Pioneer rancher, business woman, and humanitarian of the city of Roseville. Although born in the early 19th century, Elizabeth Atkinson broke the mold of what the usual expectations were for woman of that era. Her parents and family moved from New York to Illinois when she was still a young girl of seven. She attended schools in Illinois, including a Chicago seminary, later meeting and marrying a young man named Walter Fiddyment. They lived in Joliet, Illinois just over a year until Walter's untimely passing. At the age of 23, the young widow with her two year old son Walter, Jr., went west to California (via the grueling Panama route) along with her sister and brother-in-law. This was in the midst of the enormous western migration to California brought on by the Gold Rush. Elizabeth and family disembarked in San Francisco, quickly continuing on to the Sacramento region where another sister and brother-in-law lived. Elizabeth began farming alongside the family in true pioneer fashion and when she was offered a parcel of land "in the lush grass and oak-studded region of western Placer County in payment of a debt.......the beginning of an extensive ranching empire was begun." The young widow re-married in 1854 to George Hill. They became the parents of five children: Martha, John, Georgia and two children who died infancy. Sadly, she experienced the loss of her second husband seven years later, and once again was a widow. Despite the daunting tasks of raising her children and running the ranch, with great focus and fortitude, Elizabeth prevailed and then some. She donated land for the Pleasant Grove School and became the first teacher. "She was available at any hour of the day to administer to the needs of the infirm or sick in the neighborhood." She was affectionately called 'Aunt Jane' by some and in later years 'Grandma Atkinson'. At the age of 38, Elizabeth married her 3rd husband, Ashby Jones Atkinson; this marriage ended in divorce. Elizabeth continued as a 'mover and shaker' business woman in Roseville, recognizing Roseville's growing future as a railroad town that would provide work and homes to many new residents the years to come. She bought up land in the city of Roseville. There is an Atkinson Street and Atkinson tract in Roseville in her memory. She passed away in 1906 at the age of 75 years, and is buried in the Fiddyment family plot at Roseville Cemetery.
(Research for above bio from "Profiles: Out of the Past"(1982) by Roseville historian Leonard M. Davis
BIO in book
Sacramento County
Biographies
MRS. ELIZABETH J. ATKINSON MRS. E. J. ATKINSON was born in Lawrence county, N.Y., but when seven years of age was taken by her parents to Illinois, and it was in that state she received her education, attending the public schools and later spending some time at a young ladies' seminary in Chicago. After her school days were over she was married to Walter Fiddyment, who lived only fourteen months after their marriage, and left his widow with one child, Walter F. Fiddyment, a full account of whose career will be found elsewhere in this volume. In 1854, when her son was still a small lad, she came to California in company with a sister and brother-in-law, traveling first to New York city, then by steamer to the Isthmus of Panama, thence to San Francisco, from which city they traveled by boat to Sacramento. At this time the country was unsettled and deer, antelope and wild Spanish cattle roamed at will. Aside from the towns and mining camps the settlements were few and far between. Mrs. Fiddyment went to Placer county from Sacramento, where she has since resided, and where she has witnessed the many and remarkable changes which have taken place in this section of the country during the past half century.
During the year 1854 Mrs. Fiddyment was married to George Hill, an extensive farmer and stock raiser, and a plasterer and brick mason by trade. He came across the plains to this state when Sacramento boasted only a few dwellings, and followed his trade here for a number of years. A native of New York state, born in Onondaga county, in later years he removed to Wisconsin, from which state he came to California. Five children were born of this union, viz.: Martha F., who married Dr. Finney of Lincoln, this state; John A., a rancher who resides near Roseville; Georgia A., the wife of Robert E. Leavell, of Roseville, and two children deceased. Mr. Hill died September 3 1861, and is buried at Sacramento. He was a Master Mason, and had a brother in Wisconsin who took the thirty-third degree in Masonry.
In 1869 Mrs. Hill was married to Ashby Jones Atkinson, a native of Ohio, who crossed the plains and mountains to California during the time when the gold excitement was at its height. After reaching this state he followed mining for a number of years, then located at Roseville, Placer county, and engaged in farming, in which pursuit he continued the greater portion of his after life. He died October 3, 1903, and since that time his widow has managed her landed possessions and business alone. She owns about seven thousand acres of land in this county, and a large farm in Sacramento county, all of which is devoted to stock raising and general farming. During 1861 a great flood in the Sacramento valley drowned all of her cattle. She is a member of the Friendship Chapter of the Eastern Star of Lincoln, and is a well-informed and most estimable woman.
