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 98
Note: The text from this book was generated using artificial intelligence so there may be some errors. The full pages can be found on Archive.org (link on the Part 1 page).
Part 1 | Part 2 | Part 3 | Part 4 | Part 5 | Part 6 | Part 7 | Part 8 | Part 9 | Part 10 | Part 11 | Part 12 | Part 13 | Part 14 | Part 15 | Part 16 | Part 17 | Part 18 | Part 19 | Part 20 | Part 21 | Part 22 | Part 23 | Part 24 | Part 25 | Part 26 | Part 27 | Part 28 | Part 29 | Part 30 | Part 31 | Part 32 | Part 33 | Part 34 | Part 35 | Part 36 | Part 37 | Part 38 | Part 39 | Part 40 | Part 41 | Part 42 | Part 43 | Part 44 | Part 45 | Part 46 | Part 47 | Part 48 | Part 49 | Part 50 | Part 51 | Part 52 | Part 53 | Part 54 | Part 55 | Part 56 | Part 57 | Part 58 | Part 59 | Part 60 | Part 61 | Part 62 | Part 63 | Part 64 | Part 65 | Part 66 | Part 67 | Part 68 | Part 69 | Part 70 | Part 71 | Part 72 | Part 73 | Part 74 | Part 75 | Part 76 | Part 77 | Part 78 | Part 79 | Part 80 | Part 81 | Part 82 | Part 83 | Part 84 | Part 85 | Part 86 | Part 87 | Part 88 | Part 89 | Part 90 | Part 91 | Part 92 | Part 93 | Part 94 | Part 95 | Part 96 | Part 97 | Part 98 | Part 99 | Part 100 | Part 101 | Part 102 | Part 103 | Part 104
Ichabod Sherman was the maternal grandfather of our subject. He
779
OF NORTHERN CALIFORNIA.
was born May 13, 1764, and wedded Mary Wrightington, by whoin he had the following children : Henry, Mary, Eunice, Patience, Susan and Nancy. The following ancestral history of the Wrightingtons has been secured. Rob- ert Wrightington, son of Robert and Margaret ( Ward) Wrightington, was married, in 1723, to Abigail Tew, and was one of the early settlers of Dart- mouth, Massachusetts, where he purchased the land at the head of the Achushnet, including the land on which the village of the same name was built. Their son Henry was born September 9, 1728, and his wife's name was Mary. They were the great-grandparents of Mr. Shepherd. Their children were George, Mary, Abigail, Patience and Anna. The father of this family enlisted in the Continental army as a member of a company from Dartmouth, in Colonel French's regiment, General Sullivan's brigade, and went into camp at Winter Hill March 13, 1776, the year in which American inde- pendence was declared,-an independence that was maintained by force of arms through an eight-years war and has resulted in the establishment of the greatest republic on the face of the globe.
Now taking up the history of the family to which our subject belonged, we note that his father, David Shepherd, was born July 15, 1790, in Dart- mouth, Massachusetts, and died April 30, 1857, in New Bedford, Massachu- setts. He was a master mariner and sailed many years from the port of New Bedford. During the war of 1812 he was captured by the enemy and held as a prisoner of war in Dartmouth prison, England, until peace was restored. He wedded Mary Eunice Sherman, who was born January 26, 1797. They were the parents of seven children, of whom Fred A. was the third in order of birth. An uncle of our subject, William C. Brown, who married Eliza H. Shepherd, was a master mariner and died in De Verde Islands, while master of the schooner California.
Fred A. Shepherd also followed the sea for many years, shipping before the mast at a very early age. However, he resolved to abandon "a life on the ocean wave" for inland pursuits, and landed at San Pedro, California, hav- ing made the trip "around the Horn" in the bark Eureka, from Boston. He came at once to Sacramento, and resided in the vicinity of Mormon Island, where he was engaged in mining until 1869. In that year he took up his abode in the city of Sacramento, and in 1873 was elected city assessor by the largest majority ever given any candidate for any office for many years in Sacramento. He acceptably filled the position for five consecutive termis, discharging his duties with marked ability. After serving for ten years in that office he became deputy county assessor under James Lansing, and also served under John T. Griffiths in the same office. He was deputy tax collector dur- ing Sheriff Drew's last term and was registry clerk in the county clerk's office when the last two great registers were made. He knows more about lands of this county. the values thereof and the improvements that have been made thereon than any other man in the county. His official duties have brought him a wide acquaintance and his sterling qualities have gained him the friend- ship of many and the respect of all with whom he has been brought in contact.
