Placer
County
Biographies
GEORGE S. MAKER
For many years this California
“49er,” George Samuel Maker, has been a prominent business factor in the town
of Dutch Flat. His long identity with
this locality and his prominence render a review of his life of more than
passing interest in the present work, and the following facts regarding his
life have been gleaned for publication.
George Samuel Maker is a native of
Germany. He was born August 15, 1822, a
son of German parents, and at a very early age was brought to this
country. At Monroe, Michigan, he
received his schooling. In early manhood
he was variously occupied in Michigan, from there went to Cleveland, Ohio,
where he had an eating-house, and from Cleveland went to New Orleans, at the
latter place running a cigar and oyster establishment. Later he drifted further south, and in 1846
went from New Orleans to the Rio Grande River.
Returning to the Crescent city, he loaded a schooner with brandy and
whisky, to be sold at the different ports on the river. This business venture being made without the
knowledge that General Taylor had issued an order forbidding the sale of liquor
there, his cargo was confiscated, and he afterward saw it at the army
headquarters. It had cost him sixteen
hundred dollars and was a total loss, which he deeply felt at that time.
In 1849, as one of a party of
ninety-six members, he started for California.
While in Mexico on the journey one of the company
discharged his pistol to clean it. The
soldiers, coming up at that time and hearing the report, arrested the company
and demanded the man who had done the shooting; and, notwithstanding the fact
that the travelers explained the cause of the shot, they were compelled to pay
a fine of twenty-five dollars before they were allowed to proceed! Soon after this they secured passage on a
French bark bound for San Francisco. On
account of the very slow passage which this vessel made, its supplies were
reduced and passengers had to be put on short allowance. At last only a little hard-tack and a small
quantity of stale water was allowed each person daily.
Finally, however, they arrived safe
in San Francisco, and after a short time spent there Mr. Maker went up to Deer
Creek, now Nevada City, where he saw some gold that had been brought from the
Yuba. He went to South Yuba and at
Missouri Bar learned to wash the dirt and at once settled down to mining, in
which he was successful there. He had
the good fortune to find one piece of gold worth five hundred and fifty-four
dollars, and the same day he found that his day’s work brought him six hundred
dollars. At Missouri Bar he remained
until 1853. That year he bought a log
cabin on the ridge, in which he opened a store and meat market and where he
also kept what was sometimes called a hotel.
This business he ran until 1858, making about three thousand dollars,
after which he sold his house and the land on which it was located, reserving,
however, the timber on the land. His
next enterprise was to build a sawmill, which he ran
for a number of years. After retiring
from the sawmill business he resided in Nevada, and from there in 1864 came to
Dutch Flat, where for the past thirty-six years he has been engaged in
merchandising, meeting with prosperity and earning the distinction of having
the largest establishment and being the oldest merchant in the town. He owns the building in which his store is
located and also has a commodious residence nearby, both in the center of town.
Mr. Maker is a man of a family. He was married in 1858 to Miss Lena Talbot, a
native of Cork, Ireland, and of the five children that have been given them
four are living, namely: Hannah, the
wife of Alexander Drayman; George and William, in business with their father;
and Mary, the wife of William Bowen, of Dutch Flat.
While a resident of Nevada Mr. Maker
received the first degree in Masonry, and after his location in Dutch Flat was
given the other degrees of the blue lodge, in which he still retains
membership. In his political views he
has always harmonized with the Republican Party.
Transcribed by
Gerald Iaquinta.
Source:
“A Volume of Memoirs and Genealogy of Representative Citizens of Northern
California”, Pages 444-446. Chicago Standard Genealogical Publishing Co. 1901.
© 2010
Gerald Iaquinta.