Transcribed by Joyce Rugeroni.Source: "History of the State of California and Biographical Record of the Sacramento Valley, California" by J. M. Guinn. Pages 1311-1312. Chapman Publishing Co., Chicago 1906.
Additional Fact
Jane obtained a legal separation from Atkinson in the Auburn court where she was able to keep all her assets. The marriage was apparently not a happy one.
Her birthdate is unknown, even her year. Age changes repeatedly in census records and such. She gets younger as she ages. 1850 census is probably most accurate.
See also
Walk with me, I want to tell you something - The Story of the Roseville Fiddyment Family Paperback – November 9, 2013
by Christina Richter (Author), David Fiddyment (Author)
(Research for above bio from "Profiles: Out of the Past"(1982) by Roseville historian Leonard M. Davis
BIO in book
Sacramento County
Biographies
MRS. ELIZABETH J. ATKINSON MRS. E. J. ATKINSON was born in Lawrence county, N.Y., but when seven years of age was taken by her parents to Illinois, and it was in that state she received her education, attending the public schools and later spending some time at a young ladies' seminary in Chicago. After her school days were over she was married to Walter Fiddyment, who lived only fourteen months after their marriage, and left his widow with one child, Walter F. Fiddyment, a full account of whose career will be found elsewhere in this volume. In 1854, when her son was still a small lad, she came to California in company with a sister and brother-in-law, traveling first to New York city, then by steamer to the Isthmus of Panama, thence to San Francisco, from which city they traveled by boat to Sacramento. At this time the country was unsettled and deer, antelope and wild Spanish cattle roamed at will. Aside from the towns and mining camps the settlements were few and far between. Mrs. Fiddyment went to Placer county from Sacramento, where she has since resided, and where she has witnessed the many and remarkable changes which have taken place in this section of the country during the past half century.
During the year 1854 Mrs. Fiddyment was married to George Hill, an extensive farmer and stock raiser, and a plasterer and brick mason by trade. He came across the plains to this state when Sacramento boasted only a few dwellings, and followed his trade here for a number of years. A native of New York state, born in Onondaga county, in later years he removed to Wisconsin, from which state he came to California. Five children were born of this union, viz.: Martha F., who married Dr. Finney of Lincoln, this state; John A., a rancher who resides near Roseville; Georgia A., the wife of Robert E. Leavell, of Roseville, and two children deceased. Mr. Hill died September 3 1861, and is buried at Sacramento. He was a Master Mason, and had a brother in Wisconsin who took the thirty-third degree in Masonry.
In 1869 Mrs. Hill was married to Ashby Jones Atkinson, a native of Ohio, who crossed the plains and mountains to California during the time when the gold excitement was at its height. After reaching this state he followed mining for a number of years, then located at Roseville, Placer county, and engaged in farming, in which pursuit he continued the greater portion of his after life. He died October 3, 1903, and since that time his widow has managed her landed possessions and business alone. She owns about seven thousand acres of land in this county, and a large farm in Sacramento county, all of which is devoted to stock raising and general farming. During 1861 a great flood in the Sacramento valley drowned all of her cattle. She is a member of the Friendship Chapter of the Eastern Star of Lincoln, and is a well-informed and most estimable woman.
Transcribed by Joyce Rugeroni.Source: "History of the State of California and Biographical Record of the Sacramento Valley, California" by J. M. Guinn. Pages 1311-1312. Chapman Publishing Co., Chicago 1906.
Additional Fact
Jane obtained a legal separation from Atkinson in the Auburn court where she was able to keep all her assets. The marriage was apparently not a happy one.
Her birthdate is unknown, even her year. Age changes repeatedly in census records and such. She gets younger as she ages. 1850 census is probably most accurate.
