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 40
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In taking up the personal history of William C. Conroy. we present to our readers the life of one who is widely and favorably known in California. IIe was nine years of age when his parents came to Auburn and in the public
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schools he pursued Ins education. He entered upon an independent business career as a baggage master and freight agent in the employ of the railroad and was thus engaged for thirteen years. In 1890 he was placed upon the Democratic ticket as a candidate for sheriff of the county, and the election returns showed he was triumphant in his race. He was three times elected and filled that important position with marked ability for eight years. He discharged his duties without fear or favor, performing his services in behalf of justice, and at all times winning the commendation of the law-abiding citizens. He was very successful in capturing and bringing to justice many high-handed and dangerous criminals and was the means of ridding the county of an element that long threatened the safety of life and property. While he was feared by men who have little regard for the law, he was, with the majority, a most popular and capable official. He now has in his possession a large and interesting collection of weapons and tools taken from criminals whom he arrested, indicating something of the desperate character of the crimes committed.
After his retirement from office Mr. Conroy purchased the hotel, remod- eled. refitted and refurnished it in the most modern style, making it one of the best houses in the county, a credit to the owner and to the city in which it is locate 1. He does everything in his power for the comfort and convenience of his guests and has a large and remunerative patronage. The building is eighty by one hundred feet in dimensions and contains forty-two sleeping rooms, a fine large office, a beautiful parlor and a comme lious dining-room which is supplied with all the delicacies of the season, rendering this a first- class hotel. In connection he also has mining interests and is widely recog- nized as one of Auburn's enterprising business men.
In 1880 Mr. Conroy was happily married to Miss Ella Peacock, of Eklor- ado county. They now have three children,-Walter, Grover and William. Mr. Conroy is a gentleman of social disposition and belongs to the Independ- ent Order of Odd Fellows,-in which he has also taken the Rebekah degree,- the Red Men, the Ancient Order of Foresters and the Independent Order of Foresters. He is also affiliated with the Native Sons of the Golden West. Mr. Conroy has made good use of his opportunities. He has prospered from vear to year, but has conducted all business matters carefully and successfully and in all his acts displays an aptitude for successful management. He has not permitted the accumulation of a handsome competence to affect in any way his actions toward those less successful than he, and he always has a cheerful word and pleasant smile for those with whom he comes in contact.
WILLIAM B. KEYES.
Willian Bingham Keyes is the name of a prominent pioneer settler of Wgel's Camp, Calaveras county, California, the owner of much valuable min- Hig property and one of the best known citizens of his section of country.
Mr. Keyes was born in Genesee county, New York, on January 25, 1828. and Scotch and German ancestry, who had made settlement in America long
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before the Revolutionary war. His father was Luman Keyes, a native of Massachusetts who had been a soldier in the war of 1812, and his mother was Nancy (Daily) Keyes, a native of Pennsylvania. The family removed to South Bend. Indiana, when our subject was but three years of age, in 1831, being pioneer settlers of that section. Nine children were born to Mr. and Mrs. Keyes, but at present there are but two survivors. At the age of eigh- ty-one years Mr. Keyes died, after a life of honest and persevering industry, but Mrs. Keyes had passed away in her seventy-sixth year.
William Keyes was reared on the farm in Indiana, working through the summers and going to school for three months in the winter until old enough to learn the carpenter's trade, at which he employed himself until the gold tever attacked him. He was in poor health and his physician favored his plan of journeying to California; hence, when Captain Elsworth, a friend of his father, sailed for San Francisco, with his small merchant vessel and twenty- six passengers, Mr. Keyes was one of them. The voyage was a long and tedious one, with no accident except the sad death of one of the passengers. Charles Green by name. Burial was made at sea and the vessel pursued her way, finally safely reaching her destination.
