joel  Lewis,  was  very  enterprising  in 
thu  establishment  of  public  schools;  Asahel,  an- 
otherson,  was  the  first  to  establish  a  liberal  or  re- 
form paper  in  St.  Thomas  during  the  exciting 
times  of  the  rebellion  of  1836-'37.  Joel  Davis, 
the  father,  died  in  July,  1836,  when  the  subject 
of  this  sketch  was  but   six  months   old.     His 


UlSTUUY    Oil'    SACIiAMEWTO    COUNTY. 


widow  afterward  married  Lindley  Moore,  who 
figured  very  prominently  in  the  history  of  that 
country.  His  father,  Elias  Moore,  was  a  mem- 
ber of  Parliament  during  or  just  after  the  Re- 
bellion. Mrs.  Moore  made  her  home  in  Canada 
until  her  death,  whicli  occurred  about  twelve 
years  ago.  By  her  tirst  marriage  there  were 
three  children,  Lewis  and  Adelia,  both  uf  whom 
are  residents  of  Canada,  living  at  the  old  home- 
stead, and  A.  B.  By  her  second  marriage  there 
was  one  daughter,  who  is  now  dead;  she  was 
married  and  left  one  child  at  her  death.  The 
subject  of  this  sketch  was  reared  in  Canada,  and 
there  received  his  education  in  the  public  schools. 
In  October,  1859,  he  left  his  native  country  and 
started  for  California.  He  went  by  way  of  New 
Yorlc,  thence  to  Panama,  and  arrived  in  San 
Fr.mcisco  about  the  middle  of  JN'ovember.  He 
went  directly  to  Sacramento  and  from  there  to 
the  mines  at  the  town  of  Rough  and  Ready  in 
Nevada  County.  The  first  few  month  he 
worked  for  wages,  but  after  that  he  mined  for 
himself;  he  worked,  off"  and  on,  at  mining  for 
about  fifteen  years.  In  186S  he  went  on  a  visit 
to  Canada  and  remained  until  the  spring  of 
1870,  when  he  returned  to  this  valley  and  stayed 
until  the  spring;  of  1871;  then  went  to  work  on 
the  Amador  Canal,  being  in  charge  of  a  divis- 
ion of  men,  and  remained  i!i  that  capacity  for 
about  seven  months,  when  the  company 
"busted,"  and  work  was  suspended.  Mr.  Davis 
was  cheated  out  of  his. wages  to  the  amount  of 
$400.  A  new  company  was  afterward  organ- 
ized and  Mr.  Davis  again  sought  to  take  charge 
of  a  gang  of  men;  he  served  this  company  until 
the  completion  of  the  canal  in  1875.  Mr.  Davis 
again  came  to  this  valley  and  has  made  his  home 
here  ever  since.  Mr.  Davis'  career  in  this  com- 
munity has  been  such  as  to  elevate  him  to  the 
highest  degree  of  esteem,  as  he  has  been  a  use- 
ful citizen,  a  man  of  deliberate  judgment,  and 
one  who  desires  the  best  welfare  of  the  people; 
he  therefore  has  principles  for  all  his  conduct  as 
a  citizen  and  neighbor,  etc.,  and  deserves  all  he 
has  attained,  and  even  more  In  the  year  1860 
he  bought  a  squatter's  right  to  160  acres  of  land 


situa'ed  in  Brighton  Township;  and  afterward 
got  the  title  from  the  Governn:ent.  The  land 
is  still  in  his  possession.  He  also  owns  270 
acres  of  improved  land  in  Brighton  Township, 
and  110  acres  in  Sutter  Township. 


,\RTIN  DART,  deceased.  In  the  com- 
pilation of  a  work  such  as  this  there  is 
no  part  of  more  value  than  that  which 
relates  to  personal  histories.  In  making  men- 
tion of  these  honored  veterans  of  pioneer  time 
and  in  many  instances  departed,  there  is  no 
one  more  worthy  of  notice  and  of  the  attributes 
paid  him  than  the  late  Martin  Dart,  whose  name 
heads  this  sketch,  and,  on  account  of  long  resi- 
dence in  this  county,  is  familiar  to  every  one. 
Mr.  Dart  was  born  February  23,  1811,  in  New 
London,  Connecticut,  a  son  of  Joshua  and  Su- 
san (Sabin)  Dart.  The  line  of  his  ancestry  is 
traceable  to  the  English  and  French.  In  1840 
Joshua  Dart  emigrated  to  Genesee  County, 
Michigan.  His  wife  died  about  1844,  and  he 
survived  a  few  years.  They  have  three  sons 
and  three  daughters,  only  two  of  whom  are  now 
living.  As  a  boy  Martin  was  raised  on  a  farm, 
and  was  in  Michigan  twelve  years.  In  1862  he 
cameoverlandtoCalifornia,withon?horseandone 
mule,  which  he  rodealternately  when  not  walking. 
He  was  in  company  with  a  train  which  left  Coun- 
cil Bluffs  May  3,  the  journey  being  a  pleasant 
one  considering  the  usual  circumstances.  They 
rested  some  time  both  at  Salt  Lake  and  in 
Carson  Valley.  Mr.  Dart  began  mining  on  the 
north  branch  of  Stephens  Creek  and  at  Grizzly 
Flats,  and  followed  that  pursuit  in  various  lo- 
calities for  about  two  years,  until  the  money 
gave  out.  Then  he  followed  teaming  and  sell- 
ing goods  for  about  si.v  years  in  the  mining 
region.  In  this  business  he  had  to  sell  on 
credit  so  much  that  he  failed  to  make  it  very 
profitable.  In  1858  he  took  his  wife  in  a  lum- 
ber wagon  and  moved  down  into  San  Joaquin 
Township,  this  county,  and  as  soon  as  the  land 
came  into  market  he  purchased  the  present  es- 


UISTOKY    UF    SACRAMENTO    COUNTY. 


tate  three  miles  from  Elk  Grove.  The  place, 
DOW  comprising  160  acres,  is  so  neatly  arranged, 
equipped  and  cultivated  as  to  attract  the  atten- 
tion of  all  passers  by.  Twenty-live  acres  are  in 
vineyard;  and  Mr.  Dart  devoted  his  attention 
almost  exclusively  to  the  vineyard  and  orchard, 
being  as  "smart  as  a  cricket"  up  to  the  time  of 
his  death,  which  occurred  May  15,  1889,  when 
lie  had  passed  the  age  of  seventy-seven  years. 
He  was  married  in  1835  to  Miss  Elme  Stewart, 
a  native  of  Connecticut.  She  died  in  1844,. 
leaving  three  children:  Livy  S.,  Franklin  S.,  in 
the  State  of  Kew  York,  and  Maria,  who  returned 
to  Connecticut,  and  died  there. 


fEORGE  W.  DARLING,  agriculturist,  was 
born  in  the  city  of  Dul)lin,  Ireland.  His 
parents,  John  and  Margaret  (Satterweight) 
Darling,  emigrated  to  America  and  resided  in 
this  country  the  remainder  of  their  lives;  the 
father,  who  was  a  machinist  by  trade,  dying  in 
1872,  at  the  age  of  sixty- five  years,  and  the 
mother  in  184-,  at  the  age  of  forty-iive.  In 
their  family  were  nine  children:  James,  John, 
William,  Charles,  George  AV.,  Frederick,  Mary, 
Margaret  and  Eliza.  All  are  now  dead  except 
Charles  and  George  W.  The  latter  came  to 
America  in  1850,  by  the  way  of  Cape  Horn, 
landing  in  San  Francisco,  being  six  months  on 
the  voyage,  on  a  vessel  also  named  Cape  Horn. 
He  followed  mining  on  Mississippi  Bar  four 
years,  with  good  success,  and  then  located  on  a 
ranch  on  the  Aubiirn  road  and  pursued  the  call- 
ing of  agriculture,  etc.,  until  1860;  next  he 
kept  hotel,  the  California  House,  five  months  in 
Carson  City;  selling  that  property,  he  returned 
to  this  county  and  purchased  his  present  ranch 
of  400  acres,  eighteen  miles  from  the  county 
seat,  and  four  miles  from  Folsom.  Grain-rais- 
ing is  his  specialty.  He  came  to  California  with 
but  little  means,  and  has  seen  his  share  of  the 
ups  and  downs  of  a  pioneer's  life.  He  has 
made  his  way  by  hard  work,  industry  and  econ- 
omy.    He  is  a  man  of  energy  and  perseverance, 


and  retains  his  youthful  appearance,  and  vigor 
in  a  marked  degree.  When  he  purchased  his 
present  place  it  was  unimproved,  perfectly  wild 
and  covered  with  oak;  he  was  one  of  the  tirst 
in  this  settlement.  In  January,  1888,  he  was 
burned  out,  when  he  sustained  a  loss  of  about 
$6,000;  but  he  is  already  on  the  rapid  road  to 
full  recovery.  He  kept  a  diary  from  1865  to 
the  time  of  the  lire,  in  which  he  recorded  all 
the  changes  in  the  weather  and  events  worthy 
of  note;  but  that  conflagration  consumed  it. 
Its  loss  is  greatly  regretted,  for  it  had  been  of 
considerable  service  to  hini  as  well  as  his  neigh- 
bors. His  brother  John,  tlie  only  brother  he 
had  at  the  time,  died  at  New  Orleans.  Mr. 
Darling  was  married  in  1858,  to  Miss  Ellen, 
daughter  of  Katherine  Mullen.  She  died  June 
14,  1874,  leaving  three  children,  one  son  and 
two  daughters:  William  T.,  who  was  born  July 
11,  1859,  and  married  Ettie  Allen,  a  native  of 
Placer  County;  Ida  May,  born  May  1,  1862,  is 
tlie  wife  of  Thomas  W.  AVard  of  this  county; 
and  Margaret  E.,  born  March  19,  1864,  died 
April  27,  1883. 


fWEN  THOMAS  DAVIES,  farmer, 
Brighton  Township,  was  born  Cefancoidy- 
cymar,  within  two  miles  of  Merthyr  Tyd- 
vil,  Wales,  February  7,  1820,  a  son  of  Thomas 
and  Mary  Davies.  In  that  family  were  four 
sons  and  five  daughters,  who  grew  up  and  were 
married.  Four  of  the  sons  came  to  Amer- 
ica; David  came  in  1840  and  died  in  Illinois, 
in  the  coal  mines;  Owen  came  in  the  fall  of 
1850;  and  John  and  James  came  nearly  at  the 
same  time,  1855-'60,  John  settling  in  Pennsyl- 
vania and  James  in  Utah,  near  Salt  Lake  City; 
Jane  Williams  came  to  America  and  died  in 
Illinois,  December  20,  1884;  the  other  children 
died  in  Wales.  When  Mr.  Davies,  the  subject 
of  this  sketch,  was  a  man  grown,  he  was  em- 
ployed at  the  Gyfarthfa  Iron  Works,  where  he 
was  engaged  in  wheeling  puddling  iron  from 
the  rolls  twelve  liours   a  day  every  other  week, 


IIISTORT    OF    SACRAMENTO    COUNTY. 


at  what  in  United  States  money  would  be  §2.52 
cents  per  week.  His  next  task  was  the  tilling 
of  wheelbarrows  with  puddling  iron  and  wheel- 
ing it  to  the  mill,  where  it  was  rolled  into  rails, 
etc.  For  this  his  wages  was  $2.88  a  week. 
Sometimes  he  would  wiieel  as  much  as  fifty  tons 
a  day.  Next  he  weighed  and  sheared  mercliant 
iron  at  the  lirst  steam  mill,  at  $2.36  a  week. 
After  the  Pandy  mill  was  built  he  was  em- 
ployed there  to  weigh  metal  iron,  till  it  into 
wheelbarrows  from  the  drains  and  wheel  it  to 
the  stall,  weigh  it  into  450-ponnd  charges  for  the 
puddling  furnaces  and  pile  it  up.  Of  course  he 
had  to  keep  an  exact  account  of  all  this  work; 
and  his  wages  now  had  become  $5.04  a  week. 
In  tiiis  he  was  engaged  from  1846  to  September, 
1850.  At  that  time  the  Pandy  was  the  largest 
steam  mill  in  Wales.  It  was  on  the  east  side 
of  the  Taff  River.  Six  iron  rolling  mills  were 
run  by  water  power  on  the  west  side,  besides 
one  by  steam.  All  these  eight  mills  were  within 
one  mile  of  Merthyr  Tydvil.  In  October,  1846, 
Mr.  Davies  married  Ann  William  Morgan, 
daughter  of  William  Morgan  and  born  in  the 
same  place.  October  15,  1850,  they,  with  two 
children,  sailed  from  Liverpool  and  landed  in 
New  Orleans  November  22.  Ooing  to  Illinois, 
Mr.  Davies  worked  in  the  coal  mines  there  from 
the  spring  of  1851  to  April,  1854,  when  he 
went  to  Utah,  overland,  with  two  yoke  of  oxen, 
arriving  at  Salt  Lake  September  26.  In  the 
spring  of  1856  he  came  on  to  California,  ar- 
riving in  Brighton,  this  county,  July  4.  Until 
September  19  he  lived  in  the  wagon,  and  then 
settled  where  he  has  since  resided.  There  he 
bought  a  squatter's  claim  to  a  quarter-section  of 
land,  and  afterward  purchased  the  place  from 
the  Government.  When  he  first  entered  it  there 
was  only  a  shanty  there,  and  all  the  country 
around  was  a  naked  plain.  He  subsequently 
bought  more  land,  so  that  at  one  time  he  owned 
over  500  acres.  A  portion  of  this  has  been 
deeded  to  his  children  and  to  his  wife.  She 
died  October  6,  1880,  the  mother  of  four  chil- 
dren: Anne  and  Thomas,  John  and  William. 
Anne  is  the  wife  of  Edmund    Lewis,  a  resident 


of  San  Joaquin  Township,  near  Sheldon;  the 
sons  are  all  in  this  township,  and  have  families. 
November  21,  1881,  Mr.  Davies,  in  Sacramento, 
married  Louisa  Haux,  a  German  lady  and  a 
widow  at  the  time,  her  first  husband  having 
died  five  years  previously.  She  died  February 
11.  1883,  and  Mr.  Danes.  December  1,  1884, 
married  his  present  wife,  Mrs.  Friedrika  Kern. 


ILLIAM  CUNNINGHAM,  the  pioneer 
jeweler  of  Sacramento,  was  born  in  the 
city  of  Brotherly  Love,  March  21,  1821, 
the  son  of  Thomas  Cunningham,  a  coppersmith 
by  trade.  He  learned  the  trade  of  silversmith 
of  William  Rapp,  after  which  he  went  to  Boston, 
where  he  resided  for  a  year;  returning  again  to 
Philadelphia  he  found  employment  with  Bailey 
&  Kitchen  for  three  years.  When,  during  the 
gold  excitement  of  1849,  tiie  William  Penn  Min- 
ing Cora  pan  J'  was  organized,  a  man  by  the  name 
of  L.  R.  Brooman,  one  of  the  shareholders,  was 
unable  to  come  and  his  place  was  given  to  Mr. 
Cunningham,  he  paying  $200.  They  left  on 
the  Crescent  City  for  Chagres,  on  the  5th  of 
February,  were  five  or  six  weeks  on  the  Isthmus 
and  finally  came  up  the  coast  on  the  whale  ship 
Niantic,  arriving  outside  the  Golden  Gate  just 
in  time  to  celebrate  the  Fourth  of  July,  1849. 
After  spending  two  or  three  days  in  San  Fran- 
cisco, they  came  to  Sacramento  via  schooner, 
went  up  the  north  fork  of  the  American  River 
to  Willow  Bar  and  began  mining,  but,  lieing 
unsuccessful,  disbanded  and  the  Penn  Mining 
Company  collapsed.  Our  subject  came  to 
Sacramento  and,  on  arriving  here,  had  about 
$50  with  which  to  start  in  life.  He  soon  made 
the  acquaintance  of  a  man  named  Hastings  who 
was  working  for  Pillow,  a  jeweler,  on  J  Street. 
Going  to  the  quay,  from  among  the  collected 
debris,  he  fished  out  an  ordinary  crucible  and 
with  some  tools,  loaned  by  Hastings,  made  a 
gold  ring,  the  first  work  he  ever  did  in  the 
Capital  City.  Finding  tiiat  he  could  do  good 
work  he  was  employed  l)y    Pillow,  but  after  ten 


inSTOUY    OF    SACUAMBNTU    COUNTY. 


days  he  and  Hastings  formed  a  co-partnership 
and,  renting  a  room  from  liowett  &  Ells  for 
which  they  paid  $75  a  month,  they  began  busi- 
ness on  their  own  account.  They  continued 
together  for  about  two  years,  when  Mr.  Cunning- 
ham bought  out  his  partner,  crossed  the  street 
to  408  J  Street,  where  more  commodious  quar- 
ters were  secured,  and  there  he  continued  busi- 
ness for  over  eighteen  years.  Mr.  Cunningham 
was  married  in  the  city  of  Philadelphia,  De- 
cember 31,  1839,  to  Eebecca  Byrley,  daughter 
of  George  Byrley,  a  German  farmer,  at  that 
time  in  Lancaster  County,  Pennsylvania.  Mr. 
Cunningham  came  to  California  in  1852.  They 
have  had  a  family  of  ten  children,  only  three  of 
whom  survive,  namely:  "William,  Louis  and 
Benjamin;  all  of  whom  are  jewelers  in  the  city 
of  San  Francisco. 


fOHN  F.  CROSS,  farmer,  was  born  in  the 
State  of  Maine,  in  Waldo  County,  February 
13,  1828;  in  1848-'52  he  was 'a  carpenter 
in  Massachusetts,  and  then  he  embarked  on  the 
steamer  Old  JSorth  America  for  California,  and 
left  the  Isthmus,  on  the  steamer  Winiield  Scott, 
on  its  first  trip.  Landing  at  Sacramento  April 
1,  he  engaged  to  a  Mr.  Bragg  for  a  month ;  next 
he  went  to  Shasta  City  and  built  two  houses; 
and  then,  in  company  with  others,  went  to  raft- 
ing timbers  down  the  Sacramento  River,  the  first 
ever  sent  down  this  strean).  They  sold  their 
lumber  to  the  man  who  built  the  first  saw-mill 
in  Sacramento,  j^ext  he  was  in  the  emploj'  of 
the  Government  at  Fort  Redding,  where  he 
built  the  first  house  in  the  place:  Captain 
Miller  was  the  quartermaster  at  that  time. 
Returning  East,  he  was  married,  in  March, 
1854.  The  next  winter  he  was  again  employed 
by  the  Government,  in  Benicia,  and  in  the 
spring  he  came  to  this  county,  where  he  has 
ever  since  resided.  April  1,  1857,  he  Tnoved 
into  the  country  six  iniles  from  town,  where  he 
remained  for  a  year;  next  was  at  Mormon  Is- 
land a  year,  and  finally    he   settled  on  the  place 


where  he  now  is.  This  ranch  contains  320  acres; 
and  he  also  owns  480  acres  two  and  a  half  miles 
away,  and  310  acres  adjoining  Orange  Vale. 
Ilay  and  grain  are  his  specialties  as  an  agricult- 
urist. Sarah  Jane,  nee  Miss  Meservey,  Mr. 
Cross  compai.ion  in  life,  was  born  in  Mor- 
rill, Maine,  March  12,  1835.  Josejih  Cross,  the 
father  of  J.  F.,  was  born  in  Exeter,  New 
Hampshire,  and  died  in  Morrill,  Maine.  He 
brought  up  twelve  cliildren, — all  married  and 
having  families.  Mr.  John  F.  Cross  has  had 
six  children:  Nettie,  Alice,  Lilian,  Francis,  de- 
ceased, Herbert,  and  Charles. 

•^-^^■^ 

fAMES  COYLE,  a  farmer,  was  born  in 
County  Cavan,  North  Ireland,  in  1825, 
son  of  Charles  and  Bridget  (Flynn)  Coyle; 
both  parents  remained  in  tlie  old  country  until 
their  death.  Of  their  four  sons  and  four  daugh- 
ters the  only  one  living  in  the  United  States  is 
the  subject  of  this  sketch.  He  was  brought  up 
in  Ireland  on  a  farm.  In  1851  he  sailed  from 
Liverpool  on  an  old  steamer,  which  went  down 
during  the  second  trip  after  that.  In  twenty- 
four  days  he  landed  in  New  Orleans,  thus  mak- 
ing the  second  best  trip  that  had  ever  been  made 
to  that  city.  After  spending  two  months  there 
he  went  to  Memphis,  Tennessee,  for  three  or 
four  months;  during  the  ensuing  summer  sea- 
son he  was  in  Cincinnati  and  vicinity;  then  he 
resided  in  Clay  County,  Missouri,  until  he  came 
to  California  in  1853,  overland,  with  a  train  be- 
longing to  Miller  &  Arthur.  In  this  train  were 
forty  persons,  with  500  head  of  horses  and 
mules,  and  a  thousand  head  of  cattle.  Between 
400  and  500  head  of  cattle  were  lost  on  the 
way;  the  horses  and  mules  were  brought 
through  all  right.  They  crossed  the  Missouri 
River  at  Council  Blufifs  on  a  steamboat,  even 
taking  the  live-stock  across  in  that  way,  as  they 
found  that  driving  the  cattle  across  by  fording 
was  too  slow.  Of  the  party,  however,  only  seven 
or  eight  came  through  together.  Two  days  af- 
ter passing  Fort  Laramie  they  met  a  large  num- 


HISTORY    OP    SACRAMENTO    COUNTY. 


ber  of  Indians  mixed  up  witli  travelers,  and, 
after  this  train  had  passed,  a  light  ensued  be- 
tween them  and  the  soldiers.  A  number  were 
killed  on  both  sides,  including  all  the  soldiers 
who  sided  with  the  emigrants.  Stopping  a 
week  or  more  at  Salt  Lake  to  recruit,  Mr. 
Coyle's  party  completed  their  journey  by  the 
nsnal  route,  arriving  in  this  county  in  just  six 
months  from  the  time  they  started.  The  stock 
was  quartered  at  the  mouth  of  Cache  Creek. 
Mr.  Coyle's  first  work  was  on  the  construction 
of  tlie  levee  here  at  Sacramento,  which  was  then 
completed  as  far  as  Sutter's  fort.  iS'ext  he  spent 
two  months  in  the  gold  mines  on  the  Cosumnes 
River,  in  El  Dorado  County,  during  the  highest 
period  of  excitement  there.  He  mined  at 
Placerville,  and  worked  on  the  canal  there  for 
about  six  months.  Settling  down  in  this  county 
he  bought  from  a  Frenchman  a  claim  in  Sutter 
Township,  three  miles  from  Sacramento,  on  the 
lower  Stockton  road.  It  was  then  a  place  of 
very  desolate  appearance,  with  a  small  cabin 
and  a  few  improvements  upon  it.  He  bought 
it  in  the  spring,  spent  the  summer  in  the  mines, 
and  returning  in  the  fall  he  did  not  like  his  pur- 
chase, and  he  offei-ed  the  land  for  $300,  although 
he  had  paid  $600  for  it.  Not  finding  a  pur- 
chaser he  concluded  to  go  upon  it  and  make  the 
best  of  it.  This  i-anch  now  contains  155  acres, 
and  is  one  of  the  finest  in  the  county!  Mr. 
Coyle  erected  his  handsome  residence  here  in 
the  spring  of  1885,  and  it  is  indeed  a  credit  to 
the  community.  He  has  paid  considerable  at- 
tention to  the  rearing  of  live-stock,  mostly 
horses  and  particularly  roadsters.  Commenc- 
ing here  witli  nothing,  he  has  made  a  comfort- 
able home,  and  is  well  to  do.  He  was  one  of 
the  first  who  started  farming  on  the  Ilaggin 
^rant,  which  is  now  coming  so  fast  into  culti- 
vation. He  is  a  genial  gentleman,  liberal  and 
public-spirited,  and  the  citizens  are  glad  to  see 
him  able  to  enjoy  the  fruits  of  his  many  years 
of  toil.  He  was  married  in  May,  1858,  to 
Julia  Leary,  a  native  of  County  Cork,  Ire- 
land. They  have  six  children,  all  sons,  viz.: 
James,  Jr.,   and  Charles,  twins;  John,  Thomas, 


Edward    and    Jc 
county. 


;ph,  —  all     residing    in     this 


)-*-l-.A-« 


^AKRISOX  R.  CROUCH,  of  the  firm  of 
^m\  Crouch  &  Lyman,  plumbers,  511  J  street) 
■^Ig  Sacramento,  was  born  in  Sacramento,  Sep- 
tember 10,  1865,  and  is  the  son  of  the  late  W. 
T.  Crouch,  who  came  from  Ohio  to  California 
in  the  same  year.  Harrison  R.  was  educated 
at  St.  Matthew's  Hall,  San  Mateo.  His  first 
business  experience  was  in  the  capacity  of  book- 
keeper, which  occupation  he  followed  for  three 
years.  In  August,  1887,  he  formed  a  partner- 
ship with  Frank  T.  Lyman,  and  opened  in  their 
location  as  plumbers  and  gas-fitters.  Mr.  Crouch 
is  the  financier  of  the  firm,  and  in  the  conduct- 
ing of  this  department  of  the  business  has 
shown  marked  ability.  Being  a  Californian  by 
birth  Mr.  Crouch  has  identified  himself  with 
the  Native  Sons  of  the  Golden  West,  and  is  a 
member  of  Sunset  Parlor,  No.  26,  of  which  he 
has  been  treasurer  for  three  consecutive  terms. 
For  some  years  he  was  an  active  member  of  the 
Sacramento  Hussars,  and  was  elected  by  his 
comrades  as  Second  Lieutenant.  Since  the  ex- 
piration of  his  commission  he  has  remained 
with  the  company  as  a  passive  member.  He  is 
a  nephew  of  Mrs.  E.  B.  Crocker,  the  well-known 
philanthropic  lady  of  Sacramento.  In  politics 
Mr.  Crouch  is  an  ardent  Republican,  and  in 
matters  especially  concerning  the  city  and 
county  is  quite  active. 

^  ^   , .,  ^vg_^  ^  ^  ♦   ^.  . . 

ENNIS  DALTON  was  born  in  Ireland  in 
1848,  his  parents  being  James  and  Brid- 
get (Sullivan)  Dalton.  He  was  brought 
to  the  United  States  in  1850,  and  taken  to 
Cheshire,  Massachusetts,  where  his  parents 
settled,  and  where  he  lived  until  the  age  of 
fourteen.  From  that  time  he  was  variously 
occupied,  but  mostly  in  farm  work,  until  May 
1,  1869,  when  he  came  to  California,  at  the  age 


HISTORY    OF    SAGBAMENTO    COUNTT. 


of  twenty-one.  Here,  as  tliere,  he  chiefly  fol- 
lowed his  old  occupation  of  farm  work.  In 
May,  1872,  he  was  married  to  Mrs.  Catherine  F. 
Mahone.  He  owns  a  ranch  of  about  700  acres, 
238  of  which  are  bottom  lands  on  the  Cosum- 
nes  River.  He  is  here  engaged  in  buying  and 
selling  sheep  and  cattle,  and  he  also  raises  corn 
and  hay,  which  he  feeds  his  stock.  Mr.  Dalton's 
parents  died  a  few  years  ago,  leaving  nine  chil- 
dren, of  whom  only  Ave  are  now  living.  Mr. 
and  Mrs.  Dalton  are  the  parents  of  one  child: 
Edward  F.,  born  January.  5,  1874.  He  has 
made  marked  progress  in  his  studies  in  the  dis- 
trict school,  and  will  soon  be  sent  to  some  col- 
lege or  university  to  complete  his  education. 
Mrs.  Dennis  Dalton,  by  birth  Catherine  Foster 
Rhoads,  was  born  in  Edgar  County,  Illinois,  in 
1832,  her  parents  being  Thomas  and  Elizabeth 
(Foster)  Rhoads.  Her  parents,  with  their  four- 
teen living  children  and  some  grandchildren, 
came  to  California  in  1846.  Catherine  F.  was 
first  married  in  1847  to  Jared  D.  Sheldon,  of 
whom  and  their  offspring  mention  is  elsewhere 
made  in  this  work.  By  her  second  marriage,  in 
1853,  to  John  R.  T.  Mahone,  a  soldier  of  the 
Mexican  war.  She  is  the  mother  of  two  chil- 
dren, both  living:  Robert,  born  in  1854;  and 
Mary  Ellen,  in  1855,  now  Mrs.  Vaughan,  and 
the  mother  of  four  living  children,  three  girls 
and  one  boy. 


fENAS  LINCOLN  COY,  a  prominent 
agriculturist  of  Brighton  Township,  was 
born  in  New  Brunswick,  on  the  St.  John 
River,  near  the  city  of  Fredericton,  August  25, 
1834.  Mr.  Coy's  ancestors  settled  in  Maine 
and  Massachusetts  before  the  Revolution.  His 
father,  William  T.,  was  a  native  of  the  same 
place,  a  shoemaker  in  his  earlier  days,  a  farmer 
the  most  of  his  life,  and  died  in  1858.  His 
mother,  7iee  Fannie  Lincoln,  was  born  in  the 
city  of  Fredericton  in  1811,  and  is  still  a  resi- 
dent on  the  old  homestead.  In  their  family  were 
three  daughters  and    four  sons:    Sarah    Catha- 


rine, married  and  living  in  New  Brunswick; 
Zenas  L.,  the  subject;  Edward  Bradford,  living 
■in  Massachusetts:  Adeline  Adelia,  who  died 
young;  William  Frederick,  living  in  Boston, 
Massachusetts;  Frances,  residing  in  Nova  Sco- 
tia when  last  heard  from;  and  John  Henry,  liv- 
ing still  on  the  old  homestead.  Zenas  was  with 
his  parents  until  the  fall  of  1868,  engaged  in 
farming  and  lumbering, — the  latter  principally 
during  the  winter.  In  1854  he  married  Miss 
Sarah  Catharine  Eastabrooks,  also  a  native  of 
New  Brunswick,  and  a  member  of  a  large  fam- 
ily on  the  St.  John  River;  her  ancestry  were 
Americans.  October  27,  1858,  Mr.  Coy  left 
New  York  city,  via  the  Panama  route,  for  Cali- 
fornia, arriving  November  27,  precisely  one 
month  afterward.  While  spending  a  week  in 
San  Francisco  an  earthquake  occurred,  which 
was  the  occasion  of  his  emigrating  in  a  direc- 
tion from  the  center  of  that  great  seistnic  move- 
ment, and  he  accordingly  came  to  Sacramento 
and  looked  for  work.  His  first  job  was  four 
days'  work  as  a  carpenter,  at  the  corner  of  Sixth 
and  K  streets,  at  $4  a  day.  Next  he  was  en- 
gaged on  the  freight  depot,  now  superseded,  of 
the  railroad  company  on  the  wharf;  then  he 
was  employed  on  the  railroad  bridge,  and  trestle 
work  in  the  San  Joaquin  valley,  below  Stockton, 
and  was  present  there  when  the  last  spike  was 
driven.  He  next  rented  a  ranch,  now  occupied 
by  Mr.  Buell,  between  his  present  residence  and 
Elk  Grove,  and  then  Bright's  ranch,  in  Yolo 
County,  a  year;  then  one  year  near  his  present 
place;  next  the  Twelve-Mile  ranch  two  miles 
east,  where  he  lived  most  of  the  time  for  fifteen 
years,  and  finally,  in  1886,  he  settled  upon  his 
present  homestead  of  184  acres,  which  he  had 
purchased  in  1875.  All  the  fine  improvements 
now  witnessed  here  he  has  made  himself.  The 
residence  was  built  in  1882,  at  a  cost  of  $2,500, 
when  lumber  was  cheap.  The  products  of  his 
ranch  are  principally  the  small  grains.  His 
land,  as  well  as  other  tracts  in  its  vicinity,  has 
risen  from  $10  to  $40  an  acre  in  value  within 
the  last  fifteen  years.  Mr.  Coy  has  two  children 
living:    William   Arthur,    born    November    12, 


HISTORY    OF    SACRAMENTO    COUNTY. 


1874,  and  Nellie  Frances,  in  October,  1876. 
He  has  always  been  a  Republican  in  his  politi- 
cal views,  has  been  a  member  of  the  order  of 
Patrons  of  Husbandry  for  the  last  fifteen  years, 
and  is  also  connected  with  the  orders  of  Odd 
Fellows  and  Red  Men, — in  all  these  relations 
Jiokling  his  membership   in  Sacramento  lodges. 

fllOMAS  BENTON  EAGLE,  M.  D.,  phy- 
sician to  the  State  Prison  at  Folsom,  was 
born  in  the  town  of  Loudon  ville,  Ashland 
County,  Ohio,  July  24,  1841,  son  of  Edward 
and  Eliza  Eagle,  the  former  a  native  of  Ashland 
County,  Ohio,  and  the  latter  of  Tioga  County, 
New  York.  They  now  reside  in  Franklin  County, 
Kansas.  Edward  Eagle  has  most  of  his  life 
occupied  some  public  position,  being  a  member 
of  the  State  Board  of  Equalization,  of  the  board 
of  county  commissioner.-,  etc.  Dr.  Eagle  was 
reared  in  his  native  town,  on  a  farm  until  he 
was  of  sufficient  age  to  attend  high  school,  and  he 
took  a  course  at  the  academy  at  Loudonville. 
In  1859  he  commenced  the  study  of  medicine  in 
the  office  of  Drs.  Fuller  &  Scott,  his  precieptors. 
After  remaining  with  them  a  little  over  three 
years,  he  completed  his  course  in  the  medical 
department  of  the  University  of  Buffalo,  New 
York,  graduating  in  March,  1862.  He  went 
before  the  State  Medical  Examining  Board  of 
Ohio,  passed  examination  and  was  commissioned 
by  the  Governor  of  the  State  as  Assistant  Sur- 
geon. He  was  first  sent  to  the  army  of  the 
Potomac  and  then  promoted  as  Surgeon,  being 
first  attached  to  the  command  of  General  Lew 
Wallace,  who  at  that  time  had  his  headquarters 
at  Baltimore;  after  that  lie  was  transferred  to 
Fort  Delaware,  about  thirty  miles  back  of  Phil- 
adelphia, where  he  did  guard  duty  for  a  number 
of  prisoners.  Thence  he  was  ordered  to  Hilton 
Head,  South  Carolina,  and  was  at  the  headquar- 
ters of  General  Foster.  From  there  the  detach- 
ment with  which  he  was  connected  was 
transferred  across  the  country  to  Jacksonville, 
Florida,  and  then  in  succession  to  Washington, 


New  York,  Columbus,  Ohio,  New  Orleans, 
Madison,  Indiana,  Franklin,  Tennessee  (for  the 
battle  there),  and  finally  to  Columbus,  Ohio, 
a^ain,  where  he  was  mustered  out,  in  July, 
1865.  When  his  term  of  service  expired  he 
went  before  the  regular  army  board,  passed  ex- 
amination and  was  assigned  to  duty  in  the 
Fourth  Artillery,  stationed  at  Vicksburg.  This 
commission,  however,  the  Doctor  refused,  and 
he  returned  to  his  home  in  Ohio  and  engaged 
in  private  practice,  residing  there  three  years. 
He  then  went  to  Dakota  Territory  and  received 
the  appointment  of  physician  to  the  Yankton 
Indian  Agency,  and  in  that  capacity  was 
stationed  at  different  posts  along  the  Missouri 
River  until  1876.  Coming  then  to  California, 
he  practiced  four  years  at  Princeton,  Colusa 
County.  In  1883  he  received  the  appointment 
as  physician  at  the  San  Quentin  Prison,  filled 
that  position  four  years,  and  since  then  he  has 
had  his  present  place.  He  has  also  considerable 
private  practice.  He  is  a  member  of  the  State 
Medical  Society;  of  Colusa  Lodge,  No.  142,  F. 
&  A.  M.;  of  Springfield  Lodge,  No.  7, 1.  O.  O. 
F.,  in  Dakota;  he  was  the  first  noble  grand 
of  the  first  lodge  chartered  by  the  Grand  Lodge 
of  Dakota;  was  also  grand  marshal  of  the  Grand 
Lodge  when  he  left  that  Territory;  and  he  also 
belongs  to  Folsom  Lodge  No.  109,  A.  O.  U.  W. 
Dr.  Eagle  was  married  in  1865  to  Miss  Emma 
C.  Stout,  a  native  of  Dansville,  Livingston 
County,  New  York,  and  they  have  one  daugh- 
ter, named  Stella  E. 


fOHN  H.  COX,  orchardist,  and  bolt  and  rivet 
maker,  near  Sacramento,  was  born  in  Wor- 
cestershire, England,  seven  miles  from 
Birmingham,  June  21,  1839.  At  the  age  of 
eight  years  he  commenced  to  work  in  a  bolt  and 
rivet  shop,  preparing  to  learn  the  trade,  and  he 
continued  until  he  thoroughly  mastered  it.  At 
the  age  of  eighteen  he  was  able  to  command  the 
wages  of  a  journeyman,  and  he  continued  in  his 
calling    there    until   1865.       In    1858  he   mar- 


HI8TUBY    OF    SAGRAMBNTO    COUNTY 


ried  Honnor  Hackett,  at  the  age  of  six- 
teen, a  native  of  the  same  locality.  In 
1865  he  emigrated  to  the  United  States,  land- 
ing in  New  York  in  July.  He  was  a  resi- 
dent of  New  York  State  and  Illinois  until  1873, 
when  he  came  to  California  locating  in  this  city. 
Here  he  prosecuted  the  bolt  and  rivet  trade 
until  1877,  when  he  moved  upon  his  present 
tine  fruit  ranch  of  five  and  a  half  acres,  on  the 
river  road  south  of  town.  Some  of  the  trees  in 
his  orchard  are  twenty-five  years  old,  and  he  has 
set  out  a  great  many  since  his  purchase  of  the 
place.  He  also  has  a  shop  here  where  he  does 
work  in  the  line  of  bolts  and  rivets.  He  is  also 
interested  in  a  hop  farm  on  the  Oosu nines 
River  for  the  past  seven  years.  In  the  spring 
of  1885  he  visited  his  native  country,  taking 
with  him  five  car-loads  of  hops.  Mr.  and  Mrs. 
Cox  have  six  children,  four  sons  and  two  daugh- 
ters: Alice,  the  eldest,  born  in  England,  is 
now  the  widow  of  Charles  H.  Young;  Harvey, 
the  second  child,  born  in  England,  and  George 
W.,  the  third  child,  born  in  New  York,  are 
blacksmiths  in  Palermo,  Butte  County;  John 
E.,  the  fourth  child,  was  born  in  Illinois,  now 
manufacturing  cement  chimney  pipe;  and 
C.  and  Ethel  B.  are  natives  of  this  county. 


fOLLY  CAMPBELL,  of  San  Joaquin  Town- 
ship, was  born  October  29,  1825.  daughter 
of  Jonathan  C.  and  Phebe  (Stites)  Tice, 
who  emigrated  from  their  native  State,  Pennsyl- 
vania, in  an  early  day  to  New  York  State,  and 
from  there  to  Michigan,  where  they  died.  Her 
father,  a  farmer,  died  in  1850,  at  the  age  of 
forty-six  years.  Mrs.  Campbell  was  married  in 
1842,  in  New  York  State,  within  eight  miles  of 
Havana,  lived  there  three  years,  and  in  1846 
moved  to  Iowa,  and  remained  there  until  1852; 
then  she  resided  in  Utah  for  a  time  and  finally 
came  to  California  by  wagon,  the  journey  being 
very  pleasant,  excepting  that  they  lost  a  great 
deal  of  live-stock.  They  finished  their  journey 
with  a  cow  and  horse  in  the  yoke.     They   came 


tlirough  Dutch  Flat,  and  camped  just  beyond 
the  American  River.  Mr.  Campbell  made  his 
first  purchase  of  land  in  Brighton  Township, 
buying  about  500  acres  in  all.  Mrs.  Campbell 
now  resides  on  a  quarter-section  of  land  in  San 
Joaquin  Township,  about  fourteen  miles  from 
Sacramento.  At  this  place  she  has  a  nice  little 
home.  She  has  only  two  children  living, — 
George  G.  and  Garret  L.  The  latter  is  in  Idaho. 


fR.  JAMES  CABLES,  an  honored  pioneer, 
who  may  truthfully  be  called  one  of  the 
Argonauts,  having  come  here  in  1849,  and 
making  this  his  home  ever  since,  has  seen  many 
and  varied  experiences  of  early  life,  and  no  doubt 
is  as  well  informed  in  the  history  of  his  com- 
munity as  any  other  man.  A  great-grandfather 
of  the  Doctor  was  William  Caples,  who  lived  in 
the  city  of  Baltimore  and  had  three  sons, — 
Robert,  William  and  Andrew.  William,  born 
in  that  city,  emigrated  to  Tuscarawas  County, 
Ohio,  in  1804.  His  brother  Robert  moved  to 
the  Western  Reserve,  on  the  border  of  Lake 
Erie;  and  Andrew  went  to  Tennessee,  and  his 
descendants  spell  their  name  Cable,  one  of  whom 
is  George  W.  Cable,  the  distinguished  author  of 
the  present  day.  The  Doctor's  grandfather  sup- 
posed that  the  name  was  of  German  origin. 
William  remained  in  Tuscarawas  County  until 
his  death,  in  April,  1837.  He  had  six  sons 
and  three  daughters, — Robert,  Charles,  Joseph, 
William,  Kenzie,  Jacob,  Mary,  Anna  and  Susan. 
About  1839  they  began  to  emigrate  West.  All 
the  sons  went  to  Oregon  except  Charles,  the 
father  of  Dr.  Caples,  who  settled  in  Andrew 
County,  Missouri,  and  remained  there  until  his 
death  in  1884,  at  the  age  of  eighty -eight  years. 
He  married  his  wife  in  Ohio,  whose  maiden 
name  was  Matilda  Tracy.  She  was  a  native  of 
Culpeper  County,  Virginia,  and  died  in  1838. 
In  Charles  Caples'  family  were  five  children : 
William,  James,  Wesley,  Matilda  and  Elizabeth. 
None  of  the  children  were  grown  when  the 
faniilv  moved  to  Missouri;  thev  are  all  now  de- 


HISTURY    OF    SACHAMENTO    COUNTY. 


ceased  except  James,  our  subject.  The  latter 
was  born  in  Tuscarawas  County,  Ohio,  Novem- 
ber 29,  1823,  and  was  a  lad  of  fifteen  years 
when  his  father,  a  merchant,  moved  to  Andrew 
County,  Missouri.  Of  course  he  worked  for  his 
father  some,  but  at  the  age  of  nineteen  years  he 
began  the  study  of  medicine,  under  the  precep- 
torship  of  his  father's  youngest  brother,  Jacob. 
In  the  spring  of  1847  he  moved  to  Hancock 
Countv,  Illinois,  and  practiced  his  profession 
there  two  years,  during  which  time,  in  October, 
1847,  he  married  Miss  Mary  Jane,  daughter  of 
George  Walker,  of  that  county.  She  was  born 
in  Campbell  County,  Kentucky,  near  Covington, 
January  10,  1831.  In  the  winter  of  1848-'49 
the  Doctor  bade  adieu  to  pill-bags  and  began 
making  preparations  for  coming  to  California; 
accordingly,  March  21,  1849,  with  a  wagon  aTid 
three  yoke  of  oxen,  he  started  on  the  long  jour- 
ney, but  found  it  comparatively  pleasant.  He 
had  to  cross  some  rivers  by  taking  his  wagons 
to  pieces  and  carrying  them  across  a  piece  at  a 
time.  His  principal  hardship  was  experienced 
in  the  country  west  of  Hear  River.  At  Salt 
Lake  City  they  obtained  a  guide-book  which  the 
Morn:ons  had  just  published,  and  it  was  this 
book  that  lead  them  into  trouble.  They  de- 
pended upon  it  to  show  them  where  they  could 
get  good  water,  they  having  kegs  for  carrying  a 
quantity  of  it.  The  book  represented  Bear 
River  as  bad  water,  which  is  true;  but  not  so 
bad  as  some;  and  it  would  iiave  been  a  great 
luxury  to  them  during  their  subsequent  priva- 
tions. The  creek  just  this  side  of  Bear  River 
was  indicated  in  the  book,  but  the  quality  of  the 
water  not  being  referred  to  the  Doctor  and  his 
party  inferi-ed  that  it  was  good  water,  and  they 
depended  upon  that  inference.  It  proved  to  be 
unfit  for  either  man  or  beast,  and  they  had  to 
drive  on  without  any  water.  The  weather  was 
extremely  hot,  and  they  had  men  in  advance 
looking  for  water.  One  night  one  of  their  men 
returned  to  the  camp  with  jugs  upon  his  horse, 
and  the  travelers  felt  gladdened;  but  on  sam- 
pling their  cantents  the  water  was  found  alto- 
gether too  salty  to  drink.    The  man  who  brought 


it  knew  that  it  was  salty,  but  hoped  it  was  bet- 
ter than  nothing.  The  Doctor  happened  lohave 
some  corn-meal,  with  which  and  the  water  they 
made  a  gruel  that  th«y  could  eat  and  thus  some- 
what relieve  their  suft'erings.  They  found  no 
water  until  nearly  night  on  the  following  day, 
which  day  was  a  little  cooler;  had  it  been  as  hot 
as  the  preceding  day  they  might  have  perished. 
They  suffered  for  water  again  after  they  passed 
the  sink  of  the  Humboldt.  On  drinking  some 
very  bad  water  from  a  boiling  spring  in  the 
desert,  the  Doctor  was  taken  sick, — so  severely 
indeed  that  he  "  lost  his  senses."  The  next 
morning  he  woke  up  on  the  bank  of  the  Truckee 
River,  whereall  had  plenty  of  fresh  water.  The 
Humboldt  was  lower  than  usual  that  season.  In 
1853  the  Doctor  was  along  there  again  and  saw 
the  water  in  that  river  six  feet  deep.  The  party 
remained  on  the  Truckee  three  or  four  days  re- 
cruiting themselves  and  their  animals.  In 
traveling  through  the  Carson  Caiion,  which  re- 
quired a  day,  they  had  a  great  deal  of  trouble. 
Mrs.  Caples  had  to  walk  and  climb  over  bowld- 
ers, etc.,  carrying  her  little  babe  in  her  arms! 
It  was  the  roughest  road  on  the  whole  route. 
They  arrived  at  Hangtown  August  28,  1849. 
After  a  few  days  the  Doctor  purchased  a  little 
store  and  did  very  well  in  business  until  he  sold 
i  out  a  few  weeks  afterward  and  went  to  mining; 
but  he  was  soon  attacked  with  bloody  dysentery, 
which  disabled  him  from  work  until  the  last  of 
February.  Only  faithful  nursing  rendered  by 
his  wife  saved  him.  Being  a  physician  lie  knew 
it  best  to  abstain  from  the  common  food  of  the 
miners,  and  he  confined  himself  to  milk  until 
the  supply  failed,  and  then  he  limited  himself 
to  rice.  Hundreds  of  others  in  tiiat  vicinity 
died  with  the  disease.  The  hospitality  of  the 
miners  was  exhibited  with  the  marked  charac- 
teristics of  a  pioneer  surprise  when  they  saw  Mrs. 
Caples  laboriously  picking  up  wood  in  the  wilds, 
by  cutting  and  hauling  to  the  Doctor's  place  a 
pile  of  wood  as  high  as  his  house.  After  recov- 
ering from  his  illness  the  Doctor  purchased  a 
store  in  Hangtown;  but  just  then  the  miners 
began  moving  away  to  other  fields.     Then  the 


HI8T0BY    OF    SAGRAMENTO    COUNTY. 


merchants  there  generally  wanted  to  sell  out 
and  follow  the  miners;  and  Doctor  Caples 
bought  them  out  and  thus  obtained  control  of 
all  the  mercantile  business  at  Hangtown  and 
vicinity,  and  made  money.  The  early  Califor- 
nians,  rough  though  they  were,  were  neither 
sneaks  nor  thieves,  and  nothing  was  ever  stolen 
from  the  Doctor's  tent-store  or  from  his  house. 
The  miners  often  asked  credit  at  the  store,  and 
were  never  refused.  In  1850  other  mercantile 
establishments  were  started  by  way  of  compe- 
tition and  seriously  reduced  the  Doctor's  busi- 
ness. He  then  located  a  ranch  at  the  junction 
of  the  Deer  and  Carson  creeks  and  began  to 
stock  it  up,  so  that  when  trade  gave  out  in  the 
mines  he  settled  upon  it,  and  remained  there 
thirty-two  years.  It  comprises  an  area  of  4,000 
acres,  and  is  in  fine  condition.  Up  to  about 
four  years  ago  he  was  e.xtensively  engaged  in  the 
live-stock  business;  he  is  now  raising  more 
grain.  In  tlie  rearing  of  sheep  and  horses,  he 
was  very  successful;  but  in  the  cattle  business 
he  actually  lost  money,  as  competitors  grazed  so 
much  upon  free  range.  In  1882  the  Doctor 
moved  upon  his  present  place,  of  500  acres,  on 
the  Cosumnes  River,  three  miles  from  Elk 
Grove.  Doctor  Caples  is  a  member  of  the  Pio- 
neer Society  of  Sacramento  County,  and  also  of 
the  order  of  Patrons  of  Husbandry.  He  was  a 
member  of  the  State  Constitutional  Convention 
in  Sacramento  in  1879,  and  thus  was  one  of  the 
framers  of  the  present  State  Constitution.  With 
this  exception  he  has  never  been  before  the  pub-  [ 
lie  in  an  official  capacity;  on  the  contrary,  he  I 
has  always  been  a  hard-working  man,  devoting 
his  time  to  his  own  private  affairs.  Even  after  a 
long  life  of  hardship  and  toil,  he  is  still  healthy 
and  strong;  and  this  Jgood  physical  condition 
is  due  to  the  intelligent  care  he  has  taken  of  his 
healtli.  Of  his  family  there  are  nine  living 
cliildren,  — live  sons  and  four  daughters,  viz.: 
Isabella,  wife  of  Dr.  Frederick  Durant,  of  San 
Qiientin;  Rosa  E.,  wife  of  J.  W.  Haynes,  an 
honored  citizen  of  Genoa,  Carson  Valley,  Ne- 
vada; Charles  A.;  Frank  W.;  John  "VV.,  turnkey 
at  the  Folsom  State  Prison;    George   W.,  post 


master   at    Folsom;    Hattie   L.,  Maud   L.  and 
James  W. 


iESSRS.  CARLE  &  CROLY,  contract- 
ors and  builders,  formed  their  part- 
nership in  1870,  and  have  ever  since 
been  prominently  identified  with  the  improve- 
ments of  Sacramento,  and  indeed  of  a  large 
portion  of  the  State.  Among  the  prominent 
buildings  erected  by  them  are  the  residence  of 
Charles  McCreary,  Tenth  and  L  streets;  the  res- 
idence of  L.  Williams,  on  Tenth  and  H  streets; 
L.  Tozer's  i-esidence  at  Fifteenth  and  H;  the 
dwelling  of  F.  J.  Stauffer,  Fourteenth  and  I;  of 
L.  B.  Mohr,  Twelfth  and  L;  of  George  Merkel, 
L.  Frazier,  C.  A.  Yoerck,  Judges  McFarland 
and  McKune,  etc.  In  1880  they  built  the  addi- 
tion to  the  Insane  Asylum  at  Stockton,  and  the 
business  houses  of  Austin  Bros.,  and  the  resi- 
dence of  Judge  Patterson  at  that  place:  in 
1886-87  they  built  the  Stoneman  House  in  the 
Yoseinite  Valley,  and  their  bid  for  building  it 
was  selected  against  seven  competing  firms,  by 
a  difference  of  only  $125  from  one  of  them;  the 
cost  of  the  building  was  about  $40,000.  During 
the  years  1884  and  1885,  they  built  the  Santa 
Rosa  court-house,  in  1886  and  1887  they  built 
the  Masonic  Hall  and  Hughes'  Hotel  at  Fresno, 
the  latter  at  a  cost  of  about  $120,000.  They 
also  built  the  Masonic  Temple  at  Stockton,  and 
at  Sacramento  the  Beet  Sugar  Manufactory;  in 
1871-'72,  the  Western  Hotel,  the  Sutter  Block, 
the  County  Hospital,  the  Hall  of  Records,  and 
rebuilt  the  Wells  &  Fargo  Express  Block,  etc., 
and  the  court-house  at  Colusa.  An  incident 
worthy  of  special  note  in  connection  with  this 
well-knowniirm,  as  illustrating  not  only  their  abil- 
ity, but  also  the  readiness  and  skill  with  which 
they  undertake  responsible  and  arduous  duties, 
should  here  be  related.  During  the  high  water 
in  the  spring  of  1878  a  serious  break  occurred 
in  the  levee  on  the  east  bank  of  the  Sacramento 
River  two  miles  below  the  city,  The  results 
were  disastrous  in  the  extreme,  involving  a  loss 


UISTORT    OF    SACRAMENTO    COUNTT. 


to  the  adjacent  property-holders  of  their  crop 
for  the  season.  The  Levee  Commissioners  and 
city  authorities  were  baffled  in  their  attempts  to 
repair  the  break,  and  after  spending  a  large 
amount  of  money,  the  project  was  abandoned. 
After  some  delay  the  property  owners  called  for 
proposals  for  repairing  the  break,  and  the  con- 
tract was  awarded  to  Messrs.  Carle  &  Croly. 
Their  plan  contemplated  tlie  building  of  a  sack- 
dam, — that  is,  grain  sacks  filled  with  sand  and 
gravel,  temporarily  across  the  break;  and  this 
was  successfully  accomplished,  although  40,000 
sacks  had  to  be  used  to  check  the  flowing  waters 
until  the  levee  could  be  substantially  rebuilt, 
and  the  entire  work  was  completed  within  six- 
teen days,  much  to  the  gratification  of  all  parties 
interested,  notwithstanding  that  during  the  pro 
gress  of  the  work  a  severe  storm  arose,  with  a 
8ti-ong  north  wind,  adding  greatly  to  the  peril 
of  the  task  and  entailing  a  loss  of  10,000  sacks, 
which  were  washed  away;  and  it  was  only  by 
keeping  a  large  force  at  work  night  and  day  that  j 
the  work  was  finally  brought  to  a  successful  ter-  I 
minatiou.  In  May,  1887,  they  began,  and  in 
September,  1888,  finished,  the  San  Diego  flume, 
for  bringing  water  from  a  distance  of  forty  j 
miles  into  the  city  of  San  Diego.  The  construc- 
tion of  this  immense  flume  required  9,000,000 
feet  of  lumber,  and  600  head  of  mules  and 
horses  to  haul  it.  This  is  said  to  be  the  large^t 
structure  of  the  kind  in  the  world.  Other  build- 
ings erected  by  Messrs.  Carle  «fe  Croly  are  the 
residence  of  L.  M.  Hickman,  in  Stanislaus 
County,  the  Byron  Springs  Hotel,  and  Mr.  Ship- 


pees 


Agricultural  works  at  Stockton.   Silas  Carle 


was  born  in  the  town  ot  Waterborough,  Maine, 
December  13,  1833,  where  he  was  also  educated 
at  the  high  school.  When  eighteen  years  of  age 
he  started  out  for  himself,going  to  North  Bridge- 
water,  Mass.,  and  becoming  an  apprentice  to  the 
carpenter  and  joiners'  trade,  under  the  supervis- 
ion of  H.  Perkins,  and  serving  three  years.  Ne.\t 
he  worked  for  three  years  as  journeyman  and 
contractor  in  Boston  and  diiferent  parts  of  the 
State,  and  in  the  fall  of  1858,  in  company  with 
his  elder  brother,  he  came  by  steamer  from  New 


York,  by  way  of  the  Isthmus  of  Panama,  to 
California,  arriving  in  San  Francisco  September 
28,  1858.  His  brother  died  in  that  city,  in 
April,  1859.  There  he  worked  at  his  trade  as 
journeyman  and  contracting.  Two  years  after- 
ward he  came  to  Sacramento,  arriving  here  Sep- 
tember 4,  1860,  and  engaged  in  farming  and 
stock-raising  upon  a  farm  on  the  upper  Stock- 
ton road,  which  he  had  previously  purchased. 
After  the  great  flood  of  1861-'62  he  was  engaged, 
much  of  his  time,  in  contracting  and  building 
levees  around  the  city,  also  in  filling  of  streets 
to  the  high  grade.  In  1868  he  formed  a  part- 
nership with  E.  J.  Croly,  as  above  mentioned. 
In  1864  he  sold  out  his  ranch  and  stock,  and 
again  went  to  work  at  his  trade,  which  he  has 
since  continually  followed.  Mr.  Carle's  father, 
Jeremiah,  was  a  native  also  of  Waterborough, 
Maine,  and  learned  in  early  life  the  trade  of  ship 
carpenter  and  builder  at  Portland,  that  State, 
but  was  a  farmer  the  remainder  of  his  days.  He 
died  January  2,  1889,  aged  eighty-seven  years. 
The'maiden  name  of  his  mother  was  Mary  Pitts, 
and  she  also  was  a  native  of  Maine;  she  died  in 
1871.  Mr.  Carle  was  married  April  10,  1856, 
at  Lowell,  Massachusetts,  to  Melissa  M.  Smith, 
daughter  of  Elijah  and  Nancy  B.  Smith,  of 
Bristol,  Vermont.  In  1873  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Carle 
made  a  visit  to  the  scenes  of  early  life,  visiting 
all  principal  places  in  New  England.  In  his  po- 
litical sympathies  he  is  a  Republican;  and  in  his 
social  relations  he  affiliates  with  the  El  Dorado 
Lodge,  No.  8,  I.  O.  O.  F. 

E.  J.  Crota'  was  born  in  the  Province  of 
Canada,  near  Toronto,  October  20,  1836.  His 
paternal  ancestors  were  French  Huguenots, 
and  his  mother,  a  descendant  of  the  De 
Puy  family,  was  born  in  London  about  1798, 
and  in  1826  his  parents  emigrated  to  Toronto 
(then  called  York),  where  his  father  was  a 
builder,  contractor  and  farmer.  Mr.  Croly 's 
mother,  nee  Ann  Supple,  was  a  daughter  of 
John  Supple,  a  native  of  Ireland,  and  a  de- 
scendant of  the  Baldwin  family,  of  Cork.  The 
latter  was  an  eminent  lawyer,  and  at  one  time 


HISTORY    OF    SACRAMENTO    COUNTY. 


was  Prime  Minister  of  Canada,  where  he  re- 
sided until  his  death  in  1843.  Mr.  Croly  was 
the  fifth  in  a  family  of  six  sons.  He  attended 
school  at  Cleveland,  Ohio,  and  at  Oberlin  Col- 
lege, same  State.  At  the  age  of  seventeen 
years  he  began  business  for  himself  as  a  carpen- 
ter in  his  native  town.  Having  met  with  a 
painful  accident,  which  for  a  time  disabled  him 
from  pursuing  his  trade,  he  taught  school  for  a 
year,  and  then  became  interested  in  the  natural- 
oil  wells  of  the  Tilsonbnrg  district,  in  which  he 
was  engaged  for  three  years.  In  1865  he 
moved  to  Chicago,  and  during  the  winter  of 
l867-'68,  soon  after  the  railroad  was  built,  he 
came  to  California  and  engaged  at  once  in  his 
trade  of  carpenter  and  builder.  In  1879  he 
married  Bertha  R.  Van  Norman,  a  daughter  of 
Johnson  Van  Norman.  He  is  a  Republican  in 
his  political  pi-inciples,  but  is  liberal  in  his 
sympathies.  Becoming  in  early  life  connected 
with  the  Masonic  fraternity,  he  is  still  faithful 
to  the  order,  being  as  a  Knight  Templar  a 
member  of  Sacramento  Commandery,  No.  2, 
and  is  also  a  member  of  Sacramento  Chapter, 
No.  3,  and  Sacramento  Lodge,  No.  40,  F.  &  A- 
M.;  is  also  a  member  of  Capital  Lodge,  No.  87i 

1.  O.  O.  F.,  and   of    Pacific   Encampment,   No. 

2,  same  order. 


fOHN  B.  CALIO,  farmer  of  Sutter  Town- 
ship, was  born  January  24,  1808,  in  Mis- 
souri, and  was  a  son  of  Anthony  and  Felicia 
Calio,  natives  of  Randolph  County,  Illinois.  Tiie 
grandparents  of  John  B.  were  of  French  ances- 
try, and  were  among  the  first  settlers  of  Illin(MS. 
All  the  earliest  settlers  of  Illinois,  specially  in 
that  section,  were  French.  Anthony  Calio  was 
brought  up  in  Illinois,  upon  a  farm.  Arriving 
at  the  years  of  majority,  he  married  and  moved 
into  Missouri,  at  the  head  of  St.  Francis  River. 
His  nearest  neighbor  was  forty  miles  distant, 
and  he  and  his  family  subsisted  mostly  on  wild 


line.     At  the  end  of  about  fourteen 


ley 


returned  to  his  father's  place,  taking  charge  of 


the  same,'  during  the  days  when  the  farmers  ■ 
raised  their  own  sheep,  flax  and  cotton,  and 
made  their  own  clothes.  He  remained  there 
until  his  death  in  1814;  his  wife  survived  until 
1852.  After  his  death,  John  B.  remained  with 
his  mother  until  he  was  twelve  years  of  age, 
when  she  again  married,  this  time  a  man  named 
Plassette,  a  Frenchman.  Then  he  wont  to  live 
with  an  elder  sister,  and  was  there  four  years, 
when  he  struck  out  into  the  wide  world  for  him- 
self, going  first  to  Galena,  Illinois,  where  he 
went  on  board  a  keel-boat  on  the  Fevre  River, 
at  $15  a  month,  but  made  only  two  trips.  In 
1829  he  started  for  the  Rocky  Mountains,  for 
the  old  American  Fur  Company,  and  operated 
among  the  Pawnee,  Cheyenne,  Mandan,  Crow 
and  Arapahoe  Indians.  He  became  an  excellent 
"shot"  with  the  rifle.  Was  two  years  in  the 
Black  Hills  country,  and  three  years  in  the 
mountains.  He  built  the  first  log  house  in 
Keokuk,  Iowa,  for  Captain  Culdver.  It  was 
15  X  18  feet  in  dimensions.  There  were  no  in- 
habitants there  at  that  time  excepting  Indians. 
Returning  home  in  1834,  he  married,  and  the 
very  next  day  entered  forty  acres  of  land,  erect- 
ing at  once  a  log  house.  Both  himself  and  his 
wife  went  to  work  with  determination,  and  in  a 
year  or  so  were  in  comfortable  circumstances. 
After  a  residence  there  until  1850,  he  rented 
the  farm  and  started  with  his  family  to  Califor- 
nia, overland.  Ninety  days  brought  them  from 
St.  Louis  to  Sacramento,  with  every  animal  they 
started  with!  The  next  day  he  went  to  the 
mines,  and  the  first  day  he  worked  he  netted 
$60.  His  first  claim  was  on  Fiench  Creek. 
November  1  he  returned  to  Sacramento  with 
the  intention  of  going  home  to  Illinois,  but  was 
persuaded  by  a  friend  to  remain  until  spring. 
Building  a  dnck-boat,  on  November  1,  1850,  he 
went  and  camped  where  Beach's  Grove  now  is, 
paid  a  man  $5  for  hauling  his  boat  down  there, 
and  went  out  and  killed  a  boat-load  of  ducks 
the  first  afternoon.  He  hired  a  horse  and  took 
the  game  to  market,  realizing  $75  for  it.  Am- 
munition, however,  was  very  costly,  powder 
being  $1.50  a  pound,  and  shot  $1.     He  kept  up 


HISTORY    OF    SACRAMENTO    COUNTY. 


this  sport  until  March  1,  following.  Taking  in 
a  boy  as  a  partner,  he  employed  him  to  sell  the 
game.  In  that  time  he  cleared  $2,900!  On 
the  1st  of  March  he  started  for  the  East,  em- 
barking from  San  Francisco  on  a  sail  vessel 
called  the  Old  Belfast.  "Was  forty  days  reach- 
ing the  Isthmus,  whence  he  took  a  steamer  for 
New  Orleans,  and  Janded  at  St.  Louis  May  10. 
Going  home,  he  sold  iiis  place,  and  February  1 
following  (1852)  he  started  with  his  family  for 
California,  to  make  tiiis  his  permanent  home. 
Coming  again  by  way  of  the  Isthmus,  he  landed 
at  San  Francisco  May  25.  The  same  evening 
lie  took  steamer  for  Sacramento.  His  wife 
being  verj'  sick,  lie  found  great  difficulty  in  ob- 
taining a  place  for  them  to  remain.  He  finally 
rented  a  house  where  the  intersection  of  Eighth 
and  L  streets  is  now;  but  at  the  time  Mrs.  Calio 
•recovered  lie  had  no  money,  and  he  had  to  do 
his  own  cooking  and  washing.  The  Hood  came, 
and  he  had  neither  money  nor  credit,  except  so 
far  as  to  obtain  a  little  powder  and  shot,  with 
which  he  went  out  and  killed  $40  worth  of 
ducks  the  first  afternoon!  This  business  he 
therefore  kept  up,  and  by  spring  lie  had  cleared 
$800.  With  this  money  he  built  a  two-story 
house  on  the  old  lot  at  the  corner  of  Eighth  and 
L  streets,  and  started  a  boarding-house,  and  by 
the  proceeds  of  this  enterprise  he  obtained  a 
substantial  footing.  The  schooling  of  his  chil- 
dren cost  $15  a  month.  In  1875  he  sold  out 
and  purchased  his  present  ranch  of  155  acres, 
six  miles  from  Sacramento,  on  the  Freeport 
road.  It  is  known  by  the»name  of  Willow 
Slough  ranch.  This  place  he  has  improved 
with  good  buildings,  orchards,  etc.,  and  he 
carries  on  general  farming.  He  has  seen  his 
share  of  pioneer  life,  is  now  eighty-one  years  of 
age,  and  still  active;  his  wife  is  seventy -one 
years  of  age,  and  also  in  good  health.  They 
have  been  married  fifty-four  years,  the  wedding 
taking  place  November  25,  1834.  She  was  a 
Miss  Marie  Buesseau,  a  native  of  Lorraine, 
France.  Her  father  came  to  Illinois  with  twelve 
children.  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Calio  have  had  ten 
children,  but  liave  brought  up  only  one  son  and 


two  daughters,  viz.:  Phillomen  is  the  wife  of 
C.  W.  Clark,  of  Sacramento;  Mary  E.  is  the 
wife  of  Hamilton  Light,  of  San  Francisco,  and 
John  is  still  on  the  home  ranch.  Mr.  Calio  is 
a  member  of  El  Dorado  Lodge,  No.  8,  I.  O. 
O.  F. 

•°^'%'  j'  'I  '(i)"~*°* 

fETER  BURNS,  one  of  the  most  successfu 
farmers  in  Sutter  Township,  and  also  one 
of  the  oldest  settlers  in  this  section  of  the 
country,  was  born  in  Ireland  in  1827.  In  1837 
his  parents  emigrated  with  him  to  America,  on 
the  steamer  Stephen  Whitney,  landing  in  New 
York  after  a  seven -weeks  voyage.  At  that 
time  the  cry  was  "California"  from  everbody 
In  1840  they  came  to  this  coast,  being  seven 
months  on  the  way.  A  short  time  after  land- 
ing in  San  Francisco  he  came  to  Sacramento, 
remained  for  some  time,  and  then  spent  a  year 
in  mining  on  Mormon  Island;  then  resided  in 
Sacramento  two  years,  and  finally  bought  the 
present  dairy  farm  of  150  acres.  Mr.  Burns 
married  Ann  Boyle,  who  was  born  in  Ireland  in 
1830,  and  came  to  this  country  in  1851.  Mr. 
and  Mrs.  Burns  have  seven  children  and  eleven 
grandchildren.  The  names  of  the  children  are: 
Mary  E.,  Catherine  A.,  Sarah  M.,  Nellie  C, 
Agnes  F.,  Anna  B.  and  Louisa  J. 


tON.  JOSEPH  ROUTIER,  fruit-raiser,  ten 
miles  east  of  Sacrimento,  was  born  in  the 
Department  of  Somme,  in  the  north  of 
France  March  4,  1825.  When  he  was  twelve 
years  of  age  his  parents  moved  into  Belgium, 
where  he  received  the  most  of  his  education,  re- 
maining there  sixteen  years,  of  which  ten  years 
were  spent  in  school.  Then,  in  1846,  he  entered 
the  emjdoy  of  the  Valst  Lambert,  a  large  glass 
establishment  near  the  city  of  Liege.  Two 
years  later  he  moved  to  Paris  and  lived  there 
until  he  came  to  California.  Sailing  from  Havre 
he  came  by  way  of  Cape  Horn,  landing   in  San 


706 


HISTORY    OF    SACRAMEHTO    COUNTY. 


