Humboldt County This Site is part of the
CAGenWeb
Wesley Keat
Humboldt County sits approximately 200 miles north of San Francisco along the Pacific
Coast on Hwy 101. Eureka, the county seat, is 278 miles north of San Francisco
and 466 miles south of Portland, Oregon. The county encompasses 2.3 million
acres, eighty percent of which is timber land and recreation areas. The county
is mostly mountainous, except for the level plain that surrounds Humboldt Bay.
Elevations run from sea level to 6,934 feet. Located within the county boundaries
are 10 state parks, 16 county parks and beaches, recreational areas and reserves,
and portions of the National Park and National Forest.
Humboldt County was incorporated on May 12, 1853. It's County seat, Eureka, was created on that same date. The county derived its name from Humboldt Bay which was entered by a sea otter party in 1806, but was not rediscovered until 1849. In 1850, Douglas Ottinger and Hans Buhne entered the bay, naming it Humboldt in honor of the great naturalist and world explorer.  Baron Alexander von Humboldt.  Humboldt County Resources Humboldt County - Recorder / Clerk's Office Humboldt County Queries - Cousin Connect Redwood Genealogical Society Surnames Humboldt County Historical Society Times - Standard Newspaper Archives "Living with The Giants" Index
8th District Court Case Index 1853-1879 Del Norte, Humboldt, Klamath and Trinity, etc. Counties. Depending on the boundary changes by statute. Another Awesome Transcription by Denis Edeline by
Biographies
History of the State
of California and Biographical Record History of Humboldt County California - 1915
Humboldt County, California Obituaries 1854 - 1899 Compiled by: Marilyn Keach Milota Humboldt County Genealogical Society Eureka, California August 1997 [Explanation below was copied from the beginning of the Book] These obituaries and death notices were compiled mostly from the newspapers listed below which were printed in Humboldt County. These newspapers are available in the reference department on microfilm located in the Humboldt County Library, Eureka, California. If only the month item appeared is noted, try looking some time after the date of death. Items concerning a person's death may also appear in other newspapers than those noted. The abbreviation for the newspaper or newspapers in which the item appeared is as follows along with the earliest available date of the newspaper on microfilm. AU = Arcata Union, Published at Arcata, 1886 DS = Daily Humboldt Standard, Published at Eureka, April 1876 DT = Daily Humboldt Times, Published at Eureka, January 1874 ET = Eureka Telephone, Published at Eureka, December 1881 FE = Ferndale Enterprise, Published at Ferndale, May 1878 WT = Weekly Humboldt Times, Published at Eureka, September 1854 I copied a little over 100 pages of the above book while I was at the Family History Library in Salt Lake City, Utah. The complete book is over 400 pages. This is a great resource and I wish I had time and finances to do the rest of the book. I am going to see If it is possible to order the book from the Humboldt County Genealogical Society. It is not listed on their website, but if there is anyone who has a copy or can find one, I would be willing to pay for postage [both ways] and scan it to be uploaded to the Humboldt County GenWeb Site. I have Alpha letters A - E scanned and uploaded. The files can be found in the following directories and are named according to Alpha Letter and Page Number [ie: File-A-002 = Page 2]
Notes from the Files of J D Saunders
Article taken from the front page of the Saturday, September 5, 1908
edition of the Arcata Union published in Arcata, Humboldt County,
CA, USA:
Crushed By Engine Tender -- Thad McCutcheon
Meets Tragic Death -- On Monday, Aug. 31st, shortly before noon, the
news was telephoned to Arcata that Thad McCutcheon, a well known
young man of this town had been hurt near Vances Camp 13, by being
crushed beneath the tender of the engine, and as soon as possible
Dr. McKinnon and Miss I. Connick, his nurse, were speeding towards
Essex in an auto to meet a special train which was to bear them to
the scene of the sad happening. Upon their arrival the terribly
injured man was made as comfortable as possible, and was brought to
Arcata by train, and taken to the Trinity Hospital. An examination
of his terrible injuries showed that he was fatally hurt, and he
gradually sank until shortly after six o'clock, when he passed
peacefully away. He was conscious up to within a few minutes of the
end, and showed remarkable fortitude and cheerfulness in the midst
of his keen suffering. It appears that McCutcheon, who was working
as a brakeman on the train, was riding on the front of the tender,
and was standing on the "running board," a narrow shelf extending
across the front of the tender. While the engine was running at a
good speed, then tender jumped the track, and before the unfortunate
young man had a chance to jump, he was thrown off the tender and
dragged under it. He retained his hold upon the running board and
an iron rod attached to the tender, and in his position was dragged
for several yards over the ties before the engine could be
stopped. As there was only a few inches of space between the tender
and the ties, his lower limbs were fairly ground to a pulp, and his
hips were also crushed. He was also internally injured, and death
was caused by shock and internal hemorrhage. So tightly was he
pinned beneath the tender, that the ties had to be cut away under
him, and several experienced men working with jack screws, had a
hard task to raise the heavy tender sufficiently high to remove the
mangled body.
