Amador
County
Biographies
JACOB L. SARGENT
Amador County figures as one of the
most attractive, progressive and prosperous divisions of the state of
California, justly claiming a high order of citizenship and a spirit of
enterprise which are certain to preserve continuous development and marked advancement
in the material upbuilding of the section.
The county has been and is signally favored in the class of men who have
controlled its affairs in official capacity, and in this connection the subject
of this review demands representation as one who has served the county
faithfully and well in positions of distinguished trust and
responsibility. He was formerly a member
of the state legislature, and by his commendable course honored the
commonwealth which thus honored him.
Mr. Sargent is a native of San Joaquin
County, California, his birth having occurred on the 4th of July,
1871. The family is of English origin
and was established in New Hampshire in 1630.
Many of its representatives have been prominent in the public affairs
which form a part of the history of the nation.
His grandfather, Jacob Sargent, was a captain in the Revolutionary War,
serving throughout the entire struggle which brought independence to the
nation. Subsequently he emigrated
westward, becoming one of the first settlers of Chicago, where he built the old
Canal House, which he conducted up to the time of his death, in the sixty-fifth
year of his age. Andrew Jackson Sargent,
the father of our subject, was born in New Hampshire and married Miss Julia Moffatt, a native of county Mayo, Ireland. The wedding was celebrated in Chicago, and by
way of the Isthmus route they came to California in 1853 locating in
Sacramento. After a short time, however,
they removed to San Joaquin County, taking up their abode near Stockton, where
Mr. Sargent’s brothers, J. L. and R. C. Sargent,
owned a large stock ranch. At a later
day, however, our subject located on Mokelumne Hill, where he engaged in
stockraising and in the butchering business with his brother, B. V. Sargent. He next engaged in mining on the middle fork
of the Mokelumne River, where he continued for a number of years, and also
mined in the state of Nevada and on Reese River near the coast. Subsequently he returned to Calaveras and
Amador counties and became the owner of various large mining interests. In 1890 he removed to Salinas, Monterey
County, where he improved a fruit farm, making it his home until he sold the
property and removed to Lodi, San Joaquin County. He is now living upon his old stock farm, and
is accounted one of the trustworthy and reliable citizens of the community. In
his family were seven children, four of whom are living, namely: Elizabeth, who was later the wife S. Wilson
and is now a resident of Jackson; Frank Webster, who served as deputy county
clerk, and is at present undersheriff of Monterey County; James Richard
Hardenberg, who is living on the stock farm near Lodi; and Jacob L., who
resides on one of the old homesteads on Middle Bar, near Jackson.
Mr. Sargent, of this review, was
reared to manhood under the parental roof and in early life became identified
with the business interests to which his father gave his attention. He is now the owner of a number of valuable
mining properties and one hundred and sixty acres of land, the three great
fissures of the Mather lode running across the property. His residence is situated on a knoll
overlooking the river and is surrounded by magnificent trees, forming a most
attractive and picturesque home. Mr.
Sargent acquired his early education under the direction of his mother and
later attended the San Joaquin Valley College and the Santa Clara College, but
his eyesight becoming defective he was forced to leave the latter institution
just before his graduation. Later he
engaged in teaching school for a number of terms in Amador County, and was the
candidate of his party for superintendent of schools, but was defeated by
thirty-two votes. He has always been an
active Democrat, has kept well informed on the issues of the day and has
attended many of the county and state conventions. In 1892 he was elected a member of the state
assembly, and in that session was made chairman of the committee on
education. He did effective work in the
interest of the schools, and was largely instrumental in securing the passage
of the bill reforming the school law of the state. He was also a member of the committee on
mines and mining, on constitutional amendments and on prisons and reformatory
institutions. He proved a very useful
and faithful member of the house, and his record was indeed creditable.
In 1891 Mr. Sargent was united in
marriage to Miss Elizabeth Quinn, a native of Stevens Point, Wisconsin, and to
them have been born three children, Dorothy, Jacob L.
and Robert M. Mr. and Mrs. Sargent are
members of the Catholic Church, and are well and favorably known in the
community where they have so long resided.
He has made a good record as a talented member of the legal profession,
but his time and attention are more largely given to mining and he is now
actively interested in the development of the mineral resources of the
state. As a public officer he has been
courteous, obliging and thoroughly capable, and these facts have not lacked
recognition on the part of the people, who have accorded him due
commendation. His popularity in the
community is unmistakable and he is justly entitled to consideration in this
work as one of the representative men of northern California.
Transcribed by
Gerald Iaquinta.
Source:
“A Volume of Memoirs and Genealogy of Representative Citizens of Northern
California”, Pages 479-481. Chicago Standard Genealogical Publishing Co. 1901.
© 2010
Gerald Iaquinta.
Golden Nugget Library's Amador County Biographies