Plumas
County
Biographies
ALLEN J. LONG
For
more than thirty years Allen J. Long has been a resident of Plumas County,
during which period he has rendered very capable service as justice of the
peace, supervisor and notary public and is at this time justice of the
peace. He was born May 19, 1859, in
Butte County, California on Butte Creek, about three miles east of Chico, and
is a son of William B. and Mary E. (Wood) Long, the former a native of Alabama
and the latter of Indiana. The father
came across the plains in 1852, but later returned to Indiana for his family,
whom he brought to the coast. He had
been married en route to Huntsville, Arkansas, to Mary E. Wood, who was a
daughter of General Wood, of Mexican war fame, who went into the war as a
captain and for his courage and soldierly ability was promoted from time to
time, eventually being made a general by brevet, by President Franklin
Pierce. General Wood was born in New
York in 1812 and married Mary Reed, of Virginia. After the Mexican war he lived in Little
Rock, Arkansas, until 1856, when he joined a train of western emigrants
crossing the plains. He lived to the age
of seventy-seven years and became a personal acquaintance and friend of Peter
Lassen, General Bidwell, Leland Stanford and Gen. John A. Sutter. He served in the general assembly in 1864.
On
coming to California, William B. Long, established his home at the mouth of
Butte Creek, in Butte County, and at once became actively interested in the
affairs of the new country. He took a
contract for a star stage, mail and express route, and also ran a private
enterprise, called Wood’s Express, from Oroville and
Susanville, operating both routes for several years. In 1856 he brought out his family, including
one child, John T. Long, who is now a farmer and stockman at Susanville, this
state, and in 1860 he moved with his family to Humbug Valley, in Plumas
County. In 1866 they went to Susanville,
Lassen County, where he continued in the stage business until the Canadian
Pacific Railroad connected up at Reno.
He and his mother and General and Mrs. Wood all found their last resting
place at Susanville, being there buried side by side. Mr. Long was eighty-one years old at the time
of his demise. He was one of the sturdy
and courageous pioneers whose efforts were all in the direction of progress and
advancement. In his stage driving days
he passed through many thrilling and ofttimes
dangerous experiences, and was known far and wide for his presence of mind and
physical courage and endurance.
Allen
J. Long was a favorite grandson of General Wood, by whom he was reared,
remaining with his grandfather until the latter’s death, August 1, 1890. General Wood had been appointed and served as
receiver of the United States land office at Susanville to the time of his
death. Mr. Long served as his chief
deputy, so that he became familiar with every section of this part of the
state. He attended the grammar school at
Susanville, after which he took a commercial course in Heald’s
Business College in San Francisco, graduating in 1881. He then took a trip to Idaho and devoted four
years to working in the galena mines at Hailey, one hundred and fifty miles
northeast of Boise City, on the Wood River.
Remaining in Idaho until 1887, he then returned to accept the position
in the land office at Susanville, in which he served from 1887 until 1890. He continued to live in Susanville until
elected county clerk, auditor and recorder, in which office he served one term. In 1899 he located in Beckwith, Plumas County,
serving as railroad agent there for the Sierra Valley Railroad two years. In 1901 he was appointed justice of the peace
at Beckwith, serving until 1914, and in 1916 was elected a member of the county
board of supervisors, in which capacity he served for twelve years, or until
1928. In 1911 Mr. Long came to Portola
and bought a home, in which he has lived to the present time. He is now a notary public and justice of the peace.
On
March 11, 1890, Mr. Long was united in marriage to Miss Sallie E. Johnson, of
Susanville, a daughter of Thomas Benton and Catherine (Harrison) Johnson, the
former a native of Missouri, and the latter of Indiana. Mr. Johnson crossed the plains with his
widowed mother and her family in 1852, and at the Humboldt River, in Nevada, he
was married having fallen in love with Miss Harrison on the way across the
plains. The following is a copy of their
marriage certificate:
Territory
of Nevada
County
of Humboldt}ss.
This
is to certify that the undersigned Justice of the Peace of said county did on
the 13th day of November, 1863, join in lawful wedlock T. B. Johnson
and Kate Harrison, with their mutual consent in the presence of J. S. Copeland
and A. J. Simmons as witnesses. THEODORE ST. JOHN.
Justice of the
Peace.
Mrs.
Long was born in Cottonwood, Shasta County, California, where her parents were
conducting a hotel. Her father, W. R.
Harrison, came to California in 1848, and in 1850 returned, sailing around the
Horn. In 1852 he brought his wife and
family across the plains. Mrs. Long was
reared in the Honey Lake valley, near Susanville, where her mother died August
7, 1929, at the age of eighty-two years.
Her estate is still intact. For
the purpose of furthering her education, Miss Johnson was sent to Glenn County,
this state, attending school at Willows, where she lived with an aunt, Mrs.
George W. Hoag. Her uncle, Mr. Hoag,
farmed Dr. Glenn’s enormous farm, which at that time was the largest wheat farm
in the world, located in what was then Colusa County, but is now Glenn
County. To Mr. and Mrs. Long were born
five children: Alene,
who died at the age of ten months; Allen Wood, who was agent for the Western
Pacific Railroad at Loyalton, and married Miss Nattie Kiely, died at the age of
twenty-seven years; Uldene is the wife of Earl D.
Fonda, connected with the office of the Western Pacific Railroad at Portola;
William Bent is a miner at Bosby, Mariposa County;
and Trevor J. is at Bagby, Mariposa County.
Mr.
Long is a Democrat in his political views, attends the Methodist Episcopal
Church at Portola, and is a member of Susanville Parlor, No. 99, N. S. G. W.,
while Mrs. Long belongs to Plumas Pioneer Parlor, No. 219, N. D. G. W., at
Quincy. They are widely acquainted throughout
this section of the valley and both are held in high regard because of their
sterling qualities, their kindly manner and their hospitality.
Transcribed by
Gerald Iaquinta.
Source:
Wooldridge, J.W.Major History of Sacramento Valley
California, Vol. 3 Pages 162-164. Pioneer Historical
Publishing Co. Chicago 1931.
© 2010
Gerald Iaquinta.