Francisco  May  31,  1853;  and  he  came  directly 
to  Sacramento  for  the  purpose  of  superintending 
the  planting  ot  a  large  vineyard  and  orchard  for 
Captain  folsom,  who  at  that  timed  owned  a 
large  Spanish  grant,  namely  the  Paterson,  above 
the  town  of  Folsom,  containing  six  leagues  of 
land.  The  trees  and  vines  he  had  ordered  from 
France,  and  when  ihey  arrived  at  San  Francisco 
they  were  all  found  to  be  dead.  Notwith- 
standing, he  expected  to  plant  largely  the  next 
year,  but  Folsom  died  and  the  project  was  aban- 
doned. Mr.  Eoutier,  however,  remained  on  the 
grant  and  planted  a  number  of  trees  for  the 
benefit  of  the  place,  which  resulted  in  making 
one  of  the  first  orchards  in  this  locality.  Ten 
years  later  he  bought  eighty-two  acres  of  the 
grant.  At  present  he  has  120  acres,  all  in  one 
body  and  well  improved;  it  is  ten  miles  from 
Sacramento.  He  has  eighty-five  acres  in  or- 
chard  and  thirty  in  vineyard.  During  the 
twenty-iive  years  he  has  been  laising  fruit,  his 
orchard  has  been  entirely  free  from  insects  and 
pests  of  all  kinds.  He  has  a  great  many  French 
prunes  and  plums,  a  staple  article  in  which  he 
has  had  experience  for  many  years.  His  expe, 
rience  and  advice  have  been  the  means  of  others 
entering  the  same  business.  In  1886  he  was 
awarded  a  gold  medal  for  an  exhibit  he  made 
to  the  Citrus  Fair  Association  of  Sacramento. 
In  1888  he  had  forty  tons  of  dried  prunes.  Of 
French  prunes  he  has  twelve  acres.  One  acre 
in  full  bearing  will  bring  in  an  ordinary  season 
five  tons  of  dried  fruit,  which  at  tive  cents  a 
pound  yields  $500.  lie  raises  also  apricots, 
peaches,  almonds,  etc. ;  has  a  dozen  orange  trees 
in  full  bearing  and  in  a  healthy  condition.  In 
the  vineyard  most  of  the  grapes  are  of  wine  va- 
rieties, from  which  he  manufactures  the  wine 
himself.  One  ton  of  grapes  will  yield  on  the 
average  150  gallons  of  wine.  His  business  has 
been  large  enough  to  justify  the  establishment, 
in  1870,  of  a  railroad  station  near  him,  on  the 
Sacramento  &  Placerville  Railroad,  which  is 
called  Routier  Station;  and  the  postotiice  at  this 
place,  established  about  1887,  is  aUc  called  Iloii- 
tier.      Politically  Mr.  Routier  was  a  strong  Re- 


publican until  about  two  years  ago,  when  tlie 
American  party  loomed  up  so  strongly,  and  then 
he  joined  the  Democratic  party.  In  1877  he 
was  elected  to  the  Assembly;  a  few  years  later 
he  was  elected  to  the  Senate  on  the  Republican 
ticket,  and  was  a  member  of  that  body  four 
years,  1882-'86;  and  during  that  time  there 
were  two  extra  sessions.  He  has  also  been 
elected  a  justice  of  the  peace  thiee  or  four  times, 
and  is  now  holding  that  oflBce.  In  1886  he  was 
appointed  by  Governor  Bartlett  upon  the  State 
Board  of  Fish  Commissioners,  and  was  elected 
president  of  the  board,  which  position  also  he 
now  holds.  Mr.  Routier  was  married  in  1852, 
to  Leonide  Jadin,  a  nati\e  of  France.  They 
have  had  three  children,  two  of  whom  died 
young.  George,  who  was  born  April  20,  1859, 
grew  up,  and  married  Deborah  Rodman.  They 
had  two  children:  Lucie,  born  March  7,  1878,, 
and  Louis,  January  17,  1880. 


fM.  LINDLEY.— It  is  with  pleasure  in 
this  history  of  Sacramento  County  that 
*  we  make  mention  not  only  of  one  of  the 
most  prominent,  but  one  of  the  pioneer  mer- 
chants of  the  Paeitic  coast,  Mr.  Thomas  Morton 
Lindley,  Sr.,  proprietor  of  the  old-established 
tirm  of  Lindley  &  Co.,  of  Sacramento  city.  Al- 
though the  scope  of  this  work  permits  only  a 
brief  glance  at  the  story  of  his  busy  life,  yet 
even  this  page,  taken  from  the  many  which 
would  be  necessaj-y  to  relate  in  full  the  history 
of  his  career,  will  be  found  interesting  to  those 
who  shared  the  dangers  and  privations  incident 
to  the  early  pioneer  days  of  California,  as  well 
as  the  friends  and  associates  of  later  years.  A 
few  short  years  and  the  story  of  pioneer  days 
will  have  passed  from  the  memory  of  living 
men,  and  will  only  be  known  only  by  such 
records  as  the  pen  of  the  historian  shall  have 
inscribed  upon  the  tablets  of  such  volumes  as 
these,  to  be  cherished  with  loving  care  by  the 
generations  that  will  follow.  The  subject  of  this 
sketch  is  a  native  of  the  State  of  Indiana,  and 


HTSTORT    OF    SACRAMENTO    COUNTY. 


was  born  near  the  Kentucky  State  line,  August 
19,  1819,  only  three  years  subsequent  to  the 
admission  of  that  State  into  the  federal  Union. 
His  parents  were  Thomas  Lindley,  a  native  of 
Nortli  Carolina,  and  Jane  (Hoops)  Lindley,  a 
native  of  Chester  County,  Pennsylvania.  Like 
so  many  other  men  who  in  after  life  have  be- 
come prominent,  the  early  years  of  Mr.  Lind- 
ley's  life  were  passed  upon  a  farm,  and  his 
preliminary  education  acquired  at  the  common- 
schools.  As  he  grew  to  man's  estate  his  aspi- 
rations for  a  wider  field  of  usefulness  prompted 
him  at  the  early  age  of  eighteen  to  return  to  his 
native  State,  and  he  accepted  a  clerkship  in  the 
mercantile  house  of  Lindley,  Patterson  &  Ray, 
Terre  Haute,  and  in  this  way  securing  for  himself 
a  practical  education  in  those  fundamental  princi- 
ples upon  which  the  superstructure  of  every  suc- 
cessful business  career  must  be  based.  Wiien  the 
attention  of  the  whole  country  was  attracted  by 
the  discovery  of  gold  in  California,  young  Lind- 
ley was  among  the  first  to  make  the  venturesome 
trip  and  became  one  of  a  party  of  eight  who, 
leaving  Terre  Haute  March  4.  1849,  turned 
their  faces  resolutely  towards  the  land  of  golden 
promise.  One  of  the  party  was  L.  A.  Booth, 
now  of  San  Francisco;  he  and  Mr.  Lindley 
having  bought  a  supply  of  merchandise  to  ship 
out  here,  upon  arriving  at  New  Orleans,  Mr. 
Booth  decided  t  >  come  via  Cape  Horn,  and  Mr. 
Lindley  and  his  party  secured  passage  on  the 
old  steamer  Globe  to  Brazos,  and  thence  to 
Brownsville,  where  they  secured  their  outfit,  and 
crossed  over  to  Matamoras  and  came  across  the 
country  via  Monterey  and  Durango  to  Mazatlan, 
and  arrived  safely  in  San  Francisco  June  9, 
1849.  Their  journey  was  uneventful.  They 
did  not  see  any  Indians,  and  were  not  disturbed 
by  the  Mexicans;  it  being  just  after  the  Mexi- 
can war  the  latter  had  a  wholesome  regard  for 
Americans.  Very  soon  after  his  arrival  Mr. 
Lindley  came  to  Sacramento  and  went  at  once 
to  the  mines  at  Little  Horse-Shoe  Bar,  on  the 
north  fork  of  the  American  River.  After  a 
few  weeks  he  began  teaming  with  an  ox  team 
belonofin;?  to   a    Mr.  Mei-rill,  a  ijentleman   from 


Oregon,  hauling  emigrants  to  the  mining  camps. 
This  was  remunerative  for  a  short  time,  and 
when  Mr.  Lindley  returned  to  Sacramento  and 
began  to  build  a  log  house  on  L  street  between 
Seventh  and  Eighth,  he  could  find  only  three 
trees  long  enough,  and  had  to  give  it  up,  and  cut 
poles  and  hewed  them  out  and  in  this  way  con- 
structed a  frame  building  for  the  merchandise 
owned  by  himself  and  Mr.  Bootli,  soon  to  ar- 
rive, and  this  was  one  of  the  early  mercantile 
houses  in  what  was  soon  to  be  the  capital  city 
of  the  great  State  of  California.  The  firm  was 
Lindley  &  Booth,  and  continued  until  the  flood 
of  1849  swept  away  all  they  lia<l.  One  year 
later  Mr.  Lindley  began  keeping  a  store  at 
Murderer's  Bar,  and  such  were  the  vicissitudes 
in  the  early  daj's  that  he  was  engaged  in  team- 
ing, hauling  goods  to  the  mountains,  alternat- 
ing this  arduous  but  remunerative  occupation 
with  the  more  agreeable  avocation  of  buying 
and  selling  cattle  and  shipping  barley.  After 
the  floods  of  the  winter  of  1852-'53  he  again 
engaged  in  business  and  became  a  member  of 
the  firm  of  Fry,  Hoops  &.  Co.,  corner  of  Seventh 
and  J  streets,  and  a  few  years  later  became  sole 
proprietor  and  continued  the  business  alone  un- 
til 1858,  when  the  firm  of  Lindley,  Worcester  & 
AVeaver  was  organized,  and  continued  until  the 
flood  of  1861.  Recovering  from  this  disaster, 
Mr.  Lindley  bought  his  partners'  interest,  and 
soon  afterward  the  firm  became  Lindley,  Hull  & 
Lohman,  and  later  Lindley  &  Loliman.  About 
1869  Mr.  Lindley,  having  bought  out  the  in- 
terest of  Mr.  Lohman,  admitted  two  young  men 
as  partners  and  the  firm  became  Lindley  &  Co., 
and  since  then  for  the  })ast  twenty  years  the 
firm  name  has  remained  unchanged,  though  in 
a  few  years  Mr.  Lindley  became  sole  propi-ietor 
and  carried  on  the  business  alone  for  some  years. 
Li  1886  D.  A.  Lindley,  his  eldest  son,  was  ad- 
mitted a  member  of  the  firm.  The  subject  of 
our  sketch  gives  their  extensive  business  his  act- 
ive attention.  He  enjoys  an  enviable  reputation 
in  the  trade,  and  the  old-established  house  of 
Lindley  &  Co.  is  s^aid  to  hold  the  distinction  of 
being   one  of   the   oldest   in    the    trade   on    the 


HISTORY    OF    SACRAMENTO    COUNTY . 


coast,  and  is  certainly  one  of  the  most  favorably 
and  widely  known.  The  ups  and  downs  of  busi- 
ness life  incident  to  a  new  and  rapidly  develop- 
ing country  have  left  little  time  to  be  devoted  | 
to  matters  political.  Mr.  Lindley  has  never 
sought  or  been  willing  to  accept  political  prefer- 
ment, although  as  a  member  of  the  Board  of 
School  Commissioners,  and  also  as  a  member  of 
the  Board  of  Levee  Commissioners,  in  186"^-'64: 
-'65,  he  contributed  his  share  toward  the  public 
weal;  and  he  is  an  old  and  honored  member  of 
the  Sacramento  Society  of  California  Pioneers. 
In  1857  Mr.  Lindley  was  united  in  marriage  to 
Miss  Isabel  V.  Arrington,  a  native  of  North 
Carolina.  The  death  of  this  estimable  lady  oc- 
curred June  22,  1880,  leaving  eight  children, 
seven  of  whom  survive.  Of  his  private  life 
and  home  associations  it  is  not  our  province  to 
speak.  Their  beautiful,  commodious  home,  1314 
H  street,  is  one  of  the  most  attractive  in  the 
Capital  City,  and  here  surrounded  by  the  loving 
care  of  afiectionate  children,  the  subject  of  this 
sketch  is  enjoying  a  well  earned  repose. 


tUFUSBUTTERFI  ELD,  a  pioneer  of  Sacra- 
mento, was  born  in  Rodan,  Jefferson  County^ 
New  York,  November  13,  1827.  He  was 
twenty-two  years  old  when  his  father  died,  and 
when  in  1829  the  family  removed  to  Rochester, 
New  York,  young  Rufus  had  already  received 
all  the  schooling  which  he  was  destined  to  have. 
He  learned  the  carpenter's  trade,  but  at  the  age 
of  nineteen  he  went  to  New  Orleans,  where  he 
engaged  in  mercantile  pursuits,  until  1846.  In 
1847  he  removed  to  Nashville,  Tennessee,  and 
there  engaged  in  business.  When  the  discovery 
of  gold  in  California  in  1848  caused  the  great- 
est excitement,  thousands  flocked  to  the  new 
country,  and  the  subject  of  this  sketch  was  not 
to  be  left  behind.  He  closed  his  business  on 
the  1st  of  January,  1849,  and  left  Nashville  for 
the  "land  of  promise."  Making  a  short  stop  in 
New  Orleans,  he  sailed  by  way  of  Panama,  ar- 
riving at  San  Francisco  on  the  5th  of  July,  1849, 


in  the  ship  Niantic.  He  entered  into  business 
co-partnership  with  Edward  Hicks,  a  companion 
of  his  voyage,  and,  coming  to  Sacramento,  they 
opened  a  store  for  the  sale  of  goods  which  they 
had  the  forethought  to  bring  with  them  from 
New  Orleans.  Mr.  Hicks  assumed  charge 
of  the  business  here  while  Mr.  Butterfield 
pushed  on  to  the  mines  at  the  North  and  Mid- 
dle forks  of  the  American  River.  When  in 
December  the  rainy  season  set  in,  he  sold  out 
his  interest  in  the  mines  and  returned  to  Ten- 
nessee, for  his  family.  Returning  again  in 
March,  1850,  he  located  first  in  San  Francisco, 
corner  of  Washington  and  Montgomery  streets, 
and  here  he  was  burned  out  in  the  big  fire  of 
the  following  year,  losing  everything.  He  then 
came  to  Sacramento  and  started  a  small  store  on 
J  street,  where  he  remained  until  1852,  when 
he  went  to  Nevada  City  and  for  the  second  time 
engaged  in  mining.  His  wife  died  there,  and 
he  returned  East  with  his  two  daughters,  that 
they  might  have  at  least  the  advantages  of  an 
education.  Returning  to  Sacramento,  he  be- 
came interested  in  building  operations,  and  has 
continued  in  that  business  up  to  the  present 
time.  Mr.  Butterfield  has  been  twice  married. 
His  first  wife  was  Melinda  Loveland,  a  native 
of  Egg  Harbor,  New  Jersey.  He  has  been  a 
prominent  member  of  the  society  of  California 
Pioneers,  a  director  and  trustee  of  that  t)rgan- 
ization,  and  his  connection  with  the  Masonic 
order  dates  back  to  1861,  when  he  was  a  mem- 
ber of  Murray  Lodge,  No.  380,  State  of  New 
York. 


-^S^€@"i)'l^ 


fAMES  ANDERSON,  deceased.  The  sub- 
ject of  this  sketch  was  born  in  Pettis 
County,  Missouri,  July  28,  1828,  his  par- 
ents being  William  and  Margaret  (Davis) 
Anderson,  both  deceased  in  Missouri.  James 
was  brought  up  on  his  father's  farm  until  he 
was  "eighteen,  and  received  the  usual  district- 
school  education  of  the  period.  Fifty  years  ago 
in  Missouri   it  was  not   very  broad' or  deep,  and 


UI8T0HY     OF    SAOliAMJi^TO    COUJSTY. 


was  limitel  to  a  few  inonthi  in  the  year,  but  it 
laid  the  necessary  foundation.  In  after  life  Mr. 
Anderson  was  fond  of  reading,  and  kept  well 
posted  in  matters  of  public  interest,  and  evinced 
superior  talents,  especially  in  mathematics. 
His  tirst  position  after  leaving  home  was  at  a 
Government  station  among  the  Omahas  and 
Pawnees,  where  he  spent  a  year  or  two.  Soon 
after  his  return  to  his  home  he  set  out  for  Cali- 
fornia, across  the  plains,  arriving  in  Sacra- 
mento in  September,  1849.  He  then  went  to 
mining  on  Feather  River  for  about  one  year, 
and  was  fairly  successful,  often  making  $100  a 
day.  He  accumulated  several  tiiousand  dollars, 
but  his  health  and  that  of  his  two  comrades  had 
been  impaired  by  bad  water  and  poor  fare  on  the 
overland  trip,  and  Mr.  Anderson  found  himself 
unfit  for  the  rough  life  of  a  miner.  Returning 
to  the  plains  he  traded  in  cattle  for  a  time,  and 
in  the  spring  of  1851  he  settled  on  the  River 
Road,  about  eighteen  miles  below  Sacramento, 
where  he  bought  a  ranch.  Preferring  general 
farming,  stock-raising  and  dairying,  he  bought, 
in  January,  1855,  the  upland  ranch  of  880 
acres  occupied  by  his  family,  two  or  three  miles 
farther  from  the  river,  and  in  1856  he  sold  his 
river  ranch.  Mr.  Anderson  was  married,  Feb- 
ruary 15,  1855,  to  Miss  B.  E.  Dillon,  born  in 
Illinois  in  1833,  daughter  of  Laban  and  Jane 
(Holaday)  Dillon,  both  now  deceased.  Mrs. 
Anderson's  grandparents  on  both  sides  lived  to  a 
good  old  age.  The  Holadays  were  Quakers.  Mr. 
and  Mrs.  Anderson  becametheparentsof  fivechil- 
dren:  Margaret  Jane,  born  November  14,  1855; 
Sarah  Eliza,  February  7,  1857;  James  William, 
September  4,  1858;  Ida  |:ilen,  June  23,  1860; 
George  Buckner,  February  7,  1862.  All  the 
childi-en  have  had  the  advantage  of  a  good  edu- 
cation, and  are  all  fond  of  reading  and  self-im- 
provement. Sarah  Eliza  was  married  November 
10,  1880,  at  the  home  cf  her  parents,  to  Fred 
F.  Thompson,  of  Sacramento.  They  are  the 
parents  of  four  children:  Eva,  born  in  1881; 
Edith,  in  1882;  Ro.xy,  in  1884;  Fred.  F.,  Jr., 
in  1889.  The  subject  of  this  sketch  was  a 
school   trustee  almost  continuonslj'  for  twenty 


yeai-s  or  more  before  his  death,  which  occurred 
March  25,  1889,  in  San  Francisco,  where  he  had 
gone  for  medical  treatment.  His  health  had 
been  poor  for  a  year,  and  for  the  last  six  months 
of  his  life  he  was  quite  feeble.  He  had  no  hope 
of  recovery,  and  concluded  to  come  home  to  die 
in  the  bosom  of  his  family,  but  was  taken  off  on 
the  very  eve  of  his  return.  His  remains  were 
brought  home  and  buried  in  Franklin  amid  the 
regi'ets  of  the  whole  community,  by  whom  he 
was  universally  regarded  as  *a  very  estimable 
man  in  all  the  relations  of  life,  an  excellent 
neighbor  and  upright  citizen,  straightforward 
and  eminently  reliable,  honorable  and  kindly  to 
everybody.  Possessed  of  an  admirable  char- 
acter and  gentle  disposition,  he  went  through 
life  without  making  an  enemy,  leaving  to  his 
bereaved  wife  and  children  a  legacy  more  pre- 
cious than  gold. 

.,.  ..P.;.  .tr^.v  ... 

fOSEPH  BAILEY,  mason,  contractor  and 
builder.  A  few  years  after  the  second  war, 
nainel}',  June  6.  1823,  there  was  born  to 
Levi  Bailey,  mechanic,  of  the  goodly  city  of 
Portland,  Maine,  and  to  his  wife,  Mary  Win- 
ship,  a  son,  the  fourth  in  a  family  of  si.v  chil- 
dren. This  son  was  Joseph  Bailey,  the  subject 
of  this  sketch.  The  homely  surroundings  of 
his  childhood  did  not  prevent  his  receiving  the 
rudiments  of  a  substantial  education,  nor  did  it 
interfere  with  that  essential  to  the  life  of  every 
New  Englander, — a  trade;  that  was  a  part  of 
their  religion,  and  for  seven  long  years  he 
served  his  master  as  an  apprentice,  at  the  expi- 
ration of  which  period,  as  can  be  readily  under- 
stood, he  was  an  e,\pert  mason.  For  two  years 
he  continued  to  work  as  a  journeyman  in  his 
native  city,  and  then  removed  to  the  '•  Hub,"  as 
the  Bostonians  are  wont  to  term  their  metropo- 
lis. It  is  proverbial  that  the  real  live  Yankee 
must  see  the  world,  and  the  subject  of  this 
sketch  was  no  exception  to  the  rule,  for  he  spent 
two  years  in  traveling,  after  which  he  returned 
to  his  native  State,  lured  l)y  who  shall  say  what 


HIarOET    OF    SAORAMENTU    COUNTY. 


memories!  suffice  it,  that  tlie  records  show  that 
in  -May,  184:8,  in  the  little  country  town  of 
AVestbrook,  in  Cumberland  County,  Maine,  were 
married,  Joseph  Bailey  to  Miss  Juliet  M.  Trott, 
who  for  over  forty  years  since  that  May  morn- 
ing has  been  his  conipanion,  sharing  the  disap- 
pointments and  enjoying  the  triumphs  of  nearly 
half  a  century;  of  her  qualities  of  head  and 
heart,  of  her  housekeeping,  and  of  her  piety  can 
more  be  said  than  that  she  had  a  New  England 
mother!  Mr.  Bailey  continued  to  reside  in 
AVestbrook  until  1853,  atwliich  time  he  came  to 
California,  where  he  arrived  with  his  family  on 
the  24th  of  March.  The  first  bricks  that  he  laid 
here  were  in  the  construction  of  what  is  now  the 
Bee  office,  Third  street,  between  J  and  K 
streets.  And  the  first  plastering  was  on  the 
southwest  of  Third  and  K  streets,  owned  by  P. 
Scheld,  Third  and  K  streets;  he  had  a  contract 
on  the  Western  Hotel,  Reed's  Block,  Sacramento 
Bank  building,  No.  3  Engine  house.  Second 
street,  the  Clunie  building,  which  was  first  oc- 
cupied as  a  carriage  factory  by  the  late  William 
Pritchard,  and  during  the  administration  of 
Governor  Booth  he  snperintended  the  finishing 
of  the  Stale  Capitol  building.  For  thirty-two 
years  Mr.  Bailey  has  resided  on  O  street,  in  his 
commodious  brick  residence;  liere  his  children, 
Joseph  W.  Bailey  and  Mattie  E.  Bailey,  wife  of 
F.  L.  Southack,  of  San  Francisco,  grew  up  about 
him,  and  here  he  is  spending  the  declining 
years  of  a  well-spent  life,  respected  and  honored 
by  his  acquaintances  and  loved  by  his  friends. 


fEOEGE  O.  BATES,  Supervisor  of  Sacra- 
mento County,  began  the  responsibilities 
of  life  with  no  school  education  whatever, 
born  May  13,  1829,  at  Milford,  Otsego  County, 
New  York,  during  the  pioneer  period  of  that 
part  of  the  country.  His  father  was  a  shoemaker 
by  occupation.  When  he  was  ten  years  of  age 
the  family  removed  to  Herkimer  County,  and 
afterward  to  Pineville,  Oswego  County,  New 
York,  wliere  young  George  peddled    candy  and 


apples  on  the  line  of  the  Erie  Canal.  At  the 
age  of  sixteen  he  was  apprenticed  to  L.  B. 
Thomas,  of  Pulaski,  to  learn  the  trade  of  black- 
sujithing,  and  he  became  an  e.\pert  wagon 
ironer.  He  then  went  to  Rome,  New  York, 
where  he  worked  two  years  as  a  journeyman 
blacksmith  for  Deacon  Peggs.  In  1848  he  went 
to  Sandy  Creek  and  started  business  for  himself 
in  a  small  shop,  where  he  continued  until  the 
fall  uf  1852,  when  he  set  out  lor  California. 
The  year  previous  he  married  Sarah  Dennison, 
a  native  of  New  York,  and  adangliter  of  Robert 
Dennison.  His  brother,  J.  J.,  had  come  to 
California  in  1849,  and  when  George  O.  arrived 
on  the  coast  in  January,  1853,  he  went  imme- 
diately to  join  him  in  the  San  Joaquin  Valley, 
and  remained  there  about  two  year.s.  The  grass- 
hoppers of  1855  drove  them  out,  and  they  went 
to  Amador  County  and  engaged  in  the  butcher 
business  until  1858.  This  year  they  moved  to 
the  Laguna,  Sacramento  County,  and  engaged 
in  cattle-ranching.  In  1859  Mr.  George  O. 
Bates  went  East  for  his  family,  going  and  re- 
turning overland.  Returning,  he  bought  at 
Salt  Lake  a  herd  of  oxen,  and  drove  them  across 
the  mountains,  reaching  Sacramento  in  safety. 
He  continued  farming  on  the  Cosumnes  some 
thirteen  years,  and  engaged  somewhat  in  specu- 
lating until  1873.  He  and  his  brother  were 
engaged  in  speculating  in  live-stock,  being  to- 
gether twenty-three  years.  Their  parents  came 
West  in  1859,  and  were  in  George's  care,  and 
he  moved  his  family  from  the  ranch  into  the 
city.  His  mother  died  in  1874,  and  his  father 
in  1883.  While  he  has  not  been  a  politician, 
Mr.  Bates  was  induced  by  his  friends  in  1885, 
to  accept  the  nomination  for  County  Supervisor, 
and  was  elected;  he  served  four  years,  and  in  the 
fall  of  1889  was  re-elected  for  another  term;  he 
now  holds  his  office.  In  1882  he  became  inter- 
ested in  the  trading  steamers  El  Dorado  and 
Clara  Belle.  Three  years  ago  he  bought  the 
steamer  Neponset  No.  2,  and  is  now  running  her 
as  a  trading  boat.  Mr.  Bates  has  a  wife  and 
three  children.  One  of  the  latter  is  the  widow 
of  Mr.  Devine,  of  Gait;  the  name  of  the  second 


HISTORT    OF    SACRAMENTO    COUNTY. 


dauorliter  is  Matie,  and  that  of  the  son  is  Egbert 
W.     Mr.  Bates'  residence  is  No.  2229  O  street. 


tNDREW  CARBLY  BLOOM  was  born 
November  13,  1849,  near  Bonaparte,  Iowa, 
iiis  parents  being  William  Flenr}'  Harri- 
son and  Delila  D.  (Dye)  Bloom.  The  grand- 
parents were  Christopher  and  Elizabeth  Bloom. 
The  children  of  these  in  the  order  of  their  birth 
were  Lewis,  Anna,  Emma,  William  H.  H.  and 
Samuel.  "  Harrison  "  was  born  in  Cincinnati, 
Ohio,  February  25,  1815,  and  was  married  at 
Windsor,  Indiana,  April  29,  1839,  to  Miss  De- 
lila D.  Dye,  born  in  Miami  County,  Indiana, 
August  27, 1823.  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Harrison  Bloom, 
with  the  children  they  then  had,  left  Bonaparte, 
Iowa,  March  31,  1850,  and  arrived  at  Diatnond 
Spring,  California,  September  12,  where  they 
remained  about  eighteen  months.  Mr.  Bloom 
built  the  second  house  that  was  erected  at  that 
place,  and  there  kept  a  hotel  and  bakery.  In 
the  spring  of  1852  he  bought  a  claim  of  480 
acres  on  the  Hubbs  ranch  on  theCosumnes,  but 
the  title  proved  worthless,  and  in  1854  he  re- 
turned to  Diamond  Spring,  where  he  resumed 
his  old  business,  with  the  addition  of  a  dairy, 
hay-yard  and  general  store.  March  25,  1855, 
he  sold  out  and  moved  to  the  Pioneer  House  on 
the  Lower  Jackson  River,  nine  miles  east  of 
Sacramento.  Here  he  bought  a  half  interest 
in  the  hotel  and  320  acres  of  the  Norris  Grant, 
only  to  lose  both  when  the  land  earae  to  be  sur- 
veyed a  few  months  later.  He  then  rented  the 
Keystone  House,  seven  miles  from  Sacramento, 
for  two  months.  October  25,  1855,  Mr.  Bloom 
bought  480  acres,  since  known  by  his  name,  and 
where  the  subject  of  this  sketch  now  resides, 
about  two  und  a  half  miles  southwest  of  Frank- 
lin. Later  on  he  bought  some  more  land  in  the 
neighborhood,  and  afterward  sold  some,  the 
present  ranch  being  about  340  acres.  The 
children  of  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Harrison  Bloom,  who 
reached  their  majority  are:  Hetty,  born  in  Iowa, 
July  1,  1842,  was  married    to   Joseph    Morrow, 


and  died  March  17,  1863;  Arsinve  M.,  born  in 
Iowa,  July  26,  1844,  wa^  married  Mireh  22, 
1862,  to  Stephen  J.  Dillon,  who  diei  in  Sacra- 
mento, May  29,  1879,  leaving  two  children, 
Albert  L.  and  Stephen  J.  Mrs.  Dillon  was 
married  to  Thomas  P.  Taylor;  they  are  the 
parents  of  one  boy,  Arthur  Bloom  Taylor,  born 
June  7,  1882.  Adaline,  now  Mrs.  Solomon 
Runyon  (see  sketch  of  Mr.  Runyon);  Andrew 
C,  the  subject  of  this  sketch;  Sierra  Nevada, 
born  at  Diamond  Spring,  California,  Novem- 
ber 12,  1854,  bv  marriage,  Mrs.  William  Lock- 
hart,  of  Richland,  in  this  county;  Pacidc  Ellen, 
born  also  at  Diamond  Spring,  August  29, 1854, 
by  marriage,  Mrs.  James  Riley,  of  Sacramento; 
Eliza  Oceana,  born  in  Franklin  Township  in  this 
county,  July  10,  1856,  by  marriage  Mrs.  A.  M. 
Cain,  died  April  23,  1888.  Harrison  Bloom 
died  March  10,  1881,  at  his  home  near  Franklin, 
and  was  buried  in  the  Franklin  cemetery,  after 
a  residence  of  over  twenty-live  years.  He  had 
been  constable  for  many  years,  and  was  a  deputy 
sheriff  at  the  time  of  his  death.  He  enjoyed 
the  respect  and  estesu  of  a  larga  circle  of  friends, 
and  was  uni vers  illy  regarded  as  an  estimable 
citizen  and  kindly  neighbor.  His  widow  is  now 
living  in  Sacramento.  Andrew  C.  Bloom,  the 
only  son,  was  married  April  15,  1872,  to  Miss 
Sarah  Ellen  Vannatta,  a  native  of  Grant  County, 
Wisconsin,  where  she  was  born  June  23,  1853, 
daughter  of  George  Phillip  and  Mary  Elizabeth 
(McCormack)  Vannatta.  Her  father  came  to  (Cali- 
fornia in  1857,  and  settled  at  Placerville.  The 
father  was  born  January  8, 1825;  the  mother,  Jan- 
uary 29, 1833;  were  married  September  20, 1852. 
The  mother  died  in  1865;  the  father  is  living 
near  Stockton.  The  grandfather,  Henry  Van- 
natta, a  farmer  in  Wisconsin,  died  in  1884,  at 
an  advanced  age.  Grindmother  McCormack 
came  to  California  with  the  Vannatta  family, 
and  died  at  Placerville,  aged  about  sixty-live. 
Mrs.  A.  C.  Bloom  has  one  living  sister,  Susan 
M.,  a  native  of  this  State,  now  Mrs.  Tharon 
Hollenbeckj  of  O'Neals,  Fresno  County.  Mr. 
and  Mrs.  Andrew  C.  Bloom  are  the  parents  of 
three  living  children:    William    Harrison,   born 


HISTORY    OF    SACRAMENTO    COUNTY. 


February  26,  1873;  Andrew  Oarbly,  February 
25,  1877;  Clarence  Laurel,  September  1, 1879. 


tBESAGNO  was  born  in  Italy  Marcb  21, 
1852.  His  father,  Thomas  John  Be- 
®  sagno,  was  a  farmer  by  occupation.  Our 
subject  was  brought  up  on  a  farm,  and  in  1873 
came  to  California.  After  residing  nine  months 
in  San  Francisco  he  came  to  Dry  Creek  Town- 
ship, this  county,  and  rented  his  present  place, 
wliich  in  1882  he  purchased,  and  which  he  has 
greatly  improved.  It  is  two  and  a  half  miles 
from  Gait.  Here  he  follows  general  farming 
and  also  raises  some  vegetables;  and  he  has  a 
thrifty  orchard  and  vineyard.  In  1880,  in  Stock- 
ton, he  married  Miss  Mary  Maringo,  and  the}' 
liavo  two  sons  and  four  daughters,  whose  names 
are  Johnnie,  Andy,  Amelia,  Ida,  Tersa  and  Pal- 
nieda.  Mr.  Besagno  has  no  other  relatives  in 
this  country. 

^^^^^^^JU.^ 


T-tTH^LIAM  FLETCHER  BRYAN,  the 
1/ A/'i  youngest  son  of  Hon.  William  E.  Bryan, 
l^B^^  was  born  in  El  Dorado  County.  When 
he  was  about  six.  years  old  he  began  to  work  on 
his  father's  farm,  driving  teams  long  before  he 
was  able  to  harness  them,  and  doing  all  sorts  of 
farm  work.  From  that  time  to  the  present  he 
has  made  his  home  on  the  ranch.  He  has  in 
former  years  been  largely  interested  in  sheep- 
raising,  having,  in  company  with  other  mem- 
bers of  the  family,  about  3,000  sheep  to  start 
with.  He  carried  on  this  enterprise  for  about 
eight  years,  but  is  now  devoting  his  attention 
to  farming  principally.  He  has  in  his  own 
name  1,322  acres  of  choice  land,  well  improved. 
He  was  married  November  30,  1879,  to  Miss 
Annie  A.  Criswell,  a  native  of  Santa  Clara 
County,  born  November  30, 1855,  and  daughter 
of  A.  F.  Criswell.  Mrs.  Bryan  lived  in  her 
native  place  till  she  was  about  nine  years  old, 
and   in   the  fall  of    1864   came    to    Sacramento 


County,  where  she  has  since  made  her  home. 
They  have  one  child,  Macie  Mabel,  born  De- 
cember 28,  1882.  They  have  lost  two  children: 
Clinton  Evermont,  born  April  18,  1881,  and 
died  March  29,  1888:  Nellie  M.,  born  August 
7,  1887,  died  January  4,  1889. 

— ^€(i::i)»*^^- 

fETER  BOHL,  real  estate  and  insurance 
agent,  325  J  street,  Sacramento,  is  one  of 
the  most  substantial  citizens  of  the  State, 
inheriting  as  he  does  the  highest  qualities  of  the 
German-American  character.  His  father,  George 
Bohl,  was  a  Bavarian  by  nativity,  and  came  with 
his  family  to  this  country  in  tlie  early  days,  set- 
tling first  in  Pennsylvania  and  afterward  in  Cin- 
cinnati, Ohio,  where  the  subject  of  this  sketch 
WHS  born,  October  23,  1830,  the  fourth  of  five 
sons  and  the  first  American  born  in  the  family. 
Subsequently  the  father  moved  to  Brown  County, 
near  Georgetown,  on  a  farm,  where  he  reared  his 
fauiily,  and  finally  to  Covington,  Kentucky, 
where  he  died  at  the  advanced  age  of  eighty- 
eight  years.  It  is  a  conspicuous  fact  that  a 
large  proportion — perhaps  the  largest  propor- 
tion— of  men  who  achieve  success  in  life  are 
born  and  reared  upon  'he  farm,  spending  their 
early  life  only  amid  rural  scenes.  Mr.  Bohl 
was  twenty  years  of  age  when  he  left  the  farm 
and  started  out  in  commercial  life  for  himself, 
engaging  in  Peoria,  Illinois,  as  a  clerk  in  a 
mercantile  house.  An  older  brother  having 
come  to  California  in  1851,  and  located  in  Sac- 
ramento as  a  baker,  and  afterward  as  a  merchant, 
Mr.  Bohl  followed  his  example  in  1853.  Em- 
barking on  the  Oregon,  he  had  a  narrow  escape 
from  the  yellow  fever,  which  prevailed  on  board. 
Arriving  in  San  Francisco  on  February  6,  he 
came  at  once  to  Sacramento,  clerked  a  few 
months  for  his  brother,  and  then  bought  an  in- 
terest in  a  stable  and  hay  yard  on  J  street,  be- 
tween Tenth  and  Eleventh  streets,  known  as  the 
Central  Hay  Yard.  Shortly  after  he  purchased 
his  brother's  interest  in  the  bakery,  and  was  en- 
gaged there  for  a  period  of  eight  years.    For  the 


HISTORY    OF    SACRAMENTO    COUNTY. 


713 


next  five  3'ears  he  was  a  dealer  in  groceries  and 
grain.  Early  in  1873  he  embarked  in  the  real 
estate  and  insurance  business,  associated  with 
the  house  of  "W.  P.  Coleman,  the  banker,  and  in 
this  relation  he  has  operated  up  to  the  present 
time.  His  connection  with  the  Methodist  Epis- 
copal Church  began  twenty- three  years  ago, 
since  which  time  lie  has  occupied  many  posi- 
tions of  trust  and  responsibility  in  the  society, 
leading  in  all  local  measures  of  the  church  for 
the  advancement  of  Christianity.  First,  in  1867, 
he  was  elected  steward  and  trustee.  Subse- 
quently, in  1876,  he  was  a  delegate  to  the  Gen- 
eral Conference  of  his  church,  held  in  Balti- 
more, Maryland,  during  which  season  he  also 
visited  the  Centennial  Exhibition  at  Philadel- 
pliia;  and  he  was  an  alternate  to  the  General 
Confei-ence  of  May,  1888,  held  in  New  York 
city.  He  was  active  in  the  establishment  of  the 
Y.  M.  C.  A.  in  Sacramento.  For  fifteen  years 
he  has  been  a  trustee  of  the  University  of  the 
Pacific  in  Santa  Clara  County,  being  re-elected" 
every  four  years.  This  institution  of  learning 
has  grown  to  large  proportions,  so  that  it  now 
contains  between  500  and  600  students,  and  has 
magnificent  buildings,  including  an  observatory 
with  all  its  appliances.  The  money  used  lor 
the  erection  of  all  these  magnificent  buildings 
was  donated  by  liberal  atid  generous-hearted 
men  and  women.  It  is  now  the  most  extensive 
institution  of  Christian  education  on  this  coast. 
Mr.  Bohl's  residence  on  N  street,  opposite  the 
State  Capitol,  is  one  of  tlie  most  commodious 
and  tasteful  in  the  city,  and  here  he  is  spending 
the  golden  years  of  his  life. 


►^«^^ 


fAMES  S.  BOWLES,  deceased,  formerly  a 
farmer  of  Brighton  Township,  was  born 
March  20,  1822,  in  Hanover  County,-  Vir- 
ginia, and  was  reared  to  manhood  in  Richmond, 
that  State.  His  parents  were  William  S.  and 
Mary  Bowles.  In  1849  he  went  to  New  York 
and  thetice  sailed  by  way  of  Cape  Horn  to  San 
Francisco,   arriving    in    Sej)tember.      He  spent 


the  ensuing  winter  in  the  El  Dorado  County 
mines,  and  in  the  spring  came  down  to  Sacra- 
mento. On  the  last  day  of  February  he  mar- 
ried Martha  A.  Winters,  who  was  born  June 
14,  1825,  a  native  of  Perry  County,  and  daugh- 
ter of  John  and  Elizabeth  Winters,  the  former 
a  native  of  Pennsylvania,  and  the  latter  of  Ken- 
tucky. When  she  was  two  years  old  her  par- 
ents moved  to  the  small  town  of  Elizabeth,  near 
Galena,  in  Jo  Daviess  County,  Illinois.  In  April, 
1849,  they  came  to  California  with  horses  and 
oxen  across  the  plains,  arriving  at  Lassen's  on 
the  13th  or  14th  of  September,  and  the  next 
month  in  Sacramento.  For  a  while  they  resided 
six  miles  above  Marysville,  then  worked  at  Cox's 
B,ir  for  a  time,  and  then  kept  hotel  at  Forest 
City  in  Sierra  County.  Being  a  millwright  by 
trade,  Mr.  Winters  built  a  mill  at  Forest  City 
and  ran  it  three  or  four  years.  In  the  course 
of  a  number  of  years  he  became  blind,  and  was 
taken  by  one  of  his  sons  to  San  Jose.  After  a 
time  he  went  to  Stockton,  where  he  died  Janu- 
ary 15,  1870.  His  widow  afterward  died  at  the 
residence  of  her  daughter,  Mrs.  Bowles,  March 
14,  1875.  In  their  family  were  five  children, 
all  of  whom  are  living,  namely:  Theodore,  now 
residing  at  Washoe,  Nevada;  John  D.,  in  Car- 
son City,  Nevada;'  Joseph,  at  Los  Angeles; 
Mrs.  Harriet  Reede,  Washoe,  Nevada,  and  Mrs. 
Bowles.  After  his  marriage  Mr.  James  S. 
Bowles  settled  on  160  acres  of  tine  productive 
land  in  Brighton  Township,  where  he  made  his 
home  until  he  died,  January  16,  1865.  He'liad 
seven  children,  as  follows:  Emma,  born  January 
14,  1851;  William  E.,  September  30,  1852; 
Sarah  E.,  September  21, 1854;  Arthur  W.,  June 
20,  1856,  and  died  July  27,  1882;  John  D., 
January  10,  1859,  and  died  July  21,  1878; 
Hattie  E.,  born  December  10,  1860,  and  died 
November  10,  1880;  and  Theodore  S.,  Febru- 
ary 8,  1863,  and  died  February  5, 1881.  Emma 
married  George  Baker,  and  resides  in  Brigiiton 
Township;  William  E.  lives  on  the  home  place, 
and  Sarah  E.  married  T.  C.  Dolan,  and  resides 
in  San  Francisco.  William  E.  was  married 
May  6,  1880,  to   Katie   McDonald,  daughter  of 


HISTORY    OF    SACRAMENTO    COUNTY. 


Joseph  and  Mary  McDonald,  born  in  New- 
Haven,  Connecticut,  and  they  have  one  son, 
William  E.,  Jr.,  who  was  born  January  24, 
1881. 

fAMES  HASCOM  BRADFORD,  San  Joa- 
quin Township,  was  born  in  Washington, 
Daviess  County,  Indiana,  in  1826.  His 
father,  George  Bradford,  was  born  in  Middlesex 
County,  Connecticut,  in  1787.  He  left  home  at 
an  early  a'^e,  went  We^t,  and  upon  reacliing 
manhood  settled  in  Washington,  Indiana,  and 
engaged  in  merchandising;  he,  like  other 
pioneers  of  the  West,  engaged  in  flat-boating  to 
Xew  Orleans,  making  his  first  trip  in  1818. 
The  Bradfords  are  of  New  England  stock  for 
several  generations.  James'  mother,  nee  Mary 
F.  Bruce,  was  born  in  Mason  County,  Ken- 
tucky, in  1793.  The  Bruces  were  among  the 
early  settlers  of  that  State.  James  Bruce's 
paternal  grandparents  were  Charles  and  Diana 
Bradford,  and  their  children  were  Lucretia, 
George,  Robert,  Charles,  William  and  James. 
The  grandmother's  maiden  name  was  Diana 
Stevens,  whose  brother  was  Colonel  of  a  cav- 
alry regiment  in  the  Revolutionary  war,  and  fed 
and  clothed  his  regiment  at  his  own  expense 
during  one  winter.  James  Bruce's  maternal 
grandparents  were  Alexander  and  Sarah  Bruce, 
and  their  children  were  John,  Charity,  Joseph, 
Catharine,  Mary  F.,  Squire,  Sarah,  Kiziah 
Alexander,  William  and  Rachel.  James  B.  re- 
ceived the  usual  district-school  education  of  the 
period;  came  to  California  in  1850  and  engaged 
in  mining  for  about  a  year  in  Placer  and  Shasta 
counties.  He  then  established  a  trading-post 
at  Yankee  Jim's,  a  flourishing  mining  camp  in 
Placer  County.  He  put  up  his  buildings  and 
kept  a  general  supply  of  all  things  needed  by 
miners,  keeping  six  or  seven  mules  to  make 
daily  trip^  to  the  claims,  delivering  goods  with- 
in a  radius  of  ten  miles.  He  continued  in  that 
business  for  two  years.  In  1855,  with  his 
brother,  William  B.,  went  into  business  in   Sac- 


ramento, keeping  a  feed  and  sale  stable.  In 
1858  he  resumed  the  mercantile  business  at 
Michigan  Bluffs,  Placer  County.  In  1860  he 
moved  to  Downieville,  Sierra  County,  furnish- 
ing supplies  as  before.  In  1862  he  went  to 
Aurora,  Nevada,  where  he  engaged  in  trading 
and  mining  for  several  years.  In  April,  1866, 
he  located  160  acres  of  Government  land,  and 
built  a  house  on  it  where  he  still  lives.  His 
brothers,  W.  B.  and  P.  B.,  occupy  adjoining 
farms,  all  devoted  to  vineyards,  for  which  they 
are  found  to  be  well  adapted.  J.  B.  Bradford 
was  married  to  Miss  Sarah  G.  Kilbourne,  Sep- 
tember 20,  1871,  at  Danville,  Illinois,  by  Rev. 
A.  L.  Brooks.  Mrs.  S.  G.  Bradford  was  born  in 
Venice,  Ohio,  in  1842,  and  was  the  daughter  of 
Jonathan  and  Susan  M.  Kilbourne,  both  of 
whom  are  still  living  in  1890,  aged  respectively 
seventy- three  and  seventy.  Mrs.  Bradford's 
paternal  grandparents  were  Joseph  and  Rebecca 
Kilbourne,  of  Vermont.  Her  maternal  grand- 
►parents  were  Isaac  and  Elizabeth  Johnson  Lutes, 
of  New  Jersey.  Grandmother  Lutes  is  ninety- 
four  years  old,  and  loves  to  hold  reunions  of  her 
descendants  on  the  anniversary  of  her  birth,  at 
her  home  near  Cincinnati,  Ohio.  Mr.  and  Mrs. 
Bradford  are  the  parents  of  two  boys:  Perley 
Kilbourne  born  July  8,  1872,  and  George 
Bruce,  born  April  5,  1875. 


fAPTAIN  WILLIAM  H.  BRADLEY. 
The  lives  of  some  men  are  peculiarly  rich 
in  incident,  and  especially  is  this  the  case 
with  those  who  in  early  life^  have  followed  the 
sea.  To  write  the  history  of  such  lives  would 
be  to  till  volumes.  The  subject  of  this  sketch 
has  a  life  history  well  worth  writing;  but  in  a 
work  of  this  character,  where  only  a  limited 
space  is  allowed  to  each  individual,  the  question 
is  not  what  to  include,  but  what  to  leave  out  of 
the  interesting  narrative.  Captain  Bradley  was 
born  in  Yorkshire,  in  the  north  of  England,  in 
1847.  He  received  a  common-school  education, 
and  at  the  age  of  fourteen  years  entered   upon 


HISTORY    OP    SACRAMENTO    COUNTT. 


his  sailor's  apprenticeship  of  three  years,  under 
Captain  Harrison,  of  the  bi'ig  Daring,  of 
Wliitby.  Finishing  his  term  of  apprenticeship, 
he  made  two  short  voyages  before  the  mast; 
tlien  a  voyage  to  the  Black  Sea,  as  second  mate 
of  the  Ariel,  of  Stockton;  and  on  the  re- 
turn voyage  he  was  wrecked.  "  Never  shall  I 
forget  the  peril  of  that  time,"  says  the  gallant 
Captain.  "  We  were  going  through  the  Bay  of 
Biscay,  our  vessel  laden  with  grain,  and  in  a 
gale,  and  in  order  to  avoid  a  collision  with  an- 
other vessel  the  Ariel  was  'brought  to'  sud- 
denly, shifting  the  cargo  and  springing  a  leak; 
for  three  nights  and  two  days  we  manned  the 
pumps,  but  our  utmost  efforts  were  not  sufficient. 
Inch  by  inca  our  doom  approached,  and  after 
many  weary  houis  a  sail  was  descried  to  wind- 
ward. She  bore  down  upon  us.  Hope  became 
a  certainty;  but  alas!  she  proved  to  be  an  Italian 
trader,  and  seeing  our  signal  of  distress — i.he 
reversed  Union  Jack  —  she,  with  heartless 
cruelty,  passed  us  by  on  the  other  side.  The 
sea  was  running  high,  but  we  had  no  otlier 
choice — we  must  leave  the  sinking  ship.  First 
one  and  then  another  of  our  boats  were 
swamped,  in  attempting  to  launch  them,  but  the 
life-boat  was  successfully  launched  b}'  cutting 
away  the  bulwark  and  rail,  and  in  it  our  fifteen 
men  were  crowded,  at  the  mercy  of  the  raging 
sea.  Happily  a  Welsh  schooner  bore  down 
upon' us  and  tiirew  out  a  life-buoy  with  100  fath- 
oms of  line  attached,  and  we  were  drawn  safely 
to  her  deck.  In  that  moment  of  safety,  look! 
the  gallant  Ariel,  poised  for  one  moment  upon 
the  crest  of  a  mighty  wave,  the  next  gone  for 
ever!"  Such  is  life  on  the  sea.  The  wrecked 
crew  was  well  treated  by  the  strangers,  and  on 
the  following  day  they  were  landed  safe  at 
Queenstown.  After  a  few  weeks  rest  at  his 
home  in  Yorkshire,  the  young  sailor  shipped 
once  more  before  the  mast,  in  the  ship  Manfred, 
Captain  Scott,  bound  with  a  cargo  of  coal  for 
Colombo,  Ceylon,  and  to  Burmah,  in  British 
Iniiia,  for  a  cargo  of  rice  for  Rotterdam,  Hol- 
land, and  home.  The  English  merchant  marine 
service  has  no  c(|ual  in  the   world,   its  eflicicncy 


being  due  largely  to  her  system  of  thorough  ex- 
aminations instituted  by  Government.  When 
the  subject  of  this  sketch  finished  the  voyage 
above  described,  he  went  to  Sunderland  and 
passed  his  examination  before  the  Board  of  Gov- 
ernment Examiners,  both  as  to  seamanship  and 
navigation,  receiving  a  certificate  which  en- 
titled him  to  the  position  of  second  mate,  on 
any  English  vessel.  And  he  at  once  secured 
such  a  position  on  the  Regina,  a  sister  vessel  to 
the  Ariel,  and  sailed  away  on  a  voyage  to  the 
Black  Sea.  After  twelve  months'  service,  came 
another  examination  before  the  Board,  and  again 
he  passed  with  credit,  securing  this  time  a  cer- 
tificate as  chief  mate,  and  secured  a  position  on 
the  new  bark  Hannah  Hodgson.  Eighteen 
months  later  he  was  passed  as  Captain.  Thus 
step  by  step  we  find  him  gradually  rising,  steadily 
onward  and  upward,  until  he  is  in  command  of 
the  bark  Dorathea,  engaged  in  the  Mediter- 
ranean trade;  later  on  he  was  transferred  to  the 
steamers  Polino,  Aagean  and  Nio,  and  was  ciiief 
mate  on  these  vessels,  making  his  first  trip  to  the 
United  States  in  the  latter  with  Captain  Turn- 
bull  Potts — now  a  shipowner — as  master.  After 
two  more  trips  in  the  Nio,  to  the  Mediterranean, 
he  came  again  to  New  York,  as  Captain  of  the 
steamer  Charles  Townsend  Hook,  when  one  of 
those  experiences  befell  him,  which  can  be  best 
related  in  his  own  words:  "We  had  come  to 
New  York,  in  ballast,  taking  on  a  general  cargo. 
I  remember  that  sixteen  vessels  left  New  York 
and  Baltimore  on  that  daj.  On  the  24:th  of 
December  we  ran  into  a  cyclone.  My  exper- 
ience and  observations  of  the  laws  governing 
storms  enabled  me  to  ascertain  that  we  were 
running  into  the  center  of  the  cyclone,  and  that 
by  'going  about'  we  could  steer  clear  of  its 
greatest  violence;  in  doing  this,  however,  we 
'shipped-a-sea,'  and  were  very  nearly  lost.  But 
the  air-compartments,  or  water  ballast  tanks  in 
the  bottom  of  the  ship,  with  which  she  was  pro- 
vided, brought  her  afloat,  as  I  knew  they  would, 
the  only  question  being,  would  she  be  right  side 
up.  That  she  did  come  right  side  up,  the  sequel 
shows,   for  she   came  riding  safe   into   London, 


HISTORY    OF    HAGRAMBNTO    COUNTY. 


twelve  days  from  New  York,  being  the  second 
to  arrive  out  of  the  sixteen  to  start,  eight  of 
which  were  never  heard  from."  After  a  short 
rest  he  was  again  afluat,  this  time  on  a  voyage 
to  the  White  Sea — the  northernmost  point  o* 
Russia — where  lie  first  learned  that  the  latitude 
could  be  found  b}'  an  altitude  of  the  sun  at 
midnight.  On  his  next  voyage  he  took  com. 
mand  of  the  Silbury,  the  finest  steamer  of  the 
Chapman's  fleet  of  ten  vessels,  running  from 
London  to  Havre,  Hayti  and  Jamaica,  a  voyage 
of  three  montbs'  duration.  When  the  Charles 
Townsend  Hook,  their  new  steamer,  was  com- 
pleted, he  was  complimented  by  being  trans" 
ferred  to  her,  extending  the  line  from  Jamica  to 
New  Orleans,  where  they  took  a  cargo  of  cotton 
for  Rotterdam.  Afterward  tlie  C.  T.  Hook  was 
chartered  for  two  years  in  the  China  trade,  by 
Katz  Brothers,  Singapore,  running  with  passen- 
gers and  freight  from  Hong  Kong  to  Saigon. 
Cochin  China,  Bankok  and  Manilla.  Later  on, 
and  while  at  home  recruiting  for  another  voyage  > 
he  was  sent  to  Glasgow  to  superintend  the  load- 
ing of  vessels  for  the  West  Indies,  and  upon  his 
return  to  Sunderland,  he  was  to  look  at  the 
steamer  Madras,  then  lying  at  Shields,  with  a 
view  of  her  purchase  for  the  China  trade.  She 
was  a  3,000-ton  vessel,  of  which  he  was  afterward 
commander.  In  1883,  being  then  in  the  China 
coasting  trade,  he  left  Hong  Kong,  with  600 
Chinamen,  a  crew  of  thirty  men  and  twelve 
Ciiina  doctors.  On  the  eighth  day  out  chicken- 
pox  was  reported,  which  was  later  found  to  be 
the  dread  small-pox,  and  for  sixty-four  days  they 
were  detained  by  the  Hawaiian  Government 
oflicials  before  being  allowed  to  discharge  their 
cargo  at  Honolulu  and  proceed  to  Vancouver's 
Island.  For  fourteen  days  more  they  were  de- 
tained there  before  being  allowed  to  dock  and 
discharge  cargo.  He  then  steamed  away  for 
Tacotna,  Buget  Sound,  for  coal;  but  finding  they 
would  be  delayed,  he  went  to  Seattle,  and  so  on 
to  San  Francisco,  where  they  arrived  in  August, 
1888.  The  Captain  left  the  steamer  there,  de- 
termined to  take  no  more  chancjs  on  the  sea, 
but  to  build  a  home,  and  to  enjoy  a"  least  some 


of  the  rewards  so  richly  earned,  to  live  with  his 
family  henceforth  and  to  enjoy  the  society  of 
his  children;  for,  out  of  the  entire  fourteen 
years  of  married  life  in  which  he  had  followed  the 
sea,  only  aliout  six  months  had  been  spent  on 
shore.  He  purchased  a  farm  near  lone,  sent  for 
his  family,  disposed  of  his  interest  in  the  va- 
rious vessels  which  he  had  acquired  by  patient 
industry,  and  in  the  following  February  he  be- 
came a  farmer  in  the  golden  State  of  California. 
Here  he  remained  until  March  1, 18S8,  when  he 
moved  his  family  to  the  city  of  Sacramento  and 
engaged  in  the  grain  business  on  J  street.  The 
Bradley  family  is  aTi  old  one,  his  father,  John 
Bradley,  having  been  master  mechanic  for  Will- 
iam Lund,  of  Keiglitley,  for  twenty-five  years. 
Mrs.  Bradley  is  a  laJy  of  culture  and  refine- 
ment, the  daughter  of  Captain  John  Openshaw 
Cormack,  of  Sunderland,  England. 


--^m 


-^^■- 


tLFRED  BRIGGS,  rancher,  was  born  in  the 
town  of  Skaneateles,  Onondaga  County, 
New  York,  September  11,  1820,  son  of 
Samuel  and  Anna  (Wilkie)  Briggs,  both  natives 
also  of  that  State.   His  grandfather,  John  Briggs, 


was  a  a  native  of  Vermont,  and,  after 


Jang 


h- 


ter  Betsey  was  born,  emigrated  in  pioneer  times 
to  the  frontier  in  New  York  State,  locating  at  a 
place  called  New  Albany,  where  a  number  of 
his  children  were  born,  among  whom  was  Sam- 
uel, the  next  to  the  eldest.  A  few  years  later 
he  returned  to  Vermont,  and  in  1800  to  New 
York  again.  He  was  a  soldier  in  the  Revolu- 
tionary War.  Samuel  Briggs  was  born  in  1789. 
When  grown  up  he  received  a  piece  of  land 
from  his  father,  and  afterward  bought  other 
tracts.  This,  farm  contained  110  acres,  and  was 
about  half  a  mile  from  the  foot  of  Skaneateles 
Lake,  the  town  of  the  same  name  being  situated 
on  both  sides  of  the  lake  at  the  outlet.  It  is 
now  in  the  possession  of  Courtland  Briggs,  the 
youngest  son.  In  early  days  the  family  were 
surrounded  by  frietidly  Indians  of  several  tribes. 


id    here  Samuel  Ijrought  n 


His 


HISTORY    OF    SACRAMENTO    COUNTY. 


lioiise  fionted  on  the  old  Genesee  road  i-uiining 
from  Albany  to  Bufialo,  which  was  the  first 
made  through  the  country,  a  distance  of  about 
300  miles.  Along  this  road  were  a  number  of 
"  taverns,"  some  of  them  kept  by  Indians- 
"When  thirty  years  of  age  Mr.  Samuel  Briggs 
married  Miss  Anna  Wilkie.  Her  mother  was 
born  in  New  Amsterdam,  of  Mohawk  Dutch 
descent.  She  died  in  1841,  and  her  husband 
survived  till  about  1867.  They  had  four  cliil- 
dren,  all  sons,  namely:  Alfred,  Frederick, 
Charles  and  Courtland,  of  whom  the  eldest  and 
youngest  onlj'  are  living.  Alfred  Briggs  lived 
with  his  parents  and  in  the  vicinity  of  his  home 
until  he  was  twenty-five  years  of  age,  working 
on  his  father's  farm  and  clerking  for  his  uncle 
in  a  flouring  mill  and  distillery.  That  mill  in 
those  days  turned  out  about  100  barrels  of  flour 
a  day.  In  the  distillery  high  wines  exclusively 
were  manufactured,  which  were  shipped  to  New 
York.  In  1845  Mr.  Briggs  went  to  Chicago 
and  different  places  in  Indiana.  His  brother 
Frederick  was  keeping  a  store  at  Eochester,  In- 
diana, with  whom  he  remained  for  a  time,  re- 
turning in  the  fall  to  New  York.  In  July, 
1846,  he  again  went  to  Rochester,  Irdiana,  and 
engaged  as  a  clerk  in  a  dry-goods  store  three 
months,  or  until  November,  when  he  went  to 
the  lead  mines  in  La  Fayette  County,  Wiscon- 
sin, which  is  in  the  southwest  corner  of  the 
State.  He  followed  mining  there  about  eight- 
een months,  then  entered  the  store  at  Shulls- 
burg  as  clerk,  where  he  shortly  afterward  to(A 
an  interest  in  the  business,  under  the  firm  name 
of  Briggs  &  McNulty.  At  the  end  of  four 
years  the  gold  excitement  of  California  carried 
him  away  with  the  rushing  crowd  toward  the 
El  Dorado.  Having  seen  some  '49ers  who  had 
been  here  and  returned,  biinging  the  news 
direct,  in  April,  1850,  he  and  a  cousin,  William 
Billings,  started  by  way  of  St.  Joseph,  Missouri, 
and  came  through  on  the  Salt  Lake  route.  At 
St.  Joseph  they  found  many  old  acquaintances, 
that  point  being  a  great  rendezvous  for  Western 
travel,  and  the  final  point  of  preparation  and 
departure    through    the    unknown    wilds    that 


stretched  inimitably  before  the  eager  gold  hunt- 
ers. They  joined  a  train  of  six  or  seven  wagons, 
commanded  by  Abram  Woodard,  an  old  settler 
in  this  county  whose  sketcli*  appears  in  this 
work.  Mr.  Briggs  celebrated  the  4th  of  July  in 
Salt  Lake  City,  at  agrand  dinner  furnished  by  the 
Mormons,  who  made  a  business  of  feeding  im- 
migrants. Here  the  party  rested  a  few  days. 
They  left  the  valley  July  10,  taking  the  Mor- 
mon route,  and  using  the  Mormon  guide  book, 
which  was  the  best  one  published  at  that  time. 
They  soon  met  two  men  from  the  Woodard 
train  returning  to  Salt  Lake  for  provisions.  The 
company  were  suflPering  considerably  on  the 
route  of  the  Sublette  cut-off,  and  these  two  men 
announced  their  intention  to  go  with  this  com- 
pany instead  of  pursuing  the  cut-off  any  further. 
Flour  at  that  time  was  $50  a  hundred  weight, 
and  cornmeal  $25;  a  pint  of  brandy  would  buy 
fifty  pounds  of  flour.  Brandy,  coftee  and  sugar 
commanded  almost  any  price  in  Salt  Lake  City. 
The  Mormons  had  made  considerable  money 
from  returning  Calitornians  and  money  was 
scarcely  an  object  with  them.  On  reaching  the 
Sink  of  the  Humboldt  they  loaded  Mr.  Briggs' 
wagon  with  hay  and  water,  leaving  the  other 
wagons  there  and  packing  the  other  animals 
Each  one  on  liis  horse,  they  thus  reached  Rag- 
town,  where  they  recruited,  paying  a  "bit"  a 
pound  for  hay.  Crossing  the  mountains  tlirough 
the  Carson  Canon  the}' reached  Johnson's  ranch, 
where  they  sold  their  horses,  saddles,  etc.,  and 
commenced  mining.  Mr.  Briggs'  mining  ex- 
perience would  be  a  history  of  itself.  He  was 
generally  lucky — indeed  so  much  so  that  others 
used  to  say,  -'Wherever  Briggs  goes  it  will  pay 
you  to  follow."  Altogether  he  took  out  of  the 
mines  probably  about  $150,000.  Being  of  a 
free-hearted  nature,  he  has  been  very  liberal 
with  his  fortune.  He  followed  the  business 
about  fourteen  years  in  El  Dorado  County,  dur- 
ing which  time  he  was  married,  and  for  five  or 
six  years  lived  on  a  ranch;  but  this  being  nearly 
all  mining  land,  he  paid  but  little  attention  to 
farming.  In  the  spring  of  1864  lie  came  to 
Sacramento  County,  and  a  year  afterward  pur- 


BISTORT    OF    SACRAMENTO    COUNTY. 


chased  his  present  place  in  Sutter  and  Brighton 
townships.  It  contains  185  acres,  well  improved 
and  in  a  good  state  of  cultivation.  Politically 
Mr.  Briggs  was  «in  former  years  a  Democrat. 
In  1853  he  was  elected  to  the  Assembly  from 
El  Dorado  County,  and  in  1858  he  was  again 
elected,  on  the  anti-Lecompton  ticket  (anti- 
slavery)  to  the  same  position.  He  has  accord- 
ingly been  a  supporter  of  the  Republican  party 
ever  since  it  was  organized.  In  1864,  through 
the  influence  of  John  Conness,  of  El  Dorado 
County,  then  United  States  Senator,  Mr.  Briggs 
received  from  Abraham  Lincoln  the  appoint- 
ment of  Collector  of  Internal  Revenue  for  the 
Fourth  District  of  California,  which  position  he 
held  nine  years,  having  his  ofKce  in  Sacramento. 
For  the  past  twenty-one  years  Mr.  Briggs  has 
been  a  member  of  Tehama  Lodge,  No.  3,  F.  &  A. 
M.,  of  Sacramento.  October  18,  1854,  is  the 
date  of  Mr.  Briggs'  marriage  to  Mary  A.  Lucas, 
who  died  July  15,  1870,  the  mother  of  six  chil- 
dren, namely:  Helen  M.,  Charles  W.,  Anna  E., 
John  C,  George  F.,  and  Alfred,  Jr.  The  three 
youngest  are  deceased,  and  the  living  are  all 
residents  of  this  State.  Mr.  Briggs  was  again 
married  October  28,  1873,  to  Mary  E.  Dough- 
erty, and  by  this  marriage  there  are  three  chil- 
dren,— Bertha,  Alfred  and  Clara. 


V^ 


I^IRAM  CHASE,  a  farmer  of  Dry  Creek 
1^^  Township,  was  born  November  16,  1824, 
■^11  in  Saratoga  County,  New  York.  His 
father,  Abner  Chase,  was  a  native  of  Vermont, 
was  in  early  years  engaged  in  the  manufacture 
of  clothiTig,  and  afterward  was  a  lumber  mer- 
chant most  of  the  time  during  the  remainder  of 
his  life.  He  died  in  Cattaraagus  County,  New 
York,  at  the  advanced  age  of  ninety-one  years. 
He  was  an  energetic  man  in  business,  much  in- 
terested in  politics  but  never  aspiring  to  office. 
For  his  wife  he  had  married  Mary  Cox,  also  a 
native  of  New  York;  she  died  at  the  age  of 
seventy-two  years.  There  were  five  sons  and 
two  daughters  in    their  family.      The  sons  were 


C.  C,  Homer,  Hiram,  Henry  and  Charles.  All 
except  Charles  are  still  living,  and  in  the  East- 
ern States.  Hiram  was  brought  up  on  a  farm 
in  New  York  and  also  trained  in  the  lumber 
business,  following  this  until  he  was  twenty- 
eight  years  of  age,  then,  in  1852,  came  to  Cali- 
fornia. Starting  for  the  coast  he  was  at  first  in  a 
large  train,  but  afterward  he  and  two  others  came 
on  with  one  mule.  After  stopping  in  Placerville 
for  a  short  time  he  came  into  Dry  Creek  Town- 
ship and  rented  a  ranch  of  William  L.  Mclntyre 
on  shares.  Ono  year  afterward  he  took  a  farm 
in  San  Joaquin.  Selling  this,  he  entered  into 
partnership  with  a  son  of  Mclntyre  in  a  ranch 
on  his  land,  and  remained  there  until  1857  when 
he  went  East,  by  way  of  Panama,  and  visited  in 
New  York  State;  and  there  he  was  married,  in 
1859,  to  Miss  Amanda,  daughter  of  Simon  and 
Fanny  (Flagg)  Frazer.  Her  grandfather  was  a 
soldier  in  the  British  army.  Both  her  parents 
were  natives  of  Vermont.  In  1869  Mr.  Chase 
returned  to  California,  by  way  of  the  Union  and 
Central  Pacific  railroads,  intending  to  settle  at 
Los  Angeles;  but,  finding  so  many  of  his  old 
friends  in  Sacramento  County  beseeching  him 
to  remain  here,  he  yielded  to  their  persuasive 
arguments.  Accordingly  he  purchased  his  pres- 
ent ranch  of  160  acres,  from  John  McFarland, 
then  a  part  of  the  Sharon  grant.  This  farm  he 
has  improved  until  he  has  made  it  one  of  the 
best  in  the  country,  it  being  a  model  of  comfort 
and  neatness.  He  is  now  gradually  converting 
it  into  vineyard  and  orchard.  Mr.  Chase  has 
been  a  member  of  the  I.  O.  O.  F.  since  1848, 
being  now  connected  with  the  Phoenix  Lodge  at 
Gait.  Of  his  four  children  only  two  are  living: 
Fanny,  wife  of  S.  M.  Fulton,  and  John  C,  liv- 
ing on  the  home  place. 

^^-^ — 

fAMES  H.  COSTELO  was  born  in  Phila- 
delphia, October  9,  1837,  son  of  John  and 
Mary  (Costelo)  Costelo.  He  worked  at  the 
blacksmith  trade  in  his  native  State  until  1855, 
when  he  went  to  Linn  County,   Iowa,  where  he 


HISTORY    OF    SACRAMENTO    COUNTY. 


719 


remained  five  years.  In  1860  he  moved  to  Den- 
ver, Colorado,  where  he  remained  two  years  and 
eight  months  employed  at  his  trade.  In  1862 
he  started  for  Calitbrnia  with  mule  teams.  He 
was  accompanied  by  liis  family,  father  and 
mother  and  two  hired  men.  The  trip  occupied 
only  sixty-two  days.  They  arrived  in  Sacra- 
mento September  21, 1862,  Just  before  the  State 
fair  of  tliat  year.  James  Costelo  remained  in 
Sacramento  three  months  working  at  his  trade, 
tlien  leased  the  Daylor  ranch  on  the  Cosumnes 
River,  where  he  remained  two  years.  He  then 
leased  a  ranch  in  Napa  County  and  lost  $4,000 
during  the  year  he  stayed  there.  In  1865  lie 
moved  to  Sacramento  and  purchased  a  ranch 
located  fourteen  miles  from  Sacramento  at  old 
Elk  Grove.  He  also  runs  a  blacksmith  shop. 
He  was  married,  in  January,  1862,  to  Miss 
Sarah  L.  Shockley,  a  native  of  Ohio,  whose 
parents  came  to  California  in  1862  with  Mr. 
Costelo.  Mrs.  Costelo's  mother  resides  with 
them,  aged  seventy-four  years.  In  their  family 
are  eight  children:  Hatlie  B.,  George  L.,  Levy 
S.,  Raymond  V.,  deceased,  Clarence,  Nellie, 
Edna  and  Walter.  Mr.  Costelo  is  now  paying 
his  attention  to  the  raising  of  tine  horses,  and  he 
has  some  splendid  specimens  of  the  noble  animal 
on  his  ranch.  The  ranch  is  in  a  fine  state  of 
cultivation.  He  belongs  to  the  Elk  Grove 
I.  O.  O.  F.,  No.  274,  Grange,  and  Occidental 
Encampment,-of  Sacramento. 

^-3-.^ 


fINCENTO  CASELLI,  orchardist,  was 
born  in  Tuscany,  Italy,  August  16,  1835, 
a  son  of  Pasquale  Caselli,  who  died  Nov- 
ember 21,  1888,  at  the  age  of  eiglity-seven  years. 
His  mother  died  October  19,  1887,  at  the  age  of 
seventy-eight  years.  When  seventeen  years  old 
he  sailed  for  America  and  spent  the  first  year  in 
New  York,  manufacturing  images  from  plaster 
of  Paris.  Next  year  he  came  to  California  by 
the  Nicaragua  route,  landing  in  San  Francisco 
in  August,  and  on  the  coast  he  spent  the  first 
vear    among    the    mines    in   Sonora.     Tiien  he 


raised  vegetables  three  years  at  San  Francisco, 
and  then  engaged  in  iarming  in  this  county. 
He  was  five  years  on  rented  land  on  the  Sacra- 
mento River  in  Sutter  Township,  and  then 
bought  seventy-two  acres  about  two  miles  below 
the  Riverside  House  and  there  carried  on  farm- 
ing and  vegetable  gardening  about  ten  years. 
Selling  this  place,  he  returned  to  Italy  to  visit, 
his  parents.  After  thirteen  months  of  absence 
he  rented  a  place  below  Sutterville,  where  the 
old  brewery  was,  and  remained  there  two  years; 
and  finally,  in  1876,  he  purchased  his  present 
place  between  the  upper  and  lower  Stockton 
roads,  consisting  of  sixty  acres  and  devoted 
mostly  to  fruit;  twenty-tliree  acres  are  in  vine- 
yard, three  acres  in  orchard  of  different  kinds  of 
fruit,  especially  the  small  fruits.  Much  credit 
is  due  Mr.  Caselli  for  the  industry  and  economy 
by  which  he  has  increased  his  worldly  posses- 
sions from  nothing  to  the  comfortable  boreie 
which  he  now  enjoys.  His  family  are  all  indus- 
trious laborers.  Mr.  Caselli  was  married,  in 
1861,  to  Mary  Nevis,  a  native  of  Portugal,  who 
died  September  20,  1877,  at  the  age  of  thirty- 
five  years.  Mr.  Caselli  has  had  six  child I'en, 
named  Alfred,  Maggie,  Albert,  Emanuel,  Belle 
and  Flora.  Belle  was  born  in  Italy  and  the 
others  in  this  county. 


-J«S- 


ILLIAM  CARROLL,  an  enterprising 
and  successful  farmer  of  Lee  Township, 
was  born  in  1833,  in  Canada  East, 
about  forty-five  miles  from  Montreal,  in  a  settle- 
ment almost  entirely  Catholic,  known  as  St. 
Colnmban.  His  parents,  William  and  Cather- 
ine (Cunningham)  Carroll,  were  both  Irish,  the 
father  being  a  native  of  Fermanagh,  and  the 
I  mother  of  Longford.  They  were  married  in 
I  New  York  State  about  1828,  and  their  oldest 
child  was  born  there,  being  about  two  years  old 
when  they  settled  at  St.  Columban's  in  1831. 
They  were  the  parents  of  ten  sons  and  two 
daughters,  all  living  in  1889,  except  one,  who 
died  at  the  age  of  f(jurteen.     William   received 


BISTORT    OF    SACRAMENTO    COUNTY. 


the  usual  education  of  what  was  the  equivalent 
of  our  district  schools,  but  with  a  certain  fee  or 
contribution  attachment.  At  the  age  of  nine- 
teen or  twenty  he  hired  out  as  a  steamboat 
hand,  and  worked  at  diiferent  lines  of  work 
until  he  was  twentj-five.  In  the  fall  of  1858 
he  set  out  for  California  by  tiie  way  of  New 
York  and  Cape  Horn,  arriving  in  San  Francisco 
in  March,  1859,  after  a  voyage  of  133  days 
from  New  York,  in  tlie  clipper  ship  Gray 
Feather.  He  engaged  in  the  sheep-raising 
business  un  Government  land,  free  to  all,  until 
he  bought  a  possessory  right  in  1863,  part 
liomestead  and  part  purchased  from  the  rail- 
road, which  he  increased  by  further  purchase  at 
intervals  until  he  owned  720  acres.  About 
1881  he  sold  320  acres,  making  his  present 
holding  about  400  acres,  on  which  he  raises  the 
usual  grain  crops.  He  was  married  in  1878  to 
Mrs.  Lucy  (Scanlan)  Kavanaugh,  a  native  of 
Kerry,  Ireland.  Tiiey  have  no  living  children, 
but  Mrs.  Carroll  is  the  mother,  by  her  previous 
marriage,  of  two,  a  son  and  daughter,  the  latter 
now  being  Mrs.  Louis  K.  Caliison,  of  San  Jose. 


fHARLES  TRAVER.— Among  those  who, 
coming  to  California  in  the  early  days, 
have  amassed  a  fortune  and  become  promi- 
nent as  representative  men  in  this  "the  land  of 
golden  promise,"  the  subject  of  tliis  sketcli 
ranks  among  the  most  widely  and  favorably 
known.  The  story  of  his  life  carries  with  it  a 
lesson  fully  illustrating  what  may  be  accom- 
plished, even  under  adverse  circumstances,  by 
perseverance  and  well-directed  energy.  He  was 
born  at  Cincinnati,  Ohio,  and  was  but  a  child 
when  taken  to  South  Bend,  Indiana,  where  he 
was  raised  in  the  family  of  a  cousin,  and  worked 
in  a  brick  yard,  receiving  little  or  no  I'udiment- 
ary  education.  At  the  age  of  sixteen  years  he 
ran  away  from  home  and  found  employment 
upon  the  river  and  elsewhere;  this  was  in  1841. 
In  1844  his  cousin,  starting  for  Oregon,  desired 
him    to   accompmy  him,   but   he  decided  to  re- 


main in  South  Bend,  and  was  there  united  in 
marriage  to  Miss  Dillie  Day,  a  daughter  of  Cap- 
tain Lot  Day,  a  farmer.  As  he  grew  up  he  be- 
came acquainted  with  Charles  Crocker  (since 
noted),  who  came  from  the  same  place.  South 
Bend,  and  they  were  friends  prior  to  coming  to 
California,  as  well  as  since.  In  1850,  in  com- 
pany with  his  wife  and  a  party  made  up  at 
St)Uth  Bend,  he  started  out  for  California,  over- 
land. Schuyler  Colfax,  afterward  Yice-Presi- 
deiit  of  the  United  States,  being  then  a  warm 
personal  friend,  made  them  a  farewell  speech  as 
they  started  on  the  then  long  journey.  Their 
train,  consisting  of  thirty-two  ox  teams,  made 
quite  an  imposing  array.  On  this,  his  first 
journey  across  the  plains  (he  has  made  three 
altogether),  Mr.  Traver  walked  every  step  of  the 
way  and  carried  his  rifle  on  his  siioulders. 
Crossing  the  Missouri  River  at  Council  Bluffs, 
the  party  proceeded  up  on  the  north  side  of  the 
Platte,  to  Salt  Lake,  and  by  way  of  Goose  Creek, 
the  head  of  the  Humboldt,  etc.,  to  Hangtown, 
arriving  August  12,  having  been  something  over 
four  months  on  the  road.  During  the  follow- 
ing year  (1851)  his  father-in-law.  Captain  Day, 
came  across  the  plains  and  settled  at  Stockton, 
San  Joaquin  County,  where  Mr.  Traver  and 
wife  joined  him.  Remaining  there  till  the  fall 
of  that  year,  they  went  to  the  Cosumnes  and 
rented  the  Slough  Ht)use,  which  had  been  kept 
by  Daley  &  Sheldon.  Daley  had  died  in  the 
fall  of  1850,  of  cholera,  and  Sheldon,  a  man  of 
irascible  temper,  had  made  himself  unpopular 
and  was  shot  during  the  following  spring.  Mr. 
Traver  kept  the  Slough  House  till  the  winter  of 
1853,  when  he  crossed  over  into  i^ilo  County 
and  took  up  a  homestead,  where  for  fourteen 
years  he  made  his  home,  until  he  took  up  his 
residence  permanently  in  the  Capital  City.  Mr. 
Traver  was  one  of  the  first  in  the  State  to  raise 
grain.  In  1852  he  paid  sixteen  cents  a  pound 
for  seed  barley,  sowed  it,  cut  it  all  himself  with 
a  cradle,  and  hired  Indians  to  rake  and  bind  it, 
and  in  this  primitive  and  laborious  manner 
secured  the  first  crop.  When  in  1860,  upon 
the    completion    of   the    Masonic    Temple,    the 


HISTORY    OF    SACRAMENTO    COUNTY. 


county   court-rooms    were    removed    from    t^je 
building  at  the  corner  of  Ninth  and   K  streets 
to  that  edifice,  Mr.  Toll  remodeled  his  building 
and  fitted  it  up  as  a  hotel,  and  in  doing  so  be- 
came involved.     The   property  came    into  the 
possession  of  L.  M.  Curtis  and  Mr.  Traver,  and 
after  the  floods  of  1861-'62,  when    the   water 
stood  on  the  first  floor  of  the  building  as  high 
as  the  bar.  they  refitted   and  refurnished   it  for 
one  Judy,  who  kept  it  for  a  time.    It  was  after- 
ward kept  by  James  Shoemaker  for  two  years. 
Curtis  &  Traver  then  bought  the  lot,  forty  feet 
on  K  street  and  120  feet  on  Seventh,  making 
altogether  100  X  120  feet.     In  1868   the  entire 
building    was    remodeled,   and    has    since   been 
known  as  the  Capitol  Hotel,  one  of  the  finest  in 
the  city.     When  in  1864  Mr.  Traver  inoved   in 
from   the    ranch,   he  did    so    in    order   to   take 
charge  of   the    hotel;  but    he    soon  leased  the 
property  to  Mr.  Day,  a  brother-in-law,  who  ran 
the  house  until  he  was  succeeded  a  few  years 
later  by  Messi-s.  Blessing  &  Guthrie,  the  present 
proprietors.     Of   the    later    enterprises    which 
liave  engaged   the  attention  of  Mr.  Traver,  the 
"Seventy-six    Land    and    Water   Company"  of 
Fresuo  County,  and    building  of   the  town   of 
Traver  on  the  Southern   Pacific  road,  must  re- 
ceive at  least  a  passing  notice.     Having  pur- 
chased a  large  tract  of  land  in   Fresno  County, 
midway  between  the  city  of  Fresno  and  Tulare, 
he  conceived  the  idea  of  bringing  the  water  of 
King's  River,  thirty-two  miles  distant   for  pur- 
poses of  irrigation,  and  a  ditch  100  feet  wide  at 
the  bottom  was  constructed   and  proved   a  per- 
fect success.     In  1884  the  town  of  Traver  was 
laid  out,  a  station  and  other  buildings  erected, 
and  at  the  first  day's  sale  of  town  lots  in  April 
that   year  $27,000  was   realized;  and  such  was 
the  rapid  development  of  this  section,  due  to  the 
abundant  supply  of  water,  that  in  1885  more 
wheat  was   shipped   from    Traver    station  than 
from  any  other  point  on  the    Southern    Pacific 
Railroad.     Mr.  Traver  lias   been  a   Freemason 
since  1849,  being  a  charter  member  of  Castwell 
Lodge,  of  South    Bend,   Indiana,  and    an   Odd 
Fellow  since  1886,  being  a  member  of  Enrekii 


Lodge,  No.  4,  and  of  Encampment  No.  2,  of 
this  city.  Such  in  brief  is  the  outline  of  the 
history  of  one  of  Sacramento's  most  successful 
and  honored  citizens,  who  began  life  without  a 
dollar,  and  who  arrived  on  this  coast  forty  years 
ago  without  a  business  acquaintance  or  a  friend; 
yet  such  ha?  been  the  success  of  his  life  that  it 
is  with  pleasure  that  we  accord  to  him  a  promi- 
nent place  in  this  historic  volume  of  a  county 
with  which  he  has  been  so  closely  identified  for 
so  many  years. 

