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 94

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 94

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He was married in 1878 to Miss Emilia Del Ponte, also a native of Canton Ticino, Switzer- land, and they have eight children: Valente, Emidio, Elmira, Alfred, Charles, Nellie, Vivian and Josa or Josie.

S. CLEVENGER, a retired farmer of Woodland, was born April 12, 1830, in Bedford County, Pennsylvania, a son of Thomas and Sarah (Star) Clevenger. The father, a blacksmith by trade, but a farmer mostly by occupation, moved in 1832 to Morrow County, Ohio, and in 1854 to Page County, Iowa. where he lived seven years, and next to a point near Erie, Neosha County, Kansas, where he remained until his death. The subject of this notice was brought up on a farm in Ohio, and when eight- een years of age he started out in the world for himself, learning the carpenter and joiner's trade, in Morrow County, Ohio, and followed the same until he came to California, in 1863. He crossed the plains with a horse team, arriv- ing in August. He took up a claim in Yolo County, on Willow Slough, which he improved and converted into one of the best farms in the county. After residing there twenty years he sold it and moved to Woodland, where he now resides, on Elm street, where he has built a good residence. He purchased another farm, which he afterward sold. He has done con- siderable work at his trade, at intervals. He is an energetic and busy man, and has done his

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share in the development of the interests of Yolo County, and even his children exhibit the same faculty.

He was married March 11, 1856 to Miss Victoria J. Martin, in Clarinda, Page County, Iowa, a native of North Carolina, born De- cember 27, 1837, and they have five children, two of whom are living, F. N. and O. E. The former is at present a school-teacher in Yolo County and studying law. He was born in Petaluma, Sonoma County, California, October 11, 1864. O. E. was born in Yolo County, February 17, 1870; he is at present in the wood and feed business.

NDREW JOHNSON is one of the early settlers of California, one who has risen by his own exertions from a poor young man to a wealthy, prominent rancher and stock- raiser of Tehama County. He came to Califor- nia in April, 1854, and has since made this his home. A brief sketch of Mr. Johnson is as follows:

He was born in Sweden, October 26, 1827, the eldest son of John and Katharine Johnson. His parents were strict adherents of the Lutheran faith. Andrew was reared on a farm and edu- cated in his native land. He was early taught the valuable lessons of frugality, honesty and industry. Before coming to this country he learned the shoe-maker's trade.

When Mr. Johnson landed in San Francisco he did not know a word of English. He secured a chance to work his passage from San Francisco to Red Bluff. He soon observed how to be an efficient deck hand. When they got to the end of the journey, the captain handed Mr. Johnson five dollars in gold, and he went his way rejoicing. After this he tried mining, but met with poor success. In traveling north on foot he stopped at Cottonwood one evening. The cook, with his apron on, was making an awkward attempt to chop some wood. An idea struck Mr. Johnson. He thought if he could

get a hold of the ax and chop some wood he could get a supper and not need to break his five-dollar piece; accordingly he went to work. The landlord of the hotel was impressed by his industry, and at once offered him work. He re- mained here until he had saved from his earn- ings $500, which he had hidden away in a soda box. Sore luck for him, he was stricken of a fever and during the greater time of his sick- ness was delirious, and probably confided to those who chanced to be around the where- abouts of his money; for when he was well enough to look for his treasure, all that re- mained was the box! You can hardly imagine forlornness more graphically depicted than it was in Mr. Johnson as he beat his way back to Red Bluff in torn trousers, an almost crownless hat, and his sole possession a mule of impaired strength. Fortunately, just as his hopes werc at lowest ebb, a teamster, whom he happened to ineet, offered him a horse and twenty-five dol- lars to boot for the mule. The offer was quickly accepted. At Red Bluff the horse brought seventy-five dollars. With this he at once set up a shoe shop. Prospects brightened. At the end of three years he saved $3,000. Mr. Johnson now concluded to return to his native land. He found his mother in poor circum- stances, made her a visit, and leaving her with plenty, returned to America, bringing with him two sisters and a brother to Chicago. He traveled through the northwestern States, but finding nothing to suit him resolved to try California again. In Red Bluff he reopened his shoe shop, and a year later purchased eighty acres of land nine miles west of Red Bluff. From time to time he has made additions to the property until he now has 7,000 acres of land good for general farming, while his ample ranges has pastured at times a flock of 8,000 sheep, besides a number of cattle and horses.

