https://pottervalleycemetery.org Preserving the History of Potter Valley Mon, 13 Apr 2026 21:46:41 +0000 en-US hourly 1 https://wordpress.org/?v=6.9.4 https://pottervalleycemetery.org/wp-content/uploads/2024/11/cropped-oak-2-cut-out-32x32.png https://pottervalleycemetery.org 32 32 William and Cynthia Eddie https://pottervalleycemetery.org/2026/02/19/william-and-cynthia-eddie/ Thu, 19 Feb 2026 22:25:56 +0000 https://pottervalleycemetery.org/?p=278

William Taylor Eddie and Cynthia Vann Eddie

William Taylor Eddie was born in Missouri on March 29, 1837, to James and Margaret Eddie, who were born and married in Scotland in 1826. Tragedy struck early in his life—his mother passed away when he was just three months old. At the age of sixteen, William moved to St. Louis, where he learned the tinner’s trade. He remained there until 1857, when he joined the westward migration, traveling with wagon trains to California. He first settled in Healdsburg, working briefly in the timber industry before moving to Ukiah in 1859 and soon after to Potter Valley, where he established a homestead.

William purchased 157 acres through a squatter’s claim from Mr. Grover. At the time, Potter Valley was largely wild and uncultivated. As one of the area’s early settlers, he played a key role in developing local agriculture, growing apples, corn, oats, and wheat.

On September 6, 1868, William married Cynthia Vann in Potter Valley. Cynthia was born in Missouri on September 7, 1850, to Jacob and Margaret Shaw Vann, his second wife. The Vann family had migrated from Missouri to Potter Valley in 1860. (See the Vann Story).

William and Cynthia had eight children, all born in Potter Valley: James (1868–1942), Matilda May (1871–1895), William Taylor (1873–1956), Estella (1876–1899), George (1877–1881), Matilda (1880–1895), Laura (1882–1914), and Della (1885–1968). Sadly, three of their children—Estella, Matilda, and George—passed away at young ages.

Their eldest son, James, lived on what is now the Eddie ranch on Main Street. He married Minnie Spencer, a midwife who served many of the homesteading families in the valley. Together, they had three children: Eva (Dickey), Alma (Schurr), and Clyde Raymond. James was deeply involved in the community and held a notable role as part of a three-generation legacy serving as Master of the Potter Valley Grange for a combined 20 years, along with his participation in several other local organizations.

After James’s passing, his son Clyde Raymond and family moved to the ranch to assist his mother, Minnie, in maintaining the property. Clyde married Leona Dashiell, and they had three children: Helen (Blundell), Janet (Cain), and James Clyde. In 1949, Clyde passed away at the age of 49 while working on the ranch. His son James, just 14 at the time, later attended Cal Poly San Luis Obispo but returned home to work alongside his mother, Leona, continuing the family’s ranching tradition.

Over the years, William and Cynthia’s descendants married into other well-known Potter Valley families—including the Spencers, Donahoos, Whittakers, Thorntons, Burgesses, Hughes, Dashiells, and Dickeys—strengthening deep community ties. Their legacy has endured through six generations and continues today, rooted in the land and history of Potter Valley.

]]> James Lucillus Hughes https://pottervalleycemetery.org/2026/02/19/james-lucillus-hughes/ Thu, 19 Feb 2026 22:23:47 +0000 https://pottervalleycemetery.org/?p=274

John Corbly Hughes (1804–1854) and his wife, Jane Washburn Hughes (1809–1876), were married in 1825. They had eight children: James Lucillus, Rowland, John Jr., William, Sonora, Daniel, Elizabeth, and Susan.

In 1849, John and Jane began their journey to California with their eight children. One day after leaving Independence, Missouri, their son James Lucillus returned to Missouri to marry his sweetheart, Mary Ann Wright, on May 5, 1849, in Mount Pleasant Township, Missouri. John and his family arrived in Ophir, California, on October 10, 1849, where they spent the winter mining.

John and Jane later purchased a ranch in Sacramento County, where they farmed and raised livestock. Their son Rowland purchased a ranch in Sonoma County near Sebastopol. In 1852, John and Jane also moved to Sonoma County and continued raising stock. John died there in 1854 and was buried in Macedonia Cemetery. In 1867, the land was deeded to the Methodist Church for use as a cemetery and church by his son Rowland and John’s widow, Jane.

In 1858, Jane Hughes and her son James L. Hughes moved to Redwood Valley. James continued farming and raising stock until 1865. James and Mary Ann had six children: Sarah Mary (1850), Martha (1852), George (1852), James (1857), and Frances (1861). Mary Ann died on December 17, 1861, following the birth of her daughter Frances. Mary Ann is buried in Redwood Valley. 

