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_Willis BLEDSOE i_|
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|--Willis BLEDSOE II
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|_Jane DONNELY ____|
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[63]
From "History of Stanislaus County" by George H. Tinkham [1921] ---
WILLIS BLEDSOE - Through a close identification with the San Joaquin
Valley from the early days of 1862, the name of Willis Bledsoe is
prominently enrolled among those pioneers who foresaw and steadfastly
worked to attain the present prosperity of Stanislaus County, and whose
personality and worth while endeavor have been impressed upon its
development. Coming from a family whose lineage goes back to France,
Willis Bledsoe was born in Gallatin County, Ky. on March 22 1841. His
father, who born the same name, was born in Virginia2 and after residing
for same years in Gallatin County Ky, moved to Missouri in 1846, and
settled near Paris in Monroe County, where he made his home until his
death in 1888. The mother, before marriage Jane Donnely, was born in
Kentucky, and passed away in Missouri in 1870.
Of the five children of these worthy parents only two are new living
and Willis Bledsoe, the third eldest, is the only one in California.
Going to Missouri with his parents when he was five years old, his
boyhood days were spent on the farm there, while the schools of the
neighborhood furnished his educational opportunities. In 1862 he joined
what was known as Dr. Glenn's train of ox teams and wagons, and they also
brought 146 head of mules with them. They left Missouri an April 1 1862,
a party of forty-six men, all well I armed, and they made the journey in
the record time of sixty-one days from Omaha. The way across the plains
was comparatively without the harrowing experiences of so many parties,
as the Indians happened to be in a quiet frame of mind, and were neither
hunting for scalps nor cattle. A month after his arrival Mr. Bledsoe
went to the mines at Shaw's Flat in Tuolumne County, but as the life of a
miner did not appeal to him he remained there only three days and then
started to walk back in the direction of Stockton. Stopping at the John
W. Jones place about twenty miles out of Stockton in San Joaquin County,
Mr. Bledsoe secured employment there, continuing there for the next
several years. Investing his savings in sheep in partnership with Mr
Jones. He engaged in sheep raising, ranging his flocks in Stanislaus and
Merced Counties, and making his headquarters on a ranch he had purchased
at Montpellier.
In 1871 Mr Jones and Mr. Bledsoe dissolved partnership and the latter
continued farming and stock raising. He had purchased 4,480 acres of
land lying on the county line of Stanislaus County, thus he was the owner
of seven sections of land. He carried on his ranching operations on a
large scale, running six big teams and a combined harvester. In raising
grain he began with winter plowing and sowing, but five years later he
began to summer fallow and found such an increase in the yield, that he
continued to use that method. Although he has had some hard years and
low prices, as in 1893, for instance, when wheat sold for seventy-five
cents a cental and barley for only fifty cents, but in the long run he
has meet with exceptional success. In 1895, Mr Bledsoe built his large
residence on J Street, Modesto, but while he made it his home, he
continued actively in the operation of his large ranch interests until
seven years ago, since which time he has rented his land.
In 1870, Mr. Bledsoe was married to Miss Edna M Jones, the daughter of
his former partner, John W Jones. Mr. Jones was born in North Carolina
and later settled in Missouri, where Mrs Bledsoe was born. In 1852 Mr.
Jones started with his family across the plains to California, but the
trip was saddened by the death of the wife and mother while on the
journey. Edna M. was a baby in arms. Bringing his children on to
California, Mr. Jones engaged in farming in San Joaquin County, and also
the owner of a large tract of land on the Tuolumne River in Stanislaus
County. Three children were born to Mr. And Mrs. Bledsoe: Effie was
educated at Mills College and at the University of California and is now
Mrs. Leek of Modesto: Walter, Denair, a graduate of the University of
California, is a rancher in Stanislaus County; Alfred is also a graduate
of the University of California and is engaged in ranching in Merced
County, but makes his home at Modesto. Mr Bledsoe was bereaved of his
faithful wife and helpmate, June, 1921, a truly wonderful pioneer woman,
mourned by her family and all who knew her.
Mr and Mrs Bledsoe were among Stanislaus County's earliest setters
and they occupied a distinctive place in the life of the community for
their sterling traits of character and exemplary lives that will ever
bear fruit in their examples They were both for many years active members
of the Methodist Episcopal Church at Modesto in the work of which they
were warmly interested. as well as being generous contributors to its
maintenance. Mr. Bledsoe was made a Mason in Stanislaus Lodge No, 206 F.
& A M , at Modesto and is a member of Modesto Chapter No 49, Royal Arch
Masons. Interested in all that made for the county's welfare, he served
as a director of the Modesto Irrigation District for one term and was a
member of the board at the time of the building of the original
Modesto-Turlock Irrigation District dam The wonderful results of this
great work can better be estimated in comparing the amount of taxable
property then and now showing what the impounding of water has meant for
this county.
