Santa Clara County
Biographies
WILLIAM SWEETLAND
WILLIAM SWEETLAND. A veteran agriculturist, and one of
the most thorough-going and prosperous orchardists of Santa Clara county,
William Sweetland holds a position of prominence and
influence among the respected and valued residents of Paradise valley. Locating
here ten years ago, he has labored with noteworthy energy and judgment,
expending his time and means in making substantial and practical improvements,
and now owns one of the most productive and best appointed ranches to be found
in this part of the county. Coming from honored New England stock, he was born
November 17, 1830, in East Wallingford, Rutland county,
Vt., a son of Ira Sweetland. His
great-grandfather, John Sweetland, who served as
a soldier in the Revolutionary war, married, in 1773, and subsequently settled
in Attleboro, Mass. His grandfather, William Sweetland,
a farmer by occupation, was born in Attleboro, Mass., May 19, 1778,
and died in Vermont in 1823.
A native of New Hampshire, Ira Sweetland
was born in Richmond, Cheshire county,
June 16, 1806. Choosing the independent occupation to which he was
reared, he bought land in East Wallingford, Vt., and was there employed in
agricultural pursuits until his death, February 22, 1875. His wife,
whose maiden name was Jane Stevens, was born September 7, 1806,
in Quebec, Canada, and died March 9, 1891, in East Wallingford, Vt.
She bore her husband five children, of whom William, the second child, is the
only survivor.
Brought up in his native town, William Sweetland successfully learned the three “R’s,” which were
the principal branches taught in his day, in the little “red schoolhouse,” with
its limited accommodations, while on the home farm he was thoroughly drilled in
the various branches of agriculture as carried on in New England in his youth.
Not content, however, to thus pass his life, he sought the broad prairies of
the west, migrating as far as Iowa in 1852. After working on a farm and
accumulating some money he joined a party going to Pike’s Peak, and drove his
own team of oxen across the plains. Leaving his traveling companions in Denver,
Mr. Sweetland went to Boulder county,
Colo., where he was employed for awhile in mining. Removing then to
El Paso county, Colo., he resided first in
Colorado City, and then settled in Fountain, where he bought twelve hundred
acres of land, on which he made valuable improvements, including the building
of a substantial dwelling house. He developed a fine ranch from his estate, and
carried on an extensive business as a general farmer and cattle raiser and
dealer, remaining in that locality several years. A man of excellent character
and sound judgment, possessing good executive and business ability, he won a
position of note among the prominent citizens of El Paso county, which he served as county treasurer one term, and as
assessor one term.
Disposing of his Colorado property at an advantage in
1895, Mr. Sweetland came with his family to
California, locating in Santa Clara county, in
Paradise valley, near Morgan Hill. Investing a part of his money in new land,
he bought his present ranch of thirty-two acres, and building a commodious
residence has since resided here. His improvements are among the best to be
found in the neighborhood, and in his orchard of twelve acres he has set out
prune and peach trees, and such other fruits as grow well in this climate and
soil, and is carrying on a very lucrative business as an orchardist and
horticulturist.
While living in Colorado, Mr. Sweetland
married Emeline Dawson, a native of Illinois, and
they are the parents of five children, namely: Walter, a merchant at Grant’s Pass, Ore.; Mrs. Lillie Hinch, of Colorado Springs, Colo.; and Edith, Ralph and
Helen, living at home. In his political views Mr. Sweetland
is a strong Republican. In religious belief he and his wife are Free
Methodists. He was made a Mason in Colorado.
Transcribed by Marie Hassard 25 October 2015.
Source: History
of the State of California & Biographical Record of Coast Counties,
California by Prof. J. M. Guinn, A. M., Pages
820-823. The Chapman Publishing Co.,
Chicago, 1904.
© 2015 Marie
Hassard.