G. Barth - Whose portrait appears in the body of this work, was born in the Kingdom of Saxony, Germany, November
16, 1821, and is the youngest child of John and Henrietta Mellor Barth. His father had a fine estate, and his
dwelling was a castle. He first had a private tutor, and at the age of fourteen entered the high school, which
he attended for two years. He was then sent by his father to superintend a large farming interest, where he
remained for two years. He then became administrator for several wealthy gentlemen. In 1854 he became the owner
of a large tract of land, and then, on account of failure of crops, he lost everything he had. In 1859 he
came to America, arriving in San Francisco May 15th of that year. He spent the first two months in this State
in visiting all the prominent places in it, in company with the Austrian Consul, Edward Vischer, General Cipriana,
and Adolph Thomal. He then went to San Mateo County. and began working on a farm for Mr. Topas, where he
remained for one year. He then came to Napa County, and began working on a farm owned by. Mr. Osborne, where he
labored faithfully until 1861. In October of that year he was married and began keeping a small boarding-house,
which he continued until 1870, In that year he went to Europe on a commission from Governor H. H. Haight, in
the behalf of the agricultural interests of California, where he had a pleasant time, and was well
received by the representatives of the different countries. He spent four months in Europe,
and then returned, and has since paid his attention chiefly to agricultural pursuits. He has a tract of three
hundred and twenty acres in the redwoods above the Hudeman place, where he has a fine elk park; also, four
hundred and sixty acres of what is known as the Salvador Vallejo Ranch, on which he has one hundred and fifty
acres of bearing vines, and twenty-five acres of young vines, and two fine wine-cellars, a full history of which
will be found in the proper place. In Sanel Valley he has a tract of one thousand four hundred and forty acres,
which is wheat land and a sheep ranch, and he is now planting vines upon it He has a fine brewery, also, a history
of which will be found elsewhere. In 1880 he was a member of the City Council of Napa, one of the trustees of the
Bank of Napa, chairman of the finance committee of said bank, and interested in the general advancement of the
county and city. He was married October 16,1861, to Mrs. Mary Pheffer Shepherd, relict of Joseph Shepherd. They
had one daughter, who died in 1878.
William P. Boyce - The subject of this sketch was born in Baltimore, February 8,1807, and is consequently now in
his seventy-fifth year. At the age of fifteen he moved with his parents to Cincinnati, Ohio, and in that city learned
the trade of carpenter and joiner, at which he worked about eight years. He then, with his parents, moved and
settled in Saint Clair County, Illinois, where he continued at his trade until April 4,1832. He then enlisted in
the Third Regiment, Illinois Volunteers, and took part in the Black Hawk War, serving for two years. After leaving
the army he traveled through several States, and finally settled in Shellsburg, Wisconsin, and from that place,
April 19,1850, he started across the plains for California, first locating in this State at Hangtown, now
Placerville, where he remained a short time. He then followed mining at different places until 1866, when he moved
to Napa County, locating in Knights Valley, then in Napa County, now in Sonoma, where he remained for two years.
He then moved to Calistoga, and purchased his present homestead in 1876. He was elected to the office of Constable
and has held the office of Deputy Sheriff for three successive terms. Mr. Boyce was married in Petersburgh,
Illinois, March 14,1839, to Susan A. Reed, who was born in Kentucky. By this union they have three living children:
William E., Mary L. and Jane F.
J.A. Button - Was born in Monroe County, Kentucky, February 12, 1840, and resided in his native State until his
thirteenth year, when, with his parents, he moved to Scotland County, Missouri, and there he lived until 1867.
He then moved to Lawrence County, that State, where he remained until 1873, in which year he came to California
and settled in Elmira, Solano County, and there began farming which he followed until 1880.
He then moved to his present place in Wooden Valley, Napa County, where he is now following the same business.
Mr. Button married November 11, 1861, Miss M. E. Tillotson, who is a native of Scotland County, Missouri, born
September 27, 1843, and by this union they have eight children: Robert A., born August 3,1862; Lubena L, born
April 28,1864; Martha 0., born November 11, 1866; Ellen, born October 15,1871; William D., born October 28,1873;
Lydia, born June 25,1875; George T., born May 30,1877; James W., born May 20,1879.
