USA > California > A Volume of memoirs and genealogy of representative citizens of northern California, including biographies of many of those who have passed away > Part 33
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Socially Mr. Gillis is a member of Court Sutter. I. O. F., in which he has served as the chief ranger and also belongs to the Benevolent Protective Order of Elks and the Sacramento Athletic Club. In the community in
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which he is Yest known. the community in which he lives, he is most hon- ored and respected. . \ man of rare good judgment. of kindly dis- position, faithful to friends, loyal to principle and in all respects an exemplary citizen, his character embraces all the elements that insure busi- ness, political and social success and popularity.
GEORGE W. ORR.
The history of California has been one of romantic interest at an early period and of marked progress at a later date. In the latter epoch Mr. Orr has been a prominent factor in connection with the development of Glenn county and is now actively connected with the mercantile and political in- terests of the commimity, his home being in Willow, where he successfully conducts a well equipped store. The residents of California have come to the Pacific coast from the various states throughout the Union and Mr. Orr is one of the worthy citizens which Virginia furnished to this commonwealth.
Ile was born in Lee county, of the Old Dominion, on Christmas day in 1849, and is a son of John P. and Priscilla ( Winn) Orr. His paternal grandparents were David and Rosa Orr, who spent their entire lives in Vir- ginia, the former dying at the age of eighty years. John P. Orr was born in that state and became a very prominent farmer of Lee county, where he (lied at the age of seventy years. He married Priscilla Winn, also a native of Lee county, and her death occurred in 1893. at the age of sixty-five years. In their family were eleven children. eight of whom are yet living.
George Wesley Orr. the subject of this review, spent the days of his boyhood and youth in his parents' home, remaining in the state of his na- tivity till after he attained his majority. Owing to the unsettled condition of affairs caused by the Civil war, his educational privileges were somewhat limited. but by experience. reading and observation he became a well informed man. In September. 1872, he bade adieu to his native state and crossed the country to California, locating in what was then Colusa county, but is now Glenn county. After three years he removed to Arizona, where he engaged in dealing in stock for three years and then returned to Glenn county. where he carried on stock-raising for about ten years. On the expiration of that period he turned his attention to merchandising and has found in this line of endeavor a profitable source of income, for his store is well equipped with everything found in his line and his courteous treatment and honorable dealing have secured to him a liberal patronage.
On the 4th of May. 1882. occurred the marriage of Mr. Orr to Miss Alice Brockman, a native of Glenn county. They have many warm friends in the locality and their pleasant home is celebrated for its gracious hospi- tality. Mr. Orr cast his first presidential vote for Grover Cleveland in 1884. and has since been an earnest advocate of Democracy. While residing in Vir- ginia he served as deputy clerk of the county and since coming to the Goklen state has been an active factor in political circles in Willow. In 1898 he servel as the chairman of the county central committee and his lahors were
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most effective in promoting the interests of the party. He is a member of the Masonic fraternity, greatly esteemed by his brethren of the order, and is a genial gentleman, ot cordial disposition and courteous deportment who gains friends wherever he goes.
RICHMOND DAVIS.
One of the great forces that brings success in life is unyielding tenacity of purpose. Dash and audacity and superficial cleverness may create a stir for a time, but they achieve no lasting success. "He can toil terribly," is what an opponent said of Sir Walter Raleigh. That is trute of all success- ful men. They have simply gained their positions by diligence and thor- oughness. In America "labor is king," and the sovereignty that the liberty- loving people of this nation acknowledge is that of business. The men of influence in this enlightened age are the enterprising, progressive repre- sentatives of commerce and agriculture, and to such ones advancement and progress are due. Mr. Davis is one who has had the mental poise and calm judgment to successfully guide and control extensive business affairs and investments, and at the same time has had a keen appreciation of the ethics of commercial life, so that he has not only commanded the respect of his fellow men for his uprightness but also excited their admiration by his splendid abilities, which have gained him rank among the prosperous residents of Sacramento.
