USA > California > A Volume of memoirs and genealogy of representative citizens of northern California, including biographies of many of those who have passed away > Part 7
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About the middle of November I was transferred to South and Twenty- fourth streets, Philadelphia. This was called the Stump Hospital, for the reason that nearly all of the patients ( about three hundred of us) had arms and legs off ; and a jolly lot of fellows we were, too. One would suppose that where there were so many men badly wounded and crippled as we were there would be some that would be morose ; but I do not now remember a single one. Some had both legs off ; and the ones that had one arm and two good legs would wheel the more unfortunate comrades in a perambulator on the street or in the wards. It was no uncommon thing to see these comrades two miles or more from the hospital.
The ladies of Philadelphia often invited us to dinner and the theater. On Christmas day of 1864 one of the ladies of Philadelphia gave a dinner to all of the boys in our hospital, and we all voted it was the best dinner we had ever eaten. The name of the good lady was Egbert.
All of the boys in this hospital were allowed passes to go anywhere in the city until 10 o'clock at night, provided they always came back sober. I got a pass one day and went out to Germantown, which is a suburb of Phila- delphia, to spend the day with some friends and left there on the last car that would take me back to the hospital before 10 o'clock. After going a short distance we met a brigade of soldiers, which impeded our progress, and I turned back to Germantown and staid all night with my friends. The next morning, as early as possible, I went to the hospital and presented my pass; but the guard said, "You will have to go to the guard-house." I remonstrated, but to no purpose. After being in the guard-house a few minutes I called the officer of the guard and explained to him the circumstances. But, no. I had broken the rules of the hospital and must stay under guard the full twenty-four hours. I thought it a little tough, it being my first experience in the guard- house. But I finally called the officer again, and this time demanded to see the chief surgeon, as I knew that he had been to Germantown the day before He came and the first thing he said was, "Reeves, what does this mean ?" I then told him the circumstances, and then he said to the officer of the day that he had been caught in the same manner, only he had to go to a hotel to stop. Of course I was released, but did not blame the officer of the day, as he was only doing his duty. I merely give this as an incident, to show how strict they had to be, even in the hospitals.
At the election for president, in 1864, in the contest between Lincoln and McClellan, all of the Ohio boys in the hospital were allowed to go home to cast their vote. or if in the field they were allowed to cast their vote wherever they
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were. I had a ten days' furlough, and went home and voted for Mr. Lin- coln, casting my first vote for president, although at his first election I lacked but three months of being of age. As we were going home we were severely snubbed by the Copperhead element of the Democratic party. They called us Lincoln hirelings and all else that they could think of that was mean and vile. But when we came back we didn't hear a word from that kind of vermin. Their defeat was so overwhelming that they were ashamed to open their mouths.
I had a pleasant ten-days' furlough, spending part of that time at Orwell and part in Warren, the town that I enlisted from. My shoulder at this time was nearly well, and about the 15th of December I asked for my discharge from the army; and on the 5th of January, 1865, I received it, with my pay in full, with traveling expenses home. I also received my pension papers from the government. The pension papers were made out in Independence Hall. The pension for the loss of an arm, at that time, was the fabulous sum of eight dollars per month! and we had to pay a lawyer two dollars of this amount as his fees in collecting it! Since 1865 the pension for the loss of an arm, as well as other disabilities, has been increased, and now the government bears all the expenses of making out the papers and sends the check to the pensioner once in three months. I am confident that our government is the most liberal in pensioning its disabled soldiers and sailors of all governments on earth; and yet I think there is great injustice in some cases, that congress will right in time, but not before many deserving ones have passed away.
My life in the hospital was as pleasant as could be expected. With letter writing, games and plenty of good books to read, I was contented, as long as I had to be under the doctor's care ; but, as the time drew near when we were to receive our discharge, the awful and appalling question flashed upon my mind, What shall I do to make a living single-handed the balance of my life? But I said to myself, What others have done before me I can do as well as the best of them; and my motto from that time. "Never give up the fight until death," has kept me doing my level best, and perhaps has been my salvation. Who knows but He who ruleth all things ruleth for the best ?
