Ventura County Republican Project: History and Genealogy

Ventura County Republican Project: History and Genealogy

"A Memorial and Biographical History of the Counties of Santa Barbara, San Luis Obispo, and Ventura, California" (1891), page 329.

Mathew Atmore

Mathew Atmore, of Santa Paula, is another one of the many brave and worthy pioneers of the great State of California, and is justly entitled to honorable mention in a work of this character. A sketch of his life is as follows:

Mathew Atmore was born in England in 1837. His parents, Mathew and Maria (Pond) Atmore, were English people, and his father was a Methodist minister. The family came to America in 1846, when the subject of this sketch was nine years of age, and settled at Battle Creek, Michigan. There young Atmore was sent to school. When seventeen years old he ran away from home with an older brother, Charles (now of Denver), came across the plains to California, and went into the mines in El Dorado County, where he mined for a year, making $600 clear. They then returned to Michigan and remained at home during the winter. The following spring their father furnished them with money to come back to California, and when they reached the mines they were $600 in debt, which they paid after mining three months. The second year they engaged in freighting from Sacramento to Virginia. Some idea of the difficulties and expenses of freighting in those days may be obtained from the following facts: seven yoke of oxen and a large wagon cost $1,400; the cost per yoke to shoe the oxen was $7. Seven yoke of oxen were required to each wagon; their freight was heavy castings for stamp-mills, each wagon being capable of hauling six tons, and the price per pound for freighting being thirteen cents; in addition to the castings they also carried a ton of hay and a ton of ground feed; the roads down the mountain sides were very bad, and the grade so steep in some places that the rear wheels were run down with wooden shoes; the toll of these mountain roads was $40 for a single trip, and twenty-two days were required to make the journy. On two trips they brought back silver ore, in sacks of $250 each. On the last trip one of the sacks was stolen, and they afterward refused to take the risk of freighting silver. They followed this business two years, always receiving their pay in checks, the only kind they dare take, for the country was infested with thieves.

At this time the great war of the Rebellion burst upon the country, and when the news of the firing on Fort Sumter, and, later, the battle of Bull Run, reached the far West, the patriotic enthusiasm of every loyal man was fired, and each stood ready to serve his country. Mr. Atmore enlisted in 1861, in Company K, Second Cavalry, California Volunteers, and was in garrison in San Francisco until the following July. At that time, the Utah expedition was organized and placed under command of Colonel P. Edwin Conner of the Third Infantry. Six companies of cavalry and ten of infantry started for Salt Lake City July 10, 1862. In Nevada the expedition was reorganized, and in September the march was continued. They established Fort Ruby, and two companies were left to garrison the fort. At the Jordan River, forty miles south of Salt Lake City, they were met with orders from Brigham Young to proceed no farther. The answer sent to Mr. Young was that they would cross the Jordan River if hell were at the bottom. At sundown, October 10, the bugle sounded for dress parade. They formed inline when the answer was read, and the order given to march at 3 o'clock the next morning and take eighty rounds of cartridges; the artillery were to take all the ammunition they could carry. At 3 o'clock in the afternoon of the next day, they were in Salt Lake City. Mr. Atmore's company was in the advance, and as they entered the city there was not a Mormon in sight. They were hailed with delight by the American residents, and the Governor of the Territory made them a speech of welcome on the public square. On an eminence overlooking the city, two and a fourth miles away, with the mountains in the rear, with a splendid view of the country for forty miles in front and with a bountiful supply of water, they went into temporary quarters. They dug holes, ten feet square and four feet deep, and placed logs around the top, on which they built their tents. In these they passed the winter, and here they permanently established Fort Douglas, which still stands there, although efforts have been made for its removal. The object of this expedition was to protect the Americans at Salt Lake City from any rebellious movement on the part of the Mormons, and also to prevent the renegade Indians from their frequent deeds of murder and plunder. At this time their deeds had been formidable, and many American citizens had been surprised, murdered and robbed by them. There was a band of some 600 red men overrunning that part of the country, and the soldiers under Colonel Conner had had several skirmishes with them. Many of the soldiers had crossed the plains and had sustained not a little suffering from the hands of the Indians, one man having been scorched to the knees by them; and the determination of the commander was to punish the Indians for these outrages.