Richmond Davis was born in Cayuga county, New York, on the 3Ist of March, 1835, and is a son of John and Sarah Davis. The father was a native of the Empire State, and as a means of livelihood followed the occu- pation of farming. He died in Cayuga county, at the age of sixty years, and his wife, a native of New Jersey, passed away in the same county when eighty years of age. She was the mother of four children, two of whom are yet liv- ing. The representative of the family now prominently connected with the capital city of California was reared on the family homestead and early be- came familiar with the duties and labors that fall to the lot of the agriculturist. To the district school system he is indebted for the educational privileges which he received. He assisted his father in the work of the farm until he had attained his majority, when he emigrated westward to Michigan, and in 1848 purchased a farm in Calhoun county, near Battle Creek, that state. For four years he devoted his energies to agricultural pursuits there, and then sold his property preparatory to making an overland journey to California. With a party of twenty or more, he left Battle Creek and after a trip of six months' duration across the barren plains and rugged mount- ains reached Coloma, California, where he secured employment with a man who conducted a boarding house. Subsequently he came to Sacramento, then a small mining town giving little promise of the transformation which was to make it one of the most beautiful and attractive cities on the Pacific coast. In this locality he turned his attention to farming, which he carried on very extensively, as, with the passing years, he was enabled to
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purchase more land. . As the state became more thickly settled and the land values rose proportionately, he made judicious investments in real estate. and is now the owner of much valuable property, which ranks him among the capitalists of Sacramento.
JOHN AVER.
John Aver was born in Cornwall, England, November 17, 1855. and is a son of James Aver, who also was of English birth, and was a miner by occupation. With his family the father came to California in 1875, taking up his residence in Grass Valley, and in this locality he engaged in mining up to the time of his death, which occurred on the 23d of December. 1876. He married Susan Grubb, who also was a native of England and who yet survives her husband, her home being in Grass Valley. They had seven children, four of whom are living.
John Aver, the second in order of birth, spent the first twenty years of his life in the land of his nativity, and is indebted to its school system for the educational privileges which he received. With the family he came to America and entered the mines of California, being actively connected with that important industry on the Pacific coast until 1883, when he began dealing in wines and liquors, selling to the retail trade. He has, however, been interested in mining properties since his arrival here, and at the près- ent time he is a stockholder in the Unknown, St. John and other mines. Ile has resided in Grass Valley continuously with the exception of a few months in 1893, when he made a trip to the cast, visiting the World's Columbian Exposition in Chicago, and also crossed the Atlantic to Europe. spending many pleasant hours among the scenes and friends of his boyhood. In March, 1886, Mr. Aver was united in marriage to Miss Eliza .1. Shackelton, a native of Grass Valley and a daughter of Robert Shackel- ton, who was a native of Yorkshire, England, and came to California in 1850. Like many of the pioneers of the state, he first turned his attention to mining, but afterward devoted his energies to other pursuits. Ile is now living retired. Mr. and Mrs. Aver have three sons. James Il., Rodger and Albert C. The subject of this review belongs to Grass Valley Lodge, No. 12. 1. O. O. F., and has taken the encampment degrees of the order. He also belongs to the Independent Order of Foresters, and is a Republican in his political affiliations. He was naturalized in 1883, and has since exercised his right of franchise in support of the men and meas- ures of the "grand old party."
ALLEN McWAYNE.
The prosperity and welfare of every community depends upon its com- wercial and industrial activity. . \ worthy representative of the business weiterests of Drytown, Allen McWayne, is successfully engaged in merchan- dising and also fills the positions of postmaster and express agent. He is
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numbered among the worthy sons of California whom Ohio has furnished to the golden west, his birth having occurred in the city of Toledo, on the 4th of August, 1855. As his name indicates, the family is of Scotch origin. His grandtather came from Scotland to America at an early day, serving as a soldier in the war of 1812 and lived to the very advanced age of ninety- seven years. His son, U. McWayne, was born in New York and when a young man removed to Toledo, Ohio, where he made his home for some years. He became the owner and captain of a schooner on the lakes and throughout his entire life was connected with marine interests. He married Eliza Cheeney, a native of New York, whose people were prominent early settlers of the state of Michigan. Four children were born of their union. The father was a valued member of the blue lodge, chapter and commandery of the Masonic fraternity and exemplified in his life the ennobling principles of that craft. He died in 1888, at the age of sixty-six years, but his widow is still living and yet makes her home in Toledo, Ohio.