RELEASED FROM THE HOSPITAL.
On my way home I went by the way of Cardiff, New York, to see my uncle. Truman Northway. for whom I was named but had never seen. While there I saw an example of what perseverance and frugality will do. My uncle owned a small farm of about twelve or fifteen acres on a hillside, facing the south, the slope being about forty-five degrees. On that farm he had resided about fifty years, and his sole source of income was derived therefrom : and he seemed to be in comfortable circumstances. The farm was inclosed with a stone wall, and one or two stone fences ran through it, across and lengthwise. These fences were made from the stones that were picked off this land in order to clear it. Uncle had a good house at the foot of the hill, where he and Aunt Minerva had lived all their long married life, and they
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seemed to be perfectly happy. I spent one week with them and other friends, and I was off for home.
My home coming was an event in my native town, Orwell. After I had been at home a day or two I said to my mother, "I must be looking around for something to do; for I cannot be a burden on you." The dear mother remarked, while the tears streamed down her cheeks, "Truman, the boys and I will take care of you the balance of your life." But I said, "My dear mother, while I thank you and my brothers for your generous offer of assistance, I think that I had better try it alone first, and will probably get along as well as the rest of the boys." But she, of course, did not see how I could do it, any more than I at that time.
My first visit to my Grandfather and Grandmother Northway was an affecting one. Besides my grandparents there were Uncle Isaac, Uncle Miles and Aunt Monica, all single, and all lived at the old homestead, where they had lived for forty years without going out into the great world to see what was going on. They took the Cleveland Plain Dealer, the leading Democratic paper in Ohio, and it served the purpose of a Bible to them. They were what were then called Vallandingham Copperhead Democrats, or anti- war Democrats; but my mother was a stanch Republican, as also my father. I had hardly greeted them before they commenced a tirade on President Lin- coln, and, as they called the soldiers, Lincoln's hirelings. I let them talk but said nothing for some time. Finally grandmother said, "Truman, I wish I had a rope around the neck of Mr. Lincoln and all of his hirelings : I would hang them to a tree and pull the rope myself." I was sitting in front of her, looking her squarely in the eye; then I said, "Grandmother, do you real- ize what you are saying?" She said, "Yes, I do." Then I said, "Grand- mother, would you like to put a rope around the neck of Brother Calvin, Edwin and myself?" Then I named over my cousins in the war. I said, with all the solemnity that I could, "Grandmother, would you like to hang us to a tree till we were dead?" As I said this she drew her arms around my neck and cried like a child. Then she said: "Truman, forgive me: I will never say another word against Mr. Lincoln and his soldiers;" and all the rest said the same, and kept their promise. Nor was the subject ever brought up after that. Grandfather and grandmother lived to be nearly ninety; my mother is still alive, and is eighty-seven. Father died in 1872. at the age of sixty-five.
My ancestors were all very hardy people, and I probably would have been a well man if I had not seen the rough side of army life; yet as it ter - minated I scarcely saw a well day for fifteen years after leaving the army, although I managed to keep around and at work most of the time. My shoul- der has never been thoroughly healed as it should be. My ambition to suc- ceed in whatever I undertook, and a dear good wife to second the motion, when I started in to do a thing, has kept me aiming for something higher all these many years. I will say that my life's work has been a varied one; and a short sketch of it since leaving the army, and I am done.
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HOME COMING.
Coming back to my childhood home, every one seemed to take an interest in my future welfare. One day, after I had been at home a few weeks, help- ing my younger brothers in the sugar camp, a delegation of the leading citizens of the town-C. A. B. Pratt, who had been for many years the postmaster of the town, acting as spokesman-came to see me, as they said, on a very momentous question and one that to me was to be a starting point in my future life; but of all things my presence was needed at the post-office to start me on the right road. This was delivered to me in a very solemn man- ner, to impress upon my mind, presumably, that I was to pass through some trying ordeal. I concluded that they wished to see me on some army busi- ness, as I was then the authority on anything that pertained to the army in the field; although I was not the oracle. That was left to the "fellow" that had been out ninety or a hundred days, or had furnished a substitute. He was the "oracle." and could always tell you just how the war should be conducted, or, if he were there, he would tell Generals Grant and Sherman just where they were making their great mistakes; and, to his mind, they were making many. This led me to the conclusion that the generals at the front were very much handicapped by not having the "jaw-bone of these asses" to lean upon. To my great surprise, when I arrived at the post-office the committee handed me a commission from the postmaster general, directing me to serve the good people of Orwell as their postmaster for the next four years. Of course I could not refuse to accept such kindness from my friends. and, with many thanks, I accepted it. This, of course, tied me down to Orwell.
