The See family of San Luis Obispo and their origins

The See Family: Background

In San Luis Obispo County, California the See family is a well remembered pioneer family. Their often outrageous exploits are sometimes hard to reconcile with the upstanding middle-class image that they themselves presented forward to society. In searching their roots, I have discovered a rich and well documented history of this family that probably arrived in Pennsylvani and pushed Westward living for nearly 100 years on the fringe of American civilization.
There is quite a bit of material on various See famlies in the New World, though the ancestors of the San Luis Obispo family have not received any genealogial attention until recently. I am greatly indebt to the hard work and generousity of both Mrs. Mildred Edgerton and Mr. Hal McCawley whose contributions have allowed me to easily identify my line amongst the many See families in the United States.
I should first address one of the biggest myths that have become common lore concerning the See family of San Luis Obispo County. For many years people have associated the Sees with the California based candy company See's Candy. See's was founded by a Canadian, the son of a Mrs. Mary See who has no connection in any way to the See family of San Luis Obispo. Many stories have been circulated that Mary See was the sister of Rachel See Calloway, but this is clearly untrue, if not by the fact that Mary See was not born a "See" but married one, certainly by the fact that neither Mary nor her husband trace their origins to California, Indiana, or Kentucky.

Martin See of Rockingbridge County, Virginia

Martin See is the patriarch of the See family of San Luis Obispo. We first find Martin in Rockingbridge/Augusta Counties of Virginia. This area was part of the Virginia Valley, a large area that was populated by many German and Scot-Irish people from the North. I have not done a great deal of working on the records of this area, but it appears that a Martin Sea and John Sea are on the tax rolls for 1778 in Rockbridge county. Rockbridge was carved out from Augusta county and turning to Augusta records we find "Martin Sea" named in a deed dated the 25th of April 1772. The unusual name of "Sea" indicates that these various Martin Sea/See entries are most likely the same man. The most important record of Martin Sea is his will which was written on the 25th of December 1807 in Rockbrige and proved on the 2nd of February in 1807. This instrument names his wife Margaret, who is earlier identified as a second wife in a marriage contract dated the 05th of August 1785; Margaret had been married to David Stokes. Martin's will also names his children: Dolly Kender, Mary Lemons, John Nauls Sea, Conrd Sea, and George Sea [ref: O.F. Morton, "Rockbridge Co., VA " (1922), pg. 528]. John Nauls Sea and his brother Conrad are identified in the probate as of Kentucky; helping to establish their identity in that state.
It is assumed that Martin Sea came from Pennsylvania, since most of the Germans who came to the Virginia Valley originated from that State. From the Revolutionary War Pension Applications of Martin's children John See and Dolly Kinder (Kender) it can be establish that the family did come from Pennsylvania, since both identify their place of birth as Pennsylvania. Dolly states her place of birth as Berks County; however, John's pension states "Parks", which is not a known county of that State. It is assumed that since John did not write his own claim letter, that "Parks" was a transcription mistake and should have been "Berks". Mrs. Mildred Egerton's research has identified a possible record in Pennsylvania for Martin. In 1768, a Martin Seh is listed in the tax records for Maxatawny township of Berks County, PA; corroborating Dolly Sea Kinder's claim application. Earlier records that are a little more difficult to positively identify as Martin, is a records of Johan Mar. Say who arrived in Philadelphia on the 07th of October 1743 on board the ship "St. Andrew" and signed an oath. In 1744, the records of New Hanover Lutheran Church, Falkner Swamp, Berks County show that Johan Martin Saeh (sic) was in attendence and was the servant of Andreas Kebner. On the 06th of June 1756, Johan Martin Sea and his wife Elizabeth HESSLERIN are recorded as baptising their son Johannes See at the Zion (Moselum) Evangelical Lutheran Church, Richmond Township, Berks County, PA. John See, son of Martin of Rockingbridge, states his birth as the 06th of June 1755 in his Revolutionary War Pension. The coincidence of date and the close ness in the stated year is unlikely to be a coincidence, especially considering the numerous circumstancial evidence.
From research concerning the children of Martin See, it appears clear that Dolly, John, and Conrad are his children by Elizabeth Hesslerin. Not enough information is known of the other two children George and Mary to determine if they were children of Elizabeth or of Martin's second wife. The known children for Martin are as follows:

