San
Joaquin County
Biographies
CAPTAIN JOHN McMULLIN
Possessed of a temperament that
fitted him for daring deeds and the endurance of frontier hardships, Captain
John McMullin came to the regions of the southwest at a period when ample opportunity
was afforded him for the exercise of his natural instincts and the
gratification of his desire for adventure.
The record of his life reads like a romance, such as was often lived out
in the careers of the hardy pioneers of the early part of the nineteenth
century, but it was not his good fortune to be spared to witness the marvelous
prosperity of the west and the remarkable development of its vast
resources. Death ended his labors ere
success had crowned his efforts, yet he had been able to lay the foundations of
a prosperity that later brought ample returns to his family and, in addition,
he had been an integral factor in laying the foundations of our commonwealth
broad, deep and strong, capable of sustaining the superstructure of twentieth century
civilization.
Born
in Baltimore, Maryland, June 27, 1824, John McMullin was taken to Florida at
the age of four years and afterward attended the schools of Tallahassee. When fifteen years of age,
the desire for adventure led him to run away from home for the purpose of
joining Col. Jack Hays. After
arriving at San Antonio, Texas, he traveled westward alone through the country
of hostile Indians and in due time arrived safely at the camp of Colonel Hays,
whom he told that he was not afraid of any hardships endured by soldiers. Many times in later days his courage was
brought to a test and in every instance he proved himself undaunted by any
hardship, undismayed by any peril, and through all that
wild region he became known as the brave Indian fighter. Though always in the thickest of the fights,
he escaped without injury and seemed to lead a charmed life, for none was more
eager than he to throw himself into the most dangerous places and sustain the
weakest division. His bravery elicited
the highest approval of his superiors and led to his promotion to the rank of
captain, in which capacity he took part in the Texas and Mexican wars. As a member of a party of 180 soldiers he
made a raid from Texas into Mexico.
During the war he was taken prisoner by the Mexicans and for two years
he was confined in the City of Mexico, in the castle of Perote,
which is still standing. Eventually he
was exchanged, though in the meantime he had made several unsuccessful efforts
to escape rather than suffer the indignities heaped upon the prisoners.
As early as 1848 Captain McMullin
had decided to establish himself in California and had already started via the
Mexican overland route when he received news of the discovery of gold. When he started for California Captain
McMullin came through Vera Cruz, and while there met a banker and the two
became well acquainted. This banker said
that he had a brother somewhere in California and gave Captain McMullin a
letter to hand him if he should run across him in the new country. A comrade on his journey from Mexico was G.
W. Trahern, who had served with the Captain in the Mexican War. On their arrival in the mines they concluded
to go into the cattle business, buying them in southern California and driving
them to the mines. Meantime an incident
occurred which was remarkable. Going
into a business house in one of the early mining towns to see the proprietor,
on learning his name he found him to be the brother of his Vera Cruz friend and
Captain said, “I have a letter for you.”
After reading the letter the gentleman said, “Do you know what this
letter contains?” The Captain replied
that he did not have the least idea. The
gentleman then said, “This letter contains unlimited credit for yourself,” but the Captain said he could not accept it for
he was a stranger to him as well as his brother. The gentleman, who was a wealthy businessman,
said that the offer was always open, nevertheless, but Captain remained firm
and did not use the credit volunteered him. He and Mr. Trahern then proceeded to Los
Angeles and purchased a band of cattle which they drove to the southern mines,
crossing the San Joaquin River at Casa Blanca.
Selling the cattle in the mines they netted splendid returns. At the crossing of the San Joaquin River they
became acquainted with the Imus brothers who had settled there. Finding this was a favorite crossing for the
herds of cattle driven to the mines, Captain McMullin concluded it could be a
good location for his headquarters, so he purchased the place from the young
claimants and this became the nucleus of his large holdings. The Imus boys had sent to Boston for the
material for their house and it came in parts around the Horn on a sailer. This house
they had painted white, from which it had taken its name, Casa Blanca. The tract comprises 640 acres, to which he
added by purchase from time to time until he had a ranch of about 30,000 acres
lying in San Joaquin County between the Stanislaus and San Joaquin rivers. Here he engaged in raising stock, finding the
mountain range very suitable for breeding horses, for they thrived better here
than in the valley and he raised some fine specimens of horseflesh, of which he
was a great admirer.
Throughout his life Captain McMullin
was loyally devoted to the progress of Stockton and his death, which occurred
in 1868, was a serious loss to the highest citizenship of the entire
county. Through his large holdings and
his commanding personality he had ever been a prominent figure in the history
of the county and had been instrumental in promoting movements for the general
welfare. One of his hobbies was a
fondness for fine stock. As an organizer
and president of the first county fair association he had been in a position to
arouse an interest in stock among the ranchers of the valley and had introduced
many breeds of exceptional merit through his own efforts. In spite of maintaining a constant interest
in politics he never aspired to office and invariably declined appeals to fill
positions of that nature, yet in other ways he was ever alert to aid in the
upbuilding of the community. The first
theatre building in Stockton was owned by him and many other early enterprises
were fostered by his progressive spirit.
