Amador-San Francisco-Marin County CA Archives Biographies.....Minnear, A. P. (and Sons) 1828 - ************************************************ Copyright. All rights reserved. http://www.usgwarchives.net/copyright.htm http://www.usgwarchives.net/ca/cafiles.htm ************************************************ File contributed for use in USGenWeb Archives by: Joy Fisher sdgenweb@yahoo.com February 22, 2007, 5:23 pm Author: Lewis Publishing Co. (1891) A. P. MINEAR & SONS.-Mr. Minear was born March 10, 1828, at Saint George, at that time Randolph County, Virginia, left his home (which had then belonged to the family for more than a hundred years, and is still held by them) for California and arrived in San Francisco March 26, 1850. He first engaged in grading lots on Clark's Point in that city, and continued in that business for about one year; then until May, 1854, he manufactured lumber for a San Francisco company, composed of three men, with headquarters at Bolinas in Marin County. The company then failed. One ran away to Mexico, one died, and nothing could be made out of the third. At this time the company owed Minear $40,000, which he sued for, attached the company's property, got judgment by confession for $30,000 and collected the money. Besides this debt, Minear had expended about as much more sawing and peeling logs, making roads, and getting ready for another summer's work. This was a great loss to Minear, but he closed business, paid his debts, and had but little money left. In the meantime he had sent to Iowa for his brother-in-law, Henry M. Stemple, and sister, Eliza, his wife, to come to California, bought and gave them a farm of 600 acres of fine land, at Tomales, in Marin County, which the family still own and live on; and after he wound up his business at Bolinas he went to Rainier, Oregon, on the left bank of the Columbia, where he met Miss Lucretia M. Moody, of Illinois, and February 28, 1856, they were married. They have had six children, four of whom are living; three of these are married: Clara C. married Colonel E. C. Boudinot, April 16, 1885, and they live at Fort Smith, Arkansas. Mr. Boudinot is a prominent lawyer of the South. John I. married Eva D. Minear, of Iowa. They have one child, born May 22, 1888, named Asby Pool; M. married Ward P. Winchell, a Lieutenant Engineer in the United States Navy, January 3, 1889, and they have one child, born July 23, 1890, whom they have named Dorothy Colonna. After his marriage Mr. Minear moved to California, but returned to Oregon the same year, and entered into the mercantile business, in connection with lumbering, built and rebuilt one steam saw-mill three times in one year, as it was burned down as often; also one water saw-mill, which was burnt up the same year. His loss that year in saw-mills alone was not less than $40,000; but so great was his trade that he rapidly recovered. All went well until 1862, when the big flood of the Columbia River ruined nearly all the farms along the river. Mr. Minear lost $30,000 to $40,000. Determining then to change base again, he took ox teams and went further up the river (to the Dalles) and contracted to furnish cord-wood to the river steamboats, out of which he made $10,000 in six months. This was in 1862. The ensuing winter he put his oxen, about seventy-five head, in charge of an Indian chief, who returned them all in fine condition the next spring. He hauled wood until June, 1863, when he loaded his twelve big ox teams with miners' supplies for Idaho, arriving at Placerville November 3, 1863, in a terrific snow storm. There was no feed in the country, and his cattle nearly went crazy before he could get them out. He made $19,000 on this trip. In the spring of 1864 he finished his wood contract, bought a fine stamp quartz-mill, loaded it on his teams with a good supply of provision for his own use, all that twelve big teams could pull with six to eight yokes of oxen to each wagon. In short the whole outfit belonged to Mr. Minear; besides he had about $35,000 in money. By the end of the next year all was gone, and he was $40,000 in debt! That is one of the dark sides of mining. In 1868 he left Idaho to join his wife and children at San Jose, where the children were going to school;but, as the combined capital of both himself and his wife was at that time only seventy-five cents, he could not long reman [sic] idle. Borrowing $50 he moved to San Francisco, but meantime all their clothing was destroyed by fire! but it was not long until he got the appointment as superintendent of three companies in Idaho, each at a salary of $300 a month, and very soon after he was elected superintendent of five other companies, with total salary of $2,650 a month; and in less than twelve months after his and his family's clothing was burnt up he had made $85,000! He continued in business until he had accumulated nearly half a million dollars. Then he went East, got into railroad speculation,-new and deep water,-and again his money went! It seems never to have been any trouble for him to make money out of mines, and just as easy to lose it in something else. He made $150,000 out of Arizona mines in one summer. He again tried Idaho, but this time on Wood River among the lead and silver mines; took in a large concentrating plant, spent about $75,000, and, like most of the big operators in that section, failed. The ore was of too low grade as a rule to stand the high railroad charges; besides, the ore does not extend to a great depth. Mr. Minear then bought the Amador gold mine for $20,000, and after spending on it about $300,000 of his own and others' money, under the immediate direction of his son, John I. as superintendent. A. P. as he is familiarly called, went to London and sold the property for $1,250,000, part cash and part stock. It was organized in London under the name of "Amador Gold Mine, Limited." It continued John I. Minear as its superintendent, at $500 a month, who is now in charge of the property and enjoys a fine reputation as a mining and business man. The younger brother, W. C., has charge of the machinery for John I., but is now in partnership with Jo. Catlow in southern Oregon, raising fine horses. From the Idaho Weekly Avalanche of August 31, 1889, we learn that Mr. Minear built the first telegraph line through that Territory from the State of Nevada to Washington Territory, 500 to 600 miles long, at a time when everything was expensive. It cost about $100, 000. Many of the old residents of Silver remember the procession of five or six hundred strong, with three bands of music made up of all classes of people and headed by the governor of the Territory, who all marched out on the road three miles to meet Minear on his arrival from San Francisco, at the opening of telegraph communication with the outside world. Mr. A. P. Minear has bought some mining property in Julian Mining district, San Diego County, and has gone down to open them up. He took down a quartz-mill, saw-mill and his own team, with a good supply of everything necessary to open and carry on a big mining enterprise; and it is his intention to have his two sons with him if he can, John to act as superintendent and W. C. as machinist. The elder Minear has always been a "rustler," and his children are like him in that respect. The greater the task before him, the greater the effort put forth to overcome difficulties. He and his sons do not smoke or drink, taking their pleasure in their work. The Minears are numerous in Ohio and West Virginia, and are to be found in many parts of the West. They are a hardy, industrious, long-lived people. A. P. Minear has been a Master Mason for many years. John I. is a Royal Arch Mason. Additional Comments: Extracted from Memorial and Biographical History of Northern California. Illustrated, Containing a History of this Important Section of the Pacific Coast from the Earliest Period of its Occupancy to the Present Time, together with Glimpses of its Prospective Future; Full-Page Steel Portraits of its most Eminent Men, and Biographical Mention of many of its Pioneers and also of Prominent Citizens of To-day. "A people that takes no pride in the noble achievements of remote ancestors will never achieve anything worthy to be remembered with pride by remote descendents." – Macauley. CHICAGO THE LEWIS PUBLISHING COMPANY 1891. File at: http://files.usgwarchives.net/ca/amador/bios/minnear885bs.txt This file has been created by a form at http://www.poppet.org/cafiles/ File size: 8.5 Kb