In 1865, James moved his family to Potter Valley, settling in Upper Potter where the Powerhouse now stands at the center of his ranch. He purchased 365 acres from John George Busch and also homesteaded hill land over the mountain and along Hale Creek.
James married Atlantic Ocean McGee on January 8, 1866. She was born on October 17, 1845, in Missouri. They had eight children, all born in Potter Valley: Rosa (1867), Richard (1869), Luella (1873), John (1877), Frank (1879), Otto (1882), Lucinda (1886), and Myrtle (1887).

Jane Hughes, James’s mother, passed away in Potter Valley on March 28, 1876, and is buried with her husband John in Sebastopol. James continued farming and raising livestock until his death in 1890.

After James’s death, his sons continued farming and helped their mother run the ranch. The property was divided among the children he shared with Atlantic, as James had previously settled with the children from his marriage to Mary Ann. Eventually, the land was divided among James’s sons after they bought out their sisters’ shares.

James’s brother Daniel also moved to Potter Valley and purchased 160 acres of hill land. James’s son Richard later purchased this property from his uncle Daniel and homesteaded additional land beyond Hale Creek along the Eel River to Tomki Creek. In 1920, Otto purchased Richard’s property, except for 160 acres.

Otto continued farming and expanded the ranch by purchasing the 520-acre Coble place and an additional 800 acres over the hill toward the Eel River in 1929. This brought the total to 1,700 acres, which he sold in 1962 to Woodward and Wilson—now part of McFadden Farms.
James Hughes died on January 14, 1890, in Potter Valley. Atlantic Ocean Hughes died on February 19, 1925, and is buried in Petaluma.

James’s children married into the Hopkins, McGee, Grover, Pickle, Starbuck, and Eddie families, among others. Numerous family members and descendants are interred at the Potter Valley Cemetery.

]]> Jacob Vann https://pottervalleycemetery.org/2026/01/03/jacob-vann/ Sat, 03 Jan 2026 20:19:45 +0000 https://pottervalleycemetery.org/?p=253

Jacob Vann was born on January 16, 1790, to Edward and Martha Vann in North Carolina. In 1798, Jacob’s father, Edward, died in Eldgecombe County, North Carolina. Two years later, his mother, Martha, executed a division of property to her five sons and remarried three days later to Micajah Exum.

It is not known which family raised Jacob Vann after 1800. From the early 1820s to 1855, he lived in the same areas of Tennessee and Missouri as the Pitt and Woodard families. Later events indicated that Jacob Vann was strongly influenced by his associations with these families.

Jacob served in the War of 1812. He enlisted as a private in Captain John Moor’s Company Infantry, First Regiment of Tennessee Volunteers, commanded by Colonel William Hall, from Sumner County, Tennessee. His muster roll is dated December 21, 1812, at a camp near Nashville, and his service began on December 10, 1812. He remained on the company payroll until February 9, 1813, when he was furloughed. His pay at that time was $27.04.

Jacob married his first wife, Sarah “Sally” Woodard, on May 7, 1816. Sarah was born on December 15, 1797, in Davidson County, Tennessee, to Pit and Elizabeth Woodard. Jacob and Sarah had eight children: Pitt (1819), William (1822), Mathew (1823), Thomas (1826), Jesse (1827), Robert (1829), Martha (1830) and Azariah (1815).

Sarah’s parents, Pitt and Elizabeth Woodard, were Methodist-oriented. They had twelve grandsons who became Methodist preachers, Four of these–Pitt, William, Jesse, and Robert—were sons of Jacob and Sarah.

Sarah passed away on February 20, 1833, in Copper County, Tennessee, at the age of 36.

Jacob married his second wife, Margaret Shaw, on July 17, 1835. They had nine children: Susan (1835), Taylor (1836), Jacob (1838). Logan Douglas, (1841). Mary Jane (1842), George Washington (1844), Elijah Perkins (1846) Keziah Julia (1848), and Cynthia Ann (1850).

In 1855, Jacob and Margaret Shaw Vann were living in Green County, Missouri, when they and their children made the journey from Missouri to California in a wagon train captained by Jacob and his eldest son by his first wife, William Henry Vann. By this time, all of Jacob and Sarah’s children had reached maturity. Taylor Shaw Vann, the oldest child of Jacob and Margaret, was about 19 years old when the trip to California was made.

Upon reaching California, Jacob and Margaret first settled in the Napa Valley and later moved to Potter Valley in 1860. Living conditions in that area were still rather primitive at the time. There is little record of Jacob’s activities after moving to Potter Valley, as he had already passed his 70th birthday. However, he continued to participate, as much as he was able, in the religious activities of the community.

Their daughter Mary Jane married Franklin Dashiell in 1861, Keziah married Thaddeus William Dashiell in 1862, and Cynthia Ann married William Eddie in 1869.

At least one of Jacob Vann’s children married earlier. His oldest son, Pitt Woodard Vann, married Spicey E. Davidson in August of 1839 in Missouri. They had six children, and their four sons became ministers.

