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. 485 large. stock-raising. Heis an enterprising and promising young business man of Vallejo. In 1882 he married Miss Hattie Wilson, a’ daughter of E. J. Wilson, the Vallejo banker, and they have two children: Albert and Helen Marie. SLSR — ILLIAM WALKER, City Treasurer of in Vallejo, has been a resident of that town since 1854 and of this State two years longer. He was born in Dumfries, Scotland, inheriting the best qualities of the Scotch character. At the age of thirty years he emigrated to the United States, landing at New York city, spent two years in New York State, and then purchased a farm about ten miles from Lansing, the capital of Mighigan, when that place had but two houses. His land, which was densely wooded, he cleared by his own hands, devoting seven years to that work. In 1852 he fitted out two wagons with six horses and came with his wife and two brothers overland to the center of the gold excitement, Placerville, arriving August 10, after having left Lansing March 1. The first two years in this State he kept a store for miners’ supplies at Johnson’s Cut-off, in El Dorado County, most of his trade being with the newly-arrived immigrants. While there he also freighted goods trom Sacramento to the mines, realizing sometimes as much as 30 cents a pound as freight. Disposing of his goods in Sacramento, he moved to Benicia just as the capital of the State was being removed from that point to Sacramento. After spending about a year in Benicia, in the employ of the Pacific Mail Company, he removed to Vallejo, where he engaged in his present business as a dealer in lumber, wood, coal, lime, ete., etc. About five years In the ranch are 8,000 acres, devoted to . after his arrival in Vallejo, he built the wharf . which he still owns and occupies for his business, in which he has been engaged for thirtysix years, and by which he has acenmulated a handsome competency. Four years ago the citizens elected him City Treasurer, which position he now holds; but he is still actively engaged also in the management of his old _business, supplying a large share of the coal, wood and building supplies used in Vallejo. He was married in Michigan, in 1850, to Miss Jane Allen, a native of Ayrshire, Scotland, who died in 1877 in Vallejo; and Mr. Walker in 1879 married Mrs. Maria McKay, a native of Nova Scotia. Mr. Walker’s parents, John and Jane (Hay) Walker, are both natives of Scotland. a ot Lette Dee toe cheese-making interest in California, has been a resident of this State since June, 1855. Born in Cayuga County, New York, near the city of Syracuse, in 1820, he early engaged in the dairy business as well as in buying butter and cheese for the New York and Boston markets, and continued in that vocation until he came West. On his arrival here there was but one dairy ranch in Solano County, and there butter was the only product. Purchasing a ranch of 800 acres three miles trom Vallejo, he began to establish a dairy for the purpose of making cheese also. Soon after he sold 450 acres at the price he gave for it, $13 an acre, and finally the remainder of the land became so valuable that it was sold also, at $100 an acre. He then bought another ranch, 550 acres, about six miles from Vallejo, then in Solano County, but now in Napa County, and on that place he followed dairying until about a year ago, devoting his attention principally to the manufacture of a fine grade of cheese; he had the reputation of making the finest cheese in California. While other cheese was selling at twelve and a half cents a pound he received no less than twenty-five cents a pound. For a number of years he also managed the ranches ie W. FARMER, the pioneer of the . and dairies of General Frisbie, and later of the Vallejo Land and Improvement Company, but