While in Chicago in 1859 Mr. Johnson was married to Miss Angustine Petersen, a native of Sweden. Eight children have been born to them, viz .: John Amandus, Sehna B., Elmer A., Anna A., Andrew L., Edith K., Arthur E.

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and Beatrice J. The eldest daughter, Selma B., was married in 1884 to Mr. Manfred Olinder, and lives in Santa Clara County. John Aman- dus, the eldest son, was married also in 1884, to Sylvia Irene Eby, and lives at Fall River, Shasta County.

Mr. Johnson has always been a Republican. He is a man of strong will power, full of energy and enterprise. With the aid of an excellent wife, his life in California has been a success.

J. McWILLIAMS, a farmer near Woodland, is a son of Andrew and N. Margaret (Stanton) Mc Williams, natives of Ireland who came to the United States in 1820, locating in the State of New York, where they resided until 1840. They then removed to Iowa, and in 1849 came over- land to California, there being four members of the family. M. J. and his brother Bryan lo- cated in Nevada County and engaged in mining until 1852, when they came into the Sacra- mento Valley and took up a ranch on the banks of the American River. In 1862 they disposed of this farm and settled upon another at Buck- eye, in Yolo County. Thirteen years afterward, namely, in 1875, Mr. McWilliams purchased forty acres two miles east of Woodland, where he now resides a prosperons farmer.

He was born October 11, 1833, in Platts- burg, New York, and October 4, 1869, in Iowa City, Iowa, he was married to Mary A. Free- man, a native of that city. Their children are five in number, as follows: Margaret E., born August 7, 1873; Anna F., December 4, 1874; Julia, June 10, 1877; Joseph F., November 1, 1879, and Mary, Jannary 14, 1883.

ANIEL FARNHAM, a farmer of Yolo County, was born in Cass County, Michi- gan, October 22, 1839, a son of Daniel Farnham, Sr. He was brought up on a farin,

and in 1859 he started for Pike's Peak, with his father, but meeting many disappointed men re- turning from that point they concluded to come on to California. Stopping in Placer County, they engaged in mining there until 1861, when Mr. Farnham, the subject of this sketch, pur- chased a team and followed freighting three years. He then disposed of his outfit and bought the place, in 1865, where he now lives. In 1865 he married Miss S. Dopking, a native of Van Buren County, Michigan, and they have six children, namely: Frank, twenty-two years old; Marcia, thirteen; Harvey, nine; Niah, seven; Claud, five; Ira, three,-all living in Yolo County, California.

AMES DUHIG, whose ranch of 380 acres is situated about seven miles from Napa; has been a resident of California since June 19, 1850. He has a vineyard of sixty acres, fifty acres of which are in full bearing, some of it, however, affected by phylloxera, which he intends replacing with resistant vines. The grapes are mostly of the Zinfandel variety. There is also on the place an orchard of seven acres in Frenchi prunes, also in bearing; the re- mainder of the land is now devoted to grain, hay and stock.

Mr. Duhig was born December 27, 1824, in Lowell, Massachusetts. His parents, James and Catherine Duhig, were natives of Ireland, who removed to America early in this century. He was brought up on his father's farin in the neighborhood of Lowell, and was sixteen years of age when he entered the mills of that city as a laborer. In 1850 he came to California by the Panama route, arriving in San Francisco June 19, 1850. The first three years he spent oper- ating at the mines, with fair success, and then came to Napa County and began agricultural pursuits on the farm where he now lives. In 1882 he set out the present vineyard, in which there are about sixteen acres of Berger grapes, eight acres of Malvoisie and the remainder of

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Zinfandel. His grape crop of 1888 was of Zin- fandels, 201,874 pounds; of Berger, 114,501 pounds; and of Malvoisie, 88,590 pounds; but in 1889 the crop was much smaller.

Mr. Duhig is a member of the Masonic order, and in his political principles is an enthusiastic Republican.

He was married in 1848, to Miss Sarah Mor- ton, a native of Maine, who died March 29, 1865, and they have brought up a family of eight children, namely: Emma, now Mrs. E. L. Drake; Lizzie M., now Mrs. G. C. Frisbie, of Shasta County; Willis G., Leonard M., Sarah E., now Mrs. J. H. Whitty, of San Francisco; Louis J., for some years a resident of Tehama County; George E. and Isaac M.

