Sonoma-Sacramento-El Dorado County CA Archives Biographies.....Carriger, Nicholas 1816 - 
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Joy Fisher sdgenweb@yahoo.com March 3, 2006, 6:44 pm

Author: Alley, Bowen & Co. (1880)

Carriger, Nicholas. Whose portrait appears in this work, is one of the
patriarchs of Sonoma valley, and was born in Carter county, Tennessee, March 30,
1816, where he remained, attending school and working in a flour mill and
distillery, until he reached the age of nineteen years, when he volunteered into
the First Regiment of Tennessee Mounted Volunteers, Captain J. Powell's company,
being mustered into service by General John E. Wood, of the United States army,
at Athens, Tennessee. This was on June 26, 1835, receiving an honorable
discharge therefrom one year after. He then went into the iron manufacturing
business on his father's property in his native county, where he continued until
November, 1840, then emigrating to Warren county, Missouri, where he engaged in
the stemming of tobacco and other affairs. He then moved to Jackson county,
Missouri, and remained in employment there for one year, when he transferred his
field to Buchanan, and then to Holt and Andrew counties, finally settling at
Round Prairie, where he took up a quarter-section of land, fenced it, entered
into the cultivation of hemp, tobacco and cereals, and there remained until
1846, when he once more was on the move. On April 27th of the above year the
subject of this sketch started from Round Prairie for California, and was joined
at Oregon City, Holt county, by Captain Grieg, their number being further
augmented on the journey by the addition of Major Cooper, the Indian agent at
Council Bluffs. This is the same Major Cooper who is now a resident of Colusa
county, and was Judge of the Court of First Instance for the district of Sonoma
in 1848, a gentleman well known in Solano county. With Mr. Carriger were his
parents; only his mother, however, survived the voyage, his father having died
when crossing the Sierra Nevadas. We make the following extract from a diary
kept in the family during their journey: "21st September, 1846.—We struck the
mountains. Distressing bad road; eight miles to the high California mountains,
and got eight wagons up. 22d.—Made a roller and fastened chains together and
pulled the wagons, with thirty-two yoke of oxen at the bottom and twenty-five at
the top. 23d.—Hauling wagons. 24th.— Traveled eight miles to the lake;
distressing bad road. 25th.—Laid by. 26th.—Christian Carriger died, the father
of the subject of this sketch. On the same day, Joseph Wardlow's wife died. On
the same day, Mr. N. Carriger's daughter Catherine was born." Such is the sad
story of endurance and suffering told in honest and simple words, that appeal to
sympathy far more forcibly than if clothed in the most affecting imagery. The
first place at which this emigrant band arrived in California was Johnson's
Ranch on Bear river, the stream being ferried at the spot now known as Fremont,
situated at the mouth of the Feather river. Their place of destination was
Sonoma, and the route lay by William Gordon's, now in Yolo county, John R.
Wolfskill's on Putah creek, Solano's Rancherie at Rockville, George Yount's in
Napa, where they halted a few days, and thence by Spanish trail into the valley
of their hopes or fears. At the time of Mr. Carriger's arrival, all the young
and able bodied men had joined Fremont; indeed, on the route it was no uncommon
event for the younger male emigrants to flock to the standard of the Pathfinder.
On his arrival, therefore, he was not to be behindhand, and as all available
soldiers had been dispatched to join the gallant colonel and his California
battalion, our newcomer entered the ranks of the navy, a company of which were
then quartered at Sonoma under Lieutenant Revere. Mr. Carriger served in this
branch of the service under Lieutenant Maury, who succeeded Revere, and after
being with them for some months, finally got his honorable discharge from
Captain John B. Hull, United States navy, in March, 1847. It should be mentioned
that, during his term of service, Mr. Carriger, in the ordinary routine of duty,
carried the mail on horseback between Sonoma and San Rafael, and was also
present on duty when the stones placed at the boundaries of the city of Benicia
