He went West--early history of the McNear family

John Williams McNair passed away on July 30, 2021 not long after celebrating his 85th birthday, he lived a long and fruitful life and could be proud of his family's illustrious heritage. He also left behind a safe in his home in Boulder city Nevada. And in that

safe, apart from the usual important documents was a dusty old newspaper. Not just any newspaper, but one that was 237 years old, dated May 6, 1780. For a newspaper nearly as old as the country itself. We had hoped to interview john Williams for this family history

project, but it never happened before he died. And so there are many questions left unanswered and one of them is, what is the significance of this newspaper? Why is it seemingly remained in the family for over two centuries, Undoubtedly. The newspaper has some connection to the

family's history as sea captains in Maine in the 1700s. The newspaper itself is a shipping periodical called the new york packet and american advertiser published out of new york city. It is basically a listing of advertisements, ships arriving, import and looking to sell their cargo or

ships departing, looking for cargo to carry. They include various goods for sale french, brandy, irish linens, german, steel, Liverpool, soap, Havana, sugar, jamaican rum or Moroccan shoes. It also includes letters on the latest political developments from ports around the world, from Glasgow to constantinople, It also

includes laisser faire such as this notice found a stray a red cow. Despite the many ship captains mentioned in the paper, none of them is named Mcnair and there seems to be no obvious connection to the Mcnair's of Maine. So let's go back a bit into

the family history and see if we can unravel this mystery. Mm hmm. A lot was happening in May 1780 for the American Revolution had just ended with an American victory capped off by the signing of the Treaty of Paris. Just eight months earlier in September 1783,

George Washington was back at his farm at Mount vernon and Ben franklin and alexander Hamilton's. We're thinking about how to organize this new country called the United States of America. And the original john Mcnair was still living on his farm in sheep scott maine. There are

a lot of john Mcnair's in this story, so we will simply call him the original. Born in 1700. The original John McNair lived until 1797, dying at the ripe old age of 97. His wife Mary Shirley, born in 1715 lived until 1818, dying at the remarkable

age of 103. That's 200 years between the two of them, John had come to America in 1730 with two brothers William and Thomas Williams settled in Philadelphia Thomas in Nova Scotia and John in Maine. They were Scottish by heritage, but most likely had emigrated from the

province of ulster in northern Ireland. A number of Scottish people had emigrated from Scotland to Ulster in the 1600s to populate the new British colony. Historian David Que Cushman who wrote a book about the history of Newcastle Maine in 18 82 spoke to a direct descendant

of the original john Mcnair and she swore that he and his brothers were so called Orangemen, which refers to ulster Protestants who wanted to maintain the ascendancy of Protestants in northern Ireland Harsh economic and religious conditions in Ulster in the 1700s however, led many of them

to emigrate to America where they became known as Ulster Scots or simply Scots Irish. In december 17 36 john paid £25 for 86 acres of land along the dire river. In sheep scott maine, I recently visited sheep Scott and it seems largely unchanged from 300 years

ago. The old church and homes, the meandering salt marshes, the ancient sheep scott cemetery and even john's original plot of land still undeveloped. After all these years, the original john Mcnair was kidnapped on two occasions by native americans and taken to Canada to be ransomed. This

was during the french and indian war when the english and french were fighting for control of north America as maine was an english colony. Any resident was seen as a belligerent and could be captured and ransomed as a war prize. The first time John was kidnapped

was in the 1750s when he was taken at night along with two friends while driving his cows home from pasture. They were taken away and lodged in a Canadian jail. While his two friends died in jail, john made it out alive and returned to sheep scott

As described in Cushman's 1882 book. The original John McNair clearly had a good sense of humor quote when he had reached dark swamp hill where there was only a cow path, he saw one of his old neighbors and for a little amusement, he raised the indian

war, whoop the neighbor seeing as he supposed a veritable indian for Mcnair had on an indian dress, thought for sure that it was all over for him and exclaimed, Well, if I must go to Canada, I must great was his relief and joy when he found

that beneath the indian dress was the veritable body and spirit of Captain john Mcnair. They went home with quickened step to receive a joyous welcome end, quote The second time john was kidnapped and imprisoned, he nearly died Again from Cushman's 1882 book, quote, Mcnair was reduced

by the dysentery and slow fever and never expected to leave the prison again alive. But one morning, looking out through the crevice of the building, he saw some cat mint growing and asked a man to make a t of it. He did so and Mcnair took

