Sacramento
County
Biographies
WILLIAM
JOHNSTON
The subject of this sketch was born
at Wilkinsburg, Alleghany county, Pennsylvania, eight
miles from the city of Pittsburg. His father was a farmer, and also operated a
country mill, and the young man early acquired a familiarity with the details
of these occupations, and assisted in them in his daily work. He found time to
attend school in winter, and grew so fond of his books, a strong desire
developed for education on a broader scale. In the public schools, and
subsequently in the Wilkinsburg Academy, he acquired an excellent and thorough
education, and at the age of eighteen he commenced teaching school.
The desire for a broad, general
education was strong within him, but his circumstances were not such as to
enable him to lay out any considerable sum to attend school, and his wish was
to secure money enough in some way to increase his education. While he was thus
teaching and wishing, the California excitement spread over the country. A
party of 300 was made up at Pittsburg to come to California. Mr. Johnston
joined the party, prompted by the desire to rapidly acquire the means of
getting a better education. He had no special profession in view, but was
impressed with the feeling that with a thorough education he would be fitted
for any occupation upon which he might enter. On March 14, 1849, the party left
Pittsburg, and journeyed by steamboat along the Ohio, Mississippi and Missouri
rivers to St. Joseph, Mo. Here the emigrant train was made up. Mr. Johnston
took charge of a team and drove it through to Sacramento, where he arrived on the 26th of August, 1849. The party were mostly gold hunters, and on arrival here separated
in every direction. Mr. Johnston looked for work and accepting the first that
offered, carried adobe brick to build the old United States Bakery. He worked
at this until the building was completed, and saved money enough to take him to
the mines. He went to El Dorado county and engaged in
mining. At the end of a year he abandoned mining, and with an accumulation of
about $500 came to Sacramento in September, 1850, and bought out a squatter’s
title to 160 acres of land located near what if now Richland. For this he paid
$400. The remainder of his money being reserved for working
capital and to provide food, while he developed his land. He here
entered upon farming, to which he has chiefly devoted his attention since.
Upon this land he commenced by
planting potatoes, watermelons and other vegetables and fruits. There was a
good market in Sacramento, where he realized good profits in cash, and
gradually his means grew. As they did, he extended his operations into general
farming, and from time to time purchased more land. He still dreamed of
returning to the East, when he should have accumulated a fortune, and worked
on, living alone on his farm, which was decidedly lonesome in those days.
Gradually, however, he became attached to his new home, and thought less of
leaving it. In 1854 he finally gave up his old dreams, determined to make a
home here, and married Miss Elizabeth S. Hite, an accomplished lady from Ohio.
His farming enterprises grew and prospered. He now owns in that vicinity over
1,800 acres of as fine farming land as may be found in the State, in which is
included his original 160 acres acquired in 1850, a portion of which adjoins
the town of Richland.
Mr. Johnston lives here with his
family---his wife and three children, two girls and a boy---who make the old
homestead more bright and cheerful than when he worked alone there thirty-five
years ago. The dairy is looked after by his son, while his youngest daughter,
who is a graduate of the Sacramento Business College, is his book-keeper and
secretary, his various enterprises and investments rendering such an assistant
a necessity. Since coming here in 1849 he has been a firm advocate of the
importance of the Sacramento valley, and of the great future in store for this
county and city. He has been an active and intelligent laborer in developing
their interest, having given much time, money and labor to the public good, and
been prominent in all public enterprises.
He is an enthusiastic Granger, and
charter member of Franklin Grange, founded here in 1873, has been Master of his
Grange, and Grand Master of the State Grange from 1885 to 1887. He has twice
journeyed to the East to represent the California State Grange at the National
Grange; once to Boston and once to Philadelphia. He is President of the
Grangers’ Co-operative Business Association, a position he has held for the
past five years; has been a Director and Vice-President of the People’s Savings
Bank since its organization, and is at present Grand Junior Warden of the Grand
Lodge, F. and A. M.
He was elected to the Assembly in
1870, where he served two years, and to the Senate in 1879, being for two years
president pro tem. of
that body. He also served as member of the State Board of Equalization in 1883.
In all his public life he has been an intelligent and earnest advocate of
Republican principles, and not a blind partisan, and has won the respect and
esteem of the entire community, which he faithfully represented.
He has been seventeen times across
the Continent, often for purposes of pleasure, sometimes in connection with
business interests, and twice as the representative of bodies with which he is
connected.
He has found the fortune for which
he came, and has always shown his earnest appreciation of education in a hearty
support of all measures calculated to strengthen the educational institutions
in this community, a characteristic of those earnest, practical men who came
in’49, who have raised the reputation of the State for fine schools, as high as
that for fine fruit and grain.
Transcribed By: Cecelia M. Setty.
Source: “Illustrated
Fraternal Directory Including Educational Institutions on the Pacific Coast”,
Page 280, Publ. Bancroft Co., San Francisco. Cal. 1889.
© 2012 Cecelia
M. Setty.