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 94

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 94

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OSEPH F. STILL .- The parents of Mr. Still, Joseph W. and Rachel (Fugitt) Still, were Kentuckians. In 1807 they moved into Missouri and settled in the Boone's Lake country, now Howard County. A few years later Mrs. Still returned to Kentucky on a visit, with two children, traveling all the way through Illinois and Indiana into Kentucky on horseback, in company with an old lady and a gentleman named Horn. She picketed the horses out at night. It was an exceedingly rough and ad- venturous journey for even a man to make in those times; but she belonged to that sturdy class of pioneers who were inured to hardships

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and the wild experiences of a frontier life. While Mrs. Still was in Kentucky Joseph F., the subject of this sketch, was born November 18, 1812. As soon as she was able to stand the journey, Mrs. Still, now with three children, started on the same road back to Missouri on horseback. In Missouri the settlers were few and they all had to use special means to pro- tect themselves against the Indians. In the war of 1812, which was opening at this time, the Indians were in sympathy with the British and kept up their hostilities even after the war had closed; and during this dangerous period Joseph W. Still was killed in Randolph County, at a point to which he had followed the savages. When the subject was ten years old, his inother married a man named Brown, and then the family moved into Clay County, same State, still further out upon the frontier, Missourian- like. At the age of eighteen Mr. Still started out in the world for himself, and hired out to a house carpenter to learn the trade, and contin- ued with him until he was of age. September 12, 1837, he married Mary B., daughter of Rev. Thomas Turner, an old Baptist minister. Then, with his bride, he moved into the Platt purchase, in Missouri, and lived at different places in that section, always keeping as far westward as he could get, until 1849, when he started for Cali- fornia, in a train with ox teams, crossing the Missouri River May 6. At noon the first day out they elected James Long as the captain of the train. They traveled up the Platt River to the vicinity of the mouth of the North Platt, crossed the South Fork by way of Ash Hollow, went up the valley of the North Platt to a point near the month of Sweetwater, crossed the North Fork of the Platt, traveled up the Sweetwater to the South Pass of the Rocky Mountains and on to the Big Sandy, where the road divided; one branch, known as the Fort Bridger road, leading to Salt Lake, and the other, "Sublette's cut-off." Taking the latter, via Fort Hall and Snake River, they came on to the long-looked-for point of destination. On reaching Bear River, July 4, they fired a salute

for American Independence. On the desert they passed two days and two nights with only a five-pound powder-keg of water. They reached Placerville August 28, 1849, after a long, tedious journey. Mr. Still then began making rockers for gold mining, tearing up his wagon bed for this purpose. He made $6 a day at this busi- ness. Within forty steps of where he was at work they were taking ont pounds of gold dust, which was more than he conld stand; and he commenced mining also, but withont col- lecting much gold for several days. He mined in Placerville until February, 1850, when he went over to Cañon Creek, El Dorado County, at a point called George's Flat and mined there with varied success. The best day's work was when three of them took ont over $2,200. On the last day they took out $1,600. Then they sold out for $4,000 and settled on the D ranch in Ione Valley, which point derived its name from a large brand they placed on their cattle. They arrived here on the 1st of July, entering the live-stock business. In October following Mr. Still returned to the East, leaving his in- terests here in charge of his partner. Taking steamer at San Francisco he reached Panama in twenty-one days, landed at New Orleans upon the Havana and arrived in Missouri after a voy- age of fifty-one days from San Francisco. On leaving the Golden Gate he turned around, waved his hat and bade good-by to California, feeling perfectly satisfied to return East and re- main there; but after he had spent two years in Missouri the excitement in the beautiful land he had left was too much for him, and he and his wife, in 1852, came again to the Golden State, overland, leaving the Missouri River May 5 and reaching Sacramento August 27, making the same trip he had made in 1849 to a day. The first winter here he spent in a hotel which he rented called the lone. It was merely a stop- ping place, situated four miles east of Stanislans River, on the Stockton and Mariposa road. Then he spent a year and a half at Redwood City. Moving back into Mariposa County, he remained there until the fall of 1856 and then

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he located two and a half iniles above Galt, on Dry Creek, where he now has a ranch of 500 acres. Two years ago he moved into Galt. In 1887 Mr. and Mrs. Still celebrated their golden wedding, having all their children and grand- children excepting one with them; also one great-grandchild. In their own family were six children, two having died. They have twenty-four grandchildren, and have had four great-grandchildren, but only one is living.

