Yolo County Biographies – C
[ HOME ] [ RETURN TO BIOGRAPHIES MENU ]|
Basil CAMPBELL Basil Campbell was born in Cooper County, Missouri, March 9, 1823, a slave to James G. Campbell, whose widow, Mrs. Ellen, is living with her son-in-law, Jefferson Maxwell, in this county. When thirteen years old, in September, 1836, he was sold to Joseph Stephens for $700. In 1837, Mr. Stephens died, and for some four or five succeeding years the slave-boy was put yearly up at auction, and his services for one year sold to the highest bidder. One of those years, he was put upon the scales and found to weigh 151 pounds, and taking his place upon the auction-stand, was bid off at $151 per year by Thomas Adams, a brother of D. Q. Adams, of this county. A son of the purchaser, T. H. Adams, is this year working in Yolo County one thousand acres of land, that he hires from the boy whose services as a slave his father purchased at one dollar per pound. In about 1842, the estate of Mr. Stephens was divided among the heirs, and Basil had to be sold again, as he could not well be divided, and Mrs. Catherine Stephens, the widow of the deceased, purchased him for $450 (a depreciation in the market). In October, 1853, he was again sold to J. D. Stephens, now a banker in Woodland, for $1,200 (stock going up), and the following year, Mr. Stephens came to California and settled on the south side of Cache Creek, bringing with him his twelve hundred dollar purchase. Before leaving, an agreement had been entered into between the parties, to the effect that Basil was to work in California ten years for Stephens, and have his liberty at the end of that time; one hundred dollars per year, to be paid annually, was to be given to Basil during that time, and if, during the ten years, he had money enough to buy his freedom in a less time, Mr. Stephens was to name a reasonable price. In 1861 he paid $700 for the remaining three years of his time, and then was free. During those seven years, Basil had been investing his money in stock, and was worth in 1861 probably $10,000. In 1865, he commenced acquiring real estate, and in 1879, had 2,960 acres, worth about twenty dollars per acre on an average, and between five and ten thousand dollars' worth of live stock. In 1865 he was elected as a delegate to attend the State convention of colored people that met at Sacramento, being chosen as on of the vice-presidents. In 1873, he was again elected to the State Colored Convention, and was chosen by that body as a State delegate to attend the National Colored Convention at Washington, District of Columbia. He was married to Rebecca Dalton, at Sacramento city, August 5, 1866, and has an adopted child - Lenora. Mr. Campbell is living upon the proceeds of his accumulated wealth. He informed us that he considered himself fortunate in his masters in those days of servitude; that he was always kindly treated; and that in J. D. Stephens he found a friend rather than a master, who gave him a chance in the world that few of his race had been favored with. In conclusion, we would like to ask you, reader, how many white men
of your acquaintance, think you, could be mentioned that would have
fulfilled the contract of working ten years for freedom, when the law
gave it without a cent as soon as the soil of California was reached,
as did this man who had been born a slave. James CAMPBELL James Campbell, a farmer near Davisville, is the son of M. and Agnes (Crummy) Campbell, natives of Ireland, and was born June 10, 1837. In 1848, the family removed to St. Louis, Missouri and two years afterward to Lee County, Illinois, where the father died in 1856. Mr. Campbell, our subject, then resided in Kansas four years and then in 1860 came to California. The first year here he worked in the mines; the second year in the lumber business; the next six years he drove a mule team between Sacramento City and Virginia City, and next went to Davisville and rented land of Green & Hutchinson, for six years, and finally, in 1876, he purchased the place where he now lives, which contains 265 acres, a mile west of Davisville. In 1867, he was united in marriage with Ellen Fitzgerald, in Sacramento,
and their four children are; Ella, born in 1869; Mary, 1872; Frank,
1876; and Charles, 1879. William J. CANNEDY (#1) a prominent and prosperous farmer near Winters, Yolo County, was born in Suffolk County, Massachusetts, February 6, 1828, a son of James and Charlotta (Ogilvie) Cannedy, natives also of that State. At the age of twelve years he went to sea from Boston, and continued thereon until 1850, when he settled in New Orleans. In 1855 he came by water to California, and the first six or eight months in this State he was employed upon a ranch near Stockton. He made his home then in Sacramento until the fall of 1859, when he purchased 160 acres of land in Yolo County, and engaged in husbandry there until 1873, when he bought 800 acres of land from B. Smith. In 1875 he was burned out, and since then has increased his possessions to 1,440 acres; he owns 150 acres near Winters, and 2,500 acres in Putah Canon, and is very extensively engaged in stock-raising. He also owns eleven houses and fifty-one lots besides the "Chinatown" of Winters. He was married in New Orleans in 1853, to Miss Ellen Claughesey, a
native of Ireland, and they have three adopted children: Mary, Charlotta
and William A. William J. CANNEDY (#2) The energetic enterprises incident to the existence of a California
pioneer have left to Mr. Cannedy little leisure for reverting to memories
of the past and the days of his youth seem far distant indeed. Boston,
Mass., is his native city, and his birth occurred February 6, 1828,
while his schooling was also obtained there. From a lad he followed
the sea, entering many ports in foreign lands. Afterwards he located
in New Orleans, La., from which point he ran on the Mississippi river,
and he was also an expert diver. Subsequently he owned and sailed a
small craft, with which he carried on a transportation trade up and
down the Mississippi river. Charles CANNON a retired farmer of Woodland, is a son of Calvin and Jane Cannon; the father a native of Kentucky, and the mother of Maryland, who finally settled in Cooper County, Missouri, where Charles was born, June 1, 1842. In the fall of 1862 he went to the vicinity of Topeka, Kansas, where he followed farming until 1869. In the fall of 1864 he enlisted in the Kansas State militia and served a year. Returning to Missouri, he made his home there until the spring of 1880, when he came to California, locating in Woodland. He soon began work on a ranch for a man named Campbell, and continued there two years, during which time he purchased a house and two lots in town, where he now resides on Court street. He is employed as mechanic in a brickyard. August 9, 1868, is the date of Mr. Cannon's marriage to Miss Blue,
a native of Missouri, a daughter of Stephen Blue, native of Virginia,
