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 77

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 77

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HISTORY OF SACRAMENTO COUNTY.

California. Coming direct to Sacramento, he engaged in the wagon-manufacturing business in partnership with Ed. Kimball, a brother of the famous wagon-manufacturer of San Fran- cico. Continuing in this business until 1865, he was elected by the Republican party to the office of third trustee for the unexpired term of David Kendall, and was re-elected for the next full terin. Subsequently he was Deputy Assessor for three years, and again held the office of third trustee. Still [later he acted as Deputy State Census Marshal, and School Cen- sus Marshal. In 1838 he became connected with the Odd Fellows, and is now the oldest member of Sacramento Lodge, No. 2, of which he was Director and Secretary for over ten years. He has also passed all the chairs of the subor- dinate lodge and encampment, and was a mem- ber of the Grand Lodge of California for ten years. He is a member of the Exempt Fire- men's Association, of which society he has been president; and was also secretary of the Pioneer Association 1883-'84.

ILLIAM H. LUTHER, a prominent fruit-grower who resides in Sacramento, was born in Salina, now a part of Syra- cuse, New York, April 4, 1827. His parents, Constant and Aurilla (Williams) Lnther, were natives of Rhode Island. His father emigrated from that State to New York in early day and engaged in the manufacture of salt and in farm- ing, and died when our subject was a lad. The latter graduated at the Monroe Institute at El- bridge, Onondaga County. New York, in 1839. For four years he was clerk in the store of Noah Wood, in his native town; next he spent a year with Alfred Haydin, learning the carpenter's trade; then for two years he had charge of the grain department of the mercantile house of Daniel Dana; and thence until 1849 he was in the service of Kingsley & Hollister, wholesale grocers. February 14, 1849, in company with an elder brother, he left New York city on the ship

Elizabeth Ellen, Captain Truman, and came by way of Cape Horn to California, arriving at San Francisco September 18. Here his first venture in a business way was to secure passen- gers for arriving ships which were bound for Sacramento and the mining districts. In this capacity he operated for Captain Vale, of the schooner Valasco, and was quite successful, as he secured 400 passengers, in addition to a cargo of freight. On arriving at Sacramento he and his brother had but little cash on hand; never- theless, they pushed on to Placerville, then called "Hangtown," and camped out at the diggings near by their friend- James Alvord, who had previously located .there. Not being successful, they became discouraged and were about to return to Sacramento, when one day William took a stroll over to Cedar Ravine and found a vein of gold, or rather of slate laden with gold. From the first panful he obtained about $50 worth of the shining metal. Com- municating the all-important discovery to his brother, they went to work together and at the expiration of the first month they had " a large pickle-jar full of gold!" A fitting illustration of the ups and downs of mining fortune may here be given in Mr. Luther's own words: " It was growing late in the season, and near by our claim was the cabin of two miners who had been uniformly unsuccessful. Having no pro- visions, we bought their supply at an outlay of about $600. This afterward proved a valuable find; for the roads were well-nigh impassable, provisions advanced in price, and at times were not to be had at any price. Here we remained until spring, when, lured by stories of opportu- nities in El Dorado Cañon, we sold our claim and went there in April, locating between the North and the Middle Fork of the American River. The snow was very deep and we re- mained there until July, but never ' struck the color,' and we then learned that the parties to whom we had sold our claim for $600 had in the meantime cleared $15,000. In 1851 we put in a flume above Spanish Bar, on the Middle Fork of the American. We called it the Indi-

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HISTORY OF SACRAMENTO COUNTY.

ana Ripple. After weeks of toil we found that it was nseless, because of another flume below us. We then stacked our flume and material on the river bank; but before it could be trans- ferred to another location it was all swept away by the floods. Nothing daunted, however, we seeured 300 feet below the other flume and went to work. Here we found a ereviee which pan- ned ont $100 to the foot. In the spring of 1852 we formed the Empire Company, and by unit- ing our forces succeeded in turning the river from its channel. On Monday morning, after this work had been going on for some time, I arose very early and found that Indiana Ripple had gone dry in the night, and, unaided, I took out over fifty pounds of gold during that morn - ing, and the company realized over $165,000 during the following six weeks." In October, that year, Mr. Luther went to his New York home on a visit. Returning the next April, by way of the Isthmus, he joined his brother in this State, who in the meantime had bought a ranch in Amador County. Here he remained · until 1857, when he made another trip to New York State and married Miss Sarah J., daughter of D. Alvord, and a native of Farmington, Con- nectieut. Returning almost immediately with his bride, he settled on his ranch in Ione Val- ley, where he made a specialty of vegetables and fruit. In 1879 he came to Sacramento to reside. In 1863 he joined the Pioneer Association, in which society he has been a director for ten years. His family comp ises a wife and three daughters.