At the township election they insisted upon my being township treasurer, to which office I was duly elected. J. W. Merrifield, who kept a general mer- chandise store, wanted me to keep the office in his store, and I made arrange- ments to help him with his books and whatever else I could do while not busy with the duties of my office, which were not arduous. This helped me finan- cially, as well as giving me a knowledge of bookkeeping and mercantile business. In the fall of 1865 Mr. Merrifield sold his business to M. M. Hilliard and my brother Calvin, and I remained with them.
During the summer of 1866 I concluded that I would take a course of bookkeeping and commercial law at Oberlin. In my leisure hours I had waded through all the books on commercial law that the Hon. Stephen A. Northway had in his office library, and he advised me to take up law as a profession. But for some reason,-I think it was the lack of confidence in my ability,-I did not, although I have regretted it many times since.
As before stated, I attended the commercial school at Oberlin, where I took a course in bookkeeping, penmanship and commercial law. Here I met Miss Marion E. McConkey, who became Mrs. Reeves a year later and who has always been my inspiration in any good work that I have ever under- taken. It was she who was the guiding star to the high ambition of our son Clarence from the time he was in his short clothes to the time of his depart-
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ure for China as a missionary of the gospel. It was she who has always been the constant companion and guide to our daughter Clara, who, to my mind, is one of the purest and most unselfish girls that I have ever known.
In the fall of 1868 I was elected the recorder of Ashtabula county, which position I held for two terms ( six years). At the expiration of my term as recorder I, with my wife and son Clarence, then five years old, started for San Bernardino, California, I arriving there July 7, 1875. Mrs. Reeves and Clarence visited in Iowa until November, and then joined me.
But before entering the service, I had thoroughily learned the trade of watchmaker; and during my odd moments, while I was recorder, I devised ways and means by which I could work at watchmaking with one hand, and became very expert at it. I invented a movement holder, with which I could hold any watch movement. It was made in such a manner that it had all the motions of the hand and wrist. I also invented other tools and appliances, as I needed them in my work ; and I can truly say that I never got hold of a piece of work that I did not master.
LIFE IN CALIFORNIA.
When I arrived at San Bernardino I had no idea what kind of busi- ness I would engage in; but the morning after my arrival, as I was walking along the principal street, I saw a jewelry store and entered. Mr. N. B. Hale, the proprietor, was at the bench, trying to put a balance staff in a watch. Now, this was considered a very difficult job. Mr. Hale was a good manufacturing jeweler, but knew very little about watchwork; since then he has become a good workman in that line. As I watched him work, I soon saw that he was not up to his job, and said, "Stranger, you seem to be having a hard time in making that staff, or whatever you are trying to make." He jumped up and shook hands with me and said, "Are you a watchmaker?" I told him that I had worked at the trade five years. "Well," said he, "I wish that you would put this staff in for me; I have spoiled two or three already." Of course he did not see how I was going to do it with one hand. I sat down at the lathe and made the staff for him. Then he said, "I want to hire a man;" and I then and there made a bargain to do all of his watch- work at good wages. I worked for him and Mr. Mowbry all summer. In the fall Mr. Mowbry died, and the administrator of the estate, Attorney J. W. Curtis, hired me to take an inventory of the stock, and sell it, which I did, during the fall and winter of 1875-6.
