ABNER BALDWIN BURNS

Sacramento County

Biographies

ABNER BALDWIN BURNS

ABNER BALDWIN BURNS, orchardist, Sutter Township, was born in Randolph County, North Carolina, January 29, 1833, son of James and Sarah Burns, both natives of that state. Mrs. Burn’s father, Silas Cooper, served seven years in the Revolutionary War, being engaged in one fight which took place precisely on his home land. Abner was born on the Galpin battle-ground. The Burns family trace their history to Scotland. In James Burns’ family were fifteen children, seven sons and eight daughters, all of whom were living and were at home just before the war. Three sons entered the Union army, and two of them were killed at Arkansas Post, when General Sherman was commanding there. In 1844 the family emigrated to Putnam County, Indiana. At the age of seventeen or eighteen years Mr. Burns, the subject of this sketch, left home, and for ten or twelve years followed flatboating on the Mississippi River, during which time he passed through many exciting experiences, many of them romantic or otherwise pleasant. He then remained in Indiana until he came to California in 1856, sailing from New York June 24 on the old Northern Light to Nicaragua. Was delayed on the Isthmus by the fighting that was in progress there during the revolution in that country. At length, obtaining passage on the Nevada, he landed in San Francisco February 22. The first two months he worked at mining in the Indian diggings, in company with a friend named McCoy. While there, Messrs. Frink & Alsip, of Sacramento, offered him employment, which he accepted; but in two months was taken sick and he passed six weeks at Dr. Sullivan’s Hospital. After recovering, he followed teaming with two teams between Sacramento and Nevada City, with considerable profit. A week before Christmas he quit this and went upon a ranch in Sutter Township on the lower Stockton road, about four miles from Sacramento, in partnership with Benjamin Stoops. A year afterward he went to the mountains, and during his absence Mr. Stoops sold the ranch and ran away with the money, leaving Mr. Burns about $1,000 in debt. In the fall of 1858 he moved upon the ground which now constitutes a portion of his present place, where he bought of the State eighty acres of school land. In 1861-’62 the water covered his land, and he was for a time engaged in mining in Nevada and among the copper mines in El Dorado County, which business proved a total loss to him. He considers ranching, especially in Sacramento County, the safest employment and the best investment one can make in the United States. His land, which is well adapted to fruit, especially grapes and peaches, is in a fine state of cultivation. He has taken first premiums at State fairs on peaches and other fruits. He has been active in fruit interests. The organization of the Fruit Union in this part of the county might be accredited to him. Mr. Burns has always been an active politician. He was one of the few who organized the Republican party in this county and adhered to that party until 1884, when he supported the National Greenback party. His first nomination for public office was for the Legislature in 1883, on the National ticket. In 1885 he was nominated by the same party for Congress. He is a National man in every good sense of that word, that is, simply patriotic. He is now serving his fifteenth term as school director of Capital district. Mr. Burns was married July 4, 1870, to Mrs. Sarah Slocum, nee Ballard, a native of Shelby County, Indiana. The three children are all dead.

Transcribed by: Jeanne Sturgis Taylor.

Davis, Hon. Win. J., An Illustrated History of Sacramento County, California. Pages 691-692. Lewis Publishing Company. 1890.