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John See (1755-1837) of Montgomery County, Kentucky

John See left three important records that help us identify him. His Revolutionary War Pension, his will, and the recording of his residence as Kentucky in the probate of his father Martin Sea of Rockbridge. The most detailed record of John and his life is contained in the letters of petition for his Revolutionary War Pension which he filed on teh 01st of October 1832 in Montgomery County, Kentucky. The National Archives have mistakenly filed this petition under the name John "Lee"; however, tax records for Montgomery county of that time do not show a John Lee and local historians in Montgomery have recognized this petition as John "See" and in doing so have also posted a commmemorative plaque stating his war service at the County Court House in Mt. Sterling. Having read the application itself, I can clearly see that it is for John See; however, it is not unusual for the name to be transcribed as "Lee" due to the similarity in the cursive "L" and "S" of that time. In the pension John states his name, day of birth and place of birth, as I have discussed earlier in the Martin Sea section. Unfortunately, he does not name his parents or siblings. He does states that at age 13, he moved to Augusta County, Virginia and in 1782 volunteered for a term of nine months in teh Virginia Militia under Capt. Bucchannon and Col. Bowyare. John was present at the surrender of Cornwallis in 1782. John also states he moved to Kentucky about 1786 and lived near Lexington before settling in Montgomery County, Kentucky. Turning to Montgomery County tax records, we find John See living along Sycamore Creek on 150 acres which is identified as "second rate land". In 1830, John obtains a slave, but before that year there is no evidence of slave ownership.
John See wrote his will on teh 23rd of March 1837 and the will is proved in August Court of that same year. John names wife Polly, granddaughter Emily Howard, and lists his children. John's estae was divided on teh 22nd of March 1838 [ref: Order Book, A-1, pg. 152].

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Joseph See (c1787-1852) of Kentucky, Indiana, & Missouri

There is not a great deal of family oral history concerning Joseph See, though there are many stories concerning his children. Some researchers have been skeptical about the identification of Joseph See of Monroe County, Indiana as the same man named in the will of John See of Montgomery County, Kentucky. I feel convinced that the evidence identifying Joseph's wife as Nancy Baty on the death certificate of Joseph See of San Luis Obispo; makes a very strong case for identifying Joseph of Monroe County and Joseph, son of John See as one man. The rarity of the See names also increases the likilihood of this connection, since the other See families found in Kentucky are related to a different family found in West Virginia.
Joseph See is named in several documents that help us identify him. First of all he is found in the tax lists of Montgomery County, Kentucky starting in 1813. Tax records do not indicate Joseph was terribly prosperous having been taxed upon 60 acres of "third rate land". In 1818, he and his wife are named in the will of Thamas Beatty who makes the following provision to, "my son in law, Joseph See is to continue in possession where he lives now and the ground he cultivated together with teh big Spring filed for the term of three years after my decease and thus to be given up to afore mentioned Persons" [ref: Montgomery Will Book B, pg. 255-8]. Joseph is also named in the will of his father in 1837, but tax records in Montgomery and land records in Indiana suggest that he had removed to Monroe County, Indiana by that time. The will doesn't state Joseph's residence and no additional probate records have been discovered to establish Joseph in Indiana at that time.
Indiana records for Joseph See are found in the Indiana Land Entires for the Vincennes District, Monroe County, Township 7N, Range 1W dated the 20th of June 1836 [ref: Margaret R. Waters, Vol. 2, Pt. 1 (1948)]. It should be noted that Joseph is listed in Waters' abstract as "Lee"; however, once again tax records and deeds are clear that this is probably Joseph See. The first deed for Joseph is dated 1848 for 80 acres in Township 8 of Monroe; he is listed as Joseph Sr. indicating his son was of age by then. The See family appear to have lived in the Perry Township of Monroe on a farm of 80 acres.
In 1847, Joseph See Sr. sells his property and his wife "Phoebe" signs her dower share away. The appearance of Phoebe, indicates that Nancy Baty had died and Joseph had remarried, though no marriage record has been found. Only a few of the marriage records for the See family are found in Monroe and this may indicate incomplete records or perhaps marriage pre-dating their arrival in Monroe County. Joseph See Sr. and most of his children sell their land in Monroe and head West. The 1850 Census ennumreates most of the family in Carroll County, MO; however on the 05th of May 1852, Joseph's will is probated in neighboring Livingstone Co., MO [ref: Estate Papers #2540]. Joseph's will clearly lists all his children and the estate papers of his son William who died about the same time helps to further identify positively that this is the same family. CLICK HERE FOR FAMILY GROUP SHEET.