Robert Brownlee - Emigrated to America in 1836, and settled in the city of New York, where he sojourned four
months, working at his trade of stone-cutter. In September of that year he proceeded to North Carolina, and
was employed for thirteen months in the capital of that State; at the expiration of which he moved to Arkansas,
arriving in Little Rock on Christmas day, 1837. He there prosecuted his calling for four years, working on the
Capitol and State Bank, when he embarked in the cultivation of land. In 1848 he retired from the occupation of
farming, and commenced prospecting for lead, getting blown up during this employment. Mr. Brownlee was a resident
of the State of Arkansas altogether thirteen years. In 1849 the world was set agog by the discovery of gold in
California, and he was one of the many hardy sons of toil who crossed the plains, enduring all its hardships,
hoping occasionally against hope, and putting aside any knowledge of fear, laboring incessantly to buoy up those
who were bordering on despair, allaying the woes of the suffering, and cheering the despondent. In this year, after
a journey occupying six months and a half, coming by way of Santa Fe, this band crossed the Colorado River in the
latter end of August, and entered California, the land of promise, on the first day of September, 1849. For days
before this event, water with them had been scarce, the canteens which they wore slung over their shoulders being
nearly empty; at last, however, pools of water were discovered, and he, riding at the head of the cavalcade, was
the first to lave his parched throat with the wearily looked-for liquid. Dipping his pan deep into the pool, to
procure the water in its coolest state, he found it on drinking to be potently charged with alkali; to resort to
the first rude method of counteraction, namely, the eating of quantities of fat pork, was the work of a moment,
and he recovered; not so two of the others, who, even when cautioned, recklessly partook of the beverage, both
dying in great suffering on the evening of the same day. They were buried by their comrades, while one of the
number, gifted above his fellows with the power of speech, offered up a prayer at their graves, which, for impressive
eloquence, Mr. Brownlee asserts he has never heard equalled. From the oldest to the youngest there was not a dry
cheek. Let us now follow the fortunes of Mr. Brownlee. He
arrived in Mariposa County in the first rains. He labored in the mines for six days, in the first hour and
a half of which he dug up $80 worth of ore, his only implements being his jack-knife and tin pan. This was
in October, 1849. With this sum he entered into partnership with John W. Clarke, of Vermont, who had also
been moderately lucky, purchased a team of six pack-mules, and commenced what is known as a "packing "business,
between Stockton and Ajuafria, two towns one hundred miles apart. The first trip took these two pioneers some
six weeks to accomplish. The roads were so bad from the excessive rains that the hardships endured were sufficient
to deter men of less perseverance. Always, at their destination, however, such matters were treated lightly, for,
after all, their business prospered, and miners would pay $1.25 per pound for tea and flour, while other necessaries
commanded as high a price. Mr. Brownlee thus describes some of his experiences on this eventful first trip. On
leaving the Stanislaus River, an eight-mule team, drawing a boiler, was come up with, but such was the deplorable
state of the roads that mules, boiler, and truck had sunk into the mud, nothing being left to view but the heads
of three mules and the highest point of the boiler. Here was a fix. What was to be done? Quick of resources,
desperation lending wit to native acumen, the teamsters incontinently drove their animals on to the boiler, from
which perch they daintily picked their steps on to the backs of their less fortunate brethren, one after the other,
until once more terra firma was regained. There were four of these adventurers - James McVicar, Mr.
Brownlee, his partner, and a negro. During a blinding snow storm they proceeded onward, and arrived at Dry
Creek, where each mule had to be repacked, the cargo having shifted, on account of the many slips and falls which the quadrupeds had
sustained. On relieving them of their burdens and placing the sacks of flour on the clay, the first two tiers sank
out of sight, causing no inconsiderable damage. There was not the wherewithal to build a fire whereby food might
be prepared, so they supped on flour, mixed with water and raw fat pork. Cold and hungry, they lay on the saddle
blankets, striving to wheedle the gentle goddess - the four of them - Mr. Brownlee next to the negro. During the night
the snow and sleet ceased, and a hard frost set in, making the cold intense. The water in a pair of long boots,
the property of the darkey, froze to a solid mass, which was not perceived until he had tried to put them on; but,
whether on account of the size of his feet or the frigidity and rigidity of the ice, they would not be coaxed into
their proper resting place till thawed by the water of a convenient stream. The morning, however, lent a brighter
aspect to the state of things, for daylight showed where fuel was to be obtained; a hearty meal was made off coffee
