Contra Costa-San Francisco County CA Archives Biographies.....Whitney, William E. 1822 - 
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Joy Fisher sdgenweb@yahoo.com November 29, 2005, 6:15 pm

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

WILLIAM E. WHITNEY.—Was born at Thomaston, Knox county, Maine, January 28, 1822.
At fifteen years of age he went to sea, which he followed for two years, and
then returned to his native place. He then served an apprenticeship to the trade
of blacksmith, and continued at that business, as well as farming and burning
lime, until 1849, when, in October of that year he took passage on board the
bark Midas, Captain Jordan, for San Francisco, via Cape Horn, and arrived March
14, 1850, after a voyage of one hundred and sixty-five days. Mr. Whitney
remained in San Francisco one year, during which time he was engaged in grading,
getting out ballast and teaming. He then came to this county, locating at the
foot of Mount Diablo, on the Pacheco grant, where he erected four kilns for
burning lime. This gentleman claims to be the pioneer lime-burner of this State,
and shipped the first lime sold in San Francisco, Sacramento and Stockton. He
met with success in this undertaking, and after a period of seven months sold
out and returned to the East, remaining there about eight years. In 1860 he
returned to California, and engaged in buying and hauling grain with ox-teams
from Alamo and Danville to Antioch and the coal mines. In 1864 he put the first
break-up plow that was ever put on Sherman Island for McKeney and Crosby. In
1865 he engaged in hauling coal and timber on the Pittsburg road, and took a
prominent part in building the railroads from Pittsburg to Somersville mines,
and from Black Diamond to Nortonville in the following year, Mr. Whitney having
done the greater part of the grading. In November, 1868, his family arrived from
Thomaston, and in 1870 he bought a portion of the San Miguel Rancho, and leased
the adjoining lime-rock. He built a limekiln and burned lime in what is called
an old-fashioned kiln. In 1872 he built a patent limekiln on Pacheco creek, and
burned in that kiln one hundred and seventy barrels every twenty-four hours.
After a time he sold out, aod was employed in getting out sand for Taylor and
Bennett and a firm of the name of Newman, to make glass. The lead of sand he
discovered on his lime-rock ranch. Mr. Whitney was married in Maine, to Miss
Sophia Fales, a native of Thomaston, Maine. By this union there were born eight
children, three of whom are living. Their names are: William J., Mary, and
Alice. The second son died in Star City, Nevada, October 24, 1864, aged nineteen
years and ten months; the fourth son died in Concord, Contra Costa county, in
1871, aged eighteen years, eight months and ten days; the other three died in
Thomaston, Maine.

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.



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