William Slingsby (1835-1909) was a merchant and postmaster in Dobbins and served on the Yuba County Board of Supervisors. Born in England, he came to Connecticut with his parents when he was 14 and began studying to be a lathe turner. At age 23, he traveled to San Francisco via the Isthmus of Panama. Upon his arrival there in 1858, he mined for gold on the Yuba River for a few months before forming a partnership with John Roberts to open a general store in what is now called Greenville but was at that time called Oregon Hill.

In 1867, Slingsby and Roberts admitted Daniel Gettens to their firm and opened a second store in Dobbins. They sold supplies to the gold miners and other settlers on the Yuba River and nearby streams, using pack animals and wagons to transport supplies. The two stores prospered, and the firm bought up thousands of dollars' worth of gold. John Roberts eventually bought sole ownership of the Oregon Hill store, while Slingsby and Gettens shared ownership of the Dobbins store.

In 1886, Slingsby married Mary McMenamin Slingsby, a teacher from County Donegal, Ireland, and built a house in Dobbins for them to live in. The Slingsbys were some of the first people in the Yuba County foothills to obtain electricity and a telephone in their home. After their marriage, Mary took charge of the accounting department at her husband's store, frequently working 12- to 16-hour days there. In this capacity, she packed gold dust in sacks and shipped it to the San Francisco mint.

In addition to managing his store, William Slingsby served as postmaster of Dobbins for many years. He also served on the Yuba County Board of Supervisors for twelve years.

in 1887, the firm opened an additional store at what is now Bullards Bar Reservoir. Daniel Gettens died in 1900, and William Slingsby then bought Gettens' share of the firm, becoming sole owner. In 1902, he sold his stores to the company of J. Merriam & Son and retired on the proceeds. In 1909, at the age of 74, he died.

Links

William Slingsby from History of Yuba and Sutter Counties, 1924