the largest majority ever given a public officer in that county. In 1863, he purchased the mercantile establishment of James N. Suydam, in Colusa, where he did a flourishing business. In 1866, in company with Mr. Suydam, he came to Chico and bought the mercantile interest of E. B. Pond. In 1869, Mr. Jones bought out his partner, and conducted the business until he associated with him Messrs. Harris and Sanderson. In 1871, Mr. Jones, in partnership with E. J. Reilly, went into the hardware business, remaining a partner in this branch of trade until his death, which occurred on the seventh of November, 1873. As a business man he was public-spirited, scrupulously honorable and honest in his dealings with his fellow-men, unfailing in his judgment of financial transactions and ventures, and liberal with his means when he heard the cry of distress. In all the walks of life he was a good man, a kind friend and a loving companion. Where he was known his name will be remembered for many years.

GEORGE W. GRIDLEY was born in Cazenovia, New York, on the tenth day of August, 1818. At the age of fifteen he went west to live with his relatives, spending a few years in Bloomington, Illinois, with his uncle, Asahel Gridley. He afterwards went to Chicago, where he carried on quite a successful business auctioneering. In 1843, he removed to Galena, Illinois, engaging in the same occupation, and also embarking in the livery business. On the first of March, 1846, he was united in marriage to Helen D. Orcutt, a native of Troy, New York. In 1850, Mr. Gridley left Galena, crossed the plains to California, and settled in Sacramento, where he still continued auctioneering. While there, he narrowly escaped death from cholera. He returned overland to Illinois in 1852, to visit his family, which he had left there, but in the spring of 1853 began the overland trip again towards the setting sun, bringing with him a band of sheep, and leaving his family in Illinois. He settled four miles north of the Butte mountains, in Butte county. In 1855, he sent for his family, meeting Mrs. Gridley and their son Charlie at Auburn, upon their arrival, and brought them to his home. In time, Mr. Gridley became one of the wealthiest men of the county, owning a large and productive tract of land. He engaged heavily in sheep-raising for many years, and was remarkably successful. On the ninth of March, 1881, he died, leaving a family of seven children, six of whom were born in California, all of them now living. Mr. Gridley was a very generous and public-spirited man, and his death was regretted by all.

ABNER L. KNOWLTON was born in Windsor, Hillsboro county, New Hampshire, September 1, 1832, and was the son of Gideon Knowlton. He lived at Windsor until twenty-two years of age. His early advantages for an education were very limited, but, at the age of twenty-four, he went to the New Hampshire Conference Seminary, supporting himself while there by sawing wood and teaching. He was there when the war broke out, and joined the fourth New Hampshire infantry, and served four years. His regiment was in Sherman's command at the capture of Hilton Head, in South Carolina. He was in the expedition that captured Fernandina, Florida, and was at the seige of Charleston, participating in the operations of this division into the winter of 1863. From Charleston, his regiment went to Virginia, under the command of Butler, and was at the battle of Gloucester Point, at the occupation of Bermuda Hundred, and the engagement at Drury's Bluff, called the Frog fight. The regiment was sent to join Grant's forces at Cold Harbor, and took part in the battle of the Wilderness. From there, his companions were thrown across James river in front of Petersburg, where they assisted in the seige, and remained until the winter of 1864. Mr. Knowlton was at the battle of the mine. In 1865, he was sent south, under Butler, and was at the capture of Fort Fisher, and accompanied Terry on his second expedition. His regiment joined Sherman on his march from Columbia to Raleigh, being at the battle of Bentonville, in North Carolina. Mr. Knowlton was discharged in the summer of 1865, at Raleigh, and went back home, having gone into the service as private, and come back captain. He opened an office at Concord as civil-engineer, and lived there four years. He came west in the employ of the

Northern Pacific railroad, as assistant engineer on the preliminary survey between Olympia and Portland. He then settled in Walla Walla, and served there as county surveyor for four years. He then came to Butte county, and was elected county surveyor in 1875, after being in Chico six months. He lost a re-election in 1877 by one vote, but obtained a re-election in 1879. Mr. Knowlton was married in 1866, at Concord, to Mrs. Lizzie E. Hoyt, of Fisherville, New Hampshire.

WILLIAM MCCLURE.-He was born in Harford county, Maryland, December 30, 1808. He was raised as a farmer; and when twenty-one years of age, became connected with the well-known firm of J. C. Walker & Co., clothiers, of Baltimore, and was about three years in their employ at their branch house in Louisville, Kentucky, eighteen months at Vicksburg, and something over two years at Nashville, Tennessee. In 1836, he went into the clothing business for himself at Nashville. In 1850, he sold out, came to California, and went to mining at Long bar, on the Yuba. After a short time there, he went to Sierra county, where he remained until 1871, when he came to Butte county. Mr. McClure has resided at Dogtown since 1875.

P. B. M. MILLER, M. D., L. R. C. S. E., is of Scotch ancestry, and a native of Rosshire, Scotland, where he was born on the fifteenth day of January, 1835. In the common schools of his native country he received a thorough primary education, and at the age of fourteen years he entered the high school of Edinburgh. In 1854, he matriculated in the university of Edinburgh, and in 1858 graduated from the royal college of surgeons, receiving the degree of L. R. C. S. E. In 1859, he went out to India with the British army as a surgeon. In 1860, he returned to England, and shortly after went to Australia, and for a period of ten years was actively engaged in the practice of his profession in the mining districts of that country and New Zealand. In 1872, he removed from New Zealand to California, and in a short time located at Oroville. During the year 1873, the University City college of San Francisco conferred upon him the degree of M. D. In 1876, he was elected a member of the California state medical society. Being ambitious to still further perfect himself in the knowledge of his profession, he spent eight months of the year 1877 in the east, during which time he visited Jefferson medical college in Philadelphia, and the Bellevue hospital medical college of New York city, one of the best of the kind in the world, from which institute he also has a diploma. He has since been actively engaged in the practice of medicine and surgery at Oroville. In 1875, he received the appointment of surgeon in charge of the Butte county infirmary. His observations of similar institutions in Europe and this country well fitted him for the position. It is no flattery to say that the Butte county infirmary, of which mention is made elsewhere, is one of the best managed institutions of the kind on the Pacific coast. In looking through the transactions of the medical society of California for 1880-81, we notice an able treatise on the advancement made in surgery in the past few years, by Dr. Miller, in which he takes issue with Professor Lister, of Edinburgh, in regard to the treatment of cases of empyema-collections of pus in the pleura-questioning the propriety of invariably using the carbolic acid atmospheric spray, a method which Lister favored in all cases, we believe. Dr. Miller maintained that that treatment alone was ineffectual in removing the disorganized material which was likely to cause putrefaction. He is a strong and original thinker in his department of scientific learning, and his success in treating the most obstinate forms of disease has been remarkable. As a physician he enjoys the confidence of the public, and as a man and citizen he likewise enjoys their highest esteem and regard.

JOHN MINDERMANN is a son of Herman and Adelphite Mindermann, and was born in the kingdom of Hanover, May 12, 1835. When at the age of fifteen years, he came to the shores of America and was employed in New York as a clerk in a wholesale grocery store, until 1854, when he took sail on the steamer George Law, via the isthmus, for California. He was engaged at San Francisco in clerking