Alameda County Biographies

WILLIAM H. JESSUP

Transcribed by Kathy Sedler

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

 

	The subject of this sketch, whose portrait appears in this history, was born in Fayette 
County, Indiana, August 2, 1820, where his parents were engaged in farming.  In 1829 he moved 
with them, and settled near Indianapolis, the newly established capital of the State, where 
with the combined efforts of the father and an older brother, they opened a small farm in the 
dense forest of beech, maple, walnut, and oak.  Finding the clearing of such land too severe a 
task, his father sold out and removed to the northerly end of the State in 1833, and settled in 
the then wild but lovely prairies in La Porte County, where the charming new town of the same 
name had just been laid out.  Here in this lovely place the family made what they supposed a 
permanent settlement.  Here he was apprenticed in 1834 to Levy Decker to learn the blacksmith�s 
trade, serving an apprenticeship of four years.  After mastering all that could be learned in 
those primitive days in that trade, he quit it for the time being and served one year at wagon-
making.  Quitting this, he started to learn the carpenter�s trade, the one that he had always 
had a desire to learn.  During this period of six years his father had filled several offices 
of trust.  The name of John Jessup was known all over that section, and honored and respected 
whenever known � genial, kind-hearted, and true to his friends, ever ready to accommodate and 
aid them with his name.  All old settlers will remember how high speculation ran all through 
the West from 1835 to 1837, and how the country was flooded with worthless wild-cat money, and 
how in the latter year the crash came.  Being a heavy indorser, he went down with the general 
crash.  Discouraged with the prospect of re-establishing their former standing, the family held 
a consultation and decided to seek a home farther west.  Gathering the remains of the wreck, the 
father left for Wisconsin, where he finally settled in the then small town of Milwaukee, where 
he soon after moved the family.  The subject of this sketch and his older brother started with 
a small band of horses for the central portion of Illinois, arriving in Springfield on the day 
of the inauguration of President Harrison.  Shortly after disposing of the horses, the brother 
joined the family at Milwaukee.  But young Wm. H. remained in Springfield, where he completed 
his trade of carpenter, working on the new capitol and State bank, which were then in course of 
construction.  But here again misfortune attended the efforts of our subject, as the failure of 
the bank swept away all his savings, but, nothing daunted, he persevered, and obtained a position 
as deputy postmaster in Rochester, Illinois, through the intercession of the lamented Lincoln, 
who manifested a deep interest in and friendship for the young stranger.  After holding this 
position about a year, he again took up his trade of carpenter, and to still further advance 
himself in the useful arts, he served one year at the cabinet trade with John Gibson, in Logan 
County, Illinois.  At the constant solicitation of friends, he joined the family at Milwaukee, 
in the dead of winter, on horseback, in the winter of 1843-44, crossing the prairies north of 
Peoria through a blinding snow-storm, in company with a party of wagons and sleighs, three of 
whom were frozen to death.  But he, being young and vigorous, and being inured to all the 
hardships of rough frontier life, escaped with slightly frozen feet.  Soon after his arrival in 
Milwaukee he engaged in his business of carpenter and joiner, taking contracts for buildings in 
that rapidly growing city. The following summer he became acquainted with and married Miss E. M. 
Goelzer, an estimable lady, of German birth, who has proved a faithful and loving wife and an 
attentive and affectionate mother.  Seven children were the result of this union, two born in 
Milwaukee, one son and a daughter, the latter dying in infancy.  Everything moved on smoothly 
until the winter of 1848-49, when the whole country was agitated by the wonderful stories told 
of the rich gold discoveries in California.  The contagion of the gold fever was general. Young 
Jessup couldn�t resist, and straightway made preparations for the newly discovered gold-fields, 
but found it impossible to get ready for the following spring�s emigration, and with many regrets 
he was forced to bid his friends good-by, after accompanying them several miles on their way, 
with the promise to meet them in California the next year, a promise which he made good.  Selling 
out the following summer and fall, he was fully prepared for an early start the next spring. 
