William Baldridge describes Swift:

"Although his father was a man of wealth, Granville's education was much neglected, being able to read and write indifferently, which was partially his own fault, being passionately fond of a hunter's life for which he was admirably adapted (Bidwell said he could load and shoot a rifle with much speed and was the best rifle shot in California).  He was fair complexioned, 6 ft 1 inch in height, very erect and symmetrical, and of a great endurance and undoubted bravery.  It was well known he was the best shot, and could load and fire with greater rapidity than any man on the Pacific Coast."

From:  "Our Family History--Husband Granville Perry Swift II and Wife Ida May Owen Married 4/25/1889 in Woodland, Cal".

Biography of Granville Perry Swift I  1821-1875.
 

"Granville Perry Swift, the first, was the third child first son, of William Swift and Rachel (Walker) Swift.  There is no data available any further back than his grandfather, Edward Swift who married Hannah Boone, Sister of the trapper Daniel Boone in 1793.  (See Genealogy of the Boone, Walker, Swift Families, in this Book).  He is a direct descendant of this famous group.  He was born in Lexington Kentucky, May 1, 1821.  He came across the plains in 1841 in company with his cousin Franklin Sears, by way of Oregon arriving in California in the Winter of that year.  He Spent several years hunting elk for hides and tallow, which he took twice a year, by canoe, down the Sacramento River, to a port in Benecia, and sold.  He also acted as scout and Guide along with John and Britton Greenwood, to pilot emigrant trains from Oregon into California to protect them from the hostile Indian tribes.  In 1845 he served in Sutter's campaign, and was one of the leaders of the "Bear Flag Party" in Sonoma in 1846.  In July 1846 he was made Captain of Co. C. California Battalion and served in that command until mustered out in 1847 (See Military Records q.v.)  In 1848 and 1849 he engaged in mining for gold along the Feather River, and amassed a large fortune.  In 1849 he settled near Orland, and investing in stock he raised thousands of cattle on the Sterling, Murdock, and Williams ranches, between Orland and Maxwell, employing many Indians as herders.  It was then with the help of these Indians, that he and Sears built the "Swift's Stone Corral," near Maxwell, which has been made a California Historic Landmark, (See History of Capt Granville P. Swift, manuscript by Ida (Owen) Swift and brochure on "Swift's Stone Corrall."  Subsequently he moved to Sonoma Co. and purchased a large ranch.  Shortly after he married Eliza Jane Tate, daughter of Thomas and America (Bowles) Tate, prominent pioneers of Sonoma Co.  Soon after he purchased a large tract of land upon which, in 1858 he built the stone mansion about six miles west of Sonoma, known as "Temelec Hall," which, is now the Historic Landmark no 237, State Dept. Of Natural Resources.  While living there they had three sons. William Thos. Swift, Granville Perry Jr. and George, who died at the age of 18 months.  In 1863 he again changed their residence to Solano Co, and purchased a large ranch in Green Valley.  It was while living there, that he met his death.  He was thrown from his horse while on a prospecting tour in the hills in northern Napa Co, in 1875.  For more details and personal experiences of the colorful life of this pioneer man see History of Capt, Granville Perry Swift I written in manuscript form by Ida (Owen) Swift.

From historical notes written by Ted Swift, grandson of Capt Granville Swift.  These notes were as told to Ted by his father, Perry Swift:

"An incident occurred at the time of Lincoln's assassination.  It seemed at about this time Granville was given the Ford rifle by the widow of Ford who had carried the rifle through the tussle with the Mexicans.  Granville and some of the neighbor men held a shooting match in a nearby field, trying out the prized Ford gun.  A soured neighbor misinterpreted the gala event--the banging of the gun all afternoon.  This person informed the regiment at Benicia of the event--told the army they were celebrating the death of Lincoln.  The next day a company of armed soldiers from the Benicia arsenal came up the house.  They arrived at night and the general had a warrant for the arrest of Granville.  They drew up to the house--Granville heard the noise outside and went out in his night shirt to see what was the trouble.  The general wanted Granville to explain why he was celebrating the death of Lincoln.  Granville standing there on the patio before the open door of the second story said that the occasion was only a shooting match and had no political meaning or connection with the death of the president.  (My father told me he was a little boy and came out there to look down in the yard at the company of the soldiers while clinging to the nightshirt of his father)  The company of soldiers left after seeing it was but a false report."