and Jennie Blue, native of Kentucky. William F. CASSEL William F. Cassel, a farmer residing between Woodland and Davisville, was born October 10, 1832, in Washington County, Virginia, a son of John and Anna (Weeds) Cassel. His father, a native also of Virginia, and a farmer by occupation, moved from the State of Cole County, Illinois, in 1833, being a pioneer there. He took up Government land, a part of which is now within the limits of Charleston, the County seat, and remained thereon until the death of his wife in March 1855. He then sold out and removed to Adams County, same State, where he resided until his death, March 24, 1887, when he was aged ninety-three and three months, and three days before his death he walked a distance of six miles. Mr. William F. Cassel, the subject of this biographical mention, was brought up on a farm. At the age of fifteen years he left home and drifted about, visiting New Orleans, St. Louis, Wisconsin, Minnesota, etc., until December 9, 1850, when he left for California. He sailed from New York on the Northern Light to Greytown, and from the Isthmus to San Francisco, arriving March 9, 1851. He went to the mines in Sierra County, near Downieville, and he remembers well the evening that place received its name. He thinks that Mr. Downie spent at least $10,000 for drinks that evening! Mr. Cassel remained there until 1963, experiencing the usual vicissitudes of a miner's life and enjoying moderate success. He then purchased land in Sonoma County, near Santa Rosa improved and cultivated it and made it his home until October, 1877, when he sold out and moved into Yolo County, upon his present property of 320 acres of choice farming land, six miles from Woodland and four from Davisville, with good gravel roads to each place. There he is engaged in stock raising and general agriculture. He is a practical farmer and his place is always found in a presentable condition. He was married in December 1860, to Mrs. Sarah Lowe, a native of England, and they have five sons and two daughters, viz: Hiram F., deceased, Robert E., William F., Leonard J., Sarah B., Addie M., deceased, and Richard C. Source: Memorial and Biographical History of Northern California,
Lewis Publishing Co., 1891, Page 737 Henry M. CASSILIS Henry M. Cassilis, and extensive and prominent farmer near Black's,
in Yolo County, was born October, 1827, in Edinburg, Scotland, and was
but six weeks old when his parents emigrated with him to New Brunswick,
North America. Their names were John O. and Mary (McPherson) Cassilis,
and they were both natives of Edinburg. They died in St. John, New Brunswick,
the father in 1852 and the mother in 1855. Of their fourteen children,
only two are now living. In 1847 Mr. Cassilis, the subject of this sketch,
settled in Rushville, Illinois, engaging in the cooper trade. In 1850
he came with ox teams to California, stopping first in Nevada, where
he prospected for about three months; in 1852-'54 he was in Sacramento,
employed at his trade, and in the meantime he took up a piece of land
in Yolo County, near where he is now a resident and occupied it until
1887. At that time his wife's father died, leaving her 120 acres, and
they moved upon it. It is a very beautiful home. Altogether they own
422 acres of very fine land, near Black's. Burlin CECIL Throughout the development of California, Yolo county has ever been
to the front, her citizens, substantial and progressive, having exerted
in her behalf all the assistance in their power to make her one of the
most highly cultivated and modernized counties in the state. Burlin
Cecil, a retired farmer of Yolo county, has done much toward the improvement
of this section, and, in retrospection, views a life well spent and
holding few regrets. He was born January 20, 1845, in Scotland county,
Mo., the son of Samuel Stewart and Lillie B. (Richardson) Cecil, natives
of Kentucky and Tennessee, respectively. The Cecil family came originally
from England, where the grandfather, John Cecil, was born, being closely
related to Lord Burleigh and Lord Salisbury, who were both Cecils. Samuel
S. Cecil was reared in Scotland county, Mo., attending public schools
there and also Fayette College, and afterward he took up farming there.
On April 10, 1863, with his family he joined a train of one hundred
and five wagons en route to California, the journey holding one event
which the emigrants never forgot. At Deep Creek, Utah, they came upon
a party of United States soldiers engaged in conflict with a large band
of Indians who had already killed several of the white men. The pioneers
promptly took a hand in the battle, routing the red men and safely guarding
their own company until reinforcements arrived. Proceeding on their
way without further incident, they reached their goal in July, then
separated to locate in various sections of the country. The Cecil party
went to the Robert Armstrong ranch in Solano county, arriving there
July 23, and thereupon the father and son took charge of the farm until
their removal to Oregon with their stock. They remained in the Upper
Williamette valley about eighteen months, after which they returned
to Yolo county by horse teams. For one year after their return they
were located on the Ike Chiles ranch of five hundred acres near Davis.
About one year after this the father purchased a farm which his sons
managed until 1870, when Burlin Cecil withdrew to take up clerking in
a mercantile store in Davis, remaining thus engaged for two years. Later
he farmed the well-known Lillard ranch and subsequently, in 1882, bought
one hundred and sixty acres which he later sold. He then purchased two
hundred and fifty-one acres northwest of Davis, upon which he resided
until December 22, 1910, when he sold it and retired from active farm
life to a comfortable home in Davis, and has since then devoted his
attention to the real estate business, making a specialty of buying
and selling farm lands. James G. CECIL An identification of thirty years with the history of the west enabled
Mr. Cecil to acquire a large fund of information concerning the resources
and possibilities of this section of the country. From the time of crossing
the plains he made his home in California, with the exception of a comparatively
brief sojourn in Oregon and for many years he was one of the extensive
farmers of Yolo county, where since his death his widow has managed
his interests and developed them into income-producers of exceptional
importance. The capability in ranching which he displayed forms also
an important element in her personality. Competent judges assert that
comparatively few ranchers of the county surpass her in sagacious judgment
and discriminating management of landed tracts. In evidence of this
statement mention is made of her early identification with the fruit
and nut industry and her shrewd foresight in the planting of seventeen
acres in almond trees, from which now she receives an important annual
income. G. W. CHAPMAN G. W. Chapman, a prominent farmer and sheep raiser of Yolo County, was born April 29, 1829, in Wilcox County, Alabama, and was three years of age when his father, W.M. Chapman, moved to Macon County, that State, where he lived until January 18,1854. Then he came to California, crossing the Isthmus, February 18. He spent nearly three years in the mines near Georgetown, El Dorado County, not striking very rich diggings anywhere. September 2,1856, he arrived in Yolo County, where he has since followed farming and raising stock, making sheep a specialty; and in this enterprise he has done well, keeping about 5,000 head though the winter season. To his industries he devotes 18,000 acres of land, on which there is no mortgage. May 4, 1870, is the date of Mr. Chapman's marriage to Miss Zilpah Stephens, of Cooper County, Missouri, and they have three sons and two daughters, ranging from ten to eighteen years of age. Source: Memorial & Biographical History of Northern California,
The Lewis Publishing Co., 1891, Page 813 John D. CHEETHAM JOHN D. CHEETHAM, a farmer of Yolo County, between Woodland and Madison,
was born in that County, December 9, 1861, a son of Samuel and Martha
(Francisco) Cheetham. The father was a native of England, came to California
in 1850, and died when John was very young. His mother was a native
of Illinois. Mr. Cheetham is an industrious young man, well known in
the county for his integrity and good judgment. He rents 400 acres,
on which he raises principally grain, situated four miles east of Madison
and seven miles west of Woodland. For his wife he married Florence Palmer,
a native of this State, born in Solano County, May 22, 1870, and they
have one daughter, who was born December 31, 1888, and named Eva A. Drewry Robert CLANTON One of Yolo county's earliest settlers is D. R. Clanton, whose life
record indicates his exceptional business sagacity and his inflexible
determination to overcome all obstacles that arose to thwart his plans.