Forming a co-partnership with Joseph Pollock and John Davis, the party had a splendid wagon and 
outfit built, ready for starting.  And on the 19th of March, 1850, he bade good-by to his 
disconsolate little family and sailed to Chicago by steamer, as at that time there were no 
railroads, with his party, there to take the canal-boat for the Illinois River; thence by 
steamer to St. Joseph, where the party bought mules and horses.  And on the 4th of May they 
crossed the river, and struck out over the beautiful level plains of Kansas, that seemed to 
terminate only at the setting sun, with as fine a four-mule team and as complete an outfit as 
ever crossed the plains, and with two good saddle-horses.  Before leaving St. Joseph the party 
took a passenger who was to assist in camp duty, besides paying two hundred dollars for his 
passage.  They were also joined by the wife of one of the partners, Mrs. Pollock, which gave to 
the party a home-like, domestic appearance.  They resolved on the start to keep themselves aloof 
from large parties, and take their leisure, that they might get their stock through in good 
condition, which proved a wise precaution.  Mr. Jessup, being an expert with the rifle, as all 
frontiersmen were in the early settlement of the West, was selected to do the hunting for the party, 
and was released from all camp duty, except night-watch in the vicinity of roving bands of thieving 
Indians, and his unerring rifle kept the party and many a hungry emigrant abundantly supplied with 
fresh meat.  The buffalo, deer, antelope, mountain sheep, hare, and sage-hen all had to pay tribute � 
always hunting on foot, frequently remaining out all night, constructing covers of sage-brush, 
making his meals of hard bread and dried buffalo-meat, meeting with many adventures and hair-breadth 
escapes with Indians and wild animals, in one instance only escaping the scalping-knife by a 
strategy learned among the Indians themselves.  The distance traveled on foot by Mr. Jessup while 
hunting would more than equal the entire distance across the plains.  Coming by way of the South 
Pass and Sublette�s Cut-off, down the Humboldt, through the Carson Canon, they arrived on the 
summit of the Sierra Nevadas on the memorable day when California was admitted into the glorious 
Union.  When the summit was reached the entire party took off their hats and gave three hearty 
cheers, not that they knew that they were in a newborn State, but that they knew they were in 
California, and near the end of that long and toilsome journey, filled with so many dangers and 
privations.  They arrived in Hangtown (now Placerville) on the 11th of September, 1850, where the 
party broke up and divided their property and parted good friends, each to pursue his own course, 
Mr. J. fell in with a party of young men � Frank Lick, afterwards Supervisor of Milwaukee, Wm. Bals, 
and James Dewey � all of Milwaukee.  With those three he formed a company to engage in placer-mining, 
which they followed with varied success until the following spring, when the terrible May fire of 1857 
[1851 ?] startled the whole Pacific Coast, and even the East, and created a great demand for all 
classes of mechanics.  Mr. Jessup left his party on the receipt of the news and started for San 
Francisco, buying a set of tools on the way, arriving in time to see what remained of the great city 
of adobe houses, board shanties, and canvass tents, enveloped in the smoke of the smoldering ruins.  
The morning after his arrival he obtained work at twenty-five dollars per day, for a few days, of a 
Mr. Shaw, a contractor, but those wages could not be expected to last long, so he engaged to the 
same gentleman for the season for ten dollars per day.  About a month passed, when the June fire came 
and swept away all that had been accomplished, together with nearly all the stock of goods taken from 
the store-ships and the greater amount of surplus building materials that remained after the May fire.  
Mr. Jessup lost all his earnings and tools, and his employer was a heavy loser, and to help him out 
his men gave him all the aid in their power, but he had finally to suspend; and here Mr. Jessup lost 
all his wages, only drawing enough to pay expenses, sending but little home to his family, and paying 
fourteen dollars per week for board.  The following fall he obtained a job of the late Capt. J. B. R. 
