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 61

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 61

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ton, general merchants, at a point known as Big Gulch. Their trade was good, amounting from $125,000 to $150,000 a year. Since 1867 Mr. · Lawton has been sole proprietor. Across the street he has also a very pretty cottage with seventeen acres of land; in fact there are two houses on that place. He has made all his property since coming to California, and has the wisdom to be content with his lot in life. He has made three trips to the East to visit his old home,-1862, 1866 and 1887. During his second visit he was gone one and a half years. He is a member of Granite Lodge, No. 62, I. O. O. F .; of Folsom Encampment, No. 24, and of Grand Canton, No. 1, P. M., of Sacramento. He was married in 1868 to Miss Mary Kit- tredge, a native of Dover, Maine. They have no children.

WACHTEL, agriculturist, was born February 6, 1829, in Hesse-Darmstadt, Germany. His parents were John and Caroline Wachtel. His father was a farmer by occupation, and died when he, the son, was only four years of age; and his mother afterward married again, and she and her husband came to America in 1839, landing at New Orleans; proceeding on to St. Louis by steamboat, they remained in that city about four months. In the spring of 1852 Mr. Wachtel started with a train overland to California, leaving all his peo- ple in St. Louis, and reached Sacramento after a six months' journey, marked with serions mishaps. For the first twenty-one days here he worked on the streets of Sacramento, when his eyes became diseased, and for twenty-five years afterward he spent money on various physicians and in trying various methods and experiments, losing time and suffering pain. He obtained relief only two years ago, through Dr. Cookley, of Sacramento; he is now "his old self" again. After his first sojourn at Sacramento, already referred to, he worked six months at mining near Placerville, going there with $50 and re-

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HISTORY OF SACRAMENTO COUNTY.

turning to Sacramento with $7! Next he worked on the Yolo side of the Sacramento about five months, and then rented a piece of land on the Haggin grant. At the end of two years he was obliged to leave this farnı, and he settled on the grant line, supposing he was beyond it. At the end of a year he had to leave this place also, and he located npon a quarter section of Govern- ment land in Sutter Township, where he lived fifteen years. Then selling out, he came and purchased his present property of 320 acres in Mississippi Township, six miles fromn Folsom and fifteen from Sacramento, where he does most of his trading. He has made most of the improvements that exist on this place. His specialties are grain and hay. Has made all his money in California.

OSEPH HASMAN was born March 19, 1850, in Bohemia, son of Joseph and Kate (Ulch) Hasman, both natives of Bohemia. The family emigrated to the United States in 1854, locating in Tama County, Iowa, in 1858. The old gentleman followed farming till his death, which occurred in 1865. The widow is still living, and makes her home most of the time in Belle Plain, that State. There were four daughters and two sons, as follows: Blazek, Mrs. Mary Weaver, Joseph, Mrs. Kate Kilberger, Mrs. Josie Kilberger, Mrs. Anna Ulch. All but the subject of this sketch reside in Iowa. Joseph remained with his parents until he was about eighteen years of age. At the age of twelve years he commenced to learn the harness- making trade, at which he worked about seven years; he then abandoned that and went into. the Chicago & Northwestern Railroad shops in order to learn the machinist's trade. While working for this company, he met with'a serio- comical accident. Undertaking to wheel loose rocks and dirt out upon a plank track and dump- ing the material into a whirlpool where the Iowa River sinks to pass under a bluff, he did not think to notice that the further end of the last

plank was unsupported, and both he and his load went down into the raging waters; and it was by the hardest swimming that he saved his life, which he accomplished with the loss of hat and wheelbarrow! During the total eclipse of the sun August 7, 1869, he was thrown thirty feet by a locomotive and knocked senseless, but not seriously injured. In 1870 he wasemployed as a brakeman on the Chicago, Rock Island & Pacific Railroad, and while thus engaged was caught in a railroad accident east of Des Moines, when the engine struck a bridge, telescoping some cars and killing one man and inashing Mr. Hasman's fingers. The next year he was obliged to obtain other work. Hoeing broom-corn one hot Fourth of July, three miles south of St. Joseph, he suffered sunstroke. After recovery, he was next employed by the St. Joseph & Council Bluffs Railroad Company, as an ap- prentice in the machine shops. After the ex- piration of his time, he began as tireman for the company on a locomotive, and while serv- ing in that capacity his engine fled the track upon an embankment, precipitating him into a pond of water, near Marysville, Missouri. For eighteen months he was under the doctor's care. He had been promoted engineer. In 1874 he was employed in the shops of the Kansas City, St. Joseph & Council Bluffs Railroad Company. After a time he resigned, and January 19, 1876, he went with a party to the Black Hills, having a very tedious time getting through the snow. After prospecting in that region for a while, amid many difficulties and privations, having a fight with the Indians and losing a man, he at length reached Cheyenne; and he came thence to Nevada, and at Reno and other points in that State he had various responsible positions in engineering, superintending large mechanical jobs, etc. In October, 1884, he came to Cali- fornia, and bought out the harness shop of J. A. Lowe, at Elk Grove, this county, where he is now doing a profitable business. He is a member of Rebekah Lodge, No. 136, I. O. O. F. at Elk Grove, and No. 274 of the subordinate lodge at the same place. He was married in

