JONATHAN OGDEN
SHERWOOD
JONATHAN OGDEN
SHERWOOD, Brighton Township. Among the well-known pioneers of California, who
have been identified with Sacramento County since the early days, is the
gentleman with whose name this sketch commences. He is a native of New York
State, born at South Richland, Oswego County, on the 3d of January, 1825. His
mother, whose maiden name was Sarah Meigs, was born in Derby County,
Connecticut, and came of an old family of that State. Her father was a
Revolutionary soldier, who joined the colonial army at the age of sixteen,
taking the place of a neighbor, who could not well leave his family. Her
mother, whose maiden name was Pritchard, had a brother, a captain in the
patriot army in the Revolutionary War, who was captured by the British and had
his throat cut on board of one of their prison ships. The father of our subject
was Jonathan Sherwood, son of a sea captain named Zalmon Sherwood. When he was
about sixteen years old the father died and the family removed to Oswego
County, New York. He was in the War of 1812, and was called out at the time of
the invasion of Oswego, and served till the war was over under General
Gillespie, a neighbor of the family. He furnished the general a horse, which
the latter used throughout the war. His wife died in 1869 and he followed her
to the land beyond the grave in 1871. Jonathan O. Sherwood, subject of this
sketch, was one of a family of ten children; six sons and four daughters, and
he now has two brothers residing in California, and one living in Colorado. He
received a common-school education and in his seventeenth year commenced
teaching winters, while he attended the spring terms at Mexico Academy. In the
spring of 1846 he went to New York City and engaged as clerk with R.G.
Williams, at 84 Pearl Street. A short time later he changed his place of
employment and went with J.O. & D.S. Bennett, commission merchants, at 33
Water Street. J.O. Bennett, an active member of the firm, was a shrewd business
man, and had that great faculty of being able to see in advance where great
business opportunities lay. One day, in 1847, when the war with Mexico was
pretty well advanced, he astonished Mr. Sherwood by asking him if he doubted
his ability of taking care of himself in business under any and all
circumstances. Mr. Sherwood said he never doubted it because he knew he could.
Mr. Bennett then spread out a map before him and pointing to Yerba Buena, on
the bay of San Francisco, said, “There is a point which in fifty years will
rival New York. My plan is for you to go there and get possession of all the
land you can get hold of,” etc. Mr. Sherwood fell in with the idea and agreed
to go. The scheme was then broached to D.S. Bennett, who pooh-poohed the idea,
and this plan, which would have resulted in a fortune for those concerned, fell
through. In the fall of 1848 Mr. Sherwood left New York and went out to
Wisconsin, where two brothers then resided. To of his brothers were anxious to
go to Williamette settlement, in Oregon, and he joined with them in preparing.
When they were nearly ready to go their eldest brother persuaded them to give
up the project. In 1849 Mr. Sherwood was in Manitowoc, Wisconsin, and he fell
in with a movement being made in the southern part of the State to organize a
party for the purpose of going to California (among whom was a gentleman named
Durgan), and our subject fitted out an ox team for that purpose. Spring opened
up late and Mr. Sherwood was to join the party in three or four weeks. In the
meantime, however, he received a letter from Mr. Durgan saying he was the only
one who had not backed out, and for Mr. Sherwood to join him at New York, and
they would go via Panama. Mr. Sherwood would not consent to that, however, and
decided to go across the plains. He had a friend named John Irish, who wanted
to go with him and was accepted. Mr. Sherwood then commenced bidding good-bye
to his old friends, and one of them, John A. Tredway, decided at once to go
along. On the 16th of April, 1850, they started, mounted on Indian
ponies. They procured their wagons and outfits near Fort Des Moines, Iowa, and
there fell in with a party, which, with themselves, numbered sixteen people.
They went to Kanesville, laid in provisions, and then ferried themselves across
the river. They proceeded on the north side of the Platte to Laramie, and by
way of the Black Hills. They were the first to take that route, and had to have
someone ahead exploring all the time. They struck the main line of travel again
at the second crossing of North Platte. From South Pass they proceeded by the Bear
River route, and from Soda Springs took the Sublette’s cut-off. They came on to
California by way of Sink of Humboldt and Sink of Carson. Mr. Sherwood first
struck the mines at Weaverville, El Dorado County. He and Mr. Tredway remained
there until October, when, both being sick, they were advised to go to a warmer
climate, and left, coming to Sacramento. From here he went to Stockton, and at
the hotel there fell in with a carpenter. Though he had never worked at that
trade Mr. Sherwood was very handy with his tools. He was told by the landlord
of a man who wanted to hire some workmen in this line, and he and the carpenter
decided to apply for work. The contractor looked them over and selected Mr.
