El
Dorado County
Biographies
MR. ARCHIBALD SPEER BOSQUIT
Mr. A. S. Bosquit, who is
efficiently serving as the sheriff of El Dorado County, his home being in
Placerville, is a native of Pennsylvania, his birth occurring in Allegheny
City, on the 7th of August, 1851.
His father, John Bosquit, was born in Newark, New Jersey, in 1821, and
was of French and German descent. He
removed to the Keystone state and was there married to Miss Rosanna Beck. Three children were born to them during their
residence in Allegheny County, and with his little family Mr. Bosquit sailed
from New York for San Francisco, coming direct to Placer County. He took up his abode at Virginia Town and was
engaged in placer mining below that place, following that industry until 1860,
at which time he opened a large claim.
The vein was very deep and required much work to obtain the gold. He continued his operations until 1861, without
much success, and in the winter of 1861-2, with four men shoveling in the
sluices, he cleared as high as fifty ounces in one day. Then a great flood came and washed away
everything! Later, however, Mr. Bosquit
reopened his mine, but a little later sold out for eight thousand dollars. He then became the owner of fifty-two Chinese
houses, from which he received a rental of from four hundred and fifty dollars
to five hundred dollars per month.
In politics he was a Republican and
as such was elected a member of the state assembly in 1864. He was strongly opposed to slavery and did
all in his power to promote abolition principles in the early days of the
existence of the Republican Party. While
serving in the California House of Representatives he was active in securing
the passage of the bill for the construction of the Central Pacific
Railroad. From that time until his death
he was very active in the public affairs of his county and was recognized as a
prominent and influential citizen, his opinions carrying weight in party
councils. His death occurred in 1868,
when he had reached the age of forty-nine years. His wife survived him some time and passed
away in 1882, at the age of fifty-two years.
Six children were added to the family in California, but all are now
deceased who were born in the golden west.
One of the daughters is Mrs. Thorndike, a resident of Truckee, and
Matilda, another daughter, is the wife of G. W. Armstrong, of Auburn.
In taking up the personal history of
A. S. Bosquit we present to our readers the life record of one who is widely
and favorably known in El Dorado County.
He was only two years of age when brought by his parents to California,
and hence during the greater part of his life he has been identified with the
interests of this state. He pursued his
education at Gold Hill and Lincoln, and also took a course of study in the
McClure Academy in 1869. In 1870 he
bound himself to S. W. Willis to learn telegraphy. He was to receive one hundred dollars for his
services and was to board and clothe himself.
His employer also conducted the post office and was engaged in the
stationery business, and with the work of both of those Mr. Bosquit became
familiar. When his term of
apprenticeship had expired he accepted a position with the Sacramento and
Placerville Railroad Company, as bookkeeper and telegraph operator at Shingle
Springs. He was also the agent for the
Wells Fargo Express Company. He there remained until September, 1873. Subsequently he successfully engaged in
farming and mining until 1891, when he was chosen by his fellow citizens for public
service, being elected county clerk, auditor and recorder of El Dorado
County. In those positions he served
with marked efficiency for eight years, having been elected for a second and
third term. His fidelity to duty led to
his selection to the office of sheriff in 1898, and he is thus now capably
serving, discharging his duties without fear or favor. He has made judicious investments of his
capital, and in addition to his fine home in Placerville he owns a farm of four
hundred and thirty acres of land at Shingle Springs, on which hay, grain and
stock are raised. A portion of it is
also devoted to the cultivation of fruit, and while Mr. Bosquit resided there
the property was one of the most productive and valuable in the county.
On the 12th of October, 1873, our
subject was united in marriage to Miss Sarah Catherine Gray, a daughter of
Allen T. Gray, a prominent pioneer of 1854 and the founder of Gray’s Flats in
El Dorado County. They have three sons,
all born in this county, namely: Dallas
A., Edwin L. and Owen T., who are residents of Placerville. Mr. Bosquit is a member of the Ancient Order
of United Workmen, the Foresters and the Independent Order of Odd Fellows, and
in the last named he has filled all the offices and has served as a representative
to the grand lodge. He is an active and
earnest Democrat, a progressive and enterprising citizen and a thoroughly
capable and faithful public officer.
Transcribed by
Gerald Iaquinta.
Source:
“A Volume of Memoirs and Genealogy of Representative Citizens of Northern
California”, Pages 632-634. Chicago Standard Genealogical Publishing Co. 1901.
© 2010
Gerald Iaquinta.
Golden
Nugget Library's El Dorado County Biographies