Sutter County
Biographies
GEORGE McWILLIAM
A well-known and successful rancher of Pleasant Grove, Cal., is found in George McWilliam, who since 1915 has also carried the rural mail from Pleasant Grove into the surrounding country, the route covering twenty-three miles. He was born on the ranch where he now makes his home, November 16, 1873, a son of William and Lehella (Johnson-Henderson) McWilliam, natives of Prince Edward Island and Kentucky, respectively. William Mc William came to California in an early day and engaged in mining at Tuolumne, Mokelumne Hill and at Ione, Cal., later he located at Pleasant Grove where he took up a quarter-section of government land. The mother of our subject was Mrs. L. J. Henderson, widow of A. J. Henderson (killed at the Battle of Shiloh, during the Civil War), and they had two children, A. J. Henderson of Auburn and Mrs. F. B. Pierce, who resides at Trowbridge, Cal. Mr. and Mrs. McWilliam were the parents of five children: George, Anna Maude, Mary Luella (deceased), William Hector, and Alexander (deceased). The father passed away in 1892, and the mother in 1889.
George McWilliam received his education at the Auburn district school; he was nineteen years old when his father died and being the eldest of the children took charge of the home ranch of 160 acres. Mr. McWilliam received eighty acres as his portion of his parents’ estate, where he has lived ever since.
January 11, 1903, at Pleasant Grove, Mr. McWilliam was married to Miss Marilla Carrie Coppin, born on the Coppin ranch northwest of Pleasant Grove, a daughter of Samuel M. and Elizabeth Coppin. Mr. and Mrs. McWilliam are the parents of seven children: William Wallace, George Douglass, James Theodore, Stanford Roberts, Jack Hansen, Rodney Wilson, and Shirley Marilla. Mr. McWilliam is a Democrat in politics; he was postmaster of Marcuse from 1900 to 1902, and postmaster at Pleasant Grove from 1902 to 1905; then he became mail carrier from Pleasant Grove station to Pleasant Grove, and since 1915, as above stated, has carried the rural route out of Pleasant Grove. Fraternally he is a member of the Modern Woodmen of America Camp No. 9526, of Pleasant Grove.
History of Yuba and Sutter Counties, Historic Record Company, Los Angeles, 1924
p. 1170-1171
AMOS R. CORLISS
A native son of California, Amos R. Corliss has taken an active interest in the growth and development of whatever section he has made his home, especially in Sutter County, where he owns a ranch of 320 acres, which he farms to wheat and barley. He was born April 7, 1874, on the Corliss ranch, seventeen miles southeast of Yuba City, the third in a family of six children born to Henry Brown and Mary J. (Mills) Corliss, the former a native of Vermont and the latter of Scotland. The history of the Corliss family can be traced back in England to the year 1632. The first progenitor of this family in America of whom we have any record was Samuel Corliss, great-grandfather of Henry B. Corliss. A native of Massachusetts, he settled in Vermont, and there the subsequent generations were born. The grandfather, Willoughby Corliss, was born in East Corinth, Orange County, Vt., twenty-three miles from Montpelier, and in the same place his son Hiram was born in 1803. The latter was a farmer in the Green Mountain state throughout his entire life, and died there when he was in his seventy-fourth year. For his life companion he married Prudence Brown, born in Vermont in 1812, the daughter of Timothy Brown, of Scotch descent, but a native of New England. Mrs. Prudence Corliss spent her entire life in Vermont, dying there when in her sixty-third year.
Henry Brown Corliss was also born in East Corinth, Vt., January 15, 1835. The first eighteen years of his life were spent on his father’s farm, and in the meantime he had attended the public school near his home. Upon reaching his nineteenth year he began working for himself, and for three years worked out on neighboring farms. Becoming possessed with a desire to visit the western country, he traveled to Cuba, then to Panama, where he took ship for San Francisco, landing in that city in 1857. Remaining there but a short time, he went to Placer County, where he helped to build roads for a time, and spent the winter at Auburn. In May, 1859, he came to Sutter County and obtained employment on the ranch of Senator Chandler and during the ten years that he remained there accumulated the means to purchase land of his own. In the spring of 1869 he made a trip East to visit his parents. Returning to this state in the fall of 1869, he began farming for himself on the ranch upon which he resided until his death, January 24, 1912. In 1870 Mr. Corliss was married to Miss Mary J. Mills, a native of Scotland, who came to this country with her parents, who located in Vermont when she was a child of eight years. Mrs. Corliss is now living retired at 514 Sutter Street, Yuba City. They were the parents of six children: Cora is now the wife of J. Beilby; Amos R. is the subject of this review; Prudence, wife of Ed. Smith; Alice; Maggie; and Willoughby. At the time of his death, Mr. Corliss owned 480 acres of valuable land in one body, the greater portion of which was devoted to raising grain, besides which he raised horses, mules and a great many hogs. He was a stanch Republican and for a great many years was road overseer and a school trustee.
Amos R. Corliss received his education at the Markham district school and was graduated with honors. After finishing his education he worked on his father’s ranch and also on farms in the neighborhood; by saving his earnings he was able to purchase some land in Sutter County where he began farming on his own responsibility. He purchased the William Bray ranch four miles northeast of the Corliss place, consisting of 320 acres, which he farmed to grain for eight years.
The marriage of Mr. Corliss occurred September 25, 1904 at the Stolp residence at Oak Park, Sacramento, which united him with Miss Daisy Stolp, the eldest of two children born to Cornelius and Martha (Hutchins) Stolp, natives of New York and Missouri, respectively, pioneers of Sutter County. After the death of the parents, Mrs. Corliss received 320 acres of the Stolp homestead, one mile north of East Nicolaus, Sutter County, and Mr. and Mrs. Corliss located on this property in 1912. The following six years Mr. Corliss conducted a dairy and was generally successful in his farming pursuits. Mrs. Corliss began her education in the Brown and Illinois district schools, then was graduated from Howe’s Academy; in Sacramento she was granted a teacher’s certificate and taught one term at the Brown District school. Mrs. Corliss was appointed chairman of the board of trustees of the Illinois school district in 1922 and elected in 1923 and now is clerk of the board. Four children have been born to Mr. and Mrs. Corliss, Evelyn, Lela, Louise and Mary. Besides owning their fine ranch home, Mr. and Mrs. Corliss own valuable city property in Sacramento; both are members of the Fairview Christian Church, of which Mrs. Corliss is a deaconess.
History of Yuba and Sutter Counties, Historic Record Company, Los Angeles, 1924
p. 1172-1173