a strong concoction of it, which immediately cured him and he was unable to return home end quote, john was nearly taken captive on a third occasion, but this time he successfully escaped. Keep in mind this is in the 1760s when John is over 60 years of

age. Again, we quote from Cushman quote, a third time near came near being taken upon the marshes. There were a number of men at work on the marshes round the point, westerly from the marsh bridge. Mcnair was left to the north and east of them, on

the opposite side of the creek. The indians, seeing him alone crept up and said. Now john, we got you again, John saw who was behind him, dropped his fork and with a leap across the brook, exclaiming, I'll bet half a ton of thatch on that and

escaped. End, quote John Mcnair was reported to be a noted man who was very pious, wrote Cushman and he had served as the community's first town clerk. But the historian who had reviewed the town's early records was not entirely impressed with john's recordkeeping quote. He was

a poor speller, a poor penman, a bad grammarian, and his records are brief and without beauty or flourish. End quote. Well, I guess if you can survive two kidnappings and leap over a brook to escape a third. Perhaps your penmanship might suffer while Cushman refers to

the original john Mcnair as captain. Other historians point out that there was little evidence that he served as the captain of any ship. And note that his gravestone does not include the inscription, captain. He did, however, produce many offspring who became ship captains and whose own

offspring also took to the sea. Another misrepresentation often repeated is that the more famous John Augustus McNair born some years later in 1832, was the sixth generation of McNair's, all of whom had been ship captains from Maine and all of whom had been named John this

is not entirely true. John augustus was in fact the fifth generation of Mcnair's in America and while his father and grandfather were ship captains and named john, his great grandfather was instead a James. The original John McNair and his wife Mary had 10 Children. One of

them was john Jr but one of them was our ancestor James. He was born in 17 43 and married Lydia erskine. Beginning a long connection between the near family and the erskine family. James and his brother, John Jr would both be lost at sea in 1779.

This of course could be one explanation for the mysterious old newspaper from 1784, was this the day when the family had learned definitively that their father James had been lost at sea. We have few details on the ship that James and his brother sailed on, but

is there in these old pages some reference to that ill fated ship. It's hard to say Before he died at Sea. James McNair had a son John A. McNair born in 1777. He would later marry Anne Erskin Betsy, He also served in the war of 1812.

When he like the original John McNair was captured and imprisoned this time at the Dartmoor Prison in England for two years. John A. McNair survived the war and went on to have 12 Children, But he too was lost at sea in 1829. This was an all

too familiar refrain for the Children of the original john Mcnair as the historian Gerald Dudek wrote in quote, a history of the main Mcnair's in 2000 and seven, quote, practically every seagoing mail in the 2nd 3rd and even fourth generation was lost at sea end. Quote,

Most of the Mcnair's were so called coasters, applying the sea along the US coast from Maine to charleston south Carolina, but as Dudek notes, quote, the coasting trade was considered more dangerous than either the transatlantic or the Far East trade end. Quote John Augustus McNair was

born in 1832 in Wiscasset Maine, just south of sheep Scott, and he was the great great grandson of the original John McNair, He too became a sea captain taking command of the brick Tiberius in 1852, when he was just 20 years old, but john augustus proved

himself to be a better businessman than a sea captain, and after his first voyage, he sold not only the cargo, but the vessel itself, both at a huge profit. The owners rewarded him with a second command. The square rigged schooner Catherine, which he soon exchanged for

the jasper, which traded along the coast from Maine to new york. In 1850 for John Augustus married Clara D. Williams, the daughter of his second cousin, George B. Williams. In that same year john set sail for new Orleans with his new bride and soon became part

owner of a sawmill on the Pascagoula River, about 100 miles east of New Orleans. The ship he sailed on from Maine carried machinery for the New Mill, and John Augustus helped erect the new facility and was soon rafting logs down the river for $2 per trip.

