Sacramento
County
Biographies
JAMES
M. HENDERSON
JAMES M. HENDERSON,
retired farmer, and one of the best-known citizens of the city of Sacramento,
was born March 24, 1830, in Harrison County, Ohio, on the bank of Short
Creek. His father, Andrew Henderson, of
Allegheny County, Pennsylvania, was one of eight brothers who with only one
exception became farmers. He moved to
Ohio at an early day, married Miss Mary Sandis
Mitchell, daughter of Jerome Mitchell, a prominent farmer of Belmont County,
Ohio; William Mitchell, another brother, came to California in 1849, and had a
stock ranch near where Galt is now.
After a few years he returned to Ohio, and from him James derived his
ideas of the Golden State. In the spring
of 1854, in company with Andrew Whitaker and Edward Presbury,
he came with a stock train across the plains; the train, with 300 head of
cattle and horses and twenty men, had been made up near Alton, Illinois. They crossed the Missouri River at St.
Joseph, and came west by the North Platte and Truckee rivers and Marysville,
this State, and stopped near Galt, in September. Mr. Henderson went to Stockton and bought a
quarter-section of land in San Joaquin County, and began farming. In Stockton, December 25, 1850, he married Margaret
A. Elliott, nee Sweasey, daughter of W. J. Sweasey, of Eureka, Humboldt County, where he still lives
enjoying a hale old age. Mrs. Henderson
was the second white woman married in Stockton.
In October, 1850, on the Mokelumne River, Mrs.
Henderson and her sister and children were left in a wagon, and a grizzly bear
was around the wagon all night, until Mr. Sweasey and
son returned in the morning. They too,
had been treed by a grizzly bear and cub and kept there all night: and they
were very joyous to find their family safe.
In the spring of 1852 Mrs. Henderson and Mrs. Henry Loring
were the first white women to ride up into the mines to her husband’s camp; and
it was so unusual to see women come up alone that all the miners turned out,
made great demonstrations, cheering then, and in the evening held a great
celebration. These women received
attentions from every one while they remained in that camp. When, in the fall of 1851, Mrs. Henderson and
her father road to San Francisco from what is now Redwood, they were cheered
there by the business men. Mr. Sweasey was born in London, England, and came to America
when his daughter was twelve years old, settling near Evansville, Indiana, and
came to California in 1850, being one of the first settlers of Humboldt
County. He has been a member of the
Legislature from San Francisco, and also a member of a constitutional
convention. He is now manager and
principal owner of the the steamer Humboldt, plying
between
San
Francisco and Eureka. In his city he has a grocery store, and also
owns several sailing vessels. Mr.
Henderson continued to live upon the ranch until 1868, devoting himself to
stock-raising largely, when he bought a residence in Sacramento city. He built a commodious dwelling the following
year, but for six years longer he continued actively engaged in farming. While living upon the ranch he was justice of
the peace two years, and it was said of him that he was the only justice from
whom the county actually derived a revenue, through
his care in compelling all litigants to secure the costs before bringing an
action. He was usually an inspector of
elections, and while justice of the peace he prepared the poll-lists, and was
prominent in local conventions. He is a
member of Woodbridge Lodge, No. 131, F. & A. M.; and Odd Fellow of long
standing; was the first master of the A. O. U. W. Lodge first organized in San
Joaquin County; passed all the chairs of the American Legion of Honor, and was
the first presiding officer of this organization. Mr. Henderson’s family consists of his wife
and three sons and two daughters. The children
are: William, who is married and resides in this city; Henry, deceased; Mary,
deceased; James with W. P. Coleman & Co., and Margaret Sweasey.
Transcribed by Karen Pratt.
Davis, Hon. Win. J., An Illustrated History of Sacramento County, California. Pages 573-574. Lewis Publishing Company. 1890.
© 2006
Karen Pratt.