Peter Young
Energetic, enterprising, public-spirited and honest, Peter Young is one of Alexander valley’s prosperous ranchers, and enjoys in a marked degree the confidence and esteem of the entire community. Kind-hearted, liberal and generous to a fault, he has hosts of friends who appreciate his many virtues, and no opportunity for uplifting his fellowmen or improving conditions in his community escapes his notice or fails to receive his support. A native of the east, Mr. Young was born in New York state June 8, 1834, representative of an old-time eastern family. He was about twenty-six years of age when by way of Panama he made the voyage to the Pacific coast. After landing at San Francisco he joined his two brothers in Sonoma county, where they were engaged in the stock business. George and Michael Young came to California in 1852, and for a time mined with fair success in Eldorado county. After a few years, however, they came to Sonoma county and engaged in stock-raising, and here they lived the remainder of their lives, George dying in 1889, at the age of sixty-four, and Michael passing away some years later. After an association of several years with his brothers in the stock business Peter Young went to Oregon in 1862 and was interested in gold mining there for about one year.
After his mining experience in Oregon Mr. Young returned to New York state, remaining there variously engaged until early in the ‘70s, when he again came to California, this time to make it his permanent home. Coming direct to Sonoma county, he settled in Alexander valley and near Healdsburg purchased a ranch of two hundred and ten acres, then uncultivated and in no way suggesting the possibilities that have since been developed. Mr. Young at once bent his energies to clearing the land and preparing it for cultivation, and as soon as it was in condition, planted the nucleus of the fine prune orchard that is such a source of profit today. Altogether he now has forty acres in prunes alone, both new and old trees, and fourteen acres are now in bearing and yielding an annual output of thirty-five tons of dried fruit. Ninety acres are in pasture land, besides which he has a large acreage in hay and grain. Not only is Mr. Young an expert horticulturist, but he is also an experienced miner, is knowledge along this line making him an expert mining claim recorder, a position which he filled with acceptability in Sonoma county for many years.
In all of his efforts and undertakings Mr. Young has had the co-operation and encouragement of his wife, who was formerly Miss Rachel Kazenstein, a native of New York state. Named in the order of their birth the eight children born to them are as follows: George A,; Emma, the wife of J. W. Watson, of New York; Alice, the wife of William Peasley; Flora E., the wife of Thomas Meek, of Alexander valley; Clara, the wife of Fred Merry; Warner F.; Maynard; and Silas. Mr. Young has always exhibited a keen public spirit, and may be depended on to do all in his power to advance the material, moral and social interests of the community in which he has resided for so many years.
History of Sonoma
County, California
History by Tom Gregory : Historic Record Company, 1891
Los Angeles, Ca. 1911
Transcribed by Roberta Hester Leatherwood
May 15, 2012 Pages 473-474
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