CENTER TOWNSHIP.
Page 251
AISTON, JOHN; Post
Office, Antelope; lives three miles from that town, and fifteen miles from
Sacramento; was born in England in 1825; emigrated to the United States in
1853, and lived in Utah until 1857; he came to California in that year and
settled in this county; is now engaged in farming; owns four hundred and forty
acres of land, worth, with improvements, about $7,000; also owns a large
ten-horse power grain-thresher. Mr. Aiston has held the office of Road
Overseer of District No. 4. He was married in 1846 to Miss Mary Johnson, also
a native of England; they have one child a son. A view of Mr. Aiston's place
is given on another page.
CENTER TOWNSHIP.
Page 251
ANDERSON, W. G.; Post Office, Antelope; was born in Iowa in 1849, and lived
there until 1876, engaged in masonry and blacksmithing; he came to California
in that year and engaged in blacksmithing in Sonoma County until 1878; he then
moved to Antelope, where he is now carrying on the business of a general
blacksmith; he owns town property worth about $200. He was married in 1876 to
Miss M. E. McKinney, a native of Iowa; they have two children son and
daughter.
CENTER TOWNSHIP.
Page 251
ASTILL, RICHARD, lives thirteen and a half miles from Sacramento, and in
Antelope, which is his Post Office; was born in England in 1840; he emigrated
to the United States with his parents in 1849, and lived in St. Louis,
Missouri, until 1854; he came to California in that year. During the war he
returned East and enlisted in the army; he came back to this State in 1868,
and engaged in farming until October, 1878, when he opened a general
merchandise store in Antelope. Mr. Astill was married while in the army, in
Texas, to Miss Margarette C. Faber, a native of Georgia; he was again married
in 1874 to Miss Beckie Chambers, a native of Scotland; he has two daughters.
He has held the office of Constable for the last four years; owns one hundred
and sixty acres of land, which, with improvements, are worth about $5,000.
CENTER TOWNSHIP.
Page 251
BERRY, J. L., lives thirteen and a halt miles from Sacramento, in Antelope,
which is his Post Office; was born in California in 1856, and has lived in the
State all his life; he settled in this county in 1877, when he bought out the
Antelope Business Association in that town, and has since carried on the
mercantile business there. Mr. Berry holds the positions of Postmaster, Rail
Road Agent and Telegraph operator; he is also in charge of the warehouse
belonging to J. F. Cross. He was married in 1876 to Miss Mary Ann Roddick,
also a native of California.
CENTER TOWNSHIP.
Page 252
BORMAN, CHARLES, Post Office, Antelope; lives two miles from that town, and
thirteen miles from Sacramento; was born in Prussia in 1833; emigrated to the
United States in 1857, and lived in Illinois until 1860, engaged in farming;
he came to California in that year and lived in Sacramento until 1868, when he
returned to Illinois and followed farming until 1877; he then came back to
this State and settled on his present place: owns one hundred and sixty acres
of land, worth, with improvements, about $3,000. He was married in 1871 to
Margarette Ernst, a native of Germany; they have four children a son and three
daughters.
CENTER TOWNSHIP.
Page 252
BREWSTER, D. D., Post Office, Antelope; was born in Pennsylvania in 1840, and
lived there until 1862, engaged in carpentering; he moved to Ohio in that
year, and worked at his trade until 1875; he then came to California, and
engaged in carpentering at Marysville until 1877, when he removed to Antelope,
and is now working at his trade, and also wagon-making; he is the only
carpenter in Antelope.
CENTER TOWNSHIP.
Page 252
CAVITT, G. W., Post Office, Antelope; lives two miles from that town and
fifteen and a half miles from Sacramento; was born in Rush County, Indiana,
1832; removed with his parents to Iowa in 1845, and lived there until 1864,
engaged in farming; he came to California in that year and settled in this
county; he still owns the place he settled on in that year; is now farming;
owns two hundred and eighty acres, worth, with improvements, about $4,800. He
was married February 28, 1856, to Rebecca Perkins, a native of Virginia; they
have four children--William C., born November, 1856; Thomas F., born
September, 1858; Ida Belle, born January, 1860; Eva F., born April, 1867. A
view of Mr. Cavitt's place is given on another page.
