Calaveras County CA Archives Biographies.....Atwood, Henry "Parson" 1819 - 
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Joy Fisher http://www.genrecords.net/emailregistry/vols/00001.html#0000031 April 28, 2018, 11:19 pm

Source: See below
Author: Lewis Publishing Co.

   HENRY ATWOOD, commonly known as "Parson" Atwood, is one of the earliest and
most successful mining men in Calaveras county. Following is a brief outline of
his life:

   Mr. Atwood was born in the city of Boston, March 15, 1819, son of Zerubbabel
and Nancy (Craft) Atwood, natives of Massachusetts and of English origin. After
finishing his education in the public schools, he commenced clerking in a
dry-goods store, and later went into partnership with a Mr. Bacon as junior
member of the firm of Bacon & Atwood. This firm did business from 1846 to 1849,
when Mr. Atwood started for California on board the brig Tayloe, around Cape
Horn, landing in San Francisco on the 13th of September, 1849. From there they
"warped" up the Sacramento river to the capita], and made for Hangtown, where
they began hunting gold. In 1850 he went to Todd's valley. There he discovered
and named Indian canon, and mined two summers—1850 and 1851-—-with good success.

   In 1852 Mr. Atwood took a train of seventy-two mules to Mormon Station, in
Carson valley, charging 50 cents a pound for the provisions he carried. The
following year he returned to Placerville, intending to go back to Boston, but
instead went to Mokelumne Hill and bought a hotel of John Haley. A year later it
was burned down, and he erected in its stead a fine three-story stone building,
and ran it as a hotel for ten years. It may truthfully be said here that no
better hotel man ever catered to the public than "Parson" Atwood. After leaving
the hotel business he became an owner in the famous copper mines at Campo Seco.
In 1874 he took charge of the Big Tree Hotel, and conducted it till 1876, when
he bought the hotel at Murphy's. The latter he ran until 1881, when he sold out
to Harvey Blood, and came to San Andreas. Two years later he became manager of
the Holbrook House at Grass valley, continuing four years, since which time he
has resided in San Andreas, engaged in mining operations. At present he is
interested in some of the best mines in the county, among which is the Quartz
Glen lode, located in Rich Gulch mining district.

   Mr. Atwood is a man of splendid business ability, and has been very
successful. He is now seventy-three years old, and as well preserved in body and
intellect as a man of forty.


Additional Comments:
Extracted from 

Memorial and Biographical History
Merced, Stanislaus, Calaveras, Tuolumne and Mariposa Counties California

Chicago: The Lewis Publishing Co. 1892


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