Yolo County Biographies – R
[ HOME ] [ RETURN TO BIOGRAPHIES MENU ]|
Claire RASOR, Ph.D., M. D. The Sacramento valley has just reason to feel proud of its native-born
sons, many of whom have attained distinction in their chosen callings
and have risen to prominence not limited to the boundaries of the locality,
but extending throughout the state. In the list of rising citizens list
mention belongs to Dr. Rasor, a young physician of exceptional ability,
thorough education and profound mastery of the science of therapeutics,
who has scored many a success in surgery and holds an enviable rank
in that department of the profession. Since he entered upon practice
in Woodland he has proved his skill in diagnosis, accuracy in treatment
and the wide scope of his researches in material medica. Perhaps no
work in which he has engaged exceeds in importance that in connection
with the Woodland sanitarium, an unincorporated institution, of which
he is vice-president and a member of the board of directors. The hospital
owes its establishment to the public spirit and energy of five physicians
of Woodland, of whom he was one. Realizing the great need of such an
institution they united their efforts. The result appears in a structure
built in mission style at a cost of $22,500, and equipped with all modern
appliances for the care of patients and the performance of surgical
operations of all kinds, major and minor, trivial and extreme, these
being carried through with dispatch and skill, to the credit of the
institution and the gratification of the interested parties. J. George RATH a farmer near Woodland, is a son of Andrew and Margareta (Harzer), natives of Germany; the father, a farmer by trade, died in Germany, January 23, 1889; and the mother died when George was a small boy. The latter was born in Germany in 1856, and in 1872 he emigrated to America, landing in New York city, where he remained six months, and then came on to California by railroad, locating in Woodland. His first employment was an engagement with Mr. C. Coil in farming, and next for Fred Mast, and finally he purchased, in 1880, a tract of 320 acres in what is called Hungry Hollow, Yolo County, and there he lived until last year, when he came to his present place two miles due west of Woodland on Main street, where he has fifty-two acres and raises clover and stock; on the larger tract in Hungry Hollow he raises wheat principally. He married Sarah Mast in 1880. She was born in Minnesota and came
to California with her parents when but four years of age. Mr. and Mrs.
Rath have three children, Emma E., George F. and Frieda A. Walter G. READ Of all the pioneers of Yolo county, none gave a larger share of interest
and assistance toward its progress than did Walter G. Read, who died
while on a trip to Freehold, N. J., April 17, 1907. He was born in Fall
River, Mass., February 21, 1854, and was a member of a prominent Massachusetts
family, his grandfather, the Hon. Benjamin Read, having been a representative
in the legislature of that state. His father, Francis B. Read, was a
farmer and merchant of Fall River, but in 1854 took his family to Carlyle,
Clinton county, Ill., where they lived until 1872, thence immigrating
to California and settling in Colusa county on the site where the town
of Arbuckle now stands. Two years later Mr. Read purchased a ranch five
miles northwest of Colusa and engaged in general farming, moving in
1880 to Bear Valley, where he resided six years. He then removed to
Ellensburg, Wash., and there he passed away when in his seventy-second
year. He was survived by six of his eight children, and his wife, who
afterwards died in Colusa in October, 1906. She was formerly Angeline
Grinnell, a descendant of an old Massachusetts family, and was born
in Little Compton, R. I. Maurice REARDON Seldom is it the privilege of the biographer to chronicle a life whose
activities were centered upon one farm for a period of fifty years.
In this era of change and restlessness few there are who can boast of
identification with any one spot on old Mother Earth, but it was a source
of pride to Maurice Reardon that he gave the larger part of his life
and the greatest measure of his energies to the development of the property
now known as his old homestead. Hither he came not many years after
gold had been discovered. As he turned the first furrows in the virgin
soil, so also he erected the first substantial buildings on the place
and harvested the first crops of grain. As time passed by he saw the
swift locomotive supersede the slow-moving stage coach. Villages sprang
up and farms began to show signs of prosperity. But it was a far cry
from the desolation of the '50s to the civilization of the twentieth
century, and few there were, who, like himself, could claim an association
with both eras. Edward REASBECK As a citizen of progressive spirit and good business ability Mr. Reasbeck
has attained both prosperity and influence during his long residence
in Yolo county, his many friends and associates fully appreciating his
qualities of honor and manliness and his example of public interest.
Born November 3, 1842, in Pomerania, Prussia, Mr. Reasbeck was educated
there and later became a railroad employee. After fifteen years of faithful
service he decided to leave his native land and cast his fortunes in
America. He landed in New York City in 1882, and from there came to
Woodland, Yolo county. Here for two years he engaged in farming and
fruit raising, and then removed to the foothills of Butte county, where
he purchased thirty acres, which he still retains. In 1905 he took up
his residence in Winters, where he owns one and three-ninths acres,
upon which is located his present comfortable residence. Hayward REED Prominent among California orchardists is Hayward Reed, who resides
near Washington, Yolo county, where his birth occurred February 15,
1876. His parents were Charles W. and Abbie (Jenks) Reed, natives of
New York and Illinois, respectively. In 1851 Charles W. Reed came to
California via Panama, bringing with him forty-five varieties of pear
trees. For a time after his arrival in the west he prospected, but shortly
abandoned this uncertain occupation to experiment with his various species
of pears. After selecting the Bartlett as the type best adapted to this
climate, he established a nursery at Washington, where he raised millions
of trees which he sold to consumers in different parts of the Pacific
coast. He set out what is known as the Reed orchard across the river
from Sacramento. His orchard reaching the point of fruition, he accompanied
his first carload of fruit east, the freight amounting to $1,700. Returning
to California, he continued to devote his attention to his orchards
until his death in 1896, Mrs. Reed passing away in 1911. Their children
are as follows: Dudley, of Sacramento; Charles W., an attorney in San
Francisco; Howard, of Marysville; Rowena, who is the wife of Professor
DeMeter, who occupies the chair of German at the University of California,
at Berkeley; and Hayward. Henry REHM For generation the name of Rehm was one well and favorably known in
Germany and subsequently claimed like distinction in Russia, whither
the grandfather of our subject, Jacob Rehm, migrated during the reign
of Czarina Ekatherina. In Russia as in Germany the grandfather was a
tiller of the soil. Among the children in his family was Jacob Rehm,
who was born on the paternal farm in Russia and who in later years became
a contractor and builder. He became a citizen well known and highly
respected in Petersburg, where he built up a large trade in his line.
