William McCann immigrated to the USA in 1847 after saving enough money to bring himself and his sister Ann to the USA. He was an orphan and came with his younger sister Ann. They landed in NY and soon moved to Baltimore. He came to California in 1850. After a try at mining, he worked in a livery and made enough money to buy land in the Sacramento Valley. He went back to Missouri and bought a herd of cattle and married Mary Rogers and came with the cattle and Mary to his farm in California. A John McCann of Ireland lived with him in 1870. John was born in 1846. This John was the son of Susan Mullins and William McCann, b. 1809. William McCann and Hugh McCann, originally of Ireland, attended William's funeral. They were living in SF at that
time . They were brothers of John and sons of William and Susan. It is possible that their parent's William and Susan McCANN of Fallagherin also reared or at least helped care for William born December 1820/1, after his parents died. The descendants of William and Susan McCann still live in Fallagherin and report a close kinship to the descendants of William's (b 1820/1) brother George.
Likely Chronology
1820/1821: Born Dec 1820/1 Fallagherin Tyrone No Ireland .
1840: lecture by Archbishop Hoges on the advantages in USA
?: embarked from Warona Place (probably Warron Point) to Liverpool.
1847: landed in New York
July 21,1849: left on EH Chapin from Baltimore, Maryland for California*
Jan 7 , 1850 :Arrived S.F.
1850-1853: Worked mines in El Dorado County. Ran a freight business. Bought land in
Solano County near Davis and began farming.
1853: Went to Missouri to get cattle and to marry Mary Rogers, took six months to cross
plains on their return to California
May 20,1853: Married to Mary Rogers, St Jo, Mo.*
Jun9,1854: First daughter, Ann Catherine, born in SF
1855; Moved to Putah Creek
1856: Moved to or near Dixon
3-Sep1856: Second child Susan Born in DIXON.
1858&61: Charles Francis and Lizzie born in Dixon
About 1864; Mary Rogers McCann ran off with Henry Burke, a hired hand.
Jan 24, 1866: William's last child, George, born -child of Catherine .
Feb 13, 1867: married Catherine Evans, by J, Daniel Minister of M.E. Church
Fairfield, Ca.*
Sep 19, 1901:Died at Alborn Hotel SF.
Dixon Tribune - Friday, September 20, 1901
William McCann
As we go to press we are in receipt of a message bearing the announcement of
the death of William McCann, one of Dixon's oldest and most esteemed citizens.
Mr. McCann's death took place in San Francisco where he went last week with the
hope that the change might benefit his fast failing health. The funeral will
take place from St. Peter's Church, Saturday, September 21st, at 10 o'clock .
Dixon Tribune - Friday, September 20, 1901; Vol. 28, No. 47.
To His Reward--The Death of William McCann Removes A Prominent Resident. A
Biographical Sketch Which Reviews the Life of A Man Who Rose From Poverty To
Wealth.
Willaim McCann, whose death occurred Thursday morning of last week in San
Francisco, was probably one of the most widely known residents of Northern
Solano. He has been in this section for many years and through the success
that attended almost every venture he undertook in a business way his land and
property interests are quite extensive and valuable. The deceased was a man
who had been denied even a common school education, and his literary knowledge
was therefore extremely limited, but he possessed a faculty which never failed
him in money matters and his accumulations are indicative of his ability as a
financier and manager.
A friend has contributed the following biographical sketch of the deceased:
The late William McCann was born in December, 1824, in the County Tyrone, at
the small town of Fallagherin (?), Ireland. He was early left an orphan and
had to battle with poverty and hardship. In the year 1840 he was present at a
lecture delivered by Archbishop Hoges on the advantages for young men in the
United States. He then made up his mind to earn enough money to bring him to
the States. When, by hard work and economy he had the price of his own and his
younger sister's fare, he embarked from a place, Warona Place. He landed in
New York with a strong heart, and little money in his pocket in the year 1847.
He immediately obtained work for himself and his sister. In a short time
afterward, he and his sister went to Baltimore. In July, 1849, he started in a
sailing vessel for California, and arrived in the Port of San Francisco on the
morning of January 7th, in the year 1850. He worked in the mines for a short
time and also hauled freight for a short time. In the year 1853, he went to
St. Joseph, Missouri, and married his first wife (Mary Rogers). He then
brought a band of cattle across the plains to California. It took him six
months to cross the plains. In the year 1855, he moved down on Putah Creek,
where he resided until 1856, on the place now owned by Susan Montgomery. He
removed in 1856 to the one he owned when he passed away. He first went into
the business of cattle raising. He afterwards, butchered and ran a wagon
through the country peddling meat, which was a very paying business. In 1878
he went to farming and made a success of it until two years ago, when his
health failed and has been failing ever since. The last three months he has
not been able to sleep except, in a sitting position. The last three days and
nights of his life he has suffered most cruelly. All was done that human
sympathy could suggest. His wife (second wife, Catherine Evans) was constant
and untiring in nursing him for the last three months, but especially during
his last illness. His two cousins. William and Hugh McCann, and his children
and one grandchild, spent every moment they could by his side, but nothing
could stay the dread messenger and he passed to his reward on September 19, at
2:30 in the morning. He was a good man. No one appealed to him in vain in a
case of poverty. He never turned a hungry man from his door. He was an
honest, upright man as I think all who have dealt with him will say. He leaves
a wife to mourn his loss. Also, one son, Charles McCann, and two daughters,
Mrs. Annie Grieve, and Mrs. George Daniels; three grandsons, William W.
Grieve, Charles Casey and James Casey, and three little grandsons, the children of
Charles McCann: two granddaughters, Mrs. Frank Jordon and Mrs. Leo Snavely of
Woodland; three cousins. William McCann, Hugh McCann of San Francisco, and
Delia Sullivan of San Luis Obispo.
Death Certificate:
It appears that William's death Certificate is in error. His gravestone
indicates that he was 79 at the time of his death which would make him born in
1821 as it is suspected that he was born in Dec.
Sources of info:
Information on the Casey & McCann Family supplied by:
Silveyville Cemetery Records, Dixon, Ca.
Miss Ida McCann, Woodland, Ca.
Tremont Cemetery Records, Dixon, Ca.
Dixon Library, Dixon, Ca. (Obituary & Birth Notices)
Leontia Casey Archer, Sacramento, Ca.
Aileene Casey, El Sobrante, Ca.
Leontia Casey Frazee, San Leandro, Ca.
County Records, Fairfield, Ca.-William McCann
Death Record, William McCann, San Francisco County Records, San Francisco, Ca.
County Records, St. Joseph, Missouri: Marriage Licence-William McCann & Mary
Rogers
Death Certificate, Charles McCann; Benicia, Ca.
U.S. Census Records, Silveyville Township, Dixon, Ca. 1860 & 1870
Employment: Farmer, Tremont Township, Solano County, Ca.
#2013 Death Certificates, County of San Francisco, Ca.
September 19, 1901 William McCann
Male 77 years old White Farmer
Place of Birth Ireland
Marital Status Married
Place of Death Alborn House, September 19, 1901
Cause of Death Interstitial (?) Nephritis Chronic
Contributing Old Age
Place of Burial Dixon, California
Physician J.C. Stiason
Undertakers Carew & English