Illustrated history of Plumas, Lassen & Sierra counties, with California from 1513 to 1850, Part 45

Author: Fariss & Smith, San Francisco
Publication date: 1882
Publisher: San Francisco, Fariss & Smith
Number of Pages: 710

USA > California > Lassen County > Illustrated history of Plumas, Lassen & Sierra counties, with California from 1513 to 1850 > Part 45
USA > California > Plumas County > Illustrated history of Plumas, Lassen & Sierra counties, with California from 1513 to 1850 > Part 45
USA > California > Sierra County > Illustrated history of Plumas, Lassen & Sierra counties, with California from 1513 to 1850 > Part 45

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).

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H. T. FIRMSTONE was born at Plymouth, England, in the year 1831. At the age of seventeen he came to the copper mines on Lake Huron, where he worked for three years. In 1852 he came to California, via the Isthmus, landing in San Francisco on the first of August. Until 1854 he mined in Nevada, Yuba, and Sierra counties. On one occasion, while trudging on foot with a companion from Grass valley to Sweetland, in Nevada county, his friend gave out, and he packed him, with two mining outfits, four miles to their destination. In 1854 he came to Plumas, holding positions in companies at Round valley, Brownsville, and in Indian valley. At Brownsville he was superintendent of the Pennsylvania company for two years. In 1880 he engaged in the liquor busi- ness at Greenville, which he at the present time follows. In 1867 he was married to Miss Maria Hickerson of Indian valley. They have had three children : Henry, born February 28, 1868; John, July 10, 1870; Robert, September 10, 1876. He is a member of the Blue Lodge No. 132, F. & A. M., and of the Indian Valley Lodge No. 136, I. O. O. F.

JOHN C. LARGENT, son of Nelson and Sarah J. Largent, was born in Montgomery county, Indiana, June 30, 1841. He remained at home until twenty-one, when he came overland to Cali- fornia by way of Lander's cut-off, arriving in Plumas county October 12, 1862. For eleven years he was engaged as a farmer in various parts of the county, and in 1872 purchased the Banta ranch, consisting of 328 acres, one hundred and fifty of which are under cultivation.

JOHN C. YOUNG, son of George and Anna Young, was born June 3, 1840, in Glengarry county Canada, where he lived until twenty-three years of age. In 1863 he came, via Panama, to Califor- nia. Upon his arrival he went direct to Plumas county, and spent the winter in the north arm of Indian valley. In the spring of 1864 he went to Greenville, where he mined two years. In 1866 he went to Idaho and lived four years, after which he went to White Pine, Nevada, where he was engaged for two years at mining, milling, and teaming. He returned to Plumas county in Decem- ber, 1873. During 1874 he was occupied in running a tunnel for the North Fork Mining Company, but in the spring of 1875 he came again to Taylorville, and went into the general merchandise business with his brother, W. G. Young. In 1879 he bought his brother out, and has since con- ducted the business alone. He was married October 29, 1879, to Miss Ella Cottingham, whose parents are old residents of Indian valley. They have one child, Marian, born October 18, 1880. Mr. Young is postmaster at Taylorville, and agent for the Western Union Telegraph company.

J. F. EVANS was born August 20, 1825, in Fayette county, Illinois, his parents being John and Nancy Evans. On the twelfth of April, 1850, he started for California; upon his arrival, settling in El Dorado county, at Placerville, where he remained four years. In 1854 he went to Placer county, and mined sixteen months, but went back to El Dorado and remained until June, 1861, when he came to Plumas county. In December, 1863, he returned to the east by steamer on a visit, and came back overland with his brother, J. B. Evans, and his family, arriving in Plumas county in October, 1864. In the fall of 1866 he bought the Lee ranch, consisting of 160 acres, on which he has since resided. To this he has added 200 acres. Mr. Evans was never married. The brother who came to the coast with him died in the north arm of Indian valley in 1867.

