Along with William B Ide, was one of the leaders of an immigrant wagon train from Illinois in 1845.

In 1846, he was living on his ranch in Napa, near the present town of Yountville.

"Post commander at Sonoma under the short-lived California Republic. By November of 1846 he could no longer tolerate sharing command with Lt. Revere, so he left Sonoma with a new company of volunteers to join Fremont. A resident of the city of Napa for many years, he eventually moved back to Missouri." (Robert Parmalee, "Pioneer Sonoma")