USA > California > Contra Costa County > History of Contra Costa County, California, including its geography, geology, topography, climatography and description; together with a record of the Mexican grants also, incidents of pioneer life; and biographical sketches of early and prominent settlers and representative men > Part 59
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as patriots, we may say that the Bromley families have, during their lives, more or less represented themselves in all the wars that were in honor and defense of their country's cause. The war ceasing, the young soldier re- turned to Baltimore and engaged in extensive mercantile transactions, until the year 1852, when, having married as before stated, he, with his little family, set out for the " Sunset Land," and locating in San Francis- co, continued his former business pursuits for a time. In 1853, however, he removed to the county of Contra Costa, locating on the Mount Diablo ranch, where he remained for no less than twenty years, devoting himself to agricultural pursuits, with uniform success, and establishing an enviable character for enterprise and uprightness among his contemporaries, whose appreciation was shown by his election on various occasions to offices of trust. The position of Justice of the Peace, Associate Justice of the Court of Sessions, Supervisor of the county, and finally Assessor, were in turn occupied by him. In 1873 the subject of this sketch removed to his present happy location in Oakland, accompanied by his interesting and now well-grown family. In his latter home Mr. Bromley has continued the exercises of those principles which in earlier years endeared him to, and commanded the respect of, any community wherein, for the time, he might be placed. In closing this sketch it may be appropriate to remark that now, after an active life of three-score years, the gentleman of whom we write shows a vigor, both of body and mind, which bids fair to make his life include many more years of enterprise and well-directed effort.
HON. ELAM BROWN .- It is not strange that among the pioneer settlers of any new country a deep-seated and sincere friendship should spring up, that would grow and strengthen with their years. The incidents peculiar to life in a new country-the trials and hardships, privations and destitutions-are well calculated to test not only the physical powers of endurance, but the moral, kindly, generous attributes of manhood and womanhood. They are times that try men's souls and bring to the sur- face all that there may be in them of either good or bad. As a rule, there is an equality of conditions that recognizes no distinctions. All occupy a common level, and, as a natural consequence, a brotherly and sisterly feeling grows up that is as lasting as time, for "a fellow- feeling makes us wondrous kind." With such a community, there is a hospitality, a kindness, a benevolence and a charity unknown and un- practiced among the older, richer and more densely populated common- wealths. The very nature of their surroundings teaches them " to feel each other's woe, to share each other's joy." An injury or a wrong may be ignored, but a kindly, generous, charitable act is never forgotten. The memory of old associations and kindly deeds is always fresh. Raven locks may bleach and whiten ; full, round cheeks wither and waste away ;
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the fires of intelligence vanish from the organs of vision ; the brow be- come wrinkled with care and age, and the erect form bowed with ac- cumulating years, but the true friends of the " long ago " will be remem- bered as long as life and reason endure. The surroundings of pioneer life are well calculated to test the " true inwardness" of the human heart. As a rule, the men and women who first occupy a new country-who go in advance to spy out the land and prepare it for the coming of a future people-are bold, fearless, self-reliant and industrious. In these respects no matter from what remote sections or countries they may come, there is a similarity of character. In birth, education, religion, and language, there may be a vast difference, but imbued with a common purpose-the founding and building of homes-these differences are soon lost by asso- ciation, and thus they become one people, united by a common interest, and no matter what changes may come in after years, the associations thus formed are never buried out of memory.
We can almost fancy the honored octogenarian, whose name is at the head of this narrative, chanting to himself Bayard Taylor's sublime stanza:
"Oh ! a wonderful stream is the river of Time, As it runs through the realm of tears, With a faultless rhythm, and a musical rhyme, Aud a broader sweep, and a surge sublime, As it blends in the ocean of years."
The Honorable Elam Brown, the second pioneer resident of Contra Costa county, whose portrait most appropriately finds a place in the body of this work, is of Scotch descent, and was born in Herkimer county, New York, June 10, 1797, his parents being Thomas and Elizabeth (Lynes) Brown, both much respected in all the places of their residence. This great Nation, when our subject was born, numbered but few of the white race; his parents, too, were pioneers in sections of the Great Republic which now count their inhabitants by millions; while their descendants have followed closely in their footsteps, planting civilization in unknown lands, and living an example of honest rectitude, that has made their name re- vered in more climes than one. At the tender age of twelve months, Mr. Brown was taken by his parents to Berkshire county, Mass- achusetts, where his father followed his avocation of a farmer for six years. Here they remained until the year 1804, when they emi- grated to what was afterwards Delaware county, Ohio, which was then an all but impenetrable region of huge trees-yet now a smiling land of rare plenty. The journey thither also was one of extreme difficulty-seven hundred long weary miles through a sparsely settled country, opposed by mountain and stream, and met by fatigue and exposure. At last, from an elevation, they saw at their feet the exquisite Ohio, winding its way into the distance in many a beautiful meander.
