An illustrated history of Sacramento County, California : containing a history of Sacramento County from the earliest period of its occupancy to the present time, together with glimpses of its prospective future portraits of some of its most eminent men, and biographical mention of many of its pioneers and also prominent citizens of today, Part 100

Author: Davis, Winfield J., 1851- 4n
Publication date: 1890
Publisher: Chicago : Lewis Pub. Co.
Number of Pages: 916

USA > California > Sacramento County > An illustrated history of Sacramento County, California : containing a history of Sacramento County from the earliest period of its occupancy to the present time, together with glimpses of its prospective future portraits of some of its most eminent men, and biographical mention of many of its pioneers and also prominent citizens of today > Part 100

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Icma road, border ng the American River. It is a fine, productive plaee. Here his principal crops are alfalfa and hops. His fine residenee he built when he purchased the place about ten years ago. In regard to political principles Mr. Rooney was during the war a Douglas Democrat; in 1864 he supported Lincoln, and since 1868 he has been a Democrat. In 1853 he visited Alabama, and there married Mary Clark, a native of Ireland, who came to the United States with her mother in 1850. Mr. and Mrs. Rooney have had four sons and one daughter: John, the eldest son, died February 4, 1885, at the age of twenty-four years; tbe other children are living: Peter W. married Mary Powers; Mary is the wife of Thomas O'Neil, of Sacramento; Steven A. married Mary Tagney; and James is the youngest. The sons are all resident upon their father's farmn.

ANIEL RODEN, deceased, formerly a farmer in San Joaquin Township, was born in Tennessee, March 21, 1831, his parents being Allen and Mary Roden, both natives also of Tennessee. When he was very young his parents moved with him to Laclede County, Missouri, where he remained until about twenty-three years of age; and during that time, in 1852, he married Elizabeth Brid- ges, who was born in Union County, Illinois, September 23, 1831, a daughter of Calvin and Prudy Bridges, both natives of old Virginia. In her father's family were eight sons and two daughters, all now dead excepting the two daughters. Mrs. Mary Jones, the other dangh- ter, resides in Laclede County, Missouri. When Mrs. Roden was yet a child her father died, and afterward her mother moved with her family from Illinois to Missouri, where she. Mrs. Roden, was brought up. In the spring of 1854, Mr. Roden and his family started for California with ox teams, and arrived in Sacramento County October 4. It was a long and tedions trip. Two or three of Mr. Roden's horses and two head of

his cattle were stolen by the Indians. The first year here he cultivated a piece of rented land, and then entered a quarter seetion of land in the northwestern portion of San Joaquin Township, and after that bought another quarter section adjoining. Here he made his home until the autumn of 1875, when he sold and bought the present homestead in the same township and on the border of the Cosumnes River. The farm property is now owned by Mrs. Maxfield and Mrs. Bates, widows. The present farm, of 320 aeres, is rich land. Mr. Roden died March 14, 1881, and since then the farm has been managed by his widow and son. In the family there have been six children, viz: Isaac, who mar- ried Elmira MeLaughlin; Daniel, who married Anna Maxfield; Jessie, wife of James Mitehell; Emeline, Benjamin and John, - all residing in this county. For many years prior to his death, Mr. Roden was not a very hale man phy- sieally, but his intellect and disposition were admired by all in the community, and he was faithful and kind to his family; was Democratie in politics, taking great interest in the publie welfare.

BON. OBED HARVEY, M. D .- Nothing can be of greater interest in connection with the historical volume of a county than a page from the life history of those who, having become identified with the material and social interests in early days, have contributed so largely to its growth and development, and left the impress of their personality upon their generation. As grandly illustrative of this remark we take pleasure in noting here the prin- cipal facts of the life of the subject of this sketeh. Dr. Harvey is a native of New York State, and was born in Wayne County, near the shore of Lake Ontario, September 7, 1825, the son of David Harvey, a farmer, and Nabby, nee Ainsworth, a native of Wilbraham, Massachusetts. The latter was of Welsh an- eestry, while the Doctor's ancestors came from