Sherwood, though the other man was a skilled carpenter, or claimed to be. Mr.
Sherwood was placed with others on a frame store that was being erected, and
went to work, though, indeed, he did not even know how he was to commence. He
had is wits about him, however, and succeeded in getting along nicely without any
of the workmen finding out that he was not a carpenter. When he came to
construct a door frame, however, there was one point he did not understand, but
he asked a question of one of the other men in such a diplomatic way, that the
other did not observe his object. He got his answer, and was then all right. He
pushed his work and attracted the attention of his employer by his speed. When
the contractor received the job of putting up a number of out-houses, extending
out over the slough, for a hotel, he gave Mr. Sherwood charge of the job, and
sent the other workmen to him to be put to work. He commenced on one in the
morning, studying out his work as he went, and in the evening his employer was
surprised to find that he had one already finished. He was getting $12 a day as
a workman. It was rather a surprising thing, as well as laughable, that he
should be placed as a foreman over experienced workmen, while up to a few days
before he had never worked at this trade. So much for self-confidence. Mr.
Sherwood returned to Sacramento County, and in February 1851, bought land at
what is now Gold Spring ranch, and engaged in farming. He was very successful,
and added to his possessions until he had a place of about 1,000 acres. Part of
this was State school land, and a portion was purchased from the railroad
company. In 1855-’56 he set out an orchard of over 2,000 trees, and by 1861 had
a handsomely improved place. But the work of years was destroyed by the flood
that came on in December of that year, when the place was overflowed, and the
land in front of the house filled up fifty feet. The loss to Mr. Sherwood was
very severe and required a hard struggle for several years to right the damage.
He had a splendid ranch there, but sold it in 1884 to Daniel Flint, of Sacramento,
and in November of that year removed to his present location in Brighton
Township, where he has a farm of 160 acres. Mr. Sherwood has always taken an
active interest in educational matters, and organized the first public school
district in Sacramento County. That district included all Cosumnes Township,
and was organized in 1853. He built the school-house and presented it to the
district, and hired the first teacher, whom he afterward married. Mr. Sherwood
was a Democrat in early life and voted it until Lincoln’s second campaign. He
supported the Republican party then, and afterward became opposed to the
dismemberment of the Union, but only for that reason. He is a member of the
Masonic order. Mr. Sherwood has been twice married. First, on the 13th
of November, 1854, to Miss Kate Virginia Beall, who came from Scott County,
Illinois. She died in November 1866. By that marriage there were five children,
viz.: Eva Augusta, born October 25, 1855, wife of Thomas Gaffney, San
Francisco; Alfred Wilbur, born March 24, 1858; Anna, born in February 1862,
died in April 1863; Harry, born October 18, 1865; and Jessie, born October 13,
1866. Mr. Sherwood married his present wife July 5, 1869. Her maiden name was
Susan Emeline Woods. She is a native of Mercer County, Pennsylvania, and
daughter of John and Mary (Hazen) Wood. Her parents were both born in the same
county. In 1844 they removed to Barry, Pike County, Illinois, and there both
parents died. Mrs. Sherwood left home for California, proceeding first to New York.
She sailed from there April 10, on the steamer Ocean Queen, and landed at San
Francisco May 15, 1868. From there she came to Sacramento. Mr. and Mrs.
Sherwood are the parents of two children, viz.: Ella May, born November 5,
1872, and Etta, born February 23, 1874. Mr. Sherwood is a splendid type of the
open-hearted, hospitable Californian, who in times past, made this State famous
the world over. He pushed his way to the front by industry and enterprise, and,
while successful in life himself has always taken an active interest and lent a
helping hand toward the general public welfare. Such is but a mere outline of
the life of J.O. Sherwood, one of Sacramento County’s most respected citizens.
Transcribed
by Debbie Walke Gramlick.
An Illustrated History of Sacramento County, California.
By Hon. Win. J. Davis. Lewis Publishing Company 1890. Page 398-401.
© 2004 Debbie Walke Gramlick.