Butte County
Biographies
JOSIAH AND EVE ANN TROXEL
JOSIAH AND EVE ANN TROXEL.—A prominent
pioneer of Butte County, who came to California in 1864,
was the late Josiah Troxel, who was born in Fairfield
County, Ohio,
February 22, 1822. He was a grandson of John Troxel,
who served as a soldier in the Revolutionary War and who represented a
prominent Virginia
family. His father was named Jacob and was a farmer in Ohio. The
Troxel family had much to do in the history-making of
the early period of our country.
Josiah Troxel was reared and educated in Ohio and Illinois,
whither his parents had migrated when that was a frontier section of our sister
hood of states and when but little development had been
accomplished. Under these primitive conditions the lad grew to young manhood,
married and settled down to the life of a farmer and met with financial
success. He married Eve Ann Coon, a native of the Buckeye state, in 1849,
and they became the parents of eleven children, one of whom died in
infancy. The others are: Elizabeth, who lived to be twenty years old and
died an accidental death in 1871; John, accidentally drowned when he was three
years of age; William H., a prosperous rancher of Lassen County, Cal.; Rebecca
J., married H. M. Sweeney and died in June, 1916, leaving three children;
Thomas Jefferson, a prosperous rancher and road overseer of the Dayton
district; Kansas B., also a successful rancher of this county; Mary E.,
residing on the home ranch with her brother, Allen T.; Sarah A., married C. M.
Hensley and resides in Chico; Marilda, the wife of U.
L. McVicker and living in Oakland; and Allen T.
After
having farmed in Illinois for many years, Josiah Troxel, with his wife and seven children, crossed the
plains to California, where Mr. Troxel hoped to regain his health. He had a
brother-in-law, William Coon, who had come to this state in the early
gold-mining days and who had settled down to ranch life in Butte County, and it
was but natural that Mr. Troxel should turn his steps
thither. He was so favorably impressed with the new country and could
foresee such great possibilities for the future of the state that he decided he
would become a citizen of the commonwealth, and he began to farm some land near
the Sacramento River. He soon decided to become a
landowner and bought a quarter section of land in the Dayton Precinct, upon
which, in 1873 he erected a commodious country residence, barns and suitable
outbuildings. He added to these from time to time as his needs required,
until in time he had one of the best county homes in this section of the
county. The land he bought was heavily timbered and before he could plant
his crops he had to cut and grub out the trees. It was hard work, early
and late, but he persevered and, with the assistance of his sons, succeeded in
clearing the land and putting in his crops. He reaped bountiful harvests,
gathering from thirty to thirty-five bushels to the acre. True, he had
some lean years and low prices, but he was never discouraged. There were
then no railroads in this section and he had to haul his grain to Oroville or
Marysville until the railroads were extended to the newer
sections. "The wagon roads were merely an apology for a road and no
traveling could be done in wet weather. These early pioneers in Butte
County always were ready to assist
one another in times of need and distress, even to loaning fire--there were no
matches—when their neighbor’s fire had gone out. Mr. Troxel
bought land from time to time until he became owner of seven hundred twenty
acres, all of it fine agricultural land, upon which he raised grain and
stock. He had entered into an agreement with his boys that they should all
work together and when they had reached their majority he would, for a certain
consideration, deed them one hundred sixty acres each, and this he fulfilled.
Mr. Troxel was a member of the odd Fellows, and was a Democrat
in his political affiliations. He was a liberal contributor to all worthy
projects for the upbuilding of Butte
County; as a friend of education he
strove for good schools and competent teachers; he always encouraged those less
fortunate than himself to get a new start on the road to success and was never
too busy to lend his aid wherever it was needed. He died in 1902, and his
widow passed away in 1904, both mourned by their descendants and a wide circle
of friends. At their passing Butte
County lost two of her stanch upbuilders.
Transcribed 2-17-08
Marilyn R. Pankey.
Source: "History of
Butte County, Cal.," by George C. Mansfield, Pages 739-740, Historic Record Co, Los Angeles, CA, 1918.
©
2008 Marilyn R. Pankey.
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