JAMES ST. CLAIR GARNETT
James St. Clair Garnett, one of the
prominent citizens in the early history of the state, was born in Ralls County,
Missouri, on the 23rd of May, 1831, and was the son of Richard and
Eliza Garnett, who came to Missouri from the family home in Virginia. At the
age of twenty-one years he left home and probably went to Leavenworth, Kansas,
where most of the large wagon trains bound for the Pacific Coast were
organized, equipped and headed for the West. There probably he joined one of
the trains and started across the plains. Finally the caravan reached to the
present County of Solano, where young Mr. Garnett dropped off and fixed his
location at the present site of Vacaville in 1852. After a thorough
investigation he at last took up a tract of land about ten miles out from
Vacaville and there proceeded to establish a ranch.
Three years after Mr. Garnett reached
Vacaville Mr. and Mrs. Henry McCune, who had been neighbors of the Garnett
family in Missouri, came to California bringing their niece, Margaret
Marksbury, with them and located near Vacaville, where they took up a tract of
land adjoining the ranch of Mr. Garnett. Here it was that James St. Clair and Margaret
met each other and were finally united in marriage on the 23rd of
May 1855. Soon after the wedding Mr. Garnett and Mr. McCune formed a
partnership in ranching and live-stock raising which lasted for many prosperous
years and was only dissolved shortly before the death of Mr. McCune. To Mr. and
Mrs. Garnett nine children were born, five of whom still survive them.
In 1874 Mr. Garnett and Mr. McCune were the
leading members to establish the Bank of Dixon, Solano County, which from the
start became prosperous and had the confidence and support of the community.
They also were among the leaders to found the Dixon Baptist Church, which grew
and became one of the best in this part of the state. Mr. Garnett was a
prominent member of the Masonic Order and occupied nearly all the offices
within the gift of the members. He always took an active part in all worthy and
desirable public movements to improve the minds and moral of the people of the
state. Mr. Garnett finally passed away at his home in Dixon, in March 1909, his
wife preceded him by about one year.
Louise E. Shoemaker transcriber February 20, 2004
Source: "The San
Francisco Bay Region" by Bailey Millard Vol. 3 page 92. Published by The
American Historical Society, Inc. 1924.
© 2004 Louise Shoemaker