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Collection: Books and Periodicals
A Memorial and Biographical History of Northern California (1891) (713 pages)
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Page: of 713
648 HISTORY OF NORTHERN CALIFORNIA,
Brunswick, and where James Jones, the father
of our subject, was born. He was married to
Sarah Croisse, a native of that country, and to
thein were born three children. The father was
a farmer and lumberman, to which business our
subject was also reared.
When he reached his majority he removed to
the State of Maine, and froin there to Minnesota, where he was engaged in lumbering in both
States. He returned to New Brunswick, and
thence came by water to California, where he
worked at saw-milling, contracting and building
until 1878. He returned East in 1866, and
also in 1873, and in 1878 purchased his present
ranch, which he has since improved. He now
has one of the finest ranches in his section of
the county, everything about the place conveying the idea that its owner isa man of thrift
and good judgment. He has been a successful
wheat-raiser, having raised as high as fortyeight bushels to the acre, but on an average
thirty bushels. He has also given his attention to blooded stock, raising Southdown sheep,
Berkshire hogs, Devon cattle and Norman
horses. His stock has several times taken first
premium both at the county and State fairs.
Mr. Jones was united in marriage with Miss
Fannie York, a native of New York, and a
daughter of John M. York, who was a native
of York, England. Mr. Jones has met with
tour serious accidents in his life. At one time
the saw running in one of his mills threw
a piece of pitch, which injured the sight of one
of his eyes; next his hands were severely
mashed, losing a part of two of his fingers.
Oue of his teams ran away with him, and a
sliver tore a fearful gash in one of his legs; and
in 1890 a valuable Devon animal, which he was
just returning from a fair, strack him with his
horns, threw him about six feet and broke his
thigh, and from this he is just recovering. His
two last accidents were both narrow escapes
instant death. He is, however, still a
strong and robust man with a powerful constitution, and a disposition to be constantly at
He is a Republican in politics, but is a
from
work.
strong temperance man, and is widely and favorably known as an enterprising farmer, a good
citizen, and a man ever ready to aid any enterprise that will benefit the county.
Gt Sree
NDREW J. SPEER, a successful farmer
and stock-raiser of Sutter County, was
born in Virginia, July 22, 1819. His
father, Joshua Speer, a farmer and stock. raiser,
and also a good mechanic, went from North
Carolina to Virginia at the age of twelve years,
and he resided there the rest of his life. He
took a prominent part in politics, as also did his
brother Robert, who was a member of the Legislature a number of terms. He is still living,
aged 110 years. Joshua Speer died in 1870,
at the age of about eighty-three years; and his
wife is also dead.
Mr. Speer, our subject, was brought up upon a
farm. At the age of twenty-four years he left
home to manage for himeelf, first going to Kentucky and thence to Illinois, remaining there
until 1853, when he came across the plains to
California, being seven months and six days on
the trip. His first stop in the Golden State
was nade at Yuba City, where he engaged in
raising live-stock, and continued in the same
for twenty years, in Sutter and Colusa counties,
meanwhile becoming greatly interested in general agriculture. One year, 1854-55, he was
in Lake County, engaged in stock-raising. In
1855 he located 460 acres in Sutter County,
eight miles northwest of Yuba City. In 1856
he built a two-story fraine house, the first house
of the kind west of that place. In 1873 he
went with his stock up the Sacramento River
into the northern part of the State, but the ensuing hard winter destroyed all his animals.
He now has 840 acres of land, in Sutter County, devoted principally to general farming. He
lives in a beautiful cottage, purchased in 1881,
in the edge of the thriving town of Sutter City,
where he is settled tor life.
He was married in 1843 tv Mary L. Hamlin,
(