His marriage united him with Barbara Fohrath, who like himself was a
native of Russia and was a descendant of German ancestors. W. F. REID W. F. Reid, a retired farmer residing seven miles southeast of Davisville,
Yolo County, was born in Garrard County, Kentucky, June 20, 1812, his
parents being Joseph and Elizabeth (Slavin) Reid, the former a native
of Virginia, born in 1779, a farmer by occupation, and the latter a
native of North Carolina. They moved to Adair County, Kentucky, when
the subject of this notice was a year and a half old, and six and a
half years afterward they moved into Tennessee; two years subsequently
to Franklin County, that State; in 1829 into Alabama; in 1844 back to
Tennessee; in 1853 to Arkansas; and in 1857 to California, landing at
Sacramento. He bought a place in Yolo County, which he still owns, containing
320 acres, seven miles southeast of Davisville. Jacob REIFF Experiences in existence in regions far distant from each other have
given to Mr. Reiff a profound comprehension of life viewed from the
standpoint of a traveler and a close observer. During his younger years
he had little ambition toward the accumulation of wealth. With a realization
that he would pass through youth but once he enjoyed to its utmost that
fleeting period of life and spent his earnings in the pleasure of travel,
not only returning to his native Germany for a protracted visit, but
also journeying through much of the United States and inspecting parts
of the country seldom visited by men dependent upon their daily wages
for a livelihood. Nor has he had reason to regret the enjoyments or
expenses of young manhood, for he is comfortably situated in an attractive
home and by industrious application he has provided for the necessities
of an oncoming old age. Paul W. REIFF Paul W. Reiff, born in Sacramento, January 25, 1910, is rapidly becoming one of the strongest leaders of Yolo County. It is natural that his leadership should go to this community, for his mother, Nellie Burger Reiff, is the daughter of an honored Yolo County pioneer family. She was born at Black Station, now called Zamora, December 21, 1892, and her schooling, marriage and practically all of her life centered here. She was the mother of three children: Paul W.; Dorothy, born in Woodland, November 27, 1924; and Mrs. Evelyn Burnell Pierce, born in Woodland, July, 1915. Having graduated from the Woodland High School in 1929, Paul W. Reiff was married to Jane E. Morris at Woodland on December 29, 1932. Mrs. Reiff was born in Woodland, September 25, 1911, and is the daughter of Mr. and Mrs. William Campbell Morris. She is the granddaughter of Asa Warren Morris and Mrs. Mary Alice Morris, one of the pioneer families of Yolo County. Their biography also appears in this history. Mrs. Reiff is very interested in music and taught piano for several years with the Anna Hurst Studios. She is active in the National Grange, belongs to the Priscilla Club and is primarily devoted to her home, her husband, and her three children: Paul Wesley, born July 4, 1934; Randall George, March 23, 1937; and Elizabeth Jane, August 30, 1939; all born in Woodland. While many young men today still lament that they have no chance, Paul Reiff has shown by his own experience that Yolo County, agriculturally, is another name for opportunity. In the very depth of the depression he graduated from High School. Instead of sitting around and waiting for fortune to empty her cornucopia in his lap he determined to obtain success. While working with the local Spreckels Sugar Company, he became interested in the production of sugar beets and decided to farm for himself. In February, 1930, he began farming on a small scale with two uncles, under a partnership known as Reiff & Burger Brothers. The land adjoined the northern boundary of Woodland. In 1939, farming operations had increased to 3,000 acres, distributed on twenty-four ranches mainly devoted to sugar beets and grain. This partnership was one of the first – aside from the Spreckels Company – to raise sugar beets in the Woodland area. In 1937, they raised approximately 65,000 bags of refined sugar, and were among the first to utilize the beet tops for the feeding of their own cattle. During the last eight years, Mr. Reiff, with his partners, George and William Burger, acquired 700 acres of highly productive land along Cache Creek. In religion, Paul Reiff is a Protestant, and in politics, a Republican. In fraternal, civic, social and national organizations he holds memberships in the Lions, Elks, The National Grange, the Soil Conservation committee of Yolo County. He is a director of the Federal Land Bank, a member of the state Sugar Beet Allotment Commission for 1939, a member of the County Farm Bureau, former director of County Directors of Associated Farmers and Woodland District Chamber of Commerce. Since the time Mr. Reiff decided that agriculture was to be his calling, he has been vitally interested in breeding and raising various types of livestock. It is only in recent years that he has developed this avocation. At the present time, as a foundation, he has acquired several hundred head of very fine cattle and hogs. In conjunction with his recent success in running feeder cattle on beet tops, he is looking forward to increasing this herd to a thousand head in the near future. The spirit of our resourceful and intrepid pioneers is reborn in such virile men as Paul W. Reiff. Transcribed by Peggy B. Perazzo from “History of Yolo County California, Its Resources and Its People,” William O. Russell, editor, Woodland, 1940, pp. 341-342. John Milton RHODES The ancestry of the Rhodes family is traced back to the New England
colonies, its members fighting valiantly to defend their right to freedom
from the Mother Country, and the stalwart characteristics of these early
ancestors were no less marked in the generations which followed them.
Henry Rhodes was born in Rhode Island, and his wife, before her marriage
Esther Mason, was born in Connecticut, a descendant of John Mason, who
figured conspicuously in the history of the New England colonies about
the year 1635. John Dietrich RICHIE One of the most liberal and enterprising citizens of Yolo county for
thirty years, Mr. Richie lent his aid toward the development of that
section; and his death, January 2, 1890, was the occasion of sincere
regret among his many friends and associates, who fully appreciated
his exceptional qualities of both mind and heart. RICHTER BROTHERS That conspicuous era of western development whose climax was reached
in the memorable year of 1849 witnessed the identification of the Richter
family with California and the beginning of their long and honorable
association with the commonwealth. It was Andreas Richter, a young German
of stalwart frame and sturdy powers of endurance, who left his native
place near the city of Berlin and crossed the ocean to the new world,
landing a Memphis, Tenn., in 1846. Hearing of the trouble in the west,
Mr. Richter, who had served his three years in the German army, enlisted
in the Mexican war, at the of which he went to St. Louis. His stay there,
however, was brief, for again he was lured to the west and in 1849 came
to San Francisco as a gold-seeker. In the midst of the chaos then existing
he found employment at the mines and for several years he experienced
the joys and sorrows of a miner's life, he having lost considerable
in the Fraser river country. Subsequently he established a large pack
train, by which he profited well in supplying the needs of man. Eventually
he laid by an amount sufficient to permit him to return in comfort to
his old German home beyond the seas. The visit was not made solely for
the purpose of renewing the associations of childhood, but with a deeper
purpose in view, for there he married Miss Amelia Lehman, his boyhood
sweetheart and the devoted companion of his later years. Edward RIDLEY Not long after gold had been discovered in California and throngs of
fortune-seekers had begun to seek the western coast, the family of James
Ridley crossed the plains with wagons and ox-teams, taking with them
such absolute necessities as the arduous trip demanded. With the caravan
traveled a small boy, James Taylor Ridley, a son of James, Sr., and
a native of Missouri. A girl, Vianna Pope, also came with the same expedition,
having joined her parents in removing from her native Missouri to the
unknown regions of the west. Destiny later united the fortunes of the
young people, who married during the pioneer period of our state history
and settled upon a farm in Tehama county, later returning to Yolo county
and settling at Dunnigan, where the wife, who survives her husband,
still makes her home. The head of the emigrating expedition, James Ridley,
Sr., developed a large tract of raw land near Black's Station and remained
in Yolo county throughout the balance of his life. James RIDLEY JAMES RIDLEY, a farmer north of Black's, Yolo County, was born May 27, 1818, in Bledsoe County, Tennessee, a son of William and Margaret (Maxwell) Ridley, natives also of that State. At the age of sixteen years he went to Alabama, and resided there until 1835, when he moved to the northern part of Missouri. In 1861 he came with ox teams to California, locating immediately in Yolo County and renting land of Charles Barnes, the first year, and the next year (1863) he purchased the place where he now resides, three miles north of Black's. It embraces 163 acres of excellent land. He was married in 1835 to Miss Louisa Shumate, a native of Tennessee.
Their ten children are: James T., Thomas, William, Margaret, Louisa,
Francis, Mary, Larate, Ella and Susie. William Edward ROACH One of the most prosperous and highly esteemed farmers and viticulturists
of Yolo county is Mr. Roach, who since 1892 has been identified with
Woodland and Madison. He was born February 18, 1872, near Ironton, Lawrence
county, Ohio, and in that state too his parents Eli and Mary (Dillon)
Roach, were born. They became farmers of Lawrence county and there,
they now reside. The son received his education in the schools of his
home locality and at the age of seventeen he went to Douglas county,
Ill., where for two years he was employed on a farm. It was in 1892
that he came to California and located in Woodland, and after being
variously employed for a time he became an employe on the place of Dr.
