Yeah, there's a dead body on display at the fairgrounds. What's the big deal?
Visitors to the 1985 Sonoma County Fair found a tent at the far end of the midway announcing a "World of Wonders" exhibit. Admission was a buck.
Inside were cages and stalls with deformed or otherwise unusual looking animals. According to the Press Democrat the menagerie included a hundred lb. water rat (which was probably a capybara), a "five-legged cow, a steer with two noses, a five-legged lamb, a 'punk rock' goat and a 'headless' chicken."
In the center of that barnyard freak show was a coffin. Through the plexiglass top you could see the body of an adult man. His skin was leathery and the color of mahogany with sparse hair and beard. A loincloth covered his hips.
Propped against the side of the coffin was a sign: "He is real. Count Demonicus: preserved and petrified by arsenic solution." The July 31 edition of the PD ran a photo of the coffin with the remains faintly visible.
But wouldn't you know it, some killjoy didn't think it was appropriate to have a dead guy laying on the straw covered dirt just a few steps away from the barn with the 4-H bunnies. The cops were called.
Coroner Investigator Tom Siebe thought it was probably fake and told the PD "Yeah, it looks pretty good. But under plastic, things can be deceptive." To check on it, the county took possession of the body for an x-ray. It was real.
The rest of this article can be read at the SantaRosaHistory.com website. Because of recurring problems with the Blogger platform, I am no longer wasting my time formatting and posting complete articles here. I will continue to create stubs for the sake of continuity, but will be publishing full articles only at SantaRosaHistory.com.
- Jeff Elliott
It was 1:15 in the morning when Dr. Phillips' phone rang at his home in Petaluma. As he was Sonoma County Coroner, this was not terribly unusual; people inconveniently die at all hours. It's the coroner's job to investigate when there are unusual circumstances and the good doctor was certainly kept busy in late 1920 looking into odd deaths - in the previous few weeks four people were killed when their car or truck was hit by a train and a seven year-old boy was decapitated in an accident at the fairgrounds. But Phillips had never received a call like this one: He was told there were three men hanging from a tree in the old Santa Rosa cemetery and nobody knew who killed them.
This is a postscript to the series on the 1920 lynchings in Santa Rosa, “THERE WILL BE PRICES PAID” and covers one of the conspiracies of silence following the murder of the gangsters: The mystery of what happened to their bodies.
As he drove to Santa Rosa he passed around a dozen cars on the highway headed south, which seemed unusual for that time of night. He unfortunately mentioned this to a Press Democrat reporter when he arrived at the county jail; the newspaper took it as evidence that the lynching party came from San Francisco and most papers in the city chased that angle for days, although it was already pretty clear the vigilantes came from Healdsburg or points north.
Before he left Petaluma, Coroner Phillips phoned Frank Welti, the Deputy Coroner for Santa Rosa and ordered an ambulance to be waiting at the cemetery to transport the bodies. After the dead gangsters were cut down they would be taken to the Welti mortuary, which doubled as the town morgue.
Phillips spent nearly an hour at the jail with the sheriff (probably joined by Welti) prior to heading for the cemetery. This was likely when they all had a very earnest discussion about what might happen next - their jobs were not over just because the gangsters were now dead. "He is in a measure responsible for the safe keeping of the bodies until such time as they are interred," the San Francisco Call reported after speaking with Phillips. And until the remains were shipped out of the county or securely buried, there was a clear and apparent risk that someone might try to get access to the corpses or even steal them.
The rest of this article can be read at the SantaRosaHistory.com website. Because of recurring problems with the Blogger platform, I am no longer wasting my time formatting and posting complete articles here. I will continue to create stubs for the sake of continuity, but will be publishing full articles only at SantaRosaHistory.com.
- Jeff Elliott
The air was heavy with mist that December morning, peaceful and timeless, each home in Santa Rosa seemingly alone in the world except for neighboring houses not cloaked by fog. You picked up the Press Democrat on the doorstep planning to scan the ads for Christmas presents, but the astonishing headline dampened any enthusiasm for shopping. Nevertheless, you still put on a hat and went downtown - to gawk at the corpses lying on marble slabs in the morgue.
About 3,000 people (including children) queued outside the Welti mortuary on the corner of Fourth and E to see the bodies of the three gangsters lying in the cold room. When the undertakers closed for noon lunch the crowd patiently waited for them to reopen at 2 o'clock. Nobody wanted to lose their place in line, so stores were empty despite Christmas being only two weeks away.
This is the eighth and final chapter in the series on the 1920 lynchings in Santa Rosa, “THERE WILL BE PRICES PAID,” which is not a simple story to wrap up. After the three gangsters were finished off there were still loose threads to address and knots to untangle.
Most significantly were two conspiracies of silence, both of which remain (mostly) secret still today. There was the conspiracy by the Healdsburg vigilantes to snatch the gangsters and lynch them, which they carried out with military precision - and perhaps most remarkably, maintained the discipline to keep completely quiet about it afterwards. Then there was the plan by Santa Rosa authorities to conceal what happened to the bodies out of concern for grave robbers. Finally, there were related things that happened in the days (and years) that followed and must be mentioned to wrap up the story.
Those conspiracies of silence are more like appendices to the lynching story, so I'm breaking them out into parts of their own - otherwise this wrapup chapter would be uncomfortably long, and the transcripts of sources would be a jumble of mixed articles spanning from 1919 to 1922. So let's proceed here with the telling of what happened right after the Dec. 10 lynching before jumping ahead to discover what became of the hanging tree.
The rest of this article can be read at the SantaRosaHistory.com website. Because of recurring problems with the Blogger platform, I am no longer wasting my time formatting and posting complete articles here. I will continue to create stubs for the sake of continuity, but will be publishing full articles only at SantaRosaHistory.com.
- Jeff Elliott
It's the most infamous event in Santa Rosa history, but there's really not much to say about it - as long as you stick to the facts, that is.
There are just four first-hand accounts of what happened at the jailhouse late on the night of November 9, 1920 and the lynching that followed at the Rural Cemetery. The most important came from Clarence H. "Barney" Barnard, who was the only member of the lynching party to talk about it. Almost 65 years after the events, Barnard walked into the Press Democrat office and asked to speak to Gaye LeBaron. His recollections - which appeared in her December 8, 1985 column - rewrote several key parts of the story. She also recorded an interview with him in 1989 which is available on the SSU website (it adds little to what she originally wrote, and Barnard was so confused at that point he was unsure if he had been born in 1889 or 1899).
Setting the record straight is important, but the core of the story remained unchanged: An unidentified group of men seized three gangsters being held at the Sonoma County jail and hung them from a tree. It was not unexpected; after Sheriff Jim Petray's murder and the subsequent riot at the jail, the county was awash with rumors that a lynching was in the works.
This is the seventh chapter in the series on the 1920 lynchings in Santa Rosa, “THERE WILL BE PRICES PAID,” and covers just the events of that night, including how Barney's testimony has changed the record. The next (and final) part describes the aftermath and offers thoughts on who led the lynching party and how it was organized.
It was presumed that the attack was being organized in San Francisco or Healdsburg and would most likely come on Tuesday, the day of Petray's funeral. "Frankly, I fear for what may happen after the funeral tonight," an anonymous county official said in a widely reprinted United Press wire story. Sheriff Boyes doubled the guard at the jail and stationed deputies outside.
But Tuesday night passed without incident except to note it kept raining - although it was still early December, they were soon to pass total rainfall from the entire previous year. Wednesday night was calm (but wet) as well. As the arraignments were coming up Friday morning, it looked like there would be no trouble after all. Sheriff Boyes and the others went home Thursday night to a well-deserved rest, leaving Chief Deputy Sheriff Marvin “Butch” Robinson alone on the night desk.
The rest of this article can be read at the SantaRosaHistory.com website. Because of recurring problems with the Blogger platform, I am no longer wasting my time formatting and posting complete articles here. I will continue to create stubs for the sake of continuity, but will be publishing full articles only at SantaRosaHistory.com.
- Jeff Elliott
This would be a nice weekend to put some flowers on the grave of your Great-Great Aunt Virginia, who passed away during the Spanish Flu pandemic - so grab some posies and trek over to where she was buried in 1918. Is she still there? Why, yes. A cemetery is a place with people who generally don't move around much. This is widely considered to be a good thing.
Should you find yourself lost in the cemetery, there's usually an office (or at least a telephone number) where someone in charge can direct you to Aunt Ginny's most permanent address. That helpful person would have had little trouble finding her because the major cemeteries in central Sonoma county have a map and a master index of names. Sometimes very old records might not be perfect, but overall the picture of who's located where would be still mostly complete (see sidebar). The sad exception was always Santa Rosa's Rural Cemetery.
At some point in the early 20th century the burial listing book for Rural was lost. Or maybe it never existed - there's no proof it did, although it's difficult to imagine how the historic cemetery could have functioned otherwise. If Virginia was supposed to be buried in the family plot, it would be a really good idea for the mortician to know exactly where to dig.
So the ultimate mystery of Santa Rosa's Rural Cemetery centers on discovering how all its records were destroyed, and when - but until that can be answered (if ever) the adventure lies in trying to recreate the burial listing book.
The rest of this article can be read at the SantaRosaHistory.com website. Because of recurring problems with the Blogger platform, I am no longer wasting my time formatting and posting complete articles here. I will continue to create stubs for the sake of continuity, but will be publishing full articles only at SantaRosaHistory.com.
- Jeff Elliott
It is where you might dream when you dream of Elysium. A gently sloping hill, dappled sun through the wild oaks, trails likely following the paths of cows that wandered there before the Civil War, greenery trimmed (but certainly not manicured) bestowing the peace of woods in its scent and hush.
Today this is the state of Santa Rosa's Rural Cemetery but until the late 1990s it was decidedly unlovely, choked with weeds, sapling trees, vetch and poison oak. Stories about the cemetery's abysmal condition are legion. It was said to be so overgrown at times that a hearse could not reach gravesites and caskets had to be carried in. A worker clearing brush came across someone's home - a vagrant had burrowed deep into a bramble patch and set up camp.