Mr. Keyes first went to San Francisco, thence to Hangtown, now Placer- ville, and began mining at Cedar river, toward the southern part of the state, using first a pan, and later a rocker. He met with very fair success which, in part, he ascribes to his perseverance. His partner became very homesick. so much so that he went to bed, but Mr. Keyes went to work and in less than an hour had a pan of dirt worth three dollars which he took within to show to his sick partner. In a short time he returned to the tent with a nugget worth $48, and this was all the spur needed, chasing away homesickness from the young man and causing him to go to work with as much interest as Mr. Keyes. Success attended them, the largest day's work of Mr. Keyes' being sixteen ounces of gold. After four months labor, they found themselves in possession of seven thousand dollars in gold.
Mr. Keyes has mined on Ranchero creek, in Amador county, and in 1856-57 he tried the reputed rich mining region of the Fraser river, but that proved a failure, and he returned to Sutter creek, Amador county, and engaged in a partnership with William Smith. They had there a rich claim, taking out from nine to ten ounces a day. From there he went to Walker river, which sec- tion was the scene of much excitement, in 1859, but his success here was indifferent and they started for Green River, and were turned back by the Indians, who chased them for four days, cutting them off from all provisions and water and for forty-eight hours they were without a mouthful to eat or drink. They made their way to Salt Lake and after a week's stay they pro- ceeded to Virginia City, Nevada. Here he was taken sick and returned to Sutter creek, and worked in the Eureka mine for Haywood for two years and then kept a hotel at Cold Springs on Amador road to Silver mountain, which was a failure and caused Mr. Keyes to lose all he had, and went from thence to Angel's Camp, in 1865, where he has since made his home, mining and work- ing at his trade.
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Mr. Keyes loode up a quartz and placer mining claim of twenty acres adjoining the towo. ma hine locality, built a fine residence on it with his own hands, planted trees and made improvements until he now has a most pleasant home in which to pass his declining years. He has constructed many of the houses and mills of the flourishing mining town of Angel's Camp and in 1866, in partnership with Mr. Louis MeGaffy, George King. O. B. Kelly, Dr. (). P. Southwell and Mr. Leeper, he locate 1 the famous Utica mine, selling it in 1884 to Lane and Company for ten thousand dollars. It has proved one of the finest mines in the state and much of the growth of Anel's Camp is due to this mine. Mr. Keyes then spent some time in Tulare county, where he had charge of a large tract of land upon which he put down the first test artesian well in that county. It was located on the line of Kern and Tulare counties and was six hundred and forty feet deep, with a flow of nine inches of water over an eight-inch pipe. Two years were spent here, and then he returned to AAngel's Camp, making, however, a trip through Oregon and Idaho, to see the country. He is one of the proprietors of the Eureka Consolidated Mining Company at Jennie Lind, who owns one hundred acres of quartz land, the owners being Keyes, Collins and Hoffman.
Mr. Keves was married January 23. 1867, to Miss Mary .A. Lindsey, a native of Boston, Massachusetts. She was a daughter of Thomas Lindsey, a pioneer who died at Angel's Camp at the age of seventy-five years, Mr. and Mrs. Keyes have one child, Eva, who is now the wife of James Barney. Since the organization of the Republican party he has been an ardent Republican, casting his first vote for AAbraham Lincoln, and stanchly upholding the prin- ciples of that organization. Honesty and integrity have marked the career of Mr. Keyes through life, and he considers the following of the Goklen Rule a sufficient moral law, free from creed.
JOHN B. LINN.
Is we look back over the life record of John B. Linn we note there are many elements in his character worthy of emulation, and from the time le came to California as one of its pioneers in 1852 until his death he ever meinte the high regard of those with whom he was associated. Ile was horn of Mansfield. Olio, on the 9th of August, 1825, and was of Scotch Ime: ge
Viadel In the discovery of gold in California, he made the long and indien fourdey across the lot and arid plains with oxen, and the company with slach or traded suffered both from smallpox and cholera; but he Was fiitaliate enough by e-cipe both. The train was a large one and there- Bre Ws :0 . ttecke I by the bands of hostile Indians who rendered life very mercure pr many of alle western pilgrims who journeyed toward the Mecca .Die hopes in Calcula. While on their way a man and his wife died, having his tea little girls, and Mr. Linh and his three companions brought the bttle ches to California and seepred for them homes in Placerville. This 1 ft one of the m'm nobeations that might be given of his kindness of
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heart and his broad human sympathy. He first engaged in mining at Placer- ville, but after a short time secured work at driving oxen used in hauling logs. After four years spent in California, in which his labors brought to him an excellent money return, he again went to the east by way of the water route to visit his friends and relatives there. During his stay he was happily married, on the 12th of April. 1857, to Miss Kate M. Park, a daugh- ter of William Park, of Ohio, who resided six miles from Tiffin. Two weeks after the wedding the young couple started for Caifornia. They made their way over the Atlantic waters, crossed the isthmus of Panama to the Pacific ocean and proceeded up the coast to San Francisco.