H. P. Merritt, remaining there for about twelve years, all of this time
excepting the first year being foreman of the ranch. Subsequently, going
to San Francisco, he secured a position in the shops of the Union Iron
Works and remained there about eighteen months. Later on he leased the
old Dr. H. P. Merritt ranch near Madison, a tract of twelve hundred
acres, and this he has farmed every since with increasing success. In
January, 1911, at Mullen station, one mile south of Woodland, he purchased
eighty acres for $227.50 an acre, all set to vineyard, mostly table
grapes. He leases his vineyard profitably, his 1912 rent netting him
$1500, showing an increased valuation of over one hundred percent. He
operates his ranch with eight mule teams, and gathers his crops with
a combined harvester, which he propels with thirty head of mules. Besides
raising grain and alfalfa he also raises cattle and hogs. Hampton E. ROBERTS The possibilities open to intelligent and persistent application are
abundantly exemplified in the past successes and present activities
of Hampton E. Roberts, who solely through his own exertions has risen
to a position of prominence in business circles. When he was ten years
of age he lost his father by death and when he was thirteen he began
to be self-supporting. With characteristic determination he devoted
his evenings to study and in this way he was able to complete the course
of instruction in Pierce's Business College, where he acquired a systematic
knowledge of commercial affairs indispensable to subsequent enterprises.
Liberal and enterprising, he ranks among the honored and upright citizens
of Woodland and is regarded as a valuable element in civic progress. Calvin N. ROBINSON By his splendid business ability and sterling characteristics Calvin
N. Robinson has won not only prosperity, but likewise the unqualified
regard of his associates throughout Winters and vicinity, to the development
which he has contributed most generously. Charles ROBINSON a well-to-do farmer of Yolo County, dates his birth December 15, 1852,
in Missouri. His father, Daniel Robinson, was born May 12, 1827, in
Alleghany County, New York, and his mother February 1, 1829, in Lincoln
County, Missouri; they were married in that State in 1849, and in 1857
started with ox teams across the plains for California, the captain
of their train being Frank Perkins. On arriving in California they first
stopped on Mr. Perkins' place until the ensuing spring, when they located
on the place where they now reside, and which contains 480 acres of
well improved good land. The father died in 1877, and the widowed mother
is passing the remainder of her life at the place described. Charles
still remains with his mother, an unmarried man, and he owns a ranch
of 102 acres of fine land on Putah Creek two miles east of Winters. W. H. ROBINSON W. H. Robinson (colored), farmer and teamster at Woodland, is the son
of Denis and Mary A. (Winrow) Robinson, natives of Kentucky. His father
was a slave up to the time of his death in 1839, in Ralls County, Missouri;
his mother died in California, February 17, 1889, at the age of eighty-five
years. She was freed by Robert Briggs, of Ralls County, when W. H. was
sixteen years of age. He was born in that county, March 11, 1835, and
was freed at the age of thirty by the emancipation proclamation, up
to which time he was owned by John C. Briggs. He came to California
in 1868, landing in San Francisco December 24, having made his journey
by sea and the Isthmus. He was a resident of Buckeye, Yolo County, until
1873, when he went to Woodland, where he now has a nice little home
on two acres of land. He does all kinds of farm work for other parties,
having all the varieties of farming implements necessary, and he is
well known as an industrious and upright citizen. He is a member of
the Christian Church, as is also his family. He married, in Ralls County,
Missouri, Sarah A. Shields, who was born in Kentucky, and they have
two children, -- Mary A. and Samuel H. John T. RODGERS An important factor in the management of the University state farm
is Mr. Rodgers, who holds the responsible position of farm foreman,
having charge of all outside work in connection with the institution.
He is a native of California, his birth having occurred in Davis, Yolo
county, September 25, 1879. His parents, Byron H. and Mary (Rowan) Rodgers,
were natives of Ireland and immigrated to California in the early '60s,
settling in Yolo county, where July 1, 1909, Mr. Rodgers passed away.
The following children were born into the home: Edward, who resides
in Sacramento; William, Byron, Loretta, Virgie and John. T. G. ROGERS As the efficient engineer of the Winters Canning Company Mr. Rogers
has served for the past six years, and by his manliness and progressive
spirit has won many stanch friends in that locality. James S. ROLLINS carriage builder and repairer at Yankville Station, Yolo County, was born May 26, 1829, in Waldo County, Maine. His father, Samuel Rollins, was born March 14, 1794, in New Hampshire, and was in early days a house carpenter. The mother, whose maiden name was Olive Beal, was born May 22, 1806, and is still living, in Maine, with scarcely a gray hair in her head! In 1862 Mr. Rollins came by way of Panama to California, and after a brief visit at several points he began plying his trade for Mr. W. B. Smith at Liberty Pole Corner, and during the next autumn bought him out and ran the business alone for five years. He then sold out and purchased a farm of 200 acres about four miles and a half northwest of Black's, and this he cultivated, besides running a blacksmith and carriage shop. He sold out this place in 1878 and bought the tract of six and a half acres which he now occupies with a fine residence, at Yankville Station. He is still carrying on the carriage-making trade, and enjoys the reputation of being a very fine workman. Also in connection with the shop he has his place set to fruit trees and raisin grapes. He was married in 1855, in Maine, to Miss Mary E. Norton, and they
have had one daughter, Estella S., now the wife of N. B. Parkhurst,
in Maine. For his present wife Mr. Rollins married, in 1869, Miss Nattie
F. Young, a native of Sandusky County, Ohio, and their two children
are: Dallas V., born May 6, 1871, and Blanche A, January 20, 1876. Thomas ROSS, M.D. Dr. Ross has descended from the sturdy, independent Highland Scotch stock, whose influence has always been powerfully felt wherever they have resided. He himself is by birth a Canadian, and in that land of solid ideas received the practical training of every-day life so characteristic of that country, and the medical education and experience that have borne such substantial results in Dr. Ross's after life. He is the son of Murdoch Ross, a native of Rosshire, Scotland, who emigrated to Canada about 1815, and established a carriage and agricultural implement manufactory at Lancaster, Glengarry County, Ontario. This he carried on successfully, building it up into a large concern. He married, in Lancaster, Miss Catherine Ross, not a relative although of the same name, but of good Scottish lineage like himself. Her father was George Ross, originally a farmer in New York, and one of that worthy band of United Empire Loyalists who left home and possessions in the United States to follow the flag of their birth, the English -- after the Revolutionary war. Of the children of Murdoch and Catherine Ross, four are now living, viz.: Mrs. Bathia Fortune, now in British Columbia; Thomas, the subject of this sketch; John, residing on the old homestead in Canada; and Janet, who is married to Andrew Harkness, a successful physician, of Lancaster, Ontario. In his latter days Murdoch Ross closed out his manufacturing business, and turned his attention to farming, an occupation that he followed until the time of his death. His farm was one of the largest in the county, consisting of 300 acres. Thomas was born in Lancaster, Ontario, November 25, 1840. His primary education was received in the common and grammar schools of his home, and later he took a course at St. Andrews Academy. His medical