CHARLES PARR
Bio-Alley Bowen
SURNAMES; GARCIA
Born in England, May 5, 1827. Emigrating to the United States as
long ago as the year 1842, the first Winter he passed in St. Louis,
Missouri, where death deprived him of his mother. In the
following Spring he took up his abode in Lee County, Iowa, and there
engaged in farming until 1846, in which year he started to cross the
plains to the Pacific slope, with a company of forty-one wagons, his
father Joe Parr and family, Jonathan Parr and family, now deceased,
(whose portrait will be found in this work, ) and a family named Booth,
relatives of our subject, who now live in Victoria, B. C.
All went well until the Platte river, in the Pawnee country, was
reached, save that there was an occasional stampede of their cattle, in
one of which one hundred and twenty-five head were lost. In tryng
to recover the stock in one of these a man named Tremble lost his life,
while his partner, Harris, was recaptured, after he had been stripped
of his clothing and was about to receive his death-blow from the
Indians. This was done by the Pawnee tribe. They
murdered and left a widow and seven children. After the delay of a day,
necessitated by the circumstance above related, the journey was
continued, while those who had lost a larger portion than others, of
their cattle, retraced their steps to Missouri.
When Fort Laramie
was reached the party moving westward were notified by the Sioux
Indians that they could not be permitted to travel through their
territory unles some substantial compensation was forthcoming, which
they received, and the paty were allowed to continue their
advance. When Sweet Water was reached, the company suddenly found
themselves surrounded by a force of some seven hundred redskins,
therefore they collected their wagons and prepared for action. For a
time affairs had a very gloomy appearance. The Indians were bold
and rough, in many instances pushing their way throught to the wagons ,
where remained in trembling fear the women and children. The
Chief of the Tribe , Smoky, was, however, notified of the doings of his
warriors, he thererfore rode in among them, scattering them right ad
left, and called upon them to desist. To receive a command from
such a source was to obey. The Indians departed, while the
emigrants were permitted to proceed. Mr. Parr thinks that had it
not been for the timely interface of the Chief, there would have been a
bloody tragedy enacted at the place called Sweet Water.
Before
Fort Hall had been reached the party was divided, one protion
proceeding to Oregon, the other to California. It is with those
last named that we have to deal. Trials now commenced to
accumulate. Before Bear river had been come to the provisions
gave out, and much suffering ensured; now were the necessaries of life
obtained in anything like abundance until the hospitalities of Sutter's
Fort were opened to them Here they obtained bread, and encamped
on the American river, about two miles from the fort.
Leaving the banks of that stream they made their way to
Livermore, Contra Costa county, when our subject left his family, and
came to the town of Santa Clara, where he was joined in the Spring of
1847 by his relatives- all, save his father ,who had died at Livermore,
from the unskilled treatment of a broken leg.
Mr. Parr was first
employed by James Alexander Forbes; and for Dennis Marten, worked in
the redwoods, while in the Spring of 1847 he went to Bear river and
witnessed the remains of the Donner party, Here he joined
the party that went up to the American river to procure lumber to
construct the now historically famous "Sutter's Mill." At the end
of three months he proceed to San Francisco; thence he found his way
back to Santa Clara. In 1848 he was employed in the New Almaden
Quicksilver mines. In the latter part of that year he made a
journey to the Mokelumne river, and Calaveras and Tuolumne countes,
where he engaged in mining, an occupation he contined at
intervals for the two succeeding years, and finally returned to this
county. On his return he opened a public house in Santa Clara, in
partnership with Dr. Warburton, for one year; he then built a like
establishment, which he conducted for six months,. when he engaged in
blacksmithing. In 1854 he embarked in stock-raising on the Coast
range, which he abandoned in the following year on account of ill
health; then, returning to Santa Clara, he there resided until 1862, in
the Fall of which year he removed to the stock-riaisng farm he now
occupies, which comprises twelve hundred acres, his own property.
Married, Aptil 1854, T. Garcia. The following are his children by
this union: Joseph E., born 1855; Prudence, born 1858; Teresa, born
1860; Simpson N., born 1862; Charles, born 1863; Belle, born 1864;
Stephen A, born 1867; Agnes, born 1869; Eugene, born 1870; Mary, born
1872.
Transcribed by Carolyn Feroben
History of Santa Clara County, California
San Francisco: Alley, Bowen & Co., 1881, pgs557-559
SEE BIO From Sawyers, History of Santa Clara County- 1922
SANTA CLARA COUNTY BIOGRAPHY PROJECT
SANTA CLARA COUNTY HISTORY - THE VALLEY OF HEART's DELIGHT