El
Dorado County
Biographies
LEANDER D. MARKS
Leander D. Marks, of Placerville, is
a native of the Empire state, his birth having occurred in St. Lawrence County,
on the 3rd of June, 1821. He
has therefore almost reached the eightieth milestone of life’s journey. His record has ever been that of a man true
to the duties of public and private life, faithful in friendship and honorable
in business. He is a representative of one
of the early families of New York. His
grandfather, Reuben Marks, reared his children in the Empire state and among
the number was Richard Marks, the father of our subject. He was born in New York and when he had
attained manhood he married Miss Annie Bristol, also a native of that
state. They were industrious farming
people, faithful members of the Methodist Episcopal Church, and both attained
the age of sixty-five years. In their
family were eight children, but Leander Douglass is now the only survivor.
In 1834 the parents removed with
their children to Ashtabula County, Ohio, and the father entered land from the
government. There amid the wild scenes
of the frontier Leander D. Marks was reared to manhood and in the public
schools acquired his education. At the
age of twenty years he went to Watterdown, Canada, where he was engaged in the
manufacture of farming implements, such as scythes, sickles and rakes. While residing there he met the lady whom he
afterward made his wife and who for the past fifty-eight years has been to him
a faithful companion and helpmate on life’s journey. She bore the maiden name of Harriet Griffin
Kent and was a daughter of William Kent.
Their marriage was celebrated in 1842 and four sons were born to them in
Canada. Hoping to more rapidly acquire a
competence for his family in the west, Mr. Marks came to California in 1859 by
way of the Isthmus of Panama, and the following year he sent for his wife and
children. On the voyage one of the
children had a violent attack of diphtheria, but owing to the tender and
unremitting care of the mother his life was saved and with her little sons she
reached her destination in safety. They
settled in Amador City, where Mr. Marks was first engaged in school
teaching. Later he became the proprietor
of the Scott Hotel, then the only hostelry in the town. Subsequently he removed to San Joaquin
County, locating ten miles below Ione, where he purchased a ranch. He made many improvements thereon and learned
later that it belonged to a Mexican grant, and he and many other settlers were
thus ruthlessly disposed of their property and he lost all he had made. He then rented the old Chapman place and in
1864 came to Placerville.
In this city Mr. Marks turned his
attention to the grocery business and next engaged in teaming over the
mountains from Placerville to Virginia City, Nevada. Along that route at short intervals were
hotels and between four and five thousand teamsters were engaged in hauling goods. Later he became interested in freighting from
Shingle Springs to Placerville. At that
time the teamsters over the mountains were registered and at the depot they had
to await their turn to get their load.
It was a time of wonderful business activity, owing to the rapid
development of the silver mines in Nevada.
In 1867 Mr. Marks was called to public service, being elected a justice
of the peace, and such was his ability in the office that he was elected again
and again, filling the position for twenty years. His decisions were strictly fair and
impartial and during all that time not a single opinion that he rendered was
reversed. This was a splendid record and
shows him to be a man of high rectitude of character and large intelligence. He has done an insurance business at
Placerville and has had the agency of the Firemen’s Fund since 1873. He also represents several other companies
and has enjoyed the continuous patronage of many people. Another enterprise which has claimed his
attention is a meat market, which he conducted for three years. He is now in a measure retired from active
business and resides with his good wife in a neat cottage, which he erected in
1889. A daughter was born to them in
California, whom they named Grace Darling.
In her seventeenth year death claimed her and
they felt their loss keenly. Three of
their sons are still living, Watson S., Henry K. and Louie, who are all men of
high respectability.
Mr. Marks came to California about
the time the Republican Party was formed.
He espoused the cause of the Union and the restriction of the extension
of slavery, and has ever been a staunch advocate of the party upholding the
supremacy of the national government during the Civil War, which has stood as a
protector of the American industries and American rights, and is now upholding
the honor of the flag upon the foreign soil that the fortunes of war have given
to this country. His wife is a valued
member of the Methodist Episcopal Church and both are members of the society of
Chosen Friends, and having passed the seventy-fifth anniversary of their births
they have received from the order the benefit of one thousand dollars
each. Through fifty-eight years they
have traveled life’s journey together, sharing with each other its joys and
sorrows, its adversity and prosperity, and now in the evening of life they are
resting side by side in the companionship of love which has been growing
brighter and brighter until the perfect day.
Transcribed by
Gerald Iaquinta.
Source:
“A Volume of Memoirs and Genealogy of Representative Citizens of Northern
California”, Pages 639-641. Chicago Standard Genealogical Publishing Co. 1901.
© 2010
Gerald Iaquinta.
Golden
Nugget Library's El Dorado County Biographies