Yolo County
Biographies
ROBERT O. ARMSTRONG
ROBERT O. ARMSTRONG, an enterprising farmer of the Capay Valley, in Yolo County, is a son of William C. and Elizabeth (Smith) Armstrong. His father, a native of Kentucky, was a farmer most of his days, and crossed the plains to California in 1857; followed farming and stock-raising here and in Capay Valley, and later he went to Lake County, where he died in 1885. The subject’s mother, a native of Tennessee, died in Capay Valley, in 1862. All their seven children are living in California. Mr. Armstrong, the subject of this paragraph, was born June 14, 1848, in Andrew County, Missouri, where he lived until 1877, when, as before stated, the family came to California. They lived in Nevada County for a few months, and then came into Capay Valley, where Robert and five brothers are still living. Mr. Armstrong started out in the world for himself in 1866, first renting a place of Mr. Davis for three years, and in 1871 purchased his present place, which is situated in the finest little valley in the State; it consists of 165 acres of excellent land.
Mr. Armstrong was married in the “City of the Woods,” February 21, 1873, to Miss Maggie J. Alexander, who was born in Capay Valley in 1854. Mr. and Mrs. Armstrong have two sons and three daughters, namely, Otta M., Robert A., Erma P., Alma L. Agnes L. and Ernest C.
Source: Memorial and Biographical History of Northern California, Lewis Publishing Co. , 1891
Transcribed by: Betty Wilson, August 2004 ©
JACOB GUYSI
JACOB GUYSI, a Yolo County farmer, is a native of Cincinnati, Ohio born November 26, 1827. His parents were natives of Switzerland. His father was born in 1774 and his mother in 1784. They came to the United States when young and were married in Philadelphia about 1819, and raised a family of seven children. Jacob, the fourth, received his education in the public schools of Cincinnati. He left home March 7, 1849, and went to New York city, where he took passage on the bark Rising Sun for San Francisco via Cape Horn.
The bark was fitted out by a company of 100 men to come to California to engage in mining. They took about twenty passengers, who paid $250 each for their tickets. They landed at San Francisco September 10th, having been 165 days on the ocean. Mr. Guysi remained a few days at San Francisco, then went to Auburn, Placer County, where he engaged in mining for the winter. In the spring of 1850 he went to Sacramento, where he worked at putting up iron buildings for a time. He also brought an interest in a sloop, which was used for carrying freight and passengers between Sacramento and Marysville. In the fall of 1850 he returned to Auburn and resumed work in the mines on the same ground that he had left in the spring. In March, 1851, he sold his mining interests at Auburn and went to the east branch of the north fork of Feather River, where he mined on Rich Bar till about the first of July. He then came to Yolo County and bought out a squatter, who had settled on land nine miles southwest of Sacramento. He now owns 320 acres of good land, and is engaged in raising grain and stock.
He was married in 1878 to Mrs. Morgan, a native of Ireland. They have five children: Charles, George, Henry, Robert and William. Mrs. Guysi is the mother of one child, resulting from her first marriage, Frederick Morgan. Mr. Guysi has a fine property, with good improvements, which is rapidly increasing in value. In politics he has always been identified with the Republican party.
Source: Memorial and Biographical History of Northern California, Lewis Publishing Co. , 1891
Transcribed by: Betty Wilson, August 2004 ©
DAVID S. SCOTT
DAVID S. SCOTT, a contractor of Woodland, was born in West Virginia, December 11, 1834, a son of Peter W. and Lucinda (Spielman) Scott, father a native of Pennsylvania and mother of Maryland; his father was born in 1803, and was a mason by trade. In 1853 Mr. Scott went to Dayton, Ohio, and served his time at the mason’s trade, learning it of Daniel Richmond. In 1855 he traveled to some extent and finally located at Leavenworth, Kansas, and from there he came to California, arriving first in the southern part of the State in 1860; then came to Nevada City; and in 1867 he went to Sacramento and worked upon the State capitol during the summer. He then came to Woodland for a short time, returned East on a visit, and to Woodland again in 1870; in 1874 to San Francisco and was employed upon the Palace Hotel until the next year; was then in Oregon until 1880, when he finally returned to Woodland, where he has had the building of the best blocks in that beautiful town,—such as the Opera House, Exchange Hotel, Bune’s Hotel, Prior Block, Gibson & Co.’s Block, J.S. White’s residence, etc. He owns eight acres of ground on Oak avenue, on which he has a comfortable residence.
He was married in Ohio, April 28, 1869, to Miss Shellhamer, a native of Michigan, born April 30, 1844. Mr. Scott, by a former marriage, has a son, named Chester C.; and his wife, also by a former marriage, has a daughter, named Effie J. Tethers.
Source: Memorial and Biographical History of Northern California, Lewis Publishing Co. , 1891
Transcribed by: Betty Wilson, August 2004 ©