CENTER TOWNSHIP.
Page 252
CHATTERTON, JOHN, lives ten miles from
Sacramento, which is his Post Office, and four and a half miles from Antelope;
was born in New York, in 1802; when quite young he moved to New Jersey, and
lived there eighteen years; he then returned to New York, and remained there
until 1849; he came to California in that year by way of the Isthmus, and
settled in this county, March, 1850. Mr. Chatterton did the iron work, and
George Jackson the wood work, on the first steam engine built in the State, in
1851; it was built in Sacramento, on Third street, between I and J streets, in
the shop of Smith & Neals. He bought the above firm out in the same year. He
worked at his trade, coach-making, for the California Stage Company, from a
short time after its organization to its dissolution. He has held the office
of Justice of Peace. Married in 1829, to Miss H. E. Hicks, a native of New
York; they have three sons and four daughters. He owns two hundred and
thirteen acres of land, which, with improvements, are worth about $5,000.
CENTER TOWNSHIP.
Page 252
COLE,
GEORGE W., lives twelve miles from Sacramento and three miles from Antelope,
which is his Post Office; he was born in New York in 1833, and lived there
until 1852; he came to California in that year and settled in this county; he
was engaged in teaming to the mines until 1858, but has since been farming and
stock-raising. Mr. Cole was married in 1875, to Miss Elizabeth Rightmire, a
native of Ohio. He owns two hundred and twenty acres of land, which, with
improvements, are worth about $10,000. A view of this place is given on
another page.
CENTER TOWNSHIP.
Page 252
COYLE, MRS. B.; Post Office, Sacramento and Antelope; lives thirteen miles
from the former and three and a half miles from the latter; was born in
Ireland in 1833, and lived there until 1847; in that time she made two trips
to Scotland with her parents; emigrated to the United States in 1847, and
lived a while in Brooklyn, but afterwards moved to Boston; she subsequently
moved back to Brooklyn, and was married in 1852 to Edward H. Coyle, also a
native of Ireland; they came to California in 1856, by way of the Nicaragua
route, and lived in Sacramento City until 1859, when they removed to this
township, where she now lives. Mr. Coyle died in 1872; up to the time of his
death he was engaged in sheep raising. Mrs. C. owns one thousand and forty
acres of land, worth, with improvements, about $30,000; she has four children
living, three sons and a daughter; her second son, W. M., now farms the home
place.
CENTER TOWNSHIP.
Page 252
CROSS, J. F.; Post Office, Antelope; lives two miles from that town, and
fourteen miles from Sacramento; was born in Maine, 1828; in 1849 he removed to
Massachusetts, and engaged in carpentering there until 1852; he came to
California in that year, and lived in Sacramento until 1853, when he went to
Benicia, and was employed on Government work until 1854; he then returned
East, and was married that same year to Miss Sarah J. Miservey, also a native
of Maine, who has borne him six children, three sons and three daughters, all
of whom are living. After his marriage, they settled in this county, and he
has since been engaged in farming and stock raising; owns three hundred and
twenty acres, worth, with improvements, about $8000. Mr. Cross held the office
of Constable from 1861 until 1873.
CENTER TOWNSHIP.
Page 252
DALY,
ELISHA; Post Office, Antelope; lives one and a half miles from that town, and
fifteen miles from Sacramento; was born in Pennsylvania in 1823, and lived
there until 1845; he removed to Illinois in that year, and worked at
carpentering until 1854; he then came to California, and settled in this
county; settled on his present location in 1859; owns three hundred and
sixty-six acres, worth, with improvements, about $7000; is now engaged in
farming, and threshing. Mr. Daly has held the office of Justice of the Peace
for the last fifteen years. He was married in 1853 to Eliza Ramsey, a native
of Ireland, who has borne him thirteen children, five boys and eight girls,
all of whom are living.
CENTER TOWNSHIP.
