FORESTVILLE'S ROSS FAMILY FROM 1857

(Losson Ross)   (George Ross)   (Alfred Ross)

                                                                                             by Darleen Speer

There are some good resources on the history of the Ross family here in
Sonoma County, in the various Sonoma County History books of 1880, 1911,
1926 and 1936, along with land deeds to be found at the county recorder's
office, a genealogy and a short history of the immigrating family, compiled
in 1957, and donated by one of the descendants of "Tommy" Ross, and a
wonderful pioneer's history, published in Santa Rosa's "The Republican"
newspaper in the early nineteen hundreds, written by the wife of Tommy
Ross, Sarepta Turner, who had walked across the plains herself, as a small
child, with her family, during the early 1850's.
William Ross, his wife and family moved to Iowa from Indiana, about
1849,
and in the spring of 1850, two of his sons, James L. and Losson, went
across the plains to California, for the gold rush. Their father, William
and the rest of the family joined them there in the gold country in 1855,
and in January of 1857, they all came to Sonoma County and settled in Green
Valley, in Analy township, just a mile or so south of where the town of
Forestville would later form. The roads called Ross road, Ross Station
road, and Ross Branch road, are in the area where the family ranches were.
Losson Ross purchased the first property, 600 acres, from Josiah
Moren,
January 24, 1857, for $2700. Further purchases in the next three years by
family members included lands from such locally famous names as Julio
Carrillo, and John B.R.Cooper, although his deeds were signed by his
lawyer, Jasper O' Farrell, also locally famous. The land that Losson's
family settled can still be seen west of Gravenstein Hwy, going uphill
towards Forestville, from Mom's Apple Pie, the home was by the old arched
sign which reads "El Molino Rancho", which is still there.
A compiled genealogy, done by a descendant of "Tommy" Ross, gives a
short
history of the immigrating couple and the names of the children of William
Ross and his wife, Sarah Kay, who married in Indiana on Dec. 4, 1821. It
reads in part:
"William Ross, son of John and Sarah Ross (of Scotch ancestry) was
born in Tennessee. While he was still a young child, his parents moved to
Indiana, where they were amoung the early settlers of that section.
William became proficient as an agriculturist. He also learned the
gunmaker's trade, blacksmithing, and carraige making.
In 1821, he married Miss Sarah Kay, daughter of John and Janett Kay, a
native of Virginia. They set up housekeeping in Harrison Co., Indiana, and
William carried on farming and blacksmithing as a means of supporting his
family...all of the children of William and Sarah Ross were born on the
homestead in Harrison County.....
In 1849 the family moved to Bonaparte, Van Buren County, Iowa, where
William carried on in his trade of blacksmith and wagon-maker. Coming to
California in 1855, he joined his sons in Eldorado County. Two years
later, he located on a 100 acre ranch in Analy township, Sonoma County,
which his sons purchased and deeded to him.....
He was a member and active worker in the Methodist Episcopal Church.
His
wife was a devout member of the Seventh Day Adventist Church."
William Ross, March 6,1803-August 24,1874, and his wife Sarah Kay,
Feb.
26,1802-Nov.22,1884, had the following children: Elizabeth, 1822-1848,
married Thomas Williams; John K., 1824-1901, married Sarah Lewis; Hester
1826-1901, married William Miller; Losson, 1829-1908, married Sarah Meeks;
James L., 1830-1919, married Sophronia Martin Coon; Jesse, 1832-1914,
married Mary Herrington; Ellen, 1834-1901, married Delaney Gilbert; Mary
J., 1836-1888, married first Mr. Stephens, then Noah Turner; William
Thomas, known as "Tommy" Ross, 1842-1906, married Sarepta Turner.
Elizabeth, was the only child of William and Sarah,who didn't come to
California, as she died several years before they moved.
In Harrison county, Ind., Losson Ross was first married to Miss Martha
Inman, who died a victum of cholera the following year. In Eldorado
county, September 4, 1853, he married Miss Sidney Meeks, born in Beaver
county, PA., May 15,1833, the daughter of Robert and Sophronia (Baker)
Meeks, who came to California in 1852. Mr. and Mrs. Ross became the
parents of seven children. William D. leases fifty acres of the old
homestead, where he lives with his wife, formerly Hattie Lee, of
Forestville; Frank, farming near Santa Rosa, married Miss Annie M. Ayers;
Kemp L., owns and manages a ranch in Analy township; Irvine D., living on
the home place, chose as his wife Ida, the daughter of D. P. Gardner, of
Santa Rosa; George A., who has charge of the home ranch, married Miss Lena
L. Bach, and they with their three children, Mervyn F., Edwin and Leonard
B., live on the old homestead; Benjamin F., is a rancher in Sonoma county;
and Anna E., the wife of Elmer Davis, lives in Clarion county, PA.


William Thomas Ross, who was known as "Tommy" Ross, was born in 1842,
in
Harrison County, Ind., and came by ox team and wagon train, walking across
the great plains to California in the summer of 1855. He stayed with his
parents in Calaveras county for two years before moving to Analy township,
Sonoma County, in 1857. The land he purchased in what was called Green
Valley, is now on Ross Station Road. The "Electric" train, which ran from
Sebastopol to Forestville had a station right there, and this is where he
and his wife raised their eight children.
Tommy, May 22, 1842-April 5, 1906, married Sarepta Ann Turner, Oct.
10,
1848-Feb. 3, 1923, on 15th of December, 1864. Sarepta was born in Missouri
and at age five, leaving on April 18, 1853 with her parents, came by ox
team and covered wagon as far as Nevada where they spent the winter. In
April of 1854, they came to Mariposa county, and then on to Sonma county,
settling near Sebastopol. Her parents were Jonas Turner, born in Tenn. Jan
17, 1812-died Aug. 12, 1860, and Lewhettie Gilliam, born in Missouri, Nov.
24, 1819-died April 15, 1860. Both her parents are buried in the Gilliam
Cemetery near Graton. The Gilliam Cemetery at that time was the property
of Sarepta's maternal uncle, Mitch Gilliam.