DR. JAMES CAPLES

Sacramento County

Biographies

DR. JAMES CAPLES

DR. JAMES CAPLES, an honored pioneer, who may truthfully be called one of the Argonauts, having come here in 1849, and making this his home ever since, has seen many and varied experiences of early life, and no doubt is as well informed in the history of his community as any other man. A great-grandfather of the Doctor was William Caples, who lived in the city of Baltimore and had three sons, —Robert, William and Andrew. William, born in that city, emigrated to Tuscarawas County, Ohio, in 1804. His brother Robert moved to the Western Reserve, on the border of Lake Erie; and Andrew went to Tennessee, and his descendants spell their name Cable, one of whom is George W. Cable, the distinguished author of the present day. The Doctor’s grandfather supposed that the name was of German origin. William remained in Tuscarawas County until his death, in April, 1837. He had six sons and three daughters,—Robert, Charles, Joseph, William, Kenzie, Jacob, Mary, Anna and Susan. About 1839 they began to emigrate West. All the sons went to Oregon except Charles, the father of Dr. Caples, who settled in Andrew County, Missouri, and remained there until his death in 1884, at the age of eighty-eight years. He married his wife in Ohio, whose maiden name was Matilda Tracy. She was a native of Culpeper County, Virginia, and died in 1838. In Charles Caples’ family were five children: William, James, Wesley, Matilda and Elizabeth. None of the children were grown when the family moved to Missouri; they are all now deceased except James, our subject. The latter was born in Tuscarawas County, Ohio, November 29, 1823, and was a lad of fifteen years when his father, a merchant, moved to Andrew County, Missouri. Of course he worked for his father some, but at the age of nineteen years he began the study of medicine, under the preceptorship of his father’s youngest brother, Jacob. In the spring of 1847 he moved to Hancock County, Illinois, and practiced his profession there two years, during which time, in October, 1847, he married Miss Mary Jane, daughter of George Walker, of that county. She was born in Campbell County, Kentucky, near Covington, January 10, 1831. In the winter of 1848-’49 the Doctor bade adieu to pill-bags and began making preparations for coming to California; accordingly, March 21, 1849, with a wagon and three yoke of oxen, he started on the long journey, but found it comparatively pleasant. He had to cross some rivers by taking his wagons to pieces and carrying them across a piece at a time. His principal hardship was experienced in the country west of Bear River. At Salt Lake City they obtained a guide-book which the Mormons had just published, and it was this book that lead them into trouble. They depended upon it to show them where they could get good water, they having kegs for carrying a quantity of it. The book represented Bear River as bad water, which is true; but not so bad as some; and it would have been a great luxury to them during their subsequent privations. The creed just this side of Bear River was indicated in the book, but the quality of the water not being referred to the Doctor and his party inferred that it was good water, and they depended upon that inference. It proved to be unfit for either man or beast, and they had to drive on without water. The weather was extremely hot, and they had men in advance looking for water. One night one of their men returned to the camp with jugs upon his horse, and the travelers felt gladdened; but on sampling their contents the water was found altogether too salty to drink. The man who brought it knew it was salty, but hoped it was better than nothing. The Doctor happened to have some corn-meal, with which and the water they made a gruel that they could eat and thus somewhat relieve their sufferings. They found no water until nearly night on the following day, which day was a little cooler; had it been as hot as the preceding day they might have perished. They suffered for water again after they passed the sink of the Humboldt. On drinking some very bad water from a boiling spring in the desert, the Doctor was taken sick,—so severely indeed that he “lost his senses.” The next morning he woke up on the bank of the Truckee River, where all had plenty of fresh water. The Humboldt was lower than usual that season. In 1853 the Doctor was along there again and saw the water in that river six feet deep. The party remained on the Truckee three or four days recruiting themselves and their animals. In traveling through the Carson Canon, which required a day, they had a great deal of trouble. Mrs. Caples had to walk and climb over bowlders, (sic) etc., carrying her little babe in her arms! It was the roughest road on the whole route. They arrived at Hangtown August 28, 1849. After a few days the Doctor purchased a little store and did very well in business until he sold out a few weeks afterward and went to mining; but he was soon attacked with bloody dysentery, which disabled him from work until the last of February. Only faithful nursing rendered by his wife saved him. Being a physician he knew it best to abstain from the common food of the miners, and he confined himself to milk until the supply failed, and then he limited himself to rice. Hundreds of others in that vicinity died with the disease. The hospitality of the miners was exhibited with the marked characteristics of a pioneer surprise when they saw Mrs. Caples laboriously picking up wood in the wilds, by cutting and hauling to the Doctor’s place a pile of wood as high as his house. After recovering from his illness the Doctor purchased a store in Hangtown; but just then the miners began moving away to other fields. Then the merchants there generally wanted to sell out and follow the miners; and Doctor Caples bought them out and thus obtained control of all the mercantile business at Hangtown and vicinity, and made money. The early Californians, rough though they were, were neither sneaks nor thieves, and nothing was ever stolen from the Doctor’s tent-store or from his house. The miners often asked for credit at the store, and were never refused. In 1850 other mercantile establishments were started by way of competition and seriously reduced the Doctor’s business. He then located a ranch at the junction of the Deer and Carson creeks and began to stock it up, so that when trade gave out in the mines he settled upon it, and remained there thirty-two years. It comprises an area of 4,000 acres, and is in fine condition. Up to about four years ago he was extremely engaged in the live-stock business; he is now raising more grain. In the rearing of sheep and horses, he was very successful; but in the cattle business he actually lost money, as competitors grazed so much upon free range. In 1882 the Doctor moved upon his present place, of 500 acres, on the Cosumnes River, three miles from Elk Grove. Doctor Caples is a member of the Pioneer Society of Sacramento County, and also the order of Patrons of Husbandry. He was a member of the State Constitutional Convention in Sacramento in 1879, and thus was one of the framers of the present State Consitution. With this exception he has never been before the public in an official capacity; on the contrary, he has always been a hard-working man, devoting his time to his own private affairs. Even after a long life of hardship and toil, he is still healthy and strong; and this good physical condition is due to the intelligent care he has taken of his health. Of his family there are nine living children,—five sons and four daughters, viz: Isabella, wife of Dr. Frederick Durant, of San Quentin; Rosa E., wife of J. W. Haynes, an honored citizen of Genoa, Carson Valley, Nevada; Charles A.; Frank W.; John W., turnkey at the Folsom State Prison; George W., postmaster at Folsom; Hattie L., Maud L., and James W.

Transcribed by: Jeanne Sturgis Taylor.

Davis, Hon. Win. J., An Illustrated History of Sacramento County, California. Pages 700-702. Lewis Publishing Company. 1890.