George Champlin ^{1 2 3}

   FamilySearch ID: KCVW-LNB.

  Noted events in his life were:

1. Moved: 1849, , , CA. ⁴

2. Moved: 1860, Tehama Twp., Tehama, CA. ⁴

3. He has conflicting marriage information of Nov 1866 and San Francisco, San Francisco, CA. ² This book has conflicting marriage dates within the same article: Nov 1866, and 24 Nov 1867.

4. Census in 1870 in Tehama Twp., Tehama, CA. ⁵ G.W. Beecher, laborer, 21, was living with wife Jennie, 18, in a building headed by Geo. Champlin, 43, and his wife Nellie, 33. There are 10 other single people in the 20's living with them, so it appears liek Geo. is running a business with his employees living with him. Geo.'s occupation is "Stock." but he has no real estate value and his personal estate is worth $1000. He was born in Rhode Island, his wife in Pennsylvania. G.W. and wife were born in Ohio.

5. Census in 1880 in Red Bluff, Tehama, CA. ³ Geo. Champlin, farmer, 52, was living with wife Nellie [nee Beecher], 44; George, 8; and Mary, 2. Also in this home are others with surname Beecher: Jennie, 26, sister-in-law, housekeeper; Fannie, 18, niece; Jno. W. , nephew, farmer, 23; Chas., nephew, farmer, 21; G. W., brother-in-law, merchant, 29. Also: brother Lester Champlin, 26, stockman; and boarder J. G. Brown, 51, horseman. There were living at 29 Hickory Street.

Birthplaces:
Geo. Champlin: RI, father CT, mother RI
Neillie: PA, father OH, mother PA
George: IN, father RI, mother PA
Mary: CA, father RI, mother PA
Jennie Beecher: OH, father OH, mother PA
Fannie Beecher: OH, father OH, mother PA
Jno W. Beecher: OH, father OH, mother PA
Chas Beecher: OH, father OH, mother PA
G. W. Beecher: OH, father OH, mother PA
Lester: PA, father CT, mother RI.

6. Book: Memorial & Biographical History of Northern California, 1891. ²
GEORGE CHAMPLIN.-Among the representative citizens of Northern California, and especially of Tehama County, this gentleman holds an honorable place. He is a native of Rhode Island, born at Providence June 14, 1827, his parents being Jabez and Sarah Ann (Cole) Champlin.

His father, a descendant of an old New England family and a farmer, was born in Mystic, Connecticut. He learned the shoemaker's trade when young, but later became an engineer and held that position on the renowned Robert Fulton. He also ran on the steamer lines from New York to Norwich, Providence and Newark. He was so engaged about fifteen years, during which time his residence was by turns in New York, Providence and Newark. While in the latter city he contracted malarial fever, and in consequence removed to the country, locating on a farm in Bradford County, Pennsylvania, in 1832. There he resided with his family until about 1854, when he traded his farm for another situated about two miles from Owego, New York, and removed thither. There he lived until 1868, when he went back to Providence, invested in some houses and lived there until his death, which occurred in 1888, at the age of eighty-seven years. He was a Democrat politically until the breaking out of the civil war, when he allied himself to the Republican party. His widow, who was also born in Providence, is yet living, and resides again at her birthplace with her youngest son, aged eighty-six years in 1891. Her father was Horace Cole, who also sprang from one of the old families of New England. He was a seafaring man, as were most of the Coles. Mr. and Mrs. Jabez Champlin were the parents of eleven, children, as follows: George, whose name heads this sketch; John, who resides in Oakland, where he is a merchant in the boot and shoe trade, doing business on Broadway; Ira, who going to New York for the purpose of shipping on a steamer for Lake Erie, since which time he has never been heard of; Abbie, who married William Woodward, and died in 1870; Eliza (Mrs. Barnes by marriage), who, with her husband, bought the old homestead near Owego, of which place they are now residents; Hester, who came to California in 1858, lived with our subject on a ranch in Sutter County, near the Buttes, for about a year, then taught school two years in Yuba City and two years in San Francisco, then was married to Charles Waldeyer, of Cherokee, Butte County, and now lives with her husband and family in Oroville; Horace, who, after serving as a Union soldier in the war of the Rebellion, made a trip to California, then went East again, and now resides in Massachusetts not far from Providence; Hanson, who lost his life in defense of his country's flag, being killed at the battle of Fredericksburg; Martha, formerly a school-teacher and instructor of music, but now a graduated physician, and engaged in the practice of medicine in Boston; Lester, another soldier of the Union, who returned from the war broken in health, and came to California about 1869, where he now resides with our subject on a sheep ranch, and who has made three trips across the plains and mountains from this State to Montana and Colorado with large bands of sheep; and Irvin, the youngest son, a resident of Providence, Rhode Island, who took up the study of law, was admitted to the courts of his State, and now enjoys a large and lucrative practice which his high reputation has brought him.

