George Calvert Yount (May 4, 1794 – October 5, 1865), later known by his Spanish name Don Jorge Concepción Yount,[1][2][3] was a Californian ranchero, fur trapper, and entrepreneur. Born in North Carolina, he later emigrated to Alta California, where he became a Mexican citizen and acquired substantial property holdings in the Napa Valley, largely due to the influence of his friendship with General Mariano G. Vallejo.[4][5] The city of Yountville, California is named for him.
Yount eventually made his way to California, arriving in 1831 with the Wolfskill party. He trapped sea otters on the Santa Barbara Channel Islands. He went to Sonoma in 1834, where he was employed as a carpenter by General Mariano Guadalupe Vallejo. Through the influence of Vallejo, Yount received the Rancho Caymus land grant in 1836, and became the first permanent settler in the Napa Valley. He built a cabin, or block-house and a grist-mill. In 1843 he received the Rancho La Jota land grant on Howell Mountain north of Rancho Caymus, where he built a saw-mill.[7][8] George C. Yount received a US patent on both of these grants with a total of 16,341 acres (66 km2).[9][10][11]
George Yount recounted that, in early Spring of 1847, around the time the first relief party for the Donner Party was being organized, he had a repeated dream in which he saw a struggling group of pioneers in deep snow and other striking details of their appearance and difficulties. He may have heard of the plight of the Donner Party, which had been widely-publicized by James Reed in San Francisco that winter. In Richard Henry Dana, Jr.'s 1869 'Twenty-Four Years Later', Dana writes that Yount's dream was responsible for at least part of the rescue of the Donner Party. Dana refers to it as "[Yount's] celebrated dream, thrice repeated."[12] Rev. Horace Bushnell's 1858 report of Yount's first-hand account places the location Yount saw in the dream in the wrong place from the Donner Party;[13][14] however, Dana's 'Journal of a Voyage Round the World, 1859-1860' (published in 1968) makes it clear that Yount considered the dream as a helpful spiritual communication which led to relief to the Donner Party. Yount's dream and its connection to the Donner Party are now accepted as part of George Yount's legacy.[15]
A town known as Sebastopol was laid out on the property in 1855. However, a town in nearby Sonoma County had already laid claim to this name, and the town was renamed Yountville in 1867 after George Yount’s death.
His estate remained mostly intact during his lifetime, and Yount died on his property in 1865 at the age of 71.[16]
Family
George C. Yount and Eliza Cambridge Wilds had three children: Robert Wilds Yount (1819–1850), Frances Yount (1821-1870), and Elizabeth Ann Yount (1826–1853),[17] and nine grandchildren.[18]
Yount had left his family in Missouri in 1826. His two daughters, Elizabeth Ann and Frances, along with her husband William Bartlett Vines, came west with the Walker-Chiles Party of 1843. They lived in George Yount's blockhouse on Rancho Caymus.
Grandchildren
George and Eliza had nine grandchildren:
Elizabeth Yount (1847 – April 7, 1916), only child of Robert, married Thomas Lewis Rutherford (d. 1892) in 1864.[19] George Yount gave the couple 1,040 acres (4 km2) in the northern part of Rancho Caymus as a wedding gift. Thomas Rutherford established himself as a grower and producer of high-quality wines during the late 1800s, and Rutherford, California is named for him.
Children of Frances: Mary, Ellen and George
Elizabeth Anne Davis (1847–1922), daughter of Elizabeth, married William Campbell Watson (1843–??) in 1864. In 1871, Watson purchased 78 acres of land at the base of Mount St. John, just west of Rutherford, and christened his property Inglenook, a Scottish phrase for "cozy corner" or "hearth." In 1879, the property was sold to Gustave Niebaum who later established the eponymous winery on the site.
Georgina Frances Sullivan (1853–1936), daughter of Elizabeth, married John P. Jones in 1875.
^Zoeth Skinner Eldredge, 1915, History of California Vol 2, Century History Company, New York, ISBN978-0-7812-5030-6
^Hoover, Mildred B.; Hero Rensch; Ethel Rensch; William N. Abeloe (1966). Historic Spots in California. Stanford University Press. ISBN978-0-8047-4482-9.
