Читать книгу History of Fresno County, Vol. 3 - Paul E. Vandor - Страница 27

One of the sturdiest, most experienced, aggressive and progressive of pioneers who have contributed so much to make California the real Golden State, and a pioneer who has long been blessed with a companion who is a genuine native daughter, was the late George F. Williamson, who died at his country home near Riverdale, July 11, 1919. He was a successful farmer and a good business man, capable of driving his twenty-four horses when need be, and the proprietor and the manager of a very fine ranch, such as gladdened the eye to see.

Mr. Williamson had been in California since he was five or six years old, having landed in San Francisco on January 24, 1854, after a very eventful trip by water and the Nicaragua route. His father was Philander L. Williamson, and he had already crossed the great plains once in 1849-50. He had made good as a gold-miner, and had returned to the East. He was born and reared in Tompkins County, New York, and moved to Michigan with his parents. There he married Ann F. Inwood, a native of England, who came to Michigan with her parents, both of whom were born in England. They settled in Romeo, Macomb County, near Albion and not far from Detroit; and as the father was a blacksmith and machinist, and a good one, he was never in want of plenty of profitable work. The mother lived with William French, the editor of the Detroit Tribune, and was brought up in that family. William French later came out to California, and he and Philander Williamson conducted a hotel just above Sacramento. Mr. and Mrs. Williamson were married in Michigan, just before coming out to California, and Mr. Williamson had a large blacksmith shop in Detroit, equipped with several trip hammers, and he installed a number of steam engines in various parts of that city. Originally, his family was of Scotch blood, but he was American " 'way back," his forefathers being here in Colonial times. He was, in fact, a descendant from Colonel Samuel Williamson, a Colonel in the Revolutionary War. Tradition says that three Williamson brothers came to America from Great Britain, and that the descendants of one of these brothers settled in Tennessee, while those of the second settled in Michigan, and those of the third in the Far West.

Philander Williamson was married in the latter forties, and George F. was born at Albion, Mich., on April 23, 1849. In that town Mr. Williamson left his wife and child and, as a typical, doughty, and far-seeing '49er, he crossed the plains to California. Here he staked his luck in mining for gold; and having been one of the fortunate chaps who struck vein after vein, he returned to his home by way of Panama, in 1852. After he had been in Albion long enough to get his bearings again, he took his wife and child and moved to a place near Gaine's Mills, Va., attracted there by an offer to install the machinery in the new flour mill. At that time he was still subscribing to the New York Tribune, which proved a red flag to the Southern bull: and finding that the people around him, with their strong pro-slavery views, were more and more unsympathetic and uncongenial, he resolved, on finishing the work at the mill, to leave that neighborhood and to come to California with his family. The student of American history who recalls the battle of Gaine's Mills, in the latter part of June, 1862, and the fierceness with which the Confederates fought here, will understand the unreasonable, bitter prejudice entertained in the South against anyone who would commit such an unpardonable offence as to have in his possession a copy of the "Whig" New York Tribune.

With his wife and only child, George, therefore. Philander Williamson sailed from New York on January 1, 1854, and on the very first lap of the journey, on the Atlantic, they all came within an ace of going down in a storm. George has a vivid recollection of that terrible gale, and often today, when the elements rage, he imagines that he is living over again this trying experience. His father went up to Sacramento and ten miles beyond, where he ran a hotel: but later he came back to Stockton, and that pleasant town continued to be his home and headquarters. He built up a large machine shop, and created a good business; he was highly respected, and he prospered. His good wife died, however, and left four children. George F. was the oldest in the family; Dean S., who died in 1894, came next and was the father of two children: Charles lives at Martinez: and there was Letta, now Mrs. Long, at Lodi.

George attended the public schools at Stockton, but his education was limited, owing to an affection of the eyes. Whooping cough and measles weakened them, and for a long time he could not study books. Therefore, while yet a mere youth, he went to work in his father's blacksmith shop in Stockton. The glow of the fire again hurt his eyes, and, threatened with blindness, he began to work around by the month on ranches, principally at dairying and in caring for stock. Through this experience, he became a good horseman.

While at Lathrop, he was married to Miss Sarah Ann Ballard, the attractive daughter of Simeon M. and Amy E. (Dye) Ballard, well-known representatives of a family that came originally from Wales, but which had been several generations in America, — in the East before coming to California. On the mother's side, the forefathers were German. Her father was a gold miner in Tuolumne County, although he was married back in Missouri. He had been born in Kentucky, while her mother was born in Ohio. He crossed the plains with his wife in 1852, and for a while settled near Sonora, on Shaw's Flat, in Tuolumne County; and in 1860 they moved to San Joaquin County, where they engaged in dairy-farming. Eleven children were born to these worthy parents, six girls and five boys: John B. died suddenly on March 26, 1918; and the others were Mary F., Sarah Ann (now Mrs. Williamson), James Leander. Thomas, Martha, Simeon M., Verdir D.. Eliza E., Alice V., and Noah W., who died December 13, 1918, at Coalinga. The remarkable vitality of the family is shown by parents and children. The father died in 1890, aged seventy-nine years and seven months: and the mother passed away six years later, having attained to sixty-five years and five months.

George Williamson and his good wife went to live near Stockton, where he worked on a large dairy-farm. In 1881 they moved to Oakdale, Stanislaus County, but three years later they settled in Fresno County, south of Caruthers.

In 1892 they came to Riverdale, and rented and dairied; and seventeen years later, they bought their present place. It is a fine dairy ranch of eighty acres, and has two fine barns and large yards. Their house was unfortunately burned on April 16, 1912: they then built a large modern bungalow, with all up-to-date appointments and conveniences.

Mr. and Mrs. Williamson are the parents of eight children: Simeon Edgar, whose biography and portrait appear elsewhere in this volume, married Alice Hatch, and they had six children; Amy A., who was married in 1902 to Donald Esrey, died in 1913 and left three children — Amy L., Donald S. and Douglas W.: Jesse F., a rancher southwest of Riverdale, married Theresa Taylor, and they have five children — Claude, Lloyd, Ruth, Pauline and James; George Freeman died in 1882, aged sixteen months: Leslie A. is at home, unmarried, as is also Ethel; while Raymond C. and Gordon F. both served in the army. Raymond C. was in the Twelfth Infantry, and did clerical work in a statistical bureau of the War Department, before the war he was manager of the Riverdale Mercantile Company. Gordon F. served in the cavalry at Camp Joseph Johnson in Florida; before entering the service, he was employed by the Oakland Meat Company, and now he breaks horses for the government. He is a Rough Rider in the true sense of the word, being an expert "bronco buster," and has given exhibitions at fairs and carnivals. He gave an exhibition at Salinas in June, 1918, and another at the district fair at Fresno, the same year. Owing to his excellent daredevil work at Salinas he received the title of "The Pride of Salinas."

George F. Williamson made four trips back to the East. The first was in 1859, when he went to New York by way of Panama, and returned in 1861 by the same route. He later made three different trips overland to Texas, traveling in 1869 by the Southern Route through Arizona, and returning that season by the same route. In 1870 he went to Texas with another band of horses, and that time he took the Northern or Salt Lake Route. And in 1871 he went to the Lone Star State again, and once more journeyed by way of Salt Lake.

An honored pioneer, he was followed to his grave on the 14th day of July, 1919, by a large concourse of friends and neighbors, and his remains were interred in the Washington Cemetery. Few men have had more or better friends.