The cemetery has seen its moments of drama and chaos; there's the mass grave of 1906 earthquake victims and just steps away is the scene of the 1920 lynchings. But mostly it has been an uneventful place - although it also has mirrored the city's maddening pattern of chronic mismanagement. As often documented elsewhere here: A problem develops into a crisis and a quick fix is applied, only to find the same problem return (sometimes in a slightly different guise) and often worse.
This chapter about the Rural Cemetery tells the story of its changing conditions; the following article covers the extraordinary efforts made over a century by volunteers to document who lies there, and where.
The rest of this article can be read at the SantaRosaHistory.com website. Because of recurring problems with the Blogger platform, I am no longer wasting my time formatting and posting complete articles here. I will continue to create stubs for the sake of continuity, but will be publishing full articles only at SantaRosaHistory.com.
- Jeff Elliott
Without doubt, it is the most important book on Santa Rosa history ever written.
The new edition of the Santa Rosa Rural Cemetery book is out and it's unlike anything that came before. Normally such a listing of burials is a dry reference work only used by genealogists or someone seeking where great uncle Fletcher is buried on the hill. This is more like an encyclopedic collection of grand short stories, more than five thousand tales long.
Volunteers Sandy Frary and Ray Owen dedicated nearly fourteen years assembling the material via primary source research, scouring all manner of databases and conducting interviews with descendants. The result is both highly accurate and readable; although he may not be your great uncle Fletcher, you'll enjoy meeting him.
The co-authors were well-suited for this kind of project. Sandy worked at the County Sheriff’s Office for a quarter century and since then has spent years as a volunteer at the Coroner’s Office researching old records. Ray had 33 years of experience in security background investigations with the Army and U.S. Civil Service Commission (now the Office of Personnel Management).
The book will be available June 1 and cost around $40. To order, phone the Santa Rosa Recreation & Parks Dept. (The exact price and contact number will be updated on SantaRosaHistory.com when determined.)
The rest of this article can be read at the SantaRosaHistory.com website. Because of recurring problems with the Blogger platform, I am no longer wasting my time formatting and posting complete articles here. I will continue to create stubs for the sake of continuity, but will be publishing full articles only at SantaRosaHistory.com.
- Jeff Elliott
With all the interest in correcting the historical record by pulling down monuments to racists and traitors, let's talk about honoring someone, too: He was Sonoma County's first civil rights activist and a lonely patriot in Santa Rosa's swamp of Confederate sympathizers. His name was John Richards and he had a radical notion: African-American children were entitled to receive a basic education.
Nothing apparently was more important to Richards than the "colored school" but under 1860 California law, “Negroes, Mongolians and Indians shall not be allowed into public schools" so parents like John and Philena Richards had to pay for a private school or send their children away to board with someone where a school was available. Petaluma was among six communities in Northern California that bucked the law and created a public school for black children in 1864, and nothing stopped Santa Rosa from doing likewise, if it had the will.1
Since Richards was a man of means, he hired teachers to educate the town's black children, including his two adopted kids, Ella and Frank - even though he was also paying $70 a year in county taxes to underwrite public schools for whites.2
(This is the first profile in the series, THE HIDDEN LIVES OF BLACK SANTA ROSA." It will be helpful to read the introduction for background.)
By trade Richards was a barber, which was one of the better occupations open to African-Americans in 19th century white America. Santa Rosa's weekly newspaper, the Sonoma Democrat, typically flung racist epithets at blacks as a race, white abolitionists and Lincoln Republicans, but Richards was never demeaned in editor Thomas Thompson's Democrat, likely because his business was a regular advertiser and he was a wealthy man. But just because the Democrat didn't target Richards does not mean Thompson treated him with respect. In an 1869 screed against the Democratic Party not sufficiently defending a "White Man's Government," a contributor sneered he "would rather marry John Richard’s wife, if a widow, than the widow of a democrat.” Thompson added helpfully, "[This is a negro family in Santa Rosa.]"
Instead of openly insulting Richards himself, Thompson ghosted him by ignoring his remarkable deeds. The only time Richards' school was mentioned in the newspaper was a grudging nod via reprinting a tribute from one of San Francisco's African-American weekly newspapers. It was written by Judge William Churchman, a local abolitionist - but Thompson added a preface that it showed the town wasn't as hateful as it really was: "It may seem a little remarkable to some intensely loyal people, but the fact is nevertheless true, that Santa Rosa which has long enjoyed the reputation with loyalty of being a perfect hot bed of traitors and negro-haters should afford one of the best schools for the education of negro children to be found in the State." The Democrat did not even acknowledge, however, that Richards was sponsoring the school.
And, of course, Thompson didn't reprint another part of the same article that revealed some white Santa Rosans were apparently attending the graduation ceremony looking to pick fault with the children's learning, yet came up short themselves:
The rest of this article can be read at the SantaRosaHistory.com website. Because of recurring problems with the Blogger platform, I am no longer wasting my time formatting and posting complete articles here. I will continue to create stubs for the sake of continuity, but will be publishing full articles only at SantaRosaHistory.com.
- Jeff Elliott
Had LinkedIn existed a century ago, his profile would have been the thinnest. POSITION: Assistant undertaker, Santa Rosa CA. EXPERIENCE: 33 years. It would seem like the profile of a inconsequential (and probably boring) fellow, yet he was close friends with some of the best artists in America. Curators from top museums were regularly visiting his modest homes, first on Chinn street in Santa Rosa and then on Vine street in Sebastopol. His name was John Pearson Stanley and he was one of the most interesting people living here around the turn of the century.
Today he's mentioned only by local cemetery buffs because a teardrop-shaped corner of the Santa Rosa Rural Cemetery bears his name. Back then he was known as the kindly middle-aged - and then elderly - man who arranged the funeral and burial of hundreds and hundreds of local people between 1883 and 1918. He was also popular because he had a knack for growing chrysanthemums and in the 1890s our ancestors were chrysanthemum crazy, with a chrysanthemum festival every year or so. It's a wonder Santa Rosa wasn't renamed Santa Crisantemo.
But the reason he had a measure of nationwide fame was because he was a such connoisseur of fine art. His homes were galleries of paintings by William Keith, Lorenzo Latimer, Grace Hudson and others, some whom he encouraged and befriended before their careers took off. Mostly, however, he was renowned as having a remarkable collection of Indian baskets.
Over the years he had hundreds of baskets and appears to have bought them directly from local Pomo weavers. From the 1898 PD:
| On Thursday when a Press Democrat reporter passed the undertaking parlors of M. S. Davis on Fourth street, Mr. Stanley was sitting amidst a group of the dark gentlemen examining some of their handiwork in the shape of baskets. One of the little baskets which the Indians had, upon which probably work had been put on and off for three months or so, could have been bought for about ten dollars. |
Art collectors and museums were just starting to recognize the incredible artistry of these baskets and word spread about Stanley's collection. He sold everything he had to the de Young Museum, rebuilt his holdings, and then the Hearst Museum again bought everything he had. He started anew and buyers kept queuing up at his door - once two visited on the same day, and a purchasing agent for "several of the large eastern museums" came to him on a buying trip.
How could an assistant undertaker afford to build collections such as these? The PD reported Mrs. Hearst's curator "made him a good offer for it" so his occasional forays as a basket art dealer were likely quite profitable. His obituary suggests some of the paintings were gifts, and some may have been bartered; it's known he gave Grace Hudson and her husband valuable antiques, including a bronze Roman candlestick, a Russian samovar from Fort Ross, a fine Turkish rug and a 49er gold miner's pan.1 Plus aside from his undertaking salary, Stanley also had an income stream from his side business - selling graves.
 |
| Current map of Santa Rosa Rural Cemetery with Stanley section highlighted (see PDF of full color map) |
(RIGHT: The full Stanley Addition of 1884)
From the same family that originally owned the Santa Rosa Rural Cemetery land, Stanley bought 5.3 adjacent acres at $250 an acre. This was the property between the cemetery and Poppy Creek; he also acquired the use of water lines across the entire place.2 He added roads to his addition to the cemetery, made other improvements and began selling lots, starting with a low, low sale price of $10 a grave (see advertisement below). That may not seem like much today, but in 1884 most workers were lucky to earn that much in a week.
Even back then, everything involved with caring for the dead was obscenely expensive. In 1883 the Daily Democrat ran a summary of a New York World muckraking article titled, "Undertakers’ Enormous Profits," which revealed there was a markup of 100 percent or more on coffins and related funeral goods. Stanley knew this before he came to Santa Rosa because he had just spent a decade in Salinas running a combo furniture and undertaking business, a frequent mix in the Old West - although they didn't do embalming and such, Pedersen’s in Santa Rosa sold "undertaking supplies" up to 1906.
When he arrived in Santa Rosa in 1883, Stanley opened a store here but it didn't last long; by that September he was advertising a going-out-of-business furniture sale. The ad stated he had decided "to change his business," and presumably that meant shifting to just the undertaking trade.
From a county history we learn he was an assistant to Milo S. Davis, Santa Rosa's established mortician: "...Mr. J. P. Stanley, who has active charge of much of his business, possesses rare qualifications, both by nature and training, for performing the last sad rites for the dead and comforting the bereaved hearts of the living."3
(RIGHT: Ad from the June 20, 1885 Sonoma Democrat)We also know about his early years in Santa Rosa because he made and collected beautiful things. Before he veered into the furniture and undertaking game he had worked as a jeweler in the Gold Country for quite a while and became quite a rock hound; the very first mentions of him in the local papers were about his remarkable collection of minerals, some of which he had highly polished. He sent about a ton of them to an exhibit in San Francisco, and the main Santa Rosa drugstore had a display case with over two thousand specimens.
He also created an exhibit of dried flowers that was compared to an oil painting, and which became part of the Sonoma County exhibit sent to the 1887 Great Mechanics' Fair in Boston (sort of a mini world's fair). Aside from that we didn't read much about him in the papers in the years after he opened his cemetery; presumably he quietly went about his unusual double life.
But from 1896 on, he was mentioned in the papers almost every year. Personal items appeared: His son, James, became the sole owner of the art store a few doors down on Fourth street from the funeral parlor where he worked; it was the go-to place for picture frames, lamp shade, and whatnot. And in a Believe-it-or-Not! coincidence, that year his wife here and his mother in Massachusetts died at nearly the same time.