EORGE ALEXANDER McDONELL, farmer, was born April 23, 1829, four miles east of Cornwall, Canada, and went to Brighton, on Lake Ontario, about eighty miles from East Toronto, when eight years of age. His parents were Dunean MeDonell, mer- chant, born in Canada, of Scotch parents, who was in the war of 1812 and was a half-pay officer at the time of his death, in 1852, and

Mary (Chisolm) MeDonell, also a native of Canada, daughter of Colonel Chisolm, who was at one time a Member of Parliament. She died February, 1877. In 1859 G. A. MeDonell was in Kansas freighting goods by wagon across the plains from Atchison and Fort Leavenworth to Pike's Peak, where he was at the time of the excitement there and witnessed some strange things. Returning to Canada, he went to the Cariboo mines in British Columbia, going by steamer to St. Thomas and to Victoria, and there took river boats up the Fraser River to Fort Douglas; thenee he packed across the mountains, following the river, erossing two or three small lakes on the way, and arriving at the mines abont the middle of July. Finding there that the cost of a square meal was $3.50 and everything else proportionately dear, and not having much money, he eoneluded not to remain; September 5, 1862, he reached San Francisco with $1.50 in his pocket. He found that eity full of discontented men seeking for work. He went to an employment office for a job and was sent to Alviso, above Red Wood City, where he went to work bailing hay; then cooked for awhile for $40 a month; next went to pitehing hay. After finishing there he re- turned to San Francisco, saw an advertisement in the paper for a wood-chopper, obtained a let- ter of introduction from a friend in this eity and came to Sacramento. He took a contract for chopping wood along the line of the Valley railroad, from Mr. Robinson. That winter he ent 800 eords of wood, and the next hauled 1,600 to the railroad track for shipment. Next he followed teaming over the mountains for several years, until the railroad was built past Reno, Nevada. In 1869 he purchased his pres- ent farm, which is about eleven miles east of Sacramento. He lias 160 aeres devoted to grain and ten acres in vineyard and orehard. He was married April 23, 1873, to Eliza Fisher, dangh- ter of Philip Fisher, who was born in Saera- mento County, April 4, 1856. They have six children, three sons and three danghters: Mary, born March 15, 1874; Ida, May 15, 1876;

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George, July 8, 1881; Archie, July 22, 1882; Grace, February 7, 1885; and Eddie, July 2, 1887.

REDERICK MEYERS was born in Han- over, Germany, June 8, 1822, his parents being Henry and Sophia (Klingenberg) Meyer, by American usage Myers or Meyers, the latter spelling being preferred by this branch of the family. The father died in 1847, aged fifty-two. Grandfather William Meyer reached the age of 103 and his wife was nearly eighty. Frederick Meyers received the usual common- school education of his country and was brought up to farm work. In 1857 he came to Cincin- nati, Ohio, and there worked for two years in a starch factory, and afterward in varions. pur- suits for two years. In 1859 Mr. Meyers was married in Cincinnati to Miss Katrina Verbarg, also a native of Hanover, born October 21, 1840, daughter of Diedrich and Margareta (Kattun) Verbarg. Her father died in September, 1888, in his eightieth year; the mother, born in 1813, is now living with another daughter, at North Vernon, Indiana. Mr. Meyers, who had been a soldier in his native land from the eighteenth to the twenty-eighth year of his age, serving against Denmark in 1848, he entered the Union army in 1861, enlisting in the Fourth Ohio Cavalry, and became a corporal, in Company F, his imperfeet knowledge of English alone preventing his further advancement. Heserved under General Mitchell, and was discharged for wounds received in the service. On his recovery, he worked in different lines for a few years, and in 1866, with his wife and two children, accompanied his brother, H. W. Meyers, on his return to California. Arrived on Grand Island, he bought seventy-two acres of his brother. The land was mostly in willows and tules then, but he has now twenty acres in orchard, besides raising other marketable prod- ucts. Ile has a comfortable home, and expects to become rich by the thorough reclamation of Grand Island. In August, 1883, he bought a

fruit farm of twenty acres on Schoolcraft Island, Solano County, now occupied by his son. Mr. and Mrs. Meyers lost their oldest child, Caro- line, at the age of seventeen, and have two children living: Henry Frederick, born in Ohio, December 19, 1865, and Anna Aurelia, born in California, January 2, 1870. Miss Meyers was educated in St. Gertrude's Academy at Rio Vista, and besides the usual acquirements has attained special proficiency in music. She is also an artist in crayon work of more than ordi- nary ability, and has embellished her home with many fine pieces of work from her own pencil, as well as with some artistic needlework.

