A memorial and biographical history of northern California, illustrated. Containing a history of this important section of the Pacific coast from the earliest period of its occupancy...and biographical mention of many of its most eminent pioneers and also of prominent citizens of today, Part 92

Author: Lewis Publishing Company. cn
Publication date: 1891
Publisher: Chicago : The Lewis publishing company
Number of Pages: 1000

USA > California > A memorial and biographical history of northern California, illustrated. Containing a history of this important section of the Pacific coast from the earliest period of its occupancy...and biographical mention of many of its most eminent pioneers and also of prominent citizens of today > Part 92

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and freight $800, was worth in San Francisco on board ship $40,000!

An incident is here worthy of relating. Among the goods brought to the coast by Mr. Tufts were ten casks of so-called brandy, made from drugs, which in New York cost only fifty cents per gallon. It was sold in Sacramento for $2.50 a gallon and pronounced by the pur- chaser to be the finest he had seen in Cali- fornia, and was sorry that he could not secure a hundred casks at the same price!

Mr. Tufts was in Sacramento during the flood of December, 1849, and loaded thousands of dollars' worth of goods from his counters into row-boats. Remaining in Sacramento un- til June, 1850, he sold out and joined his in- terests with Senator Stewart in the restaurant business on Front street; but in a short time he sold out, in July, and completed the pur- chase of an ox team and provisions. With these he went to Ragtown, in the Nevada desert, and was there during the well-remembered fam- ine of that year. He and his partner, whom he had admitted, killed their cattle and sold them at $5.00 per pound for fine horses, as money was scarce, obtaining almost any price asked for their beef. He gave away most of the provi- sions, not receiving a penny for them. In a short time they started for the valley with over 400 horses, losing about forty head on the way, which were stampeded and stolen by the Indians. Arriving at Sutterville, Mr. Tufts started out in pursuit of pasture and range for the stock, and after an absence of two days he returned to find that his partner had sold out the entire band for $6,000 and departed for parts unknown, and thus was he financially re- duced to nothing, and $1,400 in debt! Pos- sessed, however, of an extraordinary amount of grit he located in Washington and built a hotel for Myrick & Hoag, and rented it for $60 per month. Kept it seven months and cleared 83,700. He then bought a half interest of Jacob Lewis in a ferry across the tule for $50, and in two years took in over $50,000; then built a grade three miles in length across the

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tule as a toll road. Kept it two years and sold ont and removed to Putah Creek, bought a ranch of 500 acres, at $17.50 per acre, but lost two- thirds of it, by placing too much confidence in others; but some of the land he sold for $600 per acre. In 1878 he located in Davisville, since which time he has been one of its most active and energetic business men, and the en- terprising town of Davisville owes a large share of its prosperity to his judgment. He is now engaged chiefly in real estate, building and im- proving the town generally. His last venture is the purchase of 270 acres of Feather River bottom land, which is being all planted in peaches for the New York and Chicago markets.

He was married in 1849 to Miss Mary Kings- land. a native of New York city, and they have four sons and three daughters.

AMES M. WITHERS, whose ranch is about six miles from Napa on the Sonoma road, has been a resident of California most of the time since 1850. He was born in Lin- coln County, Kentucky, in 1814. His parents, John and Sallie (Morgan) Withers, were natives of Virginia and moved into Kentucky in the latter part of the last century, bought a farm and lived there until they died. The last member of the family who owned the place died there as recently as last September (1889). On strik- ing out in the world for himself, Mr. Withers was engaged in trading through the Southern States until 1843, when he moved to Missouri and followed farming there until 1850; he then crossed the plains with ox teams, reaching Placerville, August 1. For the first year he engaged in merchandising; he then returned by water to the East, but on the way was ship- wrecked at El Rosani, in the State of Sonora, Mexico; after walking thirty iniles to a rancho, the party sent a man on horseback to San Diego, to bring down a vessel to transport the shipwrecked passengers and crew to Panama, a distance of 700 miles. After waiting sixteen

days, the vessel, a steamer, took them along, and Mr. Withers made his way to New York without further mishap. After visiting Ken- tucky, and occupying his Missouri farm two years, he sold out all his interests there and came to California, again crossing the plains, in 1854, and bringing with him a stock of cattle from Missouri. He spent the next two years in butchering and selling them, besides others which he bought in the mines. In 1856 he again returned to the East, by the Panama route, intending to make his home in the older States, but the difference in climate determined him to make his permanent home on the Pacific coast, and in 1857 he again crossed the plains, having with him his wife and son, and bringing a stock of cattle and horses: and he has since that time made his home continuously in the Golden State. For several years he traded in cattle and sheep in Oregon and Idaho. In 1868 he settled in Monterey County and engaged in wheat-raising until 1876. He then came to Napa County and purchased his present home, 350 acres, for which he then paid $30,000. This farm he has managed as a stock and grain ranch. In his politcal views he has always been liberal, first as a Whig and then as a Re- publican since the formation of the latter party.

