Sutter County Biographies

WILLIAM HENRY BURMOOD

A rancher whose success is the logical result of his practical methods in farming, coupled with his honorable, dependable habits in dealing with his follow-men, is William Henry Burmood, living six miles east of Meridian. He was born at Huntsville, Schuyler County, Ill., on August 27, 1861, the son of Henry F. and Mary Ellen (Plunkett) Burmood, the former a pioneer who was born at the foot of Little Roundtop Mountain, in Emmetsburg, Pa., and the latter a native of Schuyler County, Ill. Mr. Burmood had gone to Illinois when he was nine years of age, accompanying his folks hither in the good old days of 1844; and he grew up to be a farmer, living all of his life on the farm of 120 acres, upon which he had come as a boy, and dying at the age of seventy esteemed by all who knew him. Mrs. Burmood, who also had a circle of admiring friends, lived to be seventy-six years of age. Both Mr. and Mrs. Burmood served their locality and their generation as might be expected of serious, sensible folks who believed that they had a mission in life; and when they departed, they left the world decidedly better for their having lived and toiled within it. They had eight children: William Henry, Mrs. Amelia Sophie Sprigg, Emaline, Alna, Richard Clarence, Omega, Florence, and Roy Edgar.

William Henry attended the district schools of Illinois, grew up at home, where somebody always found something for him to do, and where he himself found pleasure in developing the fine home farm. When twenty-one he started out for himself, first leasing about eighty acres, and then added various tracts of land, from time to time, near his home; but in 1884 he went into Southwest Kansas, and preempted a quarter-section of government land in Kiowa County, at that time Indian trust land. He lived in Kansas for four years, but when he was compelled to go through three consecutive years of drought, he was forced to give up his preemption, and this led to his coming out to California and into Sutter County, where he settled at Meridian and worked for wages on ranches. He leased a ranch of eighty acres about seven miles southeast of Meridian, and there in that neighborhood added to the leased land until he operated between 600 and 700 acres, devoted to the raising of beans and grain. He then bought 280 acres seven miles to the southeast of Meridian, and operated that tract, while he continued to lease in addition. He also added to his purchase five years later another 120 acres, and continued to buy, so that today he owns 603 acres of excellent farming land. In national politics a Republican, Mr. Burmood nevertheless looks upon local candidates and issues in a broad, non-partisan manner, and always seeks to support what is best for the community.

History of Yuba and Sutter Counties, Historic Record Company, Los Angeles, 1924

p 1202

PERI MONTNA

The life record of Peri Montna may well serve as a source of inspiration and encouragement to others, showing that success and an honored name may both be won simultaneously. With a limited amount of capital, Mr. Montna made his first purchase of land in Sutter County and by strict economy has subsequently purchased land until he now owns 130 acres in the Barry district, which he has steadily developed to orchard and vineyard. He was born at Bordeaux, France, June 29, 1868, the eldest son of six children born to Peri Montna and Marie (Sartou) Montna, both natives of Bordeaux, as were their parents before them. Peri Montna, senior, owned thirty acres of vineyard, manufactured and marketed choice wines and was a well known and prosperous citizen of his locality.

Peri Montna, Jr., was educated in the public schools of Bordeaux and remained at home with his parents until 1884, when he left France for America and came direct to San Francisco; from San Francisco he went to San Jose, where he found work in a vineyard at one dollar per day, and when he left there six months later, he had saved $150 of his wages. In 1885 he came to Sutter County and found employment of the Walton ranch, where he worked for twelve years, a portion of this time being foreman of the ranch. About 1895 Mr. Montna set out prune, apricot and peach trees on his present home place and the following year built his house. Mr. Montna set out his first Thompson Seedless grapes about twenty years ago. He employs from forty to sixty men in the heaviest season of fruit packing and shipping. Mr. Montna’s sister, Marie, is now Mrs. Jordon and resides at Burlingame; his brother Jean, a successful orchardist of Sutter County, passed away in 1922 survived by his widow and five children, who are now visiting in Europe. The mother of our subject died in Bordeaux, France in 1923, aged seventy-two years.

On September 8, 1894, Mr. Montna was married to Miss Marie Fonta, a native of Southern France, the eldest of five children. Eight children have been born to Mr. and Mr. Montna: Florence is now the wife of Tracy S. Best and they have two children; Eugene, an ex-service man, is an orchardist and is superintendent of the Boyd farm; Emily is the wife of Dr. Shottenheimer of San Jose and has one child; Leona is a trained nurse. The others are Alice, Alfred, Laverne, and Robert. Mr. Montna has served as trustee of the Barry school district and in politics is a Republican; he is a Knights Templar Mason and a member of the Sciots at Marysville, and for years he has been a member of Shamrock Camp, W.O.W., Yuba City, as well as of the Barry Farm Center.