It is a far cry back to the days when the Knights Ferry bridge was
built in 1862 but Mr. Bledsoe can Well remember this event. At that time
there was not a house in Stanislaus County except on the Stanislaus
River, and at the mines. It was not until the following year, 1863, that
people began locating and building on the Plains on land preempted from
the Government land that has since been at times one vast grain field and
yielding untold wealth to those farsighted enough to discern its
possibilities. Even as late as 1865 cattle ranged on the present site of
Modesto, and he has camped here with others while rounding up cattle, a
fact difficult to believe for those who now reside in this attractive
city and enjoy its many comforts and conveniences, and made possible by
the labor and indomitable energy of those early pioneers.
____________________________
__________________________|____________________________
_Abe CALLAHAN ________|
| | ____________________________
| |__________________________|____________________________
_Loy Ervin CALLAHAN _|
| | ____________________________
| | __________________________|____________________________
| |_Ida May BROADHURST __|
| | ____________________________
| |__________________________|____________________________
|
|--Bertice Jane CALLAHAN
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| _Jacob Adrian SNIDER _______+
| _Thornton Andrew SNIDER __|_Celia HART ________________
| _John Tinsley SNIDER _|
| | | _Thomas Dixon CONNELL ______+
| | |_Mary Jane CONNELL _______|_Dorothy Dollie Berry FORT _
|_Zua Adda SNIDER ____|
| _Adam SIMMONS ______________+
| _John Wesley SIMMONS , Dr_|_Mary CATHCART _____________
|_Ella Mae SIMMONS ____|
| ____________________________
|_Elizabeth B. COLLINS ____|____________________________
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_Giles CONNELL , Sr._|__
_John CONNELL __|
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| |_Elizabeth GIBBS ____|__
_Hiram Davis CONNELL ____|
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| |_Francis JAMES _|
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|--Ann CONNELL
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|_Ann Elizabeth LAWRENCE _|
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|________________|
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_John ENDECOTT , Gov.______+
_Zerubbabel ENDECOTT _|_Elizabeth (Cogan) GIBSON _
_Joseph ENDICOTT _|
| | _Samuel SMITH _____________
| |_Mary SMITH __________|_Sarah "SMITH" ____________
_Joseph ENDECOTT , Jr_|
| | ___________________________
| | ______________________|___________________________
| |_Hannah __________|
| | ___________________________
| |______________________|___________________________
|
|--Thomas ENDECOTT , Sr
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| ___________________________
| ______________________|___________________________
| _Lucus GILLAM ____|
| | | ___________________________
| | |______________________|___________________________
|_Ann GILLAM __________|
| _Zerubbabel ENDECOTT ______+
| _Joseph ENDICOTT _____|_Mary SMITH _______________
|_Ann ENDECOTT ____|
| ___________________________
|_Hannah ______________|___________________________
__
_Thomas ENDICOTT _|__
_John ENDECOTT , Gov.______|
| | __
| |_Alice ___________|__
_Zerubbabel ENDECOTT _|
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| |_Elizabeth (Cogan) GIBSON _|
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|
|--Mehitable ENDICOTT
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| _Samuel SMITH _____________|
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|_Mary SMITH __________|
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|_Sarah "SMITH" ____________|
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|__________________|__
_Goerge FORT , Sr____________+
_Elias FORT ______|_Elizabeth Accabe DUCKWOOOD _
_Elias FORT _|
| | _____________________________
| |_Catherine ?? ____|_____________________________
_Sugg FORT _______|
| | _George A. SUGGS , Sr._______+
| | _Aquilla SUGGS ___|_Sarah IVES _________________
| |_Sarah SUGG _|
| | _William MAUND ______________
| |_Elizabeth MAUND _|_Esther TUCKER ______________
|
|--John Diggs FORT
|
| _____________________________
| __________________|_____________________________
| _____________|
| | | _____________________________
| | |__________________|_____________________________
|_Elizabeth DIGGS _|
| _____________________________
| __________________|_____________________________
|_____________|
| _____________________________
|__________________|_____________________________
_______________
______________|_______________
_Elisha HARRELL _|
| | _______________
| |______________|_______________
_John Spencer HARRELL _|
| | _Elias FORT ___+
| | _Joseph FORT _|_Catherine ?? _
| |_Pheraby FORT ___|
| | _______________
| |_Unknown _____|_______________
|
|--John Spencer HARRELL
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| _______________
| ______________|_______________
| _________________|
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|_Nancy AUSLEY _________|
| _______________
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|_________________|
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|______________|_______________
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_unknown HUNTLEY _|
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_Eben HUNTLEY , #1__________|
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|--Lusceli HUNTLEY
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|_Margaret A. "HUNTLEY" , #2_|
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|--Catherine Mary KOLLER
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|--Stephen May LIGON
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[52]
Peter Lindbeck 1st marriage was to Nicoline Krragelund and his 2nd was to
Anna Sorenson. Peter Lindbeck was a schoolmaster in Denmark and came to
the USA in 1890 (Oakland, CA).
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|--Elizabeth MILFORD , #1
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