JOHN
SHIELDS, and orchardist, etc., of Brighton Township, was born in Ireland April
26, 1835, the son of Patrick and Mary Shields.
In 1843 the family came to the United States and settled in Kendall
County, Illinois, where the father, a farmer by occupation, died, in November,
1856, age sixty-five years; and Mrs. Shields survived him several years. They had a well-improved farm there of 210
acres, stocked with 100 head of cattle, etc. they had three children:
Frederick, John and Dennis; Frederick and Dennis reside in Minnesota. John was at home with his parents until he
was twenty-one years of age, engaged exclusively in farming; and then came to
California, by way of New York and Panama, leaving home May 4, 1886, and
landing in San Francisco June 14. First
he ran a threshing-machine three months for the owner, from San Pablo through
all the valley of San Lorenzo. In this
business he saved up a little money.
Then he mined on Farmer' s Diggings and elsewhere along the American
River, $3 a day, for eight or ten months, and then bought the squatter' s title
to the ranch where he now lives. This
at first contained 324 acres, covered with brush and timber. The first year he put in fifteen acres, and
all the improvements there are now on the premises he has made himself. About 1879 he purchased 100 acres
additional, making a total of 424 acres; 100 acres or more are in orchard,
consisting of peaches, pears, plums, French prunes, and a general variety of
fine shipping fruits. The first trees
were set out about nine years ago, and the youngest about three years ago. There are twenty acres in vines, one-half of
which are five years old, and the rest three.
Last year there were about twenty-four tons of grapes on three
acres. The soil is black and sandy
loam, very productive. This place is on
the old Coloma road, thirteen miles from Sacramento, bordering the American
River, which bounds the ranch on the north.
November 18, 1859, Mr. Shields was married to Mrs. Elizabeth (nee Bow)
Lynch. She is a native of Ireland and
came to California in 1855. They have five daughters and two sons: Mary, wife
of Charles Deterding; Lizzie A., wife of M. C. Pike; Alice, Hannah, Emily,
Peter J. and Robert E. Hannah is
accomplished musician, making music, both instrumental and vocal, a profession.
Peter J. he is an attorney at law Sacramento.
Biography:
An Illustrated History of Sacramento County, California. By Hon. Win. J. Davis.
Lewis Publishing Company 1890. Page 281.
Submitted
by: Nancy Pratt Melton.