ITCHY FEET
By James S. Compher, Sr.
In the 1830’s, newspapers throughout the United States were advertising that rich soil and dense forestland was available in Illinois, Michigan and Missouri to those who wanted to settle in this new western area. With the population rapidly growing and good farms land bringing a very good price, hundreds of families throughout the Middle states decided to sell their farms, pack up their belongings and move west to the enticing land. One of these families was that of William Compher. William was born in 1802 in Bedford, Pennsylvania, son of Christian Compher. He grew up on a farm in this area. William continued to farm after he got married and started a family. Soon the call of the west became to great for young William to ignore, so he packed up his wife and children, Harriet born in 1823, Jacob in 1830 and Sarah Amanda in 1831, and headed west.
The journey
through Ohio, Indiana and into Illinois was long and hard on them. When they
reached central Illinois, William decided it was time to settle down on a new
farm. While there, two more children were added to this family, Margaret in
1835 and John H. in 1836. Before long the urge to travel farther west once
again hit this family and another move occurred. This time it was on to
Missouri. While there the family increased by adding two more sons, Thomas H.
B. in 1839 and then Anderson in 1843. However, times were hard during their
stay in Missouri and soon the family moved back to Illinois. William settled
one final time in Illinois. He married Harriet Jontz in 1844 and became a
sheriff. The youngest child Lucy was born here in 1846.
With
William now settled in Illinois his son Jacob became the adventurous one that
had itchy feet. Not one to be confined and with the wild west still to be
explored young Jacob started out on his own. His travels took him throughout
the western territories until he reached Texas. In Texas, he met and married
Cynthia, born in Georgia in 1832.Their first child, Florence, was born in Texas
in 1858. Soon after the birth of Florence the roar of the restless and exciting
California region was urging Jacob to travel on. It did not take much urging
because soon Jacob and family started for California.
California!
The newest frontier had attracted thousands with the discovery of gold and silver.
Some became very wealthy while most were left disappointed and broke. Jacob did
not settle there to search for the mineral riches of the land. He found
California a great region to raise his family. Homesteading in Cambria, known
as the upper reaches of San Simeon Creek and near the Pacific Ocean. Jacob and
Cynthia settled down for the rest of their lives. Over the years, nine more
children were born: Eugene in 1861, Ida in 1862, Alice in 1864, Luke in 1866,
Margaret in 1868, Lucy in 1870, George Jacob in 1874, Arthur Barndollar in 1875
and finally Martha in 1886.
Several of
Jacob’s children inherited their father’s itchy feet. Eugene became an expert
horseman and bareback rider. He joined the San Francisco police force as a
mounted policeman in Golden State Park. He won many ribbons and metals in horse
shows for his talent as a horseman. Later he left the police force and joined
in the great Alaskan Gold Rush. Luke was also an expert horseman. He spent many
years touring the west as a bucking horse and bull rider in the Buffalo Bill
Wild West Show. George Jacob remained in the Cambria region with his wife, Emma
Jane Doty, to whom he was married to for sixty-two years and had nine children.
He spent most of his life working in the oil fields around Cambria and
Bakersfield area.
ACKNOWLEDGMENT
Much of this information came from Arlo Clarence Compher, son of Arthur Barndollar Compher.
Other
information came from studying the development of the western territories of
the United States during this time and from U. S. Census reports.