George Champlin, the subject of our sketch and eldest of the above eleven children of Jabez Champlin, lived from the age of five to eighteen years on a farm in Bradford County, Pennsylvania, attending the common schools of that county until he was sixteen, and the two subsequent years at the high school of Owego, New York. He taught school one year in Bradford County, and subsequently went to Norwich, Connecticut, for the purpose of recuperating and recovering his wonted strength lost in an attack of sickness two years before. He remained at Norwich one summer, during the fall went to Providence and New Bedford visiting, and in the winter attended school at the latter place, making his home with his uncle and aunt, Mr. and Mrs. Ebenezer Ryder; Mrs. Ryder is the sister of his mother. The following summer he worked upon a farm east of Providence, and in the fall engaged as baggage boy on the steamer Bay State, plying between New York and Fall River, and was engaged on her for six months, after which he was on another steamer under Captain Van Pelt, running between Norwich and New York, until the commencement of the winter, 1848. Early in 1849 he, in company with twenty others, bought the schooner Odd Fellow, a fishing smack of ninety-two tons' burden, provisioned her for a three-years' cruise, and sailed from New London, Connecticut, February 2, 1849, for California. They made only one stop at Port Famine, in the Straits of Magellan, for wood and water, and then set sail again direct for San Francisco, where they arrived July 2, 1849. There they loaded their vessel with passengers and freight and sailed for Sacramento, and on their arrival there they put up a skeleton house, covered it with canvas which the company had made on shipboard on the way to California, and put in it their provisions and cooking stove, thus making a home for the company, which was a joint-stock concern. Then a portion of the company went to the mines, while the rest remained on the vessel, and ran her on the river transporting freight and passengers. Mr. Champlin was among the former number. They went up on the North Yuba River, and, after mining there for about a month with poor success, they returned to Sacramento, from which point each one struck out for himself.

Mr. Champlin again went up the Yuba River, this time alone; but becoming sick there he again went back to Sacramento, having on his way back, at Marysville, his first experience with chills and fever. Arriving at Sacramento he went directly to the company house, and after a few days' rest there he started out again for the American River, and brought up at a place called Rock Springs, about two miles from Condemned Bar. There he found a Mormon living with his family in a brush house, which he conducted as a boarding-house, with one eating table, and in which he also kept a store. He also had a yoke of oxen, a wagon and two cows. As he was anxious to sell out Mr. Champlin and a man named Bronson bought his effects. Mr. Champlin carried on business there from October, 1849, until the following summer, when he sold out to B.N. Bugbee, afterward sheriff, and the man who started the Natoma vineyard and failed.

Mr. Champlin then went to Sacramento and entered a commission house with James Barnett from Virginia. He was thus engaged until the following summer, when the firm dissolved partnership and went out of business, our subject going up the Sacramento River to Grand Island, where, in company with Isaac Rand, he engaged in cutting hay, which was sold to parties all the way from there up the Sacramento River to Shasta. After that he engaged in ranching at the head of Grand Island, in partnership with John Fitch. He remained there about two years, but as he suffered severely from fever and ague, he left there and went up South Yuba River to the mountains and engaged in mining, which he followed with very poor success, for the next year. He then went to Snow Point and went to work in the drift diggings, at underground work for Frank Hayes. After a year there he and John Miller took up a quartz ledge at Eureka, where they took out a six-horse load of quartz, had it hauled to a water-mill about three miles from Eureka, where it was crushed, and then they found that they had hardly enough gold to pay the cost of crushing. From there Mr. Champlin went to Moore's Flat, Nevada County, where he went to work in the Paradise Lost drifting mine, and after two weeks was promoted to the position of night foreman, which he held for about two years. He then left there and went to Sutter County, where he engaged in the cattle business in company with John Miller, his sister keeping house for him, she having come out meantime. This partnership was dissolved in 1860, and Mr. Champlin came in November of that year to Tehama County. On the day on which Abraham Lincoln was first elected president, he bought 500 sheep in partnership with his brother-in-law. William Woodward, from Rawson & Grayson. He bought lands and managed them in connection with his sheep until 1865, when he sold sheep and ranch to J.S. Cone. In 1866 he went to Oregon and bought a band of wethers, which he drove down here and sold them to J.S. Todhunter, late in the fall of the same year.

