Placer
County
Biographies
MARTIN A. SCHELLHOUS
From the early period in the pioneer
development of California until the time of his death Martin Andrew Schellhous was a highly esteemed resident of California,
his last days being spent near Roseville.
He was born in Ohio in July, 1819, and was of German lineage. His paternal grandfather came from Germany to
America in 1756, and served as a soldier in the Revolutionary War. He was with Washington at Valley Forge and
was wounded in two battles. The maternal
grandparents, named Anderson, were Scotch people and emigrated from Vermont to
Ohio about 1812, locating in Huron County.
The father of our subject was born in Vermont in 1790, and became a
resident of Ohio in 1808. In 1812 he
commanded a brigade under General Harrison, and after the war settled in Huron
County, where he opened up a farm. In
1831 he removed with his family to Michigan, which was then a territory, and in
1835 he was elected a delegate to the convention which framed the first
constitution of the state. Afterward he
was also a member of the legislature for a number of years. He died on his farm in Michigan on the
fifty-ninth anniversary of his birth, passing away January 1, 1849.
Martin A. Schellhous,
his eldest son, pursued his education in the district schools at intervals
until eighteen years of age and was then sent to the State University, where he
remained for several years pursuing the higher branches of learning. He remained in Michigan until March, 1849,
when he started across the plains to California. Marshall had discovered gold, others had seen
evidences of the precious metal and news of the rich finds had reached the
east. Many young men had crossed the
Pacific coast with the hope of rapidly acquiring a fortune and among the number
was Martin Schellhous. He traveled with a company of friends and
neighbors, the journey being made across the plains with ox teams. They did not reach Salt Lake until August and
there exchanged their outfit for pack horses, as it was too late in the season
to cross the county with ox teams. When
they had proceeded about two hundred miles, their company was fired upon by
about four hundred Indians. This was about
one o’clock in the afternoon. The
emigrants returned the fire and the battle lasted until night. The Indians killed two of the company and
stampeded all of their horses, also carrying away all of the provisions and
blankets. With the aid of some Mormons,
who were going from California to Salt Lake, Mr. Schellhous
and the other members of the company returned to that place, where they
obtained some mules and provisions, and in November, 1849, they again started
for the Golden state by the Santa Fe route, reaching Los Angeles in February,
1850, after a long and painful journey.
They then chartered a small sailing vessel and in that way proceeded to
San Francisco, where they arrived in April.
There taking passage on another vessel up the Sacramento River, they
finally reached the mines. Mr. Schellhous and his brother engaged in placer mining and
soon took out between five and six thousand dollars. In the fall of 1851 he returned to Michigan
with the intention of returning to California the next season, and in 1852 he
again returned to the Golden state.
In March of that year Mr. Schellhous was united in marriage to Miss Caroline Ferris,
and with his young wife and a number of the members of his family he again
started across the plains. This time the
party suffered from cholera and experienced many other hardships and
trials. This disease caused the death of
one of his sisters and a child. The
former had partly recovered from her attack of cholera, but in her weak
condition was stricken with mountain fever which terminated her life and her
remains were laid to rest at Diamond Springs, California.
Mr. Schellhous
brought with him from Michigan a number of American cows and turned his
attention to stock-raising, farming and fruit culture. He purchased a ranch of two hundred and forty
acres, three and a half miles from the present site of Roseville and there
improved and developed his property, making it a very rich and highly
cultivated tract. So successful was he
in his operations that before his death he had accumulated four hundred acres
of land, which yielded to him an excellent return for the care and labor
bestowed upon it. He was also a
successful stock-raiser and lived an honorable and upright life. For a number of years he held the position of
justice of the peace in Placer County.
He was a man of good education, of marked ability and of strong force of
character, and his influence was a potent element for good in the community in
which he made his home.
Unto Mr. and Mrs. Schellhous were born twelve children, ten of whom are
living, and his wife still survives, residing on the old home farm near
Roseville, highly respected by all who know her. The daughter, Helen, now Mrs. Bisco, is a widow and resides in Rocklin. George is a farmer near Roseville. Martin A. and John and engaged in
blacksmithing in Roseville and both are esteemed businessmen of the town, also
owning farms and successfully following fruit-raising. The other members of the family are: Carrie; Stella, wife of William Sawtell, the leading merchant of Roseville; Loren and Ed,
at home; Annie, a successful school teacher; and Earl, at home. The family is one of the highest
respectability, widely and favorably known, its members occupying leading
positions in social circles. The father
departed this life in September, 1873, at the age of fifty-four years, and in
his death the community mourned the loss of one of its valued citizens. He left to his family not only a comfortable
competence, but an honored name, for his was ever an upright career in which
fidelity to duty and trustworthiness were among his characteristics. He enjoyed the confidence of all his fellow
men in an unusual degree and his life was in many respects well worthy of
emulation.
Transcribed by
Gerald Iaquinta.
Source:
“A Volume of Memoirs and Genealogy of Representative Citizens of Northern
California”, Pages 818-819. Chicago Standard Genealogical Publishing Co. 1901.
© 2010
Gerald Iaquinta.