MATTHIAS KNOLL is a German by birth, and was born at the town of Landan, on the Rhine, August 3, 1821. At the age of seventeen he was apprenticed to a cooper, and worked at the trade for two years. He then worked three years in a brewery, and in another brewery in Switzerland five . years. In 1848 he came to Cincinnati, brewed the amber fluid a year at that place, and two years at St. Louis, and then started overland to California. He mined three months in Nevada county, two years on Bear river, six months at Auburn, Placer county, three years in Yuba county, and eight months in Sierra county. From here he went to British Columbia and Washington Territory,

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and from there to Yuba county, finally bringing up in Plumas. After moving around considerably - he started a brewery near Crescent, which he still owns and runs. He also owns the adjoining ranch of 600 acres. He was married October 11, 1867, to Mrs. Geiss, by whom he has had two children, Gustavus, born August 4, 1868, and Christina, June 4, 1870. Three children of Mrs. Geiss, born prior to her marriage with Mr. Knoll, were named Josephine, Jacob, and Mary Louise. Two died in 1862, and one in 1864.

JOHN DAVENPORT. COMPTON, son of David and Sarah Compton, was born at New Egypt, Mon- mouth county, New Jersey, March 9, 1832. When thirteen years of age he went to Allentown and lived four years. After a residence of short periods in various places he started from New York February 5, 1853, for California, coming via Aspinwall. He sailed from this point for San Francisco on the ill-fated steamer Tennessee, which was lost four miles above the heads, named from this accident Tennessee Cove. The passengers were rescued by the tug Defiance. Mr. Compton kept books a short time in San Francisco, dealt in general merchandise for three years at Union city, Alameda county, and then embarked in the same business in Marysville, in partnership with John Quin. In November, 1862, he came to Round valley and opened a branch store. In 1864 he bought out his partner, and continued the business until 1870. Four years after he came to Green- ville, and in 1876 opened the present business with John McBeth. Mr. Compton was engaged in mining at Cherokee from 1870 to 1875, and lost $75,000. He was married in 1878 to Miss M. A. Holland, of Boston, Massachusetts, who has given birth to two children, Virgil D. L., born August 13, 1879, and William H. T., born September 27, 1881. In 1865 Mr. Compton was elected county surveyor and served two terms. He is a member of the Masonic and Workmen orders.

MARTIN FRITSCH, son of Antone and Elizabeth Fritsch, was born May 10, 1838, at Alsace, France, now in Germany. He came to this country at the age of seventeen, and lived four years at Wood- stock, Illinois. He served eighteen months in the war in company A, Fifteenth Illinois regiment, and was honorably discharged at Legrange, Tennessee, on account of sickness. While in service he was at the battle of Pittsburg Landing. Upon recovering from his illness he came to California, via Panama. He worked a year as blacksmith at the Crescent mine, and two years at the Indian valley mine. Afterwards he was employed by the Kettle Mining Company and the Bullfrog Company. He took a trip cast in 1866, returned in 1867, and settled with his brother, J. B. Fritsch, on the farm they now occupy. February 28, 1867, he was married to Miss Christina Hafner of Eteka, New York, by whom he has had one daughter, Lizzie, born July 13, 1871. He is a member of Taylorville Lodge No. 132, F. & A. M.

ANTONE BACHER was born January 6, 1832, at Baden, Germany. At the age of fourteen he left home to learn the baker's trade, and after an apprenticeship of two years he worked as a journeyman for three years. In 1851 he came to America, and lived three years in Clinton county, Pennsylvania. He then removed to Jackson county, Iowa, where he bought a farm and lived on it seven years. In the spring of 1861 he came overland to California, arriving at Indian valley, Plumas : county, September 22, 1861. In the fall of 1865 he bought the Ross ranch, first containing 86 acres, to which he has added 338 acres. In June, 1851, he was married to Elizabeth Weshing of Germany, and to them have been born the following children : Joseph, Andrew, Sarah, Albert, Frank, Levy, - and George, all of whom are living.