In 1845 Mr. Withers married Miss Mary Christopher, a native also of Lincoln County, Kentucky, her parents having been natives of Virginia, Mr. Withers has two children living; Milton, now a resident of San Francisco; and Annie, now the wife of W. G. Duhig, of Napa County.

NDREW JOSEPH HAMMANS was born in Davis County, Iowa, December 9, 1844. His father, Henry Hammans, and his grandfather, Johnson Hammans, were both natives of Virginia, and the latter was a soldier in the of 1812. His father married Miss Elizabeth Brown, a native of Indiana, and emigrated to Davis County, Iowa, and was a

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pioneer of that county. Two sons were born to them, George W. and Andrew Joseph, the sub- ject of this article. Both were reared there, and there the inother died. The father had made a trip to California in 1849, and in 1865 he moved to this State. His death occurred in 1876.

Mr. Hammans was educated in his native State, farmed there two years, and in 1865 came to California. For two years he engaged in agricultural pursuits in Shasta County. In 1867 he came to Tehama County and farmed the Cone ranch, then known as the Dye grant. He has since been in the business in different parts of the county. In 1880 he moved into Red Bluff, and has purchased a nice home on Jefferson street, between Pine and Hickory streets, where he resides with his family. Mr. Hammans is the agent and representative of the California Land Association and the West Coast Land Company. They have about 31,000 acres of choice lands, including the Oakwood Colony lands, the Mayhew Colony lands, the Clear Water Company lands, and also a large amount of stock lands. The settlement in their colonies is rapid.

Mr. Hammans was united in marriage witlı Miss Caroline Huffman, a native of Iowa, in 1863. They have five children. The oldest, Arnold S., was born in Iowa. The following are native sons and daughters of California: Dora, Harriet Belle, William B. and Alta J. Their preference in religious faith is given to the Christian Church. Mr. Hammans' political views are Democratic. He is an Odd Fellow, and has filled all tlie chairs of the order.

HILIP WELLS, a successful farmer near Pacheco, Contra Costa County, was born August 28, 1838, in Grayson County, Kentucky, the son of Samnel D. and Matilda (Brunk) Wells, the former a native of Kentucky and the latter of Pennsylvania; they are still living, at the age of eighty-four years, in Davis

County, Iowa; all their lives long they have been given to agricultural pursuits. Philip was a child when the family removed to Iowa, and his advantages for a school education there were limited. In 1858, he came by water to Cali- fornia, sailing from New York and being twenty-one days en route, which was the best traveling that had been made at that date. On the Atlantic side his steamer was the Morris Taylor and on the Pacific side the Golden Age. He followed mining in Nevada County until 1863, and then farming in Sutter County until November, 1867, and then the same business . in Sonoma County until June, 1883, when he came to his present place of 311 acres, a mile and a half from Pacheco and six and a half miles from Martinez. His ranchi is devoted to general agriculture.

He married, in Sonoma County, Miss Mar- garet Clark, who was born in Illinois in 1850, and they have six children, viz .: Jasper, Eva, Lillie, Myrtle, Ernest and Samuel.

ALFRED WALTON came to California with the Jones expedition in 1842 in the United States sloop Dale. He has seen much of the world, and ranks among the pio- neers of this great State. A sketch of his life is as follows:

Mr. Walton was born in Walton, England, October 22, 1822. He served in the navy for three years as a volunteer, and two years more after his first term had expired. He returned to Philadelphia and was there discharged, after which he went back to England. He then emi- grated to Iowa, and there carried on farming from 1844 to 1849. In the latter year he joined a company, under command of George M. Dallas, to come to California. When they reached the Green River, they attempted to go down the stream with canoes, and, after passing the month of the White River, they were upset and lost their provisions, being able to save only a sack of flour and some bacon. Nothing

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dannted, however, they continned their way westward and fell in with a friendly Indian, who explained to them, with a stick, the trail across the desert. Thirteen of them started across the trail for Fort Utah. They packed water and had for their daily rations a spoonful of flour mixed with water. As a relish with this they ate crickets and grasshoppers, and sometimes got a rabbit away from the buz- zards. They made the journey to Fort Utah in safety and started for Los Angeles with wagons. At Desert Spring, Colorado Desert, they left the wagons and continued their way on foot, going through Cajon Pass. At Los Angeles he made an arrangement with a man who was buy- ing cattle, whereby he, Mr. Walton, was to drive a team to a place near San Francisco, and was to get his board for services rendered. The stock-dealer provided the men with a gun and told them to kill the Spanish cattle to subsist on; and that was the way he furnished board!