^Report of the Surveyor General 1844 - 1886 March 20, 2013, at the Wayback Machine
^Gaughan, Tim (June 19, 2009). "Where the valley met the vine: The Mexican period". Napa Valley Register. Napa, CA: Lee Enterprises, Inc. Retrieved September 30, 2011.
^Dana, Richard Henry, Jr. (1869). Twenty-Four Years Later, Bartleby.com, p. 48. Dana's "John" Yount may have been George Yount's familiar name.
^Bushnell writes that Yount said that he saw the sufferers near a "huge perpendicular front of white rock cliff," which an "old hunter comrade" identified as a location in the Carson Valley Pass – south of Lake Tahoe and far from the actual location of the stranded Donner Party. 'Nature and the Supernatural' (1858), pp. 475–476.
^Camp, Charles L. and Yount, George C. (April 1923) "The Chronicles of George C. Yount: California Pioneer of 1826," California Historical Society Quarterly, Vol. II, No. 1, pp. 63–64. JSTOR 25177691
^"George Calvert Yount (1794-1865) - Find A Grave Memorial". Find a Grave.
george, yount, george, calvert, yount, 1794, october, 1865, later, known, spanish, name, jorge, concepción, yount, californian, ranchero, trapper, entrepreneur, born, north, carolina, later, emigrated, alta, california, where, became, mexican, citizen, acquire. George Calvert Yount May 4 1794 October 5 1865 later known by his Spanish name Don Jorge Concepcion Yount 1 2 3 was a Californian ranchero fur trapper and entrepreneur Born in North Carolina he later emigrated to Alta California where he became a Mexican citizen and acquired substantial property holdings in the Napa Valley largely due to the influence of his friendship with General Mariano G Vallejo 4 5 The city of Yountville California is named for him George Calvert YountJorge Concepcion YountBornMay 4 1794Burke County North CarolinaDiedOctober 5 1865 1865 10 05 aged 71 Yountville CaliforniaResting placeYountville CASpouseEliza Cambridge WildsRelativesHarry Yount nephew Contents 1 Biography 2 Family 2 1 Children 2 2 Grandchildren 3 See also 4 References 5 External linksBiography EditGeorge C Yount was born in Burke County North Carolina but grew up in Missouri He fought in the War of 1812 and the Indian wars Yount was a farmer but in 1826 after business difficulties left his wife and three children in Missouri and went to Santa Fe and became a fur trapper 6 Yount eventually made his way to California arriving in 1831 with the Wolfskill party He trapped sea otters on the Santa Barbara Channel Islands He went to Sonoma in 1834 where he was employed as a carpenter by General Mariano Guadalupe Vallejo Through the influence of Vallejo Yount received the Rancho Caymus land grant in 1836 and became the first permanent settler in the Napa Valley He built a cabin or block house and a grist mill In 1843 he received the Rancho La Jota land grant on Howell Mountain north of Rancho Caymus where he built a saw mill 7 8 George C Yount received a US patent on both of these grants with a total of 16 341 acres 66 km2 9 10 11 George Yount recounted that in early Spring of 1847 around the time the first relief party for the Donner Party was being organized he had a repeated dream in which he saw a struggling group of pioneers in deep snow and other striking details of their appearance and difficulties He may have heard of the plight of the Donner Party which had been widely publicized by James Reed in San Francisco that winter In Richard Henry Dana Jr s 1869 Twenty Four Years Later Dana writes that Yount s dream was responsible for at least part of the rescue of the Donner Party Dana refers to it as Yount s celebrated dream thrice repeated 12 Rev Horace Bushnell s 1858 report of Yount s first hand account places the location Yount saw in the dream in the wrong place from the Donner Party 13 14 however Dana s Journal of a Voyage Round the World 1859 1860 published in 1968 makes it clear that Yount considered the dream as a helpful spiritual communication which led to relief to the Donner Party Yount s dream and its connection to the Donner Party are now accepted as part of George Yount s legacy 15 A town known as Sebastopol was laid out on the property in 1855 However a town in