They then continued their journey to Jackson, Amador county, where Mr. Linn again engaged in mining, but soon after resumed his old occupa- tion of teaming with oxen, hauling logs to the sawmill. After four years his wife returned on a visit to her relatives in the east and remained there for two years, when she returned to her husband in California and they resided in San Francisco for some time. Subsequently they went to Napa valley and Mr. Linn aided in the erection of a large elevator at Vallejo, where he was also engaged in other important work. In 1876 he purchased his farm of one hundred and sixty acres about a mile from the town of Towle. He was for six years in the employ of the Towle Brothers hauling logs for them to the mills and was a most fortunate and capable man in the lumber business.
While residing in Amador county he creditably filled the office of county assessor. He had in youth been an advocate of the Democracy, but his love for his country caused him to vote for Abraham Lincoln when it seemed imminent that the country would become involved in civil war. From that time until his death he was found in the ranks of the Republican party, earnestly supporting its men and measures. He was also a valued memb r of the Independent Order of Odd Fellows. On the 9th of April, 1883. he departed this life and the community mourned the loss of one of its valued citizens and his family a faithful husband and father. He was widely and favorably known throughout the county and he left to his family the price- less heritage of a good name. He was survived by his widow and three children .- William E., Hattie H. and John Albert. The daughter is now the wife of Charles H. Decker. The younger son is in the employ of Tow'le Brothers Company, and is the tallest man in Placer county, being six feet, seven and one-half inches in height, his weight being two hundred and thirty- five pounds. The eldest son, William E. Linn, married Hattie M. Lee, a daughter of William Lee. a respected pioneer and neighbor of the Linn fam- ily. One child graces the marriage, Mable Clare. William E. Linn is operating the home farm, which is carried on under the direction of his and his mother's management. They have fourteen hundred winter-apple trees on the farm and have sold fruit to the value of three thousand dollars in a single season. They also raise other products on the farm, such as hay and vegetables, and even their sales of butter and eggs are extensive. This is one of the valuable farming properties of the county and is improved
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with a good perience and all modern conveniences and accessories. Will- tant Ex Lamiere a member of the Independent Order of Odd Fellows. His mother is a member of the Rebekah and Oriental Eastern Star lodges. The family is one of prommence in the community, enjoying a wide 'acquaintance among the Best people in this portion of the state.
JOHN F. KIDDER.
The era vi progress and development in the various sections of this great Western republic of ours has been almost invariably ushered in by railroad con- struction, and the vast network of glistening rails that trace their parallel course over mountains and plains and through the fertile valleys represent more than corporate enterprise and accomplishment, since the railroad has proved the want-courier of civilization and of that substantial and permanent improve- Mehit which has placed our national commonwealth upon a stable foundation. Railroading operations in the United States represent one of the most com- plex and yet one of the most perfect systems which it is possible to imagine. and in the various details are demanded men who are alive to the responsibili- ties placed upon them, and possessed of that mentality and technical knowledge which will enable them to discharge their duties effectively. The great rail- roading industry is one which retains many men of marked ability, and among those who have contributed in no small measure to the success of operations in these lines is the subject of this review, who has been active in connection with railroad building in the west and is now the general manager of the Nevada County Narrow Gauge Railroad, his home being in Grass Valley.