Jacob Vann died on September 19, 1867, at the age of 77. Margaret Shaw Vann, who was 13 years younger than Jacob, outlived him by approximately 18 years. She died on February 25, 1885 and is buried beside her husband.

Many members of the family and their descendants are laid to rest at Potter Valley Cemetery, and numerous descendants still live in the valley today. 

]]> Pickle Family https://pottervalleycemetery.org/2026/01/03/pickle-family/ Sat, 03 Jan 2026 20:05:20 +0000 https://pottervalleycemetery.org/?p=249

Robert Pickle’s family immigrated from Palatine, France, in the 1700s and settled in Pennsylvania. They later moved to Alabama, where Robert Pickle was born in 1793. In 1820, Robert married Nancy Jones. Together they had ten children: Christopher Jones, William Jones, George Washington, Jeremiah Jones, Sarah Bird, Martha Jane, Henry S., John Faust, Nancy Catherine, and Jesse Wiley.
Their son George, born in Alabama in 1824, married Mary Ann Jones in 1844 in Yell County, Arkansas. In 1852, they joined a wagon train and set out for California with their two children, Mary Elizabeth and Sarah Jane. Tragically, George’s wife Mary Ann died en route to California. George remarried in 1860 to Mary Ann Mariah Jones. They had nine children: Margaret, John William, Jesse Wiley, and Martha Frances, all born in Healdsburg, California. In 1872, George and Mary Ann, along with their young children, settled in Potter Valley on land George purchased from the Mewhinney family. After settling in Potter Valley, they had five more children: George Jr., Della Ann, Franklin, Ellen, and Josephine.

An article in the Healdsburg Enterprise reported that George and his neighbor, Eli Jones, brought four tons of very fine wheat to Healdsburg to sell as seed. In the following years, many ranchers invested in hops, but much of the soil in Potter Valley remained too wet for successful cultivation. In 1886, the Pacific Rural Press reported that George and his brother, who had joined him in Potter Valley, began tearing out their hop fields, along with the Spotswoods, Thorntons, Mewhinneys, and Burkhardts.

George and Mary Ann’s son, John William Pickle, was born in Healdsburg in 1863. When he was nine years old, his family purchased a ranch in Potter Valley. He lived in Centerville and, like most residents there, was a Democrat. He served as constable in Centerville and worked as a teamster, driving a wagon over 18 miles of rough roads to Ukiah. As a young adult, John bought 100 acres in Coyote Valley. In 1889, he married Sarah Lulu Jackson, whose family had come from St. Louis when she was a small child. They had six children: Robert, Etta, Bessie, Samuel, Pearl, and Frances. John served as county road foreman for 20 years and helped build many Mendocino County roads.
George William Pickle Jr. married Viola May Adams in 1894. They had five children: Ray, Herbert, Lillie Eva, Jennings, and Chester. Viola passed away in 1910. George later married Elizabeth Shelton Dickey in 1926; Elizabeth had two children from her first marriage.

George Jr. and Viola’s son, Herbert, married Elva Spotswood in 1917. Their only son, Harry Pickle, married Elizabeth Palmer on June 21, 1975. Harry and Elizabeth did not have any children. After Harry’s death in 1987, the Pickle Scholarship was created to assist graduating seniors from Potter Valley High School. Through the estate, the Pickle Scholarship continues to be awarded to Potter Valley students—a legacy that lives on through the Pickle family.

There are many stories yet to be told about the Pickle family, as George and his wives’ children remained in Potter Valley, married, and produced a long line of descendants. George and Mary Ann’s children and grandchildren married into families such as the Spotswood, Neil, Day, Jackson, March, Shelton, and Hughes families, among others. Numerous family members and descendants are interred at Potter Valley Cemetery.

George passed away on June 26, 1907, and his second wife, Mary Ann, passed away on February 21, 1911. Both died at their home in Potter Valley.

]]> Ambrose Carner Family https://pottervalleycemetery.org/2025/10/27/ambrose-carner-family/ Mon, 27 Oct 2025 18:11:57 +0000 https://pottervalleycemetery.org/?p=213

See Also:
Hiram Wells Carner
Charles Ambrose Carner
James Madison Carner

Ambrose Carner was born in Massachusetts on March 11, 1807, to Felix Karner (1764–1821) and Elizabeth Goldbery (1772–1855), who were descendants of Nicolaus and Magdalena Karner, who came to America during the Palatine emigration in 1790. The family moved to Delaware County, Ohio, where Ambrose grew up and married Rosalinda Wells on April 5, 1829. They had nine children: Hiram Wells (1829), James Madison (1832), Elizabeth (1833), and Jason (1835), all born in Ohio; and Richmond (1838), Mary (1841), Loretta (1844), Rosalinda (1847), and John Melvin (1852), also born in Ohio. Ambrose and Rosalinda moved several times throughout Ohio and Illinois.