He was born January 24, 1831, in Montgomery county, Mo., but early in
life accompanied his parents to near Quincy, Adams county, Ill., where
he grew to manhood, receiving his education in the country schools of
that locality. His father, John M. Clanton, was a native of Tennessee;
his mother, Mary (Griggs) Clanton was a Kentuckian. D. R. CLANTON D. R. Clanton, a retired farmer residing at Woodland, is the son of J. M. and Mary (Griggs) Clanton. His father, a native of Tennessee, was a farmer by occupation and is still living in Woodland. His mother, a native of Kentucky, died in Yolo County in 1867. They had six children, of whom the subject of this sketch is the eldest. He was born in Montgomery County, Missouri, and was two years of age when the family removed to Illinois. In 1850 he came overland to California, followed teaming to different points around Sacramento for several years, mining one year and then farming in Yolo County until 1857. He then entered into the live-stock business up in the hills, and followed it for ten years with marked success. He has now two fine farms, one of 320 acres two miles from Woodland, and one of 176 acres on Cache Creek. He resides at the corner of Cleveland and Pendegraft streets, Woodland, enjoying the earnings of an industrious life-time. He is a member of Woodland Lodge, No. 111, I.O.O.F. He married Miss Maggie E. Smith, a native of Missouri, and they have five daughters and one son, namely: Ada M., Irene A., Laura U., Elma E., Claudie E. and Clarence D. Source: Memorial & Biographical History of Northern California,
The Lewis Publishing Co., 1891 E. J. CLANTON E.J. CLANTON, a fruit drier at Woodland, is the son of J.M. and Mary (Riggs) Clanton, the former a native of Tennessee, born in 1808, a farmer by trade and now living in Woodland, at the age of eighty-one years, and his mother, a native of Kentucky, born in 1810, died in Woodland in 1867. They came to California in 1853, bringing all their children with them except the eldest son, D.R.., whose sketch appears elsewhere in this work. E.J. was born in Adams County, Illinois, May 1, 1832. Leaving Quincy, in that county, April 1, 1853, for California, he arrived in Yolo County, September 17th. His present home, just outside the limits of Woodland, on Maine street, consists of forty acres, on which he raises grapes and other fruits and dries raisins, at the rate of about thirty tons a year. Besides, he dries one ton of apricots and a small quantity of Bartlett pears. Mr. Clanton was first married in 1863, to M.A. Kelsay. Their children
were: Josephine, now the wife of James England and residing in Lakeport,
Lake County; and Jennie A., who married D.G. Hartman and lives near
Dunnigan, Yolo County. His present wife, nee Mary D. Kettle, was born
in Indiana in 1847. Her parents are now living in Missouri. Mr. and
Mrs. Clanton were married in Callaway County, that State, September
10, 1874. Mr. Clanton is a member of Woodland Lodge, No.111, I.O.O.F.
Ephraim CLARK Ephraim Clark, a resident of the vicinity of Woodland, was born April
25, 1832, in Jefferson City, Missouri, a son of M. D. and D. T. (Fowler)
Clark. The father was a farmer by occupation, and a brother, J. F.,
is now the occupant of the homestead in Missouri, which was settled
by M. D. Clark in 1829. He died in 1862, at the age of sixty-three years.
The subject of this sketch still owns a third interest in 525 acres
in that State, a portion of which is the old homestead place. He of
course was reared on a farm, and when twenty-two years of age, in 1854,
he came to California, driving an ox team across the plains to pay his
way, and arrived in Placer County, where he remained until February,
1862. He then visited British Columbia, Idaho and Montana, being one
of the first to enter Montana that year. The same year he returned to
Placer County and followed mining one year. In 1863 he went to Churchill
County, Nevada, where he engaged in making toll-roads, and was the first
Democrat elected to represent the county in the Legislature. He was
elected four years as Supervisor and two years as Assessor, -- all this
while the county generally gave a Republican majority. Remaining there
until the last of November, 1880, he sold out his stock and road, returning
to California; finally settled near Woodland, a mile and a half from
the city, upon a tract of ten acres, of which six are vineyard and four
in clover. Mr. Clark has traveled over all the United States and can
relate many interesting incidents. He thinks an American should see
his native country before going to Europe. Jesse CLARK a retired farmer and an old resident of Woodland, was born December 8, 1821, in Christian County, Kentucky, a son of Henry and Priscilla Clark; his father, a farmer, was a native of Tennessee, and his mother of North Carolina. When a small boy Henry Clark was taken to Kentucky, where he remained a number of years; he then moved to Cole County, Missouri, on the Osage River, and resided there nine years; then moved to Chariton County, Missouri, where he remained until his death in 1861, at the age of eighty-four years. His wife died in 1865. In their family were six sons: Isaac, Benjamin, Henry, Michael and Ephraim, besides the subject of this sketch. Jesse Clark was brought up on a farm. At the age of eighteen years he left home for two years; at the age of twenty-four he married and commenced farming for himself, and remained in Missouri until April 6, 1852, when he started overland with ox teams to California, in a train of five wagons and about forty persons, arriving in this State August 13. In company with his brother Henry he engaged in mining about a year in Sierra County; then spent a winter in the Sonoma Valley, while his brother continued in charge of the mines in Sierra County. In 1854 he began searching for a ranch where he could make his home, and after hunting around considerably he settled three miles southwest of what is now Woodland, on 160 acres. After a residence there of fifteen years, and making a fine farm, he moved into Woodland, where he now resides, in a beautiful residence on West Main street. He sold his farm in 1884, since which time he has been taking life easy. When he first settled in this county his trading post was Cacheville, and Woodland was unthought of. In 1845 he married Miss Sarah Sanders, a native of Missouri, and they
have had eight children, six daughters and two sons. The daughters are:
Mary Jane, Priscilla, Margaret Frances, Usith, Amanda and Pesthania.
