Sacramento County
Biographies
JOHN M. MILLIKIN
JOHN M. MILLIKIN, formerly one of
the prominent business men of Sacramento, is now engaged in the real-estate and
insurance business at No. 110 Fourth street, in this
city. For the sake of convenience let us begin with his early life, his
ancestors, etc. On his mother’s side his forefathers were of the seafaring
class, being ship-builders, sailors, etc. On his father’s side his ancestors
were merchants, lumbermen, etc. His mother’s maiden name was Jemima Skolfield.
His uncle Josiah Millikin was a tanner in Oxford County, Maine, and afterward
engaged in lumbering in Portland. His five sons soon after entered the
commercial world, and they were highly spoken of in the Lewiston Journal and other papers. They are all
still in the East, are wealthy and still prominent in business circles. Charles
Millikin is now managing the famous Glenn House in the White Mountains; Seth is
now engaged extensively in New York; Weston is engaged on a large scale in
lumbering in Maine and Canada, making shipments to all parts of the world. He
is also president of the Cumberland Bank in Portland, is a member of the
company of Loan Commissioners; George and Henry are in the wholesale grocery
business in Portland. The subject of this biographical outline was born
February 28, 1821, at Lubeck, Washington County,
Maine. When he was four years old he turned West,
moving to the village of Gray, Cumberland County, Maine, where his early
schooling was obtained. At the age of sixteen years he went to Portland, and began
to clerk for Burbank and Furbish, general wholesale grocers; and it was here
that he obtained that real practical business education that enabled him in
subsequent life to become one of the most prominent merchants of this country.
On account of his failing health, however, he had at the end of about three
years retired from business pursuits for about two years. He was employed by
Philip Shaw, although nominally clerk only, yet he actually had independent
control of all the business, and sustained this
relation there for about ten years. May 12, 1850, Mr. Millikin left home for
California, in company with S. B. Leavitt, subsequently his brother-in-law, and
M. L. Witham; they sailed on the steamer Georgia to the Isthmus, where they
were long delayed,--John M. having come immediately to San Francisco, arriving
August 14 following, and the remainder came afterwards. On arriving at the city
of the Golden Gate, Mr. Millikin engaged for the first year in watering and
ballasting ships, and in purchasing the lighters, water-boats, etc. At first
this business was exceedingly profitable, but the cheapening of materials and
the springing up of competition materially reduced the profits. He was
fortunate in making the acquaintance of Frank Blake, of the firm of Blake,
Robinson & Co., and also of Charles L. Taylor, both of whom gave good
advice and encouragement. Then for two years, in company with Mr. Leavitt, he
was engaged in mining and trading in Kanaka Valley, a mining district on the
American River in the mountains in El Dorado County. They then purchased the
Tremont House in Sacramento, Mr. Leavitt transacting the business. Mr. Millikin
came down about six months afterward to assist in running the hotel; but
finding that in so doing so he had to tend bar, which was disagreeable to him,
he packed up and went to McDowell Hill, and established a trading post there
and also engaged in mining. He continued there probably about a year. Closing
out, he came again to Sacramento and bought of Andrew Hall, southeast corner of
I and Sixth streets, an interest in a hay-yard. The
management of a hay-yard was at that time probably the most important business
in the city. He sold out this business, at a profit of $2,000. Then his
brother, Theodore J., came from the East, and they together purchased a yard on
the southwest corner, directly across the street from the former place. They
conducted business there until the summer of 1854, when the great fire burned
them out. Soon Mr. John M. Millikin purchased another hay-yard, on the corner
of Seventh and I streets, where he and his brother did the largest business in
that line in the city during the three years they were engaged there. Theodore
went east and brought out his wife, and also the wife of John M. The latter had
just sold out his interest in this business on account of failing health, and
on the return of his brother they began dealing in wheat, barley, flour, and
also speculating, etc.; after continuing thus on J street, between Sixth and
Seventh, they entered the general grocery business near that point on the same
street. The great floods of 1861-’62 utterly destroyed their stock; but with
characteristic pluck they renewed their supplies and continued trade there.
John M. went to San Francisco and became purchasing agent, not only for his own
house but also for others, especially Adams, McNeill & Co., and Mr. Elwell,
of Marysville. During that period, namely, about 1867, they removed their
business to the corner of Third and K streets, where they carried on the more
extensive trade in their line, their sales amounting to about $750,000 a year
for several years. Theodore died in the fall of 1874. In the spring of 1877
John M., again on account of failing health, sold out his business to Hall,
Luhrs & Co., and retired from mercantile pursuits. Hall and Luhrs had been
in business in his employ and learned the trade of him. In 1883 he engaged as
manager for several companies in real estate and insurance. The insurance
companies which he has since represented are the Sun, the Franklin,
Williamsburg, City of New York, State and the American of Boston. In this line
he is now conducting his business at No. 1010 Fourth street.
Mr. Millikin has been one of the principal operators in mercantile pursuits in
the city of Sacramento, has made immense amounts of money and lost also a great
deal, by the disasters mentioned. He lost also about $40,000 in the experiment
of a beet sugar manufactory, and $8,000 in a street railway enterprise. The
various houses with which he has been connected have always had the highest
reputation for fair dealing and prompt fulfillment of all engagements. Nothing
was ever heard against them, and never in the whole State of California was a
mercantile firm of higher reputation. Mr. Millikin has never aspired to political
situations, but in his principles he has always been a man of firm convictions.
He was a Republican at a period so early that it cost something to be one, as
few who had the nerve to espouse the cause of liberty were known only as “Black
Republicans, thieves and miscegenators.” He was therefore among the first to
organize the Republican party in this county, along
with the Crockers, Stanford, Hopkins, Huntington, Cole and a few others. As to
religion Mr. Millikin is a member of the Congregational Church, of which body
he is a trustee of the property. In the spring of 1856, Mr. Millikin returned
to his eastern home and married Sarah A. Leavitt, a sister of his friend and
business associate, and daughter of Brackett Leavitt, a farmer of Limerick, Maine.
They have three sons and two daughters, who have grown up a credit to their
parents. Three are married.
Transcribed by Vicky
Walker, 11/29/07.
Source: Davis, Hon. Win. J., An Illustrated
History of Sacramento County, California. Pages 793-794. Lewis Publishing
Company. 1890.
© 2007 Vicky Walker.