When gold was discovered in California in 1848, the fever struck Ambrose, and he decided to leave his family to seek his fortune in California. However, it wasn’t long before he returned home. On May 15, 1860, after selling all his properties, Ambrose and Rosalinda, along with others, loaded into covered ox-drawn wagons and left Cox Creek, Iowa. Their nine children, their spouses, and grandchildren were all part of the group, along with possibly others.

After delays and slow travel, they reached Camp Floyd, Utah, a military post located 50 miles south of Salt Lake City. They were not allowed to proceed further, as the Ute Indians were hostile at the time. The family was assigned rations and quarters for the winter of 1860.

On April 29, 1861, after spending the winter at Camp Floyd, the family was allowed to continue on to California. On May 21, 1861, Charles Ambrose Carner, a longtime resident of Potter Valley, was born to Ambrose’s son Hiram and his wife Eliza Carner. The families continued across Nevada to the Carson River and crossed the Sierra Nevada Mountains, leading them to Meridian in Sutter County in 1861. In the spring of 1864, Ambrose, Rosalinda, their sons John Melvin, Hiram and his family, James Madison and his family, Elizabeth and her husband James Riley Ross, and Mary Carner Preston with her husband Leander came over the mountains from Upper Lake. After sighting Potter Valley, it took several days before they could get their wagons down into the valley. Other members of the family followed over the next few years.

On September 14, 1864, Ambrose purchased his first property from William Davis for $1,000. This marked the beginning of many properties he bought and sold during his 26 years in Potter Valley. The Carner family took an active role in building the grange in 1874.

Rosalinda Carner, Ambrose’s wife, died on September 22, 1878, and is buried in the Potter Valley Cemetery. As the years passed, some family members left the valley, moving to places such as Willits, Round Valley, and Southern California. Ambrose traveled to visit family numerous times, and in 1894 he moved in with his son Jason. Ambrose died in Orange County on December 25, 1895, and is buried at the Garden Grove Cemetery.

Hiram Wells Carner was born on April 29, 1829, in Ohio, the first son of Ambrose and Rosalinda Carner. When his parents settled in Iowa, Hiram met Eliza Jane Snow, and they were married on October 5, 1854. At the time, Eliza was 17 and Hiram was 25. Like the rest of his family, he worked as a farmer and had a particular fondness for raising potatoes.

Hiram and Eliza had seven children: Melvilla Mason (1855), James William (1856), John M. (1858), Rosalinda (1859), Charles Ambrose (1861), Loretta (1862), and George C. (1864).

While living in Iowa, Hiram owned 40 acres of unimproved land, six acres planted with corn, a quarter acre in potatoes, and four head of cattle. In 1860, he moved to California with his parents and siblings.

In 1864, Hiram settled in Potter Valley with his father and other family members. At one point, he traveled to Point Arena with a friend, enjoyed the area, and eventually moved his family there. Tragically, his wife Eliza died on July 16, 1866, leaving him with seven young children. The family returned to Potter Valley in late November of 1866, and the children lived with other relatives until Hiram could provide a home for them.

In 1868, Hiram purchased a press and vat for making sorghum cane syrup. Many farmers in the upper valley grew their own cane and brought it to Hiram’s press, producing enough syrup to last a family several years. He later sold the press to Charles Rader.

By the winter of 1869, Hiram was able to establish a household and reunite his children. He married Elizabeth Phillips on February 21, 1871. Elizabeth’s sister, Martha Ann, was married to Hiram’s brother Jason. Hiram and Elizabeth had three children: Elmer Hiram (1872), Melvin Edwin (1874), and Thelma (1876). Shortly after Elmer’s birth, the family moved to Santa Maria, where Melvin and Thelma were born. In the late 1870s, Hiram moved the family back to Potter Valley. He had a tendency to try living in different places.

In 1879, Hiram contracted galloping tuberculosis and died on April 17, just shy of his 50th birthday. After his death, Elizabeth moved in with her parents and later married John Gibson. They lived near Yuba City for over 20 years. Elizabeth passed away sometime between 1904 and 1910 and is buried in an unmarked grave. Hiram is buried in Potter Valley Cemetery.

Charles Ambrose Carner was the fifth child of Hiram and Eliza Carner and spent most of his life in Mendocino County, primarily in Potter Valley. He was a farmer who grew watermelons for seeds, developed his own variety of melon, and even designed a watermelon threshing machine. Charles was married twice. His first marriage was to Minnie I. Brown, with whom he had one son, Chester T. (born 1889), before they divorced. On May 25, 1896, he married Mary (May) Adas, and together they adopted a daughter, Dorothy.

Charles was the family historian and a member of the Covered Wagon Babies. He also organized and led the Potter Valley Pioneers Association and was responsible for all the pioneer reunions in Potter Valley during the 1920s and early 1930s. Charles passed away from cancer on February 27, 1936. Mary died on May 30, 1953. Both are buried in Potter Valley Cemetery alongside his first wife, Minnie Brown Carner.