studies were begun in 1858, lectures being attended at the Medical Department of that stanch old institution, McGill University, Montreal, at which he was graduated in 1863, having also become a licentiate of the College of Physicians and Surgeons of Ontario. Dr. Ross located at Lancaster, Ontario, and in the seven years of his residence there he built up a large and profitable practice. But at the best the opportunities at that point were limited, and besides, Dr. Ross was desirous of finding a milder climate. He came in 1870 to California, and after an examination of the State located in Woodland, with whose progress he has since been actively identified. He was led to choose this location by seeing the vast fields of wheat and grain waving over the rich and fertile lands of Yolo County, and noting the prosperous condition of the section. His experience since that time has shown him that he chose wisely and well. In August of the same year he was married at San Jose, to Miss Martha, daughter of Captain Alexander Lindsay, of Malone, Franklin County, New York. She died in December, 1881, leaving one daughter, Olita. The Doctor was married to his present wife in August, 1886. She was before marriage Miss Ibby, daughter of J. W. Chiles, an old and respected pioneer of the coast, arriving in California in 1849, and has long been a resident in Yolo County. They have one daughter, Janet. Dr. Ross has rapidly risen to the front rank professionally, and to-day stands among the foremost practitioners of this portion of the State. He is a prominent member of the California State Medical Society, as well as of the Yolo County Medical Society. From December, 1878, to June, 1882, he was official physician for this county. In political matters Dr. Ross ranks as one of the Republican leaders, though in no sense of the word as office-seeker, but takes such an active interest in all public affairs as to necessitate active work by him and in the councils of his party, and is a working member of the Yolo County Republican Central Committee. He is a Mason in good standing, and a charter member of Yolo Lodge, No. 22, A.O.U.W. Of late years Dr. Ross has devoted considerable attention to business matters, and is interested in several important local enterprises. He is the present Vice President of the Woodland Street Railway Company, and is financially interested in the Yolo Winery and the Woodland Gas and Electric Light Company. Of all these he was among the organizers. On his ranch he has thorough-bred and graded Holstein cattle, and a number of good horses, some of them being from high-class stock. His place is but a mile and a half northwest from Woodland, and was purchased by him in 1881. It contains 100 acres of land, and is among the best improved places in the county. His attention was first given to the matter of planting grapes, of which he set out ten acres the first year, and working from this beginning he now has a large acreage in vines and fruit. One field of twenty-five acres is all planted to grapes, and of another field, of forty acres, the three outside rows are devoted to White Adriatic figs, pears and French prunes; the remaining space is all devoted to grapes. There are the Tokay and Emperor table varieties, the Muscatel and Seedless Sultana raisin grapes, while the wine varieties are represented by the standard Zinfandel and Matero. The vineyard must certainly be ranked among the finest in the State at its age. The ground seems to be peculiarly adapted to the healthy growth of the grape, the vines are all in fine condition, and the yield is surprisingly and uniformly heavy. An irrigating ditch, supplied from the waters of Cache Creek, divides the two fields mentioned, but irrigation has not yet been required on the grapes, generally, and has only been used in dry seasons alone on the raisin varieties, as it is claimed they do better with irrigation. He has five acres devoted principally to apricots, with some Bartlett pears, which also show fine growth and excellent prospects. A field of twenty acres, which is left to clover, shows handsome net results each year. Dr. Ross has made all the improvements on this place, which was a mere grain-field when he purchased it. Among the more recent additions to its equipment is a large and well-appointed dryer, covered throughout with corrugated iron, and constructed on the plans most approved in that branch of industry. A feature of his own was the construction of the building two stories in height, so to utilize the surplus heat from the artificial dryer in an additional dry-room, a measure resulting in much larger drying capacity without increase in amount of fuel used. Having identified himself so thoroughly with the fruit, raisin and wine interests by his investments in these directions, Dr. Ross has given much attention to the subject of their development, as well as to the problem of properly marketing products. At the convention of fruit-growers held at Woodland in May, 1890, he delivered an address, which showed such intelligent thought upon the subject of the new and old industries of this county as to command the profound attention of all hearers. As a result a lively interest in the subject was engendered, and some opposition in sentiment was encountered among those whose attention has been given entirely to grain-raising. The able and convincing argument employed by the Doctor in support of the theory that grain is surely giving way in California to the vine and fruit trees, shows how thoroughly he has digested the subject. The entire address is here recorded, partly as a matter of instructive reading now and partly as a prophecy on the correctness of which history should pass. "Mr. President and Gentlemen, Fruit Growers of Yolo County: When I say that I am in hearty sympathy with the objects and aims of this Convention, I express myself very feebly. The object is stated in the call to be, 'To consider the advisability of establishing a raisin-packing union, and maintaining in the interests of the fruit industry of Yolo County a mutual protective and educational society.' "The experience of each one of us, especially with commission men, proves that the establishment of an organization of this character is a great desideratum. We grow as fine table and raisin grapes, prunes, pears, and apricots in Yolo County as can be produced in the world. In fact, a Yolo County man, the pioneer raisin-grower of the State of California, Mr. R.B. Bloners, demonstrated that Yolo County can produce the best raisins, by carrying off the first premium in the Centennial at Philadelphia in open and fair competition. Then why, ask you, are our raisins not first sought for? and why do they command the highest price in the market? I think you will agree with me in the opinion that it is principally because each grower has his own mode of packing, -- that we have no uniform grade so that the dealers can confidentially rely on the brand stated on the box. The London layers of one grower is very different from the London layers of another. The same with the Three Crown loose and so on. This uncertainty of quality, of care in packing, etc., acts to our detriment, reduces our profits, and gives our product a bad name. "The aim of this convention is to form an organization to correct this great error. Many benefits would be secured to the producers by the organization of a union as is to-day contemplated. Among which may be stated: "1st. -- Unity of action in effecting sales, thereby disposing of our products to the best advantage. "2d. -- The dissemination of practical information from one grower to another in regard to the cultivation, irrigation, pruning, etc., of vines and fruit trees. "3d. -- The impetus and stimulus which the raisin industry would receive, and that necessarily follows the interchange of ideas among practical men. Many other benefits could be named as instructive in planting, etc. "I would suggest that the association take into consideration
also the disposing of green fruits, as we grow here in Yolo County,
-- table grapes of fine quality possessed of remarkable shipping virtues.
