California Biographies Mendocino and Lake Counties, California Transcribed by Peggy Hooper This file is part of the California Genealogy & History Archives http://www.rootsweb.ancestry.com/~cagha/index.htm Source: History of Mendocino and Lake Counties, California With Biographical Sketches History by Aurelius O. Carpenter And Percy H. Millberry Illustrated, Complete In One Volume Historic Record Company, Los Angeles, California, 1914 MRS. ROSA D. EXLEY.� Of old and honored southern lineage, Mrs. Exley was born near Elizabethtown, Hardin county, Ky., and is a daughter of the late Rev. C. S. and Nancy (Daugherty) Daugherty, who, although bearing the same name, came from families entirely unrelated. For sixty years, from early manhood until his death at a venerable age, Mr. Daugherty gave the most efficient and self-sacrificing service to the Methodist Episcopal Church South, whose ministry he adorned and whose doctrines he upheld with intel- ligent zeal. Meanwhile he owned and managed his fine plantation of one thousand acres near Elizabethtown, where were wont to gather fellow- ministers to receive practical counsel and cheerful encouragement from this learned man of the church. His devotion to his family was equalled only by his love of the church, and he gave to wife and children the affectionate atten- tions that gave him the first place in the heart of each. There were five chil- dren and three of these are still living, Mrs. Exley being the youngest child and the only daughter. So rapid was her advancement under the capable training of her father that at the age of sixteen she was qualified to teach school, and for seven years she followed that profession with commendable zeal and noteworthy success. There had been two brothers of Rev. C. S. Daugherty who were attracted to California by the lure of the gold fields. The second of these left Kentucky early in 1857 and undoubtedly perished on the plains, but no word of his fate ever came back to the waiting relatives. The other brother, Benjamin, had crossed the plains in 1855 on muleback and had arrived in Sacramento with fifty cents as his total capital. Fortunately he secured work at once with a lumber company and was paid $8 per day. Soon he drifted to the mines at Marysville, but did not find the hoped-for fortune in the camp or river bed. Directing his attention to the. acquisition of land, he became a pioneer of Little Lake valley, Mendocino county, and took up one hundred rind sixty acres of government land near the present site of Willits. There he remained until his death in 1883. All through this part of the country he was known as General Daugherty, the title coming from his skillful re- sistance of Indian attacks on the plains, where he so shrewdly and success- fully outgeneraled the savages that he was given a military title among his acquaintances. Having no family to inherit his property, it fell to the brother in Kentucky, Rev. C. S. Daugherty, who in 1901 with his son, Robert, came lo Mendocino county and laid out the Daugherty addition to Willits. When the business had been settled and the addition sold Mr. Daugherty returned to his Kentucky plantation in April, 1904, and there he passed away February 5, 1914, having survived for some years his aged wife, who died at the old home June 28. 1908. Their daughter, Mrs. Exley, joined her father and brother at Willits March 28, 1902, and in San Francisco November 23, 1904, she became the wife of M. D. Exley, who was born and reared in that city. A painter and decorator by trade, he has continued to follow the trade since his marriage, although a portion of his time is given to the ranch owned by Mrs. Exley and located one mile west of Willits. Two hundred and five acres are devoted largely to pasturage, hay and grain, and stock-raising has been made a vital part of the farm work. The family of Mr. and Mrs. Exley consists of four children, namely : Fred Cornelius, Rosa Daugherty, Alice Roberta and Richard Martin. In addition Mrs. Exley took into her home a lonely girl of twelve years. Rose Kramer, who now at nineteen years is repaying the kindnesses of the past by her own affectionate devotion to the entire family and particularly to the small children. This act on the part of Mrs. Exley is indicative of her helpful, kindly and capable disposition. Brimming over with the milk of human kind- ness, she is ever ready and anxious to assist those less fortunate than herself and never allows an opportunity to pass for the doing of some unselfish act in the interests of others. For years she has been a communicant of the Methodist Episcopal Church. Descended from stanch old Democratic fore- fathers, she is ardent in her advocacy of the same principles and takes much interest in public affairs. To an exceptional degree she possesses business ability and all of her interests are controlled with sagacious judgment, while combined with this important attribute are cheerfulness under all circum- stances, gentleness and a loyal devotion to family and friends.