DR. J. S. CARTER, son of Francis and Ellen Carter, was born in Ohio county, Virginia, March 31, 1836. His father was a practicing physician, and died in 1841. He attended school at Tus- cumbia, Alabama, and at Lexington, Kentucky. In 1853 he went to Missouri, and in 1854 he started from there for California in the White Star train, owned by himself and four others, bring-

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ing out some blooded horses. About the first of October they reached Downieville, where Dr. Car- ter remained two months, and then went to Marysville. From there he moved to Butte county in a few months, and remained until June, 1855, when he came to Plumas county and worked all summer on the north fork of the Feather, without making anything. In the fall of 1856 he made the first discovery of gold on Mosquito creek while hunting deer. Here he remained until the fol- lowing August, when he went back to Missouri for a few months, returning and locating near Inskip, in Butte county. After mining in various localities, late in the fall of 1862 he came to Plumas county and settled at Crescent Mills, where he has since resided. In the fall of 1865 he with five others located the Plumas mine. He has practiced his profession since living at Crescent. He was married January 27, 1880, to Miss Sarah Barker of Indian valley. Dr. Carter is a member of the lodge of Odd Fellows at Indian valley.

EMORY WING, son of Elihu and Desire Wing, was born in Onondaga county, New York, Feb- ruary 21, 1810. His father was a farmer, and Emory followed that occupation in Chatauqua county until he was forty-four years old, when he removed to Iowa in 1854, and farmed until 1861. He then came overland to California, and went direct to Indian valley. In 1862 he rented a ranch and worked it one year, and then prospected and mined for twelve years. He discovered the Green Mountain mine in 1863, and sold it for $300; in 1865 he struck the Plumas mine, and sold it a month after for $1,200 ; in 1869 he opened the Wing Hill gravel mine, which he sold for $600; and various other mines owe their origin to him. He was married November 5, 1827, to Miss Eliza Hunt of New York, who died August 29, 1880, leaving three daughters and three sons. Their names are Emeline, Edgar, Ellis, Ellen, Elbridge and Emily. Elissa, their fifth child, died September 7, 1861. He settled on the farm he now owns in 1875.

A. W. FLETCHER, son of Francis and Elizabeth Fletcher, was born at Richmond, Indiana, July 2, 1842. His father was engaged in the hardware business at the time of his birth. After attending the common schools, our subject passed five terms at Earlham college, Richmond. At the age of eighteen he commenced to learn the blacksmithing trade, and was so engaged three years. At the age of twenty-one he went to St. Louis, but soon returned to his home. In December, 1874, he came to California. He soon went to Nevada, and worked at his trade in various places, princi- pally at Virginia City. In October, 1877, he came to Taylorville, where he conducted a blacksmith shop till October, 1881, when he sold out and bought the farm known as the Farra ranch, in the north arm of Indian valley. In 1868 he was married to Miss Elizabeth Peele of Cambridge, Indiana, by whom he has had one son.

E. PROWATTAIN, son of Evan and Elizabeth Prowattain, was born in Philadelphia in 1852. He lived in that city until 1874, when he removed to San Francisco, where he lived three years, engaged in the wholesale hardware trade. From there he came to Plumas county, and with I. Prowattain, under the firm name of Prowattain & Co., established the first bank in Greenville. He is a single man, and in politics is democratie.

THOMAS TRELEAVEN was born in the parish of Luxulyan, Cornwall, England, May 27, 1838. At the age of twenty-six he came to the copper mines of Lake Superior, where he was engaged in mining until the spring of 1866, when he came to California, via Panama. He mined eighteen months in Indian valley, and afterwards followed the same calling in the Cherokee mining dis- trict, in the New York mine and at Soda bar. In the winter of 1868 he went back to England for his family, and brought them to this county the following year. Since that time he has been engaged continually at mining. In 1875, with J. H. Whitlock, he re-located the New York quartz- mine, on which they procured U. S. patents. In 1878 he sold his interest to John May. February

RES. OF ALEX. BEATON, SIERRA VALLEY, SIERRA CO. CAL.

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19, 1862, Mr. Treleaven was married to Miss Isabella James, and the children born to them are Annie, born January 17, 1863; W. T., October 7, 1861; Frederick C., December 15, 1869; Harry A., January 13, 1871-all of whom are living at home. Mr. Treleaven is a member of Plumas Lodge No. 132, A. O. U. W.

