George G. Sewell

George G. Sewell, residing near Santa Paula, is a pioneer of California, having come to the State in March, 1851, and is also a pioneer of Santa Paula, as he arrived here in 1872. He has to the present been one of the most prominent ranchers, and occupies a most delightful suburban home, graced with vine-embowered retreats, and ornamental trees and shrubbery. He was born in Glens Falls, New York, February 24, 1819. His father, Jonathan Sewell, was a native of Dutchess County, New York, born in 1770, and was an early settler of Glens Falls. His ancestors, from England, first settled in the East, in the early history of the country. His mother, Wealthy Skinner, was born in 1780, in Connecticut. In their family were nine children, of whom George was the seventh. Five of this family are still living, their ages now aggregating 376 years. Mr. Sewell went to Wisconsin in 1844, bought a farm and cultivated it for six years; he then sold out and came to California, where he engaged in mining for a few months in Placer and El Dorado counties; but exposure to cold water induced rheumatism, which compelled him to abandon a miner's life, and he located upon a section of State school land, on Auburn Ravine, near Lincoln, Placer County, on which he spent twenty years of his life as an industrious farmer. In 1868 he was elected County Clerk of Placer County and subsequently re-elected. He is a Republican, casting his first Presidential vote for William Henry Harrison, and his last for his grandson, Benjamin Harrison. Mr. Sewell sold his fine farm at the close of his term of office, resided at Sacramento for a few months, and then came to Santa Paula and purchased about 1,000 acres of valley and grazing land. Barley and corn being the principal productions of the valley at that time, his experience in Placer satisfied him that to grow small grain for the San Francisco market, entailing the expense of labor and machiner for harvesting and threshing, would not pay. He, therefore, at once stocked his ranch with sheep and hogs, principally, and by raising hogs enough to do the harvesting and save the threshing, and conveying to market the corn and barley grown on 200 to 300 acres yearly, made his investment remunerative. The dry season of 1877 forced him to dispose of his sheep, but by growing two crops of barley and corn on land that could be irrigated, other stock did not suffer. He after that engaged in dairying for five years, milking from fifty to seventy-five cows, making butter and cheese, which he found to be profitable.

    Recently he has subdivided his land and sold portions of it. His home place, one mile west of Santa Paula, contains sixty acres. Mr. Sewell has lived in four or five different States, and as many localities in California, and is best suited with his present place.

    He was married in 1849 to Miss Harriet Benedict, of Glens Falls. She lived only a year, and in 1858 Mr. Sewell married Eliza Rich, of Shoreham, Vermont, who was born in 1825, the daughter of Hiram Rich, of Richville, Vermont, which place was settled by and took its name from her grandfather. His brothers came from Massachusetts and settled there. Mr. and Mrs. Sewell are original members of the Universalist Church of Santa Paula. While at Lincoln, Mr. Sewell was a member of the Union League.

Back to Biographies Page