Mr. Kidder is a native of New York city, born July 2. 1830, and his father, Levi kidder, was born in Massachusetts and was an educator of considerable note in his early life. Later he engaged in business as a shipping merchant and during the year 1836, while visiting Charleston, South Carolina, with a cargo vi goods, he suffered a sunstroke which caused his death. His wife, who bore alle maiden name of Elvira Parker, was also a native of Massachusetts and a descendant of one of the old and influential families of New England, trac- wg their ancestry back in direct line to Theodore Parker. Iler death occurred 1 1893. John Flint Kidder, the elder of her two children, was reared in the oty of his birth. He acquired his preliminary education there, which was completed Is a collegiate course in Rensselaer University, in which he was graduated in 1847. having completed the civil-engineering course. He after- ward held the position of city engineer of Syracuse, New York, and was also the superintendent of streets for some years.
10 1860 Mr. Kidder came to the west. locating at Carson City, Nevada. whence he afterward remove I to Portland, Oregon, where he engineered and bult a portion of the Northern Pacific Railroad, making the survey and super- mit neling the construction of the line from Kalama, Washington, for a dis- tance of sixty miles He also located the Nevada County Narrow Gauge from Colfax Calforma, to Grass Valley, doing the work under contract. and in Sto was apjointed superintendent of the road, which was built and equipped
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at a cost of six hundred and forty-one thousand dollars. The road is twenty- three miles in length and was incorporated April 4, 1874. At the time the new charter went into effect the line was sold, Mr. Kidder becoming the pur- chaser, and at the present time he owns the greater part of the stock.
In his political views Mr. Kidder is a Republican and is very active and earnest in the support of the principles of the party. His labors have been effective in promoting the growth of the organization, and on the Republican ticket he was elected and served as a representative from Eldorado county in the state legislature in 1866. He has also held a number of important state offices by appointment of the governor, and in all these positions has discharged his duty in a most able and creditable manner. Socially he is connected with the Masonic Lodge of Syracuse, New York, and has taken the Royal Arch degree. He also belongs to the Ancient Order of United Workmen of Grass Valley.
In May. 1873. Mr. Kidder was united in marriage to Miss Sarah Clark, a lady of culture and refinement who presides most graciously over her hos- pitable home. She is a native of Iowa and a daughter of Joshua Clark, an Ore- gon pioneer. Mr. and Mrs. Kidder now have one child. Beatrice. Their resi- dence, which is conveniently located near the depot, is one of the finest in northern California. It was erected thirteen years ago at a cost of many thou- sand dollars. It is built in a pleasing style of architecture, is finished throughout in hard wood and supplied with all modern conveniences. It is both richly and tastefully furnished and contains many handsome pieces of old furniture, some of which have been in existence for one hundred and fifteen years. The large library is composed of rare and valuable works, as well as the more mod- ern volumes, and indicates the literary taste of the owner who therein spends many of his most pleasant hours. The grounds are beautifully adorned with shrubs and flowering plants and the home is one of the most attractive in this section of the state. Mr. Kidder is a man of the highest business integrity. of the utmost loyalty in matters of citizenship, and of a genial and social nature, manifesting in his relations with his fellow men those sterling charac- teristics which in every land and in every clime command respect.
FREDERICK A. EBEL.
Frederick A. Ebel is one of the quiet and unassuming, yet thoroughly trustworthy, residents of Sacramento, his time and energies being devoted to business without thought of winning fame or notoriety in political lines. It is a noticeable fact that different industries and occupations exert a wide and varying influence upon their followers, and Mr. Ebel gives his attention to a business which develops in man all that is best and noblest. He is a landscape gardener and the proprietor of the well known Park Nursery, which is located at the corner of Tenth and P streets, and his close association with nature has given him an appreciation of its beauties and its possibilities known to but few.
Frederick August Ebel was a native of Hamburg, Germany, born .April 30. 1845. His parents, Fritz and Christina Ebel, were both of German birth
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and are now focused, the father having passed away in 1865 and the mother 1 1870. Ile Was a gardener by occupation, and to that calling our subject was reared. He obtained his education in the schools of his native land and there resided until 1868, when he came to America, locating in Sacramento. Here he has male his home for more than thirty years. For six years after his arrival in the capital city he was in the employ of E. B. Crocker, and later was engaged as a gardener on the capital grounds. About 1874 he began business his own account, at his present location. and through cultivation and m- Hy vement he Has made the Park Nursery a garden of great beauty, nnexcelled In any in northern California. Ile carries a large and complete line of both mative and tropical plants of all kinds, and has studied so closely the needs of plant life that in his work he produces splendid results, both as to the coloring, planting and the hardiness of the plants which he cultivates. He not only sup- plies a large local trade but also filles orders from Nevada, and his shipments have been made as far east as Utah.