(Years later, James would follow his dad and become a casket maker, which really isn't surprising - dealing with the dead is one of those trades that often gets passed down through families. When Milo Davis eventually retired he transferred the funeral parlor to Herbert Moke, who was Mrs. Davis' nephew and grew up in the Davis household. Stanley stayed on and worked for Moke, and continued still after Moke quit and sold the business to Frank Welti.)
Mostly, though, the years around the turn of the century were busy with his chrysanthemums and that parade of visits from artists and art collectors and curators - even the governor came by to see his collection. He opened his home for an art exhibit to benefit his church in 1898; the nattering nabobs over at the Press Democrat seemed gobsmacked to discover there was a major art collection in town and it wasn't owned by the McDonald's, Overtons, or other of the town's wheeler-dealers - but by a lowly assistant to an undertaker.
Stanley built and sold two substantial collections of Indian baskets as already noted, but he apparently never parted with any of his beloved paintings - which made the 1906 earthquake all the more tragic for him. From his eulogy, transcribed below:
| When the earthquake destroyed the business portion of our little city, he walked out of his rooms over a shattered pile of bricks and timbers, leaving behind him $20,000 worth of canvases to be consumed by the fury of the flames that swept the district. He loved his pictures, and the loss was a sad blow to him. But he soon accumulated - not so large or valuable - but a rare collection indeed. |
Today that $20,000 would be worth over a half million, but the fame of some of those artists would put the modern value of what was destroyed at many times that figure.
He moved to Sebastopol and continued working even as he passed seventy, commuting to Santa Rosa every day via the electric train. In 1907 he sold all interests in his cemetery to his boss, Moke. He died at age 83 in 1918.
There's a final Believe-it-or-Not! epilogue often mentioned by Rural Cemetery tour guides: John Stanley is not in fact buried in the Stanley cemetery - he's in Colma's Mt. Olivet Cemetery. His wife Emily is supposedly next to him, but she had been buried in her husband's cemetery when she died in 1896, and a couple of years later he erected some sort of elaborate monument for her. Why John would later have her disinterred and them both buried in San Francisco is another mystery of that old graveyard.
1 Days of Grace: California Artist Grace Hudson in Hawaii; Karen Holmes and Sherrie Smith-Ferri, 2014; pg 105
2 Santa Rosa Rural cemetery 1853-1997: a listing of burials in Fulkerson, Moke, Rural and Stanley cemeteries, now known collectively as Santa Rosa Rural Cemetery; Sonoma County Genealogical Society, 1997; appendix pg vi
3 https://books.google.com/books?id=NKI9QAAACAAJ&pg=463
 |
| RIP John Preston Stanley, June 16, 1834 - January 11, 1918 |
J. P. Stanley has boxed up 2,000 specimens of minerals, his own collection, and will ship them to the Mining Bureau 212, Sutter street San Francisco, for exhibition during the conclave. The five cases weigh about a ton, and forms one of the finest private collections in the State.
- Sonoma Democrat, July 28 1883
J. P. Stanley of this city is an enthusiastic geologist and mineralogist, and on Saturday morning showed us a number of beautiful specimens of agate and cornelians that he has gathered in this county. A number of them have been polished to some extent,and are really beautiful and beautifully veined. This is one feature of old Sonoma that has hitherto been neglected.
- Sonoma Democrat, August 4 1883
Cheap Furniture.
J. P. Stanley has concluded to change his business, and is selling off his entire stock of furniture at cost. Parties desirous of good bargains will do well to call on him during the next ten days.
- Daily Democrat, September 20 1883
Jacob Harris to J. P. Stanley, 5-33.100 acres near Santa Rosa; $1,332.50.
- Sonoma Democrat, August 2 1884
A Rare Cabinet.
J. P. Stanley has had an elegant case put in J. W. Warboys’ drug store, in which are tastely arranged over a thousand specimens of minerals, from all parts of the world. Mr. Stanley is an enthusiastic mineralogist, and has over two thousand specimens, collected daring the past sixteen years, from all parts of the earth. A portion of this collection has been on exhibition at the rooms of the State Mineralogist, and Mr. Stanley has a letter from him referring to them in the highest terms. Among the samples on exhibition are numerous rare and beautiful stones from this county, among which are actinolite, chalcedony, jasper, agates and silenite. Some of these are highly polished and present a beautiful appearance. Many are not aware of the fact, that, as beautiful samples of these classes of stones can be found here as in any other part of the world.
- Sonoma Democrat, October 4 1884
C. De Lange to J. P. Stanley, lot 6, block 1, J. Davis’ addition to Santa Rosa; $1,700 [editor's note: This property sold by Conradus DeLange is a typical residential lot on College avenue.]
- Sonoma Democrat, November 15 1884
J. P. Stanley has purchased five and one half acres adjoining the Rural Cemetery on the east, which he proposes to improve and subdivide into burial lots. The ground selected is very suitable for the purpose, and he proposes to afford all an opportunity to obtain plots at low prices. The intervening fence will be removed shortly, roads graded, etc.
- Sonoma Democrat, December 27 1884
John P. Stanley to Patrick Gleason, a portion of Stanley's addition to Santa Rosa Rural Cemetery ; $l.
- Sonoma Democrat, February 21 1885
We would call the attention of our readers to the advertisment of J. P. Stanley in relation to his addition to Rural Cemetery. All the fences have been removed, and lanes and drives laid out so as to make this a part of the original cemetery. For a few days lots can be obtained at reduced rates, and persons will do well to call and make their selections early.
- Sonoma Democrat, June 20 1885
A Work of Art.
J. P. Stanley has displayed not a little ingenuity and exquisite taste in the arrangement of a boquet of pressed flowers, composed of varieties commonly in bloom in Santa Rosa gardens during the winter months. The boquet is of pyramidal form, on a dark ground work, and surrounded bv a handsome and costly gilt frame. So perfect and vividly lifelike are the flowers, that at first glance they would be taken for a painting in oil, but upon closer examination the true and delicate tint, so often exaggerated by the brush but seldom imitated, discovers the deception which has been practiced on art. The tastely piece of workmanship is to be sent to Boston with the Sonoma County exhibit, and will be invaluable as an illustration of the mild and balmy climate of the land of the setting sun.
- Sonoma Democrat, September 24 1887
J. P. Stanley is making a number of improvements in the grounds of his addition to the Rural Cemetery.
- Sonoma Democrat, October 22 1887
J. P. Stanley is making a number of improvements in his addition to the Rural Cemetery.
- Daily Democrat, December 12 1889
Death of Mrs. M. A. Stanley.
J. P. Stanley has received a message announcing the death of his mother, Mrs. Mary A. Stanley, at North Attleborough, Mass.
DEATH OF MRS. STANLEY.
An Estimable Lady Passes Away Monday Night.
After a short illness Mrs. Emily C. wife of Mr. J. P. Stanley died at the family residence on Fifth and Chinn streets, Monday evening at 9 o’clock. Deceased was 60 years of age and was born in Rhode Island. She was the daughter of J. P. and the late Lydia W. Goodwin and sister of Mrs. M. R. Britton and Mrs. E. L. May of San Francisco. She leaves one son, James F. Stanley. She was an estimable lady who had many friends. The funeral of Mrs. J. P. Stanley took place Thursday afternoon. Services were held at the home and at the grave by Rev. R. L. Rathbone and Rev. E. H. Hayden. The pall-bearers were Judge R. F. Crawford, A. B. Ware, W. E. McConnell, E. F. Woodward, E. Brooks and R. M. Swain. A number of friends of the deceased were present from Penngrove, San Francisco and other places.
- Sonoma Democrat, October 24 1896
J. F. STANLEY.
Dealer In Fine Artist's Materials, Picture Frames, Wall Paper, Window Shades, Cornice Poles, Moulding, Etc,-434 Fourth St., Opp. Occidental Hotel.
Prominent among the beat stores of of the city is the one belonging to the above gentleman; it has been established for ten years, and was purchased by him three years and a half ago.
One of the largest stocks in this part of the state is carried by this house, and it is seldom that a patron asks for anything that is not forthcoming. The most of the stock ia shipped to this store direct from the east, thereby getting the lowest prices hy saving the middleman's profit, and getting the newest and freshest goods. For this reason patrons are able to get at this store the finest goods at the prices that are charged at much larger cities.
Those wishing anything in the various lines carried could do no better than to call at this store.
- Sonoma Democrat, November 21 1896
A Beautiful Bloom
Thursday morning J. P. Stanley placed on exhibition in the window at the M. S. Davis undertaking parlors a beautiful variety of the chrysanthemum, an imported species from Japan. The bloom was greatly admired by a large number of people. The variety is known by the name, “Tbe Emerald,” or the green chrysanthemum of Japan.
- Daily Democrat, December 4 1897
Erected a Sarcophagus
On Wednesday Fisher and Kinslow of this city erected an elegant sarcophagus of Scotch granite in Stanley’s cemetery over the grave of the late Mrs. J. P. Stanley. A fitting tribute to the memory of that good woman.
- Press Democrat, February 26 1898
Collection of Indian Baskets
J. P. Stanley of this city has one of the best collections of Indian baskets in the state. For years he has been collecting the baskets and has them in many artistic designs. Al one time Mr. Stanley had over two hundred Indian baskets, which were very much admired. On Thursday when a Press Democrat reporter passed the undertaking parlors of M. S. Davis on Fourth street, Mr. Stanley was silting amidst a group of the dark gentlemen examining some of their handiwork in the shape of baskets. One of the little baskets which the Indians had, upon which probably work had been put on and off for three months or so, could have been bought for about ten dollars.
- Press Democrat, March 26 1898
At the Stanley Residence
At the residence of Mrs. J. P. Stanley about the last of this month, tbe ladies of ths Congregational church will hold an art exhibition, that is Mr. Stanley has consented to let them show off the many wonderful curios in the art line to he found at his home. Mr. Stanley has probably one of ths finest collections of Indian baskets on the Pacific coast, worth hundreds of dollars. Of tnese beautiful baskets he has over one hundred specimens. Then he has a number of paintings by the “Turner of America,” Keith; and also by Latimer and other artists. The art exhibition at Mr. Stanley's should and will be a fine event.
