Ralph McFarling, son of Obediah, Sr., was first found on the tax lists of Shenandoah County in 1807. He married Margaret McKnight [McNight in the records] on 14 February 1809. They appeared in the 1810 Shenandoah County census with one male and one female under 10 and one male and one female in the 16-26 age range. From this we can estimate the birth year of both Ralph and his wife as between 1784 and 1794.

During the War of 1812, Ralph served a six and a half month tour as a private in the 4^th regiment of the Virginia Militia. From 18 July to 9 August 1814, he serve in Capt. Samuel Hopewell's Company of Infantry for which he earned $5.93. Between 9 August until 31 January he served in Capt. John Sloan's Company of Infantry for which he earned a total of $49.89.

By 1820 he and his family had moved to Belmont County, Ohio and were found living in Somerset Township. By this time his household consisted of eight persons. This information gives an estimated birth year of Ralph and his wife as between 1775 and 1794:

The tax lists for this McFarland family which are available between 1826 and 1834 are also interesting.

So where was Ralph in 1826 and 1827 that caused Margaret to be named as head of household? Well, Ralph had a little altercation with the law. It seems that on 27 July 1825 Ralph took a shot at one Thomas Patterson who filed a complaint the next day. When Ralph could not raise $200 bail money he was put in jail. At the September term Court of Common Pleas the Grand Jury indicted Ralph for "his deliberate and premeditated malice to kill and murder and other wrongs to the said Thomas Patterson." The next day when the town constable, John Bruce, went to get him, Ralph also took a shot at him. At the September court Ralph pleaded not guilty, but the jury found him guilty and he was sentenced to five years hard labor at the Ohio State Penitentiary. Apparently he got time off for good behavior for he was again listed as head of household on the 1829 tax list. One thing we know for sure-Ralph was not a good shot!

In 1830 the family was still in Somerset Township, again with eight persons in the household. However, the female who was in the 10-16 age range is gone-probably married; one male who was under 10 in the previous census is gone; and there are two additional males under 10. These data give an estimated birth year of 1780-1790 for Ralph and Margaret.

In these data from the 1840 census Margaret McFarland is again head of household in Somerset Township with three young males which is consistent with 1830 census.

Ralph is missing. Did he die? Did he abandon his family? Or is he in trouble with the law again?

Five of Ralph and Margaret's six sons have been identified. John and James went to California during the Gold Rush and a biography of John identifies them as belonging to Ralph and Margaret. Joseph, William, and Asa, who remained in Ohio (Belmont and Washington Counties) were identified by their descendants and correspondence with their brothers in California.

Nothing further is known of Ralph.

Children of Ralph McFarland and Margaret McKnight are:

16. Joseph⁴ McFarland (Ralph³, Obediah² McFarlen, Ralph¹ McFarlane) was born about 1810 in Shenandoah County(?), Virginia, and died 21 July 1871 in Liberty Township, Washington County, Ohio. He married Leah Shepherd 23 February 1834 in Belmont County, Ohio.

Joseph McFarland was the eldest son of Ralph and Margaret McFarling. After his marriage in 1834, he and his wife lived in Belmont County where they appeared in the 1840 census near his brother William and not far from his mother, Margaret. By this time they had five young children-John, Eliza, Mary, Obediah, and Sarah. By 1850 they had moved to Monroe County, which borders Belmont on the south. By this time the family had grown by another five children-William, Marie, Catherine, Amos, and Jesse. The next census year, 1860 found the family living in Washington County, which borders Monroe County to the south, near Joseph's younger brother Amos. Joseph was listed as a farmer with real estate valued at $1,500 and personal property at $603. By this time, John, Eliza, Obediah, and Sarah were no longer living with them, but John was found in his own household living next door to his parents Joseph was also found in the 1870 Washington County census. Still living with them were Mariah, Jess, Cornelius, Caroline, and Joseph ranging in age from 27 down to 11. Joseph's property was now valued at $650 and his personal property at $300. Joseph died the next year at the age of about 61 and is buried in the Baptist Church Cemetery in Lawrence. His cemetery record lists him as Reverend McFarland.

Children of Joseph McFarland and Leah Shepherd are:

17. William⁴ McFarland (Ralph³, Obediah² McFarlen, Ralph¹ McFarlane) was born 1814 in Shenandoah County(?), Virginia, and died after 1852 in Belmont County, Ohio. He married Sarah.

William McFarland was the only known son of Ralph and Margaret to live out his life in Belmont County, Ohio. After his marriage, estimated to be about 1836 or 1837, he and his wife, Sarah, had a family of five girls and five boys between 1838 and 1852.

Children of William McFarland and Sarah, all born in Belmont County are:

18. James⁴ McFarling (Ralph³ McFarland, Obediah² McFarlen, Ralph¹ McFarlane) was born 15 December 1821 in Belmont County, Ohio, and died 29 December 1889 in St. Helena, Napa County, California. He married Eva Ruth Moore 20 December 1842 in Muskingum County, Ohio.

