Jacob Charles Hawes was born on the Fort Reading Ranch in Shasta County September 18, 1876. He was the only son of William (Haas) Hawes, born in Niagra County, New York May 8, 1836 and Henrietta (Jung) Young, born May 14, 1834 in Hesse, Germany; she came to the United States in 1843. His father had four sons and a daughter by his previous marriage.

All six children attended Sacramento River School and worked the ranch with their father. Income came from all kinds of grain and livestock but the really good living came from having a good cook in the kitchen who knew what to do with the produce from the kitchen garden, the orchard
and the animals slaughtered for their own use.

Lillian Amelia Grimmer was born in Sacramento, October 1, 1880. Shortly after her birth, her parents, Margarita Orilla Newton, born in Miami, Missouri and Wenzel Grimmer from Mies Stribo, Bohemia, moved to a farm on Rancho Road.

It is not known how the couple met, but people of the County have always had an active social life. Jake and Lillian were married February 13, 1901 and Jate took his bride to live in his parent's home.

Jake and Lillian raised five children:
Roy Burl b. Dec. 19, 1901 d. Jan, 18, 1977 m. Virginia Steward
Ray Walton b. Dec. 19, 1901 d. Aug. 31, 1972 m. Edna Edwards
Veva Roselia b. Aug. 3, 1905 d. May 1, 1927 m. Charles Miskella
Henry(Fred) b. Sept. 18,1909 d. Feb. 4, 1954 m. Almeda Scott m. Elizabeth Smith
Melvin W. b. May 29, 1912 d. Sept. 20, 1984 m. Ruth Dodson

They lost three infants, including a second pair of twins.

The tracks of the Anderson-Bella Vista Valley Railroad Co. passed through the Hawes Ranch where the Deschutes logging road is now. Thatcher Lumber Co. brought their lumber to a spur for loading; they tooted the whistle on their tractor so there would be enough food prepared for the men on their crew. The ranch received daily mail delivery; the train crew heaved off a sack containing letters and magazines; the magazines were both men's and women's. The newspapers, local and from San Francisco were collected from Anderson until there was delivery at the ranch.

Though Jake and Lillian had limited formal education both believed in education and Jake served on the school board. They saw all of their children finish high school; half of their grandchildren graduated college and a good number of their great grandchildren--the educational legacy!

Jate was a member of the Anderson Grange and the IOOF in Millville. He was Popular throughout the County and was elected County Supervisor in 1930; during his first term he had a marker placed to mark the site of Fort Reading which had been in the upper portion of the Hawes field during the 1850s. He was reelected in 1934 but he didn't finish his term.

Lillian died March 30, 1936; Jake continued his normal routine but he was very lonely. Early in their marriage. Jake started taking Lillian with him in a car when he did jobs away from the house. In the evening, when he fed the hogs, he took Lillian to the bluff where he called them from their
river bottom forrage and gave them supplemental grain. After her death he sometimes took one of the grandchildren but she remembers him as lonely. Jate died November 20. 1936.

Source:  Shasta Historical Society