Sacramento County
Biographies
MRS. ELIZABETH C. HEATH
MRS.
ELIZABETH C. HEATH.--Among the oldest settlers now living in Michigan Bar
is Mrs. Elizabeth C. Heath, a native of Arkansas, born
near Little Rock, on September 14, 1852, a daughter of
James Monroe and Faletia Warren Carter, who crossed
the plains in 1856 to California,
locating at Michigan Bar, where for a time he followed mining. Later he purchased a small farm and followed
ranching. The father died on March 13,
1894, while the wife and mother died August 22, 1887. Of their ten children, three are living: Julia, Mrs. Perkins, of Ione; William A., of Sacramento;
and Elizabeth M., the subject of this review.
Elizabeth
M. Carter attended the local schools and soon after completing her schooling
she was married in 1873 to John Wesley Heath, who was born in Adams county,
Ind., November 18, 1846, his father being George W. Heath, who was born in
Montgomery County, Ohio, January 11, 1817, a son of William and Amy (Watkins)
Heath. In 1832 the family moved to Adams
County, Indiana. George W. Heath was a minister in the
Methodist Episcopal Church. He came to California
in 1852 and became one of the pioneer Methodist ministers in California. He owned a 160-acre farm near Michigan Bar
and served as justice of the peach of his township. He was married in Ohio
December 3, 1837, to Miss Rachel Jan Roebuck, born in Ohio,
February 29, 1920, a daughter of John and Rachel (Russell) Roebuck. Mr. and Mrs. Health have long since passed to
the great beyond. John W. Heath came to California
in 1854 and received a good education in the district schools, and as a young
man he following mining and clerking. In
1877 he became junior partner in the firm of West and Heath, general merchants
at Michigan Bar, and in October of that year he was appointed postmaster of
Michigan Bar. In 1885 he became sole
proprietor of the business, continuing in business and as postmaster until his
death on December 21, 1917. He was a
past master of the Masonic Lodge at Ione, and was also a member of the Odd
Fellows Lodge in the same place. He was
school trustee and manifested a deep interest in the cause of education, while
politically he was a Republican. Mr. and
Mrs. Heath were the parents of eight children:
Nellie B., deceased; Lena Maud; Myrtle E.; Mrs. Edna Alice Schneider;
George Monroe; John Edward; Bertha Faletia, deceased;
and Mrs. Bessie Beryl McCrea. After her
husband’s death Mrs. Heath sold the stock of merchandise and also gave up the
post-office, devoting her time to the management of her 200-acre ranch, which
she devotes to stockraising. She is now among the oldest settlers in this
section and is well posted in early-day local history, and is greatly
interested in preserving landmarks and happenings of the pioneer times in the Golden
State.
Transcribed by Barbara Gaffney.
Source: Reed, G. Walter, History of Sacramento County, California With
Biographical Sketches, Page 805.
Historic Record Company, Los Angeles,
CA. 1923.
© 2007 Barbara Gaffney.