and flapjacks, which they enjoyed, for, on the principle of hunger being the best sauce, McVicar would now and
again observe " Eh, man, Bob, but aren't they
good? "On the following day the Tuolumne River was gained, in another snow storm, they camping in a "wash" of
the river. This night a splendid fire was built. Three large trees, which were lying in the bed of the now dry
stream, were piled over with brush and set alight, while the banks gave shelter from the driving sleet and snow;
and comparative comfort, with a certain amount of satisfaction, was being taken out of the burning mass of timber,
some forty feet in length. Of a sudden, without the slightest warning, their gigantic hearth was seen to float
away; the water rose with incredible speed, so that they were wet to their waists while securing their packs. At
length all was made snug, and the quartette, climbing up to the fork of a tree, out of the reach of the now rushing
stream, in the driving snow, philosophically awaited the dawn of day. Of such were the hardships endured on this
memorable journey. In the spring of the year 1850 the subject of our sketch established a store, having a mule team
in connection therewith. The former combined all the mining luxuries of a boarding-house, ten-pin alley and card-room,
as well as the agency for Adams' Express. At the time when the first snow fell Mr. Brownlee found himself with a
large accumulation of staple goods, for which there would be a ready market; he therefore turned out his animals
to pasture on what was known as the Texine Ranch, when one day he was informed that a force of Indians had been
seen driving them off. This was a cause of the hastening of another Mariposa War. On the receipt of this intelligence
Major Burney, then Sheriff of the county, raised a company of twenty-two volunteers, started in pursuit, and,
overtaking the Indians, engaged them for three or four hours, when they fled, leaving behind them partially eaten
portions of the beasts, which had been cooked between the time of their capture and the conflict. At this juncture
the war had assumed proportions which were likely to develop. The Major, therefore, appealed to Governor Burnett,
at San Jose, for aid, when he despatched Neely Johnson to organize three companies of militia in Mariposa County,
Mr. Brownlee being sutler of the battalion, and as such he found himself possessed of a large amount of scrip paid
to him by the force, which he wished to have recognized by the officers of the State. To gain this was the object of
his first visit to Vallejo in 1851, on which occasion he remained only two months, returning to Mariposa County, and
thereafter visited Sacramento in 1852 on the same errand, after which he once more went back to Mariposa, wound up
his affairs, and started to return to Scotland, but having missed the steamer from San Francisco to Panama, he
remained for three weeks in Vallejo. On the first day of March, 1852, Mr. Brownlee sailed from San Francisco,
visiting en route Arkansas and Kentucky, where he met his wife, went to Scotland, but in two months from his
arrival, having visited a few of the most noteworthy places in his native
land, once more turned towards the United States and landed in New York, where he was married soon after his
arrival In October, 1852, we find Mr. Brownlee on his second voyage to California, on this occasion accompanied
by his bride and his brother, his wife and son traversing the route, not by the plains, as he had done three
years before, but by the more pleasant and swifter one of Panama, arriving in San Francisco in the end of November,
and, having pleasant recollections of Vallejo, immediately thereafter proceeded thither, where both families located
in December, 1852. Early in the next year he commenced farming and a dairy business on a small scale, purchased a
tract of fifty acres of land two miles north of the town limits, which he afterwards exchanged with General John B.
Frisbie in 1857 for his present place, now in Napa County, but which was then in that of Solano. Since his arrival,
up to the present time, Mr. Brownlee has been inseparably connected with Vallejo and its associations, and though
he does not reside in the county, he is still spoken of by all as the most reliable source of information in regard
to the doings in early days. His residence is a magnificent two-storied building, having rooms of fine proportions,
situated about fourteen miles from Vallejo; he farms over one thousand one hundred acres of land, six hundred and
fifty being in Solano County, while this season he has under wheat and barley no less than one thousand one hundred
acres. The line of railroad to Sacramento from South Vallejo passes his gate, while there is an averagely good road
to his dwelling. A more genial companion, a better citizen or hospitable host does not exist than Robert Brownlee. He
was born at Bunkle, in the parish of Cambusnethen, in the County of Lanark, Scotland, in 1813, married Annie Lamont,
October 24, 1852, born in Tamhorn, in the Carse O'Gowrie, Perthshire, Scotland, in 1834, by whom he has Robert A, born
October 14,1853: (the first white boy born in Vallejo); Mary J., born August 1, 1855; Margaret R, born June 4,1857;
Gracie A, born July 10,1862; George, born February 23,1864; William, born November 25,1866, died March 17,1868; and
Frederick J., born August 19,1870.
