Butte County
Biographies
GEORGE E. VADNEY
GEORGE E. VADNEY.--Among the extensive dealers in real estate in Butte
County, who has both made a fortune for himself, through his business sagacity
and experience, and who has pointed the way for others to move on to
substantial prosperity, is George E. Vadney, who was
born in the Holland Dutch district of Greenbush, Rensselaer County, New York,
on June 3, 1854, the son of August Edward Vadney,
also a native of New York. His father, who was of French descent, died when he
was eleven years old and living at Schenectady; while his mother, who had been
Elizabeth Rachael Kelderhouse, and was born in New
York of German descent, died still earlier, when the lad was seven years of
age. Six children were born to Mr. and Mrs. Vadney,
four of whom are now living; and the subject of our sketch was the second
eldest in the family.
After his father died, George continued to
live for the most part in Albany, and from his eleventh year he had to “paddle
his own canoe.” He attended the public school for three months in the winter,
until he was fifteen, and worked on farms for the rest of the year. Then he
went to work regularly on a farm; and arriving at the more decisive age of
seventeen, he bought a hay press and operated it for a couple of years in the
vicinity, thereby putting away enough money that he was able, with the aid of
an assemblyman, who got him a permit, to attend the Albany State Normal School
for a couple of years. On October 20, 1875, at noon, he finished his studies;
and at twelve o’clock, midnight, he started for California.
Arriving in San Francisco on the third of
November, he went to Monterey County and worked in a dairy over winter; and on
April 1 he came to Chico, where he secured employment with
W. K. Springer and Company, in their sash and door factory. Then he
bought a band of cattle and ranged on the hills. He also farmed on Deer Creek, and in 1880 in Glenn County.
In the fall of that year, Mr. Vadney was married to Miss Georgietta
Roberts, a native of New Hampshire; and a year later, having lost heavily in
Glenn County, he went back to Chico. He continued farming until 1883, when he
entered the employ of the Sierra Lumber Company, as local salesman; and as
agent of their yards here he was with that well-known house for twenty-one
years, until January 1, 1904, when he resigned.
For many years Mr. Vadney
had operated in real estate, building and selling the first houses ever sold on
the installment plan in this neighborhood; and in 1885, when he began the
venture alone, he constructed and disposed of three houses. His experience in
this field having been satisfactory, he continued; and in 1904 he again gave
his attention to realty, adding insurance as well. Now, besides having the
oldest real estate office here, he loans more money than any other individual
in town. How extensive have been his operations may be seen by the following:
He laid out the additions to Arsthorpe Tract
(seventeen acres), Bennett Block, Pioneer Block (a part of the Bidwell estate), Patterson Tract (five acres), the Houghton
Block of ten acres, Union Block of twenty acres, Archer Block, Sloat Tract, the Nursery Tract of ten acres, the Dean
Block, the Columbia Block, the Argonaut Block, Chapman’s North Addition, the Entler and the Taylor Tracts, Gunby
Block, Vadney’s Subdivision of Chapman’s Addition to
Chico, Fetter’s Tract, Jenkins Tract, Subdivision E., half of Block 49, McCully Block of ten acres, Eureka Block of the same
dimensions, Evans Tract of eighty acres, Howard Block of ten acres, Sunset
Tract of forty-two acres, and others, including a subdivision of Stanley Park,
with lots seventy-six, seventy-seven and seventy-eight.
For ten years Mr. Vadney
was a member of the Chico board of education, and for four years he was
president of the board; and during this time the following schools were built:
Rosedale, Chapman, Sacramento Avenue, Chico Vecino, Bidwell, Nord Avenue, New
Oakdale, Addition to Old Oakdale School; and after the fire, the high school
with its later addition was rebuilt. He built his own large residence on
Humboldt Avenue.
Mrs. Vadney died
here in June, 1911, the mother of six children, five of whom are still living.
Oliver Beatrice, a graduate of the Normal and Heald’s
Business College in San Francisco, now teaching the commercial courses in the
high school here; Edward Connella, in mercantile
business here and at Marysville; Addie Maria, a
graduate of the high and normal, as well as the University of California,
teaching in the high school in Corning; Euna May,
deceased; Albert Albertus, a partner with his
brother, Edward C., at Marysville; and Abbie Marie,
who is in the high school.
Mr. Vadney
formerly belonged to the A. O. U. W., but has severed his connection;
he belongs to the Chico Odd Fellows and to the Rebekahs;
he was made a Mason in Chico Lodge, No. 111, F. & A. M.; he
belongs to Chico Chapter, No. 42, R. A. M., and to the Chico Commandery, No. 12, K. T.; he is a member of Islam
Temple, A. A. O. N. M. S., in San Francisco; and he is
affiliated with the Chico Lodge of the B. P. O. Elks, the
Independent Foresters, the Woodmen of the World, and the Business Men’s
Association. A Republican, he has been a member of the County Central
Committee.
Transcribed by Marie Hassard
08 August 2008.
Source:
"History of Butte County, Cal.," by George C. Mansfield, Pages
1006-1007, Historic
Record Co, Los Angeles, CA, 1918.
© 2008 Marie Hassard.
Golden Nugget Library's
Butte County Biographies