George W. Smith (1858-1891)

George W. Smith (1858-1891). The above photograph was taken in September of 1877, possibly at Redding, California, at the age of 19-years-old. The photographer is unknown. From the collection of Jeremy Tuggle.

This short blog chronicles the life of George W. Smith who was born in 1858 in California, his father, Gottlieb George Kaylor Smith, was 46 and his mother, Elizabeth Jane (Lamberson) Smith, was 25 at the time of his birth. He had three brothers and six sisters during his parents' union. George W. Smith was raised at Horsetown, a son of a local farmer in Shasta County, and he attended school in the area as shown in the 1870 U.S. Census. He later became a mill worker at the Eagle Creek sawmill near Eagle Creek, (now Ono). Smith was accused of poisoning the livestock of a local rancher named George Fenwick whose ranch was on the South Fork of Cottonwood Creek. 

On May 23, 1891, George W. Smith was caught by Fenwick trespassing on his property, and Fenwick charged at Smith in which a fatal quarrel took place with Fenwick shooting and instantly killing Smith on his land with a loaded gun. Smith died on May 23, 1891, at the Fenwick Ranch on the South Fork of Cottonwood Creek at the age of 33. The local sheriff was called to the scene and a coroner's inquest report was held by the local coroner the shooting was documented as suspicious and the sheriff took Fenwick into custody it was later determined that there was not enough evidence to hold George Fenwick for murder. Fenwick was discharged from custody and released from the Shasta County Jail in early June of 1891. George W. Smith (1858-1891) was my maternal great-great-great granduncle. He is supposedly buried on Rainbow Lake Road on land that is now private property. He is one of two burials at this small cemetery on Rainbow Lake Road the other burial is that of his younger brother Issac Jonas Smith (1870-1876) who died young.

Sources:

1870 U.S. Census

1880 U.S Census

The Shasta Courier newspaper of Shasta, May 30, 1891

The Shasta Courier newspaper of Shasta, June 6, 1891

The Dairy and West Street Home of John Nottlemann

Above: the Dairy and West Street home of John Nottlemann. The Nottlemann family appears standing in front pictured with their infamous cattle. Courtesy of Chuck Griffin.

Shown in the above image is the John Nottlemann house and dairy on West Street, in downtown Redding. Take a look at the cows and the adjoining dairy in the photo above. Local lore and legend claims that they utilized the nearby courthouse lawn as trespassers. It’s possible that these were the cows which were eating the grass, and leaving behind smelly piles of fecal matter which made the area on the west side of town stink for a few years. People complained about them and the smell to the Shasta County Board of Supervisors which resulted in Shasta County erecting a fence around the courthouse property in Redding to keep Nottlemann's cows off the grass and to protect the property from being damaged by them.

John Nottlemann (his surname is also found as Nottleman) was born on June 23, 1852, a German emigrant who arrived and settled at Redding in 1888 and established this successful business venture that year which lasted in business for a total of twenty-one years. According to his obituary we learn the following about his business practices: “in business he always made warm friends for himself and kept in their favor even at a cost of sacrifice.” During his lifetime, Nottlemann was active in the local chapter of the Independent Order of Odd Fellows, and the local chapter of the Ancient Order of Foresters. He also served as a fire fighter within the Redding Fire Department. 

Nottlemann married a German emigrant woman named Anna Schultz at Redding in 1891, and during their union two daughters were born to them consisting of Emma in 1892 and Frieda in 1895. During the interim of their births their father was naturalized as an American citizen on March 8, 1894, at Redding in the Shasta County Superior Court. The couple were divorced in 1902. It was the wife who filed for divorce against her husband. In divorce Anna was awarded by the court the family home on West Street and the adjoining dairy property after proving to them that John gave her a deed for the property which John continued to oversee business relations after the divorce was granted. She also received guardianship of their two children. John Nottlemann moved into a residential building on Chestnut Street after the divorce was finalized which is where he remained until his death. However, the court awarded John one horse, one wagon, and two cows and presumably the court was rumored to have ordered both parties to fence in their cattle so they wouldn't have fecal matter issues on the courthouse lawn, since Shasta County was wanting to take down their fence at that time and reduce further problems from their cattle at the courthouse property.