- Press Democrat, May 7 1898
Art Exhibit at Mr. Stanley's
On Friday afternoon and evening of this week the ladies of the Congregational church have an art exhibition at the residence of Mr. J. P. Stanley. This exhibit should prove a great attraction and should be well patronized, for everything choice in the art line will be on view. Mr. Stanley's splendid collection of Indian baskets, the famous paintings which adorn the walls of his home, and other curios of endless variety and worth, will all be fonnd worthy of inspection, and the opportunity given should be embraced.
- Press Democrat, May 25 1898
THE ART EXHIBIT
Beautiful Display at the Home of J. P. Stanley
The Exhibition Will Remain Open this Afternoon and Evening—A Grand Success
Art in perfection was shown at the exhibition held under the auspices of the ladies of the Congregational church, at the pretty home of Mr. J. P. Stanley on Friday afternoon and evening. Rather, it should be said, Mr. Stanley kindly allowed the ladies the freedom of his “museum," for such every room in the house could well be named, to exhibit to the public the many rare specimens in art collected by him, and in that way, by charging a small admittance fee, benefit their church.
Owing to the unpropitious weather the attendance on Friday was small. Realising that many who otherwise would have attended were prevented from doing so by the rain, the ladies have decided to keep the exhibit open Saturday afternoon and evening, when all who can should attend.
The exhibit is very nicely arranged in three rooms, not forgetting the elegant display in the hall.
Adorning the walls of the rooms are masterpieces of such renowned artists as Latimer, Keith, Deacon, Holdridge, Edmondson and Prof. Davenport, and some excellent work by Miss Edith Olson of this city.
Then there is to be seen one of the finest displays of Indian basket work in ths west, composed of scores of baskets of endless variety, made by Indians of many tribes; a display of minerological specimens from every quarter of the globe, a rare collection of antique china, and other delights of the antiquarian. Too much praise cannot be bestowed on the whole exhibit.
- Press Democrat, May 28 1898
A Unique Present
On Wednesday J.P. Stanley received a unique specimen to add to his famous museum of Indian relics. His friend, Dr. Hudson of Ukiah, sent him a “cowtee,“ or Indian dress made of bark. Mr. Stanley prizes this addition to his treasures very highly.
- Press Democrat, October 22 1898
Inspected Mr. Stanley’s Collection
Curator Wycomb, director of the Park museum, at San Francisco, spent Wednesday in Santa Rosa, the guest of J. P. Stanley. Mr. Wycomb came up to inspect Mr. Stanley’s fine collection of curios, and on Wednesday afternoon went up to Ukiah to see Dr. Hudson's famous collection of Indian baskets.
- Press Democrat, January 28 1899
Dr. Hudson of Ukiah, the well known expert on Indian baskets and relics, was the guest of J. P. Stanley.
- Press Democrat, September 13 1899
Amadee Joullin Visits Santa Rosa
Amedee Joullin [sic: Amédée Joullin], the famous painter of Indian life was in town on Thursday to Inspect J. P. Stanley's splendid collection of Indian baskets and other curios. He was very much pleased. In conversation with a reporter Mr. Joullin said that Mr. Stanley’s collection of Indian baskets was certainly the most marvelous he had ever seen. He said he doubted very much if there was a more complete collection anywhere. In some of the baskets he said he found exquisite color blending. The other curios in the collection are very good. Such a collection, the visitor said, was worthy of a prominent place in one of the national museums. While in this city Mr. Joullin was the guest of C. H. E. Hardin at the Hardin residence on Fifth street. He returned to San Francisco on the afternoon train to be present at the reception given Bernard, the distinguished French architect, whose plans were accepted for the new buildings at the State University.
- Press Democrat, December 16 1899
Mr. Stanley’s Indian Baskets
J. P. Stanley was in Petaluma Wednesday in connection with Miss Connolly’s funeral. While there the Argus says that be sold his second collection of Indian baskets and relics to a representative of Mrs. Hearst. Some time ago Mr. Stanley sold his fine collection of baskets and curios for the art museum in Golden Gate park. He at once commenced work on a second collection and had gathered together a large quantity of baskets when Mrs. Hearst’s agent came along in quest of baskets. The agent was greatly taken by Mr Stanley's collection and made him a good offer for it. In about a week the deal was closed and now Mr. Stanley is free to again commence a collection.
- Press Democrat, July 25 1901
Indian Baskets Bought by Mrs. Hearst
PETALUMA, July 27.-- J. P. Stanley, a well-known collector of Indian baskets and curios, has sold his splendid collection of baskets and curios, has sold his splendid collection of baskets to Mrs. Phebe Hearst. Mrs. Hearst will donate the collection to the State University Museum. Dr. Philips Mills Jones secured the collection for Mrs. Hearst.
- San Francisco Chronicle, July 28, 1901
Mrs. Smith of San Francisco, a well known collector of Indian baskets was in town on Saturday.
Professor Wilcomb, curator of the Park Museum, San Francisco, was in town on Saturday, the guest of J. P. Stanley.
- Press Democrat, September 29 1901
Dr. J. W. Hudson of Ukiah. an authority on Indian relics and baskets, was the guest of J. P. Stanley on Wednesday.
- Press Democrat, May 22 1902
MAY BE INDIAN IDOL
Curious Specimen of the Ancients Unearthed while Man Was Plowing
While engaged in plowing on his place on the Guerneville road, three miles from this city, a few days ago, H. T. Noel unearthed what is considered to have been an idol of the nomadic tribes of Indians who formerly roamed about this country at will. It is a well preserved head and face presumably of an Indian god, carved in stone, with well defined features. Mr. J. P. Stanley, who is an authority on Indian habits as well as their skilful work along the lines of art, and others are of the opinion that the article discovered, which is now on exhibition at the Press Democrat office, is a valuable specimen.
- Press Democrat, January 28 1904
H. H. MOKE ASSUMES CONTROL OF BUSINESS
It is rumored on the best of authority that Herbert Henry Moke of the undertaking establishment of M. S. Davis will shortly assume control of the business by the retirement of its old and esteemed head, Mr. Davis. Mr. Davis has been in business here for thirty years and no man is better known or more generally respected than he is. He feels, however, that he would like to take a rest from business cares. Mr. Moke has been with Mr. Davis since boyhood and thoroughly understands the business in all its details. Mr. John P. Stanley, who has been connected with the establishment for many years will remain with Mr. Moke after he has taken over the business. It is rumored that the deal will be consummated in a day or two.
- Press Democrat, January 4 1905
The presence of Governor and Mrs. Pardee has added interest to several of the parties of last week, notably the dinner at the Woodward residence, and Mr. Spencer’s euchre party on Tuesday evening. Mrs. Pardee is especially interested in Indian baskets, and during her visit here, she visited Mr. John P. Stanley's rooms with Mrs. Henry Hahmann, and enjoyed Mr. Stanley’s, collection of Indian curios and fine paintings.
- Press Democrat, December 17 1905
J P Stanley to H H Moke, July 27 07 —all int, rights and privileges in Santa Rosa Rural Cemetery.
- Press Democrat, July 31 1907
NOTED INDIAN PANITER A VISITOR IN THIS CITY
Dr. Hudson of Ukiah, accompanied by his wife, Grace Hudson, a noted Indian painter, were visitors in Santa Rosa yesterday, and were guests of John P. Stanley, an old-time friend of theirs. They witnessed the coronation of Queen Nancy, and will participate In the festivities today.
- Press Democrat, May 16 1908
BUYING INDIAN BASKETS
J. P. Stanley Disposes of a Number of Fine Specimens of Indian Work
Miss Grace Nicholson and A. Hartman of Pasadena, were in this city on Monday and while here bought from J. P. Stanley a number of Indian baskets and curios. The Pasadenans are traveling through this section. and in Mendocino and Lake counties buying baskets, etc. Miss Nicholsen buys for the collection in several of the large eastern museums. On Sunday she and Mr. Hartman, her brother-in-law, were in Healdsburg.
- Press Democrat, August 14 1908
J. P. STANLEY QUITE ILL AT HIS HOME
...Mr. Stanley, up to the present time, has led a very active life, despite his age, and it is hoped that this factor in a measure will help his recovery. Up to the fore part of the present year he has made regular trips to and from his business in Santa Rosa, hardly missing a day, and his genial face has been sadly missed by those who make the daily ride...
- Sebastopol Times, May 25, 1917
GRAND OLD MAN HEARS SUMMONS TO FINAL REST
James P. Stanley Crosses Great Divide Thursday Evening After Day of Unconsciousness at His Hill Home in Sebastopol.
AS GOOD and kindly a soul as ever breathed passed from earth into the presence of its Maker when John P. Stanley died on Thursday night.
Nearly eighty-four years of age when the end came, his had been an active life almost up to the last. Of course, as legions of his friends will remember, the past few years he had manifested bodily weakness, but still his mind was bright and clear and he look pleasure in the things of life.
Hundreds of friends today will pause as they read the death notice of the grand old man and will remember many of his kindnesses. For years his business had brought him In touch with hundreds of sorrow stricken hearts and on such occasions he was ever to the fore with the word that brought solace.
During the latter months of his life Mr. Stanley had suffered several severe illnesses and had more than once been in the shadowland, returning to diminished health and strength with the same, kindly smile and the same spirit of thankfulness that friends were so kind and attentive.
Wednesday night Mr. Stanley relapsed into unconsciousness and remained in this state until the end came on Thursday night in his attractive little bungalow on the hillside in Sebastopol, just across from his old and true friend. Arthur B. Swain, the latter and his good wife always most attentive to see that he had the little things that made life happier for him.
The deceased was a great lover of art. He was a warm friend of Artist William Keith, Mrs. Grace Hudson and Artist L P. Latimer and on numerous occasions they presented him with some of their choice paintings. Other artists had a firm friend in Mr. Stanley. As late as Christmas he received as a gift two of Keith's pictures and a Hudson painting. He was an art connoisseur and many valuable works of art adorned his rooms. He was a great lover of pictures and antiques, old furniture and the like. He was also a profound lover of Nature and particularly her flower gifts. For years the Stanley garden here raised rare and magnificent chrysanthemums and other blossoms and they were his delight.
He was a friend to all alike. He loved children and young people and was never so pleased as when he was in their company. He used to tell the writer years ago that he liked to be in the company of young people. To this association he attributed his wonderful vigor when three score and ten had passed.
Years ago the deceased’s wife passed away here and her death was a great sorrow for the pioneer. He is survived by a son, James P. [sic] Stanley, and a grandson. Other relatives survive and are in the east.