In San Francisco Mr. Walton worked at whatever he could get to do for awhile, and was paid six dollars per day. From there he went to the mines at Bidwell's Bar on Feather River. On the North Fork of that river he got plenty of gold; took out as high as $500 in a single pan, but had to dig several days to get down to it. He exhausted that claim and afterward went on a prospecting tour. In Shasta County he took a rarch at what is now Kimball's Plain and engaged in raising cattle. After being thus engaged for a time, he went to the town of Shasta, and, with John Scott, conducted a hotel. He subsequently engaged in mule team- ing and packing, and came to Red Bluff, where he followed that business six or eight years. He was also interested in the sheep business. In Red Bluff he purchased lots five and six, block fifty-two, near where the railroad has since been built, and there erected a home, lived and reared his family. Misfortune over- took him; he trusted too much; sold stock and teams on time; hard times came on and the parties left the country and Mr. Walton was financially ruined. During the mining excite-

ment in Idaho, he went all through that coun- try and tried to recover some of his bad debts, but was unsuccessful, and came back to Red Bluff a poor man. He then turned his atten- tion to any kind of work he could get to do. In 1874 he purchased a dairy and engaged in the milk business, which he has since followed. In this he has been very successful. Their present house was built in 1876.

December 18, 1860, Mr. Walton married Mrs. Mary Ann Reeves, a native of Ireland. She came to the United States when she was fourteen years of age. They have had five chil- dren, three sons and two daughters, all born in Red Bluff, viz: Agnes, now Mrs. Henry Frank ; Thomas, Alfred and Mollie. One of the chil- dren is deceased. The family are members of the Catholic Church. Mr. Walton was reared an Episcopalian. He is a lively old gentleman who has seen a great deal of pioneer life.

LIAS IRELAND, a wagon-maker at Win- ters, Yolo County, California, was born January 16, 1833, in New Jersey, a son of James and Phoebe (English) Ireland. His mother was of German descent. His father, of Scotch descent and a native of New Jersey, moved to Ohio, and in- 1836 to Missouri. He had been a sea captain. In 1850 he came to California, and in 1853 returned to Missouri and died there the same year. Of their four children, Elias is the only one now living. At the age of fifteen years, he and five other boys -- neighbors-rigged up a team of five yoke of oxen and came overland to California, arriving at Sutterville September 4, 1850, thereby be- coming pioneers. Until the fall of 1851 Mr. Ireland was engaged in digging gold at Mokel- umne Hill; then he worked at wagon-making in Stockton for a short time; next he was em- ployed for three years upon S. C. Fugitt's stock ranch; then he worked at the carpenter's trade in Liberty seven or eight years; next was em- ployed in a general merchandise store, in which

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he was head clerk and book-keeper four and a half years; but, his health becoming impaired by confinement in doors, he resorted to his trade of carpenter again for four or five years. Then for a year he was engaged in the butcher busi- ness, then in carpentering again at Galt; was car-builder in the passenger car department of the shops at Sacramento; in 1876 he continued his mechanical pursuits at Winters until 1878, when he started a wagon and blacksmith shop there, which he still conducts with signal suc- cess. He erected the third building at Winters. He has eighteen acres of land, all in fruit.

He was married May 13, 1862, to Miss Mat- tie Still, who was born in Missouri, December 11, 1844, the daughter of Joseph F. and Mary B. (Turner) Still. Her father was a native of Kentucky and her mother of Missouri. Mr. and Mrs. Ireland have two sons, namely : Charles D., who was born December 8, 1868, and Her- bert, born September 26, 1873.