On the 19th of April, 1865, Mr. Shepherd married Mrs. Lucy .\. Ontten,
780
REPRESENTATIVE CITIZENS
ncc Cantlin, who was born in Worcester, Massachusetts, January 14, 1848. By her former marriage she had two children: Nellie M., who was born in Mormon Island, California, April 27. 1856, and is now the wife of Gen- eral Charles N. Post, assistant attorney general ; and John M., who was born at Mormon Island September 1, 1861, and assumed the name of Shepherd. Unto our subject and his wife have been born the following children: Susie S., who was born in Natoma Valley, California, June 11, 1866, was mar- ried, in 1887, to John B. Lewis, and died September 9, 1886; George F., born in Sacramento August 2, 1874. was married, September 2, 1896, to Minnie Flint : Eunice the youngest, was born in Sacramento December 28, 1880. The mother of this family was called to her final rest April 19, 1896. Early in the evening of that day she went to the depot to meet her daughter Eunice, who was returning from Wheatland, and while at the station was taken ill. She was at once brought to her home in a carriage, but soon passed away. the cause of her death being heart disease. She was a most estimable woman, a devoted wife and mother and the news of her demise was received with sorrow wherever she was known. Mr. Shepherd is regarded as one of the leading citizens of Sacramento, and is a social, genial gentleman who has many friends. In manner he is frank and outspoken, deceit being utterly foreign to his nature. A contemporary writer has said : "He has fewer enemies than any other man who has held office for so many years in Sacramento. His official career has ever been marked by the utmost fidelity to duty, and over the record of his life there falls no shadow of wrong or suspicion of evil.
JOHN MANUEL.
John Manuel, who for a number of years was one of the most prominent business men of Murphy, was born in England, in 1836, and died at his home in California November 19. 1898. The intervening period of sixty-two years covered a life record that was at all times honorable and upright and worthy the high regard of those who knew Mr. Manuel. He was sixteen years of age when he left the land of his birth and emigrated to the new world. He spent the three succeeding years in New York and thence came to California, arriving in this state in 1855. He was a young man of nineteen years, full of energy, courage, ambition and determination. He engaged in mining at Douglas Flat and Central Hill, and was the owner of a large hydraulic mine at the former place, operating it most successfully and taking out a large amount of the precious metal. In 1877 he abandoned mining and turned his attention to lumbering, purchasing a saw-mill eight miles above Murphy. His business grew in volume and importance and he increased the capacity of the mill until now twenty thousand feet of lumber constitutes the daily output. In 1878 he established a lumber yard at Murphy where he had a large local demand, supplying the miners throughout this locality and for a considerable distance through the surrounding country. He conducted a profitable and constantly growing business, winning that prosperity which is over the reward of carefully directed effort.
781
OF NORTHERN CALIFORNIA.
Mr. Manuel was married, in 1856, to Miss Mary Willems, a native of Wisconsin, who came to California when fifteen years of age. They had twelve children, eight of whom are living, namely: Frances, now the wife of William H. Matteson; M. Henry: Ella, at home: John: Roy: Emma; Mizpah ; and Joseph. The mother of this family passed away in 1894. She was a member of the Congregational church, a consistent Christian woman, and faithful wife and loving mother, and was highly respected throughout the community in which she resided. For his second wife Mr. Manuel chose Miss Mary Malspina, who yet survives him. Mr. Manuel was a prominent member of the Masonic fraternity and of the Independent Order of Odd Fel- lows. On questions of national importance he was a Democrat. but was a liberal-minded man, who in local matters was not bound by partisan ties, con- sidering only the qualification of the candidate and his fitness for public office. He was regarded as one of the most reliable and successful business men of his county, and as a result of his well-directed efforts he was enabled to leave to his family a valuable property. They now have a fine residence in Stock- ton and also a good home in Murphy. The children have incorporated the business under the title of the Manuel Estate and the eldest son, Henry, is president and manager of the company.
