Sacramento County Biographies

FELIX TRACY

Transcribed by: Nancy Pratt Melton

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

      

SACRAMENTO TOWNSHIP.
Page 291.
 
	the agent for Wells, Fargo & Co., Sacramento; was born at Moscow, 
Livingston county, New York, March 19, 1829. Left New York for California March, 
1849, arriving at San Francisco September 18; he engaged in merchandising until 
1850. He then went to the mines, working for a time on the North Fork of the 
American river; afterwards in the vicinity of Downieville. In the summer of 1851 
he entered the employ of Sam. W. Langton's Express, as messenger between 
Marysville and Downieville, a position full of incident and adventure, a portion 
of the route being at times only passable by means of snow-shoes. In June, 1852, 
he entered the service of Adams & Co., as messenger between Shasta and 
Marysville; made one or more trips as messenger to Portland, Oregon, and also a 
trip in the same capacity between San Francisco and New York city; upon his 
return from this trip he entered the San Francisco office as clerk, and shortly 
after was sent by the company to Salt Lake City to establish an express and 
stage line between Los Angeles and St. Louis. This was the first express ever 
carried into Utah Territory. Mr. Tracy, being left entirely without means by the 
failure of the company, was so fortunate as to secure the position of Clerk of 
Quartermaster's Department under General Step-toe, then in command of the troops 
stationed at Salt Lake, and thus worked his passage back to California. Arriving 
in Shasta in July, 1855, he was appointed by the Pacific Express Company their 
agent at that place. Upon the failure of this company, in the summer of 1857, he 
entered the service of Wells, Fargo & Co., at Shasta, with which company he has 
remained until the present time, a period of nearly twenty-three years. Mr. 
Tracy took charge of the Sacramento office in March, 1868 and is probably the 
oldest expressman in California, having been engaged in this business, with less 
than three months' interim, a period of nearly thirty years. Mr. Tracy served 
Shasta county two terms as its Treasurer. In Sacramento he occupied the position 
of School Director for the city two terms, and for three years was President of 
the Board; was also one of the Directors of the State Agricultural and 
Mechanics' Art Colleges (elected by the Legislature) who selected time present 
site of the State University. Mr. Tracy is respected and trusted by all who have 
the pleasure of his acquaintance. He has long been a prominent leader in the 
Presbyterian Church, and went as delegate from this State to the General 
Assembly held at Chicago. Though modest and retiring, Mr. Tracy is a first-class 
business man, so recognized, not only by the firm he has so long and faithfully 
served, but by all with whom he has done business during his long residence in 
California. 

Source: History of Sacramento County, California With Illustrations 1880 by 
Thompson & West.