OHN C. TURNER is one of the well-known and prominent citizens of Tehama County. Ile was born in New Brunswick, March 16, 1847. llis parents, John and Ester Turner, were natives of County Tyrone, Ireland, and were of Scotch ancestry. When children, they came to America with their parents and settled in Bangor, Maine. Grandfather Turner lived there until the time of his death. When a young man the father of Jolin C. Turner re- moved to New Brunswick, and there began his business career as a baker. He subsequently sold out and purchased a farmn with both a saw and flouring mill on it. There the subject of this sketch was reared and learned the lumber business with his father. At the age of eight- een he came to California and landed at San Francisco. He engaged in work in Marysville for the Union Lumber Company, remaining there five years. In 1870 he went to Chico and worked in the same business one year. He came to Red Bluff in 1871, and, in company

with Boone Jones, built the Bell mill. This Mr. Turner conducted for three years. In 1876 he went to Shasta County, and worked for the Sierra Flume and Lumber Company, as foreman, for two years. The company was reorganized into the Sierra Lumber Company, and he ran the mills, under contract, for two years. Since the expiration of the contract in 1885 he has managed the business for the company. They are now running one mill that cuts 75,000 feet of lumber per day and 12,000,000 feet per an- uum. They have seventeen miles of railroad to bring their logs to the mills, and thirty-five miles of flume to take their lumber to Red Bluff, where they have a large planing-mill and door and saslı factory. They employ 125 inen at their mill in the mountains, and as many at the factory. They use abont 100 oxen and horses.

Mr. Turner has also largely engaged in stock- raising. He has 1,700 acres of land on the east side of the Sacramento River, and 1.200 acres on the west side, all grazing and farming land. He has this stocked with 300 head of cattle and about forty horses.

February 14, 1876, Mr. Turner married Miss Alice Turner, who was born in Woodbridge, San Joaquin County, California. She is a daughter of Captain Cary S. Turner, a native of Missouri, who crossed the plains in an early day with ox teams. Their union has been blessed with five children, born in Red Bluff, namely: Nellie May, Frankie Ester, Minnie Jane, Laura and Chester Coyle. They reside in a picturesque mountain home, a mile and a half from the mill. Mrs. Turner learned to ride and manage horses when she was quite young, and she is a proficient equestrian. She is much interested in their ranch and stock, and thus obtains much out-door exercise. She and her husband are members of the Eastern Star, and he is a charter member of the Knight Templar Lodge at Red Bluff. Mr. Turner is a leading Republican, a member of the County Central Committee, and was elected a member of the Board of Supervisors, in which capacity he is

H. S. Hunt-

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now acting. He is one of the representative citizens of Red Bluff. He came to California when a mere boy, and by his own exertions has risen to wealth and influence. He is a man of enterprise and business push, and is a great favorite with the men in his employ as well as with the people of the county:

ESSE CLARK, a retired farmer and an old resident of Woodland, was born December 8, 1821, in Christian County, Kentucky, a son of Henry and Priscilla Clark; his father, a farmer, was a native of Tennessee, and his mother of North Carolina. When a small boy Henry Clark was taken to Kentucky, where he remained a number of years; he then moved to Cole County, Missouri, on the Osage River, and resided there nine years; then moved to Chariton County, Missouri, where he remained until his death in 1861, at the age of eighty- four years. His wife died in 1865. In their family were six sons: Isaac, Benjamin, Henry, Michael and Ephraim, besides the subject of this sketch.

Jesse Clark was brought up on a farm. At the age of eighteen years he left home for two years; at the age of twenty-four he married and commenced farming for himself, and remained in Missouri until April 6, 1852, when he started overland with ox teams to California, in a train of five wagons and about forty persons, arriving in this State August 13. In company with his brother Henry he engaged in mining about a year in Sierra County; then spent a winter in the Sonoma Valley, while his brother continued in charge of the mines in Sierra County. In 1854 he began searching for a ranch where he could make his home, and after hunting around considerably he settled three miles south west of what is now Woodland, on 160 acres. After a residence there of fifteen years, and making a fine farm, he moved into Woodland, where he now resides, in a beautiful residence on West Main street. He sold his farm in 1884, since 37

which time he has been taking life easy. When he first settled in this county his trading post was Cacheville, and Woodland was unthought of.

In 1845 he married Miss Sarah Sanders, a native of Missouri, and they have had eight children, six daughters and two sons. The daughters are: Mary Jane, Priscilla, Margaret Frances, Usith, Amanda and Pesthania. The first mentioned is dead; the second married S. T. Pendegast; Margaret married A. J. Hall; Amanda became the wife of R. M. Huston; Usith is now Mrs. Hanford Hubbard; and Pesthania married P. J. Flannigan. The two sons-H. C. and R. L .- are married. Henry resides in Lassen County, farming, and R. L. resides in San Francisco.

ILLIAM GASTON HUNT .- This well known and prominent citizen of Wood- land has had a very stirring and event- ful life, and one which affords a lesson for those who have to make their own way in the world. Thrown upon his own resources at an early age, with a number of sisters largely dependent upon his efforts, he has fought manfully and well the the battle of life, and is deservedly ranked among the successful and representative pioneers of the State.