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Scotland; and it is a matter of family history that both his great-grandfather and one of his sons died on a prison ship while serving their country during the Revolutionary war. A por- tion of Dr. Harvey's boyhood was passed at Gilbertsville, Otsego County, New York, where he attended the academy and began the study of medicine, under Dr. Roderick. Later on he went to St. Charles, Illinois, where his par- ents resided, and, continuing his studies under Prof. G. W. Richards, was graduated with honor at the Rock Island Medical Institute, which was subsequently inerged into the University of Iowa, in 1848. After practicing his profession for two years at Genoa and Elgin, the discovery of gold in California was attracting the attention of the civilized world, and he became one of the pioneers who braved the difficulties and dangers of a trip overland, to the land of golden prom- ise, arriving with his party at Hangtown (now Placerville), in El Dorado County, August 3, 1850. Here he practiced his profession, and in conjunction with Dr. Asa Clark, now of Stockton, had charge of the El Dorado County Hospital; was also associated with Dr. Keen, · a prominent physician and politician of that county; and during the years of his residence there he was interested in mining and in many enterprises of public moment. In 1859 he was a delegate and active member from that county to the first railroad convention ever held in this State; it was held in San Francisco and was one of the incipient movements in the final estab- lishment of a public highway across the conti- nent. On his way East in the fall of 1857, on the steamer Central America, he was wrecked, September 12, at 8:00 P. M., off Cape Hatteras, being one of forty-nine passengers saved out of about 425; they were picked up by the Nor- wegian hark Ellen, after having floated on a piece of the wreck about nine hours. The Doc- tor was entirely alone during the most of this struggle on a separate piece of the wreck; sighting a light in the rigging of the bark some distance away, he made his last vigorous effort in swimming, and by use of his voice attracted

the attention of the crew and soon was along- side the vessel; and when a rope was thrown to him grasped it and was drawn up to the gunwales of the vessel, when the strength in his hands gave way and he dropped back into the water. This occurred three times. Finally a ship's lad- der was thrown him and in some way he tangled himself up on the end of it and was safely drawn on board, about four o'clock in the morning. Arriving in New York, the medical department of the University of New York conferred upon him an honorary degree. Also while there he attended as a delegate from the California State Medical Society the meeting of the American Medical Association held in the city of Wash- ington, District of Columbia, in 1858; this be- ing the first or second occasion the State Medi- cal Society of California was represented at a meeting of the National Association. Loud applause grected the calling of his name by the secretary incident to his perilons voyage, and the Doctor was the recipient of many warm complimentary expressions and congratulations upon his almost miraculous escape. He has made several other visits East during the inter- vening years, but always returns with increased regard for the comfort and advantages of his adopted State. In 1869, when the town of Galt was started, Dr. Harvey located there; and having acquired a large landed interest he laid ont the town, and since then has made his residence there. Having relinquished his med- ical practice, he has devoted his time to his large and varied farm interests. He has abont 3,500 acres, mostly devoted to dairying, grain and stock, with a small orchard and vineyard of choice selected fruits. He has taken an active interest and leading part in raising means for the erection of school buildings, churches, and the establishment of other public improvements; and it is in this connection especially that we may be permitted to refer to his remarkable wife, nee Susan Mitchell Hall, to whom the Doctor was united in marriage in May, 1868. She is a native of New Haven, Connecticut, and brought with her to this land of sunshine

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not only the traditional "steady habits" of her nativity but also the culture and inbred refine- ment and educational acumen for which the Elm City is famous. Their only son, following a taste for scientific pursuits, is completing a conrse of study at the Institute of Technology at Boston, while their only daughter is a pupil at Ogontz, the celebrated institute for young ladies near Philadelphia. Thus each in a way is being fitted to fill the place in life which he or she is destined to occupy. . Politically Dr. Harvey is a Republican. A Whig in the early days, he was largely instrumental in the organ- ization of that party in El Dorado County in 1852, and during the first Lincoln compaign he was brought forward by his friends and elected to the State Senate and served in that capacity for three years; and later served in the Assem- bly. Was one of the prime movers in the or- ganization of the Union party at the beginning of the last war. He has been an active, prominent director of the State Asylum for the Insane at Stockton for the past twelve years, and has filled inany other positions of honor and responsibility.

RANK McNAMEE, deceased, for many years a resident of this State, was born in 1818, in County Cavan, Ireland. In 1847 he emigrated to America and lived in the East- ern States until about 1854, when he came to California. He was a farmer by occupation, the calling in which he had been reared. For the first two or three years here he mined at Prairie City and Alder Creek. The first thousand dol- lars he saved he put into the Adams Bank in Sacramento, and when that bank failed he lost all his money. He continued mining, however, until he accumulated a little money again, when he embarked in the mercantile trade, in Fol- som, and continued in that business till the time of his death, June, 1878. He was a suc- cessful besiness man and earned some property outside of his regular business. His first wife was Mrs. Annie, nee Pennock. They had two

children; and she died in 1869. He married Anne Hoey, a native of Ireland, who came to California in 1867, and since that time has been a resident of Folsom. Since the death of her husband, Mrs. McNamee has carried on the business which her husband left, and with that tact and enterprise which mark a successful business character.

