I am using Chico Wiki to document my research into my family geneology which dates back to about 1850 in Chico. It includes 3-19 year old boys migrating from Indiana, harrowing Panamanian voyages, raising cattle, selling meat, City Trustee seats, and a whole host of other cool stuff.
Here is a scan of a Homestead Declaration of Matt and Anna Schwein: 1896 Schwein Homestead Declaration.pdf (notice the signature of the Schwein's legal advisor C.L. Stilson). They owned Block 84 in Chico as designated in the 1867 map of the Town of Chico 1867 Map of Chico.pdf which is the block between Cherry and Orange Streets and 5th and 6th Streets. The Schwein Ranch was located along Edgar Slough and encompassed more than 300 acres including the fairgrounds and the Smuckers facility. The Schwein's owned numerous properties in Chico and Butte County and 5 mines in Potter's Ravine near Oroville. Matt and Anna are considered California and Chico pioneers.
Matt and Anna Schwein had four children that survived:
Bertha Morse (Edgar/Schwein)
Theodore Schwein was one of Matt and Anna's 4 surviving children. Theodore Schwein's historic home Theodore Schwein Home still stands at 527 Cherry Street. Theodore was married to Ruth Jane Camper Schwein (Camper) who was the daughter of Henry Wax Camper and Eliza S. Camper (Garrison). Henry Wax Camper is considered to be one of Chico's true pioneers and an account of him crossing the plains in 1849 was published in the Butte County Diggins sometime ago. I will post the account when I can scan it.
The Schwein family were fruit and nut crop farmers as well as ranchers and owned and operated the California Market on Main Street as well as the Junction Meat Market which was located at the Junction on the funky block between Broadway, Ninth Street, and Oroville Avenue.
Some local paper obituaries are here for Matt Schwein, Anna Schwein and one of their son's Louis Schwein: Schwein Obituaries.pdf
Comments
2009-01-03 12:57:26 Hiya jrschwein. This is a really good idea! Chico Wiki has been focusing on the history of Chico for several months now and so I think it's great you've chosen this medium for it. This wiki can certainly become a very useful and interesting historical archive. All the best with your research and I look forward to reading more about your family and helping out when I can. —RyanMikulovsky
"2009-01-03" - Greetings. I think your contributions are wonderful. I hope you feel free to make this a medium for your historical information. I have made some link requests via links above. I'd love to see more on all of that story. —GregBard
2012-08-08 15:42:06 I lived in the Theodore Schwein Home for three years while attending college at Chico State. I loved living there even more than one could imagine, even if others teased it was haunted by a ghost. It wasn't until today that it read Theodore actually died in the house in 1948. —207.145.113.46
