Colusa County Biographies

Moses Stinchfield

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


 
            Among the names held in high esteem in Colusa County is that of the 
late Moses Stinchfield, a pioneer rancher of the Sycamore district, who was 
noted throughout the community for his genial, liberal nature and uprightness of 
character.  He was born on June 5, 1832, in Evansville, Ind.  His father was 
Daniel Stinchfield, who was born on March 11, 1782.  Daniel Stinchfield was 
united in marriage, on May 26, 1816, with Roxana Judkins, who was born on 
January 17, 1800, and who died in October, 1838.  He died on March 9, 1852.  The 
progenitor of the family in America was John Stinchfield, born in Leeds, 
England, who migrated to America and settled at Gloucester, Mass., later moving 
to New Gloucester, Maine.  The township of New Gloucester was granted in 1736 � 
in the days of the tomahawk and scalping-knife, when the general court offered a 
bounty of four hundred pounds sterling for Indian scalps � but the settlers were 
forced to flee to safety, and it was not until 1753 that the New Gloucester 
settlement was successfully established.  John Stinchfield was the leader in 
building the blockhouse, which served as fort, meeting-house and home for the 
settlement, in which he was prominent for years.  It has been handed down that 
he was an ignorant boy, who could not spell or write his own name when he came 
from England.  In 1904 there were found records in the attic of the home of the 
First Congregational Minister of New Gloucester, which tell of many brave and 
wise things done by him; and also business letters in his own handwriting, 
correct in form and concise in diction, which showed that he had considerable 
executive ability.  He was married in America to Elizabeth Burns; and their 
children were John, Elizabeth, James, Thomas, Sarah, William and Rogers.  James 
Stinchfield married Sally Parsons; and they had the following children:  Sarah, 
James, Lydia, William, Daniel, Mark P., Sarah, Moses, Jacob, Betsy, John and 
Henry.  This Daniel Stinchfield was the father of Moses Stinchfield, the subject 
of our sketch.  To Daniel and Roxana Stinchfield the following children were 
born:  David, John, Hiram, Moses, George, Sarah, Harriet, Rachel, Lydia and 
Mark.
            Moses Stinchfield, of this review, attended the public school for a 
short time, and obtained the balance of his education by personal study and the 
reading of good literature.  He was particularly fond of reading.  When he had 
reached the age of nineteen, he was offered and accepted a position as teacher 
in a country school.  He was reared to the life of a farmer; and although he 
spent ten years mining in California, the balance of his days were spent on a 
farm, where he ultimately made his financial success.  During the idle seasons 
on the farm, he superintended the building of river levees and engaged in the 
building of roads and bridges.  He also did considerable carpenter work for 
others, as he was handy with all kinds of tools.  In fact, he was just the right 
kind of a pioneer to aid in laying the foundations of a county and a state.  He 
was prominent in politics as a conservative Democrat, and was elected treasurer 
of Colusa County in 1873 on the Democratic ticket, serving a two-year term, 
after which he once more took up farming and stock-raising.  He was often called 
upon to make public speeches, which were always made impromptu.  Fraternally, 
Mr. Stinchfield was an Odd Fellow.  He joined Brooklyn Lodge, No. 46, at Red 
Dog, Nevada County, in which he served as Noble Grand; and when he moved away, 
his membership was transferred to Colusa Lodge, No. 133, which twice honored him 
with the office of Noble Grand, first upon its organization and again in 1888.  
He passed all the chairs of the subordinate lodge and served as District D