The first mentioned is dead; the second married S. T. Pendegast; Margaret
married A. J. Hall; Amanda became the wife of R. M. Huston; Usith is
now Mrs. Hanford Hubbard; and Pesthania married P. J. Flannigan. The
two sons - H. C. and R. L. - are married. Henry resides in Lassen County,
farming, and R. L. resides in San Francisco. Jonas CLARK, M.D. Jonas Clark, M.D., Woodland, was born in Waltham, Massachusetts, September 23, 1853. His father, also named Jonas Clark, was a native of the same State, while his mother, whose maiden name was Rachel S. Bagley, was born in Brookfield, Vermont. He was educated at the Waltham school and at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology, where he remained three years. He completed his medical course at Harvard University, where he graduated in June, 1875. In 1874 he received the appointment of Interne of the Massachusetts Charitable Eye and Ear Infirmary, which position he filled until 1877, thus obtaining special opportunities in the treatment of the eye and the ear. He arrived in California in March, 1877, and in June following located in Yolo County, where he has since been engaged in his chosen calling. He first settled at Dunnigan's, then at Yolo and Knight's Landing, and finally in 1881 opened an office in Woodland. His competency is well attested by an extensive and lucrative practice. On the first of August, 1889, he formed a partnership with Dr. L. M. Gray, under the firm name of Clark & Gray. During his residence here he has also paid considerable attention to the citrus culture, having a ranch of 160 acres in Colusa County, where he had at one time a nursery of 5,000 orange trees; but they were destroyed by the rabbit pest two years ago. During the present year (1889) he set out on his land about thirty acres of peaches. He also has ten acres of choice land at the town of Escalante, at the mouth of Capay Valley, which was planted in 1889 to citrus fruits. The Doctor is a member of the orders of Knights of Pythias, Chosen Friends, Foresters and United Workmen, - all at Woodland. He is also a member of the Medical Society of the State of California, the Yolo County Medical Society, and for a number of years has been secretary of the Yolo County Board of Health. Dr. Clark was married in June, 1876, to Miss Nora Tiernay, of Boston,
Massachusetts, and they have two children, John and Marie, aged ten
and twelve years respectively. Henry A. CLAUSEN HENRY A. CLAUSEN, following agricultural pursuits near Black's, Yolo County, is a pioneer who has struggled against the disadvantages of early days, but, being industrious and economical, he is now enjoying the accumulations of many a hard day's work. He was born February 18, 1826, in Germany, the son of John and Annie (Ahmling) Clausen, natives of Germany, who emigrated in 1854 to Wisconsin, and in 1860 returned to Germany, where they ended their days. In 1850, Mr. Clausen, subject, went by sail to New York city, and worked at his trade of carpenter there for five years, and then he came by water to California, and the first year and a half here he followed mining. He then moved into Yolo County, worked at his trade and bought and sold land until 1863, when he settled upon the ranch where he now resides, of 1,040 acres of finely improved land, about one mile north of Black's, where he expects to spend the remainder of his days, at this beautiful home. He was married in 1866, in the house where he now lives, to Miss Catherine
Hegelau, a native of Germany and a daughter of Frederick and Maria (Knodler)
Hegelau, both natives of Germany. She was born September 4, 1840. Their
five children have been: Emma, born January 21, 1867; Ernest, November
30, 1872; and Minnie, April 8, 1875; and the deceased are Charles and
Julia. Ernest graduated at Woodland Business College at the age of sixteen
years; and Charles died February 10, 1888, while attending Heald's Business
College in San Francisco. J. S. CLEVENGER a retired farmer of Woodland, was born April 12, 1830, in Bedford County, Pennsylvania, a son of Thomas and Sarah (Star) Clevenger. The father, a blacksmith by trade, but a farmer mostly by occupation, moved in 1832 to Morrow County, Ohio, and in 1854 to Page County, Iowa, where he lived seven years, and next to a point near Erie, Neosha County, Kansas, where he remained until his death. The subject of this notice was brought up on a farm in Ohio, and when eighteen years of age he started out in the world for himself, learning the carpenter and joiner's trade, in Morrow County, Ohio, and followed the same until he came to California, in 1863. He crossed the plains with a horse team, arriving in August. He took up a claim in Yolo County, on Willow Slough, which he improved and converted into one of the best farms in the county. After residing there twenty years he sold it and moved to Woodland, where he now resides, on Elm street, where he has built a good residence. He purchased another farm, which he afterward sold. He has done considerable work at his trade, at intervals. He is an energetic and busy man, and has done his share in the development of the interests of Yolo County, and even his children exhibit the same faculty. He was married March 11, 1856 to Miss Victoria J. Martin, in Clarinda,
Page County, Iowa, a native of North Carolina, born December 27, 1837,
and they have five children, two of whom are living, F. N. and O. E.
The former is at present a school-teacher in Yolo County and studying
law. He was born in Petaluma, Sonoma County, California, October 11,
1864. O. E. was born in Yolo County, February 17, 1870; he is at present
in the wood and feed business. Charles COIL To recount even a few of the experiences of this pioneer of 1849 is
to realize anew the hardships incident to the early settlement of the
west and to appreciate afresh the self-sacrificing labors of our forefathers.