James was born in Belmont County, Ohio, but at age 18, he "Moved to the western part of his native State [Muskingum County] and engaged in farming until September, 1843." After his marriage to Eva Ruth Moore in late 1842 they remained in Muskingum County for only a short period of time. They moved on to Henry County, Iowa, in September 1843, their first child, Sarah, being born earlier that year, shortly before the move.

His first purchase of land was for 80 acres in Trenton Township, which he bought from Johnson and Nancy Houseman 25 October 1845 for which he paid $200. On 26 February 1851 James bought an additional 160 acres from George W. and Margaret Kestor for which he paid $1600. During this period in Iowa, three more children were added to the family-Johnson, William, and Mary. The 1850 census also showed a 64 year-old Christopher Graves living with them.

The official residence of the McFarlands in Henry County lasted until 1854, however, James was gone for a period of time in 1849 and 1850, drawn to the Gold Rush in California. He settled in Parks Bar, Yuba City to try his hand at mining until September 1850.

Diggings in Parks Bar were first discovered in May 1848 by Dr. John Marsh. In September that year David Parks of Oregon opened a store in competition to Marsh, and the place took on his name. According to Hutchings' diary, Parks Bar had been one of the richest in California, and on 30 September 1850 the Sacramento Transcript reported "that five men took out 525 pounds of gold in a few days." The town was buried in the late 1860s by debris from the Yuba River from hydraulic operations upstream.

Later, after returning to Iowa, he packed up his family, together with his brother John, and made the trip across the plains by ox-team to California arriving in September 1854. They stopped for a while in Nevada City where James continued his mining interests. Next they moved to Knights Valley in Sonoma County where they lived until December 1862. Their final move was to Napa County where he grew grapes in the heart of what today is one of the premium wine areas in the state if not the world.

In Napa County his first purchase of land was for 36 acres on the Napa River, adjacent to Charles Krug, which he purchased from the Yorks 19 December 1862 for $900. On 21 February 1871 he bought an additional 15 acres from Charles and Carolina Krug adjacent to the Bale Grant for $200. He later filed a Declaration of Homestead for this property dated 3 August 1887.

Local newspapers carried mention of James on several occasions. On 29 August 1875, his daughter Rachel married John S. Fruits. On 14 January 1877, in what appears to be a double ring ceremony, Charles B. McFarling married Alice Victoria Hackney, and Rosa Ella McFarling married William H. Castner.

In January 1878, James was drawn as a trial juror for the next term of the district court. When the local Methodist Episcopal Church in St. Helena filed with the Secretary of State for Articles of Incorporation in 1885, James was named one of five directors.

Finally, the Napa Register carried his obituary on 11 January 1890. James had died, on 29 December 1889, of consumption and the funeral was held at the Methodist Episcopal Church, services conducted by Rev. S.A. Gibbons. James was buried at the St. Helena Cemetery in Napa County. His wife, Eva Ruth, lived on for almost another five years. She died 1 September 1894 and is buried beside her husband at the St. Helena Cemetery.

Children of James McFarling and Eva Moore are:

19. John⁴ McFarling (Ralph³ McFarland, Obediah² McFarlen, Ralph¹ McFarlane) was born 11 June 1829 in Barnesville, Belmont County, Ohio, and died 5 May 1911 in Napa County, California. He married Susan J. Rogers 1880 in Gilroy, Santa Clara County, California. Susan was born 16 April 1847 in New York, the daughter of Francis W. and Mary (Boody) Rogers. She died 6 June 1934 and was buried 19 June at the St. Helena Cemetery, Napa County, California.

John, in the early 1850s, left Belmont County, Ohio, to join his brother James and family in Henry County, Iowa. James had already made a brief trip to California in 1849, lured by the Gold Rush, and then returned to Iowa to sell his property and transport his family. John went with them and they arrived in Nevada City 24 August 1854. Both brothers mined, but it was John who continued his mining interests after James and his family settled in the Napa Valley wine country to grow grapes.

John continued in placer-mining off and on until 1863 and then became superintendent and part owner of the Juniper and Mount Hope mines at Hayden Hill in Lassen County, which were leased to working miners. In 1964 the Lassen County Historical Society devoted an entire issue to Hayden Hill:

In a report of the California State Mineralogist made in 1892, the Juniper Gold Mine was, at that time, still "under a lease . . . [to] J. McFarling et al., of Calistoga, Napa County, owners."

Prior to 1871 John also discovered a quicksilver mine, which he named the American, situated on Pine Mountain about seven miles southwest of Middletown in Lake County. It is difficult to know exactly where John lived during these early years in California. However, he was certainly in or around Calistoga, Napa County, as early as 1871 when the Napa Reporter carried this story:

Continued involvement in his Lassen County mining interests is noted in May 1878 from an autobiography of Emily Fairfield Duncan:

John may well have divided his time between Lassen County and the Bay Area Counties since Hayden Hill, at such a high elevation can experience very severe weather, and it was common for the general populace to spend their winters elsewhere.