T. CORCORAN was born in Henry county, Iowa, October 15, 1854, where he lived until the year 1873. At that time he came to California, and the following year settled in Plumas county, where most of the time since he has been engaged in quartz-milling. He is now foreman at the Kettle quartz-mill, two miles from Greenville. Mr. Corcoran is a member of the lodge of Good Templars in Crescent, and is a single man.

W. BLOUGH, son of John and Mary Blough, was born in Lebanon county, Pennsylvania, May 15, 1826. At the age of twenty-three he went to Illinois, and lived there two years and a half. In 1852 he came to California, via the Isthmus, being 142 days on the voyage from Panama to San Francisco. He spent a year in Placer county, and then went to Yuba county, where he owned and ran a grist-mill for two years. In 1856 he sold out and returned to the east, but repeated his western journey in 1858, and finally settled in Plumas county. He ran a mill for Judkins & Hardwell in American valley for a year, and then located what is now the Corbin & Mason claim at Elizabethtown ; but his company failed to make anything out of it, though it has since proved rich. He then went to Quincy, and afterwards to Taylorville, and ran the first mill built in Indian valley, in which he is now interested. Part of his time has been spent in building quartz-mills. He was married November 27, 1875, to Mrs. Louisa Batch of Taylorville. Mr. Blough is a member of Sincerity Lodge No. 132, F. & A. M., at Taylorville, and of Quincy chapter No. 11.

JOHN LOWRY was born in Bowling Green, Warren county, Kentucky, August 9, 1830. In 1849 he went to Santa Fe, New Mexico, and visited the place again in 1850 and 1851. In 1852 he crossed the plains to Oregon, in the employ of the government. He participated in the Rogue river war, and during 1853 was scouting and fighting for Joe Lane. After the war was over he was engaged in mining until the fall of 1855, when he went to Humboldt bay for a year, and from there to San Francisco. After visiting many of the mining camps, he came, in 1860, to Plumas county, and mined on Wolf creek. Mining was his principal occupation till 1878, since which time he has been engaged in farming and selling liquor. He took a trip to Idaho in 1865, returning the same year.

J. H. SMITH, son of Ephraim and Amanda Smith, was born at Williamsburg, Ohio, August 5, 1834. When twenty years old he went to Illinois, where he lived until 1859, when he made the journey to California. At Light's canon he mined for five years, then returned east, and was married November 19, 1863, to Miss Martha A. Peter of Illinois. Mr. Smith came back in 1865, and bought a ranch in the north arm of Indian valley, on which he lived ten years. In 1875 he sold it to Mr. Mccutcheon, and removed to San Benito county, where he purchased another farm. In 1879 he bought the Ashim ranch in Plumas county, and in the year following brought his family and settled on it. The children of Mr. and Mrs. Smith are Thomas E., born September 7, 1864; Elmore E., October 22, 1867; Plumas, October 20, 1871 ; Clinton, born January 15, 1875, and died July 18, 1877.

GEORGE H. HERRING, son of Bryant and Piercy Herring, was born in Hayward county, Ten- nessee, June 13, 1834. When nine years of age his parents moved to Yell county, Arkansas, and engaged in farming. In the spring of 1859 George came across the plains with an ox-team, arriv- ing in Plumas county in September. He became interested in a mining claim on Rich gulch, and worked it until the next summer. He worked on a farm in Indian valley for six months, spent six

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months in Colusa county, and some time after bought eighty acres of land near Crescent, which he lived on four years, and sold to D. S. Hedrick. He returned to Arkansas in 1868, but came back in 1870, and a year after purchased the Hussey ranch of 200 acres in the north arm of Indian valley, on which he has since lived. He was married January 8, 1873, to Miss Sylvia Johnson of Davis county, Iowa. Their children are Stella, born November 20, 1873 ; Ada, February 12, 1875 ; Charles, March 31, 1877; Marcus, December 12, 1878; Earl, April 12, 1881-all of whom are living.