In the death of Mr. Stanley Santa Rosa and Sebastopol and the community generally has lost an honored and upright citizen and all hope that there was an abundant entrance for his soul into the realms that are brighter than day as a toward for his uprightness of life and his smoothing of the pathway of sadness for so many while here below.
BIOGRAPHICAL SKETCH
John Preston Stanley was a native of Massachusetts and was born June 16 1834. His early years were spent on a farm but he later became a jeweler and came to California in 1858, settling In Amador county, at a place called "Olita," an Indian word meaning “home.”
He remained there in business until 1867 when he went to Sutter creek and was in business there until 1873 when he went to Salinas and embarked in the furniture and undertaking business.
Mr. Stanley came to Santa Rosa in 1883 and engaged in the hardware business with two well-known residents of that day, under the firm name of Stanley, Neblett & Julliard, being located at Second and Main streets, the center of business activities of the city. His old partner, C. V. Julliard, passed away only a few weeks ago. [sic: The man involved was W. B. Stanley, not John, and that business failed in 1880]
He was for many years with the late M. S. Davis in the undertaking business and remained with the Welti Bros., when the latter purchased the business after the fire of 1906 up to within a few months ago when he was compelled to give up active life.
He became well known through his interest in art, his fine collection of paintings by California masters and his collection of Indian basketry and Indian relics.
The fire of 1906 had destroyed his then fine collection. among which were several fine Keiths, a loss that can never be replaced. Mr. Stanley at once began another collection and through his wide acquaintance was able to get a notable gallery together at his home in Sebastopol.
He was married in 1871 to Emily Goodwin of San Francisco, who died in 1896. One son survives, James F. Stanley. Deceased was a member of the Odd Fellows fraternity for more than 53 years and was a past grand of Salinas (California) lodge.
- Press Democrat, January 11 1918
J. P. STANLEY IS AT FINAL REST
Remains Taken to Mt. Olivet Cemetery Monday Following Funeral Services in Odd Fellow Hall Sunday.
The remains of the late John P. Stanley were taken to San Francisco and laid to their final rest in Mt. Olivet cemetery, as requested by the deceased before his death.
The funeral in Odd Fellows’ hall Sunday afternoon was very largely attended by members of the Congregational church and Santa Rosa Lodge of Odd Fellows, the two organizations under whose auspices the services were held and the many friends of the deceased...
- Press Democrat January 15 1918
TRIBUTE TO LATE JOHN P. STANLEY
Attorney Rolfe L. Thompson, an old and valued friend of decedent, delivered the eulogy which is remarkable for the temperateness with which the many and varied virtues of Mr. Stanley were exploited. He said in part:
[..]
His little bungalow on the hill overlooking Sebastopol, surrounded with a luxury of plants and flowers; embellished within by an unusual selection of antique furniture; an assortment of Indian baskets and curios, and rare paintings from the brushes of Keith, Latimer, Welch, Hudson and a number of other famous artists, was a veritable dream of comfort and pleasure, where his many friends were always welcome, and where they frequently enjoyed the hospitality of this grand and kindly man...
...Those who were fortunate enough to have visited his apartments in this city before the earthquake will recall with astonishment the rare and valuable canvasses from the brushes of noted artist which he then possessed; and the collection of Indian baskets probably never elsewhere equaled, and which was sold to Mrs. Heart for thousands of dollars.
These strange and silent children of nature - the basket-makers - were one and all his friends. They trusted and loved him. These great and famous artists were his personal friends, and highly prized his friendship. When the earthquake destroyed the business portion of our little city, he walked out of his rooms over a shattered pile of bricks and timbers, leaving behind him $20,000 worth of canvases to be consumed by the fury of the flames that swept the district. He loved his pictures, and the loss was a sad blow to him. But he soon accumulated - not so large or valuable - but a rare collection indeed. These, and memory, are all that is now left to us...
...Officiating as he has for many years in the burial of thousands of the dead, none could surpass him in the grace, the precision and the nice little details with which he ingratiated himself into the hearts of the bereaved families. With deft hands he arranged the tributes of flowers; with silent tread, well modulated voice and genuine sympathy he moved about and performed his task. It seemed marvelous that one who had experienced the trials attendant upon that now picturesque journey across the plains by means of the historic old prairie schooner and ox team; the rough life of the mining camps in the days of '49, and the harrowing ordeal of caring for the dead, that it is possible to preserve so happy a disposition; such a love for art and literature and flowers and antiques, and such a genuine sympathy and pleasure in the company of his fellow men, as he possessed...
- Sebastopol Times, January 18, 1918
When General Otho Hinton died in 1865, all of Santa Rosa mourned. Flags were lowered, courts adjourned and a "large concourse of people" attended his funeral, including the fire department in uniform. His obituary in the Sonoma Democrat cataloged the achievements of this civic leader:
| ...our citizens are alone indebted for all the public improvements about the place. For our beautiful plaza, the well arranged, beautiful, and tastefully laid out cemetery, and the engine house with the fire apparatus of the department, we are especially indebted, for through his indomitable energy and public spirit these all were attained... |
Some years later a street was named after him - the only person so honored in the downtown core - and soon Hinton Avenue will spring back to life as part of the Courthouse Square reunification project.
| - | - |
|
But Santa Rosa didn't bestow a street name because the City Council decided it would be jolly to honor a celebrity criminal; it was presumably because of all the good deeds listed in the obituary - the cemetery, the plaza, the fire department. Yet in the newspapers of the time there is not a speck of evidence that Hinton had a significant role in any of those accomplishments. Never before being someone who hid his light under a bushel, he surely wasn't stricken with modesty once he actually began doing selfless acts. No, more likely he was given undue credit because he did what he always did: He looked you in the eye, oozed with sincerity and graciously allowed you to think the better of him.
(RIGHT: Detail of 1876 Santa Rosa map, showing the Plaza bordered by two unnamed streets. Hinton's office was on the northeast corner, shown here in a red star)Evidence of Hinton's great good deeds should be easiest to find in regards to Courthouse Square, but before getting in to that, a quick tour of Civil War-era Santa Rosa is needed.
It wasn't called Courthouse Square at the time because the county courthouse was across the street at the corner of Fourth and Mendocino, where Exchange Bank is now. The Plaza was simply a small park criss-crossed by footpaths and surrounded by a fence. The landscaping was haphazard; descriptions mention heritage oaks and evergreens, pampas grass and century plants plus a hedge just inside the fencing. (The complaints today about all the trees lost for the Square reunification project are nothing compared to the howls of outrage when everything was clearcut in 1884 to make way for building the courthouse in the center. "A tree and a bit of grass is worth more than a Court-house," wrote an out-of-town attorney, "I hope every ___ _____ who has a law suit in the new Court-house will lose it.")
Sonoma Democrat editor Thomas L. Thompson was forever boasting it was the most beautiful plaza in the state - even while lamenting it was a godawful mess. The year 1881 was particularly fun; in January a stray pig was rooting up the grass and by summer Thompson was moaning the soil was so sun-baked that grass wouldn't grow, suggesting it would be best to plow it over in hopes that the place wouldn't look so terrible next year. In between those items he wrote about the "beautiful lawns of blue grass" and compared it to Golden Gate Park. Another time the paper cheered the nice new benches, along with commenting the City Council was now determined to keep the Plaza "free from all objectionable persons."
(RIGHT: Detail of 1876 bird's eye view of Santa Rosa looking north, showing the Plaza)The modern-day Press Democrat gives Hinton credit for all work in beautifying the original Plaza, from planting trees to installing the fencing. But is any of that true? In March of 1859 there was a big public meeting to discuss landscaping, fences and how to pay for it all; Hinton was not on any of the committees formed that night, even though his law office was directly across from the Plaza. Later that year work commenced on the fencing. Was Hinton mentioned? Nope.
All Hinton actually did, according to the 1861 -1863 newspapers, was to pay some guys to do spring cleanups. If there was anything specifically done, editor Thompson - the #1 booster of the Plaza - somehow overlooked it.
A 1876 view of Fourth street looking west from the vacant lot which was the location of Otho Hinton's office. The Plaza fence and shrubbery can be seen to the left and the cupola on the right was the top of the county courthouse, at the corner of Fourth and Mendocino. Photo courtesy Sonoma County Library
Hinton's obituary also credits him for "the well arranged, beautiful, and tastefully laid out cemetery" which is surprising, as Santa Rosa's Rural Cemetery did not really exist in 1865. It would be a couple of years before the Cemetery Association was organized to legally sell deeds to burial plots; when Hinton died it was presumably still just an ad hoc graveyard on a hill. (Since there were no deeds prior to the Association we can't be completely sure he's buried where his newly-added tombstone stands, although that's the same place where a family friend and Otho's wife were later buried.)
In Hinton's lifetime the Sonoma Democrat reported there was interest in "buying a lot where the present burying ground is, and having it properly surveyed and laid off in lots, fenced, and otherwise improved" but apparently nothing was done for lack of leadership. In 1861 another small item appeared: "Efforts are making to purchase a tract of land near Santa Rosa, a part of which has been used as a burying-place by people of that town, to be set apart exclusively as a Cemetery. Those who favor this excellent project will please call at Gen. Hinton's office."
That terse "please call at Gen. Hinton's office" is the only thread linking him to the cemetery at all. We don't know what what he was doing: Forming a committee, signing up volunteer labor, or, lord help them, collecting donations - remember, there is no certainty that folks in Santa Rosa knew his history of stealing money.
There is a traditional story that Hinton did the road layout while August Kohle, a well digger, did the actual work of grading the paths. It's possible; someone had to mark the trails out around that time, and hammering markers into the ground isn't exactly heavy lifting. Peg this claim as a maybe.
Finally we come to the fire department, where there's a chance that the old scoundrel actually did a little something to redeem himself. A side benefit of all this Otho Hinton research is that I've accumulated enough information on the origins of the Santa Rosa Fire Department to tell that story, which will appear in the following article. Covered here are only the details related to Hinton's involvement.
Per usual, Hinton was given undue credit for good deeds. The obituary thanked him "...[for] the engine house with the fire apparatus of the department, we are especially indebted, for through his indomitable energy and public spirit these all were attained." More recently it's been written he bought the town's first fire engine, which absolutely is not true.