were put into position by Doctor Robert Semple. In 1848, when the whole world
was set wild with the news of the discovery of gold in California, Mr. Carriger
was one of the first to leave for the mines to try his luck. He started in
company with Joseph Wardlow, Elias Graham, Henry Thornton and others, for Mormon
Island, and there found certain Mormons before them, who claimed all the land
and the right to mine there, by priority of residence. The difficulty was,
however, soon overcome by their being allowed to prosecute their work beyond a
certain limit, and there, having been successful, they constructed a skin boat,
and crossing the stream proceeded to the south fork of the American river,
staying there eleven days, when intelligence was received that the Spaniards and
Indians had broken out into open rebellion in Sonoma; he therefore at once
repaired thither, to look after his family, and was the first to return from the
mines with dust to that city or valley. In this year Mr. Carriger removed his
family to Coloma, where the precious metal was first discovered, but he only
kept them there for six weeks. He was the lucky discoverer of the Northern
Kelsey and Auburn mines, and was, with his associates, the first to find gold in
the Auburn district. We next find our hero prospecting on Sutter creek, but they
soon had to leave the vicinity on account of Indians, who had become
troublesome, they therefore proceeded high up the middle fork of the American
river, where they came across very rich diggings, three men in one day taking
out as much as fifteen pounds weight of gold. A serious accident now
necessitated his leaving the mines, when he returned to Sonoma. In March, 1849,
taking several Sonoma Indians with him, he returned to the mines at Auburn, and
met those aboriginals who were implicated in the death of Mr. Hollingsworth and
a preacher in Oregon, they at once gave chase, and not one escaped. When caught
they were tried, found guilty and hanged to a limb close by on Bear river. At
Auburn Mr. Carriger was fairly successful. He next went to Bear river and
pursued his mining at Steep Hollow, and ultimately returned to Sonoma in 1849.
In 1850 he took a drove of cattle to Trinity county, the party being composed of
Mr. Carriger, his two brothers, Solomon and Caleb, and Dr. Storer, with eleven
Indians; remained there until June, when he came back to Sonoma, and has since
resided on his ranch, about three miles to the west of the town. Much of Mr.
Carriger's reminiscences are a portion of the county history, these therefore
will be found in that part of this work. A more genial friend, hospitable host,
or upright man does not exist than Nick Carriger. He married, September 29,
1842, in Andrew county, Missouri, Mary Ann Wardlow, a native of Highland county,
Ohio, by whom he has Elizabeth Jane, born July 28, 1843, married to Otto
Schetter, of Sonoma; Louisa, born January 22, 1845, married to L. L. Lewis, of
Sacramento; David W., born December 20,1847; Albert Boggs, born February 13,
1850; Louisa L., born January 23, 1852, married to M. Powell of Mark West; Eva
N., born March 13, 1854, married to C. A. Tufts, of Sacramento; William W., born
August 25, 1857; Emma, born July 8, 1858, married John Carriger, of Kansas;
Solomon H., born May 11, 1862; and two deceased, Sarah Catherine, born in the
Sierra Nevadas, September 26, 1846, died December of the same year, and John,
born February 11, 1856, died September 5, 1857.

Additional Comments:
Sonoma Township

Extracted from:

HISTORY
—OF-
SONOMA COUNTY,
-INCLUDING ITS—
Geology, Topooraphy, Mountains, Valleys and Streams;
—TOGETHER WITH—
A Full and Particular Record of the Spanish Grants; Its Early History and
Settlement, Compiled from the Most Authentic Sources; the Names of Original
Spanish and American Pioneers; a full Political History, Comprising the Tabular
Statements of Elections and Office-holders since the Formation of the County;
Separate Histories of each Township, Showing the Advancement of Grape and Grain
 Growing Interests, and Pisciculture;
ALSO, INCIDENTS OF PIONEER LIFE; THE RAISING OF THE BEAR FLAG; AND BIOGRAPHICAL
SKETCHES OF EARLY AND PROMINENT SETTLERS AND REPRESENTATIVE MEN;
—AND OF ITS—
Cities, Towns, Churches, Schools, Secret Societies, Etc., Etc.
ILLUSTRATED.
SAN FRANCISCO:
ALLEY, BOWEN & CO., PUBLISHERS.
1880.


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