ACOB H. EPPERSON is one of the snc- cessful business men of Red Bluff. He was born in Allen County, Kentucky, March 30, 1845. He comes of an old Virginia family; his father, Silas Epperson, was born in Virginia, and his mother, Nancy Boheler, was a native of Kentucky, her father and grand. father having been pioneers of that State. Mr. Epperson is the third of a family of seven chil- dren, five of whoin are living. His father re- moved to Missouri in 1854, and he was reared on a farm in that State and completed his edu- cation in a high school. Before coming to the Pacific Coast he engaged in the profession of teaching for three years.

In 1875 Mr. Epperson came to California and settled in Chico, where he worked at the car- penter's trade a short time, and then engaged in mining on Bntte Creek, meeting with fair suc- cess. He entered into an engagement with F. A. Crmint to learn dentistry, remaining with him two years. Next he was with Dr. Wilson, and afterward with Dr. Moad, whom he subse- quently bought out. He continued the busi- ness at Chico until 1880. Mr. Epperson's health failed at that time and he went to Susan- ville and remained there until 1885. In that

year he came to Red Bluff and purchased the dental office of Dr. Sehorn, and has conducted the business here since that time. He occupies a suite of office rooms fronting on Main street, in the business center of the city, and employs two young men as assistants. Dr. Epperson is enthusiastic and progressive in his profession, gives strict attention to his business, and keeps himself well posted on the latest and best an- thorities on dentistry, and attends all the den- tal associations held in the State, where he gives the profession the benefit of his inventions without any patents on themn. Among his pa- trons are the best citizens of Red Bluff and sur- rounding country.

He was married in 1881, to Miss Annie West, a native of Vermont. To them have been born two sons. Mrs. Epperson is a member of the Episcopal Church. The Doctor is a inem- ber of the California Dental Association. Politi- cally he is a Democrat; was born and raised one, and could not well be anything else. He does not, however, give much attention to poli- tics. He is Recorder of Red Bluff Command- ery, No. 17, and Secretary of Red Bluff Chap- ter, No. 40, and is a zealous worker, courteous to his fellows, honorable in his profession, and never asks something for nothing; and his motto is to serve the public with the latest and best improved appliances that the dental art affords.

ATHANIEL MERRILL, a Forty-niner, was born among the White Hills of New Hampshire, in Conway, Carroll County, April 23, 1823. His father, Samuel Merrill, and his ancestors for two generations before him, were natives of the State of Maine. Sain- uel Merrill was born at Brownfield, and was a .blacksmith by trade. He married Miss Dorcas Eastman, a native of Conway, New Hampshire. They were members of the Congregational Church. Her father, Richard Eastman, was a pioneer of Conway, and had many fights

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with the Indians. He had to go to Concord, seventy-five miles distant, on snow-shoes, draw- ing a sled to bring provisions to his family. Mr. Merrill had eight brothers and sisters, but only four of them are now living. He received his education at his native place, and learned the wheelwright trade with his brother, in Lit- tleton, New Hampshire. After working at it two years, he traveled in Canada and New York, in the employ of the celebrated scale company, Fairbanks, putting up scales.

In 1848 Mr. Merrill was employed at his trade in Lowell, Massachusetts, and during that winter he was one of a party of thirty five young men who formed a company to go to California. They went to New York by rail, and there chartered thie schooner Florida to take them to the mouth of the Rio Grande River. From that place they took teams to Fort Brown, following the Rio Grande, on the Texas side, to Romeo, where they crossed the river on a ferryboat, and thence made their way to Mon- terey, California. The party there divided, and Mr. Merrill and his part of the company came on the old Graham trail and arrived at the mines on the Merced River in August, 1849. He mined there with good success until the rainy season set in. The first day he worked Mr. Merrill washed two ounces of gold, and he presumes that two ounces more went down the River. The most he ever got in one day was $200, but he says he never met with any big find. In December of that year he went to San Francisco where he spent the winter, and in the spring he went to Murphy's camp and mined two months. From there he went to Stockton and purchased four mules and a wagon and engaged in freighting, which was then a very paying business and which he followed until the rainy season.

About this time he learned that his cousin, Captain Ford, whom he had supposed was dead, was at Moon's ranch in Tehama County. Mr. Merrill would have traveled any distance to see him, as they had been like brothers; so he came to this county, found him and formed a part-

nership with him. Each of them took their pre-emptions and secured a section with school land warrants. Mr. Merrill has since added to his property until he is now the owner of 1,500 acres of land in one body, located on the Sacra- mento River, opposite the Stanford ranch. There he built his home and reared his family, and there he has been engaged in general farm- ing, raising grain and stock. He also pur- chased lots in Red Bluff, and, in 1886, built a fine city residence.