The following is also a historical note by Ted Swift:

"The boyhood of Granville P. Swift the first--was closely influenced by his uncle Nat Walker--a hunter and trapper.  He took young Granville with him trapping into the west.  His uncle Nat was a tall man known for his great strength.  Once at a gathering near the Missouri River the men held a contest to see who could throw the crowbar the farthest.  They all tried and there were a few who could toss the bar a long distance.  When it came Nat's turn he stepped up to the line--picked up the crowbar and tossed it clear into the Missouri River.  (Uncle Willie told me this).  In 1835 when Granville became fourteen he and his uncle Nat went into the Yellowstone country, trapping.  They traversed through the Cherokee nation.  Nat spoke their language."

RESEARCH BY CLAUDE NORCROSS SWIFT FAMILY HISTORY:

"GRANVILLE PERRY SWIFT (1821-1874)

GRANVILLE PERRY SWIFT (William⁴, Flower³, Thomas², Flower¹) was born in Kentucky, 1 May 1821.  He died in Napa County, California, 21 April 1875, and is buried in the Rockville Cemetery, Suisun, California.  He married at Sonoma, California, 1 September 1858, ELIZA JANE TATE, daughter of Thomas H., Jr., and America (Bowles) Tate.  Eliza was born in Illinois, 9 January 1842.  She died at San Francisco 9 December 1888. [60]

Granville Perry Swift was prominent in the early history of California, his picture appears in THE PEOPLE OF THE PUEBLO, an early history of Sonoma, California, along with the following description:

"Many Sonoma patriots had enlisted under Fremont and were in the thick of the Mexican War which raged in the south.,  These men won lasting fame at the Battle of San Pasquale where they came to the aid of General Kearney of the American forces.  Among the heroes (who at the Battle of San Pasquale fought beside General Kearney's forces) were Granville P. Swift and his relatives Franklin and John Sears, the latter
husband of the emigrant woman who gave the white cloth for the Bear Flag.  Franklin was in the thick of the fight and in after years showed his buckskin shirt riddled with seven bullets.  Granville P. Swift was captain of Co. C., California Battalion.  These men and Major Jacob Snyder were all closely identified with Fremont's campaign. . .  Franklin Sears gave his daughter in marriage to Major Snyder. . ."  [61]

". . . six feet tall, direct descendant of Daniel Boone, intrepid Indian fighter, a Kentuckian by birth and rich beyond the fondest dreams of the girl he finally met in romantic Sonoma."  [62]

"One author stated that Granville Swift was an immigrant from Oregon in the Kelsey party, having crossed the plains in 1843 and arrived in California in 1844.  He made a large fortune in mining on the Feather River, was a stock-raiser in Colusa and Tehama Counties, a ranchero in Sonoma, and engaged in fruit-culture and quicksilver-mining in Solano, where he was accidentally killed in 1875, at the age of 54."  [63]

Eliza, Granville's wife, left the family when their sons were small leaving Granville with the responsibility of raising them.  Granville's sister Mary (Swift) Jones and her husband, Frederick S. Jones, actually raised the boys.
 

RESEARCH BY JUNE R. WELCH, DALLAS, TEXAS:
 

"A letter from James G. Bleak quotes another dated January 11, 1878, from Los Angles in which Wm. L. Todd stated that at Sonoma in 1846 the Americans had determined what kind of a flag should be adopted and those appointed to the work were Granville P. Swift, Peter Storm, Henry L. Ford and Todd.  He said, ". . .we procured in the house where we made our headquarters, a piece of new unbleached cotton domestic, not quite a yard wide, with strips of red flannel about four inches wide, furnished by Mrs. John Sears, on the lower side of the canvas.  On the upper left hand corner was a star, and in the center was the image made to represent a grizzly bear passant, so common in this country at the time."

HISTORY OF SONOMA COUNTY, San Francisco: Alley, Bowen & Co, 1880, pp. 104-6:
 

"Henry L. Ford in "Bear Flag Lieutenant", page 134, CALIFORNIA HISTORICAL SOCIETY QUARTERLY, Vol. XXIX, No. 2, June 1950 gives a description of Granville Swift provided by William Baldridge:  "Although his father was a man of wealth, Granville's education was  much neglected, being able only to read and write indifferently, which was partially his own fault, being passionately fond of a hunter's life for which he was admirably adapted.  He was fair complexioned, six feet one inch in height, very erect and symmetrical, and of great endurance and undoubted bravery.  It is well known that he was the best shot and could load and fire with greater rapidity than any man on the Pacific Coast."

Among those receiving land grants under 1847 to 1855 acts were Pvt Franklin Sears, Capt. Swift Company, CA Vols, Mexican War, Napa County, and Pvt. Frank Irving Sears, Capt. Lewis' Company, First Regt. IN Vols, Mexican War, land in Trinity County, CA.
 

