West County Museum

Sharing Some History from our

Cemetery Walk  Vignettes

    Our program for Cemetery Walk 2006 inluded vignettes on Leland
Chase, aerial photographer and Sebastopol studio photographer, Laura Call
Carr, whose history you can read in a booklet we have for sale at the West
County Museum. Laura grew up at Fort Ross where her parents owned the ranch
that encompassed the Fort in the late 1800s.
    There was a reminiscence by the parents of John Sebring, the first
burial at the then Odd Fellows and Masonic cemeteries, in 1859. Jean Fisher
told the historical story of Senorita Conchita Arguello. Then there was the
Civil War veteran, Durant Litchfield telling about his life and war
experiences.
    Durant’s wife, Elizabeth Litchfield was one of the women who gathered
for a meeting of the Women’s Relief Corps. An auxiliary group of the Grand
Army of the Republic, the WRC was formed in the 1880s to help Civil War
veterans and their families. The other WRC members we highlighted included
Adelheid Janssen, Sebastopol hotel owner and Rebecca Murphy, Sebastopol
librarian. Mrs. Janssen came from Germany to San Francisco. She met her
husband to be shipboard. They married in San Francisco. They moved to
Sebastopol in 1881 and bought an existing hotel renaming it Janssen’s.

###

Anyone Want a History Pen Pal?

We’ve received a letter from Charles “Chuck” Urquhart from Belfast, Maine.

Mr. Urquhart’s hobby (since he is housebound and semi disabled) is to write
historical societies with historical questions. He asks whether we know what
kind of saw Capt. Stephen Smith of Bodega used in his 1843 steam powered
sawmill. Was it circular or reciprocating? Did Smith prosper selling lumber
and is there anything left of the mill? The address to reply is:
Charles Urquhart
5 West Waldo Rd
Belfast, ME 04915


Here’s a historic anecdote Chuck forwards to us:  “In 1677 His Majesty’s
loyal colonists, from the Massachusetts bay area sent King Charles II, two
barrels of cranberries. His Highness loved them so much, that ‘He’ ate both
barrels. We presume ‘He’ also ate the cranberries.”




Speaking of Stephen Smith of Bodega

    Many times when reading books on local history pre 1900, individuals are
referred to with titles like Captain. Does the author assume that readers
know where that person acquired such a title. Perhaps. In Stephen Smith’s
case, he acquired the title Captain because he actually was the captain of a
ship. According to the Maritime Heritage Project website, Captain Stephen
Smith of the bark (what kind of ship is a bark?) George Henry sailed north
of San Francisco in 1841. He saw the redwood trees along the coast and
spotted the potential for a business. Lumber was being shipped into San
Francisco from as far away as the Sandwich Islands when it was with 100
nautical miles north of San Francisco.
    Smith returned in 1843 with a sawmill from Boston, hired white laborers
from San Francisco to help him build the steam powered mill and began making
lumber.
    Captain Smith brought his Peruvian bride, Manuela Torres and her mother
with him to Bodega. Smith became a Mexican citizen to apply for a land
grant. In 1844, Smith was granted the 35,487 acre Rancho Bodega which was
bordered by the Russian River on the North and the Estero Americano on the
South.
    According to the Munro-Fraser 1880 History of Sonoma County, Captain
Smith was a generous and kind person. He showed hospitality to all visitors
and his mother-in- law even nursed many people back to good health.
    Captain Smith grew in wealth to see it all dissipate. He once had 15,000
head of cattle, 15,000 horses plus hogs and sheep. But at the time of his
death all he owned was the land. He allegedly lost $60,000 he had deposited
in someone else’s safe. He lost $20,000 in a fire in San Francisco in 1851
and a similar large amount in another fire. He was careless about business.
He borrowed $600 at two per cent a month and neglected to pay the debt until
he owned $5,000.
    Captain Smith died in San Francisco in November, 1855 at 73. His wife
and three children survived him. Smith’s will left a life interest in one
third of the ranch to his wife and two thirds to his children. The widow
Smith married Tyler Curtis who succeeded in getting an act of the State
Legislature passed giving him the right to dispose of the interests of the
children in the rancho. Curtis soon let the fortune filter through his
fingers and thus the children were defrauded and the rancho passed into
other hands.




Other Sebastopolians!

    Jim Robinson of Colorado has gathered family history and shares with us
the story of his grandfather, James R. Johnson who became the sheriff of
Mendocino County. Jim is publishing a book on Sheriff Johnson to be released
in the next few months. Jim shared with us the following excerpt from the
Republican Press, Ukiah, CA March 18, 1896 and the Preface from his upcoming
book.

“Among the offices at the disposal of the people none is more important than
that of sheriff; requiring as it does a man of undoubted courage, quick
action and unquestioned integrity. Such an individual Mendocino County
fortunately possesses in the person of James R. Johnson, the present
occupant of that office.

Born in Sebastopol, Sonoma County, in 1854 he was educated in the public
school and graduated with great credit. Starting life he early realized the
many drawbacks to be overcome, but such was his untiring energy and force of
character that he early made a mark for himself and was looked upon as a
gentleman having a bright future.

In 1878 he moved to eastern Oregon where for a number of years he was
engaged in the business of stock raising, but being a native son he could
not resist the temptation of returning to his native soil, where he moved to
Mendocino County and engaged in farming, from which he retired in 1888 and
engaged in the real estate business with J. H. Donohoe, and only
relinquished that to undertake the duties of sheriff.

So ably did he discharge these duties and give evidence of his fitness for
the position that he is now serving his second term. How correct the people
were in their choice has been amply shown since he assumed the office, and
today he commands and deserves the respect of his fellow citizens. as a man
of sterling worth, courteous, considerate and kind, he has made a host of
friends . . .”

The Book’s Preface: “Johnson was elected Tax Collector of Mendocino County
in 1889 and was elected Sheriff in 1891. Until December 1897 he collected
and deposited millions of dollars in taxes for the county. As Sheriff he
spent many days pursuing and capturing many highwaymen who robbed the stages
traveling through the county.
    Politics then as now was highly partisan with a faction supporting
Sheriff Johnson and another opposing him. This was reflected in two county
newspaper with opposite (and slanted) reporting. In 1896 the Sheriff’s
deputy was supposed to deposit several thousand dollars in the bank, but the
bank claimed it had never received it. This led to a series of audits and
the Sheriff’s office was found short $6,000 dollars. The Sheriff’s foes made
this shortage into a full-fledged scandal. Finally, according to one of his
sons, J.R. Johnson came in one night in December 1897 and told the family
that he felt there was no way he could overcome the accusations. He had
decided to change his name and move the family out of California.

On December 24, 1897, the Dispatch Democrat reported that “J.R. Johnson,
Sheriff and Tax Collector of the County of Mendocino, has embezzled funds of
the County and has left said County with the intention of never returning
and has ceased to be an inhabitant of said County...”
The family disappeared, but J.R. Johnson kept in touch with his bondsmen and
in January 1900 arranged through them to replay the money to the
satisfaction of the County. The California Supreme Court had thrown out the
lawsuit to recover the money filed against Johnson.