The gold country of El Dorado County did not pose a huge geographical contrast to Levi's homeland in England, although Bedfordshire County's rainy climate produces a much lusher landscape across its gently undulating hills. A small county, Bedfordshire could fit five times in El Dorado County.
Levi and his brother John, who would join him here in 1869, were the sons of Bedfordshire farmers, James Darrington and Eliza Levell Darrington. James and Eliza welcomed Levi to their family on Feb. 10, 1844. John came along nearly 10 years later on Sept. 11, 1853. Because of their age difference, the boys would not be going to America at the same time. Throughout his childhood, Levi assisted his father on the family farm, learning the intricacies of planting, caring for and harvesting crops. These common skills would provide Levi with his main source of livelihood when he came to America.
According to Paolo Sioli's History of El Dorado County, originally published in 1883, Levi came to the United States with a brother and spent some time farming near Rockford, Ill. Since he arrived in California in 1860, he must have come to this country as a young boy and the brother he traveled with could not have been John, who didn't leave England until much later.
When Levi disembarked in San Francisco, after sailing around Cape Horn and crossing the Isthmus of Panama by train, it was January 1860. The new year lay out ahead of him.
A month was spent sampling the heady atmosphere of San Francisco and securing supplies and the means to journey to the hills of El Dorado County. Passing through Sacramento, he traveled on to a place called Richmond Hill, where he made an unsuccessful attempt at gold mining. He had better luck, when he abandoned that idea and went to work for a Mr. Townsend, first initial E. Townsend was a butcher, working out of Mormon Island when he hired Levi, who turned out to be a fast learner.
Soon, he was running his own butchering business, a trade he followed until 1867, when he took the money he had saved and purchased 780 acres of prime El Dorado County property, located along the North Fork of the American River. Sacramento lay some 29 miles in a southwesterly direction.
Nearly five years later, he walked down the aisle. In Sacramento on Feb. 11, 1872, Levi exchanged marriage vows with English-born Jane Cornelius. Jane was the daughter of William Cornelius and Mary Ann Johns Cornelius - themselves farmers hailing from England, County Cornwall.
Jane was just three years younger than Levi, having been born on Oct. 24, 1847. Ten months later, Thomas was born. It was Dec. 2, 1872. The Darrington's now had a baby to help them celebrate Christmas.
Two years later, on Nov. 30, 1874, little William was born, followed two years later by George, on April 15, 1876. Zacharias came along Nov. 19, 1877 and then on Aug. 18, 1879, a girl was finally welcomed to the family. She was named Mary. On March 15, 1881, little Edith arrived and Maebel opened her eyes for the first time on Sept. 11, 1889, followed by James on Oct. 16, 1891.
Today, if you visit the Mormon Island Relocated Pioneer Cemetery, on Shadow Fax Lane, off of Green Valley Road in El Dorado Hills, you will find the burial sites for Mary, Thomas, John, James and Zacharias, as well as several other Darringtons. Arthur Darrington, a child of Levi's brother John, is also buried there, as well as John's wife, Mary Darrington, who was born on June 26, 1858 and died Dec. 26, 1942 in Santa Clara.
Curiously, Levi and Jane are not listed there, but there is a grave for one William Levi Darrington, who was born on July 3, 1909 and died on March 6, 1994. He must have been the child of one of Levi and Jane's sons. A George Darrington, who died in 1949, is buried at the Eagles and Knights of Pythias Cemteries on Orange Grove Avenue in Folsom, across from St. John's Cemetery.
Thomas, Zacharias, Maeble, and William Levi all died in Sacramento.
Back at the time of publication of Sioli's history book, Levi's ranch was considered one of the finest in the county. Today, there are a number of Darrington's still living in the area.
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