Reprinted with permission by the Sierra County Historical Society from The Sierran of April, 1971 Vol 3, No.1 Editor’s Note: The following article is taken from the correspondence of Elizabeth Dearwater Brown to Mrs. Adella Lombardi of Loyalton. Mrs. Brown was born in Sierraville (she now lives in San Francisco) and recalls many interesting stories about her own family and incidents and people in Sierraville and Randolph. The article appears verbatim as written by Mrs. Brown. Father’s Parents: John Durwachter- Elzabeth Harin Durwachter Married July 7, 1855 Children all born in Goodyear’s Bar Sierra County. Our father was Joseph Dearwater (Changed from Durwachter), born March 4, 1862, died in Sierraville on March
14, 1934 of bronchial pneumonia which began with the flu. Mother’s Parents: Charles Perry-Margaret Murphy Perry Married May 30, 1854 at Old Fort Hall (Now Pocatello, Idaho). They came to Sierra Valley August 1856 under the guidance of James Beckwourth who was a friend of Grandpa in the Rocky Mountains.
Beckwourth is named after this man. Mama (Sophronia Elizabeth Perry Dearwater) born in Sierraville, Dec. 2, 1869, the 9th of 10 children. The Perry home still is occupied and is now owned by Mr. and Mrs. Gifford Webber. Perry Creek flows alongside of this lovely old house. Grandpa owned several hundred acres in Sierra Valley, and our grandparents were successful farmers, cattle raisers,
and dairymen. They were always considered among the well-to-do residents of Sierra Valley. Their ranches helped to supply the mines then operating in Sierra City and Downieville. About 1895 they sold their interests in Sierra Valley and moved to Oak Park
(now a suburb of Sacramento). But both returned to die in the Valley they loved so dearly; Grandma June 25, 1897 (she was 68 years old) and Grandpa on Nov. 7, 1905 (he was 81 years old). Both are buried in the Sierraville cemetery. Papa (Joseph Dearwater)
was orphaned at the age of 8 or 9 and was brought to the Protestant Orphanage in San Francisco, located at that time on Haight Street. It is now known as Edgewood and located on Vicente Street, S.F. He left the orphanage in 1875 or 1876 and went to live
near Danville, Contra Costa Co. with a Captain Fitzgerald. He was brought to Sierraville by the murder of his older brother, John Dearwater, in Dec. 1884. This murder was committed on the ranch now owned by Kenneth Torri, and was at that time known as
the Rowland Ranch. My uncle was shot to death by two gamblers who had come to rob him. These two murderers were captured, tried and found guilty and sentenced to prison, where both died years ago. Our parents were married on May 30, 1888. They were the parents of three children; two girls and a boy: Elizabeth, Barbara (Eatheland) and Everett, all born in Sierraville, and the latter two born in the Dearwater home in which we lived for 77 years.
It was a happy home, and filled with much love and kindness. Mama was always called Nonie by everyone except her mother who called her Tuck, always. It was an endearing name which our grandmother brought with her from native Ireland. Early in her life Mama learned the duties that are a part of living: she was taught
to cook, sew, wash and iron, do housework, and help with the dairy chores. I have heard her tell that at age 3 she was given a small pail and taught to feed calves, and how they bunted her around pretty rough, until she would drop the pail and climb up
on a fence where they could not reach her. A few years older (probably 6 or 7) she was given a few cows to milk twice daily. Later the string was increased to ten and there were 4 milkers. So it was a good sized dairy by any standard, and all to be milked
by hand. Grandma milked some but it was her part to skim the milk all by hand and get the milk pans ready for the fresh milk. Those were the days when work was work, children (and lots of them were needed) and strong backs were a MUST. I have been told many times that Mama was a real beauty– one of the most beautiful ever raised in Sierraville, and we know that she was beautiful until God took her home on July 30, 1967, nearly 98 years of age. She had a happy nature and nothing
could keep her down for long; she always found hidden depths within herself that carried her over the roughest roads, and Life, for no one is ever a bed of roses. There are always thorns. Sierra Valley, today can thank her and the late Grace Wilson for the electric power we now enjoy. These two devoted women, with Alden Johnson to the letter writing, were the ones who got the Government to put REA into the Valley. That will always be a
monument to them. Mama is also responsible for the telephone service which Sierraville has enjoyed for many years. At one time there were only 10 phones in the community. Mama went to the Railroad Commission and stated the need for phone service, and
before too long the company had put in more phones so now everyone has this convenience. I remember that when anyone was sick she was the first to go to their help, cooking, washing, sitting up long nights with the sick person. Like other young persons
she had a lot of fun, and I guess beaux. Her father was not too happy over her choice of a husband, but time proved that she was so right in marrying our good and wonderful Dad. There was none better. The Dearwaters were and are loyal friends, good Americans,
and a devoted family. I left the Valley when I was 15 to attend Sacramento High School so I was not home while brother Everett grew up. I was away 6 years and when I came back to teach in 1911 Everett was 15 years of age and many of his boyhood pranks I never knew. But I know
he played his share of tricks and loved to tease and I can see his blue eyes twinkle now with devilment. Life when we were children centered around the Home, Parents, and Family. There is where much of our time was spent in homely pastimes. A trip to
Sattley to us was a great treat; and to get to Loyalton was almost out of reach. In the winter of 1895 Mama took Eatheland and me to spend the winter in Sacramento with her parents, We were the big shots for sure. We had seen and ridden on the railroad, and could we tell talkies of all that went on in the outer world! Nellie Bly had
nothing on us, I can assure you. I have heard of one Sierraville girl (or rather I should have said a Randolph girl for we did not wish to be Sierraville) who did not get to Sierraville until she was 15 years of age. The school house and yard were the
dividing line between the two communities. When we played ball Sierraville was one side; Randolph the other, and we battled like big leaguers do now. The same separation went on in any game where there was choosing sides: kick-the-wicket was one. There was in those days a good wide sidewalk snug up against the fence; said sidewalk extended from the Globe Hotel to the house where Kelso Dellera now lives.
It was built and maintained by the residents. If you enjoyed reading Elizabeth Dearwater Brown's account of her family's history this week, you will be pleased to know next week's editon will continue the story of life in Sierraville more than a century ago.DEARWATER FAMILY HISTORY AND YOUTHFUL INCIDENTS