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Continued: John Proctor was born in England and immigrated to America with his parents, Joseph and Alice (Singleton) Proctor, and siblings, aboard the ship Civilian, arriving at New Orleans on the 11th of April 1830. They traveled up the Mississippi River to near St. Louis, Missouri and settled in Monroe County, Illinois. He also lived in St. Louis County, Missouri before coming to California.
One old family story we have is that John and his brother-in-law, Robert Blacow, traveled to California in the great gold rush of 1849. He left New Orleans by ship to the Isthmus of Nicaragua, across land, and from the Pacific coast to San Francisco. He worked the mines, then purchased land in Washington Twp., Alameda County, California. They returned to Missouri overland. Determining to relocate to California, the Proctors traveled by ship via the Itshmus of Nicaragua, and sent their heavier furniture "around the Horn".
The Blacows traveled overland to California in a wagon train in 1853. They stopped briefly in the new settlement of Salt Lake City, Utah and left some of their livestock there because they would not have been able to get all of the cattle and sheep over the Sierra Mountains before snow made the trails impassable. The stock was left in the personal care of Brigham Young. When they returned for the livestock the next spring, all of the best animals had been taken out of the herd. While this may be thought to be just a "family story", Uncle Robert Blaco is credited with introducing Durham Cattle to California in 1853 and, while visiting Salt Lake City, I learned that Brigham Young also had a "fine heard of Durham Cattle" by 1853/4. It would be very surprising if these two particular facts were not connected, especially given the early date!
Now, we may have it confused a little bit here, and John Proctor may not have been a '49er, confusing stories told about uncle Robert Blacow. John Proctor and his wife Nancy were enumerated on the 1850 Census Prairie du Long, Monroe County, Illinois. Still, there may be something to be gleaned from the stories. There is no doubt that Robert Blacow and his family traveled overland to California, while John Proctor and his family (and perhaps some other family members) took passage down the Mississippi to New Orleans. Their furniture was sent by ship "around the horn", but the passengers traveled via the isthmus of Nicaragua to the Pacific, and thence by ship to San Francisco. It is unclear by which route John Proctor's nursery fruit tree stock was sent -- but it was probably transported with them via Nicaragua. At any rate, The Proctor family arrived in California in December, 1853, and brought with them the first nursery stock to be planted in the San Francisco Bay area. He operated a substantial fruit nursery on his farm for many years, and many of the early orchards of Northern California were planted from his nursery.
John Proctor patented 80 acres of land in Alameda Co., CA, issued 19 November 1867; cert. No. 1311; ass'n/ser. no. CACAAA137515)
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JOHN PROCTOR. -- Was born in Lancashire, England, May 1, 1812, and there resided until he attained the age of eighteen years. Then taking passage at Liver-pool, he sailed for the United States, and arrived in New Orleans in April, 1830. He at once proceeded up the Mississippi in the first steamer that ever plied on the mighty "Father of Waters," and settling in Monroe City, Illinois, there followed farming until making up his mind to come to California. Accompanied by his wife and three children, he sailed from New York, and making the journey via the Nicaragua Route, arrived in San Francisco December 18, 1853. Coming direct to Alameda County, Mr. Proctor located on the eighty-acre tract on which he now resides, situated about two miles from Centreville, where he is engaged in general farming and fruit-raising. Married to Nancy Monks, a native of Lancashire, England, and has three surviving children, viz.: John T. Monks, Eliza Ann, and Alice E.
(Alameda County California Biographies, 1883)
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1850 U.S. Census:
Prairie du Long, Monroe Co., IL
John Proctor, 38, farmer, b. ENG
Nancy Proctor, 37, b. ENG
John Monks, 7, b. England
(next door to Nancy's brother, John "Blaker")
1860 U.S. Census:
Washington Twp., Alameda Co., CA
Jno. Proctor, 47, farmer, real estate $2,000, personal property $2,000, b. ENG
Nancy Proctor, 46, b. ENG
Jno. K [Monks], 17, b. ENG
Eliza Proctor, 10, b. IL
Mary Proctor, 7, b. IL
Alice Proctor, 5, b. CA
1870 U.S. Census:
Washington Twp., Alameda Co., CA
John Proctor, 58, farmer, real estate $8,000, personal property $1,000, b. ENG
Nancy Proctor, 56, keeping house, b. ENG
Alice E. Proctor, 15, b. CA
(near her brother Robert Blacow)
1880 U.S. Census:
Irvington, Alameda Co., CA
John Proctor, head, 68, b. ENG, farmer; fath. b. ENG; mo. b, ENG
Nancy Proctor, wife, 66, b. ENG, keeping House; fath. b. ENG; mo. b. E
John Monks, step-son, 37, b. ENG; works on farm; fath. b. ENG; mo. b. ENG
Amanda Monks, daughter-in-law, 27, b. MI, help in the house; fath. b. VT; mo. b. PA
(near her brotjers Robert Blacow and John Blacow)
1900 U.S. Census:
Murray, Alameda Co., CA
Nancy Proctor, b. Aug. 1813, 86, widowed, gave birth to 5 children, 3 living, b. ENG, fath. & mo. b. ENG, immigrated in 1840, in the U.S. 60 yrs.
(in the household of her son-in-law and daughter, Gabriel J. and Eliza A. Vandervoort)
***
According to an old marriage license in the possession of the family, John Proctor married Levina "Conor" 7 June 1842.
A published marriage index of St. Louis, MO shows: John Proctor married "Lavina Comer" 7 June 1844 (book 3, p.153). Another published marriage index of St. Louis Co., MO shows: John Proctor married "Levina Cower" 7 June 1844 (book 3 p. 153).
Levina must have died and there was no issue, or at least no children who survived.
Other Proctor marriages (prior to 1860) in St. Louis, MO include:
Adeline E. Proctor to Alexander H. Smith; 1 Feb. 1858 (bk.8, p.425)
Thadeus Proctor to Mary Graydon; 11 Feb. 1843 (bk.3, p.20)
elsewhere in MO:
Eliza Proctor to Isaac Hestandt; 19 Dec. 1850, Moniteau Co., MO
Adelelia Proctor to James Brigoman; 18 Aug. 1847, Moniteau Co., MO
Mart Proctor to Wiley Jones; 5 Oct. 1833, Moniteau Co., MO
Martha Proctor to William A. Campbell; 24 May 1838, Johnson Co., MO
Susan Proctor to Gasford Courveix; 24 Dec. 1815, Buchanon Co., MO
John Procktor to Sarah Smith; 9 July 1848, Audrain Co., MO
Benjamin Proctor to ----Tomlinson; 31 Jan. 1843, Cole Co., MO
Francis Proctor to ----Perkins; 6 May 1827, Cole Co., MO
James Proctor to Jane Enloe; 15 May 1846, Moniteau Co., MO
James M. Proctor to Sarah N. Statler; 9 Oct. 1850, Cape Girardeau Co., MO
John Proctor to Isabella Roark; 21 Sept. 1848, Cole Co., MO
Joseph Proctor to Sussannah Proctor; 4 Aug. 1832, Cole Co., MO
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