The Fire Department dates back to 1861, three years after Hinton arrived in Santa Rosa. He was not a charter member of the Association and later that year a handful of leading citizens arranged to buy a used fire engine. Hinton was not among them. Shift forward two years and $600 is still owed for the engine; the volunteer firemen were paying interest on the debt out of pocket, as well as rent for the firehouse. There were plans to sell the engine and return to being a hook & ladder company only.
"But at least we see a glimmer of light," the Sonoma Democrat gushed in 1863. "The ladies, (Heaven bless them!) are coming to the rescue...Gen. Hinton, we are pleased to see, has taken the matter in hand, and we hope soon to hear of a response on the part of our 'substantial' citizens to the proposition of the ladies." Then on the Fourth of July, 1864, the paper announced:
| Last Saturday afternoon the new Engine House, built by the ladies of Santa Rosa, was formally presented to the Fire Department...The house being well filled with the citizens of the town who have contributed so liberally to the enterprise. On behalf of the ladies, Gen. O Hinton in appropriate and pleasing remarks passed over the property to the Trustees of the Department...after which cheers were given by the firemen for the ladies, the General and the citizens... |
Other accounts at the time and over the next few years tells the same story: It was "the ladies" who paid off the debt and financed the firehouse by hosting dances; the first county history in 1880 mentions also "a fair and a festival" and as above, it was broadly hinted they were strong-arming their loving husbands into making contributions. Meanwhile, General Hinton did...something. Everyone just plumb forgot to mention what.
"He took a lively interest in the matter," it was claimed in an 1877 account of the Department's beginnings. "On account of his efforts in their behalf his memory is today highly revered by all the old members of the company, and they still keep his portrait hanging in their hall as a mark of the esteem in which he was held."
Along with Exchange Avenue, Hinton Avenue was born on July 3, 1872 by order of the City Council. Not that anyone noticed; for many years to come the street was unnamed on maps or sometimes called "9th Ave", which makes no sense in the town's street layout. Exchange and Hinton appeared in the newspapers very rarely - ads described businesses as being "east of the Plaza" or "in the Ridgway Block" or "across from the Courthouse," or similar. It's as if the town were populated by Missouri hayseeds who thought street names were uppity.
Santa Rosa made quite a show of his funeral in 1865 but aside from the street, Hinton's memory faded quickly; he was not mentioned in any local history until Gaye LeBaron's "Santa Rosa: a 19th century town." When his widow, Rebecca, died here in 1882, the Sonoma Democrat didn't report it and the Daily Republican ran only a one-liner when she was buried. His only lasting presence in Santa Rosa was his portrait, which was apparently destroyed in the 1906 earthquake.
But now Exchange and Hinton Avenues are being resurrected - although for some reason, the one-way traffic directions around the Square have been flipped - as part of our new Old Courthouse Square. And soon people will be looking at that prominent street name and be asking: Who was Hinton? Anyone who's read this series knows that will be an uncomfortable question to answer truthfully: "Well, he was an infamous criminal who apparently bamboozled the town's founders."
At the risk of being completely ahistorical, I'd like to make a modest proposal: Should we consider dropping the Hinton from Hinton Avenue?
Maybe we could name it Schulz Ave. or Doyle Avenue (although the other side is already named for his bank). The powers-that-be are itching to name something after recently deceased Santa Rosa nabob Henry Trione, so give him the honor. Or if they are willing to nod towards more appropriate history, call it Muther Avenue, after Santa Rosa Fire Chief Frank Muther who deserves it for saving the town from burning to the ground after the 1906 earthquake, yet currently lies in an unmarked grave. But for the gods' sake, do we really need to still commemorate a con man who died more than 150 years ago?
1947 street view from the same location as the photograph above. Courtesy Sonoma County Library
THE PLAZA.--Gen. Hinton, as is his custom at this season of the year, has had a number of men at work of late, beautifying and improving our town plaza.
- Sonoma Democrat, April 22, 1862
CLEANING UP.-- General O. Hinton, to whom our citizens are much indebted for the very pretty plaza of Santa Rosa, has had several workmen engaged repairing the railing of the sidewalk enclosure, and cleaning and otherwise improving the grounds on the inside. The plaza will be much improved this spring.
- Sonoma Democrat, January 17, 1863
SUDDEN DEATH OF GEN O. HINTON -- General Otho Hinton departed this life at his residence, in Santa Rosa, last Sunday morning, about 10 o'clock. Our citizens were somewhat startled by the announcement of his sudden demise, as he had been seen upon the streets the day preceding. General Hinton was a native of Hagerstown, Maryland, and was 65 years of age. He had resided a long time at Santa Rosa, and to him it may be said, our citizens are alone indebted for all the public improvements about the place. For our beautiful plaza, the well arranged, beautiful, and tastefully laid out cemetery, and the engine house with the fire apparatus of the department, we are especially indebted, for through his indomitable energy and public spirit these all were attained. His death cast a deep gloom over the community, flags were lowered at half mast and the County Court on Monday adjourned in respect to his memory. His funeral took place on Monday, from the M. E. Church, Rev. T. Frazier officiating, and was attended by a large concourse of people. Santa Rosa Engine Company No. 1, whom the deceased had so often befriended, attended in uniform, and by them his remains were consigned to their last resting place.
- Sonoma Democrat, March 11, 1865
A GOOD PICTURE. -- A life size Paintograph of Gen. O. Hinton, deceased, may be seen at the Engine House of Santa Rosa No. 1. It was drawn by Mr. W. H. Wilson, from a photograph likeness. The picture has been pronounced by all who have seen it an excellent likeness. Mr. Wilson has taken a number of pictures at this place which have given very general satisfaction. His art is a very simple one, being a drawing in indelible ink, the entire work being executed with a common pen and very small brush. He is now at Healdsburg.
- Sonoma Democrat, March 18, 1865
RURAL CEMETERY
Santa Rosa has a beautiful graveyard, and it has been properly named "Rural Cemetery"...We took a walk through its avenues last Sunday. It was in the fall of the dying day, because of its symbolic character. We were alone. There was no one to cheer us "save the low hum of vegetation," and the music of the wind as it played Aeolean cadences in the branches above and the rens beneath. We paused before a neglected grave. A familiar name was graven on an ordinary slab. It carried us back to the days when Santa Rosa was yet in her infancy. Moss had grown upon the stone, and the name had become dim. Brambles of every description covered the spot, in which lay the body whose name we were then contemplating, and--we felt sad. The name was that of Gen. Otho Hinton. It is as familiar to the old settlers of this valley "as household words." His very countenance and benevolent expression is, at this writing, as plainly before us as if we had seen him but yesterday. But why is his grave thus neglected? Have the people forgotten the generous and noble hearted man, who in his life, took such an active interest in the welfare of "our future little city," (as he was wont to call it,) and who sacrificed all health, money and time, during his declining years, for our benefit? His magnanimity and public spiritedness for the public good, should never be forgotten, and his grave should, at least, be kept green as an evidence that we appreciated his many kindness which he did for our future good...
- Santa Rosa Daily Republican, November 10, 1882
Special thanks to Ray Owen, an indefatigable researcher who uncovered many court documents related to Hinton including the case file from San Francisco ; Steve Lovejoy, who found Hinton's application to the bar; genealogists Margie and Ralph Hinton who have spent more than a decade researching their family and shared details of Hinton's divorce suit found in Ohio archives.
1845 c.
History of Delaware County and Ohio 18801847 c.
https://books.google.com/books?id=wRAVAAAAYAAJHistory of the City of Columbus 1892
He was a man of ready tongue, slight education and great assurance, and his public speeches, though often ridiculed by his opponents on account of the grammatical inaccuracies they displayed, were generally effective and well received
https://books.google.com/books?id=CLECAAAAMAAJ&pg=PA354
He was a pretentious politician, of the most intolerant stripe, and had won his military renown by conspicuous service on the musterdays of the "cornstalk" militia. When the trouble with Mexico began, he denounced the Mexicans as savagely as he had been abusing his follow citizens of opposite politics, arid made a vainglorious tender of his services to the President.
Colton, Kenneth; John Frink & Company, 1846-1854; The Annals of Iowa Fall 19601847 Feb 20 Wisconsin Democrat
O. Hinton & Co. was awarded mail contracts 1846 for Illinois, Missouri and parts of Wisconsin
Frink open letter1847 Apr 28 Milwaukee Daily Sentinel
can't pay a $6 printing bill1848 Aug 14 Zanesville Courier
spoke 2.5 hours in close room 100 degrees "riveted the attention of his delighted hearers...the audience was as large when he finished as when he begun. The speaker that can accomplish that needs no other praise"1850 Aug 6 Baltimore Sun
special agent Shallcross arrested Thomas Burge July 31 in Woodwort NC for letter theft1850 Aug 29 Cleveland Plain Dealer
reprinted in History of the City of Columbus (op cit)1850 Aug 31 Zanesville Courier
Yesterday our town was thrown into great commotion by the announcement that General O. Hinton, a gentleman who has represented himself in these parts as the Ohio Stage Company, but who, in fact, was merely a pensioned agent of said company, was arrested on a charge of robbing the mail of some seventeen thousand dollars. . . . He was arrested in this city yesterday afternoon, and large quantities of the marked money contained in those [decoy] packages found on his person. He was examined before Commissioner Stetson and bound over in the sum of ten thousand dollars. He applied to several of our citizens without effect. . . . The following handbill in glaring capitals met our gaze this morning:
Five Hundred Dollars Reward will he paid for the arrest and confinement, in any jail of the United States, of General O. Hinton, Agent for the Ohio Stage Company. Said Hinton was under an arrest, charged with robbing the mail of the United States on the fifteenth instant, and a portion of said money was found on the person of said Hinton at the time of his arrest. He is a man about fiftyfive or sixty years of age; weight one hundred and eighty or ninety pounds; has dark hair, almost black, very fleshy, stout built, florid complexion, and looks as though he was a hard drinker, but is strictly temperate. D. Haskell, Cleveland, Ohio
another instance, that a man, though he present a fair exterior, may be rotten at the heart1850 Sep 2 Portage sentinel
Gen. O. Hinton, an agent of the Ohio Stage Company, was arrested at Cleveland, on a charge of robbing the mail of some seventeen thousand dollars.1850 Sep 4 Cincinnati Enquirer
suspected because money stolen when he was aboard - marked money found on him - $10k bail
...instead of taking him to jail, as they would a petty thief who had stolen a coat to cover his nakedness, or a few dollars' worth of food to satisfy the cravings of hunger, the officers took him to one of the most popular hotels in the city
handbills offer $500 reward Gen. O. Hinton, Agent for the Ohio Stage Company
The Cleveland Plain Dealer says there is on the another development about to take place, which it is said will throw Gen. O. Hinton into the shade. We long for the denounement"1850 Sep 4 Louisville Daily Courier
Haskel special agent offers $1000 for arrest - was caught with marked money in pocket - was arrested 8/28/1850 on mail robbery1850 Sep 9 Portage sentinel (Ravenna, Ohio)
from Cleveland Herald:
The General, being a gentleman instead of being sent to jail was indulged in his request to be under keepers at his own room at the Weddell House. About midnight he dodged out of the room, shut and locked the door after him; thus caging his three keepers and setting himself free.
