Butte County
Biographies
RICHARD J. BALLEW
RICHARD J. BALLEW.--The varied
experiences of many of the old residents of California,
if recorded in detail, would prove very interesting reading. Richard J. Ballew
is one of California's oldest
residents. Although not to the manor born, he is to all intents and purposes a
native of California, as his earliest experiences are
associated with scenes and incidents of the early days of the Golden
State. He was born in Perry,
Ark., on October 4, 1857, and came with his parents to California
when in his second year. His father, Joseph, and his grandfather, Richard, were
also natives of Arkansas.
Grandfather Richard Ballew was a pioneer farmer of that state, and was a
soldier in the War of 1812. He was of French descent. The original French name
was Ballou; but by mistake it was written on the
muster roll Ballew, and the family have since spelled
the name as there written. Grandfather Richard, then an old man, came with his
son Joseph and his family to California
by the ox-team express in 1859. He later returned to Arkansas,
and died at the age of ninety-five. The Ballews were
several months on the way, but had no special trouble with Indians and arrived
safely at Magalia, on October 8, 1859, where Joseph Ballew settled on a ranch.
In a short time, however, he discontinued ranching for the freighting business,
it being at that time very profitable. He hauled supplies from Chico Landing to
the mines in Humboldt, Nev.
The Indians were frequently on the war path in those days; and in 1864, at the
age of thirty-two, Mr. Ballew was killed in Nevada
by the Piute Indians. A company of soldiers followed the Indians, overtaking
them the next day and killing sixty-two of them.
Caroline Bridges Ballew, the wife of Joseph, was a native of Arkansas,
as was her husband. She died at Magalia. Five children were the result of their
marriage, Richard J. being the eldest. William died at thirty-two; Mary, Mrs.
Woods, resides in Los Angeles; Jennie was killed in a
runaway accident in Mud Valley;
and Frank was shot by a man in Butte Creek.
Richard
J. Ballew was brought up at Magalia. After the death of his parents, he lived
for six years with John Hupp, a lumberman, going to
school and learning the sawmill and lumber business.
About 1871, when fourteen, he left Magalia and began working on the old John
Griffith ranch near Chico, where he remained for about six years, until 1877,
when he went to Bodie, Nev., and engaged in teaming,
part of the time driving a twelve-horse team. He continued teaming for four
years, and then came again to Magalia and started a blacksmith shop, which he
ran for two years. In 1883 he returned to Chico
and again began teaming, at which he was engaged for three years. During one of
his trips, his foot caught and he fell in front of the wheels. The wagon, with
thirty-five hundred feet of lumber, passed over his body lengthwise, breaking
several ribs and injuring him seriously internally. He was picked up by John
Strong and taken to Howard's Mill, where he remained six weeks. Having a strong
constitution, he eventually recovered, although it was six months before he was
able to resume work. After recovering, he went to Powellton
and started a bolt mill. He afterward drove a team four years for Mike Doon, hauling lumber, and then quit and engaged in teaming
for one season, after which he ran a sawmill near Powellton
for William McKay. He then built a sawmill of his own at Thompson's, which he
operated for three years, selling the product of his mill at San Francisco.
Removing to Lewiston, Trinity
County, he built another sawmill
there, which he ran for two years and then sold, in 1910. He then returned to Chico,
and made a trip back to Nevada.
In 1917, the city trustees of Chico
appointed him superintendent of streets and inspector of sewers and plumbing.
Mr.
Ballew was married in Nevada to Miss Mary Stace, a native of Illinois, who
came across the plains with her parents to Genoa,
Nev. She died in Centerville,
in April, 1907. They had five children: Harry, in the automobile and transfer
business at Chico; Lillie, Mrs. Lee, of Missoula, Mont.; Richard, with the
Great Western Power Company at Oakland; Nellie, Mrs. Rice, who died in Chico;
and William, of Chico, but now in the Spruce Division, at Vancouver, Wash. Mr.
Ballew was for a time school trustee at Centerville, Butte County. In politics,
he is a Republican.
Transcribed by Sande Beach.
Source: "History of
Butte County, Cal.," by George C. Mansfield, Pages 493-494, Historic Record Co, Los Angeles, CA, 1918.
© 2007 Sande Beach.
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