Allen McWayne, whose name introduces this review, was educated in his native city and there learned telegraphy, entering upon his business career in the capacity of a telegraph operator. He was first employed by the Lake Shore & Michigan Southern Railway; but, thinking that the west offered better opportunities, he came to Drytown, in 1876, and organized the mer- cantile firm of McWayne & Company, being associated with two partners. This relationship was maintained until 1890, at which time Mr. McWayne became the sole proprietor. He has since carried on a general store, being the leading merchant in the town. In 1892 a fire destroyed his property and he lost a large stock of goods, on which he had no insurance. With characteristic energy, however, he again opened a store, purchasing the stock of William Jennings, a grocery merchant, and now has a large and well appointed establishment. His brick block, forty by one hundred feet, is filled with a complete stock of general merchandise, and he enjoys a very extensive trade and the good will of his fellow citizens. He is careful in purchasing, keeping in mind the demands of the public; and his earnest desire to please, combined with his reasonable prices, has led to his success. He is also a stockholder in several valuable mining properties, including the Pocahontas mine, of which he is the superintendent and secretary. This is a very valuable enterprise, including a rich mine and a ten-stamp mill located on the main fissure of the great northern Mather lode, which crosses Amador county, and along it are located in this county about thirty mines and mills. The Pocahontas Company is capitalized for two hundred and fifty thousand dollars, the shares selling at a dollar each. Mr. McWayne also owns four hundred acres of land near Drytown, on which he is exten- sively engaged in raising stock. He owns his freight teams and hauls his goods from the railroad stations to his store. Recently two valuable mining claims in which he was interested have been sold at a good profit, thus bringing him a ready sum of money. His business career has been a prosperous onc, yet it has not been without reverses. Some time after the fire robbers entered the store, blew open the safe and took all the money
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he had; but he was not discouraged, his loss seeming to serve as an impetus for renewed effort. Ilis industry is indefatigable and his resolution most marked. He carries forward to successful completion whatever he under- takes, and his labors have been crowned with excellent financial returns. He has also been the postmaster of his town through the administration of both Presidents Cleveland and Mckinley, and is a representative of the express company.
In 1876 Mr. MeWayne was united in marriage to Miss Elizabeth J. Williams, of Archibald, Ohio, a daughter of Henry F. Williams, a respected pioneer of the Buckeye state. Their union has been blessed with two chil- dren : Earl C., who is now in college in San Francisco, studying electrical engineering and assaying; and Edna, who is a student in Stockton. On January 21. 1900, Mr. McWayne was called upon to mourn the loss of his wife, who died very suddenly in San Francisco. Mrs. McWayne was a member of the Methodist church and a lady of culture and refinement, occupying an enviable position in social circles.
In his political views Mr. McWayne is a pronounced Republican, unswerving in his advocacy of the principles of the party. He is a charter member of Amador Lodge. . \. O. C. W., and was made a Master Mason in 1882, in Drytown Lodge, No. 174: soon afterward he was elected to the office of secretary, and has since filled that position in a very credita- ble manner, having the confidence and respect of his brethren of the fra- ternity. He has made a good record in .Amador county, both as a business man and citizen. He has a wide acquaintance among the most prominent residents in this part of the state. His ability well fitted him for leader- ship in political, business and social life. The terms "progress" and "patri- otism" might be considered the keynote of his character, for throughout his career he has labored for the improvement of every kind of business or public interest with which he has been associated, and at all times he has been actuated by fidelity to his country and her welfare.
ELIAS C. PEART.