'^■^■'^ 

fHOMAS  HOLDER,  proprietor  of  the  City 
Hotel,  Sacramento,  is  a  native  of  Eng- 
t  land,  born  at  Bath,  Somersetshire,  on  the 
28th  of  August,  1832,  his  parents  being  John 
and  Ann  (Challenger)  Holder.  The  name  origi- 
nates from  the  Tower  Holders  of  London  (time 
of  the  great  fire  of  1666).  Thomas  Holder  was 
reared  and  educated  at  Bath,  and  served  two 
years  at  the  confectionery  business.  He  then 
went  to  London,  where  he  was  for  four  years 
under  the  noted  Sawyer,  of  the  Reform  Club. 
He  then  went  to  Australia,  under  engagement 
with  the  Melbourne  Club,  of  Melbourne,  where 
he  was  given  charge,  though  only  twenty  years 
of  a^e.  In  the  meantime  his  father,  who  was 
on  his  way  to  Australia,  went  down  with  the 
George  Tayleur  in  the  Irish  Channel,  and  our 
subject  went  back  to  England  to  take  his 
mother  to  Australia..  He  took  her  to  Geelong, 
Victoria,  where  he  opened  a  large  confectionery 
establishment.  There  his  mother  died.  He 
closed  out  the  business,  and  accepted  a  commis- 
sion to  travel  in  the  interests  of  the  Govern- 
ment. During  his  service  in  this  capacity  he 
had  some  adventures  which  he  will  never  for- 
get. He  started  with  the  ill-fated  Bnrke  and 
Wills'  scientific  expedition  in  1860,  to  explore 
the  continent  of  Australia  in  a  line  from  its 
southern  to  its  northern  borders.  When  they 
arrived  at  the  Barcoo,  on  Cooper  Creek,  a  depot 
was  formed,  and  Mr.  Holder  and  others  were 
left  there,  while  Robert  O'Hara  Burke,  William 


722 


HISTORY    OF    SACRAMENTO    COUNTY. 


John  Wills  (of  the  Melbourne  Observatory)  and 
two  others,  named  Gray  and  King,  proceeded  on 
across  the  desert,  leaving  the  rest,  on  the   16th 
of  December,  taking   a  horse  and   six   camels. 
They  accomplislied  their  task,  and  started  back. 
Gray  died    on    the  way,  on  the  16th  of  April. 
Five  days  later  the  others  reached   the  Barcoo. 
But  as  misfortune  would  have  it,  they  had  been 
given  up  for  lost  by  Mr.  Holder,  and  those  with 
him,  who  had  taken  their  departure  only  a  few 
hours  before    the    three  reached    there.     They 
wandered  about;  Burke  and  "Wills  died  of  star- 
vation, and    King  fell    in   with   some  friendly 
blacks,  with  whom  he  was  found  by  a  relief  ex- 
liedition.     On  another  occasion  Mr.  Plolder  had 
a   terrible  experience  on   the  west  coast  of  New 
Zealand.     With  a  party  of  sixty  he  was  landed 
at  Bruce's  Bay  by  the  ship  William  Misken,  for 
the  purpose  of  exploring  and  prospecting.  There 
is  a  promontory  there,  running  well  out  into  the 
sea,  and  this  was  supposed  to  be  the  end  of  the 
gold  diggings.    They  met  with  disaster  in  many 
respects.     Most   of  them   started    to  return  by 
land,  but  that  way  there  were  nine  snow  rivers 
to  cross.     A  whale   boat   had   been   left    them, 
and    Mr.    Holder   and    eight    others    took   tiie 
.    boat,  and  four  out  of  that   number  manned  it. 
They  ran  out  of  provisions  and  water,  and  were 
eight  days  and   nine   nights  at  sea  in  the  open 
boat,  when    they  were  finally  picked   up  by  the 
steamer   "Claude    Hamilton,'"   off   Cape    Foul- 
weather,   and    taken    to    Nelson.     Mr.    Holder 
then  engaged   in  trading  between  Nelson  and 
Okitiki.     He    was  so   engaged    for  about   five 
months   when   he  went   to   Melbourne,  and  was 
then   called    to  Sydney  to  take   the  position  of 
manager  of  the  Australian  Club.     He  held  that 
position  for  six  years,  and  gave  it  up  to  take  the 
P»er   Hotel  at   Manley  Beach,  nine  miles  from 
Sydney.     When    he   closed   there   he  left  Aus- 
tralia  with    the  intention   of  visiting  England 
with    his  wife  and  family,  but   arriving  at   San 
P^-ancisco  concluded  to  remain  there.   He  opened 
the  City  Bouffe  on    Kearny   street,    one  of  the 
greatest  oyster-houses    and    restaurants   of   the 
day.      He  next    went   to   Portland,  Oregon,  and 


opened  the  Maison  Dore,  but  afterward  returned 
to  San  Francisco,  and  opened  the  large  London 
and  Glasgow  pie  establishment,  wholesale  and 
retail,  on  Valencia  street,  where  he  himself  sold 
as  iiigh  as  1,000  pies  on  the  street  per  night. 
He  next  leased  the  Neptune  Gardens,  Alameda, 
from  the  railroad  company,  and  conducted 
them  one  season.  Following  this,  in  1886,  he 
came  to  Sacramento,  and  opened  the  City  Hotel 
and  had  it  ready  for  the  accommodation  of  fair 
visitors,  a  big  undertaking,  for  the  small  amount 
of  time  he  had.  His  great  experience  as  a 
caterer  gives  liim  an  immense  advantage  in  the 
operation  of  a  hotel,  and  he  has  built  up  the 
trade  of  his  house  from  nothing  to  its  present 
large  proportions.  Mr.  Holder  was  married  in 
Australia,  April  11, 1871,  to  Miss  Minnie  Shay, 
a  native  of  Australia.  They  have  had  eight 
children,  of  whom  four  are  living,  viz.:  Thomas 
Percival,  Ernest  John,  Ellen  Louise  and  William 
Oscar.  Mr.  Holder  is  an  enterprising  7nan, 
and  In  his  business  has  made  a  name  for  him- 
self in  more  than  one  country.  He  has  had  an 
eventful  life,  and  one  well  worth  the  writing. 


'■■^■3";' 


tENRY    C.     ROSS,    supervisor    of  Sacra- 
mento.    No    State  in    the   Union,   indeed 
1.0  country  in  the  world,  can   equal  Cali- 
!   furnia   in   the  history  of   her   sons,   who    from 
!    small  beginnings  have,  by  enterprise  and  good 
judgment,   advanced    to  positions    of  eminence 
1   and  affluence.      A  good   illustration  of  this  re- 
1    mark  is  the  life  of  the  subject  of  this  sketch, 
j   who  was   born   in   the  little  village  of  Camden, 
Preble    County,    Ohio,    December    28,    1834. 
When  he  was  a  child   his  father,  Charles  Ross, 
1   a  native  of  Pennsylvania,  died.      His    mother, 
I   Lois  (Ladd)  Ross,  also  a   Pennsylvanian,  after- 
ward was  again  married.      His  opportunities  for 
]   a  school  education  were  greatly  limited,  as  he 
j   had  but  the  winter  seasi>n8  for  a  few  years  in 
I    which  to  attend  school.      With   the  noble  pluck 
I   characteristic  of  the  Scotch  ancestry,  from  which 
!    lie  sprang,  he  determined   to  learn  some  useful 


HISTORy    OF    SACRAMENTO    COUNTY. 


trade  with  which  to  fight  the  battle  of  life.  Ac- 
cordingly, he  entered  as  an  apprentice  with 
Wysold  &  Pierce,  a  tirm  of  masons,  served  his 
time  and  becanje  an  expert  bricklayer.  Early 
in  1850  his  iialf- brother,  C.  W.  Pierce,  had 
come  to  California,  and,  in  connection  with  B. 
F.  Alexander,  established  the  firm  of  Pierce  & 
Alexander,  contractors  and  builders,  in  the  city 
of  Sacramento.  In  1852  Mr.  Pierce  returned 
to  Ohio  on  a  visit,  and  his  account  of  the 
"golden"  opportunities  to  be  had  in  this  lo- 
cality induced  Mr.  Ross  tu  accompany  him  back 
to  this  State.  Coming  by  way  of  the  Nicaragua 
route,  tiiey  arrived  here  in  April,  1853.  Mr. 
Eoss,  being  a  skilled  workman,  readily  found 
employment  at  $12  a  day.  But  as  money  could 
be  made  much  more  i-apidly  in  the  cattle  trade, 
Mr.  Ross,  in  company  with  his  half-brother,  en- 
gaged in  that  business,  buying  their  stock  in 
t-ie  lower  counties  of  the  State  and  driving 
them  across  the  country  to  Sacramento,  to  sup- 
ply the  demand  occasioned  by  the  mining  ope- 
rations upon  the  Sacramento  River  and  other 
mining  districts,  whose  base  of  supply  was  at 
this  point.  In  this  business  he  continued  until 
1859,  when,  having  accumulated  a  handsome 
sum  and  become  weary  of  the  arduous  duties 
connected  with  the  cattle  trade,  he  went  to  the 
Cosumnes  River,  in  what  is  now  Lee  ToA'nship, 
and  purchased  a  ranch  of  600  acres;  and  it  was 
during  this  time,  October  3,  1859,  that  he  was 
married  to  Miss  Rachel  A.  Bailey,  daughter  of 
Joshua  T.  Bailey,  a  pioneer  wlio  crossed  the 
plains  from  Wisconsin  in  1849,  and  settled  in 
Brighton  Township,  where  he  died.  Mr.  Ross 
has  continued  to  live  upon  this  ranch  for  nearly 
thirty  years,  peaceful,  happy  and  prosperous. 
Trials  come,  it  is  true,  for  none  escape  them. 
His  first  son,  Augustus,  after  gladdening  their 
hearts  for  six  brief  years,  died  and  was  buried 
here.  Four  other  sons  and  four  daughters  have 
been  born  in  this  family.  On  the  16th  of  No- 
vember, 1887,  their  mother  passed  to  her  eter- 
nal rest,  leaving  a  record  of  a  well-spent  life  in 
the  hearts  of  those  who  knew  her.  Mr.  Ross 
has  been,  and  is,  an  outspoken  Democrat  in  his 


political  sympathies;  and  the  fact  that  his  sup- 
porters in  public  office  are  also  derived  largely 
from  the  Republican  ranks  speaks  volumes  in 
his  favor.  His  district  is  strongly  Republican; 
but  when  in  1885  he  received  the  nomination  of 
his  party  for  the  responsible  position  of  super- 
visor of  Sacramento  County,  in  the  election  that 
followed  he  was  complimented  with  the  hand- 
some majority  of  150  votes.  During  his  term 
of  service  he  was  the  only  Democratic  member 
of  the  Board.  He  is  a  member  of  the  order  of 
Patrons  of  Husbandry',  and  of  Gait  Encamp- 
ment, No.  239,  I.  O.  0.  F. ;  and  is  also  a  member 
of  the  Caledonian  Club. 

^,    • ;i  .^  .t.  r^.  f  .        •     „ 


fRANK  MECKFESSEL,  of  Sacramento,  is 
a  native  of  Germany,  born  ten  miles  from 
Bremen,  Hanover,  on  tiie  8th  day  of  De- 
cember, 1838,  his  parents  being  Frederick  and 
Gretchen  Meckfessel.  He  was  reared  at  his 
native  place  until  he  had  finished  his  education, 
at  the  age  of  fourteen,  and,  his  mother  having 
died  when  lie  was  only  ten  years,  he  came  to 
the  United  States  in  1852.  He  sailed  from 
Bremen  to  New  Orleans  on  the  German  vessel 
"Rebecca,"  then  proceeded  to  St.  Louis,  when 
he  again  commenced  attendance  at  school,  this 
time  for  something  over  a  year.  He  then  served 
an  apprenticeship  with  Weston  &  Herrish,  hat- 
ters, at  the  corner  of  Third  street  and  Wash- 
ington avenue.  He  remained  with  them  until 
1861,  when  he  came  out  to  California,  via  New 
York,  which  city  he  left  in  April,  on  the  steamer 
"Champion."  Crossing  the  Isthmus  of  Pan- 
ama, he  resumed  his  sea  voyage  on  the  steamer 
"  Golden  Gate,"  and  landed  at  San  Francisco 
April  26,  1861.  He  came  at  once  to  Sacramento 
and  has  resided  here  ever  since.  Since  1869  he 
has  been  engaged  in  trucking  and  by  fair  and 
honest  dealing  and  prompt  attention  to  the  calls 
of  business,  he  has  built  up  a  large  and  perma- 
nent trade,  and  a  solid  and  lasting  reputation. 
Mr.  Meckfessel  was  married  in  this  city  on  the 
25th  of  January,  1865,  to  Miss  Eliphalet  Skel- 


uisronr  of  sacmamento  county. 


ton,  a  native  of  England.  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Meck- 
fessel  have  reared  one  son — Frank,  Jr.,  a  young 
man  of  much  promise,  now  engaged  with  Hunt- 
ington, Hopkins  &  Co.,  as  stenographer.  Mr. 
Meckfessel  is  a  member  of  Schiller  Lodge,  No. 
105,  I.  O.  O.  F. 

^--3-# 

fACOB  M.  NIELSEX,  one  of  the  most 
prominent  representatives  of  the  black- 
smithing  business  in  Sacramento,  and 
brother  of  C.  Nielson,  whose  sketch  appears  else- 
where, is  a  native  of  Denmark,  born  at  Gudj- 
berg,  near  Svendborg,  on  the  22d  of  September, 
1855.  He  was  reared  there,  and  attended  school 
from  his  seventh  vear  until  he  had  reached  the 
age  of  fourteen  years.  He  then  commenced  the 
trade  of  blacksmithing,  and  served  an  appren- 
ticesliip  of  four  years.  He  also  attended  the 
King's  Veterinary  College,  at  Copenhagen,  and 
there  learned  the  trade  of  horse-healing  in  all 
its  fine  points,  having  been  sent  there  by  the 
Agricultural  Society.  When  he  was  six  months 
past  his  twenty-tirst  birthday  he  entered  an 
engineer  regiment,  in  the  army,  composed  of 
mechanics.  He  served  with  his  regiment  fifteen 
consecntive  months,  and  in  the  fall  of  the  follow- 
ing year  went  back  for  a  short  term.  In  the 
spring  of  1878  he  came  to  this  country  with 
his  brother,  C.  Nielsen.  Proceeding  by  rail  to 
Hamburg,  they  took  steamer  to  Grimsley,  Eng- 
land, thence  went  to  Liverpool,  and  from  there 
made  the  voyage  to  Halifax  on  the  steamer 
'•  Caspian."  They  left  home  on  the  3d  of  April, 
and  left  Hamburg  on  the  4th.  They  were  two 
days  on  the  North  Sea,  in  Liverpool  five  df.ys, 
and  eleven  days  from  there  to  Halifa.x.  From 
there  they  proceeded  to  Montreal,  thence  to 
Chicago,  and  from  there  to  Sacramento.  He 
went  to  work  here  for  Holzman,  Anderson  & 
Co.,  Eleventh  and  J  streets,  and  remained  with 
tliem  seven  or  eight  months.  He  then  went  to 
Yuba  City,  and  after  working  a  short  time  there 
returned  to  Sacramento,  and  engaged  with  M. 
L.  Wise,  with  whom  he  remained  until  he  went 


in  partnership  with  his  brother  in  business,  in 
May,  1880.  Since  the  partnership  was  dis- 
solved, in  1883,  he  has  been  in  business  alone. 
In  1888  he  put  up  his  present  substantial  brick 
building  at  1011  Tenth  street.  It  is  28x40 
feet  in  ground  area,  and  aflPords  the  best  facili- 
ties for  his  business.  He  employs  two  skilled 
workmen,  besides  himself.  In  the  hoiseshoe- 
ing  line  he  makes  a  specialty  of  the  shoeing  of 
race-horses  and  fine  animals  generally.  Among 
his  patrons  may  be  mentioned  Wilbur  Smith, 
Dr.  Hicks,  Matt  Storms,  and  many  other  own- 
ers and  handlers  of  fine  horses.  None  but  the 
most  skillful  operators  can  command  this  trade, 
but  Mr.  Nielsen's  thorough  scientific  training 
especially  fits  him  for  this  diflicult  clats  of 
work.  In  him  Sacramento  has  one  of  the  mas- 
ters of  his  profession.  Mr.  Nielsen  was  married 
in  Sacramento,  March  8,  1882,  to  Miss  Ida 
Bondeson,  a  native  of  Sweden.  They  have 
three  children,  viz.:  Niels  Elwood,  Jacob  lioy 
and  Eda  Elbertina.  Mr.  Nielsen  is  a  popular 
man,  and  well  deserves  the  success  that  has  at- 
tended him  in  business.  The  parents  of  the 
Nielt-en  brothers  are  now  living  in  Denmark, 
but  the  business  formerly  carried  on  by  the  father 
is  now  conducted  by  his  son  Nicolai.  Another 
son  besides  those  mentioned  here  is  a  resident 
of  Sacramento,  viz.:  Corfitz  Nielsen,  of  the  firm 
of  Westwick  &  Nielsen,  grocers  and  manufact- 
urers of  the  Danish  Yiking  Bitteis. 


►^.5-. 


•ILLIxlM  MELVIN  (now  deceased)  was 
for  many  years  one  of  the  best-known 
residents  of  Sacramento,  having  been 
identified  with  the  city  from  the  mining  days 
until  the  time  of  his  death.  He  was  a  native 
of  Belfast,  Ireland,  born  in  1819.  who  came  to 
this  cuuntry  with  his  jiarents  when  he  was 
twelve  years  of  age.  The  family  located  at 
Rochester,  New  York,  where  the  father  con- 
ducted a  blacksmithing,  wagon  and  carriage- 
making  shop,  and  there  William  Mehin  learned 
his    trade  on    arriving  at   a    suitable   age.      In 


UESruiiT    Ufi-SAC'Il.l.WE.\TO    COUATV, 


1854  lie  came  to  California  via  New  York  and 
Panama,  footing  it  across  the  Isthmus.  Land- 
ing at  San  Francisco,  he  came  at  once  to  Sacra- 
mento, and  obtained  employment  with  the  stage 
company,  at  their  shops,  on  the  corner  of  Fifth 
and  L  streets.  Leaving  them,  he  went  with  the 
tirm  of  Pike  &  Yonng,  corner  of  Fourth  and  L, 
with  whom  he  remained  until  1857.  He  then 
went  back  to  Rochester,  New  York,  and  in  the 
folio -ving  year  brought  his  family  out  to  Sacra- 
mento. He  went  into  business  for  himself  on 
Fourth  street,  between  I  and  J,  afterward  re- 
movinjj;  to  the  corner  of  Fourth  and  I,  and 
removing  to  the  present  location  of  the  shop  in 
1881.  In  1884  he  took  his  son  Herbert  G. 
Melvin  into  partnership,  and  the  firm  so  con- 
tinued until  his  death.  He  was  married'  in 
Rochester,  New  York,  to  Miss  Honora  Ann 
Geegan,  who  died  in  1865.  By  that  marriage 
there  were  four  children,  of  whom  three  are 
living,  viz.:  Herbert  G.,  Margaret,  wife  of  Da- 
vid Faulkner,  of  Sacramento,  and  Nettie  J. 
The  deceased  child,  William  Montgomery,  was 
aged  about  twenty-one  at  the  time  of  his  death. 
Mr.  Melvin  was  a  member  of  the  American  Prot- 
estant Association.  He  was  one  of  the  oldest 
members  of  the  Neptune  Hose  Company,  in  the 
volunteerfire  department;  was  for  a  long  time  its 
foreman,  and  was  a  prominent  memberof  the  Ex- 
empt Firemen's  Association.  He  was  a  stanch  Re- 
publican in  his  political  affiliations,  but  after 
the  celebrated  "  Short-Hair  Convention,''  as  it 
was  facetiously  called,  to  which  he  was  a  dele- 
gate, he  never  took  an  active  part  in  party  or- 
ganization. His  death  occurred  on  the  Ist  of 
June,  1887,  and  was  mourned  by  a  large  circle 
of  friends. 

tERBERT  G.  MELVIN,  now  the  proprie- 
tor of  the  business  still  conducted  under 
the  firm  name  of  William  Melvin  &  Son, 
is  a  native  of  Rochester,  New  York,  born  Au- 
gust 26,  1852.  He  was  reared  in  Sacramento, 
and  received  his  education  in  the  public  schools 


of  this  city.  He  learned  his  trade  in  his  father's 
shops,  and  in  1884  became  a  partner  in  the 
business.  Since  his  father's  death  the  business 
has  fallen  into  his  hands  entirely,  and  his  man- 
agement of  it  shows  his  e.xcellent  business  quali- 
fications. He  employs,  on  an  average,  eight 
skilled  workmen,  and  does  all  kinds  of  wagon 
and  truck  manufacturing,  general  blacksmith- 
ing,  horse  shoeing  etc.,  but  makes  a  specialty  of 
the  manufacture  of  heavy  trucks,  in  which  this 
shop  btands  unequalled.  The  demand  for  these 
trucks  extends  to  a  considerable  distance  from 
this  city.  Mr.  Melvin  was  married  in  this  city, 
in  September,  1878,  to  Miss  Nettie  J.  Russell, 
a  native  of  Sacramento  County.  He  is  a  mem- 
ber of  Columbia  Lodge,  K.  of  P.,  and  of  Eureka 
Lodge,  I.  O.  O.  F.  He  was  for  seven  years  a 
member  of  the  City  Guard  of  Sacramento,  and 
rose  from  the  ranks  to  the  rank  of  First  Ser- 
geant. In  politics  he  is  a  Republican.  Mr. 
Melvin  is  one  of  the  most  active  and  enterpris- 
ing young  men  of  business  in  Sacramento,  and 
well  deserves  the  success  with  which  he  is 
meeting. 


fUARLES  WILKE,  manufacturing  jeweler, 
Sacramento,  is  a  native  of  Germany,  born 
at  Hoff,  Bavaria,  on  the  31st  of  July.  1841, 
his  parents  being  John  and  Elizabeth  (Zinn) 
Wilke,  the  father  a  musician  by  profession,  and 
leader  of  a  military  band.  The  subject  of  this 
sketch  was  reared  at  his  native  place,  received 
the  education  afforded  by  the  public  schools  of 
Hoff,  and  was  graduated  at  the  Lower  Polytech- 
nic School,  which  he  attended  for  three  years 
after  leaving  the  commoTi  schools,  being  one  of 
the  successful  candidates,  although  forty-eight 
out  of  a  class  of  sixty-four  were  rejected.  He 
served  an  apprenticeship  at  the  jeweler's  trade 
with  John  Laupmann,  then  traveled  to  polish 
up  his  knowledge  of  the  trade,  being  engaged 
in  all  five  and  a  half  years  in  Europe,  includiiio- 
his  apprenticeship.  He  worked  at  Prague  and 
Vienna,  thence  went  to   the  frontier.    "He  do- 


HISTORY    OF    SACRAMENTO    CODHTT. 


cided  to  go  to  America,  and  on  the  8d  of  Sep- 
tember, 1863,  he  sailed  from  Bremen  on  the 
okl  sail  ship  Atlantic,  and  landed  at  Xew  York 
on  the  25th  of  October.  He  remained  there 
until  the  1st  of  Decenjber,  working  in  his  own 
room,  then  went  to  Pittsburg.  There  he  en- 
gaged with  Charles  Terhuj'ten,  with  whom  he 
remained  three  years.  He  tiien  worked  in  his 
own  shop  for  the  firm  of  McFadden  &  Co..  In 
1870  he  started  for  himself,  and  later  worked 
some  six  or  seven  montlis  for  the  leading  firm 
of  Pittsburg  (now  James  R.  Reed  &  Co.).  In 
1876  he  came  to  California,  locating  at  Sacra- 
mento, and  soon  commenced  business  on  the 
corner  of  Fifth  and  J  streets,  up  stairs.  He 
manufactured  work  for  the  trade  there  nearly 
seven  years,  and  in  January,  1883,  established 
himself  at  his  present  location  on  Seventh 
street,  between  J  and  K.  Mr.  Wilke  was  mar- 
ried in  December,  1863,  to  Miss  Louisa  Diet- 
rich, a  native  of  Bohemia.  They  have  had 
eight  children,  of  whom  six  are  living,  vi.z.: 
Chris,  who  married  Emma  Schwann;  Emma, 
wife  of  Seaman  Wilde,  of  Sacramento,  and 
Martha,  George,  Nellie  and  Charles.  Mr. 
Wilke  is  a  member  of  California  Lodge,  K.  of 
P.;  of  Harmony  Lodge,  K.  &  L.  of  H.;  of 
Walhalla  Grove,  No.  6,  A.  O.  D.,  and  of  the 
Yerein-Eintracht.  He  is  a  pushing  man  of 
business,  and  has  earned  his  success  by  his  own 
eflForts. 


fDIERSSEN  &  Co.  — Probably  no  firm  in 
Sacramento  offers  an  instance  of  such 
"  rapid  rise  to  a  place  among  the  leading 
business  houses,  as  does  that  of  D.  Dierssen  & 
Co.,  wholesale  and  retail  grocers,  corner  of 
Ninth  and  L  streets.  Therefore  a  personal 
sketch  of  the  gentlemen  who  have  been  identi- 
fied with  the  firm  becomes  necessary  in  this 
connection.  D.  Dierssen  is  a  native  of  Prussia, 
born  near  Bremen,  on  the  5th  of  February, 
1852,  liis  parents  being  John  and  Anna  Eliza 
(Roquit)  Dierssen,  the  father  a  merchant.      He 


spent  his  early  boyhood  days  at  his  native  place, 
and  there  received  his  sciiooling.  In  1865  he 
came  to  the  United  St  ites,  locating  at  Brooklyn, 
where  he  remained  three  years.  The  following 
year  he  was  in  New  York,  and  in  1869  he  came 
to  California,  locating  in  Sacramento.  He  was 
but  a  mere  boy  in  years  yet,  was  an  entire 
stranger,  and  had  but  $4  in  his  pocket.  After 
he  had  been  here  a  few  days,  he  got  out  of 
funds,  and  meeting  Charles  Heisen,  obtained 
employment  tending  bar  for  him  at  his  place 
on  Seventh  and  I  streets.  Eight  months  later 
he  formed  a  partnership  with  Mr.  Lamniermann, 
corner  of  Eiglith  and  L  streets,  but  after  about 
two  weeks  Mr.  Lamermann  was  taken  sick,  and 
sold  his  interest  to  Mr.  Heisen.  One  month 
later  Mr.  Heisen  sold  out  to  Fred.  Koster, 
and  the  latter  and  Mr.  Dierssen  remained  in 
business  about  eleven  months,  when  Clans  Feld- 
husen  purchased  Mr.  Dierssen's  interest  for 
$625.  The  latter  then  rested  for  three  or  four 
weeks,  and  he  then  went  in  partnership  with 
D.  Kohler,  and  they  engaged  in  business  on  I 
street,  between  Sixth  and  Seventh.  The  interest 
of  Mr.  Dierssen  a  us  estimated  at  $1,000,  and 
lie  paid  on  it  $625  in  cash.  After  they  had 
been  in  business  six  months,  Mr.  Kohler  said 
he  wanted  to  go  back  to  Switzerland,  and  would 
buy  or  sell  for  $250.  So  Mr.  Dierssen  bought 
him  out,  and  continued  the  business  alone. 
Then  a  fire  burned  the  building  and  stock,  and 
the  Occidental  Insurance  Company,  in  which 
he  was  insured,  paid  but  forty  cents  on  the  dol- 
lar, having  been  crippled  by  the  great  Chicago 
fire  of  six  months  before.  Mr.  Dierssen  lost 
even  all  his  extra  clothing  by  the  tire,  and  with 
his  $400  insurance  money  paid  up  his  debts. 
Thus,  after  three  years  of  hard  work,  he  was 
left  to  start  over  again  from  the  very  last  round 
of  the  ladder.  He  obtained  employment  with 
John  Batcher,  on  Third  and  M  streets,  and  after 
working  for  him  two  years  had  saved  up  $163. 
One  day,  as  he  was  passing  a  store  on  the  corner 
of  Twelfth  and  O  streets,  then  in  charge  of 
Charles  Lnhrs,  an  acquaintance,  that  gentleman 
told  him  if  he  would   buy  the   place,  he  would 


HISTORY    OF    SACRAMENTO    COUNTY. 


see  liim  tlirnii'jjh.  Mr.  Dierssen  consiilered  the 
proposition,  accepted  the  oifer,  and  then  gave 
up  his  position  with  Mr.  Batcher.  There  was 
but  the  slitninest  kind  of  a  stock  in  his  new 
store,  and  he  commenced  business  there  with  an 
actual  capital  of  only  $163,  and  a  debt  of 
$400.  There  was  a  little  room  back  of  the 
store-room,  and  in  it  he  boarded  himself.  He 
cleaned  up  the  place,  and  pnt  the  small  stock  in 
good  order,  and  commenced  to  build  up  a  trade. 
He  had  no  one  to  assist  him,  and  he  delivered 
goods  after  nine  o'clock  at  night,  when  the  store 
was  closed.  In  six  months  he  had  money 
enough  to  pay  off  his  indebtedness.  He  kept 
improving  gradually,  and  after  he  had  been  in 
business  four  years  and  a  half  at  Twelfth  and  O, 
he  removed  to  the  southeast  corner  of  Ninth 
and  L,  across  the  street  from  the  present  store. 
In  1884  the  fine  building  now  occupied  by  the 
store  was  erected,  and  is  now  the  seat  of  a  mag- 
nificent trade.  Mr.  Dierssen  was  married  in 
this  city,  on  the  7th  of  February,  1875,  to  Miss 
Sophia  Lauken,  a  native  of  California,  born  in 
Yolo  County,  and  educated  in  Sacramento. 
They  have  four  children,  viz.:  Addie,  Laura, 
Willie  and  Richard.  In  1887,  Mr.  Dierssen 
purchased  a  ranch  in  Yolo  County,  and  sold  it 
in  1889,  for  $8,100.  In  the  latter  year  he  pur- 
chased 2,160  acres  of  land  in  Kings  County, 
Washington,  stretching  between  points  from 
one  and  a  half  to  nine  miles  from  Seattle.  This 
land  is  eligibly  situated,  and  must  prove  a  great 
investment.  He  has  an  interest  in  a  hop  ranch 
near  McConnell  Station,  in  Sacramento  County, 
which  he  purchased  in  1881.  In  1877,  Mr. 
Dierssen  took  a  trip  to  Europe  for  pleasure  and 
recreation,  having  well  earned  a  vacation  from 
business  cares.  Mr.  Dierssen's  case  certainly 
presents  an  edifying  example  for  young  men. 
Commencing  work  in  this  city  when  his  pocket 
was  literally  empty,  he  began  the  battle  with 
fortune  amid  the  most  adverse  circumstances, 
and  he  has  fought  his  way  to  the  front  until  he 
is  now  a  capitalist,  able  to  retire,  though  still  a 
young  man,  in  the  prime  and  vigor  of  life.  He 
will,  however,  attenil    personally   to   his   invest- 


ments, and  is  destiu'id  to  make  his  mark  in  yet 
brighter  fields.  His  rank  in  financial  circles  has 
always  been  of  the  highest,  and  since  he  com- 
menced in  business  on  the  corner  of  Twelfth 
and  O  streets,  he  has  never  contracted  a  debt, 
but  paid  cash  as  he  went.  In  social  circles  his 
standing  is  equally  high,  and  he  is  an  esteemed 
and  honored  member  of  the  community  in 
which  he  resides. 


fEORGE  E.  A.  DIERSSEN,  now  control- 
ling the  business  of  D.  Dierssen  &  Co., 
is  a  brother  of  D.  Dierssen,  whose  sketch 
appears  above,  and  was  born  July  31,  1863.  He 
was  educated  at  Bremen  between  the  ages  of  six 
and  fourteen  years,  and  in  1877  came  to  America 
with  his  brother  (then  home  on  a  visit),  and 
came  on  to  Sacramento,  after  spending  a  week 
in  New  York.  After  reaching  this  city  he  en- 
gaged with  his  brother  in  the  store,  meantime 
attending  night  school  with  Mr.  Goethe,  corner 
of  Twelfth  and  K  streets.  In  1884  he  became 
a  member  of  the  firm,  and  is  now  the  proprietor 
of  the  business.  He  was  married  on  the  11th 
of  April,  1889,  to  Miss  Edith  Ernst,  who  was 
reared  in  Sacramento.  Mr.  Dierssen  is  a  mem- 
ber of  lodge  No.  40,  A.  F.  &  A.  M.,  and  of 
Sacramento  Chapter  No.  3,  R.  A.  M.  His  store 
on  the  corner  of  Ninth  and  L  streets,  is  one  of 
the  most  complete  in  point  of  volume  and 
variety  of  stock,  and  completeness  of  equip- 
ments, to  be  found  in  central  California.  The 
store  is  handsome  in  appearance,  everything  is 
in  its  place  and  in  the  neatest  of  order,  while 
the  whole  place  is  light  and  dry,  and  exceedingly 
attractive  in  appearance.  The  large  circular 
display  stand,  at  the  great  corner  windows,  is  a 
fine  and  novel  feature.  All  the  details  of  con- 
struction about  the  store  are  of  the  latest  and 
most  convenient  patterns,  affording  unusual 
facilities  for  rapid  handling  of  goods.  The 
house  does  an  extensive  wholesale  and  retail 
business,  and  both  departments  are  constantly 
increasing,  so  that   this  store,  started  on  such  a 


HISTORY    OF    SACRAMENTO    COUNTY. 


small  scale,  is  getting  to  be  one  of  the  most 
promiuent  factors  in  the  commercial  circles  of 
Sacramento.  Mr.  Dierssen  is  one  of  the  bright- 
est and  most  active  young  business  men  in  the 
city,  is  genial  and  courteous  in  his  manner,  and 
has  a  host  of  friends. 


t LEXIS  JOSEPH  DANIS,  merchant,  of 
Sacramento,  is  a  native  of  Lower  Canada, 
born  at  Montreal,  September  17,  1832, 
his  parents  being  Alexis  and  Ursula  (Etchier) 
Danis.  His  father,  who  was  born  in  P^'ance 
March  17, 1800,  is  yet  living;  while  his  mother, 
a  native  of  Canada,  of  French  descent,  died  in 
1854,  aged  forty -nine  years.  A.  J.  Danis  was 
reared  at  St.  Eustace,  twenty-one  miles  from 
Montreal,  where  his  father,  a  potter  by  trade, 
had  a  pottery  and  blacksmith  shop.  He  was 
educated  at  the  French  College  at  St.  Eustace, 
and  graduated  there  at  the  age  of  sixteen  years. 
He  obtained  employment  in  the  wholesale 
house  of  John  Thompson, at  Montreal,  going  to 
work  at  $2  a  month,  and  having  his  wages  in- 
creased until  they  reached  $12  a  month  at  the 
end  of  one  year,  including  board,  etc.  He  was 
next  employed  by  Tifiiue  &  Elliott,  Montreal, 
and  from  there  went  to  St.  Eustace,  where  he 
opened  a  general  country  store.  Li  185G  he 
sold  out  his  business  for  the  purpose  of  re- 
moving to  California.  Going  to  New  York,  he 
took  passage  on  the  steamer  Golden  Age,  on  the 
2d  of  June,  and  after  crossing  the  Isthmus  of 
Panama,  came  to  San  Francisco  on  the  steamer 
New  West,  landing  June  28.  With  him  had 
come  his  brother  Ozias  (now  in  San  Francisco), 
and  a  brother-in-law,  Israel  Millard.  They  met 
a  Frenchman  natned  Lachance,  who  said,  "  Boys, 
if  you  go  to  Oroville  witli  me,  there  is  a  flume 
being  built  on  the  Feather  River,  where  you  can 
have  employment."  Mr.  Danis  had  started 
with  $2,200,  and  consequently  had  plenty  of 
ujoney.  His  offer  was  accepted,  and  the  four 
started  for  San  Francisco  by  boat,  and  getting 


into   Sacramento  at  2 


.^pent    the   night  at 


the  Free  Swiss  Hotel,  where  Baker  &  Hamilton 
now  do  business.  They  went  by  boat  to  Marys- 
ville,  and  thence  by  stage  to  Oroville.  After 
three  or  four  days,  with  mules,  they  took  the 
trail  to  their  destination,  on  Feather  River. 
There  tiiey  found  the  boss  to  be  a  French  C ma- 
dian,  and  Mr.  Danis,  who  was  the  only  one  of 
his  party  who  could  speak  English,  applied  for 
work.  The  boss  asked  him  where  they  were  from, 
and  when  he  answered  "from  Canada,"  he  im- 
mediately gave  them  work,  which  continued  for 
sixty-tive  days  at  $4  per  day,  with  board.  Then 
the  flume  was  sold  to  a  Chinaman,  and  Mr.  Da- 
nis and  his  party  returned  to  Sacramento.  He 
obtained  a  situation  with  Lindley,  Wooster  & 
Weaver,  at  Seventh  and  J  streets,  and  afterward 
with  Shreet  &  Arnold.  He  was  next  with  Dis- 
petcher  &  Field,  on  J,  between  Second  and  Third 
streets,  where  he  became  head  porter,  and  when 
Mr.  Dispetcher  went  to  France  he  left  Field  in 
partnership  with  LoRoy.  Field,  after  his  mar- 
riage, went  to  France,  and  LeRoy  closed  out  the 
business,  Mr.  Danis  being  thus  thrown  out  of  a 
situation.  He  next  went  to  work  in  the  store 
of  A.  Wolf,  with  whom  he  remained  until  1864. 
Just  previous  to  the  flood  of  1861  he  started  on 
horseback  toward  the  levee,  to  see  how  it  stood 
at  the  old  tannery.  Arriving  there,  he  saw 
water  breaking  through,  and  hurried  back  to 
give  the  alarm  to  all  whom  he  knew.  When  he 
got  to  Eighth  and  K  streets,  and  told  Mr.  Cheva- 
lier, the  latter  laughed  at  him,  but  Mr.  Danis 
told  him  he  would  have  to  be  astir,  or  he  would 
lose  his  goods.  When  he  got  to  his  own  resi- 
dence, he  found  there  was  already  from  eighteen  to 
twenty-two  inches  of  water  on  the  ground.  The 
flood  of  the  9th  of  December,  1861,  had  already 
commenced  its  work  of  destruction.  He  hastened 
to  the  store  and  saved  everything  he  could,  and 
when  he  got  back  home  to  see  how  things  were 
getting  along,  he  found  four  feet  of  water  there, 
and  constantly  rising.  By  4  o'clock  p.  m.  there 
was  from  five  to  six  feet  of  water  on  K,  L  and 
M  streets,  and  four  feet  on  J,  but  in  the  morn- 
ing it  receded  on  account  of  the  break  on  the 
R    street    levee.     On     the     10th    of    January, 


UIHTORY     OF    SAORAMENro    COUNTY. 


1862,  the  flood  came  again,  much  heavier  thau 
before,  and  the  water  remained  nine  or  ten  daj's 
ail  over  tlie  city,  so  dee])  tliat  one  could  get 
about  only  with  canoes  or  boats.  Mr.  Dauis  and 
his  brother  (the  latter  being  a  good  carpenter), 
built  two  Ijoats,  and  they  would  call  on  their 
friends  in  the  second  stories  of  houses.  Mr. 
Danis'  present  wife,  with  her  parents  and  sister, 
had  to  seek  safety  in  the  Stanford  House,  at 
Eighth  and  N  streets,  obtainingentrance  through 
the  second-story  windows,  their  own  house  being 
only  one-story  in  height.  During  the  first  night 
a  horse  swam  right  into  the  second-story  of  the 
house,  and  was  saved.  After  the  flood  Mr.  Da- 
nis recommenced  work  for  his  former  employ- 
ers. In  1864  he  engaged  with  L.  Parsons  & 
Co.,  with  whom  he  remained  three  j-ears,  in  the 
capacity  of  salesman  and  manager.  He  next 
went  with  Chevalier  &  Co..  with  whom  he  re- 
mained until  they  removed  to  San  Francisco. 
He  then  went  to  the  city  and  obtained  employ- 
ment as  a  salesman.  He  opened  npEbner  Bros', 
place  on  Fourth  street,  in  the  St.  George  build- 
ing, in  the  winter  of  1863-'64,  buying  all  the 
goods  for  their  stock.  In  1865  he  again  re- 
turned to  the  employ  of  Chevalier.  His  next 
employer  was  Jones,  with  whom  he  remained 
two  years,  and  then  went  with  G.  W.  Chesley, 
taking  charge  of  his  cigar  department,  which 
had  just  been  started,  Mr.  Danis  buying  all  the 
goods.  He  next  went  with  Harris  .&  Cranor, 
and  afterward  went  to  Aurora  with  his  two  ten- 
mule  teams  loaded  with  liquors.  On  returning 
to  Sacramento  he  went  to  work  for  Selden, 
and  after  a  varied  experience  entered  the  employ 
of  H.  Weinreich.  He  next  opened  a  shoe  store 
on  the  corner  of  Sixth  and  J  streets.  After  sev- 
eral months  he  closed  up  the  store  and  went 
to  work  on  commission.  He  commenced  his 
present  business  in  October,  1887.  He  was 
married  to  Catherine  McCarthy,  who  was  reared 
at  Boston,  Massachusetts.  They  have  four 
children  living,  viz.:  Lena,  a  graduate  of  the 
high  school,  now  a  teaciier;  Ella,  a  writer  in  the 
Mechanics' Store;  Belle  and  Mabel.  Mr.  Danis 
has  been  a  member  of  Capital  Lodge,  No.  87,  I. 


O.  O.  F.,  since  1865,  and  also  belongs  to  Co- 
sumnes  Tribe,  No.  14,  Red  Men,  of  which  he  is 
a  Past  Sachem.  He  is  an  active  Democrat  po- 
litically, having  cast  his  first  vote  in  California 
for  Stephen  A.  Douglas  for  president,  and  has 
represented  his  party  in  many  city  and  county 
conventions.  He  was  the  candidate  lor  recor- 
der <m  the  unsuccessful  Democratic  ticket  in 
1876.  On  his  fifty-sixth  birthday,  in  1888,  he 
had  a  brother  aged  eighly-six  years,  and  two 
sisters  aged  respectively  ninety-one  and  ninety- 
six  years,  and  all  sat  down  to  one  table  together. 
Mr.  Danis  was  the  fourth  in  order  of  age  of  his 
father's  children,  and  all  the  older  ones  aie  yet 
living. 


-^^-^3->¥ 


I^ENKY  FORTMAN.— Among  the  more 
1^1  enterprising  of  the  young  business  men  of 
"^(1  Sacramento,  and  consequently  worthy  of 
mention  in  this  work,  is  the  gentleman  with 
whose  name  this  sketch  commences.  Henry 
Fortraan,  or  "  Harry,"  as  he  is  generally  known, 
is  a  native  of  Chicago,  born  on  the  south  side  of 
that  great  city,  on  the  corner  of  Twelfth  and  State 
streets,  August  25, 1860.  His  parents,  Michael 
and  Katie  (Herbert)  Fortman,  are  yet  living, 
and  reside  in  the  vicinity  of  Downer's  Grove, 
Illinois.  Our  subject  received  his  schooling  in 
the  public  schools  of  his  native  city,  and  when 
he  was  nine  yeai's  old  he  went  to  work  for  his 
father  in  the  latter's  stoi-e,  at  3446  State  Street 
(new  number.)  At  an  early  age  he  acquired  an 
interest  in  the  business,  and  so  continued  until 
1883,  when  he  came  out  to  California,  and  took 
a  position  with  T.  H.  Cook  &  Co.,  Sacratnento. 
Ho  afterward  changed  to  Christianson  Bros., 
and  was  with  that  firm  until  May,  1889.  On 
the  16th  of  May  he  started  in  business  for  liim- 
self  on  the  northeast  corner  of  Twentieth  and  J 
streets,  in  a  building  erected  especiall}'  for  him 
by  Mr.  J.  M.  Nielsen.  It  is  28x45  feet  in 
ground  dimensions,  and  two  stories  in  height. 
Mr.  Fortman  was  married  at  Chicago,  May  26, 
1883,  to    Miss   Jennie   Brodv,  a   native  of  that 


730 


IIISTORT    OF    SACRAMENTO    COUNTY. 


city.      Mr.  Forttnan  was   virtually  reared  to  the    I 
grocery  trade,  and   brings    to   his  business  here   I 
all  the  push  and  energy  characteristic  of  the  city   | 
of  his  birth  and   training.      It  has  been  only  a   j 
few  months  since  he  started   here  for  himself,   ' 
and   he   has   done   everything  on  a  cash    basis. 
Yet,  in  that  short  time,  he  has  built  up  a  trade 
that  many  older  houses  could  well  afford  to  ex- 
change for.      His  store  is  really  already  a  busy 
place.  Everything  is  in  order  and  neat  in  appear- 
ance, and  there  is  practically  a  wholesale   stock 
to  select  from,  as  Mr.  Fortman  is  building  up  a 
jobbing  business  with  the  surrounding  country. 
Mr.    Fortnian's    enterprise    and    clear    business 
acumen    make  him  worthy   of  the   success  with 
which   he  is  meeting. 


:1LL1AM  WILBUR  WHITE,  one  of  the 
most  successful  farmers  of  Brighton 
Township,  was  born  in  Iowa  County, 
Wisconsin,  January  18,  1852,  the  son  of  Will- 
iam and  Elizabeth  (Graham)  White,  the  former 
a  native  of  Virginia,  and  the  latter  of  Maine. 
His  father  was  a  small  boy  when  brought  by 
his  parents  to  Wisconsin,  was  married  there 
when  grown  to  manhood,  and  entered  land  from 
tlie  Government  about  eight  miles  east  of  Min- 
eral Point.  About  1862  he  sold  that  place  and 
moved  to  Atchison  County,  Kansas,  twelve 
miles  west  of  Atchison;  but  'v.\  1875,  as  soon 
as  the  advantages  of  California  became  fully 
known  to  the  observant  class  of  people,  he  came 
to  this  State,  and  is  now  living  near  Monte 
Vista  in  this  county,  on  a  place  of  two  and  a 
half  acres  which  he  bought  in  the  spring  of 
1888.  After  coming  to  the  coast  he  sold  his 
Kansas  property,  then  consisting  of  160  acres; 
he  had  previously  owned  more  than  that.  His 
wife  died  in  February,  1877.  There  were  ten 
children  in  this  family,  six  sons  and  four  daugh- 
ters, all  of  whom  are  living  except  one,  and  all 
the  living  are  in  this  county  except  one  brother 
in  Missouri.  The  subject  of  this  sketch  first 
started  in  life  for  himself  by  working  for  vari- 


ous parties  in  this  county.  May  1,  1876,  he 
began  driving  dray  for  E.  M.  Leitcli  in  Sacra- 
mento. Subsequently  he  worked  at  the  depot 
for  the  railroad  company  six  years  and  three 
months,  during  which  time  he  laid  up  a  portion 
of  his  earnings,  $1,200  or  $1,400.  He  next 
entered  partnership  with  Mr.  Casselman  in  the 
cultivation  of  a  large  hop  ranch,  which  they 
leased  in  Brighton  Township,  and  Mr.  White 
cleared  in  this  operation  about  $11,000.  Then, 
intending  to  live  in  the  city,  he  purchased  a  lot 
from  T.  W.  Sheehtm,  corner  of  Fifteenth  and  O 
streets,  and  built  a  fine  residence  upon  it.  Cost 
of  house  and  lot,  about  $7,000.  Finally  he 
purchased  from  George  W.  Lott  a  rich  tract  of 
113  acres,  three  miles  from  the  city,  where  he 
now  resides,  and  on  which  he  has  all  the  equip- 
ments of  a  comfortable  home'.  Being  an  in- 
genious and  industrious  mechanic,  he  is  inde- 
pendent as  a  carpenter,  blacksmith,  etc.  The 
deed  is  dated  June  12,  1885.  From  this  last 
purchase,  however,  he  has  sold  oti' live  and  ten- 
acre  lots  until  now  he  has  a  trifle  less  than 
thirty-five  acres.  His  town  property  he  sold  a 
short  time  after  removing  into  the  country. 
When  he  bought  his  present  place  there  was 
nothing  upon  it  except  old  fences,  two  wells, 
and  a  saloon  kept  by  "Coffee  Brown;"  but  now 
it  is  furnished  with  everything  necessary  to 
make  it  an  independent  home — sunny,  neat  and 
cheerful.  His  residence  is  a  splendid  structure, 
costing  $2,000.  His  barn  and  hot-house  for 
drying  hops  cost  about  $3,000.  In  this  im- 
mense building,  64  x  96  feet,  are  the  horse 
stalls,  hay  and  hop  press,  and  a  large  hop  dryer; 
and  the  second  floor  is  prepared  for  a  dancing 
area,  whereon  as  many  as  twenty  sets  can  do 
their  honors  to  Terpsichore  at  one  time.  There 
are  also  on  the   place  a   good    blacksmith  shop 


and  other  buildin, 


Us,  windmills,  etc.     Al- 


gs,  we 

though  it  is  only  fourteen  feet  from  the  surface 
of  the  ground  to  the  water  stratum,  one  of  the 
wells  is  seventy-five  feet  deep,  and  the  other 
eighty-five,  thus  insuring  an  abundance  of  water. 
On  this  farm  are  460  Bartlett  pear  trees,  nearly 
500  peach-trees,  apricots,  etc.,  and  about  twenty 


HISTORY    OF    SACRAMENTO    COUNTY. 


orange-trees.  All  of  these  are  in  fine  bearing 
stage  except  a  few  of  the  pear  trees,  which  also 
will  soon  reach  tiie  same  stage.  There  are  no 
scale-bngs  in  the  orchard.  The  soil  is  a  sandy 
sediment;  twenty  acres  is  tirst-class  alfalfa  land; 
about  eight  acres  is  sowed  in  alfalfa  for  seed) 
and  in  small  grain  for  hay.  The  land  is 
especially  adapted  to  almond  and  apricot.  Mr. 
White  was  married  April  18,  1883,  to  Miss 
Maggie  E,.  Foster,  who  was  born  in  this  connty, 
September  26,  1861.  Her  father,  William  B. 
Foster,  settled  here  in  1849,  and  died  June  21, 
1877;  her  mother  was  born  in  Saxony,  Ger- 
many, in  1809,  and  died  in  1865.  The  children 
of  Mr.  and  Mrs.  White  are:  Pearl  Agnes,  born 
March  26,  1885;  Ida  May,  May  13,  1886,  and 
Ada  Estelle,  January  21,  1888.  Mr.  White  is 
a. member  of  the  order  of  Foresters,  Lodge  No. 
6742,  in  Sacramento. 


fEORGE  SMITH,  baggagemaster  at  Sacra- 
mento for  the  Central  Pacific  Company,  is 
one  of  the  well-known  old-time  residents 
of  the  city.  lie  is  a  native  of  Chautauqua 
Connty,  New  York,  born  at  Barcelona  (the 
harbor  town  on  Lake  Erie  for  Westfield),  on  the 
22d  of  Februaiy,  1838,  his  parents  being  Joel 
and  Thankful  (Holmes)  Smith.  The  father 
came  to  that  county  when  a  mere  child  with  his 
parents,  and  was  reared  there.  He  was  a  mer- 
chant at  Barcelona.  The  mother  of  the  subject 
came  of  one  of  the  old  families  of  northwestern 
New  York,  and  was  born  in  Chautauqua 
County.  George  Smith  was  a  mere  boy  in 
years  when  his  mother  died,  and  when  the 
California  gold  fever  broke  out  the  father 
decided  to  try  his  fortunes  on  the  Pacific  coast. 
He  sailed  around  Cape  Horn  in  1849,  arriving 
in  California  in  1850.  He  went  into  business 
in  Sacramento  on  the  corner  of  Third  and  J  streets, 
in  partnership  with  William  T.  Hines,  who  had 
come  across  the  plains  in  1849.  The  partner- 
ship between  them  continued  only  a  year  or  so, 
Ijut  Mr.    Smith   carried    on    the    business    until 


about  1867.  He  died  in  Sacramento  January 
18, 1876.  George  Smith,  subject  of  this  sketch, 
received  his  schooling  at  his  native  place,  and 
then  engaged  as  clerk  in  a  general  store.  In 
the  early  part  of  1854  he  came  to  California; 
going  to  New  York,  he  took  passage  on  the  old 
steamer  "Georgia"  on  the  5th  of  February. 
There  were  1,500  people  aboard,  and  on  the 
second  day  out  a  terrible  storm  arose,  which 
continued  with  such  violence  as  to  make  it  seem 
highly  probable  that  the  vessel  and  all  on  board 
would  be  lost,  and  they  wer^  right  in  the  wake 
of  the  "  Central  America,"  which  had  gone  down 
the  preceding  year.  The  "  Georgia's  "  bulwarks 
were  smashed  in  and  she  was  otherwise  dis- 
abled, but  safely  weathered  the  storm,  after 
which  she  put  into  port  at  Norfolk,  Virginia. 
They  sent  to  New  York  for  the  "  Empire  City," 
which  came  and  carried  the  passengers  to  Aspin- 
wall.  The  railroad  was  then  completed  about 
two-thirds  of  the  way  to  Panama,  and  he  rode 
to  the  end  of  it,  then  went  on  mule-back  the 
rest  of  the  distance,  which  required  a  tedious 
day  and  night.  Taking  a  steamer  for  San  Fran- 
cisco, he  landed  there  on  the  15th  of  March. 
He  come  to  Sacramento,  and  went  into  his 
father's  store.  He  was  there  engaged  for  two 
years,  then  went  up  near  Grizzly  Flat,  El  Dorado 
County,  and  mined  there  eight  or  ten  months, 
with  only  moderate  success.  He  then  returned 
to  Sacramento,  aid  again  went  into  the  store. 
About  1858  he  was  appointed  on  the  police 
force.  He  resigned  his  position  on  the  force 
afterward,  and  served  four  years  as  a  clerk  of 
the  police  court  under  Judge  Foote.  In  1869 
he  was  elected  Chief  of  Police,  and  served  two 
years  inthat  capacity.  At  the  expiration  of  his 
term,  he  entered  the  baggage  department  of 
the  Central  Pacific  Railroad  as  baggagemaster 
at  Sacramento,  and  has  held  that  position  ever 
since.  Mr.  Smith  was  married  in  this  cit^'  in 
April,  1865,  to  Miss  Mary  E.  Grinnell,  who 
came  to  Sacramento  at  the  age  of  two  years,  in 
1852.  They  have  throe  sons,  viz. :  William  E., 
Fred  Joel  and  George  Herbert.  Mr.  Smith  is 
a  member   of  the    Chosen    Friends,  and  of  the 


UISTORY    OF    SACRAMENTO    COUNTY. 


Foresters,  lie  is  a  courteous,  genial  gentleman, 
is  well  known  far  and  near,  and  has  a  host  of 
friends  in  Sacramento  and  elsevyhere  throughout 
California. 


€(i::ii»- 


fHRIST.  WAHL,  proprietor  of  the  Cohiui- 
bus  Brewery,  and  one  of  the  active,  ener- 
getic business  men  of  Sacramento,  is  a 
native  of  Wiirteniberg,  Germany,  born  in  Neuf- 
fen,  on  the  10th  of.  May,  1850,  his  i)areiits  being 
William  and  Katharine  (Ladner)  Wahl,  his 
father  being  a  hotel  proprietor.  He  was  reared 
at  his  native  place,  attending  the  Government 
schools  for  the  customary  length  of  time,  and 
afterward  learned  the  brewers'  trade.  After  his 
apprenticeship  he  traveled  throughout  Germany 
for  the  purpose  of  obtaining  a  more  thorough 
knowledge  of  the  business.  He  came  to  the 
United  States  in  1869,  landing  at  New  York,  but 
soon  coming  out  to  San  Francisco,  where  he  ob- 
tainedemploymentin  the  John  Wieland  Brewery, 
which  continued  about  one  year.  He  next  went 
to  the  Chicago  Brewery,  where  he  was  engaged 
as  cellerman  for  two  months,  and  then  promoted 
to  foreman.  In  1881  he  bought  out  the  Colum 
bus  Brewery  in  Sacramento.  This  brewery  is 
the  oldest  of  those  now  in  the  city.  It  was 
established  by  E.  &  C.  Grnhler  in  1852,  at  the 
present  location,  and  they  continued  its  proprie- 
tors until  the  sale  to  Mr.  Wahl.  When  betook 
hold,  there  were  between  3,000  and  4,000  bar- 
rels of  beer  manufactured  per  year-  He  set 
about  making  improvements,  expended  $30,000 
to  the  best  advantage,  and  the  capacity  is  now 
some20,000  barrels  per  annum.  The  trade,  which 
extends  throughout  northern  California  and 
western  Nevada,  and  is  also  extensive  in  San 
Francisco,  is  constantly  increasing  under  his 
judicious  management.  As  it  stands  to-day, 
with  steam  supplanting  the  old  horse-power  ar- 
rangement, the  Columbus  Brewery  is  an  entirely 
new  and  linely-equipped  institution.  Mr.  Wahl 
was  married  in  San  Francisco  to  Miss  Annie 
Hertsh,    a   native  of  Wiirtemberg.     They  have 


five  children,  viz.:  Lora,  Christ.,  Annie,  Selma 
and  Lydia.  Mr.  Wahl  was  formerly  a  member 
of  Concord  Lodge,  I.  O.  O.  F.,  San  Francisco, 
but  now  belongs  to  Schiller  Lodge.  He  is  also 
a  member  of  Sacramento  Turn-Verein;  of  the 
Verein-Eintrauht,  and  of  Germanic  Lodge, 
No.  138,  K.  of  H.,  San  Francisco.  Mr.  Wahl 
is  a  public-spirited  man,  and  takes  an  interest 
in  everything  pertaining  to  the  welfare  of  Sac- 
ramento. 


r->^ 


fHARLESVOGEL,  proprietor  of  the  Wash- 
ington Bakery,  Sacramento,  is  a  native 
of  Germany,  born  at  Tuebingen,  AViirtem- 
burg,  on  the  17th  day  of  August,  1837,  his  par- 
ents being  Gottlieb  and  Frederika  (Hagemann) 
Vogel,  the  father  a  portrait  painter  by  jirofes- 
sion.  Charles  Vogel  was  reared  at  his  native 
place,  and  there  attended  the  Governnieut 
schools  to  the  age  of  fourteen  years,  also  receiv- 
ing instructions  from  private  tutors,  including 
French,  etc.  He  then  learned  the  bakers'  trade. 
In  1854  he  came  to  the  United  States,  sailing 
from  Havre  to  New  York,  where  he  arrived  in 
May,  after  a  voyage  of  twenty-eight  days.  He 
obtained  employment  at  Yoerk's  bakery,  on 
Greenwich  avenue.  New  York,  and  worked  there 
three  years.  He  then  went  thirtj'  miles  up  the 
Hudson,  near  Tarrytown,  and  worked  for  Heiler 
about  eight  months.  He  then  came  to  Cali- 
fornia, leaving  New  York  on  an  opposition 
steamer,  crossing  the  Isthmus  of  Panama,  and 
proceeding  by  steamer  to  San  Francisco,  where 
he  arrived  in  May,  1858.  He  remained  there 
about  four  weeks,  but  not  obtaining  employ- 
ment came  to  Sacramento  and  went  to  work  for 
Matt  Karcher,  who  kept  the  City  Bakery,  on 
Sixth  street,  between  I  and  J.  One  month  later 
the  place  was  closed  up,  and  Mr.  Vogel  went  to 
work  for  Adam  Neubauer  and  Frederick  Sin- 
kauer,  on  Third  street,  next  door  to  where  lie 
himself  is  now  in  business.  Six  months  later 
be  bought  into  the  business  with  Neubauer,  and 
they,  with  J.  F.  W.  Meyer,  carried  on  the  busi- 


HISrORV    OF    SACRAMENTO    COUNTY. 


iiess  until  Mr.  Neiibanerdied,  in  1880.  Messrs. 
Vogel  and  Meyer  remained  in  partnership  until 
July,  1887,  when  Mr.  Meyer  died.  Since  that 
time  Mr.  Vogel  has  been  sole  proprietor.  Mr. 
Vogel  was  married  in  Berlin,  while  on  a  visit  to 
the  old  country  in  1868,  to  Miss  Teresa  Wilsek, 
a  native  of  Berlin.  Eight  children 'have  been 
born  to  them,  of  whom  five  are  living,  viz.: 
Charles,  William,  Adolph,  liarry  and  Alice. 
Mr.  Vogel  is  a  member  of  Sacramento  Stamm, 
Red  Men.  He  has  almost  made  his  start  in 
this  city,  and  has  become  one  of  the  substantial 
men  of  Sacramento.  He  erected  his  business 
building  in  1859,  and  his  handsome  and  sub- 
stantial residence  in  1872.  During  the  floods 
of  1861-'62  he  had  his  share  of  experiences. 
He  was  on  the  corner  of  Tenth  and  M  streets 
with  his  wagon  when  he  heard  that  the  water 
was  coming,  and  he  went  to  the  store  to  pre- 
pare for  the  flood.  The  water  came  with  a  rush 
and  a  roar,  and  in  less  than  ten  minutes  the 
whole  basement  was  flooded,  and  the  water  still 
rising,  though  the  building  was  on  the  highest 
grade.  He  baked  bread  for  two  months  in  two 
feet  of  water,  and  boats  would  come  right  up  to 
the  door  for  bread.  Mr.  Vogel  is  an  active, 
pushing  man,  and  withal  has  a  host  of  friends 
in  the  city  and  elsewhere. 

lEORGE  W.  CHESLEY.  — In  the  chron. 
icle  of  events  attending  the  growth  of 
Sacramento,  from  an  outpost  of  civilization 
her  present  proud  position,  the  gentleman 
3se  name  lieads  this  sketch  must  always  re- 
main a  central  figure.  As  an  old-time  mer- 
chant, yet  in  the  front  rank  of  commercial 
circles,  as  well  as  a  citizen  who  has  always  taken 
a  pride  in  the  advancement  of  the  city  of  his 
adoption,  Mr.  Chesley  commands  the  respect, 
esteem  and  confidence  of  his  fellow-citizens,  in 
a  degree,  and  to  an  extent,  seldom  observed.  He 
is  a  native  of  Dover,  New  Hampshire,  born 
February  3,  1822,  his  parents  being  Richard 
and  Mary  (Twombley)  Chesley,  both  of  whom 


came  of  old  New  England  families.  His  father, 
who  was  a  contractor,  died  when  the  subject  of 
this  sketch  was  a  mere  boy  in  years,  and  he,  af- 
ter going  to  school  at  Lynn  something  over  a 
year,  went  to  Boston  to  live  with  a  sister  who 
had  married  and  located  in  that  city.  There  he 
commenced  his  first  occupation  in  life, — that  of 
clerking  in  a  dry-goods  store.  At  the  age  of 
seventeen  years  he  went  to  Providence,  Rhode 
Island,  and  resided  there  until  the  2d  of  Feb- 
ruary, 1849,  when  he  went  to  New  York,  hav- 
ing determined  to  try  his  fortunes  on  the  golden 
shores  of  California.  On  the  5th  of  February 
the  "Crescent  City"  steamed  out  of  Kew  York 
harbor  with  Mr.  Chesley  as  a  passenger,  and  she 
was  the  second  steamer  to  make  the  trip  to 
Chagres,  the  "Falcon"  being  the  first.  On  the 
25th  of  May  following,  after  having  been  en- 
gaged on  the  Isthmus  in  the  auction  and  ticket 
brokerage  business,  Mr.  Chesley  resumed  his 
journey  to  San  Francisco  on  the  steamer  "Ore- 
gon," Capfain  Pierson.  On  the  13th  of  June, 
1849,  the  "Oregon"  steamed  through  the 
Golden  Gate,  and  Mr.  Chesley  landed  on  Cali- 
fornia soil.  He  at  once  embarked  in  the  auc- 
tion and  commission  business  in  connection 
with  John  A.  Clark,  son  of  ex-Mayor  Aaron 
Clark,  of  New  York,  and  John  Johnson,  under 
the  firm  name  of  Johnson,  Chesley  &  Clark. 
That  firm  continued  until  March,  1850,  when  it 
was  dissolved,  and  Mr.  Chesley  came  to  Sacra- 
mento and  engaged  in  the  auction  business,  on 
the  corner  of  Sixth  and  K  streets,  which  was 
the  center  of  the  cattle  and  horse  market,  great 
droves  of  these  animals  being  almost  constantly 
I  about.  He  was  burned  out  here  in  the  great 
fire  of  1852,  and  this  decided  him  to  return  to 
San  Francisco.  There  he  was  interested  in  real 
estate,  having  purchased  some  fifty  and  100 
vara  lots,  and  subdivided  them.  These  yielded 
hiru  §3,100.  Chesley  street  was  laid  out,  and 
took  its  name  in  his  honor.  In  1854  Mr.  Ches- 
ley came  back  to  Sacramento,  and  in  the  follow- 
ing year,  forming  a  partnership  with  Mr. 
Bradley  (now  a  retired  capitalist  of  San  Fran- 
cisco), and  ex-Mayor  Bryant,  started  the  whole- 


UISrOBT    OF    8ACEAMENT0    COUNTY 


sale  house  of  Chesley  &  Bryant,  in  the  block 
below  the  present  store  on  Front  street.  In 
1860,  Mr.  Bradley,  who  had  previously  sold  out 
came  back  into  the  firm,  which  then  became 
Chesley  &  Bradley.  In  1863  the  latter's  inter- 
est was  purchased  by  Mr.  Chesley,  and  the  firm 
became  G.  W.  Chesley  &  Co.,  which  is  the  pres- 
ent style.  In  1862  the  business  was  removed  to 
the  present  location  (twenty-eight  years  ago), 
and  now  the  house  is  well  known  and  does 
an  extensive  business  throughout  Calitbrniaand 
adjoining  States  and  Territories.  No  house  on 
the  Pacific  Coast  enjoys  a  better  reputation 
among  its  patrous  than  that  of  G.  W.  Chesley 
&  Co.  Mr.  Chesley  was  married  at  Provi- 
dence, Ehode  Island,  in  1844,  to  Miss  Alice 
Marie  Whipple,  a  descendant  of  one  of  the  sign- 
ers of  the  Declaration  of  Independence.  Mrs. 
Chesley  is  a  lady  of  rare  gifts  and  accomplish- 
ments, and  her  letters,  written  from  Paris  dur- 
ing the  Franco-Prussian  war,  atforded  material 
of  almost  dramatic  interest  to  her  friends  in 
California.  She  was  in  the  French  capital 
when  it  was  besieged  by  the  German  hosts,  and 
endured  with  great  fortitude  all  the  horrors  of 
the  dark  days  of  the  celebrated  siege.  Mr. 
Chesley  is  a  member  of  the  San  Francisco  and 
Sacramento  Societies  of  California  Pioneers,  and 
has  been  for  three  years  president  of  the  latter 
body,  despite  the  unwritten  law  which  confines 
any  member  to  but  a  single  term  in  the  ex- 
ecutive office.  He  is  a  member  of  the  Improve- 
ment Association, and  of  the  Water  Commission. 
In  the  days  of  the  volunteer  fire  department  he 
was  an  active  member  of  Engine  Company  No. 
3,  and  is  prominently  identified  with  the  ex- 
empt firemen.  Mr.  Chesley  has  always  been  in 
the  front  rank  in  everything  having  a  tendency 
to  advance  the  interests  of  Sacramento,  and  to 
add  to  her  reputation  for  hospiiality.  He  was 
chairman,  and  an  active  manager  for  the  com- 
mittee, having  in  charge  the  entertainment  of 
the  visiting  members  of  the  National  Encamp- 
ment, G.  A.  R.,  and  the  marvelous  success  of 
tliat  entertainment  will  always  mark  a  brilliant 
page  in  the  history  of  Sacramento.    Mr.  Chesley 


is  a  kind-hearted,  hospitable  gentleman  of  the 
old  school,  who  has  been  an  eye-witness  and 
participant  in  the  wonderful  progress  of  Cali- 
fornia from  the  pioneer  days;  nevertheless  he 
yet  ranks  among  the  most  active  and  enterprising 
men  of  the  capital  city.  His  fund  of  information 
concerning  the  early  days  of  California  has  a 
peculiar  interest,  and  his  anecdotes  of  those 
times,  bringing  together,  as  "they  do,  scenes  and 
incidents,  both  humorous  and  pathetic,  have 
a  charm  which  makes  them  always  appreciated 
by  his  friends. 


■g-3"t-S" 


fRED.  BIEWENER.  — Among  the  active 
business  men  of  Sacramento  is  the  gentle- 
man whose  name  heads  this  sketch.  He 
is  a  native  of  Hanover,  Germany,  born  May  4, 
1847,  his  parents  being  Henry  August  and 
Elizabeth  (Grothaus)  Biewener.  He  comes  of  a 
mercantile  family,  his  father,  though  retired, 
being  still  the  head  of  a  largo  mercantile  house 
at  Hoyel.  Mr.  Biewener  attended  the  public 
schools  at  his  native  place  from  six  to  fourteen 
years  of  age,  and  afterward  was  instructed  by 
private  tutors  until  he  had  received  a  liberal 
education.  He  then  entered  his  father's  store 
as  assistant,  but  in  1867  came  to  America, 
lauding  at  New  York,  and  thence  proceeding 
via  Nicaragua  to  California,  landing  at  San 
Francisco,  November  27,  1867.  He  came  di- 
rectly to  Sacramento,  and  commenced  the 
butcher's  trade  with  Heilbron  Bros.  After 
sixteen  months  they  sold  out,  and  during  the 
ten  months  following  he  was  with  Reinhart  & 
Dold.  On  the  3d  of  February,  1870,  he  em- 
barked in  business  at  the  Fulton  market,  in 
company  with  Christopher  Doscher.  A  year 
and  five  months  later  the  latter  sold  out  to  H. 
Hageman.  In  1881  this  partnership  was  dis- 
solved, and  Mr.  Biewener  has  since  carried  on 
the  business  alone.  He  was  married  in  this  city 
to  Miss  Henrietta  Neuhaus,  a  native  of  Alden- 
burg,  Germany.  .They  have  five  children,  viz.: 
Helena,  Katie,  August,  Fred  and  Henry.      Mr 


HISTORY    OF    SACRAMENTO    COUNTY 


Biewener  became  a  member  of  the  Sacramento 
Turn-Verein  in  1884-.  He  was  lirst  elected 
trustee,  and  in  1888  was  chosen  president  of  the 
organization,  taking  the  office  in  January,  1889. 
]le  is  a  trustee  of  Sacramento  Stamm,  No.  124, 
I.  0.  R.  M.,  and  a  member  of  Sacramento 
Grove,  No.  6861,  A.  O.  F.  He  is  also  an  of-" 
ficer  of  tlie  Chosen  Friends,  and  is  president  of 
the  Butchers'  Protective  Union  since  January, 
1889.  In  politics  he  is  a  Eepublican.  Mr. 
Biewener  is  a  good  representative  of  the 
younger  and  more  pushing  class  of  business 
men,  and  is  a  very  popular  man  with  a  large 
circle  of  personal  friends. 


A.  BAXTER,  general  foreman  of 
foundry  and  wheel  departments.  Cen- 
tral Pacific  Railroad  shops,  Sacramento, 
is  a  native  of  Vermont,  born  at  Norwich  Plain, 
on  the  17th  day  of  October,  1836,  his  parents 
being  Erastus  and  Lucy  (Freeman)  Baxter. 
When  he  was  but  seven  years  of  age,  his  par- 
ents removed  to  Franklin  County,  New  York, 
where  he  received  his  education,  and  assisted 
liis  father  on  the  farm.  When  he  was  sixteen 
years  of  age  he  went  to  Manchester,  New 
Hampshire,  and  learned  the  molder's  trade  at 
the  Amuskeag  Locomotive  Works.  He  was  em- 
ployed there  four  years,  then  went  to  Providence, 
and  was  engagea  at  the  works  of  Collins  & 
Nightingill,  one  of  the  largest  establishments 
in  New  England.  In  1858  he  went  to  Chicago, 
and  was  for  several  years  employed  at  the  McCor- 
mick  Reaper  Works.  In  1864  he  went  to  Elgin, 
and  in  connection  with  a  partner,  opened  a 
foundry  there,  which  they  operated  until  1866. 
In  1867  Mr.  Baxter  came  out  to  California. 
Going  to  New  York,  he  took  the  steamer  Ar- 
ago  as  far  as  the  Isthmus,  and  proceeded  to 
California  on  the  America,  landing  at  San  Fran- 
cisco January  28,  1868.  On  the  30th  he  was 
in  Sacramento,  and  he  went  out  on  the  Cosuin- 
nes  River  to  the  ranch  of  his  father-in-law, 
Theophilus    Renwicke,    who    now    has    a    fruit 


ranch  at  Florin.  From  there  he  went  to  Fol- 
som,  and,  obtaining  employment  in  the  shops 
of  the  Central  Pacific  Railroad  there,  went  to 
work  on  the  26th  of  March,  1868.  When  they 
bought  out  the  I  street  foundry,  in  September 
of  that  year,  he  came  to  Sacramento,  and  went 
to  work  in  the  foundry  here.  When  the  shops 
were  built,  two  years  later,  he  went  into  the 
foundry  department.  He  worked  as  a  journey- 
man seven  or  eight  years,  thoii  was  given  charge 
of  the  wheel  department.  In  1881  he  was  pro- 
moted to  the  position  of  general  foreman  of  the 
foundry  and  wheel  departments.  In  these  de- 
partments between  fifty  and  sixty  tons  of  metal 
are  melted  per  day,  and  112  wheels  is  a  day's 
work.  Mr.  Baxter  was  married  at  Elgin,  Illi- 
nois, on  the  8th  of  June,  1859,  to  Miss  Julia 
Renwicke,  a  native  of  that  city.  They  have 
one  son,  Charles  (who  is  an  engineer  for  the 
Central  Pacific  Company  at  Dunsmoor),  and 
one  daughter.  Miss  Bertha.  Mr.  Baxter  is  a 
member  of  Union  Lodge,  A.  O.  U.  W.,  and  of 
Union  Lodge,  A.  F.  &  A.  M.  He  has  been  a 
Republican  since  the  organization  of  that  party, 
and  cast  his  first  presidential  vote  for  John  C. 
i    Fremont.     Mr.   Baxter  is  one  of  the  old-time 


force  of  the  railroad  com 


pany, 


and 


pop 


ula 


lan  with  the  employes  in  his  departments. 


fHARLES  HEINRICH,  deceased.  Among 
the  best  known  of  the  pioneers  of  Cali- 
fornia who  have  made  their  home  in  Sac- 
ramento, was  Charles  Heinrich,  now  deceased. 
He  was  born  in  Germany  in  1826,  but  left 
theie  when  quite  young  and  came  to  America, 
locating  in  New  York.  When  Stevenson's 
regiment  was  organized  for  the  Mexican  war,  he 
joined  its  ranks,  and  accompanied  the  command 
to  California,  arriving  on  the  6th  of  March, 
1847.  He  was  among  the  first  to  come  to  Sac- 
ramento, and  he  opened  the  grocery  store  on 
the  corner  of  Third  and  L  streets  which  is  still 
conducted  in  the  family,  and  enjoys  the  dis- 
tinction of  being   the  oldest  store  of  atiy  kind 


HISTORY    OP    SACRAMENTO    COUNTY. 


in  Sicrainsnto.  Mr.  Heiiiricli's  courteous  de- 
meanor and  good  business  qualiiications  made 
his  store  a  paying  investment,  but  he  was 
burned  out,  like  the  rest,  in  the  great  fire  of 
1852,  and  again  suffered  in  the  great  floods  of 
1861-'62.  He  conducted  the  business  success- 
fnlly,  in  spite  of  all  obstacles,  until  1887,  when 
he  was  succeeded  ])y  his  son  Einil.  He  was  one 
of  the  organizers  of  the  Sacramento  Hussars, 
and  has  served  as  captain  of  the  company.  He 
was  also  an  honored  member  of  the  Sacramento 
Society  of  California  Pioneers.  Hii5  death  oc- 
curred July  27,  1888.  His  wife  was  also  one  of 
the  early  ones  to  come  to  California,  making 
the  trip  across  the  plains  from  Missouri.  Her 
maiden  name  was  Sophia  Neubauer.     They  were 


th. 


parent 


of  thirteen   ciiildren,  of  whom  five 


are  living.  The  two  oldest  of  tliera  are  twins, 
viz.:  Albert,  who  is  an  engineer  in  the  Sacra- 
mento fire  department,  at  the  Tenth  street 
station,  and  Richard,  who  iias  been  connected 
with  the  fire  department  of  San  Diego,  but  is 
now  a  resident  of  Sacramento.  The  others  are: 
Minnie,  wife  of  Albert  Meyer  (firm  of  Meyer 
Brothers,  of  the  Wigwam,  San  Francisco);  Einil, 
subject  of  the  following  sketch,  and  Nellie. 