Family files contain a letter written to John McFarling by John Cyrus dated 24 April 1881, Hayden Hill:

The first record of John's purchase of land in Napa County was on 12 March 1880 when he bought 23.18 acres of land in Calistoga for $1,760. quite possibly in preparation for his marriage to Susan J. Rogers. John made additional purchases through 1883 and on two different occasions deeded property to his wife, Susan-62 acres near Calistoga for $100 and love and affection in 1881, and a lot in Calistoga for $1 and love and affection in 1882. Susan also bought property on her own in 1882. On 4 January 1889, the Napa County Register carried a story on "Napa's Big Property Owners: A List of Those Who Pay on $10,000 and Upward" in which John McFarling was listed at $13,925 and Susan was listed at $10,000.

John was also involved in community affairs in Napa County. He served on the Grand Jury in 1875 and again in 1900. In 1883, he was one of a long list of taxpayers who brought suit against the Napa County Tax Collector. The complaint was that the tax collector was trying to collect a special school tax which was illegally levied. The plaintiffs won the case.

According to one biographer, in 1881, after John's marriage to Susan, they took up residence in Oakland. He was, indeed, found in the Oakland City Directories from 1884 to 1891 living at 706 Twelfth Street, and was listed as a farmer, miner, and breeder of fancy poultry. In 1889-90 he was also listed in the classified section of that directory under "Poultry and Game." However, the Napa County records indicate that the John McFarlings were also heavily involved in the affairs of Calistoga after their marriage. It was on his Calistoga ranch, he developed a business breeding specialty poultry-blue Andalusians, golden Wyandots, Rose-combs, brown and white Leghorns and others. The Napa Daily Journal carried this item on his ranch in 1901:

It would appear that John was one of the more affluent McFarlings. In addition to his mining and poultry interests, a letter was found among family records written from Lawrence, Ohio, 13 November 1881 to John by his brother Amos. His opening paragraph:

The 1892 Great Register gives us a physical description of John. He was six feet tall with light complexion, blue eyes, and light hair. In 1896, his oldest daughter Laura was graduated from Calistoga grammar school.

One final bit of news from the Napa Daily Journal in 1898:

Children of John McFarling and Susan Rogers are:

20. Amos⁴ McFarland (Ralph³, Obediah² McFarlen, Ralph¹ McFarlane) was born 19 November 1832 in Belmont County(?), Ohio, and died 22 June 1890 in Lawrence, Washington County, Ohio. He married Eliza Noffsinger 15 October 1857 in Independence Township, Washington County, Ohio.

Amos M. McFarland was the youngest son of Ralph and Margaret McFarland. He settled in Independence Township, Washington County, just south of Belmont County, where he was married in 1857. He and Eliza had, at least, their first four children here.

Amos served in the Civil War and was drafted 27 September 1866 for one year in 51 Regiment, Company G of the Ohio infantry. He was 33 at the time, 5'8", of light complexion, blue eyes and black hair, and was a farmer. He was on sick leave in December 1864 at Nashville General Hospital and was mustered out on 20 June 1865 having actually served for about ten months.

Amos and his family was found in Independence Township, Washington County in the 1860 census, age 28, a farmer living with his wife, Eliza, age 20 and two young children, Manerva, age 2, and Jane, age 1. Value of his personal property was $145. By 1870 there were three more children in the household, Lydia, age 9, Meed [Maude], age 5, and two others listed only as "child" and "baby" age 3 and 1 respectively. Amos now had real estate and personal property valued at $250 each. By 1880 there were still eight children living in Amos's household ranging in age from 21 to 5 years and they were living in Lawrence Township.

A letter, preserved in family records, which Amos wrote to his brother John in California in 1881, tells us a fair amount about Amos. He grew tobacco and that particular year, because of drought, barely made expenses. He ruminates about becoming a tobacco merchant, but lacks the capital to do so. He also thinks about becoming a farmer in California but imagines farming there would be very different than in Ohio. He says, ". . .if it was producing Tobacco and farming Hillside by Physical Strength and awkwardness I could bring as much Experience to the Business as would be likely found in anyone."

Amos died of consumption at the age of 59 years, 7 months, and 3 days. His residence at that time was given as Steel River, Ohio.

Children of Amos McFarland and Eliza Noffsinger are:

21. John L.⁵ McFarland (Joseph⁴, Ralph³, Obediah² McFarlen, Ralph¹ McFarlane) was born 11 September 1835 in Belmont County, Ohio, and died 1917 in Nuttie Farm, Ritchie County, West Virginia. He married Lavina McClead 6 September 1857 in Washington County, Ohio.

Children of John McFarland and Lavina McClead are: