USA > California > Glenn County > History of Colusa and Glenn counties, California, with biographical sketches of the leading men and women of the counties who have been identified with their growth and development from the early days to the present > Part 39
USA > California > Colusa County > History of Colusa and Glenn counties, California, with biographical sketches of the leading men and women of the counties who have been identified with their growth and development from the early days to the present > Part 39
Note: The text from this book was generated using artificial intelligence so there may be some errors. The full pages can be found on Archive.org (link on the Part 1 page).
Part 1 | Part 2 | Part 3 | Part 4 | Part 5 | Part 6 | Part 7 | Part 8 | Part 9 | Part 10 | Part 11 | Part 12 | Part 13 | Part 14 | Part 15 | Part 16 | Part 17 | Part 18 | Part 19 | Part 20 | Part 21 | Part 22 | Part 23 | Part 24 | Part 25 | Part 26 | Part 27 | Part 28 | Part 29 | Part 30 | Part 31 | Part 32 | Part 33 | Part 34 | Part 35 | Part 36 | Part 37 | Part 38 | Part 39 | Part 40 | Part 41 | Part 42 | Part 43 | Part 44 | Part 45 | Part 46 | Part 47 | Part 48 | Part 49 | Part 50 | Part 51 | Part 52 | Part 53 | Part 54 | Part 55 | Part 56 | Part 57 | Part 58 | Part 59 | Part 60 | Part 61 | Part 62 | Part 63 | Part 64 | Part 65 | Part 66 | Part 67 | Part 68 | Part 69 | Part 70 | Part 71 | Part 72 | Part 73 | Part 74 | Part 75 | Part 76 | Part 77 | Part 78 | Part 79 | Part 80 | Part 81 | Part 82 | Part 83 | Part 84 | Part 85 | Part 86 | Part 87 | Part 88 | Part 89 | Part 90 | Part 91
In March, 1861, Mayberry Davis was married to Mary Jane Lycan, also a native of Illinois, and a playmate of his boyhood
410
COLUSA AND GLENN COUNTIES
days. Of this union one daughter was born, Carrie Alice, who died at the age of twenty-five years. As a wheat and barley grower, and cattle and hog raiser, Mr. Davis had no superior in the county. A man of sterling qualities, he is beloved by all, and is generous to a fault. Although not a politician, he has been sought after to run for office; but he has preferred to follow the even tenor of his way. Once he was prevailed upon to act as dep- uty assessor, which he did with satisfaction to all concerned. Mr. Davis helped to build all the churches, school buildings, and roads in his precinct. While he did not favor county division at the time it was being agitated, he very soon came to the conclusion that it was the very best thing for the counties. With Mrs. Davis, he at- tends the Methodist Episcopal Church, South; and they enjoy the confidence and esteem of all who know them.
GEORGE E. ST. LOUIS
Interesting and instructive is the history of such a pioneer family as that of George E. St. Louis. He was born in Yolo County, March 4, 1862, a son of Colbert St. Louis, an account of whose life appears in another part of this work. When George St. Louis was only thirteen years old, he came to Colusa County, where he worked on the ranch of his brother, A. St. Louis, near Norman. There he remained until he was twenty-one, after which he farmed for two years on rented land near Colusa Junction. He next leased land near Norman, and this he farmed to grain. After that, he rented land near Willows, which he operated for three years. He then returned to Norman, where he farmed a few years, and then rented the Frank Thomas place. For ten years he was here engaged in raising grain, getting excellent results. In 1900, with his brother, he leased five thousand acres on the grant, which they farmed to grain. He also bought his present place of thirty acres on the river in the Glenn district, cleared the land of brush and trees, fenced in the acreage, and built for himself a home and barns. He set out an orchard containing a thousand trees in all, including four hundred French prune trees, two hundred peach trees, and orange and lemon trees. This place has proved to be some of the richest land in the Sacramento Val- ley. Such is the quality of his land that, with the use of water, he raises two crops of some products each year. He had a crop of ball barley on two acres, which aggregated forty-one sacks in all, which he sold for three cents a pound. On a portion of the ranch he raises milo maize and corn, and ten acres has produced
$ 7. Newland
413
COLUSA AND GLENN COUNTIES
as much as fifty-one and a half sacks to the acre. His peaches are the finest raised in the county, and he took prizes for the best ex- hibits in that class at the recent San Francisco Exposition. He also has fine late watermelons.
On January 1, 1884, George E. St. Louis and Sarah L. Bran- ham were united in marriage. They are the parents of three chil- dren: Raymond, Grace Margaret, and Bennett Burton. Mr. St. Louis was school trustee of Jacinto district one term, while living on the Thomas place. Both he and his wife belong to the Baptist Church of Glenn.
JOEL FRANCIS NEWLAND
A very successful agriculturist of the pioneer sort, whose fam- ily has paid a price in privation and sacrifice which should always entitle them to the respect and good-will of their fellow-Ameri- cans, is Joel Francis Newland, who was born in Crawford County, Ill., September 9, 1838. On the paternal side, he is of Dutch de- scent, in a line extending back to 1630 and associated with the founding of the Carolinas. Grandfather Major Joel Newland was killed in the War of 1812. On the maternal side he is of Scotch- Irish descent. His maternal ancestors were among the first set- tlers of Massachusetts, where members of the family served in the Indian wars, as well as in the Revolution, and the War of 1812.
James Newland, Joel's father, was born in Bracken County, Ky., and his mother, Mary Ann Morrow, was also born in that state. In 1850, James Newland moved to St. Joseph, Mo., and three years later he crossed the great plains with his family and an ox team to California, arriving in Colusa County on October 7 of that year. Painful privation and thrilling adventures were the lot of these sturdy American pioneers before they reached the promised land. While crossing the desert their supply of water was exhausted, and the family were left in wagons while the stock, which accompanied the train, was driven to the Truckee River for water. In the mountains the little party paid fifty cents per pound for flour, and after arriving in Colusa County they bought flour for twenty dollars and fifty cents per hundredweight at the old mill operated by Mr. Wilson on Grand Island. Digger In- dians and grizzly bears were encountered, and elk and antelope abounded along the Sacramento River.
When somewhat settled, James Newland bought a swarm of Italian bees for a hundred ten dollars per stand, and two Ameri- can swarms for sixty dollars each; and with this outfit Joel F. Newland and his brother, Alfred M., made their start in the bee 23
414
COLUSA AND GLENN COUNTIES
business, being among the first apiarists in Colusa County. The home place of the Newland family was four miles north of Colusa ; and there the two brothers, working harmoniously together, farmed as partners for many years. They raised fruit, and had an almond orchard, the first commercial orchard in the county, and engaged in grain- and stock-raising and in bee culture. The father had died on the farm, and the mother returned East on a visit and died in Missouri.
With the exception of three years, Joel Newland farmed for twenty-six years in succession with his brother. During the three years' interval he served as a soldier in the Civil War. In 1863, with patriotic enthusiasm, he enlisted in Company H, First Cali- fornia Cavalry, at Sacramento. In time he saw rough Indian service in Arizona, New Mexico, and Texas, with the Apache and Navajo Indians. The soldiers had many skirmishes with the Red- skins along the Rio Grande River, during which they lost a few men and killed many Indians. After thus serving for three years with valor and distinction in defense of his country, he was honor- ably discharged and mustered out of service in Santa Fe, N. M., in 1866, and then returned to his home via New York City and Pan- ama to San Francisco. After his return he resumed farming with his brother.
In 1868 Mr. Newland bought sixty-four acres of land seven miles southwest of Willows at five dollars per acre; and thereafter he kept adding to the place from time to time. In 1879, he moved on to the place, which he had improved with house and farm build- ings; and there for many years he has been a successful grain- raiser. He now owns two and one half sections in his tract, and a half section near Germantown, which he farmed to grain and stock. In recent years the land has been farmed by renters, Mr. Newland having retired after a long life of active and successful enterprise.
Mr. Newland has a host of friends throughout Glenn County and the Sacramento Valley. Although he was solicited to become a candidate for county office, he has always refused to allow his name to be presented for nomination, preferring to give his undi- vided time to his business. As a citizen, he has lived a useful life; and by all who know him he is much esteemed for his many kind and charitable deeds towards those who have been less fortunate than himself, for he has always lived by the Golden Rule.
415
COLUSA AND GLENN COUNTIES
JOHN ANDREW SMITH
The forebears of the Smith family were noted for their patri- otism; and when the call came for defenders of their country, they were among the first to answer the call. For over two hun- dred years the Smiths have figured as soldiers. William Smith, the great-grandfather of the late John Andrew Smith, of Glenn County, came from England prior to the Revolutionary War, in which he served as a soldier in the Colonial army. After the war he went to Tennessee, and there he died. He had a son named John A., born in that state, whence he removed to Orange County, Ind., and farmed until his death. He participated in the War of 1812, being mustered out of the service at Mussel Shoals. He married, and reared a family in Indiana. One of his sons, James M., removed to Illinois in 1864, where, in Clay County, he engaged in farming until his death. He married Lucinda Norman, a native of Pennsylvania, and they became the parents of the following children : Louisa E., Henry A., John Andrew (of this review), James, Marguerite, David, Martha, Mary E., Laura B., and Sarah.
A native of Indiana, John Andrew Smith first saw the light of day in Orange County, December 8, 1844. He had just finished his schooling in the common branches when, in July, 1862, when nearly eighteen, fired with patriotism for his country, he enlisted in Company A, Sixty-sixth Indiana Regiment, Second Division of the Sixteenth Army Corps, and began service under General Mc- Pherson. After General McPherson's death, the company was transferred to the Fifteenth Army Corps; and later they partici- pated in a number of battles, among them being Taylorsville and Richmond, Ky .; Corinth and Iuka, Miss .; Lookout Mountain and Chattanooga, Tenn .; Altoona Pass; Buzzard's Roost; Kingston and Rome, Ga .; and Kenesaw Mountain. On July 19, they took part in the engagement at Peach Tree Creek; and the next day they were in Atlanta. From there they marched with Sherman to the sea, Mr. Smith acting as sharpshooter on the front and ad- vance line. He came safely through the dangers of army life, and was honorably discharged at Indianapolis, Ind., July 2, 1865. He returned to the home of his parents in Illinois, whither they had removed during his absence, and here again took up the life of a civilian. He learned and followed the carpenter's trade, and at the same time engaged in farming until 1872. He then came to California and took up a soldier's grant of one hundred sixty acres, where he continued in agricultural pursuits. As he suc- ceeded he added to his holdings, increasing his acreage to five hun-
416
COLUSA AND GLENN COUNTIES
dred eighty acres, located three miles south of Orland. Here he was engaged in raising grain until the time of his death.
In Louisville, Ill., Jolin Andrew Smith married Matilda Wood, the ceremony being performed on May 20, 1866. She was born in Wabash County, Ind., November 15, 1846, and was reared in Illi- nois. Her father, William Spencer Wood, a native of New York State, was brought to Indiana by his parents at an early day; and there he grew to manhood and farmed. He met an accidental death in 1852. Of the marriage of Mr. and Mrs. Smith the fol- lowing children were born: Lucy, the wife of Frank W. Thomp- son; Ola; Eva, who married Lawrence Thompson and is the mother of three children, Vernor, Ralph, and Lester; Roy, living in Oregon; John and Oren, both deceased; William, living at home; Audrea, the wife of George Simpson, of Dixon, Cal., and the mother of four children, William, Otho, Donald, and Eleanor ; Ivy, Mrs. Alex Kraft, of Maxwell, who has one son, Lewllen; and Byron, who married Miss Leona Freeman, by whom he has two children, Mildred and Byron, Jr. Mr. and Mrs. Smith were con- nected with the Baptist Church of Orland. In his political con- victions Mr. Smith was a consistent Democrat. Always ready at all times to do his full share towards the upbuilding of his com- munity and the state, he was often called upon to aid movements for that purpose, and never was found wanting. He helped or- ganize Emigrant school district, and served as trustee for years. At the time of his death, in 1907, he was mourned by a wide circle of very close friends and neighbors, and by a devoted family.