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HISTORY OF SACRAMENTO COUNTY.

i St. Joseph, Missouri, in 1872, to Mary No- work, a native of Bohemia, and brought up in this country. They have three children,- Joseph Louis, Charles Joseph, and George Joseph.

ELSON SHAVER, farmer, was born in Onondaga County, New York, May 10, 1826, son of John and Marietta (Dowd) Shaver. His father, a native of Germany, came to New York when a small boy, married there and emigrated to Sheboygan County, Wiscon- sin, bordering on Lake Michigan, in 1848 where he made his home until his death in 1886, at the age of seventy years. Nelson was abont eight years old when his mother died, and after that his father married Alzina Church, of New York, before moving to Wisconsin. In the first family were five children: Louisa, Nelson, Lovina, John and Maria. Three of these are now living: John resides in Wisconsin; Louisa married a Mr. Poole and also lives in Wiscon- sin, and the other is the subject of this sketch. By the last marriage there were also five chil- dren. Nelson was brought np in Onondaga County, New York, on a farm, and in 1852 came to California, overland, with three other young men, leaving Wisconsin about the mid- die of March. At Carson Valley they sold their ox teams and came the rest of the way with pack horses. On reaching Placerville they separated .. Nelson went to surface mining and met with good success for a while, but had to be in the snow and water so much during the winter that he contracted rheumatism, which disabled him from further mining. During the next summer, 1853, he came into Sacramento County. and worked for G. W. Colby, farming, and at length the rheumatism left him. He afterward rented the farm for two years. Then he went south a little way and entered two sec- tions of land where afterward the Sargent ranch was, on the Stockton road. He afterward sold to Sargent and took another place. He had,

besides the Sargent place, four others. He came to his present place, on the Folsom grant, about 1858. Here there are 621 acres, devoted to general farming. In 1857 he married Adeline Gunter, a native of Iowa, and they have six children, namely: Mary, wife of John Todd; Nelson H., who married Ada E. Fitch; Adeline, now the wife of Frederick Sanders; Caroline, now Mrs. Joseph Beresford; Rosa and John.

M ARTIN LEONARD SMITH was born May 13, 1828, in Montgomery County, Ohio, his parents being John (born and raised in Boston) and Catharine (Mowery, a native of Hagerstown, Maryland) Smith. The family moved to Dayton, Montgomery County, Ohio, then to Chillicothe, thence to Cincinnati and back to Dayton again. In 1835 they went to South Bend, Indiana, and lived there three years, then went to Elkhart, where the family made their home for many years. Mrs. Smith died there in 1885, at the age of eighty-four years. Mr. Smith died in Plymouth, Indiana, forty miles southwest of Elkhart, in 1854. They had a family of five children, who all lived to be grown: Elizabeth Hazelton, resident in Elkhart, Indiana; John R., Martin L., James, resident in Elkhart, and William Henry. The two latter were in the war; John died soon after, and William Henry is supposed to be dead. The subject of this sketch lived in Elkhart till 1852. When he was but sixteen years of age he com- meuced to learn the shoe-making trade, and worked about four years in his father's shop, the same which he afterward conducted himself. He left for California in the spring of 1852, transferring his business to his brother-in-law, John Hazelton. There were three of them in the party, all young fellows; a man agreed to bring them ont overland for $100 apiece. They had the privilege of paying that in money or wagons or anything to make out the outfit. Martin Smith had a wagon made and put it in for his share. After they reached Chicago the

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HISTORY OF SACRAMENTO COUNTY.