Emil  Heinkich,  son  of  Charles  Heinrich, 
deceased,  and  now  the  proprietor  of  the  pio- 
neer store  of  Sacramento,  northeast  corrier 
of  Third  and  L  streets,  was  born  in  Sacra- 
mento, in  January,  1863.  He  was  educated 
in  the  public  schools  of  the  city,  and  after  that 
clerked  in  his  father's  store.  In  1885  he  went 
to  Portland,  Oregon,  and  afterward  to  San  Fran- 
cisco, where  he  remained  a  year,  then  returned 
to  Sacramento.  He  soon  afterward,  however, 
went  to  Los  Angeles,  where  he  took  the  position 
of  manager  of  Brown's  bakery  and  confection- 
ery business.  Since  taking  charge  of  the  busi- 
ness in  Sacramento,  he  has  given  his  entire 
attention  to  the  details,  and  has  maintained  the 
reputation  already  established.  Mr.  Heinrich 
is  a  member  of  Sacramento  Parlor,  No.  3,  Na- 
tive Sons  of  the  Golden  West,  which  lie  joined 
in  1880,  and  in  which  he  has  held  the  office  of 
treasurer.      He  is  an    extra    fireman   of    No.   1 


Company,  Second  street.  He  is  a  Republican 
politically,  as  was  his  father.  Mr.  Heinrich  is 
one  of  the  enterprising  young  business  men  of 
Sacramento,  and  enjoys  the  confidence  and  es- 
teetn  of  the  communitv. 


i.^^. 


fR.  F.  W.  HATCH,  deceased.— No  expo- 
nent of  the  medical  profession  in  Sacra- 
mento ever  occupied  a  higher  place  in  the 
hearts  of  his  brethren  than  did  the  late  Dr.  F.  W. 
Hatch.  Though  not  a  pioneer,  yet  he  came  to 
California  during  her  early  days,  and  his  name 
was  well  known  throughout  the  State.  Dr.  Hatch 
was  a  native  of  Virginia,  born  at  Charlottesville, 
March  2,  1822.  His  boyhood  days  were  passed 
in  Washington,  District  Columbia,  where  his 
fath  r,  an  Episcopal  clergyman,  was  Chaplain  of 
the  United  States  Senate  for  twelve  years.  His 
literary  and  classical  education  were  obtained  at 
Union  College,  Schenectady,  New  York,  where 
he  was  graduated  with  honors  at  the  age  of  nine- 
teen. Having  determined  to  study  medicine, 
he  at  once  repaired  to  the  metropolis,  where  the 
largest  opportunities  were  presented  for  the 
furtherance  of  his  purpose,  and  entered  the 
medical  department  of  the  New  York  Univer- 
sity. Here  he  received  the  instructions  of  such 
men  as  Drs.  Mott,  Revere,  Post,  Payne  and 
Bedford,  and  he  was  graduated  M.  U.  March 
10,  1844.  He  was  married  to  Sarah  R.  Bloom, 
in  Charleston.  South  Carolina,  June  12,  1844, 
and  located  almost  immediately  afterward  for 
the  practice  of  medicine  at  Beloit,  Wisconsin. 
He  afterward  moved  to  South  port  (now  known 
as  Kenosha),  Wisconsin,  where  he  soon  acquired 
an  e.xtensive  and  lucrative  practice,  and  was  re- 
garded as  being  one  of  the  most  competent  and 
reliable  physicians.  In  1851  he  came  to  Cali- 
fornia, locating  at  Sacramento  in  the  fall  of  that 
year.  He  at  once  engaged  in  the  practice  of 
his  profession,  and  was  in  early  days  associated 
witli  the  late  Dr.  J.  F.  Morse.  But  because  of 
his  attainments  as  a  scholar  and  his  love  of  edu- 
cation, he  was  soon  singled  out  as  a  representa- 


HISTORY    OF    SACRAMENTO    COUNTY. 


tive,  and  was  elected  for  several  successive 
terms,  both  City  and  County  Superintendent 
of  Schools,  and  member  of  the  Board  of  Edu- 
cation. He  was  elected  Secretary  of  the  State 
Board  of  Health  March  3,  1876,  and  held  the 
position  until  his  death.  His  labors  in  this 
capacity,  and  his  reports  to  the  Legislature,  are 
the  best  evidences  of  the  wisdom  of  the  board 
in  their  selection.  He  was  an  active  member 
of  the  City  Board  of  Health  for  more  than 
twenty  years;  was  its  president  for  several 
years,  and  its  secretary  for  the  eight  years  pre- 
ceding his  death.  For  several  years  he  was 
Professor  of  the  Theorj'  and  Practice  of  Medi- 
cine in  the  medical  department  of  the  Univer- 
sity of  California,  and  for  the  last  four  years  of 
his  life  was  Professor  of  Hygiene  in  the  same 
institution.  He  was  also  an  active  contributing 
member  of  the  American  Medical  Association 
for  over  a  quarter  of  a  century.  He  was  a 
working  member  of  the  American  Public 
Health  Association,  and  shortly  before  his  deatii, 
was  appointed,  at  the  meeting  of  the  Associa- 
tion at  St.  Louis,  a  member  of  its  advising 
council.  He  was  tlie  first  president  of  the  Sac- 
ramento Society  for  Medical  Improvement, 
holding  that  office  for  five  years,  and  being 
mainly  instrument.d  in  giving  to  that  society 
such  a  high  rank  that  membership  in  it  was  re- 
garded throughout  the  State  as  a  synonym  of 
professions!  standing  nowhere  else  to  be  ob- 
tained in  California.  His  death  occurred  in 
1884,  and  from  the  address  of  that  grand  phy- 
sician, Dr.  W.  R.  Cluness,  on  his  old  friend. 
Dr.  Hatch,  before  the  Sacramento  Society  for 
Medical  Improvement,  the  material  for  this 
sketch  is  obtained.  Dr.  Hatch  was  an  orna- 
ment to  a  noble  profession,  and  his  name  will 
always  live  in  the  history  of  Sacramento. 


^,   • ^  .'^■.t.,i-g>.  t •   ,,> 

• — ^*'^  y  ^'^ — •   "^ 

SAAC    JOSEPH,    attorney  at  law,    531    J 

street,  Sacramento,  was  born  April  25,  1862, 

in  this  city;  attended  high  school  here  and 

also   pursued   the  literary  coui'se  at    the    State 


University  at  Berkeley;  studied  law  in  the  office 
of  Judge  J.  H.  McKune,  and  was  admitted  to 
the  bar  by  the  Supreme  Court  in  1884.  Since 
1885  he  has  been  engaged  in  general  law  prac- 
tice at  the  number  given  above.  He  is  also  a 
notary  public.  With  the  aid  of  D.  E.  Alexan- 
der, Esq.,  he  compiled  a  work  on  probate  prac- 
tice on  the. Pacific  coast,  published  by  the 
Bancroft-Whitney  Co.,  of  San  Francisco.  Mr. 
Joseph  is  a  striking  example  of  what  the  phy- 
siognomists call  a  "fine  mental  organization," 
and  men  of  this  character  are  always  neat  and 
thorough  in  their  business  and  affable  and  un- 
pretentious in  manner.  He  is  a  member  of  the 
order  of  Chosen  Friends,  and  a  Republican  in 
his  political  principles.  His  father,  Michael 
Joseph,  a  native  of  Poland,  came  to  California 
prior  to  1850  and  worked  a  long  time  in  the 
gold  mines.  In  1852  he  located  in  Sacramento, 
engaging  in  mercantile  business.  He  soon 
moved  to  Marysville,  where  he  was  one  of  tlie 
earliest  business  men,  and  was  prominent  as  a 
merchant  there  for  a  number  of  years.  He  was 
likewise  employed  in  San  Francisco  for  a  time, 
and  finally  settled  again  in  Sacramento,  where  he 
was  engaged  in  merchandising  until  his  death 
in  1876.  He  was  a  remarkable  man  in  respect 
to  energy  and  good  judgment.  Although  al- 
most completely  burned  out  in  Marysville  and 
also  in  San  Francisco,  and  sufiered  great  losses 
by  the  fire  of  1852  in  Sacramento  and  the  flood 
of  1862,  he  perseveringly  recovered  from  them 
all.  Mr.  Joseph's  mother,  nee  Cornelia  Lamm, 
is  a  native  of  France,  came  to  Sacramento  in 
1852,  and  is  now  a  resident  here. 


tH.  PETTIT,  one  of  the  popular  business 
irien  of  Sacramento,  is  a  native  of  Eng- 
*  land,  born  at  London,  December  18, 
1836,  his  parents  being  Joseph  E.  and  Ann 
(Bennett)  Pettit.  When  he  was  a  mere  child, 
his  parents  came  to  Baltimore,  in  the  United 
States,  and  from  there  removed  to  St.  Louis, 
Missouri,  and  afterward  to  Wisconsin,  and  from 


UltiTOUY    OF    SACliAMENro    COUNTY. 


there  subsequently  to  Quincy,  Illinois.  In  the 
latter  city  K.  H.  Pettit  learned  the  cigar  makers' 
trade  with  Henry  Hind.  After  acquiring  his 
trade,  he  worked  i'or  a  time  at  Canton,  Illinois, 
and  afterward  at  Keokuk,  Iowa.  He  was  in  the 
latter  city  in  1859,  when,  with  a  man  named 
John  Stone,  he  decided  to  go  to  California. 
Tliey  proceeded  to  St.  Joseph,  Missouri,  and 
thence  to  Nebraska  City,  where  they  iitted  out 
fur  their  long  jourpey,  which  was  undertaken 
by  them  in  the  company  of  three  others — young 
Frenchmen.  The  landmarks  of  their  journey 
to  California  may  be  designated  in  a  general 
way  as  Ft.  Kearney,  Ft.  Laramie,  Independence 
Rock,  Echo  Canon,  Salt  Lake  City,  Sink  of 
Humboldt,  Carson  Eiver  and  Genoa.  They  left 
Nebraska  City  on  the  31st  day  of  March,  and 
arrived  at  Genoa  on  the  5th  of  August.  Mr. 
Pettit  went  to  work  at  Mono,  where  he  was  en- 
gaged until  November.  He  then  proceeded  to 
Placerville,  and  thence  came  to  Sacramento, 
arriving  about  the  18th  of  November.  He  ob- 
tained work  with  Smith  &  Headman,  on  Fourth 
street,  between  J  and  K,  opposite  Odd  Fellows' 
Building  (formerly  St.  George  Hotel),  and  re- 
mained with  them  until  the  flood  of  December, 
1861.  He  soon  afterward  started  in  business 
for  himself  in  the  alley  between  L  and  M,  Fourth 
and  Fifth  streets,  and  a  year  and  a  half  later 
bought  the  property  on  K  street  where  he  now 
does  business.  He  gave  up  manufacturing  in 
1880,  and  now  gives  his  entire  attention  to 
wholesaling  and  retailing  tobacco,  cigars  and 
everything  pertaining  thereto.  He  does  an  ex- 
tensive business,  which  extends  throughout  all 
the  territory  tributary  to  Sacramento,  and  no 
business  tirm  in  Sacramento  enjoys  a  higher 
reputation  among  its  customers  than  does  R.  H. 
Pettit.  He  has  been  twice  married.  His  tirst 
wife,  whom  he  married  in  December,  186i,  was 
Miss  Ellen  Hickey,  whose  parents  came  to  Sac- 
ramento in  an  early  day.  She  died  in  1868. 
His  present  wife  was  formerly  Miss  D.  D. 
Hoagland,  whose  father;  John  Hoagiand,  came 
to  California  in  1849,  and  was  a  member  of 
the  Pioneer  Society.     Mr.    Pettit   is   a   member 


of  Eureka  Lodge  No.  4,  I.  O.  O.  F.,  and  of 
Occidental  Encampment;  of  Columbia  Lodge, 
K.  of  P.;  of  A.  O.  U.  W.;  of  California  Lodge, 
K.  of  H.;  of  Red  Jacket  Tribe  No.  28,  Red 
Men,  and  of  the  Knights  and  Ladies  of  Honor. 
In  the  days  of  the  volunteer  fire  department  he 
was  a  member  of  Confidence  Company,  No.  1, 
which  he  joined  in  1861.  Mr.  Pettit  is  an  active 
and  enterprising  citizen,  and  a  successful  busi- 
ness man. 


'RED  C.  KNAUER,  proprietor  of  the  Pacific 
trewery,  Sacramento,  is  a  native  of  Ger- 
lany,  born  at  Sonnenfeld,-  Saxe-Coburg, 
December  16,  1839,  his  parents  being  L.  and 
Anna  (Burkhardt)  Knauer.  L.  Knauer,  his 
father,  came  to  America  in  1847,  locating  in 
Chicago,  where  he  conducted  a  liquor  and  cordial 
factory.  In  1849  he  came  across  the  plains  to 
California  by  team,  with  a  party  of  six,  among 
whom  was  Fred  Werner,  the  journey  requiring 
about  seven  months  before  they  reached  Sacra- 
mento. He  went  to  Auburn,  and  there  started 
a  small  bakery.  He  also  mined  on  Feather 
River,  and  in  the  latter  part  of  1850  went  to 
Weaverville,  Trinity  County,  and  opened  the 
Miners'  Hotel.  He  did  a  big  business,  and  in 
1853,  having  accumulated  a  great  deal  of  money, 
decided  to  go  back  to  Europe.  Proceeding  to 
San  Francisco,  he  stopped  at  the  Globe  Hotel, 
and  deposited  a  large  shot  bag  full  of  gold  in 
the  hotel  safe.  When  it  was  time  to  leave,  he 
boarded  the  steamer,  and  deposited  the  sack  with 
the  purser.  He  opened  it  to  show  the  purser 
the  genuineness  of  the  gold,  when,  to  his 
amazement,  he  found  the  sack  was  filled  with 
lead!  His  feelings  on  the  trip  back  to  his  old 
home  in  Germany  can  well  be  imagined,  when, 
after  working  hard  and  accumulating  a  fortune 
on  foreign  shores,  he  must  meet  his  family  and 
friends  deprived  of  all,  on  account  of  the  theft 
and  treachery  of  those  in  whose  care  he  had  de- 
posited his  wealth.  F.  C.  Knauer  spent  his 
boyhood    days    at    his   native   place,  and    there 


HISTORY    OF    SACRAMENTO    COUNTY. 


739 


attended  the  govermuent  scliools  from  his  sixth 
year  until  his  fourteenth.  About  this  time  his 
mother  died.  In  1853,  in  company  with  his 
father,  he  came  to  the  United  States,  sailing 
from  Bremer  Haven  the  latter  part  of  October 
on  the  Sylphide,  and  landing  at  New  York  in 
December.  After  a  few  days  he  went  to  New 
Brooklyn,  where  he  was  engaged  at  various 
occupations.  In  1855  he  came  to  California, 
sailing  from  New  York  on  the  steamer  Northern 
Light,  and  landing  at  San  Francisco  in  February, 
from  the  steamer  Cortez.  In  San  Francisco  he 
again  joined  his  father,  who  was  foreman  at  the 
Lafayette  Brewery.  He  was  in  the  city  at  the 
time  of  the  vigilance  committee  of  1856,  and 
saw  Casey  and  three  others  hung.  Later  in  the 
same  year  he  went  to  French  Bar,  Stinislaus 
County,  where  his  father  had  by  this  time 
opened  a  bre.very.  The  Fraser  River  excite- 
ment broke  up  mining  and  business  in  Stanis- 
laus Connty,  and  the  senior  Knauer  came  to 
Sacramento  and  took  the  position  of  foreman  in 
Scheld's  brewery,  and  our  subject  came  here  and 
also  went  to  work  in  the  brewery.  The  spring 
of  1861  found  him  working  in  the  Sutterville 
Brewery,  but  he  left  there  and  went  up  to  Sal- 
mon River  on  horseback.  Finding  no  prospects 
there,  he  returned  to  San  Francisco  afoot.  His 
father,  who  was  a  musician,  was  playing  the 
piano  in  the  city,  but  went  iu  the  spring  of 
1863  to  Idaho  City,  Idaho,  where,  in  partner- 
ship with  Henry  Martz  and  Henry  Boissellier, 
he  started  the  Ohio  Brewery  and  bakery.  Fred 
C.  Knauer  worked  for  Mrs.  Mueller  in  the  Ohio 
Brewery  until  1864,  when  he  went  up  to  Idaho 
to  join  his  father.  The  property  there  was  sold 
out  on  July  8,  1865.  and  the  father  went  to  San 
Francisco,  but  our  subject  remained  there  until 
December  16,  when  he  started  to  Portland, 
Oregon.  By  this  time  all  the  rivers  were  frozen 
up,  and  snow  had  fallen  so  heavily  that  even  the 
stage  companies  made  little  effort  at  travel. 
He  went  to  Boise  City,  and  from  there  proceeded 
as  far  as  Straw  Ranche,  from  which  point  on  the 
road  was  blockaded.  He  remained  there  over  a 
week,  but  got  restless,  and   started   fijr  the  next 


stage  station  afoot,  with  others.  They  got  lost 
in  a  blinding  snow  storm,  and  after  walking  all 
day  brought  up  at  night  just  where  they  started 
from,  and  were  glad  to  get  back.  They  would 
surely  have  perished  had  it  not  been  that,  when 
more  dead  than  alive,  they  found  their  own 
foot-prints  in  the  snow.  As  soon  as  possible 
they  proceeded  on,  and  arriving  at  Umadilla, 
found  the  river  frozen,  and  on  the  second  day 
the  stage  line  was  opened.  They  reached  the 
Chute  by  river,  and  then  found  it  necessary  to 
take  the  stage  again  to  the  Dalles.  There  they 
found  the  Columbia  River  frozen,  and  after 
waiting  ten  days,  it  thawed  out,  and  they  pro- 
ceeded on  toward  Salilo;  when  they  got  within 
live  miles  of  the  latter  place,  they  found  they 
could  go  no  farther  by  water,  and  they  footed  it 
for  that  distance.  The  trip  was  also  an  expen- 
sive one.  They  got  one  meal  a  day,  which  cost 
$1,  while  a  piece  of  bacon,  a  couple  of  crackers 
and  an  apple  cost  four  bits.  At  the  Lower  Cas- 
cades they  found  everything  frozen  up  again. 
A  few  days  later,  however,  a  steamer  took  them 
to  Portland,  the  trip  having  occupied  six  weeks. 
When  they  reached  Portland,  news  came  that 
the  steamer  "  Sierra  Nevada,"  which  was  to  take 
them  to  San  Francisco,  had  gone  on  the  rocks, 
and  they  had  to  wait  two  weeks  for  the  steamer 
"  Pacilic."  The  voyage  lasted  eight  or  nine 
days,  and  Mr.  Knauer  got  to  San  Francisco  with 
just  fifteen  cents  out  of  the  S600  with  which  he 
had  started.  He  remained  idle  for  a  time,  tak- 
ing a  much-needed  rest,  then  he  and  his  father 
bought  the  property  in  Oakland  known  as  the 
Oakland  Brewery,  corner  of  Ninth  and  Broad- 
way, on  the  20th  of  April,  1867.  They  carried 
on  the  business  there  until  May  20,  1869,  when 
they  sold  the  real  estate  to  Black  &  Moffatt,  and 
the  furniture,  fixtures  good  will,  etc.,  to  Charles 
Ciinn,  Mangerts  &  Bode.  On  the  17th  of  June, 
1869,  they  bought  the  Pacific  Brewery  in  Sacra- 
mento. This  brewery  was  started  in  1858  by 
J.  B.  Kohler,  George  Ochs,  and  a  Mr.  Lorenz. 
The  original  buildings  are  still  standing  on  the 
premises.  J.  B.  Kohler  died  in  1859,  and 
Lorenz  died  in  1862.     Thereafter  Mr.  Ochs  car- 


HISTORY    OF    SACRAMENTO    COUNTY. 


ried  on  the  business  until  it  was  purchased  by 
L.  Knauer  &  Son.  Since  his  father's  death,  in 
1881,  F.  C.  Knauer  has  conducted  the  trade 
alone.  He  has  built  up  an  extensive  business, 
and  employs  improved  machinery  and  compe- 
tent workmen  in  every  department  of  his  busi- 
ness. Mr.  Knauer  was  married  in  this  city, 
December  15,  1870,  to  Miss  Charlotte  Berger, 
a  native  of  Louisiana.  She  died  in  Sacramento, 
leavine;  two  children,  viz.:  Fred  Charles,  Jr., 
and  William.  Mr.  Kiiauer  married  his  present 
wife  October  2,  1880.  She  was  formerly  Miss 
A.  P.  S.  Gardner,  a  native  of  New  York.  Mr. 
Knauer  is  a  member  of  Union  Lodge,  No.  21, 
k.  F.  &  A.  M.;  of  Union  Lodge,  A.  O.  U.  W.; 
of  Sacramento  Turn-Verein,  and  of  Sacramento 
Stamm  No.  124,  Eed  men.  He  is  a  pushing 
business  man,  and  has  a  host  of  friends  in  trade 
and  society. 

'^'^^ ~ 

fOHN  MILLER,  present  representative  of 
the  undertaking  firm  of  Fritz  &  Miller, 
holds  a  high  rank  in  his  line  in  Sacra- 
mento. He  is  a  native  of  Du  Page  County, 
Illinois,  born  a  few  miles  north  of  Wheaton, 
December  19,  1848,  his  parents  being  Jacob 
and  Julia  (Schultz)  Miller,  both  of  whom  were 
natives  of  Germany.  He  was  reared  in  Illinois, 
and  came  to  California  in  1869,  just  after  the 
excursion  of  the  Pioneers,  celebrating  the  com- 
pletion, of  the  Pacific  Railroad.  He  spent  a 
year  in  looking  over  the  country,  then  engai^ed 
with  R.  K.  Wick,  undertaker,  with  whom  he 
remained  about  five  years,  then  returned  to  the 
East.  In  September,  1879,  Mr.  Miller  bought 
out  the  interest  of  the  partner  of  Joseph  Fritz, 
in  the  undertaking  business,  the  iirm  of  Fritz 
&  Miller  then  being  formed.  Mr.  Fritz  died 
June  23,  1887,  and  Mr.  Miller  has  since  con 
ducted  the  business  alone  He  has  a  hand- 
somely fitted  establishment,  and  being  a  man  of 
taste  and  excellent  business  qualities,  has  re- 
ceived an  extensive  pati'onage  from  among  the 
best  people.     Mr.  Miller  was   married    in   this 


city  in  1877,  to  Miss  Barbara  Snyder,  a  native 
of  France,  who  came  to  America  when  a  child. 
They  have  had  four  children,  of  whom  one, 
Frank,  died  at  the  age  of  seven  years  and  three 
months.  Those  living  are:  Georgie,  Nina  and 
Gertrude.  Mr.  Miller  is  a  member  of  Colum- 
bia Lodge,  K.  of  P. ;  of  Walhalla  Grove,  A.  O. 
D.;  of  the  Y.  M.  I.;  of  the  Verein-Eintracht; 
of  the  Chosen  Friends,  and  of  the  Sacramento 
Hussars.  He  takes  an  active  interest  in  mili- 
tary aiJairs,  especially  in  the  department  of 
marksmanship,  and  has  been  Inspector  of  Rifle 
Practice  of  the  Fourth  Brigade  since  1884.  Mr. 
Miller  is  up  with  the  times  in  everything  per- 
taining to  his  business,  and  enjoys  the  respect 
and  confidence  of  the  people. 

^...g.;.,;.^^ 


fSCHlNDLER,  one  of  the  well-known 
long  resident  men  of  business  of  Sacra- 
'*  mento,  is  a  native  of  Germany,  born  at 
Baden-Baden,  April  14, 1835,  his  parents  being 
John  and  Francisca  (Schuler)  Schindler,  the 
father  a  farmer.  When  he  was  five  years  of 
age  the  family  emigrated  to  America,  sailing 
from  Havre  on  the  French  merchant  ship  Eliza- 
bttli,  and  landed  at  New  York.  They  located 
on  a  farm  twenty -live  miles  east  of  Buffalo,  on 
the  Lake  Erie  shore.  When  the  subject  of  this 
sketch  had  reached  the  age  of  eleven  years,  he 
went  to  Buffalo,  and  after  serving  two  years  as 
waiter  in  a  fashionable  boarding-house,  went  to 
work  in  the  sash,  door  and  blind  factory  of  A. 
C.  Sangster  &  Husted,  to  learn  that  business 
and  the  carpenter  trade.  He  worked  for  them 
four  years,  then  took  the  contract  to  build  a 
cooper  shop  for  N.  D.  Clark,  of  Buffalo,  and 
made  money  out  of  the  job.  He  also  mortgaged 
a  lot  for  ,$300,  and  in  March,  1852,  he  started 
for  California  with  A.  C.  Sangster.  Arriving 
at  Panama,  he  found  no  vessel  to  take  him  to 
San  Franci.-co,  so  went  to  work  at  the  carpenter 
trade  for  '>$6  a  day  and  found."  He  next  went 
to  sea  on  the  little  two-masted  schooner  B 
Allen,  engaging    at   first   as   table  waiter,  and 


lIISrURT    OF    SAO  HAM  EN  TO    COUNTY. 


beinw  promoted  steward.  He  was  100  days  on 
the  voyage  to  San  Francisco,  and  on  arriving 
there  tooI<  a  steamer  for  Sacramento.  lie  found 
Mr.  Sangster,  who  was  already  in  the  sash,  door 
and  blind  business,  and  went  to  work  for  him. 
Three  months  later  the  factory  was  burned  down 
in  the  great  fire  of  November,  1852.  It  was 
rebuilt  on  K  street,  between  Fifth  and  Sixth. 
Two  years  afterward  it  was  burned  down  again, 
and  Mr.  Schindler  purchased  what  was  left,  and 
started  in  business  himself,  he  having  brought 
$2,000  with  him,  and  having  sent  back  the 
money  to  pay  off  the  mortgage  on  his  Buffalo 
lot  in  1853.  Four  or  five  years  after  he  com- 
menced business,  Mr.  Schindler's  factory  was 
de5tro3'ed  by  fire,  and  he  relniilt  with  brick. 
He  sold  that  place  and  bought  again  at  708  and 
710  K  street.  The  big  floods  of  1861-'62 
caused  considerable  loss  to  him  here,  and  40,000 
feet  of  sugar-pine  lumber  belonging  to  him,  to- 
gether with  a  wagon  and  other  property,  floated 
aw^ay.  Considerable  glass  which  he  had  in 
stock  was  also  damaged.  Besides  this  he  lost 
about  $2,000  which  was  owing  to  him,  on  ac- 
count of  the  high  water.  These  floods  showed 
the  people  where  the  grade  must  be  established, 
and  he  raised  his  place  eight  feet.  He  next 
built  the  house  of  Mr.  Uhl,  on  M  street,  for 
$3,500,  and  then  erected  over  his  own  buildings 
the  Central  Hall.  The  fire-fiend  again  came 
and  burned  him  out,  with  the  loss  of  his  ma- 
chinery, again  without  insurance.  He  has  been 
engaged  in  contracting  ever  since.  The  sash, 
door  and  blind  business  was  a  good  one  in  the 
early  days.  Before  the  Eastern  manufactured 
goods  came  in  he  could  sometimes  make  as  high 
as  $150  in  a  day.  Then  the  Eastern  goods  com- 
menced to  be  bought  here,  Eastern  lumber  sold 
at  $100  per  1,000  feet,  and  in  order  to  compete 
with  the  articles  of  Eastern  manufacture  Mr. 
Schindler  hunted  out  the  sugar-pine,  with  which 
he  did  a  good  business.  Some  of  his  workmen 
went  back  on  him,  however,  and  advised  people 
to  buy  at  the  lumber-yards,  and  he  had  to  com- 
pete against  the  whole  Eastern  trade.  But  he 
made  money  on   odd    sizes  and   lengths,   which 


were  not  handled  in  the  j'ards.  In  May,  1890, 
Mr.  Soliindler  will  assume  complete  possession 
of  his  building,  and  will  then  embark  in  the 
furniture  business.  In  politics  Mr.  Schindler 
is  a  Republican.  He  has  one  son,  L.  C,  who 
is  book-keeper  for  Gregory  Bros.  Mr.  Schind- 
ler has  been  in  Sacramento  since  the  early  days, 
and  has  manj'  interesting  reminiscences  of  the 
early  times  in  this  city. 

^-^-^ ' 

fOHN  C.  SCHADEN,  one  of  the  youug 
business  men  of  Sacramento,  is  a  native  of 
Burg  Lesum,  near  Bremen,  in  Hamburg, 
Germany,  born  May  3,  1857,  and  a  son  of 
Henry  and  Annie  (Winters)  Schaden.  He  re- 
ceived his  education  between  the  years  of  six 
and  fourteen,  and  then  obtained  employment  in 
a  cigar-box  factory  for  a  year  and  a  half.  He 
then  came  to  America,  and  after  a  year  and  a 
quarter  in  New  York  city,  came  to  California  in 
1874.  Coming  to  Sacramento,  he  first  went  to 
work  for  his  brother  Arend,  but  soon  engaged 
in  business  for  himself  in  partnership  with  A. 
Rodegerdts.  This  firm  continued  for  nearly 
four  years,  when  Mr.  Rodegerdts  retired  from 
the  partnership.  One  year  later  Mr.  Schaden 
took  in  his  present  partner,  Frederick  Schnei- 
der, and  the  firm  became  J.  C.  Schaden  &  Co. 
They  moved  to  their  present  location  March  19, 
1886.  Mr.  Schaden  was  married  in  Sacramento 
to  Miss  Mcta  Feldhusen,  a  native  of  Germany, 
born  at  Maycnburg,  near  Bremen.  They  have 
two  children,  viz.:  Bertha  and  Charlotte.  Mr. 
Schaden  is  a  member  of  the  Sacramento  Turu- 
Verein,  and  was  chosen  its  secretary  at  the  last 
general  election,  but  resigned  in  order  to  take 
a  trip  to  Europe.  He  is  a  member  of  the  I.  O. 
R.  M.,  and  also  resigned  the  office  of  Junior 
Sachem  in  that  organization  when  he  went  to 
Europe.  He  also  belongs  to  California  Lodge, 
K.  of  H.,  in  which  he  was  a  charter  member. 
He  has  also  been  associated  with  the  National 
Guard  as  a  private  in  Company  B,  First  Artil- 
lery Regiment,   Fourth    Brigade.      Mr.  Sciiaden 


HltiTORT    OF    SACRAMENTO    COUNTY. 


is  an  active  and  influential  young  business  man, 
and  has  built  up  a  large  trade  for  his  tirni. 


fEOEGE  S.  EISHER,  one  of  the  best-  known 
men  in  the  employ  of  the  railroad  com- 
pany at  Sacramento,  is  a  native  of  New 
York  State,  born  August  27,  1843,  his  parents 
being  Rev.  C.  L.  and  Almira  Teresa  (Kinsey) 
Fisher.  His  mother  came  of  one  of  the  old 
families  of  central  New  York.  A  brother  of 
her  iather  served  on  the  staff  of  General  Gates, 
and  her  father  was,  for  many  years  preceding 
his  death,  manager  of  the  great  Eagle  Mills,  at 
Utica.  Kev.  C.  L.  Fisher,  father  of  the  subject 
of  this  sketch,  was  born  in  Norwich,  England, 
and  came  to  America  with  his  parents  when 
nine  years  old.  They  located  at  Utica,  New 
York,  and  there  he  was  reared  and  educated. 
In  that  city  he  was  ordained  a  minister  of  the 
Baptist  faith  in  1847.  He  was  married  there, 
and  after  his  marriage  he  removed  to  Whitehall, 
New  York.  From  there  he  removed  to  Wis- 
consin, when  much  of  that  State  was  wild,  and 
Indians  and  wild  game  plentiful.  He  located 
at  Shields,  Marquette  County,  and  afterward  re- 
moved to  Dtl  Prairie,  Adams  County.  From 
there  they  removed  in  1857  to  Minnesota,  set- 
tling in  Money  Creek  Valley,  eighteen  miles 
west  of  La  Crescent.  In  March,  1860,  they 
joined  a  large  wagon  train  bound  for  Oregon. 
Starting  with  ibur  yoke  of  oxen,  they  reached 
Oregon  City  after  a  journey  of  si.\  months  lack- 
ing five  days,  with  three  oxen  and  the  rear 
wheels  of  one  wagon,  which  was  hauled  as  a 
cart.  While  on  the  North  Platte  they  liad  a 
little  trouble  with  the  Sioux.  The  horse  train 
and  ox  teams  were  encamped  some  distance 
apart,  and  tliere  were  not  a  great  number  of 
men  in  the  latter  party.  A  band  of  Sioux  In- 
dians rode  up,  and  one  of  them,  drawing  a  sabre, 
playfully  t(Jok  off  the  hat  of  an  old  man  named 
Allen.  Allen  returnid  the  compliment  by 
throwing  a  stone  at  the  Indian,  who  then  hit 
Allen  on  the  back  with  the  flat  side  of  his  sabre. 


A  young  man  then  drew  a  bead  on  the  Indian 
with  his  rifle,  but  Mr.  Fisher  stopped  him  al- 
most in  the  act  of  shooting.  When  tiiey  reached 
Fort  Hall,  they  met  the  commanding  oflicer  of 
the  department,  who  gave  them  a  company  of 
soldiers  to -escort  them  through  a  country  filled 
with  savage  Indians,  where  a  whole  train  had 
been  massacred  the  year  before.  Every  night 
they  could  see  the  Indian  signal  fires  burning 
brightly  on  the  hills.  They  proceeded  to  Ore- 
gon by  Lander's  cut-off,  which  had  not  been 
used  for  two  or  three  years,  and  they  had  to  cut 
and  clear  away  trees  that  had  fallen  across  the 
road.  One  of  the  party  died  on  this  road,  and 
was  buried  in  a  beautiful  valley.  The  Meyers 
family,  refugees  from  a  train  which  was  at- 
tacked and  dispersed  by  the  Indians,  were  only 
a  few  days  behind  them,  and  were  picked  up  by 
the  Government  escort.  On  reaching  Oregon 
City,  they  remained  there  until  1861,  when 
they  went  to  Salem,  and  were  located  there  eight 
years,  during  which  time  the  Rev.  Mr.  Fisher 
built  the  first  and  only  Baptist  Church  there, 
and  served  as  pastor  of  the  congregation  for 
some  years.  He  helped  on  its  construction  also 
as  a  carpenter.  In  1868  he  brought  his  family 
to  Columbia,  Tuolumne  County,  California, 
where  he  served  as  pastor  of  the  cliurch  there 
until  removing  to  Santa  Clara.  There  he  was 
pastor  for  three  years,  then  at  Marysville  for  a 
time,  next  at  Santa  Clara  again,  and  from  there 
went  to  Virginia  City,  Nevada.  He  built  a 
church  at  Virginia  City  and  one  at  Carson,  and 
officiated  as  pastor  at  both.  He  next  went  to 
Reno,  thence  to  Santa  Cruz,  from  there  to  Red 
Bluff",  and  then  back  to  Reno,  wiiere  he  is  now 
pastor  of  the  First  Baptist  Church.  He  is  at  this 
writing  in  his  seventy-third  year,  having  been 
born  at  JSorwich,  England,  December  26,  1817. 
She  was  married  June  13,  1841,  by  Rev.  C.  P. 
Sheldon,  pastor  of  the  Baptist  Church  at  Whites- 
borough,  Oneida  County,  New  York,  to  Miss 
A.  T.  Kinsey,  who  was  born  in  Otsego  County, 
NewYork,  November  16,  1821.  George  S. 
Fisher,  subject  of  this  sketcii,  received  his  first 
schooling  at  Dell  Prairie,  Wisconsin,  afterward 


UISTOUY    OF    SACRAMENTO    COUNTY. 


received  instruction  at  different  places  where  the 
family  resided,  and  from  his  father,  who  is  a 
line  classical  scholar.  When  a  boy  he  learned 
the  painters'  trade.  On  the  12th  of  December, 
1864,  he  enlisted  at  Salem.  Oregon,  in  Company 
C,  First  Oregon  Volunteer  Regiment.  He  went 
to  Fort  Vancouver,  thence  by  the  steamer  Pa- 
cilic  to  Fort  Steilacoom,  on  Puget  Sound.  He 
was  there  appointed  Corporal  of  the  company, 
which  was  commanded  by  Captain  Paul  Clark 
Crandall,  who  is  now  in  the  department  of  jus- 
tice, Washington,  District  of  Columbia.  He 
was  stationed  there  until  the  1st  of  July,  1865, 
when  he  was  appointed  to  the  hospital  of  the 
First  Oregon  Infantry  Regiment,  and  went  to 
Fort  Stephens,  at  the  mouth  of  the  Columbia 
River,  on  the  Oregon  side.  He  remained  in 
charge  there  until  mustered  out  of  the  service, 
having  been  honorably  discharged  on  the  31st 
of  October,  1865.  Pie  rejoined  the  family  at 
Salem,  and  then  he  and  his  father  kept  hotel,  at 
two  houses,  for  two  years.  Alter  that  they  were 
in  the  wholesale  and  retail  grocery  and  crockery 
business  for  about  a  year.  After  that  he  studied 
dentistry.  At  Sonora,  three  miles  south  of  Co- 
lumbia, Tuolunme  County,  he  finished  the  ac- 
quirement of  the  profession  of  dentistry  under 
Doctor  Monendez.  He  rejoined  his  father's 
family  at  Santa  Clara,  and  practiced  his  profes- 
sion there  a  short  time.  He  clerked  and  drove 
on  long  trips  for  John  Woodney,  who  had  the 
telegraph  and  Wells-Fargo  offices.  Leaving 
there  he  came  to  Sacramento,  and  thence  pro- 
ceeded to  Marysville,  where  the  family  then 
were.  He  remained  there  about  a  year,  clerk- 
ing for  Mr.  Cooley,  in  the  crockery  business. 
His  next  employment  was  with  Thomas  Dou- 
gall,  and  after  that  with  Mr.  Walsh,  both  of 
whom  were  in  the  dry-goods  business.  Tiring 
of  indoor  employment,  he  applied  for  a  situation 
to  Superintendent  Bowen,  of  the  Oregon  Di- 
vision of  the  Central  Pacific  Railroad,  and  on 
March  20.  1870,  he  went  to  work  as  a  brake- 
man  for  a  time,  next  as  freight  conductor  and 
extra  on  passenger,  and  finally  as  conductor  on 
regular  passenger  train  for  seven  years,  for  the 


past  five  yeaas  of  which  he  has  been  on  the 
short  run  from  Sacramento  to  Kniglit's  Land- 
ing. While  on  this  run  he  was  collector  for  the 
Southern  Pacific  Company's  steamers,  and  dep- 
uty constable,  but  gave  that  up  to  take  a  better 
position  as  deputy  sheriff  under  Moses  Drew. 
He  holds  that  position  by  re-appointment  under 
Sheriff  McMuUen,  and  is  Southern  Pacific  Com- 
pany's officer  at  the  depot  and  vicinity.  Mr. 
Fisher  was  married  in  Sacramento,  September 
2,  1874,  to  Miss  Alice  M.  Powell,  a  native  of 
South  Adams,  Massachusetts,  and  daughter  of 
George  L.  and  Lydia  R.  (Burlingame)  Powell, 
who  are  now  residents  of  San  Francisco.  Mr. 
and  Mrs.  Fisher  have  three  children,  viz.:  Low- 
rena  L.,  Georgie  A.  and  Willie  A.  Mr.  Fisher 
is  a  member  of  Industrial  Lodge,  No.  157, 1.  O. 
O.  F.;  of  Ben  Bow  Lodge,  No.  229,  Sons  of  St. 
George,  and  of  Sierra  Nevada  Division,  No.  195, 
Order  of  Railway  Conductors.  Politically  he  is 
an  active  Republican.  Under  Governor  Gibbs' 
administration  in  Oregon,  he  was  enrolling  and 
engrossing  clerk  in  the  State  Legislature,  his 
father  being  at  the  same  time  sergeant-at-arms. 
For  the  past  four  years  he  has  been  aide  to  grand 
marshal  in  the  Fourth  of  July  and  memorial  day 
parades.  In  the  memorial  parade  day  of  1889, 
he  was  chief  aide  to  Grand  Marshal  George  W. 
Railton,  and  on  July  4,  1889,  he  was  aide  to 
Grand  Marshal  R.  D.  Stephens. 


tENRY  L.  ECKMAN,  one  of  the  promi. 
nent  young  business  men  of  Sacramento 
who  has  made  his  start  in  this  city,  is  a 
native  of  Germany,  born  at  Hamburg  on  the 
15th  of  November,  1857,  his  parents  being 
Henry  L.,  Sr.,  and  Katie  (Deden)  Eekman,  the 
father  a  business  man.  The  subject  of  this 
sketch  was  reared  and  educated  at  his  native 
place,  and  there  took  his  first  lessons  in  the 
handling  of  business.  In  1881  he  came  to  the 
United  States  and  located  in  Sacramento,  Cali- 
fornia, where  he  engaged  as  clerk  fur  i\rr. 
Steinmeyer,   on   the  comer    of    Fourth    and     P 


HISTORY    OF    SACRAyjENTO    COUNTY. 


Streets.  On  the  1st  of  January,  1884,  Mr. 
Eckinan  succeeded  to  the  proprietorship  of  the 
store,  and  has  built  up  a  very  large  trade  by 
fair  and  honest  dealing,  and  the  exercise  of 
judicious  business  principles.  Tiie  store  was 
started  by  John  Schoeness,  who  put  up  the 
building  for  the  purpose.  He  was  succeeded 
by  F.  W.  Stein ineyer  (who  formerly  kept  across 
the  street),  and  as  before  stated  Mr.  Steinineyer 
was  succeeded  by  Mr.  Eckman  in  1884.  Mr. 
Eckraan  was  married  in  this  city  December  19, 
1887,  to  Miss  Annie  Dressier,  a  native  of  Ger- 
many. Mr.  Eckman  is  a  member  of  Friendship 
Council,  No.  65,  Chosen  Friends,  and  of  the 
Verein-Eintracht.  Mr.  Eckman  belongs  to  the 
yonnger  class  of  business  men  in  Sacramento, 
who  are  now  becoming  such  an  important  factor 
in  commercial  circles  here,  as  elsewhere.  He 
is  an  active,  enterprising  man,  and  enjoys  the 
confidence  and  esteem  of  his  friends  and  patrons. 

^  X.  EBNER,  of  the  firm  of  Ebner  Bros., 
fH  wholesale  liquor  dealers,  ranks  among  the 
-^''^  most  active  business  men  of  Sacramento. 
He  is  a  native  of  Baden,  Germany,  born  Octo- 
ber 28,  1829.  His  father,  Charles  Ebner,  was 
a  lumber  dealer  and  butcher,  also  carrying  on 
general  mercantile  business.  His  mother's 
maiden  name  was  Schmidt.  He  was  reared  at 
his  native  place  (Waldshnt-bei  Freiburg),  where 
he  spent  the  years  between  the  ages  of  six  and 
fourteen  attending  the  Government  schools,  and 
afterward  at  a  business  institute.  He  was 
drafted  into  the  army  in  1849,  and  served 
through  the  devolution  in  an  artillery  regi- 
ment. He  went  to  Switzerland  after  leaving 
the  army,  and  from  there  came  to  America, 
sailing  from  Havre  to  New  York.  He  pro- 
ceeded to  Chicago,  thence  to  St.  Louis,  and  a 
year  later  to  New  Orleans,  where  he  followed 
various  pursuits  until  1853.  About  the  5th  of 
March  of  that  year  be  left  New  Orleans  and 
came  to  California  by  steamer  via  Panama, 
landing  at  San  Francisco  about  the  1st  of  April. 


He  came  to  Sacramento  and  obtained  employ- 
ment on  the  first  water  works  of  the  city,  then 
building.  The  following  year  he  and  his  brother 
Charles  assumed  cliarge  of  the  Sierra  Nevada 
Hotel,  on  Ninth  and  J  streets.  In  1857  they 
built  the  Ebner  House,  and  ran  it  about  six 
years,  since  which  time  they  have  given  their 
principal  attention  to  their  extensive  business, 
which  extends  throughout  northern  California 
and  Nevada.  Mr.  Ebner  was  one  of  the  organ- 
izers of  the  Sacramento  Hussars,  and  was  Ca[)- 
tain  when  the  company  entered  the  State  militia 
during  the  Rebellion,  serving  eight  years  in  that 
capacity'.  He  is  one  of  the  long-time  members 
of  the  Sacramento  Turn-Yerein.  Mr.  Ebner  is 
an  active  and  enterprising  man,  and  has  hosts 
of  friends  in  Sacramento  and  throughout  the 
country  where  he  is  known. 


tON.  JOHN  WEIL.— Among  the  well- 
known  Californians  resident  and  •  doing 
business  in  Sacramento,  is  the  gentleman 
whose  name  this  sketch  commences.  He  is  a 
nativeof  Germany,  born  in  the  Duchy  of  Nassau, 
near  Frankfort-on-the-Main,  in  the  small  town 
of  Hattersheim,  on  the  12th  day  of  April, 
1834.  His  parents  were  John  Adam  and  Mar- 
garetha  Weil,  the  father  a  miller.  The  mother 
died  when  the  subject  of  this  sketch  was  but 
two  years  of  age.  He  received  his  education 
in  the  public  schools  between  the  ages  of  six 
and  fourteen  years,  and  after  that  was  thrown 
u]ion  his  own  resources.  He  obtained  employ- 
ment as  an  errand-boy  at  Frankfort-on-the-Main, 
and  was  thus  engaged  for  a  year  and  a  half.  He 
then  became  a  merchants'  apprentice  at  May- 
ence,  and  was  thus  employed  until  nineteen 
years  of  age.  In  1853  he  came  to  America, 
sailing  from  Liverpool  on  the  clipper  ship  Hus- 
sar. He  had  engaged  passage  on  a  steamer, 
but  it  sank,  and  he  came  by  the  clipper  in  pref- 
erence to  waiting  for  another  steamer.  He  ar- 
rived at  New  York  in  April  after  a  voyage  of 
twenty-seven  days.     He  then   proceeded  to  St 


UISTOliT    OF    SACRAMENTO    COUNT F. 


Louis,  and  thence  to  Belleville,  Illinois,  where 
he  remained  until  the  following  year.  In  1854 
he  came  to  California  wilh  his  sister,  taking  a 
steamer  to  Havana,  thence  to  Aspinwall,  then 
across  the  Isthmus,  and  on  the  John  L.  Stephens 
to  San  Francisco,  where  he  landed,  and  soon 
came  to  Sacramento.  His  hrother,  Mr.  C.  Weil, 
had  come  to  Sacramento  in  1852,  and  was  in 
business  on  the  corner  of  Eleventh  and  J  streets, 
and  had  a  vinegar  factory  on  L  street,  and  our 
subject  was  employed  in  the  business.  A  year 
later  he  became  a  partner  in  the  vinegar  factory, 
and  so  continued  until  1857,  when  he  sold  out 
and  went  to  Monte  Christo,  Sierra  County,  to 
engage  in  mining.  '  He  bought  an  interest  in  a 
mine,  and  a  year  later  started  a  store.  One  day 
in  the  fall  of  1859,  while  he  was  in  Sacramento 
purchasing  goods,  he  received  word  that  his 
store  had  burned  down.  Pie  went  back  at  once, 
but  as  the  mines  were  giving  out  and  the  town 
going  down,  he  concluded  to  leave  there.  He 
went  down  to  Downieville,  and  there  carried  on 
busiiress  until  1876.  While  there,  in  February, 
1865,  he  was  again  burned  out,  losing  $15,000, 
with  no  insurance,  and  then  offered  to  sell  every- 
thing he  had  left  for  $1,000.  But  he  persevered 
and  prospered.  In  the  fall  of  1876  he  closed 
out  his  business  there,  and  came  to  Sacramento 
to  rest  up.  He  had  always  been  an  active  fac- 
tor in  the  organization  of  the  Republican  party, 
and  in  1879,  much  to  his  surprise,  he  was  nom- 
inated for  the  office  of  State  Treasurer  by  the 
Republican  convention  of  that  year,  and  was 
chosen  to  that  important  position  by  the  suf- 
frages of  the  citizens  of  the  State  at  the  ensu- 
ing election.  At  the  expiration  of  his  term  of 
office  in  1882,  he  lived  retired  from  active  pur- 
suits for  some  time,  but  in  1884  the  real-estate 
firm  of  Weil  &  Johnson  was  formed.  In  1886 
he  was  instrumental  in  the  organization  of  the 
Sacramento  Glass  &  Crockery  Company,  and 
was  elected  its  president.  He  became  more  and 
more  interested  in  the  business  financially,  and 
now  gives  his  principal  attention  to  the  business, 
and  is  the  heaviest  stocliholder.  He  has  lately 
disposed  of  his  interest  in  the  firm  of  Weil  & 


Johnson.  Mr.  Weil  was  married  in  Sacramento 
(while  a  resident  of  Downieville)  on  the  6th  of 
June,  1866,  to  Miss  Anna  M.  Hickman.  They 
have  three  children,  all  born  in  Downieville, 
viz.:  Louis  J.,  Robert  and  Marguerite.  Mr. 
Weil  has  been  a  Republican  since  the  organiza- 
tion of  the  party.  In  the  fall  of  1869  he  was 
elected  a  supevisor  of  Sierra  County,  and  served 
two  terms  of  three  years  each.  He  declined  a 
re-election,  urged  upon  him  by  both  Republi- 
cans and  Democrats.  He  has  taken  an  active 
interest  in  the  public  affairs  in  Sacramento, 
and  is  now  one  of  the  Board  of  Fire  Commis- 
sioners. He  has  been  offered  the  Republican 
nomination  for  mayor  upon  one  occasion,  feel- 
ing compelled  to  refuse  it,  when  the  convention 
took  a  recess  to  wait  n])on  him  with  the  tender 
of  the  first  place  on  the  city  ticket.  He  is  a 
member  of  Sierra  Lodge,  No.  24,  I.  O.  O.  F., 
and  has  passed  its  chairs,  as  also  those  of  the 
encampment  at  Downieville,  Blue  Range,  No. 
8.  He  is  a  member  of  the  Canton  at  Sacramento, 
and  is  a  charter  member  of  the  Veteran  Odd 
Fellows  of  Sacramento.  He  is  a  member  of 
Mountain  Shade  Lodge,  No.  18,  Downieville, 
and  holds  membership  in  the  Sacramento  Turn- 
Verein.  Mr.  Weil  is  looked  upon  as  one  of  the 
foremost  citizens  of  the  State,  and  in  his  public 
arid  private  career  has  won  the  respect  and  con- 
fidence of  the  entire  community. 

P.  McCREARY,  deceased.  Among 
those  who  made  honored  names  for  them  - 
**  selves  in  the  early  business  annals  of 
Sacramento,  none  were  more  enterprising  than 
the  gentleman  whose  name  heads  this  sketch. 
He  was  a  native  of  Erie,  Pennsylvania,  and  a 
member  of  one  of  the  pioneer  families  of  that 
region.  In  fact  his  father,  in  conjunction  with 
Seth  Reed,  did  the  first  surveying  in  that 
county.  When  quite  young  W.  P.  McCreary 
left  his  native  place,  and  went  to  Mansfield, 
Ohio,  where  he  commenced  a  mercantile  career, 
for  which  he  had  laid  a  solid  foundation   by  a 


HISTORY    OF    SACRAMENTO    (JOUNTY. 


good  education,  acquired  at  Rochester,  New 
York.  He  afterward  removed  to  Sandusky, 
Ohio,  and  was  engaged  in  the  forwarding  busi- 
ness, and  in  grain  operations.  He  was  an  ex- 
tensive vessel  owner,  and  did  his  shipping  <jn 
the  lakes  in  his  own  vessel.  The  discovery  of 
gold  in  California,  with  the  consequent  rush  of 
eiuigraticm  in  that  direction,  caused  him  to  turn 
his  attention  to  the  Pacific  slope,  and  finally, 
having  formed  his  determination  to  east  his 
fortunes  there,  the  year  1852  found  him  and  his 
family  among  the  passengers  of  one  of  the 
many  steamers  bound  for  California  via  Panama. 
Arriving  in  San  Francisco  he  soon  became  in- 
terested in  the  flour  business.  He  was  in  Sac- 
ramento in  1852,  on  business  connected  with  a 
speculation  in  flour,  and  having  been  stricken 
with  sickness,  was  a  suflPerer  by  the  flood  and 
fire.  In  1854  he  removed  his  family  to  Sacra- 
mento permanently,  and  having  purchased  the 
Phoenix  mill  property,  set  about  improving  it  in 
such  a  way  as  to  virtually  amount  to  rebuilding, 
and  on  a  far  more  extensive  scale.  He  built  up 
a  fine  reputation  for  the  mills,  and  was  enjoying 
a  high  degree  of  prosperity  when  the  flood  of 
1862  came  on,  with  such  telling  effect  on  the 
mill  property  as  to  almost  totally  destroy  its 
value.  The  plant  had  been  valued  at  between 
$40,000  and  $50,000,  but  after  the  waters  had 
receded  he  could  not  have  obtained  more  than 
$2,500  for  the  property.  He  was  not  behind 
the  other  business  men  of  Sacramento,  however, 
in  rebuilding  and  re-fitting.  He  continued  in 
the  mill  .business  until  the  time  of  his  death, 
but  in  the  latter  days  of  his  life  was  interested 
in  other  matters,  having  purchased  the  Shasta 
ditch.  He  was  a  Republican  after  the  organi- 
zation of  that  party,  but  in  the  days  of  the  old- 
line  "Whig  party  he  was  prominently  identified 
with  the  organization,  and  was  a  delegate  to  the 
Baltimore  convention  of  the  Whig  party,  that 
nominated  Henry  Clay  for  President.  He  was 
killed  in  1866,  while  a  passenger  on  the  steamer 
"Yosemite,"  by  the  explosion  of  her  boilers. 
His  wife,  whose  maiden  name  was  Sophronia 
Iloadley,  was  a  native  of  Ohio,  and  daughter  of 


Colonel  Hoadley.  Slie  was  of  the  famous  Hoad- 
ley  family  of  Connecticut  and  Ohio,  and  cousin 
of  Governor  Hoadley.  She  preceded  her  hus- 
band to  the  grave,  her  death  having  occurred  in 
1865.  To  Mr.  and  Mrs.  W.  P.  McCreary  three 
children  were  born ;  of  these,  one,  Henry,  is 
deceased.  He  studied  law  with  Judge  Clark, 
and  was  admitted  to  practice  before  the  Su- 
preme. Court  of  California.  His  education  was 
of  the  highest  order,  having  been  cou)menced  in 
Sacramento,  and  finished  at  Yale  College,  where 
he  was  the  class  orator  in  1865.  He  was  gener- 
ally conceded  to  have  been  one  of  the  brightest 
young  men  in  the  historj'  of  the  Sacramento 
bar,  and  his  untimely  taking  oflP,  which  oc- 
curred in  1869,  was  a  sad  blow  to  his  family, 
and  to  the  profession.  Of  the  two  living  chil- 
dren of  W.  P.  McCreary,  the  older  is  Charles 
McCreary.  He  is  a  native  of  Sandusky,  Ohio, 
born  October  6,  1888,  and  was  but  twelve  j'ears 
of  age  when  he  came  to  California,  and  here  he 
finished  his  education  under  private  tutors. 
He  went  npon  a  ranch  in  Yolo  County,  which  he 
conducted,  in  conjunction  with  his  brother 
Byron,  for  four  years.  They  returned  at  the 
expiration  of  that  time,  to  Sacramento,  and  be- 
came associated  with  their  father  in  the  mill, 
succeeding  to  the  business  at  his  death.  Mr. 
McCreary  was  married  in  this  city,  April  26, 
1865,  to  Miss  Leora,  daughter  of  Judge  Clark. 
They  have  two  children:  Robert  Clark  and 
Henry  Clay.  The  younger  living  son  of  W. 
P.  McCreary  is  also  connected  with  the  Sacra- 
mento mills;  Byron  McCreary  is  a  native  of 
Plymouth,  Ohio,  and  was  educated  in  the 
schools  of  his  native  State,  at  Sandusky  and  at 
Cincinnati.  He  did  not  accompany  the  family 
to  California,  but  remained  East,  completing  his 
education,  so  that  when  he  came  to  the  coast  he 
joined  the  family  in  Sacramento.  He  and  his 
brother  Charles  conducted  the  Yolo  County 
farm  until  liecoming  interested  in  the  Phojnix 
mill,  and  they  have  been  partners  since  that 
time,  with  the  exception  of  an  unimportant  in- 
terval. The  McCreary  Bros,  are  among  the 
enterprising  firms  of  Sacramento,  and   the  pro- 


HISTORY    OF    SACRAMENTO    CUUNTT. 


duct  of  their  Sacramento  mill  is  one  of  the  lead- 
ing articles  in   the  export  business  of  the  city. 


fSIEBENTHALER,  one  af  the  well-known 
long-resident  citizens  of  Sacramento,  is  a 
'*  native  of  Bavaria,  Germany,  born  on 
Christmas  day,  1829,  his  parents  being  P.,  Sr., 
and  Elizabeth  (Marshall)  Siebenthaler.  In  1830 
the  family  came  to  America,  locating  at  Cincin- 
nati, where  the  father  followed  the  profession 
of  music.  They  afterward  removed  to  Indiana, 
and  settled  in  Highland  Township,  Franklin 
County.  In  1844  the  subject  of  this  sketch 
left  home,  and,  going  to  St.  Louis,  learned  the 
cigar-making  trade,  in  a  factory  on  the  corner 
of  Second  street  and  Washington  avenue.  In 
1850,  in  company  with  John  Gates  (who  had 
been  to  California  in  1849),  Mr.  Siebenthaler 
started  for  the  new  El  Dorado.  They  left  St. 
Louis  on  the  15th  of  April,  and  proceeded  to 
California  via  Fort  Hall.  They  had  rather  a 
severe  experience  on  the  trip,  running  short  of 
provisions,  etc.,  but  bringing  up  safely  at 
Placerville  on  the  19th  of  August.  Mr.  Sieben- 
thaler halted  at  Placerville,  and  remained  there 
until  1855,  engaged  in  mining  and  butchering. 
He  next  went  to  Volcano,  Amador  County, 
where  he  conducted  a  boarding-house  and  en- 
gaged in  quartz  mining.  On  the  2d  of  March, 
1870,  a  cave-in  occurred  in  the  mine  in  which 
he  was  at  the  time,  and  he  was  severely  injured 
in  the  right  arm,  for  which  he  came  to  Sacra- 
mento to  receive  medical  assistance.  He  con- 
cluded to  remain  here,  and  started  in  business 
on  the  corner  of  Eighth  and  K  streets,  remov- 
ing to  his  present  location  on  Twentieth  and  H 
streets,  in  1881.  At  this  location  he  has  made 
the  building  improvements,  which  are  of  a 
handsome  and  substantial  character.  Mr.  Sieben- 
thaler was  married  at  Placerville,  December  31, 
1853,  to  Miss  Elizabeth  Ileddinger.  They  have 
two  children,  viz.:  John  P.  and  Isabella  (widow 
of  W.  R.  Claypool,  who  died  May  20,  1888. 
Mr.  Siebenthaler  is  a   member  of  Sacramento 


Lodge,  A.  F.  &  A.  M.  In  politics  he  is  a  Re- 
publican, and  takes  an  active  interest  in  public 
affairs.  In  1867  he  was  elected  to  the  office  of 
recorder  and  auditor  of  Amador  County,  and 
sei  ved  two  years  in  that  capacity. 


fOHN  RUEDY,  proprietor  of  the  Fifth 
Street  Hotel,  is  a  nativeof  Switzerland,  born 
at  the  village  of  Gachlingen,  Canton  Schaft- 
hausen,  on  the  15th  day  of  August,  1860,  his 
parents  being  Andrew  and  Lizzie  (Hepp) 
Ruedy.  He  was  reared  and  spent  his  early  boy- 
hood days  at  the  place  of  his  birth,  and  there 
received  his  education.  At  the  early  age  of 
seventeen  years  he  started  out  to  make  his  own 
way  in  the  world,  leaving  home  and  coming  to 
America.  In  this  country  he  located  at  Ft. 
Wayne,  Indiana,  where  he  worked  at  any  em- 
ployment he  could  find,  and  was  part  of  the 
time  engaged  as  butcher,  as  cook,  or  as  farmer, 
etc.  He  next  went  to  St.  Paul,  Minnesota, 
thence  to  Chicago,  from  there  to  St.  Louis,  and 
then  back  to  Ft.  Wayne,  Indiana.  In  1882  he 
crossed  the  continent  to  California,  locating  at 
Oakland.  In  1883  he  came  to  Sacramento,  and 
became  engaged  as  clerk  in  the  Mechanics'  Ex- 
change Hotel,  which  position  he  held  until  Au- 
gust 15,  1885,  when  he  became  the  proprietor 
of  the  Fifth  Street  Hotel.  This  hotel  was  started 
under  the  name  of  the  Helvetia  House,  with 
John  Korn  as  the  first  landlord,  about  1876. 
In  1884  Frank  Schuler  became  proprietor,  and 
another  story  was  added  to  the  building.  John 
Tackney  came  next  as  landlord,  and  he  was  fol- 
lowed by  the  present  proprietor.  Mr.  Ruedy 
has  ample  accommodations  for  seventy-five  peo- 
ple, and  his  house  has  a  favorable  reputation  as 
a  home  hotel.  Mr.  Ruedy  was  married  in  this 
city  on  the  14th  of  August,  1885,  to  Miss  Mary 
Kuechler,  a  native  of  Switzerland.  They  have 
two  children,  viz.:  George  and  Chris.  Mr. 
Ruedy  is  a  member  of  Schiller  Lodge,  No.  105, 
I.  O.  O.  F.  In  closing  this  sketch  of  Mr.  Ruedy 
it  is  well  to  state  thai  his  life  offers  a  lesson  to 


748 


EISTORT    OF    SACRAMENTO    COUNTY. 


many  young  men  of  to-day.  Having  to  battle 
with  the  world  for  himself  from  the  time  he 
was  a  mere  boy,  and  that,  too,  in  a  strange 
country,  having  a  language  new  to  him,  he  is 
already  in  his  fourth  year  of  business  for  him- 
self, and  is  in  a  prosperous  condition.  He  has 
made  his  real  start  right  in  Sacramento. 


fACOB  FREES.— Among  the  popular  hotel 
men  of  Sacramento  is  the  gentleman  whose 
name  heads  this  sketch.  He  is  a  native  of 
Freimesheim,  Germany,  born  February  4, 1845, 
his  parents  being  Bernard  and  Barbara  (Arm) 
Frees.  His  father  was  a  master  mason  in  the 
building  trade,  who  died  in  1858,  but  his 
mother  lived  until  1871.  Jacob  Frees  was  edu- 
cated at  his  native  place  from  his  sixth  year 
until  he  was  fourteen,  and  in  1859  caine  to 
America,  sailing  from  Havre  to  New  York. 
He  remained  in  the  latter  city  until  1863,  then 
came  to  California  via  Panama.  Landing  at 
San  Francisco,  he  came  to  Sacramento,  and  en- 
gaged at  the  butchering  business  with  Charles 
Mahrt,  on  Sixth  street,  between  J  and  K.  He 
was  so  employed  until  1866,  when  he  went  to 
Idaho,  and  was  for  tlie  next  year  located  at  a 
place  called  Hogham,  near  Idaho  City.  He 
then  returned  to  Sacramento,  and  after  working 
awhile  at  his  old  job,  bought  the  California 
Market,  on  J  street,  between  Eighth  and  Ninth. 
He  ran  it  a  year,  then  went  to  Virginia  City. 
After  butchering  there  for  two  years,  he  i-e- 
turned  to  Sacramento  and  entered  the  employ 
of  his  father-in-law,  J.  B.  Kohl,  with  whom  he 
remained  until  February,  1874.  Since  that 
time  lie  has  been  the  proprietor  of  the  Bevidere 
Hotel,  which,  though  not  a  large  house,  enjoys 
an  excellent  reputation  under  his  able  manage- 
ment. Mr.  Frees  was  married  in  this  city  to 
Miss  Lena  Kohl,  a  native  of  St.  Louis,  who 
came  here  with  her  parents  in  1852.  They  have 
two  children,  viz.:  John  B.  and  Jacob.  Mr. 
Frees  is  a  member  of  Schiller  Lodge,  I.  O.  0.  F., 
and  of  Sacramento  Lodge,  A.  O.  U.  W.     He  is 


a  Democrat  politically.  He  is  a  man  of  high 
standing  in  the  community,  and  enjoys  a  large 
circle  of  friends. 


1^  GABRIELLI,  proprietor  of  the  Garibaldi 
Ifra  Hotel,  Sacramento,  is  a  native  of  Italy, 
~TG  ®  born  at  Lucca,  Tuscany,  April  15,  1849, 
his  parents  being  Joseph  and  Astunta  (Barto- 
lanni)  Gabrielli,  the  father,  a  farmer.  lie  was 
reared  and  educated  at  his  native  place,  and 
when  a  young  man  decided  to  come  to  America. 
He  sailed  from  Laverno  for  New  York  on  the 
ship  "  Leonet,"  and  then  came  to  California  via 
Panama,  arriving  at  San  Francisco  on  the  12th 
of  April,  1868.  He  came  to  Sacramento  and 
soon  obtained  employment  for  himself  on  a 
ranch  near  Sutterville,  where  he  worked  about 
six  years.  He  then  sold  out,  bought  property 
in  Sacramento  and  built  the  Garibaldi  House, 
which  he  has  made  a  great  success,  and  where 
he  accommodates  from  twenty  to  fifty  boarders. 
He  was  married  in  Sacramento  September  11, 
1882,  to  Miss  Teresa  Gardens,  a  native  of  Italy, 
born  in  the  mountainous  country  near  Genoa. 
They  have  five  children,  viz.:  Astunta,  Fran- 
cesco, Maria,  Lena,  and  an  infant  unnamed. 
Mr.  Gabrielli  has  been  vice-president  of  the 
Society  Bersaglieri,  and  is  now  its  treasurer,  as 
well  as  a  prominent  member  of  the  military 
company.  He  is  a  member  of  Eureka  Lodge, 
No.  4,  I.  O.  O.  F.,  and  of  Owosso  Tribe,  No. 
49,  Red  Men.  In  politics  he  is  a  Democrat. 
Mr.  Gabrielli  is  deserving  of  much  credit  for 
the  success  he  has  made  here.  He  landed  at 
San  Francisco  with  only  $22,  and  he  has  risen 
to  his  present  position  by  his  own  efibrts. 

^-3-.^ ■ 

fACOB  GEBERT,  proprietor  of  the  Union 
Brewery,  Sacramento,  is  a  native  of  Alsace, 
now  a  portion  of  the  Empire  of  Germany, 
born  on  the  3d  of  May,  1847,  his  parents  being 
Jacob,  Si'.,  and  Louisa  Mary  (Dewald)  Gebert. 


HISTORY    OF    SACRAMENTO    COUNTY. 


He  was  reared  at  liis  native  place,  and  tliere 
commenced  the  brewer's  trade.  In  1858,  in 
company  with  an  uncle,  Paul  Gebert,  he  came 
to  America  and  soon  came  to  California,  locat- 
ing in  Sacramento,  where  he  attended  school, 
making  his  home  with  his  uncle.  He  also 
worked  for  a  time  in  the  Columbus  Brewery. 
In  1863  lie  accompanied  his  uncle  back  to  the 
old  country,  and  there  again  attended  school. 
In  1865  he  again  came  to  America,  and  located 
in  San  Francisco,  where  he  drove  a  bakery 
wagon  for  a  time.  He  next  came  to  Sacramento, 
and  again  obtained  employment  at  the  Colum- 
bus Brewery,  at  tirst  washing  barrels,  afterward 
making  malt,  and  finally  driving  a  wagon. 
After  about  a  week  at  the  last  mentioned  occu- 
pation, he  went  to  San  Jose,  and  obtained  work 
in  the  Almaden  Brewery.  While  there  he  got 
a  letter  from  Mr.  Gruhler,  who  wanted  him  to 
come  back  and  work  in  the  Columbus  Brewery, 
which  proposition  he  accepted,  and  remained 
witb  the  Gruhlers  for  ten  months.  He  then 
engaged  with  the  St.  Louis  Brewery,  where  he 
remained  about  two  years.  He  next  went  with 
Mr.  Oswald,  who  offered  him  $40  per  month 
additional  salary.  He  was  employed  there  until 
1875,  when  he  moved  upon  a  ranch  near  Florin, 
and  in  the  meantime  formed  his  plans  for  going 
into  business  in  Sacramento  for  himself.  He 
commenced  building  operations,  and  in  May, 
1880,  established  the  Union  Brewery,  corner  of 
Twentieth  and  O  streets.  He  put  a  two-story 
brick  building,  30  x  70  feet  in  area,  the  ma- 
chinery being  operated  by  horse-power.  After 
a  year  he  put  in  a  steam  engine  of  eight-horse 
power,  and  the  capacity  of  the  brewery  was  then 
about  twelve  barrels  per  day.  On  the  13th  of 
December,  1887,  the  property  was  destroyed  by 
lire,  making  an  almost  total  loss  of  buildings 
and  fixtures,  the  tire  catching  by  the  overlieat- 
ing  of  a  shaft.  Mr.  Gebert  was  not  discouraged 
by  the  great  catastrophe,  however,  for  the  ashes 
had  hardly  cooled  before  he  was  planning  for  a 
new  outfit.  So  rapidly  was  the  rebuilding  ac- 
complished that  on  the  6th  of  May,  1888,  he 
was  again  ready  for  business,  but  on  a  far  more 


extensive  scale.  The  new  building  is  70  x  140 
feet  in  ground  area,  but  in  an  L  s]iaj)e,  and  is 
four  stories  and  basement  in  part,  and  the  re- 
mainder three  stories  and  basement,  while  the 
capacity  has  been  increased  to  twenty-four  bar- 
rels per  day.  He  has  a  large  and  growing  trade, 
which  reaches  as  far  as  Mill  City,  Nevada.  The 
product  of  the  Union  Brewery,  it  is  unneces- 
sary to  say,  enjoys  a  high  reputation  under  Mr. 
Gebert's  able  management.  Mr.  Gebert  was 
married  December  1, 1875,  to  Miss  Mary  Guth, 
a  native  of  Sacramento  County,  born  at  Elk 
Grove,  and  daughter  of  Joseph  and  Mary  (Ken- 
ney)  Guth,  who  came  to  California  in  1850,  and 
are  now  living  retired  from  active  business  in 
Sacramento.  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Gebert  have  one 
child,  Charles,  born  January  6,  1879.  Mr. 
Gebert  is  a  of  member  Schiller  Lodge,  No.  105, 
I.  O.  O.  F.,  and  also  of  the  Druids.  Mr.  Geb- 
ert's rise  in  business  has  been  quite  remarkable. 
He  started  on  a  small  capital,  and  his  first 
year's  experience  was  perfectly  successful.  He 
lost  $17,000  by  the  fire  of  1887,  but  did  not  let 
that  bother  him.  To  him  belongs  the  credit  of 
building  up  that  portion  of  Sacramento.  There 
were  no  streets  graded  in  that  vicinity  when  he 
commenced:  now  there  are  first-class  improve- 
ments. Lots  that  he  bought  for  $400  could  not 
be  purchased  now  for  $4,000.  He  is  certainly 
an  enterprising  man. 

