John P. Edinger -- Cape Girardeau County sheriff and California pioneer

John P. Edinger was born to Christopher and Catharine (Welker) Edinger in 1808 in present-day Bollinger County, Missouri. Both parents were born in Pennsylvania, and their families immigrated to North Carolina after the Revolution. After their marriage, they came to the Cape Girardeau District in 1802, and settled with other German-Americans on a Spanish land grant on Little Whitewater Creek.

John married Mary Burns of Perry County and purchased half of his father's land grant and other government land. He prospered and became a justice of the peace in German (now Scopus) Township by 1840.

Edinger served two, two-year terms as sheriff, 1848 to 1852. He apparently encountered problems during his second term. In those days, the sheriff also served as tax collector. As such, he had to turn over collected money to the state, and for 1850 and 1851 he posted a bond to insure he would do so. Usually a number of wealthy men would assist with posting the bond, and Edinger provided land and personal property as collateral. Nonetheless, he defaulted on the bond. The bondsmen sued in Circuit Court in November 1854, but by that time Edinger had left for California. He also had other unpaid debts for which he mortgaged other property.

Family stories suggest he had a distaste for slave sales breaking up families. He had to conduct such sales to settle estates and court orders. However, deed records show he participated in similar sales of his own slaves.

Whatever the reason, the Edinger family left for California in spring 1854, and their first stop was for outfitting in St. Joseph, Missouri. John P. and William Harrington had outfitted an earlier trip to California by local people, so he probably had a good idea of the equipment needed. The party traveled about 12 to 15 miles per day. During the evening, the immigrants enjoyed the fiddle playing and singing of Edinger.

The exact route taken by the party is unknown, but some major points survived in family oral history. The party crossed the Platte River at some point, supposedly with assistance of local Indians. Here, the only near-tragedy occurred, when John's son Christopher C. nearly drowned.

The next stop on the journey was Salt Lake City, where the party marveled at the ongoing construction of the Temple and the broad streets. They took on provisions, and then went across a desert, possibly Forty-Mile Desert, and down Steptoe Valley, on to North San Juan, and ending near San Francisco.

John settled in San Mateo County, California, and purchased a small ranch, where he farmed and raised hogs and cattle. His son moved south to Orange County and became one of the founders and an early mayor of Santa Ana. Edinger Street remains in Santa Ana to this day. John and his wife joined them, where they lived out their days. John died around 1880, and Mary some years later. John P. Edinger had been a pioneer on two frontiers during his eventful life.