AVID W. TAYLOR, farmer, was born in Frederick County, Maryland, February, 29, 1840, and in 1844 the family removed with him to Seneca County, Ohio, where they' lived thirteen years. Thence they moved to Wisconsin, and two years later came to Califor- nia, arriving September 15, 1859, at San Fran- cisco on the steamer Boluck. He proceeded to the vicinity of Hangtown, where he worked for his brother, John B., one year on his ranch and then started out for himself. He purchased his present place in 1881, where he raises grain, hay, cattle and hogs. In 1863 he married Emma Jane Thomson, who was born September 9, 1845. The children are Clarence E., Frederick P., Budd H., and Edith M.

OHN RICHARDS was born in Cornwall, England, August 20, 1826, his parents be- ing Charles and Honor (Warner) Richards. The father was a miner of metals -- tin, lead, copper and silver, and also occupied a small farm. John received due initiation in bothı lines of work, and when he came to the United States in 1845 he naturally sought the lead inines of Wisconsin, seventeen miles from Galena, Illinois. When the gold fever broke out in 1848, he started with three fellow-miners and six ox teams for the new El Dorado. At St. Joe they were joined by three other young adventurers, having each one ox team. They

left St. Joe April 7, 1849, and arrived at Dutch Flats on September 9, of the same year, and went to mining without delay. Mr. Richards struck a good claim, and took out $5,000 in six weeks. In his find was one nugget worth $252. In 1851 he went East, mainly for the purpose of getting married, and having happily fulfilled that errand he invested his money in cattle, which he drove across the plains with the help of seven men, in 1853. He purchased the squatter right of one McHenry for $1,500, but afterward relinquished it under the advice of John P. Rhoads rather than contest the Mexi- can grant to the Sheldon ranch, in which it was included. The administrator of the Sheldon estate, Mr. Gunn, obtained judgment against others, and he preferred to save the cost of litiga- tion. In 1855 he bought nearly 500 acres of the same estate which he still holds, and after- ward about 1,000 acres of Governinent land. Ile still owns some quartz mines in Am- ador County and has been from the first more or less interested in mining operations. About 250 acres of his ranch are bottom lands on the Cosumnes. He raises various kinds of fruit, but mainly for home use only, besides the usual grain crops and some cattle. Mr. Richards was married November 17, 1851, to Miss Elizabeth Mitchell, born January 31, 1830, the daughter of Joseph Mitchell, a farmer of Lafayette County, Wisconsin. They are the parents of ten children, of whom two died in infancy and eight are living: Ellen Alrena, born November 2, 1852, now the wife of Mr. Lafayette Miller, teacher of the school near Cosumnes postoffice; Emily Jane, born Novem- ber 26, 1854, now the wife of Alexander Milne, for thirteen years foreman in the office of the San Francisco Bulletin; Annie Sophia, born February 8, 1857, now Mrs. Henry Band, of San Francisco; Lizzie Viola, born March 4, 1861, now Mrs. William A. Johnston, Jr .; Charles Joseph, born May 30, 1863; John Lin- coln, August 22, 1865; Mary Hattie, January 31, 1868, now Mrs. E. A. Platt; William Free- man, December 22, 1870. Mr. and Mrs.

alla get for.

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Richards made one trip East, with the Pioneer Society in 1869.

A. GETT, JR .- It would be indeed difficult to point to a better instance 2 of what may be accomplished by a young man of pluck, perseverance and principle, than is presented in the life history of the gen- tleman whose name figures at the head of this sketch. Although but twenty-six years of age, he has already risen, almost unaided and alone, to a position of ease and prominent rank in a profession where hard, honest work tells per- haps more surely than alinost any other line of life, namely, the legal; that, too, from the car- rowest circumstances of his early days, and against serious and discouraging obstacles. Ile is a native of Sacramento, has lived all his life in this city, and it woukl hardly be saying too much to state that he has not an enemy upon . earth. A genial, good-hearted, honorable, hon- est, hard-working and talented gentleman, in the truest sense of that word, he deserves every whit of his success, and the bright future that lies before him is amply due to his energy and ability. As before stated, Mr. Gett was born in the city of Sacramento, the date being July 11, 1863. His father is Captain W. A. Gett, once a prominent business man, and still a well- known and, although reduced, an honorable resident of this city. He is a veteran of the Mexican war, where he saw much active service. He was a native of Woodford County, Ken- tucky, and an intimate friend of young Clay, who fell at the battle of Buena Vista. The Gett family is indeed one of the old families of Kentucky, having settled there in the early days. Upon his mother's side Mr. Gett is sprung from the old Rogers stock of Tennessee, a family well known and prominent there. Captain Gett is a pioneer of the golden days of '49, and was at one time a man of wealth and position. Business reverses, more the fault of others than his own, overtook him, a disaster 39