Henry Wilkening
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Discomforts were for the time forgotten, and with hushed whispers the fair scene before them was canvassed. Below them at a considerable distance nestled on the bank of the stream the cluster of houses comprised in the village of Wheeling, while there extended beyond mile upon mile of the vast forest whither they were bound. Since that panorama was witnessed by the seven-year old boy, seventy-eight years have rolled away, yet is the scene as vivid in Mr. Brown's mind as ever. Such of Nature's beauties do not die; they live as life-marks to note the foot- prints on the sands of time. From Wheeling they crossed the river into Ohio, finding only one dwelling on the bank opposite that now large and prosperous city. Placing the river at that point to their rear, a distance of fifty miles through more forest brought the voyagers to eight or ten cabins which then formed the village of Zanesville, now in Muskingum county ; thirty miles more found them at the hamlet of Newark, now in Licking county, with its four or five simple cabins; five miles beyond they came to a solitary house that stood on ground now occupied by the town of Granville, where their further journey was for the moment brought to a stand-still. Before them there lay a dark, impenetrable forest which showed no sign of a trail. Twenty-five miles of this jungle lay between them and their destination, and naught was left but to open a road. The pioneer, however, is often brought face to face with such difficulties, to surmount which he at once puts his shoulder to the wheel-he knows no discouragement. The road was duly opened and the haven of rest safely reached. By the new arrival the little com- munity was increased to nine families, four of which being from Berkshire county, Massachusetts, gave to the place the name of the Berkshire Settlement. On the shore of Lake Erie, one hundred miles distant, was their nearest white settlement northward ; to the southward, they had the settlement of Worthington, at a distance of fifteen miles. There then was it that Mr. Brown, at the tender age of seven, entered upon a frontier life, enduring without complaint its thousand-and-one hard- ships, and enjoying as only the young can its hundreds of strange pleasures., Roads there were none whereby goods could be transported in wagons. Therefore, the undertaking to make such by the felling of trees, when e. u one was a veritable primeval monarch, was a matter of much labor and time. Thus the adult males were confined to the hard work of clearing and improving, while those of more tender years were given duties, though still trying, yet more fitted to them. As an instance Mr. Brown has said: " I was often sent on horseback, with a bag of corn, twenty-two miles to mill." When strong men are hard at work in a small community, insidious disease may creep in almost unawares, and then are we startled by the appearance of the Fell Reaper to claim some loved one. The first to cross the dark river in the little settlement of
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Berkshire was a Mrs. Vining. By this sad event the settlers were put to their wit's end to give the poor lady a proper Christian burial. A meeting was called to ascertain by what means lumber could be procured wherewith to make a coffin, when it was proposed by a Mr. Curtis that a tree should be chopped down, high enough up for the length of the cas- ket, and saw it downward with a cross-cut saw. The suggestion was not adopted, however, but other and satisfactory arrangements were made whereby the woman received a decent burial. It is always curious to watch the raising of the earlier public buildings in a pioneer village. That in Berkshire was of the typical kind. The first school building was a log cabin, its seats and desks being wrought from split logs, with the flat sides hewn off smoothly. Here it was that Mr. Brown first drank from the fountain of knowledge as found in books, and laid the founda- tion for that love of literature which he has found in after years so bene- ficial. Yet he received no uninterrupted course of tuition, for as the eldest of his father's sons he had to give much time and attention to duties on the farm, a practical course of study, which, though retarding that from books, was indubitably not without its usefulness. He early became deeply interested in history and geography, and made these branches his chief study. In the year 1815 his father died; the cares of his estate therefore rested on his son, who faithfully discharged these duties until 1818. Mr. Brown being now twenty-one years of age, and in the eye of the law attained to man's estate, he set out from Ohio, on foot, to St. Louis, then a French trading post, five hundred miles distant ; but not meeting with that success there which he anticipated, after rafting on the Missouri for a Winter, he went to Madison county, Illinois, in company with Charles Gregory (uncle to Munson Gregory, of Ygnacio valley, Contra Costa county), and there farmed in " shares " for one year. He then went some fifty miles north on Apple creek, a recently formed set- tlement (afterwards organized into Greene county), where he engaged in farming for three years, during which he married the daughter of Thomas Allen. At the expiration of the above specified term, Mr. Brown moved twenty-five miles further north, to a settlement then forming in the wil- derness, but which he took an active part in afterwards organizing into Morgan county. Save the Summers of 1826-7, which our subject passed in the lead mines of Wisconsin (which were then indefinitely placed in regard to State qualifications), Mr. Brown resided in Morgan county fourteen years, during twelve of which he filled the office of Justice of the Peace. In the Fall of 1836 he moved from Illinois to that tract of land bordering on the Missouri river acquired in that year from the Indians and designated the Platte purchase, where he located, cleared a farm of one hundred and eighty acres, took up his residence thereon, and aided in the organization of Platte county. In this place he lost his first wife.