N. STAMFLI, son of O. J. and Catherine Stamfli, was born in Switzerland, July 22, 1816. In 1856 he came to New Orleans, stopped two weeks, and then started, via the Nicaragua route, for San Francisco. From there he came to Plumas county, mined eight months, went to Guatemala and farmed twenty months, and then returned and bought the Waterworth ranch of 160 acres. In 1867 he purchased the Chapman ranch of 290 acres, adjoining him on the east, all of which is now known as the Stamfli ranch. In these transactions, his brother Frank J. has been an equal part- ner. October 10, 1842, he was married to Catherine Zuber of Switzerland.

DUSKIN HEDRICK was born in Des Moines county, Iowa, January 12, 1840. Duskin remained in Iowa engaged in farming, after reaching the age of discretion, until twenty-four years of age, when he came to California in 1864, arriving in Honey Lake valley, Lassen county, September 27. For the next four years he was engaged at quartz-milling at Crescent and in Genesee valley, after which he bought eighty acres of land near Crescent, and has lived on it since. He added forty acres to his farm in 1880. He was married December 31, 1862, at Keokuk, Iowa, to Miss Louisa Johnson. Their children are Winona, born November 14, 1863; Cora, May 13, 1866; Elfreda, September 15, 1867 ; Orlanda, January 18, 1870; Florence, July 19, 1871; Mabel, December 6, 1873; Gertrude, August 21, 1876; Arthur, July 27, 1878. Mr. Hedrick is a member of Indian Valley Lodge No. 136, I. O. O. F.

W. T. PETER, son of J. N. and Emily Peter, was born June 26, 1837, at Sangamon county, Illinois, where his father was a farmer. When thirteen years old his parents moved to Montgomery county, where they purchased a farm. At the age of seventeen William left home, and traveled until the spring of 1859, when he came overland to California, arriving in this county in August. For eight years he mined and did carpenter work on Light creek, except two spent in Santa Bar- bara county. In 1868 he bought the farm he now lives on from a Mr. Latten. Originally, it consisted of 160 acres, but he has since added 225 acres. He was married September 20, 1870, to Miss Sarah I. Evans, daughter of J. R. and Louisa M. Evans, formerly of Fayette county, Illinois, but of this county since 1864. Mr. and Mrs. Peter have had four children, with dates of birth as follows : Louisa N., March 24, 1872; Claude B., November 10, 1873; Rosa M., June 18, 1875; Cora M., September 1, 1881-all of whom are now living.

B. B. BAUGHI, son of A. B. and C. L. Baugh, was born in Powhatan county, Virginia, August 18, 1827. At the age of twenty-two he became one of the argonautic '49ers who crossed the plains to the Pacific coast, and first mined at Stringtown, on the south fork of Feather river, in the winter of 1849, being the one to erect the first house in the place. He mined at various camps until 1855, when he came to Plumas county, where he since resided, with the exception of a year spent in Virginia City, Nevada. He has been engaged principally in the liquor business at Meadow valley, and at Crescent, his present home. In politics he is democratic.

JAMES COOKSEY, son of Jesse and Sarah Cooksey, was born near Linnville, Scott county, Illinois, May 26, 1834. He lived at home until seventeen, when he came overland to California, arriving at Placerville August 19, 1852. In March, 1854, he removed to Plumas county, and

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located on Nelson creek, where he mined until 1867, when he went to Sierra county, and mined there about four years. Then he went to American valley, and farmed until 1875, when he removed to Indian valley, where he has since lived on the Taylor ranch. He is a member of Indian Valley Lodge No. 136, I. O. O. F. He was married September 22, 1862, to Miss Frances E. Seymour of Plumas county. Their children are Edward, born September 30, 1864; William, May 30, 1866; George, December 30, 1867.

WILLIAM FORMAN, son of Benjamin and Mary Forman, was born March 16, 1828, in Ralls county, Missouri, where his father was engaged in farming. William remained at home until twenty-one, and then moved to Shelby county, and bought a farm. April 20, 1863, he started for California, arriving at Taylorville September 5, 1863. He freighted one year, and then began farming, which he has followed ever since. In 1867 he purchased the Forgay ranch of Thomas · Hughes, which contained 283 acres, on which he now resides. In 1869 he went back to Missouri on a business trip. He was married April 15, 1849, to Miss Cordelia Shelton, daughter of Griffith D. and Levina Shelton of Shelby county, Missouri.