CHRISTOPHER COLUMBUS FELTS
During his long residence in California, since 1852, Chris- topher C. Felts has had an excellent opportunity to witness the growth of the state. Since 1871 he has lived on his ranch in Co- Insa County, of which he has become one of the well-known and influential citizens. A native of Georgia, he was born on January 16, 1837. When a child he was taken to Mississippi, where he lived until 1852, when he was fifteen years of age. That year was a momentous year to him, for he then left his home for the long overland journey to California, behind the slow-going oxen. Af- ter being on the road for six months, he arrived at his destination. Misfortune came to the lad while he was en route to California, and with it, added responsibility. His parents both died, leaving a small family, of which he was the oldest. These orphan children were brought on through to the coast by other people; but on ar-
417
COLUSA AND GLENN COUNTIES
riving here, they found that they couldn't keep them, and so sent word to Christopher C., who was then at Colusa. He had to go to Sacramento and get the children, and bring them back to Co- lusa, where he found homes for them. He took it upon himself to look after their welfare, until they were old enough to do for them- selves. These children were: J. Monroe Felts, then thirteen years old, who later became one of the prominent men of San Luis Obispo; Alivia, then eleven, who in time became Mrs. Evans, and is now deceased; Mareus D., nine years of age, who grew up in Colusa, and died there; William W., a child of six at the time, who is now an editor, well-known throughout California. Upon his ar- rival here, a youth of but fifteen years, therefore, Christopher Felts had to shoulder burdens that would have discouraged many men of mature years and long experience. He turned his atten- tion to farm work, finding employment in Yolo County for four years, after which he went to Grand Island, Colusa County. He continued to work for wages until he had saved enough money to branch out for himself, and become his own master, and then rented land on Grand Island, where he farmed until 1871. That year he came to his present place of six hundred acres, the greater part of which he has brought under cultivation himself. He erected every building on the place, set out all the trees, vines and shrubbery with his own hands, put up fences, dug wells, and in fact did everything he could to make life on the ranch as comfort- able as possible. Part of this property he still owns, and ever since coming to the place he has made it his home. Besides his own land he leased from others, carrying on farming and stock- raising with very good success, although, like others, he had his troubles, through droughts and through low prices for produce. He planted a good-sized vineyard; but it did not pay, and he took up most of the vines in 1905. He has sold off his land from time to time, but still retains one hundred sixty acres, upon which his home stands.
In 1910 Mr. Felts began in the dairy business. He bought some thoroughbred Jerseys, and from a small beginning has built up a dairy of forty cows, with a fine registered Jersey bull at their head. This animal has a world's record for cattle of the milk strain, and is considered one of the best in the state. Mr. Felts put up modern dairy barns and seeded one hundred acres to al- falfa ; and he is finding this line of industry to be very profitable and sure. He also has a four-acre almond orchard, which is very promising and yields a good revenue. Two sides of his ranch are planted with shade trees, some two miles of them. Mr. Felts keeps abreast of the times and nses every modern and up-to-date appliance and method for getting the best results out of the soil.
418
COLUSA AND GLENN COUNTIES
Throughout this section, where once the grain fields waved in the winds and sheep roamed over the broad expanse of plain, the land is now dotted with vineyards, and with orchards of almonds, prunes, and apricots; and alfalfa covers broad fields, supporting large numbers of dairy cattle, that bring in good revenues to their owners. Mr. Felts is numbered among those progressive men who have wronght this wonderful change.