James Madison Carner was the third child of Ambrose and Rosalinda Carner. He married Mary Rogers on December 1, 1853. The couple had three daughters who died in infancy before their move to California and were expecting again before their departure. Their daughter Agnes was born while the family was at Camp Floyd, Utah.

James eventually settled in Potter Valley with his father Ambrose and other family members. He had four more children: Eugenia (1862), Josephine (1866), James (1868), and Rosalinda (1870). In 1888, he moved to Covelo. After Mary died in 1890, James married a widow, Addie Moore, and lived in Covelo until his death in 1894.

Family Burials in Potter Valley Cemetery
From the family of Ambrose and Rosalinda, Rosalinda, two children, one daughter-in-law, four grandchildren, two grandchildren’s spouses, one great-granddaughter, Ambrose’s brother Lewis, a niece by marriage (who was married to Ambrose’s nephew Stanford), and a great-nephew are all buried at Potter Valley Cemetery.

]]> Joseph Thomas Thornton https://pottervalleycemetery.org/2025/07/26/191-joseph-thomas-thornton/ Sat, 26 Jul 2025 20:07:32 +0000 https://pottervalleycemetery.org/?p=191

Joseph  Thomas Thornton was born on June 13, 1839, in Washington County, Missouri. In 1852, at the age of 23, he journeyed west across the plains and spent about four years working as a miner. Afterward, he turned to farming and raising livestock along the banks of the Sacramento River in Colusa County.

In 1868, seeking a healthier climate due to declining health, Joseph moved to Potter Valley. There, he purchased land that would later become the Spotswood Ranch. Over time, he expanded his holdings to include the Rader Ranch and a parcel of land near Main Street, where he cultivated pears, prunes, apples, and peaches. He also built a hotel on Main Street and later established a flour mill.

Joseph married Barbara Ellen Rader Scott. a widow with a young son named Oliver (1867) from her previous marriage to Mr. Scott. Together, Joseph and Barbara had nine children: Margaret “Maggie” (1870), Clara (1871), Alta (1873) Joseph (1875), John (1877) Katherine, (1879) James, (1881), Vane (Sylvester) (1884) and Alwilda (1887).

Barbara Ellen Rader was born near Birmingham, Iowa, on April 7, 1850. At age 13, she and her family joined a wagon train of 47 wagons headed for California. The journey was fraught with hardship. Her mother fell gravely ill with mumps early in the trip. Rumors circulated that young men were being conscripted into the Civil War at the Missouri River, but their group crossed without incident.

They traveled through Pawnee territory without trouble, but entering Cheyenne lands, they came upon the remains of a burned wagon train and its massacred passengers. Barbara’s mother offered food and gifts to the Cheyenne they encountered, which helped ensure the group’s safety. Despite local warnings to turn back, they pressed on.

When one of their wagons broke down, a carpenter traveling with the group converted it into a two-wheeled cart. The settlers pulled their wagons through quicksand using ropes. On one occasion, while the men were tending to the livestock at the river, a group of Native Americans arrived and ate the entire dinner Barbara’s mother had prepared. One of them later expressed interest in buying Barbara, but her father refused.

At Carson Sink, swift waters swept away some of their wagons. They then faced a grueling 36-mile desert crossing without water, traveling by night to avoid the heat. Eventually, they reached Salt Lake City and then Virginia City, which Barbara remembered as being “full of life, bullion, gambling, and whiskey.” A wealthy miner took them in, provided food and work, and proposed marriage to Barbara’s sister. She declined, citing his many “lady friends.” When he later tried to seduce her, she threatened him with an axe, and he left her alone.

The family continued to Truckee Meadows, then moved to Oregon, where they bought a ranch and stayed for one winter before selling it. They moved again, this time to Sonoma County, where they lived for about four years before settling in Potter Valley in 1867. There, they bought a 200-acre ranch at $27 an acre.

Barbara met Joseph Thornton in Potter Valley, and the two married on August 24, 1868. They purchased 80 acres from her father and established their home together.

By the 1880s, Joseph had built a flour mill near the school in Pomo, along East Road.

“Joseph passed away on November 28, 1912, in Potter Valley, and Barbara followed on March 23, 1931, in San Mateo. Their legacy endures in Potter Valley, where they rest in the family plot alongside three of their children and their families — a testament to the generations they nurtured and the roots they planted.”

]]> Luther Perry Grover https://pottervalleycemetery.org/2025/07/02/luther-perry-grover/ Wed, 02 Jul 2025 22:23:10 +0000 https://pottervalleycemetery.org/?p=152

See also: Leon Luther Grover Sr.