In 1857 he was united in marriage with Miss Harriet Thomas, a native of New Hampshire. They have a family of four children, two sons and two daughters, all born on their ranch in Tehama County. They are as follows: Frank P .; Alice, now the wife of Dr. W. F. Maggard; Catharine A., wife of James R. Tapscott, an attorney of Yreka; and Nathaniel Edward. Mr. Merrill is a prominent Knight Templar Mason, and has held all the offices of his lodge, and is High Priest of the Chapter and Captain General of the Commandery. Politically he is a Republican.

Nat Merrill, as he is familiarly called, is one of the well-known pioneers of California, and justly deserves his pleasant home in this sunny clime. Long may he live to enjoy the fruits of his labor.

OSEPH C. HULSE, Justice of the Peace at Winters, was born in Clark County, Kentucky, March 12, 1816, a son of John and Mary S. (Davenport) Hnlse, the former a native of Kentneky ; his grandparents were from Maryland. He was brought up as a farmer's son, and continued on the farm nntil 1849, when he came overland to California. At Hum- boldt the company dissolved and came by packed- animals to Sacramento. Mr. Hulse became one of the carly gold hunters. He located in Colusa County, was the first Sheriff of that county, and later was elected County Judge. During the administration of James Buchanan he was ap-

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pointed to a position in the custom-house at San Francisco, by Colonel B. F. Washington. In 1861 he settled in Pleasant Valley, Nevada, and built the mill called the Camlack mills, and lost heavily. Returning to California, he worked for G. P. Swift, and afterward was en- gaged as a butcher and meat-cutter for F. Roop one year at Sonoma; then he was employed as a gnard at the State Prison at San Quentin a year, under Governor Haight, and he then located at Buckeye, Yolo County, where he was elected Justice of the Peace in 1863. In 1864 he re- signed, and when in 1875 Buckeye was moved to Winters he went there also, and was elected to the office of Justice of the Peace, which position he still holds, and he is also a Notary Public.

He was married in 1839, in Madison County, Kentucky, to Anna Collins, and they had two children: Richard, who died in Kentucky when one year old, and America K., who is now the wife of Thomas G. Hulse.

ARL FREDRICK LUDWIG WIEDE- MANN, one of Red Bluff's energetic business men, was born in Wolgast, Pro- vince of Pomerania, Prussia, March 25, 1844. His parents were honest and industrious farmers in that country, and gave their son a common-school education, and also had him learn the trade of shoemaker, and thus pre- pared him for earning an honest living. When a young man he was enrolled in the victorious German army, and participated in the war which resulted in the taking of the French capital. After his discharge from the service he went to Hamburg, Germany, and in 1873 came to the United States, with the object of making a home and fortune in this " land of the brave, and home of the free," as so many of his fellow countrymen have done. Mr. Wiedemann landed on the 4th of June in Louisville, Ken- tucky, and was engaged there by an extensive shoe dealer, H. Schoening, until February 14, 1876. IIe had found America, but his keener

preception taught him to seek the best place in it, and he consequently started for California, the El Dorado of the West, landing in San Francisco. He went to Princeton, Colusa County, but on account of ill-health he went to the Tuscan Springs, and then to Red Bluff, where he engaged in shoe manufacturing, and the repairing of boots and shoes.

Mr. Wiedemann was married in 1877, to Miss Wilhelmina Ross, a native daughter of the Golden West. They lived happily in their own dwelling until 1881, when it was consumed by fire, and he then built his two-story brick store on the west side of Main street, and opened his present boot and shoe store. His wife takes as much interest in his business as himself, and while he is making and repairing she is selling the goods from the store. In 1887 Mr. Wiede- mann purchased, from L. Froh, a farm, on Grasshopper Creek, where they resided for two years. He planted fourteen acres of fruit trees on this place, but as it was not congenial to either of them they traded the property for two residences in Red Bluff, which he now rents. He was raised in the Lutheran faith, and his wife is a Presbyterian. Politically he is a mem- ber of the Republican party, and fraternally is a Master Mason.