from which he never recovered. The subject of this article was reared and educated in this city, attending different private and public schools. For a time he devoted his attention to engineer- ing and surveying, but being naturally of a busy and aspiring turn of mind, soon abandoned those pursuits for the study of law. Ile entered the law office of Jones & Martin, well-known attorneys of this city, and two weeks after at- taining his majority passed a brilliant examina- tion before the Supreme Court of California during its term in San Francisco, and was ad- mitted to practice before the bar. He iminedi- ately "hung out his shingle," and by his quick- ness of judgment, legal skill and careful study of his cases, has won a position in his profession of which any lawyer of twice his age might be proud. He believes firmly in the dignity of his profession, and will never lower its standard by any act unworthy of an adviser. IIe owes his great success quite largely to the effective course pursued by him of singling out the inost salient point of his case, letting the rest go, and re- serving all his strength for that point. Mr. Gett is a Democrat of unwavering views. He has been tendered the nomination for many offices of responsibility and honor, but has always declined them, wishing first to win the right of accepting office at the hands of the peo- ple by placing himself at the very lead in his profession. That the future has much in store for him we feel assured, for in the end offices of trust and responsibility always come to those who are worthy of them, whether they seek thein or not. Mr. Gett has, nevertheless, been of great service to the party by taking the field and doing effective work as a speaker and worker during several campaigns. As is natural with a gentleman of such an active disposition as Mr. Gett, he is a member of many beneficiary orders. Ile is a Past President of Sacramento Parlor, N. S. G. W., and has been a delegate to several Grand Parlors. He has held several important commissions for the order, at times of great responsibility. He has been First Chieftain of the Caledonian Association; is a

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member of the Masonic order, holding at present an office in Tehama Lodge, and a member of El Dorado Lodge, I. O. O. F. It should be stated that he is the ordnance officer on the staff of the Colonel of the First Artillery Regiment, N. G. C. The subject of this sketch is a young bachelor.

ENRY HOLMES, a farmer of Sutter Township, was born in Yorkshire, Eng- land, February 26, 1829. His father, William Holmes, was a manufacturer of woolen goods in the old country, and also carried on farming. In 1842 he came to this country and spent a few months in Wisconsin: bnt, being sick while there he returned to England to spend the remainder of his days there. He was born in 1805, and died in 1880; his wife, Elizabeth, died in 1836, the mother of four sous and one danghter. Two of the family are now living,-one son in England, and Henry, the subject of this notice. The latter in his younger days was an assistant of his father, both on the farm and in the woolen mill. He became an expert in spinning and dyeing, tak- ing charge of the business to a great extent dur- ing his father's absence. In 1869 he bade adieu to his native land. Coming to America he spent the first year in Indiana, and afterward was in New York State; followed his trade as dyer in both States. In 1878 he came to Cali- fornia, and soon purchased his present place of 160 acres in Sutter Township, between the up- per and lower Stockton roads. He has also an interest, with his sons, in a section of land in San Joaquin Township. In his undertakings here, also, he is in partnership with his sons. He has been a hard worker, industrions and economical, and has been quite successful. He had but $500 when he commenced here, nine years ago. He was married in 1852, in Eng- land, to Mary Woods, a native of that country, who died in 1871, the mother of six children, four of whom are now living, as follows: Emily,

wife of James Spencer; Eva, wife of George Beiley; Joseph, who married Carrie Rich; and James W., who married Flora Canfield.

HARLES SCHREINER was born in Ba- den, Germany, in 1826, of Michael and Katrina (Hummel) Schreiner. The pa- rents, with Charles and two other sons, came to America in 1849. Their son George had pre- ceded them in 1845, and à son and daughter remained in Germany. The family settled on a farm in Jefferson County, Wisconsin. George settled in Boston, but after some years came 10 Wisconsin, and went into the boot and shoe business at Fort Atkinson. Martin, who came with the others in 1849, afterward became a contractor and builder in Milwaukee, and was killed by a fall from a building. The mother died in 1874, aged about seventy-five, and the father in 1879, aged eighty-five. The subject of this sketch was in the army of the Grand Duke of Baden from 1846 to 1849, and fought on the side of Prussia in the Schleswig-Holstein war; but in 1849 Baden was opposed to Prus- sia. He came to California in 1852, and went to mining on the Middle Ynba for the three months, doing fairly well, but losing in later ventures all he had made. He then went to Marysville and worked on a steamer, which was blown np three months later, while he was for- tunately on shore through sickness. After getting well he came to the place he now owns, seven miles south of Sacramento, on the Free- port road, and went to work keeping cattle for the owner, a Mr. Blanchard, and in 1854 he bought the ranch comprising 160 acres. He also owns 320 acres near Elk Grove. He raises wheat and barley, and keeps a dairy of about thirty cows at the home place. In 1860 Mr. Schreiner was married in Sacramento to Miss Christina Klenk, a native of Wirtemberg, who died in August, 1887, aged forty-eight, and was buried in Sacramento. Three children survive her: Elizabeth, Charles, Jr., and Henry. Miss