OSTER N. MOTT, the pioneer peach- grower of the State of California, was born in 1819 in the city of New York, educated at Rockaway on Long Island, attending the common schools during the winter and laboring on his father's farm during the summer, and learned the trade of smithing in New York, after which he worked as a journeyman for several years. In 1848 he married Miss Frances L. Wood, daughter of Captain Thomas Wood, of the New York and Savannah Steam- ship Line. He became one of a company of young business men who expended $20,000 for machinery and traps and came to California around Cape Horn, in the ship Daniel Webster, being 156 days on the voyage. The ship was laden with two years' provisions, a saw-mill, machinery and lumber for building a scow, and with the latest inventions for gold-washing. The latter, on their arrival in California, were found to be useless. The party arrived in San Francisco July 21, and proceeded to build a stern-wheel steamer or scow, 20 x 40 feet. This took two months' time. This steamer was the first to leave San Francisco and arrive at Sacra- mento without accident or delay; but running up the American River they stuck on a bar, and after several fruitless attempts to free the vessel, they abandoned it forever. Mr. Mott

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then proceeded to Cigar Bar, on the Yuba River, with a party made up of nine of the original company; but becoming severely afflicted with the malarial element of that section, their num- ber was soon reduced to four, and in September, 1850, Mr. Mott gave up mining altogether. Going to Marysville, he bought an interest in a bakery there. During the summer of 1853 he returned to New York, where he remained two years. Returning with his family in 1855, he located npon a ranch in Yolo County, and en- gaged in stock-raising and fruit-growing. Dried peaches from Chili were being bronght here in large quantities for consumption, and from the stones of these he raised the first peach seed- lings ever grown in the State. These trees started the celebrated G. G. Briggs fruit ranch in Yuba County, from which, in 1857, $70,000 worth of peaches was sold in San Francisco that season. In 1874 Mr. Mott purchased 2,700 acres of land in Sacramento County, and for the next ten years he devoted himself to sheep-raising. He moved to Sacramento in 1875, where he still resides. In 1885 he bought and planted a raisin vineyard at Fresno, from which, at its second year, he marketed seven tons of raisins; the third year, forty-five tons. Mr. Mott, in his political principles, is a Re- publican. He voted at the first election in 1849, for Americans, but has never been a politician or aspired to office. He is a director in the Pioneer Association at Sacramento.

AMES B. McGUIRE, pioneer manufacturer of iron doors, 520 K street, Sacramento, was born Angust 13, 1824. His parents, Lawrence and Mary (Highland) McGuire, came from County Kings, Ireland, and settled in Connecticut in 1827. Here he attended school taught by a brother of the celebrated Lorenzo Dow. In 1832 the family removed to Cincin- nati, where he remained until 1849, when he joined the Dr. Woodruff train and came to Cali- fornia across the plains; but, as with so many

who came in that manner, dissatisfaction arose and the party was broken up. Mr. McGnire joined James Huff and Henry Greathouse, and proceeded westward. At Fort Hall they left their wagons and packed their effects upon their horses. They came by way of the sink of the Humboldt, crossed the valley and came into Sacramento Angust 21, 110 days after leaving St. Joseph. Mr. McGuire made a prospecting tour to the Spanish Bar, on the American River, and those two weeks were the first and last of his mining experience. In the fall of that year (1849) he started in business in Sacramento, locating on Third street, between J and K, but varying his occupations during the winter months by making trips to Marysville on trading expeditions in a whale-boat. Later he bnilt a shop on Sixth and J streets, where for many years he conducted his business. In 1860 he located on J street, where he still car- ries on the business. Mr. McGuire was married September 1, 1856, to Miss Mary, daughter of John Coffee, who came to California in 1849 from Boston, and kept a hotel on Fifth street, between J and K. Mrs. McGuire died in 1879. The children are: Joseph, Belle, Agnes, Lillian and William. The subject of this sketch has never been in any sense a politician, bnt has always been interested in the affairs of the city. He early became identified with the volunteer fire department; was foreman of Hook and Ladder Company No. 2, and is a member of the society of Exempt Firemen. He is also a mnem- ber of the Pioneer Association, and has been both a director and president of that society.