In 1878 Mr. Felts was married to Emma Hodgen, born in Georgia; and they have had seven children: Georgia, the wife of William Corbin and the mother of three children; Alice, who mar- ried N. P. Pearson, and has three children; Virgil; Asa; Louisa, who became the wife of E. C. Pearson, and has two children; Edith, who married Homer Felts, a cousin; and Amy, the young- est. Mr. Felts is a Mason, belonging to Maxwell Lodge No. 298, F. & A. M., and was a charter member of Maxwell Lodge No. 361, I. O. O. F. Ever since becoming.a voter, Mr. Felts has supported Democratic candidates. His fellow citizens have elected him to various offices of trust and responsibility. For eighteen years he was supervisor of the fourth district of Colusa County, and part of the time chairman of the board. For two years he filled the office of county treasurer with perfect satisfaction to the people. From time to time he has served as a delegate to county and state conventions, his advice always being sought in the interest of the party. After having served his fellow citizens for twenty years, he was presented with a token of their appreciation in the shape of a gold-headed cane, neatly engraved, which he treasures highly. He has been an advocate of good roads, and also a builder of some, which will remain as a monument to his industry. It is the hope of his many intimate friends that he be spared many more years to enjoy the fruits of his labors.
DENNIS HUGH MASTERSON
An interesting place in the history of California agriculture is held by the family of Dennis Hugh Masterson, who was born in Jackson, Amador County, Cal., on October 5, 1854, the son of James Masterson, a native of Ireland, born in 1827. James Masterson came to the United States about 1850, moving west to Missouri, where he married Eliza James, a native of that state. In 1853, he crossed the plains and came to Jackson, where he continued to live from 1853 until 1858, working as a civil engineer, for which he had been trained in the Old World. In 1858 he located on his home place, which he had taken up as government land, on the Newville
419
COLUSA AND GLENN COUNTIES
and Orland road in Tehama County. Here he went in for stock- raising and general farming. He also followed up surveying in various counties, and was at one time county surveyor of Colusa County. He was also surveyor while in Amador County. When he died, in 1897, two years before the death of his wife, he owned four hundred ninety aeres in the home ranch, which is still possessed by his children. James and Eliza (James) Masterson were the par- ents of the following children : Dennis H., James, Edward K., J. G., Mary (who died, aged eleven), Mrs. Louise Hulen, and Mrs. Julia Jewell.
Dennis Hugh Masterson attended the local Newville school until he was fourteen years of age, and continued to live with his father up to the time of the latter's death. At fourteen, however, in 1868, he went into business for himself, taking up stock-raising in a small way, one and a half miles south of the home place, and aiding also on the latter, where he made his home. As he prospered, he bought adjoining land from time to time. His ranch now includes about three thousand five hundred fifty acres of land in one body, in Colusa, Tehama and Glenn Counties, and is largely devoted to the raising of sheep and to general farming. The ranch is sixteen miles west of Orland, and is well watered by the north fork of Stony Creek, Burrow's Creek, and numerous springs, which give ample water for the stock.
On October 14, 1883, Dennis Hugh Masterson was married, ac- cording to the rites of the Catholic Church, to Miss Ardell Price, a native of Woodland, Yolo County, and the daughter of John A. Price, who was born in Green County, Ky., and married Miss Frances M. Kelly, a native of Cooper County, Mo. Mr. Price crossed the plains with his father in 1849, returned in 1850, and again crossed the plains in 1854, with his family, taking six months to make the journey. Here he took up stock-raising, locating in Woodland, Yolo County, in 1854, and later coming, about 1871, to the vicinity of Newville, Colusa County, where he settled on what is now the Masterson place. Five children bless the union of Mr. and Mrs. Masterson. These are : Jessie E., now Mrs. W. H. Coons, of Maricopa ; Clara Anetta ; Carroll, also of Maricopa ; James Ken- drick; and Francis Price. The two sons are associated with their father in the stock business on the home place. As the son of pio- neers, who were among the first settlers to locate in this section, Mr. Masterson has seen Glenn County develop from an almost unin- habited waste to its present prosperous condition. During his long residence here, no one has been more patriotically devoted to the interests of the county than he, nor more ready to lend his aid to the advancement of the public good.