In the spring of 1876, not feeling very strong, and having a desire to try out-door life in California, we moved to Crafton, about fourteen miles to the east of San Bernardino, to spend the summer in the foot-hills on a small ranch. Here we spent six months, in hunting, fishing and doing a little gar- dening, all of which was healthful but not a financial success. Mrs. Reeves would catch the beautiful trout from the zanja (a small but swift running stream) that flowed past our door; and I would hunt the festive cotton-tail and the beautiful quail, that used to be the pest of the vineyardist in that
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locality. In this way we had plenty of fish and game that was needed to make one healthy, even if not wealthy and wise.
In September, with improved health, we moved back to San Bernardino, Just here I wish to give a little reminiscence of a trip to the top of Mount San Bernardino. It was an occasion never to be forgotten. On the 30th day of May, 1876, a party of fourteen gentlemen, from different parts of the United States, composed of botanists, entomologists, geologists and others not so favored in book-lore, made a trip to the top of old San Bernardino mountain. We started from the valley on the morning of the 29th, going by the way of Mill Creek canyon. At Peter Forsee's we engaged William Petty, a man supposed to know all about the mountains. We were to give him ten dollars to pilot us to the top of the mountain and back.
Everything went off on schedule time. We followed the trail up the south side of the mountain that was made by Lieutenant Wheeler and his party of government engineers, who established the San Bernardino base and meridian. That night we camped at the cienega (a damp place in the canyon that divides the two peaks of mountains, Old Grayback and Mount San Ber- nardino), where good grass and water are abundant. Here we stayed all night, and early in the morning we started on our trip up to the top of the mountain, leaving our horses at the cienega. On the trip up we passed over the most peculiar rock formation that I ever saw. A space, I should say, of four or five acres was covered with beautiful granite in all shapes and sizes, that looked as though they had come from the stone-cutter's chisel. I saw shafts of granite piled up in all kinds of form; some I would think were fully twenty-five feet long and two or three feet in diameter. As we neared the top we found the snow to be deep, and in places, where the sun cast its strong rays upon it, it was very difficult to cross. We arrived at the top about 11 o'clock a. m. It was foggy down in the valley, but on the top of the mountain it was bright and clear. As we looked down upon the fog, it looked like a beautiful sheet of silver. Here and there would be an opening in the bank, and in these places we could see the green fields and the streams of water as they coursed their way through the valley below.
This being Memorial Day, and as there were quite a number of old soldiers in the party, we decided to hold memorial services in honor of our fallen comrades, and at the same time dedicate the noble old mountain to the service of the Lord by offering prayers to Almighty God. We felt as though we were eleven thousand feet nearer to Him than we had ever been before. It was an impressive ceremony, and those who participated in it will never forget it to their dying day.
On our return trip to our camping place of the night before, about one half of the party, including the guide, started for camp by what our guide called the cut-off. It ran down the ridge, due south, from the top of the mountain. The descent was easy for a quarter of a mile, but finally we came to a jumping-off place, that looked to be several thousand feet to the bottom. So the guide said, "We will go down into the canyon and over the ridge beyond." Now it must have been six hundred feet down a shale slide to the
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bottom of that canyon. As soon as we were on the shale rock it commenced to slide with us, and the farther we went the faster we went, with the shale coming down upon us, cutting us badly. When we reached the bottom of that canyon, horror of horrors! we found the same old shale rock on the opposite side to climb up! Here we were engulfed in a canyon, whose sides were more difficult to climb than the pyramids of Egypt, and we could not follow the canyon down to the valley because of a very large waterfall that we could not get over or around. Our guide said, "Boys, we are lost; but I know where my mule is; he's on yan ridge;" and he took his ax and gun and started up the canyon,-I suppose to the top of the mountain. The rest of us decided to elect Mr. D. W. Frazee, the editor of the San Bernardino Guardian, as our guide and captain, he being the oldest; and we soon found that he was equal to the occasion, for we managed to climb the wall of the canyon in safety.
Now, no well equipped mountain party would think of taking a trip in the mountains without a bottle of what is often called "snake-bite remedy;" and we, of course, were well equipped. Well, when we got to the top of the ridge we drank the contents of the bottle and made a record on the fly-leaf of a note-book something like the following: Lost on San Bernardino Mountain, May 30, 1876, the following persons. Then we signed our names, placed the paper in the bottle, corked it up tight and put it in a hollow tree. Many times I have wondered if that bottle were ever discovered. In about three hours we male our way to camp; and Petty, the guide, came in some time during the night, more dead than alive, leading his mule. But all is well that ends well. And the next day we made a downward trip to the valley, pretty well tired out.
