Butte County
Biographies
AUGUSTUS C. PRESLEY
AUGUSTUS C. PRESLEY.--To arrive in San
Francisco at 2 a.m., a stranger in a strange land, with but six dollars the sum
total of his worldly possessions; to spend five dollars immediately for one
week's board in advance; and by the time
the bells rang for 7 a.m., to have secured a position with a large department
store--these characteristic experiences fittingly illustrate the innate
enterprise, self-reliance, and persistency of purpose possessed by the subject
of this sketch, Augustus C. Presley. He is a native of Georgia,
having been born December 28, 1857, near Lagrange, Troup
County. His
education, which was of the most elementary sort, was obtained in the public
school of his district, and concluded when he was but twelve years of age.
He has made his own way in the world since a very early date. Soon after
leaving school he secured employment in a general store at West
Point, Ga., and here he
remained for seven years.
Having
a desire to seek his fortune in the "Land
of Golden Opportunities," this enterprising
young man, when eighteen years old, made the journey alone to San
Francisco, where he immediately secured employment,
early in the morning of the first day, with S. Mosgrove
and Company, a large department store on Market Street.
Always on the alert for the opportunity to better his financial condition and
extend his knowledge of business, after eight months of service for S. Mosgrove and Company he accepted a position
with Tickner, Burnham and Company, a general
merchandise store at Chico, Butte
County. After five years of
faithful and satisfactory service with this firm, he decided to accept the
management of the dry-goods department of Cone and Kimball, located at Red
Bluff. Here he remained but one year, as he felt the call to a larger and more
lucrative position--that of traveling salesman. Endowed with the essential
qualifications that make for successful salesmanship, namely, thorough
knowledge of his goods, self-confidence, and a pleasing and courteous personality,
coupled with enthusiasm and tact,--it is but natural that he achieved success
in this line of commercial endeavor.
The
fall of 1881 marked the advent of Mr. Presley into the innumerable throng of
the "Knights of the Grip." It is evident that he still possesses the
commendable spirit of enterprise and the persistency of purpose that were
marked characteristics of his youthful days, as he is now, after thirty-six
years, still "on the road."
His
first engagement as a traveling salesman was with the dry-goods house of R. W. Burtis and Company of San Francisco.
The territory covered by Mr. Presley included Northern California, Oregon,
Washington, Idaho, Utah,
and Nevada. After two years with
this line of merchandise he decided to centralize his efforts on one line. He
selected the shoe business; and for the past thirteen years he has been
representing the Peters Shoe Company of St. Louis,
the large and well known manufacturers of dependable footwear, including the
celebrated Diamond brand. Mr. Presley has Northern California
as his special territory; and here by courteous treatment of his patrons, and
by fidelity to their best interest in prices and deliveries, he has built up a
prosperous business.
The
up-to-date and progressive town of Gridley
has been Mr. Presley's home since 1880. He is the owner of eighty acres of
splendid land one and one half miles northwest of Gridley, which was formerly
used for raising alfalfa and conducting a dairy; but in 1916 he sold the dairy
and is now greatly interested in horticulture. He is developing the place as a
fruit ranch, specializing in French prunes and black figs, of the California
Mission variety. During his long residence in this community, Mr. Presley has
witnessed the wonderful development in this section of California.
He is an excellent example of the self-made man, and is held in high esteem for
his sterling qualities and enterprising citizenship. Fraternally Mr. Presley is
a Forester.
The
marriage of Augustus C. Presley and Millie Shaefer, a
daughter of Fred A. and Mary Shaefer, pioneers of
Butte County, has been blessed by six children, three boys and three girls: The
sons are B. Ferell, who resides in Gridley; Augustus,
a traveling salesman for the famous Stetson Hat Company; and Fannin, who is serving in the United States Naval Reserve.
One of the daughters is Nannelle, the wife of A. C.
Swenson, of Richmond, Cal.;
the other two, Ismilda and Nada, are at home.
Transcribed by Sande Beach.
Source: "History of
Butte County, Cal.," by George C. Mansfield, Pages 729-730, Historic Record Co, Los Angeles, CA, 1918.
© 2008 Sande Beach.
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