guide began to act ugly; but they stayed with him, not being very well able to help them- selves, till they reached Cainesville on the Mis- sonri; then they concluded to quit him. They had a trial of the matter, conducted by impar- tial parties and determined to allow him $25 for bringing them that far, and he had to refund the balance of the money and property. They then engaged another man at the same price, but he turned ont to be meaner than the first man, and consequently, they had another law- suit on the plains, and the result was that they took his team away from him and kept it until they reached Placerville. While traveling on the plains they saw many things that would surprise an ordinary mortal, in these days; they would in themselves form a small volume and be most interesting, but the scope of this work will not allow of their repetition. After reach- ing California he visited many points of inter- est, wandering from one place to another until 1855, then followed mining, and at last, not being very successful at mining, bought a ranch and settled down on it; the purchase money was a part of that made at Teats' diggings, about three miles from his present place. The ranch contains about 164 acres and is situated on the old Coloma road about thirteen miles from Sacramento. Mr. Smith was married in 1855 to Miss Sarah Flanigan, a native of County Clare, Ireland; she was very young when she left the old country for Fall River, Massachusetts. In 1852 she came to California, via Cape Horn. They had ten children, of whom nine are living: James, Henry, who died on this ranch at the age of nine years, Benja- min Franklin, Mrs. Mary Ann Burk, Lizzie, John, Agnes, Sallie, Katie, Lora, Gracie. Mrs. Smith died in December, 1882. Mr. Smith married again, November 19, 1884, Miss Ellen Donavan, of Sacramento, a native of Newport, Monmouthshire, Wales. Her parents were na- tives of Ireland and she came with them to Ho- boken, New Jersey, and thence to Sacramento, where she had been resident for thirteen years. After an absence of thirty-eight years Mr.

Smith, with his wife and yonngest daughter, re- turned to the home of his boyhood on a visit.

OHN DUFFY was born January 30, 1842, a son of John and Mary Duffy (the latter a native of Ireland). The father, a native of England, came to America when a boy, learned the carpenter trade, and worked at it in Syracuse, New York; afterward in Livings- ton County, Michigan, where he purchased land, on which he resided until his death, which oc- curred December 3, 1865. He was the father of seven children. John, the subject of this sketch, learned the saddle and harness trade, and worked at it four years in Michigan. In 1863 he came to California via the Isthmus, sailing from New York on the steamer Champion to the Isthmus, thence on the steamer St. Louis to San Francisco, where he arrived on Christmas day, 1863. He obtained employment iminedi- ately on a farm, and afterward purchased an eighty-acre tract of land in San Joaquin Town- ship, near old Elk Grove. Later he sold the samne and purchased his present property in 1877. It is the northeast quarter of section 36, township 7. Mr. Duffy made a visit to the East in 1876 and brought back with him his young- est brother. He was married November 5, 1868, to Miss Mary M. Thompson. They have three children, namely: William C., born December 15, 1871; Mary M., May 24, 1875, died May 5, 1876; and Effie M., born April 17, 1878. Mr. Duffy is a member of the I. O. O. F., of Elk Grove, No. 274, and his wife is a member of the Rebekahs.

JONATHAN OGDEN SHERWOOD, Brighton Township. Among the well- known pioneers of California, who have been identified with Sacramento County since the early days, is the gentleman with whose name this sketch commences. He is a native

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HISTORY OF SACRAMENTO COUNTY.

of New York State, born at Sonth Richland, Oswego County, on the 3d of January, 1825. His mother, whose maiden name was Sarah Meigs, was born in Derby County, Connecticut, and came of an old family of that State. Her father was a Revolutionary soldier, who joined the colonial army at the age of sixteen, taking the place of a neighbor, who could not well leave his family. Her mother, whose maiden name was Pritchard, had a brother, a captain in the patriot army in the Revolutionary War, who was captured by the British and had his throat cut on board of one of their prison ships. The father of our subject was Jonathan Sherwood, son of a sea captain named Zalmon Sherwood. When he was about sixteen years old the father died and the family removed to Oswego County, New York. He was in the War of 1812, and was called out at the time of the invasion of Oswego, and served till the war was over under General Gillespie, a neighbor of the family. He furnished the general a horse, which the lat- ter used throughout the war. His wife died in 1869 and he followed her to the land beyond the grave in 1871. Jonathan O. Sherwood, subject of this sketch, was one of a family of ten chil- dren, six sons and four daughters, and he now has two brothers residing in California, and one living in Colorado. He received a common- school education and in his seventeenth year commenced teaching winters, while he attended the spring terms at Mexico Academy. In the spring of 1846 he went to New York city and engaged as clerk with R. G. Williams, at 84 Pearl street. A short time later he changed his place of employment and went with J. O. & D. S. Bennett, commission merchants, at 33 Water street. J. O. Bennett, an active member of the firm, was a shrewd business man, and had that great faculty of being able to see in advance where great business opportunities lay. One day, in 1847, when the war with Mexico was pretty well advaneed, he astonished Mr. Sher- wood by asking him if he doubted his ability of taking care of himself in business under any and all circumstances. Mr. Sherwood said he