Theirs the toil that we might reap the reward; theirs the incessant
labor amid discomforts in order that we might enjoy the fruits of a
high civilization; and theirs the years of self-denial in order that
generations yet unborn might find life's cup of joy filled to overflowing
in this goodly land beside the sunset sea. The trite adage that he is
a public benefactor, "who causes two blades of grass to grow where
one grew before," finds a noteworthy exemplification in the activities
of Mr. Coil, who by his own wise judgment proved the possibilities of
the soil of Yolo county, tested its adaptability to varied crops and
won financial success as a tiller of the soil. When he took up farming
he was one of the very first men in Yolo county to raise grain. The
venture, made at considerable financial risk, proved so successful that
others were quick to follow his example. Nor was this the only agricultural
enterprise in which his was the risk and to others came the returns
of his experiments. Such service proves the value of a man to his community
and his worth was appreciated by all who were familiar with his forceful
efforts. Nelle SHAFER COIL Nelle Shafer Coil who wrote the History of Yolo County, is a woman who has always taken an active interest in the public and civic development of Yolo County. She has given generously of her time and energy and ha been prominent in club activities. During the world war she was chairman for food conservation; for ten years she was secretary of the Red Cross where her activities have been outstanding. She was chairman of the women’s Council for Defense for Yolo County, is past president of St. Luke’s Guild, N.D.G.W., Shakespeare Club, and County Federation of Women’s Clubs. She was chairman of P.P.I.E. for Yolo County under Mrs. Edgar DePue and a member of the City Library Board of Woodland. A member of the Order of the Eastern Star, she received that organization’s honorary pin for a fifty-year membership last year. Jackson, California, is the birthplace of Mrs. Coil. Her father was Jerome O. Shafer, born in Ypsilanti, Michigan, November 11, 1842. He was the youngest of six brothers and his father and three brothers were killed in the Civil War. In 1864 he joined an immigrant train, and crossed the plains, arriving at Jackson in 1865 after spending a year in Salt Lake City. At Jackson he engaged in mining and later became a marble dealer. In 1866 Jerome Shafer was married to Joan Kerwin of Boston, Massachusetts, who came to California to visit a sister in San Francisco. In April on a visit to the mines, she met Jerome Shafer and later they were married at Volcano. The couple and their only child, Nelle Shafer Coil, moved to Woodland in 1881 considering Yolo County a better territory for the marble business. Jerome Shafer died in Woodland, November 12, 1884, and Joan Kerwin Shafer, June 16, 1934. In 1886 Nelle Shafer Coil was married to Herbert E. Coil who was born on the old Coil ranch December 16, 1862. He was educated in Woodland public schools and was a graduate of Saint Augustine College at Benicia. The son of a pioneer Yolo County family, Herbert Coil followed in their steps. He was a breeder of fine livestock and engaged in grain farming and dairying. He was a staunch Republican and active in the Masons and Native Sons of the Golden West. He died February 20, 1919, on the old home ranch. Their five children were all born on the Coil Ranch, Charles Coil, Jr., on February 5, 1887, who now lives in Antioch; Herbert Beverly, on July 16, 1888, who makes his home in Los Angeles; Shirley Shafer, on September 4, 1891, now a resident of Sonora; Marjorie Coil, on March 21, 1896. Marjorie Coil is now Mrs. Harold K. Atkinson and lives in Fallon, Nevada. Kathleen Nelson, was born September 21, 1901, and is now Mrs. David F. Ashe. Her home is in Tres Pinos, San Benito County, California. Nelle Shafer Coil was educated in Napa Ladies’ Seminary at Napa. In 1884 she passed her teacher’s examinations and taught school n the Liberty School District north of Yolo until the time of her marriage. Always active and with a lively intelligence the scope of her civic work grew. In all public development, she is a prominent figure in that group of women concerned with cultural, social and civic development of Yolo County. Transcribed by Peggy B. Perazzo from “History of Yolo County California, Its Resources and Its People,” William O. Russell, editor, Woodland, 1940, pp. 333-334. Roy Emmett COLE The prestige afforded by lineage of honored pioneer strain, illumined
by personal prominence resultant from intelligent activities, bestows
increased importance upon the standing of Mr. Cole, who as county treasurer
of Yolo county, enjoys distinction as one of the youngest county officials
in the state in point of years, and is the youngest county treasurer
in the entire commonwealth. In point of fidelity to his trust and devotion
to his duty he is surpassed by no other incumbent of the office in any
part of the state, nor do the records of the past in his own county
furnish the name of any treasurer more capable than he or more intelligently
active in protecting the financial interest of the county. Whatever
of success he already has attained it may be attributed to his own unaided
exertions, for the had no help in starting out for himself and only
his own resolute force of purpose enabled him to obtain an excellent
education, for the family, although highly respected, possessed little
means and naturally the struggle for a livelihood was constant. Waterman COLMAN a fruit-raiser of Yolo County, is a son of Amiel and Elizabeth D. Colman, natives of Scituate, Massachusetts. He was born and educated in that town, and in 1876 came to California by rail, first locating in Woodland. He was soon employed by the United States Government as postal clerk, as one of the first on the road. After operating in that capacity nine years and a half, he purchased the lot of ten acres where he now resides and raises some of the finest fruit in the county. He married Miss Loring, who was born in the State of Maine, February
12, 1824, and they have one son, Edwin W. Elijah Augustus COOK Numbered among the most substantial and progressive citizens of Winters
is Mr. Cook, who has been an orchardist in Yolo county for the past
thirty-two years. A native of Illinois, Mr. Cook's birth occurred October
17, 1852, in Greene county, where his parents, Morris and Mary (Gleason)
Cook, natives of Ireland, settled in an early day. In 1859 the family
removed to Grundy county, Mo., locating on the Grand river, near Spickard,
in which section our subject received his education, later assisting
his father on the farm. At the age of twenty-two he went to near Grinnell,
Poweshiek county, Iowa, where he farmed for two years, going thence
to Austin, Minn., in which locality he conducted a farm until 1877,
when he came to Yolo county, Cal. Soon after this, however, he removed
to Jackson county, Ore., where for three years, he operated a mining
and milling business. In 1880, he returned to Yolo county, where he
purchased twenty-seven and one-half acres, later adding fifty-eight
acres to his holdings, and at present is the owner of ninety-six acres
of land two miles west of Winters. Fifty acres of his property is devoted
to orchard, producing in 1911 six tons of dried fruit and one and one-half
tons of dried prunes. Joseph COOK Joseph Cook, a horticulturist near Woodland, is the son of George Cook, a native of Virginia, who died in Kentucky. Joseph was born in Lincoln County, Kentucky, July 14, 1814, and October 5, 1837, he married in that State, Miss Elizabeth Chiles, who was born in Mercer County, Kentucky, March 10, 1821. In 1848, they moved to Missouri, and made their home there until the spring of 1853, when they came overland with ox teams to California, locating in Yolo County, on a ranch situated on the Willow Slough. The ranch then belonged to his wife's brother. His wife and Mr. Chile's wife were the only women in that neighborhood. In 1860, Mr. Cook bought a squatter's right to 160 acres, and lived thereon till 1878, when he sold it and bought twenty acres near Woodland and set it in fruit. He has seven children, named and born as follows: George T., born