AMES ROBINSON, farmer, was born in March, 1813, in the north of Ireland, son of Robert and Rebecca (Osborn) Robinson. His father, a farmer, lived and died in his native land; was engaged in trade a great deal, and hired men to carry on his farming. He died in 1840, at the age of eighty-five years. His widow afterward moved to Australia with one of the sons and died there. In her family were two sons and three daughters: James, Kate, Anna, Rebecca, deceased, and Robert. Anna is now Mrs. Funston, of Sacramento. James Robinson emigrated to the United States in 1832, sailing from Londonderry and landing in Quebec, Canada. Then he went to New York city in June, a short time before the Asiatic cholera broke out in that city and lived there three years. Was foreman most of the time for a great contractor, Christie Keys. Next he was in Philadelphia about eight months, and then he came to St. Louis and spent a winter, then he was in Galena, Illinois, seven years, and finally, in 1853, came to this State. Buying horses and wagons in Galena, and provisions at St. Joseph, Missouri, he came overland, stop- ping several places on the way; was a week at Salt Lake. He arrived in Sacramento in Au- gust. Within a short time his leg was broken in an accident, which compelled him to remain in this city for a long time. As soon as he was able he entered into the business of keeping cows, selling milk and butter, and followed it for a few years. In 1867 he purchased 157 acres of land in one place in Brighton Township and 300 in another. The former tract is where

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he now lives, having dwelt there most of the tiine since lie bought it. Mr. Robinson was married in Philadelphia, in 1842, to Ann Virtue, a native of Ireland, of Scotch and English de- scent, as well as her husband. They have two sons and four daughters living: Rebecca, Peter M., Anna, James V., Kate and Jennie.

AMES REID, a pioneer, was born in Perth, about forty miles north of Edinburgh, Scotland, on the 10th of September, 1806; his parents being Peter and Jean (Jack) Reid, the father a cattle dealer, or drover, of Perth. The subject of this sketch was the oldest one of a family of eleven children, and when fourteen years old was apprenticed to a shoemaker, and served four years learning that trade. When he was twenty-two years old he decided to go, with his brother-in-law, who was preparing to emigrate to America. They set sail from Dun- dee in the brig Majesty, for New York, and after a voyage of six weeks' duration, landed safely in that city in August, 1829. He imme- diately obtained work at his trade, but found that making shoes in New York was very dif- ferent from making brogans in Scotland. In 1832 (known all over the East as the great cholera year), he was working in a shop on Eighth avenue, and to escape the dread disease went hastily to Connecticut. When the frosts of the fall had allayed the danger he returned, and established a shop on Eighth avenne and Nineteenth street. When the excitement con- sequent upon the gold discovery in California was at its height, he made one of a party of forty who purchased the brig John Anderson, fitted her out with a cargo of mining implements, (which were found to be of no earthly use when they arrived), a run of mill-stones, etc,, and started merrily to make their fortunes in the land of gold. Alas, for human hopes and ex- pectations! They made the voyage around the Horu in five and a half months; the captain died, and storms beset their pathway, both ex-

ternal and internal, for discontent prevailed among both passengers and crew; and when they arrived off the brig at Sacramento, he was only too glad to realize $200, as his share of the investment of many hundreds of dollars. He had had the forethought to bring a stock of shoes and brandy : these he sold and in this way gained a start. Ile then opened a tin store, a leading industry in mining days when wash-pans costing " three bits" would sell for $6, and screens costing 30 cents would readily sell for $5 " in dust " He afterward started a bath- house near the bridge, and later on kept a saloon on the present site of the water-works build- ing. He continued in the saloon business till 1856; in the meantime he had acquired prop- erty, which was invested in a ranch on the op- posite side of the American River, and to this ranch he moved his family in the fall of that year, 1856. The floods of 1867-'68 absolutely destroyed his property, house, buildings, stock, everything, and he went into the railroad shops, where he worked in the boiler department for thirteen years. Mr. Reid was married in Perth, Scotland, in 1828, to Margaret McKewen. They have three daughters living. Their only son died at the age of fifteen years. Mrs. Reid died in April, 1889.