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In the year 1846, Mr. Brown determined to emigrate to the Pacific Coast ; he therefore formed a company from out the residents of the above county, and preparations were commenced for the long, weary journey across the plains. Early in the Spring all arrangements were completed, Mr. Brown appointed Captain, and May 1, 1846, the fourteen families, with their sixteen wagons crossed the Missouri river at St. Joseph, to encounter the long, wandering woe of the perilous journey. As the voyage pro- gressed naught occurred to vary the monotony save those events usually incident to the trip; the train was augmented by the joining of other companies bound to Oregon, until at last it consisted of thirty wagons. At the South Platte the first of their adversities commenced. After trav- eling up the river and camping at the confluence of two of its tributa- ries, soon after dark a stampede of their cattle ensued, caused, it is sup- posed, by buffaloes. Thus one hundred and twenty head, sixty-two of which were oxen, were lost, while the search for them caused a week's vexatious delay. Their teams were now much broken up ; however, some cows were purchased from other trains, and by working these with those of their own cattle, the journey was continued. When within a few day's voyage from Fort Laramie, our subject, with five men, pushed on to the station in order to make arrangements for the purchase of some oxen, and to have some necessary repairs made by a blacksmith-if there was any there-but there was not. They had not gone far, when they were met by an Indian on horse-back, who seemed anxious to communicate with them, but the party were unable to discover the meaning of his signs ; he turned and accompanied them. Soon they reached an eleva- tion, from which they looked down upon the Platte, at a distance of about two miles; there, to their amazement, and in anxious wonder, they be- held about three hundred mounted Redskins. The Indian with them waved his blanket as a signal, while his brethren advanced towards them in solid column, at a trot, their gun-barrels and dress glittering in the sun-"the sheen of their spears was like stars on the sea." Mr. Brown says that in the whole course of his long life he never witnessed a more perfect manœuvre, by any cavalry, than was performed by these nomadic braves. Judging the movement to be a favorable one, he caused one of his comrades, named Crowley, to return to the train, with directions that they should form into two lines and thus advance, in order that, if needed, they could swing together ; they were also to look well to their arms and to have them ready in case of emergency, for should the Indians prove hostile, death would be preferable than life with them. Alone with Mr. Scott, the others having gone back to the wagons at the first sight of the Indians, Mr. Brown awaited their approach with unflinching courage. When within twenty or twenty-five feet of them, he raised his hand as a signal for them to halt; they did so. The chief now dismounted,
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and pacing to and fro in front of the squadron, addressed them by word and gesture. The pantomimic harangue concluded, with ex- tended hand he advanced towards Mr. Brown; he was soon followed in a like manner by eleven others. The train had almost reached them by this time; he procured some tobacco, motioned the chiefs to be seated, which they did, in the form of a circle. The tobacco was handed to the head chief, who distributed it, lighted a pipe, and after taking a whiff, passed it to Mr. Brown, who, following the example, passed it to his neighbor-and so on, until the circle was completed. From the strange presence around them, the cattle became very restive, and it was only by dint of much exertion that the men were enabled to prevent a stampede; therefore, in order that they, with the wagons, should pass on, Mr. Brown signified to the chief to open his lines for the purpose. The request was immediately granted, the troop wheeled to right and left, an avenue was opened, the teams passed through, and proceeding, camped near the fort on the North Platte; the Indians, following them, encamped in their vicinity. That evening some annoy- ance was felt by the emigrants, on account of some of the Indians coming into their camp and meddling with things in the wagons, which was soon stopped by the chief, who, on complaint being made, mounted a wagon-wheel, made a speech, and stopped the further molestation of our party by his followers. At this juncture a French trader at the fort informed Mr. Brown that the Indians expected a feast from the emi- grants, as a quid pro quo for the destruction of game in their country as they passed through it. On account of the high wind which blew, the merry-making could not be undertaken that evening; the morrow was fixed for the gala occasion, when plenty of provisions were prepared, taken to a short distance from the camp and placed upon logs. The whole troop were invited