JAMES SIMPSON DREW	ISABELLE RAINS
1833 - 1910	1864 - 1947

James Simpson Drew was born in New Hampton, New Hampshire, August 14, 1833. He had one brother and one sister. James had a good education and at one time studied law. He came west as a young man. James returned to the east, but soon came west again to supervise the Chinese laborers mining gold on Roaring River near Gas Point. The first Gas Point was built in 1880, it had a hotel, cracker factory, bars, and one acre was donated for a cemetery. Now the Pinckney Cemetery. Remains of the second town can be seen on Lower Gas Point Road. The second time west, James brought two daughters with him. Maria, who died quite young and Mary who married David Baker, had one daughter Helen, and later married Noah McCain, and had several more children.

Isabelle Rains was born in the Gas Point area, April 1, 1864. Her father Isaac Rains, was a big man with red hair, who came west looking for gold. He settled near Gas Point where he met and married Isabelle's mother, a Bald Hills Wintu Indian. Isabelle attended local schools and was deaf from the time she was small child. She had two sons before she married James Drew. Their father was a Wintu Indian.

Jimmie Rains	b. 1883	d. no date
Albert Rains	b. 1886	d. 1973	m. Rose (Rosa) Rickard; m. Marie Chavez

James and Isabelle were married in 1888, settled near Gas Point and eventually owned a ranch on Roaring River. Jim and Belle, as they were known, never let anyone leave their home empty-handed. Their smokehouse and storehouse were full of food and supplies to last the winter. Jim had a general store and a blacksmith shop. Since he had studied law, friends would often ask for his advise. Belle was a homemaker and worked hard keeping up with the chores, cooking, canning, and sewing for her family. They had eight children.

Lena	b. 1891	d. 1974	m. Earnest Taylor
Charles	b. 1893	d. no date	m. Dorothy
Dean	b. 1895	d. 1981	m. James Riggins
Earl	b. 1897	d. young
Fern	b. 1900	d. 1972	m. Leaton Foster
John	b. 1901	d. 1965	m. Beatrice Lempinen m. Marie N.
Frank	b. 1904	d. 1972	m. Lillian Johnson
William	b. 1907	d. 1964	m. Rose Rains

The children went to Excelsior School, a white, one-room building. Their teacher was Grace Williams. Helen Baker Thomasson, Jim's granddaughter, became a teacher and later taught at the Excelsior School.

Jim died in 1910 and Belle remained on the ranch and raised her family. At 83 she still had a few chickens, hogs, and cattle. She also made quilts and won prizes at the Shasta County Fair. Belle died in 1947. They are both buried in the Tuttle Gulch Cemetery as were many other members of their family.

Source: Shasta Historical Society - November 1996