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ATKINSON, GEORGE; lives twenty-five miles from Sacramento, and two and a half
miles from Michigan Bar, his Post Office; was born in Maine, in 1830, and
lived there until 1857; he came to California in that year, and settled in
this county; he has been engaged in teaming, mining, and farming; owns eight
hundred and twenty acres of land. Mr. Atkinson was married, in 1856, to Miss
Elizabeth Pinkum, also a native of Maine, and who died in 1857.
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BATES, C. L.; Post Office, Michigan Bar; lives at Buckeye, thirty miles from
Sacramento; was born in Calaveras County, in 1856; removed with his parents,
when quite small, to this county. Mr. Bates has had only his energy for
capital, and all that he has now around him is the result of his own labor; he
owns one hundred and sixty acres of land, worth, with improvements, about
$2,500. He was married, in September, 1877, to Miss Louisa J. Roden, also a
native of this State; they have one child---a son.
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BREEDING, WILLIAM, lives twenty-eight miles from Sacramento and one mile from
Michigan Bar, his Post Office; was born in Virginia in 1826, and lived there
until 1851; removed in that year to Missouri and remained until 1853; he then
came to California across the plains, being five months on the way, and
settled in this county; he followed mining for eighteen years; since then he
has been engaged in farming. He owns one hundred and twenty-four acres of
land, worth, with improvements, about $2,300. Mr. Breeding was married in 1866
to Miss Mary A. Thornbrough, also a native of Virginia; they have four
children---two sons and two daughters.
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BYAM,
H. S., lives at Michigan Bar; was born in New York in 1829, and lived there
until 1835; removed in that year to Michigan, and remained there until 1849;
he then came to California and settled in this county; he started the first
line of stages between Sacramento City and Fiddletown; running time, four
hours and a half. Mr. Byam is now Superintendent of Amador and Sacramento
Canal Company.
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GAFFNEY, JOHN, lives twenty-eight miles from Sacramento and one mile from
Michigan Bar, his Post Office; was born in Ireland in 1826 and lived there
until 1848; he emigrated to the United States in that year, and resided in St.
Louis until 1855; he then came to California, and engaged in mining for
sixteen years; since then, he has been farming and stock-raising; owns four
hundred and eighty acres of land, worth about two dollars and fifty cents per
acre. Mr. Gaffney was married in 1854 to Miss Mary Brady, also a native of
Ireland; they have five children---three sons and two daughters.
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HEATH, JOHN W., lives at Michigan Bar; was born in Indiana in 1846, and lived
there until 1854; he came to California in that year and resided in El Dorado
County until 1859; he then went to Amador County and remained a few months,
and came to this county in the fall of the same year; was engaged in clerking
until 1877; is now doing a mercantile business at Michigan Bar under the firm
name of West & Heath. Mr. Heath is Postmaster at the above mentioned place. He
was married in 1873 to Miss E. C. Brown, a native of Arkansas; they have two
children---son and daughter.
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HUTCHISON, JACOB A., lives twenty-two miles from Sacramento, and four miles
from Michigan Bar, his Post Office; was born in Ohio in 1841; in 1845 removed
to Missouri, and lived there until 1847. He came to California October 5 of
the same year. He owns one hundred and sixty acres of land; his mother owns
two hundred and twenty acres. His land is worth about $5,000; his mother's
about $7,000. Mr. Hutchison was married in 1869 to Miss Mary E. Dunlap, a
native of Kansas; they have three children, two sons and a daughter.
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JORDAN, JAMES, lives at Michigan Bar; was born in England in 1831; emigrated
to the United States in 1839, and lived in New York until 1841. He removed to
Michigan in that year, and resided there until 1850; he then came to
California, and settled in El Dorado county; he came to this county in 1863.
He has followed mining; now owns a mill at Michigan Bar; also owns the Eagle
Ditch, the original cost of which was over $60,000; he also owns two hundred
acres of mineral land.
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MEISS, HENRY D., lives in Sacramento, which is his Post Office; was born in
Germany, in 1829; emigrated to the United States in 1841, and lived in
Missouri until 1848, engaged in butchering; he moved to Illinois in that year,
and resided there until 1850, when he returned to Missouri and engaged in
butchering again; he came to California in 1851, and followed the business of
butchering in Dry Town, Amador County, for seven years; is now farming and
stock raising; owns 680 acres of land, situated about three miles from Clay
Station, and worth about $5 per acre. He was married in 1859, to Sophia Heiseh,
also a native of Germany, and who bore him seven children, five of whom are
living---three sons and two daughters; his wife died in 1876.
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MEISS, LOUIS; Post Office, Dry Town, Amador County; lives seven miles from
Michigan Bar, and twenty-eight miles east of Sacramento; was born in Germany,
in 1823; emigrated to the United States in 1840, and lived in Missouri until
1850; he came to California in that year across the plains, and was engaged in
stock-raising until 1853, when he returned to Missouri, and remained there
until 1854; he then came back to this State; he took up his first land in
1852; now owns forty-four hundred acres, worth about $5 per acre. Mr. Meiss
was married February 23, 1854, to Elizabeth Dorn, also a native of Germany;
they have ten children---eight sons and two daughters.
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MIERHEFER, KILIAN, lives twenty-four miles from Sacramento, and four miles
from Michigan Bar, his Post Office; was born in Germany in 1833, and lived
there until 1849. He emigrated to the United States in that year, and resided
in New York until 1855, engaged in carpentering. He then came to California,
and settled in this county, where he has followed sheep-raising. He owns six
hundred acres of land.