EORGE WASHINGTON HARLOW, farmer, Brighton Township, was born in Franklin County, Illinois, on the National Road, 110 miles due east of St. Louis, August 12, 1828. His father, Isaiah Harlow, was born and bronght up in old Virginia, eighteen miles from Richmond, on the sea-coast. His mother, nee Margaret Carr, was born on the place called Burke Garden, Tazewell Court-house, West Virginia, where she was married, and where she and her husband resided six years, moving to Illinois with three children and with five horses and a wagon, and settled in Franklin County. Mr. Harlow exchanged the wagon and three horses for the farm claim. The place being

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heavily timbered, much time and ardnous labor were required to clear it up; but he persevered until he subdued to cultivation a very large field. After living there about eighteen years he moved to Dane County, Wisconsin, bought land upon the main road from Galena into the Wisconsin pineries, built a hotel and conducted it about four years, when he died. Mrs. Harlow continned to make that her home until her chil- dren were all grown up and married, and then she lived with them until her death, which took place February 14, 1882, at the home of her son Isaiah Harlow, in Howard County, Iowa. She had eight children: John, Cynthia, William, Eliza- beth, George W. (the subject of this sketch), Isaiah, Susan and Mary. George W. is theonly one of these now living. After the death of his father the farm fell to him and his brother Isaiah, who conducted it some time. It was afterwards sold and he moved to Howard County, Iowa, where his mother lived with him until he came to California; she then went to live with Isaiah. Mr. Harlow followed farming, and in 1857 or 1858 built a saw-mill and ran it about five years, there being a large quantity of good tim- ber in the vicinity. May 2, 1863, he left home for visiting friends in New York State, prepara- tory to coming to California. In the spring of 1864 he took the steamer North Star at New York city and came by way of the Isthmus and the old steamer Sonora to San Francisco, arriv- ing May 28. Coming to Sacramento, he bought an outfit here and went over the mountains to Bodie, Mono County, California, and worked in the mines during the summer of 1863. Re- turning to this valley, he rented a farm in Yolo County, three miles above Sacramento, and lived there during the season of 1864. In the fall he went over to Bodie again and followed team- ing, hauling material for building quartz-mills. In the fall of 1865 he located upon his present place, which he bought from the railroad com- pany and where he has resided ever since. His farm then had 160 acres with but very little improvements. There was a small shanty, in which he lived about two years, and then built

his present house on the ridge. There were 10 fences; there were some old ditches, and now and then a post stuck in the ground with a few nails in it. At present the place comprises 140 acres, under the best of improvements. Nine acres are in a good vineyard, and there are abont 500 good fruit trees four years old, in full bear- ing. Off of four acres of fonr-year-old Zinfan- dels he sold forty-seven tons, and there were two tons besides wasted, which is about as good a showing as can be made in Sacramento County. Mr. Harlow is a member of the Masonic order, and of the Reorganized Church of the Latter- day Saints in Sacramento; he has been a mein- ber of this church thirty years. Since the outbreak of the Rebellion he has been a Repub- lican. The Republican County Convention in 1887 nominated him for the office of Public Administrator, and he was elected by a majority of 507, when, to administer the duties of the office, he changed his residence to the city. He was married February 4, 1848, to Ann Lee, in Wisconsin; she is a native of Norway. They have five children : John Marion, Justus, Jacob Jesse, Frances Matilda and Ida Laodicea. They lost three-Obadiah, Mary Docia and Dora Ann, all of whom died in the East.

OUIS GERBER, wholesale butcher, of Sutter Township, was born in 1854, in Buffalo, New York. His parents, Pan- talion and Sybil Gerber, were natives of Ger- many, and came to the United States in 1837; they lived twenty-three years in Buffalo, where Mr. Gerber was engaged in the butcher busi- ness, to which he had been bronght up in the old country. In April, 1860, he came to Cali- fornia, by way of New York and the Isthmus, and located in Sacramento; and here he fol- lowed his favorite calling until his death in 1878, in Germany, whither he had gone on ac- count of ill health. His widow is still living, at the age of seventy-five years, with her sons, on the ranch. In their family were four sons

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and one daughter: John, Henry, William E., Lonis and Anna M., -all residents of this county. William E. is a director in the Cali- fornia State Bank in Sacramento, where he is employed; Henry is in the butchering business and in the hop trade; and John and Lonis have their cattle ranch in Klamath County, Oregon. In the home ranch here, two miles from Sacra- mento, they have 110 acres; and they also have 800 acres near Florin. It is all very fine prop- erty. Mr. Louis Gerber is a member of lodge No. 42, K. of P., of Sacramento. He and his brothers, John and Henry, are yet unmarried.

