Amador
County
Biographies
THOMAS CONLON
Thomas Conlon, a leading
representative of the insurance business and one of the early settlers of
Amador County, who for more than forty-three years has been a reliable businessman
of Jackson, was born in county Clare, Ireland, on the 12th of July,
1836, his parents being Daniel and Anna (Hayes) Conlon. They had two children, and the mother died in
early life, after which the father was again married, his second marriage being
blest with five children. He lived to a
ripe old age and commanded the respect of all who knew him.
Mr. Conlon, of this review, obtained
his early education on the Emerald Isle and in 1852 bade adieu to friends and
home preparatory to seeking his fortune in the new world. On the 19th of May he boarded the
sailing vessel William Tell, bound for the harbor of New York. The ship carried one hundred and forty-five
passengers in addition to the crew and Mr. Conlon made some pleasant
acquaintances on board. After forty-five
days spent on the water they reached the American port and Mr. Conlon remained
for some time in New Jersey and New York, where he followed farming and was also
employed as a clerk in a dry-goods store in New York City. Subsequently he came by steamer to San
Francisco and went direct to Mokelumne Hill, where he operated a placer mining
claim. He was associated with three
partners and they took out from seventy-five to one hundred dollars worth of
gold per week. Later Mr. Conlon removed
to Butte City, Amador County, and was also engaged in placer mining at
Scottville, where he took out a gold nugget of a large size. On account of its size he valued it very
highly, but it was stolen from him. He
met with average success in his mining ventures and at length came to Jackson
to fill the office of county clerk. He
afterward served as the clerk of the district court and as deputy assessor for
eight years, and for a similar period was a deputy sheriff. During his long public service he discharged
his duty with marked ability and promptness, and over the record of his office
life there falls no shadow of wrong or suspicion of evil. He is now serving as a notary public and is
very extensively engaged in the insurance business, representing several good
insurance companies, chief among which are the North British and London
Assurance corporations.
In 1895 Mr. Conlon was united in
marriage to Miss Ella Lanord, a native of Calaveras
County and a daughter of John Lanord, a California
pioneer. Their marriage has been blessed
with two little daughters, one of whom is living and is named Anna C., in honor
of Mr. Conlon’s mother. Our subject and
his wife are members of the Catholic Church.
He has kept well informed on the political issues of the day and since
becoming an American citizen has exercised his right of franchise in support of
the men and measures of the Democratic Party and is a stalwart advocate of its
principles. He is a charter member of
the Jackson Lodge, No. 138, A. O. U. W., and enjoys the high regard of his
brethren of the fraternity. In his
business life he has met with creditable success and is regarded as a citizen
of the highest worth.
Transcribed by
Gerald Iaquinta.
Source:
“A Volume of Memoirs and Genealogy of Representative Citizens of Northern
California”, Pages 476-477. Chicago Standard Genealogical Publishing Co. 1901.
© 2010
Gerald Iaquinta.
Golden Nugget Library's Amador County Biographies