Sacramento County
Biographies
JOHN STUDARUS
About
the middle of the nineteenth century John Studarus
left his native place in St.
Gall, Switzerland, and crossed the ocean to the United States, settling in West Virginia, where he married Mary Reich. On their farm in Hancock
county, that state, a son, John Jr., was born April 12, 1852. No part of the world at that time so deeply
engrossed the attention of men as did California,
and the Swiss family soon determined to cross the continent to the unknown
regions of the west. The necessities of such a long journey were loaded
in a wagon, and with an ox-team for motive power the "prairie
schooner" slowly brought the family across the vast expanse of unsettled
country until finally the destination was reached in safety. The trip had
consumed more than six months of the year 1853, and they located in Eldorado county, continuing there
until 1855. Settlement was then made near Perkins, Sacramento county, the father eventually
acquiring title to vast tracts of raw land near Mills Station. He proved
a successful farmer and horticulturist, and his ranch became valuable with the
passing of the years. Believing the soil and climate favored
horticultural efforts, he experimented with the
raising of fruit and was one of the pioneers in that industry in the whole
valley. Both parents died on the old home place. Nine children were
born of their marriage, and all but one are living in California. The eldest of the children, Mrs. J. Broder, of Folsom, crossed the plains to this state.
John
Studarus was next to the oldest of the parental
family, and the old homestead in Sacramento county has been familiar to him
from the earliest childhood years. Upon it he learned needed
lessons in agriculture and from it he was sent during the winter months to
the country school of the district, where he received a fair education.
After he reached the age of twenty-two he began working on ranches, and during
two years saved $900 from his wages. At the expiration of that time he
turned his attention to the shipping of cobblestones to Sacramento and found that business quite profitable. Later he
bought two hundred and fifty acres near Mills, and for four years he devoted
himself to the improvement of the place. Coming from there into the village
of Mills, he bought five acres of ground and established a
mercantile business, besides which he built and conducted a hotel. For
years, he has served as postmaster of Mills, and always has supported
Republican principles.
The
erection of a large business house in 1911 has given Mr. Studarus
excellent advantages for the management of his mercantile establishment, and by
a division into different rooms, he has an abundance of space for the care of
the mail and the other duties devolving upon a postmaster. Upon the
completion of the new store and before it had been stocked with merchandise,
the owner gave a ball and banquet, to which he invited the people of the entire
country, a free entertainment was given, and the guests came from miles in
every direction. Many of the guests were young people whose only desire
was the enjoyment of the banquet but there were also present not a few of the
older people, some of whom had been acquainted with Mr. Studarus
since his boyhood years and had enjoyed his friendship through all the
intervening era. Fraternally he has been connected with the Independent
Order of Odd Fellows since 1885. His marriage took place at Mills December 25, 1879, and united him with Miss Sine Lauridson,
who was born and reared in Denmark. They became the parents of four sons, but one of
those, John, Jr., died when only two years of age. Howard passed away in
1909, at the age of nineteen years, when he had just completed the high school
course in Sacramento. Lawrence, a young man of excellent education, is
now employed in Seattle. Henry, a graduate of Heald's
Business College, San
Francisco, who is
married and lives at Mills, assists his father in the management of the
business.
Transcribed by Sally Kaleta.
Source: Willis, William L., History of Sacramento
County, California, Pages 565-567. Historic Record Company, Los Angeles, CA. 1913.
© 2005 Sally Kaleta.