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TEPHEN TURNER MORSE, deceased, was born in Canandaigua, Ontario Connty, New York, May 15, 1820, his parents be- ing Stephen and Sarah (Turner) Morse. Stephen Morse was born in Connecticut, went to Florida, at the age of twenty-one, as one to form a colony, and was compelled to leave on account of the Indians. From there he went to Canada; cleared

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a farm and was prosperons; but was compelled to either lose his farm or enter the king's serv- ice; he chose the former, and went to New York State, where, for a long time, he drove a stage between Buffalo and Albany. There, when he was forty years of age, he married Sarah Turner. To them were born ten children, seven sons and three daughters. Of these, one son and one daughter died there. In 1847, with his family, he removed to Lockport, Illinois, where, a few months later, he died of dropsy of the heart, at the age of sixty-seven. Sarah Morse, his wife, was a native of Erie County, New York; was married at the age of twenty, and died at Plain- field, Illinois, aged seventy six years. The sub- ject of this sketch was brought up to work on a farm, but afterward learned the trade of black- smith at Warsaw, Wyoming County, New York, and in his early manhood worked at it at vari- ous points in Missouri, Mississippi and Alabama. In 1844 he went to Lockport, Illinois, working at his trade there nntil 1849, when he came to California and engaged in mining, off and on, for three years or more. Abont 1853 he came down to the Sacramento River and worked at his trade for some years at Onisbo, two miles below Courtland. About 1854 he bonght a ranch on Miner Slough in Solano County, and afterward a second one in that neighborhood. In October, 1858, he bought the 156 acres at the head of Sntter Island, on which his family still reside. For many years he devoted his attention chiefly to alfalfa, but in later years he turned towards fruit-growing. There are now over thirty-five acres in orchard along the river, and alfalfa is still grown in large quantities in the rear. They also own 200 acres of the old pur- chase on Miner Slough, a part having been sold by Mr. Morse some years ago. Mr. Morse was married in October, 1859, to Miss Martha A. Bnr- son, born in Ohio, November 12, 1839, daughter of John and Eliza (Massy) Burson, both Ameri- can and hoth now deceased, the father reaching the age of seventy. Grandfather Thomas Massy was a native of Virginia and a soldier of the Revolution. His wife, Elizabeth, lived to be

eighty-eight. Mr. and Mrs. Moise are the parents of four living children: Sarah Eliza, born April 30, 1861; Annie Leona, October 18, 1867; Henry Hare, November 27, 1872; Edith Martha, July 18, 1877; William Turner, born Jnne 9, 1863, died August 17, 1865. Sarah Eliza was married, December 21, 1881, to John C. Smith, a rancher of Yolo County, abont nineteen miles below Sacramento, on the river. They are the parents of three children. Early in 1889 a great calamity befel this happy family by the sudden death of the husband and father. While loading hay from his barn, on January 10, he slipped and fell upon his head, breaking his neck and dislocating both wrists. Death was instantaneous and in that respect a merciful dis- pensation to him. To the children, and especi- ally to the wife, the shock was something awful, the recollection of which is still almost as pain- ful as the actnal experience. Mr. Morse had been a Mason for over thirty years and was buried with the honors of the order, January 13, in their cemetery at Sacramento. Ry his neigh- bors he was regarded as an honest, reliable man, whose word was as good as liis bond, and his death was universally regretted.

ENRY (). MORGAN, a farmer and frnit- raiser, was born in Essex County, New Jersey, Jannary 16, 1828, son of John and Elizabeth Morgan. When of age he left his parental home to take care of himself. In 1845 he emigrated to Brown County, Illinois, and was a resident there most of the eight years he was in that State. April 11, 1853, he started for California, with a small party who were coming with ox teams, and arrived at Sacra- mento September 7 or 8. His first work here was to assist in threshing grain, then was em- . ployed two months on the R street levee, and ever since that time he has been engaged in farming, excepting the three months he spent in inining in Sonora. His present farm he pre- empted from the Government. At first it com-

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prised a quarter of a section, but he has since sold half of it. It is devoted to fruit and grain, is situated on the Fruit Ridge, in Sutter Town- ship, two and a half miles from the city limits, between the upper and lower Stockton roads, . and the soil is well adapted to fruits of all kinds. Mr. Morgan was married in 1860 to Elizabeth Young, a native of Germany, and they have one son and four daughters, named Jennie, George, Lottie, Katie (deceased) and Sallie.