September 3, 1838; Mary B., January 12, 1841; John M., April 6, 1844;
Julia L., October 27, 1847; William J., November 30, 1852; James R.,
November 28, 1857; and Susie, August 14, 1865. Mary B. is now the wife
of William Gibson; Julia L. is the wife of Isaac Keys and John M. married
Miss Lulu Horton. Joseph T. COOPER Significant of his future identification with California is the fact
that the year of Mr. Cooper's birth was likewise the year memorable
in our national development through the vast westward migration drawn
to the Pacific coast through the discovery of gold. The son of a pioneer
Argonaut who, however, remained in the west for a comparatively brief
period, he heard in boyhood many stories concerning the region beyond
the mountains and across the plains and thus became interested in the
coast country to an extent determining his future associations. Arriving
at maturity with no education except such as he had secured through
his own energy and no material advantages save those of his own creation,
he determined to try his fortune in the western region visited by his
father more than twenty years before, and accordingly in 1873 he came
to the state in which he has since made a home. It was during 1882 that
he came to Yolo county and here he has since remained, meanwhile owning,
occupying and developing the valuable farm of eighty acres to which
he holds the title and which stands within a short distance of Yolo. Fedele COSTA The name of Costa indicated the Italian origin of the family. Indeed
up to the present the majority of the members remain in the land of
their ancestors, although a number have sought the opportunities offered
by other countries. Among those who have found in the new world advantages
not possible in their own beautiful Italy mention belongs to Fedele
Costa, a native of Bioglio, Novara, born November 30, 1863. The fact
that his father, Dominico Costa, was a very successful contractor and
builder in Italy determined his own line of activities, for at the age
of twelve years he began with his father to learn the occupation of
a builder and soon gained a thorough knowledge of the occupation. Meanwhile,
while working at the trade during the summer months, he devoted the
winters to school and thus acquired a fair education in the city of
Technique, where he completed the studies of the grammar grade. Upon
leaving school he began to give his entire time to occupative labors
and soon became known as a skilled workman in every branch of constructive
work. From a position as a day laborer he rose to be contractor and
superintendent for large building firms in Italy, where he had charge
of the construction of many large and important buildings. Before leaving
his native country he had begun to take contracts of his own and these
he filled with scrupulous exactness. Fred CRAIG Fred Craig, a prosperous farmer residing on his fine farm five miles
southeast of Davisville, was born in the State of New York; his parents
having died when he was quite young he went to Ohio, where he made his
home with an uncle, Mr. Craig, a farmer of that State. Here he received
a limited education in the common schools. In 1852 he started for California,
taking passage on a steamboat at Wheeling, Virginia, and traveled down
the Ohio and Mississippi rivers to New Orleans. From there he took a
vessel for Havana to inspect a steamer from New York to Chagres. The
voyage was tedious and uneventful. Having crossed the Isthmus of Panama,
he was obliged to wait fifteen days for a vessel to San Francisco. He
finally secured a passage on a sail vessel, which proved to be unseaworthy
and scantily provisioned. After a few weeks of stormy weather, which
drove the ship out of her course, they landed at San Blas for provisions.
From here they again started for San Francisco and again encountered
severe storms, which drove them to the Sandwich Islands, where they
landed for a fresh supply of provisions. They finally landed in San
Francisco, in September, 142 days from the date of leaving Panama. Mr.
Craig worked for a short time near San Francisco, then went to Nevada
City, California, and engaged in mining for two years and a half. From
Nevada City he went to Coloma and worked in the mines of that camp about
the same length of time. In April, 1857, he came to Yolo County, and
worked as a farm laborer for three years. In 1860 he commenced farming
on his own account, on rented land; and in 1862 bought the farm where
he now lives. His home farm contains 160 acres and he also owns 160
acres in Solano County, adjoining the home place. He devotes his attention
entirely to grain and stock-raising. Hon. Joseph CRAIG (#1) The Old Dominion has probably done more than any other State in the Union toward building and assuring the status of her young sisters in the roll of statehood, giving freely of her best sons and representatives of her oldest families to help them form a solid basis for the future. In this regard, at any rate, California has certainly fared well, for wherever we go in this "Golden State" are found prominent and efficient men who owe their lineage to Virginia, and whose names recall circumstances that stand out brightly in the early annals of our country. One such name is that of Hon. Joseph Craig, of Woodland, who, though born in Missouri, and his parents both natives of Kentucky, -- that State with the most stirring and romantic early history of all, -- yet is descended directly on his father's side from the celebrated Craig family of Virginia. His mother, too, who is still living, at a good old age, and now a resident of San Francisco, is a granddaughter of Captain Jack Ashby, the great scout and Indian fighter of Kentucky, and is therefore of the well-known Ashby family. Mr. Craig was born August 14, 1849, in Clinton County, Missouri, and is the son of Randolph R. and Minerva R. (Darneal) Craig. The parents were both born in Versailles, Woodford County, Kentucky, but removed to Missouri about the year 1837, settling in Clinton County. Later they went to Liberty, Clay County, where they remained until they came to California. The father came in 1849, attracted hither by gold discoveries. He mined with success until 1852, when he returned to Missouri, and in August of that year brought out his family. Mr. Craig was interested in mines all his life, and was long one of the most prominent men in the Sierras and foothills. He located in Nevada City, and lived there for many years. In later years he made his home in San Francisco, looking after his mining interests from that city. He died at Auburn, Placer County, in March, 1866. He left seven children, five sons and two daughters, all now living in California. The subject of this biographical sketch is the youngest of these. His early life was spent chiefly in Nevada County, where he attended school, and at the same time laid the foundation of a practical knowledge of mining, which has shown its results, among other ways, in the invention and patenting, in 1869, when he was twenty years of age, of the hydraulic monitor, which has since then been almost exclusively used in hydraulic mining, and almost revolutionized the whole business. For about two years Mr. Craig lived in Marysville, running a foundry and machine-shop, during that time largely devoted to the manufacture of the monitors. In the winter of 1872 he went to San Francisco and engaged extensively in the same manufacture. In 1875 he was elected to the State Senate from the Tenth district of San Francisco, and is probably the only Democrat ever elected from that Republican stronghold, a sure test of Mr. Craig's popularity. He filled the seat for two sessions, and has had the good record of being one of the five Senators who voted against the new constitutional convention. Mr. Craig