Later he purchased a vessel for the mill owners and was transporting logs between Pascagoula and New Orleans. In 1856, John's second cousin and now father in law George B. Williams sent him a letter along with a hand drawn map of the Petaluma Creek in Sonoma county

California. Some years earlier, George had left the family farm in Maine to follow his younger brother out to California, who had gone west with the Great Gold Rush of 1848. George left his family back in Maine, his wife marketable and their younger Children, but when he

made the long journey home to retrieve them, he found that they had already departed for California ahead of him Like two ships, literally passing in the night George Williams sold the family farm and all their possessions to make their permanent home in California. Unfortunately the gold

rush busted nearly as quickly as it boomed. But George wound up in the burgeoning riverside town of Petaluma and opened up one of its first hotels, the American hotel. And then one day he sent a letter and a map to his son in law, john Augustus

Mcnair could immediately see the economic opportunity. The map of Petaluma looked an awful lot like Wiscasset Maine or for that matter Pascagoula, Mississippi, an inland town along a navigable river that was connected to a large bay and thus to the wider world, john augustus was so

intrigued by both the map and the tales of fortune from his father in law that he decided to set sail for Petaluma with his wife Clara. Meanwhile john's younger brother, George Washington Mcnair had joined him at the sawmill in Pascagoula, and while he desperately wanted to

follow his older brother out to California, john told him he needed to stay back and look after their business interests in Mississippi john augustus decided to return home to maine before departing for California. Perhaps like the original john Mcnair john augustus had an uncanny ability to

avoid disaster. It would happen on several occasions throughout his life. In this case he put all of his belongings on a ship bound for boston, But rather than boarding the ship himself with his wife Clara, he paid the extra $75 fare to travel over land first

by coach to Montgomery Alabama and then by train to Boston. Meanwhile the ship with all of their belongings disappeared in a storm off the atlantic coast, never to be seen again. In the fall of 1856, John Augustus and Clara set sail for California. There was no

transcontinental railroad at the time. So the easiest way to the west coast was by ship. They first sailed to Panama, but as there was no Panama canal yet, they had to cross the isthmus by coach and then catch another ship to san Francisco, where they arrived

on november 3rd 18 56 John Augustus arrived with $3,000 in capital, a decent sum at the time, and he immediately began investing in real estate, loaning out money and doing merchandizing. In 1857 he bought an interest in a livery stable with a partner, and in 1859

he bought a warehouse for grain and produce. In 1860, he sent for his younger brother, George Washington McNair, who sold their interest in the sawmill and followed his older brother out to California. The Mcnair brothers had left at just the right time had they stayed, it's

likely the civil war would have decimated all their holdings in Mississippi. The Petaluma Historical library and museum has recently come into possession of some fascinating letters written to john augustus Mcnair during his early years in petaluma. Most of them are from his father back in maine

john Albert Mcnair, like any parent, most of them are pleased to come back home Be back in two or three years. He wrote to his son on January 8, 1857. I don't think much of California nor ever did for there are ups and downs there as

well as in other places. If a man has money, he can make money anywhere. Arnelle Greenleaf came here seven years ago with a cow and now he's worth $20,000 right in Wiscasset. He has done as well as in California. I hope you will sell out and

come back to your native place among your friends. End quote. The father also offered some helpful fatherly advice. Quote, john a Mcnair, whatever you do in Petaluma, do it honorably and fairly with all men and take a high and honorable stand in all of your doings,

deal justly with all men and trust to no man's word, end quote. He signed his letters as always. Your father and friend john Mcnair In a letter. The following year 1858, John Albert McNair back in Maine asked his son if he still had a family coat

of arms that he had taken with him to California. Quote, If you have it, keep it, my great grandfather's name was john one of the first settlers of sheep scott The engines carried him away to Canada two times. So you may keep it to remember the

name. He was a smart man in his day, not to be beat by anyone. End quote in february 18 60 the Mcnair's of Maine wrote to john and Clara again with more. Please for them to return home. Quote, I should like to see you and Clara

and those two little boys wrote the father referring to their two young sons. I hope you will come back and bring them with you. I don't believe there is anyone on earth who thinks more of their Children than I do. End quote. He also noted that

john's younger sister, josephine had needed a jacket for one of the boys and was sending it to Petaluma quote, The snow is about a foot deep but good sledding. The father concluded in his letter, we have had some cold days, but not so blustery as it

was when you slid around the hills in old Wiscasset. Mm hmm. But the opportunities out west were too attractive to bring john augustus Mcnair back to Maine. Sonoma County soon became a major agricultural region. First it was timber, then potatoes and eventually grain john augustus. Mcnair's

instincts. We need first seen that hand drawn map of Petaluma were spot on Petaluma soon became the central terminus for the curious agricultural production where it was loaded on the schooners sailed down the Petaluma River to san Pablo bay and then on to Oakland or san

Francisco where it could be consumed locally or exported around the world. In 1864 John Augustus and his brother George built a large brick building in Petaluma, one of the largest warehouses in the state and the first one to employ the extensive use of concrete. In 1865,