Mr. Hunt was born in Guilford County, North Carolina, in 1827, his parents being Asa and Diana (Stanley) Hunt, and the latter being a member of the Society of Friends. The father was an active, hard-working man of no very large means, engaged in the milling bnsi- ness, having a saw-mill, cotton-gin and woolen mill. The family consisted of ten children, eight daughters and two sons. Desiring to bet- ter his circumstances, he removed with his family in 1843 or 1844 to Andrew County, Mis- souri, then a new and wild country, as a result of which they had to endure many hardships. The mother died in 1846, and in 1848 the father followed her, leaving the children all alone to fight their way, William Gaston being

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one of the youngest. As may readily be per- ceived from the foregoing, his book learning was not of the deepest, and yet, profiting by the lessons tanght in the practical school of experi- ence, Mr. Hunt has gained an education from the world probably of more value to him than anything else could have been, and could not now be mistaken for anything else than he is- a genial, whole-souled gentleman, his Southern blood showing plainly in his easy bearing and knowledge of the world. The death of his father placed him practically at the head of the family, they being nearly all girls and depend- ing largely on him. He was equal, however, to the emergency, not hesitating for a moment to undertake his duty. On the outbreak of the gold fever in 1849 they determined, one and all, to come to California, and the brothers and sisters formed a train of five wagons in that neighborhood to make the trip across the plains. The father had taken up the farm when it was Government land on a five-years purchase, and two or three annual payments had been made when the children decided to try their fortune in the far West. Leaving enough money with a justice of the peace to pay another annual in- stallinent and interest when due, they left for California. Arriving there, they found it of course impossible to get any answer to a letter written to their old home in less than six months, and the first news they heard from their old home was that the custodian of their money had died, the payment on the Missouri homestead had been neglected, and the property had passed out of their possession. Thus was severed another one of the ties that bound them to the old home.

They left Missouri May 1, 1849, and after a journey of just four months they reached Hang- town (now Placerville). There they opened a hotel or boarding-house, which was carried on by the sisters and sister-in-law of our subject, while the boys went to freighting between Sacra- mento and the mines. When the large emigra- tion commenced in 1850, Mr. Hunt saw a profit in buying up the immigrants' stock.

Late in that year he went to Carson City, bought a band of cattle and drove them over the mountains into the valley, turning them to graze on the place he now owns on Cache Creek. In the spring of 1851 Mr. Hunt elosed up the hotel at Placerville and brought his sisters down to the ranch, where he engaged in the business of raising cattle and general ranching. In 1852 his brother, Alvis Hunt, died, they hav- ing been in partnership in all their undertak- ings prior to that time. In the fall of 1853 Mr. Hunt was married to Miss Jennie Day, a native of South Bend, Indiana. Meanwhile he continned his operations, going extensively into sheep-raising, having between 10,000 and 15,- 000 at one time, and finding it very profitable. This he continued for ten years, when, in 1863, he sent one drove up to Oregon and the other to Lower California, closing ont the business. From that time he was engaged in general farming, raising stock, cattle, hogs, etc., at the same time doing a large business in buying and selling wheat, running several warehouses, located in Woodland and other advantageous points along the line of the railroad, and be- caine known to the producers throughout the entire Sacramento Valley. He has now also a large interest in and is president of the Yolo Winery, an incorporated institution, of which he was one of the founders. The winery was originally one of his grain warehouses, bnt within the past five years has been remodeled and converted into a wine-cellar.

Mr. Hunt is an influential stockholder in the Bank of Woodland, with which he has been connected a number of years. His ranch on Cache Creek, northwest of Woodland, comprises 800 acres of choice land, and he has consider- able property, both business and residence, in the town, including his handsome and com- modions home place on the corner of Fisk and Oak avenues. He has long been a firm believer in the value of land as the true basis of wealth, and his opinions in regard to the matter have been strengthened by personal observation while traveling abroad. Mr. Hunt is a man of un-

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A memorial and biographical history of northern California, illustrated. Containing a history of this important section of the Pacific coast from the earliest period of its occupancy...and biographical mention of many of its most eminent pioneers and also of prominent citizens of today, Part 92

Author: Lewis Publishing Company. cn Publication date: 1891 Publisher: Chicago : The Lewis publishing company Number of Pages: 1000

Author: Lewis Publishing Company. cn
Publication date: 1891
Publisher: Chicago : The Lewis publishing company
Number of Pages: 1000