to be present, but, most unexpectedly, none but the chief and his eleven sub-chiefs made their appearance at the hos- pitable board. The viands discussed, a friendly chat ensued between Mr. Brown and his guests, through an interpreter; while the entertain- ment was brought to a close by a few presents-all departing good friends. That afternoon these "braves," who were a band of Sioux warriors going north to fight the Crows, crossed the river, and were seen no more. For the whole of the next day our party traveled up the river, and camped in the evening near a spring about half-a-mile from it. At dark another stampede of the cattle took place, taking the road they had just come ; but on arriving at the river, into it they plunged, and swam to an island about eighty rods from the bank. They were brought back to camp at midnight by two young men-George Stillwell and George Marsh-who had swam the river, followed them through the brush about half-a-mile, dressed in nature's garb, and thus secured them.
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Passing through the since-famous Black Hills, they crossed the North Platte, which they fortunately found fordable-the day before it had been a seething torrent-then proceeded up the Sweetwater, which they struck at Independence Rock, and climbing the mountains, descended to Green river, fording which they arrived at Fort Bridger. For some weeks prior to their arrival at this point, sickness had become very prevalent among our voyagers, Warren Brown, as well as others, being prostrated by typhoid fever-indeed, so ill was this son of our subject that the grief- stricken father was obliged to leave him behind at the fort, with but a remote expectation of ever seeing him again. Delay was not to be thought of, however, where so many lives were at stake. The expedition therefore, once more took up the line of march to Bear river, Soda Springs, Fort Hall and onwards to the Snake river, down which they traveled forty miles to Goose creek, finally turning south to the Thousand Spring valley thence to the Humboldt. Unhappily, disease haunted them to this stream, one-half the company being sick, while two heads of families -Messrs. Allen and Adams-had died between the Snake and Humboldt. They then followed the course of this river to its sink, where Mrs. A. Allen was committed to " Mother Earth," and from thence proceeded west across the eight-mile desert on to the Truckee. And now what a change came o'er the spirit of their dream ! The pure, cold water of the river was to the weary traveler as the healing of a nation. They traveled up the river, crossing it twenty-seven times with much difficulty on account of its swift current and huge boulders, and were ultimately brought to a stand-still near the summit of the mountains. There it seemed as though the weary travelers were headed off from the Promised Land. The Sierra Nevada reared their white crested summits far above them, while the ascent was so steep that their weary teams could not draw the wagons up the precipitous and rugged sides. It was a gloomy time to them ; but not a time to parley. They knew something had to be done ; Winter was close at hand; with it starvation and certain death. One of two things must be done-stay there and trust to fate or surmount the moun- tains-they chose the latter. And now commenced a series of obstacles before which the stoutest heart might quail. After much labor fifteen yoke of oxen were got to the top of the mountain. A chain was then extended from the team to the wagons, which were two hundred feet below, but to prevent the chain from bearing upon the ground, a large roller was placed on the summit, over which passed the chain, by which means they were enabled to draw up one wagon at a time. Just fancy the amount of labor all this involved ! By sunset, the sick and every wagon was at the summit of the Sierra. There was a joyful company around the camp fire that night. They had surmounted the great barrier and anticipated an easy down grade. Their joy was well founded ; as was
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exemplified by the lot of the ill-fated Donner party, who were but a few days behind them. Yet this down-grade was not all sunshine. While going down the Bear River Mountain, one of the wagons belonging to ex-Governor Boggs pressed one of the teams off the narrow grade into the cañon, the vehicle being prevented from following the animals by lodging against a large pine log which was lying at the edge of the trail. The oxen were suspended .in the air with their hind feet just touching the ground. The bows were knocked out to let the oxen down. The grade was so steep that some dragged limbs of trees behind their wagons to act as a " break," but the most approved way was to chain all the oxen except one yoke to the hind part of the wagon, with a man to each yoke, with club in hand ; they would go down whirling, shouting " Whoa !" from the top to the bottom. In all this long journey from St. Joseph on the Missouri river, to the slopes of