In 1907, John Nottlemann became a founding member of the Redding Dairying Association with local dairymen Allen Kite, Milton G. Kite, and Edmund Wyndham as founding members of this organization. Their mission was to protect and uphold the mutual business interests of the association for the proper protection of their patrons against the purchase of impure, unwholesome or adulterated dairying products and to establish a just and uniform price for any members of this organization. By reason of the advance price of hay, and mill stuffs and hired help in connection with dairying which at that time had materially increased the cost of producing dairy products. The set standards of dairy products rendered by the Redding Dairying Association for that time period follows below: 

"Retail:

Pint, per month, $1.75

Quart, per month $3.00

Three Pints, per month $4.50

One-half Gallon, per month $6.00

Wholesale:

1 Gallon, 30 cents per gallon.

3 Gallon, and over, 25 cents per gallon.

Cream, 30 cents per gallon."

John Nottlemann died on August 7, 1909, at the age of fifty-six-years-old. His occupation was usually rendered as a milkman or a dairyman. John is buried at Redding Memorial Park, in Redding. His ex-wife survived him, and she died at Redding on May 3, 1943, at the age of eighty-years-old. She is also buried at Redding Memorial Park in Redding.

Above: Anna (Schultz) Nottlemann and her husband John Nottlemann. 

Courtesy of Chuck Griffin. 

Resources: 

John Nottlemann, in the Shasta County, California, U.S. Naturalization Records, 1852-1932

1898 Shasta County, California Great Register

1900 U.S. Census 

Nottlemans Wife Wants A Divorce - The Searchlight newspaper of Redding, December 14, 1902

Mrs. Nottleman Gets A Divorce - The Free Press newspaper of Redding, December 22, 1902

John Nottleman in the California U.S. Death Index, 1905-1939

Notice - The Searchlight newspaper of Redding, September 28, 1907

John Nottleman Ill - The Chico Record newspaper of Chico, February 12, 1909

Condition Serious - The Searchlight newspaper of Redding, August 4, 1909

John Nottlemann Suffers No More - The Searchlight newspaper of Redding, August 8, 1909

1910 U.S. Census

1920 U.S Census

1930 U.S. Census

1940 U.S. Census

Anna Nottlemann, in the California U.S. Death Index, 1940-1997

THE SITE OF THE FORMER EUREKA SCHOOLHOUSE ON SALT CREEK (1875-1980)

Above: the Eureka Schoolhouse is pictured here with Olive (Meyer) Chatham (1881-1980) standing beside it. She was educated here as a child, and later in life, she was employed here as a teacher. She was a daughter of Shasta County pioneers Frederick Valentine Meyer Sr., and Caroline Louise (Notten) Meyer of Cow Creek. This photograph was taken in 1974. This building was demolished in 1980. Courtesy of Shasta Historical Society.

The Eureka School District, of Shasta County, held this school's grand opening on August 3, 1875, which pre-dated the establishment of the town of Bella Vista. The Eureka schoolhouse was a one-room clapboard style structure with a stove. The property included a well on the lot it stood on, and an outhouse. Today, nothing remains of these additions. This building was built primarily for education purposes and community meetings in the Cow Creek region. This area at that location was an agricultural area before it evolved into a busy lumber community known today as Bella Vista. 

This building was located a few hundred feet north of Salt Creek and in between the Meyer and Lemm family ranches. It was the only school within the boundaries of the Eureka School District. By the 1970s, the building was left abandoned, and the structure was not brought up to county code and regulations for it to be salvaged. Then in 1980 this schoolhouse was demolished after it was in existence for 105 years. Today, the lot this schoolhouse formerly occupied remains vacant however the landscape hasn’t changed much over the years.

The following is a partial listing of known schoolteachers at the Eureka Schoolhouse:

1887 - Mary (Meyer) Love 

1891 - Mary (Meyer) Love

1895 - Annie Durkee

1897 - Mary (Meyer) Love

1899 - Alma Sheppard

1906-1907 - Katherine (Smith) Lemm

1908 - Donna Dennis

1911-1912 - Olive (Meyer) Chatham

1912-1913 - Franklin R. Love

1915 - Ethel M. Williams

Above: formerly located on this flat surface of grassy land just off of Blue Sky Road (formerly Aloha Road) outside of Bella Vista, and a few hundred feet north of Salt Creek is the site belonging to former Eureka Schoolhouse. This land is located on private property. This photograph was taken by Jeremy Tuggle on September 27, 2022.