never doubted it because he knew he could. Mr. Bennett then spread ont a map before him and pointing to Yerba Buena, on the bay of San Francisco, said, " There is a point which in fifty years will rival New York. My plan is for you to go there and get possession of all the land you can get hold of," etc. Mr. Sherwood fell in with the idea and agreed to go. The scheine was then broached to D. S. Bennett, who pooh- poohed the idea, and this plan, which would have resulted in a fortune for those concerned, fell through. In the fall of 1848 Mr. Sherwood left New York and went out to Wisconsin, where two brothers then resided. Two of his brothers were anxious to go to Willamette settlement, in Oregon, and he joined with them in prepar- ing. When they were nearly ready to go their eldest brother persuaded them to give up the project. In 1849 Mr. Sherwood was in Mani- towoc, Wisconsin, and he fell in with a move- ment being made in the southern part of the State to organize a party for the purpose of going to California (among whom was a gentle- man named Durgan), and our subject fitted out an ox team for that purpose. Spring opened up late and Mr. Sherwood was to join the party in three or four weeks. In the meantime, how- ever, he received a letter from Mr. Durgan say- ing he was the only one who had not backed out, and for Mr. Sherwood to join him at New York, and they would go via Panama. Mr. Sherwood would not consent to that, however, and decided to go across the plains. He had a friend named John Irish, who wanted to go with him and was accepted. Mr. Sherwood then commenced bidding good-by to his friends, and one of them, John A. Tredway, decided at once to go along. On the 16th of April, 1850, they started, mounted on Indian ponies. They pro- cured their wagons and outfits near Fort Des Moines, Iowa, and there fell in with a party, which, with themselves, numbered sixteen peo- ple. They went to Kanesville, laid in provis- ions, and then ferried themselves across the river. They proceeded on the north side of the Platte to Laramie, and by way of the Black

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Hills. They were the first to take that route, and had to have some one ahead exploring all the time. They struck the main line of travel again at the second crossing of North Platte. From South Pass they proceeded by the Bear River route, and from Soda Springs took the Sublette's cut-off. They came on to California by wayo f Sink of Humboldt and Sink of Car- son. Mr. Sherwood first struck the mines at Weaverville, El Dorado County. He and Mr. Tredway remained there until October, when, both being sick, they were advised to go to a warmer climate, and left, coming to Sacramento. From here he went to Stockton, and at the hotel there fell in with a carpenter. Though he had never worked at that trade Mr. Sherwood was very handy with his tools. He was told by the landlord of a man who wanted to hire some workmen in this line, and he and the carpenter decided to apply for work. The contractor looked them over and selected Mr. Sherwood, though the other man was a skilled carpenter, or claimed to be. Mr. Sherwood was placed with others on a frame store that was being erected, and went to work, though, indeed, he did not even know how he was to commence. He had his wits abont him, however, and snc- ceeded in getting along nicely without any of the workmen finding ont that he was not a car- penter. When he came to construct a door frame, however, there was one point he did not understand, but he asked a question of one of the other men in such a diplomatic way, that the other did not observe his object. IIe got his answer, and was then all right. He pushed his work and attracted the attention of his em- ployer by his speed. When the contractor re- ceived the job of putting up a number of out-houses, extending out over the slough, for a hotel, he gave Mr. Sherwood charge of the job, and sent the other workmen to him to be put to work. Ile commenced on one in the morning, studying out his work as he went, and in the evening his employer was surprised to find that he had one already finished. He was getting $12 a day as a workman. It was rather