Luther Perry Grover was born on February 8, 1824, in Waterville, Maine, to Benjamin and Betsy Grover. In his early years, the Grover family moved west to Liberty, Illinois, where Luther married Lovinia Lierly on March 25, 1852. There, the couple built a life together, establishing a 200-acre farm and raising four children: Isaac (1853), William (1854), Owen (1857), and Lilly (1860). In 1864, they sold the farm to Luther’s brother, Pardon Grover, for $6,000 in paper currency—a significant sum for the time.

With determination and hope, the Grovers set out westward across the plains in a journey emblematic of the American pioneer spirit. They traveled with two wagons drawn by teams of mules and horses. Jim Wilkins drove the second wagon, and they were joined by William Townsend and his wife Sarah, Lovinia’s sister, as well as Lovinia’s 18-year-old unmarried sister, Olive Lierly. Initially part of a larger wagon train of sixty, the group later continued on their own past the Platte River. Their path led them through Salt Lake City and onward to the wide Nevada plains.

Tragedy struck during their journey when their young daughter, Lilly, just three years old, died of “mountain fever” in 1864. She was lovingly laid to rest on the open plains of Nevada—her memory forever etched in the hearts of those who journeyed on.

The family eventually reached California, settling first between Napa and Sonoma, where they spent a year cultivating a vineyard and apple orchard. In 1867, they moved north to Potter Valley, where Luther purchased an 80-acre ranch from Lowe Anderson, including government land acquired for $1.25 an acre. There, they would plant their roots more permanently.

On February 19, 1876, Lovinia passed away from rheumatic fever at the age of 44. Two years later, Luther married Mary Ann Purpus, a widow with a daughter, Nettie. Luther and Mary had two children of their own: Alice (born 1879), who sadly passed away at the age of six in 1886, and Leon Luther (born 1882), who would later marry Elise Ellen Cowie.

Mary’s daughter, Nettie Purpus, went on to marry Samuel Grave, becoming part of the extended Grover family.

Luther Perry Grover passed away in Potter Valley on August 8, 1909, at the age of 85. Mary Ann Grover followed on June 18, 1918, at age 74. Today, Luther rests in the family plot alongside both of his wives, two of his children, and other beloved family members — a quiet testament to a life of pioneering spirit, enduring love, and generations of legacy rooted in the soil of Potter Valley.

Leon Luther – standing on left with hands on hips

Leon Luther Grover Sr. was born on April 13, 1882, in Potter Valley, California, to Luther Perry Grover and his second wife, Mary Ann Grover. On August 12, 1915, he married Elise Cowie in Seattle, Washington. Elise was born on December 19, 1884, in Minnesota.

Together, Leon and Elise had three children: Jean Patience (born 1916), Milton Douglas (1918), and Leon Luther Jr. (1921).

Leon was a successful farmer and a well-respected leader in his community. In 1918, he was appointed district chairman for a relief campaign supporting displaced Armenians, Greeks, and Syrians in Turkey. A year later, he shipped 26 carloads of hogs to San Francisco, earning $70,000—an impressive amount for the time.

Leon spent his life in Mendocino and Lake Counties, where he remained active in civic and community affairs. He was a dedicated member of the Lakeport Presbyterian Church and had been involved with the Ukiah Lodge No. 174 of the Independent Order of Odd Fellows (IOOF) since 1913. A passionate supporter of youth sports, he helped organize local baseball teams in Potter Valley and promoted youth baseball throughout Lake County. He also served for eight years as president or director of the Potter Valley Irrigation District.

Elise, equally devoted to her community, was a long-time educator. She taught school both in the East and later in Potter Valley. Like Leon, she was a member of the Presbyterian Church and was active in the Rebekah Lodge.

Tragically, their son Milton Douglas passed away in 1923 at the age of five. Their daughter, Jean, later married Bertram Thomas, while their son, Leon Jr., married Harriett Price.

Elise Grover passed away on December 5, 1967, at the age of 83. Leon followed her ten years later, passing on July 31, 1977, at the age of 92. Both are laid to rest in the Grover family plot, remembered with love and gratitude for their many contributions to the land and people they served.

Their son Leon Jr passed away in 1995 and Harriett in 1996, both are buried in the family plot in Potter Valley.

The children of Luther died in the following years: Isaac in 1928, William in 1936, Lilly in 1864, and Owen in 1922.

The children of Leon Sr.  died in the following years: Milton in 1923, Leon Jr. in 1995, and Jean (date of death unknown).

]]> Samuel Mewhinney https://pottervalleycemetery.org/2025/07/02/john-mewhinney/ Wed, 02 Jul 2025 22:08:58 +0000 https://pottervalleycemetery.org/?p=146

See also: John Mewhinney

The Mewhinney Journey: A Pioneer Legacy in Potter Valley

Samuel Mewhinney was born on August 18, 1810, in Hamilton County, Ohio — a place where the frontier still whispered of opportunity and hardship in equal measure. As a young man, Samuel married Sarah Robertson in 1835, and together they started a family that would grow to include four children: John, James, Hugh, and Ann. But their time together was short. Sarah passed away on June 10, 1842, at the age of just 26, leaving Samuel a widower with young children.