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MIERS, CHRISTIAN, lives twenty-five miles from Sacramento, and eight miles
from Michigan Bar, his Post Office; was born in Germany in 1834; emigrated to
the United States in 1840, and lived in Missouri until 1852, engaged in
butchering and farming. He then came to California, across the Plains, and
followed farming and stock-raising; owns one hundred and sixty acres of land,
worth about $5 per acre. Mr. Miers went back to Missouri in 1863, but returned
to this State in 1864. He was married in 1864 to Miss Elizabeth Snyder, a
native of Missouri, and who has borne him seven children, six of whom are
living, three sons and three daughters.
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MISER, SPENCER A., lives twenty-five miles from Sacramento, and five miles
from Cosumnes, his Post Office; was born in St. Louis, Missouri, in 1848, and
lived there until 1851; he removed, with his parents, in that year to
California, and settled in this county; he is now engaged in the sheep-raising
business and farming; owns eighty acres of land. He was married in 1879, to
Miss M. E. Hale.
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MOORE, SETH B.; Post Office, Cosumnes; lives twenty miles south-east from
Sacramento; was born in New York in 1826, and lived there until 1847; he then
removed to Canada West, and remained there until 1852; he came to California
in that year, and engaged in mining in El Dorado County about a year, when he
went to San Joaquin County and resided until 1856; then he settled in this
county, and engaged in farming; owns nine hundred and fifty acres of land,
worth, with improvements, about $15,000. Mr. Moore was elected Supervisor in
1871, and held the office until October, 1878. He was married in 1872 to Miss
Ellen Shaw, a native of Indiana. A view of his place is given on another page.
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NICHOLS, MRS. M. C. ; lives twenty-eight miles from Sacramento, and five miles
from Michigan Bar, her Post Office; was born in Illinois in 1841; she crossed
the plains with her parents in 1850, being four months on the way, and lived a
short time in Nevada City this State; they removed to Amador County in 1852.
She was married in 1855 to Edwin Nichols, a native of New York; they settled
in this county in 1861 and located on the place where she now lives. Mr.
Nichols died in 1875; she has six children, three sons and three daughters;
owns two hundred and forty acres of land, worth about $3000.
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NOTT,
SAMUEL A.; Post Office, Cosumnes, and Woodford's, Alpine County; lives twenty
miles from Sacramento; was born in Ohio in 1838; removed to Illinois in 1845,
and lived there until 1864; he came to California in that year, and was
engaged as a telegraph operator in El Dorado County until 1870; he then
settled in this county; and engaged in stock raising; owns two hundred and
fifteen acres of land, worth, with improvements, $8000. Mr. Nott has been a
member of the last two sessions of the Legislature. He was married in 1869 to
Miss Azelia Vantras, a native of Ohio.
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POLLOCK, MRS. PRISCILLA, lives twenty-five miles from Sacramento, and four
miles from Michigan Bar, her Post Office; was born in Pennsylvania in 1826;
moved with her parents in 1835 to Iowa, and lived there until 1845. She was
married in 1846 to James Pollock, a native of Ireland; they were about three
years crossing the plains,---spent one winter in Council Bluffs, and the
winter following in Salt Lake City; after their arrival in this State, they
lived a short time in Placerville; moved to the Cosumnes river in 1851, and
settled on the place where she now lives in 1855. Mr. Pollock died February,
1876, aged sixty-three years; she has six children living---three sons and
three daughters; owns four hundred acres of land.
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POLLOCK, ROBERT, lives twenty-two miles from Sacramento and five miles from
Michigan Bar, his Post Office; was born in Sacramento in 1851; is engaged in
farming. Mr. Pollock was married in 1877 to Miss Alice Goodwin, a native of
Oregon; she has borne him one child---a son.
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RUMAN, CHARLES A.; lives at Michigan Bar; was born in Germany, in 1839;
emigrated to the United States in 1853, and settled in this county in the same
year; followed mining for fifteen years; since then he has been engaged in
teaming, hotel-keeping, and running a saloon; he built the Aitken Bridge. Mr.
Ruman has held the office of Constable. He was married, in 1868, to Miss L. M.
Yager, a native of Delaware, Ohio; they have three children---all boys. He
owns forty acres of land.
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SHERWOOD, J.O., farmer and stock-raiser; lives on the Sacramento and Dry Town
road, twenty-five miles from Sacramento; owns seven hundred and thirty five
acres of land, valued, with improvements, at $10,000; Post Office, Michigan
Bar; born in South Richland, Oswego County, New York, in 1825; engaged in
farming and teaching school until 1846 then went to New York City, and entered
the mercantile house of J. O. & D. S. Bennett; in the fall of 1847 went to
Wisconsin, where he remained until he crossed the plains to California, in
1850; followed mining in El Dorado County for a short time; moved to Michigan
Bar, this county, in November, 1850; moved to present location in February,
1851, where he has since continued to reside. Mr. Sherwood has been engaged in
mining, farming, stock-raising, fruit-growing, and keeping public house;
married Miss Kate V. Bell, from Winchester, Scott County, Illinois, November
13, 1854; she died November 27, 1866; they had two sons, and three daughters;
one daughter has since died. Married Miss Susan E. Woods, July 5, 1869; she
was born in Barry, Pike County, Illinois; they have two daughters. Mr.
Sherwood is Justice of the Peace; has occupied the office for about eight
years; has also been School Trustee for several years.
Source: History of Sacramento County, California With Illustrations 1880
by Thompson & West.