Leo Russell Todd

1894-1965

 

Leo Russell Todd was born in 1894 in San Diego, California, the first born of Etta Russell Todd and Levi Todd.

 

In 1900, Leo’s father saw an opportunity for work in Cuba with his brother. After going there, he send for his family which included Leo and Aubrey, his 3 year old brother, to Cuba to live there. After being there for a couple of years, Leo’s little brother at five years old died. Leo was eight years old at the time. Etta and Leo left Cuba to live with Leo’s aunt in Oregon while waiting for Leo’s father to come. Since the paperwork was difficult to bring his son’s body back, it took awhile, then his father got yellow fever which complicated things. Leo’s father finally was able to come back to California and sent for his mom and him. Three more brothers were born there.

 

As a result of yellow fever, Leo’s father, Levi, became semi-invalid and almost totally deaf, he couldn’t get his doctor’s license renewed, and things were difficult. About 1915 Leo’s parents were not getting along well together and got a divorce. His father left with nothing, and left the burden of supporting the young children and farming to Leo since he was the oldest at twenty years old. Leo had to quit school so that he could work the ranch full time. Emery, his brother was 17 years old, and worked out milking cows at the Moreheads. His other two brothers were Rainous, nine years old and Abbot, five years old who were still in school.

 

Leo would swim the horses over in the spring then when the ground was dry enough to work and leave them in corral and would haul hay to them by boat.  Rainous helped and they worked up small patches of cleared land and planted water melons and corn and cantaloupes and took them in a hay wagon with hay in the bottom (to protect the melons) to Maysville and Yuba City to sell from door to door. Rainous almost always went with Leo.  They would leave about 4 a,m. with the horses and the load of melons. 

 

It was Abbott's and Rainous’ job to hoe and take care of the melon patches.  Abbott and Rainous would stay at the melon patches to care for them for several days at a time, eating melons and homemade bread, before going home for clean clothes.  They would walk back and forth a distance of about 1 1/2 miles. 

 

Leo met Lora Emma Ordesha Everheart of Gold Run, Nevada Co.  She was from an old pioneer family of that area.  She was a mountain girl. Leo met her while she was visiting friends in the valley, around Yuba City.  They fell in love and married. When Emery came home from the Army and Leo got married, then Emery took over the ranch and farmed it. Of that marriage there was one child.  Leo James Todd Jr.  Ordescha died of pneumonia in 1929 leaving Leo with Leo Jr., who was about  years old at the time. She is buried in the cemetery at Sutter, but not in the old family plot.  They lived at Sutter. They had bought 30 acres of land right south of the railroad on Acacia Rd. in Sutter.  After Ordescha died, Leo James stayed with his grandma Etta, for a while and all of the family took turns looking after him for a few years, until his father Leo was able to establish himself again. 

 

Leo married a second time to a widow, Charmion Wady Brott who had two sons.  They were very fine young men.  One of whom became a superintendent of schools and worked in school administration for a number of years, and later a stock and bond salesman. The second one, Milton Charles Brott, worked for Safeway stores in a trucking capacity. Leo and Charmion had a son in 1935 who is Wady Lee Todd. He operated a yard maintenance business.

 

When Leo remarried and established a home in Grass Valley, then Leo Jr. went to live with his father.  He attended schools in Sutter and High School in Grass Valley up until the time he had to enter the services in World War 2. Leo Jr served as Deputy District Attorney Public Defender,  County Council for the County of Nevada.  He had also appeared before the Supreme Court and been sworn in so he can argue a case in Federal court.  He just missed being elected Superior judge of Nevada Co. court.

 

Leo Russell Todd lived in Grass Valley where he worked in the gold mines until his retirement. Leo is buried in Grass Valley.