Resources:

Shasta County School Districts Plan Merger - The Chico Record newspaper of Chico, March 20, 1920

School Districts of Shasta County, 1853-1955

The Meyer Family written by Edna (Chatham) Wallace and Suzanne Kershaw, The Covered Wagon 1974, published by Shasta Historical Society.

The Meyer Family Memories of Olive (Meyer) Chatham written by an unknown author, date unknown. Available at the Shasta Historical Society.

VF 979.424 Bella Vista on file at Shasta Historical Society

Shasta County’s Historical Rural School Eureka School by Ruth Martin and Jane Long PF 371.9 Martin (available at the Shasta Historical Society.)

The Yank Ranch And It’s Historic Chicken Coup Structure, On Cow Creek Near Present-Day, Bella Vista.

This turn of the 20th Century building can be found on the former Yank family property which is now part of the historic Frederick V. Meyer Sr., ranch estate on Cow Creek near present-day Bella Vista, which can be seen in my recent video. It was Joseph Yank an early settler of Cow Creek who settled, early on, on this property which his son William would later acquire. Yank Creek runs through the historic Meyer ranch estate and snakes its way into Bella Vista. Yank Creek was named for Joseph Yank, a local rancher. 

A series of photographs in sequence of the historic Chicken Coup at the Yank family ranch now part of the Frederick Valentine Meyer Sr., ranch estate property. All photographs taken by Jeremy Tuggle on September 17, 2022. See below:

Above: an 1884 map of Shasta County showing the Yank and Meyer family properties on Cow Creek near present day, Bella Vista. 

It was William who married Adah Julia Meyer, a daughter of Shasta County pioneers Frederick Valentine Meyer Sr., and Caroline Louise (Notten) Meyer. They raised their family here. This structure was presumably erected by William Yank after the turn of 20th century, he used clapboard style wood and round nails to build it. This structure is a chicken coup which the family utilized for their chickens which they had on their property. It's one of the few remaining structures which survived the 1999 Jones Fire (26,020 acres) that burned through through the historic Meyer ranch estate property. This building is certainly over 100 years old. Watch the video below at the following YouTube link for further info and visuals. It’s located on private property.

Above: The Historic Meyer Ranch: Established 1853. 

THE HISTORIC JOHN MEYER GRAVESITE

Picture taken by Jeremy Tuggle on September 17, 2022. 

This sandstone marker marks the burial site of John Meyer my maternal great-great-great granduncle. The inscription is faded on the marker itself. When John Meyer was born on November 5, 1864, at Cow Creek, in Shasta County, California, his father, Frederick Valentine Meyer Sr., was 35 years of age and his mother, Caroline Louise (Notten) Meyer, was 22 years of age. John Meyer had seven brothers and six sisters. He died on March 6, 1865, at Cow Creek, near the present-day town of Bella Vista. John Meyer's father, Frederick Valentine Meyer Sr., was a miner and farmer who came to the town of Shasta in 1851 and settled in the area. We believe this is this only burial at this location. Picture taken: September 17, 2022. This historic burial site is located on private property on the Meyer family ranch which can be seen in my newest YouTube video below:

Video: the Historic Meyer Ranch: Eastablished 1853.

The Historic Meyer Ranch: Established 1853.

     

Frederick Valentine Meyer Sr., (1829-1916). From the collection of Jeremy Tuggle.

Video filmed on location September 17, 2022. 

Frederick Valentine Meyer Sr., was born on April 17, 1829, in Bremen, Germany, the son of John Meyer. He arrived at the town of Shasta in 1851 and mined until 1853 as records indicate, yet he does not appear on the 1852 California State Census. He was also a farmer who raised beans and corn and from his own grapes on his property he made wine as well. Some of which he sold. He had eight sons and six daughters with Caroline Louise Notten between 1861 and 1890. Frederick Valentine Meyer Sr., died on December 30, 1916, in Bella Vista, California, having lived a long life of 87 years, and was buried at the Millville Masonic Cemetery in Millville, California. Explore the history of the historic Meyer ranch in this YouTube video I produced. The Meyer Ranch is still in existence today owned by my cousin Betty and her husband Ernie. See video. The children of Frederick Valentine Meyer Sr., and Caroline Louise (Notten) Meyer are the following:

1. Anna Meyer (1861–1889) married Alva McBroom Sr.,

2. Mary Fredricka Meyer (1862–1960) married Franklin Reading Love

3. John Meyer (1864–1865)

4. Elizabeth Meyer (1866–1896) married Edgar Wade Howell

5. William Henry Meyer (1868–1932) married Mary Ellen Douease

6. Frederick Valentine Meyer Jr. (1870–1963) married Hattie May Cravens

7. Herman Meyer (1872–1958) married Grace Gertrude Gray

8. Caroline Louise Meyer (1875–1960) married George J. Boyle

9. Adah Julia Meyer (1877–1919) married William Yank

10. Charles Edward Meyer (1879–1962)

11. Olive Meyer (1881–1980) married John William Chatham

12. Albert Meyer (1883–1964) married Ollie M. Thomasen

13. Walter Byron Meyer (1886–1966) married Muriel Catherine Eells

14. Harry Andrew Meyer (1890–1971) married 1st: Eva Bullard, married 2nd: Annie Lucille de Bar Kellog

Caroline Louise (Notten) Meyer (1841-1908), the wife of Frederick Valentine Meyer Sr., she was the mother of 14 children. From the collection of Jeremy Tuggle.

RESOURCES:

Selected U.S. Federal Census Non-Population Schedules, 1850-1880, Shasta County, California, 

U.S., Naturalization Records, 1852-1932 for Frederick Valentine Meyer.

Land Surveys - The Shasta Courier newspaper of Shasta, February 6, 1858

Deed Book G., Page 80, John Schrader to Frederick Meyer, dated May 8, 1858

SHASTA HISTORICAL SOCIETY - GENEALOGICAL RECORDS 7-59. One card page front and back. INFORMANT: MARY FREDRICKA (MEYER) LOVE (1862-1960).

U.S., Civil War Draft Registrations Records, 1863-1865

1860 U.S. Census

Leased - The Shasta Courier newspaper of Shasta, December 4, 1869

Fire - The Shasta Courier newspaper of Shasta, November 1, 1873

North Cow Creek - The Shasta Courier newspaper of Shasta, July 20, 1878

Shasta Items - The Shasta Courier newspaper of Shasta, May 8, 1879

Born - The Reading Independent newspaper of Redding, May 29, 1879

1880 U.S. Census

Married - The Shasta Courier newspaper of Shasta, December 3, 1881

Private School - The Shasta Courier newspaper of Shasta, May 14, 1887

Alva McBroom - The Shasta Courier newspaper of Shasta, May 21, 1887

Alva McBroom - The Republican Free Press newspaper of Redding, June 15, 1889

Mrs. A. McBroom - The Republican Free Press newspaper of Redding, June 29, 1889

1900 U.S. Census

Fred Meyer Jr. - The Searchlight newspaper of Redding, March 13, 1908

Lived In County For Forty Years - The Searchlight newspaper of Redding, August 29, 1908

1910 U.S. Census

Births, Marriages And Deaths - The Sacramento Union newspaper of Sacramento, January 2, 1917

Pioneer Farmer Passes Beyond - The Courier-Free Press newspaper of Redding, January 2, 1917

Left Eleven Sons And Daughters And 55 Grandchildren - The Searchlight newspaper of Redding, January 3, 1917

MEYER'S ESTATE IS WORTH $6,000 - The Courier-Free Press newspaper of Redding, January 25, 1917

Veteran Teacher Of The County Passes - The Searchlight newspaper of Redding, December 29, 1918

McBroom Sr., Is Dead At The Bay - The Shasta Courier newspaper of Shasta, January 3, 1919

Meyer Farm Sold In Court For $6,027.50 - The Sacramento Union newspaper of Sacramento, November 27, 1920

Shasta Historical Society Pioneer Record - Frederick Valentine Meyer Sr., dated: June 7, 1943

Frederick Valentine Meyer Sr., Pioneer Plaque file, MP-033 at Shasta Historical Society in Redding, California.

The Meyer Family Memories of Olive (Meyer) Chatham written by an unknown author, date unknown. Available at the Shasta Historical Society.

Meyer Burials, by an unknown compiler, in possession of Cindy L. Nelson and Jeremy Tuggle 

The Notten Family History researched and compiled by Marti Notten.

The 1916 Kimball Plains Schoolhouse

The Kimball Plains schoolhouse at the Cottonwood Creek Charter School in Cottonwood. Photograph taken by Jeremy Tuggle on September 28, 2022. 