began his legal studies in Nevada County, and continued them for some five or six years, before applying for admission to practice. He was first admitted to practice by the district court in San Francisco, and three years later was admitted to practice before the Supreme Court. While in San Francisco he was a member of the law firm of Marshall, Smoot & Craig, at that time one of the leading firms in that city. In 1878 Mr. Craig removed to Yolo County, taking up his residence in Woodland, and immediately beginning the practice of law. In 1882 he was elected District Attorney of Yolo County and served one term. He declined to be a candidate a second time, preferring to devote his attention to his extensive private practice. On January 17, 1889, he was appointed a member of the Board of State Prison Directors, in which board he is now serving. The legal firm of which he is the head, is Craig & Hawkins, well known throughout the State. It goes without saying, of course, that Mr. Craig is an active Democrat, and has been all his life. He was married May 1, 1874, to Miss Kate Stephens, daughter of John D. Stephens, of Woodland. They have had four children, -- two sons and two daughters, -- of whom, one son, John S., and one daughter, Mary A., are living. Those that died were Tilden J. and Josephine Marshall. Mr. Craig is of an inventive turn of mind, and besides the mining monitor previously mentioned has conceived other valuable mechanical devices. The principal one is what might be termed a combined plow, as it not only loosens the ground to the desired depth but also leaves it in such a condition that no harrowing is needed. The plow is constructed under a new principle, one never before advanced in connection with the subject of farming, and is capable of doing much more work with a great deal less power than any plow ever constructed on the old system. If it proves the success that is now promised this invention will revolutionize farming, or at any rate that portion of it which consists of preparing land for crops. Mr. Craig was the first one in Yolo County to take measures for the propagation of the German carp, which are now to be found in the greatest abundance in a natural fish-pond on his ranch. To give an idea of the matter to those who may be interested, the following is taken from a letter written by Mr. Craig in answer to inquiries from a gentleman in another country: "In 1882 I purchased from a gentleman at Lakeside, in Sonoma County, forty German carp, -- twenty brood and twenty small, -- and placed them in a natural pond about two acres in size. They multiplied very rapidly, and grew to large size, some weighing from six to ten pounds. The high water of the following season carried a number of them into a stream called Cache Creek, where they did well and increased with wonderful rapidity, until now both the pond and creek are alive with them. It would be impossible to estimate the number taken, as the public have had free access to both pond and creek, and the number now remaining is without limit. "When first put in, the pond contained bullhead in large numbers, but the carp have either destroyed them or driven them away, until they are almost extinct. From my experience, I am prepared to say that they are a fine food fish, and easily propagated. Persons having water facilities can, with little or not difficulty, raise the carp for food." Mr. Craig, while one of the hardest and closest workers in business
and professional matters, is a pleasant, genial gentleman, and enjoys
a State reputation of being one of the best civil and criminal lawyers
in Central and Northern California. Hon. Joseph CRAIG (#2) As identification with the new world dating back to the colonial era
indicates that the pioneer instinct was strong in the early American
representatives of the Craig family. Unknown regions beyond the confines
of civilization constantly lured them from the peaceful abodes of progress.
Theirs the undimmed vision of the frontiersman in nature's primeval
wild; theirs the love of stream and forest with the gifts they brought
of fish and game; and theirs the solitary way through life far from
the crowded haunts of men. When later generations of the name found
no outlet for their frontier predilections they expressed their innate
tastes in a love for the open and in the adoption of occupations necessitating
outdoor work. An apparent exception to this rule appears in the forceful
activities of Hon. Joseph Craig, who entered upon the profession of
the law and also developed patents that necessitated the erection and
management of a foundry. However, those who for years have enjoyed glimpses
into the attractive characteristics of Mr. Craig have discovered that
his happiest hours are those spent on his ranches, in superintending
the purchase or care of his thoroughbred Durham cattle, in planning
for suitable irrigation facilities, in experimenting with alfalfa and
other desired crops and in enjoying all the amenities incident to pleasant
tasks in God's great out-of-doors. Thornton CRAIG, M. D. It is significant of the stable personal qualities possessed by Dr.
Craig that he has passed the entire period of his professional practice
in the same town. Immediately after his graduation from one of the most
noted educational institutions of the new world he came to California
in 1876 and opened an office at Capay, since which time by successful
practice he has risen to rank among the most distinguished physicians
not only of Yolo county, but of the Sacramento valley itself. The quiet
but prosperous village that was the scene of his earliest professional
efforts has remained his home through all these years, and from it he
has answered summons from every part of the adjacent territory. In the
early period of his residence here he made his trips on horseback with
saddlebags, but later adopted a carriage for professional use and more
recently has purchased an automobile as offering the most expeditious
mode of travel. In the efficient discharge of his professional duties
he has gone hither and thither, has had to cope with disease in every
form and has become an expert in diagnosis as well as in the treatment
of intricate and baffling cases, retaining in the midst of all professional
anxieties and successes the simple dignity, companionable disposition
and large-hearted kindly spirit characteristic of his younger years. At the time of coming to the west Dr. Craig was unmarried and it was
a few years before he established domestic ties, his marriage uniting
him with Miss Lizzie Rhodes, a young lady of education and culture,
a native daughter of the state, born and reared in Yolo county. She
was a daughter of John M. Rhodes, a pioneer miller of Woodland and banker
of Sacramento, and for years one of the most influential business men
of that place. Eventually he removed to Lassen county, Cal., and he
died in Reno, Nev., August 4, 1908. Dr. and Mrs. Craig are the parents
of three sons, who have inherited the ablility of their parents and
give promise of exceptional future success. The eldest, John M., was
graduated from the mining engineering department of the University of
California and now has identification with occupative interests at Cananea
in Old Mexico. The second son, Thornton, Jr., is a member of the class
of 1913, dental department, University of California, and the youngest
son, Charles, is a student in the Esparto high school. The family maintain
a warm interest in movements for educational and commercial advancement
and contribute to philanthropic and religious enterprises, having a
special regard for the welfare of their own community. The doctor was
reared in the Presbyterian faith, but with broad-minded liberality sees
the good in every creed that aims at the uplifting of humanity. Since
he became a citizen of our country he has voted with the Republican
party. Before leaving Ontario he was made a Mason in the Ferrens Point
Lodge and later became a charter member of Landmark Lodge No. 253, F.