See also
Walk with me, I want to tell you something - The Story of the Roseville Fiddyment Family Paperback – November 9, 2013
by Christina Richter (Author), David Fiddyment (Author)
Pioneer rancher, business woman, and humanitarian of the city of Roseville. Although born in the early 19th century, Elizabeth Atkinson broke the mold of what the usual expectations were for woman of that era. Her parents and family moved from New York to Illinois when she was still a young girl of seven. She attended schools in Illinois, including a Chicago seminary, later meeting and marrying a young man named Walter Fiddyment. They lived in Joliet, Illinois just over a year until Walter's untimely passing. At the age of 23, the young widow with her two year old son Walter, Jr., went west to California (via the grueling Panama route) along with her sister and brother-in-law. This was in the midst of the enormous western migration to California brought on by the Gold Rush. Elizabeth and family disembarked in San Francisco, quickly continuing on to the Sacramento region where another sister and brother-in-law lived. Elizabeth began farming alongside the family in true pioneer fashion and when she was offered a parcel of land "in the lush grass and oak-studded region of western Placer County in payment of a debt.......the beginning of an extensive ranching empire was begun." The young widow re-married in 1854 to George Hill. They became the parents of five children: Martha, John, Georgia and two children who died infancy. Sadly, she experienced the loss of her second husband seven years later, and once again was a widow. Despite the daunting tasks of raising her children and running the ranch, with great focus and fortitude, Elizabeth prevailed and then some. She donated land for the Pleasant Grove School and became the first teacher. "She was available at any hour of the day to administer to the needs of the infirm or sick in the neighborhood." She was affectionately called 'Aunt Jane' by some and in later years 'Grandma Atkinson'. At the age of 38, Elizabeth married her 3rd husband, Ashby Jones Atkinson; this marriage ended in divorce. Elizabeth continued as a 'mover and shaker' business woman in Roseville, recognizing Roseville's growing future as a railroad town that would provide work and homes to many new residents the years to come. She bought up land in the city of Roseville. There is an Atkinson Street and Atkinson tract in Roseville in her memory. She passed away in 1906 at the age of 75 years, and is buried in the Fiddyment family plot at Roseville Cemetery.
(Research for above bio from "Profiles: Out of the Past"(1982) by Roseville historian Leonard M. Davis
BIO in book
Sacramento County
Biographies
MRS. ELIZABETH J. ATKINSON MRS. E. J. ATKINSON was born in Lawrence county, N.Y., but when seven years of age was taken by her parents to Illinois, and it was in that state she received her education, attending the public schools and later spending some time at a young ladies' seminary in Chicago. After her school days were over she was married to Walter Fiddyment, who lived only fourteen months after their marriage, and left his widow with one child, Walter F. Fiddyment, a full account of whose career will be found elsewhere in this volume. In 1854, when her son was still a small lad, she came to California in company with a sister and brother-in-law, traveling first to New York city, then by steamer to the Isthmus of Panama, thence to San Francisco, from which city they traveled by boat to Sacramento. At this time the country was unsettled and deer, antelope and wild Spanish cattle roamed at will. Aside from the towns and mining camps the settlements were few and far between. Mrs. Fiddyment went to Placer county from Sacramento, where she has since resided, and where she has witnessed the many and remarkable changes which have taken place in this section of the country during the past half century.
During the year 1854 Mrs. Fiddyment was married to George Hill, an extensive farmer and stock raiser, and a plasterer and brick mason by trade. He came across the plains to this state when Sacramento boasted only a few dwellings, and followed his trade here for a number of years. A native of New York state, born in Onondaga county, in later years he removed to Wisconsin, from which state he came to California. Five children were born of this union, viz.: Martha F., who married Dr. Finney of Lincoln, this state; John A., a rancher who resides near Roseville; Georgia A., the wife of Robert E. Leavell, of Roseville, and two children deceased. Mr. Hill died September 3 1861, and is buried at Sacramento. He was a Master Mason, and had a brother in Wisconsin who took the thirty-third degree in Masonry.
In 1869 Mrs. Hill was married to Ashby Jones Atkinson, a native of Ohio, who crossed the plains and mountains to California during the time when the gold excitement was at its height. After reaching this state he followed mining for a number of years, then located at Roseville, Placer county, and engaged in farming, in which pursuit he continued the greater portion of his after life. He died October 3, 1903, and since that time his widow has managed her landed possessions and business alone. She owns about seven thousand acres of land in this county, and a large farm in Sacramento county, all of which is devoted to stock raising and general farming. During 1861 a great flood in the Sacramento valley drowned all of her cattle. She is a member of the Friendship Chapter of the Eastern Star of Lincoln, and is a well-informed and most estimable woman.
Transcribed by Joyce Rugeroni.Source: "History of the State of California and Biographical Record of the Sacramento Valley, California" by J. M. Guinn. Pages 1311-1312. Chapman Publishing Co., Chicago 1906.