Video filmed on location: September 28, 2022.

The Kimball School District was established on August 5, 1879, at Kimball Plains, a small agricultural community west of Cottonwood. That year, a schoolhouse was built for the community which was the only schoolhouse within the Kimball School District. Then in September of 1894, the Kimball Plains Schoolhouse caught fire and burned down. After the fire, the students were transferred to the Cottonwood school to advance their education. Years later, the Kimball School District was re-established on November 14, 1916, after a new schoolhouse was erected for their community that year. This school was located on the north side of Gas Point Road just east of Dry Creek and it was their second and last schoolhouse. The school closed down due to poor attendance and by 1947 or 1948 the entire schoolhouse building was relocated to Cottonwood and placed on another's school's property where it was utilized as an additional building of that school and remodeled. The school property which this 1916 clapboard style structure is located on is currently the home of the Cottonwood Creek Charter School in Cottonwood. The building is saved from demolition, but the Cottonwood Creek Charter School is looking to restore the building to its original condition sometime in the future. Special Thanks to Mark Boyle, Director of Cottonwood Creek Charter School in Cottonwood, California. Historical images provided by the Shasta Historical Society and Mark Boyle.

Link to Kimball Plains article by Jeremy M. Tuggle as mentioned in the above YouTube video: here. 

RESOURCES:


Our Schools - The Shasta Courier newspaper of Shasta, March 3, 1883

Cottonwood School Ends Spring Term - The Red Bluff Daily News newspaper of Red Bluff, April 20, 1920

Borrowed Children Keep Shasta School Alive - The Blue Lake Advocate newspaper of Blue Lake, January 31, 1931

School Districts of Shasta County 1853-1955 compiled by Veronica Satorius

The Historic Glenburn Community Church, Established 1885.

This church has been a major part of the Glenburn community since it was established in 1885. Glenburn which is located in eastern Shasta County is an agricultural community, near Fall River Mills. This community has utilized this historic church since its beginning. Check out this historic site and property in this video below.

Filmed on location, July 9, 2022.

Exploring Shasta County history with Jeremy M. Tuggle

Welcome to my new Blog Spot, Exploring Shasta County History, created by Google! If you enjoy Shasta County history then this is the place for you to be. I'm very passionate about local history, I own most of the photographs that will be used on this Blog Spot. If I don't own the rights to publish the photographs then a ‘used courtesy of’ will be granted to those who allow me to post their pictures.

 

Before we dive into the rich and compelling history of Shasta County, here is some information about me.  My name is Jeremy M. Tuggle and I was born in Redding in 1982. I earned the rank of Eagle Scout from Boy Scouts of America in November of 2000, earning the highest award one can achieve in scouting. I graduated from the class of 2001 from Central Valley High School in Shasta Lake City.

I am employed at the Shasta Historical Society as their Visitor And Historical Services Associate and I also work for In Home Health Services providing care for my great grandmother. I am a descendant of 11 Shasta County pioneer families recognized by the Shasta Historical Society, the majority of my family settled between 1849-1889 in Shasta County. I am the author of two published books, Rooted in Shasta County (2003) and A Journey Through Time: Ono and the Bald Hills (2008) including various articles on local history.

As the Visitor and Historical Services Associate for the Shasta Historical Society, I visit the local schools, senior citizen homes and various organizations in our area. During my presentations I give intriguing programs and lectures about Shasta County history. I am also an active and lifetime member of the Shasta Historical Society and a member of the Society of Mayflower Descendants in the State of California.

 

My wife, Leah and I, have one son, Carson. Carson's identical twin brother, Jason, died shortly after birth.  Just recently, on October 2, 2017, the National Society of the Daughters of the American Revolution, Major Pierson B. Reading Chapter of Redding honored me with their Community Service Award, a prestigious National award honoring my work in historic preservation in the community throughout my personal and professional life and a Chapter Achievement award. I was very pleased and honored to receive these awards from them. One minor detail I need to mention is that this web-site is not associated with the Shasta Historical Society in any form. Thank you for visiting.

Jeremy M. Tuggle giving a power point presentation to the Shasta Miners and Prospectors Association in Anderson. This photo was taken by Leah Tuggle on August 17, 2017.

The attending crowd at a presentation given by Jeremy M. Tuggle on August 17, 2017.