Yolo-El Dorado-Sacramento County CA Archives Biographies.....Clanton, Drewry Robert 1831 - ************************************************ 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 December 9, 2005, 5:53 pm Author: Tom Gregory DREWRY ROBERT CLANTON One of Yolo county's earliest settlers is D. R. Clanton, whose life record indicates his exceptional business sagacity and his inflexible determination to overcome all obstacles that arose to thwart his plans. He was born January 24, 1831, in Montgomery county, Mo., but early in life accompanied his parents to near Quincy, Adams county, Ill., where he grew to manhood, receiving his education in the country schools of that locality. His father, John M. Clanton, was a native of Tennessee; his mother, Mary (Griggs) Clanton, was a Kentuckian. In 1850 Drewry R. Clanton came to California, making the trip across the plains with mule teams and wagons. He arrived in the vicinity of Hangtown after a six months journey and thereafter spent a short time in the mines. Following this experience he engaged in freighting from Sacramento to Forest Hill for eighteen months. It was while on a trip through this country for the purpose of buying work oxen that he saw the great possibilities of Yolo county and in 1853 he took up land here. In the fall of that year his parents joined him, settling upon land which their son had homesteaded and given to them. There they carried on a general farming and stock business with great success. The mother died in 1867, the father remaining on the farm until his retirement in Woodland, where he died at the age of eighty-four. Drewry Clanton, upon his arrival in California, faced his new life penniless and weary after his long, hard journey across the plains. Selling for a song the faithful rifle which had served him so well during his trip, his next step was to order the first "square meal" he had enjoyed for many a day. As stated above, in 1853 he homesteaded eighty acres in Yolo county about a mile and one-half north of Woodland, choosing barley as his first crop. When his parents arrived he turned this land over to them and he and his two brothers filed on a section of land, sharing equally. In conformance with the law each erected a dwelling, Drewry's proving superior to those of his brothers. The father lost his land later, owing to the fact that it was a part of a Spanish grant. His son Drewry, however, proved equal to the occasion and, presenting his new home to his father, himself took up his abode near the mountains upon a ranch of twenty-two hundred acres which he had recently acquired. Here he entered the stock business, meeting with success, his herd at times reaching the five-hundred mark. Later, upon disposing of his foothill ranch, he purchased a half section from his brothers, added to this a quarter section, and also purchased one hundred and sixty acres of his father, the same land he had given him, paying him $14,000 for the quarter section. These transactions made D. E. Clanton the owner of a section of valuable land near Woodland. Later he sold three hundred and twenty acres for the Briggs orchard and the balance is in sugar beets and all under irrigation. The following incident is one which Mr. Clanton has often related and is still fresh in the minds of those who witnessed it: Accompanied by David Hayes, Mr. Clanton started in 1862 for San Francisco, driving before him ninety-five head of cattle. Last, but not least, in the party was a horse, Henry, which had more than once displayed great intelligence and which upon this occasion lived up to his record. Their route lay via Benicia and Oakland Ferry and after a tedious journey they reached their destination on a Sabbath day. Since no cattle were allowed upon the streets of San Francisco on Sunday, Mr. Clanton found himself in a quandary as to how he might take his herd to the corral which awaited them. At last he hit upon a plan and while his sagacious horse drove the cattle, he led the cavalcade, diverting suspicion from himself as the owner of the pilgrims by strolling on the sidewalk. Several policemen endeavored to interfere with the progress of the party, but the clever horse, by means of his well-aimed kicks, succeeded in routing them. For this herd Mr. Clanton secured $50 each and upon his return to his home resumed his busy life with continued success. Upon the sale of half his land in 1882 he purchased of Wilcox & Ferris a portion of the Jesus Maria grant, making a deposit of $44,000, with the understanding that he might pay the remainder later at seven per cent, interest. The sellers, however, increased the interest to ten per cent, and in sundry ways succeeded in baffling Mr. Clanton's efforts to borrow for less than that rate the money with which to complete the deal. After much trouble and worry Mr. Clanton finally raised $126,000, having been assisted by Dr. H. P. Merritt and other friends, and six weeks thereafter made the last payment upon the land. Early in his career, on June 7, 1868, Mr. Clanton was married to Margaret Smith, a native of Harrison county, Mo. Her father, William Reese Smith, came across the plains to California but did not long survive the journey, dying of mountain fever in 1850, in Placer county, Cal. His wife, who in maidenhood was Julia Hart, after his death was married in Missouri to Jacob Hayes and with him came across the plains to Oregon in 1865. The Indians were very troublesome, but notwithstanding this the party came through all right. In 1866 Mr. and Mrs. Hayes took up their residence in Yolo county, and here the latter made her home until her death, at the age of eighty-two. Mr. and Mrs. Clanton were blessed with six children: Mary Ada, Mrs. E. Streeter, died leaving three children, Edward, Gladys and Keith, who were reared by their grandparents; Irene, Mrs. A. W. Fox, has one child, Verna; Laura, Mrs. W. T. Criteser, has a son, Darwin C.; Elma, Mrs. J. Beers, resides in Sacramento; Claudie, Mrs. F. E. Meed, died leaving one child, Margaret M., who is also being reared by her grandparents; Clarence is a rancher of Yolo county. Since 1878 Mr. Clanton has made his home at No. 211 Pendegast street, Woodland, where he has a comfortable residence on four acres of ground. Mr. Clanton is past noble grand of Woodland Lodge No. 111, I. O. O. F., having been a member of the order for many years. In the twilight of his life he enjoys the best recompense earth can offer—the consciousness of duty well done. 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/clanton126nbs.txt This file has been created by a form at http://www.genrecords.net/cafiles/ File size: 7.2 Kb