Plumas County Biographies

Daniel Rogers Cate

Transcribed by Craig Hahn, Dec. 2004 

This file is part of the California Genealogy & History Archives
http://www.rootsweb.ancestry.com/~cagha/index.htm


the first treasurer of Plumas county, was born at Northfield, Merimack county, 
New Hampshire, November 24, 1832, and is the son of Simon and Lydia (Durgin) 
Cate, both natives of New Hampshire. When fifteen years old his father died, and 
Daniel went to work the following year in a country store. At nineteen he went 
to Boston and clerked most of the time until October, 1849, when he came, via 
Panama, to California, arriving at the port of San Francisco on the first of 
December. In a few days he went to Stockton, and had the misfortune to lose by 
fire everything he possessed except the clothes he wore. He accepted the first 
job that offered, boating goods from Stockton to the French camp, receiving an 
ounce a day for his services. The winter of 1850-51 he spent in Central America, 
and upon his return in the spring he went to Downieville. Here he engaged in all 
kinds of mining, from fluming the Yuba to working a drift-claim on Durgan flat 
for one year; and then, with his partners, E. W. Judkins and Joseph S. Boynton, 
came to his present home in American valley. Soon after settlement, he with 
others built a saw-mill on Mill creek. Mr. Boynton retiring, Mr. Judkins and Mr. 
Cate afterwards built the Plumas flour and saw mills. The first store and 
blacksmith-shop in American valley were kept at their ranch in the fall of 1852, 
by Judkins & Cate. In the spring of 1853 Mr. Cate began packing merchandise from 
Marysville to the store in American valley, and continued it until 1856, since 
which time he has devoted most of his attention to his farm. While engaged in 
packing, he once became snow-blind, from which his eyes never fully recovered. 
Mr. Cate was elected county treasurer of Plumas county in April, 1854, being the 
first to hold that position. He was married November 5, 1863, to Miss Hannah A. 
Loring, daughter of John H. and Ann B. (Trafter) Loring, a native of Somerset 
county, Maine, where she was born January 18, 1844. They have had five children, 
as follows: Alice Lydia, born November 26, 1864; Mary Louise, October 9, 1869; 
Henry Loring, May 21, 1871; Lafayette, June 29, 1875; Daniel Rogers, November 
17, 1880.  
 
Illustrated History of Plumas, Lassen & Sierra Counties, with California from 
1513 to 1850. � Fariss and Smith, San Francisco,  1882. p 188