Cooper to go to Monterey at eight dollars per day, where he worked until the spring of 1852, when he 
returned to San Francisco and sent for his family, who arrived June 16, 1852, he working on his own 
account.  Many of the buildings erected by him are still standing in San Francisco.  After the 
arrival of his wife and child he engaged with the late B. R. Buckelew to build the now defunct California 
City in Marin County, returning to San Francisco January 1, 1853, where he worked at his trade until 
November, when he received an appointment from General Allen to take charge of the Folsom Street plank 
road, which position he held until it was about to be opened to the public, when he left that place, in 
the latter part of 1857, and took a contract to put up buildings for the Government at the Presidio.  
All his savings were judiciously invested in land, which was steadily increasing in value, until the 
spring of 1858, when the exciting news of the wonderful discoveries of gold in British Columbia stirred 
up anew the gold fever, and San Francisco was dead, and Frazer River was the new Dorado.  Mr. Jessup, 
seeing that everything was at a stand-still in California, although not losing confidence in it, thought 
he could do something in the new field, while things were in this state at home; but his experience was 
no exception to that of others, resulting in loss of time and money, and suffering untold toil and 
hardships.  He left San Francisco for Victoria in company with his cousin, John Rogers, in June, 1858, 
arriving in Victoria July 1st, and remaining in that city till the latter part of that month, he formed 
a party of fifteen to work together in the wonderful gold-fields of the upper Frazer, taking passage for 
the party on the steamboat Umatilla, on her first trip up the Frazer and through Lake Harrison � the 
first steamboat that ever disturbed the waters of that placid lake.  He was present at the dedication of 
the new town of Port Douglas, located at the head of the lake.  Here the party expected to have found 
canoes in which to transport their supplies up the Lilute, or Harrison River, but the Indians having left 
for the lakes and taken their canoes with them, Mr. Jessup was forced to procure an Indian guide to go up 
the river to the Lilute Lakes to obtain canoes, which was finally accomplished with the greatest difficulty, 
as the Indians were becoming very dissatisfied at the invasion of so many whites, and nothing but the lack 
of fire-arms and ammunition prevented an outbreak.  After obtaining five forty-foot canoes, Mr. Jessup 
started on the return down that terrible river, with Indian guides in three canoes, who by a preconcerted 
plan ran the canoes close to the shore, when each Indian leaped out and took to the woods, and left the 
party to their own resources, and it was with greatest difficulty that Mr. Jessup prevented the party from 
firing upon the fleeing redskins.  The intention of the Indians, evidently, was to leave the guidance of 
the frail craft to inexperienced hands, who knew nothing of the dangers of the river, and so go over the 
falls and to inevitable destruction, and as it was, the party reached the cascade in one-fourth the time 
they expected, and nothing but a miracle saved the entire company from instant death, by running close in 
shore and leaping to the rocks.  Three of the canoes were saved by throwing the tow-line to some friendly 
Indians on the shore; the other two canoes went over the falls and were dashed to pieces.  The passage of 
near sixty miles was made in the incredible space of two hours and twenty minutes.  In the ascent of the 
river the party endured the greatest hardships, wading in the ice-cold water of the river coming down from 
the snow-capped mountains, chin-deep, towing their heavily laden canoes after them.  At the head of the 
river (Lilute Lakes) the party abandoned the boats, divided the supplies, which amounted to three hundred 
pounds to the man.  This had to be packed across the forty mile portage, by each, with what assistance he 
could get from an occasional Indian. The mode of doing this was to divide each man�s load into three parts, 
carrying the first forward a quarter or half a mile and putting it down, then returning after the second, 
always leaving one man to guard the pile at each end of the route.  Crossing lakes Leaton and Anderson on 
heavy log rafts, striking the Frazer at the mouth of Bridge River, where arriving, Mr. Jessup learned that 
the threatened Indian outbreak, on the lower Frazer had occurred, and all communication cut off, and the 
most startling reports of Indian massacres were received, and the Bridge River Indians were in a high state 
of excitement, and only the bold stand of the well-armed and sturdy intruders prevented an outbreak.  After 
prospecting the section of the country in strong parties, in the immediate vicinity of the camp, and finding 
no paying mine, and at the end of nearly a month news was received of the suspension of hostilities, and Mr. 