On the 14th of February, 1874. was celebrated the marriage of Mr. Ebel and Miss Dora Stehr, a lady of German birth who came to America in 1870. They now have three children .- Mark H .. Lucy D. and . August J. Mr. Ebel is unswerving in his advocacy of Republican principles, and socially he affiliates with the Order of Elks, the Ancient Order of United Workmen, the Grangers and the German Red Men of Sacramento. He has never sought public notice in any way but has always attended closely to his own affairs, quiet ii: mater : I modest in demeanor. Thus he has gained many friends, winning the respect and good will of all who know him.
DANIEL A. COOPER.
Daniel Ayres Cooper, who is now living a retired life at Sutter Creek and is numbered among the leading pioneer settlers of California in 1852. is a native of Denville. Morris county, New Jersey, born January 16, 1825, and is JE Hledland and French Huguenot ancestry, the families having been founded af Haverstraw. New York, at a very early day. Representatives of the name BEve been prominent it the events which form the history of the nation. The griloater. John Cooper. abd the neiternal grandfather, David Garrigus, were leelf Revolutionary su Miers, as was also Robert . Ayres, our subject's grovgrandfather, who. as minute men, participated in the struggle which Frangol independence to the nation.
David Cooper, the father of our subject, was born in Denville, New Jer- FEW alat carried Annie S. Ayres, Wo on the paternal side was of Scotch- Trek Imenge, wiele on the maternal side she represented the Garrigues family un Ugench Huguenot inege. M. and Mrs. Cooper were respectable farming people who spett their entire lives in Denville and in Franklin, New Jersey. Ho gown- being only two miles apart. The father attained the very advanced agendamelk seven years, nine months and twenty-two days, and his wife was cents Geht vens and six months old at the time of her demise. In their fam- Hy Mer sis saff ald six daughters, all of which reached the age of maturity,
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with one exception. The largest and apparently the strongest member of the family died in his eighteenth year. Four years before the death of David Cooper, an enumeration of his direct descendants showed that there were thirty- six grandchildren, forty-eight great-grandchildren and five great-great-grand- children. Thus he lived to see five generations of his name. Our subject now has in his possession a pamphlet history of the Cooper family in the United States showing that it is not only strong numerically but that many of its rep- resentatives have been prominent in professional, commercial and industrial life. David Cooper's longevity may undoubtedly be attributed to his temperate habits, for he never used liquor or tobacco in any form. He was an honest. industrious man, true to every manly principle and wherever he was known he commanded the respect of those with whom he came in contact.
Daniel Ayres Cooper, whose name introduces this review, the second in order of birth in his father's numerous family, was reared on the home farm, attended the common schools in his native town and the Union school in Franklin. In early life he learned the wheelwright trade and was engaged in the manufacture of wagons and carriages in Rockaway, New Jersey, until 1852, at which time he came to California, sailing around Cape Horn on the clipper ship Empire. It was a merchant vessel with about one hundred pas- sengers on board. Mr. Cooper's most intimate friend, Simeon Van Fleet, died on the voyage and was buried at sea. After rounding Cape Horn they encoun- tered a fearful storm, in which all of the rigging of the ship was carried away, and it was believed that every one on board would meet a watery grave ; but the stanch vessel at length came off victorious and in her wrecked condition, after much delay, reached San Francisco with all on board. Mr. Cooper went at once to Benicia, Solano county, where he worked at his trade for a month, after which he removed to Tuttletown, Tuolumne county, spending the winter at the placer mines. He met with ill success, however, in his mining ventures and in April he returned to Benicia, working for the Pacific Mail Company at the carpenter's trade for six dollars per day. He also did shop work at which he made eight dollars per day.
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