the Pacific, there was not a bridge nor a ferry for the crossing of any stream. Mr. Brown and his party entered California, at Johnson's ranch, October 10, 1846, where they found the proprietor to be a rough sailor, dwelling in a dirty, little hut, and surrounded by naked Indians-a fact which we understand caused some confusion among the ladies of the train. Contin- uing their journey they camped on the spot where Sacramento, the Capi- tal of the State, now stands. About a mile and a half up the American river, at New Helvetia,stood the hospitable enclosure of Sutter's Fort, where beef, flour and other commodities were procured, the fresh meat and bread being highly appreciated, for they had been long desired. Here it had to be decided whither the party should permanently locate, the places receiving the greatest favor being the Santa Clara valley, Napa and So- noma. After a few days' rest Mr. Brown declared for Santa Clara. He, however, feared that his teams would not be able to take his wagons, for many of his oxen had fallen by the way, and left to be devoured by In- dians and wolves; those he still had were living skeletons. Supposing Santa Clara to be in the vicinity of Yerba Buena (San Francisco), he there- fore made arrangements with Captain Sutter to transfer a wagon to that port in one of his boats. At this period there was but one house between Sutter's Fort and the Mission San Jose, and which was in the Livermore valley. Our subject first proceeded to the Mission San José, but after a week moved to Santa Clara, where, on account of difficulties with the Mexicans, all the families resident to the sonth of the Bay of San Fran- cisco had assembled for safety ; here, on his arrival, Mr. Brown found thirty families collected, with but fifteen men to protect them ; the others had gone to join Fremont who was then pressing General Castro, and driving him from point to point, while the valiant Spaniard contented himself with penning bombastic proclamations to the people, and high- flown communications to the Authorities in Mexico. Such was the military
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enthusiasm of the period that it was not difficult, as it might be to-day, to recruit an armed force. In October (1846), Charles M. Weber and John M. Murphy were commissioned by Commander Hull, of the U. S. sloop-of-war Warren, in command of the Northern District of California, as Captain and Lieutenant respectively, in the land forces. They quickly raised a company of scouts which had their headquarters in San José. And this recruiting spirit was not confined to the settler, for as soon as immigrants arrived at Sutter's Fort they were visited at once by Captain Granville Swift, of Fremont's battalion, and asked to volunteer, which several of them did. Among these was Joseph Aram, familiarly known in San José by the present residents as he is by all old pioneers. He was commissioned by Fremont as Captain, and told to proceed with some of the immigrant families to the Santa Clara Mission, rather than to San José, for there were more houses there, but such was their state, and owing to the inclement Winter, the unfortunate women and children suffered terri- bly, and no less than fourteen of them died. Captain Aram had managed to form a company of thirty-two men, among whom was Mr. Brown, whose head-quarters he established at Santa Clara for the purpose of pro- tecting the families there ; he thereupon essayed to place the mission in a suitable state of defense, by constructing barricades, built principally of wagons and the branches of trees, for he had learned that Colonel. Sanchez and a body of mounted Californians were hovering in the vicinity. In the month of November, San José was formed into a military post, and sixty men, with Messrs. Watmough and Griffin, under Lieutenant Pinkney, of the U. S. ship Savannah, sent to protect the inhabitants in the district. This force left Yerba Buena early on the morning of the 1st, and proceeding by the ship's boats up the bay, about sunset made fast to the shore, and that night camped on the site of the present town of Alviso. Dawn of the next day found Lieutenant Pinkney and his command on the route, and after a weary march, for muskets, bayonets, cartridges provisions and blankets, had to be transported on the men's backs, ar- rived that afternoon at San José, when he immediately took possession of the Juzgado (the Hall of Justice), converted it into a barrack, placed a sentry on the Guadalupe bridge, and ordered a guard to patrol the streets throughout the night. He dug a ditch around the Juzgado of two feet in depth and one in width, at about sixty feet therefrom, into which he drove pickets seven or eight feet long. On the outside thereof he dug a five-feet wide and four-feet deep trench, the dirt from which he threw against the pickets, thus forming a breast-work. At each corner he made a gate, and on each side mounted a guard, and otherwise made himself free from surprise and attack.
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