Yolo County CA Archives Biographies.....Gilliam, J. W. 1837 - 
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Joy Fisher sdgenweb@yahoo.com February 23, 2006, 12:04 am

Author: Tom Gregory (1913)

J. W. GILLIAM

    The descendant of southern ancestors, J. W. Gilliam was also a native of the
south, born in Maeon county, Tenn., October 5, 1837, the son of Taylor G. and
Mary (Meddor) Gilliam, both natives of Virginia. He was about eight years of age
when the family removed to St. Clair county, Mo., and it was there that he was
educated in pioneer schools. Later, in 1856, he removed with T. T. Barnes and
family to California across the plains. The train consisted of six wagons under
the command of Capt. Robert McCloud, and one of the ox-teams was driven by young
Gilliam. The party reached the Sacramento valley in safety and then broke up,
each family choosing a location of its own. During his early days in the west
Mr. Gilliam engaged in farming with his brother-in-law, T. T. Barnes, but upon
reaching the age of twenty-one he located on the ranch which he owns and
occupies near Winters. He became the owner of the property in 1860 and in the
years that have followed he has made many improvements.

    In 1872 Mr. Gilliam was married to Miss Mary A. Howard, who was born in
Cooper county, Mo., the daughter of Seth Howard, who brought the family across
the plains in 1868 and settled on a farm near Madison. Five children were born
to Mr. and Mrs. Gilliam, as follows: Mary Emma, Frances Luraney, Mildred Eudora,
D. Howard and John William. Mary married L. E. Neel and they with their son,
Dewey H., reside near Vacaville; D. Howard married Ethel Archer and they live on
their Yolo county farm with their children, Leona L., Mary C. and John A.
Remembering his own meager advantages for receiving an education Mr. Gilliam has
seen to it that his children have had the benefit of the best advantages for him
to give them and all have been pupils in the grammar and high schools of the-
neighborhood. Mary E. received further advantages at the San Jose state normal
school; Frances is a graduate of Hesperian College of Woodland; Mildred E. and
D. Howard are graduates of the Esparto high school; and John W. graduated from
the University of California with the degrees of B. S. and C. E. He has been in
the employ of the Southern Pacific Railroad Company as a civil engineer for the
last three years. His marriage united him with Hulda Blanton, of Cohasset, Cal.,
who was a graduate of the Chico normal school and a successful teacher for many
years.

    Since settling on his present ranch of two hundred and sixty acres near
Winters Mr. Gilliam has sought to bring the tract to the highest state of
cultivation, and now has twenty acres of fig trees, also a grove of almonds, and
to carry on the work of the ranch he keeps sixteen head of horses and mules.

    Coming to this coast when the mountains were filled with wild game Mr.
Gilliam became quite a hunter in the early days. Bear and deer furnished the
sport he sought and once from the former quarry he had a narrow escape. While
deer hunting he came in close contact with a female grizzly with cubs. She was
enraged and followed him into a tree and out upon a limb. Mr. Gilliam had a
hair-trigger gun with him which went off by accident. The old grizzly became
frightened and slid down the tree, none too soon for the comfort of Mr. Gilliam,
who had been within a few feet only of the enraged animal. Gathering her
frightened cubs around her she limped off into the thicket and the bold hunter
climbed out of the tree and hurried to camp. Mr. Gilliam was a trustee of
schools for many years and both himself and wife are members of the Christian
Church at Madison, he being one of the oldest members of that organization.


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]


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