Jessup sold out his stock of provisions and tools, and with three of his party started on his return home down 
the Frazer, on the 29th of September, arriving in San Francisco about the middle of October, after passing 
through the roughest experience of his rough life, and a heavy loser.  On his return he started to improve his 
property, to make good his losses, building tenement-houses.  In 1863 he engaged in the manufacture of matches, 
starting the Eureka Match Factory.  At first he met with poor encouragement from the trade, as the importers of 
San Francisco were handling the Polac, or Geneva, match, and having a large stock on hand, would not aid him in 
introducing a home article, but on the contrary put every obstacle in the way of success.  Mr. Jessup warned 
them he would yet have the trade, that Polac could no longer monopolize the match trade on this coast, and that 
he was bound to succeed or lose $20,000, and that he would supply their customers for one year free of charge if 
they would not aid him in the introduction of his manufacture, and so keep the money in the country. They 
laughed at him for presuming to buck against the importers of San Francisco, and Polac, a man who employs six 
thousand hands.  He replied that if Mr. Polac employed six hundred thousand hands, he could no longer sell his 
matches in this market.  Mr. Jessup then took in two partners, Wm. B. Williams and Wm. H. Finch, and putting gin 
new and improved machinery, ran the factory to its full capacity, sent wagons out, scattering their goods 
broadcast over the country, giving away thousands of gross.  This soon began to tell on the trade, and in less 
than one year there was but little call for the imported match, and inside of three years the importation ceased, 
and the importers were forced to close out their unsalable stock at ruinous prices.  In the mean time the factory 
prospered under the efficient management of Mr. Jessup until an unfavorable ruling of the Commissioner of Internal 
Revenue, at Washington, forced them to shut down the factory.  The unfavorable ruling was to allow the importer to 
sell imported matches in original cases without stamps, to be stamped by the retailer when offered for sale.  The 
effect of this ruling would be to allow great quantities of matches to pass into the hands of large consumers without 
stamps.  Mr. Jessup sent a long communication to the Commissioner, setting forth the working of the order and the 
hardship it would work on home industry.  On the receipt of this communication, the Commissioner telegraphed 
immediately to have all matches stamped.  At this time the Eureka factory was consuming from eight to ten thousand 
feet of lumber a month, and their stamps were running from five hundred to a thousand dollars a week.  This piece of 
maneuvering took the last hope from the importer, and Mr. Jessup had the field to himself until the Chinese and 
unscrupulous white men saw a chance of making money by evading a high stamp duty on matches, procuring children and 
women to sell their illicit manufactures all over the country, which made the business less profitable.  In 1865 Mr. 
Jessup sold a one-fourth interest in the factory to Elam & Howe, retaining a one-half interest, Mr. Finch having 
withdrawn.  In that year the company met with a severe loss, in the burning of their factory, with about fifteen 
thousand gross of matches, not saving a dollar from the ruin.  In the winter of that year also Mr. Jessup met with a 
heavy loss by being flooded out, and his beautiful house and property on the corner of Twelfth and Folsom Streets 
almost destroyed by the building of a sewer by the city authorities, for the purpose of draining Hayes Valley. 
