Rev. John Benjamin Hartsough

REV JOHN B HARTSOUGH was born in 1811 at Detroit, Michigan Territory.815,816,817 He married Lucy Titus in 1838 (Lucy, John's 1st wife, was of Michigan).818 He died on 2 Feb 1899 at Redding, Shasta Co, California.819

1842 Census: Rev John B Hartsough appeared on the census of 1842 at Ranges 1 & 2, Western Division, Iowa county, Wisconsin Territory. There were 1 white male and 1 white female in John Hartsough's household. The census enumerator visited the household of "Austin J. Willard", then someone else, then "James N. Stores" then "John R. Crawford" then "Alexander Willard" then "Joshua Mcdonald" then "A. H. Willard" then "Martha Wakefield", then someone else, then "John Hartsough."820

Rev John B Hartsough was a preacher of the Methodist Episcopal Church.821

Rev. J. B. Hartsough a local preacher of the M. E. Church, bought a place Mar 1853 located about 4 mi from Hutton's, near Germantown, Colusa county, California. "Mr. Hartsough's residence is near Germantown, Colusa county.".822 "Rev. Sheldon was succeeded by Rev. Benham and then later by Rev. J. B. Hartsough, who purchased a home near Hutton's in 1853 and became permanently located here.".823 "Rev.. Franklin G. Grey succeeded the minister Benham who was drowned.".824

Land Buy: Rev John B Hartsough bought for $500 the city lot bounded on the east by Main St, on the south by the land of Mr. Henry, on the west by Church St, and on the north by Pilot Creek Crop Ditch, consisting of about 200 sq. ft. together with tenements from David B. Hartsough 14 May 1856 in Georgetown, El Dorado, California.825

David was of the town of Folsom, Sacramento county, California and John was of Cache Creek, Yolo county, California. Later in the year, on August 5, John sold the land back to David for $500. It looks like this was simply a loan of $500 to his brother with the land used as collateral. The 2nd transaction was notarized in Yolo county by Arch McDonald, county clerk of Yolo county.826

"The [state] constitution provided that a term in the Senate should be two, and in the Assembly one year..." Elected to the Assembly on September 2, 1863 with 841 of 1600 votes cast, J. B. Hartsough.827

"Cacheville M. E. Church: A Methodist Class was formed in Cacheville in 1856, and that village became one of the points within the "Cacheville Circuit.' The travelling preacher made it his home there, the parsonage being at that place. It was afterwards sold by Rev. J. S. Corwin for $250 and the proceeds applied in the erection of the Woodland parsonage... In 1867 a Church building was erected in Cacheville at a cost of about $1,800... When these two organizations became independent of each other in 1871... the first pastor [of the Cacheville Church] was J. B. Hartsough.".828

1884-85: J. B. Hartsough, minister and farmer, 160 acres is listed under Germantown in the Colusa County Directory for that year. Germantown is now Artois in Glenn county, California. Germantown was "six miles north of Willows, on the line of the Northern Railroad. A thriving little village, giving promise of a great increase in size and population." Neal Kennedy relates that the town name was changed in World War I due to anti-German sentiment.829

"In 1884 he was again sent to Redding and was this time instrumental in building the first Methodist church there, completed about 1887..."

"In 1897 Rev. J. B. Hartsough attended the Methodist Conference at Pacific Grove in September, 1897.".830

"John Benjamin Hartsough is a Forty-niner and one of the best known characters in Northern California. He is one of the oldest Americans born in the city of Detroit, Michigan. His birth occurred in the year 1811, twenty-five years before Michigan became a State. His father, Christopher Hartsough, was born in New Jersey. In the war of 1812 he was captured by the Indians, carried into Canada, pressed into the service of the English as an alien and drove a team for the English army. He married Delight Haskins, a native of Connecticut. Her father, Elisha Haskins, was a wealthy citizen of Connecticut who removed to Canada and settled in the London district, about the year 1825, the English government giving him lands for settling there. This worthy couple, Mr. and Mrs. Hartsough, were the parents of sixteen children. The subject of this sketch was the third of their five sons. He received his education at Detroit, Ypsilanti and Ann Arbor. While in Rock Run, Illinois, in 1837, he was converted and soon afterward began to preach. In six months he was licensed as a local preacher and went into his first work at Leadmine, Wisconsin, in the Apple River district... During Mr. Hartsough's preaching in Illinois and Wisconsin his ministry was blessed with numerous revivals. He labored in the vineyard of the Lord in those two States for ten years. His health failed, and with the hope of securing a beneficial change, he came to this sunny clime, reaching California September 15, 1849. He engaged in mining until the first of May, 1850, with moderate success. Then he went over the mountains to carry provisions to the emigrants who were starving and took their poor stock in exchange. The stock was pastured for a month, after which it was driven over the mountains. At this work Mr. Hartsough made considerable money. In 1851 he opened a grocery and provision store near Nevada City, supplying the market with his own cattle. This business he continued two years, during which time he purchased the ditch stock of a broken-down company. He put the ditch in order and kept it four weeks. It, however, proved a perpetual Sabbath-breaking business, and because of that he sold it to his partner, who, in three years, realized nearly half a million of dollars from it.... Mr. Hartsough sold his store and shop and removed to Yolo County, where he engaged in farming and stock-raising. In 1863 he was elected to the State Assembly, and, being a staunch Republican, used his best endeavors to keep his State in the Union. At that time there was a strong force to take it out, and he became a power on the side of the Union... During a great deal of his ministry his work has been gratuitous and done for the love of the cause. He has rendered much efficient service in helping to build churches in Northern California. In Redding, where he now resides, he purchased the church site for $500 with his own money, and carried on the enterprise of building the church to its completion. In 1864 he settled his business, put his land into money, and with some stock removed to Contra Costa county. From that time until 1890 he had regular work in the ministry. He is now in his 80th year and has retired from active ministerial labors. He owns a small farm in Colusa county and a home in Redding. ...In 1838 Mr. Hartsough wedded Miss Lucy Titus of Michigan. Their union was blessed with two children, one of whom died and the other, Christopher, resides in Oregon. After four and a half years of married life his beloved companion died of pleuro-pneumonia, and he was left with his two infant sons. In 1858, fifteen years after her death, he married Mrs. Eliza Stoirs [sic] a native of Missouri, reared in Wisconsin.".831 There were no known children of Eliza Martha2 Willard and Rev John B Hartsough.