Henry Manuel was born in Murphy on the 15th of November, 1871. He acquired his literary education in the public schools and was graduated at Heald's Business College, in San Francisco, with the class of 1890. On the 13th of December, 1895, he wedded Miss Laura Jones, a native daughter of Calaveras county. He belongs to the Masonic order, having been raised to the sublime degree of a Master Mason in Ophir Lodge, No. 33. F. & A. M., of Murphy, in 1892, when he was just twenty-one years of age. He is now one of the prominent representatives of the craft in Calaveras county and is serving as treasurer of his lodge. He has followed in the political footsteps of his father, voting for the men and measures of the Democracy on questions of state and national importance, but at local elections casting his vote regard- less of party ties. The Manuel family is widely and favorably known through- out this portion of California and the eldest son occupies a very creditable position in business circles, fully sustaining the untarnished name of the father.
ABRAHAM BRISTOL.
.As a representative of a class of pioneers who have been the buildlers of a great commonwealth we present Captain Abraham Bristol, of Lincoln. He has the honor of being numbered among the California pioneers of 1849. his memory serving as a link between the primitive past with its mining camps and the progressive present with its thriving towns and cities having all of the improvements and accessories known to the older civilization of the east. The Captain was born in St. Lawrence county, New York, on the 27th of June. 1824. On crossing the Atlantic his ancestors, natives of England. located in the Empire state. His father. Levi S. Bristol, married Miss Olive
782
REPRESENTATIVE CITIZENS
Day. They were both natives of St. Lawrence county and removed to Oswego, New York, where the father engaged in taking and executing contracts on city works. In 1839 he removed west to Chicago, finding there a small town which had been incorporated only two years previous. From that point he made his way into the country, securing a tract of government land in Du Page county and transforming it into richly cultivated fields. There he resided until his death, which occurred in the sixty-fifth year of his age, his wife surviving him for four years. On their removal to Illinois they were accompanied by their five daughters and two sons.
Through the summer months Captain Bristol, during his boyhood, might have been found in his father's fields, assisting in the work of plowing, plant- ing and harvesting. In the winter season he attended the public schools of the neighborhood. On beginning to earn his own livelihood he worked as a farm hand, being thus employed until 1849, when lured by the discovery of gold in California he crossed the plains with a company of young men from Will and Du Page counties. They started with thirteen wagons drawn by oxen and took with them provisions for a year. They made a safe and suc- cessful, though tedious, journey, being for one hundred and twelve days upon the way. They came by way of Carson valley to Placerville, which was then known by the less romantic but more suggestive name of Hangtown. Cap- tain Bristol began mining in the gulches and obtained plenty of gold. On one occasion he secured a nugget worth one hundred dollars. His company, consisting of five members, secured an average yield of gold to the value of twenty dollars each day. In 1853 he returned to his home in the east, by way of the isthmus, for his brother had died in the meantime and he felt that it was his duty to be near his parents and care for them in their declining years. After remaining at home for about two years he engaged in steamboating on the Mississippi river in the employ of the Chicago & Northwestern Railroad Company, and had command of a vessel for many years. In that way he earned his title of captain.
While in Illinois he was married to Miss Carrie Hugnin, and two chil- dren were born to them in that state: Herbert, who is now operating a gold dredge at the Calaveras river, and a daughter. In 1875 Mr. Bristol returned to California, where, two years later, he was joined by his son. In 1883 he sent for his wife and daughter, but the daughter's health was poor and they remained in the east. where both died.
Captain Bristol has been in the employ of the Pottery Company since the establishment of its works at Lincoln, and for fourteen years acted in the capacity of stationary engineer and he is still one of the trusted and valued employes of the firm. As one of the brave California pioneers who crossed the plains in 1849 he certainly deserves representation in this volume. He engaged in hauling lumber for the Marshall saw-mill from Coloma to Hang- town. The lumber sold for four hundred dollars a thousand feet and was manufactured into gold washers, at a cost of sixty-five dollars each. People who now reside in California can form little conception of what the roads were in that day, making teaming very difficult. Everything else was in a
---
783
OF NORTHERN CALIFORNIA.
primitive condition. Mining camps, consisting mostly of tents or rude shanties, were scattered over the state, but there were no churches or schools, commercial or industrial enterprises of any importance and the miners who came from the east in seach of gold laid the foundations of a commonwealth that is now second to none in the Union, and is recognized as a leader in many branches of industrial activity.
LEONARD REMLER.
The German-American citizens of California have a worthy representative in the subject of this sketch, Leonard Remler, a prominent merchant and min- ing man of Forest Hill. He was born in Germany April 5. 1839, son of Adam and Julia ( Hiesor) Remler, both natives of Germany. His mother died there when he was seven years old and shortly afterward, in 1846, with his father, three brothers and two sisters, he came to the United States, set- tling in St. Louis, Missouri, where two of his brothers had located two years previous to that time and were engaged in the manufacture of boots and shoes. The father died in 1872, at the age of seventy-two years. In Germany he had filled the office of justice of the peace for a number of years, and his religious faith was that of the Lutheran church.