& A. M., while he also is connected with Woodland Chapter, R. A.
M., and Woodland Commandery No. 19, K. T. Besides his Masonic connections
he is identified with Capay Lodge No. 230, I. O. O. F., in which he
ranks as past noble grand. The active years of maturity have been devoted
zealously to medical work. His ambition has been concentrated upon his
chosen tasks in life. However, he has found that outside interests broaden
rather than hamper his mental faculties and therefore, in making property
investments, he has sought principally interests that will take him
into the open and thus give him a pleasant relaxation from his practice.
Included in his possessions and requiring a portion of his time in their
management are six hundred and forty acres in the Yolo basin and a valuable
orchard and vineyard of fifty-five acres at Capay, besides which he
also has invested in mines in Sonora, Mexico. L. CRAMER L. Cramer, a farmer at Cacheville, is the son of Lawrence and Mary
(Barbary) Cramer, both natives of Germany. The father, a farmer, came
to the United States in 1803; and both parents died in Hamilton County,
Ohio, the mother in 1876 and the father in 1881. Mr. Cramer, of this
sketch, was born in Covington, Kentucky, June 25, 1836, and when but
two months old he was taken by his parents to Ohio, in their immigration
to that State. At the age of sixteen years he came across the plains
to the gold country in California, with a train of ninety wagons, leaving
Ohio on February 1, 1852, and landed at Grizzly Flat, about sixteen
miles from Diamond Spring, Placer County, where he mined that winter.
After spending three months at Sacramento he came to Cacheville, Yolo
County, where he has ever since remained, and where he has a fine farm
of 100 acres two miles from town, on Cache Creek. He also owns 11,000
acres, partly in Yolo County and partly in Colusa County. On the home
ranch he raises grain principally, and the large tract is devoted to
stock-grazing. He is a member of Yolo Lodge, No. 81, F. & A. M.,
and of the Knights Templar Lodge, No. 22. Henry CRANER a merchant at Winters, Yolo County, is a son of Paul and Eva (Landsberg) Craner, natives of Prussia, and Henry himself was born in that country, in 1840. At the age of fifteen years he came by water to California, settling in Placer County three years, engaged in mercantile business in partnership with his brother, Julius, and for two years he was similarly engaged in Vacaville; then he started a store in Buckeye, Yolo County, the second store in the place. In 1875 the town of Buckeye was moved to Winters, and Mr. Craner went to Cottonwood (now Madison), and started a store there which he conducted until 1878, when he came to Winters, where he is now the proprietor of the leading mercantile house in the place. April 15, 1882, in San Francisco, he married Rosa Lazarus, who was
born in Prussia, in 1856, and they have one son, Arthur, born June 18,
1884. Ephraim Q. CRITES Ephraim Q. Crites, a farmer near Black's, was born April 22, 1838,
in Wayne County, Ohio, the son of Jonah and Lucy Ann (Kindich) Crites,
both natives of Chambersburg, Pennsylvania; the father was a merchant
until he was about forty years of age. In 1856 Mr. Crites, our subject,
sailed from New York for California, and after arriving here stopped
for a few days at Sacramento; then mined two months on the Cosumnes
River; made a trip northward, stopping in Marysville for a short time;
was next employed in a hardware store at Sacramento four years, and
finally, in 1860, he went into Yolo County and purchased a tract of
170 acres, one and a half miles northwest of Black's, which is now a
very fine ranch. Fifty acres are set out in grapes, of which eighteen
acres are in bearing, and thirty-two acres are two years old. Twenty
years ago he set out the first orchard in this vicinity. Henry Crockett CULTON, D. D. Notwithstanding the mists of obscurity out of which all genealogical
records emerge, there is abundant evidence that the Culton family remained
for many generations in the highlands of Scotland, that they embraced
the Calvinistic doctrines expounded by their original exponent, also
that during the era of religious persecution in their native country
they were forced to flee for their lives, thus establishing the name
in the north of Ireland, whence in the colonial history of our own country
some of the descendants emigrated to Virginia. Later generations followed
the tide of settlement toward the further west. James Culton, a Virginian
by birth and education, spent his last days in Tennessee. The next generation
was represented by Alexander Culton, also a Virginian by birth, but
from early manhood a resident of Tennessee. For some years he engaged
in operating a plantation near Athens, McMinn county, near the state
lines of North Carolina and Georgia and later he removed to an adjoining
county, where he settled near Charleston. His last days were passed
in that locality, and there also occurred the death of his wife, Sarah
(Newman) Culton, a native of Tennessee, her father, Robert Newman, having
been a descendant of German ancestry. Francis CUNNINGHAM Francis Cunningham, a farmer near Black's, Yolo County, was born November 12, 1839, in Somerset County, Pennsylvania, a son of Jacob and Elizabeth (Gilbert) Cunningham, both natives of that State. His father, a tanner by trade for over sixty years, died in that State in 1885, and his mother died in 1876. Of their nine children, two sons are living in California. In 1859 Mr. Cunningham came by water to California. For the first year and a half he followed gold mining at Oregon Bar in Placer County. Then he settled on land about one and a half miles from where he now lives, and at length he sold it, in 1867, and purchased where he now resides. The present ranch, of 160 acres of fine land, is owned by himself and his brother Jacob, and they intend to devote it mainly to fruit-raising. They already have twelve acres of figs and three of prunes. Jacob was born in Pennsylvania, in 1845, and came to California in 1868. He married Miss Nellie Murphy, and they have three children: - Maud, Winnie and Jacob. Francis is yet unmarried. Transcribed by Kathy Sedler, July 2004. |
[ TOP OF PAGE ]
Peggy B. and Patrick Perazzo 
Copyright 1996- - All Rights Reserved.