ILLIAM MCLAUGHLIN, who has been recently elected to the office of Second Trustee of this city, was born in County Donegal, in the extreme north of Ireland, in 1842. His father, a small fariner, having died when he arrived at the age of eighteen, he emi- grated to America, where he had two brothers and two sisters living. He came in a sailing vessel from Londonderry, at the mouth of the river Foyle, and, after a long but uneventful voyage, landed in the city of New York, going directly to Philadelphia to join his relatives, where he lived for nine years, acting as a private watchman in a mercantile house. In the mean- time his two sisters had become residents of Sacramento, and were delighted with the place and the prospects here. They urged him to join them, which he finally did, leaving New York on the Colorado, August 16, 1865, cross- ing the Isthmus and steaming through the Golden Gate on the 9th of September. He came soon afterward to the Capital City, engaged in the draying business on his own account, and, it is needless to say, has prospered. Always a Democrat in politics, his personal popularity induced his party to bring him forward in 1880 as their candidate for County Supervisor, but he was defeated, it being a bad year for Demo- crats. In 1883 he was again nominated for the same office and elected by a handsome majority. In 1886 he was put forward as the regular nominee for the office of trustee, and failed of being elected by only 250 votes, notwithstand-

ing that a branch of his own party had put another candidate in the field. In 1889 he came up again as the choice of his party and re- ceived the endorsement of a handsome majority of his fellow-citizens, being elected to the office of second trustee and supervisor of streets. He is a typical gentleman, full of energy, yet court- eous and affable in manner, an efficient officer and a warm personal friend. IIe is a member of Concord Lodge No. 117, and also an active member of Chapter No. 3, Council No. 1, and Commandery No. 2, F. & A. M. Mr. Mc- Laughlin has been twice married, first in 1864, at Philadelphia: wife died leaving one son ; and in 1876 he was married for the second time, to Miss Mary Ferrell, a native of Philadelphia, a daughter of Thomas Ferrell, who came to Sacra- mento in the early days. They have had two children, only one of whom is living.

- AMUEL H. MERWIN, a Sutter Township farmer. The Merwin family are of Welsh origin. About two and a half centuries ago, three brothers came from Wales to this country, one of whom settled in Connecticut, and afterward became connected with English and Irish families by marriage. Daniel Mer- win, grandfather of Samuel H., was a native of Connecticut, and died in 1820. In his family were four sons and one daughter who grew up, all born also in Connecticut. Two sons, Sam- nel and Lewis, were Methodist ministers. Dan- iel moved to New York State when all his children were very young, and they passed their lives there. Lewis, a farmer and local preacher, and the father of Samuel H., married Ruth Rey- nolds, a native of New York State. Her grand- father, Eli Reynolds, was born in Ireland. In Lewis Merwin's family were three sons and six daughters, all born in the Empire State. One of the daughters now resides in that State, and the others in Los Gatos, California. Samuel H. Merwin was born in Delaware County, New York, May 1, 1826; was six years old when his

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mother died, and he was then taken care of by relatives. In 1847, during the Mexican War, he went to New York city for a year, and then was employed upon various farms until 1856, when he came to this State. Ile sailed from New York on the steamer George Law to the Isthmus and thence to San Francisco on the Golden Age, arriving during the last of May, when the vigilance committee were hanging two men, Casey and Cora, who had killed the editor of the San Francisco Bulletin. The voy- age was unusually long and tedious. Com- ing to Sacramento, Mr. Merwin entered the hard- ware store of Massol, Merwin & Co., as a clerk, on J street between Third and Fourth. That Merwin was his brother. He remained with them until they closed business in 1869. He then purchased his present place, five miles from the State House. It comprises 160 acres, and is devoted to general farming, in which Mr. Merwin is signally suecessful. He is a member of the Grange at Sacramento and of the Method- ist Church. Was a Republican until recently, being now a Prohibitionist. He was married February 26, 1863, to Sarah P. Young, a native of Cumberland County, Mainc, as were also her parents and grandparents. Her grandfather, Nathaniel Young, was one of General Wash- ington's aides in the Revolutionary War. She came to California in January, 1862. Mr. and Mrs. Merwin have three sons and three daugh- ters, as follows: Rnth H., born February 7, 1864; Charles L., June 1, 1866, and died July 21, 1867; Henry, born May 25, 1870; Ella F., April 8, 1872; Willie C., August 4, 1875, and died March 22, 1886; Mary E., born February 28, 1877, and died May 19, 1877.

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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