Page 252
DE KAY,
SEELY, Post Office, Roseville; lives two and a half miles from that place, and
seventeen miles from Sacramento; was born in New Jersey, 1822, and lived there
until 1849, engaged in farming; in that year he removed to Ohio, and continued
farming until 1852; he then came to California and to this county, and
followed teaming until about 1864; since then he has been farming, and stock
raising; owns four hundred and eighty acres, worth, with improvements, about
$5000. Mr. Dc Kay was married in 1865 to Mrs. Jane Pitcher, a native of
England, who has borne him one child, a son; she has seven children by a
former husband.
CENTER TOWNSHIP.
Page 252
DRIVER, E. S., lives twelve miles from Sacramento, and three and a half miles
from Antelope, which is his Post Office; he was born in Ohio in 1829; removed
with his parents when quite young to Indiana; he came to California in 1850,
and engaged in mining until 1852, when he went to butchering, and followed
that business until 1854; he then commenced teaming between Sacramento and the
mines, which occupied his attention until 1857; in that year he settled where
he now lives, and has been engaged ever since in farming and stock raising. He
was married in 1860 to Mary E. Forsyth, a native of Illinois; they have seven
sons and three daughters. Mr. Driver owns twelve hundred acres of land; which,
with improvements, are worth about $40,000. A view of his place is given on
another page.
CENTER TOWNSHIP.
Page 252
GARDNER, JOEL, was born in Wilbraham, Massachusetts, March 13, 1831. In early
life was engaged as a mechanic at the Springfield Agricultural Works, also at
Chicopee Falls. On the first day of January, 1857, he started for California,
via the Isthmus; for two years after his arrival followed dairying;
subsequently raised great flocks of turkeys, which were herded like sheep, and
sold at a great profit; annual sales have been as high as $2,000. His present
home is twelve miles northeast of Sacramento city, near Antelope Station, on
the Central Pacific Railroad, and contains three hundred and five acres of
well cultivated land. Mr. Gardner was the first Postmaster at Antelope.
Married Eliza Tate, and has one son. A view of his residence is shown on
another page.
CENTER TOWNSHIP.
Page 252
HAYS,
DAVID, farmer, lives four miles from Antelope Station and seventeen miles'
from Sacramento; Post Office, Antelope Station; born in Richland county, Ohio,
in 1832; crossed the Plains to California in 1852, and settled on his present
location in this county. He was married to Mrs. Jane Biscoe, March 29, 1866;
she was born in Tennessee. Mr. Hays owns one hundred and sixty acres of land,
valued, with improvements, at about $2, 500.
CENTER TOWNSHIP.
Page 252
KELLY,
THOMAS, Post Office, Sacramento; lives eleven miles from that city; was born
in Ireland in 1832. He emigrated to the United States in 1848, and lived in
Connecticut until 1856. He came to California in that year, and resided in
Sacramento city until 1873, being engaged in blacksmithing and keeping a
saloon; he then moved to his ranch, present location; owns two hundred and
eleven acres of land, worth, with improvements, about $3,500. He was married
in 1859 to Margaret Mooney, also a native of Ireland; they have three
children, a son and two daughters.
CENTER TOWNSHIP.
Page 252
KEYS,
MRS. HARRIET E., lives ten miles from Sacramento, which is her Post Office,
and four miles from Antelope. She was born in Ohio in 1827; in 1836 she
removed with her parents to Missouri, and lived there until 1839; she then
moved to Illinois, and remained until 1849. She was married in 1846 to Wm. N.
Keys, a native of Illinois; her maiden name was Beach; they came to California
in 1850, and first settled on the river, below Freeport. She has four sons and
two daughters; owns one hundred and sixty acres of land, which, with
improvements, are worth about $4, 000.
CENTER TOWNSHIP.
Page 253
LAUPPE,
RUDOLPH; Post Office, Antelope; lives two and a half miles from the town, and
fourteen miles from Sacramento, at the old Fourteen-Mile House; was born in
Switzerland in 1832, and lived there until 1858, engaged in farming; emigrated
to the United States in that year and lived in New Orleans until 1859; he then
came to California, and settled in this county. In 1869 he purchased of James
Gray the property where he now lives, known as the Fourteen-Mile House, and
since then has been farming the place, though engaged some little in raising
stock; owns three hundred and twenty acres, worth, with improvements, about
$6,000. He was married in 1855 to Miss Regine Schafer, a native of Germany,
who has borne him five children three boys and two girls all of whom are
living.