In November, 1866, he was married, in San Francisco, and went directly thence to Red Bluff. In February, 1867, he bought the ranch of Rawson & Grayson, consisting of 3,300 acres of land together with 2,000 sheep and about 1,600 lambs. He conducted that ranch alone for about a year, then Phillips & Chandler acquired an interest with him. They carried on the business together about three years, and in the fall of 1869 Mr. Champlin sold the ranch and sheep to Brown & Curtis.

In the summer of 1871 he went East with his wife, and while on this trip their son was born in August, 1870, at Lima, LaGrange County, Indiana. They returned to California in the fall of 1876, and soon after our subject, in company with Phillips & Chandler, bought back the old ranch from Brown & Curtis. They ran it together until February, 1884, when they sold the ranch and farming utensils with a portion of the sheep to Albert Gallatin. In November, 1883, Phillips & Chandler's interest, eight years before selling to Gallatin, and Boggs & Champlin sold to Gallatin.

Governor Stanford, by Ariel Lathrop, his attorney, went into partnership with Mr. Champlin in the sheep business on the outside lands of the Vina ranch, where they owned from 18,000 to 20,000 head. He also has a one-half interest with Drs. West and Westlake in 509 acres of orchard land at Vina, of which 400 acres are in fruit rented out with an annual increasing rental, which is now $5,000 per year. He owns, with W.H. Kruger, Bell & Waldeyer and E.T. Farnham, a one-quarter interest in 14,000 acres of timber land in Butte and Plumas counties, the concern being organized into a joint-stock company. He also owns 1,500 acres of timber land in Mendocino County. Mr. Champlin has had a busy life, and for years has had large interests to look after, but has always preserved a calm exterior and a pleasant demeanor. He is a good example of the typical California pioneer-a "success" among that grand body of men-the pick and flower of all States and all countries, who congregated in California in 1849, and here met in the great struggle of supremacy. Only the best specimens came to the top in that struggle between such competitors.

While taking an active interest in public affairs as a citizen, he has never been in any sense an office-seeker, and indeed has never held office outside of the local government. He has, however, attended many conventions as a delegate. He has been a Republican since the organization of the party, and is yet a stanch supporter of its firm principles. He is a zealous Mason and belongs to the subordinate lodge, chapter and commandery at Red Bluff.

Mr. and Mrs. Champlin have two children: George Beecher, who was born at Lima, Indiana, August 25, 1871, and Mamie, who was born in Red Bluff May 6, 1878. Mrs. Champlin's maiden name was Nellie Beecher. She is a native of Pennsylvania, born in Lancaster County, and daughter of Isaac and Mary (Shaw) Beecher, the father born in Lancaster County, Pennsylvania, of German and English ancestry, and the mother in Philadelphia, of Scotch origin. When Mrs. Champlin was in her third year, her parents removed to eastern Ohio and thence to northern Indiana, when she was a young girl. Her father died at Lima, Indiana, about 1873, and her mother now resides there, at the age of eighty-one years. Mrs. Champlin came to California in 1859, arriving in October, and was married to Mr. Champlin at San Francisco, November 24, 1867. She is a lady of rare accomplishments, and with her husband takes a great interest and pride in the future of their promising children.

Transcribed by Betty Wilson. (Thanks, Betty!).

George married Nellie E. Beecher, daughter of Isaac Beecher and Mary Amanda Shaw, on 24 Nov 1867 in San Francisco, San Francisco, CA.^{1 2} (Nellie E. Beecher was born on 9 Sep 1835 in , Lancaster, PA ^{1 2 3} and died on 27 Jun 1908 in Red Bluff, Tehama, CA ¹.)