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. 493 dore D. Judah, the chief engineer, afterward went East and succeeded in obtaining appropriations from Congress for building the Central Pacific Railroad, and became chief engineer of that road also. The Folsom & Roseville Road was operated but a short time before it was taken up by the Central Pacific, when the latter had completed its track to Sacramento. Mr. Binney’s next contract was for improving the streets of Sacramento, and alsu a share of the contract for building the railroad from San Francisco to San José, and also in the contract in the Western Pacific Road, from Sacramento to San José, the latter of which was soon merged into the Central Pacific, and since 1884 the Central Pacific System has been controlled by the Southern Pacific. Mr. Binney sold out these contracts and took another for building the road from Marysville to Oroville, a distance of twenty-six miles, for a stock company whose capital was $55; but as not a dollar of the stock wus ever paid in the road was bnilt by Messrs. Binney and Chenery. Soon afterward Chenery withdrew. The road was open for travel in the fall of 1862 to a point within three miles of Oroville, and in February, 1863, was completed to that point. On the first day of June it passed into the hands of the Southern Pacific Company. Mr. Binney owns some valuabie property in Yuba, Sutter and Butte counties, and also in Oregon, Asa Freemason he has ascended to the thirty-second degree, Scottish Rite, and has filled many of the chairs of the lodges in Marysville. St EEA ™ LEXANDER CHISHOLM, of the firtn aN of McKay & Chisholm, and one of the originators of the large industry in which they are now engaged in Benicia, has been a resident of California fur twenty-tive years and of Benicia twenty-four years. He was born in Pictou, Nova Scotia, in 1846, where he learned the tinner’s trade. At the age of twenty years he left home, spent about three months in Woburn, Massachusetts, and then came on to California. The first year in this State he spent in Soquel, Santa Cruz County, in the employ of Porter’s tannery, and then he moved to Benicia, where he hes since been engaged in the pioneer tannery. His first partners were Messrs. McKay & Brown; Mr. Brown sold out his interest in 1874 to his partners. Mr. Chisholm was married in 1881, to Miss Christie McKay, a native of Pictou and a daughter of George and Annie (Campbell) McKay. His parents were Angus and Christie (Ross) Chisholm, natives of Nova Scotia and of _ Scotch ancestry. we Botptfe freee — MAON. B. J. WATSON was born in Stafford, i Genesee County, New York, March 28, 1838, and moved to Troy, Wisconsin, when nine years of age. He attended public school till he arrived at the age of fifteen, and then passed three yearsin the Milton College. He read law and was admitted to the Circuit Court of Wisconsin in 1861. He taught school till 1864, and then came to this State, arriving May 24, 1864. He commenced to teach school at Forest Springs in this county in July, 1864. He remained three years, and then returned East, but returned in 1870 and taught at Forest Springs till 1872. He was then elected County Superintendent of Schools, and taught in Nevada City one year, when he purchased a half interest in the Nevada Zranscript. and edited that paper for three years. He established the Nevada Weekly Gazette, and six months later sold his interest in both papers, and traveled two years for his wife’s health. He was elected Joint Senator for Nevada and Sierra counties in 1879, and in 1880 purchased the Truckee Republicin. In 1859 he married Miss Marie Louise Winne, in Wisconsin, and has a son, George Allen Watson, now in the mint at San Francisco and an elocutionist of note. He purchased the Daily Evening MWerald of Nevada