Returning to San Bernardino, I went into the jewelry business with Mr. N. B. Hale; and in the spring of 1877 bought a small ranch of five acres north of town, putting up a house that cost fifteen hundred dollars. In 1881 or '82, I purchased the interest of Mr. Hale and conducted the business until 1889. In 1882 I was elected to represent San Bernardino county in the legislature ; also in 1884. In 1890, unsought by myself, I was appointed by the United States census bureau to assist in taking the recorded indebtedness of the Sixth Congressional District of California, and I was in the field from February to September. In the fall of 1890 I was elected county treasurer for a two-year term, and again in 1892. In 1894 I was elected to the office of treasurer and tax collector for the term of four years, serving in all eight years. In the fall of 1898 I was elected state treasurer by a very decisive vote,-23.400 majority.
During my long term of official service, I do not remember that my con- stituents ever found cause for complaint of neglect of duty, or otherwise. I have tried to treat the rich and poor alike.
I have gone over the last few years of my life very hurriedly, because I do not care to bring into this sketch people or events now prominently before the public eye, preferring to let the historian of the future tell the bal- ance if he shall see fit, etc. 4
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S. SOLON HOLL.
In no profession is there a career more open to talent than in that of the law, and in no field of endeavor is there demanded a more careful preparation. a more thorough appreciation of the absolute ethics of life, or of the underly- ing principles which form the basis of all human rights and privileges. Un- flagging application, intuitive wisdom and a determination to fully utilize the means at hand, are the elements which insure personal success and prestige in this great profession, which stands as a stern conservator of justice: and it is one into which none should enter without a recognition of the obstacles to be overcome and the battles to be won, for success does not perch on the fal- chion of every person who enters the competitive fray, but comes only as the direct and legitimate result of capacity and unmistakable ability. As the essential qualifications of an able lawyer are found in Judge Holl, he has won creditable success at the bar of Sacramento.
A native of Pennsylvania, his birth occurred in Lancaster county, July 8. 1833. his parents being Daniel and Barbara ( Leib) Holl. His father was the eldest child of Ephraim and Magdalena ( Royer) Holl. The grand- father died January 29, 1808, at the age of thirty-six years, and his wife passed away April 18, 1832. The ancestry of the Holl family may be traced back to Johannes Holl, who with his young wife came from Switzerland to Amer- ica in 1730. They had four sons, namely : Johannes, Johan Peter, Wendell and Isaac; and the second named was probably the great-grandfather of our subject. Daniel Holl, the father of the Judge, was born in Warrick township. Lancaster county, Pennsylvania, December 28, 1795. On account of his father's ill health he was early forced to start out in life for himself, and thus his youth was more largely occupied with toil than that of many other boys of the period. After his father's death, in 1808, he was his mother's main support until her second marriage in 1812. He did most of the teaming in his section of the country and made considerable money in that way, driving "four-in-hand" to Philadelphia. On attaining his majority he came into possession of a part of his father's estate, but on account of inflated money values he lost all he had and he gave to his sister his interest in the home farm in order to pay her her dues.
In the pioneer days of Ohio he removed to the Buckeye state, locating near New Berlin in 1825. He was accompanied by his wife and four chil- dren, for his marriage had occurred in 1818. Later, however, they returned to Pennsylvania, and it was not until 1832 that they again took up their abode in Ohio. The journey of three hundred and fifty miles was made by land, being accomplished in sixteen days. They lived in one of the primitive log cabins, common at that period, and the father began the development of the farm of one hundred and sixty acres. As the years passed his capital increased and he made other investments in real estate, at length becoming a rich. influential and popular citizen. In the fall of 1869 he met with an accident that brought on blood poisoning and resulted in his death, December 31. 1870. His many excellent qualities endeared him to all with whom he came in con-
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