Yolo-Solano-Colusa County CA Archives Biographies.....Boots, William A. 1847 - ************************************************ 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@yahoo.com January 14, 2006, 12:57 pm Author: Tom Gregory (1913) WILLIAM A. BOOTS A citizen of Yolo county since the end of the year 1870, William A. Boots was born in Indianapolis, Ind., January 21, 1847, a son of Jacob and Mary (Bowles) Boots. His father was born near Frankfort, Ky., became a farmer in Indiana, and died at Indianapolis, Ind., in 1861. Mary Bowles, born near Lexington Ky., came to California to spend her declining years and died at the home of her son William, aged seventy-eight. She bore her husband six sons and four daughters. Three of the former and two of the latter are living. Of these children William was fifth in order of nativity. He was brought up as a farmer's boy, and obtained in the public school near his boyhood home such education as was available to him. In 1863 the family moved to Charleston, Coles county, Ill., where Mrs. Boots bought a farm which they worked till 1870, when they came to Yolo county, Cal. Locating in Hungry Hollow, they farmed there two years. In 1872 Mr. Boots moved to Woodland and built the first house on Fifth Street, before the street had legally been laid out. That has been Mr. Boots' home ever since except during twelve months spent in Washington. He has given his time to house-moving and to farming. As a farmer, he is perhaps as well known as any in the county. His farming has all been done in the vicinity of Woodland, where it would not materially interfere with his more important occupation. It is often said of him that he has moved more buildings than any other man in Yolo county, and he has also done house-moving in Solano, Colusa, Glenn and Sacramento counties. His equipment for handling structures, large and small, of all classes is unsurpassed in completeness and efficiency by that of any other house-mover in the county. In Coles county, Ill., Mr. Boots married Miss Cordelia Wan, who died in Woodland, leaving four children, all of whom are living: Dora (Mrs. Moe), Jessie (Mrs. Clary), Ollie (Mrs. Davis) and Lottie (Mrs. Henigan) all of Woodland. Mr. Boots' second wife was Miss Ellen Henigan, of Woodland, but a native of New York state. Three children were born of this union. Albert died at the age of twelve years and those living are Lela and Arthur. A Republican, Mr. Boots was for four years an efficient and well appreciated member of the board of trustees of Woodland. Officially and as a private citizen, he has demonstrated a helpful public spirit of which any man might well be proud. In religion he is a member of the Baptist Church. Socially he is a member of the Fraternal Brotherhood and of the lodge and encampment of the Independent Order of Odd Fellows in Woodland. Additional Comments: Extracted from HISTORY OF YOLO COUNTY CALIFORNIA WITH Biographical Sketches OF The Leading Men and Women of the County Who Have Been Identified With Its Growth and Development From the Early Days to the Present HISTORY BY TOM GREGORY AND OTHER WELL KNOWN WRITERS ILLUSTRATED COMPLETE IN ONE VOLUME HISTORIC RECORD COMPANY LOS ANGELES, CALIFORNIA [1913] File at: http://files.usgwarchives.net/ca/yolo/bios/boots165gbs.txt This file has been created by a form at http://www.genrecords.org/cafiles/ File size: 3.6 Kb