Swarthout was born August 16, 1823 in Norwalk, OH. He enlisted in the Mormon Battalion and was mustered out in the fall of 1847 at Los Angeles, CA. After that Swarthout went north to Sutter's Fort and was one of the first to mine gold on the American River. On August 25, 1851 he married Emma Smith Tanner at Sycamore Grove near San Bernardino. Swarthout was a rancher. He died on January 10, 1903 and is buried at the San Bernardino Pioneer Cemetery.
Photo courtesy of City of San Bernardino Historical and Pioneer Society