Sonoma-Amador-Nevada County CA Archives Biographies.....Rule, John 1818 - 1870
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Joy Fisher sdgenweb@yahoo.com February 28, 2006, 4:55 pm

Author: Alley, Bowen & Co. (1880)

Rule, John (deceased). Whose portrait appears in this work, was born in
Cornwall, England, February 6, 1818. He resided in his native land till 1841,
when he emigrated to the United States, sojourned a year in Pennsylvania, and
then settled in Missouri, where he was married October 25, 1844, to Elizabeth,
daughter of Thomas and Hannah Cook Craddock, in Madison county. Here he resided
during the next two years, and was engaged in various mining interests in the
lead and copper mines of that State. In 1866, [sic] with his family, he removed
to Grant county, Wisconsin, and invested quite extensively in the lead mines,
near Galena, Illinois, and here he followed mining till the Spring of 1852, when
the California "fever" induced him to seek his fortune in the far-off land of
gold. After a tedious journey of five months across the plains, he arrived at
Volcano, Amador county. Here he spent a year in mining, and then tried his hand
at the same business in Grass Valley for another year. In April, 1854, he moved
to Brown's Valley, Yuba county. Here he followed mining and hotel keeping till
1861. The next five years he did a varied and extensive business in Virginia,
Nevada, in mining, quartz-crushing and teaming. Then San Francisco was his home
till he purchased the farm in Sonoma county, on which his family now live. Here
he erected an extensive steam saw-mill, its capacity being forty thousand feet
of lumber per day. The land he purchased—forty-five thousand acres— being well
timbered, was estimated to contain timber enough to keep his saw-mill running
twenty years. He was greatly interested in the progress and prosperity of his
neighborhood, and had obtained a franchise from the State to bridge Russian
river, an enterprise in which he was greatly interested. But, alas! how little
we know of the future. In the midst of plans and enterprises, business called
him to his former home, Virginia City, never to return. He died there, April 15,
1870. His death was a sad loss, not only to his family, but felt by all the
community. It left many enterprises that would have benefitted the county and
State unfinished. Mr. Rule was a man of no ordinary business capacity and
energy, and always made his presence known in enterprises that benefitted the
neighborhood in which he lived. In July, 1870, his family came and settled on
his estate in Sonoma county. His widow, Mrs. Rule, has, since her husband's
death, in the main had charge of the estate, and has shown herself a lady of
fine executive abilities in its management. She has conducted a large dairying
and stock-raising business; also, an extensive wood business, shipping about
four thousand cords annually. Mrs. Rule was born February 22, 1822, in Madison
county, Missouri. She has six children now living: John Richard, born January
31, 1847; Hannah Josephine, born June 8, 1851; Edward James, born December 25,
1854; Nannie Augustie, born March 27, 1858; William Johnson, born May 24,1861;
Charles Henry Stone, born October 24, 1863; Elizabeth Jane, September 5, 1845;
died February 22, 1854; Thomas Johnson, born August 4, 1848; died June 24, 1853;
Thomas Craddock, born September 6, 1853 ; died November 8, 1853.

Additional Comments:
Ocean 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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