Daniel Zachariah Troxel

HISTORY OF THE ZUMWALT-TROXEL FAMILY

    Grandfather, Daniel Zachariah Troxel, was born in Frederick County, Maryland near the old battleground of Fredericksburg about August 11, 1803 and had often spoken of having a brother named George, although nothing is now known of his history. They had two sisters, one named Betsey was married to a man by the name of Burbank. They had a daughter who married Governor Morton of Indiana during the Civil War. The other sister, Susan, married a man by the name of Smith, very likely they also lived in Indiana. Father did not know.

Grandfather, Daniel Zachariah Troxel, often told in fathers presence that originally there were three brothers who came to America from Germany and settled in Pennsylvania away back in Colonial Times, before the Revolutionary War. There is a very old town in Snyder County, Pennsylvania named Troxelville. It is about twelve or fifteen miles from Middleburg, and about the same distance from Mifflinburg. No doubt the town was founded by some of the descendants of one of the original brothers that emigrated from Germany, as it is true that all the Troxels in America are descended from them.
Great Grandfather Troxel lived at Frederick, Maryland, where he owned an estate and a large number of slaves before the Civil War. Grandfather Daniel Zachariah Troxel stated that when they built the National Capitol at Washington, his father, Great Grandfather Troxel had a big contract to deliver stone that went into the foundation, and Capitol building, upon which he worked many slaves. Grandfather mentioned a good many times that as a little boy, and on up to manhood he was attended by a gigantic Negro slave named George.
Grandfather, Daniel Zachariah Troxel, left Maryland in his early manhood, the year we do not know. Father did not know, and went to Adams County, Ohio, where he met and married Miss Eleanor Zumwalt. Shortly afterward they moved to Hancock County, Indiana, from where at a later date they moved to Will County, Illinois, where most of their children were born, and at a later date several died at Troutman's Grove near the City of Joliet, Ill.
In the fall of 1852 they decided to go to California, the famed land of Gold, and after selling off everything except what was necessary to take with them, they drove to Keokuk, Iowa, where they spent the winter of 1853. In the spring of 1854 they joined a great wagon train at Council Bluffs which was under the leadership of Great Uncle Joseph Zumwalt, who was Grandmother Eloanor (Zumwalt)Troxel's brother, and Captain of the wagon train which originated at Joliet, Illinois, and with which they and family proceeded on to California, arriving at Illinois Town (now Colfax, Placer County) in September 1854 at which place they settled and lived until the fall of 1857 when they moved to a farm a short distance north of Silveyville, an old town a few miles northwest of the present town of Dixon, Solano County, California.
Both Grandfather, Daniel Zachariah Troxel and Grandmother, Eleanor (Zumwalt)Troxel lived on the old farm at Silveyville until they died. Grandfather died March 16, 1867, age 64 years, 7 months and 19 days. Grandmother Troxel died January 25, 1873, age 58 years, 6 months. They both rest in the Dixon Cemetary. They had four sons living at the time of their death; William Tremble, Joseph R., George Wheatly, and Albert M. Troxel. Grandfather and Grandmother Troxel had eight sans and four daughters. All but the four above named sons died during a terrible epidemic of bloody-flux (a cholera like dysentery) in Illinois while they were young children. The names of those that died were; Jacob, John, Everistus, Daniel, Rachel, Ellen, Ann Margaret, and Sarah Elizabeth.
Grandmother, Eleanor (Zumwalt)Troxel, was born in Adams County, Ohio, her fathers name was Jacob Zumwalt. They lived on Brush Creek near the great Serpent Mound, the land upon which it stands belonged to her father at that time. Grandmother, Eleanor 4 (Zumwalt) Troxel had two brothers and three sisters; Joseph Zumwalt, Jacob Zumwalt, Elizabeth (Zumwalt)Long, Sarah (Zumwalt)Kirkaptrick, Mary (Zumwalt)Cameron, mother of Jake Cameron and Mary (Cameron)Somers.
Grandmother Troxel's oldest brother, Joseph Zumwalt had four sons and three daughters, Jacob Willard Zumwalt, James C. Zumwalt, Daniel Zumwalt, Joseph Oscar Zumwalt, Mary Ann (Zumwalt) Eibe, Emily (Zumwalt)(Eibe)West, and Nancy Ann (Zumwalt)Bailey.
Jacob Zumwalt, her younger brother, had three sons and three daughters; John Henry Zumwalt, Joseph Zumwalt, Daniel Kindle Zumwalt, Nancy Ann (Zumwalt)Cotton)Hunt, Sarah M. (Zumwalt)Shoemaker and Elizabeth (Zumwalt)Eskridge)Hall.
This is our family history as given to me by my father, George W. Troxel on January 8, 1918, at Glenn, Glenn County, California
Signed: Clarence M. Troxel

Address: 1523 1/2 T Street

Sacramento , California]]