Weekly Trinity journal., 1865-05-06
NUMBER II.
FROM tne NtdHO fTfSS.
HON. JOHN BIDWELL.

Our new Congressman was born IN Chatauquc
county, New York, on the 9th of August 1919,
and is, consequently, in the forty-sixth year of
his age. His father was born in the State of
Connecticut, but brought up near Saratoga. y.
Y, being five years of age when Johns paternal
grandfather moved to that place. Both Of the
grandfathers of the subject of this sketch fought
! in the Revolutionary War-that the mother 5
. side having been with Washington in many of
his campaigns and at Valley Forge. His father
was a farmer. John was brought up to that oc-
cupation and claims no other to this day, al
| though he has been both surveyor and school
teacher. The elder Bidwell was married twice
by his first wife he had seven children and by
his second wife--whose alden name was Griggs,
native of Winchendon, Massachusetts-he had
five children, one daughter and four sons, of
whom John Bidwell is the oldest. In 1929 the
family moved to Erie, Pennsylvania, and in 1881
to Ashtabula county, Ohio. Four years after
wards they went to Darke county, Ohio, where
three of the family are now living. From the
latter place John returned to Ashtabula county
to complete his education at Kingsville Academy,
after leaving which he taught school in Darkc
county, during the winter of 1889. In The
following year he took tour through the West
travelled in Illinois and Iowa. and from thence
to Missouri : and while in Platte county, in the
latter State, his money became exhausted, and
he resumed the occupation Of teaching school,
which he continued for two years.
In the month Of May, 1884, he started for CAL
ifornia. 1t may seem strange that youth who
had just arrived at the legal age of manhood
should be tempted TO journey across the then
almost unknown continent to an unciyilized por-
ton of a foreign country. General Bidwell is
known to be opposed to all hllibustering and
acts of oppression and piracy upon other nations
either by our citizens or our Government lie
believes that we should be as good as we are
great and free, and regulate our conduct by the
principle of right but, perhaps, in the ardor of
youth. he did not quite - see it IN that light.
The object of coming to California at that time
was to seize the country and annex 1t to Texas,
or at least that was the thing that first induced
the raising of the company A pledge was
signed by hundreds, but many events contributed
to dampen the cause, and finally, when the time
arrived to set out, the first projectors all backed
out except Bidwell and he and some new enthu-
sasts were obliged to form a company of those
who went to the place Of rendezvous to join the
great overland expedition The trip was event.
full. The route, after leaving Salt Lake, then
only known to the Rocky Mountain trappers, was
through a wild waste, untroddcn by the foot OF
a white man-down Humboldt river, up Walkers
river, and down Stanislaus river into San Joa-
quin Valley, being six months on the way.
They arrived in California just as Commodore
Wilkes Exploring Expedition leaving the
bay of San Francisco. Captain Sutter had just
fairly commenced his settlement at the confu
ence of the American and Sacramento rivers,
and he treated the party with unbounded kind
ness. He had just purchased property and right
to the land of the Russian settlements at Bodega
/ and Fort Russ. The first employment of John
Bidwe in this State to go and take charge
Of those places, where he remained fourteen
months and then, in the spring of 1913, took
charge of Suffers Feather river possessions,
then known as Hook Ranch He built the house
now occupied by Gen. Suffer. In the war begun
by native Calfornians to expel Governor Mitch
eltorena, Bidwell sustained the Governor, and
evidently went into the fight in earnest Mitch
| eltorena was kind and impartial toward Ameri-
cans, giving them large grants of land, but
through treachery he wa. defeated and expelled
In 1915, our pioneer remained with Suffer as
book-k keeper and general business man, until the
Mexican war broke out when he engaged under
the Bear Flag, then under Fremont, and finally
under Commodore Stockton and General kear
ney, until the close Of the war. He began ms
Second Lieutenant, and closed as Quartermaster,
with the rank of Major. From the moment he
set foot in California, he never for an instant
doubted that it was destined at no distant period
to become portion of the American Union
There was something in the progress and spirit
of Americans and Of the times, which seemed
to stamp it on the face Of things and make it a
fixed fate
The second place where gold was discovered
was on Feather river, where it was found by
General Bidwell He worked in the mipes in
IsiS and 1919, at Bidwell 5 Bar. In the Fall of
the latter year he was elected to the Constitu-
tional Convention, but being in the mines at the
time, did not hear of it in timeTto go as he
thought, and be at San Jose before the Conyen-
ton would adjourn. In the same fall he
elected to the Senate of the first Legislature
known as q the Legislature of thousand
drinks" Thomas jefferson Green, one of the
Senators, kept in his room at the Capitol build
ing the best of liquor, furnished no doubt by
lobbyists, and on ali occasions be would invite
the Senate to repair to his room and "take
thousand drinks, which gave ii the name. Bid
well introduced a resolution to effect the removal
of the liquor from the building and thus stop
such proceedings, which proposition brought
down upon him the wrath OF the drinking mem
hers. and atterwarl br vas never popular with
that crowd.
In 1850 in connection with Judge Schoolcraf,
he was appointed by Governor Burnett to convey
the block Of gold-bearing quartz to the District
Of Columbia In 1855 he was defeated ior inc
State Senate by John .. MCGEE, the Know NOM
inn candidate In 1860 he delivered tne annuai
| Address before the State Agrichiturai ooeiety'
The same wear the Democratic party elected him
/, Dclerate to the Charleston Convention lie
beramc satisfied that an attempt was to be made
n early as practicable to break up the Union,
and so expressed himself on his return to this
state and from that time the pro-slaVery party
have most cordially hated him. His natural
instincts rebelicd intensely against the slave
mower that he found no difficulty in breaking
even the strong ties Of party when he became
satisfied that rule or ruin was its policy. Gov
ernor Stanford appointed him a Brigadier Gene
raj in the State Militia, position which he now
holds, By virtue Of a re-appointment by Governor
Low In 1854 he was chosen a delegate to the
National Union Convention, and the same year
was elected Member of Congress from this Dis
trict His ability, unimpcaehable integrity and
reliable honesty viii command for him extensive
influence at Washington.
\ Az AMERICAN ALI 0sER.-We learn of the
fsasrican Minister at Brussels that he gives his
guests az dinners nothing but the meats and pro-
ducts Of his own country the hams from Wash
ington, the ducks from Ohio, the buffalo humps
from Massachusetts,, etc, etc., even to the oys-
:ers that come direct from New Orleans turtle
from Pennsylvania, and vines FROM the Ohio.