Los
Angeles County
Biographies
JAMES BAXTER RAYNER
James Baxter Rayner came to Southern
California in the early ‘80s and passed away at Long Beach at the age of
eighty-five years. He was born in Piqua,
Ohio, December 5, 1846, his parents being William and Rachel (Scudder) Rayner,
who were married October 17, 1843. His
paternal grandfather, John Rayner (II), the American progenitor of the family,
was born at Knesall, England, March 1, 1795, being
one of six children born to John Rayner (I).
It was on the 30th of June, 1830, with his wife and children,
that he embarked from Liverpool on a sailing vessel which arrived in New York bay after a stormy and dangerous voyage of six weeks. He landed in the city of New York on August
15th and after a few days took a steamboat to Albany, then a
canal-boat to Buffalo and proceeded on to Cleveland in a lake vessel. At the last named place he rented a house and
remained during the fall and winter of 1830-31, but in the spring of the latter
year he moved with his family to Piqua, Ohio, where he worked at the trade of
carpenter and, with the exception of a few years on a farm at Chickasaw, Mercer
County, spent the remainder of his life.
His death occurred August 21, 1871, and he was buried at the McKinney
Cemetery north of Piqua. To him and his
wife, who bore the maiden name of Elizabeth Wainwright, were born the eleven
children named below:
William
Rayner, born at Sheffield, England, August 14, 1817, was a youth of fourteen
years when the family home was stabled in Piqua, Ohio. On the 17th of October, 1843, he
married Rachel Scudder, who passed away in 1849, leaving two children, Anna
Eliza and James Baxter, the latter the immediate subject of this review. On the 8th of April, 1850, William
Rayner married Catherine J. Barrett, by whom he had seven children: Maria, who was born July 11, 1851 and died
September 15, 1851; Mary Sophronia, who was born September 12, 1852, and died December
9, 1918; William Henry, who was born July 24, 1854, and died June 27, 1923;
Emma Maria, who was born March 12, 1857, and died June 18, 1877; Luella Dryden,
who was born October 5, 1858, and died July 14, 1928; Edwin Barrett, born
October 3, 1860; and John Allen who was born December 8, 1864, and died October
17, 1929. William Rayner, the father of
the above named, devoted his attention to farming and carpentering throughout
his active career and passed away January 23, 1894, his remains being interred
in the McKinney Cemetery north of Piqua.
John
Rayner was born in Mansfield, England, April 1, 1819, and was made a licensed
preacher of the Methodist Church on June 13, 1877, at Chillicothe,
Missouri. He died September 20, 1896,
and was buried beside his wife at Corning, Iowa. The latter was in her maidenhood Catharine
Gray and bore him ten children, namely:
Samuel Albert, William Harris, John, Elizabeth Ellen, David Dryden,
James Franklin, Mary Alice, Francis Marion, John Bryon and James Grant. John and Catharine (Gray) Rayner also had an
adopted daughter, Alta Alice Wood, who became the wife of Edwin A. Crosby.
Joseph
Rayner was born at Red Mile, England, April 9, 1821, and was a lad of ten years
when he accompanied his parents to Piqua, Ohio.
He became an expert pattern maker and also invented many useful
mechanical devices, several of which were patented. On the 18th of October, 1848, in
Piqua, Ohio, he married Sarah Jane Taylor and to them were
born five children: Laura Jane, Lewis
Dryden, Mary Lovenia, John Franklin and Harry Thornton. Joseph Rayner, the father, died suddenly in
December, 1885.
James
O. Rayner was born at Radford, England, February 19, 1823, and was seven years
old when he came with the family to the United States. After many years of hardships incident to the
life of a pioneer preacher, and a long service as chaplain in the army, he
finally settled at San Mateo, California, where he died June 18, 1888. In 1850 he married a widow, Mrs. Sarah J.
Hood, by whom he had four children:
William Francis, Mary Ione, Helen Luella and Edmond S.
Sarah
H. Rayner was born at Ison Green, England, August 1,
1824, and on the 6th of June, 1850, in Piqua, Ohio, became the wife
of David A. Dryden, a missionary, with whom she came to California. They arrived in San Francisco, via the
Isthmus of Panama, on May 6, 1851, and attended the first Methodist conference
ever held in this state. Mrs. Sarah H.
Dryden died at her home in Gilroy, California, June 20, 1900. She was the mother of six children,
namely: Luella, Daisy Irene, David
Albion, Helen, Wendell Ernest and Ermine Iva.
Julia Wainwright Rayner was born at Ison Green, England, March 30, 1827, and arrived with the
family in Piqua, Ohio, when four years of age.
She was married to Marshal Taylor on March 20, 1855, and passed away at
Columbus, Indiana, May 4, 1898. Mr. and
Mrs. Taylor were the parents of two daughters, Sally Caldwell and Hattie Bower.
George
Rayner, born June 4, 1828, died September 1, 1828.
Perry
Rayner, born January 28, 1831, died November 10, 1839.
Mary
H. Rayner was born in Piqua, Ohio, April 4, 1833, and on June 19, 1860, married
Thornton E. Fidler, a Methodist preacher. They became the parents of two sons, William
Frank and Otho Dennison. Mrs. Mary H. Fidler
died at Upper Sandusky, Ohio, May 2, 1904.
Jabez Bunting Rayner was born in Piqua, Ohio, January 27, 1835, and on
July 7, 1859, married Mary A. Dennis, of Shelby County, Ohio. When the Civil War broke out he was one of
the first volunteers to offer his services, becoming a private in Company F,
Eleventh Regiment Ohio Volunteer Infantry.
He died September 6, 1888, and was buried about seven miles north of
Clearwater, Nebraska, but later his comrades of the G. A. R. post moved his
remains to the cemetery at Clearwater.
To him and his wife were born six children: John Johnston, Harry Dennis, Frederick,
Carrie K., Charles H. and Iva M.
James
Baxter Rayner, whose name introduces this article, acquired his education in
the public schools of Piqua, Ohio, and subsequently was identified with the
drug business at various places in that state.
In the early ‘80s he went to Colorado Springs, Colorado, where he became
active in building operations. It was in
the early ‘80s that he settled in Redlands, San Bernardino County, California,
where he is buried beside his first wife and their child. He was a devout Methodist and a very
methodical man, having kept an accurate diary from 1887 until the time of his
death, which occurred March 6, 1932.
On the 10th of May, 1877,
James B. Rayner married Miss Jennie Shideler, who was born April 6, 1857, a
daughter of Thomas and Anna (Fullhart) Shideler, both of whom were natives of Ohio, the former
born June 5, 1833, and the latter May 1, 1835.
James B. and Jennie Rayner were the parents of a daughter, Laura Myrtle,
who was born July 15, 1878, and died in October, 1887, at the age of nine
years. The wife and mother passed away
December 23, 1924, and on the 8th of August, 1927, Mr. Rayner
married Mrs. Dora M. (Shideler) Richards, widow of N. W. Richards and sister of
the first wife, who cared for him in his declining years. Mrs. Dora M. Rayner resides at 1100 East
Second Street, Long Beach, and has many warm friends here.
Transcribed by
V. Gerald Iaquinta.
Source: California of the South
Vol. III, by John Steven McGroarty, Pages 157-161, Clarke Publ.,
Chicago, Los Angeles, Indianapolis. 1933.
© 2012 V. Gerald Iaquinta.
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NUGGET'S LOS ANGELES BIOGRAPIES