SAAC GREATHOUSE HALL was born in Spencer County, Indiana, October 22, 1828- his parents being Shadrac and Mary (see sketch of R. B. Hall). I. G. Hall came to the Pacific Coast in 1852 by the Oregon route, ar- riving in Portland, September 3, without a cent. He first went to work in a saw-mill, but after one month of that drudgery he started on foot for the mines in northern Oregon, and made the journey of 300 miles, carrying his blankets, provisions and gun. Counting the 2,700 miles, more or less, across the plains, nearly all of which was also made afoot, his six months of almost steady travel, antedating the era of walking matches and tramps, probably beat the record, but as will be seen presently it was only an .nitial spurt in the walking career of the subject of this sketch. He did some mining, but more prospecting, in Oregon, north, east and south, and in 1853 crossed into California. Here he mined for four or five years on Scott and Klamath Rivers, accumnlat, ing about $4,000. In 1858 he went into the business of freighting from Crescent City, Del Norte County, to the mines, which he followed two years, and then went to mining in Placer County for ten months. In the autumn of 1861 he came down to the Sacramento River and bought the rauch of 100 acres which he now owns on Grand Island, about twenty-five miles

below Sacramento. Early in September of that year he made an arrangement with his brother, R. B., to take charge of the place and be half owner, leaving himself free to follow his bent for traveling, mining and prospecting. Ac- cordingly by the middle of the month he was ready for the road, and was not again seen by his brother for more than fourteen years. He first went to Idaho, where he mined a year and " freighted " several years, with a net result of losing in one great storm all he had made in six years. He then went to inining again, and soon again to freighting in Montana and Ore- gon, and afterward to working for another in the same line for a few months. Finally, in company with some others, he set out for the far north. Wintering in 1869 on the head- waters of the Missouri, they traveled in the spring across the country to the head of the Columbia, then to the Fraser, which they crossed at the mouth of the Kanawl, then along the Russian telegraph line to Stewart Lake, then up the lake by boat to Lake Tattler, and again by land across the Rocky Mountains to Peace River, which they followed to Great Slave Lake, about 200 miles short of the shore of the Arc- tic Ocean. Here Mr. Hall spent two years prospecting, and then returned across Alaska, walking 250 miles over the snow to the head of Skene River, where the party, then about fit- teen in number, built a boat and came down that river to Fort Essington at its month. In the spring of 1872 they came by a British steamer to Victoria, Vancouver Island, and thence to Puget Sound. Here Mr. Hall re- mained two years, and entered 160 acres, which he sold for $1,200, and returned to his home on Grand Island in 1876. Off again in 1879 he went to mining in Montana for three months, and afterward superintended the construction of a stage road from Bonanza City to Blackford city, Utah, for ten months, and once more re- turned to Grand Island in the autumn of 1880, by way of Salt Lake City and Sacramento. Concluding to spend the remainder of his years under his own vine and fig-tree, he bought lis

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brother's half-interest in the ranch, and has since devoted his attention to its management. He has thirty acres in orchard and five in vineyard. He also raises some blooded stock, keeping eight or ten brood-mares and half as many short- horn Durhams. Besides the extensive land travels already mentioned Mr. Hall has made a trip to Nevada, and half a dozen or more voy- ages from San Francisco to Puget Sound, on two of which he went as far as Alaska. In fact he has been a land and sea rover, with brief in- termissions, from 1852 to 1880, and may be said to have some claim to be regarded as the great American traveler of the third quarter of this century. He carries as a memorial of his mining days a $220 gold watch, the heavy cases of which he had made in San Francisco of the gold he had first gathered nearly forty years ago.

LEXANDER GOLDBERG, farmer and orchardist, near Sacramento, was born in Berlin, Prussia, March 18, 1833, and re- inained with his parents until he was eighteen years of age. From the age of fourteen he worked at the baker's trade. After visiting Hamburg, London and Liverpool, in 1850, he sailed for New York, arriving in December. First he was employed for four months in a brick-yard in New Jersey, near Washington; next, was engaged in a bakery in Washington eight months; then for two years he was cook for seventy-five men employed in the brick-yard where he formerly worked; for the next nine months he was proprietor of a bakery on Mont- rose avenue, in Williamsburg, during which time he was married to Margaret Horn; and finally he came to California by the Nicaragua ronte, landing at San Francisco July 3. For the first three months he was employed in Winn's confectionery and ice-cream saloon, on Kearny street, that city; next he was employed in mining three weeks on Gutcher's Bar, on the Yuba River; then nine months at the Metro- politan Restaurant and ice-cream saloon, on

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Author: Davis, Winfield J., 1851- 4n Publication date: 1890 Publisher: Chicago : Lewis Pub. Co. Number of Pages: 916

Author: Davis, Winfield J., 1851- 4n
Publication date: 1890
Publisher: Chicago : Lewis Pub. Co.
Number of Pages: 916