Failing to finish the sewer before the wet season, the heavy rains of the following winter swept down over his 
property carrying everything movable before it.  Mr. Jessup brought suit against the city for damages, which was 
persistently contested on both sides for thirteen years.  Mr. Jessup obtaining a judgment, a new trial was granted, 
and again he received a judgment, which was finally affirmed by the Supreme Court.  After reconstructing his house 
and greatly improving it, he again met with a heavy loss in 1870, by fire.  Just as his house was completed and being 
furnished, it was burned, with a large amount of property.  The loss was about $23,000, partly insured.  As his home 
was destroyed, Mr. Jessup thought it would be a good time for him to visit his friends at the East; so, after an 
absence of twenty years, with his wife and eldest daughter, he made a visit to them, remaining eight months. Returning 
on the 5th of August, 1871, he immediately set to work to reconstruct his house, which was finished the following winter.  
In 1873 he sold out his entire interest in the match factory (which had been conducted by Mr. Williams) to Elam & Howe, 
as the business had become less profitable.  Mr. Jessup then cast about for some more remunerative business.  Finding a 
fine millsite in Lake County, he closed a bargain and bought the Martinez Flouring-mills, of four run of stone, took 
them down and moved them to the new site, where he erected the finest country mill on the coast, three miles west of 
Middletown and near Anders Springs, on the Lakeport road.  Mr. Jessup took in a partner, one Russell Stevens, a good 
mechanic, and excellent mill man, who had no money, but a pocketful of recommendations from business men of San Francisco, 
giving him a one-half interest, to be paid for out of profits.  He subsequently bought the Cobb Mountain Saw-mills with 
sixteen hundred acres of timber land, putting this man Stevens in charge (with a one-half interest in both mills) until 
he himself could settle up his business in the city and take charge in person.  But before this could be accomplished, 
Stevens had, by conspiring with others, involved the whole business to such an extent that it was impossible to extricate 
it, coming at a period when money could not be obtained on any security, at the time of the suspension of the Bank of 
California.  Mr. Jessup commenced an action of injunction against Stevens, demanding an accounting, had him arrested for 
fraud and contempt of court.  He got out of jail on false affidavits and jumped on board the Mexican, then lying at the 
wharf with steam up, and was off to Mexico, with all the funds of the concern.  This proved the most unfortunate 
speculation of Mr. Jessup�s life, losing nearly $25,000 by the transaction, involving him in total ruin.  In order to pay 
off the debts incurred he sold every foot of property he owned, amounting to over twenty thousand dollars, which did not 
yet clear him, leaving him, with but his hands and good health, to start anew with.  Undaunted, he was ready to fight over 
the battle of life, when a still more severe loss befell him, and one that was forever to affect the remainder of his hard 
and eventful life, in the loss of a beloved and lovely daughter, just budding into womanhood.  He no longer desired to make 
San Francisco his home, and by the assistance of a good friend he was enabled to procure his present home in this county, 
encumbered with a debt of $16,500, without a dollar to stock the place with, or to support his family until the next year�s 
crop came in.  With a brave heart and determined to win or die, he left his old home that he had occupied for twenty-three 
years (and in which five children had been born and reared), to seek the peace and retirement of the country, and to adopt 
horticulture as a profession � a business he always had a taste for, and one that he was eminently fitted for by nature.  
He immediately took a leading part in the horticulture of the State, is an active member of the State Horticultural Society, 
a member of Eden Grange; he is referred to as authority on horticultural matters.  Keeping up an extensive correspondence 
on horticultural concerns, his correspondence extends from Oregon to Texas.  He also has contributed extensively to the press 
of the Coast.  He is a regular contributor to the Pacific Rural Press, and an occasional contributor to the Rural 
Californian, at Los Angeles, the Oakland Tribune, the San Francisco Bulletin, Haywards Journal, Willamette Farmer, Portland, 
Oregon; and a good article of his is published in the State Agricultural Report of 1881.  Many of his effusions have been 
republished by other papers in the State, and to his untiring efforts and faith in the future importance of the fruit industry 
of the coast, is due in a great measure the impetus given to the horticultural interest of this State during the past four 
years.

History of Alameda County, California�, Oakland, M.W. Wood Publ., 1883, p. 915-920