Yolo County CA Archives Biographies.....Reardon, Maurice 1819 - ************************************************ 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 10, 2005, 1:20 pm Author: Tom Gregory MAURICE REARDON Seldom is it the privilege of the biographer to chronicle a life whose activities were centered upon one farm for a period of fifty years. In this era of change and restlessness few there are who can boast of long identification with any one spot on old Mother Earth, but it was a source of pride to Maurice Reardon that he gave the larger part of his life and the greatest measure of his energies to the development of the property now known as his old homestead. Hither he came not many years after gold had been discovered. As he turned the first furrows in the virgin soil, so also he erected the first substantial buildings on the place and harvested the first crops of grain. As time passed by he saw the swift locomotive supersede the slow-moving stage coach. Villages sprang up and farms began to show signs of prosperity. But it was a far cry from the desolation of the '50s to the civilization of the twentieth century, and few there were who, like himself, could claim an association with both eras. A native of Ireland, Maurice Reardon was born September 10, 1819, and there he passed the uneventful days of boyhood. From his early life he was interested in tales concerning America and resolved to seek a livelihood there. In pursuance of the plan he crossed the ocean in young manhood and settled in Massachusetts, where he found employment near the city of Boston. During September of 1850 he was united in marriage with Miss Elizabeth Griffin at Lawrence, Mass., and from that time until her demise in 1901 he enjoyed the inestimable benefit of her keen judgment, persevering industry and shrewd intelligence. His life was prolonged for five years after her decease, but the loneliness of old age had fallen upon him and notwithstanding the devoted ministrations of sons and daughters he never recovered from the deep bereavement occasioned by her death. Of the six children comprising the family of Maurice and Elizabeth Reardon, four were born in Massachusetts prior to the departure of the parents from the east and their removal via Panama to California, where they took up land in Yolo county and developed a farm of three hundred and twenty acres seven miles northwest of Davis. The two eldest children, John and Mary (Mrs. Quinn) were twins. The others were as follows: Thomas; Nellie, who married Edward Malone and lives in Sacramento; Lizzie, Mrs. William O'Connell, of Napa; and Margaret. The first-named son, John, was born in Boston, but has lived in California from early childhood, and after he had completed the studies of the common schools he engaged in farming and stock-raising. For a long period he was an extensive sheep shearer in Nevada, Oregon, Wyoming and Idaho. Near Davis he owns a stock and grain farm of one hundred and sixty acres, which he formerly operated personally, but now leases to a tenant. The other son, Thomas, owns and operates one hundred and sixty acres near Davis, where he keeps a full quota of stock, including a flock of sixty-five sheep. Grain is the principal product of the laud and an average of thirteen sacks of wheat to the acre was the record for the last crop harvested. In fraternal relations he holds membership with the Foresters of America. By his marriage to Clara Braun, a native of Germany, he is the father of two children, Edward and Elizabeth. 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/reardon126gbs.txt This file has been created by a form at http://www.genrecords.org/cafiles/ File size: 4.3 Kb