Joseph See (1817-1905) of San Luis Obispo, California

Joseph See and his family left a colorful and often scandalous history as their legacy. A variety of stories within the family portray the Sees as rough mountain folk well remembered for their acts of murder, theft, and bootlegging. However the records left behind also so a pioneer family that established schools, joined the popular fraternal organizations of the day and were often leaders in their community. As a pioneer family in San Luis Obispo county, California they left numerous records concerning their lives and numerous photographs also survive. Joseph See the patriarch of the is family is the son of Joseph and Nancy (Beatty) See of Montgomery county, Kentucky. Joseph Jr. was born in Montgomery county. In the late 1820s early 1830s, Joseph's father headed to Indiana, where it is believed Joseph met and married Sarah Elizabeth O'Neal.

Nothing is known about the O'Neal family. A marriage bond for Joseph and Elizabeth is not found in Monroe county. Elizabeth See's obituary states that she died on her 64th Wedding Anniversary, setting the date of their marriage around the 8th of November 1836 [re: "SLO Tribune" 09 Nov 1900. Joseph See's brother, who married Elizabeth's sister Leah O'Neal, left record of their marriage in Monroe suggesting that the two brothers met the two sisters in that county; however, there is no record of an O'Neal family in either the tax lists or deeds of the county.

Monroe county, Indiana records find the Sees in that county in the 1830s and 1840s and this is where we first find Joseph and his wife Sarah Elizabeth O'Neal. Monroe County tax lists and deed book of the 1840s document the residency of Joseph See, his brother William and their father Joseph Sr. Tax records dating from 1841, record Joseph Sr. as a land holder in Perry Township with 80 acres valued at $196.00. The largest sized plot taxed in the area for one person is 160 acres. The tax list of 1841, records William See in Salt Creek with only a poll tax and Joseph See Jr. polled in Perry Township. Joseph See is listed again with 40 acres worth, $150.00 on Clear Creek. These small farms may represent improved land, since deeds suggest the men purchased and sold more than is ever found in the tax lists. In 1849, Joseph Jr. and his wife Elizabeth sell off 260 acres of land, liquidating their property for the move West along with their father and many of their siblings. The family moved to Carroll county, Missouri where they are enumerated by the 1850 Census. Both Joseph's father and his brother William die in Missouri leaving wills and documenting Joseph's presence in the area. Sometime between 1852 and 1857 Joseph move West with at least his brother John and his sister-in-law Leah O'Neal See; eventually to make their final journey West to California.