Thad McCutcheon was the eldest son of Mr. and Mrs. J. W. McCutcheon, former residents of Arcata, and was born in Portland [sic] 31 years ago. He has lived in Arcata most of his lifetime, and worked most of the time at the butcher business, driving wagon for J. C. Bull Co., and working in the shop. He was probably as well known and liked as any young man in northern Humboldt, and the expressions of regret at his untimely and terrible death have been many and sincere. Thad was a universal favorite, and his happy disposition and genial manner, made him a favorite with all, both old and young. He had only been on the train a few weeks, having given up his position with the J. C. Bull Co. quite recently. The funeral will be held from the residence of Mrs. J. G. Chapman on 10th street between I and J, Sunday, September 6th at 2 p.m., Reverend C. P. Hessel to officiate. Telegrams have been received from his mother, Mr. [sic] J. W. McCutcheon and sister, Miss Eva McCutcheon, of Bellingham, announcing that they would arrive on the Elder today. The body has been lying at the J. G. Dolson Undertaking Parlors since Monday evening, and many sorrowing friends have called to have a last look at the dead face.
Notes: HIs full name was Thaddius Herbert McCutchan. The first name
was sometimes spelled differently, and the spelling of the last name
was changed by his father James William McCutchan. His mother Rosha
Verda Hall, and his siblings were Edward Orville McCutchan, Eva May
McCutchan, and Barclay Clifford McCutchan. His grandparents were
William "Big Bill" and Amanda (Henderson) McCutchen of the Donner
Party.
Obituary taken from the Saturday, November 7, 1908 edition of the
Blue Lake
Advocate, Blue Lake, Humboldt County, CA, USA:
James Greenwood Kills Himself - Tired of Living He Ended His Life
with a Pistol - Was a California Pioneer of 1848 - Was Constable of
This Township for Many Years - Funeral To-Day
Being tired of living and brooding considerably
over family and financial matters, James C. Greenwood, who for a
number of years has acted as Constable of Mad River Township, ended
his life with a 38-colt revolver last Thursday afternoon at about 4
o'clock. He was alone in his room, sitting on his bed, when he
fired the fatal shot into his body. The shot was heard by Mrs. C.
Boydstun, who resides across the street from Mr. Greenwood's place,
and gave the alarm. Justice of the Peace J. E. Merriam, Dr. C. N.
Mooney and a number of others rushed to the scene of the tragedy and
found Greenwood sitting on his bed with a pistol in his hand. He
then told them that he had made a bad job of it. Dr. Mooney then
undressed the man and found the bullet sticking out through the
flesh in the back, the bullet having entered one-half inch below the
heart travelling through the body and perforating the base of his
left lung. He was made as comfortable as possible and knew every
one until a short time before he died, about twelve o'clock Thursday
night. John G. Dolson, the undertaker of Arcata, was notified and
came after the body, which he removed to his undertaking parlors.
James C. Greenwood was a native of Missouri, aged 66 years, and he leaves only one daughter to mourn his loss. Deceased was one of the earliest pioneers of California, having come here in 1848 with his father and brothers. They then resided in Lake county and afterward in Mendocino county at a place named Greenwood, which town was named after his father. He then moved to Humboldt, residing first at Arcata and afterward to Blue Lake, which place he has made his home ever since. He had been in different lines of business here some years ago, but having met with adversities he had to quit. Of late years he acted as constable of Mad River Township, which office he held at the time of his death. Deceased possessed many good traits of character and his life was a rather historic one. The funeral will take place this (Saturday) afternoon a 2 o'clock from Justice of the Peace J. E. Merriam's office in town, where the remains can be seen. The services will be conducted at the grave in Blue Lake Cemetery.
Note: His father was the famous mountain man and guide Caleb
Greenwood. He and his wife had five children, four of which had
died before James. The town of Greenwood in El Dorado County was
named for James' eldest brother John Greenwood. The town of
Greenwood (now Elk) in Mendocino County was named for James and
three of his brothers that settled there, not for their father.
Obituary from the August 4, 1906 edition of the Blue Lake Advocate,
Blue Lake, Humboldt County, CA, USA:
Passed To The Great Beyond - Temple Greenwood Joins the Silent
Majority
Last Monday evening, Temple H. Greenwood, the
esteemed son of Constable J. C. Greenwood and wife, passed to the
great beyond as an ultimate result of that dread disease
consumption. The young man returned to his home some six months ago
from the State of Washington, where he followed his profession of
shingle sawyer and packer. There he contracted what is termed cedar
asthma, affecting his throat and lungs. He came here to get some
relief, but his case grew gradually worse despite all the best
medical treatment possible, and death came as a relief to his
suffering. Deceased was born in Arcata on September 19, 1876, and
came to Blue Lake with his parents when only three or four years
old, which place he always claimed as his home. Temple was an
intelligent and honest young man and possessed many warm friends who
sympathize with his heart-broken parents in their sad affliction.
The funeral took place from the Presbyterian church Wednesday
afternoon and was largely attended, interment being in the Blue Lake
cemetery.
Note: His full name was Temple Harrison Greenwood.
Obituary from the October 11, 1902 edition of the Blue Lake
Advocate, Blue Lake, Humboldt County, CA, USA:
Death of Karl Greenwood - Mr. and Mrs. J. C.
Greenwood returned to Blue Lake Thursday morning, bringing with them
the remains of their beloved son, Karl, who died last Saturday
morning at the home of his grandparents, Dr. W. Y. Fickle and wife,
near Templeton, San Luis Obispo Co. The young man was born and
reared in Blue Lake and was an exemplary young man in every respect,
being industrious, honest, kind and obliging, and his untimely death
will be greatly regretted by his numerous friends. Deceased was 23
years, 3 months and 27 days old, and had been ill for a few months
past with the dread disease consumption, from which ravages he fell
a victim.
The funeral took place yesterday from the Blue Lake Presbyterian church, Rev. J. S. Todd officiating, and was largely attended.
Note: His full name was James Karl Greenwood.
Site
Updated: 29 May 2009  |
