Butte County
Biographies
NATHANIEL LYON JOHNSTON
NATHANIEL LYON JOHNSTON.—Among the energetic and
successful ranchers of Butte County, Nathaniel Lyon Johnston deserves
recognition. He is a native son, born ten miles north of the city of
Sacramento, September 7, 1861. His father, William E., was of
Scotch descent, but was born in the north of Ireland. After coming to the
United States, he spent some years in the East as a flour miller. In 1849 he
crossed the plains to Salt Lake, and thence in 1850 to
California, where he mined for a while, and then engaged in the dairy business
at Sacramento. Later he purchased railroad land north of that city, and added
to his acreage until he had three hundred twenty acres devoted to dairying and
stock-raising. After a time he leased the place to his sons
and returned to Sacramento, where he died at the age of eighty-three.
N. L. Johnston’s mother, Margaret (Hargrave)
Johnston, was a native of Belfast, Ireland, and came to the United States at
the age of fourteen. She died in 1913, over eighty years of age. Of her twelve
children, eight grew to maturity and six are living.
Nathaniel L. Johnston was the fifth child
in his parents’ family. He received a public school education, and early in
life was set to work learning ranching. He remained at home until twenty years
of age, and then, in 1881, came to Butte County and worked during harvest on
the Rives, now the Phelan, ranch. Returning to his
home, he and his brother, Robert E., rented their father’s place and also
land on Haggin Grant. They ranched for over fifteen
years, and during this time, in addition to the twelve hundred acres, they
bought the Steve Barwell ranch of eighteen hundred
acres on Pleasant Grove Creek, Placer County, which they farmed, also renting
one thousand acres from James Keysburg, four thousand
acres altogether, twenty-two hundred acres of which was in wheat. In putting in
and harvesting their crops, they ran five-, eight-, and ten-horse teams; and in
addition to their operations in grain they also raised cattle and mules. They
purchased eighteen hundred acres of land from Everts
Brothers, near Wheatland. Later, Nathaniel L. sold his interest to his
brother, and came to Butte County in the spring of 1906, where he purchased the
Robert Houseman place of two hundred acres, and later bought the Mrs. Korn place of one hundred sixty acres, on which he settled
and engaged in the raising of grain, stock and sheep. The ranch lies eight
miles north of Chico.
In Brownsville, Cal., on September 27,
1899, Nathaniel L. Johnston was married to Miriam Evans, a native of that
place, and a daughter of James Evans, an Eastern man of Welsh descent, who
crossed the plains three times with ox teams, the first time on his way to
California in 1849, afterwards on his return to the East, and again on the way
back to the Pacific Coast. Like others in the early days he mined for a time;
and then he began ranching and stock-raising on his ranch three miles from
Brownsville. Mrs. Johnston’s half-brother, Doc Evans, was foreman of the Ord ranch until he died. Her father died near Brownsville,
aged ninety-four, hale and hearty to the last. Her mother, Helen (Arnold)
Evans, was born in Rhode Island. She is now residing in Brownsville. Of her
three children two grew to maturity. Mrs. N. L. Johnston, the
youngest, received her education in the public schools. Mr. and Mrs. Johnston
are the parents of six children: Aleta and Vada, students in the Chico High School; and Ethel, Arthur,
Helen and Claudia. Mrs. Johnston is trustee of Walnut district. Mr. Johnston is
a Democrat in his party affiliations. He is a very pleasant, liberal-minded
man, and has in his most estimable wife an able helpmate.
Transcribed by Marie Hassard
19 August 2009.
Source:
"History of Butte County, Cal.," by George C. Mansfield, Pages 1241-1242, Historic Record Co, Los
Angeles, CA, 1918.
© 2009 Marie Hassard.
Golden Nugget Library's
Butte County Biographies