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Schreiner has a good district-school education; and Charles was graduated from the Sacra- mento Business College. IIenry has taken a course in the California Institute for the Deaf and Dumb, receiving his diploma June 8, 1886.

ILLIAM ADLUM SCOTT was born in Columbiana County, Ohio, October 9, 1833, his parents being James and Polly (Davidson) Scott. He was reared on his father's farm, and received the limited education of an occasional term in the district school. At the age of ten he hired out, driving horses and otherwise helping in farm work. In 1850 or 1851 he became an apprentice to a carpenter in Mansfield, and in 1852 went to Sandusky city, where he earned high wages at his trade, because of the cholera then prevailing, he nav- ing escaped the epidemic. March 26, 1853, he left Mansfield for California, by way of Cin- cinnati, St. Louis, Soda Springs, and Sublette's cut-off to the head of the Humboldt; down the river to its "sink," and thence across the desert to Ragtown, arriving in this State August 12, and in San Jose September 2, 1853. He worked at his trade two months, but was taken sick and became unable to work. He moved to El Dorado County, and did a little mining and ranching until March 10, 1854, when he again went to carpentering on a job at Shingle Springs. On its completion he moved to the Cosumnes, May 31, 1855, and was engaged in building irrigating wheels at intervals for tive or six years; meanwhile remaining at a sinall ranch of about eighty acres, of J. C. Austin, in 1856. In June, 1857, he was married to Miss Zilpha Moore, a native of Indiana, and daughter of a school-teacher of that name, who taught for many years near Lafayette. Mr. Scott made his first purchase of land in 1869, about 160 acres, since increased by later purchases to abont 500 acres. For some twelve years he made a specialty of the fruit business, raising some and also buying of others to sell to the trade, but

general farming is his principal business. He raises some horses, cattle and sheep, besides the usual grain crops. He has an orchard of about 1,000 trees, and has realized as high as $3,000 from its product in one year, but for the last five years the sales have not reached ten per cent. of that amount in any one year. Mr. and Mrs. Scott are the parents of two sons, still liv- ing: George W., born in 1858, and Lewis M. in 1860. They were divorced, and Mrs. Scott left August 20, 1884. She is now living at Se- bastopol with her two sons. In November, 1885, Mr. Scott married Mrs. Saralı Muse, born in Kelsey, El Dorado County, in 1860. They are the parents of two children: William, born August 10, 1886; and Ellen Jane, September 7, 1888.

DWIN F. SMITH, Secretary of the State Agricultural Society, and a resident of Sacramento, is a native of this city. He was born in February, 1853, the son of Captain F. C. Smith and Augusta J., nee Petrie. Captain Smith was a native of Pennsylvania, but removed in early life to Hopkinsville, Ken- tucky, where he resided for many years; he was a pioneer on this coast, coming here in 1849. The first business enterprise which engaged the sub- ject of this sketch was selling papers on the streets of Sacramento. Next he worked on a farm in Colusa for three years. In 1866 he was sent to the high school in San Jose, and there remained for three years, and there it was that he obtained the education which has so well fitted him for the honorable position which he has since been called upon to occupy. Upon his return to Sacramento in 1869, he entered the service of the Pacific Union Express Com- pany, and later on was with Wells, Fargo & Company, in whose employ he continned for eight years, After a three-years experience in mercantile pursuits in this city, he became Secretary of the State Agricultural Society in 1880, and has held this position since that time;

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but in 1879-'80 he was Secretary of the Con- stitutional Convention, of which body Hon. Joseph P. Hoge was President, and was Secre- tary of the Senate during the twenty-fifth and twenty-sixth sessions, and for the two extra ses- sions of 1884-86. In 1876 he married Jeannie A. Muir, a uative Californian. They have two children: Halsey Genery and Elsie.