Turner G. Baxter - Was born in Adair County, Kentucky, January, 10,1821. He resided at his birthplace until he was
fifteen years of age, when he started out into the world to do for himself. His first move was to go to Sangamon
County, Illinois, ascending the Sangamon River in the little steamer " Talisman," which was the first steamboat that
had ever plowed the bosom of that stream. In going up the Sangamon River, they were detained by a mill-dam across
the river. There he made his first acquaintance with that good man, Abraham Lincoln, who was clerking in a grocery
store, and he will never forget how he looked This was in a little village by the name of New Salem, twenty miles
below Springfield, and the mill belonged to a man by the name of Cameron. This was in
1836. He remained here for three years, learning the cabinet and carpenter's trade in the meantime. In 1839
he moved to Jackson County, Missouri, where he had an uncle living, and was engaged chiefly, during his brief
sojourn in that locality, in journey work. He then went to Platt's Purchase, on the north side of the Missouri
River, where he spent two winters. His next move was to Louisiana, Missouri, where he followed his trade
until March 15,1849, when he started across the plains, with ox teams, for the land of gold. He arrived at
Sacramento, September l5th of that year. Here he met an old friend, Mr. Martin, and they proceeded to
Readings Springs, and started a trading post. But this was of short duration, and on the 13th day of November,
1849, in company with Dr. Brackett, he first set foot within the limits of Napa City. He at once opened a
grocery store and saloon, which he continued till the following spring. He then built the Valley House Hotel,
which was situated on the ground now occupied by David L. Haas' store. After conducting this enterprise but a
short time he sold out, with the intention of going East, but the cholera was very bad at the Isthmus just at
that time, so he abandoned the idea. In the summer of 1850 he purchased the steamer " Dolphin," in San Francisco.
He took her to Benicia, and after undergoing repairs, put her on the Napa River route. This was the pioneer
steamer of Napa, and the first one that ever came up the river. At first he made trips between Napa and San
Francisco, but soon changed his terminal point to Benicia, being thus able to make close connections with
the river steamers in both directions. At the end of two years he sold the " Dolphin," and again engaged in
the hotel-keeping business at his old stand. This he followed but a short time, when he went upon the steamer
" Jack Hays," which was soon afterwards sold. During all this time he had not been neglectful of his best
financial interests, but had purchased several lots in Napa City and had erected thereon several buildings.
In 1856 he went to South America, seeking a suitable place to run a steamboat. At Valparaiso he secured the
exclusive right to run a tow-boat about the harbor for twenty years, but the enterprise was soon abandoned.
He then returned to Napa and opened the Valley House restaurant, which he conducted for one year. In 1860 he
began work for the California Steam Navigation Company, and ran on the Napa River in their employ for three
years. He then ran awhile on the Sacramento River for the company, and then took charge of a boat plying between
Napa and Vallejo, in opposition to the railroad. He remained in the employ of this company until 1870. In 1874,
in company two others, he bought the steamer " Vaquero," and ran it between San Francisco and Napa for one
summer, and then sold her. In 1877 he was on the steamer "Princess " for one summer, and since that time Mr.
Baxter has been engaged at the carpenter's trade.
Jedediah Booth - Was born January 17, 1854. In 1867 he came with his parents to California, and settled in Suisun
Valley, where he remained till the fall of 1871. He then moved to Chiles Valley, and settled two miles above
the mill. In 1877 he went to the Sacramento Valley and farmed till the fall of 1880, when he returned to Chiles
Valley and settled on his present place, comprising eight hundred and forty-five acres, and is engaged in farming.
He was married November 25,1879, to Miss Carrie A. Simmons, a native of Perry County, Illinois, born August 18,1856.
They have one child, Edwin J., born August 26,1881.
John Bachelder - Was born in New Hampshire, March 7,1817. At the age of twenty he began life for himself. In 1838 he went to
Boston, where he was book-keeper in the Middlesex Canal Depot. At the end of three years he became a partner in a
similar business enterprise. In 1844 he began the dry goods business in Boston, which he followed for four years.
In 1847-8 he invented the Bachelder improvement for sewing machines, which consisted of the yielding
presser-foot and feeder. In 1852 he began cotton manufacturing at Lisbon, now Sprague, Connecticut, and
continued in that business for sixteen years, and was also in the meantime interested in a woolen mill near
Norwich, Connecticut. He came to California in 1873, and in 1875 began the manufacture of wind-mills, etc.,
at Napa, which he still continues. He was married in July, 1842, to Miss A. Wason. Their children are Herman,
Emma L. and Charles S.
History of Napa and Lake Counties,: San Francisco, Cal.: Slocum, Bowen & Co., Publishers, 1881
Transcribed by Julie Appletoft, February, 2007 Pages 401-408
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