John Silveira Sedros 1865-1950

John Silveira Sedros was born in the Azores Islands on the Island of Pico in the town of Piedade within the parish of Ribierinha on March 4, 1865.

John left his native islands to come to America in 1882 at age of 17 and followed the agriculture work eventually up through the Sacramento Valley; Hawkinsville, Siskiyou Co.; and finally arriving in the Happy Camp area in 1897 to work at the Minnie Reeves Ranch. At this ranch he met Alice Swearingen who was also working for Mrs. Reeves. Happy Camp was a small mining and farming community of Siskiyou County in far northern California.

Three years later the couple married on March 4, 1900. After their marriage they soon took up homestead rights on a ranch not far from the Swearingen Ranch on Indian Creek. Here they raised their seven children, one son, and six daughters, Mary, John Jr., Alice, Rosie, Grace, Daisy, and Nina.

John’s expertise in ranching was reflected in the fruit and other produce that they raised with the hard work of the entire family, that plowed, planted, harvested and then preserved what they grew. They also sold produce to local residents. They kept hives of bees that not only helped to pollinate orchards but to have ample fresh honey available. An apple-storage building kept apples nearly year around, built near the barn partly underground with thick walls so to keep temperatures cool, which was a favorite place for visiting grandchildren. John’s apple-cider was always a treat to all visitors.

The ranch also had a huge barn where hay was stored after it was cut, raked, stacked and hauled, all with horse team and family labor. Cows provided milk and fresh cream for the table as well as for Mrs. Sedros’ recipes, which filled the long family table three times a day. Benches for sitting were on the long sides of the table for the children and chairs were at either end for John and Alice.

The ranch also created its own electricity, enough to run lights for the house as well as the barn and other out buildings with waterpower with waterwheel in a ditch from East Fork of Indian Creek. A big metal arm was installed on the porch of the house that controlled the gate in the ditch, by pulling on this handle water was sent to the wheel and slowly the lights would come on, all at the same time from the barn to the house. Also they would all go off at the same time, and when John said, “Lights Out” that is what happened.

The couple celebrated their 50^th Wedding Anniversary on March 4, 1950 with a large family gathering at the ranch and they cut a huge tiered cake that they served with apple cider. Seven months after that, on October 26, 1950 John passed away in his big chair after sitting himself down after eating his breakfast.

Genealogy notes:-- John was one of four siblings to come to America: Manuel Silveira Cedros, also settled in Siskiyou County and married Maria Azevedo. One of their sons, Albert married Delphine Lemos in 1923 and raised their family in the area of Gazelle; John and Manuel’s two sisters, Rosa de Jesus Cedros Periera, and Maria de Jesus Cedros Pimentel also settled in California. The spelling of the name of Sedros or Cedros was never really determined why they were not spelled the same, probably due to immigration spellings at time of entry into this country.

The four siblings were born to Manuel Silveira do Cedros and Bemarda Mariana de Jesus. The paternal grandparents were Jose Silveira and Rita Jacinta; and the maternal grandparents were Joao Leal Mendes and Maria de Jesus.

Listed on the Immigrant Ship SS Vega arriving in New York July 11, 1891 was passenger # 172 John Sedros, age 26, last residence named America and destination, New York; on the same ship was passengers #147 and #148, Joao Leal Mendes and Maria Mindeo (Mendes) ages 74 and 73, last residence, Fayal, destination New York, these being the maternal grandparents of John and his siblings. This voyage for John was evidently his second, since he was returning to America with his grandparents on this vessel.

John and Alice Sedros with six of their seven children before the birth of Nina in 1914.