HARLES II. JOLLY, grocer, Folsom, was born in Green County, Pennsylvania, June 18, 1842, son of Titus and Rachel Jolly, the former of Scotch descent and the latter a native of Shenandoah Valley, Virginia. Mr. Jolly never saw any of his relatives, and does not know that he has any in America. He left home at the age of twelve years, went into Monongalia County, Virginia, and obtained such employment as he could, the first respons- ible position being that of salesman and deliv- ery boy ir. a cabinet and general furnishing store. Next he went to Hancock County, Illi- nois, where he did carpenter work about two years; then be went into Kansas with a party of trappers, and spent the summer of 1857 in the Rocky Mountains. In 1858 he left La Harpe, Hancock County, Illinois, and came overland to this State with three others, one of them being a brother. They crossed the Mis- touri March 24 and came leisurely along, as they were traveling more for sport than to reach a certain point as soon as possible. They passed the time hunting, trapping and fishing, and reached California Novenrber 20. Mr. Jolly first commenced mining at Rattlesnake Bar, continuing in the business there and at other places for about a year; next he followed car- pentering at Auburn, Placer County, awhile; then he was at Folsom a short time: then clerked five years in the store of Bradley & Seymour; then he followed teaming again in and around Colfax, Dutch Flat, Alta, Gold Run, etc., for two years. Selling out this interest, he went to Virginia City, and for two years pros-

peeted in the wilds in that part of the country, in company with two others. The next year he was in this State not doing much of any- thing, until finally he bought an interest in a grocery store in Folsom, where he carried on the business under the firm name of Smith, Bishop & Jolly. The second year Bishop sold to Campbell; the third year the store was con- sumed by fire, May 6, 1872, uninsured, and the firm lost about everything. Mr. Jolly then re- mained out of business for six or seven years, during which time he was clerking, speeulating. etc., until 1883, when he again began regular business for himself, which he has carried on to the present time. He is a member of Folsom Lodge, No 109, A. O. U. W., joining the order in 1879. May 24, 1869, he married Miss Eve- line Heaton, a native of Peoria, Illinois, who came to California in 1852 with her parents. Her father, James Ileaton, was a well-known pioneer of Folsom.

HOMAS J. THOMPSON was born March 19, 1814, in Knox County, Indiana, his parents being Colvert and Jane (Mayfield) Thompson. The father was a shoemaker by trade and went to Indiana in 1822. settling finally in Vincennes, that State, where he died. He had eleven children, four boys and seven girls. The subject remained at home, working on his father's farm until twenty-one years of age. April 12, 1854, he started for California, crossing the plains with his family, seven in number; he arrived at Gold Hill, August 30, 1854, after a pleasant trip. He went at once to mining, continuing the same for abont eight- een months, but not being successful, he came to Sacramento, remained but a short time, and then went to harvesting for Joseph Kerr. He saved $30 and concluded to go on a ranch, the $30 being invested for lumber with which to build their cabin, but it was not sufficient and the neighbors helped them out. The first year's crop consisted of fifteen acres of wheat, which

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was a good crop considering the dry season. Thus he struggled along, but to-day is amply paid for his energy and grit. lle has one of the finest homes in the county. He was married, March 17, 1840, to Miss Mary Ann Earls, who died March 16, 1872, leaving five children, namely: Henry, Melissa, Isidore, Theodore and Alonzo. He was again married in 1872 to Miss Agnes B. Thornell. He has sixty acres devoted to general farming, seven acres to vineyard and about 200 peach and fruit trees.

ON. GROVE L. JOHNSON, one of the leading members of the bar of Sacramento County, was born March 27, 1841, in Syracuse, New York, where his younger days were passed, his education obtained, and where he was admitted to the bar when but a little past his majority. At the age of fifteen years he was left an orphan, withont means, and from that time forward has made his own way in the world,-inch of it by " fighting," as he him- self expresses it; but his " fighting " has been in great part for his friends and the city of his adoption. He began the practice of his profes- sion in his native city, but with such close ap- plication that his physical forces began to yield, and he saw the necessity of a change of climate. Accordingly, in 1863, he came overland to this State, by stage, being twenty-two days and nights on the journey. In 1865 he selected Sacramento for his residence. The next year he was appointed swamp land clerk of the board of supervisors of this county, an office he held for over seven years, though the political com- plexion of the board was twice changed during that period; and since May 1, 1874, he has been busily engaged as an attorney, and to some ex- tent in politics. In the fall of 1877, with his colleagne, he was elected as a Republican mem- ber of the Assembly; and two years later he was elected to the Senate. In 1882 he was again nominated for the Senate, but by politi- cal maneuvering he was counted out. During

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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