Had he been a common rogue, arrested for stealing a sheep, instead of fingering the mail bags, he would have been safely lodged inside the prison walls.
reprint from Plain Dealer1850 Sep 12 Gallipolis journal
Whigs of Central Ohio will meet with an irreparable loss in the sudden demis of Gen. O. Hinton. The General seems to have been chief fugler for the Whighs in those parts.
quotes from 2 papers praising OH comments for speech nominating a candidate
Better have nominated Hinton. He is not only a good Galphin Whig, but a good runner.
reprint from Plain Dealer1850 Sep 13 Sandusky Register
$17,000
With an eye on him, the word was 'passed along the line' and decoy packages with money marked, were put into the mail on purpose to be stolen out
It appears the General in "The wee' sma' hours of night" committed a 'breach of generous confidence,' as he had often done before. He took his guard, while off their guard, and vamosed [sic] through the door which was left ajar, quickly turning the key upon them, locking them in. Here was a pickle and such a rumpus followed as made night hideous. Stamping, hallooing, and kicking against the door, brought up the sleepers of the Weddell from pit to dome, and in dishabille, such as ghosts are said to wear.
part 1 of cleveland herald coverage four day examination1850 Sep 14 Sandusky Register
The prisoner looks usually hale and hearty...[and] bore himself with his usual self possessed and important air.
8/3 Daniel M. Haskell, Special Agent at Cleveland puts $1,000 in package addressed to fictitious name in Mt. Vernon, tells OH two packages with money were leaving that day
John Wheeler in coach to spy on OH
3AM stage stops at public house outside Mt. Vernon - sees Hinton take mailbag into a shed for 5-8 minutes - "While he was gone heard rustling of papers in that distance."
part 2 of Plain Dealer trial coverage1850 Sep 16 Sandusky Register
lady sleeping with head on his carpetbag - wakes her to put in papers
Haskell: homas McKinstry, deputy United States marshal first to suspect Hinton
A. J. Smith bank in Newark ohio "a practice of the bank to register all notes remitted through the mail" - this was money found on Hinton
Sturges & Wheeler bank in Zanesville lost draft on Philadelphia bank - $220 in Bank of Chester County which OH exchanged
Wheeling postal clerk: packages not in mail bag
charge 1: felony taking mail from those lawfully in possession
charge 2: robbing money from mail
8/15 OH laying down on top of coach next to the bags
8/16 OH at U.S. Hotel in Wheeling - asks for fire despite "quite warm" - slept with windows open - drafts taken with money were burned there
part 3 of Plain Dealer trial coverage1850 Sep 16 Portsmouth ohio inquirer
8/28 arrest - several marked bills from 8/15 robbery - OH at Weddell House/Cleveland before arrest - Haskell invites him to home for cards and "dance a little with a few of his particular friends" as McKinstry searches OH room - unable to open trunk - when arrested "asked them why they did not let him know before" appeared frank, showed a disposition to let us see everything- found $10 in marked bills, 15-30 keys - on 8/26 exchanged $220 "eastern money" for "Ohio money" - escape description at 12:15 AM - Hinton defense: he fled to contact witnesses and returned voluntarily - bail set at $5k on charge 1 $10k on charge 2 - OH asked to speak "his speech was ill-timed in spirit and manner, and regretted by his friends."
he was taken to the Blue Eagle and jugged up. It will be some days before his examination as witnesses will have to be summoned from abroad...1850 Sep 18 Cincinnati Enquirer
...The General complains of the poor accommodations the country affords to one who is in a hurry to 'get along.' He was two days getting to Bedford, and found nothing to eat during that time but a pan of milk and a dried fish, which he helped hiself to out of a farmer's pantry. He footed it to Akron, or near there, where he bought a horse as before described. When he left the Weddell he went [route] and lay in the bushes the first day.
Had he succeeded in his last robbery he would have expended the sum in electioneering for Johnstone, and been heralded as the most talented liberal Whig in Ohio1850 Sep 23 Portage sentinel
William "Booby" Johnston was whig candidate for governor
reprint from Plain Dealer1850 Oct 23 Sandusky Register
OH arrested at Mogadore by lawyer named Grove, who took pity after Hinton: "What will my poor daughters think of this?"
reprint of Cleveland Herald1851 Jan 9 The Republic
denounces reduction of Gen. Otho Hinton's bail from $15000 to $10000
no doubt about the guilt of the prisoner
Shallcross arrests man in Columbus GA1851 Jan 30 The Lancaster gazette
bailed out Jan. 251851 May 3 The Sandusky Register
"The General looks nothing the worse of his long confinement"
(multiple reprints)1851 May 21 The Plymouth pilot
Sandusky Clarion: Mississippi reference - "a gentleman recently returned from California, informed one of the editors of the Sanduskian, that he was saw Gen. Hinton at Cuba, but bearing the name Hanten"
(multiple reprints)1851 May 23 Indiana American
paraphrase of Sandusky story about Cuba
paraphrase of Sandusky story about Cuba - affidavit says he would bury himself and troubles in the waters of the Mississippi1852 Jun 16 Zanesville Courier
(multiple reprints inc. NY Times)1852-1853 House Documents for 1852-1853
reprint from Cincinnati Gazette
Deputy U.S. Marshal Jethiel Mills "traversed California in various directions, crossed over the Sierra Nevada to Utah Territory and visited the most remote places in pursuit of the object of his search. It is fully ascertained that Gen. Hinton was in the state when Mr. Mills arrived, but this fact had found its way into the Atlantic papers, which probably reached there in time to put the General on his guard. The U.S. Marshal, however, has found several gentlemen who were formerly acquainted with Gen. H., who have been cognizant of some of his movements since his arrival in California, and who are fully aware that he some time since left for some other quarter of the world--probably for South America."
https://books.google.com/books?id=6ogFAAAAQAAJ&pg=PA1381852 Aug 3 Zanesville Courier
Ithiel Mills $2854.50 "for services and expenses as a special agent to arrest Otho Hinton, a fugitive from justice, charged with robbing the mail
Plain Dealer says OH keeping public house in Portland OR under the name of Gordon1853 May 31
https://secure.sos.state.or.us/prs/profile.do?ancRecordNumber=1135091853 Aug 13 Marysville Daily Herald
marriage to Louisa Hopwood
Gen. Hinton who, some few years ago, committed several extensive robberies of the U.S. Mail in Ohio, and who made his escape to California, was arrested a few days since at San Diego. He will be taken to Ohio for trial1853 Aug 23 Alta California
General Richardson, the U. S. Marshal for the Northern District, came down on the Goliath yesterday for Hinton the mail robber. He will return on the same steamer this afternoon with the prisoner.1853 Sep 10 NY Times
O. Hinton alias S. G. Gordon, who committed a robbery of the U.S. mail in Ohio, has been arrested in Los Angeles and is in jail.1853 Sep 27 Spirit of the times ironton ohio
reprint from The Star1853 Oct 5 The Weekly Wisconsin
On July 25...Samuel G. Gordon, who has been a resident in Los Angeles a short time, was arrested by virtue of the warrant of ...to be held there for three months to await a warrant from the U.S. District Judge of California for his removal to Ohio for trial. The defendant's real name is O. Hinton. According to his statement he was once arrested in Ohio on this charge, held to bail in the sum of $10,000, and subsequently discharged under a nolle pros, entered by the U.S. District Attorney of Ohio...He claims that the charge in this instance is made against him because he would not pay hush money, and that the same thing was attempted to be done at Portland.
Cleveland Herald letter from SF 8/31/18531853 Oct 7 The Evansville iowa daily journal
doughty General is loose again
The writer says that no one appeared against him--that the man who caused his arrest cleared out, and there are no correct papers upon which to act, the General is exempt from arrest
same as above, was arrested in Los Angeles1853 Nov 7 Zanesville Courier
Cleveland Herald stringer describes OH in court - turned in by stage driver - supposedly just arrived in LA from Panama1853 Nov 8
Owen, Ray; The Sonoma Searcher Vol. 29 #2 "General Otho Hinton: Santa Claus on the Run"1853 Dec 1 The Wyandot pioneer
letter from U.S. Marshal Richardson to Mr. Inge, Circuit Court in Ohio: "...the case was examined and on the 26th day of August last, there not being sufficient evidence to authorize his detention, he was, by order of Court, discharged without [illegible]. A few days thereafter he [sailed] for the Sandwich Islands, where I believe he now resides."
reprint from Watchman1853 Dec 21 The Democratic sentinel
We knew him in his palmier days when he was considered honorable and wealthy. He put up a splendid hotel in Delaware in this state, his place of residence, was high in everybody's confidence, his word was good for thousands and his influence in the Whig party of the greatest weight.