John Augustus launched the fast and commodious steamer, Josie McNair named after his younger sister to take passengers and freight from Petaluma to san Francisco. At the time, passenger service had been controlled by the Mint earn line run by the wealthy but highly unpopular Charles. My intern

who charged the exorbitant fare of $2.50. The introduction of the Josie McNair immediately dropped this to just 50 cents and John Augustus became a local hero for breaking up the mint earn monopoly. Between 1856 and 1866, Clara gave birth to five boys, Most of them sadly

died in infancy and only one of them George. Plummer McNair born in 1857 survived into Adulthood. Clara herself died in January 1866 after the birth of her 5th child, Herbert, who died several months later. Clara was originally buried in a cemetery within the city of Petaluma,

but it was in a location that was prone to flooding. So john augustus walked west of town into the hills to find a suitable dry spot for the burial of his beloved wife, he soon found it and established the cypress hill memorial park, he never wanted

to call it a cemetery. They're on the highest point stands a simple obelisk where Clara was first laid to rest and where generations of Mcnair's are now buried, john Williams Mcnair will eventually join his parents, his brothers and his ancestors on this majestic crest overlooking the

town of Petaluma. Later that same year, in August 1866, John Augustus McNair escaped death himself once again when he survived a horrific explosion of a steam locomotive at the train depot in Petaluma. The blast claimed several lives and john would later recount that had he not

bent over to tie a shoe, the blast fragments would have most certainly killed him. In May of the following year, 1867, John Augustus married Hattie S. Miller, whose family was originally from Alsace France, had his grandfather, John Miller had served 20 years in the French Army

under Napoleon and was there for the burning of Moscow in 1814, john augustus and Hattie went on to have two Children of their own john a Mcnair Jr and erskine baker Mcnair. They also moved into what was described as a handsome and substantial residence on 4th

Street in Petaluma. The property would later be donated to the city of Petaluma and reconstituted as a U. S. Post office In 1868, John Augustus acquired a large piece of property alongside the San Pablo Bay farther south from Petaluma in marin county and just northeast of

the city of san rafael. He christened it Mcnair's point And it was soon expanded to over 2500 acres As railroads began to expand in northern California. In the late 19th century, John Augustus was concerned that Petaluma might be bypassed. He acquired Mcnair's Point in part to

serve as a deepwater terminus for the new railroads, giving them direct access to San Pablo Bay. Later he also established a factional beach resort at the nearest point and part of it would later be donated to the county and exist today as a public park called

Mcnair's Beach. Mcnair's point also had some of the best clay in the state and soon a quarry was established along with the brick factory, which still functions today run by descendants of john and had his son erskine baker Mcnair. There was also a large colony of

chinese immigrants living near Mcnair's point, Many of whom had first come over to help build the Transcontinental railroad in the 1860s. There, they engaged in shrimp farming here is local historian john Sheehy talking about john augustus Mcnair and his unique relationship with the chinese if you

dive into it. And that was chinese labor, which john employed a lot and they worked the brick yards and they also worked his shrimp in business down there. They had a major shipping operation or Endpoint and he used chinese labor which became a a point of

contention here in the 18 seventies when the recession hit and there were a lot of labor strikes and that's when the anti chinese anti coolie leaks started up. And he was one of the, he's probably one of the few businessmen who, who took the side of

the chinese because everyone wanted to run them out of town, especially the working class irish and whatnot. Um and he stood up for them and he actually made this proposal to create a colony east of town which would be a chinese colony they would live in

so they could provide labor and whatnot. And that was rejected by the other city business leaders. Yeah, while john augustus was always mr inside attending to the affairs in Petaluma, his younger brother George Washington Mcnair was always mr outside attending to their affairs in Oakland and

handling the export of green supports around the world. In 1874, they amicably ended their partnership and George would go on to become known as the wheat king of the Pacific. He became very prominent in business and in social circles and at one point on some 25

warehouses with a capacity of more than eight million bushels of grain. George would later be buried in Colma California near san mateo also in a fairly modest burial plot john and had his son john a Mcnair JR received his medical training at cooper Medical College, largely

due to the urging of his mother. But his real love was the stage when his father built a new building in 1911 next door to the regal Mcnair building, which had originally been built in 18 86 john A JR took over the Mystic Theater on the