'^%^^W^ 

fA.  GALGANI,  merchant,  Sacramento,  is  a 
native  of  Tuscany,  Italy,  born  ten  miles 
*  from  Lucca,  June  20,  1847,  his  parents 
being  V.  and  Cleopha  (Bartholome)  Galgani. 
The  father  was  a  fanner  and  land  owner.  P. 
A.  Galgani  was  the  sixth  in  order  of  age  of  a 
family  of  nine  children.  He  was  reared  at  his 
native  place,  and  finished  his  education  at  Lucca, 
where  he  attended  college  three  years.  In  1869 
he  sailed  from  Laverno  to  Corsica,  then  went 
from  Bastierne  to  Marseilles,  and  thence  to 
Paris.  He  decided  to  go  to  America,  and  pro- 
ceeded to  Havre,  took  passage  on  the  "  Ballona," 


HISTORY    OF    SAORAMENTO    COUNTY. 


reaching  New  York  after  a -rough  voyage.  He 
then  started  for  California  via  Panama.  When 
he  arrived  at  San  Francisco  he  found  a  brother 
waiting  to  receive  him.  He  engaged  in  farm- 
ing near  the  city,  and  was  so  engaged  until 
1871,  when  he  came  to  Sacramento.  He  secured 
a  place  near  Sutterville,  wliere  he  farmed  for  a 
time.  He  next  kept  the  Graribaldl  House,  in 
Sacramento,  for  three  years,  then  went  to  farm- 
ing again,  in  Brighton  Township.  He  quit 
farming  in  1887,  and  in  April  of  that  year  em- 
barked in  the  mercantile  business  on  the  corner 
of  Twenty-first  and  0  streets,  Sacramento.  In 
November,  1888,  he  removed  to  his  present 
location,  on  the  northeast  corner  of  Eighteenth 
and  M  streets,  where  he  has  built  up  a  good 
business.  Mr.  Galgani  was  married  in  Sacra- 
mento November  26,  1874,  to  Miss  Mary  Fer- 
retti,  a  native  of  Philadelphia.  They  have  six 
children,  viz.:  Cleopha,  John  Batiste,  Alba, 
Helena,  Caesar  and  Louis.  Mr.  Galgani  is 
president  of  the  Sacramento  Society  of  Bersag- 
lieri,  and  is  third  lieutenant  of  the  company  of 
sharpshooters  connected  with  the  society.  Mr. 
Galgani  takes  an  active  interest  in  everything 
pertaining  to  the  welfare  of  the  people  of  his 
native  land,  as  also  of  his  adopted  country,  and 
is  an  influential,  active  man. 


«HRISTIAN  KLENK,  one  of  the  old-time 
Californians  now  resident  in  Sacramento, 
was  born 'in  Wurtembsrg,  Germany,  on 
the  Gth  day  of  January,  1823,  his  parents  being 
Jacob  and  Dora  (Wieland)  Klenk,  the  father  a 
tailor  by  trade.  The  subject  of  this  sketcli 
spent  his  early  boyhood  days  at  his  native  place, 
and  was  there  educated  from  the  age  of  six  to 
fourteen  years.  He  was  very  useful  about  horses, 
and  after  leaving  school  was  engaged  in  that  j 
capacity  by  Herr  von  Schlimbach,  a  very  prom- 
inent man,  who  had  been  with  Napoleon  on  his 
Russian  campaign,  and  belonged  to  the  court  of 
King  William  of  Wurtemberg.  Mr.  Klenk 
held    that   position   about  one   year,  then   went 


with  the  governor  of  the  district  in  a  similar 
capacity.  He  was  with  him  about  a  year,  and 
was  then  engaged  by  Prince  Hohenlohe,  with 
whom  he  remained  until  he  was  twenty-one 
years  of  age.  He  then  served  two  years  in  the 
army,  and  after  the  expiration  of  his  term  went 
back  to  his  old  vocation,  this  time  with  a  noble- 
inan,  with  whom  he  remained  three  years.  He 
then  came  to  America,  on  a  sailing  vessel  from 
Amsterdam  to  New  York.  That  was  in  1849. 
He  proceeded  to  Philadelphia  by  water,  and  re- 
mained there  some  time.  In  1850  a  party  of 
sixteen  (Mr.  Klenk  among  them)  organized  on 
Vine  street  to  go  to  California.  They  proceeded 
by  railroad  to  Pittsburg,  and  thence  by  steamer 
to  St.  Louis.  After  a  week  there,  purchasing 
provisions,  wagons,  etc.,  they  went  to  St.  Joseph, 
thence  by  Fort  Kearney  and  Fort  Laramie  to 
Salt  Lake,  where  they  traded  oft"  their  cattle  and 
wagons  and  got  horses  to  cross  the  desert.  This 
was  a  terrible  task,  and  they  came  near  dying 
on  the  desert.  As  it  was,  half  the  party  lost 
their  lives.  They  proceeded  by  the  Carson 
route  to  Hangtown,  and  Mr.  Klenk  arrived 
there  nearly  starved,  very  sick,  and  unable  to 
walk  or  talk.  As  soon  as  he  was  able  he  went 
to  work  splitting  wood,  which  almost  killed 
him.  Two  weeks  later  he  came  to  Sacramento, 
and  remained  here  two  or  three  months.  Though 
still  sick  and  feeble,  he  went  to  work  at  the  Em- 
pire House.  From  here  he  went  to  Coloma, 
and  mined  there  a  year  and  a  half.  He  then 
came  back  to  Sacramento,  but  finding  that  there 
was  nothing  for  him  to  do  here  he  went  to 
Redding.  He  was  also  disappointed  there,  and 
again  returned  to  Sacramento,  and  from  here, 
soon  afterward,  went  to  Wisconsin  Hill,  thence 
to  Iowa  Hill,  where  he  put  up  a  log  cabin,  and 
mined  two  years.  He  then  went  back  to  Phila- 
delphia by  water,  but  in  1854  returned  to  Cali- 
fornia over  the  plains,  accompanied  by  his  wife. 
This  time  he  took  a  different  route,  going  to 
Council  Bluff's  and  joining  a  party  there.  Two 
days  later  they  were  attacked  by  Indians,  with 
whom  they  had  a  big  fight.  Mr.  Klenk  took 
an  activ^   part    in   the  Tnelee,  and,  although   he 


HISTORY    OF    SACRA3IENT0    COUNTY. 


lost  some  cows  at  first,  got  them  back  all  right. 
The  next  night  he  kept  watch  all  night,  and 
next  morning  they  started  on  their  way.  They 
came  to  a  crossing  where  the  Indians  showed 
light  again.  The  wagons  were  parked  in  double 
lines,  and  a  battle  ensued.  The  Indians  lost 
one  of  their  number  killed,  and  concluded  to 
draw  off.  This  was  the  last  time  they  gave  any 
trouble.  They  proceeded  by  Sublette's  cut-off 
and  down  the  Humboldt,  and  on  to  Sacramento, 
and  the  journey,  except  the  Indian  fighting, 
was  a  very  pleasant  one.  He  afterward  went  to 
Coloma  and  mined  a  year  on  the  Middle  Fork, 
and  later  bought  a  ranch  on  the  river  and  fol- 
lowed cattle-raising  there  a  number  of  years. 
He  had  a  dairy  also,  aud  got  as  high  as  $1.25 
per  pound  for  butter.  Before  the  flood  he  had 
240  head  of  cattle,  and  after  had  but  thirty-five 
left.  lie  remained  on  the  ranch  some  time 
after  the  flood,  then  sold  out  to  Cox  &  Clarke. 
He  purchased  his  present  property  in  Sacra- 
mento in  1881.  Mr.  Klenk  has  been  twice 
married,  the  first  time  in  Philadelphia,  to  Miss 
Jennie  Schmidt,  a  native  of  Waldenburg,  Ger- 
many, who  died  in  Sacramento.  By  this  mar- 
riage there  were  four  children,  of  whom  two — 
Louisa  and  Charles — died  crossing  the  plains. 
Those  living  are:  Alexander  and  Reinhold.  Mr. 
Klenk's  present  wife  was  formerly  Mrs.  Uhl, 
and  her  maiden  name  was  Strauss.  Mr.  Ivlenk 
has  passed  through  all  the  vicissitudes  of  pio- 
neer life,  and  has  lived  to  see  California  advance 
from  a  mere  collection  of  mining  camps  to  her 
present  proud  position  among  the  States. 


F.  PETERSON,  manufacturer,  and 
wholesale  and  retail  dealer  in  candies 
*  and  confections,  Sacramento,  is  a  native 
of  Germany,  born  at  Bremen,  July  8,  1850,  his 
parents  being  W.  F.,  Sr.  (a  shoe  manufacturer), 
and  Gesiene  (Wischusen)  Peterson.  When  he 
was  an  infant  his  mother  died,  and  when  he  was 
eleven    years  old   lie  came  to  the  United  States 


to  live  with  his  mot 


New  York. 


He  finished  his  education  comn:enced  at  Bre- 
men, at  Martin  S.  Payne's  College,  corner  of 
Canal  and  Bowery,  and  under  Prof.  Daniel  Sul- 
livan. At  the  age  of  fifteen  years,  having 
finished  his  schooling,  he  engaged  with  the 
wholesale  shipchandling  house  of  W.  F.  Hart- 
kopf.  He  was  engaged  in  that  business  until 
18(36,  when  he  came  to  California  via  Nicara- 
gua, leaving  New  York  on  the  Santiago  de 
Cuba,  and  landing  at  San  Francisco  from  the 
steamer  of  that  name,  on  the  23d  of  August, 
1866.  He  engaged  with  Meyei-  Bros.,  corner  of 
Folsom  and  Freeman,  with  whom  he  remained 
until  1868.  He  was  then  taken  sick,  and  his 
case  given  up  as  hopeless.  He  went  back  to 
New  York,  and  when  fully  recovered  went  into 
business  on  the  corner  of  Broome  and  Werrick 
streets,  in  the  firm  of  H.  Stelling  &  Peterson, 
grocers.  The  hrm  had  continued  one  year, 
when  Mr.  Peterson  sold  out  and  went  to  Idaho. 
There  he  tried  his  luck  mining  at  Placerville, 
but  three  months  later  went  to  Portland,  Ore- 
gon. He  found  things  dull  there,  and  pro- 
ceeded to  San  Francisco,  where  he  went  to  work 
for  Fred  Carson,  corner  of  Bush  and  Dupont 
streets.  Eleven  months  later  he  came  to  Sacra- 
mento and  went  to  work  with  P.  H.  Russell, 
with  whom  he  remained  nearly  four  months. 
He  next  engaged  with  li.  Fisher.  On  the  3d 
of  May,  1876,  Mr.  Peterson  started  in  business 
for  himself,  with  a  retail  candy  factory  and 
restaurant,  at  the  present  location  on  J  street, 
between  Sixth  and  Seventh.  From  that  time 
his  business  has  been  steadily  and  rapidly  in- 
creasing, until  it  has  assumed  vast  proportions. 
He  employs  thirty-one  people,  and  his  trade  ex- 
tends throughout  California,  Nevada,  Oregon, 
Montana  and  Arizona,  and  is  gradually  but 
surely  extending  its  limits.  The  products  of 
his  factory  are  strictly  pure,  and  have  a  splendid 
reputation.  Mr.  Peterson  was  married  in  Sacra- 
mento, August  29,  1875,  to  Miss  Annie  E. 
Bryte,  a  native  of  Yolo  County,  and  daughter 
of  Mike  Bryte,  deceased.  They  have  four  chil- 
dren, viz.:  W.  F.,  Jr.,  Bryte  M.,  Allen  E.  and 
Mabel.     They  lost  one  child  by  death — Edward 


HISTORY    OF    SACRAMENTO    GOUNTY. 


Bryte  Peterson.  Mr.  Peterson  is  a  member  of 
Capital  Lodge,  I.  O.  O.  F. ;  of  Union  Lodge, 
A.  F.  &  A.  M.;  of  Sacramento  Chapter,  Sacra- 
mento Council,  and  Sacramento  Commandery. 
Mr.  Peterson  is  a  pushing,  vigorous  man  of 
business,  and  a  successful  manager,  3'et  at  all 
times  genial  and  courteous  in  his  manner.  He 
is  one  of  those  men  whom  success  has  not 
spoiled. 


tOUIS  NICOLAUS,  one  of  the  leading  busi- 
ness men  of  Sacramento,  and  proprietor  of 
the  brewery  corner  Twelfth  and  I  streets,  is  a 
native  of  Germany,  born  at  Heugelheim,  Bavariai 
January  5,  1829,  his  parents  being  William  and 
Margaretha  Nicolaus,  the  father  a  farmer  by  oc- 
cupation. Louis  Nicolaus  was  reared  and  edu- 
cated at  his  native  place,  and  in  1846  came  to 
America,  sailing  from  Havre  to  New  York,  be- 
ing lifty-five  days  on  the  voyage.  He  proceeded 
to  Buffalo,  and  there  entered  on  an  apprentice 
ship  at  the  cooper's  trade  with  Conrad  Antrose. 
He  served  one  year  at  the  trade,  then  worked 
for  his  employer  as  a  journeyman.  In  1848  he 
went  to  Canada,  but  returned  after  one  month, 
to  Buffalo.  He  then  went  to  Cleveland,  where 
he  was  employed  for  a  time,  and  then  worked 
on  the  canal  to  Dresden  for  a  few  months.  He 
then  went  to  Cincinnati,  where  he  spent  the 
winter  of  1848-'49.  He  next  went  to  St.  Lonis, 
and  from  there  to  Lexington,  Missouri.  He 
worked  out  in  the  woods  near  that  place  that 
summer,  splitting  staves  for  Waddle  &  Co.  In 
the  fall  he  again  went  to  St.  Louis,  and  in  the 
spring  of  1850  returned  to  Lexington,  Missouri, 
There  a  company  of  forty-three  was  organized, 
under  Captain  Joe  Waddle  (a  Mexican  war  vet- 
eran), for  the  purpose  of  going  to  California,  and 
Mr.  Nicolaus  was  one  of  the  number.  They 
proceeded  to  California  via  Ft.  Kearney,  Ft.  Lar- 
amie, Sublette's  cutoff  and  the  Truckee  route, 
Mr.  Nicolaus  being  sick  most  of  the  way.  lie 
and  those  with  his  wagon,  four  in  all,  stopped 
at  Nevada  City,  and  engaged  at  mining,  contin- 


uing about  two  months.  They  went  to  Grass 
Valley  next,  but,  getting  no  rain  there,  went  up 
to  the  Little  Yuba,  and  mined  at  Hess's  Cross- 
ing, in  the  middle  of  the  river,  until  the  fall  of 
1851.  Mr.  Nicolaus  then  came  to  Sacramento, 
and  from  here  went  up  to  Amador  County.  He 
mined  awhile  there,  then  started  in  the  butcher 
business  with  a  man  named  Broaddus.  He  was 
in  business  there  iintil  the  fall  of  1868,  when  he 
again  came  to  Sacramento,  and  bought  some 
stock,  which  he  afterward  sold.  He  bought  an 
interest  in  the  brewery  at  Twelfth  and  I  streets, 
in  October,  1869,  from  Martin  Arenz,  and  re- 
mained in  partnership  with  him  until  1873, 
when  Wendell  Kerth  bought  the  interest  of  Mr. 
Arenz.  Mr.  Nicolaus  has  carried  on  the  busi- 
ness ever  since,  and  has  practically  rebuilt  the 
entire  plant.  Since  1884  he  has  been  making  a 
beer  which  many  people  consider  superior  to 
any  lager.  The  capacity  of  the  brewery  is  fifty 
barrels  per  day,  and  a  ready  market  is  found  in 
Sacramento  and  tributary  territory.  Mr.  Nic- 
olaus was  married  in  this  county  to  Miss  Susan- 
nah Kerth,  a  native  of  Germany.  They  have 
had  six  children,  of  whom  four  are  living,  viz.: 
Louis,  Edward,  Emma  and  Julia.  The  two 
deceased  children  are:  Willie  and  Wendell. 
Mr.  Nicolaus  is  a  member  of  Schillei*  Lodge,  No. 
105,  I.  O.  O.  F.,  and  of  the  Sacramento  Hus- 
sars. He  is  a  popular  man,  and  counts  his 
friends  by  the  score. 

'^•&'^ 

fHRlS  NIELSEN,  carriage  and  wagon 
manufacturer,  Sacramento,  is  a  native  of 
Denmark,  born  at  Gudbjerg,  the  Island  of 
Fyen,  in  the  heart  of  Denmark,  on  the  26th  of 
July,  1851,  his  parents  being  Niels  Nicolaisen 
and  Iledwig  Albertine  Cortitz  Datter.  He  was 
reared  at  his  native  ])lace,  and  educated  there 
between  the  age  of  seven  and  fourteen  years_ 
He  then  commenced  the  trade  of  wagon  and  car- 
riage maker  with  his  father,  and  served  an  ap. 
prenticeship  of  five  years.  He  then  traveled  to 
improve  himself  at  his  trade,  and   worked   some 


HlfiTURT    OF    SACRAMENTO    COUNTT. 


time  at  the  large  city  of  Odense.  When  he  was 
twenty-one  years  of  age  he  entered  the  armj', 
and  served  in  the  x^^ineteenth  Infantry  Battalion 
for  six  months  steadily,  and  after  that  at  inter- 
vals, working  at  his  trade  in  the  meantime.  In 
1878  he  came  to  the  United  States,  and  kcated 
at  Sacramento,  and  went  into  tlie  employ  of  A. 
Meister.  He  remained  with  him  until  May, 
1880,  when,  in  partnership  with  his  brother,  J. 
M.,  he  started  in  business  for  himself  at  his 
present  location.  They  were  in  partnership  for 
two  and  a  half  years,  since  which  time  he  has 
conducted  the  wagon  and  carriage  making  busi- 
ness alone.  At  that  time  he  put  up  the  large 
and  substantial  building  at  1013  and  1015 
Tenth  street.  This  building  stands  three  stories 
high,  with  its  large  basement,  and  covers  an  area 
thirty-three  by  eighty  feet  in  dimensions.  He 
has  built  up  an  extensive  trade,  and  manufact- 
ures for  the  trade  and  to  order.  He  has  many 
good  customers,  who  will  have  their  work  done 
at  no  other  place,  and  when  he  gets  a  customer 
he  always  retains  his  trade.  That  is  the  nat- 
ural consequence  of  his  method  of  turning  out 
nothing  but  honest  work,  of  the  best  materia^ 
and  workmanship.  He  gets  trade  from  points 
as  far  awaj'  as  Nevada,  and  even  has  business 
from  San  Francisco,  and  now  employs  five  first- 
class  workmen.  Mr.  Nielsen  was  married  in 
Sacramento,  September  4,  1885,  to  Miss  Louisa 
Ericson,  a  native  of  Sweden.     Mr.  Nielsen  is  an 


nprig 


lit,    honest,    business 


pus 


and 


active  in  his   methods 
to  Sacramento. 


Such   men  are  a  credit 


fREDERICK  LOTHHAMMER,  one  of  the 
well-known  citizens  of  Sacramento,  is  a  na- 
tive of  Germany,  born  at  Wimpffen,  Hesse- 
Darmstadt,  December  31,  1830,  his  parents 
being  Gottlieb  and  Frederika  (Minsch)  Lothham- 
mer.  The  father  was  a  sasii  manufaclurer  by 
occupation.  The  subject  of  this  sketch  was 
reared  at  his  native  place,  and  there  attended 
the  public   schools   from    the   age  of  six  years 


until  he  was  fourteen.  For  the  next  year  and  a 
halt  he  gave  his  attention  to  the  profession  of 
music.  He  then  learned  the  turning  trade. 
In  March,  1850,  he  departed  from  Rotterdam  in 
a  sailing  vessel  for  the  United  States,  and  landed 
at  New  York  July  4.  He  remained  there  and 
at  Hoboken  for  six  years,  learning  the  carpen- 
ters' trade  at  the  latter  place,  and  in  January, 
1856,  he  went  to  Watertown,  Wisconsin.  There 
he  worked  as  a  carpenter  a  year,  then  went  into 
the  country  and  followed  farming  until  1869, 
when  he  came  to  California,  locating  in  Sacra- 
mento in  October.  He  followed  the  building 
trade  here  for  many  years,  but  is  now  retired 
from  active  business.  Mr.  Lothiiammer  was 
married  in  Wisconsin,  April  6,  1856,  to  Miss 
Charlotte  Borchart,  a  native  of  Prussia,  who 
came  to  this  country  with  her  parents  early  in 
the  40's,  locating  in  Wisconsin.  She  died  in 
Sacramento  in  1877.  Mr.  Lothhammer  was 
again  married  in  Sacramento,  to  a  widow  lady 
named  Schacht,  whose  maiden  name  was  Catha- 
riua  AVinder.  By  this  marriage  there  was  one 
child,  viz.:  Emma,  who  died  at  the  age  of  four 
and  a  half  years.  Mr.  Lothhammer  was  again 
bereaved  by  the  death  of  liis  wife,  in  March, 
1889.  Mr.  Lothhammer  is  a  prominent  mem- 
ber and  trustee  of  the  German  Lutheran  Church. 
He  has  a  wide  acquaintance  and  a  large  circle 
of  personal  friends,  whose  full  sympathy  he  has 
had  in  the  hours  of  bereavement. 


'-^• 


tOUlS  LOCH,  of  the  firm  of  Rohr  &  Loch, 
proprietors  of  the  Pioneer  Bakery,  Sacra- 
mento, is  a  native  of  Germany,  born  in  the 
Province  of  Bergenfeld,  Duchy  of  Oldenberg, 
on  the  5th  of  September,  1842,  his  parents  be- 
ing Christian  and  Julia  (Bumgard)  Locli,  the 
father  a  baker.  He  was  reared  at  his  native 
place,  and  then  attended  school  from  the  age  of 
six  to  fourteen.  He  learned  the  baker's  trade, 
and  then  traveled  throughout  Germany.  He 
entered  the  army  at  the  age  of  twenty-one,  in 
the  Oldenberg   Infantry   Rei^imeut,  and  served 


HISTORY    OF    SACRAMENTO    COUNTY. 


two  years.  He  came  to  the  United  States  in 
1869,  and  after  two  mouths  in  New  York,  came 
to  California,  arriving  in  Sacramento  on  the  5th 
of  September.  He  went  to  San  Francisco,  and 
thence  to  San  Jose,  where  he  worked  in  the  New 
York  Bakerjfor  Mr.  Derr.  He  next  went  to 
Yirginia  City,  Nevada,  where  he  worked  two 
and  a  half  years,  and  in  1881  again  came 
to  Sacramento,  and  went  to  work  for  Messrs. 
Vogel  and  Meyers,  where  he  was  employed  for 
four  yea,rs.  He  then  went  to  work  in  the  Pio- 
neer Eakery,  finally  becoming  a  partner,  as 
elsewhere  stated.  Mr.  Loch  was  married  in 
Sacramento,  February  14,  1888,  to  Miss  Ella 
Cotter.  He  is  a  member  of  the  Hermann  Sons, 
of  the  Druids,  and  of  the  Bakers'  Verein,  San 
Francisco.  Mr.  Loch  is  an  active  man,  and  well 
deserves  the  success  with  which  he  is  meeting 
in  businecrS. 


tOUIS  CAFFARO,  proprietor  Hotel  Eoma, 
Sacramento,  is  a  native  of  Italy,  born  at 
Lessolo,  County  of  Torino,  on  the  19th  of 
July,  1854,  his  parents  being  Giulio  and  Maria 
(Boschis)  Cati'aro,  the  father  a  dealer  in  horses, 
etc.  He  spent  his  boyhood  days  at  his  native 
place,  and  had  iinished  his  schooling  at  the  age 
of  fourteen  years.  He  then  commenced  n.  ining 
on  the  borders  of  France  and  Italy.  He  then 
traveled  throughout  P'rance,  Africa,  Italy,  Egypt, 
Germany,  Greece  and  Turkey.  Having  decided 
to  come  to  America,  he  took  passage  at  Con- 
stantinople on  a  vessel  bound  for  New  York. 
After  his  arrival  there  he  proceeded  westward, 
and  brought  up  in  Clear  Creek  County,  Colorado. 
He  mined  there  two  years,  then  proceeded  to 
Amador  County,  California,  and  after  mining 
there  five  years,  came  to  Sacramento  on  the  8th 
of  February,  1886.  He  commenced  the  manu- 
facturer of  wine  the  same  year,  and  in  this  line 
he  has  built  up  a  reputation  second  to  none. 
His  seven  large  tanks  range  in  capacity  from 
1,500  to  2,000  gallons  each,  and  lie  lias  on  hand 
from  8,000  to  9,000  gallons  of  good  wines.     He 


makes  clarets,  white  wines  and  ports,  and  ships 
the  product  of  his  winery  direct  to  the  trade  at 
Chicago,  and  throughout  Colorado,  Utah,  Ari- 
zona, New  Mexico,  Dakota,  etc.  He  gives  his 
personal  attention  to  the  details  of  manufacture, 
and  takes  caie  that  every  thing  is  done  in  a 
proper  manner.  Besides  his  outtide  business, 
he  has  a  large  local  trade,  which  keeps  a  horse 
and  wagon  busy,  delivering  to  customers.  An 
idea  of  the  increase  of  liis  business  may  be 
formed  from  his  purchases  of  grapes.  In  1886 
he  bought  only  about  twenty-four  tons,  in  1887 
he  bought  forty-one  tons;  and  in  1888  he  bought 
over  lorty-seven  tons  of  selected  grajies.  Of  his 
stock  now  on  hand  he  has  about  3,000  gallons 
of  old  wliite  wines  and  clarets,  and  he  stocked 
up  about  $2,000  worth  of  wines  last  harvest. 
He  also  buys  aiid  ships  brandies.  On  the  27th 
of  March,  1889,  he  opened  the  Eoma  Hotel, 
having  a  partner  the  first  three  months.  He 
has  built  up  a  large  patronage,  and  wliile  his 
hotel  has  accommodations  really  for  only  thirty 
boarders,  he  has  to  take  care  of  from  that  num- 
ber to  filty  constantly.  Mr.  CafJaro  is  a  mem- 
ber of  Eureka  Lodge,  No.  4,  I.  O.  O.  F.;  of 
Unity  Lodge,  A.  O.  D.,  No.  66;  of  the  Chosen 
Friends,  and  of  the  Btrsaglieri.  Politically  he 
is  a  Republican.  Mr.  CafFaro  is  an  enterpris- 
ing man,  and  well  deserves  the  success  he  has 
met  with. 


tUGUST  RODEGERDTS,  corner  of  Third 
and  M  streets,  is  one  of  the  most  progres- 
sive of  Sacramento's  young  business  men. 
He  is  a  native  of  Germany,  born  at  Otterndorf, 
Hanover,  on  the  26th  of  June,  1856,  his  parents 
being  Henry  and  Franda  (Frank)  Rodegerdts. 
When  the  subject  of  this  sketch  was  but  nine 
mouths  old,  his  father  died,  and  his  mother  was 
afterward  juarried  to  George  Schoenicke.  August 
R  'degerdts  was  reared  at  his  native  place,  and 
attended  the  Government  schools  from  six  to  tour- 
teen  years  of  age.  He  then  went  to  Hamburg, 
and  learned  the  business  of  waiting,  in  a  hotel. 


HISTORT    OF    SACRAMENTO    COUNTY. 


In  the  fall  of  1872  lie  came  ta  America,  sailino; 
from  Hamburg  to  Xew  York  on  the  steamer 
"  Silesia."  He  worked  as  waiter  in  a  New  York 
hotel  for  six  months,  then  went  to  work  in  a  gro- 
cery store  on  the  corner  of  Serenty-fourth  street 
and  Second  avenue.  He  remained  there  quite 
a  while,  then  went  to  work  in  a  store  on  the 
corner  of  Ninth  and  Broadway,  Williamsburg. 
In  1875  he  came  to  California,  and  locating  at 
Sacramento  went  to  work  for  Chris.  Elimann, 
corner  of  Second  and  M  streets.  In  1879  he 
entered  business  for  himself  in  partnership  with 
John  C.  Schaden.  Mr.  Rodegerdts  sold  out  to 
his  partner  in  1884,  and  buying  out  John  Mc- 
Mony  the  following  August,  removed  to  his 
present  location.  He  has  built  up  an  extensive 
trade,  which  is  every  year  growing  larger,  and 
Mr.  Rodegerdt's  store  is  as  busy  as  a  bee-hive. 
In  1882  he  bought  his  first  real  estate,  just 
across  the  street  from  his  present  location,  and 
in  December,  1888,  purchased  his  present  loca- 
tion. He  was  married  in  this  city,  February 
17,  1886,  to  Miss  Katie  Hergett,  a  native  of 
California,  born  in  Yolo  County,  where  her  par- 
ents now  reside.  They  have  one  child — a  boy — 
Christian  August.  Mr.  Rodegerdts  belongs  to 
the  I.  O.  R.  M.,  and  is  a  member  of  the  Lu- 
theran Church.  He  is  a  self-made  man,  and 
judging  from  his  past  record,  a  brilliant  future 
may  be  predicted  for  him. 


^^^ 


tF.  BASSETT,  City  Surveyor  of  Sacra- 
mento, is  a  native  of  Seneca  County, 
**  New  York,  born  October  4,  1851,  his 
parents  being  Pierrepont  and  Ro.xy  (Cole)  Bas- 
sett.  He  was  reared  and  educated  there,  but 
when  eighteen  years  of  age  went  to  Des  Moines. 
There  he  became  assistant  to  chief  city  engineer 
J.  B.  Bosman,  and  occupied  that  position  until 
the  spring  of  1873,  when  he  engaged  in  rail- 
road surveying  work,  first  in  Nebraska,  after- 
ward in  Utah.  In  September,  1874,  he  came 
to  Sacramento,  and  was  for  a  few  months  con- 
nected with  the  county  surveyor.      He  then  en- 


tered the  employ  of  the  Central  Pacific  Railroad, 
in  the  engineering  department,  and  so  contin- 
ued two  and  one-half  years.  After  that,  he  was 
for  six  months  engaged  in  swamp  land  surveys, 
in  connection  with  Lisbon  district,  Yolo  County. 
Since  1888  he  has  been  city  surveyor  of  Sacra- 
mento, liaving  been  chosen  as  his  own  successor 
at  each  succeeding  election.  Mr.  Bassett  was 
married  to  Miss  Ella  Genevieve  Jackson,  a  na- 
tive of  Indiana.  Her  father  died  in  Yolo 
County,  but  her  mother  still  resides  there. 
Mr.  Bassett  is  a  member  of  Industrial  Lodge, 
No.  157,  I.  O.  O.  F.,  and  Unity  Lodge,  Knights 
of  Honor.  He  is  also  a  member  of  the  Tech- 
nical Society  of  the  Pacific  coast. 


.^ 


HRIS  WEISEL,  one  of  the  prominent 
ures  in  business  circles  of  Sacramento, 
was  born  in  the  district  of  Solms  Lauback, 
Hesse-Darmstadt,  now  in  tiie  empire  of  Ger- 
Tnany,  March  3,  1834.  His  father,  John  Henry 
Weisel,  was  a  butcher  by  occupation,  and  for 
300  years  (as  far  back  as  the  family  tradition 
goes)  that  has  been  the  family  business.  His. 
mother's  maiden  name  was  Annie  Elizabeth 
Schoner.  Chris  Weisel  was  reared  at  his  native 
place,  a  town  of  2,000  inhabitants  named  Freien- 
seen,  whose  citizens  had  always  enjoyed  the  dis- 
tinction of  being  all  free,  with  no  serfs.  Heat- 
tended  school  from  the  ageof  six  to  fourteen  years 
and  for  five  years  of  that  time  received  instruc- 
tions from  a  private  tutor.  After  completing 
his  schooling  he  commenced  the  butchers'  trade 
with  his  father.  In  1852  he  came  to  America, 
via  Rotterdam  and  Liverpool,  taking  passage 
from  the  last  named  port  May  9,  on  the  sailsliip 
Cumberland  for  New  York,  where  he  arrived 
after  a  voyage  of  forty-nine  days.  They  were 
glad  to  reach  land,  as  water  had  run  short,  and 
but  one  quart  per  day   was  meted  out  to  each 


rson.     After  three  d 


ays 


New  York 


city, 


Mr.  Weisel  went  by  steamer  to  Albany,  thence 
to  Buffalo  by  rail,  from  tliere  to  Sandusky,  Oliio, 
bv  steamer,  thence   to  Cincinnati    l>v   rail,  and 


HISTORY    OF    SACRAMENTO    COUNTY. 


next  to  St.  Louis  by  steamer.  The  cholera  broke 
out  on  the  vessel,  and  he  helped  to  bury  twenty- 
iive  persons.  After  lying  in  quarantine  eight 
days,  lie  landed  at  St.  Louis,  and  met  his  brother, 
who  had  come  to  this  country  in  1846,  and  was 
in  business  there.  In  1854  he  left  St.  Louis, 
going  to  New  Orleans  by  river  steamer,  then 
taking  the  steamer  Pampero  to  Grey  town,  which 
had  just  been  bombarded  by  the  English.  Pro- 
ceeding up  the  St.  John  River  to  the  falls  of 
Castillon,  and  passing  over  a  half  mile  by  land, 
he  took  another  steamer  to  Port  St.  Carlos,  on 
ISTicaragna  Lake.  He  crossed  the  lake  at  night, 
witnessing  the  iinest  sight  of  his  life — that  of 
volcanoes  in  action  at  night.  The  remainder  of 
the  journey  to  San  Juan  del  Coeur  was  made  by 
mule-back,  and  he  then  took  the  steamer  Sierra 
Nevada  for  San  Francisco,  arriving  there  on  the 
2d  of  April,  1854.  He  remained  there  till  June 
29,  then  went  by  the  steamer  New  World  to 
Sacramento,  and  soon  went  to  work  at  the  city 
market  for  Haywood,  Fratt  &  McNulty.  On 
the  3d  of  November  of  the  same  year  he  started 
in  business  for  himself  at  his  present  location, 
Nos.  726-728  L  street.  His  present  building 
was  erected  in  1857.  During  the  floods  of  1801 
-'62  he  lost  1,500  head  of  sheep  which  he  had  on 
a  ranch  on  Cache  Slough,  in  Solano  County,  and 
he  and  L.  B.  Mohr  lost  about  1,000  hogs.  The 
water-mark  of  that  year  is  still  visible  inside 
his  building — five  feet  eight  i.iches  above  the 
floor.  Mr.  Weisel  has  built  up  a  big  f-rade,  and 
does  an  e.xtensive  wholesale  and  packing  busi- 
ness. Mr.  Weisel  was  married,  August  16, 
1860,  to  Miss  Minnie  Jurgens,  a  native  of  the 
Island  of  Heligoland,  a  possession  of  England  in 
the  North  Sea.  She  sailed  to  California  from 
Hamburg  via  Cape  Horn  in  1852,  on  the  brig 
Emma  (Captain  liobin),  landing  at  San  Fran- 
cisco April  11, 1853.  She  came  with  her  father, 
Jasper  Jurgens,  and  her  brothers,  Jasper,  Chris- 
tian, Peter  and  Martin,  and  sisters  Dora  and 
Gondola.  She  departed  this  life  May  12,  1888, 
in  her  forty-nintii  year,  leaving  five  living  chil- 
dren, two  having  preceded  her  in  death.  Those 
living  are:    Theodore  Jasper,   Martha,  Minnie, 


Theresa  and  Christian.  Mr.  Weisel  was  one  of 
the  original  members  and  officers  of  the  Sacra- 
mento Sharpshooters,  and  he  and  Jacob  Nathan 
were  the  originators  of  the  Germania  Building 
and  Loan   Association.    He  was  its  first  vice- 


pr( 


ident,  served  the  first  term  as  actin 


g  presi 


dent,  and  held  the  office  of  president  for 
thirteen  consecutive  years.  He  is  Grand  Past 
Chief  of  the  order  of  Eed  Men  for  the  Pacific 
coast.  He  has  been  twice  president  of  the  Sac- 
ramento Turn-Verein,  and  served  three  succes- 
sive terms  in  that  capacity,  from  1860  to  1862 
inclusive.  Mr.  Weisel  has  taken  an  active  part 
in  the  Democratic  party  organization,  has  been 
chairman  of  the  city  central  committee,  member 
of  the  county  committee,  and  delegate  to  State 
and  other  conventions,  having  been  a  member 
of  the  Greeley  convention  at  San  Francisco  in 
1872.  Mr.  Weisel  had  §2.50  when  he  came  to 
Sacramento;  now  he  ranks  among  her  solid 
men.  He  has  two  tine  ranches  in  Sacramento 
County,  and  one  in  Colusa  County.  He  has 
good  mining  interests  at  CoJoma,  the  patent 
having  been  issued  by  President  Grant,  Mr. 
Weisel  holding  two-thirds  interest,  and  J.  Nico- 
lausen  tlie  remainder.  As  high  as  $22,000  has 
been  taken  out  of  the  mine  in  three  mimths, 
and  in  1888  $12,000  was  extracted  in  two 
months. 

^^^ 


fll.  GREEN,  proprietor  of  the  American 
Laundry,  Sacramento,  is  a  native  of  Con- 
®  necticut,  born  at  Norwalk,  Fairfield 
County,  May  5,  1831,  his  parents  being  Will- 
iam and  Eunice  (Barnum)  Green.  Both  parents 
were  members  of  old  Connecticut  families,  and 
his  father  was  extensively  engaged  in  the 
manufacture  of  hats.  When  E.  H.  Green  was 
eleven  years  of  age  the  family  removed  to 
Henderson  County,  Illinois,  and  started  a  settle- 
ment five  miles  from  the  Mississippi  River, 
which  took  the  name  of  Greenville.  There  the 
father  engaged  in  farming.  The  second  year 
after  the  family  came  to  Illinois,  E.  H.  Green, 


IIISTOnr    OF    SAC  RAM  UNTO    COUNTY. 


the  subject  of  thU  sketcli,  went  to  Oquawka, 
atul  tliere  learned  the  blacksmith  and  wagcm- 
iiiaking  trade  with  George  Muck  (who  afterward 
came  to  California,  and  was  one  of  the  early 
settlers  of  Wheatland).  While  he  was  at  Ot^uawa- 
ka,  Colonel  Fiulay,  who  had  been  to  Califor- 
nia, returned,  and  his  accounts  of  the  "Golden 
^Vest"  created  great  excitement,  and  many 
started  for  the  new  El  Dorado.  Mr.  Green 
was  one  of  a  pirty  of  fir'ty-two  organized  at 
Oquawka,  of  whom  over  forty  were  under  twentj-- 
two  years  of  age,  and  they  organized  by  electing 
Kobert  Pence  as  captain.  All  materials  for 
this  outfit  were  gotten  together  there,  including 
provisions  for  eight  months.  Their  route  took 
them  by  Council  Bluffs,  Laramie,  Salt  Lake, 
Ogden,  and  the  Carsou  route,  into  California. 
They  arrived  at  Placerville,  August  12,  1850. 
This  party  was  in  some  respects  a  remarkable 
one.  Tliough  nearly  all  were  young  men  and 
even  boys,  the  best  of  orJer  prevailed  through- 
out, and  they  strictly  kept  a  rule  they  made, 
never  to  travel  on  Sunday.  There  were 
none  of  tiiose  quarrels  that  were  of  too  frequent 
occurrence  with  so  many  trains  that  made  that 
weary  journey,  and,  in  fact,  they  were  said  to 
have  been  the  jolliest  party  that  ever  crossed 
the  plains.  They  did  not  lose  a  man  or  a  wagon 
all  the  way  from  Illinois  to  Placerville.  There 
the  party  disbanded.  Mr.  Green  and  Jackson 
and  John  Pence  remained  together,  and  bought 
a  mining  outfit.  They  remained  at  Placerville 
tiiat  fall  and  winter,  and  a  couple  of  months  of 
that  time,  while  not  mining,  Mr.  Green  ran  a 
team  between  Sacramento,'  Gold  Springs  and 
Placerville.  The  next  spring  he  went  to  the 
Middle  Fork  of  the  American  River,  and  en- 
gaged in  mining  there.  In  1852  a  company  of 
fifteen  was  organized  to  flume  the  American 
River  there,  called  the  "Eagle  Bar  River  Claim.'' 
The  river  was  fluined,  and  the  company  did 
well.  Jackson  Pence  died  in  the  fall  of  1852, 
and  the  next  year  John  Pence  went  back  to 
Illinois.  They  disbanded  that  fall,  and  Mr. 
Green  proceeded  to  a  point  twenty-eight  miles 
from   Sacramento,  on  Carson  Creek,  where  he 


spent  the  winter.  In  the  spring  of  1853  Mr. 
Green  and  others  went  back  to  the  Middle 
Fork  of  the  American  River,  and  mined  there 
until  the  spring  of  1854.  He  then  went  to 
Downieville,  and  was  soon  engaged  in  mining 
at  ]Vt)nte  Cristo,  five  miles  up  the  hills  from 
there.  He  remained  there  and  in  that  vicinity 
until  1860,  having  mines  at  Monte  Cristo  and 
Morristow.i,  and  thdu  went  to  Virginia  City. 
Nevada,  where  he  was  employed  by  the  Gould 
and  Curry  Company  as  foreman,  about  four 
years.  In  the  spring  of  1861  he  resigned  his 
position,  and  took  a  trip  to  Idaho,  wiiere  he  had 
some  interests;  but  not  finding  them  profitable 
he  returned  to  Virginia  City.  The  following 
summer  he  bought  a  ranch  two  miles  from  Car- 
son, and  resided  there  until  1866.  He  then 
came  to  Sacra^mento,  and  became  connected  with 
the  American  laundry,  and  in  partnership  with 
its  proprietor,  S.  B.  Cooley,  he  engaged  in  the 
manufacture  of  the  Crandall  spring  bad.  In 
1869  they  opened  a  house  on  the  site  of  the 
present  Baldwin  Hotel,  at  San  Francisco,  and 
Mr.  Green  had  charge  there  until  1872.  He 
then  returned  to  Sacramento,  to  their  business 
here,  located  on  Front  street.  In  the  fall  of 
1873  the  establishment  was  destroyed  by  tire, 
with  a  loss  of  $20,000.  The  partnership  was 
dissolved,  and  in  the  spring  of  1874  Mr.  Green 
went  to  Connecticut.  He  remained  but  a  short 
time,  then  returned  to  Sacramento,  and  has  been 
connected  with  the  laundry  ever  since.  This 
laundry  was  established  by  J.  R.  Webster,  on 
Slater's  addition,  near  the  present  depot  site. 
In  1866  S.  B.  Cooley  (brother-in-law  of  Mr. 
Green)  bought  Webster  out.  In  1880  the  new 
building  on  J  street  was  built,  and  the  laundry 
removed  into  it.  Mr.  Green,  the  present  pro- 
prietor, became  sole  owner  in  1885.  He  does  a 
very  extensive  business,  and  lias  forty-five  em- 
ployes. Mr.  Green  was  married  at  Carson 
City,  Nevada,  July  11,  1863,  to  Miss  Mary  A. 
Cooley,  a  native  of  Connecticut.  She  died  in 
this  city,  October  21,  1873.  Ey  this  marriage 
there  were  two  children,  of  whotn  one,  Ellen,  is 
living.      Mr.  Green  was  again  married,  in  iHlo, 


HISTORT    UF    SACRAMENTO    GOUNTT. 


to  Elizabeth  Calvyn,  of  Brooklyn,  New  York. 
Bj  this  marriage  tJiere  are  tliree  children,  viz.: 
Charles  W.  A.,  Plenry  E.  and  Amy.  Mr.  Green 
is  a  member  of  Industrial  Lodge,  JMo.  157,  I. 
O.  O.  F.  In  politics  he  is  a  Republican.  Mr. 
Green  is  an  upright,  honorable  man  of  busi^ss, 
genial  and  courteous  always  in  demeanor,  and 
his  success  in  life  is  a  source  of  pleasure  to  his 
many  friends. 


C.  GRAFF,  plumber,  gas-fitter,  etc., 
Sacramento,  has  in  a  few  years  built 
*  up  a  business  which  has  already  at- 
tained large  proportions.  He  is  a  native  of  St. 
Louis,  born  December  20,  1851,  his  parents 
being  Andrew  and  Anna  (Plattner)  Graif.  An- 
drew Grafl',  father  of  the  subject  of  this  sketch, 
M-as  a  native  of  Switzerland,  who  came  to  the 
United  States  when  he  was  a  young  man.  Wiien 
the  California  gold  fever  broke  out,  his  attention 
was  turned,  like  so  many  others,  to  the  New 
El  Dorado,  and  he  decided  to  try  his  fortune. 
Accordingly  he  joined  the  vast  caravan  that 
traversed  the  plains,  mountains  and  deserts  be- 
tween the  civilization  of  the  East  and  the  new- 
found gold  fields  of  the  West,  and  in  1849  he 
reached  California,  and  was  soon  engaged  in 
mining.  He  returned  east,  however,  and  lo- 
cated at  St.  Louis,  in  the  butcher  business.  In 
1852  he  again  came  out  to  California,  this  time 
bringing  his  family  along,  and  once  more  safely 
accomplished  the  tedious  journey  across  the 
plains.  On  arriving  at  Sacramento,  he  first  en- 
gaged in  the  brick- making  business,  afterward 
at  butchering,  and  later  entered  the  employ  of 
Mr.  Locher,  the  wholesale  liquor  man.  After 
this  he  again  engaged  in  the  Initcher  business, 
which  he  then  followed  until  the  time  of  his 
death,  which  occurred  in  1879.  His  widow  yet 
lives  in  Sacramento,  at  the  family  residence  on 
Tenth  street,  between  Q  and  R  streets.  Their 
children  are  seven  in  number,  as  follows:  Will- 
iam C,  with  whose  name  this  sketch  commences; 
Mary,  wife  of  Joseph  Darioth;   Emma,  wife  of 


Willard  Lee;  Sophia  (Roeder);  Emil,  Henry, 
and  Louisa,  wife  of  A.  Menke.  William  C. 
Gratf,  the  oldest  of  the  children  of  Andrew 
Graff,  deceased,  and  the  subject  of  this  sketch, 
was  reared  and  received  his  education  in  Sacra- 
mento. He  learned  the  cigar-making  trade  in 
the  factory  of  R.  H.  Pettit,  where  he  worked 
three  years  and  a  half,  then  went  with  David 
Bush  in  the  plumbing  and  gas-fitting  business. 
After  two  years  with  him  he  spent  four  years 
on  the  road,  and  traveled  and  worked  through- 
out the  Pacific  coast,  from  Salt  Lake  City  to 
San  Diego.  He  then  started  in  business  for 
himself  in  Sacramento,  and  by  his  thorough 
knowledge  of  the  business,  and  close  attention 
to  all  the  details,  he  has  made  for  himself  a 
reputation  second  to  none.  He  does  general 
work  in  his  lines,  and  contracts  for  plumbing, 
gas-fitting  and  sewer  work.  Mr.  Gratf  was  mar- 
ried in  this  city,  February  19,  1883,  to  Miss 
Sophia  Schniedwind,  a  native  of  Elgin,  Illinois. 
Mr.  Grafl'is  a  pushing,  enterprising  young  busi- 
ness man,  and  is  meeting  with  well-deserved 
success. 

— '^■m-^ — 

fLIAS  GRUHLER,  of  Sacramento,  is  a 
native  of  Aldingen,  Spaidingen,  Wurtem- 
berg,  born  October  24,  1855,  his  parents 
being  Fred  and  Christina  Maria  (Glazer)  Gruh- 
ler.  He  was  reared  at  his  native  place,  and 
attended  the  government  schools  between  the 
ages  of  six  and  fourteen  years.  At  the  age  of 
twenty  years  he  entei-ed  the  German  army  in 
the  Twelfth  Company,  Seventh  Regiment, 
Thirteenth  Army  Corps,  and  served  with  honor 
and  credit  until  1880.  During  that  time  his 
stations  were  Stuttgart,  Ulm,  Freidenstadt  and 
Ludwigsburg.  The  first  year  he  was  a  subaltern, 
having  charge  for  eight  or  ten  years;  the  next 
two  years  his  authority  was  enlarged,  and  during 
the  last  two  years  he  served  as  sergeant.  After 
1880  he  was  in  the  government  civil  service, 
with  headquarters  at  Stuttgart.  In  1884  he 
came  to  New  York,   and    from   there   to   Sacra- 


niSruRT    OF    SACRAMENTO    COUNTY. 


mento.  On  the  9tli  of  Febrnarj,  1884,  he 
opened  the  Postoffiae  Exchange,  and  in  October, 
1888,  removed  to  his  present  location,  at  No. 
924:  Second  street.  Mr.  Gruhler  was  married 
October  29,  1884,  to  xMiss  Mary  R.  Bolaz,  a 
native  of  Wurtemberg.  They  liave  two  children, 
viz.:  Otlielia  and  Ada.  Mr.  Gruhler  has  been 
preiident  and  seoretai'y  of  the  local  lodge  of 
Hermann's  Sons,  and  is  also  a  member  of  the 
Verein-Eintraciit,  in  which  he  has  held  tiie  office 
of  secretary.  Mr.  Gruhler  is  an  affable  and 
courteous  gentleman,  and  shows  by  his  bearing 
tiie  results  of  his  training  in  tiie  magniticent 
German  army  organization. 


^^^-^ 


fAUL  GRAF,  manufacturer  and  dealer  in 
harness,  saddles,  etc.,  Sacramento,  is  a  na- 
tive of  Germany,  born  at  Muhlhausen, 
Baden,  January  10,  1846,  his  parents  being 
John  and  Helena  (Rehm)  Graf,  the  father  a 
farmer  and  paper-maker.  Paul  Graf  was  the 
youngest  of  a  family  of  nine  children.  He  at- 
tended the  public  schools  from  the  age  of  six 
until  he  was  fourteen,  and  afterward  at  private 
schools.  He  then  engaged  in  farm  work.  In 
1867  he  came  to  America,  taking  tiie  steamer 
Hansen  from  Bremen  to  New  York.  He  re- 
mained in  the  latter  city  for  some  time,  then 
came  to  California  via  Panama.  He  took  the 
steamer  Rising  Star  on  the  Atlantic  side,  and 
on  this  side  the  steamer  Golden  Age,  landing 
at  San  Francisco  in  October,  1868,  and  coming 
from  there  to  Sacramento.  His  first  employ- 
ment here  was  with  Mr.  Eiser,  iiarness  manu- 
facturer, and  six  months  later  he  went  witli 
John  T.  Stoii.  On  the  5th  of  February,  1886, 
he  commenced  business  for  himself  on  K  street, 
between  Eighth  and  Ninth,  and  in  March,  1887, 
lie  removed  to  his  present  location.  No. 1128^  J 
street.  Here  he  carries  on  the  manufacture  of 
harness,  and  handles  saddles,  collars,  and  in  fact 
everything  pertaining-  to  a  well-regulated  store  in 
his  line.  Mr.  Graf  was  married  in  Sacramento, 
in    February,    1877,    to    Miss    Louisa    Dresch. 


They  have  two  ciiildren,  viz.:  Mina  and  Mabel. 
Mr.  Graf  is  a  member  of  Sciiiller  Lodge,  No. 
105,  I.  O.  O.  F.;  Lodge  No.  42,  KuFghts  of 
Pythias,  and  of  the  Sacramento  Turn-Verein. 
He  taught  athletics  in  the  gymnasium  for  years. 
Mr.  Graf  has  got  iiis  business  well  under  way, 
and  is  making  a  first-class  reputation  as  a  busi- 
ness man. 

J.  AZEVEDO,  proprietor  of  the  Eagle 
Winery,  Sacramento,  is  a  native  of  the 
Azores.  Islands,  born  February  21, 
1837,  his  parents  being  J.  A.  and  Orsa  Marrianna 
Azevedo.  He  attended  school  there,  and  was 
reared  to  farm  life;  In  1854,  at  the  age  of  sev- 
enteen, he  came  to  California  around  Cape  Horn 
and  landed  at  San  Francisco,  January  20,  1854, 
He  went  to  Butte  County,  and  mined  success- 
fully oti  Butte  Creek.  In  1861  he  came  to  the 
Sacramento  Valley,  and  located  on  a  farm  op. 
posite  Freeport,  where  he  engaged  in  ranching 
until  1872.  He  then  went  back  to  the  old  coun- 
try, and  remained  there  until  1888,  when  he  re- 
turned to  Sacramento.  The  firm  of  Azevedo  & 
Co.  was  organized  in  April,  1889,  and  pur. 
chased  the  Eagle  Winery.  This  winery  is  an 
extensive  one,  and  has  a  distillery  in  connection. 
The  finest  of  wines  and  brandies  are  turned  out 
Jiere,  and  the  product  of  the  winery  has  a  high 
reputation.  It  is  the  only  retail  winery  in  Sac- 
ramento. Mr.  Azevedo  was  married  while  in 
the  old  country,  to  Miss  Marie  Adelaide  Azevedo, 
They  have  four  children,  viz.:  John  M.,  Mary  A., 
Frank  A.  and  John  A.  Mr.  Azevedo  is  an 
active,  enterprising  man,  genial  and  courteous 
in  disposition,  and  just  the  kind  of  a  man  to 
push  the  Eagle  Winery  to  the  front  rank. 


RS.    MARY    DICKINSON,    a    ranch- 
owner  of  CosumnesTownsliip,  was  born 
in  Ireland  in  1840,  her  parents  being 
Henry  and  Nancy  (Rooney)  Doyle.     She  came 


HISTORY    OF    SACRAMENTO    COUNTY. 


America  in  1858,  and  settled  in  "Wisconsin, 
where  she  married  early  in  1863  at  Janesville, 
John  Hilton,  the  son  of  an  English  father 
and  Irish  mother,  but  born  during  the  teniiio- 
rary  sojourn  of  his  parents  in  France,  in  1825. 
Mr.  Hilton  was  a  mason  by  trade  and  came  to 
California  with  his  wife  and  child  in  May,  1864. 
and  died  in  Sacramento  in  1869.  leaving  two 
sons:  Thomas  Jefferson,  born  neai'  Janesville, 
Wisconsin,  February  28,  1864,  and  John,  born 
in  this  State,  June  26,  1867.  In  1871  Mrs. 
(Doyle)  Hilton  was  married  in  Sacramento 
to  Mr.  Peter  Dickinson,  born  in  England, 
April  11,  1830.  His  mother  is  known  to  have 
been  eighty  when  she  died  in  England  in  1870. 
When  the  father  died  is  not  known.  The  son 
went  to  sea  at  the  age  of  eleven  and  followed 
that  kind  of  life  for  nine  years,  visiting  China, 
India,  Australia  and  nearly  all  parts  of  the 
world.  Coming  to  California  in  1850  he  quit 
a  seafaring  life  and  vvent  to  mining,  which  he 
followed  many  years.  He  secured  title  to  197 
acres,  half  a  mile  east  of  Michigan  Bar,  well 
adapted  to  fruit  culture  and  farming.  Mr. 
Dickinson  died  November  15,  1885,  leaving 
three  children:  Rose  Alice,  born  August,  1872; 
James  Peter,  May  19,  1874,  and  Mary  Ellen, 
June  16,  1878. 

fllOMAS  McANALLY,  deceased.  The 
subject  of  this  sketch  was  born  in  the 
County  of  Armagh,  Ireland,  about  1840. 
He  emigrated  to  America  at  eighteen, and  came  to 
California  before  he  was  twenty-one.  Arriving 
in  this  county  in  1861  or  1862,  he  worked  for 
eight  or  nine  years  at  general  farming,  dairying 
and  fruit- raising  in  Franklin  Township.  He 
was  known  by  his  employers  and  their  neigh- 
bors as  an  upright,  industrious  and  kindly  man, 
straightforward  in  his  relations  with  all  classes 
pud  conditions  of  men,  an  excellent  type  of  the 
better  class  of  Irish  workmen.  Having  saved 
his  earnings  for  several  years  of  steady  work, 
he  l)ought,  in  1870,   the  fruit  ranch  of  seventy- 


one  acres  about  one  mile  above  Courtland,  where 
his  family  still  resides.  Mr.  McAnally  was 
married  in  April,  1876,  to  Miss  Catherine 
O'Flaherty,  also  a  native  of  Ireland,  born  in  the 
County  of  Galway  in  1852,  daughter  of  Patrick 
and  Mary  (Folan)  O'Flaherty.  She  came  to 
this  county  in  1875.  By  the  early  death  of  her 
husband,  in  May,  1887,  she  was  left  a  widow 
with  two  children:  Mary  Agnes,  born  August 
22,  1878,  and  Edward  Thomas,  born  February 
6,  1880. 


f  AN  FORD  DICKEY  was  born  in  Bar- 
tliolomew  County,  Indiana,  February  27, 
1832,  his  parents  being  Thomas  and  Eu- 
nice (Starke)  Dickey.  The  father,  a  native  of 
Randolph  County,  North  Carolina,  lived  to  be 
ninety-two,  and  the  mother,  born  in  Monon- 
gahela  County,  Kentucky,  died  at  seventy-eight. 
Grandfather  William  Dickey  was  over  eighty 
wken  he  died  in  Randolph  County,  North  Caro- 
lina. Thomas  Dickey  was  married  to  Eunice 
Starke,  in  Clark  County,  Indiana,  about  1815, 
after  the  close  of  the  war  of  1812,  in  which  he 
had  served.  They  were  the  parents  of  live  sons 
and  five  daughters,  all  of  whom  lived  to  matu- 
rity. In  1847  they  moved  to  Marion  County 
Iowa,  where  they  bought  a  farm  of  220  acres. 
The  subject  of  this  sketch  received  the  usual 
district-school  education  and  learned  farming  on 
his  father's  place.  In  1854  Sanford  Dickey  re- 
ceived a  forty-acre  farm  from  his  father,  and  in 
September  of  that  year  was  married  to  Miss 
Cynthia  Billups,  a  native  of  Iowa,  daughter  of 
Edward  and  Theodosia  (Barrett)  Billups.  In 
1857  they  came  to  California,  accompanied  by  a 
nephew,  Thomas  Dickey,  now  living  one  and  a 
half  miles  below  Isleton.  They  left  Council 
Bluffs  May  10,  and  reached  Placerville  Septem- 
ber 27.  Coming  down  to  Sacramento  County, 
Sanford  Dickey  worked  a  few  months  for 
ranchers  on  the  lower  Stockton  road  near 
Franklin.  He  then  entered  160  acres  of  Gov- 
ernment land  about  two  and  a  half  miles  south- 


HTSTORY    OF    SACRAMENTO    COUNTY. 


east  of  Franklin,  which  he  kept  and  worked  un- 
til 1867,  when  he  sold  it  to  Walters,  whose  family 
now  own  it.     In  1867  he  bought  the  dairy  bus- 
iness  of  the  Jacobs   ranch,  half  a  mile  M-est  of 
Franklin,     consisting    of    about    forty      cows. 
After  one  year  he  moved  his  dairy  to  the  Tib- 
bets  ranch,   about   two    miles    below    Richland. 
In   tlie  autumn    of    1869    he    moved    to    Ross' 
ranch    about    midway    between    Franklin     and 
Richland.      About  1875  he  quit  the  dairy   busi- 
ness and    moved   to   Miller's    ranch   about    two 
miles  below  Freeport,  where  he  remained  al)out 
three  years,  engaged  chiefly  in   peddling    meat. 
Then  moving  a  mile  further  south  on  the  river 
road,  he  was  engaged  tor  about  two  years  in  gen- 
eral  farming  and  fruit-growing    on    the    Neu- 
baner  ranch.     October  6,  1880,  he  moved  into 
the    Isleton    Hotel    as    renter,     bought    it    in 
August,  1881,  including  lot,  80.\120  feet,  and 
still  conducts  it.     He  also  rents  the  Cole  rancli 
of  819  acres  on  the  Georgiana  Slough,  devoted 
chiefly  to  raising  natural  hay  and  alfalfa.     Be- 
sides quietly  and  kindly  caring  for  the  welfare 
of  his  guests,  and  actively  superintending   the 
hotel    and    ranch    work,    Mr.    Dickey    is    road 
overseer   of  a   large  territory,  inclnding  Grand 
Island  and  Georgiana  Township.      Mrs.  Dickey 
died  in  March,  1867,  leaving  six  children,  the 
two  oldest  being  natives  of  Iowa  and  the  others 
of  California:   Delilah,    born    March   5,    1855, 
now  Mrs.  James  Aikens,  of  Sacramento;  Homer 
Lawrence,  born  February  19,  1857,  married  to 
Miss  Margaret  Drone,  a  native  of  Canada,  who 
came  to  California  in  1885:  they  reside  in  Isle- 
ton  and  have  one  child,   Cynthia  Marie,  born 
July  27,  1888;  Naomi,   born  October  9,  1859, 
now  Mrs.   Louis  Wagner,   of  Sacramento,   has 
one  daughter;  Cynthia,  born  May  3,  1861,  now 
Mrs.  Charles  Shipley,  of  Philadelphia,  has  one 
son;   Iva,    born    January    14,    1863,   now    Mrs. 
George  {lignett,  of  Sacramento;  Sanford,  Jr., 
born  October  14,  1865,  still  unmarried,  assists 
his  father  especially  as  road  overseer.     October 
9,    1868,    Mr.    Dickey    was    married    to    Mrs. 
Melinda  (Harnft')  Funk,  a  widow  with  one  child, 
Frances,    born    September  7,   1865,  now   Mrs. 


Arthur  Dulion,  of  Sacramento.  Mrs.  Melinda 
Dickey  was  born  in  Arkansas,  January  28, 1843, 
her  parents  being  Peter  and  Margaret  (Hinton) 
Haruff.  With  her  mother  and  step-father  she 
came  to  California  in  1849,  and  with  them  went 
back  in  1852,  and  returned  to  California  in 
1866.  Her  mother,  now  Mrs.  Margaret  Gor- 
dcm,  born  in  Ohio,  June  14,  1812,  is  living  in 
San  Jose,  California.  Grandfather  Hinton  was 
also  a  native  of  Ohio,  and  grandmother  (Filson) 
Hinton  was  a  native  of  South  Carolina.  She 
was  over  seventy  when  she  died.  By  this 
second  marriage  Mr.  Dickey  has  two  children: 


Angeline,    born    December    23, 
Joseph,  born  July  5,  1879. 


1869;    Hiram 


:M''^ 


ISABELLA  W.  MISER,  a 
wner   of   Cosumnes    Township, 


ranch - 
about 


-^iii!-=^-~-  twenty- seven  miles  from  Sacramento, 
was  born  in  Cincinnati,  Ohio,  December  3, 
1826,  her  parents  being  Edward  A.  and  Mary 
Ann  (Ryder)  Hughes.  The  father  was  a  native 
of  Nova  Scotia,  and  the  mother  of  New  Bruns- 
wick. The  latter  died  of  cholera  in  1849,  in  St. 
Louis,  Missouri,  where  they  had  settled  in  1841, 
the  father  being  a  dealer  in  boots  and  shoes  in 
both  cities.  He  came  to  California  in  1854, 
and  lived  with  his  children,  already  settled  here, 
and  died  some  years  later  at  the  age  of  seventy- 
seven.  The  subject  of  this  sketch  was  married 
in  St.  Louis,  February  2,  1848,  to  Solomon 
Miser.  In  1849  Mr.  Miser  came  to  California, 
and  was  engaged  in  mining  on  the  Cosumnes, 
and  afterward  ii  cattle-raising  near  Redwoods, 
until  he  went  back  for  his  wife  and  child  in 
1851.  After  a  weary  journey  of  five  months 
across  the  plains,  they  arrived  on  the  Cosumnes 
and  soon  afterward  squatted  on  the  place  still 
occupied  by  Mrs.  Miser.  By  purchase  from 
the  Government  and  others  he  became  possessed 
of  680  acres  of  land  before  1865,  to  which  Mrs. 
Miser  has  added  820  acres  since  his  death.  Mr. 
Miser  came  to  his  death  in  1876,  by  being  run 
over  by  his  own    heavily-loaded   wagon.     The 


HISTORY    OF    SACRAMENTO    COUNTY. 


children  of  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Miser,  living  in  1889, 
are:  Spencer  A.,  born  in  St.  Louis,  Missouri, 
November  11,  1848,  and  married  in  1879  to 
Miss  M.  E.  Hale,  born  in  this  State,  a  daughter 
of  William  Hale,  of  Kelsey;  has  two  hoj-s. 
Delia,  born  in  California  in  1852,  now  Mrs. 
Frank  Jones,  of  Walsh's  Station,  in  this  county; 
has  two  boys  and  live  girls.  Joseph  E.,  horn 
in  1854,  owns  a  small  ranch  and  rents  a  large 
adjoining  one  in  this  township,  using  both  for 
a  sheep  range.  Laura,  born  in  1856,  now  tlie 
wife  of  William  Russell,  blacksmith  on  the 
Jackson  road,  ten  miles  from  Sacramento;  has 
three  children — Charles,  Joseph  and  Annie. 
Dawson  A.,  born  in  1860;  Edwin  A.,  born  in 
1863;  Howard  A.,  born  in  1866. 

— ^€@n@l^^¥— 

tRTHUR  WILLIAM  STUART,  orchardist 
on  Grand  Island,  was  born  in  Maine,  May 
2,  1857,  his  parents  being  Daniel  S.  and 
Lydia  (Philpot)  Stuart.  The  family  came  to 
California  in  1860  and  settled  on  Grand  Island, 
on  what  is  now  the  Mclntyre  ranch  of  120 
acres.  The  flood  of  1862  overflowed  his  place 
and  he  moved  to  Solano  County,  near  Dixon, 
where  he  now  owns  240  acres.  The  father  had 
come  to  California  in  1850,  and  did  some  min- 
ing for  a  year  or  more,  when  he  returned  to 
farming  in  Maine.  He  was  born  about  1827, 
and  Mrs.  Stuart  about  1829,  and  they  have 
eight  living  children,  of  whom  three  are  natives 
of  this  State.  A.  W.  Stuart  was  educated  iri 
Dixon,  and  took  a  course  in  the  Napa  Collegi- 
ate Institute.  Has  done  farm  work  since  he 
has  been  of  an  age  to  labor.  Mr.  Stuart  was 
married  in  Sacramento  March  10,  1883,  to  Mrs. 
O.  P.  (Phillips)  Wood,  the  widow  of  Monroe 
Wood,  who  died  in  1879,  leaving  one  child, 
Lillie,  born  in  1875,  and  accidentally  drowned 
in  1888  while  crossing  the  river  near  her  home. 
Mrs.  Stuart  is  a  native  of  Illinois,  where  her 
mother  is  still  living,  near  Troj',  aged  sixty. 
The  father  died  in  1870.  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Stuart 
have  one  child,   Daniel  Everett,  born  on  Grand 


Island  September  15,  1884.  They  own  210 
acres  on  Steamboat  Slough,  ot  which  sixty-tive 
are  in  orchard.  Mr.  Stuart  also  owns  jointly 
with  his  mother  200  acres  in  Stanislaus  County, 
near  Hopedale,  purchased  in  1887.  It  is  all 
fruit-bearing  land  and  twenty-tive  acres  are 
already  in  orchard. 


,.^^^..,^^- 


fAMES  JORDAN,  owner  of  the  Eagle  Ditch 
at  Michigan  Bar,  was  born  in  England, 
April  18, 1827,  his  parents  being  John  and 
Louise  (Brooker)  Jordan.  The  mother  died 
about  1834,  and  in  1836  the  father  came  to 
America  with  eight  children.  He  settled  on  a 
farm  in  the  State  of  New  York,  and  in  1840 
moved  to  Michigan,  where  six  of  his  children 
are  still  living,  five  being  married.  They  are: 
Caleb,  with  one  son;  Stephen  married  a  Miss 
Perry,  and  has  four  or  five  children;  William 
is  unmarried;  Mary,  now  Mrs.  William  Loburn, 
has  a  large  family;  Louise,  now  Mrs.  Tyler,  has 
some  children:  Annie,  now  Mrs.  Carpenter,  is 
also  the  mother  of  some  children.  All  are  set- 
tled- on  farms  in  Davison  Township,  Monroe 
County,  Michigan.  The  father  died  there  about 
1879,  aged  eighty- three.  The  grandparents 
Jordan  and  grandmother  Brooker  were  also 
long-lived  folks.  The  subject  of  this  sketch 
left  Grand  Blanc,  Genesee  County,  Michigan, 
where  his  father  then  resided,  in  November, 
1850,  for  California.  He  came  by  the  Panama 
route,  and  took  the  Panama  fever,  which  nearly 
proved  fatal.  He  was  unconscious  for  fourteen 
days  on  the  voyage  to  San  Francisco  by  the  An- 
telope, and  on  his  arrival  was  sent  to  the  hospi- 
tal. When  discharged  he  was  scarcely  able  to 
work,  and  did  cooking  for  his  board,  and  after 
ward  was  paid  $25  a  month.  In  July,  1851, 
he  came  to  Coloma  in  El  Dorado  Conjity,  and 
was  quite  successful  in  mining,  in  which  he  has 
been  engaged  directly,  or  as  owner  of  mineral 
lands  and  water  privileges,  with  little  interrup- 
tion ever  since.  He  conducted  a  hotel  at  Colo- 
ma about  eighteen   months  in   1853-'54,  which 


EISTOHT    OF    HAGRAMBNTO    COUNTY. 


he  afterward  rented  to  others  for  seven  or  eight 
years,  and  tinally  sold.  In  1854  he  bought  a 
■mining  claim,  and  in  1855  went  into  the 
mining  and  ditching  business,  with  good  suc- 
cess right  along.  But  the  usual  fortune  of 
miners  was  near  at  hand.  He  engaged  with 
others  in  running  a  tunnel  at  Kentucky  Flats, 
near  Mount  Gregory,  in  El  Dorado  County, 
with  an  aggregate  loss  of  $18,000,  of  which  his 
share  was  about  $2,500  and  eighteen  months' 
labor.  This  was  in  1856-'57.  He  then  went 
to  Gold  Hill  and  invested  in  a  big  bed-rock 
flume,  which  scarcely  returned  any  net  gain. 
Meanwhile  he  was  engaged  in  river  mining  in 
the  summer  months  from  1856  to  I860,  which 
he  quit  in  1861.  In  the  high  water  of  1861-'62 
his  mining  enterprises  paid  well.  In  1862  he 
again  went  to  Coloma,  where  he  bought  a  bar 
claim  on  the  South  Fork  of  the  American  River, 
for  $90,  out  of  which  he  made  $3,000  in  five 
months.  In  the  spring  of  1863  he  came  to 
Michigan  Bar,  on  the  Cosumnes,  where  he 
loaned  money  on  stock  of  the  Eagle  Ditch,  the 
original  cust  of  which,  with  the  repairs,  amount- 
ing some  years  to  $3,000,  is  estimated  at  over 
$60,000.  He  has  been  owner  of  the  property 
for  several  years,  and  leases  water  for  mining 
and  irrigating  purposes,  besides  supplying  power 
for  his  grist-mill.  He  also  owns  200  acres  of 
mineral  land,  from  which  he  gets  varying  re- 
turns. In  1871  and  1872  he  prospected  in  Ne- 
rada,   but  without  striking  anything  of  value. 


He  was,  howeve.-,  let  into  some  good  enter 


prises, 


only  to  find  that  the  sellers  were  not  the  owners. 
Mr.  James  Jordan  is  a  member  of  the  Masonic 
order,  and  was  Senior  Deacon  in  .Nebraska 
Lodge,  No.  71,  which  used  to  meet  in  Michigan 
Bar,  but  died  out  some  years  ago,  when  Mr. 
Jordan  joined  the  lodge  at  lone. 

^^      .         ^  «^,  .i..r-^<i.  ■ 


ig|EUBEN  WALLACE  TOOKER,  a  rancher 
fra  °^  Cosumnes  Township,  was  born  in  New 
^%  York  June  21,  1829,  his  parents  being 
Daniel  and  Maria  (Dubois)  Tooker.   The  father,    | 


a  native  of  the  same  State,  was  sixty-eight  at 
his  death  in  1868,  and  the  mother  seventy-four 
when  she  died  in  1875.  Grandfather  Charles 
Tooker,  also  a  native  of  New  York,  reached  the 
age  of  eighty-eight,  and  his  wife,  originally  a 
Miss  Carpenter,  was  ninety-two.  The  Dubois 
family,  of  French  origin,  has  been  settled  in 
this  countiy  for  several  generations.  Daniel 
Tooker  was  a  farmer.  R.  W.  Tooker  received  a 
district-school  education  and  in  his  twenty-first 
year,  in  1849,  he  accompanied  a  missionary  of 
the  Dutch  Reformed  Church,  named  Sheffield,  to 
South  Bend,  Indiana,  where  he  worked  for  him 
until  1852.  In  that  year  he  crossed  the  plains, 
being  one  of  a  company  of  about  fifty  men. 
They  had  an  encounter  with  hostile  Indians  of 
whom  nine  were  killed,  the  emigrants  having 
two  men  slightly  wounded.  The  fight  occurred 
on  tlie  north  of  the  Platte,  between  Mud  Creek 
and  Shell  Creek.  R.  W.  Tooker  arrived  in  Sac- 
ramento August  10,  1852,  and  first  went  to 
work  on  a  dairy  farm  for  wages.  He  owned  160 
acres  on  the  old  Jackson  road  for  many  years,  and 
followed  the  business  of  teaming  as  well  as 
dairying  for  several  years.  In  October,  1884,  he 
bought  his  present  ranch  of  160  acres,  situated 
about  twenty-six  miles  from  Sacramento  and 
two  and  one-half  miles  from  Michigan  Bar.  He 
raises  hay  and  stock,  and  makes  a  specialty  of 
raising  turkeys,  of  which  he  usually  has  a  flock 
of  between  two  and  three  hundred. 


tLEXANDER  SCROGGS,  Sr.,  a  pioneer 
of  marked  character  and  a  capitalist,  was 
born  in  Trumbull  (now  Mahoning)  County, 
Ohio,  April  22,  1818;  was  brought  up  on  the 
iai'm  of  his  father,  Aaron  Scroggs,  a  native  of 
Cumberland  County,  Pennsylvania.  In  1840 
he  emigrated  to  Quincy,  Illinois;  was  in  Mon- 
mouth, that  State,  in  1840-'41,  and  then  in 
Whiteside  County,  same  State,  until  1849,  en- 
gaged as  a  carpenter.  In  March  of  the  latter 
year  he  left  for  California,  in  company  with 
Captain  Woodburn  and  a  Mr   Miller, in  a  party 


HISTORY    OF    SACRAMENTO    COUNTY. 


made  up  at  St.  Joseph,  Missouri,  wliicli  had 
fourteeu  wagons.  Coining  by  way  of  Fort  Hall 
and  the  Tnickee  route,  and  the  scene  of  the 
great  disaster  of  the  Donner  party,  they  arrived 
on  Deer  Creek  September  6.  They  followed 
gold  mining  on  Bear  River  until  the  rain  sea- 
son set  in,  when  they  came  to  Sacramento.  At 
that  time  Mr.  Callahan,  the  builder  and  pro- 
prietor of  the  Golden  Eagle  Hotel,  was  keeping 
"  a  canvas  boarding-house  on  the  corner  of  Sev- 
enth and  L  streets,  adjoining  a  horse  mai'ket, 
which  was  then  conducted  by  Captain  Smith  & 
Co.  In  the  spring  of  1850  Mr.  Scroggs  fol- 
lowed Captain  Whitehead  and  his  company  to 
the  mines  at  the  head-waters  of  the  Calaveras 
River,  and  afterward  to  Downieville  and  the 
Gold  Lake  mining  region.  He  returned  to  Sac- 
ramento during  the  cholera  siege  here.  Sub- 
sequently he  followed  mining  on  Bear  River  and 
at  Johnson's  Crossing.  Next  he  engaged  in 
carpentering,  at  which  he  made  $10  a  day.  In 
the  spring  of  1852  be  was  in  the  mines  again, 
and  soon  cleared  $1,000.  Then  he  resumed  nis 
trade  in  Sacramento  and  followed  it  for  many 
years.  In  1854  he  married  Miss  Jane  Elwell, 
a  native  of  the  State  of  New  York,  who  came 
to  California  in  1850  on  the  steamer  Endora. 
Since  then  she  has  made  three  trips  to  the  East, 
one  time  on  the  vessel  named  Yankee  Blade, 
which  was  wrecked  at  Point  Euquella,  and  she 
was  obliged  to  return.  Both  Mr.  and  Mrs. 
Scroggs  own  considerable  real  estate  in  this 
city.  Their  children  are:  Alexander,  Jr.;  Sarah 
Irene,  now  Mrs.  Worneth;  Almira  Jane,  now 
the  wife  of  T.  E.  Reikart,  of  Dixon,  and  John, 
the  youngest  sou. 


