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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
572 AISTORY OF NORTHERN OALIFORNIA.
never been free. He is an honored member of
Lawrence Lodge, No. 229, I. O. O. F., and also
of Columbia Lodge, No. 91, F. & A. M.
Mr. Yokuin was united in marriage December 24, 1846, to Miss L. J. Lawrence, a native
of Kentucky. born in 1826. Of this union four
children are living: John F., Alice E., Adam
J. and Callie V. The date of Mr. Yokum’s
birth is August 10, 1824.
wo at Sn de tbo Soe on —§
eee HENRY.—The subject of this
sketch is one of the well-known business
men of the city of Chico. By perseverance, energy and natural ability, he has made
his own way in the world and attained prominence in Northern California as a farmer, stockraiser, business man and legislator. His life
forcibly illustrates the fact that a poor man,
with willing hands and integrity of character,
can climb the ladder of fortune and fame in
California as well if not better than in any other
State in the Union. An outline of his life,
briefly sketched, is as follows:
Mr. Henry came to Califurnia, in 1865, without education, money or friends, and cheerfully
began the task of earning the means on which
to live by working for wages on a threshingmachine. During his first winter in California
he rented eighty acres of land and plowed all
day, working hard to prepare the ground for
sowing, while at night he hauled wood to pay
for his seed wheat. He harvested a fine crop,
but the price was low. He then organized a
‘freight train of four wagons, with four horses
to each, to take freight to Camp Smith, a distance of 500 miles, the trip requiring thirtyfive days. It was at a time when Indians were
troublesome and the journey was attended with
much danger, but it was made in safety. In
this undertaking Mr. Henry cleared $11 per
day. Then he rented 340 acres of land, cleared
$1,000 on the first crop and the second year
did not make a cent. After that he took a Gcvernment claim, fenced and improved it, and
traded it for Chico property, which he held six
years and sold fur $13,000. He was the first
to start the system of summer fallow in raising
wheat in his section of the country. It proved
a great success and has been generally adopted.
He rented 2,000 acres and summer-fallowed it
all, the yield on one section being fifty-four
bushels to the acre and the whole averaging
forty bushels to the acre. Mr. Henry was one
of the organizers of the Grange in his section,
and was President of the order for several years;
also assisted in the organization of thé Agricultural Society and was its President three years.
For the past six years the Agricultural Society
has held fine fairs at Chico. Mr. Henry owns
a valuable stock ranch of 2,500 acres, on which
‘he has 300 breeding mares and is raising horses
of the French coach stock. In 1889 he sold
100 head at the Willows. For the past five
years he has been in the real-estate business and
has made three additions to Chico; Henry’s
First Addition, eighty acres; Henry’s Second
Addition, eighty acres, and Henry & Sherer’s
Addition, 105 acres. All these lands sold rapidly and his firm is still doing a prosperous business.
Mr. Henry was born in Virginia, of Virgiuia parents and ancestry, and dates his birth
in the year 1836. He was married, in 1858, to
Miss Elizabeth Dolivin, a native of Ohio. Their
union has been blessed with two sons and a
daughter, namely: Emma, born in Kansas;
Clarence A., in Texas, and Charles A., in California.
Mr. Henry belongs to the order of Red Men,
the A. O. U. W. and the I. 0. O. F. Politically he is a Democrat. Three times has he had
the honor to be sent to the State Legislature of
California. There he soon became an intelligent and efficient member and a most successful worker. Nearly all of his measures were
fiercely assailed and some of them all but defeated. However, his able and forcible advocacy of them on the floor of the House succeeded in snatching victory from seeming defeat. It was through his earnest efforts that