first floor and stage vaudeville performances and later some of the first silent films of the era. The Mystic Theater still operates today as mostly a venue for live music. It stands right next door to Mcnair's pub, which is an unusual homage to a family who are

known as strict teetotalers staunchly opposed to the drinking of alcoholic beverages. As George Washington, Mcnair moved on to become the weak king of the pacific john augustus soon found a new partner in his business. His own son George plumber, or G. P. Mcnair At just 19

years old, G. P. was pulled out of school just two weeks before graduation to run a family owned flour mill in Petaluma. He successfully turned it around and soon started his own feed and grain supply business. In the mid 1880s G. P. back to local entrepreneur

and inventor Lyman Bice, who had invented a chicken incubator that allowed young chicks to be incubated with the warmth of artificial light rather than underneath the mother hen. This eventually allowed Petaluma to become known as the chicken capital of the world and GPS applied feed and

capital to the many farmers who took up chicken and egg production In 18 80 G. P. Mcnair married jenny M. Otis and a year later they welcomed a baby girl. Clara named after Gps departed mother Clara D Williams now buried at cypress hill, Tragically, Gps wife

Jenny was killed in 1883 when a steamboat exploded while ferrying passengers down the Petaluma River on its way to San Francisco. Four years later in 1887, G. P. married Ida Belle Denman, daughter of a prominent family in town for her and his growing family, G. P.

Acquired a grand residence and named it Bellevue in honor of IDa belle. It was located just south of downtown Petaluma overlooking the river. Soon the home was filled with four additional Children, two girls, Miriam and Louise and two boys, Ezekiel Denman and George Plummer Mcnair jr

john augustus and his son G. P. Also became very active in civic affairs. They donated land and money for local parks and schools. They helped start the town's first water utility and founded the prominent Sonoma county Bank whose regal edifice can still be appreciated today. They

also helped start the Petaluma and santa rosa Electric Railway which took passengers around the county in ease and comfort. John augustus also became Petaluma leading booster recruiting many new factories to town, including a silk mill, a shoe factory, a tannery, a creamery, a cold storage plant,

a woolen mill, a box factory, a lumber mill and a petroleum plant. Here is local historian john Sheehy talking about some of john's busta ring efforts. He was always trying to raise money for his projects here in town. Like the factory, he would put up money

for these facts. The factory district is another really fascinating thing to me. He he owned the land on the east side of Petaluma and then he sponsored these factories from Oakland and san Francisco to come up here and he gave them free land and he provided

with cheap bricks from the brickyard. Um and he even raised money locally that they would get some money to settle here. And his whole vision was to make this the Oakland which was the factory district and the Oakland and the bay in the north bay. John

Augustus also constructed the McNair Canal which ran parallel to the river but which avoided all those twists and turns that he had seen when he first received that hand drawn map back in 1856, he had plans to extend the canal all the way to black point

and so allow larger ships to make it all the way to Petaluma. But this never came to fruition. It would be hard to call john augustus Mcnair a sportsman, but he thoroughly enjoyed the new sport of bicycle riding. Quote john a Mcnair has taken the biking,

reported the Petaluma courier in May 18 96. On Wednesday he purchased a 22 inch frame 96 model theory and now says that he is in it with the rest of the boys end, quote john augustus could often be found in suit and top hat. Careening down

the town's main thoroughfare. His reckless riding, however, did cause some alarm and the city soon passed a new ordinance forbidding the riding of a bicycle, quote without hands. In another newspaper article from 18 96 it was reported that quote, John A Mcnair has challenged Doctor A

Anderson for an old man's bicycle race and the doctor has accepted the race will take place at the bike track during the big meet on the fourth of july end quote while we don't know exactly who won that race, we can assume that John augustus Mcnair

thoroughly enjoyed himself and perhaps crossed the finish line without hands. G. P. Mcnair always regretted not finishing high school, so he made sure that his own Children would both finished high school and attend college. The daughters, Clara Miriam and Louise went to high school locally and

then attended the Mills College for women in Oakland. The Sun's Denman and George Jr attended the Hitchcock Military Academy in san rafael. George Jr was clearly a precocious student as he graduated from high school in 1908 the same year as his older brother Denman McNair. While

