Amador County Biographies

THOMAS W. EASTON 

Transcribed by Peggy Hooper

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


Is a native of England, though he came to America in company with his parents when he was but eight 
years of age. He was born September 1, 1823, in the county of Kent. The family settled in Otsego 
county, New York. Soon after reaching America, the boy, feeling strong enough to go alone, started out in 
life on his own account, going first to Cattaraugus county, where he engaged in farming for some years, 
or until he was twenty-one years old, when he went to Saginaw county, Michigan, where he followed 
teaching private school for two seasons. Following up the injunction to go west, he made another move, 
this time to Wisconsin, in which State he resided four years, engaged, most of the time, in farming. 
In 1848, being then twenty-five years of age, he married Miss Lucinda Jane Van Loan, who was a 
native of New York. In 1854 Mr. Easton, with his wife and two children a daughter and son crossed 
the plains to California, making their first halt in Sacramento county, going afterwards to Placerville 
for a few months, finally settling in El Dorado county, where he lived until October, 1873, his 
principal business being mining, though he united with this the business of keeping a hotel during seven 
years of the time. In 1873 he came to Plymouth, then rapidly growing up in consequence of the 
development of the mines under the management of Alvinza Hayward, and engaged in keeping a hotel. 
In June, 1877, he was completely ruined in financial matters by the great fire of that year; but the energy 
which had wrested success out of apparent defeat so many times was not exhausted, and another one was 
soon flourishing. His family consists of himself, wife and four children. 

History of Amador, California With Illustrations and Biographical Sketches 
of its Prominent Men and PioneersOakland, California, Thompson and West, 
1881.