Acton Cleveland was the grandson of William Bull Meek and his family were long-time residents of Camptonville. Meek's father purchased the town mercantile in the early 1850s, and Bill Meek took over the store and operated it until the 1930s. Bill Meek was a stage driver during the early days as well and rebuilt the town after a major fire in 1908. He became Justice of the Peace in his later years. Just after the turn of the century, Yuba County was divided into seven townships. Each township had its own judge, and Earl Cleveland, Acton's father, served as the judge in the Slate Range Township Court for years until the county supervisors consolidated all the courts into one district with one judge and constable. This one-court system operated until 1928 when supervisors, in response to complaints from Camptonville residents, created three districts (Camptonville, Marysville, Wheatland). Each was to have its own judge. "The trouble was that nobody wanted to be judge," Cleveland recalled in an article in Judges', Marshals' and Constables' Magazine, the official monthly publication of the Judges', Marshals' and Constables' Association, in March of 1977. "Finally I talked my grandfather, William Bull Meek, into it, but only on the condition that I did all the work. That was the understanding." According to Cleveland, Meek stepped down in May 1933 because "it was making him nervous," and Acton was appointed to take over the office. Acton Cleveland also represented the Camptonville area in road matters for 40 years and was Deputy Tax Assessor into the 1960s. Acton worked for Yuba County for 53 years. He was first appointed Deputy County Assessor in 1923 and Justice of the Peace in 1933. In 1949, this title was changed to District Court Judge. In 1977, Acton was forced into retirement as a result of the consolidation of his district with the Marysville District Court and because he was not an attorney judge. In the 1960s Acton Cleveland began to write down some of his memories of family, his childhood, and the town itself. These are excerpts from his writings. |
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