ALEXANDER  MONROE  WARNOCK, 
farmer,  of  Lee  Township,  was  born  in 
Putnam  County,  Illinois,  April  10,  1830, 
his  parents  being  James  A.  and  Elizabeth  (Mc- 
Cord)  Warnock.  The  father,  a  native  of  South 
Carolina,  died  in  Putnam  County,  Illinois,  in 
1862,  aged  seventy- two;  the  mother  a  native  of 


Pennsylvania,  died  in  1852,  aged  iifty-two. 
They  had  moved  to  Illinois  in  1828,  soon  after 
their  tnarriage  in  Ohio,  whither  grandfather' 
McCord  had  moved  from  Pennsylvania  some 
years  before.  Grandfather  Joseph  Warnock 
was  the  son  of  an  Irish  emigrant,  Michael,  who 
settled  in  Pendleton  County,  South  Carolina,  in 
1768.  Joseph  moved  with  his  family  to  Brown 
County,  Ohio,  thence  to  Indiana,  and  finally 
settled  in  Putnam  County,  Illinois,  where  he 
died  about  1840,  aged  seventy-seven.  Grand- 
mother Margaret  (Sumter)  Warnock  died  sev- 
eral years  earlier,  at  the  age  of  sixty.  Grand 
parents  William  and  Elizabeth  McCord  also 
settled  in  Putnam  County,  Illinois,  and  died 
there,  the  latter  about  1845,  aged  seventy-six, 
and  the  former  in  1855,  at  the  age  of  eighty- 
six.  A.  M.  Warnock  received  a  district-school 
education  and  was  brought  up  on  his  father's 
farm,  helping  on  the  same  until  he  was  twenty. 
In  1850  he  bought  in  partnership  with  his 
brother  a  Mexican-war  land  warrant  and  located 
160  acres  in  Grundy  County,  Illinois.  In  1853 
he  sold  his  eighty,  and  set  out  for  California, 
March  24,  1853,  arriving  at  Placerville  Sep- 
tember 10.  He  mined  in  that  section  eight 
years  during  the  mining  season,  usually  coming 
down  into  the  plains  in  summer,  and  working 
more  or  less  in  various  lines  as  opportunity 
offered.  In  March,  1861,  he  was  married  in 
Placerville  to  Emeline  Johnson,  and  moved 
i[ito  Douglas  County,  Nevada,  where  he  carried 
on  teaming  for  twelve  years.  In  1873  he  moved 
into  Sacramento  County,  settling  at  Franklin. 
He  bought  a  hay-press  and  followed  that  line  ef 
business  until  1880.  He  then  rented  a  ranch 
of  240  acres  about  three  miles  north  of  Frank- 
lin, which  he  held  three  years.  In  1883  he 
rented  525  acres,  live  miles  above  Routier,  which 
he  still  holds.  In  1885  he  rented  a  part  of  the 
Davis  place,  in  Lee  Township,  and  in  1888  the 
whole  1,200  acres.  On  both  places  he  does 
general  farming,  raising  grain  of  all  kinds  be- 
sides horses,  cattle  and  hogs.  The  children  of 
Mrs.  Warnock — the  first  three  being  by  a  for- 
mer husband  named   Alcock,   but  entirely  iden- 


HISTORY    OF    SACRAMENTO    COUNTY. 


tilled  witli  the  new  family  and  bearing  its  name — 
are:  Elizabeth,  now  Mrs.  Silas  Grant,  residing 
in  Canada;  Walter  E.,  born  in  1855,  and  Sam- 
uel M.,  in  1857,  both  interested  in  the  working 
of  the  two  farms  occnpied  and  worked  by  the 
Warnock  family  and  their  hired  help.  James 
Archibald  Warnock,  born  in  Nevada  in  1863,  is 
married  to  Ella,  a  daughter  of  Milton  Sherwood, 
of  Sacramento,  is  the  father  of  two  boys  and  is 
farming  near  Elk  Grove;  Isabel,  born  in  1865; 
Ella,  in  1868;  Gertrude,  in  1870;  Alexander 
Victor,  in  1872;  Arlie  Etta,  in  1874,  the  last 
named  being  a  native  of  California  and  the 
others  of  Nevada. 


tEV.  GEORGE  WATKINS  BEATH,  a 
retired  minister  and  rancher  of  Cosumnes 
Township,  was  born  in  Montgomery 
County,  Ohio,  January  11,  1817,  his  parents 
being  William  and  Amy  (Watkins)  Heath.  In 
1832  the  family  moved  to  Adams  County,  Indi- 
ana, where  the  father  died  in  1840,  and  the 
mother  in  1850,  both  at  about  the  age  of  sixty. 
Grandfather  William  Heath  died  in  Virginia, 
aged  ninety-two;  and  grandfather  Watkins, 
also  named  William,  died  at  seventy,  but  his 
wife  reached  the  age  of  ninety-six.  George  W. 
Heath  received  but  little  schooling  in  his  youth, 
but  by  special  indnstry  in  private  study  made 
up  the  deficiency  in  his  formal  education,  and 
was  authorized  to  preach  by  the  Methodist 
Episcopal  Church  in  1841.  He  was  married  in 
1837,  being  not  quite  twenty-one.  He  came  to 
California  in  1852,  and  mined  four  years,  preach- 
ing as  opportunity  was  given.  In  1854  he 
brought  out  his  family;  and  in  1856  was  form- 
ally set  apart  fur  the  work  of  the  ministry,  serv- 
ing first  in  El  Dorado  County.  In  1858  he  was 
ordained  deacon;  and  in  1859  was  placed  in 
charge  of  the  Cosumnes  circuit.  In  1861  he 
tiled  pre-emption  papers  on  the  160  acres  he 
still  owns,  about  one  mile  soutlieast  of  Michi- 
gan Bar,  and  tlie  title  was  in  time  perfected. 
He  has  since  been  a  fanner  as  well  as  preacher, 


with  his  time  fully  occupied  in  the  discharge 
of  manifold  duty,  including  the  proper  care, 
moral,  intellectual,  and  industrial,  of  a  large 
family.  He  has  been  a  justice  of  the  peace 
eight,  and  roadmaster  fifteen  years.  He  was 
married  in  Ohio,  December  3,  1837,  to  Miss 
Eachel  Jane  Roebuck,  born  in  Ohio,  February 
29,  1820,  her  parents  being  John  and  Rachel 
(Russell)  Roebuck.  After  fifty  years  of  wedded 
life  in  Christian  harmony  and  fellowship  she 
died,  February  25,  1888,  leaving  her  life-part- 
ner, whose  health  has  been  broken  for  some 
time,  to  mourn  her  loss,  but  not  as  one  witliout 
hope.  The  children  of  Mr.  and  Mrs.  George 
W.  Heath  are:  Ebenezer  Goddard,  now  living 
in  Portland,  Oregon;  Hattie,  now  Mrs.  George 
B.  Walker,  of  Covelo,  California;  John  W. 
(see  sketch);  Deliah  Jane,  now  Mrs.  Edwin 
W.  Joseph,  of  Lake  County,  Oregon.  James 
White  Heath,  born  in  Adams  County,  Indiana, 
January  25,  1851,  came  to  California  in  1854. 
Received  the  education  attainable  in  this  section 
thirty  years  ago,  and  was  brought  up  to  fanning. 
He  was  married  September  1,  1886,  to  Miss 
Daisy  Hurley,  born  at  Cook's  Bar,  in  this 
Township,  November  25,  1867,  her  parents 
being  John  Pinckney  and  Elizabeth  (Yorke) 
Hurley.  Her  father  was  born  in  Tennessee, 
March  22,  1829.  Mr.  and  Mrs.  James  W.  Heath 
have  one  child,  Winnie,  born  November  29, 
1887.  The  other  children  of  George  W.  Heath 
are:  Warwick  Petomy,  born  in  this  State  in 
1857,  and  now  of  Shasta  County;  Edwin  Bar- 
ber, born  at  Michigan  Bar  in  1860,  now  (1889) 
deputy  assessor  of  this  county. 


fHARLES  M.  CAMPBELL,  dealer  in  fur- 
niture and  carpets,  409  K  street,  Sacra- 
mento, is  a  native  of  California,  having 
been  born  in  Sacramento,  May  28,  1860,  where 
his  early  life  was  spent.  He  is  the  son  of 
Fanny  and  the  late  John  Campbell,  the  former 
being  a  native  of  England,  and  the  latter  of 
Scotland.     JoJm   Campbell,  his  father,  came  to 


766 


BISTORT    OF    SACRAMENTO    COUNTY. 


Canada  with  his  parents  when  nine  years  old, 
and  remained  with  them  till  he  was  twenty-one, 
when  he  went  to  New  York  and  learned  the 
trade  of  stair-builder,  removing  thence  to  New 
Orleans,  where  he  branched  out  as  a  contractor. 
In  1849  he  determined  to  seek  his  fortune  in 
California,  taking  passage  by  way  of  the  Isth- 
mus. Owing,  however,  to  detention,  he  did  not 
arrive  in  San  Francisco  till  January,  1850. 
Coming  immediately  to  Sacramento  he  com- 
menced the  manufacture  of  furniture,  and  was 
the  pioneer  in  that  business  in  the  city.  He 
continued  in  this  business  up  to  the  time  of  his 
death,  which  occurred  in  1881,  when  Charles  M. 
succeeded  him,  being  then  nearly  twenty-one 
years  old.  He  had  been  with  his  father  as  an 
assistant  for  six  years;  consequently  was  well 
qualified  to  carry  on  the  business,  which  he  has 
done  with  uninterrupted  success  to  the  present 
time.  His  business  career  has  been  marked  by 
the  strictest  integrity.  To  this,  as  well  as  his 
affable  manners  and  prompt  attention  to  busi- 
ness, is  due  his  constantly  increasing  trade.  Mr. 
Campbell  is  an  active  member  of  the  Presby- 
terian Church,  and  of  the  Young  Men's  Chris- 
tian Association,  being  president  of  the  latter 
organization,  which  position  he  has  held  four 
years.  In  this  connection  it  may  be  said  that  to 
his  energy,  together  with  that  of  a  few  others, 
is  due  the  fact  that  the  Young  Men's  Christian 
Association  is  a  living  institution  at  this  time, 
and  in  successful  operation.  >In  1879-80  he  took 
charge  of  a  branch  business  for  his  father  in 
Virginia  City,  Nevada,  and  while  there  organ- 
ized a  juvenile  temperance  society  of  over  100 
members,  which  still  exists.  In  the  cause  of 
temperance  Mr.  Campbell  is  an  ardent  worker, 
and  in  politics  a  Prohibitionist.  Mr.  Campbell 
uses  his  means  to  good  advantage,  enlarging  his 
views  of  the  world  by  travel.  To  this  end  he 
has  twice  visited  Europe.  In  April,  1889,  ha 
was  honored  by  the  Governor  of  Califoruie 
with  appointment  as  one  of  the  commissioners 
to  represent  the  State  at  the  World's  Exhibition 
in  Paris.  Tiiis  appointment,  while  coinpli- 
mentary   to    him,  reflects    much   credit    on    the 


judgment  of  the  Governor  in  making  the 
selection,  his  business  qualifications  and  gentle- 
manly bearing  rendering  him  a  fit  representa- 
tive of  the  Golden  State.  Being  possessed  of 
much  push  and  energy,  he  is  destined  to  be- 
come at  no  distant  day  one  of  the  most  promi- 
nent business  men  of  Sacramento. 


I^OK  J.  H.  McKUNE,  one  of  the  oldest  and 
||M|  most  eminent  members  of  the  bar  of 
^SaI  Sacramento  County,  was  born  in  Sullivan 
County,  New  York,  March  22,  1819.  From 
1839  to  1844  he  read  law  in  the  office  of  Bent- 
ley  &  Richards,  at  Montrose,  Susquehanna 
County,  Pennsylvania,  and  was  admitted  to  the 
bar  at  that  place  in  1844.  He  practiced  law  at 
Montrose  until  1848,  when  he  removed  to  Illi- 
nois and  resumed  the  practice  of  his  profession 
at  Lee  Center,  Lee  County.  In  1849  he  came 
overland  to  California,  starting  from  Independ- 
ence, Missouri,  May  7,  and  crossing  the  Sierra 
Nevada  September  1,  at  a  point  near  where  the 
present  railroad  crosses.  First,  he  mined  for 
gold  at  Nevada  City,  and  hunted  deer  in  the  fall 
of  1849  until  some  time  in  January  following, 
and  then  came  to  Sacramento,  where  he  has  ever 
since  resided.  At  the  election  April  5,  1850, 
he  was  chosen  county  attorney,  and  he  held 
that  office  two  years.  In  March,  1854,  the 
President  of  the  United  States  appointed  him 
agent  for  the  United  States  Land  Commission, 
and  he  held  this  office  also  two  years.  At  the 
general  election  of  1856  he  was  elected  on  the 
Democratic  ticket  to  the  Legislature,  and  dur- 
ing the  session  of  1857  he  took  a  prominent 
part,  acting  as  chairman  of  the  committee  ap- 
pointed to  conJuct  the  impeachment  of  State 
Treasurer  Bates.  He  was  elected  District  Judge 
of  the  Sixth  Judicial  District,  at  the  regular 
election  of  1858,  having  been  a  candidate  of  the 
Douglas  Democrats,  and  to  the  same  office  as  a 
Republican  in  1863;  he  held  that  oftice  until 
December  31,  1869.  In  company  with  John  C. 
Burch   and   Creed  Haymond,  he   was  appointed 


HISTORY    OF    SACHAMSNTO    COUNTY. 


by  Governor  Booth  as  Code  Commissioner  to 
compile  the  statutes  that  were  ratified  by  the 
Legislature  in  lS71-'72.  Judge  McKune  has 
probably  been  connected  with  more  celebrated 
lawsuits  than  any  other  attorney  in  Sacramento; 
and  he  also  compiled  all  the  ordinances  of  the 
city  of  Sacramento  except  a  few  touching  fran- 
chises, into  one  ordinance  numbered  17,  and  that 
number  is  still  preserved  among  the  ordinances  of 
the  city.  February  26,  1855,  Judge  McKune 
married  Mary  G.  Bennett,  at  San  Francisco, 
and  they  have  had  two  children:  Florence  A. 
and  Charles  Ralph.  The  latter,  who  clerked 
for  Baker  &  Hamilton  for  a  time,  and  also 
worked  upon  a  farm,  died  in  August,  1889,  in 
Sacramento,  at  the  age  of  thirty-one  years. 

tA.  VAN  VOORHIES,  manufacturer  of 
and  wholesale  dealer  in  harness,  Sacra- 
®  mento.  The  name  of  the  gentleman 
who  forms  the  subject  of  this  biographical 
notice  is  well  and  honorably  known  in  Sacra- 
mento and  throughout  this  portion  ot  the  State 
as  the  head  of  one  of  the  most  extensive  manu- 
facturing firms  on  the  coast;  and  it  is  pleasing 
to  note  that  his  present  high  position  has  come 
to  him  as  the  reward  for  faithful  attention  to 
business  and  luisiness  principles.  The  history 
of  his  ancestry  can  be  traced  back  to  a  period  as 
early  as  1760,  when  four  brothers  emigrated 
from  Holland  to  the  New  World.  One  of 
these,  the  ancestor  of  our  subject,  settled  in 
what  is  now  Bergen  County,  New  Jersey,  near  the 
present  manufacturing  city  of  Paterson ;  and  it  is 
a  fact  wortiiy  of  note  that  the  grandfather,  also 
the  father,  John  Van  Voorhies,  and  the  subject 
himself  were  all  born  in  the  same  house.  "While 
tlie  latter  was  yet  a  child,  his  father,  and  his 
mother,  nee  Sarah  Storms — who  descended  from 
an  old  Holland  family — removed  to  Ann  Arboi', 
Michigan,  where  he  was  educated  in  the  element- 
ary schools.  At  the  age  of  seventeen  he  returned 
to  New  York  and  served  an  apprenticeship  as 
saddle  and   harness   makei-,   under  the    instruc- 


tions of  a  Mr.  Volland,  and  continued  his  trade 
in  that  city  until  1853.  California,  at  that  time 
and  since,  the  land  of  golden  promise  to  so  many 
young  men  of  energy  and  spirit,  became  the 
Mecca  of  his  hopes,  and  he  started  for  the  far 
West.  Coming  by  the  way  of  the  Isthmus,  he 
arrived  in  San  Francisco  in  November,  1853. 
There  he  almost  immediately  obtained  employ- 
ment as  a  clerk  in  the  harness  establishment  of 
Mr.  I.  Madison,  at  that  time  the  leading  harness 
manufacturer  on  the  coast.  Continuing  there 
for  two  years,  he  went  in  1855  to  Placerville, 
El  Dorado  County,  tlien  called  Hangtown,  and 
established  a  wholesale  and  retail  house.  It  was 
during  the  Washoe  mining  excitement,  and  this, 
his  first  business  venture,  proving  to  be  a  suc- 
cess, he  remained  at  this  field  nntil  January  1, 
1869,  when  he  came  to  Sacramento  and  bought 
an  interest  in  the  harness  business  of  R.  Stone 
&  Co.  In  1880  they  removed  to  No.  322 
and  324  J  Street,  their  present  location.  In 
1882  Mr.  Van  Voorhies  purchased  the  interest 
of  Mr.  Stone,  and  the  present  firm  of  A.  A.  Van 
Voorhies  &  Co.  was  established,  the  other 
members  being  L.  C.  Montford,  R.  C.  Irvine 
and  George  A.  Phinney.  Mr.  Van  Voorhies 
has  been  twice  married.  For  his  first  wife  he 
wedded  Miss  Harriet  Wadsworth,  a  native  of 
Connecticut.  By  that  marriage  there  was  one 
daughter,  Harriet,  now  the  wife  of  George  A. 
Phinney,  of  this  city.  His  second  wife,  whom 
he  married  in  1873,  is  a  daughter  of  the  late 
Harry  Montford,  an  old  resident  of  this  State. 
By  this  marriage  there  he  has  been  born  one 
f-on,  Ralph  Henry.  During  his  residence  in  El 
Dorado  County,  Mr.  "Van  Voorhies  was  active 
in  political  matters;  but  the  increasing  cares  of 
liis  extensive  business  since  coming  here  have 
made  it  impracticable  for  liim  to  engage  in  party 
work.  Still,  he  takes  an  active  interest  in  all 
things  pertaining  to  the  prosperity  and  advance- 
ment of  the  city.  In  the  Masonic  fraternity 
he  has  been  for  many  years  treasurer  of  Sacra- 
mento Commandery,  No.  2;  is  a  member  of 
Union  Lodge,  No.  58,  and  of  Sacramento  Chap- 
ter, No.  3;  and   is  also  a   warden  of  St.    Paul's 


HISTORY    OF    SACRAMENTO    COUNTY. 


Trotestaiit  Episcopal  Clmrcb.  His  aim  is  the 
elevation  of  mankind  through  Christian  influ- 
ences, while  his  liberality  has  been  unostenta- 
tious, but  heartfelt  and  real.  This,  the  merest 
outline  of  the  life  of  one  of  the  representative 
business  men  of  the  Capital  City,  will  be  recog- 
nized by  his  friends  as  in  keeping  with  his  innate 
modesty;  without  it  no  historical  volume  of  the 
county  would  bo  complete. 


■^3..;.^ 


fEORGE  FREDERICK  BRONNER.— 
Lying  north  of  Switzerland,  and  including 
the  eastern  half  of  the  far-famed  valley  of 
the  Rhine  and  the  mountains  which  form  its 
northern  boundary,  lies  the  Duchy  of  Baden. 
Here  we  have  the  beautiful  Lake  of  Constance, 
and  a  portion  of  the  Black  Forests,  so  renowned 
in  sentimental  story,  and  the  River  Rhine;  and 
here,  too,  is  Baden-Baden,  the  great  confer  of 
sporting  life  in  Europe;  the  great  "Spa,"  the 
resort  indeed  of  Eastern  civilization;  and  here 
in  February,  1833,  the  subject  of  this  sketch 
was  born,  the  son  of  George  F.  Bronner  and 
Sophia  Siillerlin.  His  father  was  a  wine  mer- 
chant, and  was  killed  in  the  Revolution  of  1848. 
George's  schooling  was  had  in  Baden,  and  to 
escape  the  enfoi'ced  service  in  the  Landwehr, 
through  the  influence  of  friends  he  obtained  a 
pass,  and  at  the  age  of  sixteen  escaped  to  Paris 
and  thence  came  to  the  United  States,  landing 
in  New  York  in  1850.  During  that  winter  he 
remained  in  Buffalo,  New  York,  doing  anything 
which  came  to  hand,  and  in  the  following  spring 
went  to  Norwalk,  Ohio,  where  he  had  an  uncle 
living.  He  remained  there,  however,  but  a 
short  time,  when  he  went  to  Fremont  in  that 
State,  at  that  time  only  a  small  village,  where 
he  remained  for  two  or  three  years  as  a  clerk  in 
a  general  store.  He  there  become  acquainted 
with  Mr.  F.  Fabing,  since  become  one  of  the 
wealthiest  and  most  influential  men  of  Fre- 
mont, and  owner  of  the  gas  works  in  that  city; 
and  together  they  came  to  California  via  the 
Nicaragua  route,  and   landed  at  San  Francisco, 


coming  almost  immediately  to  Sacramento,  and 
later  on  going  to  Mormon  Island,  where  Mr. 
Fabing  had  a  sister  living.  To  illustrate  more 
fully  the  willingness  and  independent  spirit  of 
young  Bronner,  it  is  worthy  of  note  that  when 
he  landed  in  Sacramento  on  January  5,  1854, 
he,  having  no  money,  rather  than  be  dependent 
or  under  obligations  to  his  friend  Fabing,  at 
once  accepted  a  position  as  dish-washer  in  the 
Stanford  House,  on  I  street,  a  hotel  at  that  time 
kept  by  a  man  by  the  name  of  Stanford.  This 
spirit  has  followed  Mr.  Bronner  through  life, 
it  being  his  motto  to  do  whatever  came  in  his 
way,  and  to  do  it  well.  It  was  not  long,  how- 
ever, before  his  friend  Fabing  insisted  that  he 
should  join  him,  and  they  worked  together  in 
Blue  Ravine,  also  at  the  Western  Diggings,  on 
the  Ameriean  River,  where  they  had  an  interest 
in  a  tunnel,  until  the  spring  of  1855,  when  he 
came  to  Sacramento  and  entered  the  employ  of 
Dr.  J.  F.  Morse,  a  prominent  physician,  and 
editor  of  the  old  Daily  Union.  After  Ave  or 
six  years  Dr.  Morse  removed  to  San  Francisco, 
and  Mr.  Bronner  engaged  with  Dr.  Cluness, 
who  had  at  that  time  recently  come  to  Sacra- 
mento irom  Petaluma.  In  1862  he  entered  the 
employ  of  Wells,  Fargo  &  Co.,  the  office  being 
at  that  time  under  the  management  of  Alexan- 
der Hayden,  who  afterward  committed  suicide 
and  was  succeeded  by  Felix  Tracy,  Mr.  G.  G. 
Clark  taking  charge  of  the  office  until  Mr. 
Tracy  was  installed  as  agent  of  the  company 
there.  At  the  time  of  Hayden's  trouble  and 
death,  Bronner  and  the  janitor  were  the  only 
employes  who  were  retained.  Bronner  con- 
tinued his  position  for  some  time  under  Tracy, 
resigning  in  1870  to  engage  in  business  for 
himself.  He  always  was  interested  in  politics, 
and  has  held  many  positions  of  trust  in  his 
party,  being  peculiarly  fitted  by  nature  to  con- 
trol men  and  to  assist  in  party  councils.  In 
1876  he  was  elected  public  administrator,  and 
re-elected  in  1879,  filling  this  important  office 
with  marked  ability.  A  prominent  member  of 
the  Masonic  fraternity,  a  Knight  Templar,  a 
member  of  Tehama  Lodge,  No.  3,   Sacramento 


niSTORY    OF    SACRAMENTO    COUNTY. 


769 


Chapter,  No.  3,  Council  No.  1,  and  Coininand- 
ery  No.  2,  he  has  held  offices  of  trust  in  these 
organizations,  in  which  lie  takes  great  interest. 
He  is  also  a  member  of  Union  Lodge,  No.  21, 
A.  0.  U.  W.,  and  of  the  Knights  of  Honor. 
He  married  a  Boston  lady  in  1866,  and  with  his 
family  resides  at  Fifteenth  and  L  streets,  occu- 
pying property  of  his  own,  of  120  feet  front- 
age. They  have  nine  children,  six  sons  and 
three  daughters;   they  lost  three. 


-,^.^«^^ 


fEORGE  BLAKE  COSBY,  late  Adjutant- 
General  of  California,  is  a  resident  of 
Sacramento  city.  A  brief  mention  of  liis 
antecedents,  a  brief  glance  of  the  story  of  an 
unusually  eventful  life,  cannot  but  be  gratify- 
ing to  his  many  friends,  in  connection  with  the 
historical  volume  of  a  county  which  has  become 
his  home.  In -the  person  of  the  General  we  see 
the  harmonious  blending  of  the  characteristics 
of  the  old-time  Southern  chivalry,  with  the  en- 
ergy and  business  qualifications  of  the  New 
Englander.  Born  in  the  city  of  Louisville, 
Kentucky,  in  1831,  his  father,  Fortunatus 
Cosby,  Esq.,  was  a  gentleman  of  leisure,  a 
student  of  belles-lettres,  the  son  of  Fortunatus 
Cosby  (1st),  one  of  the  early  settlers  of  that 
portion  of  Kentucky;  while  his  mother,  Ellen 
Blake,  was  a  native  of  Boston,  Massachusetts, 
being  of  English'  descent.  Young  Cosby  re- 
ceived his  preliminary  education  in  the  schools 
of  his  native  city,  and  with  the  energy  born  of 
his  New  England  mother,  entered  a  clerkship, 
fully  determined  to  become  a  merchant.  He 
was  at  that  time  seventeen  years  old.  When 
the  appointment  of  a  cadetship  to  the  United 
States  Military  Academy  at  West  Point  was 
within  the  gift  of  Hon.  Garnet  Duncan.  Kepre- 
sentative  of  the  Louisville  District,  a  life-long 
friend  of  the  Cosby  family,  it  was  but  natural 
that  this  gratifying  selection  should  fall  to  him. 
He  passed  the  requisite  examination,  donned 
the  uniform  of  a  cadet,  entered  the  academy, 
and   after  a  four    years'  course  was   graduated 


with  honor  in  1852,  and  assigned  as  Second 
Lieutenant  in  the  United  States  Mounted  Rifles, 
stationed  at  Fort  Ewell,  a  frontier  station  at  the 
crossing  of  the  Indian  trail  midway  between  the 
Nueces  River  and  the  Rio  Grande,  in  Western 
Te.\as.  He  vividly  recalls  the  hardships  of  that 
time  on  the  Texan  frontier.  In  1857  he  was 
assigned  as  Lieutenant  in  the  Second  United 
States  Cavalry,  on  duty  in  the  Southwest,  where 
he  was  at  the  breaking  out  of  the  sectional  war 
in  1861.  True  to  his  principles  and  belief  as 
to  the  calls  of  duty,  he  resigned  his  position  on 
the  12th  of  May,  1861,  and  hastened  to  Mont- 
gomery, Alabama,  at  that  time  the  seat  of  Con- 
federate government,  and  tendered  his  services 
to  President  Jeftei-son  Davis,  being  accompanied 
in  this  departure  by  George  B.  Anderson  and 
John  B.  Mood,  also  of  the  regular  army.  He 
remained  in  the  Confederate  service  until  the 
capitulation  of  General  Lee,  in  April,  1865. 
The  stirring  cventsof  these  years  need  not  be 
chronicled  here,  indeed  could  not  be,  within 
the  limits  of  this  sketch.  Suffice  to  say  that  he 
did  his  duty, — at  Bethel  Church,  his  iirst  battle; 
at  Fort  Donelson,  where  he  was  captured  b}' the 
enemy;  at  Perryville,  etc.  He  served  with  dis- 
tinction en  the  staflfs  of  Generals  Magruder  and 
Buckner,  being  chief  of  staif,  and  Brigadier- 
General  under  Yan  Dorn  at  the  time  of  the 
latter's  death,  engaged  in  skirmishing  duty  and 
guarding  the  flanks  of  the  army  of  General 
Bragg.  Later  on,  toward  the  close  of  the  war, 
he  was  with  General  Jubal  A.  Early  as  Briga- 
dier-Commander in  his  memorable  Virginia 
campaign.  Shortly  after  the  failure  of  the  Con- 
federate movement,  and  in  consequence  of  the 
demoralized  condition  of  affairs  in  the  South, 
the  General  emigrated  to  California,  and  be- 
came, as  he  tersely  expresses  it,  a  "bread  winner 
for  his  family."  For  two  years  he  had  charge 
of  a  stage  line  from  Chico  to  Silver  City,  and 
later  on  was  a  rancher  in  Butte  County.  In 
1876  he  came  to  Sacramento  and  was  appointed 
clerk  of  the  State  Senate  in  the  session  of  that 
year,  and  was  reappointed  and  served  in  the 
session  of  1878.    Subse(iuently  ho  was  appointed 


HISTORY    OF    SACRAMENTO    COUNTY. 


by  Governor  Irwin  Secretary  of  the  State  Engi- 
neering Department,  holding  the  posititm  nntil 
1883,  when  he  was  appointed  Adjutant-General 
by  Governor  Stoneman,  and  reappointed  to  the 
same  office  by  Governor  Bartlett  in  1887,  an 
office  which  by  his  early  education  and  his  ex- 
perience as  a  soldier  he  was  so  eminently  quali- 
fied to  fill.  Upon  the'  death  of  Governor 
Bartlett  in  1887,  and  upon  the  accession  of  the 
present  incumbent,  he  was  removed  for  political 
reasons  consequent  upon  the  change  of  adminis- 
tration. The  General  is  a  most  aflfable  gentle- 
man, and  notwithstanding  the  cares,  dangers  and 
disappointments  which  were  crowded  into  the 
early  yeai'S  of  his  life,  he  is  still  in  his  prime. 
His  wife,  also  a  Kentuckian,  is  a  daughter  of 
Ur.  John  M.  Johnson,  an  eminent  physician,  a 
State  Senator,  and  a  Medical  Director  on  the 
staff  of  General  Hardee  during  the  war.  The 
family  residence  and  home,  situated  in  the 
southern  portion  of  this  city,  is  a  model  of  old- 
time  hospitality,  and  here,  surrounded  by  his 
interesting  family,  the  General  is  at  present 
Recording  Clerk  in  the  office  of  the  Secretary 
of  State. 

*^''^^^"'>^^ 

tlRAM  EMMET  BARTON,  a  rancher  of 
Natoma  Township,  was  born  in  Cattarau- 
gus County,  New  York,  November  6, 
1833,  his  parents  being  Hiram  and  Almira 
(Guy)  Barton.  The  lamily  moved  to  Iowa  in 
1837,  settling  on  a  farm  eleven  miles  from  Bur- 
lington. In  1859  the  parents  went  back  to 
New  York  and  there  bought  a  farm  on  which 
they  lived  until  1865,  when  they  came  to  Cali- 
furnia,  arriving  at  White  Rock,  El  Dorado 
County,  by  the  train  that  brought  the  news  of 
the  assassination  of  President  Lincoln.  After 
a  visit  of  two  years  with  the  subject  of  this 
sketch,  they  settled  at  Davisville,  Y'olo  County, 
where  the  father  died  in  1872,  aged  about 
seventy-four.  The  mother  survived  him  nine 
years,  dying  in  1881,  at  the  home  of  her  daugh- 
ter, Mrs.   Isaac    Baylis,    near   Red    Bluffs,  Cali- 


fornia. They  had  nine  children  who  grew  to 
maturity,  of  whom  four  are  residents  of  this 
coast:  H.  E.,  the  subject  of  this  sketch;  Tim- 
othy, who  lives  a  few  miles  further  east,  in  El 
Dorado  County,  Henry,  at  the  Willows,  in  Co- 
lusa County,  and  Jane,  Mrs.  Ifaac  Baylis,  now 
of  Maxwell,  Colusa  County.  H.  E.  Barton  left 
Iowa,  in  1853,  as  driver  of  a  ten-ox  team  for 
Rev.  John  W.  Short,  who  settled  in  Oregon. 
Mr.  Barton  worked  in  a  saw-mill  eight  miles 
east  of  Albany  until  April,  1854,  when  he  came 
to  San  Francisco  by  steamer  from  Portland  He 
then  struck  out  for  the  mines  at  Mud  Springs, 
El  Dorado  County,  where  he  mined  with  some 
success  for  two  years.  In  1856  he  came  down 
on  Deer  Creek  and  went  into  the  business  of 
raising  cattle  on  the  free  ranges  between  Clarks- 
ville  and  Latrobe.  On  March  4,  1859,  he  was 
married  to  Miss  Margaret  Skiffington,  born  in 
New  Y^ork  city,  in  April,  1844,  and  there  reared, 
but  living  with  an  aunt  at  Mud  Springs,  Cali- 
fornia, since  1856.  After  his  marriage,  Mr. 
Barton  made  a  trip  to  the  East,  visiting  his 
relatives  in  Iowa  and  New  Y'ork  and  returned 
in  1860.  He  resumed  his  business  of  cattle- 
raising,  and  in  1862  went  into  dairying,  hauling 
the  product  fVom  the  mountain  range  to  Nevada 
in  summer,  and  from  the  plains  to  Sacramento 
in  winter.  In  1866  he  bought  400  acres  ten 
miles  from  Folsom  on  the  Michigan  Bar  road, 
which  he  has  since  increased  to  3,040;  all  this 
is  in  Sacramento  County.  Besides,  he  has  580 
acres  in  Lake  Valley,  El  Dorado  County,  and 
320  in  Alpine  County,  used  mostly  as  a  stock 
range.  He,  however,  larms  between  300  and 
400  acres,  raising  hay  and  grain  for  home  con- 
sumption. He  usually  keeps  a  herd  of  3,000 
sheep,  300  head  of  cattle  (of  which  about  125 
are  milch  cows  for  dairy  products),  and  seventy- 
rive  horses,  some  of  them  a  superior  breed.  He 
was  deputy  sheriff  of  £1  Dorado  County  two 
terms  under  W.  H.  Blown  and  is  deputy  sherift" 
of  Sacramento  County  at  the  present  time  under 
George  C.  McMullen.  He  has  also  been  school 
trustee  in  the  district  in  which  he  lives  for  the 
last  seven  years.     Mrs.  Barton  died  October  21, 


UISTORT    OF    SACRAMENTO    COUNTY. 


1884:,  leaving  eight  children:   Henry  Claj,  born 
August  17,  1859;   Robert  Guy,  July  6,  1860; 
John   Quincy,  July  6,   1862;    Nettie,  July   lo! 
1865;   Hiram  Emmet,  April  5,  1867;   William 
Delos,  April  10,  1868;  Isabel  May,  September 
4,  1869,  and  died  JSTovember  9,  1883;   David 
Lester,  born  October  4,  1870;  and  George  H, 
December    4,    1871,    all     born     in    California.' 
John   Q.  was  married  JVIay  15,  1888,  to  Miss 
Belle   Phillipi,    born   in   Oregon    of    American 
parentage,  and  has  one  boy,  John  Harris,  born 
February  15,  1889.     Nettie  was  married  May 
10,  1887,   to  John    L.,  son  of  Hon.  J.  H.  and 
Eliza    Miller,    formerly    of    Latrobe,    now    of 
Sacramento. 


■■^-s^-l^ 


tNWYL    O.    GREGORY.-Photographj! 
Sun    printing!     How   little  we  of  to-day 
realize  the  importance  of  the  art,  and  that 
its   discovery   lies   within    the  present  century, 
that  indeed  its  development  to  the  stage  of  a 
practical  utility  lies  within  the  space  of  half  that 
time!     To  England  belongs  the  honor  of  first 
producing  a  photograph,  by  one  Wedgwood,  in 
1802.     This   was   followed    in   1814  by  the  ex- 
periments of  Nicephore  de  Niepce,  who  died  in 
1833.     His   son,    Isadore  de  Niepce,  together 
with  Daguerre,  made  further  improvements  in 
the  process.     These  pictures  were   taken  upon 
silver-plated  copper,  and  were  called  Daguerreo- 
types; and   from   that  day  to  the  present  there 
lias   been   a  steady  advancement  in  this  art  of 
"  sun  printing."     To-day,  in  the   best  galleries, 
we  find  artists  of  merit  who  are   making  the 
study  and  improvements  of  this  art  their'' life- 
work,  and    accomplishing   results   which  would 
have  been  deemed  impossible  only  a  few  years 
ago.     Sacramento  has   beer,  fortunate  in  secur- 
ing for  herself  such   a  one  in   the  person  of 
Anwyl  O.  Gregory,  whose  studio  is  on  J  street, 
and  who  although  a  young  man,  has  had  a  prac- 
tical   experience  of  over   twenty-eight  years  in 
bis  chosen  profession.     A  short  sketch  of  1 


life  cannot  but  be  interestiinr  to  his 


many  friends, 


in  connection  with  the  historical  volume  of  the 
county  and  city  of  his  adoption.     Mr.  Gregory, 
born  in  the  city  of  New  York,  is  the  only  son  of 
Joseph  W.  Gregory^  a  pioneer  who  came  to  the 
coast   to  establish    the  western    branch  of  the 
great  Atlantic  &  Pacific  Express  Company,  the 
rival  of  Adams.     This  company,  from  its  office 
on  Montgomery  street,  San  Francisco,  did   an 
immense  business  in  pioneer  times.     The  senior 
Gregory  returned  East,  and  died  in  New  York 
city  in  1870.     Anwyl  was  educated  in  the  pub- 
lic  schools  of    that   city,  and,  early  evincing  a 
strong  liking  for  all  furms  of  picture  work,°he 
determined  to  become  a  photographer,  a  branch 
of  art   then  just  coming  into  vogue.     He  first 
entered   the   Kimball  Gallery,  corner  of  Broad- 
way and    Broom  street,  and  later  on  was  with 
Gurney,  who  for  years  was  the  leading  photog- 
rapher in  the  Empire  City,  and  indeed  in  the 
whole    United    States.     His   gallery    on    Fifth 
avenue  will  be  remembered  as  one  of  the  sights 
of  the   metropolis,  the  rendezvous  of  theatrical 
and  society  people  of  the  great  city.     Gurney 
enjoyed  an  immense  prosperity,  and  deservedly 
too,  for  he  kept  well   abreast  with    the  rapidly 
developing  science  of  photography,  and   made 
practical  application  of  all  the  newest  methods, 
supplemented  by  his  own  vast  and  valuable  ex- 
perience.    Such  was  the  training-school  which 
fitted  the  subject  of  this    sketch    for   his   life- 
work;  and  when  in  1879  he  concluded  to  emi- 
grate   to    the    "land  of  gulden    prumise,"-of 
which  he  had  so  often  heard  his  father  speak  in 
terms  uf  highest  praise,— it  was  with  a  knowl- 
edge of  his  profession  which  materially  assisted 
him  in  securing  a  responsible  position  within 
the  Golden  Gate,  in   the  city  of  San  Francisco. 
It  was  about    this   time    that    Mr.  Leftwich,  a 
skilled  photographer  syid  an  artist  of  merit,  fore- 
seeing the  advantages  of  a  really  first-class  gal- 
lery in  the  Capital  City,  had  bought  and  fitted'up 
his  elegant  studio  on  J  street,  which  was  in- 
tended to  excel  anything   on    the  coast.      He 
I   died,  however,  and  Mr.  Gregory  was  fortunate 
I    in  securing  the  place,  which    he    at    once   did; 
I   and,  bringing  his  family   to  Sacramento,  be^an 


HISTORY    OF    SACRAMENTO    COUNTY. 


a  work  which  year  by  year  has  grown,  and,  iiii- 
der  his  fostering  care  has  opened  up  new  possi- 
bilities in  the  way  of  art  pliotograpliy.  He  first 
introduced  the  20x24  camera  for  taking  life- 
size  portraits.  He  introduced  Grecian  statuary 
and  Eembrandt  styles,  and  adopted  the  plan  of 
liaving  on  hand  costumes  and  draperies  of  suit- 
able color  and  texture,  to  produce  the  most  art- 
istic effect;  and  in  the  matter  of  artistic 
"  posing"  alone  he  has  secured  an  immense 
success.  Indeed,  in  this  and  other  particulars 
he  has  revolutionized  the  old  methods  and  pro- 
duced results  most  gratifying  to  himself  and  to 
his  patrons.  He  has  taken  silver  medals  three 
years  in  succession.  That  which  was  taken  at 
the  State  Exposition  in  1889,  was  a  special 
medal  for  quality  pictures.  His  display  and  art 
rooms  at  the  State  Exposition  building  on  the 
Capitol  grounds  in  1887-''88-'89,  were  the  most 
elaborate  ever  seen  on  the  coast;  and  he  was 
awarded  the  silver  medal  for  highest  merit;  and 
not  only  this,  but  he  has  also  established  an 
enviable  reputation  as  a  conscientious,  pains- 
taking artist. 


tESTAUEANT  De  FRANCE,  Faure  & 
Becker,  proprietors.  This  institution,  hav- 
ing the  greatest  prestige  of  all  in  Sacra- 
mento, was  established  in  pioneer  times  by  A. 
Mouton,  a  Frenchman  who  was  widely  known 
as  a  restaurateur  and  baker  for  many  years.  It 
was  afterward  kept  by  Louis  Payne,  who  for 
fifteen  years  was  the  popular  proprietor  of  the 
French  Hotel  on  Second  street;  and  it  came 
into  the  hands  of  the  present  management  in 
1888,  Mr.  Payne  having  transferred  his  interest 
to  them  in  March  of  that  year.  Its  location, 
on  the  northwest  corner  of  Fitth  and  K  streets, 
in  the  Metropolitan  building,  is  at  once  central 
and  desirable.     The  main  dining-hall  comfort- 


ably  seats    eighty    persons 


whi 


addition 


there  are  two  private  dining-rooms,  each  having 
a  seating  capacity  of  twenty-four. guests,  and 
four  smaller  ones,  suited  to  sniallen-  parties,  be- 


sides of  course  the  kitchen  and  other  rooms,  all 
on  one  floor.  A  genuine  Frencli  chef  de  cuis- 
ine is  employed.  Julien  Faure,  the  senior  mem- 
ber of  the  firm,  was  born  in  Hautes  Pyrenees, 
Southern  France,  September  11,  1852.  His 
father,  Alexander  Faure,  was  a  farmer;  his 
mother's  maiden  name  was  Madaline  Pene.  At 
the  tender  age  of  eleven  years  young  Julien 
began  to  learn  the  trade  of  pastry  cook,  at  Pan. 
On  hearing  the  accounts  of  his  friend  La  Louche, 
who  had  made  a  fortune  at  the  Bay  here  in  Cal- 
ifornia, he  determined  to  emigrate  to  the  Golden 
State,  Arriving  at  San  Francisco  from  Bor- 
deaux, he  was  first  employed  at  the  Sanford 
House.  Eight  or  ten  months  afterward  he  went 
to  Salinas,  this  State,  and  was  employed  in  a 
French  restaurant  there  a  little  more  than  a 
year  and  a  half.  Beturning  to  San  Francisco, 
he  was  c/iej-' a.t  the  Occidental  two  years,  but  he 
soon  lost  some  time  on  account  of  impaired 
health.  In  March,  1876,  he  came  to  the  Capi- 
tal Citj',  about  the  time  Louis  Payne  took 
charge  of  the  French  Hotel,  and  was  chef  at 
the  Arcade  in  1878,  and  furnished  the  dinner 
for  the  Press  banquet  in  the  presence  of  King 
Kalakaua  and  his  suite,  who  were  at  that  time 
making  a  tour  of  this  country.  Subsequently 
for  eight  years  he  was  chef  at  the  Western 
Hotel  in  this  city,  which  position  he  left  to  be- 
come a  member  of  the  present  firm,  in  1888. 
Mr.  Faure  was  married  in  October,  1884,  to 
Miss  Emma  Trope,  daughter  of  Alexander 
Trope,  who  came  from  France  and  settled  in 
Sacramento  in  1852.  She  is  a  native  of  this 
city.  Their  children  are  three  sons.  Mr.  Faure 
has  been  a  member  of  the  A.  O.  U.  W.,  the 
Druids  and  the  Red  Men.  In  the  latter  organ- 
ization he  is  Past  Grand  Sachem,  and  lie  has 
represented  his  lodge  in  the  grand  council  of 
the  order  at  San  Francisco,  in  August,  1889. 
A.  Becker,  the  other  member  of  the  above  firm, 
was  born  in  Calaveras  County,  this  State,  De- 
cember 15,  1862.  His  father,  John  Becker,  a 
brewer,  came  to  California  in  1852,  and  estab- 
lished the  Altaville  Brewery.  His  mother,  nee 
Elizabeth    Myeis,  was   a   native  of  Baden,  Ger- 


Ul STOUT    OF    SACRAMENTO    COUNTY. 


many.  He  was  next  to  the  youngest  in  a  fam- 
ily of  five  sons.  His  first  station  after  arriving 
at  tlie  years  of  responsibility  was  in  a  Stockton 
brewery,  and  the  next  at  the  San  Joaquin  House 
in  that  city.  In  1883  he  was  employed  by  Louis 
Payne  at  the  French  Hotel  in  Sacramento,  and 
there  he  had  charge  of  the  dining-rooms  until 
lie  formed  his  present  partnership  relation. 


fT.  BURKE  was  born  in  the  city  of  New 
York,  September  14, 1827,  at  which  place 
®  he  lived  (with  the  exception  of  five  years 
when  he  lived  on  his  father's  farm  in  New  Jer- 
sey), until  he  came  to  California,  November  23, 
1849.  He  sailed  from  New  York  for  California 
on  the  ship  St.  Mary  (Captain  Hill,  com- 
mander), and  arrived  in  San  Francisco  on  Sun- 
day, April  27,  1850,  after  a  pleasant  voyage  of 
153  days,  including  one  week's  stop  at  Rio  de 
Janeiro  and  two  days  at  the  Island  of  Juan  Fer- 
nandez. He  came  up  the  Sacramento  River  on 
the  brig  General  Cobb,  and  arrived  at  Sacra- 
mento May  6,  1850  After  going  to  the  mines 
he  returned  to  Sacramento,  where  he  engaged 
in  the  brick-making  business.  In  the  spring  of 
1853,  after  the  big  fire  of  1852,  he  went  to  San 
Francisco  and  engaged  in  the  brick  business  on 
Mission  Creek.  His  brick-yard  was  situated 
where  Center  street  crosses  Mission  Creek.  In 
1854  he  returned  to  Sacramento,  and  in  the  fall 
of  1859  he  was  elected  an  officer  of  the  police 
force.  He  sustained  this  relation  until  1864, 
when  he  was  elected  Chief  of  Police  to  fill  an 
unexpired  term.  He  was  afterward  elected 
Chief  of  Police  four  years  in  succession.  June 
1,  1868,  he  entered  the  employ  of  the  Central 
Pacific  Railroad  (now  the  Southern  Pacific 
Company),  as  detective,  and  has  remained  in 
their  employ  ever  since, — nearly  twenty-three 
years.  He  has  remained  true'  to  Sacramento 
through  all  her  vicissitudes  of  fire  and  water. 
He  took  an  active  part  in  capturing  the  Yerdi 
train  robbers  in  Nevada  in  1870;  also  in  the 
capture  of  the    Cape    Horn    train    robbers   in 


1883;  the  Popago  train  robbers  near  Mountain 
Springs,  Arizona,  in  1887,  and  ihe  gang  of  in- 
cendiaries in  Sacramento  in  1860.  Chief  Burke 
belongs  to  the  Exempt  Firemen's  Association. 
He  was  a  member  of  Eureka  Engine  Company, 
No.  4,  and  a  delegate  to  the  Board  of  Delegates 
of  the  Old  Volunteer  Firemen's  Association, 
and  was  vice-president  of  the  board,  Hon.  Grove 
L.  Johnson  being  president.  At  the  last  meet- 
ing of  the  board,  before  it  adjourned  sine  die,  ■ 
in  the  absence  of  the  president,  Mr.  Burke  oc- 
cupied the  chair  at  the  final  adjournment. 


-=?■> 


PUFFALO  BREWING  COMPANY.— 
That  the  beverage  known  as  lager  bier 
(from  the  peculiar  method  of  its  brewing 
and  storage  prior  to  use)  has  become  firmly 
established  in  the  mind  and  appetite  of  the 
American  people,  a  glance  at  the  statistics 
showing  the  immense  demand  for  this  com- 
modity, and  the  vast  sums  invested  in  its  pro- 
duction, is  sufficient  proof.  A  brief  outline  of 
an  establishment  of  this  kind,  together  with  a 
mention  of  its  founder,  Mr.  Herman  H.  Graw, 
will  be  found  to  be  of  interest  in  connection 
with  the  historical  volume  of  the  county  with 
which  he  has  recently  become  identified.  The 
splendid  pressed-brick,  iron  and  granite  fire- 
proof structure,  which  for  the  past  year  has  been 
in  course  of  construction  on  the  block  bounded 
by  Twenty-first  and  Twenty-second,  and  Q  and 
R  streets,  in  the  city  of  Sacramento  will,  when 
completed,  be  unexcelled  by  any  in  this  or  any 
other  country.  The  main  building,  or  brewery 
proper,  40  x  40  feet,  is  five  stories  high,  to  which 
is  attached  the  ice-house,  a  four-story  building 
100  X  50  feet,  and  the  boiler  house,  40  x  60,  con- 
densing-rooin,  coal-sheds,  wash-house,  etc.,  in 
the  rear.  The  malt-house,  built  upon  the  "Sala- 
dine  Pneumatic  System,"  is  45  x  100  feet,  with 
a  capacity  to  make  and  store  70,000  to  80,000 
bushels  of  malt.  The  office  building,  a  two- 
story  structure  82x32,  comprising  the  com- 
pany's business  offices,  are  on  the  first  floor  and 


774 


HISTORY    OF    SACRAMENTO    COUNTY. 


diieetoi'b'  and  stockholders'  rooms  above.  It  is 
fonveniently  located,  on  the  corner  of  Tvventy- 
tirst  street  and  the  alley,  while  immediately  in 
the  rear  is  the  spacious  malt  kiln,  and  just  op- 
posite— across  the  railroad  track — are  the  bot- 
tling works  40  X  60  feet.  In  the  rear  of  this, 
fronting  on  Twenty- second  street,  are  the  line 
stables,  etc.,  30  x  50  feet.  Back  of  the  ice-honse, 
facing  the  switch,  is  the  packing-room,  25  x  40, 
where  the  product  is  received  on  the  cars  and 
wagons  for  shipment,  and  opposite  and  to  the 
south  of  the  packing-room  is  located  the  artifi- 
cial ice  plant,  having  a  daily  capacity  of  thirty 
to  forty  tons  of  ice,  made  by  the  latest  and  most 
improved  methods  known  to  this  important 
branch  of  industry.  The  ice  is  made  by  con- 
densing steam,  and  the  water  thus  produced  is 
filtered  and  deodorized,  and  thence  goes  into  ice 
cans  where  it  is  frozen,  thereby  ensuring  the 
highest  degree  of  purity.  The  present  capacity 
of  the  brewery  is  60,000  barrels,  and  can  be 
easily  augmented  to  any  desired  extent,  ample 
provision  having  been  made  for  such  increase 
of  capacity  at  a  minimum  of  cost.  The  archi- 
tectural designs  and  plans  for  these  works  were 
made  by  Mr.  Otto  C.  Wolf,  of  Philadelphia. 
The  general  contract  was  awarded  (February  28, 
1889)  to  A.  McElroy,  of  San  Francisco,  for 
brewery;  ice-house,  store-rooms  and  boiler 
sheds,  to  Mr.  Schneider;  to  N.  Harvie,  the  con- 
tractor of  this  city,  the  malt-house,  bottling 
works  and  stables.  The  work  has  been  carried 
out  under  the  immediate  personal  supervision 
of  Mr.  Graw,  together  with  a  representative  of 
the  architect's  superintendent,  Patrick  O'Meara. 
It  has  been  the  aim  of  the  company  to  secure, 
as  far  as  possible,  both  in  material  and  construc- 
tion, the  services  of  local  business  firms.  To 
Lucas  Kreuzberger  was  sub-let  the  contract  for 
brick  work  for  office,  malt-house,  kilns,  etc.;  for 
plumbing  and  steam-fitting,  to  Messrs.  Crouch 
&  Lyman;  the  boilers,  tanks,  bins,  etc.,  were 
furnished  by  Cunningham  &  Co.;  cooperage, 
by  Ochsner  &  Co.,  and  David  Woerner,  of  San 
Francisco, — all  local  firms.  The  copper  work  j 
is  from  the  Goetz  &  Brada  Manufacturing  Com-    | 


pany,  Chicago,  while  the  ice  machine  and  re- 
frigerator came  from  the  De  La  Vergne 
Refrigerator  Machine  Company,  of  New  York. 
The  electric  plant  was  furnished  by  the  Electric 
Improvement  Company,  of  San  Francisco;  plas- 
tering by  D.  J.  Mannix,  Saciamento;  ice  plant 
building  and  store-room,  Mr.  Schneider.  The 
brewery  engine,  150-horse-power,  was  built  by 
Winkly,  Spears  &  Hayes,  San  Francisco;  the 
deep  well  pum])  was  furnished  by  the  Dow 
Steam  Pump  Works,  of  San  Francisco.  The 
millwright  machinery  is  the  most  modern  and 
complete,  superintended  by  a  representative  of 
Mr.  II.  England,  alsu  a  superintendent  for  the 
architect  in  that  particular  branch  of  science. 
The  erection  of  the  building  was  under  the  . 
dii'oction  of  a  building  committee,  consisting 
of  Herman  II.  Graw,  chairman,  Louis  Nicholas 
and  Frank  Euhstaller,  the  former  giving  it  his 
active  supervision.  The  entire  outlay  for  build- 
ings, machinery,  and  the  entire  equipment  is 
$400,000.  The  officers  of  the  company  for  the 
first  year  are:  Adolph  Heilbrou,  president;  I. 
li.  Watson,  vice-president;  Fred.  Cox,  treas- 
urer; William  E.  Gerber,  secretary.  The  pres- 
ent officers  are:  Adolph  Heilbron,  president; 
Frank  Ruhstaller,  vice-president;  Fred.  Cox, 
treasurer;  AVilliam  E.  Gerber,  secretary.  Mr. 
Herman  H.  Graw,  the  master  spirit,  founder, 
general  manager,  and  one  of  the  largest  stock- 
holders of  the  Buffalo  Brewing  Company,  is  a 
native  of  Germany,  born  April  29,  1846.  He 
received  his  preliminary  education  in  the  coun- 
try of  his  nativity,  but  came  to  America  at  the 
age  of  seventeen.  For  a  number  of  years  he 
traveled  in  the  interests  of  a  large  commercial 
house  in  New  York  city,  and  wlien,  in  1871,  he 
was  united  in  marriage  to  Miss  J.  F.  Bertha 
Liegele,  daughter  of  Albert  Liegele,  the  well- 
known  brewer  of  Buffalo,  New  ^  ork,  he  became 
identified  with  the  largest  enterprise  of  that 
kind  in  that  city,  soon  becoming  a  member  of 
the  firm,  and  later  on  he  and  the  two  sons  of 
Mr.  Liegele  conducted  the  business  successfully 
for  twelve  years.  In  May,  1887,  having  dis- 
posed  of  his  business  in    Buftalo,    he   came  to 


niST)BY    OF    8AGRAMENT0    COUNTY. 


California  with  a  visw  of  permanently  locating 
here.  He  soon  realized  the  opportunity  which 
the  rapid  development  of  the  far  West  offers  for 
an  enterprise  of  the  character  mentioned  above, 
and  selecting  the  Capital  City  as  the  most 
favorable  location,  lie,  in  connection  with  Mr. 
(irerber,  of  the  California  State  Bank,  organized 
a  stock  coinpiny,  wliich,  it  is  believed,  will  be- 
come not  only  one  of  the  '•  institutions  "  of  the 
Pacific  Coast  bat  one  of  the  most  extensive  in 
the  country,  for,  to  use  his  own  words,  "  We 
shall  use  only  the  best  material.  Our  beer  will 
be  of  the  highest  standard  of  excellence  and 
equal  in  quality  to  that  made  in  this  or  any 
other  country."  He  brings  to  this  enterprise  a 
largo,  practical  and  successful  experience.  Not 
only  will  the  experience  of  Mr.  txraw  conduce 
to  this  result,  but  the  head  brewer,  Mr.  Bap- 
tiste  Nierendorf,  brings  with  him  an  experience 
of  many  yeirs,  his  profession  having  been  ac- 
quired at  the  celebrated  Brewers'  Academies  in 
Germany,  where  he  received  his  diplomas. 


J^  WACHHORST.  One  of  the  familiar 
|H|      landmarks  of   the   Capital    City    is    the 

^11®  jewelry  establishment  of  H.  Wachhorst, 
on  lower  J  street,  at  the  sign  of  the  town  clock. 

Not  only  is  this  the  leading  house  in  this  line, 
but  it  is  also  the  pioneer  jewelry  establishmeat, 
as  well  as  the  most  complete  in  all  its  details, 
in  the  trade.  A  brief  outline  of  the  well-known 
founder  of  this  house  and  of  his  antecedents 
will  be  read  with  interest,  in  connection  with 
this,  the  historical  volume  of  Sacramento  County. 
Born  in  Hanover,  Germany,  in  May,  1827,  he 
early  in  life  acquired  the  trade  of  his  father  and 
grandfather,  both  of  whom  were  celebrated 
watchtnakers  and  de:ilers  in  precious  stones. 
In  1843  he  came  to  the  United  States  and  spent 
a  year  in  acquiring  a  thorough  mastery  of  the 
language  of  what  was  to  be  his  adopted  country. 
He  then  became  an  employe  in  the  house  of 
Hyde  &  Goodrich,  the  "  Tiitany  "  of  tlie  "  Cres- 
cent City,"  justly  celebrated  as  one  of  the  most 


extensive  dealers  in  the  United  States.  He  re- 
mained with  this  firm  five  years,  becoming  an 
expert  in  stones,  to  which  branch  or  the  trade 
he  devoted  much  time  and  attention.  When 
the  excitement  incident  to  the  discovery  of  gold 
in  the  valley  of  the  Sacramento  attracted  the 
attention  of  the  world  to  this  locality,  he,  like 
so  many  other  ambitious  young  men,  deter- 
mined to  seek  his  fortunes  in  the  far  West: 
and,  taking  passage  on  the  bark  "  Mary  Water- 
man," Captain  James  Higgins,  commander, — a 
vessel  of  300  tons,  175  passengers, — lie  started 
out  on  one  of  the  roughest  voyages  known  to 
history,  around  the  Horn,  stopping  at  Rio  de 
Janeiro,  through  Magellan  Straits,  stopping  at 
Valparaiso  and  Chili,  and  up  the  Paciiie  coast 
to  the  Golden  Gate,  and  thence  after  a  short 
rest  at  San  Francisco,  to  Sacramento  and  the 
mines  at  Mormon  Island.  Six  months  of  the 
rough  life  of  the  miners'  camp  was  quite 
enough  for  him,  and  returning  to  Sacramento 
in  December,  1850,  he  opened  a  small  shop  in 
a  room  about  eight  feet  wide  on  J  street,  be- 
tween Front  and  Second,  for  which  he  agreed 
to  pay  $500  per  month  rent  in  advance;  but 
money  came  easy  in  those  pioneer  days,  and, 
possessing  a  general  and  practical  knowledge  of 
the  business,  he  made  money  rapidly  during  the 
next  three  or  four  years.  In  1854  he  sold  out, 
thinking  he  had  a  sufficient  income,  §800  per 
month,  and  removed  to  San  Francisco,  where  he 
lived  a  life  of  elegant  leisure,  following  his 
tastes  and  giving  much  attention  to  music,  both 
vocal  and  instrumental.  Having  acquired  a 
competence,  he  traveled  extensively  abroad, 
throughout  Europe,  England,  France  and  Italy 
for  two  years,  and  having  satisfied  his  ambi- 
tions in  this  respect,  he  returned  once  more,  in 
1859,  to  the  land  of  sunshine  and  gold.  In 
1859  he  purchased  the  business  of  Messrs.  Hel- 
ler &  Andrews,  now  the  proprietors  of  the  Dia- 
mond Palace,  Montgomery  street,  San  Fran- 
cisco. This  firm  continued  until  after  the  floods 
of  1861;  and  Mr.  Wachhorst  has  been  in  busi- 
ness in  Sacramento  since  that  time,  gaining  an 
enviable  reputation,   particularly   in    diamonds, 


HI8T0ET    OP    SAGBAMENTO    COUl^TT. 


wliicli  branch  of  the  business  he  has  made  a 
specialty,  and  gathering  together  one  of  the 
finest  selected  stocks  to  be  found  anywhere  in 
the  country;  not  this  alone,  but  such  has  been 
the  probity  of  liis  business  life  that  the  name 
of  "  Wachhorst "  has  become  a  synonym  of  the 
highest  standard  of  honor  and  fair  dealing  in 
the  line  of  his  chosen  profession.  Truly  the 
mantle  of  his  ancestors  has  fallen  upon  his 
shoulders,  and  his  name  perpetuates  the  mem- 
ory of  those  who  have  gone  before  him.  Early 
n\  life  Mr.  Wachhorst  became  identified  with 
the  Masonic  fraternity  and  he  is  a  Royal  Arch 
Mason  in  good  standing.  His  sixty  years  of 
life  rests  lightly  upon  him,  and  he  retains  to  a 
really  remarkable  degree,  that  energy,  enter- 
prise and  business  acumen  for  which  he  was 
noted  in  early  life, —  characteristics  which 
brought  him  to  the  front  rank  among  the  rep- 
resentative men  of  the  Golden  State  of  Cali- 
fornia. He  has  given  mi.ch  time  and  attention 
to  the  study  of  music  and  is  prominently  iden- 
tified with  musical  interests  in  the  city  and 
throughout  the  State.  He  has  an  excellent 
voice  and  is  passionately  fond  of  music. 


-^«^ 


fEORGE  WISNER  HANCOCK,  Secretary 
of  the  Sacramento  Crockery  Company  and 
an  enterprising  member  of  several  business 
circles,  is  a  descendant  of  the  John  Hancock 
whose  bold  chirography  lieads  the  list  of  the 
signers  of  the  Declaration  of  Independence,  and 
who  was  secretary  of  the  celebrated  convention 
that  drew  up  that  remarkable  document.  Our 
subject  is  also  a  descendant  of  the  Lee  family  of 
Maryland,  as  was  also  the  late  General  Robert 
E.  Lee,  the  most  liberal  scholar  among  the  Con- 
federate generals  of  the  late  civil  war.  George's 
father,  Nathan  Hancock,  in  the  early  days  of 
Massacliusetts,  owned  and  operated  a  stage  line 
from  Barre,  Worcester  County,  to  Petersham 
and  Boston.  This  line  was  afterward  sold  out 
to  a  Mr.  Twitchell,  for  many  years  a  leading 
railroad    man  of  New  England.      Mr.  Hancock 


was  born  at  Barre,  Massachusetts,  in  1836,  the 
eleventh  child  in  a  family  of  twelve  children, 
seven  of  whom  are  still  living.  He  was  edu- 
cated at  the  high  school  of  his  native  town, 
which  afterward  became  widely  known  as  the 
seat  of  the  first  State  Normal  School  of  the 
commonwealth  of  Massachusetts.  At  the  early 
age  of  sixteen  years  he  took  charge  of  a  farm, 
previously  occupied  by  his  older  brother,  who 
had  just  come  to  California.  At  that  time  (1852) 
he  had  three  brothers  in  this  State:  John,  Henry 
and  William.  John  had  come  in  1849.  In  1857, 
his  brother  Henry  having  returned  to  look 
after  the  farm,  George  came  to  this  State,  land- 
ing at  San  Francisco  in  February,  1858.  First 
he  joined  his  brother,  William,  then  on  a  farm 
on  the  Monroe  ranch,  on  the  Sacraipento  River. 
Remaining  there  until  1863,  he  went  to  the 
State  of  Nevada  to  reside,  but  soon  returned  to 
Sacramento.  In  1866  he  engaged  in  the  live- 
stock business,  on  a  ranch  on  the  Cosu nines 
River,  sixteen  miles  from  Sacramento,  which 
was  successively  in  Placer,  Sutter  and  Saci-a- 
mento  counties.  From  the  first  until  the  pres- 
ent time  has  Mr.  Hancock  been  enthusiastically 
interested  in  this  vocation,  at  that  point.  He 
has  some  very  fine  blooded  stock.  In  1885  his 
filly  Daisy,  a  yearling,  made  the  fastest  time  in 
the  world,  passing  a  mile  in  2:38;^.  His  colts, 
by  Guy  Wilkes  Sterling,  Antevolo  and  others, 
are  very  promising.  On  his  ranch  he  also  has 
fifty  acres  in  fruit, — Bartlelt  pears  and  French 
prunes, — in  which  he  takes  special  interest. 
But  Mr.  Hancock  has  also  been  prominent  in 
commercial  circles.  In  1857  he  organized  the 
Grangers'  Co-operative  Business  Association  of 
Sacramento.  In  pursuit  of  information  regard- 
ing enterprises  of  this  kind,  he  visited  San  Jose^ 
San  Francisco,  Stockton  and  other  cities,  and  the 
plans  submitted  to  the  association  and  adopted 
by  it  were  the  result  of  this  investigation  of  the 
subject.  He  was  the  first  president  of  the 
association  and  continued  actively  engaged  in 
the  enterprise  until  the  close  of  1888.  In  1882 
he  bought  the  "Dollar  Store"  at  627  J  street, 
and  from  this  has  grown  the  present  great  whole- 


HU  W.  KcMxCCicJ^ , 


niSTOHT    OP    SACRAMENTO    COUNTY. 


sale  and  retail  house  known  ass  tliat  of  the  Sac- 
ramento Crockery  Company,  of  which  Mr. 
Hancock  is  the  secretary,  John  J^Jeil  being  the 
president.  lu  this  line  this  is  tlie  foremost 
house  north  of  the  Bay.  Of  course  Mr.  Han- 
cock is  a  member  of  the  order  of  Patrons  of 
Husbandry.  He  is  also  prominently  connected 
with  Capital  Lodge,  I.  O.  O.  F.,  and  for  the 
past  twelve  years  a  director  of  the  State  Agri- 
cultural Society.  For  two  terms  he  has  been 
superintendent  of  the  society's  grounds  and  of 
their  race  track.  Yet  still  more  conspicuous 
has  Mr.  Hancock  been  in  bringing  about  useful 
legislation.  While  the  Constitutional  Conven- 
tion was  in  session,  the  State  Grange  held  its 
annual  session  in  Sacramento.  A  committee 
was  appointed  by  that  body  to  formulate  arti- 
cles in  the  interest  of  the  fanners  and  of  the 
producing  classes  generally.  Mr.  Hancock  was 
a  secretary  of  that  committee,  and  it  devolved 
upon  him,  after  discussion,  to  put  into  form  the 
ideas  desired  to  be  engrafted  into  what  ultimately 
became  the  organic  law  of  tiie  State.  Twenty- 
seven  articles  were  formed  and  adopted  by  the 
committee,  and  placed  in  the  hands  of  members 
of  the  convention;  nineteen  of  those  articles 
were  adopted  in  the  exact  language  in  which 
they  were  presented.  At  a  meeting  of  the 
Sacramento  Grange  Mr.  Hancock  was  appointed 
on  a  committee  to  examine  and  report  upon  a 
set  of  text-books  for  the  public  schools,  and 
after  a  thorough  investigation  of  the  matter  re- 
ported in  favor  of  the  plan  that  the  State  should 
compile  and  print  the  text-books.  He  formu- 
lated the  very  plan  that  was  afterward  adopted 
and  put  into  opeiation,  and  that  now  furnishes 
the  text-books  to  the  pupils  of  the  whole  State  at 
forty  per  cent,  of  their  former  cost.  He  car- 
ried the  matter  up  to  the  State  Grange,  and  from 
it  to  the  Legislature,  where  he  was  an  active 
member  of  the"  third  house"  until  it  became  a 
law.  Thus  California  became  the  first  State  in 
the  Union  to  adopt  this  wise  measure,  which 
other  States  are  now  taking  into  a  favorable 
consideration.  Mr.  Hajicock  was  on  a  com- 
mittee appointed    by   the  State  Grange  at  the 


annual  session  held  at  Oakland,  to  examine  the 
manufacture  of  jute  bags,  with  a  view  to  car- 
rying their  manufacture  into  the  State  prison; 
and  from  the  report  made  the  matter  was 
pushed  into  the  Legislature  and  became  a  law, 
which  when  put  into  successful  operation  broke 
the  iron  sack  ring  that  had  been  held  over  the 
farmers  for  so  many  years.  Mr.  Hancock  was 
also  the  first  to  suggest  a  citrus  fair  being  held 
in  northern  California,  which  had  resulted  in 
developing  the  vast  citrus  resources  of  this 
section  of  the  State.  When  a  new  pavilion 
was  wanted  for  the  State  Agricultural  Society, 
and  many  of  the  directors  feai-ed  to  undertake 
the  job,  Mr.  Hancock  with  characteristic  cour- 
age said  it  could  be  accomplished,  and  was  act- 
ive in  the  circulation  of  the  petition  which 
secured  the  requisite  amount  of  subscription  to 
warrant  the  Legislature  in  passing  a  bill  to  pay 
$40,000  from  the  State  treasury  for  the  erection 
of  the  present  building.  Mr.  Hancock  was 
first  married  in  1868,  to  Miss  Julianna  Folger, 
whose  ancestry  were  well-known  families  in 
Nantucket,  Massachusetts.  By  his  marriage 
there  was  one  son :  Benjamin  Franklin  Hancock, 
now  of  Sacramento.  In  November,  1882,  Mr. 
Hancock  marriefl  Miss  Edith  Southworth,  a 
niece  of  Judge  A.  L.  Khoads  of  San  Jose  and  a 
descendant  of  Parson  Southard  (as  the  name 
was  then  pronounced),  who  was  a  prominent 
Presbyterian  minister,  celebrated  for  his  scholar- 
ship, especially  for  his  knowledge  of  the  classi- 
cal languages  and  the  German.  He  established 
the  First  Presbyterian  Church  in  Oneida  County, 
New  York.  The  son  by  this  marriage,  named 
Ilaymond  Southworth  Hancock,  exhibits  the 
sturdy  qualities  of  his  long-lived  and  prom- 
inent ancestry. 

^-^--^^ 

fOSEF    SCHNEIDER,    contractor   and 
builder,  was  born  in  Weimar,  Austria,  in 
1848.     After  attending  school  during  boy- 
hood, he  entered  a  building  college,  where  he  ac- 


qu 


red  his  trade.     U])' 


d   h. 


HI  STORY    OF    SACRAMENTO    COUNTY. 


emigrated  to  America  in  1867,  and  went  to 
Milwaukee,  where  lie  was  successfully  engaged 
in  contracting  and  building  for  twelve  years. 
In  1880  he  went  to  New  Mexico  and  was  a 
member  of  the  firm  of  Burke,  Dane  &  Schneider. 
They  carried  on  a  large  business  for  several 
years.  Then  he  came  to  the  Pacific  coast.  He 
spent  one  year  in  Los  Angeles  and  then  came  to 
San  Francisco,  where  he  remained  one  year,  and 
in  1885  came  to  Sacramento,  wiiere  for  three 
years  he  worked  in  the  machine  shops,  and 
since  then  has  been  engaged  in  contracting  and 
building,  and  by  his  ability  and  good  manage- 
ment is  building  up  a  nice  business.  He  has 
the  contract  for  erecting  the  ice  plant  buildings 
and  store  rooms  for  the  Buffalo  Brewing  Com- 
pany. He  owns  the  lots  on  the  corner  of  eight- 
eenth and  E  streets  in  this  city;  he  also  owns 
property  in  the  city  of  Milwaukee.  He  is  a 
member  of  the  A.  O.  U.  W.  and  American 
Legion  of  Honor.  In  1878  he  married  Annie 
Schlerp,  of  Oshkosh,  Wisconsin.  They  have 
two  children:  Lulu  and  Annie. 