Mong the legitimate lines of business Mr. Peart has won creditable success and is to-day the leading merchant of Colusa. He was born at Cook Cove. Guysboro county. Nova Scotia, on the 9th of November, 1848. and is a son of John William and Philo Ann Y Cook) Peart. On the paternal side bis ancestry can be traced back to Godfrey Peart, who died on the 9th of November. 1868, at the age of seventy-nine years. Godfrey Peart. the grandfather. married Mary Ann Lavinia Cribbin, whose death occurred May 10, 1869, when she had reached the age of seventy-seven years. John W. Peart, the father of our subject, was born in Guysboro, Nova Scotia, on the 23d of May, 1817, and died August 20, 1886, at the age of sixty-nine years. He was a farmer and trader. His wife was born at Guysboro, in 1812, and died in Colnsa, California, June 16, 1895, at the age of eighty-three years. She was a daughter of Elias C. and Anne
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(Horton) Cook, the former born December 16, 1788, the latter April 23, 1794. The grandfather died August 28, 1870, at the age of eighty- two years, and his wife passed away December II, 1894, when more than one hundred years of age.
Elias Cook Peart attended the public schools during the winter season and throughout the remainder of the year assisted in the work of the home farm, taking a man's place from the age of thirteen years. In 1868 he emigrated to California, by way of the water route from New York and across the isthmus of Panama. He arrived in San Francisco the day before the great earthquake. In November of the same year he secured employment in a small store at Knight's Landing, where he remained until the spring of 1869, when he went to Grand Island, Colusa county, and since that time he has been a resident of the county which he regards as the most favora- ble spot in all the land. In this opinion he certainly cannot be far wrong, for nature has made this a very desirable location, with its rich farming country, well watered by good streams.
When Mr. Peart arrived in California he had a cash capital of only thirty dollars, nor did he depend upon influential friends to aid him. He enjoyed good health, was enterprising and possessed of resolute will and he stood upon his own merits. His first employer was Barney Roseberry, now of Woodland, California, and on leaving his service he entered the employ of J. H. Goodhue, formerly of Grand Island, but now deceased. After clerking for two or three years, Mr. Peart established a mercantile store at Leesville and entered upon a prosperous career at that place, but a disastrous fire swept his business entirely away. After paying all his debts in full he had only a linen duster besides the necessary clothing. With determined spirit, however, he established a business in Colusa on bor- rowed capital, but found the expense attached to an incorporated town too great for one in his limited circumstances. Accordingly he returned to Leesville, where he erected a store building and dwelling, but in about two years he sold his business and real estate to Dr. J. H. Clark, for his health was failing him through overwork.
Hoping to be benefited thereby, Mr. Peart went on a sea voyage to New York and thence along the coast to Nova Scotia. He crossed the bay of Fundy several times, but the experience was not a pleasant one and he says he has no wish to make the trip again. After returning to Cali- fornia he assumed the management of a general mercantile store at Grimes, California, owned by the Grangers' Corporation Company. In about a year he purchased the enterprise and successfully conducted it in connec- tion with branch stores in Arbuckle and Colusa. He was also at one time identified with the store in Maxwell, but has recently disposed of much of the mercantile business, although he is still conducting the leading estab- lishment in his line in Colusa. He has at the same time given some atten- tion to farming and grain dealing. The word discouragement seems to find no place in his business vocabulary, and by continued effort and by
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closely following the golden rule he has won a very handsome competence of which he is well deserving.
Mr. Peart was united in marriage December 11. 1872, to Miss Clara H. Graham, a daughter of Edwin R. and Asenath L. ( Stanton ) Graham. Her grandparents were James and Sarah ( Stickney) Graham. The for- mer was born and reared near Fort Patrick, Scotland, and died in Ilam- ilton county, Ohio. By occupation he was a school-teacher. His wife was born in Concord, Massachusetts, and died in Illinois. Edwin R. Graham, their son, was born in Ilamilton county, Ohio, on the 19th of June, 1827. and devoted his energies to agricultural pursuits throughout his business career and died on the 4th of November. 1896, in Colusa county. Cali- fornia. His wife was born April 5. 1834. in Chardon, Geauga county, Ohio, and was a daughter of Joseph and Clarissa (Griffin) Stanton. His father, John Stanton, was of Welsh lineage, as was his wife. Joseph Stan- ton was born in Madison county, New York, July 16, 1772, and was a machinist by trade. He served in the war of 1812, under the command of Captain Leroy Brown, of New York, and his death occurred in Illinois, at the age of sixty-four years. His wife was born in Middletown, Middle- sex county, Connecticut. September 10. 1829, and died in Colusa county, California, November 4. 1881. Her parents were Samuel and Anne ( Whea- ton ) Griffin, the former a native of England and the latter of Connecticut. Unto Mr. and Mrs. Peart have been born the following children: Emma C., Cora G. and Eulah M.
