Butte County
Biographies
JOSEPH DAVIS SPROUL
JOSEPH
DAVIS SPROUL.--Joseph D. Sproul was born
in Vacaville, Solano County, Cal.,
on June 6, 1859, a son of Dr. Samuel Murray Sproul, who was born in Clark
County, Ky., in 1825. Dr. Samuel Sproul was a graduate of Jefferson
Medical College
in Philadelphia, and practiced medicine in Springfield,
Mo., and later in Greenfield. There he was married to Margaret Stephenson,
a native of Clark County, Ky. Dr. Sproul and his wife crossed the plains to
California, and lived in Solano
County until 1861, when they came to Chico,
Butte County;
and here he practiced medicine until his death, on July 6, 1875. His wife made her home in Chico
until her death, in 1907. Three children
were born them: Joseph D., Alice, and
Bessie V.
Joseph
D. Sproul was educated in the public schools of Chico, and
received an appointment to the Military Academy
at West Point, where he remained for two years, and then returned to Chico. He studied law with F. C. Lusk, was admitted
to the bar in 1883, and until his death, on July 27, 1907, was associated with
Mr. Lusk. Mr. Sproul served as district
attorney of Butte County,
as postmaster of Chico for one term, and as city attorney
of Chico.
In
1886, Mr. Sproul was married to Miss Georgia E. Dorn, who was born in Aurora,
Nev.; and they had two children: Stanley L. and Marion. Mr. Sproul was prominent among the Native
Sons of the Golden West, of which organization he was Past Grand Trustee and
Past Grand President; and he was also Past Exalted Ruler and Past District
Deputy of the Benevolent Protective Order of Elks. He served several years as chief engineer for
the Chico fire department, and as
foreman of the Deluge Hose Company.
Transcribed by Barbara Gaffney.
Source: "History of Butte County, Cal.," by
George C. Mansfield, Pages 563-564, Historic Record Co, Los Angeles, CA,
1918.
© 2007 Barbara Gaffney.
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