Denman was class valedictorian and captain of the cadets. George JR was just 16 years old when he graduated. Both George Jr and Denman went on to the university of California at Berkeley, but after just one year George Jr transferred to Cornell University out east to study

mechanical engineering. When George Jr returned home for the summer of 1910, the local newspaper reported quote, the young Petaluma is doing splendid work at the University and expects to make a good record end quote. George JR joined the Alpha delta phi fraternity and competed on the

varsity rowing team at nearly six foreign height. He was well suited for the task and the team went on to win many regattas in the summer of 1912, George JR left Ithaca new york to go on a trip of college delegates to a conference in lima

Peru As air travel was not yet a possibility and the Panama Canal was not yet completed. George took a similar route as his grandfather John Augustus McNair had taken some 56 years earlier when he first went to California first taking a ship down to the isthmus

of Panama, Then crossing over this time by train and finally boarding another ship, which sailed down the south american coast to Peru. George JR had several engineering jobs after graduating from Cornell first with an engineering firm in new york, where he helped build a factory and

powerhouse in Verona New Jersey. Next he worked for the New York Central Railroad 1st in New York and then in Indiana. At one point he was put in charge of performing a survey of the entire line. Later he worked for the chemical company Dupont at their

massive installation at Carney's Point New Jersey and then for the prominent engineering firm of Westinghouse Church incur where he helped build a test firing range for the Savage arms company of Utica, new york maker of the Lewis machine gun. That last assignment was an indication that

war was on, in this case, World War I. And while the war had started in 1914, the United States did not formally enter the conflict until 1917. In May of that year, George Junior volunteered for the new york engineers, which was one of the first units

slated to be deployed to France. But before George departed, he was married to Elizabeth Graham McKenzie, the daughter of a prominent architect in new york Clinton. Mackenzie. Elizabeth had spent the previous summer in san Francisco and this is likely where she and George had first met.

She too was preparing for the war effort, studying to be a Red Cross nurse at the new york presbyterian hospital. The wedding took place at the Calvary Church in Manhattan on June 29, 1917. Just a week after their engagement had been announced because George Jr was

about to be sent overseas. Elizabeth wore a satin gown, one worn by both her mother and grandmother and George's brother, Denman stood in his best man newspapers described the father of the bride as being quote, one of the foremost architects in new york, while the groom's

family was said to be quote pioneers of Petaluma and one of the leading families of the northern part of the state. Once stationed in France George junior was assigned to the chief of engineers and traveled all over the country inspecting transportation and other facilities. Certainly aided

by the fact that he spoke french fluently. On June 18, 1918, the Petaluma newspaper reported that a telegram had been received reporting that the two McNair Brothers, George and Denman had met each other for the third time since arriving in France, Denman was serving in a

field artillery unit. The paper concluded, quote, the message, of course, did not say where they met, But it is safe to predict. The meeting of the brothers near the front was a splendid one end quote. Mhm. The following day, June 19, 1918, John Augustus McNair passed

away at the age of 86 quote, The history of Petaluma bears upon its pages no name more honored than johnny Mcnair reported the Petaluma Argus courier quote. He had acquired great wealth by hard work and good business judgment, but wealth did not change him. He remained

the same and was a friend to everyone. His generosity to the less fortunate was marked. He gave freely and the feature of his charity was that he was a silent giver end quote despite a formal request from the family to not send flowers. The local newspaper

reported that, quote, the rooms of the stately home were filled with the fragrance of the most elegant floral offerings ever seen in this city end quote. One of them was a wreath gifted by students of the point Pedro school which john had established at Mcnair's Point.

Later the flowers were moved to the Mcnair burial plot at the Cypress Hill memorial Park where he would be buried next to his first wife, Clara D Williams. The flowers will in time lose their beauty and their fragrance and will wither away, wrote the Petaluma Argus

courier. But the memory of john A Mcnair will be perpetuated as long as the city stands and the good deeds he has done will endure more lasting than any monument for on every side. There are evidences of his handiwork, his farsightedness, his prophetic glimpses into tomorrow

and he will never for one instant be forgotten as long as Petaluma exists and Petaluma is live end quote. The funeral service was described as beautiful simplicity and entirely devoid of any display, just as he would have desired. One editorial in the local newspaper, harking to

the world War that was currently raging, provided a fitting epitaph on the life of john augustus Mcnair quote when a soldier dies at the front, his comrades say he has gone west in the old state of maine. When friends asked for Mr john Amos near others

said he has gone west. Maybe not in Petaluma say the same. He has gone west. For he turned his face westward toward the beautiful pacific and the setting sun and went to sleep. Mhm. Mhm. Right. Mhm, mm hmm. Thank you. Mm

hmm, mm hmm.