The obituary of Joseph's granddaughter Amanda Laird Washburn who died in 1926 provides an interesting footnote to the See family's journey West. The obituary recounts the wagon train trip and the fact that their train was the first to come upon the remains of the Mountain Meadow Massacre outside of Salt Lake City, Utah. The Massacre had been staged by Mormons, who dressed as Indians, captured a wagon train of white settlers and murdered them. This was done in hopes of keeping emigrants out of the Mormon territory. Amanda had been born in Missouri [re: obit Elizabeth, MO] before the move West and would have had knowledge of the event. It is recorded that the wagon train behind the Meadows Massacre was enroute to San Bernardino, the first stop for the See family. Various sources suggest that Joseph may have emigrated in the same time year as the massacre, making this story plausible. Joseph's death certificate lists his length of residence in California as 48 years which would place his arrival in California in 1857 [note the Mountain Meadows Massacre dates Sept '57]. San Bernardino County deeds establish their arrival by December 1857 which corroborates Joseph's death certificate and fits with the story of the Mountain Meadow Massacre.

The first stop for the See family was San Bernardino County. By December of 1857 Joseph See, his brother John, and his widowed sister-in-law Leah O'Neal See arrived in San Bernardino County, California and had purchased land. There are three deeds in Joseph's name. The tax lists provide some information on Joseph's activities and wealth holding at this time. In 1858, Joseph is taxed upon 48 acres of farm land and four town lots. Joseph's land was worth $240.00 and the town lots were worth a total of $100.00. In addition to the land, Joseph owned $679.00 of personal property; probably cattle and horses, bringing Joseph's net worth in 1858 to $1194.00. Joseph purchased additional land on the 10th of March 1859 [re: DB D pg. 288]. The tax rolls of 1859 show Joseph with lots number 657 in section B.6 of San Bernardino valued at $130 acres, which indicates he probably sold some of the land. His personal property had increased to $935.00 in that year. The 1861 tax records clearly indicate that Joseph had left the county. Deeds of sale show that Joseph sold two parcels of land in 1858 and Joseph along with his wife Elizabeth sold land to George E. Hubble on the 07th of April 1859, which is the last deed found of Joseph See in San Bernardino County and is probably indication of the time period the family set off for San Luis Obispo.

The 1860 Census of San Luis Obispo, lists Joseph See as a teamster worth $600.00 in personal property and landless. The move to San Luis Obispo does not appear to have enriched the Sees and Joseph appears to have lost nearly half of his assets. Ten years later Joseph is polled on the 1870 Census with $2,000.00 worth of real estate and $600.00 worth of personal property and is living in the San Luis Obispo township. There is a family story told of Joseph's arrival in San Luis Obispo. It is said that his wife Elizabeth traded a mule and a wagon for See Canyon. There are no deeds to document this tale, but the name remains and indication of the association of the family in this canyon. Early grant records for the region show that See Canyon is one of the few areas not covered by an old Spanish grant and may have been public property. As a new comer to the area, Joseph may have homesteaded/squatted on that area, since no other land was available. Joseph's daughter Rachel and her husband William Calloway are known to have been long time residents of the Canyon and owned 160 acres of the Canyon.

On the 16th of May 1861, Joseph See is one of the first members of the first Masonic Lodge (#148) in San Luis Obispo [re: History of San Luis Obispo County].

Joseph See did not file a Homestead Declaration until the 01st of October 1878 [re: Book A page 263]. However, Joseph does buy and sell land in San Luis Obispo. The first deed is of sale is on the 27th of April 1868 to Thomas Fulton. Joseph buys land in 1872, 1875, and 1876 from G. W. Wallace, A. T. Brians, and Ynocinta P. Avila. Joseph's land holdings and source of income have not yet been fully documented in San Luis Obispo. It is clear he settled in San Luis Obispo and worked first as a teamster and possibly raising stock. One of the records of Jacob See's court/prison files is a letter that mentions Joseph's ownership of 1200 sheep in 1880 [re: Letter, Wm. J. Graves to Governor of California page 2].

