Sutter County Biographies

Among the prosperous orchardists of the Lincoln district of Sutter County is Frank Donaldson, whose present home place was unimproved land when he settled upon it, in 1908, but is now highly developed to an orchard of peaches, prunes and cherries. He is a native son of Sutter County, born near Pleasant Grove, July 9, 1870, the eldest of a family of six children of Alexander and Mary Elizabeth (Pierce) Donaldson. Alexander Donaldson was born in Ohio and was one of a family of thirteen children. In young manhood he removed to Iowa, and from there came West to California and engaged in placer mining on the headwaters of Pleasant Grove Creek. Several years later he became a stock dealer and supplied meat to the mines in Placer and Nevada Counties. In the late sixties he opened a merchandise store and lumber yard at Roseville, later selling out to his partner and removing to Pleasant Grove, which was then known by the name of Pleasant Grove Creek, but was later changed by the postal authorities to Pleasant Grove, where he conducted a store. He was married at Pleasant Grove to Miss Mary Elizabeth Pierce. Alexander Donaldson engaged in general farming on the old Lowe ranch, an old landmark, having been in early days a stage station between Sacramento and Marysville. The old Lowe ranch was a noted place, where horse-racing and a dance hall were leading attractions, and was in its day replete with romance as well as tragedy. A shooting scrape grew out of a disagreement there over a horse-race. One contender drew his gun and shot the other to death. The gathering mob thereupon took the murderer to a place near Nicolaus and without trial or other legal intervention, summarily hung him to a tree. This ranch was later purchased by Mr. Donaldson, but there was a flaw discovered in the title that required fourteen years to settle, though the decision was finally given in favor of Mr. Donaldson. For many years Alexander Donaldson was justice of the peace of Vernon Township and was consulted in many legal matters. In 1883 he removed with his family to Pleasant Grove, where better advantages for educating his children could be had. He was an honored member and a past officer of the Grange, and was an active champion against the hydraulic process of mining. He passed away at his home in Pleasant Grove, September 17, 1898, survived by his wife and six children. Five or six years before his death he became an invalid, as a result of a fall. He was about seventy years of age at the time of his death, and his invalid condition made it doubly hard for his son, Frank Donaldson, who as a lad of but fifteen years had to assume the responsibilities of the farm.

Frank Donaldson had, however, received a fairly good common-school education before his father’s injury. He continued on the home ranch until 1894, when he took a United States Government contract for carrying the mail between Nicolaus and Sacramento. This occupied him for three years, after which he sold out and went into the restaurant business in Sacramento, for two years operating the Omaha Restaurant. This he later sold and opened the Epicure Café, which he successfully conducted for two years. Again selling out, he returned to Sutter County, where he conducted a warehouse and storage business at Marcuse. Later he removed to Tudor and there conducted a warehouse for four years with gratifying success. In 1908 he located on twenty acres, his present home place, which he has since developed into a fine orchard property. Mr. Donaldson’s family consists of one daughter, Dorothy, and one son, Ellis. Mr. Donaldson feels gratified that he has been able to educate his sister, Miss Jessie Donaldson, who has successfully followed the profession of teaching for a number of years, and is at present in San Joaquin County. In politics, Mr. Donaldson is a Democrat. Since 1900 he has been a member of the Yuba City Lodge, W.O.W.; and he is also a member of the Farm Bureau.

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

p 666

PER OLSON

For more than a half century Per Olson has resided in Sutter County, and during all those years he has been a successful farmer. He was born in Christianstadlan, Skane, Sweden, March 20, 1849, a son of Ole Olson and Anna (Person) Olson, both natives of Sweden, where they spent all their lives, the father passing away at the age of seventy-three and the mother living to reach the age of ninety-three years. Five children were born to them: Anders; Elna, now Mrs. J. L. Gronquist; Per, our subject; Lars; and Malena, Mrs. Oredson, deceased.

Per Olson attended public school in Sweden, and in 1869 came to the United States and first settled in Chicago, where he worked for nine months. Then he came to California, in March, 1870, and settled in Sutter County, fourteen miles southwest of Yuba City in what is now the Central-Gaither school district, then known as the Gaither district. He worked for wages for three years, driving an eight-mule team in the grain fields. In 1874 he leased a farm for one year; and in 1875 he bought a half-section of land, on which he built a home, and where he has since resided.

On May 1, 1875, at Gridley, Mr. Olson was married to Miss Mary Carlson, also a native of Sweden, born at Smaland, a daughter of John and Johanna Soderlund Carlson. John Carlson brought his family to the United States in 1870 and settled in Chicago, where they lived for nine months. Then they came to Sutter County, Cal., in 1871, and later removed to Butte County, and farmed for a time near Gridley. Afterwards the family returned to Sutter County, and there John Carlson passed away. Eight children were born to Mr. and Mrs. Olson: Oscar Peter, of Oswald; Carl Alfred, deceased; Amanda G., who is now Mrs. Charles Johnson, of Sutter County; Elvina M. J., now Mrs. France Salmonson, of Sutter County; Mabel Pauline, now Mrs. Harry M. Gledhill, of Sutter County; Albert Theodore, who served for nine months over seas in the World War, and is now a farmer in Sutter County; Allen Fritzof; and August McKinley, a farmer on the old home place. Mrs. Olson passed away on December 8, 1906. Mr. Olson sold a quarter-section of his land, and today he and his sons farm the other quarter-section. Three of his sons are members of Lodge No. 360, Woodmen of the World, of Yuba City; and Albert H. [T.] is a member of the American Legion. Mr. Olson is a member of Grace Methodist Episcopal Church South. In politics he is a Republican.