YUBA  COUNTY

 Biographies

JOHN L. AMES

            Notable among the prominent horticulturists of the Golden State, and one of the leading citizens of Live Oak, is John L. Ames, who was born in Iowa, in 1873, a son of Nathaniel S. and Catherine (Dunn) Ames, natives of Vermont and Ireland, respectively.  They came to California in 1875 and settled in Napa Valley, where they became fruit-raisers.

            Reared amid horticultural surroundings, John L. Ames received his early education in the public schools, and also attended the Napa College for two years, after which he entered the employ of the fruit wizard, Leonard Coates, in whose nursery he worked for ten years, spending a great many hours under his personal direction.  He was also closely associated with William S. Monroe, ex-superintendent of the Golden Gate Park, at San Francisco, who was desirous that he should devote himself to floriculture and floral art design; nevertheless, when Mr. Ames showed his natural inclinations toward horticulture, he encouraged him in his work.  In 1900, Mr. Ames started a nursery business for himself, which he conducted for two years.  He then became the buyer for the Frank Simpson Produce Company, at Los Angeles, Cal., specializing in choice apples.  For several seasons he worked through Sonoma County, and in Washington, Oregon, and Idaho, as well as California, superintending the apple-packing business.  In 1906, during the shortage of Gravenstein apples in Sonoma County, only sixty cars were packed; but in spite of the close competition, Mr. Ames was able to secure thirty-five cars.  In 1907, he gave up all outside work and settled down on a well-chosen place at Live Oak, in Sutter County, Cal.; for after he had traveled and dealt in every fruit district on the Pacific Coast, his choice of fruit land still lay in Sutter County.  This land was an open barley-stubble field; and here, through cultivation, care and labor, he has developed sixty acres of exceptionally fine producing orchard.  The season opens with cherries, which last for thirty days; the Ames cherries in 1920 reached the Chicago market, topping the list with $9.50 for an eighteen pound box.  About June 10, the apple season is on; and the fruit season closes with the packing of peaches.  However, Mr. Ames will soon have a producing vineyard of Thompson grapes, which will lengthen the fruit-packing season.  The packing plant on the Ames orchard affords employment for many people during the fruit season.

            The marriage of John L. Ames occurred at Berkeley, on December 26, 1901, and united him with Miss Grace Dobbins, a daughter of the Reverend Dr. H. H. Dobbins, a prominent Presbyterian minister at Berkeley.  Her mother, Eloise (Trowbridge) Dobbins, was born at Jackson, Amador County, Cal.  Mr. and Mrs. Ames have been blessed with two children:  John L., Jr., and Grace Eloise.  Mr. Ames has given liberally of his time and means to the development of the community, and has served as chairman of the high-school building committee.  He is also a strong advocate of the deep-drainage project, which will eventually be voted in, and has been president of the Live Oak Farm Bureau.  At present he is one of the four members of the Sutter County Farm Bureau committee which had to do with the forming of the California Cooperative Canning Peach Association, a most successful institution.  Mr. Ames has been and is now doing experimental work with several varieties of grapes on his ranch, the outcome of which is being watched with keen interest by the many growers of his district.  The prime object of this experiment is to test the adaptability of the soil between Live Oak and Butte County for the growing of these types of grape.  Being satisfied with this experimentation, Mr. Ames in the spring of 1924 planted out in commercial quantities the following four varieties of table grapes, viz.:  Molinero, Dizmar, Rish-Baba, and Monukka.  He is also setting out varieties of peaches which will ripen at the same time as his grapes, and thus will be able to ship, in carload lots, table-grapes and peaches from his own ranch to the markets of the East and Northwest.  If this proves a success, Mr. Ames will have performed a substantial service for the ranchers of Sutter and Butte Counties.

History of Yuba and Sutter Counties, Historic Record Company, Los Angeles, 1924

p.  560-563

MRS. AMANDA ELLEN BUCKINGHAM

            The fitness and capability of women to discharge the duties thrust upon them with efficiency is amply demonstrated in the case of Amanda E. Buckingham, who, since the death of her husband, has successfully managed her ranch and has become recognized as among the successful almond and peach growers of Sutter County.  She was born near Glenwood, Mills County, Iowa, December 23, 1855, the eldest of six children of Thomas and Phoebe (Gilliland) Conner, both natives of Indiana.  Thomas Conner was a plasterer and followed his trade until he was twenty-five years old, when he removed to Mills County, Iowa.  There he settled on government land; and for many years he served as justice of the peace in Mills County, where both he and his wife passed away.  Amanda E. Conner attended the first grade in a log-cabin schoolhouse in the woods of Mills County, Iowa, continuing until she completed the district school.  Her marriage occurred in Mills County, on January 1, 1872, and united her with John L. Buckingham, a native of Virginia, but reared in Kentucky.  He owned a ranch in Mills County, which he later sold.  They then removed to Holt County, Mo., and there four of their ten children were born.  Mr. and Mrs. Buckingham returned to Iowa, and at Pacific Junction conducted a general merchandise store for some seven years.  Two more children were born there.  They then sold their property in Missouri and in Mills County, Iowa, and removed to South Dakota, locating near Hermosa, where they acquired 1800 acres of land.  After ten years’ residence in South Dakota, where four more children were born to them, they sold out and came west to California, locating five miles southwest of Yuba City, where they purchased thirty acres, the present home place of Mrs. Buckingham.  Mr. Buckingham passed away in San Diego, Cal., at the age of seventy-eight years.  Ten children were born to Mr. and Mrs. Buckingham.  Margaret is the wife of W. C. Richie and resides in San Diego; Thomas resides in Sutter County.  Zachariah is a rancher in the vicinity of Bogue; Annie is now Mrs. Perfield, of Sacramento; Strother is a rancher near Oswald; Lester C. is deceased; Henry is ranching at Tudor; Chauncey is ranching near home; Elsie is now Mrs. Howard, of Oroville; and Marjory is Mrs. Klingensmith, also farming near the old home.  Mrs. Buckingham is very proud of her family of nine children, twenty-eight grandchildren and two great-grandchildren.

            Many years ago, an almond orchard and also a peach orchard were set out on the home place.  These bore abundantly until the trees became so old that Mrs. Buckingham had them grubbed out and the space replaced with new orchard.  She has given the science of horticulture a great deal of study, and personally superintends her ranch, seeing that the work is done properly and that the orchards are well cared for.  Though a modest and retiring woman, Mrs. Buckingham nevertheless takes a deep interest in public affairs and in the development of the community; and her religious zeal finds expression through her membership in the Presbyterian Church in Marysville.

History of Yuba and Sutter Counties, Historic Record Company, Los Angeles, 1924

p.  563-564

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