The following year, Samuel found companionship again, marrying Daunah Marie Leonard on November 3, 1843, in Vigo County, Indiana. Daunah was strong, nurturing, and carried her own legacy — she came from the Leonard family, whose name would one day be given to Leonard Lake in California. Together, Samuel and Daunah would have two children: Teresa and Fremont.

Long before most dared to make the journey, Samuel ventured to California in 1840, a land still shrouded in mystery and promise. He returned again in 1849 during the height of the Gold Rush, leaving his family behind as he tried his hand at mining and carpentering. For three years, he carved a living from California’s rugged hills before returning east.
In 1857, driven by hope and perhaps a bit of restlessness, Samuel and Daunah gathered their family and set out once more — this time, together. Along with the Leonards, the Carpenters, and the McGowans, they joined a wagon train bound for the West. The journey across the plains took nearly nine months, with oxen pulling them mile by mile over mountains, rivers, and dust-choked roads. In January of 1858, they arrived in Mendocino County, California, settling in Potter Valley.

But the land did not grant peace without loss. In June of 1858, their daughter Teresa, just 12 years old, passed away. She became the first person buried in the Potter Valley Cemetery, her young life marking the beginning of a new chapter in the valley’s story. Earlier, in 1855, their son Fremont had died in Kansas at the age of 8 — a detail lost to time, but deeply felt by the family that survived him.

Despite tragedy, the Mewhinneys endured and built a new life. Samuel prospered as a farmer, raising cattle and growing hops and barley in the fertile valley soil. Daunah became the community’s beloved nurse, delivering babies with care and unwavering dedication — never once losing a patient. Her gentle hands brought life into the world, even as the land had taken so much from her own.

In 1868, Samuel and his sons built a stately two-story home on Burris Lane, a structure that still stands as a testament to their craftsmanship and permanence in the valley.
On August 16, 1883, Samuel passed away in Potter Valley, just two days before his 73rd birthday. Daunah followed him in 1901, leaving behind a legacy not just in her family, but in the lives she touched as a healer and pioneer woman.

Their journey — from Ohio to Indiana, across the plains to California — is not only a tale of personal resilience but also a reflection of the American pioneer spirit. Through loss and hope, labor and love, the Mewhinneys helped shape the story of Potter Valley and left a legacy that endures in both memory and place.

John Mewhinney was born on December 5, 1836, in Terre Haute, Indiana, to Samuel and Sarah Mewhinney. His mother, Sarah, passed away in 1842.

In 1857, John journeyed to California with his father Samuel, stepmother Daunah, and his siblings. They traveled alongside the Leonard, Carpenter, and McGowan families, arriving in Potter Valley in January 1858. Their first summer was spent living in a tent. John, his brother Hugh, and their father each homesteaded 160 acres at the lower end of the valley, along the area now known as Mewhinney Creek.

On September 12, 1861, at the age of 24, John enlisted in the Union Army during the Civil War. He served as a Sergeant in Company D of the 2nd California Cavalry and was mustered out on September 24, 1864, in San Francisco.

John played a key role in founding the Potter Valley Grange, established on November 6, 1873, and served as its first master. The organization began with 75 members, including Samuel and Daunah Mewhinney.

A successful farmer, John cultivated wheat and hops, which he sold to buyers as far away as New Zealand. He also grew apples, pears, and grapes, and even conducted systematic research into agricultural diseases and their remedies.

John was active in civic life. He served as a polling inspector during the 1880 election and, in 1882, he and his longtime friend A.O. Carpenter were elected delegates to the state Republican Party convention.

In 1889, John was part of a committee that selected the location for a bridge across the Russian River near Cold Creek. That same year, he was elected a trustee of the newly incorporated Town of Potter Valley and also served on the Mendocino County Grand Jury. In 1891, he was authorized to oversee the burial of honorably discharged veterans who died indigent in Mendocino County.

At the age of 66, John married Mrs. Alice E. Elliot, who was 42, in San Francisco. At the time of their marriage, Alice had a foster son, Henry Clay Spurr (1893–1981).

John Mewhinney passed away on September 6, 1919, at the age of 82. Alice died on March 17, 1941, at the age of 80.

]]> Thaddeus W. Dashiell https://pottervalleycemetery.org/2025/07/02/thaddeus-w-dashiell/ Wed, 02 Jul 2025 22:03:27 +0000 https://pottervalleycemetery.org/?p=140

Born: January 18, 1818 – Maryland
Died: September 23, 1897 – Potter Valley, California (aged 79)

Thaddeus “Thad” W. Dashiell was born in Maryland in 1818. He spent his early years on a farm, where he attended school to obtain a basic education and also began studying law. At the age of 19, Thad left home and moved to Texas, where he purchased forested land and established a sawmill.