Mr. Peart gives his political support to the Democracy, but is not a bitter partisan, much preferring to deposit his ballot for a good Republican than a man of his own party who is not worthy of the public trust. He has always declined to accept public office himself, except that he has served as postmaster. Ile has established the post-office at Leesville and filled the position there until he resigned. He also established the post-office at Grimes, Colusa county, and there filled the office of postmaster until he handed in his resignation. He is now, by appointment of the state, a direc- tor in agricultural district No. 44, which district he organized. Socially he is connected with the Order of Friends, and his wife and children are members of the Christian church. Through a long period Mr. Peart has been identified with the development of Colusa county, and his name there- fore is inseparably interwoven with its history. The wonderful upbuilding of the golden state is due to such men,-men of enterprise, sagacity, sound judgment and rare discrimination, whose methods are practical and whose plans are comprehensive and far-reaching.
GEORGE FISHIER.
George Fisher, of Drytown, dates his residence in California from 1851. The Teutonic race has been a wonderful factor in the civilization of the workl. sending its representatives into England when that land was in a half barbaric condition. into Denmark and to some extent into the
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countries .to the south; and at a later date many of the people belonging to that race crossed the Atlantic to America, forming an important ele- ment in our civilization. Each year brings new arrivals from the Father- land, and among those who came in the nineteenth century is George Fisher, who for many years has been numbered among the honored citizens of northern California,-a man whose active and upright life has won him the respect of all. He arrived in this state at a time when the population was mostly made up of miners, many of whom were men of good business ability and of upright character who had come here in search of fortune. Intermingled with these, however, there was a large lawless element whose purpose in seeking the west was an unworthy one, deeds of crime and violence were frequent and it required the energetic and prompt effort of such citizens as Mr. Fisher to maintain order and establish justice.
Mr. Fisher was born in Wurtemberg, Germany, on the 28th of Janu- ary, 1819. His father, Joseph Fisher, left that land for the United States, accompanied by his wife and seven sons; but Mrs. Fisher died in Holland before their embarkation and the father's death occurred in New York city, in his fifty-fifth year. All of the sons have now passed away with the excep- tion of him whose name introduces this review. From his sixth to his eleventh year he attended school in his native land and then came to the United States, after which he further pursued his studies in the night schools of New York city. His father caused him to learn the barber's trade, but it was so distasteful to him that he never followed it to any extent. He was for a time employed as a drayman, hauling goods for an iron manufactory in New York city.
Subsequently he entered the employ of Mr. Bell, a prominent ship- builder, who secured him a position as fireman on board a ship bound for California. Off the coast of Brazil they encountered severe storms, the vessel leaked badly, was condemned and returned to New York. After being repaired she started out on another voyage, but Mr. Fisher refused to go, as he deemed the craft unseaworthy. She was again stopped at Rio Janeiro and abandoned on account of her unsafe condition. Mr. Fisher next shipped on the Cherokee, bound for Panama, expecting on his arrival to secure a pass across the isthmus; but the other firemen were all ill and in consequence he again returned to New York. After reaching that har- bor, the Cherokee was sold to a company making a voyage to New Orleans. At that time a new ship was being completed for a California voyage and Mr. Fisher was introduced to the chief engineer, by whom he was employed as fireman. When the vessel was ready to start five hundred men were anxious to get a chance to work their passage in order to reach the Pacific coast. He received thirty dollars per month during the early part of the voyage and after leaving Panama he was paid seventy-five dollars per month. He had previously been married but had lost his wife, who died leaving two children. They remained in New York, while the father came to California. One daughter, Frances, is now the wife of Thomas Miller, of Rochester, in that state.
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