San Joaquin County
Biographies
NOYES BAILEY
NOYES BAILEY, retired, of
Stockton, is a native of Vermont, born at Newbury, Orange County, December 12,
1819, his parents being Noyes and Phebe (Tice)
Bailey, to whom eleven children were born. His great-grandfather, General Jacob
Bailey, was one of the distinguished officers of the patriot army in the
Revolutionary war. Joshua Bailey, grandfather of the subject of this sketch,
was a Colonel in the Revolutionary war.
An uncle of our subject was a soldier in the war of 1812. Noyes Bailey,
with whose name this sketch commences, was reared at his native place, and
received the education afforded by the neighboring schools. In 1851 he removed
to California, sailing from New York on the Prometheus, the trip being the second
one made by a Vanderbilt steamer in the California trade. Arriving at Greytown, the party proceeded up the San Juan river to the rapids, and when they arrived there found the
lake boat had gone. They were almost without provisions, and a
committee was formed to board boats and go down the river and see about
supplies. They found only one day’s provisions, and it was arranged with the
agent of the company that one would go back for provisions. Some of the
passengers went with it; the boat came while they were away and took the
remaining passengers away. Their contract with the company was that they were to be furnished transportation by pack mules, but
there were no pack mules there, and they had to walk fourteen miles in the
rain. On arriving at San Juan they had to wait ten days, as the steamer they
were to go on met with an accident to her machinery, and went away for repairs.
They then wanted the agent of the line to pay their board, according to the
contract, but he refused. A Californian among them then told the agent that he
would blow the top of his head off if he did not do it, and the next morning
the agent gave them $150 to pay board with. Finally an old steamer came in and
they took passage on her for San Francisco. The boat was so far gone that when
it reached San Francisco it had to be tied up and overhauled. It was afterward
lost. They landed on the 26th of November, 1851, and Mr. Bailey proceeded to Stockton, where he remained a month with his
brother, D. Y. Bailey, and then went to Vallecito to
engage in mining. On the way there, however, he was taken sick, and the doctor
told him he had fever. In the meantime he and his brother Jacob had purchased a
claim, the former owners of which, some Boston parties, had shown them two milk
pans nearly full of clear gold. Mr. Noyes Bailey was compelled to leave,
however, on account of his sickness, and returned to Stockton. Here he placed
himself under the care of Dr. Grattan, and was cured
after a year’s illness. In December, 1852, he engaged in teaming between
Stockton and the southern mines, and followed that occupation until 1855. In
1854, however, he engaged in ranching on the Dailey place, where he put in one
crop. The next year he went to farming in partnership with his brother D. Y.,
who had taken up some land twelve miles from Stockton, near the Sonora road.
After three or four years there he sold out and he and his brother J. N. bought
a tract about eight miles from the city, not far from the Sonora road, and
engaged in farming there. In 1864 J. N. Bailey sold out to Tim Page, and he and
Noyes were in partnership for three or four years. Then Mr. Bailey bought his
partner’s interest, and he thereafter carried on ranching without a partner
until 1884, since which time he has resided in Stockton.
Mr. Bailey was married in
Vermont in 1864, to Miss Hattie Fuller. He was born and reared a Democrat, but
was connected with the Republican party almost since
its organization. He is now a Prohibitionist, however, and one of the most
zealous and conscientious workers in the interests of Prohibition. He has been
a Methodist since 1865, and is one of the prominent members of the Central
Methodist Episcopal Church of Stockton. Five of the family are still living,
one sister in their native town (Newbury, Vermont). The three brothers of Noyes
Bailey residing in California are J. N. Bailey, A. J. Bailey, and George C.
Bailey. Jacob Bailey, formerly engaged in mining, has not been heard from in
many years.
Transcribed by: Jeanne Sturgis Taylor.
An Illustrated History of San Joaquin County,
California, Pages 470-471. Lewis Pub. Co. Chicago, Illinois 1890.
© 2009 Jeanne Sturgis Taylor.
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