420
COLUSA AND GLENN COUNTIES
STEPHEN ADDINGTON
In Stephen Addington the press of the Sacramento Valley had a supporter who not only maintained a high standard of newspaper work, but whose life and character had an uplifting influence in the development of this part of the state. He was particularly energetic in developing and maintaining the best interests of Colusa, of which he was a resident for many years, and where, in partnership with Will S. Green, he built up and controlled the Colusa Sun. In 1887 he sold the Sun; but though he lived for nine years in San Francisco, he returned repeatedly to Colusa. His death occurred while on a visit to Sacramento, May 4, 1902.
Stephen Addington was reared in an atmosphere of culture and refinement, amid influences naturally inclining him to a lit- erary life; and he probably never seriously thought of any occu- pation other than the one he engaged in as a means of a liveli- hood. His father, William R. Addington, founded the Fishkill Standard, one of the most influential newspapers of Dutchess County, N. Y. His grandfather was Dr. Stephen Addington, an eminent physician of New Jersey, and a descendant of Henry Addington, Lord Sydmouth, of England. W. R. Addington was a man of scholarly attainments. A forceful writer, he produced editorials widely quoted in the contemporaneous press. Stephen Addington was born in New Jersey, but was reared in Fishkill- on-the-Hudson. He had a natural aptitude for newspaper work, and gradually worked his way into the office of the Standard. In 1854 he brought his virile enthusiasm with him to the West, coming to California via Panama, and soon afterwards settling in Marysville. He had a genial and agreeable personality, and a high estimate of the opportunities offered in journalism; and he soon found himself on the staff of the Marysville Express, of which he subsequently became sole owner. Later he was identified with the San Francisco Bulletin; and after severing his relations with that paper, he came to Colusa. Mr. Addington was con- nected with the Colusa Sun for a longer period than with any other paper during his active life. Under his guidance as local editor, it became a reliable and successful publication, appealing to the people by its faithful portrayal of existing conditions.
On November 24, 1872, Stephen Addington was united in mar- riage with Elizabeth Hart, a native of Indiana, who is mentioned at length on another page of this history. Since her husband's
Stephen Redington .
423
COLUSA AND GLENN COUNTIES
death, Mrs. Addington divides her time between Colusa and San Francisco, in both of which cities she has numerous friends.
The character of Stephen Addington is well portrayed in the following tribute paid to his memory by Judge E. C. Hart, in a letter sent to Mrs. Addington when her heart was heavy with grief over the loss of her husband: "Few people, I think, knew Steve and his heart better than I. God never made a nobler character. His loyalty to his friends was so unusual that it was really phenomenal. If he ever became involved in unpleasant disputations with those whom he liked and loved, he possessed the divine quality of forgiveness to that high degree that he would soon forget the unpleasantness. His integrity was his pride, and was known to all who had the honor of his acquaint- ance. As Davy Crockett once said, speaking of a friend whose characteristics he well knew, 'Doubtless God could have made a better man than he, but doubtless God never did.' Our consola- tion in his passing from us is in the fact that he fought the battles of life honorably and well, and was universally beloved by his extensive circle of acquaintances in California. Never heard a man who knew Steve refer to him except in the most affectionate and endearing terms. In the early prime of his life his presence was always like a beautiful sunlight. His heart was warm, his nature gentle and genial, and his intelligence broad, substantial and helpful. May the sweet singers of the air ever chant their sweetest melodies to his memory."
Need help finding more records? Try our genealogical records directory which has more than 1 million sources to help you more easily locate the available records.