nothing about stagecoaches - was mail agent - postmaster gave marked money - gambled away - now in Calif awaiting extradition - has been a vagabond on the earth
reprint from The Star1854 Jan 5 The Jackson ohio standard
was general agent of Ohio mail stage company - often rode on top of stagecoaches at night - had mail keys - after escape gave himself up, nearly famished - Calif released him under writ of habeas corpus, "testimony at hand there not being judged sufficient to warrant him being held" - immediately fled to Hawaii
released on habeas corpus and has fled to Sandwich Islands1855 Jan 10
https://books.google.com/books?id=M6kFAAAAQAAJ&pg=PA1061855 Feb 8 Washington DC Evening star
Senate asked to return bond monies
bill for relief of Rebecca Hinton was taken up by Senate and passed1855 Feb 15 The Jackson standard
reprint from the Chicago Press (also NY Tribune)1855 Feb 21
A private letter received in Cincinnati from Honolulu, a few days since, contains the following item of intelligence respecting the great mail robber, Gen. O. Hinton:
"Among the foreigners residing in this city is Gen. O. Hinton, well known to many of the older inhabitants of Chicago as a mail contractor, &c. When I arrived here he was attempting to practice law. Subsequently he kept a hotel, but with indifferent success. Latterly he is working as a journeyman house-carpenter, and, as I understand, makes a good living at it. He is sober, industrious and quiet, and seems disposed to acquire the reputation of a good citizen."
joint resolution for relief of Rebecca Hinton was taken up by House and passed1855 Mar 16 Fremont ohio journal
a joint resolution has lately passed Congress, which is very gratifying to every person acquainted with the circumstances of the case...This action of Congress will restore to this much afflicted but most excellent family the small private property of Mrs. Hinton, and she will be able to avoid years of poverty and toil...1855 Mar 21 Daily Milwaukee News
(multiple reprints)1856 Jun 7 Polynesian
Congress resolution to return property forfeiture from bail
moving law office1857 Jun 2 Washington Evening Star
(multiple reprints)1857 Aug 8 Polynesian
The prosecution instituted some years against Otho Hinton, in the Circuit Court of the United States for the district of Ohio, for alleged depredations on the mails, was, at the term of that court held this month at Cincinnati, finally dismissed by order of the court.
first ad as lawyer1857 Aug 29 Polynesian
Honolulu probate attorney1858 Feb 9 Cincinnati Enquirer
is Honolulu attorney1858 Feb 25 Wyandot pioneer Sandusky
card arrives Honolulu "attorney and counselor at law"1858 Apr 22 The Highland weekly news. hillsboro ohio
Honolulu correspondent for plain dealer1858 Jun 26 Polynesian
Gen. O. Hinton, the noted mail-robber of Ohio, is a resident here. He came down from California four years ago with his wife and they kept a boarding house, but lost money at it, and the old man was finally reduced to working by the day at carpenter work. Finally, the rheumatism prevented him doing even this, and now he has turned lawyer, and manages, I presume, just to live and no more. I sincerely pity the old man, and I think that he is truly repentant.
last notice found probate for estate of Kuokoa1858 Oct 21
application to the bar District Court Minutes Book B: 1191858 Nov 4 Sacramento Daily Union
petition to practice law in Sonoma County "The undersigned members of the Bar beg leave respectfully to report that we have examined the applicant [illegible] and find him qualified to practice law as an attorney and counselor of this Court. But there being in his past history some charges touching his moral character which although probably acceptable of full explanation, yet not having the evidence before us to satisfy us in that respect we recommend a postponement of his application as a member of the Bar until further explanation can be made."
OH admitted as attorney and counsellor in the Supreme Court yesterday, on motion of P. L. Edwards1858 Nov 11 date on first law office ad in Sonoma Democrat
1859 Mar 31 Sonoma Democrat
public meeting on plaza fencing and improvements - committee appointed - resolutions outlining improvements - $350 raised in subscriptions, over $200 still needed - no mention of OH in lengthy article - "The present primitive and rude appearance of the public Plaza fronting the Court House, is a matter to be regretted," read the opening to the resolution that came out of the meeting. It was agreed there should be "a good, substantial and ornamental fence" as well as ornamental trees, while the grounds were to be immediately plowed and sown with alfalfa.1859 Jun 3 Delaware gazette
legal notice foreclosure on $2000 mortgage1859 Jun 9 Sonoma Democrat
place of residence unknown
fencing of plaza underway - surveyor marking - men digging postholes1859 Jul 26 Sacramento Daily Union
from Sonoma County Journal Independent Democratic candidate for the office of County Judge
from Bulletin1859 Aug 24 Red Bluff Beacon
discusses crimes at length - If the candidate for County Judge in Sonoma county is the same Gen. O. Hinton who robbed the mail in Ohio, it is to be hoped he will not be elected
OH who committed heavy mail robberies in Ohio is candidate for County Judge1859 Sep 3 Daily State Sentinel Indianapolis
The Republican papers have been making a fuss over the supposed nomination of General O. Hinton as a Democratic candidate for Judge in California -- Hinton having been a mail robber in Ohio some years ago. It turns out that the man nominated is W. O. Hinton, altogether a different man from the General, who is no doubtless, as he was in Ohio, violently opposed to the Democracy.1859 Sep 1 Sonoma Democrat
OH not listed in county Democratic slate1859 Sep 8 The Wyandot pioneer
candidate for office of judge in Sonora county1859 Sep 14 The Pacific Commercial Advertiser
Gen. Otho Hinton, formerly of Honolulu, is running for the office of County Judge of Solano County, under the regular Democratic colors1859 Nov 24 Sonoma Democrat
About a year ago, there was some talk among our citizens, about buying a lot where the present burying ground is, and having it properly surveyed and laid off in lots, fenced, and otherwise improved...We would be glad to see the subject renewed, and the plan carried out; and for that object would suggest that a meeting of the citizens be held at some convenient time, say on Friday evening of next week, when farther and more definite action may be had.1859 election results
Hinton 665 - Churchman 24031860 census Delaware ohio
Rebecca age 55 property worth $45001860 Feb 3 Delaware gazette
public sale of Delaware OH property1860 Dec 18 Sonoma County Democrat
(multiple ads for years)1861 Jan 3 Sonoma County Democrat
Will continue the business at the old stand; the firm of Hinton & Wilks having been dissolved by mutual consent.
Streets in very bad conditions because of heavy rains - OH has proposal to improve main street from Plaza to bridge that will cost less than $800 - assessment to be presented to Main street property owners.1861 Jan 21 Sonoma County Democrat
"We are pleased to observe that Gen. O. Hinton, to whom the good citizens of Santa Rosa are so much indebted for the improvements of the Plaza, had commenced the work of renovating and cleaning the grounds for the approaching spring..."
Efforts are making to purchase a tract of land near Santa Rosa, a part of which has been used as a burying-place by people of that town, to be set apart exclusively as a Cemetery. Those who favor this excellent project will please call at Gen. Hinton's office.1862 Apr 22 Sonoma Democrat
Gen. Hinton, as is his custom at this season of the year, has had a number of men at work of late, beautifying and improving our town plaza.1863 Mar 9 Sacramento Daily Union
OH speaks at railroad meeting in Windsor re: building railroad from bay or deep water to Healdsburg1863 Dec 25 Delaware gazette
legal notice court ordered sale of property Delaware1863 Jun 13 Oath of Allegiance sworn
Otho Hinton and Mary Ellen Hinton of Santa Rosa
1865 Mar 18 Sonoma Democrat
description of OH painting in firehouse1866 Aug 3 Delaware ohio gazette
Legal notice from Rebecca against Mary Ellen and Oscar, all 3 residents of SonCo to sell two lots in Delaware1870 census
Rebecca in Petaluma alone property worth $9500 personal worth $16001872 naming of Hinton Ave
https://archive.org/stream/historyofsonomac00alle#page/4061881 Jul 14 Daily Republican
Munro-Fraser; History of Sonoma County 1880, pg. 406
No mention of any City Council proceedings for that meeting in Sonoma Democrat
On 1885 Sanborn map: "9th Ave" On 1888 Sanborn map: "Hinton Av. or 9th Av."
General Otho Hinton came to Santa Rosa more than twenty-five years ago. It was owing mainly to his energy that the land was purchased and laid out for a cemetery. It did well enough for that early day, but is now nearly all filled. His portrait, representing an old man, now hangs in the City Council chamber.1882 Feb 5 The Louisville, Kentucky Courier Journal
history of 1840s Whigs and the 1846 militia - educated wealthy man in Delaware, Ohio - Hinton House one of the finest hotels in the state - was Brigadier of the Central Militia District and was always to be seen on muster days on a white charger, dressed in a uniform that would have made Phil. Sheridan ashamed of himself - wanted to take brigade to Mexico, mounted one of his stages and proceeded to Cleveland and thence by steamer to Buffalo and then on to Washington. In a little over six weeks he returned confident, at own expense visiting regional militia captains - but Gen. Morgan selected by War Dept. Hinton disappeared - boards stagecoach, cuts mailbags and steals over $100,000 - $10,000 reward for capture - turned in by friend - OH arrives with mashal at Weddell House in Cleveland and escapes while waiting for steamer - OH next supposed to be in san fran under alias - next in Oregon running hotel as Hume - escapes ahead of capture - "Hinton was not heard of again for about a year [after he fled to Hawaii], when one of his sons, who was home in Delaware on a visit, and stated that his father was in Honolulu, Sandwich Islands, practicing law. He remained there for years, until finally the case was dropped from the docket in the United States District Court."1882 Nov 1 Oakland Tribune
Rebecca obit d. Oct 22 (no mention in Democrat, 1 line on burial in Republican Oct. 25)1882 Nov 10 Santa Rosa Republican
His very countenance and benevolent expression is, at this writing, as plainly before us as if we had seen him but yesterday. But why is his grave thus neglected? ... Have the people forgotten the generous and noble hearted man, who in his life, took such an active interest in the welfare of "our future little city," (as he was wont to call it,) and who sacrificed all health, money and time, during his declining years, for our behest? His magnanimity and public espiritness for the public good, should never be forgotten, and his grave should, at least, be kept green as an evidence that we appreciate how many kind acts which he did for our future good..1884 Central Sonoma: A Brief Description of the Township and Town of Santa Rosa, Thompson
pg 140: "a tree and a bit of grass is worth more than a Court-house"1890 May 13 The Wheeling daily intelligencer
in 1847 he weighed about 200 lbs close shaven and fashionable2000 Dec 17 Press Democrat
retelling of Shallcross version of mail theft story
"[Hinton] 'adopted' Julio's plaza in its pre-courthouse days, landscaped it, planted trees, installed wrought-iron fencing and hitching posts and benches. And he arranged to keep it clean...Gen. Hinton bought the town's first fire engine."