He arrived in California with his family in 1850 and made enough money to farm back home. AFter six years he moved his family to Stockton and then to Santa Cruz where he owned an inn and restaurant. He decided to move to San Lorenzo Valley with his family and take up residence on a land grant. He dammed the river and set up a sawmill to harvest the trees on his lot in 1868. He began selling parcels of his land to new settlers who were moving there to work in the lumber industry or the Flume. He also owned over the years a tannery, a Water Company, a cabinet shop and a brickyard. He built a hotel and hall in the new settlement of Lorenzo. He built Redwood Rest, a resort, was the postmaster for Boulder Creek and the station master once the trains began arriving. He was generous with the local school and churches, rebuilding several after fires. The article notes that Lorenzo finally had a disastrous fire and the since the train station was in Boulder Creek the village of Lorenzo slowly vanished.