a surprising thing, as well as laughable, that he should be placed as foreman over experinced workmen, while up to a few days before he had never worked at this trade. So much for self- confidence. Mr. Sherwood returned to Sacra- mento County, and in February, 1851, bought land at what is now Gold Spring ranch, and en- gaged in farming. He was very successful, and added to his possessions until he had a place of about 1,000 acres. Part of this was State school land, and a portion was purchased from the railroad company. In 1855-'56 he set out an orchard of over 2,000 trees, and by 1861 had a handsomely improved place. But the work of years was destroyed by the flood that came on in December of that year, when the place was overflowed, and the land in front of the house filled up fifty feet. The loss to Mr. Sherwood was very severe and required a hard struggle for several years to right the damage. He had a splendid ranchi there, but sold it in 1884 to Daniel Flint, of Sacramento, and in November of that year removed to his present location in Brighton Township, where he has a farm of 160 acres. Mr. Sherwood has always taken an act- ive interest in educational matters, and organ- ized the first public school district in Sacramento County. That district includes all Cosumnes Township, and was organized in 1853. He built the school-house and presented it to the district, and hired the first teacher, whom he afterward married. Mr. Sherwood was a Demo- crat in early life and voted it until Lincoln's second campaign. He supported the Republi- can party then, and afterward became opposed to the dismemberment of the Union, but only for that reason. He is a member of the Ma- sonie order. Mr. Sherwood has been twice mar- ried. First, on the 13th of November, 1854, to Miss Kate Virginia Beall, who came from Scott County, Illinois. She died in November, 1866. By that marriage there were five chil- dren, viz .: Eva Augusta, born October 25, 1855, wife of Thomas Gaffney, San Francisco; Alfred Wilbur, born March 24, 1858; Anna, born in February, 1862, died in April, 1863; Harry,

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born October 18, 1865; and Jessie, born Octo- ber 13, 1866. Mr. Sherwood married his pres- ent wife July 5, 1869. Her maiden name was Susan Emeline Woods. She is a native of Mer- . cer County, Pennsylvania, and daughter of John and Mary (Hazen) Wood. Her parents were both born in the same county. In 1844 they removed to Barry, Pike County, Illinois, and there both parents died. Mrs. Sherwood left home for California, proceeding first to New York. She sailed from there April 10, on the steamer Ocean Queen, and landed at San Fran- cisco May 15, 1868. From there she came to Sacramento. Mr. and Mrs. Sherwood are the parents of two children, viz .: Ella May, born November 5, 1872, and Etta, born February 23, 1874. Mr. Sherwood is a splendid type of the open-hearted, hospitable Californian, who in times past, made this State famous the world over. He pushed his way to the front by indus- try and enterprise, and, while successful in life himself has always taken an active interest and lent a helping hand toward the general public welfare. Such is bnt a mere outline of the life of J. O. Sherwood, one of Sacramento County's most respected citizens.

HARLES C. BONTE, chief clerk of the shops of the Southern Pacific Railroad, was born in the city of Cincinnati, Ohio, in 1857. He is the son of the Rev. J. H. C. Bonté, Professor of Legal Ethics in the Law Department of the University, and Secretary of the Board of Regents of the University of Cali- fornia. When he was a child his parents moved to Washington city. District of Column- bia. His preliminary schooling was obtained in the District of Columbia; his preparatory courses were taken in the city of Oswego, New York, and coming to California in 1870 he completed his course of study at St. Augustine College, Benicia, from which institution he graduated in 1884. He came to Sacramento in 1875, taking a position in the office of the 28

chief clerk, Sacramento shops (Mr. Newton II. Foster), succeeding to that position in 1885. He was united in marriage, in 1881, to Miss Anna Hall Nichols, daughter of H. L. Nichols, A. M., M. D., the oldest practicing physician in the Capital City, a sketch of whom will be found elsewhere in this volume. Mr. and Mrs. Bonté have one son, named Harmon Storer Bonté.

UDGE W. A. HENRY .- Conspicuous among the local magistrates in the Capital City is W. A. Henry, whose office at 608 I street, opposite the Court House, is in itself peculiar, as indeed is the Judge in his personal characteristics. Born at Lexington, Kentucky, December 16, 1832, he crossed the plains in 1854, and settled in Placer County. His father, John Henry, was a prominent politician, an old- time Whig, and later on a Douglas Democrat. He removed from Kentucky to Jacksonville, Illinois, where he was a member of the Legis- lature, and when Colonel E. D. Baker, Con- gressman of his district, resigned his position to participate in the Mexican war, Henry was selected to fill his place. Grandfather Henry was a Virginian by birth, and a Christian min- ister, a devoted disciple of Alexander Camp- bell. The Judge's mother, Isabella Wilson, a native of Edinburg, Scotland, came with her father, Robert Wilson, to Lexington, Kentucky, where the family became well known. Wlien our subject was a child the family moved to Jacksonville, Illinois, and there he grew to manhood, and learned the trade of coppersmith at St. Louis. When he reached his majority he crossed the plains to California with a party of young men. Going into the mines for a short time, he soon became convinced that mining was not to his liking, so began teaching school, and being interested in matters political be- came a candidate for the position of Superin- tendent of Public Instruction. Later on he made San Francisco his home for several years.

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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