Colusa County
Biographies
HON. W. P. HARRINGTON
William Pierce Harrington is a pioneer of 1849, having come to California via Panama, arriving at San Francisco August 1 of that year. He was named for his father, a merchant and ship-builder, and was born April 17, 1826, at Damarescatta, Lincoln County, Maine. His boyhood was spent at his father’s home, in school and about the store or ship yard, and he finished his education by taking a course at Lincoln Academy, New Castle, Maine. In 1844 Mr. Harrington moved to Rocklin, Maine, and engaged in merchandising, where he remained until 1849, when, on March 4, with a party of fourteen, he started for New York City to take a steamer for California. At that time it was nearly impossible to get transportation from Panama to San Francisco and fully four thousand people were on the Isthmus waiting for an opportunity to sail for California. The original party with which he started became separated and Mr. Harrington organized another, which was successful in getting to San Francisco. Like almost all pioneers of ’49, he at once set out for the mines, going to Big Bar, on Cosumnes River, to engage in placer mining, for three months. In November, he engaged in the mercantile business at Placerville, having the management of the business.
In the fall of 1850 he opened a store for himself at Placerville, but as almost no rains fell it was necessary to abandon the place, as mines could not be worked without water. The next spring he formed a partnership at Marysville, under the firm name of Crockett & Co., which was afterwards changed to Harrington & Hazelton, carrying on general merchandising until 1857. In 1859 a party, consisting of Mr. Harrington, J. C. Fall, J. A. Paxton, Judge Mott and James Wilson, chartered a stage and visited Carson City, Virginia City, Gold Hill and other new mining camps and were impressed with the magnitude of the mineral resources of these camps. The result was that a partnership was formed, first under the firm name of J. C. Fall & Co., then Kincaid & Harrington, and finally Kincaid, Harrington & Co., who conducted a general merchandise business at Carson City until the fall of 1864. During this time Mr. Harrington was a member of the first Legislature of the Territory of Nevada, which met in 1861.
On the first day of May, 1862, Mr. Harrington was married to Miss Sallie H. Tennent, a daughter of John H. Tennent, of Marysville, and a native of Lancaster, Ohio.
Retiring from business in Carson City, he went to San Francisco and engaged in business as stock-broker. At this time the public lands in Colusa County were being taken up by capitalists, and in 1869, in behalf of Decker & Jewett, Mr. Harrington came to Colusa to view and grade lands and purchase, remaining six weeks. Having been impressed, during his trip to Colusa, with the natural resources of the county, Mr. Harrington returned the following spring to make his permanent home at Colusa. He engaged in the real-estate business with W. F. Goad, and during the summer the firm sold about one hundred thousand acres of land.
On the fifteenth day of September, 1870, the Colusa County Bank was organized, and without solicitation the Board of Directors of the bank tendered Mr. Harrington the position of cashier, which position he has held ever since and under whose business management the institution has become one of the leading banks of the State.
Mr. Harrington has been prominent in advancing industries and enterprises for the building up and development of the resources of the county. He was foremost in assisting the building of the Colusa and Lake Railroad, of which company he is president. His business ability is recognized, and is attested by the fact that he is a director in almost every organization in which he is interested. He is a director of the Colusa Canning and Packing Company, and the Colusa Gas Company; he is director and president of the Colusa Milling Company, the bank of Willows, and the Colusa Agricultural Association.
Mr. Harrington is the father of five children: Tennent H., born July 11, 1864, who is engaged in the Colusa County Bank; William M., born November 18, 1866, who is engaged in the banking business in Seattle; Mary Augusta, born April 7, 1869; Louisa Tennent, born February 15, 1876, and one child that died in infancy.
“Colusa County” – by Justus H. Rogers – Orland, CA – 1891 – pp 393-394
N. N. SCRIBNER
Butler Noles Scribner was born on September 8, 1825, in Murry County, Tennessee, and was a son of John Scribner, a farmer of that locality. His early life was spent on his father’s farm, and his education received at the public school was very limited, but in later years has been largely added to in the practical walks of life. At the age of twenty-three years he left the farm, going to St. Louis, Missouri, where he secured employment on a river steamboat. This life did not suit Mr. Scribner, and a year later he went to Quincy, Illinois, where he worked three years on a farm. In 1852, having heard the many tales of the fabulous wealth to be had in the mines of California, he followed the rush to this State, and engaged in mining in El Dorado and Placer Counties. He found that fortune did not smile on all who followed mining, and in 1854 laid aside the pick and shovel to haul freight out of Sacramento and Marysville. In 1856 he was married to Miss Mary D. Scott and lived in Sacramento the first year of their married life, at the end of which he sold his freighting outfit and moved to Tehama County, where he located near Newville. He engaged in farming and stock-raising, and in 1866-67 served the people of Tehama County as County Assessor. In 1874 he engaged in merchandising at Newville, still retaining his farm, which he owns yet. As a merchant and farmer he has been very successful, now being interested in three stores, at Newville, Paskenta and Orland, and owning two farms, one near Newville and the other northwest of Orland. He is the father of ten children, seven of whom are married. Their names are: Mrs. Nancy Sebring, of Orland, a widow; Tennessee Josephine, wife of Thomas Morgan, of Newville; Susie Williams, wife of John Williams, near Newville; John A. T. Scribner, near Newville; Henry Alvin Scribner, of Newville; Charles C. Scribner, near Orland; Elizabeth, wife of Harvey McClain, of Newville; and Emma, James and Nettie, who live at home and are not married. In 1887 Mr. Scribner purchased the merchandise business of O. Raphael & Co., of Orland, and in the spring of 1888 he purchased the business of A. Beerman, uniting the two stores, when he moved his family from Newville to Orland, where he expects to spend the remainder of his days. Mr. Scribner is a good citizen, well posted on the questions of the day, and is a thorough business man.
“Colusa County” – by Justus H. Rogers – Orland, CA – 1891 – pp 394-395