Additional Fact
Jane obtained a legal separation from Atkinson in the Auburn court where she was able to keep all her assets. The marriage was apparently not a happy one.
Her birthdate is unknown, even her year. Age changes repeatedly in census records and such. She gets younger as she ages. 1850 census is probably most accurate.
See also
Walk with me, I want to tell you something - The Story of the Roseville Fiddyment Family Paperback – November 9, 2013
by Christina Richter (Author), David Fiddyment (Author)
(Research for above bio from "Profiles: Out of the Past"(1982) by Roseville historian Leonard M. Davis
BIO in book
Sacramento County
Biographies
MRS. ELIZABETH J. ATKINSON MRS. E. J. ATKINSON was born in Lawrence county, N.Y., but when seven years of age was taken by her parents to Illinois, and it was in that state she received her education, attending the public schools and later spending some time at a young ladies' seminary in Chicago. After her school days were over she was married to Walter Fiddyment, who lived only fourteen months after their marriage, and left his widow with one child, Walter F. Fiddyment, a full account of whose career will be found elsewhere in this volume. In 1854, when her son was still a small lad, she came to California in company with a sister and brother-in-law, traveling first to New York city, then by steamer to the Isthmus of Panama, thence to San Francisco, from which city they traveled by boat to Sacramento. At this time the country was unsettled and deer, antelope and wild Spanish cattle roamed at will. Aside from the towns and mining camps the settlements were few and far between. Mrs. Fiddyment went to Placer county from Sacramento, where she has since resided, and where she has witnessed the many and remarkable changes which have taken place in this section of the country during the past half century.
During the year 1854 Mrs. Fiddyment was married to George Hill, an extensive farmer and stock raiser, and a plasterer and brick mason by trade. He came across the plains to this state when Sacramento boasted only a few dwellings, and followed his trade here for a number of years. A native of New York state, born in Onondaga county, in later years he removed to Wisconsin, from which state he came to California. Five children were born of this union, viz.: Martha F., who married Dr. Finney of Lincoln, this state; John A., a rancher who resides near Roseville; Georgia A., the wife of Robert E. Leavell, of Roseville, and two children deceased. Mr. Hill died September 3 1861, and is buried at Sacramento. He was a Master Mason, and had a brother in Wisconsin who took the thirty-third degree in Masonry.
In 1869 Mrs. Hill was married to Ashby Jones Atkinson, a native of Ohio, who crossed the plains and mountains to California during the time when the gold excitement was at its height. After reaching this state he followed mining for a number of years, then located at Roseville, Placer county, and engaged in farming, in which pursuit he continued the greater portion of his after life. He died October 3, 1903, and since that time his widow has managed her landed possessions and business alone. She owns about seven thousand acres of land in this county, and a large farm in Sacramento county, all of which is devoted to stock raising and general farming. During 1861 a great flood in the Sacramento valley drowned all of her cattle. She is a member of the Friendship Chapter of the Eastern Star of Lincoln, and is a well-informed and most estimable woman.
Transcribed by Joyce Rugeroni.Source: "History of the State of California and Biographical Record of the Sacramento Valley, California" by J. M. Guinn. Pages 1311-1312. Chapman Publishing Co., Chicago 1906.
Additional Fact
Jane obtained a legal separation from Atkinson in the Auburn court where she was able to keep all her assets. The marriage was apparently not a happy one.
Her birthdate is unknown, even her year. Age changes repeatedly in census records and such. She gets younger as she ages. 1850 census is probably most accurate.
See also
Walk with me, I want to tell you something - The Story of the Roseville Fiddyment Family Paperback – November 9, 2013
by Christina Richter (Author), David Fiddyment (Author)
Gravesite Details
There is the large Hill marker with her name on it, plus her own stone in the ground.
Family Members
Sponsored by Ancestry
Advertisement
See more Fiddyment Hill Atkinson or Crawford memorials in:
- Roseville Public Cemetery District Fiddyment Hill Atkinson or Crawford
- Roseville Fiddyment Hill Atkinson or Crawford
- Placer County Fiddyment Hill Atkinson or Crawford
- California Fiddyment Hill Atkinson or Crawford
- USA Fiddyment Hill Atkinson or Crawford
- Find a Grave Fiddyment Hill Atkinson or Crawford
Records on Ancestry
Advertisement