During the Civil War the governor of Texas offered him a post as chief
of cavalry, but although he desired to go he had a family of little children
and felt that his first duty was to them, so declined the honor. Land in Texas which he secured in an early
day is still owned by his heirs, as is also the Stanislaus and San Joaquin
county lands and the Stockton real estate.
During a visit to Washington, D. C.,
Captain McMullin met Miss Eliza Fleming Morgan, who like himself came from a
sturdy stock fitted to endure the privations in frontier regions. She was a native of Kentucky, a daughter of
an officer famous in the annals of that state, and he was the son of Col. Simon
Morgan, an officer in the Revolutionary War.
Her father, Gen. Daniel Morgan, was born in Virginia and with his father
was a pioneer of Kentucky, where he became a large landowner and a man of
wealth and distinction. Influential in
politics, he served in the Kentucky Senate for twenty-five years, where he
helped to make the constitution of that state, and he also served as a member
of Congress. He married Miss Anna
Clarkson, a native of Virginia, descended from some of the most prominent old
Virginia families, including the Pickett’s, Marshall’s, Keith’s and
Scott’s.
The youngest child of the family,
Eliza Fleming Morgan, was educated at Bishop McIlvain’s
finishing school in Cincinnati. About
the time she completed her education, John J. Crittenden, a warm friend of the
family, was U. S. senator from Kentucky and he persuaded General Morgan to let
his daughter accompany his family to Washington to spend the winter. It was there she met Captain McMullin, the
acquaintance resulting in their marriage at her home in Kentucky June 18,
1857. Their wedding trip took them to
White Chapel Springs, Virginia, and soon after their return they came to San
Francisco, reaching there in the fall of that year. Captain McMullin purchased a home in the
city, but as soon as Mrs. McMullin discovered that so much of her husband’s
time had to be spent on the ranch she expressed a desire to make their home
there, so he had Casa Blanca fitted up for their reception. Mrs. McMullin had always been a lover of the
great outdoors and particularly of horseback riding, and the years of outdoor
life she enjoyed here have undoubtedly contributed to her continued good health
and wonderful constitution.
All of their nine children were born
in California, with the exception of Eliza M., who is a native of
Kentucky. Anna married John C. Hays,
Jr., of Oakland, son of Col. John Coffee Hays of the Mexican War and better known
as “Jack” Hays, the celebrated Texas Ranger.
Mr. and Mrs. John C. Hays, Jr., have two sons, John Coffee Jr., and
Harry T.; Eliza M. married E. B. Perrin of Williams, Arizona, and they have a
son, Lilo McMullin Perrin;
Rebecca was the wife of Francis J. Heney of San
Francisco; Beauregard is unmarried; Elizabeth M. married Judge C. L. Weller,
and their daughter Anna is the wife of Commander Earl B. Shipp, who is
stationed at Washington. John, a
graduate of Princeton, was one of the leading men of Fresno, California, where
he was president of the Fresno National Bank, as well as of the Fresno
Irrigation Company and the Fresno Ice Company, and identified with other
business activities. By his marriage to
Miss Betty Hays, daughter of Col. John Coffee Hays, he had three children, John
Jr., Eliza Morgan and Harmon Hays, by whom he is survived; Susan H. was first
married Thomas S. Williams, later became Mrs. Edward Fant;
Morgan and Henrietta.
After the death of her husband, Mrs.
McMullin made her home in Kentucky for ten years, then
returned to California. Changes of
residence, however, left undimmed her loyalty to San Joaquin County, for which
she cherishes a deep affection as the home of her happy married years, the
birthplace of all of her children but one, and the center of many warm
friendships formed during those busy years.
Proud of the military records of her ancestry, she taught her children
to display a patriotic spirit in every act and in her own life has shown the
possession of the loyalty of her ancestors.
On the organization of the Sons of the Confederacy at Lexington,
Kentucky, she became a charter member.
At that time there was no ladies’ auxiliary, but later she identified
herself with the Daughters of the Confederacy and in 1906 she became a member
of the Albert Sidney Johnston Chapter of San Francisco. She is also a member of the Daughters of the
Revolution. In her religious life she is
affiliated with the First Presbyterian Church of San Francisco but her
broad-mindedness and charitable disposition leads her to liberally assist
various churches, regardless of denomination.
Possessed of much native business ability, she has been deeply
interested in improving the vast acres left by Captain McMullin and thus has
greatly enhanced their value. She has
also acquired other tracts of land in the various counties of the Valley which
have become very valuable by the improvements she has made upon them. A cultured woman, she has left her impress on
the civic and social life of the county in her stand for righteousness in
public and social life and for the high moral uplift of the community. Like her gallant husband she has been a
liberal contributor to all public movements for the betterment of county and
state.
Transcribed by Gerald Iaquinta.
Source: Tinkham, George
H., History of San Joaquin County, California , Pages
388-391. Los Angeles, Calif.: Historic
Record Co., 1923.
© 2011 Gerald Iaquinta.
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