J. CHARLES TAYLOR was born at Mineral Point, Wisconsin, May 24, 1859. While a small boy he lived in Iowa three years, where his father died in 1868. Then he returned to Wisconsin, and in the spring of 1870 came overland, with his mother and two brothers, to California, arriving at Quincy May 4, 1870. In the fall they went to Crescent Mills, and in April, 1872, to Greenville, where our subject has since resided. From the time of the marriage of his elder brother, William M. Taylor, in 1876, Charles has been the head of the family. March 15, 1875, he became an operator in the Greenville telegraph office, and on the first of April, 1881, he was appointed manager of the office.

WILL D. R. GRAHAM, son of W. D. R. and Rhoda A. Graham, was born in Covington, Kentucky, August 20, 1856. His father died when he was but one year of age. Soon after his father's death his mother came to California, via Panama, and settled in Marysville. In September, 1862, his mother was again married, to J. W. Thompson, and a year after they removed to the Illinois ranch, in American valley. Will lived at home for fifteen years. In 1876 he attended the Heald's business college at San Francisco. In 1878 he was a candidate on the democratic ticket for county recorder, but was defeated through a division in his party, by only seven votes. Since then he has been employed as general manager and accountant of J. W. Thompson's milling interests in Taylorville. He was married December 1, 1880, to Miss Eva Richards, daughter of William M. and Jane R. Richards.

CHARLES OTTO SIMONS, son of Horace P. and Harriet Simons, was born April 9, 1859, at South Bend, Indiana. He learned the trade of upholsterer in Chicago, and in 1874 went to Grand Rapids, Michigan, where he remained three years. In 1877 he came to California, and to Taylorville in January, 1878. The next three years were spent in Taylorville, Watsonville, Oakland, Folsom, and Oakdale, Stanislaus county. At the last place he opened a furniture store, which he sold out in the fall of 1881, and came to Greenville, opening an upholstering shop, which he is now conducting.

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JOURNALISM IN PLUMAS COUNTY.

The first newspaper in Plumas county was established at Quincy, the county seat, in August, 1855, edited and published by John K. Lovejoy and Edward McElwain. It was an independent sheet, and the Old Mountaineer proved to be a successful enterprise. In 1857 Lovejoy & McElwain sold the paper to John C. Lewis and James McNabb, who changed the name to the Plumas Argus, and published it until 1860, when it fell into the hands of the sheriff. With new material the paper was revived the same year by Lewis & McElwain. After a short life of about four months, John C. Lewis took the material to Carson City, Nevada, and began the publication of the Silver Age.

During the three-sided campaign of 1856, three papers were published from the office of the Old Mountaineer. One was called the Plumas Democrat, edited by John S. Ward and E. T. Hogan. Judge Hogan still possesses several copies of this spicy sheet. The Fillmore Banner was conducted by Silas Caulkins. The republican party was represented by the pen of Dr. Fredonyer in three columns of the Old Mountaineer. A lively newspaper war was carried on by these three publications during the campaign, at the end of which the journalism of Quincy relapsed into its normal condition.

Previous to the removal of the Argus, the Plumas Standard, a democratie organ, made its appearance in Quincy. It was started in 1859 by Thomas Bail and Lewis Curtz, and in 1860 it fell into the hands of Matthew Lynch, who continued it until 1863, when the material and press were removed to Downieville to issue a publication in that city.

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Illustrated history of Plumas, Lassen & Sierra counties, with California from 1513 to 1850, Part 45

Author: Fariss & Smith, San Francisco Publication date: 1882 Publisher: San Francisco, Fariss & Smith Number of Pages: 710

Author: Fariss & Smith, San Francisco
Publication date: 1882
Publisher: San Francisco, Fariss & Smith
Number of Pages: 710