Tokays here yield enormously and are of fine quality, color beautifully
and can be shipped further without injury than those grown in any other
section of this State. "We may roughly divide the industrial history of California into four decades. The first may be called the Mining Period, when California was considered to be of no value except for the precious metals its mountains and river-beds contained. The second, the Live-Stock Period, when our fertile valleys and plains were considered fit for nothing but grazing stock. Wheat-raising as a profitable industry was not dreamed of. The third is the Wheat-Raising Period, which continues to the present time. The fourth, the Fruit-Growing Period, which is even now in its infancy, a healthy and vigorous youngster, threatening to crowd out the wheat industry, which now shows marked tendencies of decline and decay. "The wheat-grower has fallen into hard lines for the past few years. He generally owns large tracts of land, which trebles and quadruples in value, so that his taxes are yearly increased on each acre. The rate is yearly getting higher while its wheat producing capacity is gradually decreasing. The value of wheat in the market is steadily growing less, while the cost of labor remains about the same. He is, however, fighting nobly, and by the aid of steam plows and steam harvesters he hopes to so curtail the cost of raising wheat that he will reap a respectable profit, even at the low prices now prevailing. If he will not succeed in this, his last effort, then wheat-raising will indeed be a thing of the past, a pleasant memory. "I cannot but feel, when I see those enormous machines passing through our streets, that they are mighty evidences of the nearing end; that they indicate the last expiring struggle of a great and honorable industry among us, which has added millions to the wealth of the State. In fact, the history of wheat-raising in the United States plainly points to the migratory habits of the wheat industry. "I will read an extract from Erastus Wiman, an eminent writer in the North American Review of January, 1889, which I think will be a surprise to you. He says: 'The steady movement toward the north of the wheat producing regions of this continent is remarkable. Wheat might be supposed to be cultured safely only in the most temperate zones. But the movement of the wheat-producing areas toward the North Pole has been as steady as the movement of the needle in the compass in that direction. Within the memory of many the Genesee Valley, in the State of New York, was the great wheat-producing region, and Rochester was named the Flour City. No longer is Rochester the center of the wheat-producing areas. Westward these took their way, first to the valleys of the Ohio, then to the prairies of Illinois and Iowa, and the valleys of California, until now the most northern tier of States and Territories is found the great source of natural wealth in the production of the great cereal. The milling activities of Minnesota, the marvelous railroad development of the Northwest, both toward the West and North, and more recently toward the East, for the special accommodation of this flour and wheat trade, tell the story, so far as climate is concerned. Wheat has found its greatest success in the States of the extreme north.' "Its steady trend to the north for so many hundreds of miles, makes it highly probable that beyond the 49th parallel wheat should be produced largely and profitably. Indeed, this is certainly so, for it so happens that north of the Minnesota line and within the Canadian territories are wheat areas possessing all the advantages of the regions to the south, but in richness, fertility and extent much greater. It will be a startling statement to make, that even in its extreme northern latitudes, the Dominion of Canada possesses a greater wheat-producing area than does the entire United States, -- that the soil of this area is richer, will last longer, and will produce a higher average of better wheat than can be produced anywhere else on the continent, if not in the world. Wheat is known to have been grown in the vicinity of numerous Hudson Bay Company's stations for twenty consecutive years, without rotation and without fertilization, and annually producing crops averaging thirty bushels to the acre. "In corroboration, I quote a portion of a letter received from a brother-in-law, A.L. Fortune, a stock-raiser and wheat-grower located over a hundred miles north of the forty-ninth parallel of latitude north of the northern boundary of the United States; and in order to show his veracity, I will state that he was a Scotch Presbyterian minister of the Gospel, whose health failed in the ministry and was regained in the occupation of farming and stock-raising. I quote from his letter: 'Now, last year, on forty-five acres of land we estimated that there was ninety tons of fall wheat, and the balance that was under crop by unfavorable tillage only yielded one ton to the acre. The year previous twenty-five acres of the same produced twenty-eight tons, while thirty acres produced forty-five tons. All the land in this valley is wonderfully productive.' "It is plain to every intelligent observer, who has given this matter any thought, that in the near future wheat-raising in the best parts of Yolo County, especially in the remarkable rich country around Woodland, will cease to be profitable. This, combined with the high price the land will command, will induce the landowners to sell in small tracts to fruit-growers, who will build homes, improve the lands thus secured and contribute to the prosperity of our merchants, mechanics and all of our people, by adding a most desirable class of industrious, prosperous and intelligent citizens. "The natural advantages of Yolo County for the successful growth of grapes of all kinds, and fruits especially, the pear, prune, apricot, fig and olives, cannot be excelled in any portion of the State. Nature seems to have designed it for the fruit-growers. We have the soil, the climate, and an immense natural reservoir of pure, fresh water, just waiting to be coaxed into this valley to make it smile like a veritable Eden -- to shower treasures of wealth right and left among us. This reservoir is twenty-five miles long and ten miles broad in some places, and has an area of 200 square miles; it is situated at an altitude of 1,500 feet above the level of the sea, and has an average depth of twenty feet. I allude to Clear Lake, Lake County, the main source of Cache Creek. If this beautiful body of fresh water, so vast in extent and so favorably situated for irrigation purposes, and so easy to turn to profitable account, was located in almost any other portion of the State, especially in the southern part, it would have long ago been utilized and would have contributed millions to the wealth of the State. It, however, remains unused, in seclusion, patiently awaiting the time when the dormant energies of our people shall arouse and invite it into our valleys and scatter blessings and riches along its path. "California is the home of the raisin grape, is the only country in the United States which is especially adapted to the grape, possessing climate, soil and conditions necessary for its luxuriant growth. Wheat is considered and has been shown to do best in northern latitudes. "By a provision of nature the extent of country where wheat can be profitably grown is immense, while that in which the raisin grape finds the peculiar combination of soil and climate necessary for its profitable culture is very limited. Raisin grapes cannot be grown in northern climates; the severe winters will destroy them; if attempted in any country it is desirable to plant or sow that which has been found to be best adapted to its soil and climate. "This paper has exceeded in length anything I intended. I thank
you for your patient and attentive hearing." Jesse G. ROWE, Sr. The Rowe family comes of old eastern extraction. Jesse G. Rowe, Sr. was born in New Jersey, January 6, 1837, and at the age of two years was taken to Ohio, where his father, Philip Gray Rowe, settled on a farm near Cincinnati. In that neighborhood he attended school and also gained a practical knowledge of agriculture, later also acquiring proficiency in the trade of an engineer. At the age of nineteen years he left Ohio and went as far west as Iowa, where he remained for a number of years and followed his trade as well as agricultural pursuits. While living there he met and married Miss Susan R. Armstrong. The journey that brought Mr. Rowe to California in 1864 was exceedingly
circuitous owing to the absence of railroad connections between the
east and the west. Starting at Burlington, Des Moines county, he traveled
via the railroad to New York City, where he took passage on the Ariel
for Panama. Crossing the isthmus on the railroad he then took passage
on the Arazaba, which landed him at San Francisco in April with thirteen
hundred other passengers. His plans had been made and brought him on
to Sacramento and from there down into the country to aid in boring
wells. After four months he went to Folsom City, Sacramento county,
and rented eleven hundred acres, largely adapted to the pasturage of
stock and thus utilized by him. Three hundred acres were in hay and
barley and in 1865 he delivered at Sugar Loaf station fifty tons of
hay and fifty tons of barley, for which he received $50 per ton. Nine
profitable years were passed on that ranch and he then removed to Davisville,
where ever since he has made his home. Watson M. RUBERTS One of Yolo county's prosperous and progressive fruit ranchers is W.