CENTER TOWNSHIP.
Page 253
LEWIS,
MRS. ALICE; born in England in 1831. After coming to the United States, she
lived for a time in St. Louis, and came to Ca1ifornia in 1857. She lived in El
Dorado County until 1860, and then came to Sacramento County. She lives
fifteen miles from Sacramento City and two miles from Antelope.
CENTER TOWNSHIP.
Page 253
LINDLEY, D. N.; Post Office, Antelope; lives one and a half miles from that
town, and fifteen miles from Sacramento; was born in Ohio, 1824; removed to
Michigan in 1840, and lived there until 1852, engaged in milling; in that year
he came to California and followed mining until 1856, when he returned East.
He was married in 1857 to Lucy Scarlett, a native of England; with his bride,
he came back to the State in 1858; since then, he has made one trip East;
settled on his present location in 1874, and is now farming; owns one hundred
and sixty acres of land, worth, with improvements, about $3,000. He has a son
and daughter A. S., born 1858; and Myra, born 1863.
CENTER TOWNSHIP.
Page 253
McCORMICK, F.; Post Office, Antelope; was born in Ohio, in 1844, and lived
there until 1854; in that year he went to St. Louis, and made his home with an
uncle until 1855; he then went to Cincinnati to attend school; served four
years' apprenticeship in the machine business; engineered on the rivers about
three years; served three years and seven months in the United States Army
during the war. After his return he spent some time in the oil regions of
Beaver County, Pennsylvania; he subsequently went to Brazil, on business
connected with his trade, and afterwards returned to his native place; later
he located in the western part of Iowa, and remained there until 1876; he then
removed, with his family, to this State and county, and is now engaged in
machine repairing and blacksmithing at Antelope. He was married in 1871, to
Miss Sarah Cluff, also a native of Ohio, and who bore him three children; he
married his present wife, Miss Clara Justice, a native of Indiana, in 1878.
CENTER TOWNSHIP.
Page 253
MULDROW, JAMES; Post Office, Sacramento; lives ten miles from that City; was
born in Missouri, in 1836, and lived there unti1 1852, engaged in farming; he
came to California in that year, and engaged in mining in El Dorado County
until 1854; he then moved to Sacramento City, and followed teaming until 1862,
when he settled in this township, and has since been engaged in farming and
stock-raising; owns two hundred and twenty-six acres of land, worth, with
improvements, about $4,400. He was married, in 1857, to Miss Hannah Cope, a
native of England; they have two children, sons.
CENTER TOWNSHIP.
Page 253
O'DONAHUE, CORNELIUS, was born near the Lakes of Killarney, county of Kerry,
Ireland, in 1828. He came to the United States in 1844, on the ship Pampera,
which, after thirteen weeks' voyage, was wrecked on the banks of Newfoundland.
After three months' stay in Boston and Chelsea, he went to work on the survey
of the Erie Railway, Western Division. After that work was finished, he drove
stage from Big Valley to Elliotville and Old Buffalo for eight months. In 1848
he went to Chicago and worked at iron-moulding for one year; afterwards
followed farming in McHenry County, Illinois, for one year, with his
brother-in-law, Daniel O'Connell. Thereafter he worked at La Salle, Illinois;
Chicago, St. Louis, Lake Providence, Tennessee, and Natchez, Mississippi.
Stayed at the latter place for three years as overseer on David & Huitt's
plantation. In 1854 Mr. O'Donahue started for California by the Panama route.
In California he followed mining for fourteen years, working at Grass Valley,
Nevada City, American Hill and Bunker Hill. Here he lost heavily in the
tunnels, Brother Johnathan and Morning Star. In 1857 he invested $8,000 in the
Bay State Tunnel at Alleghanytown, Sierra County. Of this company, John W.