Much of Leonard Remler's boyhood was passed in Illinois, where he received a good education in the public schools. With his brothers he spent some time and in their establishment learned the trade of shoemaker, which business he followed in Illinois until 1859, when he crossed the plains to Cali- fornia. The Sheppard train, which started across the plains shortly in advance of the party with which he traveled, were attacked by the Indians and mas- sacred. Learning of this Mr. Remler and his party armed themselves well and kept on their guard. They, however, were not molested by the red men and after four months of tiresome travel landed in safety in the "Golden state." Arrived in Placerville. Eldorado county, Mr. Remler had in his pocket just five dollars, and with this for capital, combined with pluck and energy. he began a career which has proved a most successful one. He first went to Fiddleton, where he began work at his trade, having entire charge of a shop and doing all the work, at a salary of five dollars per day. Afterward he worked at his trade at Volcano and Todd's Valley, and he was also for a time employed in the butchering business by J. W. Dickinson. At North Star Ranch he started a shoe shop on his own account, which he conducted for three years or until 1864. when he came to Forest Hill and established him- self in his present business, beginning on a small scale and from the first meeting with deserved success. In 1867 he began to handle ready-made boots and shoes: in 1870 he added a stock of dry goods and gent's furnishing go xls, and in 1878 he included in his store other lines, thus making it a general mer- chandise establishment where everything needed in the town and surrounding country can be found. In the meantime he had purchased the building in which his business was located, and in 1887 he met with heavy loss by fire. He had some insurance, however, and immediately after the fire set to work,
784
REPRESENTATIVE CITIZENS
with his characteristic enterprise, to rebuild. His present store is thirty by ninety feet, with basement, and he also has a large warehouse in which he keeps a full supply of stock. Throughout his long career as a merchant Mr. Remler has also been interested in mining enterprises. At present his principal mine is the Homestake, which has produced a great deal of gold. He has furnished 10 small amount of money for the development of various other mines, thus showing his enterprise and his public spirit and proving himself one of Forest Hill's leading business factors. Farming has also received a portion of his investment and attention.
Mr. Remler owns one of the best residences in Forest Hill, which he and his family occupy. He was married, at Michigan Bluff, California, in 1868, to Miss Lizzie Fredtag, a native of Germany, and they have five chil- dren, namely : Minnie, Leonard C., Nellie, Maude and Walter. Leonard C. is his father's assistant in the store. Fraternally, Mr. Remler is identified with both the Chosen Friends and the Independent Order of Odd Fellows. He has been a member of the latter organization for a period of thirty-six years, having been initiated into its mysteries in 1864. and he has passed all the chairs in both branches and has represented his lodge in the grand lodge of the state. Politically, he has always supported the Republican party.
PHILETUS V. SIGGINS.
This is a utilitarian age, in which man devotes his energies to business affairs, and the leading citizens of a community are now those who promote commercial and industrial activity. Engaged in general merchandising in Roseville, Mr. Siggins is now a well known and highly esteemed representa- tive of commercial interests in northern California. His life history began , on the 13th of March, 1835. and the place of his birth was in Warren county, Pennsylvania. In his career he has manifested many of the sterling char- acteristics inherited from his Irish and Scotch ancestry. His father purchased a farm of five hundred acres in Warren county, Pennsylvania, where he and two of his brothers located and reared their families of from thirteen to fif- teen children. Representatives of the name are now quite numerous in the east and some of them are also found in the western states. They were prominent early settlers of Warren county and took an active part in the development of that portion of the country. The father of our subject was a lumberman, following that business in order to gain a livelihood. Of the Methodist church he was an active and leading member and his Christian belief was manifest in his daily conduct, in his business associations and in his rela- tions with his fellow men. He married Miss Margaret Kinnear, a daughter of Henry Kinnear. a prominent merchant. Through four generations the Kinnears were connected with mercantile affairs in the county, and on both the paternal and maternal sides the mother was a member of large and influ- ential families. Her father owned much valuable property in Warren county and in public affairs was a man of prominence. Unto the parents of our subject were born thirteen children and seven of the number still survive.
-------
785
OF NORTHERN CALIFORNIA.
