Contra Costa-Napa County CA Archives Biographies.....Byer, John Richard 1834 - 
************************************************
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@gmail.com November 25, 2005, 6:43 pm

Author: W. A. Slocum & Co., Publishers (1882)

JOHN RICHARD BYER.—Was born in Alleghany county, Virginia, January 9, 1834. His
mother died when he was about five years old, and he went to live with his
grandmother, who resided near Natural Bridge, Virginia. When between seven and
eight years of age, his father married a second time and with him went to live
in Alleghany county. At the age of fifteen, his step-mother complained that he
had not been sent to school, and, a disagreement arising, she undertook to whip
him: .he strongly objected to being chastised, and he shortly after made up his
mind to leave home and seek some employment. This he did, and with a younger
brother started westward, first staying at Fayette, where he went to work on a
farm belonging to Dr. Joseph Prior, the Sheriff of Fayette county; having
remained there seven months, he, with his brother, started to join an elder
brother in Macoupin county, Illinois; but, to their grief and surprise, were
apprised of his death from cholera a few months previously. He there lived with
one Daniel Dick, paying for his board out of his earnings. During the Winter he
attended school, while in the Summer time he worked on a farm. He was engaged
for three Summers by Lisbe Smith, who, at the end of that time, wanted him to
contract for a year's labor. This he declined, having resolved to farm on his
own account and go into house-keeping with a life-partner, but on applying to
the Clerk for a marriage license, was refused on account of being but twenty
years of age. He then went to St. Louis, Missouri, and was there married. After
the ceremony, he bought eighty acres of wild land, engaged in farming, but
suffering from ill health, sold out and started for California. He was detained,
however, on account of an attack of measles, and stayed at Mount Olive, Mills
county, Iowa, where, liking the country so well, he rented a farm of twenty-five
acres, and afterwards a larger one. Here he suffered from an attack of
erysipelas, which laid him up all the Winter. In the Spring of 1863, he joined a
train, comprised of twenty-six wagons, for California. Most of the people were
from Macoupin county, and after a trip of three months, arrived at Elk Grove,
Sacramento county, where our subject resided and afterwards in Napa. In the
latter county he was employed to harvest two hundred acres, made good wages, and
in the Fall rented a part of the farm, and after a lapse of two years returned
home, starting from San Francisco September 20, 1866, and arriving at Chicago
October 23rd. On the following day he arrived at his old home in Macoupin
county, and finding the climatic change so great from that of California decided
to return, and on the 7th March of the following year, left Girard for New York,
via Cleveland. On April 1st, he arrived in Napa City and located on a farm of
two hundred acres on the Big Ranch. Not meeting with success, on account of the
wet Winters of 1868-9, he moved to Contra Costa county, and bought one hundred
and fifty-eight acres of land near the mouth of Marsh creek, and rented a half
section on the Marsh Grant, where he engaged in farming. In 1870-71, Mr. Byer
met with reverses, but in 1872 had very large crops, rented some more land and
sowed more wheat. In 1875, he sold his land on the creek and bought one hundred
and sixty acres on the plains, two miles northwest of Brentwood. Here he
continued to farm, and, being successful, was enabled to purchase the farm now
occupied by him, comprising three hundred and twenty acres, where he is at
present engaged in farming and fruit-growing. We are sorry to state that Mr.
Byer has not enjoyed good health since he settled on the then swamps of
Illinois. It is gratifying to know that this gentleman has a great antipathy to
whisky and gambling and visiting saloons; hence, independent of his ill-health,
he has managed to gain for himself and family a reputation to be proud of. Mr.
Byer was married in St. Louis, May 17, 1854, L. E. Boggess, a native of
Illinois. By this union there are: Flora E., Allison E., Mary M., Lizzie,
Georgiana and Martha. One is deceased—Louis.

Additional Comments:
Extracted from:

HISTORY OF CONTRA COSTA COUNTY,
CALIFORNIA,
INCLUDING ITS GEOGRAPHY, GEOLOGY, TOPOGRAPHY, CLIMATOGRAPHY AND DESCRIPTION;
TOGETHER WITH A RECORD OF THE MEXICAN GRANTS; THE BEAR FLAG WAR; THE MOUNT
DIABLO COAL FIELDS; THE EARLY HISTORY AND SETTLEMENT, COMPILED FROM THE MOST
AUTHENTIC SOURCES; THE NAMES OF ORIGINAL SPANISH AND MEXICAN PIONEERS; FULL
LEGISLATIVE HISTORY OF THE COUNTY; SEPARATE HISTORY OF EACH TOWNSHIP, SHOWING
THE ADVANCE IN POPULATION AND AGRICULTURE;
ALSO,
Incidents of Pioneer Life; and Biographical Sketches
OF EARLY AND PROMINENT SETTLERS AND REPRESENTATIVE MEN;
AMD OF ITS TOWNS, VILLAGES, CHURCHES, SECRET SOCIETIES, ETC.
ILLUSTRATED.
SAN FRANCISCO: W. A. SLOCUM & CO., PUBLISHERS
1882.

File at: http://files.usgwarchives.net/ca/contracosta/bios/byer30bs.txt

This file has been created by a form at http://www.poppet.org/cafiles/

File size: 5.4 Kb