California Genealogy

There are few names more closely identified with the history of Merced County than that of William Edward Landram, who, as banker and citizen, has wielded a strong influence that has done much for the growth and prosperity of Merced, which has been his home for more than a third of a century. His birth occurred in Cairo, Mo., March 11, 1867, a son of W. L. and Betty (Boney) Landram. W. L. Landram was drafted for service during the Civil War and was on his way to the front when the war ended; he had been a farmer all … Read more

The late Gilbert B. Neighbor of Snelling, Merced County, was one of the pioneer merchants of that village and he was one of the foremost upbuilders of his adopted State. He was born in German Valley, Morris County, N. J., September 14, 1836, a son of Jacob Weise and Mary Ann (Trimmer) Neighbor, both born in that same state. His paternal great-grandfather, Leonard Neighbor, and the grandfather, also named Leonard, served in the War of the Revolution. The latter lived to be ninety-one years old. In 1855 Jacob Neighbor moved to Princeton, Ill., and there both himself and his wife … Read more

Of the pioneers living in Merced County, there are few who can so clearly recount the early stories and incidents that happened in the lives of the men and women who blazed the trail for the generations that are to follow, as can Samuel Lewis Givens, the retired rancher of the Bear Creek district, near Planada. A representative of a distinguished family who came to California in 1853, he was born in Union County, Ky., November 8, 1842, the youngest of ten children born of the marriage of Thomas and Catherine D. F. (Richards) Givens. His father was born in … Read more

One of the prosperous and well-known ranchers and diarymen of Merced County, John A. Roduner has spent most of his life in the San Joaquin Valley, and has thus become well versed in its possibilities, both as to soil and climatic conditions, and in the products best calculated for successful growth in this most fertile region of California, and his success has been founded on the knowledge thus gained and on its practical application. He is a native of Minnesota, born March 10, 1853, at St. Anthony Falls, the eldest of two sons born to his parents. His father, John … Read more

A citizen of whom any community might be proud is Daniel K. Thornton, and the people of Merced County, appreciating his public spirit and ability, elected him to the office of county supervisor, in which position he served for three consecutive terms of four years each. Not only while in office but in the common walk of life does he command the respect of all the people. The son of Michael and Ellen (Hanlon) Thornton, he was born two and a half miles west of Merced on April 15, 1873. His father came to Napa, Cal., via Cape Horn, in … Read more

The rise from very moderate circumstances to a position of honor and affluence has been the lot of James V. Toscano, leading citizen of Los Banos, solely through his energy and business integrity. A native of Italy, he was born in Basilicata, Potenza, on December I, 1868, a son of Joseph Toscano, with whom he came to America in 1878. The mother and other members of the family followed them four years later and the home was established in New York City for a short time; later they came on to San Francisco. The year 1881 marks their advent in … Read more

Merced County has been most fortunate in the class of business and professional men who have chosen to come here and establish their homes and business careers. The fertile valley of the San Joaquin is today the background for many thriving community centers, and the business and professional offices, as well as the mercantile establishments, are equal to any like communities in the United States, long famous for its cities, developed from what were formerly “country towns,” but now ranking with the larger metropolis in point of wealth and convenience. That this is due to the caliber and work of … Read more

At one time known as the “wheat king” of the San Joaquin Valley because of his close association with Isaac Friedlander, who was known as the “wheat king” of California during his active career in the wheat growing, buying and shipping business, C. H. Huffman left a void in the ranks of the upbuilders of Merced County when he sold out his interests to take up his residence in San Francisco, in which city he died on July 7, 1905. His was a busy life, filled with work for the State he adopted for his home. He participated actively in … Read more

The late William C. Turner was one of those intrepid pioneers who were the forerunners of our present-day civilization in California. He was born in Caswell County, North Carolina, on February 14, 1827, and in 1849, with a party of 150 men, all on the hunt for the gold to be found in the new Eldorado, left Greene County to take the northern route; but upon hearing that cholera was prevalent along that route, they turned south and with their ox-teams and wagons began the long trek that was to occupy six months. Their trip was without incident, and to … Read more

A real pioneer of California and an early settler in the San Joaquin Valley, William Fielding Taylor was a lineal descendant of the Zachary Taylor family, the twelfth President of the United States. He was the son of William and Martha Taylor, who were of English descent and early Colonists, who migrated from the New England states to Tennessee, where they cleared the land for pioneer farming. Born June 20, 1821, near Nashville, Tenn., William F. Taylor was reared in that locality, receiving but a limited education, owing to lack of schools on the frontier, attending a private school for … Read more