E. DURHAM, a farmer near Pacheco, Contra Costa County, is a well-known and prosperous agriculturist. He was born in Sumner County, Tennessee, December 6, 1829, and lost his mother at an early age. His father transferred his residence to Arkansas, and a year afterward he settled in Barry County, Missouri, where J. E. attended school six years; returning again to Arkansas with his father, he lived six years longer with him, and then went again to Missouri, where he maintained a con- tinuous residence until March, 1850, when he proceeded to Independence, fitted out and came across the plains and mountains by way of Fort Laramie to California. Ile was employed as

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teamster, and at Fort Laramie he joined a train of Mormons, who were on their way to Salt Lake city. At this place he passed the ensning winter, and in the spring resumed his journey, arriving at Georgetown, El Dorado County, in June, 1851. In the vicinity of that place he followed mining until 1853, when he began running an express and stage line from Stock- ton to Hill's Ferry, continuing in this business six years. At one time he owned the ferry at the month of the Stanislaus River. Coming to Contra Costa County, he purchased his present place of 305 acres. He also owns 118 acres a mile distant and 434 aeres at Bay Point. The home ranch is four and a half miles from Pacheco, in the Ygnacio Valley. He devotes his attention to general farming, stock-raising and fruit.

He was first married, in San Francisco, Octo- ber 2, 1862, to Miss June E. Sherman, a native of Ohio, and they had seven children: Burnett S., born August 15, 1863; John E., born Feb- ruary 21, 1865, died March 8, 1873; Melvina I., born November 16, 1867; Fannie, born November 23. 1869, died April 25, 1885; Cora E., born April 16, 1871; Levi B. II., born April 15, 1873, and Aurelia, born August 23, 1874. For his second wife Mr. Durham married, in Pacheco, October 10, 1877, Miss Melvina Strickland, a native of Illinois, and they have one son, named Herbert S.

HARLES CANNON, a retired farmer of Woodland, is a son of Calvin and Jane Cannon; the father a native of Kentucky, and the mother of Maryland, who finally settled in Cooper County, Missouri, where Charles was born, June 1, 1842. In the fall of 1862 he went to the vicinity of Topeka, Kansas, where he followed farming until 1869. In the fall of 1864 he enlisted in the Kansas State militia and served a year. Returning to Missouri, he made his home there until the spring of 1880, when he came to California, locating in Woodland.

He soon began work on a ranch for a man named Campbell, and continned there two years, during which time he purchased a house and two lots in town, where he now resides on Court street. He is employed as mechanic in a brick- yard.

August 9, 1868, is the date of Mr. Cannon's marriage to Miss Blue, a native of Missouri, a daughter of Stephen Blue, native of Virginia, and Jennie Blue, native of Kentucky.

ENERAL CHARLES CADWALADER is a descendant of one of the old Quaker families of Pennsylvania, and one of the most promising business men and highly re- spected citizens of California. The ancestors of the family came to America from Wales a few years previous to the arrival of William Penn. Notwithstanding their religion of peace, they did not let it stand in the way of their doing valiant service for their country, when war was declared with England, and we find enrolled among the eminent names of our Revolutionary patriots and heroes that of the old Quaker family of Cadwalader of Pennsylvania.

In this State, at Brownsville, March 3, 1833, Charles Cadwalader was born, son of General Allan Cadwalader, a native of Pennsylvania, born in 1801. He was a Quaker and a re- markable man, fond of original investigation, and a devotee of the natural sciences. He lived to the ripe age of seventy-eight years, and died at Willows, California, November 27, 1879. The family had moved to Zanesville, Ohio, in 1852, and our subject's education was acquired at the McIntyre Academy in Zanes- ville. It was then an old established school, being the first fruits of a noble bequest from a family of that name; and the school has sinee by judicious management grown until it is now sufficiently large to defray the expenses of the schools of that city, now over 25,000 in- habitants. At seventeen years of age Mr. Cad- walader broke away from the restraint of his

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books to gratify a desire for railroad engineer- ing, and began as a man at 75 cents per day. He joined the force building the Central Ohio Railroad between Wheeling and Columbus, and in less than a year the managers of the road had become so favorably impressed with his ability that they placed him in charge of the construction force between Newark and Zanes- ville, and he was made resident engineer. He had studied higher mathematies, but not with reference to the specialty of civil engineer- ing. This promotion from axman to resident engineer for one so young, was the beginning of the propheey of the powers which he pos- sessed. After completing the road fromn Zane ;- ville to Newark, Mr. Cadwalader continned in the employ of the company on their line of eon- struetion until April, 1852, when he started for California.

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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 94

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