The father lived to be seventy years of age, while the mother passed away at the age of seventy-five.
Mr. Siggins of this review is the only one of the family in California. In his native county he obtained his education and received his business train- ing under his father's direction, working in the lumber yard in Pennsylvania until his emigration to California in 1879. He came over the Central Pacific Railroad, and from San Francisco made his way directly to Roseville, where he has now resided for a quarter of a century. He was first engaged in the stock and meat business and for a time was in partnership with William Saw- tell in merchandising, but during the past four years he has conducted a store of his own. He is a careful business man who earnestly desires to please his customers, is courteous in his treatment and fair in his dealings. Thus he enjoys the good will of the public and has gained a liberal patronage.
In 1857 occurred the marriage of Mr. Siggins and Miss Elizabeth Fletcher, a native of Jamestown, New York. Their union was blessed with one son, Lewis Fletcher, now a resident of Sacramento. The mother died during the early boyhood of her son, and in 1860 our subject wedded Miss Mary Wilson, a native of Pennsylvania. They came to California together and through the years of their residence here she has been to him a faith- ful companion and helpmate. They now reside in a pleasant home in Rose- ville and enjoy the esteem of neighbors and friends, while the hospitality of the best homes in the community is extended to them. In political sentiment Mr. Siggins is a Republican, but has never been an aspirant for office, prefer- ring to give his time and energies to his business affairs. The qualities which insure success are his and in his career he has shown himself worthy of the confidence and support of the public.
JAMES T. CURREY.
.A debt of gratitude that can never be repaid is due to the pioneers of any country. In the midst of an advanced civilization the people of to-day cannot realize what was endured by those who reclaimed this country from its primi- tive condition. They met nature in her wild mood and though her resources were boundless it required great effort to utilize them and make them yield good return for labor. Mr. Currey is one of those who crossed the plains with oxen, making the long journey across the hot stretches of sand and over moun- tains in order to secure a home on the Pacific coast. Here he found mining camps situated in the midst of a land that had hitherto been the domain of the Indians and the haunts of wild beasts. Few of the comforts of civilization had been introduced, but the better element among those who came to search for gold succeeded in laying the foundations of a commonwealth which now stands second to none of the sister states of this great Union.
Mr. Currey is a native of Kentucky, his birth having occurred in Jefferson county, on the 28th of December, 1826. His father, Edward Currey, was a native of England or Ireland, and during his childhood accompanied his parents when they crossed the broad Atlantic to the new world, taking up their abode
786
REPRESENTATIVE CITIZENS
in Pennsylvania. When he was four years of age they removed to Jefferson county, Kentucky, where he was reared to manhood and there he married Miss Elizabeth Smith, a daughter of Philip Smith. Both the paternal and maternal grandfathers of our subject were heroes of the Revolutionary war who val- iantly aided in acquiring the independence of the colonies. The latter was of German descent and his daughter, Mrs. Currey, was born in the state of Penn- sylvania. The father of our subject and his two brothers were soldiers in the war of 1812. He lived to be seventy-one years of age, but his wife passed away at the age of fifty-two. They were members of the Presbyterian church and their lives were in harmony with their professions. The father held the office of postmaster for many years and was a gentleman of sterling worth, always true and faithful to the trust reposed in him. At the battle of New Orleans he had sustained a wound which crippled him for the remainder of his life.
James Thomas Currey was one of a family of thirteen children, but as far as he now knows he is the only survivor. He was the twelfth in order of birth and was reared to manhood in Kentucky. At the age of twenty-seven years he started upon the long and tedious journey to California, his wagon drawn by oxen whose slow gait made the trip an almost interminable one. However he finally arrived at his destination and engaged in mining at Rat- tlesnake Bar on the American river. being quite successful in his operations. He took out eighteen hundred dollars in a single day and continued to mine there for three or four years. Later, however, he invested considerable of his savings in other mining ventures which proved unprofitable. Be it said to his honor, however, that he neither gambled nor drank in those days when such practices were common among the miners, and wherever he was he commanded the respect and confidence of all with whom he was associated. For a time he was employed on a ranch and later began working on the Old Bear river ditch, remaining with the company for twenty-nine years, a fact which indi- cates in an unmistakable manner his capable service and his fidelity to duty. He has charge of the water in this vicinity, acts as collector for the company and is one of its most reliable and trustworthy employes.
Need help finding more records? Try our genealogical records directory which has more than 1 million sources to help you more easily locate the available records.