NATIONAL GENEALOGICAL SOCIETY QUARTERLY, September 1983, page 229:
 

"The Vallejo family, Franklin Sears of Sears Point . . . had their Indians."  THE PEOPLE OF THE PUEBLO  page 18:

"Among the heroes (who at the battle of San Pasquale fought beside General Kearney's forces) were Granville P. Swift and his relatives Franklin and John Sears, the latter husband of the emigrant woman who gave the white cloth for the Bear Flag.  Franklin was in the thick of the fight and in after years showed his buckskin shirt riddled with seven bullets.  Granville P. Swift was captain of Co. C. California Battalion.  These men and Major Jacob Snyder were all closely identified with Fremont's campaign . . . . Franklin Sears gave his daughter in marriage to Major Snyder . . . . "

Ibid., p. 125  "Granville Swift's sister, Margaret, married Franklin Sears, hero of San Pasquale and brother of John Sears, whose wife had given the white homespun material for the Bear Flag.  In 1851 while the former partners in adventure were stock raising in Colusa County, Franklin Sears and Margaret Swift were wed.  They decided to come to Sonoma Valley and make their home on a 600-acre ranch which had been purchased on Sonoma Creek.  There they built a little house of hand-hewn redwood, still standing after eighty years, near the more pretentious home of their daughter, Rachael Sears Snyder.  Mrs. Franklin Sears died in Sonoma in 1886 but Franklin . . . continued to live until December 1904."  Ibid., p. 219.

"For many generations the Sears family has been numbered among the pioneers of various localities in the Union, on the paternal side being Tennesseans, and on the maternal residents of the Dark and bloody ground.  He came out of the war with a saber wound above his heart.  He had 600 or 700 acres and a winery with storage for 150,000 gallons.  During the '40's Mr. Sears . . . in partnership with Capt. G.  P. Swift, his brother in law, built the old stone corral where they had several thousand head of cattle.  Later they had 15,000 acres at Sears Point.  He had started as a hunter at Sutter's Fort.  He and a partner, Gibson, struck it rich.  . . . the red material used in the original Bear Flag was made from the petticoat of Mrs. John Sears, a sister in law of Franklin Sears."

HISTORICAL AND BIOGRAPHICAL RECORD, page 314."
 

A FAMILY HISTORY INCIDENT BY IDA MAY (OWEN) SWIFT:

GRANVILLE PERRY SWIFT I AND THE BEAR FLAG PARTY
 

"Granville Perry Swift I was one of the leaders of the famous "Bear Flag Party" at Sonoma, Cal.  June 1846, when Gen. Vallejo was taken and surrendered to a small posse of men, including Swift, Semple, Ide, Grigsby, and a few others. And the first American flag was raised to show possession of the Republic of California from the Mexican Government, was made and raised that day.  John Sears, a cousin of Swift, who had recently moved there with his family, furnished about one yard of his wife's home-spun unbleached cotton sheeting for the white on which the picture of a bear was drawn with poke-berry juice, and for one month it was the only official flag of California.  In July of that year the U.S. Stars and Stripes took its place  (See Swift's Military Record, in this book, also "Swift History") I will add here and now that during the summer of 1929, eighty-three years later, through the preserving efforts and influence of Swift"s youngest grand-child Earle Morgan Swift Sr. who was at that time, a Supervising Quarantine Inspection Officer, the Dept. of Agriculture, through the State Bureau of Plant Quarantine issued an order that the
Bear Flag be flown beneath the U.S. Flag at every Quarantine station in California. And two years later the Legislature made it a law that it fly on every State Building throughout California."

A FAMILY HISTORY BY IDA MAY (OWEN) SWIFT:

MEXICAN WAR 1846-47
 

"Granville Perry Swift I was a member of the "Bear Flag Party" at Sonoma, when General Vallejo was taken and surrendered, and the famous "Bear Flag of California" was made and raised there June 1846.  John Sears, cousin of Swift furnished his wife's homespun cotton sheet to make the white field of the Flag.  Then July 5, 1846 Fremont organized the California Battalion called "The California Bears" which was composed of four companies of mounted riflemen under General Kearney, consisting of 250 men.

Co. A. under Captain Ford
Co. B.  "       Captain Grigsby
Co. C.  "       Captain Swift
Co. D.  "       Captain Sears  (See Cal. History by Bancroft-Page 741-vol. V Pioneer Register.

Serving until April 1847 the "Cal Bears" were discharged-Swift having a claim of $2000.00." (See Swift History" by Ida (Owen) Swift 1935.

This web page is authored by Scott Duncan.  All information listed without a reference should be verified.  Any additions, questions, or comments should be sent to:

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