^^- 


H.  KINROSS,  professor  of  voice  cul- 
ture and  vocal  music,  was  born  in 
*  Stirling,  Scotland,  December  21,  1846. 
His  father,  Henry  Kinross,  was  precentor  in  tiie 
ErskineU.P.  church,  Stirling.  The  subject  of  this 
sketch  attended  the  schools  of  his  native  town. 
His  unele  urged  him  to  enter  his  bank  and  re- 
ceive a  practical  business  education,  but  young 
Kinross  wanted  to  see  the  world,  and  came  to 
Canada.  It  was  during  the  civil  war,  and  after 
a  short  time  he  came  to  Rochester,  New  York, 
where  he  enlisted  in  the  First  New  York  Cav- 
alry; he  was  under  age  and  the  major  of  the 
regiment  had  to  sign  his  enlistment  as  guard- 
ian before  he  could  be  accepted.  He  partici- 
pated in  the  battle  of  Gettysburg,  and  in  the 
campaign  through  Shenandoah  Valley,  Win- 
chester, Cedar  Creek,  and  others.  He  was 
wounded  three  times.  He  served  as  "higii 
private"  three  years  and  four  months  and  after 


tiie  close  of  the  war  he  returned  iiome.  Hav- 
ing a  taste  for  music  and  having  a  good  voice, 
he  was  persuaded  to  cultivate  it,  and  pursued 
his  musical  studies  two  years  in  London  under 
"  Randegger."  He  returned  to  America  and 
came  to  Washington  expecting  to  get  a  position 
in  one  of  the  departments,  and  while  there  ac 
cepted  an  engagement  with  the  Riching  Eng- 
lish Opera  troupe  in  1867.  He  continued  in 
Englisii  opera  as  chorus  singer,  prompter,  sec- 
ond baritone  and  principal  baritone  eleven 
years,  and  sang  with  Parepa  Rosa,  Kellogg,  and 
other  leading  prima  donnas.  He  came  to  the 
Pacitic  coast  in  1878  and  was  assistant  conduc- 
tor of  the  great  May  festival  in  San  Francisco. 
He  conducted  all  the  cliorus  rehearsals  there 
and  at  other  places  throughout  the  State  and  at 
Portland.  While  in  the  latter  city  he  received 
flattering  offers  to  locate  there,  which  he  ac- 
cepted, and  was  prominently  indentified  with 
musical  interests  there  for  some  years.  In  1887 
he  came  to  Oakland  and  remained  there  until 
1889,  when  he  was  induced  to  come  to  the  cap- 
ital city  and  accepted  the  leadership  of  the 
McNeill  music  club,  organized  for  him  by  the 
late  John  McNeill,  Esq.  January  1,  1890,  he 
was  also  appointed  director  of  the  Turner  Har- 
monie  Society.  Prof.  Kinross  was  united  in 
marriage  February  28,  1889,  to  Miss  Addie 
Casedy,  a  native  of  Siskiyou  County,  California. 
She  is  also  a  fine  musician,  both  vocal  and  in- 
strumental. 


m\ON.  E.  W.  MASLIN.— It  is  universally 
f^P  conceded  that  there  is  no  study  at  once  so 
"iS^d  valuable  and  so  interesting  as  that  of  per- 
sonal biography.  This  is  especially  true  of 
biography  in  California,  for,  from  the  records  of 
no  other  people  on  the  face  of  the  earth  can  so 
much  of  instruction  and  of  profit  be  gleaned 
than  from  the  recital  of  the  lives  of  the  older 
Californians.  It  is,  therefore,  with  all  con- 
fidence tha"  pen  is  put  to  paper  in  the  case  of 
such  an  one.    Hon.  E.  W.  Maslin,  the  secretary 


HISrORT    OF    SACRAMENTO    COUNTY. 


of  the  State  Board  of  E(jualization,  was  born  in 
Maryland,  April  1,  1834,  the  son  of  Philip 
Thomas  and  Harriet  (Points)  Maslin,  both 
natives  of  that  State.  The  father  died  at  the 
age  of  sixty-iive  years,  and  the  mother  when  but 
forty-tive  years  of  age.  Mr.  Maslin  received  his 
education  in  his  native  Slate.  He  came  to 
California  by  the  ship  Herman,  having  a  long 
six-months  voyage  by  way  of  the  stormy  Cape 
Horn.  He  reached  San  Francisco  May  1,  1853, 
and  started  at  once  for  the  mines,  reaching 
Grass  Valley  on  a  Saturday  night  and  going  to 
work  on  the  following  Monday.  Here  he  con- 
tinued until  September,  1855,  when  he  began 
the  study  of  law,  being  admitted  to  the  bar  in 
the  spring  of  1857.  His  time  at  the  mines  was 
not  ill-spent,  however,  for  Mr.  Maslin  was  the 
locator  of  the  celebrated  Idaho  mine  at  Grass 
Valley,  as  also  of  its  eastern  extension,  the 
Maryland  mine,  also  of  great  value.  He  has 
retained  his  interest  in  mining,  holding  inter- 
ests in  copper  and  other  mines.  Being  ad- 
mitted to  practice  law  he  immediately  opened 
an  office  in  Grass  Valley  and  succeeded  from 
the  first.  In  the  fall  of  1859  he  was  elected 
district  attorney  of  Nevada  County,  holding  of- 
fice for  two  years  at  Nevada  City.  He  then  re- 
moved to  Grass  Valley  and  remained  there 
until  the  summer  of  1869,  when  he  went  to 
Sacramento  and  was  elected  secretary  of  the 
first  State  Board  of  Equalization.  He  remained 
in  the  Capital  City  until  the  spring  of  1872, 
when  he  went  to  Santa  Rosa,  but  upon  the 
election  of  Governor  Irwin  he  was  appointed 
his  private  secretary,  a  post  he  filled  until 
January,  1880.  He  was  then  elected  to  his 
present  official  position  as  secretary  of  the  State 
Board  of  Equalization,  as  then  organized  under 
the  new  State  constitution.  Mr.  Maslin  has 
been  much  interested  of  late  years  in  promoting 
iiorticulture  in  the  foot-hills  of  California.  He 
has  conducted  many  experiments  upon  his  ranch 
at  Loomis,  Placer  County,  achieving  most  suc- 
cessful results,  which. have  benefited  the  entire 
State,  and  has  fostered  a  rapid  advancement  of 
portions  formerly  wholly  neglected.     In   1882 


he  planted  the  Sherry  gnipe  upon  his  place,  and 
in  1885  the  Smyrna  fig,  meeting  vi'iXh  abundant 
success  and  adding  largely  to  the  resources  of 
tlie  State.  Mr.  Maslin  is  a  gentleman  of  pro- 
gressive views,  a  clear  and  logical  thinker — one 
who  has  won  eminence  by  merit,  and  who  has 
hosts  of  ardent  friends — in  fact,  all  who  know 
him.  He  is  one  of  California's  most  valuable 
citizens.  He  was  married  at  Grass  Valley,  in 
1859,  to  Miss  Mary  A.  Underwood,  a  native  of 
Missouri.  She  died  in  May,  1874,  leaving  five 
children,  four  sons  and  one  daughter,  the  latter 
having  some  time  since  been  most  unfortunately 
drowned.  Their  names  are:  Vertner,  Sargent 
Prentice,  L.  W.,  Mary  Maud  and  Thomas  Paul. 
In  1885  he  was  married,  secondly,  to  Miss 
Alice  Way,  of  Jerseyvi-lle,  formerly  a  teacher. 
They  have  one  son. 


fDWARD  KLEBITZ,  capitalist,  is  a  native 
of  Germany,  and  was  born  in  tlie  Prus- 
sian province  of  Silesia,  January  81, 
1817.  His  parents  were  Karl  G.  and  Leonora 
Klebitz.  His  father  was  a  wagon-maker  and 
blacksmith,  and  also  carried  on  a  farm.  Tiie 
son,  Edward,  attended  school  during  boyhood, 
and  learned  the  trade  of  his  father.  He  joined 
the  army  and  served  his  time,  and  in  the  revo- 
lution of  1848  tie  took  an  active  part,  and  on 
account  of  his  prominence  was  an  officer,  but 
was  tried  by  court  martial  and  degraded  in 
rank  to  the  line,  and  sentenced  to  nine  years'  im- 
prisonment within  the  fortifications;  but  was 
only  detained  until  the  investigation  could  be 
reached  by  the  highest  tribunal,  whicli  released 
him.  During  this  time  he  heard  of  the  gold 
excitement  in  California,  and  he  determined  to 
emigrate  to  America.  He  came  by  a  sailing 
vessel,  and  had  a  very  rough  time  in  doubling 
Cape  Horn.  After  leaving  Valparaiso  he  had  a 
pleasant  passage,  and  after  being  en  route  six 
months  arrived  in  San  Francisco  the  last  of 
February,  1851.  A  few  weeks  later  he  went  by 
steamer  to  Marysville,  and  thence  six  of  them, 


780 


BISTORT    OF    SACRAMENTO    COUNTY. 


shipmates  together,  went  to  raining  at  Bidwell's 
Bar:  they  oylj  remained  a  short  time  and  then 
he  returned  to  San  Francisco.  Not  finding 
work  he  came  up  to  Sacramento,  May  15,  1851, 
and  went  to  work  in  FJohr  &  Harm's  saddle 
shop,  and  remained  until  the  end  of  1851.  The 
following  spring  he  engaged  in  merchandising 
at  Volcano,  in  Calaveras  County.  The  linu  was 
Klebitz  &  Beckman.  They  carried  on  the 
business  until  July.  1853,  when  the  store  was 
robbed  and  his  partner  murdered.  In  the  spring 
of  1854  Mr.  Klebitz  closed  up  the  business  and 
retur.ned  to  Sacramento.  He  and  Julius  Wetz- 
ler  started  a  swimming  bath  on  Fourth  street, 
but  he  sold  out  his  interest  the  following  year 
to  Wetzler,  and  engaged  in  business  on  Fourth 
street,  the  firm  being  Klebitz  &  Green.  They 
also  owned  a  large  sheep  ranch  in  Solano 
County,  and  had  several  thousand  sheep.  They 
continued  together  for  twenty-nine  years,  imtil 
1884,  when  he  sold  out  and  retired  from  active 
business  life.  Mr.  Klebitz's  family  consists  of 
his  wife  and  two  daughters — Leonora,  now  Mrs 
Fred  B.  Adams,  of  the  firm  of  Adams  &  Co.. 
wholesale  grocers  of  this  city;  and  Lizzie,  liv- 
ing with  her  parents  in  their  attractive  home, 
No.  417  Eighth  street. 

^-e^-# 


fEORGE  A.  PUTNAM,  an  honored  citizen 
and  prominent  member  of  the  Sacramento 
Society  of  California  Pioneers,  is  a  native 
of  Fitchburg,  Worcester  County,  Massachusetts, 
and  was  born  May  15,  1825.  His  father, 
George  S.  Pntnam,  a  native  of  Danvers,  Massa- 
chusetts, was  born  in  1780  and  died  in  1840, 
aged  sixty  years.  His  mother,  Polly  C.  Put- 
nam, nee  Carter,  a  native  of  Fitchburg,  was 
born  in  1785  and  her  death  occurred  in  1868, 
aged  eighty-three  years.  The  early  life  of  Mr. 
Putnam  was  spent  on  a  farm,  and  he  attended 
country  school.  At  the  time  of  his  father's 
death,  at  the  age  of  fifteen,  he  started  out  to 
make  his  own  way  in  the  world.  He  went  to 
Boston,  where  he  entered   a  store,  and  attended 


evening  school.  He  remained  there  until  1849. 
When  the  gold  excitement  was  extending  over 
the  country,  he  determined  to  come  to  the  Pa- 
cific coast  and  sailed  from  Boston,  February  4, 
1849,  on  the  ship  Leonore.  He  came  around 
Cape  Horn  and  arrived  in  San  Francisco,  July 
5,  1849.  He  went  up  in  the  mines,  on  the 
Yuba  River,  and  was  very  successful;  he  re- 
mained there  until  1853,  when  he  came  to 
Sacramento  and  was  engaged  in  teaming 
and  transportation  to  the  mines,  in  which 
business  he  continued  several  years.  In  1S57 
he  was  appointed  deputy  sherift'  and  held  that 
position  until  1863.  Upon  the  breaking  out  of 
the  war  he  enlisted  in  the  Second  California 
Cavalry  but  was  rejected  on  account  of  physi- 
cal disability.  The  following  year,  1862,  he 
enlisted  again  and  was  rejected.  In  1863,  he 
received  a  Major's  commission  and  was  ap- 
pointed Paymaster  in  the  United  States  army 
and  remained  in  the  service  until  June  15, 
1865.  After  being  mustered  out  he  went  East 
and  spent  several  months.  Upon  his  return  in 
December  he  was  appointed  box  and  stamp 
clerk  in  the  Sacramento  postoffice,  where  he  re- 
mained five  years.  In  1871  he  was  appointed 
Internal  Revenue  Assessor  for  the  fourth  dis- 
trict, and  held  that  position  until  the  oftice  was 
abolished  by  the  Government  in  1873.  He 
was  then  appointed  Deputy  Federal  Collector 
of  the  fourth  district  and  served  until  June 
1874,  when  he  again  became  connected  with 
the  postofiice  until  March,  1877.  He  was 
then  elected  city  tax  collector  and  has  been 
re-elected  for  seven  successive  terras;  he  still 
holds  the  office,  the  present  term  making  four- 
teen years.  Mr.  Putnam  is  identified  practi- 
cally with  political  afl'airs,  is  an  active  member 
of  the  Sacramento  Society  of  California  Pio- 
neers and  is  one  of  the  present  directors.  He 
has  held  that  position  for  the  past  twelve  years. 
He  is  a  member  of  Sumner  Post,  G.  A.  E.,  at 
Sacramento.  He  is  a  member  of  the  Masonic 
fraternity,  the  order  of  L  O.  0.  F.,  the  K.  P., 
and  also  Exempt  Firemen's  Association.  Mr. 
Putnam  was  married  in  Sacramento  October  5, 


HISTORY    OF    SAGRAMENTO    COUNTY. 


1855,  to  Miss  Phoebe  A.  Sylvester,  a  native  of 
Plymouth,  Massachusetts.  They  have  two  sons: 
George  P.  and  Charles  H.  Mr.  Putnam  has 
been  a  Republican  since  the  organization  of  the 
party. 


^ALE  BEOS.  &  Co.— Never  before  in  the 
^ra\  history  of  the  world  has  trade  and  com- 
^Ai  merce  exercised  so  great  an  influence  or 
been  productive  of  such  great  results.  The 
furthering  of  these  have  been  the  cause  of  almoi-t 
all  the  progress  of  the  century;  on  account  ef 
trade  most  of  the  modern  wars  have  been  waged, 
and  the  nations  that  have  been  the  most  active 
traders  have  led  in  the  race  for  supremacy:  wit- 
ness England  and  America  as  examples.  It  has 
mostly  remained,  too,  for  this  generation  to 
•watch  the  gi-owth  of  the  most  signal  mark  of 
material  advancement  and  public  welfare,  in  the 
establibhment  of  those  great  mercantile  houses 
which,  while  retail  in  their  character,  yet  afford 
to  the  purchaser  the  opportunity  to  buy  at 
wholesale  rates,  and  to  select  from  a  stock  al- 
most as  wide  as  the  markets  of  the  world,  on 
account  of  the  magnitude  of  their  purchases  and 
the  immense  variety  of  their  stock.  This  is 
brought  about  only  when  the  double  advantages 
of  ample  capital,  or  credit  (which  is  the  same 
thing)  and  wide  commercial  experience  come 
together.  Such  an  introduction  is  but  titting 
in  presenting  a  sketch,  however  meagre,  of  the 
great  mercantile  house  of  Hale  Bros.  &  Co., 
whose  large  establishment  on  the  corner  K  and 
Ninth  streets  in  Sacramento  is  known  not  alone 
to  every  lady  in  the  Capital  City,  but  almost 
tiiroughout  the  coast,  for  a  considerable  propor- 
tion of  the  tirm's  business  is  done  by  mail 
through  the  country,  customers  being  drawn 
even  from  all  sections  of  the  Pacific  slope.  The 
linn  really  consists  of  the  father,  Marshall  Hale, 
Sr.,  the  founder  of  the  house,  but  no  longer  an 
active  member,  and  of  live  brothers.  Mr.  Hale, 
Sr.,  is  a  native  of  Vermont,  l)iit  removed  to 
New  York   and   carried   on  business  tiiere  for  a 


great  many  years,  having  also  no  less  than  live 
branch  houses  in  the  State  of  Michigan.  He 
came  to  the  Pacific  coast  in  1878  from  Michi- 
gan, and  in  1876  he  and  two  sons  engaged  in 
business  at  San  Jose  in  this  State.  Business 
grew  rapidly,  and  in  1878  a  house  was  opened 
in  Salinas;  in  1879  in  Petaluma;  in  1880  in 
Sacramento  and  Stockton;  in  1883  in  Los  An- 
geles, and  in  1887  in  San  Diego.  In  all  there 
are  seven  brothers,  one  for  each  store.  On 
account  of  its  central  position,  being,  as  it  were, 
at  a  radiating  point  for  the  whole  coast,  the 
Sacramento  house  may  be  considered  in  a  sense 
as  the  head  of  the  whole  system ;  its  trade  has 
increased  the  fastest,  and  consequently  the 
greatest  improvements  and  facilities  have  been 
centered  here.  It  was  established  in  1880,  in 
comparatively  a  small  way,  at  No.  812  K  street; 
but  the  pressure  of  increasing  business  drove  it 
to  the  corner  of  Ninth  and  K,  where  it  has  re- 
mained; but  it  was  then  in  a  quite  small  build- 
ing. In  1882  they  enlarged  the  store  by  twenty- 
five  feet.  In  1884  another  twenty  feet  was 
added,  while  in  1888  twenty  feet  additional  was 
taken  in  on  Ninth  street,  and  the  fine  architect- 
ural structure  three  stories  in  height  which  now 
graces  the  corner  was  erected  to  satisfy  the 
demands  of  their  evergrowing  trade.  But  the 
growth  is  constant,  and  this  enterprising  firm 
have  purchased  another  strip,  40  x  160  feet  in 
size,  on  K  Streer,  upon  which  they  will  con- 
struct an  addition  that  will  give  them  a  pile 
120x160  feet  on  the  corner.  The  name  of  the 
gentleman  in  charge  of  the  Sacramento  house  is 
E.  W.  Hale,  its  representative  head.  In  New 
York  city  the  firm  is  represented  by  M.  Hale, 
Jr.,  and  P.  C.  Hale,  who  with  another  are  con- 
stantly on  the  watch  in  the  New  York  market 
for  bargains  in  every  line,  and  for  varieties,  new 
styles  and  fashions, — anything,  everything,  that 
may  go  to  meet  tiie  wants  of  the  public.  While 
the  house  does  a  wholesale  trade  to  some  extent, 
it  does  not  cater  to  it  nor  seek  for  it,  aiming 
rather  at  being  the  great  retail  house  of  Califor- 
nia. The  wonderful  rapidit}'  of  the  rise  of  tliis 
house  to  its  ]. resent  position  as  the  leading  firm 


HISTORY    OF    SACRAMENTO    COUNTY. 


ill  dry  and  fancy  goods  and  kindred  lines,  is 
nothing  less  than  phenomenal;  and  wliile  typical 
of  our  State,  the  development,  of  the  trade  of  the 
northern  end  especially,  is  the  most  remarkable 
growth  of  business  on  the  Pacific  coast  and 
presents  one  of  the  most  interesting  features  of 
the  commercial  advancement  of  the  State.  The 
business  is  carefully  yet  liberally  managed,  the 
methods  adopted  are  eminently  just  and  fair,  the 
lirm  is  alert  to  study  and  meet  the  peculiar 
needs  and  wants  of  this  coast,  and  hence  it  is 
but  right  to  expect  an  indefinite  further  exten- 
sion of  their  already  great  trade  and  popularity. 

^-^-^ 


§E.  SMITH,  of  the  firm  of  Weber  &  Co., 
is  a  native  of  New  York  State  and  was 
*  born  in  the  city  of  Albany,  September,  13, 
1850.  His  parents,  L.  T.  Smith  and  M.  L. 
Smitli,  are  both  residents  of  this  city.  His 
father  started  for  the  Pacific  coast  in  1859,  and 
upon  reaching  Aspinwall  found  there  was  no 
connecting  line.  He  returned  to  New  York 
and  started  again,  coming  round  the  Horn.  In 
1861  his  wife  and  family  followed  him  to  tiie 
Golden  State  and  came  to  Sacramento.  The 
subject  of  this  sketch  received  his  education  in 
this  city,  graduating  from  the  high  school  in 
1867,  Prof.  Templeton,  principal.  He  learned 
the  trade  of  plasterer,  and  after  following  his 
trade  one  year,  he  entered  college,  where  he 
spent  a. year,  and  then  resumed  his  trade  until 
1874,  when  he  entered  the  book  and  stationery 
store  of  A.  S.  Hopkins.  He  was  afterward 
clerk  for  the  Reed  Quicksilver  Mining  Com- 
pany on  the  Coast  Range  for  five  years.  He 
then  returned  to  Sacramento  and  entered  the 
employ  of  the  old-established  firm  of  W.  R. 
Strong  &  Co.,  and  held  the  position  of  salesman 
for  five  years,  when  he  resigned  to  engage  in 
business  for  himself,  and  formed  a  partnership 
with  Mr.  Weber,  under  the  firm  name  of  Weber 
&  Co.  Mr.  Smith  belongs  to  the  I.  O.  ().  F.  and 
to  the  American  Legion  of  Honor.  He  was 
married    December   31,   1870,   to    Miss    Emma 


Horner  of  Terre  Haute,  Indiana.  They  have 
five  children,  viz.:  (rertie,  Howard,  ■Arthur, 
Clara    and    Frank. 


fOHN  S.  MILLER.— This  worthy  pioneer 
of  Sacramento  was  born  in  AVashington, 
District  of  Columbia,  May  31,  1829,  the 
son  of  Isaac  S.  and  Jane  (Sanford)  Miller.  He 
attended  school  during  his  boyhood  in  the  city 
of  his  nativity,  but  when  fourteen  years  of  age 
went  to  Baltimore,  Maryland,  where  he  remained 
until  he  set  sail  for  California.  The  route  cliosen 
was  via  Cape  Horn,  taking  passage  in  the  ship 
Jane  Parker.  The  voj'age  consumed  six  months 
lacking  only  four  days.  They  arrived  in  San 
Francisco  July  21,  1849,  and  Mr.^Iiller  settled 
in  Benicia,  forming  a  partnership  in  the  mer- 
cantile business  in  the  firm  of  Webb,  Beveridge 
&  Miller.  Here  he  remained  until  1852,  when 
he  went  to  Colusa,  engaging  in  business  for  two 
years.  He  then  returned  to  Benicia  and  was 
there  and  at  Vallejo  and  Suisun  until  1864, 
being  employed  in  the  Quartermaster's  Depart- 
ment, U.  S.  A.  In  that  year  he  was  sent  to 
Sacramento,  holding  a  position  in  the  Quarter- 
master's Department  at  General  Wright's  head- 
quarters. He  was  in  Sacramento  when  the 
General  was  informed  of  the  assassination  of 
President  Lincoln.  After  two  or  three  years 
in  this  position,  he  engaged  in  the  forwarding 
business  at  Latrobe  and  Gait,  combining  the 
agency  for  the  stage  lines  with  it.  At  this 
business  he  continued  for  six  years,  when  in 
1874  he  was  appointed  a  gauger  in  the  revenue 
department,  a  position  that  he  has  held  since 
that  date,  which  makes  him  the  oldest  commis- 
sioned officer  in  continuous  service  upon  the 
Pacific  coast.  He  has  held  more  than  one  oflice 
of  a  public  nature,  as  well,  having  been  deputy 
clerk,  and  also  deputy  assessor  of  Solano  County. 
He  is  a  prominent  member  of  the  I'ioneer 
Association  in  Sacramento,  being  its  president 
during  1878-'79,  and  for  the  past  eight  years 
its  secretary   and   in    charge   of  its   aff'air.s.      It 


HISTORY    OF    SACRAMENTO    COUNTY. 


will  be  of  interest  to  mention  furtlier  that  lie 
was  quartermaster's  clerk  at  the  time  the  Sixth 
Infantry  were  sent  down  to  whip  the  Mojave 
Indians.  Mr.  Miller  was  married  in  1856  to 
Miss  Esther  C.  Dean,  a  native  of  Massachusetts. 
Slie  died  in  1882,  leaving  two  daughters:  Ida 
v.,  who  has  been  teaching  in  Sacramento  for 
many  years,  and  Laura,  now  the  wife  of  Fred 
Weil,  nephew  of  John  Weil,  Esq.,  of  this  city. 


tON.  JOHN  RYAN.— The  domain  of  his- 
t(jry  is  wide,  embracing  in  its  scope  not 
alone  all  objects  and  interests  with  which 
the  attention  of  mankind  is  engaged,  but  as 
well  the  grandest  movements  of  the  greatest 
nation;  yet  withal,  when  examined  minutely,  it 
is  found  to  consist  at  bottom  of  nothing  what- 
ever else  than'the  actions  and  attributes  of  in- 
dividual men.  For  inasmuch  as  individuals 
make  the  nations,  so  do  their  individual  acts 
make  the  history  of  the  nations,  and  hence  of 
the  world.  It  is,  therefore,  with  no  feeling  of 
hesitancy  or  of  doubt  that  pen  is  taken  in  hand 
to  record  in  the  annals  of  Sacramento  County 
this  biographical  sketch  of  one  who,  while  not 
a  man  of  '49,  yet  came  early  enough  in  the 
history  of  the  city  to  have  borne  a  prominent 
part  in  our  city's  upbuilding,  as  will  be  clearly 
seen  in  the  following  lines.  Hon.  John  Ryan 
was  born  in  Ireland  in  1825,  and  came  to 
America  in  1843,  going  Hrst  to  Lowell,  Massa- 
chusetts, where  he  remained  until  1848.  In 
that  year  he  went  to  JSTew  Orleans,  and  after  a 
sliort  time  came  up  the  Mississippi  River  to 
Memphis  and  St.  Louis.  Finally,  in  the  spring 
of  1852  lie  set  out  for  the  long  and  tedious 
journey  across  the  plains  to  California  by  ox 
team.  They  met  plenty  of  Indians  on  the  way, 
but  fortunately  experienced  no  difficulties  with 
them  of  a  serious  nature.  They  reached  Hang- 
town  (now  Placerville)  August  1,  1852.  Mr. 
Ryan  went  at  once  to  the  mines,  remaining 
there  for  two  years.  At  the  end  of  that  time 
he  came  down    to    Sacraiuento    and    began    the 


manufacture  of  brick,  engaging  at  the  same 
time  in  contracting  of  all  kinds.  From  that 
time  to  this,  or  for  a  period  of  thirty-six  years, 
he  has  been  successfully  and  prominently  iden- 
tified with  the  building  and  progressive  inter- 
ests of  the  city,  being  now  the  oldest  of  the 
more  prominent  contractors  and  brick  manu- 
facturers of  the  capital.  His  brick-yards  are 
situated  just  outside  the  city  limits,  south  of  Y 
street.  Like  so  many  others  of  our  older  citi- 
zens, he  has  known  times  of  trial  and  hardship 
as  well  as  times  of  prosperity,  bearing  his  full 
share  of  misfortunes, — misfortunes,  however, 
which  he  rose  above,  refusing  to  be  daunted  by 
them.  During  the  flood,  at  one  time,  he  was 
forced  to  break  a  hole  through  the  roof  of  his 
cottage,  by  means  of  which  he  was  enabled  to 
pass  his  family  into  a  boat,  and  thence  remove 
them  to  a  place  of  safety.  Mr.  Ryan  has  held 
public  office  on  more  than  one  occasion.  We 
may  instance  the  facts  of  his  being  street  com- 
missioner, second  trustee,  superintendent  of 
streets,  etc.  He  was  married  in  June,  1856,  to 
Miss  Maria  Lyons,  a  native  of  Ireland.  They 
have  three  sons  and  Hve  daughters,  bearing  the 
following  names  respectively:  Frank  D.,  Henry 
L.  and  J.  L.,  and  Mary,  Agnes,  Blanche,  Rosa 
and  Celia.  Mr.  Ryan  has  been  honored  in  his 
children,  as  will  be  seen  in  the  biography  of  his 
eldest  son,  Hon.  Frank  I).  Ryan,  whicli  appears 
elsewhere. 


ILLIAM  H.  HAMILTON,  although  a 
resident  here  but  a  comparatively  short 
time,  having  come  only  in  1879,  has 
already  attained  a  leading  position  among  the 
architects  of  the  Pacific  Coast,  by  skill,  talents 
and  attainments,  as  is  evidenced  by  the  elegant, 
tasteful  and  appropriate  structures  which  have 
been  erected  from  his  plans  and  under  his  direc- 
tions. It  should  be  stated,  however,  that  he 
did  not  come  to  the  coast  as  a  new  man,  but  as 
one  having  already  wide  experience  and  an  estab- 
lished reputation  which  followed   him   from  his 


HISTORY    OF    SACRAMENTO    COUNTY. 


Eastern  home.  Mr.  Hamilton  is  a  native  of 
Virginia,  where  he  was  born  September  4, 1838, 
the  son  of  James  and  Mary  A.  (Morrow)  Ham- 
ilton. His  mother  is  a  native  of  Glasgow, 
Scotland,  but  came  to  this  country  when  very 
young.  She  is  still  living  at  Washington,  Dis- 
trict of  Columbia,  hearty  and  in  good  health. 
His  father  was  a  native  of  Virginia.  He  died 
in  1838.  Soon  after  this  event  the  widowed 
mother  removed  to  Philadelphia,  taking  her 
young  family  with  her.  In  that  city  young 
Hamilton  received  his  scholastic  education,  and 
began  the  study  of  medicine.  One  term  of  this 
pursuit,  however,  decided  him  that  it  was  not 
his  vocation,  and  he  was  drawn  by  natural  apti- 
tude and  a  taste  in  that  direction  to  enter  the 
office  of  S.  D.  Britton,  one  of  the  most  promi- 
nent architects  in  the  country.  Here  he  re- 
mained for  four  or  five  years.  After  fitting 
himself  for  his  profession,  he  went  to  Washing- 
ton, just  at  the  time  of  the  outbreak  of  the  war 
of  the  Tlebellion.  He  entered  the  army  and  was 
instrumental  in  raising  one  of  the  first  volun- 
teer companies  for  .the  defense  of  the  Govern- 
ment, drawing  largely  upon  his  own  means  for 
this  purpose,  and  making  many  sacrifices.  After 
the  conclusion  of  the  war  lie  returned  to  Phila- 
delphia and  resumed  his  professional  working, 
designing  many  fine  buildings  in  that  city  and 
vicinity.  Hig  health  had  become  seriously  im- 
paired, however,  during  the  war,  and  he  was 
obliged  to  seek  change  of  scene.  Accordingly, 
he  went  to  Utica,  New  York,  and  remained  in 
that  State  for  twelve  or  thirteen  years,  design- 
ing many  of  the  finest  buildings  throughout 
Central  New  Fork,  and  being  kept  busily  occu- 
pied by  the  calls  upon  his  powers.  Among  his 
works  may  be  mentioned  the  fine  Opera  House 
in  Utica,  an  arcade  of  thirty-two  stores,  two 
large  balls,  and  other  erections.  Owing  to  ill- 
health  in  his  family,  however,  Mr.  Hamilton 
was  led,  in  1879,  to  remove  to  California.  His 
first  work  was  the  handsome  Hall  of  Records  in 
Sacramento,  since  the  construction  of  which 
liuilding  he  has  had  his  ofHce  and  headquarters 
in  the  Capital  City,    although   his    business  ex-    I 


tends  throughout  the  State.  He  has  made  an 
especially  careful  and  exhaustive  study  of  the 
subject  of  ventilation,  being  regarded  as  an  au- 
thority in  the  matter,  and  has  frequently  been 
invited  to  address  large  audiences  upon  the  sub- 
ject, as  well  as  delegations  appointed  to  call 
upon  hiiii  and  obtain  his  views.  Mr.  Hamilton  . 
was  married  in  1867  to  Miss  Frances  E.  Bailey, 
a  native  of  the  State  of  New  York.  They  have 
one  son,  named  R.  Morrow  Hamilton. 


fR.  WATSON,  deceased,  was  one  of  the 
early  settlers  of  the  Pacific  Coast  and  an 
*"  honored  citizen  of  Sacramento,  and  a  na- 
tive of  England.  He  was  born  in  London,  Feb- 
ruary 12, 1821.  During  his  boyhood  he  attended 
school,  and  upon  reaching  early  manhood  came 
to  the  United  States  in  1840.  After  reaching 
New  York  he  went  to  Charleston,  South  Caro- 
lina, where  he  remained  nine  years.  He  came 
to  tiie  Pacific  Coast  in  1850.  After  spending  a 
short  time  in  San  Francisco  he  went  up  to 
Placer  County  and  engaged  in  mining.  He  next 
went  to  Folsom  where  he  remained  for  a  time, 
and  afterward  engaged  in  railroading.  He  was 
connected  with  the  construction  of  the  Central 
Pacific,  and  was  on  the  first  train  that  ran  over 
the  line.  He  was  conductor  on  the  road  and 
train  dispatcher,  and  for  many  years  was  pur- 
chasing ugent.  He  was  prominently  idenilied 
with  the  establishment  of  the  Railroad  liospital 
— one  of  the  first  established  in  the  country. 
He  was  superintendent  of  the  hospital,  and  was 
actively  interested  in  its  efficiency  during  his 
life.  He  was  connected  with  the  railroad  for 
twenty-two  years,  and  resigned  January,  1886. 
He  was  elected  president  of  the  Gas  Company 
and  was  actively  identified  with  its  management 
for  many  years.  In  1860  he  was  elected  repre- 
sentative to  the  State  Legislature.  In  June, 
1877,  Mr.  Watson  was  united  in  marriage  to 
Miss  Martha  M.  Gardner.  She  is  a  native  of 
Massachusetts  and  received  her  education  in 
New  England  and  came  to  California  in   1869. 


HISTORY    OF    SACRAMENTO    COUNTY. 


Mr.  Watson's  death  occurred  September  11, 
1889,  and  in  his  death  the  city  and  State  lost 
one  of  its  most  estimable  and  honored  citizens. 
Mrs.  Watson  occupies  their  attractive  home, 
corner  of  Eighth  and  D  streets. 

— -^^^W^^ — 

fH,  POND,  Principal  of  the  Sacramento 
High  School,  was  born  at  Downieville, 
®  Sierra  County,  California,  November  1, 
1862.  His  parents,  William  C.  and  Helen  W. 
Pond,  came  to  the  Pacific  coast  at  an  early  day, 
his  father  arriving  here  in  1852.  Professor 
Pond  received  his  education  in  this  State,  gradu- 
ating as  A.  B.  at  the  University  of  California 
in  1884.  He  engaged  in  teaching  at  Hopkins' 
Academy,  Oalxland,  until  1886,  when  he  came 
to  Sacramento,  and  since  then  has  been  con- 
nected witli  the  high  school  as  teacher  and  vice- 
principal.  In  1888  he  was  elected  principal  of 
the  High  School,  and  since  then  has  filled  that 
position  with  credit  to  himself  and  the  satisfac- 
tion to  the  Board  of  Education.  He  is  actively 
identified  with  educational  interests  here  and 
throughout  the  State.  Professor  Pond  was 
united  in  marriage  Marcli  12,  1887,  with  Miss 
Grace  Hamilton,  daughter  of  Judge  Noble 
Hamilton,  of  Oakland,  California. 

'^■m-^ 

fAMES  B.  DIVINE,  a  native  of  our  Golden 
State  of  California,  while  but  a  compara- 
tively young  man,  -has  already  been  worth- 
ily entrusted  with  official  position,  holding  the 
re'sponsible  office  of  justice  of  the  peace  for  the 
city  of  Sacramento  for  now  two  terms.  He  was 
born  in  the  city  of  Sacramento,  April  1,  1861, 
his  parents  being  P.  J.  and  Ellen  Y.  Divine. 
His  father,  P.  J.  Divine,  was  one  of  the  well"- 
known  citizens  of  the  city,  and  a  man  of  unu- 
sual talent  in  his  profession,  and  widely  known 
on  the  Pacific  Coast.  He  came  to  California  iti 
1856  from  New  York,  where  he  iiad  mastered  the 
art  of  sculpture,  and  was  one  of  tiie  pioneer  mar- 


ble workers  of  the  Pacific  Coast.  Specimens  of 
his  work  will  be  seen  in  tlie  beautifully  designed 
marble  work  upon  the  State  capitol,  which  is 
much  admired,  and  at  once  established  his  repu- 
tation as  a  sculptor.  We  may  instance,  also,  the 
bust  of  Senator  Broderick  upon  his  monument 
in  San  Francisco;  the  bust  of  Senator  W.  R. 
Ferguson;  of  Governor  Weller;  of  Thomas 
Starr  King,  and  others.  He  died  January  1, 
1870,  leaving  three  children  surviving,  two  sons 
and  one  daughter,  all  in  tliis  city.  Mr.  James 
B.  Divine  received  his  education  in  Sacramento, 
studying  law  in  the  office  of  Judge  McFarland 
and  of  A.  C.  Freeman,  and  he  was  admitted  to 
practice  at  the  bar  May  31,  1882.  and  immedi- 
ately began  to  practice  his  profession  in  this 
city.  For  some  years  he  was  court  commis- 
sioner. In  January,  1887,  he  was  elected  jus- 
tice of  the  peace,  and  was  again  re-elected  in 
January,  1889.  Mr.  Justice  Divine  is  a  member 
of  the  Native  Sons  of  the  Golden  West. 


imLBERT  HART,  superintendent  of  Sacra- 
l^te  mento  city  schools,  was  born  in  Barbadoes, 
^^  West  Indies,  May  18,  1830.  His  parents, 
Joseph  and  Hannah  Hart,  were  natives  of  Eng- 
land, who  came  to  America  in  1838  and  went 
to  Cincinnati,  and  from  there  to  New  Orleans, 
and  afterward  returned  to  the  West  Indies, 
where  the  father  died.  His  mother  returned  to 
New  Orleans.  Mr.  Hart  received  his  education 
in  Cincinnati  and  New  Orleans.  When  the 
gold  excit  ment  in  California  attracted  the 
attention  of  young  men  in  nearly  all  parts  of 
the  world,  ho  came  to  the  Pacific  Coast  via  the 
Isthmus,  arriving  in  San  Francisco  in  Marcli, 
1850.  He  engaged  in  mining  in  Placer  County, 
and  also  in  teaching,  being  one  of  the  earliest 
teaciiers  in  the  State  now  engaged  in  educa- 
tional work.  He  tauglit  from  1854  to  1857  at 
Yankee  Jim's,  Iowa  Hill,  and  Dutch  Flat.  In 
1861  he  came  to  Sacramento  and  for  several 
years  was  in  tiie  State  Librar}'.  He  was  the  first 
librarian  of  the  San  Francisco  Law  Library,  as 


BISTORT    OF    SACUAMENTO    COUNTY. 


well  as  the  San  Praneisco  Free  Public  Library. 
He  was  appointed  private  secretary  to  Governor 
Eootli,  and  also  served  in  the  same  capacity  for 
Governois  Pacheco  and  Perkins.  He  held  the 
office  of  United  States  Pension  Agent  under 
President  Hayes,  and  was  appointed  Superin- 
tendent of  the  money  order  department  in  the 
San  Francisco  postoffice  under  General  S.  W. 
Backus.  Ill  the  fall  of  1889  he  was  elected  to 
his  present  position  of  superintendent  of  Sacra- 
mento city  schools.  He  is  a  member  of  the 
Masonic  fraternity;  of  the  I.  O.  O.  F.,  and  of 
the  Knights  of  Honor.  In  1859  Mr.  Hart  mar- 
ried Miss  Harriet  N.  Latferty,  of  Iowa,  and  they 
have  six  children,  four  sons  and  two  daughters. 


lATT.  KAECHER,  an  old  settler  and 
Captain  of  the  Police  of  Sacramento 
City,  was  born  in  Baden,  Germany, 
October  15,  1832.  At  the  age  of  fourteen  he 
started  out  in  the  world  for  himself,  emigrated 
to  this  country  and  stopped  in  Boston,  Massa- 
chusetts, where  he  had  a  brother,  and  there 
learned  the  bakery  trade.  He  remained  tliere 
five  years,  and  oir  October  18,  1851,  sailed  from 
New  York,  and  coming  by  way  of  the  Isthmus, 
airived  in  San  Francisco  November  18,  making 
a  very  quick  jiastage.  The  following  day  he 
came  to  Sacramento.  After  working  a  short 
time  in  a  restaurant,  he  w-ent  to  work  in  the 
Star  Bakery  at  $200  per  month,  remaining  there 
one  and  a  half  years,  and  saved  $1,100,  and  then 
began  business  for  himself  on  Sixth  street,  be- 
tween I  and  J.  In  1855  he  married  Frances 
Haberstroh,  from  New  Orleans.  She  is  of 
Swiss  jiarentage.  After  carrying  on  the  busi- 
ness for  fourteen  years,  suffering  from  the  ad- 
verses  of  fire  and  flood,  he  sold  out.  He  could 
only  collect  |33  out  of  $3,000  which  was  due 
him.  Having  a  wife  and  Ave  children  to  sup- 
port, he  was  offered  a  position  on  the  police 
force  and  accepted  it,  and  served  on  street  and 
office  duty  seven  years.  After  serving  five 
years  he  was  oflered    the   position   of   Chief  of 


Police,  but  he  declined  it.  In  March,  1872, 
after  the  regular  nominations  of  both  parties 
were  made,  only  five  days  bel'ore  the  election, 
he  announced  himself  as  an  independent  eandi- 
cate  and  was  elected  by  687  majority,  and  156 
majority  over  the  entire  vote  of  both  the  other 
candidates.  In  1874  he  ran  as  an  independent 
candidate  and  was  elected  by  a  majority  of  714. 
In  1876  he  ran  independent  again  with  in- 
dorsements of  the  Democrats,  and  was  defeated 
by  a  small  majority.  For  four  years  he  was 
engaged  in  business,  and  in  1880  he  again  ran 
as  an  independent  candidate,  and  was  elected 
Chief  of  Police.  In  1882  he  was  nominated  by 
the  Republicans,  and  was  elected  and  served  two 
years.  After  this  term  had  expired  lie  served 
as  deputy  sheriff  under  Sheriff  "Wilson,  and  was 
appointed  to  his  present  position,  and  for  the 
past  four  years  has  served  as  Captain  of  Police. 
He  has  eight  children,  five  sons  and  three  daugh- 
ters. In  1886  he  lost  one  daughter,  sixteen 
years  of  age,  and  in  1888  a  son,  twenty-five 
years  old. 


fHAKVIE,  contractor,  is  a  native  of  Nova 
Scotia,  and  was  born  December  23, 1851. 
®  His  father,  Nicholas  Harvie,  was  of 
Scotch  descent,  and  his  mother,  Elizabeth  Ettin- 
ger,  was  a  native  of  Pennsylvania.  Young 
Nicholas  attended  school  during  boyhood  and 
served  an  apprenticeship  to  the  trade  of  carpen- 
ter and  joiner.  In  1870  he  went  to  Bos  on  and 
remained  there  and  in  Providence  until  1873, 
when  he  caine  to  the  Pacific  Coast,  and  passed 
the  first  nine  months  in  Alpine  County,  and 
then  went  to  Virginia  C'ity,  Nevada,  where  he 
remained  four  years.  After  spending  one  year 
in  Santa  Cruz,  he  came  to  Sacramento  in  1878, 
and  engaged  in  contracting,  and  by  his  energy 
and  ability  has  become  one  of  the  responsible 
contractors  of  the  Capital  City.  He  received 
the  contract  for  building  the  winery  on  Eight- 
eenth street,  and  also  the  New  Eagle  Winery, 
on  Twentieth    street    and   the  railroad,  and  was 


HIsrORY    OF    SACRAMENTO    COUNTY. 


awarded  the  outract  for  tlie  erection  of  the 
malt-house,  kiln,  bottling  works,  office,  stables, 
etc..  of  the  Buffalo  Brewing  Companj.  He  has 
had  a  large  practical  experience  as  a  contractor 
and  builder.  Mr.  Harvie  is  prominently  iden- 
tified with  the  order  of  Foresters,  beino-  P.  C. 
R.  of  Court  Sacramento,  No.  6861,  A.  O.  F., 
and  P.  C.  of  Sacramento  Conclave,  No.  12,  K. 
S.  F.;  delegate  to  S.  H.  C,  A.  O.  F.,  Minne- 
apolis, Minnesota,  in  1889;  delegate  to  the  Su- 
preme Conclave,  K.  S.  F.,  at  Minneapolis; 
Junior  Past  Arch  of  Union  Grove,  No.  61,  U. 
A.  0.  D.;  representative  to  Grand  Grove  of 
California  in  1889;  delegate  to  the  organiza- 
tion of  the  Grand  Grove  of  the  State  of  Cali- 
fornia, and  delegate  to  the  Supreme  Conclave 
of  the  K.  S.  D.  of  the  world,  and  was  honored 
with  the  position  of  chairman  of  Supreme  Au- 
ditors. In  1876  Mr.  Harvie  married  Miss  Mary 
A.  Cochran,  a  native  of  Sacramento.  Her  par- 
ents, Robert  and  Mary  (Williamson)  Cocliran, 
were  from  New  York  State,  and  came  to  Cali- 
fornia in  1849.  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Harvie  have  two 
children,  Ada  R.  and  G.  Edwin. 


l€i»: 


F.  ODELL,  senior  member  of  the  well- 
known  firm  of  Odell  &  Herzog,  is  a 
native  of  Indiana,  being  born  in  In- 
dianapolis January  10,  1853.  His  father,  M. 
M.  Odell,  came  to  the  Pacific  coast  in  1855. 
After  remaining  here  several  years  he  returned 
to  his  Eastern  home,  and  in  1861  brought  his 
family  overland  to  California,  reaching  here  in 
the  fall  of  that  year.  He  engaged  in  the  cattle 
trade  in  this  valley,  and  prominently  identified 
himself  with  the  business  for  many  years.  The 
subject  of  this  sketch  had  an  early  practical 
training,  was  brought  up  in  the  business,  and 
after  reaching  manhood  engaged  in  trade  near 
the  corner  of  K  street  in  1875,  and  carried  it  on 
until  1886,  when  Mr.  Herzog  was  admitted  as 
partner,  and  the  firm  became  Odell  &  Herzog. 
Their  place  of  business,  Nos.  1020  and  1022  K 
street,  known  as  the  New  York  Market,  is  laro-e 


and  commodious,  the  leading  and  most  attract- 
ive retail  market  in  the  Capital  City.  They 
have  a  large  wholesale  trade  and  supply  many 
retail  shops.  They  have  their  own  slaughter- 
houses, south  of  the  city  on  the  Riverside  road, 
where  their  meats  are  dressed  to  supply  their 
extensive  trade.  They  also  buy  and  feed  a 
large  amount  of  stock,  thus  giving  their  trade 
the  advantage  of  the  bast  selections.  The  firm 
is  widely  and  favorably  known  as  one  of  the 
most  responsible  in  this  section  of  the  State. 
Mr.  Odell  is  a  member  of  the  Masonic  fraternity 
and  of  the  order  of  Knights  of  Pythias.  He  was 
married  June  7,  1883,  to  Miss  Myrtle  Under- 
hill,  a  native  of  California,  and  daughter  of  Jo- 
seph Underbill, formerly  surveyorof  Sacramento. 
Mr.  and  Mrs.  Odell  have  threa  children.  Hazel 
A.,  Edna  B.  and  Merrill  M. 


fL.  SILLER,  of  the  firm  of  Siller  Brothers, 
real-estate  owners  and  contractors,  was 
*  born  in  Hancock  County,  Illinois,  May 
23,  1859.  In  1872  his  parents  came  to  Cali- 
fornia. Soon  after  reaching  Sacramento  the 
family  settled  on  a  farm  near  Florin,  and  re- 
mained there  some  years.  In  1880  he  came 
into  the  city,  and  the  following  year  began  to 
learn  the  trade  of  carpenter  and  joiner.  In 
1884  he  and  his  brother  engaged  in  contractimr 
and  building,  and  since  then  the  firm  of  Siller 
Brothers  has  carried  on  a  large  and  successful 
business.  Besides,  they  have  been  constant 
buyers  of  real  estate,  and  making  improve- 
ments, the  rental  of  which  already  brings  tliem 
a  good  income.  During  tiie  past  year  their  real 
estate  sales  amounted  to  between  815,000  and 
$20,000.  Their  success  is  due  to  their  own  ef- 
forts, ability  and  good  management.  Mr.  Sil- 
ler was  married  November  10,  1886,  to  Miss 
Mary  Eckman,  a  native  of  Germany.  They 
have  one  son,  Edward  L.  They  liave  an  attract- 
ive home  at  1822  P  street. 

L.  G.  Siller,  of  the  firm  of  Siller  Brothers, 
contractors,  is  a  son  ot  John  and  Catharine  Sil- 


UI8T0RT    OF    SACRAMENTO    COUNTY. 


ler,  and  was  born  in  Hancock  County,  Illinois, 
December  13,  1863.  His  parents,  with  the 
family,  came  to  the  Paciiic  Coast  in  1872.  Af- 
ter reaching  Sacramento  they  located  on  a  farm 
a  few  miles  from  the  city,  near  Florin,  and  here 
he  attended  school  and  remained  there  until 
1880,  and  then  came  to  the  city  and  learned  the 
trade  of  carpenter  and  joiner.  In  1884  he  and 
his  brother  engaged  in  contracting  and  build- 
ing, and  since  then,  for  the  past  six  years,  the 
firm  of  Siller  Brothers  have  built  up  a  large  and 
successful  business  in  contracting  and  real  es- 
tate. Among  the  buildings  erected  by  them 
are  the  new  William  Tell  House,  the  Orphan 
Asylum,  the  State  Printing  Office,  and  building 
corner  of  Seventh  and  I  streets,  the  large  apart- 
ment house  corner  of  Ninth  and  L  streets,  and 
many  others.  They  have  built  seven  houses  on 
their  own  property,  corner  of  Seventeenth  and 
Q  streets.  They  also  own  and  operate  a  large 
planing-mill.  They  are  young  men  of  energy 
and  ability,  and  among  the  most  responsible 
contractors  in  tlie  Capital  City.  Mr.  Siller  be- 
longs to  the  I.  O.  O.  F.  He  was  married  Oc- 
tober 5,  1882,  to  Miss  Mary  C.  Filer,  a  native 
of  Germany.  They  have  three  children — Ma- 
bel, Laura  and  Kubie. 


fAMES  STAFFORD,  retired,  is  a  native  of 
the  north  of  Ireland,  and  was  born  near 
Belfast,  May  15,  1815.  He  grew  up  and 
attended  school  there,  and  after  reaching  man- 
hood emigrated  to  this  country  and  worked  in 
New  York  State.  Was  at  West  Point  during 
the  memorable  log-cabin  campaign,  when  Gen- 
eral William  Henry  Harrison  was  elected  Presi- 
dent. After  several  years,  on  account  of  his 
health,  Mr.  Stafford  returned  to  his  native 
countrj  and  remained  there  until  1847,  when 
the  whole  J'atnily — his  parents  and  ten  chil- 
dren— came  over  to  this  country  and  settled  at 
Aurora,  Indiana.  Here  he  engaged  in  merchan- 
dising, and  built  up  a  large  trade;  also  engaged 
in  packing  pork  and  in  buying  and  selling  cattle 


and  hogs  throughout  the  country;  and  for 
thirty-live  years  carried  on  the  most  extensive 
business  in  that  section  of  the  State,  and  ex- 
tending through  the  adjoining  States,  and  en- 
joyed an  enviable  reputation  for  his  honor  and 
integrity.  The  family  came  to  the  Pacific 
coast  in  1874,  Mr.  Stafford  remaining  to  attend 
to  his  business  interests.  Since  coming  here 
he  has  not  engaged  in  active  business.  His  at- 
tractive home  is  at  1316  Seventh  street.  Mr. 
Stafford  was  married  May  10,  1850,  to  Maria 
Hueston,  who  also  is  a  native  of  the  north  of 
Ireland,  her  iiome  being  near  the  city  of  Bel- 
fast. The  death  of  this  estimable  lady  occurred 
in  June,  1886.  They  have  had  fourteen  children, 
only  four  of  whom  survive.  James,  Robert  and 
Mary  are  living  at  home  in  this  city,  and  Jennie 
is  married  and  living  at  Gait,  in  this  county. 


►>^ 


fF.  CALDERWOOD,  one  of  the  oldest 
and  best  known  men  in  the  service  of  the 
®  Southern  Pacific  Railroad  Coniijany,  is  a 
native  of  Maine,  and  was  born  in  Waldo  County, 
April  27,  1837,  and  is  a  son  of  Levi  and  Lydia 
Calderwood.  He  attended  school  during  boy- 
hood, and  upon  reaching  manhood  he  deter- 
mined to  come  to  the  Pacific  coast,  and  sailed 
in  the  "Star  of  the  West,"  and  came  via  the 
Isthmus,  and  on  the  Pacific  side  came  in  the 
steamer  '-John  L.  Stephens,"  and  arrived  in  San 
Francisco,  October  16,  1858.  Like  all  who 
came  here  in  the  early  days,  he  went  to  the 
mines  in  El  Dorado  and  Placer  counties,  and 
continued  for  nine  years  in  hydraulic  mining. 
In  the  early  part  of  1868  he  engaged  in  rail- 
roading. Upon  the  construction  of  the  Central 
Pacific  he  was  on  the  first  regular  train  that 
went  across  the  summit  into  Truckee.  He  was 
conductor  on  the  Mountain  division  twelve 
years,  and  has  been  in  the  service  of  the  com- 
pany as  conductor  for  twenty-two  years.  In 
June,  1876,  he  brought  the  noted  Centennial 
train  of  Jarrett  &  Palmer,  over  the  Mountain 
Division.     The  time  made  across  the  continent, 


HISTORY    OF    SACIiAMSNTO    COUNT y. 


789 


froiij  New  York  to  San  Francisco,  was  eighty- 
four  hours,  less  four  minutes.  Mr.  Calderwood 
is  a  member  of  the  Masonic  fraternity,  and  a 
member  of  Capitol  Lodge,  I.  0.  O.  F.,  for  the 
past  twenty  years.  He  is  past  chief  of  O.  R.  C, 
and  served  three  years  as  chief.  He  was  ac- 
tively identilied  in  establishing  the  order  and 
building  .-t  up.  Mr.  Calderwood  was  married 
.  by  the  Rev.  Fred  Charlton,  November  25, 1862, 
to  Miss  Sarah  J.  Fuller,  of  Sacramento.  Her 
parents,  Jacob  N.  and  Jane  E.  Fuller,  came  to 
California  in  1856.  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Calderwood 
have  three  sons,  viz.:  Wiliam  T.,  Samuel  H 
and  George  E.  They  have  lost  two  sons  and 
two  daughters. 


own  efforts.  Mr.  Meister  has  been  twice  mar- 
ried, his  first  wife  being  Pauline  Herr;  siie  left 
four  children:  Annie,  now  married  and  living  in 
San  Francisco;  Pauline,  Louise  and  George  Al- 
bert. Mr.  Meister  married  Arelia  Wirth,  his 
present  wife,  in  1876. 


'^■^■^ 

fOHN   MEISTER.     The  pioneer  dairyman 
of  the  Capital  City,  is  a  native  of  Switzer- 
land, and  was   born   April  17,  1820.     He 
attended  the  common  schools  and   was  brought 
"p  on  a  farm.     In  1852  he  emigrated   to  the 
United  States.      After  reaching  this  country  he 
tound    a    friend    who   wanted    to    come  to  the 
Pacific  coast,  and  three  of  them  canie  together 
They  were  UO  days  on  the  way  and  arrived  in 
California  in  September,  1852.     He  went  to  the 
mines  for  a  short  time  and  then  came  to  Sacra- 
mento and  began  work  in  a  dairy.     After  two 
years    he    became   a   partner    and     afterwards 
bought    his    partner's    interest.     In    1852    his 
brother  arrived  here  and  became  a  partner  with 
him  and  they  carried  on  tlie  business  together 
successfully  for   twenty  years,    and   since  that 
time  Mr.  Meister  has  carried  it  on  alone.     His 
son,  George   A.,   takes  an    active    part  in    the 
management   of  t!ie    business.     Mr.    Meister's 
first  dairy  was  located  at    Sutter's  Fort.     He 
sug-ered   large  loss  by  the  flood  of  1862.     He 
has  about  150  cows  and  twenty-five  horses  and 
IS  the  oldest  dairyman  now  engaged  in  business 
m  the  Capital  City.      He  owns  Ir.rge  dairy  and 
fruit  farms  east  of  the  city,  including  the  well- 
known  Smith's  Gardens.     He  began  life  with- 
out anything  and  his   success   is   owing   to   his 


..   COOK,   architect,  one  of  the  oldest 
and  most  prominent  of  his  profession  in 
'®  the  Capital  City,  is  a  native  of  Chenango 
County,  New  York,  born  April  20,  1832.    His 
parents,  Aaron  and  Lydia  Cook,  were  natives  of 
New  York  State.     His  father  was  ninety-eight 
years  old  at  the  time  of  his  death.     His  grand- 
father lived  to  be  over  100  years  of  age,  and 
Grandmother  Cook  was  ninety-one  years  old  at 
the  time  of  her  death.     The  parents  of  our  sub- 
ject removed  to  Albany  in  1832  and  he  grew  up 
and  attended   school   there.     He  served    three 
years'  apprenticeship  to  the  trade  of  carpenter 
and  joiner,  during  the  time   taking  lessons  in 
architectural  drawing,  and  upon  reaching  early 
manhood  he  came  West  to   Michigan,   locating 
at  Kalamazoo,  where  he  engaged  in  contract! n" 
and  building,  preparing  all  of  his  own  plan° 
After  a  time  he  gave  up  contracting,  devoting 
his  whole  time  to  architectural  work.     He  re- 
mained there  ten  years.    In  1861  he  went  to  St. 
Louis  and  thence  to  Chicago,  where  he  followed 
his  profession,  and  thence  to  Council  Bluffs  and 
Omaha.     On  account  of  his  health,  he  came  to 
California  in  1870  and  located  in  Sacramento, 
where  for  the  past  twenty  years  he  has  taken  J 
leading  position  in  his  profession  in  this  section 
of  the  State.     He  superintended  the   construc- 
tion of  the  Western  Hotel,  Hale's  Block,   and 
several  cliurches,  also  the  State  Prison  at'  Fol- 
8om,    the    Nevada    State    Asylum,     the    court 
house  at  Redding,  the  county  hospitals  at  Men- 
docino, Tehama  and  Colusa,  Cone  &  Kimball's 
Block,    and   Odd   Fellows'  Hall   at    Red  Bluff; 
also    Odd    Fellows'  Building   and    churches    at 
Wheatland  an  1  Redding,  and  churches  in  Stock- 
ton and  in  other  cities  and  towns.      He  has  nrp. 


lIISTOHr    OF    SACRAMENTO    COUNTY. 


pared  tlie  plans  for  many  of  tlie  finest  buildings 
in  this  section  of  the  State.  In  1870  Mr.  Cook 
married  Miss  M.  Midler,  of  Ghic.igo.  They 
have  four  children,  viz.:  Christopher,  Eva,  Amy 
and  Irwin  Paul.  Mr.  Cook  baloags  to  I.  O.  O. 
F.j  El  Dorado  Lodge,  No.  8. 


fHOMAS  H.  COOK  is  a  native  of  North 
Shields,  England,  and  was  born  October 
2,  1824.  His  parents,  John  and  Sarali 
M.  Cook,  were  also  natives  of  England.  He 
grew  up  with  his  father,  and  during  his  early 
boyhood  attended  school  and  went  to  sea,  wliich 
he  followed  for  some  years,  and  then  came  to 
Quebec  in  1847,  and  thence  by  canal  to  Eufl'alo. 
Next  he  followed  the  Lakes  for  a  time.  When 
the  discovery  of  gold  was  attracting  the  atten- 
tion of  the  civilized  world  he  determined  to  come 
to  the  Pacific  coast,  and  started  from  Chicago 
in  March,  1849,  and  after  braving  the  dangers 
of  the  trip  overland  across  the  continent,  ar- 
rived in  Sacramento  in  August  of  the  same 
year.  Soon  after  coming  here  he  engaged  in 
draying,  in  which  business  he  continued  for 
several  years.  He  returned  to  England  in  the 
fall  of  1851,  and  soon  after,  while  there,  in 
March,  1852,  njarried  Miss  Hannah  Skelton, 
also  a  native  of  England.  They  came  to  Cali- 
fornia in  the  fall  of  the  same  year,  and  reached 
here  a  few  days  before  the  fire.  He  engaged  in 
draying  for  five  or  six  years,  and  then  engaged 
in  the  wood  business,  which  he  carried  on  suc- 
cessfully for  some  years,  until  1867,  when  he 
made  another  visit  to  his  native  country  with 
his  wife  and  two  children.  This  journey  was 
filled  with  sorrow.  He. lost  one  of  his  children, 
a  son,  in  New  York;  the  death  of  his  wife  and 
remaining  child,  a  little  girl,  occurred  in  Eng- 
land. He  also  lost  two  children  here.  After 
coming  back  here  and  remaining  about  two  years 
he  returned  again  to  England,  and  while  there 
married  Helen  Drydon,  a  native  of  Scotland. 
He  remained  in  England  seven  years,  and  in 
1875  came  again  to  California,  aiid  engaged   in 


mercantile  bnsiness  in  Sacramento,  on  the  cor- 
ner of  Eighth  and  J  streets,  and  continued  there 
fifteen  ye;irs  and  built  up  a  large  and  successful 
wholesale  and  retail  trade.  In  January,  1890,  he 
removed  to  the  large  and  commodious  store  on 
the  corner  of  Tenth  and  K  streets,  to  accommo- 
date his  large  and  constantly  increasing  trade. 
Mr.  Cook  is  still  in  the  prime  of  life,  and  has 
established  an  enviable  reputation  for  integrity 
and  fair  dealing.  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Cook  have  four 
children,  three  of  whom  survive, — George  N., 
William  H.  and  Thomas  H.  One  son,  Herbert 
J.,  was  drowned. 

— -^^>-J^--^ 


fIDNEY  ELDEED  is  a  native  of  Ohio  and 
was  born  January  30,  1830.  His  parents 
were  Daniel  and  Hannah  Eldred.  They 
removed  to  Michigan  in  1884,  and  there  Sidney 
was  reared  and  attended  school  during  boyhood. 
Upon  reaching  early  manhood  he  determined  to 
come  to  the  Pacific  coast.  He  came  by  water 
and  sailed  in  the  "  Star  of  the  West,"  via  the 
Isthmus,  and  on  this  side  by  the  Brotlier  Jona- 
than, and  after  a  rough  voyage  of  fifty  days,  ar- 
rived in  San  Erancisco  in  March,  1854.  A  few 
days  later  he  came  up  to  Sacramento  and  went 
to  draying.  In  the  spring  of  '56,  he  opened  the 
National  Hotel  on  J  street,  between  Tenth  and 
Eleventh.  After  running  this  house  two  years 
he  opened  the  Noyes  House  on  Tenth  and  I 
streets,  and  continued  there  until  1860,  when 
he  sold  out,  and  during  the  same  year  went  East 
and  remained  until  the  spring  of  1861.  He 
then  left  there  with  a  drove  of  horses  and  came 
across  the  plains,  bringing  them  to  this  State. 
He  afterward  built  the  Eldred  House,  on  K 
street,  above  Tenth.  He  owned  a  farm  six 
miles  out  of  the  city  and  engaged  in  farming 
for  some  years,  but  on  account  of  poor  health 
he  came  to  this  city  and  retired  from  active  bus- 
iness life.  Mr.  Eldred  has  never  sought  politi- 
cal preferment.  He  has  been  twice  married. 
In  October,  1856,  he  married  Miss  Sarah  White, 
from  Michigan.    Her  death  occurred  in  August, 


HI  STOUT    OF    SAC  RAM  EX  TO    COUNTY. 


They    had    four  chile 


1880.  i.nej  naci  tour  children,  only  two  of 
whom  survive— a  son  an  i  daughtor:  Frank, 
now  living  in  Washington  State,  and  May, 
now  Mrs.  Dr.  Root,  of  this  city.  In  1881  Mr. 
Eldred  married  Mrs.  May  Gihnan,  a  native  of 
]S"ew  Hampshire.  Mr.  Eldred  is  a  mm  of  gen- 
erous impulses  and  one  of  the  best  known  citi- 
zen in  the  Capital  City. 

— '^^MM'^^^^— 

fEORCxE  HAFTON,  capitalist,  is  a  native 
of  England  and  of  English  parentage.    His 
father,  Aaron    Hayton,  died   in    England, 
and  his  mother,  Elizabeth  Hayton,  died  in  Strat- 
ford,  Canada,  in  1885.     The  boyhood  of  Mr. 
Hayton  was  spent  in   his  native  country,  where 
he  served  an  apprenticeship   in    manufacturing 
boots  and  shoes.      In    1841    he    came    to    this 
country  and  lived   in    Canada  until   1850,  when 
he  went  to  New  York  State,  and  two  years  later 
determined  to  come  to   the   Pacific  coast.     He 
sailed    from    New    York    February    28,  in   the 
barque  Kremlin,  Captain    Davis.     They  had  a 
rough  voyage,  and    were    six    weeks    doubling 
Cape  Horn;   were  five   months  on  the  voyage, 
and  arrived  in  San    Francisco  August  2,  1852. 
He  came  up   to   Sacramento  and  then  went  to 
Marysville,  to  the  mines;  was  there  only  a  short 
time  and  returned  to  Sacramento  to  work  at  his 
trade.     He  rented  a  place  the  first  of  the  month 
and  paid  his  rent  in  advance,  and  the  following 
day  the  big  fire  came    and   the  building  wa's 
burned,  and  he  was  out  the  rent  he  had  paid  for  I 
the  first  month.     The  following  year  he  went  to 
the  mines  in  Trinity  County;  was  only  there  a  I 
few  months  and  returned  to  Sacramento.    After 
working    at  iiis    trade  about  nine   months    he 
started  in  business  for  himself,  the   firm   being 
Hayton  &  Donohue,— The  "  Eagle  Boot  &  Shoe 
Store," — and  this  firm    continued  for  six  years, 
when    the  latter  retired,   and   Mr.   Hayton    be- 
came sole  proprietor  of  the  business,  and  carried 
it  on  successfully  until  1878.      Having  acquired 
a  competency,  he  retired  from   active  business, 
and  is  enjoying  his  well-earned  repose.   In  1876 


Mr.  Hayton  was  married  in  Sacramento  to  Mrs. 
Mary  Taylor,  a  native  of  England,  who  came  to 
this  country  in  1853  and  to  California  in  1858. 
Her  parents  died  in  Canada.  In  1869  she  re- 
turned to  England  on  a  visit.  Mr.  Hayton  has 
made  several  visits  East  since  coming  here.  The 
first  time  he  went  by  water,  in  1857,  and  twice 
across  the  continent  since  the  railroad  was  built. 
He  has  eaten  thirty-eight  Christmas  dinners  in 
Sacramento.  He  is  a  member  of  the  Masonic 
fraternity,  and  also  of  the  order  of  Odd  Fellows. 
Mr.  and  Mrs.  Hayton  have  an  attractive  home 
corner  of  Sixteenth  and  K  streets. 


fOHN  BELLMER,  an  old  and  honored  citi- 
zen, corner   Eighth   and   L   streets,   Sacra- 
mento, was   born   near  Bremen,  Germany, 
May  11,  1833.     At  the  age  of  fifteen  years  he 
emigrated  to  the  United  States,  landiug  in  New 
York,    remained    there    until    October,    1852, 
when,  intending  to  go  to  Australia,  he  sailed  in 
the    barque    Catharine    Augusta.     The    vessel 
stopped   at   Rio  Janeiro,   but   the  yellow  fever 
prevailed  to  such  an  extent  that  half  the  pas- 
sengers  died  and    those    that    could  get    away 
were  glad  to  go  anywhere;   and   Mr.  Bellmer 
sailed  in   the  clipper  ship  High   Flyer  around 
Cape  Horn  to  California,  arriving  in  San  Fran- 
cisco in  September,  1853.     Like  all  others  who 
came  here  seeking  their  fortunes  at  that  early 
day,  he  went  to  mining,  at  Michigan,  BlufFand 
Last    Chance,  and    remained    there  four  years 
and  then  came  to  Sacramento  and  started   busi- 
ness here  in  1857,  and  since  then,  for  the  past 
thirty-three  years,   he   has  been  successfully  en- 
gaged   in    his   vocation    here,  and    has    passed 
through  fire  and  fiood    and    borne  his  share  of 
misfortune.     In  the  fall  of  1871  Mr.  Bellmer 
was  elected  county  treasurer,  and  after  holdintr 
the  office  two  years  was  re-elected  in  the  fall   of 
1873,  and  held  that  ofiice  until   1876.     He  has 
been  an  active,   prominent   member  of  the  Ger- 
men  Turn-Verein,  in   which    body   he   has   held 
tlic   office  of   president    and    secretary.      He   is 


UlSTORT    OF    SACRAMENTO    COUNTY. 


also  a  prominent  member  of  1.  0.  O.  F.,  being 
now  past  grand  of  that  order.  Mr.  Belhner 
was  married  January  18,  1860  to  Miss  Maria 
Gradj,  of  New  London,  Connecticut.  Tliey 
bave  bad  twelve  cbildren,  six  of  wboin  are 
living:  tbree  stms — William  F.,  Frank  R.  and 
Edgar  H. ;  and  tbree  daugbters — Sarab  E.,  Carrie 
L.  and  Alice  E. 


§S.  BEALS,  pliotograpber,  415  J  street,  the 
veteian  pbotograpli  artist  of  the  Pacific 
®  Coast,  was  born  December  2,  1823,  in 
Hartford,  Connecticut.  He  received  bis  educa- 
tion there  and  at  Wetherstield  until  the  age  of 
eigbteen,  when  he  went  to  New  York  and  en- 
gaged in  merchant  tailoring  at  156  Broadway, 
and  continued  there  about  six  years.  While 
there  he  cut  the  uniform  for  Stevenson's  regi- 
ment, which  came  to  California  for  the  Mexican 
war.  He  was  engaged  in  the  same  business  at 
Babylon,  Long  Island,  two  years;  then  he  re- 
turned to  New  York  and  opened  a  daguerreo- 
type gallery  at  175  Broadway,  and  continued 
there  until  1853,  when  he  sold  out  and  sailed 
from  New  York,  and  came  to  California  via  the 
Isthmus.  From  Panama  he  came  on  the  steamer 
Uncle  Sam,  and  landed  in  Sacramento  in  Octo- 
ber, 1853.  He  came  direct  to  Sacramento  and 
opened  a  photograph  gallery  on  Third  and  J 
streets,  with  R.  H.  Vance.  After  tbe  big  fire, 
tbe  following  year,  be  opened  a  gallery  at  87  J 
street,  where  he  conducted  the  business  four  or 
five  years,  and  then  removed  to  415  J  street, 
and  remained  there  until  after  the  flood  of  1861. 
During  that  time  and  for  years  he  was  usher 
and  assistant  manager  of  tbe  old  Sacramento 
Theatre,  for  Thomas  Maguire;  was  also  manager 
of  the  Forrest  Theatre,  between  Second  and 
Third  streets.  After  the  latter  was  burned,  he 
acted  as  manager  of  the  old  Metropolitan  Thea- 
tre, on  K  street,  between  Fourth  and  Fifth, 
being  manager  of  both  theatres  at  the  same 
time,  and  was  manager  for  Maguire  until  the 
latter  retired  from  tbe  business.     He  conducted 


his  photographic  business  as  well,  for  over 
twenty-live  years  in  the  present  location,  415  J 
street,  and  he  is  the  oldest  photographic  artist 
now  engaged  in  business  on  the  Pacific  Coast. 
He  has  been  successful,  and  accumulated  a  val- 
uable property  on  Twelfth  and  F  streets,  his 
homestead  being  one  of  the  laud-marks.  He  is 
a  lover  of  fine  horses,  and  usually  has  one  or 
more  in  his  possession.  Mr.  Beals  is  a  veteran 
Odd  Fellow,  having  been  a  member  of  tbe  fra- 
ternity fifty-eight  years.  He  was  a  member, 
with  P.  T.  Barnuu),  of  Island  City  Lodge,  New 
York;  is  now  connected  with  Eureka  Lodge, 
No.  4,  and  is  one  of  the  oldest  members  of  tbe 
order  in  the  United  States.  Mr.  Beals  has  been 
twice  married.  His  first  wife  was  Rosalia  Fow- 
ler, of  New  York  State.  She  died  in  1879, 
leaving  two  daughters — Mrs.  Josephine  lugalls, 
of  Sacramento  city,  and  Mrs.  Sarah  Campion. 
The  latter  inherited  a  talent  for  painting,  and 
went  abroad  to  pursue  her  studies  in  France, 
and  achieved  an  enviable  position  in  the  pro- 
fession. She  died  in  1887,  leaving  one  son, 
who  is  cashier  for  the  prominent  commercial 
house  of  Williams,  Dimond  &  Co.,  San  Fran- 
cisco. In  1886  Mr.  Beals  married  Mrs.  J.  E. 
Dodge,  a  native  of  New  York,  and  by  this 
marriage  there  is  one  son. 


^*S^ 


I^HILIP  WOLF,  one  of  tbe  most  extensive 
fra  contractors  of  the  Capital  City,  was  born 
^  in  Keokuk,  Iowa,  April  10,  1859.  His 
father,  Philip  Wolf,  came  to  the  Pacific  coast 
in  the  spring  of  1861,  and  the  mot.ier  and  chil- 
dren arrived  here  in  December  of  the  same  year, 
just  before  the  noted  flood.  In  1863  they  re- 
moved to  Sheldon,  this  county,  then  a  flourish- 
ing place,  and  four  years  afterward  returned  to 
this  city.  Philip  attended  school  during  boy- 
hood, and  served  an  apprenticeship  to  tbe  trade 
of  carpenter  and  joiner.  After  working  at  his 
trade  several  years,  he  engaged  in  merchandis- 
ing; this  not  proving  successful,  be  returned 
to  his  trade  and   after  a  time  engaged   in  con 


HISTORY    OF    SACRAMENTO    COUNTY. 


tracting  and  building.  The  first  year  he  built 
three  houses,  and  his  business  has  since  steadily 
increased  from  year  to  year,  and  during  the 
past  year  he  built  thirty- six  houses,  among  them 
some  of  the  most  attractive  in  the  city.  He 
has  given  much  attention  to  agricultural  draw- 
ing and  draws  the  plans  for  all  of  his  own  work, 
thus  saving  the  expense  of  an  architect.  Dur- 
ing the  past  year  he  has  done  a  larger  contract- 
ing business  than  any  firm  in  Sacramento, 
employing  twenty  men.  He  has  by  his  ability 
and  integrity  built  up  a  successlul  business,  and 
enjoys  an  enviable  reputation  as  a  contractor. 
He  owns  his  attractive  home  on  N  street, 
besides  three  houses  and  lots  on  J  street,  and 
other  city  property.  He  belongs  to  the  order 
of  Foresters.  Mr.  Wolf  was  marled  April 
20,  1884,  to  Miss  Minnie  C.  Gerber,  a  native  of 
Sacramento,  whose  father  came  to  the  Pacific 
coast  in  1849. 