M. Ruberts, who came to California in 1879. He was born in La Salle
county, Ill., November 27, 1850, and while a small boy accompanied his
parents to McDonough county, in the same state, where he lived until
he reached the age of twenty-eight years. At this period he determined
to seek his fortune in the far west, and with his family journeyed forth,
settling in Woodland, Cal., where he resided about a year. Later he
removed to Rumsey, Capay valley, where he purchased twenty acres, eight
of which he planted to grapes, subsequently setting out on the remainder
apricots and pears. He now has only eight acres, having sold off all
but this amount. Calvin RUDDOCK, M.D. Calvin Ruddock, M.D., although not a practicing physician at present, yet is one of the oldest citizens of Woodland, and of this State for forty years. His present hardy constitution and hale physique he inherits from the sturdy Scotch. His father, Edward Ruddock, emigrated from Scotland about the age of eighteen years, and the Doctor's mother is a native of Massachusetts, town of Whately. The Revolutionary war being in progress at the time, he (Mr. E. Ruddock) enlisted in the American army at Bunker Hill, and served through the remainder of the war. The Doctor's step-grandfather Stafford, and his grandfather on his mother's side, Thomas Sanderson, were also both soldiers in this war, serving from the beginning to the end. Edward Ruddock first settled in Boston, where his first occupation was milk-peddling. He afterward moved to Whately, Franklin County, Massachusetts. Shortly after he married and moved into the town of Buckland, where he made his permanent home, bringing up a family of six sons and six daughters. His wife's maiden name was Martha Sanderson. She was a native of Franklin County, and was seventeen years old at the time of her marriage, while her husband was three years her senior. They lived a happy life together for seventy-eight years, the old gentleman being ninety-eight years old and his wife ninety-seven at their death. When they went to the town of Buckland they rode, both on one horse, a distance of twenty miles into the wilderness and settled on 200 acres of heavily timbered land, which in due time was all cleared except a scanty amount left for fuel. Calvin Ruddock, our subject, was born in Buckland, Franklin County, Massachusetts, January 18, 1814, and was brought up to the monotonous labor of farm life. At the age of sixteen years he began to learn the carriage-making trade in Ashfield, same county, and served an apprenticeship of five years. After his five years' apprenticeship expired he went to Clinton, in Oneida County, New York, where he attended a literary school called the Liberal Institute. He afterward began the study of medicine, under the instruction of Dr. Stewart, of that place. About that time the celebrated William H. Seward was elected Governor of New York, in 1840, and Mr. Ruddock went to Albany and attended medical lectures. While there he spent a year in the office of Drs. Wing & Boyd, and continued his study there, while at the same time he attended lectures. Next he attended another course of medical lectures at the Berkshire Medical Institute at Pittsfield, Massachusetts, where he graduated in 1842. All through this period the Doctor had to devote his vacations from study to teaching school, in order to replenish his scanty store of funds. His first practice was in the town of Pitcher, Chenango County, New York, which, by the way, is the burial place of all his parents. A year afterward he moved four miles further down to the town of Cincinnatus, in Cortland County, where he thought he could do better. Later he removed to Gilbertsville, Otsego County, same State, where he remained until he came West. During all this time he was a regular physician, but had given considerable attention to homeopathy, and he at length became a zealous and thorough homeopathist. He feared that his change of system would make him unpopular, but it actually increased his patronage. A digression to general history is here justified. Samuel A. Ruddock, a brother of Edward, was a well-to-do merchant in Boston, who at length became bankrupt; but he was so far advanced in mathematics that the Government appointed him Topographical Surveyor for the western country. For nine years he was absent on this duty from his family at their home in Charleston, South Carolina, who during all this time heard nothing from him! His work called him through the Western Territories fully to the Pacific coast. He gradually worked his way here through Mexico. While here he found gold on what he termed the "Coast Range of the Rocky Mountains." He had several pieces of metal in his possession when he was captured by the Indians near Fort Hall. To prevent the loss of his life, and even of his effects, he managed to obtain communication with some whites, who came to his relief, proving to the Indians that he was a Government officer; they therefore released him. The letter which was written by him from this coast, to his brother Edward, gives the details relative to the above facts, and also a general description of the country. He returned to the East by way of Fort Hall, where he met Kit Carson. In later years, Dr. Ruddock having this point in mind, saw Carson at Placerville in 1849, and spoke to him on the subject. The surveyor, having only one eye, was easily described; and when asked as to whether he saw such a man at such time, Carson replied that he did recollect him, and gave the place of meeting as being between Fort Hall and the States, where Ruddock was then going. He went on to the East, and while in New York had his precious findings assayed, and it proved to be gold twenty-two carats fine. Mr. Ruddock then continued on his journey to Washington, resigned his position and organized a company for a trip to this coast to follow gold-mining; but as he was about to start, the mountain fever was revived which he had contracted on his journey to the East, and he died; and all traces of his travel and discoveries were lost to the family. It is supposed that by the phrase "Coast Range of the Rocky Mountains," used in his letter, the Sierra Nevada was meant, as at that day the geography of this region was very obscure. His letters nerved many a '49er for the contest and fatigues of the journey. Samuel A. Ruddock laid out his route through the Southern States, New Mexico and onward to the Pacific coast by way of Fort Hall; and it was while in New Mexico or Arizona on this trip that he was taken sick and was laid up on the desert where there was no water or food for either man or beast, and the escorting company had to move on to some place for subsistence. Mr. Ruddock had therefore to be left alone to die; for to remain was death, and to go on was hope. They left him with his horse, rifle and blankets, etc. On the third day, about sunset, an elk appeared in sight; Ruddock rolled up on his elbows and brought the animal down with his rifle, and by extraordinary effort he crawled up to the fresh carcass, opened a blood-vessel and drank to satisfaction. That night he slept well. His fever was broken on the fourth day, and he moved on in pursuit of his company. Before reaching it, and while crossing a small stream running west, he discovered what proved to be gold, twenty-two carats fine. This discovery was made eighty years ago, and the letters referred to were the wonder of Calvin's youth, and were worn into pieces by frequent perusal. Thus we have another account, to be added to several already published, of the discovery of gold in California prior to Marshall's discovery in 1848. Mr. Calvin Ruddock, our subject, left New York State in 1848, with the intention of making a trip to this State with a company of others to whom he had imparted a knowledge of the above facts as a secret; but some of them failed to give security, and the organization was not completed. However, he continued westward, stopped in Wisconsin and practiced his profession for one year, and while there the news went abroad over the world of Marshall's discovery. He quickly organized a company and crossed the plains with a band of cattle, coming by the old Fort Hall route, and first stopped in this State at Findlay, on Bear River, where for a time they pastured their cattle. They ended their march at Sacramento in 1849, on the site where the old French Hotel was, on Front street. A few days later the Doctor went on to Placerville, where he spent a portion of the winter mining and practicing medicine. His patients became so numerous that he opened a hospital at Placerville, the first homeopathic hospital on the coast. In the fall of 1851 he came down into the Sacramento Valley to collect money which he had lent, and having to take live-stock for payment, he floated it into Yolo County, and has made it his home here ever since. This movement caused him to turn his attention to stock-raising. He first located on the Monument ranch, on the west side of the Sacramento River, eight miles above the city. About 1857 he bought a place on Willow Slough, half way between Woodland and Davisville, near where Merritt's Station now is. There the Doctor carried on general farming until 1872, when he moved into Woodland, where he has since resided. The first fifteen or sixteen years of his residence in this city he was in the eastern part of the town; in 1887 he purchased his present home, comprising two and a half acres of land on Oak avenue, west of Cleveland. He was married December 25, 1862, to Mrs. A.B. Guilford, who was born in Portland, Maine, a daughter of William Bell. In political matters the Doctor was an old-time Whig, casting his
first Presidential vote for General Harrison. His next vote was for
James G. Birney, of Detroit, Abolitionist. Birney had been nominated
by a convention in Albany, New York, to which Dr. Ruddock was sent as
a delegate from Oneida County. The Doctor was also nominated on the
Abolition ticket in Chenango County, for the New York State Senate.
He is now a strong Prohibitionist Republican. Religiously he was educated
a Congregationalist, and joined that church at the age of sixteen years,
but for the past six years he has been a Methodist. Amandar Carlton RUGGLES Amandar Carlton Ruggles was born in Erie County, Ohio, January 27,
1831, a son of Salmon Ruggles, a native of Connecticut. His mother's
maiden name was Rebecca Nyman, and she was a native of New York State
and of German descent. The tradition is that the Ruggles family in America
originated with three brothers who came to this country from Scotland,
one of whom settled in Connecticut, one died shortly after his arrival
and one went to the Southern States; and the latter is the one from
whom nearly all the people by that name in the South have descended.
Nearly all of them in former times were slave owners and some of them
participated in the Rebellion. The northern branch were all anti-slavery
and Union men. Some entered the Union army and some were killed in battle.
The father of the subject of this sketch, a master mechanic, ship-builder
and ship superintendent, had an important position in the Union army,
in the department of the Mississippi. He had a ship-yard and dry-dock
at Milan, Ohio, about eight miles from Lake Erie, where he built a great
many vessels for the lake trade. J. B. RUMSEY, JR. J. B. RUMSEY, JR., a farmer near Woodland, is a son of J. B. and Mary
Rumsey. His father, a native of Vermont, died when the son was a small
boy, in Miami County, Ohio; and his mother, a native of Pennsylvania,
died in Yolo County, in 1886, leaving four children. The subject of
this sketch was born in Miami County, Ohio, in 1884, and came to California
in 1857, stopping first in Santa Clara County. Six months afterward
he went to the Southern mines, followed mining there a year, and then
was in various localities until 1865, when he settled upon his present
place of 120 acres two and one-half miles directly west of Woodland,
where he raised wheat mostly, but has forty acres in vineyard. For his
wife he married Margaret Ogden, who was born in Illinois, and their
children are Jennie M., Lewis W., and Elmer and Alvin, twins. Edward S. RUSING Edward S. Rusing, railroad agent at Black's Station, Yolo County, was born in Fountain County, Indiana, about six miles from Covington, August 15, 1830, a son of John and Margaret (Loveless) Rusing, natives of South Carolina. He landed in San Francisco March 26, 1864, and in a short time went to the placer mines, where he was engaged in digging gold for eleven years, and from that time until the present he has been in the employ of the railroad company, for the last eight years in his present position. He owns a nice little home at Black's and is a member of the orders of Freemasonry and Chosen Friends. He is faithful to his company as well as accommodating to the public. August 7, 1878, in Oakland, California, he married Miss Henrietta
Blyther, who was born in the State of Maine, in 1848, and the children
in their family are two daughters: Grace M., born October 19, 1879,
and Hazel O., August 3, 1883. F. J. RUSSELL Few men have so early in life exhibited the conservative judgment and
executive ability which have characterized the successful efforts of
Mr. Russell, one of Yolo county's most prosperous ranchers and business
men, who is devoting his attention to his valuable orchard and farm
of one hundred and forty acres near Capay. Francis E. RUSSELL (#1) FRANCIS E. RUSSELL, a farmer between Winters and Davisville, Yolo County, was born October 7, 1824, in Canada, a son of Peter and Abigail (May) Russell, both natives of that dominion, who passed their lives there, except eight or ten years in Vermont. At the age of fourteen years young Russell went to Vermont, and in 1849 sailed from Boston for California on the ship Herculean, coming around Cape Horn and arriving in San Francisco May 3, following. The first season he was engaged in gold-mining, and then settled on grant land in Suisun Valley. In the fall of 1853 he sold out his interest there, went to Vaca Valley, Solano County, and bought a piece of grant land, which he held and occupied until the autumn of 1858. He sold out again and bought 396 acres of the Wolfskill grant, where he now lives. He has increased his landed estate to 800 acres. In 1868 he erected a fine large residence, both beautiful and comfortable. He was married in Vacaville, September 25, 1856, to Miss Lucy C. Ogburn,
a native of Texas, and a daughter of John C. and Mary M. (Love) Ogburn;
her father was a native of Virginia, and a physician, and her mother
was a native of Tennessee. Mr. and Mrs. Russell have five children,
living: Cornelius E., born June 13, 1858; Mary A., August 31, 1861;
Charlie F., born November 25, 1864, and died September 10, 1869; William
O., born June 1, 1867; Lucy L., born July 3, 1869, died October 9, 1872;
Frank E., born September 25, 1875; and Lulu M., March 20, 1882. Francis E. RUSSELL (#2) The migration of the Russell family from the Atlantic seaboard to the
shores of the Pacific was brought about through the discovery of gold
in the west. Neither the original immigrant nor his descendants had
cause to regret the apparently accidental circumstance that led to his
removal to a region far distant from the home of his boyhood and the
scene of the labors of his ancestors through the generations of their
identification with American development. Himself a captive of Canada,
Francis E. Russell was in all else save birth a typical citizen of the
United States and exemplified particularly the traits characteristic
of New Englanders, where he was reared in Vermont. An uneventful term
as a school teacher in the Green Mountain region came to an end shortly
after he had heard of the discovery of gold in California and the news
caused him to abandon all further thoughts of pedagogical work in the
east. The call of the west had come to him and he was eager to try his
fortune in that then unknown country. Stephen Spurlock RUSSELL STEPHEN SPURLOCK RUSSELL, Deputy County Clerk of Colusa County, was born in Whiteside County, Illinois, March 6, 1839. His father, Rev. Benjamin H. Russell, was a member of the Illinois Conference of the Methodist Episcopal Church for many years, but since 1852 has been a member of the California Conference of the Methodist Episcopal Church, South. He now (April, 1890), resides at Knight's Landing, Yolo County, in the enjoyment of a hale old age. He has been in the ministry fifty-seven years. The subject of this sketch was brought to California by his parents. In 1858 he left home and began the battle of life for himself. In the early part of that year he went to Colusa County and entered the employ of Case & Goodhue at Grand Island, where he remained two years. He then went to Sutter County, where he served as Deputy County Clerk for eight years. About 1877 he went to Los Angeles, where for a time he was engaged in the Grange store, at the same time carrying on extensive farming operations outside of the city. Returning to Colusa County in 1879, he accepted the position of Deputy County Clerk, which position he has ever since held, except a short time spent in the vicinity of Red Bluff. In 1872 he was united in marriage with Miss Marcella G. Newell, a
daughter of George Newell, then residing near Sonoma, and since near
Gayoso, Pemiscot County, Missouri. William RUSSELL WILLIAM RUSSELL, a prominent farmer between Winters and Madison, in Yolo County, was born April 17, 1834, in Ohio County, Kentucky, being a son of J.G. and Mary (Dudley) Russell, natives of that State. At the age of seventeen years he came to California, landing in San Francisco in May, 1852, and worked in the gold mines until autumn, when he settled upon a ranch on Willow Slough, near Woodland, and lived there until 1856, when he settled upon the place where he now resides. In 1864 he took a trip to Oregon, Nevada and Montana, spending one season on the journey; and in 1886 he visited his old Kentucky home, in company with his brother Samuel,. His ranch, containing 160 acres, is situated between Winters and Madison and consists of very fine land, well improved. He has twenty-three acres in figs, fifty in oranges and twenty-five in other kinds of fruit, besides three acres in grapes. He is continuing to improve the farm by planting fruits of all kinds, and the time is not distant when his farm will be truly a garden spot. It is so peculiarly situated that fruit ripens here three or four days sooner than in any other part of the State. He was married September 17, 1874, to Miss Susan Wilson, who was born
in Missouri, June 25, 1841, a daughter of Joseph A. and Mary J. (Dairing)
Wilson, natives of North Carolina. Mr. and Mrs. Russell's children are:
Susan M., born July 18, 1875; James W., February 16, 1877; and Florence,
December 26, 1878. William RUSSELL For forty years prior to his demise Mr. Russell resided upon the farm
near Winters which is now owned and managed by his widow, and which,
after repeated failures during the prolonged droughts of early days,
has now been transformed into a valuable and renumerative property,
returning abundantly in its large harvests the fruits of the care and
cultivation received. The one hundred and sixty acres comprising the
homestead were taken up from the government by his father as early as
1857, but he himself did not settle here permanently until 1869 and
afterward throughout the remaining years of his busy existence he engaged
in the upbuilding of the land. Adjacent to the place the Southern Pacific
Railroad recently established the station of Norton. Seventy-five acres
are under cultivation to grain. The balance of the land is watered from
the Yolo county irrigation ditch and this renders possible large crops
of alfalfa as well as a productive fruit orchard of twenty-five acres. William O. RUSSELL (#1) As supervisor of his district for a number of terms, William O. Russell
has utilized the office as offering an opportunity to promote needed
improvements in his section of the county, and he is intensely interested
in bringing his county up to the standard of any in California today.
The son of the well-known and estimable citizen, Francis E. Russell,
he inherited many of his excellent characteristics, which have been
the means of bringing him the recognition he merits. William Ogburn RUSSELL (#2) Yolo County supervisors have given William Ogburn Russell a signal honor by distinguishing him as one who has served longer as chairman of the board of supervisors than any other in the history of Yolo County, or perhaps the State of California. His services have proved so satisfactory that he has been retained in that honored position for the 23 rd consecutive year, 1940. Mr. Russell was first elected supervisor of the Davis and Winters district in January, 1899, and served until 1903. For an interval of eight years he was out of politics and then, in January, 1911, he was again elected supervisor, retaining this office for the past twenty-nine years. William Russell is also a member and a legislative representative of the California County Supervisors’ Association. He has rendered valuable service in promoting local measures designed to be of benefit to all districts of the county. A diligent study of affairs and effects, Mr. Russell has ever sought to bring to his constituents an intelligent understanding of all county measures under consideration by the State. Like his father, Francis E. Russell, William has always possessed an unusual amount of common sense, being noted for a shrewdness that is perhaps due to intuition. These qualities are combined with the ability, in both father and son, to proceed steadily along a line of endeavor, no matter how arduous the exertion required. In the father, these characteristics were engendered by the necessity, when 14 years of age, to earn his own living. He was born October 7, 1824, a native of Canada, and in 1849 bought passage on a sailing vessel bound from Boston via Cape Horn for San Francisco, where he landed in May, 1850. In 1856, he married Lucy C. Ogburn, in Barker, now Vacaville. She was born in Corsicana, Texas, May 3, 1841, and in 1854, came to California with her father, Dr. J. C. Ogburn, who was formerly Adjutant Surgeon for the Republic of Texas in its war with Mexico, who later became a man of considerable prominence and a member of the first legislature of the State. The National Association of Manufacturers, a committee of distinguished scientists headed by Dr. Karl T. Compton, President of the Massachusetts Institute of Technology selected Francis E. Russell for joint award to receive the Association special award in the form of a “Scroll of Achievement” as one of the country’s modern pioneers for his contribution through invention to the progress of America. The family of Mr. and Mrs. Russell numbered the following children: Cornelia Ellen (Mrs. W. S. Enos); Mary A. (Mrs. A. C. Love); William O.; Francis E.; and Maud (Mrs. John Henle). Francis is a mechanical engineer with the Southern Pacific Company in San Francisco. After working and planning together for the future, carefully raising these children, aspiring to great things for the sake of their descendants and prospering withal in their endeavors, this worthy couple passed away on the old home ranch. Francis died in March 24, 1907. Their loved ones laid them to rest in the little graveyard in Woodland, where the birds sing overhead, proclaiming the blessed fact that there is no separation in death for these two who were so devoted in life. William Russell has also been called upon to give up his wife, Eleanor Alice Carlson, who died on September 1, 1937, in Sacramento. Their marriage had occurred August 24, 1907, in San Francisco, the bride proving a splendid homemaker and mother to their two children, William Ogburn, Jr., and Charlotte. Born in Kansas City, Missouri, July 3, 1877, in the late eighties her family moved to San Jose, where she completed her education and graduated from the old State Normal. She promptly chose the teaching profession and taught in the Fairfield District and at Winters, Yolo County; also at Vacaville, Solano County; Honolulu, and at Carmel, near Monterey. At Carmel, Mrs. Russell had the interesting experience of meeting President Theodore Roosevelt on one of his trips to the Coast. She was proud of the fact that she had helped him plant a tree on the school grounds, she holding the small tree while the President shoveled the earth. This tree is a magnificent specimen now. Mrs. Russell took an active part in many women’s groups in the county, loving people and being interested in everything pertaining to her community’s welfare. William Ogburn, Jr., was born March 24, 1910, at the home ranch and attended Winter’s High School and the Military Academy at Roswell, New Mexico. He is also a graduate of Stanford University and Stanford Medical School, where he received his M.D. Later, he took post graduate work at the Mallory Institute of Boston, Mass., in Neuro Pathology in the Washington University. Charlotte, who was born October 7, 1912 in Woodland, also graduated from Winter’s High School, attended the University of California and U.C.L.A., and then for a number of years enjoyed a successful career as an actress in motion pictures at Hollywood, California. She married Richard C. Ham, December 28, 1936, and now resides in Piedmont, Calif. Her daughter is named Pauline Eleanor. William Ogburn Russell, Sr., was born on the old home ranch, adjoining his present ranch, on June 1, 1867. After graduating from the public schools of Yolo county, he attended the University of the Pacific at San Jose. His father then needing his help, he returned to the ranch and assisted him until his death. The management of the entire estate occupied his time until it was divided in 1922, at which time he was allotted a one-half interest. He has continued farming until the present time, engaging in dairying, almond growing, in addition to alfalfa, grains and stock. Fraternally active, Mr. Russell holds membership in the B.P.O.E.; is a Mason; F.A.M., in the Athens Lodge, No. 228; R.A.M., in the Silvyville Lodge at Dixon; the Knights Templar of Woodland; Shriner, Ben Ali of Sacramento. His very genial nature, together with his political activities and unselfish thought of others, has won him friends all over the State, his wide acquaintance including a host of influential people. He is often called the greatest loved character in Yolo County. Progressive, political subdivision of the State can be directly attributed to the excellent work of Russell on the Board of Supervisors throughout these long years. (Transcribed by Peggy B. Perazzo from “History of Yolo County California, Its Resources and Its People,” William O. Russell, editor, Woodland, 1940, pp. 332-333. A photograph of William O. Russell is included with this biography.) Thomas H. RYDER One who may with truth be called a pioneer of Yolo county is Thomas
H. Ryder, who arrived in Woodland in the fall of 1863, when but two
business blocks graced the town. A native of Michigan, he was born in
Van Buren county in 1844, the son of Samuel Ryder. The latter came to
California across the plains and engaged in mining and he died in the
west. The wife and mother, Ruth Ryder, spent he last days in Woodland.
Thomas H. Ryder passed his early life on a farm, and in the fall of
1863 set out for California by the Panama route. Reaching San Francisco
December 20, 1863, he immediately started for Woodland, crossing the
Sacramento river and arriving at his destination December 22nd. Securing
a position Mr. Ryder worked for others four years before purchasing
his present property located one mile south of Woodland. There are ninety-six
fertile acres in this ranch, twenty-seven of which are planted to grapes,
the remainder to barley and alfalfa, and it is Mr. Ryder's just claim
that not once in the forty-five years that he has operated his ranch
has he had a single failure in his grain crop, which sometimes yields
thirty sacks to the acre. Incidentally, the soil is twenty-seven feet
deep and exceedingly rich. Sultana and Zinfandel are the proud names
his grape family bear. |
[ TOP OF PAGE ]
Peggy B. and Patrick Perazzo 
Copyright 1996- - All Rights Reserved.