Yolo-Contra Costa-Sacramento County CA Archives Biographies.....Hatch, Chester L. ************************************************ 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, 3:41 pm Author: Tom Gregory (1913) CHESTER L. HATCH The American family of Hatch is of Welsh extraction. Two brothers of the name came early to the American colonies. One of them married and was the progenitor of the family, at least this is the statement of one genealogist. Chester L. Hatch, of Woodland, Yolo county, was born in Sacramento, a son of Roscoe G. Hatch and a grandson of Mark Hatch, born in Washington, Me. Grandfather Hatch left the Pine Tree state in September, 1849, on board the bark Gold Hunter and, rounding Cape Horn, landed at San Francisco in March, 1850. By trade a contractor and builder, he entered the employ of the United States government at barrack building at Benicia and elsewhere in California, but after a time went to Slate creek to try his luck as a miner, making the journey on horseback. On the return trip to Maine in 1852, he took passage on a vessel bound for the Isthmus, but in the course of the voyage the craft was wrecked. However, Grandfather Hatch and others were saved, but were sequestered on an island in mid-ocean, from which they were eventually rescued. He was taken to Panama, whence he was soon able to return home. He wanted to return to California, but his wife could not reconcile herself to moving so far from her native Maine. He had a farm and bought a store which he operated till 1857, when he sold out and came to California by way of Panama, locating at Jenny Lind, Calaveras county. There Mr. Hatch bought a farm, on which, in 1859, he was joined by his son, Roscoe G. Meanwhile Grandfather Hatch continued contracting and building. His first wife having died in Maine, he married Eliza Herold in 1861 and was soon after joined by the remainder of his family. He lived at Virginia City, Nev., in 1863 and 1864, then came back to Calaveras county. In 1867 he moved to Sacramento, where he was employed as a foreman of railroad carpenters till he died, aged sixty-six years. Roscoe G. Hatch was born in Noblesboro, Me., August 8, 1841, but was reared at Bangor and Charleston, Me., where he attended the public school and the local academy until he was seventeen years old. In 1859 he came to the Pacific coast by way of the isthmus, landing at San Francisco, from the old boat Sonora, March 2. He came to Calaveras county and ranched two years in the vicinity of Jenny Lind. During the next two years he was employed by the Table Mountain Water Company, then he bought an interest in the Bunty claim and constructed a tunnel and mined there with success for five years. After that he went to Sacramento, in 1866, and engaged in the grocery trade on J street. He sold out two years later, however, and was for five years employed in carpentering in railroad construction and repairs. His next venture was the purchase of a ranch at Latrobe, Eldorado county, which he devoted to grapes, horticulture, farming and stock-raising. This ranch he sold ten years later, and in 1882 he bought property in Woodland, where he brought his family in 1883. As a contractor and builder he has been actively engaged in building and has erected many residences in Woodland and vicinity. Associated with Chester L. Hatch, he has built several houses which he still owns. November 3, 1871, Roscoe G. Hatch married Miss Lois Olds, born in Iowa county, Wis. Her father, Chester Olds, died in Wisconsin and her mother, Lovisa (Pettygrove) Olds, brought the children to the father, who with the brothers-in-law, Louis and Cheeney Olds, were pioneers at Plainfield, Yolo county. Roscoe G. and Lois (Olds) Hatch had three children: Chester L., Howard M., of Stockton, Cal., and Elmer E., of Woodland. In Woodland, Chester L. Hatch was reared, receiving his education in the public school, Hesperian College and the Woodland Business College. He learned the carpenter's trade, then studied architecture with Seth Babon in San Francisco. After contracting and building for some years, he accepted a position as tallyman for the Port Costa Lumber Company at Vallejo Junction. Later he became secretary of the Retail Lumber Dealers' Association of San Francisco. Afterward he was for three years manager of the Sierra Lumber Company at Corning. Resigning, he bought a sawmill at Log Spring Ridge, Tehama county, where he manufactured lumber three years, selling out to accept a position with the Diamond Match Company. He was a year in the principal office of the concern, then was for two years manager of its yard at Woodland. Then, severing his relations with the Diamond Match Company, he manufactured lumber at Moss Beach in 1910 and 1911. In the latter year he sold his interest there and returned to Woodland and received appointment as United States ganger for the fourth district, embracing all of Northern California and Nevada. He now gives his attention principally to the duties of his office, but is interested in wholesaling lumber and other building material and supplies and in contracting and building at Woodland. In his lumber connection he is the representative of the E. K. Wood Lumber Company for this section of California. Mr. Hatch married Miss Mary A. Troop, a native of Woodland, and they have a daughter named Edith R. He is a Republican in political allegiance. Socially he affiliates with the Modern Woodmen and with the Independent Order of Foresters. 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/hatch176gbs.txt This file has been created by a form at http://www.genrecords.org/cafiles/ File size: 6.2 Kb