After two years in Texas, he relocated to Kansas and entered the teaching profession. In the spring of 1849, he joined a group headed to California, arriving in Sacramento that September. There, he engaged in gold mining until 1853. After four years in the mines, Thad briefly traded horses in Sacramento before moving to Sonoma County. He farmed in Blucher Valley and later worked as a butcher in Windsor.

In 1859, at age 41, Thad moved to Potter Valley, California. He purchased land for ranching and established his permanent home.

On October 31, 1861 at age 43, he married Keziah Vann, who was just 13 at the time. Together, they had seven children over the next 14 years:

  • Addie Lee (1862)
  • James Jacob (1864)
  • Cynthia Ann (1867)
  • Thaddeus Warsaw (1869)
  • Robert Erastus (1871)
  • William (1873)
  • Margaret Jane (1875)

Tragically, Keziah passed away from appendicitis on February 10, 1876, at the age of 28.

On July 23, 1879, Thaddeus married Emily Louise Freeland, with whom he had four additional children:

  • Fred Carrol (1880)
  • Frank Everett (1882)
  • Herbert Harvey (1885)
  • Elizabeth Emma (1888)

Thaddeus was deeply involved in local affairs. He served four years as Potter Valley’s representative on the Mendocino County Board of Supervisors and held two terms as Deputy County Assessor.

One of the most notable episodes of Thad’s life occurred in June 1865. As a known Southern sympathizer during the Civil War, he and fellow residents—John McCall, A.J. LeFever, and Simon Wortemburger—celebrated news of President Abraham Lincoln’s assassination. Captain Douglas, commanding officer of Fort Wright in Round Valley, viewed the act as treasonous. On the morning of June 1st, he and 15 soldiers arrived in Potter Valley and arrested the men.

They were marched to Round Valley, then to Fort Bragg, where they were placed on a lumber schooner and transported to San Francisco. After a brief stay at the Provost Marshal’s quarters, they were sent to Alcatraz Island. There, they joined 35 other detainees and were forced to break rock for 12 hours a day. After five or six days, on June 12th, they were brought to court in San Francisco, signed loyalty oaths to the Union, and were released. Thaddeus returned to Potter Valley around June 21st and reunited with Keziah and their two young children.

In his later years, Thaddeus shifted his political allegiance and joined the Republican Party. Some neighbors criticized him for voting the Republican ticket, to which he famously responded:
“I packed sand at Alcatraz for the privilege of expressing my opinion.”

]]> Joseph Spotswood https://pottervalleycemetery.org/2025/05/09/joseph-spotswood/ Fri, 09 May 2025 18:40:31 +0000 https://pottervalleycemetery.org/?p=127

The Spotswood House was built in 1885, and is listed as on the National Register of Historic Places.

Joseph Spotswood was born in March 1836 to George and Christina Spotswood in Ontario, Canada. On February 16, 1858, he married Matilda, and together they had five children: James, Jenny, Joseph, Matilda Edith, and Christina. Tragically, Matilda passed away on December 24, 1869, at the young age of 26.

According to the 1870 U.S. Census, Joseph was living in Petaluma, California, staying at the New York Hotel with his older brother, James, and working as a carriage maker. By the 1871 Canadian Census, however, Joseph had returned to Ontario with his five children and was working as a blacksmith.

In 1872, Joseph relocated once again to California, settling in Petaluma and later in Potter Valley, where he worked on the John Hopper Ranch—a 1,000-acre property stretching from the west hill nearly to the top of the east hill and extending to Main Street, about a half-mile north.

On January 22, 1875, Joseph married Disy Hopper, John Hopper’s niece. They had two children together: Minerva Belle and Tom. Sadly, Disy died on February 28, 1879, at just 24 years old. By 1880, their two children were living with their Hopper grandparents. Joseph’s two youngest children from his first marriage were living with Matilda’s parents, while the three older children remained with Joseph in Potter Valley.

In 1885, Joseph proposed to Addie May Spencer. According to family lore, she replied, “Only if you build me a big fancy house.” Construction of the house began in 1885 and was completed by 1887. It was located on West Road, just south of Main Street. At that time, Joseph owned 320 acres of land stretching from Main Street to Spring Valley Road—a half-mile west.

Addie, then 24, married Joseph, who was 51. They had seven children: Gus (married Olga), Gladys (married Harry Shimmin), Geneva (married McLain Christofferson), Elva (married Herb Pickle), Olive (married James Nichols), and Mable (married Percy Whitcomb).

Joseph passed away on February 10, 1912, and Addie followed on November 30, 1917.

Their son George died at age 13. Gus later purchased the southern portion of the family property, from the hill to Spring Valley Road. As the story goes, the remaining daughters drew straws to divide the land, and Mable won the family house when the estate was split into five parts.

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