Mackey---the “Bonanza Millionaire”---was the bookkeeper. The company, having
lost $72,000, squared up and quit business in 1860. His next investment of
$2,400 was in the Excelsior Tunnel at Cumberland Town. Afterwards, he removed
to Virginia City and engaged as contractor and superintendent for Captain
Gates. In 1863 he bought the present home of one hundred and sixty acres, a
mile and a half south of Antelope; to this he added, by purchase in 1872, a
tract of three hundred and twenty-two acres, situated two and a half miles
south-east of the first purchase. Mr. O'Donahue was first married in New
Orleans in 1854. The bride was Miss Margarette Culhane, a native of County
Kerry, Ireland. They had the following named children by this marriage, viz.:
John, born May 2, 1856; Mary, born June 27, 1857; died May 29, 1875. Daniel,
born April 22, 1859; Clar Ellen, born June 22, 1861. His wife, Margarette,
died July 14, 1864. On the 20th of April, 1865, he married Miss Mary O'Hea, a
native of Cork, Ireland. By this union, they have one child---Katie, who was
born February 22, 1866, and who is now a promising miss of thirteen. Mr.
O'Donahue is assisted in his farm work by his sons, John and Daniel. In 1879
Mr. Donahue visited the East, spending a few months in rest and sight-seeing
at Chicago, and in the several places of interest in Minnesota. He has held
the office of Constable for eight years. A fine view of Mr. O'Douahue's
premises may be seen on another page. Post Office, Antelope.
CENTER TOWNSHIP.
Page 253
PARSONS, JOHN, lives fourteen miles from Sacramento, and one and a half miles
from Antelope; he was born in England, in 1825, and came to the United States
in 1848; engaged with Nathan's Circus for several years; came to California in
1854, and, in 1855, returned to England for a short visit; on his return to
California, he engaged in teaming over the mountains till 1866, since which
time he has been employed in farming; married Caroline Keats, a native of
England, at Sacramento, in 1869; they have two adopted children a boy and a
girl. Mr. Parsons' property is worth about 5,000; Post Office, Antelope
Station. A view of Mr. Parsons' place is given on another page.
CENTER TOWNSHIP.
Page 253
VAN MAREN,
MRS. C.; Post Office, Antelope; lives three miles from that town, and thirteen
miles from Sacramento; was born in Germany, in 1825; emigrated to the United
States, when about twenty-five years of age, and came to California shortly
afterwards, or about the year 1850. She was married to Peter Van Maren---her
maiden name being Hurtzig by whom she has six children three boys, and three
girls. Her husband died in 1876, aged fifty-four years; since his death, her
eldest son, Philip, has managed the farm. She owns seven hundred and
eighty-seven acres of land, worth, with improvements, about $23,000.
CENTER TOWNSHIP.
Page 253
VOLLE,
FREDERICK; Post Office Antelope; lives one and a half miles from that town,
and fifteen miles from Sacramento; was born in Prussia, in 1823, and lived
there until 1846, engaged in milling; emigrated to the United States in that
year, and followed farming, in Indiana, until 1853; he then came to
California, and was in the milling business, in Sacramento City, until 1858,
when he moved to this township, and is now farming and stock-raising; owns
four hundred and eighty acres of land, worth, with improvements, about $7,000.
A view of this place is given on another page. He was married, in 1851, to
Julia Heimroth, a native of Germany, who has borne him eleven children three
sons, and eight daughters.
CENTER TOWNSHIP.
Page 253
WHEADON, MRS. ISABELL; Post Office, Roseville, Placer County; lives three
miles from that place, and fifteen and three-quarter miles from Sacramento;
was born in England, and lived there until 1854; emigrated to the United
States in that year, and lived in St. Louis until 1856; she then started for
California, arriving in El Dorado County the following year, where she resided
until 1859. She was married, in 1859, to Theodore Wheadon, a native of New
York, by whom she has three children---G. T., aged 19; Mary Jane, aged 17;
Matthew W., aged 11. Her maiden name was Isabell Johnson. Mr. Wheadon died in
1871; since his death she has managed the farm; owns three hundred and twenty
acres, worth, with improvements, about $2,100.
Source: History of Sacramento County, California With Illustrations 1880 by
Thompson & West.