There is a good published source of information for Joseph See of San Luis Obispo found in the "History of San Luis Obispo and Environs" which is a compilation of biographies of local citizens paid for by subscription. This book includes a biographical sketch of the life of Louisa See Biggs, Joseph's daughter. Louisa included a brief history of the family, establishing her father's nativity in Kentucky and the route West, which is established by numerous records as well as this sketch. Joseph See is described in this sketch as,
..."a native of Kentucky, who moved to Indiana and from there to Texas, and thence to California, coming with ox teams over the southern route settling first in San Bernardino County. In 1860, he came with his family to San Luis Obispo County and bought land, which was named See Canyon after him. He [Joseph} farmed here for many years. He lived to be eighty eight years of age, and was a very influential and public-spirited man" (page 317) .

Census records and death certificates of Joseph and his family confirm most of the above sketch. Since, the biography of Louisa See Biggs was probably written directly from an interview, it seems likely that the sequences and places are correct, though the specific dates may not be as accurate. See Canyon is certainly associated with Joe See; however, no record remains, showing that he ever owned land in See Canyon, though it is clear that his daughter Rachel See did. The part that Louisa Biggs left out of her biography was that See Canyon's reputation mirrored that of the family, as shown by an 1888 news article in a San Luis Obispo newspaper during a time when the See family was at an all time low among public opinion:
See Canyon bears a very unsavory reputation in this county, an he time has come when no locality should be allowed to degrade itself. There are several sections, or parts of sections, of excellent government land in the neighborhood and if some energetic missionaries could be induced to settle there they might clean out or reform the plague spot. The name now applied does not belong to it, the proper appellation being "San Miguelito," the old Spanish name, from which the name of the grant to Don Miguel Avila was derived. Restore this pretty name and introduce a more refined class of settlers and the locality will become an honor instead of an eye sore to the county. Let it be called San Miguelito valley in the future.

Another article found in the "SLO Morning Tribune" of March of 1893 produces this unflattering article of Joe See after a recent drinking binge:
Jo See got an unusual load on and his efforts to get out of town were only successful after he had collided with the family carriage of one of our townspeople, and ripped every spoke out of one wheel. Why there were no further disastrous results is a problem as the carriage was full of ladies and children, and it was drawn by a team of spirited horses, but so it was.

The Great Register of 1888 and 1892, both list Joseph as a Kentuckian of fair skin, blue eyes and gray hair, he stood 6'3" with an affected left eye. Two known photographs of him exist, showing a long faced man with a massive curly beard and thick curly hair; his left eye does appear to have been afflicted.

At his death, Joseph owned 400 acres appraised at $2,500.00. Joseph left no will. His original Homestead Declaration list several plots of land around San Luis Obispo township, totaling 171.40 acres. This acreage may be what is referred to in the probate records as the Joseph See Place, a farm totaling about 109 acres which in their old age Joseph and Elizabeth placed intrust allotting their four daughters each parcels. The probate record also list two taxed pieces of land one 157 acres with 40 acres improved and 235 acres with 100 acres improved totaling 400 acres. Joseph's will splits the Joseph See Place into plots of 28.48, 28.48, 20, and 32 acres allotting them to Elizabeth, Nancy, Rachel and Louisa respectively. Another plot of 55 acres is given to Jacob.

Joseph's death certificate, filled out by his son-in-law, Robert S. Rainey, lists Joseph's birth date as the 12 November 1817. Joseph See died on the 19th of August 1905 and his obituary appears in "The Telegraph" of Saturday the 30th of November 1905. Joseph's obituary incorrectly places his birth in Monroe County, Kentucky, obviously confusing Montgomery County, Kentucky (his birth place) with Monroe County, Indiana (the birth place of his children). Joseph death was due to pneumonia aggravated by a fall from his bed and old age [re: obituary]. Elizabeth preceded her husband in death. Though she has no death certificate, an obituary of her death is found in the "San Luis Obispo Tribune" on Friday the 09th of November 1900 and died probably on the 8th. Her obituary records that she died on her 64th wedding anniversary. Her death was due to drinking impure water.

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� 1998