Yolo-Sacramento-San Mateo County CA Archives Biographies.....Keithley, John 1828 - ************************************************ 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 February 21, 2007, 8:46 pm Author: Lewis Publishing Co. (1891) JOHN KEITHLEY, a Yolo County farmer, was born in Harrison County, Indiana, November 15, 1828, a son of Jacob and Sarah (Roberts) Keithley, natives of Kentucky. The grandfather of John Keithley was a pioneer of Kentucky. Jacob was a farmer, and moved from Kentucky to Indiana when a young man, and thence in 1837 to McDonough County, Illinois, which was at that time a new and wild section of the country. He came to California in 1869, but in the fall of the same year he returned to Illinois. During 1870, however, he came again to California and purchased land near Santa Rosa. This he sold and returned to Illinois the second time in 1871. In 1872 he acme [sic] the third time to the Golden State, principally for the sake of its climate, and purchased land near Fulton Station, in Sonoma County, and lived there until he died, in August, 1875, at the age of sixty-nine years. His wife returned again to Illinois, where she is now residing, at the age of eighty five years. They had ten sons and two daughters, all of whom are living except one son, who died in California. Mr. John Keithley, whose name heads this sketch, was reared on the Illinois farm, commencing to plow corn at the early age of eight years. He was a member of the parental household until twenty-three years of age, when, with all his earthly possessions in a "prairie schooner," he set out, in 1852, across the interminable desert for the Golden Coast. His journey, occupying six months, was a pleasant one. After visiting Downieville, Marysville and Sacramento, he went to Mormon Island, and was engaged in digging a canal about six weeks. Returning to Sacramento a short time, he was persuaded by friends to go to the mines again, and he spent one month among them at Placerville, but with poor success. After paying for his board he had $300, with which he decided to return to Illinois; but on ascertaining the fare at San Francisco, he was afraid to start, and he went to the San Jose Valley for a short time, and then, in company with his brother, William, and a friend, went to Redwood City and took a contract to cut redwood lumber. At this work they each cleared $1,160 in seven months. Going again to Sacramento, they purchased cattle with the expectation of returning to Redwood City and following the business of teaming; but on arriving there they sold the cattle, at an advance of $20 a head; and they immediately purchased other cattle and during the following winter followed teaming to Redwood City. The following spring they sold their teams to the mill company and worked by the month until fall. Then the company "broke up" and Mr. Keithley and his partner took back their teams for the purpose of carrying on the farm with them a year. They then returned to Sacramento and followed teaming, principally to the mines at Nevada City, doing a little farming at the same time in Sacramento County, for two years. During the ensuing winter they sold out, and they found themselves in possession of $14,000, which they invested in the cattle trade. Two years subsequently they sold out again and engaged in sheep-rearing in Solano County, having at one time over 7,000 head; but a collapse and they retired from that business, with a loss of about $20,000. In 1860 they purchased the Henry Conner tract of land, consisting of 1,000 acres, and began raising wheat, and teaming again to Virginia City, and thus they were engaged in partnership until 1865, when they divided their funds. Since then Mr. John Keithley has been a constant resident on the Yolo County farm, where he has made all the improvements and where to-day he is enjoying prosperity. The ranch now contains 840 acres in Yolo County, 640 in another portion of the county and 320 in Solano County. With his general farming business he also makes a specialty of mules and line horses. In his political views he is a Republican. In 1889 he visited his old home in Illinois, for the first time since he left it in 1852. He was married, in 1865, to Miss Maria E. Briggs, a native of Massachusetts, who died November 15,1866; and he was married again, in October, 1868, to Miss Alicia Reynolds, a native of Canada, and they have three sons and one daughter: George F. L., William E., James R. and Geneva E. Additional Comments: Extracted from Memorial and Biographical History of Northern California. Illustrated, Containing a History of this Important Section of the Pacific Coast from the Earliest Period of its Occupancy to the Present Time, together with Glimpses of its Prospective Future; Full-Page Steel Portraits of its most Eminent Men, and Biographical Mention of many of its Pioneers and also of Prominent Citizens of To-day. "A people that takes no pride in the noble achievements of remote ancestors will never achieve anything worthy to be remembered with pride by remote descendents." – Macauley. CHICAGO THE LEWIS PUBLISHING COMPANY 1891. File at: http://files.usgwarchives.net/ca/yolo/bios/keithley872bs.txt This file has been created by a form at http://www.poppet.org/cafiles/ File size: 5.5 Kb