Sacramento County
Biographies
ROBERT T. SWAN
ROBERT T. SWAN--The son of a pioneer attorney-at-law, who later was a minister of the Gospel in California, Robert T. Swan was born at Healdsburg, Sonoma County, September 21, 1878. His parents were William G. and Evalyn (Sanford) Swan, the father a native of Trenton, Canada, who later removed to Colorado and came from there to California in the early days, about 1870. He had been educated for the law and for some time practiced in Healdsburg, then entered the ministry of the Methodist Episcopal Church, South. He passed away at the age of forty-five, but Mrs. Swan is still living, making her home at Richmond, Cal., and is the mother of four children: William G., Jr., is deceased; Ernest R. lives at San Francisco; Robert T. of this sketch; Sanford is deceased.
Robert T. Swan received his early education in the different places where his father was located in the ministry and this was supplemented with a two years' course at the Pacific Methodist College at Santa Rosa. When he was twenty years old he learned the horse-shoeing trade and for three years worked at San Francisco in this line, and then was conductor, motorman and mechanic for the old Market Street Railway. Next he was a blacksmith for the Illinois Pacific Glass Company at San Francisco, and then went into the printing business there, but was burned out in 1906. He returned to work in the shops of the Market Street Railway, continuing there until 1913, when he came to Galt. Here he purchased fourteen acres of land one mile west of Galt and has built a home and made many improvements.
At San Francisco, June 26, 1901, Mr. Swan was united in marriage with Miss Alice M. Cook, a native daughter of that city whose parents were Pardon A. and Elizabeth J. (Hilton) Cook. The father was one of California's early pioneers, coming here in 1850 from Massachusetts and was a building contractor. He passed away in 1902 and Mrs. Cook in 1912. They were the parents of five children: Alvira, Laura, Avie, Alice M. and Inez A., Mrs. Swan being now the only one living. Mr. and Mrs. Swan have one daughter, Evalyn, named for her grandmother. Mr. Swan casts his vote with the Republicans and takes a public-spirited interest in all civic matters. He is a past chancellor of the Knights of Pythias of Galt and past president of Galt Parlor, N. S. G. W.
Transcribed by: Jeanne Sturgis Taylor.
Source: Reed, G.
Walter, History of Sacramento County, California
With Biographical Sketches, Page 681. Historic Record Company, Los Angeles, CA.
1923.
© 2007 Jeanne Taylor.