Colonel Conner waited until the snow was two feet deep, and the Indians had established their winter quarters, when he decided to make an attack. The Indian camp was 140 miles away, fourteen miles from the town of Logan, with only an Indian trail from Logan to the camp. The expedition consisted of 256 cavalry, and twenty-five infantry to escort the wagon train. They took one 12-pound howitzer, with six men, all under the command of Lieutenant Honeyman Hough. The distance was made in four days and nights, and the advance guard captured four Indians at the town of Logan, to prevent news of their arrival being carried to the camp. They left Logan in the evening and the next morning at sunrise drew up on the south bank of the Bear River, a quarter of a mile below the Indian camp. The river at the ford was three feet deep, with ice on either bank, and great difficulty was experienced in getting the broncos across. The Indians were ready to receive them, there being 1,100 in camp, men, women and children, with 600 braves, some of the latter being mounted and riding around in circles, as if to intimidate the whites. The order was given to dismount and charge, when within a short distance of the enemy. Mr. Atmore and his comrade took aim at the chief nearest them, and, without orders, fired, and the chief Bear Hunter, dropped from his horse. When within ten feet of the Indians, the order was given to fire. The fight lasted until about half-past nine o'clock. The Indians had had a black flag out all morning, indicated no quarter. About 10 o'clock a white shirt was hoisted in its place. The interpreter was ordered to tell the women and children to come out, and a call was made for ten volunteers to go down to the head of the ravine and keep them from escaping to the hills. Twelve went, Mr. Atmore being one of the number. They were met by forty Indians and a fierce conflict ensued. Inside of twenty minutes two of the whites were killed and four wounded. (Adolphus Roe, Company K, of Berrien County Michigan, and J. Adams, same company, Third Infantry, from Roxbury, Massachusetts, were the killed.) At this time the troops were ordered to close in, and in less than fifteen minutes the fight was over. Orders were given to kill the wounded Indians, and the men who had suffered by them in crossing the plains were not slow to obey the command. The Union loss was twenty-two killed and fifty-four wounded, out of a total of less than 300 men. Not more than 100 fighting Indians got away, the women and children were not molested, and the command returned with about 600 ponies; twenty-five of the best horses they could not catch, and they were shot. The camp was full of plunder and the soldiers were six days in returning to the fort. In the spring they started after Pocatello, the chief of the renegade Snakes, who, however, made good his escape. That summer they were engaged in fighting the Indians on the overland route. In October they made peace, and thus ended the Indian troubles. Mr. Atmore returned to Salt Lake City, was mustered out of service, and went East. Twenty-six of them paid a man $100 to take them to the Missouri River, and most of the way they found it necessary to walk to keep from freezing.

Mr. Atmore then settled in Van Buren County, Michigan, and remained there twelve years; then spent a winter in Nebraska, after which he came to Santa Paula, California, in 1876. He worked for two years by the day, and then bought a Government claim of sixty-two acres, located six miles east of Santa Paula. He also purchased a water-right and afterward sold a part of it for $3,000, reserving four inches of water. He then bought twenty-five acres of land at $100 per acre. He has here erected a comfortable home, surrounded by trees of his own planting.

Mr. Atmore was married in 1865 to Miss Mary E. Graham, a native of England. They have four children: Haidee, Grace D., Runsen D. and Frank. Mrs. Atmore was a delicate health before coming to this State, and the invigorating climate of Southern California has greatly benefited her, and her life has been prolonged. Mr. Atmore is a Republican and a worthy member of the Grand Army of the Republic.

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Descendants of Matthew Milton Atmore

1 Matthew Milton Atmore b: 1837 in England d: 1921 in Fillmore, Ventura County, California
.. +Mary Gorham b: 05 Mar 1844 in England m: 1866 in Michigan d: Abt. 1921 in Fillmore, Ventura County, California
........ 2 Haidee Bell Atmore b: 05 Jul 1867 in Pine Grove, Van Buren County, Michigan
............ +Harry Peyton b: 25 Jan 1858 in Canada m: Abt. 1889 in Ventura County, California d: Jun 1948 in Ventura County, California
................... 3 Lawrence Peyton b: 1890 in Ventura County, California
................... 3 Howard Peyton b: 1890 in Ventura County, California
................... 3 Sydney Peyton b: 1897 in Ventura County, California
................... 3 Dorothy Peyton b: 1904 in Ventura County, California
................... 3 Rodney Peyton b: 1896 in Ventura County, California
........ 2 Frank Atmore b: Jun 1870 in Calhoun, Michigan
........ 2 Grace Atmore b: Jul 1873 in Calhoun, Michigan


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History and Rootsweb genealogy compiled by Tony Larson and Jon Miller.