Yolo County
Biographies
JOHN WOHLFROM
A very prominent and successful land owner and business man of Woodland is John Wohlfrom, who was born near Strasburg, in Kircheim, Alsace, France. Both of his parents were also born there, and were members of old and well-known families. Of their nine children, six grew to years of manhood and womanhood, and three came to America. John Wohlfrom was the youngest son and was born November 9, 1832. He remained at home with his parents until twenty years of age, when he determined to seek his fortune in the New World, and leaving Havre, France, in 1852 he started for America. January 1, 1853, he landed in New Orleans from a sailing vessel, and from there went to St. Louis, Mo., where he had two older brothers, Joseph, who is now deceased, and Anton, who resides in Colusa county, Cal.
It was wintertime when Mr. Wohlfrom arrived in St. Louis, and he crossed the Mississippi river on the ice in order to reach Illinois, where he hoped to find employment. He finally obtained work on a farm near Centerville at $6 per month. Some weeks later his brother Anton secured work for him at $10 per month at Boonville, Mo., with George Lewis, an Englishman, and while with the latter Mr. Wohlfrom learned to speak English. Some time afterward Mr. Lewis removed to St. Louis, and Mr. Wohlfrom also went to that city and obtained employment as a draymen, at which he continued until he had saved sufficient money with which to go into the draying business for himself. In 1855, having sold his business in St. Louis, he started for California, but the first steamer he went on was burned, the second sank, and the third took him to Aspinwall, from which place he went to Panama, and on March 2, 1855, he landed in San Francisco. In June of that years he came to Yolo county, where he worked three months at haying, and with the money thus earned went to the mines in Sierra county, where he remained six weeks and spent all of his money. From Downieville he walked to Yolo county and began work on a farm at $1 per day. He and a cousin, Joseph Wohlfrom, who had come to California with him, purchased one hundred and sixty acres of land two miles east of what is now Blacks Station, for $280. They carried on ranching until 1856, when the partnership was dissolved and for the following four years John Wohlfrom worked at various occupations. In 1860 he purchased the old Weyant place of three hundred and twenty acres, which he still owns, and where he was engaged in dealing in horses, sheep and cattle. There he also engaged in general merchandising at the old house on the stage road which was upon his farm, and also furnished accommodation to travelers. For eight years the postoffice was located in his store, and he served as postmaster, the place being known as Prairie Postoffice. In 1868 he erected a store on Colusa plains, two miles north of College City, and there engaged in a general merchandise business until the building was burned in 1873. He owns four farms within twelve miles of Woodland, two of which contain one hundred and sixty acres each, the third two hundred acres and the fourth of three hundred and twenty acres, mentioned above. In Colusa county he owns a farm of ten hundred and forty acres, and another of seven hundred and twenty acres two miles south of College City, both with fine improvements, including good residences. Besides this fine farming land he and his brother own two hundred eighty acres at Prize, which is also well improved. One and a half miles west of Maxwell he has a fine grain farm of four hundred acres. For a long time he was the largest cattle dealer in Yolo and Colusa counties and was called the cattle king, supplying more butchers than anyone else in those counties. In 1891 he located in Woodland, where he erected a fine residence at No. 203 Court street.
Besides being one of the largest land owners in the Sacramento valley, Mr. Wohlfrom is interested in the banking business and was one of the organizers of the Yolo County Savings Bank of Woodland, of which he is vice-president and a director, and is also interested in other business enterprises. Mr. Wohlfrom is a very active man, and has done much toward the upbuilding of the community, in which he stands very high, and his opinions are not only sought, but his advice followed, and those who know him know that his word is as good as his bond. He is kind to all and very liberal to those in need of assistance. He is a man who does not believe in allowing his left hand to know what his right hand doeth, and though he does a great deal for charity, he does it in such a way as not to attract attention to himself. The base of his religion is the golden rule, and he prides himself upon the fact that, though doing business on such a large scale, he has never sued any man, though he has lost many thousands to dollars because of his determination never to bring suit. He is very liberal and kind to his tenants, of whom there are many on his various farms, and some of whom have been with him twenty-seven years.
Mr. Wohlfrom was first married in 1861 to Barbara Keller, who was born in Switzerland and died in Yolo county. His second marriage occurred in Woodland in 1891 and united him with Helena Wimmer, who was born in Ulm, Baden, Germany, and is a daughter of Michael Wimmer, also a native of Baden. Her mother, who was formerly Elizabeth Gras, spent her entire life in Germany. Mrs. Wohlfrom is a very estimable woman, presiding over her home with all the grace and taste of a gentlewoman, and in thorough sympathy with her husband’s labors and aspirations. Mr. Wohlfrom supports the Republican party in politics and cast his first vote for Abraham Lincoln.
Transcribed by Joyce Rugeroni.
Source: "History of the State of
California and Biographical Record of the Sacramento
Valley, Cal.," J. M. Guinn, Pages
575-576.
The Chapman Publishing Company, Chicago, 1906.
© 2017 Joyce Rugeroni.
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Nugget Library's Yolo County Biographies