Early Pioneers
Biographies
AVERSCH, JOHN A.
(Go John), born in Pennsylvania, about 1837, of Italian [German]
parents but passed his boyhood in New York City crossed the plains to
the Nevada silver mines on the Comstock lode, where he made some money;
enrolled at age 23 in Virginia City, Nevada territory, October 8 and
mustered into service at Camp Union, Sacramento, California, November
14, 1861, to serve 3 years as Private, Company H, 5th California
Infantry; occupation when enlisted, Miner; went with the Company by sea
to San Diego, California, and was stationed there during February and
March, 18621 marched via Camp Wright to Fort Luma
where he served as hospital attendant from May to October, 1862; left
with the Company for Tucson in January and reported sick in hospital
there in February, 1863 placed under arrest in Tucson, April 29, and
marched with the Company to Las Cruces on the Rio Grande and thence to
Franklin (EL Paso), Texas, arriving In June deserted from confinement
at Franklin, Texas, July 29, 1863, and fled to Mexico where he joined
the French and Mexican troops supporting the government of the Emperor
Maximilian in Sonora after the defeat of the French invaders his life
was saved by General Rafael Argueleo of the Mexican Amy who gave him
asylum in his home in, Guymas and whose servants concealed him in a
large clothes basket when Mexican soldiers came searching for him.
In Sonora Avers learned to speak the Spanish language fluently; he was
married by a priest to an Opata Indian named Regina Trujillo
(1843-1902) at .Basarac, in the District of Montezuma; she was a widow
with two sons, Rosario and Inocente, and three daughters, Josef A,
Ciracie and Crus; they had no other children he came with his family
from Sonora to the Salt Valley and is listed there In the U. S. Census
of 1870 as a farmer, age 33 in his "Phoenix Manuscript" James M. Barney
tells of him as follows:
AVERSCH, JOHN A
When the Hancock-Monihon building on the east side of First Avenue, a
short distance south of Washington Street, was about completed—and
which was to serve as the first real County Court-House—the Board of
Supervisors finally decided that it was necessary to construct some
kind of a jail for the safe and proper confinement of prisoners.
The plans and specifications for the proposed jail to be erected at the
rear of the new adobe building, which was to serve as the County
Court-House, were gotten up by Captain William A, Hancock.
The contract for its construction was awarded at the Supervisors
meeting of October 11,1871—to John Averach, known by his comrades as
"Go-John", who appeared to be the only bidder. His bid was for
$1,000.00 which was accepted—with the understanding that the original
specifications were to be changed to read as follows: There shall be
one chimney, and the lockup and hall shall be plastered and
white-washed, and an additional sum of two hundred dollars shall
be paid, making in all twelve hundred dollars—1/3 to be paid in
warrants when the walls are completed and the roof on.
Mr. Averach carried out Me contract as per agreement and thus became
the builder of Maricopa County's a first jail.
By his contemporaries in the Salt River Valley, Averach was known as
"Go-John", a title he acquired by virtue of the following incident, as
told by the late Martin M. Elders: To the north of Cotten's
place—across the alley where the Noble Building now stands—was one of
the first buildings put up in Phoenix—a large adobe structure which was
turned into the first dance-hall in Phoenix. It was conducted by John
Aversch, who was known to everybody as "Go-John"
Aversch's wife was a native of Mexico, of very dark complexion, and
spoke the English language rather imperfectly, her vocabulary being
quite limited. One evening while Aversch and his spouse were driving in
a small buggy along a country road, the former alighted and entered a
watermelon patch that was handy, to pick a few watermelons for his own
personal use. The wife remained seated in the buggy and seeing, in the
distance, someone approaching the melon patch where her husband was
busy selecting watermelons that were ripe she started shouting—" Go,
John, Go John, "—as a warning of approaching danger;
John told the story of his adventure to his friends and from that day
on John Aversch was known, far and near, by the so Briguet of
"Go-John"."
At one time he operated the Half-Way House and ranch on the Tempe road;
was variously engaged as a miner, freighter, trader, tobacco grower and
lastly as a track gardener; died at his home two miles west of Tempe,
Maricopa County, October 27, 1904; buried in the old Williams Cemetery,
on the Tempe road, near the present site of the Tovrea packing plant,
SOURCES OF INFORMATION
Great Register of Maricopa County, A.T., 1881-98.
Parish, T.E. - History of Arizona, Phoenix, 1918, p. 151.
The adjutant General of the Amy - Military service records.
Orton, R.H, - Records of California Man in the War of the Rebellion,
Sacramento, 1890, p. 710.
Barnay, J.M. Phoenix Manuscript
The Arizona Republican. Phoenix, January 3, 1903 and October 29, 1904.
The Tempe News, November 4, 1904
