Collection: Books and Periodicals

About This Item:

Title: A Memorial and Biographical History of Northern California (1891) Collection Type: Books and Periodicals Publisher: Lewis Publishing Company Published: 1891 Copyright: In the public domain or published before 1925 Source(s): Google Books # of Pages: 713 Download PDF: User Login Required Download OCR Text: User Login Required

Date Scanned: 2024-07-22 00:25:09 Item Sourced From: PDF First Created: 2025-03-17 03:11:29 Last Updated: 2025-03-17 06:30:36

Original Held At: Searls Historical Library Location: 161 Nevada City Hwy, Nevada City, CA 95959

Page: of 713  

HISTORY OF NORTHERN CALIFORNIA. 319 ate his furtune. In 1855 he launched out into the cabinet and furniture business, and at the same time carried on a bakery and traneacting an enormous business, receiving as much as $500 a month rental for his buildings. As an instance of the free and liberal ways of ihe tines and the generous disposition of Mr. Abbott, we may relate that when five men frum home, all “ broke,” arrived at Nevada City in the 60s, he loaned them money to start in the shoe business, and went security tor their goods. Being burned out in 1858 not only did he rebuild their shop, but started them up again, and in the end these fellows went off to the mines without an attempt to repay him. Mr. Abbott lost in this way by his goodness of heart a great many thousands of dollars. Finally, in 1863, he was burned out again, and meantime the flush early days when money was plenty were passed; and accordingly Mr. Abbott went into carpentering and contracting, which he has continued since. He is a public-spirited and generous-hearted citizen, useful and energetic, and always ready to aid the better cause. He is held in high esteem in the community, having been Town Trustee for several terms, and held other public positions, anc above all things having the courage of his convictions and a deterinination to do the right. Mr. Abbott was inarried at San Francisco, in 1561, to Miss Mary Call, a native of New Hampehire. They have two sons, Wilfred, a carpenter, working with his father, and Ira Warren, a blacksmith, engaged in San Francisco. He is a member in high standing of the Independent Order of Odd Fellows, belonging to Mistletoe Encampment, No. 47, and being P. G. of Onstomah Lodge, No. 16, Nevada City. wo ot Badr tgo See ee —— OHN H. JEWETT, the son of John G. J Jewett, was born in Lyme, New London ¢ County, Connecticut, May 5, 1824. He pursued his youthful studies between the ages of twelve and fonrteen years at the Snftield Literary Institution, and afterward at the academy in Essex, Connecticut. Next he was for three years a clerk in a store in Chester, his native State. At seventeen years of age he made a tour through the Western States, and in his travels in those days of lang syne, at Madison, Wisconsin, he came across O.C. Pratt, then a lawyer, and now an Oregonian and California pioneer jurist. After a year’s sojourn in the West young Jewett went East again and accepted the position of Superintendent of the stove foundry of S. H. Ransom & Cc., Albany, New York. There he remained four years, until fired by the tales of gold discoveries in California. He started for this State, taking passage on the Pacific Mail Steamship Panama, February 14, 1849. He was one of eight mem. _, bers of the “ Knickerbocker Company,” which laid in a stock of such articles as they deemed would be valuable on their arrival in California. A supply of provisions had previonsly been sent forward on the ship Loo Choo, bound also for San Francisco. On arriving in this city, June 4, 1849, Mr. Jewett and his party went up to Horse Shoe Bar, on the North Fork of the American River, and after mining there several months they dammed the stream a few miles above at Lacy’s Bar, and struck bed-rock, but found no gold. During the following rainy season Mr. Jewett did some teaming, in company with his shipmate, Horace Beach. They had a rough time of it, hauling through mnddy bogs and swollen streams and up miry steeps, fully earning their freight of $1 per pound. They drove four pack mules up to Yuba City in ‘the spring of 1850, the water being very high. Finally Mr. Jewett settled down in the then infant but very lively little village of Marysville. It was at that early day the grand distributing point for supplies for all the northern and northeastern mines. Among the more prominent of the early residents besides Mr.€ Jewett were Charles Covilland, the funnder of the village, John C. Fall, Judge Bryan, Horace Beach, G. N. Sweezy,