-^^-! 


y^^-- 


fA.  CUNNINGHAM,  the  well-known  pro- 
prietor of  the  Sacramento  Boiler  and  Iron 
®  Works,  was  born  in  the  Empire  State,  in 
Schenectady,  February  4,  1843,  and  is  a  son  of 
Thomas  N.  and  Mary  Cunningham.  He  learned 
his  trade  in  Pliiladelphia,  and  followed  it  there 
and  in  Albany  and  Schenectady.  In  1868  he 
came  to  the  Pacific  Coast,  and  located  in  Sacra- 
mento and  entered  the  employ  of  the  railroad 
company'.  After  remaining  in  the  shops  two 
years,  he  established  his  present  business  in  the 
railroad  company's  building,  and  remained  there 
until  1873,  when  he  removed  to  his  present  loca- 
tion on  1  street,  between  Front  and  Second 
streets.  Since  then,  for  the  past  seventeen 
years,  he  has  built  up  a  large  and  successful 
business.  Such  is  his  reputation  for  standard 
work,  that  he  was  awarded  the  contract  for 
manufacturing  the  large  boilers,  tanks,  bins, 
etc.,  for  the  Bufi"alo  Brewing  Company,  for  their 
immense  brewery  in  this  city.  He  also  held  the 
position  of  engineer  of  the  water-works  six 
years.     He    is   a    member  of  the  Masonic  fra- 


ternity and  the  Knights  of  Honor.  He  was 
married  in  May,  1882,  to  Miss  Sarah  W.  Shields, 
of  Portland,  Maine,  and  they  have  three  chil- 
dren— Addie,  Myra  and  May. 


fHPJSTIAN  GRUHLER,  deceased,  was  a 
native  of  Wittenberg,  Germany,  and  was 
born  September  12,  1830.  He  attended 
school  during  his  early  boyhood,  and  in  1845, 
at  the  age  of  fifteen,  emigrated  to  the  United 
States.  He  went  to  Cincinnati  and  remained 
there  six  years.  After  the  discovery  of.  gold  in 
California,  he  determined  to  come  to  the  Pacific 
coast,  and  he,  with  his  brother  and  others,  eight 
wagons  in  all  and  ox  teams,  came  the  overland 
route  across  the  continent.  They  were  105  days 
on  the  way,  and  arrived  here  in  1852.  He 
worked  in  San  Francisco  until  the  following 
year,  when  he  engaged  in  the  grocery  trade,  and 
the  following  year  engaged  in  the  brewing  busi- 
ness in  Sacramento.  He  and  his  brother  estab- 
lished the  Columbus  Brewery,  and  built  up  a 
large  and  successful  business.  He  went  East  in 
1861,  and  on  the  6th  of  May  of  that  year  was 
married,  in  Cincinnati,  to  Miss  Catharine  Gruh- 
ler,  a  native  of  Germany,  who  came  to  Cincin- 
nati in  1853,  and  lived  there  until  she  was 
married.  Mr.  Gruhler  was  a  member  of  the 
Turn-Verein  and  the  Exempt  Firemen's  Asso- 
ciation. He  was  actively  engaged  in  business 
until  his  death,  which  occurred  October  11, 
1878.  He  left  four  children,  viz.:  Albert  E., 
Emma,  Hermann  A.  and  Clara  A.  He  left  a 
large  estate.  Mrs.  Gruhler  occupies  the  attract- 
ive home  corner  of  Fifteenth  and  L  streets. 


fOHX  M.  MILLIKIN,  formerly  one  of  the 
prominent  business  men  of  Sacramento, 
is  now  engaged  in  the  real-estate  and  in- 
surance business  at  No.  110  Fourth  street,  in 
this  city.  For  the  sake  of  convenience  let  us 
begin  with  his  early  life,  his  ancestors,  etc.    On 


HISTORY    OF    SACRAMENTO    COUNTY. 


his  mother's  side  his  forefathers  were  of  the  sea- 
faring class,  being  shipbuilders,  sailors,  etc. 
On  his  father's  side  his  ancestors  were  mer- 
chants, lumbermen,  etc.  His  mother's  maiden 
name  was  Jemima  Skolfield.  His  uncle  Josiah 
Millikin  was  a  tanner  in  Oxford  County, 
Maine,  and  afterward  engaged  in  lumbering 
in  Portland.  His  five  sons  soon  after  entered 
the  commercial  world,  and  they  were  highly 
spoken  of  in  the  Lewiston  Journal  and  other 
papers.  They  are  all  still  in  the  East,  are 
wealthy  and  still  prominent  ir.  business  circles. 
Charles  Millikin  is  now  managing  the  famous 
Glenn  Plouse  in  the  Wiiite  Mountains;  Seth  is 
now  engaged  extensively  in  JSTew  York;  Wes- 
ton is  engaged  on  a  large  scale  in  lumbering 
in  Maine  and  Canada,  making  shipments  to  all 
parts  of  the  world.  He  is  also  president  of  the 
Cumberland  Bank  in  Portland,  is  a  member 
of  the  company  of  Loan  Commissioners;  George 
and  Henry  are  in  the  wholesale  grocery  busi- 
ness in  Portland.  The  subject  of  this  biographi- 
cal outline  was  born  February  28,  1821,  at 
Lubeek,  Washington  County,  Maine.  When 
he  was  four  years  old  he  turned  West,  moving 
to  the  village  of  Gray,  Cumberland  County, 
Maine,  where  his  early  schooling  was  obtained. 
At  the  age  of  sixteen  years  he  went  to  Portland, 
and  began  to  clerk  for  Eurbank  &  Furbish, 
general  wholesale  grocers;  and  it  was  here  that 
lie  obtained  that  real  practical  business  educa- 
tion that  enabled  him  in  subsequent  life  to  be- 
come one  of  the  most  prominent  merchants  of 
this  country.  On  account  of  his  failing  health, 
however,  he  had  at  the  end  of  about  three  years 
retired  from  business  pursuits  for  about  two 
years.  He  was  employed  by  Philip  Shaw,  al- 
though nominally  clerk  only,  yet  he  actually 
had  independent  control  of  all  the  business,  and 
sustained  this  relation  there  for  about  ten  years. 
May  12,  1850,  Mr.  Millikin  left  home  for  Cali- 
fornia, in  company  with  S.  B.  Leavitt,  subse- 
quently his  brother-in-law,  and  M.  L.  Witham; 
they  sailed  on  the  steamer  Georgia  to  the  Isth- 
mus, where  they  were  long  delayed, — John  M. 
having  come  immediately  to  San   Francisco,  ar- 


riving August  14^ollowing,  and  the  remainder 
came  afterwards.  On  arriving  at  the  city  of  the 
Golden  Gate,  Mr.  Millikin  engaged  for  the  tirst 
year  in  watering  and  ballasting  ships,  and  in 
purchasing  the  lighters,  water-boats,  etc.  At 
first  this  business  was  exceedingly  profitable,  but 
the  cheapening  of  materials  a. id  the  springing 
up  of  conipetion  materially  reduced  the  profits. 
He  was  fortunate  in  making  the  acquaintance 
of  Frank  Blake,  of  the  firm  of  JBlake,  Robinson 
&  Co.,  and  also  of  Charles  L.  Taylor,  both  of 
whom  gave  good  advice  and  encouragement. 
Then  for  two  years,  in  company  with  Mr. 
Leavitt,  he  was  engaged  in  mining  and  trading 
in  Kanaka  Valley,  a  raining  district  on  the 
American  Hiver  in  the  mountains  in  El  Do- 
rado County.  They  then  purchased  the  Tremont 
House  in  Sacramento,  Mr.  Leavitt  transacting 
the  business.  Mr.  Millikin  came  down  about 
six  months  afterward  to  assist  in  running  the 
hotel;  but  finding  that  in  so  doing  he  had  to 
tend  bar,  which  was  disagreeable  to  him,  he 
packed  up  and  went  to  McDowell  Hill,  and  es- 
tablished a  trading  post  there  and  also  engaged 
in  mining.  He  continued  there  probably  about 
a  year.  Closing  out,  he  came  again  to  Sacra- 
mento and  bought  of  Andrew  Hall,  southeast 
corner  of  I  and  Sixth  streets,  an  interest  in  a 
hay-yard.  The  management  of  a  hay-yard  was 
at  that  time  probably  the  most  important  busi- 
ness in  the  city.  He  sold  out  this  business,  at 
a  profit  of  $2,000.  Then  his  brother,  Theodore 
J.,  came  from  the  East,  and  they  together  pur- 
chased a  yard  on  the  southwest  corner,  directly 
across  the  street  from  the  former  place.  They 
conducted  business  there  until  the  summer  of 
1854,  when  the  great  tire  burned  them  out. 
Soon  Mr.  John  M.  Millikin  purchased  another 
hay-yard,  on  the  corner  of  Seventh  and  T  streets, 
where  he  and  his  brother  did  the  largest  busi- 
ness in  that  line  in  the  city  during  the  three 
years  they  were  engaged  there.  Theodore  went 
east  and  brought  out  his  wife,  and  also  the  wife 
of  John  M.  The  latter  had  just  sold  out  his 
interest  in  this  business  on  account  of  failing 
health,  and  on  the  return   of    his    brother   they 


lUSTUUr    OF    SACRAMENTO    COUNTY. 


began  dealing  in  wheat,  barley,  flour,  and  also 
speculating,  etc.;  after  continuing  thus  on  J 
street,  between  Sixth  and  Seventh,  they  entered 
the  genera]  grocery  business  near  that  point  on 
the  same  street.  The  great  floods  of  1861-'62 
utterly  destroyed  their  stock;  but  with  charac- 
teristic pluck  they  renewed  their  supplies  and 
continued  trade  there.  John  M.  went  to  San 
Francisco  and  became  purchasing  agent,  not  only 
for  liis  own  house  but  also  for  others,  especially 
Adams,  McNeill  &  Co.,  and  Mr.  Elwell,  of 
Marysville.  During  that  period,  namely,,  about 
1867,  they  removed  their  business  to  the  corner 
of  Third  and  K  streets,  where  they  carried  on 
the  more  extensive  trade  in  their  line,  their 
sales  amounting  to  about  $750,000  a  year  for 
several  years.  Theodore  died  in  the  fall  of 
1874.  In  the  spring  of  1877  John  M.,  again 
on  account  of  failing  health,  sold  out  his  busi- 
ness to  Hall,  Luhrs  &  Co.,  and  retired  from 
mercantile  pursuits.  Hall  and  Luhrs  had  been 
in  business  in  his  employ  and  learned  the  trade 
of  him.  In  1883  he  engaged  as  manager  for 
several  companies  in  real  estate  and  insurance. 
The  insurance  companies  which  he  has  since 
represented  are  the  Sun,  the  Franklin,  Williams- 
burg, City  of  New  York,  State  and  the  American 
of  Boston.  In  tliis  line  he  is  now  conducting 
his  business  at  No.  1010  Fourth  street.  Mr. 
Millikin  has  been  one  of  the  principal  opei-ators 
in  mercantile  pursuits  in  the  city  of  Sacramento, 
has  made  immense  amounts  of  money  and  lost 
also  a  great  deal,  by  the  disasters  mentioned. 
He  lost  also  about  $40,000  in  the  experiment  of 
a  beet  sugar  manufactory,  and  $8,000  in  a  street 
railway  enterprise.  The  various  houses  with 
which  he  has  been  connected  have  always  had 
the  highest  reputation  for  fair  dealing  and 
prompt  fullillment  of  all  engagements.  Noth- 
ing was  ever  heard  against  them,  and  never  in 
the  whole  State  of  California  was  a  mercantile 
firm  of  higher  reputation.  Mr.  Millikin  has 
never  aspired  to  political  situations,  but  in  his 
principles  he  has  always  been  a  man  of  firm 
convictions.  He  was  a  Republican  at  a  period 
so  early  that  it  cost  something  to  be  one,  as  the 


few  who  had  the  nerve  to  espouse  the  cause  of 
liberty  were  known  only  as  "  Black  Republi- 
cans, thieves  and  niiscegenators."  He  was 
tiierefore  among  the  first  to  organize  the  Re- 
publican party  in  this  county,  along  with  the 
Crockers,  Stanford,  Hopkins,  Huntington,  Cole 
and  a  few  others.  As  to  religion  Mr.  Millikin 
is  a  member  of  the  Congregational  Church,  in 
which  body  he  is  a  trustee  of  the  property.  In 
the  spring  of  1856,  Mr.  Millikin  returned  to  his 
eastern  home  and  married  Sarah  A.  Leavitt,  a 
sister  of  his  friend  and  business  associate,  and 
daughter  of  Brackett  Leavitt,  a  farmer  of  Limer- 
ick, Maine.  They  have  three  sons  and  two 
daughters,  who  have  grown  up  a  credit  to  their 
parents.     Three  are  married. 


^-"^^ 


WILLIAM  O.  BOWERS.— The  hotel  par 
excellence  of  the  Capital  City  is  the 
"Golden  Eagle,"  corner  of  Seventh  and 
K  streets,  a  location  which  has  always  been 
prominent  in  the  annals  of  the  city,  and  indeed 
has  been  the  site  of  an  hotel  from  the  earliest 
period.  Here  in  1851  Dan  Callahan  erected 
his  frame  lodging-house  (which  he  had  pur- 
chased for  one  span  of  horses),  with  its  canvas 
"  annex,"  upon  the  flaps  of  which  the  jocose 
Wrightmire,  with  a  piece  of  charcoal,  drew  the 
flgure  of  an  eagle  with  outspread  wings  and 
serious  mien,  and  dubbed  the  place  the  "  Golden 
Eagle  Hotel,"  a  name  which  through  all  the  ups 
and  downs  of  pioneer  days  clung  to  it  with  the 
tenacity  of  a  happy  ihouglit;  but  it  remained 
for  the  present  proprietor  to  bring  it  up  to  the 
high  standard  of  excellence  for  which  it  is  so 
widely  known  to-day.  It  has  been  said  by  an 
eminent  authority  that  "hotel  men  are  born, 
not  made;"  and  certainly,  to  conduct  a  large 
liotel  successfully,  requires  both  social  and  busi- 
ness qualitications  of  the  highest  order.  That 
these  qualities  are  possessed  to  an  eminent  de- 
gree by  the  subject  of  this  biographical  men- 
tion is  shown  botli  by  his  past  record  and  by  the 
most  casual  visit  to  this,  the  leailin<r  flrst-class 


UISTOBT    OF    8AGBAMENT0    COUNTY. 


house  in  the  city.  It  contains  about  100  rooms 
anr]  acconunodates  comfortably  about 250  people; 
but  Mr.  Bowers  not  infrequently  finds  it  neces- 
sary to  secure  outside  room  accommodations  for 
his  guests,  who  have  upon  occasions  numbered 
as  high  as  1,000  in  a  single  day.  The  parlors, 
reading-room,  othce  and  di,iing-hall  are  all 
large,  light,  airy  and  commodious,  excellently 
kept,  and  superior  to  any  others  in  the  city, 
while  the  genial  proprietor,  with  a  bland  cour- 
tesy all  his  own,  gives  that  personal  attention  to 
his  guests  which  is  the  secret  of  his  success. 
Mr.  Bowers  was  born  April  26,  1888,  a  native 
of  the  State  of  New  Hampshire,  and  son  of 
Thomas  and  Betsey  (Conery)  Bowers.  His 
father  died  spine  years  ago,  but  his  mother  still 
survives  at  the  advanced  age  of  eighty-nine 
years,  in  the  full  enjoyment  of  her  mental  facul- 
ties, and  in  good  health.  The  earh'  years  of 
Mr.  Bowers'  life  were  passed  at  Nashua,  New 
Hampshire,  his  native  place,  where  he  received 
his  preliminary  education.  At  the  age  of  six- 
teen he  went  to  Northfield,  Vermont,  where  he 
entered  the  railroad  shops  of  the  Vermont  Cen- 
tral as  an  apprentice.  He  served  his  time  and 
then  went  to  Wilmington,  North  Carolina 
where  he  resided  and  engaged  in  railroading 
during  the  war,  and  after  those  troublesome 
times  were  over  he  was  commissioned  to  go 
abroad,  having  in  charge  the  supervision  of 
steamboat  work  in  Europe  for  over  a  year,  re- 
turning to  New  York  in  1867.  He  came  to  the 
Pacific  coast  and  entered  the  employ  of  the  South- 
ern Pacific  Railroad  Company  for  a  time,  and  then 
for  three  years  was  engaged  in  steamboating.  He 
returned  to  the  Southern  Pacific  Railroad  Com- 
pany and  continued  with  them  until  1878,  when, 
coming  to  Sacramento,  he  became  the  proprietor 
of  the  "  Union  House,"  Second  and  K  streets, 
where  his  extensive  acquaintance  and  business 
qualities  secured  him  a  fair  share  of  patronage. 
After  leaving  the  Southern  Pacific  Railroad  Com- 
pany he  purchased  a  one-half  interest  in  the 
Capital  Ale  Vaults  on  J  street,  between  Third 
and  Fourth  streets.  He  continued  the  business 
about  four  years,  when  he  became  proprietor  of 


the  "  Union  Hotel."  After  an  experience  of 
fiveyears  at  the  "  Union,"  he  rented  the  "Gold- 
en Eagle,"  securing  in  this  way  a  location  and 
accommodations  more  suited  to  his  abilities  as 
a  "Boniface."  Mr.  Bowers  belongs  to  the 
Masonic  fraternity,  being  a  member  of  Union 
Lodge,  No.  332,  of  Glasgow,  Scotland.  He  also 
belongs  to  the  order  of  Elks,  and  to  the  Sacra- 
mento Turn-Verein.  In  1859  he  was  united  in 
marriage  to  Miss  Eliza  E.  Kimball,  a  native  of 
Barton,  Vermont.  Here,  then,  in  brief  outline, 
we  have  the  history  of  one  of  the  self-Tuade  men 
of  the  Capital  City.  But  to  fully  appreciate  the 
qualities  of  head  and  heart  which  lie  at  the 
foundation  of  his  popularity,  one  must  become 
a  guest  at  the  "  Golden  Eagle." 


ILLIAM  ANDREW  FOUNTAIN, 
elder  brother  of  James  B.  Fountain,  and 
senior  member  of  the  business  firm  of 
Fountain  Bros.,  brick-makers,  is  the  oldest  liv- 
ing son  of  Joshua  Fountain,  a  native  of  the 
State  of  Delawai-e,  born  near  Milford  in  1811, 
and  Prudence  Rebecca  (Walton)  Fountain,  who 
emigrated  to  Beard's  Prairie,  Michigan,  in  1835, 
where  the  subject  of  this  biography  was  born  in 
March  of  the  following  year  (1836).  As  stated 
elsewhere  in  this  volume,  the  family  soon  re- 
moved to  Van  Buren  County,  Iowa,  where 
grandfather  Andrew  Fountain,  who  was  a 
farmer,  died  in  1844.  In  the  spring  of  1850, 
our  subject,  at  that  time  just  twenty-four  years 
of  age,  his  father,  his  uncle  Loyd  Rollins,  a 
daughter  of  the  latter,  and  three  young  men, 
made  up  a  party  to  cross  the  plains  overland  to 
the  "  land  of  golden  promise."  They  left  home 
on  the  9th  of  April,  crossed  the  Missouri  River 
at  Council  Bluffs  on  the  29th,  the  north  side  of 
the  Platte,  and  via  Fort  Hall,  arrived  safely  at 
Grass  Valley  on  the  15th  of  September  follow- 
ing. They  wintered  there,  and  in  the  spring  of 
1851  started  for  Gold  Lake  mining  district. 
Abandoning  that  project  they  mined  on  the 
Feather  River  during  that  summer,  at  Bidwell's 


HISTORT    OF    SACRAMENTO    COUNT T. 


Ear  and    at    Oregon    Gulch    until  November, 
1852,  when  our  subject  came  to  Sacramento  and 
worked  for  his  father,  who  had  started  a  brick- 
yard on  Eighth  and  O  streets.     (For  full  par- 
ticulars of  locations,  which  were  changed  from 
time  to  time  to  accommodate  the  advancing  re- 
quirements   of   a    growing   city,    see  sketch    of 
Joshua  Fountain,  the  pioneer  brick-maker).     In 
1859  Mr.  Fountain  started  business  on  his  own 
account,  taking  a  contract  to  make  brick  for  the 
building  of  the  Hesperian  College  at  Woodland. 
In  the  summer  of  1862  he  took  a  contract  to 
make  brick  for  the  wine-cellar,  residence  and 
other  buildings,   for    Mr.  Bell,   at    Gold    Hill, 
Placer  County,  and  in   1862  and   1863  had  a 
contract  for  constructing  a  portion  of  the  levee 
near  Freeport.     In  1863  and  1864  he  burned  a 
kiln  of  brick  at  Auburn,  and  also  made  the  brick 
for  the  court-house  and  jail  at  Woodland  that 
year.     In  1865  and   1866  he  bought  a  farm  ly- 
ing  between  Elk  Grove  and  Georgetown,  and 
was  engaged   in   farming  for  two  years,  but  in 
the  meantime  he  burned  a  kiln  of  brick  at  Elk 
Grove.      In    1867  the  present  firm   was  estab- 
lished.    (For  full  particulars  see  sketch  of  J.  B. 
Fountain).     Mr.  Fountain  has  always  taken  an 
active  interest  in  local  politics  since  the  organi- 
zation of  the  Republican  party,  to  which  he  be- 
longs, but  has  never  been  willing  to  accept  any' 
ofHcial  position.      He  is  a  member  of  the  Sixth 
Street  Methodist  Episcopal  Church,  and  has  had 
his  residence  on  the  corner  of  Fifteenth  and  P 
stieets  for  twenty-three  years.     In  1877  he  was 
associated  with  Hon.  John  Q.  Brown  in  street 
contracting,  cobbling  and  graveling  the  princi- 
pal streets,  and  they  continued  the  business  for 
several  years.     The  latter  gentleman  was  after- 
ward mayor  „f  the  city  for  six  years,  and  is  now 
president  of  tiie  San  Francisco  Board  of  Trade. 
July  28,   1859,   Mr.   Fountain   was  married    to 
Miss  Abbie  Louise  Brewster,  a  native  of  Massa- 
chusetts, the  daughter  of  Mr.  Charles  Brewster, 
a  florist.     She  was  a  devoted   Christian  woman. 
Her  death  occurred  September  13,  1879.     The 
family  consists  of  six  daughters,  viz.:  Henrietta, 
now    Mrs.    Charles    Lowell;     Clara,    now    Mrs. 


Charles  Hockell,  Grace,  Anne,  Lizzie  and  Abbie. 
In  1881  he  was  again  united  in  marriage  to 
Miss  Helen  Powers,  an  earnest  Christian  woman 
a  native  of  New  York  State.  Her  death  occurred 
April  23,  1888.  Of  their  private  affairs,  the 
home  life,  of  the  tender  interests  which  cluster 
around  the  family  altar,  it  is  not  our  province 
to  speak,  but  we  must  be  permitted  to  say  that 
the  influence  of  such  homes  are  far-reaching; 
the  influence  of  such  lives  will  ever  remain  a 
monument  to  endurinc 


tJ.   STEVENS,  deceased.      Thanksgiving 
day,  1889,  a  large  and  respectful  assem- 
bly of  the  citizens  of  Sacramento  and 
vicinity  were  present  on   the  plaza  to  witness 
the  unveiling  of  a  magnificent  monument  erected 
to  the  memory  of  this  truly  great  man,  who  had 
been  master  mechanic  at  the  Sacramento  rail- 
road  shops  for  many  years.     Like  many  others, 
he  was  greater  in  merit  than   in  notoriety.      In 
fact,  he  was  probably  a  greater  favorite  among 
the  employes  and    his  fellow    laborers  than  any 
noted  man  could  be.     The  signal  traits  of  his 
character  were  loyalty  to  his  calling  and   pro- 
found respect  for  the  man  who  achieves  by  vir- 
tue of  devotion  to  the  branch  of  labor  in  which 
he  is  engaged.     Himself  a  i)roliflc  inventor,  he 
was  the  counselor  and   kind   adviser  of  all  'the 
others  engaged  in  mechanical   research,  and   la- 
bored to  lighten  human  toil.      He  abhorred  the 
sluggard  and  the   idle  man.     By  his   life  and 
example    he    encouraged    every    toiler,    by    his 
genius  he  evolved  and  brought  to  the  forge  and 
bench  and    the  workshop,  the  appliance^   that 
most   augment   the   capacity  of   the  worker  to 
produce  without  increasing  the  burdens  of  his 
toil.     A  governor  over  thousands  of  men  for  a 
long  term  of  years,  he  commanded  from   all  of 
them  the  regard  that  true  worth  and  manliness 
always  receive.     While  it  was  his  duty  to  con- 
serve every  interest  of  his  employers,  he  never 
lost  sight  of  the  human  rights  of  the  nien  em- 
ployed.     He  held   the   balance  evenly   between 


HISTOHr    OF    SAOMAMBNTO    COUNT F. 


forces  sometimes  driven  to  antagonism  in  the 
fields  of  labor.  He  was  a  disciplinarian  with- 
out the  severity  of  the  exacting  master;  he  was 
a  master  without  the  austerity  of  the  mere  dis- 
ciplinarian. He  believed  that  men  are  more 
easily  led  than  driven,  and  that  they  respect 
the  authority  that  deserves  it.  All  his  princi- 
pals and  those  who  served  under  him  mingled 
their  mourning  in  common  over  his  remains, 
and  it  was  they  who  consistently  incurred  the 
expense  of  a  $5,000  monument  and  statue  sacred 
to  his  memory.  Mr.  Stevens  died  February  11, 
1888,  leaving  a  widow  in  this  city;  and  the 
Stevens  Statue  Association  was  organized  July 
11  following,  at  a  meeting  of  the  employes  of 
the  railroad  company  held  at  the  old  Pavilion. 
The  granite  work  of  the  monument  was  done  by 
the  Carlaw  Brothers  of  Sacramento;  the  stone 
was  from  the  (quarries  of  Fresno  and  Rocklin; 
the  statue,  of  bronze  and  nine  feet  high,  was 
designed  by  Albert  Weiner  of  San  Francisco.  At 
the  unveiling,  the  statue  was  presented  to  the 
city  by  E.  B.  Hussey,  president  of  the  associ- 
ation, and  was  accepted  by  Hon.  E.  J.  Gregory, 
Mayor,  in  behalf  of  the  city.  Nearly  all  the 
fi'aternal  orders  of  the  city  and  most  of  the  em- 
ployes of  the  railroad  company  turned  out  in 
grand  parade.  Addresses  were  delivered  by 
President  Hussey,  Hon.  Joseph  Steffens,  Mayor 
Gregory,  Governor  Waterman  and  William  H. 
Mills,  and  a  eulogy  was  read  which  had  been 
composed  for  the  occasion  by  Ralph  Turner. 


fE.  ALEXANDER.— One  of  the  best 
known  lawyers  who  have  practiced  at 
®  he  Sacramento  bar  is  the  gentleman 
with  whose  name  this  sketch  commences.  He 
is  a  native  of  Jackson,  Mississippi,  born  Feb- 
ruary 7,  1845.  His  mother,  whose  maiden 
name  was  Caroline  W.  Hiveley,  was  born  in 
Tennessee.  Benjamin  Franklin  Alexander,  his 
father,  was  a  native  of  South  Carolina,  who 
afterward  located  in  Mississippi.  He  was  a  car- 
penter by  trade.     In  18-19  he  started  to  Call 


fornia  via  Panama,  but  not  being  fortunate 
enough  to  secure  passage  on  a  steamer  on  the 
Pacific  side,  he  with  others  became  passengers 
on  an  old  sailing  vessel.  They  became  lost  on 
the  Pacific,  but  reached  San  Francisco,  eveit- 
ually,  in  1850,  after  a  terrible  experience  with 
hunger,  thirst  and  exposure.  Mr.  Alexander 
went  to  the  mines,  and  there  had  a  varied  ex- 
perience. He  followed  mining  in  Amador  and 
Calaveras  counties,  and  was  one  of  the  original 
owners  of  the  Woodhouse  quartz-mill,  at  West 
Point,  then  remote  from  civilization.  In  1853 
he  came  to  Sacramento  and  engaged  at  the  car- 
penter's trade,  aud  followed  contracting  in  that 
line  until  1875.  In  1883  he  removed  to  the 
vicinity  of  Menlo  Park,  where  he  has  an  orchard 
and  vineyard.  D.  E.  Alexander,  the  subject  of 
this  sketch,  came  to  California  in  1854  (with 
the  family)  to  join  his  father,  commencing  the 
journey  by  water  on  the  El  Dorado,  landing  at 
San  Francisco  from  the  steamer  California  on 
the  20th  of  September,  1854,  and  proceeding 
at  once  to  Sacramento.  He  received  his  edu- 
cation in  this  city,  and  was  gi-aduated  at  the 
Sacramento  high  school  in  the  class  of  1865. 
He  commenced  the  study  of  law  with  Morris 
M.  Estee,  and  continued  his  reading  with  Moore 
&  Alexander,  and  afterward,  with  Coffroth  & 
Spanlding.  On  the  5th  of  February  1866,  he 
was  admitted  to  practice  before  the  Supreme 
Court  of  California.  He  remained  in  Coffroth 
&  Spaulding's  office  for  several  months  after 
his  admission,  then  went  to  Nevada  City,  and 
opened  an  office.  After  four  or  five  months,  he 
returned  to  Sacramento,  and  has  resided  here 
ever  since,  his  practice  being  in  all  State  courts, 
and  in  United  States  land  cases,  and  before  the 
Interior  Department.  Mr.  Alexander^was  mar- 
ried at  Stockton,  to  Miss  Emma  Miller,  a  native 
of  Pennsylvania.  Her  father  died  in  Iowa;  her 
mother  is  a  resident  of  Sacramento.  Mr.  Alex- 
ander is  Past  Chief  Ranger  of  Sacramento 
Court,  A.  O.  F.,  and  is  Past  Grand  Represent- 
ative to  the  subsidiary  High  Court  of  the  United 
States.  He  is  a  Democrat  politically,  takes  an  act- 
ive part  in  the  party  organization,  and  has  done 


HISTORY     OF    SACUAMENTO    COUNTY. 


bis  share  of  service  on  the  city  central  committee. 
Mr.  Alexander  is  an  able  lawyer,  and  a  popnhir 
man  in  his  profession. 

'^■^■^ 

fUDGE  ROBERT  C.  CLARK,  deceased.  In 
the  chapter  of  this  work  devoted  to  the 
Bench  and  Bar  of  Sacramento  County,  many 
names  appear  whose  owners  have  achieved  dis- 
tinction and  even  National  reputation,  but  none 
more  honored  than  that  of  the  late  Judge  Rob- 
ert C.  Clark,  with  whose  name  this  sketch 
commences.  He  was  a  native  of  Kentucky, 
born  in  1821,  and  came  of  one  of  the  most  dis- 
tinguished families  in  the  Blue  Grass  State. 
His  father,  John  Clark,  was  among  the  most 
eminent  men  the  State  of  Kentucky  has  pro- 
duced. He  rose  to  the  front  rank  at  the  bar  of 
that  State,  and  as  a  member  of  the  Supreme 
Court  of  Kentucky,  rendered  decisions  in  some 
important  cases,  which  were  at  variance  with  the 
sentiment  of  a  large  proportion  of  the  people  of 
the  State.  He  was  right,  ho  a  ever,  and  when 
time  proved  the  wisdom  and  the  justice  of  his 
course,  he  was  as  freely  vindicated  as  he  had 
been  condemned,  and  the  people  of  the  great 
commonwealth  of  Kentucky  elected  him  as 
their  Goveinor,  the  last  position  of  public  honor 
and  trust  he  ever  held,  as  he  died  while  in  the 
chair.  He  had  also  represented  his  district  in 
the  national  Congress.  His  second  wife  was  a 
member  of  the  Washington  family,  to  which 
had  belonged  the  "  Father  of  his  Country."  Of 
such  stock  was  Judge  Clark,  of  Sacramento.  He 
was  educated  in  Ohio  and  in  Kentucky,  and  in 
the  latter  State  was  prepared  for  the  profession 
of  the  law.  He  went  to  St.  Louis  to  commence 
practice,  and  there  remained  until  coining  to  the 
Pacilic  coast.  In  1852  he  came  across  the  plains 
to  California,  and  located  in  Sacramento,  where 
he  soon  took  front  rank  as  a  lawyer.  In  the 
Lincoln- Douglas  canqiaign,  he  came  out  as  a 
Douglas  Democrat,  and  made  the  race  against 
Bob  Robinson  forjudge.  He  I'eceived  the  fa- 
vorable  verdict   of    the    people  at    the  en.suing 


election,  and  so  strongly  did  he  endear  himself 
to  the  people  of  the  county  by  his  legal  learn- 
ing, his  strong  sense  of  justice,  and  his  high 
character  for  integrity,  that  for  twenty  succ-es- 
sive  years  he  held  the  ofhce  of  judge  against  all 
comers,  and  at  the  time  of  his  death  had  yet 
two  years  to  serve  of  the  term  to  which  he  was 
elected.  He  was  married  in  Kentucky  to  Miss 
Mary  Wilcox,  a  native  of  northern  Ohio,  and  a 
sister  of  Mrs.  General  Sturgis,  of  the  United 
States  army.  She  preceded  him  in  death  by 
several  years.  Three  children  survive  them, 
viz.:  Lora,  wife  of  Charles  McCreary;  W.  C,  of 
San  Francisco,  now  the  head  of  the  Electric 
Light  Company,  and  Minnie  C.  Judge  Clark 
achieved  a  splendid  reputation  while  on  the 
bench,  as  well  as  making  a  record  which  has 
hardly  been  equaled  in  the  history  of  jurispru- 
dence in  this  country;  i.  e.,  in  twenty  years  he 
had  only  one  case  reversed  on  appeal  to  the 
Supreme  Court.  He  was  the  preceptor  of  many 
lawyers  who  afterward  made  distinguished 
names;  in  fact,  it  was  said  that  he  would  not 
take  a  young  man  into  his  office  who  did  not 
give  promise  of  making  a  successful  lawyer. 
Among  his  pupils  were  the  Hon.  M.  M.  Estee 
and  Henry  McCreary,  whose  early  death  shut 
out  a  career  which  gave  every  promise  of  a 
brilliant  future. 


-^^€ 


fOHN  KING  ALEXANDER  is  one  of  those 
who,  while  not  now  residents  of  Sacra- 
mento, still  have  iigured  prominently  as 
members  of  the  bar  in  the  past.  He  is  a 
brother  of  D.  E.  Alexander,  and  was  born  at 
Brandon,  Missouri,  October  10,  1839.  He  was 
educated  at  Sacramento  and  is  a  graduate  of  the 
High  School.  He  read  law  with  George  R. 
Moore,  and  a  year  after  his  admission  to  prac- 
tice in  the  Supreme  Court,  he  formed  a  partner- 
ship with  that  gentleman,  which  continued 
until  the  latter's  death  in  1868.  Some  years 
later  he  became  associated  with  John  W.  Arm- 
strung   (now    Superior  Judge),    and    afterward 


HISTORY    OF    SACRAMENTO    COUNTY. 


with  Add  C.  Hinkson.  This  partership  con- 
tinued for  three  years,  when  it  was  dissolved, 
and  Messrs.  Alexander  and  A.  C.  Freeman  were 
then  associated  until  1875,  wlien  Mr.  Alexander 
left  Sacramento.  While  here  he  held  the  office 
of  district  attorney  one  term.  He  removed 
to  Salinas  City,  where,  although  a  prominent 
Democrat,  he,  in  1879,  at  the  lirst  convention 
of  the  Eepnblican  party,  after  the  creation  of 
tlie  office  of  Superior  Judge,  received  the  nomi- 
nation of  the  party  for  that  high  position,  and 
was  subsequently  indorsed  by  the  Democratic 
convention  and  elected.  He  was  again  chosen 
at  tlie  next  election,  this  time  on  the  straight 
Democratic  ticket.  His  term  expires  in  1890- 
Judge  Alexander's  reputation  as  an  able  jurist 
is  among  the  best,  and  as  an  evidence  of  tliat 
fact  we  quote  from  a  decision  of  the  Supreme 
Court  of  this  State  in  the  case  of  People  vs. 
James,  which  was  tried  before  him  in  the  lower 
court,  reported  in  the  57th  California  Reports, 
page  130,  as  follows:  "The  last  point  in- 
volves the  correctness  of  the  charge  of  the  court, 
and  the  instructions  to  the  jury:  We  have 
examined  that  part  of  the  transcript  with  great 
care,  and  are  obliged  to  say,  in  justice  to  the 
learned  Judge  who  presided  at  the  trial,  that  the 
charge  to  the  jury  is  a  very  clear  and  able  state- 
ment of  the  law  of  homicide.  It  is  a  long 
charge,  completely  covering  all  the  points  of 
the  case,  and  is  in  our  opinion  entirely  correct." 

--^-^-^ 

fERBY  H.  CxiNTRELL,  a  rancher  of  San 
Joaquin  Tuwnsliip,  was  born  in  Ruther- 
ford County,  Tennessee,  April  30,  1818, 
the  son  of  Ota  and  Eleanor  (Cummins)  Can- 
trell,  natives  also  of  Tennessee,  who  moved  to 
Missouri,,  near  Kansas  City,  then  called  West- 
port,  in  1830,  and  there  followed  farming.  The 
father  died  there  in  1846,  aged  about  forty-six 
or  forty-seven  years,  and  the  mother  lived  there 
some  eighteen  years,  and  died  about  1867. 
They  had  three  sons  and  three  daughters,  three 
of  whom  grew  up.     Their  grandfather,  Stephen 


Cantrell,  served  in  the  Revolutionary  war,  and 
their  father  in  the  war  of  1812.  In  Stephen's 
family  were  four  sons  and  three  daughters, 
most  of  whom  remained  in  their  native  county, 
Stephen  and  Ota  being  the  only  ones  to  leave 
there.  Ota  Cantrell  went  to  Missouri  in  De- 
cember, 183-,  with  two  sons.  Shortly  afterward 
they  returned  to  Tennessee  on  horseback,  and 
next  spring  he  came  by  water,  bringing  the  re- 
mainder of  the  family.  Mr.  Cantrell  was 
brought  up  near  Kansas  City.  When  twelve 
years  of  age  he  helped  to  cut  the  first  brush  on 
the  site  of  that  town,  in  preparing  to  build  a 
cabin.  He  retnained  witli  his  mother  until  he 
was  twenty-five  years  of  age,  during  which 
time  he  made  two  trips  to  Mexico,  being  sent 
as  captain  of  wagon  trains  with  goods.  He  also 
made  one  trip  to  Omaha,  at  which  point  his 
uncle,  Richard  W.  Cummins,  was  Indian  agent. 
During  tlie  twenty-four  or  twenty-five  years 
residence  in  Missouri  he  made  frequent  trips 
into  what  is  now  Kansas.  Went  once  to  Coun- 
cil Grove  with  provisions  in  1848,  on  sleighs, 
passing  the  Shawnee  agency;  there  were  then 
no  settlements  in  that  region.  They  brought 
back  some  frozen  men.  In  1853,  leaving  their 
Missouri  home  on  April  20,  with  about  fifty 
head  of  cattle,  mules  and  horses,  two  wagons 
and  a  family  of  four  daughters,  they  came  to 
California  by  way  of  the  Platte  River,  Fort 
Kearney,  south  side  of  the  North  Platte,  Fort 
Laramie,  Sublette's  cut-off,  etc.  Mrs.  Cantrell 
was  sick  with  a  fever  for  a  month  during  the 
latter  part  of  the  journey.  After  arrival  here 
Mr.  Cantrell  purchased  a  squatter's  claim  to  a 
ranch  in  San  Joaquin  Township,  where  he  has 
ever  since  remained.  On  the  claim  there  was 
only  a  small  adobe  house.  Here  he  now  has 
about  800  acres  of  land,  where  he  prosecutes  a 
good  business  in  general  farming,  but  more 
especially  in  stock-raising,  having  some  fine 
horses,  cattle  and  mules.  Of  cattle  he  has  about 
250  head,  of  which  fifty  are  graded  stock. 
Thoroughbreds  he  thinks  are  better  left  to 
specialists.  He  has  also  made  some  money  in 
sheep.      In  this  direction  he  made  his  first  start 


HISTORY    OF    HAGRAMENTO    COUNTY. 


in  Mexican  sheep,  but  did  not  keep  them  long. 
The  largest  band  was  5,000  in  number.  But 
his  land  is  now  tOD  valuable  for  sheep-raising. 
Mr.  Cantrell  has  been  prominently  a  frontiers- 
man. When  he  first  came  here  wild  game  was 
plentiful, — antelope  and  deer  could  often  be 
seen.  He  is  a  member  of  the  Methodist  Church? 
although  brought  up  a  Presbyterian.  In  liis 
political  principles  he  is  a  Democrat.  He  is 
now  about  seventy  years  of  age,  but  he  can 
mount  a  horse  and  ride  off  apparently  as  actively 
as  ever.  His  home  is  a  beautiful  one,  located 
among  the  native-trees  on  the  Cosumnes  River- 
He  was  married  in  Jackson  County,  Missouri, 
January  11,  1844,  to  Miss  Hannah  Urby,  a 
native  of  Greene  County,  Tennessee.  She  died 
May  27,  1888.  and  her  loss  is  so  greatly  mourned 
by  her  husband  that  he  could  not  remain  on  the 
old  place,  but  made  frequent  trips  to  San  Fran- 
cisco and  Sacramento.  Of  his  six  children, 
four  are  living:  Lutetia,  born  September  4, 
1845,  and  is  now  the  wife  of  Nathan  Lipscomb; 
Ann  E.,  born  November  2,  1847,  married  Fred 
Frothingham,  and  died  March  4,  18 — ;  Sarah 
E.,  born  April  7,  1849;  Mary,  born  May  20, 
1851,  is  now  the  wife  of  Philip  Oppenheim; 
Henly  C,  born  January,  1855;  and  Addie  E., 
born  December,  1859,  died  August  14,  1867,  at 
the  ago  of  seven  years,  eight  months  and 
one  day. 

— ^.^;fg-!g)%.^3 

fOHN  H.  CARROLL  was  born  in  Lynn, 
Massachusetts,  November  17,  1825.  His 
parents,  John  and  Susan  (Grammer)  Car- 
roll, were  also  natives  of  Massachusetts,  and  of 
New  England  ancestry.  They  moved  to  Wo- 
burn,  in  that  State,  where  his  father  continued 
in  the  shoe  trade,  which  was  the  business  of  his 
life,  residing  there  for  forty  years.  His  parents 
came  to  California  in  1870,  celebrated  their 
golden  wedding  here  and  remained  during  the 
remainder  of  their  life-time  in  Sacramento.  Mr. 
Carroll,  when  a  youth,  was  duly  apprenticed  to 
tlie  slioe  trade,  and   in    time   moved   to  Albany, 


New  York,  where  he  had  an  extensive  patronage. 
On  the  25th  of  January,  1849,  he  started  for 
California,  by  way  of  Cape  Horn,  and  arrived  in 
San  Francisco  on  July  6th  of  the  same  year. 
For  a  time  he  mined  in  El  Dorado,  Placer  and 
Nevada  counties.  Coming  then  to  Sacramento, 
he  entered  the  grocery  business  on  J  street,  be- 
tween Second  and  Third,  the  tirm  being  Carroll, 
Scudder  &  Co.  for  some  years.  Afterward  he 
engaged  in  the  wheat  and  milling  business  in 
the  Bay  State  Mills  at  Folsom,  one  of  the 
earliest  and  largest  flour  mills  in  the  State, 
the  firm  being  Carroll,  Mowe  &  Co.,  which 
continued  until  1865,  when  the  mill  burned; 
but  they  went  on  with  the  wheat  trade  for  some 
years  longer,  when  Mr.  Mowe  died.  Then  Mr. 
Carroll  bought  the  Pioneer  Mills  in  Sacramento, 
and  conducted  them  for  a  number  of  years,  un- 
der the  firm  name  of  J.  H.  Carroll  &  Co.  He 
subsequently  admitted  H.  G.  Smith  as  partner, 
when  the  firm  name  was  changed  to  Carroll, 
Smith  &  Co.  Several  years  afterward  Mr.  Car- 
roll withdrew,  and  became  interested  in  the 
manufacture  of  California  wines  and  brandies, 
being  at  the  same  time  a  member  of  the  firm  of 
James  L  Felter  tt  Co.  He  organized  and 
owned  the  United  States  Special  Bonded  Ware- 
house No.  1.  He  succeeded  Governor  Stanford 
and  Edgar  Mills  as  Pi-esident  of  the  Pacific 
Mutual  Life  Insurance  Company.  In  1882  he 
established  the  Capital  Packing  Company,  one 
of  the  largest  fruit  canneries  on  the  coast,  with 
whiuh  he  was  iaentified  until  the  time  of  liis 
death,  Thanksgiving  Day,  November  24,  1887. 
He  was  married  in  New  York  city  in  1854  to 
Miss  Hester  H.  Winans,  a  native  of  that  city 
and  daughter  of  William  W.  Winans,  who  died 
in  January,  1889,  in  his  ninety-eighth  year. 
Of  Mr.  Carroll's  six  children,  five  are  living, 
namely:  Harry  W.,  Edgar  B.,  Flora  H.,  Minnie 
P.  and  Leila  W.,  a  daughter,  Katie  W.,  having 
been  lost  in  childhood.  Mr.  Carroll  was  a  mem- 
ber of  the  Society  of  California  Pioneers,  and  in 
1861-'62  was  president;  was  also  an  Exempt 
Fireman,  and  for  years  a  director  of  the  State 
Agricultural    Society.      In    religion   he  was  an 


A 


HISTORY    OF    SACRAMENTO    COUNTY. 


active  member  of  St.  Paul's  Episcopal  Church; 
in  politics  Republican;  was  one  of  the  trustees 
of  the  Marguerite  Home;  member  of  the  Sani- 
tary Commission  during  the  war;  member  of 
the  original  Sacramento  Light  Artillery  Com- 
pany, and  formerly  of  the  Hook  and  Ladder 
Company,  of  Sacramento.  Pie  was  public- 
spirited,  charitable  and  enterprising,  and  his 
name  and  inilupnce  were  a  material  factor  in 
the  history  and  prosperity  of  Sacramento. 


I^ARRY  AV.  CARROLL  was  born  in  Sacra- 
iffl  '^"^'■'to  city  September  4,  1858.  Li  1865 
^!S  he  entered  the  Union  Free  School,  went 
through  the  intermediate  grades,  thence  through 
the  Franklin  Grammar  School;  spent  two  years 
at  the  St.  Augustine  Military  Academy  at 
Benicia,  in  1873  -'75,  after  which  he  entered 
the  department  of  civil  engineering  (afterward 
changing  to  the  department  of  mining)  at  the 
University  of  California,  where  he  graduated 
with  the  degree  of  Ph.  B.  in  1880.  He  began 
mining  in  Nevada  County,  under  ground,  at  the 
Diamond  Creek  mine;  subsequently  took  charge 
of  the  Bugbey  Rancho  in  El  Dorado  County, 
transferred  his  services  to  the  Vina  ranch  in 
Tehama  County,  making  special  investigation 
in  viticulture  on  both  ranches,  resulting  in  his 
Itecoming  a  member  of  the  firm  of  H.  W.  Car- 
roll &  Co.,  at  Florin,  Sacramento  County,  in  the 
manufacture  of  wines  and  brandies  until  the 
destruction  of  the  cellar  aiid  distillery  by  fire 
in  1884;  tlience  until  1887  he  was  interested  in 
box-making  and  in  the  canning  business.  In 
November,  1886,  he  was  elected  Repiesentative 
to  the  State  Assembly  on  the  Republican  ticket, 
and  served  during  1887-'88;  was  Chairman  of 
theCommitteeon  Public  Building^and  Grounds, 
and  member  of  the  Committees  on  Municipal 
Corporations,  Education  and  Military  Affairs. 
At  the  close  of  the  session  he  resumed  his  busi- 
ness connections.  He  is  Past  Master  of  Con- 
cord Lodge,  No.  117,  F.  &  A.  M.,  and  member 
of  Sacramento  Chapter,  No.  3,  R.A.  M.;  Sacra- 


mento Council,  No.  1,  R.  &  S.  M.,  and 
mento  Conimandery,  No.  2,  K.  T.  In  1880,  at 
the  commencement  of  Governor  Perkins'  ad- 
ministration, he  was  appointed  Engineer  Officer 
of  the  Fourth  Brigade  N.  G.  C.  on  the  staff  of 
Brigadier  General  John  F.  Sheehan,  with  the 
rank  of  Major,  which  office  he  held  for  a  year 
and  a  half.  Kext  he  was  Brigade  Inspector, 
with  the  same  rank  on  the  staff  of  Brigadier 
General  Tozer  until  1883;  was  then  com- 
missioned Lieutenant-Colonel  and  Aid-de-Camp 
on  the  staff  of  Governor  Stoneman,  Commander- 
in-Chief,  and  in  1887  was  recommissioned  by 
Governor  Bartlett,  holding  the  same  position 
and  rank  until  the  Governor's  death.  His  com- 
mission continued  in  force  after  the  inauguration 
of  Governor  Waterman,  during  whose  adminis- 
tration he  was  placed  on  the  retired  list  N.  G. 
C.  Mr.  Carroll  is  an  ardent  Republican,  and 
thoroughly  identified  with  Sacramento,  its  wel- 
fare and  proi-perity. 


«HARLES  W.  ZIMMERMAN,  chief  engi- 
neer of  the  steamer  San  Joaquin  No.  4, 
was  born  in  Ross  County,  Ohio,  Novem- 
ber 10,  1835,  and  was  the  son  of  Aaron  and  Jane 
(?Noble)  Zimmerman.  His  mother  was  a  daugh- 
ter of  George  Noble,  who  was  a  native  of  Ken- 
tucky, and  at  the  age  of  eighteen  years  settled 
upon  a  piece  of  timber  land  in  Ohio.  In  his 
family  were  eleven  sons  and  eleven  daughters. 
Aaron  Zimmerman  removed  with  his  family  to 
Iowa  in  1845,  and  at  the  age  of  thirteen  years 
Charles  started  out  for  himself.  Going  to  Pe- 
oria County,  Illinois,  he  worked  on  a  farm  there 
until  1863,  when,  in  company  with  two  friends, 
— Charles  Boyle  and  John  Mooney, — he  went  to 
New  York,  and  March  11  set  sail  on  the  North- 
ern Light  for  the  land  of  golden  promise;  from 
the  Isthmus  he  came  on  the  Golden  Age,  Cap- 
tain Hudson,  and  on  the  6th  of  April  steamed 
through  the  Golden  Gate.  The  next  day  he 
landed  here  in  Sacramento,  joining  his  two  un- 
cles, Jesse  and  Andrew  Zimmerman,  the  former 


HI  STOUT    OF    SACltAMBNTO    COUXTT. 


the   Captain  of   the  Chindewan,  and  the  latter 
the  engineer,  plying    between  tliis  city  and  San 
Francisco.     July  5,  1863,  he  began   as  tireman 
on    the    steamer   Deliance  from  Sacramento  to 
Colusa,  continuing  three  years;  then  in  the  same 
capacity  he  went  np  on  the  snag-boat  liainbow, 
belonging  to  (he   California   Steam    Navigation 
Company,  Captain  Woodruff;    then    he  was  on 
the  steamer  Governor  Dana,   which  made  daily 
trips    to    Marysville,    under    Captain    Brewing 
ton.     Eighteen  months  afterward  he   went  on 
the  Goodman  Castle,  of  which  his  uncle,  Jesse 
Zimmerman,  was  the  captain,  and  then  on  the 
Banner,  and  next  on  the  Gem,  running  to  Chico, 
Tehama  and  Eed  Bluff,  and  then  on  the  Dover, 
Captain  Roger  Strickland.     In  1871  he  went  to 
work  in  the  railroad  shop;  and  seven  and  a  half 
months  afterward  he  returned  to  the  river,  going 
upon   the  Chindewan,  which    was   in   the  grain 
trade,  and  then  he  was  employed  again  upon  the 
Dover.      March  31,  1874,   he   was   engaged   by 
the    Sacramento    Transportation    Company,    as 
engineer  on  the  steamer  Verona,  in   which  po- 
sition he  continued  three  years.     The  San  Joa- 
quin Xo.  3  Leing  then  complete,  he  took  charge 
of  her  as  chief  engineer;   and  in  January,  1888, 
he  took  charge  of  the  San  Joaquin  No.  4,  which 
position    he    now    holds.     He  was    married   in 
1870    to    Catherine   Hoselton,  of  Ohio,  an  old 
schoolmate,  and  they  have  two  children,— Fairie 
May  and  George.    They  have  a  comfortable  and 
happy  home  on  K  street,  near  Sixteenth. 


fHRIS.  M.  ZEH,  deceased,  was  born  in  1852, 
in  January,  a  son  of  Godfrey  J.  Zeh,  and 
emigrated  to  America  in  1857.  After  a 
six-months  sojourn  in  New  York  city,  he  sailed, 
in  1858,  from  that  port  to  California,  byway  of 
tiie  Isthmus,  and  landed  in  Sacramento  after  a 
voyage  of  thirty-two  days.  He  purchased  from 
the  Government  a  quarter-section  of  good  land, 
fifteen  miles  northeast  of  Sacramento;  after  that 
he  bought  more,  until  he  reached  a  total  of  720 
acres.     All  the  improvements  upon  this  land  lie 


himself    made. 


leavi 


ng 


He  died  January  10,  1879 
wife  and  seven  children.  He  was  mar 
ried  in  1847  to  Miss  Johanna  Rolling,  in  Ger 
many.  Their  children,  eight  in  number,  are 
Fred;  Anna,  wife  of   William   Lewis,  deceased 

Chris.;    Louisa,  wife  of  Charles ;  Charles 

L.;  Edward  A.,  decer.sed;  Godfrey  N.  and  Jo 
hanna  R.  Four  of  these  are  natives  of  Cali 
fornia.  The  farm,  which  is  devoted  to  hay 
grain,  etc.,  is  finely  improved  and  well  stocked 
with  suitable  buildings.  This  family  are  ener- 
getic and  industrious,  and  are  such  citizens  as 
go  to  make  a  strong  State. 


tEOPOLD  ZOLLER._Araong  the  old-time 
residents  and  active  men  of  Sacramento  is 
Mr.  Zoller,  a  native  of  Baden,  now  in  the 
Empire  of  Germany.     He  was   born  July  14, 
1831,  and  his  boyhood  days   were  spent   in  his 
native    land.     In    1849,  in    company  with  his 
brother,  he  came   to    the  United  States,  landing 
at  New  York  after  a  voyage  of  thirty-four  days. 
After  a  short   visit  to  St.  Louis,  Missouri,  he 
embarked  on  the  steamer  Golden  Age  from  New 
York  city  and  came  by  the  Isthmus  of  Panama 
to  this  State.     His  first  job  was  in  the  butcher 
business  for  Frank  Keller  in  this  city;  but  he 
soon  went  to  the  diggings  at  Comptonville.    In 
October  he  returned  to   this  city  and  resumed 
his  old  position  until  March  28,  1858,  on  which 
day  he  was  married;    then,   until   October  28 
following  he  was  again  at   Comptonville.     Re- 
turning to  this  city  again  he  entered  into  busi- 
ness   for    himself,  on    the   northeast   corner  of 
Eighth  and  M  streets;  but  he  afterward  changed 
to  the  southwest  corner,  which  lie  lias  improved 
in  a  handsome  and   substantial   manner.     His 
market  has   become  one  of  the   land-marks  of 
that  portion  of  the  city.     He  has  been  success- 
ful in  accumulating  a  fair  share  of  this   world's 
goods,  and  is  interested  in  the  growth  of  Sacra- 
mento, being  proud   to  see   it  advance  from  a 
miners'  town  of  canvas  and  cheap  boards  to  the 
beautiful   and    substantial  city  it  now  is.      Mrs. 


HISTOHT    OF    SAOEAMENTO    COUNTT. 


Zoller'fe  maiden  name  was  Josephine  Neidecker. 
fc-Le  was  a  nati\e  of  Germany,  and  was  but  two 
years  of  age  when  she  was  brought  by  bar  par- 
ents to  ibis  country.  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Zoller  have 
six  children,  namely:  Charles,  William,  Henry, 
Leopold,  Amelia  and  Minna. 


fHRISTIAN  ZIMMERMAN,  deceased,  for- 
merly a  grocer  at  Twelfuh  and  E  streets, 
Sacramento,  was  l)orn  in  the  canton  of 
Berne,  Switzerland,  near  the  French  boundary 
line,  July  5,  1834,  a  son  of  John  and  Elizabeth 
(Bartche)  Zimmerman.  While  he  was  yet  a 
babe  his  parents  emigrated  with  him  to  Amer- 
ica, settling  in  what  is  now  called  Highland, 
Madison  County,  Illinois,  about  thirty  miles 
from  St.  Louis,  Missouri.  The  tirst  immigrants 
at  that  point  being  from  Switzerland,  it  was 
named  New  Helvetia,  from  the  ancient  Latin 
name  of  Switzerland.  This  family  was  a  pio- 
neer household  there.  Mr.  Zimmerman  kept 
a  hotel  there  known  by  his  name,  and  he  resided 
there  until  his  death,  from  Asiatic  cholera, 
August  6,  1849.  Young  Christian  continued 
in  charge  of  the  hotel,  keeping  the  family 
together  two  years  longer.  At  length  his  mother 
married  again  and  the  children  naturally  were 
scattered.  He  went  to  the  residence  of  John  Mot- 
tel,  of  whom  he  learned  the  blacksmith's  trade. 
At  the  age  of  nineteen  years  he  came  across  the 
plains,  with  Jerry  Decker,  in  a  train,  working 
his  way  and  receiving  $50  iti  cash  upon  his  ar- 
rival at  Donner  Lake,  where  the  party  stopped. 
He  soon  secured  a  claim,  which  he  named  the 
Town  Talk  Mines,  and  engaged  in  mining. 
Then,  after  a  short  residence  in  Virginia  City, 
he  came  to  Sacramento,  and  during  1861-'62 
he  followed  farming.  After  the  disastrous 
floods  of  the  latter  year,  he  was  employed  by 
William  Pritchard  in  Idaho  for  fifteen  years, 
and  then  in  Nevada  for  a  time,  where  he  was 
Mr.  Pritchard's  trusted  foreman  on  a  railroad 
contract.  May  7,  1875,  is  the  date  of  Mr.  Zim- 
merman's marriage  to  Miss  Annie   Krebs.      In 


August  following  he,  in  partnership  with  Mr. 
Pritchard,  engaged  in  a  carriage  factory  in  Sac- 
ramento, at  the  corner  of  Eighth  and  K  streets. 
Within  three  years  he  was  "dead  broke,"  and  for 
six  months  he  was  out  of  employment.  He 
then  raised  $600  on  a  life  insurance  policy,  upon 
which  he  kept  his  family  until  he  could  obtain 
a  start  again  in  business.  Borrowing  $1,500 
of  Wendall  Kerth,  Fred  Stotfer  becoming  his 
security,  and  borrowing  also  from  Jacob  Meister 
without  security,  he  built  and  stocked*  a  store 
at  the  corner  of  Twelfth  and  E  streets,  in  March, 
1879,  naming  it  the  Town  Talk  Grocery.  Here, 
within  two  years  he  bought  the  property  and  in 
four  years  had  it  all  free  from  incumbrance.  He 
had  good  health  until  about  seven  months  prior 
to  his  death,  which  occurred  March  9,  1889. 
He  was  a  man  of  sterling  integrity,  who  never 
forgot  his  promises  or  his  friends.  He  was 
prominent  in  several  fraternal  organizations,  as 
Eureka  Lodge,  No.  4,  I.  O.  0.  F.;  Elko  (Nevada) 
Lodge,  No.  5,  I'.  &  A.  M.;  Sacramento  Lodge, 
No.  40.  F.  &  A.  M.;  Chapter  No.  3,  Council 
No.  1,  Commandery  No.  2  and  Thirty-second 
degree  of  Scottish  Rite  Masonry. 


iHARLES  ZIMMERMAN,  proprietor  of 
the  New  Western  Hotel,  etc.,  Folsom,  was 
born  in  Germany,  August  14, 1842.  From 
1859  to  1866  he  worked  at  the  shoemaker's 
trade,  and  then  sailed  from  Havre  and  landed 
in  New  York  April  16.  Remained  in  that  city 
until  1869  when  he  went  to  Greenport,  Long 
Island,  where  he  was  employed  in  a  shoe  store 
a  year  and  four  months.  Returning  to  Brook- 
lyn, New  York,  he  started  a  shoe  shop  on  the 
corner  of  Fulton  and  Adelphia  streets,  and  ran 
it  until  1872.  In  August  of  this  year  he  came 
to  San  Francisco,  where  he  engaged  in  his  trade 
five  weeks;  then  he  and  another  gentleman 
came  to  Folsom,  rented  a  place  of  Dr.  Bates  for 
three  years,  opened  out  in  business,  and  at  the 
expiration  of  the  term  of  the  lease  Mr.  Zim- 
merman  l)Ought  the   property,  which  is  on  tiie 


HISTORY    OF    SACRAMENTO    COUNTY. 


corner  of  Sutter  and  Wool  streets;  it  has  ninety- 
five  feet  frontage.  At  the  time  of  the  purchase 
this  property  had  two  buildings  upon  it,  and  he 
paid  for  it  $2,100.  He  started  a  hotel  in  one 
building  and  carried  on  his  shop  in  the  other. 
He  borrowed  the  money  with  which  to  pay  for 
the  place,  and  paid  all  his  indebtedness  at  the 
end  of  four  years,  from  the  proceeds  of  his 
carefully  managed  business.  He  improved  the 
property  to  the  extent  of  $800;  but  August  13, 
1886,  the  great  lire  burned  him  out,  along  with 
a  large  portion  of  the  business  section  of  the 
city.  He  was  insured  for  $2,800,  with  which 
he  immediately  rebuilt,  at  a  cost  of  $7,000,  and 
now  the  city  of  Folsora  is  graced  with  the  New 
Western  Hotel,  one  of  the  leading  hotels  in  the 
county  and  one  that  would  be  a  credit  to  any 
city.  The  dimensions  of  the  main  building 
are  40x60  feet,  and  two  and  three-fourths 
stories  high.  On  one  side  of  the  main  building 
is  the  saloon,  on  the  corner,  and  on  the  other 
side  are  two  stores,  occupied  as  a  butcher  shop 
and  a  shoe  shop,  each  one  story  high.  Com- 
mencing here  without  anything,  Mr.  Zimmer- 
man has  proved  himself  to  be  a  successful 
business  man.  He  was  the  lirst  to  open  a  first- 
class  $1  a  day  house  in  Folsom,  while  in  the 
saloon  business  he  was  the  first  to  put  ihe  price 
of  beer  down  to  five  cents  a  glass.  In  this  he 
has  made  many  friends,  who  appreciate  what  he 
has  done  for  the  good  of  the  place.  He  was 
married  October  21,  1882,  to  Mrs.  Katerina 
Myer,  a  native  of  Germany,  and  at  that  time  a 


widow  with  three  children:  August,  Louisa  and 
Emma;  and  by  the  present  marriage  there  is 
one  daughter,  Barda  by  name. 


M.  HUBBARD,  father  of  Mrs.  Upson,  was 
a  native  of  Middleton,  Connecticut,  and 
was  the  son  of  a  sea-captain  and  ship- 
owner. Pie  was  married  to  Miss  Sarah  Buck- 
ley Wilcox,  a  native  of  Utica.  In  1850  he 
came  to  California,  and  soon  became  prominent 
through  his  great  business  abilities.  He  was 
an  early  Wells-Fargo  representative,  and  built 
the  first  telegraph  across  the  continent.  In 
connection  with  his  father,  he  built  the  first 
railroad  bridge  across  the  American  Eiver.  He 
had  charge  of  the  right  of  way  business  for 
the  Southern  Pacific  Eailroad  at  the  time  of  his 
death.  He  was  on  his  way  to  Merced  to  sell 
the  town  site  when  a  fall  occurred,  and  he  was 
seriously  injured.  He  was  brought  back  to 
Sacramento  on  Friday,  and  on  the  following 
Sunday,  which  was  February  11,  1871,  he  died. 
He  was  one  of  the  most  pushing,  energetic  men 
that  have  figured  in  the  history  of  Sacramento. 
He  was  one  of  the  early  chief  engineers  of  the 
fire  department,  and  during  flood  times  took 
charge  of  the  work  of  pumping  out  the  city. 
He  owned  the  homestead  where  Mr.  Upson  and 
family  now  reside,  and  commenced  its  improve- 
ment in  1856. 


HISTORY    OF    SACRAMENTO    COUNTY. 


ADDENDA 


Chap.  II. —  During  the  year  1889  a  move- 
ment was  inaugurated  by  the  Native  Sons  of  the 
Golden  West  to  preserve  wliat  I'emains  of  Sut- 
ter's Fort,  and  also  restore  the  original.  The 
site  of  the  fort  has  been  secured,  and  Colonel 
C.  F.  Crocker  has  addressed  a  letter  to  the 
mayor  of  Sacramento  (ft'ho  is  also  a  Native  Son), 
offering  a  guaranty  of  all  the  means  that  may 
be  necessary,  after  all  is  collected  that  other- 
wise can  be,  to  complete  the  work.  There  is 
no  doubt  that  this  most  interesting  historical 
land-mark  should  be  preserved. 

Chap.  VI. — General  A.  M.  Winn  arrived  in 
Sacramento  in  18i9.  He  was  born  in  Pennsyl- 
vania, April  12,  1810.  Arriving  at  a  mature 
age,  he  went  to  Zanesville,  Ohio,  where  he  was 
married.  About  1834  he  moved  with  his  fam- 
ily to  Vicksbnrg,  Mississippi.  His  family  came 
to  Sacramento  in  1850.  By  his  first  wife  he 
had  three  daughters  and  one  son.  Two  of  the 
daughters — Mrs.  E.  F.  Gillespie  and  Mrs.  Emily 
Hersberger  —  are  dead.  General  Winn  was 
chosen  councilman  at  the  iirst  city  election  in 
Sacramento,  in  July,  1849,  and  soon  afterward 
mayor.  Being  a  military  man,  he  was  ap- 
pointed Brigadier-General  in  California,  and 
was  placed  in  command  of  the  militia  to  quell 
the  Squatter  riots.  He  presided  at  the  Iirst 
meeting  of  Odd  Fellows  in  Sacramento,  which 
was  called  to  meet  at  his  office,  where  the 
Record-Union  building  now  stands,  and  was 
elected  president  of  the  Odd  Fellows'  Associa- 
tion. In  1855  he  was  president  of  the  Anti- 
Know-Nothing  Club.  In  company  with  others 
he  purchased  a  large  tract  of  land  north  of  the 
American  Kiver,  and  also  another  south  of  the 
city,  embracing  what  afterward  became  the  site 


of  Sutterville,  but  afterward  disposed  of  his  in- 
terest in  these  lands.  About  1860  he  removed 
to  San  Francisco,  and  subsequently  to  Sonoma 
County,  where  he  died,  August  26,  1883.  It 
was  while  he  was  in  San  Francisco  that,  as  he 
was  conducting  a  public  procession,  the  idea 
entered  his  mind  to  have  processions  also  of 
native  sons  of  the  Golden  State,  and  this  led  to 
his  establishment  of  the  present  vigorous  order, 
the  "  Native  Sons  of  the  Golden  West."  He 
had  lost  his  tirst  wife  in  1862,  and  in  Septem- 
ber, 1865,  he  married  the  widow  of  James 
King  of  William,  who  had  been  killed  during 
the  reign  of  the  San  Francisco  Vigilantes,  in 
1856. 

Chap.  VIII.— Dr.  A.  B.  Nixon,  State  Sena- 
tor in  1862-'63  (page  45),  died  at  Sacramento, 
November  2,  1889. 

William  B.  Hunt,  Assemblyman  in  1863-64 
(page  49),  died  in  San  Francisco,  November  13, 
1889. 

J.  R.  Watson,  Assemblyman  at  the  same  time, 
died  at  Sacramento.  September  11,  1889. 

L.  H.  Fassett  (see  sketch  page  675). 

Chap.  IX. — Henry  Meredith  was  born  in 
Virginia,  August  14,  1826;  graduated  at  Mis- 
souri State  University  at  Columbia;  returned 
to  Virginia,  studied  law,  and  in  the  spring  of 
1850  came  across  the  plains  to  California.  Be- 
ing seized  wit!i  cholera  on  the  route,  he  saved 
himself  by  his  own  heroic  efforts.  After  his 
ari-ival  here  he  followed  mining  for  awhile  with 
success.  In  1853  or  1854  he  commenced  prac- 
ticing law  in  Nevada,  and  rapidly  rose  to  the 
front  rank  of  his  profession ;  was  posted  specially 
in  mining  and  mining  laws,  and  therefore  ex- 
celled  in   prosecuting  mining  cases.      He  was  a 


HISTORY    OF    SACUAMENTO    COUNTY. 


807 


gentleman  of  many  noble  qualities,  exempt  from 
the  common  vices,  intellectual,  active,  industri- 
ous, honest,  etc. 

John  C.  Burch  (page  56),  a  native  of  Mis- 
souri, was  appointed,  in  1848,  private  secretary 
to  Governor  Edwards,  of  that  State.  Two  years 
later  he  arrived  in  California,  settling  in  Trinity 
County,  where  he  practiced  law  and  engaged  in 
politics.  He  was  District  Attorney,  Assembly- 
man and  Senator,  and  in  September,  1859,  with 
Charles  L.  Scott,  was  elected  to  Congress  on  the 
Democratic  ticket.  During  the  war  he  was  in 
favor  of  the  "■  Republic  of  the  Pacific,"  and 
thereby  obtained  the  name  of  "Cactus."  Later 
he  served  as  one  of  the  commissioners  to  codify 
the  laws  of  this  State,  and  afterward  practiced 
law  in  San  Francisco  until  his  death,  August 
31,  1885. 

Horace  Smith  was  shot  by  Captain  Johnson, 
in  the  fall  of  1863,  and  died  December  6  fol- 
lowing. The  members  of  the  bar  in  Virginia 
passed  resolutions  of  regard,  and  Tod  Robinson 
delivered  a  eulogy.  He  was  buried  in  Lone 
Mountain  Cemetery. 

Chap.  X. — Drager  and  Olsen  (page  71)  were 
executed  at  Placerville,  October  16,  1889. 

Chap.  XIIL— James  McClatchj  (page  87) 
was  indirectly  instrumental  in  saving  California 
from  the  vortex  of  the  Rebellion.  The  unex- 
pected arrival  of  Edwin  V.  Sumner  to  relieve 
Albert  Sidney  Johnston,  and  the  exposure  of 
their  plot  to  McClatchy,  were  reported  l?y  the 
latter  to  Abraham  Lincoln,  and  thus  led  to  a 
thwarting  of  the  schemes  of  the  rebels. 

Ferdinand  C.  Ewer  (referred  to  on  page  81) 
was  born  in  Nantucket,  Massachusetts,  May  22, 
1826;  graduated  at  Harvard  in  1848;  arrived 
in  California  in  September,  1849;  engaged  in 
journalism  and  literary  pursuits,  and  had  a 
position  in  the  custom-house  when  Latham  was 
Collector  of  tlie  port  of  San  Francisco.  One  of 
Ewer's  literary  speculations  was  the  publication 
of  the  Pioneer,  a  magazine.  Although  an  un- 
believer in  spiritualism,  he  published  an  article 
on  psyciiic  force  whicii  deceived  even  spiritual- 
ists into  the  belief  that  he  also  was  a  spiritual- 


ist. He  afterward  took  orders  in  the  Protestant 
Episcopal  Church,  and  went  to  New  York,  where 
he  was  rector  of  St.  Ignatius'  Church.  He  had 
a  sweet  voice,  ready  utterance,  and  an  aggress- 
ive manner.  In  his  ecclesiastical  views  he  ulti- 
mately became  "  High  Church."  He  died  in 
Montreal,  October  10, 1883,  leaving  a  widow  in 
San  Francisco. 

Chap.  XIY. — The  City  Board  of  Education 
for  1890  consists  of  W.  II.  Sherburn,  A.  J. 
Senatz,  Jerry  Payne,  Joseph  Hopley,  Richmond 
Davis,  A.  C.  Tufts,  H.  C.  Cliipman  and  O.  W. 
Erlewine. 

Albert  Hart  was  elected  Superintendent  of 
the  City  Schools,  December  2,  1889,  to  succeed 
M.  R.  Beard,  named  on  page  160. 


James  Queen,  a  native  of  Philadelphia,  came 
around  Cape  Horn  to  California,  arriving  April 
5,  1847.  Clerked  in  the  law  office  of  Winans 
&  Hyer  in  Sacramento  for  a  number  of  years, 
but  several  years  prior  to  his  death  he  took  up 
his  residence  in  San  Francisco.  In  1853,  in 
partneiship  with  Mr.  Pettit,  he  established  the 
first  brick-yard  at  Sutterville.  At  one  time  he 
was  a  councilman  of  Sacramento.  In  1859-'60 
he  was  president  of  the  Pioneer  Association; 
was  also  an  active  member  of  the  Sutter  Rifles, 
and  was  a  man  of  energy  and  business  capacity. 
He  died  at  Napa,  December  7,  1879,  at  the  age 
of  sixty-eight  years. 

Chap.  XlX.—JSratwnal  Banl-  of  D.  O.  Mills 
c§  Co. — Among  those  who  came  to  California 
in  1849  were  three  brothers:  James  Mills,  D.O. 
Mills  and  Edgar  Mills,  natives  of  New  York 
State.  James  Mills  died  soon  after  his  arrival 
here.  D.  O.  Mills,  having  had  some  banking 
experience  in  "Western  New  York,  began  gen- 
eral merchandising  iiere,  in  connection  with  his 
brother,  W.  O.  Mills,  who  remained  in  New 
York  city,  engaged  in  the  same  line;  but  very 
sooti  he  turned  his  attention  to.  banking,  and  a 
record  of  many  of  his  early  transactions  is  still 
to  be  seen  in  the  old  books  at  the  bank.  These 
original  entries  show  that  the  transition  from 
merchandising  to  banking  took  place  as  early 


EI8T0RT    OF    SACRAMENTO    COUNTY. 


as  1849,  although  banking  proper  was  not  fully 
and  formally  established  until  early  in  1850. 
There  is  still  preserved  in  the  office  also  a  bill 
of  exchange,  the  "third,"  dated  January  13, 
1851,  and  signed  "i).  O.  Mills  &  Co.,"  being 
one  of  a  set  of  three  bills  on  New  York  city 
sold  to  a  customer,  and  written  by  Mr.  Mills' 
own  hand;  and  probably  the  rate  was  three 
to  five  per  cent.,  as  was  customary  in  those 
days. 

Another  interesting  relic  in  the  bank  is  the 
old  clock  which  Mr.  Mills  set  up  originally 
here,  and  which,  though  it  has  passed  through 
one  of  the  great  conflagrations  of  the  city,  still 
bears  upon  its  face  the  magic  date,  "1850."  It 
will  therefore  be  seen  that  this  bank  is  the 
oldest  institution  of  the  kind  in  the  State  of 
California. 

The  bank  building  was  first  located  upon  the 
south  side  of  J  street,  between  Second  and 
Third,  about  sixty  feet  from  the  corner  of  Third. 
It  was  a  small,  one-story  frame  structure  with  a 
stone  front;  and  a  picture  of  this  front  was  for 
a  long  time  used  upon  the  checks  of  the  bank, 
— in  fact  as  late  as  1865.  in  which  year  the  in- 
stitution was  removed  to  its  present  location, 
the  southeast  corner  of  J  and  Second  streets. 

The  early  business  of  the  bank  consisted 
largely  in  selling  exchange  on  New  York  and 
buying  gold  dust.     The  deposits  were  not  large 


as  compared  with  those  in  the  Express  and 
other  companies;  but  one  after  another  of  those 
failed,  and  their  business  naturally  fell  to  this 
bank,  according  to  the  law  of  the  "survival  of 
the  fittest." 

In  1855  the  firm  consisted  of  D.  O.  Mills, 
under  the  title  of  "  D.  O.  Mills  &  Co."  That 
year  there  were  admitted  to  the  firm  as  equal 
partners,  Edgar  Mills  and  Heury  Miller.  This 
relation  continued  until  July  19,  1872,  when 
the  company  was  incorporated  under  the  title  of 
the  "  National  Gold  Bank  of  D.  O.  Mills  &  Co.' 
In  September,  1883,  by  a  general  law  of  Con- 
gress, the  word  "Gold"  was  dropped.  The 
present  proprietorship  is  essentially  the  same  as 
in  1855.     The  stockholders  and  officers  are: 

Shares. 

D.  O.  Mills 1,538 

Edgar  Mills,  President. 1,538 

S.  Prentiss  Smitli,  Vice-President 250 

Prank  Miller,  Cashier 351 

Charles  F.  Dillraan,  Assistant  Cashier 125 

Other  persons  own 1,198 

Capital  and  surplus,  $600,000.  In  the  bank 
there  is  also  a  chrome  steel  safe  deposit  vault, 
with  a  time  lock.  D.  O.  Mills  resides  in  New 
York  city. 

The  California  State  Bank,  northwest  corner 
of  Fourth  and  J;  the  People's  Bank,  on  the 
opposite  corner,  and  the  Sacramento  Bank,  Fifth 
and  J,  are  all  doing  a  good  business. 


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