nearby Sonoma County had already laid claim to this name and the town was renamed Yountville in 1867 after George Yount s death His estate remained mostly intact during his lifetime and Yount died on his property in 1865 at the age of 71 16 Family EditGeorge C Yount and Eliza Cambridge Wilds had three children Robert Wilds Yount 1819 1850 Frances Yount 1821 1870 and Elizabeth Ann Yount 1826 1853 17 and nine grandchildren 18 His nephew Harry Yount was a gamekeeper in Yellowstone National Park and is considered the first park ranger of the National Park Service Children Edit Yount had left his family in Missouri in 1826 His two daughters Elizabeth Ann and Frances along with her husband William Bartlett Vines came west with the Walker Chiles Party of 1843 They lived in George Yount s blockhouse on Rancho Caymus Grandchildren Edit George and Eliza had nine grandchildren Elizabeth Yount 1847 April 7 1916 only child of Robert married Thomas Lewis Rutherford d 1892 in 1864 19 George Yount gave the couple 1 040 acres 4 km2 in the northern part of Rancho Caymus as a wedding gift Thomas Rutherford established himself as a grower and producer of high quality wines during the late 1800s and Rutherford California is named for him Children of Frances Mary Ellen and GeorgeElizabeth Anne Davis 1847 1922 daughter of Elizabeth married William Campbell Watson 1843 in 1864 In 1871 Watson purchased 78 acres of land at the base of Mount St John just west of Rutherford and christened his property Inglenook a Scottish phrase for cozy corner or hearth In 1879 the property was sold to Gustave Niebaum who later established the eponymous winery on the site Georgina Frances Sullivan 1853 1936 daughter of Elizabeth married John P Jones in 1875 See also EditHarry YountReferences Edit Library of Congress To Kalon Vineyard 1350 Walnut Drive Oakville Napa County CA Drawings from Survey HALS CA 139 Report of the Surveyor General of the State of California 1873 Historic Spots in California 1966 California Wine Country John Doerper 2004 Assembling California John McPhee 1966 George C Yount Zoeth Skinner Eldredge 1915 History of California Vol 2 Century History Company New York ISBN 978 0 7812 5030 6 Hoover Mildred B Hero Rensch Ethel Rensch William N Abeloe 1966 Historic Spots in California Stanford University Press ISBN 978 0 8047 4482 9 Report of the Surveyor General 1844 1886 Archived March 20 2013 at the Wayback Machine http www calarchives4u com history history napa htm Archived 2009 03 27 at the Wayback Machine Napa History Gaughan Tim June 19 2009 Where the valley met the vine The Mexican period Napa Valley Register Napa CA Lee Enterprises Inc Retrieved September 30 2011 Dana Richard Henry Jr 1869 Twenty Four Years Later Bartleby com p 48 Dana s John Yount may have been George Yount s familiar name Bushnell writes that Yount said that he saw the sufferers near a huge perpendicular front of white rock cliff which an old hunter comrade identified as a location in the Carson Valley Pass south of Lake Tahoe and far from the actual location of the stranded Donner Party Nature and the Supernatural 1858 pp 475 476 Camp Charles L and Yount George C April 1923 The Chronicles of George C Yount California Pioneer of 1826 California Historical Society Quarterly Vol II No 1 pp 63 64 JSTOR 25177691 George Calvert Yount 1794 1865 Find A Grave Memorial Find a Grave Grave of George C Yount George Calvert Yount and Eliza Cambridge Wilds Descendants of George Calvert Yount Thomas Lewis Rutherford and Elizabeth Yount Yount Lewis and Clark 1966 George C Yount and his Chronicles of the West Old West Publishing Co Denver Ellen Lamont Wood 1941 George Yount The Kindly Host of Caymus Rancho Grabhorn Press San FranciscoExternal links Edit Wikimedia Commons has media related to Donner Party Find a Grave George Calvert Yount 1 Camp Charles L and Yount George C April 1923 The Chronicles of George C Yount California Pioneer of 1826 California Historical Society Quarterly Vol II No 1 https www jstor org stable pdf 25177691 pdf Retrieved from https en wikipedia org w index php title George C Yount amp oldid 1124802390, wikipedia, wiki, book, books, library,
